The flow of the Omniverse had remained still for years.
No matter what Artoria tried, Avalon did not move even a single inch.
As if some unknown power were holding her realm in place and preventing any further journey.
Even with her divine power, which would have been enough to create an entire universe, she could not move Avalon forward.
In the distance, foreign universes shone like stars in the dark sky above her realm.
Slowly, Artoria rose from her throne.
Avalon's throne hall felt more like the interior of a temple than the hall of a mortal ruler. Everything about it was still, solemn, and filled with a weight that made even the air seem sacred.
Without haste, she left the hall.
Her long golden hair fell far past her hips.
Artoria's footsteps echoed powerfully through the halls of Camelot as she passed her private chambers. Behind the heavy door, a soft, steady snoring could still be heard.
For a brief moment, Artoria closed her eyes.
"Can she not sleep quietly for once...?" she muttered dryly.
Then she continued on her way.
She climbed higher and higher until she finally reached the very top of Camelot. From there, Avalon lay beneath her. Vast, still, and beautiful, like a lost kingdom suspended between stars, darkness, and the distant lights of other universes.
Yet no matter how magnificent her realm was, it remained trapped.
It had been nearly five years since they had left the Naruto universe. For nearly five years, Avalon had not moved an inch.
The wind caught her hair and played gently with the fabric of her robes.
"Why...?" she asked softly.
Her voice almost vanished in the wind.
"What power is holding us here?"
Slowly, she stepped all the way to the edge of the highest tower.
"I wanted to explore the vastness of the Omniverse. To see new worlds. New kingdoms. New enemies. New wonders."
For a moment, her gaze darkened.
"And instead, we are stranded here like a ship without a sea."
At last, Artoria sat down cross-legged on the cold stone and closed her eyes.
She let her thoughts sink inward.
Deeper.
Deeper than Avalon.
Deeper than Camelot.
Deeper, into that space within her soul where the others waited.
"Hey, Rhongomyniad," she said calmly.
A voice answered almost at once.
"What is it, Avalon?" Rhongomyniad asked.
"If you're calling, then hopefully not without reason."
Artoria opened her eyes slightly within her inner world.
"I want to know what is holding us back."
For a brief moment, silence reigned.
Then suddenly, bright, almost malicious laughter rang out.
"Ha... ha... ha..."
Artoria and Avalon both turned their heads at the same time.
Saber Alter was grinning.
"What is so funny about that?" Avalon asked coolly.
Saber Alter's grin widened a little more.
"I simply find it endlessly delightful," she said, "whenever the two of you try to sound so dignified and exalted."
She tilted her head slightly.
"And then I think about what you did to poor Tsunade again last night."
Artoria said nothing.
Neither did Avalon.
Saber Alter only raised one eyebrow.
"It almost always takes her half the day afterward before she can walk and think properly again."
For the first time since the conversation had begun, the other two actually blushed.
"Oh, how lovely. So even goddesses can blush," Saber Alter said softly.
Artoria narrowed her eyes.
Saber Alter laughed quietly.
"You enjoy this far too much."
"Oh?" Avalon said suddenly in a mild voice.
"And whose name do you find yourself thinking of when you believe we do not notice where your thoughts wander whenever we spend a pleasant night together?"
Saber Alter's grin vanished.
For the first time, color rose into her face as well.
"Shut up," she muttered.
Artoria raised an eyebrow slightly.
"How interesting."
Avalon smiled with quiet mockery.
"So even our most cynical side has a weak point."
"Of course," Saber Alter replied. "Someone here has to be amused."
Then the mockery slowly faded from her face.
"But perhaps," she said more quietly now, "the problem does not actually lie outside Avalon."
Artoria and Avalon fell silent at the same time.
Saber Alter crossed her arms.
"We may have crashed the old system," she said, "but who says it is truly gone?"
Her gaze sharpened.
"Maybe the crash was only what we were meant to see."
The inner world fell silent.
Utterly silent.
Saber Alter stepped closer.
"The new system may be nothing more than a mask," she said softly. "A veil. Something that hides the remnants of the old system while it continues to sit inside us."
Artoria's expression changed almost imperceptibly.
Avalon said nothing.
Saber Alter's voice grew even calmer.
"The old system itself spoke of a master, did it not? Someone in the background. Someone who wants you."
She paused briefly.
"Maybe that bastard never lost control."
Artoria remained silent.
Avalon as well.
"Maybe," Saber Alter continued, "he only made us believe that we had won."
Now even the last trace of mockery had vanished from her voice.
"And in truth, he left an anchor inside us. Something that binds Avalon. Something that keeps us from moving on. Something that shackles our true greatness until he is ready to reach out and take hold of us."
The words hung heavily in the inner world.
Artoria lowered her gaze slightly.
Then Avalon spoke again for the first time.
"...That would explain why Avalon does not move."
Saber Alter nodded slowly.
"And it would explain why the system imposed that bunny girl punishment in the first place."
A quiet, disgusted groan escaped her.
"That was no whim. No game. No mere sadistic lapse."
Her gaze turned hard.
"Someone in the background wanted to see you. Wanted to demonstrate power over you. Wanted to humiliate you."
Artoria's eyes darkened.
Saber Alter held her gaze without flinching.
"Someone is pulling the strings from the shadows," she said coldly. "For what exact purpose, I do not know."
Then she lifted her chin slightly.
"But I am certain that we are not trapped here because the Omniverse refuses us passage."
Her voice was now little more than a whisper.
"But because something inside us will not let us go."
This time, neither Avalon nor Artoria laughed.
Both of them knew at once that the thought fit far too well to be dismissed.
And for the first time in years, the silence around Avalon no longer felt merely empty.
It felt like the patient stillness of a trap.
Far from that dark realization, a very different morning had already begun on Avalon.
There stood Kushina, preparing breakfast for her little family.
She wore a simple kitchen apron, and her beautiful long red hair fell almost past her hips. For a brief moment, everything seemed peaceful.
Then the door to the stairs opened quietly.
Two small figures crept out.
Slowly.
Carefully.
With exactly the kind of guilt on their faces that only children had when they knew perfectly well they were doing something they should not.
Kaguya was in front. Her white eyes looked calm and innocent as always. Behind her padded Kurumi along in her little Kitsune form, her tails lowered as if that would somehow make her invisible.
They had almost reached the kitchen door.
Then suddenly, golden chains shot out of the floor and bound them on the spot.
"What are you two little ones doing there?" Kushina asked without turning around. "How many times have I told you not to sneak into Naruto's bedroom while he is still sleeping?"
Kaguya blinked with her usual quiet look.
"Aunt Kushina, we only wanted to wake Naruto-ne."
Kushina slowly turned around and looked directly into Kaguya's beautiful white eyes. By now, the girl was ten years old, old enough to know very well what was proper.
"And what did I tell you?" Kushina replied sternly. "At a certain age, you do not just walk into a young man's room anymore."
Then her gaze shifted to Kurumi.
"And you know perfectly well why that applies especially to you."
Kurumi flattened her ears and snorted indignantly.
"Hey, I cannot just let that little white-eyed girl get close to my Naruto."
Kushina closed her eyes for a moment.
Even now, she could hardly believe that the mighty Nine-Tails she had once carried inside herself had turned into such a small, possessive yandere.
To this day, Kurumi openly spoke as though Naruto belonged to her. When Kushina had once brought the matter up with Artoria, she had only explained with surprising calm that deep down, Kurumi still probably responded to pure, powerful bloodlines. Her new body, her new instincts, and her utterly changed life had turned old urges into something new.
Kushina still was not sure whether she found that explanation reassuring.
At that moment, a cheerful voice came from the stairs.
"Good morning, Kushina. What are you making for breakfast today?"
Mito stepped into the kitchen.
Kushina's face brightened at once.
"Ah, Grandmother. It's Naruto's favorite food. Ramen."
A slightly embarrassed grin crossed her face as she scratched the back of her head.
Mito stopped and slowly shook her head.
"How is it possible that after five years, my granddaughter can still cook almost nothing except ramen?" she asked dryly. "I have been trying to teach you how to cook for years."
Kushina laughed nervously.
"Yes, Grandmother, I know. I'm bad in the kitchen."
"Why did you place two shadow clones inside your chakra chains?" Mito asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The real two are upstairs sitting beside Naruto and watching him sleep."
For a single heartbeat, everything went completely still.
All that could be heard were two soft puffing sounds.
And then the anger of a mother.
"Kaguya! Kurumi! Down here this instant!"
By the time the two little troublemakers reached Naruto's bedroom door, they opened it very slowly.
They crept inside cautiously.
The morning light fell through the window and bathed Naruto on his bed in a warm glow. His long red hair shone in it almost like fire.
Kaguya stepped closer and lowered her voice.
"Kurumi, how long do you think our shadow clones will buy us? And thank you again for teaching me the technique."
Kurumi shook her head, making her fox ears twitch and her long red hair fly in every direction.
"I would say... only a few minutes."
Barely had she said it when both of them heard the quiet sound of a door closing behind them.
Kaguya froze.
Kurumi did too.
"Uh..." Kaguya muttered. "We left that open just now."
Then suddenly Kushina's voice came from behind them.
"Damn," both of them said at the same time.
In the next instant, golden chains shot out of the floor and bound them.
Naruto jolted upright in alarm and looked around his room in confusion. His gaze fell on the two girls.
"What are you two doing in my..."
He got no further.
The door was thrown open.
Kushina stood there, and her hair moved like nine angry tails.
"It seems," she said in a dangerously calm voice, "that I will have to instruct both of you in special lessons again."
A short while later, their protests could still be heard even down in the street.
"No, Aunt Kushina, we will never do it again!"
Tears were running down Kaguya's face.
"That is exactly what you said yesterday too," Kushina replied, unmoved. "And the day before that as well. Punishment is necessary."
Then she dragged both girls behind her toward the training ground.
Naruto remained sitting on his bed and blinked at the door in confusion.
"Uh... what was that just now?" he muttered.
At that moment, Mito stepped into his room.
"Get dressed," she said calmly. "Today I will continue teaching you the art of fūinjutsu."
Naruto jumped up at once.
"Yes, Grannie!"
Mito merely shook her head.
Then her fist struck his skull again.
"Oww!"
"And stop shouting like that," she said dryly.
As Naruto followed Mito into the central Uzumaki town hall, the familiar life of Avalon met him at once.
As on every morning, the great hall was filled with voices, footsteps, and the rustling of opened scrolls. Everywhere in the building, children were being taught, tasks were being explained, and seal formulas were being practiced.
More than a hundred and fifty Uzumaki now lived on Avalon.
Not all of the clan had survived the Sage's slaughter in the afterlife. But Lady Artoria had been able to save a large number of the children and many of the adult clan members. Most of them had found not only new life here, but new strength as well.
Many of the women of the clan had accepted Artoria's offer and had become Valkyries.
Since then, the balance of power within the clan had shifted noticeably.
In the past, men and women had shared their standing more or less equally. But now, the Valkyries were the strongest members of the clan, and everyone knew it.
Naruto followed Mito to his place in a small study group with five other children of the clan.
The moment Mito entered the room, the students straightened immediately.
"Good morning, Clan Leader Mito," came from all of them in unison.
Only Naruto was, as always, half a heartbeat too slow.
"Good morning, Grannie."
Ow.
Mito's fist landed on his head with practiced precision.
"Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki," she said in a calm but sharp voice, "even if you are my great-grandson, in class it is Clan Leader Mito."
Naruto rubbed his head.
"Yes, Clan Leader Mito..."
Mito's gaze lingered on him for another moment.
"There are rules. And there are traditions. You are almost as bad as your mother was at your age."
For a brief moment, her eyes moved over the children before her.
Then her gaze settled on Naruto.
When she had first seen him, his hair had still been blond, as it was for many Senju. But after Lady Artoria had strengthened his bloodline and guided it back into a pure Uzumaki line, that had changed within a year.
Now his hair was a deep red.
Red as it ought to be for an Uzumaki.
Slowly, Mito raised her hand.
"Enough now," she said calmly. "We continue where we left off yesterday."
The children opened their scrolls and began their work.
Characters were written. Lines were drawn. Formulae were checked.
For a few moments, there was only concentrated silence.
Then suddenly, a loud crash echoed over from the training grounds.
Several children flinched.
Naruto immediately lifted his head.
The training ground was covered in craters.
Cracks ran through the ground everywhere, and fine dust still hung in the air. Kushina's lessons had rarely been gentle. In recent weeks, they had become even harsher.
Kaguya slowly pushed herself back up and looked over at Kushina.
"Why?" she asked in confusion. "Why has Aunt Kushina been so against us waking Naruto-ne in the mornings these past few weeks?"
For a moment, Kaguya's thoughts drifted back.
To this day, she did not understand the reason.
She had always liked going to Naruto in the morning. She liked his warmth. His closeness. That calm, safe feeling against her skin whenever she was simply allowed to lie down beside him.
Kurumi had almost always been there as well.
And yet, for some time now, Kaguya had felt that Kurumi became restless every single time she was alone with Naruto.
Before she could finish that thought, Kushina's fist slammed into the ground just centimeters in front of her face.
With a violent crash, the stone burst apart.
The shockwave hurled Kaguya and Kurumi backward.
Slowly, Kushina straightened up and cracked the fingers of her right hand.
"It seems," she said dryly, "that the two of you have at least gotten better at dodging."
Then her gaze fell on Kurumi.
"As for you," she said in a dangerously calm voice, "I will not hold back today."
Kurumi's eyes widened.
"Hey! Why is she being treated with kid gloves in training while I..."
She got no further.
Kushina's fist slammed into her stomach with full force.
For one instant, all the air left her body.
Then she shot backward through the air and crashed into the retaining wall of the training ground. New cracks spread across the stone.
As Kurumi hung there half dazed in the wall, a single thought raced through her mind.
Maybe... back then, when I was still sealed inside Kushina, I really should have been a little nicer to her.
Or not stabbed through Naruto's seal.
But I wanted to be free. She cannot hold that against me forever.
Kushina slowly walked toward her.
She stopped directly in front of the little Kitsune, who was still half embedded in the wall.
"There are two reasons why I treat you more harshly in training," Kushina said calmly.
Kurumi looked up at her with tearful eyes.
Kushina's gaze narrowed slightly.
"The first is that you are an ancient existence in the body of a ten-year-old girl, and yet you still act as if you are harmless."
Then one corner of her mouth lifted.
"And the second is that I have always enjoyed annoying you."
Her smile widened a little.
"Just like in the old days."
Kurumi pulled a face.
The worst part was that Kushina was not even entirely wrong.
Since the return of the Bijū to Avalon, everything had changed.
All of them had been placed into smaller, flesh-and-blood bodies. All of them had become Lady Artoria's pets. And all of them had, much to Kurumi's delight, been forced into female forms.
Only the second half of Kurama had been spared and turned into a male Kitsune, just as small as she was.
To this day, they had not been able to agree to become one again.
His words still echoed in her ears.
I will not merge with a needy little vixen who chases after her former prison.
I can smell from here that you are permanently in heat. What a disgrace for us.
If we became one again, I could show her who the strongest one really is.
Just the memory of it made Kurumi growl softly.
At the edge of the training ground, a small group of animals had gathered.
Anyone who looked more closely would have recognized them at once.
They were the Bijū.
At least, what had become of them.
In their old world, they had been gigantic beings, natural disasters made of chakra and wrath. Here on Avalon, however, they were barely larger than small cats. Just large enough to sit comfortably in their mistress's lap and be petted.
Each of those insolent little pets wore a pink collar with its name on it.
Even Kurama.
He alone among all the Bijū had not been forced into a female form. Not yet.
Deep down, he knew perfectly well that every day he was still allowed to remain a male Kitsune was pure luck.
He only needed to make one mistake.
Just one.
Then Artoria would transform him just as she had transformed Kurumi.
The vixen he despised with all his heart.
How can she throw away all of our pride like this? he thought darkly.
How can one part of me sink so low and trail after Naruto like that? Has our division damaged both of us so badly?
At that exact moment, Kurumi shot across the training ground with a loud crash and slammed into the retaining wall.
Kurama's little eyes widened.
Then his entire body began trembling with malicious delight.
"Exactly right!" he shouted. "Hit harder, Kushina! That traitor deserves it!"
His new tails wagged in gloating delight.
Who would ever have thought, he thought with vicious satisfaction, that one day I would be cheering Kushina on while she beats up the other half of me?
The other Bijū looked at him strangely.
Even to them, his behavior was beginning to seem a little... troubling.
At last, Matatabi shook her head and stepped beside him.
Then a paw with extended claws landed directly on his skull.
"What is wrong with you, brother?" she asked coolly. "You should not be cheering Kushina on. Kurumi is a part of you."
Kurama tried to wriggle out of her grip.
In vain.
"Let go of me, sister!" he snarled. "I am allowed to cheer for her. I hate vixens!"
For a moment, it grew quiet.
Then Matatabi's eyes narrowed.
Slowly, her fangs appeared, and her claws dug a little deeper into his fur.
"What did you just say?"
Kurama froze.
Matatabi's voice turned dangerously soft.
"You seem to be forgetting something, brother. All of us are women. Except for you."
A threatening growl went through the little group.
"So think very carefully about how you speak," Matatabi continued. "Or we will ask Mistress to take that last privilege away from you as well."
Shukaku burst out laughing, and the others could not help but join in with mocking laughter.
Before Kurama could even begin to answer, Matatabi was suddenly lifted up by two hands.
Naruto.
He pulled her tightly against himself and started cuddling her mercilessly.
At once, a loud purr escaped Matatabi.
"Please, Naruto, stop that..." she managed.
But her body had long since decided that resistance was useless.
The purring only grew louder.
"Okay, Naruto," she muttered at last in defeat. "You can keep going."
Kurama stared at her.
These vixens give in so quickly whenever he does that, he thought with contempt.
With Mistress, I understand it. There, one has to submit. But with him...
Suddenly, his whole body tensed.
He was lifted up by the collar.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Cold sweat ran beneath his fur.
Please not that. Please anyone except Mistress.
Then he was turned in the air and found himself looking directly into Artoria's face.
She looked at him with perfect calm.
"What have you done again, you little rascal?" she asked.
Kurama swallowed hard.
At once, he put on the sweetest look he could manage.
"Uh... Master, I can explain. I only wanted to..."
Artoria gave a faint shake of her head.
"I should probably turn you into..."
She said no more.
She did not have to.
The mere suggestion was enough.
A wave of naked fear shot through his entire tiny body.
"No, Master!" he cried immediately. "Please not that! I will behave. I will be good. Give me another chance. Anything but that. I would rather be sealed again than..."
Artoria saw the panic in his eyes.
Slowly, a delicate smile spread across her face.
"Good," she said calmly. "This is your last chance."
Kurama nodded so hard his ears trembled.
Artoria's smile became even more beautiful.
And for exactly that reason, even more terrifying.
"Otherwise, it will be: welcome to the land of women."
She lifted him a little higher.
"Then I will finally have another pretty nine-tailed cuddle toy to sleep with."
Artoria set Kurama back down on the ground.
The moment his little paws touched the stone, he was gone. He shot away like a red bolt of lightning and fled for his life.
Artoria merely shook her head slightly.
Perhaps she really would have to bring another Kitsune into her bed soon.
Kurumi had long since become useless for that. Night after night, the little vixen slipped away, sneaked off to Kushina's house, and curled up beside Naruto there. That was exactly why Artoria had eventually given her the ability to take on a human form as well. Complete with her adorable nine tails and soft fox ears.
The fact that Kurumi had chosen a blend of Kushina and Mito for that form still amused Artoria in a strange way.
Slowly, the air above the training ground grew heavy.
Kurumi lay half inside a crater, bleeding.
Kaguya did not look much better.
Then a soft, clear voice cut through the air.
"Kushina. Enough. I am taking my students with me."
Kushina, who had just been about to drive Kaguya even deeper into the ground, stopped her fist mere centimeters from the girl's stomach.
At once, she straightened up.
"Yes, my lady," she said without hesitation. "Then I will end training for today."
Artoria could not help but shake her head slightly.
Now and then, she truly had the feeling that Kushina was perhaps becoming a little too immersed in motherhood.
Golden shimmering light flowed from Artoria's body and settled over the two little troublemakers.
Wounds closed. Blood vanished. Pain faded away.
Artoria already knew that she would find both of them here again tomorrow.
Sometimes she seriously wondered whether that stubborn streak in the Uzumaki family was merely inherited. Or whether it grew stronger with every generation.
Kaguya and Kurumi climbed out of their craters and straightened themselves.
"Thank you, Master," both of them said almost at the same time.
Artoria looked at them calmly.
"Come with me. I will continue your lessons."
Then her gaze shifted to Naruto, who was still holding Matatabi.
"And Naruto," she said calmly, "let her go. The others would like to enjoy their free time too."