The rustle of dry leaves and soft chirps of birds filled the quiet air.
Perched atop a barren tree, Haruto Uzumaki lay back with an apple in hand. His crimson hair shifted gently with the breeze. The tree had no leaves, but Haruto had made it his usual spot—comfortably desolate, just like his thoughts sometimes.
He took a final bite and casually tossed the apple core away.
With a light stretch and a soft yawn, he stood up.
"Aan~," he muttered, covering his mouth.
His appearance had changed greatly over the years.
The once-rowdy teen now bore the calm strength of a seasoned warrior.
His jawline was sharp, skin pale and flawless, his whisker marks faint. His deep ocean-blue eyes held a quiet warmth… but also an intimidating calm. His shirt clung loosely to a frame honed by countless battles.
Haruto Uzumaki—possessor of the Six Paths Rinnegan, master of elemental Rasenshuriken, and creator of the Exploding Clone technique.
He vanished in a blur, a faint red arc trailing behind him.
They didn't call him the Red Flash yet—but they would.
They would...evil laugh
Akatsuki Base – A Few Hours Ago
A heavy silence filled the base as Itachi entered, carried Haruto's lifeless body.
"...What happened?" Pain asked, his voice low.
"He fell," Itachi replied simply.
"Fell?" Kisame blinked. "You mean, he tripped?"
"Wait… it's not April, right?" Tobi asked, eyes wide under his mask. "Is this a joke?"
No one laughed.
Without another word, Itachi walked outside. The rain poured as he dug a grave and placed Haruto—no, Kazuto—inside.
Tobi stared. "You're serious? This really ain't a prank?"
Amegakure – Secret Underground Base
"You... you're a Konoha shinobi?!" Nagato's voice boomed as he struggled to sit up.
Haruto gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. My name is Haruto Uzumaki. I joined the Akatsuki to help guide it back to peace."
Nagato's breath hitched. "Peace? They murdered Yahiko! You—! You infiltrated us!"
Haruto raised his voice. "Hey! That wasn't my fault."
Nagato narrowed his eyes. "Then whose was it?!" his voice still loud
Haruto got closer as he picked his ear. "You knew Danzo and Hanzo were working together. You still agreed to a truce."
"I tried to stop the war!"
"You tried. But you didn't have the strength back then. You wanted peace without power." Haruto stared directly into Nagato's eyes. "You believed Madara would give it to you. He won't."
Nagato's face paled.
"I trusted him…" he whispered.
"He's not Madara. He's a fake. He's using you to gather the Tailed Beasts and plans to steal 'your' eyes." haruto took a dramatic paise on 'your'
Nagato froze.
Haruto placed a hand on his chest. His eyes glowed gold for a moment, and Nagato felt something strange—his body healed, not just the pain, but the rot within.
"I... I can walk again," Nagato whispered.
"There's still time. You can make things right," Haruto said. "Help me defeat the real Madara. We'll make the world remember peace—Yahiko's peace."
Nagato took a long breath and nodded. "Truce... but this better work."
Gates of Konoha
The green gates of Konoha loomed ahead as Haruto approached, the rain soaking through his clothes.
"State your business," Izumo said, squinting at the unfamiliar redhead.
"Haruto Uzumaki," Haruto said calmly. "Step aside, Izumo-san. Kotetsu-san."
"Haruto?" Kotetsu raised a brow. "Who?"
Just as Haruto's heart dropped, thinking he had stepped into a paradox, a familiar voice echoed from behind:
"HAAARUTOOO!!"
Naruto sprinted toward him, arms flailing.
"Ohhh!" Izumo blinked. "Aren't you the twin brother of Naruto Uzumaki? Son of the Fourth?"
Haruto nodded. "Yup. That's me."
As Naruto reached him, the brothers locked into a quick, bone-crushing hug.
"Where the hell were you?!" Naruto shouted.
Haruto grinned. "Got lost in the path of... Akatsuki."
Naruto blinked, then burst into laughter. "Nice one."
The two took off toward the Hokage's office. Naruto yelled, "Slow down, damn it!"
Haruto smirked. "I'm moonwalking!"
Naruto skidded to a halt. "Man, forget this. Shortcut time!"
He climbed through the Hokage office window. Haruto shook his head and took the stairs like a civilized ninja.
Hokage Office
Haruto knocked once, then pushed the door open.
"Whoa... you got handsome," Tsunade said bluntly.
Haruto bowed. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade."
Inside sat Sakura, Ino, Kakashi, and Jiraiya. Ino rushed forward and hugged him tightly.
"I missed you!" she said.
Haruto blinked, then smiled. "I missed you too."
Jiraiya gave a subtle nod toward the door. 'Talk later.'
Haruto returned a silent nod.
He noticed Sakura meditating, and Naruto whispering to her. He smiled faintly.
'Huh. Not Hinata, huh? Oh well.'
"I'm glad to see you all again," Haruto said. "It's been... a journey."
"Hectic?" Naruto said. "I had Jiraiya-sensei with me! You were all alone."
"You did what?!" Ino and Sakura said in sync.
Haruto raised his hands in surrender. "I wanted to experience life."
"You don't need to go rogue to do that!" Kakashi said with a chuckle.
"Well, I didn't exactly suffer," Haruto said, peeking into his Kyomu space.
A mountain of golden ryo sparkled inside.
"I was kind of... absurdly rich."
The group blinked.
"Anyway, I'm back. So... who's treating me to ramen?"
"How about me?" Ino said with a playful wink.
Haruto raised a brow. "Really?"
Ino stepped closer. "Can't I?"
Haruto smirked, raised a hand—and in a flicker of black aura, a bouquet of crimson roses appeared.
"For you."
Ino gasped. "They smell amazing!"
Jiraiya whistled. "You get your girlfriend a gift but not your old teacher?"
Haruto laughed. "Oh right! Almost forgot."
He summoned a sharp black suit for Naruto.
"WHOA! For me?!"
Then, a wrapped book for Kakashi. The copy of the next Icha Icha volume—before it's even published.
A sleek, glittering dress for Tsunade landed on her desk.
And finally, for Jiraiya—Haruto stepped close. His eyes turned gold for a second.
"Remember that scar Naruto gave you?" he whispered.
Jiraiya's eyes widened. "You didn't..."
"Check."
The old sage slipped off his shirt—and blinked. "It's gone…"
Kakashi leaned in. "How did he do that?"
Haruto smiled. "Classified."
Later – Uzumaki Residence
The two brothers sat on the couch, trading stories late into the night.
Haruto left out the Akatsuki part—just told Naruto he'd worked as a wandering mercenary.
Naruto didn't push.
Instead, he simply grinned. "Welcome home, brother."
...
I don't know what to do now so I'm working on a filler on my own
Be there with me.