A Strange New Life || Isekai'd Reader To Naruto World

A Time to Cherish

(Y/n)'s POV

Darkness.

An empty, infinite void surrounded me. No sound. No light. Just... stillness. My thoughts were fragmented, floating aimlessly in this space, as if I wasn't entirely sure where I was. Time had lost all meaning here. Was it minutes? Hours? Days? I didn't know.

And I didn't feel afraid. I felt... at peace, maybe. Or maybe it was something deeper-something I couldn't name.

A faint voice broke through the silence, and I froze, recognizing it instantly.

"(Y/n)..."

My heart skipped a beat. That voice... it was so familiar.

"Elisia?" I whispered, my breath catching in my throat.

And then, she appeared. The little girl. The one who had brought me here. The one who had given me my mission.

She looked the same as the last time I saw her-gentle, innocent, with that same knowing smile on her face.

"You did it," she said, her voice gentle but somehow full of finality. "Congratulations."

A wave of relief washed over me. Neji was safe. I had saved him. The timeline was right again.

But something still lingered in the back of my mind. The emptiness of the void didn't quite leave. There was something I still needed, something I hadn't been able to do.

I took a step toward her, hesitating slightly, before speaking. "I saved him, but... there's still so much I need to do. I need to say goodbye to them. To live for myself, just a little longer. I haven't had the chance to really live."

Elisia didn't move, but her gaze softened as she listened.

"It's time for you to leave now, (Y/n). You've fulfilled your mission. You've done what was asked of you."

Her words hit me like a cold wave. "Leave? But... I haven't had the chance to really say goodbye. I can't just... I can't just leave. I want to be there for them. I need to see their happiness. I need to witness the moments we all fought for-everyone's wedding. I need to see that. I need to see them happy. I want that for myself too, before I go."

Elisia looked at me thoughtfully, her eyes unreadable. The silence stretched on between us as she considered my words.

"You're asking for more time," she said, her voice quiet. "How much more time?"

I didn't hesitate. "I don't know. I just... need to be there. For their weddings. For everyone. After that, I'll go. I'll leave. But I can't leave yet. Please, just a little longer."

Elisia tilted her head slightly, and I could see her considering the request carefully. She was silent for a moment, weighing my words against something only she knew.

"You can stay until then," she said finally, "but there is one condition."

My heart skipped a beat. "What condition?"

Her gaze hardened, just slightly. "You cannot be in the Boruto timeline."

My brows furrowed in confusion. "Boruto?" I echoed, unsure of what she meant. "Why?"

Elisia stepped closer, her small figure casting a strange shadow in the void. "Boruto is the future that follows after the events you've helped shape. You're a part of this world's past-your presence in that future could disrupt everything that's meant to happen. You've changed enough already, and if you stay beyond this point, it would alter the course of that timeline in ways you can't predict. Your actions, your being... it doesn't belong there. It's not your place."