Naruto: The Sage Of The Infinity Stones

Nine-year-old Naruto limped through the dense forest, clutching his aching arm after yet another grueling, self-imposed training session. Sweat dripped from his brow, mixing with the dirt streaked across his face. His muscles screamed in protest with every step, but he barely noticed. The pain had become a constant companion.

It wasn’t that he didn’t try his hardest—he always did. But with no one willing to train him, it fell entirely on his shoulders. He had asked his mother and father countless times, but their answers never changed.

“Sorry, Naruto. But we can’t. Your siblings need the training more than you do. When you start attending the academy, they’ll train you. Just be patient.”

At first, he had clung to their words, holding onto hope. But patience had yielded nothing. Eventually, he gave up asking, and in turn, his family became even more distant.

He wasn’t asking for much—just a little attention, a bit of the warmth and guidance his brother and sister received so freely. But it never came. He was the forgotten child, a castaway in his own home. And Menma and Mito? They never missed an opportunity to remind him of it. They relished tormenting him, laughing at his failures, flaunting the love and approval he was denied.

Assholes.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto hissed as his sprained ankle throbbed sharply under his weight. Earlier, in a fit of frustration, he had kicked the training post with all his strength. Unfortunately, his stance had slipped, and instead of hitting the post, his ankle had met solid wood. Not his smartest move.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he ran a hand through his overgrown blond hair, grimacing. I need a haircut. The unruly strands clung to his skin, damp with sweat.

Then, he glanced down at his clothes and groaned. His black T-shirt, once sporting a bright red Uzumaki spiral, was now coated in mud and torn at the hem. His gray shorts weren’t in any better shape, stained with dirt and grass.

Namori’s gonna kill me.

The elderly caretaker had a zero-tolerance policy for dirty clothes and never hesitated to chase him around the house, broom in hand. Dodging her was going to be a nightmare.

As he grumbled to himself, a sudden gust of wind blasted through the clearing, knocking him flat on his ass.

Naruto’s breath hitched as he stared, wide-eyed, at the swirling vortex now crackling above him. The air shimmered with an unnatural blue glow, streaked with violent bolts of red and purple lightning. The very fabric of reality seemed to twist and ripple around it, distorting the space like a warped mirror.

Every instinct in his body screamed danger. He scrambled backward just as a bolt of lightning struck the exact spot where he had been sitting.

Damn, that was close.

“Wanda! What are you doing?”

A woman’s voice rang out from within the vortex, sharp with urgency. Before Naruto could even process it, something massive began emerging from the swirling abyss—a purple arm.

Thick, muscular, and an unnatural shade of deep purple, the arm was clad in a gaudy golden gauntlet. Embedded in the metal were six glowing gemstones, each pulsing with an eerie radiance. The fingers twitched, flexing as though attempting to grasp something, but a strange crimson energy—laced with streaks of blue and purple—wrapped around it, restraining its movement.

“I’m getting rid of the Infinity Stones for good,” another female voice snapped. This one was filled with pain, fury, and something else—desperation. “He took Vision away from me, so I will take from him the thing he treasures most.”

“NOOO!”

A deep, booming roar of anguish tore through the forest, rattling Naruto to his core. The voice was filled with such raw power, such hatred, that the very air felt heavier.

The arm jerked, nearly retreating into the vortex—before the portal suddenly slammed shut.

For a moment, silence reigned. Then, with a sickening thud, the gauntlet and the severed arm crashed onto the forest floor. A splatter of dark purple blood sprayed across the grass, soaking into the earth. The fingers twitched once... then stilled.

Naruto remained frozen, his breathing shallow as he stared at the grotesque sight before him. His heart pounded in his chest, but his body refused to move. Is this real?

He half-expected a squad of ANBU to descend at any moment, to investigate the unnatural phenomenon that had just unfolded. But the forest remained eerily calm, untouched by the chaos that had just occurred.

It was just him.

He, and the severed arm of a titan.

And a gauntlet holding the power of the universe itself.

✨🟣🔵🟢🟡🔴🟠✨

Night had fully descended over the forest, casting long shadows between the towering trees. The moon’s pale light spilled into the clearing, illuminating the golden gauntlet like a sacred relic. Its six gemstones flickered weakly, their once-blinding radiance now dimmed to a soft, pulsing glow.

Naruto hadn’t moved for hours. His legs were stiff, his ass numb from sitting on the damp ground, but he barely noticed. Even the dull ache of his ankle had faded into the background. The only thing demanding his attention now was his bladder, twisting uncomfortably under the strain.

I need to take a piss.

That ridiculous thought was what finally made him stir. With great effort, Naruto forced himself to his feet, immediately regretting it as a sharp bolt of pain shot through his swollen ankle. He clenched his teeth, hissing through the discomfort.

He needed to get this checked out—but that meant facing his mother, and she’d have a lot of questions. Questions he didn’t want to answer. She already disapproved of him training alone, and if she found out he’d pushed himself to the point of injury? He’d never hear the end of it.

Two more weeks. Just two more weeks, and he’d finally start at the Academy alongside Menma and Mito. Naruto couldn’t afford to fall behind now, not when all the other clan heirs had years of training under their belts. He was already the odd one out. He refused to be the class idiot, too.

Limping cautiously, he made his way toward the severed arm, pausing every few steps as if expecting it to suddenly spring to life and attack him. Yeah, I’m being an idiot. But in his defense, a freaking portal just opened up and spat out an arm wearing a glove full of glowing rocks. At this point, was it really that crazy to think the damn thing might move?

Stopping in front of it, Naruto hesitated before slowly crouching down. He extended a single finger and poked at the thick, purple limb—then immediately jumped back.

Nothing happened.

After a few beats of silence, he tried again. Poke. Retreat. Nothing.

The third time, Naruto worked up enough nerve to grip the gauntlet itself and heave it upward.

Crap, this thing’s heavy!

His small hands barely managed to grasp two of the massive fingers before the severed arm slipped free, sending Naruto stumbling backward with a startled shriek. He landed flat on his back, blinking dazedly at the night sky.

Ouch...

Groaning, he sat up and rubbed the back of his sore head while his other hand still clutched the enormous gauntlet. It was even heavier than it looked. Holding it up to examine it more closely, he marveled at the intricate design—the golden surface gleamed under the moonlight, etched with strange, unreadable markings.

“Wow...” Naruto murmured, his cerulean blue eyes gleaming with curiosity. “I’ve never seen a gauntlet this big before! No normal person could wear this...”

His gaze drifted to the severed arm lying limp beside him. His fingers brushed against the thick, leathery skin. It was definitely not human.

His grip tightened around the gauntlet as he turned it in his hands, wondering just how much bigger it was than his own. On a whim, he slid his right hand inside, his fingers barely even reaching halfway through. It swallowed his hand entirely.

Naruto frowned. “If it was smaller, maybe I could wear it...”

The moment the words left his mouth, the red stone embedded in the gauntlet flared to life, flooding the clearing with an intense crimson light.

Naruto barely had time to react before the metal of the gauntlet melted. The once-solid gold shifted, turning to liquid as it slithered up his arm like a living thing. His eyes widened in horror as it coiled around his wrist, creeping up his forearm, his bicep—until it covered his entire arm and shoulder.

Then, the pain hit.

Naruto screamed, clawing at his arm, trying to rip the gauntlet off, but it was useless. The gemstones shifted, sliding along his forearm. Four of them settled while the orange and yellow stones disappeared under his shirt, as if burrowing into his body.

Suddenly, a searing pain exploded in the center of his chest.

Then another—blazing hot and relentless—struck his forehead.

Naruto’s vision blurred as the agony consumed him. His body convulsed, arching violently off the ground as if an unseen force was drilling into his very soul. He barely registered the silent scream slipping from his lips before everything went black.

His grip on reality shattered.

And Naruto fainted.

*** End of Prologue. ***