Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Author's note: Hello! Time to end the world! This story takes place about a year or so after the end of the war. Everything up to chapter 699 is still canon! This is kind of my version of The Last. Warning... This story is DARK! (but what story of mine isn't really?) Please enjoy!

Chapter One: Return

The field was absolutely beautiful. The wind made the tall grass ripple like water. A hill rose about the field in the center, creating something like a wave. The cloudless, sunny sky watched the peaceful meadow in silence. All seemed perfect.

At the edge of the meadow, where the grass met trees, a man stood in a long black cloak that flowed in the gentle wind. The man wore a hood over his face, rejecting the sunlight. In his hand was a staff with markings that were older than the world itself… He stepped into the meadow and made his way towards the hill in the center. The black cloak trailed behind him as he walked. Everywhere he stepped, the bright green grass wilted and turned to ash. As he made his way to the center, the meadow around him was plagued with the stench of death and decay.

He seemed unconcerned with the damage he was doing… All was well to him… as it should be. The wind picked up and grew more violent as he grew closer to his destination. Clouds the color of blood moved in from all directions, casting red shadows on the dying landscape. Before him was a striving meadow and behind him was an ashen wasteland.

As he climbed the hill, the crimson clouds covered the sun, snuffing out the light. He stood at the summit of the hill and looked around. Half the meadow was dead and the other half rippled in the wind like a sea in a storm. The man lifted his staff and slammed it on the ground. When it hit, the wave of death pushed away from him and the rest of the life in the area wilted away and died. The man released the staff, but it remained erect on its own. He removed the hood of his cloak

The man closed his eyes and lifted his face to the red sky. A drop hit him on the cheek. He opened his piercing blue eyes as more drops fell. It was not water… It was blood. The man sighed deeply and removed the cloak. He held it out and released it into the wind where it vanished into nothingness. The man was completely bare beneath to cloak and nine fox tails whipped viciously in the wind. He raised his arms, being soaked in the crimson rain, but his bare skin was not stained. He still remained pale even while the world around him was painted red.

He opened his eyes and looked around him. They were coming in hordes from all directions… He gripped his staff as they came… the skeletal remains of hundreds of shinobi. Some still had flesh and clothes hanging limply on their bones, but most were white and bare. He smiled. The army stopped at the foot of the hill and, as if a signal went out to all of them, they lowered themselves to their knees and knelt to the tailed man on the hill. He smiled wider and laughed as red lightning created spider webs in the sky…

Naruto woke, screaming bloody murder. He sat up, shaking violently and drenched in sweat. His breathing was heavy as if he had just run from there to the Sand village and back. He held his own hands, trying to stop the shaking. The dream had felt real; so real that he thought he could still smell the sickening, sweet and sour scent of rotting blood and flesh. The sweat the rolled down his bare skin felt like the drops of bloody rain rolling down his back. He hugged the blanket to his chest, trying to calm himself.

A knock on the door made Naruto jump. "Wh-who is it?" he called shakily.

"It's Sakura, you moron!" the person outside declared. "Did you forget, Naruto?" Sakura? Were they doing something that day? He closed his eyes. "I'm coming in!"

"N-no!" Naruto called. He didn't want Sakura to see him like this. He didn't want to describe the dream at all, but his warning came too late. Sakura opened the door and stepped inside his one room apartment. I have to lock my door… he thought.

"Alright, Hero of the Leaf, let's-" she stopped. "Naruto! Are you okay?" She hurried to him and placed a hand on his forehead. He pulled back. Her hands were freezing against his fevered flesh. "You're burning up!"

"Probably just food poisoning," Naruto lied with a smile. "Don't worry about it. But, I did forget what we're doing today."

"You're teaching a class," Sakura reminded him. "Remember? Iruka asked you to teach a lesson on Shadow Clone jutsu, and I have a medical class to teach. But you don't look so good…"

"I'll be fine!" Naruto said with a smile. "I… just had a rough night, is all…"

"Oh?" Sakura looked worried, but decided not to argue, much to Naruto's relief.

"Yeah… Just let me get ready, okay?" Naruto said. He stood and walked to his closet to put on his black jacket with orange trim and his orange pants. He went into the bathroom and washed his face before stepping out. Sakura was observing the wall his bed was against. There were long gashes in the wood. "Ready?" he asked.

"Sure," Sakura muttered. "You sure you're okay?"

"Never better!" Naruto offered her a smile before quickly stepping outside. The sunlight blinded him, and for a moment all he saw were flames and all he heard were screams. Naruto shook his head and it all cleared, revealing a beautiful day. Sakura grabbed his shaking organic hand and smiled worriedly. "Actually… Tell Iruka I'll do it another day…" Naruto said, pulling his hand from Sakura's. "I… I'm really not feeling well today…"

Sakura frowned. "Do you want me to make you some soup or something?"

"No, no! Don't fret!" Naruto assured her. "I just need some rest, is all!"

"Alright… I'll send Hinata over to make you some ramen!"

"That won't be necessary!" Naruto gasped.

"Why? You like her cooking better than mine," Sakura countered. "And you really do look sick, Naruto. I wouldn't want you to be alone."

Naruto sighed deeply. "I'll go see Kakashi-sensei or something," he assured her. "Tell Iruka I'm sorry…"

"Well… if you're sure…" Sakura trailed off.

"I'm sure!" Naruto said with a smile. Sakura sighed and nodded, deciding to leave it alone for now.

"I'm going to come check on you later, got it?" she asked. "Try to get some rest."

Naruto nodded. Rest? Every time he closed his eyes, the gruesome scene plagued his mind. He couldn't get rid of it… He clenched his fists as Sakura walked away, leaving him alone. He got back into his bed and tried to relax, but he could not get rid of the dream. His whole apartment reeked of blood and death, which only proved to make him feel more ill.

Naruto sighed and eventually got up. He wasn't going to accomplish anything in there. Maybe he should try to talk to Kakashi about the dream. He stood and left the apartment, but the fresh air outside didn't take away the smell of death. Naruto even thought he could taste the stuff in his mouth. His stomach cringed at the thought and he hurried forward, hoping to reach the Hokage mansion before another vision came out of nowhere.

Once inside the mansion, Naruto hurried to his teacher's office, ignoring the calls of the ANBU stationed throughout. He opened the door. Luckily Kakashi was alone in the room. "Sensei!"

"Naruto? Aren't you supposed to be at the academy today?" Kakashi asked. "What brings you here?"

"I… wanted to talk to you about something…"

"And teaching the students isn't as important as having a conversation with your teacher?" Kakashi inquired, but his mocking stopped when he seemed to notice how shaken up his student really was. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Naruto sat down. "I… just had a nightmare today…"

"Is that all?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto nodded and looked down at his hands. "It was vivid… and terrifying…"

"Did the whole village run out of ramen?" Kakashi teased, trying to lighten the boy's mood. His comment didn't even get a grin from Naruto. Naruto weaved his fingers together as he described, in vivid detail, his dream. Even as he spoke the words, he could see the scene, smell the blood, and touch the wilting grass. By the time he had finished his story, he was shaking and sweating again as if he had just woken up from the hellish realm again.

Kakashi blinked when the story was over. Naruto recognized the look of confusion and worry on his teacher's half exposed face.

"Dreams are dreams, Naruto…" Kakashi said. "For years after Rin died, I would wake up from nightmares… It could just be an extension of your trauma in the war…"

"But this much later?" Naruto protested. "I haven't had dreams like this before…" Kakashi sighed deeply. "It's not just the dream… I can smell it… still!" Naruto protested. Now he sounded insane. "Sensei… Am I going crazy?"

"Of course not!" Kakashi assured him. "You've been there for years!" Naruto frowned. "I'm kidding! But if you feel so strongly about this, maybe you can discuss it with the toads, or some other summons that are pretty ancient."

"I guess," Naruto grumbled. He had hoped Kakashi would have some answers for him.

"Don't worry about it, Naruto. It's just a dream. Sometimes dreams are really vivid. I doubt it's anything to worry about."

"I guess…" Naruto said again. "I'm going to go get some ramen."

"For breakfast?" Kakashi said.

"This is me we're talking about!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Kakashi smiled. "Cheer up, kid! It's not the end of the world!"


The village looked so different… That was all the young girl could think about as she stood on the wall overlooking to area. Something must have happened to make it look so strange… How long have I been gone…? She thought. Had she taken a longer look, she would have noticed the two extra faces on the monument, but that detail slipped her gaze in light of all the other jarring changes. She sighed and jumped down, sticking to the wall as she ran. She looked around, but no one looked familiar.

The layout of the village wasn't even the same. It was as if the whole place had been torn down and then rebuilt. Some things remained the in the same place, but all the buildings were new or repaired. The girl fiddled with the tie on her white apron. It was as if walking through a dream.

"U-um…" she called out, grabbing the hand of someone as they walked passed. "I-I need to speak with Namikaze Minato-sama…" she said. "C-can you tell me where I can find him…?"

The man she had asked stared down at her as if he were looking at a ghost. She blushed. The way he stared made her uncomfortable. "Young lady…" he said carefully. "Minato-sama died…"

The girl gasped and ripped her hand away from his. "That can't be true! I saw him just recently! The war is over!" she snapped. What a cruel joke to play on a young girl!

The man blinked. "Perhaps you should speak to Hokage-sama," the man suggested.

"I don't want to speak the Hiruzen-sama!" she snapped. "I want to speak to Minato!" She looked at his confused face and sighed. Perhaps visiting the Hokage would clear some things up. "Fine." The man took her hand and started towards the mansion. Even that had changed! She stomped her foot in annoyance.

She followed her escort up the stairs and he opened the door. "Hokage-sama… there seems to be someone who is… lost here…"

"I'm busy, Kotetsu!" the Hokage said. Kotetsu…? She knew a Kotetsu…

"I think you should see this."

"Fine." The man opened the door wide and the girl stared blankly at the man in the room. It wasn't the Third Hokage, and it definitely wasn't Minato.

"K-Kakashi…?" she gasped. He stared at her, his eyes wide.

"Rin…?" He echoed her shocked and confused tone perfectly. It was a mercy that he was sitting down or the man might have fainted. "You're-" he trailed off

"-so old!" Rin finished her own thought as he found himself lost for words. She looked down at her young body, then back at his. She hadn't aged a day… but he had aged decades.

"-alive," Kakashi finished, breathless.

"Yeah… Why wouldn't be?" Rin asked, confused. "What's going on, Kakashi? Is this a transformation?" Kakashi shook his head. He stood and stumbled over to the young girl. He reached out and touched her hair and she pulled back.

"This isn't the Edo Tensei," Kakashi confirmed quietly.

"Of course it isn't!" Rin snapped. "What's going?!"

Kakashi swallowed and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Rin… You died," he muttered. The girl shoved him away.

"Stop it!" she snapped.

"What is the last thing you remember…?" Kakashi asked hesitantly.

"We were on a mission in the Mist," Rin answered. She shook her head. The memory of what happened on that mission was fuzzy and the more she thought about it, the more her head hurt. "I… woke up on the banks of a river not far from here… Did I really… die…?" she asked. Kakashi nodded. The girl looked down, shaking. She didn't remember dying… she didn't remember any of it…! Kakashi reached towards her, but she slapped his hand away before darting out of the office.

"Rin!" Kakashi called desperately, but she ignored him. She ran through the streets of the village until she came to the graveyard. It, like everything else, was different, but she ran down the lines of plaques until she stumbled across the one she was looking for… Nohara Rin… She bit her lip. There it was… Her grave… She dropped to her knees before the polished stone. Her fingers traced the engraving in the warm stone. Rin bowed her head. How was this possible? How could she be dead?!

She didn't even notice the tears at first… It wasn't until she noticed that the stone was wet that she realized she was crying. The girl hugged her chest and rocked back until she was sitting on her ankles. What had happened? How did she die? She buried her face in her hands and wept quietly. A Shinobi shouldn't cry, she knew that, but she also didn't care.

Gentle hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her against a chest. She looked up. "Kakashi…?" she whispered.

"I'm sorry…" Kakashi said. They stayed in silence there for what seemed like hours. Rin rested her head against his chest.

"Hokage…?" Rin asked eventually, with a smile. "Did they run out of candidates?

"Hey…!" Kakashi snapped playfully. Her teasing was nice, even if it was a deflection from the real problem; her resurrection

"I'm just saying! Or are you just doing it because Obito wanted to be Hokage?"

"Both…" Kakashi muttered. Rin smiled and pushed off the man. He reached up and dried her tears.

"I died?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, then why am I here?"

"That I don't know…" Kakashi muttered. "But, for now, it might be best if you didn't talk to anyone… at least until we figure this out"

"Well, where am I going to stay? It's been how many years? I doubt my house is still here."

"About that…" Kakashi smiled sheepishly. "The village was kind of destroyed…"

Rin blinked, then sighed. "This is why you can't have nice things. What happened?"

"It's… a really long story…" Kakashi said. "There will be plenty of time for that. For now, you and I should probably get you inside. You can stay with me… if you want," he added quickly.

Rin smiled. She hardly thought of it as an older man inviting her into his home. She only saw her friend. "That sounds fine," she said. Kakashi stood and offered his hand to her. She gripped it tightly and stood. "Let's go, then, Hokage-sama!" Kakashi held her hand comfortingly and the two headed out of the cemetery.


Naruto sighed as he finished his third bowl of ramen. "Another!" he ordered happily.

"Hey, kid, slow down," Iruka teased. Naruto smiled at the man. Being with Iruka made the whole nightmare seem less real. "So is this why you bailed on me today? So I would be worried about you and take you out for ramen?" Iruka asked.

"No. I really did feel sick this morning."

"But you seem better now," Iruka pointed out with a smile. "You really do have to teach a lesson on Shadow Clones. The students would love to see you make a hundred of them."

"I wouldn't want to show off," Naruto muttered sheepishly.

"Why not?" Iruka asked. Naruto sighed and stood just as his fourth bowl was delivered. He stared down at the ramen before smiling and returning to his seat. "Naruto? Something's wrong, isn't it?"

Naruto stirred the broth as he waited for it to cool. "I guess you could say I'm distracted," he confessed quietly.

"Why? Did something happen?" Iruka asked.

"I had a dream," Naruto muttered. He knew how it must sound to be this worked up over a dream, but the feeling of dread had never left him. He still felt sick every time he tried to recall that horrible dream.

"Do you want to talk about?" Iruka asked kindly.

Naruto sighed and described what he had seen in his dream. How he had been a bringer of death and had led an army of undead soldiers. "Kakashi-sensei says it might just be post-traumatic stress from the war," he offered when he was finished.

"That could be it," Iruka agreed after a couple minutes of silence. "Do you think that's all it is?"

"No," Naruto grumbled. "I don't. I haven't had any sort of stress because of the war, and no one else seems too effected by it."

"Maybe you should talk to Sakura," Iruka suggested. Lately the medical ninja had been working on establishing therapy centers for children. She had been working with therapists in the village to create these centers. "She'd help you if you'll let her."

Naruto sighed and took a bite of the ramen. It tasted disgusting, but he ignored it. He knew it wasn't the ramen that tasted bad, it was the memory of the dream that was tainting his meal. "I guess," he grumbled. It was a good idea, but the thought of worrying everyone didn't sit well with him. What right did he, the Hero of the Leaf, have to be scared?

Iruka sighed and the two finished their meal in silence. Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of coins. "No, you aren't paying," Iruka protested.

"I'd rather pay," Naruto muttered. He laid the coins on the counter and walked out of the shop, ignoring Iruka's attempts to bring him back in. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked down the street quietly, ignoring anyone who tried to speak with him.

This is stupid, he thought as he kicked a rock. I shouldn't be so worked up over a dream. I've had nightmares before; why is this one worth my attention? He kicked the rock again and sent it flying. He winced as it hit a window, cracking it. He quickly looked around to make sure no one saw what he had done and then he walked away with his head down.

"Oi! Naruto! Wait up!"

Naruto stopped and waited for whoever was calling him to catch up. "Oh. Hey Shikamaru," he muttered.

"What's up with you?" Shikamaru asked. "I've been trying to get your attention for a couple minutes. Lost in thought?"

"I guess."

"That's not a good place to be lost," Shikamaru said. Naruto stared on. "Anyway… Kakashi wants you see you in his office if you've got a second."

"Yeah, I got a second." Maybe it would be a good distraction for him. Naruto had a destination, at least. Just as he turned, however, he caught a glimpse of yellow hair passing by not far from him. For a moment, all he could do was stare. Throughout the day he had been having vivid hallucinations relating to his dream, so his first, and most logical thought was that this was another fear induced vision. Surely he wasn't really seeing his father roaming the streets of Konoha.

"Shikamaru?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Hm? What's up?"

The other shinobi didn't seem to see what he was seeing, so Naruto shrugged. "Nothing. Let's go." He started for the Hokage's office silently, keeping his eyes searching for the yellow hair he had seen. Shikamaru stopped dead in his tracks when they approached the Hokage mansion and Naruto stopped beside him. Naruto couldn't believe his eyes, but he also couldn't deny what was standing right in front of him. "D-dad…?" Naruto whimpered like a scared child.

"Hokage-sama," Shikamaru breathed, confirming to Naruto that this wasn't some hallucination. The man before them was indeed the Fourth Hokage. Naruto bit his lip and took a step back as if the man before them was a threat.

"I… seem to be a bit lost," Minato muttered, looking at the two boys harshly. His eyes stayed on Naruto for a moment longer than Naruto was comfortable with.

"Naruto, that's-"

"Did you say Naruto?" Minato asked. His bright blue eyes widened. "Naruto-kun? Is it really you?" Naruto bit his lip and nodded. He searched for any signs that this was a jutsu, but he could not sense the Edo Tensei on his father. The man before them appeared just as Minato had in life. "Naruto… My son," Minato breathed quietly. He walked towards the child and the two stared at each other. Minato didn't recognize him. It was as if he didn't remember their encounters both during Pain's attack and the war.

Before Naruto could utter a word he was being pulled into a tight hug. Naruto stayed stiff for a moment before he too embraced the man before him. "Dad," he whispered.

"What's going on?" Minato asked quietly. "Last I saw you, you were a screaming baby boy. Now you're a grown man!" Minato held the boy at arm's length and looked him over. "How is this possible?"

Naruto shook his head. He turned to Shikamaru with wide, pleading eyes. The other shinobi shrugged, offering no explanation. The man holding him was alive. He had felt the heartbeat in his chest during the hug and he felt the man's breath on his skin. The body was warm and comforting. This was no jutsu he had ever seen. "I don't know," was all Naruto could manage.

"How old are you?" Minato asked eagerly.

"Eighteen," Naruto answered carefully. This news drained the color from Minato's face.

"Eighteen… And I haven't aged a day. How?"

Naruto bit his lip and looked away. How was he going to tell his father that he had died? How would that subject even be breached? There were no lessons in teaching you how to tell your loved ones that they had died and now were back from the dead.

He was saved from having to answer by a disturbance behind them. Naruto thought at first that Minato had been spotted and people were gathering, but that wasn't the case. He turned around and saw three people walking towards them. It was two children, one male and one female, with an adult. The boy had skin the color of paper and hair as colorless as the rest of his body. Even his clothes, a white robe, was colorless and plain.

The girl wasn't as pale as her younger male counterpart, but she too looked like she would do well to spend some time in the sun. She was skinny to the point where Naruto would be slightly concerned, though she wasn't emaciated. Her hair was a dirty blonde.

The man was the most interesting of the trio. He was tall and had an air of power surrounding him without being too overbearing. While he wasn't overly muscular, he still looked like he could snap an arm like it was a twig. His long black hair flowed behind him and his black silk kimono brushed the dirt beneath him.

Naruto blinked at the three visitors as they stopped in front of his own trio. Minato placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder to reassure him. The eldest of the trio looked at Naruto. "It is you," he whispered with tears beginning to well in his eyes.

"Excuse me?" Naruto asked.

The man grabbed Naruto's hand and kissed it. The two children bowed deeply and their adult companion dropped to his knees. "Seifuku," he said quietly. He released Naruto's hand and lowed his forehead to the dirt on the ground in the deepest bow. "I have waited one hundred lifetimes for you… The Conqueror…"

Author's note: Look! Dead people! XD So, yeah, this is a SUPER old story that I started over a year ago. I have the first few chapters already written, and some people wanted to read it, so I decided to go ahead and post it tonight. I might be killing myself with fics right now, but like I said, this one already has a few chapters under its belt. Enjoy!