Naruto could still remember the sick jolt of hopelessness, like someone had snapped a thread in his soul, when he'd woken up in that dark cell and listened to the one teammate he had left scream until her vocal cords had become tattered and raw until they'd thrown Tomoko's broken body in with Naruto hours later.

"Please, stop! Stop!"

"Now now, stop complaining. Wouldn't want to let such beauty go to waste, ne?"

Naruto's hands slammed down onto his skull, weaving fingers through his hair and digging nails into his scalp to silence the clamoring voices of his memories.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

Naruto managed a lopsided grin. "I'm okay, Sakura-chan. Just a headache!"

"Okay, if you're sure..." Sakura frowned. She looked out the window and started slightly. "Guys, visiting hours are over! It's time for us to leave and let Naruto get some sleep!"

After a momentary chorus of grumbles and goodbyes, Naruto was left alone again. He allowed himself to collapse on to his pillow.

They had changed. He had changed. They had moved on. His goals were no longer in their best interests.

But really, none of that mattered. The board was set and the pieces were ready to move.

The reward for winning the game?

Salvation.

Failure meant not death-

-but deletion.


So yeah. This is a preview for a collaboration named Illusions that I'm working on with misssilivren. It's going to be posted on the Red Thread Studios account.

Summary: It has been three years since Naruto set foot in Konoha, and things have changed. His goal: the completion of Operation Phoenix, given to him by his captain before he died. His enemies: Anybody who gets in his way. MAJOR AU. Not a Super!Naruto fic.

And the next chapter of Hi no Ishi should be posted within the next week or so. Thank you all for waiting so long!