Hello Naruhina fans! I've been reading NaruHina for a long time, and I thought I should write my own fanfiction by now. I finally came up with a well developed enough plot to start publishing.
Hinata-centric story!
Chapter 1
'huff, huff, huff,' Naruto's and Sasuke's breaths came out in rapid puffs. Both lied in the dark pool of blood under the boiling hot sun of the shinobi world. Though his leg was limp, and his body was trembling from exhaustion, Naruto lifted himself up from what once an open meadow, but was now nothing but a barren waste land, as a result of their battle. Smiling, he wiped the blood trailing from his mouth with the back of his sleeve. Fatigue was beginning to sweep over him, and the sight of Sasuke began to blur in his eyes.
"It's not too late to change your mind Sasuke" Naruto huffed, pushing aside the strong urge to collapse. Sasuke smirked and replied with his signature "hnn," before he too lifted his weakened body. The angry flames of Susasano danced behind Sasuke, as he brought his hands together in seal that Naruto was quite familiar with.
"I told you Naruto, you will be the first to die." He smirked. Naruto chuckled; he didn't expect Sasuke to back down so easily. He guessed that he had just enough of the Sennin Mode for one more attack. Then again Sasuke too had enough Chakra for one more attack.
"CHIDORI,"
"RASENSHRUKEN"
The screams of the two elite shinobi echoed throughout the battle field. The battle between the two Konoha Nin occurred on such a grand scale that the remaining patrons of the war were forced to watch it from the distance of a little over half a mile. Among them were many great shinobi: Kankuro of the Ambush unit, Shizune of the Medic Nin unit, Temari, Darui captain of the first unit, Kitsuchi captain of the second unit, General Mifune of the fifth unit, Mitarashi Anko, Ao, Cee-kun and many more. Most importantly, the ones who understood the true horror of this battle was the Rookie nine.
The rookie nine, who had taken cover long since their battle started, held their breath as Naruto and Sasuke charged at each other. This was the battle that would decide the end of Fourth Great Shinobi War. The shinobi of the older generation couldn't understand what these nine rookies were going through. For them it was just the last battle. For the rookie nine, who had grown up with both Naruto and Sasuke, it was so much more than that. Only one of their nakama would survive.
But only one kunoichi was forced to endure the pain of both outcomes. Whether or not the other won or lost, she would always lose. Her two best friends were fighting to the death. Naruto, who had been actively fighting in the war for the last two days, and Sasuke who had just awakened from having Itachi's eyes replacing his.
Both we're severely weakened, and had been engaged in this battle for over an hour. But both were also determined to kill each other first. Sakura was torn. Who did she wish for to win this battle? Her long time best friend who always stood by her or the rouge ninja she so desperately loved.
The swirling shruiken of chakra and ball of lightening collided. The world around them sunk into a deep silence as Naruto and Sasuke were both enveloped into fierce black typhoon of wind and lighting chakra. Screams erupted from all that were observing Sasuke and Naruto's…perhaps final battle.
Far away in the HQ Yamanaka Inochi and his communication squad, put their chakra's together to display the battle to the five exhausted and greatly weakened Kages and the Daiyamos. They too were not able suspect the outcome of this battle. It especially shocked them all when neither shinobi used their most powerful Jutsu's. Naruto never used the Kyuubi mode, and Sasuke never brought out his Amateruze.
Tsunade-sama all but bit her finger nails off. That boy was her dream, her brother's dream and her lover's dream. This boy was the dream of many others like her. This boy was the promise of the future. And this boy was the one that fought for the shinobi world. He bared much more burden then the Godaime Hokage could even imagine. So why did he hold back against this rogue, why does she feel he's dampening his power? Nara Shikaku, the Hokage's right hand man, sensed her distress and placed a hand on her shoulder. She understood his message, this was for the best.
For the Mizukage, Raikage, and Tsuchikage, this battle was far less troublesome. They only desired one outcome, the death of Uchiha Sasuke. While the three wanted to believe that Naruto could change him, they knew in reality that Sasuke's death was the only way to end this war. It was rational. If they let another Uchiha lose, who knows when the world would fall into war again?
Another shinobi who watched the battle with mixed emotions was the sensei of Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, Hatake Kakashi. Kakashi was watching the battle first hand like many other shinobi, and with Konaha's very own rookie nine. Here were his two students, both whom have already surpassed Kakashi, fighting to the death. This wasn't some spar in training anymore, this was real. There would only be one winner, and only one will survive…if they're lucky. Sasuke….or Naruto….Sasuke….or Naruto….one was the memento of Kakashi's fallen comrade, Obito, the other was his beloved sensei's son. Beside him, his severally weakened Kohai, Yamato watched sadly as his sempai was torn between the two.
No Shinobi watching the fight dared to enter. This was a battle between perhaps the strongest genin in the world. The two were almost as powerful as the Kages…maybe more. It was truly a terrifying battle. The magnitude of the jutsus both genin used was magnificent, it astounded the jounin, the ANBU and the even the S-Ranked Shinobi.
To the outside world, it looked as though the two were trapped in a sphere of black chakra. But that wasn't the way Naruto saw it. He didn't see black chakra. He saw a lake; a big beautiful lake and a raven haired little kid, sitting by himself, on the edge of the dock. He recognized the boy from the Uchiha symbol on his back. He was that Sasuke kid that everyone was gaga over. Naruto didn't realize he was staring at that kid for a long time…until he ran head first into a pole.
"Ouch!" He shouted and grabbed his slightly pink nose. "Ahh this isn't good! I can't be a ninja if pole-san can sneak up on me like this! Dattebayo!" Naruto shouted at no one particular.
Around him, adults whispered to each other and glare in disgust at Naruto. They tug their children away, warning them not to play with that him. Ladies rushed away tugging their partners, and children hid behind their mother in fear of the little blonde hair boy. Naruto bit his lip hard, but then smirked and stuck his tongue out at everyone who dared to look his way.
The Uchiha kid suddenly came back to Naruto's mind. He spun around to see the lonely kid with now a small smirk on his face, staring off into the horizon. It seemed the Uchiha….had noticed….him. Naruto grinned, and turned to stalk off.
Stop
A voice whispered to him. It was his own voice….but it sounded older.
Go…talk to him.
Its okay
He's your friend
Your Best…Friend
The kind voice whispered to Naruto. And as if my magic, he saw the Uchiha kid staring back at him with the same shocked face. Both Naruto and Sasuke ran towards each other. The bonds of brotherhood and friendship, tied them together, and always….rebounded…like a rubber band. It could be stretched apart….but in the end it always returned to its original shape. The loneliness they both shared…was what drew them together. Is what let them understand each other. Is what helped them forge their…unbreakable kizuna.
Naruto and Sasuke began to run. They ran as fast as their short seven year old legs could carry them. They jolted to a stop in front of each other, and carefully took in their appearance. Black hair, black eyes, blonde hair, blue eyes, whiskers, blue, orange.
"This dobe is way too stupid looking to be my best friend," Sasuke thought to himself. Naruto lifted an eyebrow upon noticing a change in Sasuke's face.
"Teme…he's actually lookin down at me," Naruto thought in chagrin. He suddenly felt a rush of excitement. The Uchiha kid was actually looking right at him, him Naruto. He was judging Naruto with his own eyes, not choosing to believe what the other in the Academy say about him. Naruto grinned, adrenaline suddenly bursting through his veins. He had a strong desire to suddenly prove Sasuke wrong. Naruto pointed his left thumb to his chest.
"Uzumaki Naruto! The soon-to-be Hokage of Konahagure!" He greeted Sasuke with a wide smile on his face. Sasuke stared in surprise. This boy was just like him, with a huge ambition on his head. A goal that they absolutely had to accomplish. A little competition might be fun, Sasuke thought to himself.
"Baka Dobe, you have actually graduate from the Academy first!" Sasuke smirked and lightly punched Naruto's arm. Naruto smiled, he was so happy, he almost wanted to cry. The Uchiha and the Uzumaki saw each other…for who they are.
"Just you wait teme, I'm not gonna lose to you!"
"I wouldn't lose to dobe like you either, dobe!" Sasuke declared.
That afternoon they both sat on the edge of the docks, not speaking, but sitting in a comfortable silence. Both could feel the unbreakable bond they shared, a bond of rivalry, a bond of friendship, and a bond of brotherhood slowly…blossoming. Naruto picked up a small pebble from off the dock and skipped it across the calm waters. Sasuke did the same, but it went almost two times farther. From then on, it was like a silent unspoken competition.
Whoosh!
Naruto grunted and grasped his head, as the memory quietly and quickly flooded his head. He exhaled deep labored pants and spit out the blood in his mouth. He finally opened his eyes. Sasuke was on his knees hunched over and breathing heavily. He held an arm around his injured torso. Sasuke wobbled to the left. Before he could fall, Naruto grabbed his arms.
"Sasuke isn't it obvious…" Naruto stopped to take another deep breath. "-that neither of us are going to make it out of this alive?"
"You w-" Sasuke began to say, but was cut off by Naruto.
"Listen to me for a second, teme. I always thought of you as my best friend, my brother, my rival- and even though I don't want to admit it…or think about it- my first kiss. Don't you get it yet Sasuke? I cannot let go of you. I cannot let go of our bond. You're my brother Sasuke…I love you," Naruto gasped, struggling to speak in between breaths. A faint blush on Naruto's face slowly faded away and was replaced the dazzling smile he only showed to those he cared about the most.
Sasuke stared in awe as Naruto's eyes lit up and sparkled as he confessed his love. Sasuke too slightly blushed. He had only heard those words twice before in his life, once from his mother and the second from Sakura. Both those…were nothing, compared to Naruto's words. Sasuke smiled. His first real smile since the day Itachi had attended Sasuke entrance ceremony on the first day at the Academy.
Kizuna… Sasuke realized that's what he had with Naruto. An unbreakable kizuna. Since the first time Itachi had wiped out his clan, Sasuke's world was nothing but darkness. He had no other desire in life than to attain power and destroy his brother. But then that dobe interrupted his plans. His brilliant sunlight, deep within Naruto's heart, actually reached Sasuke. After spending his childhood in darkness, Sasuke wanted nothing more than a piece of the sunshine now. He wanted to live. He wanted a second chance. This time, he would stay faithful to his village. This time he would find the right girl, and start a family with her, and rebuild his clan. This time, he wanted to fight along his dobe best friend and help him reach his dream of being Hokage. Now that he was dying, he wanted to live . . . in that radiant sunshine.
"You were right dobe, I never could completely sever those bonds….All this time, I thought they were making me weaker. No, those bonds were what kept me human."
"I love you too Naruto." He whispers quietly. The black sphere of Chakra suddenly transformed colors. First a blinding white and then slowly was overcome by the brilliant colors of the rainbow. Naruto realized his Rasenshruiken had overtaken Sasuke's Chidori. Sasuke wasn't slow; he could see what was going on. He smiled and closed his eyes, and slowly felt the world slip away from him.
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted and caught his best friend before he hit the ground.
"You've grown strong, Naruto," Sasuke mumbled his last words in heavy gasps. He had to let Naruto know, that Sasuke had long since acknowledged Naruto.
"Damn it!" Naruto swore. The Rasenshruiken had completely destroyed the Chidori, and it wasn't disappearing. Naruto held his hand out and forced his last chakra into it. He forced the last of the wind to return to his hand, and then directed up into the sky, where the strong gust of wind disappeared forever. His attention quickly returned to his friend, slowly dying in his arms. "Sasuke! Damn you teme! Wake up and fight me! This isn't over till I say it's over, you got that?" Naruto screamed hysteria hinted in his voice.
And then he froze. Sasuke couldn't die, Naruto thought. He is after all the strongest Ninja in the world. He can't die, not here, not like this. Not after he finally got his brother back. Tears rolled down Naruto's face, his eyes were solely focused on Sasuke, and the world around Naruto went completely black.
"Sasuke" Naruto whispered broken heartedly. "Wake up man; you have to return to the village. Everyone's waiting for you Sasuke. Sakura wants to see you Sasuke. She's been waiting; she always has been. What about Kakashi-sensei? Don't you want to train with him again Sasuke? You can't leave yet. I…I promised I'd become Hokage didn't I? Sasuke?"
The rest of the world froze along with Naruto. Every Shinobi and Kunochi watching the battle…froze. One of the strongest and deadliest shinobi was just killed, and the hero who saved the world was crying for that man. Those who did not know Naruto or Sasuke for other than the rumors didn't know what or how to feel. Those who knew them, cried for them. And those who personally loved them, a part of their heart seemed to die just there.
To Naruto, the world was suddenly a very black place. There was no more light. No more happiness, no more good left in the world. There was nothing but an empty void anymore. His eyes and his heart cried for his best friend. Dark thoughts slowly entered Naruto's mind as his friend died in his arms. Kill them; Kill them all, they whispered to him.
Oi Gaki, get a hold of yourself. This isn't like you! The voice of the Kyuubi growled in Naruto's head. Naruto ignored his partner's voice. He blocked all sound, and felt himself falling into the darkness in his heart.
"Byakugan!" A loud scream broke the stillness. A lean pale arm and a surge of blue chakra entered Sasuke's chest. Dark indigo colored hair blew in Naruto's eyes. His tears ceased. Naruto froze in shock upon seeing Hyuuga Hinata sitting beside Sasuke, her fingers in the position of her family's Gentle-Fist style.
"Hinata what are you doing?" Naruto snarled. Hinata flashed Naruto a shocked look, but she still sat beside him with a firm resolve. Naruto noticed that her eyes were a deep shade of purple. Different from the usual Byakugan. Naruto saw her bring two fingers together, and rapidly start pressing pressure points around Sasuke's death.
"Hinata stop!" Naruto shouted once more shoving her with a chakra filled fist. Hinata "oomphed" as she flew twenty feet away from Naruto. "It's just like you to interfere where you're not needed," Naruto hissed. Hinata gracefully flipped, landing in crouched position, and shot back to the side of the dying Uchiha.
"Take your anger out on me if you please Uzumaki-san. But I cannot stand idly when I can save a ninja precious to our village." Hinata spoke as fiercely as her soft voice allowed her to.
"Sa-save him?" Naruto mumbled in shock, failing to notice that she called him Uzumaki-san. "that's impossible," his lifeless sky blue eyes stayed on Sasuke, who didn't seem to be breathing.
"My comrades spoke greatly of you Uzumaki-san; I wish to believe their stories of our village hero," Hinata whispered softly, as if she were disappointed with him. But then she smiled softly at Naruto and continued working on Sasuke.
"I blocked all the chakra veins near his heart; I stopped the last of his chakra from escaping his body. Now if I don't re-pump chakra into his body, then Uchiha-san won't heal from this," Hinata calmly explained to Naruto, not wanting to further enrage him. Naruto watched her work diligently, she didn't seem like she was trying to harm Sasuke. Then he looked over to his friends face, the color was starting to return. Naruto felt hope blossom at the bottom of his heart.
"Hinata will that save Sasuke?" Naruto spoke slowly, a bit of his former self slowly returning to him. He didn't wait for Hinata to reply. He began to pump his own chakra into Sasuke's body.
"We'll help too!" Two familiar voices said. Naruto looked away from Sasuke to see Sakura and Sai's determined faces, both willing to save Sasuke.
"Sakura-chan…Sai, arigato," Naruto sobbed wiping tears away with the back of his sleeve. Sai nodded in Naruto's direction and sat beside him. This was the team that Sai belonged too. Sakura and Naruto were his comrades. Even though bringing Sasuke back would mean that he would lose his position on Team Kakashi. Sai didn't care. He didn't want to see Naruto or Sakura upset anymore. He didn't want them to carry any more burdens.
"Sasuke-kun is precious to us too Naruto," Sakura replied, a smile replacing her tear stained face. Joy over flowed in Sakura's chest. Sasuke was finally going to be saved. She threw her green Konoha vest aside, and placed both hands over the open wound in Sasuke's chest. Kai, she whispered to herself. A bright green glow emitted from the medical ninja.
"Hai," Naruto agreed. They were going to save Sasuke together and then they could all go home. Naruto felt determined to pump more Chakra into Sasuke's body. He had to save him no matter what. He had to save Sasuke.
Che…stupid gaki loosing you're head as you please… Kyuubi grumbled at Naruto. Naruto mentally stuck his tongue out at Kyuubi. The Kyuubi rolled his eyes at the brat, and then folded his arms and nuzzled into them, ready for some long awaited sleep.
"Gentle Fist: Two palms!" Hinata screamed beside them, quickly stopping the last of the escaping Chakra.
"Arigato Hinata-chan. You hit all the right point," Sakura thanked gratefully, not looking away from Sasuke's limp body. Hinata smiled and mumbled a small you're welcome to Sakura. "How much more Chakra does he need?"
"He's out of danger now." Hinata replied carefully watch Sasuke's chakra reserves. Sakura had healed Sasuke's biggest wounds and had moved onto healing all the smaller ones. Hinata placed two fingers on Sasuke's forehead, looking for any sign of return.
"How is he Hinata-san?" Sai asked. Hinata let out a sigh of relief, she found his conscious.
"Uchiha-san is out of danger," Hinata spoke happily; her gentle eyes lighting up as she spoke. Sakura's face colored quickly and she lunged forward to hug Hinata. Naruto and Sai pounded fists before they too were enveloped in Sakura's hug.
Hic…hic…hic… The sound came from Sasuke's body. Naruto and Sakura pulled apart to grab onto Sasuke, startled by the outcome. Hyuuga Hinata grabbed his hand, and curled her own hands around his; she began to rub them soothingly.
"Calm down Uchiha-san, you're going to choke," Hinata said softly, trying not to alarm him. Sasuke's eyes flashed open and spun wildly before they flew to her direction. Sakura began to whisper to him too, but Sasuke's eyes were on Hinata and then Naruto. And as Hinata had said, he began to choke.
"Sasuke! Hinata, Sakura-chan do something!" Naruto shouted in alarm. Sakura froze in alarm as well. But Hinata quickly propped Sasuke's head back and leaned closer to him.
"Please forgive me for d-doing this U-Uchiha-san," She stammered blushing brightly. She pressed her mouth over his and started to blow in air. Sasuke's entire face turned red. Naruto and Sakura watched in utter shock. Sai suppressed a laugh.
"Ehhh?" Sakura and Naruto screamed when they came around. Sasuke gently pushed her away and propped himself up on his elbows. His face was still completely red.
"Warui, I'm okay now," Sasuke mumbled refusing to meet her eyes. Then he punched Naruto's arm. "How long are you going stare, I'm fine now, you Uruseitonkachi," Sasuke said, trying to shake off his embarrassment. Then he looked at his fist, clench, unclench, he was still alive…
"Sasuke?" Naruto muttered in shock, still not believing his eyes. Sasuke smirked cockily. Naruto smiled the kind of grin that stretched from ear to ear. "Damn you teme!" He yelled and pulled Sasuke into a head lock. Sasuke responded by saying "hnn" and lightly punching Naruto in the gut.
"Dobe, you're still seriously injured," Sasuke replied, stoic as ever. But the emotions in his eyes were undeniable. Roaring cheers erupted from all around them.
"NARUTO NARUTO NARUTO NARUTO!" The screams shouted from all around. That's right, Naruto had won the war, and he defeated Sasuke, and managed to remove his hatred. He stopped this cycle of hatred. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the crowd and called them a "Pack of Dobes." Sakura cried proudly, she now had both Sasuke and Naruto back. Sai grinned a real couldn't find Hinata to thank her, but there were more important things at the moment.
"Ahaha, domo, domo, Uzumaki Naruto- future Hokage at your service!" Naruto blushed but waved wildly at the crowds. The shinobi responded by cheering louder. Headbands flew in the air, arms were clasped, kunoichi were spun in the air, and comrades were reunited. Medic teams swarmed into the crowd of onlookers trying to heal as many of the minor wounds on the go as possible. Naruto laughed and waved some more, but his celebration was cut short real fast.
"It's good to see in good spirits Naruto, but I'm afraid this is far from over," A familiar voice interrupted Naruto's victory dance.
"Nii-san? You're still alive?" Sasuke asked in disbelief. Itachi smiled sadistically at his younger brother. Sasuke noticed that his body was still pale all over and his arms completely limp. His face however remained in that same bone chilling smile; you can't tell whether it's meant to be friendly or threatening. This meant that even though the reanimation technique had been called off, Itachi was still around. Itachi's arms were wrapped around Nagato, who should have been dead as well.
"Itachi . . . Nagato? You're not dead either? I thought the both of you had been sealed away, Dattebayo!" Naruto shouted, pointing wildly at the pair.
"Calm down Naruto, we don't have a lot of time left, and we much to catch you up on," Nagato sweat dropped at the brash disciple of his sensei. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke exchanged looks, then Naruto took his seat beside Sasuke, willing to hear the two out.
"Nagato and I both faked our deaths in order to hide from the castor of the reanimation technique, Kabuto. As Sasuke knows, we did manage to have Kabuto release the technique. But the shinobi with exceptionally strong chakra such as the two of us and Uchiha Madara managed to avoid a second death." Itachi began to explain.
"After destroying Kabuto, I faked my death to meet with Nagato. There were a grand number of Shinobi who weren't released even after the jutsu ended. The two of us managed to take care of the majority of them. However . . . there are a few troublesome ones still lurking around." Itachi finished, Nagato nodded in agreement and went ahead to further explain the situation.
"The Shinobi that Itachi and I couldn't find to finish were Nii Yugito, former Mizukage Yagura, Handa, Utakta, and Fuu." Nagato stated solemnly. Naruto gasped, and the others stared at him in wonder.
"They're all former jinchuuriki . . ." Naruto murmured. A pregnant silence fell upon the six of them, followed by a strong gust of wind. Naruto pushed his golden blonde hair out of his face, and clutched his fists together. "What do I do . . . to save them?" He asked.
"I believe you already know the answer to that, Naruto," Itachi smiled tapping Naruto stomach.
"Wait a second; what do the former jinchuuriki have to do with this? Even if they were brought back with the reanimation jutsu, didn't they have their bijuu chakra taken away?" Sakura asked. Naruto glared at his fists, and began to explain to Sakura-chan.
"Don't underestimate that mask-yarou Sakura-chan. After he brought them back, he turned them into Jinchuuriki once more by inserting the Bijuu chakra back into their bodies." He said. Sakura let out a gasp of horror, and hugged her body together to feel smaller. It was just too terrifying to think about.
"And . . . what does the dobe have to do?" Sasuke spoke for the first time.
"The same he did the first time,"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm sure Naruto-kun can explain,"
"Thanks for leaving the hard parts to me jiji!" Naruto grunted, he then turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, before you showed up on the battle field, Bee and I were fighting the Nibi, Sanbi, Yonbi, Gobi, Rokubi, and Nanabi. We managed to save the Gobi's ass but then he like got sucked into this gigantic wooden doll of death or something. The mask-yarou didn't want to take any more chances, so the bastard turned himself into the Jinchuuriki of the Shuukaku."
"Damn . . ." Sasuke muttered. He was completely unaware of what kind of battle Naruto had faced before him. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was sulking. Naruto had far surpassed him.
"Bee covered for me, and fought with the other four Bijuu's while I tried the rip the mask off that mask-yarou's face. Damn thing was melded or something. Don't worry; I at least inflicted some damage on that bastard proud body. I was all like 'I'm not losing to some no face bastard who doesn't even have name,' and then I flashed in front of him and punched his gut with this gigantic Odomo-Rasen-" Naruto babbled explaining his fight with animated eyes.
"Naruto! Get on with it!" Sakura yelled, throwing a hard punch at his left cheek.
"Sa-Sakura-chan . . ." Naruto moaned, his head buried in dirt. Itachi and Nagato sighed in defeat, wondering exactly what kind of person they left the future too.
"Baka Uruseitonkachi," Sasuke muttered loud enough for Naruto to hear him. Naruto pulled his head out of the ground and rolled backwards. He gritted his teeth and grabbed Sasuke by the collar.
"Teme! You wanna go again?"
"Hn, I'm ready anytime!"
"You bastard, I'm gonna Rasengan that cocky attitude out of you!"
"Try it dobe!"
"Naruto . . . Sasuke, grow up a little," Itachi muttered murderously. The two of them bowed their heads down in shame. Itachi began to wonder if they were seriously trying to kill each other a half an hour ago. He nodded at Naruto to continue speaking.
"Hehehe, anyway the mask-yarou managed to dematerialize in the last minute kinda . . . punchedmeinthegut . . . that's when Sasuke-teme showed up and in the last minute and claimed he'd be the one to take my life."
"Then I burned the right side of Madara's body with my Amateruze," Sasuke cut in. "Hn, doesn't make sense that he fled the battle when he could have just stopped the flames." Sasuke pondered. After all Madara did have a Sharingan as well. Naruto gave him an incredulous look.
"What the hell do you take me for teme? I managed to land some deadly blows on that mask-yarou- who by the way is not Madara. That guys Sharingan is as good as useless," Naruto boasted, puffing his chest out with pride.
"Please continue the story Naruto-kun," Nagato said with a roll of his eyes.
"I got it, I got it Dattebayo, I'll continue. So after Sasuke's sissy entrance-" Sasuke hissed at Naruto, who stuck his tongue out at him. Sakura glared at the two clenching her fists tight. Sai managed to cut in laugh, and then he went back to scribbling the conversation on scroll to present to the Hokage later. "the mask-yarou began to fled. Probably cuz he didn't the guts take us both on, hehe. With the last of the Bijuu mode's power I managed to reach into Madara and pull the Shuukaku out,"
"YOU WHAT?" Sakura screamed. Of the all of them, she had the worst nightmares of being nearly squeezed to death by the Shuukaku. She had long since forgiven Gaara, but her fear of the Shuukaku never disappeared.
"Daijyobu Sakura-chan, I got him locked up in right here," Naruto grinned and patted his stomach.
"What does this mean Naruto?" Sasuke asked cautious of the Jinchuuriki.
"It means that I'm now the Jinchuuriki of the Ichibi and Kyuubi." Naruto explained as a matter of factly. Sakura, Sai, and Sasuke gaped at Naruto.
"How is that possible?" Sai questioned, he stopped writing the moment he heard the outrages statement. "Even in the Root we have never heard of a Jinchuuriki housing more than one Bijuu. It's said to be impossible."
"But I'm afraid it is quite possible, the last Jinchuuriki to house more than one Bijuu was the Rikudo Sennin." Itachi answered, but his brows creased in confusion. Sakura and Sai gasped, and Sasuke remained impassive. Naruto nodded in agreement.
"You're missing a few details Itachi." Naruto cut in. "Technically, the Sage of Six Paths was the Jinchuuriki of the Ten-tails Bijuu. But the Ten-tails was even too much for the Sennin to house. As the rumors go, he sealed the Ten-tails body, and cut its chakra into nine. Ero-sennin said that . . . right there, is the Ten-tails body," Naruto finished pointing at the moon rising in the west.
"The Nine Bijuu . . . those are the nine chakras," Sasuke replied.
"Right, so anyway, it's probably possible for me cuz Kurama and I are on good terms. We don't play chakra tug-a-war anymore. Also, the Yondiame's Bijuu seal seems to be completely suppressing the Shuukaku,"
"Can that seal of yours handle anymore Bijuu, Naruto?" Itachi questioned.
"Why would Naruto need to handle anymore?" Sakura asked suspiciously.
"Perhaps I can answer that," A familiar lazy masked face showed up.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto, Sakura and Sai exclaimed.
"Yo, you know what they say, a hero is never on time" He waved with crinkled half smile. Kakashi knew he was only kidding himself, his body was beyond exhausted. Although his wounds weren't too sever, he was heavily drained of chakra. The worst part was . . . he was carrying an unconscious green beast on his back! Putting his green beast worries aside, he glanced at Sasuke a little more seriously. Sasuke "hnned," and looked in the opposite direction.
"We'll discuss your situation later Sasuke. Naruto . . . we need to know if you can handle anymore Bijuu because you and Bee are the only ones who can take on the Jinchuuriki,"
"Yo yo, Bee is my name, Bijuu hunting be my new game!" Bee rapped, (he too had late hero like appearance) shuffling his arms, and then he glanced at Sasuke. "Look whose back, Hachibi's gonna have a new snack, yow!" Sasuke once more glared and turned his head away. Naruto crossed his arms, deep in thought.
"So you're saying Bee and I have to find the other Jinchuuriki, seal their bodies, and re-seal the Bijuu's back into our bodies . . ." Naruto said in incredulous disbelief. Kakashi-sensei put an arm around Naruto and ruffled his hair proudly.
"I'm proud of you for figuring that out on your own Naruto. You've grown so much," Kakashi teased. Naruto smiled bashfully.
"Aww thanks Kakashi-sensei; Kurama had to explain a little but- HEY! That was mean Dattebayo!" Naruto held fist up at his sensei. Kakashi laughed and put his arms up in defeat.
"Continuing with our theory, Naruto, Nagato and I believe that only you and Bee-san here should engage in battle with the former Jinchuuriki. As long as the host have a Bijuu, Sharingan, and Rinnegan, it will be near impossible for ninja under Jonin level to take them on. Also the two of you need to be present to re-seal the Bijuu's." Itachi added on. Naruto pondered deep in thought trying to sort out the happening. He opened his mouth to question Itachi, when Sasuke cut him off once more.
"Nii-san that still doesn't explain why you and . . . Pain are still around," Sasuke question, feeling a little miffed towards his brother. Itachi smiled a half-hearted smile. He stretched a long arm towards Sasuke. Oh no, he's gonna flick me again, Sasuke thought, and tried to protect his forehead with his nearly limp arms. Itachi laughed and ruffled his hair.
"Glad to have you back Otouto-kun," Itachi said teasingly, Naruto snickered at their bantering as Sasuke made an embarrassed face. "Promise me you won't betray the village again Sasuke."
"But Nii-san they made you-"
"No one made me do anything Sasuke; those were my choices and my fate. The only mistake I made was dragging you into my fate. If I could go back, I would change the night that I used Tsukuyomi on my one and only little brother. I wished I hadn't dragged you into my world of hatred." Itachi began with heart-filled eyes. "I told you before my second death, no matter what you choose, I will always love you . . . . You finally made your choices . . . I'm proud of you little brother,"
"Nii-san . . ." Sasuke murmured not knowing what else to say. His head was in a turmoil. He was happy and terrified at the same time. Happy for his brothers words, terrified of what tomorrow would bring. Sasuke's eyes slyly shifted over to Naruto, the blondie didn't miss it. Naruto grinned cheekily and gave Sasuke a thumbs up. Sasuke allowed himself to smile.
"Ahh the bonds of brotherhood. Uchiha Sasuke the FLAMES OF YOUTH have reignited in your heart!" Screamed the green beast on Kakashi's back.
"Oh, Gai, you're still alive?"
"Curse you Kakashi and that hip cool attitude of yours,"
"Bahahaha, Konoha ain't got no more bugs, let's end this all with one great big group hug!" Bee shouted, tears streaming down his face. Two octopus legs sprouted out his back pulled everyone into a bone crushing hug.
"BEE!" They all shouted at the Hachibi's Jinchuuriki. He grinned sheepishly and dropped them. Naruto complained about his injured torso.
"Well . . . that was interesting," Nagato said after regaining composure. He then pulled out a red scroll and laid it out. He grabbed Naruto's thumb and slashed it with a kunai.
"Hey!" Naruto protested, but allowed Nagato to maneuver his hand. After swiping the blood across the scroll, Nagato began a series of hand seals. At this point they all realized it was a sealing scroll. With a loud POOF and puff of smoke later, shiny black rods came into view.
"Your chakra receiver thingies?" Naruto babbled out loud. Nagato smiled and nodded, maybe there was some hope for the boy after all.
"It's a bit of a stretch but . . . perhaps by using the Outer Path I can bring back the lives that were lost during this war," Nagato exclaimed.
"EHHHH?" Several shouts sounded.
"But I thought you could only bring back those you killed?"
"This war went on for two days, how can you bring them back?"
"What if you can't bring everyone back only a select few? That wouldn't be fair?"
"That's so awesome! Just like that time in Konoha. Let's do it Dattebayo!" The younger generation of Shinobi all shouted. Kakashi placed an arm on Nagato's shoulder.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kakashi asked. Although Ninja like him didn't really believe in God or morals like that, but after seeing the destruction and grief caused by the Reanimation Technique, no sane Ninja would ever want to tamper with the dead again.
"I will tell you what I told Uzumaki Naruto, Sharingan no Kakashi," Nagato began, although his voice was still as monotone as ever, the expression in his eyes was of a burning desire. "'War inflicts death, injury, and pain to both sides. The death of someone dear is hard to accept. We convince ourselves there's no way they could die . . . You may try to find meaning in death, but there is only pain. An unbearable hatred, senseless deaths and eternal hatred and that pain does not heal. That is what war is . . . I do not wish for such feelings in Naruto's generation.
"That boy, Uzumaki Naruto, is the dream and legacy of both myself and our sensei. He will become the one to stop the cycle of hatred in the shinobi world. I do not wish for this war to start a new cycle, even if the enemy is only one. I wish to aid my . . . sibling disciple."
Itachi, Sasuke, Sakura, Sai, Kakashi, Bee, and Gai all stared at the sibling disciples. An invisible red thread of fate wrapped around the two of them, and drew them closer. A warm patch of sunlight landed on Naruto and Nagato, and in that light, they could almost see the great toad sage Jiraiya standing behind the two, with a hand on both their shoulders.
"Alright . . . Nagato," Kakashi says, finally addressing the former leader of Akatsuki by his name. Nagato closed his eyes and nodded solemnly.
"However," Itachi cut in. "Nagato alone doesn't have the chakra to revive souls on such a large scale,"
"Well that's easy. Nagato-sempai-" Naruto paused to giggle at his own joke, he always wanted to call someone a sempai. Nagato visibly blushed at the name, but looked indifferent. "can do his Outer Pain jutsu thingies, and we can just grab onto the chakra receivers and supply him chakra Dattebayo." He grinned like he just thought of the smartest plan in the world. Kakashi and Gai sweat dropped . . . it was actually a smart plan.
"Naruto please . . . you're scaring me," Sakura chided teasingly. Naruto looked at her with a dumbfound look. Itachi and Sai chuckled, while Kakashi and Gai rolled their eyes.
"Yo Naruto, you gotta gift," Bee added. Naruto only grinned sheepishly.
"Alright, let's get this started!" Naruto shouted and grabbed hold of the black chakra rod. Nagato nodded and started piercing his body with the black Chakra rods, short grunts followed every incision. It was a grueling sight to watch, but since his body was already dead, Nagato didn't feel any pain, well not too much. He closed his eyes and brought his hands together ready to do the seals. Sakura, Sai, Sasuke, Kakashi, Gai, Bee, and Itachi all placed their hands on the black chakra rod.
"Before I do this, I have one request Naruto," Nagato paused. Naruto nodded, and let Nagato continue. "Please seal me and allow me a peaceful death after this jutsu," He says bowing his head.
"I request the same Naruto," Itachi added in. Naruto's eyes travelled back in forth between the two of them. In all honesty he wanted them to stay back. Sasuke needed his brother, and Naruto had so much he wanted to talk about with Nagato. But they were already dead. They didn't deserve to be brought back only to fight in a war. It was only fair that now that their roles were they be allowed to return.
"But Nii-san-"
"You got it. It's a promise, and I never go back on my promises," Naruto added with a bright reassuring grin. Itachi and Nagato half returned the smiles. Nagato began the jutsu, and blue aura of chakra wrapped itself around the black rods. Nagato eyes were closed and quietly murmured "Gedo Tensei"
"Gomen Otouto, for making you watch me die a third time," Itachi apologized. Sasuke shook his head and freely allowed tears to fall down his cheeks. He was proud to have Uchiha Itachi for an older brother. The draw of chakra from the black rods was so sharp that it broke all the ninja's concentration of the outside world. Green sparks shot into the air. A giant vortex began to spin, and a mass of human souls surrounded them. The group stood in the eye of the storm, rapidly trying to supply chakra.
"It's no goo- we don- hav- enough," Nagato coughed and brought his hands together in a tighter grasp. The ninja didn't panic though. They knew . . . in order to bring back the lives lost they had too . . .
"Well then I guess we just have to pump it all!" Naruto shouted with a wide grin. The others looked to his comforting grin and nodded in agreement.
"Hey! What the hell makes you think you can have all the glory?" Screamed Inuzuka Kiba, who standing next to the ever silent Shino, and Sasuke's savior Hinata.
"Che troublesome, Ino, why did you drag me here?" said Shikamaru, who was dragged to the vortex by his ear by a blonde beauty.
"Shut up crybaby, they need more chakra," The deadly kunoichi of the sand replied to him, she was accompanied by her brother, captain of the Surprise attack division, Kankuro, and youngest brother current Kazekage and commander of the fourth division, and Naruto's best friend: Gaara.
"Skinny Choji's got plenty of chakra left," A bun haired kunoichi said, poking the man's flattened abdomen, he only grinned.
"Let us defy destiny once more and bring them all back," The pale eyed Jonin, Hyuuga Neji also added.
"LET US JOIN OUR FIRES OF YOUTH!" No need to say who that was . . .
"Minna . . . you're all okay," Naruto mumbled, his voice overtaken with unsupressable happiness.
"Of course Naruto!"
The twelve of them each held onto the end of a black chakra rod. The aura of chakra dramatically increased. The green vortex of human souls gathered into one tight ball and shot off in every direction possible. The free souls in the sky truly looked like the shooting stars. Stars that fell from the heavens to reward the shinobi for staying true to Naruto's dream . . . the end of the cycle of hatred.
Omake!
"Neji, open your eyes," A sweet voice whispered in Hyuuga Neji's ears. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. It was his teammate and weapons expert Tenten. He was propped up in her lap, her finger entangled in his hair.
"Ish . . da fight . . . over?" Neji gurgled, he then rolled over and spit out the irony blood in his mouth. Tenten eased him into a sitting position, and soothingly rubbed his back.
"Yeah it's over, I had to knock you out so you wouldn't die of chakra exhaustion," Tenten scolded, punching his left arm. Neji laughed in response.
"Thanks for knocking me to my senses," He joked dryly. Tenten rolled her eyes and slipped her arms under his arms, and helped him to his feet. She supported most of Neji's weight. "Where are we going?"
"To Naruto and Sasuke . . . even though the survivors rushed to Naruto's side to help him kick Madara's ass, Madara was gone by the time we got here. Naruto and Sasuke had been fighting since then,"
"How long have I been out?"
"Not long, half an hour tops. Look there's Hinata, Kiba, and Shino," Tenten pointed excitedly. She waved Hinata's team over. She also spotted Lee who was patting Akamaru. Kiba and Lee ran over to Tenten, and grabbed Neji from her.
"Are you alright Tenten-san? Is Nii-san okay?" The ever worrying kunoichi asked Tenten.
"Pshh, of course he's fine. Who do you think I am Hinata?" Tenten said boastfully, teasing the overly innocent girl. Hinata giggled, and her cheeks turned peachy.
"You're right, I never should have doubted that you would ever let anything happen to Nii-san . . ." Hinata teased back. Tenten blushed brightly, and wondered since when did Hinata talk so freely? She had changed so much since . . . well since she returned.
"Hinata-sama, it's good to see that you are unharmed," Neji limped over. He threw a questioning look at Tenten's blushing face, but decided it was too troublesome to worry about at the moment.
"Achoo, ahh this war is so troublesome," Nara Shikamaru sniffles, breaking the moment. He was crouched down, his thumbs and pointer fingers pressed together signaling that he was in deep concentration.
"What's the current situation, Shikamaru?" Tenten changed the subject.
"I don't know. Naruto and Sasuke both used their finishing moves, it seems they're trapped inside a black mass of charka."
"No one thought to help Naruto?" Neji asks. Shikamaru shook his head.
"Naruto declared that this was his fight, no one is the interrupt."
"I see . . . Hinata-sama? Where did she go?" Neji gasped, noticing his cousin was missing. "Tenten, come, we must look for her," He declared, grabbing her hand tightly. Tenten's eyes widened at his sudden bold action, but nodded and let herself be dragged along.
I love the NejiTenten pairing, I think they will have their own Omake side story through out the story. I hope you liked the first chapter. I rushed through the editing, so if you want to BETA this story, please recommend yourselves. Also, no gurentees that the chapters will all be this long.
Review!
~kiki1607