Prologue
"So this is the world at peace, huh, Sasuke. Listen, we should avoid being recognized. I want to deal with this as fast and quietly as I can."
"Understood, Naruto," Sasuke nodded. They landed on the outskirts of the forest on an open dirt path.
"Isn't it nice? After all this time, we finally made it through Hell."
"Hm. We aren't there yet, though, so let's finish this."
"Right, Sasuke." They were in disguises and traveled the dirt path, away from Konoha's direction. Their eyes were covered by a hood, and their mouths were blanketed in a scarf. They hid any identifiable features and agreed to keep their abilities hidden, as well.
"I doubt we'll run into any conflict on the way, but in case we do . . . we should probably ditch our real names for the time being. I know in a different universe I was called 'Menma' but I don't know how obvious that would be."
"'Menma' it is. What about me?" Sasuke asked.
"Hm . . . Well, what do you like?"
"Nothing comes to mind," He shrugged. Naruto chuckled.
"Well, we have to call you something."
"We can call you 'Ryu'. Fire-breathing Dragon Uchiha, haha!" Sasuke sighed then something caught his attention.
"Naruto – "
"You're already breaking code, Ryu."
"Shush. Look up," Sasuke pointed to the sky.
"Hm?" Naruto gasped, "Damn it."
"The moon produced a shadow and both are seen in broad daylight."
"The omen. I don't remember the rhyme, but basically whenever the oracle arrives, the moon produces its shadow, signifying an old prophecy. We will be hunted soon. We should hurry, Sasuke."
"Huh, now who's breaking the code, 'Menma'?"
/
Chapter One
No time for Respite
"Ah! Sasuke!" Naruto ran up to the young man cloaked in traveling apparel, "So you helped protect Konaha while we were saving the world from the moon? Haha, how've you been?" Naruto said excitedly.
"Yup, it's true," Kakashi met the group, "Good work, Naruto. Come give a report once you've got a minute."
"You bet!" Naruto answered back, "So, are you staying longer this time?"
"Nah. Not yet," Naruto's smile weakened.
"Aw, that's too bad. I should . . . probably go report to Kakashi, soon."
"No, I will, don't worry about it," Shikamaru said, "I'm ready to go home anyway."
"I'm going on ahead, too, Naruto," Hinata blushed slightly, "I will see you later!"
"Yeah, of course." They shared a quick smile before taking off. Sakura and Sai joined Naruto and Sasuke.
"So the moon, huh . . .? Interesting," Sasuke said.
"Yeah, it was kind of fun!" Sakura laughed.
"Well, aside from the 'world is doomed' thing, I guess it kind of was," Naruto joked.
"Oh, shut it, Naruto. You know you had a good time, especially since Hinata and you finally – " Naruto chuckled nervously, "Oh come on, you can change the subject to something else, surely . . ."
"Hinata?" Sasuke repeated.
"This knucklehead put two and two together finally. I mean, Hinata's only been in love with you since she first met you!"
"I see," Sasuke smiled, "So, when's the wedding?"
"Stop teasing me already! We haven't really had time to discuss anything like that!" Naruto's face grew red.
"You know, women dream about their weddings from a very young age. She probably has it all mapped out already!" Sakura chuckled, "I'll just have to ask her when the wedding will be. I'm sure she already knows!"
"S-stop it already!"
"Huh. Down to the minute detail, right?" Sasuke asked, "I don't suppose . . . No, nevermind." There was a hint of fear in his voice.
"Oh, I already know. Trust me Sasuke. I know."
"Hm," Sasuke turned around, "What if I refuse?" Sasuke asked.
"Huh?" Naruto watched them, "Sai, you've got any idea what they're talking about?"
"Don't know," He pulled out a book, "I'll have to research this strange behavior later."
"Just put down 'women' because I don't think I'll ever understand their beha – "
"What was that?" Sakura asked annoyed.
"Uh . . . nothing, not a word, right Sai?"
"Yes, nothing. Nothing, indeed."
"I swear! The two of you! Anyway, Sasuke, you should stay a long time so I can finally arrange the wedding of my dreams!" She followed behind Sasuke, who remained silent.
"Do you ever get the feeling that Sasuke doesn't want to get married?" Naruto asked.
"I don't know," Sai wrote down marriage in his book, "Another thing to read about."
"Huh. . . Marriage . . . It's too soon to think about stuff like that!"
"If you say so," Sai walked on ahead, "Coming?"
"Yeah, right behind you," Naruto started walking, then he looked at the moon again to think about the adventure they just had. His smile completely vanished, however, when he saw the silhouette of a second moon. It was blood red and moving from behind the regular one.
"Sai! Look! The moon . . ." Naruto pointed at the moon. Sai stopped to look at it as well.
"What?" Sai walked next to him, "But how?"
"What does that mean? I thought we were done with it. . ."
"Naruto!" Sakura called back, Sasuke was ahead of her.
"So you've noticed," Sasuke said, "I thought that the moon was no longer a threat?"
"It shouldn't be. We need to go see Kakashi," Naruto said, "Let's hurry."
They picked up their speed to meet up with Kakashi and the others who went on ahead.
"That moon looks like when Madara tried the Infinite Tsukuyomi," Naruto said, "I wonder if that's just a coincidence."
"Could be. Or could be something more," Sasuke nodded, "I was thinking the same thing, however."
'Damn, what is this?' Naruto thought, 'Just when I thought things were quiet again . . .'
/
"This is the temple of Oracles," Naruto said, "It has the Lens that I need to perform the ritual. The problem is that it's been abandoned since some of the earlier wars. A clan long forgotten, who held the power to see the future. I saw them in a vision of the past; they had eyes to see an infinite possibilities. A time-space jutsu that could have achieved peace sooner if the Shinobi of ancient times cared to listen," He placed a hand on the door, "I'll need to concentrate . . . so I can see the past and figure out how to open this door."
"Then what about the shadowed moon?"
"Many of the unique eyes came from the Lunarians. The vision of Oracles were no different . . . but they were wiped out earlier on. They also had Senju blood, but it was a family that split from that branch eras earlier."
"Then your eye . . ."
"Hm . . ." Naruto smiled, "My vision is limited here. I put too much strain on it passing through worlds. It's not easy, making a jump like that. My guess is it might be easier for you to do it. So I'm counting on you to bring us back home safely. See if you can't decipher any of these ancient markings . . ."
"Got it." Sasuke used his Sharingan to read the markings, trying to find a clue to opening the ancient door, "These markings make no sense."
"I'm not surprised," Naruto responded, "Don't strain your eyes. We can't both be gimpy."
"Ha," He relaxed his eyes, "Are you getting anything?"
"The door responds to the Chakra of the present Oracle. All I have to do is infuse my Chakra with it. But since ours are connected, I'll need your help."
"Got it," Sasuke took Naruto's hand and began to concentrate.
"We only need a little."
"Understood," Sasuke sent him a little Chakra and placed a little bit into the door. He saw the Chakra trace the outlines of the door. It opened slowly for them and Naruto opened it all the way.
"How do you think they'll interpret the omen?" Sasuke asked.
"Probably assume the worst. It's the most logical, anyway. If the world is at the possibility of destruction, then the brave heroes will come to save their world. I was hoping to complete this task without running into our other selves. I was hoping to just stay in the shadows and finish this without them ever know we were here."
"I know," They approached the center of the room. There was a lens on a shrine, "What is the lens, exactly?"
"It's a tool to focus the eye. In our case, it will help with the alignment of the dimensions. We are hitting a dimensional breach – one that could very easily turn into compression. I have to reverse that to insure our worlds never intersect," Sasuke sighed.
"I can understand things that my eyes can. I thought I could see just about everything. But your eyes. . . Your eyes can see 'Fate' itself. I'm even having a hard time following everything you say . . ."
"Haha, it's not that hard. Besides, I need your strength in order to accomplish this . . . Do you know why the Oracles were peaceful people? It's because in order to unlock the eye that can see throughout the dimensions and universes, we have to lock ourselves away, inside ourselves, to see the universe. We have to see our own souls to see 'Fate'. And to defy it. To mold it into whatever we find most ideal. We can see peace and we will reach for it. Our powers . . . are mostly the same. It's just how we use it creates that variety. We are different, but still we are fighting for the same goal."
The lens reacted in Naruto's hand, "And with this, you'll be able to see what I do. Our focus will be pinpointed to achieving our goal . . ."
"Then I will do what I can," Sasuke touched the edge of the lens, "Shall we?"
"Yeah. Let's hurry this up . . ."
/
"Oracle?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah, it's an ancient prophecy. There weren't supposed to be any Space-Time Oracles left, though," Kakashi sighed, "But evidently, it's been unlocked somehow."
"Is this connected to our last mission?" Naruto asked.
"I'm not sure," Kakashi flipped through some pages on his desk, "But this omen describes a tribe noted as being long extinct. No one should have been able to unlock it. We have to find whoever this oracle is and stop the prophecy from happening."
"So where do we start?" Sasuke asked.
"You're coming along?" Naruto asked.
"Of course. If the world is still in danger, then I would like to help it." Kakashi nodded.
"Now we're talking," Naruto smiled, "Still, it would be nice to get a break. Oh well. I guess it can't be helped."
"What's the prophecy say, exactly?" Sasuke asked.
"Basically . . . The Oracle is neither a good or bad omen, exactly."
"What does that mean?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"Their power can create a world of peace or destruction. The file on the old clan said they strove for peace in a conflict filled land, but were ultimately annihilated for fear of their visual prowess. They weren't tied with the Byakugan or the Sharingan, however; their power was unique. They could see beyond the physical and into the metaphysical. Of course, for the most part it was a passive power. But an 'Oracle' possessed something that could rival its sisters. It was like the Sharingan in many ways, but unique. Not much is known on it other than that."
"Metaphysical?" Sasuke repeated.
"Space and time."
"So is it Genjutsu?" Sakura asked.
"From what I understand, yes. Though we are dealing with an 'Oracle', who may be able to rival Sharingan. Sasuke, even you should be on your guard. We should probably assign Hinata or someone with equal eyes to go with you. I'd hate to send you on another mission after getting back so soon."
"I'll go talk to her," Naruto replied with a smile, "I'll see if she's up to it."
"Okay, understood."
"Besides, I don't really . . . understand this 'Oracle' or 'Meta' – whatever, so I'll leave that to Sakura and Sasuke." Sakura face palmed and Sasuke shrugged, "It's good to see that nothing changes with you, Naruto. Consistency is your strong point. "
"Huh? Whatever," He left the room.
"So why hasn't this been brought up before?" Sasuke asked, "Visual Prowess isn't something that should be ignored, yet no one's ever mentioned it before. I wonder why that is?"
"Even our founders had nothing much to say on the subject," Kakashi sighed, "It would be impossible to dig up something that has long been thought dead. There is an old shrine described in these notes . . . I'll hand them over to you, as well as a map that we think the shrine would be located. I suppose none of the previous Hokage thought to look into it, however. With the constant wars and everything happening til this point, I can kind of see why."
Sakura and Sasuke looked over the files with Kakashi, "Still, no one checked this out?"
"Sasuke," Sakura interjected, "The door to the Shrine has a seal on it. It was investigated slightly," Sakura pointed at the notes, "But the Sealing on the door was unique and the writings made no sense. They started deciphering it, but then another war impeded their efforts."
"Hm," Kakashi read along, "Still, not much is known. You should advance carefully. Maybe the Sharingan can decode some of the writings."
"Got it," Sasuke said, "Shall we go collect Naruto and his bride?"
"Yes, I can't wait to tease the living hell out of them!" Sakura giggled. Sasuke offered Sakura his arm and she took it gleefully.
"So after we complete this mission, are you sure you have to go?" Sakura asked. Sasuke remained silent. The truth was, he wasn't sure of his feelings. Part of him felt justified by his actions up til this point, but the other half felt guilty. He received looks from his past comrades – it seems that they have not fully forgiven him for his past misdeeds. Naruto and Sakura were the only ones who treated him the same. Even Kakashi danced around the subject, even though it still bothered him.
The people of Konaha saw Sasuke differently. And they should, he did not blame them for that. Aside from that, he never explored the possibility of loving Sakura as a wife or even as a friend. He knew she loved him, that would be obvious to anyone. But he did not know if he could return the affection. A small part of him wanted to, but he did not know if he truly cared for her like Naruto did.
And now even that has passed. Sasuke knew that Naruto could not remain oblivious forever; however, if he decided that he just could not return Sakura's feelings, he could nudge her into Naruto's arms and they would all be happy. That plan was ruined, though.
"Sasuke?" Sakura whispered. It hurt her. He knew that.
"I don't know, Sakura."
"You can talk to me about anything, you know that, right?" Sakura said.
"We'll . . . talk more in private, later. Not here, though." Sasuke compromised. She smiled softly, "I'll hold you to that."
"Sasuke, Sakura!" Naruto called, "Hinata says that she's going to collect herself, and meet us at the gate. We should prepare, too, Sakura. We just got back and Kurama is saying some nasty things to me right now," He chuckled, "Right now he's calling me an idiot."
"That's because you are an idiot," Sasuke did not miss a beat, "I agree with Kurama on all points." The Fox's mocking laughter echoed through Naruto's head.
"You guys are all so very mean," Naruto shook his head, "Anyway, I'm going to grab a few things and meet you at the gate. Hinata said 20 minutes, so . . ." His thoughts trailed off, "Bye!" He ran off.
"You think he's going to meet her sooner?" Sakura speculated.
"Could be," Sasuke shrugged, "We should prepare, too." Sasuke lost his smile. Ever since he got back, he couldn't say one nice thing to Naruto. He took it well, he probably understood the meaning behind the insults were not, in fact, to insult him. It was because that Sasuke felt awkward. Naruto never wavered, it was bizarre. And it was comforting at the same time. Naruto was the only person who truly understood him and, like his older brother before him, he deliberately pushed Naruto away. As much as he wanted to cut Naruto out of his life, something in him held on. Every time they met, Sasuke's heart raced. He felt their pain, but he blocked it out. He imagine killing the both of them, and felt revolted, yet blocked that out, too.
"Sasuke? Are you okay?" Sakura picked up quickly when his mind began to reflect the past.
"Hm," He shook his head, "I will be. Let's just get going."
/
The other Sasuke finally saw what Naruto could see, but it still made very little sense to him.
"Have you ever heard the expression 'Time is Like a River'?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah," Sasuke nodded.
"It's probably the most accurate description of time, yet it doesn't begin to cover Dimensions, Realms, and Space. If you look at one instance of Time . . . It does flow like a river. A ripple in the water creates a cascading effect, making Time unpredictable. Even when one piece falls right into place, that moment will create several unforeseen events. It's because of this that 'Fate' doesn't truly exist; only the concept of Fate."
"So . . . What is the point of being able to see the future?"
"That's just it. I'm not seeing the future. I'm seeing the past in order to predict outcomes that seem 'fixed', but in reality they can be avoided. But what if avoiding it only prolongs it? There is no way to truly see how things will end. We just have to ride the currents and hope that what we are doing fixes the breach."
"And if it doesn't work?" Sasuke questioned. Naruto sighed.
"We'll just have to do it again."
"'It' again? You mean . . ."
"It sound tiresome, I know, however I'm game if you are."
"Always." Sasuke agreed, though going through 'that' again was low on his list of things he wished to experience again.
"Oddly enough, the first breach is exactly where we should be avoiding. I love it when things like this happen," Naruto pointed to the grid.
"Is that where I think it is?"
"Of course. Why would we expect anything different?" Naruto chuckled.