Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
"Regular text or speech"
"Jutsu"
"Bijuu, Kaguya, or Black Zetsu talking"
'Thoughts'
Just to tell you where it is placed
Somewhere in Tsuchi no Kuni
An screech followed by a loud explosion and a giant sphere of wind went off in the distance.
A few seconds later the one that sent out the attack fell to his knees in exhaustion.
He sat up and looked down from his place on a cliff edge. As far as the eye could see there were giant vines with covered in gigantic pods. Moving among the vines were large humanoid monsters that only had a single large mouth that was filled with rows upon rows of jagged teeth that made up its face. The rest of its body had large spikes protruding from them.
Rage. Sadness. Depression. Hopelessness.
He felt all of theses emotions and more just from looking that the vines and monsters.
Looking at the black hair man standing next to him he nodded, conveying his intent. Together they both jumped in to swarm of monsters, cutting them down with maximum prejudice.
"They aren't very strong are they? Sasuke." The first man spoke. His voice sounded harsh and gravely. Like he hadn't spoken very much lately and like he hadn't had anything to drink in ages. At the same time there was a hint of fondness in his tone.
"Huh. Reminds me of your 'Kage Bunshin' back when Team 7 was formed. Weak but uncountable. Only takes one slip up and its over." The second man spoke. His voice was cold and sharp as the blade in his hands.
As they mindlessly cut down the monsters around them, they thought about how the world went to hell. How defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory.
Flashback - Final Day of the Fourth Great Shinobi War
They had Madara on the ropes.
The Rikudou Sennin had just gifted both him and Sasuke half of his power and with it they were pushing the reincarnated bastard to his limits.
Then it started. The beginning of the end.
Zetsu stabbed man threw his chest. That started the chain of events that would ruin everything.
Zetsu covered the body of Madara and it started changing. In a few seconds in the place of Madara was Kaguya Otsutsuki, the mother of all Chakra. Before either Naruto or Sasuke could register the fact that Madara, the man that they had spent this entire time fighting, was killed in an instant Kaguya launched herself at them. They quickly took a fighting stance and charged at her in return.
Several Hours Later
They had her.
Kaguya was about to be sealed with both Naruto and Sasuke touching her with their respective palms. Kakashi, Obito, and Sakura all died for this. If they didn't stop her than everyone else would be stuck in a permanent illusion. There was no option but to stop her.
Then the world went to hell.
Zetsu again ushered in a change that would make life countless times harder for both of our young heroes.
He changed the shape of his body to make spikes that would keep both Naruto and Sasuke at bay. Kaguya gave a tired, but arrogant and victorious smirk.
"Don't you see? I am the Goddess of all Chakra. You can't beat me with my own weapon you simple little childre-AHHH!" Her victory speech was cut short when Zetsu stabbed her like he did Madara not 5 hours prior.
"Zetsu? How can you betray me?! You were born of my will! What I want, you want!" Kaguya shouted between coughs.
"Could a human possibly get more arrogant than you? First you make a deal to borrow the lifeforce of master. Then you break the deal by using it for things beyond what was agreed upon. Not only that, but you birth two children who you them gift with a gift that was never yours to give. Finally you have the audacity to keep the power that you begged for when it was time to return it? How disgusting." The pitch black being spoke.
Deal? Master? Gift? It hit all three of them at the same time.
"Shinju-sama?" Kaguya asked in extreme fear, forgetting even the fact that she was dying.
"No. I am simply a figment of the anger that Shinju-sama felt when you crossed him. I was sent by Shinju-sama to usher the full return of Shinju-sama so Shinju-sama can collect what is rightfully his." Zetsu explained.
Before they could finish processing what was said, Kaguya gave off a bloodcurdling scream of pure agony and fear. Her very skin started the ripple and tear. Bubbles of pure silver Chakra started to pop out of holes on her formerly pristine skin. The vines that contained Allied Shinobi Forces started to push out balls of blue Chakra. The air around them started to form green balls of Chakra. Suddenly the balls of chakra all rushed to one spot. It started to form a shape. A humanoid shape. A gigantic humanoid shape. It was colored strangely. Almost like a painting. Pitch black with streaks of silver. There was nothing that could point to it being one gender of the other. It was tall and scrawny. Almost like a skeleton covered in black tubing. The only real feature it had was a single eye in the middle of its face. The eye of the Juubi.
That is what they might have noticed. If they were not currently preoccupied.
With what you might ask?
With the power the being in front of them possessed. It was beyond anything the felt or could even hope to imagine. But what was truly frightening about the being front of them not how strong it currently was. No. What scared them was the fact that it was getting stronger.
Both Naruto and Sasuke did the only thing that they could think to do. They did something they felt no shame in admitting but at the same time regretted everyday.
They ran.
Flashback End - In the Hideout
The felt no shame in running. Hell, they even felt pride in the fact that they didn't piss themselves before slitting their own throats in fear.
They regretted running because they knew that if they stayed and attacked with everything they had, the would have stood the greatest chance of winning. While it was gathering its initial Chakra, it was at its weakest.
No point in crying over spilt milk now.
As he sat in the underground complex, he thought about
They had spent the last three years traveling the Elemental Nations. Finding any scrolls on Jutsu they could get their hands on. Learning them. Freeing as many people the could from the vines before they changed into Jubbi-Spawns, unfortunately the process only took a year. They managed to save around 1000 individuals. The struggle to get enough food for 1000 people was enormous, but neither Naruto nor Sasuke would willing allow anyone to die. The world was on the brink of the end, they couldn't afford enough a single life to be lost. Luckily the Shinju never targeted its former captives, seeing how they lacked a Chakra network.
Over the past three years the had grown strong. Each of them alone could have knocked around both Madara and Kaguya with only moderate difficulty. But even together they failed to do any lasting damage to the Shinju whenever they fought.
That was how they lived.
Get food.
Take food to the people.
Grab scrolls.
Train while killing as many Juubi-Spawn they could.
Look for any scrolls they might have missed.
Eat.
Sleep.
Repeat.
They would randomly charge the Shinju and try to fight it but it would happen like clockwork.
They would attack.
They Shinju would watch them approach.
They would be about to make contact and then the Shinju would dodge.
The Shinju would attack and they would defend and throw in shots when they could.
They would tire.
They would run.
Recently Sasuke started to show signs of weakening. His was moving slower. He woke up later and later each day. He experienced Chakra exhaustion faster and recovered from it slower. He was also coughing up blood from seemingly no reason. Naruto wanted to ask, but if he were completely honest, it didn't matter.
If Sasuke could fight then nothing else mattered. All they needed was to keep training, then keep the Shinju occupied long enough for the seal the Naruto had spent the last year creating with his clones to seal away the Shinju into one of them.
"Oi, Naruto." Sasuke called out.
"What?" Came a tired reply.
"Get me some water. I can't even move out of my bed right now."
"Lazy teme. If I didn't need you I would have killed you by now, you know that right?"
"Huh. For once we agree on something."
"...teme." Naruto muttered.
"Here. Your water. Anything else master?" Naruto asked in a tone that oozed sarcasm.
"..."
"Speak louder, I can't hear you."
"...Sorry." Sasuke whispered.
"What? Why?" He turned his head to look at Sasuke. He turned in time to see Sasuke change his eyes from the regular black to his Eien Mangekyou Sharingan.
"Tsukuyomi!"
Inside the Tsukuyomi Realm
"Goddamn it Sasuke?! What the hell is the big idea?!" Naruto raged as soon as he realized what was going on.
"Sorry Naruto. I'm sure that you have noticed by now that I am getting weaker by the day."
"Your point is?" Naruto asked impatiently
"I'm dying Naruto."
The bomb was dropped.
"Ah, haha." Naruto laughed. "I almost bought that for a second." He continued to laugh as Sasuke watched. He noticed and stopped suddenly.
"You... you are kidding? Right?!" Naruto demanded, almost in hysterics.
"No."
"How long?" Naruto asked, his face and voice lacking any emotion.
"I doubt I even have a day left."
"What are you dying from?"
"Don't expect to find a cure. Itachi had it before me and he died as well."
"So why bring me here?"
"So I can give you the greatest gift I have to give. So I can help you defeat the Shinju. So I can see tomorrow through you." Sasuke replied.
"Wha... you don't mean..." Naruto trailed off, the realization of the gift shocking him to his core.
"Yes. I leave you the eyes of Itachi Uchiha. The eyes I have used for over 3 years now. I leave you my legacy. Never give up Naruto. Fight for tomorrow. Live." Saying his part the world of Tsukuyomi started to crumble away returning both of them to the real world.
In the Hideout
Naruto blinked away his disorientation. He realized something. The world was suddenly clear beyond belief. It was as if he had been viewing the world through a foggy glass his whole life and he just bothered to clean it. A cough drew him out of his thoughts.
There lay Sasuke. Sitting against a wall. Coughing out blood. Missing both of his eyes. A clone, presumably the one who preformed the surgery, poofed out of existence.
"...I promise." Naruto whispered.
"Thats all I could ask for." Sasuke replied before breathing out slowly.
It was there that the Uchiha line ended.
It was there that Naruto became the last Shinobi alive.
It was there that Naruto lost his last comrade.
It was there that Naruto cried, for the first time in 3 years.
3 years of pent of emotion let loose at the death of his last friend.
His best friend.
His brother.
His chakra flared as he shouted to the heavens.
"SHINJU!"
Well there it is. Just a idea that was swimming in my head. I had a couple people ask for me to write something like this so here it is. Basically it is the same as canon but Sakura and Kakashi die during the battle with Kaguya. It is then revealed that Zetsu was the will of Shinju, not Kaguya, all along. Shinju then starts the drain the Chakra from world, leaving only Naruto and Sasuke to fight. They manage to pull around 1000 people from the pea-pod things before the rest of them were turned in the Shinju-Spawn. Sasuke then finds out that he has the same disease as Itachi. He tries to push past it but when he knows that his death is imminent he puts Naruto under Tsukuyomi long enough for him to swap eyes. Now Sasuke is dead. Naruto is out for blood. What will happen now? I'll tell you when I decide. Later!