Uh yeah, I've been way too busy lately. I'm just glad I'm able to do this now woot. Not much to say so enjoy and review the new chapter of Unity!

"…"-Dialogue
'Italics'-Thoughts
Bold – Kyuubi, Bijuu
Underline - Jutsu/Spell


-A Place with no Meaning-

Destruction, chaos, and vengeance; this was all Naruto ever witnessed in his short life. Although he wasn't the one after revenge, he saw how so many people close to him craved it. Sure he saved Gaara, but he still felt guilty for not being able to save Sasuke from his tragic end. Now he was sitting in pitch darkness with nothing else to do.

'God, death is a lot more boring than those stupid rumors.'

Tell me about it.

'What the?! You're here Kyuubi?'

We share the same soul retard. But something about this is off.

'What could be wrong when we're dead?'

Well, the other bijuu and my body were sealed in the katana. My question, why is the blade still with you.

Listening to the Kyuubi, Naruto just realized that the sword was still on his back. When he died, they were supposed to be set free or die while the blade disappeared, and yet the blade remained with him until death. He could still feel the other 8 bijuu and their chakra flowing within the sword. Something's off, but he just couldn't find an exact answer as to what it was. All he could see was pitch black and nothing seemed to be present. He could walk but it would seem pointless since the space felt endless.

'Alright, now that we're stuck here together, have anything to talk about?'

Since all nine of us are here, want to know some history?

'Damn, is this going to be boring like at the Academy?'

Trust me kid, our history is rather intriguing and you might actually like it.

'Fine, go ahead.'

Well as you already know, the other bijuu and I were once part of the almighty Juubi. Even though we're only parts of that monster, each of us had fragments of its memories embedded into us when the Rikudō Senninsplit it up.

'So you know what kind of destruction it caused when the Juubi was still…well, Juubi?'

Unfortunately, yes. You can't even begin to compare the destruction I caused to Konoha to the rampage of the Juubi. It makes me wonder why the Juubi was created to begin with.

'I can't really picture the destruction you speak of because I was still a baby when you attacked remember?'

Man you're hopeless. It'll be easier for me if I just share my memories with you.

Concentrating on all of his past memories, the Kyuubi sent a surge of unwanted knowledge into Naruto's mind. By sending all this information at once, Kyuubi felt himself reliving all the horrible past deeds of the Juubi, and yet he felt responsible for mass murder of innocent humans so many centuries ago. As the memories were being shared, Naruto's mind was put into a state similar to when he visited the Kyuubi's cage when they weren't on equal terms as they are now. Naruto saw the despicable images and could almost feel tears begin to form in his eyes. The only thing he saw was destruction beyond words. The terrain surrounding the Juubi was obliterated which looked like the land was forever scarred from its wrath.

I'm sure you understand the gravity of the situation. Although my memories are fragmented, there is something that caught my eye. You know how you can tap into my chakra and create the chakra robe?

'Yeah, where are you going with this?'

Well, the bijuu and I all pooled our memories together and found something that could make you even more powerful.

'More powerful?! I thought that my death basically meant training was completely useless now. What more can I possibly do while I'm dead?'

Aha, that is where you are wrong my extremely dimwitted disciple. You forget that the bijuu are still with you. I'm not saying that you're alive, but you aren't dead either.

'So I'm stuck somewhere between? That is just wonderful news,' Naruto thought sarcastically. Back to what you said earlier, what is the "something" that makes me more powerful?'

As of right now, we're not completely sure, but it resembles something similar to the chakra cloak, except you'll be able to use all of the bijuu at once. But the risks of this skill are extremely high considering how much chakra is flowing in your system at once.

Just hearing about the ability to use all the bijuu at once got Naruto giddy with bewilderment. Before all he could do was use each bijuu's unique chakra individually. He was also able to summon them from the sword with ease but the only problem was that only one could be out at a time. The final battle with Madara proved that one bijuu at a time wasn't going to be enough to fight someone of that caliber. Truthfully, Naruto felt as though he only beat Madara through sheer luck rather than skill. Having this new power would definitely come in handy if he wasn't "dead".

'Alright then, explain in detail what exactly this power is would you?'

From our history, we know that the Rikudō Sennin only used this power only once in his lifetime; most likely because we were still the Juubi at the time. We peered into the perspective of the Rikudō Sennin and saw the enemy he was facing. Whatever it was, the chakra it emanated was beyond anything even I have ever experienced. Obviously, the Rikudō Sennin came out on top thanks to that extra power.

'Did you see what this skill was at least?'

Now that I think about it, this skill is more of an upgrade to your powers.

'Upgrade? Is it similar to the Jinchuuriki chakra cloak?'

Somewhat, but when I saw the sage fighting the enemy, he was literally unstoppable. I couldn't see anything he did. Everything was a blur and I couldn't make anything out of it.

'Alright, now I'm even more interested in this "upgrade." When can I start learning it?

Right now might be helpful. But we aren't sure of the risks yet so I suggest you don't practice with your shadow clones.

'Damn, I was hoping you weren't going to say that.'

Hey, from what I can see, it doesn't even matter because you have literally an eternity to master it.

And so, the training began. Naruto and the bijuu eventually lost track of how long they had been at it. But a sense of time seems irrelevant now that they drifted in this infinite void.


-Inside Cocoon-

After tending to Hope's injuries, Lightning and Serah managed to gather the rest of the former l'Cie to Fang and Vanille's crystal. Snow and Sazh could only look with an expression of awe and wonder. With the group back together again, all of them had a minor sense of nostalgia.

'Alright, enough with the daydreaming; we have loads to discuss.' Fang spoke out. 'Now which do you guys want to hear first, good or bad news?'

"Start with the good news" Sazh said. "I don't want bad news right after what happened to Hope here."

'Fair enough. Before I say it, don't overreact too much.'

"Just get to it already!" Snow exclaimed.

'Well, Vanille and I are supposed to awaken soon.'

"WHAT?!" everyone screamed.

'Guys, hold your chocobos. We don't know exactly when so don't be too excited.' Vanille said.

"How can we not be excited when two of our friends are coming back to us so soon?" Sazh asked. "This is an early Christmas for me."

For the next few minutes, the group was cheering as to the great news. Plans about a welcome back party were being made. They almost forgot about the bad news until Fang finally tried to change the topic.

'Alright, enough congratulating, I still have loads to discuss here.'

"Fine, tell us this so-called bad news." Snow joked. "I mean, what could so bad that we can't celebrate?"

Taking a deep mental breath, 'We don't know when, but I saw a vision of Cocoon getting destroyed.' Fang started. 'I can't recall what it was, but it looked like something crashed into it.'

Hearing the grave tone in Fang's usually sarcastic voice made them forget about the news earlier completely. Only silence remained as none of them could imagine how their former home was to be destroyed. They all had wide eyes due to the shock.

'That's not all. While I had that vision, Vanille saw a different one.'

'Well, I'll have to say that my vision isn't as gloomy as Fang's here.' Vanille stated. 'But I saw what looked like a man. He had raven colored hair, red eyes, and was surrounded by thousands of swords.'

"So we are going to experience Cocoon getting destroyed and the possibility of meeting this unknown man." Lightning listed. "Do you think it might be your focus to prevent either from happening?"

'It's not likely mate. I mean, our visions of focuses have never been wrong. When you saw Ragnarok after getting your brand, it turned out true. Just not the way we thought it would.' Fang replied. 'We have to assume that it is going to happen, and soon.'

"But who is this man that Vanille mentioned? From what I learned, there aren't any other civilizations besides the camp we've set up." Hope said. "And I'm sure that no one in the camp has the power to control swords either."

"Sazh, Snow; we need to arrange a team to extract Fang and Vanille out right now." Lightning began. "Hope, Serah; I want you two make sure that everyone and everything in the camp is moved away from the Pillar."

"Whoa soldier, slow down. We need to do things one at a time here." Sazh said.

"This isn't the time to be lazy Sazh. We don't know when Cocoon is going to be destroyed so it's better if we take precautions now." Lightning responded. "If it comes down tomorrow, then think of all the civilians that are going to be wounded or killed."

Realizing her point, Sazh, Snow, Serah, and Hope left immediately towards the lift. Lightning still had some questions that needed answering. "Yesterday when you said it included us 'l'Cie', what did you mean by that?"

'I really didn't want you to ask that. I didn't completely talk about my vision just now because I didn't want Hope or Serah to panic. When I saw that vision, it seemed as if I was looking up to Cocoon. Then, once the pillar fell, all of you were in pain and held the place your brands were.'

Lightning didn't think it could be true. She remembered that all of their brands had vanished when they awakened. She hoped to put those 13 days behind forever, and yet here she is, finding out that she is still an accursed l'Cie. But she has to accept the fact and move on and asked her last question.

"Fang, how did you two see a vision if the Fal'Cie that branded us is dead?"

'I can't explain it so well either but only one person comes to mind when I think about it. No matter how much I think of someone else, only one pops up.'

"Who?"

'The Goddess of Death, Etro.'


-A Place with no Meaning-

Training had never been so grueling. The amount of concentration required for all the bijuu and Naruto was ridiculous. They haven't been able to sync completely mainly due to the Shukaku's consistent trolling. No matter how hard they tried, he would just purposely go off balance to get a good laugh. But despite his efforts, they made some progress since Naruto was finally able to create the upper portion of the so-called upgrade. When he first saw it, it looked like some sort of armor. Even though it was casted in metal, he didn't feel any weight from it all; almost as if he was born with it. Deciding to take a break, Naruto sat himself down as the bijuu receded back inside the sword.

Surprisingly, he didn't feel as hungry as he should. Probably due to the darkness that enveloped him. But even so, a giant bowl of ramen would've made his experience here so much better. Everything seemed quiet as Naruto felt sleep take over his body.

After several hours of rest, he woke up hoping to train some more. As he opened his eyes, all the bijuu were present, but they circled around his miniscule body as if they were about to attack.

'What the hell are you doing?'

Well look who's finally up.

'What is going on for all of you to be summoned?'

While you were sleeping, all of us felt a presence enter here. I don't know what it is, but it feels odd yet vaguely familiar. Keep your guard up.

Heeding the Kyuubi's words, Naruto got into a battle stance and focused on his surroundings. Using all of his senses to identify this "threat," Naruto could begin feeling the foreign energy the Kyuubi spoke of. It was indeed odd. It felt natural yet completely unnatural at the same time. Being a master sage, Naruto knew that any chakra that wasn't natural was never a good sign. Each second passing by, the energy crept closer and closer. Once it reached him, Naruto felt and light shining above him and the bijuu. The light was blinding and he had no choice but to cover his eyes. After a minute, the light began to fade. He looked up and saw what looked like a woman, but she was encased in a bluish crystal. Just by a glance at her face, Naruto saw sadness and couldn't help but feel pity towards the woman.

'Greetings young Uzumaki.' the crystal said.

"Whoa, did I just hear that right?"

We all heard it. Who are you and what do you want?

'I mean no harm to you, fragments of the Juubi.'

All ten on the ground couldn't believe their ears. Who was this woman and how did she know of them? Not willing to take any risks, all the bijuu got into position to attack the crystal without any hesitation. But before they could strike, Naruto's voice interrupted them.

"Calm down you guys, let me try talking to is witch, crystal, or whatever she is." Naruto said. "Let me ask, who are you and want it is that you want?"

'I want nothing more than the safety of my world young Uzumaki. I am the Goddess of Death, Etro.'

"How do you know who I am? We've never met before right?"

'Not directly. But I have known of your arrival even since your ancestor and I first met. You may know him as the Rikudō Sennin.'

"Wh-what? The Rikudō Sennin is literally my ancestor?" Naruto exclaimed.

'When your nine-tailed friend said of how the energy felt familiar, it is because they have all experienced it before, although maybe not in the same way previously.'

How it is the Rikudō Sennin met you when he died of old age whereas Naruto didn't?

'Long before the Uzumaki's time, I called upon the Rikudō Sennin for help. War was tearing the very fabric of reality apart and I couldn't do anything on my own.'

Knowing the old man; he would've helped anyone when they asked for it. This brat might have inherited it from the Rikudō Sennin.

'Now I'm asking, no, I'm begging you young Uzumaki to help my world. A calamity is coming and there is nothing I can do since my power has all but faded.'

Naruto felt nothing but confliction within himself. He didn't even know who this lady was and yet she begged for his help. But to discover that his ancestor was the Rikudō Sennin made it even more difficult to choose. He could choose to help the goddess, or he could stay here for the rest of eternity. The former seemed like a much better option, but could there be risks with his decision?

Hey don't overthink this so much. Hurry and help the lady because I'm sick of staying here.

"You WOULD choose ending your boredom over my safely you selfish asshole."

It's not just me brat. All of us are sick of being here and if there is an opportunity like this, we're taking it regardless of what you say.

"Fine; I accept your request. But I have one question, what will I get in return if I complete this mission?" Naruto asked.

'Although it may seem insignificant, I am willing to grant you one wish.' Etro responded. 'Throughout your journey, if you need any assistance, just call upon my name.'

"A wish huh? I guess I know I want. How am I supposed to get out of here?"

'Let me take care of that. But fair warning young Uzumaki, it might hurt a bit when you awaken.'

That last sentence confused Naruto even more and wanted to ask another question until the crystal goddess began to glow and the darkness began to recede. Suddenly, Naruto felt stiff and looked down to see his feet slowly becoming crystal like the goddess. Panicking, he looked to the bijuu who were experiencing the exact same thing. The sensation felt like he was freezing and burning at the same time.

Somehow, the bijuu managed to form a circle around Naruto, but with their backs facing him. The lower half of Naruto's body had been completely crystalized in a standing position. He felt this sword pulsing on his back and he pulled it from its sheath. He held the hilt in his right hand and the flat of the blade on his left palm. The gems embedded in the bladed were glowing brightly, which meant all of the bijuu were still alive. The bijuu had already been encased in crystal when Naruto glanced at them one last time. He slowly closed his eyes, as the crystal enveloped his entire being and all he could do was wait in a deep slumber.