So, it may be a disappointing ending, but... It's over. No more sequels that will come from Naruto's point of view. Possibly an Inuyasha/Naruto xover, thanks to the fact that when I finished this I had kind of forgotten about the rest of the demon stuff I put in here, but... Oh, well.
Thank you all for joining me on this ride! Hope you loved it!
(Kudos to whoever can guess the quote at the end of the chapter.)
~:~
Naruto let out a shaky breath as she stopped next to a window.
When her eyes had opened in the white room, her mother was there again.
"Hello, musume. You're back again." Kushina smiled. "Don't worry, daughter. You'll come back, and when the time comes it will be permanent."
"What? Mom, I -" she paused. "I'm going to live?"
"Yep!" Kushina laughed. "I mean, I didn't use some of my energy to become visible and go on a date with your man just to allow you two to be separated cruelly." She smirked widely at her daughter's face. "You'll have no issues with your health when you do wake up."
Naruto's eyes welled with tears. "Mother, I didn't want to leave without talking to you about something."
Her mother's eyes were gentle and not at all annoyed at her.
"What, darling?"
"I wanted to know more about you. Kyuubi wouldn't tell me much about you - or what he did tell me he didn't paint you in a good light. I did have some of your chakra, but it was only a little bit and you were silent most of the time."
Kushina nodded. "I know, dear. I promise I'll tell you more when it's time."
Naruto nodded in acceptance.
"You and Izuna are special, you know." Naruto glanced up at her mother with a raised brow. "Because you both have people who love you two enough to sacrifice their most precious things, even though Amaterasu didn't take them."
Naruto stared at her mother.
"I know," her mother smiled with quiet amusement. "But don't worry. Everything will be fine."
Kushina patted her daughter's head.
~:~
Naruto was in her mindscape, a redheaded male staring at her with a smirk. A redheaded she knew quite well.
Kurama.
"Kurama?"
Her mother had assured her that she'd be fine - how was she fine if the imbalance once again was there because of Kurama's presence?
"Don't worry about your chakra." She looked up at him, giving him a pout and a confused glance. "I am wholly here. Yin and Yang."
"But what about the demons? Your clan?" She doubted that they were too pleased with his choices.
"All of them can go fuck themselves," Kurama said easily. "Except my mate - of course my mate doesn't understand, but one day she will, I think." Kurama looked at Naruto for a long moment. Naruto swallowed. "You should wake up, kit."
Naruto did so.
~:~
The cool air and the scent of morning first woke her, instead of the musty, damp air that Shiro's cave had given her. Feeling seemed to slam into her body as she felt the uncomfortable coldness of marble beneath her fingertips.
She opened her eyes as her face warmed a few degrees, lungfuls of air suddenly sucked down greedily as though it was a drink that she thirsted for. Colors greeted her, no longer as boring as they were in her Edo form.
"What the fu -"
She turned her head to see Nia clapping a hand over the child near her's mouth shut.
"Nia?" Naruto asked, thinking of a random joke. "What's with the look? You look like someone's died."
"You did," Nia said in a flat tone. "But I guess you're okay?"
She sounded unsure.
"Yeah," Naruto said, breathing in and out. "I'd probably be better if this marble wasn't on my back and my limbs were functioning correctly." She twitched her hand.
Nia rushed over to her,wrinkling her nose as she approached.
"You need a shower."
"I must smell like the dead." Nia didn't smile at her.
~:~
"Your Highness! I did not expect the rumors of your survival to be true," gushed a woman who appeared as Naruto exited her shower.
"They are," Naruto said flatly. "I'm busy now, strange lady."
The lady bowed. "Aquarius, my queen. I am here to escort you to the Throne Room - I did not expect it to be you here."
The woman looked hardly older than twenty. Yet Naruto herself had lived twenty-seven years herself. It was not strange to think she might be older than Naruto.
"You have several visitors," Aquarius said, leading Naruto to the Throne Room. "One is an Uchiha woman who claims to have been known to you; others are less important."
"A single Uchiha is all that I know out there?" Naruto frowned. "The only Uchiha I've known is Shisui, Saki, Sasuke, and Itachi. With the exception of the other ones I have only recently met." She was, she realized with a start, pretending she knew nothing of her time as an Edo Tensei. "Did she give a name?"
"Uchiha Misaki," Aquarius said, making Naruto frown. "She said that you knew her daughter. Lady Nia decided to let you decide whether or not to hear her out."
The doors opened, and the collection of people in the Throne Room - mostly elected diplomats - looked towards her in astonishment. They, too, had disbelieved the rumors.
Naruto had only awoken the day before; it wasn't a surprise that matters needed attending to. Naruto sat down in her throne, the room's runes flashing as the Queen sat in her designated place, her copy Natashi settling in the Kage chair.
"Uchiha Misaki, was it?" she questioned the first woman. She looked older and weary and just plain old. Grey hair was liberally scattered through her black, almost blue hair.
"I went by many names," Misaki said, her voice light and simpering. "You became friends with my son, Uchiha Shisui."
Saki's mother.
Naruto let her Edo years shine through to keep her face inscrutable. "I see." Naruto allowed a pause to fill the air. "What is it you desire?"
Misaki shifted, looking a tad confused. "Nothing more than sanctuary, my queen."
"We do not house unknown Uchiha," Natashi said flatly. "Certainly not those we do not know."
"I raised Saki." Misaki looked annoyed. "If that isn't enough -"
"It is not," Naruto interrupted. "I have heard enough of what you have done. Disowning your own flesh and blood daughter for simply being who she was -"
"She is a monster!" Misaki proclaimed. No Sharingan flashed in her eyes; women rarely had it. And Misaki hadn't been born with the gene. "A monster, created to destroy the clan head's son. I disowned her and made Fugaku toss her out of the clan! She deserved nothing from the Uchiha."
The Uzumaki in the room looked disgusted by Misaki.
"She was a child." Naruto's cold voice brought everyone's attention to the aqua-eyed queen. Hints of red were swimming in those eyes. "She knew nothing of the cycle of Asura and Indra, or Hagoromo and Hamura. She could not have a clue that she was apparently supposed to kill us both." Misaki's eyes widened. "Since you have insulted my family - and yes, I honestly do count Saki and Sasuke as family, despite the fact that Sasuke's a monumental asshole - I will not allow you safe harbor in this village or the island." Misaki stepped forward.
Aquarius stepped forward, too, a sword in her hand. "Step forward once more and I'll kill you," the sky-blue-eyed woman said in a dangerously soft tone.
Misaki's eyes flicked from Aquarius and the Queen.
A sneer overtook her face.
"You let me in anyway, Queen. Not even you can protect your city from inside evils."
Misaki was instantly surrounded by guards who looked murderous. She started to chuckle.
That stopped when Naruto snorted.
"Honestly, does she think I've been dead forever? I may have laid about two feet under, Misaki, but I'm no longer dead. Also, I'm not an idiot. Ever since I returned I've had Nia tracing any clue of misdeeds in my village. I've had them all brought here, to the Throne Room, so I can personally judge on what to do with them." Naruto switched genders and rolled his head, cracking the bones. "Ah, what a relief! Changing genders at will is so refreshing."
"But you didn't know who I was," Misaki said, looking startled.
Naruto nodded, conceding that fact. "I didn't," he agreed. "I don't like you or Shiro."
Misaki's eyes widened just enough to condemn her.
"As a result, you're banished from Uzushio. You and you alone will never enter again. If you attempt to do so, you will be killed." Naruto stood and walked closer to Misaki. "And tell Shiro that she's pissed off the Queen of the Uzumaki."
He turned away from her. "Toss her off the island."
~:~
It was that night that Naruto stood, staring out in the ocean and breathing in the ocean smell.
No matter how much she loved Uzushio, she missed the trees of the village she had grown up in.
"Tired, my lady?"
Aquarius' voice came from behind her.
"A little," Naruto replied. She didn't move. "Are you going to kill me, Aquarius?"
Aquarius was silent.
"No," Aquarius said quietly. "You are not what I thought you were."
"I see." The young queen turned to meet Aquarius' eyes. "I'm going to capture Shiro. Will you help me?"
The answer would decide her fate.
"Yes."
~:~
Sitting in Shiro's cave, Naruto smoothed her robes down.
Shiro's footsteps were heard, and Naruto's lines of seals wiggled as they matched Naruto's anticipation.
"- can't summon her again."
"You told me you could. You told me that the dead are your ally." Shiro passed the seal lines with a hooded figure.
Behind them, the seals jumped into action, creating a net.
They didn't notice.
"I cannot revive the Uzumaki again," Kabuto's voice snapped. "I am unable to."
"You lie!" Shiro went to attack him, but Naruto's voice rang out.
"Actually, he speaks the truth." Naruto stood at their shocked faces. "As amusing as it is to see your faces like that... I fear I must arrest you. Actually, saying 'I fear' is a lie. I've been looking forward to doing this for years." Smiling, Naruto moved her hand in a motion.
They were surrounded by Uzumaki in an instant.
Shiro tried wrenching her hands from her bonds.
"Let me go! I have a family to protect!"
"Mitsuki is safe in Konoha." The emissary who had been in Konoha during her Edo Tensei days had come home, mentioning that Mitsuki had been taken in by Neji.
That had been surprisingly kind of Neji.
"And you will be imprisoned in Uzushio from this day forth." Aquarius had brought up the prison of Uzushio - nobody could leave the cells unless the Queen wanted it. Naruto had conferred with Natashi, Hatori, and Nia then.
Nia took two blood samples, one from each of the prisoners as Naruto sealed off their chakra.
Never again would they harm another being.
~:~
At the end of the week, Naruto had sat on her bed, taking deep breaths, trying to relax, when a voice hit her ears.
"I do not see what Kurama sees."
Naruto whirled, her heart beating erratically; a woman with blue-black hair and brown eyes. Her pupils were demonic, of course, indicating she was a demon.
Naruto frowned at her.
"Who are you?"
"I was known as Higurashi Kagome." She had an air about her. "You're weaker than I thought."
"I was just dead," Naruto said coolly. "It takes a human body a long time to adjust to breathing again. To moving." She hadn't rested for days.
"Hmm. I see." She nodded. "I was never dead - or, well, technically I was, but in a different way - it doesn't matter. I wish to tell you a tale, human girl, and we shall see if you are worthy to have my blessing."
Kagome spun a tale that was both shocking and true.
Kurama spoke in Naruto's mind, agreeing with most of what Kagome said.
"...and that is half of the reason I came to see you."
Not to gather sympathy.
Naruto empathized - she hadn't been fighting to recover a jewel that granted a perfect wish. But she'd been fighting a man who wanted to destroy the world, and had been dying in the process.
"I was dying." Kagome looked up at her. "I kept using my chakra even though my baa-chan asked I not. I couldn't let the people I loved die. But... He did." She closed her eyes, recalling his body against the ground, the rage and sadness. "So I thought I could die and help everyone. I did. And then I was used against my will, and now I'm here." She un-clenched her hands, staring at the bloody places where her nails had been.
Her chakra healed it.
"I wanted to feel. For ten long years I committed acts in order to be free. She never freed me. And what's worse is the longer I stayed the longer I yearned to live. When I died, I thought I was going to be happy there." Kagome's eyes were wide. "But I missed everyone - Neji, Kurama, Kikiya, Saki - hell, even Sasuke. Every day I'm alive, I have to work to pull breath in my lungs, pretend everything's okay... So in a way, I get what you had to deal with. Kurama's difficult to get along with, and yearning for a life you can't have is half the battle of living. I guess it's the price we all have to pay."
Kagome smiled. "I admit I did not expect that." She stood. "I will come back soon, if I may."
"Of course." Naruto smiled. "Preferably send a letter ahead of time, please."
Kagome snorted. "I promise I won't randomly appear."
She vanished, making Naruto's ears pop.
"My lady." Nia appeared. "There is a Kage Summit taking place this week. Would you like to attend?"
Naruto nodded. "Certainly. Let's surprise them all."
And all of that had led up to this. Seeing Neji and Gaara there had unbalanced her a little, but neither seemed angry.
Sand floated past her.
"Hey, Gaara," she said, turning to him. He stood there, looking understandably shocked.
"So you're real."
"Yes." She hesitated, unsure. "I sent an emissary with one of my blood clones to Suna."
"Right before the Summit, I assume." He looked older, but that's what ten years did.
He still looked good.
"So... The treaty?" He was hesitant.
"My emissary to Suna can talk to you about that," she said with a shaky smile. "I am not currently - well. If I was ready to make decisions by myself right now I would, but I'm afraid my judgement and thoughts are still quite muddled." She shrugged. "You're tall."
"Everyone is, compared to you," he teased quietly.
Naruto scowled. "Damn it! I'll never get taller."
Gaara pulled her into a hug.
She stiffened in brief surprise, then hugged him back.
"I suppose I should let you and Neji catch up now."
Gaara performed a shunshin, leaving Naruto to fall - directly into Neji's arms.
"Sorry!" Naruto flailed as Neji chuckled and set her feet solidly on the ground of the mountain. "I just lost my balance for a minute."
"It's fine. I suppose you're no longer living-impaired?" Neji questioned, a hesitant look on his face. Naruto smirked at him.
"No, I'm more dead-impaired for now."
Their private joke made them both chuckle a little.
"So..." he paused. "You said... When you were disappearing..."
Naruto blushed a little. "I meant it," she admitted. "Absence truly does seem to make the heart grow fonder."
Neji smirked a little bit. "Now you can really eat cheese pizza."
Naruto groaned a little. "I'm starved! I keep forgetting I have to eat. I drink when I'm thirsty, but I don't think I've eaten in two days."
Neji's eyes widened. "You moron!"
He grabbed her arm.
~:~
"...come together to celebrate the marriage of Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji," Chiriku the monk said, sounding as bewildered as half the guests probably felt. "If anyone has any objections," he said, looking over the pavilion in Nami no Kuni, facing the sunset and the island home of the Queen, "shut up because nobody wants to hear them." He referred to his paper (that last part had also been on the paper) and looked to the two getting married. "To death do you part, whatever. I know you did your vows while on the way here, so you may kiss the bride and kiss the groom."
Naruto and Neji did so.
Naruko and Gaara were the first to clap.
~:~
"...and that's how I met Naruto, and how she and I actually did get together." Neji's story was met with stunned silence.
"Strange," Itachi said after a moment. "I really didn't think you guys would click that well."
"Oh, fuck you, Itachi. They clicked fine." Saki smirked at the children in the room. "Don't tell your mother about this, Kagura," Saki said, looking a bit worried. "She'd skin all of us."
Uzumaki Kagura, Uchiha Kirima, and Uchiha Daisuke all stared at them for a long moment. Kagura had her mother'syellow and red hair but her father's lavender eyes; both Kirima and Daisuke were pale, identical in every way except one. Kirima had her mother's habit of wearing glasses and Daisuke had tear troughs. Identical twins indeed.
Uzumaki Rima giggled happily as the door opened and admitted the youngest-looking of the adults, though all the adults knew she was technically the same age as them.
Rima had her father's silky black hair but her mother's aqua eyes.
"So, what did I miss?" Uzumaki Naruto, reigning monarch of Uzushiogakure no Sato, asked as she set her hat aside.
"Aunt Saki, Uncle Itachi, and Tou-san were telling us all about how you and tou-san met!" Rima said, standing up.
Said adults instantly scowled at the youngest child of the four.
"Really?" Naruto hummed. "That's unfortunate. I was going to tell you myself." She smiled at them all. "So, who's up for ramen and flower-picking?"
"That's a dumb pastime for us," Saki scowled.
"Not if you want your coffins to have nice flowers," Naruto smiled, eyes closed before they opened, twin aquamarine daggers of pure coldness lancing out to strike Saki. "Isn't that right, Kagura, Kirima, Daisuke?"
Everyone nodded hastily.
And outside, Uzushio bustled.
Peace had finally come to the Elemental Nations. No matter how long it lasted, or if it lasted... Uzushio would be strong.
Naruto would be strong.
Always.
the end