A Simple Change: The Sharingan Volume 2: Reminisce

by James D. Fawkes

An unforseen event has destroyed Konoha, leaving Naruto and Hinata as the only surviving Leaf Ninja. After hunting down the culprit, Naruto and Hinata make a trip back in time, armed with the knowledge to save the future. NaruHina KakaRin

10. The Black Moon Rising

Nagareru toki no naka matataku setsunateki kirameki o
Kono yo no kioku ni kizamu tame arukitsuzukeru Believer

Dare ni mo mirenai yume o mite iranai mono wa subete suteta
Yuzurenai omoi kono mune ni yadoshite

Mada riaru to idearu no hazama ni ite gisei no kase ni ashi o torarete mo
Afureru shoudou osaekirenai tsuyoku motomeru kokoro ga aru kara

"Itsuwari" "O sore" "Kyoshoku" "Urei" samazama na negatibu ni
Torawareru hodo yowaku wa nai kodoku mo shiranu Trickster

Yozora o tsukisasu biru no mure hoshi nado mienai sora miage
"Mayoi wa nai ka" to jibun ni toikakeru

Kono machijuu afureru mono ni mamire utsutsu o nukasu you na koto wa nai
Asu e to tsunagaru michi no hate de kono te ni tsukamu mono o mitai kara

Mabuta o toji ishiki no umi ni ukande omoiegaku risou o te ni suru sono toki o

Kagiri aru "sei" o kono yo ni uke kare yuku dake wa oroka ni hitoshii
Hoka no dare mo ga mochienai mono "gjibun jishin" to iu na no kesshou e

Kireigoto o tsukitoosu koto itsuka makoto e kawaru
Katakuna ni shinjitsuzuketai It's just my faith. The absolute truth.

Nagareru toki no naka matataku setsunateki kirameki o
Kono yo no kioku ni kizamu tame arukitsuzukeru Believer

Alumina, by Nightmare

With a yawn, Naruto stretched his arms, sitting up in his new bed. Sliding the covers back, he stood up, grabbing his bathrobe as he headed towards his own personal shower. Nudging the door open with his bare foot, he slipped inside and pulled the door closed behind him. Grinning at the spacious area before him, he hung his bathrobe on the rack on the back of the door.

Turning on the water in the shower, Naruto shrugged off his pajamas until he was in only his boxers. Catching his reflection in the mirror, he turned his gaze towards it, studying his own body. A hardened warrior gazed back at him, blue eyes sharp and observant.

Chiseled muscles covered his torso, taut and lean. Like all Shinobi, his muscles had tone and density, not a large size. Huge, bulking muscles would only slow a Shinobi down and limit his or her range of motion. That was the true strength of a shinobi, their deceiving muscle size. It was one of the things that made is so easy for them to fit in with the crowd when on a reconnaissance mission.

Naruto flexed his left arm, studying the detailed creases his muscles made. Their compact size hid their true nature, a nature that only Naruto knew the full extent of. He gently ran his fingers down his arm, memorizing the smooth hardness. Twisting around, he studied the other arm, tracing the intricate seals with his fingers.

As steam rose up his legs and consumed the mirror, Naruto stripped off his undergarments and stepped into the seductive heat of the water.

"What did Shishou mean?" he asked himself.

"Just as there are thousands of worlds that do not coexist," Himura had said, "there are many that intersect. An example of this is your world and the world of the Azure Knights. While you can not travel there the way you can travel to Soul Society, there are beings that exist in both worlds.

"An example of these beings are the Avatars. Just as they exist in your world, so do they exist in the Azure Knights' world. Just because they exist in both worlds, though, does not mean the events in one world will affect the other. However, you must be wary. In their world, a being exists that is the Anti-Existence of the Avatars. Logically, it must also exist in your world. You must not allow this creature to defeat the Avatars."

"Does that mean that the Anti-Existence is here, too?" he pondered, rubbing shampoo into his hair. "If so, I must be prepared for the worst case scenario."

Ten minutes later, Naruto stepped out again, wet hair flopping in front of his eyes and a towel around his waist. After drying himself off, he dressed in his usual uniform, the "Empty Demon Suit". Securing all but the gloves and Zangetsu to his body, he left the bathroom and went towards the stairs.

It had been nearly a week since Tsunade had taken up the mantle of Hokage, and nearly as long since Naruto had started living with his father. His routine had since become steady. Wake up and take a shower, then head downstairs. If his dad was still around and didn't have a mission, they'd eat breakfast together. Then, Naruto would go to train with his team or take a mission with them. Once, he'd been asked to go on a two day escort mission with Iruka, and had happily obliged.

Turning, Naruto started down the second flight of stairs. His room was on the top floor, so he had to go down two flights of stairs to get down to the kitchen and dining area. Quickening his pace, Naruto all but ran down the stairs. He could smell breakfast cooking.

Sasuke had been training particularly hard since Tsunade had taken over. He appeared to have taken his easy defeat at the hands of Itachi quite personally, as though it was an insult to his Uchiha heritage that his brother was stronger. Naruto simply called it a wounded pride, because that was all it was. He was acting childish.

He'd seen Hinata a lot less often than usually, probably because her father was now drilling her full of Juken techniques. Now that Hiashi knew Hinata had some measure of skill, enough worth paying attention to, he seemed a lot more eager to be a father to her. Naruto suspected that part of it was that he finally had a justification for teaching her, one that would satisfy the stingy old men on the elder council.

Sakura had finally started taking life as a ninja seriously, as well as Ino. Both seemed to understand the true extent of their chosen profession, and had finally started training for it. The Chûnin Exams seemed the only possible explanation for this change of heart, as both had probably been scared by just how close they had come to dying during the invasion.

Naruto hadn't seen Shikamaru since the other had become Chûnin. If he had to guess, Asuma was probably training him personally, making sure that his brightest student was prepared for the harsh missions he would no doubt face now that he had gone up in rank. It wouldn't do for Shikamaru to die just because he wasn't prepared for the eventuality of a ninja: Taking a life.

Kiba and Akamaru were training as hard as they could, driving themselves to the limits of their bodies, last Naruto had heard. He sincerely hoped that the Inuzuka didn't harbor dreams of winning Hinata's heart, because Naruto knew that would end badly, for everyone. It would be better if the boy just gave up and looked elsewhere for feminine affection.

Naruto frowned. It seemed what happened to Skeith and Tarvos had happened to Corbenik as well. The "Rebirth" had evolved from a summon into a full blown Avatar, one that now rivaled its brethren in power. He'd had to seal the beast's conscious mind directly to Hinata's to ensure that it didn't break free from Hinata's will. The Avatars, it seemed, were…evolving.

Innis, Mirage of Deceit, had awoken too. It'd taken all of his speed just to ensure that Sakura's Avatar didn't cause major damage. If it hadn't been for Skeith's specialty with "Avatar Awakening"(the term he'd come up with for describing Skeith's draining-power-thingy), Innis might have killed quite a few people before he could have sealed it up.

Naruto mentally counted the phases that he'd read about from the prophecy the Sandaime had shown him. So far, Skeith, Innis, Magus, Tarvos, and Corbenik had appeared. That left Fidchell, Gorre, and Macha. Who would the remaining three phases choose? Would they be other Genin, such as Kiba and Ino? Or would they be random ninja?

Banishing the troubling thoughts from his mind, Naruto walked into the kitchen with a smile on his face, "Tousan! That smells—uh?"

Hinata smiled up at him from the stove, her long hair pulled into a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck and an apron tied around her body that said 'Kiss the cook'. Hinata's smile brightened as she said, "Good morning, Naruto-kun!"

"Oi!" Naruto looked over at his father, who was sitting at the table chewing on pancakes. Without bothering to swallow, he said, "Why didn't you tell me Hinata-san was such a good cook?"

A Simple Change: The Sharingan Volume 2: Reminisce
By: James D. Fawkes

Chapter Ten: The Black Moon Rising
— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Naruto sat down at the table the night before he knew his big mission was coming. His father sat across from him, sipping tea slowly. Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, Naruto said, "Dad…could you tell me about mom?"

Arching an eyebrow slightly, Arashi swallowed the tea in his mouth and set his cup down, sighing, "Well, Naruto, before I do that, there's something you have to understand. The names that you've probably heard for your mother and I are fakes."

Naruto looked at him with wide eyes.

"That is to say," Arashi clarified, "Kazama Arashi and Uzumaki Kushina were aliases that we used when we were faced with certain circumstances. For your mother, she was cast out of the Uchiha clan for her unnatural traits; traits that the clan head at that time thought were unbecoming of an Uchiha."

Arashi took another sip of tea, "Your mother, you see, had bright red crimson hair, like your friend, Gaara, and green eyes, and she couldn't activate her Sharingan; she never did, now that I think about it. Obito, one of my previous students, was only kept in the clan because he looked like an Uchiha. Yuki was cast out.

"So she took up the name Uzumaki Kushina when the Whirlpool Country collapsed. That is the name by which the majority of the world knows her."

Naruto sat, fascinated, as his father took another sip of his tea, "I, on the other hand, was an orphan. My entire clan was dead, and my name was precious to me. I was Namikaze Minato, and that's who I planned on staying. Unfortunately, it became clear to me that any children I had would be called by that name, too. And it was a name I was proud of.

"Fame often attracts enemies, so I decided to take up a fake name, and let my children repopulate the Namikaze clan. I became the Yellow Flash soon after, and then I met your mother and took on a team. Of the people still alive now, I think only Jiraiya, Sarutobi, and Hiashi, my old teammate, know the truth."

There was a silence after that, as the information sunk into Naruto's mind. After a few minutes, Naruto said, "Dad."

"Hm?" Minato arched his eyebrow again. "What is it, Naruto?"

Naruto gave his father a weird look, "You are the dumbest smart person I've ever met."

Minato's eyebrows shot into his hairline.

"Honestly, Dad," Naruto said in an exasperated tone, "that alias is good for enemy territory, but it wouldn't be a big deal if people knew your real name. Now, I'm going on a mission tomorrow, but I expect you to have told everyone about this whole situation by the time I'm back. Okay?"

Minato nodded dumbly, feeling as if he was being scolded again by Jiraiya for messing something up.

With a wry grin, Naruto stood up and headed for bed, throwing a "Good night," over his shoulder.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

A kunai lay embedded in the branch of a dead tree, its loosened wrappings fluttering in the unforgiving wind. The ground was a barren wasteland, weapons strewn about the bare earth like leaves during fall. No life could be found, no growth could be glimpsed. Only the dead could be seen, suits of armor made into caskets for the fallen. Corpses littered the ground. This was a battlefield, one that was either freshly made, or centuries old.

A small group of survivors stood against the harsh winds, a man amongst them whispering over the howling wind, "It's over…we have nowhere left to go."

He kneeled against the earth, clutching to his sword for support. Tears and rain fell down his face, "This is it…our road ends here."

A larger, heavier set man lay on the ground, heavy beads roped around his neck, "It was a fool's decision…doomed from the start…"

A third man, this one sporting a tall hat and leaning against a tree, whispered, "This is the end…we…must turn back…"

A woman stood, the only female of their group, "There is a way. Have faith. I know that we will find it…"

"But…Princess," one of her companions spoke up.

"You mustn't give up!" She said firmly.

"Ah ha ha ha!" a man dressed in feudal samurai clothes stood atop a ruined building, sneering down at them mockingly. "Princess Gale! This is as far as you go!"

"Mao!" One of the men exclaimed, surprised.

Another stood up, shouting angrily, "Don't tell us this storm is your doing!"

An empty suit of armor stood, swinging a sword at the woman. She blasted it apart with a single strike.

Naruto snorted, "Why are we watching this movie again?"

"Kakashi said it had something to do with our next mission," Sasuke said, his face expressionless.

"Oooh! Sasuke-kun! Isn't she just so heroic?" Sakura squealed, clenching her eyes shut.

Naruto sighed, "Yeah, whatever."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Naruto sighed, "Kakashi's late, again."

Sasuke shrugged, "So, what else is new?"

Sakura stared up at the sign for the movie they'd just seen, "I wonder why Kakashi-sensei said we'd have to see the movie before our next mission. I mean, that sounds kind of strange, doesn't it?"

Naruto shrugged, despite knowing the answer, and gave an noncommittal, "Eh."

The sound of hooves interrupted all conversation as a horse, with Princess Gale riding it, jumped over the wooden fence they'd been waiting for Kakashi at. Landing on the dirt road, it galloped away down the street, its rider seemingly oblivious to the people she'd just surprised. Sasuke was actually showing emotion.

"No way!" Sakura whispered in awe. "Was that the Princess?"

The sound of more neighing reached their ears as the wooden gate burst open, several more horseman flying out of it and after the princess. Startled, Sakura fell back on her rear as the horses nearly trampled her on their way following the woman. She was pulled from their path by Sasuke, who blushed, then let go of her as if he had been burned.

"After her!" one of the horsemen cried.

"Don't let her escape!" another shouted.

The words seemed to break whatever tension had silenced Sasuke and Sakura, as they nodded to one another and took off. Naruto just sighed and shook his head, palm covering his face in embarrassment.

"Those two," he muttered, sighing. "It's just a movie!"

He set after them at a walking pace, taking his time. He'd know where to find them, if not for the noise the horsemen created then for distinct smell that could only belong to Sasuke and Sakura. He sighed again, "It's just a movie! Jeez, why didn't that cross their minds?"

"Oh, Naruto," Naruto looked behind him, where the voice came from. Kakashi was perched atop the fence, book out and one hand gripping the wooden planks between his feet, looking very much like a giant frog. "Where are Sasuke and Sakura?"

Naruto sighed a third time, motioning with his hands, "Follow me, Sensei."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Sasuke dusted his hands off, looking at his handiwork. All of the men that had been chasing the princess were now tied up securely with no immediate hope of escape. He smirked. Chasing them down and cornering them had been almost too easy. He wished they had been a bit more challenging, so that he might have had some fun with it.

Sakura yanked harder on the rope she was using to tie one of the samurai up, tightening the knot that tied his hands behind his back. She smirked, dusting her own hands off in confident satisfaction. That had been rather easy.

All it had taken was a transformation and a little deception, along with some welcome help from Sasuke, and they had captured all of the men chasing after the princess. The princess herself was probably far away by now, safe and sound from these villainous fiends trying to subdue her.

"Oh dear," Sasuke and Sakura looked up as the voice drifted down. Kakashi stood atop the small shrine in front of them, perched on the support pole like a giant buzzard.

"Oh," Sakura said in recognition, "Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi sighed, hiding his face behind his right hand in embarrassment, "What are you guys doing?"

Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly, "Killing time."

Kakashi vanished for a second, reappearing in front of his two students. All of the ropes that had tied the men up instantly fell to the ground, sliced cleanly off their bodies. There was a snort, and the two Genin looked back to the shrine's roof. Naruto sat on it with his legs crossed, an amused smirk on his lips.

Standing, Naruto hopped down off of the shrine, landing on his feet with barely a sound. His sandals, Sasuke noticed, had white tops with black bottoms and black elastic around the ankle. Naruto rolled his shoulders, "See, Kakashi-sensei, this is why you should be on time."

Kakashi ignored him and helped the man with glasses up, the only man who hadn't been wearing a helmet when Sasuke and Sakura had caught him. Kakashi scratched the back of his head nervously, chuckling, "Gee. I'm really sorry about this."

Sasuke and Sakura stared at Kakashi, bewildered by his actions as the man dusted his clothes off. Kakashi looked once at their confused faces, then explained, "This is the gentleman who hired us for our mission today."

Sakura just stared at him, so he elaborated, "Our mission is to guard Fujikaze Yukie, the actress best known for her role as Princess Gale…Well, maybe not guard so much as…escort."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"We're shooting the next Princess Gale movie abroad," the assistant director, a young man by the name of Shinji, explained to the three Genin, all of whom now stood within the studio of the production. "It's the first one that we'll be shooting abroad, and I don't think I need to explain to you that our leading lady is a bit of a diva."

"I'll tell ya, though," the director took a puff of his pipe, "these Konoha Ninja sure are something. They took care of those stuntmen turned bodyguards we hired like it was nothing. Those were some big fellows, too."

He took another pull on his pipe, looking Naruto up and down, "And this one's probably the most impressive. He's got a determined look in his eyes, like he's ready to kill should the situation arise. Like a predator waiting for his next prey."

Kakashi blinked, "Oh, well…thank you."

Sakura wasn't paying attention to the talk, she was looking at the photos pinned up on the wall next to her. They were mostly pictures of Yukie, ones of her with other people, ones of her with her co-stars, and some of her getting her make up put on in preparation for her movie role. The one that caught Sakura's eyes, though, was a picture of sheer cliffs, their white walls glistening brightly.

"Oh, wow," she whispered, amazed. "Those cliffs are beautiful!"

"That's the Rainbow Glacier, in the Land of Snow," Sakura spun around at the voice, looking up to see two men, one bald, and one bearded. The bald one was the one that spoke, and she recognized him easily.

"You played the role of Burikinto!" she exclaimed.

"That's where we're going to shoot the movie's climactic ending," the other man said, smiling at her.

"You're Hidero!" Sakura said excitedly. "You played Shishimaru!"

"The Land of Snow?" Sasuke interrupted. "That's a long way to go just to shoot some scene for a movie."

"Yukie's manager, Sandayuu, recommended it," the assistant director said, gesturing to the man wearing glasses that the two Genin had tied up. The man bowed to them at the mention of his name. "According to him, this Rainbow Glacier turns seven different colors during the Spring time."

"No," Kakashi said, tone morose, "that's just an old legend. The truth is, there isn't a Spring time in Yuki no Kuni."

"What?" Sasuke asked tonelessly. "Not ever? It's winter all year long?"

Kakashi nodded, "Yeah, that's right."

"Kakashi, was it?" the director asked, turning his shaded eyes on the Jounin. "From what I have heard about you, this won't be your first time in the Land of Snow."

"That was a long time ago," Kakashi said somberly.

"They say it's a very poor nation," Sakura jumped as another voice joined the conversation, turning around to see a rather handsome man standing behind her. Sasuke's eye twitched. Did this guy's teeth just ping, like Lee's and Gai's?

"Y-you played Sukeakuro!" Sakura squealed with a stutter. "Mitchy-sama, you're so great!"

"Actually, the story is, their former lord had a thing for gadgets, a fetish, if you will," the man continued. "They say he squandered all of the clan's gold on mountains of useless doodads and gizmos, and stuff like that."

"Yeah, well, I just hope they have central heating," Hidero said, a cup of coffee in his hand. He pretended to shiver, "I'm not all that cut out for the cold."

"Maybe you should run for the hills, too, just like Yukie," the bald man said, prodding his coworker teasingly.

"Aw, hey, come on, you guys, that's not even funny!" Shinji whined. All three actors just chuckled at his distress.

"So…does that mean…Yukie…I mean, she's not always like this, is she?" Sakura asked. The three men fell silent, sharing a look with one another.

"Kind of. Yeah," Mitchy said sadly. "Poor Yukie. She's not the kind of person to understand such things like 'dreams' or 'aspirations'."

"But she's never neglected her work," the director insisted. "When that camera is rolling, she plays her part beautifully, never missing a line. She's the finest actress I've ever met, and I don't mind telling you that I've met quite a few."

"Yeah," Sasuke interrupted, "but where is she now? What good does all that do when she's not here at this moment, or when you don't even know where she is?"

"It's true," Shinji admitted, his tone downtrodden, "we don't really know where she is right now. It's just that…ever since she found out we're going to the Land of Snow, she's been trying her hardest to get away from us. It's like she doesn't want to go to Yuki no Kuni."

"I suspect that she doesn't," Kakashi said, hands tucked into his pockets. "It's not my place to specify, but Yukie has some very bad memories of the Land of Snow. If I were her, I probably wouldn't want to go either."

"What kind of memories, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked curiously.

"He's not at liberty to say," Sasuke answered. "And we're not sneaky enough to get it out of him. He's a Jounin, he's been trained to keep secrets for a lot longer than we have."

"Hey, Sasuke-kun," Sakura seemed not to have heard her teammate, "where's Naruto?"

"He left a little while ago," Kakashi answered her this time. "While we were discussing Yukie-san and her quirks, he went to go find her."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Yukie looked at her reflection in the clear glass of her cup, then downed its contents in one gulp. She looked in it again, and a happy, smiling little girl looked back at her with wide, gleeful eyes and a bright smile. The light above her head flickered and the image was replaced by her reflection once again, her eyes dull and her expression downtrodden.

"Bartender!" she called, a slight slur to her words. "Another of the same!"

She stared once more into the glass, watching her sullen appearance disappear into sea of amber as the bartender poured more of her precious booze into the tiny cup. He moved away, probably to tend the another customer, and she took a small sip. This time, when she set the cup down, its contents sloshing slightly, the courageous Princess Gale stared back at her with determination in her gaze.

Gulping the rest of the cup's contents, she jerked her hand to the side, sending the cup into the wall halfway across the bar. It shattered upon contact, each of its tiny glass pieces mocking her with a determined stare or a happy smile. She held her head in her hands, trying to erase the two images from her mind, even though they seemed burned onto the inside of her eyelids.

Vaguely, as if it were on the edge of her consciousness and senses, she heard someone sit down next to her. She didn't even bother to lift her head from her arms, because she didn't really care who was sitting there anyway.

"You know, Yukie-san," the person said, his voice awfully young. Yukie didn't budge an inch. "Each action has a number of different effects it can have. It can serve as a catalyst for something much greater…or much worse."

Yukie was only half-aware of what he was saying, but he continued anyway, "If you ask me, I think what happened in Snow Country years ago…and the things it's suffering from now…are merely the catalysts for something much greater and better."

She picked her head up and glared at him, as though anger that he dared presume so much. In something barely above a hiss, she said, "What do you know? How could you understand?"

Spiky blonde hair, eyes whose crimson depths seemed to swirl, though it could have just been the alcohol messing with her head, and whisker like marks on his cheeks; he was decked out in blacks, whites, and a couple of grays, with a Konoha hitai-ate on his forehead: Uzumaki Naruto. He was smiling at her, sincerely, with no sense of deception in his face.

"Because, Yukie-san…" she could see a depth to his eyes that she hadn't thought they could hold, "…great misfortunes and tragedies, followed by an amazing outcome that far outweighs the bad times…that is the story of my life."

Yukie's eyes widened as a sudden sensation of falling overtook her, the room spinning as she couldn't take her eyes from those swirling red depths. Finally, the spell seemed to take effect and her eyes closed slowly as she collapsed off of her stool. Naruto caught her before she hit the floor, gently picking her up bridal style.

He barely sensed the foreign chakra signature walking outside the door, a frown marring his face.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"Was the hexagon crystal in her possession?" a commanding voice asked, the owner's finger tapping impatiently on his throne of a chair.

"I knew it," the light haired ninja kneeling before the man said, "I knew that the actress called Fujikaze Yukie was actually Kazahana Koyuki."

"Those ten years of vigorous searching are finally paying off," a pink haired kunoichi said.

"Heh!" a large, heavyset shinobi chuckled. "This is all too easy!"

"However," the first, light-haired ninja said, "I believe that she is under the protection of not one, but two A-rank ninja: Copy-nin Hatake Kakashi and Shinigami Kazama Naruto."

"The Hatake Kakashi?" the Heavyset one asked. He chuckled, "Sounds like this confrontation was decided by fate!"

"The runt is the one that concerns me, not the Copy ninja," the man in charge said. "As young as he is, he was given the name Konoha no Shinigami. And by one of the Legendary Sannin, no less. He must be very powerful."

"I wouldn't be worried," the female commented. "In each of the battles he participated which earned him that nickname, either Jiraiya the Toad Sennin or the Professor was the teammate he fought alongside. It's unlikely he has any power of his own."

"Heh, heh, Yeah!" the heavyset one chuckled. "He was just at the right place at the right time. I doubt he's even potty trained! Heh, heh!"

The light-haired one smirked, then quietly said, "We'll just have to see, won't we?"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"Nnng…" Yukie covered her eyes with her forearm, trying to block out the sun streaming in the window to her left.

"Are you awake, Yukie-sama?" a familiar voice asked.

"Sandayuu…get me some water. I feel dizzy," she said, rubbing her eyes. "I feel like I'm swaying…am I imagining it?"

"No," came the reply from Sandayuu. "It's not your imagination."

Yukie jumped from her bed in shock and flew to the first door she could find, flinging it open. A wooden deck, sails, and the open sea greeted her eyes, and the shock slowly settled down, morphing into anger, "What the hell is this?!"

Two hours later found Yukie dressed and ready at the sight of the movie's next scene, kneeling on the deck as the stage crew got everything set up for the scene.

"Lights okay!"

"Microphone okay!"

"Camera okay!"

"Start from the test!" the director shouted into his megaphone. "Get in the act!"

"Scene twenty-three Cut six, Take one!" the assistant director said. "Action!"

Team Seven watched, mostly in amazement, as Yukie became a whole different person in front of the camera. She grasped onto the injured-looking Hidero, distress in her tone, "Hold on, Shishimaru!"

"It's useless, Princess," Hidero gasped out, his voice weak.

"What are you saying?" she asked back. "We found our courage because of you!"

"Princess," he said weakly, gasping for air, "I…wanted to see…the other side of the…rainbow with you…"

With a soft thud, his head hit the wooden floor and he stopped moving, seemingly dead.

"Shishimaru!" Yukie called out. There was a pause, then Yukie exhaled impatiently. She waved her hand, "Hang on!"

Several cries of disappointment met her words.

"Sandayuu!" Yukie ignored their anger, waving her manager over. "I need more tears."

Amidst indignant protests, Sandayuu walked over and pulled out a bottle, squeezing a few droplets of its contents into Yukie's eyes.

"Okay!" Yukie shouted as Sandayuu moved away. "Let's do it again! Quickly!"

"Scene twenty-three, Cut six—two! Action!"

"Shishimaru!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"Director!" Shinji pointed something out to the director. "Serious problem!"

A large iceberg stood stoically in front of the ship Team Seven, Yukie, and her entourage were on. Despite its motionless form, it seemed to be mocking them, telling them that all their hard work was for nothing.

"This happened in the morning. As you can see, the route is covered. What should we do?"

The director had an epiphany, "Come here!"

"The movie is ruined," Shinji sulked, downtrodden.

"You idiot!" the director shouted at him. "Look! This is the perfect location! If you don't film here, where are you going to film?"

Shinji was stumped, "Huh?"

"The movie gods got angry," the director offered for an explanation. Turing, he addressed the group, "Get ready for some climbing!"

An hour later, the entire crew had unloaded the necessary materials and was standing on the giant block of ice and snow.

"We're going to Honbani! Stunt B1!"

"Scene thirty-six, Cut twenty-two! Action!"

"A ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! You came here by mistake, Sky Princess!" the old man playing Mao cackled, waving his staff about madly.

"Stay back, Princess!" Sukeakuro stepped forward. "I'll fight him!"

Mao seemed smug, "Brats or not, you're no match for me!"

He pulled his hand back, as if to launch some attack, when an explosion from behind nearly knocked him off his feet. No longer acting, the old man turned to where it had occurred, "What was that?"

Before anyone knew what was happening, Kakashi stood in front of Yukie, which confused the actors quite a bit.

"Hey!" Sukeakuro shouted indignantly. "What do you think you're doing!"

"Kakashi," Yukie murmured, "what—?

Kakashi paid their queries no notice, "Everyone, get back!"

As the smoke cleared, a man could be seen standing there, his ears obscured by some sort of hat. He wore a smirk and a white bodysuit, "Welcome to the Land of Snow."

Kakashi's eye widened, "You are—!"

"I welcome you, Koyuki," a pink-haired kunoichi said, standing on an outcropping. "Did you bring the Hexagon Crystal?"

Alarmed, Kakashi looked back at Yukie, "Koyuki?!"

"Heh, ha, ha!" a third, much larger shinobi appeared. "As expected of the great Hatake Kakashi! We meet again!"

Kakashi nearly growled.

"Sakura, Sasuke!" both Genin snapped to attention at being addressed. "You two guard Yukie! Naruto…I'm going to need your help.

"Everyone! Return to the ship!"

"Fubuki, Mizore," the light-haired ninja addressed his comrades, "let's get Princess Yukie."

In a flash, Fubuki and Mizore had left their perches while Kakashi raced towards the last of the three snow ninja. He glared at his opponent, a grudge if he'd ever had one.

"It's been a long time, Kakashi," the light-haired nin stated nonchalantly. "This time, you won't escape from me."

"Rouda Narare," was all Kakashi said.

In an instant, they dashed towards each other, Kakashi blocking Rouda's knife-hand chop with his left arm. Then, he dodged out of the way of a kick that would have sent him flying. Pushing away from one another, they catapulted off of the ground and at each other again.

They clashed a second time, pushing against one another before landing on separate sides of the narrow canyon. To the cast and crew still loading up onto the ship, it looked like a scene right out of some movie or other.

Naruto set his sights on the heavyset man, who suddenly pulled a snowboard out of nowhere and used it to move down the icy slope faster. Sasuke threw one of his Windmill Shuriken, watching in shock as it shattered on Mizore's body armor. "What?!"

"Hyôton: Tsubame Fubuki!"

Sasuke leapt to the side of the rain of frozen sparrows, flashing through hand seals as he turned to the pink-haired Fubuki. He stopped on tiger, taking in a deep breath, "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

A great ball of fire raced forth, melting the remaining ice birds. Planting his feet firmly, Sasuke heard Sakura yell out for everyone to return to the ship. He scowled, preparing for one of the most difficult battles of his life.

"Hyôton," Fubuki kneeled, pressing her fingers to the iceberg, "Hyôroro no Jutsu!"

Sasuke jumped back as pillars of frozen mass rose up and towards him, going through more hand seals. He took a deep breath, blowing out another fireball. Fubuki smirked as a column of ice rose up, turning to steam as the fire collided with it.

Mizore jumped off of his snowboard, leaping towards Naruto with his ironclad fist pulled back for a punch. Naruto brought his left arm up, using the armor plate on the top of his forearm to block it. Balling his right hand into a fist, Naruto unleashed his full strength on the man's stomach. His eyes went wide as the man stood still, not bothered by his counterattack. Mizore hit him with his other fist, knocking Naruto into one of the ice pillars Fubuki had summoned.

Kakashi turned around at the sound of Naruto crashing into the pillar, going through seals as a column of swirling water rose out of the ocean, "Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"

Mizore jumped out of the way as a dragon of water crashed into the spot he'd previously been occupying.

"Risk your life and keep shooting!" the director shouted. "Take pride in our work!"

Naruto stood up, back to back with Kakashi, "Sensei, what is that armor?"

'I should remember it, but I don't! Damn!"

"It's Snow Country's armor, designed specifically for each ninja," Kakashi explained. "It's chakra armor. They use it to power up."

"You remember?" Rouda seemed impressed. "This armor expands my internal chakra and strengthens my techniques. It creates a wall of chakra around the body, so yours and other's chakra are weaker. Ninjutsu and Genjutsu are useless."

"Ninjutsu and Genjutsu are useless, huh?" Rouda nearly recoiled when Naruto turned to face him, a bone white skull mask on his face. He lifted his clenched hand, a ball of energy gathering at the tips of his outstretched middle and index fingers. "I'll just have to try something a little more…potent. Cero."

An orange-ish yellow beam leapt forth, and, despite his claims of the armor's resistance, Rouda and his comrades jumped out of the way. The beam collided with the icy slope behind where they'd been standing, searing a hole straight through it and out the other side.

Rouda looked back to see the mask gone, suddenly realizing why he was called the Konoha no Shinigami. That beam would have just as easily gone right through his chest, incinerating his heart and lungs in an instant.

Simultaneously, three people went through a stream of hand seals.

"Hyôton: Haryuu Mouko!" (Destruction Dragon Super Emptiness)

"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"

"Sôkaton: Sôkaryuuha!" (Azure Fire Style: Azure Fire Dragon Wave)

A dragon of snow leapt from the mountains, colliding with a dragon of water that flew from the ocean. A third dragon came from the land, made of swirling blue flames. It rushed forward, its target rushing through more seals as he scowled at his impressive opponents. He slammed his hands down, a thick pillar of ice rising up in front of him.

Kakashi shot Naruto a questioning look. Naruto smirked, "Like Mokuton and Hyôton, Sôkaton is a combination of two different elemental chakra types: Fire and Lightning. The result is a fire technique that is only slightly affected by water, so it's capable of evaporating your Suiryuudan."

Jumping up, Naruto landed in front of Rouda, his hand alight with blue flames. Scowling, Rouda flashed through more seals, slapping his hand on the icy wall next to him as Naruto's fiery palm came towards him. A slab of ice intercepted the fire, evaporating as Naruto's new and improved Taiyoushin Ittou Tansen melted through it.

Rouda became alarmed when that flaming fist quickly broke through his barrier, colliding solidly with his chest. His armor, however, would not give him up without a fight, and repelled the attack, extinguishing the azure fire. Much to Rouda's dismay, the mechanics of his suit were damaged severely. He punched the blonde, blinking when the boy grabbed his arm.

"Bunshin," Rouda looked to the side, where a second Naruto stood on one of the glacier's pillars, "Daibakuha."

The Naruto holding Rouda's arm exploded in a blaze of fire and chakra, incinerating the ice around him in an instant.

Mizore, once more on his snowboard, slid down the mountain slope towards Yukie, who was kneeling on the ground reliving her bad memories of Yuki no Kuni. Mizore lifted his hand and ropes shot out, wrapping around Yukie. Sakura quickly cut them off with a kunai, courageously facing towards a superior enemy.

"You little bitch!" Mizore yelled angrily, raising his fist.

He didn't get any farther, as Naruto's fist collided with his face. He stood again, growling angrily, "You little brat!"

He punched, first with his ironclad hand, then with his normal hand. Naruto grabbed them both and immediately started an inverted game of tug-o-war, pushing against the behemoth in front of him. Mizore scowled as he looked into Naruto swirling, Sharingan eyes.

Fubuki smirked as one of her ice pillars finally caught up to Sasuke, engulfing him in the frozen mass. Her smirk disappeared, however, when Sasuke was replaced with a backpack with an explosive note on it. The explosion shattered the ice pillar, making her unprepared for the wires that shot forth and tied her to another pillar. As fire rushed along the wires, a set of wings opened up from the metal disk on her back, setting her free. She took to the air at the last second.

"What are you doing?" Naruto turned his head slightly, glaring at Yukie as she trembled. "Hurry up and go!"

"No…"

"Princess, let's hurry and return!" Sandayuu insisted. "Hurry up if you value your life! You will die for sure if you stay!"

"No!" Yukie shouted, clutching her head. "I won't leave Snow Country!"

Naruto glared, "You're being very self—!"

He was cut off as Mizore took advantage of his distraction and tossed him to the side. Naruto collided with the ground and disappeared with a pop and a small cloud of smoke. Free of the encumbering boy, Mizore aimed his arm and his iron hand shot forth, connected to him by a wire. Sakura dove in front of it and he scowled, jerking his arm and sending her into the snow. She was unconscious.

Yukie chose that moment to collapse.

"Princess!" Sandayuu cried.

Kakashi turned to help but Rouda wouldn't allow it. He yelled, "Your fight is with me! Hyôton: Itsukaku Hakuegei!" (Section Beluga)

A creature resembling a whale rose from the ice, blocking Kakashi's path. He stopped, silent for a few seconds. Then, he said, "I see. That's a powerful Jutsu."

He pulled up his hitai-ate, revealing the Sharingan, "Then I will fight you. Naruto! Get everyone to safety."

Nodding, Naruto left Kakashi to fight Rouda.

The two ninja flew through identical seals, "Hyôton: Itsukaku Hakuegei!"

Two icy whale-like beasts, both nearly identical, rose from the terrain and crashed into one another, collapsing onto the iceberg. The footholds starting to crumble, several Naruto clones jumped down towards the ship, actors and other crew members on their shoulders.

As the boat sailed away, the iceberg split into pieces, falling into the sea.

"Cut!" the director yelled.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"Sandayuu-san…you knew it, didn't you?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes…" came the reply.

"You know what would happen if the princess returns to Snow Country."

"It was my only way to bring the princess back."

"So Yukie is a real princess?" Naruto asked the question he knew his teammates wanted to but wouldn't.

"Yes," Kakashi answered, "Fujikaze Yukie is using a fake name. Her real name is Kazahana Koyuki, the heiress to the Snow Country throne."

"She might not remember, now," Sandayuu said, "but when she was young, I was by her side. I served her father, Kazahana Sousetsu. The Kingdom was small but peaceful. Sousetsu-sama loved the princess very much.

"Everyday, he spent time with her. However, ten years ago, Dotou, Sousetsu-sama's little brother, hired ninja and revolted. He took over the kingdom. When I found her, she was already an actress."

"It would have been better if I had died that day," Yukie said, standing in the door.

"Please don't say such things," Sandayuu said. "You're alive, and that brings us great hope."

"I haven't cried since that day," she said. "My body may be alive, but my heart died a long time ago."

"Princess Yukie!" Sandayuu bowed, kneeling on the floor. "You must overthrow Dotou and become the new queen!"

"I don't want to."

"But the people of Snow Country!" Sandayuu protested.

"It's none of my business," Yukie insisted coldly. "You should know when to give up! No matter what you do, you can never beat Dotou!"

"If you truly believe that, then you never will," Naruto told her, his tone icy. "Below the courageous, there is nothing.' Those are my father's words, and he's absolutely right. To accomplish anything, you must have courage and you must persevere. Giving up is never an option. Those below the courageous…don't even deserve to be described in the human tongue."

"People dream because they never give up. You can see your future when you find your dream," the director said. "Not too bad. That's the perfect theme for the final chapter of the Sky Princess."

"Y-you want to," Shinji, the assistant director, stuttered, "continue the movie?"

"Didn't I mention it?" the director, Enishi, asked. "We're going to make this into a movie! Imagine it! A real princess acting in it! This is a once in a lifetime chance!"

"Really!" Shinji grinned. "Then the topic would be a big one!"

"Without any fuss, people will accept it," the director said.

"Wait!" Yukie started to protest.

"You've no other choice, now," Kakashi told her. "Dotou knows that you're alive, so you've no place to hide."

"Stop talking such nonsense!" Yukie shouted. "Reality and movies are different things! There's not happy ending in reality!"

"You can overcome that!" Enishi insisted.

"We should probably go home for some back up, but…" Kakashi commented.

"We've got three Sharingan users, two swordsmen, and three avatars. The three of us should be enough for this mission," Sasuke said.

"Then it's decided. We'll continue," Enishi said.

"Let's make a happy ending!" Shinji shouted excitedly.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Naruto stared into the large cavern, pulling his white cloak tighter around his body. The Empty Demon Suit served as a bit more insulation that normal ninja clothes, but it wasn't enough to keep him completely warm, and the snow was pretty deep. So he'd taken to wearing geta, like Jiraiya, and a pair of tabi for the duration of his stay in Snow Country.

"All our crew gathered at the other side of this cave," Sandayuu said. "Once we're finished with our work here, we'll join them."

Less than an hour later, the entire group was inside one of the vehicles, which was carrying them through the cavern. Naruto was sipping some tea, a habit that he'd picked up after several years of dining with Hiashi.

"This place used to have a railway," Sandayuu commented. "It extended all the way into Tsurara…but the tracks are frozen beneath the ice."

They stopped outside near a cliff, everyone unloading their materials. The director stepped out of his trailer, shouting, "All right! Let's begin!"

"Director! Big problem!" Shinji cried. "It's Yukie! She's run away again!"

Sighing, Naruto and his team leapt off the cliff to search for her.

"Now," Kakashi said to them, "Everyone split up to find her. If you do find her, contact the rest of us via radio!"

"Roger!" all three of his students said.

They split up, each one going a different direction. Watching his teammates each go their separate ways, Naruto turned in a specific direction, knowing where Yukie would run to. He took off in a flash of white.

After roughly an hour of searching, Naruto landed on the ground, barely making a sound. He walked forward, towards Yukie's downed form, and kneeled. Quietly, he told her, "This is the last time you're running away. Everyone is waiting for you."

Picking her up, he hoisted her onto his back and carried her towards the others. They came upon the cavern from before and he continued through it, never pausing or faltering. Then, after being silent for so long, she spoke, "Why do you always find me?"

"Because it's my mission," he said. "It doesn't matter to me if you hate it or run away. I know how you feel."

"Fine," she said. "Let's go back. All I can do is act for the camera."

Naruto sighed, "You know, you remind me of this little boy I know. He cried all the time as soon as he thought no one was watching, and he scorned everyone who tried to free his country from an evil man, telling them it was hopeless. He even yelled at me, calling me stupid for thinking I could defeat Gatou.

"Well, one day, when he was about to lose his most precious person, he decided to go against his own words and fought Gatou, if indirectly. He was willing to give up his life, and he would have, if not for some timely intervening on my part. After that, he smiled up at me, and thanked me for everything I'd done."

"So?" Yukie mumbled. "How does this apply to me?"

"Because, Yukie-san," Naruto said firmly, "you're just like Inari was before he met me."

There was a sudden sound and Naruto stopped, stiffening in preparation. A light lit up the cavern, and a rumbling sound met his ears. After performing three hand seals, Naruto took off as fast as he could without injuring his passenger, Yukie screaming as she clung to his neck.

As the train got closer, Naruto leapt through the tunnel opening and to the side, crashing into the snow bank. Dislodged from Naruto, Yukie fell face first into the snow. The train thundered on past, several feet from their location.

"It's been a long time, Koyuki," Yukie looked up to the man who had spoken. He stood on top of the train, which had stopped not long after it had exited the cave. Her face darkened.

"Kazahana Dotou," Yukie said icily.

"It's been twelve years," Dotou said. "Come closer. Let me get a better look at your face."

Naruto glared at the man, standing in between him and Yukie.

"Eh?" Dotou arched an eyebrow.

There was a large rumbling, and everyone turned their eyes towards the cliff, where several logs clambered down the slope and crashed into the train. Sandayuu and several other men dressed in armor stood at the top, assembled as an army.

"Everyone! Come and see our Princess Koyuki!" Sandayuu cried. "If we fight alongside her, we can win this war!"

Cheers of valor rose to greet his proclamation.

Sandayuu drew his katana, "Kazahana Dotou! You know how long we have awaited this day! Today we will end all the hatred which has acclimated over the ages, and we will avenge our late king, Kazahana Sousetsu-sama!"

Naruto glanced to the right and saw the director and his camera crew filming under the cover of a tarp.

"So," Dotou drawled, "the likes of you are still alive."

"Sorry," Rouda apologized, "we'll take care of them."

"No," Dotou said, "let's give them a taste of…'helplessness'."

Sandayuu and his men charged forward as Dotou pressed a button, prompting several compartments to open up on the train's side. The men slowed their descent only slightly, then started screaming as hundreds of kunai launched from the train without any specific target.

"Shit!" Naruto swore, yanking his own sword loose. With a single mighty swing, an arc of white energy flew forth, crashing into the train and destroying several of the kunai guns. "Getsuga Tenshô!"

The damage, however, had already been done. His counterattack had been too late, for the entire army had been defeated before he'd even pulled his sword from its sheath. Sandayuu, the only one left standing and injured beyond help, collapsed backwards as Sasuke leapt onto the scene.

Pulling out a kunai, he threw it at one of the barrels controlling the guns, an explosive tag dangling from its end. It exploded, destroying that particular turret.

From up on the cliff, Sakura tossed a wad of explosive notes, which then exploded and caused an avalanche to bury a portion of the train. The intact part of the train detached from its hindquarters and sped on down the tracks.

Sasuke made to follow, but Kakashi jumped down and stopped him, "Wait, Sasuke. Don't go after them."

"Princess," Sandayuu called weakly. Yukie kneeled beside him. "Sincerely sorry…to get you…tangled up in this…We gathered…because of the princess…and we never gave up…"

"Sandayuu," Yukie protested, "don't—"

Sandayuu interrupted her, grasping her leg firmly, "Please believe in yourself…as we believed…in our princess…I fought and died for this belief…so please…don't cry…"

With a final sigh, he went limp.

"You're an idiot, Sandayuu," Yukie told him. "You have my eye drops."

Standing, she turned and started walking with only three words, "Let's go back."

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked her coldly. "This is your home! You want to go back? Then fight for the home that was taken from you!"

"You don't know anything," she replied icily. "There's no spring in Snow Country. It's a place that freezes your tears, even your heart."

She turned and continued walking. Naruto walked up to her, grabbing her by the wrist, "Wait."

She pulled her arm from his grasp, "Get away!"

There was a sudden swooshing sound as a blimp-like object dove into view, Mizore standing in the open doorway. He aimed, and his hand shot forth, grabbing Yukie and pulling her towards him. As soon as she was safely aboard, a rain of kunai with little blue balls attached came down on Sasuke and Kakashi, who had rushed forwards to try and save Yukie. The moment one of the kunai hit the ground, they caused spikes of ice to pop up, spearing whatever was in their way.

Sasuke landed on top of one to the spikes, on its flat side, a safe distance from any of its pointy spines. "Sakura!" he yelled. "Where's Naruto?"

"I don't see him, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called back. To herself, she muttered, "That idiot; he couldn't have!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"Koyuki, you have become beautiful," Dotou said to her, where she sat on the couch. "Do you have the Hexagon Crystal with you?"

"Yeah," she said quietly.

"Good, it is the only thing that connects us as one family," Dotou said, all pretense abandoned. "This is also the key for the treasure."

"The key for the treasure?" Yukie asked.

"When I took over the country, the Kazahana family left me with nothing!" Dotou explained. "Sousetsu must have hidden his treasure somewhere else. My search took a long time, but I finally found it! It's hidden in the Rainbow Glacier. We saw a hole for a hexagon shaped crystal. If we got our hands on the Kazahana family treasure, then we'd have an army stronger than the five ninja nations!

"Now," he turned to her, since he'd been pacing around in his rant, "give me the crystal!"

Reaching up behind her neck, she pulled the crystal off and handed in to him. As he took it though, his smirk quickly turned into a frown. "This is…"

He grabbed Yukie by her coat, lifting her off the floor, "Do you take me for a fool? This is fake!"

Eyes wide, Yukie whispered, "Hatake…Kakashi!"

"What?" Dotou asked.

"Ah, now I understand," Rouda said. "He's the kind of guy to do something like that. We'll bring Kakashi here immediately."

"There's no need to do that, they'll come to us soon," Dotou commented slyly, thrusting Yukie onto the couch. "We just have to wait."

Hours later found Yukie locked in a prison cell with no hope of escape. She just sat on the floor, staring at the bars impassively. No emotion flitted across her face; not fear, anger, sorrow, guilt, or even boredom. She was numb, uncaring of the events happening around her.

There was a light clambering and something metal fell off, a person dropping down from the ceiling within the dark room. Bright blue eyes turned to her and she recognized the person as Naruto. He walked up to her cell, stroking the bars gently. He flicked one lightly, listening as it hummed metallically, then smirked.

"Stay still," he commanded, pulling his sword from its sheath. He walked over to the edge of the door, slashing downwards over the hinges. She almost arched an eyebrow when nothing happened, but her eyes widened as he pulled on the door's bars and it came right out of place, leaving a hole in jail cell.

As Naruto motioned for her to follow him, there was a loud explosion that rocked the building. There was a shout from two men down the hall, who had undoubtedly come to check on her. A swoosh met her ears and, before she knew what was happening, Naruto had already knocked them unconscious without seeming to have moved an inch from where he stood.

Grabbing her by the hand, he pulled her towards the exit, twisting around corners and rushing over bridges. She tried to memorize there turns: left, right, right, left, left, right, right, left, right, right, left, left, right. As they crossed over one bridge, however, a snow ninja appeared, standing between them and their path to safety. Naruto took a step forward, fingering his sword's hilt.

"Wait, Naruto!" the ninja waved his hands, reaching up to pull off his disguise. Kakashi looked back at him, "it's me."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief, "Kakashi-sensei."

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Kakashi said. "The princess seems alright."

Yukie glared, "Did you exchange the fake Hexagon Crystal?"

"I'm sorry," Kakashi handed her the real thing, "but it seemed like a good idea."

"All of this for nothing," she muttered.

Footsteps echoed and two people appeared where Naruto had come from, each wearing a tan cloak. Sakura yelled, "Don't come this way! Their security is tight!"

Yukie leading the way, the entire group headed down the path, making for the apparent exit. They followed Yukie into a large room, much like a throne room, with a large chair situated atop a platform. A man stood off of his seat.

"Dotou!" Kakashi yelled.

"Good work, Koyuki," Dotou said proudly.

Breaking into a run, Yukie fled up the stairs, Fubuki, Mizore, and Rouda blocking the ninja from following her. Handing the Hexagon Crystal to Dotou, she turned to Team Seven, "It seems you were mistaken. After all…I am an actress."

"You see," Dotou preened victoriously, "you should never have opposed me! I hold all the cards. And Yukie…she fooled you so easily! It was an act the whole time!"

"Yes…" Yukie muttered hollowly, "it's an act."

Pulling a short sword from seemingly nowhere, she turned around and stabbed Dotou with all her might.

"What?" Dotou gasped, staring at his niece with shock.

"Damn!" he reached out, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her off her feet.

"If I'm going to die," Yukie forced out, glaring at Dotou "then I'm…at least…going to…"

She twisted the knife. With a wince, Dotou stumbled backwards, still holding onto his niece, dangerously close to the edge of the platform. With a final gasp, they fell off of the pillar that held the throne and onto the floor.

Out of nowhere, Naruto rushed over to the fallen bodies, reaching for Yukie. Before he could so much as shake her, however, Dotou's fist came up and smashed into his face, dispelling the Kage Bunshin in a puff of smoke. The real Naruto frowned, rubbing his cheek.

"This toy knife can't kill me!" Dotou laughed, shedding his cloak. "That's right! This is the newest chakra armor!"

He picked Yukie up, tucking her under one arm, "Come on. Let's go, Koyuki, to the other side of the rainbow!"

Mechanical wings spreading from the back of his armor, Dotou took off through the broken ceiling. As the building started to collapse, the snow ninja spread their own wings and took off after him. Cursing, Team Seven left for the exit as Naruto leapt after Dotou.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

A man with short blue hair and orange-tinted sunglasses stared at the beautiful young girl encased in crystal, a soft smile on his face. Gently, he ran his fingers, gloved in azure cloth, over smooth crystal, imagining that he was touching the girl's soft cheek.

"Yes, Aina," he whispered, "soon, you shall be avenged."

He smiled softly, "Yes. And then I shall join you where you are, on the other side of the rainbow."

Rubbing the condensation from his breath off of the crystal, he let out a soft, loving sigh, "Yes, my dearest Aina. Soon, we shall be reunited."

The girl did not respond, her eyes closed in eternal slumber within the crystal. Her silvery hair remained motionless, untouched by time, wind, and man. She seemed, to all whom might glimpse her, to be frozen in amber, forever preserved as she was.

Ovan winced, "Ugh!"

He stumbled backwards, clutching at his head as a terrible pain overcame him, like some ravenous beast clawing at his skull, trying to split it open. He knew this pain well, as it had been the cause for his little sister's predicament.

"No," his voice was harsher, as though it didn't belong to him, "we still have a task to accomplish, one that you cannot weasel your way out of, boy."

He keeled over, clutching at his left arm as the tightly bound white wrappings began to burn off. Gasping in pain, his right hand glowed blue and the fire instantly disappeared. Panting, he said to the air, "There's…no more time."

His words echoed into the endless white around him, reaching out into the ceaseless emptiness that gave him comfort. Ovan had done what many had dreamed of; he'd made an alternate reality, a sort of pocket dimension, where none could reach him or desecrate the resting place of his beloved sibling.

Ovan took no pride in this accomplishment, however, for the price he had paid to make it real was one steeper than he was willing to pay. In that sense, he wished he'd never had the need or desire to build the place, as it had cost him the most precious thing he had possessed: his little sister.

He stood straight, still clutching his left arm as the fingers on his hand twitched, still breathing heavily, "Are you ready, Naruto-kun? Are you prepared for the battle to come?"

That was his purpose, now, to achieve the reason for his existence, then to die. It was to his good fortune that both parts of his desire could be granted by the same person at the same time. All he needed was to reveal his hand, and all would fit into place. Then, he could finally rest, for all of eternity.

He bent over, grunting in pain as the wrappings began to burn again. Gritting his teeth, his hand glowed blue and the fire disappeared once more. Gasping desperately for air, he said, "There's…no more time."

Sweat poured down his forehead as he pushed against the creature trying to encroach upon his mind, forcing it to calm down. He would not allow the beast control, not after it had done such a thing to the one whom mattered most to him.

He looked back up at the young girl, no more than ten years old, encased in the clear crystal, "Soon, Aina. It will all be over soon. Then your big brother will be there for you again."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Dotou dropped Yukie on her butt, walking over to the altar in the middle of the snow. Grinning greedily, he put the Hexagon Crystal in the opening in the altar, watching as it sunk and the altar glowed. The glow extended along the ground and to the glaciers surrounding them, lighting them up beautifully.

"Where is the treasure?" Dotou asked eagerly, ignoring the beautiful radiance of the glaciers. "Where is the treasure?"

Steam rose around him as the ice and snow began to melt, revealing patches of green grass.

"Warm," Yukie commented. "This is…"

"Where is this heat coming from?" Dotou asked angrily, brow knit in frustration. "Isn't this where the Kazahana family treasure is?"

"Princess!" a familiar voice called.

Dotou and Yukie looked over the snow bank, where a cart pulled up carrying Naruto, the director, the assistant director, and the cameraman. As they got closer, Naruto jumped off, dashing towards her and Dotou at a great speed.

"Damn!" Dotou swore, going through handseals. "Hyôton: Kokuryuu Houfuusetsu!" (Black Dragon Blizzard)

Dotou punched the air, sending a black dragon towards the blonde. Scoffing, Naruto reached for his sword as the beast came closer, baring its fangs at him. There was a crash, and a cloud of dust and snow exploded where Naruto had been.

"Naruto!" Yukie cried. Dotou smirked victoriously, but it quickly dropped as a gust of wind blew the cloud away from his enemy.

A translucent white hexagon stood in front of Naruto, who was unscathed, his sword poised as if he were blocking something. Naruto smirked, "Your dragon…was slightly impressive."

He pointed to a crack in the hexagon, "After all, he managed to damage my shield. That's something not many can lay claim to."

"Damn you!" Dotou pulled back his fist, a black aura surrounding it again, "Die!"

Naruto smirked as a black fire lit up around the blade of his sword, burning incessantly. He held Zangetsu back, saying, "Let's see if your dragon matches up to mine! Kokuryuuha!" (Black Dragon Wave)

With an upward swing, a dragon made of black fire leapt from in front of Naruto, rushing towards his prey as another dragon made of ice and wind raced towards Naruto. Thrashing about wildly, Naruto's dragon kicked up a cloud of snow and dust as it plowed through Dotou's, dispersing it instantly. It continued on until it collided with Dotou, who screamed in terror as it threatened to swallow him whole.

Unfortunately, the dragon wasn't strong enough to do more than break Dotou's armor, dispersing itself as its power ran dry. It had done its job, though, as the chakra shield that protected Dotou had been destroyed, leaving the evil tyrant nearly defenseless.

As Dotou stumbled backwards, wary of any attack that may come from within the dust cloud, Naruto rushed through said cloud, dispersing it instantly with his speed, a multicolored Rasengan in his hand; it was reflecting the light of the Rainbow Glaciers. Dotou could only watch, horror in his gaze, as twin, swirling red orbs grew steadily closer.

"I believe in you, Naruto!" Yukie cried. "The Sky Princess acknowledges you as the strongest ninja!"

"This is the end! Your future is death!" Naruto shouted, driving his attack home, right in Dotou's unprotected chest. "Rasengan!"

His mouth snapping open in agony, Dotou flew across the ice, crashing into one of the glaciers and nearly shattering it. With the force of the impact and the power of Naruto's technique, added on to the speed with which he had collided, there was only one possible condition he could be in. He was undoubtedly dead.

As the ice and snow melted, Naruto stood, laying his hand on the hilt of his sword. Yukie, crouched at a rock, watched in wonder as a field of flowers appeared before her eyes, a small meadow surrounding her. She smiled, "Good job, Naruto."

A loud clapping interrupted any celebrations as a man dressed in white with short blue hair made his presence known, leaning against one of the glaciers and smiling sincerely. He spoke with an aloof air about him, "Yes, good job indeed, Naruto."

Naruto's sword was drawn again, faster than Yukie could track. "Who are you?"

The man stood straight, adjusting the orange-tinted glasses on his face, "I am…well, I suppose you could call me Ovan."

Never taking his eyes off of the man, he slowly shuffled over, standing in front of Yukie, "Why are you here?"

Ovan simply smiled, his voice soft and airy, "I am here to start and end the war between your Avatar…and mine."

"Naruto!" the other members of Team Seven arrived at the scene, standing atop the hill. They looked at Ovan warily, prepared for any hostile move from him.

"Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto commanded, a barely noticeable waver in his voice. "Take the princess and go!"

"Yes, that would be wise, wouldn't it, Naruto-kun?" Ovan asked. "If they decided to become involved, things could get quite messy. It's best if this is just between us."

"I have no reason to fight you," Naruto told him, watching out of the corner of his eye as his teammates moved to a safer distance. "What reason would you give me to do so?"

"Oh my, you didn't know?" Ovan asked, a smirk on his face. "Were you not suspicious of how thorough Orochimaru's plans were? Of how easily he managed to not only mark Sasuke, but to attack the Hokage as well? Even going so far as to kill the Kazekage and take his place?"

"What are you saying?" Naruto asked guardedly.

"What I'm saying, Naruto-kun, is that Orochimaru could not have accomplished these things alone," Ovan said matter-of-factly. "In fact, were it not for one single person, he would never have managed to accomplish what he did to such a great extent. This one single person is the one who gave him what he needed to do what he did. This person…helped him perfect the Curse Seal and taught him not only Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei, but the very Jutsu he uses to preserve his immortality. Do you know who this person is?"

Naruto stared, a look of horror on his face, "No…"

"That's not all this person did, Naruto-kun," Ovan continued. "He also taught Nagato, the man now known as Pein, the leader of Akatsuki, how to extract the Kyuu no Bijuu from their vessels. Do you know who this person is? Do you know why he did this?"

Naruto slowly shook his head, backing away slightly.

"That person," Ovan adjusted his glasses again, smirking, "is me. As for why…"

He looked to the sky, "It was such a small seed. I wanted to see it grow."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked quietly.

Ovan looked back at him, "I did all of this for you, Naruto-kun. I did it so that you would grow stronger, and so that you would have the motivation to do so. I did it so that you would become strong enough to destroy me."

"It was all for my sake?" Naruto asked in disbelief. A thought seemed to strike him, and his eyes went wide.

"No," Naruto whispered. "You're him. The Anti-Existence."

"Very astute, Naruto-kun," Ovan grinned. "Yes, my Avatar is the Anti-Existence of yours. Just as you carry Skeith the Terror of Death, I carry Cubia the Hidden One. Now…"

Ovan began to glow blue as the glaciers rumbled from his power, "show me your Avatar! Your grim reaper! And use it to destroy me!"

Ovan clenched his fist, wincing as the white wrappings on his arm burned, "Come, the Hidden One! Cubia!"

Naruto turned to his comrades, even as he began to glow red, "Run!"

Turning back to his opponent, Naruto bit his cheek to keep from growling, "Come on! Come on! I'm right here! SKEITH!"

In a flash of red, Skeith rejoined the world, but there was something different about him. Naruto looked down at Skeith's hands in shock, noticing that the body was no longer black…or one whole piece. This new Skeith had a chest and head of white, with black thin black stripes running down it vertically, its crescent crown still pitch black and its eyes still numbering at three. Where the bottom four ribs would be was black, and there was no stomach, just a dark floating ball that seemed the focal point for the black pelvis and the straight, unattached legs, which, though white and blue, still possessed no feet.

The thin arms, also independent of the chest, were colored similarly to the legs, the palms black and the fingers golden. Eight swords made of red energy, their hilts naught but black rectangles, floated behind him like a cape.

"What the?" Naruto was puzzled. "Skeith got an upgrade."

"That was my doing," the fox told him. "I did it when you achieved Bankai. That sudden onrush of power was the excellent catalyst for his transformation."

"Alright, Ovan!" Naruto shouted, drawing Skeith's arms back. The eight swords disappeared to form a scythe of pure energy. "This is where it ends!"

The beast known as Cubia, which looked very similar to Ovan himself, simply growled, holding out its palm and gathering energy in the form of a ball. The ball launched towards him, its speed nearly catching Naruto off guard. Skeith swung his scythe, an arch of energy shooting out and cleaving the ball in half. Then, rushing forward, he grabbed Cubia by the neck and soared into the air until Kakashi and Team Seven were naught but specks on the ground.

There, Cubia broke free, rapidly firing blasts of energy at Skeith. Skeith dodged to the right, firing his greenish blasts. They caught Cubia off guard, colliding solidly with its body, but seemed to do no more than shock it.

Skeith swung its scythe, firing an arc of energy at Cubia, who dodged to the right, shooting a rain of purple needles. Skeith swung three times, destroying the needles that had gotten close and sending three arcs of energy that destroyed the rest.

Suddenly, a very familiar object formed around Cubia's wrist, three prongs cutting it into four sections. It charged up, sending a ball of power to mark its target. His scythe disappearing and the swords reappearing, Skeith caught the ball with his left hand, trying to deflect it. It proved too powerful, however, and he brought his other hand forward, twisting his body and pushing to the right. The ball of energy flew off at an angle, missing Skeith and the bracelet around Cubia's wrist disappearing. It seemed to growl.

An aura of purple surrounded the beast as it drew its arm in around itself, twisting to the side as if to throw something. It spoke, its voice a distorted, darker version of Ovan's, "Variant Summon!"

Swinging its arm, large, pinkish creatures appeared in front of Cubia, floating slowly but surely over to Naruto. Spreading his Avatar's arms, Naruto could see, through Skeith's eyes, a small green circle surround each of the creatures the Anti-Existence had summoned, then the circle quickly turned orange. He felt a power build up in his body, releasing it and watching as curved beams lanced from the swords hovering behind him and destroyed each beast.

Cubia rushed forwards, slashing with its clawed hands at Skeith's chest. Taken by surprise, Naruto let out a shout of pain as Cubia's claws scratched at his Avatar, as if attempting rip open his ribcage. As Cubia's arm drew back for another attack, Skeith backhanded it, flying backwards as it unleashed several rapid-fire blasts at his enemy.

Cubia held its hands in front of itself, another ball of purple energy forming in front of the Anti-Existence's palms. Growling, it called out, "Clinch Needle!"

The ball exploded into a concentrated spray of purple needles, heading directly for Skeith. Pulling his arms back, the scythe reappeared in Skeith's hands, and he swung several times, releasing several energy arcs to destroy his enemy's attack. Not one of the needles made it to their target.

Cubia soared forward, taking a vicious swipe at Skeith with its claws, its cape of blue energy fluttering in the wind, but Skeith dodged to the side, carving a slash into the beast. The scythe vanishing, Skeith unleashed four quick blasts into the new cut, watching as his enemy recoiled angrily.

Leaning back, Cubia's form began to glow with a bright orange light, not all that unlike the sun. Naruto could sense an enormous amount of energy gathering, and became alarmed as it reached the point where it could annihilate Konoha with a single blow, "Celestial Wrath!"

Rushing forward to prevent the cataclysm, the scythe appeared again and Skeith swung, tearing a cut into Cubia's body as the energy dispersed. Holding his hand out, Skeith unleashed four rapid-fire blasts into the slash mark at point-blank range. Cubia howled as it shot backwards, seeking to be several yards away from its enemy.

But Skeith would allow him no quarter, and slashed again, making an X mark on Cubia's white torso. Crying in agony, Cubia grabbed Skeith by his head, throwing him a distance away until Skeith righted himself in midair. In an instant, Skeith was upon Cubia again, carving another slash into its body.

Then, with another swing, Skeith had lopped off Cubia's right arm, followed shortly by its left. Helpless and unable to fight back, Cubia began to fall, incapable of maintaining its flight. Skeith took his opportunity, holding his arm toward his foe.

The swords appeared over his arm, clamping down on it to form a pronged variation of the bracelet that Naruto had come to know. The prongs all pointed forward, toward the enemy. Much like Cubia's had, a ball of energy shot forth, colliding with the enemy. Its target identified, streams of chakra leapt from the bracelet, spearing the remains of Cubia.

With a cry, Cubia disappeared and Ovan replaced him, floating in the air. He was smiling as he mouthed words of thanks to Naruto, then, in a flash of blue light, he exploded, sending a shockwave. Naruto, caught in the blast, was sent soaring through the sky, far away.

Kakashi, seeing this, yelled, "NARUTO!!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"Uhh," Naruto rubbed his head as he stood, surrounded by darkness. "Where am I?"

"I don't know," a voice said, familiar to his ears. "Where do you think?"

Naruto looked up to see yet another being dedicated to being an inverted version of him. This version had hair that was black at the roots and white at the tips, and his clothes were the exact opposite colors of his. His eyes were red and his grin was vulpine.

"Who are you?" he asked the being.

"That's a good question," the being said, shrugging. "But I have a question for you. Who are you?"

"That's a ridiculous question!" Naruto shouted. "I'm! I'm…"

"You don't know?" the being asked. "Then what's your purpose?"

"I don't…" Naruto muttered sadly. "I don't know…What is my purpose?"

"What about Hyuga Hinata?" the being asked. "Do you know who she is?"

"She is…" Naruto replied, his voice growing more firm. "She is…my most precious person. She is my soul mate. The other half of my soul. The reason I live on."

"Good," the being cooed. "So, do you know who you are?"

"I'm Namikaze Naruto," Naruto said firmly. "I'm the son of Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Yuki, and I am to be the Sixth Hokage!"

"What's your purpose?" he asked. "For what reason do you exist?"

"I exist to protect all that is precious to me," Naruto said. "My purpose is to prevent the tragedies that would otherwise befall the world."

"Then…" the being began, walking past Naruto, "you don't have any need for me anymore, right?"

"Hold on," Naruto said, halting the being, "I made a silent promise to myself the very first time I time traveled that I would see this through until the end. That means that you're coming along for the ride…Skeith."

"Heh," Skeith chuckled. "So, you figured it out, huh?"

Skeith chuckled again, "I guess I have to hand it to you. You have more integrity than I thought."

There was a bright flash and Naruto had to close his eyes to keep from going blind. When he opened them again, a small boy with short, azure blue hair wearing white was standing in front of him, surrounded by a background of tall trees.

The boy waved, "Hello, Naruto!"

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, for what seemed like the sixtieth time that day.

"I'm an Avatar," the boy said, giggling as Naruto tensed. "Of sorts anyway. I'm the Avatar of this forest, and I've been around for several hundred years. I've seen the rise of Shinobi, and the fall of the first Uchiha. I guess you could say I'm the smartest being you'll ever meet."

"That didn't exactly answer my question," Naruto smirked.

"Call me Keyaki," the boy said.

"Alright, Keyaki," Naruto said, "what happened?"

"Oh, that," Keyaki said lightly. "Well, your mind was in disarray from that blast. Had it not been for my tinkering around you mind, you would have awoken with amnesia, and likely never gone home. You would have never completed your destiny."

"Wait, tinkering with my mind?" Naruto asked suspiciously. "What did you do?"

"Simple, silly," Keyaki said, still grinning. "After that concussion blast, the seal that kept your original personality at bay was weaker, so I introduced that personality to your current one. As long as you could discover what you would be leaving behind by accepting your amnesia, you would be fine, and your old personality would mix with the new."

"But that was Skeith," Naruto protested, staring at Keyaki with confusion. "How could that have been my old personality?"

"Skeith," Keyaki explained, "has been a part of you since your birth, despite whatever claims Kyuubi has made about making him. It's understandable that Kyubi would tell you Skeith was his creation, because he wanted to be remembered. Thus he took credit for it, to ensure that his existence would remain in at least one sense.

"Anyway, Skeith learned from you as you grew, and he adopted your happy-go-lucky personality for his own. When you sealed him away, you sealed away your old self and became more cynical and cruel. Do you feel…lighter now than you did earlier?"

"Yes, actually," Naruto admitted, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "But why did I have to seal him away in the first place? Why did he go berserk?"

"That's a good question," Keyaki told him. "And the answer is that Skeith tried to usurp control from the Kyubi, so that you would draw on his power more often. Unfortunately, his methods would have killed you."

"So does that mean that I'll draw on Skeith's power now, instead of Kyubi's?"

"No," Keyaki said. "All it means is that you are now whole again and that Skeith's power is more easily accessible than before. You won't have to draw on the demon's chakra to summon him. You will only need your own. Anymore questions?"

"Just one, actually," Naruto said. "How did you do all of this?"

Keyaki leaned back on his haunches, still grinning, "You humans have your own method of communication: talking. We, the trees of this forest, don't have vocal cords, so we can't talk. Instead, we use a form of telepathy to communicate with each other. As we grew older, so did we become wiser. Our telepathy evolved to the point that we could communicate with other sentient beings, besides ourselves. Namely, humans."

Keyaki did Kakashi's eye-smile trick, "It's this that allowed me to talk with you here, and to help you become who you need to be. It is even how you are seeing me. I'm sending this image, the image of a young boy with blue hair, directly to your brain, so you perceive that I am sitting in front of you. If I so chose, I could exist in a solidified, human body, but I don't have any motivation for doing so."

Keyaki looked up at the sky, "You better get going. I'm sure your team has already made it back to Snow Country's village. And your Hinata-chan is undoubtedly waiting for you to come home, Namikaze Naruto."

With one last smile, Keyaki vanished from before Naruto's eyes.

Grinning, Naruto stood up from where he'd been sitting, feeling lighter than he had in a long time. Careful not to damage any of the plant life around him, Naruto leapt into the trees and towards his friends.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Cheers rose in volume as the crowd danced in the streets, celebrating their recent victory over Dotou. Around the Village Square, posters of Team Seven and Yukie hung, some in street vendor's shops and some on poles, waving like flags. Amongst the civilians, not one face was bereft of a smile.

Children ran around, throwing paper shuriken as they fought a mock battle against one another. Some wore white costumes with thin vertical stripes down the shirt, others wore the high blue collar of the Uchiha, pale shorts on their legs. Some even wore a headband tied around their skull, part of it tilted to conceal their left eye.

Men drank of their beloved Sake, pouring it over each other's heads jokingly, or singing slurred words in their drunken stupor. Wives tugged at their husbands' ears, pulling them away from the intoxicating beverage, a vein visible on their foreheads.

Only four people were not taking part in the festivities, and to them, they had every right not to. Team Seven was bereft of one of its members, its strongest member, both in heart and in power. For Yukie, she had lost the person who had inspired her to make a difference; the one who had made everything possible.

Yukie looked somberly at the horizon, a sad smile on her face, "Do you think Naruto is alright?"

"I don't know," Kakashi admitted, shrugging somberly. "I can't honestly say whether or not we'll ever see him again. A fall from that height…it's unlikely."

Sakura and Yukie looked as if they'd been told that their dog had died. Sasuke merely looked to the side, the only hint of sadness being the slight frown on his face. Kakashi shrugged, "But Naruto is known for doing the unpredictable. When you factor that in…well, I suppose we just have to wait an see."

"He's of the Uchiha clan," Sasuke said calmly, though Kakashi suspected he was trying to reassure himself. "He's got the strongest blood possible in his veins. There's no way he's going to die so easily."

"Yeah!" Sakura said, brightening. "He's Naruto! There's no way he'd go out like that!"

"He's Konoha's Shinigami," Kakashi chimed in, smiling beneath his mask, "he's an A-rank ninja that even Orochimaru is wary of. He won't get killed so quickly and easily."

"He's a hero," Yukie smiled. "He's my hero, and by his hand was this country saved. If there's anyone who could survive that fall, it's him."

"Wow," everyone looked back to the roof of the closest building, upon which Naruto was crouched, a vulpine grin on his face, "I didn't know everyone thought so highly of me!"

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, smiling gleefully.

"Naruto!" Kakashi said loudly, his eye wide with surprise.

"Naruto," Sasuke whispered, eyes wide.

"Naruto," Yukie smiled.

His grin widening, Naruto threw them a mock salute, saying, "That's me!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Next time…

"Whew! That was close. That mission might just have been my last."— Naruto

"I'm ready, Naruto-kun. Together, we'll rescue Sasuke from the darkness." — Hinata

"You don't get it, do you, Kimimaro? Kabuto could have healed your Tuberculosis if he had really tried. The only reason he didn't is because Orochimaru only has eyes for the Uchiha."— Naruto

"My, my. This one would be quite the useful warrior. He would be a powerful ally." — Kyubi

"Are you sure that was wise, Hokage-sama? Sending three Chûnin and a bunch of Genin to retrieve Sasuke?" — Kakashi

"Do you see now, Sasuke? This image I showed you…it's what would happen if you joined Orochimaru." — Naruto

"Hello again, Naruto-kun! Are you surprised to see me?" — Unknown

"So…this will help me control the Curse Mark? Good…" — Sasuke

"You're coming back to Konoha with me, Sasuke. Even if I have to drag you back there with my bare hands, you're coming back to Konoha!" — Naruto

"Welcome…Naruto-kun. Such weak anger, though…you're such a weak insect, that I can't kill you." — Ovan

"If you have anything to say, Ovan…I'll ask your heart directly!" — Naruto

"It was too soon. First, the others must awaken. Naruto-kun, when we meet again…it will truly be the end of our struggle." — Ovan

"Grr! Damn that brat! What can I do to defeat such a monstrous ninja? Tayuya! Jirobo! Sakon! Kidomaru! Go get my next vessel…Uchiha Sasuke." — Orochimaru

The day has finally come. Sasuke has run to Orochimaru, desperately seeking a way to control his curse. Naruto, Hinata, Neji, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba and Akamaru all head out to bring him back home. Later, Lee follows in an effort to feel useful again and help his precious comrades. Unfortunately, Kimimaro has similar ideas, and follows the Sound Four in order to retrieve Orochimaru's new vessel.

But Naruto has an idea. Kimimaro is under the impression that Orochimaru cares for him as more than a petty pawn. Given that fact, Naruto will try to recruit Kimimaro by doing something that Kabuto had been unwilling to do: tell him the truth and cure his disease. With Hinata's help, Naruto will rid the last Kaguya of his fatal Tuberculosis.

Next time, "Tsukuyomi: The Truth Revealed."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —
A/N Can you say "Thank you"? Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the extended version of Chapter Ten. Next up is the last chapter of this Volume! Can anyone guess the "Unknown" that will pop up?

This is how I'm going to work from now on. Once I finish the ASCTS trilogy, I'll work on One Winged Angel till it's done. Then, once I complete OWA, I'll work on Azure Moon.

I know I won't ever get around to Order of the Phoenix: Reconvened, so who wants to write it for me?

Sorry this took so long to get out. I just didn't have much inspiration. I'd start it, then my inspiration would run dry a few minutes later.

Music that I listened to during the fight scenes: "Everything in These Hands" by Chikayo Fukuda (Dot Hack//GU fans would know it as the theme for the fight between Azure Kite and Haseo at the beginning of Volume 1)

Ending Theme for Volume 1: Rebirth: "Suteki da ne" by Rikki (as chosen by the fans)
Ending Theme for Volume 2: Reminisce: "Gentle Hands" by Tomoyo Mitani
Opening Theme for Volume 3: Redemption: "the World" by Nightmare
Ending Theme for Volume 3: Redemption: "Yasashiku kimi wa hohoende ita/You Smiled Gently" by Tomoyo Mitani

If you're a little disappointed that you didn't get to vote on the Themes for Vol. 2 and Vol. 3, sorry, but…eh. I just wanted to use those particular themes.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin, (Dot) Hack, or Bleach

Bankai (It is the accepted norm that Bankai increases a Shinigami's power by 10 fold): Tensa Zangetsu (Heavenly Chains Cutting the Moon): See Chapter Five Author's Notes.
Shinkû Shinkirô Zangetsu (Empty Mirage Cutting the Moon): See Chapter Five Author's Notes
Mugen Enbukyoku Sakuhime (Endless Waltz of the Flower Princess): See Chapter Eight Author's Notes.
Hyôteiken Benihime (Frozen Imperial Sword of the Crimson Princess): See Chapter Eight Author's Notes.

This guy…he killed Shino…It's not over YET!

James Daniel Godric Fawkes

James Daniel Godric Fawkes(Signature best viewed in Wendy Medium font style)