Near the end guys. Here's what this story has led to. Disclaimer, I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 11
Showdown

"What do you want?" In a large dimly lit room an individual was going through a series of moves but stopped when someone entered the scene.

The outburst didn't seem to faze the newcomer as they stood there stoically. "What we've been waiting for has arrived. Are you prepared for what needs to be done?" A sinister smile was the only reply that was given.

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"That should do for today." In the back of her home, Hinata had just concluded a training session. Since there wasn't anyone to train with she used a water clone. Gave her someone to spar with and allowed her to further master her latest jutsu. Now that the training was done, Hinata went in to freshen up.

"I hope Naruto gets back from seeing the Hokage soon. We can go out to eat instead of having to cook something." Hinata was surprised when she realized that she so casually suggested going on a date with her boyfriend. Just the thought would've caused the Hyuga girl to become completely flustered when she was younger.

Hinata's moment of self-realization was forgotten when she heard the front door being opened. "Naruto, is that you? How did your meeting go?" She went to meet the person but stopped short when she saw who it was. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" No answer was given as the individuals started to make their way toward the Hyuga.

Getting a bad feeling, Hinata began to backpedal. "Again I ask. Who are you and why are you here?" Again there was no answer and while Hinata tried not to show it, she stared to get concern.

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"A storm's approaching."

"Really? The weather reports said it was going to be sunny days." Naruto's attempt at a joke didn't go well as Tsunade sent him a harsh stare. "Sorry."

They were in the Hokage's office to discuss a few things. "Things are coming to ahead. The conflict that's going on within the village is getting out of hand. Both sides have sustained causalities and they'll continue to rise if this keeps up. A resolution needs to be found."

"That's easier said than done." Naruto voiced up. "Locating where Danzo has been commanding his men has gone nowhere and apprehending ROOT agents hasn't worked either."

Feeling even more frustrated about the situation, Tsunade reached into one of the drawers of her desk and pulled out a large bottle of sake. Shizune was doing rounds at the hospital and the fellow blond showed no signs of stopping her so she took the opportunity to relieve some tension.

"Those damn seals that were placed on their tongues. Can't get any info out of the ones we've captured without causing them to die. If Jiraiya was-" The unintentional mentioning of the dead sannin caused everything to momentarily come to a halt.

"I haven't had much luck with my own search." Naruto quickly tried to get things back on track. "No matter how many clones I use I can't find where Danzo and his followers are hiding." Running a hand through his hair he got to another topic. "Besides, complaining about a variety of things, was there another reason why you wanted to see me?"

Tsunade said nothing as she thought on how she was going to explain. "A lot has happen within the last year. Sasuke being captured and executed, wiping out the Akatsuki and even two of the sannin has been killed." Naruto said nothing as he was wondering where this conversation was going. "My tenure as Hokage will come to an end sooner than later. Deciding on who'll be my successor has become more imperative."

"A good idea." acknowledged Naruto. "Got any candidates?" An answer was given when Tsunade gave him a knowing look. "No, no. Not going to happen. There's no way that I'm a possible candidate." Despite the dispute, the Hokage didn't accept it. "There must be others who are more qualified."

"Perhaps there are. However, what is needed is a Hokage from your generation who'll do what is right, who knows what it takes to protect Konoha and won't allow themselves to be pushed around by those in the council." As she explained, a mischievous smile showed itself. "Feels right in a way that the son following in his father's footsteps."

Naruto sat in his seat, allowing everything that was said to be processed. "You're not going to let this go, are you?" Clearly Tsunade wasn't going to give up. Reaching over he grabbed the shake bottle and gulped down a few mouthfuls of the liquid. "Can I at least have time to think it over?" Having no problem she conceded to the request.

After another hour Naruto finally left the meeting. Not feeling up to do anything else, he decided to head straight home. Maybe hearing what Hinata thought about the proposition would help him to come to a conclusion.

Didn't take long for him to reach his destination but felt that something was off. The entire house was completely dark as none of the lights were on. Knowing that Hinata should've been already home only made things even more suspicious.

Cautiously he made his way over and discovered that the front door was already open. Becoming concern, Naruto pulled out a kunai before going in. Right away he saw that the place was a wreck as furniture was tossed about and there were signs that the place had been searched.

"Hinata, are you here?" questioned Naruto, careful of a potential surprise attack. When no reply was given it didn't help put the uneasiness that he was feeling. "Hinata? …Hinata?! …HINATA?!" Doing a quick search Naruto didn't find the Hyuga girl but to his dismay he found her jacket, all torn up.

Not liking the discovery he headed for the door to alert to what had happen. Naruto was about to leave when something caught his eye. Stuck to the inside part of the door by a shuriken was what appeared to be a note. Ripping it off Naruto read what was written. Once done he crushed the paper in his hand.

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Hidden underneath Konoha there was a vase amount of tunnels. They lead throughout the village and could allow a person to get around without being noticed. Such a moment was happening as walking through one of the many tunnels was Naruto Uzumaki.

He went through the virtual maze until he reached a four way pathway that was in the middle of a towering cavern. "Good to see you showed." Stepping out of the shadows was the leader of ROOT, Danzo. Along with him were some of his followers who were prepared to strike at a moment's notice. "You followed directions well."

"Like I had much of a choice." retorted Naruto. He was attempting to hide the contempt he had for the warmonger but was finding it difficult. "Must admit that this was quite an idea you came up with. With everyone searching for you, you're hiding right under their noses."

"It's a strategy that has proven effective in many battles." acknowledged Danzo. "Only appropriate since we're the roots that strengthen the tree that is Konoha."

"Who are you trying to kid? You're just twisting things around to make it sound like what you're doing is some noble quest. That's a bunch of shit." The disparaging remarks by Naruto didn't sit well with the ROOT agents as they were going to retaliate but was halted by a single hand motion by their leader. "Let's cut the crap. What do you want?"

For a bit there was just a tense silence and would remain until the war hawk spoke up. "You must realize how someone in your position holds such possibilities. Imagine what you could achieve if it was harnessed?"

"Not this again." muttered Naruto who had no trouble voicing his opinion. "We've gone through this before and I clearly gave my answer. What could possible make you think that I would help you?"

Slowly a small smile appeared on Danzo's face. While he wouldn't admit it but the blond felt a bit unnerved by the expression. "Perhaps you'll reconsider seeing as how we've recently come across some interesting information." Without warning something was thrown and was caught by Naruto.

It was quickly identified as a photo. Closer inspection revealed that the photo was of Naruto partially transferred to Fox. Fortunately the demon host managed to keep his surprise from showing. No point accidentally revealing something due to a slip of the tongue. Better to wait until he understood what was going on.

"While he may not have done what we originally attended, Kakashi was at least able to help discover what you've been keeping secret." You could practically hear the smugness as Danzo spoke. "And what a secret it is. To think that the unknown son of the Fourth Hokage is also Fox, the jinchuriki of the nine-tailed fox. Truly was a surprise."

No response was given by Naruto as he bowed his head to where his face was covered by his hair. "Surprise indeed." Slowly he lifted his head back up and stared directly at the warmonger. "Here's another one." In an instant Naruto was in front of Danzo and had his hand firmly around the man's throat. What was more surprising was that he had transformed into Fox.

Seeing the predicament of their leader, the ROOT agents were going to intervene but a feeling of killer intent halted them. "Try anything and I'll rip his throat out." That stopped what lingering thoughts that might've remained. "Now you better give me a good reason why I shouldn't kill you right this instant. As it stands, it doesn't look good for you."

Despite his efforts, Danzo couldn't hide his shock. "He moved faster than I could follow." Happen so unexpectedly that he couldn't use his hidden ability. Fortunately he had an alternative solution to his predicament. "Harm me and the one you love will die."

Hearing that caused hesitation in Fox. It only fully hit home when entering the scene was a bound Hinata being shoved forward by more ROOT members. When she saw who was there she tried to run toward him but was stopped by her captors. Understanding what was going on; Fox reluctantly released his hold on the war hawk.

Now no longer being held down, Danzo reestablish his smug front and dusted the dirt off. Wisely he kept his guard up as to avoid being caught again. "Wise move on your part. Let's now get back to why you were asked to be here."

"You should know that the last time someone tried to use Hinata to get to me they met with a gruesome end." Fox made no point hiding his intentions concerning the situation. "Might take a while but I'm sure that I could come up with something suitable for you." He followed the not so subtle threat by flexing his claws.

No reply was given by Danzo. All he did was give a look toward his men. They understood the unspoken command as one of them grabbed Hinata by the hair and pulled her head back, leaving her neck exposed for the kunai placed there. At the same time another ROOT member positioned another kunai toward her heart. The message was clear as Fox stopped what he was doing and changed back to Naruto.

"With all that power at your fingertips, you let yourself to fall prey to the same thing that many have before." berated the warmonger. "You've allowed your emotions to control you. It's resulted in you being in the position that you're now in."

Unable to contain his amusement about the predicament, Danzo let out a conniving smile. "I believe that before we discuss the details on how you'll serve our cause, a demonstration on how to follow commands are in order. Knell and swear allegiance."

Naruto wanted to give a violent response to such a request but hearing his girlfriend letting out a painful gasp stopped such thoughts. Reluctantly he started to go down to a knee. Before he was about to bow his head he glanced over to Hinata. Nothing was said when they made eye contact but seemingly a silent conversation was taking place.

As soon as it started it ended as the blond lowered his head. "I, Naruto Uzumaki, swear…" There was a pause as he truly didn't want to say it. "Swear to…kill you." In quick succession he did a set of hand signs. "Flash Flare." A blinding light consumed the area.

Taking advantage of the situation, Naruto created distance from any of the ROOT members there. He wasn't the only one using this opportunity as Hinata, while still bound, knocked down her captors and used on of their dropped kunais to free herself from her restraints. No longer restrained she went over to her boyfriend.

"Are you all right?" While he was staying on guard, Naruto wanted to know the condition of his girlfriend.

"I'm okay." reassured the Hyuga. Like him, she kept her guard up. "Thanks for coming to my rescue."

"You shouldn't have needed to be saved in the first place. I'll make it up to you when this is over." There was nothing else said as when the light from the attack began to fade it was discovered that they were surrounded by ROOT.

"I thought you would have finally realized the greater good and join our cause." A disappointed Danzo stated. He stood behind his men and stoically surveyed the scene before him. "Apparently you are a lost cause and should be dealt with accordingly." It was no secret what he meant as both Naruto and Hinata prepared for the fight that was to come.

Before anything could actually happen, the sound of screaming was heard. From the darken hallways two mutilated bodies were thrown near the group. Judging by the wounds both of them was already dead. Now all attention was on who could've been responsible.

"Who's there?" Danzo didn't like this as it was a variable that wasn't taken into account. "I demand that you show yourself this instant."

"You demand?" spoke up the new arrival. They were still in the shadows but the voice confirmed that they were male. "I believe that you're in no position to demand anything."

"No. Dear God, it can't be." Naruto tried to dispute. "There's no way that it can be you."

"You're here as well Naruto?" Slowly the person walked into the light and revealed themselves. As the blond feared, the person turned out to be Sasuke Uchiha. "This is an unexpected surprise."

"How the hell are you here?" Naruto's question was one that everyone there had. "You're supposed to be dead."

Noticing how his appearance had surprised everyone, Sasuke had to smirk smugly. "Apparently you weren't as furrow with examining my supposedly dead body." Further explanation wasn't forthcoming but honestly, there were more pressing matters. "Fortunately all of you are here in one place." Closing his eyes, Sasuke opened them to reveal the dual Mangekyo Sharingan. "Save me the trouble in finding you."

In one motion the ROOT agents went at the Uchiha. Their reasons were jointly shared. They fought to protect their leader, even at the cost of their lives.

Sasuke showed no sign of concern. He actually looked amused. With a smirk he pulled out his katana and in quick succession eliminated all of the opposition. Once done he placed his weapon back into its sheath.

"He's gotten even faster." Naruto recognized. It was difficult for him to keep track of Sasuke's movements. "Damn it. Could barely keep up with him." Despite the trouble he remained on alert in case he and Hinata became the next targets in the onslaught.

Speaking of the Hyuga, she was also trying to keep up with what was going on. But even with the Byakugan she had trouble following along. Given the circumstances only one thing could be done and as much as Naruto hated it, there was no other choice.

"Hinata, we need to get out of here." Just saying it left a bad taste in his mouth. Putting that aside he grabbed Hinata's arm and headed for the way that he arrived from. They wouldn't get far as their path was blocked by Sasuke who had the blood of those he just killed splattered over his body.

"Don't go anywhere. I'll be with you in a moment." In a flash the Uchiha left them and went after Danzo. Surprisingly the war hawk had made no effort to escape. "Time has come for you to pay, Danzo. My family will finally be avenged."

Brushing off the threat, Danzo maintained a calm composure. "Those are bold words coming from a petulant child. The Uchihas deserved to be eradicated." Much like with Sasuke, he didn't hide the contempt he had for the person before him. "But the time has come for them to be completely wiped them out."

Following that declaration, Danzo started to take out his right arm that was always kept close to his body. Although it was hard to tell but it appeared as though there was something attacked on the limb in question. Before a good look could be had, the arm was suddenly severed from Danzo's body. The cause was quickly determined as not far from the incident was Sasuke with his katana in a post strike position.

"They'll be none of that." declared the Uchiha. "I learned of the secret you had with that arm. Better to get rid of it." To make certain, Sasuke did a quick fire jutsu to incinerate the limb.

All of that was barely registered with the warmonger as Danzo struggled to contain the pain he was experiencing. Despite it all he glared definitely at the person responsible. "After all that time and effort to prepare, he eliminated any use of the Izanagi." With his trump card no longer being an option there was only one choice left.

Danzo reached for the bandages on his face but his remaining arm was grabbed by Sasuke. "You didn't think that I forgot about the stolen Sharingan that you're using. For someone such as you to be in possession of such a thing is disgraceful. Both you and that eye must be removed."

With seemingly savage glee, Sasuke reached forward and plucked the Sharingan out of Danzo's head. Letting go of his opponent for the moment he pulled out a small glass container with a liquid inside. Dropping the acquired eye into the container he put it away before returning his attention on Danzo.

"I can't die." the wounded man proclaimed to himself. All the while he had a hand covering his now empty eye socket but blood still leaked from between his fingers.

So consumed by the pain he failed to notice that Sasuke had closed his right eye and was focusing chakra into his left Mangekeyo Sharingan. "Amaterasu." With blood leaking from his eye, a black flame came forth and made contact with fallen war hawk. On reflex Danzo tried to extinguish the flames but all attempts proved futile.

"This can't be the end. My ambition to make Konoha into the true village that it should be has yet to be fulfilled. It can't end like this." Even with the resolve, the black flames soon consumed Danzo to the point that there was nothing left but a smoldering pile of ash.

That now being completed, Sasuke shifted his attention toward Naruto and Hinata. The former teammates gave each other heated glares, not hiding the distain they had for the other. "What's wrong? Upset that I killed all these people?"

"Quite the opposite." corrected Naruto. Whether he did it intentionally or not he positioned himself in front of Hinata. "I was likely going to do that myself. You just saved me the trouble." The mocking was soon gone and became absolute serious. "Don't know how you escaped being executed but you won't be lucky a second time." Taking out two kunais he got ready to fight.

Not showing the slightest bit of concern, Sasuke gave his katana a swipe to remove some of the blood coating it. "Those brave words considering that you're all alone."

Recognizing the insult in the remark, Hinata got angry. She thought about showing the Uchiha to not underestimate her but reconsider. The Hyuga knew that getting involved would only cause a distraction for Naruto, leaving vulnerable him to a possible sneak attack.

Naruto on the other hand, he actually gave a smirk. "You're quick to presume such a thing, Sasuke. Did you really believe that I would come here without alerting the Hokage?" By his expression the Uchiha didn't know what to make of that comment. "Before coming here I used one of my summoning toads to send the Hokage a message. This place should be overrun by ANBU in about another ten minutes."

The revelation didn't sit well with Sasuke but kept it hidden. "Guess I'll just have to kill you before they arrive." Sharingan prepared he readied his katana for battle.

"Get out of here Hinata." Not even looking back, Naruto knew that the girl hadn't done as asked. "I'll be fine. I promise." While still reluctant, Hinata did what was asked of her.

"Think this is wise?" Residing within Naruto's subconscious, Kyuubi witnessed what had gone on and had to voice his thoughts. "You've already noticed it. Something is different about the Uchiha." Silence was all that his host gave but he clearly was in agreement. "Don't do anything foolish. Just hold him back until backup arrives."

"Trust me, I know. That doesn't mean I won't take him out if the opening presents itself." This time it was Kyuubi who showed support by remaining silent.

As if being signaled by some unknown source, the two former teammates went at one another. With speed that far surpassed normal standards the two of them clashed. Each of their attacks were being blocked or avoided by the other. Each attempt that was made it was countered by the other.

"Why are you even bothering?" questioned Sasuke while trying to cut of the blond's head. "You'll just be dealt with like in the academy. When are you going to realize that you're outclassed?"

Ducking down to avoid the attempted decapitation, Naruto tried to strike back with one of the kunais he was holding. "Keep talking. You spewed the sane shit when we were younger. All the while you felt insecure about your own strength when compared to your brother."

The remark struck a nerve that apparently still resided within the Uchiha. "That coming from someone I nearly killed." Sasuke followed that by doing a fire jutsu that sent a few fireballs at the opposition.

Naruto responded by doing an earth jutsu that blocked the oncoming attack. "If you're referring to when you attacked me from behind, that's not much to brag about. I survived while you deserted the village." Focusing wind chakra to one of his kunais he created a wind sword. "Wonder what Itachi must be feeling. He risked everything so his brother would be okay. That includes being killed by him. Seeing what you've become, I wonder if he regrets his choice."

Like last time, the comment set Sasuke off. Charging in, he focused lightning into the katana. Both weapons clashed and the wielders struggled to gain control. "He has the advantage in elemental chakra." concluded Sasuke as he slowly started to lose footing. "Need to switch tactics. I will not be beaten by the likes of him."

Creating distance between them, Sasuke did another fire jutsu. As Naruto defended himself from the flames the Uchiha came at him again with his lightning empowered katana. "This is the end. He can't use his wind chakra as it'll cause the flames to spread and consume him. You're no match for me dobe. Never have, never will."

Again Sasuke tried to cut into his former teammate but unlike before there was no wind based jutsu to block him. His boasting would be premature as the katana was stopped. The method was unexpected as Naruto grabbed the blade. More surprising was that his hands were covered in his own lightning chakra.

Using the opening, Naruto yanked the katana out of its owner's hands and while holding onto the blade he thrust it back to where the hilt hit Sasuke in the throat. Stumbling back he grabbed his throat and tried to regain his breath. Even still he glared heatedly at the blond.

"What's wrong Sasuke? Is that all you got?" taunted Naruto but didn't let down his guard. "Apparently you're more talk than action." He tried not to show it but he was struggling. Throughout the fight Naruto was barely able to keep up with the Uchiha's speed. "Just need to hold out until backup arrives."

Seething with furious anger, Sasuke forced more chakra out and along with it was a dark ominous feeling. What came next was a sizeable amount of red chakra that took the form of a large transparent humanoid with a demonic, evil-looking appearance. In its left hand was a bow. With the other hand an arrow was formed and was placed along side the bow.

"Get out of the way now!" warned a concern Kyuubi. Acting on those words alone, Naruto dove to the side. Mere seconds later, the spot where he had been standing was nothing more than a smoldering crater. "That's the Susanoo. It's a technique that only a few Uchihas have been able to use. Add him to the list."

"As if I didn't have enough to worry about." muttered Naruto to himself. "Guess my usual methods won't work here." An idea came to the Uzumaki but wasn't a favorable one. "Don't have much of a choice." Creating two shadow clones the three of them started to gather chakra.

Instantly Kyuubi knew what was being attempted. "Don't use that technique. It'll leave you too vulnerable if you miss." Those words went on deaf ears as his host continued. "Damn it Naruto, listen to me."

Still paying no heed to what was said, Naruto completed the technique. Once it was the clones that had assisted went after Sasuke. Surprisingly the Uchiha hadn't attacked during all that time. "Maybe the Susanoo takes more out of him than he let's on."

Whether that was the case or not was unknown. It didn't stop him from having the physical form of the technique from attacking as it swiped at the clones. They wouldn't last long but they served their purpose.

"This can't miss." With the attack held over his head, Naruto changed into Fox. "Rasenshuriken." No longer holding it back the concentrated wind chakra attack was thrown. At high velocity it headed straight for Sasuke. "Come on, hit!"

The Rasenshuriken would hit but not with its intended target. Getting in the path of the attack was the Susanoo. A brief power struggle occurred but the wind just prevailed and drove itself into the opposing attack. It continued digging in until it expanded outward and completely cut the Susanoo 'body' in half.

The top half fell to the ground before fading away. Apparently what happen to the attack had an affect on its user as Sasuke started to have blood come out of his mouth. What remained of Susanoo retracted itself to where only a few of its ribs remained and were seemingly protecting the Uchiha. "You'll pay for this."

He wasn't the only one who was suffering from what had happened. The Rasenshuriken had taken a lot out of Fox. The toll was so severe that he was forced to change back into Naruto. "Your words hold little value. You'll soon be dead." With another kunai he forced more chakra, most of it being the nine-tailed fox's, out to create a wind sword. "This ends now."

"You're correct." Standing away from the former teammates was another person who was thought to be dead, Madara Uchiha. "This ends." What he said was barely registered with Naruto as he saw that Hinata was in the man's grasp. She wasn't struggling to escape and she had a glazed over look in her eyes.

First thing that came to Naruto was get his girlfriend away but this was predicted by the masked Uchiha. "I would advice against such actions. Otherwise something might happen to the young Hyuga." Getting the not so subtle warning, Naruto stayed where he stood. "There's no need to be concern. She's merely been placed under a trance." To seemingly prove it he stroked his fingers against Hinata's jaw. "She'll remain that way if you cooperate."

It took all the self control Naruto had to keep from going right after Madara. "Don't know how you survived what happened in Ame but you should've stayed away." Tightening his grip on the kunai his chakra furthered the strength his wind attack. "You can forget any type of cooperation happening between us. I rather die."

All of a sudden a blade burst out from Naruto's chest. Blood was already escaping from his new wound and mouth. He glanced back and saw that the perpetrator had been Sasuke with the use of his katana.

"That can be arranged." With seemingly a glee in his eye the Uchiha stabbed him with the remaining fragments of the Susanoo. Having delivering the wanted amount of damage Sasuke released Naruto to crumble to the ground.

Throughout all that, Hinata, still in a trance, had witnessed what had occurred. Apparently seeing that caused her to snap out of it and regained control of her body. Acting without thinking she went with a gentle fist strike that Madara easily evaded. Served its purpose though as Hinata was freed from his grasp and took the opportunity to rush toward Naruto. Sasuke stood by and watched as the Hyuga knelt down beside her boyfriend.

"No, no. Please no." Shaking him she tried to keep him conscious. "Please open your eyes, Naruto."

Hinata's pleas would get through as slowly Naruto opened his eyes and look at her. "Hey. Glad to see that you're back to your old self."

"Don't worry about me." argued Hinata as she wiped away the tears from her eyes. "Just concentrate on healing up."

Naruto let out a weak chuckle that became a coughing fit due to the blood from his mouth. "Appreciate the reassurance but you need to get out of here Hinata."

"I'm not going anywhere. You're staying here then so am I." Not caring about the blood, Hinata draped herself over Naruto's body.

Having witnessed the entire scene, Sasuke decided to put an end to it. Raising the bloodstained katana over his head he planned to bring it down on the two of them. He was stopped however when Madara grabbed his arm. "Why are you stopping me?"

"You were not supposed to harm the jinchuriki." Madara's anger was apparent in his voice and the tightened his grip on the fellow Uchiha's arm. "Konoha reinforcements will be here soon. We're leaving now."

Yanking his arm free, Sasuke stared at his partner before conceding. As they vanished he looked down at the couple and showed no remorse for what he had done. Soon the only ones there were the Uzumaki and Hyuga.

"Just hang on Naruto. Help will be here and you'll be all right." Hinata was trying to be reassuring.

Staring at her, Naruto smiled. "No point lying Hinata. We both know that it's too late." She was going to argue but was stopped. "I love you, Hinata. I've said it before and each time I've meant it." Naruto's breathing started to become labored and his vision began to dim. With a weak hand he stroked her cheek. "You got to live, Hinata. Do that for me." Closing his eyes his hand fell lifelessly to the ground.

Getting off of him, Hinata looked for any sign of movement but none came. "Please Naruto. Don't go." Her vision started to get blurry as the tears flowed freely but she didn't care. Only thing she noticed was her heart was crumbling as she stared at the lifeless body of the person she loved. "Naruto? …NARUTO!"

And there you go. With this being the chapter to set up the end I think I did a good job. Will agree that perhaps the dealing with Danzo and ROOT could've been done differently but I felt that it worked as it came out of nowhere.

Next chapter will be out either late this month or early the following one. Until then, see ya.