Man... this really is what you might call the final chapters' grind. But this feels a lot different than my previous fics, maybe because I have a different sort of ending in store this time around. Well I can safely say that the next chapter should be the last one. I'm not sure if I'll be sad or glad when this series is over. Trilogies are certainly tough work, I think I'll keep away from them for a while. Anyway, here is the second to final chapter.

The last leaf is torn underfoot

It was hell, named in no way by the misleading power of melodrama. Terror and despair hung in the air louder than any sound, fouler than any scent. Screams of pain rang out from any direction, while blood splattered the surroundings in grizzly paint. The village of Konoha was being raped beyond recognition as endless tremors crushed the buildings and trees of this once beautiful civilisation. Fire molested the homes of the fleeing villagers, while chasms opened up and devoured the helpless people. Hope was beaten away with each shake underfoot, each explosion crafted in the distance. Konoha had already fallen.

That was the terrible seen that befell Naruto and Pein, both of whom stood at the summit of what had once been Hokage mountain. They looked down at the ruined village and while neither felt remorse, both of them knew that this was the very kind of pain that they had discussed not long before. This was what Naruto needed to stop, and what Pein was coming to understand as well. Without so much as a glance to each other, the two of them dropped off the wrecked monument and fell through the air to the ground below.

Their descent from above showed them the situation in greater detail, but levied little information that could be easily understood. Something was here that did not belong to Naruto's memories; though in truth he didn't need them to know what he saw was wrong. Long black cables ran through the village, dark ivy that grew faster than any plant possibly could. Already it had become an ironic forest of steely wires, yet those alone could not be identified as the main problem. However as Naruto and Pein landed on street level they found that these cables seemed to be sentient. That being that rather than just growing, the seemed to have particular destinations. Namely the villagers.

"HYAAAAAAAA!"

Their attentions were pulled to their right as through the flames of the collapsed academy and to the street opposite a woman ran out, tripping over a piece of fallen debris. The two of them watched silently as one of those cables appeared after her, the long thin needle at the end glinting in the sunlight. That needle swooped down on the felled woman, piercing her chest and triggering another blood curdling scream. The cable jerked just like its prey, until eventually both of them stilled.

"Did you see anything?"

Naruto took a moment to realise he was being spoken to, and a moment more to look at Pein. He couldn't tell if the Rinnegan saw anything of what just happened, or if Pein actually wanted to know what the Nehangan had to take on this. "Yeah…" he quietly replied, turning his head towards the now dead woman. He knew exactly what had happened, and actually felt rather disgusted about it. "The cable pulled out her mental and physical energy."

"Yes… which means that it is going somewhere."

It seemed that once again the two of them were in agreement, a fortunate path to be on in this land of confusion. But before they could think much further, they were interrupted again by another presence. The cable that penetrated the woman's body was sliced apart suddenly by a Konoha Shinobi futilely attempting to save her. This person didn't take long to realise it was pointless however, and looked genuinely downcast as a result. But then he realised he was being watched, and looked up at the two intruders, staring in quiet shock. Pein met the person's gaze, but soon realised he was not the focus. Looking over at Naruto, he saw that the Konoha Shinobi was not the only one surprised.

"An acquaintance of yours?"

Naruto continued to look at the face of his old sensei, the one man in this village who had ever tried to protect him. It had been a long time since he last saw Umino Iruka's face, even that scar felt nostalgic. But all the same he didn't feel like having some emotional reunion. "Not anymore." he replied, turning his head away and to the neatest available path. As he walked on Pein glanced again at the Shinobi by the woman, watching as two more cables appeared from the alleyway and chased him off.

They walked through the panicked streets, watching nonchalantly as people ran for their lives. Blood and corpses littered the roads, the cables coming and going as they pleased. From what they saw as they walked along, those serpentine wires were ruthless. To the ground, to walls, even to ceilings in some cases. There was no end to the places bodies were pinned to. And then when the cables had extracted all they could, they detached themselves and moved on once again.

It seemed the Shinobi of Konoha were doing everything in their power to avert this threat. Occasionally they saw fireballs shooting up to the sky, or explosions that were barely noticed amongst the constant tremors. And at less fortunate times, a Shinobi's body could be seen thrown about by the cables they fought against. "The ninja are harder to extract from because their bodies contain more power." Pein noted, as he saw an overweight ninja from the famed Akimichi clan getting pierced repeatedly by no less than three spikes. "Perhaps in a sense that is the best protection they can offer the civilians."

In truth Naruto really didn't want to think about it. He did his best to ignore what went on around him, as much as he could allow himself to. He hated Konoha with all his being; that much would never change. But with something like this, even he couldn't help wanting to do something. He forced these feelings behind the wall that was his objective, and instead put his full attention onto that. "We gotta find where these things are coming from." he said, searching for the answer to his unasked question. No matter where he looked the truth was unclear. Where was the start of these cables, where they all began? If they weren't snaking out from the streets they were breaking through the fissures. "It's hard to see where the energy is going. All these damn wires are so tangled up I can't tell which one is which."

It seemed by the look Pein wore that he too was having trouble defining the centre of this ghastly event. For all intents and purposes his Rinnegan was the perfect eye for comprehending chakra. Yet for all he knew those two from before didn't even use such a thing. With that to acknowledge, and his inability to use his realms, he knew that he was in a disadvantageous state. For all intents and purposes however he was prepared to do whatever was necessary. That was why when he scanned the surroundings, he came to a single, simple idea; "We should ascend."

With no arguments against that plan the two of them leapt up to the buildings on either side, careful not to fall beneath the weakened structure. Naruto scanned the horizon, yet all his Nehangan told him was where the drawing of mental and physical energies were at their greatest. But that was no leading evidence, as memory dictated that those were the places that were easily crowded. If probability was anything to go by, the people bottlenecked themselves there and paid a vicious price. However, looking off to the west side of Konoha he saw what appeared to be a gathering of energies that was not brought on by the web of cables.

"That must be the place where the survivors have been gathered." Pein said, his eyes focused on the same area as Naruto. Though Akatsuki's leader knew little of that place, Yoinokuchi's leader had a vague knowledge of it. That place was an arena of sorts, one that was used only on special occasions. He himself had never been inside it, but barely recalled hearing about it back in his days as a ninja in training. "There is a barrier over there that seems to be stopping the wires. That must be where Konoha's barrier squad is."

Now they were moving beyond what Naruto knew, but all the same he was in agreement. Now that he looked closer, that concentration of energies was much more defined than he first thought, perhaps indicating that he too could see such things? Whether or not that was the case, they knew now where that man and woman most probably were not, however useful that may have been. Still, it was one lead they didn't have before. So for now that had to be their destination. "With that cloak on and my reputation, we better lay low while we find out what's going on." Naruto said, turning his head back to look at Pein. "Last thing we want is the Shinobi around here blaming us for all of this."

"Even though it is in a way our doing."

Another fine point that couldn't be argued with, one that caused Naruto to chuckle half heartedly. All the same they shared that idea, and quickly broke off to do as planned. They weren't sure just what they could learn, but they had already decided looking alone wouldn't be enough. As Naruto dropped down to the alleyway he slipped his fingers between his lips, letting out a quiet whistle that carried well in this dump. He only hoped that the dogs had not been targeted by the cables; their immense size would certainly make them a nice attraction.

"NARUTO!"

Naruto looked over his shoulder with a look of mild surprise, spotting at the end of the alley non other than the person he had noticed not long before. The dark brown ponytail and tanned skin was marked with blood and dirt, the scar across his nose reddened with the rush of blood to Umino Iruka's face. Naruto turned to look at his old sensei, surprised that he had been followed during this time. "Yo Iruka-sensei, you remember me?" he asked, with a calmness that didn't help the position he was in. All the same he pointed to the sky, directing his finger at some of the cables overhead. "Hey, you don't know where those things are coming from by any chance?"

His lack of emotional reaction turned the cause of his concern to reality, as Iruka's face turned quickly to distrust. The sweat streaked face twisted to a demanding glare, his breathing growing heavier and heavier. "Does this mess have anything to do with you?" he cried out, ignoring Naruto's question in place of his own. "You don't expect me to believe that you would show up here at the same time as this happens totally by coincidence do you?"

Turning to face his old sensei, Naruto decided he didn't particularly feel like treating this guy seriously. Narrowing his eyes to the point where they appeared almost closed, he displayed the dim witted expression that in the past was glued on his face whenever his teacher asked him a question. "Hey sensei, just how bad do you think my pranks are?" he asked, taking note of his hounds gathering secretly on the rooftops above. "What are you saying; I'm some sorta terrorist that hates Konoha?"

He would have had to struggle to keep himself from laughing, if not for the head jerk that Shinmaru gave from up ahead. That signal translated to one simple thing, and as a result told him there was no point in wasting time here. "You should probably head over to the shelter or something, there's not much you can do here." he said, taking a step back prior to the running leap he was about to perform. "I guess it'd be too much to ask you to try and call back the other ninja to huh?"

"What- wait, NARUTO!"

But Naruto was already gone, soaring through the air and onto the back of the waiting Shinmaru. In no time the six dogs were dashing over the rooftops, avoiding the crumbling structures and rising flames. Naruto held onto Shinmaru's neck, his eyes fixed firmly ahead to the place he was being taken. "Get me to Gaara!" he needlessly ordered, already well aware that that was what Shinmaru intended to do in the first place. "If anyone has a chance of making it through this, it's… huh?"

Once more he was distracted, but this time by something that didn't directly involve him. Just as the dogs passed over a street, he spotted Pein standing resolutely in the centre. Behind him was a face Naruto much less expected to see here; it was none other than Jiraiya. From the looks of things Jiraiya was trying to say something to Pein, but Pein kept his back to the Sannin. It was when Naruto passed over that Akatsuki's leader looked up and rudely left Jiraiya where he stood, rejoining Naruto once again.

"You guys know each other?" Naruto asked, as Pein began to run alongside the dogs. With a slight gesture and a helpful Kunimei, Pein too soon rode the back of one of these useful hounds. Yet even so he seemed resistant to answer Naruto's question, and Naruto acknowledged that now was not really the time to pry. "The rest of Yoinokuchi are here, I'm going to meet up with them and find out what they know. Gaara will know who you are right away, you sure you're ok with that?"

Again however he received no answer, and came to accept that perhaps Pein and Jiraiya had more than just an acquaintanceship. He never figured Pein to be the sort to like being pried upon, so simply took the silence as an affirmative. "Guess the world isn't as big as I thought." he told himself, faintly recognising parts of this place and recognising things that were far beyond recognition. "Knowing Jiraiya, he won't just let something like this… yep, he's following us."

For an old man he was fairly speedy, but fortunately these dogs were no slouches either. Though it was obvious that Jiraiya would eventually catch up, for now there was no trouble. There was one point that Naruto couldn't help realising though; the great Sannin of Konoha hadn't appeared to summon his toads. Perhaps that was an indicator that he had been right, and that the larger the creature the more it was welcomed by those needles. And from that another point caught his attention. Though they had been here only a short while they had encountered a great deal of those bloodthirsty cables. So why was it neither of them had been attacked yet? Could it be that that woman still had need of them?

"Over there."

The place Nagato directed to was a large, elegant building by the name of Kikyo Castle. It was one of the primary landmarks of Konoha, the place the Daimyo resided during his rare visits. The golden fish statues on the roof glinted in the sunlight; the building appeared relatively untouched. But through the eyes of the Rinnegan and Nehangan, Pein and Naruto could both see what looked like a barrier stretched over that place. However what Pein perhaps couldn't see, but Naruto could, was the pulsing aura that depicted only Bijuu energy.

The hounds leapt down from the rooftops and into the street, rushing towards the main doors of this proud palace to meet with the ones responsible for erecting such a defence. Only one figure was within immediate view, the one that would probably understand the situation fastest. Naruto slid off of Shinmaru's back just as Gaara turned his head, looking to both him and the man in the Akatsuki cloak.

"We thought only you could move through the air like that, and followed them." Gaara explained, short and sweet. He looked at Pein for a moment, and as Naruto predicted there was no outburst or visible show of a reaction. Gaara turned back to the castle and looked upon it, indicating to the seal spread out at his feet that travelled around the stretch of the castle. "For now we are maintaining the barrier, but we are planning to break it in time to attack with our full Bijuu power. That should be all we need to do."

"It won't work." Pein smoothly replied, stepping beside Gaara and glancing at the seal. Naruto could see what Pein was getting at; if those two really were trapped inside the castle yet were still capable of unleashing this hell upon Konoha, then that could only mean that either the barrier wouldn't affect them, or the place the cables came from was somewhere else entirely. "She is a perfect form of mental energy, can move like a ghost wherever she likes. He is the ultimate rendition of physical energy. It will take something other than brute force to scratch his skin."

Naruto looked at Pein from the corner of his eye, once again revering the Rinnegan that told him so much. All the same the things he heard didn't make him the least bit relaxed, even less so that Yoinokuchi were trying to attack the source. "There isn't anything you guys can do here." he said, as he used the Suijin's chakra negating field to allow him and Pein to step through the barrier unhindered. He turned and looked Gaara in the eye, making sure no misunderstandings could be made. "Go back to Keishi… and protect it ok?"

Pein went on ahead to check on the door, while Naruto turned to follow. But Gaara wasn't willing to let this go so easily. He neither liked being told what to do without understanding what was going on, nor the look that his friend was wearing right now. "Naruto." he called, stopping the swordsman short. He stared at the back of Naruto's blond head for a few moments, before accepting that his leader wasn't going to turn his back on his destination. "After everything you've done, convincing us to leave our homes, getting us to follow you across the world, building an entire village… are you really fine with leaving things like this?"

Naruto looked on at the castle ahead, sensing within his two greatest foes. Gaara's words made him think back to a better time, when it was just the two of them following Kisame on their training journey. But now Kisame was dead, killed by Naruto's own hands. Those days were long over. "I've learned some things in the past few months, things I would never have realised on my own." he said, with a small smile playing upon his lips. "I know who I am now, and what my existence means for this world. Take care of the others; you were a better leader than I ever could be."

With those final words he left Gaara be, making his steps toward the castle ahead. Pein had already opened the door, and now it was a simple case of entering and forgetting every experience he had ever had with his fellow Jinchuuriki. "You're wrong." Gaara said, his voice low but his eyes hard. He spoke to Naruto even if his friend wasn't listening, knowing that he couldn't leave these words unsaid. "What you are about to do is something I never could. You will always be our leader, so come back to us soon, alright?"

His words caused Naruto to hesitate for a moment, but he didn't stop his gait. He approached the tall wooden doors and stepped inside, placing his hand upon the handle to close it. There he saw Gaara's face again, and for a moment deluded himself. It looked like Gaara was actually reminiscing. But of all people, he would be the last to do something like that right? "It's up to all of you now." he thought to himself, as the thin trail of light that was the outside world grew thinner and thinner with the creaking of the door. "I'm sorry… I'm so selfish."

The main chamber of Kikyo castle was a glowing dining hall, traditional while at the same time so extravagant. Impressive ink paintings of glorious daimyo and glamorous wives adorned the walls, lit up by torches held in cavities behind them. Upon the floor long tables spread nearly from wall to wall, with legless chairs tucked in on either side. The silverware and ceramics upon these tables could only belong to those of great wealth. A true pity then that they were so seldom used.

It was this room however, that was the centre of chaos in this village. Here Tsukirite stood with her smile returned, looking up to the grand ceiling almost blissfully so. Beside her sat Mugen, who had been adorned in one of the Daimyo's robes for means only Tsukirite could explain. He however wore them only around his waist; his bare, mutated chest clear to see. He sat in an unusual position, a meditative stance with his legs crossed over and his hands lying across each other in his lap. He no loner let out his constant groan, but the mouths on his faces continued to hang open almost chronically. With the stillness of his body he looked like he was carved from wood, though if that were true then the carpenter would have to have been demented beyond hope.

The sound of wooden doors slamming apart led Tsukirite's attention to the upper balconies surrounding this multi-purpose room. There, behind the red cedar wood railings, two faces very familiar to her appeared. The crescent smile on her face stretched wider as she expressed genuine pleasure that two of her "children" had come to join her. "So you didn't kill each other after all… I'm happy." she said, without a hint of a lie in her shady voice. "Does this mean that you wish to play with us?"

The joy she expressed was by no means shared by her two spectators, Naruto and Pein. The both of them watched this dark pair, one with wide eyes and the other with narrow ones. But against how Naruto wanted to do things, Pein had another method that predominated the other one's less civilised manner. "There is no doubt that you intend to rebirth the Juubi, and from appearance it looks like you intend destruction." he said, giving no clear sign of where he stood on such things. "What do you intend to make from all of this pain, all of this suffering?"

Tsukirite's smile slid from her face at that question, her keen manner waning with discontent. She turned away from her questioner and looked on at the ink paintings on the wall, a hand slipping onto her hip in a casual stance. "Planning, scheming, that's far too bothersome." she replied, giving a dismissive wave of her other hand to indicate her thoughts. "There is no shortage of universes, and we just so happened to take a disliking to this one. It's this whole "ninja" thing, it seems so… cheap."

The two humans from above vaulted over the railing and landed on one of the tables, scattering utensils and shattering plates beneath their feet. Naruto had already drawn his blade, but Pein signalled against that decision with a hand. He gave unto Tsukirite a look of utter contempt, his aloof nature dispersing in favour of what was really inside. "No shortage of universes… an intriguing notion if nothing else." he said, his tone as foul as his expression. "But senselessly destroying an entire world simply on a whim is nothing more than a waste!"

"Waaaaaaasssssteeeeee…"

The Rinnegan and the Nehangan flew suddenly towards the walking corpse Mugen. His leathery skin stretched taught as he voiced out that single word, stretching his lips as if exploring the full potential that lay in the pronunciation of that word. "Huuuuuuummmmaaaaaaannnnn…." came out that deathly, ancient sounding voice from Mugen's deceased mouth. Slowly he unfolded his legs and rose to his feet, standing tall with his hands out to either side and his head held high. "Tiiiiimmmeeee… spaaaaacccceeee…"

As this grotesque example of a humanoid being spoke, his skin seemed to shudder. It stretched across his face, removing the wrinkles yet making it look by no means less hideous. Now the brow was lifted in a permanent look of surprise, the lips pulled back and revealing rotting gums. These lines of flesh then began to bleed, as from that mouth fangs began to appear. The blood from this abominable sight ran down Mugen's chest, which like his face became taught as well. Soon the wrinkled corpse was tough and muscular, yet appeared more like some sort of leather rendition of a human.

"All these concepts… that you hold so dear…" Mugen said, his words more discernable, but containing notions of disgust and supremacy. He extended his hands further, his long fingers extending and revealing razor sharp nails. Without any warning he drove these nails into his own stomach, before horrendously dragging his claws up and down his entire body. The look on his face showed no sign of pain, only growing rage with no clear reason behind it. "Are but the palest of shadows… in the blackness… OF ETERNITY!"

With that he drove his fingers into his chest, and with a gut wrenching cry he ripped himself open, displaying all of his revolting insides for Naruto and Pein to see. Tsukirite let out a laugh as she stepped in front of Mugen, the corpse like man stretching his own flesh wider apart to embrace her. "Wait… before we begin I have a request." Pein said, showing no response to the sight that would make most hurl. Naruto shot Pein a look, wondering what on earth could be more important than gaining a quick advantage. "You're eyes… let me see them."

The smile on Tsukirite's lips slid for a second, an almost stunned look upon her. But then it returned with even greater length, almost reaching the place where her ears ought to have been. "My my my… you really are a clever child." she said, in a noticeably giddy air. At her whim she allowed him his request, and slowly her eyelids split apart. There, underneath, was a pair of perfectly white iris completely unblemished by things like pupils. "Then again, it is to be expected of someone possessing touchan's eyes."

Naruto was struck suddenly by a bewildered feeling, his gaze flying from Tsukirite to Pein and back again. That woman had eyes, Hyuuga eyes no less. And what was that about a father? "For the three regalia to be so important to your plans there is only one person who could have known so much about them outside the Rikudō Sennin himself." Pein said, both displaying what he knew and explaining the situation to the clueless Naruto. "Of the Sennin there were two sons noted by history. But of course, history tends to forget about the daughters, isn't that right?"

"Bah, those regalia were my find, my possessions, until dearest touchan decided that he wanted them!" Tsukirite shot back, folding her arms with a clearly disdainful stature. Then she stepped around Mugen, draping her arms around his shoulders and resting her head by his neck. There her smile returned, with a soft stroke to the cheek of her love. "I was the one those regalia chose, the one with the power to awaken them! It was because of them that I met Mugen, and there that I was no longer bound down by that pathetic excuse for a father! And then he did this, created this thing called Ninjutsu… well I will allow him to despair from his grave as I rip apart the legacy he valued most!"

With that declaration Mugen turned around, and once more widened his body to accept Tsukirite inside. The daughter of the Rikudō Sennin gave a last smile to Naruto and Pein before turning around and allowing Mugen's embrace. Then they listened to the sickening grind as Mugen closed his self inflicted wound, before turning around to face them. The slash he had dealt to himself had already healed to a scar, but one that glowed like molten rock. A faint like pierced the darkness of his eyes, and he bared his fangs greater than ever before.

This was a time where years of fighting against hellish foes granted a sense of things to come. Without so much as a needed indication Naruto and Pein darted off to either side. That turned out to be a fortunate decision, as the exact moment they moved aside Mugen occupied the space they had been, the table he stood upon shattering from the force of his step. "His body doesn't coincide with typical laws of physics." Pein noted, his eye behind him as he landed on the now raised end of the table. His attention lifted then as Naruto too landed on the far side, but unlike him that over enthusiastic swordsman was already rushing in to attack. "There is no need for all of this… why are they even bothering?"

Mugen felt Pein's penetrative stare, but noticed Naruto's approaching presence. He turned on the nearing boy and slashed out with his clawed hand, his forearm striking against the Suijin. Naruto's eyes flickered to the place he hit; he could see blood dripping down the blade, yet the arm was most certainly still intact. With a grunt he pulled the blade back, the barbed edge pulling on Mugen's arm and forcing the monster's face into Naruto's fist.

"AGH!" Naruto cried out, as that abomination's jaws opened wide and clamped down on his entire hand. If left but a moment longer his entire extremity would be devoured. Though the pain made it hard to concentrate, Naruto did his best to channel Fuuton chakra into his hand. Then, with a successive swipe, he slashed his hand out of Mugen's mouth and took half the beast's face with him.

"I see that this won't sate my thirst at all…"

It seemed that which both Naruto and Pein had already sensed was turning out true. Mugen turned away from Naruto and hopped off the table, landing on the floorboards and shattering them instantly. He disappeared down below, but neither of the Shinobi rushing to investigate yielded any knowledge from looking down there. Surely they weren't looking down a bottomless pit.

Then something happened. A shake to the earth that found dust in the rafters above and brought it down for the two to see. The quakes grew ever stronger, until both knew that remaining here was unsafe. "MOVE!" Pein called, breaking the pause in Naruto's mind. The blond swordsman gave a sharp nod of his head, before he and Pein leapt towards the ceiling. With a blast of wind an opening was created, and soon the two landed on the roof.

The tremors that passed through Konoha grew to something impossible to conceive. Buildings fell and the ground split open, swallowing entire streets without the slightest touch of compassion. This chaos was what Naruto and Pein saw, but they also perceived so much more. Fumes of physical energy rose from the fissures, waves of mental energy floating out. They both realised just what it was that was happening. Yet it wasn't until a titanic mass of flesh lifted itself out from the ground, obliterating the last of Hokage Mountain, that they truly understood what they were looking at. That mass turned to face them, a long crack across it splitting open to reveal an enormous eye somewhere between the Rinnegan and the Sharingan.

The eye of a Juubi was upon them.