Summary:

'"Please Itachi… I know I can't save Sasuke but I can save you." Itachi considered these words before knocking Naruto's hand away.' Redemption begins in the form of salvation, at least that's what Naruto believes. ItaNaru Spoilers for Manga Chapters 365+'

Pairing:

ItaNaru

One-sided SasuNaru (and it's very, very, very slight...)

Challenge From:

xXxFrostyIceCubexXx

Warnings:

Character death, Manga incorporation, predictions as to 'what happens next', sexual situations later on/eventual Yaoi.

Cursed Salvation, Descending Redemption

Chapter Fifty

Burning

Aflame; on fire

燃焼

Sasuke was standing calmly behind Madara, one hand coated in his Chidori and gripping onto the back of his mask. The lightning coursed over the fabric strap, wrapping round to the front in the blink of an eye, condensing to a fine point and spiralling into the small gap in the orange front, making for Madara's eye.

When he was sure the man wasn't about to move, Sasuke let out a huff of air in a smirk,

"Let me tell you about the man consumed with revenge..." He paused, eyeing Naruto slowly and his smirk growing, "A man called Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto watched as Sasuke caught Madara, and from a bystander's point of view, it looked almost as if Madara was wearing a crown of lightning. The Sharingan that had spun in its circlet of orange was hidden by blinding chakra and, out of the corner of his eye, Naruto noticed Itachi shift, ready to interveane where Sasuke was concerned.

"You believed he would follow you to the ends of the earth."

Madara made no sound, nor movement, and everyone tensed, waiting for the moment where he would retaliate.

"You believed he would wade so far into revenge that he would forget what the true goal was..."

Sasuke seemed to tighten his control, the chirping of Chidori increasing as his anger swelled and the light pulsing outwards, no doubt strikingly close to Madara's pupil.

"You killed Uchiha alongside Itachi. Itachi... Aniki had his reasons, he was forced to do it!" Sasuke's voice was rising, his anger steaming, and no one moved to stop him. "You! You did it because of a feud... you did it because you wanted revenge..."

Chidori faded into air as Sasuke dropped his arm, his face turned into a bitter snarl as he grabbed Madara by the cloak, throwing a fist to the swirled mask as his anger took full control.

"WHY SHOULD I FOLLOW YOU?"

The wind howled in Naruto's ears and a leaf blew across his vision, yet it was enough. Enough time for Sasuke to be pushed back, a hand in his stomach, and he fell into the water behind him, sinking abnormally quickly.

"Because," Madara turned his attention to Itachi, Naruto and Killerbee, his eye lazily trailing between the three and Zetsu. "I am your God."

燃焼

Sasuke was sinking, oddly enough. He was sinking further and further, his body a deadweight in the river. It was a calm flow today, strangely, and so his body simply drifted down, not pulled by a current or twisted by an underflow... and it was deep enough that the light ahead seemed so far away.

This is it, he thought as his hands brushed slippery river plants, cemented by their roots to the river floor. This is how I'm going to die.

A flash darted across the water above him, hitting the surface and sending dizzying ripples into Sasuke's vision, and he smiled, submerged in the soft darkness, running his fingers through the algae. Small fishes darted over his body, skirting around his fingertips and flipping their fins as they determined whether he was a threat or not.

For the first time in years, Sasuke felt free of everything, every little burden that had been hefted upon his shoulders and every little stab in the back. In this watery world, his place of rest, he was serene, the water lessening his body weight and his thoughts.

It was a calming flow, eroding the troubles of his mind and soul. Sasuke reasoned that he could make his peace with the world if he was to die like this, and though it may not be glorious or heroic, it was peaceful.

Bubbles escaped Sasuke's mouth as he fought to retain air in his lungs. He was running out of oxygen now, it was obvious that his maximum peak was now, and not being inclined to water as an element, Sasuke knew no water Jutsu that could help him here.

Not that he particularly minded, he thought as he turned to look at a nearby rock and came face to face with inky tendrils, panicking before he realised it was only his hair, flowing around him as if he were a merman instead of a human.

Darkness blocked out the last of his light and Sasuke's eyes widened as they turned to the surface water, and he imagined that he could feel the sun's heat boring down on him one last time.

More bubbles escaped their human prison and Sasuke gripped gently to a nearby rock as he swallowed an uncomfortable amount of water, the liquid streaming up his nostrils and burning, choking, as they passed through his windpipe. They reached his lungs and Sasuke coughed, bubbles errupting yet his hand never straying from the iron grip it held.

With a final look to the surface, and almost laughing at the huge ripples, almost as if some beast had charged through the water, Sasuke felt his eyes roll back and he slipped away with a smile, ignoring the grabbing motions of the fishes and plants around him as his body became light as a feather.

He was just a dark feather in an inky pool, sinking down, submerged by the weightless world and free of his curses.

燃焼

As Sasuke sunk, Naruto and Itachi darted forwards, facing Madara head on. It could be a potentially ridiculous plan, but Naruto felt no other way than to challenge this deluded man. Naruto was smart enough to glance to Killer Bee, however, and nodded as the man snatched his blades and blocked the sword coming towards them from Sasuke's former team member, Suigetsu.

Itachi held his hand up, halting Naruto's progress for the moment, and the Hokage obeyed, understanding what was needed of him. Madara had hurt Sasuke, ruined the clan and Itachi was the only one in the position who would be able to do what he was about to; talk.

"You're mad, Madara," Itachi commented, eyes looking directly into the orange mask.

"Ah, indeed. If this is what you call madness, Itachi, need I remind you what made me so mad? The betrayal of a great clan, and the blood of my relatives on my fingertips. It's the blood that stains, the blood that seeps under your skin..." Madara turned his head a little and Naruto imagined a sick, twisting smile on his lips.

"I can't imagine what it would feel like to kill the person I loved, would you? Itachi?"

Though Madara's questioning could have been innocent, the way in which he said Itachi's name at the end made Naruto bristle. Naruto knew Itachi had a lover before the massacre, knew he had killed him, but, with Madara, there was always something unsaid, something more.

Naruto knew he was hinting to his own death. It would be the one thing that would get to Itachi, as he had sacrificed everything, even Sasuke and his truth to his brother, for Naruto.

"Maybe you'll find peace in death. It must be an amazing feat, escaping from death like you did before, but I cannot see it happening again. There is such thing as luck, Itachi, and you were born unlucky."

Naruto watched Itachi's eyes flicker dangerously, a sign that the Uchiha was preparing himself to use Mangekyou. Blood had stained his cheek where the Amaterasu had worked its way, and though it looked shocking, Naruto was certain it didn't hint to a physical weakness.

"And you were born cursed."

Madara laughed at Itachi's words, shrugging his shoulders.

"Perhaps."

In the blink of an eye, Itachi had moved forwards, taking the left side of Madara, and Naruto was on his trail, running on the right side of Madara. Their target span suddenly, hands outstretched, and Naruto winced as a thin strip of fire brushed past his moving arm.

Itachi had been more successful, foreseeing the Katon Jutsu and countering with a small pocket of water, shot in the right direction. It was Itachi who was the one to duck as Madara finally touched his scythe, swinging the blade in a deadly arc and spinning, kicking his leg out halfway through the spin in attempt to connect his heel into Itachi.

Madara's heel met Itachi's ribcage and he was pushed backwards onto the river water.

Upon instinct, chakra mounted up to sustain his balance and instantly Itachi formed a spiral of water, whispering the Jutsu as if it was a sacred spell. In thin rivulets, the water spiralled around his body, gaining weight and thickness as more and more water joined the already existing threads.

The water around him rippled as Itachi took a step back, eyes scanning Madara's hands, and Naruto watched in fascination at his first view of an Uchiha versus an Uchiha.

There was so much power and skill involved, even if it appeared they were simply watching each other. Each of the Uchiha were trying to trap the other in a Genjutsu, and it was obvious that the strain would show on their overall performance... had they not been Uchihas.

It was an amazing thing, to see an Uchiha perform. The clan had been bred into war, had breathed and evolved in wars and had the perfect bloodline and body structure to take part in a war. There was also the other factor of most of them preferring war, smiling at the idea of a confrontation, a challenge, or simply wanting to feel the adrenaline rush.

Even Itachi. He was a pacifist, yes, and had spent almost all of his teenage to adulthood life in a ruthless organisation. Back when Naruto had thought Itachi was 'one of the bad guys', he couldn't deny the man had talent.

The leap between an Uchiha being able to use the Sharingan and someone like Kakashi (who was an amazingly talented man without the Dojutsu) was highlighted when Itachi had taken a few minutes to defeat not only Kakashi, but two other Jounin as well.

And he had been holding back.

Of course, extended use of the Sharingan did lead to major health impacts, a disease that claimed your life, but it seemed like a risk that could, potentially, be a simple one. There were a large number of other techniques that required blood or death, such as Kuchiyose or the Shiki Fuujin, and a bloodline as powerful as the Sharingan seems like it would pay a high price.

So here they were; Itachi and Madara, to legendary Shinobi, one of them arguably the most infamous Shinobi ever, and the other potentially one of the most deceptive ever. Water still spiralled around Itachi, and Naruto could feel heat radiating from Madara.

For the moment, Naruto was halway between the fight with Madara and the fight Killer Bee was fighting. Though he was not participating in either, he could see both of them, was aware of both of them, and saw that his fellow Jinchuuriki had no trouble staving off the man with Zabuza's cleaver, and it looked as though the orange haired man was holding something back, his arms shaking as he made blows.

As for the woman, she was nowhere to be seen. Naruto suspected that she might not be a combatative type, and it seemed as though he had been proved correct.

Zetsu was still watching, mouth on his white side twitching every now and again, almost as if he was speaking to his other half... which in reality, he probably was.

Fire suddenly blossomed across the river, burning in a dragon's maw towards Itachi. Naruto thought it a foolish move; after all, Itachi had full power in water and fire was weakest, and it was predictable when the water that had spiralled around Itachi increased rapidly, a dragon bursting in a flurry of teardrops and hurtling to face its fire cousin.

Naruto's feet darted forwards suddenly as he realised why Madara hadn't been concerned with the fact that the Katon dragon would be stopped. Madara had used the flames to cloak his progress, and he had neared Itachi to a dangerous level, aiming to capture Itachi inside a Genjutsu while he was distracted.

Naruto knew what had to be done; if he could get inside of Madara's illusion then he could somehow bend the space with a mixture of the Kyuubi and Sage Chakra. The mark of the Kyuubi on his arm twinged, already beginning to collect Sage Chakra, and he took a deep breath, biting his thumb as he called for the Kogitsune-Maru.

As expected, Madara hadn't reacted to the sword's name, so engrossed in tracking Itachi, and it was only when Naruto had moved the sword, slicing the air with the sharp blade, that Madara turned, eyes burning and scythe locking.

The chain that held the curved blade to Madara strained, clinking as it manuevered through the delicate passes Naruto made, and that was when Naruto felt it.

The Genjutsu had fallen on him rather than Itachi. It would be now that Itachi would get Sasuke, and two Uchihas could take down the man Naruto was holding captive for the moment.

Because even though it appeared to be a Genjutsu, and the caster Madara, Naruto had a plan he had to form, a plan that even Sasuke wouldn't have been able to think up, and it would take all of his willpower to maintain the illusion of Madara's control, dealing with the Kyuubi and controlling his Sage Chakra all at the same time. And though it would be an excruciating amount of work... if he could pull it off... it would be worth every ounce.

燃焼

Itachi watched as the Suiton and Katon dragons dispersed, and saw Naruto's Kogitsune-Maru hanging by his thigh. Madara's scythe lay out of his hands, the blade dug deep in the earth, but that wasn't the startling thing; they were both as still as statues.

Remembering that he was standing on the river, Itachi suddenly realised what Naruto wanted and cursed, hoping he hadn't been to long in distracting Madara. In all honesty his plan had been to get Naruto to retrieve Sasuke, but beggers couldn't be choosers and he was more than willing to save his little brother himself.

Itachi knew he didn't have that long, no matter what illusions Naruto was under. If the Hokage was kept in the Mangekyou Sharingan's illusion (no doubt Madara would be installing whatever use of the Mangekyou he could in effort against Naruto, to weaken him to the point of near death) then there would be nothing even the Kyuubi could do after so much time. it was physically harrowing, yes, but the mental pressures would eventually become so great that Naruto's brain would shut down.

It was all a matter of time; in Tsukuyomi, Itachi controlled the time perfectly, and with Madara, he would manipulate Naruto to keep him under his control with ease.

First he had to find Sasuke. If Sasuke died now, everything Itachi had sets his hopes in, and everything Naruto wished for for his best friend, would die. There would forever be a hole in Naruto as much as there would Itachi, and while Itachi was not willing to simply exchange one life for another, Sasuke would be pivotal in destroying Madara.

He sunk, chakra dispelling from his feet and coiling back into his stomach. Itachi used the underwater motion technique to propel himself, and great ripples spread around him, despite the sweeping current.

The Sharingan flickered and failed, as Itachi had expected it to; it was a bloodline doused with fire, and complete submersion in water had found Itachi willingly expressing his Suiton element as opposed to Katon. This resulted in his eyes itching, causing Itachi's natural body process to be to fade out the Sharingan for focus on water.

The river was surprisingly deep, more than ten feet down into the ground, and the current was strong to a weak swimmer. Itachi was unsure how much swimming Sasuke was used to, but ventured that perhaps he hadn't exactly had the most time for trivial things such as swimming. If he was weak from the blow he had recieved then it was likely the he could have been dragged down or away rather than swimming, unable to resist.

The lower regions of the river were murky, mud and stones kicked up by the current and wildlife residing in the riverbed. Itachi knew then that he had no other choice; he had to use the Sharingan to pinpoint Sasuke's chakra.

It was possible that Sasuke had begun the first stages of the mammalian diving reflex, restricting the flow of blood to areas such as the fingers and toes, his heart rate slowing down and entering bradycardia, and then slipping into characteristic apnea. It was from this reflex, holding his breath, that Sasuke could die, slipping into a blackout.

Fear gripped at Itachi as the Sharingan failed to listen, instead slipping away with an irritated scritch. A second time it flared to life, and Itachi instantly caught sight of Sasuke, fingers losely gripping the riverbed flora and his body stationary.

Moving as though he were a fish, Itachi used his chakra to dart towards Sasuke, smiling as he finally looped an arm around his chest, holding the younger male against him and pushing against the riverbed floor, rising through the currents and up through the surface.

Itachi surfaced, pulling Sasuke against him as his head broke into air too. The important thing now was to get Sasuke out of the cold river and warming up, get his airway clear and his heart beating - if he had progressed that far. The water in the river had been cold and this gave Sasuke a better chance at survival, but it depended on how Sasuke was.

After all, if he really didn't want to wake up, the chances that he could die increased dramatically.

Glancing over to the stationary Naruto and Madara, and then nodding as Killer Bee dodged the swipe of the Kubikiri Hōchō and retaliated, all seven blades whirling and dancing, the wielder's face contorted in a smile. Itachi was honestly happy for him; through a battle that could quite easily change the outcome of the Shinobi world (if Madara won, the last two Bijuu would be his), he looked as if he was enjoying it. Itachi could see just by a quick glance that the power Killer Bee had was immense, and he could handle probably more skilled fighters than he was up against, and defeat them without a second thought...

He was playing with them. Which was exactly what they needed; keep Madara on his own.

Itachi looked down to Sasuke, brushing away the dark hair that had stuck to his forehead. It had grown, he noticed, and seemed to be growing the front into a strange, spiked fringe. Itachi felt his own hair sticking against his face a surpressed a smile; Sasuke really did look a lot more like Itachi than anyone gave him credit for.

Pressing two fingers to the inside of his wrist, and then confirming at his throat, Itachi was relieved to find a pulse. It was slower than it should be, and perhaps a lot weaker than he could have hoped for, but it was there. All he needed to do was get him breathing again, and so Itachi lowered his mouth, pushing air forcibly into Sasuke's lungs.

He was rewarded a few moments later when Sasuke retched, curling over to the side and gripping his stomach. He gasped in desperate need for oxygen and Itachi sat back, rubbing his back as he used to do to Sasuke when he was a child.

"You'll have to use your own chakra to warm your body up, I'm afraid that anything I attempt will burn your skin."

Itachi didn't know if Sasuke was aware that any attempt on warming him up that came from a source other than his own body could be potentially dangerous. Only Sasuke knew how much heat it took before it burnt, and Katon Jutsu were volatile, unstable at best. A slight error could result in tremendous damage before anything could be done.

Sasuke nodded and Itachi braced his arm around his brother's back, supporting him as shaking hands pressed together, forming the seal most associated with Katon techniques. It was a simple gathering of chakra and converting it into heat energy, and then supplying this special chakra to the whole body.

A minute later, Sasuke's skin had returned to a somewhat healthy colour, still deathly pale, but his lips weren't bordering purple anymore, and he looked as if he was recovering rather than dying.

"Wh... what happened?" His voice, still unused to beign used after being submerged under water, was halting and slightly whispered.

"Naruto and Madara have lapsed into a Genjutsu, cast by Madara. The longer Naruto's in there, the greater his chance of being severly injured. Only someone of remarkable Genjutsu skills could stand against Madara's mental onslaught, and I've been blocking it for years now. If he tried it against you, I have full belief that you would be able to combat it, but even you would face some damage... and you have the advantage of the Sharingan."

Itachi watched with pride as Sasuke pieced it together, his eyes widening as he realised the true danger Naruto was in.

"What about the Kyuubi? Wouldn't that heal him?"

Itachi shook his head, "The Kyuubi can only heal so much, and I believe that Madara will use him against Naruto. When Madara discovers the Kyuubi is willingly bonded to me, he will become even angrier."

Sasuke glanced up, eyes locking with Itachi's as he noticed how his aniki seemed to be hugging him.

"Madara will be unable to control the one thing he had bet on being able to control in this whole situation. What he may do to Naruto inside Genjutsu, and you know how Madara will not give up if he sees an end result... I fear for Naruto."

Sasuke smiled and Itachi blinked.

"We'll just have to get Naruto out of there then, won't we? Once a dobe, always a dobe... even as Hokage he needs saving. How he managed to survive without me, I'll have no idea."

Itachi smiled a little in return, dodging the blunt upheaval of Sasuke's betrayal to see it as it was; a peace offering. Though Sasuke may rage at him afterwards, demand he leave him alone, for now, they had a truce as brothers to rescue Naruto.

燃焼

Naruto's arm tingled, in a world outside of the one he was in now. There was a reassurance in the collection of Sage Chakra, storing it in the singed mark for later use. Fukasaku had been unable to fuse with Naruto and so they had put aside the possible problems with Sage Chakra until later, and then the Kyuubi had volunteered his gift.

With the Kogitsune-Maru and the Kyuubi working in tandem, powered by Naruto, there was surely nothing that could stop him, surely nothing that could stand before them and pose a threat.

Except Naruto was not that naive. He knew that Madara could turn everything on its head in an instant, turn the nightmares Naruto had tried to stave off for years into realities, and the world could very well crumble in his care.

The Genjutsu shifted and Naruto's eyes darted around uncomfortable. Though he had leapt into this plan, the truth was that he still hated the illusionary techniques. He had never been that good at them, and even now he still struggled with a few aspects some people considered the simplistics.

It was understandable that he was wary; against Madara you would be a fool not to be,

The Genjutsu fell, suddenly, and Naruto was standing in a white, endless nothing. There was no sky, no floor, no up, no down, no left, no right... and he felt so small. Compared to this space, compared to this blank emptyness... he was nothing.

Not even before the Kyuubi had Naruto felt this scared, everything had been taken away from him and there was nothing nearby, no stranger, no enemy, no land... he felt like a child again, with thousands of eyes (some non-existent) staring at him for a burden he could not understand.

A circle of orange appeared at his eye level and Naruto found himself watching the circular apparation of Madara, his black-cloaked body a stain to the stark white around them.

"Naruto," he greeted, lone eye glinting in light that shouldn't exist.

This is a Genjutsu, don't forget that, Naruto whispered in his head, and he stared ahead to Madara. If he was going to confront the man, then he was going to do it on his own terms, head on in his own way.

Suddenly the scenery changed, whipping out from underneath his feet as Madara moved, Sharingan spinning.

The Kyuubi was the first one to move, the water in the surrounding darkness sloshing lazily with the giant ripples of the fox. Madara turned automatically, hand resting on one of the bars that contained the fox, stroking them almost lovingly.

"What would happen if I removed the seal?"

Naruto's blood chilled, hoping that they were simply in the world of Genjutsu. Underneath, he knew that somehow Madara had 'seen' inside of him, much like Sasuke had back at Orochimaru's all that time ago. The Kyuubi was the evidence for this as he bared his teeth, stepping back from the cage.

"Oh?" Madara had noticed the fox's defensive reaction and watched in curiosity as he inched his fingers towards the seal. "What if I do this?"

The Kyuubi backed down, muzzle hitting the floor as the Sharingan illuminated slightly, Madara laughing at the result. Naruto stared in confusion, before looking at the glint in the fox's eye and understanding.

In bonding with the Uchiha blood in Itachi, the Kyuubi had compensated for the bond Madara had set up long ago. The Kyuubi had to be in 'service' to an Uchiha. It was the way Madara had warped his chakra, twisted it until it craved the chakra of an Uchiha, of the Sharingan. When he had been sealed, Naruto had taken away the presence of the bond, and instead substituted his own chakra.

This had only remained effective until he was sixteen, where the seal eventually began to weaken a little, the Kyuubi's chakra needing the stabilisation of Uchiha chakra. Naruto wondered if it was partially due to this factor that Itachi's Mangekyou had revealled what happened at the time of the Uchiha Massacre, or simply some twist of fate.

And so, rather than choosing to be enslaved to Madara, the Kyuubi had accepted Naruto's choice of partner, choosing him for himself too.

Here it appeared that the Kyuubi was submitting to him, but in reality, the Kyuubi was merely reading the looks he had seen so many times before, reacting accordingly and thinking of how his revenge would pan out.

That was something else the Bijuu had; he had planned Madara's demise for nearly seventeen years, with little else to do.

"It's been a long time, Madara..." The Kyuubi's voice was low and hostile, teeth bared and pupils thin slices in red irises. He was angrier than Naruto had ever seen him, and it was an understandable anger.

"No honourifics this time?"

In reply, the Kyuubi snarled and rose to his full height, dwarfing Madara. Naruto saw the Uchiha narrow his eyes, attempting to reign the fox in as he undoubtedly assumed he could. When he realised the Kyuubi was beyond his reach, Madara allowed a line of chakra to sink into the water, heading towards the darkened seal.

"That won't work, you've been sloppy Madara. If I had to suggest a time since, I would suggest from the beginning... or maybe from the moment you allowed Namikaze Minato to seal me into his son."

The fox lowered his jaws, mough resting near the bars as Madara looked in eyes widened impossibly.

"Your bond you left was able to be salvaged by your relative. Naruto accepted him and I followed. If I had been able to bond with Naruto then I would have given my life... I have seen how much Itachi means to him and now would give my life up for him. It's far more than you ever inspired."

Madara made a choking sound and whirled round, water swirls echoing around the sealed area, his eyes blazing with anger.

"You!" His finger pointed to Naruto and his mask shifted with the force of his words. "Every single thing you do manages to ruin everything. How can a simple idiot give so much! The world hates you, you're nothing but a monster, a beast. Give your power to me, Naruto, and your village will be left alone."

Naruto knew he didn't mean it, and knew he was stalling for time. Madara had just found out that his back up plan would never work, and so the time he needed was to think up a new plan.

The world started shifting, and Naruto was aware once again of the Genjutsu they were under. His eyes itched a little, his head beginning to form a headache, and yet he held firm. Across from him Madara locked eyes, their link of eyesight maintaining as they whirled through thousands of scenes, returning to the blank white from before.

In his hands, Naruto could feel the Kogitsune-Maru humming, responding to the Sage Chakra and Madara's obvious intent. HIs head burned with ache, and yet Naruto knew he had to hold on that little bit longer unti the Kogitsune literally sung with power.

"You're nothing..."

The voice was a whisper, the calm proclamation of a crazed man. Madara was born from hatred and war, driven by revenge and injustice... and convinced the world was nothing but dirt.

"It's about time..."

Naruto shuddered as the Genjutsu was dropped and he sank to the ground, eyes wide as Madara placed two hands together, collecting an insane amount of chakra. Everyone around them stilled, watching as darkness seemed to deepen, shadows looming, focused solely on Madara.

A wry chuckle broke into the group and Naruto risked a glance to Zetsu,

"It's time for the Moon's Eye Plan."

The chuckle continued, darkness gathering, and Naruto knew he would be hopeless to stop the creation of whatever this was...

And from looking at Sasuke and Itachi, neither of them had even heard of something as the Moon's Eye Plan.

Biting his lip, Naruto prepared for the worst and glanced up at the sky, sucking in a small breath as he saw the thin bodied flight of a falcon, wings beating as it glanced downwards. Naruto looked at the bird's eye in surprise before turning back to Madara, his eyes closing slowly and his lip raising slightly.

When he opened his eyes again, red circles framed them and his teeth had elongated, the Kyuubi seeping through in his anger.

"I shall see the Gods and the Eye of the Moon burning with fire before my eyes!"

Naruto shut his eyes at the light, dreading the moment he would have to open them once again, fearing what Madara had done.

燃焼

Notes:

So we're set up for the 'second part' of the battle now, and we'll be getting Killer Bee's full perspective in the next chapter. Because I love him, and I want to get an outside focus on things.

I have based a LOT of stuff concerning the Moon Eye Plan on an interesting comment I found on a forum, and because we all know Kishimoto loves to back things up with mythology, I decided I liked the idea and I'm going with it... I think. I won't say what exact 'thing' I'm following, because I may change it before the next chapter, but I like everything about it so far.

I think we have two, maybe three, chapters left... depends if I decide to drag the fight on a little more. To everyone who's curious, there will be a lemon in the final chapter. And that mean's that another potential worry people ask about won't happen.

And to anyone who's interested, I have finally decided to start a sequel to The Shadows of Leaves. It won't be posted for a while yet, but I wanted to let people know that I had definitely decided whether or not to do one.

Thank you very much for all of your wonderful reviews, they mean so much to me really!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter :)