Summary: Over 100,000 words later, we finally reach the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War arc, and a new world awaits our arrival.
"With great power…comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later."
- Rick Riordan, The Last Olympian
Chapter 20: Blue-eyes White Dragon
Blackness crept out across the sky as the Tanoshuyume ended, and the Allied Shinobi Forces stuttered back to life like an old mill that hadn't felt the influence of a current in years. Confused mutterings rippled throughout the crowd as people tried to sort out their missing time, a task that was not helped by the upstart of tremors rattling the earth while the Juubi roused from its own slumber. Only an hour had passed them by, but in that hour those who were awake and maintaining the barrier - Minato, Tobirama, and the clones of Hashirama and Aratashiki - had grown dangerously weary. Aratashiki's clone was beginning to falter, and it was a lucky happenstance that the Juubi seemed to be going about a 'morning routine' of sorts before resuming it's rampage, because the barrier fell shortly after the genjutsu was released.
The sensor division scrambled in their communications, trying to keep everyone calm while they figured out what had happened; a fact which was not helped when the Raikage started ranting aloud, wondering if they were in the Infinite Tsukuyomi. What if this was their plan all along, he said, to play them all like fools. Obito assured him that was not the case, as the Ten-tails would morph into a literal tree if that genjutsu were cast. This calmed A for a brief moment until he realized that Obtio was the man who had started the war in the first place, at which point the Raikage became enraged. But before he had any time to summon the fires of hell and rain them upon Obito, his anger was redirected towards Madara Uchiha, who had just re-appeared from Parity alongside Hashirama, Sasuke, Naruto, and Aratashiki.
Every single on-looker tensed simultaneously, ready to attack at the behest of their leaders. No one knew what to make of the odd quintet of friend and foe alike, who were standing around and trying to regain their bearings while the Raikage growled at them. Darui and Killer B had to step in and hold on to the menace so that Naruto would have a chance to explain what was going on without being hell-stabbed. Aratashiki was hunched over on the ground with her back towards everyone else while Naruto, Madara, Sasuke, and Hashirama formed a defensive shield in front of her, should any brave soul try to attack their group.
"Okay you guys, I know this all looks pretty bad," Naruto began, "but actually something really great just happened-"
"What's going on, why are there balls floating around your head?" A roared, spittling with fury. "Did you abandon us for a wardrobe change? Have you decided to side with the enemy now?"
Breaking free from his captors, the Raikage charged at Madara, fists crackling with black lightning. He was swiftly thwarted by one of Hashirama's wood dragons, however - the wooden beast absorbed his chakra lightning before wrapping around his body and constricting, effectively subduing the man. Madara didn't even bother putting up his susanoo in defense; Aratashiki's fist of fury had punched right through it earlier, and he wasn't too optimistic about withstanding that strange, obsidian lightning either.
"Everyone, please listen and remain calm!" Hashirama yelled, surveying the crowd and glancing at Tsunade for backup.
With a short nod she turned around and raised her arms in the air, commanding their forces to stand down while herself and the other kage handled the situation. Naruto called out for Ino, requesting her aid in broadcasting a message to the alliance. Behind him, Ara shakily stood to her feet, prompting Sakura and Hinata to question her well-being; Ara, who herself was trying not to panic, insisted that she was fine.
Ino bounded over to Naruto, eager to help. "Who's talking?"
"I believe Madara has something he would like to say - isn't that right?" Hashirama said, fixing his irritated companion with a stern glare.
A look of horror settled onto Ino's face and she turned her head towards the man in question, suddenly wanting to retract her offer of assistance. Despite his excellent Uchiha genes, Madara Uchiha was the last man she wanted to touch; not because he was at the bottom of her list, but because he wasn't on the list to begin with. Furthermore, he smelled like a rejuvenated corpse that had spent an entire day in heated combat, which is exactly what he was. When Naruto assured her that it was safe Ino began to approach the man, reaching out with shaky hands to connect him to their telepathic network.
"What do you mean 'safe'? This man dropped two meteors on us!" The Raikage found his voice again upon hearing Naruto's assurances, opting for a verbal attack in lieu of his physical restraint.
"Whatever, neither of them made contact anyways," Madara said, crossing his arms over his chest and staring the other man down. "In fact, I've prevented countless murders today thanks to my self-control."
"Self- control, my ass. You faked your own death and plotted the end of the world for seventy years. And now you're trying to take our free will, to kill us all!"
"I'm not going to stand here and listen to you accuse me of things I clearly did!"
"You're lucky I haven't started broadcasting yet, you prick," Ino said, impulsively yanking Madara's hair in an effort to shut him up; a risky move, but thankfully he was too busy defending his honor to care.
"This is a man to man conversation, little girl," Madara hissed at her.
"Oh yeah? Well, it looks like you're one man short then."
Obito, who was spectating from a safe distance and hiding behind Kakashi, began to snort with laughter, earning himself a hard-elbow to the stomach from the man in front of him. This was not the time to risk re-provoking the enemy, Kakashi thought; he was perceptive enough to suspect that the other lunatic Uchiha had a change of heart as well. Or, whatever was the equivalent of such a thing for a man like Madara.
"Madara, quit embarrassing yourself. This is supposed to be your moment of redemption," Hashirama said. "We would all really appreciate a heartfelt monologue. Maybe a spin-off of something you said in our earlier discussion."
"Yeah, you're really not helping the clan's reputation right now," Sasuke muttered. He felt like he was in some kind of nightmare; it would have been a miracle to have found another Uchiha survivor, if said survivor was literally anyone else other than the pissy, fanatical hedgehog he'd gotten stuck with.
"Fine. I'm ready to project, or whatever," Madara said, glancing behind his shoulder at Ino.
"Oh, you've been protecting plenty , my guy," she scoffed. "The floor is yours."
Nervous now that he was under the public's scrutiny for non-violent reasons, Madara twiddled his gloved thumbs together for a moment before he made his statement.
"Good evening. Um, I've decided to change my plans, and I will no longer be sacrificing you all to the divine tree." Madara paused, listening to the crickets. Perhaps he should add something else, he decided. "Let me just say, from the bottom of my heart...my bad."
"Seriously, that's it?" Hashirama hung his head. It had been so long since they last interacted that he'd forgotten Madara's utter lack of social grace.
The crowd erupted into whispers and the occasional shouted insult while Naruto berated Madara for being so undignified. Huddling together to discuss among themselves, the kage - including Minato and Tobirama - sought additional information from Hashirama, and debated their next move. Ino, well beyond her physical contact limit, was preparing to take her leave when one of the shinobi in the distance began to yell.
"Something's happening!"
While everyone had been distracted by the sudden turn of events, the Juubi had remained surprisingly quiet. In fact, the monster had started to disappear altogether, which was the reason for the panicked shout they'd just hurt. Everyone's heads turned towards the ten-tails, watching in confusion and terror as someone - or something - began to seal the beast into its body.
ooooooo
ooooooo
Twas the day of the armistice, when all through the cave
Not an Uchiha was stirring, not in this enclave;
The stalactites clung to the roof in perpetuity,
In hopes that Kabuto would soon break Izanami.
ooooooo
Kabuto pushed himself off of the ground for what felt like the thousandth time, dreading yet another clash with Itachi Uchiha's sword. He understood now, and he wanted to scream and cry out to the gods that he realized the error of his ways, how lost he had become, and that now he just wanted to break free so he could make amends. Fixing his gaze toward the far end of the cavern to find the Uchiha once again, Kabuto choked on his own breath when he found the space in front of him to be empty.
Unsure if he had really broken free from the Izanami genjutsu or not, Kabuto paced around the dimly lit cave, searching for any signs of life. Itachi was gone. Sasuke was gone. He ran towards the entrance and burst out into the night, and when his face turned skywards Kabuto's tear-stained cheeks glimmered in the moonlight. It was true. This was his second chance, an opportunity to stop pursuing perfection and to start living as himself .
Thankfully his temporary lair was less than two kilometres away from where the Juubi had been resurrected, and Kabuto wasted no time in getting there. He spotted Orochimaru first, who was standing on the outskirts with the rest of team Taka - not including Sasuke Uchiha. Trailing his eyes past them towards a glowing orange character that he believed to be Naruto Uzumaki, Kabuto noticed that something was amiss. No one was fighting. In fact, Madara Uchiha was right next to Naruto and Sasuke, conversing with them about something; even the Juubi was acting strange, he noted, as if it had been knocked out cold and was just now regaining consciousness.
As he prepared to approach Orochimaru and ask him what the hell was going on, Kabuto's ankle was suddenly caught. A cold, slimy tendril wrapped around his legs, holding him in a vice-like grip. Kabuto snapped his head around to find his assailant and met the disturbing, yellow gaze of Black Zetsu.
"Kabuto, how kind of you to come right to me," it said, flashing him with a harrowing grin.
"What are you doing?" Kabuto asked, trying not to panic as he felt the thing begin to encase his flesh within its own. "I don't want to help you anymore, I've-"
"Shhh," it whispered, silencing him with its will. Twisting its neck around the back of Kabuto's head, it spoke into his ear. "There's been a troublesome turn of events. I'm going to need your body."
Unable to move or scream out in desperation, Kabuto stood helplessly while the creature took control of his limbs. He tried his best to fight back internally, but the Will battering against his consciousness was overwhelming in its power; he had never personally felt such a strong sense of want - for anything - to the degree with which Black Zetsu desired its indecipherable goal. Not knowing what would happen to him or if he would survive whatever Zetsu had planned, Kabuto focused on thoughts of his older brother whom he had hoped to see again. A silent apology was the last thing to grace Kabuto's thoughts before his mind was taken over completely.
ooooooo
ooooooo
"No way...is that Kabuto?" Sasuke asked, an incredulous look on his face.
"Motherfucker," Aratashiki cursed, her frustration unrelated to Sasuke's question.
This was not an ideal situation. Rather, it was the opposite of ideal; she had calculated the risk and amount of chakra she would be using to make their earlier pow-wow a reality, but apparently she was not as good at math as she had been during her childhood. Once again, she found herself severely lacking in energy, mentally berating herself for being so stupid. In her calculations, she had left out the important detail that she was not , and had not been at any point, operating with her full reserves. Her natural chakra was so immense that even with medical aid or supplements it would take around a month to completely regenerate, because it was not physically possible for her cells to combine physical and spiritual energy any faster than that without dying off or damaging their genetic material. And, unfortunately, the seal only coughed up a relatively small amount of chakra when broken - likely, she had not even had the same amount as the ten-tails to begin with.
Although, in the back of her mind Ara still felt like something was amiss. She briefly wondered if she had a chakra leak or something, but soon dismissed the idea as preposterous; she was a flesh being, not a computer with a faulty RAM.
Staying on the side of optimism, she told herself that this was all worth it since Naruto had successfully negotiated peace; furthermore, thanks to the Sage of Six Paths, Naruto and Sasuke both had the ability to seal Kaguya themselves, should she be resurrected. Which is exactly what seemed to be happening. The main reason Ara was kicking herself was because if either Naruto or Sasuke were to die or be otherwise decommissioned, it would be up to her to eliminate Kaguya - something she was not capable of at the moment.
Looking towards the newly-minted Jinchuuriki of the Juubi, Ara tried to calm her nerves and think rationally about their predicament.
What could she do to ensure their success, Ara asked herself. Unfortunately lending them power was out of the question, but perhaps she could prepare them in some other way to face her cousin. Gasping as an idea came to mind, Ara turned around and took hold of Naruto and Sasuke's arms to grab their attention.
"Ara-san, are you ok?" Naruto asked. "Do you think…"
"Yes. Zetsu is going to revive Kaguya - at this point it can't really be stopped. I don't have the energy, and I won't be able to help you fight her," Ara told him regretfully.
Naruto exchanged a nervous glance with Sasuke. "So we need to fight her on our own, then?"
"You don't need me, Naruto. Hagoromo gave both of you his chakra, so you are more than capable of sealing her away. I believe in you."
"If one of us dies, though," Sasuke said, "who will-"
"Stop. Don't even entertain the idea, Sasuke. We won't fail. We can't ," Naruto said, with a determined look on his face. It seemed his momentary lapse in confidence had passed.
"There is one more thing I can do to help you, but it's going to take all that I have left, and I may not wake up for a while," Aratashiki said.
"A while, just how long are we talking?" Naruto asked, narrowing his eyes.
"It doesn't matter. Just trust me when I say I will wake up, okay? Don't waste your worry on me, and please tell the others not to do so either," she said.
"I don't like the sound of this."
"Too bad. I've made my decision." Ara sat back onto her knees and held her palms out, both rinnegan locking onto their gazes. "One more thing - Sasuke, if she casts the Infinite Tsukuyomi, you and Madara should be able to use your susanoo to shield yourselves from its effects. Don't get caught, and don't let Naruto get caught either."
Sasuke nodded, and after mustering up her remaining chakra, Ara began sifting through the timeline. She bid them good luck before projecting what she could find into their minds, showing them some of Kaguya's past, her known abilities, and revealing whatever weaknesses of hers that might be exploited in the upcoming battle. The last thing Aratashiki saw before slipping into unconsciousness were the alarmed faces of Hinata and Neji as they approached to see what was happening, and then she was greeted by the violet-tinged abyss behind her eyelids.
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August 1st, two days later - Valley of the End
"You've finally come to, huh?"
Sasuke blinked as he awoke, waiting while the burred edges of his vision sharpened to reveal the clear night sky looming overhead. The valley was silent other than a faint drip echoing from some place nearby. He gasped when a jolt of white-hot pain tore through his body, and upon looking down at its source Sasuke saw the shredded stump of flesh and bone that had taken the place of his forearm.
"As you can see, if either of us moves too much we'll bleed out and die."
"Why...do you do it? Why do you go so far just to get in my way? I finally gained the power...to enter the darkness. To sever all ties. Everyone else tried to cut ties with me too...except you," Sasuke said, his voice cracking with emotion. "You never tried to cut me off. Why do you keep involving yourself with me?"
He rolled his head to the side to look at the blonde laying beside him, who smiled softly and traced the clouds with his gaze. Sasuke could see the warmth within his eyes, despite the purple bruises around them and the pallor of his skin. No matter what, Naruto's optimism never seemed to fade, not even in the face of death. It was confusing, irritating, absurd...and beautiful.
"You know that already," Naruto said, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "I mean, come on, don't you? Your body can't move, but your fat mouth still can-"
"Just answer me," Sasuke snarled, anger swelling in his chest. It always annoyed him when Naruto danced his way around something instead of getting to the point. Besides, Sasuke didn't want to say what he thought he knew - if it was wrong...well, he wasn't prepared to deal with that scenario.
Naruto finally met Sasuke's eyes, and the smile dropped from his features, replacing their previous warmth with something else.
"If this had all happened when we were sixteen, I would have said that it's because you're my friend."
"Which you have said before, numerous times," Sasuke interrupted.
"Yeah. Back then I didn't really know what that meant to me, you know? But...as I got a little older, I started to understand. Well," Naruto paused to give him an awkward grin, and if they hadn't lost so much blood he would have blushed too.
Swallowing thickly, Sasuke felt a flutter in his abdomen. Hopefully, it wasn't just a heart palpitation. The pain from his wound was pushed out by something else, an unfamiliar sensation that left him feeling slightly woozy, but not at all unpleasant. He had felt it once or twice before, but only in passing; this was the first time Sasuke actually allowed himself to notice the sensation.
"I actually didn't realize until a few months ago, after I started dating Hinata," Naruto continued. "You're my brother and my best friend, Sasuke, and you always will be. But at one point in time, you were something else to me too, you know?"
To say that Sasuke's heart didn't droop ever so slightly at the mention of Hinata would be a complete lie. Instead of dwelling on it, however, he decided to let Naruto continue rambling and processing whatever it was that needed to be said. Sasuke couldn't even remember if he had ever actually talked to Hinata - were they the heiress or that other dude, he wondered. No, the guy was named Yeti. Or maybe it was Leggy, but that didn't seem right either. Neddy, Sasuke thought all of a sudden; Neddy had to be it.
"When I see you take on stuff and get all messed up, it hurts me. It hurts so much inside that I can't just leave it alone. Right now, I'm in a ton of pain everywhere, inside and out," Naruto said, laughing quietly. Sasuke didn't share in his amusement. "Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that-"
"Naruto-"
"-I loved you, Sasuke."
Sasuke's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat when he heard Naruto's admission. The dobe...loved him? That couldn't be, he thought. It wasn't as though the idea hadn't ever crossed his mind - rather, Sasuke never imagined that it could actually be true.
"I loved you in every sense of the word. I couldn't accept it when you said you hated me, couldn't understand it, couldn't bear the thought. All else aside, a part of me just wanted to know why you never...why you didn't love me back."
Thinking back to the childhood they'd shared, Sasuke examined his own emotions before deciding on a response. When they first met, he'd hated Naruto; the way he talked, his stupid yellow hair, his big goofy smile. He hated the way he was always kind of right about stuff, and how Naruto seemed to read his mind. He hated when he tried to make him laugh, because he'd always wanted to laugh, and never allowed himself to. But most of all, Sasuke hated that he didn't hate Naruto. Not even close, not even a little bit. Not even at all.
"I do," Sasuke whispered. "Er, I did. L-love...um, yeah."
"Jeez, you're too emo to say a three-word phrase?"
"Fuck off….prep."
Naruto let out a heavy sigh, shifting his gaze back towards the sky. "I was always jealous of you, you know."
"No. It was the opposite. I was jealous of you , Naruto."
They continued to reminisce, and eventually Sasuke found himself to be - somehow - watching Naruto's memories from throughout the years. From their days at the academy, to the chunin exams, up until his own brother, Itachi, had entrusted Naruto with taking care of Sasuke.
"Remember, becoming Hokage isn't about being acknowledged - only those already acknowledged can become Hokage. Never forget your friends."
Images of Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura, their classmates, and even Neji, flashed through Sasuke's mind. They were all his friends, and they had all been waiting for him to come back to them, to remember; the entire village, everyone he had known and pushed away. Sasuke pictured himself now, standing alongside them to face the future. To face whatever would come next, after Kaguya.
Opening their eyes for the second time, Naruto and Sasuke were greeted by the gentle caresses of the morning sun as it rose above the valley and shined its light down around them.
"Where are we?" Naruto asked.
"It looks like we fell asleep, and slept the whole night through. We didn't die after all," Sasuke said.
After twitching violently for several moments Naruto groaned in frustration, trying and failing to move around. "Dammit. I wanted to hit you again. To open your eyes for real!"
In a rare moment of uninhibited emotion, Sasuke let loose a bout of genuine laughter; it was so jarring for Naruto to witness, that it ended up agitating him further.
"What's so funny, tough guy?"
"God, you fucking spazzo - we're all messed up, and you still want to fight," Sasuke replied.
"Damn right, whatever it takes!"
"Calm down, Usuratonkachi. I admit it." Sasuke's laughter stopped, and a smile spread out across his face in its stead. "I've lost."
"You fucking idiot!" Naruto snapped. "This isn't about winning or losing. It's about getting my wemo friend to pull his head out of his ass!"
"What the fuck does 'wemo' mean?"
"It means that you're a wannabe emo. Because you think you're alone, but you're not."
Sasuke tried his best not to feel insulted. He'd put a lot of work into his emo aesthetic, but perhaps it was time to join his older brother - to evolve, and become a goth.
"Hey, Naruto."
"What?"
"You know, I just acknowledged you. If I die here, the long cycle of destiny - that Hagoromo mentioned - might end. That's a kind of revolution, too. Have Madara release the Infinite Tsukuyomi once I'm dead. And I….I will just put an end to myself."
"No way. If you're willing to die, then live and help me instead. Also, someone already ended the infinite Tsukuyomi. How else would it have been nighttime? Dumbass...besides, our revolution isn't over until we change the villages' ways. Remember what we talked about, back in Ara-chan's dying mansion?"
Sasuke shot Naruto a quizzical look. "Her...what? You mean her dimension ?" he scoffed.
"Er, yeah, whatever. But we have to fix things: strengthen the alliance, reform our wills, our Ninshu even, and get all shinobi to cooperate - and that definitely includes you. I need you, Sasuke."
"Yeah, well there's no guarantee that everyone will go along with it, no matter how badly you want them to. And what if I oppose you again?"
"Sasuke, are you fucking kidding me? Stop whining! You sound like a cordless vacuum."
"Wait, there are cordless vacuums? Since when do you clean shit, anyways?"
"I'm very clean, which you would know if you hadn't fucked off for so long. And yeah, we have cordless motherfucking appliances now. Imagine what we will have in, like, ten years! There could be wireless puppets, too, or wireless...uh...wired devices! Which you will miss out on if you're dead."
"Tch. Efficient house cleaning isn't exactly a compelling reason to continue living."
"Whatever, man. If you do go against me I'll just stop you again, but I know you won't do that anymore."
Narrowing his eyes to peer at his friend, Sasuke felt another flutter in his abdomen. "How can you be sure?"
"Do I really need to say it again? You were always so dense," Naruto sighed.
Before he could continue, a choked sob made its way out of Sasuke's throat, derailing Naruto's train of thought. Tears of sorrow and distress began to pour down Sasuke's face, and Naruto wished for nothing more than to be able to hold his friend and comfort him in that moment.
"Sasuke, what is it?"
The broken man sniffled, his chest heaving with ragged breaths as he tried to collect himself. "Why...does this keep happening?"
"What do you mean, what's happening?"
"I-it hurts so much , Naruto. Most of the time I don't really feel anything, but then...then it all hits me at the same time. Like a punch to the gut. I can't control it, avoid it, or make it stop. All the pain from...from everything that has happened, it comes flooding back. I'm reliving it, I'm constantly on edge, paranoid. I just want relief. I don't want to feel like this anymore."
Naruto wanted to cry when he heard Sasuke describe what he was going through. He wondered if that was how Sasuke had felt back before their battle with the Ten Tails - when he'd had a panic attack - as well. Knowing that his friend was enduring so much internal suffering absolutely killed him. He hated it.
"Sasuke...when we get back, I think you should, you know, get help. Not because there's something wrong with you, that isn't what I mean - but your trauma, all the things you've suppressed...it isn't healthy. I think if you talked to someone about it, like a professional, it would be really beneficial for you. Maybe even Sakura-chan could help, if you don't feel comfortable with a stranger."
Mulling over the idea in his head, Sasuke couldn't help but agree, albeit reluctantly. Thinking about Sakura filled him with guilt.
"Naruto, what about us?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, you're with Hinata now, right?"
"Oh. Uh, yeah. Look, Sasuke...you were my first love. Like, in that way, you know? And maybe I still do love you like that. Maybe if things had gone differently, then…"
"Yeah…"
"...but that isn't how things went. And I'm happy with the way things are right now; I don't want it to change. I still love you, but I'm in love with Hinata now. I think. That's the first time I've admitted it out loud, to be honest."
Sasuke chuckled. "I understand. I wouldn't even know how to...have that kind of relationship, anyways. And if I do decide to rebuild the clan or whatever - ah, well, we'd be lacking the necessary components."
They both snorted in laughter while imagining one another being stuck in the 'mom' role, both completely oblivious to how problematic doing so was. It really didn't fit either of them, which left the question of just who Sasuke could become involved with once he was ready to take that step. He may have been popular with the girls while they were at the academy, but his reputation was not quite the same nowadays. If he'd been a cinnamon roll back then, he was now a poisonous mushroom growing on the back of some sweet old woman's corpse.
Naruto seemed to pick up on what he was thinking. "You know, Sasuke, there is one person who might-"
At the mention of the devil, a furious shriek cut Naruto off mid-sentence, and a flash of pink hair danced at the top of the ridge before descending upon the two men. Kakashi, who was right behind the pinkette, stayed perched high on the cliff, allowing his three students a moment to themselves.
"Naruto! Sasuke!"
She landed in between the two amputees, assessing their wounds and beginning the healing process without saying anything further; Sakura's face was uncharacteristically calm while she tended to the injuries.
"Thank you, Sakura," Naruto said, breathing a sigh of relief.
His tears had finally dried, but Sasuke's guilt still remained; there was so much he wanted to say to her; so much he needed to say. "Sakura, I'm-"
"Shut up. I need to focus so I can heal you guys."
"I'm sorry."
Sakura flinched. "Sorry? For what?"
"For...everything," Sasuke whispered. "I'm so sorry, Sakura."
Her composed exterior shattered, and Sakura's shoulders began to shake as tears threatened to spill over her lower eyelids. "You'd better be," she said, her voice straining to stay even. "It's about damn time, you idiot!"
Rubbing his sore neck with his remaining arm, Sasuke sat up alongside Naruto, who tried to comfort their now-sobbing teammate. Sasuke watched them interact, noticing the tenderness and compassion that Naruto displayed for his teammate, and hoped that someday he could treat others with a similar level of empathy.
Just as he had felt the pain of his father, mother, and Itachi, Sasuke chose to feel Naruto's pain as well, and to bear it with him from there on out. Then, thinking of his elder brother's last words to him, he decided that the same would apply to his friends - and to Naruto, his family.
"No matter what happens to you from here on out...I will always love you."
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September 1st - Konohagakure
"You tucked me in, turned out the light
Kept me safe and sound at night
Little girls depend on things like that."
Madara groaned, covering his ears. For thirty days he had suffered this torture, and found himself on the fringes of insanity. He was adrift in the ocean of madness, helpless while he gazed at the peace and quiet of the distant and mentally-sound shoreline. A moronic and unfortunately sentient waste of food, water, and oxygen clung to Madara's side, singing while it stroked his long hair.
"Fixed my leg and combed my hair
Saved my arm from disrepair
You were always there when I looked back
You had to do it all alone
Took the cave, and made a home
Must have been as hard as it could be
And when I couldn't sleep at night
Scared things wouldn't turn out right
You would hold my hand and sing to me-"
From the corner of the concrete cell, Sasuke curled further into himself, praying that the clutches of sleep would spare him from the rest of the unsolicited performance. Somehow, despite what the lyrics portrayed, he doubted that the eldest Uchiha had ever sang anything to anyone during either of his lives.
"Sacrificed to the God-tree, how you wonder who you'll be
Can't go far but you can always dream
Wish you may and wish you might
Don't you worry, close your eyes
I promise you no harm will come your way
Endless Tsuki-no-Me."
"OBITO, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Madara roared, pushing the man off of him with a hard shove. Sprawled out across the floor, Obito erupted with laughter, pointing a finger at Madara's face.
"You should see the look on your face right now, 'dara," he wheezed.
"What? You can't even see my face, you blind piece of shit!"
In truth, Madara couldn't see Obito's face either, as they were both blind. After ending the Infinite Tsukuyomi they had been apprehended - peacefully turned themselves in, rather - by the Allied Shinobi Forces. Konohagakure accepted responsibility for their justice and punishment, and so they sat along with Sasuke in this prison cell underneath the Hokage tower while awaiting the end of their trial. However, in exchange for their lives, Madara and Obito had to agree to forfeit their eyes. Still surprising to them both, they'd agreed to this, and presumably the pair of rinnegan were destroyed.
Deep down, a small part of Madara had been relieved at the prospect of relinquishing his dojutsu; in a way, losing his eyes lifted a weight from his shoulders. The weight of a world he had previously felt obliged to save and wholly responsible for, due in part to his immense power; but now, such a thing was simply...not his problem. Obito on the other hand was a basket case in general, so there was no telling why he'd agreed to those terms beyond the opportunity to give his other sharingan to Kakashi as some weird, masochistic offering. Naruto had promised to restore their normal eyesight at some point, but that would come after the trial, and would also depend on its outcome.
"Shame. I have such a pretty face. Don't I, Sasuke-chan?" Obito purred, batting his eyelashes at the man in question - a horrifying display of fluttering, empty eye sockets.
"You're as pretty as sun-dried turd, Toe," Sasuke said, using the rude nickname he had come up with during their first week of imprisonment.
"Ah, you could say that again," a fourth person spoke from outside of the cage.
All three of their heads snapped towards the sound of the new voice; it was rare to have a visitor other than the guards who brought them sustenance. Or occasionally, Sakura. Standing on the other side of the bars were two men: Iruka Umino and the newly-appointed Rokudaime Hokage, Kakashi Hatake.
"Sasuke, Obito, Madara - the trial has ended," Kakashi said. He sat down cross-legged in front of them, settling his elbows onto his knees and propping up his chin with his hands.
"Let's have a talk...about the future of the Uchiha clan."
ooooooo
AN: We made it. Fucking finally.
You probably noticed that I skipped the Kaguya fight, lol. For now, assume that pretty much the entire fight followed canon from the point of Kaguya's resurrection through the fight at the Valley of the End. Specific details, including the Infinite Tsukuyomi fiasco, will be filled in throughout this next **actually pretty short** arc, which I'll call the recovery arc. And yes, we will get to meet the infamous, moon-bound Kaguya, and hear her side of things. In the end, I just couldn't bring myself to hijack such a pivotal moment for Naruto and Sasuke's characters.
Apologies for the NaruSasu tease. I fully acknowledge their feelings, but 'tis not the way of this fic-world. Maybe if things had gone differently... :( [truth: Himawari is just too important to me. The universe is meaningless without her sunshine. I've also mostly dated women and only a few men, so I am not confident in my ability to write a m/m relationship just yet]
Oh, and Aratashiki isn't dead or anything, lol. The same thing happened to her when she used this ability in chapter 2, but it only lasted a few hours that time. Hmm.