Author's Note:

Hello everyone! Thank you for still hanging on with me through this story. I am honestly the worst Fanfiction author. I know that I have a lot going on right now. This wedding has especially taken a large toll on me. The wedding is set to happen this Saturday and I purposely took a week's vacation to make sure everything will be handled before then. I also had a goal to try and push out a chapter during this time, but I am not sure if it will happen. Right now, I am currently trying to write and finish it this week. However, I am half optimistic that I can push it out by the end of Wednesday here in the US. If not, I will for sure have it out by next week. Thank you all again for being patient with me. Happy Pride Month! Stay fabulous!

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Chapter 76: The Power of Revenge and Control

Normal P.O.V.

A powerful wind blows across the battlefield as the Allied Shinobi Forces, their friends, Sakura, and Sasuke stand facing their most powerful enemies and a feral Naruto Uzumaki. At the head of the Allied Shinobi Forces stands a terrified Sasuke Uchiha within his Susanoo. Analyzing the situation, Sasuke tries to play out every scenario in the battle against his mate. However, every outcome he sees can only end in one of them dying; outcomes that will deal a heavy bowl to their side.

"Come on Sasuke, think! There must be a way I can save Naruto without anyone killing him. I know there is. I just cannot see it. Why can't I see it? I need to think clearly. What is wrong with me?! I need to calm down and think,"

Sasuke closes his eyes and takes a few deep breathes, trying to steel his mind. Needing to think clearly, Sasuke thinks back to his Academy days and the time spent with Orochimaru to remember his calming techniques. After a short while, his mind becomes blank enough for him to clearly think.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura calls out. Sasuke opens his eyes but does not look in her direction. However, Sakura knows that he is listening to her, "What are we going to do? We must save Naruto. We can't lose him to Madara,"

"I know. I am trying to think of a way, but… I am drawing blanks. Whatever scenario I think of will end in either Naruto or me dying,"

"No! I refuse to accept this. Neither of you will die; not if I have anything to say about it," she says while clenching her fists in determination.

"Sakura is right," Shikamaru says as he stands on Sasuke's right side, "We can't lose either of you, not just because you both are important to our victory, but because we're friends. The nations and our fellow Leaf Villagers will greatly mourn your deaths,"

"Thanks for letting me know how valuable we are," Sasuke teases, "And, knowing you, you should have a plan bouncing around in that head of yours,"

"I have a plan based on a theory; if that helps," Shikamaru smirks.

"Well, you better tell us before I bash your skull in," Sakura says while shaking her fist at him.

"You're still so troublesome, Sakura," Shikamaru sighs before continuing, "Madara said that you should have mastered how to control both Naruto and the Nine-Tails with your advanced Sharingan, correct?"

"I guess. However, it was not at the top of my list of priorities,"

"Of course. However, it might be just what we need right now,"

"What are you saying Shikamaru?" Sasuke asks.

"Just listen. Madara is using his Rinnegan to control Naruto and the Nine-Tails right now, correct? And, if my research is correct, the Rinnegan is the most powerful level for the Sharingan that a user can obtain, correct?" Sasuke nods, "So that means that you have a low probability of overthrowing control of Naruto in a direct fight against Madara,"

"You better be going somewhere with this, Nara," Sasuke growls.

"What I was getting at is that if you were to battle Madara head-on, you won't stand a chance at gaining control of Naruto. However, if we were to distract Madara and help you get in direct eyesight of Naruto, then you will have a stronger chance of overruling Madara's control. But, to help you accomplish this, you will have to use your mate's connection with Naruto. That will be the main difference between your control over Madara's. Naruto should respond more to you being his omega compared to Madara's tainted control,"

"Shikamaru, we don't have time for your foolish theories,"

"Is it so foolish, Sakura?"

"Of course, it is, you antlered idiot. Sasuke-Kun isn't an omega. And even if he were, there's no way Naruto and he could be mates. There's just no way, right Sasuke-Kun?" Neither Shikamaru nor Sasuke answers her. Instead, they continue to look forward without saying a word, "Sasuke-Kun… Shikamaru is just being silly, right? Naruto and you can't possibly be mates, right? And you're not an omega, right? Right…?"

"Sakura… if you have to ask the question… I think you already know the answer…"

"But I want to hear you say it, Sasuke-Kun! When we last spoke while you were in prison, and you said you could not return my feelings… was it because of Naruto and your status? How long have the two of you been mates? How long have you known that you were an omega? I've smelt you before! I know your scent! It's that of an alpha! There's just no way! How long have you two been lying to me? Answer me!"

Sasuke does not say anything. An awkward silence stretches over them, even with the background sounds of the battle continuing around them. The only sounds that reach their ears are the sounds of the final pieces of Sakura's heartbreaking. Seeing that Sasuke was not going to answer her questions, he opens his mouth to speak but stops when Sasuke speaks first.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I know that I owe a lot to you. I also know that I have a lot to make up to you for. I have lied to you time and time again, but I promise that, after all of this, we can sit down and have an honest conversation. No more lies. No more secrets. No more deception; only truths. For now, I will answer your main question, but after that, it will have to wait until after we are finished here, ok?" He waits for her to nod before continuing, "Yes… I am an omega and Naruto and I are mates. We have been since we were genin on Team 7. We purposely kept it a secret from everyone. I am sorry for not telling you sooner, but there is nothing I can do about the past. Now, help me save Naruto and win this war and I will answer anything you want me to,"

It takes her a moment to get over her initial shock. Even though she has been slowly coming to terms with the fact that she and Sasuke will never be together, hearing the actual reason brings a new meaning to the heartbreak she is not ready for. However, she must put it aside and focus on more important things right now.

"Sasuke-Kun… I am hurt… to know that you have kept something like this from me for so long, and I cannot say that I understand why you did it nor can I say that I am not heartbroken. However, I can agree that more things are important right now. If you agree for us to have our conversation, then I will put my feelings aside… for now…"

Sasuke nods to this before turning to Shikamaru, "Now, what is this plan of yours?"

"We'll need Sakura's strength and my jutsu for this to work. Sakura, I need you to lead the attack on both Madara and Naruto. Tell them to not get too close to Naruto, but to do their best to distract both. If we can distract them, then it will be easier for Sasuke to break Madara's control. Sakura, I want you and your team to focus more on Madara while I try to restrain Naruto. All I need is to use my Shadow Restraining Jutsu to stop Naruto. Once that happens it will be up to you, Sasuke, to break Madara's control. Although, I am not sure how you can do it. I do have faith that you will figure it out. Everyone understands what they need to do?" Sakura and Sasuke nod, "Alright, let's get going,"

As soon as Shikamaru says this, Naruto sprints towards them, readying himself to attack. To properly execute Shikamaru's plan, they split up. Sasuke stays on the frontline and uses his Susanoo to defend and protect against Naruto's attack. Sakura and Shikamaru run in different directions to gather their teams together. Shikamaru uses this opportunity to use Ino's mind jutsus to connect with the other Allied Shinobi Forces and communicate their plan. Having Naruto's chakra to protect them, helps against his attacks. Although Naruto continues having no problem tearing through the Allied Forces, his chakra is healing them just as quickly. Conflicted about hurting her friend, Sakura tries her best to put her feelings aside to protect her fellow shinobi. As Naruto continues to charge them, she takes a deep breath before slamming her fist into the ground, causing it to split down the middle and Naruto's charge to cease. Seeing that she staggered Naruto, Sakura punched the ground again, carving out a large boulder, lifting it up, and throwing it at her friend. Naruto, still recovering, was hit dead center, and sent flying backward. When the boulder connected with her friend, Sakura felt a sharp pain in her chest. The pink-haired bunny never thought that she would use her strength against one of her best friends. The amount of grief was too much for her, causing her to fall to her knees.

On the other side of the battlefield, Naruto used his fist to punch through and destroyed the boulder. Freed, Naruto unleashed another ear-piercing roar before charging again. This time, Sakura was in his sights. Still suffering from her grief, Sakura barely noticed a feral Naruto rushing towards her. She raised her arms to block the attack but was saved by a green blur.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee yells as he kicks Naruto in his side, sending his flying off to the side. Once he was at a safe distance from them, he turned towards Sakura with a smile and an outstretched hand, "Sakura-chan, are you alright?"

"Lee…" she whispers as she grabbed his hand to stand up. However, she was embarrassed by her weak reaction, so she yanked her hand away and turned away from him with her arms crossed over her chest, "Lee, I'm so sorry,"

"Sakura-chan? What do you have to be sorry about?"

"You saved me because I couldn't bring myself to attack Naruto. You are braver than me while I am… I'm still that weakened, frightened little girl,"

Lee looks at Sakura with sympathy in his eyes. It reminded him of his younger days where everyone considered him weak, especially since he could not use any jutsus. Wanting to comfort her, he places a firm hand on her shoulder and forced her to look at him.

"Sakura, it's ok to feel what you're feeling. This is not easy on any of us. Naruto Uzumaki is one of my closest friends and constantly inspires me to become stronger. I know he's done the same for you. I can't even imagine how hard this much be to have to face your teammate like this. But you need to have confidence in your own strength. You must lead us. We can't save Naruto without you,"

Lee's words filled Sakura with new inspiration. As a wide smile spread over her face, she jumped into Lee's arms and gave him a bone-crushing hug, "Thank you, Lee," she whispered before she let go and turned towards the battlefield with a determined smile, "Alright. Let's knock some sense into that knucklehead ninja,"

Distracted by the hug, Lee stands there with a dumb look on his face. It wasn't until he noticed that Sakura took off running towards Madara and Obito that he jumped into action after her.

The kick from Lee gave Naruto a slight headache and made him feel dizzy. But, because of Madara's control, Naruto shook off the side effects and allowed his adrenaline to fuel his attacks. He stood up and charged again. This time, it was Kakashi who intercepted him. With his Chidori, Kakashi tried to immobilize him. However, Naruto was ready with a Rasengan. Naruto dodged the lightning attack by going under Kakashi, grabbed his wrist, and aimed the attack at his side. To Naruto's surprise, Kakashi used his Substitution Jutsu and appeared behind him. Naruto would have taken a direct hit if Obito did not appear with his own attack towards Kakashi. Obito used a kunai to stab Kakashi in his side, causing the silver wolf to bleed and fall to the ground.

"Pathetic Kakashi. I expected better of you,"

Kakashi grunted as he pulled the kunai out of his side and threw it off to the side with a smirk, "I guess I'm just out of practice when it comes to you. After all, I never had to try to defeat you, Obito,"

"You've always been an annoying smartass. It doesn't matter though. I'll make sure that this will be your final battle,"

"I was going to same the same for you," Kakashi said as he formed the hand signs for his fire jutsu. Having seen this coming, Obito copied him, and both unleashed the same attack.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Two large fireballs formed and collided in the middle. Neither opponent was going to surrender to the other. Both knew that they had to give it their all if they wanted victory. The attack continued for a moment until Kakashi let up. Obito took this as Kakashi was getting weaker, so he pushed his attack further. On the other side of the fireball, Kakashi used his head to summon some water to cover himself. Once he was wet enough, Kakashi jumped through the fireball and punched a surprise Obito in the face. This caused Obito to fly backward towards the ground. Not wanting to let up, Kakashi chased after him to continue to assault. Kakashi jumped into the air and landed on Obito with a kunai in hand. Underneath him, Obito counted the attack with a kunai of his own. The two struggled against the other's strength. Blow after blow, the two former teammates tried their best to land an attack on the other, but none of them succeeded. Although this was more of a fight to the death for them, each felt a sense of nostalgia at how in sync their movements were; a feeling that has not been felt since they were genin under Minato's direction.

"You've grown stronger," Kakashi panted as he stared his opponent in the eyes.

"As much as I hate to say it, so have you. However, I cannot let you win this time. I'm afraid that this is where the line ends for you!"

Obito lets up on his kunai in favor of grabbing Kakashi's vest and headbutting him. Kakashi, staggered from the surprise attack, does not have time to recover before the dark-haired feline unleashed another fire attack. With no time to think, Kakashi forced himself to bend backward. Having dodged the flame, the silver wolf reached for another kunai and used it to stab his opponent in the leg. To focus on the pain, Obito could not stop Kakashi's kick to the face before he backflipped away.

"Sorry, old friend, but I have too many people I promised to protect here today. I cannot let you win,"

"Hn. Why are you so annoying?" Obito grunts as he massaged his chin and stood up. The two stood across from the other with determination in their eyes. Both knew that they had to give it their all if either of them wanted victory. However, an age-old score still needed to be settled between them. Despite the importance of the war still at the front of their mind, Obito planned on making Kakashi pay for his sins. "You know, Kakashi… I just don't get something,"

"Oh yeah? What's that?" he pants.

"Why you? Why did she always choose you? Why was I never good enough for her?"

"What are you talking about~"

"You know damned well what I'm talking about!" Obito screams. However, when Kakashi didn't answer him or change his expression, it angered Obito further, "Rin! Rin is who I'm talking about! I loved her. I have always loved her, but she never loved me back! Instead, I had to watch her fall in love with you! All she ever wanted was you and you didn't give two shits about her! At first, I thought it was because you were Mr. Cool Guy. So, I tried to be like you. I tried to be cool. I tried to be strong. I tried to be just like you. I thought that, if I were more like you, then she would love me too. But she didn't. Even when you were the one that killed her, she still loved you,"

Obito's last sentence struck a chord deep within the silver fox. Flashbacks of the day that Obito "died" from the boulder crushing him to the day he killed Rin with his Chidori haunted him. It was also at that moment that a realization hit him.

With wide eyes and a dry mouth, Kakashi managed to swallow his spit and said, "You… You were there when~"

"When you killed her? Yes. I was there. I stood in the background and watched as you ripped a hole in her chest. It was then that my Sharingan in both of our eyes advanced to the next stage. The grief of losing Rin filled me with so much rage and despair that I killed those men you were fighting before you passed out anyway. Afterward, I held her in my arms and cried. I thought about killing you then, but Rin was all I cared about. Nothing else mattered. The one person who meant anything to me was murdered by who I thought was supposed to be my best friend. How could you do that to her? She was innocent. She loved you and you killed her in cold blood,"

"Obito, listen to me. It didn't happen the way you think it did. Rin, she~"

"Save it. I don't have time for any more of your lies, Kakashi. You're nothing but a worthless shinobi and a sham of a man. I gave you my good eye as a gift and a promise to protect her. But you just took it for its power and made a false name for yourself, Copycat Ninja. Now it's time for you to return my eye and pay for your sins,"

"You want me to pay for my sins? If this had been before the war, I would have let you do so without any resistance. I would have gladly given my life if it meant you could find the closure you needed. However, things are different now. I have others who are waiting on me to come home. I have my students who look to me for guidance. I have an entire village I must protect until my dying breath. What happened to Rin and you wasn't fair and I wish I were strong enough to protect you both or at least taken your places. But I can't keep letting the past haunt me. As long as I am still here, I will continue to fight to protect those in my care. So sorry, old friend, but today won't be the day that I die here, especially by your hands,"

"So be it. Then let's settle the score once and for all,"

The two continue to glare at the other. Sweat dripped down their faces as their adrenaline pumped through their veins. Whatever happens on this battlefield will be the final outcome of their age-old battle. Knowing what they must do, both prepare their next attack. Kakashi summons his Chidori again while Obito summoned his Wood Style: Cutting Jutsu. With both jutsus readied in hand, they sprinted towards each other in hopes of delivering crushing blows.

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On the other side of the battlefield, Sakura and Lee led their forces in an attack on Madara while Sasuke used his Susanoo to protect his allies against Naruto's attacks. The longer the battle went the more things started to look hopeless. Because of how rapidly Naruto moved across the battlefield, it was hard for Shikamaru or Sasuke to capture him. Every time Naruto got close enough for them to try and stop him, he dodged all their attacks and used his claws, fists, and chakra to destroy anything and anyone around him.

"Man, this is harder than I thought," Shikamaru panted as he stands next to Sasuke.

"I told you that this wouldn't be easy," Sasuke panted too.

"Yeah, but unlike you, we've never had to fight him, especially on this level," Ino said.

"Yeah. It's hard to believe that Naruto had so much power in him. He's definitely different from when we last fought," Kiba added as he shook his head.

"You mean when he was a genin and didn't have eight fucking tails swaying behind him and not being controlled by my evil, reincarnated ancestor?"

"Don't be a brute, Sasuke. We need to focus on the task at hand," Neji scolded.

"There's gotta be some way we can get him close enough for Shikamaru to use his Shadow Jutsu to restrain him," Choji said as he looked around.

With his Sharingan activated, Sasuke noticed a possible opening, "Shikamaru, look at Naruto's stance. Do you notice anything different about him?"

Confused, the deer followed his comrade's stare until he found what he was looking for. "Yeah, I do. He's not standing in his normal stance. Granted, he's acting more like a feral fox on a rampage, but it isn't his normal fighting stance. Not only that, but it seems that he's getting tired too. We can use this to our advantage to capture him,"

"I agree. Ino, Choji, Kiba, Neji. If you guys can work together and bring him close enough, then Shikamaru and I will take care of the rest," Sasuke commanded.

"Eh? And how in the holy hell do you expect us to do that, baka?" Kiba growls.

"We can think of something. After all, Shikamaru's right. We've been fighting Naruto as if he were still a weak genin. We must fight him as if he's another opponent to us," Neji said while readying his stance and Byakugan.

"But I don't want to hurt him. He's still Naruto," Ino said with worry in her voice.

"It's either that or he kills us. And besides, all we need to do is help Shikamaru and Sasuke capture him. I think we can manage that without hurting him too badly. Don't worry guys, leave it to us. Just be ready to go when the time comes," Choji smirked.

Sasuke and Shikamaru nod in agreement. Choji and Neji lead the attack. Lowering himself on all four legs, Naruto readied himself for their charge. Choji began by expanding his hand to slam on top of Naruto. The blond fox jumped out of the way but was immediately rushed by Kiba and Akamaru's Fang Over Fang Jutsu. Naruto was thrown into the air, but quickly recovered and stopped their attack by knocking them to the ground.

Ino waited for Naruto to land before using her Flower Style: Gelsemium Paralysis. Although it is not a common jutsu for the Yamanaka Clan to use, because of the possible deadly side effects, if diluted and controlled enough by the user, it can be used to paralyze an opponent. After she performed the hand signs, Ino slammed her hand into the ground, causing Yellow Jessamine flowers to sprout and bloom. The trail of flowers spreads towards Naruto to lead him towards Neji. This was a win-win for Ino. Although she provided enough chakra and solution to her jutsu to only cause paralysis, it was not deadly to Naruto. If Naruto couldn't dodge it, then the paralysis would only last several moments. If not, it would have led Naruto where she wanted him to go. Either way, Naruto was nothing more than a trapped fox. However, the latter was the outcome, and their plan was working nicely. Just as she had hoped, Naruto jumped around to avoid the flowers, unknowingly leading him towards a waiting Neji.

Once he was close enough, Neji snuck behind him and performed his Palm Bottom Jutsu, effectively stunning him on his feet. Sore and disoriented, Naruto staggered on his feet until he was ready to collapse.

"Shikamaru! He's all yours!" Kiba yells.

"Right! Shadow Sewing Jutsu!" Shikamaru's shadow stretched out until it connected with Naruto's. The feral fox, feeling trapped, struggled as much as he could against Shikamaru's shadow's hold without success, "Sasuke, go now while I have him!"

Sasuke nodded before releasing his Susanoo and walking towards Naruto. Although he is being restrained, Naruto is still acting feral. The last thing Sasuke wanted to do was add any more resistance to this process. Cautiously, Sasuke approached his mate and released some of his strawberry and omega scent and aura to try and calm him. Before he continued forward, Sasuke waited for Naruto to notice his scent and aura. The blond continued to struggle for a few moments before allowing Sasuke's presence to calm him. When he decided it was safer to do so, Sasuke continued to approach his mate with his arms stretched out.

"It's ok Naruto, I'm going to save you. I've got you," he whispered as he got closer. Naruto let out a deep growl, but it didn't stop Sasuke. He continued forward until his hands were laced between longer blond locks. With resolve made of steel, Sasuke leans his face in closer, pulling the taller blond downward toward him to look into his eyes. As soon as they make eye contact, Sasuke reactivates his Mangekyō Sharingan, "Don't worry, Dobe. I'm coming to save you,"

With their eyes locked on each other's, Sasuke traveled into Naruto's subconscious. However, to his surprise, a deep, threatening growl waited for him on the other side.

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To Be Continued…