Disclaimer: Fan of Fanfics21 owns nothing.

Been a while folks, and I am determined to keep on continuing this fic till the end. And to all those who are still reading this, thank you for being loyal fans and being patient for me to update it. Oh, and please read my Shinobi L'Cie: Siblings of the Paradox to see the adventures of Naruto's sister Shana Uzumaki and Serah Farron as they will surely start on their time-traveling adventure. It's a XIII-2 crossover fic.

"-urk!" exclaimed a Kiri nin as he fell dead to his side as a kunai was lodged into his neck as Sasuke weaved his hand signs and unleashed the trademark fireball technique his clan had used as a rite of passage. It burned with a searing heat that laminated the misty land the lone Uchiha was in as his sensei Kakashi kicked one into a tree's branches as he was impaled upon it as blood fell down the bark. "I've got 15 here, how about you Sasuke?" Kakashi asked as the Uchiha grunted in annoyance. "Thirteen," was his reply.

He wondered though, why did he take this mission in the first place?

*Konoha-A Week Ago-*

Tsunade stamped the last piece of paperwork and placed it neatly on her completed pile as she sighed with content and pulled out a bottle of sake. She was going to enjoy her moment of peace, until she felt that presence nearby. "What now Jiraiya?" the Fifth Hokage asked as a window in the office opened to reveal the Toad Sage Jiraiya himself with a calm expression on his face. "Normally I'd be in a cheerful, lecherous mood, but not today. I'm here to report of what's happening in Sound since the kid took over." Jiraiya replied as Tsunade paused from her attempt to sip at least one drop of her alcohol, only to stop and put it down to turn and listen what her teammate had learned.

"Tell me what's going on Jiraiya, because this sounds important. And it better not be anything stupid." She told him sternly as Jiraiya had that serious expression on his face. "Lately, the Hidden Sound Village has been going under some reorganizing as I was able to slip in a few spies and many people who were actually experiments of Orochimaru's were mostly released and some going under rehab from the horrors they've endured. But as of now, Naruto is leading his new village into a more positive direction, but he's still allowing experimentations to be carried out, albeit in more sane and humane methods." The Toad Sannin reported as Tsunade leaned back in her chair and sighed. "What kind of experiments is he doing?" she asked with a sense of caution in her tone as Jiraiya sighed.

"Mainly on the human body in order to improve on medical treatments and to create and improve medicine." He told her as Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "That's it? Nothing that reeks of Orochimaru?" she asked, as Jiraiya nodded his head. "There is one…Naruto is seeking to improve on Orochimaru's Cursed Seals, making them less lethal to receiving the mark, and to keep the user sane when using a supposed second state of the Cursed Seal." He replied as Tsunade frowned. "He's studying on Orochimaru's Cursed Seals and seeks to improve them? I'm sorry, but the academy records show me that he's got the lowest IQ of his class and failed terribly on his written exams." She said disbelieving what she heard about her distant relative as Jiraiya shook his head.

"No, he has some sort of book said to contain forbidden knowledge in it, and I speculate it contains secrets on Orochimaru's Cursed Seals, which means he might figure out how to improve the seals, and the fact that Kabuto is still alive and working under him makes it more believable." Jiraiya snorted with distaste with the name of the Snake Sannin's right hand man. That caused Tsunade to tense as she looked at Jiraiya dead in the eye. "That's impossible, Kabuto was reported dead during our raid against Orochimaru, crushed by a cave in." she told him as Jiraiya shook his head. "No, he deceived us well with a well-timed Earth Jutsu and made it looked like he died. Naruto allowed him to live once he found Kabuto alive in front of him. But from what little my spies have told me from fragmented pieces of their conversations, they are on well terms…almost too well on terms." Jiraiya told her as Tsunade wondered if Naruto was up to something.

Deception was one thing that boy had much in, able to beat her with her temporary fear of blood and make her believe in the dream Dan and Nawaki had by taking up the mantle as Fifth Hokage in their memory. Something about that boy scared her, and she didn't like it, not one bit. Naruto Uzumaki was unpredictable and chaotic. "…Anything else?" she asked as Jiraiya smirked. "Yeah, well it seems the runt wants to stop the civil war in Kiri for some reason, I'm not sure why though." He admitted with a shrug as Tsunade's eyes widen at that bit of info. "Jiraiya, why didn't you tell me that first?" she demanded as Jiraiya looked at her. "Because you'd jump the gun and call in any team to do something dangerous that involves Naruto in a heartbeat." He replied.

Tsunade grumbled something under her breath, knowing that her teammate had a point. But with the way the Kiri Civil War is right now is suicidal since rumor had it the Mizukage was stepping into the battlefield himself. And the Yondaime Mizukage Yagura was the Jinchūriki of the Three-Tails, and was no pushover. "When is he planning on heading out?" she asked, "By the end of the week, along with Orochimaru's elite bodyguards the Sound Five, Kushina, Jūgo of the Balanced Scales, Kabuto, and of course Lightning." He immediately answered her, his tone of calmness and seriousness in it. "It seems that Naruto's bringing the best of the best with him. But his own mother as well…" Tsunade thought as she recalled stories of Kushina Uzumaki. Her reputation was something that had even gained the attention of the Sannin themselves and would become wife to Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. If anything, she thought the mother-son duo were going to give her migraines on a level that not even large consumptions of sake could undo.

Damn hot-blooded Uzumaki's, always charges headfirst into danger. It's going to require a team to keep those two alive. The others that accompany Naruto and Kushina don't matter. "Can somebody get me a team in the next hour…" she groaned while rubbing her forehead in annoyance. Damn Uzumaki, always causing trouble without even trying and they're not even in Konoha.

*Kiri no Kuni-Now-*

Oh, so that's why. "Damn it you loser; why do you always get yourself into these kinds of messes?" Sasuke hissed under his breath as he pulled a senbon needle from his skin as he felt the pressure from the injury disappear. He had recollection of the Haku kid when he got hit with that needle. Maybe that was it, which was a reason why Naruto came here to Kiri; he didn't want any more people like Haku to suffer from this purge. Sasuke had a hunch that both the numb skull he calls a teammate and Haku had a connection of some sort.

A bond…

It was something Sasuke had begun to understand as of late. Sakura's death rattled him, but he couldn't say that they were close. She always kept ogling him since the academy along with other girls at the time. But she had her brains that helped them survive, and the courage and guts to stand tall even if her opponents were stronger than her. That's what he likes in a girl, but Sakura wasn't his type…maybe if she just didn't focus on trying to gain his attention and focused on training maybe, just maybe he might have taken interest in her. But since she's dead, he'll never know if Sakura Haruno would ever change.

Flipping through hand signs, Sasuke blew another ball of flame, bigger than his body at the nearest barrel that gave him an idea. Since it was near a group of enemies, it should be very effective. It was, as an explosion knocked everyone off their feet as debris was sent flying in the air as Sasuke and Kakashi were caught in the blast. But unlike those at ground zero of the explosion, they only had minor injuries and mild burns.

"I see you're using the environment to your advantage. Nice job Sasuke." Kakashi noted as the Uchiha grunted as he pushed himself up from the ground. "Where's Jiraiya, Kiba and Neji?" he asked as the Jōnin shrugged as he ducked under a kunai's aim and flipped through a barrage of hand signs and casted the Water Dragon Missile technique as it blasted away 5 Kiri nin as they noticed the rebels were pushing back the opposing force's army. "Not sure, we'll have to regroup as soon as we can though." Kakashi replied as the Uchiha agreed with the sentiment, he was not in good condition from his reserves of chakra nearly depleted. They both have to get out of here fast, and luckily, rebels are coming in from everywhere at the moment, and it seems they were on their side this time.

Amidst the chaos of the battlefield, Sasuke noticed something very wrong with the picture, or rather, a single person there that should not be there. A girl, around his age with dark blue hair and green eyes, but her clothes looked otherworldly and had a sense of purity to her. She smiled and turned away walking towards another figure, one with spiky blond hair, a type of hair that Sasuke recognized instantly in a heartbeat. "Naruto?" he asked to himself as Kakashi noticed his gazed and his eye widened when he saw the blond and the girl with him, although, he looked older as he was walking away with the girl. "Impossible, he looked older, and had a different set of clothes, and weapon." Kakashi noted as Sasuke shook his head. "Remember those other versions of him in the battle against Orochimaru?" the Uchiha countered as Kakashi recalled that event clearly, from the report on the Chūnin Exams, one incarnation of Naruto, dubbed Snow Jr. was summoned from a different 'branch' in the timeline and served as both an opponent and a future ally for Naruto. Perhaps this one is…

"We should see if he's our ally, or our enemy." Kakashi told him as Sasuke bit the inside of his lip, not wanting the one he called friend as an enemy. And with little effort and avoiding stray attacks from the battlefield, they followed the other Naruto and the mysterious girl.

*Kirigakure-Outskirts-*

Sasuke and Kakashi managed to trail the two as their targets stopped as the older looking Naruto with a sinister looking greatsword on his back turned and smirked at the two. "It's been a long time Hatake Kakashi, and Uchiha Sasuke. Has it been days, weeks, months, years, millennia since we had last met old friends?" the man asked as Kakashi noted that this Naruto was in his twenties at the most. "Who are you?" Sasuke demanded as he noted the dark aura and bloodlust within this one as he chuckled. "I am the black to the white; the destroyer to the redeemer, the pawn to the messiah; the great Chaos to the great Order. One who seeks to return time-to nothing." He answered cryptically as Kakashi narrowed his eyes.

(Final Fantasy XIII-2 OST: Chaotic Guardian)

"Are one incarnation of him…that has fallen?" Kakashi asked kunai out and in stance as Sasuke was doing the same. That term of 'fallen' means one who has embraced a darker, more sinister path in life that lead to the likes of Itachi and Orochimaru, which the older Naruto merely chuckled. "You may call me Nero Ballad, the Guardian of the Seeress Yeul." He replied as he gestured to the girl who looked at Sasuke with a melancholy, and Sasuke noted a sense of sadness from her. It was in her eyes as she looked upon him. "You are the one with the eyes of the cursed one." She told him, her calm, serene voice piercing his mental defenses as something about her was…otherworldly.

"You who carry the energy of the fallen son, burden with hatred in your soul. You seek vengeance in many lives, only to fail by the false successor. Puppet in every generation, yet those pasts linger in grief. Even now, you suffer from loss of those dear to you." She said, her words piercing through his chest as she slowly walked towards him. "You who had learned to develop bonds must be warned of a future you cannot change. One that will affect Konoha as a whole." She continued, gaining the two Konoha ninja's attention.

"One who inherited the power of the infinite possibilities, carries the burden of everlasting hate. He shall lead all in this world to destruction at the end of the world and to its salvation at the end of time." She said as Sasuke had no idea who she was referring to in this riddle. "Who, who is this person responsible for such a travesty!?" he demanded, attempting to grab her, only for Nero the grab his arm in a tight grip. "That is for you to know, he is the disrupter of the balance of power of this world. The winds of change are coming Uchiha, but the question is…will you live to see it long enough?" the Chaotic Guardian asked mockingly as the water around the village erupted as a large, serpent like creature that no one has ever seen roared as tidal waves struck the village as people who were swept in it were transformed into monstrous creatures. "If you seek answers Uchiha," Nero began as he grabbed Yeul gently. "Then come find us at the end of this village." He challenged with a smirk as the two were covered in a strange black smoke as they disappeared.

"Wait-!" the two exclaimed as they were gone as the strange monsters began charging at everyone ranging from civilians to even shinobi themselves. "Isn't it strange how these things look similar to that weird form Naruto took to decimate Orochimaru's army?" Sasuke noted as they noticed the same red eyed markings on the creatures' chests, that look like the one Naruto had, but with an open eye that was sinister. It gave the two a bad feeling this is the fate Naruto will face if his mark becomes like that. "Let's do this Sasuke," Kakashi started as he charged his Raikiri up in his hand as Sasuke flipped through his hand signs and created the Chidori. "Let's hurry and stop him." The Uchiha agreed as they dashed forward, cutting down the Cie'th that got in their way as they made their way to Nero Ballad.

Every Cie'th they encounter, they saw the mindless agony of the victims still screaming as they were punctured with holes in their bodies. Sasuke had enough chakra to use Chidori one more time, and he was going to save it as his last resort, and there was no way in hell was he going to use that Cursed Seal on him to get an advantage, and the fact that this girl Yeul's words pierce him, it got under his skin in so many ways that it was wrong. He needed answers from this 'Seeress' and figure out what is going on, and what this has to do with Naruto.

His Chidori faded out as its run time expired. These creatures were relentless and were attacking everyone. It sickened him as he saw the leviathan responsible for this heading towards where Nero and Yeul would be if he guessed right. He will get the answers he seeks, one way or another.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" he exclaimed as he flipped through the appropriate hand signs and unleashed his flames unto the Cie'th.

Jaken flipped through reports as he sighed and rubbed his forehead. Serving as a vassal for Naruto-sama was hard and effective work. He was busy with the orders handed down to him before his noble lord left for Kiri and was in quite a debacle. Right now the research on the Cursed Seal is postponed until he returned with Jūgo, and remodeling the entire place and repurposing the village (which was all underground) was hectic. He was busy assigning minor missions to get the money for the village so they can prosper, but right now this place was a wreck. It seemed as if it was more for cannon fodder than actual elite warriors; minus the Sound Five and a selected few handfuls of interesting individuals.

Damn you Orochimaru for not training your ninja properly save for your damn favorites.

Jaken knew this place was worse than his native village Iwa (which he betrayed in order for his master to spare him and make him a loyal vassal) when it comes to military strength. None of these genin under his master's command are not even up to par with most graduated genin in terms of skills. Plus, since there is no Jōnin here, there can be no advanced missions so they're stuck with mostly D-rank ones to get support from the village. But loyalty from these ninja is something worth it in exchange. Glancing at the nearest training grounds, he saw many men women and children determined to be ninja for Oto training with great effort to prove loyalty for Naruto. His charisma and compassion for these people have won their loyalty to the point they will willingly die for him. That was a real leader, one that Jaken himself was proud to follow even now.

"Hm?" Jaken noted, seeing someone sneaking off, something to take notice of as he decided to have a few members of security keep an eye out for that one. He has the profile on that one, so he won't be getting away anytime soon. If he's a spy, then Naruto-sama would be pleased of how serious security is in this village. "Someone get me Karin and Guren on the stat." he ordered the nearest shinobi who saluted him in response.

/The Dream of Eternity/

He dreamt of eternity.

He had been awoken prematurely and with his great power, saw what future pertained if Goddess Etro was destroyed.

He called upon a being that had the power to end him, requesting a change in this inevitable scenario and with that being's power, the history was changed.

He slept again, waiting for the time when the unseen realm will reopen again so his mother shall truly be destroyed. Yet another problem occurred in God's long slumber.

Humanity went beyond the Fal'Cie and had gained new powers separate from that of L'Cie. Chakra it was called. It was a vile taint, that of a demon he saw from his dream that will destroy everything he will ever create.

He tasked Mighty Pulse to find a L'Cie capable of eliminating this foul energy called Chakra, and requested the entity Nione to capture the best of Pulse's L'Cie and seal them away. Waiting for the right tool to be educated in the ways of a L'Cie, and to master their powers.

This one that the fallen Knight of Etro had recently taken up looked promising, and at the same time; a potential threat to his ambitions.

Lindzei shall watch over this one's progress as he continued to sleep. Almighty Bhunivelze continued dreaming of eternity as his crystal encased body continued to shine with a blinding radiance.

Soon, the true meaning of eternal life shall be his. Not even Death cannot stop him or his dream.