A/N: It occurred to me as I was writing this that I should have just added this to the end of Chapter 18, but…

C'est la vie.

Enjoy.

Chapter Nineteen

The End of the World

For the first time in a few days, the light of the sunrise reached Konoha unobscured. From the east the golden sky spread outward across a dull blue, and the few clouds that remained from the rain took on a red tint.

Danzo watched the peaceful morning from the top of Hokage Rock. He stood at attention, as if waiting for something that would have been out of place in the slow-rising village. His watchful eye scanned the streets below. Few people were up yet, but there was still a hum in the air, a sense of life.

It made him nervous.

Eventually, Sasuke arrived from the mountain stairs and joined him.

"Lord Hokage."

Danzo did not turn, but something in his stance softened, and Sasuke continued.

"Inoichi Yamanaka has just spoken. Naruto…"

Sasuke said the name in disbelief, as if recalling a memory that he had forgotten.

"Naruto is here."

Danzo was silent for a moment before he nonchalantly tapped his cane twice on the ground.

"Did you enjoy your day off, Sasuke?"

Sasuke, taken aback by the Hokage's sudden interest in his personal life, felt the confusion growing on his face.

"Um…sir?"

Danzo turned to him.

"I'm asking you if you had a good day."

"Uh…"

Sasuke's expression suddenly shifted, and for the first time, Danzo saw the slightest of smiles forming on his lips.

"Yes, sir. It was…nice…"

Danzo returned his gaze to the village.

"Good…"

His lone eye finally went back to where it began the morning: on the sky above. It was a beautiful sight, really.

But those red clouds…

"It's going to rain again."

~XIX~

Naruto wasn't sure why his father's kunai were weighing him down today. He had kept them in the bag he wore under his cloak ever since he got to Konoha, but for some reason, in the bright morning, their presence was far more noticeable than it had been before.

One explanation was that his mind was blank. It wasn't for a lack of things to focus on; rather, it was an abundance, and all of them combined into a white static that filled his head.

His conversations over the past 24 hours weighed on him like anvils, and all he felt when he thought back to them was a hollow feeling in his stomach.

"What do you want to do?"

Itachi's words had been ringing in his ears all morning. What did he want to do?

The truth was that he hadn't the slightest idea.

He could join Itachi on his quest to protect Konoha from Danzo and the Akatsuki.

He could go back to Uzushio and try to rebuild the home that he once knew.

He could show up at Ino's door and explain everything to her and ask her if they could watch the stars as they did when they were younger.

And, of course, he could run away.

Forget everything. Leave it all behind. Begin a new life in a small town. No hidden villages. No ninja.

No past.

No future.

It was a little while later that he wound up back at the Konoha graveyard. There were no flowers in his hand this time, but that same expectant feeling took him over as he entered. His eyes stayed on the metal flame from the moment he noticed it, trying their best to find something in its shadow as he approached.

Much to his surprise, there was another person at the memorial.

Though it was not the person he was hoping for.

As he approached, the silver-haired man turned to him, the eyes above his facemask dark and heavy but still sharp.

"Good morning, Miss…"

Naruto's eyes widened as the memory returned to him. The first image was of a man in black raising a blade over him, ready to kill; the second was of the enemy falling to the ground to reveal the man he saw before him now. Same silver hair, same smooth voice, same dark eyes.

Same green flak jacket.

"G-Good morning…"

The silence that filled the air between them was not uncomfortable.

"Sorry for asking…but would you happen to be the civilian girl who's visiting?"

Naruto couldn't help feeling down as the man asked the question.

"Yeah…that's me…"

"I see…"

Naruto turned his eyes to the base of the statue. The flowers he left yesterday were gone, as were the rest. No trace of them remained.

He spoke slowly.

"It seems like everyone knows who I am…except for me."

The silver-haired man didn't gasp or raise his eyebrows or do anything that showed he was shocked. He had seen far too much to be caught off guard by the musings of a girl half his age.

But he was a little surprised.

"I don't know if that's true," he said.

Naruto waited for him to finish before protesting.

"Well…maybe people know of you. I heard about you from a colleague of mine. He told me you and your sister would be here for a couple days…that you were attacked…that you lost your parents. I even knew your name, and the colour of your hair and your eyes…"

Naruto's gaze only narrowed as the man spoke.

So it was true…

"But…I wouldn't say I really knew you."

Naruto turned to the man, who still stared straight at the flame statue, confused.

"W-what…what do you mean?"

The man sighed.

"Well, all that stuff is just information. It doesn't mean much. Who you are…that's something else."

"Something else? Like what?"

His gaze on fell on Naruto.

"The look in your eyes, for one. That pain."

Those same eyes widened now as Naruto tried to understand.

"You're obviously struggling with something. I don't know what it is, but…until you know that about someone…I don't think you really know them at all. So now…I feel like I know you."

For some reason, Naruto was calmed by the man's words; but he was not satisfied.

His father's kunai were still heavy…

"Is…is that the only thing?"

"Hmm?"

Naruto swallowed hard.

"Is that the only thing that makes a person who they are?"

Finally the man showed a hint of surprise as his eyebrows raised. He said nothing, allowing Naruto to get his words out on his own.

"What about…what about the past?"

The man was quiet for a moment.

"The past, huh…? No…I don't think so."

Naruto turned to him as he turned back to the flame.

"If that were the case…I'd rather be dead."

Naruto's heart stopped for a moment. He couldn't help himself from watching the man's eyes. They had a familiar look in them, and Naruto thought that they were searching that metal flame for a hint of the past.

And yet they were still…

As if they could see the past but did not reach out to grab it.

As if they could let it go.

"Isn't it painful, though…?"

The words practically fell out his mouth. The silver-haired man turned to him, and he continued.

"Isn't it painful carrying the past around with you? Wouldn't it…"

The thought had been on the tip of his tongue ever since he arrived in Uzushio, swirling in his head like a brewing storm ready to unleash itself on him. But as the feeling came out of him, it was more like rain.

A soft rain that came from dark clouds.

"Wouldn't it be better to just forget the past?"

The man's eyes closed for a moment in understanding as the gold in the sky began to give way to blue.

"It is painful…"

It was only for a second, but Naruto could have sworn he saw the man smiling under his facemask.

"But we go on…"

Naruto's eyes narrowed on the statue as his lips pursed.

"Why…?"

The man took a breath and let it out slowly, as if relieving himself of his burdens.

"This statue in front of us…was originally built after the First Great Shinobi War, as a memorial to those who died in battle. This village has been through two other wars since then, and over time people began to see this flame not just as a memorial, but a monument where the dead reside; and not just the dead, either. Those we've lost, those who aren't with us anymore…that sort of thing."

Naruto thought of Ino.

Itachi was right. There was no guarantee him staying would have changed anything, but…

Maybe…maybe she wouldn't have had to come here.

Maybe he wouldn't have had to, either…

"I see most of the people I love in this flame."

Naruto was snapped out of his trance by the man's words, delivered with a calmness that was almost unnerving. In a way he almost expected a truth like that, but it still felt heavy on the morning breeze.

"You asked me why I go on. That's why. The people I've lost…I do it for their sake."

Suddenly Naruto was reminded of his parents, and in the flicker of the sunlight, he almost thought he saw them in the flame.

It was a second of silence before the silver-haired man turned to leave. Naruto watched him go and heard his muffled voice against his mask and the breeze.

"Don't worry," he said.

He stopped, and turned back slightly to Naruto, who watched the man's green vest almost blend into the village behind him, the morning light filling it with more colour than he had ever seen before.

"You'll find your own reason."

~XIX~

Itachi wasn't used to walking with two swords around his back. It wasn't that they were heavy, but they were just uncomfortable enough to be annoying.

But perhaps it was his nerves that were really bothering him.

The sun was up now, and the villagers were beginning their days. The shops opened, the parks filled, the ninja left and returned from their missions. They had all done it a thousand times, and they would do it a thousand more. They would do it again tomorrow, to be sure.

Itachi and Naruto would not.

It was their final day in Konoha before Danzo kicked them out. In the back of Itachi's mind was the thought that Danzo had no interest in letting them go free, though he decided they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

The more pressing issue was that they had under 24 hours left to figure out what they came back for: Naruto to see if he could find anything about his father; Itachi to see if he could figure out anything about Danzo and his plans.

Yesterday, though a heavy one for Naruto, was fruitless.

Although Itachi counted his blessing that he was able to see Sasuke smile…

Nevertheless, his brother would never smile again if the Hokage sent him to his death on a suicide mission for the village's twisted goals. That was what Itachi came here for; that was what he needed to stop.

But where to begin…?

It was nearly an hour of aimless drifting before Itachi found a starting point.

The man, at first, looked like any other ANBU agent. A white mask in the shape of a dog, a grey vest, and a red tattoo on his left shoulder.

But as he passed Itachi by, the Uchiha noticed something sticking out of his back pocket: a scroll. Though his wide green eyes were growing darker by the day, Itachi still managed to see the insignia that was imprinted upon it.

The symbol of the Hidden Mist.

This world shall know pain. The words implanted themselves in Itachi's mind and stuck there, and led him to only one conclusion, one truth.

The Akatsuki had arrived in Konoha.

Itachi felt himself freeze for a moment. This is what he'd been waiting for.

He would not let it go.

He followed his target from a ways behind. All the man did was walk through the streets aimlessly, turning his mask every so often to notice a shop or a bar that caught his attention. Itachi knew what he was looking for. He decided as he followed that if worse came to worst and the man made his move to explode a building, he would stop him.

Even if his cover was blown.

But it did not come to that. Eventually the man stopped on the left side of an uncrowded street, and Itachi saw his chance. He waited until there were no eyes on him to make his move.

In one fluid motion, he closed the distance between them and grabbed the man by his arm, twisting it behind his back. The man grunted quietly, but before he could make another sound, Misa's voice filled his ear.

"You're going to be quiet."

The man let out a snarl but allowed Itachi to lead him into a nearby alley. When they were blocked off from the rest of the village, Itachi pushed him against the wall. With his free hand he grabbed the man's mask and tore it off. He was unsurprised by the wild eyes that stared back at him.

"Wow," the man said with a wicked voice. "What's a pretty girl like you doing coming after me?"

Itachi pushed him harder into the wall and he grunted once again.

"I don't have time for your games," the Uchiha growled. "So you're going to tell me…"

In his anger, the green in his eyes gave way to whiling red and black of the Sharingan.

"What is the Akatsuki doing in Konoha?"

The man against the wall stared in shock at the sight before him.

"You…"

Suddenly, he let out a laugh. Against the echo of the alley and the distant sounds of the bright village outside, it was vile.

"We were warned about you, but I never thought…ha ha! So it really is you! Itachi Uchiha!"

Itachi quickly glanced to his right and saw a heap of garbage bags. He grabbed the man's hand tighter before tossing him and directly into the pile. The man struggled to sit up as Itachi suddenly moved over him, sword drawn. It was sharper than he remembered it being, which was good.

He had a feeling it was about to be used.

The man's eyes went crazy once again.

"Heh…you asked what we're doing here…? Simple. We're preparing, of course."

Itachi inched his blade closer to the man's neck.

"Preparing for what…?"

Suddenly, the man's face changed. His smile remained, but though he still looked at Itachi, it was as if the light of the heavens was coming down before him. His eyes focused, as if in a dream.

"The end of the world."

Itachi barely had time to furrow his brow before the man's words came to fruition.

~XIX~

Naruto sat by himself on the park bench. There were plenty of others around. Family, couples, children, all of them enjoying the Konoha morning. It seemed to him that his impression of the village upon his return was influenced by the weather, because in the beauty of the sun, everyone seemed to be happy.

He looked to the sky. The red and gold had gone, leaving only blue behind. It was a wonderful sight.

And yet there were some straggling clouds, and he couldn't help the feeling he had that it was going to rain once again.

The silver-haired man's words replayed over and over again in his mind.

"You'll find your own reason."

Would he?

Naruto knew. He had always known. There was a chance that he would find the past and be hurt by it.

But this pain…

Of not having anywhere to belong.

Of not having anyone to belong to.

Of not having anyone…

It was too much.

All he needed was a home…

All he needed was a family…

…

All he needed was a reason to live.

.

BBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!

The greatest explosion that Naruto had ever seen burst out in front of his eyes. The front gates of Konoha erupted in flames that shot high into the sky. A second later the ground beneath him shook, the village rocked to its very core. An aftershock of wind pulsed through the air and pushed him backwards against the bench.

Naruto felt the end of the world coming.

Finally the ground stopped shaking, and he slowly rose to his feet.

Through the screaming and the crying and the running and the wide eyes staring at the remnants of the blast, he saw specks of orange making their way over the wall, some more arriving from the base of the flame.

It took him a moment to realize that it was people he was seeing; people dressed in orange.

A dark orange.

Like the colour of fur.

Thank you all for being patient with me as I got my fix of psychological drama, but I know people like action, so action you shall receive. It goes without saying that this is a big development here. Whatever will happen to our hero?

Anyway, if you like, please leave a review, and as always thank you very much for reading!