Fearful blue irises searches the source of a horrifying scream. Naruto cries out his friend's name, holding back his pain as he waddles through the eerie surroundings.

He suddenly thought of Sasuke who is nowhere to be found, they have just talked a few minutes ago, both planned an execution to eliminate their nemesis; Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, who had just doomed the whole of humanity. The only shinobis that stand are the former team seven and Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki.

Kaguya is nowhere to be found, probably fell on Sasuke's bait. Naruto feels helpless as he cries Sakura's name. He continues to walk, wrapping his arms on his growing belly. It seemed to be he and Sakura are the only people in this dimension until he heard a deep voice calling a few yards behind him. He turns around, wary eyes catching Hagoromo's sympathetic expression. He stops in his tracks, letting The Sage Six Paths teleport in front of him.

"Where's Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asks, staring up at the old man while clutching his abdomen in pain. Hagoromo instinctively reached his hands to catch the blond shinobi who was about to kneel in pain.

"That teacher of yours, unfortunately, couldn't make it," Naruto's eyes widen, trembling as the news registers in his mind.

"Your husband is well, I temporarily kept this dimension to start the Gishiki." The blond nodded, inwardly ordering himself to calm down and gather his remaining chakra from his own and Kurama.

"Sakura," He muttered, breaking free from Sage's grasp and continues to do what he left off.

"Sakura! Where are you!" He turns his attention to the left after hearing a painful grunt in the distance. He continues to shout his friend's name and another grunt is heard.

"I...I'm here." He runs towards Sakura's direction and finds her sprawled on the dusty floor. The used-to-be porcelain face is now covered with dirt and has a deep scowl etched in. He hastily removed her upper body from the floor and help her lean to the side of massive stone near them.

"Are you alright?" The pink-haired medic-nin slowly nodded, tears prickling in her closed eyes as she searches for Naruto's hands.

"No, I'm not Naruto. I just... We have just lost our family and friends," Naruto looks down to the ground in shame. "I just lost my child." She sobs, clutching Naruto's dusty cloak.

"I failed everyone, I failed you." She muttered, tears pooling down her cheeks and Naruto could do nothing but watch his friend grieve.

"Sakura, you never failed us I-."

"I know I won't be able to live. I am not sure if I would have the will to live even if we would be able to kill that woman, Naruto," Sakura inhales and composes herself before her dull, oceanic green eyes stare onto his blue ones. "So give me your full attention before travelling back in time." His whole body froze.

"How did you-"

"Kakashi told me before you and I were thrown here."

"...Okay."

"I just...I just want to tell you that I'm sorry for everything. Almost all of my life, all I did was look down on you, being insincere and useless. If only... If only I could go back in time to treat you better and support your dreams and not just be in the way just because of my foolish attraction to Sasuke." Naruto tightens his hold on her head as she sobs painfully in his arms.

"And thank you for everything, for shaping me to be the person I am today. For making me realize. I only have one wish for myself." Naruto pats her head, signalling for her to continue.

"I wish you will receive the happiness you deserve in there.

"Sakura..."

"Please, take care of yourself, never forget that."

"Naruto," He looks up, onyx orbs piercing through his soul. Naruto took a long gaze at his husband's physique before smiling at him.

"We have no time left, Kaguya should catch up in a few minutes." Naruto silently agreed, lifting both him and Sakura from sitting on the floor. He glances at Hagoromo before nodding at Sasuke to start the Gishiki.

"Heave!" Sasuke and Hagoromo chanted. The summoning template lights up, illuminating the shinobis standing near it.

"It is beautiful", Thought Naruto as he took a good look at the pattern of the template–something he had never seen before. He flinches as he hears Sasuke grunting in pain, Sakura immediately cast her chakra and let it flow on the Uchiha's back.

Seeing the ritual has been completed, he slowly spreads his chakra to the glowing template. In a matter of seconds, his whole body is pulled toward the centre by the Jutsu itself. Naruto gasps in pain and surprise.

"What?"

"Once your chakra has been settled and accepted by the time-travelling jutsu, your whole body would be pulled in." Hagoromo replied, right hand still sitting on to the template's starting point, glowing as chakra pools out of his palm.

"There is a consequence once stepping into the past." Hagoromo started, standing up and letting go of the floor as he did so. His rinnegan eyes pierces through Naruto's soul and the blond froze in confusion.

"What is it?" Sasuke asks and frowns up at the sage. Hagoromo closes his eyes as he clarifies the situation.

"The souls of the dead in this time will merge together with their current living selves in the past. Only you, Uzumaki, cannot hold that." Sasuke's eyes widen, standing up in shock and approaches the blond ninja who is still frozen in surprise. He reaches his hand to interlock it with the other before giving it a small squeeze, melting Naruto's aching heart in the process.

"That means-," Sasuke mutters but the pink-haired nin interjects.

"The future and past Naruto will have a completely different body? That means a new soul would be created to either one of them?" Sakura runs up to Naruto and cast her chakra, healing the blond's aching abdomen with her remaining chakra.

"The past shall hold the new soul. I exerted my final stage of chakra to bring him a year before the past fated sun would be born." The sage opens his eyes and stare ahead behind the trio. He senses a faint of Kaguya's powerful chakra. She's breaking the portal!

"She's here." Naruto growled, spreading his chakra more to the jutsu as the template starts to create a halo above the couple.

Sasuke frowns but dared not to question further. He activates his Mangekyō Sharingan and casts the Susanoo.

Both Sakura and Hagoromo lurches forward, leaving Naruto under the protection of his husband. Naruto grabs Sasuke's wrist, careful not to let a sob escape his trembling lips. The black-haired Uchiha grimaces in pain, heart wrenching in his chest as he stares at his lover's sad irises for the last time.

He reaches his free hand to caress the soft cheeks he always looked forward to touch whenever he gets home from his missions.

For the last time, he plants his lips to the other, deepening as they did so, yearning for more. But life is cruel, they have to part ways. After a couple of farewell kisses, Sasuke distances himself from the blond, silently disappointed of the loss of warmth.

"Naruto, I want you to-" Naruto shakes his head.

"No, I won't let you go. I can't-"

"You have to. You have to let go of me." Sasuke tightens his hold of Naruto's trembling hand.

"You should have your own happiness as well, never... Never neglect yourself. Promise me, my love." Naruto bawls, ducking his head to hide his overflowing tears.

"You're such a jerk...I can't promise you that." Sasuke gives his husband a heartwarming smile and reach his other hand to pat the blond's head.

He leans his head forward and gives the blond a kiss on the head.

'I'm sorry that I would only be able to say this to you for the first and last time.'

"Goodbye, Naruto."

"Sasuke."

"I love you."

And just like that, everything went black.