Naruto of the Thousand Eyes

by storyseeker7

Instead of Hinata's father foiling Kumo's kidnaping attemp it is a young Uzumaki Naruto. However he suffers a grevious wound in the process and his shinobi career is placed in jeopardy. That is if it were not for a certain fox steping in and offering the Hokage to be a reward for his herorics. Now bare witness to a Naruto with a new power and unique perspective on things.

18. Shadows Within

Chapter 18: Shadows within

---

Unknown

Yakumo remembered a time when things were better. A time when the world seemed so much brighter.

"Good job, Yakumo!"

"You are the hope of our clan."

"My dear child."

She remembers the warmth of her parents and how much they loved her. She remembered that her parents had a small garden outside their compound. It was not the grandest of gardens and did not have a wide variety of planets. But it was a peaceful place for Yakumo, and her father diligently tended to it.

She remembered playing in that garden and how happy she was to be free from her daily responsibilities. Even as her burdens grew heavier and heavier.

"Yakumo, you must learn to control your abilities."

Even as the smiles turned to fear. Her parents offered her a safe refuge.

"Yakumo, stop! You're losing control. Stop!"

There was a small bench in the middle of the garden where her mother liked to sit. After a long hard day with the clan, Yakumo would go to the garden and find her parents there. Her father would be tending to plants, sometimes watering them, sometimes trimming them. Her mother would be sitting on the bench watching him.

Yakumo remembers that she would crawl into her mother's lap, and she would wrap her arms around her. In that garden, wrapped in her mother's arms, she felt safe. There were words too. Words of comfort, but something else as well.

"Yakumo, my dear sweet child." Her mother whispered in her ear. "You must remember…." Her lips moved, but no words left them. Yakumo strained herself to hear what mother said, but she heard nothing. That was when the embers consumed them.

Yakumo had not been to that garden in a long time.

---

Present

Yakumo stood in the middle of the flames. Her face showed no outward trace of emotion, but it was clear she had been crying. "Why?" She spat at the Shadow. The Shadow cackled.

"Why are you doing this? Why must you torment me?"

The Shadow's laughter continued over the cracks of the flames. "Haven't I told you this before?" It said. "I enjoy watching you suffer. What more reason do I need?"

Anger flashed across Yakumo. "Then why do you hate me so much? Why do you enjoy tormenting me?"

The Shadow frowned at her. "Why I do I hate you?" It repeated her question. It walked to Yakumo. Yakumo tried to back away from the creature but suddenly found her back to a wall. The Shadow grabbed her by her chin and looked into her eyes. "Simple." It brought its mouth to her ear and whispered.

"What?" Yakumo questioned.

The Shadow let her go and walked away. "You hear me." It said non-chanltly. "And soon enough, that little problem will be solved. But until then, I'm going to derive as much pleasure from this as I can."

Yakumo balled her hands into fists. "Fine." She said. "If you must torment me, then so be it. But my friends." Her thoughts went out to Sasuke, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Kiba. She shuddered to think what the Shadow was subjecting them to. "Leave them out of this."

The Shadow smiled at her. "They do mean something to you, don't they?" It asked mockingly. "Especially the Uchiha boy."

An image of Sasuke flashed across Yakumo's mind. "It has nothing to do with that." She said. "They have done nothing to you, so don't drag them into this."

The Shadow began to cackle. It was an insane sound that seemed to shake the world around them. "They have done nothing?" It questions. "They have nothing to do with this? That is where you are wrong, my dear. They have brought you hope and that I cannot tolerate."

Yakumo bared her teeth. "If you let them go. I'll surrender to you." She offered.

The Shadow's cackle had become a low chuckle. "Little girl, you seem to fail to understand that you are in no position to bargain with me." The Shadow started to walk around her. "I do not need your surrender, as I have already defeated you. And letting your friends go? I do recall an interesting conversation."

They were suddenly back in the warehouse, watching a scene play out.

"But why?"

"Because I'm your friend, and I want to help you. I don't care if you can control this Ido or not. I'll help you fight until you can. If it takes control of you, I'll find a way to bring you back. If I get caught up in one of your genjutsus, I'll know I will be safe because you will be there to hold it back. You don't have to fight it alone, you have me now, and I'll help you."

"And we'll be there for you too."

"Yea. If that creep does take you over, we'll beat it until it goes away."

"We're here for you. All of us, me, them. And others as well when you tell them. We'll all help. So, please. Let us help you. You don't have to fight on your own anymore."

"What a heartfelt if foolish declaration." The Shadow said. Then it snapped its fingers, and the warehouse and her friends vanished in a blaze. "That's what your hedging your bets on, isn't it? You're hoping that if I let them go, they will find a way to free you from me."

Yakumo was not going to answer the Shadow's questions. "They don't deserve to suffer." She said.

The Shadow ignored her comment. "Even if I did let them go. Their actions would be in vain. The idea of it would give you hope. It would give you the strength to resist me. I would, of course, eventually break you down. But I would rather get this over with now." The Shadow stopped in front of Yakumo. "I have had my fill of entertainment with you. It's time that we finished this little game." It grabbed her by her jaw. "But before that. I will make your friends suffer in their own personal hells. Before they break, they will curse you for their torment."

Yakumo's whole body was trembling with fear, rage, and despair. "Monster." She whispers.

The Shadow smiled at her. "Yes. But a monster of your own making."

Yakumo dug her nails into the palm of her hands, feeling blood seep through. She ignored the sharp pain. "I won't let you." She said, taking a defiant step towards the Shadow. "I'll fight you to keep them safe."

The Shadow looked amused. "And I'll enjoy breaking this sudden defiance streak you've developed." The flames around them suddenly began to shift. The flames swirled around the Shadow. "I will remind you who is the true master of your mind." It held its arm out, and the fire spun up around it.

A second later, Yakumo was forced to dodge a fireball.

---

Sasuke

The dead were everywhere. They were in the streets, in the houses. Lifeless bodies hung from the roofs and windows. No matter where the boy looked, he found nothing but death.

"Please stop." He shouted.

Sasuke ran as far as he could, hoping to escape the nightmare. He did not know how mace to be here. One moment he was in the storage room of an abandoned warehouse offering words of comfort to Yakumo. Then he found himself here.

Back to the night that changed his life. The night still haunted his dreams. The night his clansmen fell upon one another. But Sasuke quickly learned that this was no mere memory. It was a twisted, nightmarish version of it.

Everywhere he went he saw more dead bodies. They all bear the iconic red and white fan of the Uchiha clan. The faces were familiar. One belonged to his uncle. Another a distant cousin. But so many had the faces of people he was close to. His mother, his brother, Shisui, and even his father. Their faces were twisted in pain and horror.

"Stop this. Stop this pointless fighting." He pleaded again. "Stop killing each other."

He tried to ignore them and look at the path straight ahead. Even when he tried to close his eyes, he saw the faces. Pale and covered in blood and mocking him for his weakness.

He heard the distant sounds of battle. Sasuke ran faster, hoping to reach the sounds and stop this horror from claiming everything he held dear to him. To his relief, he reached where the sounds were. He soon wished he hadn't.

What he saw was unexpected. A lone shadowy figure stood against two others. Both were older than he expected. One was a male with yellow hair and wore the robes of a Kage with splashes of orange in it. On the hat, the kanji for five stood out, and hundreds of pairs of eyes surrounded the man. Naruto.

The other was a woman, she was stunningly beautiful in her lavender battle kimono. The woman almost looked like she had descended from the moon. Hinata.

Relief flooded through Sasuke as he ran past the shadowy figure. His friends had come to save him from this nightmare.

He got a glimpse of the hate on their faces before he was forced to dodge a palm strike from Hinata. A Juken-powered palm strike to his heart. "What?" The Uchiha said before moving out of the way of Naruto's eyes came down on him with their chakra beams.

It surprised him how easily and fluidly he moved across the streets, turned battlefield. More attacks came at him. Sasuke couldn't understand it. Why were Naruto and Hinata attacking him? They were his friends, right?

Sasuke jumped back, avoiding a combined strike from the two. Now that there was some distance between them, he looked up at the two. He was taken aback with how much hate they were directing at him. "What is wrong with you two?" He asked the two grown versions of his friends. "Why are you attacking me?"

Naruto snarled at him. Snarled! "Don't act innocent." He said. "Especially after what you've done."

"What I've done?" Sasuke parroted. "What did I do?"

Hinata spoke in a haughty voice. It was unnatural coming from her. "Don't pretend you don't know. Just look around. All of this is your fault."

Sasuke felt his eyes widen. He looked around the streets of his clan's compound. He took in the ruin and the dead. "How is this my fault?" He asked.

He did not like the answer he receive. Least of all from its source. "So, what if it is?" A familiar and, at the same time strange voice answered. Sasuke looked behind him as the third figure came into view. He was older now. His eyes swirled around with red and black in a maddening spin. "It was all for my benefit." The Sasuke thing said in a low tone, void of any emotion. He held out a single, crimson-stained katana.

Sasuke could not believe his eyes. He refused to believe what he was seeing. There was no way he could do all of this. Yet he couldn't tear his eyes from what he was seeing.

"You bastard!" Naruto shouted. "Why did you have to do this?"

The Sasuke thing walked up to the real Sasuke. He tried to stop the figure. He pushed his arms out to stop the figure. But they phased through the man as he walked through Sasuke. The experience gave Sasuke a cold chill.

Memories flood through Sasuke. A hunger for power no matter the cost and a lifetime of plotting. Then the moment finally came when his patience paid off, and he slaughtered his so-called friends and family. Only Naruto and Hinata stood in his way now.

"This can't be!" Sasuke thought to himself. There was no way he would do anything like this. He would never turn on his friends like this. He would never kill his family. This was a nightmare, and Sasuke could not wake up from it.

"It's because you stand in my way." The Sasuke thing said. He swung out his sword. "And because I want to He shouted, charging at Naruto and Hinata.

"No, stop." Sasuke shouted out at the three as they clashed. "You can't do this. This can't be real."

Then his perception changed. He was no longer an observer of the battle, watching his older self fight his friends. Now he was his older self.

He swung his blade down on Hinata. "No!" Sasuke mentally shouted, willing himself to stop. His body wouldn't. He was helpless, watching as his body moved under someone or something else's will.

"Power." His voice said, but it wasn't him. "Power is all I desire. It is the only thing that matters. Anyone who stands in my way must die." Hinata tried to move out of the way of the blade.

But she was too slow, and an arm went flying. She screamed, and so did Naruto. "No, please don't." In the same motion, he stabbed Hinata through the heart. Shock and horror spread across the older Hinata's face before Sasuke withdrew his blade, and she fell over, dying.

"This can't be real." Sasuke pleaded. "I would never do this."

"Would you?"

A voice spoke in his head. It was his, and yet it couldn't be. "Who are you? Show yourself." He said, trying to look around. But was unable to tear his eyes away from an enraged Naruto as he charged at him.

"I am you." The voice said. "Or rather, I am your deepest desire."

"My desire?" Sasuke asked. "Is this what I desire? But that can't be. I would ever do any of this."

"Don't lie to yourself." The voice mocked. "Admit it. You've always wanted this to happen. You are an Uchiha and all Uchiha desire power more than anything else. You're no different. Anyone who stands in your must be cast aside."

"But these are my friends and family." Sasuke tried to gesture to the bodies all around him. But his swung out his sword at Naruto. Thankfully, the blonde was able to avoid the attack.

The voice chuckled. "Friends? Family?" It mocked. "What do these things mean to men like us? We have no use for such things. They are only useful tools to be discarded once our goal has been achieved."

"You're lying. "I don't want-. Naruto! Watch out!" Sasuke shouted. But too late, his blade cut through his friend's neck, causing his head to fly away.

Sasuke wanted to throw up and see the spray of red coming from the headless body as it tumbled over. He stood gazing at all bodies around him. His father and mother. His brother and other clansmen. Now his friends joined the pile of dead.

Sasuke wanted to shut his eyes and run away from the terrible sight. But again, his body refused to listen to his commands. Instead, laughter seeped from his mouth. It was the laughter of a mad man.

"Power is the only thing that matters. It is all we desire, and you will stop at nothing to achieve it." The voice whispered in his head.

Then once more, Sasuke found himself running through the ruins of his home. Running towards the sounds of battle. He had to stop it. He had to stop himself before it was too late.

Sasuke was in a nightmare.

---

Shikamaru

He had failed. Again.

"I win in ten moves," his opponent said.

Images flashed into the boy's mind. Images of once brilliant plans falling apart, costing the lives of his comrades, friends, and family. Failure after failure piled on, costing more lives, more territory lost, and Konoha driven back.

"Again," Shikamaru said.

The images ended in the same thing. His village was left in ruins as foreign soldiers marched down its streets, killing all they found. Male, female, young and old, no one was spared.

His opponent, a dark reflection, smirked at him. "When will you admit defeat? Isn't it too troublesome?"

Shikamaru kept his eyes from narrowing at his other self. He was not going to give the thing the response it desired. That would be troublesome.

"Again." Shikamaru said, watching as the shogi table rearranged itself, and they had a new game to play.

His recollection of the events that led him here, facing himself, was hazy. But he did have a general idea of what happened. He and the others had been in the storage when one of the missing-nin tried to kill them. Yakumo had tried something to stop the man with one of her genjutsus, he concluded.

Something went wrong, and the world around them exploded into fire and darkness. Shikamaru woke up here, a shogi table laid out, and across from him, a dark reflection of himself. He and, by extension, the others had been trapped in the genjutsu.

Obviously, his first act was to dispel it. He failed. This was no ordinary genjutsu. He was trapped in a world of illusion.

"This Ido is something else." Shikamaru knew full who was to blame. Between the images of his failures, he saw Yakumo laughing at him. Mocking him for his failures.

Shikamaru was no fool. He knew that t wasn't Yakumo. The Ido was the one that trapped them here. It didn't take long for the Nara genius to figure out the monster's plan. It was forcing him and, most likely, the others to face their worst fears. Trying to torment them to the breaking point. But before, it wanted them to think that it was Yakumo's fault.

For Shikamaru, it would seem his fear was of failure and the consequences that came with them. He moved his first piece on the board. "You move." In his mind, images flashed.

Konoha nin sneaking into an enemy fortress through paths unseen. His other self was quick to make their move. He moved his piece. In his mind, he saw those same nin caught and killed to the lost man. Another failure.

"When will you admit failure?" His other self said. "Isn't all this effort too troublesome for you? Can't you admit that no matter what you do, it will end badly for you?"

Shikamaru ignored the thing and focused on the board. Hundreds of scenarios played out in his mind. He knew he couldn't win against this thing, but he had to wait until he or one of the others found a way out of here.

Until then, he had to play the Ido's game.

---

Kiba

He was too weak. All around him, his home lay in ruins. The bodies of the dead were spread out all around him. His friends, his family, his comrades, and everyone living in the village were all killed by the enemy. All because he was too weak. And they blamed him for that.

"How can you be so weak?" One villager said.

"How can you think of yourself as a man? "A woman said.

"Why did you let me die?" A child asked.

Kiba ignored them and ran. "Come on, Akamaru." He said to his partner.

Akamaru barked at him and ran after him. If there was one consolation in all of this, it was he at least had his partner at his side. Kiba still didn't quite understand what was going on.

One moment he and his friends were trapped in the warehouse's storage room, being attacked by one of their captors. Then an explosion of fire and darkness consumed them all. When Kiba and Akamaru woke next, they found themselves in this nightmare world.

At first, Kiba thought he was trapped in a twist genjutsu and tried to dispel it. When that didn't work, Kiba knew he was in trouble. Now Kiba would admit that he wasn't the sharpest kunai in the pouch. Burt even he understood that something was very wrong here.

He knew this wasn't the real world, everything felt off to him. The sounds, the way everything smelt, and even the way everything felt when he touched them felt wrong to it. This wasn't the real world, but at the same time, he knew this was no simple genjutsu. A world of illusion.

Yakumo had trapped them in a nightmarish world of their fears and doubts. It was only a stray thought that lasted for just a second. Even still, Kiba squished it ruthlessly and felt guilty. This wasn't her fault. He remembers her trying to save them and warn them before everything went topsy-turnsy.

He also remembered the Ido, she told them about. That thing had hijacked her genjutsu and forced them into this nightmare. Kiba growled. "That bastard." He said. "If I see that thing, I'll punch it in the face."

He heard Akamaru bark in agreement next to him. They passed more ruined buildings and more dead.

"How can you call yourself Konoha Shinobi." One corpse said.

"You runt, you've brought shame to our clan." An Inuzuka body said.

"I should have never given birth to you." His mother's lifeless form said. Now that one stung.

Kiba pressed on, ignoring the insults and accusations. There had to be survivors somewhere. Someone who had not been killed by the enemy. At every turn, on every street, he saw more dead, more ruins.

"You were weak."

"How dare you think of yourself as an Alpha when you're so weak."

"I've met squirrels tougher than you."

In the distance, he saw the Hokage monument collapse, sending clouds of dust everywhere. He came to the Hokage tower and felt a rush of relief flood in.

He saw a group of survivors huddled together near the ruined building. May two dozen people, none of them shinobi. That relief quickly vanished when he saw a group of enemies preparing an attack.

Kiba growled and hastened his steps. Akamaru sped up next to him. He wasn't going to fail here. Not again. He had to reach them. He had to save them.

Too many times, he had failed. Sometimes because he was a second too slow. Other times because he did not have the strength to push the enemy back. All his failures were because of he was too weak.

But not this time. He was going to save them. He was faster, stronger. There was nothing he couldn't do. He reached out to the survivors, ready to push them out of the way of the attack.

He was a second too late. The survivors screamed out as fire consumed them. Kiba fell to his knees, feeling tears running down from his eyes. The fires died down quickly, leaving charred corpses that mocked him.

"To slow." "To slow."

"To slow." "To slow."

"To slow." "To slow."

Kiba covered his ears to block out the mocking voices. But he still heard them.

The enemy surrounds him, chanting the same thing over and over again.

"Weak."

"Weak."

"WEAK."

"WEAK."

Kiba stood on his feet. Somehow, he knew there was no one else alive. He and Akamaru were all that was left of the village. That would not last for long. He felt his hands ball into fists. He might have failed, but he could at least try to avenge everyone. Failing that, he was going to take as many of these bastards with him before they got to him.

He charged at the enemy swiping a claw out. He actually got one of them. They vanished in a puff of black clouds. He got another and another before he heard loud barking. Kiba turned his head to see his partner stabbed in the stomach by the enemy.

"Akamaru!" Kiba said, cutting down another of the enemy. He charged toward his partner. Getting to the small dog Kiba fell to his knees and cradled his dying partner in his arms.

"I'm so sorry." Kiba sobbed out. He failed again. He felt a sharp pain in his chest, almost causing him to drop his partner. Looking down, he saw a blade extending out from his chest.

Kiba died. The nightmare repeated itself.

---

Naruto

Naruto ran from the angry crowd. He ran as far as his feet would allow him.

"Monster."

"Demon."

"Murder."

He didn't know what was happening. The first thing he remembers is being in the storage room with the others. Then an explosion of fire and darkness happened, and he woke up in the middle of Konoha.

Understandably he was more than a bit confused. But he took it as a chance to save the others and ran to Hokage. He hoped to warn the old man. He should have known something was wrong.

The people in the streets were angrier than usual. Hushed whispers of 'that boy' and 'why is he here?' were more frequent than they had been in years. Some even openly insulted him and threw things at him.

Of course, he had been confused. But he shrugged it off. Years of this treatment had conditioned him to expect this treatment. Even sometime after he had been taken in by the Hyūga and offered their protection, he was still used to it. He understood where their anger was coming from, and one day he would help them see past it.

Until then, he ignored them and made his way to the Hokage. That was when his nightmare truly began. Arriving at the Hokage tower, a crowd greeted him, more like a mob of people.

Among them were all his friends. He had been relieved at seeing them. He thought that somehow, they all had been rescued, or maybe the whole thing was just a bad dream he had.

"Monster."

"Demon."

"Murderer."

"Why did you lie to us?"

They attacked him. Call all the terrible things the other villagers did. They claimed he had deceived them, and he was little more than a demon in human flesh. From anyone else, he would ignore them. But coming from those he considered his friends, it hurt. The old man was even among them snarling at him. Saying he should have put him down a long time ago.

Naruto was forced to run from the angry crowd. With each step, he heard more hurtful things. Angry accusations.

"Monster."

"Why did you take me, son, from me? Give him back."

"Demon."

"Why did you lie to us?"

"Murderer."

"It's time we got rid of you."

Why? Why was everyone turning against him like this? What did he do to deserve this? He didn't do all the terrible things. He didn't kill anyone, and he didn't lie to people.

A Kunai was thrown his way. Naruto jumped to avoid it. The crowd was gaining on him. He looked everywhere, hoping to find some way to escape. He saw the rooftops and remembered that most people couldn't jump up there or move across them.

Sure, there were shinobi in the mob. But he would lose most of the crowd and have a freer range of movement. He leaped to one of the rooftops and crashed into some unseen barrier. He was sent crashing back into the streets.

Dazed and confused, Naruto got back to his feet. "What? Why?" He asked. The shouts of the mob grew louder and more triumphant as they seemed to realize that there was no way for him to escape.

"Kill the demon!" Sasuke said.

"He cannot lie his way out of this." Hinata angrily growled.

"Let us finish what the Yondaime could not." The man commanded.

Naruto darted into the alleyways avoiding a hail of thrown objects. With every twist and turn of the maze of alleys, Naruto's heart grew. He was going to get away. He was going to lose them.

When he did, he would find somewhere safe and figure out what was happening. Unfortunately, even fate had turned on him. He took a wrong turn and came face to face with a dead end. A wall that seems to extend to impossible heights.

Naruto turned around to take another way and stopped. The mob had appeared right behind him, radiating an oppressive aura. Naruto slowly backed away and found his back literally to the wall.

"Please don't." Naruto pleaded with the angry mob. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"Demon."

"Monster."

"Murderer."

The mob kept chanting, slowly approaching him. Weapons of all sizes and shapes. Some in the crowd even looked ready to beat him to death with their bare hands.

Tears streamed down Naruto's cheeks. Why was this happening? What did he do to deserve this?

The mob was just a few inches away from him now. Close enough, he could make out the faces of his friends. The old man, Sasuke, Hinata, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Kiba, Shino, and even old man Teuchi and his daughter from his favorite ramen stand. They all hated him.

"Monster."

"Demon."

"Murderer."

"We shall finish what the Yondaime started."

Naruto closed his eyes, not wanting to see what was coming next. He waits for death to take him.

There was a whooshing sound followed by screams and shouts. Second, passed the noises died down. Still, Naruto waited. Nothing happened.

"You can open your eyes now, kit." A voice said.

Naruto opened his eyes. Naruto almost gasped at what he saw. In all his nine-tailed glory (though a lot smaller), Kurama stood in front of him.

"Kurama?" Naruto asked, surprised, and relieved at seeing a friendly face here. "What are?" He stopped short in his questions when he looked behind the nine-tailed fox.

Bodies of the mob torn to pieces and burned to a crisp. Naruto was horrified, taking another step back.

"Kurama?" Naruto asked, "What did you do?"

The fox raised an eyebrow and looked back at his handy work. He looked back at Naruto with a sigh. "Do not be afraid, kit. They are only an illusion.

"An illusion?" Naruto questioned. "What do you mean? Have you finally lost your mind, you crazy fox?" That was when the bodies started to flicker and distort. "What the?" A moment passed, and the bodies vanished. He looked back at Kurama. "What? What just happened?"

"I told you kit. What you saw was an illusion." The fox looked up at the sky. As did Naruto. He almost took a step back at seeing the swirls of green lights in a dark sky. "In fact, everything here is an illusion."

"Am I in a genjutsu?" Naruto asked. To test that theory, he put his hands together into a sign. "Kai." He said, flaring his chakra. Nothing happened.

"If only it were that simple." Kurama commented. "This is no simple genjutsu. This is a place where the lines between the mind and reality have been blurred. A world of illusion."

Naruto blinked. Finally, for the first time since waking up, he became aware of his surroundings. Or rather how he perceives them. He held up his hand to his eye sockets and felt actual eyes in them. "Kurama, what happened?" He said, taking a moment to feel his eyes out. "How did we get here?"

Kurama gave him a pointed look. "Try to remember, kit." He said. "Think back to the moment before you woke up in this realm."

Naruto concentrated, trying to recall his memories before waking up in this nightmare. It took him a moment, but the memories slowly trickled in. He and his friends were in the storage room listening to something that Yakumo was telling them. One of the attackers came in, angry and threatening to kill them. Then Yakumo did something to the man. Something that caused the man to scream in pain. Than. Than?

Naruto focused on the memory. Everything after that was a blur. "We were in that storage room when one of the men tried to attack us." He said to Kurama. "But then Yakumo did something to him. Put him under a genjutsu, I think."

"Go on."Kurama nodded at him. "Focus on the memory. Try to recall what happened after that."

Naruto remembered that Yakumo suddenly seized up and started to tremble. She was afraid. Very afraid.

"No. Please no. Not now."

"Please run."

"It's the Shadow. It's trying to take over."

"Run!"

Then everything exploded into fire and shadow. Naruto almost felt like he was going to throw up. "The Ido." Naruto said. "Yakumo lost control and." Naruto paused, afraid to talk. "And the Ido took over. We're trapped here because of that thing."

Kurama nodded. "This is a world of its making." He said, looking down the alley. Mora figures emerged. The villagers and his friend. All of them shoot angry expressions at Naruto.

"Murder."

"Monster."

"Demon."

They chanted, among other things. Kurama flicked one of his tails, sending a shockwave toward the crowd. They vanished. "From what I can see. This Ido or Shadow as your friend called it. As trapped you in a world where your deepest fears are manifest."

Naruto heard more chanting.

"Murder."

"Monster."

"Demon."

Naruto turned around, seeing that the dead end had vanished. Stretching out into another alley. A crowd was moving towards him. One of them threw something at him. A bottle, he thinks. It phased right through him.

Naruto felt Kurama move behind him. Naruto held his arm out to stop the fox. Both looked at one another. Naruto gave the fox a sad smile. Kurama looked at him for a moment and nodded. He stepped back

Naruto looked back at the crowd, taking a deep breath. He walked towards them, ignoring their chants and taunts. More objects were thrown at him. More than a few of them were real weapons. They all phased through him.

He stops in front of the crowd, facing an illusion of Hinata. "What have to say, demon." The Hinata thing said.

Naruto smiled and held his hand out. "None of you are real." He said. Then with a wave of his hand, the crowd and the allay vanished. Naruto stood there for a moment, thinking.

"I'm surprised you didn't give them some speech about the power of friendship." Kurama said. Naruto felt the fox walk up behind him. "Or claim that they would never turn on you like this. Or some other mallard."

Naruto smiled. The eyes in his head vanished and a blindfold wrapped around his head. Several pairs of eyes shimmered into existence around the two. "I could have." He said, turning to face the fox. "But I know what I need to know."

Kurama was right this world had shown him his deepest fears. Even years later, after being treated so well by his friends, the Hyūga, the old man, and Hinata. He was still afraid of losing all of that. Worried that they were pretending to be nice to him. That one day, they would drop the act and show their true colors. That was something he was going to have to talk with them about. But not now. Right now, they had things to worry about.

"You said I was trapped in a world of my fears?" He got a nod from the fox. "What of the others? Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Kiba?"

"My best guess is that they are trapped in their own nightmares." Kurama said. "And unlike you, they don't have something like me to help them out."

Naruto nodded. He imagined the Shadow didn't consider the possibility that one of his victims was a Jinchūriki. If it was even aware of what a Jinchūriki was. Sometimes having a giant murder fox in his stomach had its advantages.

"Is there any way we can reach them?" Naruto asked.

"This is a world of the mind." Kurama responded. "If all your minds have been linked. Then it should be possible to find the others by simply thinking of going to them."

Naruto nodded. That made sense in a weird way. "Good. Now, what about Yakumo?" He asked. "You have an idea of what's happening to her?"

Again, the nine-tailed fox gave him a pointed look. "Kit, I believe you can answer that for yourself." He said.

Naruto remained silent for a moment, his own suspicions having been confirmed by the fox. "Then it's all the more reason for us to hurry." He said. "I'm going to find the others."

"Hold on, Kit." Kurama said. "I'm coming with you. You may need my help."

Naruto looked at the fox in surprise. "How?" He asked. "And even if you could, wouldn't the other recognize you? The tails are kind of a dead giveaway."

"If your minds are linked as I suspect. Then I should be able to come with you with a problem." Then Kurama smirked. "As for them recognizing me. I think I have a solution to that."

---

Kiba

The village was burning. The dead litter the ruined landscape of his home.

"How can you be so weak?" One villager said.

"How can you think of yourself as a man? "A woman said.

"Why did you let me die?" A child asked.

The voices of the dead continued to mock him for his weakness. For letting them die. No matter what Kiba did, no matter how hard he fought. It was never enough. The enemy would always win.

A shadow leapt at him, and he parried the attack. Just as quickly, he lashed out with his claws. The figure vanishes in a cloud of dark smoke. The Inuzuka boy continued to run through the ruins of his home. Akamaru was close behind him.

He tried to ignore the ruins around him, to keep his eyes on the path ahead. Focus on finding someone, anyone who was still alive.

"Why did you let us die?"

"Why weren't you stronger?"

"You killed us. You and your weakness."

How could he call himself a Shinobi? A shinobi was strong and fast. They could do anything. A real Shinobi would have never allowed this scene to play out. He ran past the ruins of his clan's compound.

"How dare you call yourself an Inuzuka."

"I always knew you would be a runt."

"Runt, I should have never had you."

Kiba's eyes looked down at the road. How could he call himself an Inuzuka? They were everything a Shinobi strived to be. Beside him, he heard the encouraging barks of his partner.

Kiba looked at the small white dog. Akamaru continued to encourage him. Told him to keep pressing on. But even his expression told Kiba that the nightmare was starting to get to him. They passed more dead. More chanting reached their ears.

"Weak."

"Pathic."

"You let us die."

Kiba wonders what sort of things his partner heard. They reached the center of the village. The cluster of survivors huddled together. Like always, the enemy surrounded them, and as always, one of them spotted him.

They pointed at him, letting out an excited noise grabbing the attention of the others. They all looked on at him. Despair turned to hope.

"Save us."

"Save us."

"Save us."

Kiba held back a fanged growl. He hated this part. The hope and excitement the survivors had at seeing him. He hated how they thought he would save them. He hated how the hope quickly turned back to despair as they burned. He hated how their cries for help turned to curses.

No matter how many times he tried, how many of the enemies he cut through. Or how close he got to the survivors. He would always fail. He wasn't strong enough. He wasn't fast enough, and he wasn't smart enough.

But he kept trying anyways. No matter how weak he was, he had to keep trying. To give up would be the final failure. That was a weakness he refused to give into.

Kiba charged passed the enemy cutting them down as they came at him. Akamaru was next to him, cutting through the enemy like he was. They got closer to the survivors than normal. However, as always, just when their goal seemed to be within reach, it slipped out from their fingers.

As impossible as it was, the survivors suddenly shifted, and they were much further away from him and his partner. The distance between them stretched out into impossible lengths, yet Kiba could still clearly see their faces.

Their hope turned to despair as balls of fire raced toward them. Kiba closed his eyes, not wanting to see what happened next. The sounds would be bad enough. He didn't want to see them die.

He had failed again. More people had died because of him. Why wouldn't this nightmare end? Wasn't it clear to all by now he was weak? That he couldn't save anyone? How many times did he have to see this before the nightmare ended? He knew already knew the answer to that question.

Kiba waited for the sounds of the dying, the curse that would come his way. He waited for the whole nightmare to repeat itself.

Something different happened.

He heard the flames reach their target. But the sound of death never reached his ears. He didn't hear the curses of his weakness. Instead, he hears cheers and a single loud voice.

"Kiba!" That sounded a lot like Naruto.

Kiba opened his eyes and almost felt his jaw hit the ground. The flames had not consumed the survivors. Instead, they licked at a transparent blue barrier. Inside the barrier, the survivors cheered and praised him.

But his mind focused on the two figures in front of the group. One was obviously Naruto, which should have been impossible since Kiba saw his dead body at the village gates. The blindfolded boy had his hands out, almost like he was the one projecting the barrier.

The other figure was someone he had never seen before. A tall, muscular man wearing a battle kimono that was mainly orange but had shades of red and yellow mixed in. It was like he was wearing fire itself. He had deep red hair that cascaded past his shoulders in nine strands.

"Kiba." Naruto said. "You alright?"

Kiba looked at the two wondering if they were real if this was some trick. "Naruto, is that you?" He asked. Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance for an answer.

The enemy appeared all around them and began their assault. Balls of fire rained down on the barrier projected by Naruto. The survivors within screamed and huddled together. "No time for that." Naruto said. "We need to end this. Kiba, you need to end this."

"What how?" Kiba asked Naruto. "I can't do anything." He was too weak.

"Yes, you can." Naruto said firmly.

The man with the red began to speak. "In case you haven't noticed. This is a world of your fears and doubts. The only way for you to get is to face your fears."

"Face my fears?" Kiba questioned. "How can I do that? I can't do that. I'm too weak."

"No, you're not." Naruto said. "You're much stronger than you think. You can do this."

Kiba was not convinced. "No, you're wrong." He gestured to the destruction around them. "If I were strong enough, none of this would be happening. The village would not be in ruins, and everyone I care about wouldn't be dead."

He knew none of this was real. That it was all an illusion meant to break him. But he also knew this nightmare was a reflection of what would happen. It showed him the ugly truth he had been trying to hide from himself. He was too weak to protect anyone.

Naruto had a thoughtful expression on his face. For a moment, Kiba thought he might have gotten through to the boy. Not that it mattered. It wasn't really him. But it still hurt him.

The enemy was descending on them. Kiba readied himself for the fight, ready for the nightmare to repeat. "Then why do you keep fighting?" The world around him slowed down.

Kiba blinked. He hadn't expected that. "What?"

Naruto repeated himself. "Why do you keep fighting." Cracks were appearing in his barrier. "Why do you keep going through this nightmare time and time again? If you really think yourself so weak. Why haven't you accepted it? Why not let everything around you be destroyed?"

"Because I have to." Kiba said. "I have to keep fighting. I have to protect everyone." It was what a Shinobi did. They had the strength to protect.

"But you just said that you're too weak." Naruto pointed out. "If you're too weak to protect them, then why bother?

"Why bother?" Kiba was surprised to hear something like that from Naruto. Even if it was a fake. "Because I have to. This is my home. My friends and family live here. I have to protect them. Without them, nothing else matters." Kiba was a true Inuzuka. To them, nothing was more important than the pack.

For Kiba, his pack was more than his clan. His pack was his family, his friends, and the rest of the village. To him, nothing was more important to him than his pack. He would do anything for his pack. So, of course, he would keep fighting, no matter how worthless it seemed. He didn't notice it back; the enemy around him distorted for a second.

Naruto noticed though and smiled. "Kiba, you are so much stronger than you think." Naruto said. "You're not weak at all, Kiba. You have the strength to protect everyone."

"Then why I have I failed again and again?" Kiba said/shouted. "Why couldn't I prevent our home from being destroyed? Why couldn't I stop it all?"

"Because your only one person." Naruto said simply. "No matter how strong you are if you fight alone. That strength will mean nothing, you will always lose. But if others stand with you, nothing in this world can stop you."

Kiba had forgotten one important thing. To an Inuzuka, nothing was more important than the pack. They would do anything for their pack. That much he understood. He would do anything for his pack, his family, his friends, and the village.

But had forgotten that desire went both ways as the one who desired to protect the pack. The pack also looked out for its members. No one stood alone. No one lived alone. They stood together.

Kiba had forgotten that, or maybe he never really understood it. He understood it now. Kiba felt his fears and doubts melt away as he finally realized that the Naruto thing. No. Naruto was right.

Kiba was not weak.

He turned to face the enemy coming down on him and fought. He kept fighting as the enemy came at him in waves. With each swipe of a claw, each jutsu unleashed, the enemy vanished in a puff of smoke. But they kept coming.

A few slipped past him, charging towards the barrier. Kiba, though only smiled. Even if they got past, even if he wasn't strong enough to stop them. The attackers vanished in clouds of smoke as previously unseen blades cut through them. Kiba was not fighting alone.

Standing in front of the barrier, ready to protect the survivors at all costs, was an army of Konoha Shinobi.

Kiba kept fighting, knowing even if he did fail here, the others would not. But Kiba had no intention of failing. He was strong enough, fast enough, and maybe smart enough. He cut through the waves of enemies coming at him.

"Come on, Akamaru." Kiba said, tossing his partner a small pill.

Akamaru barked, and the pill landed in his mouth. A puff of white enveloped the puppy. When it vanished, a clone of Kiba took his place.

"Beast Mimicry: Fang over Fang!" Both Kibas twist around, creating cyclones that overlap the other. They came crashing down on the enemy, eviscerating them.

When both Kibas finished their attack, there was nothing left of the enemy. Akamaru returned to his normal form. That was when Kiba heard the cheers of the survivors.

He turned around to face the crowds of people applauding him.

"Thank you."

"You save us."

"How can we ever repay you?"

Naruto and the mysterious man were smiling at him. Kiba smiled back at them and basked in the cheering of the crowds. Akamaru was excitedly barking and running around Kiba's legs.

Then the crowd vanished, and Kiba heard silence. He frowned; he would have liked to enjoy that moment for a bit longer. Naruto ran up to him while the red-haired man walked.

"I told you you could do it." Naruto said with a wide grin. "You are stronger than you think."

Kiba showed Naruto an arrogant smirk. "Well, I was only pretending to be weak." He said boastfully. "There's no way I would ever be that pathetic. Right Akamaru?"

Akamaru gave him a weak bark that translated as. "Sure."

Kiba frowned at his partner. Hoping he would have received some more support from him. Kiba shook his head and looked back at Naruto. "Well, thanks anyway." He said. "But Naruto? How did you get here?" He glanced at the man standing behind Naruto. "Whose this guy?"

"We're all trapped in the same genjutsu." Naruto said, then corrected himself. "Well, the same world of illusion." Okay, so that confirmed Kiba's suspicion that this was no simple genjutsu. "So, I was able to get you by just thinking of where you are."

"Ok, that makes sense." Kiba didn't want to think about it.

Naruto looked at the man behind him. "And this guy." The blindfolded boy hesitated for a moment. "Let's just say he's an old friend of mine. You can call him Kurama."

"Kurama?" Kiba asked. "Like as in Yakumo Kurama?" Had someone from her clan been caught up in this nightmare world?

Naruto chuckled nervously and shook his head. "No. No relation. At least not one I know of." He glanced at the man.

The shrugged. "It's not anything I can remember." The man named Kurama said. For whatever reason, his voice radiated power.

Naruto turned his attention back to Kiba. "Anyway, he helped me out of my nightmare."

"I see." Kiba said. He was unsure if he should trust the man. But if Naruto trusted him, he wasn't going to argue. "So, what's the plan?" He asked.

"We free the others and find Yakumo." Naruto explained. "Then we all give this Ido the beat down of its life."

Kiba had a feral grin on. "I like that plan." He said, smashing his fists together. "So, who's next?"

"I'm thinking Shikamaru."

"What do you want to bet it's something lame like his mother yelling at him?"

"I'll take that bet."

---

Shikamaru

"Well, this is not what I expected." Kiba commented.

"Me, neither." Naruto said. "But it's still something lame."

"So, who won?"

"I did."

Shikamaru felt a tick mark appear on his head. "Would you guys get back on track?" He asked the trio. He placed down his piece. His plans went into motion.

"Oh, right, sorry." Naruto said sheepishly.

"So let me get this straight." Shikamaru said, not taking his eyes off the board. His opponent was quick to counter his move, and he saw flashes of people dying because of his failure. "Since we're all trapped in the same world of nightmares. The three of you were able to find me just by thinking of where I am." He wasn't going to think about it. It did make sense, though. "And this guy." He tilted his toward the man with the long red hair. "Is an old friend of Naruto and his name is Kurama. But no relation to Yakumo or her clan."

"That is correct." Kurama said.

"Okay," Shikamaru said. He was thinking of his next move. "Now you said that the only way to get out of here is to face my fears. Is that right?"

The three nodded. "Something like that." Naruto said.

Shikamaru yawned. "Alright." He said, taking one of his pieces and placing it next to his opponent's king piece. "Shogi." In his mind, he saw the enemy Kage being killed. After that, their army fell into disorder and was quickly defeated.

His opponent looked at him in shock. "You can't do that." His shadowy reflection protested. "That's cheating."

Shikamaru just shrugged. "I just did." He said. "Plus, I'm a shinobi. Cheating is a part of the deal." He got up as the board vanished. His opponent still protesting as it faded away.

Naruto, Kiba, and Kurama were giving him deadpan looks. "That was." Naruto started off.

"Anticlimactic." Kurama finished.

"What?" Shikamaru questions. "You said to face my fears. I did."

The three continued to stare at him. "You knew from the beginning? Didn't you?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru shrugged.

"Then why didn't you do it sooner?" Kiba asked.

"Too troublesome." Shikamaru said flatly. "Plus, it was an interesting opponent. Facing my fears and doubts."

Naruto sighed. "Lazy pineapple." He muttered.

"Troublesome blonde." Shikamaru responded. "So, what was that about who won?"

"Nothing that concerns you." Naruto said. "Come on let's go and Sasuke."

---

Sasuke

Sasuke had lost count on how many times he had run through the streets. He was sure it was somewhere in the triple digits now, maybe even higher.

No matter how often he repeated the action, he was always met with the same scenes. His home in ruins, and the dead of his clan littered the street. The dead were chanting now.

"Power is what matters."

"Nothing else is more important."

"Betray friends. Betray family. Anything to gain power."

"Nothing must stand in your way."

Every time he passed the dead, he saw a reflection of himself cutting them down. "I have to stop him." Sasuke said to himself. "I have to stop myself."

"Stop it right there, traitor." A voice said.

Sasuke looked up to see older versions of Ino and Kiba descending on him. "No, please stop." Sasuke said. "You have to understand."

"Like we'll listen to the words of a traitor." Ino said, charging at him. Kiba was close behind her.

"Please don't." But it was already too late. A shadow shot out from him. A moment later, both Ino and Kiba fell to the ground as they were sliced in two.

The shadow landed behind the two. Sasuke wanted to scream. But the noise died in his throat at seeing the shadowy figure stand up and turn to face him. It was him. His older self twisted and distorted almost beyond recognition. "Why do you feel so sorry for these people?" The Sasuke-thing asked him. "Shouldn't you be happy that they're gone now?"

"They were my friends." Sasuke shouted at himself.

The older Sasuke scoffed and stuck his blade into the back of Kiba. Sasuke had to resist the urge to throw himself at the man. "What use are friends?" He mockingly asked. "Especially with weaklings like this?" He pulled his blade out and gave the lifeless boy a good kick.

"Bastard!" Sasuke said. "Why are you doing this? Why turn your back on everyone that you have ever known? How did I end up becoming like this?"

The older Sasuke smirked at him. "You should already know the answer." He said. Two more figures emerged behind him. They were Naruto and Hinata.

"Traitor."

"We'll stop you here and now."

The older Sasuke turned to face them. "It is the same desire that all Uchiha have. Power." He leaped at the two.

Sasuke tried to run toward the three to stop the battle. To stop himself. But his feet were weighed down, unable to move. "No," Sasuke whispers. "I would never. I'm like you. I'm not like them." In his mind, he saw the night that his clan almost tore itself apart. The greed and desire for power that had nearly driven his clan to turn on the village. He didn't have any of that. None of it.

But there was always that small shadow of doubt. "Don't lie to yourself." A voice whispered in his ear. Sasuke looked over, seeing a second version of his older self standing beside him. "You have that same desire as all Uchiha have. No matter how much you try to hide it. It has been festering inside of you. Driving you, dictating your every action. You want power, and you will do anything to get it."

The other Sasuke wounded Hinata, slicing at her arm. She would have died had Naruto not intervened with a timely blast from his eyes. "I would never." Sasuke tried to defend himself. "I would never do any of this."

The older Sasuke next to him smirked. "But you will." He said with confidence in his voice. "Power is the only thing that matters. That is the Uchiha way. Our way. Your way."

"But I," Sasuke hesitated for a moment. Was this man, right? Was he no different from the rest of his clan? Was there no escaping from his future? "I-I wouldn't." Would he?

Again, the other Sasuke smirked. He opened his mouth to say something. "Don't you listen to this bastard!" A voice cut him off.

Both Sasuke's looked back in surprise. Just as two orange tails wrapped themselves around the older Sasuke's neck, lifting him in the air. "It might be an illusion. But I still going to enjoy this." A man with orange hair that fell into nine strands. Two of which were extended out and wrapped around the older Sasuke's neck.

Behind him were three others. Naruto, Shikamaru, and Kiba with his pet dog on his head. Sasuke could not believe his eyes. Kiba was supposed to be dead. And Naruto was behind him, fighting the other older Sasuke.

Sasuke looked back at the fight just to confirm what he was seeing. Yep, an older Naruto fighting it out with the other older Sasuke. He looked back at the group of four. He was sure he had seen Shikamaru's corpse somewhere. And who was this man standing in front of them?

Sasuke heard a loud cracking noise, quickly followed by a popping noise. He looked over to see the older Sasuke go limp and fall to the ground, vanishing in a puff of smoke. A chill went down Sasuke's spine.

He looked back at the newcomers. "What?" Sasuke asked. "What are you?" Were they real? Was this some new twist on his nightmare?

But something deep in him told him they were real. Naruto looked up at the battle. "Well, Sasuke, I'm flattered that you think I will turn out so handsome when I'm older. Are you sure you're not into guys? Because let me tell you, I don't swing that way." Yep, that was definitely Naruto.

Sasuke sighed. "Dope," he said, with a smile. Then that smile falters for a moment. "What are you doing here? How did you get here? And who's this guy?" He pointed at the man in front of them.

"Questions for later." Shikamaru quickly said. "Right now, we got other stuff to take care of."

"Yea, like stopping your." Naruto said, trailing off. "Like stopping your older self? From killing Hinata and me? This is a weird place."

"But how?" Sasuke asks. "How can we stop?" He looked back over at the battle. "How can we stop myself?" He looked back at Naruto and the others.

"Easy. You just have to face your fears." Naruto said.

"Face my fears?" Sasuke repeats. "How?"

Naruto remained silent for a long time. For a moment, Sasuke was afraid that the boy wouldn't have an answer. Then he opened his mouth to speak. "You're still afraid of yourself? Aren't you?"

Silence fell over the area. Even the sounds of battle did not reach Sasuke's ears. "Wh-what?"

Naruto just smiled at him. "By now, you must have realized what this place is, right?" Naruto asked him. "This place is a reflection of your fears and doubts." The blindfolded boy looked around. "From what I'm seeing, you're still afraid of what you will become."

Sasuke remained silent, unable to dispute what Naruto was saying. "What if I really do become like him?" Sasuke said, referring to his older self. "What if this isn't some nightmare? But a vision of my future?"

"Sasuke," Naruto said. "That won't happen. You won't become like him." Both boys looked at the battle. It looked like it had reached some form of stalemate.

But Sasuke knew what the outcome would be. "How can you be so sure?" Sasuke asked. "What if I really do desire power more than anything else? What if I'm willing to do anything to gain that power? Even hurting you or the others?"

"Because you're not that kind of man." Naruto answered. "You're better than that. The very fact that you are worried about that proves it."

"But," Sasuke tried to argue.

"Sasuke, do you remember the promise we made?" Naruto cut him off.

"P-promise?" Sasuke asked.

"It wasn't long before the incident with your clan." Naruto said. "We were hanging outside the academy."

Sasuke looked back over his memories of that time. It was difficult to find the memory buried deep under others that surrounded that dark time in his life.

"Sasuke, we are friends. No matter how tough things get or what happens in the future. We'll be there for each other. Even if you do turn against us, we'll be there to turn you back. We'll help you no matter what happens. Even if you run far away from here, run to the ends of the earth, we'll be right behind you to bring you back. Even if we have to break every bone in your body, we'll drag you back to the village."

"That's what friends are for. You, Hinata, and me, we're friends. We'll always be there for each other. Always." He grasps his hand around theirs.

"We'll always be here for you."

A soft smile was on Sasuke's face.

"So, you do remember." Naruto stated. "On that day Hinata and I made you a promise. We promised that if you did, turned out like this. That we would be there to drag you back. No matter what."

"Even if it meant breaking every bone in my body." Sasuke finished.

Naruto nodded. "That promise still stands." He said. "If you can't have faith in yourself. Then have faith in us." He held his hands out to the others. "We'll be there to keep you on the straight and narrow. If you do go off it, we'll drag you back."

"Troublesome as it would be, it would be more troublesome to leave you to your devices." Shikamaru said. "So, you can count on us."

Kiba had a feral grin. "Naruto's right if you do become some power-obsessed bastard, we'll break every bone in your body and drag you back. You can count on that."

Naruto and Shikamaru were giving the Inuzuka boy a deadpan stare. Even Akamaru was giving him a blank stare. "Kiba, that's only if we have to."

Kiba's grin grew. "Come on, Naruto, you know how stubborn duck but is here." Sasuke suppressed a scowl. His hair did not look like a duck's but. "He won't listen to a word you say until you've beaten him senseless."

The eyes around Naruto rolled. "Even so. I would prefer to talk him down than beat him up." The blonde shook his head. "Kiba's eagerness aside, we're here for you, Sasuke."

Sasuke had a smile on the whole time. Was it possible that he wouldn't turn out like the nightmare was showing him? Were his fears unfounded?

"Do not listen to them." A voice whispered in his ear. Startled, Sasuke looked over to see another clone of the older Sasuke standing beside him. "These friends," He spat out venomously. "Can't keep their promise. Power is all that matters. Nothing else."

"You again?" Naruto said, his eyes flying around the air surrounding the other Sasuke. Kiba and Shikamaru got into fighting stances. The man, though, remained still.

"Uchiha," The man said, crossing his arms. "Listen well because you will never hear me utter these words again. I have met many members of your clan, and I do not have a strong appreciation for them. You, however, are among the few I can respect."

Sasuke looked at the man in surprise. He didn't know who this man was, but somehow Sasuke felt that what he was saying meant something.

"So, believe me when I say that you are nothing like what this shadow is showing you." The man continued. "Nothing is set in stone for you. Only you alone can decide what your fate is."

Sasuke remained silent for a long time. "Are you really going to listen to the words of your so-called friends?" His older self asked. "And words of a stranger?" The thing sounded huanty, but Sasuke could hear the edge in its voice.

That was all Sasuke needed to hear. "Yes, I am." Sasuke said, standing up and facing the other Sasuke.

A flash of anger spread across the other's face. There was something else in there too. "You're deceiving yourself if you believe the words of those fools."

"The only fool here is you." Sasuke said, taking a step towards his other self.

"You dare!?" The other's retort was cut short when a blade pierced through his neck.

Courtesy of the younger and real Sasuke. "I will never become like you." He said, twisting the blade around. "I will never turn on those I call friends. Not for anything. Not for power. Not for wealth. And certainly not for you!" He pulled the blade out and aimed for the older Sasuke's neck with a single swing.

Then, suddenly everything shifted again. He wasn't on the ground in front of his friends. He was up in the air where the battle he was helpless to watch a moment ago was. Behind him were the representations of the other Naruto and Hinata.

The other Sasuke only had a moment for a look of surprise and horror to spread across his face. Before his head was separated from his shoulders. His body and the body of the other Sasuke on the street vanished in clouds of darkness.

"I know who I am." Sasuke said, landing on his feet. The blade in his hand shimmered and vanished. He turned to face the other Naruto and Hinata, both of whom were smiling at him. They gave him a knowing nod before they shimmered and vanished.

Sasuke smiled to himself and turned back to face the group of four. Naruto, Kiba, and Shikamaru run up to him. While the mysterious man walked closely behind them. "Sasuke, you were awesome." Naruto shouted. "That was great."

Sasuke gave his friend an smirk. "Of course, I was." He said. "After all, I'm not a dope like you."

Naruto feigned a frown, with some of his eyes rolling. "Oh, don't give me that Uchiha Elite bullcrap." He said.

Sasuke continued to smile at his friend. "Whatever." He said. Then his expression softened for a second. "But think you."

It was a quiet whisper, something that only Naruto would hear. The blindfolded boy nodded at him.

Sasuke looked at the man. He had never met this man before, but somehow, he felt something was off about him. "Naruto," Sasuke began. "Who is?"

Naruto cut him off. "I know you have a lot of questions. But right now, we have something more pressing to take care of."

Sasuke gave the blonde a questioning expression. Than nodded. He was right. They had other things to take care of. Questions could come later. Right now, it was payback time.

"Come on, let's go." Sasuke said, walking past his friends. "Let's get Yakumo out of this nightmare."

"Yea, let's go save Sasuke's girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend."

---

Yakumo

She didn't know how long she had been fighting the Shadow. Days seemed to go by in an instant as their battle raged on. Had weeks passed? Weeks? Maybe even months or years? She couldn't tell.

Tell one thing she was sure of was that this battle was slowly turning against her. She was becoming exhausted. Not physically, as in a world of illusion and dreams, that physical body didn't matter. Though she imagined this wasn't doing wonders for it.

No, she wasn't becoming physically exhausted. She was becoming mentally and spiritly exhausted. In a place like this that was the worst thing that could happen.

Yakumo dodged another fireball. Just barely, she felt the intense heat on her skin. In that same instant, she threw a kunai out from her sleeve. The small blade sailed through the air, aimed at the shadow's head. It passed right through it, doing no harm to the thing.

The shadow cackled in glee as it lunged at Yakumo. Again, Yakumo tried to dodge the attack. But a clawed hand was able to rake across her arm.

Yakumo screamed out in pain as she gripped her wounded arm. Before she could react, she felt a kick to the side and was sent flying into a nearby. With the wind knocked out of her, Yakumo fell to the ground in a heap.

Yakumo held herself up with her good arm. The shadow was walking towards her, laughing. This had been continuing on since the beginning of the battle. If it could even be called that.

Almost every second of the fight, Yakumo had been forced on the defensive, dodging the Shadow's attacks. Most of the time, she barely managed to do that. But sometimes, an attack would make its mark on her.

Bruises, gashes, and burn marks littered her body. Worse yet, when Yakumo did manage to get an attack in, it would do nothing to the monster. Either the attack would land on the shadow but fail to do anything.

All the while, she was forced to listen to the chanting.

"Demon."

"Witch."

"No one will ever love you."

And images of her friends being tormented flashed in her mind.

Yakumo tried to get to her feet. But her legs gave out from under her, and she fell back to the ground. The shadow chuckled. "My oh my." It said. "Looks like reality is finally starting to set in for you."

Flames started to surround the shadow and Yakumo. Yakumo propped herself up against the wall. "What do you mean that reality is setting in?" She asked the Shadow.

The Shadow smiled at her. A row of sharpened teeth on display. "What I mean is that you're finally realizing the futility of fighting me." It said, standing in front of her. "For so long, you've been fighting me for so long. I admit I enjoyed it for a time. Slowly lettleing you down, showing you just how useless your efforts are." It wrapped a clawed hand around her chin.

Yakumo recoiled from the creature's touch. "Bastard." She spat at it.

The Shadow's smile faltered for a moment before it returned. "That is precisely what I'm talking about." It said in a low growl. "Even now, you still have some fight left in you. But that won't last for long. You are reaching your breaking point." It caressed a hand across her cheek. This time Yakumo did not recoil. "Why don't you make things easier on yourself and submit already?

Yakumo just glared at the shadow.

The Shadow looked like it was annoyed now. "Come now. We both know how this will end. Just submit to me, and I promise you that all of this will end." All around them, shadowy figures appeared in the flames.

"Demon."

"Witch."

"No one will ever love you."

"Why did you do this to us, Yakumo?"

Yakumo wanted to cover her ears. She wanted to scream at the others for them to go away. But her arms refused to obey her. "Why." She asked the Shadow. "Why are you doing this to me?"

The Shadow rolled its eyes. "Once again, you ask me that question. And once more, I will give you the same answer." It looked her directly in the eyes. The cloak of shadow lifted itself, revealing a face she had seen a thousand times. A twisted reflection of her own. "It is because I enjoy tormenting you. Because I hate you with every fiber of my being. I Torment you because nothing else brings me more joy than seeing you suffer. And at last, I will see you break."

"Monster." Yakumo spat at her dark reflection.

The Shadow smiled. "Remember what I told you, Yakumo. I may be a monster, but I am a monster of your own making." She said. "Now I ask you one last time. Submit, or your last moments will be of agony."

A large part of Yakumo wanted to take the Shadow wanted to take the Shadows offer. All the suffering she had endured.

Flames exploded out from a bedroom door. Screams of agony echoed across the halls.

Mocking voices surround her. "Demon. Witch. Monster."

"No one will ever love you. No one wants to be around the witch like you."

She wanted it all to end.

But there was something else inside of her. A small voice that had been slowly growing louder.

"Fight!"

Memories and images flashed across her mind.

A forest clearing with a lone tree in the middle. She was alone until a boy greeted her.

"Fight."

She remembers the times she spent in clearing with the boy. How often they brought a smile to her face. How good it felt to be with someone else.

"Fight."

And the words he and others said to her. Why they were always wanted to be around her.

"It's because we're friends." The boy said.

And the words she always wanted to hear. "I'm here for you."

"Fight."

Yakumo mustered whatever strength she had left and slowly stood up, coming face to face with her shadow. "I will never submit." She said. "I will fight you."

Her dark reflection scowled at her. "I told you before fighting is futile. I don't care how long it takes. I. WILL. BREAK. YOU." Her words came out as venom.

But there was something else in there. An edge Yakumo had never heard before. It almost sounded like desperation.

But before she could put more thought into it. The shadow raised a clawed hand and swung it down. "Submit."

Yakumo expected a lot of things to happen. She expected for the clawed hand to rake across her face. She expected that she would somehow avoid the incoming attack. She expected for any of a thousand things to happen.

What she did not expect was a flash of orange to stop the Shadow's hand, and for a familiar voice to follow it. "Don't listen to her!" Sasuke's voice echoed in the air.

The shadow's hand was inches away from Yakumo's face. Wrapped around her wrist was what looked like an orange tail.

Yakumo looked over in the direction of the voice. Relief and surprise flooded over her, seeing her friends running up to her. Sasuke, Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, and? A man she had never seen before. Yakumo raised an eyebrow at seeing his hair was the apparent source of the tail wrapped around the shadow's wrist.

The group of five ran between Yakumo and the Shadow. With the man taking a swipe at the Shadow. The Shadow leaped back, and the tail around her wrist returned to the man.

Sasuke turned to face Yakumo. "Yakumo. You, okay?" He asked. The others had taken up defensive stances around her but were looking back at her with concern.

Yakumo nodded. "Yeah, I am." She answered. "I'm… You're here. You're really here, aren't you? This isn't some trick from the Shadow."

Sasuke gave her a soft smile. "I am." He said. "We're all here."

Yakumo smiled back at him feeling like she was about to cry. "I knew that you would escape from the shadow's trap. But I." She trailed off. "I didn't know if you come for me." She finished her thought. "I thought that I would have to fight the Shadow on my own."

Sasuke shook his head. "We never abandon you." He said. "Especially not to that thing." He turned to look at the shadow. "It looks a lot like you." He commented.

The Shadow snorted. "Of course, I look like her. I'm a part of her being. Her fears and desires embodied." She said. She took a step towards Yakumo. But the others were quick to step in front of Yakumo.

"We're not going to let you anywhere near Yakumo." Naruto said.

The Shadow smirked. "Like you have a choice in the matter." She said. She raised her arm and waved it through the air.

Trails of shadows flew out from the walls and wrapped themselves around the boys, lifting them into the air. Sasuke, though leaped out of their way, landing beside Yakumo. "Hey, what's the big idea?" Kiba said, trying to break free from the shadow's grasp. "Why can't we break free?"

The others were struggling as well. Except for the man with the orange air, he glared at the Shadow. "You might have been able to escape from your nightmares. But you made a mistake by coming here. In your minds, my influence was limited. But here." The shadow gestured at Yakumo. "In her mind, I have absolute control over everything."

"Witch!" Kiba shouted.

The shadow chuckled. "I believe you should be directing such comments at your friend here." She turned the boys around to face Yakumo. "After all, it is her fault that you're here in the first place."

"More lies from what is little more than a rogue part of her mind." The man said. "You're the one who dragged us here. And you're the one who refuses to face the truth."

The shadow smirked at the man. She walked up to him and placed a hand on his face. "Now you're an interesting one." She said. "I've never seen anyone like you before. You can't be the man that tried to kill her and her friends. He's still trapped in his own little nightmare. Nor can you be any one of the kidnappers, or any of the rescuers. I would have known about any else trapped here." There was an almost annoyed tone in her voice. "So, tell who or," She glanced over at Naruto. "What are you?"

The man grinned at the Shadow. It was eerily like Naruto's smile he got when he was planning one of his pranks. Only this one was more vicious. "How about you let me go, and I can show you." He said.

The shadow quirked an eyebrow. "I think not." She said, taking her hand off the man. "So, tell me, what was it you met by 'you're the one who refuses to face reality'"

"Simple," The man said. "As you said before, this is her mind." He tilted his head towards Yakumo. "But you are not the almighty here. She is."

The shadow frowned for a second. She flicked a finger causing the shadow wrapped around the man to stretch around his mouth. "I think I've heard enough from you." She said, stepping away from the man.

She turned away from him and started to walk towards Yakumo, ignoring the shouts from the boys.

Sasuke stepped in front of Yakumo to protect her from the Shadows. "I won't let you hurt her." He growled.

The Shadow looked amused. "How cute," She mocked. "Your little friend wants to protect you." She flicked her wrist.

Sasuke yelped as the trails of shadow emerged from below and wrapped around his body. He struggled against his bonds. "Let me go."

"Even now, you struggle to protect her." The shadow said. She stopped in front of Sasuke. "Why do you protect her? Why would you risk your life for her? It's her fault that you're trapped here. She's the reason you had to experience your worst nightmares manifested here. So why?"

Sasuke stopped his struggle and remained silent for several seconds. "Why?' He asked.

"Hmm?"

"Why am I doing this?" He said, looking at the shadow. "You ask me why I'm doing this? If you have to ask, then you won't understand. But it should be obvious to anyone that can. It's because I care about her. Yakumo Kurama is my friend, and I will do everything in my power to protect her from the likes of you."

Yakumo had to stifle a gasp. "Sasuke." She said. He didn't have to do this. He didn't have to risk his life for her. He didn't have to be friends with her. But yet he did.

Sasuke turned his head to look at Yakumo. He gave her a smile that almost broke her heart. "Yakumo," He started. "I know you can do this. I know you can face the Shadow."

Yakumo took a step back. "I can't. It's too strong for me."

"She's right." The shadow said. "She is and always will be weak. My existence is proof of her weakness."

"Don't listen to that thing." Sasuke said. "For so long, it's been trying to convince you that you're weak. That you can't do anything to stop it from taking over. But the truth is you have always been stronger than you think. The shadow fears you because it knows you can beat it."

"Lies." The Shadow said. "Don't listen to him. All he is doing is filling your head with false hopes. You can never defeat me."

"Listen to her voice." Sasuke said. "Can't you hear the fear in her voice? You can-hhhmmm?" Sasuke's voice was muffled out as the shadow tendril wrapped around his mouth.

"She's heard enough from you." The shadow said in an agitated tone. "All of you." She added as the other's mouths were muffled.

"Leave them alone." Yakumo said.

The shadow looked at her with a bit of surprise before she gave her a mocking smile. "I'm sorry. What did you say?" She asked. She waved her around in the air causing the tendrils wrapped around the others to constrict.

Muffled screams reach Yakumo's ears. "I said leave them alone." She repeated herself. She shakily got to her feet.

The Shadow smirked at her. "Or what?" She brushed one of her claws across Sasuke's cheek. A thin line of red opened, dripping down to his chin. "You'll stop me?"

Yakumo balled her hands into fists. She had had enough. "I will." She said, taking a step towards the shadow. Then came to a stop, she looked down to see that her feet were frozen to the ground by pools of darkness. She glared back at the Shadow. "I won't let you hurt him." She pulled her feet up, trying to free them.

The Shadow chuckled. "Now, don't get so hasty." She said, raising her claws up to Sasuke's face. "You'll get your turn when I'm done with him and then the rest of your friends." She put a single claw on the bridge of Sasuke's nose.

Yakumo pulled harder on her feet. She had to stop the Shadow. She had to save Sasuke. She had to save the others. Nothing else mattered to her at that moment. Not her fears. Not her doubts. Not her insecurities.

"Witch."

"Monster."

"Demon."

"No one will ever love you."

"Because we're your friends."

The Shadow reared back claw. "Consider this my final gift to you." She said. "Before I take your mind, your soul, and your body. I'll take your friends away from you." Then her claw descended.

Thunk! Crack!

The world had shifted. The Shadow looked on in surprise. "Impossible." She said, looking at Yakumo.

Yakumo glared back at the Shadow. Casting aside her broken hand, she almost threw the Shadow to the ground. "This is my world. My mind." She said. Behind her was an unharmed Sasuke.

"But I had you trapped." The Shadow said, confusion and fear creeping into her voice. "You can't have escaped. This is my world. You're supposed to be powerless here." She tried to rake her other set of claws at Yakumo.

Crack!

Only for the Kurama to grab her wrist and break it. Giving the shadow a set of matching broken hands. The Shadow yelped in pain. "Impossible." She said. She took a step back.

For the first time in Yakumo's life, she was not the one experiencing fear. "I told you this is my mind. My world. I decide the rules here. Not you." Yakumo took a step towards the shadow. Behind her, the tendril wrapped around Sasuke vanished, allowing him to fall to his feet.

"But, but." The Shadow stammered. "You're supposed to be afraid of me. You're the weak one here, not me." She pleaded as she took a step back. Then another, and another. Each step was mirrored by Yakumo as she got closer and closer to the Shadow. Around them, the others were released. The flames that surrounded them flicker and die down.

"Not anymore." Yakumo said in an icy voice.

"St-stay away from me." The shadow said, trying to take another step back. But in a twist of fate, her back hit a wall.

Yakumo stood over the Shadow, looking at her like she was beneath her. A katana suddenly appeared in her hand. She held the blade up, bringing the blade's tip to the Shadow's throat. "Submit." She said.

The Shadow let out a low growl. "I will never!?" Her reputable was cut short as the blade was pressed onto her throat. A thin line of red trialed down.

"Submit." Yakumo repeats herself.

The others gathered around the two, all of them shooting defiant glares at the shadow.

The Shadow glared back at all of them. Almost daring Yakumo to finish the job. After the longest time, the Shadow let a low growl. "Very well." She said bitterly. "You win. But don't start celebrating just yet." The form of the shadow starts to twist and distort. Around the children, the world began to fade away. "You may have won today. But do not think for a moment that this is over. No matter far away you push me. No matter how deep in your mind you bury me. I will always be there, waiting for my moment. The moment you falter and show weakness, I will strike."

Sasuke stepped beside Yakumo. "And we'll be there to stop you." He said. The boys and the man stepped Yakumo.

The shadow shot Sasuke a quick glare. "You shouldn't get comfortable either, boy." At this point, the Shadow had mostly faded away. Appearing only as a thin outline. "When I'm done with her. Your next." Then it was gone.

Yakumo and her friends woke up.

---

(Wakes up with a shudder.) Oh thank God that's over. So many spiders. So many.

Anyway, looks the Shadow finally got what was coming to her. But I'm not quite down with the Shadow yet. Has she promised her other self, she'll be waiting for her moment. She'll be back, and when she does oh boy. I got an idea how that should play out and how she'll play into the rest of the story. But for now, you don't have to worry about her. The next chapter should wrap things up for this arc, then we'll move on with the rest of the story.

So, until then I hope you guys have a good day.