The Nine Swords were forged, using the Creation of All Things.
Shade's Realm.
The night sky stretched over him.
It was a mimicry of the sky on Earth, one that was so exact that it was hard to believe it was something created by a combination of seals and the Rinnegan, and not the true sky itself.
Well, except for the colors of it, on certain nights, where Naruto felt like experimenting.
It had been a long time since Naruto really took the time to appreciate it. The stars shone bright above his head, and the full moon hung among them. Naruto was sitting on a hill overlooking the lake, and the light that came from the heavens illuminated it.
They would fight soon. This was the last night, in the outside world. Early in the morning, they would have to be there.
Well... "Soon" was relative. That was still close to a month for them, if they stayed here until the last moment.
But there was only so much more training could do, at this point, anyway.
He felt presences before he heard, before he saw them. Three of them, in fact. Naruto couldn't help the warm smile that spread on his face.
Karin, Sakura, Ino.
"You're late." He said. "You're going to miss out on this."
"Really…?" Karin asked with a smile. "You could simply reset the night."
"It's not the same thing." He huffed.
"Besides, you said to come sometime after dinner." Ino shrugged.
"That's fair."
"Hanabi is not coming tonight…?" Ino asked evenly.
Is this jealousy I feel…?
Hardly. She huffed.
So yes, somewhat. Well, Ino had said she was fine with it, so…
"Nah." Naruto laughed. "She said she'd rather sleep than deal with this sort of cheesy thing."
"Did you want anything?" Sakura asked, sitting down to his right.
"Not really, no." He smiled softly, looking at her. She averted her eyes.
Karin sat down to his left and Ino in between his legs, her back resting against his chest, sinking into him. Karin snuggled against him and he wrapped an arm around Sakura. She stiffened… but got closer.
"Tomorrow is the last day." Naruto said. "Outside, I mean."
"Worried…?" Ino asked.
"I think I'll be fine." He said with a smile. "Are you?"
"Yes." Karin answered.
"Sure." Ino nodded.
"…Kinda." Sakura admitted.
"Even you…?" Naruto asked.
She huffed. "Do you think I'm some sort of sociopathic… wall?"
Naruto pretended to think about it and she punched his shoulder with a laugh.
"Well, we don't know what tomorrow brings." She said with a seemingly casual shrug.
"That's true. We don't." Naruto smiled. "It's part of the fun, I guess. Never found a real answer."
"Well, does it matter…?" Karin huffed. "I know what I want from tomorrow, anyway."
"Oh…? Pray tell." Ino grinned.
"Well I want to spend it with all of you, of course."
"Aw. My heart's going to melt." Ino laughed. Her eyes were crinkling up, though.
"What can I say?" Karin grinned too. "I just love you guys."
Ino laughed in delight.
"I love you girls too." Naruto said with a small grin.
Karin and Ino snuggled closer.
"Well, aren't you coming, Forehead?" Ino asked with a frown.
Sakura snorted. "He does not mean this kind of love—"
"He does, though." Karin weighed in.
Sakura froze. Ino continued, with a darkly amused gleam in her eyes. Naruto rolled his eyes, knowing what was coming.
"You'd rather spend years watching from the sidelines rather than admitting that he loves you."
"…Loves me?" Sakura repeated numbly. "Nah, it's… uh. Not like this."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Ino, don't be so pushy. What would your mother think, if she knew you were roping people into joining a harem?"
"Don't bring my mother into this. And it's not a harem!" She said hotly. "It's a polygamous relationship!"
"Okay, Hanabi, whatever helps you sleep at night." Naruto chuckled.
"It's my harem." Karin contested.
"What?!" Ino shot back. "It's mine, if you must insist."
"Oh yeah...? Didn't really see you act so bossy yesterday—"
"Shut up!"
"…Love?" Sakura repeated.
"And you made Sakura short-circuit, on top of it." Karin chided. "After all this."
"Love?" Sakura mumbled.
"…What else do you call it?" Ino rolled her eyes.
Sakura looked at Naruto for an answer.
"…Is this the truth?" She asked softly.
Naruto shot Ino an exasperated look. Then he turned back to Sakura and his gaze softened.
"I do love you, yes." He said easily, as though he were talking about the weather.
Sakura looked like a deer. One that didn't belong to the Nara, and that found itself in front of a particularly hungry Akimichi.
"…Does this really come to you as a surprise?" Naruto's brows furrowed.
"…Kinda, yeah." Sakura muttered. "I thought you…"
"You were not the only emotionally stunted person in the group, dear." Ino snorted, looking at Naruto.
He ignored her, because he had gotten much better at the feeling stuff, anyway. Shit-stirrer.
"What did you think I thought of you — besides being my dear friend, I mean…?" Naruto frowned.
"That I was a good right hand woman… — a trusted lieutenant — A useful weapon — I don't know?" Sakura muttered.
"Well, perish the thought, then." Naruto grinned. "Though of course, we're just talking about feelings here. I don't expect anything to change. You're my friend, before anything."
"Oh, poor of you." Sakura deadpanned, regaining some of her bluster. "Only two… three women…? How will you manage, I wonder?"
"I shall keep a tight hold on my ravenous lusts, of course." Naruto said very seriously.
"Shut your whore mouth." Ino glared at him. "You were definitely not complaining."
"Yeah, what she said." Karin added, rolling her eyes.
"Besides." Ino began. "She loves you too."
"I think you better stop it here." Sakura hissed dangerously. "What did I tell you about reading my thoughts?"
"Stop broadcasting." Ino deflected. Not that it meant anything at this point, she was basically a thought magnet.
"How I feel is none of your—" Sakura continued.
"I knew already." Naruto admitted.
Sakura's mouth slammed shut. She alternated between glaring at him and Ino. Karin hid a chuckle, out of politeness.
"What?" Naruto asked, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm not half as blind as I was before."
"Prove it, you ass." Sakura grunted.
Naruto gave her a dry look.
"Sure. Now, I can't pretend I'm an expert—
"See?" Sakura jumped on her way out.
"—But I noticed a few things. The way you're asking about the future sometimes, when you used to not give a single shit about that earlier, past the next contract."
"Hmpf." Sakura scoffed. "This means nothing. I'm just more optimistic."
"I know." Naruto nodded. "But you asked what I thought about kids, too."
"…Out of curiosity. I hate kids."
"Fair enough. You don't just stare at my body anymore. That was earlier on, and more of a tell for lust, anyway."
"…Yeah, that was just lust." She nodded quickly.
"I meant that you were gazing into my eyes a lot instead, now."
"…"
"You're more selfless, and trying to accommodate more for me specifically."
"Last time I let you pick the dinner spot." Sakura grumbled and Ino laughed. "Besides, you're the boss. Of course I try—"
"You laugh when I laugh. Even when I'm not particularly funny."
"...I have a very intellectual sense of humor."
"You actually talk about how you feel with me. You share more with me than you do with Ino — I know because she tells me everything that's not private private."
"Hey!" Ino interrupted. "In the Yamanaka clan, we used to believe in openness! Don't use it against me!"
"Are we in the Yamanaka clan…?" Karin mused.
"Did I mention that you're more optimistic lately…?" Naruto continued, unimpeded. "And that's not just a friendship thing in this case, I'm pretty sure."
"All the… good vibes in Umi are getting to me."
"We're not even in Umi. You took care of me when I was feverish, with the others."
Sakura stiffened. "It was a nice thing to do."
"I wasn't as unconscious as you thought I was." Naruto said with a fond smile. "But those were very sweet words. I wouldn't have expected them from you."
Sakura turned cherry red.
"Aw, fuck…" She muttered.
Sakura avoided looking at Karin's cheery smile and Ino's amused grin.
"Make me some space, then, you lunk." Sakura mumbled, wiggling closer against him.
He could feel her smile against his chest, and the way she wrapped her arm tightly around him.
"...No fucking though, thank you." She said at last.
"I can be patient."
"Asshole."
Konoha.
Sasuke sat with Hinata, on top of the Hokage monument.
They were not the only ones here, far from it. But there was enough room for it to still feel intimate. He knew that Shisui and Itachi were standing somewhere, talking in low tones, as well.
Hinata was really starting to show, now.
Sasuke looked at Hinata through the glow of the lamps people had brought here. She was smiling softly, as always, but he could see the worry in her eyes. She didn't voice it, not tonight.
Hinata was looking at the stars through the light of Konoha, but Sasuke couldn't muster the will to look away from her.
"Do I have something on my face, maybe…?" She asked demurely.
"No." Sasuke said with a small smile.
"I didn't ask before…" Hinata began. "Because you seemed pretty happy to see me. Not that I'm complaining."
Sasuke chuckled. For Hinata, he had been gone for a day or two. For him, it had been months. Of course he might have seemed overenthusiastic.
"You want to know about Hanabi, right?"
"Yes." Hinata smiled. "How is she…?"
"Strong." Sasuke laughed. "I don't mean just physically. More like... herself again, I would say. More mature, though."
"Ah." Hinata breathed out.
"…That's good." She added softly. "Did she look… happy?"
"Yes." Sasuke nodded.
A wide smile stretched upon Hinata's lips. She looked radiant, under the moonlight. He felt something in his heart clench.
"I was hoping we could meet." Hinata mused. "All three of us. Once this is over."
Once this is over.
Sasuke didn't dare voice his own fears. There was no need for that tonight. She saw it.
"Sasuke, we're all with you. Itachi. Shisui. Hanabi. If I could have come…" She let the words hang in the air. "Everything will work itself out."
"Yeah. Yeah… You're right."
He embraced her.
Uzushiogakure Coast.
Hyūga Hizashi set off.
The chill of the night didn't really get to him; he walked toward his destination.
The fortress in the sky. His eyes saw through the darkness, for he was Hyūga.
He walked over the sea for a long while; until he was close to Uzushiogakure. For a ninja like him, it wasn't that hard.
Close enough that he knew he would be seen. He didn't know where Neji was exactly, but he was sure that he would find him.
Hizashi waited.
Something yanked him up, and soon he was rising through the air.
The next moments were confusing, and he thought he went through a barrier.
He met a man, but had no memory of it.
When Hizashi found himself on his feet again, he was in the middle of a white palace. He was terrified, even though he wouldn't say it. Every step felt as though he was crawling through water.
Even the sound his footsteps made in the wide, echoing hallways sounded too loud to him. But he had been brought up.
The entire building was white, covered in intricate markings that he couldn't even begin to guess the meaning of. The vaulted ceilings were so high that the place felt open, almost.
There was a staircase leading up on one end of the room. It led to a gigantic door. One that he knew he could not push open, from its sheer weight.
He could barely see through the walls, laden as they were with chakra.
But he didn't have to.
The doors pushed themselves open, silently and smoothly. It was not a human hand guiding them, this much was clear. Footsteps echoed. Hizashi knew who it was, of course. It might have been years, but what man couldn't recognize his own son?
"Neji…" He called.
"Father." Neji replied evenly. "Nagato brought you up."
A shiver went down Hizashi's spine.
Neji went down the stairs and stood in front of him. His son had grown strong, he could see that much. He was standing proud; tall and broad-shouldered.
His forehead was bare.
Would he have had the chance to grow like this had he stayed in Konoha…?
Likely not.
"Why have you come?" Neji asked, shaking his head. "You will die. There was no need for it."
"You know why I came, don't you?"
"I do wish I didn't."
"You're still my son, Neji."
Neji let out a small laugh.
"Of course." He nodded slowly. "Your son."
"You are."
"You always had such a strange way of showing it."
"And I am sorry for it. But you are my son and I love you dearly—"
These were the wrong words to say.
"How could you let your brother do this to someone you love?" Neji pointed at his now bare forehead.
"…There was no other choice." Hizashi shook his head. Neji was about to retort angrily. "But I understand your feelings, my son."
"Oh, do you?"
Hizashi gave him a pained smile. "More than anyone."
Neji spat. "Of course. You know what it feels like to be surrounded by people you hate. People that can kill you with a single seal."
"…Do you hate me, Neji?" Hizashi asked.
"I did." Neji admitted. "For not doing more. For stepping aside and letting your son be branded."
"Not anymore?" Hizashi asked, afraid of the hope he felt blooming in his chest.
"No. Or not really, at least."
Hizashi shook his head. "I can still see the resentment in you."
Neji smiled blandly. "I'm afraid that this won't change."
"I wouldn't expect it to."
"What are you hoping to do here?" Neji asked.
"I wanted to talk to my son."
He moved toward Neji.
"I don't think your son has anything to say to you. If you leave now, perhaps I can convince Nagato to let you go."
Hizashi held a scroll out to him. Neji's Byakugan activated and his face tightened.
"There won't be any need for that." Hizashi said. "It is a tool to use against Nagato."
It was worthless, and he realized it. If Nagato really had let him go through...
"You came here… hoping I would betray him…?"
"Nagato is a madman. He will destroy everything."
"Maybe he is, and maybe he will. And maybe that's the point. Maybe the current world is not worth saving, if it breeds things like the Hyūga's traditions."
Silence.
Neji refused the weapon Konoha had created.
"It was naive of you." His son said. "And your pathetic weapon would never have worked against Nagato, anyway. Maybe against Hyūga or Uchiha, it would have. It that's the best this Shinobi Alliance has to offer, I'm sorry to say, but you've already lost."
It had just been Konoha.
"Neji… Will you leave here with me?"
A small smile stretched upon Neji's lips.
"Is this your idea of a joke?"
"Neji—"
"It's too late." Neji shook his head. "It has been too late for years."
"Then come with me." Hizashi tried desperately. "We could just leave, together. You and I."
The old, familiar anger came back to life on Neji's face.
"…Why now? Why didn't you ask this sooner?" He spat. "You had more than ten years to do so."
"And it is a mistake I will regret for the rest of my life."
Neji breathed out, centered himself; when he spoke, his tone was even again.
"…If you truly mean this, then join us." He extended his hand. "Nagato will remove your Seal, and we can bring about a new, better world. He won't care about what you tried to do."
Hizashi looked at Neji's hand.
He thought of what this would mean. Of Akatsuki's plans.
"I'm sorry Neji… But I can't do that."
"Then we are enemies." His face closed off again. "We will see each other when we come for Konoha, if our demands aren't met. Leave. I will try to—"
"I am not leaving here without you."
Neji froze. His hand was so tight that his knuckles were whitening.
"Why can't you simply understand…?" He muttered. "I won't betray Akatsuki. I won't leave with you. The entire shinobi system is rotten to the core. I can't stand by and do nothing. Running away with you would have been a nice dream. Once."
"Neji… I can't let you do this, either." He said.
"So you will fight for Konoha, then…?"
"Yes." Hizashi admitted tightly.
"…You really haven't changed at all."
His fury was obvious.
"Can't you see I'm trying to protect you?" Hizashi gritted out. "You are a criminal, Neji. I shouldn't even—"
Neji stood silent.
"To protect me…?" He asked. "So you think this is mercy? Like what you said about me learning my place when I was a kid?"
"That's not—"
"I've heard enough. Stop."
Hizashi shook his head. "I can't. Konoha—"
That was a mistake. He shouldn't have said that, and he knew it.
Neji blurred, wreathed in lightning. His hand struck Hizashi. A perfect heart strike.
He spat blood. He was not entirely surprised.
Hizashi looked at his son's face one last time. Neji was crying.
Hizashi felt the sharp pain in his chest and tasted warm blood. He struggled to breathe.
But he wasn't afraid.
On his forehead, he knew the Caged Bird Seal was fading.