JuanCS: Thank you.

Death Incarnate: Yeah. I had this in the works in the while. As soon as Arknights released, I was predicting that there would be a couple of Naruto x Arknights stories that would pop up, as Azur Lane and Genshin Impact had them but strangely… it never did, even as AK reached the 2nd anniversary. Glad you enjoyed. There will definitely be more soon.

huaniri35: You're welcome. Enjoy the following to come.

Eeveefan13: Thanks. I won't recommend watching Naruto if you don't want to sit through and suffer 500+ episodes of filler and pain, and if you don't have the time for it or the manga. For Naruto and Exusiai, I do have something in mind that would exactly correlate with the scene you mentioned… though I won't spoil it, and it'll be a while before Naruto and Sasuke meet PL.

AetherialQ: Yeah, AK lore makes me want to smash my head against the wall at times for how complex it is. I love and simultaneously hate it. Thanks for being honest about the Exusiai and Texas scene. I didn't know it was a tad bit out of character. I was trying to represent and portray their character as they were in the game as accurately as possible. Either way, thanks for the criticism. I'll try to keep them in character as much as possible in the future.

Iskandar Hero: How can there be someone who has the exact same thoughts I have regarding Naruto and Sasuke? You summed up exactly how I felt about both Naruto and Sasuke and their characters. I fully agree with what you have to say. Sasuke has layers upon layers to his character that makes him so tantalizing to write, while Naruto is predictable. Many crossover stories that do have Naruto give him layers, that while I do enjoy, also somewhat take away that made him effectively himself. Don't worry. The focus will switch to Sasuke and various other characters. It won't be entirely focused on Naruto. A large portion of chapters will be dedicated to Sasuke equally as much as Naruto, and if you're interested to see how he and Texas will interact, I definitely have some couple of scenes with them planned. This chapter should be to your liking then.

Kamencolin: Thank you. Enjoy the chapters to come.

Dasgun: 00, the number of the spiritual angels. It will be a while before Naruto or Sasuke meets the pure angel though.


He found himself falling.

Through the murky depths of an infinite well of his memories, he watched as they faded past, not being drawn to them. All had their own setting that involved him and others, his expression on each of those faces of his, youthful and mature, gave off a solitary nature. If one could see more closely, then they would be able to see a lonely expression that bespoke a variety of emotions.

First it had been with his team of his past, where he was still tied to the village and his former comrades. The blonde, his outspoken and exuberant nature, lunges at their pink haired teammate for a long session of training to enhance teamwork and allow for a fluidity, their teacher never once in his life arriving early for them, as the pink haired teammate requested the blonde to spar for Taijutsu improvement. No sooner did he discover that it was a test of patience. That was when he finally realized that their teacher's tardiness was spent and built upon teaching them patience.

Both his other teammates had only realized it later upon information. What three hours or so of waiting could possibly mean? He did not discover it at first, but then he realized the meaning of it all.

The hours spent each day after a mission for their village was built upon training. He and his teammates pushed themselves, and after the invasion of their home, what of his dreams became a distant memory, as he spent far more time with the blonde and the pink haired teammate, their tardy one eyed teacher, his laid back attitude simply being nothing more than just a nuisance to accept, his desire of vengeance of blood, to slay the dark, taller, and older figure of his brother was far removed from when he first formed with his team.

That had changed when his brother arrived.

It was the moment he had been waiting for. All moments of free time spent, with his team or alone, constantly pushing himself past his limits and beyond, only to discover that it had amounted to nothing. His techniques were nothing, all his life and free time spent were nothing, and the same figure spoke like the monster he was, he would never be close to touching, much less even avenging their fallen kin. He was weak, leaving those departing words as he left him.

He had awoken later, healed by the new Kage. Both his teammates had hugged him, expressions of relief and happiness on their faces. But his brother had left more words, as he recounted the events from what transpired, the monster of his brother, the devil himself, was after the blonde.

He did not come to end their conflict. He did not return to face his crimes. He had only come for the blonde. The blonde who had defeated the demon from the Sand. But not him. He was unimportant.

He had pushed those feelings down, sure that the monster was simply psychologically manipulating him. But he could only watch in disgrace, as the blonde defeated the demon from the Sand before, and after, the traitor with the Second Hokage's blade, as he could do nothing.

And something in him snapped.

His brother had been right. He was weak. Why did he not come for him? Why did he come after the blonde? What made him so special and more important? What made him far more important? Someone, who had no connection to their family whatsoever of any scale, made him choose the blonde over him. Why?

He wanted to understand. He wanted to face his brother once more to understand, but he could not.

And so he decided to combat his blonde teammate. Why did his brother choose him?

He watched as the blonde's technique showed a destructive capacity far more than his own technique, watching with jealousy, shame, and anger.

He was weak.

Four Sound ninja came, giving an offer by serving under one of the village's most grievous traitors. He held no love for the man himself. And he did not want to give the man his body, a body he could use to further progress himself.

He was a psychopath. And he had been disgusted with him.

Yet he was not getting stronger.

He remembered his words at the Forest of Death.

He would have to sell his own soul to one devil in exchange for the power granted necessary to kill the other devil.

But there were no options. He was hopelessly stuck. The blonde was stronger than him, their pink haired teammate was catching up with them at an equally astonishing rate, and he? Nothing. Aside from a new technique, the blonde defeated the foes he could not in his current state.

She tried to stop him. Then later, the blonde. Yet she nor the blonde could understand. How could either of them? Neither had nightmares where his psychotic brother taunted him and tortured him with the deaths of their family, neither had to watch as their loved ones were slaughtered, and could do nothing about it, because they did not have that strength and so they were weak. Neither of them watched as their efforts were dashed to bits. How could either of them understand?

He did not want to join the traitorous devil. But there was no other option. They were shinobi. From the days in classrooms, they were taught that it was not a life of an ordinary individual. It was a difficult life.

Yet both refused and tried to deny him that chance. They never even understood his dream.

Years later, he would meet his former team once more. Both had grown, but he had severed those ties when he left the blonde at the valley of their arena. He decided then when he left the blonde that while he would take that path that led to one of the devil, who whispered honeyed words, promising strength and the necessary power needed to avenge his brethren, he would not stoop low to their despicable standards. He would be better than either of them.

As a sign as well, though he was reluctant to admit it, he wanted both to simply leave him alone. The same solitude he desired when they formed as a team in order to obtain vengeance.

He was angered, though hid the anger well under a mask, that they did not leave him alone.

They didn't understand him. They never did.

Leaving them to wallow in their failures to bring him home, he had hoped it sent the message across to them that they would finally give up on him. From there, he would enact the next stage of his goal.

He slaughtered the pale devil who trained him and promised him power. He long knew that the man had only desired his body for power himself, who sacrificed others for his own personal gain.

That man did not deserve a quick death for his own crimes, and so he decided to let the man watch as his entire world crumbled, all his knowledge, all his power, all his intellect, were all going to be absorbed, taken away by him, and die and wither into a husk. A fitting end for someone like him.

You don't train and impart knowledge to a student lest you know they would stab you in the back one day. But the man had already planned to take his body, and long since planned betrayal since then. He was all prepared for it.

From there, he gathered a team. A sharkish aquamarine haired boy, the orange haired mutant experiment not too dissimilar from himself, and the red haired girl.

Their mission? To hunt down his brother, and to finally make him pay for his crimes.

He had laid out the rules for his newly formed team. To use lethal force only as a means of a last resort. His brother and new teacher had used and slaughtered many in their life, and he would do the opposite. He would be better than either of them. That had extended to his team. If he could not leash his team, and yet he had the capability to do so, what did that make him?

He would not abide by their twisted game and play to his own tempo. He would set his own rules and not play into their hands and be exactly as they wanted him to be.

Then, it came. The final clash and the battle of fates. It would end with one of them only leaving alive. His red haired teammate insisted for them to work together as planned, but they would only get in the way, and a deep fear within him was concerned that his brother would slaughter them all, taunt him as he failed yet again, and he could only watch, unable to stop it.

Their battle was arduous, filled with an illusionary world. They engaged in close quarters, switching to mid the next, then finally long ranged attacks. It was an illusionary world however, as his monster of a brother pulled him into an illusion, before he watched in surprise and shock as he broke through it.

Later, he would discover it had not been a battle. If his older brother even desired to, he would have killed him with hardly any difficulty. It was a test. That was the only word to describe it, as anything less would have been nothing more than inaccurate.

Pushed to his limit as his brother unveiled more techniques and abilities, watching as his Fireball was swallowed up and devoured by the black flames of the Sun, launching his trump card forward in the name of Kirin, and watched in horror as it failed and his brother survived, visibly shaken, as he called forth Susanoo at the last second, before it touched him, to defend himself.

He drained himself completely of chakra, as the snake devil of what he thought was dead, emerged forth, ready to possess and claim his body. From there, it was nothing more than a battle of two monsters, but his brother proved his superiority far easily by sealing him away with the ethereal blade and jar.

He was a helpless prey, and he could only cower in fear as his brother proceeded to approach him. He would later discover that his brother had been riddled with a disease, and even then, had held back a majority of his power as to not crush him completely, yet push him hard enough to where he had to overexert himself, all to simply release the devil from the Cursed Seal.

Yet at that moment, he had not discovered this, too trapped in his own fear and hate as the monolith of his brother's Susanoo and the owner himself moved forward, and knew death was approaching him. Fear, hatred, and anger overwhelmed him as his brother approached with bloodied fingers, ready to claim his eyes… only for him to gently poke him with those fingers, and fall forward, dead.

It must have been a dream at the time, as he watched the rain fall once more over his exhausted body, and he too fell over.

The same masked man, the same one he believed to be part of the Akatsuki group his brother had been, the one he believed dead along with the bomb artist, revealed himself as his fabled ancestor of their clan, and then the entire truth of his brother.

He screamed, lashing out at the man, but could only fall over as his body was far too exhausted.

He was a psychopath! He had been sure of it. His brother slaughtered each and every child, every infant, every elderly, of old and young, of varying ages, and their family. He did so without regret, without remorse. But as the moment came flashing by in his head once more, he saw a single lonely tear run down his brother's face amidst a remorseful and sorrowful expression.

He had screamed and cried and vomited on the tile floors, and just when he was sure he was going to die by then, as the memories of his brother playing with him, then the bodies of their parents and brethren, by this revelation delivered so blaise by his ancestor, he met blackness, and was awoken once more.

His ancestor let him scream and vomit, let him shout empty threats and promises of death, and when all was over and done with, he revealed that his brother never despised him or their clan. He had only executed all save him under orders given to him by their home village, and the home village covered it up.

The fabricated story was that his brother, Itachi, would slaughter them all in an act so horrific and vile he would be deemed as a traitor to their home, and a criminal of the highest order.

The story of the Uchiha was set far back. Far back into the Warring States of the Nations. For centuries following his ancestor and his rival's battle, their clan had been placed under scrutiny, simply for the fact that they were connected to him, before events leading up to it, came to their clan's massacre. All that dated back from the First War of the Nations, to what it had been now.

He had known, per the masked ancestor's words, not a single bit about his brother, and assumed like every other individual out there, that they fully comprehended and understood the man known as Itachi Uchiha.

He let the memories fly past, watching them as he fell further down, where there was no end to his life.

"Sasuke… Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"...Fine."

Both Uchiha, ancestor and descendant, sat across from each other on the table, where both their remaining comrades and teammates were recovering from their mission to capture the remaining Tailed Beasts. Their fully matured three Tomoe Sharingan flared at each other, a single ruby of three meeting the pair.

"Back then… You had said that you desired revenge on Itachi, initially, when myself, or rather, Deidara, fought you. Of course, I informed you of the hidden agenda behind Itachi's plans and his true nature recently."

The ruby flickered away to cobalt for a second, before it bled red once more. "Get to the point."

"Point is… Why aren't you following Itachi's desire for you? He had sacrificed everything, even his eyes, his own morality, his own desire for peace, his own code, the love of his life, his friends, both your parents… All of it was to ensure that you would lead our clan, that the Uchiha would never be forgotten."

Why…

Why…

Why?

"After all is said and done, why not return to the Leaf? Why not follow Itachi's will to protect the Leaf?"

The eyes of the descendant were closed, as he contemplated the words requested, before they opened up once more. "Tell me, Madara… You remember the first negotiation treaty between you and Hashirama Senju when you both formed the Hidden Leaf?"

Sasuke continued even as his ancestor nodded. "The negotiation treaty, as you stated, was made by Hashirama to give both clans equal measure in protecting and safeguarding the security of both clans. Both were given equal opportunities and the law made was fair to all, including the Uchiha, both being the founding clan of the village."

"The Uchiha, even long after your death, served the Hidden Leaf faithfully, and even as Konoha's security." Sasuke paused, staring at the orange swirled masked man. While this man in front of him claimed to be Madara Uchiha, he had his doubts. The shinobi part of Sasuke told him that the man in front of him could not be trusted.

There were just too many questions that could be poked into his logic. Why did Madara, the legendary ancestor of his bloodline, appear to him when Itachi had died? And why would he, being one of the perpetrators behind their clan's genocide, would assist him, even after revealing the truth, upon layers and layers of lies and manipulation?

Sasuke wasn't foolish enough to trust one because they simply provided him with information and assistance. He knew full well that if this man was Madara, even if this man claimed to be a fraction of what he was, that he was taking far too many risks aligning himself with him. He would want something, something of value, in return for revealing the truth.

The rule of shinobi was that if there was someone who assisted you, even on missions with clients, was that they would possibly aim to get something far more out of the deal. Trust in this world was fragile. One must always be reserved when helping a client, watching carefully in their logic that they only wanted per their request.

There was always an angle, a motive where someone wanted more, where they would discreetly try to bend the rules just so slightly that any lesser shinobi would not find a problem with this, and would recognize this as an indication of warning.

The shinobi part of him screamed warnings that this man was not actually Madara Uchiha, or was planning to use him for his own gain.

So far, it had seemed that Konoha was aware of this man, from what he was told, but they did not know his identity. He had a feeling that it would soon change, that this man would reveal himself to the world.

Right now, Sasuke would humor this alliance. But that was it. Both knew that this "alliance", if it would be called as such, would only last for some time.

"Madara" had warned him for the price of betrayal of the Akatsuki, but if that was the case, then why did he not kill Itachi? He suspected Itachi as an agent for Konoha, so why did he not confront him? There were simply far too many questions, and not enough answers, and Sasuke wasn't going to entertain this man with them. All indications were that the man was useful, but not to be warranted any level of lowering his guard.

Sasuke did not trust this man before him, and so he would only humor this treaty just this once.

He would keep his guard up at all times with this "Madara".

"The Konoha Military Police Force, led by generations of the Chief of the clan, my father acted as the eighth generation of the Chief of the organization, was to act as the law of the village. It was founded by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and as such, serving under the jurisdiction of the Hokage."

"Then after, during the reign of the Third and the Fourth, the Nine Tails attacked the village. My father and the rest of the clan played their part in the security breach of the village and assisted many civilians of the Leaf into bunkers. Following the attack, the Hokage and elders of the Leaf discussed the perpetrator of releasing the NIne Tails into the village, and they concluded that an individual with a Sharingan released the Nine Tails upon the village."

Madara didn't take the time to ponder. He knew what Sasuke was accusing him of. "Suspect me then, Sasuke?" A trace of amusement flashed in his tone. Sasuke did not fail to miss it.

A surge of cold bloodlust washed over the man, a silent threat, and he simply laughed it off. "Go on."

"Instead of suspecting that an individual outside of the village with the Sharingan attacked the Leaf, they suspected the entire Uchiha clan and accused them of partaking in such action, even with bystander and witness reports of the entire Uchiha clan either assisting or fleeing during the Nine Tails attack. They had no such evidence to hold the Uchiha accountable. They merely let their fears consume them based on trivial information, even after my father accounted for the entire clan's whereabouts, and ordered them to move to the remote outskirts of Konoha. In essence, it was to simply spy on our clan, and to see which Uchiha was responsible for the attack on the Leaf."

Sasuke could understand letting one's fear ruin them and controlling their life. He did with Itachi, after all. "I could understand all that, if it wasn't for the fact that they then ordered both my brother and Shisui to spy on our clan, their families. They turned my brother and his closest friend against their own clan!"

"The coup had been started by my own father and the entire clan simply because they only wanted fair treatment after centuries of prejudice by the Senju. The removal of our clan from the epicenter of Konoha to the outskirts was the result of such!" Cold anger laced his tone. It was beginning to churn in his stomach, where it began to crackle to the surface.

Madara hummed, "I see … But what would Konoha say even if they found out about the truth now?" Madara laced his fingers together. "I know what they would say: It's not what Itachi would have wanted."

Sasuke barked a harsh laugh. His laughter echoed through the empty room, where Madara watched his descendant break out, before he resettled his composure. A cold fury replaced humor, though there was no humor found in this. "My brother saw differently and lived his entire life letting the entire world believe he was a criminal. Even after he showed his loyalty above our clan to the Leaf, even after all that he did for them, sacrificing himself to allow them to live in peace. If that was not the worst offense Konoha had done, then what they did afterwards proves to me that they do not deserve Itachi's or my clan's loyalty." Sasuke steepled his fingers and leaned forward to ask his ancestor.

"Go ahead and tell me, Madara. Why should I, after all that Konoha has done to the Uchiha and my brother, return back to the Hidden Leaf and accept what Itachi had wanted? Why should I, after ordering my brother to slaughter all those he cared for, our parents, his friends, and his loved ones, show respect to that same village?"

His anger and rage began to grow as it violently expelled in the form of indigo chakra, lashing out at his surroundings and breaking pieces of it apart. Madara was unconcerned, and let the boy release his entire hatred for the village.

"They ordered my brother to execute all those he cared for! Those fools led Itachi to his death! And it wasn't just them… they led my parents and those within, even children of my age and the elderly, those who even had nothing to do with the coup, to their deaths by ordering my brother to execute each and every single one of them! My brother slaughtered children and those who could not defend themselves, who played no part!"

"To me, they are the scum of the earth! They do not deserve my clan's respect or my brother's loyalty! They are all objects of my vengeance!"

Madara watched as the chakra continued to expel, forming spiderweb cracks into the pillars and surface of the table.

"The worst part is, after all that…" He looked up with a burning gaze. "The worst is that they, after, preach the 'Will of Fire'!"

"And after that… to accept Itachi's intention would be the foolish sputtering of those who don't know hatred, by fools who let those who paid them complete loyalty, in return, let them take the fall for what they caused."

"If you want to ridicule me as a brat who's swayed by his emotions, go ahead." His gaze fell past Madara, and all he could see was the Hokage Monument and the village, not the room of one of the remote Akatsuki hideouts. "If you want to denounce me as a monster or a villain, I don't care."

"But if anyone, if anyone were to criticize my way of life! I'll go and slaughter each and every single one of their loved ones! So they would understand what it's like, to experience this hatred of mine!"

Sasuke of the now watched himself from earlier speaking with the masked man, watching the memories flit by, and then vanish into the void.

Falling further into the stomach of his mind, he could only watch, watch as the bottomless pit swallowed him in his embrace.

It was then sudden. Impact rattled his bone and jarred his senses. Pain overwhelmed him for the moment and the entire void seemed to vanish, replaced by the brightness of light with a starburst clarity. His vision tumbled as his body ragdolled, his chakra fluctuating to soften and lessen the impact.

He continued to be sent tumbling, and the pain of the light hurt far more than the darkness, where his soul belonged. He attempted to welcome the void back, but each time he did so, the light and the pain of hitting something and hearing the bones snap in his body was far worse, forcing him back to consciousness.

Sasuke Uchiha lifted his gaze painfully, his eyes blurring between the realm of consciousness and unconsciousness. For a moment, he stared at his surroundings, but his mind was unable to comprehend it fully. He attempted to push his body, but found he was unable to. Glued to the floor as his body was broken, he realized it after a cry, that it was his own.

He stared up at the ceiling. Ceiling of a building…home. That was not right. He felt something below him, not too rough nor soft. A mattress… bed.

Blankly, he could only stare, as he attempted to recall the events preceding such. A massive explosion… Before that, he saw a glowing orb with a ring coming straight at him. And surrounding him was a purple energy, which stood upon a massive behemoth of an armored titan.

A groan escaped elsewhere, the owner's voice deep, and he turned his head, which seemed to be the only part of his body he could move, to that owner.

For a moment, he did not recognize the owner, as his shinobi mind and his broken body tensed, but upon closer inspection, the owner's blonde hair was caked and matted with dirt and blood as he was painted crimson with his own blood that dried on the surface of orange black clothing and skin, the headband around his forehead hung off loosely. His posture was slouched down on the floor, as his eyes were shut.

Naruto.

Then it came back to him. He had been fighting Naruto. They had fought for the ideals of Hokage. After Kaguya was sealed away by their Six Paths of Sun and Moon Seal, Naruto interrupted him when… when he had announced his desire to become Hokage.

Clarity removed the haze in his mind. Yes. He had planned to execute all the current Kages. All of them allowed the shinobi world to devolve into a bloody mess in the shinobi world. He was going to make sure that peace in the Nations and all would be unified.

But the person in front of him had stopped him. The person who would be the obstacle to the vision of peace and would prevent it.

Naruto.

Anger once more replaced his mind once it was fully clear, and now his mind was set.

Sasuke could not move his body. But he felt what was left of his chakra was still flickering, and it would be the only viable option.

Sasuke gasped as sweat and his body began to protest at the chakra drain of one of Mangekyo's powerful abilities but a hefty and severely dangerous toll on his body, but his desire to kill took priority and far exceeded the pain.

But all Sasuke had only managed to force the chakra in his eyes, and before he could cast the technique, before he could even utilize it, a deep voice, not Naruto's, spoke up from the blonde.

"Do that, you brat. And I'll fucking kill you. I don't care what the kit says."

A feeling of pure murderous intent washed over him as Sasuke's body trembled, not out of fear, no. He had felt the bloodlust of Orochimaru and beings so much so that this intent, while far more potent than anything of the past, was still nothing. But the slitted crimson eyes, which he expected sky blue, and the pronounced whisker marks on the side of his cheeks was an indication that it wasn't his adversary, wasn't the blonde himself. The one taking over donned his face, but not his eyes, nor did he exude that level of bloodlust as one of the Tailed Beasts.

This was the Nine Tailed Fox he was facing. Not Naruto Uzumaki.

For a moment, he watched the Tailed Beast cautiously who was taking over his body. He did not know what had happened to the blonde, but either way, Sasuke knew it was dangerous for him. The Tailed Beast was able to recover from wounds and he was unsure how he should proceed.

Attacking the fox utilizing his host's body would not be a favorable outcome for him, as it seemed that the blonde was able to move, or rather, thanks to Kurama, as Naruto had called him.

His chakra levels were also a concerning factor, as he realized he no longer had the other Tailed Beasts chakra to draw from and was limited left to his only remaining pool, while as a Tailed Beast host, Naruto, or Kurama, still had more given his Uzumaki bloodline and the latter himself.

Naruto had used up a large quantity to counter his own Jutsu, which was further amplified by the other Tailed Beasts, but it still left Naruto with more, even if it's only a minor amount more.

Ruby and a set of patterned rings in a pool of purple met crimson. Both were tensing, awaiting for the moment that was to come. The arms of Kurama's were crossed, waiting for the Uchiha to put him in a Genjutsu. While Naruto's lack of skill in one of the three shinobi arts led to him being underdeveloped in breaking Genjutsu as well, Kurama was usually able to break his host out by fluctuating the chakra system of his host, allowing him to snap out of it. It had worked against Obito and Madara when both had tried with their Mangekyos, and Kurama had confidence he would be able to break out of the Uchiha brat's before him.

Kurama also had no qualms with killing. While he may have long considered Naruto his ally and friend now, Kurama could not shake off centuries of being sealed into Mito and Kushina and his taste for blood. He saw humanity tear each other apart in four acts of violence and then continued to do so in small skirmishes.

Naruto may lecture him, but he hardly cared what the blonde thought. A part of him still could not forgive humanity. For their hypocrisy and their supposed morality.

Just because Naruto was so easy to forgive, which Kurama found to the point of ridiculous foolishness, Kurama wouldn't. He would consider Naruto as his friend and his host as an ally, but not Hashirama. Not the Leaf. Not Obito. And most certainly not Madara.

If anyone, even someone from their world or this unknown new one, threatened him or his host, Kurama wouldn't hesitate to tear them to shreds.

At this current point in time, Kurama only trusted one individual, and that was the flesh he was sealed into.

Naruto.

The coldness of the room amplified, though it had nothing to do with the climate or environment. It was as if the chillness spread by both individuals, as their desire to shed the blood of the opposing figure in front of them, of each other, for daring to attack or bring harm.

"You know, Uchiha. My host was the one who brought you here. And now you're repaying him by killing him? I don't even know what Naruto sees in you sometimes."

Kurama did not lower his guard, as he sensed the Uchiha's chakra. It was far much more dim, compared to the volcano that was once before, flicking like a candlelight amongst an empty darkness. But his chakra was also low, though Kurama trusted that with the knowledge of his host's techniques and more than satisfactory chakra, would be able to put the Uchiha down before him.

The only thing hindering him, at this current stage, was that the Uchiha was vying for the kill. Kurama had to hold back. Just for his host. And his host would never forgive him for killing the brat in front of them.

Sasuke answered, "He should have killed me. When a shinobi sees an enemy unconscious, they should land a killing blow. You don't give a chance unless you're asking to be stabbed in the back." He glared at the fox. "Naruto's a fool for leaving me alive. You don't give enemies favors. How many did he kill?"

Kurama agreed, "Despite my being despising you and your entire clan, for once, we actually agree with something for once."

"So why haven't you killed me then?"

The slitted eyes gave a look of pure resentment. "Because for some inconceivable reason, he still considers you a friend. Hell if I know Uchiha."

"K-kurama?"

Kurama instantly knew the voice. "Naruto?"

"Tha-thatiz you?"

"No shit, genius." He released a breath. "He's awake."

"He is?! Switch over now! I have to talk to him!"

"After I felt him trying to cast Amaterasu and he tried to kill both of us?!"

"Was that his chakra I just felt?" He heard the bafflement in his voice, and Kurama was no less.

"You need more rest, brat. I'm taking control of you and making sure that prick doesn't try anything."

"No! I have to talk to Sasuke! He's not attacking right now, is he?!"

"No! But he did earlier!" How did Naruto not see the problem?! His host was idiotic. If they switched control over, then with Naruto muddled senses, Sasuke could very easily kill both of them. Only with Kurama enhanced senses did it make up for his host body's heavy exhaustion and battered state.

"Then let me talk to him! You saw how shit he was beaten! He won't do anything!" Naruto spoke to alleviate the concerns of his Tailed Beast. "His chakra is also low! He can't try anything after his Amaterasu!"

Kurama was in a slight dilemma. While he wanted to tear the Uchiha to shreds, and for all he could care, and if he could have it his way, the Uchiha would lie there in the middle of who knows what while he and his host recovered, his host was adamant.

Even if he denied so, then Naruto would force his consciousness back to his body, and Kurama could not force his way in. Their connection meant only the host could freely and willingly take over his body when and wherever, whereas Kurama could only swap places if his host granted him access.

He still gave him a warning. "If that brat tries anything, I don't give a shit what you say. He dies."

Anger laced Naruto's tone. "Kurama…"

"Shut it, brat. I'm not letting you die. Not after everything." The memories of his siblings formed in his memories. "Not after my brothers and sisters and my other half. We still have to free them from the Planetary Devastation."

"I know, Kurama. But let me try. That's why we need Sasuke. I'll make him realize he's wrong. Even if I have to pulverize him and drag him back kicking and screaming."

Naruto's determination, even after his other half faced him for all this time, still astounded him. He felt the Uchiha's intent to kill. "Good luck with that. But again, if he tries anything…"

"He won't. I'll make sure of it."

Kurama closed his eyes as he felt himself being pulled from Naruto's body and back into the seal his other half grew accustomed to for over a decade of his life. "Kit. I'm going to rest and recover some chakra now. You can go use it if he tries anything."

"Thanks, but I don't think I'll need it." Naruto was still comforted though, as it further gave him an advantage that Sasuke did not have on his side.

As he opened them, he found himself in the dank room, smelling of dust and ancient broken buildings. The infrastructure was torn largely, but was still staying up. None of it popped up in his memories, not by Kurama's control, but by unrecognizable features.

And the person in front of him, his best friend and rival.

Blue gazed into the Sharingan of his rival. "Sasuke…"

Sasuke did not respond, the dangerous look on his face never wavering and he knew what his once friend was thinking. "Sasuke. You're wrong. Just stop it!"

Sasuke's eyes flickered up. "I'm wrong? That's rich coming from you."

Naruto grit his teeth in anger, wanting to hold back from decking his best friend in the face. "You think by enslaving all the Tailed Beasts and killing all the Kage, that makes you any better than Madara?! What does that even accomplish?! You aren't going to bring peace that way! That just incites even more fighting!"

Sasuke glared a moment longer, then answered. "That's your solution? By holding hands and hoping and praying and wishing for the best. Did you forget what brought us to the Fourth War right now at this moment? Did you forget why Madara and Obito started this war in the first place?"

Their solution wasn't perfect, and Sasuke would never agree with both madmen's solution to put every living being into an illusory world of where their deepest desires would come to fruition, but it was a level of understanding of the world that Sasuke had grown to understand from both his Uchiha brethren, cousin and ancestor, from what led them up to this current point in time. Far much more than the blonde before him.

"So what?! Everybody makes mistakes, Sasuke! Wake the fuck up and understand that! Konoha made mistakes! So did the other villages! Why can't you understand that?!"

"Because they're the ones who caused that system in the first place! Humanity is a blight, Naruto! It's collectively evil! The Kages allowed this system to happen for over centuries under their eye! They could have prevented this, but they chose and abided by it to happen because they only cared about their own selfish agendas! Each one of them is responsible for allowing the state of the Nations to get to this point in time!" After one too many, they should not be allowed to stay in power and decide for the benefit of the village.

Naruto hesitated for the slightest moment. Sasuke… he wasn't wrong on that, but he was wrong that he believed that people would never learn from their mistakes. Sasuke was thinking that the Nations would repeat the same mistakes after the war, thinking that when presented that they would not freely and willingly admit that they had done wrong.

Sasuke didn't understand that people could learn and grow from their mistakes. That humanity was doomed to repeat failure after failure.

"By killing the Kages, you're taking away the free speech of the people! What if they don't agree or accept it?! What then will you do?!"

Sasuke stared back, "Better a new system to replace the old one that failed this shinobi world for centuries. Better to take away free speech to ensure no other war happens. If they don't agree, fine then. As I said, I hardly care what any of you think of me."

Naruto had failed to see the bigger picture. War wasn't just caused by hatred. Hatred, potent as it may be, wasn't the only factor that motivated one. Hatred was tied to other factors, which then led to fighting and war.

It was taught at the start of the very Academy. But bias and propaganda led each village to be biased and pin the blame on each other, acting as if their village was of the best. How many times did Konoha abdicate responsibility by blaming the other villages? How many times did they claim heroes such as the Sannin yet the Sannin themselves had blood on their hands from the Second War? How many did the Yellow Flash, Naruto's own father, slaughter Stone shinobi who simply were only yet another product of the Third war?

Naruto claimed to bring peace, but he failed to remotely understand that humans themselves were destructive beings. Many like Hashirama desired peace above all else, yet how much blood was on his hands to carve that path? How much was Tobirama?

This was why Naruto failed to understand and lacked the capacity to. He believed that by simply working together, everything would be fine. But he never took into consideration the reservations of the opposing Nations. How one or the other felt about each other. Naruto's was just one of foolish idealistic thinking, of an era that was never to come, and was of one that came out of fairy tales and stories. Hashirama and Madara reached far for that understanding in their youths, but quickly realized how much of a pipe dream it was. Hashirama never grew out of that belief, even as his path was laid with blood. Madara, on his own path, did. He understood humans were beings with the capacity to do terrible things.

How many like minded beings like Hashirama, during the era of the Second and Third War, attempt to try the same solution only to discover that that solution failed in all aspects?

"The Nations are finally together and united now! There's no point in doing what you're doing!"

"The villages are united because of Madara, Obito, and Kaguya! It took all three of them to realize that. Madara and Obito started the war to prove their point of the system. Kaguya came back because she saw how twisted this of ours was! Did you forget what the Sage of Six Paths told you? If they, as a threat to the Nations, is what it takes to make this world united, then so be it."

Naruto recalled the memories that Hagaromo had informed him, yet he did not waver. He understood what Sasuke was coming from, yet he was still all the same. He intended to make decisions alone, to walk down a lonely existence of hatred and solitude and bloodshed. But Naruto was damned if he let his brother in all but blood take that same path again.

It wasn't just for Sasuke's sake, and the sake of their bond, but also the entire world. Sasuke's vision would more than likely desecrate and cause conflict and tension once more. Sasuke failed to understand that each nation needed freedom of speech. Without it, how could a village function?

"What you're doing is nothing more than a dictatorship!"

Sasuke's rule was nothing more than to rule with an iron fist of a Susanoo and push all down beneath his heel. Instead of peace, he would cause fear. Anger and hatred would start anew. He could not force his rule on each of the villages!

"I told you. Better than allowing each nation to be run by each Kage and allowing them to act as they had for centuries." The tone in Sasuke's voice made it clear how he cared about what Naruto called his vision of peace.

If the fragile bindings of peace and alliances were only maintained and caused by a calamity or a looming threat that spelled doom for all nations, then the only option would be to force each nation to open their eyes at one sole individual who would be that threat to them.

After the end of each Shinobi War, it could hardly be considered peace during the times in between. After the loss of many, shinobi from each village continued to battle in small skirmishes, their hatred overwhelming negotiations, and they themselves failed to address the system.

Sasuke refused to see this world tear each other apart for another time. Hashirama and Madara tried their solutions. Now, it was to try something entirely different.

Of course, people wouldn't accept it. They lived in cozy homes and lived through their menial existence under the same system. People would not accept it, because they themselves failed or ignored the corruption laying within. They never saw the problem.

That system… that system was the same system that caused this current state of the shinobi world to degrade to what it was now. It was the same system where it caused Shisui, Itachi, and all others pain and was why this system was a mess. Even Hashirama Senju himself admitted that he was responsible for the state of the shinobi world, and his ideal of peace was not perfect and was just his idealism, but that meant nothing to the lives lost in three prior wars and all the battles that took place in between. That did not bring any recompense or comfort to those who died during those times. His time in the afterlife brought him understanding as he watched the village and the world beneath him devolve into chaos. Too bad that amounted to nothing.

Naruto himself was a product of this broken system, and yet he was in denial how this world functioned. The Tailed Beasts were sealed into hosts, which were then used as a way to ensure that each village had power over another, and due to their power, they were feared and hated. The Tailed Beasts themselves were nothing but chakra monsters, with the capacity to destroy the world. Anybody like Madara or Obito and even the Kages themselves, utilized the powers from the Tailed Beasts, either within or without a host, and abused it for their own gain.

It was time to start from scratch. A revolution. The system atrophied into the way it was now, and Sasuke would not let anybody stand in his path to fix it and shape it into something better and new.

Not even Naruto.

But now, Sasuke could do nothing. His body was far more injured than Naruto though to his luck, his body was already beginning to heal, though it was at a significantly slower pace than Naruto, who had the pleasure of being a Jinchuriki.

Their argument was done, but only for now. Their gazes met each other in a mental clash of fortitude and will. Both knew they would clash once more, but for now, they had no choice but to accept their current situation.

"Sasuke, we're no longer in the Valley."

Sasuke looked up. "What?"

"We're no longer in the Valley. We're not in the Nations."

"What are you talking about-" Sasuke shut his mouth, looking out the window at the emptiness that surrounded the both of them, realizing their predicament.

Naruto exhaled, "Exactly what I meant. Did you not notice?"

Sasuke glanced around a moment longer, with only baffled confusion on his face. "How did we get here?" Though he already likely knew how. Naruto didn't oblige him with an answer, his silence said it all for what had happened to the two.

Sasuke stared. Stared disbelieving, denial etched on his bloodied face, then anger, before he slumped back down.

Emptiness filled him.

He had nothing anymore.

The world… the world and Konoha he promised and swore to protect was all gone.

A part of him wanted to blame the blonde, but it would be just him reaching to pin the blame on elsewhere.

He had nothing.

Sasuke knew the villagers and the Nations themselves long considered him a rogue shinobi and a criminal, and Sasuke accepted that role if it meant he could enforce peace on the nations, but now?

He had nothing.

He was willing to accept the role of villain, criminal, monster. All he had sworn to protect, even though a critical part of him still could not fathom Itachi's loyalty to the Leaf and the same village who treated him as a criminal, to sacrifice his Uchiha name and bloodline. He was willing to allow himself to be tarnished and be despised as the worst despicable being in existence, one of the worst Konoha rogue nins, allowing himself to be loathed and feared even more than Madara.

He had nothing.

Sasuke's mind wandered as memories pushed past, but he could no longer focus. His peripherals became blurred and hazy. His breaths came out, came out in short, frantic gasps as his heart beat against his chest, as it tried to claw its way out.

Then, he could not focus. Black spots appeared in his vision as he gasped frantically, his hands clawing at the mattress with a man possessed.

He had planned to be seen as a criminal. Then, possibly a century old and nearing death, he would see his mother, father, and Itachi once more in the afterlife once peace finally settled in, once he created a governing coalition that would continue to enforce his will long after his death, and he would tell Itachi he was sorry but this was how he could only see to protect Konoha and the world. That was the only solution he found in the shinobi system. That his way of doing so would never fix this Shinobi system and create the peace he desired like them.

He would never see Itachi once more.

"Sasuke! SASUKE!"

The voice of Naruto screamed, as he heard the concern of his once friend filling his ears, and light replaced the haziness in his vision. "Are you okay?"

Even though they were still enemies, Sasuke could hardly fathom why Naruto still considered him an ally.

"I'm fine. Get off me." He shrugged the boy's hand off. "Mind your own damn business."

Naruto's face morphed into anger for a moment, then settled into an uncomfortable fatigue.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but we need to work together. We don't know what threats are out there and both of us are low on chakra and need time to recover." Naruto stuck out his hand.

It was not one of friendship anymore. Sasuke had long cut the threads of their bond since he first left the Valley to obtain the necessary power. The hand Naruto held forward was a signal of trust, of a mutual threat that laid before them in this new world and predicament.

Sasuke glanced out the window, considering his options, which were few and far in between. There was little, but even then, he could not go.

Naruto would likely never let him go off on his own, and Sasuke was sure whatever threats out there, he didn't have the chakra nor the capability to handle it alone. While he honed his Taijutsu far enough to combat high ranking, supplemented with his expert knowledge of the Uchiha Taijutsu, chakra was another necessity and a tool of a shinobi, and Sasuke drew heavily on it for his variety of techniques.

He was reluctant to admit it and hated to accept his situation, but he needed Naruto as of the moment. Both needed each other.

He would make it clear though that once they returned to the Nations, their home, that he was not ending the conflict between them. For now, it was put on hold, so that both of them could get back.

"Fine." Sasuke clasped Naruto's hand. His hazy dark eyes flashed red and purple, making his warning clear to his opposition. This alliance was only temporary, as both had a desire to get back, their goals mutual yet simultaneously also clashing.

But you know what happens after this.

Naruto only nodded, the same determined gaze in his eyes.

I'll stop you if you do.

Both knew it. Once they adapted to this strange new world around them, settled down to gather their bearings and understand more of their current situation, once they got back, as soon as they touched foot on the Elemental Nations, he would be ready to cut his final bond once more. Then nothing would ground him and he would freely resume his revolution, the revolution that would bring peace to the shinobi world.

"Go and get some rest. I'll have some clones keep watch and scout the area." Naruto stood up, beginning to leave, shutting the broken door behind him.


Naruto had no idea what had happened first with Sasuke. First, the Uchiha had been his usual self, cold and distant. When he revealed what happened to them recently, only disbelief, which Naruto expected, filtered in, before it was quickly replaced by anger, and then… Fear.

As Naruto shut the door behind him, he exhaled a breath he did not realize he had been holding. "Well… that went fucking swell."

"What the hell did you expect?"

Naruto dryly stated to his Tailed Beast, "Nothing. I knew he was going to be his usual self." Naruto gazed at the clouds above. "You saw him?"

"The fucking brat had a near panic attack. Of course I did."

And Naruto felt he knew why. Thanks to Kurama's chakra, he was able to detect emotions clearly. And while Sasuke covered up his emotions behind a mask, Naruto could see right through it.

Sasuke felt he had nothing anymore. The Uzumaki understood that the Uchiha desired his revolution, not only as a way because of how Itachi had lived his life, walking down a path of being a criminal, but also one where he lived his lonely existence until his death.

Sasuke's way to peace, wrong as it may be, was him allowing himself to be hated, with no dream or goal of his to realize. He would walk down the lonely path. His goal was to unite the nations by coercing them with an iron fist, but even that was a goal that wasn't his own, where he had possessions. It was his goal, but it was not one where he had dreams of his own. It was one where he felt he was owed, paying his debts to the Nations, as Itachi had done for Konoha.

Konoha hated him. The entire Nations hated him.

And all Naruto could do was watch as Sasuke followed his self destructive impulses.

The blonde slumped down against the ramshackled building, and held his head in his hands. How, in just a single day, did it devolve to this?

Once, they had been in the Nations. Then their fight followed. And now? Both were lost.


Elemental Nations, October 10th,

Day Three of the Fourth Shinobi War


Naruto wouldn't say he had a bad day.

Of course, that was entirely subjective. A good day for someone may be a bad day for someone else. And not all experiences are the same.

He could hardly say he's having a good one right now.

There were good moments of course sprinkled in. He got to meet his undead father, revived by the Snake Sannin he still despised (because fuck anyone who said otherwise; how is he supposed to trust the man who killed his own teacher, and the man Naruto considered a grandfather? And that doesn't excuse all the atrocities he committed as a traitor to his home. Oh yes, he only revived his dad and the other dead Kages because he wouldn't get to experiment if the world is ending), he got to fight alongside his father. It was pretty cool! Not many could say they were fighting alongside their own father!

Except all the other ninjas who would probably brag as of the moment how they got to fight alongside the first Four Hokages, but dammit! Let Naruto have his moment!

Sasuke returned back to assist them, alongside that kinsmen-girl of his. Karin Uzumaki. And that shark guy Suigetsu and that man with split personality disorder named Jugo.

With these extra reinforcements, they were able to turn the tide on Obito and Madara. Of course it wasn't easy, but with the Kages and extra reinforcements, it was less of a road filled with large bumps.

One may think as of the moment that Naruto had a pretty good experience all things considered. Sure, many died in the war and Naruto was sure as hell that after this, he was going to develop PTSD watching Madara spitfire and roast a bunch of ninjas from all Nations. And that bastard sliced apart the Cloud ninjas he got acquainted with while training to master, more akin to tame Kurama.

He was going to beat his ass and make sure that prick suffered.

The bad part, well…

Neji died. He felt like shit as Obito screamed at him to face reality. Lee's cries and pleads for the Hyuga to wake up did not help and he was sure that fucked his psyche even more over. Hinata helped, thank the Sage for her, and he realized what her own admission was after all the time in Konoha; he could fully admit he was a dense prick, but Naruto was still sure after this, he was resigning from the ninja service for the time being.

He knew death was a common occurrence and a part of being a ninja. Sakura had lectured him on the Third War after all, though he never really understood it. But now with the Fourth War, he grasped what she was saying, and he had been in denial that the Fourth would not be as bad as the Third.

Now he understood why Kakashi and so many veterans of the Third War refused to talk of their experiences or past. Why Kakashi kept his distance from them sometimes.

Then surprise! Zetsu, the creepy ass white black motherfucker that looked out of a thing from a horror novel impaled Madara like a shish kabob and out came the Mother of Chakra, Kaguya Otsutsuki. What did that guy do besides come out of the ground and say "peek a boo!"?

Powerful didn't even come close to beginning to describe it. She fucked him over. She fucked Sasuke over. She fucked all them over. During their battle with Madara, Hagaromo, her son, and the Sage of Six Paths, lent his Sun and Moon seal over to him and Sasuke respectively, that the fight began to shift over from an absolute curbstomp to less of a curbstomp, but "you're still being fucked in and out by me-stomp." It still wasn't as bad as Madara. At least both he and Sasuke together were able to hold him off for some time.

Then after a bunch of failed Jutsus, strategies, with Zetsu being an annoying prick in her sleeve that he wanted to shut up. They finally managed to seal Kaguya away. Him, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi Sensei. It was Team 7 again, and when they were together, nothing could stop them. Also, his Sexy Jutsu did most of the work. He would boast about it further, but a glare from Sakura made him shut up. Some people can't approve of art.

Every good moment of course came with a bad. Did you expect otherwise?

His father was going back to the world of the dead and what not. His father apologized, fading away. The old man also faded back, telling him he was proud of how fine a shinobi he was. Naruto barely held back his tears as he watched both his father and idol and the man he considered a grandfather, between sobs and proclamations that he was doing fine, he was eating healthy, he was getting sleep, he was training and working hard.

And Madara died as well. Fuck him.

Naruto could say he would forgive Obito, but not Madara. Oh, he was iffy on forgiving Obito for the nation's conflicts. He would forgive Obito for making his and Sasuke's and everyone else's life an absolute hell, but the conflicts that tore the nations apart? In the end, he supposed that was more on Madara.

Then, after all the pain, suffering, and deaths, Naruto was so ready to head home, sleep, and never wake the fuck up again. Or never sleep as he would see Neji and all the unknown faces that died from Madara, Obito, or otherwise screaming at him, screaming why didn't he defeat Madara or Obito sooner; why didn't he end the suffering of many earlier? He just wanted to curl up with bowls of ramen and properly mourn Neji's death and then retire for the time being because he's just fucking done with it.

"Now… Sasuke?" Hagaromo spoke.

All eyes followed Sasuke. Even as they stood there waiting for an answer, Naruto felt it was an eternity. Minutes that dragged on and on until the time became immeasurable, and it could not be calculated or guessed.

It seemed forever that they would wait for Sasuke's response.

"Yeah…" Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. Everything would be all right. Naruto hoped, prayed, that Sasuke would still not be swallowed by the dark that had corrupted his clan from the very beginning. He would be home.

And all his hopes crashing down, dashed as he heard Sasuke's next response.


Naruto simply hung his head in silence and bitterness. The acrid taste of air on his tongue just burned with the realization of over four hundred thousand deaths.

A part of him still focused on his mission to scout the vicinity, and so that's what he did. Shadow clones popped into existence as Naruto gave them orders to split off, but his tone felt dry and blank, and all he could imagine was the deaths that had happened prior.

"Naruto…"

"Kurama, just leave me alone. Go rest." Naruto smiled. "I'm fine."


"NEJI!"

No… Neji was… He couldn't be dead. He just passed out. That must be it. Rapid blood loss made one prone to fatigue as their bodily fluids.

But it was also an indication of death.

Sakura's voice told him from a while back when they were studying medical ninjutsu and training. The scroll she pointed at, along with graphical images of a ninja bleeding out in one of her medical ninjutsu books she was assigned to study by Tsunade.

But Neji was not one of this status; Neji could not be dead! He swore his dream to change the Hyuga clan! That one's fate was not predetermined and that person could change it as they so desire!

Naruto shook off the vestiges of Sakura's cryptic words of her medical ninjutsu lessons, Lee's cries rang out in the field of battle once more, signaling the blonde to attention once more.

"Sakura!"

Lee gave up way too quickly. He's not dead, and he would prove it!

"Come over here! Now! Neji needs help!"

He knew, but the desire in him to not see Neji die. A man who helped Naruto discover more about the world, how the Hyuga thought, why he believed initially on the road of predetermined fate and path. Who helped Naruto learn himself of the harsh realities.

Naruto did not want to see that man who taught him just as much as he taught him, leave the earth, his soul passing on to the afterlife after many the blonde had. Neji did not deserve to die here, in a battle he was supposed to live amongst the chaos of death and terror around. He was supposed to live, Lee issuing a challenge to him for a spar, as both were rivals, and the two would spar for hours on end to test their Taijutsu for any cracks or holes, Tenten would help him hone his Rotation to a knife's edge to deflect any projectiles, be it tools or Jutsu, and Guy Sensei would join in as all four would train to grow stronger and complete any mission that was available on Konoha's roster. He would return home and greet Hinata or Hanabi or Hiashi and they would further hone their Gentle Fist Taijutsu Style or eat supper before heading in for the night. That's how it has been, and always would have been.

Now it would all be nothing but a memory of the life of a man if he was not resuscitated in time.

"SAKURA, HURRY!"

Sakura stood there, the expression on her face morphing into the one that Naruto had already seen on so many others, and deep within the part of him that was denying it, he knew, but he didn't care, because Neji was not supposed to die here. He was not supposed to die at all.

"SAKURA!"

The shout verberated out, and the emerald gaze turned up. "Naruto…"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! DON'T JUST STAND THERE! DAMMIT!"

His gaze violently whipped around to meet Tenten's, her eyes filling with tears at the sight of her teammate.

Naruto's gaze then finally met Hinata as tears streamed down her cheeks at what she saw, and Naruto finally understood, swallowing him up into a cold oblivion. He could faintly register a voice shouting, belonging to Obito's, he barely registered.

"NARUTO! WHAT WAS IT THAT YOU SAID?!" Obito screamed in his own fury of loss, uncaring of the destruction and minor attack by the Allied Forces in front of him. His entire focus was on the boy who was once himself, a mirror of his past, still representing the naivety and ignorance of the suffering of the world he despised.

"I'LL NEVER LET MY COMRADES DIE?! I'LL NEVER LET THEM DIE?! TAKE A LOOK AROUND YOU, TAKE A LOOK AT NEJI HYUGA IN YOUR ARMS, AND TELL ME THAT AGAIN!"


He was not fine.

Obito's words rang in his ears once more, as it assaulted his memories, and Naruto Uzumaki simply leaned against the building and cried. Cried for all the lives lost in the war. Cried for Neji Hyuga. Cried for his father he only got to meet once, and just when Naruto was sure he was over it, he wasn't.


It will be a while before Naruto and Sasuke will meet PL, so if anyone expects them to suddenly meet them instantly or join RI, then you're going to have to wait. I am also going out to say right now that if anyone came here looking for Naruto or Sasuke just to simply bang said girl, or Exusiai and Texas respectively, early, then you are in the wrong story. This story, as already stated, will be a slow burn. Relationships will not happen until extremely late into the story. Exusiai won't have any feelings for Naruto nor Texas for Sasuke that early.

Again, this story will place a large emphasis on character development and story. Relationships will take backseat but won't be ignored.

Next chapter will come up relatively soon, but then again, this is me. Sporadic updates are a part of me. I cannot keep nor follow a schedule.