The Rise of a Warrior: Naruto: Shippuden

by The Legendary Dragon Reaper

Three years have come and gone, and while Tatsu and the ninja of the Hidden Leaf have grown stronger, they'll have a whole new group of enemies to face. The era of Team Dragon has arrived, but can they rise to the challenge? Sequel to the Rise of a Warrior: Naruto, second story in my Naruto trilogy. Please read each chapter until the end and check for notes.

41. Fall of the Ten Tails Jinchuuriki

(Fall of the Ten Tails Jinchuuriki)

"Way ahead of you." Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, and the two of them shot a smirk at Obito as their Tailed Beast Mode and Susanoo combined into one enormous chakra avatar "We're gonna sleep tomorrow, and when we do we're gonna dream our own dreams!"

"And we'll do it in our own way, on our own terms." Lee stepped forward, the green vapor of the Sixth Gate of Joy radiating off of his body as he glanced over at the others 'Naruto's Tailed Beast avatar and Sasuke's Susanoo, they're combining into something even greater…'

"You got that right Bushy Brow." Naruto's gaze hardened further as Sasuke's Susanoo finished covering the Tailed Beast Mode with a layer of purple armor, the entire body also being coated with a thick layer of electricity, a lightning sword in each of its claws, and he shot a quick raised eyebrow over at Sasuke "What the hell are you doing?"

"Nothing that Madara hasn't done at one point. I'm just doing it better." Sasuke shot him a smirk, and the two of them fist bumped like bros as the Susanoo-Kurama hybrid let out a howl "Now let's do this already."

"Yeah!"

"So be it, if this is what it takes to save this failure of a world." Obito took a breath as he summoned a series of arms formed from his Truthseeker Orbs, which he sent hurtling forward to clash with the Susanoo Tailed Beast Mode "This world is about to meet its end, yet you and the others still continue to fight. Why is that?"

"Why do you think? It's because my ninja way is to never give up and never go back on my word, to stay strong and stay true to your word. That's what being a ninja is to me!"

"Words are meaningless, as is everything in this world! I won't tolerate your interference any longer than I already have!" Obito brandished his Truthseeker arms and hurtled towards the group, along with a series of chakra tendrils.

Seizing the chance, Naruto and Sasuke maneuvered their way through the series of Tailed Beast Bombs, blitzed in front of Obito and unleashed a slash from the Raijin katana the avatar wielded, cutting clean through one of Obito's Truthseeker arms, only for a sudden shockwave to send the two of them hurtling backwards "That's one down."

"You're wasting your time and energy trying to fight me, the fact is that in my current state, I'm far too much for the likes of you."

"That's where you're wrong, this fake dream of yours is never going to become reality." Sasuke let out a low growl as his gaze hardened "You're the one that's never going to reach his goal. The one that underestimates his enemy is usually the one that ends up losing in the end, in a spectacularly brutal fashion."

"You're nothing but mere shinobi born from a failed existence, and now you'll disappear along with it! Now disappear!" Obito let out a roar as he had his Truthseeker arms unleash another series of Tailed Beast Bombs.

"Naruto, let me handle this one." Sasuke took a step forward within the Tailed Beast avatar, and with him at command it used its Raijin sword to bat away the Tailed Beast Bombs, then hurtled itself forward to launch a follow up attack, taking the chance to ricochet off of the Truthseeker arms, charge forward and deal Obito a series of lightning-enhanced slashes that ripped all of the Truthseeker Orbs right off his body, leaving them to evaporate in an explosion that sent all of those present hurtling backwards 'He took that attack and it cut off those black arms of his, but it didn't even faze him directly.'

'They were able to withstand my attacks and power through them?' Obito let out a snarl "You childish shinobi should just go to sleep already! You weaklings are incapable of stopping me, and the world that you fight for so desperately is nothing but a failure that's long dead! You should just give up while you still have the chance!"

"I told you before, there's no way in hell that's gonna happen." Naruto's gaze hardened further "I told you before, I never give up and I never go back on my word. If anything, you should give up on any of us ever giving up!"

'They've pushed me so far already… is this to say that they've actually surpassed the power that I now have at my command? No that can't be, I refuse to accept it!' Obito gritted his teeth and hurled himself high into the air, and as he held his hands above his head he summoned an enormous Tailed Beast Bomb, and he promptly hurled it forward.

"Let's do this together Sasuke!" Naruto and Sasuke shared a nod, and then they brandished their avatar's Raijin sword just in time to stop the Tailed Beast Bomb in its tracks, and with greater force it was enough to slice clean through the attack, resulting in another blinding explosion.

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Meanwhile, with the rest of the current generation…

"This sensation…" Shino tensed up slightly as he and the others watched the explosion ensuing in the distance, then glanced over at Kiba and the rest "I take it you felt that as well?"

"Yes, I think we all felt it." Neji muttered quietly "He may not be conscious of it, but he's calling all of us to him through his chakra."

"Then we should prepare ourselves to depart and assist him."

"Right, him and the others, like Lee and Lady Hinata." and so the two of them started to charge off towards the battlefield, along with Shikamaru, Choji, Tenten, Kiba, Dosu, Kin and Zaku.

"Agreed. The reason for this is because, even if it's someone that all of used to scorn, regardless of whatever reason we might have had, when people see someone trying and fighting that much harder than any of the others, it's only their natural instinct that drives them to start wanting to lend a hand and assist them in any way they can. The reason for that is because, people eventually come to learn that they only have each other to fill the holes within their hearts. Holes that can be filled by having friends, as we do. And what's more, those who possess a heart with a void filled by the presence of friends and comrades knows what it means to be truly strong."

All the while, Ino looked on from where she and Tsunade were working on their Summoning Jutsu, and she gave a small smile as she watched them depart 'Good luck everyone, just make sure to be careful out there.'

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Meanwhile, with the battle against the Ten Tails Jinchuuriki…

As the smoke cleared, Obito retracted what was left of his Truthseeker arms from where he was floating above the battlefield, then summoned a large black Truthseeker shield in one hand, and in the other a large Truthseeker sword taking on the shape of a double-helix "It doesn't matter what you try and do now, because nothing you can think of doing now will change anything in the grand scheme of things. Take a look above you, and tell me what you see through the hole at the top."

"You mean the moon?"

"Exactly. The time in which we shall enter the world of dreams is drawing near, and the moon is going to light the path we shall use to get there. The gaping hole of the depths of hell that has opened will at last be filled by the dreams of the moon, because the moment of truth is at last upon us! This sword that I hold in the palm of my hand is the divine blade that once belonged to the Sage of the Six Paths himself, known as the Sword of Nunoboko, in which the strength of my very own will is manifested. You no longer have any chance of being able to defeat me. The blade in my hand was used by the Sage himself in order to create the world that we now know. My desires and the strength of my own will shall be used to crush all of you. It doesn't matter what you may try to do, because it's useless in the grand scheme of things, and you will soon be destroyed by the same power that was once wielded by the Sage of the Six Paths!"

"So you say." Naruto shot a quick glance over at Sasuke "Are you thinking what I'm thinking right now?"

"I imagine something to do with ramen." Sasuke commented dryly.

"No! Well yeah I think when we get back, that would be pretty nice because I haven't had any ramen in like a week. But right now, I think we should focus everything on a single blow to take him down. We're probably gonna have a really tiny window to strike, so we're gonna have to make sure it counts."

"In other terms even you can understand, make sure not to miss."

"Hey come on, I'm not THAT stupid!" ignoring the look Sasuke was giving him, Naruto spared a quick glance back as a series of Massive Rasengans appeared on each of the Tailed Beast Mode's tails, creating nine in total.

"And I intend to use the power of this sword, to obliterate this failure of a world and bring about a new reality." in response to Naruto and Sasuke preparing their final attack, Obito tightened his grip on the Sword of Nunoboko and prepared to charge, only to stop when something else ended up catching his attention "What the-?"

"Guess what asshole, the rest of us are about to join the party!" this was when the majority of the Hidden Leaf group (Kiba, Shino, Dosu, Kin, Zaku, Shikamaru, Choji, Neji and Tenten) dropped onto the scene and landed within one of the nine tails, and Lee and Hinata both landing on one of the massive front paws of the avatar, all 11 of them being enveloped in their own personal Tailed Beast mantle in the process, and Kiba voiced their thoughts "Okay, I like to think I speak for everyone when I say, what in the everlasting fuck?!"

"I'm gonna give you guys all a Rasengan to use on him, and you can use it to blast right through that shield of his!" with just a thought, Naruto summoned one more Rasengan in one of the paws for Hinata "Just hang on Bushy Brow, give me a second and I'll make one for you two!"

"Thanks Naruto, but that won't be necessary. I have my own means of breaking through that shield and sword of his. Seventh Gate: Gate of Shock: OPEN!" Lee unleashed a primal roar and opened the seventh gate, blue vapor bursting forth from his body "Combining seven of the Eight Gates with the power of Sage Mode, as well as the chakra cloak you've provided, I think I can make a big enough dent for you to break through."

"Good to know, but let the others go first. It's a really bad idea to charge in against a guy like that on your own. Go ahead guys, show this bastard what you've got!"

"Right!" so on that note, all of the others, with Hinata leading the charge, they all burst out from within the Tailed Beast avatar and launch all 10 Rasengans into Obito's Truthseeker shield, the combined assault proving to be enough to rip through the shield and shatter it.

"I WILL NOT FALL HERE!" Obito discarded what was left of his shield in his anger, and promptly thrusted his Sword of Nunoboko forward in an attempt to rip through his enemies in a single stroke, resulting in a loud squelching noise, much to the horro of everyone present.

"Bushy Brow… what the hell are you doing?"

As it turns out, Lee had the Sword of Nunoboko piercing him through the shoulder, leaving a large amount of blood pouring from his wound, but rather than cry out in pain, he gave a smirk "I just created an opening for myself, and now I can help you to finish this battle once and for all. Sage Art: Wind Style: HIRUDORA!" with a primal roar, he stuck out both of his arms and unleashed a Hirudora powered by both wind chakra and nature energy, which promptly slammed directly into the Sword of Nunoboko, resulting in a blinding clash between the two of them 'That wretched fool, he let me wound him so he could get close enough to launch a direct attack, but there's no way… He can't be powerful enough to push the Sword of Nunoboko!' Obito's mind was racing as the clash carried on, but then certain images started appearing before him 'Rin… everyone from the Hidden Leaf… why am I seeing these now…' and that was when the Sword of Nunoboko finally crumbled away in his hand, leaving it to fall to the ground in pieces.

"This is… all I can do…" as blood continued pouring form his wound, Lee's Hirudora faded away as he fell to the ground, and he let out a warcry "NARUTO! SASUKE! FINISH IT!"

"RIGHT!" with a primal roar, Naruto and Sasuke thrusted their avatar's sword forward, which proved to be enough to rip right through Obito himself, leaving another series of images to flash through his mind 'These images again… Rin, Kakashi, everyone from the Hidden Leaf… but I'm there too… is that me as Hokage? Is this… what my life would've been like if I had chosen to stay in the Hidden Leaf? I don't understand… why am I seeing these images now…?' and then all of the damage from the series of attacks took effect on him, leaving green chakra spewing out of the wound left by the attack, which quicly took on the appearance of the Tailed Beasts that had already been absorbed, snarling and howling wildly.

'Yes, we finally got him!' Naruto spared a quick glance back at the chakra that was spewing directly out of Obito 'Is that… the Tailed Beast?'

"It's just like we thought, the chakra that you received from the Tailed Beasts earlier reacted to the chakra from the Tailed Beasts that he had inside him, and you were able to pull all of it out in a single shot. Though you do realize that this would never have worked if the Tailed Beasts hadn't taken a liking to you when they did, and shared some of their chakra with you during that little meeting of the minds we had before."

"Yeah I know, but I'm not gonna complain. I think I know what to do next."

"Yep, it's a good old fashioned tug of war, so go ahead and pull all of the Tailed Beast chakra right out of his hole, and yes the wording was intentional!"

"You got it Kurama!" Naruto gave a smile, but it quickly hardened as his Tailed Beast chakra started connecting with Obito's, though Gyuki and Saiken's were left as the exceptions and they wouldn't connect "Hey what the hell gives?"

"Dammit, I should've seen this part coming. You never got any chakra from the Six Tails or the Eight Tails, so it's not going to work with either of them."

"Great, now what the hell are we gonna do?"

"Leave that part to us." this was when Utakata and Killer Be dropped down onto the scene "Keep in mind that I've got the Six Tails inside of me, and the rapping idiot has the Eight Tails inside of him, so that ought make up for the lack of their chakra you've got going for you."

"We finally found a weakness and that's the key, so go right ahead and leave Eight-o's chakra up to me!" that was Killer B's input as he latched onto Gyuki's chakra.

"...Rapping idiot, I rest my case." Utakata rolled his eyes as he latched onto Saiken's chakra, and then he started pulling on it.

"Looks like they're extracting the Tailed Beast chakra." Lee glanced up at the power struggle taking place as his Sage Mode and Seventh Gate faded, leaving only his chakra cloak covering his body, though he was left kneeling on the ground as his wound continued bleeding "That might be for the best though, given the state I'm in right now."

"Just hold still and let me take a look at it." Kin knelt down beside him and started using her medical ninjutsu to heal the wound, earning a grateful smile from Lee.

"Thank you Kin. As long as Naruto and the others succeed in pulling out the Tailed Beast chakra, that should be enough to stop the bud from blooming and casting the Infinite Tsukiyomi, at least I think so anyway."

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Meanwhile, with the former Team Jiraiya members…

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" Yahiko formed a quick hand seal and unleashed a water dragon that ripped through a number of roots from the Divine Tree, preventing it from engulfing a number of shinobi in their path "Konan!"

"Right! Shikigami Dance!" Konan created a series of spears from her paper and sent them hurtling forward, ripping through a few spears themselves, and the two of them are about to unleash a follow up attack, only to stop when they noticed something "Yahiko."

"Yeah I know, they just stopped out of nowhere. That probably means he can't control the tree itself anymore."

"Does that mean what I think it means?"

"Hey listen up everyone." this was when Ino got everyone's attention through the use of her telepathic link "Do you remember when Shikamaru said that even a small amount of power can be a big help to everyone depending on how it's being used? A good friend and teammate of mine once said that power is gonna be used to change the course of the world, so listen up."

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Meanwhile, with the struggle over the Tailed Beasts…

'What is this…' as the struggle continued on, Naruto found himself seeing certain images flash before his eyes 'These… These are his memories… the way he lived his life, his goals and his dreams… the way he loved that girl… and how he lost her…' a single tear fell down his cheek as these images flashed before his eyes 'Why am I seeing this?'

"It's because your chakra is connected to his, and his feelings are flowing into you, but you can't let yourself get distracted by them!"

"I know, but…"

"You'd be a fool to underestimate the power of the Ten Tails Jinchuuriki! I've taken the mantle of the Sage of the Six Paths, and now I am his equal!" Obito let out a snarl as he started pulling back on the Tailed Beast chakra inside of him.

"Dammit!"

"Let me handle this." with a wave of his hand, Sasuke summoned an arm from his Susanoo armor that started pulling on the Tailed Beast chakra as well "Don't lose focus Naruto, just keep doing what you have to do."

"Sasuke…"

"Don't count any of us out just yet!" this was when Lee and the others, still being enveloped in their chakra cloaks, dropped down onto the back of the Tailed Beast avatar "Don't forget that you asked everyone to help you out in this fight, so all of us are going to keep helping out for as long as we can."

"Bushy Brow… Hinata… everyone…"

"And what's more, the rest of us are here too!" this was when Itachi and Shisui dropped onto the scene in their Susanoos, Izumi and Ayame riding with them, along with the majority of the alliance clad in their chakra cloaks.

"Everyone is here too… awesome!"

"Listen up everyone, grab onto my chakra and get ready to pull!" Minato flashed into his own Tailed Beast Mode and grabbed onto the power struggle with one of his chakra arms, sending a series of tendrils out to the rest of the alliance, which prompted many of the others to grab onto them and grip them tightly.

"Alright listen up you guys, we're gonna do it together on my mark. Ready, and PULL!" as soon as Naruto gave the command, it prompted the alliance to start pulling with all the strength they were able to muster.

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Meanwhile, within the subconscious…

'This is…' Obito's eyes suddenly snapped open, and he looked ahead to see Naruto standing in front of him, and then the images of more and more of his comrades began appearing alongside him, eventually showing everyone in the alliance 'So many of them…' he glanced back to see that there was no one standing alongside him, then back at Naruto 'He reminds me so much of how I used to be… Or rather, what I could've been… But what does this mean? Don't tell me… this is supposed to mean that… that I have regrets?"

"Do you remember what you said to me before?" Naruto finally spoke to him "You told me that you were no one, and that you didn't want to be anyone."

"That all that matters to me is that Project Tsuki no Me succeeds, because it's true. Don't bother trying to penetrate my thoughts."

"I know, but the truth is that… you were just like me once, and you had the exact same dream that I did. You wanted to become Hokage."

"What?"

"It could've ended up like I was chasing after your shadow, since I've wanted to become the Hokage for as long as I can remember."

"I was always so naive in the past, and I discarded that part of myself a long time ago, so don't bother telling me that I'm-"

"If that were true then why is it that I can see this? You know as well as I do that you can't hide yourself behind a mask. You were a friend and teammate of Kakashi-sensei, a student of my dad, a member of the Uchiha clan like Sasuke, Itachi and Shisui, and you were a ninja of the Hidden Leaf that had the same dream that I did!"

"Be silent already!" now Obito was beginning to lose his cool "I've heard enough of your endless prattling, just tell me what the hell you want from me!"

"I just want to remind you of who you really are, and that's Obito Uchiha." he stuck out a fist in front of him to emphasize this point "I told you before didn't I? I said that I was gonna rip that mask right off your face."

"...You still believe that I'm Obito Uchiha? What point is there in the persistence of that name, in that existence, at this point?" Obito's expression turned solemn, but quickly hardened again "The fact of the matter is that I've now become one with the Ten Tails. I have transcended any form of normal limitations, and as a result I've attained enlightenment. I'm no longer an ordinary human like the rest of you, and as I am now I can guide the human race to the next stage. The fact is that I've come to possess the same body and will as the Sage of the Six Paths, and now I have become his successor. I am the second Sage of Six Paths!"

"That's where you're wrong, you're Obito Uchiha. When our chakra touched each other during that little tug of war outside, I got to take a look at your past. The personal histories that each of us have, and our dreams of becoming Hokage so that everyone would respect and acknowledge us, they're both the same on a lot of different levels."

"What?" Obito was left taken aback by this, but his expression quickly hardened, though it now held a downcast element to it "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You never knew your parents just like me, and we both lost a bunch of different people that we considered to be precious to us. That's why you tried to scare the crap out of me before and say that solitude is my worst nightmare, my greatest fear. Back in the beginning, you wanted everyone in the village to respect and acknowledge you just like I did! That's why you wanted to become the Hokage, if you're the same as me that is. But take a look at yourself now. You've turned everyone in front of you into your enemies, and you keep going on about some crap about how everything that you're doing is for the sake of the world when the truth is that you're only doing all of it for yourself! Not a single damn person, not even the people that you care about most, would ever be able to acknowledge this dream that you have now. You used to have the exact same dream as I do now, but now you've turned yourself into the exact opposite of a Hokage. It's because you're just like me that-"

"No, you're wrong." Obito finally spoke, his expression somewhat solemn "It's actually because of that reason, that I wanted to see you despair about this world. Or rather, I suppose that I just wanted to feel again for myself that the path that I chose for myself, the path that I've been walking this whole time, has been more than just a mistake. When you and I were fighting, I found myself being forced to recall the times of my youth, so that was why I started wanting to test you."

"You were testing me?"

"I wanted to see when you, someone that's almost exactly like me, would end up falling into the depths of despair like I did, and abandon both your feelings and your past."

"It's because the two of us are so alike that I'm so pissed off at you! You're just turning your back on everything and running away like a goddamn coward!"

"That's where you're wrong. Everything that I'm doing right now is no different from the actions that would be taken by someone that calls himself the Hokage. As a matter of fact, what I'm doing right now can take the idea of peace, and make it into a reality." the two of them engaged in a brief yet intense staredown.

"Are…. Are you really serious about that? Do you really believe in that?" Naruto's expression grew hard with anger.

"I do. That's how I truly feel in the here and now. There's no need for anyone to volunteer to tread a path that's so steep and rugged, with no knowledge of what lies ahead. The time will come when you have to step over the corpses of your comrades. Anyone would agree to choose a shortcut that has a fixed outcome, if it would mean to avoid all of the unnecessary bloodshed."

"...What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto clenched his fists tightly in his anger "The thing I want to know about isn't a shortcut, but now to get through the steep and rugged path!"

"You say that now, but would you continue to say so if the final destination were to remain the exact same?"

"How the hell can anyone tell right from the beginning which path is gonna end up being the most dangerous one? There's no way you can know for sure until somebody starts to walk at least one of the paths. The Hokage is someone who can endure the pain and is able to lead in front of everyone else, so a Hokage should never have to walk over the corpses of his comrades. Even I knew from the start that there's no shortcut to becoming the Hokage, and there are no ways out for the one that wants to become the Hokage. You know I'm right about that don't you?"

Obito said nothing for the moment, he just looked away 'That's right… right from the beginning, it was always the same to me. I loved Rin, I wanted to be better than Kakashi, I wanted to prove myself and get everyone to acknowledge me, and become the Hokage. Then I became a shinobi in my own right, and I was put on the same team as Rin and Kakashi, under Minato-sensei. During all of those times, my feelings for Rin only grew stronger, because she was one of those people that always looked after and truly cared for me… but I soon found out, it wasn't in the same way that I cared for her. I even told her that saving me was the same as saving the world, since I wanted to do that along with becoming Hokage. I promised her that I would' he soon broke away from his reminiscing and glanced back down at Naruto "What else do you intend to say to make me change my ways? It won't work you know."

"I don't believe that." Naruto's gaze hardened further "You told Kakashi-sensei before that you were going to throw away all of your memories and feelings of your comrades and the people that you care about. But then when you became the jinchuuriki of the Ten Tails, you were about to let yourself get taken over by it, didn't you try to suppress the Ten Tails because you didn't want that to happen?" he was met with silence, and so he continued on regardless "The reason why you were able to beat the Ten Tails and take control of it was because you stood firm and refused to throw away the past and lose sight of who you really are., and stay true to yourself. That's the reason isn't it? You couldn't bring yourself to get rid of the memories of Kakashi-sensei, my dad or that girl Rin could you? That's the way you were able to stay as Obito, even after you had turned yourself into the jinchuuriki of the Ten Tails. I'm right about that aren't I?"

Obito said nothing, he just stared at the ground, his expression becoming more downcast.

"But with that being said, nobody is going to let you try to drag everyone down with you onto this path and keep going down it. I'm gonna bring you back to the rest of us as Obito Uchiha, as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, a student of my dad and teammate of Kakashi-sensei, as a member of the Uchiha clan, and you're going to atone for all of the things you've done. You tried to run away from every single thing you've ever known like a coward. If this Rin person were still alive in the here and now, then she would tell you not to act tough and hide your wounds, because we're always watching. God dammit, you're no one else other than you, so stop running away from it like a coward!" Naruto held out a hand to him "Now come and join us as you, as no one but the real you, Obito Uchiha!"

Obito stayed silent for a moment, he took a few steps forward and moved to grip Naruto's hand, but then he suddenly grabbed Naruto by the throat and started trying to strangle him "I would never allow myself to turn over to your side. I don't have any regrets regarding the path that I've travelled up until now."

"I already told you before that I saw everything, so that means…" taking advantage of how taken aback Obito was, Naruto regained his foot and slammed a fist into his face, sending him skidding backwards "So stop trying to make yourself think you're the Hokage!"

"You little…" Obito managed to stop himself, but then he looked ahead and in place of Naruto, he saw something else 'Is that… me from when I was a child?'

Sure enough, standing before him was none other than a younger version of Obito himself, his gaze hard and unwavering "The person that Rin wanted to watch over isn't the version of you that's in the here and now. It was Obito Uchiha, the real one."

"What do you-" Obito was cut short when he saw more images of his past 'Rin… she always held me by the hand and kept pulling me forward.'

"Yes that's right." then came more versions of himself that appeared before Obito, which then morphed into the appearance of Kakashi, Rin and Minato "The best thing to do in order to fill that hole in your heart is to do it yourself, so hurry up and come over here already."

'You… You want me to come with you…'

"Hold on a second Rin." then the young Obito that he was seeing before him turned towards the current version and held out a hand to him "You know it's true, Rin won't even bother to look at the version of you in the here and now. The one that Rin wanted to keep watching over is none other than the real Obito Uchiha."

"What?"

"I've had enough of this already." the past Obito walked over and grabbed the hand of the current one "I'm none other than Obito Uchiha!"

'I am…'

"Enough of this crap already!" the past Obito disappeared and was replaced by Naruto "Now stop wasting time and get the hell over here already you bastard! The power that everyone shares with each other… it's something you sure as hell don't want to underestimate!"

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Now back to reality…

"The power that everyone shares with each other…" Naruto's eyes snapped open, and he saw in front of his eyes as everyone was taking part in the power struggle alongside him 'Yeah that's right, everyone is here now… They're all fighting alongside me… Everyone is fighting here together as one… My good friends, people that I had never met before, the young and the old… All of them working as one for the sake of a common goal… They're all here, all of my friends are here right now, fighting alongside me! I said before that there was one thing I knew for certain about this entire war… and it's that we're going to win!' and with that final thought driving him onwards, he and the others finally managed to rip the chakra of the Tailed Beasts right out from Obito's body, earning an enormous chorus of cheers of joy and relief from the alliance as the seven Tailed Beasts appeared before them in all of their bestial glory.

'So then… did I lose?' Obito himself on the other hand, was reverted back to his original form, only now his hair was permanently white, and he was left to fall towards the ground with a loud crash, gazing up at the red moon above him, and then staring at his hand as he held it in front of his face 'Rin…

"Finally, we got him…" Naruto and the others returned to the ground as the Tailed Beast Mode and Susanoo faded away, panting heavily all the while "That was… a hell of a lot…"

"That's one way to describe it." Sasuke let out a sigh as he wiped some blood from his lip "It feels like… my everything is on fire though…"

"Yeah… but we did it…"

"That you did." Son Goku of the Four Tails shot a glance over at him "Looks to me like you kept that promise of yours Naruto Uzumaki. You said that you wanted to save me, and you went ahead and did it."

"It's just part of my ninja way, I never give up and I never go back on my word. I said that I was gonna save you guys, so I did, and I remembered all of your names too."

'Hold on a second…' Shukaku took a moment to spare a glance over at Naruto 'I thought this kid looked familiar, he's the jinchuuriki of the Fox that I fought awhile back.'

'To think he actually befriended the Tailed Beasts… this kid is something else.' Shisui gave a grin as he watched Naruto converse with the Tailed Beasts, but then he glanced over at Itachi and saw his gaze hardened "What's the matter?"

"I'm afraid the war isn't over just yet." Itachi glanced over to where Obito lay "Even though he's had the Ten Tails extracted, he's still alive."

"He's still alive after having a Tailed Beast extracted? I didn't know anyone could do that outside of the Uzumaki clan."

"Neither did I, but given the current situation I doubt anything could be considered impossible at this point." the two of them started walking towards Obito, gripping their swords in preparation to finish him.

"Well like a wise man once said, there's no such thing as impossible, only minds too small to be able to comprehend what is possible."

"I'm pretty sure you're the one who said that."

"Yeah I know. So what do you think, should we try and finish him off with the Turbulent Four Seasons combo? We haven't broken that one out in awhile."

"No, not since that one time with those two girls from the Hidden Grass."

"Hey! Come on man, you swore you were never gonna mention that!"

"You also swore you weren't going to tell Izumi about my secret stash of pocky, and then you turned around and told her 10 minutes later."

"Only because you an Kazuma both sold everything my own stash under my bed!"

"I wouldn't have if you didn't-" this comical exchange continued as they drew closer.

'Oh right… I lost to them…' Obito spared a glance over at the others, but any actions he might have been contemplating were cut short when Kakashi suddenly warped back out of the Kamui dimension and landed on top of him, a kunai in hand.

"Kakashi…"

"Forget it Itachi, you and I can talk later." Kakashi told him without looking at him "Sorry to have taken so long to get here and appearing out of nowhere, but he was my friend and my teammate, so if there's anyone who should take responsibility for everything he's done, then please let it be me." so on that note, he drew back his hand and prepared to bring down the kunai, only to be stopped by a golden colored figure grabbing him by the arm, and his eyes widened at the sight of who it was "Minato-sensei…"

"We brought him down and he's weak, now's our chance to take him out! Let's do this for all the people that he killed!" seeing that Obito was on the ground in a weakened state, a large group of shinobi prepared to charge at him and finish him off.

"Hold on a moment." Minato held out a hand to stop them, then glanced down at where Obito lay in front of him "Listen Obito, when we engaged in that chakra tug-of-war just now, I was given the chance to see what was inside of your heart. It seems that you've already gotten a fair amount of nagging and lecturing from my son, and I like to think that little habit of his is something that he got from his mother." then he glanced over at Kakashi "But the fact is that such a duty actually falls on you."

"Sensei…" Kakashi looked away from him and glared back down at Obito.

"The fact is Kakashi, I think the one that's able to truly understand Obito and should be able to talk to him is you, as his friend and his teammate. Naruto, Sasuke, the two of you know that I'm right about this don't you?"

"What?" Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, only to see him return the look "Yeah, yeah I think I get it dad."

"Glad to hear it, because I'm sure that a lot of others out there do too. Speaking of which Naruto, you and the rest of the Allied Forces should go and take care of Madara. Tatsu and the others are probably going to need help with sealing him away."

"And the fact that Tatsu has been fighting him this entire time, along with Lord First and the rest of us." Itachi pointed out.

"How is he doing by the way?"

"He was fighting well along with the rest of us before we came over here, but his opponent is one of the most powerful shinobi to ever live, not to mention having the Rinnegan, an immortal body and a limitless supply of chakra. There's no guarantee how long he's going to last."

"Then that means we have to get over there and help seal him fast. Come on Naruto, let's go end this war already." on that note, Sasuke took off running towards the other battlefield, with Naruto and a few others following hot on his heels.

"Honestly, I think you were younger than Naruto is now." Minato looked back down at Obito "I know that you remember it, all of the missions that the four of us went on. Rin had been trained as a medical ninja, and she did everything in her power to protect the two of you. She would never have wanted for anything like this to happen. But at the same time, the whole cause of everything that's happening now is my responsibility. It was the mission with Kannabi Bridge. It's not exactly a coincidence that I, someone that's supposed to be long dead, ended up standing before the two of you like this. Perhaps Rin was the one that ended up making it happen, her way of having me make amends for having failed the two of you as a teacher. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to protect her back then."

"You… You knew how I felt about her didn't you?" Obito turned his gaze towards Minato "In those times, I saw her as my only light and hope. After I lost Rin, the world as I saw it changed, and not for the better. The world around me became a hell that was pitch black. I saw that there was no true hope in this world, so I took the identity of Madara and started to walk through this world, but all it did was confirm my newfound beliefs. Even with my Sharingan, I wasn't able to see anything, because there was nothing that I could see."

"...You know what?" Kakashi finally spoke to Obito, his voice soft "I don't really know anything for certain either."

"So then… the new path that I walk is…"

"There isn't a doubt in my mind that the path you walk is just one of many, and in all honesty, it might not actually be wrong either. There were times when I thought that the world we live in was utter hell too. I thought that you had died back during the last war, and almost immediately after that, I ended up losing Rin too, and then I finally lost Minato-sensei as well. But even so, even though I don't know anything for certain, I tried as much as I could to see the best that the world had to offer through his eye that you gave me back then." he gestured to the Sharingan that was his left eye "I always felt that as long as I held onto your Sharingan and the things that you said to me back then, then I would be able to see it."

"And I take it Naruto and the others are what you saw? How can you be sure that the path they're on isn't going to fail as well?"

"Honestly, I don't know that for certain. There's a pretty fair chance that the others might fail along the way too."

"Then how exaclty is Naruto different from me? Why would you bother to go as far as you do for someone like him?"

"The reason for that is because I can say without any hesitation that he's a hell of a lot less likely to fail than the version of you in the here and now."

"But why is that?"

"It's because even if he trips and stumbles on the path that he walks, I won't hesitate to help him and walk alongside him, along with so many others."

"But then… why would you help him?"

"Naruto is the kind of person that would never give up on his dreams, or on his reality for that matter, and neither would any of the rest of his friends, like Tatsu or Sasuke, or really any of them for that matter. That's the kind of people they are. And Naruto just continues to forge ahead, and he has the ability to draw others towards him as he does. He makes you want to reach out to him just when he's about to stumble, and the greater the support that you have behind you, the closer you'll be able to get to reaching your goal. That right there is the difference."

"But it raises the question… Do you really believe that such a thing is possible in this hell that's always colored pitch black?"

"I'm sure that you could've seen it too, if you had bothered to try. After all, between the two of us, we share the same eyes. If you have friends and comrades that you trust and they gather around you, hope can take on a physical form and become visible for all to see. That's what I believe at least."

"You… You really believe that?"

"I do, with every fiber of my being."

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Meanwhile, atop the Divine Tree…

'Come on, just a little bit longer…' from his place at the top of the Divine Tree, Tatsu glanced down to where he, or rather another version of him, was fighting Madara alongside Hashirama, but being beaten back with visible ease 'Kind of subverting expectations with this kind of strategy, but I doubt even he is gonna see it coming. Have the original keep fighting him alongside Kazuma and the First, and have a few Shadow Clones create a massive attack to immobilize him and give them a chance to seal him away. It's kind of risky, I take one hit and the entire plan goes to hell, but given the fucking beast that is our opponent, it's the best chance we've got.'

"Hey Tatsu!" this was when Naruto and Sasuke leapt up onto the top of the tree "Sorry it took us so long, are you okay?"

"I'm pretty sure everything that's happening right now would say no, especially since I'm just the Shadow Clone. Right now the real me is down there fighting Madara along with Kazuma and the First. He's having me launch the attack while Madara's focusing on the real one." he gestured to the enormous silver-colored Rasenshuriken he was holding above him "It's not enough, I've gotta go for something bigger. Can you guys go ahead and help the others distract him?"

"You sure you don't want our help up here?"

"I've got this, I started this fight with Madara and I'm gonna be the one to finish it."

"Got it, just do what you have to do." and so the two of them hurtled down the side of the tree towards the battlefield.

'I'm not stopping yet, I'm going even bigger!' Tatsu's eyes burned with determination as the silver Rasenshuriken grew larger by the second, to the point where it began illuminating the footsteps of just about everyone below the tree "Yeah there we go, now we're ready. Guess what Madara, you said you wanted a real fight and that's what you're gonna get, so go ahead and eat your fucking heart out! Silver Dragon Massive Rasenshuriken!" with a mighty roar, he promptly hurled the silver-colored Rasenshuriken down towards the battlefield, and he disappeared in a puff of smoke not long after.

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Meanwhile, down on the battlefield…

"Yasaka Magatama!" with his Susanoo active, Madara hurled a barrage of yasaka beads aimed at both Tatsu and Kazuma, only for the two of them to grab onto each other and suddenly disappear in a green flash 'That's the Flying Raijin Jutsu that Tobirama uses, which means-'

"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Jutsu!" seizing the chance, Hashirama (currently in the middle of regenerating with a few black rods embedded into his back) summoned an enormous wood dragon that ensnared Madara and bound him, leaving him unable to move "There, now you've been immobilized and the wood dragon will absorb your chakra."

"So you did this in the belief that the jutsu you use to steal chakra has now been nullified."

"That's one way of putting it." Tatsu and Kazuma flashed back onto the scene, the former now showing visible signs of fatigue as he shot a smirk at Madara "To dumb it down to the point where even Naruto could understand it, you won't be able to move or absorb chakra from the next attack that I'm launching at you. Just give it a second, you'll see what I mean." and then they vanished from the scene again, along with Hashirama.

"Oh?" Madara glanced over to see the Silver Dragon Massive Rasenshuriken that was hurtling towards him 'I see, so he must have been distracting me with a Shadow Clone… No, this was the real one, so it must have been the Shadow Clone. Not a bad ploy actually.' he gave a smirk despite the situation he was in, and that was when the attack struck.

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Meanwhile, with the two biggest rivals…

"Wait stop, hold on a second." as they continued hurtling down the side of the tree, Sauske quickly screeched to a halt and forced Naruto to do the same "You see that?"

"See what?" Naruto glanced down at the battlefield, only for his attention to be caught by a large explosion in the distance "Oh, you mean that?"

"Tatsu was aiming that jutsu of his over there, so that's more than likely where we're going to end up finding Madara."

"So we're gonna be heading over that way then, let's go."

"Forget it, it'll take too long on foot. I have a better way." on that note, Sasuke leapt off the side of the tree and activated his Completed Body Susanoo, complete with the wings on its back "Don't just stand there staring at me stupid, get in."

"Alright!" so Naruto promptly leapt into the head of Sasuke's Susanoo, and the two of them started flying towards the battlefield "So we're gonna help with sealing him? But the two of us don't know how to-"

"No we don't, so the best thing we can do is help out however we can and make sure that all of the effort that Tatsu and the others put into fighting him won't go to waste."

"Right." then the two of them looked down to see several crimson colored figures following them towards the battlefield "Is that everyone from the alliance?"

"Looks like we're not the only ones who had that sort of idea."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"I think it depends on whether or not they can help seal him away."

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Meanwhile, on the other side of the Divine Tree…

"It's rather miraculous really…" Itachi and the others watched as the majority of the remaining members of the alliance making their way towards the other battlefield "They didn't need to be given any orders or for a single word to be uttered, and yet all of them have been galvanized into taking action."

"Looks like Sasuke has found himself a few pretty good friends." Shisui gave a grin "At least if they can convince people to follow them like that."

"You do have a point, but that's more about Naruto than the others. He's the one that they've chosen to follow."

"I understand those feelings all too well myself, seeing how I'm one of them." Gaara gave a small smile, then glanced over at the Tailed Beast, one of them in particular "Shukaku, if you don't mind then I would like to borrow the power of your Sand in order to seal away Madara."

"What the hell does that mean?" Shukaku shot a raised eyebrow at him "You mean you want my Grand Sand Mausoleum?"

"That's right, and a giant one too, one big enough to contain Madara's incredible power and put a stop to him once and for all."

"Forget it you little shit, I'm not bound to any jinchuuriki anymore, so what the hell makes you think I'd bother listening to anything you say after all this time?"

"I never said anything about ordering you, because I'm just asking you. If you refuse to help me then that's fine, because I'll just go ahead and ask one of the others to help me instead. I'm sure that they would be willing to help Naruto and Tatsu."

"...Wait a second."

"What is it?"

"You mean Naruto Uzumaki right? Gotta say Gaara, it sure as hell feels like you've become friends with that Fox Demon's brat."

"I have."

"And that other brat Tatsu, the one who had those crazy eyes, he was the first one that beat me in a straight up fight."

"That is true. If you're not going to help then we can talk later. I'll be going, and I can assume that the others will as well."

"You know that tone you're using still pisses me off. It's like they say, if a fox has got seven tricks going for it, then a tanuki oughta have eight of its own! I'm the One Tail tanuki don't forget, so there's no chance in hell I'm gonna lose to a stupid fox! Plus I owe that bastard with the weird eyes for the last time we fought!"

"Shukaku…" Gaara was taken by surprise by this, but quickly composed himself.

"Don't think I'm doing this because you asked me to. I'm doing it only because I want to, no other reason than that. Go ahead and lead the way kid."

"Alright then, it's this way-"

"Hold up a second." Son Goku spoke up "The rest of us will help out too. You don't have to worry though, we're not just doing this on a whim. We're doing this to help Naruto out after all."

"I see." Gaara promptly turned and bowed to them "I'm grateful for your help."

"Tell me something though kid from the Hidden Sand, are you a friend of Naruto to?"

"You wish to know if I'm a friend of his?"

"That's what I asked isn't it?"

'It's… It's really rather strange… For as long as I could remember, I was surrounded by nothing but fear and hatred from everyone that was around me, with the exception of Yashamaru. But then that night came where he… where he died, and then I couldn't feel anything anymore. I was little more than a killing machine from the time when I was born, nothing more than a monster that could never be controlled. My mother died giving birth to me, the village turned its back on me, my own siblings avoided me, and I was made into a target for assasination by my own father. I had always been alone, and a solitary weapon had no need for a heart. Then the day came where I was sent as a weapon to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village, where he and I met for the very first time… Naruto Uzumaki. The first time I encountered him was uninteresting. But at the same time, with every little incident, his words and actions towards those he cared for began to send ripples through my heart. Of course before then I fought Tatsu Kamikaze, and he actually defeated me in single combat, something that had never happened to me before. Along with that, Naruto himself came to have an effect on me. Naruto wasn't like the others that merely aroused hatred from within me. The more that I drove him into a corner, the harder he fought back against me, time and time again, after he had hit rock bottom, until he finally defeated me. That day would come to hold a very special meaning to me. I came to learn that he grew up under the same circumstances that I did, yet he made the choice to live a different way, and that the strength I held had a direct connection to his. I was able to take a step forward away from my life of pessimism, and I soon became the Kazekage. I have gained more friends, comrades, people that I held dear, and now I continue to strive to be someone that is needed by others. And with my head held high, I was able to stand as his equal, and one step at a time, I aimed for the day where I could be acknowledged as a friend to him. However, then the day came where I was captured by the Akatsuki, and I ended up having Shukaku extracted… and then I died. I was revived however, thanks to Granny Chiyo giving up her life for mine through the use of a forbidden jutsu and Naruto's chakra. I thought that I had been doing my best in order to be accepted by you as a friend. I thought that I had to become someone who was essential to others, someone that people looked up to. However, on that day where we parted ways after you rescued me, we came to understand and accept each other. The truth is that we were already friends.'

"Hey kid, you still in there?" Son finally snapped Gaara out of his reminiscing "What the hell gives? I just asked you if you were Naruto's friend."

"To answer your question, yes he is. He's more than just a friend though, the truth is that he was my first true friend."

"Is that so?"

"Come on then, we should get moving. We have to help Naruto and the others seal Madara away, and then put an end to this war once and for all."

A/N:

After a long and brutal struggle, it looks like Obito Uchiha, the jinchuuriki of the Ten Tails, has finally been brought down by the combined efforts of Naruto, Sasuke and the rest of the alliance, with Naruto attempting to rip through Obito's mask and meet the real him all the while. The conflict isn't over yet though, seeing how Madara still needs to be dealt with, and since Tatsu is still fighting him right now, along some back up in the form of Hashirama and Kazuma, and he's preparing his final attack that will end the battle once and for all, or will it?

But aside from that, this is more than likely going to be the last chapter of the story that I put out this year. I know that my schedule for updating this story has been… well it's been all over the place. But I promise you guys that I AM going to finish this story no matter what, no matter how long it may take. Probably rewrite it at some point in the future, but that's a discussion for another day.