Chapter 25: Retrospective

"I have learned that if you must leave a place that you have lived in and loved and where all your yesteryears are buried deep, leave it any way except a slow way, leave it the fastest way you can. Passed years seem safe ones, vanquished ones, while the future lives in a cloud, formidable from a distance."

― Beryl Markham, West with the Night


Hyuga Manor-Jiraiya & Tsunade

The ground stirs beneath them, a quake from deep below rising up as if awakened from slumber.

Obito manages to lift his head up just slightly, forces a grin to his lips seeing their brief looks of confusion.

"I ensured White Zetsu made clones of itself on standby for me to use, knowing that there was a chance Black Zetsu would be sealed. They're all parasitic bodies no longer human, not limited by broken limbs or what would be fatal injuries." He expresses.

He's getting too low on chakra he knows, if this plan fails then he'll truly be out of options...

'It's fine. Kabuto had collected enough samples from the dead.'

Though he wasn't able to build up an army of Zetsu like he'd hoped, couldn't even test and see the full extent of this reanimation jutsu before needing to bring it out now. The few leftover clones he used as sacrifices have to make this final effort worth all the trouble.

Evening sunlight begins it's slow trek downward, sky taking on the light shades of violet and red. By true nightfall there will be too many reinforcements for him to counter all at once, weighing how to go about this.

Slowly, he activates the signal with his remaining hand.

Jiraiya scoffs, stopping him, applying more pressure to his neck making him gasps. He schools his features to remain as impassive as possible despite the rumblings beneath them increasing.

"What are you going to do? Use an incomplete Impure Resurrection of the Dead? Tsunade and I both know how it operates. You essentially take control of the corpse bringing back a loved one or precious comrade? Are you planning to have Dan make a reappearance to shake Tsunade's resolve; it won't affect her or me once we cancel out your control. Speaking of me, nobody who's dead right now could even affect me." He muses in his ear tauntingly and Obito's brows furrow.

"You still love Tsunade though, right? Have always loved her and failed to win her heart no matter your efforts. Heh, I guess that makes us both the same somewhat, having to watch our loved ones die right in front us." Obito mocks back lowly.

And then from the corner of his eye he sees a hand rise up from the earth to coil around Tsunade's leg, snow white hair he hasn't seen in years...

The Dan before them now isn't the one who died in his 20s on the cusp of so many goals and dreams for the village, green eyes blank and cool assessing where he is.

His eyes move to them, Obito's low hiss echoing out; an order.

"Kill these two; now." He commands.

It's like he's dying all over again the more Tsunade looks Dan over. His skin is a mix of ashen white and mottled grays and browns, peeling and rotting in various spots revealing the blackness of soil and ash underneath.

The body used to create him.

"Tsunade, you...you still look so young. Don't tell me you died in the war too." Dan whispers in surprise, reaching a hand up for her cheek.

Tsunade breaks away his hold, tears his hand clean off from her leg.

"I didn't! I-I like to make myself look young. I used a specialized transformation jutsu." She supplies, moving back from him.

Dan's gaze softens. "You didn't need to do that! I'm sure you would've aged gracefully."

Tsunade looks away from him feeling her face warm, balling her fists.

"I like looking young! It helps me think of happier days, pretending the war didn't happen..." She trails off.

And Jiraiya winces at the crack in her voice, the last time Dan was alive he whispered to her if he was dying, if he could be saved as his blood pooled out around him...

After that, Dan of course knows nothing of what Tsunade did next. He wonders briefly what he would think of her immediately shunning all shinobi duties after his funeral, of taking his niece with her far enough away from the village spending most of her days gambling away and numbing her pain with the closest bottle of sake.

"I should've been there with you, we could've grown old together." Dan muses more to himself than her.

All shinobi inevitably think of the 'could have's', the 'would-be's', and 'if's' after a bad mission or worse, death of a comrade.

And it's those very longings that could drive a person to madness...

Jiraiya pins his gaze back onto Obito then.

'Like him.'

He feels his heart lurch seeing Tsunade stiffen, amber eyes watering betraying the steel of her pursed lips and falling stoic expression.

"You're not Dan; at least not really." She growls out once she manages to focus her gaze back on him properly again, infusing a crackle of electricity to her fingers.

She pushes his coming hand away again, ignoring the way he tenses at the barrier she creates between them.

Dan's smile falls, turns warped and broken.

"Yes I am? I'll prove my love and take your heart physically if need be; just like how I took it emotionally all those years ago. We can be together in death Tsunade, wouldn't you like that? You could be beside me, Nawaki, your parents...the list goes on." He implores.

"Dan wouldn't want me to go my death faster on purpose!" Tsunade snaps back.

He sighs, moves forward in a burst of wind and fire blowing them back slightly, prepares to take control of her body with his spirit technique.

'Shit.' Jiraiya scowls.

Obito smirks at his attention switching between him and her too much now, kicking his leg up into his chest. Blood thick and metallic hits the back of his tongue, begins to paint a river of red that slides down his cheek.

"Don't worry about me Jiraiya! I can handle Dan on my own and break him out of his hold!" Tsunade yells back at him, keeping him at bay with her own blend of earth and water.

And just to show him and herself she cracks her fist, ducking low before Dan can strike at her chest jabbing him hard in both stomach and back sending a series of electrical volts throughout him.

His arms sizzle and pop, sliding off him like sludge and Tsunade swallows the nausea burning the back of her mouth.

'No blood after all.' Queasiness barely abated.

"Forgive me." Tsunade murmurs, not letting up.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!"

The fist she slams into the ground further tears through the foundation of the home, jagged stone and cement coming upwards in a wave piercing Dan's chest, stilling him in place.

Flames crackle up to Obito's mouth once more, Jiraiya dodging the bursts of fireballs and smog separating them.

Not only from him though he quickly realizes, a second man behind him rising up from the ground.

Jiraiya stills, taking in dark blond hair and once bright cerulean eyes now a weathered icy blue.

Like Dan's, his skin is a pale gray from the passage of time, peeling in a constellation of black and brown cracks.

He sends him what he hopes is a pained smile helping Obito up further out of his hold putting some distance between them, jabs and slices at two Hyuga guards approaching with a speed like lightning.

Minato.

"Don't have any loved ones, huh?" Obito teases, eyes swirling red focusing back on finding Hiashi, starting the Eye of The Moon plan tonight if need be.

"It's good to see you again sensei, I...I can't let you escape." Minato rasps out blocking his path from getting to Obito, words like gravel to his ears and Jiraiya swallows, moving to stand.

"Hmph! So you say, but have you forgotten all the tricks I used to do to distract you when Kushina was nearby?! All the advice I gave you for flirting or catching a peek at her in the baths!"

Minato just looks at him blankly, memories not arising.

"I'm not a pervert like you sensei." He scoffs coldly and Jiraiya's heart sinks.

He at least expected a blush; a squirm of denial.

This man before him isn't Minato, not the prodigy of his class at the Academy he watched grow to be a Father, whose own son he never got to hold and truly see beyond just the short period after his birth...

"You're going to be his godfather. Kushina and I talked it over and it can only be you!" Minato grins, Kushina hovering behind him rubbing at her growing belly.

Jiraiya nearly spits out his tea, pointing at himself and at their nodding, choosing his next words carefully. It's been so long since he caught up with his old student and this is the bombshell news he drops upon him?!

"Are you sure you don't want it be one of the now jonin you were friends with at the Academy Minato? I'm no one special." Jiraiya shrugs.

The only thing he's good at his writing and even then, most people never say to his face they enjoy his books.

Kushina steps forward then, shaking her head.

"Don't say that, you know! We want you and that's final! Now, don't think you're going to dirty Naruto's mind with any of that perverted research you like to do even when he grows up! As his Mother, I want him to grow up to be a respectable shinobi or man within his community; whatever path he chooses!" She beams.

She bounces on her toes realizing she referred to herself as a 'Mother' looking back to Minato giddily.

"Ah, I'm going to be a Mom Minato! And you're going to be a Dad! I can't wait, you know!" She squeals, twisting to wrap her arms around him.

Minato laughs at her excitement, hugging her close.

"I'm excited too, but...let's dial it down a notch! The doctor did say you need to take it easy as you go into your third trimester." He advises.

Kushina nods, calming herself and coughing pretending to be back in a serious mood, focusing to Jiraiya once more.

"Okay, so it's decided. You'll be Naruto's godparent and you'll go on so many fun adventures together, sans the ones you take to the Hot springs." She declares with a clap of her hands, topic said and done at her glare when he tries to refute it.

Minato shakes his head behind her, warning him.

There's no room for argument with her rage looming.

But he's been a terrible Godparent, clenching his teeth at all the times he's hurt Naruto...

And now, and now, he'll need to snap Minato out of this before he does any true harm.

"Likewise Minato, though I hoped it would never be like this." Jiraiya remarks as he straightens his posture, mentally preparing to fight another one of his former students.


Naruto & Hinata

"You two will need some type of code perhaps. To prove you are who you say you are when dealing with these Zetsu creatures." Asami explains while stretching out her wings. No matter how she has tried to brush away the scent of ash and blood from her feathers, it clings to her like the sticky sap upon the trees in spring and fall.

She's sure nobody tracked her flight path back to the island, but she went in a blur of zigzags, and crosses, sometimes flying backwards against the wind to cause confusion delaying her return.

Obito has eyes that stretch beyond Konoha after all.

Flying nonstop she's sure she can get the pair back to Konoha just before moonrise, perhaps even before the sun completely sets if she truly pushes herself. Not that Hinata would probably like that idea.

"Hmm, like what Pervy-Sage does with sayings in his books? Oh, it could be something only you and I know about each other Hinata! Like how you squeal/moan when I lick or kiss that small birthmark spot between your ear and neck! And how I like when you grip at my back when we're...well err no way is a Zetsu clone going to know all that, you know!" Naruto considers proudly.

His eyes rake Hinata's body from the side making her skin burn and tingle, glancing away.

"Not that Naruto!" Hinata nudges him sharply.

Her face turns a beet red at him recalling such moments, moments she didn't need her Owl summon to know about!

Asami meanwhile just wonders once again what it is Hinata sees in this boy and his mating rituals.

"I could've lived without that knowledge boy." She notes dryly.

"We...We can think of another signal to give each other besides that Naruto!" Hinata adds in as well.

"Knowing each other inside and out may not be enough anyways. You'll need multiple back ups for confirmation to prove each other's identity should you be separated. These clone Zetsu have been created to match your personality and skills down to a T." Asami explains.

Naruto huffs waving it off. Whatever, the Zetsu's aren't his priority right now.

Obito is.

"We'll grab our belongings and meet you back here in around 30 minutes to an hour?" Hinata suggests.

Asami nods, stretching out her wings to prepare for the long flight back.

"I'm sure Naruto is aware of the high danger of heading back to the village at this time." She questions while Hinata stays back for a moment, observing as Naruto disappears back into the shrubbery.

Hinata nods, Asami studying the cloud formations.

A patchwork of black and gray storms billows on the horizon, a near opposite to the calm blue currently up above.

'I hate flying near this region.' She sighs, the lack of forests and near constant off and on thunderstorms to Kumo are annoyances she'll have to skirt around.

"Thank you for all your help in this Asami. I promise that after this the Hyuga clan is indebted to you." Hinata smiles.

Asami twists her head nearly a complete 360, humming thoughtfully.

"I'll be taking you up on that offer, it's been so long since I've dined on any nice fish, beetles, or mice."

Naruto reappears with their bags before Hinata can answer, wrinkling his nose catching the tail end of their conversation.

"I hope you're not suggesting we eat any of those creatures, you know! I got my fill of insects during enough trips to Mount Myōboku!" He exclaims.

Asami half-smiles, shaking her head.

"No, I'll just save you the bones, feathers, and fur all wrapped up in a nice pellet!"

They say their goodbyes to B who states he'll join the fray via another option ("My bro may think I'm light, but I can truly put up a fight!"). A argues against him getting involved being a jinchuriki as well while Motoi promises they'll provide Konoha aid in whatever ways needed.

And then they take off just as the wind kicks up a splash of sea salt, taste of rain in the air.

"Do you...Do you think he used that jutsu? I know Kabuto is dead, but he might've left paperwork and study notes behind that Obito found." Naruto mutters sometime into the afternoon.

The air in the sky is chilly, Hinata often leaning back into him for warmth or a light kiss to keep from freezing up.

Hinata lets out a slow breath, the reanimation jutsu.

The dead brought back to life.

"It would be imperfect. Obito wouldn't have had the time to collect so many DNA samples from various shinobi across the regions." She whispers back.

"Are you still afraid to use me? You'll need me in this fight." Kurama warns.

Naruto pauses, considering.

"Obito is our target. The very same man who wants to use you and all the other Tailed Beasts as weapons! Don't forget that, I promise you won't be used for war purposes after this!"

"And after that?" Kurama prods, needing more promises than this alone.

Naruto cocks his head, what else could the fox want?

He recalls what his future self said during his questions regarding peacetime and grins.

"Sleep! I'll let you rest and I'll only call on you if I really need it! Umm, just you know, give Hinata and I privacy when we-"

"I don't care about any of that latter part you lecherous brat! I never did with your mother or Mito before then. I've seen for myself that perhaps you aren't just all talk; prove it here and now." Kurama interrupts, frustration coming out in a low grunt.

Kurama laughs mirthlessly now in the back of his mind, how they'll make a good team still eludes him, but for once they're on the same page.

They need to put an end to Obito and his plans.

"We may need to make an early landing!" Asami calls out breaking him from his thoughts, startling them as she abruptly glides lower, swooping through a canopy of evergreen and pine.

Even from a distance they can see the destruction of Konoha, thick streams of black and red smog stretching to the sky.

Hinata activates her byakugan, clicking her tongue at what she sees, Naruto squeezing at her arms.

"The compound, he's there...guards are toppling over." She shifts uncomfortably.

"I'll fly lower to try and stay out of their sight as best I can; hold on." Asami mentions, rushing them through pine needles, bark, and moss.

They land inelegantly on the back side of the compound, guards too busy to notice their arrival.

"This...This is it for now for me." Asami states, looking up at the falling manor.

Hinata twists to look at her, takes in dirt, bark, and leaves embedded in her wings, the faint scent of blood when she steps closer.

"You deserve it. I won't call on you unless absolutely necessary. Please go check on the other owls and forest creatures." Hinata advises.

Asami nods shrinking her body, backing away flying low into the darkness of the woods.

And in falling twilight, Naruto moves ahead following the clash of metal ringing in his ears, a tightness rising in his chest at the scent of oil and fire.

Hinata points to a spiky white hair running along the clattering shingles of the Hyuga manor, the burst of flames he spits from his mouth like molten lava.

Jiraiya.

Naruto's gaze moves to the man he's fighting, paling for a second at seeing his blond hair shine through the edge of sunlight. His jaw sets, wondering if he's seeing things.

'From the photos in the study.' He instantly recalls. He inherited his looks from his Dad...

Hair and eyes so painfully like his own don't notice them yet, his Father resurrected and too focused on fighting his godparent.


Kakashi

"Chomei has wings, I can use them." Fu relates quickly, sprouting a set of 4 wings from her back. They shine an iridescent orange-green in the sunlight, fluttering them out as if she's awakened from a hibernation.

And in a sense, she has.

"I still think this a terrible idea child! I can't recommend you running off like this all for the sake of revenge." Kirika exclaims as Fu scurries about the room gathering what little supplies she feels comfortable taking putting into a ratty knapsack.

Fu looks back to her, frowning before tacking on a small smile. "I truly thank you for taking care of me in my time of need just like Shibuki did for me all those years ago, but I'm doing this for the other jinchuriki too! I can't just keep sleeping the days away while he's out trying to destroy more villages! I'm going and that's, that!"

Her gaze twists back to Kakashi and Gai, nodding she's ready.

"Take me with you, he needs to be stopped sooner rather than later." She affirms.

Gai becomes silent, Kakashi wondering what's running through his mind. Normally, he'd think he would be happy to see her brimming with so called 'youth' and 'energy', though perhaps that's the last things on his mind knowing they could be walking her into danger.

"Even if you say no, I'm going to go! I want to see this man's face for myself and so does Chomei!" Fu reiterates.

Kakashi blows out a breath, he can't be sure of what traps Obito's placed or people he'll see once back in the village...

Did Naruto and Hinata learn enough?

Gai places a hand upon his shoulder. "She's not going to take no for an answer and while normally I would encourage the flames of her youth, I'll let you be the one to give final say!"

Kakashi sighs, turning back to Fu who's already situated her knapsack to her shoulders, eyes burning with that same frantic energy.

He approaches her mustering his most serious look, holds up one finger.

"All I ask is that you do not and I repeat do not rush ahead of us in heading to the village. Obito reasonably expects me to come back, though I don't know if he accounted for you still being alive."

Fu brightens, letting out a happy whoop before bringing both him and Gai into a group hug much to his chagrin.

"Lady Kirika was right, I can count on you two to be my friends!"


Sasuke & Sakura

They walk until the sky turns a pastel pink, a soreness rising up in their legs from the miles of walking they've done.

And still no sight of the older Uchiha.

Surely Itachi couldn't have buried himself so deep, could he?

"He must've left a hint for us somewhere buried beneath all this on where to find him." Sakura considers, studying the carvings in the dirt and grass for anything out of the ordinary.

Nothing.

Itachi is the type to make plans on top of plans though, always considers the alternative even with this variant path he's been forcibly given.

Wherever he's gone, it can't be so far that they can't reach him.

"He's probably near the hilltop or whatever remains of the nearest hilltop so he has an aerial view of what's happening in all directions." Sasuke concludes.

Sakura weighs with the idea before nodding, letting Sasuke lead the way to the closest peak.

Sure enough they see a wisp of black hair in the distance, clothes tattered caked in grass and mud leaning against a lone rock.

Itachi acknowledges them with a single nod before gesturing for them to follow his gaze to Konoha below. In the twinkle of coming nightlife they see a circle of flames pinpointed to one location alone.

"That's the Hyuga manor!" Sakura exclaims, panic lacing her voice.

Sasuke grabs her hand before she can start moving to head downwards, forces her to meet his gaze.

Green bores into black, softening at his expression.

"What is it?" Urgency laces her voice, time is of the essence to save any lives she can.

Sasuke opens his mouth only to shut it, looking between her and the village waiting.

"What Sasuke is not so eloquently saying is that this is the closest both he and I have been to the village without having ulterior motives. He's wondering if you're sure you want to be seen with us once we get close enough to be detected?" Itachi explains, Sasuke sending him a glare.

He was going to say all of that in a shorthand way.

Sakura looks at him again, sends him a small grin of encouragement despite the butterflies enveloping her stomach.

What is Lady Tsunade going to say? Is Shizune going to tease her or give her the stink eye?

Her parents and Ino will be the most difficult ones to face...

And what about her trusted patients? Will they no longer want to be under her care knowing who she associates with?

Her head starts to thrum, looking at Sasuke again only to see his gaze is on the coming night sky.

Itachi chuckles. "You're going to crush each other's hands the way things are going."

'Sasuke is nervous.' Sakura pauses taking in their locked fingers.

The realization makes her want to laugh and cry at once, that they're still shades of the boy she grew up with truly left in him.

She squeezes at his hand, feels the heat of either her flush or his tingle at her fingertips.

"I'm sure."


Hinata

"I'm going up there to provide Pervy-Sage back-up!" Naruto determines.

She hugs him close before they split up, a silent promise that neither will act reckless in this final confrontation.

Hinata twists her eyes all around, searching for her Father's chakra signature.

Wherever he is, Hanabi and Neji can't be too far from either.

She activates her byakugan, swallowing down the knot of fear that she can't sense any of them where the main battles went on.

'Inside. They must be in the secret bunker inside!' She realizes.

Carefully she maneuvers herself around fires still burning, tries not too look to long at the blank eyes of her fallen clansmen. The back door is coated in a splash of dried blood and when her gaze falls to the wood flooring she sees a trail of crimson droplets, smells the sickly sweet scent of antibiotics and cleaning products in the air.

Relief instantly floods her as she picks up on their chakra signatures one by one.

And even if there's still the matter of ensuring they can trust it's her, a single thought rushes up making her take to the hidden stairs nearly two at a time.

'They're alive.'


Hiashi, Hanabi, & Neji- Hyuga Underground Bunker

"I should be out there still helping in some way, not hiding away in the catacombs of our compound like a coward." Hiashi sighs.

"Oh hush Father, you aren't in any condition to continue fighting. Just look at your leg!" Hanabi declares before being gently hushed by Natsu to calm herself and lower her voice.

Above the floor creaks and groans, Neji moving to stand before Hanabi grabs at his hand with a sharp quickness that surprises both him and Hiashi, gesturing for him to sit.

"Don't go. You're injured too." She instructs, grip tightening at his look of wariness before nodding.

None of them like this, waiting and relying on help from others to defend their own home, but they all in a sense promised Hinata they wouldn't take unnecessary risks once Obito came to the manor...

Hiashi groans, blinking trying to stave off sleep.

"How bad does it look you two? Be honest with me." He asks again.

Because looking at his damaged leg is exactly what's he been avoiding and they all know it.

He hasn't been able to feel his leg really since Obito's attack, even though the bleeding has long since stopped...

What time is it now? Through a slit in the wood flooring up above he sees a streak of sunlight.

Good, night isn't upon them yet even if it feels like hours have passed waiting here for this all to end.

"Not good, but you don't feel it since Lady Tsunade gave you the morphine and meloxicam for pain and muscle relaxant respectively on top off of the lidocaine to numb the area. It's all still running through your system with the high dosages you received." Hanabi considers, but her confidence doesn't match the shakiness of her voice.

"Can you feel me touching your knee?" Neji questions, applying a gentle pressure and Hiashi nods.

Neji moves his hand slightly lower then, midway to his foot and Hiashi shakes his head when he squeezes again.

Hiashi forces himself to look properly, to take the patchwork of blues and purples to his leg, the ache that jolts and stops at his knee when he tries to move it.

He's going to need amputation, a prosthetic, perhaps a cane now for the rest of his life...

'I can't run the clan this way.' The painful thought slithers in before he quickly buries it.

It's a discussion for when this is all over.

A sharp knock at the entrance causes a stillness to run through the room, Neji twisting first to the door, moving to stand when the pounding comes again after a few seconds pause.

"It's me, Hinata." She announces herself from the other side.

And while they recognize her chakra signature, nobody edges any closer to the entrance.

"How...How do we know for sure it's her and not one of those Zetsu clones?" Hizami asks in a low hiss.

"We don't. Better to keep the door shut until we get the all clear from Madam Fifth or Jiraiya!" Hiromi responds harshly.

It ignites a flurry of whispers, the room splitting between keeping the door closed and the others wanting to take the chance. Hiashi raises a hand to silence the room, nodding to Neji.

"If you're really and truly Hinata as you say, then tell me this: what did I tell you alone personally before you left for the Island Turtle?" He questions as he approaches the door slowly.

Her response will determine his next move, it's not something any Zetsu could know he imagines since it was long before Obito made his arrival to the compound. But then again, those creatures have probably been studying them all for months...

He cracks the door open just enough for him to meet Hinata's gaze, to see the hint of red to her cheeks.

She sighs, pushing forward.

"To...be safe with Naruto, to not get pregnant early and focus on my solo training." She states in one breath.

A ruffle of questioning and light laughter comes at that, Neji beckoning her forward opening the door fully.

Hinata sends him a thankful nod before making a beeline for Hiashi, gaze focusing on his wound.

'It's worse than I thought.' Her stomach tilts.

Necrosis has begun a slow descent in, a sickly purple-black rising around his stab wound. Though it's been properly dressed and covering with a clear ointment, it's not enough, won't be enough to save his leg everyone knows.

"It's fine, I hardly feel it." Hiashi attempts to soothe her with a hand pat, tears starting to burn at her eyes.

"I'm sorry we came so late, we'll end things now." Hinata promises in a soft whisper, squeezing his hand back.

The floorboards above rumble, lights flickering.

Hinata waits for the quake to stop before standing again, turning to go.

"Wait, you're heading back out there?!" Hanabi scrambles to her side, clutching at her arm.

Hinata nods, hugging her back and she can feel the rush of her heartbeat, expression of calm crumpling. It's been months since they've properly seen each other and now she's heading out again.

"What will you do to aid in the effort?" Neji inquires, heading to her opposite side.

Hinata allows electricity and fire to crackle up her free hand, smiling at the look of surprise from her clansmen.

"I may not participate in the major fight against Obito, but I need to ensure he can't run away."


Naruto

'Have to get closer, ensure Pervy-Sage doesn't get caught up in fighting more than one person!'

"Snap out of it! Your son is on his way here!" Jiraiya's bellows out from somewhere within the smog.

Naruto turns, hurriedly following the sound of his voice.

They're somewhere still on the other rooftop.

He crouches low, gritting his teeth seeing streaks of red to Jiraiya's arms, weeping blisters rising up.

Burn marks.

'He's faster than Pervy-Sage no matter if he attacks from short-range or long-range!' Naruto frowns.

But he can be the distraction he needs to turn this fight back in his and Jiraiya's favor, signaling him with a burst of wind clearing a path of smog.

Minato slows, fog seeming to lift just slightly from his eyes.

Obito clicks his tongue, making the signals to reinforce his pressure; his will only for it to continue to weaken.

'No, damn it! He's only supposed to listen to me! My control can't be breaking this fast!'

He quickly peers over to Dan only to see him helping Tsunade in healing a mix of jonin and Hyuga guards who have come upon the scene. His breath comes in pants before he can blow out another stream of fire, pain rippling through his body.

'Weak. I'm getting too low on chakra.'

"Pathetic. This is why you couldn't save Rin." A cold voice sneers at him from the back of his mind and he forces himself to concentrate.

'It's not over yet, can't be over yet.' Obito reminds himself.

"Naruto? He's here too? Where?!" Minato questions rapidly words nearly blending together, note of eagerness in his voice.

Jiraiya laughs dryly, half glancing in his direction.

"Just turn your head slightly to the right." He remarks back.

He does and their gazes meet, blue to blue.

"Dad!" Naruto breathes out, sending him a half-wave. There's a hundred questions rushing to mind, hundreds of things he wants to ask and tell he saw in both the present and the future...

Minato gapes, coming to him in a flicker of movement leaping over broken shingles and torn metal/wood. He looks him up and down trying to match his fragmented memory to the here and now. He's nearly as tall as him to his shock, looks so much like him more than he or Kushina ever imagined.

"H-How old are you now?" He asks in awe, tussling about his hair taking in his spiky locks just like his own.

"I'll be 17 soon." Naruto chuckles and a mix of joy and somberness crosses Minato's features.

'He survived the Kyuubi's attack, mine and Kushina's sacrifice wasn't in vain then.' Minato manages a weak grin. The only thing that hurts now is that Naruto grew up without them, that he didn't get to watch him grow up, that both he and Kushina couldn't teach him everything they hoped to.

It's been nearly 20 years since that night he painfully realizes, since his and Kushina's deaths...

Naruto is now nearly an adult, has he often felt lonely? Made friends? Been eating healthy?

There's so much he wants to ask if he has enough time...

Obito lands beside them, impatience rising.

The reanimation wasn't going to be perfect he knows, but his control shouldn't be this weak; this loose. And already both his and Dan's bodies are disintegrating too quickly, mix of attacks and lingering smoke in the air decaying their skin faster.

"Enough talk, finish them off." He orders sharply and when Minato refuses only sending him a glare he sucks in a breath, settling for sending them off both in a blaze. Even if his lungs burn up at the effort, he can find a Zetsu afterwards, everything will be fine if he can just get rid of Naruto here and now...

Jiraiya creates a barrier of mud, fire dissipating into the slush of dirt and soil.

He glances back to the pair, grins at being able to actually witness the two together despite the circumstances that brought Minato back to the land of the living.

"You two take care of him; I'll aid in the rescue operations with Tsunade! As both of my former students, you two better not let me down!" Jiraiya commands.

Minato nods, gazing back to Naruto. "Let's finish this together Naruto." He determines, looking to him for confirmation.

Naruto readily agrees, going back into his mindscape.

"It's time Kurama." He murmurs under his breath.

While his training with B wasn't fully completed, he and Kurama both saw the future, know they can work together and more importantly, stop a war from coming.

"Kurama, I'm borrowing some of your chakra! Let's end this!" Naruto exclaims.

Kurama is silent for a long moment nearly making him believe an argument could be coming before he chuckles his agreement.

"No need to repeat it. As long as we kill Obito here and now, fine by me!"

Naruto opens his eyes once more to see himself and Minato layered in Kurama's chakra, Minato grinning proudly. It doesn't burn like so many times before he notes, a sense of calm shrouding him.

"You've surpassed the past holders of the Nine Tails or I suppose he goes by Kurama, right? You two reached an understanding; I'm glad." He beams.

Minato gets them behind Obito as Jiraiya's mud wall falls apart, dispersing the coming flames with a wave of water, nodding to Naruto gathering twin rasengans in their hands.

Obito steps back, there's too many people here he can't face in his current state. He may need to retreat for now, return when more of his chakra has returned and finish this off.

'More bodies. I'll come back with more Zetsu and the shinobi of old that nobody will be able to stop!" He decides.

A sharp prick stings his eyes just as he prepares to activate kamui, paralyzing him in place. His vision starts to blur, gazing to his side to see Hinata just a few meters away, an electrical web spun around him coming from her fingertips.

"You won't escape, not this time." He reads her lips.

And Obito turns just in time to see duo glows of swirling energy, too late to move out of the way before they pierce straight into his back.


Kakashi

A loud boom shatters the quiet of the evening, Gai sniffing the air.

The scent of fire is picking up again.

"I'm sure we all heard that, right?" Kakashi asks as looks back towards his companions.

They're still too far away to be of much help, Fu taking flight peering through the forestry.

She winces at whatever she sees.

"Looks like we're too late to get any punches in." She grumbles when she lands.

Kakashi studies the patterns of smoke in the air.

"We can still provide backup and any protection needed in rescue and medical operations." He determines.

Gai and Fu nod, immediately picking up the pace. Smoke residue mixes with the painfully familiar smell of blood, churning his gut rising.

The Hyuga manor is in shambles.

In every direction there is some layer of destruction, remnants of scarlet and black flames, jagged cracks in both cement and earth. His chest knots taking in slumped over figures, blood dried to a shade of dark copper underneath their bodies.

And then in the center of the compound a lone figure, blackened and still.

Jiraiya, Naruto, Hinata, and Minato-sensei hover around the body in a circle, voices low whispers.

He catches snippets of conversation as he approaches, takes in the smile of his former teacher.

"So this is her? The one?" Minato asks slowly, gazing between them both.

Naruto nods, squeezing Hinata close eliciting a pink flush to her cheeks.

"Yup! This Hinata Hyuga! Soon to be Hinata Uzumaki!"

"You're engaged?!" Minato sputters, utterly confused.

Naruto blinks, puzzled himself now. "No, I mean not yet! Rings cost a lot of ryo, you know!"

Jiraiya rolls his eyes in amusement. 'Now they're just confusing each other.'

Minato laughs, taking it in stride as Hinata bows respectfully at him in awe, words escaping her.

"I'm happy-It's, no, err, well it's nice to meet you!" Hinata scrambles out, face turning redder as Naruto snickers, burying her head into his shoulder.

"We didn't practice how we would do any introductions you know!" He explains.

'I wonder if I was this bad when I was courting Kushina.' Minato wonders, accepting her hand.

"Thank you for bringing my son joy. Kushina and I...that's all we've ever wanted for Naruto." He breathes out.

Hinata smiles, swiping at tears before they can fall.

"Of course." She returns back.

"You can tell Mom too I don't just eat ramen now either!" Naruto chuckles, pausing seeing his body start to crumple faster.

Their time is already up.

Kakashi looks away from them, sees a glow encompassing his and Dan's figures.

Jiraiya gestures toward what must be Obito, frown marring his face.

"Who did he work with? One man alone couldn't have caused this much harm to so many." He grunts.

"There was Madara before he died of old age." Naruto supplies.

"Plus he had the Akatsuki's help, though Madara is the one who gave him the Eye of Moon Plan in the first place." Hinata adds in.

Jiraiya's frown morphs into a scowl. He is the reason behind both of his student's pain, the cause of so many deaths all for the attempt at the creation of a fake world.

'Fitting then to die at the hands of the people he took so much from in the first place.' He grimly muses.

Minato gazes down to his former student, sighing.

"Things could've been so much different Obito if you had returned from Kannabi bridge that day instead." He murmurs.

Obito gives him a lamenting grin before looking past him, tries to sit up only for blood to fill his lungs, wheezing and laying back.

Kakashi races forward ahead of Fu and Gai, takes in Obito's charred figure, dual holes side by side in his back. He can't be sure if he hears him, but he picks up his hand anyways, feels the coolness of his skin, pulse fading.

Obito's eyes drift from their sensei to him, hazy and blank and Kakashi clenches his teeth preparing himself to watch his old teammate and friend die on him again.

"Madara manipulated those feelings of yours." Kakashi mentions slowly.

Obito nods then, faint smile cracking his features.

"I know that now, too late as usual." He jokes tiredly.

His gaze briefly moves back towards Minato and Naruto. Apologies now won't help, won't take away what he's done and yet still he feels the urge to say something on why he chose this route.

"I-I just wanted more time, to be with Rin again, for nobody to suffer the same way I did." He mutters, voice becoming a faint whisper.

"You knew the future was changing, why didn't you stop?" Kakashi presses him.

Obito studies him, red of his eyes fading back to black, breathing turning raspy.

"Because then it would feel like Rin's memory, all those who died in past wars and missions would be gone. I could never forget her or sensei you know that, stopping would've felt like giving up on her, on the chance to see her alive again."

The words tumble out until he's completely breathless, tears clipping the sides of his cheeks.

"Are you going to forget me now too Kakashi?" He asks slowly.

Kakashi shakes his head, surprising him.

"I'll still visit the memorial stone, still pass along the lessons you taught me to the next generations of shinobi."

Something of a half-smile crosses Obito's lips then, nodding.

"T-Try not to join us too soon..."

Kakashi shuts his eyes as they turn fully glassy and unseeing, swallowing as he gazes up to the waning moon up above, silver light that dances across all the damage done.

'So this is how things end, how we stop a war.' He notes quietly.

Deaths upon deaths.

-x-


I know this all may feel rushed and not 100% canon compliant, but I didn't want to drag out Obito's final fights or dealing with him anymore (it was a pain to write this chapter on top of dealing with a nasty sore throat/cold lol). Even with his arsenal of powers, I didn't think it reasonable for him to be able to get out of a battle against two Sannin, Minato, a coming Fu, Gai, and Kakashi, and a Naruto and Hinata who know all of his abilities. The War era arc is officially over! Woohoo!

Next chapters will be the Post-War era with some references to The Last. The section of this story that I've had on my mind for months as they've been my favorite parts to write out of Naruto and Hinata spending peacetime together! Let me know your thoughts as always!

Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!