Night-Blooming Cereus (昙花一现)

by ZoeRubyJackson

She died in an explosion, which was a pretty sketchy situation itself even if she wasn't the one who planted the bomb. So when she opened her eyes again, clearer than ever, she wondered, what the hell does fate want with her. Punishment, atonement, second chance... She has no idea, and she might never find out. Reincarnation!OC, Uchiha!OC

84. Chapter 84 - One Reason

Chapter 84 - One Reason

Kakashi wondered if Minato-sensei would be beyond disappointed with him - maybe enough to disown him as his student.

Tempering with the souls of the dead, much less the soul of his teacher; allowing, and one might even argue with his quick response, encouraging the use of forbidden ninjutsu; lastly, placing the control of such a doorway to hell in the hands of a notorious missing-nin.

Yet, when he made sense of the note from Itachi, he told Sai to change their direction and speed towards their new destination as fast as they could.

The scene of Konoha in the distant, reduced to a wasteland where lives struggled to breathe at every corner, was embedded in Kakashi's mind. But he knew that destruction was not the only thing remaining, for sparks would soon be ignited by those that could still move; those that would never give up to fight for an inkling of hope.

That was what Konoha was made of. That was what people like her were made of.

Kakashi thought he knew that sacrifices were inevitable. To light a fire in the darkness, something needed to be burned, and right here right now, that something was life - the life of those who would light the first spark in the cold, dark night.

But this time, Kakashi was finally able to admit with bitterness that he didn't want to return to the village to see only the ashes remaining, before having to pick up the pieces and continue what was left off, even if it would have been the proper path that no one could find any fault in.

He understood Itachi's decision perfectly, the struggle of personal desire, uncertainty, and morality. More importantly, just like Itachi, Kakashi decided in the end that the proper path could wait. He just wanted to maximize the survival of the ones that he loved.

Therefore, Kakashi watched as Orochimaru allowed Shinigami to possess him, before slashing his own gut open. A frigid breeze was unleashed inside the temple, howling in the space that could collapse at any moment.

Orochimaru coughed violently as blood flowed out of his gut and down his mouth, but his expression was a mixture of excitement and amazement. Before his current body expired, Orochimaru activated the seals for Edo Tensei and set in motion the revival of the deceased.

As Orochimaru discarded his old body and replaced it with the body of a white Zetsu, the shredded papers started to gather on the remaining clones that were pinned down by snakes. Kakashi sucked in a breath when distinct features started to be carved on the newly constructed bodies, like mud being washed off of a lost antique, finally revealing its true identity.

"Kakashi … is that you?" Kakashi heard the voice of his teacher asking as the man examined his body. The flexibility and the foreignness of his new body seemed to confuse him.

"Sensei," Kakashi couldn't help but breathe out, confirming to Minato-sensei of this unnatural reunion after fourteen years, where time paused - and would continue to pause - for only one of them.

"You again," Nidaime let out a harsh growl as soon as he realized that he was reanimated again using Edo Tensei, by the same missing-nin, to make things worse. But before the accusation could get any further, Orochimaru raised his hands in defeat and eyed the direction of Itachi and Kakashi with a glint of mischief.

"Before you come at me, past Hokage, I have to make it clear that this time, there are others from Konoha who sanctioned this," Orochimaru said and immediately, three pairs of gazes landed on them.

Itachi opened his mouth, an explanation was already at the tip of his tongue, but Kakashi was faster. "Hokage-sama, I am Konoha's Jonin Commander. An invasion against Konoha and the entire shinobi world had occurred earlier today. Along with it, Uchiha Madara has been reincarnated using Edo Tensei. The caster of his Edo Tensei was eliminated, but Madara broke out of jutsu by himself and has every intention of destroying the shinobi world as we know it."

"Madara, you say? And he has returned to this world in the form of an undying, autonomous body?" Shodaime asked with a hint of surprise and Kakashi nodded.

"Please forgive us for resorting to this method and as the one who sanctioned the use of kinjutsu, I shall accept any punishment you see fit. But we ask for your help in defeating and sealing Uchiha Madara," before too much has been lost. Kakashi swallowed the last sentence as shame crept up on him. But only for a second, for Kakashi would rather be shameless than regret what he could have done.

"Kakashi, you're my student, and this is Konoha we're talking about. At least for me, you don't have to ask for forgiveness." Minato-sensei's voice softened when he saw the determination in Kakashi's gaze. Such simple words, but they made Kakashi feel reassured.

"That, I agree with, but …" Everyone paused at the Shodaime's words, waiting nervously for what came after the transition, only for him to turn to Minato-sensei and ask, "I don't believe you're there the last time Tobirama and I got reanimated. Who are you again?"

"..." It was such an unexpected question that Kakashi was sure that even Orochimaru was rendered speechless.

"It's Namikaze Minato, Shodaime-sama. I succeeded Sarutobi-sama as the Yondaime Hokage." Minato-sensei answered as he turned around and showed Shodaime the title sewn on his Hokage robe, making Shodaime nod in understanding.

"As my brother said, there is nothing to forgive if it's for the good of Konoha." Nidaime's eyebrows might have twitched when his brother asked a question that was clearly out of place and somewhat disruptive.

But then, his eyes turned piercing as he scanned between Itachi and Orochimaru. "However, can we trust this man to hold such power over Edo Tensei? You were there last time, were you not, Uchiha child? When he reanimated us with the intention of destroying Konoha."

Don't play with jutsu you can't control, that was the warning in Nidaime's words.

"That's correct, Nidaime-sama. But at this point, we're all just trying to preserve the world from Madara's twisted vision." There was a pause before Itachi turned to Shodaime and asked, "Shodaime-sama, are you able to break out of Edo Tensei?"

"Hmm …" Shodaime took a moment as he scrunched his face with concentration. "Surprisingly, yes. It seems that I've been revived with much more power compared to last time. The threads that bind me are so weak that I can snap it any second and take back the control of my soul just as Madara had done."

Kakashi could barely hear the relief in Itachi's breath before the latter continued. "Orochimaru retained some control over Nidaime and Yondaime as his own safeguard. But with Shodaime as the exception, he won't be doing anything detrimental to Konoha so long as Konoha doesn't attack him."

"Exactly. I haven't given out a single order to any of you yet. But if I'm attacked by Konoha, I will send the order to Nidaime and Yondaime, 'protect me against all threats and retaliate'." Orochimaru remained firm despite the pressuring aura that was leaking out of Nidaime's body.

He spared a glance at Itachi and Kakashi, before finishing his sentence. "I choose my own future, so don't underestimate my willingness to fight for a future that's sustainable and beneficial to my pursuit of knowledge."

"Reaching a sense of balance, I see," Shodaime muttered thoughtfully as he rubbed his chin. His eyes landed on Orochimaru, achieving the rare feat of making the missing-nin tense up. But then, he let out an encouraging smile directed at all of them and said, "Sounds good. At least for this battle, let's cooperate to fight for the future, shall we?"

For the second time in a minute, Shodaime rendered Orochimaru speechless, for he couldn't figure out why the man was beaming with optimism when the other Senju looked like he could rip Orochimaru apart with his gaze alone - which, honestly, was the reaction he was more familiar with.

Raising an eyebrow, Orochimaru decided to fall back to his way of irking Itachi and Kakashi to regain some semblance of control. He said to them, "I'd hurry up to the battlefield. You don't want to bet on how long Maiko-chan can last against Madara, do you?"

Kakashi had the urge to clench his fist and shove it into Orochimaru's face if he hadn't remembered a lost detail in the back of his head. They were not far from Konoha, but still a decent few minutes away. However, with something else, they only needed an instant.

"I gave Maiko my Hiraishin kunai before the war," Kakashi said, vividly remembering the image of Maiko as they stood on top of the Hokage Tower, with that dull kunai boldly clipped to her belt to make her point across. "But more likely than not, she is fighting against Madara right now, and the crossfire is not going to be a calm one."

"The Hiraishin that I gave you, Kakashi?" Minato-sensei looked surprised at the fact that Kakashi had given his Hiraishin away.

Understandable, considering that even before his teacher passed away, the young Kakashi would refuse to hand the Hiraishin kunai to anyone except Minato-sensei like it was some sort of token, first of pride, then of faith, and finally, of remembrance for the desperate ends that had befallen onto his teammates.

Kakashi nodded and Minato-sensei quickly moved on from the topic as he analyzed the situation. "It's not a good idea to teleport a large group of people there, then, before we can gauge the situation. Perhaps I should teleport myself and the past Hokage there since our bodies have room to take damage from the crossfire."

Nidaime and Shodaime nodded at Minato-sensei's inquisition. "Before that, you there," Nidaime pointed at Sai who had reduced himself to a silent statue by the door, making the boy jolt at the sudden attention. "Lend us your ink and sealing tools. We're going in there prepared."

Needless to say, Sai would have to have a big heart to say no to Nidaime's indisputable tone.

Once the supply of sealing medium was established, it only took Nidaime and Yondaime a few seconds to leave countless Hiraishin marks in the temple, on the weapons, and on each other.

Minato-sensei didn't waste any time as he closed his eyes to feel the mark of the Hiraishin in the distance, before placing his hands on the shoulder of the two Senju Hokage. "Here we go." The last syllable was barely heard as the three figures disappeared from the desolate temple.

Yet, Kakashi barely had the time to exhale, before the Yellow Flash descended into the temple again, and this time, with a different company than the ones he left with.

"What the hell?" Of course. As expected of Maiko.

"We used Edo Tensei to reanimate Shodaime, Nidaime, and Yondaime Hokage." Itachi explained before Maiko could panic, while Minato-sensei gently set her down onto the ground.

"Does that 'we' include Orochimaru as the caster?" Maiko asked the right question as she tried to stand up on her own. It was then that her injuries became visible. The rods sticking out of her stomach and shoulder made Kakashi's heart beat faster, and the burn injuries covering her left arm made him feel her pain so vividly.

"Be appreciative, Uchiha-hime. Looking at your state, If not for my sacrifice, you would have been dead," Orochimaru said with a mocking tone. Maiko looked like she had something else to say, but that was interrupted when she wobbled like a doll while cold sweat gathered on her skin.

"I think … I might be going into shock." It was a miracle that Maiko was conscious enough to make that assessment as Itachi caught her before she could fall to the ground in a face plant.

Kakashi moved before his mind fully registered. He placed his fingers on Maiko's neck, feeling the weak and rapid pulse under his touch. Damn it. Kakashi cursed in his head. Once the adrenaline faded, the body was left on its own to deal with the damage. The combination of blood loss, damaged internal organs, and burn injuries were materials for a disaster.

"I got it!" Kakashi was surprised to hear the shouts from Karin, but nevertheless, he got out of the way for Karin to squeeze in. Karin fumbled around a little before pushing her hand forward. "Come on, Maiko-senpai, you have to bite for it to work!"

Thankfully, Maiko was just conscious enough to follow Karin's instructions. Slowly, Kakashi could hear Maiko's breathing stabilize as her heartbeat drummed in rhythm. Even if Karin's face paled with every bit of her healing chakra expended, it didn't stop the relief from filling her eyes.

"If you want those bloody holes to heal, you should probably pull the rods out first, as long as she doesn't bleed to death first." Of course, Orochimaru just had to comment on that, startling Karin as she eyed the blood-stained metal rods with uncertainty.

Then, before anyone could react, Maiko grabbed onto the rod on her shoulder and pulled, smearing a splash of blood onto the ground. She waited a moment, feeling the wound on her shoulder closing, before moving on to the other one impaling her through the stomach.

Fine. Have it your way. It's not like it's giving the people around you a heart attack or anything.

"Honestly, Orochimaru, nobody will think you're mute even if you stop talking." Maiko had enough energy to finish her argument with Orochimaru, so she must be feeling that second wind. Very briefly, she tapped Karin on the shoulder to say her thanks, before leaning on Itachi and pushing herself up from the ground.

"Yondaime-sama," Maiko gave Minato-sensei a small bow before moving on from etiquette to business. "Are you able to teleport us back to the village?"

"Of course, but all of my seals landed quite close to the battlefield," Minato-sensei said. Knowing his teacher, he probably meant that as a warning for them to be careful when retreating to find medical attention. Unfortunately, none of them saw that as a concern.

"That's more than enough," Maiko said, pressing down on the wound on her shoulder, making sure that the bleeding had stopped - or at least healed enough for her to use her arm. "I blinded Madara's Rinnegan with Yin-chakra, so it won't regenerate for a few minutes, pausing some of his ocular powers, including the ability to absorb ninjutsu and senjutsu."

"But that also means that he'll be extra cautious and merciless before his eyes regenerate. If we can't seal him within that time frame, then Madara will regain his full form - a chimeric being that has gathered all the great powers in the world - and he sure as hell won't make the same mistake twice."

She didn't need to say more. They knew what was left for them to do.

"Sai, take Karin and fly back to the village. Find Tsunade-sama and explain the Edo Tensei." Kakashi ordered and the two young shinobi nodded. Inevitably, his eyes landed on Orochimaru who had just tucked Jūgo into the mouth of a snake and he couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Unfortunately, they couldn't just leave Orochimaru here without supervision. But the thought of travelling with the Snake Sannin and bringing him close to the village gave Kakashi a massive headache. At least the snort that came from Orochimaru told him that the feeling was mutual.

"Ready?" Minato-sensei asked as they all made contact with one another. No answer was required and in the blink of an eye, Kakashi stepped on a pile of broken rocks, hearing the crisp sound of stones clashing against each other as he steadied himself.

Giant trees entwined each other, one half was radiating the vitality of life and harmony, while the other half was mixed in with a smell of bloodlust and intent to kill. The scene in front of Kakashi was beyond his wildest imagination.

Just before Minato-sensei was about to leave, he turned to the three of them - Orochimaru didn't waste a single moment slithering to the edge of the battlefield - and said, "Hopefully, I'm not overstepping by acting like the senior one, but please consider relying on others - on us - a little more, before you think of sacrificing something that's irreparable."

"After all, that's both our hope and the hope entrusted to us." With that, the Yellow Flash teleported into the battlefield.

"What a sight." Kakashi heard Maiko whispering as she let the entirety of the battlefield reflect in her eyes. As if noticing his gaze, Maiko turned to him. Again, she saw his blinded sharingan, but just like in the temple, she didn't inquire about it, not now.

"You know, there are a million reasons to lose faith in the future, but only one reason is needed for one to hope, to reach out to the future," Maiko told him. Her right hand reached down to grab the remaining tantō left on her. The giant branches rose from the ground like ladders that connected Heaven to Earth, allowing them entry into the battlefield even without wings.

"I'm glad to be alive. I'm glad to have held onto my 'one reason' for humanity."

Her voice made Kakashi's heart beat louder, faster, almost pounding into his ribcage. He realized that what Maiko was commenting on earlier was not those amazing feats achieved by ninjutsu - they had seen more than enough outlandish things today - but the souls that were projecting their wish, their hope, and their humanity, from both the living and the deceased.

"Me too," Kakashi said, barely loud enough to be heard before his voice was drowned out by the battle noises. "I'm proud to be alive."

(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ fuwa~fuwa~desu~~~

Sasuke thought that his heart would have failed by arrhythmia with the amount of shock it had to endure. Just think about it, a shinobi, killed not by his enemy, not by chakra exhaustion, but by a heart attack. What a joke. Sasuke didn't find it funny.

Nevertheless, Sasuke's heart didn't stop after witnessing his sister making a grand gamble with her life, nor did it stop after her presence was replaced by two new figures that crashed the battlefield.

He was getting the hang of tuning out surprises. That, Sasuke gathered, must be a testament to experience.

Sasuke didn't miss the cracked features on those new arrivals as he clutched the sword tighter in his hands. But he also didn't miss the fact that the wooden branches exploding in the sky had slammed into Madara in full force.

The newly arrived Edo Tensei was not here as enemies, which meant that Maiko-nee was likely in a safe place. That was all the confirmation Sasuke needed to focus on his task.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled as an arc of lightning bounced from his sword and sliced into the cage made of wooden hands. The lightning blew two of the hands into a pile of charred splinters, but the cage remained unmoving. Moreover, the sound of struggles faded inside, making Sasuke both worried and mad at the same time.

"I swear to gods, if you don't answer, I will burn this entire thing with Amaterasu and you can be cooked along with it!" Sasuke shouted as his worry fueled his irritation, before adding to the lightning that lit up his blade. His sharingan was already swirling until it the tomoe were blending together. He wasn't lying, the first part of his sentence, at least.

But just as he jammed the lightning blade into the wooden palm and let the electricity crawl all over the surface, he heard the buzzing of wind. The lightning cracked open the wooden hands like a hammer to baked clay, and the shredding wind followed suit, reducing the fragments into sawdust as Naruto stormed out of the blockage with a Rasenshuriken.

Naruto was out of the Nine-Tail Mode. In fact, the loud, buzzing aura that used to surround Naruto and identify him as the Nine-Tail Jinchuuriki was barely felt by Sasuke.

It made Sasuke realize that Naruto had to suppress the Nine-tail chakra to fool the sealing array into thinking that the Tailed-Beast had been subdued, so he could break out of their clutches using his own chakra.

"It won't last long, Kurama and I are too much connected!" Naruto shouted as more wooden statues rose around them, yet, he somehow still had the attention span to be awed at the adjacent battlefield. "Wait a second, is that Shodaime and Nidaime?"

Sasuke had to grab Naruto's jacket and swing him back, before shooting out a column of flame to push the wooden hands back. Naruto followed up immediately with another wind-infused Rasengan. He threw the ball of wind into the fire and let the spin spread out the flame, incinerating the giant palms that threatened to clap down.

In response to Naruto's burst of chakra, four palms grew in their cardinal directions, bigger, thicker, and emitting a more suppressive aura. It was meant to keep Naruto out of the battle, Sasuke gathered, for the harder Naruto struggled, the stronger the seals would come to adapt, all in an automatic process as long as Madara had the chakra to spare.

It wasn't mercy. It was simply Madara deciding that it wasn't the time to be dealing with them yet - a young Jinchuuriki that had barely tapped into his potential and an Uchiha child that hadn't even reached the lowest standards in his eyes - not until he plowed through the ones that he considered to be more of an obstacle first.

The seals were trained to respond to his chakra permeated with Nine-Tail's energy. So, the hell should I care? Sasuke thought as he rushed the chakra out of his tenketsu that was close to exhaustion, through his body filled with soreness, all to his eyes, ready to—

Clap. Sasuke was stunned when a hand covered his face and his vision, so much so that the Mangekyou transformation was paused in place.

"What were you thinking!" Sasuke shouted at Naruto as the latter threw out a handful of explosive tags, pinning them into the giant palms. Instinctively, Sasuke formed the hand seals and slapped his hands into the ground.

Spears of lightning shot out of the ground like laser beams, drilling into the wooden structures and igniting the explosive tags. The subsequent explosions were like fireworks, sending up dirt and wooden splinters as the heated current swirled around them. Catching that moment of chaos, Naruto threw out a batch of tagged kunai, letting them land around them in the shape of a hexagram.

Clapping his hands together, Naruto activated the temporary sealing barrier just as the palms crushed down from all directions. Sasuke felt as if his eardrum were being pounded in with the drumming sound around them, yet, Naruto's accusatory voice still managed to squeeze in.

"You were going to use more of your Mangekyou power, weren't you?" Naruto shouted with disapproval. So? Of course, he was. Now that Naruto's chakra was a shining beacon for the attack, he was going to break them out of this carnivorous cage, using whatever means necessary. But before Sasuke could yell that out, someone grabbed onto his cheeks and pulled.

There was only one person who dared to do that - not even Maiko-nee had treated him like this! I'm going to beat the crap out of that idiot and—

"You're stronger than that, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled as he stared into Sasuke's eyes with a look that said it hurt - it hurt Naruto to see the blood that gathered on the rim of Sasuke's sharingan and clouded his vision.

"You have to make your eyesight last. Don't trade it away as if it's not important. You're supposed to, no, I'll make you see me become the Hokage, with your own eyes!"

For a second, all Sasuke could hear was their breathing - his own breath was hitched in his throat, while Naruto was trying to get his emotions under control. Quietly, Sasuke slapped away Naruto's paws from his face. His sharingan swirled slowly, glowing a calm colour of crimson.

"What's the plan then, hotshot?" Sasuke asked as their attention went back to the calamities at hand. There was a loud cracking sound that came from below and the barrier flashed white, signifying that the barrier's expiration was drawing close. But then again, hiding inside was never an option, for it was both a protection and a cage. They wouldn't achieve anything except for a slow, insignificant defeat.

Sasuke turned to Naruto, wanting to ask for more explosive tags. But Naruto's eyes were caught by the scene beyond the barricade of wood, where the battle with Marada had turned into a chaotic frenzy as ninjutsu of all kinds of nature clashed.

Other than Shodaime and Nidaime, Sasuke could vaguely see Maiko-nee, Itachi, and Kakashi-sensei dashing across the thick roots. He also caught the back view of another ally, the words on his white robe glowing as brightly as his yellow hair, imprinting into both of their pupils.

"Before the chakra coats I shared with you and Maiko-nee expired, did the sealing mechanism attack you?" Naruto asked all of a sudden.

"No," Sasuke answered. It barely took him a second to decipher the idea lighting up in Naruto's eyes.

"As I thought. A good sealing mechanism will follow the brightest, most 'genuine' signature, to avoid sealing a decoy." Naruto sounded experienced, speaking with natural confidence in an area he excelled in. "I've got an idea, Sasuke."

"I know." Sasuke almost rolled his eyes. "Do what you want." It's not like I'm ever going to leave your side.

There was no hesitation as Naruto let the yellow chakra coat wrap around him. A beacon lit up in the foggy dusk, sending out guiding lights to bring the ships a safe harbour. An orange coat bubbled up around Sasuke, filling his veins with chakra and easing the pain in his muscles. Similarly, three more stars lit up in the distance, covering those with mortal bodies in a warm blanket of protection.

Between them and Edo Tensei, all that was lacking were an unlimited chakra source and infinite regeneration. Nothing could truly close that gap, but at least the Nine-Tail chakra coat would level half the playing field.

Crack. It really was no surprise when the barrier broke under the crushing fists.

Fire lingered in the air like a stroke of paint and Sasuke was the one that held the brush. Wind joined in a moment later, swirling the serpent of fire outwards, finishing the painting by splashing the colours in all directions.

Red and orange exploded all around Sasuke, searing the wooden hands that came too close to ashes. More was already coming, but neither of them planned to back down.

"We'll be trapped here for a while," Sasuke commented as he raised an eyebrow at Naruto. The Naruto that Sasuke used to know would be rushing to get into the action, to face off against the enemy, to show everyone what Uzumaki Naruto could do. But now that he went and did it, they wouldn't be joining the battle against Madara anytime soon.

"That's fine," Naruto said as he grabbed onto the sealing chains and crashed two wooden fists together, allowing Sasuke to follow up with a wave of fire. "A Hokage not only defeats the bad guys; they also protect the village and the people in it." A wall of lightning rose up around them, shaving splinters off of any wooden construct that dared to come close while also setting off the explosive tags in a chain of fireworks.

"I'm going to be a Hokage that invigorates others, believe it!"

Sasuke thought that perhaps during those times he couldn't see, Naruto grew up, both in his mindset and in his vocabulary.

The commotion down under caught the attention of someone up in the thick of the battle. The blonde-haired man - Yondaime Hokage, Sasuke read from his robe - paused before a tri-pronged kunai shot down and embedded itself next to their feet.

However, before Sasuke could finish the hand signs, Naruto shouted, with enough volume to bust his hearing if not for the chakra coat, "Don't worry! We can handle it here!" It made it really awkward when Sasuke bent his fingers into half-formed hand signs like an idiot.

Ughh, whatever.

"Yeah!" Sasuke shouted too, matching up with Naruto's volume until he could feel the sound reverberating in his ribcage. His yell transitioned into another breath of fire serpent, floating around the two of them like a river of silk, before Naruto used his chakra tails to whip out half a dozen wind-infused Rasengan, guiding the silk of destruction outward.

Surely, the wind and the fire were meant to exist together. The resulting blast couldn't agree more.

(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ fuwa~fuwa~desu~~~

Perhaps Madara wasn't just being an arrogant jackass when he said that he was still inexperienced with Wood Release. Truly, I was seeing him improve on his techniques, in real-time.

Towers of wood rose in the skyline, shaping the battlefield into a jungle that hung above the ground like a Babylonian garden. The wood below my feet hummed in malevolence the moment my toes touched. Oops, stepped on the wrong tree.

In the blink of an eye, wooden spikes rose up all around me, threatening to turn my body into bloody holes. I drew my blade out in an arc as lightning flowed out of my hand and flooded the metal. A crescent of white lightning was traced out in front of me, blasting everything it touched into pieces.

Wooden splinters fell on the orange coat of chakra bubbling around my body and elicited nothing more than a wisp of smoke. Quickly, I jumped off the current branch and flipped onto another wooden foothold and this one was far more welcoming of my presence.

Just then, the forest rumbled in its entirety, despite having been made up of two entwined halves, both determined to eradicate the other. I glanced at the origin of the disturbance and the clash between two wooden giants, one adorned by greeneries while the other cladded in armours made out of barks.

Despite having his Susanoo recently broken and part of his Rinnegan abilities sealed, Madara learned to compensate by turning the Wood Release that he stole into his property. Not simply an imitation of what Shodaime could do, but slowly and truly, shaping it around his own fighting style.

Edo Tensei was only supposed to bring back what was preserved in the past - like our three past Hokage that returned as if they were still alive yesterday. Even if it disregarded Death as an end to existence, it still recognized Death as an end to evolution.

Yet, Uchiha Madara was a warrior that never stopped evolving, even in death.

It was almost as if he didn't have the time to learn - to truly test out - what he was capable of when he was still alive. Now, as his flesh rejuvenated to his prime, his own body was catching up to his pace.

That was why I was convinced that we had to keep this battle within the ten minutes before Madara regained his eyes - before he evolved into the next stage.

Clearly, time was of the essence. But you see, the legends had it that the epic battle between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara lasted for three days and three nights before a conclusion was finally drawn and the Shodaime Hokage was declared victorious.

"Three days? That's a bit … exaggerated," Shodaime said as he rubbed his temple in embarrassment. His branches crawled around him - and I got carried along with them - as he tried to breach Madara's defence.

In the gaps between the branches, even without sight, Madara locked his attention onto Shodaime, making the latter pause a little as he took in the features of his old acquaintance as well as the slash wound across his eyes.

"But nevertheless, that battle indeed lasted for an entire night, from sunset to sunrise. We were both on our last leg, but I supposed that my last breath lasted longer." Shodaime continued, his voice turning solemn, spelling out the severity of the situation even if he had once defeated Madara. "That was before Madara obtained Wood Release and Rinnegan. If anything, Edo Tensei would close the gap of stamina between us."

But then again, as I came to gather, one could never consider Shodaime to be predictable, for he suddenly let out a boisterous laugh before saying to me, "Did I worry you too much with my tone of doom, Maiko-chan?"

What do you think, Shodaime-sama? My eyes twitched, but I managed to get my sarcasm under control.

"This time, I'm not fighting against Madara alone, and neither is you. Us Hokage might have lost the ability to evolve beyond the moments of our death, but your generation still has limitless potential."

For a second, I was lost for words at the hope and trust displayed in Shodaime's ink-filled eyes. So instead, I turned my gaze to Madara and warned, "His Susanoo will be regenerating any moment from now."

Once a Mangekyou user unlocked the power of Susanoo, it was more closely tied to the user's soul than the eyes. So even without a functional pair of Mangekyou, Madara could still use it to his command.

Even before I finished my words, Nidaime and Yondaime teleported using seals that got mixed in with Shodaime's branches. They zoomed in on Madara with weapons and jutsu in hand, aiming at the most difficult angles to defend.

Madara's body barely moved, but I could feel the energy gathering in his muscles, like a leopard crouching low right before he was out for blood. Just as the tagged kunai and the Rasengan could pound into Madara's flesh, a barrier of blue expanded from his body, pushing both Nidaime and Yondaime away, reflecting their attacks back onto themselves.

Only with quick reflexes and Hiraishin, did Nidaime and Yondaime flash out of the swirling explosion without being injured by the yin-chakra seals that they planned to use on Madara.

The glow of blue expanded to cover the wooden giant Madara was standing on until it settled down as divine armour to the Tengu warrior. Madara raised his hand until it pointed at Hashirama, and his avatar moved on cue, unsheathing both of his katana from behind.

Bring it on, Hashirama. I've been dying to get a fight out of you. See, even I could read the implicit lines. But when it came to Shodaime's response …

"That's new." Shodaime definitely got a sense of humour and I could totally see why it pissed Madara off. Nevertheless, Shodaime clapped his hands together and the root around us converged to build his own wooden giants until the statue of a Yaksha stood in equal size as the Tengu Warrior.

The branches under my feet shook with the wooden Yaksha's movement, but I balanced my body and stretched my right hand back. There was no salvation for mortals that got into a fight between gods, and that was especially true when a glowing blade cut through the air, growing larger in my vision as I steadied the flaming arrow pulled between my fingers.

"Maiko!" Shodaime shouted in warning as the wooden Yaksha moved to meet the challenge. The branch shook violently and my aim wobbled for a second, but I never took my eyes off of Madara. I needed more firepower - firepower that was worthy of Naruto's chakra coats; firepower that could even make a dent on gods.

There was only a fraction of a second away from me being bisected by the giant katana. I flicked my fingers, pulling the trigger and releasing the arrow. The edge of the katana crashed down, pulverizing every branch and every tree that it touched - including the one I was standing on - before it dug into the Yaksha's claws, searing black marks into the wooden flesh.

A lot of things happened at the same time. The katana slashed through the Yaksha's claws after some resistance, but another pair of arms grew under Shodaime's command and punched into the Tengu warrior's ribs, making the blue warrior stumble slightly. Just then, my fire arrow drilled into the giant creature's neck, thinning the layer of blue armour before the fire dissipated in an explosion. With a spark of electricity, I landed on the forearm of Madara's Susanoo with a roll.

"When will you pests learn your place?" I heard Madara's voice as clones of himself melted out of the wooden arm, glowing an aura of blue as the coat of Madara's Susanoo flowed onto them.

"Probably never," I replied before ducking under the swing of his arm. I slid along the surface, leaking traces of electricity under my feet. With a turn of my body, I dodged a kick to my face while a string of crimson flowed from my fingertips.

The red string lingered in the air for a moment before I swiped my hand forward, tightening the rope of fire around the clone's abdomen. The yin-chakra fire seared into the aura of blue, before imploding in full force, reducing Madara's clone into two pieces of wood.

Before I could move on, a carpet of fire crashed towards me in full might. Right, I'm not the only one who deals with fire in the family. Just then, a water dragon spiralled past me and opened its mouth to devour the flames, saving me from having to decide if I should jump to my free fall or get barbequed.

Itachi stood on a lower branch, his fingers lingered in the shape of the last hand seal before he had to dodge an attack from another branch, much like all of us fragile mortals in this inhospitable jungle.

But as Shodaime said, we all had to adapt and evolve. Itachi had to re-consider his ninjutsu options when he was suddenly given a chakra store that was more than ten times what he was used to. Kakashi had to learn to fight without the sharingan. And I, among other things, had to adapt to fighting with one arm, seeing that Karin's emergency healing didn't make it hurt any less.

The resulting steam muffled my vision and made the space feel suffocating, but the coat of Nine-Tail chakra was more than enough to protect me from the burns as I stormed through the veil of white and drove my palm into the chest of another wooden clone.

I couldn't stay to watch the fireworks. The sudden movement of Madara's Susanoo threw me off balance as I slid a few steps back. The surface below my feet shimmered like lights reflected off of scales when a giant Rasengan hit the Susanoo right in the throat.

In retaliation, the string of magatama beads unhooked around the Tengu Warrior's neck and slithered forward. The unexpected speed shredded one of Yondaime's arms into dust before he could teleport away. Then, it spiralled around Susanoo's arm and headed for the 'pest' latching onto its body.

I only had the time to tie a ninja wire to a shuriken before the magatama beads raced towards me and forced me to jump. I shot the shuriken upwards, towards one of Shodaime's growing branches. Just as my shuriken sailed around the wood and sealed the loop, the Magatama string whipped its tail around and smashed the branch into pieces, before breaking off into spinning beads and slicing towards me.

Crap. Should have prepared backup projectiles.

A wind breezed past, a hand grabbed my collar and poof, I was standing on solid branches once again. "Every time I see you, I keep finding new things that you need to improve upon," Nidaime said, judging my skills - or lack thereof - as usual. He threw me a batch of kunai with freshly drawn seals. The expectation was all in the silence.

Swiftly, I injected yin-chakra into the seals and threw them back to Nidaime. "With all due respect, Nidaime-sama. You've only seen me twice," and I hope there are no more circumstances that would call for the third time.

"My point exactly. You should reflect on that," Nidaime said, holding his hands out as lightning flowed through my veins. The magatama beads were only lost for a second before they pinpointed us and raced forward. "But nevertheless, you've improved from last time. So keep your eyes on the goal, young Uchiha."

I stepped on the foothold made of Nidaime's hands before jumping back up into the midair jungle, right before the magatama beads crashed into where we were standing.

Electricity danced in the air as I raced up every branch I could find, dodging the giant arms and weapons that were flung by both the Wooden Yaksha and the Tengu Warrior, all the while the magatama beads chased after me.

There was no shortcut to slaying a giant. You just had to keep hitting until it fell.

Nidaime-sama teleported to Tengu's head and blew out what could only be described as a flood of water. Another wooden hand rose from the Tengu's back as the blue aura stretched to cover it. With ease, it shielded itself from the pressurized water as the fire blazed in its palm.

"When have you ever defeated your brother's Wood Release, Tobirama? And it's even more futile against me," Madara said as he swiped the hand forward to let the fire evaporate the water. But what was mixed in with the water ninjutsu, was a bucket load of explosive tags that got inadvertently ignited by the impact.

"No matter how many powers you gain, Madara, be it my brother's Wood Release or the Rinnegan, you're never going to be what this world needs." Ouch, Nidaime definitely knew how to make it sting. I could see the seething rage in Madara when the Tengu's head was knocked back by the explosion that only seemed to multiply in size.

Nidaime didn't care when half of his body was being sliced off by the glowing blue katana that materialized from one of Tengu's six hands, for Yondaime teleported to his location and helped him escape before his entire body could be torn to pieces. His body would regenerate in a minute or so, but the damage to Madara's Susanoo, not so much.

The beads grazed past my back as I rolled onto yet another branch. Lightning sizzled on my fingertips as I clawed onto the wooden surface to regain my balance. Pushing myself back up, I changed the chakra flow in my body and slapped down on the tree. A crimson barrier was erected behind me just as the Magatama beads slammed straight into it.

The beaded serpent looked like it was screaming in pain while it tried to breach the red veil despite being covered in flames. I took a deep breath as I channelled more of Naruto's chakra cloak into my hands, forcing it to flow deeper, wider, and faster into the network of branches.

Red lotuses crawled onto the Madara's Susanoo, searing across the blue armour, until they all converged at the Tengu warrior's head, where tiny cracks were already visible at the surface. Petals scorched into the cracks, trying to pry them open with implosions of flames.

Shodaime was trying his hardest to occupy Madara's Tengu giant. Wood was the element of life and creation, allowing Shodaime to repair and regenerate his wooden Yaksha no matter how many times Madara cut off its limbs or bisect its body.

But the same applied to the wooden core that filled the inside of the blue Susanoo. Madara's control over his Susanoo allowed it to be both malleable and deadly in attacks. Combined with the power of creation, the Tengu warrior never ran out of ways to attack and the tide had slowly shifted to one where Shodaime had to catch up in his counters.

Another pair of arms extended from the Tengu and slapped toward me. I barely zoomed out of their reach as a deafening clap sounded around me. Glowing swords materialized out of the blue aura that covered the Tengu's arms, before one of them could hit, a giant Rasengan slammed the blade to the side.

Before the Rasengan fully dissipated, Yondaime teleported using the Hiraishin and slammed its remaining energy into Madara's Susanoo. The cracks grew even larger.

Another arm swiped towards me from the right. I was going to run, if not for the menacing wolf made of growling lightning that ran towards me from the other side. I supposed that the idea was that the wolf should zig-zag past me and bite into Tengu's arm. The end result was accomplished, sure, except that it broke through the branch I was standing on and almost wrapped me into its lightning.

I fell down amidst the wooden splinters and the crackling lightning, only for Kakashi to grab me in the arm and swing me up onto his own tree branch.

"Hello, where's your aim?" I asked when I almost crashed into him due to the momentum. Kakashi stumbled back a few steps as he held onto my shoulder to steady us.

"I'm working on it. You know better than anyone else that control gets wonky when on put in more chakra than I'm used to," Kakashi replied with furrowed brows. Oh yeah, electricity was still acting up like crazy around his left arm, and he was careful not to let it touch me, even if it wouldn't do much damage with Naruto's chakra coat. On the other hand, that wolf did smash the Tengu's fist back to itself, so I was all for it.

"Better get used to it, because that's what you're capable of." On an impulse, I grabbed his left arm, where the lightning bounced between us, sending shivers down my nerves. "Not as Kakashi of Sharingan, or even Kakashi of Chidori. Show me the Kakashi that I will be fighting with in the future."

Without the Sharingan, Kakashi wouldn't be bogged down by a chakra-hungry mechanism that he couldn't turn off. His chakra store wasn't small, to begin with, and with all the practice he had over the years in chakra preservation, that wolf wouldn't be a one-hit-wonder.

It was inevitable that his ninjutsu would be changed, and the only way was to ride the current.

"Sure, I'll try," Kakashi said as he let out a laugh. I supposed that there were more things I wanted to say to him, even before I helped him go through the portal to the Kamui dimension because you know, the what-ifs of war and death. But we were short on time, so it could wait.

The sparks of lightning danced between our skin one last time before I let go and resumed my journey up the Tower of Demon.

Water dragons, fire serpents, lightning wolves, swirling orbs. So many things flew past my vision, aiming to slay the arrogance of a man who was determined to be a god. I added my own jutsu in the mix, firing off one evil-banishing arrow after another in succession. In retaliation, storms of fire rained down on us along with strikes of the Divine Tengu.

The orange coat of chakra shimmered a few times in instability, making my heart worry about what was happening with the boys. But every time, Naruto's chakra coats held on, burning brighter with each setback.

I could almost hear the ring of bow strings when I snapped my fingers and shot the arrows forward. The flames drilled into the blue Susanoo and spread along the cracks, extending it outward, even if just a little. But before I could relocate, the aura of blue melted off of the giant arm that hung from above and dripped into a trio of Magatama beads.

Their speeds were astounding, so much so that even as I retreated using Jinrai, they chased me relentlessly. When the beads inched closer to my face, I raised my tantō on instinct, siphoning lightning from my limps into the metal blade.

The first of the Magatama beads crashed into my blade and I knew immediately that it was a bad idea. Cracks travelled up the body of my sword and I could hear its cacophonous cry right before its destruction.

Just then, scythes of wind slashed into the Magatama beads in succession, pushing them back for me. I turned my head a little and saw the wooden clones that arose behind Itachi as he held onto the wind jutsu.

It was hard to tell what was the last straw that caused my blade to break - the forces from the Magatama beads, or the overload of lightning that I pushed into the metal. But before the pieces could fully break apart, I threaded yin chakra between the lightning chakra, forcing the mixture to adhere to the metal pieces.

The lightning felt cold and chilling as if it would freeze the air that I breathed out. With a yell, I swung my right hand forward, holding onto a sword handle that had no blade. The metal pieces moved as one with my motion, slamming into the Magatama beads like pieces of a star.

The force pushed the spinning beads back and with a turn of my body, I sliced towards Itachi, sending the metal pieces down as roaring lightning pulsed between them. The blade shards pierced into the growing wooden clones, slicing their chests open. Catching those moments, Itachi and I fled, converging on a different branch.

Just for one heartbeat, it drummed louder in my chest as I felt a power returning to my eyes. Having my Susanoo broken for the second time in a day incurred a harsher penalty, but nevertheless, the cooldown was finally lifted.

I looked up and locked my eyes on the head of Wooden Yaksha, where Shodaime stood as the strongest backbone of our entire attack force, erecting a fortress that absorbed the worst of Madara's attacks and made it possible for us to attack as we had been.

"Turning defensive is making you weak, Hashirama. How much longer can you last, acting as babysitters for these children?" Madara mocked as his katana stabbed into the Yaksha's shoulder, cleaving off two of its arms.

"I am merely returning their future to them - the future that neither of us should have interfered with, Madara," Shodaime replied, forcing columns of wood to sprout out of the wound and bind the Tengu's sword and arms. But the armour of Susanoo was not only adding another layer of defence but also making his attack stronger and sharper.

I pulled out a roll of ninja wire and a handful of projectiles. Still, when I raised my head and saw the thick branches that crisscrossed above us … hmm, maybe I should have worked harder on shurikenjutsu.

A series of projectiles hit the wooden branches, setting up a ladder made of wires and kunai all the while making music in my ears. Itachi even had an extra shuriken that he didn't use. Yeah, I definitely should.

Without wasting any time, I dashed upwards. There was no need for 'thank you' or 'you're welcome', only 'keep going'.

Another one of Madara's giant katana stabbed into the wooden Yaksha's stomach before the Tengu followed up with a kick to its ankle, making it fall onto one knee. The jungle of branches broke down as the ladder made of projectile and wires started to fall apart as well.

"Let me lend you a hand." I heard Yondaime's voice and felt a hand on my shoulder just before the scene around me warped. I didn't even catch a full glimpse of Yondaime before the man reappeared somewhere else. Hiraishin had got to be the most convenient jutsu ever invented in this world.

"Oof, this is not the best place to be right now." Shodaime said as he narrowed his eyes at the blue katana that sliced down from above. The Yaksha raised its arms, trying to prevent itself from being beheaded, but it was looking quite bleak.

I took a deep breath as I knelt down and pressed my hand onto the wooden surface. Madara was giving me ideas, so please, make it work. A veil of silver expanded from my palm, stretching out to cover the Yaksha, painting it in a silver sheen of moonlight.

The katana hit the silver armour, sending sparks into the sky. The force from the impact sent my insides tumbling as if someone was beating my ribs like they were drums. But nevertheless, the silver armour around the Yaksha held up against Madara's blade.

I pumped even more chakra into the wooden statue as my Mangekyou swirled in fervour. Soon, the sounding staff materialized in the Yaksha's hand. Without a pause, Shodaime swung it in a circle and launched the counterattack.

"You know, when Madara and I were young, we thought of combining my wood golem and his Susanoo. He said that we would be undefeatable, although it might have been overkill." Shodaime said as nostalgia dawned on his face.

"... Sorry?" For being a substitute that you didn't ask?

"Oh no, Maiko-chan. Don't mind it, that's just me being old and sentimental." Shodaime shook his head as he slammed the rings of the shakujō into the Tengu Warrior's chest plate, only for the Tengu Warrior to push it away with his fists. "I just never thought that I would be seeing that daydream into fruition, two of these creations, no less."

"Then how did Madara become so arrogant and … alone," I asked all of the sudden. If they were once so full of trust in each other's companionship, how did it end up like this?

"Power as strong as this brings despair, both to the enemy and to oneself," Shodaime said as he let out a sigh. "We dreamed of making this world a better place, where children didn't have to fight in wars, and families could live in peace. But as you can see, that's a dream that has continued for generations and has yet to be achieved."

"Madara has seen much loss, and with every power he gains, he bears their responsibility. But even with all the power and all the things he had tried, he still can't see the world changing for the better."

The sounding staff was covered by a glow of crimson, drawing a crescent of red as it slashed across the Tengu's neck. The cracks around Susanoo's face were starting to peel off like worn-off paints.

"Even after Madara embarked on a journey to find a solution alone, I wished that he could come back to the village, to see what I'm seeing - a future where wills are passed on, where dreams and responsibilities alike are shared."

The Tengu warrior roared as it slashed the katana across the Yaksha's chest. My Susanoo was definitely destabilizing as it shimmered with inconsistency. Eight minutes had passed since I returned to battle, meaning that we had every little time left before Madara's Rinnegan was fully regenerated.

"You're a fighter, Maiko-chan, all of you are, actually. I didn't get to see a future where love and hope can drive away conflicts and despair, but I'm glad to witness a future where people are still working hard to realize that dream." With that, Shodaime made a series of hand seals. When the last one was complete, I felt his aura change. I had a feeling that perhaps he had broken free from the Edo Tensei.

Wait, if he's reclaiming his soul now of all time, then … "But Shodaime-sama, you're planning to …"

"We're already dead, Maiko. I meant it when I said that I'm returning the future to all of you, so please let me be the one that makes the sacrifice," Shodaime said as he flashed me his trademark smile. He was planning to use Shiki Fūjin to seal Madara along with himself. To do that, one needed to have full ownership of one's soul, making him the only one who could do it.

"Besides, I've compromised a lot of things for my duties towards Konoha, including the ambition that Madara and I dreamt of. I've settled for stability, to protect Konoha's present in the hopes that the future will be better. While Madara continued to search in his lifetime, never giving up, even if it led him astray."

"If there's anyone who's going to hell with Madara, then I wish for it to be me."

Blooms of lotuses travelled up from the shakujō and strangled the neck of the blue Susanoo, reaching into the cracks with its stems and petals. The roar of lightning sounded in the background along with the howl of the wind, as the dash of lightning bit into the Tengu in the shape of a wolf before an implosion of wind shredded into the blue armour.

The Susanoo finally cracked open like a vase. As fabrics of blue chakra fell off like stardusts, the Wooden Tengu underneath was stripped bare once again. In a flash of yellow, Yondaime arrived with the swirling ball of energy in his hand.

"It's an honour to meet you, Shodaime-sama," I said when Nidaime teleported in and grabbed his brother. To that, Shodaime gave me a thumbs-up and a light-hearted smile that made Nidaime roll his eyes.

"You're unbelievable, brother," Nidaime complained, but he wasted no time in activating the Hiraishin.

The giant Rasengan broke the head of the Tengu into a pile of splinters, but Madara had already escaped as columns of wood grew around his body. But to everyone's surprise, a firebird came out of nowhere, lighting up the darkened sky as it rode on wind and roared with fire.

In the blink of an eye, the firebird swallowed up Madara along with his wooden defence. If I focus on my hearing, I could hear Naruto's voice from below, yelling, "Take that, it's Ultimate Spiral Firestorm Phoenix—-" The rest was muffled speech which I assumed was Sasuke's doing.

Amidst the smoke and fire, Madara fell out with half of his body burning. "Hashirama!" Madara yelled in rage as Shodaime broke through the fire too and locked onto his shoulder.

Splash. A tantō - it awfully looked like the one used by Sai - with yin-chakra seals pasted on its blade was driven through Madara's back. Shodaime didn't stop as he pushed the blade deeper until it skewered them both. A burst of yin-chakra washed over their wounds, slowing down their movements and weakening their strength.

With straining fingers, Shodaime completed the hand seals and a shadow of Shinigami floated behind him as ghostly arms latched onto both Madara and him. Souls were being ripped out of their paper mache bodies by the Shinigami and nothing Madara could do would stop it.

They said that a warrior knew when they arrived at the end of the road. I didn't know if that was the case for Madara, but just before their souls were being completely devoured, Madara said to Shodaime, with some semblance of calmness, "Generations later, and here we are, Hashirama. I've fallen once more in your hands."

"It's not just me who defeated you this time, Madara. Be a grown-up and admit their victory." Shodaime replied, and Madara once again looked like a bomb ready to explode - except he couldn't. Hmm, I thought Shodaime was going to make peace with their past trauma, not aggravate it.

"But this time, we'll have an eternity to talk it out." Those were the last words being uttered before the Shinigami claimed the two souls it was promised and disappeared amidst piles of falling paper dust.

"Holy shit," I couldn't help but exclaim when the world had turned quiet once more. All the wooden constructs on the battlefield started to break apart like sand being blown off in the wind. The remaining Hokage managed to teleport Itachi and Kakashi back to the ground, while my Susanoo shrank and allowed me to land on the floor.

In the distance, shinobi were starting to spill out of what remained of Konoha and rush to the tattered battlefield. In the front was Tsunade-sama, not quite back to her usual health, seeing the wrinkles on her face, but nevertheless, alive and recovering.

"Orochimaru …" Itachi shook his head in annoyance when a white snake slithered up to him with a piece of paper in its mouth. Right, I forgot about that Snake.

'Now that our cooperation has ended in success, I'll see myself out, no need to thank me. Out of the goodness of my heart, I won't release Edo Tensei until I'm some distance away from Konoha, to give you some time for a reunion. So, out of the goodness of your heart, I hope Konoha won't hunt me for another three years, though I doubt that Konoha will recover enough before that.'

"How shameless." I know right. I turned around and realized that it was Nidaime who made that comment. Suddenly, the thought occurred to me that now that Shodaime was sealed, the balance of the deal we made with Orochimaru was toppling into oblivion. It was so easy to get back into the battle mode as my chakra swirled and my muscles tensed up, seeing that I didn't really get out of it in the first place.

As if noticing my worry, Nidaime shook his head and said, "You needn't worry. Hashirama absorbed the energy remaining in his cells that Orochimaru used to enhance the binding. While Yondaime and I won't be able to break off the binding, we will be able to resist Orochimaru's order long enough to drive a kunai through our chest." He even pulled out a kunai tagged with a yin-chakra seal to make his point.

"Let this be a test. I doubt that Konoha wants to deal with another threat when it can be avoided." What could I say, they really thought everything out.

"I'm going to track Orochimaru to make sure that he doesn't have a death wish," Itachi said. I reminded him, "Leave your crow here so you can use reverse summoning to get back." With a nod, a crow materialized out of his collar and swirled into mine.

"I shall go see Tsunade, then," Nidaime said as he flickered into the distance. Naruto was already running towards his dad, dragging an exasperated Sasuke along to introduce his best friend forever. So that left us with …

I turned to Kakashi just as he did the same. Again, the bleak pupil in his left eye stared back at me unobstructed. Both of us opened our mouths, but no words seemed to come out. Considering that we were fighting on different fronts for the majority of the battle until now, we had so much to ask each other, but none of us really knew where to start.

Slowly, I raised my hand and my fingers stopped when it was just an inch away from his face. When he didn't stop me, I took that as a sign of permission and touched the rim of his left eye. The skin under my fingers felt warm and his bones felt as unyielding as his personality. It took me a moment to realize that part of the warmth that graced my skin was because there were tears, so light that Kakashi himself might not have even realized.

"Are you okay?" I asked as my fingers moved, wiping the tears off for him. For a second, Kakashi didn't answer me, looking as if he was taking the time to think. I appreciated the fact that he didn't just throw out the usual 'of course, I'm fine.'

Eventually, he let out a sigh as his own hand travelled up and grabbed mine, stopping it from rubbing the dirt all over his exposed face in my attempt to wipe away the liquid.

"I will be," he answered. My hand was still on his face, I realized, he didn't move my hand away, nor did he move away his. I think my heartbeat might have sped up a little - or maybe a lot, seeing that I wasn't sure if it was my chakra that caused the little static that shocked our skins.

I retracted my hand in a hurry. To make it feel less awkward, my brain searched for any topic that would fill in the silence and my eyes inevitably landed on the Hiraishin kunai that was still somehow hanging by my waist. Right, I supposed that it did save my life.

"Oh, you said you want it back after the war." I unclipped the tri-pronged kunai and handed it to him. For a second, Kakashi looked like he didn't quite know what he was supposed to do with it either as he took the kunai from me and just let it sit in his hand.

He searched around his chest, only to realize that his shinobi jacket - and needless to say, anything in his pockets - were long lost. "Uh, I think I lost the relic you gave me in the Kamui space, which, as you've guessed, is not going to open again. Sorry about that."

I couldn't help but burst out in laughter when he apologized. "I don't care about that stupid piece of porcelain, Kakashi. I just want you to come back to me, alive, in one piece."

Ah, screw it. The adrenaline rushed through my veins and I leaned forward and pulled him into a hug. I tightened my hands on his back and buried my face into the crook of his neck. Everything smelled like sweat and blood, not pleasant at all, but it reminded us that we were still alive.

"Ever since that time we broke into the Underground Jonin Arena, I realized that I didn't say the things I truly meant," I said as I loosened my hands and took a step back, releasing him from my suffocating hug. "I hope you never stop treating me as someone special to you, that's what I really wanted to say."

"I love you in more ways than you can imagine." Whoa, it's kind of easy to say, or maybe that's just the adrenaline. "And before you ask, yes, I'm sure of my feelings. Thought about them for days before the war started, actually." Even the silence that followed didn't scare me that much, because I knew that even if nothing came out of my confession, the bond that tied us together was too deep to ever be severed.

I was blessed in that way, all because we were cursed together.

"What?" I turned my eyes sharply at the source of that whisper until I saw Naruto standing a few meters away, his mouth fell open as disbelief painted his face. Yondaime was standing behind the boy, mouthing 'We didn't mean to eavesdrop', looking very apologetic. Sasuke was silent, but I had a bad feeling about that.

With a light tap on Kakashi's shoulder, I broke him out of his internal struggle and pointed him in the direction of his sensei. I could see the pain growing in his eyes as his brain caught up to the present. Glad to know I wasn't the only one feeling socially dead, even if it was kind of my fault.

"I'll leave you to catch up with Yondaime-sama," I whispered before taking my leave. But Kakashi caught my hand before I could turn away.

"We'll talk about this afterwards when you're not - when we're not caught up in the heightened emotions after finishing a war," Kakashi sounded like the responsible adult he was, so I nodded.

Still, I felt the need to make myself clear. "I'm serious. It takes a lot of courage to say it, you know."

For some reason, Kakashi broke out a tiny laugh at that. "I know. Your ears are red." And I'm not standing through the embarrassment any longer.

"Come on, Sasuke." I waved, and my little brother walked towards me like a robot, all just the calm before the explosion.

"Why Hatake—" "It's Sensei for you." "Why him? He's got a terrible personality, he's always late, and he reads those indecent novels in public! Also—" I slugged my arm around Sasuke and pulled him into a hug. That stopped his train of accusations.

"Just forget about Kakashi for now," I said to Sasuke before turning him towards the person that was running toward us. Sasuke's breath halted when he saw Ryuu just a few meters away, panting in quick breaths, no doubt having flickered here at full speed.

"Thank the gods, all of you are safe," Ryuu exclaimed as he took a few more steps forward.

"Me too. I'm glad you're alive," Sasuke whispered as he let out a breath of relief.

"Where's Itachi-san?" Ryuu asked and before he started to worry, I told him. "He's alright. He'll be back soon."

"Maiko! Get your ass over here and let Shizune heal those burns. I don't care who you just defeated, you're not invincible!" I was so glad to hear Tsunade-sama's angry shouts, but no matter what I was feeling, for the sake of my safety, I started to walk in her direction, leading Sasuke and Ryuu along.

They started to light the night lamps around the camps. One by one, luminescent orbs started to light up near the village, making it seem like the galaxy had been projected onto the earth. Adding to this scene of beauty, pearly white souls flowed out of the two remaining Edo Tensei in this world.

Finally, Nidaime and Yondaime departed for the afterlife.

Barely a second later, the crow materialized out of my collar and activated the summoning array. The moment Itachi stepped out of the smoke, I pulled him into a light hug.

"Can you still see us?" I asked in a light voice as our gaze met.

"Yes. You can see it for yourselves, my eyes are not exhausted yet." True, I could see the dark pupil in his eyes, reflecting my face and the specks of light in the background.

"Good. Make sure that you continue to see us tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that, preferably forever." I said, eventually breaking into light laughter at my childish words.

But Itachi laughed with me as he replied, "I hope so too."

The night had just begun, but we always went into darkness, hoping to see tomorrow's sunrise.

(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ fuwa~fuwa~desu~~~

[A month Later]

"Kazekage-sama, the representative from the Craftsmen's Guild is here to see you," Temari said as he opened the door to Gaara's office. Gaara still couldn't get used to being called that, much less being called that by his sister. But as a figure of authority in Sunagakure, certain appearances needed to be held.

"Kazekage-sama, it's a pleasure to be in your audience," the man greeted as he bowed in respect.

"Likewise, Haneda-san." Gaara stood up in response, returning the greeting. He could smell the scent of crafting oil and expensive wood on the man, supporting Haneda's identity as an instrument crafter. "Allow me to thank the Guild for the generous donation to Sunagakue's rebuilding."

"That's hardly necessary, Kazekage-sama. After all, those of us that live and practice our crafts in Suna will continue to be in your care and the care of your shinobi," Haneda said, his eyes curving into a smile.

"I am honoured by your trust. Sunagakure will continue to protect its citizens, and so will I." Gaara replied, trying to pull out all those words he had been practicing before his ascension as the Kazekage. He was not good with compliments, especially from strangers. But that anxiety needed to go because occasions like this would only get more frequent.

"Is there any else you wish to discuss, Haneda-san?" Gaara asked and the man extended a scroll from his robe, passing it to him.

"The members of our Guild have reached an agreement and we would like to discuss a contract with Sunagakure," Haneda-san explained as Gaara opened the scroll. "We would like to form a long-term agreement with Sunagakure, promising to contract commissions from Sunagakure exclusively for the next three years, in return for a slight discount."

Next three years! Gaara had no doubt that if this agreement was reasonable, then it would do a lot of good for Suna. They needed money to rebuild their village, and having a consistent source of commissions would alleviate the inconsistency in Suna's income. The Craftsman Guild was not small either, consisting of many businesses that often needed to travel around the continent for deliveries.

"This is great news. Please allow me and the Suna Council to review your clauses and I will reply back to discuss as soon as possible," Gaara said. Haneda-san bowed, satisfied with his visit and was taking the cue to leave. But just then, Gaara remembered the background check they had conducted on this man, where he learned that the previous owner of the business - Haneda-san's father - was one of the casualties in Gaara's rampage.

"Haneda-san," Gaara called out before he could stop himself. When the man turned around with inquiries in his eyes, Gaara didn't quite know what he was going to say. Still, he pushed the words out of his mouth, "I'm aware of the damage One-Tail and I have caused the residents of Sunagakure, including many members of the Guild. I know that words don't mean much, but I wish to apologize and assure you that it won't happen again."

Protect Sunagakure. Protect your people. Those were the thoughts that allowed Gaara to stand up and call up the waterfall of sands time and time again, even if it seemed that he had no more strength left. Even after the battle was over, it allowed him to stay afloat instead of drowning in the remnants of doubts and uncertainty.

"You're right, Kazekage-sama, words don't mean much," Haneda-san said, but before panic could arise in Gaara's chest, he continued, "But actions do. Rest assured, Kazekage-sama, it's your actions during the recent battles that instilled trust in us."

"I'm sure many of us have pasts that we'd rather forget, but we can't let them drag down our future too, can we?" Gaara thought that Haneda-san sounded wise for a man that looked this young, but maybe Gaara was just not as well versed with words.

With another bow, Haneda-san left the Kazekage office, leaving Gaara to examine the proposal in detail.

"Gaara, you've got a letter …" Gaara's sand swirled up on its own, reaching towards the door in urgency. " … from Kumogakure." Oh. The sand died down in disappointment.

Temari laughed when she saw that. "It's only a day overdue, probably just a little delay on the roads. I'm sure it'll arrive anytime from now. Have more faith in Naruto-kun."

Gaara shook his head, hoping to shake off his childishness. He held out his hand and Temari handed him the letter. "I wonder what Kumogakure wants," Temari muttered as Gaara opened the letter. The first sentence already warned him of a headache.

'I, Killer B, Kumogakure's greatest Jinchuuriki, invites Gaara of Sunagakure, a fellow Jinchuuriki and an honorary member of J-Squad (AKA the Amazing Jinchuuriki Squad, but that's uncool so we don't use that) to attend the annual Rap Concert held in Kumogakure on the date of TBD. Featuring the amazing Rap Artist Killer B.'

"What?" Temari was in disbelief and Gaara was out of words. "Why is the date crossed out and replaced with TBD? And this thing is annual? Also, what in the world is a 'J-Squad'."

The memory flashed in Gaara's mind. With calmness, he closed the scroll and replied. "I have no idea. Let's just ignore this."

"Hang on, what if it's a special diplomatic custom from Kumogakure, is it really okay to ignore this?" Temari looked worried as she tried to see past the absurdity. But just before Gaara could assure her that it was just absurdity - at least until 'TBD' changed to an actual date - a hawk flew into his window, carrying a letter with a stamp from Konohagakure.

Needless to say, Gaara was definitely not going to think about that 'Rap Concert' anymore.

…

Utakata loosened his jacket for the third time in five minutes, yet the collars still felt suffocating. For the umpteenth time after the war ended, Utakata questioned what stuff he was on when he told Mei that he would stay as Kirigakure's shinobi.

Ugh, Kirigakure's uniform is stupid. Is it too late to run away?

"Is the Almighty Jinchuuriki of Six-Tail going to go back on his promise?" Mei's voice asked as she entered her office, having seen through his thoughts the moment she laid her eyes on him.

"Stop rubbing it in my face and just tell me what's my assignment." Utakata was on very low patience - mostly towards the uniform - but no matter how annoyed he was, he knew that his promise was tied to the freedom of Isobu and the general peace around Kirigakure.

Mei laughed at his misery, handing him a mission scroll. "S-Rank mission. Clear out the missing-nin that's been loitering around Three-Tail's lake. The news of the recent war is reaching far across the continent, making those missing-nin restless, thinking that they could take advantage of the Hidden Villages' trouble. I figured that you're the best person, considering the fickle relationship Kiri has with Isobu."

"Are they stupid or just have a death wish," Utakata was stunned at the audacity. Just because the news of Akatsuki's Tailed-Beast hunt had gotten out, didn't mean that the Tailed-Beasts were a joke. To incur on Isobu's wrath was in some regards, a much cruller way to die than to piss off Kirigakure.

"Probably the former. But it makes Kirigakure look bad and risks the chance of misunderstanding between Kiri and Isobu - which, granted, is already suffering from difficult communication. So, teach them a lesson, and make sure they don't make the same mistake again." Mei said, giving Utakata a smile full of encouragement. Utakata didn't disappoint her trust and rolled his eyes as expected.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, Mizukage-sama, I'll be on my way to my mission," Utakata said in fake politeness and he hoped that the sarcasm rubbed off. But Mei just laughed, not even bothered by his bad attitude anymore.

The moment he was out of Kirigakure's gate and into the misty jungle, he took off that stupid jacket and soaked it in a bubble of acid.

What a nice day. He was already feeling much better.

…

"Are you sure, Itachi-kun?" Tenzō asked as Itachi stared at the empty field that used to be the Uchiha Compound.

"About what? The part that I want to build a six-bedroom, two-bathroom house, or the part that we're not changing the site of the Uchiha Compound," Itachi asked in return.

"Umm, I guess both?" Tenzō said with a little uncertainty as his pen hovered over his notepad, where the collection of information for village rebuilding was underway. There was a pause, before the man exclaimed, "That's a lot of rooms."

Itachi narrowed his eyes at the empty lot, trying to imagine the house in his mind and he agreed. It would have been a lot of room to fit in a house. But Sasuke asked for - more like, demanded - a second bathroom if 'there were going to be more people just randomly dropping in unannounced'.

Fuu had sent Maiko a letter earlier in the week, saying that she wanted to visit again when Konoha was in better shape. So yes, they needed more rooms.

"You're right, maybe we should build two houses instead," Itachi muttered, making Tenzō pause whatever he was about to write on that notepad of his. The man opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but then decided against it.

Itachi appreciated the patience from Tenzō, so to alleviate some of his awkwardness and give him something to put on that notepad, he said, "But the fact that we won't change the site, that's certain."

Tsunade-sama had proposed to relocate the Uchiha Clan should they wish. Somewhere closer to the centre of the village like the Nara Clan, perhaps. Somewhere not surrounded by strips of forest that Anbu used to spy on their Clan back in the old days.

But it didn't take long for them to decide that the Uchiha Compound would stay where it was - on the outskirts of Konoha, isolated from the populace, cradled by the Naka River that flowed around the village.

"I see," Tenzō said, jogging down the information.

Itachi looked over his shoulder and observed the bustling village, full of wooden beams and metal shelves, still a skeleton of what needed to be rebuilt.

Perhaps in the days of his father, they would have snatched the opportunity to be relocated back to the heart of the village, because this site here was associated with the indignation and distrust that Konoha had subjected them to.

But Itachi - and so did Maiko and Sasuke - believed that meanings could be changed as they concluded that part of the history and turned the page to a new chapter. The Uchiha name was complex and full of turmoil, and they were going to accept everything that came with it.

"Besides, if we don't have the Naka River close by, a lot of unreported fire incidents will come to light," Itachi mentioned as an afterthought, before giving Tenzō a smile. "But let's just keep that between us."

"Wait, what?"

…

"Whoa, you really just went and said it," Yugao commented as we jumped down from the branches and made our way towards the Village Gate.

"Yeah, I really just went and said it," I muttered as I took another sniff at my sleeves. Despite the washes we did in the river, we still smell like blood and ashes. "I was riding on the high of adrenaline and also feeling immense happiness from the fact that my undead ancestor who wanted to put the world to sleep is finally gone, so maybe it wasn't the best way to go at it."

"Am I doomed?" I asked, to no one in particular. I doubted that anyone could answer my question anyway.

"No," Yugao shook her head, but she looked like she was rather enjoying my confusion. "You really are the bravest person I've met, in more than one way. Be more confident that you're irreplaceable like the sun."

"So did the talk happen?" I turned to Yugao's question and shrugged. That would be a hard 'no'. "Is it going to happen soon?" Another shrug. "Don't you have to report to him for A-rank and above missions? Do you just talk about work, complain about life, chat like usual and then move on?" Silence, then a third shrug … Is that judgment that I sense in her voice?

"We're busy," I said, trying to explain despite Yugao's skepticism, "This is what, the fourth group of missing-nin that I've eliminated in a week." Because our village got flattened by a meteorite, many missing-nin took it as a sign that they could do whatever they wanted in Fire Country. That definitely put another load on us when we already had to rebuild most of the facilities and restructure the shinobi forces.

The Anbu tunnels were still being cleaned out of rubbles and we barely got a functional Anbu headquarters. In fact, We didn't even have a commission centre anymore because that building got destroyed. Instead, we have mission desks tallying the departure and arrivals at the village gates.

"Uchiha Maiko and Uzuki Yugao. Reporting for Mission #A62538. Mission status: complete." I handed the shinobi at the desk our mission scroll, waiting patiently for him to mark the corresponding mission on his ever-growing list. While he was doing that, I felt their presence before I heard their chatters.

"... Look, that's Uchiha Maiko! I heard it from Emi, who heard it from Renji, who heard it from his brother that she could summon a silver giant. It goes 'whoosh' with its fist and all the enemies go up in fireworks. It then goes 'bwah' and the fire just shoots out of its mouth …"

What? That's not my Susanoo - or any Susanoo that I know of.

"Can I go ask for autographs?" "Me too! I want it too …" "I want to see the fire ninjutsu!"

Yugao could barely contain her snickers as she hunched over, shaking ever so slightly. As if the chaos wasn't enough, she turned around and waved at the startled academy students. "The chances for autographs are rare - Maiko is a busy shinobi - so come on out, she doesn't bite."

I barely got the time to give Yugao a look full of disbelief before I was surrounded by a group of kids. They looked like they just got out of school - the current curriculum is sweeping the streets of Konoha. I wondered what their sensei would feel when they all showed up tomorrow with the same signature on their assignment notebook.

"Can I see your fire ninjutsu, please!" One of the girls asked me in the end. Puppy eyes were contagious because before I knew it, I was surrounded by them with no way to escape.

"Okay, spread out a little so you don't get hurt," I instructed before bending down on one knee. I cupped my hands and opened them slowly. A small ruby-red lotus bloomed with the motion of my hands. Amidst the chorus of awes, the flower swirled in a wisp and reformed into a butterfly. Under my careful control, the red butterfly fluttered upward, ascending higher into the sky before lighting up in a mini cloud of fire.

"Your mission's been recorded, Uchiha-san and Uzuki-san." Finally, the shinobi found the corresponding mission and checked it off of his list. "Uchiha-san, since you're the team leader of an A-rank mission, please also report to the Jonin Commander about the details."

"Run along, kids, I've got work to do," I waved the children along, watching them run away with the energy to sweep ten more streets. Then, I muttered in a quieter voice, "And it looks like work has come to me."

When I turned my attention to Kakashi waiting by the corner, he pointed towards the newly built Hokage Tower in the distance, telling me that he came to fetch me on Tsunade-sama's order. I couldn't help but think back to the past month, going through all the possible things I had done that could get me into trouble.

I couldn't find any. I finished all the missions, didn't start any unintended fire or cause any unwarranted property damage. Well then, if I wasn't being summoned because I got into trouble, then there was nothing to be afraid of.

"I'm always on your side, Maiko, but whatever this thing is between you guys," Yugao whispered to me from behind as she waved her hands in an ambiguous circle, "That's uncharted territory even for me, so you have to figure it out on your own."

"Let me finish my report while we're at it," I said to Kakashi on our way to the Hokage Tower. I told him the number of missing-nin, what fun they were having before Yugao and I came along, and what became of them afterwards. "I have their bodies, but they don't seem to be important enough to be of any value."

Kakashi hummed in understanding, "throw them to the Interrogation Unit anyway." There was a pause when we walked past what used to be an entrance to the Anbu facilities, before he said, "The Anbu facilities are more or less back in order and we have sorted out the deceased and the injured. The units just need to be reorganized and then we can have Anbu running again."

"Is that my warning for even more overtime works?" I asked and there was a suspicious pause. Uh oh. Now that I thought about it, there was also that deal Konoha made with Kiri about retrieving Samehada from Kisame, who was roaming free in god-knows-where. I was not looking forward to that trip.

"Just listen to what Tsunade-sama has to say first." Kakashi rolled his eyes at my wandering thoughts as he pushed me into the Hokage office. Perhaps Yugao was right to judge us, because it was so easy to fall back to 'the usual', pretending that I had said nothing and he had heard nothing.

"Sit, Maiko," Tsunade-sama ordered and I did what she asked. It was then that I noticed the other person standing on the side. Compared to the last time I had seen the Anbu Commander, his mask remained unchanged, but one of his pant legs was dangling with nothing but thin air in it. Nevertheless, I didn't allow my gaze to linger as I gave him a bow as well.

"Do you know why I called you here?" Tsunade-sama said and this time, I knew.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama. I have a guess." Without further ado, Tsunade-sama rolled open a scroll on her desk and placed it in a way so I could read the words on it.

The promotion order was written in bold ink, printing my name as the next Anbu Commander of Konoha.

"So, will you accept?" Tsunade-sama asked, waiting patiently for my answer.

I stayed silent for a little, before speaking up. "No offence, Hokage-sama, but I'm far from the most experienced captain in Anbu."

"No, but both I and your predecessor see you as the best fit," Tsunade-sama said, stretching her lips into a smile. "Anbu is Konoha's most lethal arsenal, Maiko, but it's still made up of individual human, not a group of weapons. They live a conflicted existence, but Konoha still needs their unwavering strength."

"Be the Anbu Commander, lead them to be the best protector against enemies, but also make sure that they remain human, as you've constantly done with yourself." There was a pause before Tsunade-sama asked again, "Will you accept?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama, I accept." I gave her my answer.

"Great, because I just got the Anbu Headquarter renovated and issued a summoning order for all active Anbu to be gathered there in ten minutes. It would be awkward if I summoned them for nothing." Tsunade-sama was definitely in a good mood, so much so that she didn't even sigh when a shinobi reported to her that the construction team ran into a problem near the Eastern gate.

With a nod at my ex-Anbu Commander, she told him, "Now I accept your resignation and retirement." Then she turned to me. "I'll see you in the Anbu Headquarters in ten minutes after I deal with that sturdy obstacle. With force."

"Yep, definitely working overtime," I whispered as I stretched my arms under the sun, all the while walking with Kakashi to the Anbu entrance.

"Welcome to paperwork hell." He just had to remind me. I was sure that this was payback for all those times that I laughed at him during his time as the Jonin Commander.

When the silence inevitably fell on us, I wondered if I should just rip apart the facade and get it over with. As I had figured, someone had to, but apparently, it wouldn't be me this time.

"I haven't forgotten. I just need some time to figure out where …" His words died off at that point, so I finished the sentence for him.

"If you say, 'where it went wrong', I will hit you," I told him. Yeah, I figured that was what he wanted to say.

"... where it changed, how about that," Kakashi said. I didn't hit him, so I guess we were off to a great start already. With a nod, I asked him to keep going.

"You know, Sasuke has a point. I'm kind of old, my personality infuriates you sometimes, I'm also half-blind. Because I was your mentor, a large part of your perception is being influenced by me, it doesn't seem fair to you, does it? I don't deny that our relationship is fuzzy and muddled, and you will always be special to me, but reliance is not romantic love." Kakashi always had good points. Being logical and reasonable was fundamental to risk aversion, which Kakashi was an expert at, mostly for the sake of others.

It was unfortunate that I had brought much risk and turbulence into his life.

"No, reliance is not love, but it's an aspect of it, is it not? Many days of introspection on my feelings told me that I don't just want to be special. I want to be unique to you; I want to be the one and only." I think I couldn't get more clear than that, to dissect things that could only be felt and translate them into words in the hope that it would reach the right person.

"When you're trying to figure out where it went wrong, do you mean it for me, or for you?" Because despite all the dissuasion, I didn't hear the most efficient response that will end it all. Even as I pushed this far and showed him that there was no way back for me, he couldn't answer me with clarity.

"See, it's not just me who needs to think and sort my feelings out, I'd say you need that more than I do," I said, walking past him when his footstep slowed in contemplation. "But luckily, we have lots of time."

After a few seconds of silence, he replied, "Yeah, how lucky."

When we reached the underground entrance behind the Hokage Tower, I suddenly remembered something. "How mad do you think Tsunade-sama would be if I showed up with a blank mask?" Since Anbu was not functional since the war, I had no reason to wear my Anbu mask and thus had forgotten to put in the replacement order for my mask.

"Not to the level that you'll be fired the first day on the job," Kakashi answered me in the least helpful way. "But I had a feeling this would happen when you told me that the mask you sliced up is your last one, so here."

He reached into his storage seal and threw a mask at me. I caught it with my hands and the painted rabbit face stared back at me, pristine and newly made. "I did lose your mask when you said to return it."

"And I told you that I don't care about that stupid piece of porcelain, but thanks." I gave him a smile before putting the mask on my face. "Are you going to come and see my promotion?" I shouldn't have felt the need to confirm, considering that he had walked this far with me.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

---

A/N: WE MADE IT GUYS. This is the last chapter of the war and the main plot of the story, but not the end of the story yet, cause I've got epilogue stories lined up. These will be shorter side stories and hopefully no longer has the 'the world is burning down' undertone. The list in my mind so far is:

1. I need to get that relationship sorted out (featuring Kurenai and Asuma's wedding in the backdrop)

2. Fuu and Maiko's Bizarre Adventure. "Never tried this before but I'm sure I'll pull through" - Fuu

3. Konan's path

4. Naruto and Sasuke: Fantastic Tailed-Beasts and Where to Find Them.

I, for one, am really happy with how this turned out. Everything I wanted to write is there, from how the final battle has ended to the character's fate. Obviously, the execution is not all that great, especially on the topic of 'love'. I do try to build it up since before the war started, but it's still such a prick to write and it's my first try, which usually ends up in flames. But this is the end I've chosen to explore since the author note in chapter 63, and I'm sticking to it. I hope to explore more of that in the epilogue, along with the state of the village (and the shinobi world) after the war. For my AO3 readers, you know this is coming from the tags and I'm sorry for the way I butchered it. I know the age gap is a thing, but they're all mature adults here, please don't come at me.

Many of you know that I took a long break between chapter 43 and chapter 44, and the plot of the story has definitely changed a lot from what I thought I would be writing in the beginning. Actually, I did not have the end planned out after the Chunin Exam chapters, and I only have vague outlines in my head. I'm a write-as-I-post kind of author, so it's kind of a miracle that everything tied up in the end with no major hiccups. I hope those of you reading this story felt satisfied by the journey - by Maiko's journey and the journey of everyone in my story - because I sure am satisfied. I couldn't have done this without the encouragement and kindness I've been getting, but also the helpful criticism too. They are all part of what makes up this story and prompted me to continue it to the end. So my biggest thanks to you all.