A/N: I know it's been forever. Honestly, I was trying to figure how I wanted this to end for a while then my interest stopped. 2020 was a hard year for me and my family, but it brought us all closer and it cleared my mind and gave me a small glimmer of hope. So, for those of you still reading this story after all this time, I hope that you're well and prepared for this penultimate chapter.
And, thank you for everything.
UCHIHA
Hikari latched to Sosei's waist, squeezing him in a hug. He had been sitting in the waiting room while the surviving members of his team received surgeries from the medic-nin and the sight of his little sister lessened the amount of stress he had, even if it was only for a brief moment.
"You came back!" she said cheerfully. Then more quietly, she whispered, "Did everything go well?" The stress arrived again and Sosei sighed.
"No," he replied. Hikari's face fell and she nodded.
"I'm sorry," she said. She seemed reluctant to ask another question but Sosei saw her curiosity win. "Did everybody make it back?"
Sosei felt his face fall. Softly, he said, "No, Dakko-chan." Hikari hugged him again and squeezed him. He held her in his arms and could feel her tears on his shirt.
"Kichi made it back right?" Hikari asked.
Sosei nodded and then patted her head. "Yes, we're just a little sad but you hugging me made things a little better, though. I kept my promise to you." That made Hikari smile as he hoped it would have.
He expected that his father would've shown himself by now, knowing that they had returned from their mission but Sasuke had been his normal absentee self. With every person that rounded the corner, Sosei thought it would be him, but he was disappointed each time. Regardless, seeing Hikari made up for his father's absence.
"Where's Kichi?" his little sister asked. "Can I see him?"
Sosei weighed the option. His brother was probably seeing his friend, and he suspected that Kichiro would want some privacy. Though Sosei often prided himself on being willfully ignorant to social cues, he saw something between Kataki and Kichiro that was very interesting. As emotionally closed off as his brother had become in Sosei's absence, he noticed that he was awkward, yet soft around his teammate. When the elder Uchiha had arrived at the scene, Kichiro was crying over Kataki's body and that had confirmed what Sosei suspected but didn't voice.
Regardless, if Hikari wanted to see him, Sosei wouldn't deny her. "He's probably with his teammate that got injured during our mission. I'll take you to him."
Hikari walked tightly next to him as they ventured down the hospital hallway.
Kataki's room was closest to the nurse station where multiple medic-nin went through documents. Sakura was noticeably absent and Sosei wondered whether she had gone to see other patients or needed to take a break. Maybe she left to look for Sasuke.
When Sosei knocked on Kataki's door, Kichiro answered in a few seconds. He looked as though he had been crying, but Sosei saw a small glimmer of joy in his eye. Hikari burst through the open door and grabbed her brother in a tight hug. Taken aback, Kichiro looked up at Sosei then back down at his little sister.
"I'm glad you're okay, Kichi!" she said.
"Me too." Kichiro looked up at Sosei and gave him a questioning glance.
"Hikari was worried about us and I guess Sakura let her come into the waiting room to see me," Sosei said coolly. The pink-haired girl nodded.
"I wanted to see Daddy too," Hikari said. "But, he didn't come."
Kichiro nodded. "You can stay in the room with my friend, Kataki. He's asleep so you'll have to be quiet."
"I can do that," Hikari shrugged. She passed him and sat in a chair next to Kataki's bed, disappearing from Sosei's view when Kichiro closed the door.
"What does she mean Dad didn't come?" he asked. "And where's Mom?"
"I wish I knew. She wasn't at her station and I haven't seen the old man since I've been back in the village." He could imagine why Sasuke would be distant. The news that his best friend had been captured and was possibly dead at this point may have driven him to the brink of despair. Perhaps he was angry and didn't want to be seen in the state he was in.
Kichiro sighed then stared at the ceiling. "What the hell is happening?" he asked.
Might be the end of the world, Sosei thought. He remembered tracking Yashagoro's men and growing closer to the true purpose behind his plan. Now, with the chakra-enhancing gloves stolen, the root of the God Tree still planted, and the Hokage captured, Sosei knew that the bastard was nearly finished. And he's resurrected Takuma…
That was another problem in itself. The Edo version had all of his brother's skills, from kunai marksmanship, intelligence, and fire jutsu. He also had a Sharingan, an indestructible body, and unlimited chakra with a raised power threshold that Sosei was confident was a few levels above his own.
That's probably how strong he would've been if he had been alive, Sosei opined internally. There wasn't a clear way to defeat him especially with his limited knowledge of the Edo Tensei and how to combat the undead. If he had a bit of time to rummage through some scrolls and gather intel or ask his father should he ever show himself, then he and Kichiro might have a chance between the both of them. But, there still wasn't a way to deal with Yashagoro, especially when killing him wouldn't release the jutsu at all. His power eclipsed theirs combined, he was smarter than them, and he had the advantage of knowing that they had to come to him in order to stop him. There was no element of surprise. They didn't hold anything over him.
All they had was hope.
"I don't know," Sosei replied finally. "What I do know is we can't just sit here while he completes his plan. We have to act."
"By doing what? Fighting him last time got Setsuka killed, the Hokage captured, and nearly everyone was traumatized in some way," Kichiro replied, angry but keeping his voice low. He looked back towards Kataki's room then to the ground.
"You love him?" Sosei asked, suddenly. He saw his little brother blush and freeze. All the maturity disappeared in an instant and Kichiro was a child again.
"I-I...No. He's just…"
"Kichiro, there's no need to lie," Sosei said, softly and gently. The blush didn't fade, and he avoided eye contact.
"I have for a while. It's been...scary, but I've...I don't know," Kichiro said, stumbling over his words.
"I'm guessing no one else knows?" Sosei asked.
"Mom and Dad do," he said. Sosei saw a tear roll down his cheek. "Dad wasn't happy. He said that he wouldn't accept it and that he thought it would mean the eventual death of the Uchiha again since Takuma was dead and nobody knew where you were. We talked about it afterward and he apologized to me but I decided that I'd rather stay with my sensei. It felt safer."
"I'm sorry."
Kichiro shrugged and sighed. "If you had been here, maybe I would've had some support." Sosei let the words hang in the air and nodded. Kichiro was right, he knew. Before he could utter anything else, Kichiro looked past him with a concerned expression on his face.
Sakura appeared in the hallway, her eyes a glossy haze of emotion. She seemed to regain herself when she saw them. Sosei could tell that she'd been crying.
"Mom," Kichiro said softly. "Where's Dad?"
The question was like a blade slicing through armor and Sakura seemed to break. Her knees buckled and Sosei rushed to her side to hold her up. She was quivering now, tears running down her cheeks like a fountain.
"Sakura..." Sosei said. "You have to tell us where he went."
Looking up, she had a pained smile on her face.
"To save Naruto and Takuma," she answered. "And he doesn't plan on coming back."
"What?" Kichiro furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
Sosei ground his teeth. He knew that his father was powerful enough to face Yashagoro on his own, especially if he went in fully intending to kill him. But that wouldn't save Takuma or the Hokage. He'd have to break the Edo Tensei and the seal holding Naruto back. He didn't have to die to do either of those things, even Sosei knew that. Unless his father had another plan...
"We have to catch up to him," the Uchiha said. "Regardless of his wishes, if we can help save our brother, we can't let our father do it alone."
"No," Sakura said softly. Sosei looked at her and frowned.
"I know you're worried, but you shouldn't try to stop us."
"I'm not," she answered before her eyes met his. "I'm coming with you."
Sasuke stepped through the void, his black cape flapping from the encroaching storm winds. His chokuto sang when he drew the blade from its hilt. Across the desolate wasteland, Yashagoro stood with folded arms. With his long black hair and gaunt face, Sasuke could see all of Orochimaru's DNA in him. At his side, he recognized the woman he and Naruto fought and a man in a white mask. The Hokage himself was attached to the stump of the God Tree, unconscious from the looks of it. Orange and blue chakra was siphoned into metal rods.
Then his eyes fell on his son. Although he knew that he was an Edo, Sasuke's heartbeat paused. He looked nearly grown, matured to his full potential by Yashagoro. He resembled Itachi now more than ever, especially with how coldly his implanted Sharingan pierced through Sasuke's being.
"So, the great Sasuke Uchiha arrives to the battlefield!" Yashagoro called out. "Have you come to save your son and your friend? I suppose you think that you know what to do to stop me." He made a show of spreading his arms open. "I am the Death-Breaker. I-"
From what Sasuke had heard, Yashagoro was fast enough to react to Naruto's Kyuubi Cloak flashing across the field. Perhaps he'd just been able to telegraph the move when he saw the Hokage garb himself in his trademark form. But he wouldn't see this coming.
Sasuke crossed the wasteland in less than an instant, replacing himself with Yashagoro's sword, and grabbed Yashagoro by the throat. "I don't care," he replied. When the blue-eyed man's partners rushed to his aid, Sasuke formed Susano'o's ribcage and coated it in Amaterasu's black flames. The woman was set ablaze and the man in the white was slapped away by one of the skeletal arms. However, Takuma stayed where he was as if he'd expected the trap.
Yashagoro grinned. "Killing me won't bring him back," he jeered.
"Pretending like you're a powerful man with some grand and important plan won't make you memorable," Sasuke said. He swallowed Yashagoro into his genjutsu, ripping through his mind like a butcher.
Kabuto had revealed a key point to his science project that Sasuke had picked up. Yashagoro's combination of physical abilities and attributes made him nearly impossible to dominate. Orochimaru's DNA mixed with the Uzumaki's life force and healing gave him unprecedented natural sustainability. While he was positive that he could obliterate the man with his strongest jutsu, Sasuke knew that killing Yashagoro wouldn't free Takuma from his control.
However, just like his donors, the blue-eyed man was susceptible and vulnerable to genjutsu. His mind was a field of instability, lined with mines that Sasuke could trigger. He'd make the fool defeat himself from the inside.
He found every repressed memory he could and brought them to the forefront. He saw Kabuto raising the boy and teaching him. He saw Yashagoro finding the notes on his creation and driving himself insane before he ran away.
"Stop this!" Yashagoro said shakily.
"You're a clone and a poor imitation of those you were based on. You're right, I can't kill you, not yet anyway. But, you will relive your life's worst moments, every memory, false or true, until you accept that the way you lived your life was in error." Yashagoro stood still, stuck with his mouth open and his hand grasping for his broadsword. Sasuke's right eye began to dim until he saw nothing but darkness.
The price of Izanami, he thought. But it was the only way to neutralize Yashagoro, just as Itachi had done to Kabuto.
With his Rinnegan, he set both the masked man and the Edo woman ablaze with Amaterasu. When the masked man tried to tear away his clothes, Sasuke increased the intensity until he was engulfed in the black flames. He knew that the woman didn't feel pain, but he could still finish her.
He grabbed her with one of his Susano'o arms and channeled the Human Path of the Rinnegan into the chakra avatar. With a thought, the fingers pinched the woman and snatched her soul from the rotted body, and caused it to slowly fade away until it was nothing but dust in the wind.
That left only Takuma in his Edo Tensei state. Blood trickled down Sasuke's cheek as he let Susano'o dissipate. A gust of wind carried a cloud of dust between he and Takuma. When it settled, the boy had disappeared, before suddenly reappearing at Sasuke's side. The elder Uchiha blocked Takuma's kunai with his chokuto and the two locked eyes with each other.
The boy's eyes were frigid yet filled with fury.
Sasuke's were filled with tears.
Kichiro followed closely behind his brother and mother as they bounded through the trees before finally reaching a clearing. He was almost surprised that his mother had kept up as well as she did. Sometimes he had to remind himself that she wasn't just a healer, but one of the New Sannin as well. She hadn't bothered to dress in any combat uniform and Kichiro assumed like he knew Sosei had that there wouldn't be any fighting to be done once their father had cleared the field.
At best, they'd be in the way if Sasuke's intent was to beat his opponent into submission then destroy them. But, from his mother's words, he had no plans of wasting time with a display of power, especially since killing Yashagoro wouldn't release Takuma from his suffering anyway. Whatever his plan was, their father had no intention of surviving.
The earth beneath them rumbled and birds filled the air. "What the hell?" Sosei shouted. Kichiro looked up and pointed.
"There," he said. A massive billow of black smoke filled the sky and Kichiro could feel the weight behind the chakra that caused the attack. It was his father's without a doubt.
"We'd better hurry," Sakura said before dashing away. Sosei followed quickly behind her and Kichiro gulped.
Dad...
Fire balls rained down the sky and Takuma slid across the ground, tracking his father with his gifted eyes. Sasuke Uchiha darted away, sending lightning-enhanced shuriken his way. Takuma dodged a few only for his father to replace the metal star with his own body. Takuma didn't have time to move before the chokuto slid down through him. If it hadn't been for his immortal body, he would've been dead. But having this advantage, Takuma grabbed Sasuke's hand and drew a kunai from his pouch.
He slashed his father across his chest, a shallow cut that barely got through his clothing. Sasuke Uchiha backed away quickly. He sparked a Chidori in his hand and it extended into a blade. Takuma rolled underneath it and darted towards his father. The blade disappeared suddenly and the sky began to rumble.
Kirin, Takuma thought. He rushed towards his father and pulled his hand down. Sasuke's eyes widened and Takuma stared through him as a lightning bolt struck where they both stood. Saved only by his Susano'o, Sasuke panted as blood started to trickle from his forehead.
"I see why you gave Sosei trouble," he said.
The undead Uchiha tilted his head to the side. "This...is what I wanted," Takuma murmured. He remembered lying in his hospital bed, blind and alone with only Honami there to comfort him. He remembered how hopeless he felt when he opened the window and the peace he accepted when he jumped from the ledge to his death. But now more than ever, he recalled the empty pit of rage. His father had abandoned him, refused to train, didn't see him as worth the effort to save all because he didn't have a Sharingan.
Yashagoro revealed that there was an entire laboratory filled with eyes that would've been suitable substitutes and while he had worked to gift them to Takuma, his father was more concerned with vengeance than his son's salvation. Now, he was here. Undead. Unbound. Unwilling to forgive.
"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, seemingly hiding his shock that Takuma was speaking.
"To show you that you made a mistake not saving me," the undead man replied. He sucked in air and chakra releasing a massive fireball from his mouth. He darted forward and as Sasuke's sword chopped through it, Takuma stepped past the fire and kicked him in the chest. The elder Uchiha skid back on his heels. His hair was ruffled, bangs sitting messily over his face. Takuma could see his father's Rinnegan eye narrow.
"You don't think I tried?" he asked. He sounded both insulted and deeply hurt. "The only way to save you was to try to replace your eyes. Yashagoro suggested that he'd rigged the lab with a seal connected to his chakra and there was no way to get past him. It was a bluff," Sasuke said. "But, he'd already destroyed all of the eyes except the two that you have now."
And by the time you'd gotten back, I had already given up, Takuma thought. He didn't want to believe what his father was saying. It was easier to accept that he was viewed as a failure and the false heir. A fraud. He could hear Hajime's words ringing in his ear and wondered if the people in the audience had mourned for him. Or if Hajime had...
Takuma squeezed his hand shut into a fist and shifted his scarlet eyes to where Yashagoro stood. He drew a kunai between his fingers and started walking towards him.
"Takuma, don't!" his father shouted, but the undead boy ignored him. He raised his blade to slit Yashagoro's throat and blood splashed onto his arm.
Hikari was trying not to be angry that her family left her behind, even as she tracked them through the forest and out onto the wasteland. Even as she struggled with the revelation that somehow, her father was going to try to save her dead brother, Takuma.
She'd done her best to be inconspicuous, transforming into a hawk to soar above everyone. She was high enough in the sky to avoid being seen and used the clouds as cover so that her shadow wouldn't give her away.
She'd counted on her family being as worried about her father and Takuma as she was so that they wouldn't notice her anyway, but being a shinobi involved accounting for a large variable pool. It was more than simply knowing a technique. It was knowing how to implement it well.
So far, Hikari'd been successful and could see her mother and brothers closing in on the stump of a massive tree. With her bird's eye view, she could see her father fighting another person and holding them back. She blinked her Sharingan into existence and scanned the field. She gasped inwardly. The chakra was disturbed and unnatural, but it still had the distinct color of her big brother's.
Takuma, she thought. Hikari folded her wings and made her descent.
Sakura didn't know how she ended up being the first to arrive onto the field, but something pushed her to move faster than she had in a while. When she landed, she saw Naruto pinned to the tree but couldn't see any other bodies, only midnight black embers where she assumed one of Yashagoro's men had been. The man himself was still standing locked in place with Sasuke and a long-haired young man in front of him.
Sasuke had his hand held up, blocking a blow from his opponent's kunai with his palm. He was bleeding a lot and Sakura's immediate instinct was to rush to his side and defend him. As she prepared for her entry, she locked eyes with her husband and saw him mouth the word, "no".
Then, the person attacking him turned around.
Sakura's heart stopped in her chest. She'd thought she had readied herself for this moment, to finally see if what she'd been told was true. But nothing could've.
Her eldest son, Edo Tensei that he may be, looked at her and she could see his eyes widen. The Sharingan, though typically cold and intimidating, softened when it met her gaze.
She was sobbing now as her eyes glazed over. She remembered when she found out that she was pregnant and how terrified she'd been to tell Sasuke. He had been shocked himself, nearly pale until he disappeared. Sakura learned later that he'd confided in Naruto about his fears.
When the day finally arrived, Takuma had looked so much like Itachi when he was born that she'd even suggested that it be his name, but Sasuke refused.
"I don't want him to have that burden," he said, melancholic. "I want him to be the first of a new day for the Uchiha." Sasuke had paused then, before saying, "Takuma. The pioneer."
Sakura remembered the first time he said an actual word and his first steps. She'd been amazed at how calm he'd been performing the Uchiha clan's rite of passage at seven years old, and his entrance into the Academy standing next to Honami. All of these emotions came rushing back to her mind when she saw him.
Sosei and Kichiro landed at her flanks, then stepped ahead of her. "It's okay," Sakura said.
"Yashagoro's in control of him," Kichiro replied. "He could attack us."
"Maybe not," Sosei said. "Looks like the old man's got him covered." He pointed to where Yashagoro was and Sakura noticed that he was completely stuck in place with his head drooped. Drool was running from his mouth. Had Sasuke lobotomized him?
"So, what now?" Kichiro asked.
"First, we should make sure that Naruto's ok," Sakura said. "Sosei, do you think you can break that seal holding him?"
The young man shrugged. "I'll take a look at it but that might be closer to Dad's level of expertise."
"I guess we'll just have to ask your father then," Sakura replied before she walked toward them, followed closely by Sosei and Kichiro. Sasuke and Takuma broke away from each other. Whatever conflict they had going on seemed to be stalemated upon their arrival and Sakura was glad about it. Fighting Takuma would've truly broken her heart.
She wanted to reach out and touch his face when they were near enough, but she resisted. Instead, she reached out for Sasuke.
"Why did you come?" he asked. She wanted to punch him.
"Why?" she repeated. "Because you left again after 'thanking' me. I'm not a fool, Sasuke. I know what those words meant. You didn't have any intention of coming back." She shook her head as she felt more tears well up. "But why? Why must you always do things by your fucking self?"
He didn't seem to have any words for that. Instead, he just sighed. "I wanted to make things right after failing to do so for so long. I wasn't the best husband or father," he said. He seemed to be addressing everyone now. "What I wanted and envisioned very often superseded any of your desires. I tried to mold you into I thought you should be rather than just supporting you in your life's journey. It's cost you all pain and for that, I'm sorry."
Sakura shook her head and looked over her husband. His right eye had been shut since she'd arrived and it looked like dried blood had crusted around his eyelid. She'd never seen him close his Eternal Mangekyo eye. If he'd used that much chakra, his eye would've just reverted back to its base state. Yashagoro was frozen in place almost as if he was under...
Genjutsu. Sakura looked at Sasuke. His eye wasn't just closed. He'd blinded himself somehow. He'd told her about the jutsu Itachi'd used on Kabuto to shatter the Edo Tensei during the war and both he and Yashagoro fit the description. Sasuke would've never sacrifice his dojutsu. Not unless he had no further plans to use it.
And he'd left his Rinnegan alone.
Her eyes widened. "Sasuke, you can't!" she shouted.
"Mom?" Kichiro said. Sosei turned from where he was performing hand seals to release Naruto. Sakura stared pleadingly at her husband and Sasuke seemed to realize that she knew what he planned.
Before he could say anything, Yashagoro gasped and shuddered. His pale hands quivered and then came together. "Rat, Ox, Monkey, Tiger, Dragon, Boar, Release," he said monotonously. He didn't move again and Sasuke sighed.
"Fine," he said. His eyes fell on Sosei and Sakura watched as he pulled Naruto away from the tree. The Hokage coughed and shivered, but he was alive. Sosei carried him over and Sasuke began to speak. "Sosei, I hoped to be an example of change to you but I pushed you to make some of the same decisions in the pursuit of vengeance." He looked to Kichiro and Sakura saw now more than ever how similar they appeared. "Kichiro, I pushed you away out of fear that your identity would disrupt my dreams of resurrecting the Uchiha. It was unjust and foolhardy of me. I'm sorry." He paused and seemed to be looking past them. "Damn."
Sakura turned and cursed. Hikari walked forward, sheepishly but with tears streaming from her Sharingan eyes. "Taku," she whispered. The girl came toward them and to Sakura, the strong fledgling kunoichi she was faded into a small, innocent child. She paused in front of Takuma and weeping, she grabbed him.
Hikari's cries were the only sound for the next few seconds. The Uchiha family stood around watching before Takuma raised his arms to hold her himself. Sakura was unsure if she'd ever seen an Edo Tensei cry, but her son's tears streamed down his face. Then everyone gathered around, holding onto both Takuma and Hikari. It was surreal that, in twenty years, Sakura had never felt so close to her family as she did now.
When their embrace was over, Sasuke seemed to give a pained grimace that was the closest she'd seen him get to a smile in the last five years. He let out a deep sigh when he looked at their daughter.
"Hikari," he said. "I wish that I could watch you grow into the powerful woman that I know you'll become." His Rinnegan then fell on Sakura and with their shared gaze alone, she knew every word that he could've said in the moment. Sasuke touched her forehead with his index and middle finger, then moved in to pull her into a kiss. She tried to make those few seconds last for an eternity. Finally, her husband looked at Takuma, his Edo body slowly beginning to fade away. He performed two hand seals, the Ram and the Snake, before his body became engulfed in chakra.
The energy passed from him to Takuma and the boy blinked. "Wait, my body," he said. "What's happening?"
Sasuke closed his eyes. "My neglect robbed you of your life," he said. "And for the last five years, I wished that I could've traded my life for yours. This is the only thing that I could think to do to rectify that, to give you a chance to live again." He then touched Takuma on the forehead. "And to leave you with a parting gift."
No, Sakura thought, but she could do nothing to stop him.
As Sasuke's hair began to turn white and his body aged, Takuma's was restored. His skin regained its color, his sclera returned to their natural white, and his hair became fuller. Sasuke dropped to his knees, gasping for breath as his body quivered. Sakura knelt at his side and put her hand on his back. Infusing chakra into her palm, she tried to heal him as best she could, but she wasn't able to reverse the effects of it.
"It's no use, Sakura. I've already traded my life for Takuma's," he said weakly. "Use your power to save Naruto." She looked over at where the Hokage was laying, breathing shallowly. He was weak too, she knew that. But she didn't want to leave her husband to die, even if it meant fighting something as powerful as death. She'd done it before.
But, Sasuke was right. There was no healing jutsu she knew that could reverse the cost of this Rinnegan technique. Obito during the war had only been able to remain alive due to Black Zetsu, some abnormality of alien origin, being attached to him. Naruto could be saved fairly easily, so long as he received consistent chakra flow. The Kyuubi would be able to fully restore him in a matter of hours after that.
Sighing, she was going to turn her attention to Naruto but Kichiro stopped her. "I've got the Hokage," he said. "Just sit with Dad."
Sakura smiled then helped Sasuke's head into her lap. She stared down at him, watching as his chest rose and fell. Each breath grew more shallow and ragged. His Rinnegan had lost all of its tomoe. Even the rings had faded, leaving just a lavender mirror for Sakura to see her own weeping face in.
She reached down with her own index and middle finger, gently touching Sasuke's forehead as his eyes began to close. Smiling through her tears, she said, "Until next time, my love."
