Author's Notes:
Like I promised, this chapter came out fast, thanks to my beta, Naomi-stories-san! We give her a lot of roses for her efforts! Enjoy ~
Tsunade told Naruto of a tale about a young prince who had it all. Family, fortune and luck. He was skilled in everything he did and everyone looked up to him. In his hometown, he was considered a prodigy. However, having everything, he felt empty. His personality was cold and detached. He didn't appreciate anything that he had. Since he didn't have to put any effort into anything, he never achieved any feelings of satisfaction. This young prince was an empty shell of a man and he was very aware of that.
Then one day, he came across an old man on the streets. This man was poor and apparently was asking for help. The prince looked with disdain at him and asked that he would be brought to his palace. He put the old man in a dungeon and kept on torturing him. The act itself was horrible to watch, there was no reason, no meaning, and no result. It was a cruel deed that he felt he could do. Yet that deed brought a sense of thrill to his cold being. The young prince had discovered a forbidden ecstasy. He continued down that ominous path, in the dead of the night, he'd roam the streets of his small kingdom and pick the ones he'd feel would cry the loudest.
He made no prejudice between men or women, young or old. His criteria for choosing rest only on one thing, how loud they'd scream. Somehow hearing them beg for him to spare them, for his mercy, for his forgiveness made his icy heart shake. The prince knew perfectly well that he was doing something he shouldn't, but he couldn't stop. He trod the dark path willingly. The arrogant prince had guards and could ask them to fetish victims for him, yet he liked to get them himself. He liked the hunt. His deviant antics had reached the ears of the elders in his clan and a messenger was sent to his place. The messenger had a simple message for him, 'stop or face the consequences of continuing'.
It was evident that the prince had grown conceited. He believed that no one could touch him. He was both versed in the arts of swordsmanship and persuasion. However, his arrogance was his downfall. The elders have asked for assassins help in getting rid of him, to them, he brought shame. He was the reincarnation of the devil itself, void of any human emotions, a killing machine that knew no mercy. The prince was targeted many times, but his abilities were able to save him every time. That's when he thought the situation needed to change. If he wanted to live life peacefully and continue with his deviant thrill of a game, he needed to get rid of the interference. In the beginning, his objective was only the elders, but he thought a day would come when someone else takes their torch, so getting rid of everyone was mandatory.
It was a diabolic plan, he felt no shred of attachment to any of them, he waltzed and killed indiscriminately. With every life he took, his sword cried for more. He was soaked in a bloodbath and he liked it. The prince felt alive, more alive than any other day in his life. He had truly turned into a demon. He killed his parents in their sleep, his older brother was more versed in the sword arts than he was, that's why he relied on trickery to get him. He made him lose his guard and stabbed him from behind. It was a cheap move but the prince didn't care. His black orbs have turned into blood-colored ones from his heinous acts, as if his own blood hated being inside his vessels.
It was a hellish night filled with screams and yells. When dawn came, no soul was alive. He was standing on a mountain of corpses and he felt happy. A devilish grin was plastered onto his face. Joy thrilled through his veins, he was honestly happy. However, with that happiness, a sudden feeling of realization washed over him. The prince never thought he'd ever experience happiness like this again. He felt another emotion, loss. So many different feelings twirled inside his blood-covered body. The young prince at that moment decided that life to him lost its purpose and swiftly, without a second thought slit his own throat.
It was a tragic end to a tragic story, of a man-made mad by emptiness and Naruto listened to the very end.
Tsunade finished by telling how the gods judged the soul of the prince. Some said that his actions deserved that he's put in the deepest part of hell and tortured for eternity, some defended that he was simply lost from the beginning, that if he was given a second chance, he'll be able to repent and help more people. To them, he was a soul that was given everything but nothing at the same time. A child without guidance, so ruling that he should perish in eternal hellfire was wrong. At the end of their long debate about the verdict, they came to a middle ground, his soul should wonder Earth and observe man. It should see and learn. Record everything and in the process, regain the humanity that it never had.
It was a cruel but just verdict. The soul was forbidden from human interactions, giving a life of solitude to atone for the ones taken. But at the same time, it was given a second chance to know what it did wrong. To experience human emotions and be able to help people from afar. Therefore, The Observer – Uchiha Sasuke – was born.
Naruto found himself silently crying after she finished her tale. Sasuke's past life and his fate were heavy on his heart. He couldn't imagine Sasuke killing anyone, the gentle soul that was always beside him never gave any malice. However, the Sasuke that he knew was different from the madman who killed his clan, he was human. Naruto fisted his hands as he forced his voice not to crack when he spoke.
"Sasuke… he learned how to be human. The gods should leave him alone now. He atoned enough for those lives. He should be given a normal life, a third chance."
Tsunade closed her brown eyes and calmly replied. "That's something for the gods to decide. You and I have no say in this matter. Whether he'd become human, whether he'd atoned enough, and whether he should be given a third chance, those are outside our territory."
"Isn't there anything you can do?" Naruto pleaded with her, "Can't you give me a chance to talk to the gods? I will plead in his defense. Please! Help me!"
Naruto kowtowed, by now, bowing felt natural. He was weak and he knew it, he could only rely on others if he needed to save Sasuke. He felt a faint hit on his head, slowly he raised his head and Tsunade's chocolate orbs shone brightly to him.
"Uzumaki Naruto, I will help you."
Those simple words from her sent shivers down his spine. He'd been refused for so many days now, to finally be able to attain a little bit of help, he felt the tears that have dried up come to flow again. Yet before he could jump from happiness, Tsunade made something clear.
"My powers can't interfere with the land of the dead, I can't bring anyone back after they perish, however, I can get his soul for you. Right now, The Observer's soul is scattered all over the place. He doesn't wish to be whole again, be it because he doesn't want to cause you pain or doesn't want to be in pain, regardless, his soul is shattered into tiny pieces," the old woman explained softly. "I can gather those fragments, but putting it back together, that's something only the gods can do. So,"
"So?" He urged waiting for her.
"You will have to bargain with them for a third chance."
Nodding his reply enthusiastically, the blond smiled to her. "I will! Please let me do it!"
Tsunade stood up and walked out of the cottage. "I'll go gather the ingredients we need; you can take this time to rest. That body still needs to heal."
She parted with him after that, Naruto allowed his breath out, his eyes continued to water, his emotions were unstable. He just couldn't believe that he was getting closer to meeting Sasuke again. Just thinking of seeing that emotionless face brought more tears to his eyes. His vision was blurred further. Wiping his eyes clear, he laid back on the wooden bed.
"Soon, Sasuke, wait for me, I'm coming to get you… soon we'll meet again."
He whispered to the quiet cottage.
Everything was prepared. Naruto was put in the center of the cottage, Tsunade had drawn a red circle with different marks around him, she gave him three leaves, she said it's used to please the gods, it won't be easy for him to get it done, but she encouraged that she will be there guiding him. She emphasized the importance of respect many times. Gods were beings of higher power and worship. A mere human daring to speak with them would normally be killed, however, his pure energy allowed him a way. Tsunade explained how the gods looked with favor to beings of pure energy, that's why he shouldn't be afraid and ask his wish with a strong voice, the hesitation wasn't welcomed.
Naruto looked at the three different tree leaves given to him. He had no idea how they would please the gods – he'd expected extravagant sacrifices as he'd seen on TV – but the blond woman stated that for gods, the energy of objects is more important than their appearance. The three different leave were taken from three different forests with different purity levels and hidden energy. They were like small treasures that were very hard to find in their current world. Tsunade was saving them for many years for a special occasion, the woman snickered to herself, who knew that she would end up using them for another person. Tsunade really didn't severe all her human ties like she thought she did.
They began the ritual, Naruto was ordered to close his eyes and relax. Tsunade started chanting unfamiliar words with a musical tone to them. The blond male wasn't able to see what was happening around him, but he could feel the air grow lighter. Unbeknown to him, the room was filled with flickering lights and bubbles of gold, shimmering right and left, like falling stars encircling them. A sweet smell filled his nostrils when Tsunade hit something on her right. Naruto was again, unfamiliar with the scent.
"Slowly open your eyes, Uzumaki Naruto." The blonde woman ordered gently.
Naruto's azure orbs were made clear and in an instant, they went wide. All around him the cottage glowed, the things that he saw were taken out of a fairy book. However, his astonishment was increased when huge floating masks swirled above him. There were six of them, some had big red lips, some had bulging black orbs, others had feathers sticking all over the place. Naruto presumed them to be the gods he should plead to. Glancing at Tsunade who was kneeling on the ground, the blond was assured that indeed, those were the gods.
They looked a little different from what he envisioned but not scary. Perhaps in a different setting, they'd be comically drawn. The masks hovered over them and he was at a loss of what to do. Tsunade's instructions didn't give an introduction about what he needed to say first. Should he offer the tree leaves or ask for his wish? However, he wasn't given a choice as one of the masks resonated with a loud, vibrating tone all around them, causing the trees outside to shake.
"Who dares summon us here?"
Tsunade hurriedly answered, head still bowed. "It's I, Great First, Tsunade of the Hyuuga clan. I humbly request an audience with your greatness."
Naruto felt like he should copy her and that he did, both of them were kneeling on the hard ground waiting for the masks to speak.
"An audience?" A different voice echoed this time. "Tsunade of the Hyuuga clan, you have never wanted an audience with us. What changed your heart?"
Tsunade spoke respectfully. "It's not for me, Great Three, it's for this child," She gestured to Naruto. "He's the one wanting your aid."
"Hmph! Insolent humans! You discard and forget about us all your lives, and only when you want something do you seek us out! Impudent!" An angry voice roared, the blond had no idea which of the masks was talking but apparently this one wasn't fond of being asked for anything.
"Forgive us, Great Fourth, we humbly apologize and plead guilty, do accept this to ease the burden of our sins." Tsunade gestured for Naruto to extend one of the leaves to them. The blond complied.
"An offering. How marvelous." A soft voice spoke this time, a gentle breeze came with it, totally different from the one before it.
Right now Naruto was able to conjure different facts, the gods they were speaking to were named by numbers, from the Great First to the Great Sixth. It was a weird way of addressing them, but he remembered when his grandmother was alive, she would tell him stories about their ancient gods. She said that no one knew their real names and only addressed them by numbers. Perhaps the tales he always believed were make-believe were actually the truth.
"Child, raise your head." The sweet, gentle voice called back again. Naruto felt like he was the one being addressed so he complied.
Above him hovered a mask that had a slit for eyes and a thin, wide line for a mouth. Three red marks were drawn on its forehead. Naruto looked with eyes filled with marvel at the god before him.
"Your heart is pure. I see no ill energy from you. What wish could you want to be granted?" The voice asked filled with confusion.
Naruto was about to answer when suddenly the attention of the masks fell upon him and they all came close to him. Apparently the words of the previous mask made them want to see for themselves.
"Wonderful!" One of the masks exclaimed.
"Astonishing!" another followed.
"Such pure energy!"
"I thought it went extinct!" A fourth commented.
"Humans these days are too polluted," The mask that was known as the Great First asked. "How could he have such clear energy?"
The topic of his white energy apparently was the most important event right now. Tsunade smiled from the side, she was right to rely on Naruto's energy to get the masks' attention fixed on him. Right now, chances of them helping and not killing him would increase. Naruto felt that it was his time to talk and present himself, feeling a little bit dejected and slightly afraid, he started.
"Um…. Great Ones," He addressed them as a group, unable to differentiate which was which. "I really wish you'd listen to me and answer my request. I want you to help me get someone back from the dead. He's someone very precious to me and I just don't think it's right that his life should end in that manner. I'm weak and can't do anything by myself that's why I request your assistance. Please, I beg of all of you, have mercy on his soul and allow him a third chance to be reborn!"
Naruto finished with a bow, he still didn't tell them who he wanted to give a third chance to, but from what he learned about transactions – that time he was working in the trade company he was fired from – when someone needed something achieved, they should show their cards one by one, test the waters before jumping the gun.
"Revive a soul?" The voice that shouted angrily at Tsunade earlier spoke first. "Child, you know nothing of the Wheel of Fate, do you not? We do not interfere with life and death path. Souls go through life, then death then reincarnation. The soul you wish to save will automatically be reincarnated at a later point in life, our assistance isn't needed."
"That is true, child," The mask that had feathers sticking on its head added. "However, if the soul you wish to save had committed a sin that removed it from reincarnation, then there's nothing we can do."
Naruto opened his mouth and replied. "…I don't believe this soul would be reincarnated, because it had committed a grave sin, but you all gave it a second chance at life. Your just decision allowed me a chance to meet it for that I thank you all, however right now, I humbly request a third chance –"
"Silence!" Naruto was harshly interrupted. "You're pleading for The Observer, are you not?"
The cottage shook with that question and Naruto saw the cool, golden atmosphere around him shift to deep crimson red, the heat was soon encircling them. Apparently Sasuke's case was a sensitive topic to the gods. But regardless of what the consequences would be, Naruto was ready to face heaven and hell, gods included, to bring Sasuke back.
"Yes." He answered in a steady voice. "Please, give Sasuke another chance, allow him to live with me and leave him be."
Naruto both asked a favor and gave an order, something no one dared to do before. Tsunade had a second where she was afraid he'd lose his life being like this. However, her worries were not needed as the god with the gentle voice told Naruto.
"The Observer was given a second chance, we weren't the ones who ended it, he chose that end himself. It was a decision we had no hand in."
"No, that is not true," Naruto shook his head. "I do not dare call you liars, but that statement is false. Sasuke made that decision because being together brought disaster to me and my loved ones. He sacrificed himself and his life for mine. He did an act of selflessness because of me. Forgive me when I say that I do not believe that he wasn't cornered into it."
Another god came forth, he had never spoken, it was one of the silent ones. He came close to Naruto's face and a voice echoed.
"Child of man, calling us liars is disrespectful. We do not lie nor do we need to. The conditions for The Observer's second chance was for him to learn about humanity but walk the path of solitude. Nonetheless, he discarded that and associated himself with you. He was the one who violated the conditions. The punishment was in need."
Naruto didn't want to raise his voice, but the words were very provocative. However, he remembered that if his nerves flared, chances of bringing Sasuke back were zero, he needed to plead with them, not argue over their decisions.
"I understand that. Please forgive my previous words, I was lost in my emotions." He picked the second leave and presented it. "I plead that you take this and forgive me."
Naruto made no further movement until the masks accepted his second offering and the air in the room returned to normal. When the golden flickering lights were back on, he continued his reasoning.
"You said that you gave Sasuke another chance to learn, but he wasn't allowed to stay close to anyone, right? How could he learn to be human then? Observing alone did nothing. He needs interaction, he needs to feel the warmth and closeness of other people. Simply watching would do nothing to help him." Naruto thought back to those times when he'd catch Sasuke staring at the void, probably watching something. Sasuke was a little detached and cold at times, but now he understood fully why. It was because he never really understood how to be close to anyone. He lacked ties and observing for decades did nothing for him to gain that knowledge.
"Child, do you mean our judgment was wrong?" The mask with thin lips spoke.
"No. your judgment was just. However, I object to the no-human-interactions rule." Naruto heaved a sigh and tried to close the chapter on this book. "That's all in the past, what I'm requesting right now is a third chance, this time, give him to me, I will make him human."
A mask that had big eyes drawn with what appeared to be blue glowing paint, spoke to him. "Make him human? Your words insinuate that he has not learned anything from his second chance. If so, giving the third one is futile."
"I disagree," The mask with the gentle voice and thin lips objected. "The Observer gave up his life willingly, that is progress. His old self would never have done something similar. In my eyes, The Observer grew to learn the human worth and the value of life. Wasn't that what we wanted him to learn?"
Naruto smiled, he started to believe that that mask was on his side, one down, five to go.
"Fifth, you were always kind to humans, your perspective is crooked." A mask that was all black spoke.
"Akin to Fourth, it detests man, henceforth its prospective is crooked." The mask known as Fifth retorted the black one's comment.
The air in the room was growing tense, Naruto could feel it vibrate. Suddenly a loud voice spoke, Naruto identified it to be that of the First.
"Fifth and Sixth, halt your words. We don't fight amongst ourselves in human matters. This wish will be subjected to a vote, as we have always settled matters. The majority rules."
"Great First," Naruto called, catching its attention. "Before that vote is to pass, I want a chance to explain Sasuke's growth. Your decisions should be kept impartial. Please don't judge us based on humanity's mistakes, judge on what Sasuke had gained from his second chance. Can you please do that?"
His azure orbs pleaded silently, and pure energy gushed out. Naruto himself was startled at the bright light emitting from his body. It was the first time in his life he'd glowed like this. The masks seemed to be drawn to the light as well and the tense atmosphere died down. Naruto understood that this was the pure energy everyone was associating with him, in fact, he didn't care what color his energy was, but if it could help bring his love back, he'd use every ounce of it.
"Accepted." The masks answered in union.
Tsunade sat in the corner of the cottage, watching everything unfolds and not interrupting Naruto's process. She was right to bring him to them. One of the reasons she agreed to help was because he reminded her of her old self, she had one time fallen in love with a man, he betrayed her heart and she was forced to kill him – she never healed from that scar. However, meeting Naruto and seeing how badly he wanted to save his other half made her believe that maybe if she'd tried a little bit hard, she could have rescued her own. Her old wound told her to help him and that's what she did. Hoping for a happy ending to this tragic story.
"Speak, Child of Man."
The Great First addressed Naruto, the blond nodded and began his story. He told them of Sasuke's storyline from the moment they met until he perished in fits of bubbles. Not leaving any crucial detail out. He highlighted how Sasuke's self-grew and how he put Naruto first since they were children until they grew up. The blond included the disasters and how torn apart Sasuke was about it, how bad he tried to leave Naruto be, but how human he was at not being able to let him go totally. Which ended in bringing him back from the future, in an attempt to trick fate and allow them to be together. But Naruto's selfishness and short-sightedness forbade them from becoming one. Naruto bit his lips as he finished with the tragic end of Sasuke, choosing to vanish in thin air instead of robbing Naruto's life force.
By the end, as always, his eyes were wet. Naruto didn't even hide his disdain about it. His heart squeezed at it all. Every time he would explain Sasuke's virtue to anyone, his memories would strengthen and he'd remember new ones. Different expressions that he'd witnessed from Sasuke. He wasn't a cold, merciless murderer. No, his Sasuke was a sweet, gentle human who loved him from every cell in his being. Naruto understood that perfectly clear. He regretted how he never told the raven-haired male his true emotions.
The masks remained silent for a long time after Naruto went silent, probably thinking of the right verdict to give. Tsunade came and stood beside the blond, she gave him an encouraging pat on the back. To her, he did well. No one would have presented his case better than he did. Whatever comes next, the blond should be proud of himself, he faced the gods and held his head high. Not a second later, the Mask with blue came forth.
"We heard your tale, Child of Man, and we have decided to give a third chance. The majority ruled in your favor."
Naruto has never felt happier in his whole life, elated, he knelt down. "Thank you! Oh, thank you!"
"We have agreed to a third chance, however, conditions still ensue." The mask continued before Naruto could throw a joyous party.
"I agree! Every condition, I have no problem!" Naruto exclaimed before he heard them.
"Don't fall for haste, Child," The gentle mask warned. "You better hear our conditions."
Naruto felt his heart fall a little, but he nodded, waiting patiently for their conditions. His mind was made tough, regardless of what they ask of him, the price he needed to pay, he'd agree. Getting Sasuke back was worth everything to him, and that's how Naruto was again at the mercy of the gods.
"What do we need to do now?"
Tsunade looked with a grim expression at him, she discarded his question and asked one of her own. "Are you really okay with their conditions? You know the disability it will put on you, don't you?"
The blond gave her a trademark grin. "What's an arm and an eye worth in comparison to getting Sasuke back?"
"It's a steep price to pay."
"You know, to bring me from the future, Sasuke paid his left arm and eye as a price, he didn't think I'm unworthy of it and I'm the same. It doesn't matter what they ask, if it's in my willpower to give, I will gladly waver it for Sasuke." He softly commented. "Actually, I thought they would ask for my life hahaha."
Tsunade wanted to explain that usually, that would have been the case, yet since his energy is rare, the gods couldn't rid the world of it or the balance would shift. Yin and yang needed to be at total equilibrium and Naruto's energy played a role – though tiny – in maintaining that equilibrium. Besides, the third leave they presented helped in decreasing the price he had to pay – it was a foot, an arm, and an eye at the beginning.
"Right now, you need to do nothing. I have to gather the fragments of his soul and present it to the gods. They will bring him back, but –" Tsunade answered his previous question.
"But he won't be the same as before." Naruto completed, reciting the second condition.
The gods told of three conditions, first the price needed to be paid. A soul has never been given more than two chances at birth, so for Sasuke to live a third time in the same timeline as Naruto and not fall out of the cycle of reincarnation as he was supposed to, a price was a must. The second condition was that the 'Sasuke' that would be brought won't be the same 'Sasuke' that had perished. He will miss components from his being – the blond wasn't explained what would really be lost, but he was given a vague idea, personality changes, and memory loss. Third, his soul would be bound to Naruto's, meaning he will return to giving him energy just like before. However, this time, the speed at which Sasuke consumes Naruto's energy is lesser, that's is because the Sasuke that would be brought back has a soul of his own, and even though that soul has little energy, it still maintains form.
Sasuke chose to shatter his soul precisely for him not to be brought back, so to bring him back against his will, glue him whole again, another source to support the broken soul was needed, Naruto would be that source. The blond liked to think of it as his energy sustaining the sick Sasuke until he fully heals. He did believe Sasuke will become a whole one day and won't need his energy to survive.
Three conditions, none of them spoke about Sasuke keeping his distance from people. Naruto was actually quite pleased with that. He didn't know what he would do if they said they'd bring him back, but he needs to keep his distance. That would make everything futile. A Sasuke that he couldn't see, touch or speak to wasn't a Sasuke that existed. His Sasuke should always be beside him, they have to live life together, the two of them weren't whole without each other.
Smiling as if he owned the world, the blond nodded to the worried Tsunade. He couldn't understand why Neji was so afraid of his grandmother, she was a sweet old lady. Of course, she gave him hell in the beginning, but all this while, she kept being his rock. Helped him silently and encouraged his every move. Naruto was happy to have found her.
"You better stay back."
Tsunade warned as she stood up. Back straight and arms extended before her face, she started chanting, this time, the air around her moved vigorously, causing her pigtails to sway violently. The verminous mark on her forehead shone brightly and clapping her hands every two seconds, a melody was played. Naruto started to think that this was the old woman's way of doing her magic, music was always the easiest way to rely on messages in his head.
Her tan hands started making signs that he has not seen before. Smiling at the beautiful way she appeared in, Naruto watched in awe as space he knew changed, drops of water seemed to collect and condense all around Tsunade. She made a jump and rotated around herself three times, the drops came together, slowly forming a big ball of water. Inside the ball, small pieces were shimmering. Dark blue, buried within the water ball. It was most likely Sasuke's fragmented soul.
Tsunade continued her hums and dance for about two hours, finally, the water ball exploded leaving the shards of blue hanging in the air. Tsunade brought out a glass container and directed the sparkling pieces inside. Like dust they softly fell within, closing the glass jar, the woman fell to her knees. Just then did her breathing start coming in gaps and sweat showed on her forehead. Apparently, everything was very exhausting. During the ritual, she showed no signs of tiredness. However, now that it all calmed down, her enervation showed.
"Tsunade-Oba-san, are you alright?" Naruto was by her side in seconds.
The woman nodded to him. "I'm fine, it's been a while since I used that much energy, my body isn't used to it."
Naruto nodded as he sustained her back on her feet. Bowing his head to her, he spoke sincerely. "Thank you very much for doing this for me and Sasuke. I will never forget it."
She nodded to him and gave out the jar. "Take it and keep it close. Tomorrow we call the gods and start the process of mending him back."
Naruto carefully held the glass jar, almost afraid that it would break and fall from his hands. Looking inside, his heart skipped a beat, he was holding Sasuke's soul. Holding the core of his love. Gulping down the nervousness, the blond commented.
"Should I really be the one to keep it? Won't it be safer with you?"
Tsunade frowned at his words. "What are you saying? You came all this way for him, what are you afraid of? You will be responsible for his soul and body, right? That's the promise you made with the gods, why are you getting scared of now?"
Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, trying to explain himself. "I'm not afraid, I'm just… what if I dropped it? You went through so much trouble to collect it…"
"Feel no worry," Tsunade brought a rock and hit the glass with it, Naruto's eyes went wide with fright, but the container wasn't affected. "This glass isn't normal glass; it's spiritual glass. It's used to trap souls and dark beings. Normal stones don't break it, even if you threw it on the ground or to a wall, it will still be safe. Only special spiritual tools can break and open it."
The blond nodded his understanding, his heart feeling a little bit soothed after her words. Even though Tsunade's explanation made sense, he still cleaned the place where the rock hit the jar, afraid it would be damaged. Tsunade simply rolled her eyes. Clutching the jar close, Naruto retreated to the small bed that had been given to him with a tiny smile on his lips.
This time, Naruto was forced to sleep. Tsunade requested that he does so, seeing his arm and eye being chopped off wouldn't be something he'd be able to tolerate. So the gods had mercy on his soul and agreed to her humble request for him to be unconscious. The process of bringing Sasuke back took a whole week. When Naruto woke up again, he was dizzy and couldn't stand up. His vision was reduced to only one eye, his left one; his right arm was nowhere to be found. A part of him automatically was scared of the severed limb, but he quickly discarded that emotion.
His brain was filled with Sasuke, he wanted to hurry and ask his whereabouts, but his body was too weak to tolerate any movements. He vomited five times and passed out during the sixth one. When he opened his eyes the second time around, Tsunade was beside him, she explained that his soul was still coping with the shared energy, that's why he was so weak, she explained that it would be a while until everything is settled. He lost consciousness a third time. This continued for another week, until night came where he opened his eyes and felt steady.
Naruto slowly put his legs on the ground and supported his buzzing head with his sole hand. He was still a little bit uneasy about losing his eye and arm, but he figured that the sooner he got used to it, the better. He presumed that the process of getting Sasuke back was probably a success since his body parts were missing; meaning the price has been paid. Naruto staggered to walk and found a trey with a glass of water and some covered food by his side. Looking right and left, there was no trace of Tsunade. The blond picked up the glass of water and helped himself to the meal.
Surprisingly, his stomach tolerated everything. He walked outside wanting to get so fresh night's air, but in an instant, his eye grew wide and his whole body shook. There, in the middle of yard, stood none other than the love of his life. The moonlight illuminated his silhouette showing Naruto the changes that befell the other. First, his form changed to that of a child, probably a ten or so year old. His hair was the same color, as dark as the night they were experiencing right now. Big, black orbs stared at him filled with unknown emotions. Two hands, two feet, a head. Nothing was missing.
The kid was holding twigs of wood, probably for the fireplace inside. Naruto staggered a run that was too soon for his weak muscles. He came face first crashing on the ground. Tears rolled down his eyes. He tried to get up, but the shock of seeing Sasuke again was too much for him, he couldn't muster any strength to move. Using his only hand, he crawled towards the other. Naruto knew how pathetic and uncool he looked, but he just didn't care. All he wanted was to get close to Sasuke and affirm with his one hand that he was alive and breathing.
The young child seemed to sense the desperation the other had in him, he walked with sure steps towards the blond. Putting the wood aside, he extended a hand and tried to help Naruto up. The minute the blond was on his knees, he embraced Sasuke in a bone-crushing hug. He caught him and refused to let go. Crying his eyes out and wailing loudly in the dead of the night. The child simply patted Naruto's head and allowed himself to be embraced.
They stayed like that until Naruto was ready to let go, however, he let go simply to get a good look at the other. Sasuke used this opportunity to wipe Naruto's tears away, his small hands continued patting the crying male when he couldn't control his tears.
"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke, it's you!" Naruto kept of crying, "Oh God, you're finally here with me! I'm so sorry, Sasuke, sorry for leaving you alone, sorry for forgetting you, sorry for not being there when you needed me! Oh, Sasuke… you have no idea how much I regret what I did! I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you! Sasuke, please, don't leave me alone again!"
Sasuke was taken into another bear hug, this time, instead of patting Naruto, he wrapped his tiny arms around him. "Naruto, you are one big idiot, you know that. Why did you bring me back?"
"I can't live without you!" The blond exclaimed with all honesty. "I shouldn't exist without you!"
"You should have moved on and forgotten about me… I –"
"No! Sasuke, that's not happening! I will never forget about you again!" Naruto wailed his heart out.
With those words, Naruto's hold on the tiny body got stronger. It was hard to hug with just one arm, but Naruto didn't care, even if he had only legs, he'd find a way to hold Sasuke tightly close to him.
"Ahem, ahem, I hate to interrupt your long-awaited reunion, but we have some important things to tend to." Tsunade's voice came from behind the two. Naruto felt a faint blush decorate his face, while Sasuke nonchalantly moved to a standing position. He extended his hand for Naruto to take, the blond looked at the tiny fingers, almost afraid he'd crush them if he held too tight.
"Don't worry, I'm strong." Sasuke assured, as if sensing the other's thoughts.
Naruto nodded, he helped himself up, but unconsciously put more weight on his legs and hips while getting up, not wishing to hurt Sasuke. Tsunade watched the play of delicacy, she rolled her eyes and instructed.
"The Observer – wait, I can't call you that anymore, hmmm… then Uchiha child, bring me the wood."
With those words, she walked ahead of them into the cottage. The two followed shortly after, Naruto refused to leave Sasuke's side and continued gluing himself to the other like a shadow, the raven-haired male showed no objection. Once inside the cottage, Tsunade lit a couple of candles and told Naruto to sit in the middle – reluctantly, he did so. She asked him to extended the severe arm, having now reduced to a blind stump, he obliged, unaware of what she wished to do.
"You lost your arm and eye, that can never be undone, however," She raised her right hand and drew some signals in the air, a bright light in the form of a small doe flashed. The doe was the size of a plushy, it hopped in the air and rested on the stump that was his arm, then on the wood Sasuke brought. "We can at least make a disguise of it."
The blond wanted to ask what she meant, but Tsunade's eyes told him to simply watch. The doe melted into the wood and it glowed. Not a minute later, it transformed into an image of his severed arm. Naruto looked with wide eyes at his arm look-alike. His eyes followed the said arm as it floated from the ground and attached perfectly to the stump. As if he hadn't lost anything, it fit perfectly in place.
"Move it." The old woman instructed.
The blond did as such, it felt light as if he was carrying small twigs of wood, but the image of an arm moving was there. The sensations his brain registered didn't fit with what his eyes perceived, he was confused.
"It's an illusion," Sasuke's young child-like tone came from his left side, "it's the same as the one I used. Your arm isn't really there, but everyone else alongside yourself believes it is. It doesn't replace the real thing, but it's useful."
His tone changed at the end, hinting how dissatisfied with all of this he was. Naruto understood what he meant. He couldn't feel anything down the stump. The fake arm, hand and fingers moved but there was no sensation on his end. Did this also happen to Sasuke? Using fake body parts as his own, the weirdness of the foreign objects made a shiver run down his spine and it made it all too real. The loss of his eye and arm were made a painful reality for him to bear.
"Correct. You will go back to your own life, your family and friends would ask a lot of questions if you showed up in this condition, that's why this disguise is convenient." Tsunade explained. "But you need to understand something, this arm will move and work as your real one. You can touch things and do tasks, but the effect doesn't last long. You just saw how I used small twigs of wood to make it, right? The wood expires after a while, that's why this is a temporary solution. You need to come every six months here for me to mend it, or," She looked at Sasuke.
"There's no need, I will mend it for him." The raven-haired male spoke, his eyes flared when he looked at Tsunade. "You have done more than enough."
The old woman smirked. Naruto brought back someone who didn't want to be brought back and since she helped him, animosity was directed at her full strength. Tsunade didn't mind, she expected the soul not to like her. After all, her energy was drained trying to catch all those fragments. Closing her eyes, she nodded her affirmation.
"Then, do so." She raised her other hand and a sparkling bluish marble fell from between her fingers, "Now let's continue with your eye, this will also be used as a replacement."
Tsunade made a different hand sign this time, a beautiful purple butterfly flew and resided on Naruto's left azure orb. The blond didn't feel any irritation from the butterfly nor did he want to close his eyes. The butterfly then flew to the glass marble and it turned into a replica of Naruto's eye. The fake blue orb flew and came to reside inside Naruto's empty sclera. The blond blinked and the odd feeling of a foreign body slightly made him flinch. With a couple of different blinks, he got used to the odd sensation.
The woman brought a mirror and put it before his face, Naruto took it and saw his reflection. Indeed, two set of identical orbs looked back at him, but sadly he had vision in just one. Suddenly something popped into his head, and with a hasty tone, he asked.
"Sasuke, how about you? Do you see? Are your hands working fine?"
The raven-haired child blinked then a warm smile showed on his features, he nodded. "Yes. This body is a new one. In a way I'm reborn. The effects of my previous existence are no more. I have gained everything that I have lost."
Naruto felt a burden ease on his chest at those words. He showed a bright grin to the other. "That's wonderful!"
"…Yeah."
"Uzumaki Naruto," Tsunade started, her voice all serious. "There're some things you need to know from now on, important things you need to be aware of so listen carefully."
Naruto nodded and waited for her to speak. "I'm all ears."
"First, you and Uchiha Sasuke both have the same energy; he's too weak to fend for himself, that's why his body was brought in this form. Had he been given an adult body, the energy requirements would increase and be hard for you to maintain. Also, getting him a younger body than this one poses the same problem, he'll need a lot of energy to grow. That's why the gods settled on this body in between. Right now he's taking about sixty percent of your energy. With time, he'll build his own and the energy taken from you will decrease. How long would that take, no one knows."
The blond looked at the emotionless Sasuke and continued listening.
Tsunade raised another finger. "Second, you will have to be with him, close to each other, if you were away for more than twenty-four hours in a distance of more than ten kilometers, Uchiha Sasuke will suffer a danger of your energy cutting from him. Previously, he could stay away from you because he had some of his energy remaining and was strong enough to live on it. However, as I previously stated, that is not the case anymore. So be careful of separation. It could result in death."
Naruto gulped the sensation of dread that washed over him and made a note in head not to fight with Sasuke a lot in the future.
"Third," she raised a third finger. "You have to keep all of this a secret from everyone, even my grandchildren – though that would be a bit hard, Neji's very bright," She spoke tone filled with pride, Naruto made a note to tell Neji how his grandmother thought of him later on. "You will have to come with a way to keep Uchiha Sasuke close to you without anyone suspecting anything. He needs to fit in the timeline you're living in right now, which brings me to the fourth and last point I need to clarify," Tsunade raised a fourth finger. "You can no longer return to the future you know. The minute you were brought into this timeline, the future that you have had was erased. This is your present and you have many possibilities, infinite futures to go to from here. Do you understand me? You're no longer from the future, you're simply from this reality. The identity you have right now is your real identity. Hence, you need to think of means to fit Uchiha Sasuke in it."
Naruto took a minute to digest everything in. The rules were all very simple and hard to comply with, but there was no going back from here. He nodded his agreement and understanding for everything and with that Tsunade stood up.
"Very well, I'll take my leave. Both of you can use this cottage to rest. I will come by tomorrow and you should be gone by then."
Her words were as clear as the night sky, Naruto knelt his gratitude and bowed with a humble head to her. She had gone out of her way and beyond for them. So far Naruto didn't understand why she did what she did, but he really had immense gratitude towards her. Once they were alone, he stood up and walked to the bed where Sasuke was on. The blond felt a cold hand touch his shoulder, he turned with a smile to face Sasuke. In a second, he brought the child into his arms and relaxed into a comforting hug.
Sasuke never objected, he put his own arms around Naruto and closed his eyes. It has been a long time since they were in each other's arms and none wanted to let go.
Naruto stood before his house and took a deep breath. He had mixed feelings about everything, he's been away for close to four weeks now. His father must have been worried sick, besides he'd discarded his phone through the whole ordeal. When he found it, it died down with many missed calls and worried texts. Naruto was relieved when a text came from Neji telling him that he called his father and reassured that he was okay. The excuse Neji gave was that Naruto went on a trip with him to the neighboring city. Of course, Minato was upset that he wasn't told about it, not to forget Naruto's health condition being very bad. Neji had explained that that was the reason for the trip, to cheer up the blond.
Anyways, through a lot of lies, Minato resigned to the excuse, however, not hearing anything from Naruto made him more worried. The blond remembered his father's tone when he called him. He was very anxious and happy at the same time. A part of him hated how he was lying to his gentle father, but he knew his father should be kept in the dark, there were things in this world that one shouldn't learn about. Taking another breath, Naruto put his key inside the hole and clicked the front door open.
It was still early in the morning, around nine or ten AM, Naruto presumed his father to be at work. He walked inside, the sound of tiny footsteps toeing his made a smile show on his face. The blond glanced at Sasuke behind him, who was looking the place right and left, making peace with his new territory.
"Sasuke, are you hungry?" He asked as he made his way to the kitchen. "Dad always makes breakfast, so there should be something in the fridge."
Naruto opened said fridge and indeed, there was food. He got different things out, and within a couple of minutes whipped a trey of a well-balanced meal –as balanced as he knew. The raven-haired kid looked at the food and his mouth turned into a smirk.
"Your cooking skills do need some improvements."
Naruto rolled his eyes and playfully retorted. "Shut up, be grateful I even made something for you."
They both sat down and started eating, after washing up from the long journey, of course. Thirty minutes later, the blond directed Sasuke to his own room. At the beginning, he warned him about the awful state his room was in, explaining how his mental condition went for the worse when he'd lost him – a topic that was too sensitive for him to go in details about currently – so Sasuke shouldn't judge. But to both of their surprise, the room was perfectly clean.
A puzzled look passed Naruto's face, but Sasuke swiftly enlightened him. "I sense your father's presence. He must have cleaned it for you."
"…Yeah." Naruto smiled warmly. "I need to thank him later."
Sasuke took a seat on Naruto's desk chair whilst the blond sat on his bed. They stared at each other for a while until Naruto addressed the elephant in the room.
"So…" He started. "What do we do now? How do I explain you to my dad and everyone?"
Sasuke put a hand under his chin and crossed his legs, the behavior coming from his tiny body made Naruto squeal from the inside, he looked so cute like that. Dismissing the urge to go and break those tiny bones in a bone-crushing hug yet again, the blond waited patiently for Sasuke's suggestion.
"What if I moved next door? I can buy the house next to yours and it'd be easy and convenient for us to meet each other. Your father won't suspect anything. As for everyone else, I didn't associate with anyone for them to seek my existence. I can simply transfer out of school and stop working in the teaching center. However, I think our biggest issue is your friend, Haruno Sakura. She has a strange power to know things. I'm not one hundred percent certain about my upcoming deduction; but… I think my previous existence was erased from people's memories. Remember how I erased my memories from everyone's heads?"
The blond scowled at that, but nodded.
"I think the ancient gods won't want anyone to start questioning why I have reappeared as a child now. So probably they altered the memories or simply erased my existence from their timelines. When I was The Observer, I had the ability to change my looks and fit in society, the gods gave me that power to blend. That's why I'm basing this possibility on it."
"Then why didn't Tsunade-Oba-san tell us about it?"
"She did," He corrected. "Indirectly, she said no one should know about me; that means the gods did their part to hide my identity, so we have to make sure no one catches any hints or remembers things they shouldn't. Like I said, I wasn't close to anyone, so I didn't influence anyone, but your friend, she will know… if I associate with her, her gut will start sending messages that she has met me somewhere."
Naruto knotted his brows and countered. "We can easily attribute that to déjà vu, we meet a lot of people and feel as if we've seen them somewhere."
"That would have worked on someone else, but she's relentless. She won't rest until she gets to the bottom of all of it." The raven-haired male found a fox plushy with nine-tails on Naruto's desk and started playing with it. "I remember she was very observant and stubborn. I couldn't harm her because she was your best friend, but sometimes she was annoying to handle. I'm afraid that will repeat."
"Harm her?" Naruto blinked. "You wanted to harm people?"
Sasuke emotionlessly flipped the fox in the air and answered. "Yes. I wanted to harm anyone who got close to you. That was one of the reasons why when your father died and Haruno Sakura got into an accident, I decided to leave. I was suspecting that I was the reason; the rules inflicted on me were what triggered everything, but my desire to monopolize you is what gave shape to their torture. In truth, disaster should have fallen on you, you should have died. But I really didn't want that to happen, so it shifted to killing anyone who got close to you…"
The black-haired male finished, Naruto felt his face turn upwards into a smile. What Sasuke was saying was messed up as hell, but he really just couldn't hide his happiness. The words he heard just told of how much he was loved and cherished. Holding a hand up, his blushing face stuttered out some words.
"Sasuke… please, give me heads-up before you say things like these, I can't take it."
The child seemed to catch on the effect his words made, he smirked, putting the plushy back on the desk and making his way to Naruto's side.
"This is nothing, Naruto, if you knew the things I wanted to do to you. Every time I saw you talking with someone else, I wanted to chain you and lock you up," he recalled the time he did just that. "ah, I guess I did."
"So you really locked me up because you wanted no one to be close to me?" Naruto asked, a little bit scared of Sasuke's possessive antics.
"Yes, amongst other things. I wanted to test the extent of fate, how many chances I would be given before something bad happens… no, that's not it, I wanted to protect you. To have you in my sight at all times, that even if something were to go wrong, I'd be able to handle it."
Naruto recalled the days he spent in the mansion with Sasuke. He was chained and his freedom was robbed from him. Yet, Sasuke did nothing bad to him, he only demand company over meals. Actually it wasn't a bad life, but at that time, there were a lot of things he didn't know and he didn't trust Sasuke. Had he known what he did now, he would gladly stay by the other's side and allow him to love him.
Extending his hand, he pulled Sasuke close and nuzzled his nose in those spiky, silky dark locks.
"Sasuke, I still think you should have told me everything sooner… disappearing like that – even for my sake – is something cruel. Don't do it again. If you want me to live happily, live with me and stay by my side. Don't betray me again."
The raven-haired male returned the hug and nodded his agreement silently. Suddenly the blond remembered something else, he pulled Sasuke away and looked at his ear, frowning, he questioned.
"Sasuke, at that time in the garden, you had a ring hole, right? In your left earlobe, you said you did it because it needed to be done, what was that all about?"
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, he unconsciously touched his earlobe and indeed, nothing was there. A small sense of loss came over him, he shook his head and rebutted. "It's nothing, it was something silly to begin with."
Naruto frowned, his gut told him it wasn't something silly, he felt like it held an important memory, but that memory still didn't show in his head. Dejected he spoke.
"No, it clearly seems like something important, tell me, what's the story behind it?"
"No, Naruto," Sasuke shook his head. "It really isn't. It's a small memory that at that time I felt nostalgic to it."
The blond blinked at the words, Sasuke explained more at his confused facial expression.
"When I first joined your group, around valentine's, one of the girls who have had a crush on me gave me a set of earrings as a gift. Of course, since I didn't like her, I didn't agree to take it. But you forced me to. You also said how nice it would look on me," A warm smile graced Sasuke's lips. "I put it back in a drawer and forgot about it, a couple of years later, we were doing spring cleaning and found it. You insisted I put it on, so we went to a place and got my ear pierced, but I couldn't do it, at the end of the day, we came back to your house and you did it for me. When you were locked with me in the manor, that memory flashed inside my head and I noticed the pierces you have put on me have closed, that's why I renewed them."
Naruto couldn't hold himself back any longer and crashed his lips onto Sasuke's small ones. He kissed the air out of those small lungs and didn't let go until the door to his room flung open and a surprised-looking Minato stared terrifyingly at him. Naruto sweat-dropped as his hands dropped from Sasuke's face. His brain rushed a million times thinking of excuses that would permit him kissing the young Sasuke without being labeled a pedophile.
Sasuke silently blushed in the background.
Thank you for reading! The next chapter would be the last, look forward to it! :D