Chapter 6: Return to Konoha

Hey guys, I was busy with Exams which got finished two days ago. So, hopefully you can expect more updates from me on this fic.

I saw the Naruto Shippuden episodes 484-486. It seems like they missed a lot of things from the Novel like missing Shinobi. Anyways, the animation of it was good compared to the normal episodes and damn, Chiyo calling Sasuke-chan was hilarious.

I regret now having missed out introducing Chiyo and Nowaki.

Since I have clubbed both Naruto the Last and Sasuke Shinden for the early parts of my fic, I won't be introducing the exploding humans as it will only delay Erza's return to Fiore and the GMG arc.

As always, thanks to nsymina, grither55, cristifilip372, blacknredrose37, M. R. I-401, Katsu Shinshi and reader( x3) for your reviews and those who have read up until this chapter.

Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto or Fairy tail. They belong to their respective owners. I apologize in advance for any mistakes or typos.

And yeah, don't forget to review. If you have any suggestions, you can PM me.

So, continuing without further ado,

The silver light illuminated the dark night as the duo of a former avenger and a former wizard knight strode across the vast but empty terrain.

Mismatched set of eyes shot towards the celestial satellite, trails of shooting stars seeming to add to the aesthetic of the sky. The moon also seemed a lot bigger than it usually did.

Panic had now stricken across the Elemental Nations as debris of moon started raining down on the earth like meteor showers. All the more reason for them to pick up pace to catch the scoundrel they were after. There was a high chance that the thief that stole the scroll of dimensions could try using this chance to gain more allies by inviting them to his cause, providing an outlet to escape the impending doom.

The religious cultists who were lurking in the shadows ever since the forth great ninja war ended became more active when they noticed the strange anomalies. Even they began to convert many people, even folks who didn't have any prior faith in god; Humans were such simple beings.

They might not want to believe in god, or miracles. But when every attempt and hope fails after trying out everything within their power, they all turn towards the same god they treated as a hoax, hoping that somehow a miracle takes place and saves them all.

Sasuke though never believed in gods. The last time he and his friend worked together was against the rabbit goddess, Kaguya Otsusuki. She was believed to be immortal and possessed massive amounts of chakra where even Kurama's chakra paled in comparison to hers. She possessed deadly techniques where a human can be turned to dust just by a scratch, can summon an entire dimension as per her will.

Her powers and immortality were enough for the masses during her time to consider her as a goddess. But ultimately it didn't appear that she had the masses' best interests at heart, despite being acknowledged as a God. That's why Sasuke never believed in them.

All the more reason was he witnessed two of his own clan members become immortal only to die later on. They couldn't have been defeated if they were a god as they had so arrogantly declared. But the main reason why he didn't want to believe in such an entity was due to the suffering he went through as a child and it waned of whatever faith he had left in god.

But no miracle was done by god alone. A man must be present for a miracle to take place, acting as the god's agent. And Sasuke believed his friend Naruto was just the right man for the job of saving the entire world again, all the more the reason why he didn't interfere. He did not believe his luck enough for a miracle to occur. If anyone could make it happen, it was Uzumaki Naruto.

After their recent adventure in the coliseum, Sasuke and Erza resumed their journey to find the thief, who was now identified as Fuushin, leader of the lightening gang. Oyahiro En had escaped while Erza and Sasuke were busy freeing the Shinobi. It's not like he could cause any more trouble. He would most probably stay hidden, plotting for some kind of a revenge against Erza if not far worse as she was responsible for the ruining of their precious practices in the coliseum.

But even he wouldn't dare to make a move as long as Sasuke was beside her. Orochimaru had returned to his hideout whereas they headed out for the Land of Water, Fuushin's birth place.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder to see how his companion was faring since they have been walking endlessly for the past few hours. True to his guess, Erza was trying hard to maintain her appearance. She was trying too hard not to show her exhaustion if Sasuke could say something on that matter.

Letting out a sigh, "Why don't we take a break?" The last Uchiha suggested as he watched the red haired beauty frown.

"I am not tired... let's not stop here," she said, adjusting the white cloak covering her form. "The sooner we catch the Fuushin, the sooner it will be all be resolved."

Stubborn Woman.

"You may not be tired but I am. I am taking a break," he said, but it certainly wasn't a suggestion as he already took his place by a rock, not waiting for an answer from the former knight.

Erza tried to look hard at the Uchiha but in the end the rumbling in her stomach won. Releasing a soft sigh, she too sat down on a wooden stub beside him, mumbling. "Fine. If you say so, we have no choice then."

She took out a strawberry cake which she got in the recent village they were passing through as Sasuke opened and started eating his favorite, rice onigiri. She silently observed the raven haired teen beside her before she turned her gaze to the now complete moon, which appeared awfully bigger than usual.

"Is it just me or the moon seems a lot bigger?" she asked as Sasuke shot a side glance at her.

"You noticed it, huh?" He commented, taking a bite from the riceball and looked at the moon for a few moments.

Erza continued to look at the moon, wallowed in her own thoughts. A comfortable silence ensued after for a couple of minutes.

"...nakama, huh?"

"Hm?" he turned his head to look at her when he heard her whisper.

"The moon... what do you think when you look at it?" she asked suddenly, turning her head towards him. He was taken aback for a moment by the abrupt question but she held a curious gaze, like she really wanted to know what he thought.

Sasuke held her stare for an ephemeral moment before his eyes focused back on the moon.

The moon was constantly linked up in his life. He used to constantly stare at it when he was younger after the massacre as he watched his sadness reflect on it. The whole clan massacre had happened on a full moon night as well. To sum it up, he was not too fond of the moon. But the irony as he called it, the Sage of Six paths gave him the powers of the moon, the yin part of his powers.

"I am not sure on how to answer that... but you could say I am not too fond of it."

Erza smiled sadly before she looked at the sky, "I think the moon for me symbolizes the bonds that I may have made in my life. I always think of myself as the moon and my nakama as the stars surrounding me. Even though I may have forgotten about them, just like how far the stars may seem away from the moon, they are that much closer to me. Their smiles still exist in my heart along with the bonds I had with them. I am sure it's the same for them as well."

The perspective seemed ridiculous to Sasuke, "How can you be so sure? Did you remember your comrades?"

"I did not. It's just a feeling that I have," she replied with a smile.

Perhaps Sasuke cannot really understand it. He had given up on bonds and this whole journey was also for him to confront on his feelings about them and on how to proceed next, and what his courses of actions would be in the future. He was still uncomfortable on that topic as the only real bond he had in the past ten years was with his two brothers, one with Itachi and one with Naruto. After Itachi died, he desperately tried to cut off his last bond with Naruto to realize his dream. If Naruto were left alive and he had carried on with his revolution, his enemies in the future may target Naruto and most probably kill him.

He would then fall to curse of hatred again, which would then kind of negate everything he would have had endured for the revolution. He didn't want the hatred to be dispersed as it did for his brother. So, he thought it was better to kill Naruto before he would regret it later. The First Hokage did the same when he stabbed his childhood friend, Uchiha Madara to protect the Hidden leaf village. To realize his dream.

Of course, Sasuke realized that there was one other way to achieve peace, a path that Naruto showed him during their last battle. He would have been foolish if he had gone through with his revolution and it would have been impossible to do it, remaining all alone for eternity while keeping your sanity.

He was glad Naruto stopped him and showed him the error of his ways.

Despite saying that he wanted to explore the world and look at it with his own eyes after he was released from prison, he was still too skeptical on forming bonds with others. The redhead on other hand was a different case. They were compatible due to their mutual goals and sharing similar burdens, which kind of helped Sasuke in forming a bond with her. But he didn't know how to label his bond with her, as the only bonds he was familiar was of brothers and he didn't know if he considered her a friend like he did with Naruto. But then he did feel some pain whenever he saw her getting hurt, so he was not sure.

Perhaps the world that Naruto always spoke of was possible after all... the kind of world where one can share their pain with others just like him and Naruto.

Deciding to humor her, "The moon..." he started as she looked at him with a surprised expression, "From your perspective, the bonds surrounding me may seem so near like the bonds I had with my brother, my father, my mother and my clan. But in truth they are that far away from me as I can never have those back... It reminds me of solitude."

Erza after listening to his answer looked at her cake after a few seconds, "We look at the same thing and yet our answers are so different." she chuckled lightly. "I am sure that we all have our share of sadness and happiness. There's just something wrong with this world. Even so, we have to continue to live in it."

"You are quite the optimistic, aren't you?" Sasuke remarked with a small smile.

Erza decided to ask him about something that was on her mind ever since they left the coliseum. "What you said earlier at the coliseum to Oyashiro... about me and 'dobe'... what did you mean by that and who is this dobe?"

As soon as she asked this question, some silence reigned over. Sasuke's bangs covered his eyes as he pondered over her question. Why did he say that indeed?

"…You know the pain solitude brings just like Naruto and I do."

Erza took on the tone of his voice as her own expression mirrored his, growing somber. Was that the only reason he said that statement? She knew that he was the last survivor of his clan, and his clan had an infamous reputation. Perhaps that was the only reason he needed to say something like that but she hoped to believe there was far more to it.

And the need to know why was eating at her for some reason. In order to come to terms with herself, terms with why that simple but bold statement from the Uchiha impacted her so much, she first needed to know what kind of a bond Sasuke exactly shared with this 'dobe'.

"Is Naruto the 'dobe' you are referring to?" Her chocolate eyes softened, looking at him. "Can you please tell me more about him?"

Sasuke just gave out a small smile, not a smirk but a smile, which was rare enough as far as Erza knew. He brought his right arm to grip his bandaged arm, just above the spot where he blew his arm off two years ago.

"The loser, huh?" (*usuratonkachi)

He chuckled a bit. Having to tell his experiences made him feel like an old man, but he continued nevertheless,

"He was my only friend. A shinobi who knew the same pain as me. An honest and straightforward ninja who did not bend the truth." Sasuke paused, as he let the memories sink. His voice was choked slightly, as he cleared his throat and spoke again. "...on countless occasions, I tried to shake him off. And yet, without giving up and without abandoning me, even in the face of inevitable death, he held out his hand to me."

And pointed him towards Optimism and the right path.

'The thing I want is for all ninjas to cooperate! Including you, of course!' is what Naruto had said during their final battle. Naruto had his own world where he wanted the world to become just like them. It made even Sasuke desire for such a world.

"He sounds like a great person to have as a friend," Sasuke shot a glance at the redhead who had a genuine smile on her face, probably amazed by what he had told of Naruto so far.

The last Uchiha looked at her and once again thought about why he said what he said at the coliseum. He bit back a smirk, as it became more obvious now, "Truth be told, you are too much like him for your own good. He is just a loser, charging straight ahead in whatever direction he thinks is right. Just like you did at the Coliseum. A ramen loving freak and a cheesecake loving redhead. Good grief, I got quite a lot on my plate."

"Hey-!"

Erza pouted at what she thought was a jab at her until Sasuke continued, looking straight ahead of him with a nostalgic smile.

"But if Naruto is who you are similar to, you probably didn't end up making the same mistakes I made. It may have just been on chance that I came across you, but I am grateful that I stumbled across you. You reminded me of one of the most important things I had forgotten."

Meeting her had made him realize the importance of forming bonds and how lonely the path of isolation would have actually been. He had been unwilling to return to the leaf previously but now perhaps he could endure being back at his home village.

Erza's cheeks flustered at his words. He spoke with such sincerity that it even left her speechless.

The former knight was honestly conflicted inside. Having just heard from Sasuke about how he set out on his journey, about how he viewed her and how he compared her to his only friend, she was elated on one hand but on other hand, the part of her that was lost in the memories... she didn't know what to think of it.

"I think you are a good man. I don't know what your crimes might have been, but from what I have seen so far, I can say that you can be kind in your own way," she said finally speaking up.

The former avenger looked at her, his eyes widened slightly before he bent his head down a little, the bangs casting a shadow over his eyes.

"You surely regard your friend very highly. I would definitely love to meet him," she said trying to change the mood of topic.

Sasuke closed his eyes and smirked as he stood up, "When this is all over... but don't be disappointed when you do."

Erza let out a small laugh, taking the hand that Sasuke offered. "I'll try not to."

..

Shortly after resuming their journey, they halted. A battered old man walked towards them before he stopped and looked at them. They couldn't discern his identity due to the darkness of the night. Just then a debris of the moon made its way through the sky illuminating the scene around them for a split second revealing the old man before them.

He had long, black hair. He wore a very traditional, loose fitting robes with a long-sleeved, brown haori. The most important feature of him were his white pupils which Sasuke recognized immediately.

The Byakugan.

The man in front of them was Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyūga clan. But what was he doing so out here, somewhere far away from konoha? And he was completely beaten up. This made Sasuke to bite his lip in annoyance as he watched the proud Hyuga head collapse in front of them.

'Something had happened while I was away on this mission. His injuries are serious as well, guess I don't have much choice...'

He went and crouched near the body of Hyuga and examined his injuries while Erza stood beside him.

"Is he going to be alright?"

"His injuries are serious. We need to get him to back immediately. Erza," Sasuke spoke, looking up. "Looks like you will be meeting the idiot sooner than I thought."

"...eh?"

..

"Six' o clock, it is the largest till now! The size is same as that of the whole Konoha!" the assistant of the Sixth Hokage shouted looking through the telescope.

The sixth hokage, Hatake Kakashi and his rival, Might Guy were at the top of the Hokage Monuments with a small camp behind them. Yamanaka Ino, one of the class mates of the academy which Naruto and Sasuke attended was relaying the messages from other Five Great Nations.

Guy was on a wheel chair after having his leg broken beyond repair which was impossible even for Tsunade, who was considered as one of the best Medical Ninja alongside Yakushi Kabuto, one of the former war criminal of Forth Great Ninja war and her student, Haruno Sakura who still had some way to go before she could reach the same potential as her master.

Kakashi was the sensei of the team 7 which had Uzumaki Naruto, the savior of the world, Haruno Sakura, renowned as the next Tsunade and Uchiha Sasuke, the last survivor of the most powerful clan in the Elemental Nations alongside Senju. His appearance remained largely the same following the Forth Shinobi world war, except for a red armband on his left bicep, boots instead of sandals, and Konoha's redesigned flak jacket. The kanji meaning Six Fire is written on the back, denoting his Hokage position.

He accepted the Hokage position from Tsunade after the war as he was elemental throughout it and was the leader during the sealing of Kaguya, the most powerful being. He was also responsible for the release of Sasuke from his interrogation and revoked his status as a Konoha Shinobi.

Naruto was away from the Konoha at the moment as he was sent to find out about the whole apocalypse of moon falling alongside Shikamaru as their group in-charge with Sakura, Hinata and Sai as well. He was unaware of the fact that Naruto and the rest were on the moon currently.

All the citizens were evacuated to bunkers led by Tsunade, the former Fifth Hokage as soon as the Meteor showers had started. As of now, the whole Konoha was empty while few stayed behind to avert the destruction of the village from the incoming debris.

As soon as his assistant had warned him off the incoming meteor towering the entire Konoha, he looked at it having already dealt with a few meteors which came before it. He had already devised a strategy for this and was sure it would work this time as well.

He folded his hands as he commanded his men, "Everyone, storks wing formation."

A specialized group of Taijutsu users at least capable of opening first few gates, jumped towards it hoping to destroy it before it reached Konoha. Rock Lee was leading the group as he was the direct disciple of Guy, who was the master of opening eight inner gates and the only one to survive after opening all of them courtesy of Naruto. Rock Lee could open up to six gates and he was at the center of the storks wing formation.

As the group confronted the meteor maintaining their connection all the way through clad in the green aura, the group spread about the meteor striking it with their fists hoping to destroy it completely in a single blow. As the battle of dominance occurred between them and the gravity pushing down the meteor, Lee delivered the final decisive punch hoping it would take out the meteor.

"Sixth Gate of Joy: Open!" he punched destroying the lower half completely as the storks wing went through the meteor. Due to the slight miscalculation, the upper part of the meteor which wasn't destroyed slid over them and was headed straight for where Kakashi and Guy were.

"Oh no!" Lee could only look back with regret as the momentum carried them further away from the meteor making it impossible to chase it mid-air. Kakashi stared the charging meteor which was illuminating the black night as it was clad in fire due to the gravity and the air's combustion around it giving it a rather dangerous momentum, threatening to level the entire Konoha if it were to crash onto the surface. The storks' wing formation had succeeded in at least lowering down the momentum but it was still nowhere enough.

Kakashi had a grim look as his mind was processing quickly on what to do next. The gate's attacks were strong enough but it failed this time due to the sheer size of the incoming meteor and Guy could not be counted on due to the handicap. Sure, he could still use his chidori despite losing his sharingan but it requires a lot of chakra to destroy something that big if he were hoping to obliterate it completely.

The meteor almost reached them to the point where they could feel the hot air around it, giving minor burns to the skin. He set his mind and was about to make some move before he heard the distinctive chirping sound of birds even ad-mist the incoming meteor with its own sound of descending, the Chidori which only one other person could use.

...!

Before his mind analyzed any further on who it was, a figure sped past him and slammed the chidori at the center of the meteor. Multiple flashes occurred across the whole rock as it was completely covered with blue lightening. Then it was completely destroyed, blew apart causing an explosion like they had initially intended leaving no trace of it, the explosion in the air covering the entire Konoha defending it from further chipped off parts. It produced a gust of wind enough to even shake the entire structure of the Konoha.

Everything was a standstill for Kakashi after wards as he heard a voice clearly despite the explosion. His eyes widened as he faced the back of the cloaked figure in front of him.

"... you are..."

"If he's not around, the only one who can protect the village..." the cloaked figure turned around showing the Sharingan in his right eye and the Rinnegan in his left as the air blew the bangs covering his left eye, "... is me." he said before completely vanishing from there.

"...Sasuke!" Kakashi finished as he saw his student flicker away as soon as the explosion died.

"The meteor completely disappeared," Guy said looking around trying to figure out what just happened.

"Lord Sixth!" one of his guards present at the time shouted.

"What is it?" he asked turning around before taking a step back at finding a bruised Hyuga head set near Ino. "Hiashi!"

..

A few of moments earlier;

Sasuke carried the bruised Hyuga on his back.

"Erza, stand back."

She did as she was instructed. He focused his chakra into his left eye hoping to pull off the teleportation over a large distance. The Rinnegan flared into life having the three tomoe surrounding it. A blue vortex opened and it remained stable as he shut his left eye.

When Erza heard that he was going to open a portal, she couldn't help but wonder if it was possible for Sasuke to open a portal directly to her world. If it was possible, then why was he hiding the information regarding that possibility?

She wanted to ask him about it, but even she understood the situation as Sasuke bore a serious look. Apparently the person he was carrying on his back was someone extremely important in his village. So, she thought she might ask him later on it.

But another question was bugging her. She wondered if Sasuke would be alright returning back to the village, as she heard from Taka that he hadn't been back to the village even once since he started his journey.

"Sasuke... will you be alright?" she asked as he stood in front of the portal.

She got a reply after the said man bent his head down before saying, "I will be fine. Let's go."

Then she jumped into the blue vortex following Sasuke. It wasn't as crazy as the portal she was teleported through. It was just instantaneous as she was already standing in front of a huge gate where the entire village was surrounded by the walls.

"There is no security guarding the gate," Erza pointed out as a frown appeared on Sasuke's face.

"The situation must be really dire than I thought it would be," he mumbled to himself before speaking up. "We must hurry up or else this person I am carrying is going to die."

They sprinted across the streets of the deserted Konoha before reaching the town's medical center. They entered to find that it was deserted as well. After a brief search in the medical vault, they walked back onto the street.

"I wonder where everyone is," Erza brought her fingers to her chin.

Sasuke looked around before replying, "They must have been evacuated. Let's hurry up, I still sense some people around in the village."

He pointed to the top of the stone faces as Erza saw, six in total. "Some people are over there on the top of it."

"How will we get up there?" she asked. But before Sasuke could reply, the temperature sky rocketed all of a sudden. The entire place was heated as some light shone upon them. They looked up to see a huge meteor falling towards the village they were in and some huge bird which was clad in green aura confronted it in mid-air. But it was only successful in destroying the lower half as the upper half slipped past them threatening to level the whole area.

"We must do something!" she shouted, feeling a sense of dread surround her. She looked to her side to find Sasuke but he was nowhere to be found. She looked up to see him leaping onto the fourth stone face before jumping onto the top of the cliff. As the meteor drew closer, she was barely able to see him jump towards the chunk of destruction with a blue lightening coating his hands and met it mid-air. Unlike the previous struggle the green winged attack had, the entire meteor was destroyed by the attack in an instant causing a huge explosion.

She brought her hands up to shield herself from the huge of amount of gust that was produced. Her hair floated in the air due to the shockwave as she looked up to see no trace of the meteor left.

'Is that really Sasuke... Just how strong is he?'

She found few stairs leading to the top and started climbing them.

..

Present;

Sasuke continued to look at the dark sky. He was able to see the debris surrounding the ring of the moon destroyed by multiple flashes in the sky.

"What was that just now?" the last Uchiha asked no one in particular as a figure approached him.

The said figure looked up before replying, "It's the Raikage's transportation chakra cannon."

"Hokage-sama! The five kage conference is starting," a woman with glasses ran towards them in hurry.

Kakashi nodded, "I'll be there in a minute." he then turned towards Sasuke, "Would you like to accompany me?"

"I am fine with where I am and the Raikage won't be too pleased either," he said before he observed a certain redhead being blocked by the guards at the entrance to the camp. "I need to get going before the guards over there are toast." He said walking away.

Kakashi got the meaning of what he implied when he saw a redhead knocking down few guards with just her head. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks momentarily waiting for what he had to say.

"Stick around in the village for a while and don't run off again," Kakashi said before walking away with his assistant. "I would like to discuss about your current mission when this situation is resolved."

Sasuke walked away as well grunting in reply. He walked to the entrance to see three guards knocked unconscious by Erza before she caught the forth one by his collar,

"Where is Sasuke?"

"Why should we tell you lady?" the guard said before Erza head butted him knocking him out cold. That looked painful. She then moved to other guard and repeated the same thing.

Sasuke sweat dropped. "Seems like your questioning methods are a little out of place."

Erza dropped the guard she was currently holding as her eyes widened. She immediately whirled around and her form relaxed when she found him standing casually at the entrance of a tent.

"Yo," The last Uchiha casually waved his hand. The other guards got up in the meantime. "Don't worry. She is with me."

"She is just like the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero," One of the guards commented as others ended up agreeing with him. "Please keep her under control, Sasuke-san." they said as they made their way to the medical camp groaning out in pain and limping.

She made her way towards him and jabbed her finger at him. "Where in the world did you run off to… leaving me behind?" she accused him with a scowl on her face.

Sasuke was surprised to find that she was upset that he left her alone. Now that he thought about it, he did not leave her side even once since she entered this world. He guessed it was only natural that she would be upset.

"I am sorry as I had to destroy a meteor that threatened to wipe us all... hope you can forgive me," a hint of sarcasm laced his voice as he brought his two hands together and bowed down in front of her, closing his eyes.

Erza just huffed and crossed her arms, "Do you promise not to leave me behind like that anymore?"

He opened his right eye to look at her. "I promise."

"Okay then, I forgive you," she smiled, unfolding her arms. She then reached his right hand and grasped it in her left hand.

Erza noticing Sasuke's confused expression. "I know that you jumped away to destroy that meteor but it seems that you forgot that I cannot leap on objects like you do. This is your punishment for your earlier stunt and for not returning back." she explained as Sasuke chuckled a little at her accusation but made no attempt to draw back his hand.

"Fine. But don't be embarrassed when people start saying weird stuff when they see us holding hands." He said in an amused tone.

"Hah, as if I'd be embarrassed by it. I should be the one saying that to you since this is your punishment," she muttered.

It really didn't turn out to be punishment she had hoped as the Uchiha was cool as ever even admist the whispers and looks that people at the camp were sending towards them. It only got worse for her as they made their way towards the temporary medical camp that was set up. She blushed heavily when she heard few suggestive whispers and looked at Sasuke to see how he was faring. She was disappointed and pouted as Sasuke had a blank face until they made their way inside the camp towards Hiashi.

Hiashi looked at Sasuke as he lay on a bed, "...thank you." he muttered weakly as Sasuke nodded.

The cloth covering the tent's entrance was flipped over and Kakashi entered alongside his assistant.

"Hiashi! You asked for me?" Kakashi asked before his gaze caught the pair, rolling his eyes slightly at Sasuke but did not say anything.

"Do not destroy the moon..." Hiashi managed to say as Sasuke's eyes widened.

'They planned on destroying the entire moon...!' Sasuke thought as he clenched his left hand.

-What do you think when you look at the moon? That voice played in Sasuke's head.

"... Hinata and Hanabi are still on that moon," Hiashi pleaded.

"What?!" Kakashi held the same reaction as Sasuke.

"Bad news!" his assistant rushed into the tent. She was currently panicking.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked.

"The nine tails was spotted on the lunar surface," she informed.

Erza felt the Sasuke's grip on her hand tighten further as he had a serious look on his face. She understood the reason when she heard Naruto's name through Kakashi.

"Wait, what are Naruto and the rest doing on the moon?" Kakashi asked. "Let us go and talk with the Raikage and ask him to hold off the cannon for some time."

Saying so he rushed out leaving both Sasuke and Erza alone with Hiashi for the moment.

"Who are Hinata and Hanabi?" Erza asked but it wasn't Sasuke who answered her. Her question was answered by the injured man in front of her.

"They are my daughters," Hiashi said as tears started welling up in his eyes. Sasuke grit his teeth before he went outside dragging Erza alongside him as she refused to let go of his hand.

His gaze was fixed at the moon before he inhaled deeply relaxing himself.

"Is your friend going to be alright?" Erza asked with a worried expression.

He looked at her before his eyes softened. He could not believe that he was getting the girl beside him worried. "Don't worry... I may have acted on impulse earlier but nothing can actually kill the loser. He is just that tough. He will somehow pull through this, we just have to wait and see," he said trying to comfort her but he knew it was actually for himself.

..

"Please hold off the chakra cannon for a while." Kakashi said as he faced four monitors each transmitting live video feed from the other four great nations. "Naruto and other are still on that moon."

"They cannot be helped. They must sacrifice for the sake of humanity and earth." The Raikage said. "We are going to shoot the transportation Chakra cannon."

"Mr. Raikage!" Gaara, the fifth Kazekage interjected.

"What is wrong?" Raikage asked.

"I will ask you to wait for one hour." Gaara suggested.

"What?" Raikage couldn't believe what he heard.

"I agree." Mei, the fifth Mizukage joined Gaara.

"Mizukage!" the Raikage shouted.

Mizukage closed her eyes, "Naruto is a hero in the last ninja war. His life is worth the stake."

"Tsuchikage." Raikage turned towards him to gain some support but the Tsuchikage remained silent. He then looked at Kakashi.

"Just one hour. But for them it will be the amount of time for with a lifetime that will never be replaced." Kakashi asked.

"Based on what is it?" Raikage asked not understanding why others put so much faith in Naruto.

"Hunch."

..

Mid way through Naruto and Toneri's battle;

Kakashi stood perplexed at what he was seeing. The others were no different. Guy, Tenten, Ino and Lee bore a similar kind of expression. Hiashi looked worried. He could not rest while his two daughter's lives were at stake.

"What is that?" he asked as he was able to see faint line across the moon. His assistant looking through the telescope informed him,

"Moon!" she shouted. "The moon has separated!"

Kakashi unfolded his arms immediately as it sounded impossible. The whole moon being split in half seemed outrageous. Kakashi concluded that the opponent Naruto was facing was not an ordinary one as splitting the moon into two is no ordinary feat and he might need all the help that he can get.

..

..

"Time is over. Shoot the cannon!" the Raikage ordered Killer Bee.

A huge ball formed at the tip of the cannon before it was discharged.

"What's wrong?" the Raikage asked getting enraged.

"I cannot shoot at Naruto." Killer Bee said.

The Raikage made his way towards the launcher pad. "Hold your feelings inside you. The earth's life depends on it. Step aside, let me shoot the cannon."

"Raikage-sama, there is something written on the moon." one of his attendant said.

"What?"

He made his way through to the telescope and looked through it.

"...this is..."

..

..

Sasuke had a smirk on his face as he looked through the telescope that was isolated and set aside near the camp.

"That Naruto… Making the Kyuubi do all sorts of things. I cannot believe he made it write something like that on the surface."

"Is something wrong with this 'Kyuubi' writing on the moon?"

"Kyuubi is actually a nine tailed fox demon that was sealed inside Naruto. It was an embodiment of hatred until Naruto befriended it," he said as he stepped aside to let Erza watch through the telescope.

She gasped a little when she saw a nine tailed fox which was clad in a yellow aura all around it write something on the surface of the moon. "It really is true. He is quite big if I compare it to the people beside him." she noted.

There was some disturbance before a voice bore through their heads.

"EMERGENCY NEWS TO THE WORLD: THE MOON HAS STOPPED. I REPEAT THE MOON HAS STOPPED. THE APOCALYPSE HAS BEEN DIVERTED. THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF SHIKAMARU, SAKURA, SAI, HINATA AND NARUTO. EARTH AND IT'S FUTURE IS SECURE!"

'Must be Ino,' Sasuke thought about the Yamanaka girl. He was impressed that Ino was able to transmit the message to the entire world even if she was using an amplifier. It was no small feat.

"Sasuke-san!" a voice called out to them as they turned. "Hokage-Sama wants to see you now."

"Inform him that I will come in a minute." he said, nodding to the guard who took his leave. He then looked down to see Erza still holding his hand as she stared at the beautiful moon. He could bet that she even forget that she was holding his hand and the reason for it.

"Erza." he said as she turned her attention to him. "While I am perfectly okay with you holding my hand, don't you think the punishment has been dragged out for a long time. I mean, I have to meet the hokage and it is in his nature to get funny ideas. So, if you can..."

"Of course!" she said immediately releasing her hold on his hand as a healthy blush adorned her cheeks. "...Let's go."

They made their way to a tent having few guards watching the entrance. After the routine inspection, they made their way inside and were standing directly facing Kakashi as he sat behind his desk.

"I am sorry for not making your acquaintances earlier, my name is Hatake Kakashi and I am the Sixth Hokage of this village. Pleased to meet you," he said, extending his hand to Erza who shook it after a second.

"I am Erza Scarlet. Pleased to make your acquaintance as well." she said, firmly shaking his hand causing him to raise an eye brow but made no comment.

"Sasuke. I heard about the Coliseum and Erza-san through Yamato and I am pleased to know that you have rescued them. Good work on that," he said as Sasuke only nodded in return.

"I wasn't alone. Half of the credit belonged to Erza."

Kakashi was pleased to hear this. "Oh... Yamato didn't mention that. About the Shinobi you sent to the Raikage, we are offering them freedom to go out if they want or we are offering them sanctuary."

"Good to hear that." Sasuke said having a nuetral expression. Even if he didn't show it, he was actually glad.

"So, now onto the main topic, Erza-san... do you remember how you got here?" Kakashi asked as Erza stood shocked. She turned her head towards Sasuke who only reassured her.

"He knows about the scroll and Fuushin. He is trust worthy, so it's alright. You can be honest with him."

Erza nodded before smiling slightly, her eyes slightly downcast. "I don't, actually. I did remember glimpses of my past but that's it."

Kakashi was quick to comfort her upon noticing the sad smile, "Well, you will remember it eventually, so no need to fret about it. We, the Konoha want to help you in sending you back to your world if you want. That, I can promise you." he said as she smiled back.

"That's good to hear."

Kakashi then turned towards Sasuke, "So, how much has the investigation been done regarding Fuushin and the scroll?"

"Nothing new since the Coliseum. We were heading out for the Land of Water for further clues before we found the injured Hyuga."

"I see. Now that the whole moon apocalypse is over, why don't you and Erza-san stay in the village for some time? I am sure you both have been travelling non-stop. The thief will be a lot more careful now as the chaos is over, making it impossible to conduct further investigation on him," he suggested as Sasuke frowned. "Don't be so mad. I am just suggesting you to take a break while I send another team for further clues. If we get any leads, you both will be dispatched immediately."

"What about her identity while she stays in the village?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi grinned mischievously at his question. This seemed to annoy Sasuke.

"What's so funny? Did I just ask something so illogical that it's funny? We cannot let her existence from another world be made public or else-"

"I know what would happen if people found out about her, Sasuke. I had just the perfect idea for covering her identity."

"I am an Uzumaki? Isn't that what you are suggesting?" Erza asked.

Kakashi chuckled. "Nah! Just saying that you are an Uzumaki would invite a lot of unwanted questions. It is a perfect excuse while travelling but staying in a village, I don't think so. I just have something more convincing," he said as Erza and Sasuke looked at each other, confused.

"I got this idea when I saw you both holding hands in front of the Hyuga clan's head no less. That was quite bold and honestly I found it endearing too," the sixth Hokage drawled on purpose.

Erza averted her gaze with reddened cheeks but was surprised when she saw a slight fade of pink on Sasuke's cheeks as well, despite the scowl the Uchiha wore.

'I thought that he had missed it earlier, that's why he made no comment on it. I should have known him better.' Sasuke thought as he glared at his perverted sensei.

"What are you suggesting?" he asked sternly.

Kakashi had a mischievous glint in his eye, "Oh, I don't know. You both struck to me as quite the pair and with the testament from Hiashi, a man noted for his honesty and principle, no one will even doubt it. I am pretty sure you already have him convinced."

"What are you getting at?"

"Let's just say you both are husband and wife," the sixth Hokage declared like a minister would in a wedding and started chuckling at their reactions.

Sasuke face palmed. He should have known better from his sensei and Erza groaned.

"Not this again!"

And cut,

It is actually rare for me to go above 5000 mark. Mostly I stop at 4000 but since I hadn't updated for some time, it went up until 7000 words. The length also depends on number of people following this fic.

Keep reviewing and following this fic.

Next chapter has Erza meet up more of Naruto's cast.

Until then, Later!