Hey guys. Here is chapter 9.

As always thanks to Zedscep, Devil's Darklight, Darkzero698, ROXAS, ZebraUchiha, nsymina, blacknredrose3, Josephantom, grither55, cristifilip372, sandwich master and guest(x2).

Disclaimer: Do not own FT and Naruto. They belong to their respective owners. I apologize in advance for any mistakes.

Before we get into the chapter, the main question everyone has whenever crossovers are involved- Power Scaling. The decision lies with the author to an extent but I am mostly going by their feats and vsBattle wiki for this one. You can count it as I am taking the strongest characters from both the shows and equating them to an extent; comparing what they have achieved and etc.

Continuing on;

...

Chapter 9: Return to Fiore

The Land of Iron was an icy, snow-covered country. It was politically unusual in that it has remained neutral and never been involved in the ninja wars. In fact, the shinobi had a rule since long ago that they would not meddle with the land.

Despite this, it was said to have an incredibly strong military which was manned by samurai, instead of ninja. When the Fourth Shinobi World War began, the Land of Iron joined the Shinobi Alliance and was fully prepared to participate in the war against Akatsuki's Eye of the Moon Plan and it was decided by their leader Mifune at a five kage summit after it had been attacked by Sasuke and later Tobi declaring the war.

It was especially that last statement that the shields of spriggan found themselves in the land of Iron. Chocolate brown eyes looked at the scenery around her, eyes filled with slight curiosity. "I see... it makes sense why this land wasn't troubled by the other nations till now. It has a natural terrain advantage and the cold weather isn't something that most people would want to stay in for long."

A chilly breath escaped as she parted her lips, looking over at the three ranges around her, also known as the Three Wolves.

"Wow Lady Irene! One can almost mistake you as a resident of this place. You have become quite well versed with this land's history," Juliet, one of her daughters beamed as she hopped around Irene who had made herself comfortable on a cold rock.

"I like to keep myself updated with constant information after all. They say having knowledge about your enemy is half battle won, my dear Juliet." The red head's lips curled up in mock amusement as she looked at the raging buildings in distance; the once meeting place of a certain five kage summit. Though the flames were too far from her and did little to provide her warmth. "I have to agree regarding why no one would want to stay for longer periods in this place. This weather is too nippy for my liking."

"Irene-sama... Don't tell me you are going to use..." Heine's eyes flashed slightly wider, but she never got to finish.

With a single tap from the tip of her staff, Irene let the enormous amounts of ethernano in her mold for her spell. The whole terrain started terraforming as they all were blinded by a bright white light covering the entire land.

A few kilometers away, Sasuke and Naruto who were leaping through the trees had to temporarily halt and shield their eyes from a blinding light that assaulted their vision without any warning.

"What is that light!?" Naruto asked as he held his hands up.

"Must be the enemy's ability," Sasuke said, activating his sharingan as he squinted his eyes in the direction of the source.

..

"Hokage-sama!" An anbu appeared and bowed down before the desk.

Kakashi was standing and looked through the window, staring at the bright light which came from a far off distance. His mind was far too distracted, but he glanced back at the anbu over his shoulder, "What is it?"

"Naruto and Sasuke aren't in the village currently," the anbu said. He bowed down even further. "We were keeping an eye on them as you had ordered but they suddenly vanished," the figure continued lifting his head as his eyes bore through the anbu mask. "It's like they knew we were watching them. They were gone before we realized it too late."

"Don't tell me those two..." Kakashi thought as he brought his hand to his head. "This is surely getting troublesome..." He let out a deep sigh after staring long at the white light. He then turned to the bowed down anbu. "Don't fret. It couldn't be helped. Naruto is an adept ninja having extra ordinary sensory skills and Sasuke isn't bad in it either. Tell me one thing though," he turned away having a serious expression.

"She is still here... right?"

"Yes, Lord sixth! She is currently under surveillance as we speak." the anbu nodded.

Kakashi brought his hand near his chin. "Okay, now. You are dismissed."

"Yes, Lord Sixth!" the anbu said vanishing from there. Kakashi turned towards the window as he dug his hands in his pocket. He stared as the light vanished. Let's just hope those two do nothing foolish.

..

"Let us proceed with caution. That light came from the Land of Iron, right?" Sasuke asked as they were almost at the border of the country.

Naruto just nodded as he jumped off another branch. "Yeah... that's where I last sensed them as well."

They both jumped down and started sprinting as their eyes widened.

"Wasn't the land of Iron always covered in snow?" Naruto asked as he sprinted through a green meadow. He threw away the white cloak he was wearing as he increased his pace, stepping in front of the Uchiha.

Sasuke, who was not far from him narrowed his gaze. "Is it because of the enemy?" he asked but it was more like a statement.

"We have to be careful, Sasuke. We don't know what kind of moves the enemy posses and on what their attacks are based on." Naruto said.

They had reached another forest and Naruto landed on a branch of a tree.

Sasuke leaped on it as well. "You are telling me to be careful when you are the one who generally rushes into the battle without any prior planning. Look who's talking, dobe."

"Do you have to pick on everything I have to say?" Naruto asked, a tick mark appearing on his fore head.

Sasuke just shrugged. "Hn. Just don't contradict your own words and make the situation even more complicated, Naruto."

"You are telling me not to complicate a situation?" Naruto shouted as they reached another plain field. "The last time I remember we worked together, I wasn't the one complicating a situation. You were the one who went crazy after defeating Kaguya." Naruto said as Sasuke gave another one of his famous 'Hn' before he halted much to the confusion of Naruto.

"Naruto." Sasuke called out in a serious tone.

Naruto who had his head turned back stopped as well. "Oh, What?! Did I just hit a nail or something?"

The former avenger sighed before he grabbed the blonde's jaw and forcibly turned it to the front. "The enemy's right in front of us, idiot. Did your senses dull, or something?"

"It's funny coming that from you." Naruto said as he swatted Sasuke's hand from his head and narrowed his eyes at the enemy.

"Are you guys finished yet?" a black haired young woman asked in a bored manner, as she stood in front of two people alongside an awfully chirpy blonde one.

"I have been itching for a challenge. Those samurai weren't much of a match. Let's just hope you guys offer more challenge than them!" The chirpy one, Juliet grinned as she sprinted towards them with her fist held up. Heine, the black haired woman sighed at her sister's antics before she charged at the duo as well.

"Aren't you going to stop them?" August asked, glancing at an amused Irene.

"Children should learn their mistakes through experience. Isn't that what being a parent is all about?" Irene said as she brought her staff close to herself.

August sighed before his eyes focused on the black haired young man covered in a black oak and a blonde who was in a black and orange outfit. "They should have learnt it by now after facing Orochimaru, I presume that's his name. He stole the scroll when they were busy rambling and escaped taking that wood wielding man with him. All our leads are gone."

"But didn't that prove quite fruitful as the man we were searching has appeared in front of us?" Irene said as she turned her head towards the strongest mage.

"You mean that there is an Uchiha among them?" August asked with a genuinely surprised expression before he turned towards the opposite side. The charging idiots have already reached the black cloaked man and blonde by the time they finished speaking.

Juliet charged at the blonde who now had toad shaped eyes. The blonde, leapt all of a sudden at the unsuspecting girl who was at the back, confronting them midway as he threw a punch at Heine, who missed it barely by moving her head sideways. Or, so she thought. As in an instant, she was sent crashing sideways through a bolder as if an invisible punch hit her.

"What just happened? I thought she missed it!" August was baffled but before the red head could open her mouth, the raven haired teen rushed forward and round house kicked the distracted Juliet in her face, sending her crashing the opposite direction.

He then straightened himself and proceeded to walk towards them until he reached the blonde.

"Who are you? Identify yourself!" the cloaked guy shouted in a stern voice.

The blonde had his hands behind his head, "Yeah, just tell us before this guy here looses his patience. It's already rare enough for him to give you guys a warning shout."

The raven haired youth glanced at the blonde beside him. "Whose side are you on, dobe?"

Before this 'dobe' could reply, Irene stepped forward. "My, my. How rude of us not to introduce ourselves. My name is Irene Belserion and this man here is August."

Naruto bent forward as he stared comically at them. "Wait... August as in a month?"

"It's his name, idiot." Sasuke corrected his best friend as he presumed observing his enemies.

The red head lifted the front part of her wide hat to get a good look at the Uchiha. She stared at raven haired teen, whose shoulders had now visibly tensed as if he was just now noticing her face for the first time. The blonde also seemed visibly shaken by her appearance.

They noticed her hair locks before but made no comment on it. But, seeing her face and the resemblance she bore was too similar to-

"Y-you are..."

"Oi Sasuke... she- her hair. Why does she seem hella familiar to Erza-chan?"

Irene who held an amusing expression on her face, narrowed her eyes. "Hm? A girl in this world familiar to me... Don't confuse me with the stupid red heads you find here, foolish boy. I am very different from them."

"Boy?! You don't look much older than myself, you stupid Hag." Naruto shouted as Irene visibly twitched.

"August-san... Let us get rid of the blonde first and then get to our business." Irene said, stepping forward as did August.

Naruto, who had heard everything, was near them in flash. "Get rid of the blonde... I would like to see you try!" He threw his right arm at her, leaving heaps of dirt and rocks flying around. Irene, who had anticipated the blonde to attack, had already dodged his punch by using enhancing spells to boost her movements.

"Ara... did I just rub the wrong way?" The red headed witch spoke as she wore a smirk. Naruto matching her with a wild grin of his own, chased after her retreating form, separating her from August.

August did not pursue the blonde, rather he knew that he couldn't afford to concern himself for the safety of the red head as he stared to his front. The black cloak flapped as the last Uchiha stared at the old man in front of him. The lone black orb analyzing the form of the old man who got into a defensive stance.

"Tell me, boy. What is your name?" August demanded. "I wish to know my opponent's name before we proceed."

"Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke."

"August." the old man nodded and started charging at the youth at great speeds. Sasuke unsheathed his sword as lightning coated it and in an instant, he seem to vanish from his spot where he was just standing.

August stopped in his tracks raising an eyebrow. "Speed related magic?" he thought before he heard a lighting attack collide against the natural barrier set around him. He turned behind to see the sword which was drawn before, covered in lightning and thrust against his barrier.

"You know how to use lightning as well, boy." August said before his eyes widened a fraction. "It's impressive to see that your lightening sword is cutting through my barrier," he said jumping back and barely missing the lighting sword which sliced into the footing he was standing on with ease.

Sasuke picking up his sword, narrowed his eyes at August. "I told you my name, didn't I? So stop calling me that."

"It's just like the enchantment magic performed by Irene." August analyzed ignoring Sasuke's comment. "You use your lightning to increase the sharpness and the cutting ability, don't you?"

Sasuke stood there flabbergasted. Magic. Did he just say Magic?

Magic as in the bed stories his mother used to read to him where witches flew on a broom stick and carried a crystal ball in their bag. Now that he observed, both the old man and the red head were carrying a staff. Maybe it was like their wand where they could use spells, or something through it.

But that does explain the barrier he just felt. And also the wardrobe choice of the red head who seemed to tick off Naruto. But, if what they were using is magic related like spells, then Erza was also a wizard by definition. But, it was a little hard to digest given her hand to hand and sword ability, he expected her world to be much similar to his but magic, it was hard to comprehend. But that also meant they were in trouble.

"Tell me something, old man. By spells, do you mean you can use death, curse spells and those sort of spells?" Sasuke asked. If death spells existed, it would make the situation a bit complex. The enemies don't need hand signs, so they wouldn't know when an attack would be pulled out, while they needed hand signs giving the opponent a chance to guard themselves.

"I do not have those kind. The death spells belong solely to my majesty and the curse and various other spells are Irene's forte." August said. "However, I can use this particular magic." he raised his hand to his front as a magic circle appeared. "Sleep Magic."

Maybe it was a blessing in disguise as Sasuke had already readied himself after seeing the magic circle. Now it was similar to fighting Erza. His eyelids started feeling heavy but it was dispersed quickly as he activated his sharingan. August seemed to be taken back by it.

"So, that's the revered Sharingan." August noted as he stared with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

Sasuke scanned the old man in front of him with his sharingan. A green type of material was present in August's body while normally it should have been a blue color halo with a separate network like the nervous system. Maybe, the green thing was the substitute for the chakra. And there were no networks he could observe. Similar to Erza, except this guy had a bulk of whatever that green thing was and it was no joke.

"I take it this isn't your first time seeing the Sharingan." Sasuke said, observing his foe as he stood at a distance.

"No... but the emperor has warned us about it." August said. "And because of that, I cannot hold back."

The ground under the feet of Sasuke started shaking as the old man in front of him was covered in his magic aura. It was similar to when Erza released her aura during their spar except this guy's was no joke. He could feel it without even trying to sense it.

A pillar of light shot up into the sky before it vanished. The skin of the old man reddened as his hair went up except his beard. His whole abilities seemed enhanced and he was at a completely different level than before.

"This is called my Dark Transformation." the old man said. He then raised his hand and small beams at the size of a bullet shot out from his fingers. This time, no magic circle was formed.

Sasuke leaped sideways and rolled off to his side as the beam slid past. He settled himself on one knee with his right fist held against the ground, observing the destroyed boulders behind him.

Similar to Danzo's wind bullets.

The former avenger got up and rushed. He flicked a few shuriken from his pouch as he started sprinting towards the old man. August made no attempt to dodge them but stood still, not taking his eyes off him at all. The shuriken reached their target and blood dripped from his wounds but there was no hint of pain visible on August's face. The old man's eyes were still laced with utmost attention, tracking his movements.

So, this ability enhances his endurance skills, huh?

Sasuke thought as he held up a ram sign and flickered behind him. Blue tendrils immediately surrounded the fingers of right hand.

How about this for pain?

"Chidori."

His left hand was covered in lightning as the ground underneath his left hand cracked. August turned around after hearing distinctive birds chirping. Sasuke dashed forward positioning his left hand behind his back as he drew near August.

What sort of attack is that? August thought as he immediately drew his hand in front of him, sensing the potency of that single attack. A huge beam of fire erupted from his spell at the advancing Uchiha.

Sasuke was forced to abort his attack mid way due to the burns that were caused on his skin from the heat. His eyes shifted to the ocular pattern summoning the Susano'o rib cage. He held his hands up as he braced himself against the heat.

"This fire can obliterate anything in its set and can even be felt from many kilometers away." he heard August speak as the fire beam was now stopped. August walked through the smoke and a surprised expression formed on his face. "Or, so it seems. That ribcage... is that another one of your special eye ability?" the old man asked.

Sasuke dispelling the Susano'o, straightened up. "Hn."

"How about this one?" August shouted as he brought his both hands in front of him. A massive wave of heat magic was created at the palm of his hand and now headed towards Sasuke who didn't need any hand signs for his own counter attack. He brought his index and middle finger of his right hand near his mouth.

"Katon : Goukakyuu no Jutsu." He shot a fireball at the huge wave of Fire. It met the wave of fire as they both tried to push each other trying to gain dominance. The attack he used was a simple one, but the effect it left differed from user to user, depending on his affinity, experience and the amount of chakra he used, the efficiency.

But the massive wave of Fire magic seemed to push the Fire ball Jutsu with minimal effort after the initial few moments. Sasuke who had his left eye shut, now had blood dripping down along his left cheek. He immediately opened his eye focusing on the clash of infernos which seemed to scorch the entire land ripping it of what ever moisture was left.

"Amaterasu." Black flames appeared out of nowhere and started eating away Sasuke's flames. This caused August to raise his eyebrows as the black flames were now eating even his Fire magic which he so boasted about. He immediately jumped back stopping his attack as soon as the black flames reached near his palms.

A line of sweat rolled down his temple. If he wasn't too careful just now... he might have been burnt to a crisp by it. A shiver ran across his spine. "That black fire... What is it?"

Sasuke shut his left eye and the black flames burned for a bit longer before they were completely extinguished.

"It's called the black flames of Amaterasu. They continue to burn for seven days and seven nights until the target is completely burned away even if the target is fire itself." Sasuke said as he proceeded to walk towards him.

August seemed quite impressed with the attack. "I-Incredible. To think that I, touted as the magic king has been beaten in the Fire element," he then gasped when he saw the strange pattern of Sasuke's right eye which he didn't notice before. He couldn't see the left eye due to his bangs but thought they had the same pattern.

"That eye... what is it called?" August asked.

The right eye of Sasuke shifted from the ocular form to normal three tomoe. He closed his eyes as he humored the old man in front of him. "It's called the Mangekyou Sharingan."

"...You mean to say that this is the M-Mangekyou Sharingan?" August took an involuntary step backwards as he repeated the same line. Sasuke seemed to be a bit confused by this. Maybe the old man heard of the Mangekyou back in the world he hailed from.

August cracked a smile after a few seconds. "So that is the legendary ocular power that could control the dragons of the old," he laughed as Sasuke wondered what nonsense he was spouting. Dragons? Had he gone senile?

Or maybe not. It was entirely plausible that dragons existed in the other world if magic existed there. And it was not that strange as the Mangekyou could be used to control the tailed beasts here. Maybe, these dragons were similar to the tailed beasts.

"Boy, Let me ask you this..." August asked as Sasuke twitched.

"I told you to stop calling me that." Sasuke grunted in annoyance as he held his sword in front of him.

August ignored Sasuke's rude comment as he spoke. "Are you the most powerful one of your clan?"

The anger that Sasuke held vanished in a split second. It was replaced by a throbbing pain in his chest as he struggled to breath for a second. He started breathing heavily as he narrowed his eyes like someone just reminded him of a dark truth. Other than that, no more emotions were shown on his face but the sudden tense of his shoulders wasn't missed by August.

"Is that question so difficult to answer... I just asked you, Are you the strongest one in your clan at the moment?"

"No." Sasuke cut back coldly. "I am the only one left in my clan," his hands clenched as he bent his head down a little.

August did not take this new information well. Now, August was quivering with sorrow as this whole thing kind of put a dent in their plan. "A-Are you sure no one else is left alive besides you?"

"I would be most happy if I knew of anyone." Sasuke said as he raised his head and looked the enemy straight in his eye. "You seem to know a lot about the sharingan and even the mangekyou, something that isn't public knowledge even in leaf. And you said you never encountered one before. Did someone you know encounter an Uchiha?" he asked.

August stayed silent as the only noise at the moment was coming from the battle which was happening not far away.

"ANSWER ME!" Sasuke demanded. His recent missions all were under the pretext that few Uchiha's survived on the other side. But the reaction of August was just painful to watch. He was sent a look of pity from his enemy which in its own sense was not forgivable. He questioned again, afraid to hear the truth he deduced from his enemy so far but asked it nonetheless.

"They all died 400 years ago along with the Dragons." August finally answered the Last Uchiha after a brief moment of Silence.

Sasuke stood motionless as he could only hear his own cloak fluttering in the wind before he broke the silence with a laughter.

"Heh, why did I even have my hopes pinned on that?" he questioned himself as he stopped his laughter. "I am just pathetic. Tell me something, old man. Who was the one you heard all of this from?" he asked with a dark expression, a ghostly smile threatening to take over his features. His dormant self trying to push past the newly healed barriers around his heart.

August gulped as the temperature around them plummeted. A cold dark aura now covered Sasuke as red eyes bore into his soul. He was about to open his mouth when the floor underneath suddenly increased in height.

Spikes emerged from the land as Sasuke and August jumped high into the air before landing and maintaining their balance on the spikes. A few dozen blondes flew towards them before popping into puff of smoke as Naruto landed beside Sasuke.

"Man, she surely is strong. A bit like Kaguya's jutsu in manipulating the land." Naruto said, grinning before he turned towards Sasuke with concern evident in the blue eyes. "Are you all right? Kurama said he felt something strange from you. So, I immediately rushed here."

Sasuke, who almost gave in to his violent impulse which lay quiet in him until now, was suddenly reminded all that he went through to achieve this state. This state which he had acquired by finally making peace with his past. He took in a deep breath before smiling softly at the blonde.

"...I am alright now."

Naruto believed in his best friend's words without a doubt. They jumped as the whole land area became flat again. The red head flew towards them carrying an unconscious Heine and Juliet under her arms. Sasuke was confused by this and turned towards the blonde.

"Yeah... I forgot to tell but apparently she can fly."

The red head who was now smirking gave Naruto an amused stare. "You almost got me with your Jutsu, you know that."

Sasuke had a questioning look on his face as he stared hard at the blonde who conceded after a minute to his stare.

"Alright... I tried the Reverse Harem no Jutsu since it seemed to work on Kaguya. But, for some reason she became more focused and dare I say, angry." Naruto said rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"You seriously tried that? We were actually lucky that we came out alive after pulling that with Kaguya." Sasuke said, sighing. Meanwhile, August and Irene had a chat where August informed Irene of Uchiha clan's current predicament.

Irene stayed silent before turning her attention to Sasuke. "You know, it's been a long time since I last encountered an Uchiha."

Sasuke and Naruto were both shocked by this but for different reasons. Naruto wondered how she knew about the Uchiha clan and when did she even encounter one if Sasuke was the sole survivor. Sasuke thought that August had lied about Uchiha's extinction 400 years ago but his serious expression didn't suggest so. So, Irene could be the one lying to throw him off.

"How can that be possible if all the Uchiha died around 400 years ago in your world? How can you possibly meet one?" Sasuke asked, but the confidence in his eyes vanished when Irene placed her hand in front of her mouth and giggled to herself.

"Ara... Did I forget to mention that my husband once was an Uchiha general?" she said in a playful tone as Sasuke's eyes widened. "It happened exactly 400 years ago and I know I should not have expected much from your clan. I thought he was different...but oh well. I handed out the right judgement on your clan for I was the one that brought upon the Uchiha clan's extermination in my world," she said, a twisted smile marring the sharp features on her face.

"400 YEARS?!" Naruto's jaw hung down, "You mean to say you are well above 400 years old. You have even put Granny Tsunade to a shame." Naruto shook his head thinking about the former Fifth Hokage who was actually well above fifty but maintained an appearance of a twenty year old. But, this was an individual who was over 400, but maintained a very youthful persona.

"How can that be possible?" Sasuke asked taking a step forward.

Irene closed her eyes as she played with her staff. "It is possible due to the mysteries present in my world, young man. How about we cut the chase and get to the point of our visiting your world?" she said as she became serious again. "We have come for you, Uchiha Sasuke, at the orders of our majesty and we will not stop until you return with us."

The last Uchiha parted his lips, breathing out deeply before leaping onto a high cliff behind him. Naruto followed him and crossed his arms looking at the two wizards.

"Shall I bring Kurama in and capture them? I highly doubt if they could be restrained even if we take them back to Konoha. We cannot always watch them, ya know."

"No. As you said it would be just pointless. I'll force them to retreat and... I'll show them the power of the Uchiha's which they are underestimating so much. That should throw them off for a while." he said as he formed a ram seal. The purple Susano'o came to life around him as it now contained two heads, each head having its own set of arms. Both the sets of arms performed different seals as he shouted to his enemies below.

"I am different from the ones you have encountered till now." he said, directing his answer at Irene. "You will see the true might of an Uchiha. They are not to be taken lightly." The red ruby then focused on his friend who stood beside him, inside the rib-cage. "I believe Madara did this once. You were present at the time, weren't you Naruto?"

Naruto took an unconscious step back as memories came rushing back to him. "This is-"

The whole area became dark as Heine and Juliet who had just woken up, dropped onto their butts immediately as they looked up. August and even Irene who had the confident smirk was visibly shaken by what she was witnessing.

"Are the Uchiha's capable of performing such feats?" August asked as he immediately pulled out a teleportation Lacrima. "I now wish we would have brought Brandish with us."

"It's my first time seeing this as well." Irene said as she trailed her eyes to the Uchiha whose left eye was now visible. A purple pattern she had no knowledge about was present in the Uchiha's left eye socket. She always considered herself highly knowledgeable, so she was clearly set aback. She then saw the Uchiha open a purple portal as the blonde jumped in it.

"Even if we were somehow able to destroy it, we will be weakened considerably due to lack of ethernanos. It is best if we retreat." August said. The lacrima in his hand glowed and a magic circle appeared underneath them.

Just as the Sasuke was about to jump into the purple portal as well, she shouted. "Remember, boy. We will not stop until we capture you by force if required. Even if we are defeated, you will have others invading your home. So, think long and hard on your decision, my dear Sasuke." she said, thoroughly satisfied as she observed the Uchiha halt for a second and how his hands clenched against his sides. Sasuke had a scowl on his face as he jumped into the portal before the entire terrain was destroyed by the meteor he had just summoned.

..

Erza was walking through the streets of Konoha on a busy evening. She hummed to herself as she was currently pleased having just bought an entire Strawberry cake. She was planning to eat it in peace at the Uchiha Residency as Sasuke wasn't in home at the moment. Or, so she thought.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

She heard a scream above and before she could raise her head, two figure fell on top of her. The blonde was sandwiched between Erza and Sasuke in the pile. He smiled nervously as he greeted her.

"What's up, Erza-chan?"

She had a blank stare before her eyes rolled to the messed up strawberry cake which she planned to eat later, peacefully at the Uchiha manor. She shook with anger as Naruto and Sasuke got up immediately and moved to the side, flinging words at each other.

"Sasuke-teme! Couldn't you have picked a better spot? What the hell was that- Summoning a portal mid air?" Naruto said head butting Sasuke.

"I told you I still have no control over the height of the portal. Since we summoned it on a cliff, it's only natural that we would be popping up so high in the air!" Sasuke justified.

Naruto was about to say something before he felt murderous intent coming from beside them. He slowly turned his head and saw Erza trembling with anger and her glare was directed at them.

"Dobe... how about we run now?"

"That would be great, Sasuke!" they both turned slowly and were about to sprint in the opposite direction before Erza grabbed them by their collar.

"You both aren't running anywhere!" Erza said dragging them in the direction of Sasuke's house. "Not until you explain this shit."

A little boy was perplexed by the sight of a red head dragging two figures by their collar. One of them was his hero, his idol and the other was his 'idol's' best friend. So, for a kid seeing his favorite super hero being dragged around in town was too much for him.

"Daddy! Why is that scary woman dragging those two like that?" the young boy asked tugging his father's sleeve.

His father knew that Naruto was generally accustomed to being bossed around by women, so it was natural for him to be dragged but after finding that the last Uchiha was the other person dragged around, he couldn't find the... right words. It wasn't just the case for him but all the other by standers who observed the sight as well. Whatever fears or doubts they had of the Uchiha vanished after seeing the sight. A small smile formed on the man's lips as he answered his son.

"Never mess with your wife, even if you are the Last Uchiha!" the man chortled as the young boy looked at his father with a confused expression.

"What did I ask and what did you answer?" he pouted. "I am telling mommy that you just bad mouthed her!" the kid said walking away as his father ran behind him.

"Wha- I didn't say that!"

..

"You guys... What was so urgent that you popped out of nowhere and destroyed my cake in the process? What did my poor cake do to deserve this?" Erza questioned as she stood having her arms folded across her chest. The two figures who were seated on their knees in front of her looked away from the fuming Erza.

"Sasuke. Please control your wife!" Naruto pleaded as he looked in the avenger's direction.

Sasuke frowned. "I thought you knew she wasn't my wife."

"AHH! I don't care about that... just please do something before she beats us!" Naruto whined as the Uchiha just sighed.

As if on cue for their rescue, Sai entered the house without informing them of his arrival.

"Good evening, Erza-san," Sai greeted her, his smile plastered on his face. He looked at the scene, blinking once and then twice before he smiled once again as if he didn't notice how they were seated up, ready to receive a punishment. "I am sorry for interrupting, but I need these two at the moment. Hokage-sama has summoned them." Sai said, as Naruto immediately grabbed his shirt thanking him while Sasuke stood up and proceeded to follow Sai.

"I'll have your husband back by nightfall," Sai said, reassuring her as she could only nod. If the Hokage had summoned them, she could do so little about it. Plus, she was slightly concerned herself after noticing the battered clothes on their bodies.

Back in the Hokage's cabin, Kakashi had a pensive stare as he heard about the encounter with Irene and August. He folded his arms on his desk, a thoughtful look on his face as he stared at the papers on his table for a few silent moments.

"Why did you have to take this action yourself?" Kakashi finally spoke, a grim look on his face.

Sasuke answered after a second as he glanced at the white haired man. "I thought it was best to encounter them before sending her back."

"I was the one who suggested it." Naruto added standing up for his friend.

Kakashi looked at the their faces one last time before sighing himself, "It can't be helped. I'll overlook this for now." He then turned towards Naruto. "You may leave now, Naruto. I wish to have a chat with Sasuke."

Naruto frowned at this but nodded nonetheless. "Alright."

Sasuke stared at the retreating end of Naruto before he turned his attention to Kakashi.

"So, you were hoping that some of your clan members had survived on the other side?" Kakashi asked but Sasuke remained silent. "There's no confirmation that what the enemy said might be true."

Sasuke voiced his thoughts which were troubling him for some time. His fists clenched, "It might be true. But nevertheless, I wish to explore this new land and find and provide salvation to the Uchiha clan members if they survived, on behalf of Konoha and offer them a place back in our world. Plus, the enemy seem to be after me and they said that they wouldn't stop until I joined them. I can't... I can't risk them invading leaf in hopes to persuade me."

"So, you wish to play the role of Itachi?" Kakashi asked getting straight to the point as Sasuke looked away at the mention of his brother. Kakashi sighed. "I hate to give you permission to this, but it can't be helped. Are you planning on going along with Erza when you open the portal?"

"Depends on the amount of chakra it actually requires. If it requires a lot of chakra, I might jump in right after her, or I'll just open a separate portal."

Kakashi pinched the bridged of his nose as he closed his eyes. After some careful thought, he opened his eyes. It was not like he could stop Sasuke from going on this mission if he was already dead set on that. Might as well give his consent. "Yosh! Sasuke, I am assigning you the mission to explore this new land and learn about the details regarding this emperor they were talking about and if possible take care of him as you see fit. You can work covertly but as you pointed out, they need to know about your presence in their world if they are to stop infiltrating this world, so you can act as you see fit. That's all."

Sasuke nodded and was about to leave. "Wait Sasuke!"

Sasuke did not turn back but stayed still, allowing Kakashi to speak. "When are you planning on sending her to her world?"

"It depends on her once I inform her of the situation. But, it most probably will be tomorrow as I am completely tired right now." Sasuke said and took his leave.

He leaped through the roof tops, a million thoughts circling in his head and was soon at his home before he knew it. It was late at night and he expected her to already be asleep but was surprised when he found her waiting for him in the living room.

"So, how did it go?" she asked as soon as she saw Sasuke enter the living room. He stared silently at her for a minute as she grew worried. "W-what's wrong? Is everything alr-"

"I found the scroll which is supposed to help you get back to your world." He cut her off. Taking advantage of the silence as she sat still, he continued again after a pause. "I found the scroll which is supposed to help you get back to your world... or rather, Orochimaru was the one who found it and we went to retrieve it." He lied the last part not mentioning about his encounter with Irene and August. He took out the scroll from the pouch behind his back and showed it to her.

"...I-is that-"

"Yes," he confirmed tossing the scroll to her. "That's the ticket to your way home."

As soon as she caught the scroll, she felt the scroll suddenly react to her touch. A jolt ran through her body as the scroll dropped from her hands. She winced, catching her head and suddenly found it hard to breathe as continuously gasped for air. The pain in her felt like someone was drilling into her brain; the pain coursing through her entire body.

Through the pain, she was filled with images of a pink haired teen, a raven haired half naked man, a beautiful blonde girl and a blue flying cat. Her memories forcefully came rushing back to her, starting with her fight with the snake in the cave and her promise to Natsu back to old Rob, who stood in front of her protectively in his final breath. Tears threatened to fall as she remembered her precious comrades who stuck with her through thick and thin.

"Oh Natsu, Gray..." she mumbled as she got on all fours. "... Lucy and Happy..." she started as Sasuke observed few tears roll down her cheek. "... Master, Mira, Elfmann, Cana, Lisanna, Wendy..." she started sobbing as Sasuke immediately got to her side and crouched beside her, hesitating on what to do. She gripped Sasuke's vest to his surprise and buried her head into his chest. "Fairy tail... and... Jellal! I am so sorry I forgot about you guys..." Her lips quivered as she gripped his shirt even further.

Sasuke's shirt started getting wet, but that was the least of his concern right now. She was beginning to remember all of her memories and these new memories were clashing against her old ones and there was a chance that she could become mentally unstable. But Sasuke knew that wouldn't happen to Erza because she was a strong willed woman and she would pull through no matter what the situation was. He had an arm across her back to comfort her as she cried.

He had a solemn look in his eyes as his fingers kneaded through her scarlet locks, hoping that she would somehow calm down. After a few minutes of silent sobbing, he looked at her face as the place went completely silent. He could only hear the ticking of the clock and drops falling down from the tap into the sink.

"She cried herself to sleep, huh?" he thought to himself, brushing aside the thin strands of hair covering her face. Her face filled with tears reminded him of when he first found her.

Opening the door to her room in which Erza slept, he gently placed her on the mattress and covered her form with a blanket. For some reason, he felt his chest ache and her face was just too much for him to look at the moment. Yet, he sat beside her in a chair wondering how he would face her tomorrow. He was so deep in his thought that he didn't notice when he had fallen asleep.

The next day the birds chirping woke him up. He saw that he had fallen asleep beside her bed and felt like an idiot. His eyes immediately trailed to the bed to find no sign of her.

All the alarms immediately set off in his body as he grabbed his cloak and rushed to the living room to find the scroll. His form relaxed when he noticed her placing breakfast on the table.

"Morning, Sasuke." she smiled at him as he slowly took a seat at the table. Before he could doubt himself whether the yesterday's events really happened or not, Erza spoke. "I felt like making breakfast for you. After all, you were so helpful and kind to me since my arrival in this land. I hope you don't mind as today might be my last day here." she said as she looked to the ground at the last part, not meeting his gaze. Maybe, Sasuke was imagining but he found a hint of sadness in her voice.

"I appreciate your concern but there's no need to thank me," Was all Sasuke spoke as they ate their breakfast in relative silence, neither looking at each other.

After the breakfast, he looked over to her. "You need to get ready. We will be heading to Hokage's office. The portal will be opened on the roof top." he informed her as he walked to the front door.

Erza who followed him after a minute, had a confused expression as she placed her hands on her hips. "You know of a method on how to open the portal?"

"You asked about my Rinnegan's ability, didn't you? That's exactly what we are going to do," he said. "Plus, others wanted to say their goodbyes." he added looking away. He looked angry for a moment, before he slipped back to his ever so calm expression and walked out of the door before she could say anything.

On the way to the Hokage's office, neither had spoken a word to each other, feeling awkward on what to say. Erza glanced over at Sasuke as he kept moving forward, wondering what was going through his head at the moment. After reaching the roof top, they saw Kakashi standing there along with two of his anbu guards. Naruto was seen talking to Sakura, and Shikamaru and Sai stood at a distance. Ino was with Hinata, and Tenten was with Rock Lee. Kiba stood alongside Choji and Shino. They all have come to know the truth of the marriage from the looks of it.

They all turned their heads as soon as they entered the roof. Ino immediately went and hugged Erza as she had few parting tears. Hinata and Tenten followed and hugged them as well. Sakura who got to know the truth about Erza, followed them after a minute.

"Erza-chan, we will miss you!" Ino said releasing her hold of Erza. Maybe she was a bit dramatic, but that's how the Yamanaka girl always was.

"I most certainly will as a fellow weapon's user!" Tenten agreed wiping her tears away. They hung often with Erza in the recent days, so they had gotten closer and it was hard for Erza as well.

"I'll miss you guys as well," she said as she turned to Hinata. "I am sorry, Hinata. I won't be able to attend your marriage after all." she said as Hinata shook her head.

"It's okay, Erza-san. I am sure your comrades must be waiting for you."

Sakura stepped front as Erza and Sakura stared at each other for a few seconds. Sakura then immediately went and hugged Erza catching her off guard. "Thank you for taking care of Sasuke-kun all these days." she said in a low voice as Erza returned the hug.

"I am should be the one who should thank him."

She then walked towards where Sasuke was along with rest of them.

"We will miss you, Erza-san!" Rock Lee yelled showing his 'youthful' emotions. "I will do 500 laps on my hands around the village in honor of our friendship, Erza-san."

Choji and Kiba stood next to each other as they spoke. "It was fun meeting you especially all the cakes you introduced to me." Choji said.

"We are going to miss having your beautiful grace walk around in our village." Kiba said.

To her surprise, the silent Shino who never spoke a word to her till now bid her farewell as well.

Shikamaru and Sai who stood at a distance nodded their heads at her as she did the same. She then went and bowed down before Kakashi who just waved his hands in front of him.

"Thank you for letting me stay in your village and for your hospitality." she said.

"Nah... It was nothing. It is just how we Konoha Shinobi were brought up. We always help those in need and this was a special case."

Naruto was the next who just hugged her. She returned his hug as he spoke.

"Remember to spread the fame of Ramen in your world." he said wiping his tears away as she chuckled.

"I will and don't forget about the strawberry cake." They both broke apart as he grinned at her.

"Deal!"

She then turned towards Sasuke and stood in front of him. His cloak fluttered in wind as no words were spoken for quite some time. She wanted to thank him for many things but found no words to express what she felt towards him.

Sasuke didn't feel the need to say anything either, as he was anyway going to jump into the portal right after her. It would be pointless to him as saying goodbye for one second and again saying 'Oh, hi. I forgot to tell you but apparently I was following right behind you. So, the goodbye was all pointless, hehe.' in her world the next second. It would be weird. But, he still wanted to hear on what she had to say.

"...Thank you for everything, Sasuke." she said as she found her throat dry at the moment. "I was alone in this world and you still helped me and held me all along the way even though I was a complete stranger to you with no memories of my own. You made it easy to adjust here. I want you to know that... I just hope one day, we'll meet again." she finished not saying what she had intended to say. Maybe not the best time or place.

Sasuke just nodded as he stepped out to the front. Erza was disappointed at the lack of response from the last Uchiha but still held a small smile as it was just like himself. It also made it easy for her to bid farewell to this world. If Sasuke had gone out of his way and said something like requesting her to stay with him, she wasn't sure as to what she would have said. She might have even forsaken the comrades that she remembered after a long time. She just shuddered at the mere thought and shook her head.

Sasuke opened the scroll and tossed it into the air as soon as he opened it. Black markings came from it and suddenly a bright light filled the entire area. Everyone held their hands up shielding their eyes as Sasuke set his plan into motion. He focused chakra into his left eye and after an incredible amount of strain, he stabilized the portal for everyone to see.

All the light in the meantime was absorbed by the portal. Everyone widened their eyes when they found a small purple portal at the size of a golf ball in air. Sasuke grit his teeth, struggling and barely able to stabilize the portal as blood dripped along his left cheek.

Apparently it required a lot of chakra than when he needed to go to one of Kaguya's dimension. He expected it but didn't think it would drain him so much. His right leg gave away as he knelt on one knee and started panting. The size of the portal flickered like a candle in a stormy night.

The hands to shield it from the wind were provided by Naruto. Suddenly the portal grew bigger in size and was now towering them as gust of air was produced at the sudden growth of the portal. He felt his chakra recovering as he looked down. He was clad in the Kyuubi's cloak as Naruto placed a red cloaked hand on his shoulder. Naruto nodded at him, before Sasuke focused to his front. He stabilized the portal in a few moments and shut his eye.

He got up and turned to Erza and signaled her.

She got to the front of the portal and stared at it for a minute. Finding the courage to do this, she was about to leap in before she turned back one last time to get a good look at the friends she made in Konoha. She was here for a month after all and the Konoha gang always dragged her wherever they went. A lone tear rolled along her left cheek as her form disappeared into the purple mist.

Everyone were emotional but still remained alert as the portal was still open. Sasuke moved towards it before he turned back to look at the Hokage. Kakashi tossed him a scroll.

"It contains the mission details and the results we got of Erza's physiology. I did not have the chance to go through it but I am sure you will find something helpful."

Sasuke caught it and placed it into the seal on his left hand. "Yeah... thanks."

He then turned towards Naruto. "Naruto, hold onto this scroll and keep it open all the time at a protected place. I'll try to do the same with the other one and perhaps, we wouldn't need chakra to stabilize the portal next time as the scrolls will remain open on both sides. And do not hesitate to contact me if something comes up."

"Got it. Be sure to bring many allies for Konoha," the blonde grinned as Sasuke smirked.

"Must you leave as well?" Sakura asked, stepping forward hesitantly. She held a hand over her chest, "I heard about the new enemies and I am sure we can figure out something if they invade again..."

"It's not a matter of security. They are powerful foes who couldn't be restrained even when captured and I don't want anyone else to suffer anymore because of me." he said looking at his former team mate. "I also need to confirm the fact that all the Uchiha's are dead on the other side. Since we are not the only existence anymore, more of them could be popping up from other side. How I should view their world and this world... maybe I can find some allies for Konoha in there and see things through my eyes. Perhaps I'll be able to see things in their world I couldn't see in our world. Also..." he had a sad look as he paused for a second.

Sakura noticed that look on his face before; when they had visited Sasuke's house. She didn't want to admit it, but he looked content. Perhaps he wasn't aware of it himself, but he may have fallen for Erza, fallen hard by the looks of it. It looked like things wouldn't go anywhere until a push was given. She heard the talk Shikamaru and Sasuke had in her sleep, and based on their conversation, he wasn't going to admit about it but instead label it as a bond. Maybe he wanted to punish himself further as he thought he didn't deserve her and would probably continue on his path of repentance even in another world. Sometimes, Sasuke could be dense like Naruto. She already helped her blonde team mate before and now it looked like she had to do it for him as well, except it was more painful than she thought.

"...I need time to understand my feelings right now." Sasuke finished. He then turned and stared at the huge portal. His legs didn't move like he had hoped. In fact, they were struck in a fixed place. What if he didn't like what he was going to see there? What if Erza was happy now that she got her memories back and didn't want any connection with the Shinobi world, or him for that matter? Jellal, the name she recalled more than others. What if he doesn't like the relation they both have? What if there really were no Uchiha's back there like Irene said? What if Konoha gets attacked while he was away? What was the relationship between Irene and Erza? Why were Irene and August searching for him? What did this emperor want with him? And many more questions clouded his mind as he was yet to take a step forward.

He felt a soft nudge from behind. He lost his balance and was about to trip and fall into the portal. He managed to turn back just in time to see Sakura bringing her hands down after pushing Sasuke. She held a smile like a bright day as her words bore into his mind.

"Be sure to return with no regrets, Sasuke-kun!"

And then, his mind went blank as the purple mist surrounded him.

Next Chapter: Grand Magic games?

Until then, Later!