He didn't feel whole.

The breath that flowed down to his lungs didn't feel needed. It was hollow, and unfulfilling.

The first thing he noticed that she wasn't nearby. Next was the feel of his skin, cracked, unnatural flakes of his skin that formed together. He wasn't alive, and he felt subdued. The other, was that there was someone in the room.

Kakashi, a name he hadn't heard in quite the long time. For a moment, he stared, before his eye fluttered away. A wave of emotion washed over them.

"I guess I'm back," Naruto muttered. Yet, he didn't want to be here, not without her at least.

"You are," Kakashi said. He leaned against the wall and sat on the floor. A hand rested on his knee, "We brought you back, because you're the only one who can stop Sasuke,"

Light filtered through the window, and it was so bright he thought there was nothing outside for a moment. Instead, it was the intense white of snow; flakes melted against the window; that was new.

"How long was I gone?" he asked.

"It's the first of December, it's been months since…"

The beginning of winter. He stared at his hands again, the knowledge of reanimation came to him. Whose body did they sacrifice to have him return? He didn't want to be here, but it seemed this world wasn't done with him yet.

Naruto walked over to the window and stared out. The black sclera that surrounded his blue eyes. Like his father that appeared in the world, reanimated under the same technique; like father like son.

His breath clouded the window, and he could feel it's chill when he brought his face closer. The wetness on his hand when he touched it, the squeak when he swiped down. There was ice that formed at the corners of the window.

Woah, how fascinating.

It reminded him when Kaguya brought him into her technique. Snow and ice. He realized it was his home village, not quite as he remembered it.

"What happened?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi didn't reply for a long moment. "You're different, I can tell,"

Naruto stared back at him, "Do you really want to know?" then again, Kakashi could probably guess as to what happened. He could see the question in his eye, how long were you in there?

His teacher looked away, "I'll explain what happened,"

So, he did. After the defeat of Kaguya, the Sage of Six Paths managed to return them to their realm. His father, Minato, was distraught to learn that he didn't survive the encounter. Once the Hokage were returned, after Sasuke had sealed the tailed beasts and hidden them away. Then, the five Kage, including Killer Bee were assassinated and the technique placed on the world was lifted.

He felt a weight in his heart over those that had been killed.

All dead. It was his fault, if he had lived, none of this wouldn't have happened. Tsunade, Gaara, A, and Killer Bee. The new world, under Sasuke's rule. The five nations had lived in fear, any new Kage were deposed by Sasuke, any large resistance leaders were wiped away.

If only he wasn't such an idiot that he got himself killed because he doubted he had been freed of his prison.

Now, he was here. Reanimated by Kakashi and the others, to help them in their time of need.

"I won't be able to stop him with how I am now," Naruto replied. He could easily be sealed away, and his power greatly handicapped by the reanimation, not to mention that Kurama wasn't with him anymore. Sasuke's proficiency with his Rinnegan likely improved.

Strange. He wasn't conscious when Kurama had been ripped out of him, the fox had always been a part of his life. Now, it was an empty seal.

Kakashi sighed, "That's being handled. Remember Lady Chiyo's technique?" Kakashi said. "Well, I managed to learn it from her brother. I wasn't able to protect you, and I'll happily trade my life for yours,"

He frowned, and grit his teeth together, "One for this, and now you?" The price had been paid.

"You'll be saving a lot more lives than two," Kakashi replied. "My life has always been filled with failures, at least with my death, I can say that I died doing something worthwhile,"

" I see," Naruto replied. He stared back at the village. Strange, he couldn't sense anything outside, nor Sasuke. There must be a seal placed to isolate that connection between them. Kakashi must have given this a lot of thought.

"The Nine-tailed Fox might revive soon, the one that had been sealed inside you. That is the only one that Sasuke hadn't managed to seal away. Unfortunately, we don't exactly know where, or when exactly. From previous reports, the revival can take from months, to some years. Nothing concrete,"

So, they revived him now in order to take advantage of it.

Yet another problem that presented itself. They stayed silent, and he was content to let it be. He needed solutions. It came to him after some time, it felt short.

Naruto turned to Kakashi, and he could feel the presence of his own, and Kurama's chakra within his teacher. That's right, he had given it off to the shinobi that participated in the war. All he needed was to meet someone who would spend their time outside this seal.

"That shouldn't be too much of a problem," Naruto replied. "There's only one more thing. We need to beat Sasuke to Kurama,"

If it formed within the dimension where he had perished, it would be for nothing.

His cheek twitched of a hint of a smile, but it left, there was only sadness in his eye. "We have several users of The Lightning Thunder God, former bodyguards of your father,"

Instant teleportation. "Yeah, that'll definitely work," they just always need to be outside for the moment.

Naruto crossed his arms and stared out the window again. He watched the white flakes that danced and fell over his home. Of course, his thoughts shifted to Kaguya. He missed her, and he couldn't help but think what happened. He had given her a portion of his chakra, perhaps that was the was the reason he felt hollow, or maybe Kaguya was just his other half.

How strange this all felt.

"Naruto?"

He flinched, it was Kakashi's voice, he still had to refamiliarize with his voice. Over time he spent in the illusion, he had forgotten everyone's voices. "Yeah?"

"I'll have to leave for the moment, unfortunately, you'll have to remain behind the structure of seals placed on this building, the rooms on this floor are open to you, but this –"

"is for Sasuke, yeah, I got that," he replied. "It's fine,"

He could pass the time easily, eventually though, he wanted to see Kaguya again. There was no light in this world without her.

Naruto watched his teacher leave, his sandals rung along the wooden floor, the doorknob that rattled as it clicked open the door. He could sense him, until the moment he disappeared.

He explored the area, it wasn't big but relatively spacious and the size of his old apartment. He found a large window in the living room. It was heavily tinted, and down in the snow-covered streets, it was empty and not a soul in sight.

Closed off, or perhaps the effects of a sealing.

He could wait here, for Kurama to return, and to confront Sasuke. After all, it wasn't long.

He thought of the upcoming confrontation with Sasuke, and the resolutions of that fight. No matter how it ended, he couldn't see a future that lasted much further beyond it. He could only think of possibilities of any decision he could make.

Later, Kakashi came in with several others. He didn't know who they were, but he guessed they were the ones who knew his father's technique.

"Sorry for taking so long to return, I had a few things to do after I left yesterday," Kakashi replied. Naruto could guess what it might be.

He didn't even realize it was the next day.

"It's alright,"

"These are Genma, Iwashi, and Raido. They know the variation of the Flying Thunder God,"

They all gave their hellos, they were wide-eyed.

"Hello," he replied. He held a fist out, "I just need to touch you, so when Kurama returns, you'll know the moment it happens,"

Each of them bumped fists with him.

Kakashi sighed, and had them leave the room. "It's best that you get no visitors, as to not risk letting out the information that you're alive and where you're kept. Even reviving you was information only a select few know of,"

"I understand, and I can handle it. It's only until Kurama revives anyway,"

They were silent, as Kakashi stared at him. Naruto watched his teacher perform the hand signs required for the technique.

"I know that you won't disappoint. All I can ask, is that you live the rest of your life as happily as you can,"

"I'll try," he replied. Kakashi placed a hand over his chest.

"I never did well with goodbyes," Kakashi replied. This didn't feel real, "Do whatever you think is right, Naruto,"

"Of course," he didn't know what to say. He hoped he could do that.

Naruto watched him slump over, he caught him before he could fall. "Kakashi," there was no response.

He swore under his breath. He already felt different, a stranger in his own body. Yet, that only brought clarity that his teacher was gone, a price to pay to return him from death.

He didn't quite remember the last time he saw so much red, to destroy those responsible. He took a breath, but his head still felt hazy. He struggled to think, to break through that mold of fogginess.

This was his fault. Once, in what was ages ago, he had suspicions about Sasuke's goals and he was ready to meet them when the war came to past. Now, it had come to fruition, whatever he had done. All because he couldn't discern between reality and illusion.

"Naruto?" one of them asked. A hand rested on his shoulder. "We have to take his body,"

"Okay," he replied. "How will you cover up his death?"

They looked at one another, they were hesitant to tell him.

"It's only temporary," Naruto said. Finally, they relented.

"Suicide, like his father,"

"I see," he replied. That wouldn't be the legacy he left behind.

Naruto watched as they took him away, they left behind the door he couldn't go through. He wanted to go, but it would be waste of his sacrifice.

He cursed again, he felt restless. He wanted to get out of his room and settle this. Yet, he was forced to wait, at least, it wouldn't be long. His rage settled.

Naruto watched the Hokage monument, there had been none erected of any Hokage, and nor was that such a thing anymore.

When time passed, he realized that hunger was now a thing. That unfamiliar pang of 'pain' in his belly. There was plenty of food, things he never tasted before that made his mouth water and strange with its texture.

While he was alone, there were also things to help pass the time. No longer did he have to wait in the dark only occupied by his thoughts. Books or movies, as well as a simple training room. He wrote, or he cooked, trying out recipes that he had never bothered to cook before.

Every couple of weeks, someone would come in and restock the food. They would tell him things of the outside world. That was only one person and they never stayed long.

Actual dates were another thing he had forgotten about, as well as the growth of his own hair. It grew too long, so he cut it with a pair of scissors. He didn't do it too well, but it would a short wait for it grow back.

Yet, no matter what he did, all he could think of was Kaguya. It felt like there was a hole in his heart. Everyday, he thought of that moment when he proclaimed his love for her. How her eyes had widened.

It had been a year since Kakashi's death, and his return to life. There was no doubt that the bodyguards were nearby in wait to utilize the technique.

His hair had grown out, so he cut it again. It was annoying to deal with, he wished it just stayed the same length.

Another year.

He noticed he had grown taller, he liked it. He hoped he grew more, because it was another thing that he had forgotten about in the illusion. So many natural occurring things.

At times, he would often feel new sensations, it reminded him that he was alive, for a lack of a better term. He found out that he really enjoyed cooking, especially new foods that had a hot new taste.

It was good enough to distract him, at least until that day. When he would finally, reunite with Kaguya.