A/N: Alright, so the people have spoken, it seems. This fic will be getting an epilogue. I've got an idea for what it'll be, so that's a decent start.

One thing to know about it ahead of time: It won't give you a comprehensive explanation of what all happens during the gap between the final chapter of the main story and the epilogue. Just some key details here and there, with a fair amount left up for interpretation. I feel like a raw exposition dump would be cheap.

That aside, this chapter will surprise many of you. It contains a twist I've been sitting on for months.

Time for Chapter 75

Enjoy!


Satsuki's ears rang as she lay face up in the water. Nearly every part of her was in pain. Her ribs ached, her head pounded, and her limbs felt like they were about to fall off. The few sections of her body that weren't hurting badly were completely numb. But, no matter the misery of her current state, she was still alive. She had survived. Sitting up slowly, the Uchiha squinted as her vision gradually fell back into focus. There was a massive chunk blown out off the far wall of the canyon. She and Naruto were surely to blame.

With great effort, she staggered to her feet. From what she could tell, her body had reverted back to its natural state. Her skin tone was pale once again, and her canines no longer dug into her gums when she moved her jaw. Even her sharingan appeared to have shut themselves off. She was completely spent. Sweeping her eyes across the water, they soon settled on a second broken pile of tattered clothes and limbs. It was Naruto.

'Is he…?' Satsuki silently pondered. Her unspoken question was answered a beat later, when the blonde stirred, and made his own labored journey back to his feet. His red cloak of demonic chakra had vanished, and his eyes were blue. Unlike before, Satsuki felt no rage toward his continued spark of life. Only a deep, consuming tiredness. She did not want to batter him further, if she even had the strength to do so. But as with before, it stood as her lone option so long as the Jinchuuriki continued to breathe.

Glazing herself over emotionally, Satsuki took slow steps toward Naruto. Her unsteady walk quickly turned into a jog, and then a rickety sprint. Her partner did the same. They reached one another several seconds later, and when they did, Satsuki punched him in the gut with as much force as she could muster. Naruto's frame tightened up, and he bent over slightly, but he made no effort to counter her. Not traditionally, that was.

Rather than returning the favor, or attempting to scamper away from her, the blonde reached out and wrapped his arms around her. For a brief moment, Satsuki assumed that he was trying to wrestle her, as he had several times before, but it immediately became clear that it wasn't the case. His grip was gentle, and he had left her own arms free. He was hugging her.

For a time, the pair stood in silence, breathing heavily. They had fought long and hard. Their duel had lasted nearly an hour, and at a breakneck clip. Shifting his grip on her, Naruto finally spoke.

"I'm done. You win." he said in her ear. Satsuki's eyes widened, drifting sideways to view what she could see of his face. He was conceding.

"What…?" she asked hoarsely. Naruto let out a chuckle, coughing twice in between the strained laughs.

"I know, big shocker coming from me, but I can't do this anymore." he said. His voice held resignation. He wasn't bluffing, or making an attempt at deception. He was entirely serious.

"You're really giving up?" Satsuki asked quietly, slowly relaxing against him. Naruto nodded as a gust of snowy wind blew past them.

"I've spent my whole life fighting. Everyone and everything. But I can't fight you. Not anymore. Not the way I'd need to." he replied. Complete honesty and vulnerability. The two things the Uchiha had so often failed to grasp.

"Naruto…" she said, unable to find the right words beyond his name. The Jinchuuriki coughed again, this time much more painfully. A drop of blood fell from his chin, landing in her matted hair.

"If you're still bent on killing me, go ahead. I understand." he said. Satsuki cast her eyes downward. He was finally willing to let her choose. To make the decision herself without interference. Reaching into what remained of her pouch, the girl produced her last kunai. It was chipped and charred. With a shaking arm, she brought its point up to the side of Naruto's neck in their embrace. It slipped from her hand before she could use it.

"I…" she stammered as the knife sank into the lake. Naruto gave no reaction. He simply held her as she shook in his arms. Satsuki took a half step back and buried her face in his shoulder. Naruto gently moved his left hand to the back of her head.

"Can I make you an offer?" he asked. On the verge of tears, exhausted, and confused, the Uchiha nodded into his bloodied and ripped shirt.

"Let's run away. You and me." he suggested. Sudden as the proposal was, Satsuki felt no shock or awe. Only guilt.

"What are you saying?" she asked. Naruto let out a long sigh, taking a long moment to gather himself.

"I understand now. It was never my place to tell you not to follow your brother. You have the right to see that through. Bringing you back to the village wouldn't accomplish anything. You'd just be miserable." he said. Satsuki made a few inches of space between them, finally looking him in the eyes.

"I want you to be happy, and I want you to be able to make that dream come true. So I'm begging you to listen to me when I say that Orochimaru won't make any of that happen. He'll chew you up and spit you out." Naruto pleaded. Satsuki began to respond, but tripped over herself several times before she managed to answer him clearly.

"I just…don't know what else to do." she admitted. She was ashamed. She had nothing to say. Nothing with which to defend her decisions. All the same, Naruto's now-uneven eyes held no disdain.

"I'd be lying if I said I've got much of a plan, but I think we can figure it out. Even if it takes a while." he said. Even miles deep in a hole she had dug herself, Satsuki couldn't deny just how preferable what Naruto was suggesting was to her own plans. But one single detail held her conscience back.

"You wouldn't have a home anymore." she pointed out. Naruto gave her a pained smile and shook his head.

"My home doesn't want me. It never has." he said hollowly. For all the statement's melodrama, it was entirely correct. The Uchiha had seen more than enough to know as much. It was heartbreaking.

"I do." she countered. The response was automatic, born of pure emotion. Naruto laid a palm on her cheek.

"Then be my home, and let's run." he said strongly. Despite his firm tone, Satsuki could see the pain in his eyes. He still valued Konoha. He still desired their approval. But here he was, mere words away from leaving it all behind for her. Reaching out, Satsuki took hold of the sides of his face.

"I'm so sorry…" she whispered. She then pulled him in a few inches and closed the gap between them with a kiss. Bloody tears stream down both of their cheeks as they put a definitive end to their unwanted battle. When they broke apart, Satsuki hid her head under his chin and locked her arms behind his back.

"I'm scared." she said. Any reservations she had about being transparent were gone. They had died the moment she'd returned the embrace. As he always did, Naruto ran a hand through her hair.

"And that's alright." he assured her. Thankfully, he seemed to know without needing to be told that she had accepted his offer. It brought her a comfort she could find nowhere else, with no-one else. Unfortunately, the brittle bliss of the moment was soon interrupted by the sound of rocks tumbling down from the cliff above.

"Well, isn't this just touching."

Satsuki tensed instantly, as did Naruto. They both recognized the voice, and it was perhaps the last either one of them wanted to hear, save for Orochimaru himself. Separating from Naruto, Satsuki turned around and looked up to the edge of the cliff. At its precipice stood Gaara. While the Uchiha's voice had abandoned her in the midst of her fearful shock, Naruto suffered from no such issue.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" he yelled up at the redhead, his tone frustrated and angry. Though he was too far away for his facial expression to be fully visible, Satsuki could practically feel the smirk on Gaara's face. Her mind was racing. There were endless questions that lacked answers. Why was he in the Land of Fire? How had he tracked them down? What were his immediate intentions? All of them were shrouded in uneasy mystery.

Gaara jumped off the edge of the cliff a moment later, landing on the water some twenty feet from the pair with a large splash. At a closer proximity, Satsuki was able to get a much clearer look at him. His outfit was largely the same as it had been during the invasion, with the lone difference being the lack of sleeves on his tunic. He also appeared to be battle-damaged, as his pants and shirt were both ripped in numerous places.

"What would your first guess be?" Gaara asked as Naruto stepped in front of Satsuki. The blonde glared at him with contempt, but did not respond. The answer was obvious. With a humorless smile, Gaara turned his posture side-on and extended a hand toward them. His body then began to glow red at its outlines. Naruto assumed a shaky taijutsu stance. Satsuki looked on with wide eyes and a heart beating into overdrive. They stood no chance against him as they were now. Even at their strongest, the desert dweller would have represented a monumental challenge.

Then, however, Gaara surprised the two leaf genin by letting his arm drop, and withdrawing the murderous intent he had been projecting their way. Naruto blinked twice.

"Huh?" he asked dumbly. Gaara chuckled and slid his hands into his pockets, taking a few steps in their direction before stopping just short of them.

"Rest easy. I'm not here to hurt you. Not this time." he said. Naruto backed away from the redhead, stopping himself parallel to Satsuki.

"Then…what are you here for?" he inquired suspiciously. Gaara gestured back in the direction of Konoha, nearly a country away.

"If you can believe it, your Hokage dispatched me to help your team bring Satsuki back home again. A bit of a questionable call, I'd say, but here I am." he explained. Satsuki subconsciously took Naruto by the wrist. Gaara's presence alone brought back unpleasant memories.

"I'm guessing you're here to drag us back, then?" Satsuki wagered. Subverting expectations yet again, Gaara shook his head.

"Like I'd ever take orders from a senile old fool like him. You're free to do what you want. I'm mostly here out of curiosity. It looks like I missed quite a show." he said. Naruto shifted in place, clearly just as nervous as Satsuki was.

"How long have you been watching?" he asked. It was a pertinent question, given that his arrival had come without detection until his self-directed reveal.

"Just a few minutes, but I think I get the gist of things. You're planning on eloping, aren't you?" he guessed only half-jokingly. Naruto managed something close to an uncomfortable laugh. His false threat notwithstanding, there was something unusually subdued about Gaara.

"Maybe? We're not all that sure about the details yet." he replied. Gaara nodded. He then looked up toward the cliff on the opposite side of the Valley.

"If you're going to run, now's the time. You won't get a second chance." he said vaguely. Naruto frowned quizzically, as did the Uchiha.

"What do you mean?" he asked. The redhead signaled off toward Satsuki, keeping his eyes glued to the cliff.

"Orochimaru. He felt her wavering, if I had to guess. I certainly did." he revealed. Satsuki's blood ran cold. She had been apprehensive about joining the snake Sanin willingly from the start, and she wanted absolutely no part of being kidnapped.

"There's no way we can outrun him. Not like this." Naruto said grimly. Gaara responded by walking right by the pair, inserting himself between them and the direction Orochimaru was allegedly closing in from.

"Get moving now and he won't catch up to you. I'll make sure of that." he said. Naruto gave him a dumbfounded look.

"You wanna fight him?" he asked incredulously. Gaara rolled his shoulders as tattoos imprinted themselves across his skin. The very same that had covered him during the invasion.

"What else?" he shot back. Both genin stared at the redhead in silence for a time, unsure of what exactly to say.

"He'll kill you, Gaara." Naruto eventually said. Suna's Jinchuuriki shrugged, looking back at them over his gourd.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained." he said simply. Satsuki took a short step forward, but maintained her grip on Naruto.

"What's in this for you? Why help us?" she questioned. A swell of animosity then washed through the valley. Orochimaru was nearing. His presence was palpable to even those lacking sensory capabilities.

"We have the same enemies. I'd rather not see him get what he wants." Gaara said. The presence grew heavier again, sending a chill down Satsuki's spine.

"He's here. That's your cue to leave." the redhead said. Before the Uchiha could protest any further, Naruto slid his arm up in her grasp, and took hold of her hand. He then began pulling her along. Resisting him for just a moment, Satsuki swallowed her negative feelings.

"...thank you." she said with reluctant gratitude. Gaara's body began to glow once more, a dark red aura rising from every inch of him.

"Go." he insisted. With nothing left to say, Satsuki did as she was told and broke out into a run alongside Naruto. Tired as they were, they were both able to muster the chakra to perform a body-flicker, and vanish into a puff of smoke. With both Naruto and Satsuki gone, Gaara stood alone in the valley, his focus trained squarely on the precipice.

'The fox is correct. If you stay, you'll most certainly be killed.' came the voice of Shukaku. Gaara's gourd melted into a mass of sand, melding with its contents. It then flew forth, creating a massive wall of condensed sediment to block off the valley on one side.

"I'm well aware." the Jinchuuriki said aloud. He had made peace with the prospect of an early demise years ago. The prospect of death itself hardly fazed him. What mattered more was context, and at present, he was satisfied with the terms he had chosen. The One-Tail shifted about within him, a feeling Gaara was well used to.

'And why should I cooperate? My life is bound to yours.' the demon asked testingly. Gaara was unmoved.

"We both know you'd rather go down fighting. Consider it payback for the insomnia." he said calmly. Shukaku pondered the reply.

'You'd die for a grudge?' he pressed. A figure then appeared on the cliff. He had pale white skin, long dark hair, and wore a purple sash around his waist. Orochimaru had arrived in earnest. Gaara took a step forward.

"A grudge is what brought us together." he said, staring down the Sanin unflinchingly. Residual sand began to swirl around his body as he readied himself for what he knew would be his final hour.

"I'll never be able to pay father back for making a monster of me, but this is the next best thing." he reasoned. Shukaku laughed dryly.

'You really are a hateful creature. Alright, then. I'll play ball. Give him my worst regards before you go.' he said, fading slowly into Gaara's subconscious. Coinciding with the demon's retreat, Orochimaru dropped down from the cliff and joined Gaara in the valley. No words followed. Only a cold stare. There was no way out now. Not the slightest chance to backtrack. It was exactly as Gaara had dreamed. With a side-eyed glance to where Naruto and Satsuki had once been, he took a deep breath.

'Run as far as your legs can take you. Break your chains, like I never could.' he silently projected to the pair. Orochimaru took a dangerous step forward. Gaara did the same.

And so, vindictively, it began.


Neji winced as the hole in his stomach was slowly mended. Medical ninjutsu was truly an art deserving of more respect than it was widely given. It was quick, efficient, and relatively painless when compared to other methods of treatment. Beyond that, it somehow eliminated the nuisance of scar tissue. It would be well over twenty more minutes until the Hyuga was fully healed, but it was practically no wait at all compared to the recovery period his body would have needed on its own, or with simple surgery.

Shino's treatment was bound to take far longer, as his injuries were more varied and extensive. Kidomaru had come within inches of killing them both, but the insect tamer had taken the worst of it. Turning his ear to the dirt, Neji looked over to his comrade. He was conscious, and was speaking to the medics. He was stable. The arrival of the Anbu Black Ops had been a surprise, to say the least, but an incredibly welcome one. On some level, the Hyuga felt rather foolish for not having expected as much. A group of genin being left to their own devices on such an important assignment would have bordered on incompetence.

According to what the leader of the platoon had told him, they had already found and retrieved Choji, who was being carried back to Konoha for more dire medical attention. That left three of the six original dispatched genin accounted for, with the second half of the team still a mystery. Neji wiped a cold sweat from his brow. The day had been long, and it was bound to drag on even further. They were many hours from home, and upon their return, there would be a debriefing. Thankfully, the task of the written report would fall to Shikamaru as the commanding Chunin, but even so, there was little to look forward to.

'They had better pull this off. All of this amounting to nothing would be a pain.' the Hyuga thought to himself. He was fairly confident in the three who had continued on without him. They were all more than capable of handling themselves. Regardless of what the logical side of his brain told him, Neji couldn't shake the feeling that something had already gone terribly wrong. Something deep in his gut refused to settle. Perhaps it was simple paranoia, perhaps not. Either way, he was still on edge.

As he laid inert on his back, Neji recalled something unsettling he had experienced during his half-conscious stupor.

'I felt something pass through here. No…someone.' Neji recollected. The presence had been distinct, and extremely potent, but no matter how hard he strained his memory, he couldn't quite put a name or face to the entity. Though he was unaware of the exact timing of the quasi-encounter, he knew for certain that it had occurred before the Anbu had come to their aid. In other words, whoever they were, they were long gone. Feeling restless at the thought, the Hyuga looked to the medic kneeling beside him.

"How much longer?" he asked, doing his best not to sound as impatient as he was. The medic adjusted his mask.

"Ten minutes, give or take. I'm working as quickly as I can." he reported. Neji sighed and propped himself up on his elbows. He was grateful to have been so fortunate, but the feeling of uselessness growing within him was nauseating. Blinking a speck of snow from his eye, Neji scratched his cheek listlessly. There was nothing to do but wait.

"Maybe I could've killed him without the hole in the gut." he muttered under his breath. Deciding that his time was better spent resting than complaining, Neji laid down flat again and closed his eyes. The ground was far from an ideal place to sleep, but it would pass the time. For two or so minutes, Neji's attempt to relax went uninterrupted. When the allotted time had passed, he was jarred awake by the ground shaking beneath him. Sitting up straight on reflex, the Hyuga's core tightened up and inflamed agonizingly.

"What was…" he began, stopping mid-sentence to catch his breath and lay back down. Four of the seven Anbu scattered throughout the clearing were on their feet, with the remaining three being the medics, who continued to work diligently. A low rumble could be heard, far in the distance.

"Kozuo, find the range." the shortest of the Anbu barked to the tallest, who gave a curt nod and made a hand sign. After a few moments, the larger man, apparently named Kozuo, spoke.

"It came from the valley. No question." he said. Neji's eyes widened. The Valley of the End had been directly in the path of their pre-planned route. Any number of his teammates could have been present during the blast.

"And if we're feeling that explosion all the way out here, it had to have been big. I'd be surprised if a massive chunk of that canyon isn't missing." Kozuo added. The short Anbu drew a kunai and gestured for the man to follow him.

"You're with me. We're going on ahead." he said. Kozuo nodded. A beat later, both of them had vanished into the trees. As the rustle of their feet against branches faded into the distance, Neji's frustration threatened to bubble over. Sensing his turmoil, the medic at his side laid a hand on his shoulder.

"They'll be alright. We know what we're doing, and I think your team does too. Try to stay calm." he said evenly. Though he hated it, the Hyuga knew that the older Ninja was correct. Doing his best to relax, Neji stared up at the pale gray sky. No amount of optimism could ease him now, for he was absolutely certain of one thing.

His team would be returning home in thinner numbers than they had left.


To taste victory, only for it to be snatched away, was among the cruelest of fates.

Gaara had not expected to win. In the very back of his mind, he hadn't even been sure of his ability to compete with the Snake Sanin. Their first confrontation, many months ago, had not been a close-knit affair. The Jinchuuriki had been soundly defeated and left for dead. He had grown since then, and he knew as much, but the gap between them was still wide and cavernous. The odds had been stacked overwhelmingly against him.

Despite that, Gaara had made a genuine fight of it.

He had prepared well in advance. Ever since the fateful day on which the pale man had so brazenly murdered his father, Gaara had quietly bided his time, studying the Sanin from a distance. His opportunities to see Orochimaru in active combat had been incredibly sparse, but they had presented themselves nonetheless. The Jinchuuriki had taken note of every single habit, every single tick. Anything and everything that could be exploitable when their time to renew hostilities eventually came. As a result, even lacking his usual self-assuredness, Gaara had been ready.

He had fought with tact and deceit. He had set traps. He had carefully managed his energy. He had viciously taken every small opening. And, when the situation called for it, he played dirty. At numerous points, it had seemed as though he had finally put Orochimaru on the back foot, but each and every time, the momentum had been ripped from his grasp, and reversed against him. For all his preparedness, Gaara had simply not been strong enough. He had been overwhelmed whenever it truly counted.

And now, after a lengthy, yet mostly one-sided struggle, he found himself being dangled by the neck at the bottom of the valley. His body was broken, and his regeneration had run out long ago. He was barely conscious.

"Are you still with me?" Orochimaru asked in his smooth, reptilian voice. Gaara's blood-crusted eyes dragged open. He then spat on the Sanin's face. His disdain for the man knew no bounds. Orochimaru's expression didn't change a single iota. He had not smiled once throughout the duel. He was in a foul mood, that much was clear.

"I wasn't planning on coming back for you, but I'm glad you forced my hand." he said. Gaara said nothing.

"Less than a year of separation, and you closed the gap more than you ever should have been able to. You really are something." Orochimaru continued. His words were complimentary, but his tone held nothing but patronizing pity.

"Training has never been a priority of mine." Gaara said, nearly choking due to the stranglehold on his throat. Orochimaru snorted.

"You're a waste of talent. You grew more in weeks than most could in years." he said pointedly. Gaara held his gaze. There was something deeply satisfying about seeing the Sanin so clearly perturbed.

"You should be grateful." the desert dweller replied. Orochimaru tightened his grip on Gaara's windpipe, drawing a pained wheeze.

"You're not wrong, but in the end, it cost you everything." he said. The Jinchuuriki attempted to adjust against the man's grip, but to no avail.

"I had nothing to lose." he said bluntly. Orochimaru studied him in silence. It was obvious that he saw Gaara as nothing more than a fascinating lab rat. A guinea pig with an abnormal temperament. Subhuman.

"Not a care in the world. I almost admire the apathy." he said. Once again, Gaara offered only dead air in response.

"What I still don't understand is why? Why help them?" the Sanin asked. He sounded genuinely puzzled. Gaara scoffed at his words.

"Them? I didn't do this for them. I did this…to watch your face fall as she slipped through your fingers. I did this to watch you fall apart as your dream was stolen from you, the same way you stole mine." he said. Orochimaru's face twitched, showing the slightest hint of irritation. Gaara bared his teeth in a bloodied grin.

"You can mount my head on your wall, but we both know who won today. I'll die my own man, while you stomach reality all over again." he growled. A choked laugh followed.

"Deep down, you know the truth. You're no Kage, you're no Jinchuuriki, and you're certainly no Uchiha. And you never will be." he concluded, squeezing every ounce of venom he could into his voice. Orochimaru's eyes burned with an indignant rage that belied his calm features. Without a word, he clamped down on Gaara's throat again, this time snapping it completely. He then dropped the boy into the frigid lake.

Gaara hardly felt the cold. His body had lost all feeling. He couldn't move a muscle below his neck. He was paralyzed. Brutally ironic, given his favored method of execution. The Jinchuuriki had heard many stories of Shinobi who had died noble deaths. Martyrs, who had fallen for the sake of something greater than themselves. Honorable men. Men worth celebrating. Gaara had never lacked an ego, but he was self-aware enough to know that he was none of the above. Far from it.

He had been a walking catastrophe. Dozens dead. Nature uprooted. Peace disturbed. A river of blood flowed at his feet. A self-serving, cold-hearted sociopath of the highest degree. He knew it to be the case. Day in and day out, his actions had been entirely for his own benefit. Yet, somehow, in his final hour, his heart beat more humanly than ever before. He had thrown himself into the fire to no advantage beyond catharsis. He had not redeemed himself. Such a horizon was far too distant given the waning time he had left. Bitter and cold as the end was proving to be, Gaara found the strength to smile. Not out of pride, nor relish, but irony.

'Self-sacrifice. A first time for everything, I suppose.' he thought to himself as he sank into the frigid water. His reasons had been simple. Retribution at all costs, no matter what the price may be. Despite it, he could not deny the altruistic undertone of all that had transpired. As his heart began to slow, the faces of Naruto and Satsuki flashed across his mind's eye.

'I didn't do this for you.' he affirmed. They meant nothing to him. A means to an end, that being the destruction of Orochimaru's ambition. A convenient set of playthings. Uncaring though his feelings toward them were, the grander scheme was not lost on the dying Jinchuuriki. As he breathed his last, objectivity shone through.

'But even so…the world might be a little brighter…with more of you…' he conceded, his heart at last slowing to a stop.

'...and less of me.'


A/N: Alright, so, yeah. I'm pretty confident most of you weren't expecting any of what happened with Gaara here.

I want to make something EXTREMELY clear right away: This was not a moment of redemption from Gaara. He is a bad, if still quite human, person who did a good thing for selfish reasons. Life's not black and white. It's shades of gray.

That aside, I've been saving that last twist for a while now. I came up with it right after the Invasion arc, and figured it would be worth putting into the final product. I think it's a fitting end for his character.

Now, as for what most of you actually care about. I pulled the "Naruto leaves too" card. I feel like it fits well with both his and Satsuki's character arcs. They simply aren't the same people they were in canon. Different priorities, different motivations.

Once again, FANTASTIC feedback last chapter. Let's keep that going for this one, because I stayed up obscenely late to get it done, and I'd love to know your thoughts :)

Only two chapters left, including the epilogue. The next will be the last of the main story.

I love you all

See you next chapter!