The last chapter for the night!

Bright light... Blood... Screaming... Sakura tried to see through the light, the blood, the pain... she tried to hear something beyond the screaming of her own voice. She'd lost control; her voice was screaming against her will, she could only see white light and she could only feel what resembled one thousand kunai's pricking her flesh, scratching along her limbs and across her throat. She could think nothing beyond No.

Then it all stopped. And she could breathe again. And she could see again. And she could hear it, the singing. Words that she couldn't catch, a tune that she couldn't place, and a woman that she'd never seen before stood tall and proud, surrounded by swirling petals.

Funny. She looked familiar.

Who are you? Sakura thought. The woman turned to her and Sakura could see more of her features; she had long pink hair that whipped around her head in the sudden strong wind, she was wearing a pink and silver kimono with a red Obi. Her eyes were also pink, and she wore green eye make-up, with lashes as black as night. She was so very beautiful.

"Who am I? Did you imagine me differently? When I was in your mind." Her voice was soft, like flower petals, but also cold.

"Sakura Bijuu...?" Sakura sighed, the Bijuu's extraction had taken its toll on her; her breathing was laboured and she could feel the warmth of blood all over her body. Elder Chiyo had told her before, when a Bijuu leaves its container, the container dies.

It was over... So quickly. The Sakura Bijuu walked over to Naruto's fitful figure, lying in the mud.

"No... Please..." Sakura whispered, feeling the salty tears fall down her cheeks and she pleaded for his life. "Let the Kyuubi stay with him... Please..." The Bijuu turned to look at her, no compassion within its pale eyes.

"I am the Tenth Bijuu. I have no tails, I have no power in combat. I see all, I know all, and I am everything. I shall rise from the ashes of war and reclaim the world, above the other Bijuu, I will command them to take what belongs to us." She turned back to the still form of Naruto, who lay in the dirt. "I summon you forth once again... Kyuubi."

"No..." Isn't it enough that I will die here today? Can't one sacrifice suffice? Am I not good enough? "STOP!" Sakura used the last of her energy to scream her last words. "NARUTO!"

But he never heard her call him. He saw only red as he was pulled from his nightmare, he saw only red as the pain took hold, he saw only red as his soul tore in half.

Tobi watched the two beings come into solid form before him, his Sharingan eye registered the abnormally huge amounts of chakra in them, and they were, essentially, solidified and shaped chakra.

Pure Bijuu.

Then the pink one opened her mouth and sang that song again, the one that you couldn't quite catch, the one that Tobi couldn't decipher. Tobi fled, if he stayed, he would die here.

Kakashi's normal eye opened, he could smell blood. As he tried in vain to sit up, he thanked god that he was awake. That he didn't have to see it anymore.

Obito... Not a day goes by that I don't regret what happened.

He turned his head slightly to see his comrades each wake up, each with that same, horrified, slightly maddened expression. Even Sai was shaking uncontrollably, and he clenched his picture book in both of his hands.

Gaara's head lifted as he heard a familiar animalistic cry. He frowned, causing his two companions to look at him in concern. "Impossible..." His young student looked up at him.

"What is it Kazekage-Sama?" She murmured. He glanced at the girl briefly.

"Matsuri, Tsunade, I think it's begun." The two women looked at him in concern, Matsuri catching hold of his arm as they continued towards the battlefield.

"Are you going to be ok Gaara-sensei?" She asked, using her old name for him. He'd kept the girl as one of his closest friends after she became his student, she had been one of his references for when he was first made into Suna's Godaime Kazekage.

"I'll be fine Matsuri, do you have your jouhyou?"

"Of course Gaara-Sama." She grinned. "I think it's time to kick some Shukaku butt!"

"Let's go." Tsunade smiled devilishly. She hoped that the others were alright.

Minato looked up from the floor, summoning all of his willpower to stand up, as he saw the two Bijuu he felt his heart sink deep into his stomach. His eyes flickered over the two lifeless bodies of his son and what could have been his daughter-in-law.

He felt his heart break as he thought of what could have been. But he knew that even if he repeated this life one thousand times over, he would have made the same initial decision in every single one. He would maybe change later choices, but the first step would always be the same.

He looked down at his wife, who lay next to him, her eyes half open, and sweat slick on her forehead. He body flickered her into the house, where she could recover, and proceeded to do so with the other worst off ninjas. He saw that the Bijuu were beginning to gather, having broken free from Pain's machine, and they were grouping where buildings had been moments before.

He saw Yamato stand up slowly, followed by Kakashi, then the Hyuuga prodigy, Neji. Slowly, one by one, the Konoha ninja stood up, even the severely injured emerged from inside the building, until the only ones not standing, were the bodies of two Konoha Jinchuuriki lying side by side in the mud, heads, turned to the side, and blood streaking down their faces.

Kushina took hold of Minato's hand, lacing her fingers between his. "Are they really..."

Kakashi looked back towards his former sensei. "I've checked with my Sharingan, they're alive. But only just, I doubt they'll last long though. No-one here is a good enough medic-nin to heal those wounds." He felt his eyes tear up. One of his students went AWOL, and the other two were now dying. "Sakura would have been but she's unconscious."

Sai turned away, hiding his face, and Hinata's eyes brimmed with tears. Actually, most of the ninja gathered there were in the process of mourning. Naruto, especially, was a favourite of both Konoha and Suna, then there was Sakura, who's medical feats and strength had long been worthy of great recognition. Kankuro had never felt that he had thanked her properly for saving his life that time, and now he would only be able to thank her grave. Minato picked up the limp body of his son, and Kakashi followed suit with Sakura, they carried the young Shinobi inside Yondaime's building.

The bodies were left inside while the able ninjas went out to prepare for the greatest battle in history.

Two bodies, side by side, on the floor. Surrounded by blood as the essence of life leaked from them slowly. The boy's hand twitched towards the girl's while he was still unconscious, and her hand moved slowly, so slowly, towards his. There was about one foot between them, and their hands moved shakily; their fingers spread, straining for one last touch.

The gap between the two hands closed gradually, the girl's forefinger stretched towards the boy's and there was about one centimetre left.

Their hands moved one last time.

And stopped.

Their hands were millimetres apart.

But not touching.

Never quite touching...

Before some of you stop reading because of how this chapter ends then you're being silly! It's nowhere NEAR the end yet! And Naruto and Sakura are still alive, just reeeeeally weakened... you'll see

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