AN: Okay, this was the second chapter I had in the flashback in Reanimation, but I already made slight changes. After thinking about where I wanted to go with this story, I decided this will take a completely different turn from the flashback in the other story. The plots will completely diverge by the next chapters. Meaning, they're really going to be completely independent from each other. If you're reading the other one, stick to it. If you prefer this timeline, stick with this so it doesn't get confusing.
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Worry and fear had always been pretty foreign to him even in the most upsetting situations, but this time he guessed it was different; these very emotions were now sitting disconcertingly in his gut and he did not even know why. He could feel Sarada's chakra perfectly – depleted, yes, but far from harm and definitely recovering more quickly than he was expecting. Even Sakura said he had nothing to worry about, and if there was anyone who had consistently and unfailingly put Sarada's safety in top priority, it was his wife. When it came to their daughter, he trusted Sakura way better than he ever trusted himself.
His mind drifted back to the task he left his best friend with. When he fled they still did not have a lead. Sasuke knew the entire village trusted Naruto with their lives, but whom did they trust to watch Naruto's back for him?
Hinata and Shikamaru? Yes, but this time they weren't with him. Sakura? After the Otsutsuki's attack against Konoha two years earlier, Naruto made her swear to look after the people, and only the people – never after him. Sasuke? Maybe, but he had just asked him to leave.
Sasuke picked up his pace as he headed toward the hospital.
One thing he learned – from all the tragedies he had the misfortune of facing – was that every difficult situation, when confronted singlehandedly with the absence of anyone to depend on, almost always did not end well, no matter how unparalleled someone was.
He never stopped wondering how things would have turned out if Itachi had someone else to support him on that ill-fated night. He might have not really known Jiraiya well, but he later learned of the fall of the Toad Sage when he decided to face the Six Paths of Pain on his own. When Naruto became Hokage, Sasuke also could not help but ponder on the fates of the Third and the Fourth Hokages – how they took all the responsibility to themselves, all the while knowing it would very well end in their deaths.
When he reflected upon Naruto's request to help him in his dream of changing the world for the better, Sasuke pledged to himself – although he bestowed highest honor to self-sacrifice, if he could forestall it, he would.
He believed that it was only for this very reason that destiny allowed him to live after everything that he had done – that when he decided to grant Naruto's request of lending him support, he'd found his only remaining purpose.
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As soon as Sasuke had left, the beast residing deep inside Naruto's subconscious bellowed, making the Hokage shudder for the first time in years.
The presence of the beast, which had long been undisturbed, was growing alarmingly warm. The last time the nine-tails' chakra boiled in anger rather than strength, was when he and Naruto fought.
"What is it, Kurama?"
The beast grunted, its eyes shut and its head resting lazily on the floor.
"Suddenly, as you were left on your own, the mixed chakra I was telling you about became excited, moving in a manner that seems to be taunting me. I hate being taunted; it's beyond insulting."
"Don't worry. We'll get to the heart of it. Can you locate it?"
"Yes. It has grown significant enough for me to track it, as if on purpose. Also, it is moving at the speed of an ordinary human. I think it wants you to follow it, Naruto."
"Me? It won't even let me feel it," Naruto said in disbelief, as his senjutsu failed to discern anything worth noting.
"Yes, but it still makes sense – it only reaches out to me. Think about it, Kit, who else in this village has a tailed beast besides you?"
Naruto remained silent as his mind raced. He could not think of anything else to do besides confronting it. He debated with himself – if going alone was a wise idea. The fact that the presence only made itself deliberately known to him once he was alone told him it was the only way. Sasuke would join him soon and he knew the opportunity to meet the perpetrator face to face would slip once his teammate arrived.
Naruto fully entered his subconscious, raising his fist toward Kurama. The beast opened one eye and sighed, before straightening up and looking at Naruto with the same understanding they'd always shared for years. Kurama raised his fist in the same manner and they connected. Both of them smiled.
Outwardly, only Naruto's eyes changed – a mix of yellow and orange, dancing together like fire. And then there it was, as visible to him as the sun – small but bright and burning, blue, white, violet, and gold. And the sound it made, as loud as a troubled eagle – chirping, zapping, ripping, and crackling. It filled his ears, and Naruto finally understood what the nine-tails meant when it said it felt provoking. The restless ball of energy was waiting.
"It is definitely not showing signs of heading toward Konoha, toward where the people are," Naruto stated. "Shifting only in random directions right in front of us,"
"See, Kit? This is different, far from nature energy. If we get closer, we can determine if it has anything to do with the tailed beasts' chakra, it seems almost as troubling and distressing to me."
Naruto nodded and set off, heading straight to the source. As long as he could keep this presence away from his village until he'd solved it, he felt at ease. Keeping Konoha whole was his only priority, nothing else, and he knew he had a lot of competent and dependable people to trust it with.
"How is Boruto doing, Hokage-sama? Still struggling to prove himself worthy under your shadow?" The voice of a young man met Naruto's ears as soon as he reached the location of the disturbance – right in the middle of a forest near the outskirts of Konoha.
The Seventh Hokage looked up and stared straight at the young man sitting nonchalantly on a branch. He appeared to be around Boruto's age. His hair was jet black, under which it was shaven and blonde in color. A dagger-like tattoo crawled up his face toward his left eye and a pair of piercings adorned his right eyebrow. But what immediately caught Naruto's attention was the elaborate black sigil tattoo spread across the young man's left body – his face, chest, and arm – which looked strikingly similar to the tattoo Boruto had, except this young man's mark glowed red every time he spoke, something Boruto's didn't do.
It did not take too long for Naruto to recognize him. This was the kid Boruto always helped back in the academy – their class' dead-last. Supposedly orphaned at a young age, from parents no one really knew and no one really asked about, he used to isolate himself. He had shown early hostile behavior but Boruto gave him a chance and made him his friend. After they became genin, they never really had the chance to continue their close friendship. But Naruto remembered how Boruto still spoke about him occasionally, saying this boy had potential because he was actually smart and very inquisitive – a natural strategist, as he called him – and that his only weakness was that he considerably lacked chakra.
Naruto examined the boy from a distance. Compared to his son, this young man really was still short of chakra, possessing even less of an average shinobis'. Was he really the one responsible for all of this?
"Kawaki," Naruto called back to him, causing him to look a little surprised.
"You still know me? You remember my name?" Kawaki shifted in his seat before standing on the branch.
Naruto only just noticed that Kawaki kept his right hand hidden inside his black vest trench coat, exactly where Naruto could feel the unique energy.
"So they still do talk about me, don't they? The talentless freak," Kawaki said, utter disgust evident in the manner he spoke, without any intention to hide his repulsion.
"No. But I've heard remarks that you were actually very intelligent, able to come up with ideas even the top of your class could not," Naruto blatantly and sincerely stated. "It was just that you never really bothered to perform well in class."
"Hm. When you're surrounded by bloodline geniuses who never had to do so much to succeed, while you have to do everything and never get any recognition, why even bother struggling?" Kawaki shot a glaring look at Naruto, before looking far ahead of him above the trees and beyond the mountains. His right hand remained hidden inside his coat.
"I'm sorry if you felt that way," Naruto said.
"No need to feel sorry for me now, Lord Seventh – I eventually picked myself up. Life only truly began for me when I became genin, it was then a steep upward journey for me afterwards, even after I decided I would not strive to go up the ranks. My abilities weren't exactly the type people tend to appreciate during the age of the shinobi, so I used it all for myself… as you can see now," Kawaki said, as he began to reveal what he'd been hiding in his right hand.
He pulled out what looked like a small glowing scroll, blue – almost the exact same color of marks on the victims' bodies. From its original small size, it grew bigger in the open. It looked hologramic, and from inside it Naruto was certain – restless energy swirled around violently.
"At the start, I proposed for Bolt to join me in my quest for innovation, progression, evolution – whatever you want to call it," Kawaki said proudly, while eyeing the scroll. "I wasn't convinced he was going to join me in Katasuke and Kosuke's* experimentations, seeing how his father –" Kawaki looked at Naruto, " – was vocally against their experiments. But he did."
"I knew. From the very start Boruto was very open to me about it," Naruto said.
"Yes, and to be fair to him, he was only interested in facilitating advancements that would have helped the village, while also hoping to influence Katasuke and Konsuke to align their experiments with your vision," Kawaki said. "He had no idea my intentions went way beyond that. In the end, I realized our goals just weren't the same, and so it did not really bother me when our ways gradually parted."
"Bolt only stopped after the group started experimenting on a living human body – his body. The tattoo on his right side was inflicted on him without his consent. I never found out if you played any part on it; he refused to say anything against you because he also honestly didn't know," Naruto said.
"I did not play any part on it! I knew he did not want any of it. Only I sought it," Kawaki raised his arm, as if to show Naruto the black mark and how it glowed a bloody shade of red. "I stopped them from doing any further modifications on him. Of course he did not need it, being an Uzumaki and all. I, however, was just a nobody, and will remain that way if I did not do anything."
Kawaki raised his palm toward Naruto, from whom a rod of yellow and orange chakra seemed to protrude before being sucked back into Naruto again. The nine-tailed beast felt the pang of it as much as Naruto did, but not a bit of chakra was absorbed. Kawaki didn't look surprised at his failed attempt.
"Of course I knew I could not do it," Kawaki said, as he casually shrugged it off. "But I did not expect that not even an insignificant amount of chakra will disconnect from you, and I will need way more than that. It's this problem that kept me stalling my plan for months – you're just too strong."
Naruto ignored the failed attempt to suck a bit of the nine-tails' chakra. He was aware that chaos continued inside Konoha and that he needed to know how this young man was doing it and what for. From how he was acting, it also seemed like he did not meet with Naruto for battle. He obviously had something else in mind.
"I had forbidden further experimentation immediately after what happened to Boruto and I made sure the laboratories remained inaccessible to anyone - "
"Yes, because this type of advancements did not sit well with you, Lord Seventh," Kawaki retorted.
"It did not sit well with me, and the council, and the rest of Konoha," Naruto said firmly and calmly.
Kawaki sighed. "You know, Lord Uzumaki, we aren't so different from each other. We both mean well. If you are not convinced that I don't mean overt harm, look at the current situation – zero casualties," Kawaki jumped down from the branch but he did not advance toward Naruto. "You want peace; I want equality. I think both can work well together, can't they? But like me and Boruto, you and I – our goals are not the same, and I don't think you will ever understand."
"And how do you plan on bringing this equality you speak of – by robbing everyone off their chakra?"
"In a way, yes, and eventually bring an end to the age of the ninja altogether without ever killing anyone. You have to commend all the effort it took me to develop a technique that leaves no one dead." Kawaki spun the scroll in his hand as it sparked every now and then, signaling the addition of new chakra being transferred into it.
"You did this all by yourself?" Naruto asked.
"Hm, no. For some time I was alone, but eventually, I learned that there were other people who wanted to work with me for the same purpose. I don't think you have to know who they are, but they're responsible for most of the commotion happening inside the village right now," Kawaki said.
When Naruto remained silent, Kawaki continued. "After you dismantled the laboratories, I did not stop. Rather, I took it as a challenge. I quietly and humbly approached people who were masters in their field, gathering very important information," Kawaki placed the scroll back inside his coat, rubbing his palms together as he proceeded to recall. "I sought sources about kinjutsus, the chakra circulatory system, senjutsu, tailed-beast energy, fuinjutsus, medical ninjutsu, dojutsus, and countless other techniques. I made sure I only asked just barely enough, so as not to raise any suspicion. In the end, no one figured out that my purpose was beyond personal advancement," Kawaki said, a smirk beginning to play on his face.
"And this was the purpose you came up with? Ending the age of the ninja – that if no one had chakra, everyone was just going to be equals? If so, your victims are not just pawns and your plan is being carried out smoothly inside the village. Why meet with me? Surely you didn't come to fight me," Naruto asked.
"Of course not, that will surely guarantee my death. But even that was pretty calculated. You will not kill me; I made sure you won't. Uchiha Sasuke may not hesitate to get rid of me, but you won't let him. I've studied you well, Lord Seventh, and I probably know you better than your own son ever will." A wide, sinister smile appeared across his face, as if he was on the verge of laughing. Whatever Kawaki was thinking, he was probably convinced his plan was going very well.
"Sasuke will be here soon so if there's anything you wanted to tell only me, I am listening. What exactly do you want from me?"
"Your cooperation," Kawaki said unashamedly, his hand reaching into his coat, revealing the glowing scroll again. He waved it in front of Naruto. "This seal can only store so much. I've already utilized all the energy my team and I have meticulously gathered and artificially reformulated during the past two years into this small scroll. We can spend year after year improving it but our efforts can only bring about very insignificant change, whereas a reasonable amount of the tailed-beast chakra can eliminate almost every limitation it has now."
"So you weren't trying to steal my chakra," Naruto said, shaking his head in realization, "You need some of it for your plan to work on a wider scale. What made you think I will cooperate? What have you planned to cause me to oblige?"
Kawaki chuckled almost sarcastically, as if he just remembered something funny. "Whenever people think about the name Naruto Uzumaki, they always associate it with the young lad who always claimed that his greatest strength was his will to protect people. You still believe the same thing about yourself, do you, Hokage-sama?"
"Go straight to the point," Naruto commanded through gritted teeth. Explosions coming from inside his village shook the earth beneath him and he knew that the longer this lasted, the harder it would be to contain the mayhem.
"I figured that your greatest strength can also be your most crucial weakness – the devotion you have for the people, that is," Kawaki smirked.
"It's been the will to protect them that placed me where I am now, and it will always be the reason I stay and fight," Naruto countered.
"And it is the same will to protect the people that will force you to put your guard down against me. The premise is simple, Lord Hokage. If you don't lend me the chakra I need, your people will die," Kawaki said, as he started to advance toward Naruto. This young man's body language communicated only sheer confidence, not a trace of uncertainty could be heard in his voice. "For the same reason, you also cannot kill me. Refuse to cooperate, your people die; get rid of me, your people die. See, my life is tied with the lives of the people we've already marked. As long as I have this scroll sealed and active, they're in my hands."
As Naruto tried to contemplate what Kawaki meant, he felt himself being pulled back into his subconscious.
"Naruto, I've been doing my best to discern the nature of the sealed scroll he is using," the nine-tailed beast pointed out, its demeanor seemingly more composed now than earlier. "It is, as he claims, reformulated – a successful mixture of different elemental and nature energies, making it able to contain any form of chakra inside it. However, its final form initially lacked the tailed beasts' chakra so that it remained very weak for use."
"Initially?" Naruto asked.
"Yes. It seems like they've only recently added a portion of the eight-tails' chakra to it, which made it strong enough to be functional," Kurama answered.
"So you've already stolen some of the eight-tails' chakra and I'm assuming you're also after the rest of the tailed-beasts' chakra," Naruto asked Kawaki.
"Hachibi's chakra, yes. It wasn't a complicated task since we knew we could put up a fight against its jinchuuriki – making it look like we're after abducting him when we only needed a small portion of its tail. Too much chakra at once would've broken the seal," Kawaki said.
"So it was your group that was behind what the Raikage described as a random and lame attempt at abducting Bee, those disguised as weak bandits that never came back?" Naruto asked, remembering the drunk-tale the Raikage briefly mentioned to him at one gathering they'd had.
"Ah yes," Kawaki said, waving his hand as if brushing off the subject and looking uninterested. "Obviously we can't do the same approach with you," he paused, looking somewhat disappointed. "Like I said – you're just too strong. Fighting you is like a suicide attempt. The same goes with the other beasts, facing all of them in their pure form will be risky, and besides, a portion of the kyuubi's chakra will suffice. None of the others' chakra will achieve what the kyuubi's can."
Naruto heard the nine-tailed beast grunt, obviously taking the remark as both a compliment and a challenge, before speaking to him again.
"Unfortunately, Naruto, I can also confirm that everything else he'd said earlier is true. The lives of everyone they have inflicted with his mark are connected with his. As long as the seal is active, killing him kills them too, while he also retains the ability to get rid of them without killing himself," the nine-tailed beast cited before attempting to assess the presence of similar energy inside Konoha. "Kit, this kid is no joke. It seems like a very thorough plan on his part...
I'm sorry to break it to you, Naruto, but at this point it looks as if only a third of Konoha remains unmarked."
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Konoha Hospital
Dusk
"Papa, I'm fine," Sarada whined while her father awkwardly touched her arms, trying to make it look as if he knew what he was doing. "If you need to go somewhere else, you can. You know there's nothing wrong with me and you're only prodding me now for show."
Sasuke stopped with an upset look on his face. Sarada looked at him and realized what she just said before scowling.
"Papa, I did not mean it like that," Sarada sighed. "You don't have to do this to show me you care. I know that already and it's now very apparent that I'm beyond recovered."
"Hm, your daughter is right, Sasuke," Sakura stated blatantly while watching them. "What are you touching her arms for anyway?" Sakura giggled and Sasuke groaned, feeling like an idiot. "In fact, I think the police forces can really use her help now. She just needs few breaks in between to make sure she doesn't overdo it."
Sasuke shook his head before looking down. They did not really have a choice. Sarada and Sasuke were the only ones capable of deactivating the markings. Since Sasuke needed to help Naruto, only Sarada could perform it.
"Sasuke, where is Naruto? Have you found out anything yet? It won't stop; it already left a concerning number of people entirely chakra-depleted without being sick and we can't find answers as to how this is possible," Sakura whispered, her voice sounded a bit worried.
"We only have a minor lead – an unusual presence looming outside the village, and the nine-tails is trying to track it down for us. Naruto is still out there," Sasuke answered. "How are they able to control the situation while Sarada is here?"
"They're focused on luring the marked victims somewhere that's been evacuated, and then keeping the people out of their reach. The forces have been efficient at it, so far. But the number of affected people keeps growing – thirty-seven was the last count I've heard. There's probably more now," Sakura said while looking out the window, seemingly lost in thought.
"So far without any casualty?" Sasuke asked.
"Yes, fortunately still without any casualty. I hope it stays that way," Sakura answered.
"Please do inform Shikamaru and the others that Naruto and I –" Sasuke glanced at Sarada, who was also listening intently at her parents' conversation. "We have a clue but it's not enough, and that it will probably take us longer to put an end to this."
Sakura nodded, her lips pursed. There were a lot of things that concerned her and she had a number of questions she wanted to ask. Somehow, part of her wanted to go with Sasuke and Naruto to help them, but she knew her responsibilities now remained at the hospital.
"I'm sorry I couldn't help," Sakura told Sasuke as he got up.
"No, you've been taking care of all the wounded. That's all that can be looked after right now and your team is doing all of it," Sasuke turned to face his wife. "Don't burn yourself out, Sakura." Sasuke gave her a reassuring smile.
"I won't. Thank you, Sasuke. Take care of yourself out there. And please do look after Naruto, too. He tends to… you know," she said before she stopped herself from saying more.
Boruto was watching them from the other end of the room, with Mitsuki standing right beside him. "Uncle Sasuke," Bolt whispered while Sasuke was getting ready. It was too soft that if Sasuke wasn't expecting Boruto to talk to him, he wouldn't have heard it.
"Yes?" Sasuke turned to the young man.
Bolt appeared surprised for a moment, and it took him a while before he spoke again. "Can you take me to my dad? I want to help."
Sasuke considered this for a while before dismissing it. "I'm not sure your father wants me to bring you along with me, Bolt. I am sorry. It's just that we haven't fully assessed the threat yet. Also, they might need your assistance here in Konoha."
"Papa," Sarada called her father's attention. "Boruto has been of great help to us. But he's really bothered not knowing where the Seventh is. Auntie Hinata and Himawari feel the same, but they're also busy keeping the people away from danger. Please reconsider taking Boruto with you," she said, reaching out her hand to hold Sasuke's wrist.
"I will stay by Sarada's side all the time so Bolt can go," Mitsuki added. Boruto grinned at him, before uttering thank you at his team mate.
"Hn, I guess it can't be helped," said Sasuke.
As soon as his mentor agreed, Boruto got up, quickly grabbing his coat and his weapons. Sasuke gave both Sakura and Sarada a pat on the shoulder and turned to nod at Mitsuki, before heading towards the door.
"We'll see you as soon as this is over," Sarada called out to Boruto. "Make sure you return in one piece!"
"Yep," Boruto replied. "Mitsuki, keep a close eye on the goofhead and make sure she doesn't do anything too silly," he said, smiling at his team mates before he and Sasuke exited the room.
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"I'll let another thing slip to help you decide what's best for your people," Kawaki sneered. "The majority of them have already been marked, and I've only been activating their seals one after another, in the hopes of prolonging the time I can distract your forces, as well as the Uchiha. But it seems like I can't keep the Rinnegan-possessor away for a long time."
Naruto's form relaxed as soon as he felt Sasuke's chakra approach. It did not take too long for him to realize that his son was coming too. Kawaki remained silent as they waited; the young man appeared tense. Naruto silently ran through all the information he had – he needed to find a solution to this soon. Also, with all the information Kawaki gave him, he did not know how much the young man would let Sasuke know. There was a reason he made sure he talked only to Naruto first, and Kawaki needed only Naruto's cooperation. He knew Kawaki considered Sasuke to be the biggest threat to his plans.
"Bolt!" Naruto yelled as soon as his son came to view. "Sasuke, how are they? How's the village?"
"Nothing to worry about. They have everything under control," Sasuke answered, his eyes fixed on the young man in front of them. "Who is this kid and what have you found out so far, Naruto?"
"I will be careful with what I do now, if I were you, Lord Hokage," Kawaki cautioned, his expression displaying his growing unease. "And I will advise the Uchiha and my friend to do the same."
"Kawaki, you…" Bolt advanced toward his friend but Naruto stopped him, holding out an arm to keep him from going nearer.
"He has almost the entire village under hostage, Sasuke. Everyone's lives are at stake. One wrong move and he can wipe the village empty," Naruto explained.
"The marks on their body," Sasuke muttered under his breath and Naruto nodded. "And he's doing this because he wants something from you?"
Naruto lifted his fist slightly toward Sasuke, who connected with him without hesitation. The dark-haired man nodded as he wrapped his thoughts around all the information Naruto shared with him; Kawaki remained oblivious to what just happened. As soon as Sasuke and Naruto disconnected, Naruto was pulled into the deepest area of his psyche.
"Kit, there's a vital piece of information I withheld from you earlier because I knew Sasuke would insist in entering your mind," the nine-tailed beast spoke almost instantly.
"You had to wait for the moment Sasuke and I shared information and disconnected from each other so that you can share it with me? Why – is it something you don't want him to find out?" Naruto asked.
"Whether he should find out or not isn't for me to decide, it is yours," Kurama answered.
Naruto listened intently as the nine-tailed beast carefully led him through an answer, his heart racing and thrashing more heavily against his chest with every detail that was laid out to him. The voice of the beast drowned everything else around him for what seemed like a stretch of time, but he knew they spent barely a few seconds to arrive at a mutual resolution.
Another set of spontaneous explosions wracked the ground beneath them. Naruto focused at the scroll, which Kawaki had already hidden behind his vest. It started sparking ceaselessly and the chakra inside it was moving more violently as more chakra was added. Kawaki had just doubled his efforts in activating the marks on his victims.
Something flying swooped behind Boruto, aiming to land behind his neck but he felt it approach just in time to dodge it. The young blonde man flung himself sideways and rolled on the ground before standing up. It seemed to have disappeared in an instant and he looked around, trying to figure out where it went. Suddenly, it showed itself in front of him, ready to lunge right into his face.
"Boruto! Get behind me," Naruto yelled as he watched Sasuke grab Boruto away from the path of the attack.
"I think he is trying to mark me," Boruto said as he walked toward his father. "The victims I've talked to reported extreme discomfort at their napes, starting hours before the marks completely took over their bodies."
Kawaki jeered at Boruto, obviously annoyed at his failed attempt to place a seal on him. "I've been unable to mark those with naturally huge amounts of chakra because of how weak the seal started. But now that it has grown powerful enough, I can have you and both of your teammates. Maybe I'll start with them first, that's much easier – "
Before Kawaki could finish, a katana flew toward him, cutting through his left side before the blade planted itself into the tree behind him. "Touch my child and I will make sure you regret it," Sasuke threatened.
The young man cried in pain and hurled curses toward Sasuke whose Rinnegan had already been activated. "Maybe I already have," he spat.
"Sasuke, stop," Naruto placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and slowly pulled him back. "We can't attack, or many people will die. As Hokage I promise I won't let anything happen to your child, or to any other children in the village."
"And how exactly are you going to assure me now?" Sasuke snapped, waiting for an answer. When he did not receive any, he turned to see his blonde friend looking at him with a calm expression on his face.
ooooo
"You did not miss it, did you? When Kawaki accidentally said something about how the seal can be broken,"
the nine-tails asked.
"Hm, yes, I did not miss it. The moment it slipped from him, it never left my mind,"
Naruto pondered over the exact words that escaped from Kawaki's lips earlier –
'Too much chakra at once would've broken the seal.'
"Heh, Sasuke was right when he said becoming the Hokage made you quick,"
the nine-tailed beast teased, while Naruto chuckled to himself.
"It's the only way we know of now, isn't it?" Naruto asked.
"Yes, and it looks like we only have one shot at it. We can't gamble," the nine-tailed beast added. "If we fail to break the seal, we'll just end up giving him the amount he needs to make his plan work. It will strengthen his seal and cut the portion I have, making it a bit trickier for me to break the seal again at one go."
"At one go," Naruto repeated, his voice shaking at the realization suddenly dawning at him.
"To give him everything, all at once – that is all we have to do, right?"
The nine-tailed beast groaned in confirmation.
"Do you realize what that entails, Naruto? It's a huge price to pay."
"At my end, the price is only one life for the life of many. But what bothers me is that I have to drag you into this, Kurama," Naruto's heart sank.
He slowly lifted his gaze to meet with Kurama's eyes. Naruto was surprised to see the fox smiling softly back at him.
"I'm the one you're concerned about? You're about to put your life on the line, Kit, and that's what you're bothered about? You are unbelievable, Naruto," Kurama said, shaking his head almost playfully. The fox watched as a tear escaped his host's eye. "Don't ever feel bad for me. This has always been the kind of life every tailed-beast led. People see us as nothing but chakra reserves, and we'll always be caught in a tug-of-war."
"I'm sorry if I wasn't able to really change that," Naruto whispered, barely audible enough for Kurama to hear.
Kurama raised his arm and softly nudged Naruto on his chest. "You're sorry for what? Fighting for the tailed-beasts' freedom and treating me as your comrade? This ultimate sacrifice is nothing if it means paying you back for everything you've done, if it means fulfilling your goal," Kurama paused, lowering his head so that it leveled with Naruto's. "There's only one thing I ask of you – that right now you think only about yourself, think about what you want, and what you think you should do. I will support you no matter what."
Naruto remained silent for a while, his eyes staring at the ground. He sighed heavily before speaking, "This extraction, where both the beast and the host agree to separate – has it been done before?" he asked.
"I don't think so."
"But you're sure it is possible?"
"With you current strength and mine? I think so, yes."
Naruto smiled, "That's all I need to know – "
"Kit, it is going to hurt… a lot."
"I know. It already hurts a bit now,"
Naruto answered.
ooooo
"I'm sorry," Sasuke told Naruto, as soon as he realized he'd just snapped at him. His friend just beamed, pulling him further by the shoulder.
"Stay behind me," Naruto commanded, and when Sasuke did not follow, he stepped forward so that he was a couple of feet ahead.
Naruto had never used it before, but he still remembered how to form the chakra barrier he devised for himself right after the Otsutsuki's attack two years ago. This circular barrier would trap an enemy with him inside as they fought, preventing them from causing damage outside the barrier. After performing the correct hand seals, a wall made of his own chakra rose around him and Kawaki, enclosing a huge area and separating them completely from Sasuke and Boruto.
Realizing what was happening, Sasuke dashed forward, his only remaining hand bearing the chidori. The Rinnegan-bearer drove the chidori forcefully against the barrier but Sasuke did not feel any resistance. The barrier only absorbed the attack.
"What is this, Naruto?!" Sasuke shouted at his friend, whose back was still turned against him.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I can't let you in. Only my chakra can pass through it," Naruto answered.
"What do you mean you can't let me in?!" Sasuke asked as he kicked the barrier furiously – nothing happened.
The barrier was growing thicker and it started looking a bit shrouded, as if seeking to conceal what would happen inside it.
Boruto watched, overwhelmed at the scene playing before him, before running toward the wall and beating his hands against it. "Dad! Let us in!"
Naruto's concentration faltered at the sound of his son's voice.
"Bolt," the Hokage said, trying his best to make himself sound calm and composed, his voice threatening to break and expose his current vulnerability. "You and Sasuke need to go back to the village and watch out for the worst. I don't know what may happen next, but the village needs you there."
"You're seriously asking us to leave?!" Sasuke asked infuriatingly, his voice riddled with disbelief.
"I need someone out there powerful enough to make sure the village is protected from further harm," Naruto explained.
"Then at least let us know what your plan is!" Sasuke yelled, activating his Rinnegan to look for a breach in the chakra wall. There was none.
"Just let me do what I can, please," Naruto pleaded almost in despair.
"Like doing everything on your own?! Was that your plan from the very start?" The Uchiha stepped back, hastily casting black flames to engulf the entire wall. The flames rose angrily against the barrier but as soon as the blaze reached its full power, it steadily died down.
"I'm not doing everything on my own! After I am done with this, it still won't be over. I need you to stay, Sasuke, so you can do the rest for me."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke asked, a pang of anguish shooting straight at his core. "Bullshit, Naruto," he whimpered. "You promised you wouldn't do anything stupid."
"Well, I'm sorry if I can't keep one promise today," Naruto said.
Inside the barrier, Kawaki looked around. At first, he was completely flustered by what was happening. But as he listened to the two most powerful shinobi talking to each other, he began to grasp what they meant and what the current Hokage had in mind. The young man stared at Naruto in shock.
"You can't possibly be thinking of - " Kawaki said, his right hand pointed at Naruto. "You're not thinking of breaking the seal, are you?"
"Hm, I have to, and I'm sorry," Naruto took a few steps forward. "Listen to me. I am not doing this because I am against you or what you value. I am doing this because I don't want you to end up really harming a lot of people," the Hokage continued to speak even though the young man was trying to step away from him. "Doing so will only destroy you in the long run and leave you with nothing but hatred. I want you to realize there are other ways around it. Whatever I am about to carry out - it will leave your plan ruined but it will also leave you alive. Consider it as a second chance – someday you have to turn your back on your wrong ways."
"No, no. I can't, I wouldn't." Kawaki boasted. He looked at Naruto, then Sasuke, and then to his friend. "I'm too far gone."
"After this, Sasuke can show you that no one is ever too far gone to turn back - " Naruto continued to say, before he was stopped by the cries of his son.
"Dad! Please," Bolt was on his knees. His dad was the strongest man he'd ever known, and he never thought they would ever get caught in a situation like this. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. All Boruto could feel was that it was getting really harder to breathe. "Mama and Hima…" He choked, trying his best to focus at his dad's figure, the clouded barrier between them gradually making it impossible for him to see his father's face. "They will be waiting for you at home."
"I'm sorry, I know. Bolt, I will try my best. But if ever I don't make it - "
"Naruto!" Sasuke's voice rang out, and Boruto screamed against the force that just struck him.
The barrier violently expanded instantaneously, thrusting both Boruto and Sasuke away while the whole area was completely engulfed in smoke. The intensity tore against his skin and debris hit every inch of his body.
.
And as they both hit the ground several miles away, the last thing Boruto heard was his father telling him he loved him.