Disclaimer: Naruto and every character of the Naruto universe belongs to Kishimoto Masashi and companies, I don't know.
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Original upload date: 20th of June 2013
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Chance for a Prophecy
Chapter 16. – Lily for the Living
"In sorrow we must go, but not in despair. Behold! We are not bound for ever to the circles of the world, and beyond them is more than memory."
― J.R.R. Tolkien
Attention! The new happenings of the manga have been ignored from the 629th chapter!
The warm beams of the afternoon sun stroked his skin like a tender lover, while the breeze playfully caught his golden locks, twisting, picking and tugging them childishly around his fine features. Uzumaki Naruto silently stood in front of an obsidian stone, his sight locked on the always shiny surface which already held hundreds of names. His blue orbs ran through the names carved into the stone, then unconsciously moved to other empty parts of the memorial that he knew would eventually be filled with familiar names if he failed. His eyes locked onto a particular point, where the black stone was spotted with copper colored flecks and fine curves, the place where his father's and mother's names were or would be carved onto its surface.
His hands locked harder onto the soft stem of the one single, pure white madonna lily that he'd picked up from Inoichi's newly opened flower store. A half smile appeared on his face when the image popped up of the surprised and confused interrogator while he had handed over the flower. He was sure he would receive questions later, but he didn't care this time. He wanted to do this and it had to be done. Naruto squeezed the stem one more time, before he placed it lightly in front of the memorial and gently stroked its cold surface with his hand unconsciously.
His teeth painfully clenched together, while sorrow overwhelmed his mind. Kurama silently withdrew into the deepest part of his mind, leaving as much private space for his mourning as he could manage.
The blond teen silently mourned for people still alive or not even born yet, for people not aware of their own death. He mourned for his still living and breathing parents, for his friends, for his precious people, for the people of Konoha and the other nations, and for the countless nameless shinobi and civilians from all over the elemental countries who had given their lives for only one cause. To live free in a real world, to defeat Madara and the juubi... to defend him.
Naruto spirited away from Konoha and sunk deep into the ink black abyss of his grief to mourn for the living for one last time.
A lean figure stood above an unmoving and lifeless form on the ground, between unnatural forms. The chirping of thousands of birds slowly died down, while the blue glow slowly faded away from the corners and sides of the cube around them. Hatake Kakashi slowly shook his head and let out a long and weary breath, his silver locks following the movement, slowly swinging together with his head in the motion. He could only distantly feel as someone gently placed his hand on his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly, trying to shake him from his stupor back to reality.
"Sensei… Let's go."
Kakashi slowly nodded with the last sane remains of his mind, showing that despite his blank look he acknowledged his voice.
A piece of his heart and mind died once more, together with the shadow of his once teammate, as did a small amount of his own sanity. He had seen him die once. And now he had killed him once more.
"We have to get back. Now!"
The jounin flinched and finally turned his head toward the source of the loud voice to face his student. The shadow of his memories darkened his eyes, and for a second, just for a brief second, he saw his own sensei in front of him. He felt Minato's gentle hands on his shoulders; he saw his blond locks, his long white coat swinging behind him, instead of his student's. The apparition gently faded away, but one thing remained. The piercing azure orbs, identical to his once sensei's eyes, watching him with concern. Eyes, which were the last remains of his former team and maybe the last things that held together his sanity. They reminded him of every single one of his losses, his acts, his failures. However, now those eyes gave him more than just sorrow, guilt and painful memories.
They gave him hope. They always gave him hope, pushing him to live and go further even when he was allowed only to watch him from the shadows, fearing that someone would connect the dots before he was able to defend himself.
"Naruto… Let's get out of here." The blond teen only nodded in response, determination shining in his blue eyes.
Four weary and bloody forms appeared next to the three commanders of the Allied Shinobi forces. Their eyes ran over the battlefield, several of them wide from the loss of numbers. Others were forced by willpower to look calm and collected, belonging to shinobi whose hearts were hardened into stone by the years. Gaara frantically searched the fields, desperately looking for his people and his siblings. A long, relieved sigh left his tight chest, when he spotted two familiar forms far away, still fighting. A calm and commanding tone kicked him out from his own small word.
"Darui! Report!"
"Raikage-sama, Uchiha Obito, the one known as Tobi, has been eliminated. Our forces are now fighting against the real Uchiha Madara and the Juubi. It seems that their forces are slowly falling. The sealing team is preparing an attempt to seal away the two of them in one attack. They need a lot of time to prepare. We have also suffered great losses in every division; more than half of our forces have fallen, and our headquarters-" The young commander suddenly shut his mouth, looking for the words to describe their situation, but he found none that could even nearly do it justice.
Two figures appeared beside them suddenly, and golden light illuminated weary and bloody faces all around them. A stunned blond teen swung his head around, desperately looking for someone. His mouth moved to ask a question, though he already knew the answer.
"Where-Where is the Godaime? Where is Tsunade-baachan!?" Four pairs of eyes glanced toward the blond teen, but no one said a word. They just let the silence fall amongst them as an answer. A hand was placed onto Naruto's already trembling shoulder, but he immediately shook it off violently as soon as it made contact. His hands clenched into fists, his joints becoming white from the strain as he attempted to channel his growing despair somewhere.
With an effort that rose above any normal human's, Naruto forced back the lump in his throat and the sting in his eyes. His now foggy azure pools moved toward the hard ground, but he couldn't find any reassurance in the blood soaked soil. His hazy gaze found the only thing that stood out - a small green leaf. But it was frayed at the edge and not just one crimson stain dyed its surface. He tried, but no matter how much wanted to, he couldn't move his gaze from it.
"Naruto… she used the last remains of her strength to save us. She is gone." Gaara's voice was uncharastically soft, barely loud enough to be called a whisper, but the named boy shook his head violently, still trying to deny the truth with every fiber of his being. His eyes never let go of the small leaf. They were winning, but without Tsunade baa-chan... his previous determination and hope for success was slowly starting to fade.
"It shouldn't be like this..." He whispered into the heavy air.
"Brah-Dah!" Bee limped toward the small team, eyeing his leader and his only remaining family member, dwelling on his bloody clothes and wounds without comment.
The sounds of the nearby battle somehow became only a distant whisper as everybody retreated into his thoughts for a short, silent minute to salute the fallen.
"Uzumaki Naruto!" Blond locks followed his head's sudden movement as it swung toward a small, old man with a commanding voice, finally releasing the bloody leaf in front of his foot from his gaze.
"The Godaime Hokage left an important message for you." A soft, proud smile appeared on the wrinkled face of the Tsuchikage. His features smoothed over, as did his wrinkles, and suddenly, he looked at least a decade younger.
"You are in charge." The soft smile became almost fatherly before the Tsuchikage continued. "The four Kage have also agreed to the decision. Welcome to our lines, Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato."
Naruto's heart stopped beating for a moment. His lungs forgot to breath and his blood froze in his veins as he was overwhelmed by pride and pure joy. Azure eyes trailed across the landscape slowly, taking in every sight, hovering on some spots where he knew his comrades laid, dead or wounded. His joy slowly disappeared as it was replaced by sorrow and maybe a hint, if only a small hint, of regret.
Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha's Number One Most Unpredictable and Noisiest Ninja, proved one more time that he had earned his moniker.
"I decline." Silence fell among the people around the Kages and the commanders, while a sour smile appeared behind the dark blue mask of his teacher.
"I'm not ready for the hat. Not yet…"
The Kazekage stepped toward his first friend, his eyes soft. However, his usual calm expression never left his face. "You just proved that you are ready, my friend."
Naruto made a sour smile, but he shook his head. The smile slowly melted into a wide and oh so familiar grin. "The Nanadaime Hokage still sounds good, dattebayo. But for the Rokudaime…we need someone else. Someone who is more suited to that title in this situation." His eyes traveled toward his sensei, who just stared back with his well known uninterested and bored expression as always.
An explosion shook the ground and all heads turned toward the battlefield, where an enormous tail met with the hard ground.
"We should continue this after that thing is pounded into the ground." Kakashi stated calmly.
A giant black ball formed in front of the enormous mouth of the ten tailed beast. Black as the deepest abyss of space, but somehow still glowing with a murderous light. The landscape shook when the enormous attack made impact in the middle of the battlefield, sending hundreds of shinobi into the embrace of the death god in an instant. The moans and yelps of the dying echoed throughout the land, while, with another shake of the earth, a tail crashed next to a blond teen, forcing him to dodge to the side.
An unnatural roar echoed along the landscape. A single shadow clone appeared next to Naruto after he formed the familiar cross-like hand sign, and it immediately moved into a meditative stance to gather energy from the dying nature around them. The beast roared once more, and its claws flung in the opposite direction where a handful of shinobi had launched an attack to distract the monster, while the others prepared another distraction so that the sealing team, who waited patiently in the background, could launch into action when their time came.
Shikamaru jumped next to the weary blond teen, his eyes foggy from strain and suppressed emotions, but in the next moment he was collected again. "Naruto! When the sealing team takes action, lead and cover them. You've got one more minute to prepare." The blond teen only nodded in response and sneaked a peek behind his shoulder to check on his clone. The familiar orange patterns had already formed around his eyes and the hair on his neck rose as the increasing amount of nature energy flowing toward his copy flew by his ear.
The clone suddenly snapped his golden eyes open and immediately jumped toward the two young men to grab them. Their bodies flew helplessly across the battlefield as the copy threw them to safety.
Nature's energy hit him as soon as his clone dispersed inside the Hell of flames, together with the sealing team, where they had stood not even a second ago with Shikamaru. The memories of his clone appeared inside his head: his guilt, his struggle, and his final decision to save them instead the others, all while they were still flying through midair.
A heavy breath left Naruto when the air was forced out from his lungs as his body connected with the hard soil. They finally stopped after ploughing a long scar into the hard ground. The place they had previously stood disappeared inside the inferno of an enormous, flaming sphere. The young blond shinobi jumped to his feet in an instant, ignoring the stabbing pain in his left thigh.
A sharp wooden shard stuck out from his muscles, painting red lines all over his orange pants until his blood dripped onto the hard ground to mix with the sea of blood already forming on the battlefield. A small, almost invisible stream twisted between small rocks to meet with another puddle of the red liquid only steps from him, where not even an hour ago he'd placed down the body of his friend who had once been so blinded by destiny. Weary azure orbs travelled toward the body of Hyuuga Neji, then moved to the side and locked onto the body of another comrade. Her dark blue hair was stained with dirt and blood, but the small smile was still frozen on her gentle face. Fortunately her eyes were closed.
He wouldn't have been able to endure this for another second if he had seen the emptiness in her eyes. He had only just accepted her feelings; had just made a promise half an hour ago that he would take her on a date and they would go out for a ramen when all of this was finished.
He was weary and tired. He just wanted to lay down and sleep, and hopefully wake up from this nightmare. Actually, he wasn't just simply tired. He, felt dead. Everything went slowly downhill since the four Kage appeared. Everything. And since he declined to become the Rokudaime. The temptation rose inside his chest for a split second, to just let it be, just let the Uchiha do what he wants, let him erase the memories of the war, let him cast the genjutsu, let him bring the false dream world where everybody is alive.
His hands clenched into fists, unconsciously looking for the heat that had been there only an hour ago, when Hinata had been holding his hand until her last breath, never releasing him, not even for a second. The temptation immediately disappeared and was replaced with guilt, squeezing his stomach into a small tight ball. How could he even think about the possibility for a second? Give up? He can't give up. With willpower greater than a normal human, he forced his head to finally turn and release the sight of Hinata's already cooling body. His eyes met with the shocked and wide orbs of his genius classmate, and in that one second he saw a hint of raw panic in Shikamaru's obsidian black eyes.
"No… Without the sealing team- Madara…" The Nara flung his gaze toward the battle, the panic disappearing and replaced with calculation. Naruto could almost hear as the gears turned and thoughts and plans ran inside his head with insane speed. The young jounin squeezed his eyes shut for a long moment, before he nodded to himself.
Azure eyes locked with red and purple ones as the red glow slowly faded away from them. The golden flames slowly, almost motionlessly, disappeared from his body, while the wooden restrains squeezed him tighter, forcing out a painful hiss from his lips, along with his last remains of Kurama's chakra from his body.
"You have caused me a big headache. I have to admit this Kyuubi. But you've only managed to slow down my plans. The current ninja world will be destroyed and the Infinite Tsukuyomi will be finished even without Obito. I already know how."
"This is the last time I'll say this - I won't let it." The words were pressed through his clenched teeth, but still sounded powerful and determined.
"You are injured and out of chakra. Even the kyuubi hasn't got the energy to heal you." Naruto closed his eyes for a second, to reach out for nature's energy, but his already overstrained muscles didn't stop trembling, no matter how desperately he tried to force them to stop.
'How long will it take Kurama? I got a situation out here.'
"I know. Hold on just a little bit longer."
A sour, but still cocky smile appeared on his face. 'We haven't got that much time.'
The fox didn't answer.
"Just stay still and let me finish my plan," the Uchiha taunted.
"I'm a stubborn brat you red eyed moron!"
Madara suddenly stiffened and a wide, almost insane grin spread across his face. "Finally, they are finished."
A confused frown appeared on Naruto's face. "Finished? Who? And what did they finish?" Madara smirked.
"Lets just say, I played with some of our...very, very old friends."
"What are you talking about?" The ancient Uchiha snorted, then instead of answering Naruto's question a smirk appeared on his face as he replied.
"Stalling for time? Good plan, however war is already mine." A wooden spear lashed from Madara's chest, aiming for the blond. Naruto struggled inside his restrains, desperately trying to move out of the way, however the spear never reached him. A tentacle shot forward, deflecting the spear, which imbedding itself into the hard soil behind the struggling teen.
"Bee-occhan!"
"Naruto! Don't give up! Bro is coming." The Kumo shinobi shouted, while the tentacle slowly moved back into his crouching body.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"
Wooden vines shot toward the heavily panting kumo jinchuuriki, who didn't have the power to move. Bee stayed in his hunched position, overwhelmed by his exhaustion, while the wooden vines enclosed around his weary and bloody body without so much as a twitch of his finger. Bee's body screamed to move, to struggle, to shoot forward and tear away his restraints together with the enemy in front of him. However in the deep abyss of his mind, he had already given up the fight.
The blond boy finally forced his weary body to stay still, forced his muscles to relax with the last bit of his logical mind, desperately reaching out for nature's energy. When the first flecks of orange appeared around his eyes, the wooden restraints blew into shreds, but before he could reach his comrade, Bee simply disappeared from sight inside a lazily swirling vortex. Naruto was already reaching out to tear away the wooden vines, but his hands met with empty space. A satisfied chuckle echoed behind him and when he turned his head toward its source, his eyes met with the pleased expression on Madara's face.
"I should thank you Uzumaki Naruto. Without you, I wouldn't be able to capture the Eight-Tailed this easily. I'm grateful. However, I should leave now. I have some important business with that present of yours. And a meeting with someone else."
Madara started to run through hand signs. He didn't stop even for a second when Naruto sprung into action and shot toward the man, his fist already ready to meet his face.
However, before it could happen, a satisfied half smile appeared on Madara's face, then he and the juubi simply disappeared from the battlefield. Naruto stared at the empty space in front of him for a long second, before he collapsed onto his knees. His brain shut down, forcing out every sound around him. His mind didn't work, his heart didn't beat, and his lungs didn't function, just like before. The yelps and moans around him didn't register in his mind. The soft hands of a pink haired kunoichi on his shoulders didn't reach him. His eyes were still focused on the vacant area in front of him, where Madara had disappeared.
Suddenly the shock wore off, and his eyes finally locked with Sakura's green orbs. After blinking rapidly to clear his foggy mind, muffled voices started to reach his consciousness.
"Naruto! What happened! The Juubi simply disappeared!" The blond only shook his head as a response, but in the end, he managed to press out words from his lumped throat.
"He… he got Bee." Someone violently grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. His eyes locked with the Raikage's furious but also concerned eyes, forcing him to averted his gaze to escape from the stabbing and demanding glare.
"He was… he was protecting me and-I'm sorry." The Raikage slowly released his shoulders and walked farther from the small group, while his voice echoed around them.
"The remains of our forces are heading back to Wind Country. That is the nearest place and it will be our new temporary headquarters. We will talk there Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto sank down into the soft golden sand to watch the fading light on the horizon. The world around him seemed to burn with orange, gold and brilliant red flames as the setting sun's last beams reached the surface with the waving hot air. A soft, but burning hot breeze ruffled his golden locks, picking up the small grains of sand, mixing it with his hair, hiding them under his clothes. But it still felt pleasant and peaceful instead of irritating.
With small movements of his toes, he dug his foot deep inside the golden sand, enjoying the feeling with closed eyes as it encompassed him, flowing between his toes. His mind drifted back to the last week, to the fight between them and Madara. His troubled thoughts wandered to a scene where he had sensed something so unnerving it made his heart ache. He had sensed him. He had sensed Sasuke in sage mode, but only for a short minute before his presence had faded away somewhere in Uzu, as if he had disappeared from the earth. That had been the last time. Since then it didn't matter how hard he tried, something masked his presence from his senses.
The blond gritted his teeth. He also sensed one more very familiar and disturbing presence. But that was impossible. He hoped it was impossible. It couldn't be that Orochimaru was alive. The Edo Tensei had been broken. Only Madara stayed with the living and it couldn't be that the snake had become that powerful could it?
The soft ruffle of clothes in the background didn't kick him out from his musing.
"You left the village." After a long silent minute Naruto finally opened his eyes to meet with the stabbing emerald green orbs of Gaara.
"I'm just outside of the village walls by a meter. You want to scold me again just like yesterday on the balcony? I get it. I won't leave." The Kazekage didn't answer, just averted his gaze to watch the sunset together with his friend.
"Why did you decline the title?" Naruto only shrugged and didn't answer for long, silent minutes in the hope that Gaara would simply forget his question if he ignored him long enough. It worked for quite a while before the Kazekage spoke again.
"So?" The blond teen let out a long sigh and rubbed his eyes. There goes his plan.
"I'm not strong enough or wise enough for that title. Not yet. I was a fool...I thought it would be easy. My goals have changed. I have changed. But...its not enough. I need to become stronger. I need to become smarter. I need to catch up with dad. Konoha's next Hokage can't be a moron like me." The Kazekage watched him with a still, stoic expression for a long, silent minute before he opened his mouth.
"You are stronger than any of the Kage's. You can motivate people, you can give them hope. Yes, you can act like an idiot, yes, maybe you are not mature enough for that position and yes you always act before you think, but you have friends around you, who will help you, who can support you and lead you to the right direction. You are definitely a good leader. You were always fighting not only for the sake of Konoha, but for all of us, even before the alliance formed. For all Shinobi. You should be by our side, where Tsunade once stood."
"So many of them died… I made so many promises that in the end I can't and will never be able to fulfill…How could I lead them?"
"Don't throw away your dreams for the sake of a lost soul who doesn't want to come out from the darkness."
"It hasn't been about him for a long time. I know what I have to do with him..." Naruto muttered his answer; he knew perfectly well who Gaara was referring to even without a name.
"Then what? You were always shouting that you wouldn't die before you became Hokage. That was your final goal. Did you give up? Did you give up your dreams?" Naruto didn't avert his gaze, nor answer for a second.
"It's not that. I still want to become Hokage. But my reasons have changed. When I was small I wanted to become Hokage so people would acknowledge me. Itachi was right. I already earned that acknowledgement. But I don't feel prepared for what I have to do. The war. This war made me realize a lot of things. That I can't save everyone. That I can't think anymore about life like I did before. If I become Hokage maybe I would be the one who'd send my comrades to their death. I'm...I'm not wise enough for that."
His gaze drifted back to the horizon, his mind empty and his expression blank. Gaara let out a sigh and soft sand reached out for Naruto's hitai-ate, loosening the tufted black stripes and let it fall into his lap, while Naruto glanced at his friend with a surprised expression. But its place on his forehead was almost immediately replaced with a new forehead protector, one kanji shining proudly in the middle of it: 'Shinobi'.
"When you think your time has come, when you think you are ready to wear the hat, you can replace your hitai-ate with your old one. Until that time, you are a shinobi of the Allied Forces."
Naruto watched silently as his friend left, before he turned toward the settling sun again, and his hand tightened around the somehow still cold metal plate, which, not a minute ago, was proudly fastened onto his forehead.
An enormous explosion shook the world. Dust and debris flew across the landscape as the blast of air picked up those who didn't have enough chakra, speed, or simple strength to properly stick themselves to the ground. An animalistic, gruesome roar echoed in the air, the voice of something definitely not from this world. With enormous speed and power, another tail swung and smashed into the ground with the sound and force of an explosion. The remains of the Allied Shinobi Forces desperately struggled to stop the destruction and gain enough time to evacuate the civilians in the distance from Sunagakure no Sato, where they had taken shelter after the first battle with Madara for a short, peaceful week.
"Naruto! Retreat and leave with the civilians!" The Godaime Kazekage arrived at the head of the giant toad boss, jumping down from a small sand cloud. His face was bloody, his hair was a mess, dust and small cuts covered his clothes and skin.
"I won't leave you behind! There is still a chance to set it back without Madara here! We only have to deal with the juubi alone!"
"Naruto! You are exhausted and our forces are almost gone! The rest of the Kage's are gone! We've only a handful of the force with Temari and a fraction of the second and fourth division! There is no chance for us, but you must survive!" The young Kage shouted out with despair.
"I won't leave my comrades behind! I will NEVER leave this battlefield, dattebayo!"
"I am the Godaime Kazekage and the Regimental Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces! You are a shinobi of it! I command you to retreat!"
"No." The blond's answer was simple and demanding, his voice lacked any of his previous anger.
"Naruto… You saved me. You saved my sanity… my soul and my body countless times." Gaara's voice was now soft and kind without any trace of his own previous fury and irritation.
"Gaara-"
"Naruto..." The Kage interrupted, his voice still soft, almost whispering, but it was more than enough for the blond to shut his mouth.
"You always ask everybody to believe in you. Now I am the one who is asking you as a friend. Naruto…Have faith in us. Please. Go and save yourself." Naruto's eyes flicked to the side. He couldn't stand to meet his friend's eyes, which had always sparkled with power but now looked back at him pleadingly.
"I won't leave you..." Naruto's equally soft and caring voice encompassed their bodies, suppressing the noise of the enormous battle around them. The commander watched him for a long moment with an emotionless face again.
"I see. In that case, I have one last order for you as the Regimental Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces…and a last wish as your friend." Naruto nodded, then a sudden pain reached his weary mind from where his neck connected his skull.
"Live and get stronger Hokage-sama!" The world slowly faded away from his vision. The last thing he saw was the Godaime Kazekage's form standing above him with a sad smile on his face. A small amount of sand slowly whirled back to the giant guard on his back, before he descended into the darkness of unconsciousness.
That was the last time he saw him.
A slumped figure stood in the thickening rain, gently stroking a giant stone spike, carved by skillful hands into the hard mountain side. Freezing cold rain drops flowed freely down Naruto's face, stabbing his skin like ice needles, mixing with his own warm but silent tears. Darkened eyes ran over the landscape of the empty lands, where two days ago Konoha and her people lived their lives inside the slowly growing number of buildings since Pain's attack. However, that which Nagato failed to destroy, the juubi had finished with just one well-aimed bijuu-dama during their last fight for Suna.
With one leap, he hopped down onto the hard surface, ignoring the pain in his ankles. At least it proved that he wasn't dreaming; however, deep down he really hoped that it was all just a nightmare and that he would wake up in his old apartment. His orbs moved toward the only memorial of his village, the giant mountain with five faces carved into its hard surface. An enormous crack ran through the faces of the First and Second leader, while the lower half of Sarutobi's face simply disappeared. Maybe he was selfish, but he was still glad that, by some miracle, his father's and Tsunade's faces were untouched by the destruction.
Naruto slowly shook his head, and he could feel a crack running through the surface of his own heart. He thought he had developed a sixth sense, that he would feel if something was happening to his beloved village. But he felt nothing when the black ball impacted with the center of the village. He didn't even notice it during the fight, that Konohagakure no Sato was no more, while they fought for Sunagakure no Sato. Nothing left behind. No debris, no ruins, no broken beams, no half collapsed building...nothing. But thankfully there were also no dead bodies of friends and civilians like on the first battlefield or at Suna. The Village Hidden in the Leaves and most of her people had disappeared from the world's surface silently.
"Gamakichi…Bring me back please." Naruto's soft whisper filled the empty land around them. The orange toad didn't answer, only nodded and the two figures disappeared from the empty land with a loud puff.
The wall shook from impact and a long crack appeared where Naruto's fist connected with it. Dilated crimson red eyes flamed with an unreadable emotion while they took in what remained of the Allied Shinobi Forces filling the grounds of Mount Myōboku. Some of them were on the verge of life and death, while others sat without even a scratch;some eyes burned with pure hatred or determination, while others simply stared unfocused into the nothingness in front of them.
"How many?" His voice was weak and cracking, while Sakura stepped next to him.
"Maybe two or three thousand. But thankfully not everyone is here. Some civilians managed to flee from Konoha before the Bijuu Dama strike after they heard what had happened to Suna and some of them had left even before the real fight started. We still have smaller forces here and there beside the survivors from the last battle. Maybe another thousand. We have around six hundred shinobi from Konoha here, the rest are from the other nations...Madara...He knows what he is doing. First he separated the mind...the headquarters, then the sealing team...Then Konoha and Suna to dismiss the backup. The other three hidden villages already evacuated just for safety's sake. Most of the civilians dissolved throughout the lands in small groups." Naruto clenched his hands into fists, his nails painfully cutting into the soft flesh of his palm. Sakura let out a weary sigh after sending a concerned look to her teammate.
"Naruto?"
The blond simply shook his head. "Prepare the new headquarters with Shikamaru, Darui and Kakashi. Paa will help you. He won't be able to find us here for a long time."
"And you?"
A sad smile appeared on Naruto's face, but his eyes flamed with a new determination. "I got an order from Gaara." With this, he simply turned around and left.
Two men occupied the small clearing, their forms gracefully standing amongst the giant plants of Mount Myōboku. The two shinobi suddenly launched toward each other, their movement blurred by their insane speed. Fists connected with palms, rough hits were gracefully swept to the side by a single sweep of an arm. The intense spar continued for an hour, before Naruto almost collapsed on the soft grass of the clearing after a last series of well-aimed juuken strikes. The heavy breathing of the blond boy filled the clearing, while the Hyuuga clan head gave a helping hand for the jinchuuriki to get up.
"You are still too hot headed. Your attacks become sloppy when you lose self-control." A half smile appeared on Naruto's fine features. He raised his hand to scratch the back of his head sheepishly, but it collapsed back to his side halfway. In the end the teen shrugged. Hiashi let out a weary sigh and pressed his fingers to several parts on Naruto's arm to reopen the closed tenketsu points.
"That's enough for today." Naruto shook his head, his eyes flashing with determination and sheer stubbornness.
"Not yet. I can take more." The collected Hyuuga rubbed the bridge of his nose and swept the sweat from his forehead, then in the end just nodded.
The two figures jumped backwards immediately, their bodies moving to stance unconsciously before they shot forward once more.
"Kakashi-sensei."
"Hmm?"
"I know you don't like to talk about it, but…Could you tell me more about dad and the others? I know almost nothing about your past. About your team. I want to understand why he did it. I want to understand what happened to Obito and I want to hear more about my parents." The silver haired jounin closed his eye and didn't answer.
They sat side by side in the afternoon breeze under the shadow of an other world plant in the shore of a meadow, enjoying the sounds of nature around them. Naruto shifted nervously and winced when the movement awakened the pain in his muscles due to his previous training session with Raiton. After five minutes in complete silence, Kakashi finally opened his eye and turned his head toward the cerulean blue sky.
"I met your father for the first time when I graduated from the academy. He stood at the gates, waiting for me…"
Black silhouettes stood around a giant table. The new headquarters was filled with the remaining Allied Shinobi Forces. Naruto simply leaned back against the wall; his arms were buried deep inside his pockets, almost perfectly mimicking the common habit of his sensei. His eyes were closed, but his ear was sharp enough to pick up the soft ruffle of the map on the table, the argument amongst the shinobi, the twitch in their heartbeat. The smell of the fresh ink they used to mark spots on the large map in front of them. It was irritating…
Naruto let out a sigh and escaped from the cascade of senses into his own mindscape. He stepped inside the seal, while his eyes ran over the drastically changing environment with amusement. The sewer was slowly starting to transform. The dark water had disappeared two weeks ago, and he could already see some green spots all over the landscape. Ossier trees germinated in the middle, while the pipes were slowly shrouded by a thick jungle of ivy.
'When I opened the seal, you didn't mention this little side effect, Kurama.' The fox shrugged in his mindscape.
"You don't like the new design?" Naruto shook his head.
"No, it's nice. I'm actually talking about my senses. It's annoying."
"Deal with it. You should be happy with your sharpened senses."
"I can't even sleep because of them."
"You will get used to it in time. Don't complain like a sissy." A furious snort left Naruto's real mouth, and he distantly felt a hand on his shoulder, forcing him out from his mindscape just in time, before he could sink in a deep argument with his fluffy tenant. He opened his eyes and glanced to the side to meet the questioning look on Sakura's face.
"Nothing, just speaking with the furball."
Sakura made a nervous smile and settled down next to the blond boy. "I will never get used to it."
Naruto shrugged. "He is a nice guy, when he's not threatening to tear open my stomach if I do something stupid. Old habits die hard I think. I would be more concern about him if he suddenly started to act like a cute puppy."
"Yeah…" A nervous chuckle left Sakura's soft lips.
"If I can get your attention back there." The irritated voice of Darui reached them and, to Sakura's surprise, they finally moved toward the giant table without any complaint.
"Naruto. You will lead the first wave with Kitsuchi. The second will be Kakashi's, the third will be me." Suddenly a small toad appeared in the middle of the table, gaining everyone's attention in the room.
"They spotted him near the remains of Konoha." Darui only nodded, and the small toad immediately hopped down from the desk and left without any further word.
"It's time for a strike."
Shikamaru tapped Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto, I need to speak with Kurama. I have an idea for him." Naruto nodded and in the next second a shadow clone appeared beside him. His azure blue eyes shifted to crimson red, and his features became more animalistic.
"Come on! Just a little bit more!" The blond teen desperately tried to concentrate fire chakra into his palms, mixing it together with the already small whirling cyclone, together with three clones.
"Boss, it's going to-"
Before the clone next to him could finish the sentence, the technique broke down, and glowing orange flames grabbed the skin on his hands, stretching around the blond teen and the environment, destroying everything around them. The storm of fire and razor sharp wind finally died down around him, leaving only the smoke from the destruction mixed with the chakra filled smoke of the dispersed clones. He heard a desperate yell and muffled footsteps as someone ran toward him, numbed by the pain from his burned arm.
The pain started to die down, the burning sensation replaced with cool, green medical chakra. The blond finally glanced up to his companion, looking deep inside the angry green eyes.
"Idiot! You could have killed yourself with that jutsu." The blond teen didn't answer; he just let her finish what she had already started. Five minutes later, he straightened himself despite the continuous opposition of the pink haired girl.
"Thank you Sakura. It would be safer if you get away from here."
"You don't think that I'll let you continue, do you? You've been out here for twelve hours and you almost burned your hands to coal!" The only answer she received was a determined glance from azure eyes. Hundreds of clones popped into existence with the same determination, and the pink haired kunoichi backed under a giant tree without a word, after a last sad glance into the flaming blue pools.
Uzumaki Naruto lay on his back, his eyes focused on the cerulean sky, with its puffy clouds. It'd been two months since they made their last attempt to seal away the rogue Uchiha and the ten tailed beast. The Shinobi Alliance was slowly breaking, only a handful of ninja stayed together, fighting, and then withdrawing, then fighting again against the terror that showed up from time to time together with Madara, who was still looking for him to capture and gain the final nail to the coffin for the Shinobi World and the Truth.
Thank Kami, the ten tailed beast hadn't been sealed inside Madara. Yet. Without Obito, and with his body being dead, Madara couldn't seal it away. All he could do was summon and control it.. That was the only thing restraining Madara and slowing him down. He needed time and this was their only help against the Uchiha. While he was searching for a way to seal away the beast and also hunting for him, they could act in the shadows and prepare their next attack. But if he figured out a way, found a sealing method which was able to restrain the unstable chakra of the incomplete ten tailed beast inside his dead body...If that happened they were doomed. The Eye of The Moon Plan would succeed, and then the Infinite Tsukuyomi would draw everyone into a false world.
The blond teen slammed his fist into the soft soil next to his body. He let out a sigh and raised his hands in front of his head, focusing a small amount of chakra into his thumbs, and watched with an emotionless face as the electricity jumped from finger to finger with a soft chirping.
Every offensive attack they used had almost no effect on the ten tailed beast. Sheer power and stamina weren't enough to take down that monster, and Naruto learned it the hard way. He had spent time on learning other elements to take down that thing, had learned and developed powerful techniques that could easy wipe out a whole village at full power, furthermore combining them with the attacks of Kurama, but it wasn't enough.
They just slowed them down for a short period. Nothing was enough against that thing. It didn't matter how many times they killed that damn bastard, thanks to the Impure World Resurrection he came back like nothing had happened. Madara wasn't a fool, and he knew perfectly well how they could get rid of him. During the first battle, he had taken care of that threat after he erased the command center. He had chased down the sealing teams one by one. They had lost the rare seal masters from Kumo, two from Iwa, and all from Suna in a blink of an eye by only one powerful attack.
The only way was to seal it away, together with Madara. But that damn Uchiha could counter their every remaining sealing method. None of them were powerful enough to contain that amount of power, and those could be used against him couldn't work because of the complexity of the preparations. The last two shinobi from the sealing teams were just users who couldn't develop anything new on their own. There were no more real seal masters left.
Naruto ran his fingers along the edge of the giant scroll, which he used as a pillow. He had found it an hour ago, deep in the toad's library. Maybe it could help them. He let out a defeated sigh, grabbed the scroll and left the shore without a word, when he felt another presence invading his musing. After Naruto left, a lonely figure stepped out from the edge of the other-world plants, with a worried frown on his face. Sai shook his head and gathered chakra into his limbs to catch up with his teammate.
"I can't stand this silence. Why hasn't he shown himself since the last attack? That was two months ago!" Naruto slammed his fist onto the hard table, causing his friends to flinch.
"Naruto!" Ino barked out from behind the table, where she rested her head on her folded arms. She glanced toward Sakura, who only shrugged as a response.
"What?!" Naruto turned around and folded his arms in front of his chest, sulking and grimacing like a small kid. The blond girl only rolled his eyes in irritation.
"Just when I really started to think you were maturing…" Naruto narrowed his eyes and stuck his tongue out toward the girl, but didn't respond. Shikamaru observed his friend for a long silent minute, his obsidian eyes narrowed with concern when he noted the dark circles around the hazed and darkened blue orbs.
"You didn't sleep yesterday do you?" The blond boy let out a weary sigh and turned toward the Nara.
"No. I'm working on something."
"On what?"
"On a new seal…" Sakura made a curious glance toward her teammate.
"Another barrier?" Naruto shook his head.
"No. Not this time."
"Then what?" Ino had lost her patience and just simply barked out, which reminded everybody of a long lost comrade and his dog. A small, sad smile appeared on Naruto's face, and it slowly transformed into a wide grin, which sent a cold shiver down Sakura's spine. It had been a long time since she last saw that grin. That fake grin of his.
"That's a surprise." Naruto turned around and simply left the room without further explanation, but his mask immediately disappeared when he turned his back to his comrades and his foot crossed the doorstep.
"Sorry everyone…" He whispered into the dark night with a weary and weak voice, but his once hazed and darkened eyes sparkled with new light of determination.
"Tomorrow it will be over. I promise." Only fiery determination showed in the azure eyes of the young boy.
"And I don't go back on my word. That is my nindo. You can trust me. You know that, don't you?" The girl just nodded.
"I told you that I'll break the cycle of hatred. I'll break this curse. If there is such a thing as peace I'll find it. Believe in me. This is my legacy that they left for me."
The girl didn't reply. Instead, a small sob escaped from her mouth as she leaned nearer to the boy's chest for comfort.
"You were always like this, you idiot. You don't have to do everything alone. We're here too. You don't owe the world anything. Don't bear such a burden alone."
"I'm not doing it alone, dattebayo. You are here with me. You will always be with me, it doesn't matter what's happening. Just like Ero-sennin is with me, Tsunade, my parents, all my friends, my comrades…"
"It was their decision. Ino and the others knew what they were planning."
"It was a foolish plan...Shikamaru should have known that." Naruto murmured, his eyes moved toward the motionless body of Ino. She had tried to control Madara during their last battle. His eyes didn't move for long minutes and he averted his gaze only when he felt Sakura grip his clothes tight, to glance down to the eyes of his teammate.
"Promise me, you won't do anything stupid!" A small smile appeared on Naruto's face, but it was slowly washed away when Sakura's eyes practically pleaded with him.
"Promise me!" The blond eyed the girl for a long silent minute then nodded.
"I promise."
Sakura nodded and leaned closer into the warm embrace, and in minutes, she drifted into a dreamless sleep, overwhelmed by her exhaustion. Naruto gently picked up the sleeping girl and placed his teammate into the next empty room.
Naruto watched the sleeping Sakura for minutes, maybe for hours. He didn't know exactly. His hands gently stroked out a pink tuff from her face, and then he leaned closer, his lips stopping only millimeters from her ears.
"I'm sorry Sakura. I'm going to break my promise. Take care." Naruto straightened himself and after one last glance he left the room. His steps echoed in the empty passageway, his face was emotionless, only his eyes sparkled with an odd light, while he opened his own room's door and grabbed a small scroll from his desk. He suddenly stiffened.
"You are the only one who can still sneak up on me since I got Kurama's senses."
Spiky silver locks unfolded from the shadows of a corner, slowly revealing his silhouette centimeter by centimeter as Kakashi slowly walked toward the blond teen, his hands buried casually inside his pockets. The jounin didn't speak for a long silent minute, only his visible eye shined with an odd sparkle while he observed the young boy in front of him. A small smile appeared under the textile of his mask when he realized that he didn't have to tilt his head down as much as back then to look into the eyes of his student.
"You got taller." A small smile appeared on Naruto's face, but he didn't answer. He surpassed the urge to retort with something harsh.
The commander measured his once student from head to toe once more and he had to restrain a flinch when he suddenly realized why he looked so different this time.
The azure orbs shined with a different flame, a flame that he saw first in the eyes of his own late-sensei, when he last saw him on the night before Naruto's birth. Preparing for the worst case scenario. Dozens of scrolls laid on the floor, already checked, though he still leaned above the last small scroll, memorizing its use in the knowledge of what was going to happen if he used it. What he was going to sacrifice if everything went wrong. He had the same eyes as the time Minato mentally prepared for his death just in case something went wrong.
The jounin's chest squeezed painfully when his eye moved toward the small scroll in Naruto's hand. The whole situation was painfully familiar. Kakashi's lips were suddenly dryer than the deserts of Suna in a blink of an eye, and his voice cracked as he whispered.
"I know what you are up to Naruto." The blond's muscles tensed, but he didn't move from his place.
"You want to stop me?"
The jounin shrugged casually and took a step closer and gently freed the small scroll from his student's fingers. However, he actually wanted to scream at him, to just forget his stupid plan. He wanted to punch him in the face to beat some intelligence into his thick head or knock the blond out to stop him and take his place. However he didn't do any of that. He instead slowly rolled the small scroll open, and took a closer look at the painfully familiar design.
"Would anyone be able to stop you?"
A half smile appeared on Naruto's face as he simply grabbed the scroll out of his sensei's hands and buried it deep into his cloak's pocket. "No."
"I thought that technique perished together with Konoha," Kakashi whispered.
"I remade it from my own seal."
"And you've modified the design."
"Yes... I have been working on this for a long time. I finished it yesterday, but…If I had known what they were up to, then I-" Naruto gathered his thoughts and emotions, and hardened his face.
"This form will allow me to use it even if I'm a jinchuuriki."
"Will it be enough? To restrain both of them? Back then it was only able to contain half of the Kyuubi's power."
"It will, but only with Kurama's power boost. He will be able to slip out from the seal before…" Naruto shook his head, and then simply continued listing the facts, which oddly calmed him down. "This is the only seal which is capable of it. With the modifications, it acts like a seal tag and not like a ninjutsu as the original technique. The effect will be immediate. And I am the only one who can use it, before you think about something stupid, like trying to knock me out and take my place." A long, weary sigh left Kakashi's lips, muffled by the cloth of his mask, heating his skin under it.
"I've always wished you would follow your father's footsteps…But not in a way like this." Kakashi slowly shook his head and they stayed in silence for a long soundless minute, enjoying each other's company in the small room and the gently leaking symphony of the cicadas, crickets and the fauna.
"Why are you here Sensei? Will you try to convince me not to do it?" Kakashi stepped closer and gentle hands squeezed Naruto's shoulders reassuringly. The edges were rough by the years of fighting, but it still felt softer against his tense muscles than anything he could currently think of. It wasn't a real hug, but it felt even more to the blond from his restrained teacher.
"Nope. You are as stubborn as your father and your mother. You won't listen. I just hope I could make a proper farewell this time... Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato."
"Kakashi-sensei…"
"Yes?"
"Don't call me that…I'm not..."
The jounin closed his eyes, for a long moment, before his eyes turned into a familiar form, hinting at the wide smile under his mask. "I decline."
Naruto let out a sigh, then with a soft chuckle he turned around to leave. He feared that if he looked at his teacher once more, his determination would crack, but the temptation was too big to bear and he still glanced back, for one final look. His chest tightened and he lurched back to give one last quick hug to his stunned teacher. Kakashi, first a little hesitantly then warmly, returned it until Naruto took a step back and made a few small steps toward the door.
"Sensei…" His voice was so soft, but still serious, and the smile under Kakashi's mask melted away.
"Yes?"
"I leave Sasuke to you. Tell him that I'm sorry that I couldn't keep my promise. And tell the others that I'm sorry, and take care. And to never give up. All of you live a happy life. And go find a girl. Have a family. Have lots of children running around in creepy masks. Rebuild Konoha and her pride. Let the will of fire burn again in peace." Hatake Kakashi stood silently, listening to the last words of his student and when he finished, he made the deepest bow he could manage, and his always collected voice trembled for a moment before it echoed back to him inside the small room.
"I will, Hokage-sama…" He glanced up a moment later in the hope to meet with those azure eyes one more time, but his student was already gone.
Naruto glanced at the other side of the valley from the head of the Shodaime, while the waterfall shined with a cold silver glow by the full moon above them. He had sucked in a long breath, freezing his chakra flow for a moment, before he pushed out a huge amount of Kurama's chakra toward the distant lands.
He ran through a long chain of hand-signs and rolled open a scroll made from fine vellum. With a puff of smoke, a hitai-ate appeared on the ink black design on its surface, together with a worn thick orange coloured diary; a copy of Jiraiya's first book and several other belongings of Uzumaki Naruto he held dear. He gently sealed each of the things back into the scroll, after his fingers stroked the surface of a few photographs, silly things like a pressed leaf from Konoha, or the last remaining pieces of Tsunade's necklace. The last memorials of long gone comrades, friends. One last attempt to say goodbye to their memories. When he finished, only one thing remained in his lap.
The proud insignia of Konoha glinted in the faint moonlight as he traced a finger gently on the curves of his old hitai-ate. Naruto looked around and let out a long sigh. His eyes squeezed shut, his teeth clenched, before he finally shook his head. The blond put the hitai-ate back on the fine surface and in the next second, it was gone, sealed away again, then put the scroll into one of his pockets.
"And now what?"
"I already sent out the invitation. He will come. We just have to wait."
"Are you really sure about this? There must be another way."
"I'm sure. You will be able to leave my body before I pay the necessary price. Everything depends on your timing. I won't let you die with me." Kurama didn't answer. He'd been oddly silent in the last few days, while they had been traveling to their destination. He forced the fox to promise him that he would escape before the Shinigami strikes. He couldn't endure the loss of one more friend.
He settled himself down and his eyes slowly closed to gather as many energy from the untouched nature around him as he could.
"You have finally given up?" Naruto opened his eyes to reveal his golden orbs with horizontal pupils and glanced toward the Uchiha standing on top of his own stone head, whose expression mirrored the same lack of emotion on the stone replica's face. He tilted his head to the side, observing the calm man in front of him for a long silent moment with curiosity.
"Why do you think I've given up?"
The Uchiha folded his arms in front of his chest. "You are here. Alone. Either you have given up or you still think after almost six months of useless battle that you are able to win against me."
A wide, cheeky grin appeared on Naruto's face. "The latter, dattebayo."
"You've chosen an almost sentimental location."
"It's fitting. Don't you think? Because this time, you will really die here."
"Ch. You won't even be able to make a scratch on me." Naruto let out a snort and shook his head, but the Uchiha didn't wait for his answer. Madara's form was colored with a golden shade when he gracefully landed in front of Naruto, whose form was already overwhelmed by the golden flames of pure chakra. The giant form of the Susanoo emerged around the Uchiha in the next second, deflecting the attack coming from Naruto in the next blink of an eye
The battle was enormous. Jutsus scarred and shook the landscape around them, just like almost a hundred years ago. New mountains rose from an earth release by Madara, while one of Naruto's wind releases cut a new canyon into the ground, diverting the ancient old river to a new direction under their feet. If any living thing was nearby, they would see that despite how hard Naruto struggled to win, the Uchiha simply played with him. It didn't matter how hard he trained, how strong he became. The Uchiha was always a step ahead. Naruto dropped himself to the ground on one knee, and only his heavy breathing could be heard over the scarred lands, while he tightened his grip on the newest enormous wound in his stomach. His golden locks hung freely from his crown; he had lost his hitai-ate long ago. It laid somewhere near, maybe shrouded by debris.
"I'm impressed. A normal shinobi would already be unconscious after that wound. But it's still useless. You can't win against me. You are wounded and exhausted, while I'm still untouched."
Naruto felt his left eye twitch in his irritation and an unconscious snarl left his lips as he straightened himself one more time. His hand shot forward and released a kunai toward the Uchiha, sharpened with wind chakra, who didn't even bother to duck in his arrogance at seeing the small attempt. He just simply tilted his head to the side, to let the kunai pass. A satisfied smile spread across Naruto's face when the chakra covered blade suddenly stretched out, drawing a thin red line on the Uchiha's arrogant face. The smile grew into an animalistic grin when the first droplets of crimson liquid slowly flowed down his chin and dropped to the ground with an unnaturally loud splash.
"Ha! Take that!"
His only answer was an irritated glare from the man in front of him.
"Are you ready furball?"
"Ten more seconds and we'll have the necessary amount of chakra."
Naruto raised his hand to the side, not bothering with the enormous wound on his stomach and the countless cuts and bruises all over his body. A warm sensation filled his insides while his chakra slowly flowed into his palm and a shining electric blue globe appeared in it. His other hand was buried into his pocket, his fingers clenched around the scroll, staining it with his own blood.
"Then this is farewell Kurama. Don't forget the right timing!"
"Uzumaki Naruto…"
"Yeah?"
"It was honor to fight with you." Kurama's voice was oddly weak, almost trembling.
"The almighty Nine Tailed Demon Fox became sentimental. I'm touched." Nothing else could be heard inside his head. Kurama didn't answer, but it wasn't necessary.
He felt no regret, no sorrow, no sadness and no despair like anybody else would when he was about to offer himself willingly to the Death god. He wondered if maybe his father also felt like this before he had done the sealing. The thought of his father filled his mind with happiness.
An odd and childish curiosity raised inside his chest. What would the belly of the Shinigami look like? Will he be able to see his father? See Jiji? Suddenly unfitting happiness and joy filled his chest, while his thoughts wandered toward his friends, his family, his comrades, toward all of the people he cared for.
"It was an honor for me also. Take care Kurama."
He let out a long breath, his mind emptied, his breath and heartbeat slowed down. Only one emotion burned inside his head, flaming with blinding light inside his eyes.
Sheer determination.
A soft smile had appeared on his face. The aching of his wounds, the soreness of his muscles, the sharp pain in his abdomen became distant and dull.
"I'm sorry everyone…Take care." A soft breeze ruffled his blond locks, picking up small leaves and dust from the scarred ground, dancing around his body, gently stroking his skin one last time, before carrying away the leaves together with his last words toward distant lands.
Unearthly peace encompassed his mind and his soul, like after a warm caring embrace only which a parent could give to his child. Without thinking, he shot forward with insane speed, gathering all of his own remaining chakra into his feet, and slammed the whirling azure blue Rasengan toward the Uchiha's chest, while his experienced fingers broke the closing seal on the scroll, before the world around him became black.
Author's Note:
For those who think I made a big mistake at the end of the chapter:
Congratulations! You found a very, very important detail which will be a major point in the end. And what both Naruto and Kurama missed. If you can't find it, read it once more carefully! :) Sorry, no hints. :) If you find it, you will know what I'm talking about.
And yes, I'm up to date with the manga and already implemented the new happenings into my storyline so don't tell me what that Uchiha did.. ;) And where is he? What happened to them? And the other four? You will know with time. Well, not in the near future, but with time.
However, I repeat: I'm going to ignore the manga from chapter 629!
Story recommendations:
Through the Hourglass by TimeKeeper21
Who would have guessed that the hyperactive blond would have turned into that. Time-travel, No yaoi Used to be titled, Chaotic Symphony. (Its a shame its short and there are months between the updates. I'm really interested in this story.)