Chance for a Prophecy

by Dorcyy

You can't stop the flow of time. Its wheel only whirls in one direction. It is impossible for a mere human to change that path. But sometimes the impossible must be done… Naruto time travel fanfiction.

34. Chapter 34 – An End of an Era

Disclaimer: Naruto and every character of the Naruto universe belongs to Kishimoto Masashi and companies I don't know.

Applause goes for my precious beta reader and friend Duesal Bladesinger, and also a big thank you for the Awesome Authors Coalition members.

Original upload date: 24th of December 2016.

Last update: n.a.

Chance for a Prophecy

Chapter 34. – An End of an Era

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Important author's note: I want to emphasize once more that the happenings of the manga have been ignored since chapter 629. This part was written almost 4 years ago together with the first chapters of this story. Many things happened in the manga and I couldn't keep up with them or I would have had to rewrite everything from scratch. So please keep this in mind while reading.

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There was no sound, no movement, only a devastating emptiness. It was as if time itself had stopped. His head was light and he vaguely remembered that he needed to breath. He tried to inhale a lungful of oxygen, but at first nothing happened. His mouth didn't part at his will, his chest didn't move. A second later, the world righted itself and the stillness was gone.

Muffled voices echoed around him like he was dunked underwater; even the feeling on his skin was painfully familiar to all-encompassing sensation. Something was wrapping him from head to toe, something scratchy, cold and hard was cocooning him.

He tried to move his mouth, but it was like it was bound by hard fabric that resisted the tiny movement, tightening around his cheeks, his throat, biting into his adam's apple. He tried to suck in air, but something stuck to his mouth, blocking his windpipe.

He twitched and it cracked, a small split appearing in front of his mouth. He sucked in a mouthful of breath, the air whistling as it slipped through.

It gave him some air, but not enough. His mind swam, his lungs were screaming. He violently jerked at the lack of oxygen, and a much harsher cracking sound followed his movement, then the dam finally disappeared from in front of his mouth.

Coldness hit his exposed skin and he immediately tore his lips apart, his chest hungrily expanding as he sucked in a ragged breath. But the attempt ended in a fit of coughs, his body still lacking the oxygen it was desperately screaming for. He tried again, this time succeeding, but his throat was so dry. He literally felt the dust in the air milling his windpipe as it rushed into his lungs.

He jerked and something cracked around him again. More and more of his skin became exposed to the frosty air, and something began peeling off from his body by each movement. Another violent jolt and something broke above him. Gravity pulled him down with its full force. He collided with the hard ground and it knocked out the hard-earned lungful of air right out of him.

He braced himself against his instincts and drank once more from the ice cold oxygen, slower this time, but still feeling it all the way, rasping against his inners as it slipped into his chest, chilling his already cool body. His back was pushed against the hard frosty surface beneath him by the motion. He shivered at the sensation and let out a groan as he tried to arch away from the feeling.

The carving sensation stayed for two more breaths, then subdued into an itching feeling at the back of his throat. He finally gathered the energy to peel his eyes open, but the only thing that registered with his tired mind was a foggy picture with abstract forms. Something blue, spotted with some white blobs and a binding, but warm golden spot at his periferia.

He slowly tried to move to rub his eyes, but the only thing he managed was a pathetic twitch of his arm and a jerk of his head. His body was aching, not with pain but with an overwhelming numbness and cold. His limbs were in a stupor with his brain. Something fell upon his face when he moved again and he immediately tilted his head toward the heat, hungry for the warmth.

A dark silhouette slipped into the picture above him, shrouding the calming blue and the heating yellow beams. He blinked once more, trying to focus his eyesight, but it was hopeless. The only thing he achieved was a new wave of dizziness and another shiver.

A grunt escaped between his rattling teeth and he twitched once more, jerking his head to the side, edging away from the coldness of the black shadow which stole the sun's heat. He finally succeeded, and he hungrily bathed his face in the warm sunbeams.

His pleasure lasted mere seconds. The shadow was back again, and this time it was even bigger.

He felt a touch on him.

The fingers were warm and soft against his skin at first, but the touch hardened, the fingers hooking around his throat.

They grabbed his neck and forcefully raised him from the cold soil until only the tips of his toes skimmed the ground. Not that he had the strength to stand even if he got the opportunity.

But at least the icy ground was gone and his back was now bathing in the warm sunbeams, gradually expelling some of the complete numbness. Sensation returned first in his fingertips, then in his arm, until it finally reached his chest. Whatever relief that came was muted as he felt each of the fingers wrapped around his neck, even the steady heartbeat of their owner. The pressure on his windpipe was firm, but loose enough to let the air in. The next second, they tightened.

He blinked, raised a trembling arm, and grabbed onto the one holding him upward. With willpower beyond human, he forced his brain to work and finally, after a shake of his head, he managed to dismiss most of the haziness in his mind. His brain froze at the sight once more, then sped up until he became dizzy, but this time it lasted only for a second before it settled to calmness.

His eyes locked with whirling crimson, but they lacked the familiar threatening edge. They shone with intense amusement and curiosity.

Uchiha Madara tilted his head to the side, lost in his thoughts for long silent seconds while he observed the shinobi hanging limply in his hand. He experimentally tightened his fingers, and Naruto's other hand edged upward to claw at the iron grip. Half-numb fingers desperately tried to slip between his neck and the hand to loosen the hold, but the attempt was fruitless. The Uchiha turned the Uzumaki's head from left to right, eyes curiously observing the reaction until the blond's breathing accelerated, becoming harsh and rasping as he desperately tried to force air inside his lungs through the gap between the fingers.

"That was…" Madara paused, chewing on his last word, his eyes locked with Naruto's dimming but still defiant azure gaze, before he continued, " ...unexpected." The Uchiha held the gaze for one more silent moment, eyes focused on Naruto until he let out a whistling breath. Gradually both of his arms lost their power, slipped down and fall to his side to hang limply, the movement followed by Madara's gaze.

He suddenly released his grip, letting Naruto fall and crumble on the ground then he stepped back from the panting and coughing blond.

Naruto finally caught his breath. His mind was surprisingly calm. No, not calm, but empty; still struggling to process the happenings of the past and failing at it. He let out a soothing breath, closed his eyes, but immediately tore them open when instead of the peaceful blackness, he saw Minato's face with his last, worried expression. With a violent jerk, he tried to escape from the sight and rolled onto his side, unconsciously squeezing his eyes shut once again.

It did nothing good.

Kushina replaced Minato, then Jiraiya's last smile flashed across his eyes, followed by Kakashi, Sandaime, the Kage and so on, until it settled down on his softly smiling father and mother.

"Snap out of it!" Kurama barked.

Naruto sucked in a ragged breath, shook his head and this time didn't open his eyes. Instead he stubbornly squeezed them tighter, holding onto their picture, searching for their scent around him. But instead of freshly cut grass and sweet vanilla, he smelled smoke, ozone and wet soil. He was already missing it, missing them, even if they existed only in his own head.

"Naruto, I know it's hard, but get control of yourself," Kurama said, his voice weaker than Naruto ever remembered it being, but it still did its job.

With a grunt Naruto forced his eyes open and pushed himself onto his knees. His eyes darted over the place around him, registering and understanding what he was seeing for the first time. He was still at the Valley of the End. At least what remained of it. His eyes settled down on an unnaturally pale tree next to him, one that he was pretty sure wasn't there originally. It looked ancient, its branches thick, curling and stretching high toward the sky, but not a single leaf was on it. It was dry and sick.

He observed the intricate bark, and it reminded him more and more of the surface of a human brain. His eyes traveled along the tatty roots until they settled down at his feet and locked on several pale greenish wooden shards around him. Their form and size were various, the bigger ones disturbingly reminding him of an amateur sculpture's weak attempts of a human's rough body parts. A hollow head, a torso, a half shattered arm. Like pieces of a pale, human shaped coffin.

He furrowed his brows, when he found several thin, root-like twines, his eyes trailing along their way up where they connected with his forearm. He lifted one eyebrow, silently observing as they disappeared under his thin skin, stretching it so it became transparent, the silhouette of the vines visible as they slipped into his bulging blue veins. He lifted a trembling hand, curved it around the twines, hesitating for only a second, then yanked them out. He examined it with narrowed eyes, then tossed them away, his eyes focusing now on the small holes in his skin. He watched indifferently as they oozed small trails of blood, gathering on the crook of his arm until it was filled completely and the crimson liquid spilled. His eyes trailed the blood's path as it snaked down on his arm and dripped onto the land, the soil hungrily drinking it, not leaving behind even a droplet.

Naruto blinked and his eyes drifted back upward on his leg. Some of the wooden fragments were still attached to his exposed skin. A grimace twisted his face, and with trembling arms he picked and pulled on the closest one. It stuck to him so tight that his skin expanded and he even tore out several of his hairs. But his limb was still half numb, and he felt no pain, only the disturbing pulling sensation of getting rid of a stubborn and clingy bandage. He turned it over his fingers, its surface was rough and several sprinter stick out of it. He could feel the shadow of the Juubi's raw and incomplete chakra buzzing within it, and strangely, it also reminded him of white zetsu's power. With a disgusted expression, he flicked it away and continued with another shard.

A pair of legs strolled into the edge of his vision, but the blond disregarded the imminent danger. He continued peeling off every remains of the cocoon from his body until he got rid all of it.

Madara patiently waited for him to finish, silently observing, before finally opening his mouth. "I have to admit, I'm impressed. How did you discover the truth?"

Naruto shook his head, then finally tore away his gaze from the wooden fragments to glance up at the stoic Uchiha, but immediately averted his eyes. Instead he concentrated on the sensation of Kurama's dense chakra filing his still chilly coils, finally warming him up and easing away the last remains of the everywhere lingering numbness.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Kurama snapped, the blond jerking.

Naruto let out a sigh and forced his weary muscles to straighten himself, almost failing at the attempt, even grabbing onto the red battle gear in front of him before he caught himself in the last second and finally he was able to face with the elder Uchiha.

"Do you still remember how we planned to get rid of him?" muttered Kurama.

Of course he remembered. He shifted and he was able to feel the weight of the scroll in his pocket as it bumped against his thigh. Naruto made a nod, not trusting in his mind to actually be able to answer.

"Then we will continue with that plan. Buy as much time as you can. I have to gather enough chakra to trigger the seal," Kurama muttered.

Naruto nodded again, closing his eyes for a second, then defiantly locking his gaze with the swirling pinwheels.

Madara's face scrunched up into a impatient grimace. "So, how did you realize?"

Naruto tried to hold the gaze, squeezing his mouth into a thin line and refusing to answer in the silent battle of wills. A familiar scent hit his nose, sweet and unforgettable. It came out of nowhere, totally out of place on the scorched battlefield. It was most likely his brain playing an evil trick with him, but before he could think more it was already gone, but it was enough to shake him and allow doubt to creep into his mind.

He forced down the disturbing feeling, Madara's mouth twitched upward, and Naruto's eyes snapped to the side in shame as he answered. "I didn't know it until the last moment. Kurama didn't either. You made a perfect genjutsu. A really perfect one."

The Uchiha shifted, opening his mouth. "Were you happy?" he asked.

"I wasn't—" The blond defiantly shook his head, then glanced up at the Uchiha before correcting himself. "—I was happy." The words felt bitter as they rolled off his tongue, but there were no reason to lie to Madara. It was hard to admit it, but he had beenhappy.

Madara observed the boy in front of him and arched an eyebrow. "Then why?"

"Because it was fake!" Naruto snapped, his chest rapidly heaving with the sudden anger.

Madara made a vague sound in his throat. "You were with your family."

"But I wasn't. Their feelings, their attitudes, their presence: it was all just a part of the illusion," the blond snarled, throwing his arm wide, but the only reaction he got at first was a small, sly smile, before the Uchiha let out a booming laugh.

"Do you know why this technique is so special? Why is it feels so perfect? Because the jutsu was using memories of everyone that it captured, analyzing behavior patterns to recreate the dead in every possible way. What you saw and experienced were exactly the same as how they would act if you'd had the chance to meet them. They were real."

Naruto shook his head vehemently, squeezing his mouth shut before prying it back open to speak. "I never knew Rin, or Yahiko. There were lots of strangers who I hadn't met. How'd the technique know how they'd act?"

A smirk appeared on Madara's face. "Uchiha Obito was once under the early concept of this technique when I introduced my plan, and the Kyuubi was also very helpful in this aspect. As I already told you, this technique lives a separate life. It used his, yours, the fox's, and even my memories to replicate the people around you. And these people weren't the only one caught in my genjutsu."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What?"

The smirk on the Uchiha's face widened, and he dipped his head toward the empty remains of the cocoon at Naruto's feet, "Did you know that every single white zetsu was once human? That they used to be shinobi? That's what people become after being caught inside it. They change slowly, over time. It wasn't Obito who first entered the cave. I caught shinobi from all over the elemental nations throughout the course of decades. They provided memories of every single man and woman you've encountered during your own dream. They were fine specimens for my experiments and served their purpose marvelously."

The ancient old man folded his arms in front of his chest, his eyes flaring with interest. "Tell me, Uzumaki Naruto. If the illusion was perfect and you never once had reason to suspect a genjutsu, then how did you discover that world was not reality? How did you break free?"

Naruto only shrugged. The ancient Uchiha narrowed his eyes, waiting for his response.

After a moment, the blond finally opened his mouth to answer his question. "Dead people don't bleed. I cut your face," he nodded toward him, "and you were bleeding. I forgot about it, but when I saw your blood I just remembered. That was how I knew something was wrong."

Madara dipped his head to the side. "Even so, how did you break free?"

"Because it wasn't what I really wanted!" Naruto barked back, wetting his lips and gulping down the salvia gathering at the back of his throat, watching as Madara's lips curved upward into a knowing, half smirk. Naruto let out a sound of frustration. "Tell me something, you old bastard. If the goal of this genjutsu was to create a perfect world, then why? Why did Rin have to die? Why did you kill her? Her death was pointless."

"Every death is pointless! Every death is meaningless with empty purposes tacked on to comfort those left behind! No one should ever die if it's not because of old age," Madara snarled as he took a step forward.

Naruto pursed his lips together, trying to squeeze out some of the anger boiling inside him. But the dam was almost full, and he also took a threatening step toward his enemy. "Then why did all those things happen to me!? I thought the Infinite Tsukuyomi made the perfect world! So why?! Why wasn't it peaceful for me?!"

An odd spark appeared in Madara's eyes, the edge of his mouth curling upward in a full smirk in triumph. "The human mind is an interesting structure, Uzumaki Naruto. Do you think I could create a perfect world for you? Do you think I know your every little whim? Your dreams? Do you think anyone could know you that well? No, because even with the power to read minds, some parts of the psyche are too subtle to even detect much less understand. Only you could know your own deepest desires. Do you understand what that means?"

A satisfied grin appeared on Madara's face, a mocking smile brimming with contempt and malice. Naruto froze at the sight of it, even as sudden realization drained the blood from his face and forced his eyes wide open with denial.

"I see, you understood now. Your dream world wasn't created by me, it was created by you. That's why it was perfect. You were the one who killed Rin, not me. You were yearning for a second chance, to live with a loving family, but you also wanted to change the future for your friends. You wanted to be the hero, to swoop in and save the day. But to achieve that, you had to defeat Obito and stop my plans: Obito, who unfortunately wouldn't be the villain you knew without Rin's death. The genjutsu could have brought you further back in the past where you could save Obito. But that wasn't what you desired deep inside your heart, was it? You wanted revenge."

The blond violently shook his head and jerked a step backward, but Madara disregarded it and continued. "Your desires were the ones which killed Rin, not mine. Your soul is that of a fighter. For you, a perfect world is where you have to struggle and fight, where you have to face strong opponents and in the end you can save your precious people. But for that, they first have to be in danger."

Naruto squeezed his hands into fists, his nails digging deep into the flesh of his palm. He shook his head once again, the motion jerky and stilted like he had trouble making his body obey him out of sheer shock. "You—you're lying—" His protest was halfhearted, dying down into a choke at the end.

The Uchiha only tilted his head to the side, with the same half smirk still on it. "Why would I need to lie to you? I gain no benefit from that. Don't you think so, Uzumaki Naruto?"

"No. I wanted to save Obito. You're lying," Naruto weakly argued, but his words weren't confident. The moment he saw Minato fall, he wanted to hurt Obito, to kill Obito.

"But you didn't save him." Madara uncaringly lifted his right shoulder, then let it drop. "Think what you want. It doesn't matter to me. I was generous to give you a chance to be happy while I figured out how best to extract the Kyuubi and merge it with the Juubi inside me. However, I thought I would have more time for that."

Naruto's hand unconsciously moved to his stomach to grab his clothes, and he took a step backward, sweeping his gaze across the landscape. The sun was already up, but not across the meridian. "How long?"

A smirk appeared on the Uchiha's face. "How long were you under the genjutsu?"

Naruto nodded in reply.

Madara lifted a brow. "Around two minutes, perhaps a little bit more to be exact."

Naruto's eyes widened with disbelief, his mouth falling open."But—That's not possible. I was there for—it felt like almost a year."

Madara chuckled. "Oh, it is possible. The simple Tsukuyomi is able to compress 72 hours into one second. Don't you think the Infinite Tsukuyomi should be at least that powerful?"

Naruto shook his head, his eyes locked on his opponent, his mind finally founding something to distract his thoughts, "Your body. How?"

The Uchiha made a wondering face and tapped his chin. "You are a curious little jinchuuriki, aren't you? But I am a generous man. Consider this information as a reward that you were able to release yourself from the Infinite Tsukuyomi." Madara paused, his eyes roving over Naruto, his face scrunching up in a grimace. "Since you managed to kill Obito, I was forced to look after another solution. He should have resurrected me with the rinnegan. For a long time, I was looking for someone, a person who knows a certain jutsu which transfers the consciousness, the soul. I needed a new, living body to obtain the Juubi's power. Now think, little jinchuuriki. Do you know someone who knows a jutsu like that?"

Realization hit Naruto with the full force of one of his wind jutsu, knocking the air out of his lungs, forcing him to jerk another step backward. "Orochimaru is dead," he wheezed out.

A wide smirk stretched across the Uchiha's face. "I want to correct that. He was dead. Then he was resurrected by a certain mutual friend. A foolish decision to be sure, and he more than payed the price for it. Orochimaru gave me the information on this jutsu after some… persuasion, and then I murdered him. So my only remaining task was to get my hands hand on his small pet. His body was almost perfect for me."

Naruto flinched several steps backwards until his back met with the hard surface of the unnatural tree, cutting off his escape both physically, and from what he'd just heard. Madara never even had to mention the name. "No…" Naruto choked out, eyes wide and desperate. The last time he had sensed Sasuke was somewhere near Uzu, while they were fighting against Madara for the first time. Naruto grit his teeth. "What did you do to him? Where is Sasuke?!"

A smug grin appeared on the Uchiha's face as Naruto was overwhelmed by despair. "Oh, I didn't kill him of course. After all, why would I kill a perfect vessel? My body might have been gone but my soul was untouched. The only thing I needed was a new living body. Imagine my luck when I found one that was nearly perfect for the job, raised and honed exactly for such a purpose. It only needed some small modifications to be able to control the Juubi's power. Unfortunately, I had to integrate Hashirama's cells into his body. That took quite a long time. You were my first experiment before I cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi on the whole world."

Naruto desperately shook his head. "No! He would never allow that!"

An amused expression appeared on the elder Uchiha's face, then it melted into a smirk. "I never said that he had given up his body willingly. He put up a nice fight. Better than most, actually. It was almost challenging. Almost." A wandering expression replaced the previous smirk on the Uchiha's face. "I think that's enough for our chit-chat. So, what should I do to you, little jinchuuriki? Even if I throw you into the Infinite Tsukuyomi again, with this knowledge in your head you'll only break free."

Naruto didn't heard the Uchiha's babble. His thoughts were inward, and he drowned in his worries and fears. About Sasuke, about his father, his mother, his teams in the real world and the fake. His feelings, his joy, his doubts, their encouragement, their pride, their love, their hope, their faith. Their faith in him. In his power, in his defiance, in his dreams. Dreams and goals he had long forgotten, but they bubbled back to life with the vehemence and vigor of the flaming sun, scorching every fear and hesitation in their way.

"We can do it. Just ten more minutes," Kurama's voice echoed in his mind, and it was enough to snap his attention back. Not what he said, but how he said it. With trust, with relief, with pride.

His eyes sharpened as Madara moved towards him.

The Uchiha took another step, slowly closing the distance between them. "I will need the Kyuubi's power to perfect the Juubi inside me, and with it, release the pure and never-ending genjutsu on the Earth."

Naruto swept his legs further apart and lowered the center of his gravity, his muscles tensing.

A wide smirk spread across Madara's face, his sharp and noble features twisting with the ugly expression. "Oh, so you want to dance? Don't you remember the last time we did that? You were forced into my genjutsu after some play. Don't you think it's meaningless?"

Naruto closed his eyes, his mind swaying back to the past again, to the time after they retreated back to the sand dunes and waited at Gaara's home.

"His gaze drifted onto the horizon of the endless desert, 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 letting it fall into his lap. Naruto glanced at his friend with a surprised expression, but his lost forehead protector was almost immediately replaced with a new one, a single kanji shining proudly in the middle of it: 'Shinobi'.

"When you think your time has come, when you think you are ready to don the hat, you can replace this hitai-ate with your old one. Until that time, you are a shinobi of the Allied Forces."

Naruto squeezed his eyes tighter, his parents' picture flashing across his mind, his own voice echoing within him, declaring his own budding feelings for a lost desire. Minato's voice echoed now inside his head; as he encouraged him, as he trusted him. The previously lost desire and confidence flared up again in his gut, and this time it didn't fade. It lingered there, steady and unfaltering with a mesmerizing force as it burned down all of his doubts.

Madara silently observed the teen, then shrugged. "Well, I think without your limbs you won't be that bothersome."

Naruto threw his eyes open, let out a bubbling growl, flashed his canines, and snarled. "If you tear off my arms, I'll kick you to death! If you tear away my legs, then I'll bite off your head! I'll fight until I defeat you, or until I die! I won't give up!"

A half smirk appeared on the Uchiha's face. "I never expected any less from you, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto let a wide smirk pull the edge of his lips upward and reached inside one of his pockets to reveal a small scroll, made from fine vellum. "You know, Madara, I should thank you."

Madara ducked his head to the side and raised a curious eyebrow. "For what?"

The blond let out a small chuckle. "For the Infinite Tsukuyomi. You gave me back something I had lost a long time ago. You gave back my lost confidence, my dream, and now you're even giving me back a chance to fulfill a promise. Even if it wasn't real, it was exactly what I needed."

Madara watched the progress curiously, with the unconcerned carelessness that belonged only to gods, as the blond slowly and ceremoniously unsealed the small scroll, gently lifting an old and scratchy hitai-ate. The strips of black cloth were worn and the edges were frazzled here and there, but the proud insignia of Konohagakure no Sato beamed on the metal plate like the brightest sun when he tied it on his forehead where it belonged. Madara narrowed his eyes and asked, "What purpose did that serve?"

Naruto ignored the question and closed his eyes, his posture suddenly straightening with pride, his weariness vanishing. Naruto's mouth slipped into a wide and proud smile. "Uchiha Madara. I Uzumaki Naruto, the Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, will finish what the Shodaime started." Naruto raised his arm and pointed a finger at the middle of the crimson battle armour, his smile transforming into a feral grin. "I'm going to kick your ass!"

Potent chakra whirled to life around the blond, and he immediately dashed toward his stunned opponent, fingers curled into a tight fist, covered with howling wind. He thrusted it forward and it collided with Madara's left cheek, milling millions of small cuts into his skin and sending him flying inside the gaping ravine.

He gathered chakra in his gut, held it for a moment, then let it free. Several clones appeared around him, some already rushing inside the valley, some heading toward the other direction, others gathering energy from nature. The original sucked in a breath, then let it out and followed his clones inside the abyss.

Naruto slid down on the wall, sending small debris raining over the roaring river. He hopped onto its surface, disregarding the waves raging at his feet, and dashed toward the battle to join his clones' side. He ducked an attack, rolled, and popped back up, his hands already formed into seals. He drew air in his lungs and exhaled it in the form of small fireballs sent flying towards the Uchiha.

"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!"

He sucked in another breath and let it out, this time fueling it with roaring wind chakra. The gust grabbed the small fire balls, letting them grow as it fueled them with air, then they started to whirl and glow like a tornado made of pure fire which went flying towards Madara with increased speed.

The Uchiha let out a hum, and with an elegant movement of his wrist, he dismissed the whirling wildfire effortlessly. He even made a show of dusting off his shoulder, as if to convey just how utterly unconcerned he was.

"Hold on, only a little bit more!" Kurama roared inside his mind, his voice echoing.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as his opponent blocked the next punch. Something was odd. He stepped to the side and twisted his torso to avoid another strike. But it was still only a bare-handed attack. There was no screaming fire, no flaring chakra behind it. Something was definitely odd. Their eyes locked for a moment, Madara's flaring crimson as they flashed in confusion.

The elder Uchiha narrowed his eyes and grit his teeth in irritation, launching another attack. But before his fist could reach Naruto, his movement slowed down for a second, breaking the flow. Naruto didn't hesitate, his right hand immediately utilizing the opening, but the Uchiha shook of whatever happened to him just in time to grab his hand and stop the impact.

Their eyes met for a brief moment, and Naruto stared into a pitch black pool.

The sharingan was gone.

Naruto curled his fingers tight around Madara's wrist and defiantly stared into the midnight mirror-like eyes. Something was odd with them. They shined with something… something familiar. Madara twisted his wrist, freeing himself, hurled to the side then back as he launched a counterattack immediately. He curled his hand into fist and threw it toward Naruto's face, but he caught it easily.

Madara's eyes flashed red for a brief second, then dimmed, and the word around them faded away, their surroundings melting by a blinding white flash.

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut to protect them from the light. The coldness around him was gone, together with nature's sounds of the wind and waterfall. Everything felt utterly sterile. There was no voice, no movement, only a single being's slow, rhythmical breathing could be heard. It felt familiar. Calming. Soothing. Inviting. And also irritating.

Naruto didn't open his eyes for a long silent moment, he didn't move, only a small smile tugged at his lips. He let in breath and the smile widened as he exhaled, "Bastard."

There was no real response at first, only the previously calm breathing rhythm was broken by a small snort, before continuing in the same, steady pace. It continued for some time, before someone let in a long breath and finally answered, and when it come, it warmed him up from head to toe. "Idiot."

Naruto's eyes shot open as he swept his head toward the voice's direction; the wide grin didn't falter. "I know it was you."

Sasuke's face scrunched up into an annoyed grimace. "Who else would it be, dead-last?"

The blond let out a chuckle and ran his hand through his messy hair. "I'm glad. That means I can still save you."

A low, bitter laugh escaped Sasuke, almost unrecognizable, easily mistaken to a long grunt, but it was still there. "You're still an idiot. You can still only think only about that." Sasuke's eyebrow rose. "Tell me, Naruto. How do you plan to save me?"

The Uzumaki let out a snort and took a step toward his companion. "I just have to kick Madara's butt hard enough to make him fly out of your body."

The Uchiha slowly shook his head. "You've become strong. Even stronger than me, stronger than anyone I know, but it still won't be enough."

An amused, almost smug expression appeared on Naruto's face. "Oh, please say that again. The almighty, I'm-better-than-everyone Uchiha Sasuke just acknowledged me?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. "You really are still a fool. You're strong, but you don't have the power to kill Madara."

Naruto lifted his shoulder and took another step toward his former teammate, but stopped and let his shoulder drop. He stayed in the safety of silence for a moment before opening his mouth. "Then tell me how to save you."

Sasuke looked at the blond, slowly unfolded his arms and took a step forward. "You can't save me."

Naruto shot a glare toward the raven-haired boy, his face a mask of pure determination and stubbornness. "Yes, I can. I made a promise. And Uzumaki Naruto never goes back on his word."

A snort echoed inside the void. "Yes, I'd already heard that. Then tell me, Naruto, tell me how things went with the Hyuuga clan. You promised Neji that you would change the Hyuuga. But they are gone. There is no more clan to change for the better. You failed."

Naruto squeezed his hands into fists, his eyes still bright with determination. "I won't fail this time."

"Uzumaki Naruto never goes back on his word, huh?" Sasuke remarked, his voice dripping with doubt. "Then promise me something, Naruto."

Naruto's left eyebrow rose until it disappeared under his hitai-ate. "Promise you what?"

Sasuke's took another step toward the blond. "Promise me... that you will fulfill my next wish."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "It depends."

"No," Sasuke denied, shaking his head. "First promise me."

Naruto furrowed his brow to one coherent line, eyeing his companion suspiciously, but in the end slowly nodded. "Alright, I promise."

A small, almost invisible, but altogether satisfied and revealed smile appeared on the Uchiha's face. "Good." He narrowed his eyes once again. "And you won't go back on your word, will you?"

Naruto was suspicious, but he still nodded once more, this time much hesitantly but still determined.

The edges of Sasuke's mouth twitched up in something that almost resembled a smile. "Then fulfill my last wish. I can restrain Madara. Only for a brief moment, and with no second chances. I won't be able to do it twice." Naruto slowly nodded again. The Uchiha watched him closely, and when he determined that Naruto understood, he nodded to himself and continued. "He will be vulnerable for that brief moment. That will be your chance to strike and do whatever you're planning to do."

Naruto's eyes widened and he took a step backward, vehemently shaking his head. "I can't do that! If I do, then you'll also—" he shut his mouth with an audible click.

A sarcastic smirk appeared on Sasuke's face. "I thought you made a promise to me."

"That's not what I meant—" Naruto tried to protest but failed to find the words he was looking for. Instead he took another step backward when Sasuke advanced on him, leaving only centimeters between the two of them.

"You promised me!" Sasuke snapped, his fingers curling around the remains of his coat's collar, black eyes flaring red for a moment, before settling back to its original dark color. "Naruto," the Uchiha said, voice more tired than anytime he had heard it, but still firm, making the named boy snap up in attention. "This is my final wish. I don't want to live my life as a puppet. I'm not strong enough to seize control. It's not like with Orochimaru. This meeting alone has cost me too much strength. "

"Sasuke…" Naruto looked to the side. "I—I can't. If I do what I'm planning to do, you'd also be sealed."

The Uchiha let out a weary sigh, his shoulders hunching in defeat, but his fingers still defiantly or most likely desperately locked on the tattered fabric of Naruto's coat. "You were right…and I—I was a fool. I was blind even with the sharingan. I was lost in the darkness, but I opened my eyes too late. My last wish is to die for what's right. Kill me, together with Madara."

Naruto desperately shook his head once more. "Sasuke—"

Sasuke raised his voice, "Naruto, if you really are the Rokudaime Hokage, then do your duty. I'm a rogue ninja. Kill me together with Madara."

"I can't do that," Naruto mumbled.

Sasuke let out a tired sigh, and stayed quit for some seconds before continuing. "I talked to all the previous Hokage. I talked to your father."

Naruto's eyes widened for a brief second, but he couldn't think for long, Sasuke continued his explanation. "I met with Itachi." Sasuke paused for a moment, then continued. "I wanted answers. I even foolishly resurrected Orochimaru from Anko's curse seal. He led us to Uzu where he released the Hokage sealed inside the Shinigami's belly. The First, the Second, the Third, and the Fourth."

Naruto twitched. "What question?" he asked. He already knew the answer, but he still need to hear it.

Sasuke didn't speak for a moment, letting the answer hang above their heads like a guillotine. "Whether or not I should take my revenge on the Leaf and destroy it," he said, pausing, "or if I should try to save it."

Naruto didn't react verbally, but his muscles tensed, so Sasuke continued. "They told what a clan is, what a village is, what a shinobi is. They made me realize what I am. I realized that if I let the village be destroyed, or if I destroyed it myself, I would kill Itachi's legacy once more. I would kill Itachi's every act. All of his efforts, his suffering would be a waste if I let Konoha fall. I finally understood the will of fire. I finally understood what Itachi saw when he looked at the village." Sasuke stopped, and a sour smile spread across his face.

"But it seems that my efforts were pointless. The four Kage, me, my team. and even Orochimaru were all about to head to the battlefield when Madara appeared with an unconscious Killer Bee. He tricked us. He let Hashirama to try to convince him, but all the while he trapped Orochimaru in a genjutsu and forced him to release the Edo Tensei. The rest… I think you can figure it out." Sasuke grit his teeth. His hands squeezed into fist, anger rising and banishing away his calm composure as a frustrated laugh bubbled out from him.

Naruto didn't know what to say. What could he say?

"I was weak. I was pathetic," he spat. "All my efforts to get stronger and surpass you were a waste of time. I should have killed myself the moment I realized Madara's plans." Naruto watched his friend in silence, daring not to distract his confession. "I finally made the right decision, I finally wanted to defend something, to do something in accordance with Itachi's will, and I failed. But now, there is still one last chance to have absolution and redemption for every mistake I've made. One final chance to cleanse the Uchiha name, to prove that they were worthy of their fame. Don't take this away from me, Naruto. Don't take away my last chance to do something right." Sasuke looked down, his fingers finally releasing the fabric and slipping away from Naruto's chest to fall limply at his sides.

Heavy silence fell among them, thick and soggy. Thoughts raced through Naruto's mind, desperately looking for any handhold, any other solution. But he had to admit, he wasn't a Nara. A bittersweet smile stretched across his face. "We're in the border lands of the Land of Fire. Does this count as bringing you back to Konoha?"

Sasuke blinked and glanced up to his comrade's eyes. Naruto didn't continued for a long, silent moment, but in the end a soft smile spread across his face, while his murmur filled the void around them. "When we were here the last time, I told you something, didn't I?"

Sasuke paused, digging up the distant memory, but eventually he nodded.

A wide grin spread across Naruto's face as he raised his arm and placed a hand on the Uchiha's shoulder. "I told you, remember? The next time we fight, both of us are gonna die. I promised I'd be the last person you fought." The Uchiha stayed in silence, his face suddenly calm. Naruto spoke, his voice soft and solemn, "I think it's time for me to fulfill that promise. Don't you think so too, Sasuke?" They stayed in silence for a long, almost never ending moment, staring at each other, before a cheeky smile appeared on Naruto's face.

"I bet I'll be faster in the other word then you, Bastard."

Sasuke's face stayed passive, then his eyebrow twitched and suddenly a snort bubbled out from him. "Idiot, you'll never beat me." A small chuckle followed the declaration, and it soon turned into relieved laughter.

Sasuke's real, unburdened laugh filled the void before it faded away, and the whiteness went with it.

---

The calm was gone in the next second, obsidian orbs flaring with furious crimson.

Sasuke was gone, the bright void replaced by the elder Uchiha who immediately freed himself and jumped backward, examining his own body, clenching and unclenching his hands only to repeat the motion while the tomoes in his eyes whirled continuously.

"That was..." Madara paused between two breaths, "…interesting." A wondering expression appeared on his face

"We're ready!" Kurama roared, the remains of the seal vibrating with the shout.

Naruto straightened, his hand inching inside his pocket, desperately looking for the small scroll, praying to every Kami on and above the Earth to find it there in one piece. His prayer was granted, his heartbeat slowing down together with his harsh breathing when his fingers brushed over the paper's edge. It was ragged, but still intact. He curled his fingers around the small scroll.

"Do it, Naruto!" Kurama roared in his mind, the voice echoing, fierce, sad, dubious, but still imperious. And proud.

Sheer determination flashed across Naruto's face even as the wondering expression melted away from his opponent's. Madara immediately launched into his next attack. A small flash of obsidian eyes could be seen before the elder Uchiha froze in motion, his muscles trembling, eyes wide with the first hint of fear below a sea of bewilderment.

Azure blue eyes locked with ink black orbs, while the rough flesh of his palm met his opponent's chest without hesitation. Naruto's voice filled the valley, echoing amongst the cliffs for a neverending moment.

"Shiki Fujin."

At first nothing happened, then suddenly a bright light flashed.

Naruto squeezed his eyes against it. He felt a small tug, then a violent jerk at his very core, tearing him from his insides, until it suddenly stopped. Everything stopped. The sounds, the movement, the light.

Everything became black.

---

It was strange… He felt nothing, but he could still feel everything. He was floating, his body was surrounded by something warm, covering him up from head to toe, forcing itself into his nose, into his mouth, into his lungs. But it still felt pleasant. It felt natural for him. A thought popped into his mind that he should open his eyes, but it disappeared as fast as it came. Why should he bother himself? He was comfortable. He was calm. He was in peace.

He felt the soft, almost unnoticeable wave around him. Something floated next to him, and passed his body as fast as it had arrived.

He let out a soft breath. Something left his lungs, however it wasn't air. It reminded him about something, a small soft feather in the warm breeze in springtime. Spring breeze… was that what he felt? Soft pink spots were dancing, playfully swirling around him in spring. Were they cherry blossoms?

For the first time, his eyelids squeezed harder. He should remember to something. A soft laugh echoed inside his mind. A smile, pink hair, Sakura… Another laugh echoed inside his head, warm, carefree, loving, just like a woman would laugh when her baby did something funny. Mother… A swirl of blood red hair, a wide smile, then it was gone.

He suddenly felt empty, the temperature dropped a few degrees and his eyes snapped open to stare into the nothingness for a brief few seconds before they drifted closed again.

Something touched his skin, something warm and fluffy and he couldn't surpass the shiver that run up on his spine. The void around him waved once more by his movement, tossing away that thing which connected with his bare skin.

An image popped up inside his mind, an image of a group of smiling people. A man with a scarred face and a shining red eye, then another similar one with calm, emotionless ink-black eyes and long dark bangs around his face. Another followed, silver-haired but not old, this one wearing a half face mask. A young, pink-haired girl ran after the fading man. Another popped up, a white-haired man with a goofy smile, then he also vanished in the dark void.

They kept coming. Men, women, boys, girls, blond, red, brown and black-haired, all smiling, waving at him and in the end all disappearing.

The pictures keep going until time seemed to slow and then stop altogether, the image fixing on a man with blond hair, blue eyes and a smile so bright it could melt away glaciers. The image expanded, Naruto's vision locked with eyes brighter and bluer than the cloudless sky, just like his own. The mouth of the stranger moved, but he heard nothing.

He squeezed his eyes in frustration. He wanted to hear. He wanted to know what that man was telling him. Something deep inside him was eager to hear his voice one last time. Muffled noises started to stab the complete silence around him. He shook his head. 'I don't understand.' The voice around him became louder and clearer, until it finally cleared. "Are you giving up?"

He shook his head once more, this time very slow. "I don't know what you mean."

The man in his mind smiled back at him. "It's not like you."

His mind desperately reached out for the man, pleading for the answer, but when no reply came, his mind settled down again into the never ending peace around him. "I don't understand," he repeated.

"That's not the boy who I know. You've got promises to fulfill. Don't you remember?" The man furrowed his brow, but his eyes were still warm.

"Promises?" he asked.

The man slowly nodded, the warm expression never melting away from his kind face. "Yes."

"What promises?" Naruto furrowed his brows into one coherent line. "I don't understand what you want from me."

"Don't give up!" the image ordered, this time fiercely, and he flinched, squeezing his eyes tighter. The image slowly faded away.

"I am giving up?" His whispering echoed all around him in the ink black void. His mind struggled for an answer with every bit of his strength. His eyes darted with insane speed behind his closed eyelids, searching for the solution, until they suddenly snapped open, his piercing sapphire blue eyes glowed inside the obsidian void. His lips slowly parted, first his voice was low and soft until it reached a level which filled the emptiness around him.

"No! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'll never give up!"

The blackness suddenly swirled away, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut and shroud them with his arms to escape from the sudden stabbing light. Some of the light still slipped through his defense in the last moment, and stars danced in the back of his eyelids.

When he finally braced himself and his eyes slowly fluttered open, he found himself surrounded by enormous bodies. Nine giant forms towered above him, silently watching the confused boy. He eyed them one by one, the tails behind them restlessly flinging in every direction by the anticipation. He twisted his head upward when something let out a breath behind him, the wind was strong enough to grab the hair on his crown and tug it. An orange grin greeted him, white canines gleamed in the dim light of a bonfire, shadows dancing on the fangs longer even his own height. "Kurama! What's going on?"

The fox's lips twitched upward into a small smile and his eyes shifted from him to something behind him. He obediently followed the small movement and turned around to face with a man with spiky white hair and almost glowing purple orbs, observing him curiously. Madara may have been old, but this guy took the word to an entirely different level. Even his wrinkles had wrinkles.

They stared at each other for some time, Naruto frozen by shock, the ancient man patiently eyeing him until he finally spoke, "Uzumaki Naruto, the child of the prophecy. The one who will bring great change to the shinobi word. Either peace…" he tilted his head a little, regarding him severely, "or destruction." He paused, letting the words hang above their heads before continuing. "You united the shinobi world and the nine bijuu. You gave another chance for the world to become something different, a chance to finally shake off the chains of their burden and break the circle of hatred, but…" The ancient man paused, his eyes locked on the boy, as if waiting for something.

Naruto held the gaze, not knowing what answer was expected from him, just staring into those purple eyes, mesmerized by the black ripples in them, letting himself swallowing up by them. He averted his gaze onto the floor, a bittersweet smile appearing on his face. He knew the answer, so he finally finished the sentence. "But the price was too high. What's the point of peace if there's no one alive who can enjoy it? Too many lives, too many sacrifices were given to reach peace. In the end, I brought destruction to the world not peace." He let out a sigh. "It shouldn't be like this. It shouldn't end like this."

The ancient man eyed him gravely before his gaze drifted above him to meet with a crimson stare. Kurama nodded as an answer to their silent conversation. Purple orbs moved around their giant companions, each of them answered with a silent, agreeing nod. The man's lips curved into a small smile and stepped closer to the young boy who finally looked up and frowned when he noticed the small movement. "The shinobi world may have paid a high price for peace. The destined children of the past had fallen many times. But in the end, your circle finally closed in the last minute, and the prophecy was fulfilled."

Naruto's frown deepened in his confusion. "What do you mean it failed before?"

The ancient man let out a small chuckle, "The prophecy wasn't about one certain child. The prophecy was about possibilities. For example, your father and Nagato. Both of them had the chance to fulfill the prophecy, to be the destined child, to bring either peace or destruction to the world, just like you. Nagato failed when he stepped into the darkness, but he handed over the chance to your father. But even he failed when he decided to give your mother a chance to see you again, before he had a chance to step into the right direction. And then with his sacrifice the torch was passed down to you. In the end, both passed on their legacy and left the chance to fulfill the prophecy in your hands." The man's knowing eyes shifted toward Kurama for a second before settling back, and he continued.

"All of you had a chance to unite the shinobi world, the nations, the five Kage. You, my child, walked in the right direction for years, but at the very end, you stumbled. The union of the five Nations and the Five Kage. That was a key to fulfill the prophecy in your turn of the cycle. But without a Hokage, the Alliance shattered, and so too did the prophecy."

Naruto frowned in his confusion again. What was this old man mumbling about? That it was because of him? That all of that happened because he never became Hokage? Before he had a chance to ask, the man continued. "You really earned your moniker: the most unpredictable shinobi in the world. You had given another chance for Nagato, to fulfill his duty as the destined child. You guided him out from the darkness. And with your decision to not give up when Hyuuga Neji died, you also gave another chance to your father. He was resurrected along with the previous three Kage to step into the battle. Unfortunately, they were unable to reach you because of your decision..." He trailed off for a second, before he continued. "…Peace or destruction. In the end, you brought both of them and you had created a new outcome, a "tabula rasa", a new and united shinobi world."

Naruto's eyebrows shifted into one coherent line. "So you mean if I accepted the title, or if Nagato or dad were alive, then none of this would have happened?"

The man shrugged. "I don't have an answer for that. If you accepted the position as the Rokudaime, and if Madara never discovered Orochimaru's work, maybe the previous kage would join the fight and you'd win. Or a new possibility opens by the new hope you would have given to the people. Everything is connected in some way. You took a step, made a decision, and you closed a door, but at the same time a new door opened. There is no such thing as fate. It's not that simple. There are only possibilities, as limitless as the stars."

Naruto took a step forward, "No offense old man, but… who the hell are you? And what are you talking about? You're standing there talking about fate and stars, and everything you say is just so confusing."

The ancient man tilted his head to the side. "I've got many names and titles, but they are not important. The new world will need a leader, an example who can be followed by all shinobi. One who can show them the right path in this new world, just like I did before."

"I still don't get it," Naruto mumbled, shaking his head.

The man slowly walked around him, observing him from every angle, before he settled down in his previous spot again. "You are really as clueless as Kurama said you were." An amused snort echoed oddly in the emptiness from Kurama's direction, and Naruto immediately shot the giant fox an annoyed glare. "Uzumaki Naruto, I'm talking about you. The World needs you. It needs someonewho can lead them, guide them on the right path. You've already proven that you are worthy of leading the United Shinobi World to a new future."

"The alliance is broken," Naruto muttered, folding his arms in front of his chest.

The old man paused for a brief second again, then a small smile appeared on the wrinkled face. "Don't be so sure about that." Naruto frowned again, but he didn't reply, waiting to hear more. "Madara gave you a perfect world, but you denied yourself happiness for the sake of your friends, for the sake of every living being in this world. You finally accepted your role. You became the Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato. You finally made the right decision, my child."

Naruto stared back at the old man, his face scrunching up in a frustrated grimace. Angry heat boiled inside him, but he allowed it to heat his face before it burst out from his lungs. "I'm in the belly of the damned Shinigami! How do you think that I, I, out of everyone, can save the world when I'm stuck in here?!"

An amused smile spread across the ancient man's wrinkled features. "Are you sure that's where you are? It could just be a dream, a fragment of your imagination."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and peered into the emptiness. "How the hell should I know? I used the Shiki Fuujin. This time I really used it! I felt it." He tugged shirt over his tummy, revealing a jet-black seal that had been inked over his skin. "And this means I must be in the belly of the Shinigami. I couldn't mess up everything twice, could I?!"

A small smile appeared on the man's wrinkled face. "The Shiki Fuujin is an ancient technique, developed further by the Uzumaki clan. But it has an even older version than theirs. One which was developed by me, one which was redesigned by you. You used this version of the Shiki Fuujin on Madara. This seal is special. You will soon realize why."

Naruto shook his head in his confusion. "You're just confusing me, super-geezer. Did I mess up again? Is Madara still out here with the Juubi?"

The wrinkled man smiled and shook his head. "Madara is gone. The version you used was originally designed for a different goal. A goal, which you achieved. It was developed to restrain the Juubi inside my body. The deal with the Shinigami is not immediate. It will activate when you dies."

Naruto let out a relieved breath, and dropped himself on the ground. "You could have started with that, super-geezer," he complained.

The man stepped closer and held out a hand, waiting patiently for Naruto to gather himself and straighten. The old man eyed Naruto him one more time, before a smile spread across his face. "Never again have doubt in yourself, my child. You still possess the will to change the world for much better. The decision is in your hands, and so too is the power to make it reality. You can still give a new chance for the prophecy. We all have faith in you."

Naruto opened his mouth to answer, or at least ask something in his overwhelming confusion, but he stopped mid-motion when the old man, without any notice, simply slammed his palm into his stomach, twisting his hand over the spiral symbol on his skin under his clothes. There was no pain, but everything was blurred for a second. Naruto watched with wide eyes, his mouth falling open with the odd sensation in his stomach. The bijuus nodded one by one, and then they jumped towards him, but instead of slamming to the ground in front of him they gracefully floated inside the seal.

The last thing he saw was Kurama's encouraging nod before the world around him went black again.

---

A sudden and harsh stinging pain flared on his left cheek, burning his skin only for a second, before it faded. He let out a groan, tilted his head, and the blackness came closer and closer as he drifted toward it once again. A loud snap followed his motion, and his cheek on the other side burned as well. The blackness immediately retreated, and Naruto stirred. He could feel someone's warmth next to him, hear their harsh breathing and drumming heart. They patted his cheek, this time more gently, shooing away the last remains of the burning pain. Rough shinobi fingers scratched against his skin, smelling of dogs, and his eyes flung open.

He blinked several times until his vision finally cleared, to focus on the extended hand in front of him. He followed it up to met with Kakashi's crinkled eyes. He grabbed the hand without thinking and struggled to sit up. He spotted a crimson blur at the edge of his vision and he immediately bolted up to his feet, arms flinging upward, chakra gathering in his coils.

But the red battle gear didn't move. It laid there motionless, the chest under it not moving even an inch, a stark contrast to Naruto's own body greedy for air.

"He's dead," came the answer to a question he didn't dare put into words.

His eyes flickered back onto the silver haired man still kneeling on the ground where he laid not a second ago. The sight calmed down his racing heart, and a harsh breath of sheer relief left his lungs when he dropped on his knees once again. "Sensei, I told you not come after me."

His old sensei's eyes crinkled upward, indicating a cheeky smile under the mask. "Oh, I wasn't coming after you." He stepped next to the blond, hooked an arm under his armpit and helped him straighten. "I was coming after them." He flung his free arm to the side, and Naruto's eyes traced the motion.

His eyes widened when he spotted hundreds of shinobi around them, slowly walking closer and closer, eyeing him and their devastated surroundings with obvious amazement. The sheer variety of attires was breathtaking. The remnants of the Allied Shinobi Force had come to help, to support him in his final battle from every corner of the Earth.

He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, saw a flash of pink at the edge of his vision before the touch disappeared.

Sakura appeared in front of him, cheeks flushed, nostrils flaring, eyes narrowed, and without warning she slammed her fist onto the top of his head. He couldn't comprehend the pain, he didn't have enough time for that. In the next bewildering second, he found himself in a fierce hug, his bones creaking by its force. "You idiot!" she hissed.

He blinked and he found himself free, the kunoichi already gone. Only his stinging crown and aching joints were the only reminder that she'd even touched him at all. Sakura walked a little further and stopped next to a small gathering. The moment they noticed her, the people slowly parted, revealing Madara's motionless body.

Naruto's eyes widened, and he took an unsteady step toward them. His legs wobbled, but Kakashi was by his side, giving him a silent support on the small way. He dropped onto his knees next to the prone figure, gently unstrapping the red battle gear from his chest, his hand shakily rose toward the pale face. A small part of the skin curved upward awkwardly near the hairline. Naruto picked at it carefully, tugging it, and a small part came off. Naruto picked on the torn edge peering down the artificial skin inch by inch, freeing his friend's face.

Sakura let out a small gasp and sank to her knees, arms already glowing green.

The blond locked his gaze on the limp body, his eyes glued on his face. He'd never seen him like this before. It was so… pure. No, not pure, but peaceful.

Naruto didn't move, he didn't even dare to breathe. When he couldn't hold it out any more the air rushed out from his lungs with a low whistle. Naruto's vision was frozen on Sasuke's body, on his motionless chest, the profusely pale and bluish tinted skin. Sakura worked hard, sweat pouring down her forehead, but it could have been the effects of her previous rush.

When nothing worked she switched tactics and leaned down, lips contacting, air flowing directly into lungs. Her hands clasped over his chest, delivering small, but powerful compressions, forcing the unmoving heart to pump blood, switching between the steps from time to time, but never stopping the steady flow of the distinctively green medical jutsu.

Nothing happened for long minutes, the crowd silently observing the happenings in the background. A finger twitched on the ground, then stirred, and finally the chest moved, first shakily, then it expanded hungrily on its own. The girl let out a choked breath and let the green light fade from her hands, dropping them on the moving, breathing chest.

He exhaled in relief when Sasuke's eyes slowly fluttered open. First they glimmered with confusion when the boy looked around for the first time. He let his vision linger on Sakura, then on Kakashi, and only after did it settled down on the blond, and the previous confusion shifted into visible annoyance. With a grunt Sasuke struggled onto his elbows and glared at him. "Idiot. You screwed up again."

Naruto stared at him in his disbelief, his mouth falling open, mimicking a fish on the dry lands.

"You... But I thought that it would—" He opened his mouth, then closed it with an audible click. "Never mind." He shook his head once again, feeling like he would never fully understand what the hell happened.

The Uchiha winced and struggled to sit up. "What happened? Where is Madara? Where is the Juubi?"

Naruto glanced at the remains of the red battle gear, Sasuke following his eyes down on his body. "We won. Madara is dead."

Sasuke frowned warily. "And the Juubi?"

Naruto shook his head once more, grabbed the fabric of his torn clothes on his stomach, where he could feel the sheer and outer world power, bubbling inside his abdominal. He could hear the snickering of Shukaku, the purring of Matabi, the cheerful voice of the eight tailed and he could feel the proud smile of Kurama inside him.

He let out a sigh and crouched down to be eye level with his team. He put one hand on Sasuke's shoulder and the other on Sakura's, squeezing them with a wide smile on his face. Kakashi joined them, putting his own hand on Naruto's crow, ruffling his already messy hair. "It's over. Let's go back to Konoha. It's been too long since we went home."

Three pair of eyes blinked up at him, and this time, no one protested.

---

The news of the victory spread across the lands with insane speed, and the remnants of shinobi and civilians celebrated all over the lands, while some of them traveled across distant lands toward the slowly growing Konoha.

But the last Jinchuuriki wasn't thinking about any of that. It had already been one month since Madara finally left this world, but he didn't feel happiness or the joy like the others. He wasn't even relieved. His thoughts constantly wandered back to the talk with the ancient man in the end. His cryptic words echoed inside his head continuously. "You can still give a new chance for a prophecy."

That brought him to today. Uzumaki Naruto was sitting cross-legged in front of a fresh marble obelisk erected where he fought his last battle. No names were carved onto the surface of the hard stone, there weren't enough space to carve every name on it.

His orange attire laid under a crimson cloak, broad kanji proudly declaring his position as the Sixth. A thick notebook lay open on its spine in his lap, and experienced fingers gracefully moved the small brush on the surface of fine paper. It was obviously old and worn. Some of its edges were torn out, and some pages stood out by dog's ears on the corners.

Only the last pages remained blank. Naruto filled the empty pages over the last two months like a maniac. He wanted to record every tiny thing that happened with him in the dream world. He pushed his brain over its limit, desperately trying to recall his memories before they slipped from his mind. He tapped his chin with the brush, eyes hazy as he stared in front of him. He let out a frustrated snort, features scrunched up with effort. There really was nothing worse than not knowing what he'd forgotten, and he truly was terrified of forgetting. Even if that world was fake… it was still real enough. It still mattered.

Then it suddenly clicked. He leaned over the notebook, the brush dancing on the page, eating away the last remaining empty spaces. He made his last stroke on the final page with a dramatic flourish that would have made Ero-Sennin proud, then ran his eyes over his handwriting. Towards the end it became sloppy as he rushed to write down his thoughts before they disappeared, but it was still legible. He let out a pleased sigh and leaned backward.

He felt two presences approach him from behind, but he didn't have to turn around to know who they were. When they arrived, one lingered in the back while his former sensei stepped next to him. "You're going to be late."

A high pitched snort escaped the blond. "Kakashi-sensei, you of all people really shouldn't be telling people that." Naruto slowly closed the book and sealed it back into a scroll made from fine vellum along with the brush and the small inkpot.

Kakashi hummed. "Why don't you celebrate with the others?"

Naruto shrugged and glanced up. "I was thinking." Then he slowly rose and dusted of his pants.

"About what?" One of Kakashi's eyebrow disappeared under his forehead protector.

The blond didn't answer for a long silent second. Finally he glanced at Kitsuchi who until now silently waited in the background. "Ojissan, can I ask you something?"

The browny shinobi curiously tilted his head to the side, then after a moment of consideration he nodded. "What happened to your wife and your brother in-law?"

The Iwa commander didn't answer at first, making Naruto to shift from foot to foot. Kitsuchi let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "She… Sumie died during the battle for the Kannabi bridge. Kakko—" He stopped, swallowed, then continued. "He was killed on that same mission during scouting." Kakashi stiffened, not daring to look at the side where Kitsuchi stood. But the Iwa shinobi only let out a sigh and shook his head. "Kakashi-san, It's… It's alright. I overcame my hatred a long time ago. But if we had met back then, I would have tried to kill you. And I think I would have tried to kill you too, Naruto. An eye for an eye. That was my philosophy at that time."

Naruto slowly nodded, chewing uncertainly on his lower lip. He glanced first at his sensei, then back to the brawny man. "Do you know a man named Shiko? He was around fourteen and a genin before I had born. He must be around thirty now."

Kitsuchi knitted his brow into one line of pure confusion at first, then it smoothened. "Shiko was one of my own students. He had died years ago during a mission. But how do you know about him?" he asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

Naruto didn't answer the question, instead asking a new one. "What was he like?"

The commander snorted. "Loud, cheeky, and he always shouted after the war ended that if he ever had the chance to meet with your father, then he'd definitely win against him. He always told a story about him that—" Kitsuchi choked on the sentence, but Naruto let out a defeated sigh and finished for him.

"That his uncle had met him before he retired, and dad fought with vibrant pink hair."

Kakashi snorted and glanced down at his student. "Yeah. I remember that one. Kushina pranked him. He desperately tried to wash it out for days, but it was useless. He lived with a henge for weeks!" Kakashi glanced at the blond. "How do you know about it?"

Naruto let out a tired sigh, raised one shoulder, then dropped it. "It was Shiko himself who told me… in the genjutsu when Madara locked me up," he said uncomfortably, taking a step toward the midnight black obelisk. He raised a shaky hand and stroked its surface, his fingers leaving greasy prints where they met the gleaming stone. His face scrunched up into a grimace and he tugged his sleeve over his hand, sweeping it over his fingerprints to clean up the mess he made.

"I have to go. We will meet again," Kitsuchi said. Naruto absentmindedly nodded and didn't answer. The commander waited for an reply, but when it didn't come he glanced at Kakashi who only shrugged. They held each other gaze, silently conversing and coming to an agreement. Kitsuchi made one last glance at Naruto, then turned and disappeared back to the road where they came from.

Kakashi stepped next to the blond, his lonely eye locked on the monument.

Both of them just keep watching the obsidian obelisk, each of them lost in their own thoughts until Naruto broke the silence. "Was it worth it, Sensei? All of those deaths for this? Was any of it worth it?"

Kakashi made an odd sound at the back of his throat and turned to him, his eye scrunching upward into a smile. "You know, your father asked me that exact same question when the Third Shinobi War had ended and Konoha emerged victorious."

Naruto glanced back with a frown. "And what'd you tell him?"

Kakashi let out a sigh. "I never gave him an answer, and I don't have an answer for you either. Only time can answer that question, and even then it doesn't do it well."

Naruto's frown deepened, and he turned back to the obelisk. "What do you think what would happened if my father didn't die? What would have changed?"

Kakashi made a side glance at the blond, observed him for a second, before looking back at the obelisk. His eye darted over the empty surface, but instead of the faint marble pattern here and there, he saw names, faces, memories. He let out a sigh and whispered with a low tone, "Everything."

Naruto nodded, and Kakashi turned to face him. "Why?" the older man asked, wary from the philosophical turn of the conversation.

The blond finally let go of the monument to face with Kakashi. "So that I can make a decision."

The silver haired man knitted his eyebrow into one line as he eyed his student suspiciously. "What are you up to, Naruto?"

Naruto's eyes lit up cheekily and a bitter smile spread across his face. "Madara…" He stopped, the smile slipping, his face turning serious again. "He gave me an idea."

"What kind of an idea?" Kakashi frow deepened, carving broad wrinkles on his forehead. The blond didn't answer, instead turning around to walk away from the field without any further explanation.

But Naruto paused and turned to look back over his shoulder. "To go back. To stop Obito before any of this could have happen."

Kakashi choked on the air he was about to let exhale and took a staggering step forward. "You—You can do that?"

"Yep. I've been talking with the nine bijuu about this ever since Madara died. The main problem is the amount of chakra the time traveler needs to spend. But this isn't a big deal in my case." Naruto shrugged.

Kakashi took another step, closing the distance between them, raising his arms and lowering them on Naruto's shoulder. "And why are you hesitating?"

Naruto bit down hard on his lower lip, his skin whitening by the force around his tooth. "Because it's most likely going to wipe out this timeline. The victory, the peace, the alliance, the bonds, even children born after me. I'd erase everything. I can't sacrifice all of this for something I'm not even sure will be worth it."

Kakashi stayed in silence for a long minute, watching his student's inner battle. He was losing. He sucked in a long breath, then slowly let out, his hands still on the blond's shoulder. He squeezed reassuringly. "Are you afraid of the greater good?"

It wasn't a question, much more likely a simple statement, but Naruto still nodded and opened his mouth to answer. "I could go back when all of this began. To my birth. But what if my being there kills someone who should have lived? Or what if I let someone live who should have died? What if, because of my interference, a new Madara born?" Naruto shook his head, blond locks screaming for a haircut as they followed the movement, flipping over the troubled face.

Kakashi observed him for some time, one visible eye hardening with determination. "We all lost friends and comrades. I'm sure that if there were the slightest chance that you could prevent any of this from happening, all of us would gladly sacrifice ourselves for that small hope." Kakashi squeezed his shoulder again, this time not reassuringly, but roughly. "Use it."

Naruto inhaled sharply, almost violently, as his teacher's words sunk in. He shoved Kakashi's arm off his shoulder, taking a step back. "How could I sacrifice people who might not even have a chance because of me? How could I sacrifice Konohamaru, or Kurenai's child?"

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and his hand clanged around the fabric of his orange shirt. The next time he opened them, Kakashi was faced with crimson eyes and slitted pupils instead of the deep ocean blue he knew so well.

"It was all my fault! The old man told me everything. He told me how everything happened the way it did because of my decisions, because of my choices.. Because I lost faith in myself. Because I didn't become Hokage. It was all my fault! What if I mess up again? What if my dumb mistakes are what kills everyone?"

His anger suddenly evaporated and his shoulders slumped in defeat, exhaustion roughening his words. Naruto let out a tired sigh and averted his gaze to the ground. "How could I ask for them to sacrifice more than they've already given? How could I ask you? You've already given up too much because of me..."

Kakashi made a vague sound in the back of his throat, watching as guilt consumed Naruto. "Uzumaki Naruto…" He stepped closer again, raised an arm, and let his hand drop on the teen's messy blond crown. Naruto blinked and glanced up, his eyes now free of the Kyuubi's red. "I believe in you. Your parents believed in you, and every damn shinobi, man, woman and child on this world believes in you. The only one who doesn't believe in you right now is you. When you told me what had happened in the genjutsu, you told me that you fought to get back your identity. You had took back your hopes, your dreams. So where's all that confidence now?"

Naruto's eyes widened, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly. Finally he let out a choking sound, something between a sob and a laugh. His eyes settled into a broad smile, and Kakashi mimicked it. "Sensei, thanks. For everything. I'll make it up to you. I promise."

Kakashi let out a chuckle. "You know, I heard a certain phrase once when I was a kid. "You can't stop the flow of time. It's wheel only whirls in one direction. It is impossible for a mere human to change that path." his eyes crinkled upward. "But sometimes the impossible must be done…"

Naruto didn't answer, instead nodding, the wide smile still plastered on his face. Energy bubbled under his skin and Kakashi took a step backward, eye wide when Naruto's chakra whirled to life. It wasn't only one bijuu's power, but all of them.

Naruto's skin brightened and the light extended over his clothing, the previous colour shifting. The crimson fading into gold on his cloak, orange jumpsuit growing darker and darker until it became ebony, while nine black balls danced behind him a silent waltz.

"What the…" Kakashi choked out and flinched another step backward, but not out of fear. Naruto only smiled in the middle of the burning inferno.

He winked, the energy flipping, blazing around him, his hands moving, shifting from sign to sign. The world shook around them, but only for a moment, and then it settled into complete stillness.

Naruto turned and stared next to Kakashi, and the jonin followed his gaze, dimly noting the lazily whirling vortex next to him which he was sure wasn't there a second ago. He glanced back at Naruto who walked next to him. They locked gazes, one determined, one puzzled but soon shifting into trust. Kakashi's eyes crinkled into an invisible smile as he nodded at his student who mimicked the movement and took another step, passing by the jounin, then stopping to stare inside the inferno.

His cloak flapped behind him with all the velocity and vigor the young man possessed, and for a fleeing moment, Kakashi saw another man, another cloak, another shoulder, achingly familiar, but still different. Naruto's shoulders stiffened, then relaxed. He made one last glance at him over his shoulder with a determined expression, then turned his head to face with the whirlpool again, and Kakashi calmed. He knew in that moment that everything would be alright.

Naruto let out a calming breath, took a step, and disappeared inside the whirling vortex.

---

Author's Note:

Merry Christmas!

I've got no excuse. But thank you for all the reviews, for all the PMs, poking me, encouraging me, harassing me, even threatening me not to stop. I love you guys.

I've got good news too. The last 2 chapters are already under beta reading, so there won't be months between the updates. :)

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