Ah finally got around to posting a new chapter. Had a bit of writers block but I think I've figured out what to write about. Going for longer chapters also slows things down as I only really spot ways to improve my story after I've posted.

Thanks for Arthur Sontill for spotting a plot hole, I'll be dealing with it in the upcoming hours (either today or tomorrow, depends on how fast I edit this)

I've actually had a good idea for another fiction but as much as it pains me I have to hold my fingers still. I have agreed to myself to not bite off more than I can chew and write one story at a time. It was going to be one of those same characters different situations (most males got killed through social cleansing)

Anyway, please continue to support my story. I am still enjoying it myself and eager to write more just it takes time and energy.

"Fuku? Fuku get up!" Monica was by his side and kneeling by the downed shinobi. She was shaking him and trying to snap him out of the trance. "Fuku we need to go!" No good. His ears were ringing and he felt small, insignificant to the rage personified. Each attack started with screams, explosions then silence. Over and over, again and again. Fires which Fukushi only recognised as fires of his homeland seven years ago. He felt defeated, he had no idea how outclassed he was until now until what he saw."Come on, Naruto is coming, please." She pleaded from the futile attempts. The rogue ninja would have continued had Naruto not gotten in range for his wind jutsu and propelled her away. She sailed through the air with a scream and landed hard on her head. Naruto immediately crossed his fingers into a 'plus' sign and two clones of himself appeared in a puff of smoke. The two clones immediately jumped after Monica who was getting up and trying to steady herself. Her wound on the head caused a small stream of blood to run down her forehead and cheek, dripping off her chin. She struggled to focus as she saw six Naruto's approaching, two real and four blurred images.

The scream of someone he held close to him. He hated to admit it but it sounded so familiar, going back to that time when he died once before. Yes, it was Aya, she screamed just like that. It was the sound of pain, total pain. Followed by the sickly feeling of guilt, he felt powerless.

"-Is this really going to be your grave? Fuku keep going, you can still salvage the situation. Get up, don't let our family's name fall. Don't waste this opportunity I gave my life for.-" Fukushi heard those words and blinked out of his trance. 'hn forgive me.' He thought to himself. He finally acknowledged Naruto who was now standing above him with a kunai poised to strike. Fukushi grasped at his fathers' sword and pushed him away from the blond shinobi. He looked dead in his eyes, nothing but killer intent and a glare that had no other target than the one-eyed shinobi. 'Three seals of chakra left. I have to do this.' Fukushi's first move was throwing several summoned kunai. Flicking one after another as fast as his throwing arm would allow. Each had eerie accuracy on the oncoming opponent but each time Naruto swatted the kunai out of the way with his own. Yellow bolts of electricity were clearly crackling through his body but the shinobi seemed to ignore the pain completely and never slowed any signs of faltering. Second move, Fukushi lunged forward, using wind chakra in his feet to close the distance instantaneously, he aimed to slice Naruto's abdomen but instead collided blade on blade to Sasukes' own sword in his right hand and over his shoulder. The Uchiha's left fist spun and landed a heavy punch straight into Fukushi's stomach, too fast to react in time. That punch felt different, where normally it would be a dull ache instead it was a sharp pain over his chakra seals. Fukushi teleported some distance away to prevent Sasuke from dealing any more blows to him.

"He managed to take out half a days' worth of chakra in one punch?" He murmured to himself. Noticing Sasuke's left eye was not the red he grew accustomed to but instead a pale violet with many rings radiating from the pupil. He quickly identified his next target, the pink-haired shinobi called Sakura. She had also joined in the battle and already send a large chunk of earth flying at him. Third move, Fukushi teleported behind her but Sasuke again was expecting this move and immediately casted a genjutsu. The Solaris family member dropped his katana out of sudden pain shooting through his right flank. He could barely keep conscious under the sheer intensity of the Sharingan. Also the recoil of the genjutsu of this intensity must have hit Sasuke just as hard.

Fukushi opened his eye and appeared to be in a dark room. No, a dark arena, the floor was covered in dirt and large flood light shin directly at him from all angles so while his immediate surroundings were crystal clear, the walls were pitch black and thus creating the illusion of a limitless void. He was clutching his left eye and with his right eye he could see blood pouring freely onto the floor. His sword was still clean though as he had badly misjudged the attack. Cheering and some booing were echoing around him as he bit back the pain. The ground broke under him and catapulted him into the air. He turned just in time to see a huge man punch with all his might into his chest. Breaking at least four ribs in the blow and launching him across the arena. He opened his eye once more and was snatched out of the air by Naruto and smashed into the ground, creating a small crater around the beaten body. Naruto stood over him and extended a rasengan into his right palm and looked at the struggling shinobi trying to get out but had all the wind knocked out of him. The blond had darkened blue eyes and void of the cheerful joy that he was renowned for.

"Tell me, why did she have to die." Naruto spoke coldly.

Fukushi coughed and spluttered. "Do you think I wanted this." He looked up at his opponent. "This isn't what I wanted, I only wanted to protect my book! Not any of, this."

"Your book? People have died! Don't give me that crap! no one is worth less than some object." Naruto lunged down with his rasengan.

"It's all I have! Last part of my family, my history, my home!" Fukushi called out suddenly fearful for his life that before to this point he was content with letting it go. Naruto stopped momentarily.

"And what about my family? The families of those you killed? Their history, My history! What gives you the right to decide their fates!"

"I… er…" Fukushi looked away. "I was wrong. I'm lost."

"Hinata is gone because of you… I.. I never told her how I felt, what she meant to me." Tears where starting to fall from Naruto's eyes as he could feel a large part of him was now missing. "Now you are telling me that you were clumsy. she died because you weren't paying attention?" He bit his lip in pain and moved to strike Fukushi with his rasengan. Raising his hand high into the air, palm flat and all his strength he thrusted down.

"Naruto!" Sasuke called, he had to say something and try and stop his teammate from doing something regretful. Killing Fukushi would only bring more pain to Naruto. "Stop this isn't what Hinata would have wanted! Think about it. It wasn't his fault." Sasuke stood by Naruto, his right eye closed out of pain from Fukushi's defence a clear stream of blood had stained his right side, covering most of his body. He held Naruto by the wrist and slowly pulled it away from Fukushi. Who fell back to the ground and sighed heavily.

"I just don't think I can live without her…" Naruto whispered. Words that few could only truly understand.

"Believe it or not, that guy you were about to tear apart knows how you feel." Sasuke spoke, he glanced at the defeated ninja on the floor. "Aya was her name wasn't it. Your soul partner who couldn't live without you and gave her life to save you."

"Are you saying he knows regeneration jutsu?" Naruto looked at Sasuke with the look of desperation and willingness to take his own life for the sake of the Hyuuga.

"Better…" Sasuke gestured at Fukushi's left arm.

"You're cruel Uchiha." Fukushi replied coldly, trying to cover his left arm. He felt another piece of Sasuke's plan was coming together, cruel on so many levels that he was even expecting this kind of situation that only Fukushi could deal with. "Death is one thing but to give him hope?"

"Tell me Fukushi of the Solaris family, what are the rules of soul binding and death."

"No. It's too awful. I couldn't not after Aya!" Fukushi cradled his head as if the thought brought him pain. "It's a cruel jutsu. You could kill both of them!"

"I'll do it… I don't care about the cost." Naruto interrupted. "Just tell me what to do and I'll do it."

"Naruto are you sure?" Sai asked, he had managed to return relatively unharmed but of course he ended up in the cover of trees and so managed to avoid the musket fire during his fight. He had rushed to where he heard the noise and was now a little confused. Fukushi looked defeated, so did Naruto although Sai presumed there were two different reasons. From where he was standing it looked like a deal was being struck but he also knew how stubborn Naruto was so he had to question him for the sake of his old team mate.

"If you save her Fukushi, I'll make sure you can get a good deal with the leaf. We will be in your debt after all. So please, tell us all here the rules of soul binding."

Fukushi slowly stood up, at first wobbly but he soon found his feet. "I'll do it…" He looked down. He had to admit, this was the sort of offer he was hoping to get out of the leaf shinobi. "Although there are no guarantees, Naruto you must understand that cheating death like this has its risks. Even if we manage somehow there are a hundred more issues that you'll need training on."

"What are the rules." Sasuke spoke impatiently, he had heard off Aya's spirit but he wanted to be sure from Fukushi himself.

"Soul binding, it is a way of binding peoples' chakra network so two people become one, literally. It has a side effect of injuries being shared also but because of this death can be reversed as their body is healed sufficiently, providing the dead aren't too damaged and you need immense amount of chakra. I doubt we have enough chakra to pull it off safely though, you risk dying yourself if you can't heal her fully. Normal reanimation jutsus are too inefficient in moving the chakra and healing often guaranteeing the caster to die. Soul binding makes it possible because there are direct chakra connections." Fukushi spoke quietly and slowly, reluctant to share this kind of information.

Naruto silently nodded and took in as much information as he could. Not totally understanding but having enough of a clue to get a sense of the implications of the jutsu.

"If I cast it, I'll also comply to your arrest so long as Monica goes free and her crimes are abolished." Fukushi got a nod off Sasuke, although strings will have to be pulled and Sasuke understood this, being free because of Naruto pulling the same strings. None of them had noticed a certain orange haired woman approach the group.

"H..h..how come she gets to be soul bound but not me?" Monica's voice broke the conversation. She was very bloody and dirty right now having to fight off the Naruto clones, only just managing before they dispelled. "I…I thought i..it would be me… Fuku why isn't it me?" She stumbled as if she was drunk, exhausted from the combat and likely out of chakra. Her grey eyes looked glazed over and it was difficult to tell who she was focusing on.

"Monica what are you saying? This is our chance to get out of this mess!" Fukushi tried to reason with her with his rebouttal.

"They'll j…just take y…y…you away from me…"

"I'm not gonna leave you."

"Ss…s…so we can go?"

"No… I told you, we can't run anymore."

She started to sob as if Fukushi just broke her heart, the others were giving each other nervous looks as even trained shinobi couldn't tell what was going through her mind. Fukushi gave her a questioning look as he himself was unsure how she was going to react. It had been difficult calming her down some of her outbursts but here she was pushed to her limit.

"W...Why are you getting those two s-soul bound but not me? They've hurt us both. How dare they be near you! They don't deserve your family's jutsu!" Fukushi could feel the killing intent building up from Naruto behind him. He had to do something otherwise she will get herself killed.

"Monica! Stop! What good is running? I am tired of fighting. I've been doing nothing but surviving for seven years. I have to do this for my family… for Aya… It's the least I could do for her." Fukushi looked down then turned away. Slowly walking towards Hinata to prepare the jutsu. "Please just wait here till I am finished."

"Aya? Whos Aya? No! tell me who is Aya!" She started muttering under her breath. "Get away from him!" Monica leaped forward, a move not unexpected from the group. She targeted Sasuke as he was the closest. Sasuke did not even flinch he just watched the charging woman with her wakizashi by her hip ready to slash upwards once she got into range. However, she never reached Sasuke. Her blade swung and aimed for the Uchiha's neck but instead Fukushi teleported in the way and glared her down. The blade stopped just as it cut lightly into his neck, enough for his blood to run down her blade. She looked down to see Fukushi's blood approaching her hand. Monica dropped the blade as if it was suddenly too hot to hot and broke down onto the floor repeating the word 'sorry' over and over. By rights Fukushi could have killed her but instead he kneeled down and hugged into her.

"Trust me."

Fukushi stood up and took in a deep breath while the leaf shinobi watch how he dealt with someone so twisted. Before anyone could say a word Fukushi started. "For this to work we will need a lot of chakra. Naruto, we can't even start if you don't have enough chakra."

"Don't worry about it… just get it done." He was now kneeling by Hinata who looked like she was peacefully sleeping and could wake up. Fukushi slowly limped over, his body finally catching up to the injuries caused in the conflict.

"You can use my chakra Naruto. As much as you need." A growling voice boomed out loud. A large glowing orange fox with nine tails was sitting by the destruction he just caused. "I owe her that much, and I doubt your jutsu would use up all my chakra." Kurama still did not want to admit he liked the pair but nor could he just sit idly by especially after what Naruto had been through for his sake. "Besides, her death would destroy Naruto as we know him… and I am not sure I'd like that change." Fukushi jumped at a start, he had been concentrating on Naruto and had almost forgotten the beast made of chakra. He quickly assessed the situation and simply nodded. Not wanting to question who was this beast but, to his relief, he did not appear to be aggressive. Had he known about Kurama and Naruto's Jinchuriki status before the ninja war he would have felt nothing but malice and hatred oozing from the fox like a thick sludge that smothers everything. But now here is the legendary biju with his shoulders slumped and tails flat against the ground and looking down at the pair of shinobi, one kneeling next to the other.

"Can you do it? And what about Monica?" Sakura asked. She now approached herself asking cautiously. Her front and arms were coated in blood but she managed to save her injured comrades. First Ino who in turn managed to help her heal others, albeit with difficulty as one arm was too injured to move for now.

"I guess I have no choice, we need to hurry. Naruto do I have your permission to do this?" Naruto nodded. Fukushi shot a look a Sasuke who remained unmoved."You owe me. You knew from the start, didn't you?" Fukushi just made a 'tch noise in response to his lack of response.

"Naruto, I am going to need you to take your top off, and err, Hinata's too." This earned him a dirty look off Sakura and Naruto. "I might accidently mess up if there if fabric in the way and I need to mark the skin, soul binding needs a physical connection too." Naruto begrudgingly agreed and slowly unzipped his orange jacket and proceeded to take off his black undershirt. He sat up Hinata and gulped loudly and with a shaking hand he unzipped Hinata's jacket. His mind was telling him how wrong doing that was but he didn't have a choice. Sasuke was convinced this was better than reanimation, an alternative that Naruto was actually contemplating for her sake. While Naruto was overcoming his own willpower, Fukushi was already setting up other pieces of the jutsu.

"Who is willing to help pool chakra?" The one eyed man called out.

"I need to get help. Shino and choji are badly injured." Kiba called out, now riding Akamaru. No one was sure if he even heard Fukushi calling but he immediately pulled away to head towards Konoha. Ino didn't answer either but it was obvious she was busy trying to stop the bleeding on Shino. Sakura looked at Naruto and back at Fukushi. She hesitated.

"Sakura, go and save the others." Sasuke answered for her. He could easily read the dilemma going through the pink haired medic but he felt there was enough chakra between them already.

Lee knew he did not have enough chakra to spare and nodded at Sasuke who also got the message. By Lee's feet were a few prisoners of Rogue shinobi who weren't killed by the leaf but instead surrendered once their will broke. Around the time the blue ninja were beginning to die themselves under the jonin's onslaught. Tenten was also helping Lee keep an eye on the prisoners, besides she looked exhausted and badly beaten up. Just not to the extent of her comrades. This left Sai who just politely stood and watched. Fukushi meanwhile was summoning kunai and burying them into the ground. Ten in total. Six were positioned evenly spaced in a circle around Hinata while four more were positioned further out and off to the left and right sides. For now nothing happened and Fukushi began clearing the space, with the help of Sasuke and Sai who silently took the initiative. Fukushi even picked up Monica who appeared dead to the world. She was both physically and mentally exhausted about the supposed defeat. He took him to the tree line and rested her down against the trunk.

Fukushi walked over to Naruto. He hardly spoke a word to each other but Naruto was silent as the grave just looking at Hinata's beautiful face. Fukushi quickly thumbed through some hand signed and muttered his summoning. The book, the first time Sasuke or Naruto, and Sai for that matter had seen the actual scripts in its glory. Or fall from glory, the book looked faded and tattered with a couple of cuts across its binding. The lines that were part of a fuuinjutsu were pitch black and as dark as the day they were created. While the rest of the ink, the dark sun emblem was a faded green by now as the black ink had leeched away. Fukushi opened the book at a seemingly random page and rested it by the ground next to the couple. The Solaris ninja flicked his left wrist and his fore and middle finger glowed a bright yellow. He checked the book one last time, the language only known to him. Although he did not know about the sharingans ability to understand all language. Sasuke was glancing over his shoulder and reading the scripts intensely. Fukushi meanwhile slowly held Naruto's left arm.

"I'll start with you, it'll sting, just so you know." Fukushi whispered at Naruto, slow and steady and not wanting to offend the blonde who he acknowledged as superior by now. The leaf remained silent but made no attempt to resist Fukushi. He did not even break eye contact with the Hyuuga while his arm burned and hissed under the fuuinjutsu. The patterns seemed to be unwinding themselves Fukushi touched the bare skin. Like a plant growing rapidly from seed to flow and blooming a glowing yellow before dying down and cooling to a permanent black. Slow minutes ticked by and Fukushi was finished with Naruto, who had a matching tattoo to the one-eyed shinobi, save for one detail around where the heart should be. A thumb print, surrounded by a word. If Naruto could read Fukushi's language he'd realise it looked almost exactly like a summoning contract. Without pausing Fukushi shifted to beside Hinata, where most men would have gawked at the beautiful body of the Hyuuga princess. Fukushi managed to keep a straight face, partly as to not offend Naruto but also the numbing effects of a hard life. In short Fukushi did not care that he was handling a half-naked woman. Yellow lines swirled around Hinata's left arm and chest just as they did with Naruto and then faded into black.

"Naruto, hold her hand, left on left. When I call for it, your thumb print and name in the circle in your blood." He gestured to the circle which was more or less in the middle of Hinata's chest, if slightly on her left breast. Naruto gulped as he stared a little longer than he should have. "Don't let go of her arm and don't go outside the circle. I'll step in and help her write her name on you. Otherwise it would be an incomplete soul binding." Naruto nodded in response and whipped away his tears which had now stained his cheeks. Fukushi stood up and looked around. "Where is that, err fox?"

"I've resided back into my host; Figured I'd be better at providing my chakra in here." A darker voice, clearly not Naruto's echoed from his body. Fukushi blinked in surprise as he was not expecting the creature to be able to talk. He took a deep breath; the fox was a question for another time and he was helping so he glanced around. Two more able bodies. Fukushi sighed he doubted that the jutsu would work as he had no inkling of the amount of chakra both Sasuke and Naruto both possessed. Although he had worked out it was far more than what he had, even with seals. He ran the risk of being blamed for the death of not only Hinata but Naruto too. However, what choice did he have? He was surrounded by superior ninja and had already depleted most of his chakra, not to mention Monica's.

"Sasuke and err…"

"Sai"

"Sai could you stand behind that Kunai and the other kunai." He pointed to two kunai opposite each other. "Once I start you are not to move, disrupting the jutsu would probably kill yourself and these two."

Fukushi took a deep breath and stood in front of Hinata and Naruto. He slowly raised his hands and closed his eyes, remembering his training which happened oh so long ago. He was taught perfection day in and day out, being necessary for the soul binding. He remembered how it felt like years of his life on that one jutsu. How to cast it, how to maintain a healthy bond, how to use the bond to its full advantages, mental stability, physical stability, more seal training. In short for the duration of his younger life the soul binding was all he knew. He moved his handed, each a different sign, one after another. Some the surrounding shinobi would recognise and others were of a new design, to further refine the chakra flow. Once Fukushi had begun the jutsu, the kunai glowed a bright yellow, matching his chakra. Lines flowed like water from each kunai. Spreading around in intricate ways. The world was silent. Cut only by Fukushi quietly muttering each sign, reciting the long jutsu. The lines seemed to spiral towards the couple in the middle and as soon as their bodies were touched their arms began to glow again.

Naruto gazed around in wonder, aside from the situation the patterns were almost beautiful. Filling in spaces with words lines and dots, circles and various shapes leading off this direction and that direction. The general flow heading to the blonde himself, kneeling by his love. He understood how he felt now, at least how he thinks he should feel. He was willing to sacrifice everything for her just as she was willing to sacrifice everything for him. It was a concept he understood well just couldn't relate until very recently. He understood what it meant to be a friend and show affection like that but to him, Hinata was something special and unique, something no one else could ever replace. He was kneeling and looking straight at her face when he began to feel something off. At first it felt like a sickly warm glow at the base of his skull. But the heat quickly spread across his whole body, especially his arm, and his throat. Panic from an unknown source built up as the air slowly as he felt like he was suffocating. Naruto felt like he was going to pass out before long, the world began to swirl as a feeling familiar to Naruto started to seep in. He could feel the nature chakra of the surrounding world. Swirling around the seal and through his arm. The ground pulsed and heaved under them as if some godly power was being bestowed on them. Fukushi kept up with one sign after another, energy spiralling towards the epicentre. Everyone kept a straight face but could already feel the draining effects. The last thing Naruto saw was a pale blue chakra covering Hinata's wounds before the world bleached into a colourless void.

"Hello? Is anyone there? Where am i?" Hinata called out. Her body felt hot but the air around her was ice cold. She had been walking in this void in no particular direction for what seemed days now. Nothing was here, nothing for miles in any direction and probably nothing yet further. Hinata felt like giving up and even before she gave the order to her body, she fell to the floor and cuddled her knees up close.

"I guess this is it… This is death…" She muttered gloomly to herself. Tears of defeat started to fall down her. "I never got the chance to confess to him. Wish I wasn't so shy. I had so many opportunities. Too late now." She muttered. Right now, she would give anything for one more day, hell one more hour with him. She was doing so well and ended up getting closer and closer to her goal. For two years the missions for a shinobi were not so hazardous and even herself began to believe that the risk of death was now none existent. How wrong she was and now she was paying for her hubris. He laid herself down and stared into the void. Picturing Naruto's smile, as he looked over at her to make sure she was doing alright during the missions they have together. She could even hear his voice, how strong and caring it was but never without joy and happiness. Wait, she actually could hear him. Someone that sounded like Naruto was calling from somewhere in the void. Hinata wanted to call out but realised her body hardly moved, her arms were now almost as pale as the floor itself. She felt weak now and could hardly speak louder than a whisper. A murmur, her presence no more than that of smoke. It was as if the void, nothingness itself, was swallowing her whole and to never again exist. She tried with all her might to move one arm. Painfully slowly as if she was in slow motion. What if she hadn't of moved, what would have happened to her if the void took her? She was scared but at the same time comforted. She was warm and comfortable at least, laying here on the surface as there was no need to move forward. More importantly she was tired. How long had it been since she just closed her eyes?

A jolt woke her from her day dream. She managed to angle her head to see who it was. She smiled weakly up at the blond shinobi who gently picked her up and off the floor. Her body protested from being moved, as if forced from a comfortable bed early in the morning. But she realised something, she preferred being by Naruto than anything else in the world and nothing would stop her. As she was about to find out, not even death could have stopped her. Hinata was in a state of euphoria her senses were dulled to the point she almost forgot who was holding her. She looked again, still Naruto. She did not question how or if this was real, if it was not for his bright yellow hair or his piercing blue eyes she would have probably mistook for a ghost, an additional part of the void. She was safe and sound in his arms and her eyes were finally able to close. It had felt like she was awake for days now.