I do now own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.


Last Request

Ryuu looked around and smiled widely. He stood in a massive field of flowers and scattered Cherry Blossom Trees. There were other trees to, according to other people he met, but it seemed to be different in appearance to each person based on what they enjoyed. Ryuu walked along through the trees, seeing people passing here and there but didn't really pay them any mind. At first, at least. After a bit, he turned and saw Yugao a short distance away. She was looking around, both worriedly and disappointedly.

"Yugao?" Ryuu asked, walking over.

She spun around so fast he was worried she might break her own neck. Then, she threw her arms around him, sobbing. He sighed, hugging her then looking around.

"Seen anyone else yet?" Ryuu asked.

"No," Yugao sighed. "I know this is Heaven and all, but I'm too worried about the village and busy looking for Hayate to enjoy it. He's not here though."

Ryuu nodded, understanding how she felt since he had been looking for Fu for a bit as well. He hadn't seen her. He activated his Sharingan, intending to look around with them but instead saw the real world. It was destroyed. The massive crater Pein had formed had a deeper crater inside of it with three massive trails of destruction heading away from it in one direction and one in the other. Near the center of the crater was a small impact crater with Hinata lying inside it, a black rod driven down through her.

"What are you seeing?" Yugao asked, seeing him tense and unhappy.

"Konoha," Ryuu stated turning and surveying other areas. "It's been destroyed even more. Hinata's wounded, if not dead. And Pein is fighting...shit."

"What?" Yugao asked.

As Ryuu watched, Naruto, now covered by a blood red chakra shroud with six fox-like tails was pulled into a massive sphere of stone, not unlike a smaller moon. A moment later, a massive skin and furless fox exploded out of it, exhaling a stream of flames as eight red glowing tails exploded out around him.

"Naruto's a Jinchuriki?" Ryuu blinked. "Of the Nine-tailed Demon Fox?"

"How do you know?" Yugao asked.

"He's going off on Pein," Ryuu stated. "He's at eight tails. Wait, he's gone."

Naruto had disappeared in a massive cloud of smoke. After a moment, Ryuu spotted him again, now with an orange pigmentation around his eyes. Ryuu deactivated his Sharingan and looked around.

"What?" Yugao asked.

"I'm hoping I don't see Hinata," Ryuu stated.

"Good point," Yugao nodded.

Ryuu reactivated his Sharingan but this time he was seeing the inside of what seemed to be a massive tree made out of sheets of paper. Inside were the woman that had attacked with Pein, this one had blue hair, a blue paper flower stuck through a bun on the side of her head, and a blue stud through her lower lip. She was watching an emaciated man with long red hair and dozens of black rods like those Pein had used to fight sticking out of his back. He was in a device that had what looked like six mechanical legs, wires attached to his arms, and his hands shoved into two large cylinders.

"I found the real Pein," Ryuu stated. "And his partner."

At the same moment as he focused his attention on Pein, memories flooded into his head, memories that were not his. He remembered his parents being killed. No, not his, Pein's. He was left an orphan, hating the Leaf Village since it was their troops who had murdered them. So many people turned him away. So many refused to feed the starving boy that was begging for food. Finally, he had collapsed in the road. A dog had been the one to awaken him. He had tried to send the dog away but it had followed. He couldn't stay mad though. But then, it was so cold. The rain hurt. And it had been days since he had eaten. He didn't remember passing out. Only waking up to see an angel standing over him, shielding him from the rain with her umbrella, offering him a loaf of bread. He shared it with his dog, how could he not. He also accepted her invitation to stay with his angel. Except, there was also someone else, a good friend. Yahiko. But wait, wasn't that Pein's main puppet, the one that Naruto was currently fighting? He remembered that they stole food for a time, taking anything and everything they could to try to survive. But then, they saw three shinobi of the Hidden Leaf fighting against Hanzo, tyrannical leader of the Hidden Rain. they had survived too. Yahiko had the idea to train under them. One accepted. Jiraiya Sensei. No, that wasn't his master. It was Pein's. These were his memories, not Ryuu's.

Ryuu remembered the long, hard months they trained under Jiraiya, the months that turned to years. Over that time, two important things had happened. First, someone had tried to kill Yahiko with him standing right there. And they had died. His eyes had killed them. He didn't even know how. But Jiraiya seemed to. He called it Rinnegan. He said he was the next "Sage of the Six Paths" or something like that. The other important thing that happened, the the change in the way Nagato, Pein, whoever, saw his friends. Yahiko was like a brother to him. But Konan, she was still his angel, his savior. But he had fallen in love with her. He spent months trying to figure out how to express it, but he never did. He had left with Jiraiya to get more fire wood and just as he got to the door, he had seen through the gap between the door and the frame that they were already more than friends. It still hurt, worse than anything else.

Ryuu shook his head, clearing the memories and deactivating his Sharingan. He looked around, seeing Yugao's worried expression. He felt something slide down his cheek and wiped it away, seeing it was a tear. He was crying.

"Are you okay?" Yugao asked.

"I saw his memories," Ryuu stated, those same memories he had pushed away trying to return. "I feel...bad, for him."

Yugao didn't respond beyond a nod. Ryuu reactivated his Sharingan, the memories flooding in. He gave them time alone, he had to. It was only fair. Jiraiya had left to return to the front lines. They had formed a group, the Akatsuki, to bring peace within the Hidden Rain. For a time it worked. SO well that Hanzo took notice. And when he did, he got him involved. Danzo. Head of the Leaf Village ANBU Black Ops. He kidnapped Konan, gave her to Hanzo as leverage. Hanzo had the Akatsuki killed. Only Nagato and Yahiko lived. And they went to rescue the woman they both loved. But things went bad. Yahiko committed suicide to save Konan. But Hanzo tried to kill Nagato to. He managed to save Konan at the cost of his feet being badly harmed. Then, he used his Rinnegan to slaughter both the hidden Rain shinobi and the Konoha ANBU present. Hanzo was the only one to escape. But the statue Nagato had summoned, the Gedo Mazo, had left him emaciated, and crippled. If any of the rods in his back were to be taken out without a very skilled Medical Ninja present, he would die. Even then it might be impossible. He had vowed to fulfill Yahiko's dream of peace for him. He had met Madara Uchiha and had restarted the Akatsuki, planning to capture the Jinchuriki to return the Ten-tails and bring about a Genjutsu world in which there was no pain.

Ryuu's eyes snapped open, his Sharingan deactivating as he looked at Yugao.

"Pein wants to revive the Ten-tails!" Ryuu nearly shouted.

Yugao's eyes widened as a simple statement of fact from the remainder of Nagato's memories appeared in Ryuu's head. Nagato was still in love with Konan. And Konan was still in love with Yahiko. Except, when Ryuu looked at Konan with his Sharingan, he could see concern and worry on a much higher level than for a friend or for a brother. Then, Naruto arrived. But At this point, Ryuu was distracted. How could he not be. He was now looking at God. He dropped to his knees so fast he though they might shatter, bowing before Him. After a moment God told him to stand, well, not told so much as Ryuu knew God wanted him to. He did. God asked, in a sense, why he was so distraught in Heaven.

"My friend if in danger," Ryuu stated. "And I think I could save not only him, but his opponent as well. Please, may I please return to the world, if only for a few minutes. Just long enough to try."

He opened his eyes a moment later with Konan, Nagato, and Naruto all staring at him in shocked disbelief.

"No time," Ryuu said using his Sharingan to show Naruto Nagato's memories, then show Nagato Naruto's, whose memories he had copied when Naruto had shown Nagato's. "Nagato, please, don't follow Madara. His world is a lie."

Nagato was at a loss for words, both of the men reeling from seeing each other's memories. Finally, Nagato managed to find his voice.

"You...you've had...a very hard life, Naruto Uzumaki," Nagato stated. "I...I understand why Jiraiya chose you. And why he put his faith in you. I will do the same."

Nagato pulled his hands out of the cylinders, placing them together and Konan's panic was evident.

"Nagato you can't!" Konan protested.

"It's alright Konan," Nagato smiled. "It's alright."

"If you die you'll never be able to tell her," Naruto stated, making Nagato hesitate. "Would you be able to survive if you waited until you had regained your strength?"

"It would be too late," Nagato stated.

Ryuu looked down at his hand, sensing an enormous amount of chakra inside of himself.

"Here," Ryuu said resting his hand on Nagato's shoulder and transferring it to him. "Don't waste it."

As soon as it was gone, Ryuu was in the field again. Except this time, he was alone. He sat below a tree, still partially in a daze from being in the presence of the person he worshiped, the person he prayed to. Also hoping that Nagato was smart enough to continue to have faith in Naruto. Just as Ryuu was about to stand to look around, a blessedly welcome voice reached his ears.

"Hello Ryuu," Fu's voice greeted.

He looked up, seeing Fu sitting in the tree above him. He stared in shock before smiling and Fu dropped down beside him, sitting down and hugging him.

"You're here," Ryuu smiled.

"No," Fu sighed unhappily. "I was here. What you're seeing is a portion of my chakra that I left in my kunai for you. So that I could talk to you one last time. I was here, until Kabuto dragged my soul back to the Living World to fight for him. I'm sorry about that. I'm so sorry for everything I did to you."

Tears rolled down her cheeks but Ryuu simply smiled, wiping them away and kissing her gently.

"I don't care about that Fu," Ryuu smiled. "I forgave you long ago."

Fu smiled and nodded but still looked sad.

"I know," Fu smiled. "You've forgiven everyone. You forgave me, you forgave Aeron. Aeron's brothers. Deidara and Sasori. Kabuto. Even Nagato who you actively intervened to try to save."

"Everyone deserves a second chance," Ryuu stated and Fu laughed, still looking sad.

"You hypocrite," Fu snorted. "You don't give yourself a second chance. You don't believe you deserve it. For all of the people you've killed, for all of the people you've tried to kill, all the times you've sinned, and all the people you couldn't save, you've prayed for forgiveness, both for others and yourself. Even those you kill. But you can't forgive yourself. Those you killed or couldn't save have forgiven you. God has forgiven you, or you wouldn't be here. But you can't forgive yourself. It's why you're in so much pain, why you can't let go. It's why you can't move on. You take the guilt for everyone you kill and the guilt for everyone you can't save and you pile it on. Then you never let that guilt go. And it's crushing you. But you don't have to do that. Death is a natural part of life. And anyone you kill is only being killed by you to protect something you love. You're too good to carry so much guilt. You don't have to. God has forgiven you. It's time to let go of the guilt."

"You're still not able to be in Heaven right?" Ryuu asked.

Fu nodded.

"Then yours is the only death that I can't let go of the guilt for," Ryuu stated. "Thank you for helping me. But I can't fully move on until I know I can meet you here."

Fu smiled sadly, knowing he was right. Just as she began to fade, a green blast of chakra descended from the sky and enveloped him, the world around him beginning to fade to a blank white as well.


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