I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.


Standing Strong

Naruto turned fully, watching as Neji landed on the ground in front of him, spike extending from several spots in his torso. Ryuu pushing himself up, staring at Neji.

"Why did you...trip me?" Ryuu breathed.

Naruto caught Neji as he began to fall and shouted for a medic, but the shinobi were gone. Ryuu looked toward the Ten-tails, seeing that the Iwagakure shinobi had finally finished his jutsu, trapping the Ten-tails between two massive chunks of stone, as the same shinobi had attempted with the Gedo Mazo when it attacked the shore. The chunks of stone were barely able to do anything, but they held the Ten-tails still. Ryuu looked back at Neji, using his Byakugan to look at the wood spikes inside him. There was nothing that could be done. His liver, heart, lungs, diaphragm, and several other vital spots had all been hit.

"It's no use, Naruto," Neji breathed, barely able to make a sound. "Naruto...Hinata is...willing to die for you. You hold...more than your own...life in your hands. It seems...mine was...too."

"Why would you do this?" Naruto asked. "You were going to change the Hyuga clan, remember? Why would you...throw that away for me?"

"Because you...called me a genius," Neji smiled.

"Didn't you say you wouldn't let your friends die?" Obito shouted, as the Ten-tails began to force its way out of the trap. "Naruto! You said you would never let your comrades die. Take a look around, and say it again!"

Naruto looked up, and for the first time took in the destruction Obito's attack had caused, the countless dead, all skewered and mutilated by the wooden spikes.

"I don't hear anything!" Obito shouted. "As the bodies of your comrades grow cold in your arms, take in their deaths!"

Ryuu looked to the side, seeing Guy, Lee, and Tenten. Lee and Guy looked like they were in shock, but Tenten was in tears. Ryuu's eyes fell to the ground.

If only I hadn't tripped, Ryuu thought. I could have...I could have been the one...

"This carnage will continue," Obito continued. "And your vows and ideology will become lies. This is the end result of hope and ideals. This is reality. Naruto, what is there for you in this reality? You mother and father are gone. Your master, Jiraiya is gone. Your friend is gone. What's next? Hinata? If you continue to fight, you will lose your friends one by one. This world will become one, where no one who acknowledges you remains. The only thing that awaits you is your worst fear, which you know quite well. Solitude."

Naruto's head fell. His will was breaking, fast. Fear and grief were crushing him.

"Why must you cling to this reality?" Obito asked. "Now, come and join us Naruto."

Obito extended his hand. Just as Naruto began to raise his head and his hand, Hinata slapped him, her hand resting on his cheek.

"Naruto," Hinata said, barely holding together herself. "Neji said, that you hold more than one life in your hand. Do you know what he meant? We all believe the same as you. None of us will allow our comrades to die. Neji took those words to heart, and lived them out until the end. All of us are the same. We all feel as you do. If you break now, if you turn your backs on us all now, Neji will have sacrificed himself for nothing. When you turn your back on your friends, that is when they truly die. So stand with me, Naruto."

"Hinata," Naruto breathed smiling and taking her hand. "Thank you."

He leaned forward, kissing her for a moment before standing, pulling her up with him.

"Let's go," Naruto smiled. "We have a war to win."

Just then, the Ten-tails wrapped its tails around its head, leaving a gap for its mouth, where it began to charge a Tailed Beast Ball.

"Damn," Ryuu growled pushing himself up. "Not good."

Suddenly, one of Sai's ink birds flew toward it, Killer B jumping off and transforming into his full Eight-tails form. He formed a Tailed Beast Ball of hit own, slamming his into the Ten-tails' and shoving both into the Ten-tails' mouth before firing. After a moment, the Ten-tails expanded rapidly as they exploded before deflating, B sailing through the air and crashing down, his undamaged horn blown off and a tooth knocked out, along with nasty burns over most of his body.

"Good job B," Ryuu sighed turning to the Ten-tails.

Just as he did, Naruto slipped his hand into Hinata's and boiling red chakra formed a shroud around her.

"That's..." Ryuu gaped. "The Nine-tails'...chakra? Well well. Tag me in Naruto."

Naruto grinned as he formed three clones who dispersed themselves throughout the Allied Forces, beginning to spread the Nine-tails' Chakra among the shinobi. Then Naruto gave Ryuu a high five, the same chakra shroud as Hinata had spreading over his body. Then, Naruto took off running and began to help his clones spread the chakra. Ryuu staring at the shroud before looking over at Neji's body where Guy's team was. Lee was kneeling beside Neji, sobbing, Guy was trying to convince him to stop, and Tenten was trying to gain control of herself, while trying to help Guy. Ryuu walked over and knelt beside Lee.

"Lee," Ryuu said resting a hand on his shoulder. "Neji chose to give his life for Naruto. Don't mourn his death now. Celebrate his sacrifice and make it worth while. I need your help to take down Madara and Obito."

Lee looked up at him then wiped his eyes and stood, nodding. Ryuu glanced at Tenten who wiped her eyes as well, nodding.

"I can fight too," Tenten promised.

Ryuu nodded and turned back to the Ten-tails. Just as he did, Naruto reached them, spreading the cloak to Guy's team before stepping back up beside Hinata along with Ryuu.

"Sasuke missed out big time," Ryuu grinned, rolling his right shoulder. "Although, my arm seems to dislike the shroud. Guess Hashirama's Cells and Tailed-Beasts don't exactly mix well."

Naruto set his hand on Ryuu's right shoulder and a moment later, the burning sensation Ryuu had been feeling as the chakra and Hashirama's Cells fought against each other vanished.

"Sorry, forgot about that," Naruto said. "Better?"

"Much," Ryuu nodded. "Now. Shall we?"

The Ten-tails sent a tail at them and Hinata stepped forward.

"Eight Trigrams, Air Palm!" Hinata shouted, blasting the tail and sending it crashing back into the massive chunk of stone to the Ten-tails' left.

"And with such a low-power jutsu," Ryuu grinned. "Wonder what my Susanoo can do."

Naruto adopted Ryuu's grin just as three more arms spread to the Shinobi Alliance to try to crush them. However, choji and two other Akimichi grew to giant size and caught them. Obito began to prepare to shoot Choji in the face with the Cutting Sprigs jutsu but Ino took control of him, making the attack miss before the entirety of the Nara clan immobilized the Ten-tails, allowing Ino to release control.

"Got him!" Shikamaru shouted.

Naruto continued to sprint through the Allied Forces until the last of them had shrouds, just as Madara began to add to the power Obito was using to control the Ten-tails, allowing them to mostly regain control from the Nara clan. The Ten-tails drove six tails into the ground around the Allied Forces and Ryuu sighed.

"I won't let Neji's death be in vain!" Naruto shouted forming a pair of Rasenshuriken and sprinting forward, the Allied forces following.

They leapt into the air, their chakra shrouds forming a massive glowing bird as they sailed through the air. Naruto used one Rasenshuriken to cut through the two tails in front of them.

"I'll take Madara," Lee stated.

"Okay," Naruto nodded as Ryuu formed his Susanoo, grabbing Lee with it.

As Naruto pulled his arm back, his shoulder popped out of its socket again. Then, Hinata hit it with gentle Fist, relocating it. Naruto smiled, hurling the Rasenshuriken as Ryuu hurled Lee at the same time as Lee jumped off. Then, Lee kicked Madara, splitting him and the cord connecting him to the Ten-tails in half at the same time as Naruto's Rasenshuriken removed Obito's cord, passing through Obito.

"Got them!" Naruto grinned just before the Allied Forces crashed into the Ten-tails.

Despite Naruto cutting through two of its tails and them removing Madara and Obito's control, their attacks did nothing but tip the Ten-tails over, despite their upgrades. They all landed between the Ten-tails and Madara and Obito and Naruto landed in front of them, Ryuu stepping forward and healing his shoulder to keep it from being dislocated again mid-battle.

"The difference between you and me," Naruto said. "Is that I don't want to sever any of my bonds or get them cut off."


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