Here it is everybody. Last chapter of Saving Sasuke. It's been a year and a month since I started. I never imagined I would finish so quickly.
So, for the final time: I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Kishimoto.
12 hours previously
"I thought I'd find you up here."
The red head's eyes, which had been locked on the small but brilliantly shining stars, slid over to the right to look at his sister.
Temari looked down at him with amusement. It was not the first time she had found him enraptured with the night sky. She never asked what had started his fascination with star gazing. Maybe she assumed it was a left over habit from childhood, when darkness and the stars were his only companions through years of sleepless nights.
She wouldn't have been wrong in thinking that, but that wasn't all to it. Then, Gaara hated the stars. They were too bright, too distant. Seeing the sky fill up with them every night only reminded the young boy how alone and hated he was.
It was a time in his life that the future Kazekage wasn't proud of. He was embittered. Fueled only by hatred and caring for no one but himself. He was a monster, feared by the entire village. Children ran when they saw him and adults whispered as he walked by, uncaring that he could hear their harsh words calling for his death.
Even though Gaara had gained control over Shukaku since returning to the past and could sleep peacefully, he still went up on the roof every night, laid back using his gourd for support, and simply lost himself in the vastness of the night sky and the stars.
He would think about everything and nothing. The good and the bad.
The stars were a reminder that they had done what was believed to be impossible, traveling back through time with the intent to change the future. He'd remember pausing in his work to admire them from his office, and nights where Sakura was wrapped in his arms and the war seemed like a distant past because it was just the two of them and the stars that littered the sky.
Gaara in no way regretted the decision. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. A second chance. The future had been bleak. What shinobi that had survived the war with Madara were killed when the Uchiha waged war against the world.
But he never imagined being back would be so hard. He wasn't tormented by memories of the past but of the future. Gaara had thought he could deal with Suna's fear and hatred. He had lived through it once; certainly he could do it again? But it was hard to ignore them. He wished for his village, the one filled with people whose respect and love he had earned. The one that followed him into a war to protect the first friend he had ever made.
Walking through Suna's sandy streets, watching as civilian and ninja alike flinched from him like they were expecting his sand to lash out, was disheartening and discouraging.
Even now, after two months without a single death, the villagers still looked at him in fear. If he wasn't wrong, they actually feared him more now than when he threatened and killed indiscriminately. They watched him with fearful, wary eyes, waiting for him to lose control, unleash his Bijuu, and slaughter every person in Suna.
The red head was ever so grateful that he was not alone. If he had not had Temari at his side, Gaara believed he would have gone insane, regressing back to the twelve year old monster the village viewed him as.
It was amazing how one person made such a difference.
With a huff, Temari slouched beside him on the rooftop. Gaara waited patiently for her to say her piece, knowing that she had come looking for him for a reason. Generally, she left him to have his alone time.
"Why do you keep looking at them?" she asked, genuinely curious. "They don't change. Those are the same stars we see in ten years."
Gaara's jade eyes turned skyward. "No," he said softly, "they're brighter."
"Brighter, huh?" Temari understood that he was not talking about how brightly the stars themselves shone. To him, they represented the future, which they were changing to a better, brighter one. She laid back, head pillowed on her arms. "So much has happened already. Can you believe how much has changed in such a short time?"
Gaara didn't answer. It was a rhetorical question and they both knew it. From the moment they stepped foot in Konoha all their plans had been dashed with holes large enough to fit one of Naruto's larger toad summons through. With every change they successfully made, a dozen changes they didn't anticipate occurred and they were left scrambling to regain control. The Uchiha was still given the Cursed Seal despite their best efforts, which included killing the Sannin that had created the seal. Temari had been taken captive only a few days past.
There were so many unexpected events they had to deal with that never happened originally. But, as ninja were trained to, they adapted quickly.
"Do you think we'll succeed?"
Gaara rolled on his side to fully face his oldest sibling. The blonde still gave off the image off a kunoichi confident in her skills and hardened by growing up in a village hidden in sand. Ever since the Third Shinobi War, the Wind Daimyō began outsourcing missions to Konoha, leading to a lack of funding for Sunagakure. It made for living in Suna difficult. The number of ninjas in their ranks dropped to an all-time low. Only the strongest and most ruthless managed to complete the types of missions Suna started taking.
Temari had never agreed with their father's plan to attack Konoha. Her dismissive and vindictive façade hid a girl that wanted nothing more than peace.
She still appeared as confident and self-assured as ever, but her tone betrayed her insecurity.
"I can't make any promises, Temari. We understood there were risks we when made this choice. Maybe we'll succeed. Maybe we won't. But the possibility of a future without war is one worth fighting for."
"But can we make those kinds of changes?" she persisted. "We're just five teenagers now. Can we really change the fate of the world?"
Gaara sat up, forcing her to do the same, looking her straight in the eye. "You and I know better than anyone that even one person can make all the difference. I used to be a monster that proved my right to live by killing others. I was the last person Suna would have wanted as their Kazekage. Then I met Naruto."
Both siblings smiled at mention of the blond. Temari with fondness and gratefulness. She had always loved her little brother, but he was also the one person that she had feared. Then Naruto, bright, loud, friendly Naruto, had come along and proved that being a Jinchuuriki didn't mean he couldn't let anyone in his heart. He had shown Gaara that shared bonds made them stronger.
Gaara's smile spoke of admiration and a deep understanding. As another Jinchuuriki, he understood the loneliness Naruto had lived with, for it was the same pain he had felt. But the blond hadn't let that loneliness cripple him. Naruto had been the catalyst behind his changed outlook on life, behind him becoming a better man. One that could wear the title Kazekage with pride and defend his village and its people with his life.
Naruto had saved him from himself. There wasn't anything Gaara wouldn't do for his first friend.
"Naruto believes in us. And I believe in him. If his ability to change people worked on someone like myself, it will work on Sasuke."
"I didn't say anything about that brat," Temari said mulishly.
"But that's what you meant. It's a hard pill to swallow, but Sasuke is the lynchpin; the deciding factor. If he sides with Madara again, all this would have been for naught."
The kunoichi sighed unhappily. "I know, I know. I may agree, but that doesn't mean I like him. It's just unbelievable that whether or not the whole world burns is up to that Uchiha. Without those Sharingan eyes of his he's nobody special."
Gaara didn't refute her words. The Uchiha had an overinflated sense of self-worth and the ego to match it. He was talented and a genius when it came to modifying jutsu and overcoming adversity. And, with no one to teach him how to use the unique abilities of his Sharingan, he had mastered it in a short time.
But all the talent in the world did not excuse the chip he carried on his shoulder or justify his destroying the world one village at a time. Nine Jinchuuriki, seven of which had lives just as miserable, did not seek vengeance on the village that wronged them.
Temari clambered to her feet in a rustle of cloth. "Don't stay up here all night. We're heading out early for Ishigakure."
Gaara hummed acknowledgement as his sister leapt nimbly off the roof. Ever since the Chuunin exams, he and Temari took it upon themselves to hunt down the bases Orochimaru had operated in. Kabuto had presumably taken them over after his master's death.
Naruto, Sakura, and even Shikamaru were working on changing Sasuke's mind so that he would realize he was stronger with friends at his side and that together they could deal with the men responsible for his suffering. Temari, ever impatient, wanted a quicker and more direct solution. So she had suggested they hunt down Kabuto and gut him, because if the creator of the seal died, its power would break and Sasuke would be less of a risk.
Gaara gave one last look at the twinkling stars before he too turned in for the night. He was glad for the fact that he had better control of Shukaku. He very much enjoyed being able to sleep through the night untroubled by the beast's violent, manic demands for blood and death.
Brother and sister set out before the sun rose, wanting to travel the majority of the distance to the outskirts of the Village Hidden in Rocks before the sun got too high and the desert heat became sweltering. As Suna shinobi, they were used to the extreme temperatures and dry heat, but that didn't mean they liked traveling in them.
By ten in the morning they had reached the borders of Ishigakure. They spent the next to scouring the land for the underground base.
Temari grinned savagely as she unfurled her giant folding war fan and released her most destructive wind jutsus to ravage the base. Gaara remained expressionless as his sand ground the supporting rocks to dust, leaving the foundation weak.
Temari watched with satisfaction as the structure crumbled. It was another on a growing list of abandoned hideouts, and while it was irksome and frustrating that they had yet to find the traitorous bastard, but it was one more place the coward wasn't hiding. It wouldn't be long until they found Kabuto.
"Best that we be heading back," she said, before noticing the communication scroll in her brother's hand. "What Naruto say?" she peered over his shoulder in order to read it for herself. Gaara was prone to leaving out the juicy details.
Something's wrong with Sasuke's seal. He's entered second stage unexplainably and is heading somewhere to the east. Tsunade says we have twenty-four hours to return him or she'll have him killed.
"Huh," remarked Temari, surprised at the other Kage's brutality. "That's shorter than your messages." Gaara favored her with a look of exasperation. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find the pretty boy."
"Our next target is the hideout in Kusagakure. It's slightly northeast of Konoha so let's start there," Gaara suggested.
"Lead the way, little brother."
This time they did not travel by foot. While it was very likely that they would encounter Kabuto when they found Sasuke, time was of the essence and they could not afford to conserve chakra and arrive too late to do anything.
21 hours 29 minutes remaining
The trio of time travelers from Konoha raced through the forests, thankful for the countless hours of condition they had gone through since returning. Their insanely fast pace would have been grueling for the normal shinobi. But, with the clock ticking, they had to move fast.
They had shot directly due east and within the next hour they would arrive at the border of the Land of Fire. Another hour and a half and they'd met up with Gaara and Temari in Ishigakure and make a game plan from there.
"Hokage-sama. Hokage-sama! Naruto!" Shikamaru's shouting finally gained the other boy's attention.
"What?" he snapped.
"I understand your urgency," the Nara started calmly, "but you cannot go running after Sasuke blindly. Beyond knowing that he set off in this direction initially, we don't know where he's going or what his plans are. You need to take a step back, clear you mind, and we need to make a plan."
Naruto breathed heavily. He knew running in unprepared was foolish. But all he could think about was how Sasuke was faring. He was probably confused and frightened and scared out of his mind by his lack of control. How could he not rush to his friend's aid? "And what are you suggesting?"
"Use sage mode to locate him," the genius replied succinctly. Both Naruto and Sakura blinked at the frank response.
"I know you haven't had a chance to practice it yet, but you've done it once before. You're more prepared for it this time." Shikamaru continued to outline the reasons why the blond should go ahead and activate his sage mode. "You'll be able to sense his chakra instantly and knowing his trajectory. Knowing where he's going is going to save us time in the long run."
Naruto shook his head strongly. "There are too many risks. It's an impossibility on my own. The absolute stillness required, the mental focus, and the control. I struggled with it at fifteen when I had way less chakra. I needed the toad oil to facilitate the process."
"In order to get the feel for drawing in natural energy. You already know what natural energy feels like and how to draw it into yourself," countered Shikamaru.
The future Rokudaime continued as if the other male had spoken. "I wouldn't have Fukasaku to keep from turning into a giant stone toad statue. And because of Kurama, I can't fuse with him and have him gather the natural energy for me like Pervy-Sage did."
"You know I'm always willing to punch you, Naruto," Sakura offered sweetly.
Naruto cringed, remembering all too well the many times the rosette had hit him. He knew she was serious about her offer though.
"I—alright, fine," he gave in with a grumble. "You had better hope that special staff wasn't all that special. Because if I turn into a toad statue, I'm going to flatten you both."
Sakura and Shikamaru dug their heels into the terrain. The pinkette took up position by Naruto who had already sat himself cross-legged on the ground. She kept her fist raised and ready should Naruto's face start taking on the characteristics of an amphibian.
Naruto closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, mentally telling Sasuke that he had better appreciate the things he did for him.
It was easy to slip into the meditative state he needed to draw on natural energy. Actually doing so was not so easy. Naruto found himself hesitating. To his shock, he was scared to attempt this. And that made him angry.
He hardly ever found himself in a situation where he was scared. Or at least, scared enough to not act. There was always something to drive him to overcome that fear. But how could he do that here? This wasn't just the fear of being beaten or not being strong enough or losing one of his precious people. He could legitimately die he attempted to draw on the natural chakra unprepared and unassisted by Fukasaku.
Disgust filled him. He had never been afraid to die before. His fears involved failing others and not keeping his promises. Naruto had been willing to die, shouldering Sasuke's hatred for the world, if it meant that he was no longer burdened by it.
So why was he so afraid of it now?
Naruto startled when Sakura's light touch gripped his shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked concernedly.
He insisted that he was and settled into his meditative state, shoving the fear into some dark corner of his mind. He hadn't let fear stop him before, and with Sasuke in danger he wasn't going to start giving into it now.
With a calm mind, it was easy to draw on the natural chakra, like he had been doing so for years. A content smile formed as he sensed the chakra signatures of his friends back in Konoha and as far as Temari and Gaara in Ishigakure. His reach sure had expanded.
Sasuke's was easy to find than Kakashi when the newest Icha Icha book was released. His normally bright chakra was dark purple, twisting and churning.
He opened his eyes, anxious to get moving again, in time to see a dainty gloved fist hit him in the side of his head.
"Sakura! What was that for?" He brought his hands up to the already fading bruise. Thank the Sage for Kurama's regenerative ability.
Said girl shrugged casually. "I thought I saw your nose get bulbous and warty," she said offhandedly.
Naruto gaped at her blasé attitude, sharing a look with Shikamaru as he muttered about how weird women were.
Tension gone, as she intended, Sakura watched as Naruto's demeanor became determined.
"Kusagakure. That's where he's heading. Kusagakure."
Sakura groaned. "It would be that base."
"At least we know exactly where we're going. Let's move out!" The last three words were shouted encouragingly.
"Hai, Hokage-sama," chorused Shikamaru and Sakura, and the three were flying through the trees again, path shifting to aim a little more to the north.
20 hours and 47 minutes remaining
Gaara's hand was unrolling the communication scroll seconds after it warmed, alerting him that Naruto had written an update. Jade colored eyes scanned it quickly.
"Well?" Temari asked when he didn't immediately inform her of what Naruto had said. "What's it say? Did they catch him already?"
"It's confirmation. Naruto entered sage mode to track the Uchiha. He's heading for the base in Grass Country."
"So we'll get there first. It's going to be two on two, presumably. Do you want to see how you match up against the Uchiha?" she mused, referencing their first time taking the Chuunin exams and his interrupted match.
Gaara stared at her stonily. "This is no joking matter, Temari. We have never fought the Uchiha in this form and do not know what he is capable of. He'll be even more predictable since he is not acting of his own free will, but of Yakushi's. And Kabuto is no pushover."
The blonde rolled her eyes at the reprimand. A little light hearted teasing didn't mean she wasn't taking the Sasuke's turned into a mindless puppet situation seriously. Laughter was good for the soul. She definitely felt they could use some at this point.
Silence descended, but Temari was content to leave it at that. She knew the future Kazekage was stressing over the upcoming confrontation. Gaara had always carried a healthy disdain for the Uchiha brat even before he had abandon his village and comrades to join Orochimaru. That contempt had morphed into loathing for the pain he had caused Naruto. After the blond has opened his world, Gaara couldn't understand how someone could continuously reject him and purposefully try to kill him. The red head had made his opinion of the matter clear several times. Continuing to pursue the self-named avenger would only bring Naruto pain.
But Naruto had insisted with a sunny smile that he could change Sasuke, convince him to give up his hatred and come back.
"Temari, I wish to speak with him. Can you keep Kabuto distracted?"
She smirked smugly. "Who do you take me for? Kankuro?" Her youngest brother snorted and she gave him an honest grin. "You've got fifteen minutes."
18 hours and 53 minutes remaining
Kabuto grinned wickedly, running nimble fingers through the dark tresses of one Sasuke Uchiha. It was amusing to see the brat so subservient. He was a weak willed boy. Orochimaru could not have selected a worse vessel. Sasuke-kun's strength was over exaggerated.
He never imagined the opportunity he had been waiting for would arrive so soon. The chance to take over the Snake Sannin's empire. The old fool was too close-sighted. Too narrow-minded in his effort to obtain true immortality.
So obsessed with that one goal, everything else had fallen to the wayside. His other experiments. Running the village. His ultimate dream to learn all the world's secrets. His revenge against his sensei. Everything had been disregarded in favor of seeking eternal life, and not the illusion of it that he currently had.
Kabuto had taken up responsibility for all that. His own research and experimentation had yielded such spectacular results. Trailing his fingers down the side of Sasuke's neck to where his Curse Mark rested, he thanked Orochimaru for being a single-minded idiot. Because of him, Kabuto had perfected the Cursed Seal. There was no chance of the recipient dying to start. But the best part was he had complete control over it. Sasuke was aware of everything he did, but it was impossible to fight the seal's power.
Aware, but helpless to fight his control. Sasuke would break when Kabuto released him. It was going to be glorious.
Sasuke-kun was his trial run. A fantastic one, however, since everything was going according to plan. He had forced the boy into second stage and for him to come find him. The Uchiha was the perfect bait. Kabuto would use the boy to get the answers he sought and then revel in the despair that would come when Sasuke killed his teammates.
Sasuke would thank him for it later. Kabuto had given him the power he needed to kill his brother and take out any that would interfere or prevent him from achieving his vengeance.
A willing follower was better than a mindless servant, but the silver haired man could live with the second option.
Kabuto reclined on his raised throne as the sound of footsteps echoed in the underground tunnels and caverns. He continued to run his fingers through Sasuke's dark locks, knowing the possessive action would incite Naruto.
Rather anticlimactically considering the noise they made attempting to find him, the massive stone doors swung open slowly, just wide enough to admit to preteen figures.
"Oh," Kabuto chuckled. "This is intriguing. Two of the Kazekage's children. Temari and Gaara, am I right? Not the heroes I was expecting."
The kunoichi's response was a wordless snarl. Kabuto mockingly tutted her.
Gaara pinned him with an impassive stare. "Release Sasuke Uchiha."
"I'm afraid I can't do that." The silver haired man pasted a deceptively pleasant mask on his face as his shifted to prop his elbow on the arm of his throne and place his chin in his palm. "You see, Sasuke-kun is an integral part of my plan."
"And what is your plan?"
"Now that would be telling," Kabuto chuckled once more.
The siblings shared a look, having a silent conversation. His chuckling morphed into full blown laughter when the girl reached behind her to grab her war fan. "Are you sure you wish to do that? I know all of your abilities."
She sneered at him. "Your ninja info cards are outdated. Full of cheap information anyone could get just by asking."
Her assurance was amusing, really. He was going to enjoy crushing the naivety out of her. "I think you misheard me. I know all of your abilities," he said, putting emphasis on the all by drawing it out unnecessarily. "Even those extraordinary ones you and your friends have been hiding from every else."
Temari whitened under her tan. "You dirty little rat."
He waved the insult away. It wasn't the most imaginative one. Discovering their secret was easier than casting a Replacement jutsu. The missing members of their quintet were hardly good at pretending nothing had changed. And the multiple times a day meetings in the Nara forest screamed unusual. It was like they were begging for him to spy on them.
"Traveling back through time is an extraordinary feat. I can't help but wonder how you managed it. I don't suppose you'd share?" Silence met his words. "No? I expected as much."
"Is that your plan?" Kabuto blinked at Gaara's sudden question. "You desire to travel through time? To what end? To prevent your master from dying?"
The Sound ninja's laughter took a turn for the hysterical. Several uncomfortable minutes for the two siblings later, he had collected himself enough to answer Gaara's inquisition. "So narrow-sighted," he said, wheezing. "We've been through this already. I'm not going to fall for that trick. I won't be correcting you're misconceptions and informing you of my goal."
"I've had enough talking!" Temari yelled. She launched herself at him. In the blink of an eye she had been intercepted by Sasuke. He caught her heavy metal tipped fan with one of his wings, and with one powerful thrust thrown her back across the room.
Kabuto lounged back in his throne, content to watch them fruitlessly battle against his puppet.
18 hours and 15 minutes remaining
"Calm, Temari," he said lowly. His sand halted her tumble through the air and set her down gently. "Do not charge in recklessly."
"But, Gaara—"
"So long as he is controlling Sasuke, we will not get close to him. Let me engage Sasuke before you go after him," reasoned the future Kazekage.
She nodded her assent, so Gaara turned to assess his opponent. This was the first time he had seen the boy in what was referred to as the second stage. It was a terrifying sight. The discoloration, the giant webbed hand wings, and the eyes. It was unnatural. Gaara felt revulsion that Orochimaru and Kabuto would experiment on people to get these kinds of results, and some pity for the boy trapped within.
The Uchiha probably wanted to fight as much as he did, which is to say not at all. But Gaara had to fight him in order to free him, to open his eyes to Naruto and Sakura, who were always standing by his side if he would have just looked for them. Because those two were willing to die to bring their teammate back even when the world was ending.
"Finish them," came Kabuto's cruel order. Sasuke's black and yellow eyes became overshadowed briefly. They returned to normal in the space of time it took to blink.
Sasuke jumped, using his wings to hover scant inches from the ceiling. He hurled two handfuls of shuriken, directing them with the attached ninja wires to wrap around Gaara.
Sand exploded from his gourd, easily batting the projectiles to the side. Sasuke recovered quickly. With a twist of his wrists they encircled the red head, at a far enough distance that his sand didn't automatically react. He yanked his arms back, drawing the strings in tight, Before Gaara could break them, Sasuke switched all the wires to one hand and breathed fire down them.
The flames raced on thin wires toward their target. Gaara simply condensed his sand into a solid sphere. It would take the brat's Amaterasu flames, which he did not know about at this point, or one of his Chidoris to break through his defense.
Gaara did not hold the orb of sand long. It would be disadvantageous if he could not see his opponent.
The distinctive sound chirping birds filled the cavern. Temari cried out an unheard warning. The sand user dodged to the left. The Chidori, an attack that had to be used in a straight line, sailed by him.
Gaara was surprised that he would bring out his finishing move so early. He knew that there was a limit on how many times the dark haired boy could use that attack. It was probably higher since he was in second stage, but not by more than two or three more times. Perhaps it was because prolonged use of the Cursed Seal had to be causing him pain and he wanted to end the fight quickly. Gaara would not be surprised if that was the case. Sasuke had been in the seal's second stage for six hours now. He didn't think the Uchiha had ever used it that long when he had full control of it.
Well, he was more than happy to oblige if he wanted a quick battle. Gaara could hear his sister battling Kabuto behind him. Although it sounded more like Temari was trying to pummel him and Kabuto was evading her with ease. He would grow tired of his game shortly, so Gaara needed to finish up with Sasuke before then.
The Uchiha chose to engage in taijutsu next. It was a foolish move, and Gaara couldn't help but wonder why he bothered. His sand had already proven that it would leap to his defense before the other boy could even get close.
He was persistent, though. Kicks, punches, elbows, knees, forearms, calves. The Uchiha was utilizing any part of his body that could hit with force, but he simply wasn't fast enough. Gaara had long since overcome that weakness.
It was a two part solution. First, he held back part of his sand to spiral about him chaotically. Its movements were unpredictable and random. Sasuke would need to activate his Sharingan to see through it. Second, Gaara had gotten better at predicting an opponent's movements, so he was already gathering sand to block Sasuke.
Now that he thought about it, it was curious that the Uchiha had yet to use his kekkei genkai. According to Naruto, he was capable of using the Sharingan in this form. So why wasn't he?
Jade colored eyes tracked the monstrous form of Sasuke Uchiha as he executed a clumsy textbook attack. Inconsistencies started piling up. Slow speed, stubbornly using the ninja wires, punches that weren't as heavy as they could have been, using the Chidori when it was all too easy for him to get out of the way, and not using his Sharingan.
Was Kabuto's control slipping?
Gaara glanced at the other battle.
On the surface, it appeared that Temari was holding him at bay with her fan, using mid to long range wind jutsu to prevent him from engaging in a close combat fight. Gaara knew differently. Kabuto was giving his sister the illusion of control. In the short minute he watched their battle, he saw four openings the silver haired man could have taken advantage of, but chose not to. That was Kabuto's style, to wear his opponent out before striking, quick as a snake.
Still, Gaara could see the perspiration along his hairline, and the darkened edge on his shirt where it was soaking in. Seeing as he had his battle under control, Gaara concluded that Kabuto was having problems exercising control over Sasuke.
Which meant that Sasuke was fighting, intentionally not fighting to his fullest capability.
Gaara smiled slightly at that. If Sasuke was aware of what he was doing and able to fight against the seal enough to affect his motor control, Gaara could get through to him.
Now that he was aware of the deception, Gaara waited patiently for the Uchiha to make his move. When the black haired boy gave up all pretenses of strategy and went for the direct frontal attack, he didn't blink.
His sand snapped forward, wrapping around the outstretched fist aiming for his jaw and quickly spreading until it constricted Sasuke's entire body. Held aloft by the grains of sand, reminiscent of his first and only fight with Naruto, Sasuke had no choice but to listen as Gaara spoke.
"I know that Naruto has already talked to you about this seal. He said you claimed to never want to use its power to augment your own," he started. "What he probably didn't tell you is that seal is more cursed than its name says. It allows negative emotions like rage and hatred to fester. The more and stronger you feel these emotions the more control the seal commands over you.
"You succumbed to its power once, using it to turn the world to fire and ash."
The rest of the room ceased to exist. His words echoed in the silence. For a minute, Gaara thought they had not reached their intended target, that Kabuto's control of his mind was still too great. Then he watched as Sasuke began to shake.
He tightened his sand's hold on the other male that was now violently thrashing. The constricting sand only made Sasuke's struggle wilder. So Gaara decided it was time to take another page out of Naruto's book.
He head butted the Uchiha, slamming his forehead against Sasuke's so forcefully that an audible crack was heard.
Gaara staggered back a half step, one hand rising up to cup his temple. Head butting someone hurt just as much when he was the one doing it as it had been receiving it. Sasuke went slack, a momentarily dazed look crossing over his face, then he was reverting back to his normal looks.
The teen hung limply in his sand prison. Warily, Gaara drew closer. When Sasuke did not suddenly attack, he manipulated his sand so that he was looking the final member of Team Seven in the eyes.
The black orbs were turbulent. He could see a lot of emotions swirling, fighting to be expressed. The foremost one was regret.
"I'm gladdened to see the contrition in your eyes, Sasuke. You have become a better man. It is good to see that Naruto's belief in you has not been misplaced. Naruto saved me from myself once, when Suna invaded your Chuunin Exams. Only that time I fought against Konoha. He showed me that true strength comes from protecting those close to you. Naruto already believes in you. Believe in him in return and trust him."
Gaara dredged up his old and buried feelings of hatred and resentment he felt as a child betrayed by his uncle and father and glared at Sasuke. "If you cause Naruto any more pain, I will make sure you never work as a ninja again. And should you kill him again, I will crush you."
"I would never hurt Naruto." Sasuke's eyes burned with the strength of his promise. Gaara nodded, allowing his sand to release him and recalling it back to his gourd.
He clapped a hand on the Sasuke's shoulder. "Then I am glad you are unharmed."
"What did you do?"
Both boys turned at the angry hiss. Kabuto was glaring at Gaara and Sasuke, fury prominent in every line of his face. "Sen'ei Tajashu!" he screamed.
Upwards of a dozen snakes shot out of his sleeve, aiming for a startled Temari who was unprepared for Kabuto's sudden seriousness. Meanwhile, Kabuto shed his skin, from his mouth revealing a new body that with a snake's tail, and shot towards Sasuke with all the speed of a striking snake.
Gaara froze for a split second, torn. Who was he supposed to protect? Sasuke, who was in no position to defend himself, or his sister?
Ultimately, he didn't have to choose.
17 hours and 36 minutes remaining
In a flash of orange, Naruto slammed his foot under Kabuto's chin and extended his knee, kicking the snake bastard up and back. Landing lightly on his feet in front of Sasuke and Gaara, he threw a grin at them.
"I should have known you guys would get here first. But the hero always arrives at the last minute."
Sasuke scoffed. "You said that on the bridge, dobe. And as I recall, I did more saving than you did."
Gaara paid no attention as they two rivals descended into an argument, instead searching for his sister. She too was fine. Not that he expected anything else now that Shikamaru, Naruto, and Sakura had arrived. Shikamaru had caught the snakes' shadows, allowing for Sakura to sever their heads with her chakra scalpels.
"So the gang's all here," Kabuto said sibilantly, once more drawing everyone's gazes to him.
The six teenagers stood in a line before him. Despite the slight exhaustion from racing to Kusagakure, and for Gaara and Temari fighting against Sasuke and Kabuto, each one of them stood proudly; defiant. They dared Kabuto to make a move. They would ensure it was his last.
Maybe Kabuto sensed the Will of Fire burning within them. Maybe he thought that even if they were only twelve and fifteen, six against one wasn't good odd. Maybe he didn't think he could fight five time travelers and win. Maybe he was just a coward that would choose to run and preserve his life.
Whatever the reason, Kabuto retreated, slowly disappearing in flickering flames that worked their way upwards from his feet.
The six shinobi shared a look, but were ultimately unconcerned by the spy's disappearance. They exited the maze of a base, which Sakura demolished with a few well-placed punches. The motley collection of shinobi from two different nations took to the trees, scaling them to stand at the top most point. The leaves were thick enough for all six to stand atop a single, wide tree.
The sky was just starting to darken as the sun set.
Naruto grinned brightly, cradling the back of his head in his hands. He had Sasuke to his left, and beyond him Shikamaru and Temari, with the former's arm wrapped around the latter's waist, pulling his girlfriend close. To his right was Sakura, with Gaara standing behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin lying on her shoulder.
Naruto stared at Sasuke from the corner of his eye, noticing the small smile on his face. Miraculously, they had done it. He had never shown it, but the blond had had his doubts. The hardest part was Sasuke himself, because he had to be willing to reach a hand out, but Team Seven was truly fixed. Reunited for the first time in over eleven years.
Not wanting to be left out, the blond threw an arm around Sauke's shoulder, deftly ignoring how the other boy twitched at the action. "I'll have you know I had the perfect plan to break us out of interrogation. There was no need for you to go all curse seal on us."
"Shut up, dobe," he muttered in return, trying to shrug his arm off.
"Not to ruin your bromance or anything," Temari snickered, "but Kabuto's been gathering information on us. He knows we're from the future."
Naruto shrugged haplessly. "It doesn't change anything. We're still better prepared this time around."
"Still, I suppose we ought to come clean now," Shikamaru said to no one. "It would be very bad if Tsunade heard rumors of us being time travelers. It's probably what we should have done in the first place. Keeping a secret this long was too—"
"Troublesome," everyone said with him, grinning.
The future Rokudaime Hokage felt like laughing. They had done it. They succeeded. They had well and truly saved Sasuke. It was such a euphoric feeling. Sure, it wasn't all over yet, but their primary mission was. They were still looking at a future with war, but they had fought it once. The five of them were better prepared for what was to come, and they would make sure the rest of the world was too. And this time, they would not lose, because Sasuke was on their side.
"Naruto." The five time travelers turned to look at Sasuke, who rarely called the other boy by his given name.
"I want you to remove the Cursed Seal. Sakura told me you were capable of doing it." He ignored how said blond turned to glare daggers at their last teammate. "I don't want to be the Sasuke from your future."
"Just how much did she tell you?"
"Everything," shrugged Sasuke. Sakura smiled guiltlessly when Naruto tried to reprimand her with a look.
He heaved a sigh. "It might not be so easy, Sasuke. Last time you were bitten by Orochimaru. Kabuto's is radically different. This version could prove tougher to get rid of. And it'll probably be just as painful as when you got it."
"I don't care," Sasuke insisted.
"If you're sure," Naruto said. "It'll take roughly a day to write the seal."
"Tsunade only gave you us twenty-four hours to bring him back," reminded Shikamaru. Sasuke was surprised by that, but Naruto brushed it off.
Tsunade wasn't going to kill them, even if they were late. Especially not after they told her their story. She'd be pissed, and was likely going to break her desk, but they didn't really have anything to fear from the woman.
"Let's get started."
Now, let me explain myself before you start filling my inbox with angry reviews.
Yes, this is the end of this story. No there will not be a sequel. I know there will be people unhappy with the ending, thinking that it's rather abrupt and doesn't make sense since I haven't even reached the Fourth Shinobi War, but I feel there could be no other ending.
Saving Sasuke has never been about stopping the war before it could begin. It's about a broken team that goes back in time to fix itself, because by doing so the whole future as they know it will change.
So, I hope some of you are actually happy with the ending. As always, a big thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed.