Yo..

The reviews for the previous chapter were mixed, and I believe an explanation is necessary. Naruto has not chosen his path in the previous chapter, when he is angry his evil feelings come to life but in the previous chapter he was trying to understand just what effects the war was having on every shinobi (including the enemy, because in the end all of them are humans).

That does not mean he will not kill his enemies, quite opposite. I don't want him to become a character that chooses the light side (like Cannon Naruto, who does not know the meaning of the word 'peace')...or Cannon Obito (who curses the world primarily because Rin died, that was his sole reason no matter what people think. If Rin was alive, Obito would not have sided with Madara).

I want him to understand the shinobi world from all perspectives and choose his path.

And don't think there are just two paths (Light and Dark) he can choose, there is another one too which is not totally light or totally dark either (but the one which suits him the most)...can you guess what that path is?

Hint: It is related to what he cherishes the most in the world.

Enjoy the chapter...

Chapter 27

Reunion

Mikasa slowly opened her beautiful blue eyes as the shiny rays of the sun hit her angelic face, there was a strange warmth in the air that was welcoming her to step outside and enjoy the beauty of nature.

The previous night had been extremely difficult for her and she still felt devastated that Armin was no longer with her, it was as if a part of her soul was killed and one of her prime reason for existence was gone.

She had joined this war with the resolve to protect her only two friends...no they were not her friends, they were her family. None of them were related by blood but the bond they shared were far more stronger than family itself.

Her eyes shifted to a small picture beside her bed and a few tears came in her eyes. It was a lovely picture where Naruto and Armin had lifted her up in the air, she could still remember that day.

It was her birthday and both the boys had tried to make a small cake for her by stealing some ingredients from the mess, as expected the cake was really a disaster but for her it was the best thing in the world as it was made by the love and affection of the two people she cared about the most in the world.

Mikasa's eyes couldn't hold her tears any longer as they were currently fixed on Armin's photo, his smile, his gentle tone...all of it was gone.

"You have gone far away but you never left anything behind to remember you. That's what I didn't like about you..." thought Mikasa painfully, as she clutched the beautiful photograph close to her chest.

"Take care of of Naruto..."

"Armin..."

She knew what she had to do, there was only one reason for her existence now...and it was to protect the person for whom Armin had happily sacrificed his life.

The person who was the hope for all of them, the light of their world...the boy who was trying really hard to keep his comrades strong.

Mikasa Ackerman had made a choice tonight- she would live her entire life for his sake and if called will die for him.

She passed her gentle hands over Armin's photo as a small smile came on her face.

"You won't be alone forever...but not yet, not yet"

In another corner of the base, a young blonde slowly opened her tired eyes. Everything was looking hazy, and she rubbed her eyes in order to clear her vision.

Rangiku slowly looked around as her vision became clear, last night had been really tough for her and she had drank so much sake that it was giving her a massive headache.

Her nostrils picked up a delicious smell and when she turned around she saw a small cup of coffee being offered to her.

"It'll help..."

Rangiku's eyes hardened when she saw the person who had offered her the drink. This was the man who was responsible for the death of one of the dearest person of her life.

"What are you doing here?" asked Rangiku angrily, as she smashed the cup of coffee that was offered to her as the drops of the coffee spilled all around the room, even falling on her face.

Her light greyish blue eyes were currently fixed on Naruto who was giving her a sympathetic look, and this angered her more.

"I'll get another one for you, you need to rest so please don't move," said Naruto patiently, but the girl pointed a firm finger at him as her eyes bore into his soul.

"Just get away from my sight, because of you Armin is dead. It's all your fault!" accused Rangiku bitterly, as Naruto cleaned up the broken pieces of the cup from the floor of her room.

"I know, and there is nothing I can do about it now," said Naruto sadly, as he sealed the broken pieces of the glass in a small scroll.

In a flash Rangiku was in front of him and in one swift motion grabbed his collar and thrashed him in the wall of her room, but she was surprised when he didn't even flinch from the pain as a small amount of blood leaked from his head.

It was as if he didn't want to refute her accusation and considered himself guilty for the death of his best friend.

"Do it" said Naruto calmly, as Rangiku's kunai was currently placed right in front of her chest.

He saw the anger, the pain, the sorrow clearly evident in her eyes and he knew all of this was his fault. He was supposed to die at Shuri Castle, but that fate had fallen on his best friend who chose to risk his life to protect him.

Naruto knew no matter what Mikasa or anyone else tried to tell him, Armin and Kotetsu's death would forever be on his soul and he had to bear this burden for the rest of his remaining life.

Every part of him wanted to die...but he would keep on fighting as long as he was alive, because he made a promise.

Whenever he felt like he couldn't take it anymore and wanted to give up, the memories of his family came flooding in his mind. His father, his mother...and most of all his younger brother for whom he would sacrifice anything.

He was bearing the hatred of his mother for breaking her heart, and now it looked he will have to bear the guilt of the death of his friends.

"If you had not given him permission, he would have been alive right now...what were you thinking?" asked Rangiku tearfully, as her kunai slightly started cutting his black shirt.

Naruto felt the cold metal poking his soft skin, but his eyes were currently locked with the girl in front of him.

"I never wanted this to happen, I would rather die then let my best friend be killed but things never went the way we expected them to go. The enemy was waiting for us and you know I won't hesitate to sacrifice myself for my friends...but the truth is I failed," said Naruto sadly, and the anger in Rangiku's eyes lessened a little when she saw the broken look in his eyes.

"I could not protect my friends and their deaths are my fault...I'm sorry, Rangiku" said Naruto apologetically, as he gently grasped her hand that was holding the kunai.

"He meant a lot to me..." whispered Rangiku sorrowfully,

"I failed as a son, as a brother...and now I failed as a friend too. So, go ahead and put an end to this," said Naruto sympathetically,

Naruto was surprised when the kunai dropped on the ground and the next second a sobbing Rangiku crashed in his chest, and the young boy's eyes softened as he gently wrapped his hands around her waist and let his friend share her pain.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." said Rangiku tearfully, she really felt ashamed for blaming him...in her anger and pain, she had forgotten that Armin was Naruto's best friend and if anyone was affected the most due to his death, than it was none other than Naruto himself. He had given Armin the permission to go ahead, and she realized this guilt was hurting him.

"I'm not asking you to forgive me, I won't ask you to not hold a grudge against me...just don't think that you are alone now. I know that I have not been a good friend to you...but I want you to know that no matter how much you may hate me, I won't leave you alone," said Naruto truthfully, as he gently wiped away the tears from her eyes.

The blonde girl gave him a weak smile as she carefully wiped away the lone tear that fell from his eyes.

"Armin believed in you, and I won't let his dreams fade away. I believe in you, Naruto" said Rangiku seriously, and she was surprised when he hugged her back affectionately.

The young girl didn't know what impact her words had on him, it was as if a huge burden was lifted from his chest.

"I'll make things right, Rangiku" said Naruto with utmost conviction in his voice, which brought a small smile on her face.

Rangiku had seen in his eyes the pain that he was undergoing, and deep down she knew Armin had voluntarily gone ahead because he wanted to protect his friends...but more than that he wanted to protect Naruto.

"I'll watch over him and stand by his side always. I promise you that, Armin" thought Rangiku deeply, as she gently caressed his back.

"Alright, now let's get you something to eat first" said Naruto enthusiastically, and quickly went towards the small table where she saw a small tray of food.

"Naruto, I really appreciate your help...but I'm fine, besides I'm not hungry" said Rangiku patiently, but it seemed the boy had other plans.

"Like hell you are, first you are going to drink this coffee and eat this food too. And I'm not taking no for an answer," said Naruto stubbornly, as a tired sigh escaped from her lips, if he had made up his mind...then there was nothing she could do about it now.

"Besides, he's right..." thought Rangiku sheepishly, Armin would forever be in her heart but she knew there was still a war on...and she had friends to protect, comrades who trusted her and it was her responsibility to protect them.

Looking at Naruto, she wondered just how much strong his heart was. Rangiku was devastated due to Armin's death, but this made her wonder just how much Naruto was suffering in his own hell.

For the shinobi world, he was Commander Phoenix- the man who was said to be undefeatable, the soldier who led his men to victory at Shanxi and Shuri Castle.

No matter how strong or ferocious the enemy was Naruto never gave up, he lost his commander but he kept on fighting, he lost his friends but he still kept on fighting and even now he was trying his best to support his comrades. For him each and every soldier was important, and Rangiku knew he cared about them immensely.

But deep down there was a boy who had sealed away his emotions, and there would come a time when that dam would burst and he would need someone to support him at that time.

And she wanted to be there for him, Armin would have wanted her to do that...and even she cared about Naruto, he was her first love after all.

She gave him a gentle smile as he offered her another cup of coffee with a vibrant smile on his face.

"How are you doing, Naruto?" asked Rangiku with a knowing look in her eyes, and as expected she saw a fake smile appearing on his face.

"I'm fine, Rangiku...please don't worry about me," said Naruto evasively, but his friend gave him a knowing look.

"Naruto, don't play games...I cried the entire night, and believe me it would really help if you let your emotions out. You don't have to bear so much...you can be yourself around me," encouraged Rangiku, as she saw a smile appearing on her face.

She was surprised when Naruto came forward and kissed her forehead affectionately, and gave her a reassuring look.

"Thank you..."

This was the last words he said before he quickly shunshined out of her room, as a tired sigh escaped from Rangiku's lips.

"You don't have to shoulder everything on your shoulders..." thought Rangiku sadly,

However both of them had missed a pair of dark blue eyes that had observed the entire conversation...

"Shhhhhh"

His sharp ears picked up the sound of liquid falling somewhere, most probably water. His eyes tried to find the source of that noise, but all he could see was a fade light at the far end of the corner.

He looked around and found himself standing in a dark corridor, the lights in the corridor were out but he could see a faint light at the far end of the corridor, where there was a door.

Naruto didn't know where he was, or what all of this was...but his instincts were telling him he had been here before.

Even if the entire place was covered in darkness, strangely he knew perfectly well as to where he was going...but the only question was what the hell was he doing here?

"I...t...a...h..."

"T...a...k...M..."

A small bead of sweat rolled down his face as he heard strange voices coming from the door all around him. His heartbeat considerably increased within seconds as he quickly took out his tanto.

These whispers were starting to freak him out, with each passing second they were getting louder and louder, and slowly they started getting converted into screams.

"What is this?" thought a terrified Naruto, he tried to shunshin away but he couldn't.

"Demon..."

"Monster"

"Murderer"

He quickly started running away as he could see silhouettes appearing behind the doors, he just wanted to get out of here. This place was fucking dangerous, and he had a real bad feeling about this.

"Hey there rookie,"

He freezed instantly, this wasn't possible...this couldn't be her, she was dead.

However his worst fears came true, and his eyes widened in pure shock. He suddenly felt as if his entire throat had dried up, as a cold chill spread across his entire body.

There stood in front of him a tall blonde female, she had large D-cup breasts and an angular face. Her shiny blonde hair were tied up in a neat ponytail that reached up to her ass, but the most interesting thing was the Blacklight uniform she was wearing.

And the captain symbol on her chest.

"You..." said Naruto in shock, as right in front of him was none other than Captain Hisana Yamanaka, his first captain.

But she had died along with the rest of his squad at Shanxi, the same face, the same eyes...even if this was impossible, this was definitely her.

"It's good to see you, Naruto-kun," said Hisana lovingly, as she came forward and enwrapped him in a warm hug.

The shell shocked boy could do nothing but freeze in shock with this sudden revelation...none of his senses were working, and time had suddenly stopped for him.

The mysterious whispering had stopped and there was an eery silence in the corridor...and this was freaking Naruto out.

Hisana was quite surprised when Naruto broke the hug and quickly put a kunai on her neck, as his dark blue eyes bore into the woman's soul.

"Who are you?" asked Naruto dangerously, as his weapon scratched her soft skin.

"You are falling...and you have to stop it now," said Hisana calmly, and she saw the confused look appearing in his eyes.

"What the hell are you talking lady? Hisana died a long time ago, and what do you mean I'm 'falling'?" asked Naruto skeptically, as he pressed his kunai firmly on her throat.

But before she could answer his question, several chains emerged from the dark corridor and entangled all around her body. Naruto was quite terrified when these chains started dragging his former captain away.

"Naruto, remember who you are before it's too late!''

Before Naruto could even digest this shock, he found himself standing inside a room. There was a small chimney in which a small amount of fire was burning, the room was normal- it had a bed, a few greyish colored walls but he was quite surprised when he saw a person sitting on a chair.

The person slowly got up from the chair, and if previously Naruto was shocked...now he was terrified.

Because right in front of him was a person who looked exactly the same as him, and the young boy was looking at him with a serious look on his face.

The 'other' Naruto was surprised when the real one started laughing hysterically,

"I get it, I'm in one of Mikasa's scary genjutsu...sorry Mikasa, I can dismiss this illusion with a snap of my fingers," said Naruto challengingly, as the person in front of him chuckled a little.

"I'd like to see you try, smartass" said the other Naruto darkly, as his counterpart looked at him seriously as his fingers joined with each other.

SNAP

Naruto was a little shocked when nothing happened, he sent a shock wave of his chakra but again nothing changed. His replica was now looking at him with an amused look on his face.

"We need to talk, and you are not going anywhere" said the other Naruto flatly, and the next second the door of the room shut with a loud bang.

"Who are you?" asked Naruto again, as a small smirk came on his replica's face.

"My poor little Naru-chan, you are still the same naive kid from years ago. Don't you remember me? Or shall I say, don't you remember yourself?" said the other Naruto darkly, as his sharingan flared to life.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock as his replica's sharingan swirled quickly, and a torrent of memories was unleashed in front of him.

"Ikiryo..." said Naruto murderously, as he grabbed his tanto firmly.

"Yes, now you remember me, or should I say I remember you because ultimately you are a part of me," said Ikiryo bemusedly, as Naruto glared at him murderously,

"After all this time...you dare show me your face again," said Naruto furiously, as he grabbed his replica by the collar and thrashed him in the wall of the room.

For his part Ikiryo merely laughed, still the same naive child who people used every time for their own benefits...

"Don't tell me you didn't miss me? We had so much fun together, I was the one who saved you in the Valley of Hell, I saved your ass at Shanxi, I was the one who gave you the power to fight the Biju, you are nothing without me. I am your hatred, I am your power you stupid fool!" said Ikiryo in a mocking tone, as Naruto's anger increased further.

"You listen to me, you son of a bitch...I'm done with you, and I don't want you back again!"

Before Naruto could even react he was pushed straight into the other wall by Ikiryo as his clone grabbed him firmly.

"Is that what you said when your father abandoned you, where you were all alone...because poor daddy left Naru-chan all alone for a stupid village. You always had to rely on me," said Ikiryo flatly, but Naruto shook his head in negative.

"You manipulated me, made me hate my father...I cast you out the day you tried to turn me against my brother," said Naruto bitterly, as he bore into the monster's eyes.

"I only showed you the truth of how you feel, you never loved your brother...you HATED ITACHI NAMIKAZE!" yelled Ikiryo angrily, as he punched a wall right beside Naruto's face.

"That's not true...I love my brother," said Naruto passionately, but Ikiryo patted his face bemusedly.

"You were being completely ignored by your father, and you never lifted a finger. You always had a low self esteem of yourself, I know how worthless you feel, how dead you are from inside, how you hate yourself when you look at the reflection in the mirror!" said Ikiryo furiously,

"Just shut up..." said Naruto stubbornly, as all those painful memories of the past started coming back.

"You are nothing, you were cast aside like a piece of trash, no friends, but Itachi...he got everything you wanted. He was loved by your parents, he lives a peaceful life in the village while you suffer in this war, he is fucking with some random chick while you bury your friends!' said Ikiryo deviously, as he saw Naruto grabbing his head in pain.

"I chose to go in this war, I wanted to protect my brother..." said Naruto tiredly,

"What is the goal of your life? To protect Itachi Namikaze...isn't it? Who gave you that goal?" asked Ikiryo deviously, as he saw the shock evident in Naruto's eyes.

"I..."

"It was Minato Namikaze, your own father condemned you to a life of hell. He knew perfectly well, who you were- a good soldier, nothing more, nothing less. Daddy's personal favorite henchman..." said Ikiryo deviously,

"SON OF A BITCH!" yelled Naruto furiously, as he gave a harsh kick to his replica.

Without waiting for a second, Naruto grabbed his tanto and pierced it clean through Ikiryo's heart,

"I love my father!'

Another painful stab was made across Ikiryo's heart as Naruto's tanto edged deeper inside his body, as the replica coughed in pain.

"I love my brother!"

Naruto gave a strong punch to Ikiryo's face that sent him sailing into the wall, as the body fell down with a thud.

He panted harshly, as his entire body was covered in sweat and blood. His eyes shifted to the bloodied tanto in his hand.

SMASH!

Naruto's eyes widened in horror when Ikiryo was right in front of his face and his eyes were totally black in color, along with a large hole in his heart.

"You can't escape me, Naruto...you are gonna die, and THIS IS WHAT YOU WILL BECOME!" said Ikiryo demonically, as Naruto's eyes widened in horror

"NARUTO!"

Calm blue azure eyes were the first thing he saw, as his own terrified eyes tried to look at the person in front of him.

"Naruto, are you alright?" asked Mikasa worriedly, as she quickly hugged him tightly.

That day he felt the terror of being ruled by his dark side...

Author's Notes: End of chapter.

I had dropped small hints throughout the story, if you have read each and every line carefully then you know that this was one of the possibilities for his anger, and the dark feelings in his heart.

Wait to find out the further history in the upcoming chapters, but you are free to make speculations in your reviews.

Have a good day.