Yo...

So, we are nearing towards the end of the civil war arc, and many other things have been set in motion for the story after that. Don't believe everything you read in one single chapter, give it some time to have some impact on the story.

After this arc, the struggle to create the empire would take a new turn, though it won't be like this. Things will finally seem to settle down as our heroes return back to their home...but not just yet.

And I don't get bothered by flames anymore, so some guest reviewers should try not to waste precious minutes of their life...coz I'll just toss the flames in my trash bin or have a small chuckle reading your rants (Why the fuck should I commit suicide? Maybe you ought to get a life). Damn, didn't think so much hate can exist in a person for a fictional story? Seriously?

Enjoy the chapter...

Chapter 73

Tears of the Sun

Silence prevailed in the entire battlefield as the two fighters were currently standing in their positions. Their eyes were intently focused on each other, as one of them got a small smirk on their face.

Standing on top of Cerberus had increased Baku's confidence, as he looked at the young boy standing like an ant on the ground with the 'Guardian of Hell's' figure hovering over him.

And yet he couldn't understand why his summon had a small grin on his face...

"What's the matter, Cerberus?" asked Baku curiously, as his summon just continued to look at the boy.

"He intrigues me, there is so much darkness in him. Even greater than me, this boy was born for the dark side and yet he is still on the light side..." answered Cerberus honestly, and Baku watched intently as Cerberus took a sniff at the air around Naruto.

The dog was surprised when Naruto looked him straight in the eye...

"Are you afraid of me?" asked Cerberus in a straight forward manner,

"No" replied Naruto without hesitation, making the dog grin.

"Are you afraid of losing your little brother?" asked Cerberus knowingly, and Baku was intrigued when he noticed the shock on Naruto's face.

"What has that go to with anyth-"

Naruto's question was left unanswered when Cerberus raised one of his paws silencing the boy...

"Everything, boy. Fear is the path to the dark side, fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. And I sense much fear in you..." prophesied Cerberus, and he was not at all alarmed when Naruto gave him a murderous glare.

"You'll have to go through me first, before even thinking of harming my little brother" said Naruto in a deadly voice, and Cerberus sensed the dark chakra inside the boy gaining strength.

"So, the cycle has not ended. It has just been delayed...the only one standing between the dark forces and the shinobi world is this boy. But his mind is clouded, and his biggest weakness is still unknown to the dark forces. If anything happens to his younger brother, then the victory of dark forces is inevitable...that boy must be the only thread that has not allowed Naruto to join his true side. So, that Uchiha's feelings have been passed on to him...interesting" thought Cerberus,

"Naruto, you feel it...don't you? I can clearly feel the hatred which you have for the shinobi world, why are you opposing your true nature? You know very well the path you were born for...it was revealed at the night of Shuri Castle. Then, why?" asked Cerberus curiously,

"I'm not what you think..." replied Naruto defiantly, making Cerberus chuckle.

"I can feel your heart does not believe in your words. There is still one link that is clutching you to this world, preventing you from accepting your true nature. There is nothing to be ashamed of your true nature...why do you think the idea of an empire came to your mind and not your brother's? Why do you have so much hate inside you? And your soul is in a lot of pain..." explained Cerberus patiently,

"Cerberus, I only want to protect my brother...that's the only thing that matters to me. I don't care which side I have to take to protect him..." answered Naruto honestly,

"All the pain, suffering, anger, sadness in your heart will vanish the moment you accept what you truly are. Join me, and fulfill your destiny..." offered Cerberus,

Baku was shocked when he saw Naruto lowering his sword and stabbing it in the ground. Could it be that what his summon was saying could be the truth?

"Naruto, only if Konoha had been more strict towards the other villages after the third great ninja war, then this war would not have happened. Your friends would have never died, Armin would be alive today. My son would be alive today..." said Baku sadly, and for the first time Naruto saw some truth in the man's eyes.

Despite everything, he could not deny the fact that Baku must have been severely hurt by Commander Fox's death. After all, that man was Baku's only son and family...

"Is that the reason you revolted?" asked Naruto patiently,

"Yes. I want Konoha to rule over the world, so that these pointless wars do not happen which will eventually help in protecting our people. I won't lie, the path is hard and I will have to sacrifice many of my people...but unless I do that, I can't establish the peace which I dreamed of. I have done some terrible things to you and your comrades, but unless we make sacrifices there can be no peace. All ninja are merely tools...including both of us" explained Baku, while Naruto just stared aimlessly in the sky.

"I understand what you feel, and I won't deny the little truth in your words. I truly wish this battle would not have happened..." said Naruto in a regretful voice, as he remembered the hundreds of Blacklight that he had murdered tonight.

Even if they were opposing the current hegemony, they were still soldiers of Konoha and were his comrades...

Baku got a small smile on his face, as he offered his hand in Naruto's direction...

"Then let us stop this suffering in our hearts. Join me..." offered Baku, while the boy just lowered his head and stared at the ground.

"But you are still my enemy. My comrades were killed by your madness..." said Naruto honestly, as he remembered all his deceased comrades.

...while your comrades were killed by my hands"

As soon as Naruto said those words, Cerberus realized the meaning behind those words.

"More than that, I can't betray the will of my friends and those who believe in me. Everything you said about me is indeed true, but it does not change the fact that I love two very special people now...and I won't betray them. Maybe I was born for the dark side, but every human is free to make their choices. And I'll always chose family...no matter what" declared Naruto proudly with a small smile on his face.

Baku was surprised when a small mini-sun got enlightened in the dark moon that could be seen on Naruto's chest as well as on his back.

"So be it..." announced Cerberus as Baku flared his chakra.

But before the duo could launch their attack, they were pushed several feet away when Naruto unleashed all his chakra. Only this time, his mixed colored chakra had finally returned back to its original light blue form, and was completely peaceful.

Cerberus sensed the dark chakra inside Naruto getting overwhelmed by the chakra that was radiating from the mini-sun on his chest, and slowly both the light and dark chakra established balance as a humanoid figure started to form around Naruto.

"SUSANOO!"

The humanoid monster transformed into a giant knight that had a bright red colored sword in his right hand, while a shield in his left hand. Its face was now covered in a metal form helmet, and Naruto could be seen standing on top of the monster.

He made a single hand seal, and slowly his entire Susanno's body got covered in wood making it an impenetrable shield.

"Let's go..." announced Baku

Cerberus's entire body got covered in a fierce fire, as the 3 headed dog started firing hot streams of fire towards Naruto.

Reacting on his instincts, Naruto brought his Susanno shield forward which immediately blocked the torrents of fire aimed at him. Channeling more force, he made his Susanno charge straight through the fire attack by hiding behind the shield and collided head on with Cerberus.

"GUAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!'

The dog roared furiously and with tremendous strength started to push Susanno back, as Naruto performed a few hand seals...

"Fuuton Kazekiri (Wind Release: Wind Cutter Jutsu)"

Several sharp wind attacks hit clean across Cerberus's eyes making the creature howl in pain, taking the advantage Naruto raised his Susanno sword to strike the beast but was blocked when Baku raised his sword in the air while channeling his summon's chakra through the weapon.

BOOM!

A powerful blast sent both the parties crashing away making large craters on the ground.

Cerberus however quickly got back on his feet and jumped straight towards Naruto, and delivered several striking blows from his claws but was surprised when the attacks only cause minor cracks on the wood covered Susanoo.

"My Turn" said Naruto excitedly,

SLASH

In a quick counterattack, the young Namikaze severed one of Cerberus heads with his sword while giving the dog a harsh punch with his shield sending the creature crashing away.

Showing great agility, Cerberus flipped in the air and was able to land gracefully on the ground. And now it was Naruto's turn to be surprised, as the place from where he had severed one of the creature's heads, instantly grew another head.

"What are you?" asked Naruto in shock, making Baku chuckle.

"My partner is immortal, Naruto. You can't kill him or cut his head...because he'll grow another!" replied Baku victoriously, while finishing his hand seals as Cerberus too opened all 3 of his mouths.

"Katon: Goka Mekkyaku (Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation)!"

The Blacklight commander fired another one of his signature attacks, as an even bigger fire wall was heading towards Naruto's Susanno. But it didn't end there, as he spotted several bright lights in the sky...

"Jigoku No Akuma No Ame (Demonic Rain of Hell)"

Naruto cursed his luck when he saw those black colored flames in the sky transforming into demonic creatures, while Baku's attack was heading straight towards him...

"A double attack, I can only use my shield in one direction. It's a relief that I was able to absorb the Kyuubi chakra from before, it just might help me win this..." thought Naruto analytically,

He raised his Susanno's head towards the incoming demonic creatures, while pointing his shield towards the incoming fire wave...

"Yasaka No Magatama!"

BOOM!

Baku and Cerberus keenly observed as a powerful blast occurred in Naruto's position, as well as the sky due to the chakra bombs which Naruto had fired that destroyed the demonic rain of Cerberus.

"Mokuton: Sashiki no Jutsu (Wood Release: Cutting Technique)"

The Blacklight commander was alarmed when several sharp wooden spears rose from the ground and stabbed all of his summon's legs making it collapse on the ground as Naruto emerged from the burning inferno with a severely burnt Susanoo.

He charged his heavenly sword straight towards Baku in order to seal him away, but the man was saved when Cerberus completely flattened itself on the ground making Naruto miss his target.

"Take this!" yelled Cerberus angrily, and with all his strength got beneath the space between Susanoo's legs.

Naruto was completely thrown in the air as Cerberus tossed his Susanno high in the sky, while Baku fired several exploding tags towards him which blinded him for a few seconds.

As the Susanoo crashed on the ground, it was again on verge of being attacked as the giant Cerberus had jumped straight towards him.

Naruto instantly activated his Mangekyo and within the last seconds focused his entire attention on Baku...

"Amaterasu"

"Gah!" screamed Baku in pain, as his left hand was completely covered in black flames.

The sudden attack stopped Cerberus in his charge as he hopped back in order to defend his summoner. While Naruto just increased the force of his attack, as the black flames of Amaterasu started to spread across Baku's body.

SLASH

In an unexpected tactic, Baku severed his left hand completely from his body with the help of his sword saving himself from getting killed by Amaterasu at the last moment.

"So, you're willing to go this far..." said Naruto in a respectful tone, he was quite amazed by his former commander's powers as the man used medical ninjutsu and temporarily stopped the bleeding from wounded body part.

"Cerberus, now!" ordered Baku in pain,

Naruto immediately brought his shield forward as dark brown colored smoke started to form in the giant dog's mouths...

"Akuma No Doku (Demonic Poison)"

Layers upon layers of poisonous smoke spread all around Naruto's Susanoo, making the boy immediately cough a lot of blood while stumbling a little. The result was his Susanoo losing its wooden shield across its entire body.

"Shit" cursed Naruto, and immediately activated his Mangekyo.

"Kamui"

The deadly poisonous smoke was quickly absorbed into his pocket dimension, as Naruto continued to breathe heavily due to the aftermath effects of the attack.

"I can't fight them in a straight forward manner, Cerberus will keep on defending Baku and my Susanoo while being strong...lacks flexibility which is vital for my victory against this creature. In that case..." thought Naruto smartly,

Just as the smoke cleared Cerberus pounced right on top of the Susanoo tackling it towards the ground, but Baku was surprised when the giant structure instantly crumbled away as Naruto was not in there.

"It's over..."

Baku turned towards his back and saw Naruto appearing from his pocket dimension, in a last attempt he tried to raise his sword to defend himself but the enemy had already made their move...

SLASH

Baku's eyes widened in pain when Naruto stabbed a kunai clean through his heart, as the Blacklight commander coughed up blood from his mouth...

"GAH!" screamed Baku in pain,

As his summoner started to fall towards the ground, Cerberus gritted his teeth in anger before disappearing in a puff of smoke while muttering a few words to Naruto.

The young Namikaze jumped towards his fallen leader and removed the kunai from the man's heart, while Baku continued to cough in pain and bleed on the ground.

Picking up his sword that was embedded in the ground, Naruto raised the weapon high in the air while giving a final decisive glance to Baku...

"This is the end...Commander Baku" declared Naruto finally, as the defeated man just closed his eyes accepting his fate.

"Stand down, Commander Naruto" ordered a loud voice,

Naruto shifted his gaze towards his back, and saw his team lying down on the ground as 4 members of Blacklight had their kunai launchers fixed towards them.

Red Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird- he could recognize these 4 masks anywhere.

He immediately recognized these 4 people, as these were the highest order of Blacklight. The Authority...

"We need this man alive for now...there are many questions that need to be answered" ordered Red Dragon seriously,

"Like hell, that bastard must die!" replied Genma furiously, but was silenced when the White Tiger masked Blacklight pinned the boy's face to the ground with his leg.

"Shut up, brat. You idiots have caused a shit-storm...and you're forgetting Baku holds half of the Kyuubi. Kill him and we lose the beast and its power..." explained Black Tortoise in an irritated voice,

"But he revolted against Konoha..." argued Rangiku in protest,

"And he will be punished after a military trial. And after we decide what to do about the other half of the Kyuubi...these are the direct orders from Hokage-sama" declared Bird honestly, as many of the members of Team Mikasa were quite dissatisfied with the order...

"More than that, you guys have broken several of Blacklight laws, including you Commander Naruto. You will also face trial on accusations of treason, defiance of order, desertion of posts, murder of fellow Blacklight, hiding information from your superiors and many more charges" announced Red Dragon sternly,

"But-" argued Mikasa furiously, however the girl was silenced when Naruto placed his sword back in its sheath and bowed in front of the authority.

"These men were following my orders, your highness. I forced them to do my bidding's..." confessed Naruto,

Mikasa and everyone else couldn't believe what their leader was saying, they had fought for him by their own will. Then why was he...

Meanwhile Naruto was patiently observing the medic squad that was healing Kushina, and was relived when he felt her chakra stabilizing. He also saw the anger in Mikasa's eyes but just gave all his comrades a silent order with his eyes to keep their mouth shuts.

Even if Mikasa and her team had done the right thing by supporting him, they had broken all laws of Blacklight. If he claimed that they were being forced to go along with his plans, and provide the proof that Baku had sent them on a suicide mission then the authority won't be able to place a single charge against them.

Even he had broken every law of their force...and in Blacklight, law was the most important thing.

"You realize what you are saying, Commander? The penalty for all your crimes combined is facing execution through a firing squad...even your father can't help you in this" suggested Tortoise,

"I understand, your highness. Baku sent them on a suicide mission and I rescued them, afterwards I forced them to follow my commands. I can even provide the proof to support this confession as well as the evidence that will prove Kushina Uzumaki's disappearance was due to someone's interference and she is innocent. As a former commander, I hereby surrender myself and am ready to face whatever sentence you have for me. My only request is to let these soldiers go...they have served Konoha with all their heart, and have nothing to do with this mess. The only reason they are on this island is because Baku kidnapped them to gain leverage against me..." explained Naruto confidently, as the members of the authority tried to find any trace of lie in the boy's words.

Nothing.

Neither his eyes, or his heart seemed to be betraying his claims.

"Very, well. Commander Naruto, you are under arrest for charges of- treason, murder, desertion of post, abusing your soldiers, and many more charges. You will be facing a court martial trial with the least penalty of death. Whatever proof or testimony which you want to provide for proving your innocence or justifying your actions will be allowed to be presented in the court. Do you have anything else to say?" asked Dragon strictly,

"Let these men go, they are no threat to you or Konoha" requested Naruto,

The members of the authority looked at each other and after a few moments released Mikasa and her team, but just before they could go towards Naruto...4 Anbu got around him and binded his hands with ninja wires.

Tortoise saw the anger in Mikasa's eyes, and the worry in Rangiku's eyes...

"You 2 girls have 3 minutes to make your peace. Rest of you will stay...this is the least courtesy we can offer for your service to Konoha. No smart moves or he dies...are we clear?" asked Tortoise in a kind yet deadly voice,

"Hai" said Rangiku sadly, while Mikasa just stomped towards Naruto and didn't even wait to give a reply.

The 4 Anbu got a few meters away from Naruto, and started assisting their other comrades in securing the wounded Baku as Mikasa got right in front of Naruto's face giving him a menacing glare.

"You planned this from the start..." accused Mikasa angrily, as he just smiled.

"Yes..." confessed Naruto honestly,

"Why?" asked Mikasa furiously, while Rangiku observed the conversation from a little distance.

"15 years of life is enough..." said Naruto peacefully,

"I can't accept this...it's insanity, Naruto!" yelled Mikasa in a desperate voice,

"My existence is insanity, Mikasa. Look at me, I am not the same person that went to war with you...I'm a shell of myself. With the proof I have all of our comrades will be free, and the charges against me are true as I deserted my post on my own will. I could have come back...but I didn't" explained Naruto patiently,

"It was Madara, that made you do it. You are innocent..." argued Mikasa in protest, as Rangiku was surprised with the information and so was Naruto.

"You know the truth, then?" asked Naruto curiously, as she shook her head.

"Not the entire truth. What happened out there, Naruto?" questioned Mikasa seriously,

"I've done some very bad things, Mikasa. And I have to face the music...I can't run anymore, I can't lie to anyone. Not anymore...war is the only thing I know. I don't belong in this new world" said Naruto truthfully,

''BUT YOU ARE HERE!" screamed Mikasa in frustration,

"It's not right...I must pay for the sins I've committed" said Naruto peacefully, and remained calm despite her rising emotions.

"I taught you there is no right or wrong...only survival or death" declared Mikasa fiercely, as he shook his head in negative.

"You told a lie as it turns out...a lie which even you don't believe in now, Mikasa" said Naruto light heartedly, and was not surprised when she grabbed him roughly by the shoulder.

"I will keep you alive by force!" said Mikasa authoritatively, as he just smiled while patiently removing her weak hands from his shoulder.

''Even if you could...why would you be so cruel?" asked Naruto curiously,

And those words broke her as the once strong Mikasa Ackerman collapsed on her knees, and freely cried for the first time in years.

"(sobs) Please...(sobs) you...mean everything...to me..." pleaded Mikasa tearfully,

Naruto too bent down on the ground and placed his head on her forehead, while looking her straight in the eye...

"You have been by my side all these years, none of us have asked anything from each other...but now I'm requesting you to let me go" said Naruto politely, while Mikasa slowly reduced her crying and averted her gaze from him.

He waited patiently for another few moments, but was surprised when she looked back at him with absolute conviction in her eye...

"I won't let you die...alone"

Naruto was extremely touched by her decision, but it only strengthened his resolve to save her from this mess which he had created.

"Yes, you will...as your friend, I command you" said Naruto finally, and he had to control his heart when he saw the broken and betrayed look in her eyes.

She just continued to stare at him for another few moments, waiting for him to change his decision but when he didn't...she quickly got up and walked away but not before giving her "I will save you" glare, which just made him chuckle.

His eyes shifted towards the rising sun in the sky that was slowly removing the darkness from the sky, and ironically the darkness from his heart too. For the first time, he truly felt free...

"You're not changing this decision, are you?" asked Rangiku in a knowing voice, as he just gave her a smile and walked towards her.

"You know me..." said Naruto jokingly,

She quickly came forward and enveloped him a fierce hug, a gesture which he gladly returned. He saw the members of the authority had indeed honored their promise, and were not looking in his direction and were busy observing Kushina's treatment, while also keeping an eye on the now ''prisoner' Baku who was also being treated.

At least there was someone in Blacklight who still honored their promises...

"I'm scared...Naruto" confessed Rangiku honestly, as he just gave her a small kiss on her cheek calming her a little.

"Don't be. I'll try to convince the authority of my motives behind my actions...it's not over yet. We have to believe in someone, and I believe in the authority's justice." explained Naruto seriously,

He chuckled a little when she punched him lightly across the shoulder...

"You're not very smart, are you?" asked Rangiku jokingly, in an attempt to ease his mind. Something which he greatly appreciated.

"I'm just trying to fix things for everyone, all of us are going home now- one way or another. I guess I just don't think like a Blackops anymore..." answered Naruto with a small smile, while gently caressing her silky blonde hair.

Both of them became silent for a few moments while gaining peace from their embrace, until Rangiku slowly broke the hug and was now looking at his face...

"Do you believe in Kami (God), Rangiku?" asked Naruto curiously, as she gently put her hand on his cheeks.

"Yes"

"If you're right, and if Kami truly exists. How will he punish me?" questioned Naruto, as the guilt of killing all the innocent civilians of Narita was still weighing on his heart.

"Kami doesn't punish, he forgives" explained Rangiku with absolute belief, which brought a relieved smile on her face.

"I don't deserve it...but I do hope for it" answered Naruto hopefully, making Rangiku nod.

"We all do, Naruto"

A light cough from the Anbu squad interrupted the conversation as Naruto gave the soldiers a quick nod. It was time to go...

He shifted his eyes towards the girl he loved, and looked her in the eye...

"Will you care for Mikasa?" requested Naruto, as a conflicted look came on Rangiku's face.

"I don't know, Naruto. I will try but you know how stubborn she can be..." said Rangiku truthfully, making him chuckle.

"I can take the blame for that too..." replied Naruto peacefully, but Rangiku disagreed.

"Maybe not, Mikasa and everyone else are just themselves. And we all care about you..."

The only answer she got was a light kiss on her lips, and before she could even reciprocate the touch he broke away...

"Are you afraid?" asked Rangiku hurriedly, but Naruto just waved his hand

"I want this, Rangiku. I truly do...so no, I'm not afraid" said Naruto truthfully,

"But-"

No other words came out of her choked voice, and the small tear that fell from her eye warmed his heart.

"People loving me despite what I've done, staying by my side in the end...15 years of life, and I can still be surprised. And in this I see my salvation..." said Naruto happily, and slowly came forward giving Rangiku a light kiss on her forehead.

After giving her a small assuring smile, he slowly broke their contact and gave a signal to his Anbu guards, who came forward and formed a defensive formation around him while pushing a reluctant Rangiku away.

As the sun fully rose in the sky, Naruto peacefully walked away with the Anbu guards beside him...while Rangiku just stared at his disappearing figure.

"Goodbye, Naruto"

Author's Note: End of chapter.

Only 1 more chapter of this arc is now left. After that the civil war arc is over...

Why Naruto did this has been explained, and some further clarifications will be given in the next chapter. If you have read the story carefully, understood everything about Blacklight and its laws...then you would have realized that this was the only way for Naruto to save his comrades.

Though it's still not over, as Mikasa, Rangiku and his family won't just let him go...although the charge of desertion of post is indeed true against him.

We also got 2 powerful pairing moments, 1 for Naru/Mika and 1 for Naru/Rang. Lately, you may have observed that I'm slowly trying to bring all of them together.

Baku will be punished, everything will be decided after the trial. And you can also see it is an important step for Naruto, which may help him to let go of his guilt by confessing the truth to everyone (And I mean the entire truth). Though the authority doesn't seem too kind hearted, wonder what will happen? Remember, Minato has no jurisdiction in this as it is an internal Blacklight matter, and Naruto has already confessed.

You may not realize it but these last few chapters are very important in giving closure to many aspects of the story, while opening new ones in order to take the story to the next level.

And I'm writing this story because I enjoy it, this is my story, my ideas. If you don't like it, you are free to leave because I will not change my plan. And even flaming and hurling abuses at me won't make this story turn according to your whims.

Also, I won't request you to review. If you feel like you want to show support, then you are free to do it.

Next chapter: The Trial

Until Next time,

Blackwolf501