Author's Note: Yes! We have finally reached the end of the War Arch. I hope you guys liked it. I know it's crazy how fast I'm pushing these chapters out, but this has been a long time coming. I'm probably more excited than you are. Tell me what you think about the ending here. I'd love to hear from you guys.

And don't worry, I don't plan on wrapping things up here. I have a couple more chapters to go before I'm ready to say goodbye to this story. Also, be advised that the following chapters will diverge from the cannon again. So, if you get confused, please let me know. Hope you enjoy it!

…

…

…

Chapter 92: All in a Day's Work

Normal P.O.V.

Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi waited patiently for Naruto to find them with the nine Tailed-Beasts. Then, Sasuke dispelled his Susanoo since they were no longer in danger. Finally, the sealing jutsu slowed to almost a stop, letting them know that the battle had been won. However, there was still no sign of Naruto.

"I wonder what's keeping him?" Sakura asked with her hands behind her back as she looked towards the sky.

"If I know my brat, he's finishing up some business he doesn't want us to worry about," Kurama said in a bored tone as he picked his ear with his pinky nail.

"You're awfully calm about his disappearance," Kakashi crossed his arms and looked at the Kurama in an accusatory attitude.

"Trust me when I say that I'm not worried about my kit. However, I'm starting to think that he's unkillable. Besides, I can still sense him somewhere close by. You can too, eh Sasuke Uchiha?"

The raven-haired male didn't say anything as he stared off into the distance. Although Kurama was right about sensing Naruto, Sasuke didn't like that he was taking so long to return to them. And yes, he could still feel him, but it did little to ease his anxiety. Subconsciously, his slick black tail vigorously flicked, his ears were pointed back, and he kept rubbing his arms as if to warm himself from the cold wind. Finally, after not taking the suspense, Sasuke had enough and took a step forward.

"That's it, I'm going to go find this idiot," he growled.

But before he could take off, Sakura pointed and shouted to a figure coming towards them. "It's Naruto!"

Feeling relieved, Sasuke stood up and sighed in relief. They watched as he jumped on each floating boulder until he finally landed on the ground. Once he was safe, the blond fox dusted himself off, stood up, and saluted his team with his left arm.

"Hey guys!" he smiled. Everyone ran towards him but stopped once they saw his right arm missing. Nauto's smile slowly turned into a nervous chuckle as his teammates stared at him in shock and sadness. "What's wrong, guys?"

"Naruto… you're arm… what happened to you?" Sakura asked with tears forming in her eyes.

"Oh, this?" Naruto gestured with his new stub, "I had to sever my arm. When I found Zetsu, he tried to take over my body, but he only latched onto my arm. So I figured if I severed my arm and made sure he was sealed with Kaguya, then we wouldn't have to worry about either of them again," he explained with a smile. He could tell that everyone was awkward about the situation, despite his efforts to lessen the tension. "I'm sorry, guys. I know this is a lot to take in, especially how things just went. But we're all alive and… mostly unscathed, isn't that enough to celebrate?"

None said anything as they watched Sasuke walk towards Naruto with his hair hiding his face. And, before anyone could stop him, Sasuke delivered a powerful punch to his alpha's stomach. Naruto doubled over and coughed up some blood as Sasuke held him close.

"That's for making me worry, you idiot,"

"Sasuke-Kun! That was cruel!" Sakura scolded.

"It's alright. He can have this one. I was an idiot, huh?" Naruto panted before he stood up and cupped Sasuke's cheek. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting,"

Trying to regain his composure, Sasuke shook free from Naruto's hand and turned around with his nose in the air and his arms crossed. "I'll accept your apology after we get home,"

Naruto only smiled at his feisty feline before a realization dawned on him, "Does anyone know how we're getting home?!"

The same realization dawned on Sakura too. Kakashi and Sasuke just stared at them with blank expressions. "Oh no! You're right?! How the hell do we get home?! What do we do?!"

Kurama and his siblings laughed at their antics as the human-like creatures freaked out.

"These humans are quite entertaining," the Two-Tails cat chuckled.

"Yes. There's never a dull moment when they're around," Kurama smirked before he saw a giant summoning jutsu symbol appear on the ground. "Looks like that's our ticket back home,"

Kurama was correct in his assumption. As Sakura and Naruto continued their babbling antics, everyone disappeared and reappeared in their reality one by one.

As they appeared, the four late Hokages and Hagoromo waited for them. Minato took a step forward and smiled at his son, "Welcome home, Naruto."

"Otousan! Space Gramps!" the younger blond fox cheered back as he waved his left arm.

"It is good to see that all of you made it through in… almost one piece," Hagoromo chuckled, causing Naruto to awkwardly chuckle while scratching his head. "Naruto, Sasuke, and your team. I would like to congratulate all of you on an excellent job well done. You saved the world from my wicked mother. Kakashi Hatake, you are a great leader and sensei to your students. I commend you the most,"

"Oh no, please don't do that. I barely played a part in any of this. The credit should go to my three students, the other comrades, and a special friend who's no longer with us," Kakashi whispered the last part.

Naruto looked up and got excited when he saw Kurama as they were talking. "Kurama! Were you lonely being separated from me?! I missed you!" Naruto shouted as he ran towards his Tailed-Beast.

"Don't be so loud and rude, ya brat! And no, I did not miss you! In fact, I enjoyed being away from your annoying ass!"

"Oh, come now, Kurama. Don't be mean to the boy. And besides, you can't hide from me your true feelings. Tell the boy you missed and worried about him too," Hagoromo teased.

"Not you too, old man! Ugh, you guys are a pain," Kurama sighed as he rubbed his head, ears, and snout.

Everyone laughed at their antics until Hagoromo and Kakashi continued their conversation. "This old friend of yours wouldn't happen to be Obito Uchiha, would it?" Kakashi nodded. "I see. And were most of his final moments thanks to Naruto?"

"Yes. Naruto used the powers you gave him to restore him. In the end, he gave me his Sharingan and saved us all. We couldn't have won without him."

"Hn. Your friend would have made a great shinobi and a great Hokage. May his soul ascend to the Heavens in peace. Would you like to say goodbye?" This caught Kakashi off guard. Before he could control himself, he vigorously nodded his head. "Then close your eyes and focus on him,"

Kakashi did as he was told, only opening his eyes when he sensed Obito in front of him. An adult version of Obito Uchiha stood before him with a sad smile.

"Obito?"

"Great job, Kakashi. You did it. You saved us."

"But I couldn't do it without your help. So I should be thanking you."

Obito shook his head. "You've done enough. Now go and be with your friends and family. Rin's waiting on me,"

Suddenly, both their images morphed into a younger version of themselves, but they didn't question it. "Do you have an excuse this time?"

"Yeah, I told her I was helping you. So she's ok with it. But she'll have my head if I keep her waiting any longer," Obito chuckled as he turned his back on Kakashi. "I'll tell her that we'll be waiting a long time for you, so don't come sooner than that, got it! I'll tell Rin you said hi too. Be good, Kakashi,"

And just like that, both Obito and his Sharingan were gone. When he returned to reality, his body felt weak, and she started to fall backward. Sakura rushed to his side and held him there. "Are you alright, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes, just tired and old, Sakura," he chuckled as he held onto her.

While everyone had their moment, Sasuke gasped when he saw Madara's body lying on the ground. He started to run towards him but was stopped by Hagoromo. Confused, Sasuke looked for ways around Hagoromo's block but stopped when he saw Hashirama walking over and kneeling beside his old rival.

"Hashirama? Do you see? Do you see that my dream is dead while yours lives on?"

"We're both at fault. We really were… too hasty. Neither of us needed to fulfill our dreams. We were just kids, after all. But, because we grew up in war times, we were forced to grow up too fast. We couldn't be children."

"Hashirama, you said, back when we were shinobi, that we don't know when we'll die. And, for neither side to die, we have to reveal what's inside of us. You said we should pour each other drinks and toast like brothers. I've remembered those words clearly,"

"But we're about to die. How about we toast as war buddies instead?" Hashirama chuckled.

"War buddies, huh? I… guess… that's… ok… by… me…." That was all Madara could say as he took his last breaths for a second time.

Hashirama watched with tears in his eyes as his old friend and rival died in front of him with his eyes slightly opened. Gently, he used two fingers to fully close tired eyelids, "Rest easy, my brother,"

"Quite the touching moment to end a day like today. Sasuke Uchiha, I hope you take the lessons you have learned this day and the days before and keep them with you as you continue your journey with your mate," Sasuke nodded as he took a step back. "Now, I shall release the Reanimation Jutsu."

This caught Naruto's attention as he jumped towards Minato. "Wait! Otousan, wait!" He panted until he reached his smiling father. "There are so many things I want to tell you!"

"I know, son, but let me go first." So they turned away to see the sunrise over a rock wall. Just as it peaked over the horizon, Minato turned back to his son and said, "Happy Birthday, Naruto,"

This shocked Naruto. With everything going on, he completely forgot about his own birthday. However, that wasn't what brought tears to his eyes. Instead, it was the fact that this is the first birthday he's had one of his parents since his birth, making the moment sadder for him.

"Naruto. You've become a fine young man who will accomplish great things. Your mother and I are very proud of you. Please, keep watching over the Nine-Tails, the Hidden Leaf and its shinobi, your friends, and Sasuke. Keep him close, and be sure to cherish each other."

"Will I… Will I see you again? In my subconscious…?"

Minato sadly shook his head. "This will be the last time. I'm sorry, son. But know that your mother and I love you very much and will be at peace knowing what you're in good hands," he smiled as he stared at Sasuke, who was now at his mate's side. The sun's rays crawled into the gorge they stood in, signifying a new day. "Well, boys, it's time to say goodbye," All Naruto could do was nod before a white light engulfed each of the Hokages. "I promised to tell Kushina everything… well maybe leave out the arm thing,"

"Yeah! Tell her that I'm also eating well and not picky either. Oh, and let her know that I'm officially 17 today. But don't tell her that everything she told me didn't go well, please. I don't want her to be mad at me! But please tell her I'm doing my best and that I love both of you so much! And tell her that my biggest dreams are to have a big family and to be a greater Hokage than you, Otousan! I promise! So please watch over us, especially when we have your grandkids!" By this time, Minato's reanimated body crumbled into dust, and his soul started to ascend upwards. Thick tears and snot dripped down his face as he kept talking. "And one last thing! Please tell her that I forgive both of you, and I'm glad I got to meet with you at least once! So please tell her all of this, Otousan…."

"I will… goodbye, Naruto…." Was the last thing everyone heard as all four Hokage's souls disappeared into the heavens.

Tears and snout continued to flow down his face as Naruto cried. Sasuke offered a comforting hand on his mate's shoulder. Still racked with sniffles and cries, Naruto's body shook as he placed his hand on top of Sasuke's and squeezed.

Hagoromo gave them a few more moments before calling out to the young Uzumaki. "Naruto, I know that you are still emotional, but I need all of you to listen to me one final time." Naruto took a few deep breaths before whipping his nose and face and turning around. "I want everyone to know and make a declaration. My children, as of today, with Naruto possessing my powers, you all will use him as a line of communication. Your chakra link inside of Naruto will be your new form of communication. This way, you all are connected to and can support each other. Kurama, I would like for you to stay inside of Naruto and be in charge of watching over him, the new generation, and the connection between your siblings,"

"Geeze. I guess if you're gonna twist my arm about it. Sure I'll take on the responsibility, old man," The large fox sighed but smiled and blushed.

"I can't believe that the Great War is finally over," Sakura smiled as she continued to hold Kakashi.

"Yeah, this has been quite the adventure. Although, I feel like I could sleep for a week after this," Kakashi chuckled.

Hagoromo smiled before he turned towards Naruto and Sasuke. "Now then, all you two have to do is release the Infinite Tsukuyomi,"

"How do we do that?" Naruto asked.

"Because you possess the chakras of all nine Tailed-Beasts and Sasuke has the Rinnegan, all you two have to do is unite your chakras and simultaneously weave the sign for Rat. Once you do this action, the jutsu will be undone. However, since Naruto is missing his arm, you two can combine your hands together whenever you're ready,"

"Well, I guess now is as good of a time as any. Oh! Before I forget, Space Gramps, Kaguya told me to tell you that she loved your bother and you and that she was sorry. She also said that she knows you may not believe her, but she felt at peace knowing that you at least knew,"

This shocked Hagoromo. He had not expected his mother to say anything like that. In all the years he knew her, he couldn't recall a time when she even said those words to them as children. Could it be that her time on Earth has changed how she viewed things? Was she really not as wicked as he initially thought. Could the Chakra Tree have been to sole source of her corruption? Hagoromo was unsure of all of these questions. However, since she was not here to discuss it, it mattered not. So perhaps he'll just ponder this for the next thousand years or so.

"Thank you, Naruto. That was unexpected, but not unpleasant."

"No problem. I know what it's like to lose a mother. Although you sealed yours away, I wanted you to at least have some closure from this. Alright then, let's release this jutsu so we can go home," Naruto said before waving his stub and smiling at Sasuke, "Mind giving me a hand?"

"Dobe," Sasuke slightly smiled at the lame joke before they put their hands together.

Next, they linked their chakras together and formed the hand sign for Rat. Once it was complete, the jutsu became undone. The large tree branches lowered themselves onto the ground and freed everyone from their prison. Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi watched with smiles as their friends and families, and others within their nation were released from their prisons. Soon the sounds of cheering could be heard throughout the emptied battlefield.

"We did it! We really did!" Sakura yelled as she pumped her fist in the air.

"Yeah, we did. We did… it…." Naruto's voice faded as his body became heavy and his mind tired.

Soon his large body started to fall.

"Naruto!" Everyone called out as he fell.

However, Sasuke was quicker and caught him in his arms. Gently, he set his mate on the ground and held his head in his lap. First, the first time since the war began, Sasuke got a chance to see his sleeping mate's face. Parts of his tan skin were either injured, burned, or bruised, dark circles were vivid under his eyes, his hair was burnt, and his fur was messy. But, overall, if you don't consider his right arm missing, Naruto doesn't look too bad for fighting a day's war against celestial beings. And, even though Sasuke would never admit this out loud, Naruto still looked handsome to him, even in this state.

"Sasuke, is he breathing?" Kakashi asked as Sakura, and he ran towards them.

"Do not concern yourselves with him. Naruto is just exhausted. Allow him to sleep it off while the Tailed-Beasts work on healing him. Now, before I go, there is one last thing I must do," The trio watched as Hagoromo gently placed his hand over Naruto's stomach, making a new sealing symbol appear over his torso. "There, I have created a new, permanent seal for him to house the Tailed-Beasts. The only people who can break are you, Sasuke, or him. Be careful and please take care," Hagoromo said as he looked at his children. "All of you,"

"Don't worry, we will. See ya around, old man," Kurama nodded as they started the disappear.

Soon there was no trace left of the Tailed-Beasts of Hagoromo. Everything was right with the world again. As everyone else continued to cheer and yell in excitement, Sasuke was lost in his own thoughts as his callous hands rubbed along his mate's scared cheeks until they tangled in burnt blond locks. With a gentle smile on his lips, Sasuke leaned over enough to whisper into a still orange fox ear, "Happy Birthday, Naruto,"

…

…

…

To Be Continued…