Authors note:

Chapter 50.

Darker Days

Was going to be the official name of this chapter, but I named it Recovery. It just felt fitting, and deserving of that title. But Darker days works as well.

"It's been four years Zabuza, I think it's time... If he hasn't woken up, we need to consider the fact that he might not be coming back." Zabuza sighed.

They were in a small underground bunker specifically designed for moments like this. Ever since Naruto went down, things have been grim. First the mist claimed that by killing Naruto they did not violate their treaty because not only did Naruto not have immunity solely because Tsunade saw it fit to send him, he was a wanted man in the land of water. Tsunade tried to appeal but she was out voted four to one. Which meant Konoha could not move to militarize or render the armistice with Mizu obsolete. Not only that mist also moved their fleets and formed a blockade around the land of waves, they called it a training exercise, but the reality it was a way to cripple asguard booming economy, and since wave was technically located in neutral waters, Konoha couldn't come to their help without facing the consequences not to mention Konoha couldn't afford a war, they were caught in a civil war a year after the incident. Apparently Danzou grew tired of Tsunade weak attempt at politics and tried to take over once again, it was a nasty war with brethren killing brethren but in the end Tsunade prospered and Danzou was forced to flee, rumor has it he was killed, but no body was found.

Not only did Asguard economy take a big blow, the attack on Getsugakure by 'unknown' armies also took a big blow with most of the village destroyed and more than half of the samurai killed they had no choice but to move back to the land of waves. Which wouldn't have been a problem they had more than enough space but taking care of so many people and lack of work it became a hassle to even keep the streets clean. After two years the people became unhappy with the progress of the still new village and some left, others had nowhere to go so they stayed but they turned their heads to crime. The village was plagued with drug lords, and the common people were fighting over the smallest things, the food source was growing thin, and soon when it became none existent they had to turned their heads to other villages to feed there people, it was expensive, and the trading routes were plagued with criminals, sometimes food caravan never made it to the village. Things were bad. Then came Koyuki betrayal, can't say he didn't blame her. After a while her people began to question her resolve as queen as she was using so much of the village's taxes to keep Asguard afloat.

Especially to someone she wasn't married too. She was getting old, even though she had just turned twenty it was time for her to get a husband. And she did, she was married two years ago to some rich noble men from the land of grass. It made the village stronger, and there combination of wealth made the land of prosper, its economy was hand in hand with the land of clouds. Not only that they began to sell their technology to other countries as well, using monopoly tactics to out any competition, if you wanted something done, and something new snow was where to go.

The first year Koyuki stood by Naruto side, but after she was married she hasn't visited once or sent a letter. Not only that she stopped sending any support, the technology they had was outdated, the trains were lost to maintenance, and the new ships never made it. For all attempts and purposes when Naruto went down so did Asguard. The last three years were devastating. Then came Naruto family, they became the strongest and influential clan in the elemental nations, with Minato returning as Hokage, Kushina using her Uzumaki wealth to invest into everything you could imagine, she even held stocks in some companies in the land of snow, and rumor had it her and Koyuki were close friends.

Then came Nami, the girl lost it after she heard the news, I guess that was the determination she was missing, as her and Sasuke became the strongest people in the world. Nami was now capable of controlling the Kyuubi, she was said to be so dangerous even Minato struggled when they sparred. She stayed little in the village, and out of everyone she was the only one to come to Asguard to pay her respects, that was the last time he saw her. As for Sasuke, he killed Orochimaru, joined the Akaktsuki a year later then came for Itachi who fought him to the very end. At the climax of the battle, Itachi looked like he just didn't have it in him anymore and died a hero's death.

As for his kid well he was three now, and was staying in Konoha. Apparently after Karin got word that Naruto died she found no reason to return and was offered a seat in the Uzumaki clan. Last he heard of her was that her and a girl named Sakura Haruno were the best healers in the world. The konoha rookie class was now a fearsome bunch with most making names for themselves.

And then came Haku, his fist balled up but he did little else to mourn the loss of his companion. Two years ago, he was caught in an ambush, it was too much for him but Haku volunteered to be the distraction. She said Asguard needed a ruler, he was willing to let it be her but she wasn't leader material. Those were her exact words. Nanami well she was caught up in her own drama, not only did she need to rebuild Getsugakure, she needed to get past her growing stomach problems. Apparently being pregnant was heavy on a woman. Who the father was? No one really knows, and she didn't talk about it.

Naruto was laying on a bed with enough machines attached to him you would think he was half robot.

"He'll make it through. He just need some more time." Zabuza said.

"Sir, you said the same thing last time. This room is extremely expensive, the people are starting to ask questions. And the lords are starting to grow stingy with their gratuity. Maybe it's time to let go."

Zabuza frowned. If he lost support of the people then it'll truly be over for Asguard.

"Let's give him one more day. If he doesn't wake up by noon tomorrow then we'll disconnect him."

"As you wish sir." With that the man bowed before walking out the room. Zabuza looked at Naruto he was frail looking. He lost a lot of weight during the years, his hair had grown pale. You would think he was awake with the black bags that developed around his eyes.

"Kid, I never thought I'll say this. But you need to get up. Without you we have nowhere to call home." With that Zabuza left the room. Turning off the light.

Land of snow

Koyuki laughed as she sat on the table with her husband and some of his friends. It was game day, which meant they were getting ready to go on their monthly hunt. They weren't ninja so they would use horses and regular civilian tools to hunt down fox's. It was a new tradition but her husband grew fond of it quickly and has been doing it ever since. She decided not to partake, there was something about killing fox's that just didn't sit well with her.

"Hime would you take part this month or will you just watch me run circles around these chumps." The table laughed.

"He talks a big game but out there in the field he's the last one to get his blade wet." The room burst into laughter and Koyuki even chuckled.

"No, I'll watch you from a distance." The man nodded before he got up.

"Well men, let's see who word hold is true. To the field!"

"Hoorah!" They yelled before getting up. The man gave Koyuki a tap kiss before leaving the room.

"How?"

"Easily. I see the tricks Naruto taught you haven't dwindled." Koyuki frowned. It was him again.

"Why you are here make it quick my husband guards will be here in a minute to escort me to the balcony where I could oversee the games." The man raised an eyebrow not that she could see it.

"You move on quickly." Koyuki frowned.

"I'm sure you do too." The man shrugged.

"Anyways, I'm here to tell you that if Naruto doesn't wake up by tomorrow they're going to cut him off." Koyuki nodded.

"So Zabuza finally stopped being weak." The man nodded.

"Could you blame him? I mean hope is a hell of a drug." Koyuki nodded before the guards walked in. She grew scared that she was caught but they didn't seem to notice the man.

"The king demands your presence, he refuses to start the games without his hime rooting him on." Koyuki nodded before she followed.

"See you." with that the man disappeared.

Koyuki gave a mental sigh, her heart has grown cold over the years. The love she held for Naruto long gone but the memories held firm. But she couldn't look back at the past anymore. Her debts to Wave have long been paid off and she was a new woman now. She was happy, so were her people and she had a loving husband that didn't disappeared for months or years. Things were bright.

She arrived at her balcony and sat in the middle chair she was surrounded by the other wealthy men wives and they immediately went into girl talk. Koyuki smiled, yes this might not be the exciting life Naruto would give her, but it was pleasant. Something she could be proud of.

Unknown location

"Mission complete." Nami said as she looked around the room. Three dead war lords at her feet. It would've been four but the other one was pinned to the wall on the far left side. So three dead at her feet, and one pinned to the wall and another district of the elemental nation free of Tyranny.

"Nami how many times do we have to remind you? Killing off these guys isn't the answer. If we interrogate them we could have the names of others and stop the problem all together!" Shikamaru said sighing. The mission was simple search and destroy. So far they've been searching for the last year and a half. It was a long standing mission. No real return date. Nami name has grown big, and with these three, wait, four death her name will grow bigger.

"Again, Nami-"

"I already told her Lee." The green beast laughed before sitting down he was cut up here and there, so were the others. They had to get past a lot of guards, and since it was four war lords some were ninja too. Sakura sighed as she healed, Neji who received a couple cuts to the hands.

"Where too now?" Neji asked. Nami shrugged.

"Shika?" The self-proclaimed leader of the group nodded before going over a couple of scrolls before he came across something very interesting.

"There's some in Asguard."

"No." Neji said. "Those war lords have connections to daimyos and not only that they are the ones keeping Asguard a float not to mention the fact getting into asguard is still as difficult as it was four years ago when he was still around. Plus, going there would take too much time."

Nami nodded.

"Yeah; let's go somewhere else." Shikamaru nodded.

"We're going to the land of light then: There's a war lord there that has been bleeding the country dry for many years. It's a three month journey and after that we could go back home since it'll leave us only about two weeks travel from Konoha." The group nodded before looking over at Nami.

Who thought about it but nodded. Her trip to clear her mind was over. Plus it was unfair to drag the others with her to begin with.

"Let's go."

"First let's make camp."

"We could stay here tonight and first thing tomorrow morning we'll be on our way out."

"I call the room with the least amount of blood. I got the one with the most the last time." Nami said as she walked out.

"I think she's finally ready to go home." Sakura said. Shikamaru nodded.

"Let's hope she's not just ready, she better be prepared."

"Nami Hokage at 18. Who would thought that'll be possible?" Lee said. Neji nodded.

"Gaara won't feel as isolated in the kage meetings."

Shikamaru tuned them out. Maybe Temari missed him.

Land of rice patties

"I'm telling you Sasuke if we go to the land of light we'll be going there for no reason. Let's just go to the land of lightning and beat up the octo guy like Tobi said!" Suigetsu begged as he cut down another ninja. Sasuke sighed before using a chidori nagashi to blast off him a couple of ninjas.

"Fine." Suigetsu smirked.

"He listens!"

"Shut up you idiot and lets finish this." Guren yelled as she froze a couple of them in diamonds.

Sasuke dashed forward before his body glowed black and the next moment all the enemies were dead at his feet.

"You should probably start with that next time."

Sasuke smirked.

"Where's the fun in that?"

Guren smirked before she walked over and gave him a kiss on the lips.

"You should probably save some for me, next time."

"Get a room you to. The land of lightning is that way." Sugetsu said as he walked out the clearing. Sasuke frowned.

"Actually we do have a place to go."

"Where is that?"

"To get Jugo."

"Last time we got him he went crazy and killed the client." Guren said. Sasuke shrugged.

"Nothing you haven't done."

"True but still."

"Let's get it."

Sasuke smirked.

"Watch it you're starting to sound like Naruto."

"Am I?"

"No."

"Are you sure."

"Yup."

"Damn."

"That's right."

"What now?"

"Who knows?"

"You're an asshole."

"It wasn't my fault."

"It wasn't?"

"I mean most of it was but not all of it."

"Shut up."

"Fine."

With that Minato signed off on the last piece of paper. The argument was technically about him agreeing to give up the Namikaze estate for a fraction of the asking price.

"Only because you're staying with me now doesn't mean you shouldn't take care of your property." Kushina said. The Namikaze estate was beautiful and now some noble family would enjoy it. And they barely wasted a million ryo. It was a steal.

Minato shrugged.

"Nothing could be done now."

"Nami is going to kill you." Minato paled.

"If she could catch me." Minato said. He was still the yellow flash.

"She will. You have to talk to her and past your hat on."

"Dammit."

"So yeah, go making up your excuse for giving up her birth right." Kushina said. She wished Naruto was around for he could take over the Uzumaki clan but that was no longer an option.

"What would you do then?" Minato asked. Kushina knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Nothing. He's gone. We mourned enough. You won't let me kill her so that's also adds to the frustration."

Minato nodded.

"That will start a war. That honestly we can't win." Kushina just looked at him.

"Quickly." Kushina nodded.

"Yeah I guess a dragged out war campaign would make the people uncomfortable especially after the coupe."

"Exactly. So no, we can't do anything. She played her cards right, and used her other skills to persuade the other kages. It was a lost cause from the beginning, the moment Naruto entered her land he was easy pickings."

Kushina nodded.

"The treaty expires in a year. After that we chose if we want to renew it."

"They do." Kushina turned red. Minato sighed.

"The treaty works. He might be our son but remember he abandoned the village. Marked as a missing Nin, tried to kill Tsunade and killed off two villages as direct threats to Konoha. The council will out vote whoever is Kage by a land slide."

"That bitch! She knew this." Minato nodded.

"I told you, she played her cards right. Not to mention Naruto didn't make his situation any better."

"Nami is going to pick up all out troubles." Kushina said sadly.

Minato nodded.

"She is strong, and our time is done. It's time to let the new generation make their own decisions and fix the problems they're own peers have caused. I hate to leave her like this but it'll be good on her. She can't keep running."

"Hopefully when she comes back she doesn't do what she did last time." Minato nodded.

"Yeah, no one wants that."

About three years ago when Nami came to visit the village during one of her training breaks, she lost control of the kyuubi and ended up destroying a giant piece of the village. If he didn't come back in time from his mission who knows what would've happened.

'Hopefully she'll be more understanding then I was.'

Land of water

"Mei-sama you have a visitor."

"Let them in."

She didn't wait long. The new Tsuchikage walked in.

"Kurotsuchi can't say this is a pleasant surprise"." Mei said. Kurotsuchi for her part did little to acknowledge the insult.

"I'm sure you know why I am here."

"The answer is still no." Mei responded. Kurotsuchi took a seat that wasn't offered to her.

"We could take them out and use that land for something else then just a pit stop." Kurotsuchi argued. Mei frowned.

"Asguard has done little to make us want to lead any soldiers in their direction. They have not taken or threatened any of our blockade ships. They have not aggressively tried to take back any of their trading routes. Plus the sanctions we have placed on them is crippling enough anything else and it would be nothing more than abuse."

Mei explained. She took pride in the way she did things all those years ago, the best diplomacy was civil. She hasn't lost one soldier; and the war that could've started was over before it started. She had no other reason to pick on Asguard she already got her revenge.

"But what if they are secretly-"

"Enough, I have some connections in the land and they are starving, the streets are filled with bums, the buildings are ran down. The government is ran by criminals and Zabuza refuses to show his face to the people. It's over Kurotsuchi let it go. The one you wanted dead is gone. You should shift your attention to your prospering village and indulge more effort in fixing your lack of war ships, that of course the Mist village could help provide you with." Kurotsuchi grilled the woman before taking out an envelope.

"There is the money needed for you to provide us with a fleet of ships. If they work well and we find them valuable we would continue to purchase more and more." Mei nodded accepting the envelope.

"Now. What else could I do for you?"

Kurotsuchi nodded.

"I want to have a meeting with the land of fire. Of course if I ask directly they would say no. But with an endorsement from you, they might consider it." Mei raised an eyebrow.

"What exactly do you have in mind?"

"I want to see where relationship stands are and work out some type of trade." Mei raised an eyebrow.

"With the leaf village? What could you offer them that they can't get somewhere else?" I mean Konoha was full of minerals, and everything they needed they already had suppliers for. Any suggestion from the land of rocks would be comical at best.

"Are you going to help me or not?" Kurotsuchi asked. Mei smirked before nodding.

"Of course Kurotsuchi-chan. anything else?" The Tsuchikage nodded.

"I hate the way that color lipstick looks on your face. Maybe try a different color."

Mei eye twitched.

"I'll take it into consideration." Kurotsuchi nodded smiling.

"Now, what is this I hear about you getting married?" Mei smiled before flicking her hand and showing off a marvelous engagement ring.

"Took sometime but he finally asked. I was getting tired of waiting."

"And old." Easily avoiding a glob of lava Kurotsuchi continued.

"When is the wedding?"

"5 months, in the middle of spring. We'll be tying the knot in the land of springs. By the legendary springs in the village, in the middle of the rainbow pillars." Mei said with hearts in her eyes.

"I wonder how much that cost." Kurotsuchi mumbled. Mei smirked.

"Anything is a small price for his princess."

Kurotsuchi smirked.

"Who knew the Raikage was a hopeless romantic, I always thought he was a mindless muscle head with little going on in the round thing he called a head." Mei smirked.

"You'll be surprised." Deciding to not indulge in any of Mei fantasies she changed the conversations.

"Now what is this about you agreeing to an alliance with the land of light?" Mei nodded.

"They offered I said yes. And now I take care of them, they take care of me. Actually talking about that I sent out a small group over there to cement the treaty. Hopefully everything goes well." Mei sighed. Kurotsuchi nodded.

"So you heard the Uzumaki brat will become Hokage soon." Mei nodded.

"Hopefully we could work out a passive relationship. I wouldn't want to have Konoha breathing down my neck or making things difficult for me after I've been doing things so easily the last couple of years."

"Let Kami hear you. Should we get tea?" Kurotsuchi asked. Mei nodded as she got up.

"And you could help me pick out my dress."

"Do I have too?"

"I mean I still haven't picked the dress you'll wear, maybe I'll make you wear the color of my lipstick, and make it mandatory for all my bride maids."

Kurotsuchi paled.

"Ruthless." Mei smirked.

"That's what they call me."

Amegakure

"So what now Tobi." Pain asked as they stood under the endless rain of Ame.

"We're waiting."

"Waiting for what?" Pain asked.

"Things to unfold." Tobi said looking over the village.

"When would that be? Akatsuki is back at full strength and my kids are on even terms with the Uzumkai kid. Why not attack now while she's outside the village?" Tobi shook his head.

"That'll be pointless. We need to seal her last. For now. Let's get the ones we failed to get before. We'll worry about the Uzumakis later." Pain nodded.

"The world should know Pain." Tobi nodded.

"A peaceful pain."

Pain smirked.

"I like the sound of that."

Tobi nodded looking at the face of Nanashi. He was still amazed Pain managed to take control of an Uzumaki body infused with the power of the Sekai. If the kid wasn't brain washed to think he was doing the greater good by being at his side he would actually be afraid.

But for now, Pain was on his side. And as long as he had Pain he had everything he needed.

Underground Bunker

"Guards." Zabuza yelled. It was 11:55am the following day. Naruto had five minutes to wake up.

In the room stood himself, Nanami, and a select few royal guards and the doctor who would be unplugging Naruto.

They waited in silence. And then the last second past and Naruto stood the same.

Zabuza frowned and shook his head before turning around.

"It's time."

The next moment the machines were turned off, and slowly one by one they powered off ending with the one that kept his heart beating.

Zabuza waited with bathing breath but at last nothing came. It was official Naruto was gone. And after 4 years, his hope of someday talking to the kid were squashed.

"Hopefully he's having way more fun then we are on the other side."

FIN... ally.

Tune in next time:

"Dark suns set in the east."