Two days later.

Sakura stumbled but otherwise kept running. "Sasuke! Hinata! Where are you guys?!" She gasped as her left foot stuck behind the root a tree. Slowly she stood back up, quivering with fear, her breathing fast and irregular, yet still hopeful for a response.

The answer came in the form of a howling wind that brushed the treebranches, giving Sakura little reprieve from the despair that had been clawing at her ever since she had separated from the group.

"Join us…"

Sakura once more resumed her sprint. Her eyes darting around as she desperately searched for familiarity. "We never should have come here…We never should have come here…" She kept repeating over and over again.

"Where are you?!" A voice erupted from her left and she instantly dashed towards it.

"Wait please!" She shouted in desperation and urged her body to go even faster, nearly falling again as her foot slipped off the small rock it was putting its weight on. She managed to retain her balance and pushed past a tree before ducking underneath a low hanging branch that could barely hold the weight of the snow that lay atop.

"Sakura, where are you!" the voice echoed once more, originating slightly to her left.

She rapidly followed the voice but eventually slowed down and came to a standstill as she noticed just where the voice was leading her to.

Mere meters away were the ruins that she was explicitly told not to enter.

The pink haired kunoichi looked around her. "Sasuke? Please tell me it's you guys!"

"Of course, it's us." The voice whispered in her ear.

Sakura's eyes widened in fear as lip started quivering in fear. Slowly she turned her head. Her hair wet with the snow that had covered her colorful hair. "P-please…"

Her gaze locked with pale white eyes that lacked pupils. She let out a scream of fear as any form of rational thought left her mind.

"You belong to us now."

Sakura dashed away and into the ruins before the figure could seemingly react. Running past collapsed buildings and other ruins she came to a sudden halt as the route ahead of her was blocked by rubble

"You should never have come here."

The trembling kunoichi turned around before falling to her knees in surrender. "I-I n-never m-meant to disturb y-your resting p-place."

A heavy yet soft voice rumbled from a small shack to her right. "No rest...Never rest…"

Sakura slowly shook her head. Tears slowly started to obscure her vision. Wiping it away she tried to regain her composure but failed miserably as she started to notice the white transparent figures surrounding her.

"Join us…"

Sakura let out another scream of desperation as she started to drag her body back before hitting the rubble that had blocked her path moments before. Slowly she raised her shaking hands and tried to form a hand sign, hoping to dispel whatever surrounded her.

A cold hand plunged forward and tried to enter her chest. Were it not for her wild slash, the transparent assailant would've been successful.

More of the cursed apparitions edged closer. Sakura's breath became even more irregular as she fearfully darted around, desperately trying to find a way out.

Hands edged closer until they were but mere inches away from her chest, when a loud sudden voice boomed through the ruins and into the forest.

"Chakra push!"

The blonde Hunter aimed his hand at the group of phantoms who instantly dissipated as his attack landed. His other hand gripping his wrist tightly.

Sakura instantly looked at Naruto, who was standing on top of the ruined wall surrounding the outpost he so explicitly told her not to enter.

"Haruno! Let's go!" He barked as he landed next to her. Grabbing her wrist, he dragged her towards the exit. Every so often letting out a burst of chakra to dispel the spirits around them.

The pink haired kunoichi regained her composure and fell in stride next to him. "They are becoming immune to your attacks!"

"They always have been! All it does is stall them!" Naruto shouted before coming to a skidding halt as he noticed a large group blocking their exits. "Kuso!"

A loud screech from behind startled the duo, but otherwise managed to remain upright.

"What now?!" she hoarsely whispered.

Naruto looked up trying to look for an escape route but could only see more and more apparitions taking place on top of the ruins. "It seems they've adapted from last time."

Aiming his hand at the ruined wall next to the exit, he let out another burst of chakra but furrowed his brow when his attack dispelled.

"Haruno, I need you to gather as much chakra as you can and expel it outwards, as if you would dispel a genjutsu, got it?" Not waiting for an answer, the blonde wrapped his arm around her waist. "Ready?"

Sakura nodded fiercely and held her hands in a sign. "Ready!"

Aiming his hand on the ground beneath them he let out one final chakra burst. "Chakra push!"

The two shinobi blasted into the air but were instantly surrounded by the phantoms. "Now, Sakura!"

"Kai!" Sakura yelled and let out a blast of chakra, dispelling the undead figures for a mere second.

Yet it was enough. They escaped the outpost and burst through several trees before they got separated.

Naruto could only watch with wide eyes as he saw a tree trunk approaching fast. "Oh Fuuuuuu-" He crashed against a tree before being catapulted against another.

The first tree did little to stop Sakura's momentum and simply crashed straight through it. The second one was successful and stopped her flight completely, keeping her pinned up in the tree.

Naruto let out a shout of pain as his arm dangled limply by his side, along with a gash on his leg. Looking at his arm he shook his head as he desperately tried to ignore the pain. "Haruno?!" he limped forward, looking for his squad mate.

"Over here!" came the respond, along with a moan of agony.

Pushing past a tree he saw her up in the tree. Protruding From her shoulder was a thick sharp branch, keeping her firmly in place.

With a grunt of pain, he slowly walked up the tree, his uninjured hand reaching for a kunai, lacing it with chakra.

Sakura breathed heavily as her squinted eyes watched the blonde slowly making her way up.

As Naruto approached, he could see the blood dripping from the tip of the branch, landing on the snow below. "You c-certainly screwed up this time, Haruno…"

"G-get me the hell out of here!" The kunoichi hissed between her teeth as nausea accompanied the waves of pain.

"I'm going to cut the branch off the tree I can't properly treat you up here." He positioned his kunai behind her shoulder and winced as his body groaned in protest. Enveloping his kunai with wind chakra he cut off the branch. But before he could grab Sakura's arm, an intense cold started spreading rapidly from his abdomen.

Looking down he saw a transparent hand emerging from his stomach. His body became numb and the pupils in his eyes started disappearing, giving way to the pale whites that all phantoms possessed.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed before letting out a wave of chakra, dispelling the apparition. With Naruto having lost control of his footing, nothing else kept them in place. The two shinobi plummeted down to the ground, hitting the cold hard earth.

The blonde desperately gasped for air, as he lay on his back, his eyes slowly reverting to bright blue once more. Along with regaining his conscious came a wave of pain. "This j-just g-gets better and b-better!"

Sakura ignored him and used her one able hand to apply her medical ninjutsu to stop her bleeding and eventually close the wound.

The Hunter looked around, and noticed more phantoms rapidly approaching. "We're out of time!" With a groan he stood up and eyed the wound on her shoulder. "This will have to wait!"

Sakura glanced at her shoulder before frantically nodding in agreement. "Where are Sasuke and Hinata?!"

Naruto grabbed her by the wrist and started dragging her away. Picking up speed rapidly. "I set them u-upon a dirt road that should lead us t-the hell out of here."

Looking ahead they saw more phantoms trying to stop their escape. Naruto nudged to the trees and they swiftly climbed upwards before using the thick tree branches to revert to their usual travelling method. Leaving the attackers far behind.

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After having patched Sakura up, they slowed down slightly to gain their bearings. "What the hell happened?"

Sakura tried to explain but somehow, she couldn't. "I…I don't know! I was following right behind you guys when I heard something behind me, "she hesitated before continuing, trying to find the right words. "It sounded like my father…I should have known better. He's been dead for a long time…"

"They lured you away." Naruto said before sighing in defeat as he finished wrapping the bandage around her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I should have known better."

"Yes, you should have. But what happened, happened. No point in discussing it any further."

Sakura looked at the ground, avoiding the stern gaze of her former teammate. "Where do we need to go?"

Naruto nudged ahead. "This way. And stay close to me this time, understood?"

They took off once more and kept heading further north. It seemed that for the time being they weren't being stalked and the voices were strangely absent.

With every other stop the blonde winced as the wound on his leg inhibited his movement. Sakura had patched him up remarkably well. The wound was nothing more than a pale scar. Yet his leg couldn't handle the burden of running around just yet.

Naruto felt a slight form of relieve when he noticed the dirt road. "There's the dirt road. We're not far."

They continued their trek on the dirt road while they tried to ignore the screams that echoed through the darkness far behind them. Hours passed by and Sakura grew more fearful, scared that Sasuke and Hinata had fallen victim.

The blonde looked at his arm that was wrapped in bandages. Sakura wasn't able to completely fix his wounds and instead tied it tightly to his chest to minimize any movement.

"Look!" I see Sasuke!" Sakura suddenly lit up and dashed forward. Shouting the name of her lover.

Naruto followed her as swiftly he could. Looking towards the Uchiha whom slowly turned around. He turned his gaze towards the ground to give the two some privacy. Looking at the dirt road he slowly stopped and raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner.

"That's strange…" He crouched to the ground and took a closer look to the road they were walking on. "No footsteps."

'No footsteps…'

'No footsteps…'

'No footsteps…'

Time seemed to slow down as a cold fear engulfed him once more. "SAKU-"His voice hitched as two transparent hands erupted from the snow and entered his body. Draining his energy in an instant. The phantom rose up from underneath the snow and looked at him with an expressionless face. A face of a young man, no older than the blonde.

A man that had been killed decades ago by what he could only imagine to be a blade of some sort. Noting the dangling lower half of the apparition's face, along with the gashes covering his chest, He couldn't help but feel a tinge of pity. This one hadn't died well.

Naruto's eyes fearfully locked with that of the ghost who didn't seem to slow down. "P-please…D-don't do this!"

The hand slowly slid into his chest and the numbness intensified along with the deathly cold erupting from within.

He looked towards Sakura who nearing the wraith that had taken the appearance of the Uchiha. "S-S-Sa…" his voice was nothing more than a soft whisper.

"You can't escape!"

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When he slowly opened his lone eye, he had trouble focusing. When it finally did his gaze instantly fell upon the face of Hinata Hyuga. "What happened?"

"We had to save your ass, that's what happened." The voice of Sasuke spoke.

Turning to his right he noticed Sasuke and Sakura standing there, looking slightly concerned.

"We found you just in time, Naruto-kun. The dirt road wasn't safe any longer. They almost caught us. We barely escaped and stuck to the trees, hoping we would find you."

"One took the shape of Sasuke-kun…I didn't know they could do that."

The blonde shook his head. "Neither did I. We should have thought of it though. It doesn't matter." He slowly stood up and looked around. They were still in the Taoreta Mori. 'We must be getting close the edge.'

"Are you alright, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as she stood next to him, unsure whether or not to support him.

Naruto nodded. "I'll be fine. We shouldn't linger. The edge isn't far off. Let's leave this place."

He took the lead with Hinate beside him just in case the blonde would falter.

"Thank you." Naruto softly spoke, yet loud enough for the group to hear. Nothing more was said, but the sincerity was clear, and they understood what he meant with it.

It seemed that after the last attempt, the wraiths had kept their distance and no longer attacked the group. Yet they remained wary and kept the progress steady and no longer stopped for breaks.

"You know, when we found you, both you and Sakura had similar eyes as those ghosts…Or whatever they are."

Naruto nodded. "I don't know exactly what they were trying to do. Probably drain our chakra or something."

"When you were released from its grasp…It looked like you were gone. Your eye remained white, and you didn't breathe. We thought you were dead."

Naruto grimaced and shuddered as he remembered the feeling of desperation as the wraith had plunged his hand into his chest. "It certainly felt like that."

Hinata smiled. "You owe me, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes as a wave of anger rolled over him. Images of his childhood flashing through his mind. "No. I don't. You all owe me." And with that he marched past her. Ignoring her sigh of defeat.

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When the first ray of sun broke through the treetops Sakura couldn't help but laugh as she dashed forward.

"Are we finally out of the damned forest?" Sasuke asked as he turned to the blonde.

Naruto in turn blocked the sun with his hand. He too was relieved to finally leave the haunted forest. "It looks that way yeah."

The group noticed that the dense forested area slowly lessened as well as the sound of chirping birds slowly returning.

"Now that is something I never imagined I'd be happy in hearing, "Sakura said aloud as she turned to Hinata with a smile. "Don't you think?"

Hinata returned the smile and nodded. "We've made it through."

The group emerged from the tree line onto a large open field, fully covered in snow. A couple of buildings were spread along the main road to their right, filling up an otherwise empty field. To their far left were snow-capped mountains, many miles away but still reaching higher than they would've expected from this region. At the bottom of the mountains were large swathes of forested areas that connected to the woodlands they had just exited.

Naruto's eye was locked on a large structure to the north. "That's our destination." Nudging with his head.

The other turned their eyes northbound as well, their eyes widening in surprise. "That's quite a large outpost-."

Naruto faltered as he let the group pass him, ignoring the conversation that was taking place. Instead, he slowly turned his gaze back to the forest they had left minutes ago. The forest looked imposing and dark, despite the massive trees being covered in snow. 'I should start looking into the history of this place. There's more to this forest than just the war that took place years ago.'

He blinked before a cold dread enveloping his body once more. On the edge of the forest stood a lone white figure passively, watching them.

"You coming, dobe?" Sasuke's voice waking him from his stupor. The blonde blinked before turning back to the group.

"Yeah, let's get going." He turned to the forest behind him one last time, looking for the figure he had spotted earlier yet had seemingly disappeared. He let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding and rejoined his team.

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It had taken them at least another three hours before their destination was a mere mile away.

The blonde had to admit that it wasn't as much as a drag as he thought it would. They had given him space and hadn't pressured him as much as he thought they would. He pushed through the bushes covered in snow and noticed the clearing with the large tower centered in the middle.

"That's it alright." Naruto nodded as he looked at the large tower. From what he had heard, it was lookout tower, and anyone perched up there could see for many miles ahead. It was strategically placed. So much so that he wondered if they weren't spotted already.

"It's a ruin!" said Sakura as she looked at tower. "What good will that do?"

The tower itself originated from the second shinobi war and was put to good use back then. But Yuki no Kuni were neutral before the Shinobi/Reaver war started. They had hoped that would buy them time to prepare. In reality however, it had cost them everything. There were but a few survivors still remaining, the ones who had managed to flee to neighboring countries.

"It's of little importance whether or not it's a pile of trash. Let's head over and climb the tower."

"You want to climb that?!" Sakura said, her voice full of surprise and doubt."

Naruto nodded. "If there are any dragons around, our best bet would be up there."

"Then let's not waste any more time." Sasuke nodded, his eyes locked with Naruto's

Naruto took the lead once again and slowly made their way closer to the tower. With every step he took, he could feel his feet sinking into the snow, which had been their struggle ever since arriving in Yuki no Kuni.

As they got closer, they realized just how tall the tower actually was. In hindsight it looked big, to be sure but now they noticed that it easily surpassed the length of the Hokage monuments, in terms of height.

"It's certainly unexpected." Hinata softly spoke, her eyes filled with awe and respect.

Naruto had to agree with her, it was something he had not expected to be of that size.

"There's the entrance." Sasuke said as he pointed ahead, brushing the snow of his shoulders.

The group hurried, climbing over debris and fallen trees alike. It seemed that Yuki no Kuni had not given up without a fight.

Once they had reached the sturdy wooden doors, they took stock of what was around them. most of the destroyed buildings had a thick layer of snow over it. There was little doubt in Naruto's mind that there were bodies everywhere, hidden under the snow.

With a grunt he pushed the door open and stepped into a large circular door. to the right was an open door that led to a staircase. what was more notable were the number of bodies lying about. They were charred and unrecognizable with snow gathering in the center of the room, a small light illuminating the room.

"What happened here?" Hinata asked as she crouched down next to one of the bodies.

Naruto looked up and noticed that all the floors were broken open and blackened, all the way to the roof, letting him look at the open sky. "Those beasts did that."

The others were already looking up as well. " The power to blast through those floors and kill the shinobi underneath...is immense" Sakura whispered, her mouth slightly ajar.

Naruto stepped over the bodies and walked through the open door and towards the stairs. "Come on let's go."

They jogged up the stairs, every so often side stepping or jumping across whenever a gap appeared. To say that the tower had seen better days, was a slight understatement.

After a long five minute of running up the stairs, they finally reached a severely damaged wooden door. Naruto pushed it open and stepped on the roof. In the center he could see the large hole that was most likely created by the same dragons that had killed the inhabitants of the tower.

"What now?" Sakura asked as she took in the surrounding area before peering over the edge, swallowing nervously.

"Now we wait."

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Two hours later.

Sakura and Hinata sat on the stairs inside, hiding from the snowfall that was trickling from the sky. Naruto and Sasuke stood on the roof, constantly peering to the sky, their figures covered with a blanket of snow.

"I don't think they're coming, dobe."

"Shut it, teme. If I wanted your opinion I would've asked."

"I'm giving it regardless, dead last."

"Seeing as I can kick your ass any day, I doubt I'm the dead last."

"How about we try it out and see who wins?"

"Because I'll end up with a shrieking purple haired witch around my neck."

"Excuses, excuses"

The bickering continued for a while, with the two girls listening in on the background before Sakura turned to Hinata, a mischievous smile on her face. "So how was it, sleeping in one bed with the idiot?"

Hinata's cheeks grew red, redder than they already were due to the cold. "It... was alright. He was a gentleman."

Sakura burst out laughing. "After all these years you still...?"

Hinata bit her lower lip, glancing to the blonde who was jabbing his finger onto Sasuke's chest. "Despite the horrible things he's done...he has this- this vibe that makes me want to be around him."

Sakura's smiled at the Hyuga and turned her gaze on Naruto. The blonde had matured, that was certain. Yet there was also something different about him, a weariness that ached at her heart. "There's something wrong with him. He'll never admit it, but ever since his return, even as Orodochi Ghost...There's something that bothers him."

"He's not a very open book..."

Sakura chuckled and shook her head. "He's very stubborn. I guess that's one of the things that didn't change after all these years."

"I told him the very same thing!" Hinata looked back to the blonde. "His entire upper body is riddled with scars, did you know?"

Sakura seemed hesitant. "I did notice some scarring when I healed him, but I never expected to such an extent though.""

"What has he been up to?" Hinata asked aloud, her eyes never leaving Naruto.

Sakura was going to speak up, but an inhuman roar cut through the sky, interrupting her.

Naruto looked to his left and noticed the very same dragon he had fought at Kumo approaching fast, only to stop abruptly in front of them, landing on the roof.

Sasuke looked at the beast with apprehension, his hand lingering on his pouch.

Naruto stepped forward and locked eyes with the beast. "You were at the battle of Kumogakure."

"You were supposed to be here weeks ago." the beast rumbled back. its black scales seemed riddled with dents and scars."

"Your ally nearly took me out, I had to recover."

"They're not my allies, not anymore!" The winged creature roared, his wings flapping in anger.

"You rebelled?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms.

"They invaded our isolated homeland and put chains on us, made us into their slaves or they would wipe us all out."

"So why the sudden change?"

The large head of the creature lowered until it was centimeters away from the blonde's face. "my species has been eradicated! They broke their promise!"

"That's awful!" Sakura said as she clasped her hands together, looking at the dragon with pity.

"And now you want to take vengeance."

"We assumed you had either been killed off or refused our invitation. It matters little. We lost." The beast growled.

"What do you mean, you lost?" Naruto asked, looking up into the sky.

"The beast tilted it's head as if to think about the question. "I'm the only one left."

Naruto grit his teeth. "So, coming here was useless."

"You think me useless, infant?!"

"I didn't say that," he steered the conversation into a new direction. "Are you still interested in joining our side?"

"There's no other choice..." The beast growled.

"Are you sure we can trust him, Naruto?" Sakura asked, doubt clear on her mind.

"We have to take the risk, Haruno. We need all the help we can get." Naruto responded as he looked at the surrounding area.

"He's right Sakura, we can't be picky in our allies." Sasuke added in, agreeing with Naruto.

Naruto abruptly turned his gaze to Sakura and Hinata whom both were standing to the side. His eyes narrowed when he heard the sound of air being displaced. "You were followed!"

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, stepping closer to the blonde, her eyes darting from the left to the right.

"Well, well! What do we have here?" a voice called out.

Naruto turned to his right and saw a young man dressed in dark red with brown ruffled hair. Behind him stood a large group of similar clothed people. "Lasting..."

"I was told you had been killed off, Ghost. Seems that they didn't quite finish the job," he pointed at the eye cover. "Seems like Kenpachi got close though."

Hinata looked worriedly at the newcomers. "How did you find us?"

"That disgusting beast is easy to track. We've been on his trail for a week now. Seeing you here is quite the surprise," Lasting turned his attention back on Naruto. "You're here to seek the help of these beasts?"

Naruto didn't respond to him and instead walked closer to his teammates but was stopped when a knife impacted at his feet.

"You're not going to escape this time." a cocky Lasting spoke harshly.

Naruto turned his head towards the dragon on his right and softly spoke, only for the dragon to hear. "I need you to take my teammates and fly them away from here. I'll catch up with you."

A soft growl was the only answer he got before the beast took to the skies, the roof grunting in protest under the pressure.

Naruto unsheathed his katana and took a single step forward, disappearing in a flash before reappearing once again, slamming his body into that of one of the Reavers.

All eyes snapped to the collision but could do little as they both went flying off the tower.

"Naruto!" Hinata gasped as she watched the blonde fall to his death.

Lasting seemed unconcerned and merely stood there, looking at the edge of the roof.

"That's one."

Everyone's gaze snapped toward the center once more as Naruto stood there waiting, looking rather impatiently.

"Figured you would use his body as a steppingstone for flashstep." Said Lasting, looking unconcerned, unsheathing his own blade.

Naruto looked around and noticed even more Reavers appearing. To make matters worse, they weren't any regulars either. These were all holders or shifters.

"What's the plan, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, his eyes flaring with his gekkei kenkai.

The blonde's hand snapped toward them, palm flat and aimed at his teammates. "Chakra push!"

A weakened form of pure chakra hit the trio and could only look at him with a look of betrayal and shock as they tumbled over the edge.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata stuttered as she could but lock eyes with his before disappearing below the edge.

Naruto just stared at her before charging the group of Reavers, showing no emotion to the deed he had just committed.

A moment later the dragon came roaring into their view. On his back were the three Konoha shinobi.

Naruto slammed his blade into Lasting's before slamming the palm of his hand into the nose of one of the other incoming Holders.

"This is futile, Ghost." Lasting said as he pushed back against the attack.

The Hunter shook his head, the smirk still clearly present on his face. "Quite the opposite." With another yell he expelled another blast of pure chakra into the group of charging Reavers.

The majority expected this and dodged the attack. Two weren't as fortunate and got blasted off the roof.

Naruto backflipped to gain distance but got blindsided when one of his foes jackhammered him to the ground and followed up with a heavy kick into his side, twirling him into the air.

Whilst midair he righted himself and formed a rasengan in his hand and used his momentum created by his freefall to slam it into one of the nearby Reavers.

Landing on his feet he looked at Lasting and smirked. "It was fun, see you around." he gave a two fingered salute and dashed towards the edge. He could already hear one of the shifters using flashstep, just as he was hoping he would.

Naruto took a sharp turn and dashed to his left, sprinting towards another edge before diving off it. his clothing flapped about as the ground far below him came closer and closer. 'Now would be good!'

A mere second later his body impacted with that of his newfound ally, who quickly gained speed and height. Grunting he turned on his back and looked at his teammates who didn't look all to pleasing. "Hey?"

He could do little as he got smacked over the head by Sakura. "What the hell?!"

"Warn us next time you are going to do that!"

Naruto grinned. "You didn't like flying?"

This time he saw the punch coming, not that it helped him in any way as she still clobbered him. "Kuso…I forgot how hard you hit."

Hinata laughed and patted the blonde on the back. She looked at the horizon, noting the slowly setting sun. She never would have imagined her sitting on the back of a fearful beast, flying them home. turning her focus on the blonde once more she couldn't help but settle with a smile

Naruto noticed her staring. "That wasn't all that bad now, was it?"

"We got surrounded and almost killed, after having travelled for days on end through freezing temperatures and snowstorms! Barely surviving that horrible, terrifying forest!" Sakura yelled.

The Hunter shrugged. "As I said, not that bad!"

The group chuckled at his remark before settling in for the swift journey home, trying to weather the sharp cold as best they could.


I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I didn't quite like the ending (it felt rushed) and initially wanted to do a complete rewrite of this chapter, even considering adding another part to it, expanding on the Taoreta Mori. That would take more time and decided against it.

Also, to the people who enjoy the Konoha bashing. You have to keep one thing in mind. This war has been going on for a while now. Just because Naruto isn't a complete douchebag to them 24/7, doesn't mean he's forgiven them either!

As I wrote earlier in this story, this isn't a story where he forgives them instantly, nor will he keep raging and cursing them every step of the way. The upcoming portion of this story will dive more into that aspect.

I hope you enjoyed! See you next week!