It was late in the morning after Sasuke and the others had set out from Kirigakure. The four of them stood looking down at the entrance of the cave. Sasuke turned to Karin and nodded once. She understood what this meant and closed her eyes to focus on the chakra signature she'd seen before with her technique, the mind's eye of Kagura. Suddenly, multiple chakra signatures filled her mental view inside of the cave. To start was the overpowering large one in the distance, deeper into the catacombs of the lair. But before that were several smaller chakra sources moving about slowly but still significant in their own right.
Each chakra sense was different depending upon the target's mainframe. They varied from warmth to coldness. But the signatures within the cave were neither; it was almost as if they were stiff. Karin opened her eyes and blinked a few times to regain her focus and turned to Sasuke.
"What is it?" He asked.
"They're something big in there for sure," Karin said before folding her arms under her chest and frowned. "But it's almost like it's not human. It's more like how a puppet master would control their weapons. The large source is like it's providing power to the smaller ones."
Suigetsu grinned as he unsheathed one of the twin blades he'd received from the Raikage. He'd it into the sky, admiring how the sunlight shimmered atop the metal blade. He waved it once, hearing its sound slicing through the air.
"It may not be one of the seven blades, but these two will do nicely! I'm sure we'll be able to handle whatever is in there."
Sasuke wordlessly began to lead the way as he jumped from the perch of the cliff they stood upon until landing before the mouth of the cave. He didn't bother waiting to hear the sounds of three others landing behind him as he entered. As he traveled, the dim light glittered from the cave entrance began to fade. Sasuke didn't pay much mind to this as the others quickly fell into step, surrounding him with Jugo and Suigetsu to the right and left of him. Karin followed behind them, focusing on locating the prominent chakra source ahead and warning them of anything approaching.
Besides the sounds of their footsteps, it was mostly silent as they traveled. As a few minutes of silence went by, they found nothing yet. Sasuke would've thought that the Raikage was sending him on a fool's errand if it hadn't been for Karin's claims to back up the information he provided.
"Wait," Karin said, suddenly bringing them to a halt.
Sasuke turned his head around a bit in Karin's direction. A growling sound came from behind all of them, the sound echoing against the stone walls. And just as soon as the sound occurred, it quickly ended. No one made a move or made a sound for a brief pause before Suigetsu began to speak.
"So, the beast wanted us to come into its lair." He said before grinning before unsheathing his blades.
Sasuke fully turned around and unsheathed his sword. "Let's make this quick. We still need to find whatever Karin sensed earlier."
Karin's eyes widened as she turned around and looked at Sasuke directly. "They're also something coming toward us from behind!"
Without another word, large purple ribcage bones began surrounding the four of them. Where Karin was standing, bright red flames were held back due to the purple shell. And then, from behind Sasuke, pulsating winds clawed at the ribcage but was held back. Neither attack seemed to want to let up as the four of them stood safely within Susanoo's torso.
"Jugo and Suigetsu handle whatever is causing the wind," Sasuke ordered. "Karin and I will handle the one with fire."
Everyone nodded, and they waited for the barrage of attacks to end. As soon as the Susanoo disappeared, they split up, sprinting in opposite directions as commanded. Sasuke and Karin quickly closed in on the source of the flames. As they closed in on the target, the fire began once again, and they dodged out of the way. From the source of the flames was an ashen body and similar color hair. Dull yellow eyes weren't focused as the flames shot out of its mouth. White Zetsu turned in their direction as the fire dissipated. Sasuke stood in front of Karin as they looked at it. It tried to steady itself on its feet but stumbled.
Sasuke charged forward, blade in hand, as the white Zetsu stared into his one visible eye. The White Zetsu held its arm up to protect itself as Sasuke swung his sword. He cut through the arm, severing the limb, and quickly stabbed it through the chest. White Zetsu cried out as blood spilled from its mouth. Sasuke kicked it in the stomach as it fell off the blade, and it stopped moving altogether. Karin slowly approached him from behind, stopping a few paces as she examined the body.
"White Zetsu?" She asked. "Why is he here?"
"I don't know," Sasuke said as he cleaned his blade, sliding it against the corpse. "It didn't seem like the ones from the war. Like it didn't have a conscience, and it died so easily. Let's get back to others and see if we can find what you sensed yesterday."
Karin nodded, and they began traveling back the way they came from. It didn't take long for them to find Suigetsu and Jugo standing over another White Zetsu body. This one was bigger than the one Sasuke and Karin faced. Its build was more muscular, but the ashen body and dull eyes were identical to the one Sasuke had killed earlier. After looking over the body, they saw it was now dead.
"Thing had more bark than bite," Suigetsu said, putting his blades back into their covers. "Didn't get to use my new swords long enough."
Sasuke did not mind Suigetsu's words as he looked at Karin. Her gaze was somewhere else, distant as she was focusing on something.
"It's more of them in here." She said softly before blinking a few times and regaining her composure. "There are many more, and the prominent source of chakra I sensed before has the same chakra as the Zetsu clones. If we press further into the cave, we'll learn more about what's happening here."
After everyone was ready, they proceeded further down the depths of the caverns. Along the way, they spotted several Kumogakure shinobi headbands—the only remains of the fallen men and women who'd already ventured thus far into the caves. Unnerved by this, Sasuke and the others continued with their investigation. If there was anything vaguely related to Kaguya, Sasuke wanted to investigate it. Whatever was making these White Zetsu clones, he had to find it. The temperature dropped as they continued, and no one said a word as they knew something was big; they had to have taken out the other shinobi. They were on guard.
Before they could start moving, the sound of footsteps from behind them caused them all to turn and look. To both Sasuke and Karin's surprise, another ashen-skinned man with silver-white hair approached them. He had matching colored eyes and was dressed in white robes, a brown-colored sash, black colored pants, and matching black sandals. It was Toneri Otsutsuki.
"Two familiar faces and two I've never seen before," Toneri said as he smiled.
Sasuke eyes narrowed slightly. "Toneri, what are you doing here?"
"I'm guessing you all have come here to investigate what's happening in this cave. This is a relic of the past that's somehow activated after all this time. I call it a Zetsu nest." Toneri explained.
"A nest?" Suigetsu asked, raising an eyebrow.
Toneri nodded. "Yes, Zetsu isn't born like humans are from a womb. Instead, nests like this were created to make more Zetsu as needed. But with Kaguya and Black Zetsu defeated, they appear to have no consciousness and are now beasts hunting for food to stay alive."
Karin raised an eyebrow, frowning before jabbing her index finger in his direction while placing the other hand on her hip. "I thought you said you were staying on the Moon the last time we saw you there. What are you doing here now?"
He smiled a little. "If you believe I harbor any ill will since our last meeting, you are mistaken. My body is still on the Moon; this is but an apparition that I have been using to explore the Earth since my defeat. Naruto was right. There is much more to the Earth than I gave credit to before. Although I still don't quite understand all the different lands' customs, it is certainly interesting. And while on my travels, I ran into a nest just like the one we are in now. I had some of my remaining puppets to clean up the mess left behind so that no more Zetsu could be produced there. But with all of you here, I won't be needed. Until next time, Sasuke Uchiha," Toneri said, and then he vanished.
Suigetsu shuttered before turning to Karin. "And that's the guy that tried to destroy the Earth with the moon?"
Karin sighed and crossed her arms. "Yeah, that was him. He makes my skin crawl more than Orochimaru ever did."
Sasuke turned on his heel and began leading the way just like before. The others quickly began to follow him further into the caverns of the cave, going back into the formation they had set up earlier. As they continued, they occasionally met a Zetsu clone or two that was quickly taken down, just like before. So far, there were no signs of any living shinobi from the Kumogakure.
After ten more minutes of walking, the temperature was warmer than in the cave. Sasuke stopped walking, causing all the others to do the same. No one made a sound or dared move an inch until he gave the say-so. With his visible eye, Sasuke looked around the room. The silence was soon filled with intake and output of heavy breathing slowly approaching them. Footsteps echoed with a flopping sound, hitting the pavement hard as it continued toward them. The breathing sound worsened as it trudged ahead in its path toward them. It wasn't long before a grotesque figure appeared for them this time.
It was another white Zetsu, but unlike the ones they'd encountered. This one sported three heads on its body, with the one in the center breathing heavily. The head on the right looked like it was in horrific pain as it held its mouth open with tears spilling from its eyes. In contrast, the one on the left looked at the four bodies standing before it with a grin. On the right side of its body was a blade embedded in it with a red hit sticking out of it. The Zetsu reached for the sword, pulling the blade out its side with dried blood stained on the blade. The right let out a yelp after it'd done this, and it pointed the blade toward them.
As Sasuke drew his blade out, he noticed many cut marks, bruises, and scars on its body. This Zetsu caused the downfall of many unlucky guests who had ventured inside. The grotesque beast took a deep breath and then vanished quickly. Unfazed by this, Sasuke activated his Sharingan. The sudden presence of the beast was palpable to him as it reappeared and moved to swing the blade down full force. Sasuke blocked the strike with his blade, but his eyes widened briefly as the strike was more potent than anticipated. The sheer force of it would've almost made him buckle under the weight of it.
The Zetsu began to shout as its cries reverberated against the stone caverns. It didn't take long for Jugo to spring into action as he quickly moved toward the Zetsu clone. His right fist already cocked back as it was transformed into a more extensive form due to the surge of chakra he absorbed. His fist connected to the clone's right face and sent it flying back a reasonable distance. The Zetsu clone howled in pain as it bounced off the ground like a thrown rock on the water. But it quickly rolled onto its feet and tried to regain balance as it slid. When it stopped, the clone began charging toward them just as fast as before.
Sasuke and Jugo continued forward to meet the beast head-on. Sasuke swung his blade at the same time the clone did. The blades clashed multiple times as they growled with each strike. This time, Jugo cut to the right to circle it, but the clone kept its eye on him. As Jugo neared the body, the left head moved out, sprouting a neck and shoulders. It opened its mouth, and lightning shot out of it. Jugo blocked it with his transformed arm and slid back while the other part of the body continued to fight against Sasuke.
The sound of screams came from behind him. He turned his head slightly to see Suigetsu and Karin fighting off more minor versions of clones that appeared to help the bigger one out. Suigetsu had cut one to ribbons, but it'd only fallen to the ground, put itself back together, and started toward him again. He dodged the strike it made toward him—meanwhile, Karin, with two kunai knives drawn out, held one back. She kicked it squarely in the stomach. It rolled backward and then charged toward her again with a wicked grin spreading across its face.
"Sasuke!" Jugo called out.
Sasuke turned back aground to see the white Zetsu with its mood wide open. Fire shot out of its mouth, and Sasuke appeared burned to ashes until rocks appeared in his place. He was now behind the beast and decided to no longer waste time with it.
"Amaterasu!" He called out.
The Zetsu clone turned around just as the flames spread across its body. It howled louder with pain as it fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Sasuke looked to Suigetsu and Karin, who were still fighting their respective clones.
"Suigetsu, Karin!" Sasuke called.
They both looked to see what Sasuke had done to the main clone. Karin dodged out of the way and kicked her clone in Sasuke's direction. The strike wasn't strong enough as it moved to make a go at her again when Jugo caught it by the back of its neck. He threw the clone at the bigger one covered in flames. Suigestu stabbed the clone he was fighting in the chest, and the beast went limp. He smirked, carried it close enough to the flames, and flung the body onto the dying clones.
As the cries of the Zetsu clone began to die, the group started moving again.
"We need to get to the nest," Sasuke said while putting his blade away. "The longer these Zetsu live, the more they become accustomed to battle."
They all agreed and picked up the pace as they continued further. From the entrance of where the three-headed Zetsu clone came from were many Cloud village headbands and remains of weapons. They took only the headbands and continued to find the nest as soon as possible. It wasn't long before they made it to what seemed to be a dead end. A wall of dull grey-colored tree vines as hard as a stone stood in the way.
"It's here," Karin said suddenly. "I've been sensing this massive amount of chakra is beyond this wall."
Sasuke nodded. "Everyone stand back." He did a few hand signs when they were a reasonable distance away from him. "Fire style! FireBall Jutsu!"
Bright orange and red colored flames came from his mouth and began to burn the roots out of the way. He willed the flame to push forward and create an opening for him and the others to travel through. Instead, all the roots burned away completely, resulting in the same result that Sasuke had wanted. They entered a vast open space filled with pods along the cave's walls, floor, and ceiling. Inside the pods were the makings of white Zetsu clones in various sizes and stages of growth. The entire group stood in shock, taking in the massive amount of clones awaiting to hatch one day and searching for food like the other clones.
"This is it," Karin said softly. "This is what I was sensing."
Sasuke took a step forward, knowing what needed to be done. "Amaterasu!"
After ensuring all remnants of the White Zetsu nest were destroyed, the group returned to the Village. They turned in all the shinobi headbands they found from the multi-headed Zetsu clone. With it being late and the temperature dropping so rapidly, the Raikage hosted the four of them to stay the night again and allowed Suigetsu to keep his swords. While all the others settled down for the evening, Sasuke lay awake staring at the ceiling. Next to him, Jugo was sleeping silently while Suigetsu shifted and rolled roughly while snoring. Karin slept in another room from them to give her privacy despite her protests to stay with Sasuke.
Sasuke stepped out of the room, closed the sliding door, and began walking down the hallway. He found an exit to a private rock garden atop the Raikage building and sat down on a wooden bench. The night's air was cold enough that he could see himself exhaling. He was glad to bring his cloak; otherwise, he'd need to march back inside just as fast as he came out. Moonlight bathed the Raikage's garden at the Raikage building. There were also fire-lit lanterns behind glass casings.
He then looked up at the full Moon shining brightly with all the stars in the sky. It wasn't long before he sensed someone standing just a short distance from him.
"What is it?" He asked.
The sound of footsteps approached him and stopped until the person was standing next to him. Sasuke's eyes narrowed just the smallest amount as his frown deepened. It was Toneri, and he was walking around without a care in the world.
"I see you all made it out alive," Tonier said.
"Why are you here?" Sasuke asked, wanting to get to the point as to why Toneri was visiting him.
Toneri's gaze shifted to Sasuke from the Moon. "To ask you a question."
Sasuke turned to look at him. He waited for him to continue, but Toneri didn't answer, just staring silently. Sighing, Sasuke decided to answer finally.
"Go ahead."
"If I find another Zetsu nest or anything related to Kaguya. Do you want me to inform you of this?"
"Me?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," Toneri replied. "Whenever Kaguya is mentioned, you spring into action. Kaguya's reach is wider than one can imagine; I can look into this with my apparition clone. I said if the world were ever in danger, I'd assist. It's the least I can do for my atonement rather than to sit alone and sulk."
Sasuke stood up then. "Your atonement?"
"Yes," Toneri replied truthfully. "Despite everything I've done, my life was spared. And all of you showed me the truth about what happened to my clan on the Moon. Anything Kaguya-related is a threat to what the world is now. I intend to ensure she or anything like her doesn't threaten that again. Maybe then I can forgive myself for what I've done."
Sasuke thought about that for a moment. With Toneri's help, someone would look for Kaguya-related issues while he continued his journey with the others. And he could share whatever Toneir finds with Naruto and Kakashi whenever needed. He nodded once, and Toneri smiled a little.
"Sounds like we have an arrangement. Until next time, Sasuke."
Toneri disappears without a trace, leaving Sasuke alone. Sasuke sighed and looked up at the Moon once more. Toneir's last words replaying in his mind. He, too, sought atonement for himself but wasn't sure how to get it. But after hearing Toneri's words, he wondered about the people in his life. Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, Karin, Jugo, Suigetsu, and Itachi. They all told him they forgave him, but did he forgive himself? Maybe he needed to do more to forgive himself, which would finally ease his mind. The wind had begun to stir. Sasuke turned to the exit garden to try to sleep once more.
After hauling many boxes and items from Naruto's studio apartment into their new home, Naruto and Sakura finally had to halt their moving day. The appliances, such as the refrigerator, washer, dryer, and oven, were already in the house once construction had finished. What they were missing right now was the furniture Sakura had purchased with the help of her mother, who insisted on going shopping with her while picking out the furniture. And with the sudden heavy rain pouring from the skies, they were sure their order would arrive much later than initially planned.
So, they decided to have a lunch break to pass the time. The neighborhood they'd moved into had a convenience store that wasn't too far from them. It was well stocked with many go-to items for those needing a little something until a proper meal was available. When Naruto returned from the convenience store, he suggested Sakura unpack one of the blankets they had to use for an impromptu picnic in their dining room. Naruto sat cross-legged on the blanket, dressed in black sweatpants with orange accented stripes and a white t-shirt, while his orange hoodie hung in the front closet. He was waiting for Sakura to return with the boiling water from the kettle she'd put on for the quick cup of noodles he'd purchased for himself.
When the kettle began to whistle, it quickly stopped as Sakura entered the room, holding it by the handle and a potholder. She was dressed in a white tank top, black leggings, and red shorts atop the leggings with a white strip up the sides. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun to keep it out of her face, and she knelt on the blanket. After pouring the hot water into the cups, she set the kettle on a silicon trivet away from their blanket to keep it from burning the new floorboards. A crash of thunder sounded from outside, and they both looked toward the window and then back to each other and laughed. Along the cups of noodles were onigiri, bags of different flavored chips, plastic bowls filled with different bite-sized fruits, and a large bottle of lemonade.
Although Sakura wasn't one for a lot of junk food, after the long day of moving and no groceries, she wouldn't turn her nose up at the selection Naruto grabbed. She sat across from him on the blanket and grabbed a piece of fruit. She was incredibly thankful for the fruits as they were refreshingly sweet after a long day of moving boxes. She grabbed another piece of melon, bit into it, and closed her eyes, enjoying the flavor. Her musing was only interrupted when Naruto couldn't help himself but chuckle, causing her to open her eyes and turn to look at him. He'd been watching her as he waited on the hot water to cook the noodles in the waiting cups. He reached over, took one of her hands, and squeezed it lightly.
"We did it! We're home, Sakura!" He said confidently.
"Yes, we're home, Naruto! Our home! I still can't believe it! I hope we didn't do too much damage to your trust fund."
He waved his other hand in the air. "No, it's still pretty full, thanks to you pulling from your savings! I should've got a job at the hospital, seeing how much more you make than me."
She shook her head. "No offense, but I can't picture you in a clinical setting. Don't forget I'm second in command of the hospital. Soon to be Head Medic."
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, that's not my style. Kakashi Sensei suggested that I put the rest of my money into my bank account. And since you worked out a good deal on our mortgage, we'll be fine! Now we can start using some of that for the wedding, y'know!"
"The wedding," Sakura said, her mind began to race with many thoughts. "We haven't gotten started on that, have we?"
Naruto shook his head. "No, but we've been busy with the move, hospital repairs, and the Five Kage summit approaching. I know it's a lot, but I'd like to start sooner than later."
Sakura nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's better to secure a date and time that we want. And we've got to decide if we want a traditional wedding like Neji and Tenten, or a modern wedding. Send out invites and set up a wedding registry. Most importantly we need a place to house the wedding! And with both of our jobs, neither of us has time to put it all together." Naruto frowned; he didn't expect a wedding to consist of so much stuff. But Sakura smiled and winked at him, causing him to blush a little. "Don't worry, honey; I've got someone in mind to help us plan the wedding. She has a real eye for detail, and I'm sure she'll be excitedly over the Moon after I ask her."
Naruto chuckled as a grin began to spread across his face. "You mean Ino?"
"Exactly, she's been dropping hints, showing me wedding photos in magazines. And experimental floral arrangements she's shown to brides this year. She's just about as anxious as my mother is about getting started about planning the wedding."
Naruto chuckled, letting go of her hand, and untwisted the lemonade bottle's top. He'd bought some plastic cups, plates, and cutlery to use for the picnic and began to pour some into a plastic cup. "Great! When are you going to ask her then?" He asked, handing her the newly filled cup.
Sakura's eyes widened a little as she took the lemonade from him. "Oh, are you ready to get married so soon now? If I remember correctly, some of Tenten and Neji's guests overheard all of you boys not wanting to commit just marriage yet."
He shrugged and began pouring again. "Yeah, well… I've changed my mind. We've got our home now, y'know!"
Sakura laughed a little. "I'm practically your wife already."
"Yeah, but I want it official," Naruto explained before putting the top back on the lemonade. "I want people to say when they see us; there goes Mr. and Mrs. Uzuamki!" He said, waving his hand as if it'd make the sound of them sharing his surname sound more official.
Sakura laughed again at his sudden excitement. "I guess I better let our wedding planner know of the good news. Just do me a favor."
His eyes widened. "Yeah, anything for you."
Sakura's eyebrows came together, and she pointed her index finger at him. "Don't let her get you too excited about anything wedding-wise, especially if she hears about your savings. Ino's got expensive taste. And if she tries to rope my mother into anything, let me handle it. Do not let them guilt trip or pressure you into anything! This is our wedding; we'll have it our way. Understood!"
Naruto raised his hands in innocence. "Alright, I understand! We'll be a united front, y'know!"
"Good," Sakura said before grabbing another piece of fruit. "Now, I just hope the furniture can still come today."
"Yeah, and we still have to put some of it together," Naruto said before grabbing a pair of chopsticks and undid them. "Otherwise, we'll be sleeping on this blanket tonight. Hey, let me get some of that, y'know."
Sakura's eyes widened as he leaned closer to her with his mouth slightly open. She moved to feed him the fruit by tossing the piece in but leaned in a little further and caught the fruit along with fingers in his mouth. He looked up, looking her directly in the eyes with his tongue, and licked the juice from the melon off her finger. As she pulled her hand back, Sakura's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. He chuckled while licking his lips as she continued to look at him, blushing profusely.
"Mmmm, delicious, how bout another?" He asked, opening his mouth.
Sakura pushed the fruit toward him. "Help yourself."
He frowned a little. "What, you didn't like that?"
She looked away from him as her blush deepened. "I didn't say that." As she began to turn back toward him, his face was only about an inch from hers. In the short moment she'd looked away, he'd crawled over the food between them. Her face flushed in embarrassment.
"Naruto! What about your noodles?" She asked.
"They're still cooking. How about a strawberry? I'm sure it's sweeter than the melon, y'know." He suggested, holding a strawberry up and leaning closer to her again. "Now, where were we?" He said before putting the strawberry in his mouth.
Sakura leaned toward him, caught him by his torso, and rolled them over so now his back was against the floor, and she towered over him. His eyes widened slightly in surprise as she smiled triumphantly down at him. She leaned down, plucked the strawberry out of his mouth, and kissed his lips lightly before pulling away.
"You were right! The strawberry was sweeter than the melon!"
Naruto frowned and folded his arms over his chest. "You could've shared some that, y'know."
She was about to respond when the doorbell rang. They both looked toward the entrance and then back to each other. Sakura helped Naruto up after she stood up herself. Together, they went to the front door and answered it to see several men in uniform with a large wagon with items covered with a tarp to keep rain from getting on it.
A man with a clipboard and pen in hand stepped forward. "I have a delivery for Haruno Sakura?"
"That's me!" Sakura answered happily.
"For now," Naruto said behind her, grinning.
The gentleman chuckled. "That's right, you two will be getting married soon! Congrats! All the furniture is wrapped, so there's no need to worry about the rain soaking it. We'll be able to move the furniture immediately after you sign for hit here."
Sakura took the pen, signed it, and returned it to him. He smiled and then turned to the others, motioning for them to bring the furniture in. Naruto and Sakura began moving out of the way to fill the front of the house with the furniture and started moving it after lunch.
Hi everyone, thank you for supporting this fanfic! Your reviews help so much, and I enjoy reading them. I apologize for the long wait for this chapter; hopefully, the next chapter won't take another long period to publish. I enjoyed taking a moment to flesh out some side characters. So, as we advance toward the wedding, I'd like to explore some other plots and events I thought up while concluding Naruto the Alternative Last. I hope to see you in the next chapter!
Colorfulone