If you have any criticism or if you like the story please write a review. I want to be a better writer.
Sakura and Kakashi sprinted through the forest as fast as they could, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and Sasuke. Sakura wept tears, overwhelmed by the profound sadness of her friend Naruto being killed by Sasuke. Naruto had tried so hard to save Sasuke from the darkness. During the war, Sakura had seen Naruto's memories. Naruto felt so alone, but when he met Sasuke, his pain eased a little. They were so alike, yet also so different. Almost everything Naruto did was for Sasuke, and what Sasuke did to Naruto was disrespectful. Naruto was wonderful; he didn't deserve to die, he didn't deserve to suffer like this. Sakura was consumed by anger and frustration, unable to articulate her feelings.
Kakashi glanced at Sakura's expression, noticing that she didn't seem much different from Sasuke now. (Naruto, I'll avenge you, I know it's not what you would have wanted, but Sasuke needs to be stopped by any means necessary.) Sakura thought.
Sasuke soared through the sky to a specific location, descending with violent force and shattering the ground beneath him. In front of him lay the Five Kage, ensnared within the Infinite Tsukuyomi's grasp. "Farewell, Chidori Spear!" Sasuke's Chidori blade pierced through the hearts of each of the Five Kage, ending their lives. "Now, onto the main event." Sasuke summoned black rods using his Rinnegan and impaled the Five Kage once more. He then clapped his hands, and nine meteors streaked across the sky towards him. Sasuke manifested the Perfect Susanoo once again and absorbed the chakra of all the tailed beasts. With his real hands and those of the Susanoo, he formed the rat sign.
As everyone awakened from their dreamlike state, confusion and disbelief swept through their ranks. The happiness they had experienced in the Infinite Tsukuyomi felt real and vivid, making them resent being woken up from this perfect illusion. Some even felt anger and sadness, knowing that they had been pulled away from a blissful existence they could never attain in the real world.
Sasuke proceeded to release the tailed beasts from the Chibaku Tensei and engulfed them in Amaterasu flames until nothing remained of them. The bright, consuming flames and the agonizing cries of the tailed beasts acted as a beacon, drawing members of the ninja alliance closer. Cautiously, they formed a crowd, observing the unsettling scene before them: Sasuke, standing nonchalantly, flanked by the lifeless forms of the Five Kage and Naruto's body at his feet. However, something about the Kage seemed different, casting a shadow of suspicion over the crowd.
Karin, analyzing the situation, couldn't help but notice the change in Sasuke's chakra. It had reached a tailed-beast level and, more disturbingly, had grown much darker than before, nearly pitch black. Her thoughts raced as she processed this development.
"This is Pain's jutsu!" Shikamaru exclaimed, recognizing the source of Sasuke's newfound power.
"I see. So this is where your wind has led you," Orochimaru remarked, understanding the nature of Sasuke's transformation. Both Shikamaru and Orochimaru had pieced together the truth before Sasuke revealed anything.
(So my hypothesis was incorrect,)
Orochimaru believed that there might be a supernatural force in the universe that rewarded the path of light and punished darkness, commonly known as karma. Given the path he had taken in life, he had only encountered failure. He wanted to observe Sasuke's path to see if the universe would intervene with his actions. However, upon seeing Naruto, who was the embodiment of light, lying dead at Sasuke's feet, he concluded that his hypothesis was incorrect and that "might makes right."
Amid the crowd's confusion, Shikamaru cautiously inquired, "What happened?"
"Madara Uchiha and Obito Uchiha have been defeated. The true mastermind behind the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan was Kaguya Otsutsuki, the Sage of the Six Paths' mother, and she has also been defeated," Sasuke coldly informed them.
A random shinobi couldn't contain his astonishment and blurted out, "Did he just say the Sage of the Six Paths?" The Sage was a legendary figure, often considered a mere myth among shinobi, only believed by the most devout.
Shikamaru persisted, "What happened to the Five Kage and Naruto?"
Sasuke's expression remained callous. "I executed the Five Kage and turned them into my puppets. I also executed Naruto for standing in the way of my revolution."
The revelation sent shockwaves through the ninja alliance, triggering outrage. Their respected Kage lay dead, and Naruto, who many regarded as their savior and hero, had also fallen.
"Naruto!" A female voice cried out, overpowering the cacophony. She fought her way through the crowd, her Byakugan focused on Naruto's lifeless form. However, she needed to get closer to confirm his death.
(Not good,) Shikamaru thought, recalling Hinata's reaction to Pain's attack on Naruto. He swiftly decided to use his Shadow Paralysis Jutsu to immobilize her.
"Let me go, Shikamaru! He killed Naruto; he doesn't deserve to live! I'll kill him! I'll tear his heart out! I'll tear him to shreds!" Hinata's anguish and fury poured out in her desperate pleas.
"Calm down, Hinata. He killed Naruto and possesses the Rinnegan. There's no way you can do anything to him; he'll just kill you too," Shikamaru reasoned, trying to bring sense to her.
"But, but..." The crushing reality of her powerlessness overwhelmed her. Hinata loved Naruto more than anything, and Sasuke's act rendered Neji's sacrifice meaningless. She couldn't bear it, consumed by overwhelming sadness and anger toward Sasuke.
Shikamaru didn't hesitate; he began running away from the scene with Hinata, putting distance between them and the brewing confrontation. It was clear that Hinata was too emotionally charged and irrational to engage with Sasuke, and Shikamaru had to prioritize her safety above all else.
"With the Five Kage under my control, I am now the one and only Gokage. Each and every village is now under my rule. You either accept it or face consequences," Sasuke declared.
"As if we would let you become our Kage!" One courageous shinobi shouted, and others quickly joined in, charging at Sasuke with determination.
"Hmph, have it your way. Stand back; I'll deal with this," Sasuke said, pointing at Team Taka and Orochimaru.
Sasuke dashed toward the oncoming horde of screaming shinobi, electricity crackling around his body as he used the Chidori Nagashi. The shinobi screamed in agony as they were shocked by the electrifying attack. Sasuke came to a halt in the midst of the horde and engaged in an astonishingly swift taijutsu battle, defeating everyone at a speed nearly imperceptible to the human eye. With each strike, Sasuke transmitted an electric current into his enemies, immobilizing them.
"Water Style, Water Dragon Jutsu!" Chojuro yelled, summoning a water dragon to confront Sasuke. In response, Sasuke swiftly executed a hand sign and countered with "Fire Style, Great Dragon Flame Jutsu!" The two dragons clashed, creating a massive cloud of steam, but Sasuke's fire dragon ultimately overpowered and evaporated Chojuro's water dragon.
"He defeated water style with fire style? But that's impossible!" a shinobi marveled.
Sasuke continued to plow through the shinobi alliance like a force of nature, effortlessly defeating all who stood in his path. He made his way to Chojuro, grabbing him by the neck with ease.
"AAAAAGH!" Chojuro attempted to swing his sword at Sasuke, but Sasuke held him by the neck like a child. With a smug expression, Sasuke taunted, "You wanna dance too?"
"AAGH!" Suddenly, Sasuke was blasted away by a powerful gust of wind. In mid-air, he scanned for the source and found Temari.
"Amaterasu!" Temari's fan ignited in black flames, forcing her to discard it quickly. Frustrated, she muttered, "Tsch."
As Sasuke descended, he used Amenotejikara to switch places with a random shinobi near Temari. He reappeared beside her, saying casually, "Yo," before choke-slamming her into the ground with incredible force, creating a crater.
Watching the battle from a distance, Shikamaru grew concerned. He wondered why it was taking Sasuke so long to finish off the alliance. It should have been easy for Sasuke to defeat them quickly.
"Hey, Hinata, sorry for asking this, but can you check with your Byakugan if Sasuke is killing anybody?" Shikamaru inquired.
Hinata activated her Byakugan and observed the battlefield. Sasuke was swiftly dealing with multiple enemies at once, but to her surprise, none of them were dead. Sasuke was sparing everyone.
"No, he's not. He's immobilizing them but not killing them," Hinata reported.
"I see, so he's beating them into submission," Shikamaru mused.
Hinata focused her Byakugan on Sasuke. "Sasuke's chakra... It's different."
"How so?" Shikamaru asked, intrigued.
"It's much bigger and stronger, like a tailed beast's. It's also dark, extremely dark. I've never seen such dark chakra before; it's even darker than Naruto's Nine-Tails chakra. It's almost pitch black."
Orochimaru, observing the battle from a distance, couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. He had predicted that Sasuke would one day surpass even Madara, and now, seeing his pupil reach such heights, Orochimaru was filled with a profound sense of satisfaction at having trained Sasuke so well.
Suigetsu, however, was perplexed by the sudden turn of events. "I don't get it, why did Sasuke suddenly decide to become the Hokage?" he asked.
Orochimaru offered an insightful explanation, "Sasuke lost everything and ended up all alone, a price paid for peace in the Hidden Leaf Village. He intends to concentrate the world's hatred upon himself and survive by enduring it. He's a kind soul at heart. Right now, Sasuke is like a core of light projecting darkness onto the world. He has transcended the realm of humanity; he has become the God of Darkness, the focal point of the world's hatred and malice. By shouldering all of it, he ensures that nobody else has to fight amongst themselves ever again. That is Sasuke's ninja way."
Suigetsu nodded, impressed by Sasuke's noble goal. "That's a really noble goal. Do you think he can handle the world's hatred? The Uchihas feel a stronger sense of love than other people, right? He must be hurting inside so bad."
Orochimaru replied thoughtfully, "Who knows? Only time will tell. But I have faith in my pupil."
Karing was saddened that Sasuke had descended even deeper into darkness, and he was now hurting even more than before. She felt powerless, unable to do anything about it, and it broke her heart. Initially, her feelings for Sasuke had been purely sexual, but they eventually grew into genuine affection. She wished for Sasuke's happiness and longed to help him heal from his mental scars. She truly cared about him, and the fact that she could never do anything for him except serve as a tool for his healing weighed heavily on her heart. She forgave Sasuke for everything because, when she put herself in his shoes, she understood. In some twisted way, everything he did made sense to her, and if she had experienced the same things as Sasuke, she believed she would feel the same way. She simply couldn't bring herself to blame him. Dismissing him without attempting to understand his perspective and where he was coming from would have been childish. People are complex, and situations are rarely black and white. Her relationship with Sasuke was so complicated that it gave her a headache.
As the battle raged on, Jugo's violent tendencies flared up again. His outburst alarmed those around him. The Raikage puppet with the Rinnegan approached Jugo, its eyes bearing a resemblance to Sasuke's.
"Calm down, Jugo," the puppet urged, and upon seeing Sasuke's eyes in the Raikage puppet, Jugo gradually regained his composure.
Sasuke continued to swiftly incapacitate the members of the Shinobi Alliance. When sword-wielding opponents attacked him, Sasuke used his chakra nature transformation to form a Chidori blade in his hand. With this blade, he clashed with the ninja's swords, instantly shattering them upon contact, displaying his formidable skills.
(Ino, can you hear me?)
(Yes, Shikamaru, what is it?) Ino continued to use her jutsu to connect the minds of people.
(Connect me to everyone on the battlefield fighting Sasuke.)
(Okay.)
(Everyone, this is Shikamaru Nara. Stop charging at Sasuke mindlessly. He has the Sharingan, so you won't be able to beat him in close-quarter combat, no matter how hard you try. Form a circle around Sasuke and keep your distance from him.)
Everyone suddenly ceased charging at Sasuke mindlessly, and a wide circle formed around him.
(What is this? They are behaving differently now.) Sasuke noted to himself.
(Listen carefully, Sasuke possesses lightning and fire chakra affinities. Since he has the Sharingan, we have to use quick and successive long-range attacks on him. Stone ninjas, turn the ground below Sasuke into mud to slow him down.)
The stone ninjas placed their hands on the ground, making the area beneath Sasuke muddy.
(Are they trying to slow me down?)
(Wind style users, use your long-range jutsus on Sasuke now, and stone ninjas, harden the ground below Sasuke's feet to trap him!)
"Tsch," Sasuke activated a small part of his Susanoo to protect himself. He attempted to use Chidori Nagashi to free himself from the hardened stone at his feet, but the wind style kept canceling his lightning style, weakening the range of his Chidori Nagashi and preventing him from breaking free.
(Fire style users, unleash your strongest long-range fire style jutsus at Sasuke's Susanoo. After every 5 seconds, cease your attacks and switch to water style users. Alternating between fire and water will rapidly heat up and cool down Sasuke's Susanoo, causing it to crack from thermal shock. Once it's cracked enough, Lee, you'll open the highest possible gate and break through Sasuke's Susanoo.)
(What are they plotting? I'll play along for now and then completely crush their plan to break their spirits even further.)
The ninja alliance continued their assault until Sasuke's Susanoo started cracking.
(What? That's impossible.)
(Now, Lee!)
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"Hmpf," Sasuke smirked, "Shinra Tensei!" A powerful gravitational wave struck the entire shinobi alliance in the area, sending them several meters back. Sasuke also added lightning to the gravitational push, electrocuting everyone as they skipped along the ground like rocks thrown in a pond. Everyone was incapacitated, unable to move, but no one was killed. Sasuke manifested his perfect Susanoo and addressed the shinobi alliance, "Do you still want to dance?" The sight of Sasuke's perfect Susanoo silenced the entire shinobi alliance.
Sasuke spoke again, "Each of you will return to your villages with a Rinnegan puppet of your respective Kage. You will form a council to address only me, Sasuke Uchiha."
Orochimaru noticed something in the distance. As he approached with Team Taka, they discovered Might Guy, severely burned.
"What happened to him? He's messed up, like really badly," Suigetsu asked Orochimaru, who was regarded as the smartest in the group. Suigetsu's attitude toward Orochimaru had changed. He seemed more relaxed and less evil.
"This is the consequence of opening the 8th gate. I don't understand how he's alive, though. The only thing that could stop the effects of the 8th gate would be some sort of divine power," Orochimaru explained.
Sasuke approached Team Taka casually. Orochimaru began to speak, "You went soft on them. You know people will see that as a sign of weakness, which will cause problems in the future, right?"
"What good would my revolution be if I ended up killing innocent people?" Sasuke countered.
Orochimaru changed the subject. "Do you know who this is?"
"Yeah, that's Guy."
"He has mastered the 8th inner gate, which gives him immense power rivaling even Madara. If you keep him alive, he could cause trouble for you down the line. It's best to get rid of him while you still can."
Sasuke pondered Orochimaru's words. He recalled how Lee was about to crack open his Susanoo, albeit an imperfect one. Someone who could rival Madara's power existing was truly troublesome for Sasuke's revolution, but he responded, "What good would my revolution be if I ended up killing innocent people? Guy is a hero who put everything on the line to stop Madara. He deserves a reward, not death."
"Wouldn't that also apply to Naruto?" Orochimaru asked, confused by the contradiction between Sasuke's words and actions.
"Naruto died out of necessity to get rid of the tailed beast chakra inside of him, and because he stood in my way. Karin, heal Guy," Sasuke ordered.
Karin appeared somewhat reluctant. She carried childhood trauma related to being bitten, but she was only comfortable with Sasuke biting her because it felt different when he did it. It somehow felt good, probably because she loved him.
"Now!" Sasuke ordered her sternly.
(Why did that arouse me? His commanding tone is so... manly.)
Karin complied with Sasuke's orders and had Guy bite her hand. Guy began to look much better, with fewer burns.
"Jugo, take Naruto's body. We are going, everyone," Sasuke commanded.
"To where?" Jugo inquired.
"You'll see."
Sasuke manifested his perfect Susanoo and flew to a specific location.
"Damn it, Kakashi," Sasuke muttered as they arrived at their destination. He appeared angry and distressed.
"What's wrong?" Jugo asked.
"Madara's body, it's gone. Karin, sense Kakashi's and Sakura's chakra right now!"
Karin closed her eyes and focused intently, but she couldn't sense them anywhere nearby.
"Sorry, Sasuke. I can't sense them anywhere nearby."
(Dammit, they had a lot of time to escape; they could be anywhere now.)
Sasuke was both annoyed and a little worried. Madara was a very powerful individual, although weaker than Sasuke. Someone possessing Madara's power would still be a problem for him. However, without the tailed beasts, Madara was now nothing compared to Sasuke. Additionally, Sasuke had acquired Naruto's body, which was also special, so was it really that big of a deal?
Orochimaru watched Sasuke intently, wondering what he would do next. Sasuke remained silent and flew in a certain direction. As they got closer, Team Taka recognized the area, and then they saw it: the Uchiha hideout where Sasuke had fought Itachi. Standing amidst the ruins that symbolized Sasuke's shattered bonds, Orochimaru spoke.
"Sasuke, you are more sentimental than you let on."
"Maybe, but that doesn't matter now," Sasuke said, remaining stoic. "Orochimaru, you have experience running the Sound Village. I want you to tell me everything. How do you run a village? How do you make subjects loyal to you? What makes a village prosper? I want to know it all. And I want to discuss the future with all of you, how do we move forward from now on?" Sasuke asked, looking at his team.
(he's growing up so fast, recognizing his own flaws and seeking knowledge instead of just being arrogant,) Orochimaru thought.
"Very well, Sasuke. I'll tell you everything,"
Sasuke's actions had brought about a profound shift in the balance of power and the collective psyche of the shinobi world. With the Five Kage under his control and the tailed beasts eliminated, he had effectively become the single dominant force in the ninja world. Yet, the burden of such power weighed heavily on his shoulders.
As they stood amidst the remnants of the Uchiha hideout, Orochimaru, who had once been Sasuke's adversary, now became his mentor in the art of leadership. The former Sannin began to share his insights on ruling a village, creating loyalty, and fostering prosperity. Orochimaru's experiences with the Sound Village, his knowledge of the intricacies of power, and his dark wisdom all played a crucial role in shaping Sasuke's understanding.
Sasuke listened attentively, his mind absorbing every piece of information like a sponge. He was no longer the impulsive avenger he once was; he was now a young leader on a mission to reshape the world. As Orochimaru spoke, Sasuke's thoughts began to take shape, forming a vision of the future he hoped to build.
Team Taka, including Karin, Jugo, and Suigetsu, also played their part in the discussions. Each member had unique perspectives, and their loyalty to Sasuke was unwavering. They brainstormed ideas, debated strategies, and contemplated the challenges they might face in the path ahead.
Amidst these conversations, Sasuke's eyes would occasionally drift toward Naruto's lifeless body, a reminder of the sacrifices and choices that had brought him to this point. It was a stark symbol of the complex web of emotions that Sasuke now grappled with.
Sasuke and his team talked the whole night until sunrise. They conversed for hours nonstop; it was the most important discussion of their entire lives. As the sun rose and they all reached a conclusion, Sasuke, facing the sunset with his team behind him, said, "We are no longer Taka. From this day on, our team will be called Kurogane, and we have only one mission: to protect the world."
Author's note: "Kurogane" means black iron; it can also be interpreted as steel. So, "Team Kurogane" means "Team Steel" or "Team Black Iron." I don't speak Japanese, but I'm hoping it means "Team Steel." However, "Black Iron" works too, I guess.