-Amegakore – Akatsuki Tower-

A swirl tore through the still air in the tallest tower of Amegakore and the man in the orange mask appeared with a murderous aura hovering over his body. The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan glared around the room at the surviving members of the Akatsuki. A full recall had been ordered and the organization was in shambles after the last two weeks of activity. Looking around, Madara/Toby/Obito saw that only Kakuzu, Kisame, Zetsu, Pain and Konan remain of the organization.

Obito growled lowly through his mask and let his aura flare to display his displeasure with the current events. "Report!" He bellowed. He no longer felt like using the idiot Toby mask and he was going to take control of 'his' organization.

Pain, acting through Yahiko's body, looked around impassively ignoring 'Madara's' rage before answering. "Sasori and Daedara are dead at the hands of the Ichibi jinchuriki and the fourth Kazekage. We no longer have access to spies in Suna, so we do not know the amount of damage caused." Pain paused here before continuing. "A week ago, Kisame was nearly killed before zetsu rescued him from the Kyuubi jinchuriki. It appears Hizashi died to the Kyuubi jinchuriki in his attempt to save Kisame."

Kisame growled menacingly before shouting, "Don't forget what that bastard did to Samehada!"

Pain cocked his head at the unusual outburst and display of emotion. "Explain."

Kisame's growl faded, and he sounded … sad? "The brat did something to Samehada. He put his hand on it and let it absorb his chakra. Now, the whole damned sword is just a heavy piece of stone."

Black Zetsu spoke up here, "That is the effect of rampant nature energy. The Kyuubi jinchuriki is the most prolific sage since the Sage of Six Paths. If Samehada absorbed his chakra, then it wouldn't be able to handle it."

Kisame groaned in sorrow and rage. "Fuck!"

Obito retook control of the meeting, "What proof do we have that Hizashi is dead and hasn't betrayed us?"

White Zetsu spoke this time, "Umm, the mountain that was destroyed in his fight against the Kyuubi jinchuriki and the ring finger left in one of many piles of blood."

Obito growled, "Shit. At least we got the ring back. Pain, how do you plan to deal with the Kyuubi? You are now the only member remaining that can stand up to the Kyuubi jinchuriki."

Pain, through Yahiko's body, shook his head negatively, "No, I can no longer stand up to the boy. We will need to assault with everyone and catch him off-guard if we wish to capture him."

Obito could no longer stand the setbacks. He was so close to accomplishing his mission and achieving his dream. All he wanted was to spend life in his eternal genjutsu paradise with Rin. The Senju boy was never supposed to be this strong and his plans would have to change. Madara would be furious if he were resurrected below full strength and he knew that he couldn't take on Pain yet. He needed Pain weakened further if his betrayal were to work.

"What should we do moving forward? We have Iwa and Ame at our disposal." Kakuzu said, before adding, "And if you tell me to fight the Senju brat then I am out. He took two of my hearts in one move."

Kisame nearly barked, if sharks could bark, at Kakuzu's cowardice. "Coward!"

Kakuzu shrugged, "Look, sharkie, I joined because it was a profitable venture. One boy just changed that. Until we find a way to deal with the Senju boy, we will continue losing."

"What about all of us attacking Konoha?" Kisame offered.

Obito considered it, but Pain shut the idea down. "We have been unable to penetrate their defenses. If Suna is that well defended, then Konoha will be worse. Zetsu is unable to enter the forests of Fire country, Konan cannot fly overhead due to the barriers, Madara's special technique is nullified in most of the city…"

"So, we lure him out…" Obito offered.

Konan cocked her head, "How?"

Obito turned his orange mask toward Konan, "Let me think about that for a while. Preparations will need to be made. For now, we need to seal the three-tails. I was able to capture it under the noses of the Mizukage."

Kakuzu looked between Obito and pain, "Is this guy in charge now?"

Obito remained silent and waited for Pain's answer, "No, he is an agent of god. I trust his judgement in this, let us lure the Kyuubi out of its lair. Leave us and prepare to seal the three-tails."

As the room cleared, Obito walked over to Pain and Konan. There was a tense silence that permeated the room. Two powerful auras were flaring and clashing against one another as Konan watched on with a trickle of sweat running down the back of her neck. Her lips remained pursed, and he face emotionless as the conversation began.

"I trust you still believe in our mission, Pain." Obito said in a low tone.

Yahiko's body looked condescendingly towards Obito. "Yes, Obito, I believe in the mission. Tell me, how do you plan on dealing with this?"

"Overwhelming force." Obito said, not even wincing anymore when Pain used his real name. It was a real shock when Konan and Pain had confronted him about that. He still didn't know how they discovered his identity, but he assumed it had something to do with the Rinnegan. He was still mad that he couldn't use those eyes himself yet. His injured body would never have been able to sustain Hashirama's cells and the Rinnegan. That was why this puppet was installed by Madara, but damn did it make things inconvenient.

Pain replied in a steady monotone, "Care to elaborate?"

Obito growled at the obvious tone of condescension. "Give me some time to think it out. The zetsu army is ready. Iwa is almost ready. Ame is ready. The time approaches when we must take what we need by force."

Pain, in Yahiko's body, raised and eyebrow in a gesture thick with condescension. "That is your big idea? Throw the whole world into war when we only have three of the biju? The Senju boy is enough to vanquish armies at this point. The only way to deal with him is quality and number."

Konan back Pain up, "He is right. We must presume that the boy has unparalleled sensory capabilities in his Sage mode. We cannot even count on the element of surprise anymore."

Obito chuckled lowly, "So, we put him in a position where he can't run away, and he must fight. You just gave me an idea."

Later, Konan appeared in a collage of paper next to Nagato's real body. His condition was stable, but that didn't mean it was good. "Nagato, must we still continue on this path?"

Nagato cast a weary gaze towards Konan, "Konan, I do not trust my cousin with the mission of bringing peace to the ninja world yet."

Konan hit Nagato with her most incredulous look, "The boy has outplayed us at every turn. He has united four of the Great Five. What more must he do to make you believe?"

Nagato's weariness turned to anger, and he raised his voice, "I have the eyes of god! The boy has shown nothing except the ability to deal with mortal men."

Konan scoffed, "You are no god, Nagato. You once understood that you were a man, a good man, that wanted to use his power to protect the people of our country!"

Nagato winced at the pained tone of his childhood friend. She was always by his side, always believed in him, always tethered him to reality. "Konan, we cannot give up now. If he bests my paths, then I will start to believe."

Konan looked skeptically at him, "So, you basically want the kid to kill you before you believe in him?"

Nagato signed, weariness overtaking him once more. "Yes, Konan, I have chosen my path."

Konan stepped over to the body immobilized on the throne of sorts and put a hand on Nagato's shoulder, "Then, I guess I am with you to the end…"

-Konoha – One Week After Attack on Suna-

Shikamaru Nara winced as he rubbed his sore face once more. He had been dispatched on back-to-back troublesome missions and he was on the receiving end of the Nara women's 'frying pan no jutsu' when he returned home. Who knew that Hikari had picked up so well on his mother's lessons? How did she even do that when she spent most of the last three years away from her?

-Flashback – Twenty Minutes Ago-

Shikamaru yawned as he left the Hokage tower to return to his compound. He was tailed by Naruto, Tsunade, Temari, Ino and Samui, who were all having an animated conversation about how much they were going to miss Suna. As the group entered the gates to the Nara compound, a resounding clang rang out over the still air of the Nara lands. The Nara deer all turned their heads towards the origin of the sound, the Nara men all winced and the Nara women all smirked. However, it wasn't a Nara that was standing over Shikamaru; it was a pissed off Senju woman with a tick mark on her left temple.

"Shikamaru Nara! What did I tell you would happen if you didn't take me on a date within a week of my return to Konoha!" Hikari screamed with Yoshino Nara smirking proudly over her shoulder.

Shikamaru grabbed his red face with an open palm and tried to rub out the pain left by the impromptu greeting from a frying pan. "Don't be troublesome, Hikari, it is your brother's fault."

Hikari shook her frying pan at Shikamaru and Yoshino pulled out her own and mirrored her. "Don't give me that excuse, Shikamaru Nara! You had a full week before your mission to Oto. You then had a couple days in between that and your mission to Suna!"

Shikamaru winced and bowed his head, "Look, Hik…"

Yoshino didn't let the excuse exit her troublesome son's mouth. She lashed out lightning fast with her frying pan and put a lump on the back of his head. "No excuses! I swear to Kami and everything holy, Shikamaru Nara, if you lose this girl, I will wake you with my pan every remaining day of your miserable life!"

Shikamaru looked around for support and noticed that Naruto was smirking down at him while all of the women were glaring. He turned into a lazy position of prostration and put his forehead into the dirt. "I apologize, Hikari. It wasn't my intention to delay our date. May I ask to take you out tomorrow."

Hikari positioned her hands on her hips, with her right hand still holding a pan, and she 'hmph'd' at Shikamaru before a sly grin flittered onto her face. "You may pick me up at five."

-End of Flashback-

"How do those damned frying pans hurt after thirty minutes?" Shikamaru groaned to Naruto over the Shogi board.

Naruto chuckled before moving his piece, "Because you messed with the wrong woman, that's how. And don't forget, you have three years of makeup dates, bro."

Shikamaru groaned once more and smashed his head into the board, basically declaring he resigned. "Why did I get involved with you troublesome Senju? All I wanted in life before you showed up was to have an average ninja career, marry an average woman, have two kids and die happy. Where did it all go wrong?" A scowl drew the boys' attention to the door where they saw a feminine hand holding a frying pan, which made Shikamaru flinch backwards. They then heard a cacophony of girly giggles before the door to the kitchen closed completely.

Naruto shook his head before he shrugged, "Meh, she is worth it, and you are better off for it."

Shikamaru turned his head, which was still on the ground. "I should have stayed far away from you troublesome blondes."

Naruto laughed, "That would have been boring. Then, you would have been a trash mob side character like everyone else from Iwa."

"Nothing wrong with being a side character, Ruto." Shika groaned.

Naruto laughed and slapped him on the back and returned the words the old Shikamaru once said to him. "Don't sell yourself short, brother. You are a good man with a brilliant mind and a lazy heart. Trust me, love, especially love like Hikari's, is what makes this life worth living."

Shikamaru finally rose up from the ground with a small smile on his face, "Yeah, I guess you're right. So, you are okay with me being with your …"

"Sister, Shika. She is no longer a part of me."

"Yea, your sister. You approve?"

Naruto smirked, "This would have been a very different conversation if I didn't." Naruto hopped to his feet and held out a hand to the lazy Nara. The two then joined Shikaku in the dining room, where they realized that they were totally outnumbered. Troublesome women.

-Old Frenemies and Last Chances-

The return to Konoha from the Suna and Oto sent ripples of rumors ripping through Konoha. There were mentions of the Senju clan, Naruto, the Uchiha clan, the death of Orochimaru and Task Force Anaconda flittering about the rumor mill like leaves in an Autumn wind. It certainly made walking down the streets of Konoha interesting for Naruto and the rest of the Senju family. It wasn't bad, but it was … annoying.

Tsunade was sick of dealing with questions of confirmation from the villagers and apologies for her family's treatment. It made every errand run a menace that took thrice as long. It made every walk to the hospital agitating and it didn't take long for Tsunade to curse Naruto for disabling shunshin in the village. She walked into the hospital and down to the lower levels. She passed multiple squads of ANBU, passed through three barriers and finally went through advanced screening seals administered by Cat and Eagle.

"Heya, you two, any changes in our guests?" Tsunade asked before sipping on her cup of coffee.

Cat bowed before answering, "They are up and about, but they are all miserable cunts. I swear, I would have rather talked to Yami in full biju mode before I spend another minute dealing with the Uchiha boy."

Eagle chuckled, "The water kid is funny, a bit, like a lot a bit, overconfident, but funny, nonetheless. Don't even waste your time on Guren until your brat can remove the cursed seals."

Tsunade grimaced, "Who would have thought that the snake pedophile could have such a devoted fan girl?"

Cat made a gagging sound behind her mask. "Eww, Lady Tsunade! I didn't need that mental image!"

Tsunade belted out a laugh, "Alright you two, thank you. Have a nice day and don't be scared to mess with my brat when he gets here."

Eagle shuffled nervously before turning to Cat, "Umm … we don't have to mess with the kid, right?"

Cat shook her head, knowing exactly where Eagle was going with this. "Nah, it doesn't work on him anyway. Let's just not and say we did."

Tsunade walked into the advanced cellblock and put on the bracelet that exempted her from the chakra null zone. She went over the charts and medical data concerning the patients that had all been enjoying an extended medical exam. She hummed in interest as she made the connections of the resting biological effects of the new cursed seal. She then picked up Jugo's chart and her eyes widened slightly.

She set the charts down after noting her thoughts that she needed to share with Naruto and her apprentices. She really missed Shizune at times like this, but she was happy for her surrogate daughter that was starting her new life with her family. She then nicked her thumb and slid it over the seal in front of a cell door. She looked at the boy that was restrained in leather cuffs that were seal reinforced on the bed.

"Hey, brat, here to talk to you again." Tsunade chirped before sitting down and clicking on the recorder.

Sasuke grunted, "Hn." Tsunade tapped her pencil on her clipboard before sipping on her coffee. She continued to slurp extra loudly until Sasuke continued. "What do you want, tits?"

Tsunade flipped the pencil in the air, sped to Sasuke, dope slapped him and sat back down in her seat and caught the pencil. "I am going to pass that one off as the effects of the cursed seal. Tell me, brat, do you know what that seal does to you?"

"Hn, it gives me power. I am powerful enough to eclipse my brother and that stupid brat of yours." Tsunade couldn't help herself; she broke out in full blown laughter. She spilled her coffee, slapped her knee loudly and pointed at Sasuke. Sasuke growled, "Shut up, tits! If he didn't fight me with the other Rookies, I would have destroyed him!"

Another flip of the pencil and dope slap later, Tsunade looked deadpanned at him. "Look, brat, it is so pathetic it doesn't deserve further commenting. Let me put this in perspective, little Uchiha, you were instantly bested by a single wood clone of his. According to reports, you were in your fancy little cursed seal stage two. Cute, but you are no closer to touching the moon than you are to overpowering my boy."

This made Sasuke growl and the cursed seal attempted to spread, but the chakra null zone kept it locked down. "What the fuck do you want?"

Tsunade looked bored but addressed him, "I am trying to see if you are even worth saving. Tell me, Sasuke, would you rather be killed or have the cursed seal removed and go through rehab?"

The straightforward tone of Tsunade made Sasuke gulp and for once his anger backed down and his pride gave way to reason. "I don't want to die. I want to best my brother and your …"

"Son. He is for all intents and purposes my son." Tsunade filled in the term for him.

Sasuke nodded weakly, "Yes, son, well … I … I choose option two…"

Tsunade nodded and offered a small, genuine smile. "Good. Now, did you go to Oto willingly or did Orochimaru force you? Also, do you know anything about your drug treatments?"

Sasuke's head fell and his hair shadowed his eyes. "No, I didn't go willingly. I woke up after the invasion in a cell. I don't know how long I was in there. I don't know what Kabuto did to me. I just know that it made me stronger."

Tsunade offered a reassuring smile, "Well, we have Kabuto's notes on your treatment somewhere. We are still going through everything we took from Orochimaru. In time, I will know what they did, and I will help counter it."

Sasuke grimaced, "Do I … do I have to get rid of the seal? It makes me stronger…"

Tsunade snapped her pencil and glared at Sasuke, "Look, brat, deal is your life or the seal. If you choose the seal, you die. I don't think you know what is in the seal, so let me fill you in. In that abomination there is a loyalty seal, a mood suppression seal, an anger enhancement seal, a bastardized senjutsu seal and a body modification component. The only, and I mean only, thing in that seal that makes you stronger is the senjutsu component." Tsunade held up her hand to halt Sasuke's interruption. "You don't have training in controlling senjutsu chakra and as I said, the seal bastardizes the whole process of absorbing natural energy. You can't use it to a quarter of its potential."

"B-but … but isn't … isn't senjutsu why Naruto is so strong?" Sasuke said weakly.

Tsunade shook her head, "Look, brat, I am a sage too. Yes, it makes you stronger. Far stronger than any seal from the snake pedo. Trust me, if you commit to fixing yourself and go through rehab, you can get plenty strong. You will have to find a new summoning contract thought, the snakes cancelled your contract for what you did though."

Before Sasuke could shout and groan about that, Naruto, Itachi and Mikoto walked into the room. Mikoto instantly ran over and embraced Sasuke in a hug. Itachi stood over his mother and little brother while Naruto talked to Tsunade.

"What's the damage, Momma?"

Tsunade gave Naruto Sasuke's medical chart, and he reviewed it for a while. After reviewing, he handed it back to Tsunade and stepped towards Sasuke. He tapped two seals on his bracelet, closed his eyes and clapped his hands and Sasuke gasped when Naruto flickered into Golden Sage Mode. Sasuke was so stunned; he didn't resist when Naruto placed one glowing hand over his heart and the other on top of his head. Sasuke felt the energy flow through him, and he felt a momentary reprieve from the anger and hatred that had boiled through him for the past three years.

After a couple minutes, Naruto's eyes opened, and he looked down at Sasuke. "Alright, good news or bad news first?"

Mikoto squeezed Sasuke's hand and Sasuke answered, "Bad news first."

Naruto sighed, "Look, removing the cursed seal is going to lay you out for a while. I am guessing you used it every day and the second stage embedded it deep in your chakra circulatory system. Not only will it hurt like a bitch, but you won't be able to use chakra for three or four months. To make matters worse, the seal contains a piece of Orochimaru's soul. Not a particularly big issue, but there is a chance it will rebel when I try to remove it."

Mikoto gasped and Itachi put a comforting hand on her shoulder before speaking. "I presume you have a way to counter it."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow at Itachi, "Umm, yeah, I do. Kurama offered to devour it. Now that I think about it, I will actually do that before removing the seal itself."

Sasuke finally recovered from the shock of Naruto's Sage mode. "How did you get that strong? What was that chakra?"

Naruto sighed; it was always about power with Sasuke. In this life or the last, it never changed. "Look, Sasuke, I made peace with myself and my past on top of other advantages I have."

"Hn."

Mikoto squeezed Sasuke's hand once more, "When can we do this?"

Naruto looked to Tsunade and then Itachi. "I want to do it right. Give me a week to develop a stabilizing seal to minimize the damage to your chakra network. Tsunade also needs time to identify the foreign enzyme and once she does that, she can neutralize it. Then, we will be ready."

Itachi nodded, "Very well. What of the other prisoners?"

Tsunade answered here, "We can try removing the cursed seals, but I don't know. They never showed us any loyalty. The Uzumaki girl is a given, but the crazy sage and the water boy are unlikely."

Sasuke did something that nobody expected, he bowed to Naruto. "Please, save them. I know they will come around. They were the only people I could consider friends in Oto. They each have bloodlines that you could use as well. Please…"

Naruto sighed, "I kinda figured that. However, it is their crimes that give me pause."

Sasuke scoffed before a pleading look wormed its way onto his face, "Look, we were all in hiding for the last three years. I only fought against the failed experiments and missing ninja that got out of hand. Jugo is actually a pacifist unless he gets out of control and Suigetsu has been in a test tube the whole time. Karin just experimented on … well, yeah, she experimented on people. No excuses there, but they are not beyond saving."

Mikoto and Itachi were looking at Sasuke bug-eyed, but it was Naruto that summed up what everyone was thinking. "Damn, Sasuke, that's the most I have ever heard you say. Ever…"

"Hn."

With the typical Sasuke, the tension fell, and Naruto and Tsunade left the Uchiha alone. The two of them worked through the week on their individual projects and got ready to remove cursed seals from each of their prisoners. Seemed like losing the Sound Four made Orochimaru mark the others that weren't marked last time around. Not a particularly big issue, but it was a nuisance to deal with.

Naruto had to work around the clock for the week to get things ready. It wasn't easy to tailor a seal to an individual's chakra network. Furthermore, what he didn't share with Sasuke was that the repeat use of the cursed seal practically merged his chakra network with that of the seal. If he didn't have GSM or the experience of pulling in Kokuo's and Chomei's chakra, then it really would feel impossible.

His girls kept him positive and Might Guy literally dragged him out of his study twice a day to participate in CrossFit. Guy had started to completely drop his mask around others when they were in private. Naruto was too distracted to notice this during this week, but it would make for a fun conversation later. Anyway, the blonde hero threw himself into his work and his driving principle was that he would leave the past where it lay and do his best to save the bastard this time around.

Mikoto, Shisui and the Rookies were bombarding Kami with prayers for the success of Sasuke's operation. The goddess was proud of her Chosen for truly moving past the past. It was much easier to say than do, after all. She viewed Naruto's actions and couldn't help the smile that graced her face. If her Chosen could forgive his betrayer, then she would too.

On a different note, Kami's realm had been positively glowing since Naruto's wedding. Everyone noticed but nobody said anything about it. Minato and Kushina exchanged knowing looks and Mito had dragged Kushina to a bar in Kami's realm to get the goss. Then, the normally tight-lipped Uzumaki woman let slip the information to Hashirama. Sadly, after that, rumors began spreading across Kami's realm to the point that the goddess could no longer miss it.

Kami then isolated herself in her office and tried to discover what was going on and why she was feeling this way. To her own astonishment, she wasn't even denying the rumors or crushing them outright. That fact alone was more mind blowing than the Big Bang she used to create her universe. Then, she couldn't stop the many comments that Kushina casually dropped throughout normal conversations.

"Man, I wonder where my sochi's fascination with blondes came from."

"Minato-Kun, don't our three daughters-in-law remind you of our boss?"

"Kushi, I can't believe how beautiful the girls were in their dresses. They almost rivaled Kami-Sama's own beauty…" Kami then giggled at this thought because the 'Red Hot-Blooded Habanero' smacked Minato upside the head.

It left Kami with a lot to think about. In her whole existence, she had never desired a partner. If she had, she simply would have created one. In her perfect memory, she had never been so fascinated with a human boy. Throughout the passage of time, she had never felt so many emotions. In all of her love for her creation, she had never let emotions penetrate her apathetic visage. In her heart, she had never craved the love of another.

Eight days after the meeting in Sasuke's cell, it was go time. Itachi had everything set up and Sasuke was primed and ready on a table. Unfortunately, for the emo Uchiha, his chakra circulatory system needed to be active for the procedure. Sadly, for the king of Duck-Butt haircuts, his cursed seal needed to be active for the procedure. Regrettably, for the Uchiha runt, this was really going to hurt.

"Okay, brat, take a deep breath and bite down on this." Tsunade said as she placed a mouthguard in Sasuke's mouth.

"Hnn." Sasuke grunted through the think plastic of the mouthguard.

Naruto flickered into GSM and put two fingers on the cursed seal, "Okay, Sasuke, I need you to activate the cursed seal. I have removed the 'Evil Sealing Fuin', so I need you to pull on that power."

Sasuke closed his eyes and activated the familiar cursed seal. His skin turned dark grey as black curse markings spread around his body. His hand-like wings formed out of his back and the bluish black 'X' mark appeared across the bridge of his nose. The toxic chakra shocked Naruto's system and he was naturally repulsed by it. Naruto pushed through the discomfort, opened the channel to the seal and closed his eyes to speak with Kurama.

"Hey, Kyu, you sure you want to eat this crap?"

Kurama growled, "I am not going to snack on it, Ruto. I am going to devour it. I might play with the snake a bit though."

"Hmm, hey, Kyu, could you tie him up and torture that piece of his soul for a bit? I think someone needs some closure before we snuff the snake fucker out of existence."

Kurama raised and eyebrow before he slowly nodded his head, "Very well, Naruto. I will do that for you. Remember, isolate whatever you bring in and do not let it integrate with your own chakra."

Naruto nodded externally, "I know, Kyu. Let's do this."

Sasuke let our a eat-splitting scream before biting down hard on the mouthguard. His whole chakra circulatory system was aflame as Naruto's senjutsu chakra forced its way into every tenketsu. He then let out another roar as Tsunade plunged a syringe into the area of the seal that was releasing the enzyme from Jugo. Tears fell from his eyes as Tsunade pulled back on the plunger and a bloody, purplish liquid was pulled out of the seal. It hovered in the syringe and swirled about ominously.

Mikoto hands were covering her mouth and her eyes were shedding miniature waterfalls of silent tears as Itachi embraced her from behind. She wanted to be there for her son, but no mother ever wanted to see her child in such pain. Itachi grimaced at the pain scream of his little brother as the cursed markings began glowing golden as the swirled back towards the cursed seal. Shisui whistled in appreciation as he activated his Sharingan and was nearly blinded by the potent chakra.

A bead of sweat began its descent from Naruto's hairline and trickled down his nose before it began its freefall onto the operating room floor. He had surrounded every bit of corrupted chakra with his own senjutsu chakra. It was like how soap surrounds an oil molecule to make it water soluble. He applied that philosophy to his procedure and it took immaculate concentration and chakra control to do so. Finally, the hard and most disgusting part of the procedure was about to begin.

Sasuke's eyes rolled to the back of his head and his screaming ceased as his body began seizing. Tsunade stepped in and began caring for the Uchiha boy as he eyes fell to the cursed seal. A golden ball of chakra nearly the size of a baseball was bulging at the base of Sasuke's neck. Through cracks of golden light, Tsunade could see poisonous purple and black chakra. She watched as Naruto guided the chakra ball out of the cursed seal and palmed it in his hand before he clasped his other hand over it.

Within minutes, the ball of chakra was gone, and Naruto had collapsed to the floor of the surgical room in the lotus position. She could feel that his concentration hadn't slipped, and she could still sense the chakra disturbance in his system. She put her hand on his shoulder in support and pushed just a trickle of her warm, motherly chakra into his system to reassure him and let him know that she was there with him.

In the mindscape, the sunny sky had black clouds forming in it. In a golden cage, Orochimaru's soul began taking form and it hissed in displeasure at its capture. The golden, slitted eyes opened and took in the intimidating form of the Kyuubi no Kitsune and the Senju boy standing in front of it looking condescendingly at him.

"Hey there, sorry that I don't have any little boys for you in here. It won't be a long stay, but do try to survive until I can bring my special guest in." Naruto chirped.

Orochimaru hissed in displeasure, "What have you done!? Sasuke was to be my vessel!"

Kurama belted out a laugh, "Oh, please. Your backup plan was pitiful, and we could sense you from a mile away. Tsunade crushed your old body, but she told me that the fight was too easy, even for a weak and corrupt pedophile."

Naruto ignored Orochimaru's hiss and walked up to the cage before looking down at the withered piece of Orochimaru's soul. "You know, snake, your master plan wouldn't have worked anyways. The bastard is too stubborn to let you control him, no matter how many drugs you put in his system. Now, sit tight, I am going to get our special guest."

A Naruto clone walked toward the Sarutobi compound and was allowed entry instantly. He walked through the quaint home and toward Hiruzen's study. He knocked on the door and heard the gentle 'come in' after a couple moments. He walked in to see Hiruzen reading 'Icha-Icha – Makeout Tactics' in a chair on his balcony.

"Ah, Naruto, my boy, what can this old man do for you?" Hiruzen asked with his classic, grandfatherly smile.

Naruto offered a casual wave, "Hey there, old man." The clone focused on his master's orders before continuing the conversation. "I am here to talk and offer an olive branch."

Hiruzen cocked an eyebrow, "Talk about what?"

Naruto sighed and formed a wooden chair to sit down next to Hiruzen. "Well, old monkey, I want to share my past with you. I want you to at least understand why I did what I did and acted the way I acted. Kami said that you should be joining her soon enough, so she gave me permission to tell you."

Hiruzen coughed out a cloud of smoke and slammed a fist on his chest to recompose himself. "Kami? Are you serious?"

Naruto chuckled before nodding. "Yup. Part of my meditation training at the Sage's temple was realizing that the past needed to stay in the past. I don't have to forget it, I must learn from it, but I can no longer let it control the present."

Hiruzen nodded sagely and let his pipe hang out the right corner of his mouth. "A wise lesson for a young man such as yourself."

Naruto chuckled sheepishly, "Well, I do have 32 years of experience to pull off of. Not to mention the shinobi alliance and two world wars."

Hiruzen's pipe clattered to the desk and his jaw hung limply on its hinges. His wide eyes burrowed into Naruto's and the clone simply nodded with a sad smile at Hiruzen. It took minutes for the Third Hokage to recompose himself and he finally said, "Explain."

Naruto closed his eyes and pulled in the natural energy around him. He used that energy to create a link to Hiruzen's damaged chakra network and Naruto began syncing with him. Hiruzen was overwhelmed by the link before he felt Naruto grab his hand in a comforting manner and he lowered the walls he had defending his mind. The clone pulled upon its creator's memories and used the connection offered by the senjutsu chakra to share them with the old monkey.

Hiruzen couldn't believe what was happening. The images flying through his mind were moving in a blur, but every emotion connected to the memories was felt vividly. Every now and then, the memories slowed down and allowed Hiruzen to properly focus on the events. Tears fell as Hiruzen watched memories of Naruto's previous childhood. Anger and resentment at himself welled in his heart before Naruto crushed those emotions for him to allow him to focus on the memories.

Hiruzen watched the many conversations in his office, and he watched his repeated abuse of the boy's trust. He felt every bit of pain, despair, anxiety and isolation that the previous child Naruto felt. He didn't know how long he was watching these memories, but he knew that they were real, and that time no longer mattered. He watched his death at Orochimaru's hands and the genuine pain that brought to Naruto. He then watched the highlights and lowlights of Naruto's fight against the Akatsuki, the death of his son at the hands of Hidan, the destruction of Konoha and fight against Pain, the betrayal of Danzo and the Fourth Great Shinobi War.

He was inspired by Naruto's single-minded determination to protect as many of his precious people as he could. He was in awe at Naruto's ability to win over the biju and fight against a goddess. His heart was wrenched from his chest as he processed the feelings of Naruto's betrayal by Sasuke, Konoha and the toads. His mind almost fell to the despair of the raw emotions as Hiruzen witnessed the end of the previous timeline.

The Naruto clone stopped there and broke the connection. Hiruzen's mind cleared to see an understanding smile on the clone's face. He wiped tears from his wrinkled face and clutched his fist over his heart as he was enraged by the actions of another version of himself. A gentle hand unclenched his fist and brought his attention to the brilliant azure blue eyes of Naruto.

"Look, old man, I … I wanted to help you understand. When … when I was a kid … everything was still so raw. Everything was still so painful, and I didn't know how to process it. When Kami brought me back, she dropped my in the middle of my first mob beating. When you lied to me in your office that morning … well … I had to protect myself."

Hiruzen lunged out of his chair and embraced Naruto. "No, my boy, it is I that must apologize. I can't believe … I can't believe it was that bad…"

Naruto rubbed Hiruzen's back. "The sins of the previous world are not yours to bear." He whispered in a caring tone.

Hiruzen began sobbing into Naruto's shoulder as he felt the forgiveness in those words. Every action, every grudge, every gripe that he had with this boy finally made sense. It all made sense and that understanding brought peace to Hiruzen's weary soul. "Thank you." He said in between sobs as he rested his head on Naruto's shoulder.

"You're welcome, old man. Now, there is another piece of the past that you need to lay to rest today." Hiruzen lifted his head off of Naruto's shoulder and say back in his chair. He wiped the tears and snot from his face and looked into Naruto's eyes, asking for an explanation. "Your student left a piece of himself in every cursed seal he gave out. I have isolated that piece of him, and I wanted to give you a chance to say goodbye."

Hiruzen's head laid back over the top of the rocking chair. Naruto grabbed the pipe off the balcony and loaded a fresh batch of tobacco in it before handing it to Hiruzen. Hiruzen offered a weak smile and placed the pipe in between his lips and took a drag. "Can we relax here for a minute? I need to process this before I tackle anything new."

An hour later, Naruto walked with Hiruzen into the lower levels of the hospital. The clone waved to Tsunade, Hinata, Ino and the Uchiha family before going to its original and phasing into him. Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at an exhausted looking Naruto.

"Sorry, old man, I had a lot to do today. Everything you talked about and felt with my clone was real." Naruto said wearily, which prompted Tsunade to put a caring hand on his shoulder. He turned to her, "I will be fine, Momma. Just need to relax for a minute. The seal is getting unpleasant with all that corrupted chakra in there."

Hiruzen demanded an explanation from Itachi and Tsunade, it was Itachi that spoke. "Naruto has removed the cursed seals from Sasuke, Guren and Karin. It is an exhausting process and he had to take in all the corrupted natural energy to make sure Orochimaru didn't get away."

Hiruzen's head snapped to Naruto, "Why do it all at once, my boy?"

Naruto shrugged, "Just wanted to get this over with. Give me a bit to purify the chakra, then I will bring you into the seal."

Hiruzen nodded and went to a comfortable waiting room with the group. He once again marveled at the feeling of Naruto's senjutsu chakra as he watched the boy sit motionless with his eyes closed. He watched on intrigued as the Kyuubi's cloak flared to life and he saw a flicker of purple that crackled along the golden cloak before it was extinguished. Naruto's golden, slitted eyes opened and met Hiruzen's.

"Alright, old man, I am ready for you." Naruto said, holding out his hand.

Hiruzen sank into a lotus position next to Naruto and let the boy take his hand. Naruto guided his hand to the seal, and he was encompassed in the warm and powerful chakra of Kurama before his world went black. He reopened his eyes to see an expansive plain with a giant lake, a forest of giant redwood trees and one great tree that stood apart from the rest. He also saw the Kyuubi no Kitsune standing guard over a golden cage that was near a log cabin. He followed Naruto over to the cage and sat in a chair that the boy materialized for him.

"Kukuku, if it isn't sensei." Orochimaru's slippery voice slithered across the mindscape like a snake in the grass.

Naruto clicked his fingers and a pipe materialized in Hiruzen's hand. The old man gave a look of gratitude toward Naruto before he reclined in the chair and addressed Orochimaru. "Hello, my old student."

A comfortable silence fell between the two as Hiruzen puffed his pipe and Naruto went to join Kurama by the lake in the mindscape. The biju and his partner took a much-needed nap in the warm sun of mindscape, leaving the two in privacy.

"Why am I here, sensei?" Orochimaru broke the comfortable silence with a gruff tone.

Hiruzen enjoying the puff of smoke and appreciated the flavor of the imaginary tobacco. "Naruto wanted to give us a chance to settle things before we go to the other world. Rest assured, my student, that I will not be far behind you."

Orochimaru hissed in displeasure, "It is that boy's fault! I had my immortality perfected, and I would have had the Sharingan if it weren't for him."

Hiruzen chuckled and sucked on his pipe, "Orochi, you were always so ambitious. It was my fault for not curbing your darker ambitions. For that, I am sorry."

"I don't need your apologies, Hiruzen!" Orochimaru hissed.

"Maybe not, but I offer them willingly. I often thought about how I would make things right. How I would fight you, die alongside you and go to the afterlife with you to atone for my past mistakes. Do not waste this last chance at finding piece, my student. We are both destined for the Pure World. We will both stand before our maker and account for our actions."

"What nonsense are you spouting! There is nothing after this life except the void! I have raised many souls and they never remember what has happened after death." Orochimaru finished in a sneering tone of condescension.

Hiruzen chuckled and shrugged, "Hehehe, well, if you want to know what the Pure World is like, you should have asked Naruto."

Orochimaru cocked his head to the side in confusion like a snake, "What do you mean?"

Hiruzen's eyes hardened, and he met Orochimaru's gaze. "He just shared the memories with me today. In his previous life, the timeline ended. My inaction, your corruption and many other factors led to the end of the whole world. Not just the shinobi world, Orochimaru, the whole world."

"Lies!" Orochimaru shouted, before his head turned to a giant big screen that showed the war, Naruto's death and his interaction with Kami. Orochimaru's mind went blank, and he remained in a state of stunned disbelief for many minutes as he watched the collage of memories.

Hiruzen watched on in a state of sad and stunned revery. "You see, Orochi? We will all stand to account in the end. Sadly, I think that we will be given to Yami and the Shinigami for our sins."

Orochimaru's pitiful resistance fell, and the snake's rage subsided and gave way to fear. "I … I … I am not … I am not ready to die. It wasn't supposed to happen like this!"

Hiruzen chuckled and blew out a couple rings of smoke. "No, my student. This is exactly how it is supposed to be. Humans are not intended for the divine. Humans were not meant to live forever. Your ambition clouds your reason, and your denial makes you oblivious to reality. It is fine to fear death, my boy. That is why I am here. To let you know that it is okay to die. I will join you on the other side shortly."

"What are you babbling about sensei?" Orochimaru hissed.

Hiruzen rose from his chair and bent over at the waist in apology. "I am sorry, Orochimaru. I am sorry for failing to guide you down the right path. I am sorry for not saving you from your dark path. I … I am sorry for making you feel alone."

Orochimaru recoiled from the genuine apology as if it were poison. His original impulse was to put down the old and pathetic man in front of him. However, maybe it was the influence of Naruto, but this finally broke through Orochimaru. The snake's condescending look finally fell from his face as if his snake soul shed its skin.

"Why? Why, sensei? Why does my forgiveness mean so much to you?"

Hiruzen rose from his bow and locked a gentle gaze on Orochimaru's own. "I never forgave myself for failing you. You were the start of my fall, and I was never able to move past it. You were a son to me, and I failed you. That is why."

"Then why did you throw me to Danzo like some piece of trash? Why did you choose Minato over me? Why!?" Orochimaru shouted desperately.

Tears began trickling down Hiruzen's face. "Because I was scared of my own failure. I saw you going down the wrong path and knew I wasn't strong enough to save you. Putting you under Danzo was one of my greatest regrets. After that, Minato was the only choice. Your will of fire was corrupted because I failed you, Orochi. Blame me."

Orochimaru's soul screamed out in pain and frustration at the meek man in front of him. "Stop! You are ruining the image of the sensei that I respect! This pitiful old fool you have become is pathetic. If you want my forgiveness, take it! I forgive you. My actions were my own!"

Hiruzen offered a weak smile to Orochimaru. "Thank you."