Epilogue
On a hill overlooking the southern approach five figures stand before a memorial, the Uzumaki swirl with the Kanji for Zero in the centre. Beneath it lay a plaque with the names of fourteen Uzumaki, all belonging to Gen Zero, the first Uzumaki Shinobi since the destruction of their home. These five were the last survivors of that generation who had sacrificed everything for the clan, for their home, and now we're morning the loss of their fearless leader and class head, Naruto.
"The official story is missing in action." Spoke Kazer, Naruto's right-hand man and brother in arm "He took on the four tails ya know." Spoke Melissa, a tall woman, one of the few who could literally stand shoulder to shoulder, and the traditional red hair of the Uzumaki that went down to her plump rear end. She was a beautiful girl were it not the missing left forearm and scar running down the left eye to her chin. Even still, she was the best long-range sniper of the group.
"I don't doubt he's still out there…" spoke Honoka next, placing a single white rose in remembrance of her fallen family members. "I just hope he doesn't lose his way home to us."
"At least they're finally releasing the mental conditioning they gave us…" spoke Kazer again, trying to lift the stagnant mood before looking to Karin who had remained silent this far "…should keep us all…"
"It didn't save him though." Melissa growled looking to her missing arm, "I owe him for saving me after all."
"We must carry on with his dream to…"
"What do you know about his dream?" Karin whispered yet it interrupted Jacob, the stoic man of the group who was borderline fanatical. Finally looking up, tears flowing down her face, Karin glared at the man who dared try turn her man into a martyr. Looking at each and everyone she continued "Right. Exactly as I thought." Glaring death at Jacob she growled lowly "So do not think for a moment you can get away with that shit, even more so now that he's gone." Absently rubbing her expanding stomach, "At least they are fixing the laws and loopholes to include us Gen Zeroes." Spoke Kazer lifting the sake saucer toward the statue "Again… a little late." growled Karin.
"If he's out there… we'll rescue him ourselves." Melissa states with her clenched fist, her short ponytail seemingly gaining life of its own in response to her determination "We can't, remember?" Honoka speaking up, gaining her cousins attention "We've been relieved of duty until we've been mentally cleared." Jacob reminds causing the woman to growl, crushing a rock in hand "I can't just sit still and…"
"We have no choice but to comply." Kazer states seemingly offhandedly as he stared aimlessly into his refilling's sake saucer "With our mental conditioning…" he trailed off as Mellissa straight up growled in her growing rage at the situation "Then what, in the fucking sage, are we meant to do now?! Just sit around whilst…"
"Yes." Spoke Karin deceptively calm, her impassiveness was very worrying to the others as they sat before the statue and the cliff at its back.
Eventually the red eyed beauty looked up at them, a stone face of seriousness held upon her features "For now, there's nothing we can do directly." Her gaze flows across her fellows, idly rubbing her belly "So, let's take a page out of Naruto's playbook. We train. Our orders are to remain here, not take up any missions nor lead our fellows into battle. So, we prepare. Prepare and train." Her eyes look to the stone monument that her beloved stood beside all those months ago before their mission to Wave, and for a moment she swore she saw him leaning against it with a smirk, his foxy smirk.
Smirking herself, her determination and resolve harden within those ruby eyes of hers "We train ourselves until we drop from exhaustion. Then get back up and go again. Day in, Day out, we will not rest until we find and bring him home to us." The others gain her resolve and a fire lit within all of them as one by one, they raised their sake cups "For the Zero's." she declared and they all cheer with her "FOR THE ZERO'S!"