Another Word For Monster

by Kuma Akuma

Konoha's Boogeyman. Jinchuriki. Hero. Traitor. Murderer. These were the names of Naruto Uzumaki. He left Konoha 3 years ago a broken man, looking for a peaceful life. But the shinobi life doesn't let peace come so easily. It calls you back. Through violence. Through war. Through blood. Monsters didn't get peace. And shinobi? That was just another word for monster. Light AU.

19. Chapter 19

The group of shinobi opened the doors of the central citadel in the main tower. Nagato immediately saw his son in the arms of Fuka, the child crying in her arms. The woman was whispering kindness into his ears, but it did nothing to stifle the tears streaming down his face. The Uzumaki man rushed over to his wife and child, immediately enveloping them in a tight hug. He refused to let them go. The echo of rain smashing onto the streets of Ame outside could be heard even inside the metal skyscraper. The mood was dour. Yahiko approached his wife, sitting next to her on a chair. Konan rest a hand on his shoulder, a frown on the paper woman's face. Meanwhile Kisame leaned against a wall, his eyes searching the room. He was still agitated. Karin stood next to Sakura, the woman having Naruto's former chakra shackles placed on her wrists. Naruto stood on the other side of her, rubbing his wrists. Sakura had healed him before they had left for Amegakure. His body was sore, but it would be fine. Konohamaru had not caused permanent damage.

No one spoke. The entire citadel was filled with the cries of Ashino.

"I was so scared. They hurt Naruto-oji! And they were moving so fast. They were taking me to Konoha!"

"It's okay. You're safe now Ashino. Nothing will ever happen to you again I promise," Fuka whispered.

"You're home son. Safe and sound. They can't reach you again," Nagato confirmed.

It didn't matter. To the child his sense of security had been shattered. They had broken into Amegakure, a village where everyone was kind to him, and had harmed his uncle. Kidnapped him. Nothing could heal that scar. Sakura could hardly look at the sight. The guilt of her inaction against Konohamaru's orders weighed heavy on the kunoichi. She should have protested harder. This was not something any child deserved. It seemed her eyes woke something in Fuka, as the woman's head snapped up. Her eyes filled with rage when she saw the Konoha forehead protector. She gently let Ashino go and approached the woman, her chakra flaring. Karin seemed to sense what was coming, getting between the two women.

"You Konoha bitch-"

"Fuka," Karin stated, holding the woman back. "I understand how you feel but is this truly the time for this?"

Fuka snarled at Sakura, Karin's words barely reaching her. She looked ready to murder the kunoichi. Sakura couldn't blame her. Naruto could only watch the sight, disappointment on his face. Not in Sakura, but in himself for allowing the situation to occur. If he had been stronger, he could have protected Ashino and defeated the threat. In his eyes, he was the reason Ashino was so scarred.

"Be with your child now Fuka," Karin whispered again. "He needs you."

Fuka glared at Sakura, making it clear this was not over. Then she retreated back to Ashino, snatching him up in her arms. Nagato could only watch.

"Never deactivate Ukojizai no Jutsu (Rain Tiger At Will Technique) again," she heatedly whispered.

"Never," he stated.

Fuka nodded, pulling Ashino in close.

"I'm taking him home. He doesn't need to be here right now. Handle her."

Nagato nodded as the woman walked out the room, glaring daggers at Sakura. If looks could kill the kunoichi would have died several times over. The Uzumaki woman closed the door behind her, her heated eyes never once leaving Sakura. Sakura could barely meet them in response. Nagato sighed as she left. He felt her anger. He looked up at Sakura.

"Were there any more of you?"

Sakura shook her head.

"No."

"Why should we trust you," Yahiko interjected spitefully. The words dripped from his mouth like venom. "You snuck into our country and tried to kidnap Ashino and Naruto. There's no reason we have to trust you."

"She's telling the truth," Karin stated, her eyes closed. Yahiko frowned but nodded. Nagato nodded in approval.

"Thank you, Karin. Continue monitoring her."

"Will do."

Sakura's eyes looked over the pregnant redhead near her. For her to have believed her so easily she must have some form of lie detection ability. She was tempted to put it to the test, but she had seen what the Amekage had done to her allies when he had been angered. She had no desire to test his wrath again.

"What was your goal in coming to Amegakure?"

"Like we said, it was to capture Naruto and bring him back to Konohagakure."

"So, what, you kidnapped my son on a whim?"

Sakura was careful with how she phrased her answer.

"It...was not an idea I was comfortable with."

"She's telling the truth."

Nagato's eyes looked over the Konoha kunoichi in a different light. He was still furious at her. But to know that she had not wanted to kidnap his son was better that what he had initially hoped.

"Then why did you kidnap him," Yahiko stated. "Saw an opportunity and took advantage of it?"

"The idea was to kidnap him because he would be a good bargaining chip if we made it out of Ame. Returning to Konoha with him as a bargaining chip would prevent any retaliation had we escaped."

"And you thought that I would not do whatever was required to retrieve my child?"

"I think you underestimate Danzo," Naruto interjected. "If you made a move on Konoha that he didn't like he'd send you Ashino's head in a scroll. He would blackmail you with his life for well...the rest of your life."

Sakura nodded her affirmation.

"That was the logical conclusion."

"Why just you six," Naruto interjected. "Last time he sent an entire squad of ANBU with Neji, Shikamaru, and Sasuke?"

"We had a larger force," Sakura stated. "They were sent away before we crossed the border."

"Why come for me so intensely now," Naruto questioned. "He stopped briefly after the first attempt. I've had several attempts on my life since then and none of them were from Konoha shinobi."

"The force took time to be brought together," Sakura stated plainly. "Really nothing more to it than that."

"You're lying."

Sakura frowned, looking at Karin. The kunoichi could detect quite a bit after all. She felt Naruto's gaze deepen on her. Yahiko's also did. The man stood, narrowing his eyes at her.

"You'd best be honest girl. You're already on thin ice. I wouldn't lose sleep over killing you."

Naruto glared at Yahiko, causing the man to return the intense look.

"You got something to say? Wanna protect your Konoha friend just like you protected the other one?"

"What are you implying?"

"You don't find it suspicious that you protected one of them and they just so happened to be Konoha shinobi?"

Naruto's eyes flared with rage. He stomped directly up to Yahiko, the two glaring directly at each other. Tensions flared in the room.

"You think I let Ashino get kidnapped?"

"No," Yahiko stated. "You care about your family; I can discern that. But I certainly think you protected the Konoha shinobi. "

Naruto's temper still flared.

"You fucking bastard. You can't see past the fact that I was in Konoha can you?"

"How could I when you're out here defending people that kidnapped Ashino and you!"

The two snarled at one another. Just when it looked like they might come to blows a wave of force separated the two. Nagato's eyes were glowing with power once more.

"Enough. This is not the time or place for this."

Nagato's eyes landed harshly on Nagato, as if to send a message. Yahiko looked away, a frustrated look on his face. Nagato turned to look back at Sakura.

"Karin implied you were lying."

Sakura frowned. She thought she had gotten away with that.

"It's nothing more than a hypothesis."

Nagato looked at Karin. The redhead nodded. Nagato looked back at Sakura.

"Share."

Sakura frowned.

"The Ichibi is running wild in Sunagakure," Sakura muttered. "Suna hasn't been able to get it under control and Konoha's best weapons of neutralizing it are out of action right now. The best weapon they could get in a short time span, even if he wouldn't want to work with the village would be Naruto."

"They were trying to get me to kill the Ichibi Jinchuriki," Naruto whispered.

Sakura nodded.

"That's what I expect yes. But it's just a hypothesis. Danzo doesn't trust me. I'm not in the meetings with the higher ups."

Naruto frowned, pondering the thought. Him killing the Ichibi Jinchuriki? He hadn't ever given much thought to killing Gaara. He had only met him once, during the Chunin Exams. He had never seen the man again. He hadn't competed, instead watching the battles as a spectator. He was already a Jonin by the time the exams rolled around. His siblings were the competitors, their teammate having fallen out in the preliminary rounds. He was dangerous though; the blonde knew that. He had felt it the first time he saw him. If they had fought back then...Naruto was fairly sure he'd be dead. Now?

He wasn't sure.

"Where exactly is the Ichibi running wild," Konan interjected. "Suna is also bordered with Ame. We may have cause for concern."

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know. I don't get the reports. Last I heard it was headed in the direction of Earth."

"That's along our border," Nagato muttered.

"It could be using Fang or Claw to get by, but we can't assume that," Konan stated. "It's a Bijuu, it has no reason to avoid us."

"Well Naruto," Yahiko said. "Do you think you can kill a Bijuu?"

Naruto frowned, but before he could respond Nagato spoke up.

"No. Naruto is not a shinobi of Ame and I will not utilize him as such. I would fight but I can't afford to leave the village after what has occured so recently with Konohagakure."

The man's frown deepened before his eyes snapped over to Kisame. The man grinned.

"Do you think-"

"Don't know," Kisame said. "But I'm willing to try."

Nagato frowned, looking at Naruto and Sakura.

"This Danzo...he does not sound like the stories I've heard about Hiruzen Sarutobi. How could one trained by the same man be so different?"

Sakura looked at Nagato as though he was a child. Was the man truly so naive in the world of shinobi? Did he truly believe that kage wouldn't do whatever it took for their village to survive?

"Danzo is shrewd to put it lightly," Naruto stated. "He isn't someone to be trusted. He views emotions as a weakness. A shinobi is a tool, and the perfect tool should not have any emotional attachments."

Yahiko frowned.

"Sounds like the type of guy we should kill."

"Yahiko, I will not lead the nation into war," Nagato stated firmly.

"Get serious Nagato," Yahiko interjected. "You think Konoha will just sit there and do nothing after you've killed their shinobi? After they've invaded our land?"

"He's right," Kisame stated plainly. "I get your idealism Nagato. I respect it. You're honest. But the rest of the world isn't. They'll use this as justification to attack Ame."

Naruto nodded. "It wouldn't be farfetched. If the old man were still in charge you wouldn't have to worry about that. Hell, you wouldn't have had to worry about Konoha's orders to capture me in the first place. But he isn't. This is Danzo, and he'll stop at nothing for Konoha to reign supreme over the shinobi world."

Nagato turned to look at Sakura, as if to ask for confirmation. The pinkette frowned.

"They're not wrong. I can't say for sure what he'll do but I wouldn't be surprised if he went to war against Amegakure."

Naruto glanced at the pinkette. She was withholding information. She had learned from making casual statements that might set off Karin's lie detector. He smirked. She was quick on the uptake. Already working at how Karin's ability worked. Still, he knew enough about Danzo to give his own hypothesis.

"It won't be a direct war," Naruto stated. "If Gaara, the Ichibi Jinchuriki, is really running loose he'll have to send a lot of manpower to dissuade or defeat the Ichibi to Sunagakure. It's still Konoha's western border, but he won't be able to spare the manpower."

"It will be a shadow war," Konan stated. "He'll send spies. Try to infilitrate the economy and our military. We can't have that."

"We'll have to raise defenses," Nagato stated. He glanced at Sakura and Naruto.

"I'll need to know everything you know about how Konoha tends to infilitrate countries."

"It won't be through the ANBU like how I was trained," Naruto stated plainly. "It'll be through his shadow ANBU, ROOT. Issue is, I've never been in it, so I have no idea how they operate. I'd hypothesize it's more underhanded ways the ANBU already operate. Besides, I was more 'assault-style, kill the target' ANBU."

"I've also never been in ROOT," Sakura stated. "Nor have I even been an ANBU member. Covert ops isn't really my thing."

Nagato frowned. Kisame raised a hand.

"I can help with that. Although I'll need these two in the room to help familiarize myself with how Konoha typically does things."

"That's doable," Naruto stated, shrugging. Sakura nodded. It wasn't like she had much of a choice in the matter regardless.

"What about the big issue in the room," Yahiko stated. "What do we do with her? You already said we can't kill her, and blondie here will throw a hissy fit if we try. So, what now?"

"Keep her in the tower," Nagato stated. "Confined to a room. The only times she will be allowed out will be with supervision. There is still more we can learn from her."

"I still say we should kill her," Yahiko muttered underneath his breath, only to get Naruto and Nagato to both glare at him. He shut up quickly after that.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go be with my family. Kisame, we'll discuss this tomorrow. Karin, I'll likely need you there as well. Your jutsu is the best bet we have against Konoha infiltration currently."

The redhead nodded.

"Konan," Nagato stated. "Take our guest to her room please."

The woman nodded. Nagato sighed.

"Dismissed."

---

Fuka sat, cradling Ashino. The child was still crying, desperate to feel any sense of security since the events that had occurred. Fuka shushed the child, holding him even tighter.

"You're safe now Ashino," the woman whispered. "Don't worry. You're safe. Nothing will ever hurt you again."

"But they got in the village," the child cried out, tears falling down his face. "They got inside the village. They hurt Naruto-oji."

"Your father defeated them," Fuka whispered. "Your father protected everyone. Don't worry now. We'll make sure they can never get in the village ever again."

"How," the child cried out. "There's already so many of them."

Fuka frowned.

"What do you mean? Who else is here honey?"

"All of them," Ashino whispered. "I feel...everyone. I'm scared."

Fuka frowned, bringing the child in even closer. He felt everyone? She didn't understand.

"There's no more Konoha shinobi in the village baby. Your father would have flushed that out honey. You're safe."

She sat the child down, looking him in the eyes. She gave the brightest smile she possibly could.

"You're perfectly safe now baby. Okay?"

Ashino shook his head. He ran into his mother's arms.

"They were so scary. They hurt Naruto-oji. Cut him. They tried to hurt me."

Before Fuka could respond Ashino turned to the door. Fuka's head followed him, only to see the door open and Kamino to walk inside. The man was carrying a plate of food. Egg rolls.

Ashino's favorite.

"Hey kiddo," Kamino whispered, walking forward. He knelt in front of the child.

"It's egg rolls. Your favorite. You want some?"

Ashino recoiled a bit, seemingly afraid of the food. Kamino smiled, trying his hardest to radiate the kindness the boy so desperately needed. It seemed to work. Slowly Ashino reached forwards, taking one of the egg rolls. He took a small bite, barely eating anything. Kamino frowned. It was better than nothing, but it was barely anything. Fuka nodded her appreciation. Kamino nodded back.

"Hey kiddo, you wanna go to sleep? I'm sure you'll feel better in the morning," Fuka whispered.

"Only if you're there with me Okaa-chan. There are so many. I'm scared."

Fuka nodded, swiftly picking him up.

"Of course, I'll sleep with you honey."

She looked at Kamino. The man nodded.

"If there's anything I can do."

"Thank you Kamino."

The woman walked up the stairs, heading to Ashino's room. Kamino sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he watched them leave.

"Konoha shinobi invaded Ame," he muttered. He frowned. He looked outside the window at the rain pouring down on the village.

"It's gonna rain for a while."

---

"This is your room," Konan stated, gesturing. "Enjoy your stay."

Sakura looked around. Bland walls, a small bed, and a bathroom. She was surprised that they were letting her use one considering they didn't know her elemental nature. What if she was a water user? Of course, that was only if she managed to get these newly applied seals off of her body.

"How quaint," she muttered, walking forwards and sitting on the bed.

Konan had no response, turning to leave. Sakura frowned.

"You're Konan, correct? You don't seem like your husband."

Konan paused, a lone eye looking back to look at Sakura.

"Who exactly would my husband be?"

"The matching rings make it pretty clear. You don't have to lie to me. That Yahiko guy who wants me dead, he's your husband."

Konan did not respond. The frown on Sakura's face grew more pronounced.

"You two are pretty different. How'd that love story happen?"

Konan turned sharply.

"A word of advice," Konan said cooly. "I will not rise to your provocation like my husband. And you would do well to not anger us anymore. Nagato and Naruto are the only reasons you are alive right now."

"Oh? And what do you wish to do to me?"

"That is not up to me to decide."

"Oh, come on now, you have to have an opinion."

Konan glanced at Sakura.

"If it were up to me, I'd let Fuka decide what to do with you. And I think we both know what any mother would do to someone who harms their child."

Konan closed the door.

Sakura frowned.

"Fuck."

---

Konohamaru frowned as he walked into the Konohagakure fort. Iryonin immediately rushed towards him and his group. They immediately began to tend to Tsume and Sasuke, as the two had more significant injuries. Nothing major, Sakura had handled that, but they were clearly out of it. That was good. They didn't need to give a report of what had happened. The head of the fort, a Yamanaka Clan member if he recognized that blonde hair correctly, approached him.

"Konohamaru Sarutobi. You all look like you've been through hell."

"That's one way to describe it," Konohamaru muttered.

The duo began to walk, heading back towards the command office. The Yamanaka questioned him.

"What exactly happened for you all to end up like this?"

"Ame."

"Amegakure? The upstart village?"

"Their kage is no upstart," Konohamaru muttered. "From the report I got from Sasuke Uchiha...he..."

"He what? Killed somebody? I mean he is a kage."

Konohamaru shook his head, pulling out a scroll. The Yamanka took it, prepared to open it only for Konohamaru to place a hand on her shoulder. She raised an eyebrow.

"Not in public."

She frowned, but nodded, handing the scroll back. Konohamaru nodded, taking it back.

"How bad?"

"The deaths weren't particularly brutal. But he killed half the squad."

The kunoichi's eyes widened. Her eyes snapped to him.

"Half the squad?"

"They didn't even land a blow on him."

A frown marred her otherwise pretty face. They hadn't even managed to land a blow? That...was worrisome. Most kage would still get hit at least once if attacked by multiple Jonin-level opponents. Maybe it wouldn't be a significant blow but landing at least a glancing blow was well within the realm of possibility. That was disturbing. Perhaps the rumors about the man were true after all.

"I see. I'm sorry for your loss."

Konohamaru grunted as the duo entered the command office. He immediately looked outside; his eyes lifeless. The Yamanaka kunoichi watched him for a brief moment.

"I'll let you get some rest," she finally decided, moving to leave. "I understand what it's like to lose comrades. I'm sure you'd rather be alone. I'll send for you when your allies are fully recovered. You can head back to Konoha then."

Konohamaru nodded his thanks, his ears picking up the click of the door as it closed behind her. He sighed, looking up at the sky. Sasuke had told him what Shikamaru had done. How he had sacrificed himself for the sake of the squad.

For the sake of him.

And then Naruto had done the same, not too long afterwards.

And now half of his squad was either dead or captured, all thanks to his reckless behavior. He was the one who would have to go to the Nara Clan, to Shikaku, and tell him that their heir was dead. He would have to go to Sakura's parents and tell them that she was captured by the enemy. All because of his foolhardy decisions. Because he was blinded by anger to bring Naruto home. To bring the Jinchuriki back. To complete the mission. And what did he have to show for himself?

A storm of complicated emotions and failure.

Naruto had saved his life. Of that, he was sure. The Ame shinobi had wanted him dead. The Amekage seemed conflicted, but the orange-haired man was calling for blood. So was Kisame Hoshigaki, which was another can of worms by itself. He should be dead. He deserved as much. His blunder had left his force dead. Sakura captured. he had no right to be alive.

But he was.

Thanks to Naruto of all people.

A man he had just beaten and lectured about duty had stood up in front of a kage, injured but steadfast. A man who could have killed Naruto with no questions to his authority. A man who could have thrown Naruto in jail or had him tortured for defending the man who kidnapped his son. He could have decided the blonde was a traitor right then and there. But Naruto risked all of it, for him. A man who had treated him like scum.

Konohamaru grit his teeth. The guilt was eating him alive. The guilt of all of it.

Was this what his grandfather would have wanted?

He wanted to snort. Of course, it wasn't. That wasn't the man that he had raised. Those weren't the values he preached. Naruto had said it best. Hiruzen had known what the outcomes of Naruto becoming a recluse would be. He knew them full well. It was why he wasn't entered into Konoha's bingo book until Danzo became Hokage. It was why the old man had never once complained about the war effort despite his age. Because he knew what he signed off on when he allowed Naruto to leave. And he accepted the responsibility that came with it.

That's who he was.

"Protecting a precious person...you must not forget this no matter what path you choose."

Konohamaru repeated the adage his grandfather had told him, a small smile coming to his face as he remembered his grandfather's words. Shikamaru lived by that path. He had died by that path. So did his grandfather.

And Naruto had been prepared to do the same. The light of the moon shown down on the Konoha shinobi, but he did not feel like he was guided by holy light. No, he had been wandering in darkness. That much was true. But maybe this was his chance to change that? So focused on filling Naruto's gap. Then focused on filling the gap left by his grandfather. Trying so hard to prove himself, just to fill the anger that lived within his heart. And it had left him with nothing but the deepest sense of regret. More words by his grandfather rang in his head, echoing loudly like a bell.

'In this society, true power is not attained from mastering techniques. A shinobi's true power emerges when there is something important to protect.'

Konohamaru clenched his fists. Something important to protect? He had failed at that. His true power as a shinobi must have been abysmal. He hadn't protected the village, or Shikamaru, or Sakura, or Sai or Kuromaru. He hadn't even protected Sasuke or Tsume. He had abandoned them all for the mission to face down a kage. For a target that couldn't have gotten far anyway. They were all his responsibility.

And he failed them.

He had never felt like such a failure before in his life.

'No longer,' he hissed in his head.

He looked hard up at the moon.

'I won't shame you anymore jiji.'

Konohamaru turned on his heel walking towards the door. That started today. That started with taking responsibility for his mistakes. It would be painful. But it was what he had to do. He had made his bed, and now he had to lie in it.

"Like he said," he muttered opening the door. "There is no easy way of becoming Hokage."

The door closed behind him.

---

Naruto slowly opened the door to the locked room, his eyes immediately locking onto the pink haired girl before him. Sakura glanced upwards, the woman fiddling with her hands. Naruto frowned.

"Trying to escape?"

"Not particularly," Sakura stated, stretching. A chakra repressing seal was on her throat, allowing her hands to be freed from the shackles that were there previously. "But if I was could you blame me?"

"No. I'd be trying everything I could to break out in your position."

"So, you are here of your own free will then?"

Naruto stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him. He sat down on a nearby chair, looking at the kunoichi before him. She was fishing for information. She wasn't trying to hide it either. They knew each other too well to subtly try and get information from one another. Having fought and trained together for years would do that. But that wasn't the only thing. Her eyes were warm. She was...happy to see him. She wasn't just fishing for information. She was genuinely curious as to how he had been.

"Yes. I was invited here, and I chose to stay."

"Why," Sakura called. "Why leave home and choose to stay here?"

Naruto was expecting this question. It was the same one that Konohamaru had raged to him just a few hours before.

"Konoha hurt too much Sakura. All I saw was memories of the people I had lost there. It wasn't something I could handle."

Sakura frowned. "Did us not being there help?"

"Of course, it did," Naruto stated. "But that didn't change me coming back to an empty home every day. It didn't change Jiraiya not being there to act as my father at my wedding. Having no photos with him on that day. Konoha at that point didn't represent the love for me it once did. The war took everything from me."

"Not everything," Sakura stated. The woman's eyes were warm but there was a firmness there, one that wouldn't give up so easily on Naruto. It didn't believe what he was saying. "Konohamaru, your little brother, was still alive. Hiruzen. Hanabi, and we all know how much she loved her sensei. Tsunade could have really used you too. Kakashi-sensei. He's the only one alive from his genin squad Naruto, including your father. He really cared for you. Don't tell me you just ran away because the war took everything from you. You had people left there. I can tell as much from how you defended Konohamaru."

"I know," Naruto stated. "And I know I was wrong to leave how I left. But...I couldn't."

"Did you leave because you were hurting, and thought you didn't have anyone? Or did you leave because you were scared you would lose someone else and couldn't handle it?"

Naruto was silent. He couldn't meet the woman's eyes. Sakura smiled, walking over, and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I understand how you feel," she whispered. "It's hard. I don't blame you."

Naruto looked way, refusing to utter a word. She smiled.

"Well let's talk about something else then. Why Ame? Doesn't really seem like your type of environment. Big buildings and all. You always struck me as a guy who loved nature."

"I do still love nature," Naruto said. "But Ame has given me...hope."

"The Uzumaki," Sakura stated. Naruto's eyes widened, looking at her incredulously but Sakura waived her hands.

"It's literally the most obvious thing in the world. You don't have to directly tell me."

Naruto smirked, rolling his eyes.

"Perceptive as always."

"Someone had to be."

Naruto gave a short laugh.

"They help," he said plainly. "It's...it's something I never really had. My mother and father were dead. Tsunade was a relative yes, but the Senju Clan and Uzumaki Clan are so distantly separated that it's hard to really conceptualize it. This is...the closest thing I've had to blood family."

"I'm happy for you," Sakura stated. Naruto's eyes snapped to look at her, shock on his face. She smiled; her eyes warm.

"I mean it. You deserve happiness. You've fought hard for years. For us. For the village. For people who didn't know you. For yourself. I'm happy you finally have something that gives you the strength to fight."

"I appreciate that. More than you know Sakura."

"And I'm sorry for agreeing to kidnap Ashino."

"Orders are orders."

"And he's a child, just like you said," Sakura stated firmly. "Children should not be involved in war. I knew better. We all knew better...well maybe not Sai." Naruto gave a short chuckle at her quip before she continued. "So, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acquiesced."

"It's not me you should be apologizing to," Naruto stated. "It's Fuka and Nagato."

"Yeah," Sakura muttered, remembering the rage of the redheaded woman. "Not looking forward to that meeting."

"I wouldn't if I were you," Naruto stated, a smile forming on his face. "How is everyone? From how Konohamaru phrased things..."

Sakura frowned. "He wasn't exaggerating entirely. They're not great. Konoha is feeling the effects of a prolonged war. Morale overall is down and with the type of person Danzo is he isn't helping much. The benefit is the Iwa front should be quiet for a time. The Tsuchikage and the Yonbi Jinchuriki fought to a draw with Itachi and Fugaku. Neither side can really push knowing they can't hold any ground they manage to capture. You already know Suna is a ticking time bomb. I haven't heard much about Kiri and Kumo, but I doubt they'll sit idly by."

"And our friends?"

Sakura's frown grew more pronounced.

"Struggling. You've seen Sasuke and Konohamaru. Neji after your fight...just withdrew more into his training. Kakashi-sensei has been engrossed in the conflict with Kiri. I haven't seen him in a while. Kiba and Choji are in bad shape after having a run in with the fully released Ichibi. Ino was there but she managed to avoid most of the physical damage, although I can't say for how she's handling things psychologically. I haven't seen Hanabi in months, but the girl has practically been a recluse since you left. Losing her sister and her sensei wasn't good for her Naruto."

Naruto frowned, looking at the ground. He had nothing to say to that. Hanabi had loved training with him. He had taken her on as a student once she had reached the rank of Chunin and helped her develop her abilities. That training was what had warmed the majority of the Hyuga Clan up to him, although they hadn't approved of the techniques he had taught her. She had gone around saying she was his protege, much to Konohamaru's chagrin. The boy also wanted to learn from Naruto, but Hiruzen and Asuma had taken him under their wing.

"I miss her," Naruto stated. "Headstrong runt was always eager to learn."

"Well for your sake I hope you don't meet her," Sakura stated bluntly. "I don't know if she's mad at you or not, but she will try and kill you if those are her orders. She's not like Konohamaru."

Naruto nodded, a frown on his face.

"Well...I can't say I don't deserve that."

Naruto looked up at the woman, a frown on his face.

"And how do you feel about it?"

Sakura looked quizzical for a moment, as if she herself was considering it. Eventually she spoke.

"I don't agree," Sakura stated plainly. "I don't think you should have left. It did cause problems the rest of us had to handle."

Naruto winced at her scathing remarks, ready to accept the blame only for her to speak up not long after.

"But I understand why you left. I don't blame you for your decision. You suffered. Perhaps more than all of us. Maybe it's because I'm the person who takes care of Tsunade. I see her so often and I see how war tore her apart. If you running saved you from that then...I can't blame you."

Naruto's eyes softened.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Don't thank me," Sakura stated. "Just be better next time. To whoever it might be."

"I'll try," Naruto grunted. "What about Baa-chan? Will she be okay without you there?"

"Probably not," Sakura muttered. "I hope Ino will check up on her but that's all she has. No one really goes to see their local crazy lady."

"I'm sorry. If I hadn't left none of this would have happened. She wouldn't be alone right now."

"She's been alone a lot longer than when you left Naruto," Sakura stated. "She's been alone since Jiraiya died. Me, you, nothing mattered. Death eats us all. She's been dead for so long I don't think she can be brought back. Perhaps she'll get to rest now that I'm no longer weighing her down."

"How can you say that?"

"It's true," Sakura stated. "I've seen more death than I can count. I'm the greatest iryonin in the world, and I still can't save everyone. I have to accept the truth of the world just like everyone else. Some people are dead long before their bodies give out."

Naruto frowned, listening to Sakura's words. They were so much like Makino's. But if he had been brought back...

"We'll save her," Naruto stated firmly, looking at Sakura. The woman raised an eyebrow at the declaration.

"I don't know how," Naruto said. "But I promise you we'll bring her back! Baa-chan deserves better than that."

Sakura gave a soft smile.

"I'm gonna hold you to that mister."

"You can count on me."

"You swear it on your ninja way," Sakura joked, giving a short laugh. Naruto rolled his eyes at the inside joke. He had done that so often as a child. Looking back on it, it was very corny. The two sat in a comfortable silence, happy to be in the presence of an old friend. Eventually the blonde stood up, looking at the door.

"I should go. This was...nice. It's good to see an old friend again."

"Before you go," Sakura stated. Naruto turned, surprised to see her handing him a small scroll. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"It's not a trap," Sakura promised. "Just open it. It's a basic storage scroll."

Naruto complied with her request, giving it a small dose of chakra before it released. A puff of smoke briefly filled the room as his staff appeared before him. His eyes widened.

"You're giving this back to me?"

"It's not like I could keep it," Sakura stated. "Besides, Trickster's yours, isn't he?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "I haven't used that name in ages."

Sakura frowned, looking at Trickster.

"Maybe I should take him back from you if you don't care about him."

Naruto pulled the weapon back defensively, his eyes narrowing.

"Absolutely not."

Sakura rolled her eyes, pointing to the scroll again. Naruto frowned, looking at it, only for his eyes to widen at the piece of jewelry that rested on it.

"Sakura...this is."

"Take it," Sakura stated. "It's yours. You left it behind but...Tsunade gave it to you. She would want you to have it."

"But I'll never be the Hokage."

"And yet she still put her faith in you," Sakura stated, forcing the necklace of the Shodai into his hands. "Maybe you'll never be the Hokage. But as long as you have that necklace, you're a hero to her. So, take to it. When you rescue her, you should be wearing it after all."

"I can't be a hero," Naruto whispered. "Not anymore."

Sakura frowned, walking to look at the mirror in the room. Her eyes glinted, and a soft smile appeared on her face.

"I believe there's a hero in all of us."

Sakura turned to look at the blonde, a sad smile on her face.

"But people have to choose to be a hero."

Naruto frowned, unable to meet her eyes.

"Sakura..."

"Don't worry about it," Sakura stated. "You're not the thinker here anyway."

The woman walked towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Just take it. Okay?"

Naruto frowned, but nodded, nonetheless. Sakura smiled.

"Good. Now, get out of her you big goof. I have escape plans to try out."

"Nagato would stop you before you got the chance."

"A girl's gotta try!"

---

Sasuke nodded his thanks to the iryonin as they left. He had relatively few injuries. Sakura had done excellent work healing him during the battle. His body would heal. But he wasn't sure if his mind would. The Uchiha could only look at his hands, feeling the pit of frustration grow in his chest. He had failed again. Weak, he was so weak. Would Itachi have fallen there? With his Mangekyou Sharingan? Would his father? Would his mother?

No, they all were vastly superior to him. Mikoto had made that clear. They were the apex of the modern day Uchiha. He was an average. How pathetic. Him. The second son of the Clan Head, nothing but average. Sure, he could defeat most other Uchiha in combat, but he had also had the most amount of training due to his status. What could they do if they had been gifted with the opportunity he had been given? Itachi had made the most of it and become an equal to their father, if not stronger than the man. What had he become?

Just a Jonin who did nothing but fail his missions.

His mission to retrieve Naruto the first time had ended in failure. Neji had lost a finger. Most of the force had died. A warning sign for the battle to come. The second time he went to retrieve Naruto what had happened? He had trained with his mother to grow stronger and what was the result? Dead squad mates, Naruto running free, and Sakura captured.

Failure. That was all he was. A failure.

He had to grow stronger. He couldn't continue to live in the shadow of Naruto. In the shadow of his father and brother. He needed power. Power to protect those that he carried about. Power to free Sakura! He needed the Mangekyou. His mother didn't believe he was ready, but she was wrong. He was more ready than he ever was. He would have to be. If he wasn't he would keep being a failure.

He refused to keep being a failure.

The Uchiha's body burned with rage. A dark emotion formed in his gut. Something wretched. Something evil.

Hate.

'Never again,' Sasuke thought. 'Never again will I fail. I have to be stronger. I have to be much, much stronger!'

---

The blonde stared at the necklace in his room, a frown on his face. This necklace was meant to be worn by those who dreamed of becoming Hokage. Those who dreamt of being the hero of Konohagakure. Hashirama Senju had worn this. Dan Kato had dreamt it. Nawaki Senju had dreamt of it. A long time ago he himself had dreamt of it. But what was it doing in his possession now? He didn't dream of becoming Hokage. He didn't dream of becoming a hero. How could he when...when he couldn't even protect what was in front of him?

Ashino had been taken, kidnapped, and he hadn't been able to defend him. He hadn't been strong enough. What could he protect? He couldn't protect Jiraiya. He couldn't protect Hinata. He was a failure. Tsunade had placed her faith in him, and she had been wrong. The gambler had placed the wrong bet, just like she had before. Sure, he wasn't dead like Nawaki or Dan, but he hadn't become Hokage. The necklace was Hashirama's. The real hero of Konoha. The founder, the one who put down Madara Uchiha. The God of Shinobi. The Hero. But Sakura had placed her faith in him anyway.

In the hands of a man who couldn't even protect his own wife.

(-Flashback-)

Naruto slammed his kunai into the throat of another kunai shinobi. His eyes were hard, watching the flood of Water shinobi surge up from the shoreline like the water they were known for. The sounds of battle were a cacophony of screams in his ears, his eyes covered with shinobi engaging in battle. The sun was bright in the sky. It was a hot day. It was only the cool ocean breeze that freed them from the boiling heat.

Four Kiri shinobi broke him from his thoughts, charging him. He grit his teeth, dashing to meet them. He grabbed one of their wrists, pulling them in as two others slashed at him with swords. Their blades slashed into their comrades back, causing him to cry out. Naruto wasn't done, kicking the shinobi's knee and dropping him to a knee. As he fell his throat landed on Naruto's kunai. Naruto left him to bleed out as the other three roared their challenges. Naruto grunted, his wind armor exploding to life. Their swords were cut to pieces by the wind. The Kiri shinobi's eyes widened before Naruto shot forwards, his fists spearing forwards. He plunged them into their chest, a bloody mist shrouding the trio. The remaining Kiri shinobi turned to run, only for Naruto to pull out a kunai and launch it at the retreating threat. It speared through his head, the foe dropping dead instantly.

"Naruto," the blonde heard. His head snapped around, frowning as he realized there was no one near him. His eyes flowed in realization, remembering the voice. He had just met the man a few days ago. A Yamanaka.

'Santa,' he thought. 'What's up?'

"We need you on the eastern flank. We're getting pushed back there. We need to break their morale."

'Understood.'

Naruto shot into action, dashing to the eastern side of the battlefield. Signs of battle were clear. Konoha was fighting fiercely against Kiri, but they were just outnumbered. They weren't sure how many had been sent to conquer their ally in Wave, but it was more than their initial reports had anticipated. At least double their predicted number. It didn't matter. They had to win this battle. Wave was too important to them. If they lost this battle, they would lose a major staging ground against Kirigakure. The blonde grunted as he flew through the battlefield, helping where he could. He was a storm of death, slaughtering any Kiri shinobi he could find to help bolster their force. As he flew a mist began to creep forwards from the ocean towards them all. The blonde frowned, flashing through hand seals before he unleashed a storm of wind that pushed the wind back over the ocean. He couldn't let that happen. If the mist crept over the battlefield their numbers advantage would feel even more dramatic. Konoha shinobi were not built to fight in the mist. Kiri shinobi were practically raised in it.

The blonde quickly eyed the water, trying to see where the mist came from. Unable to find the shinobi that cast the technique he prepared to shoot into motion towards the eastern flank again only for a foot to smash into his side. He grunted, rolling across the ground before he skipped upwards. His eyes narrowed as he saw the threat before him.

"Heian."

"I've been waiting for you Naruto," the white-haired man said. He walked forwards, bandages covering his hands and a boot of bone covering both of his feet. Cuts were visible on the tissue, but it hadn't reached skin. "I've been meaning to pay you back for killing half our squad."

"I really don't have time for you right now."

"Oh, I don't think you have a choice. You're not getting to the eastern side of the battle."

"Oh? And who's going to stop me? You?"

"You'd better," Heian stated, bones beginning to cover his entire body as he prepared to engage with Naruto. "Or else Yokomana is gonna slaughter that flank."

Naruto's eyes flashed with rage. Hinata was on that flank. He shot towards Heian, lashing out with his fist. Heian grinned, reaching out with a claw-like hand to grab the fist. Naruto grunted, flipping above the man and unsealing his staff. Instantly his scythe was active, swinging downwards on the man. The blade sliced through the bone armor, drawing blood. Heian hissed in pain, blood staining him as he leapt away. The man glanced at the wound before he sent bullets of bone flying at Naruto. The blonde grunted, his eyes tracking them and allowing him to slash them into dust with his scythe.

Heian grunted, charging forwards once more. Naruto frowned, raising his scythe to block the blow. The force sent sand scattering around the duo. Heian snarled, raising his free hand to attack once more only for a ball of flame to shoot towards the duo. Both of them looked at it, an irritated look flashing on their faces before they were engulfed by the inferno. Quickly it dissipated, revealing them separated but neither hurt. Heian had scorch marks on his bones, but he didn't otherwise seem effected by the attack. Naruto cracked his neck. Heian snarled, raising his hand as a small protrusion formed. Naruto's eyes widened.

"Kareki (Dead Tree)!"

The protrusion shot forwards, a long lance of bone that aimed to spear Naruto through. The blonde grunted, blocking it with his scythe only for the force to rocket Tricker from his hands. He grit his teeth as Heian leapt towards him, eager to take advantage of the blonde lacking a weapon. He lashed out with claw-like slashes, the blonde weaving between the attacks. Heian grunted, increasing the pace only for Naruto to catch him by the wrist and lean inwards, smashing his fist into Heian's chest. The man grunted, barely having felt the attack through his armor. Naruto on the other hand, grinned, opening up his hand on the man's chest. Heian's eyes widened.

"Rasengan!"

The orb of energy grinded into existence on Heian's chest, sending him stumbling backwards. Naruto snorted as he flew, weaving through hand signs. That attack by itself wouldn't put down the durable shinobi. But maybe this combined amount of pressure would. He had the ocean on his side. He might as well use it.

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu (Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique)!"

Water from the ocean surged upwards, roaring in a massive tornado before it smashed down on Heian. The pressure drove him deep into the sand, a massive churning sound erupting as the water flooded the ocean. Konoha and Kiri shinobi alike were desperately trying to avoid being pulled into the whirlpool. Finally, the attack ended, leaving the ground a soggy mess. Naruto grunted, immediately moving to head back to the eastern flank only for a wall of Kiri shinobi to appear before him, attempting to neutralize the threat. Naruto grunted, leaping into the throng. It wasn't long before he cut through them, with Konoha shinobi leaping in to support. They were able to push the attacking force back, with Naruto managing to find Trickster along the way.

"We can hold them here sir," came the call from one Inuzuka member. The ninken next to him was gray, although one would think it was red from the blood that soaked its fur. Naruto couldn't tell who the blood belonged to. "Feel free to go. Santa told me about the circumstance on the eastern flank. They need help against Yokomana."

Naruto nodded, preparing to move forwards only for the Inuzuka Clan member and his ninken to be speared through by a barrage of bone, dead on impact. They weren't the only ones, a patchwork garden of bone spears erupting from the ground spearing anything they could, ally and foe alike. Naruto himself was attacked but leapt into the air to avoid it. The blonde looked down on the ground, eyes narrowed.

"Where are you Heian?"

"Right here!"

The blonde turned, frowning to see Heian leaping from a bone spear, the armor covering his body in tatters. Bruises could be seen along his right side, but there was still enough armor on him to be effective. A coiled whip was wrapped around his arm, spikes protruding from it to use as a make-shift gauntlet.

"Die!"

Naruto grunted, swinging his scythe in the direction of the assault. The attack slashed through the whip, blood flying into the air. Heian howled in pain, grabbing his injured hand as he fell to the ground. Naruto followed not long after, landing in front of him.

"Let's get one thing straight, Heian Kaguya," Naruto muttered as he approached. "You can withstand my armor. You can't withstand my scythe."

Heian grinned as he rose to his feet, his eyes glistening with malice. Naruto frowned. The man was already deep in battle lust. This would be a waste of his time. Heian was too durable to kill quickly. His previous battles with the man confirmed that. He didn't have time to waste with him. Heian charged him, sand from the beach kicking up behind him. Naruto grit his teeth, a large orb of energy forming in his free hand. He charged forwards, allowing Heian to spear him through with his non-injured hand to lock him into place. The move surprised the Kaguya, his eyes widening. Naruto grinned, blood trickling down his mouth.

"Odama Rasengan!"

The orb smashed into the man's body, sending him flying in the opposite direction. Naruto watched him fly, grabbing the wound in his upper chest. It wouldn't kill him, but it would slow him down. Still, that was a fine sacrifice for not having to deal with the Kaguya right now. If Yokomana was on the eastern flank she was a bigger concern anyway. It was probably why Santa had requested him on that flank, he was the best suited to counter her dangerous abilities. The blonde took off once more, letting the Kyuubi get to work in healing his body. This time he was not so rudely interrupted. He arrived on the flank to see clouds of ash in the air. Countless Konoha shinobi were dead, lances of ash spearing through their vitals. Meanwhile others were suffocating from the ash that descended into their throat. Naruto frowned.

The Keton (Ash Release). A devastating Kekkei Tota. Naruto frowned, dashing forwards, careful to avoid the ash clouds. He couldn't breathe that in. If he did he was almost as good as dead. Screams rang out around him from the dying shinobi as he neared the thickest portion of the cloud. He tried his hardest to ignore them, the cries of anguish slicing him like his wind blades. He could do nothing for them. He wasn't a medic, and if enough of the ash had already entered their system their lives were forfeit anyway. Yokomana would have it spear through their lungs and heart. They'd be dead in minutes.

That was when he found it. The densest part of the ash cloud. It was surrounded by Konoha shinobi, all of them trying to fight through the cloud and reach the raven-haired woman in the center. He grunted, weaving through hand seals. He would only have one chance to break through and kill her when she wasn't expecting it. He had to capitalize. Her defenses were frustrating to overcome otherwise.

"Fūton: Tōrai-tan (Wind Release: Advent End)!"

The storm of wind that left his mouth was like a deluge, shooting downwards and smashing into the cloud of ash below. The force blew it away, leaving Naruto an opening. The blonde Konoha shinobi flew forwards, his scythe changing into a spear as he rocketed at top speed. His eyes narrowed as tunnel vision bled in, the blonde only able to see his target. The raven-haired woman looked up at him and something flashed in her eyes. Naruto thrust his attack forwards, ready to spear her through. She grit her teeth, twisting to avoid the attack. Naruto smirked.

She wouldn't make it.

A hand of ash reached up and pulled her, causing Naruto's eyes to widen. It wasn't much, he was far too fast for that, but it was enough. The lance missed her vitals, spearing through her shoulder instead. She didn't even let out a scream, her eyes flashing with rage at the Uzumaki. Naruto grunted, lashing out with his free hand to stab the woman only for a storm of ashen spikes to descend on them both from the heavens. Naruto grunted, retreating so as to not be killed by the attack. Yokomana grabbed at her wound, blood dripping from her mouth.

"Uzumaki," she muttered.

"Pleasure to see you again."

"It won't be for long."

A wave of ash shot towards Naruto, only for a storm of flame courtesy of several Konoha shinobi to fight it back. The combined effort managed to push back the attack, forcing a large shroud of ash to surround the Kiri kunoichi.

"Naruto-kun!"

Naruto turned, his eyes widening as he saw Hinata approach. She immediately gave him a hug, a smile on her face. It dropped when she saw his wound.

"You're hurt," she whispered, touching the hole. Naruto shrugged, not worried.

"It's not a major injury. I took it intentionally. It was Heian."

"He's here?"

"He's dealt with for now. He's not dead but he's wounded. I'll be fine, the Kyuubi should have it healed before the battle is done. What's the situation here with Yokomana? Santa said there was trouble on the flank?"

"Well, you can see," Hinata said waving her arms at the litany of dead Konoha shinobi around them. "She's decimated our force. It took all their lives just to keep her contained. You're the first to actually injure her."

Naruto frowned, looking around. This was a bad situation. The woman was a Kage-level opponent, the leader of the Kekkei Genkai squad outside of the current Mizukage. She was not someone who was easy to defeat, and it showed. They would need all the help they could get. Which led him to another question.

"Where's Neji?"

Hinata frowned, looking away. Naruto's eyes narrowed, and he pressed the question once more.

"Hinata...where is he? He's supposed to be here helping you."

"Taijutsu users aren't a great matchup against Yokomana either way-"

"That's not an answer."

Hinata sighed, shaking her head.

"You know how he is."

Naruto frowned, clenching his fists. Neji had abandoned her again?

"It's his job-"

"It's fine," Hinata insisted. "I understand why Neji doesn't want to be around the Main Family. Besides, we don't really have the luxury of fighting about that right now do we?"

"I'm gonna kick his ass when I see him."

Hinata rolled her eyes, dropping into a fighting stance. "We can talk about that later. She's coming."

Naruto nodded, his scythe spinning in his hand. The wall of ash that protected Yokomana from the gout of flame lowered, revealing the woman covered in a flowy robe of ash. Naruto's eyes narrowed. She was serious then. This would be a problem. She wasn't a nintaijutsu specialist like him, she was a ninjutsu specialist through and through. But she had her own armor.

And she was lethal with it.

The robe flickered before pellets of ash shot forwards in all directions, spearing through Konoha shinobi. Naruto leapt in front of Hinata, his scythe spinning as he deflected the bullets. Hinata grunted, slipping to Naruto's side as the attack ended before she sprinted forwards.

"Charge!"

The Konoha shinobi roared forwards towards the enemy. Naruto took to the sky as he approached, his eyes narrowed. Yokomana didn't seem worried, her eyes instead scanning over the incoming threat. She slammed her hands together, and with a yell, walls of ash arose around her, stopping any from getting any closer. Konoha shinobi slammed their attacks against the wall of ash, but the Kekkei Tota was far too powerful to be broken by them. Hinata approached, her eyes narrowed as she saw the chakra coursing through it.

"Fine," she whispered. Her hands shot forwards, characteristic of the Juken (Gentle Fist) as she slammed blow after blow into the walls of ash. Slowly, their form destabilized, fluctuating before it collapsed. Konoha shinobi lept through the hole in Yokomana's defense, eager to assault the woman. However, she smirked as they neared. Hinata's eyes widened, pulling those around her away from the wall as she leapt back.

"Get away from the wall," she screamed.

It was too late. The wall of ash burned, radiating a heat beyond that of the Konoha forces Katon (Fire Release) jutsu. The Konoha force tried to leap away but the impending explosion was too powerful. Yokomana smirked.

"Keton: Bakuha (Ash Release: Explosion)!"

The wall of ash erupted, gouts of flame beginning to pour out only to be devoured by the ash once more. Before anyone had any time to react a wave of force shot through the air, tendrils of ash ripping forwards at speeds no human could reach and shredding through the Konoha shinobi. Clouds of blood filled the air as people's bodies were ripped apart by the hot wave of pressure followed by the ashen calamity that followed. Hinata's eyes widened as it approached, quickly dropping into a defensive form.

"Hakkeshō Kaiten (Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven)!"

The woman grunted as the wave of force hit the Hyuga Clan's legendary defensive jutsu. It washed over her, only for the ashen calamity to smash into the shield. Hinata grunted through her rotation, straining only for the pressure to eventually subside. She dropped the defense, watching as the ash lay on the ground before her, halted. She looked around; her eyes wide at the sight before her. Most of her force was dead. Turned into mushy chunks of a human strewn about on the ground before her. The other group lay on the ground, screaming in pain at the blistering wounds on their body, ash laying on them.

"No," she whispered. The Hyuga's eyes narrowed on Yokomana.

"You're going to pay for that."

"Make me."

The Hai Clan member had no time to react to Hinata charging forwards as Naruto was suddenly in front of her, his scythe spinning. She grit her teeth, walls of ash flying up as she attempted to retreat from the slash of the scythe. Naruto grunted as Trickster struggled to break through the defenses. She was slipping away. The Kekkei Tota had Doton (Earth Release) and Katon qualities. The two made it difficult for him to cut through. He grunted, leaping over the walls, and forming a massive orb of chakra. He smashed the Odama Rasengan on another defensive structure of ash, slowly drilling his way through it. Yokomana's eyes narrowed, raising a hand sign only for a clone of Naruto to appear beside her, smashing its fist into her face. She stumbled backwards, stomped from unleashing another explosive blast of her jutsu. Naruto roared, his Odama Rasengan exploding and sending the ash flying in every direction. He and his clone both charged, lashing out with attacks.

Yokomana grunted as she tried to fight off the two blondes. There wasn't much she could do. She was simply outclassed. An attempted block was deflected to press the attack. Any attempted counterattack was easily disrupted. She couldn't throw off their rhythm with taijutsu no matter how much she tried. Blow and blow rained on her, slowly but surely tearing into her armor. It wouldn't be long before she truly began to take damage. She had to push them back. Ashen spikes shot from her armor, desperately trying to force the blonde backwards. It speared through his clone, making it dissipate in a puff of smoke, but the spears couldn't pierce Naruto's wind armor. Her eyes narrowed as the blonde smirked, continuing his attack. Slashes from Trickster howled through the air, ripping off chunk after chunk of her armor. It was slow. From the sweat flying down Naruto's face, it took a decent amount of chakra to increase its slashing power to rip the armor off of her, especially with his clone no longer next to him to weaken the substance.

But it was working.

Hinata flashed next to him, her hands moving at a blistering pace. She smashed her attacks into Yokomana's armor. The woman grunted, watching as her ash fell to the ground in clumps, useless. It wasn't long before all of her armor was gone, leaving her vulnerable. Desperately she leapt away, hands flashing through hand seals.

"Doton: Dorojigoku (Earth Release: Reverse Antlion)!"

The sand around the duo shot upwards, wrapping around them both. Naruto grunted, his wind armor quickly freeing him. He moved his scythe, freeing Hinata not long after. However, the intended goal had been achieved. She had created space. Yokomana exhaled, ash flying from her mouth to begin forming a cloud around her once more. However, this time she speared it into the ground, causing the surface of the sand to begin to churn. Naruto's eyes widened.

"She's turning the environment to ash!"

Hinata's eyes narrowed.

"Dragon formation?"

Naruto smirked, watching as Yokomana's ash began to spread.

"Thought you'd never ask."

Naruto leapt into the air, the tornado around him increasing in ferocity. The wind roared with Naruto. The blonde smirked, diving towards the ocean below. Meanwhile, Hinata charged forwards, her hands weaving through hand seals.

"Hakke Sōjishi Hōgeki (Eight Trigrams Twin Lions Crumbling Attack)!"

Massive purple lions formed around Hinata's hands as she charged. Yokomana's eyes narrowed as she watched her approach. Those were dangerous. She had never seen a Hyuga use that jutsu. She had no time to continue analyzing as Hinata suddenly dashed forwards, moving at speeds far superior to what she had before. Yokomana's eyes widened, creating a wall of ash in front of her on instinct. It was shattered instantly by the Konoha kunoichi, ripples of purple flashing along the ash. Yokomana's eyes widened.

What was that technique?

Desperately she called her ash to her as Hinata's attacks flew out. Wave after wave of ash flew to her defense and wave after wave of ash was destroyed by Hinata's strikes. Neither could gain any ground as long as things remained as they were. Thus, Yokomana decided to go on the attack. The ash beneath their feet launched upwards, wrapping around Hinata's ankles. The woman's eyes narrowed, not bothering to look downwards. Her vision allowed her to see it naturally. A pulse of chakra allowed her to disrupt the ash, blowing it away from her but the second it took to do that gave Yokomana an opening. Pellets of ash shot towards Hinata, forcing her to swing her arms desperately to stop the attack.

"Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō (Protecting Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms)!"

The sharp blades of chakra slashed at the ashen pellets, desperate to stop their advance. Most of them were cut down, unable to pierce the barrier. But there were simply too many and Hinata's arms could only move so fast. Some got through. The Hyuga grit her teeth as she felt the pellets of ash spear into her body, causing her form to shake. As the shaking continued her balance was ruined, allowing more and more pellets to get through. It was a losing battle. Luckily, she didn't need to fight it for long.

A roar could be heard by both kunoichi, making them look up. Naruto descended from the heavens in a massive typhoon, the wind and water from the ocean creating a monstrosity that Yokomana couldn't hope to stop. Hinata instantly leapt away, clearing the blast zone. She had been the bait.

This was the switch.

Yokomana desperately tried to cocoon herself in layer after layer of ash. Naruto roared, lunging forwards with Trickster, the wind around it forming a spear. Water surrounded him, enhancing his attack as it made contact with the ash. The two forces clashed, waves of force rattling through the area. The elements desperately tried to part the ash, forming crack after crack in its armor. Naruto grinned as he realized it. It would break. All of that pressure on one point was too much for her defenses. And break it did, the ashen cocoon shattering in pieces of ash to reveal a smirking Yokomana. Naruto's eyes widened.

Crack?

The ash around her snapped into tendrils as Naruto's spear neared her throat. The ash wrapped around the blonde, barely able to get a tight grip thanks to the water and ash. But they were able. They pulled, desperately trying to slow him down as they began to heat. Naruto grunted as he felt his body burn. Hinata's eyes widened as she saw what Yokomana was planning. She charged in, her lion fists at the ready. She roared, smashing through two of the tendrils holding Naruto and giving him just enough freedom to break through. Yokomana grit her teeth, using the slowed speed of the blonde to avoid another vital area. The spear sliced into her collarbone but didn't pierce her neck. The ash around the trio shot upwards, heating around them both. Naruto's eyes widened, leaping in front of Hinata as the water from his typhoon fell on the ash around them, cooling it. It would delay the explosion. He weaved through hand seals, unleashing his jutsu just as Yokomana unleashed hers.

"Keton: Bakuha (Ash Release: Explosion)!"

"Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!"

The blast of wind barely managed to counteract the wave of hot pressure that followed from the explosion. Naruto and Hinata shot backwards, burns covering both of their bodies, but they were completely safe from the ashen calamity that followed. The tendrils of ash that buried themselves in your body lay harmless on the ground. Naruto and Hinata both groaned, grabbing their heads as they stood. Meanwhile Yokomana watched them, but carefully noted the injuries to her body. This was getting dangerous. They hadn't landed vital blows, but those wounds wouldn't stop bleeding. She could bleed out at this rate. She needed to end this quickly. She wrapped her armor of ash around her once more, both for defense and to help stem the blood flow. Meanwhile Naruto reactivated his armor, glaring at the woman. Hinata stood next to him, the lions no longer around her hands.

"You two are annoying," Yokomana stated. The woman's eyes shifted between the two. "An Uzumaki and a Hyuga. Storied clans. I suppose your ancestors should be proud you live up to their namesake."

"Would yours," Hinata questioned. Yokomana frowned.

"What are you implying girl?"

"Your village," Hinata called out. "The Bloody Mist. The purges weren't too long ago. You must have been a child or a little older during them, and yet you're willing serving the village that tried to exterminate your clan. I don't know how any Hai Clan members, but I find it hard to believe they'd support you in that endeavor."

Yokomana frowned.

"So why," Hinata continued. "Why serve Kirigakure? Why do any of the Kekkei Genkai squad?"

"I can't speak for someone like Heian," Yokomana stated. "I don't know his reasons. If I had to guess he's probably just like his clan. Any excuse to kill something is a good enough reason to fight for him. But I'm different."

Yokomana's eyes snapped upwards, looking at Hinata.

"Because of Mei," she stated plainly. "She was a victim of those purges just as I was. And she fought. And she changed things. My family ran. They chose not to fight against the Kiri shinobi slaughtering them and as a result they're dead. The Hai Clan, driven to near extinction, with a Kekkei Tota as powerful as ours. It shouldn't be. You ask me why I run? Simple. Because I follow Mei. I follow her ideals. I don't run. That doesn't change the world. When something pushes me, I simply push harder. I fight for Kiri to change the way of my village! And to change the shinobi world. That's all there is to it."

Hinata frowned. "I see," she whispered, dropping into a Juken stance. "How regrettable. I don't want to kill someone like you."

Yokomana smirked.

"You won't."

The ash on the ground rose, forming a massive structure. Hinata's eyes could only widen as the wave of ash grew ever larger, Yokomana raising into the sky as it grew. Naruto's eyes narrowed at the structure. That was surprisingly big. The Keton specialized in area of effect and range techniques. It seemed this was the apex of its abilities. Naruto quickly formed ten clones of himself, each of them holding out a hand. Slowly they began to form balls of chakra, concentration on their faces. It was taking all of their attention. Meanwhile the blonde turned to Hinata. They two's eyes met before they nodded. Naruto dashed towards the ocean, landing in front of it and creating another clone to guard his back. Then he began to weave through hand signs, dropping his wind armor in the process. Meanwhile Hinata charged the ashen monstrosity, weaving hand signs. Yokomana's eyes narrowed.

"No, you don't," she hissed. She exhaled, a cloud of ash flowing out of her mouth to form two ashen dragons that charged towards Hinata. The Hyuga grunted, leaping over one of the dragons only for the jaws of the second one to clamp downwards. Hinata grit her teeth, her ab muscles straining as she began to spin.

"Hakkeshō Kaiten!"

The rotational orb of chakra protected her from the jaws of the dragon, grinding the ash into thin particles. Hinata landed, sweat pouring down her brow that only increased as the dragon reformed. Again, the ashen lizards charged her, their roars echoing across the battlefield. Hinata frowned. She needed a permanent way to put those dragons down. The clones weren't ready yet and neither was Naruto. Defensive moves wouldn't get it done. She needed to disrupt the chakra in them. Her eyes looked over them, analyzing the chakra in them. It was centralized at the head. She could disrupt that. However, before she had the chance more pellets of ash descended from above, forcing her to leap backwards to avoid them. She glared at Yokomana, but the woman only smirked. The pellets of ash shot upwards in spikes, advancing towards her in a wave of death. Hinata frowned. Just how much ash could she control at once? That construct was still growing.

The dragons shot towards her from either side, jaws open to crush her between them. Hinata's eyes narrowed, her hands going out. This jutsu was technically defensive in nature, but that didn't mean it couldn't be used offensively. She didn't need to use the blades to just cut into the threat. It was more chakra intensive, and required more focus, but she could use this technique as an application of a typical Juken strike itself. Chakra could be disrupted.

"Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō!"

Her hands moved, purple chakra dancing off them. The dragons snarled, unafraid, and dashed into the attack.

That was their mistake.

The jutsu carved the dragons into pieces, sweat pouring down Hinata's face as she concentrated. The effort wasn't wasted. The attack worked. The dragons faded into useless scraps of ash, falling on the ground before the woman. Hinata wanted to relax but wasn't given the opportunity as the spikes from before shot forwards. She grimaced as a spike pierced her thigh, stopping her from leaping away. The other spikes leapt forwards towards her vitals. Hinata brought her hands up. She couldn't use either of her defensive jutsu's in a situation like this. She couldn't rotate for one and she didn't have the concentration for the other. But she wasn't defenseless. She was more than just the heir of the Hyuga Clan.

She was a shinobi.

Her hands snapped into her pouch, pulling a kunai with a tag wrapped around its hilt. This would hurt, but it would do its job. The tag lit with a subtle application of chakra and the shockwave kunai exploded, sending her flying backwards. Her ears were ringing, and she coughed up blood as she landed. The force had sent her flying, freeing her from the ash and sending it flying backwards but not without cost. Her ears were ringing and being forced from that position had ripped her thigh more than before. She could barely stand. But she had a job to do.

The kunoichi shakily stood, gritting her teeth. She had to weaken that wall for Naruto's plan to work. So weak it she would. Slowly she stumbled forwards, barely able to move with her thigh. Still, she moved, her determination written in every action. Every breath. Every grunt. In her blood. Yet onward she pressed, not once wavering.

"I never give up," she whispered to herself. "That's my nindo. That is our nindo!"

The twin lion fists once again appeared on her hands, only these were blue instead of the purple from before. A sign of her diminishing energy. But she had to push forward. She had been in worse situations. She was needed. Her village needed her. The force needed her.

Naruto needed her.

So, she reached the construct of ash, watching as it grew. The clones behind her nodded, beginning to charge forwards. Hinata nodded back. She would only have one shot at this. Her voice screamed out, desperation in it before she struck the wall. The blue lion flashed purple briefly before it struck. The blow initially didn't seem to do much. Yokomana smirked.

"You lose! Keton: Nagasarete (Ash Release: Tsunami)!"

Yokomana was fully expecting the catastrophic explosion that should have occurred when she utilized this technique. It should have wiped the entire eastern flank clean in a storm of heat and ash. The pressure shockwave alone should have killed the Hyuga due to her proximity. The morale loss from the sudden attack should have led to a full-scale victory for Kirigakure. And yet, nothing happened. Yokomana glanced downwards, her eyes widening as she saw purple cracks spreading upwards along the construct.

"What?"

"Hinata beat you, dumbass," Naruto roared, his hands slamming together. "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique)!"

A massive dragon of water rose behind Naruto. The blonde had clearly spent a while pouring chakra into the technique. What was normally a B-rank jutsu was now that of an A rank or higher. The dragon roared, smashing into the construct with a ferocity that Yokomana wasn't expecting. She stumbled on top of it, barely able to keep her balance. Still, it wasn't enough to destroy it. She smirked. Their efforts would delay the jutsu, perhaps even weaken it where they would survive. But it would still do damage. Damage she could kill them with.

"Why are you laughing," came the call. She turned, her eyes widening as she saw Hinata further away, attempting to wrap bandages around the wound in her leg. In front of her the Naruto clones charged, massive spiraling orbs of chakra in their hands.

"The attack isn't done yet."

"Chōōdama Rasengan!"

The clones of Naruto smashed the attacks into the construct, causing it to groan. The ash churned under the weight of the two jutsu. For a brief moment it looked like it might stand.

Then everything came apart.

The ash dropped, and the two jutsu's collided, resulting in a massive swirling whirlpool that swept the clones and Yokomana away. Hinata, higher up on the coastline, was free from the torrent of water. Meanwhile, Naruto activated his armor, flying above the torrent of watery death. He watched the waters, desperate to find some sign of the Hai Clan Head. That couldn't have been enough. Kiri shinobi were slippery bastards. The deluge Heian had gone through hadn't killed him, and Yokomana was a stronger opponent. No, she was alive. Injured. Hanging on by a thread. They could kill her here. But they needed to find her.

He saw her as a clump of ash emerged as the water receded back into the ocean. The ashen ball slowly unraveled, revealing Yokomana. The woman looked haggard. Her normally well-kept hair was a mess. Bruises covered her skin, and where there weren't bruises blood trickled due to the wounds Naruto had revealed. She was looking up at both Konoha shinobi, a frown on her face. Slowly she managed to stand. Ash began to cover her skin once more, but it was slow. It was likely the last time she would be able to use the jutsu. That was fine. He would rip it off just one more time. Naruto grunted, prepared to fight only for Kiri shinobi to emerge from the water to surround their leader. Fifty more shinobi. That was a problem. Hinata was running on fumes. He needed to get her out of here.

The blonde descended, his eyes carefully watching the Kiri shinobi. They charged him. He grunted, charging back. The riffraff were nothing to him. He carved through their numbers with ease. But they were distracting. Yokomana capitalized on that. The woman ran as fast as she could towards the still recovering Hinata, desperate to kill the Hyuga. Naruto picked up on it, silently forming a clone that ran to intercept. The two engaged in a spat of taijutsu, both exhausted fighters desperate to overpower the other. The clone had the upper hand, clone or not it was still the better taijutsu combatant, but the ability to end the fight in a single blow made the battle much tighter than it needed to be. Naruto needed to join.

He carved three Kiri shinobi in half, before the scythe in his hands morphed once more, turning in to a spear. Or rather, multiple spears connected to one staff. Naruto lunged forwards, the multi-pronged weapon spearing through the throngs of Kiri shinobi. He roared, his wind expanding outwards in a vortex, shredding them to pieces. Ten Kiri shinobi remained. They fled. Naruto turned, ignoring them. He had to help his clone.

He had to help Hinata.

He charged in, joining his clone in the taijutsu engagement with Hinata. Yokomana grunted as she felt the scythe scrape against her form. She grunted, leaping away from the blonde and his clone only for them to pursue. They couldn't let her escape. If they did, she would escape. That much was clear. This was their best opportunity to kill her. Yokomana desperately tried to defend herself, but it was fruitless. She wasn't a match for him in close quarters. Slash marks slowly began to form as Naruto desperately tried to carve through her armor. The clone's fists buried themselves against her ashen robes. Realization clicked in the woman's mind. She was going to die here. She had to do something, or she was going to die here. She refused to.

Mei would refuse to.

But before she got the chance things went from bad to worse. Hinata joined in the fray, her mouth taut to fight against the raging pain in her leg. She was bleeding a lot. She needed medical attention. But the faster the battle was done the faster she could get it. She wasn't too aggressive, always waiting for the original Naruto to initiate the attack. But she was useful. She disrupted the chakra of the Yokomana, slowly but surely beginning to allow Naruto to tear it off with ease. It was a guarantee. She was going to die. The synergy between the two Konoha shinobi was too much, even for her. If it were either one perhaps, she had a chance. She was confident she could kill the Hyuga in single combat. But together? No. They moved like it was a dance, each filling in for the other. She had no chance to go on the counteroffensive. No time to separate them. They left her no opportunity. A form that had been drilled into the two for years upon years, a chemistry that was unreachable for most.

This was a dance of death.

And Yokomana was their target.

Yokomana grit her teeth. She was a defensive expert. But even she couldn't withstand this pressure. She needed to do something.

And do something she did.

The woman clapped her hands together, her eyes snapping to her armor. She couldn't produce more ash in this situation, so she would work with what she had. She grit her teeth as Tricktser speared through her other shoulder, Naruto not letting another opportunity go to waste. She would live with another wound.

"Keton: Shinkuu (Ash Release: Vacuum)!"

The ash on her body flashed white hot, reaching temperatures that not even her other ash had. Naruto and Hinata both recoiled instinctively from the heat, not expecting it. That natural reaction was all Yokomana needed. Hinata's eyes narrowed as she saw the chakra flow in her body. Naruto's eyes narrowed. He had never seen this jutsu before. Hinata's eyes snapped open.

"Naruto-"

She was unable to finish her sentence as an explosion of force ripped outwards. Naruto's wind was ripped apart by the sheer force of the shockwave. Air itself was pushed away before the torrent of heat followed. Blistering burns formed on Naruto's skin, causing him to cry out for pain as he was sent flying away. The clone of the blonde was ripped apart from the force. Meanwhile, Hinata was flung through the air, blood flying through her mouth as bullets of ash ripped into her skin before being seared shut by the following heat wave. When the jutsu completed Hinata lay on the ground.

Naruto stood, determination on his face as he looked at Yokomana. She was a pain to deal with. Her Keton allowed her to control ash with ease, and then the explosive forces she could generate on top of that added an extra layer of lethality. It was only made worse considering she was not impacted by any of her techniques. Combine that with the defensive capabilities, and she possessed an absolutely terrifying Kekkei Tota. Naruto was somewhat glad the previous Mizukage had worked so hard to kill off the majority of her clan. Luckily, their numbers were not prominent enough anymore to have more walking explosives on the battlefield. Still the woman was injured. She was bleeding quite badly from the wounds in her shoulders, and she likely couldn't move her arms much at all. If he could get in close once more the battle was finished.

"You think that's enough to kill me?"

"No," Yokomana admitted. "But it's enough to let me get away."

Naruto snarled.

"Why would I let that happen?"

Yokomana smirked, forming a weak handseal.

"Because if you don't that woman will die."

Naruto frowned. He couldn't believe that. Yokomana barely had any chakra left. She was injured beyond repair. Meanwhile Hinata was in pain and clearly needed medical attention, but she wouldn't die here.

That was what he kept repeating in his mind as he heard screams until one scream broke through to him.

One familiar scream.

He turned, his eyes widening with horror as he saw Hinata on the ground. His wife. The mother of his unborn child.

Dying.

His eyes widened in horrid realization.

'How much ash is inside her,' he thought, remembering that Yokomana could manipulate ash inside the body.

He was at her side instantly, a violent storm of wind that descended like god. Instantly the wind was gone, the man fighting back the tears in his eyes as he quickly grabbed her hand. Yokomana smirked, taking the opportunity to slink back into the ocean to retreat. Hinata's eyes instantly locked onto Naruto, the fear in her eyes resonating in him. His blood ran cold.

"Hinata," he whispered. "No. Don't tell me the ash..." He was afraid to finish the sentence.

His eyes snapped around, desperate to find an iryonin close enough to heal her. Before he could find any the ten Kiri shinobi from before charged him, trying to take advantage of his mental state.

That was their mistake.

Trickster flew through the air, leaving them as nothing more than puddles of blood and body parts, the crimson eyes of Naruto glowing in the sunlight.

"I had that," came the call.

Naruto turned, his anger rising as he saw Neji approach, blood dripping down his body. It wasn't his. Naruto snarled at him but turned back to Hinata. Neji turned to look at her before a look of horror flashed on her face.

"What happened?"

Rage poured through Naruto's body at Neji's words. Those words filled a sick feeling in his gut. What happened? Wouldn't Neji like to know. If he was here, he would have known. If he were here fighting, he could have helped. If he were here Hinata wouldn't be like this.

"The ash," Naruto muttered. "Where were you?"

"I...I don't know. I left her to fight the Kiri shinobi. I thought she could handle it. I didn't think..."

"You left her with Yokomana in the area! Yokomana is the worst possible matchup for a Hyuga Clan member! What were you thinking?"

"I didn't," he whispered. "I didn't think that this would happen. Hinata is part of the Main..."

The crimson in Naruto's eyes deepened.

"You left her alone because of your family politics?"

"I didn't..." Neji whispered. "I never expected..." he couldn't finish the sentence. Instead, a deep look of shame covered his face and Naruto knew instantly what he had done.

"No," Naruto whispered. He quickly began to fiddle with his shinobi pouch, desperate to find anything that could help in this situation. Nothing. Just fucking soldier pills and weapons. The blonde clasped her hands again, looking her deep in her eyes. Tears streamed down both of their faces.

"No," the blonde yelled. "No, no, no, no, no no!"

The blonde shook his head.

"No not here. This was the last battle. You would have gone home to have the baby after this. You shouldn't have been here," he whispered. His voice cracked, the slow realization of the inevitability that was before them.

"Na...ru...to," the Hyuga slowly ground out. There was pain in her voice, as if talking itself caused anguish. Her lungs had likely been carved by the ash along with her heart. Talking probably did cause her anguish. Breathing probably did.

"No," the blonde whispered. "Don't talk. Save your strength. I'm gonna get you to an iryonin right now. Just hold on Hinata!"

Naruto quickly picked up the woman, a desperate plea in his eyes.

"No...can't...save..." Hinata whispered.

"NO!"

"She's right Naruto."

Naruto's eyes snapped to Neji, the crimson in them radiating nothing but rage and anguish. Neji stumbled backwards briefly at the hostility in the action. It was like he was looking into the eyes of a beast.

"I don't want to hear anything from you traitor!"

His eyes were blazing red, only calmed by the cold hands of Hinata. His eyes snapped down, focused back on the woman. She shook her head, smiling at him. The woman forced him to look at her, shaking her head once more.

"No...us...e."

Naruto shook his head, wind roaring around him.

"No! No there's definitely a way! An iryonin can fix this! We have good ones! Just hold on a little longer Hinata!"

The blonde took off, only for Hinata to force him to look at her again. The blonde couldn't focus on where he was going, simply floating in the air with his wife in his arms. She smiled at him, an action that caused her body to wrack with pain and yet she did it anyway. It was a bloody smile. The internal damage was too great. The blonde himself knew it. There was nothing that could be done to save her. She was a goner.

"Job...do...protect...them."

"How," Naruto whispered, tears falling in his eyes. "You," he whispered. "I should have just retreated. I shouldn't have focused on the Kiri shinobi. I should have outrun them. I should have protected you."

Hinata smiled.

"Al...wa...ys did."

The woman squeezed his hand, the fear in her eyes slowly disappearing. Instead, it was replaced by another emotion.

Love.

"Le...l...let...me...see...e...e...eyes."

Naruto slowly nodded, the tears from his eyes falling and being slashed to pieces by his wind. Slowly he tried to gain control over his emotions, allowing his slitted crimson eyes to return to their natural violet. Hinata's smile grew brighter.

"...Wish...Hitomi...had...yo...urs..."

"She will," Naruto whispered, desperation in his voice. "She's gonna have beautiful eyes. You'll see." The blonde brought her hand to his face, cradling it against him. "And she'll have your smile. The most amazing smile."

Hinata smiled, slowly nodding her head.

"Save your energy please," Naruto whispered. "You can't go. No. I can't lose you too. Hinata...please...I love you. I love you so much."

Hinata smiled.

"...love..you...too..."

Naruto shook his head, his cries of anguish filling the air.

"No. No I can't do this without you. Please."

"…have….to….our….nin…do."

Hinata's smile grew.

"….never…..give…up."

The woman brought both hands up, bringing her forehead to his. She smiled, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. It was bloody. Messy. Unstable. Cold. But it was filled with nothing but love.

"You're...my...he...ro..."

Her head rolled back.

"No," Naruto whispered. He cradled her, desperation on his face and his screams of anguish filling the battlefield. The entire battlefield paused, looking up at the screaming blonde in the air, holding his now dead wife.

"NO!"

Tears flooded down his face. The blonde cradled her a cry of outrage at the world around him ringing out to the world. Then...a pause.

A heartbeat resonated in the ears of every shinobi on the battlefield.

A deep, pulsating one.

A flash of crimson.

"NO!"

(-Flashback-)

Naruto shook from the memory, clearing his head. He couldn't think of it anymore. The loss of his wife.

The carnage that followed.

All of it had happened because he was weak. Too weak to defeat Heian fast enough to save Konoha shinobi. Too weak to defeat Yokomana in time to save his wife. Too weak to protect those that he cared about. Too weak to be a hero. Her death had sealed it to him. He couldn't protect anything. So, he had left. Retreated.

But...then he had found Ame. Found his family. And once more he had something to care about again. And once more it had almost been ripped away. All because he was too weak. Too pathetic.

He refused to stay that way.

The blonde's body snapped upwards, looking up through his window to see the storm flowing outside. He opened the window and leapt.

He had someone to find.

---

Fuka's eyes narrowed as she sat in the room. Ashino was asleep, finally. She however couldn't. She needed to do something, anything. Rage filled her body. Konoha shinobi had attacked her son. That was unacceptable. It wasn't something she could tolerate ever again. No, she needed to do something.

And there was a Konoha shinobi in their village who agreed to it. They could handle it.

Fuka threw a cloak on, leaving the room. As she left his room the child began to cry in his sleep, shaking in fear. The noise only placed a firmer resolve in Fuka's chest. She stepped into the night only to be faced by a familiar sight.

"Fuka."

"Karin."

"Where do you think you're going this time of night?"

"Oh, you know...a walk."

Karin frowned.

"Lying to me? Really?"

Fuka frowned. Karin sighed at the behavior.

"You're going to go kill Sakura."

"And so, what if I am?"

"That won't accomplish anything," Karin stated. "Besides, she didn't like the idea of kidnapping your son. She was against it."

Fuka frowned. Karin wasn't lying to her. Not about something as important as this. And she wasn't wrong, her Kekkei Genkai wouldn't allow her to be. Nothing could fool it. If Karin said you were lying, you were lying. But still...

"So, what," Fuka exclaimed. "It doesn't matter. She was on the team, so she'll suffer for them."

"She's already suffered," Karin stated plainly. "Nagato killed half of her team. She gave herself up willingly to save the rest of them. She's a medic Fuka. She's suffered. The entire Konoha force suffered. What you would be doing to her would be wrong?"

"How dare you," Fuka spat. "What if someone did that to the child you'll have? How could you say that? I would never-"

"You're right," Karin stated. "You would never. And I wouldn't blame you. But that doesn't change the fact that this woman has suffered. Killing her isn't the way to handle things."

Fuka's hair began to rise, her eyes glowing with chakra. Karin frowned. Her chakra was becoming violent. This was getting dangerous. Karin wasn't a bad kunoichi, but she knew her place. She couldn't stand up to Fuka. It wouldn't even be a fair fight. But she didn't need to. She was the weakest of the Uzumaki Clan, well, besides her husband. But she also knew their emotions the best.

"Focus on your son," Karin whispered. "He's who needs you know. Especially with the power he's just awakened."

That got Fuka's attention.

"Power?"

"He keeps saying he feels everyone or something like that right?"

Fuka's eyes narrowed.

"How...how did you know?"

Karin nodded.

"That's how I described it when I awakened it. It's overwhelming at first, not knowing how to control it. The emotion is a lot to deal with. Considering how he opened it as well...it wouldn't surprise me if he was completely overwhelmed with emotion right now. It won't make it better. You need to be with him right now, more than anything. He's scared. Crying. Even in his sleep. He doesn't feel you."

Karin walked towards the woman, stopping as she became level with her.

"Ashino has awoken the Mind's Eye."

---

Nagato sat on the gargoyle statue at the top of his tower in Amegakure, staring down at his village. Rain poured downwards, his showers guarding the village in the dead of night. He couldn't sleep. How could he? His village had been invaded. They had gotten lucky this time. If Karin hadn't checked with the Kagura Shingan (Mind's Eye of the Kagura) Naruto and Ashino could both be in the Land of Fire. Never to be seen again.

He had been complacent.

He couldn't afford that ever again. His son had almost been taken. His cousin.

He looked at his village, his home. This was his. And Konoha had threatened that. His family. Just like they had done in the past, Konoha tried to take everything away from him. They had succeeded in the past. He could never let them succeed again. But...how? Ame was thin. Their strength was the veil of strength. They couldn't withstand a true war with any village. He couldn't be everywhere. Kisame couldn't. Konan and Yahiko couldn't. They were not God. He was not God. He had to do something.

That left him with one question.

What?

His display of strength would work for now. But the future was another story. He had to find a solution. And it all started with the railroad magnates. Without them, Ame's position was fragile. He needed to make it their vested interest to work with them. Trying to persuade them was going poorly. They weren't listening, and they had all the cards. He couldn't simply force them to listen...could he?

His son had been threatened. His family.

Why couldn't he force the magnates to see reason?

Whatever it took to protect his family. And if that meant that the magnates had to be forced into submission then so be it.

Nagato snapped out of his thought process, his body shaking and covered in a cold sweat. What was he thinking? That wasn't how he was taught. That wasn't what Jiraiya believed.

That wasn't what he believed.

So why had the thought been so tantalizing?

What was the blackness in him that demanded such violence? It had shown up when fighting the Konoha shinobi. It had shown up when the Suna kunoichi had threatened Konan and Yahiko's lives. It was showing up now.

Did he truly have such darkness in him?

Nagato looked at his hands, a pool of water in them. He gazed into it, seeing the reflection of his own legendary eyes. The paths he could use due to them. The abilities he had access too. The positive ones.

The darker ones.

Restraint. That was what was important. Always. Restraint.

"Are you gonna respond or are you gonna keep ignoring me?"

Nagato came to his senses, his head turning as he saw Naruto next to him. He hadn't noticed, too engrossed in his personal dilemma.

"Naruto," he called. "I didn't notice you."

Naruto sat down next to the redhead, both Uzumaki men drenched in water.

"You were zoned out there."

"Just...thinking."

"About?"

"The village," Nagato stated. "What I can do to make it better. Protect it from the incoming threats."

"I think you've got that about covered. You have some of the most powerful shinobi in the continent here, and that's without counting yourself. You're capable of it. You'll find a way."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence."

Naruto smirked, looking at the man.

"Hey...what's your goal?"

Nagato glanced at him, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Your goal. Surely you don't just want to reunite our clan. There's got to be something else you want in life. You said you just want to protect Ame's borders...but there's more to it isn't there?"

Nagato sighed, looking at the sky.

"I suppose...I want to achieve sensei's dream. Peace in the shinobi world, not just for Ame."

"Lofty expectation there."

Nagato snorted. "And you? What do you want to do?"

Naruto frowned, looking over Amegakure. A gust of wind blew by the two, causing their hair to dance in the breeze.

"I'm not sure yet," Naruto muttered. "I'm still searching."

Nagato nodded.

"Sometimes that's what's best. Searching."

Naruto looked at him, an interested look on his face, however he didn't press the issue. The two men stared over Amegakure, watching the village rest. Rain poured down on them, but neither complained. Too much was on their minds. A peaceful silence settled. A comfortable one. It was a long time before someone broke it.

"Thank you. For letting Konohamaru live. I know that was hard for you. But...I do mean it. He...he did a horrible thing. He deserves to be punished for it. You...you gave him more than either he or I deserved."

"He...looked lost. I saw him...beat you. And yet you defended him so fiercely. That is something only love can do. It was...inspiring."

"Still...thank you. I heard from Sakura what happened to the others and..."

Naruto looked at Nagato, realizing the conflicted look that rested on the man's face.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes," Nagato stated. "Yes, I believe so."

Naruto snorted. "Please. I know that voice. You don't believe a word coming out of your mouth."

Nagato frowned, looking out over the village.

"Do you...do you ever feel like you're losing yourself?"

Naruto frowned at the sudden question, not expecting it.

"What do you mean?"

"Like...something dark was eating away at you. Something you have to hold back."

"Pretty much my life story," he stated humorlessly. "I've always been holding darkness back since the day I was born."

Nagato smirked.

"Ah yes. A rather insensitive question. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I understand how you feel. When you have power, when you have responsibility that darkness becomes ever more important to hold back. The issue is...it also becomes harder."

Nagato looked at him.

"You...how did you hold it back for so long? Especially after..."

"The Battle of Waves," Naruto questioned. "I didn't. I let the darkness win. Completely."

"Then how..."

"I was helped that day," Naruto muttered. "By my father. But I wasn't saved. I still let the darkness win. By giving up."

"By leaving Konoha."

Naruto nodded.

"Like it or not Konohamaru's right. Me leaving hurt the village. It hurt the people in the village that I care about. It led to them hunting me. It led to Ashino getting kidnapped."

"That was their decision. Not yours."

"Maybe so. But I can't deny my responsibility in it either. I ran because I felt like I couldn't protect anything anymore. I felt too weak after letting the darkness win. I can't let that happen again. I refuse to."

Naruto looked at Nagato.

"You saved me. You, and Fuka, and Karin, and Kamino, and Ashino. You brought me out of that darkness. And I can't risk losing you all. So, I'll get stronger. Strong enough to protect you all from the darkness. That's why..."

Naruto looked up at Nagato, determination filling his eyes.

"Train me," Naruto stated with finality. "I need to be stronger Nagato. And you are stronger than me. Make me strong enough where I can protect my precious people."

Nagato smiled, looking at his cousin.

"No," he stated. Naruto's eyes widened.

"What?"

Nagato reached out a hand, a smile on his face.

"Let's train each other. You have faced the darkness. I have the strength to help you hold it back. We teach each other. So, both of us can protect what we care about."

Naruto smiled at the offer. Rain poured down on the two Uzumaki men. Slowly Naruto reached out his hand and clasped Nagato's. It was a bond. A bond that sealed the fate of two men forever.

"Tomorrow," they both stated.

"Tomorrow, we push forwards, together."