Naruto: Kōkai

by Ken Miyamoto

After the failure of the Sasuke Retrieval Mission the Council of the Hidden Leaf decides to punish Naruto with banishment from the village forcing the hand of Tsunade. Now alone and no longer a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Naruto decides to take his newfound life into his own hands. Follow Naruto Uzumaki as he tries to find his place in the ninja world.

44. Chapter 44

Yo, it's Ken.

Another chapter comes down the line as we continue to approach the moment, I've been waiting for a pretty long time. This chapter was just... wow. I'll let you guys read it, but I enjoyed this one.

Let's get to reviews!

Alexander4443: Thank bro! Thank you again for reading and I'll see you in the next one!

thor94: I wouldn't say I enjoy watching Naruto suffer but for the sake of development I do what I must as a writer. As for what that's going to mean for Naruto moving forward, you'll just have to see but I promise it'll be worth it. Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next one!

TheAlienHeart: That was the goal so thank you haha. The Bandit King coming back was something I had in mind for a little while, but I get how you feel. You'll have to just see his fate as we continue to move forward. Thank you again and I hope to see you in the next one!

Dragonkeeper10: I'm glad I was able to pull off the twist, that's what I was aiming for when writing the chapter. I also got to appreciate the bonding moments in the chapter other than the big twist as I've admitted before these are my favorite parts to write. The road to Uzushio is a hard one but one that has to be traveled regardless. Thank you again for reading and I'll see you int he next one!

Insane Makaioshin: This reaction right here haha. Trust me on this one, you'll find out very soon. Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next one!

Imperial-samaB: Yeah, the ending of the chapter was pretty brutal, but it had to be for what I'm setting up. This story from the start was never going to be a standard one and a lot is going to happen in it and I'm just getting started. Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next one!

Jagsboy: Jags! I have no comment haha. I think you may know me well enough at this point to understand what I'm getting at, but you'll still have to read to find out. Thank you again for reading and I hope I see you in the next one!

LigMcGooche: Maybe you should haha. Stay tuned for more as I'm pushing forward now. Thank you again for reading and I'll see you in the next one!

Legion19: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next one!

miguel.a. : I know I know, me and my cliffhangers lol I saw from what you mentioned last time that you thought something was off so well done my friend. I'm not in the spoiling department so you'll have to read like everyone else haha, I appreciate your kind words as always. Thank you again for reading and I'll see you in the next one!

sakurahatake9: I'm glad you figured something was off that was the intention I had when I wrote it, also yeah, I know it was pretty brutal to go from the nice parts and Naruto's birthday to the chaos the chapter ended on, but I had to. You know me and my twists haha I'm glad I caught you off guard. I still have some Hidden Leaf action coming up, but you'll have to see. Also, I love Berserk, don't tempt me lol. I appreciate your kind words and don't worry I didn't forget, it's part of my homework lol Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next one!

Samuel Santillan: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! I have an explanation, but I'll get to that as we get there for now the Bandit King is back, I wanted the chapter to feel like something was off despite the nice moments before everything came crumbling down. Bee joining the Renegades in the future huh? No comment at the moment haha. Uzushio is still on the way, but this arc is wrapping up first. Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next one!

That's all for reviews as always feel free to add any questions comments or criticisms I read through all of them and will respond to as many as I can in the next chapter.

That being said writing this chapter was a doozy for me esoecially with what I've done and finally getting to ending chapters of this arc after writing it for so long has me excited but ready at the same time. It's full speed ahead and I'm looking forward to having you guys for the ride. I'm working on a bunch of stuff too, so I'll keep you all posted on that as the story continues.

Till then.

Thank you again for reading and I hope you enjoy.

-Ken

Next Time! Chapter 45: For You, My Friends

{...}

Chapter 44: Every Dog Has it's Day

The wooden floor creaked as small steps from a child's feet stepped on it, the steps were slow and hesitant. The child slowly took a breath trying to remain as quiet as he possibly could, he was walking toward something.

It was a door.

The door appeared red in the child's eyes as he looked at it, there were voices behind the door that he recognized.

"Do you hear yourself? Do you even know what you're asking me?!"

A man's voice raised in a hushed yell while the boy still stood a little way away from the door, that voice was his father.

He never heard him yell before, "Shinji… I know exactly what I'm asking you. It's cruel but we don't have any other choice." A woman's voice spoke; it was a soft voice that even now filled the boy with comfort.

"No other choice? There's always another choice! Anything but this! I can keep this up, I can keep working and pushing-"

His father was cut off by a sound the boy outside the door could only describe as a hand smacking against wood.

"Shinji, I don't want that life for either of you! It's too late for me… All continuing to work for that man is going to do is run you into the ground."

The woman spoke as the boy took another few steps toward the door, "I'd rather be run into the ground than do what you're asking me, Maki… It's like… It's like I'm giving up…" the father's voice spoke with a crack of vulnerability that made the boy outside stop in his tracks.

"Don't look at it like that… I want you to think about what's best for yourself…"

The woman trailed off as the boy stood outside the door frozen, no matter what he did for some reason he couldn't bring himself to turn the door handle and open it up. He wanted to see his parents, but he just couldn't find it in himself to open the door.

It was because he didn't want to open it.

"What's best for Boro."

…

"We've made a good amount of distance; Haruka needs to rest."

Yugito spoke as Boro broke from his stupor, "How in the hell is that bastard still alive?! I thought you said he was dead?" Tayuya raised her voice as Tsubasa clenched his hand into a fist.

"I watched it happen right in front of me! He shouldn't have taken a blow like that and lived!"

Tsubasa raised his voice back while Tayuya growled, "Well low and fucking behold. The bastard came walking back from the dead and just raided us. Now we're being hunted." the reddish haired girl said as Fu shook her head.

"Guys, please. We can't fight like this. You remember that this guy was super tough. Yelling at each other isn't going to change anything."

Fu said while Tayuya ran a hand over her face, "We're out in the middle of the wilderness, who knows where our enemy is located at the moment, and we don't have a plan." the girl said as Yugito gave her a look.

"Tayuya, I know how things look at the moment but acting like this is playing into his hand. He wants us to disintegrate so he can take advantage of us. We can't falter; we were caught off guard, but we need to stay composed."

Yugito said as Naruto a short way away could only look at Haruka as the girl had frozen over, all she could do was clutch onto the blonde like he was the lone raft in a massive ocean. Seeing him again like that so suddenly was a lot of the girl to handle.

"We do have a plan."

Naruto said, gaining the attention of the group, "What did you have in mind?" Tsubasa asked while the teen boy at the front pointed ahead.

"We still head toward Uzushiogakure."

Naruto said, causing the group to look at him in surprise, "We're still going to Uzushio? We're being followed though, isn't that risky?" Fu asked while the boy nodded.

"I know only two things; Haruka needs a place we can keep her safe and we need to lead the Bandit King out of the Land of Lightning. We can get to a place where we can cut him off from any other resources and keep Haruka out of harm's way until we finish what we started."

Naruto explained while Tayuya took a deep breath, "The odds of that working out being tailed the way we are low. How long do you think Haruka has before she pops now that we can add stress to her pregnancy?" the girl said as Yugito nodded.

"I understand your strategy, but Tayuya has a point. If Haruka goes into labor at any point, it's a massive risk, we don't have time to just travel while keeping that in mind."

Yugito said while Boro watched as the group began to clamour amongst themselves, the brown-haired boy had a quick visage of the door with his parents arguing behind it again before he suddenly clapped his hands together gaining everyone's attention.

"So, next stop. Uzushiogakure! Sounds good to me, Naruto."

Boro suddenly said, causing the group to look toward him, "Are you hearing yourself? I bet you weren't listening to a damn word we just said. It's too risky. We're working with a ticking clock and no guarantees." Tayuya said while the boy pointed a finger at her.

"You always were one of little faith, Lady Cripple. I would have figured you of all people would be the last to doubt, Naruto. Not only that… Aren't all of you doubting Haruka? Hell, even yourselves?"

Boro said while Naruto looked at him, "Yeah, Bandit King's not dead and he's back for revenge. Yeah, the asshole burned down our house and is hunting us. Why in the hell are we allowing those things to blind us from everything we've already done? Yeah, we made memories there but let's be honest, we spent more time on the road then in a home. What did we really lose?" the brown-haired boy explained as he walked toward Haruka.

"We got supplies, we got a destination, and we have each other. Sounds pretty damn foolproof to me. I know we'll kill the bastard again if he even dares to get close to Haruka. So why waste time talking about risks? Aren't we free to do whatever we want?"

Boro continued as Naruto's eyes widened at his words, "Hey… Come on. Let's find you somewhere to sit, okay?" the brown-haired boy said to Haruka gently as her eyes slowly looked into his calm looking ones.

"Don't let that guy shake you up. You're stronger now. Way stronger than him. Tell the big guy waiting to pop out into the world to wait a little longer. We got a warm bed and four walls for him to scream into when he gets here alright?"

Boro said, trying to comfort the girl he took into his arms, "...I'm sorry." Haruka apologized as the boy just smile in response.

"For what? Oi, Naruto. Map says there's a town up ahead, let's get a few breaths and dash. I'm following you, bro. Ends of the earth or not."

Boro said, causing Naruto to look at Boro for a moment before he nodded his head before turning back toward the rest of the Renegades.

"Boro's right. We're all still here, still breathing. That's a win in my book. We'll make it through this, and we'll win, but we can't give up."

Naruto said as Tayuya huffed, "No one said anything about giving up. I'm just pissed. That guy just walks all over people's shit. Just wait until we get him in place, hell won't even take him." the girl said while Fu allowed a smile to grow on her face.

"Yeah! We still got this! We're the greatest team in the world, I wanna go to the beach and hold the baby! As long as those goals are on my mind then screw the Bandit King!"

Fu exclaimed as Yugito couldn't help the smile growing on her face, "Even in the face of insurmountable odds, you all still manage to shine bright. Then forward we'll continue." the woman said while Tsubasa was silent looking toward all of them.

"Everyone… I-"

Tsubasa was cut off by Fu suddenly grabbing his arm, "No time to brood! You start beating yourself up, I'll give you hell." the girl said before she grinned at him. Tsubasa found himself disarmed by her before he allowed her to drag him toward the village.

"Boro. Thanks for that back there."

Naruto said while the brown-haired teen smiled at the blond before huffing, "I didn't do anything. We're free now, right? This kinda comes with it. I just wanted to knock that into our heads again. Also, I've got a beautiful woman in my arms, I'm pretty much unstoppable." Boro said while the blonde laughed at his antics.

"Yeah, we've got this."

{...}

"I hope you find peace, Sasuke."

Naruto's voice echoed in the black-haired teen's head as he still imagined himself in that same place, that field of grass. The same idiot that could never manage to catch up to him no matter how much effort he put in that occasionally grazed him.

Had become a ninja who bested him.

A ninja powerful enough to have to hold back a little in order not to kill him.

How?

What was it that made Naruto grow so much stronger so quickly, he was leagues beyond the ninja he was at the Final Valley. He had closed that gap and surpassed him in the time since then, yet only a single question lingered in his mind.

How?

Sasuke had continued his training under Orochimaru, he had honed his Chidori to the point he had created multiple different techniques from the jutsu, his Sharingan was sharper than ever, he even had the curse mark as a back-up.

Naruto had pushed past all of those things.

He was exiled from the Hidden Leaf; he had no teachers and no support system at all, and he still managed to become so much stronger.

Was whatever he went through more substantial than his own burning desire for vengeance?

He just didn't know, but he had to find out what happened. If he wanted to stand any chance against Itachi, he had to know what Naruto did.

So, he would find him.

"Sasuke…"

The voice of Karin called for him laced with a mixture of worry and a hint of exhaustion as they continued walking forward. That day Sasuke had lost against Naruto was 2 months ago, they had been on his trail ever since.

Well, trail was a strong word. Karin was still capable of tracking Naruto down via his chakra signature and when tracking his chakra failed, they would switch to tracking Orochimaru's because of Tayuya.

That led them all the way to the Land of Lightning still continuing to follow after Naruto, there were clearly a few run-ins with enemies he seemed to have made along the way.

He was now known as the Blue-Eyed Demon that rebelled against the King of Bandits, they said but that didn't matter to Sasuke. All he wanted was to find Naruto, anything else was an obstacle to be removed.

"Sasuke."

Karin said as the black-haired teen finally stopped walking to look back toward the girl, "Karin. We're close right? You said earlier we were practically on top of him when we were approaching the smoke, it's white now meaning the fire is dead. The more time we waste the easier it is to lose him." Sasuke spoke while Karin sighed.

"I know it's just… You don't plan on fighting him again, do you?"

Karin asked in a tone different from her usual one, making Sasuke raise an eyebrow at her, "Why does it matter? I already told you I would do whatever it takes to get my revenge, Karin." The teen said as the girl looked toward him.

"We haven't reported anything to Orochimaru… It's been a while since we left. Who knows what that means for us when we get back."

Karin spoke while Sasuke scoffed, "I could care less for what that bastard thinks, he won't do anything. Not in that state, especially not when he needs my body." The teen said while the girl looked off to the side.

"Sasuke, Naruto, he beat you last time… He could have killed you but didn't and obviously he's really skilled. What if… What if finding him doesn't lead to anything?"

The girl said as Sasuke glared darkly at her, "You're lying. That's not what you're concerned about at all… You've been off the minute you learned he was an Uzumaki too. I could tell, you're worried about soiling any potential bonds you could make over the pieces of your dead clan." The black-haired teen said sharply as Karin looked away.

"No… That's not… Just listen to me, we're far from base. I'm not sure how many more times I can heal you if we don't have a chance to rest properly. Naruto he's… He's moved on, hasn't he?"

Karin spoke, causing Sasuke to freeze up as he remembered the last look Naruto gave him from on top of his horse before he left him behind in that field.

"We need to find him, Karin. I won't rest until I do, whether it's with you or without you."

Sasuke said as he turned around leaving Karin to stare at him, "Sasuke…" the girl said as he walked forward.

"I'm not hearing anymore of your excuses, Karin. I don't care if you think this is pointless and I especially don't care that you care that he's an Uzumaki. We're finding him and that's final."

The teen remained steadfast in his words as Karin suddenly came to a stop, Sasuke paused looking back toward her as she stared at the ground.

Sasuke was about to speak but he felt a hand smack him across his face, "Quit talking like that! Just an Uzumaki?! I'm sure you don't understand considering all the Uchiha other than your stupid brother is in the ground but everyone else other than myself have been dead for a long time! This guy could be my only family left! Excuse me for not having my head in my ass and feeling some kind of way knowing I'm not alone anymore!" Karin's words spilled out of her mouth before she realized what she just did.

The black-haired teen stared at her as she apologetically looked at him, "Sasuke, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to say that… It's just-" the girl was cut off by her red eyes taking a look at his oddly even expression.

"That's enough, Karin… I get it."

Sasuke said as he went back to walking, "Sasuke." The girl said as the teen kept his eyes forward allowing the blond to come to mind.

He was always alone.

When they passed by each other at the docks, when he passed by the playground, when he walked past that dingy apartment he called home.

Naruto was barely seen with anyone.

Once upon a time Sasuke too found himself curious about the Uzumaki clan and why he hadn't heard of them. At first, he thought they were some backwater clans forgotten by time until he was able to do research at Orochimaru's base.

They were a prominent and extremely powerful clan that most of the world feared, so much so that the world's nations not aligned to them staged an effort to eliminate them completely.

For the most part. They were successful, pure blooded Uzumaki were basically impossible to find while halfblooded were rare altogether.

In large mountains of dirt, what was left of the Uzumaki clan were tiny diamonds within it.

No parents, no siblings, no family.

No one to lose, no one to gain.

That was the only advantage he was supposed to have over him, Naruto didn't lose what he had. However, he underestimated the lengths he would go to protect what he could gain, then all the sudden Karin lays her eyes on him.

Both of them from a clan long considered dead with their only immediate families respectively gone, he didn't want to but deep down.

He knew why Karin felt so strongly toward him.

Would he feel the same way if all the sudden there was another Uchiha still out there? One that wasn't slaughtered by his brother?

"...Don't let his demeanor back when we were fighting throw you off."

Sasuke spoke as Karin gave him a confused look as the teen continued to speak, "Normally, he's a big idiot. Foolish but he has a big heart, it's annoying thinking about how far he would go for the people who he cared about." the young man said as he allowed a small glance toward her over his shoulder.

"I'm sure, if he had known about you before I brought you to him on this mission. He would have torn apart that entire prison just to get to you. That's the kind of guy is."

Sasuke said before turning around toward the front, Karin meanwhile had an astonished look on her face at him.

While she was used to and, in some way, preferred his dark and brooding self, he unexpectedly had a rare vulnerability that would peek through the curtain and reveal itself.

The pain he carries around with him must be immense if he has to push those things away to achieve his goals.

Karin looked at his back as she walked behind him, "You really think that? He'd really tear up that dark place just for me?" The girl asked while Sasuke didn't look back.

"Without a doubt… He's annoying like that."

The teen spoke as Karin felt a smile creep onto her features before she suddenly shook her head, "Don't get me wrong though! It's just nice having a family I can meet; I'm still Team Sasuke all the way. My eyes won't start swaying toward another man!" the girl added while Sasuke sighed.

"You don't need to clarify, Karin. I don't care. I don't even know what you're talking about. Stay focused."

The black-haired teen said while Karin swooned at the boy's cold response, grinning widely at, "You're so cool, Sasuke!" Karin cooed as the black-haired teen almost rolled his eyes.

"I said focus, you never know what we could run into out here."

Sasuke said as Karin's hand suddenly grabbed him stopping him from taking a step forward, "Stop right here!" The girl said while the teen gave her a look before he scanned the area.

"Karin, what are you seeing?"

Sasuke asked while the girl looked around, "The chakra around here is weird. It's sporadic, it's pretty much covering a large majority of the forest." Karin assessed while the young man looked around.

"It's most likely more of that king's people. I'll deal with it."

The teen said as Karin shook her head, "That's the thing, these chakra signatures aren't people." The girl said as Sasuke raised an eyebrow before he heard the sound of a click.

The teen reacted fast as an explosion suddenly shook the ground around them, Sasuke landed further in the forest as suddenly from the trees puffs of smoke released weapons toward them.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan quickly, avoiding the series of spears from hitting himself or Karin before he dropped her off nearby.

Karin rolled as she spotted a rapidly incoming chakra signature that only got bigger, "Sasuke!" The girl yelled as the teen pulled out his sword blocking two blades.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he caught sight of his attacker, at this point it had been over a year since he left the Final Valley to go to Orochimaru. But Sasuke knew a blast from the past when he saw one.

"You…"

Sasuke said as the brown eyes of Tenten glared directly into his, after that time had passed it seemed like everyone grew.

But they didn't forget.

Tenten's eyes spelled out everything that didn't directly come out of her mouth herself as she stared into the Sharingan.

She was here and from the look in her eyes, Sasuke had hell to pay.

{...}

Tenten's glare was as sharp as a blade as Sasuke pushed her backward away from him, "Where is he?" The girl asked while Sasuke huffed.

"You ask me that, like I owe you a thing. Get out of my way, you and I both know you're a waste of my time and energy."

The black-haired teen said as Tenten kept her eyes on him, "I'm not going to ask again, Sasuke. He's been gone for a long time and it's your fault." The girl spoke with a bite in her voice as Karin looked between them.

"If you're really that eager to die, I'll oblige you. If you want to live this is your last chance, walk away. Give up on him. He's already outgrown you failures anyway."

The teen said as Tenten scoffed, "What was I expecting… I guess deep down you gave me the answer I really wanted. You hurt Naruto and abandoned him before everyone else did. For that, I'll make you regret it." The girl said as Sasuke pointed his sword at her.

"Don't make this a complete waste of time."

Sasuke said while Karin looked in between him and the girl who pulled a smaller scroll from her pouch.

He didn't have time for this, the last thing Sasuke needed was something distracting him from Naruto's current trail.

This shouldn't take long thou-

Sasuke immediately reacted to a heavy impact of a large, curved sword, Tenten planted her foot pivoting off of it slamming another attack against Sasuke's blade. The black-haired teen was almost knocked off of his feet from the impact, the teen flipped over another slash from the curved sword as he twisted, kicking her backward.

Tenten recovered landing on her feet, she spun the blade before allowing the back of it to settle on her shoulders.

Her brown eyes glared as Sasuke readied his sword, he dashed quickly attacking the girl as she deflected his strikes with her Daoda. Tenten leaned past a thrust of his sword reaching out and grabbing his collar, the girl then leaned backward throwing Sasuke into the air.

The black-haired teen spun before he quickly deflected the spinning sword that was thrown at him, the blade shifted in midair staring toward him again as he continued to deflect the strikes.

Tenten meanwhile ran on the ground weaving her hand through the air to manipulate the thread she had on the blade.

Sasuke noticed the thread quickly cutting it before he kicked the sword at her, Tenten snatched the blade out of the air redirecting it into the ground before she took a heavy kick. The girl slid backward as Sasuke attacked her aggressively, Tenten kept her guard up as the black-haired teen pushed against her.

Sasuke slashed his sword at her before she flipped, kicking his blade upward as a click was heard, the teen reacted immediately leaning backward avoiding the spears that shot out of the ground.

Tenten grabbed one of the spears spinning it before she launched herself at Sasuke, she swung the spear keeping him at a distance while attacking.

His eyes were still easily able to keep up with her movements as he defended against the weapon, Sasuke slashed forward but his blade was caught on one of the blades of the spear.

Tenten tugged the teen toward her attempting to kick him as the spear broke apart in her hands, Sasuke avoided the kick landing a little further away. "I can already see it, your Bukijutsu would be impressive to any other low ranked scum, but you won't last much longer than this." The teen said as Tenten tossed away her broken spear pulling out another scroll, a bo staff was summoned from it as she spun it.

"Fine then, let's kick it up a notch."

Tenten spoke while Sasuke almost audibly scoffed at the girl, once upon a time when the Chunin Exams had come around she was originally somewhat of a threat.

However, when she was easily bested by Temari that threat went out of the window, she was a third-rate shinobi at best.

He was leagues above her.

Sasuke suddenly blocked a strike from her staff as she spun it aggressively before continuing to attack him with it. Tenten kept her glare on him as she attacked, her staff slid off of Sasuke's blade as he slashed toward her neck.

Sasuke watched as Tenten leaned, dodging the blade as she slammed her staff on the ground and pointed it at him.

Tenten's staff suddenly extended shooting toward Sasuke extremely quickly as he deflected the staff, the girl swept Sasuke's feet. Sending him off balance as she swung the staff downward.

Sasuke deflected the staff as suddenly he was on the back foot, Tenten's movements suddenly changed completely.

'She's switching styles rapidly.'

Sasuke continued to track the multiple movements of the girl as she struck toward him with the staff, he could tell she was trying to take advantage of her movements to counter his Sharingan.

It wouldn't work.

Sasuke lifted his sword covering his back as Tenten's staff landed on it, the black-haired teen then cut the staff in half. He thrusted his blade toward her only for the two pieces of the staff to fly by him, his eyes landing on the pieces where he noticed the bomb tags on them.

The teen quickly tried to knock away the pieces, but he was kicked across the face by Tenten who tugged the pieces back toward him where they exploded.

"She got a hit off on Sasuke?"

Karin said while Tenten landed another scroll already in her hand as Sasuke glared toward her, "Don't let that little kick make you cocky." He spoke while the girl summoned two sai.

"Don't worry I won't."

The girl said dashing toward him with her weapons as she began to rapidly thrust at him, the weapons spun in her hands as she switched between defending and attacking.

Sasuke continued to slash his sword at her as his eyes narrowed at her, he spun slashing at her before she caught the sword in the sai. Tenten twisted the blade twisting the black-haired teen's grip on it as she tugged him toward herself. Sasuke tried to elbow her, but the girl rolled him over her back.

Sasuke was back in the air as Tenten lifted her hands, the teen felt something tighten around him before he was suddenly pulled down into a tree. 'She applied a thread while throwing me?' Sasuke then tried to get out of the thread, but Tenten pulled him back toward her attacking him with her sai as he was forced to defend.

Tenten struck at him a few more times before she flipped over a slash pulling him into a kick to his face, she then wrapped the thread around her leg stomping downward slamming Sasuke's face into the dirt.

Sasuke growled getting up only to be tugged backward, the thread was wrapped around a tree trapping the teen against it. He heard the familiar sizzling of another paper bomb that had exploded as Tenten readied her sai, Sasuke came out of the smoke with a vengeance.

He slashed toward her aggressively, Tenten blocked the slashes until one of her sai broke. She took a kick to her gut before she was knocked backward. Sasuke stabbed downward toward her, but she trapped his blade in her one sai, she threw her other hand backward summoning another weapon.

She stabbed the dagger toward Sasuke's exposed neck as the black-haired teen pulled his blade out of her grip to deflect the blade. Sasuke's eyes widened as she turned the dagger, the back of it had deep spaces in it.

It was a dagger meant for breaking swords.

Tenten trapped his sword in the back of the dagger twisting it to apply pressure to his sword, Sasuke tried to pull his sword away but her free hand stabbed toward him with the sai.

The pair clashed weapons with Tenten using her sai and the blade breaker dagger to trap Sasuke's sword for counterattacks and Sasuke trying to weave through her defenses.

Unfortunately, Tenten would take a lot more than he originally thought. He had to take this a little more seriously.

Tenten went to block another slash from Sasuke, but the crackling of electricity caught her attention, both her sai and blade breaker were cut through by his lightning-covered sword.

Tenten narrowly avoided the slash that cut into her clothing as she kicked Sasuke backward, another scroll summoned a weapon.

"You're annoying at best. What makes you think Naruto would want anything to do with you? Clearly you'd disappoint him."

Sasuke said while Tenten slid two of her fingers over the flat surface of the blade, "He's been out here fighting all alone for all this time… Bearing so much. I don't care how much he's grown; we're bringing him home. Even through you." The girl said, holding up her katana.

"I see."

Sasuke exploding forward toward Tenten clashing metal with her, electricity sparked violently through his blade as she deflected multiple strikes from him. He pushed his blade into hers hoping to cut through it, but her sword was untouched by the electricity, Tenten pushed him off before she sheathed her blade.

Sasuke blocked several iaido slashes before Tenten began shifting forward with one foot slashing her sword even quicker. The black-haired teen felt himself losing ground as he blocked the rapid strikes, a hard clash broke Sasuke's guard as a thrust cut into his cheek.

Sasuke backslashed only for a second sword to block it, Tenten then shifted holding her two blades in a style similar to the gentle fist that the teen recognized immediately. Tenten cut through the air in a series of slashes with both of her swords, Sasuke's Sharingan kept up with her movements, but his body had a harder time.

One of her swords was negating the lightning from cutting into her blades while the other was actively speeding up her movements. Her swordplay was nothing like the Stances that Naruto used with his sword, but clearly at this rate.

Sasuke's guard broke again as a cross slash from both blades struck against his sword, Tenten glaring as she quickly moved to strike again.

He was being outmatched in Kenjutsu.

Tenten suddenly saw electricity sparking in the air violently before a wave of electricity came out from around the teen.

"Chidori Stream!"

The teen yelled causing the girl to back up as he took offense, he aggressively struck at her as she went on the defensive.

Sparks flew between them as Sasuke felt himself losing the edge in their sword duel again, Tenten was in her element and Sasuke couldn't allow that to continue. He knocked away another slash with his sword before making a knife hand, Tenten thrusted toward him.

"Chidori Spear!"

Sasuke yelled as he swiped the air, the lightning hit her blades going through them as she was grazed by the spear. Tenten backed off holding on to her side, "You still aren't done yet? This fight is over." Sasuke warned as the girl growled, summoning another weapon.

This time it was a series of four gauntlets, two on her arms and two on her legs as she adopted a tai-chi like stance.

"I already told you; I'm not going anywhere!"

The girl yelled as she went on the offensive, Sasuke thrusted toward her with his sword, but it was deflected by a long sharp blade that came out of the wrist of one of the gauntlets.

Lighting crackled to life as he spun unleashing an electrical slash, Tenten lifted her other gauntlet that spread outward into a shield that nullified the lightning. Sasuke dodged past two more jabs from the girl who bounced on her toes before switching to kicks, he deflected the kicks as she spun kicking toward him.

Sasuke's eyes widened as another long blade barely grazed past his face, the girl continued kicking at him as the blades on her legs swung in the air. Sasuke blocked the bladed kick with his sword, sparks flew off of the weapons as Tenten back flipped.

Tenten pulled out two scrolls, opening them at the time as a mass of seals were written on both of them, Sasuke prepared himself for the technique.

"Twin Rising Dragons!"

The girl yelled as weapons flew out of the scrolls launching out of them toward Sasuke, electricity sparked around the teen as he created another large stream of chakra around himself.

The lightning stopped most of the weapons while others broke through the stream, Sasuke blocked these with his sword as the weapons suddenly stopped.

He looked up, spotting Tenten swinging a large, spiked ball down on him, He thrusted his sword at it before noticing the spikes opening up. Tenten watched the ball explode violently beneath her as Karin watched Sasuke get engulfed by the large explosion.

"Sasuke!"

She yelled before covering her eyes from the dust, Tenten glared into the smoke as she spun into it with her blades.

Sparks flew in the smoke as Tenten was kicked out of it, she backflipped as lighting sparked from Sasuke's form as he continued to advance on her, now more aggressive with his attacks.

Tenten pulled out another scroll as she dodged a swing from Sasuke, the black-haired teen slashed through the scroll. A puff of smoke came out of it as he inhaled, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled as he blasted the girl with a giant ball of fire.

Flames exploded outward as Sasuke looked into them, he noticed Tenten's scrolls spinning around her protecting her from the flames. Tenten glared as she lifted the bottom half of an Oni mask, placing it on her face as Sasuke exploded forward.

Tenten summoned another weapon, this time it was a spiked mace. Their weapons clashed as Sasuke pushed, applying more pressure as the brown-haired girl was on the backfoot.

Sasuke broke her guard pointing toward her chest as his hand sparked violently, "Get out of my sight. Chidori Spear!" The teen yelled as the lightning shot toward her. Tenten instead of dodging lunged toward the lightning, the jaws of the mask on her face opened as the teeth were covered in chakra.

Sasuke's eyes widened as the teeth of the mask bit down on the lightning spear, dying sparks came out of it as it was bitten in half.

Tenten's brown eyed glare met his black eyes as she swung the mace, 'That mask nullified the technique?' Sasuke avoided the attack as the girl attacked violently.

Their weapons clashed a few times, Tenten swung in an attempt to disarm the boy as he grounded his feet. Tenten coughed as she took a punch to her gut, sparks filled the air again as Sasuke quickly released another technique.

"Chidori Stream!"

Electricity showered out around Sasuke as he noticed the girl pull one of the large scrolls off of her back.

"Rising Dragon: Tempest!"

The girl yelled as the large scroll opened up, a large blast of wind came out of it canceling out his Chidori.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he pushed back slightly from the wind, smoke came from Tenten as she now had a Jian sword in her grip. Sasuke weaved more hand seals as he narrowly avoided an elegant thrust, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" The teen yelled as the flames shot out of his mouth.

Sasuke however felt something off as Tenten kept coming at him, his eyes shot upward where he spotted another large scroll flying above his head. The scroll unraveled blasting a heavy rain of water down at him, his fireball was extinguished from the sheer amount of water that came from the scroll.

He had a look of pure shock as Tenten spun on her heel slashing toward Sasuke's neck with her sword.

"I did a lot of training… because I knew I was weak before anyone else did. There was something else that I did too… the moment I heard how the mission went down and saw how badly he was hurt then he was banished because of you. I found myself wanting to push my training even more, I specifically trained for this fight for a long time, Sasuke."

Tenten explained as Karin reached her hand out from a distance as her blade got closer to the black-haired teen's neck.

"He trusted you… you were his best friend. Then you got him, and all of my other friends hurt, I knew from the moment he was gone that I was going to make sure if we ever crossed paths that I'd make you regret it. I don't care whether or not you make it back to the Leaf. I'm getting payback and I'm bringing Naruto home, so people like you can never hurt him again."

Tenten continued as Sasuke stared at the girl almost blankly as her blade began to cut into him slightly.

"Besides… What kind of senior would I be, if I let my junior down?!"

Tenten yelled before she suddenly stopped moving, Sasuke's eyes never left hers as she suddenly coughed. The girl exploded backward crashing through a tree, Sasuke had immediately reacted with a punch into her blind spot.

The black-haired teen grimaced as black marks had crawled up his neck slightly.

How did Tenten of all people push his curse mark to activate slightly on its own?

Sasuke glared at the girl who writhed in pain on the ground as he walked toward her, "You spent a lot of chakra just for that one opening, that mask, those scrolls, you were really counting on that one moment. Frankly, I can't help but be a little refreshed. One of you actually tried to kill me for once." Sasuke spoke as Karin pumped a fist from the sidelines.

"Sasuke's so cool! I knew he'd be fine! Some random Leaf hussy doesn't have anything on him!"

Karin celebrated from behind him as Tenten groaned from Sasuke stomping his foot on her gut where he punched her.

"What was all that crap you were going on about? Hurting your friends? Naruto? I didn't take you to be the arrogant type. I'm beyond you and the rest of them, they almost died because they were weak. None of you fight for a damn thing, it's ironic being lectured about abandoning Naruto when your little party is only after him despite failing him first."

Sasuke said as he twisted his foot on her gut making her cry out in pain, "It's disappointing really." The teen said as he lifted his blade over her. The teen thrusted downward; he suddenly lifted his sword back up blocking a kick that made him slide backward.

"Great, there's more of them?!"

Karin complained as Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his attacker, another pair of black eyes stared into his while holding Tenten in his arms.

"Sasuke… I hope you understand what you've done."

Lee spoke as he glared toward Sasuke who had a bored expression on his face, "Why don't we just play it safe and say I don't? You wanna get killed too?" The teen said as Neji landed beside Lee.

"Sasuke, I'm only going to say this once. Come quietly."

Neji spoke with a glare of his own while Sasuke's eyes looked between a pissed off Neji and Lee in front of him.

"Die."

Sasuke taunted as Neji's Byakugan activated, making veins appear around his eyes, "Somehow… I wanted you to say that." The older teen spoke as Lee and Neji took stances.

Sasuke touched the marks on his neck before he pointed his sword at the two boys.

He wouldn't let anyone else waste his time.

{...}

Inside of an inn they found in the village once they arrived, Haruka rested peacefully in a bed for the room they had quickly acquired. Boro sat beside the bed like a guard dog while the rest of the Renegades met outside of the room.

"My guess is the Bandit King is also aware of this village, that being said I have no doubts he'll attack this place without mercy once he arrives here. I suggest we create a perimeter and scan the area. If we can spot them before us, we can move accordingly."

Yugito said while Tayuya nodded, "That's a good idea, the last thing that a bastard needs is any form of the element of surprise. We'll keep a wide but tight area; we need to be at Haruka's side in an instant the moment we detect anything." the girl said while Naruto nodded.

"Then we'll break off into pairs, that way we can have each other's backs."

Naruto said while Fu grabbed onto Tsubasa's arm, "I'm with Basa!" the girl exclaimed while Yugito raised her hand.

"I'm more than capable of working alone, I would prefer someone here with Haruka. That being Boro."

The blonde said as Naruto nodded, "I'm with Shithead then, we need to report to each other in 15-minute increments. That means no getting distracted, Fu. You're our main means of communication." the girl said while the green haired girl gave her a salute.

"Boro."

Naruto said while the boy nodded, "I'm not going anywhere, the minute you find those assholes ring the alarm bell. I'll make sure Haruka is all set to go." the brown-haired teen confirmed as the blonde nodded his head.

"Then, Renegades. Let's go!"

Naruto called out as the group vanished in front of Boro who watched them leave, "... Is Naruto here?" Haruka asked while the boy with her deflated slightly.

"Aw come on. I had my badass moment and you're still that guy's number one fan. What's a guy gotta do?"

Boro asked, causing Haruka to make a noise similar to a chuckle, making him smile, "I… shouldn't be laughing. I shouldn't even be smiling. Just when I thought I overcame it, it comes back to haunt me without fail. I'm death and I'm going to get all of you killed." the girl said as two fingers suddenly wrapped around two of hers.

"Nonsense, I just took a nice deep breath of air. That means I'm alive, you're also on a team with three people that have actual demons inside of them, one of the formerly self-mutilating and healing it back to to prove a point. A guy whose revenge literally will continue burning no matter what. And me the charming rogue with two axes and something to lose."

Boro explained as Haruka looked at him, "That doesn't guarantee anything… The Bandit King still came back. Now he's after all of you…" the girl said as Boro blinked at her.

"You know… I don't swing that way and all, but the Bandit King was a pretty handsome guy, wasn't he?"

Boro asked while Haruka had a look that could only be described as sheer confusion as the brown-haired boy began to laugh, "Yeah, he was tall, super muscular, good hair… Imagine how pissed he must be right now." the boy said as the girl watched him smirk.

"Under those bandages he probably looks so fucked up. I can't imagine all the nasty scars we left on him; we took his perfection and grinded it up. Now he's crawled out a quarter of the man he was. We can take lady killer off of his rap sheet."

Boro joked making Haruka snicker before she slapped his arm, "I'm trying to be serious, Boro." the girl said as the boy shook his head.

"No, you're trying to take blame. I won't let you revert back into that person; you've made leaps and bounds of progress while he was alive. You're still strong, Haruka. Even stronger than before. So, if you wanna cry remember to laugh too."

Boro said while Haruka stared at him, "How? How do you even do that? The man who hurt everyone is back, he destroyed the place we called home. Now he's after us, after me." the girl said as the boy nodded.

"I don't talk about my parents often… but my mom, she was really sick. That lady was the strongest person in the world to me because despite that she still smiled and did her best to live. I guess I'm stealing a page from her book. Also, a page from Naruto's book, that guy is hope incarnate. It's hard not to."

Boro said while Haruka nodded her head, "What were your parents like?" the girl asked as the boy turned to look her in the eyes.

"...My father, he was a quiet guy. He was the keep your head down and work hard kind of fellow, but he loved my mother… and he loved me. My mother on the other hand was like a wildflower in the wind. She was kind, gentle, and rowdy."

Boro said while Haruka cracked a small smile at this, "Seriously, she was such a tomboy even being a grown woman. She'd play with me in the grass, encourage me in fights, and spoke like a sailor with a gentle voice. She was so weird, but I found her precious." the boy said as Haruka watched him look toward the door.

"My world ended that day. When my father killed her, when I killed him. I died that day, right along with them. Only difference was that my corpse could still move."

Boro said while Haruka closed her eyes, "I'm so sorry Boro." the girl said while the teen exhaled out of his nose slowly.

"Don't be. It was my fault. It was all because of me. That's how I lived until I met you guys. Somehow you took this dead body of a guy and… made him wanna get up for something."

Boro said as Haruka watched him silently, "I used to hate him, my father… but after everything with you guys. I guess now I want to understand why he did it… I think I'm getting close but it's like a door I don't want to open. Because I'm afraid of what's behind it. You helped me make me strong enough to do that you know." the boy said as the girl opened her eyes to look at him.

"How?"

The girl asked while Boro pointed upward, "First, when you screamed at the top of lungs at Chomei's place and ran your pregnant self with a blade and freed us. That was badass. But most importantly, when you were washing dishes. It was you who said we judged ourselves with the titles we gave ourselves. I'm keeping my promise." the teen said as the honey-eyed girl sighed.

"It's just so much, it feels like it's going to pull me down and crush me underneath it."

Haruka said while Boro put his arms on the bed and rested his head on top of them, "Remember, he's coming after us as a loser. Sometimes even when you are strong things feel heavy, but don't forget you can carry that weight. You have a reason why and we're here to help you do it. So, fight and we'll be there." the boy said as Haruka looked into his yellow eyes.

"Really, you really believe that?"

The girl asked him as Boro nodded his head, "No matter what, lady. Your baby boy, he's going to have the best mom in the world waiting for him. Hell, itself could be waiting for me outside these doors and I'd still fight so you can meet him." the teen said, causing the girl to relax.

She slowly shut her eyes but stopped as she held a handout toward Boro, "It's still a little heavy… Hold this for me? Just for a little while?" Haruka asked as the brown-haired boy smiled gently, taking her smaller hand into his own.

"I'd do it forever if you'd let me."

Boro said, making Haruka laugh as she drifted back to sleep, the brown-haired boy held her hand as she did gently.

With no intentions of letting go anytime soon.

{...}

Fu had her hands on the back of her head looking around while Tsubasa walked beside her, they watched as villagers went on about their business as they moved forward in their surveillance.

"Hey 'Basa… You, ok?"

Fu asked while Tsubasa slowly turned toward the girl, "I don't know… it makes me think back to how I felt before. I can't help but feel like the way I talked about it brought this on." the smoky haired teen said while the girl slapped his arm.

"You're still doing it. You had no idea this stuff was happening or that he was still alive so you can't blame yourself."

Fu said as Tsubasa nodded his head, "He had all those ninjas with him, his influence ran deeper than we thought. It looks like he's pulled from all of his resources just to hunt us down." the boy said causing the green haired girl to stroke her chin in thought.

"So… Why don't we just come up with a plan to beat him again?"

Fu asked making Tsubasa look back toward her, "Fu… Fighting him again is going to be different with Haruka caught in the middle." the boy said while the girl shook her head.

"I mean after we find her a safe place, we beat him once. Don't we kinda have the advantage in this situation?"

Fu deduced while Tsubasa raised an eyebrow, "How so? We're on the backfoot and on the run? If anything, we have anything but the advantage." the teen said while the girl smirked.

"Exactly, if I tune my brain to Naruto mode then I can make up cool plans in my head! Last time he had the advantage on his home turf but now he's out in the open. I can't imagine controlling a small army would be easy in an open field. We can divide and conquer; we'll have one of us secure Haruka. While the others deal with the numbers, meanwhile you and Naruto can finish what you started with the Bandit King. The guy's injured so he should be easier to deal with this time."

Fu excitedly planned making Tsubasa raise a curious eyebrow at her before a chuckle came out of his mouth, "How do you know that would even work?" the teen asked entertaining her statement.

"Because it's us, the good guys always win."

Fu said while Tsubasa gave her an indescribable look, "Fu… I hope you never change. Thank you." the teen said while the girl playfully nudged him.

"I promised you, didn't I? I'm ready for a vacation with you."

Fu said while Tsubasa smiled at her, the pair went back to walking all the while several figures began to gather behind the two teens.

Meanwhile Yugito was suspicious, the odds of finding a village that the enemy hasn't already mapped out was extremely low. That meant that there had to be something that they were missing.

Call it paranoia, but she couldn't take a chance with so much to lose.

Yugito quickly bounded from roof to roof, her eyes expertly scanning her surroundings as she went. Everything looked normal on paper, the people seemed undeterred by anything going on. No one looked like they were trying to act normal.

Yet this only made her more suspicious about everything.

They were completely caught off guard with the last attack, Yugito refused to just leave it so that could happen again. Anything she could find; she would look into.

Anything to make sure they were all safe.

Yugito landed in an alley, "I smell something strange." Matatabi growled in her mind while the blonde woman walked forward.

"What is it?"

Yugito asked before she closed her eyes, smelling the air herself, the woman utilized her senses to locate what the tailed beast would be referring to. Her hearing sharpened as she listened in the empty alley trying to catch even the smallest noises.

Her skin detecting the smallest changes in air pressure, anything she could utilize to find something off she would do her best to find it.

Then she heard it.

Yugito's eyes snapped open as she looked toward the back wall of the alley, "Have you located it?" the tailed beast asked as Yugito silently walked toward the wall slowly. The woman continued to walk to the wall with a kunai in her hands.

Yugito stuck her hand out first, touching the wall, "The strange scent has gotten stronger, it's almost like it's supposed to be masking something." Matatabi said while Yugito tapped on the wall.

"It's hollow?"

Yugito asked before she took a step back, she kicked her leg into the wall. It smashed through it before her foot dented the iron door behind it, Yugito slowly pulled her leg back as the rest of the wall fell apart.

"I'm opening it."

Yugito said while one of her eyes turned completely blue, "Yugito. Don't be a fool, girl. Don't you find it odd how easily this was found? Clearly this is a trap. Leave and inform the others." Matatabi spoke through the woman's body as she shut that eye closed.

"I understand the concern but something's off… If this was a trap, then why would they go into the trouble of concealing it like this? No, something was actively being hidden behind here. Something they wanted to be found."

The woman said as she steeled herself taking a quick breath before opening the door, she immediately looked into it with shock as the contents inside the room were revealed to her.

Naruto and Tayuya meanwhile were observing from the rooftops on the other side of the perimeter they made, the reddish haired girl noticed the boy's expression as they were looking around. "Shithead, being down about us getting caught off guard isn't helping." the girl lightly chided while the blonde gave her a look.

"It's not just that… Tayuya. You were almost killed, not to mention Haruka and Yugito. There was way too much time between when you needed us and when we got there. Also, when everyone was freaking out, the one who got everyone to calm down was Boro. I'm grateful but I got us into this mess so I should have-"

The boy was suddenly caught off by a hand landing on his shoulder, "You're so bad at this whole friend's thing, Shithead. You can't keep ignoring that you're a part of all of this stuff too. You also lost that house, I'm sure you were also a little scared. We have each other's backs. Yours too." the girl said while the blonde sighed.

"Everyone is depending on me. I promised that they could all live as they wished and what are the consequences to that? I have to make good on the promises I make otherwise people just get hurt for nothing."

The boy said while Tayuya tugged his face toward hers, "Listen. I'm really damn tired of how much you're letting this fucker get underneath your skin. Naruto, you may act like some kind of leader for this group, but we aren't just ninjas. We're people and part of that is thanks to you. We are living freely, but some pieces of shit won't let us do it easily. That's all this is." the girl said, causing Naruto to keep his gaze into her eyes.

"I just don't want you guys to get hurt."

Naruto said while Tayuya gave him a rare gentle look, "So don't want you to get hurt either, so share the damn load. You aren't alone anymore." the girl said before she let Naruto go.

"I hear you, Tayuya."

Naruto said while the girl huffed, "...Sorry that this piece of shit ruined your birthday." the girl said while the blonde shook his head.

"You can't apologize for that, like you said some people just won't let us live freely. Besides it's just the way that is I guess."

Naruto said while Tayuya exhaled out of her nose, "I was planning to throw you some super corny surprise party…" the girl confessed as the boy chuckled a little.

"Seriously?"

Naruto asked while Tayuya nodded, "Oh yeah, I didn't have the best frame of reference considering our household is filled with tragic backstories, but Haruka was helping me and stuff. I wanted it to be special." the girl said as the boy watched her hair sway gently in the wind.

"You really didn't have to."

Naruto said as the girl scoffed, "Shut up, I wanted to. You can't downplay yourself now. I wanted you to have a birthday that would make up for all the shitty ones because you deserve that. Then this fucker came back from the dead and ruined my plans, so I call last hit to kill him." Tayuya said, causing Naruto to laugh a little.

"You know you have competition, right? Tsubasa is going to be pretty eager for that himself."

Naruto joked while Tayuya rolled her eyes, "He owes me anyway for giving him advice, he'll get over it. Revenge is overrated anyway, right?" the girl joked as the boy nodded his head.

"Yeah, with Fu, right? Anyone could see that from a mile away. It's cute though."

Naruto said, making Tayuya playfully glare at him, "So you noticed that, but you don't notice Haruka buzzing all over you?" the girl mentioned making the blonde laugh and shake his head.

"Tayuya, that's completely different! Like I said, love stuff is kinda complicated for me right now."

Naruto said as Tayuya rolled her eyes again, "You better tell her soon, otherwise you're going to end up the father to-be to her kid and you'll be playing house." the girl teased while the boy smiled.

"Thanks, Tayuya."

Naruto said while the girl stared at him for a few moments before she stepped closer to him pushing her arm against his, "You're stuck with me remember? Even if it's through the heavens or hell I'd much rather deal with you when you're grinning like an idiot then sulking. Basically, you're welcome." she spoke while the blond nodded his head.

"We are so distracted right now."

Naruto laughed while Tayuya shook her head, "Nope, I'm razor focused. I've been focused on our surroundings for a while watching these people the whole tim-" her sentence suddenly died in her mouth causing the blonde to raise an eyebrow.

"Tayuya?"

Naruto asked as the girl looked around their surroundings once more before they both jumped down from the rooftop to the ground, "Naruto… Do you hear that?" the girl asked while the blond looked around. He wasn't able to hear a thing.

"No, what is it?"

Naruto asked as Tayuya blinked, "This is a village filled with people, right? One that should have been ahead of that bastard and his men?" the girl asked as the blonde nodded slowly.

"Yeah, it is…"

Naruto trailed off as Tayuya gave him a look, the concern in her brown eyes was clear to him. "Then… Why haven't I heard a single kid this entire time?" the girl asked, causing Naruto's eyes to widen slowly as all the people walking around them suddenly stopped.

"Naruto!"

A yell buzzing in his ear from Yugito using Fu's transmission made him touch it, "The village! The village is the trap! These people… they aren't villagers!" the woman yelled as she stood in front of the iron door.

Inside were a large group of people that were tied up and gagged.

Naruto's eyes shot toward the building where Haruka and Boro were in as the top floor suddenly exploded violently. "Shithead!" Tayuya yelled as he turned glaring furiously at the people now geared up to attack them.

"Damn it!"

The entire village had been set up for the Renegades to run into from the start, they were already waiting here for them.

But going without a fight wasn't an option.

{...}

Yugito left blue flames in her wake as she sprinted through the streets, she cut down any and all of the Bandit King's men in her way.

"Come on!"

Yugito yelled over her shoulder to the large group of villagers from the room, they ran behind her as the gleam from her blue eyes flared. Two ninja suddenly busted from walls of the buildings around the blonde and the villagers, Yugito quickly twisted blasting blue flaming mice toward them.

Smoke exploded over the villagers; the ninja cut through the smoke only to be met by a glare before a large blast of blue flames engulfed them.

"We need to keep moving!"

Yugito yelled while picking up one of the villagers that fell over in the chaos, they were coming from everywhere which means everyone else was in danger as well.

She had to hurry.

Meanwhile Tsubasa noticed quick movement out the corner of his eye, he was quick to draw his blade deflecting a slash toward the back of Fu's head. The green haired girl's eyes widened as she quickly grabbed Tsubasa's hands flying into the air while holding him.

"An ambush?"

Fu asked while the interference from her combination buzzed in her ear, "It's from Yugito… the village itself was a trap?" Tsubasa asked as a burning tag flew toward them.

"Fu!"

Tsubasa yelled as the explosion separated them, the smoky haired teen smashed through a window into a building. He quickly recovered as several ninja followed him inside, Tsubasa's fiery eyes flared as they rushed toward him.

Tsubasa kicked the table in front of him into one of the ninjas before clashing his blade with another one, a third tried to attack him from behind. The teen caught his arm twisting it before kicking the other ninja backward into the wall, his blade spun in his hand before he cut off the ninja's arm.

The man screamed as Tsubasa cloaked him in flames, he turned back toward the other one deflecting multiple strikes before landing a hard punch to his chest.

Tsubasa then spun, kicking the ninja through the floor before sliding his fingers against the side of his blade, igniting it. The teen threw the flaming blade at the last ninja still recovering from being hit by the table, setting him on fire.

He pulled his blade free before sprinting toward the window.

Above him Fu rolled out of the way of several blasts of water, the girl cartwheeled sucking in a deep breath before firing air bullets at the ninjas on the other roof. As soon as she landed, she leaned backward avoiding a slash from a sword, she dodged several more slashes before she opened her hand.

Fu blew into it sending a cloud of scales into her attacker's face, "Burst!" The girl yelled as the scales suddenly grew brightly. Using the opening the girl dropped kicked the ninja off of the roof, she then began running across the rooftops. She sucked in another breath before blasting wind down an alleyway of ninjas waiting for her beneath her.

Fu landed on another roof where she noticed on the other side through the windows that Tsubasa was following her while being pursued by several ninja.

Fu's wings sprung from her back as she began to run faster, "Chomei!" The girl yelled as her 2 wings became four.

The wall of the building exploded as Tsubasa flew out of it, he fell briefly before hands caught him. The teen wasted no time firing a fireball into the hole destroying a large portion of the building.

"There's so many of them!"

Fu yelled as she flew, "Fu, we need to find Boro and Haruka!" Tsubasa yelled as the green haired girl nodded.

They flew forward as the girl scanned from the air, avoiding projectiles the entire time.

Elsewhere Boro landed on a rooftop holding onto Haruka securely in his arms, "Boro!" the girl yelled while he huffed.

"I'm fine, more importantly I got you. Hang on tight, Haruka."

The boy said as multiple ninjas began to rapidly approach, Boro sprinted avoiding the crowd of ninja as he began to rush from rooftop to rooftop.

"We've got to reconnect with the others!"

Boro yelled as Haruka watched him dodge several attacks before he continued to run, "I'm preventing you from making hand signs!" The girl yelled as Boro spun, kicking a ninja across the face.

"Don't you start! I've gotcha!"

The brown-haired teen said as he continued running, he jumped over several projectiles while protecting Haruka from any debris. The teen landed on another roof where a ninja suddenly appeared, Boro's eyes widened as the man swung toward him.

Boro leaned backward until he slid on his back, his arms keeping Haruka secure as he made it back to his feet jumping to another rooftop. There he was met with several other ninja, they all tried to attack him, but a spray of fire and blasts of wind pelted down at them.

"About time!"

Boro yelled as Fu and Tsubasa landed in front of them, "Are you two alright?" The gray-haired teen asked as the brown-haired boy sighed.

"We are now, of freaking course that bastard had a trap planned out for us."

Boro said while the large crowd of the Bandit King's men began to get closer, the three teens prepared for a fight only for several streaks of blue to cut through the air. Blue flames exploded as Yugito landed, "Yugito!" Tsubasa's voice had surprise in it as the woman turned toward them.

Fu tackled the woman into a hug as she looked toward them, "Are you alright? Where's Naruto and Tayuya?" the blonde asked while Fu gave a salute.

"I'll locate them, then we're getting out of here!"

Fu said as Yugito nodded, "Fu, right now in the building below are a large group of villagers, I need you to guide them to the tree line to evacuate them. We'll meet you there so be sure to communicate once you make with them." The woman ordered as Fu nodded before jumping down.

"What about us?"

Boro asked as Yugito gently took Haruka from his arms into her tails, the girl was secure within them as the woman looked around at the large number of ninjas approaching them.

"We'll locate Naruto and Tayuya then we are all leaving."

The woman said as Tsubasa and Boro nodded, the brown-haired teen pulled his hatchets free as the gray-haired teen ignited his blade. Wind blasted violently as Naruto bounced from wall to wall striking multiple ninjas as he moved forward, Tayuya followed shortly behind throwing kunai.

The blond slid as he landed, Tayuya rolled over his shoulders throwing multiple kunai into several ninja approaching them.

"We have to keep moving, I'm pretty sure the explosion came from that way!"

Naruto then dashed forward as Tayuya nodded following after him, "Shithead!" The girl yelled as the blond almost effortlessly dodged a slash toward his head.

The blond smashed a knee into the ninja's side before kicking him through multiple buildings, "Look, we're going to make it to them, but in the meantime let's not lose our heads. Cover me." The girl said while pulling out her flute.

Naruto turned toward the Bandit King's men beginning to surround them, he summoned a few shadow clone who jumped into the air before launching themselves toward the groups of ninjas.

The clones exploded on contact as Naruto jumped into the air, he pulled out his shuriken as he began to throw them.

"Shuriken Clone Jutsu!"

Naruto yelled as the shuriken began to multiply showering the approaching ninja with the blades, "Naruto!" Tayuya yelled from below as the blonde flipped downward.

His feet landed on the back of one of Tayuya's doki, the girl sat next to him as the corpse began to run, Naruto formed hand signs as Tayuya fired water bullets to cover him.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

The blonde yelled as he unleashed the large blast of wind that blew a large group of ninjas away smashing into multiple walls. The pair of teens moved through the streets as Naruto began to sense the chakra around him, he was able to concentrate on the signatures of Yugito, Tsubasa and Boro.

"Tayuya!"

Naruto yelled as the girl nodded, taking his hand, the boy quickly pulled her into his arms as he blasted toward the rooftops.

"Swordless Stance: Breathing Inferno!"

The blonde yelled as he performed a series of movements in midair before stretching out his hand toward the ninja pursuing the group. The flames exploded separating the large group from the trio, "Naruto, Tayuya." Yugito spoke with relief as they landed.

"You guys ok? Where's Haruka? I didn't sense her."

The blond asked as Yugito slightly unfurled her tails, "Naruto!" The girl exclaimed as Tayuya felt a buzzing in her ears.

"Guys! I found a clear spot, just follow Naruto!"

Fu yelled in their ears as Tayuya flinched at her voice, "I'm glad we're back together and stuff but how are we slipping past the rest of this horde undetected?" The girl said as they were being approached from all sides.

"Tsubasa."

Naruto said while the other teen nodded, both boys began creating a vortex of wind and fire that became a large one that surrounded the group. The Bandit King's men continued to approach until the vortex suddenly collapsed in on itself creating a massive plume of pitch-black smoke.

The ninja jumped into the smoke anyway, but they were unable to find anything.

The smoke cleared revealing they had disappeared.

{...}

"I already told you! I'm not going through with it, I can't…"

Boro's father raised his voice as the weak looking woman slowly lifted a knife toward him with a gentle look on her face, "I already explained how there's no other way. That he's just going to continue to work you until you fall apart and then no one will be there for him." the woman said as he grabbed her hand gently.

"Then I'll work! I'll figure something out! I don't want to sacrifice you! Why would you even go this far? Why won't you let me continue to try?!"

Boro's father yelled with anguish in his voice as a shaky sigh came out from the woman's mouth, "Because I love you both, very much." Maki said as Shinji stared at her, his hands quaked with her body in his arms.

"I'm not going to recover… I'm already dead. So, the last thing that I can do for my family is give them the best chance I can and this is how. You're a good father, Shinji. He's going to need you."

Maki said as Shinji sobbed harder, "It's so cruel. Why? Why was this a curse that you had to bear?" Shinji asked as if trying to damn the world itself as the woman smiled.

"Curse? This… In sickness and in health has been nothing but a blessing to me. I had my little home and my two boys. I made up my mind that I was going to die happy no matter what. That's what you both have done for me… you made me the happiest woman in the world."

Tears landed on Maki as she smiled up at Shinji who slowly took the blade from her hands, "Maki… is this truly what you choose?" Shinji asked gently as the blonde woman nodded.

"I choose the two of you. So please."

Maki coughed a little as she finished her sentence, Shinji lifted the blade over her. Maki's hands adjusted his so that the blade was directly over her heart.

"You both breathed new life into me. I only choose this way if you're the one to take it back."

Maki said gently as fat tears rolled down Shinji's face as he did his best to hold his composure, "I love you." Shinji spoke while the blonde woman smiled before a tear rolled down her face.

"I love you too. Tell Boro… That his mommy loves him very much and I'll always be with you both."

Maki said as Shinji sucked in a sharp breath, the woman's hands held on to his as he nodded allowing her to assist him with plunging the blade into her heart. The world around him seemed to freeze as red began to bloom from her wound.

Maki only had a smile on her face as the red began to run through her clothes and onto Shinji and the floor, she seemed satisfied even with her death.

Knowing that her family would be alright.

The sound of footsteps stopping caused Boro's father to look up, spotting the boy standing there in horror, Maki looked at Boro with the last of her strength and opened her mouth to speak.

"Oh, Boro…"

"You'll be… you'll be good. I promise…"

Maki's last words left her mouth as she passed, Shinji watched as Boro's expression twisted slowly from anguish to pure fury. He could only watch as his son was taken over by his wrath, he had no idea how to even begin to explain to his son what he had done.

Then he was stabbed as well by his son who roared as he did it, the blood ran from his body as the boy held the knife in him. In a way Shiniji felt like he had deserved it, that it was warranted and something he needed to do.

Yet he couldn't help but feel that Boro was the one who would suffer the most.

Shinji could only see the small baby he held in his arms; his wife had persevered through the worst odds and was proud of the life they had created together.

His pride.

His joy.

Using what little strength, he had left he pulled Boro into his arms, the boy was stiff and frozen in them as Shinji's hand stroked his hair gently. He didn't have much time, not enough to tell him everything he wanted to say.

I love you, my son.

Those words were unable to leave his mouth as he coughed up blood, instead he left the boy go looking into his smaller yellow eyes with his larger ones. The kindness he had showing in them as he looked at his son one last time.

"Boro… Forgive us."

Those were Shinji's last words before he had joined his wife, leaving his son to the world only with the faith that he would make it.

That he'd live a good life, despite the curse.

Boro could do nothing but scream standing in that place.

…

The teen's eyes widened in realization as the memory had ended, he had suppressed it all this time. He was so focused on avoiding his parent's death that he didn't allow himself to remember that he was able to hear them talking.

What they said.

What they choose to do.

Now it all made sense, and he finally had the truth. His parents died all for his sake, they tossed away their lives to preserve his life.

But why remember now?

Boro then looked around; the rest of the Renegades were trying to come up with a plan around him. Naruto was trying to keep the peace and make a plan while Yugito was trying to be pragmatic and Tayuya was trying to be realistic.

Tsubasa and Fu also joined in the debate in the plan as Haruka could only watch, their fighting was muted in Boro's ears as he saw all of his friends in front of him. The brown-haired boy huffed before he suddenly clapped his hands together.

"Boro?"

Naruto asked as the brown-haired boy sighed while nodding his head, "Let's face it folks, he's going to continue to hunt us down no matter what. He's going to chase until he gets what he wants, there's no real escape from him." the teen said as Tayuya gave him a look.

"What are you on about? We know this already, the whole point is to find a plan to take care of this and end that."

Tayuya said as Boro lifted Haruka from the ground gently in his arms before passing her into Naruto's, "You're the fastest here and she feels the safest with you… We can't hide… but you can run." Boro said as Haruka gave him a strange look.

"I can't promise you much, but I can give you a head start. You should make some good distance in the meantime."

Boro said while Naruto made a face, "Boro, what are you talking about?! We're not doing that!" the blond yelled as the brown-haired boy nodded.

"I'm not asking. I'm going back and I'm going to face my old boss. In the meantime, you all need to run… I'll catch up."

Boro said as Tayuya roughly grabbed his shirt, "This ain't the time to be playing fucking hero! You aren't doing shit!" the girl said as a hand pulled her hand from his shirt.

"Since I won't be seeing you guys for a while, and we don't have a lot of time. I got some stuff to say so… would you mind if I left a few words?"

Boro asked as the Renegades stared at him, the boy took a deep breath as he looked at the blonde woman standing with a concerned look on her face.

"Yugito. I can say to this day that you've always been a super beautiful woman in my eyes. At first, I thought you were nuts but then as time passed, I got to see how much you genuinely cared, and you helped us so much despite everything… At one point you would have called yourself nothing but a monster. I however think you do the human thing way better. So don't stop, alright?"

Boro said while Yugito did her best to hold her composure, but he could tell she was holding back tears, "Fu, you adorable angel. You're like the little sister I never had, you have such a big heart and a lot of life ahead of you. I just wish that you can still find it within yourself to smile and to cry without hiding anything anymore. You found that with us, now you can live by that. You've been a real joy, you know that?" the boy said as Fu had tears rolling down her face.

"Tsubasa, you have been the best friend a guy like me could ask for. You pushed me, you laughed with me, you fought with me, and you talked about all sorts of things with me. I always felt like despite our first meeting that you were genuinely someone that had my back. I wish I could have had yours longer. You're more than your vengeance, so live like it."

Boro said to Tsubasa who nodded his head sadly, "Tayuya." Boro said as the girl growled at him. "Don't call me by my name like that Bounty Fucker. You're really sounding like you don't plan on coming back." the girl said as Boro chuckled.

"Lady Cripple, I see through your growls and your bites. While I know you were never my biggest fan, I still know that if you ever had the opportunity, you would have saved my ass wherever you could. I would have always done the same for you too. Keep caring for everyone and try a little more honesty, would ya?"

Boro said in a joking manner as Tayuya rolled her eyes, "Oh, one more thing." the boy said before he turned his back to her.

"You've had your legs back for a little while now and you still haven't made good on your promise. So, if you want to kick my ass you should do it now, it might not be for a little while."

Boro said as Tayuya stomped over to him, she instead placed a hand on his shoulder gently. "No, I'm saving that until you come back in one piece. You don't need a reason not to come back." the girl said, giving him a push as Boro smirked.

"Daw shucks, I can't wait to return to a butt kicking."

Boro said before he turned his attention to Haruka who was shaking her head, "Boro… Please don't." the girl said as the boy smiled sweetly at her.

"You know, if anybody else would have found you on the ground that day. I swear they would have thought they found an angel too, fresh out of heaven. While you did ruin my sunny day of peace and got me punched in the face a good few times… you weren't all that bad."

Boro said, causing Haruka to let out a mix of a chuckle and a sob as the boy nodded, "I uh… I know that I'm not Naruto. I can't be your claws or your teeth, your strength. Just this once though, I can be the guy that at least give you a chance. Just like you gave me. You pushed me up and only your smile killed the dark in me." the boy said as Haruka looked into his eyes, seeing the kindness in them.

"You're the most beautiful woman that I've ever laid my eyes on, and I only wish I could tell you a thousand times. You're also strong, stronger than me. I need you to keep that strength and push forward as hard as you can. For your boy who is going to have the best mom in the world and for yourself because you deserve it."

Boro explained as Haruka sniffled, "Boro, I… I still don't know if I can do this. I still can't feel strong right now." the girl said as a hand glided over her cheek.

"You are going to be great. Believe that."

Boro said as the girl went silent. "Boro, we need to come up with a meeting place. I'm going to leave you with a copy of the map and-" Naruto was cut off by a hand touching his shoulder.

"Naruto, I always admired you. How the world didn't decide how you felt, or the odds didn't stop you from tackling the toughest challenges. There were times I wish I could have been more like you. Sadly, you're the hero and I'm the mutt. You showed me that even in this dark tunnel that there's light to be reached toward. I want to live and it's thanks to you. You make sure Haruka brings that child into the world and no harm comes to them. I can trust you with that."

Boro said as Naruto stared at him, the boy turned around pulling out his hatchets with a spin, "Boro! Promise me you're coming back!" Fu yelled as the boy lifted his arms and smiled.

"I'm a goddamn cockroach! Killing me isn't an easy pleasure!"

Boro yelled as he pointed his hatchet toward them, "Go! When I see you guys again, it better be with a healthy baby crying his lungs out!" the boy yelled with a smile as he ran back toward the village.

Naruto and the other's stood there for a moment as the blond teen nodded his head and began to run into the forest with the others, "You better come back!" the blond yelled as Boro flipped in the air with a smile on his face.

A small army of ninja ran along the rooftops as a sensor ninja had his eyes closed trying to detect chakra signatures, the man suddenly opened his eyes. "I found them! They're up ahea-" the man was cut off by a kunai impaling him directly into his forehead.

"The fat lady is about to sing! Let's see for who, you bastards!"

Boro yelled as the Bandit King's men rushed toward him, the brown-haired teen backflipped as he threw kunai at the small army. The blades met their mark on a few of them as others dashed to Boro's flanks, he quickly deflected their attacks quickly cutting down the two men before blocking the assault of one that lunged toward him.

Boro avoided the rapid slashes of his attacker as three more ninjas appeared above him; he continued to deflect attacks as they descended upon him. Boro disarmed his attacker quickly cutting through him before spinning two blades made from rock flew toward two of the attackers cutting through them.

The third attacker kicked Boro into the building through the rooftop down to the bottom floor, multiple ninjas poured into the hole that they made as Boro quickly dispatched his attacker inside. The others came rushing down to continue the assault.

Boro deflected a slash using one of his hatchets to cut off the attacker's hand before cutting through one of his legs, the last swipe cut through the neck planting the bloodied blade of the hatchet into the wall as a head rolled on to the ground.

He used his single hatchet to block two attackers at the same time as they rapidly attacked him from both sides, a kick slammed across Boro's face as he narrowly avoided a kunai slash that cut into him slightly. Boro growled as he allowed the kunai to stab into his arm giving him the room to slash deeply into the chest of his other attacker.

He gripped the wrist of the other ninja before driving the hatchet deep into his chest, the teen pulled it out of the ninja as several more showed in through the hole and down the steps. Boro snatched his other hatchet from the wall as he yelled.

On the outside more ninja watched as the bottom floor suddenly exploded, Boro tore through the smoke slashing through multiple ninjas with blood running down the side of his face. His feet slid backward as he landed on another rooftop, his hands never stopped moving as his hatchet blocked another flurry of attacks.

Boro decapitated another ninja before a flurry of small fireballs rained down on him from above, the teen's yellow eyes gleamed as he rushed through the fireballs raining down on him. A large fireball exploded on top of Boro as the ninja who was standing on top of a bell tower stopped firing.

The ninja was suddenly bisected as the top half of the tower he was standing on suddenly split before falling apart, Boro flew through the air past it as he landed on another roof. He narrowly avoided a massive blast of water before cutting down several more ninja.

There was no end to them, but it didn't matter.

The more he fought; the more time he was giving to them.

So, he'd fight.

Boro roared into the air as he dashed into a large group of ninjas, metal clashed as the teen fought like a man possessed, receiving slashes and cuts as he dispatched ninja after ninja. The thought of his friends preoccupying his mind as he tore through his enemies.

Another destroyed building separated Boro and the rest of the ninja as he panted heavily, his eyes looking at the ground before he nodded a water bomb splashed over his location destroying the building he was standing on, but Boro was nowhere to be found.

A short way away the ground cracked in a trail as Boro quickly traveled underneath it, he moved around underground in multiple different directions before he came out of it landing on his feet with a rough exhale from his mouth.

"I guess, it'll be here."

Boro said as the ninja caught up standing on the rooftops looking down at him, the sheer number still outnumbered him immensely, but Boro was undeterred, the boy grinded his blades off of each other and stood his ground.

"Come on!"

Boro yelled but the ninja didn't move an inch, only looking down at him, the boy raised an eyebrow as he kept his stance firm ready to attack the horde.

Then he suddenly felt a change in air pressure.

"Naruto-"

The brown-haired teen was cut off and blood flew through the air, his yellow eyes widened in shock as he looked down. A hand had pierced through his right shoulder, his eyes slowly trailed upward to a bandaged man standing in front of him.

"Not quite, Mutt."

The Bandit King pulled his hand free from Boro's shoulder as the boy instantly collapsed with a cough, "I have to admit I'm quite impressed, you managed to fight extremely well considering your poor odds. You've sharpened your fangs indeed, but that ends here." the man said as Boro clutched at his wound.

"Honestly, my doctors tell me while I'm recovering, I shouldn't even attempt to use jutsu. I couldn't help it though, I just saw you and had to. You know? Anyway, let's get to the matters at hand."

The Bandit King spoke as Boro struggled to his feet, "They say never to bite the hand that feeds you, so why carry the delusion that there was ever anything more for you then your life and death under me. I gave you everything. I made you into a soldier and instead you chose to be a mangy animal, one I have to put down. Was it really worth it?" the man said as Boro weakly stood.

"Oh... Hey Boss. Long time no see. How have ya been? You look like shit. Wonder how'd that happen?"

Boro taunted as the Bandit King's one visible eye narrowed behind his bandages, "A bravado huh? You really have strayed too far. Don't worry I'll end it all soon. I'll make sure your death is painful and then I'm going for the rest of them just to make sure you died for nothing." the man said as Boro coughed.

"You asked me a question… Was it worth it? I'll keep my answer as brief as possible just for you since you're so impatient."

Boro said as the man glared at him, "I killed them… My mother and my father. My mother because she wanted to protect me and my father because I refused to listen to him and got caught in my rage. I understand now that it was my fault. That's why I was able to fall into your hands." Boro explained before a harsh chuckle came out of his mouth.

"I thought that I was just supposed to be a killer and a dog as punishment. Yet I found myself wanting to live and those guys… They made that life possible. A life that even a guy like me who thinks he doesn't deserve it… got to enjoy. Where I got to be more."

Boro said while the bandaged king scoffed, "Like I said a delusion. No matter what you do you'll always be nothing more than what you are. You'll die failing them." the man said while Boro nodded his head.

"Yeah… Maybe you're right. Maybe no one in this world can be anything more than what they are… but those guys. They sure make you feel like you can be!"

Boro yelled as a little blood came out of his mouth, he laughed as the king glared at the laughing boy. "What's so funny, Mutt? You believe they still have a chance?" the man said as the yellow eyed boy continued to laugh.

"I was always grateful for your hubris, King. You never fail to just talk and taunt before killing someone you want to end. Works out great for me. Wanna know why?"

Boro asked as the Bandit King clenched a fist, "I'm ending your nonsense now, good riddance." the man said as he took a step forward. His foot hit a soft patch of dirt that made his eyes widen slightly.

"I'm not the hero; I'm just a dog. The joke. So, look at my friends making me break my character for them!"

Boro yelled out with a laugh as more blood came out of his mouth, the Bandit King noticed a bunch of the dirt patches surrounding the area they were both standing in.

"For them just this once… I'll be the hero."

Boro said as he pulled out a bomb ball, "Wait… this is-" the bandaged man was cut off as he noticed the smirk on the teen's face.

"Yeah, you got it right."

Boro said while the man scoffed, "You really think this is going to work? That something like this made by some like you could stop me?" the Bandit King said in an offended tone as the brown-haired boy clenched his fingers on the ball.

"I just have to make sure they can get as far as possible. Stopping you in exchange for me would just be a bonus. I finally understand why my parents chose to do what they did... So, as their terrible son, it's only right I follow suit by righting my wrong."

Boro said as the Bandit King glared at him, "You damned dog!" the man yelled while the teen held a defiant look in his eyes.

His surroundings changed to a pitch-black space, Boro now as a young child stood in the middle of it. In front of him was a door, the door that he saw that was closed now opened slowly. Behind the door was the one thing that he always expected to find behind it.

"Boro…"

Maki, his mother, stood there with a sad smile on her face while his father Shinji stood nearby. His expression was sad. Seeing his son again like this had meant the worst, Boro could only smile at them as he walked toward the door.

Maki slowly extended her hand as the young boy approached her, "Boro!" the call of Naruto's voice yelled out from behind him as further back in the pitch-black space were the Renegades all standing together. Naruto's expression looked shocked as the young boy was caught between them and his mother.

Back in the real world the wind swayed Boro's hair as he thought about everyone, a gentle smile of his own rested on his bloody features as he tossed the bomb ball upward. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the Bandit king lunged toward him, the large group of ninjas jumped after their king.

In the black space the young boy smiled at the Renegades before turning back toward his mother who allowed a tear to run down her cheek, her hand was stretched out through the door away as the boy almost reached it.

In reality Boro fell backward as the bomb ball began to glow, he formed a quick hand sign pushing the rest of the bomb balls he stored in the ground into the air surrounding them.

"Hey boss… You ever had your picture taken before?"

Boro asked as the light from the bomb balls became brighter, the Bandit King still reached for him as his men tried to hold him back from Boro and the bomb field they were in.

In the black space Boro was about to take his mother's hand but stopped for a moment, the young boy looked back at the rest of the Renegades trying to reach him, they were all saying something, but he couldn't hear them. That didn't matter.

Because he already knew what it was.

The boy paused for a brief moment before he smiled, lifting his hand to wave at them with a teary smile on his face before he turned taking his mother's hand in his. Maki sobbed a little as the boy faced her with a smile.

The air was filled with silence in reality as the bomb balls were about to explode, as the light began to engulf Boro the boy smirked as he pointed at the Bandit King.

For a moment he was back at the compound, he sat nearby as Naruto framed the picture they took together. His yellow eyes looked around at his friends as they crowded around the spot the framed photo rested.

"You gotta smile for the flash."

Meanwhile in the forest Naruto ran with the rest of the Renegades with him following behind, Haruka kept her eyes locked at the village behind them not looking ahead once waiting for Boro to show up.

Instead, a massive explosion from the village sent a large plume of smoke into the air, Haruka felt her heart drop as she saw it. The rest of the Renegades noticed it, Tsubasa gritted his teeth, Yugito clenched her eyes shut. Fu let out a sob, while Tayuya closed her eyes.

Tears spilled from Haruka's face as Naruto continued to move quickly with her in his arms, keeping her secure as she reached a handout back toward the village.

"BORO!"

Haruka screamed in the air as Naruto clenched his eyes shut trying to hold back the feeling rising in his chest until he couldn't anymore.

Naruto roar cut through the air echoing through the forest.

{...}

In the black space, Boro now in his current age stood over his mother towering over her as she hugged him tightly. "Do you think I did it?" Boro asked his mother in his arms as his father approached him, his finger clenching into her back slightly as he pulled himself away enough to look into her eyes.

"Was I good?"

Boro asked as Maki sobbed a little before she cupped her son's face gently with a smile, "No, Boro. You weren't good…" his mother trailed off as his father placed a hand on his shoulder squeezing it gently. Maki ran a thumb over Boro's teary face as she kept her eyes on him.

They were now all on the same side of the door together.

"You were the best."