Many of the students froze in place at the sight before them on the training ground. Both Naruto, unrefuted troublemaker and loudmouth, and Sasuke, last of his clan and loner, had both stopped where they were. Naruto's right fist was two inches above the Uchiha's chest, right where his heart was; while Sasuke's left fist just before the blonde's neck. They both were perfectly still, staring evenly at each other.

Naruto then smiled roguishly while a tiny smirk played at Sasuke's lips.

"Iruka-sensei," Naruto and Sasuke said at the same time. "We call this match a draw."

"You guys aren't in a position to draw," Iruka pointed out. "You're not even close enough to hurt each other."

"If this were a combat situation, he and I would both have a weapon or jutsu on hand ready to end the other. He's ready to remove my head-"

"-While he is ready to run my heart through. This is a draw for us both. Not only that, but if we were to continue, I could handle him with efficiency-"

"-But he would fall over from exhaustion from having to go the extra mile."

Iruka looked between the two before sighing in shaking his head. He would have thought that two children, even if one was brother to a prodigy, were not this advanced when it came to combat. "Very well then. I call the match between Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto a draw." The two then stepped away from each other. "Now make the seal of reconciliation." The two then made the half rat seal, Naruto with his right and Sasuke with his left, and shook them together, a smirk on both of their lips.

The days that passed after that spar had seen an interesting development between the two eight year old boys. Though their social interactions with one another were far and in between, whenever they stepped into the sparring circle, their attitudes regarding one another were anything but hostile. It actually seemed that the two enjoyed fighting one another and would thus go all out, putting on a show for all of the other students. Though each of them won some and lost some, their wins matched their losses and their draws were three times that.

After a while, it seemed that both of them began to feel a sense of comradery toward each other. It started simply as Sasuke helping Naruto with his schoolwork, but then evolved into Naruto helping Sasuke in shurikenjutsu, even if he was only slightly better. From there, the two would sometimes trade ideas on this and that about schoolwork, but never on anything outside of training to become a ninja. One day, Sasuke found himself invited by the blonde to spar outside of the Academy so that they could become stronger. He took the chance, but after a month long of doing so, began to regret it.

The truth though was that Sasuke was full of trepidation on befriending the blonde. He was afraid that if he befriended the blonde, and he was killed by him, then he would once more be left alone. What was worse was the fact that if that did occur, then others would avoid him at all costs just to save their own skins. So the question was, "Do I take the chance of gaining something while also having the chance of losing it?" or "Do I stay aloof so I no longer hurt others and hurt myself in the process?"

When he was asked what the problem was after a spar, the young Uchiha was conflicted. But after a while of reasoning, he reasoned that the blonde would understand his plight, what with being a pariah himself and understanding the weight of loneliness himself. So he told him.

"I'm glad you consider me something of a friend."

"You're not afraid of possibly being killed by him if you become my friend?"

"I'm not," Naruto said with a shake of his head. "A lot of people here are ninja, and some of them have lost people precious to them, but they still go on. Do you know why?"

"No," the Uchiha replied with a shake of his head. He himself wondered how some of the people here coped with such loss of life, yet still went on and lived.

"Because it is the wish of the dead that the living live their lives. Nothing would bring them more joy in seeing their loved ones live their lives to the fullest."

"But Itachi- He told me I have to become stronger, gain the same power as him and kill him!"

"You need to live your own life as well! If all you have is hatred in your heart, then will you truly be alive when you finally kill him?! Where is your love for others?"

"I lost all the love in my heart when my family died," Sasuke sneered. "It died when he killed everyone I loved." He then had a look of loss pass over his face. "And if I begin to love others, then I'll eventually lose them again."

"Then I'll become strong enough to protect myself!" Naruto proclaimed.

"What? Why would you still want to be associated with me?"

"I may not know what it means to lose your family, because I never knew my own," that remark about never knowing his own family shut Sasuke up fast. He actually felt guilty about the fact that he forgot that the person he was befriending was probably the loneliest person in Konoha. "But I know what it means to offer someone friendship and then suddenly have it thrown back in my face."

"You're doing this because you don't want me alone?" Sasuke then snorted. "That's rich coming from you, usurantonkachi."

"Oi!"

"But, it's nice to know that I have someone out there watching my back then."

"That's what friends are for."

"Those punches you throw are rough," Sasuke said rubbing his sore shoulder as the two slowly walked side by side toward his clan compound after one of their after school spars.

"Your high kick is just as bad," Naruto shot back, toying with a rock in his hand. He as well sported a battle wound, but it was instead a cut lip.

A silence fell between the two that seemed to drag on the time the two were taking to get back to Sasuke's empty home. Two weeks had passed since their talk about their first heart to heart. Though they acted normal around each other at school, whenever they had another after school spar, they would let their fists do the talking. The spar they had today was the first one where they finally understood one another through their fists. Afterward, the Uchiha invited the blonde out to eat at an onigiri stand. When night passed, the two found nothing better to do but just head off together to one of their homes and part ways from there. Since Sasuke's home was closest, they decided to go their then.

"The form you use is unrefined though, why is that?" the Uchiha noted after the bout of silence.

"I've been self-taught a majority of my life."

"Why is no one willing to teach you?" Sasuke asked, wondering once more why a majority of people seemed to outright ignore the blonde.

"I really don't know, but it bugs the hell out of me," Naruto snarled, irked that everyone older than him seemed to know something about him that even he was not privy to.

"You're an Uzumaki, why aren't any of your clansmen stepping forward to help you?"

"I thought this was a random name the orphanage gave me."

"Nope. Apparently the Uzumaki are just as important as the Senju and Uchiha. That swirl on the green flak jackets jōnin wear? That's the Uzumaki crest and meant to symbolize the village's bond to the Uzumaki."

"So I'm from a clan huh? Probably last from the looks of it if no one even mentions them anymore," Naruto replied sulkily.

"My mom said something one night about you being my mom's best friend's son when I remarked about you a year ago after school. Said her name was Kushina, if that helps you out a bit." It was Sasuke's hope that his rival and friend would cheer up a bit. Naruto's mood kind of reminded him of the fact that he was alone as well, something he did not like to dwell on much.

"Thanks Sasuke. Means a great deal."

"No problem man."

"I mean it. I know it hurts to remember you mom, especially after what happened." He was clapped on the shoulder by Sasuke.

"It's not as painful as finally knowing your mother's name and not even knowing what she looked like or if she loved you, which I'm sure she did." The young Uchiha gave a serious look his Uzumaki friend, "Any pain I feel is about them is less than the pain of never knowing and always wondering, so I have no reason to be sad, while you have all the reason to be."

Naruto simply nodded back to him, understanding that maybe tonight he would need to be alone and talk to his hero and ask him if he knew anything about his parents. The two then came short of the entrance to Sasuke's clan compound.

"This is my stop man."

"I'll see ya later Sasuke." He moved to turn but stopped when he saw Sasuke's outstretched hand.

"You can stay over if you want," the Uchiha said quietly. "I know how it feels to cope with the fact your practically the last of you clan. It's best not to be alone with no one to talk to about it."

"I just need tonight." Sasuke nodded, understanding that the blonde needed a bit of time to mull over the fact that he was from a clan and most likely the last of it. "You don't need to be indebted to me just because I pulled you out from going down a dark path," the Uzumaki said surprising the Uchiha.

"I'm not doing this because of a debt. I'm doing this because it is the right thing to do. Everyone deserves to have someone around to pull them out of the darkness, even if it's beginning to drown them." Naruto blinked owlishly at the boy, but then nodded at him.

"Thanks Sasuke. It means a lot that you're looking out for me."

"What are friends for?" Sasuke remarked

Naruto smirked and extended his right hand and clasped hands with Sasuke. He was surprised when Sasuke pulled him into a one handed hug.

"If it helps, I consider you a brother now."

"Thanks Sasuke."

Sasuke then released the blonde and held out his left hand in the seal of reconciliation which Naruto returned with a smile. The two then turned their backs to each other, smiles across their faces as they walked away from where destinies would forever change.

Two ancient chakras, powerful and undetectable, that had for so long clashed with one another had suddenly ceased in their eternal rage and began to calm. The two chakras soon began to shrink and manifest themselves into two distinct forms. The first that materialized was a young man with swirling eyes, short eyebrows and long and unruly hair while two short locks on either side of his face were wrapped in bandages. The second being to materialize was another young man with short spiky hair with a blank hitai-ate wrapped around his forehead. He too had locks framing his face wrapped in bandages. They both wore identical clothing consisting of a light colored kimono with six magatama adorning the collar wrapped in a dark obi.

"Ashura," the first one spoke, raising his left hand in the Seal of Confrontation.

"Indra," Asura replied doing the same with his right hand.

For a while, the two stared at each other, their chakras swirling uneasily around them. Soon, Indra's eyes faded from their bright red color to a dull brown like the other man's eyes. They stayed like that for a bit before Indra lowered his left hand in a gesture of friendship, a small smile twinkling in his eye. Ashura smiled in return, thankful that his brother had finally let go of his hatred for him.

"I missed you Indra," he said, shaking his brother's hand.

"I'm sorry brother," he admitted shamefully. "Can you forgive me?"

"Forgive you?" Ashura asked, raising his brow. Indra was wondering if Ashura indeed would forgive, but was surprised by the hug that enveloped him. "You're my brother. I love you."

For the first time in nearly three millennia since their mother had passed, Indra had cried into his brother's shoulder, quieting whispering sorry.

He finally composed himself and pushed himself off of his brother. "We need to talk about what Madara is planning," he said darkly. "It involves Yami." Ashura's face hardened at the name of the darkness that corrupted his brother and his reincarnation. "Madara is planning on releasing the Jūbi."

Asura's stone face held. "We need to help Sasuke and Naruto train so they can stop Obā-sama. We cannot have her destroy what those two have begun here."

"Agreed brother."

For the first time since training under their father, Ashura and Indra had the same goal in mind. And with that, the two returned to pure chakra and fused themselves to their reincarnations, slowly integrating a majority of their powerful chakras into the young boys' own distinct chakras.

Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo looked up from his meditation in the endless expanse that surrounded him, having felt the chakras of his two sons finally reconcile with one another. The Rikudō Sennin felt that with Indra and Asura- no, Sasuke and Naruto working together in this timeline, he could approach them sooner if they began to train in ninshū rather than later during their death throes. If so, the two could save the world with less deaths.

"Forgive me Okā-sama, but if we must stop you again, so be it." Though he was a stoic man, Hagoromo was not without weakness, and soon, a tear escaped his eye followed by five more. One for his brother, mother and father, and one each for his two sons and their lines.

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya eyes looked up into the night sky to see two shining chakras finally calm. A long time ago, she would have snarled at the thought of any being other than her wielding chakra, but after three millennia trapped in her own consciousness, she had begun to realize her faults. When once she would have sneered at the mere thought that two scattered chakras finally had harmonized with one another, she now felt great happiness at the fact that she no longer had to watch her grandchildren war with one another throughout the ages. A great sorrow flowed through her though when she realized that one of her children, Yami, held the misguided belief that he needed to manipulate and destroy everything his family had worked for to free her so that she could seek her vengeance.

"Forgive thine mother mine children, for the sins thou has committed, and the suffering thou hast wrought thee," she whispered. She then closed her eyes and curled into a ball, silently humming the tune her late husband had always serenaded her with when they were together. Soon, tears began to fall freely from her eyes. She so badly wished that she had died instead of been immortal so that she could have joined her husband. But the will of the Shinju was strong and would never let its hold on her relinquish.

Its presence was felt heavy on her back, and Kaguya cringed, withdrawing further into herself.

"Foolish daughter of the lost moon," the Shinju boomed. "Thine blasphemy will be the cause of all the world's death and I shall once more sleep when all the world is gone. I shant suffer another to take mine power again. Of that I can assure thee." The great being then soon shut its existence from her own.

Kaguya cried even harder then, knowing that when Yami freed her, and if little Sasuke and Naruto succeeded in stopping her, that she would endure this hell once more, maybe for eternity this time.

"Please, save me, someone. Please," she pleaded once more into the darkness, hoping beyond hope that he multi-layered kimono she was wrapped would bring her warmth that she had missed for so long, that not even chakra could satisfy the need for it. After a while of tears, she finally succumbed to her stress and fell into a nightmare ridden sleep.