A/N: The last chapter I'll be publishing for July! The next chapter should come out somewhere in the first week of August, until then... please leave a heart you nerds! I see you all... reading and not leaving a heart, you're breaking my heart! Heh... get it? A-anyways, please heart and review, that's all I ask.

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"Man! Ichiraku's really hasn't changed from either past or present." Naruto said as he ate another bowl of the ramen.

Kushina nodded, also emptying her bowl.

"Maybe you guys shouldn't eat so much," Minato shook his head, watching as the bowls started piling up. "I still have to pay for those apple trees."

Minato clicked his fingers, changing the subject, "Right, Naruto. After all the memories end, what's going to happen to you?"

Kushina stopped eating her noodles, and listened in.

"I… I guess I'll start finding a way for me to return back to my own time." Naruto clutched his head, "Recently I've been having this damned headache, like it's splitting itself into two and then merging into something else."

"What?" Kushina whined, "Why don't you just stay here?"

"But I'll be born in a few years, I don't know if there'll be problems having two Narutos running around."

"W-well, we could just… not have another Naruto." Kushina suggested.

"What?" Naruto groaned, "But then you won't be able to raise me!"

Naruto got smacked by Kushina on the head, "Idiot! We'll be raising the current you!"

"I can't stay," Naruto said seriously, while rubbing his head, "I still have people to return to, and Sasuke's still waiting for me!"

The conversation continued back and forth before Naruto finally managed to convince them that he was going to have to return to his original timeline.

They gave their thanks and left Ichiraku's, making their way to the hokage's tower.

Entering the basement, they greeted everyone in the room.

Rin raised her hand, which Naruto thought was absolutely adorable. "I have a question. What's happening on the battlefield?"

"I'm still fighting with Tobi alongside Kakashi sensei and Guy sensei. We're fighting to stop the revival of the ten tails."

"What's this ten tails?" Mikoto asked.

"It's the beginning of all chakra, a god who created countries. It swallows oceans, splits the land, carries mountains and the progenitor of all that exists in this world. To put it simply, it's like all nine beasts combined, the nine tails alone doesn't stand a chance against it."

The atmosphere shifted to one of acceptance, the audience nodding their head, what could they do in front of absolute power?

"Did you manage to defeat it?" Fugaku asked.

Hiruzen, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Minato and Kushina gave a grin. As Naruto gave a thumbs-up, "Hell yeah, believe it!"

"Oh!" Naruto pat his fist on his hand, he moved and put Itachi back to where his parents were, "There's some important stuff going down on the battlefield, we need to see that. So we'll see Sasuke later on."

Fugaku and Mikoto nodded.

Inoichi started his technique.

The memory opened up with Tobi staring at Naruto.

"His mask has a crack in it!" Minato commented.

"W-what's that?" Kushina asked.

"That's the Gedo Statue, the outer shell of the ten tails."

"I've been aiming for his mask the whole time! Damn it!" Naruto panted.

"Over-thinking things won't help. It seems unrealistic but I suppose it's possible." Kakashi thought out loud, "Naruto, Guy, there's something I want to try, help me out."

The eight tails threw the three of them forwards towards Tobi, Guy attacking with nun-chucks, breaking boulders, and rocks like glass.

Catching the nun-chucks with one hand, Tobi laughed, "You underestimate the Sharingan far too much, I can already foresee your movements. I'll be taking this."

Naruto leapt forwards with the Rasengan ready, but before it hit Tobi, it vanished. And he slipped through Naruto.

All of a sudden, Tobi's shoulder exploded with the Rasengan's energy, sending him flying and tumbling into the debris nearby.

"How did that hit?" Kushina asked.

"Kakashi sensei used Kamui to displace it, and made it appear again!" Naruto said, nodding proudly at his teacher.

"Just like I thought, at first I thought he had two techniques. One for going transparent, and another for taking objects out, but that isn't it."

Kakashi pointed at Tobi, "You only have one technique!"

"The technique he uses to suck things up, and the technique he uses to slip through objects are the same. It's a space-time technique."

"How's that possible?" Tsunade asked. "I thought only Kakashi had that kind of technique."

"Kakashi is second to none when it comes to analysis." Minato huffed with pride. "He must've noticed during the battle."

Kakashi coughed, giving a shrug.

"The injuries that were created from my kunai and the Rasengan… They were all sent to the other dimension with my Kamui. With this information, I can conclude that, his space-time technique is connected to my Kamui's dimension!"

"When you saw your attack slip through him, it's actually that the part of his body that overlapped with yours, was sent to another dimension."

"So that's the secret of his power." Hiruzen hummed.

"The powers of the Mangekyo Sharingan are amazing." Obito said, "I can't wait to unlock mine!"

"But yours is the Kamui, since Kakashi's eye was originally yours." Rin said.

"O-oh… right." Obito embarrassedly said.

"Where did you get that eye?!"

"Where you ask? I dare say, it was during the previous great war, the battle of Kanabi Bridge. You participated in that war hailed as 'The Sharingan Hero'."

"You're—."

"I've told you not to open your mouth so easily!"

Naruto moved in front of Kakashi, "I've told you before! I'll never give up on my dream of becoming hokage! We were entrusted with many things!"

"Entrusted with, huh? However, Naruto, if you were to disregard what Jiraiya and the fourth hokage left you with, I wonder what they would think of you."

"Proud." Jiraiya said, "I trusted him with continuing my story."

Minato agreed, "I put all my faith into my son."

The nine tails spoke through Naruto, "The fourth hokage entrusted me to Naruto, we became friends, and now he's able to use my chakra! The fourth hokage sealed me into Naruto, to take you down!"

Naruto entered his chakra form and leapt forwards, "Yeah!"

A long battle ensued, with Kakashi falling to the ground, exhausted.

"Kakashi!" Obito shouted.

"You struck too early with that stake, Kakashi," Minato observed, "And now that Rasengan will miss as well."

Tobi shifted inside the tailed beast bomb, but Naruto appeared inside as well, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! This time you can't escape!"

"Kakashi didn't send the Rasengan with his Kamui, he sent the clone instead!" Minato said, surprised.

"Who… are you!?" Naruto slammed the Rasengan into Tobi's mask, shattering it into many pieces.

"Finally!" Tsunade and Jiraiya sat up straighter, "We finally see who this asshole is!"

Everyone stared intently at the screen.

"Shit…" Minato felt his heart shatter.

Kakashi looked wide-eyed in front of him, even Guy was shocked still.

The winds blew over the broken pieces of the mask, the once loud battle-field was now deathly silent. A man stood on the battlefield, a side of his face heavily scarred with short black hair atop his head.

"You're… Obito?!"

"Is that really Obito? Even though he's supposed to be dead…"

Obito's eyes swirled to the Mangekyo Sharingan, the same one as Kakashi's.

"M-me?" Obito fell back onto the chair, "It was me all along." He felt nauseous.

Minato reached over to comfort him, "Obito—,"

"No!" Obito felt tears start to trickle down his face. "I-I'm a monster…"

"Kid, nobody here is blaming you, we won't let you become this monster."

Obito couldn't hear any of them, left to his thoughts and condemning himself.

"If you wish to call me by that name, then by all means, go ahead. It no longer holds any meaning to me."

"So, you survived. If you were alive, then why up until now…"

"Obito!" Rin said to him, "Don't give up! Fight!"

"It's the only thing you're bad at, giving up." Kakashi snorted, trying to encourage Obito in his own way.

Obito sat up, wiping his eyes. The Sharingan swirling in them, "I have to… listen." He sniffled, "So I don't become him."

"I don't know why I became like this, but I was the one that gave up on the world and started cursing it." Obito sank into himself, "So much for cursing that guy earlier, I was just condemning myself."

"Knowing yourself is the beginning of wisdom, to search realistically and regularly of your own mind and process." Hiruzen said, he moved from his desk and sat with Obito.

"Minato sensei, Kakashi, Rin. I promise I won't ever turn out to be like him." Obito said, determination in his still red and puffy eyes.

"I believe you, Obito, you're a good person." Minato said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, "With a good heart."

"Whether or not I survived is irrelevant, but of course, if I had to say why," Obito paused, grinding his teeth. "It would be because, you let Rin die!"

"Rin died?" Obito murmured softly.

He looked at Rin, who was trying to smile, "W-well, everyone has to die one day, right?"

Another figure crashed onto the ground next to Obito, "You seem to be having a lot of fun, Obito."

"Uchiha Madara…" Fugaku said.

"The worst person to be joining the battle-field, doesn't this mean the five kage lost?!"

Obito raised his hand, "Naruto…"

"Yeah?"

"Can we sync our chakras?"

"Obito…" Minato said.

"We-we have to know what happened to me, so that we can stop me right?" Obito held out a trembling hand, as though he were afraid to find out what caused him to sink into hate and ultimately become a villain.

Naruto held out a hand and clasped Obito's firmly, "Don't be afraid, cause' in the end, you were a good person!" He smiled.

Obito bit back tears as he clutched Naruto's hand, Inoichi starting his technique again.

Obito laid on the bed, heavily bandaged. An old man watched him, with the Sharingan also spinning in his eyes.

"You couldn't possibly be the grim reaper, right? Don't tell me you're going to take me to heaven or hell…" Obito saw the old man holding a scythe.

Obito jumped in the bed, "No! I don't want to die yet, somebody help me! I saw your sickle sparkling, you've got to be a grim reaper who takes Uchihas away!"

Fugaku sighed.

"I've lived my life following my motto 'help the elderly'! I may have broken a few rules and done a few bad things, but I broke even with the good! Please! Anywhere but hell!"

"Ow!" Obito winced in pain.

"When you feel pain, you know that you are alive."

Rin laughed, "Looks like you haven't changed."

"Not in this time, anyways." Obito sighed.

"I'm sorry but I can't stay here forever, now that I'm alive, I have to return to Konoha! We're in war right now, I've finally awakened my Sharingan, now I can finally protect my friends!"

The old man sat, after finishing his monologue. "I am… a ghost of the Uchiha."

"Uchiha Madara."

"I can't stay here any longer, wait for me! Kakashi! Rin! I'm alive!"

Rin put a hand on Obito's shoulder, reassuring him.

A quick series of flashes showed Obito's progress with his new body. Learning how to stand, walk and also manipulate the earth techniques.

An older Obito laid on the bed, with his long messy black hair.

A white Zetsu appeared from the wall, "Your friends are in danger!"

"What happened?!"

"They're surrounded by Hidden Mist ninjas!"

Obito leapt from the bed and punched the large boulder, but his arm shattered and dropped to the floor in a goopy mess.

Rin cringed at the sight.

"An artificial body huh?" Tsunade scoffed, "Orochimaru would eat this up."

"You can't destroy boulders with your body just yet." The white Zetsu said.

"Rin and Kakashi… I need to go help them!"

The white Zetsu's spiral face opened up, "Then wear my body!"

In a beat, the boulder was destroyed and Obito rushed out in the rain in the Zetsu suit.

"What's Minato sensei doing?!"

"Who?"

"You know, the yellow flash!"

"Hm, it seems he's on a different mission."

"At a time like this?!" Minato clenched his teeth.

"O-our eyes are linking." Kakashi pointed to the screen, which had black static opening up to a new image.

An image of Rin with blood leaking out her mouth was shown on screen for a moment before it cut back to Obito.

Obito jumped out into the open space and saw Kakashi running his hand through Rin with his Raikiri.

"Rin!" Both boys shouted, eyes wide.

Both Kakashi's and Obito's Sharingan swirled into their Mangekyo counterparts. Kakashi fainting while Obito entered a rage, killing all the ninjas with earth techniques.

He clutched Rin's body in the rain, crying his eyes out and screaming into the air.

Obito returned to Madara, who explained to him the plan that he had cooked up, and Obito agreed to do deeds in his name.

"So… that was the trigger that started it all." Inoichi said.

"Why… why did you kill Rin?!" Obito cried out.

"I-I don't know! This is the future!"

"You murderous son of a bi—!" Obito was about to jump out of his seat and lunge at Kakashi.

"Stop!" Naruto smacked Obito's head.

"I don't blame you for being angry at Kakashi sensei, but you need to know what happened to both of them."

Naruto took a deep breath, "Rin was about to be forced to become the host of the three tails."

Minato clenched his fist, they were about to force such a young child to become a host... And not just any young child, his own student! "Looks like I'll be asking for missions in the Hidden Mist very soon."

"Kushina..." Jiraiya shivered, "Stop corrupting my student with your temper."

Naruto continued with his background information.

"If she had become the host for the three tails, the Hidden Mist would have undid the seal when she got back into the village, setting the three tails rampaging across Konoha." Naruto nodded to himself, glad that he had listened to Kakashi sensei's story.

"Rin jumped in front of Kakashi sensei's Raikiri as he charged a hidden Mist ninja to kill herself and foil their plans." Naruto looked at kakashi, "Kakashi sensei regretted it for a long time, even during the war."

Obito bit his lip, sniffling and wiping tears away, "I-if I had known it was like this, I wouldn't have become like… like him." He weakly pointed at his future self.

"I'm sorry, Obito." Kakashi said.

"No, I'm the one that should be sorry. I've caused a lot of trouble in the future, haven't I?"

Naruto nodded solemnly, not sugarcoating anything.

"Until the end. I'll watch it till the end. To change myself and also shape the future into one where all three of us are alive and safe." Obito clenched his fist, while Rin clapped and Kakashi simply nodded.

Obito moved back to his seat with Kakashi and Rin, Naruto motioning to Inoichi to continue.

"Why?! Why do you side with someone like Madara?!" Kakashi shouted over the sounds of the battle ongoing.

"I have nothing more to say to you. All that's left… is this final fight!"

"Why?!" Kakashi grunted as Obito stabbed a large shuriken into his leg.

"Kakashi!" Obito grimaced.

"Just shut up. Everything you say is trash anyway." Kakashi was sucked into Obito's Kamui. But he was quickly returned back.

"So, you managed to get out. They are the same pair of eyes after all."

"Obito… why did you turn out like this. Does it, have something to do with Rin?"

Kakashi was rampaged by Obito's relentless onslaught, cut by shurikens repeatedly, punched and kicked all over. "Trash should just keep their mouth shut, and die."

"Stop! Stop!" Rin cried out.

Minato narrowed his eyes, he couldn't stand watching his team kill themselves.

Naruto leapt just in time to save Kakashi and pulling him out his mental depression. Kakashi chained his attack with Guy's, pushing Madara and his Susano'o away.

"Obito, the will you one had, even now. It's carried on by the man beside me! All I can do now is protect Naruto!"

Obito wound a tree branch around Naruto's arm, trapping him and reaching for Kakashi, "Garbage should know their place." He reached a hand for Kakashi.

"Kakashi sensei…" Naruto ground out, "Is with me!" He headbutted Obito, sending him flying back.

"Yeah! Kick my ass!" Obito cheered out.

Naruto's face turned serious, "I just had a real vivid image in my head just now, of me curb stomping that face of yours!"

Obito tugged at his collar, "You're pretty intimidating when you want to be."

Naruto chuckled.

The nine tails swapped with Naruto and grabbed Kakashi, swinging and throwing Kakashi into Obito, who was promptly sucked into the Kamui dimension.

"What the fu—!" Minato couldn't help laughing, "What did the nine tails just do?!"

"That's genius!" Kakashi, wide-eyed. "The nine tails remembered the thing about Obito's body overlapping!"

Kakashi was shown inside the dimension punching Obito's stomach, who was floating in the air. "Since we know the trick behind it, formulating and effective counter-attack is child's play. Here's another helping!" Kakashi gave another punch to Obito's dismembered stomach.

Obito translocated to avoid Naruto's chakra punch, as he appeared in the dimension, Kakashi wound up for a punch. "Ah… That one's definitely gonna leave a mark, don't you think, Obito?"

The nine tails and eight tails shot a large tailed beast bomb at the Gedo Statue, sending it far into the horizon with a magnificent explosion.

"It's over…" Tsunade sighed.

"They did it." Fugaku smiled.

"Yeah… it's the end… of this world." Obito said, Madara sat down by the side, watching the show unfold.

"Let the show begin." The ten tails emerged in a new form, with a large central Sharingan in the center of its face.

The ten tails roared, destroying the landscape with just its voice alone.

Team Minato shivered at the very sight of it, it was repulsive and frightening.

"Imagine the very earth and water that comprise this world, flows within every fiber of its being. Its life force is that of the planet itself." Naruto explained, "It's insanely powerful."

"It looks like it could level a country by itself." Jiraiya commented.

"It probably could." Minato agreed.

Naruto sat down, changing into the sage mode. "So it's just one big mass of natural energy. Let me just see how strong this guy is."

A large mass of energy shot through Naruto's senses, overwhelming him and the nine tails. "Its strength is off the charts, it's not even tangible. That's how powerful it is."

"Heh, this ain't no joke..." Naruto dry-laughed.

Kakashi flew overhead with Naruto and activated his Kamui, the first signs of the eight tails starting to appear.

"You're going to teleport the entire eight tails? That's incredible!" Minato said, eyes wide.

"The Kamui dimension looked like it had an endless space, so this would obviously be one of it's uses." Kakashi was holding a small notebook he had borrowed from Rin.

"Operation Octopus-Pot! Not a porn star but I ain't shy!" The eight tails dropped from the Kamui dimension, a tailed beast bomb already forming in it's mouth, "Here's a money shot right in your eye!"

The eight tails shot it straight into the eye of the ten tails.

But the ten tails simply used a finger and flicked the beast bomb away, sending it crashing into the eight tails, "Two flies seem to be buzzing around up there." Madara droned.

Kakashi landed on the ground, looking as though he were to pass out any moment.

"I thought you recovered?" Tsunade asked.

"As expected, transferring something as big as the eight tails, really takes a toll on the chakra levels." Kakashi nodded as he wrote down more notes into the notebook.

"But this is amazing, a battle of this level and scale…" Kushina said in awe, holding Minato's hand.

"They're trying to say that even if you increase your numbers, you'll simply be all bark and no bite. In other words, it's useless. You are just another ignorant shinobi pawn, you, and everyone else here, will one day become like me."

"I'll never become like you!" Naruto shouted across the battlefield, "I'll say it as many times as I need to, I'm going to become hokage!"

"Have no fear, if everything goes well, there will not be a technique that can defy the infinite Tsukuyomi. And within it, you shall become a hokage." Obito said over the sounds of the ten tails charging up a large tailed beast bomb, "So… disappear."

"No!" Obito said, but surprised when the ten tails missed everyone.

"Why-why did it miss?" He asked.

"Because, everyone else has arrived."

"You mean…" Kushina started.

"Yeah! The Allied Shinobi Forces!" Naruto gave a big grin.

"That was… the Yamanaka's Mind Transfer technique!" Inoichi said, "It looks like my daughter has entered the battlefield."

"First battalion, arrived!"

"Second battalion, arrived!"

"Third Battalion, arrived!"

"Fourth battalion, arrived!"

"Same goes for the fifth battalion!"

"So many ninjas…" Fugaku was surprised at the number of shinobi that had arrived on the battlefield in such numbers.

"The medical squad is here too!"

"Sensing squad, present!"

"Incredible…" Hiruzen said, "To think that the villages would be able to cooperate on a scale like this."

"It's literally a wave of shinobi from every village!" Kushina made an 'o' shape with her mouth.

"This is no longer a half-assed band! Take a good look cause what we have here is the…"

"Ninja Alliance technique! The most terrifying and awesome technique in ninja history! It's a technique that's gonna kick the infinite Tsukuyomi's ass! Wrap your useless head around that!"

"The assembled hope, it seems." Hiruzen nodded.

"This world," Naruto and Obito started talking.

"I won't let it end!"

"I'll end it!"

The shinobi of the Hidden Mist hindered they're movement and blinded them, the Hidden Sand added to the chaos by using the wind element to impair visibility and made it difficult for the ten tails to get a lock on them.

"Since the target is so big, the margin of error will be greater." Hiruzen said. "They took advantage of that."

"Looks like you aren't called the professor for no reason, old man." Jiraiya smiled.

"The Hidden Rock will follow up by restricting the ten tail's movements, and they're covering it with ash." Kakashi thought aloud.

"They're trying to make a stone coffin!" Obito finished for him.

"Without stopping the ten tails first, we have no way to aim at Obito and Madara." Naruto stated, "Though we could only restrain the ten tails temporarily."

"Madara is immune to everything except for physical attacks, so the taijutsu users will aim for him." Tsunade said.

"Correct, and Obito can slip through any attack, but according to the battle info, the time limit is around five minutes, if they can continuously attack for more than five minutes, the Shinobi Alliance will win." Hiruzen added on.

"Pathetic." Madara laughed.

"Something's wrong." Rin shivered.

"Indeed, the hope that they're so desperately trying to cling on to, doesn't exist. Just like how their own existence is about to become." Obito looked up at them mockingly, "The ten tails has just about reached maturity."

Tens of hands shot out from the concrete prison, the ten tails reaching its matured stage, it had a large spiraling cone on its back, a large mouth with grotesque teeth to math its skinny body. A large central Sharingan protruded from its head.

"Oh my god…" Kushina cupped her mouth.

"I'm about to wet myself over here." Obito said, shaking.

"Nothing else matters now, you all have to stop that, everyone's lives are on the line." Tsunade said.

"If they have time to shit their pants, then they should be making chakra, a new plan could be coming from their HQ any moment." Jiraiya frowned.

The ten tails' footing was caught off guard, displacing its balance and the tailed beast bomb it was charging up, fired off course. It hit the land far away, and the blast radius was easily double the size of a village.

"The size of the blast is insane!" Minato choked.

"Something's not right… Why is it only targeting such far away locations?" Hiruzen asked.

The scene cut to Inoichi and Shikaku. "Th-this is…"

"What's wrong Aoi?" Inoichi asked hurriedly.

"Stay calm, and listen to me." Aoi started. Shikaku instantly knew what was happening.

"So, it's headed our way huh?"

"Then… we need to evacuate everyone at once." A sensory ninja said.

"Heh! You saw the destructive power of that thing. Running away won't make much of a difference now. You should've been prepared for this, or did you think you would be out of harm's way if you came here?"

"That's not it at all! I'm a shinobi, I'm ready to give my life for any mission! It's just… I wanted to be of help to them in a meaningful way." The sensory ninja continued.

"Shikaku, what now?" Inoichi asked.

"We do what we have to do, until the bitter end." Shikaku's expression turned serious and determined. "I just came up with a way to stop the ten tails dead in its tracks. Consider it our final mission. Connect me to everyone in the battlefield."

"So," Inoichi chuckled, "It's finally my turn to be killed off… Can't say I didn't expect it, just a pity I didn't get to see my little girl grow up." His face saddened a tad at the last bit.

"Inoichi…" Hiruzen started.

"It's alright, lord hokage. I died proudly and ensured the survival of not only my daughter but many shinobi on the battlefield. It was a worthy death."

"Looks like I'll be leaving Chouza behind." Inoichi laughed, "Remind me to buy him a bowl of ramen in the evening."

As the tailed beast bomb soared through the sky, heading towards the HQ, the last message was relayed to everyone of the Shinobi Alliance.

Shikamaru steeled himself while Ino wiped her tears away.

Madara looked at the far away explosion, "With that, we've crushed the head of the Alliance. Well, it may be rudimentary, but it sure is effective."

"If only Shikaku were her to see what a fine shinobi his son became, I guess I'll show it him through my memories when he asks me to come over to play some Shogi." Inoichi smiled at the Nara's son.

"Shikamaru…" Chouji groaned.

"We're in the midst of battle, don't say anything more." Shikamaru ground out. "You too, Ino. Just do what my old man told us to do."

"Why is Madara and Obito having such a hard time controlling the ten tails?" Minato asked.

"You have to become the ten tail's host in order to fully control it, that was Madara's final plan." Naruto started. "But in order for him to become one, he first needed to be alive and not a reanimation."

"Does he get one?"

"He does." Naruto nodded grimly.

"B-but grandfather defeats him, right?"

"S-something like that." Naruto huffed.

Obito reached a hand-out and large splinters sprouted from the ten tail's hands, shooting out at incredible speeds, and impaling many shinobi. It looked like something out of a massacre.

The Hyuuga used their rotation to try and shield as many as they could, but there were just too many. The earth users created a large wall to block as many as they could as well.

"Thanks Neji! I made it into sage mode!" Naruto shouted, throwing a Rasenshuriken into the air, destroying many of the still coming splinters, he threw several more, quickly depleting the senjutsu chakra he made in quick succession.

"It's a pinpointed attack!" Rin said as she pointed at a large number of coordinated splinters, headed straight for Naruto.

Hinata jumped in front of them, to shield Naruto with her body, but Neji jumped into its path, and all of them shot straight into him.

"The Hyuuga!" Fugaku said, in shock.

"With that many striking him, it seems it is a fatal injury." Hiruzen sighed.

"A lot of my friends were on the memorial stones, they were heroes."

"They were, truly. Konoha will remember them for time to come." Hiruzen nodded.

"We need a medic!" Naruto screamed, holding on to Neji's body.

"No…" Neji coughed, "It's too late."

"Hinata is willing to die for you, Naruto. So keep in mind, your life, is not your own anymore. It also includes mine now… as well."

Some of the audience couldn't help but feel emotional at the scene, Fugaku and Mikoto especially. Though they were not on friendly terms with the Hyuuga, they were still all allies on the battlefield, and would mourn for them out of respect.

"Why… not in a place like this! You're the Hyuuga's—." Naruto choked out.

'The words you once said to me once freed me from the shackles of my curse.' Neji's thoughts were aloud on the screen.

"Why would you go this far for me?! Sacrificing your life…" Naruto let tears dribble down his face.

"Because… I was called a genius." Neji smirked.

'Finally… I understand. The freedom of being able to choose your death.' Neji thought, as the cursed seal on his forehead started to vanish, signaling his death.

"N-no…" Obito moaned out, "This is all my fault." Dejected.

"Naruto." Obito said from atop the ten tails, "I thought you wouldn't let a single one of your comrades die?" He mocked.

"Try uttering those words again!" The scene of many deceased shinobi were shown, a battlefield of carnage. "I can't hear you! The realization of this moment should hit you like a ton of bricks as your comrade's corpse gradually loses its warmth."

"Shut up. Shut up!" Obito shouted.

"The finality of death!"

"The body count will continue to rise. Despite whatever worthless and empty principles you continue to spout out that naïve mouth of yours. Behold, this is what your ideals and hopes will achieve, this is… reality."

"Let me ask you, Naruto. What's there left in this reality for you? You have neither your father nor your mother. Even your master, Jiraiya, for that matter, and your comrades will continue to drop one by one. When's it's all said and done, no one will remain to acknowledge your existence in this world."

"Again, I ask what remains for you in this reality, don't prolong your suffering. Join us." Obito extended a hand to Naruto.

"Y-you didn't, right?" Minato asked, ashamed that he had to ask his son about this.

"I… I was swayed but was brought back to reality."

"His close friend just died in front of him," Kakashi said, "I think I would've reacted the same when Obito died in front of me."

"His speech did make sense though." Tsunade nodded, "There were many valid points in it, but he just went about it the wrong way."

Hinata gave Naruto a slap to the face, bringing him out of his stupor. She gave him a stern look.

"That reminds me of Kushina…" Minato laughed. "It seems you found someone for yourself, huh Naruto?"

Naruto chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head, blushing slightly. "I guess she kinda liked me back in the day."

"Kinda?" Tsunade asked, boggled. "The kid had a crush on you the size of Jiraiya's giant Rasengan!"

"Remember what Neji said, your life is not just your own anymore. Do you understand what that means?"

"Your ideals, your words, the desire to save every one of your comrades. Those are things worth fighting for! What inspired Neji and carried him this far, were those very principles!"

"You have my approval to marry her, Naruto!" Kushina gave a big thumbs-up.

"But it's not only you, Naruto. Every one of us here has come to believe in those very words, and that is why we fight in earnest to protect each other. That is why we're family. If you were to throw in the towel now, Neji's sacrifice will have been in vain."

"Moving forward with your head high and not taking back any of your words, that is also my ninja way!" She cupped Naruto's face with one hand.

Naruto slowly stood up, "Hinata, thanks a bunch! It's because you've been by my side this whole time… Let's get this show on the road, Hinata!"

"O-okay!"

Naruto powered up to the nine tails cloak, sharing his power with Hinata.

The final battle begins!