Into Tomorrow

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the things I make references to. They were made by men far more skilled than I am. This is a work of fanfiction that I make no money from. I'm just playing in other people's sandbox.

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"When the Tree hugger's assault on a Kumo force sent to link up with an Iwa regiment caught our Coalition forces flatfooted, a detachment of the 3rd was sent in to stop the bleeding until reinforcements could arrive. It was a textbook suicide mission and we knew it. As we fought our way into the encirclement, most of us believed that the only way we'd be getting out of that deathtrap was in a storage scroll."

Exerpt from journal of Ozawa Daisuke, Jonin of Iwagakure, 3rd regiment, Second Shinobi War, Hi no Kuni theatre of operations.

Naruto POV:

'Well, Wave is here.' I thought.

I watched Kakashi ponder what mission he wanted to pick for Team 7, while I was thinking of multiple things.

'Is it a coincidence that both missions are near? Does Hiruzen know about what the mission could turn into?'

I'd noticed, probably from looking for it, that the village was more active. I didn't know if it was from the upcoming Chunin exams or not.

'It would be strange that a neighboring nation would be over taken by a billionaire without anyone noticing.'

Kakashi dropped his hand from his mask, seeming to make up his mind.

"I'll take the courier mission," He said simply, "Asuma can have the escort."

I barely hid my flinch.

'I need to go with Asuma.'

If Wave was even remotely similar to Canon, I'll be needed there.

I wasn't blind to how much the Jonin were training when overseeing the genin. Each of them seemed sharper than before, Kakashi and Asuma both having a slight shift in how their chakra felt. Ever since I had started being more laid back and talking with Kakashi as more of a friend instead of a fellow Konoha Shinobi, he seemed to be better. His chakra was brighter, his overall demeanor was more relaxed and sarcastic. He was fun to talk with.

Asuma's chakra felt downright sharp to the touch. Rin felt similar, but Asuma's had changed over the last few months. Kurenai seemed to get better at taijutsu, and Gai was still the training-happy ball of sunshine that he was all the time.

Hiruzen looked towards the other genin.

"You can go on ahead," He said, before turning to me, "You stay Naruto, I need to speak with you."

'That's odd.'

The other genin looked at me strangely, Rin not included, and left the room.

After a minute, Hiruzen turned to look at the three of us.

"This is for the three of you only," He then looked at me, "I am putting a great deal of trust in you, Naruto. Do you understand?" He asked.

At my nod of understanding, he continued.

"I have received troubling news of the happenings in Nami no Kuni," He started,"There is talk of people struggling to leave and much of the normal amount of 'traffic' from there is reduced."

Kakashi and Asuma remained silent.

"Kakashi, your team will be on standby to help with Asuma's should the need arises."

I decided to cut in.

"Would it not be better for Kakashi to be the one doing the escort mission then?"

Hiruzen turned to me.

"The message is of extreme importance, Naruto. Kakashi will be dropping off the message, and you will be going with Asuma should there be anything unexpected." He answered.

I was quiet for a moment, thinking to myself, before nodding.

"I understand." I said simply.

'If something is afoul, immediately sending multiple Jonin would let others know that Konoha has agents in Nami no Kuni. It would be plausibly deniable if you had two elite Jonin on separate missions, with one jumping in to help the other.'

Hiruzen then pulled two scrolls out of his desk drawer, tossing one to both Kakashi and Asuma.

"Put one drop of your blood on those," He instructed, "They work as a two-way encrypted message system keyed to whoever puts their blood on it. Use it to message the other if something goes wrong."

The two men nodded, pocketing the scrolls.

Hiruzen then turned to me again, his gaze a piercing one.

"I trust you in knowing this, Naruto," He started, "In turn, I wish for you to trust me."

I looked at him questioningly.

"Why have you been hiding how capable you are?" He asked.

I flinched noticeably, not being able to hide my reaction.

I looked towards Kakashi and Asuma, then back to Hiruzen.

"Does Asuma know about some of the details of when I was almost killed?" I asked.

I saw Asuma nod.

"Me, Kurenai, and Gai were given basic details." He said.

"Were you told about Mizuki and what he said?" I asked, "As well as who tried to have me attacked and killed?" I added.

"I don't know about who wanted you killed, and I don't know what Mizuki said." Asuma said.

All the Jonin were told that Mizuki had been killed by me. It was fairly important for people to know such things about any students they're training.

I turned to look at Hiruzen for permission. At his nod, I turned back to Asuma.

"Orochimaru sent the Shinobi that almost killed me," I started, my voice quiet, "Mizuki offered me a chance to join Orochimaru if I gave him the Scroll." I finished.

Asuma looked completely shocked at what I said.

I then turned to Hiruzen.

"When it's revealed that I'm the heir to a clan," I said, knowing that as the eldest, I'd be considered a step higher than Rin in the line of succession for our clan, "I don't need comparisons to Itachi." My hand clenched at the last part.

Hiruzen twitched slightly at that.

"Orochimaru has an interest in me for some reason," I continued, "The attention I'd get from being noticeably better than just a simple prodigy is not something I want."

"Even going so far as to deceive Rin?" Hiruzen asked.

I took a deep breath to prevent myself from biting back with a comment.

"She needs to not think that she's not getting better," I said firmly, "I just happen to be getting better faster."

Hiruzen was quiet, thinking of something, then he looked back at me.

"She'll understand if you explain it to her, but it's still up to you. Be at the gates at 6:30, you'll be going with Asuma's team."

I nodded and left the room, Asuma and Kakashi staying in the behind.

I closed the door and walked down the hall, thinking of some important plans.

'I need to make some clones, Henge them, and buy as much food as I can.'

Yesterday had marked when I got paid for the seals and tags I'd sell at a discounted price to the village, arming the Shinobi more heavily. The two or three extra exploding tags you get issued may end up making the difference in whether you come back home or not with all your limbs still connected.

Wave would have many poor and hungry people. Those people could be helped by me right now.

'Few villagers would spare a kind word to us, let alone offer us help.'

I wasn't going to be like that. I currently had the power to help those in need, and I wasn't going to sit by and let it happen because I felt like being a lazy bastard.

Before I could double my pace to get back home, I felt a certain kid's faint chakra presence creeping behind me.

"You have much to learn, my apprentice." I spun and grabbed ahold of the square box, revealing Konohamaru.

"How'd you know I was here, Nii-chan?" Konohamaru pouted, his head upturned.

"I've got eyes in the back of my head," I lied, smiling as he shook his head, "I'm like a better, smarter, Hyuga."

At the name 'Hyuga', the grandson of the Sandaime looked even more petulant.

"Is Hanabi annoying you again?" I asked softly, ruffling his hair.

Konohamaru stifled a growl as he tried to push me away.

"She's mean and rude," He mumbled, "And her eyes look stupid."

"Hey," I warned him gently, "One of my best friends is her sister, so don't mention the eyes."

"Sorry," He replied quickly, looking nervous.

Konohamaru was obviously waiting for me outside the tower, and I wanted to know why.

"What does the future Hokage want with me currently?" I asked happily, "And why aren't you at the academy?" I added with a bit of scolding.

"I want to play ninja," He said resolutely, puffing up his chest, "And the academy is boring. I want to learn jutsu from you."

"Not Ebisu-sensei?" I asked, snickering lightly as the younger boy shook his head irritably.

"He's boring and annoying." He grumbled, crossing his arms.

"True," I admitted, matching his body language, "But you shouldn't skip school. You can't cut corners like that."

"Why not?" He demanded, stomping up to me, "Don't be like Jiji and not answer."

I sighed and resigned myself to being distracted from grabbing food, so I shrugged and turned to walk to a new destination.

"Meet me at training ground 7." I said, making a show of making a single half seal to Shunshin away.

I didn't put much chakra into it so I only rocketed through an empty street, disappearing from Konohamaru's sight. I scaled a wall and started leaping across rooftops, reaching the training ground in a minute or two.

I waited patiently for him to finally get to me, which he did after some time.

"Did you see what I did?" I asked him, his breathing slightly laboured from hurrying over.

"You basically disappeared." He said, sounding astonished, "You're so fast."

"That jutsu," I explained simply, "Is the Shunshin. It normally requires four hand seals. I did it with half of one."

Konohamaru's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline, his dark eyes wide in wonder.

"Wow!" He shouted, "You're awesome. Show me how to do it, boss!" He begged me, clutching his hands together.

"No," I shook my head, taking the wind out of his sails, "This is an extremely dangerous jutsu and it took me months to do it safely."

I was embellishing how long it took, but it still had been annoying to work it into a useful jutsu in my arsenal.

"No fair." Konohamaru grumbled, kicking a rock on the ground.

"You need good chakra control and a quick mind," I said, now offering the carrot instead of a stick, "You've got the second one already."

"Then can you show me how to get good chakra control?" He asked, looking hopeful.

"You could learn that from your teachers." I shook my head, knowing I wasn't the best equipped to teach a young kid with only a little above average chakra reserves.

Konohamaru was a bit further ahead than most clan kids, which was probably why he was bored all the time.

"I don't like my teachers," He said hotly, "I like you."

Knowing I couldn't change his mind, I made an offer.

"Ask your teacher for books on beginner chakra control and chakra theory," I said, sighing audibly to get his attention, "If they so no, go to your grandpa and say I wanted you to improve your control."

Konohamaru eyed me warily, looking on guard.

"What's in it for me?"

"If you-" I paused and thought to myself, "Where are you at on chakra theory in class?"

Konohamaru explained at what point he was at and I grimaced.

"Yeah, that parts kinda boring," I admitted, "But if you can get through that portion, understand it, and manage to use your chakra to walk up this tree," I pointed at the closest tree and moonwalked up it, smirking at Konohamaru's look of awe, "I'll start teaching you some cooler jutsu than that little disappearing trick."

That last part had Konohamaru excited.

"Can you show me?" He asked, jumping up and down a bit.

Smirking, I formed a Rasengan in my hand, still sticking to the tree. Pulsing my chakra through my feet, I blasted myself over Konohamaru, and slammed my hand into the ground, tearing through the soil without any resistance.

Pulling my hand from the crater, I gazed at the youngest Sarutobi, standing gobsmacked at the destruction.

"This requires chakra control like you wouldn't believe," I said seriously, walking forward and patting his shoulder, "But I think you can manage if you work hard."

Konohamaru took a deep breath and hugged me, gripping my shirt tightly.

"I won't let you down, nii-chan!" He shouted, practically glowing in pride.

"Never doubted it," I clapped his shoulder, "Now go back to the academy. Tell them the big bad fox kidnapped you."

Konohamaru laughed and took off running, thanking me.

After he disappeared, I dragged my fingers through my hair like I often did, fiddling with the crimson locks.

I didn't expect him to skip school, but I probably should've. He needed a guide and I second guessed myself on whether I was up to it. I did good with Rin, at least I hope I did, but Konohamaru wasn't like Rin. She had nobody closer to her than me, while Konohamaru had actual family.

Hopefully I could tide him over and direct his interests like canon Naruto sort of did, and hopefully so he didn't interrupt my tasks.

With that thought, I rushed home to get some money. I was going shopping.

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Kakashi POV:

Kakashi had just finished ironing out the plans he and Asuma had thought up in the event of one of their missions going pear shaped. Kakashi was best equipped for chaotic situations or ambushes. Hinata would be able to detect any outside threat in a certain range, while he had two competent Ninjutsu users in the form of Rin and Sasuke.

Naruto would work well being with Asuma this time, with him being a sensor skilled enough to be like a pale version of a Hyuga.

The main plan was assuming that things went bad for Asuma. Kakashi would receive a coded message through the scroll, causing Kakashi to make haste with his team. They had received some information about individuals that resembled lower tier missing nin from different villages in Wave, but that wasn't uncommon though. People tended to look like other people sometimes.

It did begin to get worrisome when there were at least 4 missing nin 'look alikes' of B-rank though.

In the event that they were missing nin on a mission, Kakashi and Asuma would need to be prepared to help the other. The two of them could probably take everyone down working together, but protecting their genin could complicate things.

Kakashi was feared enough for most nin to probably steer clear of him. So Naruto would be going with Asuma for some extra strength.

Kakashi had been walking home to prepare his gear for tomorrow's mission, when he bumped into Anko.

"Kakashi," She greeted him, looking to be in a good mood, "How's my favorite fellow Jonin?" She asked sweetly.

'I don't like that tone in her voice. It promises pain.'

"Really, your favorite?", He asked, "I need to tell Kurenai the terrible news."

Anko just laughed.

"She's my best friend," She shrugged, "That's different."

"Then what does that make me?" Kakashi asked.

"Fuck buddy." Anko said simply.

Kakashi snorted at that.

"Still haven't agreed yet." He pointed out.

"Oh you will." Anko grinned, stretching her arms out and arching her back, causing her coat to open some more.

Kakashi just rolled his eyes at her antics, but still sparing a glance.

"But seriously," He said, "What has you in a good mood?" He asked.

"TI," She replied with a grin, "Found someone trying to spy and I had him singing like a bird after only 5 minutes. I got the rest of the day off."

Kakashi knew where she was going then.

"Dango?" He asked simply.

"Yep." She grinned, "Care to give a lady some company?"

Kakashi showed mock surprise.

"You know a lady?", He asked, "Where," he looked around, "Where's the lady?"

Anko got a tick mark on her head.

"Funny," She grumbled, "Jackass."

"Naruto likes calling me that, did he get that from you?" He asked.

Anko shrugged.

"No idea," She answered, "I think some of the stuff he says comes from you."

"Like?" Kakashi raised a brow.

"Something about whether Kurenai would let Asuma go down on her after he smoked or not."

Kakashi had to bite his tongue to stop from laughing, but his body was shaking from the effort.

"Kami, Naruto better hope neither of the two hear that." He said, quietly wondering where his Sensei's son heard that from.

The relationship between the two Jonin was pretty much an open secret for those that knew them. They wanted to keep it discreet, as they had just begun being serious about. Anko was Kurenai's closest friend and Kakashi was a better conversationalist to Asuma on these things in comparison to Gai.

"Asuma would try and knock him down a peg," Kakashi continued, "And Kurenai would probably use a new Genjutsu on him."

Anko twitched at the last part, knowing how much Genjutsu pissed Naruto off.

"Walk with me," She said, wanting to get to the dango shop.

Kakashi nodded and the two walked beside one another to Anko's chosen destination.

Anko started speaking again after a minute of them walking.

"How is Naruto and Rin?" She asked, "Haven't seen them for a little while."

Things were getting a little more hectic for her. Inoichi was focusing on training some more and it left her to pick up some of the slack in TI. She new that the clan heads were in the know on Orochimaru's plan to attack the village during the Chunin exams, she herself had been told since she was helping to train the genin as well.

"They're doing alright," Kakashi replied, "Naruto is still terrorizing Sasuke and the other genin."

"Has Rin taken my advice?" She asked with a grin.

Kakashi was glad the mask his his frown.

"She hates your advice and 'girl talk'." Kakashi deadpanned.

"She doesn't appreciate my genius and skill."

"Your 'genius' advice was telling her to wink at Sasuke whenever she was stretching."

"She can touch her toes leaning backwards," Anko said simply, "And she's going to be the hottest girl in her class when she's older. She can use that to her advantage."

"She's not like Naruto," Kakashi countered, "He's comfortable being openly perverted as either a joke, antagonizing, or to throw people off. She isn't."

Rin would joke and flirt with Sasuke to unnerve him. She did it less often to the other boys simply because she actually found them to be more fun to be around. Sasuke was a 'Stick in the mud' as Rin described him, and needed to be embarrassed constantly.

It didn't help that Sasuke gave as good as he got, except he'd just insult her.

"I don't think anyone could be like Naruto." Anko said.

"I'd pity the next generation if Rin was as bad as Naruto," Kakashi agreed, "There's only so much insanity people can handle."

Anko just nodded at that.

They eventually reached the dango shop and sat at one of the tables.

After they ordered some dango for both of them, they just sat and talked about nothing in particular, just passing the time. Their food arrived and they still talked, sometimes interrupted by them eating.

Probably an hour or two passed but Kakashi didn't care. He knew the mission scheduling them to leave tomorrow was going be a dangerous one potentially. He only hoped that his students were capable enough to be able to defend themselves well enough so he wouldn't be limited in his fighting. He needed the relaxation.

After they finished eating, Kakashi left to go back to his home, Anko following him to give him company.

He got to his apartment and turned to face Anko.

"Well," He said, "I need to pack some things for tomorrow."

Instead of turning to leave, Anko stayed there.

"Need help?" She asked.

Kakashi raised a brow minutely.

'She doesn't know what I need and she hasn't been in my apartment. Unless she doe-. Oh.'

Kakashi thought for a few seconds, before nodding.

"Sure," He shrugged, "I could use some help."

He pulled out his key to unlock his door and walked in, Anko right behind him.

Kakashi, even after having been in previous 'relationships' wasn't exactly completely comfortable.

Anko was a friend. Most of the flings he had was with women he never met again, just a joint exercise of blowing off steam. It was different when it was with someone you know and is a friend.

'It won't be bad.' He assured himself. 'She's not looking for a relationship and neither am I. We just want some fun.'

He got to his bedroom and began acting like he was sifting around for his equipment that would be needed tomorrow. He was interrupted when he heard a voice behind him.

"Oh, Kakashi."

He turned around and Anko had already dropped her coat to the ground, revealing what little was hidden underneath.

Not even the best looking civilian women could match up to a normal kunoichi, and Anko wasn't a normal one.

Skinny girls may look good with clothes on. But fit and toned ones looked good naked.

She stalked towards him as she dropped her skirt, showing even more.

Kakashi couldn't hide the widening in his visible eye at how she seemed to sway as she approached.

She placed a hand on his chest and 'gently' pushed him backwards onto his bed. He let himself fall back as she settled herself onto his lap.

As he was about to try and pull her 'shirt' off, she stopped him.

"You're a little overdressed, don't you think?" She grinned.

She unzipped his flak jacket and pulled it open. He leaned forward and pulled it off of him, tossing it aside.

She put her hand on his cheek, waiting for permission. He nodded slightly and she pulled his mask off.

He grinned when she paused to marvel at his face.

'Everytime.' He grinned. 'Everytime.'

She blinked for a moment, then grinned, leaning forward and kissing him.

The last thought Kakashi had before their clothes came off was one sentence.

'I don't know why I waited this long.'

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Rin POV:

"Rin, can we talk?" Sasuke asked, his tone an uncomfortable one.

Hinata had already left to go home and Kakashi had as well.

Rin had been planning on heading home immediately to prepare for tomorrow, but Sasuke stopped to speak with her.

The two were in the center of the street, not exactly a good spot to speak.

Rin nodded and gestured for him to follow her. The two reached an empty alley and Rin turned back to Sasuke.

"Yes?" She asked, wanting to know what he wanted.

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath to calm himself.

'What has him so worked up?'

Sasuke generally didn't show much of his emotions if it pointed to possible weakness. Whatever Sasuke wanted to say was obviously uncomfortable to him.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly, shifting his feet and looking away from her.

"For?" She quirked a brow, starting to get slightly irritated.

'Stop acting like a baby and speak, damnit.'

"I'm sorry for trying to ask you out, okay." He said, still looking uncomfortable. "And for being presumptive."

Rin just scoffed, causing Sasuke to glare at her.

"That's what this," She gestured between the two of them, "Is about?"

She shook her head again.

"Sasuke," She looked straight into his eyes, leaning slightly towards him, "I'm not interested in boys right now. I know you like me, but I have more important stuff to focus on instead of you feeling uncomfortable. You feel bad for it, ok. Apology accepted."

Sasuke blinked. Then again.

"That," He said, before pausing, "Was easier than I thought."

"Yeah, well," Rin shrugged, "I trained with Anko, Kakashi, and my brother. I stopped being embarrassed about boys early on."

She still would get uncomfortable when she'd be stared at, even if they weren't hateful ones. It still reminded her of when they did come from hateful villagers.

"Why do you like me though?" She asked, genuinely curious. "Compared to anybody else?"

Sasuke looked slightly embarrassed.

"I don't want to give details."

Rin just rolled her eyes.

"You have the balls to stare at me in training when I'm stretching, but you can't tell me why you like me," She snorted again, "Were you really the rookie of the year in our class? Being a pussy and a genius doesn't make sense."

Sasuke twitched at her comment about him.

'I hate how much he acts like Naruto when he's uncomfortable about things.'

Anko and Kakashi would have to piss Naruto off to get him to talk about things sometimes. It gets tiresome to constantly make harsh comments to make someone respond, Sasuke being the absolute worst.

Sasuke stepped towards her, their noses almost touching.

"Don't." He said simply.

Rin just scoffed at the little move he made.

She was just as tall as he was, and was much stronger than him physically, and the two knew it.

'Can't be an alpha in a situation when both of us know who's stronger.'

"Really, Sasuke-kun?" She asked sweetly, enjoying his flinch and the half step he took back, "You gonna find out which of us is stronger? Fight me and have us wrestle in an alley? I think Kakashi-sensei has a book with a scene like this."

She managed to conceal her slight embarrassment at the thought, having to learn to do it with someone who could almost sense embarrassment in the form of Mitarashi Anko.

Sasuke didn't have such experience, and it showed. He backed away from her like he'd been scalded, his face turning pink.

"Again," She switched to her regular tone, "What do you like about me, and why do you like me? Why isn't there any other girl you seem to like to the point that you'd be vicious to other people... at least more so than you usually are?"

She knew how Naruto would make a disarming comment to throw someone off and get a desired reaction. He'd told her recently about what Sasuke's reaction was when the bell test happened. It was the reason she was even trying to let Sasuke explain why he liked her. She still remembered his hesitation, the look he shot towards them, the indecision. Hinata was her best friend, even if their personalities differed in multiple areas, and Naruto had played the role of a protector for her ever since she could remember.

She struggled to imagine Sasuke, the emo, brooding, bastard Uchiha, falling apart and rocking back and forth like a fearful child from being compared to his brother.

'There's obviously at least one major part of him that reminds him of his brother.'

Rin had multiple parts of herself that were influenced by Naruto. She couldn't imagine how much it would tear her apart if she heard or saw that Naruto killed everyone they cared about. Hinata. Kakashi. Anko. Jiji. Anybody they cared for, even Ino had grown on her ever since she stopped being a fangirl.

Naruto had always borderline preached to her about the power of understanding.

"Everyone hurts in different ways. Some worse than others. And people often find ways to cope with it." He had said to her.

That day was the day she had started noticing things about multiple different people. Kakashi was obviously perverted, but she herself had seen him at the memorial stone, looking at two different names.

Uchiha Obito. And Nohara Rin.

The last one had made her shiver when she first saw it. She'd never come close to dying, but seeing your own name on a stone commemorating the dead was a very unpleasant feeling.

Naruto had mentioned very vaguely that he had been vicious to Kakashi when they first met, not knowing how Kakashi got his Sharingan eye.

Sasuke had complained for all of 10 seconds before she slapped him hard when he found out Kakashi had a Sharingan. She called him a bastard and a disgrace to his clan.

Kakashi had shared the events of what happened and how he got the eye to her. Obito had trusted him enough to give him something that only an Uchiha or Hyuga could truly understand the value of. Again, it was very uncomfortable when he spoke of another girl named Rin in the past tense, especially since she knew the other Rin was killed on a mission. And judging on how Kakashi didn't elaborate further, he probably saw her die.

'Was that why he was uncomfortable around me at first? My name?'

But Kakashi wasn't the only one she saw act peculiar. Asuma had lost his mother in the Kyuubi attack. Kurenai lost her father. Gai's father had been killed when he fought to give his son a chance to escape from the 7 swordsmen of Kiri.

The only one that didn't seem to be strange was Kurenai. Gai was self explanatory, Asuma smoked nearly as often as Jiji, and Kakashi would read smut. Kurenai looked the least eccentric.

But the Jonin weren't the only ones.

The only two her age that she noticed acting different to normal people similar to the Jonin who had seen or experienced terrible things were Naruto and Sasuke.

Sasuke would act rude and insult those who irritated him, or simply act cold and ignore people.

Naruto would be downright cruel with his words if he wanted to. If he could notice how fragile Sasuke was capable of being, if the right subject was brought up, he could do far worse to someone he personally knew.

Even after she had been lost to her musings for a little bit, Sasuke still hadn't answered her.

"Sasuke," She said, not hiding her annoyance, "You wanted to talk and apologize, I get it. But please tell me why you like me and why you thought a good time to try and ask me out was after you had just been rude in front of me to someone. I'm not an expert, but that seems like really bad timing."

She needed to know what prompted him. Naruto was better at this mind stuff, but she wasn't terrible at it.

Sasuke took a deep breath and exhaled, seeming to deflate.

"I like you because you're nice." He said softly.

Rin scoffed.

"That's it?" She asked, "You'll need to do better."

Sasuke looked like he wanted to say something harsh, but seemed to force himself to calm down.

"You and Naruto didn't care that I was the last Uchiha left," He started, his voice weaker than she'd ever heard, "You both tried to be friends with me even before it happened."

Rin remembered how Naruto had acted when they first joined the Academy. He'd be very friendly to everyone their, including Sasuke, Ino, Sakura, and the other girls that had later failed or joined the genin corps.

That changed after the massacre.

He was rude and insulting to the girls that would slack in their training, pining after the Last Uchiha. But there was something else that made her confused about her brother.

Naruto had gone out of his way to speak with Itachi more than once. The two of them seemed to get along and have some conversations when Itachi had the opportunity to pick up Sasuke from the Academy.

Sasuke looked like he was going to speak again.

"You aren't like the other girls."

"Neither is Hinata." Rin pointed out.

Sasuke blinked at that, almost like he didn't think of that.

"But she isn't you," He then raised his hand, "I'll explain." He said, noticing she was getting aggravated.

"You and Naruto went out of your way to try and be kind even when I wasn't wanting to talk or be nice back." He said.

"You didn't try and let me be silent or say something without you responding. You wouldn't be some little trophy wife that would listen to everything I say because you like me."

'That would make sense.' Rin thought.

Sasuke desired being strong. It wouldn't be surprising that he'd like that in a girl, especially since he had said he liked strong girls.

"But still," Rin said again, "Why now? Why not during the Academy?"

Sasuke obviously had a reason to want to pursue her now of all times, instead of doing so when they were in the Academy.

"Your brother." He spat.

"What about Naruto?" She demanded defensively.

"He compared me to him." He spat.

"Care to tell me who him is?" Rin asked sarcastically.

Sasuke's whole body went rigid.

"Itachi." He said the name like it was poison.

"When?" Rin asked, playing along like Naruto hadn't told her.

"The bell test." Sasuke's voice was shaking like he was remembering a bad memory.

"Was that why you weren't wanting to talk after you needed to have the seals taken off?" She asked.

Sasuke was silent for a moment.

"Yes." He said bitterly.

Before she could say something, Sasuke spoke again.

"I know he does it to try and help," He said, "But your brother keeps jabbing, and jabbing, and jabbing, until I can't take anymore. He doesn't know what it's like." He said weakly.

Rin went to speak again, but Sasuke interrupted her.

"You don't either," He pointed at her, his voice shaking once more, "I don't why the villagers hate you two, and I frankly don't care. But you two have each other. I have no one."

Rin could see Sasuke was visibly shaking now.

"He killed everyone," Sasuke choked out, "Naruto would fight the whole world for you. I've seen it in his eyes. He'd fight the Hokage if he needed to. He'd fight Kami for you. Your brother loves you. Mine took everything from me."

Sasuke clenched his fists and forced himself to stop shaking, but he still did.

"Itachi killed my clan," He said, his eyes looking empty, "He even killed the girl that loved him. Her mind broke from the Genjutsu he put on her..." His breath quickened, "The same he put on me."

Rin started to connect the dots.

"You think you'll become him." She said softly.

Sasuke shook his head and looked away.

"No," He growled firmly, "I won't be him. I'm not him."

"You wouldn't be shaking if you believed what you just said." She replied.

Sasuke looked at his hands and tried to get them to stop shaking.

"If you honestly thought you'd be like him," She continued, "Why would you try and ask me out? You'd try to stay away if you wanted to protect me or a friend."

Sasuke flinched at that.

'Is this how Naruto feels when he spots something about someone? Everything I say gets a reaction. I don't like it.'

Rin knew how certain fears of her's could work her into a frenzy, mainly the thought of Naruto dying or leaving her.

"That's why I didn't want to be on your team or be friends." He said, not looking at her eyes.

Rin was confused now, and it showed on her face.

"Itachi killed those who were close to me once. I won't let it happen again." He said firmly.

"Like he'd be able to if he wanted." She scoffed.

"You don't know him." Sasuke said.

"And you don't know me or Naruto as well as you think." She replied, looking him directly in the eyes.

Sasuke didn't know about the Kyuubi. He didn't know the depth of knowledge they had access to. Their clan was feared enough that entire nations attacked them. One Uchiha, even an S-rank one, wouldn't match up to the two of them in a few years.

Sasuke looked at her disbelievingly.

"You were surprised when Naruto kicked your ass," She pointed out, not mincing her words, "I know you were surprised when he went up against Kakashi the first time you saw them. He held back in the Academy the same reason I did."

Sasuke looked like he understood.

"Attention." He said quietly.

Rin nodded.

Naruto had been nearly fanatic in telling her to not show how skilled they were from training with Kakashi and Anko. He pointed out multiple prodigies that ended up being dangerous years down the road.

Orochimaru. Namikaze Minato. Hatake Kakashi. Uchiha Itachi.

They started out as children, vulnerable ones at that. Rin had no delusions that she would be able to fight an S-rank Shinobi right now. But she could years from now. There was value in being discreet, as Naruto put it.

Rin knew that there was another reason for why Sasuke was fragile about getting close to anyone, aside from the 'Itachi will try and get to me through them' excuse. She didn't know what it was, and she was certain Sasuke wouldn't tell her even if she pressed him for it.

Rin looked at him with a soft expression.

"I accept you apology, Sasuke. I understand why you were acting that way, and thanks for apologizing even if you were uncomfortable. I'm fine with being your friend for now."

A guy and a girl could be friends without being a couple. She didn't want a boyfriend currently, mainly because she wouldn't know where to begin explaining the Kyuubi.

'High *insert prospective boyfriend's name*. I like you and you like me. Guess what, I have a giant fox demon sealed in me and I can smell blood from the other room. Wanna be my boyfriend?'

Sasuke could be nice and polite if he wanted to. He'd be a good friend at the very least, so long as he managed to resolve his issues.

Sasuke looked almost relieved. Whether it was from her accepting his apology or the fact that the conversation was over, she didn't know.

"And," She grimaced, fidgeting with her sleeves uncomfortably, "I shouldn't have caused scene over it. I could've just said no and been polite."

Kami, that hurt her to say it. But it was true.

Sasuke looked undoubtedly relieved as she said that.

"Thanks." He said, before turning to leave the alley.

Rin also walked right beside him out the alley, turning right while Sasuke went left.

"See you tomorrow, Sasuke." She waved to him.

She was surprised when he actually waved back instead of simply nodding.

'Huh. Is this how Naruto feels when he makes a breakthrough.' She thought, as she made her way to her and Naruto's apartment.

'It feels nice.'

/////////////////

Unknown POV:

'He's more skilled than he lets on.' The figure thought.

He'd monitored the red haired Uzumaki through the use of his agents in Konoha up until he had to remove them to prevent discovery.

Even as a boy, he'd been fascinated by the Uzumaki. To have such physical endurance and power as a part of their clan was something that all villages and clans envied. Every being desires to live longer, to have the vitality of their youth last longer.

But it was their sealing capabilities that had his attention the most. Having another few decades of life meant nothing when you didn't have the intelligence or ambition to achieve greatness.

The Fall of Uzu effected many nations, his more than others.

Unlucky, and even more so foolhardy, scavengers attempted to get ahold of any sealing formulas or scrolls that the Uzumaki had intact in their ruined village. He himself had gone to check for things, being mildly surprised by what he found.

There were hundreds of corpses that looked more fresh than others, pointing towards the conclusion that others had died after. The use of clones did not help. He only realized what killed the others when he had nearly stepped on an explosive tag that would have blown his foot off.

Only Kage bunshin would trigger the seals, meaning a majority of nin from outside of Konoha would not have suspected that there'd still be thousands of explosives and traps that went untripped from decades prior.

It took him the better part of a month of using Kage bunshin to clear a thin corridor where it would be safe to get towards the center of the village without raising awareness to the outside world of what he was doing. He had no map and was unable to locate the clear zones where traps weren't laid to give any forces left standing the chance to retreat.

He still remembered the sensation that washed over him when several of his clones got trapped in a Space-time trap. It only lasted a few seconds, but the time dilation meant his clones were active for days doing nothing while trapped. They couldn't dispell and when they eventually did dispell from lack of chakra, the weeks worth of collected thoughts nearly drove him to his knees, blood flowing from his nose.

He'd eventually made his way to the center of the village turned tomb, the scorched and torn ground displaying the scars of a brutal battle to the death. There had also been corpses, mostly Kumo nin, that were piled outside the doorway.

He had stood upon the tower that served as the center of the village once he got to the top, gazing down at the destruction from the ruined tower.

He could tell from the location of the fallen corpses, and the areas where the pattern was interrupted, that the village had genuinely lasted for seven days of constant fighting. The Uzumaki had slowly retreated into a smaller ring, leaving their dead brethren and their foes laying to rot as their defensive line deteriorated, the progressively smaller displays of destruction indicating both sides running low on chakra to cause more explosive damage.

If one looked at the village as a tree, and its people as leaves, each ring of corpses could be seen as the rings of a mighty tree, displaying its age and continued strength, untouchable and impervious to the elements, thousands of rings making it seem as if it had lived there long before even the Gods made Man.

'But water and especially lightning can bring down the mightiest of trees. Wood cannot stand before the flame.'

Kiri had betrayed Konoha, aiding Kumo and Iwa in attacking Uzu. The sister-village to Konoha had planned on entering the war to help Konoha, this he had known, who was slowly retreating on all fronts, having lost what momentum they had when their flank was open to a traitorous Kirigakure.

Hatake Sakumo's forces were defeated in battle and had attempted to regroup in a strategic withdrawal, only to be struck by thousands of Kumo and Iwa nin, scattering most of his troops. The same force that defeated him were the ones that lay dead within Uzu.

They thought themselves invincible. They failed to kill the White Fang, but thought they could strike at a village known for its peerless mastery in the most esoteric branch of the Shinobi arts. And they did so on said village's own ground.

'As the saying goes, "Never give an Uzumaki 5 seconds to prepare a seal."'

Uzu had weeks to prepare for invasion. An entire village full of Shinobi with boundless stamina would be very productive in setting up traps with weeks of preparation time.

Not to mention their Kage.

He'd reached the tower and after gazing over the village, he had begun searching for anything of value while using a liberal amount of clones for every location he looked for safety.

He'd found a map in the office of the Uzukage that gave a rough outline of where most of the traps were. With the map, he'd been able to maneuver around to try and get ahold of some salvage without potentially getting killed.

But the best find was something that he had no trust in breaking into. He'd gotten several mostly intact sealing schematics from a scorched out bunker that were superior and more complex to several combat seals that he knew of, and plenty of salvage from the broken and completely decayed corpses, but he couldn't locate any of the more exclusive ones.

The Uzukage's office had a door built into the wall. The 'door' was made of metal that was completely untouchable by any of his attacks, including his blade. The designer wasn't foolish enough to not reinforce or surround whatever was guarded with the same material as the door.

Every inch of the door was covered in interlocking seals that branched out into the wall and underneath where he couldn't see. The center of the door was the key that would unravel the entire matrix.

He'd studied it for days to no success before he tried something that was unnecessarily foolish by his standards. He'd struggled with using Senjutsu, having been unable to properly use it at the time in any capacity that was considered traditionally safe. But he was at his wits end and needed to know.

He'd managed for five seconds to keep it stable, before he ran the risk of killing himself. He discovered more things than he expected or thought possible. What lay behind the door was a room, and by the chakra ping he used in conjunction with Nature chakra, the room was revealed to have tables and shelves stacked to the brim with chakra conductive scrolls that were commonly used as schematics for seal designs. It was obviously the place they hid their most precious seals.

It was also extremely odd that he felt echoes of several hundred chakra signatures, but that could have been a security feature to throw off sensors.

But that wasn't the only thing he sensed. Even a Shinobi that was the most lacking in sensing ability would be able to sense the feel of death and lingering Killing Intent in the air. Battles involving thousands of deaths tend to do that. But that wasn't what shocked him. It was the lingering Nature chakra that emanated from near the docks, and how the same Nature chakra was slightly bleeding out of the lock matrix of the door.

He'd gone to investigate after he had managed to make sure he wasn't potentially damaged by channeling Nature chakra into his tenketsu. The chakra had seemed to originate from a massive crater that looked like a giant scoop of the Earth was incinerated in a perfect sphere shape.

It wasn't until years later that he had discovered a possible way to get into the locked room.

He'd discovered, after getting ahold of one of the few surviving Kiri nin that fought at Uzu, that Uzumaki Ashina had been at the center of the explosion, taking the Nidaime Raikage with him, having already killed two Jinchuriki.

It would likely require not only a blood relative of Ashina, but also a Sage to get in. The lock likely required Nature chakra to unlock it as said chakra was leaking from it at an extremely slow pace.

Uzumaki were rare, a relative or descendant of Ashina may not even be possible to get at this point. Ashina had only one confirmed surviving descendant, and it was Senju Tsunade. If she ever discovered that their was someone wanting her to possibly help get ahold of the valuable seals of her ancestors, she'd go to ground and return to Konoha for protection if she felt unable to fight the opposing party on her own.

Uzumaki Ashina was one of the most dangerous Shinobi to ever live. To train Senju Tobirama at one point was enough to cement him as one of the greatest. A great deal of evidence pointed to him being the most industrious of his clan in designing new seals in all of its history. They would have likely formed their own village before Konoha was formed if Ashina had been born earlier.

But for some reason, Ashina didn't draw up plans to form Uzu until an official treaty occurred between him and Senju Hashirama, Uzumaki Mito being promised to marry the Senju clan head.

It was quite perplexing. A man who could have been capable of destroying entire clans refrained from it, instead allying with the Senju more tightly and helping to get the Uchiha and Senju to sign a peace treaty and form Konoha.

But he'd likely never know what Ashina was thinking when he did so, especially since he'd stumbled onto one potentially esoteric sealing idea that Ashina had been working on.

It made him think that perhaps Senju Tobirama hadn't been completely original when he'd designed a jutsu to summon the dead and bind their will to the user.

Higher up Kumo nin talked of the 'monster' that Senju Tobirama was by resurrecting the dead. He killed an entire squad of S-rank Shinobi from Kumo, and many were killed by their own comrades when he resurrected them to fight for him.

A torn up and crinkled note was all he found in the corner of the office. It looked to be a concept doodle for a binding seal that involved the dead.

'Either Ashina thought of it first, or he was inspired by his student.'

The paper was useless to reverse engineer. It didn't have any design schematics or blueprints to it. It only confirmed that it was possible to anchor the soul into a living body, which inspired him to see if such a thing had validity.

He could say that it definitely had some validity like Uzumaki Ashina thought. But the old man wasn't alive to realize it.

He found it amusing that Ashina didn't like him when they met, not wishing to speak with him all that much. It had been unsettling at first, feeling like all his secrets were laid out to bare in front of the old man. But then, when he'd been in the heart of the man's shattered village, the only living soul there, he felt it to be ironic.

A man that wasn't trusted had sat at the Uzukage's desk. He'd read his papers detailing plans for the defense of the village, which were superb, he'd found wrinkled photographs of his entire extended family, all of whom were likely dead.

Monster he may be seen as, but he still lived. Uzumaki Ashina was dead, as was his family, and his clan shattered. Senju Tobirama, the genius that invented multiple Kinjutsu and helped wage war against the Uchiha from childhood all the way into adulthood was dead. Senju Hashirama, Kami no Shinobi, Senju clan head, Shodai Hokage of Konohagakure, shackler of Bijuu, and slayer of Uchiha Madara, was dead.

They were considered Gods among men, but there was one small problem. A problem that many, in their arrogance, do not catch until it is far too late.

A God, a true one, never dies.

End Chapter:

This is extremely long: Skip if you don't want to hear me ramble.

I will not be including anything from Boruto. I've never watched any of it, and I don't particularly like what I've heard about it. Their won't be any of the Otsutsuki clan from outer space in any of my stories. Kaguya was bad enough in my opinion. The series, or more specifically Shippuden, took a turn after the Pein arc, much of it not good. The war arc was entertaining, but it felt somehow "Less" in some ways compared to the previous story arcs.Throughout the series, there had been the concept of defiance and remaining unconquered by the world. Naruto was hated by a village that he wanted to lead, whilst struggling to be skilled and smart enough to meet the standard. Sasuke was fighting to be strong enough to kill who at the time was believed to be one of the most evil types of people out there, a kinslayer and child killer. Something seemed to be lost in my opinion when I found out the last part of Shippuden and Boruto.

Madara would have been the perfect villain to me. He'd been driven by his desire to 'save' the world from itself by taking the role of God and 'freeing' people to have their paradise.(Which ignores the fact that no new generations will arise. Humanity would die out within decades unless he popped them out of the illusion, force them to fuck, and raise the kids towards a level of understanding where the illusion would work on them. Madara's plan revolved around a freezeframe of the present and forsook the future from an inability to move on from the past and carve out a better tomorrow.) Even with his near demigod level of power at the end, Madara still felt 'human'. He'd been built up as a powerful man ever since the first series came out. He was the co-founder of Konoha and was a rival to a man who carried the title of 'God of Shinobi'.

In him, we could see a man broken by what he'd seen and felt. He and Hashirama are the same coin but two different faces, just as Naruto and Sasuke were. They were brutally cast into a vicious and unforgiving environment that they had no choice in.

Hashirama and Madara had to endure warfare as children and the loss of family and close friends. Their dream, when first looking at it, made things worse, having elevated the stakes of conflict from being a dispute between two clans to being full scale warfare between thousands of Shinobi.

Naruto had his mother and father taken from him and received hatred and scorn from the village, with only a few offering any kindness.

Sasuke had his family taken from him, and that included Itachi. The way he lost his brother wasn't just physical, it was spiritual. Finding out the brother you love was killed in a car accident is terrible, but you still have him spiritually in the sense that you love him and you knew he loved you. But if you discovered that you're brother slept with your wife when you were away, betraying a sacred trust between you, he spiritually dies, never to come back. Sasuke had the emotional nightmare of having him, losing him, getting him back, and finally losing how he felt about Konoha when Obito spoke to him, which is tragic unto itself because the village he sought to destroy was the very thing that his entire clan and his sense of brotherhood was cast upon for sacrifice.

Back to Madara: It's never specified how many reincarnations of Indra and Ashura occurred, but we can assume it happened several times, all of them resulting in the death of one of or both of them. Hashirama and Madara were the closest to breaking the cycle, but ultimately failed. Even with peerless power, neither could fix it themselves.

Each generation of Shinobi, minus a few outliers, kept getting weaker than the preceding one. Hashirama and Madara were stronger than Hiruzen, Hiruzen was stronger than the individual Sannin, most of Minato's generation being weaker than them, and Kakashi was not as dangerous as prodigies like Orochimaru was. But one needs to remember the wars that occurred. Tobirama was wielding a sword nearly as long as he was tall when he went to aid his father in finding Hashirama talking with Madara as children. Most of the villages got better overtime and helped push back the age of when children got sent to fight, with the Academy age for Konoha reaching twelve years at the beginning of the series.

I personally think the gradual 'Weakening' of each generation isn't something that should be seen as bad. Society today, or at least the people that populate it, are less self sufficient when out in the wilderness compared to a neanderthal beating two rocks together. Nobody with a drop of good sense would presume that the Neanderthal is in a better position. (We have toilet paper, antibiotics, and proper shelter where we don't need fire to be used as a signal to wolves and bears to fuck off. The several millennia of bloodshed, death, famine, destruction, and warfare has made us into better people over time. We don't tear each other apart over stupid crap like wars of conquest or religion with the same level of intensity as 300 years ago.)

The world became a better place, even if Madara couldn't see it through the lense of all the bloodshed he lived through and saw. Men like him, Hashirama, and Tobirama would have ceased to be necessary within another century or several decades. Naruto, being an Uzumaki, would have been a good choice, along with Sasuke, to show the world as capable of being better.

But Kishimoto messed up the execution, and the build up partially.

If Hashirama symbolized the hope and faith that could endure the most horrific of pains, Madara was Man when he is stripped of what separates him from beast, his soul. Madara's, Sasuke's intitial view, and Indra's, view of peace is more of a pipedream than the naive hippie one that Hashirama sometimes flirted with when he didn't have Tobirama there to be the pragmatic realist.

Killing people to scare them into submission only works when you are genuinely immortal. Indra died. Ashura died. Their father and Uncle died. All of the reincarnations died. Pein had no hope of getting people to work together unless he lived forever to always be mankind's Boogeyman. Madara tried to ascend to a different way for peace, but he would have killed any possibility of a future ever coming about.

But back to what could have perhaps been better: Hashirama failed to save Madara from his own darkness, but Naruto and Sasuke would have been the ones to defeat the twisted being that Madara had become. Hashirama emerged a kind and genuinely decent human being, seeing what war did to his family, killing his siblings long before they should have died, and having a vicious, harsh, and cruel man for a father. And Madara, unlike his best friend and brother in spirit, ended up becoming the exact thing he defied his father, family, and clan, to escape from. He sought to be better than his clan and break the chain, but he ended up fortifying the chain.

When you are a link in the chain of death and hatred, whether you are the first, second, or the millionth, it doesn't matter, you have added to it. Unless you are the one that tries to break it and succeeds, you aren't any different. So many crimes and terrible actions can be laid at the feet of previous generations, each one tossing the blame back another generation to the feet of their mothers and fathers.

The crimes and deaths of the Second World War could have been stopped if other nations had stepped in early and called Hitler's bluff when he remilitarized the Rhineland. The fear of another war wouldn't have existed if the First was avoided. If the Hapsburgs hadn't been so harsh in subjugating the Serbs, Gavrilo Princip would not have been radicalized and shot the Archduke. And you could go back further to throw blame. A united Germany spawning from an uptick in the concept of Pan-Germanism caused by millions of people in southern Germany being killed and having their homes looted by invading foreigners during the Thirty Years War, which in turn happened because a German Monk questioned the actions of Bishops and other clergymen when the Pope was too preoccupied manipulating the election of a new Holy Roman Emperor over one hundred years prior which caused a schism in Christendom.

People will never run out of those to pass off blame onto to avoid acknowledging our own shortcomings as morally biased people.

Madara as a villain appeals to me because of that.

He. Is. Us.

He is what we will be if we don't let go of our hatred.

Naruto and Sasuke, just as their predecessors, became different people from having similar shit hands dealt to them. The two of them, but especially Sasuke, fighting and defeating MADARA would have been the climax of triumph. Naruto would help fight against an existential threat to freedom, and Sasuke would help defeat the beast that lurked within him, seeking to drag him over the edge to make him into a monster that would destroy him and everything he still had left.

Madara, at the end, was all of the bad aspects of Sasuke and were then elevated to the level of a god.

It would have been flawless to have Sasuke see what he would have become if he didn't have Naruto to catch him when he fell.

This somewhat happened, but the weight of it felt less because of Madara not being the main villain.

The existence of Kaguya as the main villain, and more importantly, the reason she had come to Earth and planned to use all the chakra in the world, kills any prospect of Hagoromo and Ashura's worldview working.The Otsutsuki are practically gods and are nearly unkillable even when Sasuke with a Rinnegan and Six paths Naruto are working together. (And with great cost to themselves.)

As long as even one Otsutsuki can outlive both Naruto and Sasuke, there will never be peace. Perpetual war is what made Madara and Hashirama into the demigods that they were, the nature of their souls only being half of it, given that Izuna and Tobirama were dangerous even without part demigod chakra reincarnated into them.

Naruto went from struggling to fight Kakashi with Sakura's help, to being able to crack mountains in the span of about six months. And it required him getting gifted with power, just as Sasuke was, by Hagoromo. It wasn't earned with blood, sweat, and tears.

The near defeat of Madara at the hands of Maito Gai was one of the best parts of the entire series for me. A man who was seen as eccentric and a weird bushybrowed training freak nearly killed the closest thing to a demigod in the flesh. Just as a chain of hatred can be forged, so to can a chain of good emotion or actions. Maito Duy destroyed his body to save his son. Even when he failed the most basic tasks, being a genin his whole career, he didn't fail at being a father, he triumphed in a way few men could. His actions spurred Gai to be a splendid and beautiful Shinobi that was a friend to a broken prodigy who needed a friend and would later motivate Gai to train a handicapped kid into being a powerful taijutsu user.

But all that build up, all that grinding towards the climax felt cheapened when Kaguya was revealed as the villain all along, and it became worse when her own motives were about her fleeing her clan.

You can't kill gods unless you can survive them. And nobody but the direct descendants of Hagoromo and Hamura can hope to be anything more than a red skid mark if they so much as sneezed in the direction of an Otsutsuki. And with the current trend of demilitarization in the villages spawned by Naruto and Sasuke having been seen as the undisputed powerhouses of the world, and the total inability of anyone on Earth matching them, the villages will have no choice other than to revert back to the mindset of perpetual conflict and fear as a motivator to survive and potentially scare off the Otsutsuki enough for them to not destroy humanity...But why be scared of people who you outlive and you could just simply crack the world in half with power scaling that is "Definitely" not like DBZ. (Nothing against DBZ, I actually like the series, even though I haven't seen it in several years. I just don't think a series about ninja and tactical stuff really meshes well with things like individuals being able to break continents by swinging their dicks in a centrifugal motion to build up momentum. I'm obviously being a bit hyperbolic, but you get what I mean.)

TLDR: No aliens outside of Kaguya possibly. Madara is much like what many people are, making him a personable villain, therefore better.

Anyway, hopping of the stage and going to bed, here's a new chapter and I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Raging..