Chapter 3

She took one step forward, tugging Sasuke with her, and felt her Chakra drain out of her. As though the very breath of life fled her body, she hunched over, vomiting, even as her feet stayed rooted to the ground, not daring to move.

She felt Sasuke grip her shoulder, her chakra flowing into him, feeding the massive construct known as Susanoo in his place.

"Sakura!" She heard Naruto shout, no doubt struggling even more.

She didn't dare look back. Didn't dare look at the hurt, desperate look in his eyes.

She tried to smile...

It was a brittle thing.

"Sayonara. Sasuke...Naruto..."

She felt the Uchiha's hand squeeze her shoulder.

She took one more step.

The last of her chakra drained from her body.

She died with barely the whisper of a final breath, the final tether of life sapped from her body as she took a single step into nowhere and she faded into the nothingness of the void of time.

Sasuke's chakra surged, and the Uchiha could now feel his feet touch the 'ground, tugged into this place in the expanse of time by his now dead...or was it perhaps lost, teammate.

"Damnit!" The Uchiha ignored Naruto's curse, eyes staring straight ahead.

"Three." He breathed, taking one more step

Instantly, a massive crack thundered through the skull of Susanoo, and Sasuke felt his chakra get sapped from him just like Sakura had. His massive reserves would hold out for another two steps under the aegis of the legendary ninjutsu...three if he were lucky.

"Four." He said.

One more step, and this time the flames of Susanoo's body dimmed, becoming little more then embers leaving only the raw chakra construct exposed, with another crack spearing down its chest. Sasuke hissed, reeling as his eyes bled and fire spread through his insides.

"That's enough!" Naruto growled, his voice obviously choked. "That's four! I can get you the rest of the way! Stop!"

The Uchiha shook his head, eyes bleeding now though Naruto couldn't see it. "Have to...make sure...dobe."

One more step. This time the legendary construct began crumbling away, the last of the flames dying as the chakra armor was peeled free. Sasuke hunched over, coughing up dark red blood that turned to dust on the winds of time.

"Stop it Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. "I'll take you just...get me out of this!"

The Uchiha sighed coughing wetly. "We..could have miscalculated Naruto...we have nothing to-"

"I don't care!" He roared, wisps of gold emerging between the seals as Sasuke's chakra waned dangerously on the restraints. "Let me OUT!

Sasuke turned to look over his shoulder, staring with bloody tears at the struggling blond even as he dragged him.

The Uchiha smirked...

It was a brittle thing.

"For what its worth..." He paused, visibly choking down the words.

Cursed pride

"I always did have to carry your sorry ass through..."

Before the shout even escaped Naruto's throat Sasuke took that one final step.

Susanoo burst into shards of light, unlike Sakura, girded from the worst of this place by the legendary sword and shield of the Mangekyo; allowed to fade away into this place beyond time, Sasuke had no such defense now and Naruto watched the Uchiha get ripped to pieces. Like a great sand storm had swept in and peeled the flesh clean off his body before grinding the bones to dust.

The paper around him fell away crumbling to sand, the Kyuubi's chakra, so desperate to escape, roared to life as the blond cried. Howling into the void as he clutched at his head screaming in wild agony.

All of them...They were...all of them...

Every last one of his precious people!

He cried clutching and pulling at his hair as he screamed at nothing...at everything.

Rage, hatred, sadness... despair.

They rushed through him too powerful to resist, too fast to feel. All he knew was pain.

"You have to move Naruto."

The blond didn't respond, still staring at the place in this black abyss that he'd last seen Sasuke, sobbing as he bit his lip hard enough to bleed, the blood crystallizing frozen as it was swept away.

"Naruto..." Kyuubi prodded, his voice a low rumble. "You have to keep moving now."

The blond swallowed. Fat tears evaporating as they escaped his tear-ducts.

He took one step. He felt the same enormous drain they had

He took one more. Now...the cloak flickered.

When he took his third, the golden hue of his aura, vanished, leaving only red, eight tails trailing behind him.

He took one more.

Two tails receded back into him.

"Kyuubi?"

"They were right...there was one thing we did not take into account."

"What?"

"The temporal displacement...between us...and the seal. Eleven paces in physical distance...years time difference. Mychakra must push through the years to reach it. Three paces left, six tails...

Naruto swallowed. Too numb to do much more.

"Are we going to die?"

…

"No. Walk."

He took another step.

Three tails vanished

Nine paces.

One more.

The last of the Kitsune's tails receded back into him, the chakra shroud of the nine tails vanishing leaving Naruto's flesh to peel away, only to reform in patches and bursts of healing.

The blond grit his teeth, hissing as he kept his feet firmly planted in this place. Not daring to move one more step.

"Kyuubi?"

"Move. Stupid Ningen."

"Its you...you're going to die here too...aren't you?"

…

"Kyuubi?"

"Take your step boy."

He opened his eyes to a ceiling he hadn't seen for what felt like a life time.

For a window of eternity, he stared into that chipped, water bubble paint, smelling his poorly washed sheets, listening to the sounds of Konoha's early morning, utterly motionless.

When he finally moved, the sun was rising along the horizon filtering light in through the blinds of his window.

His feet touched the floor, all too small, the leap a little too high. He stumbled, wobbling on unsure legs.

He stared at his hands, at himself as best he could. Then he kept walking.

When he made it to the bathroom he found a stepping stool.

The same, stupid stepping stool he had thrown in a corner somewhere never to use again after he hit seven...

It was right there. Waiting to be used now.

He looked...up at his bathroom counter, stepping onto the stool.

He looked in the mirror, staring back at his face.

His four year old face.

Like he'd been in his bed, he remained motionless, staring for the longest time at this reflection that shouldn't be. At this thing that was just so wrong...

Kyuubi?

…

…

Kyuubi?

…

His eyes glimmered, percolating with tears that didn't quite fall yet as he stared into this stranger in a strange house.

Please say something to me...

He never noticed himself crying, never noticed his legs give out never noticed himself falling onto the floor, never noticed his choking sobs or his hysterical screams. He didn't even notice when Inu barged into the room, grabbing him and holding him close as he shouted out orders to the rest of the squad.

All he could notice...was how quiet it was...

.

.

.

If you want to access advanced chapters, wait no more and subscribe to my Patreon, where you can buy books in completely downloadable PDF format.

🤩patreon.com/Shihao123🤩

🎉Take advantage of the price reduction on the "Special Offer" Subscription. Get several novels in PDF format and access upcoming ones that will be published this year.🎉

🤩Don't miss out, subscribe now!🤩