Chapter 57: The Reanimation Released

AN: Hey everyone, I'm back with another update! Leaving in 3 days so I wanted to make sure I got at least one chapter up before I left. I'll be back sometime in early February!

War Recap:

The Three Guardians of Ryuga-Jo Palace stop Madara's attack, however they were forced to leave the battlefield. Madara joins Obito and the Ten Tails to attempt to capture the Eight and Nine Tails.

Izaya finds Kabuto inside Ryuchi Cave along with Tobi/Yamato and engages in battle with the two of them.

Chapter 57

I dashed around the giant cavern that was currently filled with giant tree branches and sharp stalagmites as I dodged one attack after another from Kabuto. The turquoise glow of the cavern walls was the only source of light given to us, not that either one of us needed it to see. With Kabuto's Sage Mode and my Sharingan on top of my sensory perception we fought just fine with or without the light. However, the light did help someone else who was also in the cave hidden away in a small inconspicuous corner observing the fight. It was precisely the original White Zetsu. He squinted his eyes and completely focused on the battle before him not wanting to miss a single detail.

BOOM!

BANG!

Kabuto dodged one of my giant Wood Style Jutsus and snarled shouting, "Sage Art: Inorganic Animation!" The surrounding stalactites and stalagmites warped inwards in an attempt to crush my body only to crush nothing but air as I flew to a different kunai in the distance. Kabuto scowled, "Izaya! On second thought, perhaps I should just kill you! There's still always Sasuke I could take. You're seeming to be a bit more trouble than it's worth to take alive."

I took note of his frustration and replied, "Kabuto, remember the things that we have talked about. You must acknowledge your true self. One cannot do everything on their own. Those who try to shoulder the burden of everything on their own will eventually fail in the end. Accepting what you can do and what you cannot do. That is how one moves forward."

"Shut up! You don't understand a single thing about me! Everything I have is my own power! Your words are but the words of a loser! You were nothing more than an experiment of Orochimaru's! And now you will soon be nothing more than an experiment for me! Dead or alive! Kidomaru: Spiral Spider Web Jutsu!"

The face of Kidomaru appeared on Kabuto's stomach as it spit out a thick giant web impervious to blades. Before it could ensnare me I focused the power of my left Mangekyo and said, "Kuninotokotachi!" The giant web quickly turned into a small tiny web and whizzed by becoming stuck on the wall behind me. Kabuto quickly formed some hand signs and said, "Sage Art: Water Style Water Bullet Jutsu!" A powerful stream of water quickly approached me as I quickly countered by activating my Taiyougan Beam. The golden dense energy beam collided with Kabuto's powerful Sage powered Water Style, however, the dense beam of energy slowly began to pierce through Kabuto's technique and rush straight at him, forcing him to dodge to the side to avoid being pierced.

As he dodged, the face of Tayuya holding a flute appeared on his stomach as he said, "Tayuya: Demon Flute Chains of Fantasia!" As the sound from the flute began to play I quickly pulled back my fist and shouted, "Eight Extreme Fists: 7th Fist of Splitting!" My right arm lit aglow in a golden light as I punched outwards towards the sound coming from the flute generating a terrifying force of wind that effectively disrupted the sound traveling on the airwaves stopping Kabuto's Genjutsu from being completed. I appeared behind Kabuto at this moment and with a special kunai, I slashed towards his head prompting him to dodge sideways. The blade of my kunai missed just by a centimeter, however, I quickly placed my palm on Kabuto's back and marked him with the Flying Thunder God Seal.

Kabuto stretched out his palm behind him and stabbed his hand right through my chest only for my body to disappear in a puff of smoke. Kabuto widened his eyes in shock and exclaimed, "Shadow Clone?" It was at that moment that I flew to his side and slashed with my kunai which connected with one of Kabuto's horns on his head cutting it off. Kabuto hurriedly dashed to the side and distanced himself from me touching the area I cut.

"I forgot I had these." He said as he rubbed the area of his missing horn for a bit.

I smirked as I looked at Kabuto and said, "Your fate has been sealed."

I watched as Kabuto instantly frowned in wariness and confusion as he replied, "What are you talking about. Don't think that you've won just because you got a lucky hit."

The figure of a snake Orochimaru appeared on his stomach as it launched in my direction with its maw wide open. Forming the Snake hand sign I said, "Wood Style: Silent Strangle Jutsu!" Thick branches of wood vines erupted from the ground and ensnared Kabuto's attack holding it in place. It was at this moment that the mouth of the snake-like Orochimaru opened revealing Kabuto as he charged forth with great speed cloaking his hand in chakra creating a sharp chakra scalpel. Just as he was about to reach me I shrunk my body to a fifth of my height with the power of my Mangekyo causing Kabuto to miss his attack. The snake attached to Kabuto's body turned and was about to snag me, but I flew off to one of my kunai in the distance successfully avoiding his retaliation. Immediately after I appeared right behind Kabuto as I slashed at his head with my kunai prompting him to once more dodge to the side and stab me with his hand.

I smiled and whispered, "Izanami."

His hand pierced through my chest only for my body to disappear in a puff of smoke. Kabuto smirked. "The same trick huh? Shadow Clone again."

Not a second later I teleported to his side and slashed at his head with my kunai. The blade sliced off one of Kabuto's horns as he dashed off to the side to distance himself from me and said, "Heh, nice try, appearing behind me once more and aiming for my head. It won't work though."

I stood there unfazed by Kabuto's words and replied, "Your fate is already in my hands. Thanks to the Uchiha's forbidden Jutsu known as Izanami."

This prompted Kabuto to smile. "Shall we put that to the test then!" He shouted as he rushed at me with his chakra scalpel while I shrunk in size once more and flew off into the distance before the snake attached on his body could strike me. Kabuto smirked. "Well this is like Deja Vu. Let's end this already."

I shook my head. "Your fate is in my hands now, but you are the one who can decide it and choose how that fate shapes your destiny. Remember what I've told you. And think hard about it. Acknowledge who you are Kabuto. Accept who you are. Forgive yourself for the things you couldn't do. Rise above the darkness that is your past."

Kabuto scowled and shot forth the snake-like Orochimaru on his stomach at me once more as I stopped it with the Wood Style: Silent Strangle Jutsu. Once again Kabuto emerged from its mouth and rushed at me with his chakra scalpel forcing me to shrink my size with the power of my left Mangekyo to avoid being hit and disappear into the distance before the snake attached to his body could snag me. I then appeared behind Kabuto and slashed with my kunai once again as Kabuto destroyed my Shadow Clone. The real me flew to his location right after and successfully cut off his horn as he dashed away. It was at this moment that Kabuto realized something was wrong as he rubbed the spot on his head where his horn should have been cut off already.

While Kabuto struggled to make sense of what was happening I stood in front of his true unmoving body as my left Sharingan went completely blind. "It's done. Kabuto will be stuck in the Izanami until he learns to acknowledge his true self and step out from the darkness. Itachi...I deprived your role from you so it is only right that I step forth and fulfill that which you couldn't do yourself."

I smirked as I took note of the original White Zetsu far off in the shadows of the cave. Just as I took note of him trying to slip away I weaved some hand signs and said, "Wood Style: Wood Dragon Jutsu!" The ground and cave walls shook as a scream of shock from Zetsu could be heard. "AHHHHH! Impossible!"

Whoosh!

The wooden dragon held Zetsu in its mouth as it brought him over next to me. Zetsu stared at me in disbelief. "H-How did you know I was there?"

I scoffed at Zetsu. "I knew you were hiding there a while ago. It's true that you would have escaped my notice had it not been for Kabuto. When he used his White Rage Jutsu it affected you too. It hindered your ability to hide your presence for a short moment which I picked up on. Since then I've been monitoring your position."

Zetsu had a look of fear in his eyes as he lay unmoving in the wood dragon's mouth. I tapped his shoulder and created a wood snake to also ensnare him preventing Zetsu from molding any chakra for extra precaution. I took a sweep of the surrounding area with my senses and noticed that Yamato-sensei was finally separated from Tobi's body and that Anko was safely wrapped away in one of my Wood Style tree branches. Letting out a sigh of relief I turned my attention back to Kabuto and gently placed my hand on his eyelids. I lifted them up and exposed his eyes to my right Mangekyo.

"Sharingan: Genjutsu!" After looking through Kabuto's memories I controlled his body to form the signs of Rat, Ox, Monkey, Tiger, Dragon, and Boar to release the Reanimation Jutsu. The instant Kabuto formed the last hand sign a slight breeze filled the entire cave as his connection with all the reanimated shinobi in the world was severed releasing their ties to the material plane. I smiled in relief as all the reanimated shinobi would finally be able to return to the pureland.

Zetsu snarled and cursed at me but I ignored him and sat down taking out a red scroll. "Guess it's now time to make use of Shisui's second eye."

Puff!

A clear liquid jar holding a Sharingan inside appeared from the scroll in the next second. It was also at this moment that I heard Senko's voice. "So, finally going to replace that eye of yours aye? I'll lend you some power to evolve it into the Eternal Mangekyo since your body can't handle doing it on its own. It took almost 2 months last time before your right eye adjusted. But should be pretty quick this time since your right eye already went through the process. I'll go back to sleep right after."

I let out a defeated sigh at Senko's remark. "Senko just comes and goes as he pleases doesn't he?" I removed my blinded left eye and replaced it with Shisui's. Once again a familiar burning sensation coursed through my head as a bright crimson light erupted in the area before disappearing.

Zetsu widened his eyes in shock. "What the hell was that?"

I ignored Zetsu and put my blindfold back on giving my left eye some time to transform. "Hm...Doesn't seem like it'll take long. Probably about an hour or two before my left eye adjusts." I took a moment to sense how the flow of the war was going, however, my face paled at what I was sensing.

"W-What? Why is Tsunade, Naruto, and Sasuke's life force so weak? Why can't I sense Hiruzen-sensei's chakra? Or the Raikage and Tsuchikage?"

The next instant I felt a massive wave of power from the direction of the battlefield and shuddered. "T-This is...Madara! He's alive? Oh no, don't tell me he was actually able to extract the Eight and Nine Tails!" I took a moment to calm down and let out a sigh of relief after sensing that Haku, Kimimaro, and Hanabi were still alive and well.

"Tch. What do I do?...hm?" I turned my head to look in the dark corner of the cave as I sensed a being watching from the shadows.

"Come out. I know you're there."

An old and ancient laugh resounded throughout the cave before the old White Snake Sage slithered out of the dark and into the light. "You were able to sense my presence. Impressive."

I furrowed my brow. "You watched the entire fight didn't you?"

She laughed again and nodded. "I didn't want to miss out on something as entertaining as that. Besides, your battlefield happened to be inside my home. But what I do is the least of your concerns. I know you also felt the massive wave of power just now."

I clenched my fist knowing she was right and once again tried to think of my next plan of action. Then it hit me. I glanced up at Kabuto and then the Snake Sage. "White Snake Sage, I have a presumptuous request I'd like to make of you."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Kabuto absorbed Orochimaru's Sage chakra from Anko's Cursed Seal Mark. He should still be alive somewhere within Kabuto. I'd like you to revive him."

The Sage gave me a curious glance. "How interesting. You want me to revive Orochimaru? Is he not your enemy?"

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. If Madara completes his plan then we'll all suffer. There is something I need Orochimaru to do."

She hissed once before replying, "I can indeed revive Orochimaru from Kabuto's body. But why should I?"

I stared at the Sage holding back my frustration and irritation as I thought, is she really going to play around with words at a time like this. After taking a moment to calm my emotions I replied, "I recall that you weren't interested in anything unless it concerned Ryuchi Cave. If Madara succeeds in his goal then all living beings in the world will come under his control. That includes all those of Ryuchi Cave. I plan to stop Madara. To do that I need Orochimaru's help. And to revive Orochimaru I need your help."

The Sage laughed amusedly before agreeing. "Very well. You're a very interesting person, Karasuma Izaya. Then I will revive Orochimaru for you."

I watched as her tail stuck onto Kabuto's body and released her powerful Sage chakra into him which resonated with Orochimaru's Sage chakra. In the next few seconds that followed a large white snake protruded out from Kabuto's shoulder and opened its large maw revealing a slimy Orochimaru as he crawled out of it. Orochimaru slowly stood up and looked at me while laughing. "Hehehe! Hahaha! To think that all this time you were one of my original experiments Izaya-kun! Hahahaha! Not only that, but you were also the one to facilitate my return into the world!" He licked his lips before calming down his emotions. "You've gotten quite strong. Izaya-kun. It appears I no longer have the strength to pose any threat to you. So, why have you facilitated my return?"

I took a moment to take in Orochimaru's revived form before turning to the White Snake Sage. "Thank you for your help."

She nodded. "I have done my part and shall take my leave. You let me witness quite an interesting battle youngster. Now go on and stop Madara." Just before she slithered away she paused momentarily and said, "Orochimaru. If I were you, I'd be careful of this one."

Orochimaru chuckled to himself. "Of course. He's much stronger than me now. Besides, after dying and witnessing everything that has happened through Anko and Kabuto I have no desire to act so recklessly. So, Izaya-kun, what was it that you needed me for?"

"Orochimaru. I need you to revive the Fourth Hokage."

He frowned at my words. "The Fourth? And how do you propose I do that? I have tried in the past, however, it failed."

"That's because you don't know about the Reaper Death Seal Jutsu of the Uzumaki Clan."

"Reaper Death Seal? What is that?"

"It is a powerful Fuinjutsu that was developed by the Uzumaki Clan. It was the same Jutsu that the Fourth Hokage used to seal away the Nine-Tails when it attacked the Leaf all those years ago. Because he was sealed away from using that Jutsu his soul did not reach the Pureland, hence, you couldn't reanimate him. I need you to release him from the belly of the reaper and perform the Reanimation on him. We need his half of the Nine-Tails that he sealed away with him."

Orochimaru gave me a complicated and curious gaze. "How do you know so much about this?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Is there a need for me to explain myself to you? You aren't the only one who does their research."

He laughed before nodding in agreement. "Very well. If you teach me about this Reaper Death Seal Jutsu then I will revive the Fourth. However, I require a sacrifice for the Reanimation Jutsu."

I nodded my head towards Tobi and the original White Zetsu. "Don't worry. We have two suitable sacrifices at the ready. We have to hurry. Things aren't going very well for the Shinobi Alliance at the moment. Time is of the essence."

888

Before the reanimation release

BOOOOM!

BAAAANG!

A large plume of smoke and dust rose into the air as the Ten-Tails wreaked havoc over the battlefield. Standing atop its head were Obito and Madara. Haku and Kimimaro frowned as they wanted to head over to assist the Shinobi Alliance, the Five Kage, Naruto, Sasuke, and the others in fighting against the Ten-Tails, but they were being held up by Hashirama, Tobirama, and Ashina.

Haku scowled. "Damn it! If only I could enter Heavenly Sage Mode!"

Kimimaro was just as frustrated as he dodged a golden chain strike from Ashina. "Damn. His golden chains are incredibly durable and very powerful. If Haku and I get caught in them then we might not be able to break free. On top of that the First Hokage is incredibly strong himself even though he isn't at full power. And the Second Hokage supporting them and providing cover fire is really annoying. The natural energy in my body is starting to run low. I won't be able to maintain my current state much longer. Guess I'll have to go all out and hope it's enough."

Kimimaro dodged to his side and avoided another chain strike before doing a backflip to create some distance between himself and Ashina. Just as he landed he raised up his arm and blocked a kick from Tobirama. Before he could counter, Tobirama flew away next to Ashina. Kimimaro focused his breath and shouted, "Eight Extreme Fists: 8th Fist of Moving!" He dashed out and threw a super powerful punch straight at Ashina. Just before his fist was about to connect Ashina guarded himself by creating a chain wall in front of him.

Boom!

Kimimaro frowned but didn't let up. He quickly punched out with his left fist and shouted, "7th Fist of Splitting! 6th Fist of Elevation! 5th Fist of Striking! 4th Fist of Swaying!"

BOOM!

As the 4th fist made contact with Ashina's chains it immediately caved in from the force of the strike and blew him several hundreds of meters away into the distance.

SWISH!

Kimimaro chased after Ashina's body flying through the air and struck down with his fist shouting, "3rd Fist of Entanglement!" Just before his fist could make contact Tobirama arrived behind Ashina's battered form and teleported them both away.

BOOM!

Kimimaro's fist ended up striking the ground creating a giant cavity hundreds of meters deep and wide. Kimimaro looked up from his spot and took note of Ashina and Tobirama's body in the distance. He pulled back his fist and shouted, "2nd Fist of Spinning!"

BAM!

The force from Kimimaro's punch was so powerful that even from hundreds of meters away Ashina and Tobirama were still hit from the air cannon generated from Kimimaro's fist. It was such a devastating blow that Ashina and Tobirama's reanimated forms were actually semi-destroyed. Kimimaro huffed and panted as he felt the energy drain from his body.

Haku was engaged in a fierce fight against Hashirama when he noticed Ashina and Tobirama's semi-destroyed forms so he quickly disengaged from Hashirama and placed his hands together shouting, "Sage Art: Ice Style Ice Dragon Jutsu!" A giant frosty dragon condensed in the air and shot out towards Tobirama and Ashina. Just before it could swallow Tobirama he flew away with his Flying Thunder God Jutsu leaving only Ashina who was successfully captured by Haku. The ice dragon quickly condensed into an icy prison that held Ashina's form inside as Haku arrived next to it and placed a sealing tag on it sealing him away. After confirming that Ashina was sealed Haku let out a breath of relief and dashed over to Kimimaro.

"Maro, are you alright?"

Kimimaro nodded as the purple aura that surrounded him earlier slowly disappeared.

"Maro, what happened?"

Kimimaro slowly stood up with Haku's help before answering him. "Remember, I only used the 8th breath of the Nine Dragons Breathing Technique. It's not perfect yet. Only when 9 cycles are used will the technique be completed. I've exhausted all the natural energy I absorbed from using the technique, that's why the aura around me disappeared. Because the technique isn't perfect yet the length at which I can remain in that form isn't great."

At that moment Hashirama and Tobirama arrived before them.

"Haku, you take on Lord First Hokage. Even though I don't have the natural energy to enhance my power right now I'm still confident I can stall Lord Second Hokage."

Haku nodded. "Alright Maro. Be careful! We have to wrap this up quickly and stop Madara and the Ten-Tails."

As their battle ensued Madara stood boredly atop the Ten Tails head watching Obito use the Ten Tails to deal with the Alliance. He smirked silently to himself as he took notice of how weak the link between his reanimated corpse was to the caster of the Jutsu. "It seems something must be occupying and distracting the caster of the Reanimation. If I wanted to, I could break free of their control right now." Madara whispered to himself.

Just as he was deep in thought, out of the corner of his eye he noticed a dark shadow emerge behind him causing him to smile. "Finally. It's time."

Obito was about to command the Ten Tails to launch another attack when he suddenly felt his movements become restricted. "W-What's going on!" He stammered as he glanced at Madara who was smirking amusedly.

Black Zetsu completely attached itself to Obito's body at this moment while Madara stuck black receiver rods into Obito's body and said, "Obito, since you failed at upholding your part of the deal to have Nagato revive me you'll have to do so in his stead. We've played with the Alliance long enough. You started the plan half-hazardly by prematurely awakening the Ten Tails, but you can't even use it to capture the Eight and Nine Tails properly. Well, it's fine either way since I'm here. I've grown bored so I will take over now."

Obito struggled to regain control but couldn't as Black Zetsu and the black receiver rods hindered his movements. "Y-You bastard! Do you r-really think t-that I'll l-let you control m-my body!" Obito struggled to shout in anger, but in the end he couldn't resist as he was forced to form the hand signs of Ram and Snake activating the Rinne Rebirth.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Obito screamed as his hair turned completely white.

Madara smirked as white steam rose from his body. His reanimated form slowly became flesh and blood and his fake Rinnegan eyes crumbled away to dust. Madara clenched his fists and smiled letting out a maniacal laugh. "Ha! Hahahaha! Finally! I've returned! Hahahaha! This is it! The feeling of flesh and blood!" He stuck out his right hand and gripped Obito's left eye that held his Rinnegan. He then transplanted his Rinnegan back into his own eyes as blood slowly dripped down the side of his face.

Everyone became extremely shocked and anxious at what just transpired. Madara controlled the Ten Tails to remain still as he walked forwards and said, "Now then. Eight Tails. Nine Tails. You both had your freedom long enough."

Just as Madara dashed towards everyone Gaara, Mei, A, Tsunade, Onoki, and Hiruzen rushed out to meet him, however, before they could even react Madara smirked and shouted mockingly, "There's no need to play with you lot anymore. Almighty Push!"

Boom!

All 6 of the Kage were instantly blown away. The Alliance members rushed to go lend the Kage's some aid right as Madara stuck out his hand at Onoki and shot several black receiver rods straight at him.

Kurotsuchi shouted in alarm. "NO!"

Just before she could reach him three black rods struck Onoki's small body.

"KUHH!" Onoki groaned in pain as he coughed up blood.

Kurotsuchi clutched his small frame and shouted in grief, "Grandfather! No! I lost dad already I can't lose you too! You're the Third Tsuchikage! Stay with us! Medic! Get a medic here now! Where's the Fifth Hokage?!"

Onoki smiled and clutched Kurotsuchi's hands forcing her to look at him. He coughed up some more blood as his eyes grew heavy.

"Kurotsuchi..."

Cough

"...It's too late for me. The rod has pierced my heart. I can feel that I have no strength left in my body. My chakra feels chaotic."

Tears fell from Kurotsuchi's face as she stared at Onoki's small and frail body. "Grandfather, you can't die!"

Onoki smiled at her. "Hahaha! Of course I can. I am already so old. My time was coming sooner or later. I'm glad that in my last year as the Tsuchikage I have come to no longer forsake myself. I chose to believe in us shinobi and fought for something greater than just our own village's benefit. Kurotsuchi, my hope is that the world will continue to move towards a path of peace. That we, the Five Great Nations can truly come together and live in harmony. That is what I fought for. I believe that it can be accomplished. Even now we fight together as one. Kurotsuchi, I'm sorry that this is the way I pass on the mantle, but from this moment forth...I name you as my successor. The Fourth Tsuchikage. Pass on the will of stone and help pave the path to peace and harmony."

Onoki slowly closed his eyes forever with a smile on his face as he lay still and lifeless in Kurotsuchi's arms. She froze completely still as she held Onoki's small lifeless corpse in her arms. The surrounding Ninja that came to help also stood completely silent with looks of despair and sorrow on their faces. Kurotsuchi took a few deep breaths and wiped away her tears before whispering, "Lord Third. I accept your will. I shall carry the title of Fourth Tsuchikage and make you proud."

She picked up Onoki's small frame and handed him to her comrade Akatsuchi.

"Take care of his body."

Akatsuchi nodded in sorrow and silence.

At this moment Madara shouted, "Limbo: Border Jail!"

Naruto and Bee were struck by an invisible force causing them to crash into the ground. Two large purple dragon chains rushed out of the Ten Tails mouth and wrapped around the Eight and Nine Tails pulling them out from Naruto and Bee.

"NO!" A and Hiruzen shouted. A activated his lightning armor and dashed out at Madara while Hiruzen dashed out with his adamantine staff. Madara scoffed at them and shot out several black receiver rods in their direction. This forced both A and Hiruzen to pause and dodge Madara's attack, however, an invisible force stabbed A in the back with several black rods before stabbing him in the heart and kicked him away.

Sasuke quickly activated his Susanoo to grab the purple dragon chain that held the Nine Tails but was also soon knocked aside by an invisible force. Just as Madara arrived before Sasuke and stabbed out with a black receiver rod, Hiruzen appeared just in time and blocked the attack, however, the rod pierced straight through Hiruzen's arms and into his heart.

"GUH!" Hiruzen groaned and coughed out blood.

Sasuke widened his eyes in alarm and stabbed out with his sword only to be held in place by some invisible force. Madara smirked and took Sasuke's sword using it to stab him through the chest. Sasuke's eyes widened in shock and pain as Madara kicked him over by a dying Naruto. All of this occurred so fast that nearly no one had the time to react to what had just happened. Sakura ran as fast as she could to Sasuke while Madara returned to the Ten Tails.

Sakura knelt down by Sasuke's side with wet tears dripping down her face as she desperately did her best to heal him.

"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun stay with me!"

Tsunade was also by Sakura as she tried to heal Naruto's wounds. However, the moment she placed her palms over Naruto's body she widened her eyes in alarm. "No! Naruto! Stay with me! You can't die!" Tsunade activated her Hundred Healings Mark and channeled its power into Naruto's body in a desperate attempt to keep Naruto's life force flowing.

Naruto's vision blurred as he slowly closed his eyes seeing nothing but darkness and thought, ah, is this the darkness that the old toad sage gramps told me about in his prophecy? I-I can't die yet though...I still have to save the other Tailed Beasts. I still have people I need to protect. I feel so cold. And sleepy. In that moment Naruto completely lost consciousness. However, he felt a slight ripple in his mind and opened his eyes.

"Did I die?"

The sound of an old laugh resonated in Naruto's mind and said, "Dead? No it appears not."

Naruto widened his eyes in shock and stood up seeing an old man sitting while floating in the air.

"Eh? Where am I? And who are you?"

The old man turned to face him. "This is the plane inside your conscience. And I am Otsutsuki Hagaromo. Also known as the Sage of Six Paths."

"AH? You're the Sage of Six Paths? The Sage talked about in legends?"

Hagoromo nodded as he floated closer to Naruto. "That's right. I am the one who created the Ninja Creed."

Naruto scratched the side of his face in a bit of confusion. "So you were the one who created Ninjutsu?"

Hagoromo slammed his staff on the ground. "No! Don't confuse the Ninja Creed with Ninjutsu. Ninjutsu has bred hatred and conflict in the world. The Ninja Creed was supposed to be a way to link everyone together so that they may share their feelings and thoughts with one another to better understand each other by using chakra. However, it has instead been weaponized into Ninjutsu. Anyways, I'm impressed that you were able to summon my soul to you. You must have a lot of questions...And there are things that I must entrust you with."

Naruto only got more confused. "Entrust? Er...Like what old gramps?"

"To help you better understand you must know the past."

Naruto let out a long sigh as he stared at the old man. "Umm...Old gramps...Do you think you can save the story for later? If I'm not dead yet then I really really need to hurry and get back! Something bad might happen while I'm out!"

Hagoromo also let out a sigh as he stared at Naruto for a moment before responding, "Well...Although you are not dead yet, you certainly aren't that far off from being dead. You're currently being forcefully kept alive thanks to the efforts of the Fifth Hokage. Unfortunately Sasuke is also severely injured. Your friend Sakura is currently healing his wounds. Until then you mind as well listen to what I have to say. Besides, the things I need to tell you are important and related to Madara."

Naruto's expression turned serious after hearing what Hagoromo said so he simply nodded. "Alright old gramps. I'll listen."

Hagoromo nodded his head and began. "Long ago my mother Otsutsuki Kaguya consumed the chakra fruit of this world and attained immeasurable power subduing this land. She ruled by force and power and that power began to consume her. People began to fear her and she eventually came to be known as the Rabbit Goddess Demon. She later gave birth to two sons. My brother Hamura and myself. In the past Kaguya abused her power using the power of the God Tree and sent people to their deaths as sacrifices to it. To atone for the sins of our mother, my brother and I fought her and the Ten Tails, the incarnation of the God Tree. After a long and arduous battle we succeeded in sealing the Ten Tails inside of me and defeated mother."

"Years later I was blessed with two sons. The elder named Indra and the younger named Asura. Indra inherited my powerful chakra but Asura did not. Indra was exceptional and a prodigy while Asura struggled and had to work much harder to obtain the achievements he did. Indra and Asura walked different paths in life. Indra possessed strong visual prowess and perceived that power could achieve anything. On the other hand nothing ever went well for Asura. In order to obtain the same power as his older brother he needed the cooperation of others in addition to his own effort. He came to understand that he was able to become strong from the help he received of the others around him. From the way the younger brother lived his life I caught a glimpse of new possibilities for the direction the world could evolve and mature and so I named him as my successor. He would be the one to lead and be the guardian of the Ninja Creed. However, Indra did not accept my decision and a conflict ensued."

"Even after their flesh perished the chakra that each of them honed continued to reincarnate overtime. You are my son Asura's reincarnation...And Sasuke is my son Indra's reincarnation. The first generation reincarnates were Hashirama as Asura and Madara as Indra. Madara was obsessed with power and stole some of Hashirama's. The power that he stole eventually assimilated into his body and evolved into something similar to my own. It allowed Madara to awaken the Rinnegan. Right now Madara is no longer an incarnate of Indra. He is currently taking possession of the Ten Tails and becoming the Ten Tails Jinchuriki obtaining power close to my own. He is even trying to go further and obtain the power of my mother Kaguya. Mother possessed the power of the Sharingan and Byakugan and she used her visual prowess to cast the Infinite Tsukiyomi on the populace. That Jutsu will ensnare all living creatures onto the branches of the God Tree and place them under a Genjutsu. This will allow for the caster of the technique to control everyone ensnared by this Jutsu. If all chakra were to be reunited into one again then a new chakra fruit will bloom. That must be prevented at all costs or this world will come to an end. Unlike the previous reincarnates, you and Sasuke seem to have chosen a different path. At first Sasuke was just like Indra and sought the path of loneliness and power. And although you tend to be a bit of a fool, you too worked hard and gained power through the help of your comrades. There is also potential in your unpredictableness and perseverance. On top of that it seems that both you and Sasuke have a good guide to light your path when the road gets dark."

Naruto immediately thought of Izaya after hearing what Hagoromo said. "Old gramps, when you say guide, you mean Izaya, right?"

Hagoromo nodded. "Correct. Although I am dead, I have been able to watch the happenings of the world all this time. I have seen how he was able to guide Sasuke out of the darkness and back to the light and I have seen how he was able to guide you away from being consumed by hatred. Even though he isn't a reincarnation of Asura or Indra, he is almost like a reincarnation of myself. No...He would be even greater than a reincarnation of myself as I was unable to successfully guide Asura and Indra. I am glad that I could see the day when Asura and Indra's counterparts exist together in harmony rather than stand against each other. Naruto, I must also say that I am impressed by your character. You were able to gain the trust and acknowledgement of all the Tailed Beasts just as I was once told."

At that moment a voice could be heard. "Heh! Old man you got that right." Shukaku remarked as he appeared within Naruto's conscience. Right after Shukaku appeared the other eight Tailed Beasts appeared as well. Naruto looked all around him and exclaimed in shock, "Eh? What are all of you doing here? How did you get here?"

Kurama was the first to answer. "Naruto, during our battle against Obito a while back you received a small portion of chakra from each of the Tailed Beasts. Even though we've been extracted from you we are able to connect to your mental plane thanks to the old man Sage being here. After all, he was the one who created us. It seems that the Fifth Hokage is doing her best to keep you alive."

Naruto clenched his fist as he thought of how Tsunade was probably wearing herself out to try and save his own life. Hagoromo smiled and looked at all the Tailed Beasts as he said, "Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken, Chomei, Gyuki, and Kurama. It seems the time has come for the child of prophecy to change the world. Naruto, what do you want to do? What do you seek for the aftermath of this war? I would like to hear your honest opinions and thoughts."

Naruto remained silent for a moment as many thoughts flitted past his mind before answering. "Maybe I am like this Asura guy. But unlike him I'm not that smart and I don't know about a lot of things. But I do know what friends are. And I want to protect them all. That's it."

Hagoromo nodded. "I see. Is that your answer then?"

At this moment inside both Naruto and Sasuke's mental plane they answered at the same time. "Yeah."

Hagoromo nodded once more as he stared at both Naruto and Sasuke at the same time. "In the past I entrusted everything to Asura and cast my attention away from Indra. That proved to be the source of calamity. This time I will share my power with both Indra and Asura's reincarnations. From this point on, Naruto and Sasuke, what you both shall do and what shall transpire will be up to the two of you. Now then, put out your dominant hand."

At this moment while Naruto and Sasuke were speaking to Hagoromo inside their mental plane, Tsunade frowned and struggled to keep Naruto alive next to Sakura who was doing her best to save Sasuke's life. Tsunade let out a soft sigh prompting Sakura to glance over at her and said, "Tsunade-sensei?"

Tsunade hesitated for a moment but ultimately steeled her resolve and said, "Sakura. I am proud of you. You are the greatest student I ever had."

Sakura had a bad premonition after hearing what Tsunade said. "Tsunade-sensei, what are you talking about? Why are you telling me this right now?"

Tsunade's expression softened and saddened as she continued on. "Sakura, listen to me. This will probably be my final act as Hokage and as your sensei. Just as Jiraiya left everything to Naruto, I leave all of my will, hope, and dreams to you Sakura. I've no doubt that you will surpass me. In fact you may have surpassed me already. I'm glad I got to be your teacher. I won't let Naruto die. His condition is worsening. After having the Nine Tails extracted from him he'll undoubtedly die without having another Tailed Beast or some external source of great vitality placed inside to resuscitate him. I never imagined that I would end up using this Forbidden Jutsu of mine one day."

Sakura's entire body trembled as she stared at Tsunade who was hovered over Naruto. "Tsunade-sensei, don't tell me...you-"

Tsunade cut Sakura off as she said, "That's right Sakura. There's only one option left now. Without another Tailed Beast we can only resuscitate Naruto by flooding his body with an external source of great vitality. And I know of only one Jutsu that can do this. It is my own Forbidden Jutsu that I created incase for a time just like this. After I'm gone, take care of everyone...Sakura."

Sakura's vision blurred as tears streamed down her face. She couldn't bring herself to stop Tsunade from performing this Forbidden Jutsu because she knew how important Naruto was to everyone.

"Tsunade-sensei, I promise, I'll take care of everyone. Thank you...For being my master."

Tsunade smiled and said, "Ninja Art: Strength of a Hundred Healings Final Rebirth!" The tattoos on Tsunade's body released a bright green light as the tattoos of the Hundred Healings slowly left her and transferred from her body over to Naruto's. Tsunade's body began to slowly grow old and dry as the transfer was taking place.

ZING!

It was at this moment that bright columns of white light illuminated the world and stretched to the sky from the release of the Reanimation Jutsu.