"You guys… we have to separate…"
Naruto looked at the 7 people left from his group.
"Naruto. We can't just leave you…" A kuinochi with a blinded eye looked at Naruto with worry.
"It's okay. I am strong… besides I figured out I could fly… haha… hey it's harder to track me that way I guess?"
"...I don't want to drag you guys anymore…"
"Naruto…"
The 7 people shed tears.
"We will always be here… we will keep Akatsuki going." The ex-Kiri Shinobi said.
"Thank you… I will come back some day…"
Naruto turned around, floated slightly, just not touching the ground so there's no footsteps, no marks at all, not even broken grass. It's comical if you think about how he's going around using Rinnegan power. He summoned shadow clones just to run around randomly. Even he was going randomly without certainty directly since he really has no idea where to find Madara. Such a simple trick that really helped to divert those hunters.
Naruto travelled the land, trying to find signs of Madara or Kabuto. He didn't know how to find him. He had no information.
Information…
He remembered Tsuyu said the obvious, that of course she didn't just kill anyone easily. He was glad at first, thinking Tsuyu wasn't as cold as he thought.
But she continued it's because information is always a priority, whether it's their jutsu, info on their allies, their faction, their location. That they had to be extracted fully…
It was… stupid of him to actually think it's too much.
That's what you need to do… that's what Shinobi were.
But if it's him, how do he extract info? Oh he saw Nagato use Rinnegan power to read memories… Maybe I can do that. It won't torture them right?
In a forest, he clasped his hands together. Recalling the moves Nagato was able to do.
Chibaku Tensei! Shinra Tensei!
He turned his arm into a literal chakra cannon. But he didn't shoot it. The chakra of Ashura let him utilize the power of Rinnegan, even if it was just one eye.
He used transformation jutsu, the jutsu he was very good at to go here and there.
At night, he camped… looking up at the sky.
Hey Tsu-chan… are you up there… in Pure Land?
You know… Kabuto… summoned dad… he told me to return to Konoha. I guess even he thought I was stupid…
I am afraid he will summon you… you are strong…
I don't know how I would face you if he did that…
Naruto's eyes brimmed with tears.
Kabuto did have a DNA sample of Tsuyu, after all Orochimaru and Tsuyu had worked once, and her DNA was taken not so secretly.
Kabuto definitely had prepared to summon her from the dead. Even without Kurama chakra; Flying Raijin, Rasenbakudan, Collapse Release, she was a terrifying opponent of Kage level even without 9 tails. But until he actually tried, he wouldn't figure out she wasn't dead…
Naruto turned around, turning to find a more comfortable spot.
Tsu-chan… do you hate me…
If I never ran away… you wouldn't have gotten caught in the trap…
I led you there…
Naruto shed another tear.
I… wish you can come back… Tsu-chan…
Tears brimming in his eyes again.
I wish I can come back to Konoha… I missed Sasuke… Sakura… Kiba… Hinata… all of them… I missed you…
It's so hard…
They keep chasing me… But I deserve it. I don't want to kill them… I was the one who's wrong…
Naruto felt loneliness creeping up to him. That his goal, that Tsuyu was gone, he was lost. He wanted to find Madara to prevent him from doing some global genjutsu…
But it's really lonely now… and he was afraid he would fail.
Tsu-chan was strong… While I wasn't… what if I cannot stop Madara… Tsuyu was gone… the strongest person I ever knew… she…
…
Huh…?
Naruto closed his mouth with his hand, his pupils shaky, his breathing constricted.
No…no no no… How… how could she… she couldn't die… just like that…
She's so strong… it doesn't make sense… it doesn't make sense…
She…
Naruto's face distorted in pain, his heart breaking as the realisation sets in. That Tsuyu looked at him back then, when she was surrounded by explosives and she never moved.
No…no… she… let herself die…
It was as if his nightmare came to life. That Tsuyu died because of him. That Naruto made Tsuyu unable to move, unable to defend herself even if she should be able to. That he hurt Tsuyu to a point she couldn't move.
That there was no excuse for Konan trapping her without his knowledge.
I killed her… I really killed her…
Naruto shed tears late into the night, until he couldn't anymore.
He had walked for days… with no direction, no clue… lost. Heart empty…
Rustle*2
Huh?
Naruto sat up from his camp, looking warily towards the bush in the distance.
"Raf! Grrr!"
Akamaru rushed towards Naruto, ready to bite.
"W-what?"
Just then Akamaru paused, sniffing Naruto. He sat down and wagged his tail, as if meeting a long lost friend.
"YOU…! NARUTO!"
Kiba's voice suddenly followed after.
Kunai and shuriken rushed towards Naruto without any nonsense.
Naruto flickered away, dodging them.
"Kiba…" His eyes flickered seeing Kiba again. To think Kiba could find him.
Kiba used his shit scent to track him. Akamaru and Kiba had once been hit in the nose through Naruto's fart, and it was an unforgettable memory…
Kiba was trembling, in rage and pain.
"Why… why did you kill her…" The Kunai in his hand grabbed tight.
"Kiba… I… I never meant for it to happen… I just… want to… stop her…"
"Stop what!?"
"I…"
"You are so self righteous it's insane! You left her, you left us all of a sudden! You made her worry so much! She never look peaceful ever since you disappear you fucking idiot!"
Kiba rushed and punched him on the face.
Even with the prowess of Rinnegan, he wasn't able to dodge. Because his heart was hit first.
"Just what were you thinking… what were you thinking… she cares for you so much… and you could kill her…"
Kiba held his chest. He cried for her. In her stead.
"Just what is wrong with you…"
"... Kiba… I… I just… don't want… her to be some God…" Naruto bit her lips.
"I get it… I get it okay… I don't like that either… seeing her up there… always on her own…"
"But she… made the world better… you ruined it all. You ruined the peace she tried to create!"
"... Kiba…"
"Don't tell me you are blind! She almost did it…! Until you killed her!"
Kiba pounced on Naruto, punching his face another time. Blood dripped from his knuckle.
"Fuck you! A-hole. You piece of sh*t. You motherf-"
Kiba punched his face over, and over again. A tooth was knocked out of Naruto's mouth… his mouth bleeds.
"Kiba…"
Kiba stopped his punches. His arms were tired. His eyes brimming with tears.
The tears dripped onto Naruto's cheek.
I hurt so many people….
"I am sorry…"
"Sorry… what can that do… Naruto… she's gone…"
"I… I know… she's gone… I… I never wanted her to die Kiba… I just want her to stop… I never… want her to just… I…" Naruto's throat was choking.
Kiba controlled his breathing.
"Tsuyu… when you left… she searched for you all over… did you know?"
"... I…"
"She almost never stayed in Konoha… always going around… all over the fucking world…"
"She even… made Eyes all over this shitty world just to find YOU!"
"W…what…?"
"What… what what? DONT TELL ME THAT NEVER CROSSED YOUR MIND!"
Kiba pulled Naruto's collar, his expression turned into twisted pain.
"For…me?"
"Don't act like an idiot!" Kiba punched him in the face again, breaking his nose for once.
"... She never wanted to be whatever God bullshit to begin with… she never claimed to be. She just… wanted to find you… at first…"
Naruto felt his heart broken… why, didn't he think of that…
Obito and Nagato had been saying she created the eyes to control the world. And he… never had once thought Tsu-chan would do it to find him.
Naruto but his lips, his eyes brimming with tears.
Tsu-chan…
Seeing Naruto crying, Kiba punched him again.
"Why are you crying now ha!?"
"I… I…"
"Did you think she was some evil god? Ha?!"
Kiba punched him again.
"You don't trust her! And that's worse! You think she's some monster don't you!? What a fucking brother she had!" Kiba punched him again.
"... You know how heartbroken she was… that you fucking go with that Madara… she told me…"
"The same guy who killed your parents… the one who even caused 9 tails attacked then… what the fuck are you thinking… just what is wrong with your brain…"
Kiba punched his face again.
Kiba looked down at Naruto… his face filled with bruises and blood, snot and tears.
"Are you not saying anything…?"
"..."
Kiba took a hitched breath. He raised a fist, wanting to punch him again…
But his body just shook…
His eyes filled with sorrow, closing his eyes as tears shed in between her hands.
"How much you have hurt her…"
Naruto shed tears, the words pierced deeper than any blade..
I hurt her… more than anyone could…
"She just wanted what's best… Naruto…"
"Have you… asked… her everything…"
"Did you think she's evil…?"
"She saw problems in her Eyes up there… and she just solved it… since she already saw it, and she could do it…"
"She never intended to be God… or whatever…"
"The people, those civilians worshipped her because she made things better for them, Naruto… she never touched them… you should know that…"
"...".
"She killed some people… I know… but she told me she… tried to not make a mistake herself…"
"You know how she was… she was strict to us… even to herself… Those who she killed, always deserved it… no one would say no to those she had her hands on… heck people may even cheer for them. The worst of the worst… you care if some Lord who indulged in wine, women, and just made people suffer got replaced by a better one? You think that's evil? You think you are right to stop her?"
"Oi. Have you gone stupid? Tell me."
Kiba clapped Naruto's cheeks a few times.
"Oi…"
"This fucking bastard…!" Kiba punched him again.
His fist dripped with blood. His eyes were red with marks of tears.
"Why aren't you saying anything… please say something…"
Kiba's voice was weakening… his fists let go of Naruto.
"Just… Come back to Konoha…"
Kiba stood, looking over at Naruto who's still lying on the ground.
"Stand up… I know you could. You had 7 fucking Bijuus…"
"... Why are you still laying there…"
"..."
Naruto looked at the stars above…
…
"Dammit…"
Kiba sat down next to Naruto… looking up at the stars as well.
Silence passed for minutes.
"Would she… forgive me…" Naruto muttered. His voice breaking as tears fell from his eyes.
"ON HELL SHE WON'T!" Kiba growled.
…
Kiba let out a shaky breath. It hurts him so much.
"Why kill her…" Kiba's eyes looking at Naruto, as if trying to make peace for his own.
"I didn't mean to…"
"... How did that even happen…"
"..."
"Not telling me huh… You really killed her… unbelievable… hahaha…" His voice weakened.
Kiba laughed to himself in pained mockery.
"You fucking bastard…" He cursed again, not leaving Naruto a rest.
"... Just come back to Konoha… you… will be punished…"
"... No."
"... What do you mean…"
"I have something to do…"
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Kiba's voice turned higher.
"Kiba… I will return… I promise… I… I will take my punishment… I deserved it… but not now…"
"... Then we can only force you…"
"Huh…? Kiba…"
Kiba stood up, calling Akamaru quickly.
Naruto sat up and raised his arm reluctantly…
"Akamaru…!" "Raf!" Beast Mimicry Technique!
Fang Over Fang!
As the two tornadoes drilled toward Naruto, an invincible force blocked the two.
Shinra Tensei!
Kiba and Akamaru were sent flying tens of meters away from the force, knocking trees along the way.
Kiba coughed out blood after he was hit.
"You…"
"... I am sorry, Kiba…"
"Dammit… don't… cough… leave…"
Kiba watched as Naruto left. But he quickly wrote a message, sending them through a summoning bird.
***
Sasuke received the latest information from Konoha, his eyes widened.
Naruto…!
Donning his ANBU mask and his tanto, his EMS flashed.
I will take you down… for Tsuyu.
Someone who had to bear the burden of the world, the burden of his brother… someone that had done everything Itachi had done. He would fight for her.
***