Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Warning: All warnings addressed at the bottom of chapter 2.

Beta: Cyndaquil123

Tripe update 'cause it's my birthday :D Special birthday wishes for all my fellow July babies and Cancer buddies.

Angst start for our fave drama queen. Things get back on track at the end though, be prepared for a roller coaster.

Side note: Naasica, Kakashi, and Obito are the epitome of what not to do when you have PTSD. DID forms (typically) when you detach yourself to your traumatic experiences instead of dealing with them. Don't do as she does, friends. If you've been hurt, seek help.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง  

I'm just being me.

Cut out the things that I don't need

Don't care if you disagree, I don't need your sympathy

Winning this game on my own

Monster by Kira

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง]

I kissed Kushina's cheek. "Take care, okay? Don't have him until I get back."

Kushina smiled adoringly at me, brushing back a strand of my hair. "I wish you could stay."

"We can't refuse a request from the daimyo, and given that your condition is meant to be a secret," Minato trailed off. "There's no public reason to refuse."

"Don't worry, Nee-chan," I soothed her, reaching over and carefully patting her soft cheek. "Everything will be okay in the end."

Her smile softened as she patted her round stomach. Her eyes were filled with love when she looked down at Naruto. "You're right."

She's sunlight embodied.

"Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on her," Obito said with a big grin.

"It'd be easier if we were allowed on her guard service," Kakashi muttered, glancing over at Minato.

Minato frowned. "We don't want to draw attention to this. Your entire team is well known to be Konoha's best. If we had you on guard duty for Kushina—"

"Everyone would immediately have their eyes on her, we know," Kakashi cut in. "That's why if you let us into ANBU—"

"Absolutely not," Minato denied. "You three have been put through enough from the war, and seeing how all three of you refuse to see a therapist—"

"We don't need one," we said as one.

"It's a requirement to be in ANBU to pass your psych evaluations and receive regular visits," Minato repeated for the millionth time when Kakashi brought up ANBU.

"The day I go to therapy is the day Kushina dyes her hair black," I bit out.

Minato sighed while Kushina giggled. I smiled one more time at her, taking in the moment of seeing her so happy and alive.

You're so beautiful, I thought with fondness. So filled with life, and hope. Our precious jinchūriki, so you were kept untouched by the war and the horrors it holds. You should not be so red.

I'm sorry I have to make you redder.

"I need to head out now. I'll be back as soon as I can," I promised them.

Goodbye, dear sister.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

My eye gleamed in the darkness, and I landed lightly on the water. The ANBU immediately noticed me, one of them even stepping towards me in a warning. I opened my right eye, Madara's Sharingan coming to life, and I moved towards the ANBU.

A smile crawled its way on my face, as I felt the thrill of adrenaline begin to run inside of me. The task itself wasn't a particularly pleasing task—most certainly not—but the prospect of battle, the high risk scenario, and the idea that this was the first big step to that perfect world appealed greatly to me.

Kushina would die tonight, I knew that.

As Senju Naasica, her adopted daughter, I mourned her.

As Owari, Madara's tool, I didn't care.

It was such an odd thing—these two stark, and conflicting emotions. They split me right down the middle. There was no turmoil or strife in where they were; they simply existed beside each other. They were accepted feelings.

Besides, she wouldn't really die. She would just be... going away. I would see her again, in that Eternal Dream, and she would thank me. Why? Because I would have had a hand in creating the perfect world. Madara-sama's world. There would be no violence or pain in that world. It would be a true utopia—and isn't that what she would want? Wouldn't she want such a world for her son?

Of course she would. Any mother would.

So while I mourned the fact that I would not see her for a while, I knew it was just for a while.

She and Grandmother would just have to enjoy their little vacation from this hell, and be patient.

Murderer.

I largely ignored the voice, and the part of me that screamed in guilt at me. My hands clenched into fists, and I prowled towards the ANBU. I raised my gaze to meet their own, and the second their eyes met Madara's Sharingan, I brought them into Tsukiyomi.

Monster, a voice whispered to me in my ear.

I—I—I ignored it.

Owari resumed control.

He thought it would be best. Naasica had to be prepared for what came afterwards.

Owari slipped into the cavern, placing a high-level genjutsu over himself to stay hidden. If Minato was more focused on his surroundings, rather than his wife in labor, he probably would have noticed the genjutsu take hold.

Unfortunately for him, he did not.

Owari climbed up onto the ceiling, watching Kushina scream and writhe in pain.

He hated to see her in pain. He wished he could snap her neck and let her suffering be over with. She could sleep and dream away in wonderland while he fixed the world up. Then he'd bring her back and they could all finally live happily together. No more war and no more red. Children could play in the streets without worry of predators. Parents would no longer outlive their children. Friends and family would always come back home.

No more hunger.

No more pain.

A true utopia.

It would be glorious.

Owari longed for it to come true with every fiber of his being. He wished for it so dearly that it physically pained him that it was not yet a reality.

Soon, Owari consoled himself.

"Murderer," a voice whispered in his ear. "Monster."

Owari shoved those voices aside, even as Naasica cowed underneath their familiarity.

Naruto greeted the world with a brilliant wail. Kushina let out a tight sigh, and Sarutobi's wife brought Naruto over to clean and dry him.

Owari moved when Minato turned his back on his son to kiss his wife's forehead. A quick slash in the throat and the matron went down, and within another two seconds the others fell. Naruto was in Owari's arms, and Minato's entire attention fell on the masked man.

"Naruto!" Kushina screamed in horror, tears in her eyes.

Electric blue eyes turned colder than ice as Minato snarled out, "You! Who are you?"

Owari held Naruto in his arms, bouncing the infant carefully, slipping in some timed explosive notes. "Speak carefully, Hokage. Your son's life depends on your next words."

"What do you want?" Minato demanded.

"Your attention," Owari answered, calling forth Madara's eye.

Minato was immediately caught off guard to see a perfect Sharingan glare behind the mask. In fact, he was so surprised that he was not able to look away within the half second it took for Owari to ensnare him with Madara's eye. The genjutsu was nothing terribly intricate, but it disoriented the user and momentarily froze them for a solid five seconds.

Five seconds was all Owari needed.

He tossed Naruto up in the air, knowing Minato would immediately focus on Naruto's descent. By the time Minato was unfrozen—and launching towards Naruto—Owari had a firm grip on Kushina and pulled her down into the roots below. He made sure to tell his tree roots to disintegrate behind him, to prevent Minato from suspecting his teleportation was through mokuton.

He pulled Kushina out of the ground only a kilometer away from the village and immediately broke her arms and legs. She screamed in pain, her face plastered in sweat as she breathed heavily. "What—What are you after?"

Owari dragged her towards the center of the sealing circle Madara had set up years ago.

"You will not suffer for long," Owari whispered to her, reaching down to affectionately touch her cheek. She snapped her head away from his hand, glaring hatefully.

Owari did not mind. She didn't understand.

If she knew, she would be hugging and thanking me, Owari told himself. Owari shook his head, thinking it was a pity he was not allowed to tell her. Madara gave him explicit orders not to reveal their plan.

Owari clapped his hands together, releasing his chakra in a burst. The seals around the two of them lit up a dull red and began to encircle Kushina. They dug into her stomach, ripping apart the seal that kept Kurama at bay. The kyūbi let out a howl of approval as his seal became undone. Owari, with Madara's eye, looked deep into Kushina's seal and forced his will upon Kurama.

Attack the village.

That was the only order Owari thought to give Kurama before he ripped the tailed beast out and bound him to a summoning contract.

The red lines of the seal that had destroyed Kushina's seal dug into Kurama's chest, but the kyūbi paid them no mind.

Kushina, panting, stared up in horror at the kyūbi.

Owari reached down towards her. "Sweet dreams, dear sister."

Kushina's eyes widened in revulsion before Owari snapped her neck.

Minato arrived, just as Owari vanished.

He was glad he didn't linger long enough to see Minato's grief-stricken face. Naasica might have started crying if they had to see that.

Into the heart of Konoha Owari appeared.

Into the heart of Konoha Owari released Kurama.

And Konoha saw red, red, red.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

I stood at the edge of the village, dressed as though I had only recently been at the capital. As far as the village was aware of their precious Senju Leader had left for the capital a week ago and would not be expected until tomorrow.

But won't they be so happy I come back right as the kyūbi emerges? I thought to myself, sweeping my long hair up into a bun. I must seal the kyūbi into Naruto with Madara's seal. If I do this then Minato is allowed to live.

The thought made me happy. I had to sacrifice Kushina for the cause, but Madara granted me the knowledge of a different seal that could be used on on Naruto. It would be powerful enough to keep Kurama at bay, and still allow Naruto access to parts of the kyūbi's chakra like Minato wanted. However, Kurama would be kept in a peaceful meadow, lured into a deep slumber that he would not ever awake from.

(painless)

No way for him to tell Naruto what happens tonight. No way for Naruto to befriend him. No way for either of them to realize their full potential. Yet Naruto will still have access to parts of the kyūbi's chakra, so when Madara returns to full power he can have a little fun before we save the world. Naruto will make a great obstacle for Madara-sama, I bet.

I took a step towards the village, but I felt cold fingers claw at my throat. I gasped in surprise, my eyes widening in disbelief as I clutched at my throat.

There were no fingers there, but for a brief moment I could have sworn something had grabbed onto me.

Heavy ice settled over my heart, causing a small ache in my chest every time I breathed in.

Stop it, I told myself. Stop feeling this way. You aren't grieving her. She'll come back to us. She'll come back. So stop this!

I slapped myself hard, wanting desperately to clear away the icicles that decorated my insides. They rattled, but they would not leave me.

Fine, I thought stubborn. Fine! Madara-sama said it would go away—so—so I can deal with this.

I gritted my teeth before I took off towards the village.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

It was nice to see so many of my fellow comrades work together to bring Kurama down.

It was even nicer to hear them cry out in joy when they saw my trees wrap around the kyūbi and force it to kneel.

Kurama was powerful—undoubtedly—but between my Sharingan eye and mokuton, I was able to force him to play calm. I kept him snarling, certainly, but the threat was largely neutralized. Hiruzen was beside me within the first minute I had Kurama pinned, and he looked down at my trembling—from the chakra exertion it took to bind Kurama earlier, on top of the yin-heavy mokuton chakra I was currently using to keep Kurama at bay—and asked me, "How long?"

"Half an hour, max. I know a way to seal him, but I need—" I bit my lip, as a shot of fatigue raced through me. Owari had used too much chakra when he bound Kurama to him, and Madara's Sharingan still took a heavy toll on me. "I need Kushina, or, or her son."

Minato appeared not even a moment after I said that, carrying Kushina' s—

Kushina—

Carrying her—

Tears of grief pricked at my eyes. It was—It was so much more different seeing her through my own eyes. I had watched Owari break her bones, rip Kurama out from her, then snap her neck. I knew what he had done, but I had not—-I had not truly let it—it was like watching from a distance. I was detached as Owari, but here and now looking at her—

I bit down hard on my lip to keep from crying out as the wave of pain hit me. My once beautiful sister, so full of life, laid completely broken, bloody, and pale in Minato's arms. Her arms and legs were bent at awkward angles, and her face was forever twisted into that of pain and unimaginable grief. Guilt briefly—briefly—made me waver, but Owari snatched it away from me.

Guilt he could take, as he was the one who committed the act.

Pain, though?

Pain was on me.

"Oh, Kushina," Hiruzen breathed out, eyes dark with pain. "Minato—Minato I'm so sorry—"

"Don't," Minato rasped out, cold eyes looking up at the kyūbi. "Spare me the apologies. Naasica, you said—you said you could seal the kyūbi?"

"I need Naruto," I whispered, my heart falling into pieces. "I know—I know the perfect seal."

"I know of a way, as well. If you're going to sacrifice—"

"No sacrifices need to be made for this seal," I whispered, my eyes glued to Kushina's agonized face. "No more sacrifices need to be made tonight."

Hiruzen held out his arms to Minato, and Minato hesitated only briefly before placing the corpse of his wife in them. He was gone in a flash of yellow before returning with an infant Naruto.

"Hold him," I whispered, ignoring how I could taste salt. "This will only take a moment."

Minato held Naruto out towards me, I began the thirty-two hand seals to initiate the sealing process. I ended up having to draw upon one of Madara's seals in order to generate enough chakra to complete the sealing. Naruto screamed as I forced Kurama inside his heart chakra gate. Kurama let out a low snort before he fell into a peaceful slumber.

I locked the gate shut, and the sealing was done.

I fell to my knees from the severe loss of chakra, sweat and tears pouring down my face. Naruto cried, and cried, and Minato scooped him back up into his arms. "Hiruzen... we're still in a state of emergency. Set up the patrols and coordinate repair efforts. ANBU Koi, take Naasica to the hospital and have Obito and Kakashi guard her. Keep an eye out for any masked men that approach her."

ANBU Koi came to my side, easily lifting me into her arms. With a quiet yes sir, she took me away.

I closed my eyes, allowing my body to sag.

The night is over. The sacrifice has been made. Kushina is no longer red—

The image of her body flashed in my mind, and a pain so cold and fierce cut deep inside of me.

Owari lulled me into a dreamless sleep.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

I awoke in a small hospital room with Kakashi and Obito on either side of me. The light outside the window told me it was noon the following day.

I licked my dry lips and turned my head towards Kakashi. "Kashi?"

"Hey," Kakashi greeted me, his eyes conveying a sense of deep tiredness no boy should ever have. "Okay?"

"I'm okay," I whispered, slowly sitting up and looking over at Obito. My friend awarded me a tight smile. "Okay?"

"We're okay," Obito reassured me. "Do you—do you remember everything that happened?"

Her neck snapped like a branch in his hands.

"Yes," I croaked, tears falling out of my eyes. "Kushina—" I buried my face in my hands. "Oh, Kushina. I'm so—I'm so sorry. I wish it had not been you. Why couldn't I have been—"

"Stop," Kakashi cut in, sitting on the hospital bed and pulling me into a tight hug. I buried my face against my friend's chest, my body trembling from a chill that would never leave me. "You can't think like that. You had no way—you had no way of knowing."

"Why doesn't it get easier?" I whispered as I felt Obito sit down beside us. The Uchiha placed a warm hand against my back, rubbing up and down. "It's supposed to be easy! I'm doing—I've always done what I thought was right. Wh-Why—? Why is—why is this so hard?"

"Doing the right thing and the easy thing is rarely the same," Obito told me. "You had to go to the capital. It was the right thing to do at the time. You had no way to know what would happen. None of us did."

"I don't want to be alone anymore," I whispered, my voice breaking. "They always leave me."

"You're not alone," Kakashi disagreed.

"We're here," Obito said, leaning into me. "We're right here."

"We'll get through this."

"We've survived war and worse," Obito said softly.

"We can survive living."

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

Minato came to the hospital room, pale, ragged, and with painfully cold eyes. He looked over at the three of us on the hospital bed and said with a quiet voice, "If you can move, the village needs help with repairs. Naa-chan—I need you to explain a bit more about Naruto's seal. I think I have a good grasp on it."

"I found Grandmother's notes for a revised seal a couple years ago and I've been toying with it in my off time. I was planning on t-talking with Nee-chan about it, but the moment never seemed right. I-I didn't realize there would be an urgency to it," I lied, reciting the story out of habit. "I, I can give you my drawings and notes."

"That would be appreciated," he answered. "Did you keep them in the blood safe?"

"Yes."

"Good. The—The house was hit in the attack."

The three of us stirred at that information, digesting it. Minato's face screwed up. "I'll be in the Hokage's office if you need me. Help the village first, though."

When he left, an invisible blanket of snow wrapped around me. I shivered.

He's broken.

I'm broken.

I felt that I ought to report to Madara. I ought to get up and head away. Excuse myself and slip away into the sweet darkness.

I didn't.

I couldn't.

I couldn't.

"I need to see her," I whispered. "One last time. Do you—do either of you know where she is?"

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

There could be no funeral for the jinchūriki that lost her captive. Minato had her body destroyed within the hour to prevent any spy from stealing Konoha's precious sealing secrets. With the village being as weak as it was, and that "unknown" assailant still active Minato could not take the risk. So her body was destroyed and he scratched her name on a little stone marker instead.

The stone was kept in the Senju graveyard, directly next to Grandmother's. There were a few blank stones around her that would have been used for myself, any of Kushina's children, and Minato when our time came.

That time was not now, though, so Kushina's marker stood alone.

Kakashi and Obito helped me to her grave, then they gave me five minutes alone with her.

Five minutes of fervent whispers of I'm sorry.

Owari offered to resume control, in that split second I hated him for it.

"Enough," I whispered to Owari, tears streaming down my face. "Enough. I cannot—I need—"

Owari whispered to me, "It can wait. The world can wait. You have already done so much, sister of mine. It can wait."

I fell beside her grave, weeping.

For now, our plans had to wait.

I couldn't be the proper hero if my heart was too shattered that each breath pained me. Like a ball of icicles jutting out on all ends, stabbing into my lungs.

"He knows it can wait," Owari soothed me. "Let it wait."

I mourned her, my light.

The woman who loved me above all else, and who I undeniably adored.

I mourned my light, some primal part of me desperately wishing I could stay in the light.

But the darkness was already calling me into its embrace.

Light would never survive in this awful, awful world.

Why did I believe for a second I could keep mine?

My sobs turned into wails of grief.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

"I'm just going to come out and say it," I said, looking in between Obito and Kakashi once I had calmed down. "I think we should all move in to the Senju compound... with Minato-sensei and Naruto."

The two boys slowly looked up at that.

"Look," I said quickly, my stomach churning, "I know that it's sudden, and—but I think Minato-sensei needs us. Especially—Kushina can't take care of Naruto now, and Minato-sensei... I don't think he can, either. Not now. And—and I don't—I don't think I can do it alone, either, but—"

Why was this so hard?

I could lie. I could manipulate.

I was the perfect tool.

Now, I could barely get through this argument without stumbling, or croaking.

I would see her again.

I would see her again.

I would see her again.

So why did it hurt so much?

Why was it so hard?

I didn't even—I didn't even have to do this. Moving in with Minato? Taking care of Naruto? None of that was part of the plan.

It wouldn't hurt the plan, but it wasn't something Madara told me to do.

Who cared what happened? Kushina would come back after we won. She could raise Naruto with Minato, then. So what did it matter what happened now?

Why was I bringing this up?

Why was I crying again?

I wiped at my tears, hating my blatant display of weakness, and trying desperately to shove those stupid feelings of guilt and grief away.

I have nothing to feel guilty for.

Yes, yes.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

"Okay," Obito whispered, his eyes red and puffy. He reached across to grab my hand and the measure of comfort I took in that tiny, stupid, unnecessary gesture, was greater than I would ever admit to.

Kakashi bowed his head and pressed his forehead against my shoulder, and a shudder of pain and—comfort? What?—ran through me. I instinctively rested my head on top of Kakashi's, and my other hand found his own.

"Okay," Kakashi said quietly, his hand trembling in my own.

"Okay," I echoed.

And the three of us cried for the last time that night.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

I slipped into Minato's office, and the grieving widow barely looked up. His face crumpled when he saw me—because he could show weakness to me, because I was his family. I was her daughter. I was his daughter—and he bowed his head. "Naa-chan..."

"Sensei," I whispered, and my eyes moved over towards Naruto, who was sleeping in his crib. "Sensei, I need—Sensei, you and Naruto should live with us."

He looked up at that, confusion flickering over his face. "What?"

"Obito, Kakashi, and I... we're going to move into the Senju compound. You and Naruto—you and Naruto should come with us."

He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. He was shocked, completely flabbergasted.

"You can't—you can't raise Naruto alone," I whispered urgently. "Not while you're the Hokage. Let us take care of him and—and you. I know you. I know you'll push yourself too hard, and too fast to help this village and you won't spare a thought for yourself. I know you'll do your best for Naruto, but I know your best isn't going to be good enough right now. We can—we can do it, though, Sensei. We all l-loved her. We l-love Naruto. We l-love you. So stay with us."

I moved to stand beside him during my speech. The very nearly broken man was shaking, and his expression conveyed deep disbelief.

I reached towards him, and I pulled him into a hug.

I patted his back. "We're family. You aren't—aren't alone. Her being gone—her being gone doesn't change the fact that you're family. My family."

Namikaze Minato for the first time in a long, long time, allowed himself to cry.

And I held him like a mother would a child.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

I held Naruto in my arms, the infant suckling on a bottle.

For the first time in many years, I stepped into the Senju compound. Obito and Kakashi moved behind me, taking in the immaculate compound with wide eyes.

Well.

It used to be immaculate.

After years of being ignored—and I refused to allow anyone to enter, going so far as to place blood-intent seals around it that I had only recently deactivated last night—it had fallen into a rather dismal state.

"Time for a cleaning montage, I guess," Obito commented, assessing it with a critical eye. Then his characteristic grin popped up on his face. "This'll be great. Start fresh, ya'know."

"All new wallpaper. New flooring. Everything... everything needs to be replaced," I breathed out, subconsciously tightening my grip on Naruto. The infant continued to suckle at the bottle. "I'll pay for everything. New furniture. New trees. New plants. I want nothing of before left here."

"We won't throw anything out," Kakashi immediately disagreed. "We'll section off a room and put everything in storage scrolls. You may not want it now, but you might later."

"Fine. Let's just get this done."

We all made as many clones as we could, and we got to work.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง  

For the first week since the attack that's all we did. We didn't sleep more than a handful of hours at a time, and we ate while we worked. We took turns taking care of Naruto and Minato. Minato rarely left his office, and more than once we had to force feed him.

Naruto cried.

A lot.

He couldn't be put down. He had to be held constantly. I would hold him the longest because he took greater comfort nestling in my chest than the others.

He knew I wasn't his mother.

But he likely identified me as such regardless, simply due to how much I took care of him.

It was—

C

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I didn't know how to accept such. Kushina was his mother. Kushina would always be his mother. I would be his sister, or his aunt. He was my brother, or my nephew. Never my son. Never my child

But Kushina wasn't here, and I knew she would want her son to grow up with a mother.

Kushina was not my mother.

But she was my mom.

So while I could not be his mother.

I might be his mom.

Temporarily, of course.

Because Kushina would return.

She would come back.

I would bring her back.

She would come back to me.

To us.

Yes.

For now, in her honor, for her, I could pretend to be his mom. I could love him, in her steed. I could care for him, in her absence.

I could be there for him.

So I held him the longest, and nobody objected to that. I fed him the most, and I changed his diaper the most frequently. He slept with me more than the others, and he weakly grabbed onto my hair while I worked.

And that's all we did for that week.

We—the four of us—would only really use one wing of the compound. The other three were sectioned off. One was closed off for permanent storage. The other I demanded to be used as my private area, and the last area was torn down and replaced with a private training ground.

Everyone had their own bedroom, and their own "office" or "work room." The kitchen was large, and the living room even bigger. We had three extra guest rooms, each with their own bathroom.

We tore up all the old tatami mats and replaced them with hardwood and carpet. We replaced the walls with wood paneling, and painted the top half red for Kushina.

We hired a decorator and told her to think warm.

She filled up our home with warm furniture. She ordered us to add more windows, and a skylight, and a fireplace.

We did as she asked, and the end result was not disappointing.

Lastly, we covered the walls with the pictures that Kushina held dear.

Her wedding photos; the pictures of her and me (as a toddler). Of our team. Of Obito and his mother. Of Kakashi and his father.

We covered our walls with ghosts.

And it hurt.

It hurt dearly.

But we did it anyway because we loved them, and we missed them, and it would hurt worse to hide them away like some badge of shame.

Naruto's nursery was the warmest place in the whole wing, though. Barely over a week old and already he was all smiles and light.

He was the sun.

Her little sunshine.

I was her little sapling, but he was her little sunshine.

Now he is my little sunshine.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

We moved into the compound the following day. We dragged Minato home, and we forced him to sleep in his new bed.

We all slept in our new beds for a couple hours.

Then we convened, as if on cue, into Naruto's room when he started crying.

And the four of us tried to soothe him.

We tried.

I tried.

I'm tired.

I'm tired.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

Grief was a strange thing.

I could tell you what I did for that first year since her death.

I could tell you every action I took.

I could tell you every word I said.

I could.

But yet I couldn't.

Because one day I stopped feeling the dull ache inside of my gut. One day it all faded away into the background and I woke up.

The haze lifted.

The pain, while there, could be ignored.

I missed her, despite knowing I would see her again. I mourned her, even as I knew she would not remain dead.

But no more.

No more.

Because I had to keep moving.

I had plans to finish.

People to kill.

Countries to ruin.

A world to tame.

Madara was waiting for me.

I was done grieving.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

I returned to his side exactly one year after Kushina's death.

He welcomed me back with a smile and a pat on the head.

He told me he knew it would not have been easy. He was pleased I had recovered so quickly.

He was proud of me.

I was proud of me.

We exchanged smiles and he allowed me to hug him tightly. He patted my back, and when I was ready he asked me, "Shall we dance at last, my dear?"

"What dance, my master?"

"A dance to shake the very core of the world. A dance to end all dances. Shall we take the first step now, my dear?"

I smiled at him, and took his offered hand. "Yes, master."

"Then follow my lead... my dear."

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

Paint

The

World

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D

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

Owari will only appear when Naasica is overly stressed, so those of you who were expecting him to be a main star sorry to disappoint. He's purely a defense mechanism.

Yep! Killed Kushina. Madara had to sacrifice his light, of course he expects the same for Naasica.

Yes, Naasica will honestly do her best to raise Naruto in Kushina's place. Guilt is a powerful motivator.

Next chapter is Kirigakure, Akatsuki, toddler!Naruto fluff... and a surprise.

Answer: Oh man if I could a Supreme Being from Overlord with my own creations that would be wicked.

Question: Who would you want to be your antagonist or rival? Who would you want to be your support?

Reviews are love!