The Old You

(AN: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! This is my first fan fiction and I've had many ideas for many years, so I finally decided to put it on paper, so to speak. I am very much welcome to open, constructive criticism such as story, characters, or even grammar mistakes that I have overlooked. Just a heads up, I'm terrible when it comes to commas. I hope to get better with time with the help of reviews and practice, so just stay with me if I'm not up to par at first. Thank you and I hope you enjoy. )

(AN2: Last chapter read as of the start of this Fan Fiction- Naruto Manga 684)

(I will use a lot of information based off of the recent manga ((but will not follow all of it forever and will break off into my own story, such as Obito is dead and Kakashi and Sakura are in the real world as of the start of this story)) so if you're confused with some of the aspects with the early battle and story… READ THE MANGA!)

Chapter 1

Silence

It has been 6 months since the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War. 6 months since my 18th birthday, where everything changed. I sit here in my room…and think over the events of what had unfolded. I was promoted to Jonin upon our arrival home from the war, but I was put on inactive duty because of my extremely depressed state. I constantly flash back to the war and think how strange it all was. Not many people get to say they lost friends, sealed away a great evil, and won a freaking war on their birthday. I was named a hero for the second time; though this time, for the entire ninja world. Such a meaningless title to me now. It's hard to be happy or even enjoy such a title. How could I? When I… lost my best friend. Unable to save him… even with all my so-called tremendous power.

I've spent all of these past months alone, not bothering to leave my home. When I do, it's just for food and household needs. I haven't seen any of my friends in that time, nor do I want to. How could I face any of them? We might have won the war, but I failed with my promise. I've lost the urge to move on, putting my dreams on a hiatus. I'm just a fraction of my former self, unwilling to progress with my life. It doesn't help that the events of that night keep ringing through my mind, numbing me, making me wish for a death that could never come, no matter how far I fall. After all, I made… HIM… a promise… Even if I'm barely who I used to be, I can't give up… because I'm still me…the future Hokage… And a promise is a promise. My mind wanders to relive that night again… over and over… I picture it.

Flashback: Fourth Great Ninja War – Date: October, 10

Naruto, Sasuke, and the Mother of all Ninja, Kaguya, were currently in the innermost dimension of Kaguya's dimensional shift jutsu.

The land is covered in sand as far as the eye can see. There is a hot, stale wind in the air blowing up clouds of sand and dust. A cloudless sky casts upon the battle field, where the sounds of metal and shouting ring through the air.

"SASUKE, GET DOWN!" Naruto yells while hovering 20 feet in the air above Sasuke.

Sasuke jumps to the ground just as a blade meant to pierce him in the back passes over, nipping at his hair.

"Damn; with her dimension jutsu, she can get behind us quicker than we can counter," Sasuke says while standing.

"Just keep on the move while I think of something!" Naruto floats down to stand next to Sasuke.

"You come up with a plan! Don't make me l-" starts Sasuke, but a long blade passes between them, creating a soft whistle through the air. Both of them jump apart, kicking up dust.

"*Cough, cough*… Great, just great, now I can't see!" yells Naruto.

"Shut up, Naruto!" yells Sasuke "keep your god damn emotions under control."

The dust settles to reveal Kaguya standing 10 feet across from Sasuke and Naruto, holding two more 2-foot blades in her hands.

"Your bickering annoys me. Please be silent while I kill you both," Kaguya whispers emotionlessly.

Naruto grits his teeth and starts to hover above the ground.

"You know, you're really starting to piss me the fuck off, lady!' Naruto clenches his fists, making his knuckles pop.

"Naruto, I just told you to keep calm!" Sasuke says. "If we let ourselves get out of hand, this fight is over for us."

"He's right, Naruto; just keep calm and we'll think of another trick to get within her defenses." Kurama says. (Nine Tails) "Though, try not to be as retarded as to use a perverted jutsu again."

'Hey, that almost worked, so don't judge me! I'm supposed to be unpredictable!' Naruto thinks. 'But you're right… Have any ideas?'

"No, none of us do (the other 8 demons)… but we might be able to use all of this dust to our advantage." Kurama says, getting a sly grin.

'What, like blind her?' Naruto asks.

Naruto uses his black chakra swords to block 3 more blades thrown by Kaguya. Naruto flies back 10 feet to gain some distance.

'You know she has the Byakugan, right… She can see through anything with those eyes!' Naruto thinks with a sarcastic look on his face.

Sasuke charges a Chidori and rushes in at great speed towards Kaguya. He jumps high into the air, using one of Naruto's chakra platforms to quickly change direction at flickering speed. Right as Sasuke is about to strike, Kaguya slips into her portal and vanishes from sight, causing Sasuke to smash into the ground, leaving a crater where his Chidori hit.

"Hm… She's so fast, my body can't keep up with her," Sasuke says

Sasuke turns to look over at Naruto, slightly irritated by his seemingly uninterested posture. "You know, I could use your help with this, Naruto!"

Naruto blinks in realization. "Ya, ya, I'm talking with Kurama about that, so could you give me a SECOND!" Naruto retorts while his left eye twitches in annoyance.

Kaguya charges out from a portal behind Naruto, lashing out with her blade to slash him in the back. With no time to react, Naruto uses one of his chakra orbs to create a barrier between him and Kaguya. The strike causes a small explosion, sending Naruto flying to the ground face first.

(WHAM!)

"… Yep…. really starting to hate this bitch…" Naruto coughs while spitting up sand.

"Naruto… Can you still transfer chakra like you did with the army?" Gyuki (8 tails) asks.

'Uhhhhhhhh... well, ya...Why?' asks Naruto with an eyebrow raised while deflecting another blade from Kaguya.

Naruto dashes forward, weaving between oncoming projectiles as he flicks his hands together. "Kagebushin no Jutsu!" Naruto summons 3 clones: 2 float in front of the original to defend while the third helps prepare a Rasengan.

"Sasuke, watch my back!" Naruto yells over his shoulder.

"Hn," Sasuke retorts.

"Can you transfer chakra to non-living objects, and most importantly… can you use another person's chakra?" asks Gyuki, growing serious.

"RASENGAN!" Naruto makes contact with Kaguya, but it has little effect on her, and Naruto is sent flying back, hitting a dune of sand.

(CRASH!) Sand flies into the air.

Naruto crawls out of the new crater, dusting himself off and wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.

'I have no idea! I'm doing my best just to double-task here, and you're asking questions that I can't possibly answer!' screams Naruto.

"Yes, we can, but it requires full cooperation with whoever's chakra we are using. There's a catch in which the chakra donor loses all of their chakra, as well as we lose ours. We can give chakra in whatever amount is needed to whomever, but taking chakra is an all in or all out endeavor," Kurama informs.

(BOOM!) An explosionfrom Sasuke's Chidori and Kaguya's chakra-enforced blades connecting sends Sasuke slamming into Naruto, causing both to be thrown to the ground. Kaguya is also sent flying back, but disappears by going into a portal.

"GAH! Dammit Sasuke, I'm trying to strategize here!" Naruto yells, jumping to his feet and growing disk-sized, white, chibi eyes and growing red with frustration.

"For the second time, dobe, you couldn't come up with a good strategy if it bit you on the ass!" Sasuke yells back, jumping to his feet with equal enthusiasm.

"GRRR! Just shut up, Sasuke! Gyuki has a plan and he needs your help. I'll let him tell the rest," Naruto says while he mind swaps with Gyuki.

Naruto's eyes become the white orbs of Gyuki.

"Wait, what?" Sasuke asks.

"Sasuke, this is Gyuki, the 8 Tails. I need to use your lightning affinity for an all-out, last ditch effort to seal Kaguya."

"What do you have in mind?" asks Sasuke, raising an eyebrow.

"A large scale chakra flash bang." Sates Gyuki

"I see... to deal with that annoying Byakugan of hers," Sasuke says while smiling. "I like it… but how will we accomplish this?"

"With Naruto's ability to transfer chakra, he will send all of his chakra throughout the battle field. The sand and dust in this area will be used as a container to hold the chakra from disappearing; it will also act as a conductor. When you use your Chidori, it will blend with Naruto's chakra and the sand, creating a massive flash bang, blocking out her eyes for a brief amount of time. Based on how she froze up with Naruto's Sexy Jutsu, she should do the same again, giving you two a window to get your Yin and Yang powers on her and finish this fight…. But there's a catch."

"What kind of catch?" asks Sasuke.

"Since we will not be giving you chakra as usual but taking it, we can't regulate the flow as effectively, so we need to take a lot… All of it. Naruto will have to mold and keep it in balance, using up his reserves as well. This is why this is a make or break plan," Gyuki informs cautiously.

'Hnn… all of it, huh?' "Very well; the plan might just work, but once she's flashed, how will we keep her from slipping into another portal?" asks Sasuke.

Naruto's eyes change once again, this time to the black and gold diamond eyes of Shukaku (1 Tail).

"You just leave that to me! Nothing a Sinking Mud Floor Jutsu can't handle to keep the pesky human from running, fufufu," says Shukaku with a hint of a laugh.

"Alright, then just give the cue when it's all ready, and we will end this." says a determined Sasuke.

Naruto returns to his Sage /Kyubi cross eyes (Normal Eyes).

Naruto grows a huge fox grin across his face. "You know, Sasuke, with this plan, I see that we still make a good team!" Naruto Boasts.

"Just shut up, dobe (dead last), and get ready. Here she comes." Sasuke focuses his eyes upon the black portal forming in front of them.

Kaguya steps out with a half-smile on her face. She draws 2 more blades, focusing her Byakugan.

"I believe play time is over, my children. I'm sorry it has to end in blood," Kaguya whispers while beginning to walk towards Naruto and Sasuke.

"Naruto, get to it! I will hold her off until then." Sasuke focuses his Rinnegan and Sharingan eyes on Kaguya.

"Right!" Naruto drops to one knee, closes his eyes in focus, and slams his hands into the earth, pushing and flowing chakra into every grain of sand and dust in the area.

'That's a lot of chakra he's wasting; what do you have in mind, boy?' Kaguya thinks while narrowing her eyes at Naruto.

"Eyes over here, wench! You're my opponent!" Sasuke says, dashing forward.

Sasuke picks up one of the Kaguya's discarded blades and continues to run forward, throwing the blade with blinding speed. Kaguya jumps into the air, causing the blade to fly underneath her. She feels a presence above her and looks up to see Sasuke flying through hand signs as she begins to fall back to earth.

"Fire Style: Giant Fireball Jutsu!" yells Sasuke, placing his fingers in the shape of a C to his lips.

The fire ball crashes to the earth, creating a burnt hole in the ground where Kaguya had landed. Sasuke flips in the air and lands just outside the crater. He leans over the side, looking into the hole, searching for life. A large portal opens above Sasuke, revealing Kaguya with a blade in front of her extended arm, aiming at his head. Sasuke twists out of the way as Kaguya hits the ground; he twirls through the air, lands on his hands, and flips to his feet.

Sasuke again goes through hand signs at blinding speed.

"Lightning style: Electric Bullet!" Sasuke raises his left hand and points his pointer and index fingers at Kaguya in the shape of a pistol.

"Eat this!" Sasuke yells as multiple bullets made of lighting shoot out of Sasuke's fingers, flying at Kaguya.

Kaguya steps almost in a dance in-between each of Sasuke's shots until she is within a couple feet of Sasuke. Raising her blade, she cuts through Sasuke's final bullet, slicing a deep gash down his left hand to the tip of his elbow.

"GRAWWWH!" Sasuke yells in pain, jumping backwards from another strike from Kaguya missing his neck by an inch.

Sasuke hits the ground, tumbling head over heels until he skids on his back, cradling his now crippled arm that begins to coat his grey shirt in blood.

"Let's see you use your annoying jutsu now." Kaguya sneers, growing a look of satisfaction. "It won't be long now before you, your friend over there, and everyone else in this ninja world are annihilated. I will forever bring peace like I tried to accomplish so many years ago."

Sasuke rolls onto his feet. His left arm hangs at his side, dripping small droplets of blood onto the desert floor.

"Can it, woman! You underestimate the power of an Uchiha!" Sasuke growls, his Sharingan and Rinnegan eyes growing deeper in color.

"However..." Sasuke thinks while turning his head to his left to gaze over his shoulder at the now clearly tiring Naruto.

"(Pant...Pant.)" Naruto exhales while sweat drips from his forehead down to his chin, creating a small puddle on the floor between where his hands still connect with the earth.

'I wouldn't mind if he would hurry up!' Sasuke growls. 'I've got little chakra as it is, and now with my arm like this, I can only handle one last Chidori... Hnn… I guess this really is the final gamble of this battle.'

"I don't know why you are looking at him, boy, when you've already said that your opponent is me." Kaguya says, grinning widely.

Sasuke turns to face Kaguya again, giving her a sly smile.

"Hnn…" Sasuke grunts, beginning to walk towards Kaguya with his left arm still dangling at his side.

"If you wanted to die sooner, wench… all you had to do was ask," Sasuke says in an almost snickering tone.

Naruto begins to stand behind Sasuke, barely able to hold up his own weight with trembling knees and ragged breath.

"Wait… (Pant)…Sasuke… (Pant)…It's ready… and I've left myself… (Pant) just enough chakra to finish this." Naruto says while raising his hands to the familiar cross hand sign.

"KAGEBUSHIN NO JUTSU!" A single clone pops to life just to the left of the original Naruto. His eyes were black with gold diamond irises, signifying that Shukaku was in control of the clone.

"Uchiha… are you ready?" Shukaku asks while beginning to walk towards Sasuke's side.

Sasuke nods towards Shukaku and then looks over to Naruto, who has now joined Sasuke on the other side of Shukaku. His Gold Demon Fox Cloak flickers away from chakra loss. Sasuke loses his smile and grows a more serious look of determination.

"Do it," Sasuke says while turning back towards Kaguya.

"RIGHT!" "RIGHT!" Shukaku Clone and Naruto say in unison.

The Final Plan of the Fourth Great Ninja War was put into action.

Naruto jumps into the air, pulling out a Kunai with an explosive tag tied at the end and hurling it at Kaguya.

"Simple minded tactics, boys" Kaguya says. She jumps back just as the Kunai and tag pop to reveal another Naruto jumping from the cloud of smoke.

'WHAT!?' Kaguya yells internally.

"A clone transformation!?" Kaguya screams just as the clone transformation Naruto drives his fist into her face, sending her flying.

"Sometimes, the best plans are the simplest, bitch!" Naruto cheers as he lands on the ground from his leap ,dispersing his clone at the same time.

"SKUKAKU! NOW!" yells Naruto.

"EARTH STYLE: GREAT MUD SLIDE JUTSU!" The Naruto/Shukaku clone yells while slamming his hand in a summoning-like jutsu onto the ground.

Just as Kaguya was about to hit the ground from Naruto's punch, a mudlike swamp appears underneath her. She splashes into the jutsu full force.

"THIS CHEAP TRICK WONT HOLD ME!" Kaguya yells, fighting to free her arms and legs from the jutsu.

"UCHIHA! NOW!" Shukaku clone yells just as it poofs away from chakra exhaustion.

Sasuke builds a Chidori in his non-dominant right hand and drives it into the earth.

"CHIDORI!"

Sasuke feels his chakra pull from him and mold with Naruto's chakra. Sand and dust begin to rise into the air from the electrical shock from the jutsu. Naruto and Sasuke cover both of their eyes just as the world is filled with a blinding heavy chakra nuclear flash that covers miles.

"GUWAHHHH!" Kaguya screams, clawing at her now blinded eyes with her one free hand, wincing and squinting in pain from the blast.

Sasuke and Naruto jump into action and land on each side of the downed Kaguya.

"SEAL!" "SEAL!" Both Naruto and Sasuke shout, slamming their Yin and Yang hands onto Kaguya's shoulders. Sasuke winces in pain from the impact and strain on his injured arm. A low, dim light shines from both Sasuke's and Naruto's seals and quickly grows in size, causing both to step backwards and shield their eyes.

"I think it wo-!" Naruto is cut off as 2 large angels, each standing 12 feet tall, appear: one shrouded in light and glowing a hue of a beautiful platinum gold; the other shrouded in darkness, glowing with a purplish light. Sasuke and Naruto tumble backwards.

The angels encircle Kaguya, spreading their arms in the shape of crosses.

"Get away from me!" Kaguya screams, horror growing in her eyes as she starts to break free from her mud prison.

Just as Kaguya was going to break free, the two angels swing their arms and hands together from their previously outstretched position. A loud clap sounds and a beam of light shoots from the ground, covering Kaguya.

"SEALING ART: HEAVINLY PRISON." Both angels weave their fingers together into their still-clasped hands.

"LOCK," both angels say as the light floats Kaguya up, causing her to hover a couple feet in the air.

Kaguya twirls and spins in the air, trying her damned best to get away. She even tries to open her portals to flee to another dimension, but they are quickly dispelled by the light surrounding her.

"I will not lose!" Kaguya hollers, growing a devilish-like face and red Byakugan eyes. "I am the god of this world!"

The light around Kaguya begins to turn from its original gold to a dark black.

"SEAL!" the angels pronounce.

In a matter of seconds, the black light surrounding Kaguya begins to compress and shrink, crushing her. Smaller and smaller she became. The cracking of her bones and the contortion of her body almost made Naruto wince in disgust… almost.

"GWUUUUUAHHHHHH!" Kaguya hollers in pain. She was now the size of a basketball and she continued to be crushed and shrunk.

Finally, she was the size of a marble. The marble then shimmered and glowed and appeared to be stone, with the kanji for "Sealing" appearing on the outside of the marble. It falls to the ground with a light tap and bounces on the desert floor.

"SEAL COMPLETE" the angels say, now bursting into a bright light and disappearing from sight, leaving a glittering dust in the air.

"Well…DAMN!" Naruto says with wide eyes at the gruesome sealing. "That was ….. BAD ASS!"

Sasuke was at a loss for words at the moment, choosing to just fall to his back, exhaustion finally catching up with him. Naruto looked at him and smiled and fell face first onto the floor, also allowing his tired body to finally give in to the need for rest.

"Told you I can come up with a plan," Naruto said in a very tired voice, lifting his head to look over at Sasuke.

"Wasn't even your strategy, you idiot," Sasuke says with droopy eyes, trying to stay conscious.

"Ya, whatever…. We won though, HEHE!" Naruto says, sitting up and looking around at the vast desert land while his hair blows slowly in the warm breeze.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh… Sasuke?" asks Naruto, looking at him curiously.

"For gods' sakes, what!? I'm trying to rest!" Sasuke demands, clearly irritated.

"…..How do we get home?" Naruto asks raising an eyebrow.

Sasuke opens his closed eyes and stares at the sky with a lazy look more suited for Shikamaru.

"…Fuck…." Sasuke whispers, a chibi sweat drop appearing on both boys' heads.

Naruto and Sasuke are interrupted as the ground begins to shake very violently, creating deep trenches and cracks into the earth. Sand pours like waterfalls into the new cracks, causing Sasuke and Naruto to start to slide with the flow.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!?" Naruto screams over the roar of the shaking ground.

Naruto and Sasuke jump to their feet, fleeing to an open area where no gashes in the land have formed yet. The stone marble sealing Kaguya flows with the sand and falls down into the seemingly bottomless gorge.

"The dimension must be collapsing in on itself now that Kaguya is unable to hold it together!" Sasuke says, falling to his knee and gasping for air, still exhausted.

"Dammit, our bodies can't take this. We're out of gas," says Sasuke as he begins to stand.

Naruto and Sasuke barely miss being sucked into a newly formed crater by jumping into the air and landing on a sand dune. They tumble and slide to the bottom, gasping for air.

"We can't keep this up... (Pant) Where do we... (Pant) even run to…? (Pant) There's nowhere to go!" asks Naruto, trying his best to catch his breath.

Lighting and storm clouds clash in the sky, causing loud booms of thunder to ring out. Lightning strikes the land over and over, creating fires upon the sand. The wind has turned violent and the rain comes down sideways, stinging their skin on impact.

"Damn, I guess it really is destroying itself," says Naruto in a somber tone, just sitting and watching the havoc. "I always pictured what the end of the world would be like… but I never imagined this."

Naruto rolls to his side to avoid a lightning strike, landing on his back. He stares into the downpour of rain and hail.

"To think I would die here of all places," Sasuke says, deactivating his Sharingan.

"WHAT!?" Naruto shouts, jumping to his feet and flailing his arms about. "We can't die here! I still have to become Hokage and change the world! And what about you? You said you were going to become Hokage and change the current ninja way!"

Sasuke stands and looks at Naruto somberly, an almost regretful look in his eyes. "Naruto, make me a promise."

Naruto looks at Sasuke with a raised brow.

"Uhh, sure?" says Naruto.

"Promise me that you will become Hokage… and that you will keep what happened to the Uchiha from happening to any other family. Promise me you will change this world and make it a better place so young kids don't follow the path I did. Keep those kids safe and help them find the light… Promise me this, Naruto."

Naruto grows serious and brings his curled fist to rest over his chest and trashed jacket above his heart.

"I promise Sasuke. On my ninja way," Naruto says, closing his eyes and bowing his head in acceptance of the promise. He looks back up with another questioning look.

"Why the promise though, Sasuke? You act like you aren't going to make it out of here" Naruto squints his face into a forced foxy smile, beginning to dread what Sasuke is implying.

"Naruto, we are both low on chakra… there's not a lot left you nor I can do… but… I might have just enough to create a portal with my Rinnegan." Sasuke forces the last of his remaining chakra to his eye, activating his Rinnegan. Blood flows from the eye down his face and drips from his chin.

"I have just enough, but it will be a small portal," says Sasuke, turning and smiling a sad look at Naruto.

"That's great!" shouts Naruto, jumping and waving his arms in joy. "Do it and let's get out of here! Hehe! See and you thought we were going to die!"

The sky cracks; the dimension is at its last couple seconds. Wind howls in the air as rain, snow, hail, and sand fly at hurricane speeds. The ground shakes and shatters around the two men, leaving the world in a hell-like state.

Sasuke flicks his Rinnegan to life and focuses on the now forming portal.

"There's a catch though, Naruto," Sasuke says, letting a sad smile rest on his face.

"Huh?" asks Naruto, turning his attention away from the portal to Sasuke.

"With my chakra and the little practice I have at this..." Sasuke says, jumping and pushing Naruto off of his feet.

"There's only room for one… to pass through." Sasuke shoves Naruto through the new formed portal. It begins shaking and flexing at the lack of chakra keeping it together.

The world turns into slow motion in Naruto's eyes as he falls through the portal. The rain stands still in the air, the dust stops moving, and the ground stops shaking. All Naruto sees is Sasuke's face as he lands on the other side of the portal, and watches as the world on the other side of the opening fades. Sasuke's face wobbles and distorts with the closing portal.

"Hn… I never said WE were going to die… I said I was… dobe…" Sasuke whispers… And with that, the portal closes… Sasuke… was gone.

Naruto lays across the floor of the old battlefield in the real world, staring at where the portal used to be. His eyes are wide and his breath is slow and shallow. He can't begin to understand what just happened.

"Sa….Sasuke," Naruto whispers to no one, continuing to stare into nothingness. Silent tears run down his face, dripping to the floor as Naruto climbs to his knees and sits in a kneeling position.

"Sasuke," Naruto says again, his voice growing louder.

Naruto crushes his eyes shut and flings his head backwards toward the heavens above, screaming as loud as his voice will allow.

"SASUKE!…"

Naruto lets his head fall back towards the earth and stares at the ground between his knees as the tears flow. He does not hear the Tree of Life begin to crumble and fall to the earth, allowing his friends to be free from their dream worlds. He does not hear them charge towards him, screaming his name in victory and in joy knowing the battle and war are finally over. Naruto does not hear the thousands crowded around him, cheering and chanting his name.

Naruto does notice the lone figures of his friends, Sakura, Sai, Kakashi, Team 10, Team 8, and Squad Guy come close to him. None of them are cheering, seeing the way Naruto is acting currently. Naruto notices someone has kneeled right in front of him, but does not bother to lift his head and look. He knows who it is. She asks a question. Naruto knows what she has asked, but does not hear it.

Because to Naruto… all he could hear was silence.

"…..Naruto? …..What's wrong? ... Wh… Where's Sasuke-kun?" Sakura whispers as she begins to cry.

(End Flashback)

END CHAPTER 1