SPOILER WARNING! If you haven't seen the Naruto: Shippuden movie The Lost Tower and have plans of doing so, this is an alternate ending of sorts.

If you don't care about spoilers, feel free to charge right into it.

Enjoy!

Naruto ran straight for the central pedestal and the pillar of light, which was actually fairly sound if a little late, running straight towards Mukade. Yamato was after him after cursing the whole situation, and the rest of the team followed on his heels.

Their target was still pulling in the formula and tugging at the kunai, releasing an outflow of energy that shot into the air like a beacon. Masonry began to crumble and lift into the air, throwing off Naruto's balance and hold on the ground.

The light began to draw Naruto in, and Yamato quickly worked on pulling him back out, but the field grew in strength and size, sucking the two of them in before Sakura could help. She was about to jump in after them when Sai intercepted her, pulling her away from the blast and back to safety.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out as the light began to envelop the room, threatening to destroy Sai's bird, with both of them hundreds of feet in the air and over a ley line juncture of dubious status.

Thankfully, the ink bird weathered the ordeal without incident and there was enough clearance between them and the beacon's reach. The flash of light abated, leaving Yamato laying on the central pedestal, which had strangely reformed. Mukade was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Naruto.

Sai flew his bird down to the captain, him and Sakura checking on their jonin.

"Captain Yamato," Sai said, shaking the jonin awake. To their relief, he quickly roused and rolled over, rubbing his head to soothe an oncoming headache.

"Where's Naruto?" Sakura asked.

The trio frantically searched for where the blond might have ended up, but came up with nothing. They were the only people in the chamber, with no sign of another soul. Sakura tried to repress the growing dread with each passing second.

"Naruto, if this is a prank, it's not funny anymore," she shouted.

But there was no answer. They were alone.

"Let's get back to the surface," Yamato said. "He might have ended up there."

Sakura was grasping at straws, and hastily agreed. Sai propped the captain on his shoulder and carried him out into the open air where the broken puppets were where they had fallen before.

Still, there was no sign of Naruto.

"Someone is approaching," Sai warned.

With Yamato still out of it from whatever he had gone through and Sai holding him up, Sakura positioned herself at the front of the formation, ready for a possible fight.

A small group of horsemen, eight in number, rode into the ruins, circling the shinobi several times before settling with their weapons pointed at the shinobi. All of them wore robes of light browns and tans conducive for riding, turbans on their head, some wearing goggles to keep their eyes clear of dust.

The leader, distinguished by his orange scarf where the others had muted browns and blues and the subtle deference that was rendered, carried a spear that was held with the certainty of proficiency. It was clear that he and the others were looking over them, assessing them as potential threats.

At long last, the leader raised a hand, the other members of the company standing down.

"Shinobi of Konohagakure," he declared, voice loud and clear. "They're friends of Suna and the Land of Wind."

The leader dismounted, still keeping a hold on his spear as he approached the shinobi. Two of riders remained on their horses, keeping watch, but everyone else joined their leader on the ground, taking positions at the perimeter.

"Not often that this place gets visitors," the leader said. "Rika said she was picking some activity around here, and if not for that disturbance, I might not have believe her. Good thing I didn't put anything on that bet before checking it out myself."

He undid his scarf and raised his goggles, shaking his head free of some excess dirt, and Team Seven froze. Sakura couldn't help but note how much he had changed and what had remained the same, but there was something about him that she just couldn't quite put her finger on.

The round face, the whisker marks on his cheeks, blue eyes and blond hair, though the latter was longer than she remembered. He was also taller and leaner, skin a bit darker from exposure to the sun, just as his hair was a shade or two lighter.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

The young man tilted his head, quirking an eyebrow, drawing attention to the strange ring pattern on his irises.

"Nah, I'm Yamato, Prince of Rōran." He gave his spear some showy twirls before letting it rest flush against his waist, swinging his free arm out dramatically. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"This is your home?" Captain Yamato asked, putting the common name out of his mind for the moment. "This place has been abandoned ruins for decades."

"That's right, this is my home. I'd cite you for trespassing, but I could hardly do that when this place is still ruins."

Team Seven stared at the strange young man, who began chuckling into the back of his fist.

"A poor joke," he said. "I'm sorry. Anyway, since you're an ally, you might as well stay. The rest will be showing up shortly."

He dismissed the guard, who began to take up watch with practiced efficiency. More people began arriving, making their way into the ruins. At the head of the column was a girl in orange robes with blue outlines, carrying herself with grace and dignity. The prince turned around and held his spear above his head.

"Hey, Rika," Prince Yamato hailed. "Where's mother and father?"

"Towards the rear of the caravan," she answered. "Has the crisis been averted?"

"Everything's calmed down already. Nothing else to report on that matter."

Rika nodded. "That's good to hear." She paused and glanced at the shinobi. "I see we already have guests."

Yamato cast a glance over his shoulder. "Yup. They're from Konoha."

"So I can see." Rika stepped forward, her brother moving out of her way automatically.

Her appearance was vastly different from her brother, almost to the point of casting doubt on any blood ties. She had faded red hair, held up by a yellow and green bandana, and purple eyes that carried the weight of authority.

"I apologize for the lack of hospitality," she said, "but we are just now returning from our exile. I am Rika, Crown Princess of Rōran. On behalf of the royal family, I welcome you to our city, such as it is."

"I'm Captain Yamato of Konohagakure, leading Team Seven." He gestured to the others. "This is Sakura Haruno and Sai."

Rika politely inclined her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

As the princess talked, Sakura's eyes subconsciously drifted to the weapon on the princess' hip.

She carried a chakra blade that had seen better days. Apart from the age, it was a perfect replica of the ones that had been issued to Team Seven for the mission, and had seen judicious use. To her embarrassment, the princess noticed the brief glance.

"Oh, you're looking at this?" she asked, holding it out for Team Seven to see.

"It looks exactly like one of ours," said Sakura. "Where did you get one of those?"

"It's a keepsake of my mother's, a gift to her from my father. Lately it's been a badge of the heir of Rōran, but I've learned how to use it like a normal weapon." She laughed gently, then looked at Sakura again. "I'm sure you can ask them about it when they arrive with the rest of our people."

"You mean there's more coming?"

"Indeed. Every citizen of Rōran and their families are returning to reclaim our home."

While a million questions tumbled in the back of Sakura's mind, one of the other members of the traveling party came up and whispered into Yamato's ear. The prince looked out into the desert, then nodded to his sister.

"It would seem that the queen and king have arrived."

The princess and prince turned to the ruined gates, standing up straight while double rows of soldiers formed along the path into the city.

A sudden presence of chakra put the Konoha shinobi on alert, drawing their eyes upward as a man carrying a woman bridal style landed in the clearing just outside the ruins. He set her down on her feet and they walked into the city holding hands.

"I present to you the Queen and King of Rōran," Rika announced.

All present began to bow to the duo's approach. Risking a breach in propriety, Sakura stared, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Captain Yamato and Sai doing the same.

The queen was beautiful, even if her garments were humbler than would have been expected, and carried herself like Sakura had always imagined a queen would. Red hair was done in a braided crown and a top-knot, with spiky bangs hanging above violet eyes.

But as much as their eyes lingered on the queen, the king's appearance was all the more riveting, and it was clear where Prince Yamato got most of his looks from. Unlike his son, his sun-bleached blond hair was long enough to put in a fairly long ponytail and he had a beard that traced his jawline into a goatee. His blue eyes twinkled with mirth and recognition, and he smiled brightly in a way that he couldn't be mistaken for anyone else.

"Hey, guys," said Naruto. "It's been a long time."

A/N: In case anyone is worried about this usurping my attention from other stories, note that I am deliberately making sure this remains a short-term project, after which it will be relegated into dormancy.