Hey guys, it's me again. Thanks to you my faithful readers the hit count as reached over 12'000, more than I imagined I'd ever get when I started this story. But sadly this FF will come to an end soon, only one more chapter and an epilogue will follow.
But I also have another thing to tell you. Once this FF is finished I'll start a sequel. But the sequel will not play in the Narutoverse, it will be a CrossOver with 'Final Fantasy X' with another Main Character (from the Naruto World), but Naruto will still appear in the story.
But enough of that for now, and on with the story!

Faroush

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

"Speech"
'Thought'
"Demon Speech"
'Demon Thought'

Please R&R!!!

Somewhere in Konoha

The sun rose above the buildings and streets of Konoha once more. Unfortunately a lot of people could no longer witness the beautiful sunrise the city offered. Jiraiya, the Toad Sage and probably the strongest shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves as of now, sighed heavily when he sat down on the roof of the Hokage Tower. A gruesome battle had been fought, and a lot of sacrifices had been made to ensure the victory.

His sensei, Sarutobi Hiruzen was one of them. Together with his old student the Third Hokage had challenged his traitorous pupil Orochimaru, the Snake Sennin. But what looked like a certain victory first soon turned out to be a brutal slaughter. With a forbidden technique the insane ninja had resurrected all three of the former Hokage to aid him in his battle. But while the resurrection of the First and Second Hokage had been flawless, something had been off with the Fourth. Sure, the famed Yellow Flash had proved his prowess in battle, but it looked like he was nothing but a husk, an empty shell. Even the other Hokage had their souls sealed into the dead bodies. But the soul of Jiraiya's greatest student hadn't returned. And a part of Jiraiya was almost sad about this. He would have loved to speak to his student once more…

A slight shiver ran over Jiraiya when he remembered the battle which had followed. With three Hokage on his side Orochimaru had the definite advantage over his old team, and they most certainly would have lost if not thanks to the intervention of three individuals. Although everyone else had been evacuated from the Forest of Death, Mitarashi Anko, Momochi Zabuza and Haku had entered the battle field and attacked the undead Hokage. Only because of the opening those three had provided the Third Hokage had been able to use the legacy of the Fourth Hokage, the Shiki Fuujin, to summon the Shinigami and seal all of their opponents in the Shinigami's belly. But victory had come at a heavy price. Their three saviors paid their deed with their life. And Hiruzen… Jiraiya remembered the final moments of his sensei clearly for they were forever engraved in his mind.

Flashback

The battle was finally over. The once mighty forest was reduced to only three quarters of its original size. And all this destruction was caused only to bring down one individual, who had brought much harm to Konoha. But was the price really worth it? Jiraiya stared at the face of his dying sensei. To lose another precious person to that accursed technique… the gods were cruel indeed. At least the Sandaime would be reunited with his old senseis in the Shinigami's belly, although that was a small consolation compared to the suffering that was said to await them there.

The Toad Summoners gaze wandered over the battle field whose only survivor he was. If it hadn't been for the sacrifice of Anko, Zabuza and Haku, Jiraiya would be dead now too. He silently stared at the corpses of the three ninja who had given it their all to defeat the traitorous snake. To be honest, Jiraiya was a bit surprised that Haku and Zabuza had helped them so vehemently. They even had ignored their orders once Team 7 had lured out Orochimaru in order to support the Hokage.

Jiraiya would never know for sure why Haku and Zabuza did so, but he had the suspicion it had to do with the similarities between Zabuza and Orochimaru. Both of them had taken in children to use them. Therefore Zabuza was fighting a part of himself he detested and Haku was battling to protect other orphans to fall into the hands of the mad shinobi. Sadly, they had paid their courageous deed with the ultimate price, just like Anko, who had used this chance to bring her old sensei to fall.

Jiraiya's thoughts were interrupted when the Third Hokage reached out to his student for the last time. His end was drawing near.

"Jiraiya… Before I go, I have to tell you something, something very important." The old Hokage said, the light in his eyes already fading.

"You shouldn't talk sensei, save your energy." Jiraiya tried to calm his sensei down. The Toad Summoner thought his teacher was already in a delirium.

"No, this secret must be passed on… Konoha's greatest secret…"

This got Jiraiya's interest. Maybe it was indeed important what his mentor had to tell him.

"He's still alive Jiraiya. I'm sorry I lied to you in that night twelve years ago… But I had no choice. Please go to him, you're the last tie he has to this world… Go to the child that sleeps hidden from everyone's sight, I beg of you; don't fail him like I did… Jiraiya - !"

And then the Hokage did his last breath.

First Jiraiya was confused. Just what the hell was Sarutobi talking about? The child that sleeps in the secret basement of the Hokage Tower? Twelve years ago? What was this all about? But then, slowly, he pieces began to connect itself in Jiraiya's mind. Of a godson he'd been told to have died twelve years ago. A child who had lost everything. Naruto Uzumaki.

End Flashback

Jiraiya was torn. Could it be true? Could his godson still be alive? But why had he been lied to? Why was everyone lied to? Normally at least the jonin and the council knew of the most important things regarding Konoha, but to keep the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi a secret… just what had happened in that night? And more importantly, was Jiraiya ready to face it?

And more importantly, if the boy was alive, where was he hidden? The month after the second stage of the chunin exams had already passed, and Jiraiya had yet to find a clue about his godson's possible whereabouts. It was kinda depressing for a man who prided himself to be a master spy and information gatherer.

"Jiraiya. It's time for you to make a decision."

The toad summoner had noticed the presences behind him the moment they had entered the rooftop. He recognized the voice of Homura, one of the Sandaime's old teammates and advisors.

"What choice did you make regarding the Sandaime's last will?" Asked the other advisor, Koharu.

Jiraiya let out a long and deep sigh. The Hokage's Last Will had been read shortly after his passing, apparently the old warrior had known he wouldn't survive the battle with Orochimaru. And he had made preparations for the aftermath.

"Yes. I made my decision." Jiraiya said. His voice was calm and serious, there were no traces of the goofiness and easy-going nature the man normally showed.

"Like my sensei wished for… I shall become the next Hokage."

Basement of the Hokage Tower, Naruto's Mind

"Well… this is it. Today we'll see if your plan works out."

The emotionless voice of Naruto echoed through the dark place that represented his sub consciousness. His eyes were cast down, he did not want to look into the eyes of his father who stood before him. Both of them knew that no matter the outcome, Naruto, and thus Minato, would probably not survive once the plan was completed. The painful expression on the face of the Fourth Hokage was a clear sign he didn't like this situation one bit.

"Naruto… I want you to remember one thing: wherever you are, whatever you do – I'm with you. And that will never change. You're my son, and I'll walk this road together with you."

Naruto's face remained downcast, but now a small smile adorned his whisker marked face.

"Thank you… Dad."

With his last words spoken Naruto vanished from his mindscape, ready to set the plan in motion which would hopefully stop the Kyuubi no Yoko from escaping and destroying Konoha in the process. Yet the outcome of this fateful occurrence wasn't set in stone. Even the dreamseer of Konoha didn't know what the future would ultimately hold for him at this point. Only time would tell.

Naruto's Mindscape – The Seal

When Naruto opened his eyes again he found himself in front of the familiar cage that imprisoned the mighty demon Kyuubi. But unlike last time, the seal now started to show signs of corrosion. No longer were the bars strong poles of steel, but rather rusty lines of metal. The walls surrounding the cage were damaged and looked like they were ready to crumble, just as Minato had predicted. And behind the slowly decaying prison wall Naruto saw the huge body of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. A feral grin firmly on its face, the mighty demon lord looked at his jailor.

"SO MY JAILOR FINALLY VISITS ME AGAIN. WHAT DO YOU WANT, MORTAL?"

Naruto looked impassively at the massive form of the nine-tailed fox.

"Don't try to play dumb with me, for one the grin gives you away, and furthermore you should know that this is my body, I know if something's wrong with it. I'm well aware of your plans, Kyuubi."

The Kyuubi let out a barking laugh dripping with malice.

"DON'T TRY TO ACT TOUGH, LITTLE ONE. SO YOU KNOW OF MY PLAN? THEN YOU ALSO KNOW THAT THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME NOW! IN A FEW MOMENTS MY CHAKRA WILL REACH A LEVEL THAT WILL ENABLE ME TO ESCAPE THE SEAL! FACE IT, FOOLISH HUMAN, YOUR LIFE AND THE EXISTENCE OF YOUR PATHETIC VILLAGE IS OVER!"

And it was true. While the Kyuubi spoke, crimson chakra began seeping out of the damaged cage, slowly eating away Naruto's mindscape. The walls were corroding even further and the cage began to dissolve into nothingness. And yet, Naruto remained calm and slowly walked towards the cage. This caught the Kyuubi's attention.

"As I said, I knew of your plan. And ever since I knew about it, I prepared myself to stop you. Of course I couldn't do it alone. But I had the help of someone you know very well. After all, he's one of the three humans who could ever pride themselves with the knowledge to have beaten the Lord of the Biju."

At this comment the Kyuubi's eyes widened.

"IMPOSSIBLE! HE CANNOT BE ALIVE! THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO WAY - !"

A sad smile crossed Naruto's face as he put his hand on the slightly worn looking seal.

"And yet he still lives within me… On the other side of the Shiki Fuujin. Ironical, isn't it? Both the greatest Hero of Konoha and its greatest nemesis, both sealed inside the same person… And yet the one who matters is the nemesis. However, I will not allow you to threaten the village once again. I cannot stop you, but I can at least hinder your plans."

As Naruto continued to speak, the spiral on the seal started glowing and began to spin in a clockwise motion.

"You know, the Yondaime, my father, split your chakra in two when he sealed you inside me. Well, I could still use all of your chakra if my body wasn't so weak, since it's not truly split. It's still connected to you, therefore if the seal broke, your strength would return completely. Thus the only way to stop this is to stop the dark half of your chakra of you from reaching you through the Shiki Fuujin. And that's exactly what I'll do."

If the Kyuubi was slightly worried before Naruto's explanation, he was now completely out of it.

"NO!!! YOU CAN'T, I WON'T ALLOW THIS! MY POWER IS MINE ALONE, I WON'T LET SOME STUPID MORTAL FLESHBAG TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME! DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF YOU DO THIS?!"

"I understand perfectly. I prepared myself a whole month for this. My soul will take the chakra and leave my body like before. Only this time, I won't be able to return. The chains which bind my soul will be severed completely. You will take over my body, but it's only a matter of time before it collapses. If you had all of your chakra you might have been able to sustain your true body afterwards, but with only 50% of your power? Highly unlikely."

As their dispute continued, Naruto could already feel the effects of the dark chakra he was taking inside him. He only hoped his father was right and his soul was strong enough to handle the stress. If not… then Konoha would be destroyed even sooner. And the explosion failing would cause would probably level a lot more than just the city.

And while in the basement of the Hokage Tower a clash of will happened which would decide the future of Konoha, other fates were about to take a drastic turn.

Konoha, Noon

The streets were abuzz and almost the whole population of Konoha seemed to be out in the open today. The reason for this? After the gruesome battle against Orochimaru and the loss of the Third Hokage, the village council and clan heads had finally chosen a successor for the position of the Godaime Hokage. And it was none other than Jiraiya, the Legendary Toad Sage, one of the three Sannin, student of the late Third Hokage and teacher of the Fourth Hokage as well. Truly, with a man like him as Hokage the Leaf would appear strong to the other nations and continue to grow.

Thus the festival preparations and the general joy in the air were quite understandable. But it was also a sad day for the shinobi population. It had been exactly one month since the death of the Third Hokage and the three warriors who gave their life to ensure the victory against Orochimaru. And a group of eleven genin had gathered at the Memorial Stone today to pay their respects for a fallen comrade, and a friend. Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Neji, Tenten, Lee… They all had gathered to pay their respects to the deceased shinobi who had, even if it was only for a short time, been their comrade. They stood around the Memorial Stone in a rough semi circle, all of them wearing a black armband and carrying a white lily in their hands. The rest of Konoha was busy preparing the festival for the Hokage initiation, yet those eleven children weren't in the mood to celebrate. It was Sasuke who broke the silence by stepping forward and placing his lily in front of the Memorial Stone.

"Haku…. While I can't say I knew you for long, the time you were our teammate sure made me feel like we had known each other for ages. You too knew the pain of loosing everything you held dear being taken away from you. And died fighting to ensure many children wouldn't have to experience what you did. You showed me what strength one could obtain by fighting to protect something you hold dear. And for that, I'll always be grateful. Farewell, my friend. We shall meet again someday."

Sasuke stood up and returned to the others who, one after the other, also paid their respects to the deceased ice-user and shared their thoughts with him. Hinata and Sakura were crying, and the more emotional ones like Kiba and Lee were also battling with their tears. They had lost a true friend. When Sasuke stared at blue sky above them he couldn't shake the feeling for some reason; that the worst had yet to come.

The servie had taken them close to an hour, and when they heard the first cheers of the crowd they knew the initiation was about to begin. Therefore once everyone had finished placing the lilies before of the Memorial Stone, the group returned to the village. But an air of uneasiness accompanied them all the way, and later on they would find out just how right Sasuke's had been.

Naruto's Mindscape – The Seal

While on the outside the festivities were reaching their peak, so was the battle fought in Naruto's mind. The young dreamseer used every ounce of his will power to contain the dark half of Kyuubi's chakra, which was much more malevolent then the light part sealed inside Naruto's body. Yet the boy refused to give in into the dark temptations of power and might the chakra promised. He had promised his father to carry on his will to protect Konoha, and he'd be damned if he would fail both his father and himself. The room around Naruto was on the verge of collapsing due to the excessive demonic chakra flowing through Naruto's body.

"Almost… done." Naruto whispered exhaustedly. Just to remain in his mindscape and to retain his form was incredible hard by now. And the constant mental assaults of the Kyuubi weren't helping in that matter.

"YOU FOOL, YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO CONTAIN THE WHOLE POWER OF MY YIN CHAKRA? THERE'S A REASON WHY THE FOURTH HOKAGE ONLY SEALED HALF OF MY POWER DIRECTLY INSIDE OF YOUR BODY, MY COMPLETE CHAKRA IS FAR TOO STRONG TO BE CONTAINED BY ONE INDIVIDUAL!"

And then there was silence. The noise of the collapsing room stopped, and even the Kyuubi was silent. That was the last thing Naruto noticed before darkness overcame him.

Mount Myobokuzan

In the world of the Toad Summons hell was breaking loose. The toad who was in charge of the seal key to the Shiki Fuujin had informed the elder toads that someone was draining all the chakra stored with him at an alarming rate. And since the toad elders knew of Naruto's crippled form and his inability to use chakra without overstressing his body, this could only mean one thing: the Kyuubi was breaking free. They had to act fast, or otherwise Konoha would soon be gone. Unfortunately the messenger toad never made it in time.

Konoha, Hokage Tower

The crowd had gathered at the plaza before the Hokage Tower, from which Jiraiya would give his initiation speech as the next Hokage. And among the large crowd of villagers and shinobi the eleven genin who had held their private memorial service before could be seen. Most of them were happy, yet some of them were also anxious since they still had to prepare for the final of the Chunin Exams. The only reason the initiation of the Fifth Hokage was so soon was because of the fact that they had to keep a strong appearance for the other villages. A weak Konoha could encourage nations like Kumo or Iwa to declare war on them once again, and right now no one wanted that.

Jiraiya was on the rooftop of the Hokage Tower, clad in the traditional Hokage robes. Behind him stood Homura and Koharu, as well as Danzo for some reason. Well, if they waned something they would probably wait till the ceremony was over. It wouldn't take long anyways. But when Jiraiya began his speech, he had yet to realize just how great the crisis that was about to befall Konoha was.

Yet everyone in Konoha heard it… the cry of the beast that had attacked Konoha more than 12 years ago. The mightiest of the nine Biju. The Kyuubi no Yoko had returned. And hell broke loose.

Where the Wills of Fire clash,
Great Catastrophe awaits.

To separate what was never meant to be,
To reunite what is long since gone…

Ending the Beast, creating the Nemesis,
The Wanderer's journey begins anew.

The Red Dawn shines upon all,
Setting the stage for the Inheritors of the Will of Fire.

And thus the story continues,
The Spiral of Death, Everlasting…

And thus, the seventh chapter comes to an end. Next up, the grand finale. I hope you liked the chapter, and I hope you'll like the next one even more^^

Faroush