Final chapter! There IS a short sequel coming. SHORT. Hope you like~

~:~

Sasuke heard her grinding her teeth and looked at her - she didn't look good. Sweat was already plastering her hair to her body, and she already looked extremely pale.

Kaguya leaned closer to him.

"My loyal son..."

He activated his Sharingan, attempting to ensnare her for a second. A second.

Kaguya blinked, and the illusion was banished by a single wave of her chakra.

"Do not try your petty illusions on me, child," she whispered. As if unable to help herself, she brushed a lock of Sasuke's hair out of his face - then she turned and brought Naruto's chin up.

Naruto looked like she was suddenly drugged.

"Mother? Why do you gift her with chakra?"

"She is dying..." Kaguya brushed the red hair out of Naruto's face. "I don't want her dying so soon."

Her voice was faint, soothing... And cold. Yet... Warm.

It was difficult to get a hold on her mood.

"Go to sleep, my children," Kaguya whispered. "You'll never have to worry about anything anymore."

For one long, horrifying moment, Sasuke felt his eyes drooping.

But he fought it.

"Don't..." Naruto moved her head, turning aquamarine eyes to Kaguya. "Tell me what to do!"

With a tremendous heave, Naruto exploded from the grasp of Kuro-Zetsu. She slammed her hands together, bursting into yellow flames again.

Ripping Sasuke from Kuro-Zetsu's grasp, Both teens found themselves suddenly paralyzed by the force of Kaguya's sheer power.

"You dare..." Kaguya moved towards them slowly. "Disobey your mother?"

Naruto's eyes widened.

Then they hardened.

"I had one mother, bitch!" Naruto's flames went higher. "And her name was Uzumaki Kushina!"

Naruto sprang at her, hands flashing in a jutsu that Sasuke definitely knew.

She won't fall for that, you moron!

"She's not going to fall for that, you idiot!"

Clouds poofed into existence.

Everything froze.

Men appeared, based on - as far as Sasuke could tell - every single man Naruto had encountered aside from Tazuna (and maybe Orochimaru, because that would be creepy as fuck). They varied, obviously, not even a single copy of any man like Deidara existing in the group of fake men.

Kaguya stared.

Maybe it was the lack of men on the moon?

Naruto dispelled the men and decked Kaguya.

Even the bijuu down there remained stunned into silence as Kaguya slammed into the ground.

"Reverse Sexy no jutsu harem, bitch! This is the history of the entire shinobi world you're facing here, sweetheart!"

Sasuke sighed.

"You're crazy."

Truth-Seeking orbs zoomed around Naruto, one of them forming into a staff.

Sasuke glanced at her. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to end her." Naruto said, blue eyes blazing. "I'm not letting that bitch call me her daughter." She spat the word out like it offended her. "I already have a mother, and I don't need her pretending."

Sasuke privately agreed. He activated his sole Rinnegan eye, his other eye burning as he forced it to turn into his Mangekyou.

Flames exploded from his eye to the rising Kami no Usagi.

Kaguya brushed the flames aside, her hair coming alive and racing towards them.

Sand rose like a pointed sword, destroying the hair.

One of the Kyuubi's tails tapped Naruto on the shoulder. Naruto's eyes became cross-shaped, and the Kyuubi's tail vanished.

Sasuke created his Chidori as the sand blocked the hair from coming at him - he flew through the air using his Susano'o's wings, aiming to spear that glaring face that had dared try to take the place of his mother.

"I have my own mother, too," Sasuke growled, pushing himself. "I don't need you."

He overtook the sand and missed Kaguya by inches.

She tapped his stomach, and he flew into a branch of the Shinjuu tree, nearly dislodging some of the people on the tree.

"She certainly packs a punch." He stood and noticed Sakura resting. He jumped down in front of her, kneeling in front of her and slapping her face.

Sakura jerked awake.

"Unfortunately, we need you." He grasped her arm. "Your strength is useful to us."

Sakura bit her lip and nodded.

She didn't touch him, thank kamis.

A Truth-Seeking Orb became a platform, and they both glanced up to Naruto, who was using her clones as distractions while she gathered nature energy to use Sage Mode.

On the ground, Kakashi appeared, having been taking care of Obito in the confusing mess of fighting. His mask was still up, but he tugged it down. It was mostly in shreds anyway. Obito no longer had a hole in his chest, and he looked... Well, exhausted.

Sasuke turned back to fight as Naruto's chakra reached out and touched him and Sakura, covering them in a small chakra shroud; Sasuke could feel his chakra growing exponentially.

The three of them moved in close - Naruto, with her sand holding Kaguya's strange hair at bay, Sakura using her monstrous strength to hit the air and send shockwaves towards her, and Sasuke with his chidori.

Together, the three members of Team 7 cornered Kaguya and cut off Kuro-Zetsu from her. Naruto bit her thumb and sealed Zetsu in a pocket of space - Sasuke could see the air itself marked with the seal that Naruto had created out of desperation before the seal vanished. There was no time to look for a small vibration in the air, though surely it was there, because Kaguya got upset at the sealing of Kuro-Zetsu.

She growled, and Naruto's chains exploded from Naruto's back, loosely wrapping the ancient woman as the woman attempted to blast them back - but since these were Naruto's chains, from her own chakra and made of her own will, they didn't move.

Sakura hit Kaguya on the head as Naruto's chains tightened - both Naruto and Sasuke sped forward, Naruto with her blazing sword glowing like the sun, and Sasuke with his chidori giving off silvery sparks that looked like the moon.

Kaguya didn't stand a chance.

Together, the Uzumaki sword and Sasuke's unique chidori pierced Kaguya's flesh.

For a moment, she looked stunned.

Then her horns seemed to vanish in sparkly silver dust, and her hair shortened. Kaguya's Byakugan eyes faded, the luminescent eyes staring at Sasuke and Naruto with zero anger or hate or sadness.

And yet she was crying, still.

As Naruto's chains retracted, Kaguya sighed. Her body faded in those same silver sparkles, a few particles entering Naruto, Sasuke, and an unconscious Saki a few miles away.

The moon appeared slowly as Kaguya faded; a prison it may have been, but with Kaguya's death it seemed to be rather... Empty.

It was ridiculous, to have it seem so empty.

And with Kaguya's death, Naruto released her Sage mode, her bijuu cloak mode, and let the Kyuubi's chakra fade.

Sasuke was able to grab her right before she hit the ground.

~:~

Naruto knew Kaguya hadn't fixed her, just given her more chakra so that her and Sasuke would be sucked out of chakra around the same point. She could still feel the chakra, but her body was failing because there was still an imbalance in her system. Kaguya had not helped that.

"Neji," Naruto managed to say to Sasuke. "Release... Mugen..."

Sasuke's eyes, for once, showed compassion.

(Naruto had once privately thought that Sasuke could never show compassion. She was wrong.)

Kurama, in a human form, walked up to them as they performed the jutsu.

"Naruto." He looked pensive.

Naruto smiled a little sadly. "Let me see Neji," she requested, feeling the drain. Kurama knocked her off her feet, bridal-style, and jumped over to the other tailed beasts and Neji - and Madara.

Madara was fading, that much Naruto could see.

She had made herself a vow once.

"I suppose I have to keep that," she said as Kurama set her down next to Neji.

She pulled in the chakra of however many Ketsueki clones she had out there, amassing just enough.

Kurama stiffened. "Naruto - you -"

Naruto smiled a little.

"I keep my promises," she gasped as she began the handsigns. Madara was gone by the time she finished, and her hair turned white.

The King of Hell appeared, opening his mouth and releasing thousands of green lights.

Madara, having been dead the least longest, woke up completely healed - without Hashirama's cells on his chest. The jutsu - Art of Rinne Rebirth (or the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique) - fixed all imperfections that were apparent and revived the person as themselves.

(A single finger missing? The jutsu basically said, oh, no worries. We'll fix your finger! Oh, let's not forget those nasty wounds you've suffered! Need a new hand? No problem! Or even, only one cell left? Not a problem! So yeah, it fixed most issues. Obviously, it couldn't fix personality issues.)

Naruto had altered it slightly, though.

All who were stuck in this world - like some Edo Tensei would be - and if their original chakra lingered... They would be revived, too.

And if they wanted a second chance.

Obviously, Naruto had refused to bring back the ones with literal killer intent, and those that had the whole 'destroy the world for no reason' vibe going. Edo Tensei'd dead were all unconscious as Naruto's chakra flooded them, their sealed bodies becoming unsealed.

~:~

Madara opened his eyes, realizing he must have been genuinely dead for about five minutes or so.

He looked over to the teen - no, the woman - who had done it.

"But..." Madara swallowed as she looked at him, her white hair showing what she'd done. "Why? You won."

"I'd rather die like this than painfully slowly," she explained quietly. "This way, I can do some good." Her body was trembling. "I guess I'm a hopeless romantic," she said, her voice drifting. "Because I believe in second chances." Her gaze met his, solemn and gentle. "I think you know enough not to waste it." She looked at the breathing boy in her lap. "My name is Naruto, -ttebayo. And this is Neji. It's nice to see you again, Madara." She coughed weakly. "Kyuubi... Tell them.. He deserves one last chance." The Kyuubi - in human form - moved forward as the girl slumped, her eyes weakly fluttering. "I have a stack... Of letters in... My desk at home." She smiled at the old demon, who looked -

Was that sadness?

The Kyuubi nodded, sitting down and holding her body in her lap.

"I know," he whispered to her, speaking to a close relationship between the two.

"Don't kill him," Naruto told him, her voice coming out strong and stern.

Amusement passed over the Kyuubi's face.

"I won't."

~:~

Naruto knew he wouldn't. She had faith that he would keep his word.

"Good." She looked past his head. "The... Time?"

Did I make it?

"Happy Birthday, Uzumaki Naruto." Kurama's red eyes joined her eye in stargazing.

A satisfied smile snaked its was on her face.

She'd made it to her seventeenth birthday.

She closed her eyes, her thoughts fading.

~:~

Saki walked over to the point of Neji's death, feeling a bit too refreshed.

The reason why?

Saki collapsed on the ground, hugging her body, mind almost refusing to believe that Naruto was dead.

(She was smiling, Saki noted distractedly.)

"Where is she?"

Tsunade's yell didn't make Saki less immobile.

Saki stayed there as Tsunade came up and looked at the young woman laying on the lap of a human-ish demon.

Slowly, the ninja arrived, seeing the reason for their life.

And the Konoha ninja in particular seemed guilty.

~:~

Two whole weeks to fill out everything necessary to release hundreds of alive ninja that used to dead back into the villages.

In that time, a deal had been hashed out.

The sole casualty in the war would be buried - and sealed - at the Fire Temple, despite the fact that she had not - and most ninja weren't - religious.

Together, the invited parties moved her body to the Fire Temple, where the nine demons were.

The Kyuubi placed a hand on Naruto's dead body, and like a mirage her features became like his - a little more ragged, more feral.

Some of the demon clan, too, appeared in invitation.

It was a quiet affair, with no speaking and lots of tears. Nobody could gather themselves to speak - instead, they simply stood under the sun.

It was a week later when they were gathered together in a pub when Saki was the first to speak. But she didn't speak of memories between her and Naruto, or why she'd been friends. It wasn't even to say that she loved Naruto.

Saki stood, her movement catching all eyes in the pub, those who were awkwardly staying away from the shinobi group all dressed in black.

She raised her glass, full of sake.

"To Naruto," she spoke, ending the awkwardness.

"To Naruto," echoed the group.

The revived jinchuuriki - the ones who had died before the battlefield, who were now alive and reunited with their bijuu with a renewed understanding - toasted the loudest.

"To the usuratonkachi," Sasuke added.

~:~

When Neji woke up, he was in a hospital. A nurse was standing over him, her eyes wide as she took in his wide-awake form.

"Alert the Hyuuga head and the Hokage that Neji-san is awake!" the nurse called.

Neji, surprisingly, did not feel any pain.

"Am I dead?" he asked the nurse, who blinked in shock.

"No, Neji-san, you're not." She started writing on her clipboard.

Sakura, in hospital nurse clothes, appeared, looking ready for surgery.

"Sakura-san... You're not dead." Neji frowned.

"Neither are you, Neji-san," Sakura informed him quietly.

Neji frowned at her.

"How?" He asked. "I remember dying. There's no way -"

He stopped.

His eyes flicked up to Sakura's.

"I want to see Naruto."

Sadness filled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Neji." Sakura swallowed. "You can't."

"She has to be in the hospital - there's no way she died during the battle." He refused to believe that the girl he loved was -

"She died after the battle." Sakura's face was pale and pinched. "There was - another enemy that came. Madara's alive - living with Sasuke." Sakura didn't look him in the face.

Neji swallowed.

"You died, Neji. We didn't hook you up to a monitor and then take you off. You were dead. Naruto - she used one of her Rinnegan eye techniques and revived everyone. It's not something most of them know, just that there was one casualty, and everyone assumes Naruto somehow did it or something, but..." Sakura's eyes were glistening. "She died for everyone on that battlefield."

Neji believed her.

~:~

Naruto opened her eyes in a white, white room. It had hundreds of ghosts in it, people waiting possibly in limbo.

But there was one person watching her, beckoning her.

Naruto walked forward, the ghosts fading from her view.

The woman - for Naruto could definitely tell that it was a woman - was no longer facing her.

A door materialized. The woman stepped through it. Naruto entered.

It was another white room, but this time it had a black chair with a wooden desk. A mirror stood against one side of the room. The woman was nowhere in sight.

The door shut behind Naruto, and Naruto turned to stare at it, knowing that whoever had brought her here to this white, white place was going to be standing there when she turned around.

She turned around.

Uzumaki Kushina beamed at her.

"Hello, musume," Kushina greeted her daughter.

Naruto gaped, totally not expecting that.

"You're the shinigami?"

Kushina chuckled. "Not quite, my dear. I am simply one of the many." She moved to around her desk. "I must say, the work my husband did on the seal was executed perfectly by the fake. Summoning me when the Kyuubi was extracted? Genius. Too bad it didn't work on Madara, seeing as he was more powerful than I alone."

Naruto frowned, thinking - and it occurred to her.

"You - you took Danzou's soul!"

"Yep!" Kushina cheerfully admitted. "He's in the waiting room. I really hated that guy, so I'm not letting him in my office for another two thousand years."

Naruto swallowed. "I see." She then frowned. "Were you messing with me then?"

Kushina giggled. "I couldn't help myself." She sat in her chair. "Now, Uzumaki Naruto..." She pulled out a sheet of paper, a smile appearing on her face. "There is a few matters I need to deal with in regards to you, my dear."

Naruto squirmed where she stood.

Kushina caught it.

"Oh, don't worry. I was kidding. Go through the mirror." Kushina smiled. "I think you deserve the vacation."

Naruto did as her mother said, not looking back as she did so.

~:~

Saki was drunk. She knew that.

But she didn't care.

She kept drinking. Over and over.

And then she told Itachi what she was going to do on one of her benders as they were headed to their bustling Uchiha district (if you could count 'bustling' as only a few Uchiha living there). He was so surprised he nearly dropped her.

"I," she said grandly, "am going to find a way to revive my idiot friend and punch her."

"There is no way," Itachi said to her, his voice quietly exasperated after he recovered from almost dropping her. "We've tried."

"There is," insisted Saki. "And I am going to find it."

Even if it meant Saki would give her own - because Saki really didn't know how to cope without Naruto being alive and sending her random-ass letters, or sending her failed art projects.

Saki's mind was firmly fixed on the idea.

There really wasn't anything that anyone else could do about it.

~:~

In Sound, there was a woman who had recently given birth. She had no husband.

Her name was Kirasaki Shiro. Her son's name was Kirosaki Mitsuki.

And Orochimaru would pay the price for abandoning them.