The Eternal Dying Flame

The Eternal Dying Flame

Epilogue: Eternity

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Sasuke would not be a total MORON who is about to destroy Konoha and start the Fourth Great Ninja War. Since he is still an IDIOT, I think we can all assume that I still do not own Naruto. (Yes, I am very annoyed with recent developments in the series.) However, I own every single member of the Naruto Second Generation that appears in this chapter. Take that stupid disclaimer!

A/N: Just like the first time, the translations of all names used for OCs are at the end of the chapter for people who are interested.

Time passed. The names Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura (later changed to Uchiha Sakura after her marriage) became synonymous with power, known throughout the Five Great Shinobi Nations as the Second Generation of the Sannin. For years, the reunited Team Seven accepted missions of A- and S-rank, succeeding where everyone else would have failed and spurring themselves on to new heights. In time though, the legendary team broke up and headed their separate ways as they rose to meet the destinies that they had been given all those years ago. No matter how far they went by themselves, it had all started on that day. The last day of Uchiha Sasuke's probation. The day on which their little team was finally reunited after more than four long years apart.

Nineteen years later:

Uchiha Mikoto peered out from behind her mother's legs at the crowd for a moment before realizing that some of their eyes had fallen on her. She withdrew with a yelp, hiding behind the shield that was her mother. Uchiha Sakura gazed down at her daughter, smiling affectionately at the young girl's shyness. Mikoto reminded her of herself when she was her age, though she was considerably more talented at ninja arts as she was an Uchiha. There were, however, obvious similarities between her and her mother beyond just her shyness. The girl's apple green eyes were definitely Sakura's, as were her small nose and slightly-larger-than-average forehead (though Sakura was relieved to say that it was nowhere near as large as hers had been at that age, and her daughter would probably never be teased about it as she had been). The raven-black hair that fell quite a bit past her shoulders was plainly her father's though, along with her rather pale complexion. Smiling down at the girl, Sakura could proudly say that her daughter was one of the most beautiful girls she had ever seen.

"It's okay Mikoto," she said, stroking the young girl's soft hair affectionately. Mikoto smiled at her mother, though she made no move to return to the open. In all honesty, Sakura couldn't really blame the four-year-old. Here she was, barely old enough that she could no longer be called a toddler, and she was standing on what was practically a stage alongside the Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure, the Commander of the Konoha ANBU Black Ops, and the Head of the Medical Corps for both the Hidden Leaf Village and the Fire Country as a whole. (The latter two were her parents and the first was her adopted uncle, though that didn't make their exalted positions any less daunting.)

With a final encouraging smile, Sakura turned her attention from her daughter to the waiting audience, her eyes instinctively locating her elder child. The Uchiha heir sat with his head turned down, hiding his face from view as he lost himself in thought. Sakura sighed at the seriousness of her young son before turning her attention to Naruto, Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato and Biggest Dobe in the World (the latter being Sasuke's title for their friend). He would be expected to begin the ceremony soon. After becoming Hokage, Naruto had started to change things, more than any Hokage had before him. One of the things he'd changed was the Academy Graduation Ceremony. They still had the celebration for passing the exam given by the Academy instructors, but he'd thought that those who actually passed their Jounin's tests to become Genin deserved another ceremony to distinguish that they really were ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village. Thus, the Ninja Acceptance Ceremony was born.

Basically, the nine successful shinobi would have their names announced one by one and the villagers would recognize them as the newest group of ninja. It wasn't anything too fancy, but it was a formal recognition that out of the twenty-seven or so candidates sent to the Jounin, these children were the ones who had actually passed, and every Academy student looked forward to the day when they would someday have their name announced by the Hokage as a Genin of Konohagakure.

For the nine new Genin sitting in front of them, that day was today.

Uzumaki Naruto, Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure, stepped forward, looking proudly at the new batch of ninja before him. He grinned. If anything, he was even happier than usual to perform this Ninja Acceptance Ceremony. Every previous ceremony had been celebrating Genin who he vaguely knew from meeting them at the Academy and around the village. This time, however, the children were much closer to him than even the citizens of his beloved village. Every last one of them was the child either of one of his close friends, or of himself. He grinned again. Yes, he would enjoy this induction very much.

"Hello and welcome to this year's Ninja Acceptance Ceremony," he greeted the crowd of friends, family, and villagers that assembled each year to honor their newest ninja. The words were not his own of course; he had never been that good with making speeches, a fact which the population well knew. After seeing his sad attempt at a speech the first year they had done this, something about how the new Genin were sure to kick ass dattebayo, Sakura had promptly taken it upon herself to draft all of his speeches for him in order to "save him from embarrassing himself, the village, and his friends, who had reputations too after all." He smiled at the memory before continuing. "I will now be announcing the names of this year's new Genin." Polite applause came from the crowd at his words.

"Team Three under the instruction of Jounin Nara Shikamaru:

"Hyuuga Megumi." The Hyuuga girl stood, gracefully walking over to her new sensei, her short dark brown hair swishing with her movement. Her eyes were the lavender color usual of the Hyuuga clan, and she had already awakened her kekkei genkai some years ago. In the crowd, ANBU captain Hyuuga Neji beamed as his youngest child walked forward to greet her new sensei politely. She really was a model Hyuuga, as expected from a daughter of the head of the clan, even the youngest one. Once Hinata married Naruto all those years ago, she had formally renounced her position as heiress to the clan, saying that it would not be advisable for the Hokage to become so close to the affairs of one clan, as it might cause him to show favor towards them. The clan elders had been relieved, and had promptly appointed Neji to the position; branch family member or not he was still one of the strongest ninja the renowned clan had ever produced.

Beside him stood Tenten, looking positively thrilled for their daughter and barely managing to remind herself of her dignified position as wife of the head of the Hyuuga Clan and refrain from cheering like an idiot. Neji smirked. Tenten was definitely crazy, and he wouldn't have her any other way.

"Aburame Kaede." The young bug user stood with as little fuss as Megumi had, moving to stand beside his female teammate. He wore the same dark shades as all members of the Aburame clan, so no one really knew what color his eyes were, though it was believed that they were probably the same shade of olive green that Shino's had turned out to be on the rare occasions that someone had seen them. His dark chestnut hair however he had gotten from his mother, since his father's had been a shade far closer to black. Shino watched with an unreadable expression, though that was mainly due to his high collar, hood, and sunglasses. Presumably, beneath his extra clothing, the Aburame was proudly watching as his first and only child was formally recognized as a ninja. His mother, a quiet but brilliant kunoichi Shino had met during his time in ANBU, openly beamed at her son, her satisfaction in his progress plainly evident.

"And Inuzuka Toboe." The last Genin on the team was also male. It was obvious from the moment he stood that he was a true Inuzuka. While there was no way he could be called rude, he did not display the same degree of respect that most of the other children did. If Naruto had been forced to chose a word to describe the posture he held himself in, he would have chosen 'arrogant,' or the word he himself had made up 'Sasukeish.' His dark brown hair appeared casually disarrayed, which he no doubt intended, and gave him a faintly wild look. Needless to say, he had been popular with some of the girls at the Academy who liked his 'bad boy' appearance. His eyes were vaguely dog-like, as were all Inuzukas', with vertical pupils and little to no iris. He bore startlingly little resemblance to his mother, a fiery redheaded kunoichi that Kiba, like Shino, had met after their teams were reassembled when some of the original Konoha ninja moved on to being ANBU. Perched atop his head his head was Yori, a small light brown dog who was one of Akamaru's puppies. The puppy barked enthusiastically at its parent, who lay at the edge of the mass of people where no one would accidently step on his tail. Kiba perched on him, while his wife lounged beside the now-massive dog with her own dog, a much smaller breed that was intended to be pets rather than ninja companions. Both parents wore expressions of satisfaction at their son's success.

All three Genin of Team Three had assembled beside their lazy Jounin sensei, who muttered under his breath, "Troublesome" (and was yelled at by Temari as a result).

"Alright!" Naruto cried enthusiastically, forgetting his supposed dignity as Hokage for a moment. He was reminded by the sound of Sakura's fists cracking ominously, and hurriedly returned his appearance to that of a mature adult. "I present this year's Cell Three, under the command of Nara Shikamaru," he said in a much more formal voice. The Rokudaime paused while the crowd applauded the new team, smiling warmly at the pleased looks on the faces of the new Genin. Once it had died down, he cleared his throat to indicate for Shikamaru to lead his team off the stage as he called up the next group of Genin.

"Team Six under the command of Jounin Sarutobi Konohamaru:

"Akimichi Chouko." The girl that moved forward was definitely "pleasantly plump." She was easily the chubbiest kid in the Academy at the moment, something which she would surely have been teased for had her friends not stood up for her. The children of the Konoha Twelve (A/N: The Konoha Eleven, minus Ino, plus Sasuke and Sai. That totals to twelve members.) had been raised beside each other due to their parents' close friendships, resulting in inevitable friendships springing up between them as well. None of the others had been willing to just sit back and watch as Chouko was bullied, meaning that her childhood was considerably easier than her father's had been. She's inherited little from him besides her kindness and family ninjutsu, favoring her mother in her appearance. Her slightly-longer-than-shoulder-length dark brown hair was definitely that of her mother, as were her bright green eyes. Unlike most of the others whose spouses had not come from the original Twelve, Chouji's wife was a civilian. She was a very kind woman, and had never had a harsh word to say in regards to her husband's weight. In fact, according to Chouji she was an excellent cook who encouraged him to eat as much as he wanted. The two of them watched from the crowd, tears of joy in their eyes as their daughter was recognized formally as a ninja.

"Nara Yumi." Shikamaru's daughter couldn't have been more different than her father. While she may have his chocolate brown eyes, she had inherited Temari's blond hair and fiery attitude, and was definitely, as her father put it, "troublesome." (This declaration was generally followed by a cry of pain as Temari hit him and called him a lazy bum.) Shikamaru watched her from where he stood with his new Genin team, a mixture of pride and weariness on his face. He was all but certain that now he would be pressured more than ever to train Yumi in the use of his shadow ninjutsu, and that would mean he would have to teach her two younger sisters as well. The lazy Jounin sighed. Why was his entire family made up of troublesome women?

Unlike her husband, Temari looked very pleased with her daughter's new rank, and would probably be one of the people pressuring Shikamaru to teach her his jutsu.

"Arata." Technically the boy that stood was not a blood relation to any of the Konohagakure Twelve. He was an orphan that Sai had found several years ago during a mission to investigate a destroyed village. Acting on Naruto's teachings about emotion and displaying signs of kindness towards others, Sai had chosen to adopt the infant, naming him Arata, or 'new,' in honor of the change it symbolized in his adoptive father. Young Arata had blond hair, blue eyes, and was nearly as quiet as Sai himself. However, this had less to do with him lacking emotions than being naturally a quiet person, something that had fit rather well with his new father's personality. From where he stood, Sai watched his adoptive son with his signature smile pasted on his face, though this time it was genuine. Had Naruto seen, he would have grinned at the change in his friend since the emotionless ROOT member who had been assigned to Team Yamato in order to fill Sasuke's vacant position during the mission to capture Sasori's spy at the Bridge of Heaven and Earth and resulting the attempt to return the young Uchiha to the village.

"I present to you Team Six under the command of Sarutobi Konohamaru." Applause followed this announcement just as it had for the previous team. Naruto grinned at the new Genin's parents, sharing in their joy at watching as the hard work of their children finally paid off.

"Finally," he began, "Team Seven under the command of Jounin Hatake Kakashi." Naruto's voice almost broke as he said his former sensei's name. Kakashi had become a parent to Sasuke, Sakura, and himself. Now, as a favor to those unofficially adopted children, he had offered to lead another squad, the second one ever that he had actually passed. A squad comprised entirely of their children.

"Uzumaki Hikari." The girl that stepped forward was almost an exact copy of Hinata. She had her mother's lavender eyes and general facial features, as well as Hinata's almost waist-length indigo hair, though Hikari's was considerably spikier. Personality wise, however, she was more like Naruto: confident, determined, loyal to her friends and unafraid of anyone. The Rokudaime Hokage struggled to retain what little dignity he had and not start shouting to Hikari that she would do awesome and he expected to see her face on the mountain as the Shichidaime Hokage as she had so often promised. (A/N: Shichdaime means Seventh Hokage, I think. Please feel free to correct that if it's wrong.) Beside him, Hinata's eyes filled with tears of joy to see her daughter, grinning like Naruto, become a Genin ninja of the village.

"Uzumaki Daisuke." Hikari's younger twin brother stood. Naruto couldn't help but sigh mentally over his son's name. He had wanted to name his son "Ramen," but Hinata had displayed a rare degree of forcefulness in rejection of the idea, literally shouting at him that she would not have a child named Ramen. Naruto had learned that Hinata's wrath was something to be feared, and he had settled for naming his son Daisuke. Like is older sister, Daisuke possessed the Byakugan and Hyuuga-colored eyes, as well as their mother's darker hair. However, his facial features were that of his father. Naruto's famous smile too had been passed on to his son, something that both of his parents were pleased with. Personality wise, he was quieter than Hikari and Naruto, though nowhere near as quiet as Hinata had been. He was better at studying and paying attention in school than his twin, though that meant that he was the one who had to help her catch up when the point of a lesson evaded her. For all the twins' natural talent, they were only children when it was all said and done, and lessons on the theory of ninjutsu and other such matters occasionally eluded them.

"And Uchiha… Uchiha…" Naruto bit his lip, something he almost never did. He couldn't help it. He could not believe that he had forgotten the kid's name! The child was only nine, younger than any of the other graduates, but the fact that he was graduating early was all the more reason for him to have remembered! He couldn't believe this.

"Um, Sakura-chan," he whispered so that only the kunoichi could hear him, taking care to move his lips as little as possible in order to prevent any one of the many ninja present from reading them.

"Yeah?" asked Sakura, clearly wondering why he did not just go ahead and announce the new Genin, especially since he was her son.

"What's his name?" Naruto asked quietly; obviously afraid of how Sakura would react to such a question. He concern appeared warranted.

"Baka, how could you forget the name of my eldest child?!" Sakura screamed at him, her fist already charged with chakra. Mikoto hurriedly ducked away, not wanting to accidently be hit by one of her mother's infamous superhuman punches. Before Naruto could as much as protest, he was being pummeled mercilessly by the exceptionally ticked off kunoichi's inhuman strength. The crowd watched at their Hokage rapidly lost the dignity he had worked so hard to preserve at the hands of his female teammate.

"Ow, ow, ow!" he cried, trying, and failing, to ward off her monstrous punches. He could only hope for the torture to end soon as Sakura took out her rage at him for daring to forget the name of her son, especially when he was practically Naruto's son as well!

The third person on the temporary stage stepped forward, though not intending to stop the fight. He had had more than enough experience with Sakura's fists, having discovered over the years that he actually was not immune from the dreaded inhuman strength. Instead, he stepped in front of his two quarreling best friends and spoke the name of the new Genin in a loud, clear voice.

"Uchiha Itachi."

At the sound of his name, the small boy stood up. He had been facing the ground while sitting, so that his face was hidden behind his gray-black bangs. He raised his head now until his onyx eyes met those of his father. Two slanted lines adorned the skin beneath his eyes, making it look like he was sleep-deprived, though they were really just genetic. The rest of his face was set in a neutral expression that somehow gave off an aura of concealed sadness, though he should have been elated. His somewhat tanned skin was noticeably darker than either of his parents', making him stand out immediately when they stood as a family, though it blended in just fine amid the other students of the Ninja Academy. His dark hair hung past his shoulder blades in a pony tail. The hair style did not make him appear girly in the slightest, instead it only added to the similarities between him and a certain deceased ninja. Uchiha Sasuke met his son's dark eyes with his own, staring back evenly. Sometimes Itachi could have sworn that he saw grief in his father's eyes when he looked at his son, despite knowing that his father loved him dearly. He had even seen something that might have been anger once, though the Commander of the ANBU Black Ops had excused himself from the room before he could be certain. There were none of those confusing emotions now. Instead, there was only a simple challenge. You've made it this far… Can you go all the way? The young boy nodded without smiling, his features retaining their look of masked sorrow. He would do it. He would become as strong as he could be, stronger than anyone else. He did not want to do this for fame or recognition, the way Hikari did. Instead, he would gain his strength for others, so that he would be able to protect his little sister. So that his friends, Hikari and Daisuke, would never have to be hurt. But most importantly, he would gain his strength so that his father could be proud of him.

Sasuke held his gaze for a moment longer before nodding. A trace of something that may have been a smile appeared on Itachi's lips, the first such emotion to appear on his face during the entire ceremony. His father approved of him.

Sasuke peered at his son out of the corner of his eye as the young Uchiha heir moved to stand beside his new Genin teammates. Naruto and Sakura's fight had ended, and the blond Hokage was finishing his speech about how the new Genin were the future of the village and their Will of Fire would burn strong and each and every one of them should feel proud of themselves and a bunch of other things Sakura had written up for him. Sasuke wasn't really paying attention to the speech. All of his attention was focused on his son, on the boy who bore such a striking resemblance to his deceased brother.

I know you'll do well, Itachi.

A few hours later, Uchiha Sasuke sat beside the memorial stone, lost in thought. The names of every Konoha ninja who was killed in battle adorned this rock. Each and every one of them was recognized as a hero who had given the ultimate sacrifice of their life in order to keep the village safe. His brother's name was almost conspicuous in its absence. Even though he had only left the village on the Council's orders, Itachi had still been listed as a missing-nin when he died, a status that Himura, Koharu, and Danzo refused to change with his death. Absentmindedly the head of the Uchiha Clan stroked an empty section of the cold rock where his sibling's name would have been placed, a sorrowful expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, nii-san," he said quietly, as though the ghost of his brother could somehow hear him. "You didn't deserve this." Sasuke bowed his head as a small breeze sprang up, blowing at his raven locks.

"Otousan?" asked a familiar voice from behind him. Sasuke turned, knowing who it would be even as his heart identified the voice as that of another. His son hovered on the edge of the training ground, uncertain if he should be disturbing his father. Sasuke automatically adjusted his face into a more relaxed expression, smiling warmly at the child.

"Hello, Itachi," he said, beckoning him over. Itachi obeyed the command without hesitation, moving to stand beside his father facing the memorial stone. The younger Uchiha gazed at it in silence for a moment, well aware of the significance of the names written on the rock, before he spoke.

"I have a mission tomorrow, Father," the new Genin said. Sasuke's eyes widened almost imperceptivity at the thought of his son being given a mission so soon, but he made no remark. Naruto's children were on the team as well; there was not the slightest chance that they would accidently be given a mission that they couldn't handle. As a Genin, Itachi would only be given D-rank missions, with maybe an occasional C-rank, but they were nothing to worry about. In all honesty, the child had been skilled enough to graduate the Academy two years ago when he was only seven. Sasuke, however, had insisted that his son remain in school until at least age nine, which would be the time when the rest of the children of the Konoha Twelve would be graduating. He would not be isolated from his peers due to his ability. Not Itachi. Not his son.

"I'm sure that you'll perform wonderfully," Sasuke told his son truthfully. The small boy nodded at the praise, his expression blank.

"Would you please train me, Father?" he blurted out suddenly. Sasuke looked slightly taken aback by the question.

"Why?" he asked, being careful to keep his voice neutral.

"Please, Otousan," Itachi all but begged. "I've already learned the Goukakyuu no Jutsu, which the teachers say we shouldn't have enough chakra to perform yet. I know that it's Kakashi-sensei's job to train us, but please, Father, I want you to train me. I want to be strong. I want you to be proud of me." Sasuke's eyes closed at the last bit as a wave of guilt washed over him. So Itachi had noticed then. Over the years, his child's uncanny likeness to his older brother had caught Sasuke off guard many times, evoking feelings of remorse for his sibling's fate, as well as anger at the Council for using his brother then casting him aside like a broken tool once he had served his purpose. Hints of those feelings had often made their way onto his face, making it seem almost as though he was displeased with his son in some way. Sasuke had hoped that Itachi had not noticed, but apparently the kid possessed Itachi's remarkable degree of perception as well.

The head of the Uchiha Clan placed a hand on his son's head, his expression serious. "I am proud of you, Itachi," he told his heir firmly. "You're my child, how could I not feel proud of your success? It's just… you remind me of someone. I know I've told you before of the uncanny resemblance you bear to your uncle. It catches me off guard sometimes. That's all." He smiled warmly down at the young Genin. "You're my son, Itachi, and I love you. Never forget that." Itachi nodded numbly, shocked by Sasuke's words. Never before had his father openly said that he loved anyone. He would imply it clearly with his actions, but he never would actually acknowledge with words that someone was precious to him. For his father to finally say that to him, to tell him that he cared for him, was higher praise than Itachi had ever hoped to receive. A true smile appeared on the boy's face, not one of the elated ones that Hikari and her father were so prone to displaying, but a smile nonetheless. And from an Uchiha, that was something.

Sasuke ruffled his son's hair affectionately before turning away from the memorial stone. "Come on," he said. "Your mother's probably anxious to celebrate at home, and I know Mikoto wants to congratulate her nii-san." Itachi smiled again at the idea before following his father, heading in the direction of the Uchiha Compound and his home. Sasuke looked down at the boy with a smile on his face.

You're just like him, Itachi. You'll become a great ninja someday, my son. I expect no less of you. After all, you're my child. His eyes half closed as another thought crossed his mind. Your name never made it to the list of heroes, Itachi. You were treated as a villain until the day you died, and even beyond that. Maybe this time it will be different. Maybe this time, you can have the life you deserved to have, nii-san.

The next morning, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, along with Hinata and young Mikoto, stood assembled at the village gates, waiting for the new Genin Team Seven to head off to their first mission. Admittedly it was only pulling weeds at a nearby farm, but it was still the first mission that the new Genin would be performing as ninja, and as such it was a big event.

"Well we should be back within a couple of hours," Kakashi told the parents, his usual orange book in hand. At a warning cough from Sakura however, the Jounin reluctantly returned the book to the pouch at his waist. His former pupil had taken him aside before the mission briefing and stated very clearly what internal organs he stood to lose if he corrupted the innocence of her child and adopted children with that book. Kakashi preferred to keep his internal organs internal, especially because he had a feeling that Sakura wouldn't bother with healing him afterwards. He had bowed to her wishes, though not without plenty of complaining about having to obey the orders of someone who he'd been able to defeat with a simple genjutsu when she was younger. Sakura had not appreciated the comment, and as a result Kakashi was nursing a small, but painful, bruise to his cheek at the moment, which was thankfully concealed by his mask. "See you later," the ever-tardy Jounin said, already turning to lead the Genin to the farm where they would be helping out.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura watched them leave, each with the same thought on their mind. Their team had been the first Team Seven in Konohagakure that had survived. They had had their fallout when Sasuke left the village admittedly, but they had gotten back together in the end, something that the previous two teams had never managed. Maybe now, the fourth time, this new Team Seven would never have such problems. Maybe theirs had been the team that broke the rotten luck streak of Cell Seven. Maybe their children would be allowed to live their lives in peace.

It was unlikely. The three children were ninja after all, and a ninja's life was one of killing. In addition to that, Cell Seven was the eternal dying flame of Konohagakure no Sato, a powerful existence always on the verge of permanently ceasing to exist. It was a tradition that began with the Sannin and continued with Kakashi's team under the direction of Namikaze Minato many years later. It was an endless cycle, doomed to repeat on for eternity. But maybe, from now on, even though they were doomed to be separated, that separation would not have to last forever. Maybe the members of the new Team Seven would find themselves together, in the end. Maybe the flame would not have to go out again.

-Owari-

Author's Notes:

Note 1: Wow, it's done. Over 160 pages of fanfiction goodness (I put it into one document briefly just to see how long it turned out to be) and you've just finished reading it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or just plain read the story all the way through. You guys (and girls) all rock!

Note 2: As I mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, here are the translations of all of the names used for OCs:

Megumi: blessing

Kaede: maple

Toboe: howling

Yori: trust

Yumi: archery bow

Chouko: butterfly child

Arata: new

Hikari: light

Daisuke: great help

Itachi: weasel (though I'm pretty sure that most people know this one from the manga)

Note 3: I am aware that it is pretty much genetically impossible for Sasuke's son to look exactly like Itachi. For the sake of the story, please ignore that. The point was for Itachi (Sasuke's son) to seem like the reincarnation of Itachi (Sasuke's brother), not for him to have the most genetically likely appearance.

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