Here it is, the final chapter. Early then I wanted to upload it, but the readers have convinced me otherwise.

Oh sorry, did I say readers? I meant, reviewers. That's a hint. This is actually the first proper fic I've ever completed, so I want plenty of feedback for the ending.

By the way, there are several...twists. Some of them are actually disguised, and some use other twists to hide themselves.

Well, here we go.

Enjoy.

Chapter VI- Fight to the Death

Shinratsu was the first to attack, punching the blonde in the face several times. Naruto ducked under the last one, before headbutting Shinratsu in the stomach, knocking him to the ground.

As Shinratsu lay on the ground, Naruto slammed his fist into Shinratsu's stomach.

Naruto backed away, letting Shinratsu stand. Shinratsu charged forwards, his fist drawn back, ready to strike-

The Rokudaime caught the fist, before letting his other hand grab hold of Shinratsu's arm, before throwing him to the ground.

Naruto climbed atop Shinratsu, strangling him, Shinratsu gripping hold of Naruto's arms in an attempt to stop him, and Naruto suddenly grabbed Shinratsu's head in his left hand.

He smashed his right hand into Shinratsu's face.

Shinratsu managed to toss Naruto off him, both climbing to their feet. "Very good, Naruto."

The commander attacked, slamming Naruto to the ground, before stomping on his right hand.

"Die!" Shinratsu shouted, raising his fist to punch Naruto in the chest.

Naruto rolled away, as Shinratsu slammed his fist into the stone, actually leaving an imprint in the stone.

The blonde stood as Shinratsu rubbed his hand slightly.

Naruto charged forwards, swiftly punching Shinratsu twice in the chest, before kicking him backwards.

Shinratsu hurtled backwards, smashing into one of the pillars. His eyes widened, and he ducked- just as Naruto slammed his fist into where Shinratsu's head had been moments ago.

The commander darted around Naruto, and grabbed him by the waist. Shinratsu fell backwards, slamming Naruto into the stone in a suplex.

Naruto groaned in pain, but managed to roll away and climb to his feet.

He counter-attacked swiftly, grabbing Shinratsu, and slamming his elbow into the back of the commander's head several times, before shoving him away.

"Naruto..." Shinratsu drawled, stumbling forwards. "Die!"

He lunged forwards-

Only to be sent flying backwards as Naruto punched him firmly in the nose, nearly breaking it.

Shinratsu climbed to his feet, slow. He glared at Naruto, before he suddenly began channelling chakra.

He's generating a huge amount of chakra, thought Naruto. Damn, I have to-

The chakra exploded, the explosion generating a shock wave that shook the tower to its core.

Shinratsu breathed heavily from the use of a great deal of chakra. He straightened- and Naruto appeared out of the sky, falling onto him.

The two hit the ground, wrestling viciously.

They rolled constantly in an attempt to get on top for the advantage, but as they rolled-

Naruto suddenly noticed his head was now dangling over the tower's edge.

Shinratsu's hand shot forward, intent on breaking the Rokudaime's neck.

And by using his legs, he sent Shinratsu flying over the edge.

"Naruto!" the man howled, and eventually the sound was drowned out.

The Rokudaime stood, his legs wobbling. A smile broke out on his face. He'd done it, he'd-

A shuriken suddenly was impaled in his back, and he gasped, quickly turning around, his left hand tugging out the shuriken.

Shinratsu was there, clinging onto the edge. He suddenly shot up, and was on the top of the tower.

"You won't kill me that easily!"

Naruto hurled the shuriken at him, but Shinratsu sidestepped, letting the shuriken fly harmlessly into the air.

Shinratsu slowly began forming handseals, and Naruto tensed. Did the man really have another ace up his sleeve, or was this his bluff?

And suddenly, chakra formed in Shinratsu's hand. Naruto continued watching it. The jutsu, whatever it was, seemed similar to the Rasengan or Chidori, but then again-

"Hundreds of people attempted to make chakra attacks like this, Naruto," Shinratsu said. "This is the one I developed in response to Namikaze's Rasengan."

The chakra formed ethereal claws on his hand, and Shinratsu looked up. "Take this!" He shouted, sprinting forwards, blue chakra streaming behind him in his wake.

Naruto began focusing chakra as quickly as he could into his hand. It began to burn slightly, beginning to look raw as bits of skin peeled off, but-

He formed his Rasengan and raised his hand to meet the commander's jutsu.

The two jutsus mashed against each other, both men unwilling to give up, to lose...

The jutsus dissipated under the pressure, letting their hands crash together. They stepped back, only to try kicking the other, but they blocked each other.

Shinratsu suddenly laughed. "It's funny, Naruto. Our struggle even goes beyond chakra."

"Appears so," said Naruto.

Shinratsu grabbed the blonde by the front of his shirt, before hurling him over his shoulder, kicking Naruto as he flew over him to provide more power.

Naruto crashed onto the ground, before rolling to the side as Shinratsu slammed his feet into the ground where Naruto had just been.

For what must have been the tenth time that day, Naruto climbed to his feet. He really had to end this. Although it seemed Shinratsu had been exhausted for some reason before the match, he'd had to kill Akai and Anryoku, fallen down a cliff, fought Subeta, climbed a fortress and fought Kuroi- but then again, that was just a day's work for Uzumaki Naruto, he supposed.

Shinratsu approached Naruto slowly- before jumping forwards, fist clenched- only for Naruto to punch him in the face, sending him crashing onto the ground, the man looking dazed.

Naruto dragged him off his feet, until he was next to a pillar. Naruto banged the man's head into the pillar, before starting to choke him.

The commander struggled, but Naruto held fast, before he suddenly dragged Shinratsu forwards- only to punch him that his head would go into the pillar again.

Shinratsu stumbled away, and Naruto delivered his fist into his torso three more times, before kicking him off balance, sending him to fall onto the ground.

Groggily, Shinratsu got back onto his feet, wiping his chin. His eyes rolled, and he slowly gazed at Naruto's face.

"Splendid, Namikaze," he said, raising his hands.

The two charged each other, both smashing their fists into the other's face at the same time.

Naruto recovered first, grabbing Shinratsu's arm, but the man swiftly countered, breaking out of the hold and grabbing Naruto's arm. Naruto swung his elbow into Shinratsu's head, breaking out of the commander's grip.

The Rokudaime pulled Shinratsu down by his shoulders, bringing his knee into his gut. Shinratsu gasped, but thrust his head forwards into Naruto's chest, knocking him down.

Naruto rolled to avoid a vicious stomp by Shinratsu. He rose to a crouching posture, shooting forwards at Shinratsu, dragging the man to the ground.

Shinratsu kicked him away, as they both stumbled to their feet, they lunged forwards again, punching the other in the face.

They remained frozen in their positions for a few moments, before slowly backing away.

And they collapsed to their feet, overcome with fatigue and pain.

Naruto panted as he lay on the ground, his chest heaving. From what he could see of Shinratsu, the man was in similar condition.

He slowly clenched his fists, gritting his teeth as he pushed himself to his feet. Shinratsu soon made it onto his feet.

"Reikon!"

"Namikaze!"

"It's not over yet!" Both cried out, approaching the other, dragging their bodies like lead.

Shinratsu suddenly laughed. "Namikaze...we're matched in skill. But... as you've said, luck's very important."

He reached into his pockets, drawing two knives. "One's...got the blade on a spring." He stabbed a knife into the pillar, and the blade sank into its own hilt. "The other...isn't."

Shinratsu carefully switched the knives several times around behind his back, before holding them out for Naruto. "Take your pick, Namikaze."

Naruto eyed the knives. They were absolutely identical in appearance. He'd have to trust to luck. He grabbed one, and Shinratsu took the other.

The two jumped at each other, impaling their knives into the other's chest.

Shinratsu gurgled- in laughter, as he felt the blade that was pressed at his chest sink into its hilt.

Naruto stumbled back, the knife stuck in his chest. His vision showed him Shinratsu laughing, as he fell to a knee, the pain and damage taking their toll.

Shinratsu clearly continued laughing, and anger suddenly consumed Naruto. He jumped forwards, delivering a brutal uppercut to the commander's chin, sending Shinratsu onto his back on the floor.

The Rokudaime tugged the knife out of his chest, before ramming it into Shinratsu's torso.

And that was it. Naruto collapsed next to Shinratsu, the blonde lying on his front, turning his face so he could watch Shinratsu die.

"It doesn't matter," Shinratsu suddenly said, his chest heaving desperately. "I won our little game Namikaze. I finally beat you, didn't I? Fun...wasn't it?"

Naruto continued breathing, his breaths becoming as unstable as Shinratsu's.

Shinratsu's eyes suddenly flashed, as another jolt of pain shot through his body. "No...not Namikaze...Naruto. But...that'd be your real name, wouldn't it?"

Shinratsu started coughing heavily, before stopping himself forcibly. "We're the same, and different, Naruto. We've both destroyed ourselves for revenge...and yet, we've managed to do some good. We've both had goals to change the world, but failed."

"You, the man who had dark goals, but good intentions. I had good goals...but chose a dark path to walk. But strange...did you know, in terms of heroes and villains, I therefore would have been the hero, and you the villain."

"Life's not all that black and white," Naruto managed.

"...correct. But...something tells me...your warning, Naruto. Let us speak as equals, for this warning. The ninja are going to be usurped. It's up to you whether the world of ninja will survive."

"I've...carried out my own mission..." Naruto said through gasping breaths. "I-"

"But you'll get involved," said Shinratsu, his eyes moving from Naruto to the sky. "It's your way. You'll get dragged into something again, and again. But the ninja world...still needs people like us. Idealistic, powerful, but willing to do something to ensure that the world won't grind to a standstill. Like sharks. If we ever stop moving forwards, we'll die."

The sky began to darken above the two as day became dusk, clouds gathering over an orange sun, drops of rain falling slowly, then faster.

"Rain," Shinratsu said. "I don't know why, but this is...nostalgic." He looked back at Naruto, a smile stretched over his lips. "If there's an afterlife, I haven't done well for myself. But..I'm going to still keep training with Minato."

Naruto suddenly pushed himself to his knees, his strength slowly reappearing. Shinratsu gave an approving nod, as if he knew full well that Naruto would live here, and that he would die.

"Our peaceful moment," said Shinratsu. "Nice, isn't it?"

A few seconds passed by, and the light died in Shinratsu's eyes.

Naruto stood as the sounds of fighting came to an end, the Suna-shinobi swarming the fortress, the rest of Shinratsu's army fleeing. There was a clatter behind him, and Naruto looked back to see familiar faces, Gaara, his siblings Temari and Kankuro, and his apprentice Matsuri.

The Rokudaime Hokage raised his hand in a salute. A moment later, he passed out.

Naruto sat in front of the Memorial Stone. An empty instant ramen cup was in front of him- he'd found one, and for old time's sake had devoured it- and a lit cigar was held in his left hand.

Gaara and his entourage had gladly retrieved his cloak and sword, and Naruto still wore both. He raised the cigar to his lips, puffing on it a last time, before tossing it away.

He slowly approached the stone, looking at the many names on it. A sudden wave of curiosity passed him, as he remembered something Shinratsu had said.

Naruto's eye found where the ninja who had been killed in the Kyuubi attack had their names engraved. And there it was. Reikon Shinratsu.

"His name's on the stone...and to think that thanks to him, many others are."

Naruto took a few steps back, his eye still fixed on the stone.

"I said...I can't die yet...until they join my brethren," Naruto said. "I know...what I have to do, now that it's ended."

A flash of the past came to him.

"Damn it!" He screamed, slumping against a wall. "Damn it!" His mind, still not thinking straight remained shut, as he crawled towards Sakura's prone body, his hand finding her kunai and bringing it to his throat-

"No!" Naruto threw the kunai away. "I can't die yet...not until they join my brethren."

Naruto's hands shook as he drew his sword.

He positioned it so when he would fall, the sword would go through his mouth, hopefully killing him quickly.

The sword shook in his hands, and a single tear ran down his face. "Konoha...sorry it took so long."

Birds from the trees flew up into the air, as there was the loud noise of Naruto's body hitting the ground, his own blood on his face.

Fujiiro stood in front of where she had buried Shinratsu. A few of the most loyal ninja had remained with here. All the Colours dead, Shinratsu dead, and Subeta had disappeared, most likely killed by the Suna-nin.

Another image of Shinratsu flashed into her head, and she fell to her knees, tears slowly falling from her eyes, as she stared at the cold ground.

She slammed her fist in anger into the ground, then a second time. She looked up, Shinratsu's tombstone staring her in the face.

"Milord...what would you have us do now?" she asked the stone, desperate for an answer.

No sign, and the sun continued shining over a clear sky, as if it mocked her.

Gaara sifted through his work slowly, his thoughts entirely on something else. He was so preoccupied, he didn't notice Matsuri approach him.

"Gaara-sama...where exactly did Naruto-san go?"

Gaara closed his eyes briefly, before looking at Matsuri. "Naruto's tired. He's tired of it all, sick and wounded. He went on a trip to help him get better."

"Sick? But, he seemed fine after his treatment," said Matsuri.

"...It's sickness of the mind," replied Gaara.

"Oh, oh right," said Matsuri, still concerned. "Where he is going?"

"...I don't know," Gaara said, before suddenly speaking again. "He has faced harsher conditions than anyone else-perhaps even myself." Gaara breathed out slowly. "He needs his rest...doesn't he?"

Gaara laid his head in his arms, his body slowly shaking.

Matsuri's eyes widened as she saw an unbelievable sight. "Gaara-sama, are...are you crying?"

A large crow flew down onto Naruto's body. It flapped its wings, heading to Naruto's face, to peck out his remaining eye.

And then a hand shot out, grabbing the bird, crushing its head.

Naruto lay on the ground. At the last moment, he'd shifted the sword. It had just scratched the side of his face by his mouth.

"Can't I...even kill myself properly?" he said, asking the empty air.

His vision suddenly turned white, and just like before he had reached the fortress, he saw their faces again.

"Naruto...who said you had to die?" They spoke simultaneously.

"What...what do I have to live for?"

"Find it," they said. "Live Naruto, that's all we can say to you."

They faded, and Naruto couldn't help but wonder whether he had fooled himself in delirium. He stood, picking up the sword and sheathing it as he did so.

It didn't matter.

No one should waste their life.

Naruto turned away from the Memorial Stone. "Goodbye, Konoha."

He began to walk away, a great burden suddenly released from his shoulders.

He was alone in this vast world, but he had his life, and that counted for something, however small it could be. He was Uzumaki Naruto- and he wasn't going to die just yet.

Naruto smiled to himself, an honest smile. He had no doubt it looked out of place on the weary war-hardened trooper, but he hadn't smiled for a long time.

He wasn't free. He knew Konoha's Fall would always haunt him. But they were his people, his family, and he would not see their lives wasted by wasting his own.

"...Yes, this is Subeta....that's right, Reikon Shinratsu is dead. ...No sir, no one knew about my double-agent status. He might have suspected, but thanks to Naruto- I mean, Uzumaki, he's silenced. ...No, I didn't really have any qualms about the job, ....yes, as a matter of fact, I did know Shinratsu was my father."

Subeta continued listening.

"Of course sir...why do you think I chose the status as a blade user? It should allow me to pass as a mercenary or samurai in the new world...of course sir, the ninja world shall be finished. There's no doubt about it."

"...Yes, you're right sir. But we have Uzumaki to thank for that. He killed Shinratsu, and thanks to that, the ninja world won't be preserved like Shinratsu wanted."

"...Indeed sir, if it hadn't been for you and your group's hard work those few years ago, Shinratsu would have been more concerned with his plans then revenge. It could have even resulted in Naruto and Shinratsu working together. Your plan was most clever, pitting them against each other like that.

"...They have lorded over the rest of us for too long. Your uprising is nearly complete..."

"...Well, I suppose we are quite similiar sir, both of us having our fathers die for this cause. I am sure your father would be thrilled, knowing what his death truly meant. All he sought, is now in your hands."

"...Goodbye then...Mr Daimyo."

Author's Note:

Well, there you go.

A fic which has had too many references to count. Many of you would have guessed most of them by now.

Well, seeing as I've never completed a proper fanfic before, let's have some credits.

This fanfic was written by LightningHunter

All characters and places are owned by their proper owners, save Shinratsu and his army, I own them,

Many thanks to

Intisar1996- for always thinking up sequel ideas,

granite69- for recommending Berserk to me, by the way, I've already finished reading what's been released of the manga so far( Go Guts! Down with Griffith!),

avatoa- for writing the best one-liner review ever

Darth Stalker- for more or less saying that my grandfather was known as the Hunter of Lightning

Frozen Sin- for being the first person who's ever wanted flaying mentioned in one of my fics

hermitgenius- for reviewing a lot

Fuyuriku- for being the first person to notice about a certain error

lolCakes- for also wondering why such a fic gets so few reviews

hoyt- for comparing Naruto to Jack Krauser

Son of the morning- for stating that not reading this fic would be blasphemy

There are more people, but my hand is hurting now.

Oh yeah, I may actually change this fic's name. If you'd like, you can recommend titles. If I use someone's, I'll...I dunno, I'll think of something. How about tips for your fics? Nah, you won't like those, I'll just end up saying scrap the fic and start afresh.

UPDATE: The title of this fic has been changed from They can take my life and I'll take theirs too, to Screaming For Vengeance, named after the Judas Priest song and album.

Well, this is the end. And finally, I get to use the line I've always wanted to write.

"And that's the end of that story," said LightningHunter, closing the book as he leaned back in his chair. "Now get the fuck out of my house."