"Nothing's getting through to this guy..." The senior pink-haired fukutaichō muttered to her older brother with clear frustration. She was already out of breath, sweating and tired. On the contrary, this damn Arrancar doesn't even seem to be fazed. He was monstrous, just like her brother. And as Sakura looked to her right to take a glimpse of her older brother, she could only think: 'No... This man is even more monstrous.'

It was for only a moment when Sakura dozed off, but that time between was apparently enough for the arrancar to inflict a small gash on her shoulder. Sakura shunpo-ed next to her brother, not bothering to waste anymore of her energy by healing such a small cut.

"Sakura," The pink-haired girl's brother begun, his eyes dangerously staring at the dark-haired man who gazed back, eyes filled with arrogance, "Fight off the other arrancar. This one's mine." For once, Sakura didn't retort. When her brother was serious, she backed off. With that, she took a quick glance at her brother and went off to search for the blonde arrancar.

Sakura's mind was going insane. It was throbbing due to her overwhelming thoughts. The thought of those damned arrancar harming her little sister angered her to no end. If they even dared to touch one hair on her body, she was going to rip them up to shreds. No matter what, Sakura had to protect her little sister. The thought of losing her was unbearable. Thus, Sakura pushed herself and shunpo-ed faster than ever before. The only thing in her mind was her sister.

'I have to save Yachiru...I have to...Even if I die trying.' Her resolve was clear and unwavering. With that goal in mind, she readied herself for the worst.

Looking around her surroundings with grievous emerald orbs, she softly prayed for the innocent human beings that were involved in their battle. She whispered gentle promises about redeeming them by defeating the ones responsible for killing them. Sakura felt infuriated at herself. She was a shinigami, goddamit! She was supposed to protect these helpless humans. But so far, all she's managed to do was let them die.

Stopping at her tracks, she brought her fingers to her ear, and contacted Akon's department. "Akon...If you don't mind," she hissed with a tone of exasperation, "the removal of the Yarrow seal would be really nice right now."

A high-pitched static noise resounded in her throbbing ears, and she could only grit her teeth in impatience as she carefully listened to panicked, loud voices in the background. This surprised her, and she narrowed her eyes; a cold knot of fear churning in her stomach. "...Hello? Twelfth Division? What happened?"

Rin Tsubokura met her ears. The young clumsy man seemed to be panting, as he apologized over and over again through the speakers. "Sakura-san, please give us a few more minutes—in fact, the Yarrow seal will be activated in two minutes!" He breathed out shaky sigh. "We are currently having technicalities."

"Technicalities?" Sakura asked, baffled.

"Hai, Kusajishi-fukutaichō." Sakura could practically hear the researcher frown. Whatever was happening back in Seretei, it was clearly upsetting the usually aloof members of the Jūnibantai.

"Do explain," Sakura mumbled, as she simultaneously closed her eyes and probed for her sister's energy. When she felt a weak flickering energy northeast from where she was, she widened her eyes and her chest began to heave up and down sporadically in fear. Her sister was dying! Closing her emerald eyes shut, she fought the urge to cry out in anger, and rip off those bastard arrancars for doing the unthinkable. She knew it was almost impossible for someone of her caliber to defeat them, but she wanted vengeance. Taking deep breaths, she waited for Rin to reply.

The nervous boy in the other line stammered, "Ano...The alarm went off in Sereitei...Kuchiki Hisana has disappeared and Kuchiki-taichō has ordered a search party for his wife. At this point, the reinforcement team seems to be in a state of disarray. The Gotei 13 itself is in a state of panic."

Sakura heart sank at the news, before she hissed venomously. "Hisana disappeared?"

"H-Hai..." The boy stuttered. Just as the boy was about to explain tersely, Sakura could hear another alarm going off.

"What's happening now?" Sakura hissed, scared for her precious friend. She clenched her hands, and dark thoughts enveloped her mind. This day was turning off to be one of the worst.

Rin gulped. "Uchiha-fukutaichō has reportedly disappeared."

Sakura could only cuss below her breath. "What the hell is happening in Sereitei?!"

Rin winced at his senior's loud voice. "A-Ano...The charts cannot track Kuchiki Hisana and Uchiha-fukutaichō's reiatsu in Seretei or anywhere else in the world. In fact, even the shinigami with the strong ability to sense spiritual energy are having trouble finding them. They are either bound by something preventing us to feel their reiatsu or they are de—"

Sakura roared, "Don't you dare finish that, Rin."

"I...I apologize, Kusajishi-fukutaichō." Rin quickly said. There was a long pause, before the Twelfth Division member briefed Sakura. "Kusajishi-fukutaichō, the seal is gone in... ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one."

The girl released a breath of relief, before she looked at the Yarrow flower that was on her left breast disappear. The pink-haired girl's eyes were lodged with fierce determination, before she quickly followed after her sister's flickering reiatsu.

'...Please be okay, Yachiru...Hisana...'

Kenpachi was furious. For once in his life, he couldn't wait until the battle was over. He couldn't anticipate the moment he would slowly rip off the limbs of these bastards. He would be relentless as they begged for mercy. He would disintegrate these bastards for hurting his girls. Cursing, the Eleventh Division captain held onto his singed left elbow. His opponent had summoned black flames and Kenpachi had to admit that he severely underestimated the arrancar. His arm was throbbing and his whole body was going numb.

The arrancar grunted, as he continued to stare at the man before him with disinterest. It seems that their leader had overestimated this man. He was a weakling, if anything. He did not even summon his zanpakutō. Although he was not an Espada, he knew he was as powerful as (or even stronger) than any of the Espadas, post-release of their resurrección. His problem was Aizen Sōsuke. That bastard was a dangerous one—even more dangerous than all Espadas combined. The arrancar knew that the only one who could fight on par with their leader was his blond partner...But the two kept it a secret.

"Zaraki Kenpachi," Sasuke drawled, as he stared at the enraged man before him, "It seems that our usually shrewd leader has made miscalculations. Sōsuke informed Naruto and I that you would be quite a challenge." He frowned. "How wrong he was. I wouldn't need my resurrección to defeat the likes of you and your petty little sisters."

The way Kenpachi's lips twitched into a frown was satisfying. Sasuke kept an amused glint in his eyes, as he stared at how Kenpachi shifted impatiently in his tattered haori.

"I really hate monologues," Kenpachi growled lowly, staring resentfully at the arrancar before him.

Sasuke grunted for the nth time. "As do I," He paused, looking at Kenpachi's worn down sword with keen eyes. Something told him that it was more than what meets the eye. The sword looked so fragile, but Sasuke knew that if Kenpachi had awakened his bankai (much less, shikai), the arrancar would have been blown out of the water. Considering how Sasuke never really was the type to admit things, this was saying something.

Zaraki Kenpachi would be a perilous opponent in the future if he was not terminated at this point.

There was a reason why Sasuke and Naruto were Aizen Sōsuke's best soldiers in his army of Espada. The two's level of intellect was beyond those of any other Espada. Given that Sasuke still remembered remnants of his past life, while Naruto had some of his helpful abilities, they were bound to become important pawns in Aizen Sōsuke's game. While there were ten Espadas, there were only two Geheimnis in the army and those two were Sasuke and Naruto.

"You're annoyin'." Zaraki said blatantly, as he disposed of his captain's haori. No doubt that the captain-commander was going to have his head for carelessly treating the coat like trash. But that was the least of Zaraki's worries.

"Hn." The dark-haired arrancar closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. How ironic it was to be called the annoying one. "It's time..." A malicious smirk graced his handsome features, as he held onto his sword tightly.

Kenpachi could only snort in return. "About goddamn time you do something," He replied sarcastically.

"Don't get too cocky, Zaraki Kenpachi," Sasuke said coolly.

Kenpachi raised a single brow at that. "Cocky, eh?"

"Hn..."

Kenpachi tilted his head to the side, almost as if he was in deep thought. "You really remind me of that bastard captain's subordinate." He rolled his eyes, as he remembered his sisters' actions, "That anoying aloof façade really got my idiot sisters swooning."

Sasuke only listened intently as Kenpachi rambled on about the Kuchiki clan head's vice-captain. '...Itachi...?'

As if Kenpachi read the arrancar's mind, he grumbled, "What was his name again? Itachi? Weasel Uchiwa or something? Who knows? I could really care less about that bastard's minions. I have my own to worry about, after all."

Sasuke visibly stiffened at the sound of that familiar name. "...Itachi? Aniki...?"

Kenpachi noticed his enemy's sudden shift of mood, and looked on questioningly. Shaking his head, he roared at the arrancar. "Well, what are you waiting for, hollow?!"

"You will tell me more about this...Itachi person..." Sasuke demanded, as he sonido-ed closer to Kenpachi and struck. The captain brought out his own sword to lazily dodge the arrancar's strike.

"Oh?"

Sasuke nodded silently, his dark orbs piercing Kenpachi's green ones. "Very well...I understand." He backflipped away landing gracefully on the rubble. "If and when you are defeated, you will give me information about Uchiha Itachi."

Kenpachi grunted in amusement. "Ya talk too much."

Sasuke kept cool, as he observed Kenpachi. The captain was wild with his swings, thus it was unpredictable. Even his sharp eyes could barely follow the arcs. Sasuke hummed internally, as he stared at the grinning Kenpachi. 'Let's test him out once more...'

With that thought, he rushed forward, his uchigatana's fuller shining brightly as the full moon's light kissed it. Its tsuba was circular shaped and was surrounded by symmetrical crescents that intertwined each other as it reached the crossguard's shoulders. It looked strikingly like a biohazard symbol. The hilt was wrapped with white bandages, but the bright red color of the grip that the translucent gauge hid could be seen.

His uchigatana was parried by Kenpachi's twisted sword, causing the arrancar to go on all fours to dodge Kenpachi's strong swing. The captain curled his sword like a key inside its keyhole and belted it towards the impressed arrancar, who looked up at the lowering zanpakutō with raised eyebrows.

The arrancar grunted, as he rolled out of the way before jumping on his feet with grace. Sasuke stared at the crater that Kenpachi's sword made on the ground, and vaguely recalled how a certain roseate was capable of causing craters with her bare hands. Shaking off his distracting thoughts, he proceeded to analyze how Kenpachi held onto his sword with two hands. 'A bisection technique? Interesting...' The arrancar narrowed his eyes, realizing that Kenpachi did not kick him down when he was on all fours. If Kenpachi did think about trapping him with a stomp of his feet, Sasuke would have been caught by the captain's ryōdan and split in half.

Sasuke looked intrigued. Kenpachi has been using his hands more than his legs, and because the taichō did not have a tactical mind, Sasuke escaped his splitting technique unharmed. But then again, because the older looking man did not think about tactics, he was more feral and his movements were erratic.

Sasuke smirked, feeling his zanpakutō's heat rise every time it was parried by Kenpachi's own. The arrancar quickly deflected Kenpachi's rundown sword and the captain grated its rough blades with the arrancar's uchigatana. When Sasuke felt his zanpakutō reach its hottest peak, he took that opportunity to aim a thrust at Kenpachi's chest.

Unfortunately for the arrancar, Kenpachi had already experienced what his zanpakutō, Halcón Cazando, was capable of. So when Sasuke's sword was inches away from reaching Kenpachi's chest, the captain jumped out of the blade's way, watching as the zanpakutō seemingly seethed as it gathered all the heat that was forming on the tsuba and transferred it to the uchigatana's curved edge. The blade almost sounded like a boiling teakettle. At that moment, the blade spontaneously combusted into black flames.

Kenpachi grinned satisfactorily. 'This guy's pretty good...His zanpakutō absorbed my blows and converted it to heat somehow. When the zanpakutō reached its climax, that damned hollow had to release it...Maybe makin' it explode in his face is a good idea.' The captain silently thanked his studious emerald-eyed sister for forcing him to read a book about strategies. If it wasn't for Sakura, he was pretty sure that he would have been struck by that same move twice.

Sasuke caught the smug look that crossed the man's scarred face and suppressed the urge to growl in annoyance. 'A miscalculation...This guy is turning out to be like Naruto after all...Idiotic looking, but smart...'

"You're pretty relaxed for someone who has a dying sister," the arrancar mocked.

Kenpachi turned rigid, as he stared with narrowing eyes at Sasuke. "I dare ya ta repeat that, ya asswipe..." He replied, his voice dangerously low.

Sasuke shivered, not of fear, but excitement. He was on the balls of his feet, before he lunged towards the vexed taichō. "You're..." Sasuke muttered darkly, as he swung his uchigatana in a vertical position. Kenpachi dodged it, his ears twitching when Sasuke's voice reverberated throughout the destroyed market district of Karakura Town. "Pretty..." In order to dodge the captain's next arc, the arrancar jumped up so high that his chest curled around his knees. The dark-haired arrancar quickly swerved his blade towards Kenpachi's face. The captain bent his whole body back to avoid it, before rising up and whirling his zanpakutō vertically with both hands like a baseball bat. The arrancar easily omitted the attack by bending down. "Relaxed..." Sasuke's eyes dilated slightly when realization dawned him. Kenpachi has been evading his uchigatana by dodging, and not countering it with his own sword.

'Smart shinigami...' Sasuke thought, as he attempted to hit his opponent's sword. The taichō hastily spun his wrist and the sword avoided Sasuke's uchigatana. Sasuke release his hold on the uchigatana, before he pivoted on the balls of his feet and simultaneously caught the sword's handle with his mouth. That immediately caught the captain offguard and he failed to dodge or even parry the sword. The blade grinded successfully against the shinigami's pelvis. He was pleased when he saw the shinigami bleed through the gash.

Unfortunately for Kenpachi, Sasuke was not finished with his assault. With a muffled voice, Sasuke coldly spoke, "Screech, Halcón Cazando."

Naruto stared in annoyance at that distant dark pillar of reiatsu that spiked not too far from where he stood. In his arms, the pink-haired girl slept peacefully, which was rather ironic, considering the situation she was in. The blond boy internally apologized inside for having to involve someone so...young. Of course, Naruto knew that her appearance might be of that of a young girl, but her age on the other hand...

Naruto frowned. Soul Society must have gotten really desperate to have deemed this young girl a fukutaichō. She wasn't much of a challenge, but now that he's thinking about it, Yachiru didn't summon her shikai. The blond hummed, eyes filled with keen interest. Whatever it was Aizen Sōsuke was planning, Naruto had to know immediately. If there was anything the happy-go-lucky arrancar did not like, it was when Aizen was planning a coup. Actually, Naruto didn't like Aizen in general. Aizen had declared that their little army was a "family", but Naruto was no idiot (only Sasuke had the right to call him that and live to see the day).

Naruto could recall years ago when Sasuke suddenly appeared before him.

A lone figure of what looked a white fox stood on its sanguine paws; its cunning, yet beautiful cerulean eyes with red specks watching the bloodied sandy dunes before him with loneliness. 'So, this is called Hueco Mundo...' He said to himself, feeling the gusts of wind that caused the sand to brush against his bone-hard white body.

"It's just another place filled with solitude..." He whispered sadly to himself, as he closed his eyes shut, trying to shut out nothing and everything at the same time. The ashy color of the sand looked like a canvas that was stained by a clumsy artist's strokes of red paint. Far away, the empty vast land occasionally had white desert plants protruding, and even they were dying.

"...What is my name...?"

"Naruto."

The white fox turned on his sanguine paws and stared at the dark figure before him. It has been a while since he's seen someone so...human, for lack of better words. The man had a strange white skull-like mask that covered the left half of his emotionless face. His lean body was filled with battle scars; but the most distinctive were three claw marks that ran from his chest to his waist. It was as if he was ripped apart diagonally by a monster. Strangely enough, it was very peculiar to the white fox.

"What?" The white fox hissed, as he analyzed the hollow before him.

"Your name; It's Naruto."

The cerulean-eyed fox was quite aware that whoever was standing before him was no pushover, yet something drew the fox towards the scarred hollow, and thus he nodded, "...I see. So, my name is...Naruto?" There was a long, comfortable silence, before Naruto looked at the man, "What is yours?"

The man did not reply quickly, as if contemplating whether to give it away or not.

And he did. "Sasuke."

Naruto shook his head, "I see... How did you know my name?"

Sasuke stared at him, once again not replying. Contemplating, he stared into his once best friend's eyes, and said the one word that Naruto would have not expected from him in their previous lifetime.

"Sorry."

Naruto's eyes widened, and he furrowed his blond brows. "What?" was all that he managed to say, shocked. It was as if weight was taken off his shoulders, and he didn't know why.

"...I don't get you, Sasuke, was it?"

Sasuke chuckled hollowly. "Good. Let's keep it that way."

Naruto looked down at his bloody paws, and grinned happily, despite appearing rather morbid.

Finally, he wasn't alone.

He didn't know much about Sasuke, but that was okay, he thought. Maybe he was being careless to have easily accepted a stranger, but it was a risk he was willing to take.

Because he wasn't alone anymore...

"You!" Suddenly to Naruto's surprise, Zaraki Kenpachi's sister appeared, and she radiated malice. Coming from Naruto, it was completely shocking, considering the fact that he was the most malicious being when angered.

"Ah," Naruto bit his lip, as he stared at the girl. She was breath-taking, but Naruto refused to show signs that he thought of her like that otherwise.

"Give me back my sister, you bastard!" The roseate growled, her breath going sporadic. She swung her zanpakuto, and shunpoed behind Naruto. The blond did not seem the least bit surprised, as he simply side stepped her attempt.

"Wait," Naruto pleaded, as he continued to hold the youngest of the siblings in his arms, "I mean no harm! You can have your sister back!"

"How do expect me to trust you?" Sakura hissed, not stopping her attack.

Once again, Naruto merely dodged her vain attack.

"I mean no harm!" He roared, frustrated. He radiated a red aura, which ultimately led Sakura to fall on her knees due to the spiritual pressure. He cautiously walked towards the pink-haired lieutenant, who was as stiff as a pole.

"Don't come any closer!" Sakura's scream echoed throughout the battlefield. No, you cannot kill me! How do you expect me to save my sister when you kill me? Sakura hysterically yelled in her head.

Slowly, Naruto brought the younger girl to the ground, before backing away. "There..." He immediately restrained his reiatsu.

Sakura quickly retrieved her sister and searched any injuries on her body. Tears sprung up in her eyes, and she embraced her young sister, "Yachiru, thank goodness... Thank goodness!" She yelled.

As for Naruto, a sudden migraine hit him unexpectedly the moment he saw the older of the two sisters cry. "Haruno Sakura...? Who is that?" He wandered aloud. Sakura whipped her head towards his direction, and their eyes met.

Cerulean met emerald, and they were pulled towards a forgotten memory.

The soothing smell of petrichor wafted in the air, as the stormy skies began to retreat. Halos of blinding light seeped through the withdrawing dark nimbus clouds, coming into contact with six hapless figures on the recent battlefield surrounded by summoned trees and artificial mountain vistas. The alleviating smell of after shower and the disgusting rustic scent of blood mixed together, and this only seemed to stiffen the war soldiers who stared at the pitiable view before them. The silence was almost sardonically deafening, and the urges to speak consoling words were restrained.

They say that during war, there was no time to grieve for fallen comrades. There was only one option, and that was to fight relentlessly, without getting caught up in the death of the people around you. War made you heartless; it turned you into killing machines. In order to finally live in peace, there must be war. It was an inevitable and satirical way of thinking, especially to shinobi who were forced to join warfare when an ultimatum given by a powerful enemy was refused.

Hatred and vengeance, a certain boy always preached, gave birth to war. The cycle of hatred, he always called it. Hatred was a negative energy that can alter your way of thinking; it has the capability to consume even the greatest person if he had a weak mentality. Hatred and vengeance was the cause of bloodshed, and bloodshed itself was the cause of hatred and vengeance. They circled one another like a never-ending cycle.

Thus, red was the recurring color that ninja saw on a daily basis. It was the color of blood—the constant reminder for eventual murderers like ninjas that the life of their prey has been ended. It was a sign associated with both good and bad. Red was the color of fire, thus it was also the color that defined life.

What does pink represent?—

The fair hand that gripped his was slowly weakening. "Hey," the young man croaked out, his fist tightening around hers, "Sakura-chan...R-Remember that dream we swore we'd make reality?" His heart ached as he stared at her wavering smile. This scene looked all too familiar. This feeling was familiar and he loathed it. Ignoring the pained gurgles Tobi—the man who caused this all—emitted a few feet away from them, the blond figure gently laid the broken body of the woman he loved on his lap, caressing her cheeks thereafter.

The beautiful, cunning emerald eyes of the girl he loved were slowly losing its life, and the blond boy could only stare at it with his grievous azure orbs. How she managed to look breathless to him even on her deathbed was beyond him.

The girl, Sakura, heaved a wavering sigh, as she stared lifelessly and almost blindly at the boy above her. Her stare seemed to pass through him, "Sasu…Sasuke-kun…?"

The blond's heart ached at the name she just uttered. The form beside him twitched at the sound of his own name. His cerulean-blue eyes caught a glimpse of the dark-haired boy, who only furrowed his eyebrows, as he looked away, mixed emotions clearly swimming in his dark eyes.

"Sasuke," the blond boy whispered loud enough for him to hear. The boy adjacent to him straightened almost instinctively at the sound of his name, and the blond took that as a sign to go on, "She's…She's calling out to you, Sasuke." As always… He trailed off darkly.

The dying girl in his arms seemed to have sensed his sudden discomfort and shifted shakily. She recognized his voice and it was his name, in turn, that escaped her profusely bleeding throat, "Na…ru…t-to…?" She almost sounded disappointed to him, and his heart could only sink lower.

"Sakura-chan…Sasuke finally changed. He's returning to us, and I didn't have to kick his butt," The blond, Naruto, exclaimed with feigned excitement, "Our dreams are finally coming true! Teme, you, Kakashi-sensei…We'll be together again! So, please…Please stay a-alive…"

Sakura could only smile, before proceeding to drown in her own blood that was starting to accumulate in her throat. The metallic flavor on her tongue was the only thing she could taste at that instant, as she fought to stay alive, even if it's only just for a little while longer. She wanted to savor the moment when Team Seven was finally back together.

She wanted to be with her family at the very end.

"Baka," Sakura coughed out, feeling woozy and fighting the urge to vomit more of her blood, "S-Sasuke-kun…Kakashi-sensei?"

The latter's ears perked up as he stared at his only female student from afar. His 'eternal' rival, who lay unconscious and thankfully alive beside him, exerted himself by using his famed jutsu, Hachimon, all the way. He closed his eye, his body going numb. Kakashi felt a knot of cold fear in his stomach, and he could only look helplessly at his roseate student, choosing to listen to her at his place besides Gai.

"T-Thank you…f-for…l-loving me," She stammered, her eyes dilating at the unbearable pain her body was going through. The rhythm of her chest became sporadic, "R-Really…. Naruto, t-thank y-you for k-keeping your…your p-promise. Y-You…I'm s-sorry f-for b-being a b-burden after a-all t-this t-time. D-Do m-me a f-favor, o-okay…?" She paused, waiting for his response.

"W-What is it, Sakura-chan?" He murmured, restraining himself from crying.

"B-Become a g-great Hokage…"

Naruto's eyes widened at that, and he nodded, of course.

"And, K-Kakashi-sensei, y-you r-really ought t-to s-stop r-reading t-those p-perverted b-books a-and f-find a wife!" She managed to giggle, and Naruto decided that her laugh was the most beautiful thing he's ever heard.

Team Seven's sensei could only stammer jokingly, "I-I m-make no…no promises, S-Sakura…"

Sakura giggled at her sensei, before she went completely silent. Her face twisted in a way that clearly meant she was thinking about what to say to the last person in her original team. Even if she knew that he probably hated her, she still loved him unconditionally, and this saddened her greatly.

"And…Sasuke-kun," She whispered softly, pausing to exhale. "Thank you…for the memories."

Naruto caught how Sasuke's shoulders relaxed, even if it was only instantaneous, before his shoulders hunched back down as if the weight of the world was dropped on him without a warning.

The dark-haired Uchiha looked away, before he muttered, "…Annoying." No one can miss the pain that was laced in his voice.

"Sasuke—" Naruto hissed, but he was restrained by the cold fragile hand that touched his own. "—But Sakura-chan, he—!" His voice slowed down when he felt the body of his teammate turn rigid. "Sa-Sakura-chan?" He murmured, lips quavering and eyes turning glassy. The lack of reply and movement made him hysterical as he promptly yet gently laid her back on the flat ground that was puddled by her blood. His instinct immediately told him to heal her, even if he was not a healer.

His warm chakra glowed over the huge gash on her abdomen, and he was shocked that none of her innards seeped through it. Shaking his head and forcing himself to concentrate, he pushed a generous amount of chakra on her.

It was not working.

—Pink was the color of love. It was the epitome of Sakura-chan.

Cussing desperately, a dark thought occurred to him. She's dead…

"Impossible," He told himself stubbornly, shaking off the possibility. He didn't bother checking her pulse or anything. He didn't want to break it to himself that the woman he loved was gone forever. To him, it was almost blasphemous.

The healing procedure failed and all it managed to do was cause the cut to scab, not resuscitate her. He halted, as he skimmed his mind for any possible way to revive her.

Chiyo-baachan…! His mind screamed out. The memory of her giving up her life energy to revive Gaara came to. He recalled how he used her life force as an intermediary, and he hastily thought that that was the only way.

Unfortunately, his chakra and life force was almost depleted completely.

No, He screamed at himself, you have chakra from Kurama…!

The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox jumped at his thought, and he snarled mentally, WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!? IT WILL NOT WORK! THAT ATTEMPT IS VAIN! WHAT'S DONE IS DONE! SHE IS DEAD! ACCEPT THAT EVEN IF IT HURTS!

The medium of the kitsune chose to ignore his tenant, and his dissipating humming blue chakra turned blood-red. Although Kurama's energy turned from cynical to warm, the pink-haired girl's body seemed to reject it.

Her body, Kurama explained briefly, cannot accept my energy. Her body will only continue to break if you do this… Yet, his explanation fell on deaf ears, as the blond continued to push the chakra into her.

"Stop it, you idiot!" Naruto's dark-haired friend, Sasuke, bellowed. Even if he didn't show it, he was devastated inside, for he lost someone special to him yet again.

Naruto only shoved the last Uchiha aside, forcing Kurama's life energy onto Sakura's immobile body. His eyes flickered from his warm blue eyes to demonic slitted sanguine orbs, as Kurama desperately tried to shut the gates that allowed the blond to take chakra from him. His attempts were vain, for he was only the tenant and Naruto was the landlord, and in return, he had to pay with his chakra.

The blond boy fell back, his eyes filled with horror, when Sakura's body began contorting. It was as if an unknown force was entering the girl's body.

Sasuke fell beside the pink-haired girl as he stared at her twist and turn. His dark-eyes widened when he noticed her chest heave frequently. "W-What…?"

"She's…breathing…!" Naruto shouted, hope evident in his voice, as he continued to push the dumb-struck Kurama's chakra into her. Suddenly, the blond felt another pair of hands levitating above his own, and before he could wander out loud, Sasuke shut him up.

"Dobe, just shut up and concentrate." Sasuke's hands began to glow warmly, and the sound of its humming began to synchronize with the sound of Naruto's own.

Every once in a while, Naruto would sneak a glance at the Uchiha, and smile as if he was glad that Sasuke was finally showing signs that he actually cared.

"…Teme," Naruto mumbled, while he synonymously stared at the pink-haired girl's cheeks. They were starting to have some color back to them, and Naruto's troubled heart was calming. He looked up at Sasuke who was patiently awaiting his next words, "when Sakura-chan wakes up, you really should be more open about how you feel. It would mean a lot to her…"

Naruto felt the sudden fluctuate of Sasuke's chakra, and he took that as a refusal. Sighing, he shook his head, "You'll regret it someday…"

Sasuke only grunted, and Naruto decided that there was no point in convincing him to change for Sakura. Focusing on the reincarnation technique, he hoped that Sakura would open her eyes.

And, she did.

After all those times that Tobi has been prancing around claiming himself to be a 'good boy', and pretending to be a carefree—or even stupid to his former partners in their little group of missing nins—he finally unmasked himself both literally and figuratively.

Tobi has never intended to reveal his identity, preferring to keep it unknown until he finally completed his goal of global domination. But just because he was a formidable opponent, it did not mean that he was not invulnerable.

Hatake Kakashi was to blame for managing to figure out the secret behind his Sharingan. Sharing the same dimension for their technique Kamui, it didn't take the Copy Nin long to realize how to defeat him.

Or even realize who he was.

And because of that, Tobi cursed at himself for not eliminating the stupid jonin earlier on. He should have known that Kakashi would have caught on. He underestimated the man.

Due to his miscalculations, he was where he was at the moment—lying on the ground limply and on the verge of dying, surrounded by his own blood. His mask laid shattered an arm's length away and he had no strength left to even reach for it.

Damn that Kakashi.

His throat was ripped off by the stupid Jinchuriki and he could only snarl when he felt the boy's energy fluctuate. It was soon followed by Sasuke's own.

A dark chuckle escaped him. At the very least, he showed them true pain. Killing that pink-haired girl was like revenge to him.

Much to his surprise, he suddenly felt the girl's chakra sway.

No, He screamed to himself, incredulous of the situation, this is impossible. He killed her. He felt the blood that leaked through the girl's abdomen and chest when he ripped his hand through her. He saw her eyes lose the life in them, and the color on her cheeks turn pale.

Uchiha Obito was not to be taken lightly.

With that thought, he activated the Mangekyō Sharingan and called upon Yasaka Magatama.

Kakashi felt the sudden spike of chakra. Looking at his students, he stared with horror-stricken eyes when what appeared to be a three-tomoed projectile shot towards his three prized students.

"Shit," He muttered. He was going to exert his body, and it was possible that he would die, but he did not care. These were his subordinates, and he would protect them with his life. It was the least he could do for his precious people.

"Kamui," with this cry, his widened eyes focused on the shooting projectile. He fell on his knees, staring with impatient eyes at the disappearing debris.

The results were terrifying.

Suddenly, the Yasaka Magatama exploded in a blinding light and engulfed his shocked subordinates.

"Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke…!" Were his last words.

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"Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito have been killed, yet I don't have the energy to feel triumphant...In fact, it feels like I've just lost a great battle."

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"Gomen, Naruto...But, Kakashi-sensei is dead..."

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"Neji...Hinata-chan...Kiba...Ino...Chouji...Shikamaru...Shino...Tenten...Lee...I'm sorry. I couldn't save you all..."

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"Tsunade-sama's successor is you. Do you accept the position of Hokag—?"

"No. I am not fit to become Hokage."

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Naruto stared blankly. "Sasuke..."

"Shut up! Itachi's eyes...They're...Why?! WHY?!"

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She laughed bitterly as she stared down at her own body that lay peacefully on a bloody field of cosmos. A strange chain was attached to her chest, and when she looked close enough, she noticed that it was eating itself. However, she didn't really give a damn—her own thoughts were keeping her busy.

"They killed me," She chuckled darkly, toying with the chain on her chest, as she spoke between laughs, "they intended to kill each other off in this stupid, horribly cruel world, but instead they killed me!" She wanted to scream, but she couldn't find the strength to do so. That strange chain was already more than halfway to her chest and it somehow gave her a killer migraine. She stood up and a cracked smile graced her lips, as she swayed her way towards some foliage that was painted with dried blood―her dried blood! She laughed weakly. She was becoming insane—as if being pathetic and weak wasn't a burden in and of itself.

She looked down at her chest and noticed that the chain was only two inches way from eating her heart out already. She looked around warily, searching for some sort of weapon, so that she could just end her suffering already. She noticed a bloody kunai lying on the ground and she crawled towards it. She tried to grab it, but to no avail. She just sighed and dropped on the ground with a dull thud.

A quiet growl escaped her mouth as she slowly suffocated—the chain simultaneously shortened. "Damn it!" She managed to whisper out, as she closed her eyes. She saw black, and darkness. Maybe, this was how it was going to be like in the afterlife; another damn life of continuous pain and inevitable sorrow. If it's going to be like that, then why do we live in the first place? She suddenly snapped her eyes open and she shouted forcefully, her voice cracking up as tears flowed than her cheeks, "Why?! Why do I have to go through life like it's hell instead?!"

"Do not worry..." Sakura quickly looked up and she gaped.

"I-Itachi..?!"

"The era of Shinobi has come to an end. This hell on earth has dissipated." The Uchiha spoke softly.

"What...What are you?"

"There will no longer be anymore suffering..." Strangely enough, it felt like Itachi was consoling her.

He slowly brought the hilt of his sword towards her forehead, and she could only close her eyes.

"Thank goodness..." Tears trailed down her cheeks, as she disappeared, following a white light and a black butterfly.

"...Unfortunately, your mission isn't quite over yet." Uchiha Itachi whispered, as he stared at the full moon. He looked down at the immobile body before him, before disappearing in a flash.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor Bleach.
author: you're beautiful.
notes: At this point, I am starting to write this story only when I have time and when I actually want to. It is no longer a top priority of mines because I have started to write my own original plot. Additionally, my high school career and personal life isn't looking so good, so RD will rarely be updated. By the time I even do finish this story, Bleach and Naruto would be over, so I might even just put this on Permanent Hiatus. I'm not sure on my decision yet, so anticipate it, I guess. Also, if you are confused by the flashbacks, I'll explain it thoroughly.

- Uchiha Obito killed Sakura, and Naruto, with the help of Sasuke, managed to kill him and Madara. Fortunately, Naruto and Sasuke resuscitated her. It sounds impossible, but it is Naruto, so...let's assume it is possible. Heh.

- Obitio's last mission before dying was to kill Kakashi's precious people, and that is why he attacked them with his jutsu.

- Kakashi died due to exertion. Fortunately, he saved his students.

- Sasuke became blind, for the jutsu had struck his eyes. Naruto, in his despair and loss of his precious people, even declined the position of Hokage, because he believed that if he was incapable of protecting his loved ones, he was incapable of protecting a whole village.

- Sasuke and Naruto, in their anger, have a battle, which killed Sakura (who tried to interfere).

- Sasuke and Naruto succumbed to their wounds.

- Itachi was the one who sent Sakura to the 'afterworld'.