Quick update! Enjoy the revelations this chapter has to offer!

Chapter LXXIII

Hark! Take heed the words of a fallen King,
Lost to the cruel ravage of the ages,
Who sheds truth on all manner of things,
Whose words turn over concealed pages,
A storm brews on Olympus's summit,
An unspeakable chaos that seeks to enslave,
Seeking to destroy all life they covet,
As the evil festers on, cruel, depraved.

Naruto blinked in amazement. Standing right before his very eyes was a sight he had believed forever lost to him; the familiar, proud figure of his father - as he had been when Naruto had last encountered him in life - blinking, smiling, speaking as though he were there in the very flesh.

His trembling fingers reached out to touch the ends of Minato's white robes - only to pass straight through them. Light shone from the point of contact, causing an intense pain to grip Naruto's heart, confirming that the glowing image hovering above them was nothing more than a holographic-manifestation of remnants of chakra that had been left behind by the deceased King of Olympus.

"Dad… how…?" he got out. His chest felt heavy, constricted by the crippling intensity of all the emotions that washed over him, crashing into him with the force of a displacing tidal wave.

"Naruto," Minato smiled in affection. "You have grown."

"But- how? How are you here, talking to us?" Naruto whispered, daring to hope. "Is it… really even you...?"

Minato inclined his head in confirmation. "Before the war began, I scattered four relics containing instructions to remove the seals upon your powers across the globe, in four corners of the world. With them, I sealed remnants of my own chakra, triggered to activate when each of the relics were found. This is the first, but the only time I will be able to appear and address you." His eyes dropped to Kakashi, "You have done well to lead them here, Kakashi."

Kakashi pressed a closed hand to his chest in a loyal salute to his monarch, before rising to his feet.

Sasuke's hands balled into fists. This was the very same deity who had given the orders for his army to march against the Uchiha clan. Hatred bubbled within his chest, bitter and ugly. Had his eyes not immediately perceived that this Zeus was nothing more than a chakra-infused hologram left behind to interact with them, he would have wasted no time in lunging forward and attacking him. But Sasuke instead remained silent, and glared resentfully up at the so-called noble 'King' of Olympus, reminded, all too starkly, of every valid reason he had to despise Minato and all the surface gods.

"Dad!" Naruto exploded emotionally. "Why?! You never told me that you and Ma would have to sacrifice yourselves to seal that bastard Cronus's powers away!" The tears brimming in his blue eyes welled over, spilling freely down his cheeks. "You told me everything would be fine, that we had nothing to worry about, 'ttebayo! You promised me everything would be alright, that we'd make it all out alive, together! That's what you and Ma said! Damn it! You told me we'd defeat Cronus-! Why didn't you tell me the truth, that you and Ma would- that you'd have to-" he broke off, sobbing, his shoulders shaking from the force of emotions. "That you'd end up trapped up there...!" he finished in a pitiful, dejected whisper.

Sakura's eyes lowered sadly. The pain in Naruto's voice was heart-breaking. She felt her own eyes sting.

"We needed you to remain focused. To survive. To protect everyone else." Minato answered gently.

"I- I failed," Naruto sniffled. "I couldn't save Hinata's family, and-"

"But she survived, didn't she?" Minato's eyebrows arched upward. "And you are still here. You did not fail, my son. You lived on, as your mother and I wished and hoped you would."

"Why did you have to sacrifice yourselves?" Naruto questioned again.

"The seal we used was a Death contract. A forbidden jutsu, unknown even to Cronus. It was the only way to strip him of his powers and trap him on the summit." Minato explained. "But we knew his plans did not end with the war. Sacrificing his clan was only the first step toward achieving his ultimate goal. Kushina and I had no choice but to invoke the Reaper seal. As soon as the barrier was erected around Olympus to prevent him from leaving, our souls were forfeit."

"Edo-tensei," Kakashi nodded. "And the Rinnegan. We now know about that."

Minato shook his head solemnly. "I am afraid there is far more to it than merely that. Using his control over chaos and space-time manipulation, as well as the abilities afforded by an awakened Rinnegan, Cronus intends to cross through dimensions to locate and resurrect the ten-tailed beast, which absorbed the goddess Kaguya herself."

Sasuke's lips tilted down to form a slight frown. The Ten-Tails? He had heard of it in legend, but surely that creature was no more? Its chakra had been split into nine other tailed-beasts.

"But the ten-tails is no more," Kakashi said, voicing Sasuke's thoughts.

"For now," Minato responded gravely. "In order for it to be resurrected, all nine tailed-beasts must be extracted from their jinchuuriki and placed back inside the sealed body of the Ten-Tails. At the time of the war, Cronus had already managed to remove three of the beasts from their hosts. We deduced that he had these sealed away in a continuum for safe-keeping before we trapped him on Olympus. Essentially, he intends to gain control of the Ten-Tails' Rinne-Sharingan. The All-Seeing, All-Knowing Eye, which would afford him absolute command of time's flow itself."

"But why?" Naruto sputtered. "What's he trying to do?"

Minato's keen eyes scanned over them. "He wishes to cast an Infinite Tsukuyomi over the world by projecting the Rinne-Sharingan onto the moon's surface itself, thereby trapping all of humanity and immortals alike in a dream state. This would allow him to draw from the chakra of all living things. He intends to fuse with the Ten-Tails as its eternal host and master, and with its powers, be the one and only god who reigns supreme over all functions."

Sakura raised a hand to her mouth in horror.

"The surface would bow to his will. The Underworld and the oceans, he would control all with a mere thought," Minato went on. "With everyone caught in the illusion, his supply of chakra will be never-ending, limitless. The world will be his to do with as he sees fit. He will live on eternal, absorbing all abilities and chakra, unchallenged by any other god. He would be worshipped by all, undefeatable and undeniable."

"What?!" Naruto and Sakura gasped in dismay.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed skeptically. How was it even possible for one deity to gain the roles of all others? Too much power would render him unstable, surely. And if he did that, what would that mean for the rest of them, for their existences?

Kakashi began, stunned. "If he absorbs all other abilities, then we...?"

"Yes," Minato affirmed softly. "Your very existences will be terminated. His absolute command over space-time will mean that even the void and pure realms can be tainted by his influence. Whatever remains of your chakras and spirits will be fed to the Ten-Tails, enhancing its powers. His bond and mastery over the creature is what will allow him the ability to absorb all chakra and powers."

"He's out of his mind!" Sakura exclaimed. "Why didn't you just kill him, instead of stripping him of his powers?"

"Cronus cannot be killed." Minato answered patiently, his bright gaze coming to rest on her. "He is amongst the most ancient of the Titan deities. Without him, without chaos, the universe cannot continue to be. The stars, the cosmos, the very elemental reactions that allow for the conditions of life in this world - all of them are borne of chaos. His extinction would negatively affect time's flow, also. The world would be out of balance. He can only be sealed away. Unfortunately, we did not possess enough strength to do anything more than seal his powers and lock him up on Olympus. In reality, he needs to be incapacitated, unconscious but not dead, sealed away into a space-time void nobody else can reach until time's end. We had not the means back then to do this."

"If those are his real intentions, then he has to be stopped once and for all!" Sakura cried. "Even now, he's trying to break out of the binds placed on him."

A small smile curved Minato's lips. "You are right, young Sakura. If any of this comes to pass, it will already be too late for humanity and for you all. He must be stopped before the summoning of the Ten-Tails can be completed."

"And... this is the true reason we went to war?" Kakashi questioned. His eye slipped onto Sasuke, reading the stiffness of his posture which betrayed his internal discomfort.

Sasuke felt every muscle in his body tense. A cold chill washed over him, as he listened in muted shock and abject disbelief, to the words that were being spoken.

Was it truly possible that Madara… had intended this all along? That this calamity was what he had been truly working toward from the very start? This was what he had sacrificed his family for? Fury flared within the death deity, burning like a raging inferno at the realisation of the real extent of Madara's endless selfishness.

"Yes," Minato confirmed. "The war on his end was never about raising the status of the Uchiha, never about restoring them to glory. It was only about furthering his own designs. He manipulated and used his kin as pawns to march against us." He paused, his cerulean eyes lingering on where Sasuke stood, his gaze lowered, hands closed into tight fists at his sides.

"Hades," he addressed Sasuke respectfully, avoiding the use of his personal name as a non-familiar. "I know this will pain you to hear. You may spurn my words, but they are the truth; we took up arms against your clan to halt Cronus in his ambitions. It pained me that there was no way to spare your kin. I exhausted all options in a search for a way to avert the war. But when he stole Kore from us, the very essence of life on the surface, he forced my hand, and I could no longer stall my actions. I had to take the only stand available to us - that of the greater good, where sacrifices were necessary on all sides.

Understand that Cronus is our common enemy; he orchestrated it so that your kin would all be doomed to perish the moment they took up arms against us. For this same reason, we lost many of our fighters in the fray. There can be no winners in a battle between life and death. They co-exist. They are not intended to be at war with one another."

Naruto released a shaky breath. He glanced across at Sasuke, who refused to meet his gaze, and opened his mouth, as if to say: I told you so - but Kakashi lifted a hand in warning, signalling for him to leave it, to allow Sasuke time to process Minato's revelations.

Sasuke, who had listened to everything up to then in silence, was thrown. His mind's instinct was to immediately and angrily reject it entirely. Of course Zeus would paint himself to be a glorious hero of sorts, to be the righteous and honourable one. Hadn't Madara done exactly the same with his clan, only to reveal himself to be the ultimate, callous deceiver? Why would Zeus be any different? He didn't want to believe the words he had been told. That Zeus had known all along his kin would die, too, and so had chosen to act in the only way he had felt he could, in order to protect the greater good and the balance of life on earth.

Doubts filled his thoughts. How could Zeus have even known about Madara's plans? How could he have read them in such detail, and with such accuracy, unless Madara himself had revealed them to him? It was impossible.

"Madara lied. Maybe you are, too. You couldn't have known about his plans, or foreseen all of this alone," he accused, his tone unforgiving, his narrowed eyes full of angry suspicion.

"You are right." Minato agreed. "You are wise to question it. But I did not arrive at these conclusions alone. I had it from trust-worthy, highly intelligent sources that these were his plans. "

"From who?" Sasuke demanded coldy. If Minato refused to say, then that was telling in itself and would communicate all he needed to know.

An odd, fleeting, remorseful look passed across Minato's handsome features. He seemed to momentarily hesitate, as if debating what he ought to say next carefully - before offering, "The answers to all your questions you will find within the remaining relic sites. The chakra I have sealed away in them contains memory spheres. You may accuse my words of being insincere, and you have every right to challenge them. I would expect no less from you. But memories - they can tell no falsities."

Sasuke scowled at that. Until he saw proof with his own eyes, he wasn't about to allow simple words to mislead him, or alter his thoughts, as Cronus's had so long ago. And he knew Zeus even less than he had their former Patriarch. Unconvinced, he folded his arms across his chest, and said nothing more.

"Dad. Why didn't you tell us this was the real reason we went to war?" Naruto gazed up at his father with troubled eyes.

"Your mother knew," Minato answered. "Jiraiya knew. We could not afford letting it become common knowledge amongst anyone else, for fear that Cronus would come to understand that we had read his true intentions. The element of surprise is what allowed us to seal Cronus's powers away. Your mother and I made the decision to keep this hidden at the time of the war. There are many things we were able to keep hidden from his knowledge as a result."

"The Council," Kakashi gestured. "Are they not aware, either?"

Minato's expression darkened. "Keep your eyes and ears open about them."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "What does that mean?"

"That sometimes, people are so set in their beliefs, and in the old ways, they are unmoving to change. It is at that point that change is recommended and becomes necessary. Be vigilant."

His form was gradually growing more transparent. Sensing that they were running out of time, Naruto blurted, "Why were our powers sealed? You sealed a part of the Kyuubi in me - but I haven't been allowed to use it! It's been so much trouble, for so long, and the High Council won't let me do a damn thing with it! Why did you give it to me, if I'm not meant to use it to help everyone?"

"Your mother and I entrusted it to you because we had faith that you can use it," Minato smiled. "I consented to the High Council's wishes to seal all your powers away for a time, for the sake of a treaty they insisted was for the best, knowing full well that it would eventually come to be reversed. That is why you are here, to begin that process. It was clear to me that Cronus would never abandon his plans, that he likely had alternate routes of action prepared to unlock his own powers. And so I planned accordingly in turn. There are many things he has not anticipated, hidden away to counter his own actions. You will come to know these, in time.

Naruto. Once your powers are unsealed, the High Council has no further authority over you, son. You are the rightful heir to the throne of Olympus. You are free to wield the Kyuubi's chakra as you see fit, to protect humanity and those dear to you. Do not fear Kurama. If anyone can tame him, it would be you. Rest assured, for all his grumbling and general unpleasantry, he hates Cronus with just as much passion as us all."

"And… Ma?" Naruto's voice dropped. "Will I… see her?"

Minato's expression grew regretful. "Only one of us was able to spare chakra to speak with you. Your stubborn mother insisted it ought to be me, though I argued otherwise. You will remember, I wasn't ever much good at winning any of our disputes..." He grinned sheepishly in recollection, rubbing the back of his blond head.

"Yeah..." Naruto then lifted an arm to his face, as he was overcome with a fresh wave of emotion. "If… if you see her… tell her that I- that I'm looking after myself. That I have great friends - all of them - even the ones that hate me…"

"..." Sasuke's eyes slid surreptitiously onto him, and a fresh wave of anger filled him. He wanted to tell the idiot to shut up - but his tongue wouldn't move to form the words.

"And-," Naruto hiccuped. "Tell her I'm eating well, too! I'm not so picky with food like she used to say. Tell her that I've studied lots of scriptures. That perverted old Jiraiya-sensei taught me Sage Mode! That I listen to Kakashi-sensei and pervy old hermit, and to all my elders!"

"For the most part," Kakashi sighed, prompting another amused smile from Minato. Sakura stared up at him. She wondered how anyone could see such a brilliant smile, and not feel instantly at ease in Minato's presence. Everything about him exuded effortless royalty, grace and wisdom. She immediately had faith in him, found herself trusting in every word he said. She could see, quite clearly, why he had been the ruler and leader of all the surface gods.

"Tell her that I'm looking after Hinata, as best as I can, like she asked me to! Tell her- not to worry about me! That I'll do everything I can to free your bodies from that bastard's hold!" He sobbed emotionally. "I'll lay them to rest, and I'll- I'll do everything I can- to make you and Ma proud, 'ttebayo! T-to grow strong enough to defeat Cronus for good! I know- I'm not the smartest amongst us, but I'll do my best to figure it out! I won't stop until I do. I-I swear it, dad-! Tell her-!"

Sakura wiped at her eyes, overcome with sadness at Naruto's tear-jerking vow.

"As expected," Minato's voice said more faintly, full of love and gentleness. "Of our son. We are already more proud than you can imagine. And you're smarter than you know."

Sakura felt her throat grow dry when Minato's gaze next moved to her. His lips curved into another amiable smile.

"You have lived on," he remarked. "It seems the seal endured, indeed. As intended. I am glad for it."

His gaze then flicked to Sasuke briefly. Again, it seemed like he would say something else - but then chose to remain quiet.

"You placed it on me?" Sakura was hesitant to speak to this glorious vision of a King of ages long past. There seemed to be something so familiar about him, about the kindness and wisdom in his eyes, even though Sakura knew she had no memory of him. This was the god, she realised, who had helped her mother create her by infusing her with hallowed light. The closest thing she would ever have to a father.

"Can you tell me how to unlock it? How to stop the cycle? Will these relics free my powers, too?"

Minato shook his head, his form pulsing to almost invisible. "Your seal is not of my doing. It is not I who placed it upon you. I know only that it was a necessary intervention to keep your soul from passing on to the pure realm."

"Then who did?" Kakashi questioned urgently. "And how can we reverse it? This is Sakura's final life cycle. We must find a way to end it and restore her to immortality, or risk losing her forever."

"..." Minato blinked. "I see. Her final life cycle, is it?" His gaze then shifted to Sasuke and he spoke words that caused Sakura's heart to lurch in her chest. "Hades. I believe you may have the means to assist in this."

Sasuke's head snapped up. Naruto and Kakashi glanced at him in surprise, their astonishment mirrored on Sakura's face. She exchanged a brief glance with Sasuke, who then addressed Minato tersely.

"How?"

"The same eye that cast it. If you possess it, you will be able to unlock it," Minato stated. "That is all I was told of it. As I have said, I played no part in its execution - I only consented to it, as it was the only means to salvage the Spring Goddess's function and continued existence."

"No, please-!" Sakura protested in desperation, as the deity's luminous form began to disperse from its outer edges, breaking up into tiny particles of light. What did he mean?! That hadn't helped them at all. Who had placed the seal upon her, if not for him? She wished that she had questioned him about it first, but how could she have possibly done so, when Naruto had had every right to speak to his father over her?

"Wait- who-?" Sasuke took a step forward in frustration. The same eye? He already had the Mangekyou. Did Zeus mean the Rinnegan? But who would have possessed the Rinnegan in the past, to place such a complex seal upon Sakura? He didn't understand. Minato's words made the answer to Sakura's salvation no clearer.

Minato lifted his hands, looked down at them, watching as his body continued to disintegrate. "My time is up. Take the relic and step into the light. It will bear you back to the surface. Go with my blessings and stop Cronus at all costs."

"Dad!" Naruto dashed forward, anguished. "No, please! Wait, I-!"

His hand once again passed through the lights. A moment later, Minato's visible form disappeared entirely.

"You have become a splendid young god, Naruto…" His fading voice echoed around the space. "I promise to tell Kushina everything…"

With that, his lingering presence faded away, and in its place was a floating stone stele, bearing ancient engravings carved upon its surface.

The first relic. Naruto stepped to it, and reached out. Holding his breath, he took hold of it. It was cold and hard, lighter than it appeared in weight and bore the first of an order of hand-seal symbols.

A circle of golden light appeared on the ground behind them, rotating on the floor. Kakashi took the relic from Naruto's hands, and lifted his eye-patch, copying the order of signs with his Sharingan, just in case any damage or danger befell the engraved stone. Then he placed it safely into his backpack.

"Naruto..." Sakura moved over to her friend. His head was lowered, and he had fallen uncharacteristically silent. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Do you still not believe us, Sasuke...?" His voice quivered with poorly-restrained emotion. Sakura glanced across at Sasuke, who was regarding them both with cold, aloof detachment. "I told you that we wanted to stop the war, that you and I were meant to-"

"Naruto," Kakashi cautioned, cutting him off, wisely sensing that Sasuke was not open to any further talk at that moment. "Not now."

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked her friend worriedly.

Naruto swallowed thickly. His sapphire blue eyes were dark and red-rimmed from the tears he had shed. But a fire was burning steadily within them as he met her gaze. "Yeah. You heard my old man. We're going to stop that bastard's crazy plans, no matter what."

"Right," Sakura nodded, squeezing his shoulder encouragingly. "We'll do it together!"

"You bet, Sakura-chan," Naruto gave her a determined, grim smile.

Sasuke swivelled abruptly around and walked toward the light, turning his back to them all. He didn't want to see their sickeningly sweet little sentimental display of mutual support and affection.

"Well," Kakashi sighed. "We have what we came for. It's time to get out of here."

They stepped into the circle and it spun around them, enveloping them in warm and righteous golden light, whisking them swiftly and effortlessly back above ground.

The light faded from around them, and Team Seven found themselves back in the power supply room.

"At least we didn't need to trek the whole way back," Sakura commented, relieved for the mercy afforded by the warping light Minato had left behind for them.

"How very like Minato, to be so prepared," Kakashi agreed, as they climbed the set of steps that led them back out into the nightclub. Sakura checked her phone as they pushed the door open, blinking in astonishment to find that more than three hours had passed since they'd first entered the club.

"Hey!" The security guard stationed at the door looked at them in alarm as they stepped out. "You four! What the hell were you doing in there-? How'd you-?"

Sasuke, in no mood for further nonsense of any sort, glanced at him, his dark eyes glinting menacing crimson. The security guard's expression became vacant and he fell silent, proceeding to simply close the door behind them as if nothing were amiss.

At the late hour, the clubbing was in full swing. Sakura winced as the loud music blared in her ears, feeling the force of the bass reverberate through her skull. Wild antics continued to go on all around them as heaving, sweaty bodies danced in a frenzy and engaged in all manner of lewd debauchery. Sakura's shoulders ached from carrying her backpack, and all she could think about was putting it down and having a moment to process everything that Minato had said to them. About Madara and his true intentions. About the key to unlocking her own seal.

She guessed, from the silence that had befallen her team-mates, that their thoughts had taken similar routes. They forced their way back through the swarming crowd, weaving as best as they could to avoid colliding into anyone, batting away any hands that tried to reach for them and drag them deeper into the epicentre of the dancefloor. Eventually they arrived near the entrance, and Naruto came to a stop beside the closest bar to it.

"Kakashi-sensei," he called out to their mentor. "I'm feeling restless, dattebayo! I need a drink."

Kakashi paused, his eye scanning each of their faces. Naruto looked burdened and overwhelmed following his encounter with Minato. Sakura was clearly exhausted. Sasuke… Sasuke was his usual, antisocial self, but he seemed distracted, lost in his own thoughts. They were done for the day, and their next stop would be to rest at his house, which was closest in distance to the nightclub. Kakash supposed that letting off some steam before then would do no harm. They certainly looked like they could all do with a drink.

"Alright," he agreed. Clearly Jiraiya had influenced Naruto to appreciate alcohol like he did. "Sit down. Let's have a round."

"Oh," Sakura lifted a hand to protest politely. "Kakashi-sensei, please let me pay-"

"Take a seat, Sakura," he insisted tiredly. It wasn't an offer he was prepared to repeat, or even one he would usually make, but he needed a drink, too, and so did they. "Choose something. Try not to make it too fancy and hard on your old sensei's pockets, eh?" His lone eye crinkled into a smile.

They all slid onto the bar-stools. Sakura swallowed when she spied Sasuke leaving one seat between them, making a point to maintain physical distance from her when he wasn't required to shadow her steps outside of missions. He stared ahead, saying nothing to the bartender who asked him what he would like to order. The bartender stood awkwardly for a moment, before Naruto spared him any further blushes.

"Hey, Mister! Over here," Naruto raised a hand, beckoning him over.

"What can I get you all?" The brown-haired, freckle-faced young man asked them.

"Can we have the drink's menu?" Naruto asked.

"Certainly." He passed three across. "Here you go. Give me a shout when you're ready."

Sakura studied the leaflet. She had no idea what to order, and after debating with Naruto for a few minutes, settled on a mojito cocktail. As Kakashi and Naruto made their orders, she hesitated, and glanced across again at Sasuke. He was leaning forward, his elbows resting atop the bar table, his heavy-lashed gaze locked onto its polished granite surface.

"Sasuke?" she began. "Do you want anything to drink...?"

Sasuke did not reply. He didn't so much as even turn his head toward her. A bitter taste filled Sakura's mouth. Again, he was choosing to ignore her.

"Oi! Sasuke!" Naruto called. "Stop being rude. Sakura-chan's talking to you. Are you deaf?"

Sasuke muttered something to himself. Sakura's ears didn't catch it over the blasting music - but Naruto did.

"What'd you say? Not deaf enough?" He repeated incredulously. "What the hell's that meant to mean?"

Sakura gasped softly, affronted, and dragged her eyes away from him. Had he just openly admitted to not wanting to listen to her? Just what the hell was his problem?

"Naruto," Kakashi's voice interjected. "I already ordered him something."

"I hope it's something on the bitter side, like he is," Naruto remarked angrily, making sure his words were loud enough for Sasuke to hear.

The death deity showed no reaction.

"Naruto," Sakura hissed at him. "You're not helping things!"

"You heard what my dad said," Naruto frowned. "When's this stubborn asshole going to accept that we're all on the same side?"

"Just… let things settle a bit," Sakura pleaded, turning imploring eyes onto her friend. "Give it time. It's only our first day together. Don't be so pushy with him. This whole thing - all of it - hasn't exactly been easy on him, either."

Naruto blinked, and met her eyes. "He's being rude to you, Sakura-chan," he muttered. "I can take him being a dick to me, I'm used to it. But to you? That's not okay, -ttebayo!"

"I'm not just going to stay quiet about it, either," Sakura reassured him. "But for now, I'm giving it time, too. So just- give him some space. Okay?"

Reluctantly, Naruto nodded.

The bartender set down their drinks. Kakashi slid Sasuke's order straight down to him.

"Hoy. Sasuke," he called to the death deity. "Catch."

Sasuke's hand shot out at the final moment, bringing the glass tumbler to a stop before it could go flying off the bar table. He didn't look at them, or otherwise acknowledge their presence again, and he didn't lift the drink to his lips, either. Sakura sighed quietly to herself, then lifted her drink to her lips.

It was zesty, ice-cold and refreshing. Just what her parched throat needed.

"Maybe we can finally see Kakashi-sensei's face," Naruto leaned forward, to look toward where their mentor stood by the end of the bar-counter. Two women had stopped to chat to him. Sakura saw one of them gesture curiously at his face, and gaped. She would have never taken her teacher to be such a ladies' magnet.

She peered over Naruto's shoulder curiously. Kakashi was holding the glass in his hand - but had yet to down its contents. Surely he would remove the face covering at any minute and allow them to see him unmasked at last?

"You mean you've never seen Kakashi-sensei without a mask before? Ever?" she exclaimed.

"Hmm." Naruto's eyes squinted in thought. "I can't remember. He's always worn it for as far back as I can remember!"

Sasuke stared intently at the drink in front of him, hearing the easy conversation that was going on between Naruto and Sakura two stools away from where he sat.

The women who had been talking to their teacher giggled before walking off.

"Oh, oh, Sakura-chan, this is it!" Naruto enthused, gesturing with his drink in hand. "He must be about to take it off, now. He's lifting his glass!"

"Shhh!" Sakura hissed, gripping onto his shoulder. "Be quiet, Naruto! He'll hear you, and then he won't do it!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, I'll shut up!" Naruto whispered back.

Sakura bit her lower lip, eyes locked onto Kakashi. Both she and Naruto stared, wide-eyed, at their sensei's back, waiting for him to turn his head, to give them just a glimpse of his side-profile.

"..." Sasuke's eyes slid to the right, flicking briefly onto Kakashi in turn. When it became apparent to him that they would see nothing, he silently scoffed to himself that he couldn't care less what Kakashi looked like, and turned his gaze broodingly back to the untouched drink before him - only to stiffen when he detected sudden warmth beside him.

"Hi there, handsome," a voice purred to his left. Sasuke blinked, and slowly, his head turned, eyes coming to rest on a blonde haired young woman who had stopped right next to him. She was leaning forward, elbows atop the bar, offering a generous view of her ample cleavage that was almost spilling out of her barely there, little black dress. Her hair was wildly curled, and her eyes were light brown in hue. She was smiling flirtatiously at him.

His gaze didn't even linger for five seconds, as he went back to ignoring her entirely.

"I saw you across the dance floor," the girl smiled coyly, not taking a hint. "Do you have a name, or shall I just call you Tall, Dark and Sexy?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He toyed with the idea of making the foolish mortal who dared to stand far too close to him drop unconscious on the ground. Then he told himself he needed to exercise self-restraint. The clueless girl didn't have any idea who or what she was talking to.

"Aww, c'mon!" Naruto whined, as he watched Kakashi place his empty glass back onto the bar-top. "You gotta be kidding me!"

"How'd he do that?" Sakura gaped. Their mentor hadn't so much as seemingly shifted his mask even slightly. She glanced to her left, to see whether Sasuke had been following Kakashi too - only to suck in a surprised breath at the sight of a pretty girl who was standing far too close to Sasuke than Sakura was sure was socially acceptable - or even safe for her to do so. She watched, in astonishment, as another remarkably attractive red-head drew up on his other side, her white cat-suit glued to her curves in all the right places.

Sakura swallowed and averted her eyes as their playful conversation drifted to her straining ears.

"Oooh, the silent, mysterious type, huh? Can we get you a drink?"

"He has an unfinished glass right there, Chloe," the red-head indicated to her friend. "Maybe he's not much of a drinker?"

Chloe, the blonde, giggled. "I'm sure we could find other ways to loosen him up…"

Why those-! Sakura's eyes widened at the shameless insinuation. She ducked her head and snuck another glance across, her lips parting in disbelief as the girls lifted their hands and ran them all over Sasuke's shoulders, his arms. Sasuke remained deathly still, but his head had turned slightly, detachedly watching the movements the red-head's right hand was taking as it trailed over his bicep.

Sakura felt an unexpected, angry heat flare within her chest. What were those stupid girls doing? Their perfumes smelled cheap, their outfits were cheaper, and why was Sasuke letting them touch him? She turned her face away again, stared down at her half-finished drink. The alcohol had started to warm her body, and her cheeks were flushed with an embarrassment she didn't understand.

When she chanced another glance to her left, trying to feign that she was unaffected, she found that one of the girls was practically leaning all over Sasuke. Her jaw dropped despite herself, stunned.

"Come on, at least tell us your name, sexy…" the blonde girl purred.

Sakura had seen enough. Beside her Naruto was also being chatted to by a brunette who had stopped at the bar, and she didn't want to stick around to see that either, for fear that she would shove her off for Hinata's sake. Hastily downing the rest of her drink, she pushed herself off her stool, and wove through the crowd, seeking the exit.

"Huh? Sakura-chan?" Naruto blinked in confusion. "Where are you going? Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke's head turned at the call of her name. Dark eyes tracked her movements, noting the clear displeasure of her body-language. Why had she stormed off so suddenly? His gaze then lowered onto the hands that were fawning at him as an impossible thought crossed his mind.

Had Sakura… gotten jealous? The very idea was ludicrous, given how he knew she felt about both him and his Kingdom.

When she paused at the exit stairs to throw a glance back in the direction of the bar, her eyes settled straight onto Sasuke, and seemed to confirm his suspicions, for she quickly looked away as if ashamed to have been caught staring, and hurried out of the club.

His eyes narrowed and finally turned to meet the blonde's beside him. He ruthlessly commanded the air in her lungs to still. The girl blinked, alarmed, immediately struggling for breath. She flinched, as if scalded, and snatched her hands away, stumbling back as Sasuke held her gaze mercilessly.

Her concerned friend moved over to her. The blonde pointed at Sasuke weakly, before clutching at her heart. Sasuke blinked nonchalantly, finally releasing her from his deadly, asphyxiating hold. She gasped, dragging oxygen into her depleted lungs, and then she and her friend rapidly retreated from him, their expressions frightened.

Sasuke downed his drink in one go, swallowing down its bitterness. It burned his throat, and he instantly decided he didn't like surface alcohol at all. He pushed his stool back, and slipped around the bar, following Sakura out. The contract dictated, after all, that he had to keep an eye on her.

He found her leaning against the wall outside the club, her backpack lowered by her feet. A young man in a sports cap was talking to her, and she appeared uncomfortable, her shoulders hunched up defensively. Her eyes widened upon spotting Sasuke as he stepped out the club after her. Onyx clashed with emerald, before she quickly averted her gaze.

Sasuke walked by her and the chatting young man. No sooner had he done so, the youth, who had been casually flirting with Sakura, tensed, his head moving toward Sasuke. He blinked, visibly startled - and then hastily said goodbye to Sakura, before scuttering quickly off.

Sakura stared after him in alarmed confusion. She glanced suspiciously back at Sasuke, who had silently joined her in leaning against the wall, maintaining a carefully calculated distance from her as they waited for Naruto and Kakashi to rejoin them. The smothering silence that hung heavily in the air between them was alleviated slightly only by the loud thump of music that drifted out from the open club doors to their right.

"What did you do to that guy, Sasuke?" she finally asked.

Sasuke, once again, didn't respond, continued to stare ahead, watching the people who meandered about the lively night streets.

"Did you scare him off?" she pressed. "He was just talking to me. It wasn't like he was all over me." She paused, before adding, "Not like those girls were all over you at the bar."

She regretted the words as soon as they had left her lips, and blamed the alcohol in her system for loosening her tongue. She inwardly cursed; she sounded petty and jealous and he had heard it. She watched, horrified, as the right corner of his lips drew back to form a darkly wicked, stupidly sexy smirk. But he said nothing, only serving to infuriate and mortify her further.

The smirk was gone almost as soon as it had appeared - and yet still her face burned with indignation. She fumed to herself in silence. She had known that spending time with Sasuke again would feel awkward; however, she hadn't quite anticipated that it would also be so difficult. Her mind had seemingly erased that aspect of his character over the course of their time apart. She didn't even know how to address him anymore, how to begin a conversation about everything that they so desperately needed to talk about. How could she do so, when he shot her down at every attempt? It was utterly maddening, how he was brushing everything under a carpet, content to ignore the giant elephant in the room whenever they were alone together.

She had twenty more days, Sakura tried to reassure herself, willing herself to calm down. Just as she had advised Naruto, she needed to be patient, too. The time would come when she would confront Sasuke - but it couldn't be then, following a mission that had exhausted them all, and with alcohol running through her blood.

Instead she busied herself with her phone and disregarded him in turn, responding to messages from her friends and mother. She wouldn't, she told herself, lose her cool around him. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her upset or riled. They weren't in the Underworld anymore, and she wasn't that timid, clueless girl she had been before he'd turned her entire life upside down. She was a goddess in her own right. Not in physical form right then, but by birthright; her soul was immortal. He was King of the Underworld, Lord of the Dead - but she was the reason life bloomed on the surface. Sakura had every right to be acknowledged and treated with respect - and he was showing her neither respect nor any form of acknowledgement by choosing to cold-shoulder her, as if they barely knew one another.

Telling her not to speak. Expecting her to obey. Not responding to her. Who did he think he was?

"Ah, there you both are," Kakashi's voice broke into her thoughts, as he and Naruto exited the club and joined them. "Well, we're done here. Let's make contact with the others, and get some rest. We have a long journey ahead of us, tomorrow."

Uchiha Madara's eyes narrowed as he gazed into the rippling water that surrounded the large, white marble platform he stood upon. The circular room, surrounded by engraved stone columns, had once been a beautiful, resplendent area for recreation, a place for sirens and other aquatic creatures to enjoy. Hera had been known to be fond of them, and had commanded a deep pool to be constructed that allowed ocean folk to teleport and spend time in Olympus's waters. There were connecting passageways beneath the water's surface, underground aqueducts that led to all the water points of the palace.

"You say that Sasuke is now in the company of the surface gods?"

"I have seen it," Orochimaru confirmed behind him. "It isss the penalty that has been enforced upon him by the High Council following his trial. He is to assissst in the unlocking of their powers."

Madara sneered contemptuously at the news. Finally, the High Council had possessed the mettle required to authorise the removing of the surface deities' seals. A counter-measure for what they claimed were his own transgressions of the truce pact agreed between them. He cared not for the Council and their opinions. He had always considered them decidedly beneath him, a symbol of weakness on Minato's part. Why would a supposedly great leader share authority and require the aid of other advisors to rule? It was another example of Minato's foolishness.

"So they would use one of my shadow children's powers for their own benefits."

He was displeased. No doubt they had invoked a binding contract upon Sasuke, essentially enforcing his assistance. He could only imagine how livid Sasuke had to be, compelled to help the very gods who had taken up arms against the Uchiha clan.

"It would appear that Zeusss hid away the means to unsealing their abilities, presumably in different locationsss, and Sasuke-kun is journeying with a party of three to reverse the seals. I have it from our source that this quest will last a number of weeks, at leassst."

"Hmph. Clever Minato," Madara said mockingly. "I should have expected as much from him. A way to unlock their seals that overrides even his own High Council's authority."

"Brilliant, indeed," Orochimaru commented.

"Tell me," Madara demanded. "In whose company is Sasuke travelling?"

"Hatake Kakashi. Uzumaki Naruto. Haruno Sakura," Obito answered, from his position leaning against one of the closed double arched doors leading into the pool area.

Madara's eyebrows lifted. "Indeed…" he purred. A smug smirk graced his lips. It was convenient. Almost too convenient. "Then now is the perfect time for us to act. We must prevent them from completing their task at all costs. I want the surface gods crippled for as long as possible."

"They entered a location off-limits to uss," Orochimaru informed him. "I was able to track Sasuke-kun to the initial place, but there was a powerful chakra barrier that prevented usss from entering after them the deeper underground they travelled. They are collecting artefacts, I am told, which contain instructionsss on how the unsealing is to be done."

A barrier set to respond to and permit entry of only specific chakra signatures? Madara's dark brows drew together. Minato would have had to have planned such powerful sorcery very intricately, and well in advance. He would have had to have gained traces of all the signatures of those permitted to enter, and woven them within the barriers. Just what other precautions had Olympus's fallen monarch put in place to counter him?

"How many of these locations have they left to visit?"

"I wass not provided with the full information," Orochimaru admitted. "But the curse seal will allow me to continue to track Sasuke-kun in his movements at all times... and to learn more of his intentionsss."

"Intercept them along their journey," Madara ordered. "No doubt the surface fools will attempt to sway Sasuke to their side. That must not be allowed to happen. I would sooner rip out the boy's beating heart from his chest than have my only remaining descendant used as a surface pawn against me."

Orochimaru listened to this in silence.

"If Sasuke has been forced to assist them, then he will be angry. I may be able to secure his cooperation yet - if we plan our courses of action carefully," the Uchiha Patriarch continued. "The priority remains to capture Sasuke and the mortal girl. Bring me Minato's son, too."

"And what of Kakashi...?" Obito questioned.

Madara paused. "I have no use for him. Gouge out his Sharingan." He angled a pointed glance back over a broad shoulder. "It does not belong to him, after all."

Obito inclined his head in acquiescence behind him.

Sakura shifted, trying to find a comfortable position on the sofa that would serve as her bed for the night. After leaving the nightclub, they had picked up some takeaway food and then made their way to Kakashi's apartment, a short fifteen minute drive away, to shower, rest and recuperate following their gruelling ordeal underground.

She stared up at the ceiling, her body exhausted, but her mind hurtling at full speed. She couldn't get Minato's words out of her head.

"The same eye that cast it. If you possess it, you will be able to unlock it."

Which eye did he mean? Whose eye had placed the seal upon her? Did Sasuke have any idea about it? She turned her head, her gaze falling onto where Naruto was already snoring away on the futon Kakashi had laid out on the rug in the living room floor. Their mentor was in his bedroom, and Sasuke, she realised, was nowhere to be found. No doubt sulking to himself outside, she imagined.

She sighed tiredly, fidgeting with the duvet cover. If the key to unlocking the vicious cycle of rebirth lay with Sasuke, and had been with him all along, then it seemed to be far too much of a coincidence. That they had been together in the past, only to meet again in what would become Sakura's final life-cycle. For them to be tied in the manner that they were, through the seeds she'd ingested. Had it all been intended from the beginning? Part of someone's elaborate plans? How was that even possible? And yet the more Sakura thought about it, the more plausible it seemed, even despite how crazy it was in equal measures.

Minato had to have known more about it, but his chakra had faded before she'd had the chance to ask him anything else.

She turned restlessly onto her right side, frustrated by the lack of clarity. Any day, at any moment, she could have another attack. Why did she feel as though her time were running out? Why couldn't she shake the unsettling feeling that something was soon bound to go wrong?

Her gaze flicked onto the ticking clock on the wall. It was already almost 2AM, and they would need to be up at half past seven in the morning, Kakashi had told them. She had to get some rest. If she just closed her eyes, then surely she could manage at least an hour…

Her thoughts continued to spin in riotous circles, and she continued to toss and turn on the couch, until eventually, out of sheer exhaustion, she succumbed to the embrace of slumber.

The club was brimming with masses of dancing ravers, their moving bodies casting multitudes of shadows against the neon blue walls. Hands were raised to the ceiling as if in worship of the booming beat that resounded from the speakers.

In the midst of it, in the centre of the heaving throng of writhing bodies, Sakura stood, surrounded on all sides by a sea of strangers, arms lifted above her head, lost to the rhythm of the seductive song that pulsed in the air around her, infiltrating her ears, flooding into her very veins. The music dictated her motions, and she closed her eyes, swaying in time to the beat, feeling its notes touch her very soul. She was soaring. She was on another plane. There was nothing but the rhythm and the night.

She felt an overwhelming presence behind her, and immediately shuddered. He had come. His body had answered her own's call. Hands slid over the gentle curves of her swaying hips, and she felt the warmth of his breath stir strands of her hair above her left ear. Another, delicious shiver shot down her spine, as the fingers at her waist gripped tighter, possessively, and she was pulled back against a heated, strong body that cradled hers close.

Soft lips brushed over her ear.

"Sakura..."

His voice settled around her, like black velvet, like the night itself, pure dark seduction that sang to her senses, ensnaring them in a way no musical instruments ever could. The crowd disappeared out of focus. There was only him, his closeness, the way he held her against his front. The tingling of her skin as he leant over her shoulder, dragging the tip of his nose down the side of her neck. Her eyes fluttered open, lowering to the hands resting on her waist. Slender dark shadows rolled from his fingertips, black wisps that travelled upward, caressing the outer contours of her body. She felt the touch of darkness, his element, like liquid, cool, sensual silk, as the shadows coiled delicately around her arms, her throat, licking and kissing at her burning flesh.

The desire to submit, to be consumed by them - to be consumed by him - was overwhelming. Her heart raced. Pounded for him. Her entire body was hyper-aware of his presence, alert and alive as if he were a high-inducing drug injected straight into her blood-stream. She sighed, her eyes still closed, as his lips grazed over her left shoulder in a feather-light touch that left her craving more. So much more.

A low, breathy moan escaped her throat and his name tumbled from her lips as his hands slid from her hips, up higher, higher, leaving trails of pleasure, sweet shocks of electricity, in their wake.

"Sasuke…"

Sakura bolted upright on the sofa, breathing heavily. The memory of the packed club, of Sasuke's fingers digging into her hips and his lips ghosting the outer curve of her left ear, still lingered all too clearly, all too tormentingly in her mind. She released a quiet exhalation of breath, willing all remnants of the dream to subside, willing her frantic heart-beat to settle. She remembered how closely the death deity had pulled her into him. The deafening sound of the music. The shadows stroking over her body. The alluring whisper of her name.

She gulped. What was the matter with her? Why would she dream such an outrageous thing? She shook her head, mortified at her own mind. It had to be the stress of the mission, sending her brain haywire. Putting together images that she didn't want to see.

She was relieved to find that Naruto was still sound asleep on the living room floor. She could always trust that he would sleep through even the loudest of rackets.

Sakura ran her hands stressfully through her hair, glancing up at the clock on the wall. She had only been asleep for about an hour. She then turned her head - only to freeze at what she saw. Sasuke was perched up on the windowsill ledge, his handsome silhouette illuminated by the moonlight that spilled through the large glass panels - and his dark eyes were fixed right onto her.

Their gazes locked, and Sakura felt her heart jump into her mouth, as sheer panic overwhelmed her. Her stomach lurched, knotting with dread. She could see that a flicker of surprise had etched itself onto his face. His eyebrows then slowly drew together, as if in confusion. Instant horror flooded through her, and her face flushed in the darkness. Had she... called out in sleep? Had he somehow seen what she'd been dreaming about? It was impossible, surely? But his eyes had widened marginally and she could feel herself burning… burning…

His expression then changed to one of irritation, before abruptly walling off, and he turned his face dismissively away, back to the window where he was keeping sentry. Sakura remembered that unlike the rest of the deities, he wasn't one to sleep out of habit. She sat, frozen with shame for another long minute, before she shakily forced herself to get up to go to the bathroom, relieved when she closed the door and locked it safely shut behind her.

Resting her forehead against the cool mirror, she cursed herself, cursed her brain, and realised that it was going to be a very long three weeks.

Back in the living room, Sasuke stared out into the night, his mind overrun with turmoil. Unsettled. Stunned. Unable to comprehend what he had just glimpsed - and why.

Inside his chest, his heart was pounding.

Author's Note

See you next update! It will take a longer while to come out than this quick one, as I'm taking some time out to plan the next three relic sites, but watch this space!