Н‘¾Ð‘¯Ð‘¬Ð‘Μ Ð‘»Ð‘¯Ð‘¬ Н‘¾Ð‘°Ð‘Μ𝑫 Н‘©Ð‘³Ð‘¶Ð‘¾Ð‘º €¢Ð’Ƒ𝒙Н’Ƒ• No Sense

“Okay then!” Naruto said, prepared to jump forward.

“Wait a minute!” Hashirama interrupted his plan.

“Huh?!” Naruto exclaimed, taken aback at the sudden stop.

It was then, that Akashi realised what Hashirama meant. The beast in front of them was gathering an enormous amount of chakra and it was creating a giant Tailed Beast Bomb. It was getting bigger and bigger, until it reached a size that was even bigger than the beast itself.

The crimson glow the bomb gave off bathed everything in its light.

If that explosion somehow reached them… They would have surely been wiped off the face of the earth.

The ground rumbled beneath Akashi’s feet and he prepared himself.

Then, the bomb was released.

There was a brief flash of blinding light as the bomb hit the barrier. The barrier bent in all directions, swaying left and right, before the force of the explosion was projected up through the opening, towards the sky.

The barrier had held on.

Once the dust within the barrier cleared up, the Ten-Tails was revealed. It had scratch marks over its body, which indicated that it had hurt itself in the process.

“How nice…”. Akashi commented as he stared at the great beast. “It did us a favour of almost blowing itself to pieces”. Hearing his words, Sasuke glanced at him.

“If only it succeeded”. He added, making Akashi shake his head.

“Where’s the fun in that, eh?” Sasuke looked back at the beast, not saying anything in reply.

“Wow…”. Naruto commented, amazed at the sight before him.

“The previous Hokage were truly amazing people!” Sakura exclaimed, staring at the strong barrier.

“Looks like they weren’t just all talk”. Sasuke added.

Then, Hashirama created four clones of himself. “I’ll make entry points on all four sides of the barrier, so ninjas can go in and out!” He said. “Follow me!” One of the clones said. “All right! Go!” The real Hashirama commanded.

Hearing his words, Team 7, along with the ninja around them, dashed towards the Ten-Tails. “Right!” Naruto yelled out.

Akashi watched as another giant gate was summoned and this time, it fell atop the beast’s head. Clone Hashirama opened up the passage through the barrier and Akashi went inside along with everyone else.

Unexpectedly, the redhead sensed something weird. His eyes narrowed once he realised what was happening. The Ten-Tails was creating, somewhat humanoid, creatures.

They all varied in size and they all charged towards them.

“Don’t waver!” Naruto yelled.

Akashi heard that and advanced ahead of him. “I wasn’t planning to!” He pulled his arm back, willing the chains to appear and they did…

… But…

…They were different than before…

Their usual glinting silver colour was replaced by none other than…

… Pure crimson…

He whipped his arm forward and the chain followed, slashing through the creatures in a wide arch in front of him. They seemed different… Not only in appearance, but in power also.

They were way stronger than before.

Akashi didn’t know what was happening… He had no idea what the cause of that was.

His trail of thought was broken when one of the creatures whipped past him at a fast speed. Then, out of nowhere, Sakura appeared and slammed it back down, breaking the ground underneath it.

The creatures which surrounded it were also blow away.

Two giant ones towered over Sakura, but they were destroyed by Naruto and Sasuke. The said boys jumped to where she was and Akashi followed after them.

The four of them faced the enemies… Back to back.

“Sasuke!” Sakura exclaimed as the boy landed next to her. Akashi huffed at her overexcited tone at the sight of him and from the corner of his eye, he noticed Sasuke was looking at him, something akin to amusement shining in his onyx eyes.

“Shut up”. Akashi scoffed out even though the other boy wasn’t planning on saying anything. Sasuke shook his head and faced forward.

“Um… Akashi and I are here too, Sakura!” Naruto said, feeling like they were left out.

“Don’t drag us down, Naruto!” Sasuke said, but he only mentioned the blond.

“Huh?! What about Akashi?!” He questioned, glancing at the redhead next to him.

The said boy raised his hand, a crimson blade bursting to life a moment later. “I’m not dead weight”. Naruto blanched at his words, looking like he was offended by what he said.

“Naruto! Keep complaining and I’ll just grab the title of Hokage away from you!” Sakura spoke up and Akashi almost groaned out loud. Seriously? Her too?

“Sakura, you too?” The girl only grinned at the redhead’s question.

“This time, we fight with our backs to each other!” She added after a brief moment of silence.

Akashi gripped the hilt of the blade in his hand and glanced down at it. It felt different than the one before… Stronger… More durable, perhaps? But, something was familiar about it… Akashi just couldn’t wrap his head around it.

He could feel his own chakra inside of it, but there was something else there… Something which called out to him…

Then, he glanced at Naruto and watched as the bright orange chakra rolled over his body, completely coating every inch of his being. Was this what it looked like if one had complete control over the Nine-Tail’s chakra? Was this something Akashi could have achieved alongside Kurama?

Companionship?

Partnership?

…

Friendship?

He ached… His body ached… His heart ached…

His grip on the blade increased.

It was too late now.

Kurama was gone.

And he was never coming back.

There was no use thinking about what could have been. The present is now. The past is before.

He raised his head and looked at the roaring beast ahead of himself.

The future is ahead.

“Sai!” Naruto’s voice snapped Akashi back to reality. He raised his head and saw Sai flying atop his ink bird and towards the Ten-Tails. But, before he could even get close, one of the creatures threw something at him and it pierced through the ink bird, making it disappear. As he started pummelling towards the ground, Akashi watched as Naruto extended his chakra coated arm and grabbed him out of the air, settling him near them. “Are you all right?!” Naruto asked.

“Yes…”. Sai bit out, blood dripping from the cut on his cheek. “Naruto, can you share your chakra with everyone again?” Sai asked. Share his chakra? With the others? Naruto did that?

“I can’t right now!” He replied. “Kurama hasn’t finished amassing chakra yet!” Ah… Hearing someone else say that name out loud made things even more difficult for Akashi…

Kurama…

“In order to take down the main body, we need to mow down the big ones and slip past them”. Sai said. “The distance is too great to make a single leap for it”. An idea popped inside Akashi’s head… As he looked to the side, it seemed like the rest had the same thought. “We also need time to weave signs and repel enemy’s attacks”. He continued. “Without your chakra, Naruto, it’s very likely we’ll suffer heavy casualties”. He added. “And the Medical Corps can’t come up to the front”.

Akashi reached a finger to his lips and bit in at the same time as the other three.

“Mow down and slip past?” Sasuke asked and slammed his palm onto the ground. “Easy”.

“This guy has the power to clear the distance in a single leap and repel enemy attacks”. Naruto did the same.

“I can now stay nearby and heal anyone who suffers serious injuries at all times”. Sakura followed their example.

Akashi watched as the blood slipped down his finger. “That won’t be difficult”. He slammed his hand down.

“Summoning Jutsu!” The four of them yelled out at the same time.

A vast amount of smoke covered the space around them. Akashi gripped the thick fur beneath his fingers and took a deep breath. It’s been so long since he last summoned him…

“Cornelius… It’s been a while”. He greeted the massive wolf and straightened up.

“Akashi… You seem to be doing well”. Was he… Akashi almost laughed at the tone of his voice. He was actually pouting! A giant wolf! Pouting! Unbelievable!

“Don’t pout, you’re supposed to be the all mighty Blood Moon Leader!” Akashi exclaimed, tapping his foot on the wolf’s head. In reply, Cornelius shook his fur, almost making Akashi fall down. “Okay! Stop!” Cornelius did as he was asked.

“What needs to be done? I’m going to guess and say it has something to do with that thing ahead of us”. Akashi glanced ahead and watched as the Ten-Tails roared from afar.

“You are correct… I need to get over there, mind giving me a lift?” He asked.

“Of course… I need to stretch my legs a little”. Grinning, Akashi went onto his knees and grabbed his fur.

“Perfect timing then!” The ground rumbled as Naruto and his toad took off, jumping in the air towards the Ten-Tails. A moment later, Sasuke and his snake went ahead, slithering between the creatures which blocked their path. Sakura’s slug fell apart into little slugs and went to heal the injured ninjas around them.

Akashi felt Cornelius bend his legs and he took off a second later. The wind whipped across the redhead’s skin and his hair was pushed backwards from the force of it.

The creatures didn’t stand a chance.

Cornelius mowed them down one by one, leaving nothing but crumbling flesh in his wake. He quickly caught up to Sasuke and Cornelius continued on ahead.

Something akin to a gate blocked Akashi’s path, but it proved to be no obstacle to Cornelius, since the wolf just jumped over. Once he landed on the ground, Akashi stepped off him and let the wolf wreck havoc in a close perimeter.

As soon as the ground was beneath his feet, Akashi slammed his palm onto it and closed his eyes. He felt the chains burst out of his hand and into the ground. He sensed the chakra of the creatures approach him, but he did not open his eyes. The chains slithered under the earth and extended far behind the creatures.

Then, as the creatures were a mere few feet away from the redhead, his eyes snapped open. “Adamantine Dome: Chains of Doom!” The ground rumbled underneath him and he watched as the crimson chains shoot out around him and the creatures, almost looking like they were caging them all inside. They connected over his head, creating a crimson barrier which neither allowed anyone to enter nor exit.

As one of the beasts whipped its arm down upon Akashi, another chain burst out of the ground and wrapped around the thing, raising it into the air. The same thing happened with the other ones which were inside. “This is your lucky day”. He stood up, the chain following his hand as he raised it from the ground. “A very, very, lucky day”. His wrist slowly turned to the side and as that happened, the chains tightened around the creatures. “You get to die by my hand”.

Without another second wasted, his fist clenched and the chains ripped the things apart.

Then, from the corner of his eyes, he saw something. Naruto’s and Sasuke’s jutsu’s had come together to create something else. Something new entirely.

It slammed into the Ten-Tails and Sasuke’s Amaterasu spread over its body.

A moment later, Akashi willed the chains away, and they disappeared, leaving him in the middle of the carnage he was responsible for. The creatures had fallen apart, leaving just lumps of their previous forms to lie on the ground. A howl ripped through the air and Akashi looked off to the side and watched as Cornelius approached him.

“You seem to be fine on your own… Why did you need me at all?” The wolf questioned as soon as it came close.

“Hey, you needed to stretch your legs, right? You lost nothing by coming here”. Cornelius shook his head at his words and Akashi jumped up, landing on his back. “Go to where Sasuke is”. He said and gripped the ebony fur beneath his palm.

But, before Cornelius could even take off, Akashi sensed it…

He fucking sensed it…

Madara’s chakra!

Then, a painful scream came from atop the Ten Tails and Akashi knew…

That scream came from Madara!

“Akashi?” Cornelius questioned as he sensed the sudden shift in the boy’s behaviour. “Akashi?” He repeated when he received no reply. “What’s wro-?!” The boy’s weight disappeared from atop him.

“Cornelius, leave!” The wolf froze in place at the sound of Akashi’s voice. It sounded so…

So…

Devoid of everything and anything.

He watched as the boy whipped his chains out and pulled himself forward, towards the giant beast.

Since there was nothing else he could do, he closed his eyes and disappeared, leaving nothing but smoke in his wake.

_

“Lads! You’re all closer! Stop the jutsu of the one on top of the Ten-Tails right now!” Hashirama yelled out as he turned to where the boys were. Then, something caught his eyes…

… Someone, to be more specific…

Dark red hair swirled through the air as he boy was propelled forward by equally red chains. In his right hand was a blaring crimson blade, but that wasn’t what Hashirama was focused on…

He was focused on that unsettling look on his face.

One filled with nothing but horrible…

… Horrible rage…

_

Akashi grit his teeth as he neared the Ten Tails.

Madara…

He will pay…

He will pay for everything…

For his mother’s death… For his… father’s death… For being the reason Kurama was sealed into him and Naruto…

But, most of all, he will pay for forcing Akashi to do what he did… For forcing him to kill Kurama… To kill the only one who completely and utterly understood him…

He will pay.

_

He sensed Minato’s chakra spike and he sensed him create a Shadow Clone. Which meant… Not even a moment after that, the Shadow Clone had teleported away and Akashi activated the seal he had placed on Minato’s robes.

Since the Shadow Clone was a carbon-copy of the user, the seal was also on the clone.

The scene that greeted him was something he never expected. Clone Minato had cut Madara down, but… The thing which confused Akashi most were Madara’s words.

“Sensei…”. That was what he had said. Sensei? Why would Madara call Minato sensei?

Then, after Akashi heard Clone Minato’s next words, he understood. “Obito!”

This wasn’t Madara.

“That… was you?” What was he? Did Minato realise it? Did he realise that his own student was the cause of his demise?

Akashi stopped in his tracks as Obito collapsed onto the ground, unmoving. “A Flying Thunder God marking never disappears”. Clone Minato spoke up. “I didn’t teach you that, did I, Obito?”

“Minato…”. The said man looked ahead of himself and saw Akashi. “He… He…”. The words got caught in Akashi’s throat. The boy took a step back and was met with a solid surface.

“Akashi”. Sasuke said, placing a hand on the boy’s waist. “Is something the matter?” He asked, glancing at Clone Minato from across the redhead’s shoulder. The man was looking at them, before his eyes slipped down to where Sasuke’s hand was.

“You-!” Clone Minato began, but stopped once he heard another voice.

“This isn’t over…”. Obito spoke up, making them freeze in their tracks. “The war isn’t over yet…”. The moment those words left his lips, the Ten Tails, which they were standing on, started shaking. Not wasting another second, the three of them jumped away. Akashi watched as the Ten Tails started inverting on itself. The pressure of whatever that was happening started pulling them towards it.

“Dad! Sasuke! Akashi!” Naruto’s voice rang out from behind them and he reached his chakra hands towards them. Making a decision, Akashi pushed Clone Minato towards Naruto’s hands and watched as Sasuke and he were pulled back by Naruto.

“Akashi!” Sasuke yelled out, his eyes wide as he stared at the redhead.

Waiting until Clone Minato was on stable ground, Akashi activated the seal and teleported to the clone. His wrist was immediately grabbed by none other than Sasuke, who stared at him with furious eyes.

“What are you doing?!” He demanded.

“I’m fine, aren’t I?” Akashi pulled his wrist free from the hold the raven-haired boy had on them. The two of them stared at one another, not breaking eye contact.

Before they could continue on with their little spat, sudden cracking made them bring their attention back to the problem at hand. The Ten-Tails had turned into a large white ball which was starting to crack.

Then, it broke.

“That’s…”, Naruto began, staring at the sight before them.

Obito hovered in the air as the shards fell around him, his skin now a pale grey colour. What the hell…? Akashi’s eyes widened at the man’s appearance. He… He no longer looked human…

“… the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki!”

Obito’s eye slid open, revealing the Rinnegan.