Bab 43: Chapter 43 [END]

Menma just shook his head and smiled at him. "No… Naruto… I'm sorry I couldn't get you to understand… You've been living your entire life… with a distain for people… then, meeting Itachi was like a breath of fresh air to you. Then.. when he was taken away, it was like someone ripped that air right out of your body…"

Naruto looked at him in confusion. "Touching, but wrong." He said with a small chuckle. "No… when he was taken away… it was like giving sight to the blind… I began to see the world for what it was. I began to view everything the way it was meant to be… not the way they said it is." He said, once again infuriating Menma with that cryptically difficult dialect. "I received one eye that day, and.. 'In a Kingdom of the blind, the one eyed man is King'…" He let that statement hang in the air for a few seconds, clutching at his sides. Everything within him was possibly broken at this point.

Menma remained silent, his mind trying to tell him whether he should believe him or not. There was no solid answer in his heart that he could lean to. If he were to believe this, he would be incriminating Sasuke… his best friend and newly made brother in law… what would Mito think… where would she stand if this whole thing actually came to fruition? He looked up to the eyes of his brother and for some reason, believed him whole heartedly… it was only when he looked away did he doubt his words.

"The people of today… they're weak." He said suddenly. "Thousands of shinobi within each of the villages… thousands." He said, accenting it when he said it the second time. "-and look what I could do with just a few hundred men and a paper bomb… There were many things I could've done… I could have taken each village's most beloved person and executed them with another nation's headband on… I could have disrupted the order of the mission income. That seems to do it… All those are great and all for starting a war… but that's not what I did." He said. "No… I proved a point… Even the individuals tasked with the lives of thousands are no different than me… a series of bad events.. and they're at the doorstep of madness… So.. when you call me a freak… or a psychopath… or whatever else you want… I urge you to look across that battle field at your fellow Kage. Watch that madness play out within their eyes and tell me how wrong I am…"

Menma sat back on his heels and stared up at the sky. Naruto's true intentions were just unveiled. Over all of the crap they were told, he knew that this was real. That was his plan all along. To prove the point that everyone was just like him. He wasn't trying to prove that point to anyone else but himself. Now, Menma understood. This whole ploy, this entire game was just a way to prove his own sanity before he died.

"You're right." Menma said with exhaustion lacing his tone. Naruto stared at him, clutching at his aching body, no chakra left to heal himself. "You're not insane…" Menma said, seemingly understanding. "Everyone has been telling you that… possibly since Itachi died… but, you're not… given the circumstances… I would have done the same thing." He said staring out through the trees.

Naruto chuckled and stepped closer to him. Menma shut his eyes, believing this to be the end. Then, in a moment of déjà vu, Naruto rubbed his head. "There you go buddy… Now you got it." With that said, Naruto walked by him, heading out of the foliage of trees.

Menma remained in his spot, not that he could move much anyways. Those words, he remembered them so clearly. Years ago.

Sitting on the couch in between Naruto's legs, Menma stared at the pictures on the page of the book in front of him. Mito was leaning on Naruto's shoulder looking as well. "Then, when all seemed lost. The prince came flying back in, using his shield to block the dragon's furious fire breath." Naruto read. Menma smiled in excitement. "The princess thanked him and asked for his sword. When he gave it to her, they waited for the dragon's fire breath to run out before they attacked. The prince let the princess get on top of his shield and he threw her up towards the monster. With a strike of her mighty sword, she cut his head off!" Naruto said triumphantly, receiving dual shouts of amazement from the two four year olds.

"Yeah! That was so cool Nii-san!" Menma said turning around to look him in the eyes. Naruto smiled at him and nodded his head.

"The princess was the best!" said Mito with pride. "She killed the dragon."

Of course, Menma protested. "Nuh-uh! She only killed him because the prince let her!" he yelled in the defense of his favorite character.

Naruto smiled at the ridiculous argument, but let them fight it out for the time being as he found a new book to read. It was a much more difficult book with words that Naruto himself probably shouldn't know at this age. Sometime soon, Menma snuck up next to him to see what he was reading.

His eyes locked onto the title written in bold letters at the top of every page. "Conn-vvoo- lou-tead W- are?" he asked trying to sound it out.

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "It says Convoluted War Menma." He corrected him. Menma opened his mouth in a silent 'Oh' and a nod.

"…What does that mean?" he asked suddenly.

Naruto brought the book down to think about that. He knew what it meant, he just didn't know how to explain it. "It means… difficult to understand… intricate.. I guess." He said realizing he used an even more difficult word to explain it.

"Well… what does that mean?" Menma asked, noticing this as well.

Naruto chuckled and rubbed his head in thought. "It means uh… it means the same thing Menma." He said with a shake of his head. "Hard to understand."

"Like… using big words." He said, giving a rudimentary definition of it.

Naruto was actually impressed. He sort of got it. "Yeah…" he said staring at him in surprise. He messed his hair up. "There you go buddy, you got it." He said hearing his mom call them for dinner. Menma smiled and ran off, yelling to his mom that he learned a new word. Naruto shook his head and put the book away.

Standing at the edge of a cliff, Naruto gazed out to the sea. It looked so beautiful right now. It resembled exactly what he was fighting for. The chaos of the waves finding unison among the ocean's surface. No one forcing it to be something it was not, no one commanding it… It was free…

Hearing footsteps charging towards him, he assumed them to belong to his mother. Turning his head slightly, he was right as he watched her charge him with a sword in hand, ready to end his life. He smiled softly and shut his eyes. Turning back towards the sea, he awaited the blade patiently. Each footstep like a timer, counting down the inevitable. He found delight in this moment. Almost peaceful for a few more seconds before the end of his short lived life. His existence was so much smaller than he hoped it would be, but such is life.

The footsteps were just behind him now, still charging with conviction and sorrow leaking from the source. Just as the last footstep ended behind him, so did everything else. Naruto opened his eyes, realizing he was not impaled or decapitated yet. Over the rain, he could hear what sounded like snickering. Peeking back slowly, he saw the top of his mother's head, hiding her eyes from his view. What's more, he saw the blade in her hands, trembling as it pointed towards his back. It became obvious that she wasn't snickering to muffle a laugh…

Turning around completely, he stared at the woman as her body quaked in a mix of sadness and regret. He gazed at her, remarking within his mind how fragile she seemed in this moment. There was a time when she was without a doubt the strongest woman he knew. Now what was she? A victim to the clutches of pain. Nothing more than a bag of flesh and bone, compacted within the hell that is human emotions.

"…Even after everything I've done… you hesitate…" he said in pure confusion. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but he expected to die in that moment. He fully expected to die by his mother's hands. He kidnapped her granddaughter and murdered her husband. What more could he do to warrant hatred on an unparalleled scale?

Kushina's face refused to look up and it was like some supernatural force was pushing her arms back, keeping her from thrusting the sword forward. Tears leaked from her vehemently crying visage. Her entire body shook and she couldn't make it stop. "I ca-… I c…" she couldn't even choke out her words. They refused to leave her mouth.

Naruto watched the conflict within her heart play out. Faced with vengeance or redemption, her heart refused to tell her what to do. Such was the struggle of life.

"I-haha!" she yelled out in a cry that was so heartbreaking it sounded like a laugh. "I c-Can't… do it!" she yelled out finally. "I can't do-…" she said, opening her mouth in a silent scream. The sword was still pointing at his bare chest as he stared down at her. Her words wouldn't be heard for a long while. Her tears wouldn't allow her the option to speak.

She clenched her eyes so tightly, praying that when she finally opened them, this would be all over and she'd be sitting at the dinner table with her entire family, including Naruto. She and Minato would serve the plates and listen to Mito and Menma arguing while Naruto read his book aloud to the grandchildren who would listen intently. That's all she wanted out of life. Was she selfish for wanting something so beautiful?

Before she knew it, she could feel her sword shake, as if someone were grabbing it. It wiggled and pushed back against her slightly. Her eyes remained clenched and her body continued to tremble beyond her control. The rain beat down on her with a vengeance, but for some reason she couldn't hear it. She couldn't hear anything but a soft thud. It was a really soft thud. Resounding rhythmically. 'bum-bum… bum-bum'

Opening her eyes slightly, she saw nothing more than the blade… piercing the bare chest of her son. His right hand wrapped tightly around the bottom end of it, ignoring the way it was sawing into his hand. Her forehead was resting just above where his heart would be. The tears continued, even increasing in its intensity as she held onto the hilt of the blade.

Slowly, his other hand came into view and covered her hands gently. He softly removed her hands from the blade, leaving it jammed within his body. He took a timid step back as if testing the waters. Then, he took a few more. Kushina was shell shocked as she stared at him backing towards the edge. Her eyes met his and in a flicker of something, she noticed how much more like his old self they looked. Maybe it was the true smile he was sending her way.

She wanted nothing more than to reach out right now and grab him. Tell him everything would be ok by tomorrow. Promise him that nothing bad would ever happen to him, and that she would always be there for him. How ridiculous would that be…

Naruto smiled once more to her, steadily retreating as he held onto the swords blade. "Goodbye… Kaa-san…" he said slowly. Just like that, he fell back. Kushina lost sight of him when he disappeared among the edge of the cliff. That would be the last time she heard him call her that, even though she lost the right to such a title many years before.

Kushina dropped to her knees and covered her mouth before the scream that rested at the back of her throat was released with the air she took in. She lost him twice, this time for good. Why did it hurt so much more the second time around?

Before she knew it, Menma was holding her in a comforting hug from behind, guessing what happened by the blood running down with the rain. He shut his eyes and mourned the loss of his brother. A man who lived his life in the shadows of his own mind and spent half his life being called insane.

Even after all this, he still loved him… Truly shows the obscurity of human emotions and how tightly bound they are. That was his brother… and he would never see him again. What's worse, he couldn't even decide how he wanted to remember him. As he was back when he was living in ignorance… or how he truly was? Regardless, he still had family to care for. Getting his mother to her feet, they walked off. The rain covering the tracks of their tears. When they made it to the shore line, there was a boat Menma hadn't noticed before, waiting for them. He questioned where it came from but took it none the less.

Naruto stared up to the surface of the water as he sunk deeper and deeper. The water even looked beautiful from down here… it was just a lot darker. He could hear nothing but the trembling of the water as the rain beat down on top of it. His entire life began to flash before his eyes. Granted, it wasn't much, but it was a taste of life and the feeling of death which he has experienced time and time again. This would be the last time for a long while.

His pain was no more… his struggles were gone and he did exactly what he set out to do. He tossed a stone into the calm surface of the pond they were living in. That first stone would in time incite others to do the same until the world settled back in to what it was meant to be. A world of freedom. A world of fairness. A world of chaos. Slowly, his vision began to blur. His eyes began to flutter shut and he could feel his end. The world was so beautiful… and he couldn't wait to see it once more.

His eyes opened again, he was now standing back on the cliff, watching the boat his mother and brother left on as it drifted away in the boat he placed there just a few moments ago. His mask back in place and unscathed. He smiled when the memories of what happened rushed back to him. As emotionless as he seems to be, his clones definitely take on a mind of their own. Even knowing what they are, they tend to get emotional towards the end of their life.

He watched his two family members leave, praying they heard his words. The world he sought would spell bad news for them if they didn't, but he knew that regardless of anything he said, Menma heard him. He had a family to care for. Whether he believed him completely or not, that uneasiness was placed within his heart. The roots of rebellion were deeply woven within Konoha's core. When the world was tossed into war once more, Menma would be ready. He had faith in him.

As he stood there in the rain, staring out to the blur of the distance, no longer able to see the boat. A slender hand snaked its way onto his shoulder. Ino, with her mask resting on the top of her head, leaned her temple onto his shoulder as they stared out to the sea together. "You know, you really should have put more chakra into my clone." She said with a smile.

Naruto chuckled and removed his own. "Ah, I think you did fine with the amount you had." He said pecking her lips.

She gave him an unconvinced smile and shook her head. "Yeah. Ok." She mocked slyly.

Naruto just shrugged at her unconvinced demeanor. "Well, Dr. Yamanaka." He said turning her and placing his hands on her hips. Ino smiled and wrapped hers around the back of his neck. "I've got a bear skinned rug date waitin' for us wherever we go." He said making her smile. "Just say where and we can spend the rest of our lives watching this madness unfold."

Ino looked around in thought before she just shrugged. "Let's just get in the boat and drift away… wherever we land is where we stay." She said.

"Dangerous, poetic, and reckless, but I love it." He said leaning forward and pecking her lips gently. "Let's go lose our minds." He said receiving a giggle from her.

"One more thing mister." She said taking his mask from the top of his head. She took hers off too and used a piece of ninja wire to tie them off through the eye holes. "For the next psychopaths who happen to find love." She said kissing the forehead of Naruto's. She then tossed them to the ocean, allowing them to drift away with the waves. Leaving the next wearers up to the direction of destiny.

(1 year later)

True to his plan, the world fell apart. When the remaining Kage returned to their villages, they found them already reminiscent of war zones. Apparently they had been attacked by unmarked shinobi and a few rogues. It was unexpected and left them all crippled. This did not deter the Kage from taking the actions they sought to term. It only forced their hand even more.

The first to attack was Kumo who went for the one nation unscathed throughout the whole ordeal, Kiri. While they fought, Suna went for Iwa, who in turn went for Konoha upon receiving the deceased body of their Kage. Konoha was quickly targeted and they were crumbled even faster due to the impromptu civil war they were thrusted into. The clans split and went their own ways, finding refuge in hiding. Menma and his family, including his mother and sister, went along with a few of the other clans, finding strength in a few numbers they could actually trust.

With the fall of Konoha, there was a rise in power among only Kumo as everyone saw it as the second best and most likely to hold the top spot. So, in a joint effort of Suna and Kiri, Kumo soon fell as well. With them out of the way and Iwa essentially left in ruins, the last two remaining shinobi villages tore themselves apart. Kiri was the first to fall, but Suna was not far behind.

Every individual present that day held a new level of respect for the monster that sent them down this path. Naruto Namikaze became an infamous title, and the mask he wore was the new standard of a monster. His deed was recounted and exaggerated in many different ways by almost everyone who had attended. It spread throughout the elemental nations with a vengeance, picking up steam as it went along. Within just a year, it became almost an old folktale. An implausible tale of psychological warfare on an unparalleled scale.

There were a few attempts to establish some kind of set civilizations, but as if it be by Naruto's design himself, they were all thwarted by individuals who did think like him. Individuals who believed he was right in his thinking. Chaos was a new thing to them because in this way, everyone was equal. There was a lot of violence and bloodshed, but there was also a lot of unquestioned companionship as people found themselves within the clutches of the hell around them. It was a world of freedom for all.

As for the two pioneers of such an age, they resided within a hideout in rice country. Their appearances drastically different from the way they used to be. Naruto had dyed his hair back to blonde, and Ino cut the red tips off. They looked far similar to how they did years ago. When things were worse in a way.

They lived a simple life as new parents, making their own food and watching the world tear itself apart, just as they knew it would. Crazy to think that it all started with a book or two. A young boy who read a lot gained the will to change the world he knew was killing itself. Witnessing the so called false gods was the fuel to his rage and their ignorance the match. He tossed the first stone and knew for a fact he would not be the last.

[END]