Prologue

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This book is currently going through editing so it can be published onto Ao3! I hope those who are currently reading it aren't to offended by the sudden change that the editing will no doubt cause.
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The grass blew softly in the sharp embrace of the wind. No flowers to spare in early spring. Naruto looked at the damage of the last camp, his last camp. Grief came over him in waves, but he couldn't find it in himself to acknowledge them. I mean, how could he?

His precious people, the last of them, gone. Just like that, all of them are gone, his only family vanished only husks are left behind. Naruto's hair despite having been cut a month ago grazed the back of his neck, sending a vicious shiver down his body.

But the shaking never stopped.

They had been so close, so close to winning. Everything they worked so hard for crumbled to dust, just as Obito did. Sacrificed, his mind swirled over all the lives he's undoubtably failed. The lives he could have saved had he done something different.

Naruto resisted the urge to flinch as a hand came onto his shoulder. "Enough. That's enough Naruto." A rough voice said, Naruto didn't need to turn around to know who it was, Shikamaru. He had lead them to a... a temporary victory. They are in their early thirties now. Having fought so long.

It's like every time there was any sort of peace time, everything would crumble just as fast, there was never enough time to rebuild Konoaha.

Sasuke was looking over the destruction a desolate yet familiar look covered his face. Naruto nodded to himself before standing to his full height, the ground under him dented as they embraced his body.

Shikamaru was looking over the destruction himself, his face never changed, masterfully blank. Sasuke was almost on Shikamarus level, but the squinting of his eyes said otherwise.

"That's it." Sasuke said a grim look washing over his face. Naruto looked up his mouth open, ready to respond, ready to say that, it's not, but it never came out.

His throat constricted, knowing that the last thing he wanted right now, was to lie.

Shikamaru nodded, slowly taking a cigarette out of his mouth, "not a single soul to report to, not even about the casualties." His voice wavered. Naruto looked silently at his friend, Choji had been in this camp, exhausted. He had used his Justus fast, an Akimichi clan specialty. He would convert calories into chakra, having used the butterfly mode rendered him unconscious and severely weak.

Without warning Naruto jumped towards the wreckage of the camp, he may have given up, but he'd never give up on his friends, his precious people.

"So little to fight for, but so much to lose, it's almost poetic." Kurama snorted. Naruto didn't reply, he covered his face as dust flew into his eyes.

It was body after body, crushed, drained... he wasn't a medic, not in the slightest not like Sakura was. He just doesn't have the chakra control.

Naruto stilled as he saw a few figures standing. Talking... alive? A few more steps and he saw the familiar cracks of edo tensei. Orochimaru stood among them.

"Some sort of secret meeting?" Shikamaru growled behind him. The women, Tsunade turned, her hair swaying as her body did. Naruto felt himself step back but regained his composure.

"Naruto..." Tsunade started, but trailed off. She raised her hand as if to sooth a migraine but felt cracks instead. She growled under her breath but shook her head, ending an internal conflict. "It seems... we can make no use of Sakuras chakra..." Naruto's eyes furrowed, but nodded slowly, assuming Tsunade was just now informed of her late student.

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