The Gedo Statue's mouth closed.
The Chakra of the seven Tailed Beasts was once again injected into the statue's body. Seven of its ten eye sockets lit up with a dim blue light. The ritual was ready.
Makoto summoned the Chakra chains of the Gedo Statue. The Rinne Sharingan in his left eye began to spin. The technique was about to activate.
At that moment, Sakura rushed forward, grabbed Sasuke's hand, and knelt on the ground, crying and shouting with teary eyes: "Don't go, Sasuke-kun, onegai! Without Sasuke-kun, watashi..."
Then Sasuke lowered his head, those eyes now holding only pure coldness.
"You are really always thinking only of yourself."
Sakura, kneeling on the ground, widened her eyes. Finally, she slowly released Sasuke's hand and collapsed weakly to her knees.
"Are you done?"
Makoto's voice came from the side, with a touch of impatience.
He was holding the Gedo Statue's chain with one hand and raising the other, ready to form hand seals, and had been holding that pose for a while.
Sasuke nodded firmly once more.
The Rinne Sharingan in Makoto's left eye suddenly flashed brightly. A crimson light surged from his pupil and disappeared into Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke's eyes slowly closed.
His body began to fall backward.
In his final moment before falling asleep, the corner of Sasuke's mouth curved into a smile.
"Mom, Dad... Itachi... I'm home."
Naruto stood behind Sakura, staring at Sasuke's sleeping face, his lips pressed tightly together but not crying.
Reze noticed Naruto's silence. She tilted her head and looked at him for a while, finally unable to hold back: "Hey? You're being so quiet?"
During this Ninja War, the 'Konoha friendship' between Naruto and Sasuke had left a deep impression on her.
And now that Sasuke was saying goodbye to this world in this way, Naruto was so quiet, so Reze found that quite surprising.
Naruto lowered his head and was silent for a long time. His bangs fell, covering his eyes.
"...Maybe, for Sasuke, this is the best choice."
Makoto was even a bit surprised to hear this.
He had thought Naruto would, like in the original work, deliver his 'manly declarations' and refuse to let Sasuke leave, even if it meant breaking his legs and tying him up at home.
Makoto thought for a moment, then asked again: "So, do you want to go?"
Naruto looked up, his eyes full of disbelief.
"Limited Tsukuyomi allows two people to share the same dream."
Makoto explained. Wasn't that how it was for Naruto and Sakura in the original work?
Naruto digested this information and nodded without hesitation. "Yes."
Minato stepped forward, his usual gentle expression gone. "Naruto, didn't you want to become Hokage?"
If Naruto went to the Limited Tsukuyomi world, his family line would end.
Naruto turned his head to look at Minato, his eyes not dodging. "How can someone who can't even save a single friend become Hokage, Dad?"
Inside the mental world, Kurama, who had just completed his fusion with the other half of the Nine-Tails, finally spoke.
"Hey, wait a minute! If you don't wake up, brat, what am I supposed to do?"
He had finally regained his other half's power and, with the mediation of that old Sage of Six Paths, had reached an understanding with Naruto.
And now this brat was going to go dream in an illusion world?
Leave himself alone in this damn place, not even a soul to talk to?
'Motherf*cker, are you messing with me, brat?'
Naruto was in a dilemma.
He had just borrowed the Nine-Tails' power to fight the war, and then turned around and abandoned him. That was indeed a bit too beastly.
Makoto thought for a moment, then took out a strangely shaped fruit from his item slot.
It looked like a round pineapple with patterns on it.
"Eat this. It should solve the problem."
"What is it?" Naruto took it curiously. The fruit was very light in his hand.
"Paramecia Type: Revive-Revive Fruit."
Yu walked up from behind.
When he accompanied Makoto to escort Yukino to the One Piece World, they had collected many reincarnated Devil Fruits, including this Revive-Revive Fruit.
Makoto couldn't be bothered to explain the principle of Devil Fruits to Naruto. He simply said, "This thing can let you live again."
Then he told Naruto to bear the pain, and performed the Tail Releasing Method, pulling the Nine-Tails out of his body.
Naruto's back arched, his fists suddenly clenched, his teeth gritted audibly, veins bulging one by one on his forehead.
"Aarrggh—!!"
Amid the screaming, Makoto stuffed the Revive-Revive Fruit into Naruto's open mouth. The fruit's flesh turned into liquid the moment it touched his saliva, flowing down his throat.
Naruto's face turned green. It was so disgusting!
The pain disappeared from Naruto's body, but his heart didn't stop beating.
Minato crouched down to look at his son's face, felt his pulse, and then turned to Makoto.
"Incredible."
Makoto turned his head to look at the extracted Nine-Tails.
"From now on, you'll follow me."
The Nine-Tails didn't make a fuss this time. He just released a snort and laid down, like a golden retriever that had finally found its master.
Following Makoto wasn't unacceptable.
Makoto also performed the Limited Tsukuyomi on Naruto.
He poured Ocular Power into Naruto's eyes. A peaceful, satisfied smile appeared on Naruto's face. Using his last bit of strength, he looked at his dad: "Dad, tell Mom I'm doing well."
Minato stood there with a complex expression, looking at Naruto's peacefully sleeping face.
Hashirama walked over and patted Minato on the shoulder.
"The children have chosen the path they believe will bring them happiness. That's enough. As parents, we just need to support them."
Minato barely managed a smile and nodded.
Tobirama walked up to Tsunade. He looked at Makoto, who was more than thirty years younger than his grandniece, and wanted to say something but didn't know how to begin.
Finally, Tobirama simply said: "Take good care of yourself."
After saying that, he walked over to Hashirama, turning his back to Makoto. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop himself from hitting the kid.
"I'll send you off."
Makoto formed the 'Release' hand seals. The Edo Tensei bodies began to disintegrate.
Hashirama's face always held a smile. As his soul slowly rose from his reanimated shell, he was still waving. Waving at Tsunade.
Minato's soul rose the fastest. His gaze remained fixed on Naruto's sleeping face until the very last moment, when Minato suddenly remembered something and shouted: "Kakashi, I entrust Naruto's body to you."
"Yes."
Kakashi promised solemnly.
He hadn't really looked after Naruto for the first twelve years of his life. Although he had had his own considerable psychological problems, it was indeed too irresponsible.
And just then, as her soul was about to depart from her reanimated body, the reanimated Rin crouched beside Obito, sighed softly, and said: "Obito, let's go back to the Pure Land together to atone for our sins."
Obito's eyes reddened. As expected of his goddess. Even after knowing all the things he had done, she was still willing to walk by his side.
"Mm!"
Tears slipped from the corners of Obito's eyes, falling between the broken stones and disappearing into the dust.
Makoto was completely dumbfounded.
'Whoa, buddy, so you weren't dead yet!'
Rin's body was turning into specks of light, beginning to drift away like fireflies from her toes.
However, just as Rin's soul was about to depart, Makoto raised his hand and released the hand seals.
The disintegration of the Edo Tensei stopped at the critical moment.
Rin's soul was pressed back into that grey-white shell. She blinked and turned her head to look at Makoto.
"Uh, um, Commander, is something wrong?"
Makoto looked at Obito, who was at death's door, and stared back with wide eyes, saying: "I suddenly feel that letting this bastard dog have his wish come true would really piss me off."