The Sun And The Moon

Chapter 32: Peins Epiphany

Naruto caught espy of Pein, this was going to end now, she leaped from stone to stone, preparing her final jutsu, the jutsu that would save the leaf, she leaped off the debris, her hand felt hot, this was going to be massive.

Pein watched nonchalantly, he hadn't the slightest drop of chakra left. He limply looked his head down in defeat, and in an instant, the Jutsu emerged in Naruto's hand, "Sorry, but I'm doing this for my village, giant- Rasengan!" She struck him with one vehement shot. The circumjacent had a depression in it due to the mass impact.

The sphere rotated, vigorously eating away at Peins back, and gradually became smaller and vanished permeating through the wind. Naruto looked at the man. She felt bad... Fukasaku told her earlier... He too was Jiriaya's student... He whispered it before taking his last breath...

She wondered, why would his student want something as malign as the Nine tails... "I'm sorry," she lifted the corpse laying it on a more dignified manner and closing shutting his eyes lids.

"Naruto, are you alright!?" Inoichi spoke in mid air, they made a search party consisting of Shikamaru, Aburame and him.

"Yeah, I'm alright." She looked depressed. Her enthusiasm was diminished. Her empathetic nature was going to be her downfall. Pein was a victim of his environment.

"Naruto, do you know what this is?" Shikamaru inquired, referring to the onyx rod in his had. She had staggered facade. She gingerly raised her index finger.

"Weapons, he attached me with them." She spoke irked at the the bitter memory.

"Close but not quite. They are chakra receivers." Shikamaru pointed out, "meaning the people you fought were mere puppets."

"So the mastermind is somewhere in the area. For chakra to be revived as fluidly as that it must mean they are high up." Shikamaru continued, he continued. She gingerly took the rod taking a few deep breaths. Shikamaru was nonplussed at what happened next; She vehemently stabbed her hand.

And in an instant, she saw them. The eyes of Six Paths, this gave off Peins location, "Dong follow me. We were both Ero-Senins students so this is personal."

Shikamaru and the rest nodded. They all knew about Jiriayas passing. Naruto knew too. And the night she eavesdropped at Mt. Myoboku, she cried herself to sleep. Some mystery's are better off left unsolved. She swore to take revenge. But the thought of Jiriaya struggling to end the vicious cycle of hate repeated in her mind. And so she decided. Why not let it start with her. Change, began with. She would carry on his will. She mediated for a few minutes before heading to the location.

She leaped from tree to tree. Pein was swallowed by hatred. Still, in the cold, baleful world, he remained an empathetic human. He cared for his people. He wanted peace, though her approach would be different, they both aimed for a similar objective.

She drew closer to the destination. Her eyes now had a slit when she entered sage mode, and their hue was a darker orange. She felt lighter too. Was this because of that transformation?

Naruto scouted the area. Everything looked normal. Apart from the papier-mâché tree with two stationery chakra's in it. She leaped higher busting into the tree.

Pein and Konan were startled, "How did you find us!?" She made hundreds of paper shuriken, all aimed at Naruto, "Speak, bitc-

"Enough, Konan. She isn't here to fight." Nagato spoke. He looked so sickly. Naruto felt a pang in her chest. He drove himself this far. All for the sake of peace for his loved ones.

"Pein-

"Nagato. I'm Nagato." He emphasized. He wasn't as hostile as expected.

"Nagato. I know what you want is just, but actions done out of hate cannot be justified. Hate won't do anything... It will just continue the cycle, of senseless destruction, bloodshed and war. I want to change that-

"How God damn it- You've said it so many times it's driving me insane! I've tried every peaceful way, and all I get is betrayal on a silver platter, the only way you can change this word is with fear and violence! That's when people will truly be at peace-

"Wrong, sensei once told me... 'The cycle of violence is never ending. I've tried to break the chain, but can't find a solution. So I'm leaving it to you, remember, you can't do it all on your own.' Those were his words. And I found the answer-

"Then what is it!? Something I've searched for- for decades!?" He was beyond anger. Beyond dejection. Beyond frustration. What was it?

Naruto walked towards Nagato. She looked nonchalant, she hadn't any malign intent. Konan watched as she by passed her, arms spread, this wows the answer, the answer that Ero-Senin told her to find-

"It's love." She whispered, "Even if times are hard. Never stop loving your enemy... And sooner or later, they will love to you too."

Nagato was nonplussed, he had forgotten... He had forgotten how it felt to be in a loving embrace... She was warm, soft... He felt it... She pulled away, smiling at him... and just for a mere espy, he saw his mom... The woman who loved him so much... No matter what he did...

Subconsciously he shed a lone tear. Konan watched this phenomenon. He was showing emotion. She looked at the girl. She saw hope... A bright future, right in front of her...

"Uzumaki Naruto. I know my actions can't be justified as you said. I destroyed your home... And I can't do anything about it. But I can give back the lives I have taken." He smiled at Naruto. She was shocked. How?!

He closed his eyes. His aura became warm. This jutsu... This jutsu could make amends, "Rinne- Rebirth!" His lime aura spread out, entering all the corpse laying in the waste land known as the leaf. People watched in terror and joy as their loved ones came back to life.

He kept going for minuets, his life force was disappearing the longer he dragged it on, the woman seemed to know the risk of this jutsu. Naruto could tell it had a hefty price to pay, it wasn't an everyday jutsu.

Slowly the light disappeared, his head lowered as the light his life left him, "Thank you, Naruto." Those were his last words. Konan was crying quietly.
He choose her... The person he swore to capture was the one to carry his will.

"Naruto. Nagato died for your sake... He was the bridge to peace, and I his pillar that held him up. His actions showed me you were a much larger bridge to happiness, so I am now your pillar." She swore loyalty to Naruto. She was going to be leal to her and only her.

"Where's Yahiko?" She asked referring to Deva paths. Naruto instinctively knew who she was talking about and led the way, she leaped from the large branches. He was somewhere in the forest... The man was laying of the ground, he looked at peace. Good thing she took the liberty to set him properly. Konan has rapped Nagato's corpse in paper, and as soon as they reached she got Yahiko's body too. They floated by either sides of her, she looked sad.

"Naruto, have this." She made a bouquet of paper roses, Konan took a liking to her. She was so bright, and got to Nagato in an instant.

"Thank you." She smiled accepting the gifts. She smiled taking off with the corpse. Finally, she was starving, and her chakra was drained... She was fell, something warm broke her fall, she opened her eyes to see Kakashi. He looked bloodied, "Oh, Kakashi-Sensei?" She was so tired. Kakashi gently put her on her on his back.

He slowly walked to the direction of the village, she missed being carried around. It was nice letting someone else do all the work. The gates of the village which were still intact came into view. And the most shocking site was awaiting Naruto.

"Our hero!

"The child of promise!"

"We love you!"

Numerous voices exclaimed Naruto's praises, she was revered as a hero... Naruto felt skeptical when one of them grabbed her hand, was she going to get hit? But instead they hoisted her, she felt... Loved. This was the second she saved them. And she won all their hearts this time.

They hoisted her repeatedly singing her praises, was this real? She felt so free... They gently put her down, she was still weak so Shikamaru helped her, "Welcome back, Naruto." Shikamaru smiled, it was really rare seeing this. So she burnt it in her mind. But where was Sai? She couldn't see him anywhere...

"Yeah, it's good to be back." She smiled at him.

To be continued