Back to the past, Believe it!

Ch.58 The final speech

Naruto ran through the trees. He was sloppy. He was tired. His entire body was screaming at him to stop and rest.

Naruto felt his eyesight blur, but he forced them to refocus. If he were to convince Pein. Convince Konan, that what they were doing could be accomplished differently, he could prevent several tragodies. Though... The Akatsuki wasn't even supposed to be going after the tailed beasts yet. What sped them up? Naruto's eyes narrowed. He knew the answer. It was black zetsu.

He saw a large tree. He slowed his pace. He remembered this last time as well. The tree that was made from paper. Naruto felt himself get cut in several places as he walked toward.

He opened the paper tree. Konan looked up at him and so did Nagato, or at least as much as he could have.

"You are in no condition to fight. What makes you think it's a good idea to come here?" Konan said in a quiet but demanding voice. Naruto looked at them and sighed silently. "You knew so much about me. Things that you should not have." Nagato finally spoke up. Naruto looked at him.

"Would you find it hard to believe..." Naruto trailed off narrowing his eyes. Nagato remained quiet waiting for Naruto's response.

"I've been through this before. a fight with you, your six paths of Pein." Konan looked skeptically at Naruto. "The future... Is not very bright for anybody." Konan laughed silently.

Naruto stared his her direction. "The future? Is that really your excuse?" Konan's smile left her face into a grimace. "We are no fools." Konan crossed her arms. Nagato's expression turned dark. "You have the same chakra as the boy. The ninetails." Nagato's arms twitched with restlessness.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki. Just as you are Nagato Uzumaki." Nagito's eyes tightened at the statement of relation between the two. "In the end. Even back when I was 16 I had beaten you." Nagato did not respond.

"But... I didn't pummel you into the ground. I didn't mortally wound Konan." Konan's eyes trailed onto Naruto. "What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto felt his gaze darken but continued regardless. "We both have the same idea. To rid the world of hate. To end the cycle." Naruto felt almost reminiscent. "To unite Shinobi together."

Konan let her arms fall to her sides. "Jiraiya had the same view, in a way... He passed the idea onto us." Nagato looked up at Naruto. "What is your point Naruto." Nagato finally said. Though as you'd think, the words weren't laced in malice.

"You had entrusted the idea to me. To fulfill the dream of a peaceful world. Or a peaceful day." Naruto looked back up to Nagato from the ground. Thoughts were going on between the two. Thoughts of Naruto's words.

"Had you attacked this early... Because of black zetsu?" Konan looked at Naruto with wide eyes. "Do you know him?" Naruto looked blankly at Konan. "I believe there is a black zetsu from the future, trying to foil our plans of changing the future." Nagato made a quiet hum.

"That would explain the urgency. He seems to be truly scared of you Naruto." Naruto was slightly taken aback. "Scared?" Naruto couldn't help but question. "He had come to us, saying we needed to rush the plan, that we had no time to get more members first." Naruto crossed his arms.

"I see..." Naruto thought for a moment. "The plan, that Obito and Black zetsu provided will not achieve what you think it will." Konan looked hard at Naruto. "What does it do then?" Naruto let his gaze fall onto the floor. "It kills everyone. Taking the chakra from every living being, to revive a god of sorts. The bunny goddess is her nickname, but her real name is Kaguya Otsutsuki."

Konan looked hard a Naruto. "I see." Nagato finally said. "I see that we have been fooled." There was an upset expression on Nagato's face. Konan's and Nagato's thoughts filled with their old friend. "Obito no longer supports the plan. You do not need to worry about him any longer." Konan looked up at Naruto with bewildered eyes.

"Who is Obito?" Konan said confusion etched onto every feature on her face. "Obito is who you believe to be Madera." Konan mumbled quietly to herself. "Why would this Obito no longer support the plan?" Nagato asked. "Obito had also been fooled. He was promised that someone close to him would be revived." Nagato remained quiet.

"Thank you." Nagato finally said to Naruto. Naruto looked at Nagato with wide eyes but his face quickly turned into a smile. "Of course." Konan looked at Nagato with tight eyes. "Nagato..." Naruto realized what he was doing.

He was doing the same thing he had done before. "I doubt Yahiko would ever forgive me." Nagato was quiet for a moment. "though... Naruto, I hope you can forgive me." Naruto nodded.

As Nagato finished the justu Naruto told him one last thing. "I was never angry in the first place." Nagato made a weak smile before his eyes finally dimmed. Konan looked at her friend with sadness.

Naruto looked up at Konan. "You could see Jiraiya again." Konan looked at Naruto. The sadness in her eyes not leaving. "I suppose I can. But I want to bury Nagato first." Naruto nodded. "I will be going now." Konan finally said as she finished wrapping Nagato's body in paper.

"I hope to see you around." Naruto bowed slightly. Konan returning the same gesture. Konan didn't say another word. She made wings and flew away with Nagato.

Naruto finally felt the exhaustion hit him like a bus. Naruto shakily sighed. He made a slow walk back to the village.

The branches that had hit him before still encased with his blood. He wished Nagato hadn't died. But Nagato had done something worth honoring.

He finally made it to an open clearing that was the village.

Sasuke looked up at Naruto and smiled. Shikamaru and Sasuke, despite their injury's were the first ones to run up to Naruto to help him. Hiruzen looked at the three with a smile. Kakashi looked up from his own wound and smiled at Obito. Obito and Kakashi quickly joined the three to help Naruto.

It was like... A puzzle. A puzzle that had pieces missing the connecting parts that would attach the puzzle together... Were finally being found and fixed, to make a picture. A picture of a lush grassland with golden flowers with a sunset and occasional birds and clouds in the sky.

Yet... Yet, it still wasn't finished.