Shattered Sun

The Return

It started with exploding visitors. Then it escalated into a strange illness that was spread from the ashes of the dead exploding visitors. It infected all those with chakra. The Shinobi Alliance worked tirelessly to end the strain of illness but it kept on evolving. Those infected started losing control over their chakra, slowly losing mobility in their limbs and finally became rooted in place.

It was like watching a human slowly turning into a White Zetsu.

But the true horror came after half of the continent turned into mindless human shaped plants. These plants started to move and attacked the survivors.

How do you fight a moving husk?

Even when they were controlled by Black Zetsu and fight at the start of the Fourth Shinobi War, they overwhelmed their forces. But then Uzumaki Naruto came through and revealed their insidious infiltrators and imitators. However...with no thoughts, no will and no malice but only the autonomous need to survive and consume like all other living things, not even Kurama's exceptional sensory ability could detect an attack until it was too late.

In the end, Naruto put down friends and allies alike in hope of keeping the living alive. Their numbers kept growing as even corpses became infected. It was like a horror movie coming to life. Even with Sasuke, Sakura and all his friends on his side, Naruto was overwhelmed by the sheer number alone.

He was just one man.

Multi Shadow Clones barely put a dent and despite his monstrous chakra, he could not go on forever.

He was still just one man.

At the end of it all, Black Zetsu climbed out of the body of a dead scientist. He had given up manipulating the Shinobi and instead overwhelmed them with the Zetsu clones. But even he was overwhelmed and consumed by the never ending hunger of the mindless Zetsu.

In the end, Naruto was the only survivor surrounded by white bloodless flesh that kept on twitching. Despair choked him as he looked upon the devastation left by the mindless monsters. He had stopped eating days ago, the water too contaminated to drink and there was no place safe from the Zetsu. He had seen the other day of them floating across the ocean.

He was still just one man against an immortal army...

A familiar voice echoed in him, "Naruto..."

Naruto croaked even in his mind, "Hey Kurama,"

He didn't know what happened with the other Bijuu around the continent. Did they escape? Were they eaten like Black Zetsu? He didn't know and he found that he didn't have the energy to even want to know. He felt so numb, so drained of life he's shocked to see that he's still just Naruto and not the white nightmares twitching all around him.

Why did he keep on fighting?

"I believe you will save us, Naruto-kun,"

Ah yes, his wife's parting faith in him. So much faith, even as she begged him to kill her and their unborn child. His eyes twitched. It was all that was left of her, her eyes in his skull. She had survived, fought long enough to gift them to him. Insisted that his chance of winning will be better with her eyes as his aid in battle where the enemy can overwhelm him in an instance.

Uzumaki vitality was what had kept him strong and healthy in the end. Karin only succumbed due to chakra exhaustion keeping him alive.

"If you die then so do we!"

He lived, Karin, so where were the others?

Naruto blinked, looking up to see a familiar face. A face that once took Hinata from him but he can't even hate the man. Not when he too shed tears that Naruto could no longer shed from the severe dehydration that he suffered. Otsutsuki Toneri took Uzumaki Naruto to the moon just as another wave of White Zetsu ambled their way.

When Naruto opened his eyes next, he saw his broken body lying next to him and Toneri's projection standing over it. He stumbled out of bed in confusion and Toneri turned to him, "You can hate me, Uzumaki...but I supposed the feeling is mutual. You had promised to protect her and yet...you took her life with your own hands,"

It was like poisoned dagger stabbing his broken heart but Naruto couldn't defend himself, won't defend himself. He looked over his body, or rather Toneri's body, "What have you done?"

Toneri studied him, "I gave you the only thing I have. Perhaps this way...I could protect her through you,"

Naruto slid to the ground, "Protect? Protect who? There's no one and nothing to protect,"

Toneri shook his head, "The Tenseigan...use it to turn back time; return to the past,"

Naruto frowned, "What are you talking about?"

Toneri gestured, "Follow me,"

Kurama's words were gentle, "Follow him, Kit,"

Toneri took him to a large hall where the Energy Vessel was built...or rather rebuilt. Naruto frowned, "The Bijuu! What have you done?!"

Kurama whispered against his panic, "Naruto...they agreed to it...calm down,"

Naruto studied the device frantically, "Agreed? Agreed to what?! This is suicide!"

Kurama sighed, "The world is dying, Kit. It's no longer hatred that's killing it, just plain madness and unending sickness. No one wants to live in such a world," Feeling the familiar pressure of depression, he sighed, "But you...you can stop it,"

Toneri powered the device and Naruto finally saw it, the seal arrays that filled the whole hall. He gaped, "What are you doing?"

Toneri looked at him, "Time...I am sending you back. An Otsutsuki's chakra has greater resilience to chakra damage and higher vitality than an Uzumaki. When I found you, your immunity was shot and it was only the Chakra Beast within you that kept you alive. I could not send you, not with your body so badly damaged by the dormant infection, especially considering how it affects the chakra coils. So I gave you my chakra, saving what little healthy chakra coils left in you,"

Naruto understood, "I might start the infection all on my own..."

Toneri nodded, "Exactly...Naruto-san..."

Naruto looked at him, Tenseigan glass-like despite their glow. Toneri sighed, "She will be there. Keep her safe. Help her find the happiness that was denied of her,"

Naruto couldn't stop the tears from falling this time. He know...he know what needed to be done. He could only bow in somber thanks, "I will do my best to stop this madness,"

With no more words exchanged, Naruto entered the Energy Vessel as the chakra spiked with the activation of the seals. He felt sleepy...so sleepy...

Kurama huffed, "Then sleep,"

Darkness welcomed him and Naruto knew no more...