The Newest Member (A Naruto-Akatsuki Fanfic)

Chapter 41: Epilogue

The shrine was old and dusty, the rehabilitation of the Uzumaki Empire had yet to reach the outskirts of the ancient ruins of its first city. The painted spiral still held its ground against the tides of time, the paint was faded and ghostly against the old brick walls. But despite its age and crumbled state, Naruto felt nothing but awe and excitement, to me walking through the halls of his grandfathers as the leader of the new world, a new world where his clan had been restored, it filled his heart with pride. His heart was still empty however, but that's why he was here tonight. He smirked lightly, realizing he looked a mess. long beard, pale skin and messy hair, he certainly had not prepared himself for this.

"Now I just need to get this started, or else the Ramen will get cold ya know!" He grinned

He reached into his pack, feeling around for the clatter of ceramics. He found what he was looking for and pulled it free, an old Mask that perhaps had as much dusk on it as the temple he stood in, stared at him with a demon grin. The Uzumaki mask was an old relic from the Eddy's village long ago, predating his parents even, although many replica's and knockoffs had been made, it was one of the few things left by his old clan that had not been looted, as if thieves believed the mask to be cursed. He walked across an empty room, parts of the roof had caved in, raining midnight blue into the dark halls and making the dusk and insects gleam like stars.

He decided here would be as good a place as any, reaching into his rucksack and pulling out four cylinders, three of which were candles, the fourth being a scroll, seeming to reek of dark energies. He lit the three candles around him in a triangle. Then opened the scroll, revealing a Jutsu formula that would activate with contact with his hand. He took a deep breath and sighed, it was now or never, he placed his hand to the seal and dropped the scroll. A loud bang and a large plume of dark smoke billowed from the scroll, the huddled coughing silhouette of a woman hunched over, gasping for air. Naruto crossed his arms and waited for her to catch her breath

"How was the endless space and solitude, Shizune ?" Naruto said coldly

Shizune, her face pale and cold only shook as if submerged in ice, she mouthed three words that gave him all he needed to know "Just Kill me..."

Naruto had no idea what it was like to be sealed away in a scroll, but he had an idea that it was not so different from being sealed away like the Bijuu had been. Except Shizune had no host to inhabit, she was held in stasis, alone and in no mind or realm to wander. The existence she had was null and void, she could not eat or become hungry, she could not scream or hear anything, she could not kill herself ... or live as herself. Naruto figured her punishment had lasted long enough, the poor woman looked a mess, he would need her however, or at least her body. On the way to the shrine, he had read through Orochimaru's notes and recited the right procedures. He opened the palm of her hand a placed a frail lock of dark hair, it would be the conductor between her spirit and this body.

He nodded "You will die, soon enough. Just sit there for a moment my dear, collect your thoughts and await the warmth of the afterlife ... or hell"

He raised the mask to his face, smelling centuries of prosperity, war, love and hatred, the things that make and break a village, like the Hidden Eddy's village had been broken so long ago. He placed the mask on his face and focused, pulling the long dagger from the sheath in his leg. He tensed, the hairs on his arms standing up as something entered the room. Naruto could not see it, but the wide-eyed expression on Shizune's face gave him a little hint it was working well. The Shinigami outstretched it's hands, following Naruto's movements with complete synchronization. Naruto could feel its presence, perhaps it was his ability with Sage mode, or perhaps it was because he was the sage himself, attuned with both life and death, dark and light.