An Inch of Gold

25

Never-ending, flat desert stretches out as far as the eye can see. There are no buildings to be found, or even indications of mountains or other natural landmarks. No sign of shelter or escape, either.

"Oh, this is bad," Sakura murmurs, eyes wide and hands clasped in front of her mouth. "This is so, so bad." She turns her head rapidly from side to side, as if that will show her something comforting.

Naruto seizes Sasuke by the shirt. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Me?! This was him!" he shoots back, also fastening his hands around Naruto's jacket collar to push him away.

"Well, you're him!"

"Not for another twenty years!"

"It doesn't matter, this is exactly your twisted kind of logic!"

"As if you understand anything about logic!"

"We're going to die of thirst and – and exposure!" Sakura wails. "And our insides are going to overheat and our brains will boil, and oh gods, I'm going to turn into a giant freckle!"

"Alright, everyone, calm down," Kakashi orders in a would-be-soothing tone, striding forward to pry Sasuke and Naruto apart.

"Calm down?" Sakura demands. "People die of dehydration and heat stroke in the desert within a day! There could be poisonous animals around here – and who knows if it's some strange alien dimension with monsters! We don't have the time to calm down!"

"I have no doubt in my mind that Sasuke – Sasuke's future self – would not have sent us here if it were not safe," Kakashi insists. "As much as I don't like it either, it's best for everyone if we just stay here until they fix the problem. If anything happens to any of us, it won't go well for the future."

"So what, we just sit here and do nothing?" Naruto demands. "It could take forever!"

"Not with how shaky time is back in our dimension," Kakashi replies. "This incident is going to be determined one way or another, and soon. You'll just have to have the same faith that I do that your future selves will win this – and they will come back to get us."

"And if they don't?" Everyone glances to Sasuke, whose face is pale with barely controlled fury. "What happens if they lose?"

"I don't believe they will. And if they do...it may not matter. Assuming the timeline resets itself to Jikken's desired results, we will likely all cease to exist."

"Or, because we're in a completely separate dimension, we might be outside of the reach of that timeline," Sakura counters. "Assuming these dimensions aren't tied together in any way, and assuming time is tied to specific dimensional space, what's to say we won't be trapped here in this desert forever?"

"I only understood about half of that, but it's true, it'll be a pretty short forever," Naruto swallows nervously. "If all the stuff you just said about deserts are true too."

"We have to get out of here," Sakura tells Kakashi.

"And not just because we might die," Sasuke agrees. "I don't think this fight is going to be as straightforward as they all think. Maybe my future self can cross dimensions, and maybe Sakura's is a talented healer and Naruto's does...whatever it is he can do –"

"Hey!"

" – but none of that matters if they are facing an enemy that can't be killed."

Sakura blinks in confusion. "Can't be killed? What do you mean?"

"It's something Jikken said when we released him from Kakashi's Kamui," Sasuke explains. "He said that he died over and over, but then was brought back. This goddess person, Teisōko, brought him back. What if no matter how many times our future selves kill him, she somehow brings him back? Even our future selves will eventually run out of chakra."