A New Yet Similar Path

Jikanhanten Part 1

The forest had been obliterated by the two powerhouses that were facing off against each other.

Sakura, Kakashi, Yamato, Sai, Neji, Lee, Gai, Tenten, Gaara, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Tsunade and Sasuke had been watching the battle unfold for over two hours. Madara Uchiha in his Akatsuki robes and orange mask and Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze wearing the same outfit that his father had worn were at a stalemate. They stared at each other for a moment before resuming hand seals. "Suiton Daibakufu no Jutsu!" (Water Type; Explosion Skill)

The two pillars of water that they had created clashed and exploded. At that moment, another explosion rang out from a mile away in the undestroyed portion of the forest and a few minutes later, Kankuro, Temari, Kurenai, Hinata, Shino, and Kiba appeared.

Naruto's gaze shot towards the group of spectators and then back to his crimson eyed foe.

'Damn it' thought Madara. 'I don't know how he did it, but if I try to use the Mangekyo Sharingan again, he'll just break Tsukuyomi and use that technique to force it back to a normal Sharingan, and I'm nearly out of chakra!'

"So now you're the last one Madara!" Naruto said. "You're the last member of Akatsuki!"

"You know that this battle is inevitable Naruto!" he spat at the whiskered blonde. "You won't kill me!"

Naruto frowned for a moment and said, "I've already taken the abilities your Sharingan gave you and added them into the equation. You don't have much chakra left, let alone to prevent this next technique!"

Suddenly, behind Madara, a Naruto kage bunshin had popped out of the earth and went through a few hand seals. "Suirou no Jutsu!" (Water Prison Skill)

A sphere of water surrounded Madara and trapped him. 'Damn it!'

The real Naruto smiled.

"You still can't kill me you brat! I'm immortal!" Naruto's smile grew a bit.

"Kinda like how Kyubi was?" he asked. Kakashi, Tsunade, Gai, and Yamato knew what he had just implied.

"NARUTO! PLEASE DON"T DO IT!" Tsunade yelled. 'That would make four people I've lost.'

But Naruto had just finished the hand seals. "Fuuin Jutsu; Shiki Fuujin" (Enchantment Spell; Dead Demon Imprisonment)

Behind Naruto, invisible to all but Naruto, Madara, Sasuke, Kakashi, Neji and Hinata, was the god of death.

"I'll say hi to Jiraiya for you Obaa-chan" Naruto said. Then, everybody realized what was about to happen. "I'll miss all of you..." Naruto said.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried out. "Please..."

She fell to her knees knowing that the next few minutes were her fiancé's last minutes on this planet as she stared at the ring she had been given just a few days earlier. "I love you..." she whispered.

"I love you to Sakura..." Naruto said. The Shinigami had just finished his ritual when Naruto dashed towards Madara and ran into the sphere of water and grabbed him by the shoulders. Once that happened, the clone Naruto had summoned disappeared and the water prison collapsed. The Shinigami grinned and reached through Naruto and towards Madara.

Naruto smirked and said, "He feels like you cheated him with that Sharingan's ability."

Madara's eye was filled with fear and Naruto glared at Madara and his permanent Sharingan. "But, you'll die as well!" he yelled frantically.

"I already know that, I may be leaving my family and friends here, but I'll be joining others in the afterlife and I'll finally meet my father. Besides, if you had your way, I would have died when you extracted Kyubi."