Your Depth

Unexpected Turn of Events

The first thing Naruto noticed when he awoke was how light headed and heavy his limbs felt. The next thing he noticed were the multiple voices talking at just above a whisper somewhere off to the side of his bed. He did his best to turn his head, but all he could manage was just a small tilt before it felt as if that one simple action had sapped all of the energy from his body.

Who's talking? I can't understand them.

"Ka... shi... sen...? Gra... ny... Tsuna...?" he called out in a voice so small and weak that it was heard as nothing more than an incoherent mumble. It was usually at times like these where the first faces he would see would be that of his teacher welcoming him back into the waking world with his usual cool tone, or the Hokage scolding him the moment he opened his eyes. Instead, he was met with faces he never expected to meet again.

"Oh! He's awake! How are you feeling, young man? Are you able to speak at all? Does it hurt anywhere? What's your name?" The excitable voice of none other than the formally deceased First Hokage sounded loudly to his sensitive ears, soon followed by the cool tone of the Second Hokage.

"Brother! You're asking too many questions to someone that has just regained consciousness. The doctor specifically requested that we refrain from overwhelming the patient all at once."

And finally, the haunting voice of the man that would likely plague his dreams for years to come.

"It would also help if you didn't try to crowd him as well, Hashirama, you idiot."

Madara.... The Uchiha Madara....

Naruto could only manage a weak, regrettable chuckle and a few slurred words,

"Def-... inite... night...mare...." And just like that, he was out like a light and fainted.

"Well, I didn't think we were that ugly," Hashirama commented, and for that he received a good smack to the back of his head from his brother.

The next time Naruto woke up, he found himself waking up in a place similar to Kurama's cage, with said fox demon already present, and... Hagoromo?

"Great old sage? What are you doing here? Is there something more you needed to tell me?" Naruto asked with a small inquiring tilt of his head.

For a moment, the old sage said nothing, only staring at the ground thoughtfully, as if trying to find the right words to say. Naruto found this behavior strange and looked up at the fox demon for answers, but found that he too was looking away to avoid eye contact. The atmosphere was still and tense as though there were a thick, dark cloud hanging over them. Naruto gulped, he didn't know what to expect to hear, he had thought that the last time he saw the old sage would've been the last and that everything was done and over, but now it seemed as if something greater in weight was about to be said. And if the fox demon wasn't saying anything or poking fun at him, then this was likely very serious, and he dared not say anything. Then, after what felt like several long minutes, the silence was finally broken.

"Naruto," began the sage, "what is the last thing you remember?"

Naruto swallowed thickly and pondered over his memories. "Uh, I remember fighting Kaguya, and then... talking to my dad, then... I think something happened..."

The more he thought about it, the more his head began to ache. Then, there was an unbearably loud ringing in his ears and the intensity of the aching in his head increased, until suddenly everything stopped when he remembered...

"....Sasuke."

Just like that, everything came flooding back in an instant. Sasuke had wanted a revolution, he wanted to recreate the current system and unify all shinobi by replacing Madara and becoming the new public enemy. Then, in their final fight, he remembered pulling back at the last second, but somewhere in between life and death - in that mock Konoha warped like an ever changing ominous dream - he was finally able to reach him and pull him back from his lonely downward spiral. He really did it, he at long last saved his dearest and closest friend from themself, just like he always wanted - but at the cost of his own life. He remembered their emotional exchange, admitting their faults, regrets, desires, and laying out their inner demons, and how deeply and profoundly they felt each other's pain for the final time before... before....