"Hanabi...darling...like I said...no need to cry out grievances...we're already dead"
"It's so easy for you to say that...", I silently cry as I stare back at his black surrounded eyes.
"Look at you, all older and pretty, not to mention strong...I couldn't be any prouder..."
"Dad..."
"Don't waste your time with crying senselessly, it won't bring us back Hanabi", he smiled at me.
"Why does it always have to be this way?", I said through a stormful of tears.
Dad gave me a faint smile before answering, "that's not important, right now you have to focus on the future and what you currently have. And currently you won't have us by your side, you never did to begin with, which is all the more reason for you to stop brooding about the past"
"I know you've wondered what your life would've been like if we never died, truth is, no one knows".
I momentarily gasped at this as I kept my unblinking eyes in place. He gave me a toothy grin before saying, "Hanabi...", he'd let his gaze linger my face, "I picked out that name for you upon witnessing the fireworks seventeen-years ago"
Both of them don't look even that old...did they seriously die so young?
"I'd sensed that it was a girl the moment your mother told me", he scoffed, "and I was right as usual"
"Fireworks?", I suddenly echo.
"Yeah, it was a tribute to us for making the Tsuchikage issue a truce at the beginning of the war", he smiled.
I looked at him blanky until I stared to shed more tears.
"Now there...", he whispered, "I think you've defeated us", he smiled with pride.
"How?"
"Go to your mother before its too late", he advised, resting a hand on the top of my head before saying, "you deserved better", he sadly smiled.
I was suddenly on complete alert again as I wiped away my tears. His reanimated skin began flaking off.
"No...", I whimpered.
"Let's see if you can make it in time", he smiled at me as his body began glowing with a light hue.
My eyes broadened as I recalled the same scene from four years ago. I didn't make it in time four years ago.
If I'd learned anything from that experience it'd be to not repeat that same mistake again. And so I let my tears run past me as I forcefully gather all my speed and channel it into my legs.
With a pounding heart I bolt right towards the glowing light that's writhing in pain. She's clearing fighting off Kabuto's control, but at this point I don't even mind getting hurt.
I grit my teeth together and hold my pounding heart. This all feels so surreal, I tune out every other sound as I finally find myself welcomed in my mother's loving arms. Except they were cold. Her body was cold and freezing, completely contrasting my alive one.
I grit my teeth together and I almost made her tumble back from how fast I lunged for her. I let myself get encased in her cold embrace as I began crying silently at the chilling sensation.
Of all the moments that my breath could've hitched in my throat, it had to be this moment. The moment when I finally got to be in my mother's embrace for the first time in these wasted seventeen-years.
"Don't cry darling, its not worth your precious tears", her words that dripped of honey made me cry even more because in short I'll have to let go of her, "you've cried long enough, why weep over long gone grievances?"
"I-I..."
"You're just as I imagined you to be seventeen-years ago, strong and determined. A bit cocky like both of your parents", she scoffed.
"Don't go...", I pleaded.
"You might have a pretty face, sapphire gems for eyes, and a blonde mane, but don't refrain from showing everyone that you're more than that. Because there's more to you that meets the eye, so be sure to let in the right people", she strokes my hair and I feel myself crumble vulnerable at her touch.
"Goodness you're awesome", I choked out, earning a soft chuckle from her.
"Hanabi remember, remember that anything that's not really there isn't worth crying for", she advised, making me stop crying for a moment.
"Huh?"
"Our souls have been summoned to the realm of the living, and yet you're here hugging a cold stiff body. We're not really here darling, and though I might feel your warm skin, all you can feel is my cold embrace and for that I'm sorry...it's the only thing that Hayate and I will ever regret...not being there for you", she breathed out an exasperated sigh, before the light I was hugging grew more and more blinding.
"Hanabi...", I heard Itachi call out.
Deliberately, I unfolded from the cold embrace. I unwillingly held back my tears as I saw the wind abrading her flaking skin.
This wasn't the time to drown in sorrows and grievances, it's like what they said. I have to look forward to the future, so when the future becomes the new past, I'll have good things to remember.
I hold my breath and tears captive. I don't want to be seen crying while they leave. And even though they didn't get the chance to raise me, I don't want to be a fragile burden in their eyes. I need to be strong and not break like I did the first time.
So with all the pain from the past, all the sorrows that time failed to heal, I looked up at the souls leaving their bodies with a wide grin that had accidentally squeezed out the stillborn tears I so desperately held back.
But I was smiling and they saw this. They simply smiled back at me as they faded and transcended this oblivion.
They'd fallen dead for their emotions, but now, it's their emotions that set them free. That must've been the answer.
"Goodbye", I'd whimpered it, which was completely inaudible to them.
I'd shuddered when the cold breeze whisked away my hair as the light disappeared completely.
My tears had run cold as I didn't dare to take my unblinking eyes off of the sky. Not even when a sacrificial body fell right at my feet, resulting in a thud.
"They're gone", I said to no one in particular.
"You've got me", Itachi whispered, making me release an exasperated breath.
"No kidding", I scoffed humourlessly.
When I finally decided to take back my gaze from the sky, I was met by the intense glare of Kabuto as Obito simply stood back with a smirk.
"I have to admit, that was quite a show", Obito remarked as I stare back at him with blood-stricken eyes.
"Damn you little pest, you undid the jutsu", Kabuto growled.
"Of course I did", I sniffed away my nose as I felt Itachi's presence near me, "this Jutsu is weak now that I am stronger", I face four eyes directly.
He gasped at what I'd said.
"You can control them all you want, but once a soul gets closure from this world, it is set free, even from the strings you're pulling them by", I eerily addressed.
"Hanabi...", Itachi placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.
I turn my gaze to face Obito, who was looking at me with indifference and inquire the question that parted his lips a part, "Tell me Obito, would you want Rin to be reanimated using this jutsu?"
His eyes had widened momentarily then, but he quickly hid the shock of the question by scoffing, "this is not just about Rin, Hanabi. This is about this wretched reality that we're forced to accept"
I seald my lips together and observed him closely. It's never good when Obito utilises his Madara persona to speak.
"I hoped that through all that you've been through, you'd understand the pain and sorrow that alters someone's personality and path in life. Since the very beginning, I told you, you won't suffer any longer, you won't wake up at night screaming for your parents", he stressed on the last sentence, earning me a look from Itachi who'd stiffened beside me.
I kept my narrowed eyes on him, refusing to meet Itachi's eyes.
"We are not obliged to accept this reality, we can fix the flaws of this world-"
"Obito snap out of it!", I bellowed loudly, interrupting the lecture I heard on repeat for the past four years, "what happened to all the babbling about becoming Hokage huh? And do you honestly think that Rin would approve of all this?! Do you think she'd be willing to accept the fact that her teammate turned into a S-rank criminal? What about Rin then? Does she have to escape in a dream just to find the thirteen-year-old cheerful Obito that was dead set on becoming Hokage?!"
I glared at him with intensity before I saw his brows crease as he responded back.
"Words don't convince me anymore, I need to see for myself to believe. My ears can hear the sweet and the sour, but all I see is sadness and sorrow, and all I feel is emptiness and hollow"
It's scary how everyone thinks that in order to end the world's suffering, we'll have to end the world itself. Is there really no solution?
"You can't end this suffering by simply running away from it", Itachi speaks up, capturing my attention instantaneously, "your life ends when you've lost sight of who you are, and right now, Obito Uchiha you are long gone"
"You haven't lived long enough to feel your faith shake and your life fall apart right before your eyes", he retorted back.
I stepped up, away from Itachi and closer to monster who unleashed the Nine-Tails.
"Obito", I started, searching his face intendly, "I have lived long enough to see a cheerful soul get corrupted by the predicaments and hardships of life and see him turn into the villainous Madara Uchiha, so if anything I have lived long enough to want to give up".
"You're becoming another one of those hopeful freaks who think that true peace is achievable", he remarked.
"Peace through violence is never the way to go", Itachi stared back at me for a moment before resuming, "I learned that the hard way"
"The unfairity in this world can suffice to turn the most down to earth people into monsters. I never knew sadness could kill someone from the inside out until I became the biggest example", he stated, making my lips part at his words.
"Just think about it", he says, making me hold my breath, "how come a criminal like me stands tall and unscathed when the Hidden Leaf is still stigmatized from the incident that occurred eleven years ago? Isn't that unfortunate and unfair? That I got slack cut off while Kushina Uzumaki is tossing and turning in her grave, yearning to get hold of her dear son, Naruto. Or Minato Namikaze who's in the stomach of a shinigami?".
"Shut up!", I let my cool slither away as Itachi called out after me when I lunged for Obito.
"You talk too much", I growled when I brought down my Wind Blade Strike, which he deflected by stoning his arm and using it as a barrier.
I glared at him as I clenched my jaw the more I let my gaze linger his face. He stared at me just as hard, then worked up a smile that send shivers down my spine.
"Nothing that comes out of my mouth is false or inaccurate, otherwise you wouldn't have gotten so worked up, isn't that right, Naruto?"
At the mention of Naruto, I'd let my eyes widen as Obito stared at me victoriously.
My sensory skills had began to kick in all of a sudden and to say that my limbs began shaking would be an understatement.
This sensation of grave danger that overwhelmed everyone, including Kabuto had washed over. Obito makes a slight gesture for me to go on.
And so with a pounding heart and a cemented shock of expression I turn to look over my shoulder. There I see Naruto, his head was tipped low and his jaw was clenched. Engulfing him was what I presumed to be the Nine-Tails's cloak, which was bubbling up furiously.
"Now would you look at that", Obito smirks wickedly, "he's grown two tails already"
"No..."
In short, and despite this abrupt shock, I'd have to leap away from Obito because if I don't, then I'll fall prey to Shisui's sword that came down, slashing a cut on the unscathed side of Obito's face as he leapt away as well.
"Shisui...", I trailed off as he landed right beside me.
"I have much that I want to ask you myself", he informed, "but now is not the time"
Naruto's Tailed Beast chakra was boiling furiously as we speak. I turn back to Obito who gave me a glare before using his time-space on the astonished Kabuto.
"You're coming with me", he growled at him.
"He's getting away!", I yell out for Itachi and Shisui.
"We can't handle both of them Hanabi, not now atleast", Shisui grit his teeth together. Itachi rushed to our side as well as we witnessed Obito's last words.
"See you in the very distant future", he sternly said, before using his time-space on himself.
"There's no time to waste!", Shisui declared, "the Sharingang is finally reunited and now if we don't act fast, things will get out of hand"
"Got it"
"Understood"
I held my breath as I forced my gaze on the raging Naruto. I swallowed the lump in my throat as Shisui said, "with everything that's happened I ask the two of you to give it your all"
That could only mean one thing and the three of us knew it too well.
"Mangekyo Sharingan", we blurted in unison as we delivered the grand glare towards the raging Naruto.
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A/N:- Feel free to be the judge of this chapter✨✨till next time!
~A