Opening your eyes slowly, you are momentarily blinded by the bright white void around you. Sitting up, you see that the ground had a grid pattern, almost like it was a sandbox stage in a game. Glancing around, you see one obstruction in the perfect flatness around you. You slowly stand, your eyes finally fully adjusting to the bright light surrounding you.
He stood in the close distance, looking at his hands and clenching his fists, checking out the functions of his current state and making sure things were normal. He bends his arm, rotating it and popping his shoulders.
After going though a small mental checklist of body parts that assure him movement, he glanced over his shoulder at you, his mane of hair shifting slightly as he did so. His visible eye immediately shifts from it's previous bright onyx to a saturated red, three tomoe spinning. He still hasn't turned all the way around, looking forward again.
"It seems my chakra has finally awakened. It's been dormant for quite some time."
He lets out a breathy chuckle before continuing on, his deep voice echoing in the empty space around you.
"I will say though, it is nice to see you again."
"It's good to see you as well." You pleasantly respond, making him chuckle once more.
Finally turning, Madara begins to make his way towards you. It had been seven years since you had seen his visage, and even if there was that one evening in front of the Uchiha Stone Tablet, you had still missed him.
For him, it had been many decades without your warmth. It had made him feel almost malnourished. He had craved for your gentle touches more than he'd care to admit over the years of you being with him, but the desire just grew more potent while he was without you. To say he had missed you would be a severe understatement.
You give him the same smile that he had wanted all to himself many years ago, and you both finally come close enough to make contact.
What was the first thing you did?
You hugged him.
His arms soon surrounded you, and he had to resist the prominent urge to not let go. He was able to postpone it for a bit, but when you began to pull away, he knew that had had to as well, lest you would be wary of him on later dates.
Unfortunately, that warmth was not shared.
He knows that you would appear whenever you sleep or get knocked out, and he would like to keep it as nice meetings in which he could continue to be around you, even with his real body's current state as deceased. If he could build up more chakra, he could get out of just the dreamscape, and possibly make it to the mind. There he could speak with you whenever he desired.
For now, however, he was content to be near you.
As you separate, he grabs your hands, intertwining your fingers.
"So, is this a dream, or...?"
"We are in your dreamscape, yes."
You nod, interested. If this was a dream, did that mean you could do anything you wanted? If so, you were going to have quite the fun time here.
"Wait, are you, um, actually here, or is this just part of a dream?"
"I am actually here."
He wouldn't be leaving for a while, that he was sure of. He almost resisted your pulls away from him, but he decided to let you free for now.
"If this is a dream..."
You imagine the village beneath your faraway gaze, standing on a cliff's edge with four faces below your feet.
"Then I can control it."
Madara steps beside you, glancing at your proudly smirking face before looking at the village. You could control it, but could he?
He didn't want to crush the village quite yet, so while glancing back at the white void melding into stone, he conjures trees. They surround the back of the cliff and the village walls, spreading rapidly. You look back in his direction, a smile growing as you sit down on the edge, just like years prior. Sitting down, he extends his legs out, still in contact with the tan stone.
Madara reaches over, picking you up and pretty much plopping you straight into his lap, arms encircling you once more. Good thing his armor was missing.
"Oh." Was your response, feeling Madara sigh and rest his head on your shoulder.
Oh, how he missed this.
How he missed you.
He remembers back when he would just stare at the cieling, wondering about you. You, the strange person who fell out of the sky and could meet him and Hashirama in taijutsu, claiming to be from the future. He was, naturally, sceptical when he first heard you say it, but after a bit of proof, he caved.
He used to always think that when he got his Sharingan he would finally outmatch the both of you, but he never got the chance to have an honest-to-god taijutsu match after awakening it. Him and Hashirama only fought with swords or jutsu, and even after the treaty, there wasn't enough time. The village required much maintenance, which took up both you and Hashirama's concentration and hours.
That insufferable Senju brat, Tobirama, would get you to help with his work, stealing from him the time he felt the Senju rightfully owed.
But now?
He was with you, alone. There were no obstacles to interfere with his time, and he would be getting it every night.
This was exactly what he had hoped for.
Watching as the illusion begins to waver, you look at your hands. They were slowly becoming transparent, starting at the fingertips. You nudge the man behind you with your elbow, making him pick his head up. You held your up your hands, well, more like your lack of hands, but Madara still got the point.
"So, you're waking up..." He mutters, eyes back to their normal coal coloring.
"Seems like it." You nonchalantly shrug, leaning further into Madara's chest. "I'll see you soon, I guess?"
You look up at him, your characteristic smile being your real goodbye. He nods, placing his forehead against the back your your head after you rock forward again. His steady breaths fan over the back of your neck, and you remember something.
"Wait, was it you? On the bridge before the chuunin exam-"
You fully fade before you could finish, leaving Madara sitting alone, in a whitening void. As the illusion of the village vanishes completely, Madara stands again, a smirk twisting his lips.
His hands fade very similarly to yours, emitting grey clouds of smoke as he begins to test himself again. He had managed to interact with the living world and you twice, once to stop you from spilling his secret, and the other just to see how far he had come.
Soon enough, he would readily be able to escape from your dreams and mind.
It was only a matter of time.
Waking up on the dusty couch, you sit up, rolling your shoulders. Your eyes, still unadjusted to the dark, can't see what all is around you. Standing up, you hear three people's breaths from around you. Frankly, it was a bit uncomfortable.
You shut your eyes again, trying to adjust them and sense the three members around you. Strangely enough, there were five chakra signatures around you. After opening your eyes once more, you can see the four people around you with more clarity.
Wait, what?
Four?
And then Zetsu showed up. He pulled himself out of the ground in a way that was admittedly kinda creepy, because for some reason he didn't just pop out like normal.
Hidan looked at him like he was committing a grave sin, disgusted.
"Ew, dude! What the fuck?!"
"What? I'm just pulling myself up! Get over yourself you damn cultist."
"Normally you just slide up, not pull yourself like some... zombie!"
You deadpan in his direction, your gaze implying of his headassery.
"Hidan, you are literally part of the
zombie duo."
"And?! That's some freaky shit!"
You shrug, nodding. It was weird to watch, that's for sure. You pat your pockets and check your wallet quickly, glancing up at the large Gedo Mazo statue.
"Good, you're awake. Pein wants to speak with you. Hurry up you idiotic kebab."
Kebab? Was he talking about when you got stabbed by that guy?
If he was talking about that, than it would be more appropriate to be called a donut, considering the size of the hole.
Moving on, you nod. "Is he here, or..."
"Pein is far too busy to leave his current post. You will be meeting with a projection."
"Sounds good. Also, Kakuzu, thanks for not stealing my shit."
"It would've been far too annoying to have you nagging me about your money."
He actually was planning on at least taking your wallet, but there was a certain aura around you. The kind that made even him, an almost immortal, sweat with fear. It was black, smoky. The feeling had constricted his lungs and scorched his throat, much like being trapped in a burning building. It was like he had flicked a lit match into a droughted plain. He was not going to try and steal your wallet again.
At least when you were asleep.
Following the plant-man as he led you to a hole in the wall, he motions for you to get in.
"Alright! We'll close it up behind you and this meeting will be on it's way!" White Zetsu chirps, really happy for some reason. It kind of put you off.
You step into the dark cave within the dark cave, and a wall slides down, dust and chunks of rock flying out. You stare as it finishes closing, putting your hands on your hips.
"Ain't that just dandy."
Hearing something from behind you, you jump slightly and turn. A static silhouette with purple ringed eyes stares. Your band gets a little bit warm, and you quickly readjust yourself.
"Heya. You're... Pein, correct?"
"Yes, that is true. Has anyone informed you of why you are here?"
"Nope. Has anyone informed you that you look really cool?" You compliment. Seeing it in the manga and show was one thing, but with your own eyes in a 3-D space? It was wild.
"No, they have not. Getting back to business, I have summoned you here with purpose."
Your eyes narrow suspiciously. "What kinda purpose are we lookin' at here?"
"I wish for you to join the Akatsuki."
Oh.
Holy shit.
"So you, the person with the Rinnegan which are said to be power from the Sage of Six Paths himself, want me, a total dumbass idiot, to join the ranks?" You drawl in disbelief, pointing at him then at yourself.
"Even if you are a 'dumbass idiot,' I absolutely cannot deny your prowess in battle. Your skill has lead you to defeat numerous highly ranked shinobi, even before your sudden disappearance fourteen years ago."
Wow. That praise felt super nice, especially from someone who calls themself a God.
Well, the pharaohs did the same, and most of their lives ended with deformities and disease from incest, but that is a topic that should be discussed another day.
"Aren't you only recruiting rogues, though?"
"...I have decided to make an exception for a person of your calibre."
That hesitation...
Was this because of Obito?
Did he vouch for you?
"Well, there should only be ten rings, and I believe Orochimaru has that last one."
You felt a little proud of yourself for remembering that all of a sudden.
In his eyes, he held some suspicion. How did you know?
"And how exactly did you know that?"
Damn, revealed too much again.
"Well, I have been in Orochimaru's office. It was on a severed hand, I think."
"And how did you know there are only ten spots?"
"Well, the big hands belonging to that weird statue only had ten fingers, so I just figured." That was a kinda weak excuse, but it was all you could think of in the moment.
"Hmm. Perhaps you aren't as idiotic as you say. If that ring is still with Orochimaru as you say, then as your first mission you shall retrieve it."
"Hol' up. I haven't even joined, and who says I want to?"
"I do. If you do not join us, we will assault the Leaf and take the Nine-tails."
That makes you wince. You could remember what happened when he attacked the Leaf solo, and you would rather not have that happen.
"Okay, okay, fine. I probably won't be able to get around to it very quickly, just be aware."
The silhouette nods, his eyes slowly shutting.
"We will wait. Do not abuse this privilege."
And with that, he fizzles away, leaving you alone in the dark once again.
Damn, that sucks. To think you would be forced to join the Akatsuki.
If it was because of Obito, didn't he see you enough?
Well, you had been on many missions and been kidnapped so...
Eh, whatever.
Walking over to the 'door,' you hear White Zetsu's muffled voice. "Are you done?"
"Yeah."
"Alright then. Sit tight for a bit, it takes a while for this door to open."
Shrugging, you sit down against the wall beside the door, hearing it rumble and scratch as it begins to take its course upwards.
"Man..." You sigh.
Obito didn't want to deal with Itachi getting pissy if he attacked the Leaf, so why did he...?
He knows that Itachi is going to die. His illness isn't going away.
Was it Pein's idea to threaten you with that?
Either way, his tone was dead serious. It was most of the time, actually, but he seemed perfectly willing to flatten the leaf right now. There already were unseen consequences of your existence, such as Madara being with you right now.
It would have been so much less stressful if you weren't here.
The door, finally beginning to move, slides up rather quickly. You stand, walking casually out of the small room. Two new people were in the large cave.
Itachi and Kisame.
After thanking both Zetsu, who had responded with 'My pleasure!' and 'Good, now leave.' you raised an arm at the pair.
"Yo." You greet. Kisame does the same, a smirk on his face.
"Hey, how come you greet them like that but you dont give us the time of day?!" Hidan whines.
"I've had tea with these hoes, and I didn't actually have to confront them to make them leave."
"Hey, it wasn't our fuckin' fault we were ordered to capture you!" He shouts, jabbing a finger in your direction.
"No, but they are also more bearable than you."
"Why you- They were the ones who actually captured you! Why are you defending them?!"
"I also didn't have to fear that they would steal all of my shit and kill me for the bounty or that they would sacrifice me to their god."
"Are you insulting Lord Jashin?! I will have you know that-"
"I'm not insulting your god. I just know that you tend to be a bit antsy when it comes to killing people."
"Maybe so, but-"
"Give it up Hidan. You won't win." Anotber voice cuts in.
"Shut the fuck up you Great Value fleshlight!"
"What the hell did you just call me?!" Deidara seethes, eye narrowed and sharp.
You try not to laugh at Hidan's insult, managing to force it down. With a deep breath in, you move to Kisame's side, ready to watch the cat fight.
He glances down at you quickly, gauging your reaction. He could tell you were quite entertained, and he was as well.
Itachi continues watching the blonde and the cultist, a calm expression on his face and echoing in his scarlet eyes.
As the fight began to intensify, you could see Hidan preparing his big needle sword thing and Deidara reaching into the satchels on his hips.
Sighing exasperatedly, you scratch your head.
"You both are fucking idiots! Can we move on?" You yell, hands cupped around your mouth.
"I won't let this sex doll beat me!" Hidan shouts.
"Well I won't let a man-whore beat me!" Deidara calls back.
"Christ, end your stupid pissing match, no one cares!"
"Never!" They both childishly answer, in sync.
"You know what? If you won't end it before this cave is destroyed, I will." You step away from Kisame, moving forward about two paces.
"What're you gonna do? Kill me?" Hidan taunts.
You whip out three kunai, throwing them within the second. You had managed to get just the right distance between them, allowing you to, almost perfectly cleanly, remove his head from his shoulders.
Deidara laughs at him, and you brandish a kunai in his direction threateningly.
"If you don't shut the hell up, I am going to make sure that you can only mold clay with nubs at the end of each arm."
That made him quiet down. Hidan was currently missing his larynx, so he couldn't make any noises except for the annoying smack of his lips as he tries to yell.
"Kakuzu, I trust you can fix him?"
"I can."
"Will you?"
"Not right now. I'm enjoying his lack of speech."
You nod, seeing Sasori fiddle with a puppet in front of him, still inside his Hiruko shell. He was busy.
"Well, as much as I'd like to catch up, I gotta get going." You reveal, your disappointment dripping sarcasm. "I'll see y'all whenever."
"What do you mea-"
You teleport into a seat right next to Naruto.
"I'm back."
Naruto screams, startling the three other adults at the table and earning dirty looks from other patrons.
"Heya."
"Did you escape from the Akatsuki?" Jiraya asks, eyebrow raised.
"Yeah. For a criminal organization, they were pretty chill."
"You think the Akatsuki are chill?" Tsunade incredulously questions.
"Yeah. I woke up on a couch, and then spoke with their leader. He seems pretty cool, well, other than him threatening me, but hey, that happens."
"O-kay then." Jiraiya moves on, beginning to talk about Hokage stuff with Tsunade.
"Good to see ya, Naruto. Sorry for possibly worrying you and stuff."
"Oh, it's fine. Jiraiya said that you'd escape quickly, so I didn't worry too much."
Nodding, you stretch your arms above your head, hearing pops from your shoulders as they rotated. After whispering 'Nice' to yourself, you steal one of the dumplings on Naruto's plate, earning a pout from him.
"Damn, these are really good dumplings..." You mumble, before shaking your head and standing up from the table. After earning some questioning looks from Naruto and Shizune, you explain yourself. "Kisame took most of my chakra. I'm still recovering, so I'd like some rest."
Shizune nods, and Naruto mumbles something about you not being able to steal any more of his dumplings.
"Jiraiya, do you have my bag?"
"Uh, yeah. Here you go."
He hands it over, and you nod as thanks.
You walk up to the counter, requesting a room from the receptionist. After handing over the money, you got a room key.
Walking up the stairs to the rooms, you toss your keys in the air lazily, scanning the door numbers for 24. After finally finding it, you slide the key in and twist. The door opens to a basic room with white walls. You sling your bag down, it hitting the ground with a small thump.
Shutting the door, you rub your eyes.
Getting your chakra stolen really sucked.
You shuffle over to the futon, falling face first into the pillow and hitting the snooze button on life.
Opening your eyes to the blinding white light again, you groan. "I am never going to get used to that." You blandly state, pushing yourself up.
"Well, you'll be given plenty of time to."
Madara stands in front of you, still not wearing his maroon armor. His arms are crossed, and he has a small smirk on his face.
"So, is your armor just... gone?"
"I took the state of the day I gave some of my chakra to you, with the knowledge of my currently dead body."
"That's... interesting. Huh."
You eventually tuck your legs underneath yourself, getting into a crouch and then pushing into a standing position. "We should probably do something before I actually go blind because of how bright this place is."
Madara chuckles, walking to you. He circles to your back, his arms going over your shoulders and folding loosely around your neck. You feel his chin land on your head, and he speaks. "Lead the way."
You smirk, thinking of a place you knew of, and that had some hella cool architecture. It was all very darkly colored, and beasts roamed free.
"Alrighty then."
You remember the walkways, the arches, the impossibly tall ceilings in the chapels. You remember the bosses, the hunters, the Great Old Ones. You remember the field of white flowers, reflecting the pale blood moon.
And suddenly, you were there. A field of pearl white blooms surrounded you, a spiked fence with but one gate leading outside.
Madara, naturally, lets go as he looks around in something akin to surprise.
"What is this place?"
He asks you, gaze now focused solely in your direction.
"We are in the Hunter's Dream. This is probably the least exciting area until the end, but it's definitely the most serene."
Looking up at the peach colored moon, you can feel it looking back.
"Y'know, I never actually was any good at this game. I would always die, over and over, but if I threw myself at a boss enough, it would eventually topple."
"What?" Madara looks at you, now confused and a bit worried. "A game?"
"Yep! One of my favorites. I wonder how scary everything will be."
"How scary- What kind of game is this?"
"It is one of an eternal night, where the moon is always up and the beasts are looking to feed."
He looks around once more, turning to face you.
"And what does this have to do with us?"
"We get to kill all the beasts. If you don't want to be here, just change it. I won't mind."
"While that is a tempting offer, I do rather like the scenery here."
You nod, hearing him step closer once more. Yet again, his arms encircle you, his chin resting on your shoulder this time. He seems to be observing the moon, its large shape blotting out the stars.
"Well, there is one thing I could change..."
You watch as the moon's color darkens, shifting from flesh tone to a sweet, cherry red. Rings echo out like ripples in a calm lake, three magatama on each.
The Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Madara's lips curl up slightly as you look at the Sharinnegan covering the moon, eyes unchanged.
It was working.
He takes the chance to lift you up slightly, sitting down in the soft cover of flowers. He places you in his lap as his hair begins to fade to the same shade as the petals around you, his skin turning to a similar color. His clothes also turn white, an extremely dark grey on the inside.
He had become Juubidara.
"Hmm. What an interesting reaction."
He amusedly states, looking at his new form. He wasn't expecting to change so radically in the light of the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Perhaps this is what being the Ten-Tails jinchuriki looked like for him, but right now it was impossible to tell.
You shift, making his gaze slip from the pomegranate moon. You were simply readjusting yourself, getting more comfortable.
You were willing to turn a blind eye to that night, but you were still the tiniest bit wary. You hadn't forgotten about what he did, but you would rather keep your time with him peaceful, and if it meant just spending time with an old friend, you were happily willing to oblige. Right now, you were in the somewhat comforting arms of a man from the past, his dreams of the future leaking into the current surroundings.
He sighs contentedly, closing his eyes as he pulls you as close as possible.
Is this... what peace truly felt like?
He had been in a temporary truce with the Senju, but that's just what it was. A temporary truce.
But with you...
He felt like his dream was nearer than ever to completion.
He opens his eyes as he feels your hand gently patting his cheek, watching as it began to fade when you pulled it away.
"Going so soon?"
"Apparently so." You answer, the slightly disappointed tone used making the corners of Madara's mouth twitch up.
You couldn't help it, he was really comfortable.
Seeing as the moon and the flowers began to waver, Madara's strange features begins to revert back to their original state. As his hair finally finishes fading to its original color, his arms were wrapped around nothing and the eternal night was brightening into the white vacuum he was familiar with.
He sighs, standing once more.
"Let's hope this next step isn't too troublesome."
Fun Fact: It is believed that Madara's Mangekyo power was to rewind time. Imagine how much more broken the power to fucking rewind time would make him.
rewrite: should I add a date to these rewrites? It seems like a lot of people think these came out a while ago
to hell with it
edited: 8/25/19