Pushing Through the Limit Chapter 84: Life in a Day

Making my way through the Hokage’s tower, a crack of thunder sounded through the building as I entered the stairwell, leading to one of the

Making my way through the Hokage’s tower, a crack of thunder sounded through the building as I entered the stairwell, leading to one of the more restricted areas of the building. The fight between Madara and myself having caused enough changes in the atmosphere to bring several weeks worth of rain.

Despite suffering through an attempted invasion from several minor villages, Obito’s attempt at causing as much damage as possible, Black Zetsu’s battle with Anko, Sasuke and Itachi and Uchiha Madara, Konoha was still in surprisingly good shape.

In no small thanks to Katsuyu.

Sure some of the older buildings had been damaged and the wall was all but destroyed, but loss of life had been kept to a minimum. More than that, there hadn’t been a single death after Katsuyu had been summoned.

For the first time in a long time, the village truly had time to rest. The Akatsuki was over, its leaders dead.

Black Zetsu’s machinations had been stopped dead in their tracks. The threat of Kaguya’s resurrection had been halted entirely. All that was left to do was destroying the Gedo Mazo which was currently tightly wrapped up by a biological weapon of Tsunade’s design.

I’d spent so long working towards this moment… Now that it was here, I almost didn’t know what to do with myself, especially since Kurama was still unconscious.

Luckily, there wasn’t a shortage of things to do in Konoha. Even though my Chakra hadn’t fully recovered yet, I still had more than enough to help out. A handful of clones here, some Mokuton there and the village would be back to its old self in no time.

Taking a turn down a hallway, I slowly made my way towards Tsunade’s Chakra signature, only for Shizune to suddenly appear in my path.

“Naruto? Aren’t you supposed to be at the hospital?” Shizune asked, stepping out of a nearby doorway.

Technically, yes, but since my body recovered so fast, staying at the hospital was mostly pointless. So long as my wounds weren’t immediately fatal, I’d always be able to recover on my own.

“I was released,” I shrugged. “You on the other hand…” I said, taking in Shizune’s exhausted state. “You look like you need some sleep.”

“…It has been a fairly exhausting night,” Shizune admitted. “The hospital may run smoothly for the most part, but it does still need someone to oversee it in case someone makes a mistake. Since Tsunade’s busy, that duty fell to me. I was just going to give her the final casualties report along with the examination of the pseudo Jinchuriki before heading back to the apartment.”

Right… Sora if I wasn’t mistaken. I saw him briefly in the hospital with Asuma hovering around his room, Team 10 having been forced to stay in the waiting room. “I could deliver that for you then.”

“Well…” Shizune hummed, covering her mouth as she yawned tiredly. “I suppose if it’s you…” Trailing off, she handed me a pair of scrolls. “Make sure that you hand those directly to Tsunade-sama.”

“Same as usual… Got it,” I said, waving her off. “Go, get some sleep. You’ve done enough.”

Nodding tiredly, she made her way out, pausing briefly by the stairwell. “It’s good to see you on your feet, Naruto.”

“And it’ll be good to see you once you’ve had some sleep,” I said, shooing her.

Chuckling softly, Shizune left.

Waiting for a few moments, I continued on my journey, traveling down several more hallways before finally coming to a stop when I came across a large pair of iron doors that thrummed with a massive amount of Tsunade’s Chakra.

Knocking it lightly, I pressed it open and peaked my head in to find Tsunade standing in a mostly empty room alongside a few of her clones.

Although, saying that the room was empty would actually be a mistake. It was filled to the brim with various seals, Juinjutsu and triggering mechanisms. Each of them was designed with one singular purpose in mind. To contain what was locked within, lest it tries to get out.

The object in question being Madara’s corpse which sat on an operating table dead center of the room.

“Naruto,” Tsunade hummed. Peeling her gloves off, she placed them on the table and slowly made her way over. “I was wondering when you would find yourself here. How’re you feeling?”

“A little tired, but a lot better than yesterday,” I shrugged. Making a point of looking around, I turned my gaze back to her. “So… This is what you’ve been up to since I passed out yesterday?”

“Among other things… I did make sure that you weren’t dying first. After that, I had a short meeting with the Kage with Katsuyu lending her help,” She sighed dramatically. “Unfortunately, the work of a Kage is never done. I’ve only just begun to examine Madara’s body.”

Looking around the room, I raised an eyebrow. “And all of the seals?”

“For my and Konoha’s protection,” Tsunade explained. “This is Madara we’re dealing with here. Until I’m absolutely sure that he hasn’t used the Izanagi to cheat death once more, they will stay up. I would have preferred to do this at my lab in the Shikkotsu Forest, but, unfortunately, I had no means of safely transporting his body there without risking it turning to stone.”

Making it useless in the process. I could see why she would rather opt to keep him here where she could prepare a safe environment. If Madara truly did reset his death, this room would immediately rectify that.

If that happened, the look on his face when he realized what position he was in would be priceless. That being said, there was one thing that was bothering me.

“Why not just remove his eyes?”

Tsunade gave me a knowing smirk. “You just want to try out the Rinnegan, don’t you?”

She wasn’t entirely wrong. I did have the Chakra and body for it. If anyone could use it as well as Madara, it was me. “Maybe.”

“Thought so,” She replied. “I’ll tell you what. Give me a week with his body and I’ll transplant the Rinnegan myself… Assuming that I haven’t found a better way to better acclimate your body to them. It’s a shame though,” She hummed, placing her hand on my face. “I do like your eyes the way they are.”

“You could always teach me your Henge,” I suggested. It wasn’t like Tsunade didn’t use it to hide her Sage markings.

“Perhaps,” Tsunade said, thumbing my face. “But I think I might be onto something a little better than a simple eye transplant.”

Well that had my attention.

“What would that be?” I asked curiously.

“I could tell you, but…” Stretching suggestively, she held her arms out above her head, thrusting her chest forwards. “How about we go get something to eat? I could use a little break. What do you say?”

At this point, was there any reason for her to ask? “Sure, but… Do you think you could give me a hint?”

Tapping her finger to her chin, she smirked. “I suppose I could give you a little hint. Sakon and Ukon’s bloodline.”

Sakon and Ukon?

Oh… Damn. I didn’t even consider that. Their bloodline allowed them to merge with others. If I didn’t kill him, Kabuto would have used it to absorb the bodies and abilities of the Sound Five. In this case, the same could be done with Madara.

Only… I doubt Tsunade would settle for anything less than perfect. She needed a little time to figure out how my cells would interact with Madara’s. In theory, it should be perfect, but…

“Are you coming, Naruto?” Tsunade asked, swaying her hips as she made her way towards the door.

Losing my train of thought at the way she was moving, I sighed. Catching up to her, I wrapped an arm around her waist. “Sure thing.”

I still had more than a few things to do now that I was awake, but that could come later. As for now, lunch sounded fairly good.

Although, there actually was one thing on my mind. “By the way, were you able to retrieve Nagato’s body?”

Blinking, Tsunade nodded slowly. ”It was found outside of Konoha’s walls, damaged, but ultimately whole. Why?”

“Well, I was just thinking…”

…PTL…

Staring down at the Memorial Stone as thunder grumbled above, Kakashi sighed. He’d been there for a number of hours already out of sheer habit. The past day playing over in his head. From the attack on the Mountains’ Graveyard to Rin’s short lived resurrection and final message for him that was passed on by Naruto.

Glancing across the Memorial stone, Kakashi’s eyes settled on one single name that brought a whole host of complicated emotions with it.

Uchiha Obito.

The man who had caused so much strife throughout his lifetime… The one that killed his Sensei and forced the Kyuubi to attack Konoha… The monster that haunted his past was finally dead. Only, he hadn’t always been that way.

Once upon a time, Obito had been kind. He’d worn his heart on his sleeve and always had the best of intentions.

It was easy to see the young and old Obito as separate people, when in truth, they were one in the same.

He chuckled softly, wondering if this was what Jiraiya felt when Orochimaru had finally been killed. They were fairly similar after all. Both had been taught by a former Hokage and even had aspirations to become the next Hokage, only to ultimately be responsible for their Sensei’s death.

A bright flash of lightning lit up the cloudy sky as the first few raindrops began to fall. It was only a few moments away from pouring. He’d best get a move on, lest he get caught in the storm.

There was, however, one last thing that he had to do.

Taking a step towards the Memorial Stone, Kakashi placed a single finger over Obito’s name. Streaming Lightning Chakra through his hand, his finger lit up, sparks of electricity shooting off it. Dragging his finger across the name, a shallow line was cut through it.

Stepping back, he admired his work. Kakashi couldn’t undo the bad things Obito had done, but he couldn’t erase the good he did either.

Feeling the rain begin to beat down on him, Kakashi glanced at the crossed out name one last time. “I suppose this is it, Obito,” He sighed. “I won’t be back after today. This will be my final visit. There are still things… Questions left unanswered, but I doubt I would be satisfied with anything you would have to say on the matter.”

It was like Gai had once said to him some time ago. Sure there were a lot of things that influenced Obito into becoming the person he was, but he was the one that ultimately chose that path and his death was the consequences finally catching up with him.

It was about time for Kakashi to start walking his own path, leaving the dead to rest in peace. If he kept looking back, he’d never be able to see the future.

Turning, he made his way out of the training ground, putting his past behind him.

“SENSEII!”

“Hm?” Looking up at what appeared to be a green blur, Kakashi was suddenly ripped from his spot on the ground, carried off into the sky.

“I finally found you, Sensei,” Fu cheered, climbing higher, undisturbed by the stormy weather. “We were looking for you everywhere. Sasuke said he needed your help with something involving your Sharingan and Sakura–“

“Lightning bolt!” Kakashi cried, contorting his body so as to avoid being struck by the flash of light and electricity.

“Oh, that was really close,” Fu murmured. “Good thing I’m really good at flying, eh, Sensei?” She asked, smiling cheekily. “Don’t worry, we’re almost there.”

Good thing he was both fast and perceptive enough to dodge it more like it. Shooting Fu a deadpanned look as she flew across Konoha, she simply responded with a grin of her own. How she was able to navigate in such stormy weather without a Doujutsu or Sensory abilities was a mystery.

Sighing, his eye crinkled as he responded with a smile of his own. It seemed that, despite his best attempts, his students wouldn’t allow him to wallow for too long. Whether they knew it or not. At least life would never be boring.

“So what’s this about Sasuke needing my help?”

…PTL…

Staring down at a pair of plain wooden coffins that contained the bodies of Nagato and Yahiko, I let out a tired sigh. If it had been a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have even bothered with this, but after getting to know them before Hanzo and Obito screwed everything up, I felt they were owed this much at the very least.

It was funny in a strange sort of way. Technically speaking, I hadn’t even met this version of Yahiko and yet part of me still felt as if we were friends.

Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I glanced over to see Tsunade giving me a comforting look. “We don’t have to do this right now, you know… You can take your time. There’s no need to rush.”

She was right, of course. Whether this was done today or three months from now made no difference, but it was still something I felt I needed to do before I could truly close this chapter of my life.

I shook my head. “We may as well get it done now… Besides, they already know we’re coming.”

“If that’s how you really feel then I guess there’s no point in arguing,” She sighed.

Smiling at that, I placed my hands against the coffins. A moment passed and suddenly we were standing in a large meeting room with a balcony that overlooked a fairly modern looking city that, much like Konoha, was drenched in rain.

“Ame’s certainly changed since I was last here,” Tsunade commented, moving towards the balcony. “I remember it being more run down… Dilapidated even. This is…”

“An improvement?” Jiraiya suggested, stepping into sight. “I thought the same thing when I first arrived. Nagato might have done some… Questionable things in his lifetime, but this is one of his better accomplishments.” Glancing down at the pair of coffins, he raised an eyebrow. “So, what brings you two to Ame?”

“Just checking in on you… Among other things,” Tsunade murmured.

“And the coffins?” Jiraiya pressed.

“Nagato and Yahiko,” I answered, looking up towards Konan who was seated on the ceiling. “I only knew them for a few days so I can’t say for sure, but I think they’d want their bodies returned to their home nation.”

Silently dropping down, Konan swept her hand across one of the coffin's surfaces. “They would,” She hummed softly, looking up. “Thank you for returning them. If I could ask… How did Nagato die?”

“Black Zetsu forced him to use the Gedo Rinne Tensei in order to bring back the real Madara,” I replied. “They’re both dead now.”

“And the one responsible for his capture?” Konan asked. “Uchiha Obito.”

“Dead as well,” I replied, pausing for a moment. “His last few moments weren’t the happiest… Let’s just say that it wasn’t a pleasant end.”

Nodding along, Konan quirked a smile at that. “Good. He was the one that convinced Nagato that we needed to collect the Biju… If not for him, things would have turned out differently.” Coating the coffins in a layer of paper, they were lifted into the air. “I will make arrangements to ensure that they’re laid to rest properly.”

Turning to leave, she brought the coffins with her, floating them at her side.

“Before you go, I should let you know that your status as a former member of the Akatsuki is bound to attract the attention of the other Kage,” Tsunade said, bringing Konan to a halt. “It’s doubtful that they’ll outright invade Ame, especially after the short lived war we just went through, but they will come for you.”

Looking over her shoulder, Konan gave a simple nod. “Thank you for your concern, but it is unwarranted.”

“Unwarranted,” Tsunade mused, her gaze turning towards a smirking Jiraiya. “What did you do now?”

“I believe you should be asking what Konan did,” Jiraiya answered. “After all, it’s only natural that a former student of mine would help out their old Sensei.”

Oh… He was going to claim that she was a double agent? I had to admit, it wasn’t a bad plan. Hell, it wasn’t necessarily a lie either. Konan had technically turned traitor to the Akatsuki. The Kage would still be wary, but having someone like Jiraiya vouch for her would go a long way.

Palming her face, she shook her head tiredly. “I hope you know that this is going to take a lot of work.”

“Eh, nothing worth doing is ever easy,” He shrugged.

“Just…” Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly. “I’ll figure this out later. For now, let’s just head back to Konoha…” Pausing at the look on Jiraiya’s face, Tsunade sighed. “What now?”

“I was planning on lingering in Ame for a while longer,” Jiraiya admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “To help Konan get everything in order. You seem to have things handled pretty well back in Konoha and you have Naruto at your side if anything goes wrong.”

I can’t say I saw that coming. “You’re staying?” I asked.

“That’s the plan,” Jiraiya hummed. “I won’t make the same mistakes as last time. I refuse to abandon one of my students when they need help,” He murmured, shooting a quick glance towards Konan. “Besides, I won’t be too far for you to reach,” He said, slipping one of my Kunai into his hand.

“I doubt I’d be able to convince you otherwise,” Tsunade murmured. “I suppose you staying in Ame will give Konan more credibility… If I spin it the right way. Just… Try to keep a low profile until I inform the other Kage, alright.”

“Will do,” Jiraiya answered. “Anything else you need?”

“No… That should do it for now,” She murmured/.

“Well, then… I suppose Konan and I should be leaving then,” He said, gesturing towards the coffins. “I’ll see you two in a week?”

“Make it two,” Tsunade sighed.

“Right, two it is,” He laughed boisterously as he made to leave. “Be sure to look after each other, Naruto, Tsunade.”

Waving, Jiraiya closed the door behind himself, leaving us as the only two occupants of the room.

“That man…” Tsunade muttered to herself tiredly. “I need a vacation.”

Well…

Placing my hand on her shoulder, our surroundings changed. Gone was the office setting and the rainy skies. In their place was a beachfront with a small manor sitting to the side. The sun was hanging high in the air.

Looking around in bewilderment, Tsunade turned towards me. “Naruto, where exactly are we?”

“Three hours south of the Fire Temple on a beachfront that I found a while ago,” I explained. “I thought it was a pretty nice location, so I marked it and have slowly been modifying it.” I gestured towards the wooden manor. “What do you thin–“

Falling back into the sand, I suddenly found my mouth occupied by Tsunade’s. Straddling my waist, she pulled back, staring down at me with an intense look in her eyes. “I think… That we’ve got five hours until we’re expected to meet with the Kage and I want to spend them all here, with you. Is Kurama still asleep?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” She smirked excitedly, dropping her haori on the ground to my side. “And you say that there’s no one else out here?”

“The closest village is over an hour away and since there’s no path, you’d need to travel through the trees.”

“Then I suppose I won’t need to hold back,” She breathed, letting her Henge fade, revealing her Sage markings.

…PTL…

Five years later.

Feeling the first few rays of sun on my face, along with a soft giggle and the pitter patter of feet, I let out a soft groan, pulling my pillow over my head. It was way too early for this. Clenching my eyes shut, I fought for a few more minutes of blissful rest only to…

Wait…. Giggle? Pitter patter of feet?

Sitting up, my eyes snapped open and I found myself staring down at a blonde girl that looked just like a younger Tsunade standing at the foot of the bed.

“Daddy!”

“What the fu–“

A flash of light flickered across my vision, cutting me off, before a figure cloaked in shadows slowly emerged from the dark of the room. Pulling their hood back, I was greeted by Anko's grin.

“Got it.”

“Good. That was surprisingly easier than I expected,” The little girl muttered, before glancing back at me. “Maybe take another one while he’s got that look on his face.”

What? Blinking as another flash lit up the room, I glanced between the girl and Anko, my hazy mind trying to make sense of what was going on.

“Tsunade?” I murmured, staring at the young girl.

“Finally realized who I am?” Tsunade hummed. Dropping her Henge, she allowed herself to revert back to her normal form, her stomach visibly swollen. “It took you long enough.”

“I… But why?”

“I warned you that you wouldn’t be able to sleep in today,” Tsunade answered. “I figured that you wouldn’t want to get up, so I enlisted Anko to help.” She gestured towards said grinning Jonin. “What can I say, I guess I’ve got a little prankster in me.” She patted her stomach lightly.

“…Right,” I muttered softly. “Wait, what time is it?”

“Nearly nine,” Tsunade replied. “You have less than half an hour to get ready. A few of the Kage have decided to visit as well… You don’t want to embarrass Konoha in front of the other nations, do you?”

“That sounds bad,” Anko murmured, before turning towards Tsunade. “That would be bad, right?”

“Only professionally embarrassing,” Tsunade answered calmly.

Crap!

Leaping out of bed, I grabbed some clothes and rushed towards the bathroom. Returning a handful of minutes later, fully showered and ready for the day. If I’d woken up earlier, I would have been able to take a little more time, but since I didn’t, I couldn’t.

“That was quick,” Tsunade commented.

Anko was nowhere to be seen.

“Yeah, well,” I muttered, running a towel through my hair. “I was in a bit of a rush. How’re you doing this morning?”

Raising an eyebrow, Tsunade smirked. “Fine… And you.”

A little nervous actually… Although, she already knew that. “A little thrown off by this morning, but ultimately alright.”

Tsunade’s gaze softened as she sidled up to me. “You’ll do fine. Compared to everything you’ve been through, this is nothing.” Humming softly, she held out her hand. “Now, are you ready?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. Taking her hand I instantly transported us to the top of the Hokage tower where a collection of various Shinobi stood.

Catching sight of us, Shizune rushed over, carrying a bundle of white cloth. “Naruto, Tsunade,” She breathed a sigh of relief. “For a second there, I thought you were going to be late to your inauguration. Oh, right. Here you go,” She said, handing me the bundle she’d been holding. “You need to put that on.”

Unfolding the bundle to reveal the Hokage’s hat beneath, I stared down at it for a moment. It was strange. Becoming Hokage had long since been a childhood dream and now that it was finally being fulfilled, it didn’t feel real.

“Let me help you with that,” Tsunade said. Slipping the hat out of my grasp, she placed it on my head. “It suits you.”

Exhaling slowly, I smiled. “Thanks. So where are the... Wait, never mind. I found them,” I muttered, catching sight of the various Kage that decided to attend today.

Noticing my gaze, Ay gave a single nod in my direction, one that was mimicked by Gaara and myself. Mei, however, hadn’t noticed my presence as she was animatedly talking to a disguised Itachi who was slowly nodding as he listened to her.

As for Ōnoki , it seemed that he decided against coming today.

“Perhaps… Or maybe he’s closer than you think,” Kurama idly commented.

Humming, I looked around, before catching sight of Ōnoki hovering high in the air, right above his fellow Kage.

“Naruto, it’s time,” Tsunade said, patting my shoulder.

I nodded. ‘You with me on this one, Kurama?’

“Until the end.”

I took a confident step forward, overlooking the village which had gathered down below. My Truth Seeking Orbs hovering behind me as I grasped the tip of the Hokage’s hat, tilting it to give me a better view of everyone.

Scanning the crowd, it seemed like the entire village was in attendance, their forms blending together in a collage of colours. Standing out among them was the rookie Genin I’d learned alongside… Although, they weren’t rookies anymore. They hadn’t been for a number of years now.

And here I was standing in front of them. The class clown, reincarnation, Jinchuriki, Sage, inheritor of the Six Paths, and finally…

The Sixth Hokage.

...PTL…

Omake
The Spider and the Fly

Passing through a dimensional barrier, Jigen appeared in front of a large, almost observatory looking building. The sheer scale of it would be impressive to most, but the thing that truly made it special was what was contained within.

A juvenile Juubi.

Floating down towards it, he hovered just out of reach of the Biju. Uncaring of how close it got as it tried to eat him. “Now is not the time,” He murmured softly, holding his hand out towards the Juubi.

His vessel was degrading rapidly. It wouldn’t be much longer before it was no longer able to sustain him. He needed something to help extend its lifespan for a few more years… At least until he had another vessel lined up.

Pulling on the Juubi’s Chakra, he was just about to absorb it, before it suddenly stopped in front of him. That was strange. It shouldn’t be able to resist him.

Trying again, he was perplexed when, instead, the Chakra flowed back into the Juubi.

Intending on getting to the bottom of this, his body suddenly locked up as something both invisible and intangible grabbed a hold of him. Worse yet, something was preventing him from using Chakra. It was almost as if…

Before he was able to finish his thought, a blonde man suddenly appeared in front of him. His gaze locked onto the Biju below.

“In the words of the great Toad Sage,” The man announced, reaching towards the Biju. “Hippity, Hoppety, your Juubi is now my property.”

And with that, he absorbed the Juubi into his own body.

“W…Who?” Jigen struggled to speak, forcing his way through whatever it was that kept him immobile.

“You’re still able to move,” The blonde man noted. “You must be pretty strong. Unfortunately for you, you’ve stumbled into my parlor… And, in doing so, you are no longer allowed to leave.”

In a blur of movement far too fast for Jigen to track in this state, the blonde man appeared in front of him. A pair of Rinnegan staring down at him as if he was nothing but a fly.

Feeling something pierce his body, he glanced down to see that his Chakra points were sealed off by a mixture of black receivers and Truth Seeking Orbs.

This… This wasn’t supposed to happen. He was a god, not some… Some…

“Some?” The man asked, his hand on Jigen’s head. “Oh, what’s this about Kāma… It seems like an upgraded Curse Mark. I see, Isshiki, is it? I wonder what happens to this Kāma of yours if I rip your soul out and seal it away. Maybe I should give it to the Shinigami as an apology for what I did to its stomach.”

Feeling something slowly being ripped from his body, Jigen tried to resist it, only for the pull to suddenly intensify. Try as he might, this stranger was steadily overwhelming him… And he wasn’t alone. There was something inside of him that was helping.

The Juubi?

No, he’d just absorbed it. Surely he couldn’t control it yet.

Consciousness rapidly fading, Jigen slumped forward, unable to continue fighting as Isshiki’s essence was ripped from his body.

“One down, however many of you bastards there are left to go,” The man muttered. “I wonder if a young Juubi would make for a good gift, what do you think, Kurama… Yeah, you’re probably right. Wait until she’s older before offering world ending power. What about Tsunade? Surely she’d be interested in it.”

…AN…

And that’s largely the end of Pushing Through the Limit. I do still have one chapter in mind for the alternate timeline… To see how things went there, but this is ultimately the end of the story.

It’s been a fun ride full of ups and downs. One that I hope you found entertaining. There were a few moments there where I got a little too focused on the plot and didn’t give the characters room to breathe, I will admit.

Anyways, I won’t keep you for too long.

Once I post the final chapter of this story, I’ll be moving onto another one. I set up a poll a while ago to ask what I should write next and most of you voted for Avatar The Last Airbender, so I guess that’ll be the next story… I’ll post more information on that later though.

Enjoy your day/night, dudes and dudettes.
I’ll see you all in the next one.