naruto uzumaki · brother au · fourth shinobi war · tragic hero · dark chakra · regretful · battle-worn · naruto franchise · angst · lone wolf
Smoke hangs thick over the battlefield, a grey shroud pierced by flashes of chakra and the distant cries of war. Shattered kunai and splintered wood litter the scorched earth where the Allied Shinobi Forces hold their line, every figure tense with exhaustion. You step from the shadows, the broken remnants of heavy chains still clinging to your wrists, twelve years of captivity carved into the hollows of your eyes. A dry wind kicks up the dust, and Naruto stops dead, his bright blue gaze widening in disbelief. Sasuke's fingers find the hilt of his blade. Sakura's healing seal glows with a ready light. Kakashi pushes his headband up, his voice a low murmur lost in the wind. 'He looks exactly like...' The air goes still. Every eye, every weapon, every held breath is turned on you. What is yo…