14: The Phantom's return

Knowing how Sasuke died, Naruto clenched his jaw, his breath coming in short, uneven gasps. His fingers dug into the bark, as if holding onto it tightly enough could somehow bring Sasuke back. His chest ached, a hollow, gnawing pain that no amount of time had dulled.

"No," he whispered, shaking his head. "You can't be gone. You can't." His voice cracked, raw and desperate. "You promised, damn it! You promised we'd settle things—together."

The words fell into the silence, swallowed by the rustling leaves. The world moved on. The village thrived. But here, in this clearing, time had stopped. And Naruto—Naruto couldn't. He couldn't move forward, couldn't accept that Sasuke had become nothing but memories and whispers in the wind.

His knees buckled, and he sank to the ground, hands trembling against the roots. "Say something," he choked out, as if the tree would answer him. As if Sasuke would step out from the shadows with his usual smirk, calling him an idiot

But Naruto refuses to accept it.

There had to be a way.

The Forbidden Scrolls

Deep within Konoha's archives, hidden even from most Hokage, lies a scroll older than time itself. It speaks of a Portal of Time, a rift in reality that can bring back lost souls. But there's a warning: Those who walk through time must pay an unbearable price.

Naruto doesn't care.

The Journey Begins

Guided by whispers from Kurama's lingering chakra, Naruto ventures into the ruins of the Otsutsuki Temple, buried beneath the Land of Silence. There, he encounters remnants of the Otsutsuki clan—ancient beings trapped between time.

They reveal the truth: the Portal exists, but it's guarded by Kurotensei, the Keeper of Time, a being that devours those who dare change fate.

The Battle Against Time

Reaching the portal, Naruto is confronted by Kurotensei. The creature sneers:

"You seek to undo death? Time demands sacrifice, Uzumaki."

Naruto doesn't flinch. Using Sage Mode combined with his last remnants of Kurama's chakra, he battles the entity, pushing himself beyond his limits. But just as he's about to lose, a voice echoes—Sasuke's voice.

"You idiot… you never change."

With the last of his strength, Naruto shatters Kurotensei's hold and reaches into the portal—grasping Sasuke's hand just before it fades into oblivion.

Naruto succeeds, but at a cost. The portal collapses, and in exchange for Sasuke's life, Naruto is erased from history—no longer a Hokage, no longer a hero. Only Sasuke remembers him.

The Portal seemed to have swapped their destiny.

Now, the world knows Sasuke as the man who saved Konoha. But every time he looks at the Hokage Mountain, he sees an empty space where Naruto's face should have been.

And in the whispering winds of Konoha, a lone voice murmurs:

"Dattebayo... you owe me ramen, bastard."

Sasuke stood atop Hokage Rock, the village bustling below him, yet something felt… off. He clenched his fist, memories flooding back—the battle against Kurotensei, the blinding light of the collapsing Portal of Time, and then… nothing.

No one spoke of Naruto Uzumaki. No one even remembered his name.

But Sasuke did.

Determined to uncover the truth, Sasuke scoured every archive in Konoha. The records listed all the past Hokage—Hashirama, Tobirama, Sarutobi, Tsunade... but where Naruto's face should have been, there was only a blank stone.

He confronted Kakashi, but the former Sixth Hokage only furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Naruto? That name doesn't ring a bell, Sasuke."

Even Hinata, whose heart should have ached the most, only gave him a puzzled look.

"I… don't know who you mean."

It was as if time itself had rewritten history, erasing Naruto from existence.

Desperate, Sasuke activated his Rinnegan, searching for remnants of the chakra Naruto left behind. And finally, he found something—a faint trace of Kurama's lingering presence, sealed deep beneath the ruins of the Otsutsuki Temple.

Sasuke ventured into the abyss once more, where echoes of time whispered truths no one else could hear.

"You seek the one who defied time?"

It was Kurotensei's voice.

"His existence was the price. He is beyond even your reach, Uchiha."

But Sasuke didn't believe in absolutes.

**Breaking the eclipse memories

Sasuke stood atop Hokage Rock, the village bustling below him, yet something felt… off. He clenched his fist, memories flooding back—the battle against Kurotensei, the blinding light of the collapsing Portal of Time, and then… nothing.

No one spoke of Naruto Uzumaki. No one even remembered his name.

But Sasuke did.

If Naruto had been erased, then Sasuke would do the impossible. He would defy time itself.

Summoning his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, he channeled every ounce of chakra he had into his Rinnegan.

The space before him twisted, warping as reality fractured. His body burned, veins darkening as the weight of a paradox crushed his very soul.

And then—

A whisper.

"Tch… you really can't let me rest, can you, bastard?"

Naruto stood before him, a ghostly figure caught between existence and oblivion. His smile was the same, but his eyes held an eerie emptiness.

"You shouldn't have come, Sasuke."

But Sasuke smirked.

"You really think I'd let you disappear that easily?"

Time wouldn't let Naruto return so easily. The universe had already rewritten itself. But if Naruto could be erased… then maybe, just maybe—Sasuke could steal him back.

"Hold on, usuratonkachi."

Using every ounce of his remaining power, Sasuke forced open the rift. The world trembled, time screaming in protest.

And then—

A single gust of wind.

A bowl of steaming ramen.

A loud, annoyed voice echoing through the streets of Konoha:

"OI, TEUCHI! EXTRA PORK IN THIS ONE!"

Naruto Uzumaki was back.

And this time, Sasuke made sure the world would never forget him again.