Yurei was lying down on the ground. This was it. The end for him. he was missing his right arm, and his left leg was blown up below the knee. He was bleeding from countless wounds, and there were bruises and burn marks all over his body.

The only reason he was alive was due to his sage mode and Kurama. There was one last thing to do.

Yurei looked around the battlefield. All he could see was destruction and countless bodies lying everywhere. He could clearly see the carnage from where he freed all nine Biju on the battlefield. There was evidence of jutsu used everywhere.

The Biju were gone by now. Vanished without a trace. To a place, only Yurei knew of. They would be safe. Bodies of B and Gaara were left unconscious on the battlefield purposefully. They were beaten and bloody but would survive.

The two Jinchuuriki wanted to remain in their villages after the war, so after their Biju played their part as rampaging beasts on the battlefield, Shukaku and Gyuki pretended to be defeated and went back to their host's bodies.

The actions would be blamed on the Biju, and the Jinchuuriki could go back to their villages after the whole ordeal.

But the Biju weren't the only ones who fought. They were actually released only in the last part of the battle. Yurei had years to plan the whole thing. In the early stage, he had an army of seal-enforced clones that he spent years gathering enough chakra.

They were the ones who took care of most of the Shinobi and held them back from the main fights. Yurei only released the Biju when the strongest of the forces were close enough. He couldn't fight everyone on his own, so he needed to hold back the forces while he took care of those he needed to.

He also had countless seals of different functionalities everywhere to give him an edge. But it was over now. He played his part, and all his clones and the Biju were gone. Soon, he would be, too. He could see Shinobi running around already.

Medics trying to help those still breathing and those who could still stand collecting the bodies. Many were openly crying. At the loss of friends and family. Their loved ones. It was solemn. It would be a poetic scene if it was raining. He was thankful that it wasn't.

He turned his head to look at the sky. There were black clouds. It would rain soon. He wanted to get up, but he didn't have the energy. He still had some chakra, so he summoned his smallest fox to give him the orders.

Itachi and Shisui soon came to where he was left for dead. He was no longer a threat, so there was no reason to finish him. Suffering was a more suitable ending. Yurei wanted to remove his mask, but he couldn't lift his remaining arm.

So, instead, he opted to turn his head toward them. They were roughed up badly, but it was nothing permanent for the long term. He was glad. While he went easy on all his loved ones to an extent, he couldn't make it obvious.

They both took a moment to assess each other. Yurei didn't have the energy to talk. When it was evident he wasn't going to talk, Itachi broke the silence.

"We heard the request from your summon. I agree to use the genjutsu, but we will have two people on the watch in case of foul play." Itachi said calmly.

Yurei barely managed to nod. Itachi quickly gave a few orders, and Minato and Jiraiya came forward. They stood a few steps away from them. When they were settled, Itachi exchanged a look with Shisui and activated his sharingan.

In a blink of an eye, the trio were pulled into the Tsukuyomi.

They were all standing in a clearing. Yurei was still wearing his mask, which was good. "Well, now that we are here, how do you know about Itachi's ability, and what did you want to tell us?" Shisui asked, taking a step forward protectively.

Yurei calmly raised a hand. "I will answer all your questions, but first, let me show you something. All I ask of you is to wait and see everything first and then ask your questions." Yurei said. He was holding his breath, hoping for them to agree.

Itachi and Shisui looked at each other and had a quick mental conversation. "We agree," Itachi said after facing him again with determination.

So it all started. The memories of a boy with sunshine hair and eyes the color of seas. They saw it all. A story of tragic birth and the rise of a hero. And then the rebirth.

They saw Naruto for the first time. The true Naruto. Who he was and all he did.

They saw it all up until the death of Naruto and nothing of Yurei. Yurei didn't want them to bear some of the secrets he had. Some of his actions were better to be forgotten.

Itachi and Shisui were in shock. They had no idea of what to do or what to think. They saw his plans. All of it. What he did, why he did it.

Naruto did all of this for the peace. He decided to become a villain. Something everyone feared. So that the nations would be forced to work together. So they could see it was possible. He also showed them his solution. When he attacked Kakashi. In the trinket, he left him. There was a seal containing his detailed plans about what actions Konoha should take in the future.

Notes on peace treaties and agreements that should take place. It wouldn't create a perfect world, but it could take them a step towards lasting peace and creating a better one.

There will be discussions between minor and major villages in set intervals so there can be fair negotiations. There were so many plans to resolve more minor existing conflicts so they wouldn't blow out of proportion.

There was much more. Years of work he had done by studying the villages through his clones. Their way of operations, their needs, and beliefs. He gathered so much information about them all to create these documents.

So the solutions would benefit the most. No nation would be put above others.

"But why? Why did you have to start this war, Naruto?" Shisui yelled at him. There were tears in their eyes, but Yurei had to stay firm.

"I couldn't find another way. As long as all the shinobi world didn't work towards the same objective for once, no matter the number of people who wanted peace, there would be those who wouldn't believe it possible. You both know it, even better than me, that how and why the villages were created."

"Senju and Uchiha clan were in endless war. Until two boys created a shared dream and created a village. It showed other clans that peace could be possible. They created villages. But it wasn't perfect. Three great wars happened already, and the fourth one was on our doorsteps."

"I needed to show it to everyone. That you could all work together. That it is possible to set aside the differences. That it is possible to accept them. that what happened before was not an accident. A one-time thing. I'm sorry, but it was the only way." Yurei said with a sad, faraway look in his eyes.

"How can you say that it was the only way. So many died to what? Prove a point? If you involved us from the start, we could have found another way. If you truly had all this information, we could have involved more people. We could have made a long-term plan. A…" Shisui stopped as Itachi put a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"I'm sorry. I know I've hurt you. I've hurt so many by my selfish actions. From the moment I entered this timeline, I knew I was under a time constraint. You saw it from my memories. I could never live to see adulthood."

"The damage from the time travel, all those excess chakra, and the other factors. My body was in a losing battle. I couldn't risk failing my mission. I couldn't go for a long-term approach that might have failed. I had to make sure that it all happens in my life span."

"Madara was wrong about so many things. I can never forgive his actions, but he was right about one thing. His actions were what brought the nations together. Even if we were all doomed in the end." Yurei said with a smile. He couldn't believe he would ever agree with Madara. But here he was.

"Then how do you claim your actions to be right when you also killed so many? Do you truly believe that villages would use this weakened state to attack each other? To finish each other off before others can get up?" Itachi asked, trying to keep his voice calm and even.

Yurei gave a small smile. "It's because I have a plan. Shisui. You know that it was me who attacked you that day. I had to give you the Rinnegan. Nagato was not going to be able to do this. He gave away his rinnegan" Yurei stopped for a moment to take a breath.

"You already saw it from my memory, but Rinnegan can bring back the dead. I have been storing the necessary chakra with the help of all the other Jinchuuriki to make this last action possible. You have to activate the seal on my stomach and draw the chakra while performing the jutsu. It will bring back all the fallen Shinobi."

"The rinnegan given to you is from Sage's power. It will be gone and turn into your usual sharingan once you use the jutsu of this magnitude since it will need all of Sage's remaining power. But you will survive, and everyone else will be healed too." Yurei said with a smile.

"Then what about the Edo Tensei? What makes you think that no one will be able to bring Madara back? What makes you think that he won't be able to achieve his plans?" Shisui asked. He was frustrated.

"Edo Tensei is complicated jutsu. The Nidaime was truly a genius. However, Orochimaru and I spent years analyzing it. The jutsu works by breaching the barrier between the world of the living and the dead."

"I'm not going to bore you with details. I already shared with you as much as our time allowed, but we found a solution by using the Uzumaki Shinigami mask and a few seals. The connection can be sealed, and no one will be able to use the jutsu again. However, it needs a sacrifice. Someone who is connected to the nature. A sage."

"The seal needs to use the natural chakra of a sage and a strong life force to activate. That is why I will activate it as soon as we leave this place. This way, we can be sure that no one will be able to abuse that jutsu again. The dead will stay dead. We searched for solutions for a very long time, and this is the only solution." Yurei said. He could see the shocked look on his friend's face.

"Is that it, Naruto-kun? The true reason why you decided to play villain? The reason why you didn't fight and use your abilities to live longer?" Itachi said, clenching his fists. Shisui turned a worried glance between them.

"You knew that even if you find a way to live, the only other sages are Jiraiya-sama and Minato-sama, and you weren't willing to sacrifice them," Itachi said. Yurei could see the blood slowly dripping from his fists where his nails were cutting into his skin.

"I could never hide anything from you, Itachi. You were always too sharp. But you are correct. One way or another, I was never meant for this timeline. So, I needed to make sure to leave a better world for my precious people. And I think I finally deserve some rest. Maybe I get to join my old friends." Yurei couldn't stop his own tears anymore.

One moment, he brought a hand to wipe away his tears, and the next, he was wrapped in a tight hug from both sides. Yurei stiffed. He didn't expect it. But he let himself melt into the strong arms holding him. This was their goodbye.

It took them all a while to finally pull away from the embrace. But time was of the essence. This final act would also ensure that the power of Sage was going to vanish from the world since there was no longer a need for it. There would be no more need for endless reincarnations.

Zetsu and Gedo statue were beyond reach, so Kaguya would never get free. The Uchiha achieved peace. And the villages learned to work together. The war of otherworldly powers has ended.

They had already said their goodbyes. Yurei nodded towards Itachi to end the Jutsu. It was finally time for him to rest.