(Okay so for those that didn't read my last Author's note this is going to be random. So: Sasuke spent a similar to canon amount of time away from the leaf village, training with Orochimaru (with cei) and this is the scene I had long ago written about the final battle against Madara. Sasuke helps them fight Madara, also like canon. Leaf shinobi and Sasuke once more fight side by side after 3 years as enemies)

Naruto and Sasuke stood beside each other on unsteady legs, watching Madara and the army of white zetsu as they approached. Sakura was frantically fussing over them, trying to heal as much of their injuries as she could with her depleted chakra. They had fought the Akatsuki and Madara for months, and were tired. So, so tired. Even in the midst of Naruto's seemingly never ending determination, a light of helplessness can be seen. They had tried. Sasuke had come back and they had fought the enemy together. The entire team was together, well, mostly. The Rokudaime was standing behind his students, trying not to collapse. They had all suffered. They had all gotten so strong. And yet no matter what they do, no matter how hard they try, the war never ends. They lost so many friends in this war, so many people close to them that would never return.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, the despair mirrored in both their eyes. Naruto was reaching his limit. He had run out of chakra and even Kurama was beginning to tire. He looked at the gedo-statue with worry as Madara started activating it. He had gotten chakra from all the tailed beasts.

Sasuke was turning blind. His eyes were bleeding, and he could feel Ceiren subtly repairing his eyes and countering the damage. He couldn't fight anymore, not without more of Ceiren's help, but the damn chicken cutlet didn't want to out herself to their teammates. His own chakra had long since depleted. He closed his eyes as he let the feeling of exasperation overwhelm him.

Madara had collected the chakra of all the nine bijuus. He was going to awaken the ten tails and put the world in an infinite illusion. He was going to destroy the world.

When Madara finished the procedure for the awakening of the Ten tails, Sasuke opened his eyes. Madara was rushing towards them with the army of white zetsu, rinnegan blazing. Team 7 had been his greatest nuisance during his entire plan. He was going to kill them.

Sakura was completely drained, and not only her. Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke. None of them had any energy left. Not even enough to dodge out of Madara's way. A heavy realization settled on three of them as they realized, that this is where it ends. This, is where they die.

Right before Madara reached them, a roar that shook the earth sounded from the gedo-statue and a black wave blinded everyone for a while. When their eyes cleared, Naruto's, Sakura's and Kakashi's jaws dropped to the ground. Sasuke let out a tiny breath of relief before rolling his eyes.

Long white hair flowing in the breeze. Pale, slender fingers wrapped around Madara's foot, stopping his kick. The leaf shinobi were hit by a sudden powerful wave of nostalgia.

Just like all those years ago...

The figure turned to them, and they were greeted by a beauty that could blind the world. Their eyes were opened impossibly wide with shock and disbelief.

They knew that face. That gorgeous, perfect face that had matured and become even more beautiful. The long sparkling white hair that had grown even longer, now sweeping the ground. The pale as newly fallen snow skin, and the body that had once been that of a child but now was that of a slender, soft woman.

The eyes that were no longer a pastel purple, but were flaring with bright purple flames.

And the blinding smile that graced that perfect being's face when she saw them.

"Hello there. Missed me?"

There was a hint of laughter in the smooth, melodious voice that was too enchanting to even describe. Even Madara seemed completely distracted by her.

The surreal beauty slowly looked away from the frozen figures of her teammates and looked at the person whose attack she had just stopped. The gentle smile on her face bloomed like a thousands lilies, joy sparkling in her eyes. The next time her voice sounded, it was filled with giddiness.

"Ahhh so nostalgic! Its been a long time since I last protected my teammates from different dumbasses with some serious guts! When even was the last time? The cow dude? Though of course, Madara is insanely more handsome!!!"

Her eyes twinkled like joyful stars and she gracefully raised her hand, sweetly flicking Madara's forehead, and sending him crashing across the battlefield.

An eerie silence followed. The entirety of the army of the Allied Shinobi Forces were staring dumbly at the beauty that had just sent feckin' Madara Uchiha crashing through the entire battlefield just filth a flick of a finger.

Naruto couldn't speak for a while. All the air seemed to be stuck in his throat. When he could finally breathe, he uttered in a quiet and disbelieving voice;

"....Cei-chan?"

The practically shining figure turned back to face her teammates and gave them a smile. Naruto's eyes started tearing up before tears quietly ran down his cheeks, his own happiness and relief quickly joined by another euphric emotion bubbling up within him. A feeling he distantly noted was insanely familiar, but that he now also could tell with certainty was Kurama.

Naruto couldn't get any words to leave past his throat. How long was it since he'd seen his first friend? How long was it since she saved him, just like that, from Zabuza on their first high-ranked mission? How long, since their entire team has been together?

Sakura and Naruto were crying, but Kakashi and Sasuke were still staring, unable to believe their eyes. Especially a certain emo duckbutt.

Sasuke was honestly quite chocked Ceiren had decided to pull this kind of bs and appear in her childhood, white-themed visage. He knew she liked being dramatic, but girl this was trying too hard, playing on the others' childhood memories. It was embarrassing.

But looking at her physical appearance before him, his eyes still softened. He always ended up missing seeing her, even with her insufferable voice in his head all the time. He couldn't even count how often he still dreamt of holding her, of stroking her silky hair as she sleeps on him. How many times he'd dream of kissing her, of holding her and making her his. Of staying with her forever.

Not yet. But soon.

Shaking himself free of his thoughts, Sasuke cast an interested glance at his teammates. Unlike him, none of them had seen Ceiren since she'd shamelessly abandoned them and they had absolutely no idea what she was or what she could do. He tried imagining what they were thinking right this moment.

Cei's aura right now... was one he was very familiar with. One he himself has had emitted for many years now. No one else could possibly ever sense it, but he had grown awfully familiar with it and could recognize it anywhere. It was the feeling the presence of the black mist gave you. The underlying darkness in the air.

And her eyes. Ceiren's eyes were an intense purple color, like purple flames. He was very familiar with this color. It has stared back at him from the surrounding darkness of his mindscape, gazing at him sometimes with warmth, sometimes with amusement or irritation and sometimes with love. But he doubted the others had ever seen it. He wondered, what they would think of it.

He loved her eyes.

Cei and Ren have the same eyes.

He had snorted very violently and un-Uchiha-like, all those years ago when he had made the connection of her nicknames.

Cei and Ren.

Ceiren.

One and the same.

She was so childish. It was so stupid. Sasuke sighed fondly.

"Ren."

The beauty's eyes closed and she smiled the widest smile before bypassing all her slackjawed teammates and going to Sasuke. Stopping in front of him, she reached out and caressed his cheek with the her hand.

"What's with the look, Uchiha? Like what you see?"

She giggled playfully before flicking his forehead. But it didn't send him flying like it had Madara. It was the same gesture that Itachi always made. Sasuke looked at her with mild mocking derision spewing from his eyes.

"...shut it stupid bird. I like you no matter what form you take on."

His voice was cold as ever, with the slightest tinge of amusement. Grabbing hold of her waist, Sasuke turned them both to face the three speechless, slackjawed and watering-eyed faces of Kakashi, Sakura and Naruto. Distantly, they also saw people in the background like Guy, Lee, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru and the like being shocked to death upon seeing Cei.

"You shameless thing, really had to make us all suffer a good while just so you could appear at the most dramatically opportune moment."

Sasuke chided Ceiren softly before he grabbed her chin and janked her up. Her eyes flared in amusement but she didn't fight him. Their lips touched softly, the move smooth and sweet.

The others had been too busy coming over their shock's of various things (Cei is back and she and Sasuke are kissing!?) to notice that Madara Uchiha and his reanimated Kage were rushing at them with jutsu and weapons drawn. When Kakashi glanced to the side and noticed, it was already too late. They were moving at a speed where even if he said something, Madara would have arrived earlier than the soundwaves of his warning. But just as his eyes widened in terror something happened. And at that point, Kakashi clearly understood one thing; this student of his was forever going to make his jaw drop.

A reverberating crack sounded through the battlefield as the gedo-statue broke in two, and ten black as ink feathers sprouted from Ceiren. Ten enormous and unbelievably beautiful feathers, all casting even more ginormous shadows over the battlefield. This time it was Madra's turn to widen his eyes in shock. But he couldn't even do anything before one of the feathers came down, and swept him off the ground. The force and power of the tail plainly sent Madara flying.

Ceiren separated from Sasuke and turned around to look at the sky, squinting her eyes as she saw Madara's body speeding further away into the air, before only a star spelled as a trace of where he left the atmosphere.

Ceiren raised an eyebrow at that.

So, the legendary Team-Rocket effect really does exist...

She then turned to Sasuke with a smile.

"So, what are your orders my darling jinchuuriki?"

Sasuke smirked at her before grabbing a lock of her hair and elegantly kissing it, then looking her in the eyes.

"Well, I order you, Ten Tails..."

Gasps were heard from all around. The closest members of the allied shinobi forces quickly spread what they heard and sounds of shock was heard through the battlefield. The enemies were also looking at each other with shocked expressions before turning to look at the broken gedo-statue before looking back at the beautiful girl.

All their teammates were staring even more and their surprise and shock levels seemed to have made them lose their minds and become vegetables.

Sasuke's smirk widened.

"... to end this war."

Ceiren smiled in return before turning from Sasuke. Her hair started turning black, as if black color was seeping from her roots. Her flaming purple eyes flashed before a pair of massive ink black wings sprouted from her back. Standing there, darkness surged at her feet, coiling and dancing before climbing onto her body. The massive shadow kept growing, and when the darkness finally dispersed, gasps filled the air.

An enormous black phoenix stood there, it's massive black wings casting the battlefield into darkness, ten enormous tail feathers fanned out around it. It lifted it's head and let out an earth shattering cry.

Sasuke smirked and sushinned, appearing on the birds head. Looking down over the stilled out of plain, unadultered shock battle, the corner of his lips tilted upwards.

"So, the Ten Tails is officially in the game. Anyone still up for another round?"

His smirk widened when a reverbating birdcry rent the sky again, agreeing with his statement.