Chapter Forty-One
Akechi Village
May 4, 2010
He swung by the house, tossed the bags on the couch, hid his camera somewhere he knew she couldn't reach or think to look, then threw his mission gear on, carefully zipping his pants as he waited for the state his fiancée had left him in to dim. In an effort to cool his ardor and slow his racing pulse, he busied himself with his normal routine prior to his missions. Checking his ninja tool bag, he counted then moved to the wooden, wardrobe looking container left of his closet. He grabbed some kunai and other weapon paraphernalia, then secured the contents around his waist with the clasp. He took his necklace off, slid his engagement ring from his finger and added it to the half heart shaped pendant before replacing the necklace. He zipped both precious gifts beneath his overcoat.
Then he was off again, grabbing his headband from the hook by the door as he passed.
He made it to the tower in under a minute and was ushered inside the Hokage's office the moment he strode through the entrance.
Sakura, an Anbu, a Hyuuga he recognized but couldn't place the name of and a person he had no Godly clue why would be anywhere near the village, let alone in the Hokage's office, stood waiting.
"Now that we're all here," the Hokage began, "let's begin."
Without questioning aloud, but his mind racing, Naruto closed the door and moved to stand next to the older man with his fiancée's kekkei genkai. With their relationship blooming, he'd met quite a few Hyuuga, so many it would take him years to remember each name, and even longer to match name with faces.
"This mission I've assigned to you three is of the utmost importance and is to be treated as such."
Three.
Wasn't hard for the occupants to read between the lines.
While there were five of them, on paper, two of them didn't exist.
The female Anbu and the man next to her.
"If such a thing were possible, I would classify this mission as a step above S rank. All findings are strictly confidential, not to be discussed outside those that have been previously cleared," the Hokage told them, before turning his gaze to the man that had thrown the blonde for a loop, "during its course, you are not to leave the sight of the Anbu. Should you move independent of that mandate, you are to be eliminated immediately."
"We're aware that with your intelligence and level of skill, even with the seals inhibiting your ability to wield chakra, you may have already tampered with the fail safe you accepted at the conclusion of the war. Should the seal etched into your skin prove unsuccessful, then other means will be used to achieve that end," Shikamaru said before turning his dark eyes to the lone Uzumaki in the room, "Naruto, that duty will fall to you. If the Anbu has cause to activate the seal and for any reason, whether it has been tampered with or not, it does not prove fatal, then you have leave to end Kabuto's life through any means necessary."
He couldn't say he was shocked or surprised...nor rattled. With his dream to be Hokage looming, both Kakashi and Shikamaru had slowly begun to expose him to the dark and light such a position entailed and from what he'd gleaned, there was more darkness than his young mind had ever realized, even after the bloody war they'd fought. Decisions like this, choices that could stain his hands in ways they had never been before, were creeping into his life more and more over time.
He didn't know in which manner he'd avoid carrying out such an order as the one he was being given now, but he had, at the very least, learned to gird himself for the reality of being commanded to do so. As a jonin, as the future leader of this village, he'd learned restraint in certain circumstances and situation like the one currently taking place.
Not a single protest passed his lips, nor did his impassive face change.
While he had absolutely no intention of ever fulfilling such a decree, it didn't mean he had to telegraph his dissension.
Not in this professional forum.
The powerful Uzumaki had no desire to stain his hands with death, not even Kabuto's, as despicable as he was. He'd never taken a life and never wanted to. Not as a man, not as a jonin, and not as Hokage.
Kakashi knew that.
Shikamaru knew that.
This was dual speak.
It was indeed an order, a duty assigned to him, but it wasn't one given without a deeper meaning. Spoken within his presence, this order was to serve as a deterrence for the snake faced man. A looming threat that Kabuto knew posed the biggest danger to his continued existence. Had he exploded and protested, as he would have in his early youth, the words the Rokudaime's assistance had spoken would have lost their potency. He'd not stain his hands, but at the very least, he could act the part if that's what it took to ensure Orochimaru's former right hand man behaved.
He gave his staunchest acceptance of the order, the lie rolling off his tongue quite easily.
"Sakura, if either situation occurs, you are to verify his death immediately after. Should he still cling to life following an encounter with Naruto, you are also given leave to terminate his life." Kakashi said.
"Yes sir," his friend acknowledged.
This gave him pause.
Sakura had in fact...taken life. Each one a necessity to stop the suffering of those she cared for. She'd done so in the war. She'd done so on the mission they'd first undertaken years ago when they first encountered the jubokko. She'd done so in the fight to find treatment and a cure for tsuchi. Each one weighed so heavily on her heart, Naruto wondered how she could even get up in the morning. How she could carry those burdens on her slender shoulders and still keep moving.
He wasn't sure if taking out Kabuto would effect her the way the others had, but he didn't want to chance it.
If any of these scenario's came to fruition, he would stop her. He wouldn't let her add to her burden. He couldn't let her. She hadn't even unloaded any of that weight she'd carried from the war yet. She didn't need to add to it.
"Hoheto," the gray haired man addressed next, putting name to the face that had escaped the blonde, "once you're beyond the entrance gates, open the scroll I've given to you. Please be as thorough as possible. We cannot afford to miss a single detail."
"Sir!" the Hyuuga acknowledged.
Shikamaru moved, two scrolls in hand, one for Hoheto, the other for Naruto.
"Same instructions, Naruto," Kakashi told him, "Outside the gate. Be thorough."
"Understood."
Minutes later, they were moving. While, he, Sakura, Hoheto left through the door of both the Hokage office and tower, their two clandestine teammates remained. He shared a look with Sakura, wanting to ask her what was going on. She knew something he didn't and besides Kabuto and the Anbu, she didn't have a scroll. Whatever had initiated this mission, the medic nin not only knew, but seemed to hold a grave disposition about it. He held his tongue as they walked through the streets of Konoha. He waved distractedly and returned greetings just as absentmindedly. The moment they were outside the gates, he took out his rolled document and scanned its contents. Midway, his blue orbs snapped to emerald.
"Seriously?"
"Apparently," the pinkette confirmed with a nod, "Ino uncovered a large chunk of his memory, but she wasn't able to get it all. She suggested taking him to the location to see if it'll force what's unaccessible to her into the forefront of hos mind. She wasn't able to pull anymore out without damaging his psyche in the process. He's still useful, he's to be preserved as long as its feasible."
About that...
"Sakura-chan-"
"Naruto," she interrupted, knowing where he was going, "life isn't always pretty. Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do, regardless of feelings. You don't want to take that step, I understand that...but we both know I'm far beyond a step."
She gave him a look that held a hardened resolve he couldn't stand.
"I'll do what I have to if necessary."
"It's not that cut and dry, 'ttebayo."
"I know it's not, but now isn't the time to debate shades of gray. This mission, it's black and white. There's no ambiguity, nor can we afford to create any. We need this information. We need Kabuto for that, but he's dangerous, Naruto. After what he did during the war...I won't hesitate should push come to shove, and I won't lose a moment of sleep over it. I promise you that."
With those parting comments, she turned to the Hyuuga a few steps back, quietly reading the contents he'd been given.
"Hoheto-san."
The older man looked up, his eyes serious as he joined them.
"I'll be team lead for this assignment. If you see anything, please let me know immediately."
"Yes, ma'am," he agreed before turning to the man next to her, "Uzumaki-san, a pleasure to see you again. it is an honor to be paired with you,"
"You as well," he murmured.
"Our destination is a few hours from here," the team lead explained, "let's go."
Travel was quiet and speedy. They spotted the Anbu and Kabuto the moment they reached the decaying remains that were once a small, but thriving village. Very little remained. Blackened husks where elaborate homes had once stood, browned grass still struggling to recover from whatever fire had scorched it, a paved road that was mostly intact though cracked and covered in gunk. Torn fabric tucked in debris, old darkened stains that had to have been made by intense heat marred more than one solid stone structure. Rusted kunai littered the ground, broken spears and crumpled paper bombs not far from the weapons of battle.
Naruto dropped down from a towering tree, golden chakra cloaking his body before his feet had even touched the brown grass below.
Immediately he felt a strange sensation.
Not unpleasant nor pleasant, but one that was merely...there. Kurama stirred as it washed over their senses.
"There's something below ground," the veined eyed Hyuuga informed them, "some sort of chamber."
"Can you make out what's inside?" Sakura questioned.
Hoheto's dark brows scrunched.
"No, either the walls or something within the chamber is distorting my vision."
"Distorted?"
He nodded.
"Blurred in a manner as one who removed their glasses would experience."
"There's a presence inside," Naruto added, "it's chakra but it doesn't really have a signature. Its just...sorta flat, 'ttebayo."
"Hoheto-san, do you see a way in?" Sakura asked.
"Third house...in the cellar."
The group swung to the speaker. Standing next to the Anbu, an almost dazed Kabuto stared back at them. There were so many emotions swimming inside those inky depths, many more gliding uninhibited along his scaly face. Neither jonin could mistake the source of it.
Ino had been right.
Returning had jogged his memory.
Naruto took lead to the third house's cellar, Kabuto between him and the Anbu, Sakura following and Hoheto at the rear. They rounded the decaying husk, and found an entrance behind it. Boasting double doors, though one hung off to the side at his hinges, the cellar looked as though it had exploded from the inside outward. Chakra lighting their path better than a torch, Naruto began the descent. It was a short trip down, in which the groaning steps strained beneath his weight.
Power whispered along his skin.
"It feels stronger," he murmured to the group.
He looked around the hallowed cavity beneath the house, but couldn't see a door, or even another staircase leading below ground to the source he'd sensed. Grimy walls, nasty, web weaved ceiling, a putrid smelling dirt floor.
Nothing else that he could see.
"Kabuto, are you sure this is the right place?" Sakura questioned.
"Yes."
"Where's the door?" she demanded, "do you remember?"
There was a long pause. Curious, Naruto turned. Brows furrowed, Kabuto seemed to be straining for the information trapped inside his head. A few moments passed before it seemed to come to him. He moved and then the Anbu moved. Blade at his throat, the orphanage overseer moved not an inch.
"State your intentions," the masked woman commanded, her voice holding an edge.
"It's beneath the dirt," he told his prison warden, "near that overturned stool. There's a symbol. It opens the chamber."
"Reveal it," she instructed, "then return."
The cloaked male broke off from the group, four pairs of watchful, distrusting gazes following his movements. He dropped down, then began to push the foul smelling grains from an area near the broken stool. Naruto moved closer as something shiny made its appearance. As commanded, Kabuto returned to the Anbu, while the other members moved closer to inspect it. Circular, no bigger than two fists, but etched in deep groves was what appeared to be the top portion of a tree trunk, and attached to it, a wealth of branches.
"It looks like a tree, dattebayo,"
He reached out and pressed on it. There was no give.
"How does work?" Sakura asked the cloaked man.
"Blood," was her response, "from my clan. That's how...my mother opened it. She said only one of our blood could unseal the lock."
The way his mouth formed the word 'mother', it was obvious he seemed dumbfounded that he had one. Straightening from her crouched position, the pinkette took a kunai from her pouch and motioned him forward. Unresisting, but beneath the Anbu's watchful gaze, he moved towards her.
"How much?" she asked.
"Enough to fill the trunk and each branch."
They both crouched. Gripping his wrist, Sakura ran the blade over the skin of his palm, then dripped the crimson tide over the symbol. The moment it was filled, a low, croaking rumble began. Like the creaking of an old clock, the mechanism groaned into movement. The bloody tree slowly sank, dirt seeping into the widening hole its retreat caused. They moved back a few steps, tense and fascinated while the entrance appeared.
Old stairs, these metal and beaten but not a spot of rust on their gleaming surface led down into the pit. Struggling light from beyond the gray slabs cast an eerie shadow amongst them.
A sense of deja-vu washed over him. Aside from the horrid sensations, this was like Suna all over again.
He shared a look at with his friend.
With a nod from their team leader, Naruto led the way down.
An unnatural quiet buzzed his ears the instant he fully entered the cloudy white canal. Almost like...noise cancellation but spanning beyond his sense of hearing.
Suppression.
It was dampening his sensory ability. He could still feel the chakra of his party, but there was a sharp decline in it's intensity.
"Whatever's in there is stronger than I sensed outside," he warned the group, "this place, whatever it is, it's suppressing chakra."
With that ominous observation, the group of five ventured deeper, following for several minutes until the tight corridor widened. A door loomed, next to it, a panel with the same symbol from the cellar floor. They filed into the rounded space in front of both.
"This is the text of the Otsutsuki," Hoheto murmured, moving closer to the inscription carved into the plaque above the shiny metal door.
"Otsutsuki text?" the lone female repeated, her head snapping to the Hyuuga.
"No mistake. I've spent a lot of with the cypher team, I recognize these patterns and glyphs."
"Are you able to read it?"
He paused, brow furrowed as he scanned it.
"We are..."
"Fodder no more," Orochimaru's former henchman finished softly, "I remember...my mother read those words to us...she brought us down here, Taka and I. She never explained what it meant, she said we were...too young to understand."
Slightly disturbed by the cryptic words and strange sensations, the blonde asked the question he was sure was on everyone's mind.
"What's in there?"
"I don't...remember," his brows knitted as he stared at the alien wording above, "I remember Taka being scared...he squeezed my hand all the way down the stairs. He was afraid of being left down here all alone. Mother said that we were only going to be here for a moment...that Otsutsuki-sama wanted to meet us. That it was very important that we be on our best behavior..."
"And you don't remember this meeting?" Sakura prodded, "or what this Otsutsuki looked like?"
He shook his head.
"The Otsutsuki that attacked my...clan," he began, the familial ties again rolling from his tongue awkwardly, "and the one I met at my mother's behest, I believe they were two different beings. Ino Yamanaka was about to view the attacker somewhat clearly in my memories, but when I remember that night, I didn't know him. Neither did mother or Taka. He wasn't...an ally of Otsutsuki-sama."
That said, he rolled the sleeve from his cloak back.
"If I may?" he prompted, gesturing to the panel.
Both medic nin moved to it and repeated the bloodletting that had opened the stairwell minutes before. A quiet whir filled the space, cool wisps of air childed their ankles, and a torrent of power spilled from the open portal. There was no malice attached to it, just crushing energy. It was a fraction of the mass he'd felt from Kaguya, even so, that fraction was nothing to sneeze at.
"Sakura-chan, I'm pretty sure what's in here is an Otsutsuki," he told her, "if-"
"I understand," she confirmed, emerald orbs grave, "you take lead, I'll back you up."
She turned to the masked woman.
"If this creature is hostile, take him to safety while we deal with it," Sakura instructed the Anbu, "you too Hoheto-san."
Turning back to him, she nodded and they stepped through the door.
Inside, machinery, unpowered and broken lined the walls. Many looked as though they'd met a violent, deliberate end. Wires were torn from their resting place, others ripped completely apart and strewn across the dirty floor. The destruction was the last thing on their minds.
"What...what in the world...?" Hoheto questioned softly.
Naruto was right.
It was what he'd suspected.
An Otsutsuki.
Suspended from cables in the broken ceiling that seemed seconds away from snapping, an emaciated humanoid hung over the ravaged room like a macabre art piece. His skin held a pruning, vivid green veins standing in stark relief against his pasty skin. His bones stood out painfully, his face sunken and gaunt. Silky silver stands gleamed from his head, but there were naked spots where huge chunks were missing, or rather had fallen out and lay upon the ground beneath him. Modest, cone shaped horns stood out atop his crown, though they were littered with blackened circles that seemed like...rot. Thick, but empty tubing piercing his spine connected him to the other anomaly in the room. A wilted, long dead tree, one he recognized from the bloody city below Suna. This one was much smaller in comparison, patchy white sections were flaking off, creating a pile resembling ash at it base. There was no strange noise or agonizingly horrendous energy emanating from this one.
He and Kurama remained unaffected.
While his eyes were closed, Naruto knew the creature above them wasn't dead. Mere seconds later, his lifted lids confirmed it.
Dull milky orbs swept the room.
His gaze was glassy and unfocused. His head turned on a stiff neck, taking in one corner then another before settling back on the group.
The entire scene felt surreal.
Even so, Naruto watched the being with an intensity born of his encounter with Kaguya. As weak as it looked, this humanoid was still oozing power.
It was dangerous.
"Who are you?" Naruto demanded.
Murky white eyes swung to him. Several tense seconds passed. To him, the Otsutsuki appeared...disoriented and confused. His head turned slowly, taking in the space around them again. The machines, the scorched walls and dirty floor. His lips moved and his smooth, threadbare voice caressed their ears.
"This dimension..." he murmured, his perplexed gaze once more sweeping the room, "how many years...how long have I..."
His eyes moved again, returning to the group before it settled on something over the blonde's shoulder. Slowly, the fog cleared, sharpening that pupiless regard.
"You..." the Otsutsuki wheezed, "twin...you were to leave with Toriyama...why...are you still here..."
There was only one twin in the room.
Kabuto.
There was no mistake now, which ever twin he was referring to, this celestial being had knowledge of the gray haired male in the room and his familial ties. Confirming and solidifying a direct connection between this clan and the aliens that had wrecked such havoc on the world, straight from the mouth of an Otsutsuki.
"Who is Toriyama?" Sakura questioned.
Instead of an answer, the dangerous creature strained, tugging at his tubbing, ripping the cables from above and freeing himself with a snap of the hollow cylinders in his back. He fell ungracefully from the ceiling, crumpling with a great thud to the floor. The group at large prepared themselves, Naruto moving subtle in front of the entourage.
Hawkish feline and frog slitted orbs trained on the wobbly humanoid as he straightened, the blonde prepared himself for any and everything. The pale skinned male looked around, clutching his bony ribs. He still seemed bewildered and confused, gazing from one shinobi to the next, seemingly unable to organize his thoughts. If anyone should be confused, it was them. It wasn't every day one crossed paths with an unnamed Otsutsuki hanging like a chandelier in the basement.
Said humanoid ceiling ornament turned and stared at the wall to his right.
From the expression on his face, the leaf shinobi could glean it wasn't the filthy structure that held the emaciated male's attention, nor was he peering through it as the skin around his white eyes were not veined. It was as though he were...sensing something beyond that wall.
His next words confirmed it.
"He's here...Toju-sama...that must be it..." he seemed to be speaking to himself, "Toriyama...he's betrayed us...but there is still time to salvage this..."
He turned from the wall, back to them. His milky depths focused on the whisker faced jonin. He stumbled to and fro before moving towards him.
"Chakra..." the male whispered, stumbling towards him, "you...I can feel it...crashing through your body...the vitality of it..."
Another unsteady step.
"Massive..." he breathed.
A shuddering cough wracked his frail frame, one that brought a gush of green from his lips. Splattering the floor, staining the once pristine white cloth wrapped around his lower body. It was thick and held a tinge of copper. But for its color, Naruto was convinced it was what amounted as blood for the creature. Another cough passed it lips, initiating a coughing fit that lasted several long seconds. When it was over, when he could stand without hacking the air from his lungs, he once more straightened. The sickly being wavered on his feet, wheezing painfully.
"Not much time..." he mused quietly, wiping the liquid from his mouth.
His gaze locked with the lone Uzumaki in the room. Knowing what was coming, Naruto pushed the strawberry haired woman from his side and braced for the incoming attack. There was little warning, and no restraint.
Sick or not, the force behind his fist was bone rattling.
With his forearm blocking the blow, Naruto stiffened his spine as the tile beneath them cracked, shuddered then sank. Slapping it away with just as much strength, Naruto went on the offense, launching into a vicious dance of hand to hand combat. His fists were blocked and countered, the power behind his blows matched and returned. Watching each limb as it moved, noting subtle muscle contractions heralding a strike, the jonin broke through the deal lock, absorbing a glancing blow to the shoulder in exchange for a hard kicked to the skinny male's oblique, sending him crashing into a heap of twisted machinery.
Barely a beat passed before he shot from that electrical scrap pile and was on him again.
The blow sent the jonin sliding backwards, his spine hitting the wall, highlight their cramped conditions. His back had barely felt its solid hardness before he dropped into a crouch. The spot his head had just vacated caved in, raining plaster over his cranium. Delivering a kick to his chest, Naruto sent the man flying before bouncing to his feet.
This wasn't an ideal place to fight by any means.
He needed to move this battle above ground.
His opponent clearly had no such desire as he charged across the room. On the offense again, the Otsutsuki seemed perfectly content to exchange punches in this tiny space. The Jinchuuriki was over it. Knocking away each furious hit, Naruto created an opening. Two quick jabs left the man reeling. Grabbing the creature by the throat, he launched them upward, through the ceiling, beyond earth, through the basement and above the remnants of the village. Grabbing his arm and flinging it away, the Otsutsuki swung a fist as gravity tugged them towards earth. Naruto blocked it and the incoming knee to his abdominals. He shoved the knee away before landing a hard right to the pale man's cheek.
The two separated, dropping to the ground several feet across from each other.
Naruto stood at the ready.
The Otsutsuki was panting, once more clutching his frail chest and wiping fresh green from his lip.
A silent assessment began. Both combatants reviewing the exchange. Naruto in particular searched for similarities between this Otsutsuki and the rabbit demon he'd fought years ago. This man, he was no Kaguya. Significantly weaker, at least in comparison to the shinobi world's greatest foe, there was no Rinnegan, no Sharingan or any combination of the two anywhere on his body that he could see. His strength though mammoth, his speed though lightening fast, was more than manageable. He wasn't using any techniques or Kekkei Mōra the white haired female had wielded, which meant he either couldn't use them or was choosing not to.
Combat wise, this ravaged male was powerful, but unless he was suppressing abilities, the blonde held a significant upper hand, even more so considering he himself hadn't even begun to utilize the extent of his own prowess. Barring the white eyes and features heralding his clan affiliation, this nameless celestial member was negligible to the dubbed Chakura no So.
He wasn't even making use of his Byakugan.
Why?
The Otsutsuki coughed, sprinkling the tainted soil in forest colored droplets. It was undeniable, this humanoid was either sick or injured internally, maybe even both. The coughing, the wheezing, his frailty. Perhaps that was why he wasn't the threat Kaguya was. Whatever had gone on in that lab was most likely the cause, or maybe it was the other way around. Maybe that tree and those tubes had been keeping him alive.
He had no idea.
However.
Until he had those answers, he wasn't letting his guard down. To get those answer he'd need to take this creature down.
On his feet again, his target for capture and questioning glared across the distance between them.
Tension lined his slight frame.
Upon an unspoken signal the two combatants met again, their movements mere streaks of light clashing, the impact underscored with a resounding boom. Inside the dusty clouded collision, only one combatant scored a hit. Naruto ducked his arm and with considerable power aimed for his soft underbelly. Bent double, the pale face aligned perfectly with the next incoming punch.
The Otsutsuki hit the unforgiving dirt below, carving deep groves as he slid across the terrain and into one of the many abandoned homes turned crumbling husks surrounding them. It collapsed atop him, kicking up dirt and debris.
He exploded from beneath the rubble a beat later, rage contorting his face and blazing in his eyes.
The blonde caught one fist, then the other, before lifting and tossing him up and over his shoulder. Nimble on his bare feet, the Otsutsuki avoided harsh contact with the ground, twisting in his grip and landing upright. Naruto detached their hands and jumped over the leg attempting to sweep his from beneath him. The Jinchuuriki lunged. Slamming a fist against one sharp cheekbone, then the other, he followed with a jaw jarring uppercut and crushing kick to the chest.
Another hollowed house met its end.
This time, when he rose shakily, his legs refused to hold his weight. He was back on the ground a moment later.
Naruto approached the kneeling man. He had made sure to pull his punches, to meet out damage in a controlled but effective manner, even so, the pale man was wheezing again and the blonde was damn sure that it wasn't from his hands. Nor could he withstand another round. His skin appeared even more ashen, parts of it splotchy and scaly. There was a rattle in his lungs that sounded excruciating, a dulling in his eyes that disturbed him.
"Give up," he demanded, "I don't know what happened to you, but you're not in any condition to fight me, 'ttebayo."
He sensed the rest of the squad nearing. Remaining alert, Naruto voiced no objection to their presence. He was confident he could handle any further resistance. If this ghost colored man even breathed wrong, the blonde was fully prepared to put him back in the dirt.
"Who are you?" he questioned, "what's your connection to the Akechi? Did you come here for the Shinju like Kaguya?"
"Kaguya...the Shinju..." the pale skin man repeated, his voice seemingly fading, "what would you know of either?"
"A hell of a lot," the blonde replied, "answer my questions."
"To come here...without knowledge of why...without a purpose that align with our own...there is naught for me to answer," the pale man replied, "you are ignorant...of so many things..."
A frown twisting his lip, Naruto folded his arms at his chest.
"Enlighten me then."
"I have neither the time. Nor the inclination," his gaze moved to the white haired male approaching, the twin, "we are all lost."
Naruto opened his mouth, then promptly snapped it shut. White pasty skin turned an even deeper pallor, the Otsutsuki began a slow descent to the ground. Patches of flesh broke away as listed to the side, transforming into ash as it fell to the dirt beneath him. Before anyone could even breathe, the battered Otsutsuki crumbled into dust, leaving behind his snowy white garments. Having fought Kaguya, a being so powerful she could only be contained rather than killed, Naruto was stunned into silence. He half expected this to be some sort of ploy, but...he knew it wasn't. He couldn't feel the presence of this once sickly creature anymore. Like the previous Otsutsuki that had died in front of Sasuke, he felt the abrupt cease of this Otsutsuki's chakra.
It was dead.
"Shit," the blonde muttered, extinguishing the golden chakra coating his body.
There went their only tangible lead and with it's death, so many more questions arose. Why was it here? How many more were here? What did the Otsutsuki have to do with the Akechi clan? What had caused this Otsutsuki and the one before it to just...die?
What the hell were they planning?
"He'd dead," he informed the group at his back.
"What happened??"
"I'm not sure. When we fought, I made sure I was pulling punches but he was having trouble breathing. He was already injured or sick."
"Shit..." the pinkette echoed, "he say anything useful?"
"Cryptic shit I can't really make any sense of," he replied, but repeated the words.
They turned to Kabuto.
"Toriyama, Toju," Sakura prompted, "do these names mean anything to you?"
"No. No one in the clan, nor among my mother and sibling used either of those names, or any at all. They always referred to the being as Otsutsuki-sama."
"And this isn't- well wasn't Otsutsuki-sama?"
"No."
"You're sure?"
"I can't recall his face, but the horns, they don't match. Otsutsuki-sama had a single horn that stuck out like a sickle from the left side of his forehead."
That was something then. Better than 'I don't remember'.
With the Otsutsuki dead, the group spent a few minutes picking through the bespectacled man's memories before sweeping through the village. Moving from one destroyed spot to another in an effort to generate more flashes from his past. Outside benign recollections that left the snake faced man quietly contemplative and on rare occasions, silently emotional, the surface held little in the way of information. Not long after, they returned to the lab, dropping through the hole he'd created.
It had definitely taken a bigger beating than he'd realized.
More machinery lay broken. Glass was scattered across the floor. Giant craters were burrowed into the surrounding walls.
And the tree, that shriveled, dried mass was a mere trunk surrounded by a pile of white ashes.
xxxxxx
The shadows in his room were moving...
Takahiro swallowed, onyx orbs sweeping the confines. Sensation danced along his skin. An invisible energy that raised the hair at his nape.
There was something...some entity in the room with him.
It was dark, the sun had long since set. There was no moon here, or at least, not one he had ever seen. When night fell, it threw him into the darkest abyss. He couldn't see his hand before his face and yet there was movement he could see sliding along his walls...crawling towards his cot.
Darkness that stood out among the darkness.
It was creeping towards him, reaching for him.
A drumbeat deafened his ears the closer those shadows stretched.
Distantly he realized it was the pounding of his heart. Cold sweat slid down his spine. Wide eyes shot to the bars on his door, searching for the puppet that brought his meal every day. It wasn't there, he knew it wouldn't be, but inside his terrified mind, he was reaching for any sign of salvation from whatever had slithered into his prison.
The sheets dangling over his cot lifted, as though brought to life with a subtle breath.
It traveled towards him, puffing the sheets in it's wake.
His lungs seized.
Airy fingers wrapped around the nubs that were the remnants of his legs.
He needed to move...
He needed to scream...
He needed to do something other than stare horrified at the raised cloth at his lower extremities.
He couldn't.
He was petrified...frozen.
Time slowed to that very moment, his gaze and brain narrowing to the nightmare turned reality. His shout was sharp but brief as the force beneath his covers wrapped tightly around his nubs, gave a hard tug and pulled him through darkness.
Light exploded.
Panicked, he lifted a grimy forearm against the light, but peered beyond the makeshift shield, desperately trying to glean where he was. What had snatched him from his bed. His frightened black eyes bounced around, alighting on a dark shape standing behind the light.
He jumped, pushing himself away from it.
His back met a wall. Shaking, he watched the figure step towards him, eclipsing the light. Heart pounding, sick churning in his stomach, he dragged his form even further along the wall, finding a corner. He pressed into it as the silent individual walked unhurriedly towards him.
"I did not bring you here to cause harm."
A lilted voice.
Female.
Even so...
"Who are you?" Takahiro asked warily.
She didn't answer, instead, she moved a few inches from his amputated legs, then stooped to his level.
She wasn't human.
He could see that immediately.
Her skin was gunmetal gray, her hair a shocking shade of blue. Her eyes were black ovals. The female...whatever...lifted her hand and his bifocal eyes took in the symbol engraved in the circular silver. The upper part of a tree topped with a plethora of branches. Relief swept through his senses, leaving him boneless against the sturdy wall at his back. Taking several calming breaths, the white haired twin fought to quiet his thudding heart and will his mind to function. This was far from the terrifying nightmare he had imagined, but it wasn't any less dangerous.
At the very least, he knew some of what he was currently dealing with.
He knew what that symbol represented.
"Toriyama sent you," he concluded after he gained a measure of calm.
Why else would she have that?
Who else could have given it to her?
"No. He may have galvanized us, but he has not called upon us," the being denied, "he cannot. Toju-sama has found him. He can no longer move against them."
"Galvanized?"
"He sought refuge among our people long ago in exchange for information. What he told us is what propelled us into motion."
She sat down on the plush floor across from him.
"Years ago, he arrived in our dimension. He was injured, severely, and fearing the pursuit of the other members among his clan. We allowed him to recover and hide in our midst and in return he warned us of their impending arrival to our world. And as foretold, they came and began the process of creating a chakra fruit, slaughtering those of us that resisted it's cultivation in the process," she explained, "a small few of us fled our home realm, following the instructions of Toriyama."
She raised the symbol again.
"We were welcomed, and took refuge. When we returned to see what had become of our home, there was nothing left. Our people were gone. The Otsutsuki were gone. And all life had been harvested. There was nothing left but the wilted husk of the Shinju. Since then, we've watched and waited for the best time to move. They left you alone in that dimension. Now was the time."
She raised her inky, fathomless depths to his.
"You know, don't you? What they're after. What they plan to do in your dimension."
"Yes."
"And if they succeed, this will never end."
Of that, he was certain.
If they succeeded, it would only be the beginning, and considering what had already taken place...
"It may...already be too late," he told her.
xxxxxx
So, as previously stated, I'm not good at writing action, hopefully this was okay. Wanna make it clear here, this Otsutsuki ain't in Kaguya's league, however he could still mop the floor with quite a few shinobi's but given his opponent is Naruto, it's hard to make something seem epic when pitted against Naruto's Godlike strength. This fight is child's play for him. Considering what he's gonna have to fight later, and the nature of what's actually at the heart of this Otsutsuki situation, it won't make sense for him to even break a sweat here. Sooooo, I kinda know what I'm doing in terms of showing the difference in power, but also kinda don't considering action ain't my thing despite me being in love with this action packed anime/manga. Crazy, I know, lol. Who woulda thought? I'll be honest, I wasn't satisfied with the action part of this chapter. I just can't seem to find my stride with it. Horror, gore, smut, lovey dovey shit, I got it. Action, I just cannot find rhythm, and I don't know why, not giving up on it though!
Anyway, this fic is ridiculously long, and has pretty minor/massive details that can be forgotten over time, in deference to that, for this chapter, I'd recommend revisiting chapter 8 and reading over the nameless person panicking, then heading over to chapter 14 and reading through the interaction between Toneri and Toriyama. It's not gonna clear up what's actually going on here, I'm not that generous, however, it is important. Pieces of the picture are gonna start forming, and I don't want you all to forget about the ones that were blurry early on. Lot of people forgot there was a mention of twins way back in the early chapters. I know more than one person has gone back to re-read the fic, but that's a hefty endeavor even though my re-readers have had a blast on the second or even third time through. On wattpad, the estimated time for completing this story is 23 hours and 49 minutes, before this chapter is posted...so yeah...It's a commitment for both you and I, lol. So I guess this is a little cheat sheet in this extremely long test? Idk. Don't get used to this tho! I'm too evil for you to make that mistake >:D
Just when I feel like you need an earlier piece to actually start gluing shit together, I'll drop the chap with the relevant info. I don't want to make this a story where there are so many details that you're not able to enjoy the story or get frustrated in a bad way that shiz ain't addin up or not enough information is being given after nearly 300,000 words and 40 chapters of this bullcrap, lol. Don't get me wrong, you're missing huge chunks that haven't made it in yet, but those pieces need a foundation when they start tumbling in.
I'm done for now.
Laters
Sessakag~