He rose his hand, a cold condensation emanating from his palm and fingers. In the blink of an eye the whole arena was enthralled in ice, catching those in the arena in blocks of ice.
He breathed, looking up to the sky as parts of his body and clothes were covered in ice. Exhaling, a cold condensation escaped from his lips.
"It's been so long," he muttered, walking through the ice-covered arena. He saw some others who managed to survive, showing their strength by being able to dodge his singular attack.
He took a quick glance at a girl with black hair and laces of silver strands incorporated with the pitch-blackness.
"That I've forgotten how lonely it was..." Everything was new to him - these feelings and thoughts engrossed him.
He could feel the audience look at him. Maybe it was because of his high interpersonal intelligence, but he could sense how they were feeling.
Awe.
Fear.
It reminded him all over again.
"Being the strongest."
~~~
"WE FUCKING DID IT!!" Shikamaru yelled, feeling surge of happiness that crossed his heart and lungs. Everyone crashed down, many mangled bodies around them.
As they sat on the soil, their minds were put at ease, a ghost that haunted their bodies finally leaving them.
They were finally free from the demon that threatened the world with his chaotic plan to plunge world into everlasting darkness.
They were at peace. Both mind and in body.
Jiraiya stood up, limping as he took the Aphrodite cube that contained Naruto. It surprised him that this managed to actually work.
As he held the cube, Jiraiya could feel the powerful aura that overflowed from the cube. There markings that wrapped around the cube that showed that the sealing technique worked.
He held it tightly, keeping it close. A rather pleased smile was on his face as he looked at everyone around him.
"Everything worked out in the end."
It took many hours for them to recuperate, burying those who have lost their lives. Once they finished burying, the sun rose, shining down upon them as everyone who lived bowed down, honoring their deaths.
The following few days went by slowly, making way back to Konoha in sluggish silence.
~~~
"Oh, how much you have fallen," Obito said, chuckling at the headline of the newspaper in question. He thought of the first time he had encountered Naruto.
"The Demon Falls! Uchiha Naruto Sealed for Eternity!"
To say he wasn't disappointed would be a lie. Naruto had been an obstacle that stood in his way since the beginning of time; and he even devised a plan to fully neutralise such a person like Naruto.
It was impervious to any potential people interfering with a plan that he had in mind. And the impervious properties would be tested on Naruto and his impenetrable dome of confidence.
Or you could call it arrogance.
"I guess you were the first to be too close to the frying sun." He stood on a grassy field, the grass blown away due to the rigorous training.
He didn't train his body, but was simply honing his ability to manifest beings beyond his own limit. Obto coughed up blood, the ability taking a toll on him.
But there was a certain problem that bothering him greatly.
He had already reached the ceiling of potential that he could wield with Hebunrikoru. He knew of the ceiling and that he wouldn't be able to reach the abilities' full potential due to his body not being able to hold its full capacity.
But he didn't think he'd reach it so soon. The ceiling of his capacity had already been reached. And it also didn't help that he had experienced an unfortunate event a few months ago.
If only he hadn't cut down the amount of power that I could harness. Obito thought bitterly as he reminisced the time where he tried to manifest an entity beyond his control.
~~~
4 Months Ago...
Will this actually work? Obito thought, his heart beating out his chest. This was going to be an event for him that'll change his fate from being nothing more than a pawn in Madara's grand plan to him being the master of it all.
His hand moved, shifting towards the center of his chest.
"Do you hear me?" He asked aloud, his voice reaching the skies as a grim look was on his face. He gritted his teeth, blood slowly leaking from his mouth that rose from the bottom of his body.
It felt as if his insides were ripping apart, entangling with one another, and relocating to different parts of his body.
It felt as if his organs were shifting, churning, in absolute pain.
Huh... this pain... it's new-! Obito thought, his veins bulging from his neck as he was forced to kneel on the ground. His hand landed, gnashing on the ground with such ferocious pain channeling to all parts of his body.
This had never happened to him before - the pain had never happened once all the other times he had tried manifesting a person or thing or entity.
Was this a cost for him trying to summon such a distinct and powerful being?
Nevertheless, Obito's resolve grew stronger, enforcing it with a stronger will that made his eyes grow with a fiery fury embedded deep inside it.
"SHIT!" He tried to mellow the pain by screaming, deafening the pain through his yelling. Obito moved his arm, rotating his hand back to his chest as he kept his kneeled position with other hand.
"I... call upon you! By sacrificing a part of my life span... I WILL SUMMON YOU!" Obito gritted his teeth, blood dripping from both his mouth and nose.
He felt a strangling presence slowly form in front of him.
"Yes... I call upon you!" He gasped, the pain slowly subsiding as he coughed up a pillar of blood.
"I summon... a man who reached ENLIGHTENMENT!" A grin broke out of Obito's face.
"GAUTAMA BUDDHA!"
Obito stood up, the presence of a heavenly being nearly killing him in the process. His eyes landed on the man that he had read about in books that sprouted a religious following.
He was a man, whose whole body was in the color of gold, and sat in a lotus position while floating off the ground with calmness.
He was his ticket to defeating Naruto without any effort.
He isn't asking me for an offer; that's strange. Obito thought, his grin widening as he shook off this thought of his.
"Why have you summon me..." This wasn't a question, but an order that held patience and wisdom from his experience of being a spiritual leader.
It's sad that the loyal religious followers that he had that sprouted from the legends told were now dead and no longer living.
Obito had given up half of his lifespan just so he could summon this being that floated in front of him in a lotus position.
"These eyes of mine... they allowed me to summon you in exchange for my lifespan, giving you a form as you are now." He may have summoned him to the living realm, but Obito couldn't help but feel the unshakable fear that his body was feeling.
Hebunrikoru had the ability to control those he summon, but the more powerful they are the less control he had.
And, as of right now, he had no control over Buddha... meaning that Buddha could do whatever he wanted for a short amount of time.
"I see... what do you need of me?" His voice was full of wisdom and knowledge that seemed to be unrivaled. He was only at 15% of his true power, but could level this whole planet with a single look of his majestic eyes.
Any moment that passed - they world could end, with just a single mistake.
"I want your help. I've met the first requirement, and all I need is to complete the second requirement." Buddha stayed silent, listening attentively at his words.
"There exists a man who is imitating you. With your power, I can rid of him with a mere thought. So, take my offer and help me retaliate against a man who tries to mirror you." Buddha looked down on Obito.
"I see, what an intriguing offer you have," Buddha responded, a small smirk appearing on Obito's face. "but I simply can't accept the offer."
The smirk fell from Obito's face.
"Can't or will not?" He asked, a vein bulging on his forehead. Did he just cut down his lifespan just so his offer would be denied?
How repulsive!
"A rather simple answer - them both simultaneously." Obito narrowed his eyes, a low amount of anger slowly rising from his body.
"Why?! Do you think I can just accept this outcome?! I've had to sacrifice my lifespan just so you can become reality. I can't accept this bullshit!" Obito roared, infuriated that he had just wasted his time.
Buddha remained unfazed by Obito's outrage.
"I must ask you: do you think it's my first time being summoned to this realm?" Obito widened his eyes, perplexed by such a question being offered to him.
"What? The power of these eyes have only been awakened recently... there's no-" Buddha decided to cut Obito in his tracks.
"I've already accepted a contract with someone. Accepting yours would break an oath I swore upon the person the moment I accepted his contract." Obito's fingers curled into a tight fist.
"With whom did you contract with?"
"I think the answer is rather simple, Uchiha Obito." He widened his eyes, wondering how he could know his name. The fear that he tried to suppressed begun to quickly resurface.
"I'm in a contract with the original owner of those eyes."
Obito froze in his spot, his mind racing as those words escaped from Buddha's mouth. A bundle of questions escaped from his mouth.
"How?! I thought..." His voice trailed off.
"Do not think you were the first to achieve this power just because you discovered it by chance." Buddha saw through Obito's character, all the flaws, strength, and everything above with a single look.
"What did he offer you?"
Taking a shallow pity, Buddha decided to answer him. He did it not because he had to, but because Obito had already lost the competition before he even realized it.
"In exchange for 3 favors, he has promised me an idea that intrigued my conscience greatly." Buddha held out one of his hands.
A miniature Earth appeared on his hand, acting like a hologram.
"He'll make a new Earth."
~~~
Present...
He was one step ahead of us the entire time! Obito thought angrily. He had suffered two consequences for his failure to extract power from Buddha.
His lifespan.
And the percentage of power that he could use.
His limit had been cut down from 15 percent all the way down to the range of 0.75 to 2 percent. It was great loss for him, but he learned a lot of information and the limits and downsides of Hebunrikoru.
He had learned that Madara had no intention of completing the Infinite Tsukuyomi and told no one about it.
He had everyone fooled.
And the real plan that Madara had in mind was something so gigantic that it made Obito question if it was even true.
Obito originally planned to use the Hebunrikoru to summon Buddha, make an offer and obtain his power for a temporary amount of time.
But it was a gamble - he didn't know how much he could've done with only 15 percent of his powers. He didn't know if he could control reality with only that much power. But now that theory went down the drain.
And thus, this thought - this idea - was merely now a singular fanciful fable that crawled all over his mind.
It might've been a vain attempt even if he managed to make an offer.
By having the ability to remake reality, Obito would've wiped Naruto out of existence and reshape the world to how he saw fit.
But Madara's was much more extravagant.
And Obito was for certain that their ideas for what is perfect and what is not were ones that differed greatly.
"Why do you think Madara hid these abilities of his? Say he summons me, and someone else arrives to see it. If they bear The Eyes of Samsara they can possibly create a contract with me without me breaking the contract I have."
"Then why can't create a contract with you? I hold the Rinnegan!"
"It's because you haven't achieved it."
"Achieve what?" Obito asked. He saw Buddha lift his hand, using his index-finger to point at the middle of his forehead. Obito was not able to follow its meaning, so Buddha expressed its meaning.
"They are one in the same but are different at the same time. You haven't achieved the antithesis of Samsara - the very concept that binds you to life, death, and rebirth."
"Nirvana."
Obito gritted his teeth, knowing that such a thing was impossible for him. He knew that for him to achieve such a state, it was virtually impossible.
Buddha pretty much told him: "Free yourself from your eyes - Samsara."
And to do such a thing was highly unlikely for him to do. He not only had no time for it, but he believed it was impossible.
That's why he transferred all his hope to a new being.
Obito had sacrificed another part of his lifespan just for a goal of his. If he couldn't accomplish his ideal peace, then the least he could do was wait for Naruto to find a way to unseal himself.
And kill him.
Because Obito knew better than to think that this situation would remain the same for many years to come. Naruto may be locked up in there, but he has no doubt he would prevail.
That's just the type of person that Naruto is.
Obito raised his bruised hand to the sky, reaching it to the sun. His fingers curled, forming a fist as if he had caught the sun.
"I place all my trust in you, Ruler of Heaven."
~~~
"You've got to be kidding me," Satsuki muttered, glaring at the newspaper that she had gotten her hands on. Clicking her tongue, Satsuki crumpled the piece of paper, throwing it away.
That damn Naruto. She thought, slumping back into her chair. There was an angry thought that wanted to rise out from her body, but she managed to subdue those feelings.
Satsuki remained calm, rethinking back to Naruto's past teachings.
There was now only one question that she had in mind once she calmed her nerves and mind.
What should I do? She mused, wondering what Naruto would want her to do. He didn't tell her that he was going to fight Konoha, and just left her in the dark for it all.
It angered her.
Why can't she know about things like this? Did he think she was so much of a hindrance in battle with him?
It hurt her.
But she took Naruto's teaching seriously and knew that diving into such dangers was irrational and should be thought over before doing such things.
You taught me things that you don't even follow. Satsuki thought, furrowing her face as she looked at the palm of her hand.
If I want to free him, then I'll have to create a plan to free him. She sighed at such a thought. Satsuki was rather impatient and just wanted to go to Konoha and attempt to free him without an actual plan.
But she knew better than that - she wasn't Naruto.
They managed to seal him, so they must've mustered up a plan to get him to fall into their trap. Satsuki thought over, shaking her head.
What an arrogant boyfriend I have. She stood up, planning to fetch his team from one of the other houses that were in Otogakure.
They had managed to find Satsuki many months ago and had been staying her for the remaining duration of the time; they also trained constantly due to Satsuki's demand.
There wasn't a vivid plan that Satsuki had.
But she'll have one in due time. Her intelligence may be outshined by Naruto's, but she, too, is intelligent enough to devise a plan.
~~~
"How do you feel?" Unmei asked, probing around Hinata's emotions as she tried gathering information on Hinata's thoughts.
"He has been sealed, locked forever for all eternity." Hinata looked at Unmei, her eyes responding to her words with a light glare.
"I'm happy... but I'm sad at the same time - maybe even furious," told Hinata, responding to the question that was being offered to her with such a elegant tone. Unmei noticed a bit of aggressiveness that leaked from her voice.
She took note of that.
"And why is that?" Unmei asked back, her kindness increasing ten-fold. Hinata stared back at Unmei, her eyes sharpening.
"Because I couldn't do it myself - kill him, I mean. It feels... pathetic, knowing that this was the only way to defeat him." Unmei nodded, understanding what Hinata had just said.
"You do know that sealing is merely a temporary solution, right?" Unmei took a sip from her cup filled with tea. Hinata raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of her coffee.
"They were subtle, but it's obvious that this sealing that they had done is similar to the Eight Tigrams Sealing Style. The seal itself will naturally weaken." Hinata widened her eyes, getting up.
"Then they're in danger! I must go back!" She was haste, ushering herself out of the room and towards the exit of the orphanage.
Unmei sighed, following Hinata from behind.
"I'd be careful if I were you," warned Unmei, seeing Hinata about to leave the orphanage housing. Just before Hinata could leave, she was pushed back, a force field manifesting to lash her back away.
"I should've told you - there's a barrier that I've installed to keep unwanted people out and from letting the children roam off without me guarding them. Fuinjutsu is versatile." Hinata grimaced, a burning sensation appearing on her body.
"Turn it off! They need my help!" She glared. Unmei shook her head, her smile becoming a frown.
"I would not worry. It'll take years before the seal is weakened enough for Naruto to break free. I'm sure they'll figure out a way to make his sealing permanent." Her words seemed to have calmed down Hinata just a tiny bit.
But these words were lie.
Unmei knew that it wouldn't take much for the seal to be broken, freeing Naruto from its shackles. Sealing was only a temporary solution.
It won't be too hard for Naruto to break free. His situation - while like a Bijuu - is a lot more flexible and free. Unmei analyzed, turning around.
"How are you so good at sealing? Jiraiya-sama is very good at it, but yours seems a lot more refined than his." Unmei stopped moving, turning around with a single smile.
"I've been a Fuinjutsu user since I was just a child. And I've lived two lifetimes."
"If you were this good of a Fuinjutsu user, then why haven't I've heard of you?"
"I'm merely a Shinobi from olden times. I've far lived my uses as a Shinobi early on and lived a humble life ever since." Hinata narrowed her eyes, noticing her not fully answering her question.
"Then how old are you?"
"My age? Well, isn't that a rather touchy subject. Well, I shall tell you an estimation." Unmei didn't explicitly want to say her age.
"I'm much older than that former Hokage of yours - the Third, was it? Sarutobi Hiruzen."
Hinata widened her eyes, shocked by such an age coming from such a young-looking lady.
~~~
"DAMN IT!" Naruto yelled.
He had been passed out asleep for a few days; and as soon as he woke up, he remembered the outrageous loss that he had suffered.
He was now trapped inside a place full of nothingness, only darkness covering his vision. His eyes had a burning anger that lit ablazed.
His legs were quivering in anger, but he managed to calm himself down just a tiny bit. He looked down below, and saw that he was standing on imaginary water.
He saw himself and how much of a mess he was.
"You look miserable." A voice said, shaking Naruto away from his thoughts. He narrowed his eyes, stepping back as he looked to the side.
A person hid behind the the curtains of the shadows.
"And who are you?" Naruto asked. He heard the voice and it was the voice of someone young. And - from what he can hear - the voice came from a male.
"Have you already forgotten me? Well, I did change once again after we've last talked." Naruto was puzzled, not remembering such things.
They had talked before?
Every step that the boy took, Naruto could feel the unshakable confidence that radiated from the steps that he took.
The imaginative water splashed from the steps of the boy covered in shadows. Naruto may have not realized it yet, but it didn't take long before he did.
The boy soon revealed himself, walking out from the endless abyss.
It was him.
A boy about 5-7 years old looked at him, a calm look on his face as he gave Naruto a gentle smile that spread across his face. In all his glory, his blond hair with black laces swaying back and forth as he continued to move forward.
"I'm the perfect you."
In midst of a dire crisis, he appeared before him.
~~~
Done. This chapter is rather short. I got nothing much to say, but yeah. After so long, I've found an excuse to give Naruto another shift in character.
He first met his younger self in chapter 66 and the second time in chapter 71. This is now his third time meeting him.
The reason for this time is for a similar reason like in chapter 66.
I don't want say much more since the development of the person named Naruto will occur next chapter.
But until next time.
CYA!