"This young man was at a crossroads in his life. He could join the military during wartime and go off to fight for a cause that he believed in. And he wanted to do this. He thought it was right. But he also had an elderly mother who was all alone, except for him. If he went to war, he'd leave her behind. And that seemed wrong. So he could stay with her, and let others fight for justice. Or he could go off to war and leave his mother to herself, and likely never see her again. The young man felt a sense of duty to both his cause and to his mother, but he could only serve one."
The Man with the metal hands enunciates. He was hunch overlooking down from a pinnacle of a rock. The embers from his empty form glide in the ocean breeze.
A little girl watches from the sand below. Her glinting eyes filled with marvel and curiosity. Black hair flowing to the lullaby of the ocean. She looks at the Archangel with a confused gaze.
"Moreover, if he went to war, he'd be just a very small part of a really big cause. His contribution probably wouldn't be great, but he would be contributing to something that would affect millions of people. But if he stayed behind, he'd make an enormous difference in just one person's life."
"Two choices..." The little girl infers.
"One answer. Which is it?"
"Answer?"
"Yes, Answer."
"I- I don't know."
"You must. In order to understand the nature of Humanity."
"How? How do I understand?" The little girl issues.
"Your mind is open. Beyond any other. It may not be now or next week, but I believe you will find the answer soon."
The Archangel stands, looking far in the sky. A gigantic celestial body emerges from the horizon. It rotates at incredible speeds, a few hundred times per second. The star is so powerful jets of energy radiate from the poles. These jets spun with the star leaving heavy material in the space between.
"The Neutron Star has arrived. Let's return home, you aren't ready to survive the hours the star brings."
The Child picks up her katana, buried beneath the lavender sand. Held inside its scabbard is a powerful blade, which is taller than herself. So much so she required both arms to carry it. She gazes behind her watching the star in all its cosmic glory.
"Move along now. Its gravity will crush your body."
"Are you afraid of the star?" She asks.
"At first, yes. But a few centuries change that."
"But it's so big and scary."
"It is big and scary. And it will surely shatter me if I got close enough."
"But, you're a God!"
"Yet the stars stand superior. Truly shows how the population underestimates them."
Sounds of the ocean being crushed by oncoming gravitational shift become loader and loader. The Child, terrified, starts running to the dojo in the safe zone.
"When you reach the dojo, I want you to begin meditating on an answer for today's lesson!" The Angel calmly yells out. "Did you hear, Megami?"
"Yes, Sensei!"
That day was many years ago. A day Megami remembers clearly, a lesson she'll never forget. She lays back on the open field staring into the night sky. The star shines brightly; Megami no longer afraid. A spider whispers to her ear.
"He is coming..."
"Any changes to the map?" She question.
"N-no. Didn't you hear? The Horsemen is returning to Earth for the first time since, well, since he found you."
"I'm aware."
"I can't wait to see him rid of the false prophets."
"Focus on the map."
"He will-"
"Focus. on. The Map."
Frightened, the spider disappears in the shadows. Megami sits up, putting her black iron mask on. She breaths in then out letting go of her stress.
"Old man, please don't do anything stupid."
~~===X===~~
"You're telling me he just fell from the sky?"
Shikamaru asks the Hokage. They were in the hospital room were an unconscious Toneri was being treated. Sakura was also there along with a few officials.
"Yeah, it seems like it." Naruto response.
"Naruto, out of all the places Toneri could've fallen to, he fell on your house," Sakura interjects.
"She has a point. This is no coincidence."
Naruto nods at Shikamaru. "I know. Someone is sending me a message."
"And got it across quite well." Sasuke came into the room. "So he's Toneri."
Naruto cracks a smile. "How was your first trip to the Moon?"
"There's nothing up out of order up there. No signs of a struggle or anything."
"Something must've happened up there."
"You said he was studying the ripples in space-time. It's possible the Ōtsutsuki found him first. And now they're coming for us."
"And we'll be ready," Naruto announces.
"Well, what are your orders, Lord Seven?" Shikamaru asks.
"Let every ninja know of what's coming. Secure the barriers and send every Shinobi to the streets. Wherever they'll appear we'll respond quickly."
The Ninja bow and leave to spread the news. Only Team 7 remains in the room. Sakura approaches Naruto and Sasuke.
"He will be alright. No signs of real damage. Weird, since he was thrown from the Moon. I think. Was he?"
"Who knows. I'm just glad he's safe."
"We have to make sure the civilians don't panic." Sasuke reminds them. "And that the kids don't try to interfere."
"Wait, our kids?"
"Sarada is willing to prove herself. Makes her reckless."
"She is way smarter than that, Sasuke."
"Not with her condition."
"Sasuke!" Sakura yells.
"Condition?" Naruto worried.
"It's Naruto, Sakura. If any can help, he can."
"I know. But now?"
"Is Sarada alright?" The Hokage worried asks.
Sasuke sighs. "Sarada is losing control of her Sharingan powers. So Sakura and I are developing a seal to block her Sharingan."
"Why? Why would you do that?"
"Her Mangekyo Sharingan came with a bizarre ability. It allows her to absorb any material through her right eye and use it through her left. Shokuyoku, we called it."
"Weird, but it doesn't seem harmful."
"There's a side effect." Sakura injects.
"Her sanity deteriorates when she uses it. She slowly turns into a... monster. A mindless creature who only wants to make others suffer. Seeing her turn into... that."
Sasuke froze. No words leave his lips. Sakura grabs his arm, laying her head on his shoulder. Tears forming on her eyes.
"Guys, don't be like this. She's still with us. Hey, we can train her together. With us, as a team, she'll live a normal life."
Sakura steps forward. "We can't. Her pain will continue to grow over time. We should deal with it now rather than later."
"A-are you sure?"
"Positive," Sakura replies with no doubt in her tone. Sasuke didn't react.
"So a Juinjutsu is in the works?"
"Yes, but there are some issues." Sakura answers. "We had to prepare our own variation seal since any other will leave her blind as long as she has it. This seal we prepared requires some chakra. I tried to infuse my own but it didn't work. We tried Sasuke's chakra but it ends up destroying the seal."
"Destroy? Do you have an outline of the seal?"
Sasuke hands over a scroll with the seal. Naruto opens the scroll. He focuses six paths chakra to the tip of his finger. The Hokage didn't even touch the scroll when the writing started to fade away.
"Huh, must be the Six Paths power. It may be too much for the standard seal."
"That's what we thought," Sakura said.
"I wonder..." Naruto writes on the scroll, this time using the Nine-Tails chakra. The seal forms perfectly, reinforced even.
"I-It worked!" Sakura said excitedly.
"Kurama's chakra did the trick."
"Give us a little of his chakra and we can finish the seal this week!" Sakura was enthusiastic.
Naruto's expression went blank. His eyes filled with worry. Sasuke and Sakura notice.
"Is something wrong?" Sakura asks.
"Kurama isn't the sharing type."
"Come on, didn't he gave everyone chakra during the war."
"He was back into a corner. I doubt he'll donate again."
"Can YOU give us some of his chakra?
"You don't know how this Jinchūriki thing works, do you?"
"Naruto, please. My daughter needs your help. Please."
"I'll try, okay. But I'm not forcing him into anything. If he refuses, then that's it."
"Thank you."
~~===X===~~
"No, no, no. Absolutely not!" The Nine-Tails barks shaking the ground beneath.
"Don't be like that, Kurama. It's just a little girl."
"That makes it worse!"
"Please! I only need a sliver. Just this one favor."
"I will not give my chakra to an Uchiha!"
"You're not still angry at for what happened in the past."
"Of course I'm still angry! Madara came to my land and used me to settle his pitiful feud with Hashirama. Obito sent me to the Village which ended up with me being split in two. Then I got stuck with you while the other half was devoured by the God of Death."
"But Sarada different."
"The daughter of Sasuke Uchiha. The one who sealed us once we thought we were free and planned to kill us."
"Sasuke changed. He won't do any of that ever again. I'm asking you to help his little girl."
"His little girl is falling down the hole just like her father. I can feel it. And I don't want to be a part of it!"
"The more reason you should help."
"The moment you give her my chakra, I will use it to kill her. Just to spite Sasuke."
Naruto glares at Kurama with the beast doing the same.
"Fine! Be that way! I'll see if any of the others will help."
"HA! Good luck." Kurama lays on the floor with a grin on his face.
"Good luck with what?" A large feline, engulfed in blue flames, emerge from the dark. It sits in its place in the circle, gazing at the Hokage.
"Matatabi! Perfect timing. I could use your help."
"Anything to help."
"I need a small piece of your chakra."
"By all means. I do ask, why do you need it for?"
"I need for it the Uchiha family."
Metatabi jolts back. "I, err, just remembered I have some serious business to attend to."
"Noooo."
"I'm sorry, but I... have to protect the... bamboos from the Humans. Yes, that's it." The Two-Tails shaking said, shifting its eyes further.
"You don't have to lie to me."
From the dark, up top, a gorilla with four tails lands in a spot in the circle. It stands on two legs with arms held high.
"It is I! The Handsome Monkey King! What do you need of me, Naruto Uzumaki?"
"I need a little bit of chakra."
"Why? Can't Kurama help you? Don't tell me, he's not up to par anymore." Son Goku hollers. Of to the side, Kumara scoffs.
"I need it for Sarada."
"And they are?"
"Uchiha" Kurama mumbles.
"Whoa! No can do, Hokage. Not after all that crap, we went through during the war."
"Not you too."
"Uchiha and Tailed Beasts don't mix well." From the dark Isobu, the Three-Tails emerged.
"Isobu is right." Son Goku as he sits.
"This is different. Don't you want bygones to be bygones and help someone in their life?"
"Not really." All the other Tailed Beasts agreed.
"Nothing will happen. I'm only asking for your help, to trust me. Sarada Uchiha is a kind girl. She going through a tough time in her life. With your help, she can control her powers. Nothing else. Trust me."
The Tailed Beasts stared at each other wondering who will be the one to donate. Kurama didn't bother to even look. The other three were considering.
Matatabi speaks "...I guess... I could."
"Thank you, Matatabi."
The Two-Tails extends one of its tail albeit slowly. Naruto stood there waiting to grab the chakra needed. Everyone watched as Matatabi hesitates consistently, forming an awkward viewing experience.
"Oh, I wanna do it!"
Matatabi quickly retracts its tail. "Thank the stars." It sighs from relief.
Out of the dark came Chōmei, the Seven-Tails.
"I'll donate some chakra!"
"Thank you!" Naruto gratefully yells.
"Are you sure about this?" Son Goku asks.
"Lucky Seven Chōmei is always willing to make new friends!"
"Do you even have friends?"
"Not important. Here." Chōmei extends it's seventh tail, allowing Naruto to grab his chakra. In the palm of his hand, Naruto held the Seven-Tails power.
"We'll keep in touch." Naruto then fades away leaving the Beasts to themselves.
"A dumb decision you made," Kurama whispers.
"Huh? Why?" Chōmei questions.
"This stupid seal their working on is just asking to backfire."
The Four-Tails laughs. "HAHAHA! Your right Kurama. Maybe I should've given them my chakra. Just so I can see the chaos unfold!"
"You guys are being jerks." murmurs the Seven-Tails.
"It's being cautious. You can never know with humans." Isobu states.
"Correct. Humans are unpredictable, especially to an Uchiha. Be vigilant Chōmei, if anything happens it will be on you're head." Matatabi warns.
One by one the Beasts returns to the shadows. Kurama lays his head down, ready for another long slumber.
~~===X===~~
"Well? What did he say?" Sakura leans forward with her hands held together.
"He said no." Sakura's heart sank, devastated by the news. "Luckily someone else was willing to donate."
Naruto shows them the Tailed Beast chakra. Enough for the seal to work.
"Thank goodness!"
"Now we can make preparations for the seal. Thank you, Naruto."
"Anything for you guys."
There's a knock on the door. Men, not from Konoha, came in. The Daimyō of the Land of Fire walks in the room.
"Ikkyū Madoka." Sasuke scoffs. He always had a distaste for him.
"Ah, you remember me Sasuke?"
"Lord Madoka, what brings you to the Hospital." Naruto politely asks.
"I heard there were some interesting developments."
"Yeah, you could say that."
"Are you taking proper actions, Naruto?"
"Already informed the others. We'll be prepared."
"Excellent! It's good to have you in the field."
"Uh, thank you..."
"Dismiss."
"...Okay." Naruto shrugs his shoulders.
Team 7 was about to leave when the Daimyō speaks.
"Sasuke, a moment."
The team stops. Sasuke gestures them to leave. They complied, leaving only the Daimyō and the Uchiha.
"I'm assigning you a special mission."
"I'm currently busy."
"You will not deflect this order. May I remind you that you're not as free as your peers. You are still serving you're sentenced for your crimes form your past."
"I'm aware." there was a hint of anger in Sasuke's voice.
"Contrary to what the Hokage says, you are a weapon for the Land of Fire. Because that what you reduced yourself to."
"What do you want?" Sasuke scorns.
"The Rōnin. She has been causing quite a commotion since she appeared. None of the Villages were able to take her down. Not even the Raikage could beat her. She isn't normal and that makes her a threat."
"You want me to get rid of her?"
"Imagine the news when it reaches the others. This will be an exclamation point to the Land's authority."
"You're going to use me to prove a point?"
"Exactly. Take you're Team and eliminate the threat. Knowing her behavior, you'll probably finish this mission today."
"If I refuse?"
The Daimyō laughs. "You won't. Not when it could harm your family. Not your spouse. Or your daughter." Madoka turns. "That would be everything. Good luck with your mission."
The Daimyō leaves the room with a confident smile. Sasuke sits there gritting his teeth.
~~===X===~~
Suigetsu sits next to Karin and Jūgo, bored out of his mind. They were located on the rooftop of a restaurant.
Suigetsu speaks in an annoyed tone. "Why are we here? It's so crowded in this Village. It annoys me."
"Sasuke wanted us to help him in an abrupt mission." Jūgo calmly replies.
"What's so important that cancels the previous mission?"
"It's not." Sasuke arrives with an irritated look on his face. "The Daimyō wants me to take down the Rōnin."
"Why!?" Karin yells.
"I don't know. Something not right. But I have to act. My family's freedom depends on it."
"Bastard. Okay, we need to do this quickly before the Ōtsutsuki arrives. Where do we start?"
Up high, on the side of the building, the spiders watch and listen.
"Do you hear? Do you hear?"
"The Man with the eyes of Six Paths wants the pupil."
"Exciting! Exciting!"
"This is a brilliant test for her!"
"Agreed!"
"Let's lead them to her. She'll prove her place in the zenith of the physical plane!"
"The First Horsemen will be so proud!"
"Yes! Proud of us!" The spiders laugh as they swing away.
Karin focuses as she tries to sense for the Rōnin. Meanwhile, the others talk to one another.
"Are we really doing this?" Jūgo asks. Sasuke refuses to respond. Moments pass. Karin's eyes open wide. She seemed surprised.
"I-I found her!"
"What? That easy?"
Karin looks at everyone confused.
"Her chakra. No, it's not normal. I don't even think its chakra."
"More reason to be careful. Let's move."
~~===X===~~
Megami stares at the map. A firefly flies over it, hovering over a specific spot on it. Then the firefly moves to a new spot on the map. She was confused at first but then she understood.
"Ah, this is your trick. Clever."
Megami senses a group heading her way. She grabs her sword, groaning on her way to the border.
Taka found themselves at the border of the Village. Karin looks over a forested area. She points at the distance.
"She's somewhere around there."
"Wrong!"
The Team looks down spotting the Rōnin standing on the side of the wall.
"Are you here to take me down? Arrest me?"
"Surrender yourself and no harm will come to you." Sasuke proclaims.
"That's not happening. Besides, I have a visitor coming soon. Need to tidy up."
"You know about who's coming? Are you involved?!"
"Unfortunately, yes."
The arm of a Susanoo appears and tries to pin down her down. Megami disappears in a blur reappearing on top of the guard rail.
Suigetsu steps back. "Whoa, she fast!"
Jūgo steps in front of the team. "Young lady, this-"
Megami strikes Jūgo with the scabbard sending him crashing down into the earth below. Sasuke confronts the Rōnin. His Rinnegan reflecting off her black iron mask.
"You won't win this fight."
"I know. But it won't hurt to try."
Sasuke's Rinnegan sends a repulsive force pushing Megami off the wall. She lands safely on the earth scabbard still on hand. Without waving hand seals Megami expels a large fireball from her mouth. Taka jumps over the railing falling into the ground.
"(A large fire technique with no hand seals. She must excel in chakra control.)" Sasuke deduces to himself.
The Uchiha lands on his feet, dashing towards Megami drawing his sword. There was a large clash. Megami blocks Sasuke strike with her scabbard while using her left hand to block Suigetsu own attack. No harm was done to her.
"A Samurai who refuses to use her sword? How blasphemous!" Suigetsu mocks.
Megami kicks him in the side of his head. Strings form on her fingers warping around Sasuke. She spins and throws the Uchiha across the trees.
The trees rumble. Jūgo jumps out fully transformed. Taking advantage of her surprised state Jūgo was able to hit Megami multiple times. He grabs her then slams her into the ground. Jūgo laughs as he grabs her mask.
"Why hide your eyes? Embarrassed to show them?"
Megami grabs Jūgo forearm. She was seething with rage.
"Do not touch the mask."
She snaps Jūgo arm and kicks him in the jaw as she stood up. A dark aura envelops her fists. Megami delivers a flurry of punches to Jūgo gut. Each strike knocks Natural Energy out of his body. With a spinning kick Jūgo was throw into the ground, defeated.
Suigetsu attacks with his sword. But the Rōnin strikes the arm forcing him to let go. She hits him with an open palm strike sending him crashing into the trees.
Adamantine Chains came from the sides. Megami could sense it was Karin's attack. She grabs two of the chains but all it did was nullify her powers.
"(It's suppressing my powers!?)"
"(This energy. It feels dark. What is this?)"
Megami ignores the nausea and pulls the chains dragging Karin across the ground.
"Amaterasu!"
Black flames engulf Megami's left arm forcing her to let go of the chains. Sasuke checks on Karin while she was down in the ground.
"Are you okay?"
"Her powers are different. Be careful."
Both watches as Megami put out the fire with ease, leaving the two surprised.
"Impossible," Sasuke said in shock.
She stares at her jacket then at Sasuke. "You ruined my jacket."
Megami grabs her scabbard engaging in combat with the Uchiha. Strings emerge from her body and scabbard slowly tangling Sasuke. His hand sparks with lightning.
"Raikiri!"
The lightning blade only cuts through some of the threads but Sasuke reached Megami, cutting her cheek. A small drop of blood drips.
"Heh, you can bleed." Sasuke chuckles.
Megami scoffs. She wipes the blood with her thumb and presses her palms to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
In the puff of smoke, a giant spider emerges. Flames erupt from its skin. The heat intense but never emit smoke. It had a large mouth similar to a whale shark. More spiders emerge from the summoning, flowing up into the air. One of them glows a golden hue, enough to blind a normal person.
Megami stands among her miniature army.
"Sic 'em."
The flaming spider chases Sasuke while Megami sits back and relaxes.
"Is the genjutsu in place?"
"Yes. No one knows of this."
"Good. I don't want any more annoyances. Now, question is, how did you find me?"
A loud thud could be heard forcing Megami to shift her gaze. A gigantic, humanoid avatar made of chakra stood in the center. The legendary power of the Mangekyō Sharingan awakened, the Susanoo surrounds Sasuke with blades made from black flames.
The humanoid version of Susanoo keeps the spiders at a distance. Sasuke stares at Megami.
"Your no match for me. Surrender and you might live a normal life."
Golden strings wrap around the Susanoo, pinning Sasuke down. The flaming spider roars, charging forward. Lightning forms in Sasuke hand creating countless sharp senbon fired at the giant spider in quick succession. The senbon strikes the spiders eyes blinding it and stopping it.
The Susanoo frees one of its arms and uses it to free the other. "You can't beat me. Give up."
The giant spider roars engulfing itself in flames. It jumps at the Susanoo breathing flames on top of it. Karin's chains wrap around the spider pulling it away from Sasuke. With a clear opening, he went for the death blow.
"Susanoo Kagutsuchi!" Sasuke forms a large arrow made of Amaterasu for his Susanoo. Fired in quick fashion, the arrow hits the flaming spider piercing in the skin and seemingly killing it.
One of the spiders' sigh. "Well, the fountain will be brim today."
The arrow begins to be sucked inside the spider's body. Everyone was surprised, even Megami. The flames turn black as the giant spider stood. Its eyes regenerated and its mouth exudes Amaterasu fire. It roars, sending waves of heat enough to spark the surrounding trees.
"Since when could it absorb attacks?" Megami asks the spiders.
"Beats me." One of them responds.
The spider starts eating the chains dragging them along the ground.
"Not again-" Karin was drag across the earth quickly approaching the flaming spider.
"Yasaka Magatama!"
The beads strike the spider on the side. There's a loud crunch then an explosion. The flames die out along with the spider.
"This is getting out of hand. I need to end this. Now." Sasuke whispers to himself.
Strings wrap around the Susanoo once again but this time by silver-colored ones. The Susanoo cracks horrifying the Uchiha. The golden light dangles in front of Sasuke revealing itself. A spider the size of a full-grown human's hand. It's skin made of gold with light blue eyes. It speaks in a language Sasuke couldn't understand.
"[Decedent of the Six Paths. It's nice to meet you.]"
"I don't understand." Sasuke puzzled.
"Of course. Humans, moronic species." It speaks normally. "The webs whispers to me that you attacked young Megami, seemingly for no reason."
"She is a criminal. Broke our laws-"
"Your laws are nonentity to us. Because laws written by Man is not law engraved in totality. Your laws only have meaning if others decide to comply with it. That makes it flawed, so we don't follow it. So in truth, you have no laws. Only illusions created to control behavior."
"So who laws do you follow."
"His. The First Horseman."
"Horseman?"
The spider groans. "Eh, speaking to you decays my mind." The Golden Spider turns to face Megami. "Perhaps you'll be the challenge she needs." He whispers.
"Enough talking. Get him out of here." Megami barks.
"Why? You're fighting for your freedom. Why would we interfere with this?"
"Lord Chakravartin, I-"
"Why show mercy to your attackers? Bite back. Be the tip of a blade."
Chakravartin retracts all of his webs and floats to the side. Megami creates strings of her own to keep Sasuke down. She ponders a moment then walks in close to Sasuke with the Susanno in-between them.
"Listen, you will leave and never look back. This way no one will get hurt."
"I can't." Megami's face reflects with disappointment. "I'm ending this now."
The Susanoo breaks free from the strings and grabs Megami. His left arm opens up revealing a chakra cannon.
"What the hell?"
"The Asura Path from my Rinnegan. It's the main reason I got a new arm."
"Why would an eye give you ro-"
Sasuke fires the cannon hitting Megami point-blank sending her across multiple trees. The force of the hit was so much that it knocks offs her iron mask.
Chakravartin was unhappy. "She was giving the tools yet refuse to use them."
Karin over towards Sasuke dragging the unconscious Suigetsu and Jūgo.
"Looks like you added to your arsenal."
Sasuke picks the iron mask. "She refused to fight back."
"Hey, look on the bright side we took a notorious criminal." Karin points out.
Then she felt it. A surge in astronomical power. She looks over the wreckage over where Megami landed. Sasuke notices and glares at the wreckage.
Megami sits up. The wind picks up flowing through her hair. Sasuke and Karin then felt something bubbling inside them, pity. Automatically, they felt sorry for her and don't know why. Without her iron mask, the two can truly see her face. Her silver eyes gleam with the tears flowing off with the wind.
"Yes, show them your divinity!" Chakravartin was thrilled.
Megami stands, scabbard in hand. Blue pigmentation forms around her eyes then run down to the bottom of her cheeks. Complex webbing begins to emerge from her body. These tendrils wave and twitch even on still air.
"S-Sasuke... this is..."
"Sage Mode."
The Rōnin walks towards Sasuke, her expression now emotionless. She faces him.
"I... have other matters to deal with. But, since your so insistent to detain me I have no choice but to respond in kind."
Karin scoffs. "So what, are you going to fight now."
"Fight? No. I'm going to kill you."
Sasuke steps forward shielding a terrified Karin. The skeletal arm forms and slams its fist down at Megami. But the Rōnin caught the clenched fist with one arm and with surprising ease. She crushes it leaving only pieces that then faded away.
"Tch. Don't get cocky."
Sasuke unsheathes his blade imbued with electricity. The sword suddenly shatters leaving only the hilt intact. A clinking sound was heard. Megami had sheath her sword.
"(She destroyed it like it was nothing. And her speed. I could barely see what happened, even with my Sharingan.)"
"What happened there!?" Karin screams.
The humanoid Susanoo emerges once again. Megami pauses. She went for her blade and slowly unsheathes. Black mist emits from the black steel of Megami's sword. Once the sword reveals itself the atmosphere of the battle has changed. Sasuke and Karin felt bleak. One side of their mind says they can fight, the other tells them that is hopeless.
Megami raises her sword. With a single swing, the Susanoo was slash straight in half. A perfect cut. Sasuke himself was able to dodge the attack but his Susanoo split in two. The top-half that wasn't connected with Sasuke faded.
They discovered what the sword did, it destroys chakra. Like leaving fire with no oxygen it suffocates it leaving nothing behind. A weapon no man had seen before. One that would even devour Nightmares. As such, the Spiders gave it a proper name. Dream-Eater.
The Ronin continues her assault forcing Sasuke retreat. The rest of the Susanoo was gone thanks to her blade. Using the Sharingan to the fullest Sasuke evades of Megami's attacks. He couldn't see a way to counterattack. Her onslaught continues for minutes. Sasuke then formulates a plan, a plan he didn't like.
Megami steps forward with her sword straight, piercing Sasuke in the chest. He grabs her arms holding her still. The sleeves from his shirt ruffled then rips open. Up to four additional arms emerge each trying to separate Megami from her blade. One of the arms creates a black receiver and goes to stab her on the face. She reacts swiftly jumping a distance away forced to leave her sword with Sasuke.
Holding the blade, Sasuke felt its influence. It feels dark, drowning in dread. Then the hate. The hate from his youth. It suffocated him. A thought came to him. A voice, his own, calling to him. Telling him to kill. His daughter, Sakura, Naruto, to slaughter everyone in his path.
Sasuke power through and removes the sword from his chest. The skeletal Susanoo forms grab the sword and throw it far away from the field. Megami became irritated.
"Fetch me the blade." She orders the spiders.
Megami charges forward giving Sasuke no time to breathe. The two superhuman clash in the center of the field.
Suigetsu rose from his coma, blood running down his mouth he trips. Karin runs over and helps him.
"Here."
Karin reveals her forearm. Suigetsu bites making her wince. She had forgotten about his teeth.
"Ouch!"
Suigetsu let's go feeling better and refreshed. "Thanks."
Jūgo stumbles over to the two. He was back to normal and in bad shape.
"Jūgo!"
"I'm fine. Damn, she's going toe-to-toe with Sasuke."
"Her powers are so... odd." Karin notes.
"And the Natural Energy she uses is different. It's... darker."
The ground shakes as Megami tried to stomp a down Sasuke. He moves out of the way much to Megami's annoyance.
"Is it me or is she getting stronger?" Suigetsu points out.
"No, your right. She getting stronger the longer the fight goes." Karin replies.
"Shouldn't the opposite be happening. Especially since she's using Sage Mode."
"Accurate. At this rate, Sasuke will wear out."
Megami bites down on one of Sasuke's arms. She rips it out revealing the mechanical parts inside. Sasuke reels back from the pain.
"We need to do something!" Karin yells to the group.
"You want us to get in the middle of that?!" Suigetsu screams back.
From the seal from his one of his mechanical forearms, Sasuke summons hundreds of shuriken which were tied to steel wires. He throws them all Megami hoping to buy some time to properly strategies and recover.
Megami claps her hands. The webbing from her body begins to react.
"Two: Ruin"
Strings suddenly appear from the air, wrapping around the shurikens and turn them towards Sasuke and Co. Sasuke, once again, was forced to react quickly. He heard his team behind him. They about to be hit by the same attack he's facing.
"Amenotejikara!"
Sasuke switches places with one of Karin bags on her waist. A purple aura surrounds the team. The Armored Susanoo forms taking the most the attack. Other than a few scratches the Susanoo was fine.
"Is everyone alright?"
"Yeah, thanks."
Karin grabs on to Sasuke. "Something is seriously off about her."
"I noticed."
"I don't think she using chakra. And Jūgo says the Natural Energy she uses is also different."
"Is it possible it could be some sort of variation of Sage Mode?"
"Maybe..."
"Uh, guys. Where did she go?"
Sasuke looks around, she was nowhere to be found. Not even Karin could sense her presence.
Up high, high in the clouds, Megami perches. Dark energy envelops her hand forming a make-shift longbow. She begins to form a large dense arrow made from the same dark energy.
The Spiders convey with each other.
"The enemy's defenses grow."
"So, will our offense." The Spiders laugh.
"Yes, show them how insignificant the attempts are!"
"Lord Chakravartin? Would an attack of this scale attracted unwanted attention?"
"I don't think she cares," Chakravartin said giggling.
The arrow complete she draws the bow. She looks down at the Earth spotting her opponents. She whispers.
"Dark Art: Samshiel's Tear"
Megami fires the arrow from the sky. Sasuke felt the dark presence, but this time from it was from above. He looks up.
"Shit! Brace for impact!"
The arrow strikes Susanoo creating a large explosion.
Naruto was in his office when everything suddenly begins to shake. He sees a light out from the window. A large explosion from the outside of the village. The memories of the attack run through his mind. Naruto disappears in an orange flash.
Megami lands down to the earth. She had a satisfying grin on her face. The Susanoo was destroyed, she sensed it. A purple aura erupts from the smoke pushing Megami back. In the aftermath of the chaos, a titanic avatar stood. The Complete Body Susanoo.
Sasuke stood on top, visibly angry. "Damn child, pushing me this far." He spat.
Chakravartin observes the Susanoo. "So this is one of the many powers of the Six Paths? Heh, not impressed."
The Susanoo create swords on both hands. It swings them at Megami ripping the earth beneath them. Using the strings Megami maneuvers throughout the trees dodging the gigantic blades.
Karin took advantage of her position and starts healing Sasuke. With his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke spots the spiders with the dark blade in their possession.
"No, you don't." He swings towards the Spiders scattering them across the wind. Surprisingly, the sword remained intact, perfect even. If it was able to withstand a Perfect Susanoo strike, one can only imagine the damage it can do to the Susanoo.
"You just can't keep hitting the ground forever. The Village will be very upset." Jūgo said.
"Sasuke, can you beat her?" Karin asks.
"I can, but she is so relentless. Chipping me down bit by bit. Her resilience and durability are a major factor. Doing actual damage to her is very difficult. And her agility. I can't keep up. However, I have my Rinnegan. She can't counter any of its abilities. If I can-"
"She climbing the Susanoo!" Suigetsu yells to the others.
"What?!"
The strings wrap around the Susanoo's leg launching Megami towards the right arm. She lands perfectly now claiming upon all-fours. Using the string from her body she pierces the Susanoo's chest sending her upward.
"Karin, get your chains ready!" Sasuke orders.
"Why?"
"If you can hold her for a couple of seconds, I can use Chibaku Tensei."
Megami lands on the forehead facing team Taka. She uses her fingers grip into the Susanoo holding her still. Sasuke claps his hands preparing the Chibaku Tensei.
The was an orange flash, one that knocks Megami of the Susanoo.
Sasuke sighs. "Took you long enough."
The Perfect Susanoo disappears returning Taka safely to the ground. In front of them, Naruto stood facing the down Rōnin. In Sage Mode himself, he tries to measure Megami's powers.
Megami kips up. She glares at the Hokage. "Is not every day I get to meet another Sage."
"You're the Rōnin? You're just a kid."
"Kid, huh. Guess I have to teach another Kage a lesson."
Megami took a fighting stance. She formulates a plan when suddenly Naruto dashes in front of her, with a Rasengan in hand. With her unnatural agility, Megami knees Naruto hand dissolving the Rasengan.
The two Sages engaged in a fierce bout of taijutsu. Naruto catches a kick then flips Megami around. Spinning Megami in the air Naruto runs beside and hits her with a knee to the side of the head. With Frog Kata Naruto lands an extra hit on her stomach sending her in the air.
A clone appears throwing Naruto towards Megami. Both clash in the air, trading blows. The Hokage grabs hold of Megami's arm, then creates a Rasengan. Megami spins over Naruto hold of her, building dark energy on her right leg. Both lands each other attacks. Naruto hits his Rasengan on her face sending further up, while Megami's kick lands on the side of his head sending him crashing down into the earth.
The strings on Megami's body pierces the nothing in front of her pulling her back to the ground and towards Naruto. With a bloody face, she screams a warriors war cry. But then she senses a demonic chakra. From the dust, Kurama's head emerged. Taken by surprise, Megami uses the strings to dodge mid-air to avoid the Nine-Tails bite. Megami lands on the ground hard.
Kurama fades away, and the dust settles. Naruto dons his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode in parallel with Sage Mode.
"This brat must be trouble if she pushed you this far." Kurama chuckles.
"No kidding. And it looks like she isn't slowing down."
"She getting stronger every second. This could be bad for you."
Megami stands up. Her dark aura radiating from her body.
"Can you feel it, Kurama?"
"Yeah..." He won't admit it but Kurama was afraid. A power he never faced before, but once felt. During that horrible time period. That War.
"This is it!" Chakravartin was delighted. He floats behind Megami. "She's at her limit. Push her further. For the finest of stars rewrite reality the greater of mass. Soon, every soul will pray to his most brilliant creation. A true Samurai. Megami Kurosawa! The Angel of Unyielding!"
Megami exits Sage Mode and groans. "I give up. You win."
"What!? No!" Chakravartin screams in disbelief.
"Oh, uhh, congrats on the win?" Kurama said baffled.
Megami lay on her back, tired. It was sunset. For the first for what seems like forever she observes the stars with her own eyes. Back to normal, Naruto walks over to her.
"Uh... You okay?"
"Eh, just tired."
"Need something to drink? Water?"
"Don't worry about it. I got plenty at my place."
Naruto sits next to her.
Suigetsu speaks up. "You two were killing each other just seconds ago!"
"That's Naruto for ya," Sasuke mutters.
"So, care to tell me why you were fighting my friend?"
"Beats me. He attacked me."
Naruto stares at Sasuke. He simply scoffs refusing to make eye contact. The Hokage focuses back on Megami.
"Looks like the Shinobi are coming down to check on the situation. I should take my leave."
"You know I can't do that," Naruto replies.
"Can't you let a girl return home and question her life choices?"
Naruto decides to skip over that bit. "Your gonna have to answer a few questions for us." Naruto's mind was at ease now. One of the many problems he was facing has been resolved.
Other shinobi started to arrive. Feeling uncomfortable with the arrival of the Village Ninja Megami orders the Spiders to deliver her iron mask. The Spiders then disappear into the forest. She puts it on as Shikamaru approaches the Hokage.
"Congrats Lord Seven. You beat up a girl."
"Well, this girl hits like a Tailed Beast."
Shikamaru uses the shadow possession jutsu to capture Megami. She groans as he stood her up. Megami ponders looking over the Hokage. He's a unique human being. So she wonders. What answer would he give?
"Before I go. I want to give an anecdote. And for you to give me an answer."
"...Okay?"
Naruto, Shikamaru, and Taka listen closely to what Megami was about to say.
"A young man was at a crossroads in his life. He could join the military during wartime and go off to fight for a cause that he believed in. And he wanted to do this. He thought it was right. But he also had an elderly mother who was all alone, except for him. If he went to war, he'd leave her behind. And that seemed wrong. So he could stay with her, and let others fight for justice. Or he could go off to war and leave his mother to herself, and likely never see her again. The young man felt a sense of duty to both his cause and to his mother, but he could only serve one. Which is the answer?"
"Answer? Like, which should the Man choose?"
"Yes."
"Ha, I got this!" Suigetsu screams confidently. "There is no answer."
"No."
"Come on!"
"If the war is dire then the Man should go. Any help would be great for the army." Shikamaru said.
"Thinking like a soldier, eh? No. That's not the answer."
"If it was up to me I'd stay with my mother," Karin answers, thinking of her mother.
"You're close."
"Find a way to do both. There's always a middle ground." Naruto answers. Most were on board with the Hokage, believing he found the answer.
"No."
"N-no?"
"The answer is that there is no answer."
"What the hell!?" Suigetsu complains.
"Because is not your decision to make. It's his."
"Huh?"
"The is no answer because only the Man can answer it. Not you. Whatever decision HE makes is the answer."
"Then why are we deciding in the first place? If only he can decide."
"And there the core problem the world is facing right now." Everyone was surprised at the turn. "You've been making decisions that were never yours, to begin with."
"What do you mean?" Sasuke demands.
"When a felon is facing justice, you had to decide whether their innocent or guilty. You choose an answer. But it was never your decision to make."
Naruto gets what she's saying and he wasn't happy about it. "If its not our decision to make then who is it?"
Sasuke cuts in. "Your talking about the Horsemen, are you?"
Naruto looks him baffled. "Horsemen? What are-"
That's when it hit everyone. Not just those in the barrier, everyone in the Village. A feeling that shakes them to the very core. Everyone froze the Shinobi, Civilians, and others. Then they felt the power.
"Okay, I'm no sensor but even I can feel that." Suigetsu said.
The Spiders emerge from the shadows, rejoicing.
"He's here! He's here! He's here!"
"Praise his will, for he will reshape purpose once more!"
Naruto activates Six Paths Sage Mode trying to figure out what going on. "Megami, what is-" When he shifted his gaze Megami was gone. He couldn't even sense her.
It was the second day of "Training" for Sarada. Cleaning the orphanage, when it hits her. It was overwhelming. Her first instinct was to grab the kids and place them in a safe location. Kabuto joins her in protecting the children. He could feel it. Deeper than anyone else in the orphanage. It terrifies him.
Mitsuki was in his hotel room when he felt it. He looks outside from the porch. He sees people freaking out, toppling over one another, trying to find safety. Mitsuki grabs his headband and runs down to help other Shinobi.
Karin peers into this power. She shaking. Horrified.
Sasuke checks on her. "Karin. Are you okay?"
"I-it's... infinite. There is no end to it."
"Sasuke," Naruto calls out. "The Ōtsutsuki. He's here on Konoha."
"But where?"
Soon all of the power compacted in one place. Naruto pinpoints it. "He's the Cemetery! Let's go!"
Naruto sprints towards the Cemetery with an army behind him. Sasuke was beside him along with Shikamaru. They would not let tragedy fall on the Village again.
They all arrived at the Cemetery in a short time. Shinobi were back to back looking for the enemy. Even with the power of Six Paths Naruto and Sasuke couldn't find their target. It was quite, everyone sweating and shaking. Then they hear footsteps. Uchū appears beside the famous Will of Fire sculpture.
"The Will of Fire. It states that the entire village is like a large family unit and every Konoha shinobi with the Will of Fire loves, believes, cherishes, and fights to protect the village, as previous generations had done before them. What a pathetic excuse for subjugation."
He pushes the statue letting it shatter in the ground. A sculpture with significant meaning gone in seconds. All stare at him. He simply replies with a confident smirk. Uchū spots Naruto among the crowd and smiles.
"Naruto Uzumaki! I heard many things from you."
The Horseman walks down the stairs when multiple shadows attach to his. The Nara clan, including Shikamaru, has made the first move. Uchū looks at his shadow then at Shikamaru. He rolls his eyes. The Horseman continues to walk as normal. The Shadow Imitation did not affect him.
Naruto and Uchū were face to face. His Six Paths eyes meeting with his Tenseigan. Being so close to such an enigmatic being made Kurama uncomfortable. He didn't believe he was even human.
"Scared little kit?" Uchū echoes.
"H-he can see me!?"
"You're facing me." Naruto orders.
"Apologizes, I tend to get easily distracted. My name is Uchū."
"Uchū, nothing else? No family name?"
"No, no. My name is all you need to know."
"Not proud of the Ōtsutsuki name?"
"Ōtsutsuki? You think I'm of them?" Uchū laughs. "Boy, I'm something much bigger than them. That reminds me though, thank you for getting rid of Momoshiki for me. He's been a pain in the ass for centuries."
Sasuke steps in. "You're not a Ōtsutsuki?"
"Nope. Born here on Earth. Besides, you don't have to worry about the Ōtsutsuki. The Emperor doesn't care about other lifeforms or his daughter."
"Emperor?"
"Princess Kaguya. If you think for a bit you'll figure her father might be a monarch. You know, I met the Emperor before. On that ruby moon filled with bamboo forests. Every living soul there arrogant." Uchū chuckles then whisper. "Their overconfidence will get them all killed someday."
"Then why did you attack Toneri?" Naruto interjects.
"He was sticking his nose where it doesn't belong."
"Did you had to throw him down to Earth?"
"I didn't have to, but wanted too."
That's all Sasuke needed to hear. Sasuke steps forward-facing the Horseman. Uchū wasn't fazed. He did however marveled at a key feature from Sasuke.
"The Rinnegan. The amount of research I can do with it." He whispers.
"Not another word."
The other Shinobi began to move forward, ready to attack. Uchū remained unfazed, smug even.
"Fine, other than you're eye I have no intrigue with you. Or anyone else here."
Uchū snaps his fingers. Every Shinobi, except for Naruto, were teleported away. Sasuke finds himself in the snow. He climbs out finding only the sunset on the arctic ocean. Others soon climb out.
"What happened?" One of them panics.
"Where are we?" Shikamaru asks.
"I don't know," Sasuke replies.
Naruto looks around. Only he and Uchū were in the cemetery. The Hokage lashes out.
"What did you do!?"
"Easy! There somewhere safe. I only wanted to talk. To you and you only. No one else has to be here."
"Then start talking. Where are my men?" Uchū ignores Naruto question.
"I've been studying you, Naruto Uzumaki. For the last... well, let's just say a while. Your actions have been... optimistic."
"Do you have a problem with my intentions?"
"Yes, actually. They're interfering with mine. You see, you've disturbed the flow of my Laws."
"Your Laws?" Naruto then realized. "You're the one Megami was talking about. The one who decides."
"You've met Megami? I hope she didn't cause any trouble."
Naruto tries to calm himself. He glares at Uchū. "Look, leave us alone. We all worked so hard to achieve the peace we have today."
"Peace. Ha, that's a funny one." Naruto continues to glare. "Oh, wait, you're serious." Uchū laughs. "It's true what the say. You're not very smart."
"It doesn't matter if you find it funny. It's the way things are today. If you try to disrupt it I'll be the one to knock some sense into you."
"Said like a true Warlord. Let me share a Truth to you." Uchū face turns serious.
"It will not last. In times of conflict, all you see is horror. Humanity tends to look towards the future. Looking for change. Hoping one day their children will live in peace. Sometimes, that day does come. No threat of mass devastation or paranoia. Everything and everywhere seems like a Utopia. What Humanity doesn't realize that it works both ways. In time, the status quo will change. And so will people. From those changes, new conflicts will arise. Then, someone will do something stupid and things will escalate. Escalation depends on the situation. Next thing you know all you see is horror."
"You think of as a cycle. It's not."
"Denial, Humanity casket. I'm simply teaching you how to understand."
"Understand what? That Peace is a myth?"
"To understand you must be open-minded. Question every detail from reality. From dismantling and reassembling you consolidate a Truth. This is a Truth, Peace doesn't exist."
The two face each other. Two ideals clashing with one another. Uchū suddenly shrugs his in a goofy way.
"Then again I'm a nobody. You're the Hokage! Maybe you can prove me wrong."
Naruto was surprised. "Y-you want me to prove you wrong?"
"Of course! You've changed people's opinions before. Change mine!"
"Uh..."
"Defeat the Academy. Avenge your son. And save the world once more! I'll be watching from the sidelines."
"Wait, you're not gonna fight me? You're just gonna watch what happens?"
"Yup, then I'll decide."
"Decide? On what?"
"Well looks at the time! I should probably go get your army back before they freeze to death. Toodles!"
Uchū turns and walks away. "Wait!" Naruto yells. Uchū pauses.
"You remind me of a man I once knew. He suffered so much during his life. Became something he wasn't. Told me the world of ninjas is ruled by hatred. I understood him. He changed, even if was during his last moments on Earth. From him, I learn Peace was real."
"The world of ninjas is ruled by hatred. Funny. Reminds me of the Cycle of Hated."
"You know about it?"
"Know about it?" Uchū turns his gaze towards Naruto revealing a devilish grin. "I created it."
Uchū disappears in a blink of an eye. The army appears, all covered in snow. Sasuke quickly runs at Naruto.
"Naruto! What happened?"
"I have no idea."
A/N: It's been a while Readers! It's been close to 3 months since we last met. Where have I been? Well...
One week had passed since I updated the last chapter and I was halfway through this one. Then suddenly I had a panic attack. Turns out I have depression. It runs on my mother's side and everyone got it at my age. Luckily for me, it's low level and it is curable. But those first days, they were rough.
Obviously, fanfiction had to be put aside. I never thought of my stories for a long time. But now that I'm back normal the ideas have come back along with the joys of learning to write.
This is my longest chapter ever. Before anyone asks, no, Sarada will not become a Jinchūriki. I wanted to expand on the Tailed Beast. With Megami, I wanted her to be an actual force of nature. She's KCM + Sage Mode level of powerful (Not Six Paths powerful) if you want to make comparisons. The anecdote from this chapter is from Existentialism: Crash Course Philosophy #16 on Youtube. Great watch, highly recommended.
If you made it to the end thank you. For sticking beside this mediocre story. Hope you enjoyed reading and I'll see you next time.