Naruto: Tales of Ashihara
The Shinden Saga – Arc 4: The Otsutsuki War
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Chapter 164 – Rikudo's Apologies
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Moments ago, in the massive forest surrounding Konoha, Sakura Uchiha was still doing her best against the ultimate defense of the Amber Princess, Fureya Otsutsuki. Earlier, even throwing the full body of Katsuyu at her couldn't bypass Omamori, nor even just leave a crack. Since brute force didn't work, Sakura tried a different strategy.
Well known as the most skilled and versatile kunoichi of her time, she put to use one of her many tricks, being Genjutsu. With a simple yet robust illusion she tricked Fureya into misjudging her position and her own chakra's density, hoping to lower and weaken her guard. From her perspective, the trick seemed to work well enough to create an obvious opening in the goddess' back. Obvious enough for Sakura to hurry in with a punch.
To her surprise, she saw an amber chakra barrier appear right as she was about to land her fist, protecting Fureya once again. Though Sakura's Genjutsu can trick even the Hyuga's Byakugan, so much can't be said about the Otsutsuki's naturally superior version of the same eye. Feeling unsafe but not giving up, Sakura backed up and kept moving to find another chance to strike. While she concentrated to track her, Fureya's mind was busied by the feeling of strength in Sakura's attacks.
"Don't let your human pride take over. Your strength is only borrowed." she said. "Shiva's power doesn't make you Shiva."
"Tsk! Why do you keep talking about that spirit like you know her?" Sakura asked, annoyed by these remarks.
"Shiva is not only a spirit. Of course she is real and alive. And of course I know her. She is my sister." Fureya revealed, suddenly confusing Sakura who let her position be found.
In a blitz, the goddess caught up on the kunoichi and abruptly grabbed her by the neck before slamming her into the ground, onto a bed of amber blades. Using her awakened Sengo, Sakura rapidly prevented her injuries from becoming fatal and healed. Bothered by the sight of her sister's power in use, Fureya tightened her hold on Sakura's neck to strangle her, before letting her chakra materialize in the kunoichi's throat.
"Shinsen chakra or not, you remain limited by your human condition. No regeneration or super strength will save you if you can't sustain your body's life." she said as she started filling Sakura's lungs with amber.
In panic, Sakura struggled to find her breath as she noticed what was happening to her. Weakened by the lack of air, she couldn't find the strength to break Fureya's arm, but was gladly saved by the sudden final strike on the moon catching everyone's attention. Now, seeing her opponent distracted, she hurries to brutally break free.
Katon – Haijingakure
With a quick series of hand signs, she summons a cloud of ashes that engulfs them both and bursts into flames. Unable to stop this with Omamori, Fureya lets Sakura go and leaps away. Sakura, after making sure to release the amber in her body, catches her breath and lets her body heal all her burns and wounds.
Seeing fire devouring her mantle, Fureya throws it away. She also notices that the skin on her arm was marked by the flames. Annoyed, she creates a sword of amber and leaps forward to collide with Sakura's fists one last time.
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At the gate of the village, everyone who stands below Naobi is shocked by what they just heard her say. Izuna trembles and looks at the moon in the sky, thinking of his master and his friend up there. Did he hear her correctly? Did she say that the Dragon Sage and the Hokage have killed each other?
Konohamaru, standing with his army, is also wondering in disbelief while staring at the moon when a tear dropping from above wakes him up. These are the tears of the goddess of creation and purity, allowing herself to mourn the loss of her lover, but not for long.
"I cannot let this happen. I can't let you give up like that." she whispers aloud, as if she was speaking with the Dragon Sage. After a short silence, she looks at her pupil, standing beside the ninjas of Konoha. "Sakitsuki, I am sorry. I ask of you to make the right choices, and to never underestimate your worth." she declares, to the golden eyed girl's confusion.
Then, Naobi stares toward the village where the fight between Sasuke and Tokubei seems uninterrupted by the surrounding chaos. In the forest, she sees and calls out the name of Fureya, simply putting an end to her battle with Sakura before giving her instructions.
"I transfer to you my position and authority as a Shinden. Take on the lead of the present clan, and stay alert for the council's decisions." she says to a much confused amber goddess who only now realized what happened on the moon.
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At the same time, Naruto Uzumaki opens his eyes somewhere else, not on the moon, it is unclear when or where exactly. Looking around in confusion, he wonders if he landed badly or was taken to another dimension suddenly. As he gets a familiar feeling from this strange place, he notices Kurama standing behind him, like in his inner world.
As it seems to be in their mind, they both try to use the eyes of Naruto's body and see, but to no avail. Everything is dark, and their common space feels lonely until a familiar voice breaks the silence.
"Welcome back, child of the prophecy, Naruto Uzumaki." an old man's voice speaks, startling Naruto and the demon fox who is first to find the visitor.
An old man with horns, sitting above the ground on a bed of black orbs and holding a sacred shakujo in his hands. On his face, a uniquely long chin beard, a symbol of wisdom on his forehead, and a pair of mystical purple eyes. A pair of Rinnegan.
"Wha-… Rikudo-Sennin?" Kurama exclaims in disbelief as Naruto sees him.
"Huh? Rikudo Gramps?" Naruto says in confusion, clearly seeing the great ancestor of his kind before his eyes once again. "What the hell are you doing here? Now's not the time to have a chat. We need to beat Yamitsuki. We're this close to finishing him off. Where's Boruto?"
"Find relief, Naruto. Your son, as well as Toneri, is fine." Hagoromo says, bothering the Hokage who comes to understand what he refuses to admit. "You've realized it, Naruto. You know what is happening. Your soul is set to rest." the divine presence explains.
This revelation leaves Naruto speechless. Quietly, he thinks, takes his time to realize, and gets flooded with interrogations and frustration in his mind. Out of anger, he promptly catches the Rikudo Sage by the collar and pulls on it as he seriously stares him down.
"Why didn't you warn us back then? You had one chance to meet us, and didn't even think of mentioning that whole clan of which Kaguya was part? Since the war, they've caused even more casualties than the Juubi. Without Sasuke's intel, we wouldn't even have survived the first of them. Why didn't you prepare us for that?"
Startled, Kurama gasps and yells his jinchuriki's name. But Hagoromo himself remains calm. Though it is sudden, he understands this impulsive reaction, and feels unjustified guilt from this call out.
"I owe apologies. To you, Naruto. To Sasuke, and to all of humanity." the Rikudo starts to tell. "As hard to believe as it may seem, I had no idea of the celestial kind's existence. I was caused to assume that my mother had inherited her inhumane traits from the Shinju's fruit alone. Never did I consider that she was a goddess before, and that she was not even from our world… I spent my whole life and death acting for the safety of this cradle, protecting it from a menace that was only a fragment of what truly lies beyond. Of what was sealed out of my reach."
Naruto takes a moment to calm down and lets go of the old sage's mantle. He remembers what Yamitsuki and Naobi mentioned to him and realizes the truth behind it. Their clan really did choose what Earth knows and ignores by the past, even in the dawn of the ninja world. This however leaves him confused by a thought he doesn't share, which is the implication of Hamura Otsutsuki.
"The Ryu Shinsen is playing a game and going by rules beyond my comprehension." Hagoromo says, which surprises Naruto and interrupts his thoughts. "To this being, I am but just another earthling. A mere consequence of my mother's deeds, moreover unworthy."
The Hokage is left intrigued by this last word. He turns around and looks into nothing as he wonders about worthiness. What makes him, to Yamitsuki, worthier than the great and wise Rikudo-Sennin? Kurama, seeing the confusion of his lifelong friend, and refusing to accept this fatality so easily, notices an important detail.
"Hey, old man Rikudo, Naruto isn't dead yet, right? I am still here in his mind, so my chakra wasn't set free from the bond of his body. This means it's still alive. It must also be why you're able to communicate with us, just like during the war."
"Kurama… Indeed he has not yet crossed the gates of the pure lands, but still I am unable to intervene this time. And I am in no position to provide any help to you anymore, Naruto Uzumaki. You have grown more powerful than I ever was. I could never have opposed the Ryu Shinsen, yet you did. Until your last breath you have proven your unmatched wit."
Unbothered by these praises coming from the most honorable voice, Naruto is instead troubled by curiosity. As he still finds his situation hard to comply with, he wonders about his opponent.
"What about Yamitsuki? What happened?"
"As it appears, like you he is meeting his end. Be free of torment, savior of the world. Your mission has been fulfilled" Hagoromo explains, finally causing the Hokage's mind to appease.
Naruto looks at his hands and starts to feel lighter. As he realizes that he could at least save Boruto, and can still trust Izuna, Sasuke and all the others with protecting the world from what's coming next, he slowly accepts his fate. Yet as he comes to term with his death, he suddenly feels an overwhelming shadow looming over him.
A crushing presence that only he senses, and that comes as a provocation to him. It materializes into a shadow that he sees blurry by his side. It is the so close yet so far aura of the Dragon Sage, accompanying him through this moment. But from this sight and the lack of fulfillment it brings to his heart, Naruto gets a rush of wit that prevents him from settling down. He looks at the Rikudo-Sennin and at the fox behind him who stares back with eyes full of trust.
Then all of a sudden, this quiet immaterial world is invaded by a light reflecting itself on the watery soil and filling the whole space. Blinded, Hagoromo focuses his sight to follow the gaze of Naruto and find a silhouette coming from above. A divine figure that even he feels to bow for.
"Well, as it appears, Naruto, the gods have still more challenges for you among the living." he wisely declares as the silhouette grabs the Hokage's arm with one hand, and the shadow with the other. "Farewell then. Let us reunite in peace when your purpose is fulfilled, Shin Rikudo." Hagoromo adds, voluntarily baptizing the Hokage with this glorious title, multiple in meanings.
Together with Kurama and the presence of the Dragon Sage, Naruto is abruptly pulled from this place and state by the silhouette of a divine spirit that, by choosing the fate of higher powers, condemns her life and energy.
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On the breaking moon, slowly spreading into large pieces in space, Boruto is suddenly woken up by someone shaking his shoulders and yelling his name. It is Toneri who brings him back to his senses and leaves him time to take in the context. Boruto understands that their ultimate effort paid off. Though hard to believe, the Dragon Sage must have been crushed. However, Boruto finds it bothersome that he can't feel his father's chakra anymore.
"Naruto… is gone." Toneri slowly tells him. This makes the Hyuga's heart race before he can even get a hold on the words' meaning. Obviously, he cannot believe it. Not again. The absurdity of it births anger in him, as well as confusion. How could he dare to survive this fight when his father didn't.
Thankfully, these dark ideas are cut short by a sweet sensation and sight. Through the dust and troubled land, he feels a bright yellow chakra reemerge, and sees a silhouette in the distance with his Byakugan. With the same Dojutsu, Toneri also catches sight of the 7th Hokage walking out from the debris and standing on a hill above them. From this heroic image, Boruto gets a feeling of admiration and relief like never before. An image so strong that it takes over all the young ninja's attention.
Yet Toneri stood alert, and noticed the startling and unreal rise and break through of another force that ascended to infinity to become out of reach. An energy that emerged and broke bounds of perception in a slight instant. Naruto can feel this chakra even once out of bound, which washes away his smile and makes him shiver.
Ameno Ohabari
Slacking off, Boruto is almost struck by a blitzing strike promptly breaking the land once more without a warning. But Toneri could push him away in time to take his place in aim. It is the mystical black sword of the Dragon Sage again, slicing through the moon and summoning erupting volcanoes and trails all along its slit.
Seeing his master bursting into a sea of blood that obstructs his vision, Boruto panics and hurries to hide in a shielding container of Gudodama. On his side, Naruto was also in the trajectory of the blade but could leap away soon enough. In his Biju Mode as he sees the whole moon erupt into lava and be obliterated, he lets himself be propelled into space. Far away, he sees the silver Susanoo of Yamitsuki, standing in melancholy as it lets the explosion carry it as well.
Closing his eyes, Naruto sees himself standing side by side with the Dragon Sage as a divine spirit releases them back into life. As it disappears, he's startled when he sees the hand of Yamitsuki suddenly reach out to catch the fingers of the spirit before it vanishes. On the Ryu Shinsen's face, Naruto sees gentle tears flowing, revealing to him the nature of this spirit.
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On Earth, at the gates of Konoha, the members of the Otsutsuki clan and the ninjas all gathered together look up at the sky in shock, as light dust calmly rains onto them before vanishing into pure energy and thin air. A long confusing silence is broken by the cry and mourn of Sakitsuki, floating next to Rihetsuki who contains his surprise and emotions.
Naobi Otsutsuki, goddess of creation, order and purity, has forfeited her life for her lover and for the universe. As she had warned, she could not let Yamitsuki die so simply, and definitely not together with Naruto. So, using Kami Musubi, she consumed her own Dojutsu and energy to rewrite fate and prevent the death of the Dragon Sage. The cost of toying with the destiny of a higher force such as the Ryu Shinsen is not limited to her eyes, and has cost her whole life force.
However, as she has to admit defeat in their game of sacrifice, she could not allow the death of the Hokage either, and therefore rescued both their souls from the gates of the afterlife. To those standing here in front of Konoha, it is beyond comprehension, but the sacrifice they've witnessed, has saved the life of their hero and sustained hope for their kind, as well as for all of creation.
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Boruto in his black cocoon with Toneri, Naruto in his Biju Mode, and Yamitsuki in his silver armor all fall through space like missiles projected by the explosion of the moon. All toward Earth, letting themselves fall, probably for nearly an hour before they reach the ground or the sea like meteors.
In his fall, Yamitsuki lets his armor fade away as he focuses his mind on another plane. Having caught the hand of Naobi's spirit, refusing to let her go. He addresses his good byes, and his will.
"I am sorry, my beloved, my goddess of order… It has happened just as I foresaw, and therefore, just as I told you, I cannot let you win this game of sacrifice. I cannot let your soul go to rest as mine still expects its destiny. May you forgive and love me again, but one of us shall remain and ensure that creation returns to order. And it has to be you."
Kami Musubi
By copying the absolute power of Naobi, just put to use to save his soul, he hopes to return the favor as a secret, regardless of the price to pay, or disorder to cause.
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On Earth again, inside of Konoha, on the Hokage monument, the distraction caused by the first hit on the moon did not interrupt the fight, but did affect it. Failing to sense Naruto's soul anymore, Sasuke was overtaken by emotion as he believed the worst had happened. Fueled by this rage, he overwhelmed his opponent with violence until a second strike on the moon, this time its total explosion, got their attention right as he landed a strong punch in Tokubei left cheek, on his mask, where he's been aiming many hits already.
Seeing the moon suddenly burst into lava that soon after dries in the frost of space, Sasuke finds relief when he perceives his soul brother again over there, still alive despite the complete destruction of his battleground. Relaxed, he calms down and accidentally lets the exhaustion of the 8 gates catch up on his body.
Tokubei, also sensing the presence of both Naruto and Yamitsuki up there, doesn't let it distract him as much and hurries to leap back in action while Sasuke lost focus. As they exchange blows again, the masked man rapidly notices the loss in violence of the Uchiha that honestly flattered and even frightened him a bit.
"That was the Uchiha clan's vengeful rage you unleashed, your true power fueled by uncontrolled sorrow, Indra's forced rejection of happiness. This is what I want to see. Too bad it was just for that little while." Tokubei monologues while taking the upper hand as Sasuke's Hachimon is running out.
Repeatedly landing kicks and palms hits in the left shoulder of the Uchiha, where he has no arm to defend himself, he rapidly forces Sasuke to his knees. As he was ready to put him down, he accidentally lets him slip in another hit with his foot to his face, on the left side of his mask again, making him jump away.
"You've been hitting the same place repeatedly." he comments while Sasuke takes his time to stand up. "You're obviously trying to break my mask, but there's no point in doing so. It is as solid as Gudodama can be, and is equivalent to a fragment of my mind. It will only break if I allow it to… Yet I'm intrigued. What mystery do you hope to unveil?"
Sasuke, knowing that keeping up at this rhythm any longer will only break his body and reduce his chances, turns off his use of the Hachimon before it makes him collapse. Now back to his clear physical disadvantage, he buys time to rest with discussion, and addresses his concern.
"I think that you're an impostor. That you're not really Tokubei Otsutsuki." he declares, which oddly surprises the masked man, seeing that Yamitsuki's suspicions were right. Curious to know the reason for the Uchiha's doubts, he keeps listening.
"Your vision of Indra was really confusing to me, and the abilities you share with the Uchiha even more." details Sasuke. "It seemed to me like you avoided showing your Susanoo in front of your fellows, so I went ahead and asked Rihetsuki about it. But he seemed to not recognize you as the one he knew wearing your name. According to him, you were severely injured in a battle against Indra and stole a Sharingan to replace your left eye. But there are two problems in that version. First is that, as a celestial, you should have been able to recover from any injury, especially after a thousand years. Though I may be mistaken and unaware of any ability of Indra to cancel regeneration, I still found no counter to my other doubt. It is your Dojutsu abilities. Like the Uchiha, your clan can't use Susanoo without a pair of Sharingan. This means that you can't have taken just one eye, but necessarily had a complete pair at some point. And since Rihetsuki told me that you've had this one-eyed Rinnegan since birth, doing so would have required you to lose it. So the only way you can still have the Tenjo Sharingan's power and your Rinnegan, is if on the contrary, you were born with your own pair of Sharingan that you awakened, and later acquired this Rinnegan."
Tokubei smiles under his mask, impressed by the cleverness of the Uchiha, and already seeing where he is going. To be clear, Sasuke concludes with his hypothesis.
"So it is clear that you're not the same Tokubei Otsutsuki than the Rinnegan wielder that Rihetsuki remembers. This means that you have stolen this left eye from him, and have stolen his identity. This is why you hide your face behind a mask. Now about who you truly are, your Sharingan powers lead me to think that you aren't even a celestial at all. In fact, you're a member of my clan. An Uchiha… Based on the respect and knowledge you have for and about Indra, you couldn't be just any Uchiha… You're not Indra himself, since he has to be dead for me and Madara to have lived… I know that Madara's soul is in the afterlife, so you're not him either. This leaves me with only a few guesses. So tell me… Are you… Izuna Uchiha?"
"Bahahahahaha!" Tokubei suddenly starts to laugh loudly and uncontrollably when he hears this conclusive question. Sasuke obviously takes this as a no, and therefore only has one very wild guess left, a guess that he finds absurd but terrifying, and therefore doesn't dare to ask. The masked man looks around, making sure to be unheard, and speaks.
"You're right. I am not Tokubei Otsutsuki." he confirms at least the fundament of Sasuke's theory as he brings his hand up to his mask. "And don't worry, even though his abilities may remind of me, I am not your brother Itachi."
After saying this, which relieves Sasuke, Tokubei hides the grey magatama piece around his right eye and makes it vanish, to reveal a quarter of his true face. There, Sasuke sees a deformed face with a massive burn mark. So this man indeed hides an injury behind his mask. But was it really made by Indra? And what about his Dojutsu?
To answer this question, The masked man switches from his Rinnegan to a Sharingan. An evolved Sharingan that doesn't look like Itachi's, nor Izuna's or Indra's. It's an eye that he's never seen before. This is terribly confusing. That he is able to switch between the two Dojutsu in the same eye doesn't fit any of Sasuke's hypotheses. There must be an important detail he is missing.
Just to reward the Uchiha for his cleverness, Tokubei unveils himself a bit more, using Inton to let Sasuke decipher his hidden left eye under his mask: the second Sharingan completing the pair with the right eye. So he indeed carries a pair that makes him able to use Susanoo, but somehow can wield it together with a Rinnegan that was stolen.
"My respect for Indra is not based on defeat, you are right. But nor is it birthed from myths. I've known him. I know the ninja way he lived by. So I know the blasphemy that you represent. I am impressed, Sasuke Uchiha. Your intuition is remarkable. For longer than you could imagine, this secret has remained unseen from any stranger's ear among the Otsutsuki clan. Yet you have come so close to the truth. Though I shouldn't praise you at all. After all, if I didn't reveal my hidden powers to you, you would have never suspected anything… Don't worry, you will know who I really am. After I kill you, you'll just have to discover it, by asking my name to the soul of the true Indra Otsutsuki."
Frustrated by this mess of a mystery and the obvious mockery of the masked man, Sasuke sighs and gets in position. Tokubei puts his mask back together to seal his face away, and flies toward his opponent to pin him down. Unable to keep going with Hachimon, Sasuke is put back in severe disadvantage and has to find a way to finish this fight quickly before he is definitely overwhelmed.
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In front of Konoha, the members of the Otsutsuki clan have ascended into the air to stand together where the great goddess of creation, their most respected mentor, has vanished. Hebemi, Seimei, Taiyoshiki, Chishiki, Kuboshiki and Torushiki all join Sakitsuki above the gate of Konoha to share a grieving silence. In the distance they see Fureya emerge from the forest into the sky as well.
Sakura looks at her opponent flying away, giving up on their fight, and gets to rest. Izuna, Inoue, Kakashi and all of Konoha, from the ninjas at the gate to the citizens from their windows, look at the levitating gods and wait to know what will be next.
As Naobi has declared, Fureya has inherited her authority among the Shinden of Ashihara. So the present celestials look at her, waiting for orders to follow on the situation. Torushiki and Kuboshiki contain their excitement but hope for an allowance. A right to help their mistress, Yasona, in Iwa. Taiyoshiki, son of Fureya, is however better at reading the instinct of his mother than his fellows.
Like she does, he stares at the Hokage monument in Konoha, where a Shinden is still fighting, and seems to be nearing a conclusion. Fureya stays silent and spectates her husband's battle. Troubled by the turn of events, she decides to wait for him to join her and take over responsibilities for now. The leaders of Konoha, as well as all the other celestials, follow her gaze to wait and see who will be the winner in this trial.
Izuna, standing at the gate, is certainly worried about his father, but still trusts him as much as yesterday. What he feels less certain about is his sensei. As the moon seems to have blown up twice and has now been completely washed out of the sky, he wonders how Boruto and Naruto could have survived that, and if their opponent also did.
It is clear that Naobi's sacrifice aimed to undo what she had proclaimed earlier. So Naruto and Yamitsuki must still be up there, and their battle has to go on until one of them triumphs over the other.
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End of Chapter 164 – Next Chapter: God of the Uchiha