Naruto: Tales of Ashihara
The Shinden Saga – Arc 4: The Otsutsuki War
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Chapter 151 – The Uchiha Commander
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One week later. One more week that Iwa spent under the occupation of Yasona Otsutsuki. One more week that Naruto spent training to fight the Ryu Shinsen. One more week that Toneri spent separated from the moon. One more week that Takeshi Minamoto spent away from Sakitsuki, and now carrying the burden of his father's condition. And one more week that Tokubei Otsutsuki spent preparing to encounter Sasuke again.
Now, Seiki Tomoe, former cellmate of Fuyuko Yamanaka, found her way through the deserts of the land of Wind. She's reached the south border, shore of the southern ocean that separates the 5 great nations and Shin no Kuni, the lands of Heart. She is currently at the only place from where she can catch a boat that will bring her to the harbor of Hikarigakure, hidden village and capital of the lands. Right now, she is at the ticket office, trying to make her way on the next boat by arguing with the salesman, who seems to refuse to listen to her.
"You look like a prison escapee. And you don't even have money to pay for that ticket." the man blames her.
"Listen to me, sir!" Seiki exclaims out of frustration, ready to yap a half true story to get his sympathy. "My name is Tomoe! You know the Tomoe clan, right? I'm from Ketsugakure! Lady Toshima is expecting me to report in 48 hours! You surely wouldn't want to interfere with the concerns of the queen warrior of the blood village, right?"
"... So you're a Tomoe in an inmate uniform?" he questions. "Sounds a lot like a certain someone who's supposed to be in a cell in Konoha."
To this wild correct guess, Seiki doesn't reply. She just takes a step back and stares mistrustfully at the man who seems to know more about her than she thought. Within the 5 nations, only the higher ups of Konoha are supposed to know about her situation.
"So… You're not gonna give me a ticket?" she naively asks.
The office man tilts his head and looks at her in a familiar manner. After a few seconds, he stands up and makes a sign, telling her to follow him. Seiki obviously doesn't trust him, but judging from what he knows, she has no other choice but to comply and stay careful. So she follows him to another office in which he lets her in.
Here, she sees another man sitting on a rolling chair. She recognizes the director of the station that she saw in a picture earlier in the ticket office. He seems like a regular person, not linked to any ninja or mercenary activities. Behind her, she hears the ticket seller closing the door and locking her inside with them.
"Hey, you better not try any funny business." she warns them. "I told you I'm a Tomoe. I'm superior to both of you physically."
"Oh I wouldn't want to try anything with you before you take a shower." the director answers with a mocking voice.
Seiki, not in the mood for jokes, steps toward him, ready to get aggressive but is held back by the other man who caught her arm. In his hand, she feels an odd strength that surpasses what a regular human should be capable of. To stop the suspense, this person undoes a transformation jutsu and reveals her true self. It is Pai Tomoe, kunoichi of Ketsugakure who deserted along Seiki to serve Killin' Kiss 4 years ago.
Knowing what this implies about the director sitting in front of her, she frantically turns around and sees him right as he rips off his own face. Seiki expected this second impostor to be Kiseru, the Tomoe princess who ran away with Pai. But instead, she sees the face of Meinu Imai herself, founding member of Kakumei. Rather than a simple Henge like Pai, she used the jutsu that she stole from Orochimaru to impersonate the real director of this station.
Now back to her true form, Meinu reveals a brand new outfit. A black kunoichi dress with white bands and a white tissue wrapped as a corset around her belly. She wears white gloves on both her hands, but still has a black sleeve covering her whole right arm. She now wears white ninja boots going up to her knees and black long socks underneath. She still has a white choker, and her Mitsudomoe tattoo is still visible on her right thigh.
With the surprise of seeing her mistress again, Seiki feels a confused happiness that isn't as fulfilling as she expects. She should feel in love, in relief, yet she can't help but stay on the defensive. The sight of Meinu used to appease her way more than now… Noticing this confusion, Killin' Kiss stands up and slowly walks toward Seiki, held back by Pai. She gently catches her by the waist.
"Did I leave you speechless?" she comments, while rubbing her hand down to Seiki's thighs. "My, my… So you're out of jail and you didn't even think of sending me a little notice?"
"Lady Meinu, I…" Seiki starts to answer but is interrupted.
"I really meant what I said. You look miserable. You need a shower,... and new clothes."
Seiki stays silent, confused by her unsafe feeling. It was indeed not her intention to reunite with her, but it was what she first thought of. She only had no pointers about how to get to Meinu. Apparently this issue wasn't reciprocal. Also, Meinu seems unimpressed by this meeting, as if she already knows how Seiki got out of jail.
"You met Naobi-sama too, right?" Seiki asks, now remembering that this goddess was after Kakumei inners.
"Yes we did." Pai answers. "She freed me from my prison in Iwa and brought me back to Lady Meinu."
"But that wasn't my wish though." Meinu adds, assuming that Seiki knows about the power of Naobi and her offer. "I had a short but informative conversation with that goddess. At first I wanted her to kill Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki, but apparently, there's stuff that she wouldn't do for us. So I could have asked for Oshio to be free, but judging from what she told me she was on Earth for, he's probably irrelevant to me now… So I asked her to bring me Pai, which she did without needing her divine power, from her own words."
"What about Kiseru?" Seiki asks. "Why didn't you free her too?"
"Kiseru was never in prison." Pai says. "The day I was captured by Iwa, she got away."
"Yeah, she's somewhere out there, and probably hates me now…" Meinu completes.
"She hates you? How could this be?" Seiki asks naively.
"Oh, don't play dumb, honey." Kiss answers before pointing at her mitsudomoe tattoo. "You surely noticed an odd absence of love in your feelings right now. Oshio must have deactivated his Genjutsu at some point. So I can't trick people into loving me anymore. Which is why you feel so unsafe…"
"Me? Oh no, Lady Meinu, I swear I'll stay faithful to you." the blonde escapee exclaims.
"Seiki, I know quite a lot about pretending and faking it. You're not telling that from the bottom of your heart, but just because you don't want to disappoint me." Meinu answers.
"... I'm sorry…" Seiki answers.
"Anyway… Like, how did you get here? Where were you even going?"
"… I was accidentally brought to the land of Earth with Fuyuko…" Seiki explains. "And I was on my way to return to Ketsu."
"Bad Idea. Shin no Kuni has been under control of the feudal families since Oshio's fall." Pai tells Seiki. "Recently, a civil war began between the feudal armies occupying Hikari and the kunoichi of Ketsu. The feudal families are keeping this secret from the Shinobi Union."
"Good thing I found you first, right?" Meinu says as she catches Seiki by the chin and gets serious. "So Fuyuko is also free. I couldn't get Takeshi Minamoto to kill him after all… We should keep an eye on that guy but more importantly, Seiki, were you also offered a wish?"
Seiki doesn't answer this. Meinu probably wants to know if she can use Naobi's offer in her favor. However, based on what she said, it sounds like neither Meinu nor Pai actually requested Naobi-sama to use Kami Musubi.
"What about you, Lady Meinu?" she asks. "Sounds like you didn't make an actual wish."
"Of course I didn't." Meinu exclaims. "That goddess almost didn't tell me that this shit had a cost. Fulfilling a wish will also bring some sort of drawback. I can't risk that."
Seiki nods agape, remembering what Naobi mentioned about the true origin of the Tomoe clan's benediction and curse, implying that the latter is just a consequence of the other.
"Seems like you didn't know about that, which means you didn't make your wish yet." Meinu says with a perverted smile as she catches and presses on Seiki's cheeks. "That's just perfect! I guess she told you you could call her later, when you find your wish."
Seiki frowns, knowing exactly where this is going. Meinu, still holding her face, walks around her and gets behind her, next to Pai.
"Let's test your allegiance then…" Meinu quietly says before yelling out a call. "Naobi-sama!"
Izunome
With these words, she summons the goddess of creation who promptly appears after a few seconds right before them. The Otsutsuki, floating in the middle of the room and holding her staff horizontally on her lap, looks around calmly and sees the 3 women stuck together. In this little crowd, she recognizes the potential vessel of Momoshiki she visited weeks ago.
"Have you figured out your wish, …" Naobi asks Meinu who interrupts her in a hurry.
"Not me. But that one did!" she says while shaking Seiki's face.
The goddess stares at this one and recognizes the woman she accidentally released from prison along with Fuyuko Yamanaka. She seems uneasy, but she has no time to take the affairs of humans seriously, so she simply makes the minimum to fulfill her promise.
"State your wish then, Seiki Tomoe."
"She wants my tattoo's Genjutsu to work again, but better." Meinu answers for Seiki, who isn't surprised. "She wants anyone who makes eye contact with this tattoo to fall for me and willingly become my slave."
"This last part sounds excessive." Naobi comments while suspiciously looking at Seiki. "It doesn't sound like your wish, young lady.."
"Oh, but it is! Right, Seiki? Tell her it's your wish!" Meinu insists.
"Are you sure, Seiki Tomoe?" Naobi properly demands. "By making this wish, you will pay an undecided price of equivalence."
Seiki looks around, at Meinu's insistent stare, and at Pai's happy face. She thinks of what she got carried into. What kind of price will she have to pay? Will she let this happen? Obviously, if she refuses, Meinu could dispose of her. And for some reason, she doesn't want to ask for help from the goddess, as she still wouldn't wish for Meinu to be harmed.
As she finds herself thinking of a strategy to get away, Seiki suddenly feels disgusted by her own mind. Despite her current feeling of unsafety, she doesn't want to turn her back on Meinu. Her first thought after leaving prison was to go back to her, and she still wishes to be faithful to her. She should be happy to serve her and to pay the price.
If she reached Ketsu, she would probably not be welcomed well. Considering the civil war context mentioned by Pai, Lady Toshima could even see her as a spy. Silently, Seiki gaslights herself into thinking she wants to help Meinu, and that she's only confused because of Fuyuko's constant hostile comments on her. If she makes that wish, she'll quickly get rid of this unsafe feeling anyway, as she'll fall for the illusion again and fully devote herself to Killin' Kiss.
Abandoning herself for a moment, she empties her mind and focuses on Meinu's sweet beautiful face, waiting for a treat. Focused on the image of the one who gave her freedom and purpose, and to whom she should feel in owe, she looks at Naobi and calmly says.
"Yes. It's my wish, Naobi-sama."
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Meanwhile, in Konoha, a clone of the 7th Hokage, the only one currently in the village, is at the scientific department for a semester report on ongoing research activities. He is being guided through the facility by Shiho, director of the department. They now step into a biochemistry lab where Kabuto Yakushi, former student of Orochimaru, and Minoka, former member of Kakumei are analyzing someone's cells on microscope while Shizune Hatake supervises.
"Hey Shizune!" Naruto greets her as he walks in, making everyone notice him and bow as a salute. "What's going on here? What are you looking at?"
"As you know Lord 7th, Minoka joined the lab as a biologist, even though she turned out to be more of a bio-chemist." Shiho explains. "It's not my field of expertise at all, so Kabuto is in charge of her supervision."
"So you're more into maths and stuff, and Kabuto is in charge of the medical and scientific stuff?" Naruto naively asks.
"Um… applied physics and mathematics is also science. I direct the department and the cryptography labs, and Kabuto Yakushi only leads the biology section." Shiho embarrassingly explains, though she doesn't blame the Hokage for not understanding everything.
"Long time no see, Naruto Uzumaki, or I guess I should say Lord 7th." Kabuto says to initiate conversation.
"It's true that I don't pass by here very often…" Naruto answers. "So what are you looking at here?"
Kabuto, in an academic mindset, looks at Minoka and expects her to explain her work. Noticing her superior's gaze, she hums, breathes in, and starts talking.
"So um… I'm currently in training with Yakushi-sensei to strengthen my biology culture. Turns out that so far, I made a career in bio-chemistry by using only chemistry and knowing barely anything about biology. So I help in an ongoing project about exotic chakra in microbiology."
"What kind of exotic chakra?" Naruto asks.
Minoka doesn't reply and doubtfully stares at Kabuto. She doesn't really want to be the one to tell the Hokage about this project. Kabuto, not feeling in charge, looks at Shiho, as he expected the Hokage to be aware of this already. Shizune breaks the silence.
"They're talking about sage and celestial chakra. These are Sakura's cells." she says, to Naruto's surprise.
"I approved this. And Sakura Uchiha willingly provided samples." Shiho reassures him. "The purpose of this project is to understand how the mystical energies of her Sengo can transform her body to a level similar to yours, and how it regenerates organic matter without accelerated mitosis."
"And I'm here to make sure it stays ethical." Shizune adds. "You know, background checks for these two and the use of exclusive material made this kind of measure mandatory."
"I see…" Naruto says, actually not sure to see. "If everyone knows what they're doing, it's fine. I just hope you don't intend to share any of these with Orochimaru. Sasuke told me that he was also after this kind of energy now." he adds, looking at Kabuto.
"Orochimaru?" the former war strategist says. "I have no ties to him at all. I haven't seen or heard of him since the war, Lord 7th. I only found out last month that he had a son in Konoha."
"So you never even met Mitsuki?" Naruto curiously comments. "Anyway, if Shizune is there, I guess there's no problem. All these science things wouldn't even make it to my brain if it wasn't for Kurama, Haha…"
Ready to conclude this rapid visit, Naruto is interrupted by someone else walking in, followed by a special guest.
"Here you are, Lord 7th." Moegi Kazamatsuri says, walking in with a pale old man with a pair of Byakugan and a headband-like horn around his forehead. Naruto recognizes the celestial of the land of Water, whom he was warned about the arrival.
"Oh, Rihetsuki Otsutsuki! I almost forgot about you!" he exclaims before greeting him. "Welcome to Konoha. My name is Naruto Uzumaki."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage. You can call me Rihei." the old man answers.
"Listen, Rihei, I'm sorry but I'm really into a rush this morning." Naruto apologizes before briefly looking at Shiho. "This was the last lab right? You can submit a written report of this visit to my office later. Rihei, maybe we'll have more time to discuss later. For now, Moegi, can you show him around and lead him to his hotel?"
"No problem." Moegi answers.
"I see that you're a busy man, Hokage." Rihei comments. "Could you at least inform Sasuke Uchiha of my arrival? I believe he and I have much to discuss."
Naruto nods, quickly bows to apologize to Rihei, Moegi, Kabuto and Shiho and then disappears using Shunshin. This morning, he is supposed to have a remote meeting with the other Kage in order to discuss the plan they elaborated to free Iwa. However, since most of his strength is mobilized by his training, he only has this one clone taking care of everything in Konoha.
Since he didn't fit his planning to this change in workforce, the clone is obviously overloaded with work. He rapidly gets to his office but only finds Izuna and Inoue standing there, and Shikamaru who's just about to leave.
"Uh? Don't tell me it's already over?" he asks.
"It just ended, yes." Shikamaru answers. "Don't worry, no one will blame you for this. Every other village more or less agreed on the current plan."
"We took notes." Inoue says, shaking a scroll in her hand. "Suna, Kumo and Kiri will also send us their own reports on their anticipated actions."
"And uh… What about us then?"
"We had to improvise, but Izuna handled it well." Shikamaru says. "We kept your training and priorities in mind. You can discuss it with them."
Shikamaru lays his hand on Naruto's shoulder for a second and walks out, leaving Izuna and Inoue to explain what they've prepared. To start this conversation, Naruto states his situation again.
"You told them I'm sorry, right?" he asks, to which Inoue answers with a nod. "Good… It's just that, with how my training is going, I can't put any effort anywhere else. I couldn't even hold this village together without your help…"
After these words, he goes to sit at his desk and takes the scroll that Inoue is handing over to him. While he lets Kurama read through these notes, he keeps talking.
"But it's like Shikamaru just said… Yamitsuki is a bigger threat, and Boruto and I are the only ones who can face him… Still, Iwa needs help… Wait a minute, are they gathering armies?"
"Yes. A joint offensive of all nations on the enemy is what we will do." Izuna says. "We didn't consider you taking part in this operation."
"What?" Naruto exclaims. "That's way too dangerous! We're talking about someone who's potentially more powerful than the Juubi. Armies serve no purpose against this type of opponent."
"But you can't participate, Hokage-sensei." the Uchiha argues. "You need to focus on your training. The Dragon Sage said that the next time he steps on Earth, he'll immediately destroy it. Engaging one of his fellows could draw his attention. If we fight Yasona Otsutsuki on one side, you'll have to hold him back on the other."
"But… That's too risky… Why would we send entire armies? Izuna, if you go with just Sakura and Sasuke, you'd be more efficient."
Hearing this remark, Inoue just frowns. "What about me?" she thinks to herself. It is a thought that only Izuna notices in her gaze.
"This can't be Konoha's mission only." Izuna says. "The other nations wouldn't let us handle this alone without you. Besides, my dad still has an enemy after him."
"I don't want the other Kage to feel underestimated, but this is serious. What if we first beat Yamitsuki?"
"How can you think like that?" Inoue interrupts him with a trembling voice. "We have no guarantee that you and Boruto will be ready to face the Dragon Sage by then. You have to take all the time you can to prepare, Sensei. That's the least you can do. Otherwise, you're only going to die."
Naruto stops a second to feel the genuine worries of his two students. He can't overcome their thoughts with blind optimism. However, he can't let the risk block him.
"If I die, so be it." he declares, to their shock. "Izuna, to me, you're clearly ready to take on the mantle. With Inoue and Sakura by your side, Konoha is safe. Sasuke and Boruto will still be there to carry on their mission."
"What the hell are you saying?" Izuna yells, angered by his sensei's careless words.
Suddenly, Sasuke walks in on this scene before his son can explain his anger. Not minding what was going on, he only focuses on Naruto and asks what he came for.
"Rihetsuki Otsutsuki should have made his way to the village by now." he asks, before scanning the scene and seeing the tense ambiance, notably his son's visible disagreement with whatever was being told. Judging from the look on Naruto's face, it's likely not that anything happened, but that he said something unpleasant.
"Did you say something?" he asks the Hokage.
"He said he doesn't mind dying." Izuna promptly replies.
"I didn't exactly mean it like that." Naruto hurries to add.
"You just said you could pass the village on to us." Inoue tells him, to make him realize how he sounded. "So what if you really die? We'd just be left with Yasona Otsutsuki and the Dragon Sage to face, and without you to help us."
"What is this about?" Sasuke asks, still lacking context. "Did you just have that meeting with the Kage council?"
Imposing his presence in the office, Sasuke lets everyone go quiet to calm down before asking for an explanation.
"Izuna, what did the other villages decide?" he asks to initiate a calmer conversation.
His son catches his breath, looks at his girlfriend standing by his side to appease himself, and answers.
"As soon as they have our agreement, they will assemble their divisions for an all-out joint offensive on the enemy in Iwa. But we can't have Hokage-sensei or Boruto on our side because they can't afford to shorten their preparation time."
"Hmm…" Sasuke thinks of an answer. "As I see it, Boruto has made remarkable progress already. He's now only practicing more than training. But I don't think anything he's learned gives him the slightest chance against Yamitsuki Otsutsuki. I don't know how you feel about your training, Naruto, but I guess your issue here is that you don't think the Shinobi Union stands a chance without you against Yasona Otsutsuki."
"What do you think, Sasuke?" Naruto asks.
"I think you're right." the Uchiha answers, which disappoints Inoue and Izuna at first. "Against someone like her, a hundred or a million soldiers won't make a difference. Only ninjas on her level can rival her. There will only be useless victims if someone like you isn't there to coordinate the whole operation."
"But the nations won't wait for him to complete his training!" Inoue argues. "And as you say, sir, he may not even get close to completing his training at any point."
"Aren't you my daughter-in-law?" Sasuke asks Inoue, which startles Izuna. "You can call me Sasuke."
The Yamanaka lightly blushes and looks at Izuna, as confused as her by the oddly peaceful behavior of his father. The Uchiha patriarch, very clear in his mind, steps forward and focuses on the Hokage.
"So you don't want the nations to engage without you but you have to focus on your own objective… It's fine. I'll command this offensive then."
"What?" Naruto exclaims, standing up from his seat. "How can you say that? You also have your opponent to stand ready for."
"Naruto, I have faced this man three times already, and in our last fight he had to run away. He is nothing of a threat to me anymore." Sasuke says with such confidence that it convinces everyone else in the room. "But I also faced your opponent. I've seen what he's capable of. Toneri, Hanabi and I trained Boruto the best we could. But there is no way he gets close to this man. He won't even surpass you. How do you feel about this, Naruto? Do you think your training is making a difference?"
Naruto takes a moment to think about it, questions Kurama to settle on a feeling, and tries to explain it.
"You'll see. It's like I'm that close to becoming a brand new entity." he explains with a vocabulary that comes more from the Kyubi than from him. "What I'm making is beyond anything I've shown you before. It's beyond any enemy we've faced. With that, I'll have surpassed you for sure."
"But Yamitsuki Otsutsuki will still be stronger than you. And you won't be able to change that. If I'm not able to assist you next time, it's almost certain that you'll die." Sasuke says, as a question, to see if Naruto agrees.
"I know… But even without you, I won't be alone." the Hokage answers. "Boruto will be with me, and he won't let himself become a burden. Even if I have to die…" he marks a pause and quietly stares at Izuna and Inoue before looking back into Sasuke's eye. "… It's fine by me. But I won't go as a loser. And I won't bite the dust without making sure that Boruto and the ninja world make it out alive. You can count on me for that."
Sasuke also looks at Izuna for a moment, seeing that he isn't convinced by his sensei's resolve. It seems that he doesn't know him as well as he does. Because unlike him, Sasuke knows that if Naruto said it, he'll do it. To make it clear, he asks that he states it once more.
"So whatever happens to you, you will defeat Yamitsuki Otsutsuki, and won't go back on your words?"
"Yes, I will." Naruto solemnly replies, almost reassuring even his students. "I just need one thing to be all into this. Sasuke, you have to promise that, if I don't make it, you'll protect the world, and you'll defeat the Tenshin when they come."
"… I wish I could make that promise…" Sasuke says, not as confident as his friend, but also much more well aware of who these enemies might be. "But you seem to forget one thing, Naruto,…" he adds as he lifts his hair to show his Rinnegan. "You're the one who should promise this to me, because I wouldn't let you die."
Naruto obviously understands what this means. Sasuke warned him about this previously, that if he dies, he wouldn't hesitate to use Rinne Tensei to bring him back. However, this means that if he is killed against Yamitsuki, the one who'll disappear in the end is Sasuke, not him. To show his disagreement, he leans forward to confront his soul brother.
"Ain't no way I let you sacrifice for my sake."
Hearing this answer, Sasuke grins, steps away from the desk and turns around to face his son and Inoue.
"It seems you have no other choice than to survive, then." he declares to Naruto, who stands agape for a second before brightly smiling. Sasuke now looks at his son and asks. "Is it fine with you?"
"What are you asking me for?" Izuna answers, perplexed, still not sure to understand the depth of the trust between his father and his sensei. "Of course, if we can free Iwa and leave as much time as possible to Hokage-sensei, it's fine by me and Inoue. But you should ask him."
Sasuke stays with his back turned to Naruto and waits for a confirmation. Realizing that he is now in charge again, Naruto waits for Kurama's advice. The fox, feeling needed, shares his thoughts.
"Sigh… I guess your problem is that Sasuke still has that masked guy on his ass. But Naruto, if you expect him to trust your confidence about our fight with the Dragon Sage, it would be unfair not to trust him back. If he's confident enough to say Tokubei isn't a threat, you can leave Iwa and the Union to him."
"Okay…" Naruto says out loud, to make his decision clear. "I entrust the Shinobi Union to you, Sasuke. If the other Kage agree, you will be the commander of this operation. How long do they give themselves to prepare their divisions?"
"They said we're all expected to cross paths in the land of Earth in 10 days." Inoue answers.
"Hear that, Sasuke? You have 10 days to gather an elite of ninjas and get them to Iwa." the 7th Hokage declares. "But when you'll have them united at the gate of Konoha, expect me to be here. I'll be right by your side, fully ready to face Yamitsuki."
Izuna and Inoue look at each other, surprised by this bold challenge that Naruto is giving to himself. Sasuke just lightly shakes his head, still trustful.
"I see. In that case, I'll meet you then. And I'll make sure to have Boruto with me, as ready as you'll be."
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End of Chapter 151 – Next Chapter: Indra or Asura