Naruto: Tales of Ashihara
The Shinden Saga – Arc 4: The Otsutsuki War
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Chapter 153 – Worth a sacrifice
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Late afternoon in Konohagakure. Boruto Hyuga is taking a break from his training and is currently waiting for someone in front of the ninja academy. Nostalgic of old habits, he is sitting on one of the two swings attached to the one tree that has always been there in front of the academy's gate, newspaper in hand.
Just like 4 years ago and more, he uses this moment of solitude to reminisce on his current battles and challenges. Since Hanabi and Sasuke got involved in his training, he is very satisfied with his progress and how much stronger he was allowed to become. Yet, unlike 4 years ago, he doesn't feel eager to put his new might into practice.
The difference is that, back then, he had battles to look forward to. Takeshi and Kawaki were rivals to him. Opponents that he sought to surpass. He has always been about rivalry. He's always looked to put faces on his milestones. Yet, the case of the Ryu Shinsen isn't the same, because despite his constant wish for growth, Boruto knows his limits.
This is why he never considered Oshio Uchiha as a potential rival. Because he knew he was out of his league at the time. With Yamitsuki Otsutsuki, it is even worse. Not even Sasuke-sensei compares to this man. If there is anything he feels about the coming confrontation, it is fear. Yet he will fight. Because he never considered running away. And because this time, though he can't make it about himself, he has to fight for the sake of others.
This is what Izuna blamed him for 4 years ago. When he went to Hikari, it wasn't to save his friend, but to fight Kawaki. Same thing goes for his last fight with this rival. He never willingly fought for another reason than his own safety or entertainment. But since then, he inherited the will of Hamura Otsutsuki and has to protect the ninja world and the moon for him. This time, he is not a challenger. He is a soldier. The soldier of his master, Toneri.
Now brought to think about the one with whom he spent the last 2 years, he tries to put himself in Toneri's place spiritually. Boruto's return to Konoha and to civilization is confusing, but not nearly as much as for Toneri, who has lived almost 50 years away from human interaction and is suddenly thrown into the social circle of the people he once traumatized and tried to exterminate. With Boruto's training now being in the hands of his aunt and Sasuke, Toneri probably feels lonelier as this training was his only connection to the only person he properly knows.
To Boruto, what his master needs is, just like him, a good day with a person that will make him connect with people again. This is what the yellow haired ninja is waiting for now. As he clears his mind of any thought to embrace the naivete of humanity, he explores the newspaper he is holding to find out about other topics.
At the bottom of an article about the personal life of a well known actress that he doesn't bother to read, he sees a familiar name. Kanojo Doroku. It takes him a moment to recall it, but he indeed recognizes the name of the girl he'd usually sit here with. The daughter of the since then retired janitor of the academy. It seems like she became an actual journalist. Based on the topic she writes about, she probably moved out of Konoha for a non-militarized village.
At the time, he was much more socially active than now and was basically a celebrity in the village. So when she declared her love to him, he didn't take her seriously. To him, she was just an ear that listens, and he had just settled his mind on the choice not to care about love. Anyway, from the way this article is written, she doesn't seem like the same person anymore. He wonders if he made her change in some way. Does she hate him for rejecting her?
Brought to think of his empty love life, he is reminded of the mean lesson Izuna gave to him after he was freed from Hikari. He recalls his friend's harsh speech about him not being able to feel, understand, and receive love. Fortunately, before he has to be haunted by these memories any longer, his younger sister, Himawari, gets out of the academy and comes to him. While getting closer she embarrassingly looks around.
"Boruto, I'm 13 years old." she complains. "You don't need to come get me after class. I'm sure the other students find it awkward."
"In that case, Hima, just pretend that I'm not here for you." Boruto answers with a dumb smile, already forgetting what he was thinking about. "Because, you know, I'm actually not here for you."
Himawari confusingly looks at him, and around to know who he could be waiting for. Suddenly, leaping out from the tree above them comes Rebekka Tabiki, former classmate and close friend of Boruto.
"Hey Hima!" she says as she lands her feet on the second slide. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Uh? Rebekka?" Himawari exclaims. "It's really been a while! How are you?"
"Yeah, seems like mister Piss Head sitting there was actually the only connection between us." Rebekka says about Boruto. "Anyway, I'm good. Not much going on. And you, kid? You'll graduate soon, right?"
"I guess so… But I'm only at the end of the 1st semester." the Hyuga girl replies, before looking at her and her brother. "Are you two hanging out?"
"Yeah! Someone gotta teach him how to get back in touch with people." the purple haired woman says.
"Hey, Rebekka." Boruto only now gets to greet her.
Himawari looks at her brother standing up from his seat, and at Rebekka swinging while standing, and just nods with a smile.
"Well, I'm leaving you two at it then." she says as she prepares to run away. "You should come home for dinner one day, Rebekka."
"I'll see about that. When your brother's ready to introduce me to the family, maybe." she jokingly replies while Hima is leaving. Now alone with Boruto, she doesn't let the silence sit and keeps talking. "So, Bro, what's up for you? I heard you've been training like crazy since you got back. What's it all about? What were you even doing these last 2 years?"
"Oh… There's a lot to tell." Boruto answers, shyly looking around. "So… Do you have a plan? Should we be heading somewhere?"
"A plan? Like we're on a date?" Rebekka asks. "Nah, seriously, we can just stay here and talk if you feel like it. If you wanna tell me about what you've been through, I'll listen… Just expect me to comment on what you say every 10 seconds or so."
To this invitation, Boruto just lightly smiles, speechless. Taking a good look at Rebekka, he compares her to how she remembered her and finds her to be the exact same, despite the years that passed. She's now 23 but she still looks as energetic as always. Also it may be that he aged, but he now also finds her kind of cute, which he wouldn't have thought back then.
Seeing him looking at her without saying a word, she bends over to take a really close look at him. Feeling awkward, Boruto takes a little step back and makes a perplexed face. Rebekka raises her hand toward his face.
"You've got the same hair cut as the old Uchiha now." she comments, about his hair hiding the right half of his face, as she passes her hand over to lift the bang and see underneath. "You still got that cool scar. Is that what you're trying to cover up?"
Boruto doesn't reply, too distracted by the feeling of her hand in his hair and her face inches away from him. Thinking that his silence is gonna make him look dumb or weak, he opens his mouth but only stays agape, not knowing what to say. At that moment, fortunately, he sees Sasuke leap down from a roof in the distance and quietly land nearby.
"Oh! Sasuke-sensei." he says while looking over Rebekka's shoulder, making her turn around to see the Uchiha as well.
"Oh, hey Izuna's dad!" she exclaims, though it may be the first time she ever speaks with him. "It's funny seeing you without your cape for once."
Sasuke confusingly looks at her, taking a while to recognize the classmate of Izuna that Naruto introduced to him as a war orphan a decade ago. What she just noticed also makes him thoughtful as he remembers to whom he left his cape. To his eldest son, Oshio, alone in his prison cell. Yet, he stays focused on the moment, curious about what these two are doing here together. Knowing how Boruto was before going to the moon, he looks at Rebekka and asks.
"Are you…" he starts to say before making a pause, frantically gazing at her, then at his student.
"His girlfriend? Haha!" the young woman completes, laughing it off before it could be taken seriously.
Still not sure, Sasuke looks at Boruto to get his answer. Surprised by this question and reaction, the Hyuga looks at her and thinks it through. After leaving Konoha, he met a lot of girls that he didn't consider as friends nor girlfriends. He never saw or treated Rebekka as such, yet she is clearly more than just a friend. When they were younger, he saw her as a sister, yet not an elder sibling as her age would suggest. He doesn't think it's still the case nowadays. His long absence certainly built a distance between them so what they are is to be decided, he believes.
"My girlfriend? No, She's… more than that." he says, trying to put his thoughts into simple words.
Hearing this, Rebekka stares at him with her orange eyes wide open. She doesn't know what this answer means, nor does Sasuke. But neither of them is willing to question it further.
"So, are we moving from here?" Boruto asks Rebekka to break the silence. "Where do you want to go?"
"I don't know… Anywhere." she replies, still a bit confused by his words.
"Just a question, Boruto." Sasuke interrupts them, suddenly reminded of something by this conversation. "Is it true that the space-time jutsu I had sealed in your eye activated?"
"Uh? Ah! Yes it did!" Boruto answers. "Did Toneri tell you that?"
"He did. He also told me that you managed to… assimilate it rather than just using it."
"Yes. It's because of the Otsutsuki I killed. He could seal us in another dimension with just a touch. Your portal would have worked as an escape only once, so instead, I left a Hiraishin formula inside and absorbed the gate."
Sasuke makes a surprised face. He didn't even think this was possible but now, it means that Boruto should be able to use Hiraishin across dimensions. This isn't what he originally sealed Chimatakami in Boruto's eye for, but it clearly fixes the issue. Now seeing Sarada exit the academy, he decides to leave this conversation for later.
"When this is all over, we'll make this the focus of your training then." he says while walking away, toward his daughter.
Boruto just looks at him go, confused by how optimistic this statement sounds. Sarada calmly joins her father, ready to go for training. Seeing him look in her back, she turns around to see Popi, the daughter of Rock Lee, run toward her as well.
"Wait! Sarada!" the young girl says before stopping next to her. "Are you going to train?"
"… Yes." the Uchiha girl simply answers.
"Then…" Popi adds, now looking at Sasuke. "Let me join you, please."
Sasuke squints his eyes, startled and bothered by this demand coming from a girl he never even saw before.
"Come on, please!" Popi adds, now talking to Sarada. "Since your dad is back, you stopped coming to the dojo, and without you, it's boring! My brother, my mom and my dad are only ever doing Taijutsu. I don't like that! And I can't even tell them! With you, I can do other things!"
Sarada looks at her father, expecting him to give an answer, but he doesn't look like he's gonna do that. So, not willing to reject her, she first tries to make clear what kind of training she'll get into.
"Not that I'm refusing, Popi, but…" she starts to say. "We're not really training in Konoha. You see, we may be going to another planet or other universe."
Popi takes a step back and stares at Sasuke in confusion. He stood perfectly still and unbothered as his daughter was saying that, meaning that it doesn't even sound crazy to him. A bit scared by how absurd it sounds yet seems so casual to Sarada, Popi holds back. Not really ready to go too far from home just for a little sparring session, she gives up.
"Uh… Never mind then… I'll just go to miss Tenten's shop." she says, disappointed before running away on her own.
Sasuke looks at her going, finding it unfortunate that the daughter of Rock Lee doesn't seem to like Taijutsu. Not too bothered by that, he holds his daughter and rapidly disappears in a space rift. Boruto and Rebekka stood nearby the swings all along to witness the scene. Thrilled to see the little sister of Metal Lee, her former squadmate, for the first time, she enthusiastically follows her with her gaze as she leaves. Boruto is still frozen, thinking of what his sensei said at last.
"What's up?" Rebekka asks when she looks back at him, while shaking his shoulder.
"Nothing, it's just… Sasuke-sensei said when this is all over?" replies the Hyuga. "I mean… It sounds… blind."
"Oh… Like it's that bad?" Rebekka asks, only now perceiving the torments of Boruto.
"I don't know… Nobody should be able to defeat my dad, yet the Dragon Sage has beaten him side by side with Sasuke-sensei. I know my dad really thinks we can do it… But even so, can we survive?"
Rebekka, kind of frightened by his seriousness, looks away and tries to brainwash herself into positive thoughts and attitude. She frantically shakes her head and tightly grabs Boruto's forearm.
"Yeah? Bet?" she says, suddenly very happily. "Let's do this then. If you beat that guy and come home, I'll let you touch my boobs!"
"What? I don't…" Boruto exclaims, before stopping himself out of sudden doubt. Her suggesting this out of nowhere startled him, and the fact she chose this rather than just a kiss or something even simpler triggered him. Yet, he was about to say he doesn't want that. Is it true though? Angry about his own thoughts, feeling like he'll end up seeing her like any other girl, he shakes his head and changes the topic.
"So where to? You said anywhere. Is it just the two of us? What about Metal? Shiba? Namo? Mirai? And those two girls, what were their names again? Megane and Misora?"
"Uh?… You haven't seen any of them since you're back, right?" Rebekka answers, going along with the new topic. "Metal's sister just said he was busy training. Namonaki disappeared after he joined the special forces. I haven't seen him in a year and it's fine, I hated his racist ass anyway… Misora became super weird since Izuna yelled at her once. Now she's deep into history and weird books about occultism. Megane is on an internship in the scientific department, and Shiba joined the interior security squad. For these two and Mirai, I don't know what they're up to, but come on! Why would you want them around now?"
Boruto stays silent for a moment, feeling guilty for some reason. Rebekka looks like she's upset now, and it's probably because she didn't like him asking that. From what she said, he's just a bit curious about what became of Misora but since Rebekka surely wouldn't like him talking about that, he just forgets about it.
"Ok… Well… So… Just the two of us." he decides, seeing that she still isn't calmed. To not bother her more, he decides where they're going himself. "Can we go to Ichiraku? I haven't been there in years."
"Of course." she answers with a bright smile, which startles Boruto and kind of frightens him. She pulls on his forearm and happily skips away, dragging him along.
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At the same time, not far away in the village, Toneri ends a lonely wander among the shops of Konoha by going back to the Hokage's household. There, he takes off his shoes and looks up the stairs. He focuses his senses to detect his disciple, Boruto. Not sensing his presence, he uses his Byakugan to check in his room, but doesn't find him either.
"Boruto is not home." he hears a soothing voice coming from the kitchen. He obviously recognized this voice that made him tremble, but still walks into the living room to see her. It is Hinata, alone at home, who completes her answer.
"He is outside, taking a break and reconnecting with a good friend. Her name is Rebekka. She used to come here very often when she was younger. She's an orphan and she was all alone, so Naruto almost took her in as his child."
Toneri stays silent, first wondering if he is allowed to speak to her, then thinking about what she just said.
"Is it also how he thought of me?" he asks, curious to finally understand why she and her husband are so forgiving with him.
"What do you mean?" the princess asks, stopping what she's doing to look at him.
"Your sister, Hanabi, took over Boruto's training. We're always side-by-side, but she never seems… angry at me or embarrassed by my presence. Did she ever speak of me?"
"Not really… I don't even know if she remembers it. You know, you had her hypnotized all along, so it even was painless. To her, it was probably just a long sleep. She never even heard about you before… But I think it's a good thing that you ask. You see… You're feeling remorse. This means we were right about you. You were just clueless. You just needed to see the side of humanity that you didn't know."
Toneri, feeling unworthy of this forgiveness looks around and sits on the couch to rest. He now looks at Hinata passionately and thinks.
"Now that I'm here, that I look around, that I see your home, your family, the life you've built with Naruto… I realize I had no idea what I was taking away from you. If I could understand the peace you wanted, I'd never have bothered getting you involved. Now that I think of it, I don't even really know what I wanted from you back then."
Hinata stays silent and quietly gets back to her chores, with a gentle smile on her face. She doesn't comment and just appreciates that Toneri gets the opportunity to see this.
"Yet… Even though I'm different now, and you don't look as beautiful as back then, I still feel like I love you, Hinata."
Hearing this, Hinata sighs and drops her hands down, slightly disappointed. She's not surprised by his feelings, but to say just like that that she's not as attractive as she used to be is rude. But of course, she just hides her reaction and giggles it off, knowing he just lacks the sensitivity to understand. Hearing her laugh, Toneri raises an eyebrow and asks.
"What? Did I say something funny?"
"It's odd to say this to an older man, but you still have much to learn." she answers. "About humanity, society and love. That you don't know means that it isn't as innate as we think. I didn't really know much either when Naruto and I fell into each other's arms. Back then, all I wanted was him to be mine, and me to be his. Yet, today, when I look at our children, I feel like, this is what I really wanted all along."
Done with the kitchen, she takes off her apron and joins Toneri in the living room. There standing next to the couch, holding her hands together, she explains her thoughts.
"Children are the embodiment of the future. We went to war, pain and loss only for them to enjoy peace in the end. By raising them, we secure the purity of the world we've built for them. So when we're gone, we can pass it all on to them, until one day, we reach an age where children won't have to fight anymore."
"This sounds beautiful, but is such optimism really possible now?" Toneri puts this ideology to doubt. "War is now coming from above. Your enemies are wiser and richer than you. 20 generations of ninjas will be fighting the same generation of celestials. Sasuke Uchiha's belief is that they can be extinguished, but is he right? They are also undoubtedly more powerful than you'll ever be. Is there really hope for a world in peace, knowing the celestials will terrify and outlive even people who will remember you only through the tales and myths from a distant past?"
"… Why aren't you saying 'us'?" Hinata first remarks, knowing exactly how to answer. "You're also human. You're one of us. It is your battle as much as ours… From Naruto's point of view, the celestials are just another civilization, just like all the foreign countries we coexist with now. The fights of today are necessary for peace to be desired on both sides, because eventually, we all realize that vengeance serves no purpose. If he doesn't see this happen, then he will just confide his valor and dream to the next generation and so on. This is what makes them, our children, a pure cause, worth dying for."
"Worth dying for…" Toneri repeats, intrigued. "This is Naruto's belief, and he will go by these words when he fights the Ryu Shinsen. But Hinata, how would you feel if Naruto really died for this cause?"
"…" Hinata stays quiet for a long time, terrified by this question but hiding her reaction. "I don't know." she just says as she walks away to go upstairs. "Hima will soon be home. Since Hanabi is training Boruto now, why don't you try to take her with you for a little lesson?"
So the Hyuga princess goes away, thoughtful about this question. Of course, when it comes to it, it will be Naruto's choice only. No matter what she thinks, if it has to happen it will. She'll have to suffer in silence.
Toneri, lying on the couch, also thoughtful, is curious about Hinata's suggestion to train Himawari. Why would he do that? With his mind also busied by what she said before, he comes to confront Naruto's philosophy as well. Boruto will also have to stand against the Ryu Shinsen, to save his home. He can't let his pupil go to his death, fighting for him. Naruto won't let his son die, but neither will Boruto let his father die. They can't have each other's back.
Will he be there for them as well? As Hamura's chosen one, the true prince of the Tenseigan, Boruto is the future. Is he, Toneri, also ready to sacrifice himself for the future?
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At the same time, on another planet, the same planet where Sasuke brought Boruto for their first training together, the Uchiha is laid down, lost in his thoughts. Next to him, Sarada is trying to surpass the size of a large boulder with a fireball. Meanwhile, Sasuke asks himself the same question as Toneri. However, he only questions his will to give up on life to bring back Naruto if he has to.
Regarding the fight that awaits him, he is wondering if his opponent, Tokubei Otsutsuki, is asking himself the same question. As he saw, this man has a son, a family. Dying in a battle for pride against him would mean to leave his loved ones behind. What motivates the masked man to fight seems in no way related to his son.
And so is Sasuke haunted by this mystery again. What exactly motivates Tokubei? Rihei's answers didn't contribute much to this. For Sasuke, he can't be the man Rihei remembers. For Tokubei to use Susanoo means that he has a pair of Sharingan, as Ayaka told Sasuke that even celestials need two eyes to use this jutsu.
However, if Tokubei was born with his Rinnegan and hides one stolen Sharingan under his mask, then he either implanted the second of the pair somewhere else in his body, or didn't really steal these eyes. There has to be something that Rihei got wrong.
If Tokubei fought Indra and won, how was he injured to such a degree that he had to hide behind a mask? And why would he have such respect for an opponent that he simply defeated? That Tokubei won seems impossible, because Indra is said to have fought Asura and Asura only, until reincarnation.
On the contrary, if Tokubei has lost this fight, how did he get the Sharingan and, most importantly, the ethereal weapons that once belonged to Itachi? He could have simply taken the Mangekyo Sharingan from another Uchiha, but even so, the way he got the Totsuka and Yata mirror remains a mystery. With his mind flooded with questions, Sasuke wonders if he could ask Indra for answers using Gedo's soul summoning. Unfortunately he can't, as he never met Indra. Besides, it is possible that his will reincarnation within Sasuke prevented his soul from reaching the afterlife.
Lost in his questions, he notices Sarada interrupting her efforts to come sit next to him. She obviously saw that he is troubled by his thoughts, so she asks about it.
"What are you thinking about?" she asks him, to no answer as Sasuke refuses to carry thoughts along in this. To fill the silence, she looks at her father's right eye. Unconsciously because of his thoughts, he activated his Eien no Mangekyo Sharingan. Looking at this eye, she comes to wonder about her own Uchiha blood and abilities.
"I know I still haven't awakened my Sharingan, but do you think I'll have eyes like you and Izuna?" she asks, clueless. "I know Izuna actually merged his eyes with Oshio. But what about you? Your Sharingan is just as powerful, if not even more."
Hearing this innocent question, Sasuke is suddenly thrown years back in the past, remembering when he first learned about the perverted path to power of the Uchiha. He certainly doesn't want Sarada to go through the same as him, and already feels guilty enough because of what Oshio and Izuna had to endure. But is there anything he can do against it? If he and Naruto managed to break the cycle of eternal war between Indra and Asura, is there also a way to overcome the so-called curse of hatred?
Looking at Sarada, he wonders if there is a way for the Uchiha to break free, and use their eyes freely, just like the Otsutsuki. Suddenly feeling a rush of honesty in his heart, he breathes in and prepares to answer his daughter's ignorance.
"Sarada… For us, Uchiha, our eyes only reflect our pain. I awakened my Sharingan when I saw the whole clan being massacred by my brother, Itachi. I awakened my Mangekyo Sharingan when I killed him, seeking vengeance, only to find out that he wanted it this way and had been protecting me from his burden all along. The Eien no Mangekyo Sharingan I have now are Itachi's eyes, taken from his corpse."
Sarada, in shock, stands up and steps away, staring with fright at her father, refusing to believe what he said. Staying calm, he finishes his tale.
"Before me, Itachi awakened his eyes when he saw his best friend kill himself in front of him. Izuna and Oshio had to experience the same pain to reach this level. Our eyes, just like yours, only grow more powerful with hatred and sorrow…" he makes a brief pause to sit up and look at her, full of confidence. "But I don't want you to seek the same pain. Itachi's eyes have helped me to survive until now. They helped me to redeem myself. When the time comes, I will pass them on to you. So your uncle will look after you and protect you when I can't."
Shaken by this sudden revelation, Sarada can't get herself to feel grateful for what her father just said. Unable to hold back the tears in her eyes, she falls on her knees and into her father's arms, feeling like he needs comfort for this life long burden.
Sasuke hugs her back with his one arm. While he holds her, he looks toward the sky and goes back to his thoughts about the curse of hatred. During his discussion with Ayaka Otsutsuki, she did refer to it as an actual curse. And to his knowledge, curses are meant to be broken. However, all curses also have a caster. Who inflicted this upon the Uchiha, and is he still in Sasuke's reach?
As he thinks of it, of curses in general, he sadly asks himself if some curses are just not meant to be broken. What about the curse of the Otsutsuki clan? The one malediction that is preventing their procreation and hurrying them toward extinction. It was apparently cast by what Ayaka calls the Taikyo, the Absolute Spirit. This entity, this force of nature, this singularity is neither real nor imaginary. It existed before time itself, and will apparently never cease to exist, though its influence upon the physical world has been restrained.
Such a spirit can certainly not be fooled or undone. Is it the only one able to undo its own curse upon the kind of the Ryu Shinsen? What if the same applies to the curse of the Uchiha? And what about the curse of time as Sojobo calls it, that dooms the Minamoto clan leaders to a certain death and that is currently menacing Sasuke's friend, Tsubai?
The Daitengu considers himself as an incarnation of this curse, but he is eternal and will never rest in death. Does it mean that the curse is as immortal as him, or is there a caster, a person who created Sojobo, who can undo it and allow them to save Tsubai?
All these thoughts flood Sasuke's mind, until he washes them off to focus on the one spell he has to undo first. The hold of Momoshiki's soul on the body of Oshio. Unlike the Uchiha's curse of hatred, the celestial curse of extinction, and the Minamoto's curse of time, he knows the source of this. Even though he feels out of time, he has to defeat Tokubei and Yasona and find a way to save his son.
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End of Chapter 153 – Next Chapter: The Depressed God