Hunting down some Cthulhu worshipers was more difficult than I had anticipated.
I wasn't exactly surprised by this considering how such a cult would find little to no grip within the norms of this dimension. No one would just accept some eldritch deity with how fierce Shintoism was in curbing any heretical/pagan cult. The cult of Jashin was different because they were not actively proselytizing and seeking members, keeping most of their mission to convert new people in the dark or through kidnappings.
And that's what raised a valid question tied to the overall situation: was there even a cult behind it? I had raised the legitimacy of this circumstance by the notion that a few cases of the murders had happened around the same time in distant places within the village. But what if the murderer had just used a clone jutsu to get two kills at once? A single killer would explain why I couldn't find multiple members within a fairly small population, and it would be a possibility due to the fact this world allowed people to pull this kind of stunt.
The more I looked into this, asking people from simple things as 'odd sightings' and material things to actually worrying shit like strange dreams or bizarre signs that would suggest bad things happening. Some of the elders were quick to jump the wagon by mentioning some oddities that, 'back in their days', were omens of something bad coming their way. And while I would normally shrug off that kind of conversation as 'grandpa and grandma going senile', the fact this kind of phenomena was spreading fast and was unfolding way too frequently even by their own standards just told me there was a bit of truth in that.
Further investigation confirmed my expectations, which was no good: there were odd dreams that would alternate between showing an unfamiliar child playing with a ball and… a demonic entity peering into their souls. Yep, I was motivated alright to go to the village leader and ask how quickly they could evacuate the area. At first the suggestion had sounded a bit too harsh, but the man couldn't do much but scowl in frustration at the growing stress coming from the rest of the village. Regardless of me beating back what problem was hitting the Waves, there was a high chance of civilian losses if the people were left to remain this close to a possible battle. I wasn't even joking about it- I doubted I had enough to win to begin with, so I had no illusions in protecting others in the meantime.
The leader was quick to order a proper evacuation to the nearest settlement in the north for the time being. It was something they had no experience or plan about, which I was keen to provide after a quick study of their current logistics. It was an unpleasant moving out experience, but it had to happen. As the evacuation started, I resumed my patrols to try to get more clues on where to look into and… I eventually stumbled back to the Ninomae household. There was just something inside of it that left me particularly perplexed on what happened there. Something that I couldn't ignore as it felt important for the overall situation.
Entering the place once again, this time alone, I was given the chance to look around without anyone around and… I found a few things that I wasn't familiar with from the first trip to this location. There were letters in the old man's office. They had been hidden in a secret compartment in his desk and… and those were aimed at his family. Now, there was nothing wrong in that regard- one should be able to still contact their family if they so needed due to advanced age and much but… the issue was that the letters went beyond the time the two relatives had perished. And as I went on to read those, I realized that the village elder hadn't been fully honest with me. Either that, or the old man Ninomae had lied about his family situation. There was a third name that kept on popping and eventually became the receiver of the letters: Ina.
Some of those were innocent in nature and detailed simple life situations such as sending food, clothes, and other gifts. But others raised compelling reasons that this 'Ina' was the one I had to check on due to some 'strange drawings' and 'obsessions for old books with nothing but fantasy in them'. At first one would believe that these books were like fairy tales and stuff like that, but the mention of 'fake gods' was enough to set me to check the place where the elder's son and daughter-in-law had lived when they were still alive.
As I was told before, they really lived very far from the village, and the small house I found was quite autonomous in its needs. There was a small river line passing nearby, some fields close to the water stream that had been used recently to cultivate some flowers and fruits. Clothes had been put to dry after having been cleaned and- this place hardly looked abandoned at first glance. Yet, while someone did pass by and work it in recent times, the building had no occupants at the time. No one was around to cause me any issues for intruding. I looked around, glancing for any traps or clues that this was the right path and… yep, I stumbled on a room similar to the attic in the old man's home.
Disturbing drawings all showing the same figure, but alternating with a small girl-like figure saying 'nice things' to the entity, or the entity doing that as she prayed for what I could only imagine being her parents. That was Ina. There was also another figure. A man wearing white priestly robes and- And just as I thought that, I heard footsteps coming right from behind me. I glanced at the source of the noise, and I found a child staring at me with a fascinated look.
The girl had dark violet hair that fell down to her lower back. Part of those were combed in two peculiar-looking buns that were 'tied-up' with a braid on each side circling them. Her metallic blue eyes flashed in recognition but also suspicion at my presence in her home. A black hairband slightly over her forehead was used to keep most of her hair from falling down to cover her face while also holding up an origami-made pink flower. She was wearing a quality dark-purple kimono with some unusual design with a light-blue ribbon and a smaller golden one keeping it all tied up.
"Hi," She muttered calmly, as if there was nothing wrong with my arrival here.
"Hello?"
The girl's lips twitched, and her pointy ears perked. "What's your name?"
I fully turned to greet her. "Shimura Danzou-"
"Liar. That's not your name."
What? How did she- It was there that I noticed she wasn't exactly a normal human. I could have ignored the pointy ears as an unusual genetic trait, but I could feel something off about her overall presence. It took me just a moment to conclude who I was looking at, Ina, was the cause of this whole mess. Yet, there was something bizarre about this line of thought. Specifically the genuine lack of malicious intent in her body. I could have ruled it out that it was a well-crafted act, but the way she exposed herself and with such ease set me up to believe something else: Ina wasn't the culprit, and yet she was the tool inflicting the attacks.
"My name is quite unimportant," I replied, deciding to go around the question altogether.
"A stranger rummages in my home. That's not nice."
"Apologies, but I was given permission to look through houses by the village leader and-"
"We are not part of the village."
I blinked, feeling like I hit a sore spot with that explanation. After all the girl ended up switching to some demonic voice which caught me off-guard. She really looked pissed about that fact… but I wasn't wrong about it. And while I should have just dropped the topic, I pressed on it.
"But you are. If not as part of the community, the responsibility extended to the leader."
Her harsh look didn't budge for a while, but then it softened when she realized my poker face wasn't faltering before her glacial glare.
"R-Really?"
I nodded. "Since there has been murders around, the village leader has requested my presence to make sure whatever is threatening the village is no longer causing them any harm."
Ina tensed up again, possibly knowing that I could already know she was the 'monster' of this tale. But instead of outing her at once and possibly setting myself up for a troublesome battle, I decided to milk the circumstance the best way I could and try to get in her mind through some careful probing.
"Your name is Ina, right? Ninomae Ina?"
"I-Ina'nis," She replied with a brief stutter. "My grandfather picked that name."
"That's a unique name," I remarked and Ina scoffed.
"The others told me it was ugly, like me."
I frowned. "That sounds stupid to say."
"But they said that!"
"Well, bullies are stupid. Why would you listen to them and not those that said the opposite?" I asked back, leaving her to stare at me in confusion.
"No one said that-"
"Your grandfather gave you that name. Does that mean he gave it to you because you were 'ugly'?"
"No, he would say I was the most precious flower-" She admitted, reaching out to her origami and then… pausing. "You think… they lied?"
"People lie all the time. That's because lying is simpler, either for good or bad things."
She nodded, but I decided to press more about it.
"Ina, you should never trust the words of people that are trying to hurt you. If you do, you play by their game and lose twice against them."
The girl shuffled nervously at my words, nodding in agreement to those, but clearly upset due to the subject of the conversation. So, I changed the topic, knowing that going for more would just irritate her too much.
"Also, you like drawing. I can tell this much."
Her eyes glowed in delight at my comment.
"Yes! Drawing is my favorite hobby. Always has been."
"And your style can be quite pretty in some instances," I said while looking back at some of her drawings. "Like, I can see some sketches of… your mother?"
Her smile waned a bit, but she nodded, still happy. "Mama was so beautiful."
"And you said that while also believing the others are right when they said you are ugly? That's a bit silly on your part."
Pouting, Ina gave me a playful glare. "T-That's not silly."
"Then you should never accept any lies meant to hurt you."
"They will hurt," She replied flatly. "They hurt me, so they have to be hurt."
"At the expense of becoming less than them?" I argued with a firm voice, surprising her with that response.
"Less? I'm- They told me that I could be greater."
"To whom? And how?" I rebuked flatly. "A verbal insult should hardly be met with violence. If you keep on going through this path, you will be hurting all the while."
"I wouldn't-"
"And how do you know they are not lying?"
"They are not. Their whispers are so sweet," Ina sighed as a dreamy look formed on her face. "They told me. My parents, and my grandpa- I could get them back if I helped them."
"They are-"
"Don't you miss your family, John?" The girl suddenly asked, cutting me short with that name. My old one, the one from my former life. "Your parents, your sister- even your friends. They told me about them, John. I know you yearn for them despite it all. You miss them. You and I… are not so different. We can both be great."
"I think not," I replied angrily, growing more irritated than genuinely convinced of this whole bs. "Ina, empty promises hardly make up for a lack of trust. No matter how sweet they are."
"Then you are a fool and- and I will prove you wrong!"
I tried to talk once more, but the girl just bailed from the building. She broke in a sprint and rushed out of the main door, forcing me to give chase. I didn't expect for someone that petite and wearing such a tight kimono to be so nimble. I was slightly faster than her, yes, but as we were running through the forest, I was forced to take a slower pace due to tendrils emerging around. Nothing mind-shattering, but it definitely forced me to be wary of any of those reaching out and causing me to trip. I didn't stop for a single moment, knowing that any hesitation in that pursuit was going to cause more troubles than the world needed.
I had to stop her or the world was going to pay a hefty price for its survival...
The chase kept on going for several minutes, and then ceased when Ina finally got to her destination: a large cave's entrance near the closest mountain. It wasn't a tall mountain, but it was a natural obstacle that could be seen just by being near to the girl's house. And… I knew this was where her base was. I took a moment to stop and stare, but also paused to just get myself prepared for any traps.
First, I summoned Kiara. The phoenix girl humming in delight, but then showing a serious look when I asked her to get Calli there as this was clearly what she told me to be careful about. It all matched with what she had told me to be careful of, except it was hitting me just now that I knew Ina was the catalyst for this whole mess. I still wasn't sure who had enabled her, if it was just the ancient god or someone else but… I needed back up regardless of that.
"I can feel… yes, that's indeed the expected crisis," The pinkette confirmed grimly while I explained to Kurama what was going on. "This could be a deadly fight."
I nodded. "I'm ready for it."
At this point I conceded to the very BS rule that said: 'Danzou Shimura shall not ever enjoy an easy mission outside the village'. And right now, that rule was so BS compared to the usual that now I was facing a world-ending scenario. I was definitely asking for a break from work after this one. Maybe go out and enjoy some farming experience to get my brain ready for more crap thrown in my general direction.
Without further ado, we delved into the system of dark caves that led lower and lower. Yet, despite the descent, I couldn't help but notice that the light was getting clearer there rather than conceding to the pure darkness. The more steps we took, the more I felt I was approaching my end. It was a feeling- not much of a gut feeling at that, but it still got me tense and vigilant for any surprises unfolding around us. No tricks or traps, we managed to reach the final room within the underground area and… it was massive.
The large ritual room shook as Ina stood silently over a dark abyss. A dark abyss that was boiling in its shadows and looked ready to make way and introduce the very monster we were trying to keep from reaching this realm. But Ina wasn't alone at that moment. A familiar figure stood beside her, one that turned to greet us and approach. It was there that I finally remembered. The monk from years ago, back when the war was still raging on. He was there, and he was… Jigen.
"I would be dishonest to not admit that your presence here today surprises me, Shimura Danzou-kun," The fake monk remarked flatly, "Your arrival can be an instrument of damnation… or salvation. Depending on how you will act upon Ina'nis' desire."
"You put her through this," I harshly shot at him and he sighed, uncaring of my irritation.
"I just gave her instructions, for her will was determined by the deity that sees her as their finest priestess. Humans set her up to be like this, through hatred and despair. The fruit of chaos is nothing by the result of man's own selfishness," The priest replied somberly. "And today, you will face… a choice. Maybe two."
I narrowed my eyes at him, ready to speak more but interrupted as I saw Ina turned to glance at us. Color drained from my face as merely staring at her made me nervous. Her skin was paler than a healthy human should have, her eyes having grown a duller gray. Her kimono was in tatters as black cysts spread all over her limbs and face. Some of her hair had turned in bulbous tendrils with orange tips and-
"The Ancient One beckons. This world's survival is… unreachable."
Before this situation, it was a flight or fight instance. And I was ready to fight when I felt someone reach out for my arm, giving it a squeeze. I turned and saw serious red eyes looking at me.
"You can't beat her even in this state," Calli remarked with a frustrated tone. "She is stronger than you, but I think I can handle it. Leave her to me, you take care of the perpetrator."
I gritted my teeth at that comment, feeling like this could end up really bad if I left the Reaper-in-training to handle this on her own. So, I decided to make things even for all of us.
"Kiara, aid Calli," I muttered, my eyes never losing hold of the cause of all of this. "Kurama and I will take care of the monk."
The man blinked at the coldness within my tone. I was so angry, and yet so muted about it. I just couldn't allow this guy to live beyond this. If this was one of his 'smaller' plans, then I wasn't going to let him leave at all costs. He had to die or we were going to have worse issues once this issue was dealt with. Kiara hummed, her usual warmth cooled over the situation we were stuck with, her flames rising up to match up with her partner's power surge as I could feel Calli wasn't planning to hold back either.
The Tailed Beast perched on my shoulder, grinning wildly as the foxy entity could tell this was going to be an intense but satisfying fight. And it was indeed intense as I jumped in action, Sharingan in full use as I started to attack the monk. Jigen didn't exactly keep in his normal form, black marks forming in some spots of his face and a large horn creating out of his forehead. I could feel the pace was different than last time, but I wasn't exactly unprepared for the occasion. He was hitting fast and hard, but his pattern was predictable.
I could catch every single twitch in his upper body, while the lower body was rendered unimportant through how I was putting all the pressure by his chest and arms. I was in no position to force him into a defeat by brute strength alone. I had to weaken him first. He picked up on my attempt early on, at first trying to return the favor, but eventually ditching the close-quarters to try and rely on long-range attacks. Chakra-made rods rushed in my general direction, prompting me to not get too close to keep dodging, but allowing me to release one of my newest puppets that was going to shine on this occasion. Painted green with gray details, the puppet seemed to gain the attention of the monk.
"A new tool?"
So, he hadn't seen my full arsenal yet? I guess that makes for a good advantage to press on the guy.
"A tool with other tools," I replied calmly, allowing the puppet to spring in action and release some of its inner compartment. Inside it there were nothing more but a few seals. Some activated at the chakra pulse I sent through its string, releasing water-pressurized green balls made of iron. The projectiles soared, with one almost clipping the bastard's head off, and one of those actually slamming and breaking his left leg. Jigen's eyes widened in surprise at that move, snarling in my direction.
Hierophant Green was a 'work-in-progress' puppet. I had been holding on using it due to how sluggish it was to deploy early on and how I wasn't confident the bullets would have been fast enough to hit fast-paced targets at an acceptable damage-rate. I had yet to research the means to create chakra-reinforced gems which could be used as more powerful 'bullets' (explosive ones, elemental ones, etc.), but iron balls looked like a valid substitute for the time being.
He soon tried to get close by zeroing the distance between us, but he was instantly pushed back by a mini-bijuudama. Beyond its size being fairly minuscule from a standard one, the power put behind that blast created just a modest explosion behind Jigen causing the man to hesitate for just a moment. I threw shurikens at him, charging up a Raikiri on my left arm. I started to run towards him, and he returned the favor by throwing numerous chakra rods at me. They got extremely close to my face, but that was how I intended the scene to be.
Jigen was ready to snatch this victory off my hands and be slowly easing down before that circumstance. What he didn't know was that, between the shurikens I had cleverly directed to fall right near him, there was a Flying God one. So, in a rather amusing turn of events, his face turned from gleeful to comically stunned as he saw me and Kurama shift out of harm's way and right by his side. He turned to block the ensuing attack, but the electrified limb easily shredded into his clothes and skin, cutting off his arm in the process. Yelping in pain, the man pushed away from me, giving me a long look and… humming in surprise at this development.
"Your power has increased immensely since last time we fought," Jigen commented, holding back the usual tone meant for a praise, but nonetheless nodding as if it was one. I mean, I wouldn't expect any less for cutting his arm like that. "Yet, I think this spar is over for now. The ritual is now complete."
My guarded stance faltered a little. What?
His gaze moved away from me, and I turned to follow it to see that things had gone south with Kiara and Calli. The Reaper was in her skeletal form, shuddering as she could barely stand in front of a downed orangette. Kiara wasn't dead, but she was close to how quickly she was losing blood. Her fire wasn't healing her fast enough and I could tell that if we didn't intervene this could end up poorly.
As I was distracted, Jigen threw a smoke bomb on the ground, stunning me and allowing himself to make a quick escape. I could have given chase, but I knew that would have jeopardized the need to stop Ina from ending the world and summoning the eldritch entity. I swiftly moved to stand between Calli and Ina.
"Are you two alright?"
"I'm… holding. Kiara needs a break and… she is too strong. She got too strong."
The admission was further cemented when I saw how Ina had changed radically. Her entire being was shrouded in shadows, her frame now 'older' as she was taller. Two white horns protruded from her head, matched by the bulbous tendrils now flashing white instead of orange and her eyes being two empty white orbs. She was holding what looked to be an ethereal sword and behind her a halo where five slitted eyes stared at us with unflinching numbness.
The entity was close to come through. Time was of essence and… I was far from ready for this. If I hadn't been strong enough to handle this at full power, now that I was still recovering from clashing with Jigen I could tell that I had less chances of survival. Winning? Debatable, but I refused to concede defeat without trying. I still had a few tricks up my sleeve, specifically a small scroll I had saved up just for this kind of emergency.
Ina's gaze turned silently to it, then back at me. Her head tilted, a sad glint flashing at me as if she was upset I would fight her. I guess that conversation really set her up to be reluctant to go through this fight, knowing she had a legitimate advantage over me in all possible scenarios available to me. However, she knew I still had the means to win. It was just a matter of getting all steps right. I just needed to find her weakness and… hopefully strike it hard enough to win. A shitty strategy, I was aware of that, but I was in the wrong mindset and situation to start planning out a more organized battle plan. As far as I could tell in that precise moment, I had to go all in and pray it was going to be enough to score myself the win I was looking for.
But will this be enough?