Okaminaru took a relaxed breath and prepared to teach Konan some elemental jutsu. However...
"...Something's wrong..." Okaminaru looked in a specific direction and frowned.
Konan was puzzled by this, so she looked in the same direction and then....
...
...
Flash!
...
"Ahhh! My eyes!"
A bright light enveloped the whole place, causing Konan and Okaminaru to close their eyes, but it didn't end there, as a great wave of wind pushed them both against the trees. The wind was so strong that it seemed like the trees would be ripped out of place. Also, although it seems too much of an exaggeration, the ground shook with force, like an earthquake that shook the entire forest. The temperature in the air seemed to rise and the atmosphere became extremely heavy. Animals, rodents, reptiles, all the fauna of the forest were desperately trying to flee, being pushed by the wind wave.
This only lasted a few seconds. The light that blinded everyone slowly faded and everything seemed to calm down. At the same time, Konan and Okaminaru fell to their knees on the ground after all this.
"Damn, my eyes..."
Okaminaru rubbed her eyes with her paws and slowly opened them again. The light was too intense for her sensitive eyes, unlike Konan, who was not affected by it, although she did feel a bit of pain, since, looking at that light was like looking straight into the sun.
"That felt like the explosion of a great mass of chakra" Konan stood up and looked in the direction where the blinding light came from. "You were right, something's not right" She felt a strange pain in her chest.
"Get on my back, we're going back to the village. My mother and Toru-dono were near the explosion" When she opened her eyes, they glowed crimson. With the Senjutsu, she could sense those two from a long distance away.
With nothing more to say, Konan jumped on Okaminaru's back and Okaminaru ran as fast as she could.
-Somewhere remote-
He felt a strange vibration on the ground. He was sitting on the ground, alone in the darkness of that cave. His crimson eye and purple eye glowed through the mask.
"That brat is not wasting his time. When I meet him again, I'll be sure to kill him" Madara frowned and thought.
The brat became strong enough to shake the entire continent. He was sure he wasn't the only person to feel that ripple of power that spread everywhere. Still, he was unaware of how Toru suddenly acquired so much power. This, however, also gave Madara a chance. When great power is suddenly gained, it usually brings great consequences. Toru will most likely have to pay a price when acquiring that power and this is where Madara comes in.
'I will take advantage of any of your weaknesses and destroy you, Asahi Toru'.'
-Shimagame [Turtle Island]-
In a place completely white and isolated from the outside world, two Jinchūriki, the Kyūbi and Hachibi, meet.
"Bī-occhan... there's something wrong" Naruto felt a slight vibration in the place.
This puzzled Killer B, as this place is separated from the outside, so he shouldn't feel anything coming from outside. B closed his eyes and soon found himself in front of the Hachibi.
"Something is wrong, a bad feeling is haunting me. Like getting hit in the head with an arrow. What happened earlier was a blunt chakra explosion, an energy resonating in my mind. Naruto-boy also felt the same, we'd better keep him in the abyss."
The Hachibi felt somewhat overwhelmed by this. "This is not something we can handle. The boy is no fool, it won't be long before he realizes everything that's going on out there."
"That I know perfectly well, I also know what to do with the demented brat. We have to entertain him with more training, let's get him to move his body to exhaustion. If we get his mind away from worries, on our shoulders there will be no more pressures" He turned his back to her and folded his arms. "Let's teach him to create the Bijudama, see if that calms the brat down."
"Since he has learned how to use the Kyūbi's mantle, the Bijudama is the next thing he should learn. Sounds good to me."
"Then let's do it, you damn fool!"
-Kumogakure-
The three Kages present looked at each other. None of them said anything, because they all already knew what had happened. They felt a slight vibration in the ground. It was as if the continent was shaking from a wave of power. This event is unknown to everyone yet, but there everyone began to have suspicions. If something was strong enough to shake the continent, then that must have been Madara. But there was a certain hunch that told them that this was not true.
War is just around the corner, everyone knows it, everyone is feeling nervous.
"Hm... this silence is annoying. Quick, Hokage, talk about anything" Raikage stood up from his seat and pounded the table.
"And what am I supposed to say? Everyone here is thinking about what to do with what we have on hand. The enemy army is twice the size of ours, Madara possesses the power of seven of the nine Bijūs and to top it all off, we have to keep Naruto and Killer B away from the coming war. We must not fail..."
At Tsunade's reply, A sighed wearily and sat back down. As the leader of the Shinobi Alliance, he knew very well the situation they were facing.
"I can't say anything against it this time. You're right" Although it weighed on him to admit it, this is far worse than any war he had ever participated in before.
Gaara, who was silent, closed his eyes and thought. Yamato of Konoha had already been kidnapped by the enemy on Turtle Island itself and the Tsuchikage went to support them. Hoshigaki Kisame has died after sending information to Madara and Mizukage is now protecting the Feudal Lords.
"We follow what we planned beforehand. We will not let Uchiha Madara get close to Naruto or Killer B-san."
With those words alone, Tsunade and the Raikage felt more confident.
The fate of the Shinobi World is in the hands of the Shinobi Alliance....
-Ōkami Clan Village-
"What's going on? Does anyone know anything?" Arriving at the village, Okaminaru was quick to ask Kaminari what had happened.
Everyone looked at the light and wave of wind that covered the forest and mountain in its entirety. It was a moment of terror for everyone, some even came to think that the sun had become angry with them and that was why it was sending them this punishment. Although they soon realized that it was something else and, in the place that seemed to be the epicenter of it all, were Toru and Okamitsuki's chakra.
"We know it was a chakra explosion, but from there on, we don't know the cause. Okamitsuki-sama and Toru-dono were there, that's what Okamikase-sama could feel."
Konan, who was on Okaminaru's back, frowned and seriously thought what could have caused all this. Although, deep down, she knew that Toru has a lot to do with this situation.
"I understand. Then we should wait for them, I can still feel them approaching, but....!" Okaminaru's eyes widened as she sensed something new with the senjutsu. She looked back and refused to believe what she was feeling. "Toru-dono is dying..."
Konan had the same reaction as Okaminaru upon hearing that.
They all looked at a specific spot and then something big started to move in the undergrowth. Two crimson eyes glowed in the darkness and that snow white fur was visible at the end. It was Okamitsuki, she was safe and sound, she had no injuries and, what's more, it seemed that she never received any damage. However, between her fangs, she was holding Toru by the cape, who was on the verge of death again.
"TORU!"
Konan shouted and immediately approached Okamitsuki, who laid Toru down on the ground very carefully. Just as he was in front of Toru, she fell to her knees at the sight of him.
It was horrible, sad and it filled her heart with worry and pain.
Toru's skin was almost completely dry, his arms and legs had horrible third degree burns and he could barely breathe. At the same time, Okamitsuki headed home, leaving Toru stranded to his fate, she kept her silence all the time, with a serious and slightly distressed expression. When she was behind her daughter and Kaminari, she clenched her fangs tightly and ducked her head.
She looked back, saw Konan, and again looked forward.
"Why are you crying, woman, does it hurt to see him hurt, does it hurt so much to have to see the death of this brat?"
When she heard Okamitsuki, Konan realized that on her cheeks there were tears. Moreover, when she saw him coming, she ran to him without even thinking about it. It hurt her to see Toru like this and somehow this hurt her.
"How did it happen, why is he hurt like this?"
Okaminaru wanted to hear that too, for, when she saw Toru, she wanted to approach her friend, but when she saw Konan so desperately running towards him, she froze and didn't know what to do.
In response to this, Okamitsuki again ducked her gaze and between her teeth said, "The brat created a jutsu..."
"What kind of jutsu?" said Konan without looking away from the injured Toru.
To which, looking at Konan, her eyes flashed with anger. "An extremely dangerous jutsu" She started to slowly walk away from there, however, before disappearing from everyone's sight, she wanted to say some last words. "Woman, Toru won't die, but if he uses that jutsu again, rest assured that it will be the last jutsu to pass through his hands" She paused for a second. "Konan... if you love this boy so much, if you love him enough to cry for him, don't let him use that jutsu again. If you don't want to see him die, that's the best advice I can give you. I think only you can stop him."
Okamitsuki felt that lately there was something wrong with Toru, something very wrong that, no matter how much she tried not to think about it, that thought came back to fill her mind. Then she remembered the conversation she had with Okamikase while she was trying to heal Toru from his battle against Madara.
'It's like he's trying to die on purpose...' She closed her eyes and tried to think that wasn't the case. However... 'Brat... did you always know that that jutsu was going to do that to you?' Everything was getting so suspicious.
With that, Okamitsuki disappeared from the scene and left Konan and Okaminaru with Toru.
Okamitsuki's words echoed in Konan's mind over and over again. 'Love...' She saw Toru and couldn't help but think of the first time she saw him. This boy was very aggressive back then, but the closer he got to Akatsuki members, that aggressive and aloof personality was changing, even with her. To her he is... 'What is Toru to me...?'
Shhh...
Toru's body started to react strangely. Steam began to rise from his wounds and his pale skin began to regain color.
-Somewhere strange-
Toru opened his eyes and again found himself in the ocean of blood. He looked around and realized that everything was still as usual, dark and lonely.
*Shine*
A flame flared in front of him.
"You again... whatever you are..." He deduced that that flame was no ordinary thing of his imagination, there was something else involved. He approached the flame and took it in his hands. "And there's that voice..." He closed his eyes and this time he concentrated, for he wanted to decipher what the voice was telling him every time he found himself in this situation and then....
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A bright light flared up even though his eyes were closed...
To be continue...