Title: The End 1
...
The war kicked off in full force from the beginning. With the help of Kabuto who thought he'd finally seen his time to surpass his master, Obito was able to reanimate a couple dead Shinobi of the past.
And by couple, they numbered in their thousands. Of course only a hundred plus were actually useful with only ten plus being above Kage Tier.
The rest were just normal immortal foot soldiers who couldn't die if not dealt with properly.
Of course, Izanagi returned to the Allied Force as soon as he was dismissed by Shun and brought with him, a couple Cells, belonging to ancient Shinobis to be reanimated.
However, due to no one having proper Mastery over the Jutsu, they were left with no other options than to fight the enemy Reanimated Shinobis with their Allied Forces.
As for the only person Versed enough in performing the Jutsu, he was currently observing his student of two plus years as he upgraded to a new level of power.
Having gotten a request tended to him by Obito, Orochimaru agreed to switch the brothers' eyes, on the condition that he would have a bit of their blood after the Evolution.
Obito of course didn't care about this and readily accepted, after all, should he have the final victory, he'd be a God...one on the Level of the Sage of Six Paths.
And while this was happening, Naruto was already facing his own trial on the Giant Turtle island on the coast of the Lightning Country.
Due to the magnitude of the war, Izanami had called in the forces of the Nadeshiko island to also join in the war. Karin and Sai were quick to report, joining the Allied Forces.
Of course, they were quickly put under Kimizu's platoon. Although they were all Allied Shinobi, due to their strengths and Sensei, Kimizu immediately recruited them.
In terms of Sealing, they were top notch. In terms of Medical Ninjutsu, although Sai wasn't up to par, Karin was beyond par. And in terms of Raw power, other than Sakura, Karin held the strongest fist.
"Those two really got stronger in your home didn't they?" Shun observed as he watched the screens displaying the various battles going on throughout the various battlefields.
"Of course, I didn't create a Country of women just to appreciate their beauty." Izanami said with a snort.
"I can see that...I just hope the boy came out alright." Shun muttered the last part as he looked at Sai with concern.
As of yet, none of the true superpowers of the world have come out to play.
The Kages were still observing while Obito kept his Reanimated Puppets on standby too.
As of yet, the Allied Forces only fought against the army of White Zetsu. Creatures that had the base power of Chunin...200,000 of them.
And with every kill they make, they absorb a good portion of Chakra from their fallen foes to grow stronger.
So from the way the battle progressed..."By tomorrow, they'd probably have a Kage Rank Zetsu to fight against." Tsume observed and everyone in the room nodded.
It was only the afternoon since the battles began and they were already raising their power levels, Shun even surmised that if one particular Zetsu was lucky enough...an above Kage Rank Zetsu might be born.
"When will the true battle of power houses begin? I'm getting bored watching these children play around." Izanami said in annoyance and impatience.
"You've been alive for centuries and this little bit of amusement already bores you?" Shun asked his daughter in mild amusement before shaking his head. "That should explain how much you lack in truly becoming someone with authority."
Izanami however snorted and said. "Who cares about authority? Everything will fall in place with Absolute Strength won't it?"
Shun laughed at this and nodded his head. "Of course they will. They all will."
And although he wanted to add something, he avoided it and kept watching. Afterall, some things in life are better learnt the hard way.
There was a reason Humans were Humans and Gods were Gods...
Izanami snorted as she knew her father found her actions and words disappointing, but since when did she need his acknowledgement to know what she wanted?
That right? Centuries ago...Right now...she was her own woman.
The scenes continued to play out with the battles intensifying with the appearance of the Third Kazekage. Whether it was luck or just pure coincidence, he was Reanimated in the desert, where Gaara was standing guard.
Nah. Scratch that, it was neither luck nor coincidence since Kabuto, in his twisted mind, thought it would be amusing to put the Third Kazekage against his own Shinobis.
The battle between the Two Kazekages was both interesting and predictable. Initially, Gaara struggled to combat the Third Kazekage due to his unique Iron Sand techniques, which were formidable and difficult to counter. This was the Interesting part.
However, Gaara eventually realized that the Third Kazekage's iron sand was still Sand in the end, enabling him to control it. Gaara then used his sand-manipulation abilities to counter the Third Kazekage's attacks. This was the predictable part.
Utilizing his mastery over sand manipulation, Gaara was able to neutralize the Third Kazekage's techniques and eventually defeat him, before sealing him with the Sand Burial, allowing his soul to rest in peace once again.
Sand, despite being a form of Magnet Release, was the Origin of All Sands. All others like the Iron Sand, Black Sand, Gold Dust/Sand, all have properties that make them different.
In this World science has no say at all. In the beginning of the Chakra Era, there were no deserts, but with the birth of Shukaku and in Search of a natural habitat for it, the desert was created.
Hence, Sand in its Natural Form is already the highest form sand can get since other than the First Kazekage, none other has had the honor of wielding it till Gaara.
And he got it due to having had Shukaku sealed in him while still in the womb.
Iron Sand is a special type of sand that contains iron particles. It's unique to the Third Kazekage and allows him to manipulate iron-infused sand, making it a potent offensive and defensive tool.
Black Sand is a variant of sand infused with magnetic properties, making it even more potent than regular sand or iron sand. It's essentially an enhanced version of iron sand, capable of exhibiting greater control and manipulation.
Gaara, after mastering his sand manipulation abilities, can infuse his regular sand with magnetic properties, effectively creating black sand, this was his potential, as the only person capable of such till date is Ria.
She was basically the only person who could infuse magnetic property into an element and turn it Black...Not Yin black, but Magnetic Black.
As for Gold Sand, it is basically a form of sand Rasa, Gaara's Father came to create in order to combat the lack of financial support he was getting from the Sand Daimyo.
The only property it had was being heavier than Normal Sand...and being Shiny.
It was no wonder he was practically the Weakest Kage Suna has ever had.
As Shun watched Gaara seal the Third Kazekage, he couldn't help but lament the man's fate. He was first killed by Sasori and turned into a puppet, then he was Reanimated by Orochimaru and made to fight against his own puppet body, and then he was then Reanimated again and forced to be sealed again by his Junior.
"He's quite pitiful." Fenrir muttered exactly what was on Shun's mind, causing Shun to turn to him.
"I know of him. He was part of the few who was chanced with visiting here. I keep track of them all." Fenrir explained himself.
"I see. But he's weak though..." Shun said.
"Hm. He left the dimension after a week." Fenrir said with a shrug. "According to the rules, I can't stop anyone from leaving."
"Probably due to the war?"
"Hmm. Said he needed to defend his village or something along those lines." Fenrir said nonchalantly to which Shun understood.
He wasn't really obliged to help anyone who didn't want to help themselves.
And so, with the battle won, the morale of the Shinobis under Gaara's command skyrocketed as they advanced.
Unfortunately, both Kabuto and Obito had run out of patience. Kabuto just because he couldn't flex his army sooner, and Obito because he couldn't sense Gyuki and Kurama's Chakra.
And with that, they threw in all the Reanimated Shinobis they could get their hands on into the battlefield. Shinobis from the First, Second and Third Shinobi world war.
The Second Generation Kages, Mu, Gengetsu and Ai the third and Rasa were sent to the battle the Fourth Division of the Allied Forces. This was a division with Gaara, Temari, Shikamaru and a few notable figures.
The Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers were also Reanimated and sent to the Fifth Division where Darui and a few Kumogakure Shinobis were stationed.
Other notable Shinobis like Dan, Toroi of the Magnet Release, and few others Shun and the few watching couldn't really be bothered to pay attention to.
Yes they were strong, but in comparison to those Shun really deemed strong, they were pitifully weak. In the realms of Humans, only those who could single-handedly battle against a group with similar strengths were worthy of attention.
Those were the few Shun had instructed Izanagi to have Reanimated. With the Zetus being two times their original number, Shun already knew that those Nigh-God-Level Shinobis would be the main fighting force till the Top Gs came in.
The First Generation Kages and the people of their class. Those were the true Main Characters Shun and the others wanted to watch.
Fortunately, Kabuto wasn't brave enough to seek their cells out, and even if he was, Shun had no doubt that they would crush his Will the moment they knew they were under control.
And so the battle commenced. The four Kages present were controlled to go to the other battlefield to fight. This way, they could reduce the number of Allied Shinobi forces.
Shun however had his attention on another event.
Naruto was currently facing off against his inner demon and was losing pretty badly.
Despite how much the boy may have treated Kurama as his friend, the fact remained that Kurama was his inner demon, or rather, the fear he had for the Beast as well as the look of fear he was being exposed to since his childhood had long since planted a seed of hate he never knew he had.
Right now, he was facing off against that hate, and different from how it went down in the Original timeline, this inner demon wasn't just matching him in strength, it was dominating him, and should Naruto fail and lose, he would become an incarnation of hate. A perfect Vessel for Kurama, and should that happen, Naruto had only one outcome...Death.
Shun, however, shook his head as he observed this scene. The reason why this inner demon was getting stronger was because it had an Ego. Because of the Serum he had given the kid, Naruto's Inner Demon had long since developed sentience, and with Naruto's rising hate, dissatisfaction and anger, his inner demon soared in strength.
"Why do you fight? Isn't this what you always wanted?" The Demon spoke as he stood opposite Naruto who looked disheveled while breathing heavily. "The more you fight, the weaker you get and the stronger I become."
Naruto however glared at this Red eyed demon but said nothing. Despite having fought for so long, Naruto observed that he hadn't been able to even singe the corner of this demon's clothes.
"You've also noticed it right? People are dying out there. Why prevent the inevitable?" The Demon asked with a sinister smile. "They die for you. First they curse at you and torment you, then they hide you to protect you, don't you see? They only see you as something to possess."
"They don't see you as a human, but an object. One they can use at their-"
"Be quiet!" Naruto barked out.
"Oh? You've finally grown some spine, huh?" The demon said, his smile widening as he spread his hands. "Why don't we go at it again. Maybe then, you'll realize why I am the better one."
"Better one? Heh." Naruto sneered. "If anything, you're the inferior one. A Copy at best."
The Demon's smile dropped as he frowned.
"You're nothing but my hate and negative emotions given form and sentience. In a way, you're just like the Ido Yakumo-nee has." Naruto said as he stood upright.
"You dare compare me with that inferior knock-off of a Spiritual Being?" The demon roared as an even greater pressure Naruto was used to descended on him
"Inferior or not, you both have something in common. " Naruto said with a smile as he stood unaffected by the pressure. "You both are just part of us."
"Huh?"
"I've heard Yakumo-nee's story over and over again. Both from her and Shun-nii, and I came to understand something." Naruto said. "The Ido was and is the part of her that she willingly chose to ignore."
"What are you talking about?" The demon asked in confusion.
"You on the other hand, is the part of me I willingly chose to ignore due to my desires." Naruto replied.
"I still don't follow." The demon said with a frown.
"I so much desired acknowledgement that I ignored you. The hate, the anger, the fear, everything...all the negative emotions I held and buried deep within my mind." Naruto said.
"I was angry. I wanted attention but I never got it. What child wouldn't be angry? But I had something more. I had Shun-nii. I had the little friends I got growing up...But in their absence, all I ever got was the look of fear. Fear for what I held within me. Fear of my existence. I didn't ask to be born this way. I didn't ask for the Nine Tails to be sealed in me. I didn't ask for any of it...So why me?"
"I held onto this hate for as long as possible. I hoped that with my strength, I would be able to gain the acknowledgement I deserve, but I learnt something along the way. I don't get to be the Hokage to be acknowledged, it's only when I get acknowledged would I become the Hokage."
"Shun-nii told me that. I didn't understand what he meant back then, but I guess I do. I only ever needed the acknowledgement of the people I love and who love me." Naruto said but shook his head afterwards. "That's not true either. I don't need their acknowledgement since they already love me."
"They love me for who I am and I love them the same." Saying this, he looked at the Demon with sharp eyes before saying. "And it's for that reason that I need to leave this place. It's for them that I need to defeat you. It's for them that I need to... forgive."
Naruto said as he smiled. The demon however sneered and said. "Forgive? If forgiveness was all it took, wars wouldn't happen."
"I know, which is why I am not forgiving them. They didn't do anything wrong in the first place." Naruto replied.
"Huh? If you aren't forgiving them, who are you then forgiving?" The demon asked, confused.
Naruto smiled and walked towards the demon. "I don't need to forgive them because the person who needs forgiveness isn't them...but me."
"You are me and I am you. I only ever have to forgive myself for ignoring you. For ignoring an integral part of what makes me...me." Naruto said as he stood right in front of his demon.
"..." The demon was first speechless before he sighed. "I must say. I was a little bit moved by what you said just now, however, who told you that I would forgive you?"
The demon sneered and continued. "Even if I did, will you be able to withstand the full force of me? All these emotions you've bottled up for years?"
"I will." Naruto said with a confident smile. Stretching his right hand, he raised it to the demon.
"Heh. We'll see about that." The demon said and shook Naruto's hand. And that was when everything went black for him.
What followed was a mind destroying level of pain.
'Having your emotions sealed is the easy part, accepting them is always the hard part.' Shun thought as he observed. 'Well, it's about time he saw his past lives' life experience.'
At the same time...[DING: INDIVIDUAL UZUMAKI NARUTO HAS MET REQUIREMENTS FOR APOTHEOSIS.]
[DING: INITIATING ASCENSION TO GODHOOD; STEP ONE]
And so it began, while Naruto's soul was being forced to assimilate the emotions he had been burying for so long, his spirit was forced out of his body and made to live through the lives of Ashura all through to his Early days.
While this went on, the same alert rang out in Sasuke's Mind-scape.
With Sasuke acquiring the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, his state of being was elevated to a higher form, allowing for an evolution of his mind and soul.
And while that went on, his spirit was also forced to live through the life of Indra and his subsequent Reincarnations.
And while this went on, the Shinobi alliance were being owned by the past Kages.
It wasn't even a fight. Without needing to even try their best, no Living Shinobi could actually force any of the Kages to...wait hold on.
'Where is Rasa?' Shun thought. He had only shifted his attention for a brief few seconds to observe Naruto and Sasuke and immediately, Rasa had already been sealed away?
"Damn. How weak can that guy get?" Shun muttered.
"Your words surprise me father." Izanami snorted. "Why do you think he was adamant in creating the perfect Jinchuriki?"
"Only weaklings seek strength in things not of their own." Tsume said offhandedly in Izanami's support.
"You sure know a lot for someone who hadn't left her island for decades." Shun mused.
"Heh. I make it a habit to know of all the women who have been forced out of this world due to the machinations of man." Izanami said.
"I find that disturbing...on so many levels." Shun just said and didn't pay her any attention. But in truth, even he did know that Rasa was the weakest of all the Kages.
And by Kages, Shun meant everyone who has ever held that title in all the villages. Even the Third Kazekage, despite his unsavory fate, was still a force to be reckoned with when he was alive.