Naruto: Tales of Ashihara
Kakumei – Arc 1: The Consumer of Worlds
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Chapter 42 - The Divine Blood Cursed Seal Part I
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In the land of Gods, in the valley that the Otsutsuki chose to use as their garden, all their divine trees have been cut down. As the Kage were battling Kinshiki on one of the 5 trees remaining roots, Sasuke was, and still is, standing alone against Momoshiki. Their battle has already caused the destruction of two of the 5 dead trees. They're now engaged in a close combat, standing on another dead plant.
Momoshiki does nothing but dodge the attacks of Sasuke Uchiha. Since this fight started, he's seen him completely burn down a divine root with black flames, cut all 5 of them down at once with the Susanoo, and force him to absorb countless of his flames and lightning. It seems like the Uchiha is only trying to keep him busy, but it isn't just that. He's been using his skills very cleverly and actually got close to hurt his opponent many times.
Moreover, Momoshiki senses the extreme anger and killing intent of his enemy. Now, Sasuke's been assaulting him mercilessly for minutes, desperately trying to land a hit as he just dodged everything while carefully analyzing the wanderer's moves. The Otsutsuki stays aware however, as he knows that Sasuke is just trying to bore him, in order to surprise him better later.
Sick of this exchange, he flies back and tries to get away. Sasuke now lights his hand in lightning ant points it toward his opponent.
Bansho Ten'in
Momoshiki is suddenly pulled closer to Sasuke's Chidori, aiming for his chest. As he's forcibly attracted to the lightning blade, he raises his hands and, right before the thunder reaches his torso, grabs and holds on the Uchiha's forearm. With only his own strength, by keeping his arms straight, he resists the pull. In his palms, held against Sasuke's arm, the two orange rinnegans open themselves.
Takami Musubi
He releases black flames that he absorbed earlier and incinerates the Uchiha with his own jutsu. As Sasuke starts to burn, Momoshiki pushes him away with his feet on his torso and flies a bit back. Watching as his opponent gets a taste of his own medicine, the godly invader feels a bit uneased when he realizes what he sees. Sasuke stands up, completely unaffected by the flames of Enton. With his right eye's ability, he manipulates the black flames as he wishes, and therefore, make himself immune to them.
Kagutsuchi
Sasuke raises his hand and controls the fire to gather it as an orb above him. He keeps shaping it, expanding it, until forming a small black sun, as huge as a Bijudama. Momoshiki stays agape, witnessing this spectacle. It's not the first time he encounters the black flames of Amaterasu, but it's the first time he sees them being used so well. Sasuke lowers his hand and throws the orb at Momoshiki.
Gakido – Kyuin
The Otsutsuki uses his Rinnegan to absorb the black sun and stop Sasuke from doing any more use of it, but due to its expanding size, it takes him a lot of time. While's he's still swallowing the flames, he senses a dense chakra form behind the black cloud. And suddenly, the orb is sliced in half by the Susanoo's sword that aims for Momoshiki, but misses from a few centimeters. The divine gardener leaps away to avoid the dark sun's flames that are now spreading rapidly on the ground.
Emerging from this black fire wall, he sees Susanoo arrows that catch fire when they pass through and aim for him.
Gakido – Kyuin
Once again, he absorbs all the projectiles that are about to hit him. After this wave of arrows, he sees one last projectile come to him. Instead of absorbing it, he carefully grasps it and spins it around to throw it back through the black flames at Sasuke.
Ameno Tejikara
Momoshiki sees the arrow fly toward the Uchiha and smiles, but stops when he feels his body being moved and the spectral burning arrow piercing through him. He looks down and sees a heating hole in his abdomen. He looks back up to see Sasuke, who switched places with him, stand where he was a second ago.
"Tsk! I missed…" complains Sasuke to his own self.
Momoshiki stares at the wound again and absorbs all the black flames that were slowly starting to consume his body. The pain doesn't bother him, but the fact that an inferior life form like this managed to hurt him this bad does.
Not only did Sasuke his him, but he did in the right place. It seems like Sasuke knows a bit about his species' anatomy. Shocked… then angered and determined, Momoshiki prepares to get revenge.
Mokuton – Jukai Kotan
From the dead root on which they're standing, Momoshiki summons wood tentacles that chase Sasuke and try to catch him. With a black flame sword that he formed in his only hand, Sasuke cuts down every branch that almost gets him while moving around to dodge them. Momoshiki watches until his opponent gets rid of every tentacle, and only then, sends a second, stronger wave.
Mokuton – Inukai Takeru
New wood tentacles pillars appear but these ones are way thicker and denser, and have wooden dog heads and paws at their tips. Seeing these, Sasuke bounces away quickly to get out of range. Momoshiki, out of this attempt to flee, gets an unexpected advantage.
Bansho Ten'in
He creates an attraction force to pull Sasuke closer to him, but due to the Uchiha's current accelerated fluttering movement, the attraction has the same effect that Earth's pull has on the Moon. Instead of being brought straight to Momoshiki, Sasuke rotates around him like a satellite around a planet and, in this circular revolution, is redirected straight into one of the wooden dog's maw. The dog catches him between his canine teeth and bites him.
Sasuke feels part of his rib cage being crushed by the dog's sharp teeth, as well as one of his thighs being stabbed. The canine leaps up and then crashes head first into the ground to squash Sasuke down. The Uchiha summons the Susanoo, but only a miniaturized version of its wings that he enrolls around his body, to force his way out of the monster's mouth and avoid being crushed down.
Now lying on the ground, a bit knocked out, he gets back to his senses right in time to see Momoshiki, floating, try to kick him in the face as he sits on the ground. Sasuke somersaults aside to escape the Otsutsuki's foot and gets back on his knees. The twoRinneganuser, only a few meters away from each other, use the same jutsu to force distance again.
Shinra Tensei
Shinra Tensei
They both generate powerful pushing forces that collide and confront, getting in each other's way. Sasuke very slowly slides on the ground, already pushed lightly by Momoshiki's superior power. He strengthens his push as much as possible to resist the Otsutsuki's natural superiority, but in vain. Momoshiki screams and lifts his two hands up as his push gets far stronger and Sasuke's jutsu is completely nullified. The wandering ninja loses all grip, and flutters away very fast through all the tree's flat root.
The Otsutsuki's push digs in the wood and turns this giant platform into a colossal upside down dome in which Sasuke keeps falling and crashing. As he flutters away, he lands right into a giant stone golem's hands. The living statue holds his arm and shoulders to immobilize him. The Uchiha keeps his head down, severely hurt, and tired. It's his second fight with this guy, and it's the second time he's put in such a position. Momoshiki comes closer, just to Sasuke's face.
"Not bad, almost as good as the fox." he says. "Your power sure is helpful. I shall take it now and not let it go to waste."
Momoshiki puts his palm against Sasuke's chest and, instead of simply absorbing his chakra, attempts to swallow his whole body. The Uchiha screams in agony, as he feels his whole chakra, spirit and body being deformed slowly. It's as if Momoshiki is trying to turn all of him into pure chakra that he'll absorb and make his own.
Just as Sasuke feels his life fade away and Momoshiki already foresees himself with this man's eye prowess, the golem holding the Uchiha shatters and releases him. The Otsutsuki, unsettled, steps a bit away. From behind the statue's remains falling down, Naruto Uzumaki jumps out and tries to punch Momoshiki in the face.
The gardener, despite the surprise, crosses his arms to cover his face and stops the Hokage's fist. To make sure he keeps the upper hand, Naruto unleashes a huge Biju Chakra Arm that emerges from his back and tries to flatten Momoshiki, who flies back and gets the high ground. The Hokage turns around to take injured Sasuke in his arms. The enemy watches, angered, and yells.
"RAAH! Damn Fox!" he complains. "You should sleep and quietly wait for your death! Why are you apes so stubborn? It's just delaying the inevitable!"
Naruto doesn't pay attention to these complaints and, instead, makes sure to save his friend. He summons a Gudodama that he presses against Sasuke's heart and fuses with his body. As a result, he heals all his injuries and provides him with some Rikudo Yang chakra and a Biju cloak. The Uchiha opens his eyes and sees Naruto, being perfectly well in front of him. He immediately gets what they'll do now.
"So you were right all along." says the Uchiha. "I just had to accept your help."
"Yeah, right!" answers the Hokage. "Now let's finish this!" he adds as he helps his friend stand up with him.
Momoshiki looks at the two most troublesome humans he's met united as a duo in front of him, and squints.
"Ready for round 2, peach boy?" asks Naruto.
Momoshiki clenches his teeth, and rushes down on them, intending to beat them both up before taking their chakra. Naruto crosses his fingers and summons three clones. The four Narutos and Sasuke leap forward and engage Momoshiki in a short range fight all together.
Momoshiki grabs the fists of two clones with his hands, and stops the arms of the last clones and the original with his hair. He attempts to stop Sasuke this way too, but has his hair cut down by the Uchiha's lightning. He sees the Uchiha's Chidori aim for his chest and tries to dodge it, but only manages to escape it from a few centimeters. Sasuke slices the Otsutsuki's biceps and makes it hard for him to use his arm.
Kairiki Muso
Naruto gathers boiling chakra in his hands and melts the hair that holds them to free himself from their binding. Once released, he levitates away and lets Sasuke strike.
Susanoo
The Uchiha unleashes Susanoo's arm holding a sword. He slaps right in Momoshiki's face and sends him crashing in the ground and further away. This dash causes all 3 Naruto clones to disappear, but the Hokage rapidly replaces them with 20 new ones. Before their opponent can stand up, Sasuke, Naruto and all the shadow clones rush to him and overwhelm him with punches, kicks, and short ranges jutsu. Momoshiki, who's barely getting back on his feet, is beaten up so hard that he can't even distinguish the faces that are assaulting him anymore. All he can certify, is that there are 2 of the 22 enemies that retreated for an unknown reason.
Getting sick of this beat down, He screams and, in a very short moment of respite, tries to fly away. He gets away of the clone crowd but is greeted by the real Naruto once out.
Rasengan
The Hokage hits him right in the wound caused by the Susanoo arrow earlier and twists his insides. He throws him away to Sasuke who has Susanoo's compressed miniaturized wings in his back and uses them to smack him down and back in the clone crowd. Sasuke uses the Susanoo's wings to mimic Sojobo's chakra wings of Tenshi. These are really just the giant wings of the Perfect Susanoo, but compressed down to human scale. They're extremely dense and far more durable than the rib cage.
Momoshiki, more frustrated than ever gets rid of all the clones in a single move.
Gakido – Kyuin
He absorbs all the clones in an instant, and struggles a bit to get on his feet. When he does, he stares, pissed off, at Naruto and Sasuke who stand on his right and left.
Kurama Chakra Modo
The Hokage, who was only using his Rikudo Sage Mode until now, activates his Biju Chakra Mode to unleash his full power. Together with Sasuke, they run to Momoshiki and resume the fight. Each hit and each jutsu they throw at each other cause massive shock waves that spread through the whole valley, or have an aftermath visible from anywhere in the garden.
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Still sitting where the Kage fought against Kinshiki, Sakura sees and feels the fight taking place in the distance. She has the Raikage, Mizukage and Tsuchikage lying, passed out, next to her on the ground, ready to be healed. Behind her, Gaara sealed the hole in the giant root in which Kinshiki is buried.
He sent a sand eye over to the battle's location to see it happen. He sees the three power houses exchange blows with one another, way too rapidly for him to understand. All that he can see is the devastating effect that the fight has on the area it takes place in. In the intensity of the fight, He sees a lightning bolt fly through the air and hit his third eye, that is immediately destroyed.
Opening his real eyes again after having lost his only way to spectate the battle, he turns look at Sakura who's trying to see with her naked eyes. He looks over to do the same, but doesn't see anything more than thunder, fire and explosions.
"It's incredible!" says Sakura. "I didn't see them fight together since… Kaguya. I didn't realize how more powerful they got."
"It's even better than that." says the Kazekage. "I could see them for a few seconds with my Third Eye jutsu. They're winning. They're completely smashing their opponent, despite him being far more powerful than the one that defeated all my colleagues at once."
"… Great." answers Sakura. "They better finish him off quickly."
"How it's going…" suggests Gaara. "It won't take long before they're done with him. They'll kill him in no time."
"OH NO THEY WON'T!" screams a muffled voice behind them.
Sakura and the Kazekage turn around and see the sand seal that was locking the other Otsutsuki up explode. From the hole in the root, Kinshiki Otsutsuki steps out and walks past them. None of them moves, they're just astonished by his sudden come back and surprised that he doesn't attempt to hurt them in any way.
Kinshiki stands, back turned to them, like he's watching in the distance to see the fight. Gaara thinks… Engaging in another fight with him is pointless. Without Naruto's help, they'll just die in seconds. However, if they don't do anything, he's gonna join his partner and make the Hokage's fight a 2 vs 2. But even if they do something, there's not much they can try to stop him.
Sakura doesn't go through as much thoughts as the Kazekage and stands up.
Ninpo Sozo Saisei – Byakugo no Jutsu
Unsure of how this could play out, she fully unleashes the chakra she's been storing in her forehead for over 10 years and prepares to fight the living colossus. She steps forward and raises her fist to punch as hard as she can, in the enemy's butt. But before she lands the strike, he promptly disappears.
Kinshiki, uninterested by any of the present ninjas, leaps up in an instant and flies as fast as possible to the main battle's location. Sakura hits nothing, but still provokes a giant air push running and digging in the ground to leave a many dozens of meters long trace. Gaara looks, surprised by her strength that he finds far superior to during the war. She lowers her fist and looks to the sky, embarrassed by this failure.
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In the upside down dome dug in one of the tree roots, Momoshiki is battling off hundreds of clones of the Hokage, all in Rikudo Sage Mode. Sasuke and Naruto take a small break and watch the fight. Sasuke gets curious about a few things.
"Naruto, all your clones are using Rikudo Senjutsu aren't they?" he asks.
"Yes, they are." answers the Hokage. "Caught me off guard earlier at Konoha, but his orange rinnegan somehow is able to absorb my clones, even if they're made of Rikudo Sage Chakra."
"Even Rikudo Chakra?" wonders Sasuke. "So why isn't he absorbing these ones?"
"Uh? Oh you're right! Why?" exclaims Naruto. "Maybe he got a limit or something like that?"
"That would have been an idea worth investing in…" answers the Uchiha, feeling like it's coming to an end anyway.
Momoshiki, kept busy by the clones, overhears the two ninjas' conversation and screams out.
Shinra Tensei
He creates an almighty push that repulses all the clone army and destroys them all. Sasuke makes a hyped face and turns to Naruto, like in a hurry.
"Quick, we have a few seconds before he can do this again." he says as he leaps forward to take on the Otsutsuki again.
Naruto follows. Momoshiki breathes out, sighs and looks up, tired by the constant one way action. He sees Sasuke and Naruto run over to him, and throws a black rod to each of them. Sasuke simply catches it with his bare hand, unaffected as a fellow Rinnegan user. Naruto blocks it with a Gudodama and crosses his fingers.
Kage Bunshin
Behind Momoshiki, who's worn out by the fight, two clones appear. With his Byakugan's visual angle, he sees them show up and tries to turn around. Before he can, one of the clones kicks him in the back of his leg to bring him to his knees. Together the two clones hold the enemy's arms up and still. Momoshiki opens the eyes in his palms and tries to absorb the clones, but standing behind his hands, they're out of range.
"HOW DARE YOU!" he yells, nearly defeated. "I'M A GOD, YOU INFERIOR CREATURES! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO RESIST MY ACTIONS!"
Naruto and Sasuke both prepare their signature short range jutsus and combine them together.
"Aim for his chest!" says Sasuke to Naruto. "That's how we end one of them!"
Momoshiki hears these words and panics. The Uchiha really found exclusive intel about how to kill a celestial being. But where? The super duo reaches the target together and strike with their jutsu.
Futon/Raiton – Raisengan
At the same time, the spiraling of the Rasengan spins Momoshiki's skin, and the sharp lightning of Chidori rips and pierces it. Momoshiki screams in agony as the jutsu breaks through his body and reaches his interior. In pain, he tries to move, but is still held by the clones. He feels his strength leave him, and his physical form about to be obliterated.
But just when he started to think he'd meet his end, one of the clones holding his arms disappears. Naruto looks behind Momoshiki, and sees Kinshiki. The giant just killed the clone with an ethereal red axe and freed one of his partner's hand. With his unlocked limb, he opens his palm eye wide and expels part of the Natural energy and Rikudo Chakra he's absorbed earlier.
Sentandama
He shoots it as a powerful energy beam right to his enemies' face. Reacting in time, Naruto, who was holding a Gudodama in his bare free hand, turns it into a barrier that places itself between them and the blow. Despite this black matter's durability, the blast's energy still causes it to deteriorate and lose its shape. Naruto still managed to cancel the blow, but isn't undercover anymore. Kinshiki raises his axe and swings it through the air over Momoshiki's head, aiming for Sasuke and Naruto's necks.
Ameno Tejikara
The Uchiha teleports himself away with his friend, pissed off by how close they were to end it. They see Momoshiki step back, startled, and fly higher. Kinshiki stands straight in front of them. His horn was completely broken and fell off due to Sakura's punch that knocked him out earlier.
They can now see his forehead, and what was surprisingly hidden behind the horn: a single red Rinnegan. Naruto and Sasuke look at each other, agape. This explains how he was also able to absorb chakra and Ninjutsu, and how he could also open portals. He simply also had a Rinnegan.
Kinshiki looks to Momoshiki behind him, all messed up. His clothes and hair are ruined. He has many serious wounds that he still didn't heal.
"This… isn't the fate you foresaw for yourself, son." says the old man with a heartwarming voice.
"SON?" yells Naruto, surprised by this sudden revelation.
Momoshiki doesn't say anything. He just looks, ashamed, at Kinshiki. The old man turns around to face his son.
"During the last millennium… I've spent all the time I had by your side, looking after you, serving you." tells the father. "I did all I could to deserve your forgiveness… Even though I don't feel like it… I hope I did well."
Naruto and Sasuke just look at each other, confused by this sudden speech from the heart. Naruto isn't that surprised. When he first met Kinshiki, he already seemed very humane to him. But Sasuke's unsettled. To him, Kinshiki, like Momoshiki, was just a heartless tyrant. The son doesn't say anything. He's just as confused as his opponents, and stares, eyes widely open, at his confessing father.
"I am sorry, but now seems to be the time that was foreseen for me." adds Kinshiki. "I can't escape my fate. But you can still rewrite yours. To me, the point of this travel was always to save you, not myself."
"What kind of nonsense are you telling, Kinshiki." yells Momoshiki. "Why are you showing such weakness in front of these subspecies?"
"Stop being so proud and stubborn for once!" he shouts to his son. "Look at them, look at you. We both knew the end was coming for me. Certainly, we didn't anticipate it being from humans, but this just goes to show that we aren't master of our fate yet. Now I just want to make sure you get your salute… My time has come, Son, not yours. Consume me, now!"
"… Consuming you?" asks Momoshiki.
"Yes. Absorb all of my chakra and awaken the Shigetsu no Juin." responds Kinshiki, dead serious.
"Are you a fool?" yells the son. "Shigetsu no Juin, The Divine Blood Cursed Seal, will trap your soul within me, and you won't reach the eternal rest of the Pure Land for as long as I'll live."
"I know… And it is what I wish for…" calmly says the old man. "Ahah!" He slightly laughs. "Could you believe it, Momoshiki? After neglecting you for half of your life, I spend the other half running after your forgiveness, and now, I do just as your mother did…"
Naruto listens, affected and confused. Momoshiki, looks at his father saying goodbye, and clenches his teeth, unable to properly show his feelings. He's spent nearly 2 millennia of existence acting tough and careless… After a few seconds to focus his thoughts, he rises, looks at his father and raises his hand.
"You did well… Father. You're forgiven." he says with his palm pointed at him, ridding him of his regrets.
Gakido – Sentan
With his orange Rinnegan, he vacuums in all the chakra and body of Kinshiki, who gladly lets it happen. Naruto steps forward to intervene, but Sasuke stops him. The Uchiha stands and watches, like he knows what is going on. By letting this happen, he knows he's making a dangerous gamble, but he has faith in it.
All the body, life and chakra of Kinshiki is turned into a chakra fruit that Momoshiki now holds in his hand. He stares at it, with a melancholic look, and raises it to his mouth. Rather then taking a bite, he vacuums it in its entirety inside his mouth. When he's done, he turns his head to gaze at Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, and an unbelievably powerful chakra wave emits from him.
The two heroes of the fourth war are pushed away by this strength. They struggle but manage to stand their ground, now unable to see what is happening in front of them. Naruto slightly turns to Sasuke and thinks. What did he just let happen?
At the source of this power, Momoshiki feels incredible might go through him. All upon his body and face, black markings appear. These marks flow through his skin like drops until covering over half of it surface.
His muscles grow stronger. His hair color changes to resemble Kinshiki's more. On his head, his horns get thicker, longer, bigger. They become pointy and curved to the back, and turn to white. They now look like they fused with his father's horn. On his hand and feet, his nails get longer and pointy to turn into claws. Finally, on his forehead, a fifth eye opens. A red Rinnegan, the third eye of Kinshiki.
When his transformation is complete, the chakra wave stops and he reveals himself to Naruto and Sasuke who look astonished at what he has become. He breathes calmly… and speaks.
"You two… Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, were the only ones in this world that could rival me, and this only thanks to the power your kind borrowed from my clan. Still, you had the fight of your lives, 13 years ago, against Kaguya, the princess who feared and dreaded me her whole existence. Now that I've evolved even further, neither of you or her, is comparable to me. I'm now only a step away from becoming the strongest in this universe. And this step is harvesting Earth's power. So… Now… What makes you believe or hope that you can beat me?"
Sasuke and Naruto look around and gaze at each other. Naruto doesn't know what to say, unsure of what is happening. Sasuke, who's let this happen, thinking that having only one enemy left would help, steps forward.
"Naruto… You still remember Kakashi's bell test?" he asks.
"Of course!" answers the Hokage, who steps forward with his friend.
"So you remember what the answer was." adds Sasuke.
"Sure I do!" responds Naruto, who steps forward with the 6 Gudodama he has left appearing in his back. "Team work, it is!"
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End of Chapter 42 – Next Chapter: The Divine Blood Cursed Seal Part II