Naruto: Tales of Ashihara
Kakumei – Arc 1: The Consumer of Worlds
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Chapter 45 - Finally Home
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"… sasuke… Sasuke… SASUKE! Wake up, Idiot!"
The Uchiha hears these words, and promptly opens his eyes. He sits up and looks around. He gazes at the sky that is ripping apart. Shaking his shoulder relentlessly, Naruto panics and tries to wake him up.
"I'm awake! Idiot!" says Sasuke.
"Quick! Back Home! The place looks like it's gonna collapse and die!" yells Naruto in his ears.
The wandering ninja looks away and sees the ambient chaos, the island on which they are turned almost upside down. In the horizon, he can see the planet collapsing, with its kernel exposed and shaking, like it's about to blow up. He now stares at the ground where Momoshiki was lying, and sees nothing. The Otsutsuki's body, after some minutes entirely turned to dust and flew away, carried by the wind.
"Kaguya, Katashiki, and these two. Makes it 4." he says. "And I don't know how much to go…"
"WHAT ARE YOU RANTING ABOUT? I'M TELLING YOU THE WORLD IS GONNA EXPLODE!" screams Naruto. "DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE OUT OF CHAKRA!"
"No, it should be okay…" says Sasuke. "Despite the look, we aren't even in another dimension. So the travel won't be too consuming."
"Well bring us back to the Kages in Shin no Kuni then!" orders Naruto.
"… Say… How do you think this bastard could return?" wonders Sasuke, thinking about Momoshiki's last words.
"Unless he did some crap like Kaguya with Kurozetsu, he can't. And good news, I didn't see him puke any black turd out!"
Sasuke doesn't answer and sits thinking. What did Momoshiki mean when he said he'll see how much he took from him and his family. What did he do?
Naruto sees Sasuke, still not opening a portal and clenches his fist. He knows exactly what he's thinking. Still sitting on the ground next to him, he promptly, but violently, punches his Uchiha friend in the face. Sasuke's head twists. It hurts. He turns back, angry, to Naruto and sees him suddenly standing up.
"Great! We've killed this space invader… And? Kobo's still dead, is it? Is that what you're whining about?" yells the Hokage. "I warned you, Sasuke. Vengeance won't solve anything. You should know it already. What did killing Itachi or Danzo bring to you? Nothing! But this time, it's different. It wasn't just vengeance. You saved the world. You saved me. You saved your family and all of Konoha… Sure, you couldn't save Kobo, but he'll live…"
Naruto leans forward and holds his clenched fist forward, reaching for Sasuke's chest. He lies his closed fist against his friend's heart.
"Just like your brother, Pervy-sage, Neji, Himari…" adds Naruto. "As long as we're here, and happy, they'll live on!"
Sasuke looks, amazed, at his best friend. He's known him for over 20 years. He knew he was the kind of guy to think and speak like this, but surprisingly it's the first time he tells such a thing to him. He smiles and raises his hand. Naruto grabs it and helps him stand up.
Once on his feet, Sasuke takes a look back at the hill where they ended this fight, recalling how they managed to corner Momoshiki. Suddenly, he remembers something odd about the fight. Specifically about the moment where Momoshiki attempted to use Space-Time ninjutsu to absorb Naruto's Rasengan.
"Naruto… Do you think that someone else gave us a hand back there?" he asks.
"Just now? What do you mean?" answers the Hokage, confused. "Surely not! We nailed it. He had no way to escape. We had him cornered… Honestly, when he tried the black spiral thing again, he had me worried for a moment, but you stopped it. Well done!"
"I'm glad you mention this, because it wasn't me." answers Sasuke. "I couldn't see it. I did feel the breach opening, but as soon as I noticed it, it closed."
"You're telling someone else with the same counter jutsu helped us?" complains Naruto. "One of the guys Momoshiki yelled about?… No, Impossible. Why would they help us against one of theirs?"
"This clan is full of enemies." suggests Sasuke. "It isn't the first time. Now that I think of it, years ago, against Kaguya, there was a thing. When you rushed to cut off her arm, I couldn't believe she let it happen."
"… Me neither, honestly… I jumped off, got to her in an instant and oddly, she didn't react at all." Naruto doubts. "You think that someone gave me a hand?"
"Kaguya must have thought you used Shunshin. But even if you did, I doubt it would have tricked her senses… When I first met Momoshiki, there was a third Otsutsuki who had a jutsu that did a leap through time. Maybe this was it…"
Naruto tries to think about it. Momoshiki stopped mid fight to yell at invisible people, which seemed to mean he had enemies watching from somewhere out in space. Maybe Kaguya had the same enemies, and these people are somehow taking advantage of Sasuke and him to defeat their foes. He's suddenly forced off his train of thought by a loud thunderous clap emanating from the collapsing planet kernel.
"Welp! Let's leave this for later. For now, we really gotta get away." he says with an amused but panicked face.
"You're right… Let's go home." answers Sasuke as a black rift appears and engulfs them both.
They disappear from the dying world's surface and return, after nearly a day, to Shin no Kuni, where they left the rest of the Kages and Sakura worried.
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They reappear just in front of the 5 ninjas sitting, waiting for the coming of medical troops that they ordered for evacuation. Sakura sees her teammates return and immediately stands up. She jumps to her husband's neck. All the 4 Kages stand up and look to the Hokage, all beaten up but alive.
"What happened?" asks the Mizukage.
Naruto doesn't answer. He watches Sasuke and Sakura hug each other and smiles. He then turns to the Kage, steps forward and, not saying a single word, just gives a thumbs up before falling forward, letting the tiredness of the battle finally take over. Gaara precipitates himself to his friend and catches him before he falls. He holds the Hokage almost sleeping again and smiles.
"You'll tell us about it later, I think." he says. "For now, you need a rest."
All the Kage, Sakura and Sasuke laugh together, relieved that the battle finally ended.
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Far away, really far away, out of the solar system, floating in space out of any orbit is a strange planet. A red planet, with many asteroid rings, that is about 4 time the size of Earth. On its mostly desert surface, in a dark crystal palace, in a large council room, there is a pentagon table in the middle.
Sitting at each side of the table is a different figure. Each of them are pale, dressed all in white, black and only a few colors. Among them, a short wise looking woman, with long hair that reach her feet, looks around to see if everyone else is listening. She has two little gray horns, pointing down above her ears, that look like those of a great horned owl, but not made of feathers. Her face, despite being very childlike, inspires her great wisdom. Her eyes are a pair of Byakugan, but with the tomoes of the Sharingan.
"I've consulted Sakitsuki." she says. "It appears that… Momoshiki was really defeated in his battle for Earth… By the same two humans that defeated Kaguya and Katashiki. Asura and Indra, the last reincarnations of Kaguya's grandsons."
Kami Musubi
To make sure everyone comprehends what she just spoke about and who she referred to, she uses a Genjutsu to project 3D images of the fight that took place hours ago, like holograms on the table.
Seeing this, the four others react differently. First, a young looking man, with an oddly humane colored skin, mid-long pointy beige hair going down his neck, thick pointy curved horns above his ears, and no pupils in his blind severed blank eyes, expresses his surprise, but doesn't care much.
"These guys are strong, despite being human." he says as they are shown the moment when the ninjas' armored fox clashed with the stone gorilla. "Momo wasn't just anybody. He was probably more powerful than half of us… What a shame…" he adds before noticing a red ethereal weapon appearing in the ape's hands. "Wait, is that the old Kinshiki's jutsu?"
"He consumed him minutes before transporting the battle to another world." explains the woman casting the illusion as she changes the setting to show the event she is referring to. "He therefore awakened the forbidden seal. Shigetsu no Juin."
"Looks like his father also had a Kinjutsu." comments the young one upon seeing Kinshiki's forehead without its horn. "I didn't know he had a Rinnegan there."
Next to him, a very tall lady, above 2 meters tall, clenches her fist and slams it on the table. She has long pink hair barely covering her ears and strapped behind her shoulders, going down her back to her thighs. She has two thick dot eyebrows, the same color as her hair, above her pair of Byakugan. Over her forehead, she has two gray-brown straight antelope horns. She's wearing a beautiful long white qipao dress and has a magatama necklace tattooed around her bust. Her face looks a lot like a less mature, more extrovert Kaguya.
"This really sucks! I liked that guy!" she says, as she opens her fist and lies her fingers and red clawy nails on the table. "If it wasn't for our policy about not interfering, I would have gone and finished them off myself to avenge Momo."
Another man sitting at the table in front of her turns his head when she says this. He's hiding his whole body in a white hooded mantle with red interior. Under his hood, his whole face is hidden behind a black mask with just a red Magatama around the right eye. This eye, a red Rinnegan, is the only part of him that is visible.
"Don't tell such things, Yasona." he says to the beautiful tall woman. "You know that the Uchiha's life is mine to take. And Naobi…" he adds, turning to the shorter but older woman who spoke first. "Don't call him Indra. He doesn't deserve this name."
"For what reason would you follow such a policy?…" suddenly says the leader, the last person, sitting at the largest side of the table. "If you wish to go and face them now, you can. I do not think I would stop you. But what would be the point? The consumer of worlds is not done with life anyway."
Yasona, the tall woman, looks at him, surprised that he even bothered speaking. Pissed off by his few words, she stares at the ruler of her kind and answers.
"Then we'll have to wait until the Tenshin, the celestial judges, find and revive him."
"He probably already planned his own reincarnation." responds Naobi, the wiser woman. "Moreover, the judges shouldn't help him. They shall pursue him as the murderer of his father now."
"Tsk! Naobi!" yells Yasona. "How can you be so heartless about it? Should I remind you it is your brother and nephew's deaths that we're discussing?"
"Lady Naobi's right." says the youngest one again. "Momo may have gotten stronger, but he is close to nothing compared to the judges. Even with the forbidden Shigetsu no Juin, I doubt that he'd stand a chance against that other cursed old man."
Yasona doesn't answer, just puffs her cheeks and looks away in a sassy way. After a few seconds of silence, Naobi resumes, as she is the one who asked for this council.
"My pupil will keep us informed about the Uchiha and the Hokage's doing, and keep an eye on the Meiton and Koton user, as well as on his son." she says, turning her head to the leader. "Just as you asked, my dear, Yamitsuki."
Everyone from this higher council, sitting above everything that exists, suddenly make patient and serious faces, and look to the same direction.
Hyakki Otsutsuki, descendant of the fallen queen mother, god of destruction, the youngest of this council, blinded by his severed pair of Byakugan. Tokubei Otsutsuki, the single Rinnegan user, hiding his face and body, both wounded in result of an old battle, behind a mask and outfit that even the Byakugan can't see through. Yasona Otsutsuki, the goddess of chaos, lust and beauty, mistress of the 6 senses. Naobi Otsutsuki, the goddess of order, good fortune and purity, mistress of reality, worshiped as deity in the lands of Heart, bride to the one ruler of all that is.
They all look at their leader, the Dragon sage, Yamitsuki Otsutsuki. He's an old looking man, with complete white pointy hair that fall down his neck and a white goatee on his chin. Above each ear, emerging from his hair, he has 3 flat vertical horns arranged in croissant size. He's wearing a long white open mantle with a high collar and under this, a black overall and a red scarf tied around his waist. In his eyes, a pair of Sharingan, appearing like straight and red swastikas.
As all his colleagues are looking at him, he sighs and speaks.
"I… as always… could not care less about your personal decisions. I just advise that we do not interfere with this world for now. Keeping distances is the best thing to do… as always. For now Momoshiki and Kinshiki left the livings. It is all that we have to keep in mind after this council… So, until next time, …"
"Who's gonna tell Urashiki?" promptly says Hyakki, breaking his serious and interrupting the sovereign's order. "I'll do. I'm dying to see his reaction."
Yamitsuki doesn't mind it and resumes.
"… So until next time, Shinden, divine lords, go back to your preoccupations. Return to your territories, and look after your worlds… Or do not. As I said, and as always, I could not care less."
Yasona and Hyakki stand and leave first. Yamitsuki stays sitting here with the masked man. He moves his eyes to see Naobi who's still there too.
"You are also asked to leave, Naobi." he tells her.
The goddess stares at him, concerned and worried. "Your speeches are too vague. You'll end up inciting them to break the abstention from Earth." she says before she instantly vanishes from her place.
Now alone in the room with the ruler, Tokubei speaks to him in his mind.
"With this vagabond being gone, there's only 2 Rinnegan users left that I know of."
"…" the Dragon Sage looks toward him and thinks to answer. "There are 4."
"4? I can believe that I forgot about one, who may be on Earth, but 2?" questions Tokubei, refusing to believe that the unique Kinjutsu he is known to be born with is still that common.
"Two on Earth. Two among ours. All one-eyed. No pair remains." explains the sovereign. "And in my humble opinion, you may be one of the 2 weakest."
"Pffff… What does this mean?" exclaims the masked one. "One of us has a mightier Rinnegan than mine? And you dare to say the last Uchiha is stronger than me?"
At first Yamitsuki doesn't answer. He just looks very seriously at Tokubei, letting him know how sure he is of what he tells. Seeing his friend's disappointment, he justifies his thought.
"His Dojutsu may be the strongest eye currently owned by a living being, excluding mine. After all, it is a tomoed Rinnegan, unlike yours… However, also unlike you, this Sasuke Uchiha remains completely human. His eyes may be more powerful than yours, but his body could not keep up yet."
Tokubei is pleased by this last assumption. Sasuke is human, which means that his body can be harvested at death. His left eye can therefore be collected as a trophy. Leaving this thoughts aside for now, the masked man brings back the original topic of the discussion.
"But despite his death, Momoshiki shall inevitably return. We both know that nothing stops the Tenshin from doing their job."
Yamitsuki stands up, revealing his great size of 1.96 meters. Still in his mind, he answers to the masked man.
"I know how the judges complete their tasks. After all, I have let my last loyal pupil be a part of them…"
"About him…" calmly interferes Tokubei, remembering something he forgot to mention. "My son told me that his student, Kojin's daughter, ran into the fake Indra in one of Kaguya's libraries."
"…" The Dragon Sage shows no worries. "Considering her talents, she probably got away without being noticed or seen."
"Indeed." answers the masked Rinnegan wielder. "My son tasked her with collecting data about Earth's history of war, so she went to find what the founder of this world had to tell about it, but Sasuke was there too, probably looking for clues about us. He didn't find her, so as you order, no interference. We may send someone to clear the place, just in case."
"… Whatever…" says the Dragon Sage before coming back to the topic of Momoshiki's passing again. "… I do not think Momoshiki would enjoy being revived by the father of Hyakki." he says. "The Tenshin still have long to go before their return to this world. Until then, I shall prevent the reincarnation of Momoshiki myself. Unfortunately for him, he is not apart of the future I wish for this universe."
"So you're the only one allowed to interfere, at least in a slight way, Lord Yamitsuki?" asks the masked man. "What about me? When will I get to kill the fake Indra?"
"Not for now. Be patient, Tokubei." answers the dragon sage.
"Nobody can hear us, Lord. You don't have to use this name." the masked man says, referring to a secret only they know.
"The kingdom of Kaguya does not matter much to me." adds Yamitsuki, ignoring this last remark. "All I want from it, as you know, and as always, is the saying of the Dragon Emperor to be fulfilled. Naruto Uzumaki… it got to be him. If not, then his world is not worth existing."
Right after these words, to avoid telling more about his own intentions, Yamitsuki Otsutsuki leaves the room, disappearing in a space warping spiral, and lets Tokubei sit alone. After a minute of solitude, thinking of his own plans, the last of the Shinden leaves too, through a gate of Yomotsu Hirasaka.
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In the village of Konohagakure, over two days have passed since Naruto has disappeared. One evening of this month of September, Izuna walks the busy streets of the village with Tsunade who, as always, is taking care of the kids when Sakura isn't there. The 5th Hokage holds the boy's hand while carrying Sarada in a baby carrier strapped to her back. In her other hand, she carries a bottle of sake that she's almost drunk completely. Annoyed by her obligations to look after these kids and the current tension due to the Hokage's disappearance, she couldn't resist buying some alcohol to drink the stress away.
Tottering around, helped walking by the Uchiha kid, she looks down at his worried face. Before she even asks what's up to his mind, the boy starts ranting about his feelings.
"I miss Mom." he starts. "I know… She may be the only one still working who can heal Lord Hokage, but it sucks that she had to go. It sucks that Lord 7th let himself lose against these invaders. I know he had no choice, but now… He, Mom, and all the other Kages' lives all depend on who? The weirdo that had to be my dad… How's this guy supposed to save everyone from an enemy that even Lord 7th didn't beat? Plus, he already fought these dudes and lost, Kobo's dad even died."
Tsunade listens until he's done, and just smiles.
"Don't worry kid, Mom and Naruto will be juuust fine!" she answers. "Believe it! If it's up to the darkish roaming loner that is your father… you should trust me about it…"
"You're drunk, granny." says the kid. "I can't trust you about anything right now. About that, I should probably take Sarada."
Tsunade stares at him, surprised by how these mean words were. Izuna sees her concerned face, and starts to feel bad, like he said something he shouldn't have.
"Sorry but… Mom would really be mad if she found out you've been drinking with us around." he explains.
"Well, luckily for me, Mom's not around, is she?" answers Tsunade.
Around them, All the people of the village start running down the alley together, all hyped and joyful. Izuna looks around confused before realizing where they're all going to: the village's main gate. Tsunade puts off her sad face and throws her bottle away.
"Naah! About your dad. As I said… Should trust me on this." she says, thinking she knows what is going on.
Izuna lets go off her hand and runs to follow everyone. At the gate, he digs through the crowd and randomly finds Boruto in it, doing the same as him. The Hokage's son is holding his little sister in one arm, and lugging his mother around by the other hand. Together the two kids with Hinata and Himawari reach the front of the crowd and see what got everyone gathering like this.
They see the 3 members of former team 7, all looking tired, but back as victors.
"Naruto!" exclaims Hinata, who lets go off her son's hand and runs to her husband.
"Mom!" shouts Izuna who sees his parents with the Hokage and runs to her arms.
Boruto, distanced by his friend and his mother, watches over to his father and his teammates, and follows, still carrying his sister. Hinata throws herself to her husband's neck, reassured by his return, putting an end to her days of deadly worries. Izuna reaches his mother and frenetically hugs her against her waists.
Naruto, who was cheered up by the glorious reception of his fellow villagers, is even more surprised and delighted by his wife's reaction. His son arrives to him too and, more calmly, just smiles and nods his head in respect. Naruto laughs and does the same. He raises his arms and hugs Hinata back.
Sasuke looks around to see the wide crowd of people clapping and celebrating for their Hokage's return. Among them, he sees Tsunade dig her way through and reach the front, still carrying his daughter. She looks at the Uchiha and smiles, failing to hide away her drunkenness. Sasuke notices it, but doesn't care and just smiles at her, nodding his head. Watching at the villagers, for the first time, he doesn't see a single mean or leery look. Only applauds and cries of joy. He thinks, and admits to his self that Naruto was right. It never should have been about vengeance.
Izuna lets go off his mother and looks to his father, who successfully returned with both his mom and the Hokage. Standing in front of Sasuke who's holding around his wife's shoulders with his right arm, the kid points his right fist at him for a fist bump.
"Thank you…" he shyly says. "For now,… we're good."
With his other hand, he pulls up the white replacement cloak that his father is wearing, given to him by the medical team of Suna. Expecting to find his father's left arm to grab for a hand shake, he sees nothing but a ripped half empty sleeve. Shocked and startled, he steps back and falls on his ass. Sasuke and Sakura look at each other in the eyes, amused by this situation, and laugh. Sasuke tightens his arm and bring Sakura closer against him. Sakura hands her arm to her son to help him up.
"Don't worry." says the wandering ninja to his son. "This lost limb is from a long time ago. It isn't new."
Izuna grabs his mother's hand and stands up, still unsettled. Naruto, holding on his wife and son's shoulders, looks aside to the Uchiha family. He turns to the crowd and speaks up.
"Everyone! Thank you for this greeting!"
After these few words, people cheer louder for a moment before letting him resume. He smiles and gazes through the crowd.
"Without Sakura, standing there, I wouldn't have waken up from there. She saved me!" he adds as everyone acclaims the number one medic-nin of the Shinobi union.
Sakura laughs, a bit embarrassed and waves at everyone. Naruto sees her, and then looks at Sasuke.
"And Sasuke… saved everyone! Without him, I wouldn't have made it home. No one would have!" exclaims the Hokage.
Everyone applauds again for the Hokage's brother in arms, that once again, returned victorious from a battle. Sasuke sees everyone, cheering with no hesitation, despite his name and face, that he himself still can't dissociate from his past. Sakura smiles and looks at him. She lifts her arm and holds on her husband's hand to that is resting on her shoulder. Sasuke turns his head to look at her.
"So, mister Uchiha, don't you think it's time for you to take a little break, and come over?" she asks, with a flirty voice.
Sasuke looks at her, agape for no reason. He turns to his son and to the crowd. For the first time since the war, he's finally feeling home. He looks back at Sakura, who's still waiting for an answer. He should probably say no, as the latest events of this fight only hint for many more mysteries to solve and threats to face, but he can't refuse such a warming proposition.
"Sure! I can do that." he answers with a smile on his face.
Sakura cheers and bounces to his neck, hugging him again and spinning him around. Sasuke, now facing the Hokage, stares at him. Naruto proudly looks back and gives him a thumbs up. The Uchiha lightly nods, gratefully, to the 7th Hokage.
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Around the same time, in the emptiness of space, millions of kilometers away from Earth, a black hole vanishes away. After half a week of existence, its pull was about to start affecting Earth and Moon's rotation. Fortunately, as the caster of the jutsu was defeated, the celestial object is forced to disappear.
As soon as it vanishes, just where it sat, an intense bright light escapes, not absorbed by the hole anymore. The white hole, source of this flash, disappears and the one who created it in an attempt to oppose the singularity's suction, falls back, but still in space.
After a few minutes, he, the Daitengu, opens his eyes, the three of them, and wakes up alone in this void.
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End of Chapter 45 – Next chapter: The new Kage Council
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End of The Consumer of World Arc – Next: The Curse of Time