POV: MENMA
"Aah." My groan cut through the confusion as a headache pounded against my skull, a relentless rhythm that threatened to split my mind apart. My vision swirled like paint on a canvas, the once vibrant greens of the forest replaced by the stark, sterile white of… what was this place? High walls surrounded me, and a glass ceiling offered a breathtaking view of twinkling stars. The moon. It seemed like a gamble at first—perhaps dying here was more likely than not.
Why did I choose this place? Oh right, when facing death, "wise decisions" tend to go out the window.
I glanced around, hoping to find some sign of others. Panic began to creep into my heart like shadowy tendrils grasping for warmth.
Then it happened. I felt my body lift off the ground as if some unseen force had taken control. "This is definitely not my idea of fun," I muttered, half expecting to die right there and there 'when did I become so unbothered by death.' I thought disappointed in myself.
That's when I saw it—a silhouette forming in the overexposed brightness. It solidified into a man, eerily familiar yet shimmering with an otherworldly aura.
Just my luck, I thought bitterly. I wake up in space, and my welcoming committee is a ghost. Fantastic.
The figure came into focus—his resemblance to the Sage of Six Paths sent a shiver down my spine, accentuated by his intense blue eyes. "Does your family have a personal vendetta against me or something?" I blurted, my irritation bubbling over.
"Hahaha, my brother does think with his fists more than his head," he chuckled, completely unfazed by my sarcasm.
"An anomaly you are!! An energy even I don't know of ." He said in amusement.
"So, are you planning to kill me or send me off to your brother or are you going to experiment on me?" I asked, not one for pleasantries when my life was on the line.
"Who said I would do such a thing?" Amusement danced across his face, and I couldn't help but feel irked by his casual demeanour.
"I'll give you a home, training, and welcome you as family," he continued, the sadness creeping into his voice. "But only if you help restore mine."
'Who do you think I am, your father?' I thought, fuming at the audacity of his request. Yet with Earth off the table, weighed down by its own disasters, I found myself at a crossroads.
Hiruzen would turn me into his personal toy soldier, and my brother would soon be hunted by the Akatsuki, dragging us both into a whirlwind of chaos. And not to mention the old alien with a god complex who seemed intent on making my life a living hell.
"How do you expect me to help your brother when he's trying to kill me?" I shot back, the absurdity of the situation gnawing at me.
"Hahaha, no child, I mean my family here. I personally gave up on my original family after the war. Too much blood and gore." He said finishing with sadness in his tone despite his earlier happy tone.
"One of your kind summoned the gedo statue from here, but your brother has some of its energy in him, so this is like rent for the both of you. Your brother will supply energy for my people and your job will be bringing back the gedo statue in the future." He said knowing full well I didn't have a choice.
"But… the moment you take action against my people or go against our deal I...will kill you child." He said with seriousness that made my skin crawl.
"Nothing is greater than family." He said with a gentle smile.
And with that, I lost consciousness.
POV: TONERI OTSUTSUKI.
I was in the ancestral when I heard a crash inside the castle. I didn't waste time and rushed over, finding a crater with three individuals lying in the middle of it, what looked like a scar in the air above them.
I was about to attack when I heard my ancestor's voice in my head."Take the injured and the blonde and treat them and come back for the other after a few minutes." The urgency in his voice startled me, but I was wise enough not to ask questions.
I sprinted into action and picked up my targets, kinda struggling while carrying the larger one, but I managed to take them to the med quarters.
POV: Hagaromo.
The attack destroyed anything in its path but I knew they were far from dead. I looked at the scar in the air and felt great rage, the rage I hadn't felt ever since my mother's reign. I shouldn't have dragged this fight for so long.
"Ahhhhaaaaaaa," I screamed in irritation and anger. I walked over and gripped the rift and used my energy to contain it. I wasn't gonna give up till that kid was dead.
I opened my palm, and the rift became bigger, but it was draining the chakra like a black hole, so I only had a second before the rift collapsed on itself, but that was enough. I seized the opportunity and walked through, appearing in a place that was all too familiar.
I looked around and saw my target beside my brother. I would make this quick and precise. I conjured a truth-seeking ball and made it into a drill and hurled it at the kid.
A smile creeped onto my face knowing full well that this disgusting existence was finally dead. But the impact I awaited never came as my brother grabbed the drill and extinguished it with a burst of chakra.
"You are not welcome here." He said in a tone I was well too familiar with. The brother who helped seal mother was here, not the jolly family-loving idiot who lived on the moon.
"I am your brother I am always allowed in your home. But I came for a specific purpose, so give me the boy, and I will leave immediately." I said with a warm smile as I eyed the kid briefly before turning my focus to my brother. It was always heart-quenching seeing my brother after such a long time.
" I am very sorry but I can't do that." He said as his chakra burst out.
"Brother, give me the boy. "I barked in hostility and impatience as my own chakra surged out.
"Who are you to order me in my realm?" He asked with a deadly tone in his voice. His soul had stayed here longer than mine, so he controlled the spiritual fluctuations and laws here, startling me.
But my resolve couldn't waver just like that; I was the sage of freaking paths; I get what I want.
"Brother, I won't say it again give me the boy. Please don't create tension between us, we are family."I said unsure of my chances against him in his own spiritual realm.
"Family doesn't sell out each other for a prophecy given by a toad, brother." He said with clear hostility as he finished.
"You don't even know him. He hurt one of my own." I protested.
"I don't know him, and frankly, that's why I don't care." He was sad.
"Forgive me, brother. Leave." He said as he banished my soul out of his home.
POV: HIRUZEN
The village was plunged into chaos, with destruction marking the once-beautiful streets of Konoha. Gaping wounds of devastation tainted her beauty, and this time, I found myself without a scapegoat.
How could I reveal to the villagers that the very sage of six paths they revered, as spoken of by Kakashi and Itachi, was the cause of our plight?
It would be ludicrous, and it would paint me as a fool.
Standing before the gathered villagers, I prepared to speak, to offer some semblance of calm amid the turmoil.
"My people, our village has been attacked, and we have suffered dearly. An invaluable protector has been taken from us—Shisui Uchiha, a prodigy who devoted his life to safeguarding this very village," I began, knowing I had their attention. "And the Uzumaki twins, innocent souls caught in this calamity." Whispers began to ripple through the crowd.
"Shisui was such a bright young man," some murmured in mourning. Yet others voiced their relief, "Those two demons are finally gone! At last, we can have peace!"
A fire ignited within me; it was time to take control.
"Shame on all of you! How dare you tarnish the names of those who have fought for your safety? After all they've sacrificed, you dare to call them demons?" My voice rose, a mix of authority and disappointment. A few heads lowered in shame while others clung to their prejudices. This guilt and shame would serve as the perfect distraction as we devised our next steps.
Then came my final stroke.
"It is also my fault," I added, weaving a web of mock humility. "If only I had shared the truth with all of you, perhaps they would not have suffered the condemnation we bestowed upon them. The reality is that they were the sons of Minato Namikaze, the revered Fourth Hokage, and they deserved that honor."
The crowd gasped collectively, shock rippling through the audience. In that moment, I held their attention, ready to reshape our narrative and strengthen their belief in me.
#Thank you for reading. Comment and review. A few power stones are appreciated as well.#