Banbutsu-Sozo. The Creation of All Things. The pinnacle of ninjutsu. The very same technique that the Sage of Six Paths used to create the nine bijuu. It involved giving form to imagination to create physical forms from nothing through the application of Yin chakra, then breathing life into the forms by infusing them with the essence of Yang chakra. The penultimate combination of Yin and Yang chakra.
Everyone believed God to be a sole entity. Everyone. Regardless of which faction they were from, it was an unspoken, unanimous assumption that the Father of angels and ruler of heaven was one person. Nobody – not even the angels themselves – had ever entertained the idea that God was really two people. After all, nobody alive, not even Michael, had seen God's face; they had only heard God's words.
Nobody except the first beings God created in this new world – the Shinto faction. They, too, had never seen God's face, but they understood that this universe was created through liberal use of chakra. They knew, that the combination of Yin-Yang was what gave birth to this vast world. Most importantly, they knew that the Yin-Yang chakra used to create them came from two people.
Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke were brothers in all but blood. Naruto led Konohagakure as its Hokage, while Sasuke protected their people from beyond the village walls as its Shadow Hokage. They studied in the shinobi academy, together. They served their village, together. They saved the Elemental Nations by sealing away Kaguya, together. They fought with one another every now and again, but their bond with one another was unbreakable, and it went beyond their feelings and relationship. Their lives were tied to each other, and when they die, they will die, together.
They didn't notice at first. Naruto married Hinata and started a family, while Sasuke did the same with Sakura. It wasn't until Tsunade had passed away and their children were approaching adulthood that the two realized they hadn't aged a day since Hagoromo imparted them with his powers. Their wives were starting to show tell-tale signs of age as strands of grey were visible in their hair and pointed out the two of them never showed signs of biological wear-and-tear. Even their strength, which usually begins to diminish as a ninja ages past their prime, had instead increased as their training was never impeded by hindrances such as back pain and weak joints, which had plagued Hiruzen and now bothered Kakashi and Guy-sensei. Naruto and Sasuke knew it wasn't long before the villagers of Konoha – and those of other hidden villages – start to notice their agelessness. The Elemental Nations had dealt with villains from generations past, and their bad experiences with ageless and seemingly immortal shinobi would make the world wary of the two of them, undoing the peace they had worked so hard to achieve. So they disappeared with their wives, leaving Konoha and the Elemental Nations in the hands of the next generation.
Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura had theories as to why they seemed ageless, but nothing concrete. It wasn't until they consulted Kurama that they had an idea of what happened to them. Hagoromo had left Naruto his Yang chakra and Sasuke his Yin after the sealing of Kaguya, effectively binding their lives to one another. If there was one irrefutable rule of the multiverse that no being could challenge, it was balance. Yin and Yang, light and dark, life and death, it was impossible to tip the scale. Naruto, with his inherited Uzumaki longevity, Kurama sealed in him, and with Hagoromo's added Yang chakra, had his life force enhanced to inhuman levels and was virtually immortal outside of combat, but since he could not die a natural death, neither could Sasuke, or the balance of Yin-Yang between them would be disrupted. Nothing except for suicide would end the lives of the two strongest shinobi.
They contemplated it at first, up until their wives had tore new holes in them for even thinking of suicide. It was a cruel fate, to watch their loved ones grow old and die while they remained in their prime, but Hinata and Sakura had faith in their husbands. They overcame countless obstacles through their lives and they would overcome this one too because they had each other. At the age of eighty-nine, Hyuga Hinata died with a smile on her face, her lover tenderly holding her hand. Two days later, Haruno Sakura followed, with Sasuke following Naruto's example. They had visited their children, under heavy disguise, to inform them of the sorrowful news, and to bring them along so that they may say their goodbyes.
It wasn't until they attended Himawari's funeral seventy years later that they decided to leave the Elemental Nations. Their job here was done. Peace had been attained and there hasn't been a war for a century and a half. They were but legends who ushered in a new era of prosperity for not just shinobi but everyone of the Elemental Nations, recorded in history books from Kaze no Kuni to Mizu no Kuni. Their time here was over. And so, with one last look in the direction of Konoha, in true Uzumaki and Uchiha recklessness, using Sasuke's Amenotejikara, the two strongest shinobi of the Elemental Nations ripped open a tear in space and stepped through, never to return.
"Hey, Teme, I'm bored. How about a spar?"
"Other than exploring this land, that's all we've been doing since we arrived, Dobe."
"Will you drop that name already? It's been what, six, seven hundred years."
"We've been here for eight millennia, idiot."
"Yeah, well, you start losing track of time when there isn't a sun and it's always dark."
"It can't be helped. We've tried jumping dimensions but it just brings us to another part of this land. It's like this land has its own energy that draws in other energy. Wherever this is, it must be a crossroad of sorts that exists between dimensions."
"Like a… dimensional gap?"
"…Hn, sort of, I guess."
"I'm telling you, Sasuke, this is going to work! Even Kurama and the others agree that we should try it out." Naruto huffed.
"Look Naruto, it's one thing to create a sun like we just did, but did you forget that it took us a thousand years of trial and error after finally getting out of the dimensional gap?" Sasuke replied while pinching the bridge of his nose. Naruto's incessant ideas were annoying him.
"Imagine it, Sasuke," Naruto insisted. "If we manage to create life, we won't be so lonely here anymore with just us and the bijuu."
Sasuke sighed. There was no changing Naruto once he made up his mind. He should know since Naruto spent years convincing him to return to his home village. He relented. "This will take us a long time. Longer than creating the sun. We need to make a planet to live on. We need to make sure that its habitable."
"Hah!" Naruto snorted. "This will be easy as stealing a scroll from Hokage-jiji. Let's do it Sasuke."
Raising his right palm, Naruto focused his abundant Yang chakra while Sasuke did the same to his left palm. They cried out in unison.
"In'yoton: Banbutsu-Sozo (Yin-Yang Release: Creation of All Things)!"
They may have pumped too much chakra into the technique and gone overboard with their attempt at creating a fully habitable planet from scratch. Instead, a huge explosion of Yin and Yang energy – not chakra – rippled through the dimension and beyond, coalescing into pockets and clouds that slowly drifted and expanded across the void. Years from now, this accidental justu overload would be known as The Big Bang. Over time, these pools of Yin-yang energy would combine and start to take shape and become stars and planets, forming the universe. As the Yin-yang energy drifted through the dimensional gap, the inherent energy existing in the gap mixed with Naruto and Sasuke's Yin-yang energy, eventually giving birth to two of the most powerful creatures that will ever exist, Ophis and Trihexa. Yet, the Yin-yang energy was so abundant it spread into dimensions beyond the gap. In a dimension where more there was more Yin than Yang due to the disruption of the dimensional gap, the Underworld was formed. Similarly, the opposite happened and established Heaven in a dimension with more Yang energy. But all of this happened over many, many years, with Naruto and Sasuke not even aware of it happening at first.
Maybe they were sentimental towards the first object they created since entering this dimension, but Naruto and Sasuke decided to terraform a planet close to the original sun they created. It took a few thousand years, but the planet Naruto and Sasuke created was finally habitable by Sasuke's standards. With the help of the bijuus and liberal use of different elements, Naruto shaped the land and seas of this new planet that he called Eden. He flourished the land with flora through Mokuton, filled oceans with Suiton, raised mountains with Doton, summoned clouds with Raiton, and built the atmosphere with Fuuton. It was the single most irresponsible use of chakra Sasuke had seen in his long life.
"Don't you think it's a bit problematic to have one gigantic landmass?" Sasuke questioned. "It impedes biodiversity."
"Relax," Naruto chuckled. "Did you forget how we formed this gigantic floating rock with Chibaku Tensei (Planetary Devastation)? The crust of Eden isn't one single shell. It shifts. Over time, it'll separate the land mass into continents."
Sasuke stared at Naruto for a full minute, unable to believe what just came out of Naruto's mouth. "…You actually thought this out? Guess you finally learned how to use your brain after ten thousand years of being around me."
"Asshole."
"Idiot."
"Emo."
"Loser."
Some things just don't change no matter how much time passes.
Naruto couldn't believe what he had just heard.
"Come again?" He asked incredulously.
Sasuke gave him the stink-eye. "I said," he repeated, "I want to try giving life to our jutsu."
Naruto, unable to wrap his head around the idea of giving sentience to a technique, deadpanned at Sasuke. "And how do you suppose we do that?" He challenged.
Unfurling a long scroll, Sasuke laid the now-ancient parchment on the earth of Eden. The scroll was intricate, a far-cry from the scroll Naruto swallowed to unlock the seal which kept Kurama at bay. The inscriptions were bordered by red bands, and in the centre of the markings, was the Uchiha clan crest. Having read a lot of them, Naruto could recognize a forbidden technique just by glancing at various markings along the scroll.
To his surprise, he recognized the technique from the scroll, having seen it in action himself. "This… this is Izanagi and Izanami… how they were invented, how to perform them, and the costs of using the two techniques."
"Correct. I need you to flood the scroll with Yang energy."
Naruto was confused. "Wouldn't that just bring the scroll to life?" Theoretically, that is what would happen if you infused life essence into an inanimate object.
"I may be able to perform the techniques using the scroll as a medium, without having to sacrifice my eyes since it is flooded with Yang energy. We give sentience to the jutsu and create a body for it."
"And then we seal the living jutsu within the body?" Naruto finished Sasuke's theory. He nodded. It might just work.
Thus, the first Shinto gods, Izanagi and Izanami, were born. From Sasuke's right eye, Amaterasu the sun goddess was created. From his left, they created Tsukuyomi, the moon goddess. Finally, by combining the powers of both eyes, they gave life to the most devastating technique of all Uchiha clansmen: Susanoo, the Tempestuous God of Valour.
The pair continued to bring life to many of their techniques. Raiton jutsu gave birth to gods from Zeus, to Thor, to Apollon. Poseidon, Sobek, Ao Guang and other water related gods were conceived from Suiton techniques. Kagutsuchi and Ares were born from Katon jutsus and so on. But the most devastating gods, Odin, Indra, Hades to name a few… were creations that were senjutsu given sentience and a body. They were walking forces of nature, so to speak. These new 'gods' were scattered across Eden in their waking moments, allowing them to live as they pleased and form their own communities. None remembered how they came to be, or why they were capable of magical abilities, eventually growing powerful enough to achieve their own feats of creation and formed their separate dimensions, having grown bored of Eden.
"Dobe, we have a problem."
Peering into the dimension that would eventually be known as Heaven with his Rinnegan, Sasuke saw, for the first time, what their accidental jutsu malfunction spawned.
People.
People with wings.
People with wings and glowing halos.
Confused people with wings and glowing halos.
"What's wrong Teme?" Naruto inquired. He was absentmindedly watching Gyuki wrestle a Brontosaurus while the rest of the bijuu cheered him on.
"Remember how you said you wanted to experiment with recreating humans?" Sasuke began. "We may have started the process already." He went on to describe what he saw in the Yang-dimension.
"Well, shit." Naruto muttered as eloquently as usual. "What do we do? Should we introduce ourselves? 'Heyyyyy guys! We sorta accidentally created you, how do you feel?'"
"No, idiot. We should observe them for a while. We need to know what we created."
And so, Naruto and Sasuke observed the race of glowing, winged humans for three decades, noting that these winged people did not age past their prime, much to Naruto's glee and Sasuke's skepticism. They also sensed a very Yang-focused power within these humans. It was blatantly obvious, however, that these humans did not know what to do beyond wandering the beautiful realm they resided, compelled to seek out something. They did not speak, did not eat, did not interact with each other. It was as if they were all just waiting for something to happen. And so, deciding to interact with the race without revealing their true identities, they contacted them as a voice. Introduced themselves as God. Taught them words, gave them names, and most of all, unknowingly gave them a purpose.
God said that they reminded him of a woman who called herself God's Angel because of their white wings. He told her story, one of a faithful woman who stopped at nothing to protect her God. A fierce warrior who protected her God's legacy even after his death. It inspired them, for they were now God's Angels. They, too, would fight to protect God, for it was He who created them, accepted them, and embraced them, despite His obvious might. They would humbly, dutifully follow the rules He laid out and serve Him for eternity, worshiping His benevolence. They would guide and protect His creations, just as He had done for them.
"Naruto." A voice in his head resonated.
"What is it, Kurama?" He replied.
"The other tailed beasts and I… We want you to create more beings like us." Kurama hesitantly approached the subject.
Naruto was confused. "Why?" What good would come from the attempted creation of more tailed beasts?
"Not tailed beasts, just… big entities. If you are serious about letting us roam this land in the future along with the humans you will recreate, it is best that there are not only nine large animals in this world. The more like us, the more likely we will be left alone." Kurama reasoned.
Naruto contemplated the idea. "I can see what you mean. More titanic creatures in this land would mean the humans would be used to them, and can get along with you guys! Alright, that's perfect!"
And so, without much thought put into it, aiming to create beats capable of matching the bijuu in power and stature, Naruto and Sasuke combined their powers like so many times before, birthing the immense beings known as dragons.
At the base of a set of never-ending stairs, a young angel with long, luscious silver hair knelt, his hands clasped in prayer as he communed with God. "Father, I do not understand… Are we not good enough?" He inquired. There was no response. He had consulted Michael first, but was dismissed with a simple sentence.
"We do not question Father. It is not our position. We obey, and we carry out His will."
Was that all there was to being an angel of the Lord? Surely, if Father loved them He would forgive them for simply asking a question. In fact, the ever-curious Azazel has always been asking questions and not once been punished. Surely it wouldn't be damning to question Father every now and then?
"Lucifer?" He heard a voice – no, a myriad of voices – call out to him. He lifted his head, his hazel eyes lightning up in recognition of the one who created him.
"Yes, Father. It's me." The silver-winged angel replied resolutely. "I wish to gain insight on your actions regarding the creation of… humans." He hesitated, testing the word on his tongue, carefully masking what little insecurities he carried within him ever since God announced His next project.
"Why must you create more? Are we, your angels, not good enough for you?" Lucifer questioned his Lord. In Lucifer's eyes, humans held no distinguishable difference from the apes his Father created before even angels were born. They grew fur on their limbs, ate with their bare hands, and, most of all, were grounded.
"Child, are you jealous of Adam and Lilith?"
Lucifer snorted. "Angels don't feel jealousy. It is a sin. I am merely curious. We are superior to humans in every way, why are they needed?"
"Careful, Lucifer. Pride is good, but excessive pride is just as sinful as excessive envy. Humans… hold sentimental value to me. They are the most adaptable creatures I have come across in my long life. You will come to love them as I have."
But it was not to be.
Lucifer fell.
'Falling' was an occurrence that the God duo did not expect. Samael was the first ever angel to fall, to the sin of gluttony. His appetite grew beyond control, so ludicrous it was that the only meals which could satisfy him were the entrails of dragons, gaining the moniker Dragon Eater. In Sasuke's eyes, Samael was an abomination, and so he exiled Samael from heaven, watching as the once chaste wings of white darkened to a deep ebony. Naruto and Sasuke concluded it was a side-effect of having been created with Sasuke's Yin essence. The process of falling mirrored that of the Sharingan's development – when love and devotion are taken away and is replaced with emptiness and hatred. God's rejection hurt Samael deeply, though not to the point where it developed into hatred for Him, but rather into self-loathing, a common feeling that fallen angels are familiar with. Samael would eventually tempt Adam and Eve into eating the Forbidden Fruit, transforming Eden into Earth.
But Lucifer fell hard.
His inability to accept that God loved humans as much as – if not more than – angels had led to a rapid festering of resentment in his heart, the Yin essence of the Uchiha clan twisting his once great love and admiration for his Father into deep, unbridled hatred. God had not rejected him, but he rejected God. His fall was so tremendous it shattered dimensional barriers, crash-landing in the then undiscovered Underworld. His once majestic silver feathers shrivelled into leathery skin, as if cringing at what he had become. And he was not alone. Thousands more angels shared Lucifer's sentiment and betrayed the faith God placed in them, among them Beelzebub, Leviathan, Asmodeus, Bael, Belial, Mammon, and Mephistopheles. Their purpose was no longer to serve the Lord, but to defy His wishes.
Thus, the race known as Devils began their rule in the Underworld.
Not long after, Youkai emerged as humans spent more time around the bijuu who were eventually set free by Naruto, but not without leaving some of their chakra so that they all remained connected. Some humans were accidentally created much like the humans from his homeland, except their chakra coils were dormant, until prolonged exposure to powerful chakra changed them. Humans and Youkai lived peacefully for many years, until one unfortunate conflict divided the two races. The bijuu and the Youkai retreated into barriers formed by chakra which allowed them to hide in plain sight, remaining secluded from humans.
War had broken out between the forces of the Underworld and the Heavenly Host. God – Naruto in particular – was disappointed in his creations. They had believed that this world they created would be free of the cycle of hatred which was finally broken in their ancestral home. The war had not escalated beyond skirmishes in certain pockets of uninhabited land on Earth, yet humans were already caught in the crossfire between the holy and demonic armies.
"The humans deserve to defend themselves." Naruto decided. "There is no reason they should suffer in a conflict that they hold no responsibility for."
"Indeed," said Sasuke while nodding his head in agreement. "We cannot give them chakra though. It will turn out like the Elemental Nations."
"No, we cannot. But we can give them tools like the ones Hagoromo wielded. Ones that are bound to the soul of their wielders. When their wielders pass on, they will manifest in another soul that is born."
"That's tedious. We should set up a system that does that without our supervision. The God System."
Naruto contemplated the idea. "That could work. What should we call these tools, by the way?"
"These will be tools capable of miracles. We should call them… Sacred Gears."
"I won't let you do this, Sasuke" Naruto gripped his best friend's arm.
According to Sasuke, humanity was in need of salvation, and they needed a messiah to set them free. His plan was to walk among the humans as a son of God, and to help as many people as possible. His plan was one that Naruto thought was, frankly, idiotic.
Shaking his head, Sasuke sighed. "There's no other way, Naruto. You can't perform miracles, not in a way humans would understand. With Izanagi, I can."
Naruto still would not budge. "You'll be hunted. The kings of humanity will not allow one known as the King of Kings to walk free." He couldn't bear to watch his brother live a life on the run again.
Sasuke scoffed. "You know they can't kill me." His left eye morphed into the Rinnegan. "I'll save them, Naruto." He slipped out of Naruto's grip and ripped a portal in space. Before he stepped through, he turned around and grinned.
"Believe it."
"This is it." Sasuke thought to himself. He laid limp, nails jammed through his hands, keeping him suspended on a cross. "A crucifixion, truly, Romans are barbaric."
He had allowed the Romans to capture, torture, and beat him. All for the sake of humanity's salvation. He had to die.
At least, he had to make the humans believe he died.
He had been crucified for hours, waiting for the moment to fake his death.
"…Do you think he's really dead?" A group of centurions whispered among themselves.
One centurion stepped away from the group, hesitantly approaching Sasuke who hung lifelessly. His helmet obscured most of his face, hiding his features from the world, but Sasuke would not mistake the verdant eyes of the man blessed with the most powerful Sacred Gear he and Naruto had created.
The Longinus. The Holy Lance. Capable of slaying gods. Imbued with the powers of Naruto's Truth-seeking Balls, it was the most powerful Sacred Gear not because it was the most destructive, but because its capacity for growth and evolution was unmatched by any other gear. Depending on its wielder, the Longinus would respond to their will and grow more powerful over time.
Indeed, this unnamed Centurion had slain many enemies of the Roman Empire with the spear. It tasted the blood of Greece, of Egypt, and now, it would pierce one of its creators. His knuckles clenched the lance, hesitantly raised it, before plunging the tip into the center of Sasuke's chest.
"Naruto… I can't let you die. You must take up the mantle of God to protect all that we've created. I've been with you for countless years, and no one is better suited to look after our worlds. Izanagi!" Before he drew his final breath, Sasuke sealed himself and the Yin seal within the Holy Lance. As a result, the Longinus developed its own form of Izanagi, aptly named Truth Idea.
Withdrawing the spear, the Centurion released a breath he didn't realize he held. The emptiness in the onyx eyes of the man who hung crucified all but confirmed one thing.
Jesus Christ was dead.
Naruto sat alone in a forest clearing, staring into the campfire which burnt endlessly. It had been centuries since the death of Jesus, and subsequently Sasuke sealing himself within the Longinus.
He had always thought death would claim them both. Now, however, he was truly immortal, as Sasuke could no longer be killed. Yet, it felt like his best friend had died and left him alone to clean up this desperate, aching world that they had created together. It was unfair. Sasuke had left him with the responsibility of God, to carry the mantle of the Lord, and to usher all races to peace.
It was hard enough when it was just humans back in the Elemental Nations. The cycle of hatred lasted generations, passed down from Indra and Asura to Naruto and Sasuke. How long will it take to break the cycle of hatred between humans, angels, devils, fallen, youkai, vampires, dragons, gods, Buddhas… "Argh! I can't even keep track of all the races on this world… not to mention the other pocket worlds that the different pantheons have created themselves!"
It was inevitable that Naruto would have to deal with the world's problems himself. Having seen conflict in the Elemental Nations play out, he had little faith the this world would find peace without his intervention. He would eventually have to reveal himself.
But for now, he was tired. He wanted to rest. Stopping Lucifer and the Satans from harnessing Trihexa's powers and sealing the beast away took a lot from even him. Without the bijuu, he had to rely on the Longinus to combat four ultimate-class devils while holding Trihexa at bay. To say the four Satans were surprised that God themselves – himself – had descended to stop their nefarious plan was an understatement. To say they were surprised God looked not a day older than twenty-one was an even bigger understatement. While Naruto could handle the Satans without much effort, it was holding back a beast whose power rivaled that of the Juubi which made the battle so much more difficult.
In the end, Naruto had killed the four devils and sealed the beast away before other entities could join the battle. When the leaders of the Biblical factions arrived at the battlefield, all that was left was scorched earth, the bodies of the four Satans, the Longinus still lodged in Lucifer's heart, and a strange headband with metal tied to the Holy Lance. Everyone knew that God reclaimed the spear after the death of the Roman Centurion. With no other body around and his weapon left behind, the supernatural world made the grave assumption that God had perished in battle. Coincidentally, when God fell in battle, the youkai were set in panic mode, frantically searching for their progenitors who had all disappeared overnight.
Michael secured the Longinus and brought it back to Heaven, his heart heavy and grieving for the loss of his Father and brothers. Zekram Bael transported the bodies of the Satans back to the underworld for burial, and Azazel walked away, head held low, feeling a the pressure of sorrow deep within his chest, clenching the headband. The three parties had agreed that the death of God was a matter to be kept under wraps, as it would bring chaos if other factions and humans were to find out the Lord was dead.
They couldn't be more wrong.
