Devastation
AN(Author's Note): The final part of the trilogy. Kikai-Tekina Teikoku is the title, I am gonna go ahead and tell you the translation is "Mechanical Empire". I had planned on putting a summary of Sekai Saikyō No and Hebi To Manto for you people too lazy/discouraged to read the first two parts, but after skimming just Part 1 and attempting to write one; there is waaaaay more need-to-know information than I can write in a few paragraphs.
Remember if the chapter is a decimal, ie: Chapter 20.2, 20.3, etc., it is either a past event or something that is happening meanwhile during the same numbered chapter. Review if you have time, but no "flaming". It's just cruel. Finally, as a change, I am going to write in this "left" format for seemingly easier readability. That's it, here is the story.
This white space was a familiar area for Naruto. He had seen it multiple times already in many situations, but only during the most dire moments would he be here. This alternate dimension created by himself using the powers of the Master Sage mode. This magic was received a few months ago during the crisis against Jastin and since then been easier to control.
Naruto straightened the white robe overlayed on his original orange and black jacket and pants, which were ripped here and there from the circumstances occuring. An attempt to finish off Orochimaru, this time permanently.
Naruto's opponent was untouched, both clothing and body, at least visually. In reality Orochimaru was wounded far too many times to be counted with two hands, yet his immense pool of chakra allowed him to recover each and everytime with multiple counterattacks. He put up a tough front but his hidden fatigue was beginning to show. This battle had been ongoing for nearly three hours.
"What stamina you possess. I am, if anything, impressed. Nine Ta–... I suppose I can't call you that anymore." Orochimaru snickered, his mood was untouched by the lurid body he controlled.
"Why won't you just die!?" Naruto struggled for a deep breath of the artificial oxygen that filled the white space. "You monster..."
"Now now... Do you you have to resort to name calling? I can see through your power, its almost run its course so would you be so kind as to release it?"
"N-No... Not until we're finished..." Naruto wobbled into a battle position, holding out the brown oak staff with the small blue gem crafted in the middle of the tip. "Let's go Ice!" He shouted, calling upon an enormous pillar of ice from the white ground. It materialized as water under Orochimaru and froze once it hit the sky, leaving him stuck, unable to move. "Gotcha!"
The ice glistened, as if to tell Naruto to attack. The pillar's advice was taken in an instant; Naruto gathered an orb of chakra at the end of the staff, pushing the limits of how much energy remained in Master Sage mode. "Sage Rasengan!" He slammed the staff into the ice pillar, shattering it to pieces, then continued to ram the ball into Orochimaru's smiling face. "I will end this now! Konoha will be saved!"
"Hahahahah! If only it were so easy!" His sinister voice gloated.
"Just DIE!"
The world fell apart around them both, Naruto could no longer keep it together with such a low amount chakra remaining. A illuminating flash blinded out everything visible by both ninja, sight then returned to them, now across from each other standing in rubble unharmed.
"What...the hell?" Naruto ignored his enemy entirely, being caught off guard by the scenery of wreckage. He tightened his grip around the Sage's staff, full of sudden rage. "Where are we at?"
The sight was horrible. The entire ruin was leveled but differed greatly. It outstretched as far as Naruto could see in every direction, the only notably changes were a few small craters surrounding one that was nearly one hundred times larger that dug far into the earth. Only a few bodies littered the ground, although those were more than enough to disgust him.
"Where is this?" Naruto continued to gape over this travesty. "Orochimaru! Where is this!?" He turned to the enemy for answers.
"Where? Well... You are the one that has mastered the sage power. You should know where you are being spit out." Orochimaru lectured, his sly voice disturbed Naruto. "Hahaha... But if you really must know." He stretched out his arm and pointed to the east of them, directly right.
Naruto followed the target of finger with his eyes. A large pile of what looked to be a mountain of some sort was the location. Some of the rocks had a familiar tan coloring. This did not sate his curiousity for the question remained unanswered. "What?"
"Hmhmhmhm... Hahahahaha!" Orochimaru chuckled as hard as he could. "You truly are incompetent. Hard to believe how much fatigue you inflicted on me over these past hours. Fool! Feast you eyes upon Konohagakure!"
"Wh..." Naruto's brain finally remembered the familiar rock. The Hokage Stone Faces. "N-No... No. No no no no no noooo!" Denial flooded his head without any reason for being there. "What the hell!?"
Orochimaru examined the entire field around them. Joy was overflowing his existence but confusion had found its way in as well. This very well does seem to be the village but... This place looks to be abandoned– has been for at least month... I suppose I must have Kabuto enlighten me on this 'Sage Magic'. Ah, if Kabuto managed to escape in time. Warusuke did, no doubt. The Sound ninja four... No, almost certain.
Naruto punched Orochimaru in the stomach with all his remaining strength. "Why did you do this!?" He let loose a second face punch and a final neck kick to throw the Sound ninja many meters back. "It...wasn't supposed to be like this. We were supposed to win."
"You..." Orochimaru got off the rubble and wiped away the blood from his mouth. "You really are a child. It seems that you haven't aged with your body– unlike Sasuke. Without the beast sealed within, you are just a child."
Naruto was overwhelmed by this, it never once occured to him that the village would fail to be protected. He let out a deep breath, allowing the Sage power to recede, along with the robe and staff. Orochimaru grunted then suddenly tumbled to the ground, a mysterious man was behind him, a small silver dagger in hand. "Who the hell are you?" A response left Naruto's mouth before he himself had realized it.
"The newest replacement for the Knight Order's top three generals. But... You probably want my name, right?" The man laughed cheerfully, he seemed to have experience but did not look a day over twenty-five. His hair was short and spiked with a sort of aqua blue color, aiding his happy look. Spread about the village were people wearing the same bright silver armor that he did. "Name's Leon Kuwagawa. I am here with the expedition squad; to scout any anomalies in the ruins. Don't bother introducing yourselves, Orochimaru and Naruto Uzumaki, we knew you both would pop up eventually."
"You did? No...wait. Is this really Konohagakure!?"
"Of course silly. Look." He dropped down to pull the carcass of a dead body from the rubble, it was a Leaf Jonin in his middle ages. "See. Look at that leafy headband."
"Bu... How!?" Naruto ignored this man's ignorance to ask the only question that mattered to him.
"Geez. You are like reeeaaally stupid bro. Two meteors, summoned by some sort of obviously forbidden jutsu, collided with Konoha. It's pretty severe you know. An entire twenty miles around this place has been effected with some sort of damage. Since the village was the place of impact, it was annihilated."
"When did all of this happen?"
"Ehhh... I believe about ten years ago."
"What!? What the hell!?" Naruto panicked. "Where is everyone!? Wha–"
Leon interrupted Naruto with an obnoxious laugh. "Ahahah...ahah... It... It was a joke..." He snickered while trying to regain composure. "It happened twenty-two days ago..."
Naruto shook his head, worry and anger as well as a multitude of other emotions overtook him, until he settled on what to say. "What did you do to Orochimaru?" His eyes hovered over the Sound ninja who was completely immobilized.
"Yeah... Forgot 'bout him... This dagger is coated with a special poison made from a load of other poisons. As well as a special blade that neutralizes the bodies immune protection. Combined they not only kill all white blood cells and immunities, they turn the bodies own defenses against itself. So he is being killed by the second by his own body."
"What's to stop me from escaping this body?" Orochimaru calmly asked.
Leon pretended to be confused. "I don't know... Only the paralysis poison I mixed in and..." He stomped down hard on Orochimaru's torso. "My foot."
"So this almost a month in the future?" Naruto continued his search for answers.
Leon stared down at Orochimaru with a small smile. "You got it. I suppose the reason has to do with whatever power you attained to rival Jastin? Mastering the Sage mode..."
Naruto nodded, a sudden realization hit him in the head. "Hold on! Where is everyone? My friends a-and the villagers? And Sakura!?"
"Calm down. Of the oh... Thirty thousand people living here... about fifteen remain. Maybe a little less. I don't know about any of your friends and by Sakura, do you mean Sakura Haruno?"
"Y-Yeah. Is she okay!?"
"Not a scratch on her...dead body."
"What!? No... This can't be happening..."
"No indeed. It was a joke. She is in perfect health as far as I know."
Naruto again brushed off this strange man's ignorance. "Where are they?"
"They aren't too far but it will be a small journey. Of course, I am here to escort you to them." Leon signalled a few of the troops to give up searching and spread the word to the whole squad. "I trust you will comply?"
"Yeah. If you don't mind me asking a huge load of questions along the way." Naruto agreed to travel with Leon, despite his suspicious answers.
"No problem. I am really a people's person so it won't bother me in the slightest." He walked past Naruto toward where the gate once stood, his armor clanked and clacked with each step, it was heavy yet did not look at all overencumbering.
"Woah. What about Orochimaru?" Naruto asked.
"Don't worry, he'll die in minutes." Leon laughed again. He seemed to be able to with very little provoking; another trait of his cheerful demeanor. "Come with me, I have a carriage outside the gate."
Naruto nodded in compliance, a large quantity of question weighed down his mind, almost slowing each step. This single month seemed to have held a lot more history than years could manage, perhaps even world changing history.