Greetings readers, this is my second story I've been thinking of for a very long while, and have finally decided to get it started. I'm going to try a different approach with this story, and will ATTEMPT make the chapters a bit shorter, to see if I would be motivated to write up chapters more quickly, which may result in a chapter being uploaded in separate "sequences" depending on the length. This story was greatly inspired by a personal favorite video game series, and also inspired by an original fantasy story I've been working on. This is going to make my first story look short, in terms of total length, assuming it is ever finished, as this is incredibly lengthy. Regardless, I hope you enjoy, and I always love to have responses.

Disclaimer: I disclaim ownership of any works of other people that may be included in this, but I DO claim ownership of the original devices from my personal works, et cetera, et cetera…

And most importantly, enjoy and review.

Chapter One:

Hellish Misadventures

It was war, plain and simple. The village of Konoha was thrust into chaos, as all the lands around, both near and far, were all fighting a pointless war, a futile conflict. The world was enshrouded in darkness, the very fabric of that which holds together humanity and separates man from beast was forgotten, and in its absence violence, revolt, and hatred have arisen. Vacuums of power were created as smaller countries began warring, leading inevitably to the addition of the largest countries. In the midst of this worldwide war of attrition, there was a young prodigy, a young jounin, Minato Namikaze. In his home village of Konohagakure, he was known as a genius, a truly powerful opponent whose tactics, intelligence, and cleverness would leave his mark in the annals of history forevermore, as it was both his hubris and intellect that saved the world indirectly in ways few could dream of…

"Minato, are you sure? Surely you know how dangerous this is, and you know we need your help in this war. We have a chance with you as you are, but if you fail at this project and become injured or worse, there is no hope…" an old man in white robes worriedly spoke to a blonde man in a green flak jacket in a dark room filled with scrolls, some open, some stored, some haphazardly scrawled on. "Hokage-sama, I know this seems risky, but trust me, after all my calculations and experiments, I know that without a doubt, this will possibly work," answered the blonde man. "Possibly! You risk our future, our families, our people, our lives on chance?"

"Possible or not it may be, but I'm even more certain that the injury probability is very low, if not nonexistent. Don't worry, old man. Trust me."

The older man sighed deeply, knowing his choice would either doom or save his entire country. "Explain it to me again, then, with great detail. I want to be sure you know what you're doing before you do it. I want to know this will give us the upper hand, especially against Iwa." The blonde nodded before shuffling across the room to an oak desk, covered with partially written scrolls and notes, before grabbing a few to point out a few notable points of interest to the older man. "You see, this ability would be using seals and a variation of reverse-summoning, like what Jiraya-sensei and I once discussed with you. Essentially a fixed point is given an exit seal, and when I channel my chakra toward it, I should, theoretically speaking of course, be reverse summoned to the point I choose instantly. Of course, the possibilities are endless, as are the distances traveled. So if a spy could affix a seal to the Tsuchikage…"

"I see. That is again, marvelously useful in theory, Minato. We have no idea how dangerous this could be, or if it would even work…"

"I give you my word, Sarutobi."

The old man sighed again, stressed far beyond normal human limits. This war and its problems were severely impairing his judgment as of late. "I'll acquire top available jounin and ANBU within the hour. Have it ready to test."

True to the old man's word, within the hour, a small group of thirteen shinobi were situated in the same faintly lit chamber, although now the floor had a rather large seal on it, and a small secondary seal had been sketched on a slip of paper, and yet another on Minato's torso. The Hokage had just rallied this small group, who had no idea what was going on.

"Comrades, it is time to reveal to you the truth of our secret "project" that Minato, Jiraya, and I have been working on. This little project of ours has the ability to turn the war in our favor, and end it. However… we do not know if it works." The Hokage stopped for but a moment, allowing the situation to settle. "I've assembled you, the best of the best I have available here in the village, and it is you who will help us test this ultimate power. Now, Minato, if you are ready…?" The blonde nodded to the older man. "Yes, then. Please take an empty spot around the seal, and channel a constant flow of chakra. We'll have to hope for the best…"

Minato nodded before affixing the paper seal to the solid stone wall nearby, before stepping into the center of the circular seal, already glowing with supernatural energy. He could feel the rush of extraneous chakra coursing through him, but he knew he had to focus. He completed many seals in a short amount of time, focusing intensely while his comrades struggled to keep the flow constant. He finally ceased and slammed his hand into the ground, similar to summoning jutsu, except something absolutely unprecedented happened. They expected him to disappear, and appear by the seal in the wall successfully. What they didn't expect was…

"I told you it was possible, it shouldn't surprise you we failed with the original jutsu."

"You could've died!"

"But I didn't, now did I?" asked Minato jokingly.

"This is no time for games!" shouted a still worried Hokage. "Just… tell me what this is. What have you done?"

The other shinobi stood in awe, seeing the produced effect of something other than intended.

Before them, on the wall where the seal tag once was, a swirling vortex churned slowly on the wall like a thick violet and red gaseous black hole, glowing eerily but making not a sound.

"Hokage, this is… this isn't what we wanted but… Nothing like this was even considered as a possible failure of my technique. I think this is… this is a portal to another world, perhaps..."

The Hokage thought for a moment, listening to the slight shuffling of nervous ANBU and jounin around him and Minato. "Minato… is it dangerous? Could someone… something come through it?"

"No, Hokage-sama, I think that it is only possible for us to travel through, since it was our chakra that activated it. Of course, that's simply conjecture…"

"Well, for safety's sake, could we close it? I'm not sure I like having a portal to another world in Konoha's top-secret military base."

"Assuredly, all we would have to do is obliterate this seal, and the portal would vanish, but I implore you Sarutobi, let me study it. Perhaps it could be of some use to us."

"How so? It's war time, Minato. Our comrades, our friends are dying. We have not the time for scientific exploration purely for the sake of curiosity or, or possibility. We need a weapon, or that ability of yours that still hasn't worked, to gain leverage and prevent further bloodshed… We can't just take our eyes off the oncoming disaster for some possibly dangerous anomaly, especially when there's a war we are losing out there!"

"Hokage-sama, on the off chance that old saying is correct… 'Don't regret what you know, but regret what you don't know,' you should know as a ninja that even irrelevant things are relevant, in some way. What if by some off chance, what if this portal lead to a world with advanced technology for us to use against our enemies here? What if it held some sort of great power that we could use to our advantage? Why should we immediately discount it without first knowing what it is…?"

Again, the Hokage was silenced. "Fine. You were right about it being safe, so I'll give you another chance, on good faith if nothing else. We will all step through it momentarily, and then if it seems safe, we will immediately begin a short expedition. You two," he pointed to a duo of ANBU, "stay here and if by some chance the portal seems to be closing, channel as much chakra as possible to keep the portal open… otherwise, well, we may never meet again." The ANBU realized their immensely important duty and affirmed, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"I'll go first, Hokage-sama. If it's safe, I'll step back through immediately and inform you. Otherwise…"

"I'm not closing it until you come back through it, at the very least, be hell's hounds at your heel or death itself."

Minato nodded, smiling slightly. "Wish me luck, old man!" He stepped through the portal, an odd warping sound signifying his passing as his figure seemed to dissipate and dissolve into the swirling vortex. The hearts of the remainder of shinobi in the room were all beating loudly, hoping, praying to their own gods that by some miracle he would return safely, uninjured, with news of how this would help Konoha win the war.

Minutes passed, the Hokage began to sweat. He was beyond anxious. He was beginning to pace when another presence made itself known to the occupants of the room. "Sensei! What did you just let that brat do! I could feel the chakra surge all the way… from…" a middle-aged man with long white hair trailed off upon seeing the swirling vortex and the congregation of silent people. "Sensei, what happened?" Jiraya turned with a most serious expression toward the Hokage, his old mentor.

"He screwed up his ultimate technique, but instead of the estimated unintended effects, we had… this 'portal' appear. We don't know where it goes, but Minato insisted he explore the other side, convinced it would help us win the war, somehow. I… Jiraya, we're desperate. We need to know if there is something we can use there. Nothing like this has ever happened before, you know the possibilities are… extraordinary of this ever occurring in the first place, much less again in the future."

"Sensei… It's too dangerous. What if it's instant death! What if he never comes back? You may have let my pupil walk right into his very death, his demise is—"

A warping sound signified the passing of a being through the portal and Minato appeared with a sly grin and cut Jiraya off. "What was that about my demise?"

It was quite a time later, after the ninjas' collective clamoring had died down, all happy that Minato had made it back unscathed, before the important question was asked by Sarutobi with an excited Jiraya standing attentive as well, "Well, Minato, pray tell what lies on the other side of that portal?" At this Minato smirked slightly, "Sensei, Sarutobi, neither of you will believe your eyes. It was a separate world, I wasn't able to explore far but the portal leads into a deep, decaying forest with absolutely gigantic husks of trees, although I admit the forest was… off." Sarutobi listened intently as Jiraya questioned Minato further. "What do you mean exactly?" Minato sighed and tried to begin explaining, much to everyone's chagrin. "Well, it's like… It's hard to explain. I felt immense amounts of power in that world, but I just didn't feel like it was 'alive' so to speak… I guess… It was as if the world was dead or dying, but was once alive. It's almost as if the life of that world is corrupted, or just… missing. And in the distance I could spy a large black tower, and in another area I think I saw what looked like a town, or what was once a town. Far to another direction, I saw these… massive pillars, stone probably, and broken, although I know not how many there were or what was once their purpose. It is nightfall there, and the moon is absolutely gigantic compared to our own. The sky seems almost normally colored, but it has the strangest tint of red… It just seems so strange, that place. I heard or saw not a single living creature, only deadened flora… But you will see for yourself, yes?"

Jiraya and Sarutobi looked at each other and nodded with excitement and fear, and in Jiraya's case a grim sense of pride in his pupil.

It was only a moment later when twelve ninja departed from the world that men knew, and arrived in a strange land where man knew not.

It was almost blindingly bright, the large, full moon glaring down at the newcomers to this land, bathing them in low, pale blue light while numerous dark clouds occasionally blocked out all ambient light. As their eyes grew accustomed to this alternating light levels, a stark contrast compared to the underground room they were working in previously, they slowly began to make out the dark trees around them in the gloom beneath the canopy. They saw the "portal" as they knew it seemed to be a floating anomaly in mid-air, touching nothing, not even the ground. It seemed safe for the moment at least. In any case, the new arrivals exclaimed and gasped as they began to witness a new world unfold to their respective views.

In the immediate area, the group stood in a small clearing in the midst of a rather thick forest full of dark trees, the bark was so dark compared to the more vibrant browns of the trees from their lands. The leaves were dark, and sharp-tipped, not bright green and smooth like the ones in their land. And what Minato had explained held true to the group too, they sensed, they breathed death. They could feel it, but couldn't exactly detect it. And the trees themselves, they felt as if they were stagnant, as if they were all rotting on the inside but looked presentable on the outside.

"Well, sensei? Sarutobi-sama? What do you think? Isn't it fascinating?"

Jiraiya and Sarutobi just remained awestruck, barely able to form a coherent answer.

"I did quick reconnoiter earlier," Minato continued, smirking, "I noticed that about two miles away is some large structure here in the forest. It's in the direction of the moon, although I know not if it is east or west or north or south."

Jiraiya was the first to shake himself of his stupor. "Minato, I… I am… I cannot describe this. I am filled with pride that you, my own pupil, were able to do something never even conceived of. But I'm also infuriated at you for your recklessness, you brat! But you've not led us astray yet, so again, we will do as you say, as this is your experiment. Two of you ANBU, stay here and guard this end of the portal. The rest of you, follow us. Sarutobi-sensei, are you coming?" Jiraiya smirked a bit at the gaping mouth of one of the most powerful shinobi in their world, which quickly shut as he began shuffling along with the rest of the group who advanced toward the structure Minato pointed out in the distance. One ANBU advanced to the top of a tree to verify that it was in the correct direction.

"Hokage-sama, Minato is correct. There is some large structure; it seems to be a decrepit manor or fortress of some sort, or perhaps a small private castle. It's hard to discern from this distance in the gloom," the ANBU told them. The Hokage nodded his affirmation as they left the clearing and the two ANBU behind as the main group headed through the trees in the direction of the building. "I hope you know what you're doing, boy!"

The group of ten slowly approached the decrepit building through the dark forest, features of it slowly becoming clearer until moments later the group of ninja were standing at the broken and rusted front gates to what was once a massive and richly decorated manor. The mossy and vine-ridden brick was fractured mostly, breaking down after what may have well been centuries of forest expansion. The iron that wrought the gates and many iron fence posts about the outer wall was mostly rusted. The creaky gate was barely pushed open by the forefront ANBU and it slowly swung open, coming to a halt and clanging against the brick wall, enticing the shinobi to explore the garden inside the gate and before the grand manor major.

The garden was certainly once well-kept to be certain, as barely recognizable patterns could be seen in the flora in the places where it wasn't dead or overgrown. Six massive pillars lined the front courtyard before the great door to the crumbling manor's center wing. The center wing of the manor was certainly exquisite, even in its dilapidated state. High above there was a thick and ornate tower ascending from the center wing. Two other wings stretched to the left and right of the courtyard, each just as dark and dilapidated as the main center wing. The ninja slowly advanced through the courtyard, some ANBU scouting up the sturdiest of the collapsing pillars to look about, finding nothing. It seemed that the entrances to each the left and right wings were barricaded from the inside. The only possible entrance was through the front door to the central hall. "Well, sensei? What do you think of Minato's little discovery?" A moment passed in silence while Minato grinned complacently at his mentor and the aged Hokage. "I… I am amazed. But I wonder more so if we should continue onward. Who can say what we will find inside will be worth finding? Based on the aged look of the place, I wouldn't be surprised if the inside was overgrown with forest life as well."

"Well, Sarutobi, we can only find out one way, eh?"

The oldest ninja there sighed in exasperation. "Fine… Lead on, Minato."

Before the other ten walked up to the front door, Minato was there already opening the creaky and rotting oak double doors, the brass knobs no longer keeping the doors shut from exposure to the elements for so long. When they arrived, all was dark. Very little moonlight seeped into the darkened entry hall. However, moments later without warning, the many ancient candles that lined the walls throughout the entire domain immediately burst into life, casting dull light and oddly shaped shadows about the room the ninja had collected in. They were stunned and prepared for the worst, as if an enemy would appear at a moment's notice. After minutes of standing with weapons at the ready, hearing and otherwise sensing nothing, they relaxed slightly. They allowed themselves to look about the main hall. There were dozens of grand wooden doors leading to various rooms about the manor, but atop the dual stairs that so gracefully decorated the back of the main hall opposite of their entrance was a massive set of doors, easily twenty feet tall, signaling something important. Below the balcony with the door atop the stairs, situated beneath both flights of stairs was a beautiful but broken statue, its face frozen in stony agony at its demise years ago, left to its fate on the floor forevermore.

"Wow, the carpet here rivals that of your estate, eh Sarutobi?"

The Hokage glanced downward to see the dirty and mildewing maroon rugs that once elegantly decorated the stone brick floors before answering, "Shut up, boy… You know full and well I keep my fabrics at top quality." Jiraiya chuckled behind the Hokage at their jesting.

While the shinobi clamored about the main hall, examining once vivid paintings of now unrecognizable people and places and broken sculptures that lined the walls, Minato slowly ascended the stairs to the top to stand before the massive wooden doors that seemed to be where the maroon carpets led. Even the torches along the walls seemed to be lit to this place atop the stairs, whereas other hallways and doors were not so well lit, as if the candles beckoned him to this room in particular… He looked down to see there was a crack between the floor and the door, a small one, but one with red light shining through it nonetheless. Without a second to spare, he pushed against the door expecting it to creak open but, alas, it budged not. But the noise stirred the attention of the Hokage and Sannin from below the balcony atop the stairs where Minato was. "Minato, what are you doing? We need to stick together."

"I know but… I feel drawn here to this room. The candles seem to light a path here instead of elsewhere, and the carpets, they all lead up the stairs to this door. This is the center of the manor, surely there is something in there important. I feel it, sensei. But I cannot budge this door!" He continued to push with all his physical might and it did not budge.

Jiraiya and the Hokage and a couple ANBU ascended the dual flights of stairs to join Minato who had ceased his pushing and banging against the old oak door. "Minato, wait. Don't you feel that? The door it's… well it seems to be enchanted somehow. A barrier of some kind, perhaps…" Minato stood panting lightly for a moment while he used his senses to feel out the door's inherent barrier… Only to find one weakness.

"Ha, I see now, sensei." Jiraiya looked at the younger man questioningly. "Well, this… barrier, it seems to be powerful, but it has one weakness that the creator undoubtedly did not expect: supernatural attacks. Any powerful chakra attack from us should break the seal. Stand back, if you would."

The Hokage looked a bit tense. "Eh, Minato, are you sure we should do this so hastily? We haven't even been inside the estate for ten minutes. We know nothing about it. With each entryway we surpass we put ourselves at danger…"

"Don't worry, Sarutobi! It'll be fine!" At that, Minato let loose a powerful Rasengan against the door, an attack of massive rotational torque and chakra condensed into a small orb held in the hand. This orb was smashed against the door which thrashed and shook the very stone walls that still barely held them up until the doors disintegrated. "See? What did I say—" He was interrupted by a powerful shaking that seemed to cause the entire ground to quake, as if the earth was being ripped apart. One of the ANBU outside shouted up at them, "Hokage-sama! The sky is glowing blood red! The moon has been overtaken by black clouds! What did Minato-san do up there!?"

Minato and the others stood tensely, trying to keep their balance on the quaking stairwell and balcony until the quakes receded over the course of about thirty seconds. "What the hell was that?"

"I… don't know. Perhaps there was an energy trapped within the innermost sanctum of this manor that we released…?"

Sarutobi angrily shook his head and barked at two more ANBU to stay behind at the front gate. "If any other changes take place, you two come find us at once. Don't take any risks."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

With that, eight shinobi entered the newly opened room. Within they found a very well kept hall, much different than the dilapidated estate outside. Along the length of the room in the center was a massive elongated dining table with many elegantly carved wooden chairs surrounding it, even the silverware was left upon the table as if prepared for a feast centuries ago that was never to come. Along the opposite end of this room was a massive, elegant and burning fireplace, the source of the red light. Above their heads from where they entered was another flight of stairs leading to yet another alcove above the dining room, a massive painting of someone above. As the five shinobi searched the room for anything, Minato, Sarutobi and Jiraiya ascended this new flight of stairs to the third story alcove to gaze at the red-lit painting. The massive portrait seemed to depict a pale-blue skinned man with black raven-like wings and horns upon his brow, his face was elegant and lordly, although his pointed teeth and hellish yellow eyes depicted underlying depravity. They gazed with awe at this portrait for a moment while the other ninja joined them as they finished searching the room.

With everything done, they waited for Minato to lead them onward into yet another door, this one not nearly as grand as the one right below them. Minato put his hand against the door and pushed, revealing a spiral stair case that ascended upwards, the torches immediately lighting after he opened it. He looked back there to see the gazing faces of all about him, egging him onwards. Although they were cautious, they too were as curious as the blonde genius. "Well, let's see what's up above, shall we? Two of you stay here at the base of the stairs." Two shinobi nodded and stayed present in the dining room.

The Hokage and Jiraiya nodded and the three extra shinobi lined up behind them to follow their ruler's lead.

After many flights of stairs had been climbed in a ceaseless circle ever spiraling upwards, they finally ascended the final flights of stairs when they arrived at the top, a final door easily creaked open by Minato's hand, when he gasped. The others quickly followed to see what had occurred. Before Minato at the forefront of the party, there was a large amalgamation of candles whose melted waxes coated the ornate rug in the center of the room. In the center of this waxy prison was an ornate coffin etched with silver on its sturdy, dark Mahogany lid. Below the coffin was a delicate crimson silk cloth, hiding the table beneath that kept the coffin angled above the floor as it was. Behind the coffin and candles was a massive bay window that opened upon the grounds of the estate and the forest below, and through it all present could see the blacked clouds above that now hid the moon's light, but highlighted by some unknown source of crimson light. Far off in the forest they could see a faint glowing—their portal home. Below they could see the broken and vine-ridden rooftops of the manor's wings. With caution, they approached the coffin, Minato at the front, most curious of all, almost abandoning safety protocol as it were. "Minato!" whispered the Hokage in a hushed voice, as if not wanting some unknown creature to hear them. "Be careful, lad! We don't know what's in there!"

Minato nodded and carefully flipped the latch of the coffin while the Hokage, Jiraiya, and three other ninja watched, prepared for anything. Minato slowly raised it and much to his surprise, inside was a beautiful woman, seemingly asleep. But Minato knew that this place had not been entered for centuries. Some magic had kept her from decomposing.

As they opened the casket's lid however, they heard something crashing far below, then the screaming of ninja they had left behind. They quickly gathered about the bay window, quickly forgetting about the dead woman, to gaze down upon horror; swarms of hellish monsters flooded the courtyard below, spilling out of the forest quickly, for each one there was another two! They were flooding into the manor, they knew they had little time as they heard fighting echoing up the staircase. They were surrounded, deep in the forests surrounding the manor were monsters, and they were stuck atop this tower with nowhere to hide.

"Minato! What are those things! Where did they come from?"

"Sensei," interjected Jiraiya, "we'd best save that for later! We need to get out of—"

He was interrupted when Minato was approached from behind by the woman who had arisen from her casket and held her clawed hand against his throat. Minato noticed the other five reach for their weapons but he stopped them with a wave of his hand. "Stop! She doesn't know if we're her enemies or not. She won't attack if we are deemed non-hostile…"

Before anyone could react, the woman released him, sensing little aggressiveness from him. She instead approached her door to the stairway where howling and growls of horrifying nature were echoing upwards ever louder as another human scream was heard from below. She slammed the door shut and pressed her hand against it, a magical sigil appearing over it temporarily before fading from sight. Minato watched astounded, seeing a new type of sealing he'd never witnessed before. She turned again and walked up to him defiantly, glaring at him with her pointed teeth bared. Her hair was beautifully red, crimson, as were her eyes. Her skin was pale and soft looking as Minato gazed at her before him. She was clad in a black dress, almost more of a cloak, really. She was barefoot. She gurgled for a moment, barely intelligible over the mumbling and muttering of the ninja in the room arguing about a way out. She spoke with a raspy voice, although light and sultry, as if a beautifully voiced woman had been parched after not drinking for a thousand years. "Where did you…" She paused to cough, her raspy voice fading quickly. "Where did you come from? There were no humans left…"

She paused again and coughed and collapsed to one knee. Minato bent down before her worriedly. "Do you need something to drink?"

"Minato, we don't have time for this! Those things are halfway up the tower!"

The woman nodded as Minato leaned towards her, holding his canteen. She sniffed it and growled, throwing it out of his hand and grabbing his hand instead, biting into his wrist. Minato yelped, but again when the ninja drew their weapons he dissuaded them, she was… drinking his blood, not attacking him. She finished after a moment, his blood dripping from her mouth as the fresh wound in his wrist closed quickly, amazing to the humans in the room. She again spoke, this time with a smooth sultry voice, "There is only one way out. The Dark Ones will be upon us shortly, we cannot escape the way you entered. She approached the massive window that overlooked the writhing black masses far below. She held out her hand and the window burst into a thousand shards. "Where is your asylum? Your haven?"

"Look, over in the forest, you see that glow? That is our way home."

The woman nodded and spoke to them, "Walk with me quickly, the door shan't hold forevermore." She stepped forward, Minato shouted as if she would plummet out the window and fall to her demise but amazingly, she stood as if on solid ground. Minato stepped up to the window's edge, the Hokage and Jiraiya and the remaining three ninja exclaiming. "Minato! Be careful! How do you know she does not trick us?" The woman glared at the man, "I could leave you here to die, if you'd rather it be so."

Minato stepped forward, only to come stably to some invisible surface below him. He stood next to the woman. "Come, we must leave now!"

Her urging forced the remaining five humans jumped towards them to land safely on their invisible barrier. Without a moment's notice, they felt it moving, quickly. They looked below and felt vertigo as the land passed quickly and the estate quickly shrank on the horizon as they flew at high speeds towards the portal in the forest.

They arrived and the barrier disappeared, and the ninja fell with sickness to the ground, not used to such stomach-churning aerial experiences. Minato was the first to stand and approach the two ANBU still guarding the portal. "Hurry, everyone get through the portal! We have to close it before those things come here!"

Without any arguments, the shinobi dashed into their home portal, their sanctuary. Minato made sure that they were all in before he turned to face the mysterious woman. "Come with us, please. You cannot stay here with those beast approaching!"

"Why do you care?" She countered. "You're a human. You can easily leave me here to die so my kind will never haunt your nightmares again. My kind will fade from the annals of history. Leave me here to die with some honor, human."

"No," Minato argued. He could hear distant roaring of a massive horde of monsters approaching. "I don't care what you are! You helped us survive, and now I will help you! Come with me!" He held out his hand towards her, an invitation to her salvation. At the edge of the clearing a horrific beast appeared from the gloom, growling and frothing at its wicked toothed mouth. It roared and dozens of other beasts, each one misshapen and horrific, appeared from the foliage. Minato worriedly stayed, putting himself in danger while the mysterious woman clashed with her innermost feelings about the choices she could make here.

The largest beast pounced towards them, Minato had to leave and close the portal before it entered… he had only a split second and did what he thought was the right thing. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the portal before he arrived on the other side with her and shouted at the ANBU holding up the portal to shut it. As the portal faded and disappeared, a dismembered limb appeared, the same limb of the monster which nearly tore Minato and the now unconscious woman apart… Although now they were safe from harm.

It wasn't a moment later when the woman collapsed, having used the last of her power to bring them to safety. Likewise, Minato himself was unconscious as the drain of the portals' sustaining finally took its toll on him now that they had closed. They were immediately both taken to the ANBU medical facilities, not wanting anyone outside of this top-secret mission to ever know of what transpired and who came back with them.

Nobody would ever know outside of the small circle of the ninja who participated in this secret mission the horrors they had witnessed nor the mysterious inhuman woman they retrieved. None of the public would be privy to any of this information, and only a valuable few could ever know the truth of what happened that day… And what this day ultimately set in motion for the world they called home as an ancient, powerful behemoth awakened far, far away, feeling from his minions that one of his enemies had survived his genocidal reign and had escaped into another world. But the behemoth cared not, for he knew that with time, he could finally wipe out his ancient enemies and all of their allies permanently… And in their absence, this beast knew he could dominate everything that existed or will exist.