Elsewhere...

Six figures, wrapped in shadows prostrate themselves before a seventh, who was seated upon a throne of bones. A tattered flag was pinned to the stone wall behind the throne, an artifact from an age long ago, and it bore but two symbols which were faded by centuries of wear. On the left side of the throne, the faded image of an indigo moon was woven into the flag; on the right side, the rusted imprint of what had once been a vibrant, yellow sun was imprinted upon the cloth. The two, together, were both a symbol and a warning to all who saw them—even the six assembled below, before the throne. After a moment of pregnant silence, the figure seated upon the throne spoke in a thundering voice:

"Report."

"Hiruko-sama," one of the dark figures from below began. "We have received reports that three teams of outsiders have arrived on the shores of the Land of Dreams. From their attire, we suspect them of being shinobi. Their forehead protectors would indicate the shinobi village from the Land of Fire... Konohagakure."

A deep rumble, like the distant rolls of thunder, came from the figure on the throne—perhaps it was the closest thing to laughter the figure could produce. Those that lay prostrate before its throne seemed to bow their heads a little lower, as if the sound signified some dark, terrible thing. When the thing on the throne stopped cackling to itself, it let out a sigh of—seemingly—relief.

"He's finally found us... The Boy of Miracles, who isn't really a boy anymore," the thing called Hiruko murmured. "Well, then... It would be rude not to greet them, yes? Shiva, send my regards to our guests."

A woman, from the six figures beneath Hiruko's throne, stood up. She was a tall, thin woman, dressed in a kimono of the purest white—the back of which was adorned with the same emblems emblazoned on their flag. Her skin was pale—paler than any normal human's skin would be; she almost looked as though she was part of death itself. Her eyes were an empty, soulless shade of lavender, her eyebrows were but thin lines above them, and two horn-like protrusions stuck out of her forehead, giving her the appearance of a beautiful, female oni. Despite being kept up in a ponytail, her snow-white hair was still fairly long, reaching down to her waist. She took a deep bow before Hiruko and said:

"As you command, so shall it be done."

The shadows seemed to grow darker in the room. Thicker and heavier. Then, as if summoned by an unheard whisper, the blackness began to converge around her, swallowing up her pure-colored figure until there was nothing but darkness. The black shadowy mass receded slowly, merging into the pre-existing shadows still pooled throughout the dark throne room.

Then she was gone.

####

Taking twelve jōnin and chūnin away on a mission was a greater risk than Shikamaru Nara cared to think about; but Naruto had been right to take the threat so seriously. Where the echoes of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki were involved, no amount of preparation was ever enough—and this mission was no different. The Land of Dreams was unlike any country Shikamaru had ever been to; it was completely overgrown with foliage, and there were no signs of a decent population size at all. There were certainly ruins around, indicating that civilization of some sort had once existed here. But ruins were all that was left—centuries old, too, from the looks of it. The layout and architecture of the buildings, though... They way they seemed to be built into the cliffsides and carved into canyon walls... They are what got Shikamaru thinking. He'd seen it before somewhere. It almost reminded him of... the Moon.

His eyes snapped open.

That's where he had seen them! The Ōtsutsuki villages on the Moon! He had seen them while they were searching for Hanabi Hyūga, who had been kidnapped by Toneri... Ōtsutsuki. Right... He'd been one of them. The supposed "last living member" of Hamura Ōtsutsuki's ancient lineage. Shikamaru felt the sweat beginning to bead along his brow. He tried to talk himself out of it: the Ōtsutsuki, under Kaguya, had once ruled the planet—it made sense that some ancient ruins might resemble their architecture, then, especially in a country that was known to have shown reverence to Kaguya... but... Something didn't feel right. Suddenly, Shikamaru felt as though they had opened up a whole can of worms that he desperately wished he could put the cap back on.

He huffed. "How troublesome..."

"You say something, Shikamaru?" Kiba Inuzuka yawned as he emerged from one of the nearest tents. The Konoha teams were presently camped in one of the main valleys leading inland into the Land of Dreams.

"It's nothing," Shikamaru said. "How are the others?"

"Restless," Kiba snorted. "We've seen nothing but ruins all day. Does anyone even live in this country?"

"Supposedly," Shikamaru said and then shrugged. "Not much is known about this place, to be honest. The few maps of it that do exist are old and outdated, but we know roundabout where the temple is. A day or two more and we should be there... and we'll have our answers."

Just then, Akamaru emerged from the same tent. The ninken was huge for a dog, but he was also old. In his old age, Akamaru had begun to uncontrollably shake as his nervous system suffered from all of his years as, effectively, an animal shinobi. Many times, Shikamaru had recommended that Kiba retire Akamaru and allow him to enjoy his old age in peace, but both Kiba and Akamaru were adamantly against it. To them, they were the dynamic duo—inseparable and unstoppable. Even though Kiba had found something resembling love in Tamaki, Akamaru remained the center of his world, and vice versa. Shikamaru admired their bond to no end. After all, they were closer than most humans. But, admire them though he did, he couldn't help but express his concern.

"Kiba," he said, an air of caution in his voice; he knew Kiba despised this topic. "Are you sure Akamaru is up to such a strenuous mission? There's a reason it's S-rank, after all."

"Whaddaya talkin' about, Shikamaru?" Kiba scoffed. "Akamaru may be old, but he's far from done. Right, pal?"

Despite his age, Akamaru let out a hearty bark and that was the end of Shikamaru's protest. So long as they didn't hinder the mission, which they never did, he could do nothing to force Akamaru to rest and stay off the trail. Sighing, he decided to change the subject:

"Well, it's getting late." he said, nodding in the direction of the setting sun. "Go and grab Hinata. You, me, her, and Akamaru can do one last sweep of the area before we all turn in for the night."

"You've got it," Kiba replied before running off.

Fifteen minutes later, the four of them were in the woods, scanning the perimeter. Hinata's Byakugan made checking their surroundings considerably easier, and, combined with Kiba and Akamaru's sense of smell, Shikamaru was certain that they would weed out any insecurities that existed before turning in for the night. Already, the sun was touching the horizon, casting the sky in an odd blend of darkness and light. They were just about done when Shikamaru began to feel the call of sleep wash over his body. Their journey had been an exhausting one, so he looked forward to setting up watches and then catching some much needed rest.

"See anything, Hinata?" Shikamaru yawned lazily.

She shook her head. "No."

She had barely said anything since the group departed from the village. Shikamaru had felt bad for enlisting her on such a dangerous mission; he knew she hated to leave her children home without her, but her mastery of the Byakugan was essential to the mission's success. Despite being one of the few chūnin that he had selected, Hinata was easily one of the most powerful fighters he had brought along—even when compared to the jōnin. She had improved so much since the war that he truly believed her abilities now rivaled that of Neji's at the time of his passing.

"How about you two?" Shikamaru asked, turning towards Kiba and Akamaru. "Smell anything?"

"Negative," Kiba chortled and Akamaru yapped an agreement.

Shikamaru sighed with relief. "Alright then, let's head bac—"

"Wait!" Kiba shouted. His entire demeanor had changed in a matter of seconds, which made Shikamaru's heart jump up into his throat.

"What is it?" Shikamaru asked.

"A new scent," Kiba murmured. Next to him, Akamaru bent down and began to growl.

"Hinata?"

Again, Hinata shook her head. "I don't see anything."

"There," Kiba insisted. "It's right the—"

"Here."

The voice was female. Shikamaru realized that after the fact. He began to turn around in time to witness a beautiful woman emerge from the shadows pooling at his feet. He only caught the glimpse, and then she fell on him with ferocious speed...


In Konohagakure...

Boruto was barely on his feet. The left side of his face was screaming with pain and the fatigue in his body was affecting his ability to mold chakra properly. He knew he was in trouble if this newcomer, the one with the Sharingan, decided to ignore his injury and attack. He had other problems too. Though the blood flow had certainly begun to lessen, he had still lost a lot of blood. His entire body was trembling and, now, he was beginning to question how much longer he would be able to remain conscious. Fighting, even with his new Byakugan, was out of the question. All he could manage for speech was:

"Wh-w-w-w-w-wh-who ar-r-re y-you?"

The other boy tilted his head and gazed at him with a curious expression, as though he wasn't quite sure how to handle the situation he found himself in. Boruto was curious himself. The boy's Sharingan indicated that he was of the Uchiha clan—a clan Boruto had previously thought to consist of his Uncle Sasuke, Aunt Sakura, and Sarada. Still, his questions only came second to the mind-numbing pain that was causing darkness to touch the edges of his vision. He felt himself begin to wobble; that's when the boy finally decided to speak.

"You... You're the one he sent me to find..." the boy with the Sharingan said. "He... said you were strong... You're don't look strong, though."

At any other moment, Boruto would've protested that comment and probably beat the other boy up for making it; but the fact was that he couldn't stand any longer. His legs gave out and he found himself back on his knees, though he knew he couldn't even maintain that position for much longer. Darkness was threatening to engulf his vision entirely.

"I guess... it can't be helped.." the boy said. "I'll take you back."

Those were the last words Boruto heard before everything went black and he fainted.


Shikamaru Nara, Hinata Uzumaki, Kiba Inuzuka, and Akamaru were in a fight for their lives. The newcomer—the woman—was strong beyond measure. None of their attacks had worked. Not the Shadow Possession Technique, not the Gentle Fist, and not the Fang Passing Fang. Sweat poured down Shikamaru's face as he pondered the last few moments of combat. So far, he could confirm that the woman had some sort of control over shadows—perhaps a technique related to his? This ability made his Shadow-manipulation techniques completely useless against her. Furthermore, she possessed the ability to fly, easily allowing her to avoid Hinata's attempts at taijutsu. Finally, her speed was such that even Kiba and Akamaru—the fastest members of their team—together weren't able to land a strike on her. Even with all of that considered, there was something else bothering him.

Where are the others?

They were close to camp. No more than a few kilometers. With the battle growing as intense as it was, the camp had surely heard the fighting, especially with the explosion that resulted from Kiba and Akamaru's attack. The remaining nine shinobi back at camp should've heard and come running, yet no one had. Deep inside, Shikamaru knew something had happened there. It wasn't a pleasant thought—in fact, the thought alone made his stomach churn—but his instincts had never once let him down. He didn't think they were going to start now.

Dammit, think! he barked at himself. There's got to be a way to beat her. Everyone has weaknesses!

"Allow me to answer your question," the woman said. She was floating just above the trees, where she had the four of them cornered like rats. Her voice was deceptively polite, but Shikamaru knew better to be fooled. If he let his guard down for an instant, she would kill them all. He was sure of it. Her soft, pink lips bent upward into a crooked smile. "There isn't one—not a single weakness someone like you can exploit."

Shikamaru felt his eyes go wide. How did she?

A chill of dread traveled up Shikamaru's spine as he watched the woman's soulless eyes begin to change. The veins around her eyes began to bulge in an eerily familiar fashion and her pupils finally seemed to reveal themselves. There was no doubt in his mind. He was seeing the Byakugan.

"Fool," she said, and there was ice in her voice. "You cannot hide your heart from my eyes."

"That's... That's just..." he heard Kiba spatter from beside him. "That's just not... possible! The Byakugan!"

Right, Shikamaru thought. He didn't fight against Toneri. He stayed back in the village... Which means he doesn't know...

"Kiba!" Shikamaru's voice was loud and full of desperation. "Don't do anything reckles—"

"I'm ending this," the woman declared, cutting him off. "Defend yourselves."

Once again, the woman's speed was marvelous. She was on them in an instant, cutting them off from one another before they had an opportunity to develop a strategy. However, Shikamaru was hardly the one to be caught completely off-guard. Even in a situation like this, he had a plan of his own. He knew his shadows wouldn't work. Not on her anyways; but there was always other avenues. He leaped back as she advanced and formed the Rat seal. His shadow twisted and expanded, catching Hinata, Kiba, and Akamaru's shadows relatively quickly. With another leap and a bit of forceful manipulation with his chakra, he was able to pull them out of the way of the mysterious woman's attack. Then it was only a matter of counterattacking.

I'll use Asuma's technique, he thought.

He made the seals exactly as Asuma had so long ago. Snake, Rat, Snake, Tiger. Chakra filled his mouth and he released it as a black cloud of gunpowder, which blanketed and engulfed the Byakugan-wielding woman. The cloud of gunpowder would limit the range of her deadly dōjutsu, but also... He clicked his teeth together, crunching down on a piece of flint that he had placed there when they had ventured into the forest. Being prepared... it was one of Shikamaru's few talents. The cloud of gunpowder ignited into a brilliant explosion that climbed above the treetops.

Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!

The shockwave from the blast sent the four Konohagakure comrades scattering backwards to prevent themselves from being caught in the deadly inferno. As smoke began to billow from the spot the woman had once occupied, Kiba began to celebrate excitedly.

"Hell yeah!" he whooped. "Leave it to Shikamaru! He fried that flying bitch!"

Even Hinata seemed to sigh with relief, but Shikamaru knew... He knew it wouldn't be that easy. It wasn't over yet.

"You humans," he heard her voice before he even saw her reappear. "You filthy humans... cannot... You cannot possibly use chakra properly!"

When she appeared, Shikamaru realized that he too had made the mistake of relaxing after his last attack. The group was still spread out from evading her earlier attacks. She emerged from the shadows cast by the enormous pillar of smoke billowing out from the spot Shikamaru had blown up. Her kimono was charred in places, but she seemed otherwise unharmed—completely unaffected. Like Toneri, he thought. He suddenly wished Naruto was there... Naruto could solve these kinds of situations, but Shikamaru couldn't... For all his intelligence, he just couldn't. Then, when she had fully emerged from the shadow, he saw it. The emblem. The emblem on the back of her kimono. It was the same. The same as his. Toneri. A sun and a moon together.

Ōtsutsuki... I knew it...

"Shikamaru!" Kiba bellowed, snapping him from his daze.

Shikamaru snapped his head in the direction of Kiba's voice. The head of the Inuzuka clan was rushing the floating Ōtsutsuki woman and Shikamaru realized much too late that he was trying to distract her while Shikamaru attacked from behind. It wouldn't work, he knew. But Kiba didn't know that. It was too late to stop him—Shikamaru also knew that; but that didn't stop him from yelling, as loud as his lungs would allow him, for his friend to STOP.

"Kiba!" Shikamaru roared. "DON'T!"

It was too late, remember? The woman's hand was already extended—a long bone was protruding from it. Naruto had warned him about this ability before they left the village; he had said it was one of Kaguya's powers, the All-Killing Ash Bone. Anything the bone pierced slowly disintegrated and there was absolutely nothing you could do to stop it. In his desperation, Shikamaru formed another Rat sign, thinking that if he could just snatch Kiba's shadow with this Shadow Possession Technique, he could help him dodge just like he'd done last time. However, it was impossible. The bone-projectile had already been launched. His shadow would never make it in time. Somewhere, he heard Hinata scream for Kiba as well, but she must have realized how futile it was too.

It was over.

This was it...

Shikamaru watched helplessly as time seemed to slow—watched helplessly as the last moments of his friend's life flashed before his eyes. And then... And then... And then there was a sickening crunch—the kind that is made when a spear made of bone cuts through clothing, flesh, bones, and arteries in a horrific killing blow. It only took a few moments for Shikamaru's eyes to catch up with what had happen, to adjust and focus in on that gut-wrenching moment. But it wasn't Kiba who had been pierced. Kiba, blood splattered across his face, looked horrified as he was knocked away from the one who had truly received the fatal blow. In his peripherals, Shikamaru saw Hinata cover her mouth with her hands and begin to cry.

The bone had struck, but not its intended target...

...and it was sticking out of...

Akamaru.

The canine, who must have sensed the danger before all of them had, had leaped in front of his beloved master in a final act of sacrifice—taking the blow and the punishment that was meant for Kiba. Shikamaru was absolutely speechless, and there was no time for such inaction. Kiba and Akamaru struck the ground hard. Akamaru was bleeding, but that was nothing compared to the doom that had been brought upon him.

"Akamaru?" Kiba's voice was soft at first.

Akamaru let out a pained whine and attempted to get up, but couldn't do so. The bone-lance had shattered several ribs and was piercing his lungs. At his old age, it was just too much for him.

"AKAMARU!"

"Tch," the voice was the woman's. Shikamaru barely noticed it. He was too stunned by what he was witnessing. "I missed. Oh well... I suppose I'll have to do this instead."

The entire world seemed to jolt. Shikamaru quickly realized that he was completely immobile. He was able to control his head, but the rest of his body wouldn't respond. Not even to a twitch. He glanced down. There were shadows at his feet. Shadows... but somehow darker. That's when he noticed that Kiba and Hinata were trapped too, but not Akamaru.

Of course not Akamaru, a voice said coldly in the back of Shikamaru's mind. Not Akamaru because he's... he's..

"Akamaru? Akamaru?!" Kiba kept pleading; there were now tears rolling down his face. Shikamaru truly wondered if he had even noticed that he was ensnared.

Then, right before their eyes, Akamaru began to deteriorate. Literally flake away, as though he was not but ashes. In that moment, completely helpless against the enemy and in the aid of his comrades, Shikamaru finally broke. For the first time since Asuma died, he cried and cried hard. Nearby, he could hear Hinata doing the same. Their tears, however, didn't affect the woman who still floated above them.

"I could kill them all," she said, more to herself than her captives. "But... I think I won't... Besides... it'd be so nice to have more marionettes."

Shikamaru's eyes widened. He finally understood what had happened to the rest of their teams at camp. Along the treeline, they moved, seemingly against their will until they surrounded the clearing. None of them spoke; Shikamaru assumed it was because the woman had a more complete control over them, but it no longer mattered what was happening. The fact was that they, all of them, were probably going to die... or something worse was going to happen. They'd been caught... and it was all his fault.

Then, together, all at once, the captured Konoha shinobi began to sink into the shadows pooled beneath them. Shikamaru no longer knew what to do, so he simply looked at Kiba, who was now hysterical for Akamaru. Akamaru who was almost gone now... Kiba cried out, begging for the woman to take Akamaru with them, but the evil hanging above the forest paid no attention to his pleas. They continued sinking into the shadows until Shikamaru was almost eye-level with the ground. The last thing he saw was the remaining vestiges of Akamaru float away like dust in the wind. The last thing he thought of was the first time he'd met the duo, and the little pup Akamaru had been then...

The last thing he heard... was Kiba's screams.


Konohagakure Hospital...

"He's stable," Ino Yamanaka said to both Naruto Uzumaki and Kakashi Hatake. "He's lost a lot of blood and his chakra reserves are low, but he should be fine in a few days."

"What about his eye?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Gone," Ino sighed. "I could repair the organ itself, even lighten the scarring so that it wouldn't be so obvious, but... it wouldn't do any good. Sakura said so too. Blindness isn't something Medical Ninjutsu can cure just yet."

"I understand."

Ino laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I'll keep you up-to-date on his condition."

"Right. Thanks, Ino."

When she had left, Kakashi turned to Naruto. The former Hokage felt a great deal of remorse. Sure, the Forest of Death was deadly—everyone knew that, even Boruto; but, regardless, he had never meant for this to happen.

"Naruto, I...—" he began, but his formal pupil cut him off.

"I know," the Hokage replied. "You were just preparing him for the Chūnin Exams. When you're a shinobi, you have to take risks... even with your life. I know that... but..." Kakashi saw the tears fall from Naruto's eyes, and he saw the Hokage desperately try to wipe them away, in an attempt to appear strong.

Even with all his duties, Kakashi thought. He's still a parent...

"Naruto..."

"I'm just glad Shin was there," Naruto said quickly, gesturing to the boy who stood near the window of the waiting room, bathed in moonlight. "I knew it was the right decision to bring you all back to the village. Thank you, Shin."

"My name... not Shin. It's Tora," the boy replied matter-of-factly.

Naruto rubbed his head and, for that moment at least, he was back to the idiot 15 year old Kakashi had become so familiar with. "Right, I forgot Kabuto gave you all your own names... Tora, huh? I'll keep that in mind...!" Naruto's serious demeanor returned almost instantly. "I've got to get back to the office."

"Naruto," Kakashi repeated, and this time the Hokage turned. "Don't tell Hinata just yet. She's on a mission right now; it's important she stay focused."

"I know," Naruto replied solemnly. Then, with nothing more to say, he turned and left Kakashi alone in the waiting room with Tora.

After a moment, Kakashi walked over to stand next to the boy and gazed out the window at the moon, which looked full in the dark-night sky. For a moment, his thoughts were blank; then they turned to Boruto, his injury, and Boruto's parents. He still felt guilty. He didn't think he ever wouldn't feel that way after this, but if there was one thing he was certain of, it was this: he would finish training the boy. Tora told Kakashi about Boruto's Byakugan; he would need a mentor familiar with dōjutsu in order to learn to use it properly—and only Kakashi knew what combat was like with only one eye. Yes, he would train him... until Sasuke returned and could resume being his mentor, like he always should have. He paused another moment to glance back up at the moon. The ominous feeling of dread was back again, stronger than ever.

He turned to Tora: "Come on, Tora. Let's get you back to the orphanage."

The boy nodded and started out of the room. Kakashi made to follow him, but paused briefly to glance once more out the window. Eventually, he followed after Tora, but he still couldn't shake the feeling...

The feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong.


A/N: So, usually I put some message to you guys in this section, but, from now on, the Author's Note is going to serve a different purpose. Whenever I introduce an original character, term, or location, I am going to give you a little bit of information about them in this section. That way, you're able to recognize who-is-who, what-is-what, and where-is-where. Here we go!

First, you're probably wondering why the chapter is named in Japanese kanji. The second thing you're probably wondering is what it means. The kanji 中心 is the word chūshin. It can have several English meanings. Center, heart, balance, focus, and core are all among those possible meanings. After reading the chapter, you can probably find out why it is called that. The word itself was selected based on the narration about Kiba and Akamaru towards the beginning of the chapter: Akamaru remained the center (heart, core, focus—you get what I mean) of his world, and vice versa.

Next, you were introduced to seven new characters in this chapter. Hiruko Ōtsutsuki (大筒木蛭子, Ōtsutsuki Hiruko), is the dark figure seated upon a throne of bones. Then we have Shiva Ōtsutsuki (大筒木シヴァ, Ōtsutsuki Shiva). Like all members of the Ōtsutsuki clan, their names are taken from Japanese mythology. Hiruko is one of the names for the Japanese kami, Ebisu, who was the first child of Izanagi and Izanami. Shiva is also named after a Japanese kami. She takes her name from Daikokuten, the kami of darkness or blackness. Daikokuten is thought to have been the mixture of the Indian god, Shiva, and the Japanese kami Ōkuninushi, though she takes more traits from Shiva than from Ōkuninushi. The other five characters will be introduced to you as the story progresses.

Last is the land itself: the Land of Dreams (夢の国, Yume no Kuni). It is an island country located on a continent nearby the one which hosts the Five Shinobi Nations and is just short of a two day journey, mostly by boat, from Konohagakure—which is why Shikamaru's group is located pretty close to the shore. At this point in the story, they've only just arrived. The country is ancient, dating back to Kaguya's time, and is covered in the ruins of a very old civilization.

Oh, before I forget, yes, the boy "Tora" (Shin) is one of the Shin Uchiha clones from Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring. He will play a key role in the upcoming story, so look for more of him!

Until next time!

Later.