Chapter 14 Failsafe: Sacrifice
A/N: Sumimasen! For my long absence. I'm finally done with all my tests so now I can fully concentrate on finishing this fic. I've also had a period of lack of motivation, so I've been procrastinating. But I'm really determined to finish this one so here's your long awaited chapter!
I've mentioned I'd be writing a different fic about a love triangle and I had a request for a SasuTenJi story. I'm sorry Nene-chan but I've already decided it's going to be a SasuHinaNaru triangle L I hope you'll like that one just as much.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Nemura coast
"Hokage Uzumaki!" a voice yelled from outside the tent. All the leaders inside looked up. They were looking into their logistics and strategies when they heard that voice. Not long afterwards, a slender young Hyuuga clan member stumbled inside. He looked a little bewildered and had beads of sweat rolling down his face. He was panting heavily, indicating that he's been running for some time now.
"Speak up, boy!" Sasuke said impatiently. The insecurity was eating away at him; he hated not knowing much about his enemies and he was trying his best to conceal his irritation.
"We found it!" the young man answered. All the other leaders stood up at the announcement.
"Not far from here," the Hyuuga went on. "About ten miles, North-East. Between two hills. There's a lot of activity going on underground."
The Kazekage gave a nearly unnoticed smile: this knowledge may just turn the odds in their favor. This will make matters much easier, assumed the enemy didn't know they were on to them. But Naruto and Gaara both knew that an assumption can cost them dearly, so they still had to be careful.
Naruto turned towards the others.
"We assemble tonight and move around 01.00 a.m. We'll have all the perimeters covered. Then we look for an entrance and strike when the activity lowers down."
Everybody nodded. Before the news from the Hyuuga arrived, they had properly given each leader a position in the war and its own army. Now that Naruto has given the order, everybody knew what to do.
Kitosana temple
The place that the bad guys were hiding out at was actually an underground temple, dedicated to the moon goddess. It looked a lot like a pyramid, about 10 meters high (around 400 inches or 11 yards) and consisted of only five levels. At the top was an altar: a stone table with a black sphere in the middle. Kabuto had a lot of excavating to do to find that black sphere. Without it, the ritual couldn't take place. Without it the 3 ancient artifacts would've meant nothing. He knew it was somewhere around the place but he couldn't locate it with whatever jutsu he used. So he had his men dig blindly around the temple until they found it. And today was that glorious day. He held the big sphere in his hand, his eyes were nearly sparkling out of greed. He was fortunate enough to find it now, because there was a full moon on tonight (one of the requirements of the ritual).
"Finally," he said more to himself than anyone in particular. "The power of the armor will be mine!"
He placed the sphere in the middle of the table on a special stand and it was surrounded by the Kusanagi, the Yata no Kagami and the Yasakani no Magatama. He took a curved dagger, its handle made of gold and beset with gems from different colors. Its blade was of a dark metal, and with it, he sliced his right hand atop of the sphere. He watched as the blood darkened the round object when the drops fell and he did the same with the other artifacts. His eyes were becoming more sinister by the moment.
At that moment, there was a large, heavy clanking sound. It was as if a giant stone door had been forced open (with much effort). Kabuto looked to the sky and saw that a round window has been opened above them. The light of the full moon shone right in, on top of the black sphere. Kabuto smiled evilly and started chanting ancient texts, raising his hands towards the sky as he spoke louder and louder. Deidara and Kisame were watching him from the side and were looking just as sinister. They could almost feel the power within them growing stronger and more powerful.
As the time went by, the artifacts, including the sphere, started glowing brighter and brighter. At a certain point they started floating in mid air but were soon afterwards slung to Kabuto! The necklace went towards his heart, and merged within him. The Kusanagi went into his right hand and the mirror broke into two pieces, grew smaller and merged with his eyes. This must've been an excruciating moment for Kabuto because his cries of agony were almost unbearable. Even Kisame and Deidara were starting to flinch and back off a little. Kabuto fell on his knees only to fall to the ground straight after. The screaming had stopped and he was just laying there on the floor. The others were nearly certain he was dead, when suddenly, Kabuto started to laugh. It began as a chuckle but started to grow dark and loud. As he stood up, the others saw that he was glowing slightly. But it became brighter. So bright, they had to cover their eyes or risk being blinded. All the while, Kabuto was laughing his ass off. When the light was gone, Kisame and Deidara finally dared to look at Kabuto and what they saw made their jaw drop.
Kabuto was dressed in a full Samurai armor, complete with scary mask. If he wasn't laughing, Kisame and Deidara wouldn't have known it was him. The ground started to tremble and the temple started moving higher. The opening of the so called window grew bigger. Big enough to let the temple through. At first, Kisame and Deidara and the rest of Kabuto's army weren't sure of what was happening. They weren't scared but they started to wonder whether the temple moving upwards was either a good or a bad thing.
When they reached the top, between the two hills, they all knew they were surrounded. And maybe that's when they got a little scared. That's because Naruto's army was greater in number than Kabuto's.
It seemed like Kabuto had sensed the enemies' presence and the fear creeping up in his men. He taunted Naruto and the others and said:
"You won't scare me with your numbers, hokage Uzumaki! Beware the power of the armor and feel my wrath!"
It was almost as if Kabuto was powering up: he started glowing again but this time he directed it towards Kisame and Deidara. At first both of them were screaming in pain, but just like Kabuto, they started laughing soon after. Kisame and Deidara both grew bulkier, slightly bigger and certainly stronger.
Naruto looked at Kabuto concerned. He changed his looks but he also seemed to be very confident about his power. That weird outfit isn't making him feel any safer. Something was wrong and it's probably something they weren't expecting.
Without giving it much thought and purely done by battle instinct, Naruto ordered his men to attack. The first barrier was Kabuto's cavalry but the leaders were confident enough to leave them to the others in the army. Right now, they had their eyes on Kisame, Deidara and Kabuto. His right hand men seemed to have gained strength, because they also looked weird. Turns out that assumption wasn't wrong because the leaders were having a hard time getting pass them. Kisame and Deidara's special abilities were increased tenfold and when they moved, they were barely visible. Kabuto laughed at the leaders' struggle.
'This is going to be easy,' he thought. 'Conquering the rest of the world shouldn't be too much trouble after this.'
Uchiha mansion
Slowly, Tenten opened her eyes. It was day; she felt the rays of the sun on her skin and she heard the birds singing outside.
'Day?' she wondered. 'Wasn't it night when I was inside the Kusanagi's hidden location?'
"The Kusanagi!"Tenten said out loud. She got up immediately, not caring how she ended up in the bed in the first place. She had a feeling she knew what had happened but right now that's the least of her worries. She needed to go back down to the hidden location. For some reason, she believed that the goddess herself had spoken to her…
After about 15 minutes, Tenten found herself in the same room where she had fainted. In front of her stood the altar with the Kusanagi's box on top. And surrounding her were the walls, tainted with ancient writing. Today she's not here for the box, for it has done its job. She came here for the writing. Starting with the wall behind the altar, Tenten began to read. When she first came here with Mikoto, she couldn't understand a thing written on the wall. But now she read it as if it was thought to her from childhood on. When the Kusanagi showed her the vision, the goddess granted her a gift: knowledge. She saw little pieces of memory that the goddess sent down to her but it was all a blur now and she can't even remember half of it. But the knowledge Kitosana bestowed her with was there to stay, which explains why she was able to fluently read the writings on the wall. In short, this is what it all came down to:
"There was a time when mankind was in great peril; hunted and tortured by creatures made by the gods to taunt the inhabitants of the earth. But the goddess Kitosana had pity on man. They had no special abilities and were very fragile. She decided to help them and sent down three special gifts for worthy families to wield, guard and protect their people. And in time of great need, the gifts could be combined, forming an armor that's nearly indestructible. But knowing the deceiving part of man, the goddess made sure to install a failsafe so that the true protectors were able to restore peace to the land. During the failsafe, Kitosana herself would come down from the heavens to punish the evildoers. But for her to come down in human form, a sacrifice must be made: a woman, chosen by the goddess herself, shall function as the goddess' host at the cost of her own life. As a reward, she will earn a place next the goddess."
Tenten's knees started to buckle and she fell to the ground, tears in her eyes. She now knows why things have been happening to her when she was close to the Kusanagi. She was the chosen one; she was supposed to be Kitosana's host. Sacrificing her own life for the sake of the world wasn't an issue for her. But she hated leaving Sasuke behind. She was thinking about starting a family, having a baby… She wanted to make her life with Sasuke complete. But now, those dreams were thrown to the ground. She tried to be strong by remembering what was at stake here and stood up to read the rest of the writing.
"Huh," Tenten said a little surprised. "The wall's too damaged for me to read the rest of it."
She walked towards the other wall where the damage wasn't too severe. The rest of the text turns out to be summoning prayers; things to say when the goddess was to be called upon. The writing also said that she needed to be on the top of the Kitosana temple, slice her right hand and let her blood drops fall on a black sphere. The summoning prayers seemed long and tiring but for some reason, she was able to memorize it easily.
'Maybe this is Kitosana's way of helping me,' she thought.
Now that she has what she needed to know, she ran out the chamber and went straight to Phillip. She saddled him, put some provisions for herself in a satchel, armed herself with weapons she knew how to handle and headed straight for the Kitosana temple; its location was part of the knowledge the goddess had bestowed her with. She needed to hurry because if she didn't, she might be too late. She wanted to save lives and more importantly, she needed Sasuke to survive.
Kitosana temple
Our famous heroes were being badly beaten. Primarily because Kisame and Deidara were so strong! And if somehow they found a way around them, they couldn't get any closer to Kabuto. It seemed like he was being protected by a force field; everything that was thrown at him was either disintegrated or bounced off. And whenever they tried stealth on him, it was like he knew they were coming. Not to mention the Kusanagi in his hand; everything that came in touch with it was killed instantaneously. Right now, our leaders were running out of ideas, so Naruto did the only thing he thought was right.
"Fall back!" he called to the others on the battlefield. "We need to fall back!"
Kabuto, Kisame and Deidara saw the movements of their enemies and of course they realized what Naruto had his army do.
"This is our chance," Deidara thought. "They're falling back. That means they're weakened. If we strike them now, we can finish this war sooner than expected."
The power of the armor allowed the three to communicate with each other through telepathy (that's why they're lines will be underlined). Deidara and Kisame were getting ready to strike and they almost did but Kabuto stopped them.
"No," he said firmly. "I want to enjoy their defeat. Let them rest for now. I want them in full strength tomorrow. I want to be able to say that we defeated the best and not the weakest. Let them be."
Kisame and Deidara were disappointed but they understood what their master meant. They smiled insidiously and walked away with him.
Naruto had his men fall back to their base camp not too far away from the coast line. While his men were recuperating, the leaders gathered in their tent to discuss their next move. Shikamaru was pacing around and racking his brains out. So far, he had come up with nothing to help favor their party. Naruto was worried that they might lose this war. During battle, Gaara got so fired up, he nearly let Shukaku take over. In that beastly form, he had attacked Kabuto, but he did not even harm him. All his attacks seemed to have gone to waste. Nothing had even nicked a hair on his head.
'If even a bijou can't destroy him,' he thought worried. 'Perhaps nothing can beat this guy.'
Right at that moment, a guard came into their tent.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, hokage Uzumaki," he apologized. "But someone's arrived. A woman. She claims to be Uchiha-sama's wife?"
Sasuke looked up when he heard the news.
'Tenten?' he thought alarmed. 'What is she doing here?'
He quickly ran outside to confirm for himself that it was really her. When he heard Phillip's whinnying, there was no mistaking it. He ran towards the sound of the horse and saw Tenten, trying her hardest to reason with the guards into letting her through.
"Let me through, goddamnit!" she yelled angrily. "Don't you know who I am? If you don't let me through right now, I promise you'll regret this."
When she saw Sasuke, her face brightened up. She didn't know how long it's been, but she sure has missed him.
As fast as his legs could carry him, Sasuke hurried to Tenten. He didn't care what she came here to tell them but he was disturbed by the fact that she was here. She shouldn't be! She could get hurt. Her safety meant so much to him. Why would she do something like this? So, yes he was angry at her. He quickly grabbed her arm, dismissed the guards and took her aside.
"What are you doing here?" he hissed at her. "You were supposed to be back home where you're safe."
"I came here to tell you something," she answered, a little surprised by his anger. "I know what Kabuto's up to. I know how to stop him."
"What do you mean you know? How can you stop him?"
"Trust me, I can," she said assured. "Just gather the important people around and I will tell you everything I know."
Sasuke held her by both her arms, and sighed out of desperation. Their last battle with Kabuto didn't go too well. Except for the fact that he didn't want her to see his defeat, he was also concerned about her safety. She didn't belong here. As soon as she has told her story to them, she's gonna have to turn back to Konoha. Maybe even let her move to a different place. Because if they lost the battle to Kabuto, it's almost certain Konoha will be attacked.
"Alright," he said, giving in. "You will get your wish. But soon after, you are going to leave."
"I'm afraid I can't," she said softly, looking down, unable to face him. Sasuke looked up at her.
"What do you mean? Why not?"
"Just do as I say, Sasuke," she urged. "It's really important."
He reluctantly did as he was told. It wasn't hard gathering everybody around; they were in some kind of meeting before Tenten arrived anyway. Because the team was out of ideas, they were curious about the option Tenten would give them, so they were eager to listen to her.
Tenten watched as everyone took their place and swallowed. Her news will definitely not be a comfortable one but it's the only way to defeat Kabuto. And she was willing to sacrifice her own life for that of many others.
"I have gathered all of you today for good news that I have come upon," she started. "Mikoto-sama offered me a tour of the Uchiha mansion and she showed me the location of the Kusanagi's holding, something I have to thank my husband for. Had he not request it, I would've never found out the truth."
"I don't know what the current status of the war is but considering all your wounded men I can guess we're not faring well," she continued. "My guess is that Kabuto had already activated the armor. He stole the ancient artifacts especially for that purpose. He only needed the Kitosana temple to perform the ritual and the rest is done. With the power of the sword, he can cut through anything. With the power of the mirror he can see 360° around himself and the necklace provided him with a force field that protects him. The armor allows Kabuto to share part of his power with a few people, so they're regular abilities are enhanced. I'm thinking that he did that already with Kisame and Deidara."
The team nodded. Now they knew why their attempts at defeating them had failed. But it also worried them a lot: if they were so protected, how will they be able to bring them down?
"The ancient artifacts and the armor were gifts from the moon goddess, Kitosana. She made them but she also installed a failsafe. All she needs is a woman to act as her host, get to that same temple and chant some ancient texts. If that's done, the goddess will take care of everything."
"How will we know which woman would be suitable for such a task?" Shikamaru asked.
"That wouldn't be a problem," Tenten answered. "The goddess chooses her own host. She will grant visions and present herself to her. And in this case, the host turns out to be me. She told me everything I needed to know, including the ancient texts that I need to recite by heart. All I need you to do is grant me access to that temple and all of this terror will end quickly."
"I don't trust this still," Shikamaru noted. "There has to be a price for summoning a goddess."
"Yes, there is," Tenten said softly. "My life."
Sasuke's eyes widened at that and Naruto gave a nervous chuckle.
"Very funny, Tenten," Naruto said. He looked at the others jokingly and then at Tenten.
"Wait, you're serious?" he said when he saw the serious expression on her face.
"Yes, I am."
"What?! But why you?!" Sasuke said angrily as he stood up from his chair. "Why can't it be someone else?"
"I don't know," she answered. "All I know is that I've been chosen."
"Bullshit!" Sasuke yelled. "You're doing no such thing."
"But Sasuke," she pleaded. "There's no other way..."
"There has to be! I'm will not let you get killed on that field whether by the hands of Kabuto or his men or that godforsaken goddess of yours."
"Sasuke…" Sai tried to reason with him.
"No, you shut the fuck up, Sai!" Sasuke yelled again. "No one has the right to say anything right now. This is an Uchiha matter. It's between me and my wife. MY wife. No one is going to use her to kill that bastard. I will NEVER allow this!"
He grabbed Tenten by her arm and dragged her to his personal tent, leaving the others behind with shock. When Sasuke got Tenten inside he pushed her on a chair and started pacing around.
"Are you fucking crazy?" he asked more to himself than to her. "What were you thinking? I will not let you sacrifice your life to kill that man."
Tenten was shocked at Sasuke's behavior but she was also mad because he was denying her, her destiny. This is what she must do, for the sake of the world. Can't he see that?
"I may be your wife," she said calmly. "But this is my life. I may do with it as I please. And I chose for this, Sasuke. To save you and the others. Can't you see how important this is?"
Tears are forming at the back of her eyes. She can't cry now, she needs to be strong to prove her point. Sasuke stopped pacing and knelt before her, holding her hands in his. He looked down, not facing her.
"I can't let you do this," he said softly. "I can't let you die. Because if you do, I don't know what will become of me. I can't live without you, Tenten."
Tenten's heart softened and her barrier broke down. Tears started falling from her eyes and she knelt down with Sasuke to give him a hug.
"I love you too, Sasuke," she said in between sobs. "But that's why I have to do this."
"NO!" Sasuke reacted. "You are not going to die!"
He picked Tenten up and put her back in the chair. Before she knew it, he had tied her down and she couldn't move an inch.
"What are you doing?" she yelled. "Let me go, Sasuke!"
"You will stay here till the war is over. I will not let you give up on your life."
"Sasuke, please!" she pleaded as he headed out the tent. "Let me go! You don't understand!"
She was definitely crying right now. She felt so hopeless, unable to do anything. Not long afterwards, a ninja came inside. He told her that Sasuke had instructed him to watch over her and so he sat on the other side of the tent, staring at her. Not even offering her some comfort. And so, she cried alone. Thinking about ways to escape. But also having doubts about the sacrifice. She didn't want to leave Sasuke. And his angry confession made it harder for her to make a decision.
"Ugh!" she said to herself. "Why do you have to make it so hard for me, Sasuke?"
Around eight the next morning, Naruto gathered his men back to the battle field where Kabuto and his army were already awaiting them. Naruto had lost a considerable amount of ninja's since their last encounter; about half of his men were too injured to fight today and nearly a third of them will probably never be able to fight again. Naruto has a strong will power but his hopes were shrinking. The only option they had in defeating this guy was to sacrifice a woman. And she was too precious to lose. Naruto turned and looked at his own army. Everybody had brave faces but the fox inside him could smell their fear and the doom they expected to see coming. He took a deep breath and like a good leader, he spoke to his people before guiding them into the arms of war.
"My people," he started. "The odds seem against us. The enemy is stronger than we had anticipated. But we must remember who we're fighting for, who we're defending. We are trying to protect our loved ones who are anxiously awaiting our return at home. We cannot disappoint them. Keep their spirits in your heart, let their love strengthen us! Nothing will bring us down! We are shinobi's and kunoichi's who have trained our whole lives for this. We will fight! And prove to Kabuto and his men that we are not to mess with!"
Everybody started cheering, their hearts filled with courage and confidence. Together with Naruto, they charged at the enemy. Sasuke was even more determined now to win the fight. He didn't want to lose Tenten. He's doing this for her. Kami may take his life but he wants Tenten to be spared. And he will make that happen at all costs.
Naruto had put courage into his men's' hearts but he could impossibly make them any stronger. They fought as best as they could but Kabuto was undoubtedly winning. At dusk, the war was nearly lost. The bravest and strongest were still on their feet but they were losing ground and slowly backing up to the camp. This time, Kabuto had no mercy. He killed everyone he could reach and was determined to slaughter each shinobi and kunoichi on the field. Sasuke was badly injured. But just like Naruto and the others, he kept on fighting, ignoring his loss of blood and the striking pain. He always had Tenten's safety in mind and that pushed him to keep on going.
Meanwhile, Tenten could hear the sounds of war coming in closer. More than ever had she felt the need to escape. She has to do something! She tried pleading again but her so called body guard didn't move an inch. Suddenly, the tent got attacked by a huge fire ball. Her guard was killed instantaneously but Tenten was thrown a few yards back. Her fall broke the chair and she was finally able to get the rope off her wrists. Her body was aching because she had a pretty nasty and uncomfortable landing but she forced herself up and looked around: a few miles ahead of her, she could see the war happening. Her eyes started to water because somehow she was able to feel their pain. She wanted all of this to stop. She looked at the horizon; the sun was setting quickly. She might be able to do something soon enough. She needed the darkness, the light of the moon, to summon Kitosana. The sooner it gets dark, the sooner she can end this madness.
Tenten put her thumb and index finger in her mouth and whistled for Phillip. Not long after, she heard the whinnying of her horse. She grabbed some kunai's, her former guard' weapon belt, put it on and galloped towards the Kitosana temple.
The destruction of the war surprised her more with every step she came closer; the place reeked of smoke and death. But right now, that's not what she should be focusing on. She stopped Phillip for a moment, looking for Naruto. When she finally found him, she urged Phillip to go to him. Naruto was on his knees; a little tired of all that fighting. He didn't realize there was a ninja behind him and just when he was about to strike, Tenten threw a kunai at his heart and pulled Naruto on the horse when she passed him.
"Tenten?" Naruto said surprised.
"No time for chatting," Tenten said. "I'm going to stop this war. I need you to cover me. All the way to the Kitosana temple. I have to get there. And don't worry: you needn't show me the way. I already know where it is. Just make sure I'm not being attacked. Are we clear?"
She looked at Naruto. He could see her pleading with her eyes but he also heard her commanding voice. She was going to do this and nothing is going to stop her.
"All right," he answered, and jumped off Phillip. He signaled some of his men and they were all running alongside the horse, protecting its rider.
It didn't take long for Sasuke to realize this but he had Deidara on his case and the sick bastard didn't want to give up. But then, for only just a moment, Deidara stopped. The crazy expression on his face changed and he leaped away from Sasuke, heading towards Tenten. Kabuto had seen her and he knew what she was up to. Now his priorities had changed: he wanted everyone to stop her before she got to the temple.
"Oh fuck!" Sasuke yelled, and ran towards the others to protect his wife.
Meanwhile, Tenten forgot all about the sorrow and the death around her. She focused on her breathing until all that she was aware of was the air going in and out her lungs. When she opened her eyes after taking a deep breath, she started chanting the texts the goddess helped her remember. She kept on reciting even after she reached the temple. Phillip can impossibly climb the pyramid shaped temple, so she got off him and started running up the stairs, her eyes focused at the top. She had a goal and she wanted so badly to achieve it.
Sasuke couldn't believe Tenten's behavior. Usually, she's a sensitive woman; noticing what's wrong with people very easily. But now, she seemed oblivious to all the terror around her. Someone had launched at her with a spear but luckily, a ninja from Suna stood in his way, leaving Tenten unharmed. She hadn't even flinched at that. It was almost like she didn't see it. Her eyes were so fixated on the top of the pyramid, she didn't even notice what's happening around her. There was also something inhumane about the way she looked. Sasuke didn't like it. He thought it might be the effects of the texts she was chanting and he wanted her to stop this nonsense. The closer she got to the top, the more desperate he began to feel. Part of him wanted her mission to fail, he really didn't want to lose her.
All Tenten could hear now were the words coming from her mouth. She was saying things in such rapid succession, she couldn't even understand herself. It was almost like her body had a mind of its own and spoke without her consent. As she ran up the stairs, a dagger formed in her hand. It was the same dagger Kabuto used to slice his hand for the ritual.
"Almost there now," Tenten thought. "Just a few more meters away. I can do this. I can save everyone…"
Kabuto saw what Tenten was doing and he was mad. He should've killed her when he got the chance! When he noticed that he lost the dagger, he was starting to feel the first signs of fear. Quickly, he ran towards Tenten, killing everybody who tried to stop him. Sasuke saw the danger and attacked him.
"You are NEVER going to lay a finger on my wife," he said angrily. "You have to go through me first."
"With pleasure," Kabuto answered and attacked him. He wanted to do this quick and swiftly because Tenten was the main culprit. If she managed to do the thing he thought she was going to do, all his plans would get shattered. But Sasuke proved to be a tough nut to crack. He fought Kabuto with everything he got in store which made it a little hard for him to pass. Kabuto somehow manages to dodge one of Sasuke's attacks and struck him in his stomach, which sent him flying back to the bottom of the pyramid. Hurriedly, he rushed towards the top, hoping Tenten didn't finish her ritual.
When the dagger was formed in her hand, it started to glow blue, almost like a chakra blade. But this light was constant. Slowly, Tenten began to feel like she had no control over her body, that her soul was slowly replaced with a divine entity. By the time she reached the top, she felt like she was hovering outside her body and she could see everything around herself. She saw herself take the dagger as she reached the end of the chanting and how she made a deep cut in her right palm, the blood dripping on the floor. She saw herself walking towards the altar and was about to put her hand on the sphere. Kabuto saw how close she was in completing the ritual and quickly attacked Tenten with the Kusanagi just as her hand was about to touch the sphere. A large booming sound was heard, followed by a gush of dust.
"NO!" Sasuke yelled.
Kabuto smiled evilly. Tenten's ritual won't take place now.
But instead, a blue beam of light shot high up in the sky, towards the moon. Again, the light was too bright to watch and they all had to protect their eyes from it. When the light lowered down to a glimmer, they saw a form. They could definitely tell it was Tenten's silhouette but there was something different about her. Her skin was glowing and had a blue sheer. She was almost like solid light. She had no clothes on but yet her private parts were only shaded so you could almost say that she wasn't totally in her nude. Her hair was let down but it was flowing around her as if she was swimming in water. Her eyes had lost the pupil and the iris, all that you saw was the white. She had an expressionless face and when you were close enough to her you would be able to feel the power emanating from her body. Tenten was no longer inside her body; the goddess had taken over and she will end all this.
Kitosana turned around and slowly walked towards Kabuto. She didn't seem to touch the ground; it was as if she was floating. Kabuto wanted to get up and fight but his body was glued to the ground.
"Rise," Kitosana said with a divine voice. Yet Tenten's lips weren't moving.
Kabuto did as he was told. Amazingly, his body didn't argue this time. It was as if she was controlling him, making him do whatever she wanted.
"You have shamed the power of my gifts," Kitosana said, looking at Kabuto with her big white eyes. "And therefore you shall be punished."
Kitosana lifted a hand and swiped it to the right. It was as if Kabuto's body was following Kitosana's movement. When she lifted her hands, his body also rose upwards and when she swiped it to the right, he also moved to the right. But when that happened, his body got crushed, as if he was smacked hard against a wall. And so Kitosana kept swiping her hands in all directions. With each swipe, Kabuto's body got even more mutilated until nothing more was left than a pool of blood and a pile of broken bones with flesh attached. He didn't even scream out of pain; the first swipe was powerful enough to kill him instantaneously.
Then the goddess walked down the pyramid and into the battle field. She pointed the palms of both her hands towards the ground, along her side. All of Kabuto's men, including Kisame and Deidara started to glow a little. The goddess then pointed her palms towards the sky and slowly raised her hands above her head, her palms meeting each other.
All the while that she was raising her hands, all those who were glowing started burning alive. Everywhere, their screams were heard. When the goddess had her palms above her head, all that was left were a pile of ashes. She returned to the top of the pyramid and stopped when she reached the remains of Kabuto.
"I shall take my gifts with me this time," she said. "Mankind cannot be trusted with powerful instruments."
At that, she raised her hand, as if she was signing the Kusanagi, the mirror and the necklace to follow her. Three small balls of light, rose from Kabuto's puddle and landed in her hand. She returned to the top of the pyramid and was ready to go. All this time, Tenten's soul was next to her and she saw everything. When they went down to the battle field, she could see Sasuke. He was badly injured and was barely hanging on.
"No. I have to do something," she thought. When the goddess was ready to go she yelled as loud as she could:
"NO, WAIT! STOP! Don't leave yet."
Ofcourse nobody could hear Tenten. But the goddess did and that's all that mattered.
"Why wait?" she asked. "Our work here is done."
"No. Please, save the injured. Heal them. They have families of their own, people who love them. Don't let there be more deaths then there already is. Please, I beg of you. Please save them."
After a long moment of silence, the goddess finally answered.
"All right then. You shall get what you wish for."
The people down below who heard Kitosana speaking had no idea what was going on but she was obviously having a conversation of some kind. When they heard her say "all right", all the injured started to glow. And at first they thought that they too would burn to death but instead, they felt like they were being surrounded by a warm soothing light. And slowly they realized that their injuries were healing. Till the extent that they felt like they hadn't fought at all. Even those back in the campsite were being healed.
Sasuke couldn't believe what was happening to him. His injuries disappeared like magic, his bruises were gone, his breathing went back to normal and his previously broken ribs were whole again. Carefully he stood up and moved his joints to check if everything truly was as okay as it felt. Then he looked at the top of the pyramid. That thing that took over Tenten's body was still there, hovering above the altar, her eyes as white as snow and a blue shimmer all around her. He ran up the stairs quickly, he wanted his wife back.
When he reached the top, the entity in his wife stared at him as if she had been expecting him.
"I am sorry," she said to him. "But your wife's body will not survive this. But her spirit will return."
"What?" Sasuke asked. "What are you talking about? You give me my wife back!"
But instead, Tenten rose higher up in the sky, the blue glow reaching up for the moon. When it all had left, Tenten looked like her regular self again; brown hair and normal clothes. But she was still hovering and with her eyes closed, she was facing the moon. Sasuke went up to her and wanted to grab her hand. But right at that moment, her body started to disintegrate. And before he knew it, she was gone.
When realization set in, Sasuke started to get really angry. He yelled out and hit the altar with a fist. Then he sank on his knees and started sobbing softly. He tried his best to hold back the tears.
'Men don't cry,' he thought to himself. 'Men don't cry.'
Sasuke was so consumed by his anger he didn't notice his friends gathering behind him, trying to comfort him for his loss.
A/N: so, there you have it. The end of my tale… I hope this has entertained you guys all the while and I thank you once again for sticking to my story.
As a bonus, I will include an epilogue. So if you're curious about the real ending to "The Tale of the Kusanagi", stick around just a little bit longer :)