Last Time:

"Here we go Hinata," Naoto said before thrusting the ball into her which led to more screams from Hinata. Naoto removed his hand quickly and waited as Hinata screamed and cried, her body taking in the energy. It last a few moments before it suddenly stopped however and her head slumped forward. "Hinata?"

"Is she alright?" Toneri question.

There was a moment of silence.

"Naoto?" Toneri looked to him.

Naoto was about to speak but Hinata's light laughter filled the room. They all looked to her with confused expression but Toneri caught on quickly. He dived for her but it was already too late. The markings on her back shone a brilliant orange and as Toneri's hand glowed and entered Hinata's stomach, she merely smirked.

"Too late."

"What happened?" Naoto questioned.

Toneri sucked his teeth and removed his hand. "She sent Kurama back to Menma."

Exorcist: Chapter 25 –

"There's no way in hell I'm letting you go out there and fight," Sasuke argued as he grabbed ahold of Naruto's arm and narrowed his gaze. "You're in no condition to fight; not until all of Kurama is returned to you. You'd be doing myself and everyone else out there fighting for you by staying here and giving directions."

"This isn't something that's up for debate," Naruto argued. "Everything that's happening is my fault and the last thing I'm going to do is hide here while the rest of you are out there fighting. I'm going to do my part Teme!"

"Your part is staying here and giving orders like you should be," Sasuke said as Naruto yanked his arm away and glared back at him. "I'm telling you that you're better off staying here. That's something that's not up for debate Usuratonkachi. Stay here and do the part you can handle and once you get all of Kurama back, then you can join us out in the field and fight."

Naruto gritted his teeth. He sighed. "I'll contact Shikamaru and see where things are with locating the Shadow Realm Tailed Beast. Plus, I would feel better staying here with Hinata and making sure she's safe and protecting her if something happens."

With that, Sasuke simply nodded and departed with a group of Uchiha who dashed towards the edge of the city where the most amount of Demon activity was happening. Naruto sighed and reluctantly went back inside where he saw Hinata waiting for him at the receptionist desk.

"I know it's frustrating but you'll serve everyone better here until you're able to fight to the best of your ability," Hinata said as she took ahold of Naruto's hands and looked up at him. "And when you finally are able to go out, I'll be by your side."

Shadow Realm: Menma's Palace – throne room

"Evacuation in every Region has been completed," Kakashi announced enthusiastically as he stood in front of Menma. "There have been some Demons that've attacked in some congested areas but they were handled quickly. Most of the activity didn't start to happen until most of the resident were already evacuated so civilian casualty is currently at zero."

"Has there been any updates with our Shion?" Menma questioned and sucked his teeth when Kakashi shook his head. He looked at the floor beside him where Naruko was barely awake and was beginning to sweat and pant. "What about damage?"

"There's been a considerable amount but nothing that can't be fixed," Kakashi explained.

Menma!

Menma's eyes widen at the voice that resonated in his head before he felt a comforting sensation in his stomach. He also felt a slight warmth on his back and when it faded, he looked in front of him to see Kurama, his and Naruko's Kurama, standing in front of them.

"Papa?" Naruko sat up slowly with tears in her eyes at the sight of him. "Papa!" she quickly got up and ran into his arm and buried her face in his large chest. Her tears covered his chest and she hugged him as tight as she possibly could.

Kurama hugged her back and buried his nose into her hair, taking in her familiar scent. He let out a sigh of relief before looking at Menma who stood at his throne with a shocked and relived expression. Kurama gave him a small smile. "Sorry for leaving so suddenly."

Menma held back his tears as he made his way over to the two of them and joined their hug. Kurama held the two of them as tight as he could and kissed their heads. When he opened his eyes, he could see the Demon Realm Kurama had materialized and was taking in the reunion.

"Thank you," the Shadow Realm Kurama mouthed as he continued to hug Naruko and Menma.

The Demon Realm Kurama smiled and nodded before fading away.

someplace somewhere

"Why didn't you listen to Toneri?" Kaguya shouted as she wrapped her hand around Naoto's neck and lifted him off the ground with ease. "Because of your carelessness, we've lost Kurama!"

"I apologize Lady Kaguya!" Naoto choked as he held onto Kaguya's hand. "I take full responsibility for losing Kurama but we still have the others. We still have a chance."

Kaguya sucked her teeth before tossing Naoto to the side. She looked down at Hinata who was trying to collect herself after suffering at Toneri's hand. "She's incapable of sending the other Tailed Beast back to the Shadow Realm, yes?"

"Yes," Toneri answered. "She was only able to send Kurama back before of her connection to Menma and Menma's connection to Kurama. It can't happen with the others seeing as they don't have Jinchuuriki but roam free in the Shadow Realm."

"Good." Kaguya folded her arms. "Those Exorcist in the Human Realm aren't struggling all that much with what we've sent so I believe it's time to send The Guardians. They should cause enough damage to the Human Realm that we can simply sweep in with Hinata at any given time and finish off what's left."

"I recommend you start with The Guardians that reside in the Shadow Realm," Toneri suggested and saw the look on Kaguya's face. "They're receiving the least amount of damage. All their efforts are focused on keeping civilians safe and only a few people are fighting against the Demons you send to fight. Test and see what kind of damage one Guardian can do and if it's satisfactory, send the remainder to the Demon Realm. And then send the Demon Realm Guardians to the Human Realm."

"I suppose that would be best," Kaguya commented as she tapped her manicured nails against her arm. "And if things work out then we'll be able to take Kurama back. We'd need to kill Menma and Naruko this time though so he has nowhere to return after we place him back in Hinata."

"No!" Hinata screamed as tears streamed down her face.

"Make a connection with The Guardian closes to Menma's Palace," Kaguya said without looking at Toneri. "I'll take the pleasure of controlling that one myself."

"Yes ma'ma," Toneri nodded and quickly left the chamber.

"Kinshiki," Kaguya watched as he straightened his back, "tell the rest to be on standby. I'm going to be sending them out soon to the Demon Realm and some to the Human Realm to stir things up a bit. There's no point in trying to drag this out. I want what I want and I want it as soon as possible."

"Of course Lady Kaguya," Kinshiki bowed and left the chamber as well.

"Naoto, Momoshiki, finish with Hinata as soon as possible," Kaguya ordered as she began to ascend the stairs. "I don't want to wait too much longer to use her. I can tell she's knocking on death's door and I'd like to use her before it's opened. Trying to obtain the original Hinata is going to prove to be too much of a hassle."

"Yes Lady Kaguya," Momoshiki and Naoto responded and watched as she left the room. They looked at one another with conflicted expressions before looking down at Hinata who tugged violently at her chains as tears streamed down her face.

"Menma!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Human Realm: Konoha City – Exorcist HQ Surveillance Room

"There's a cluster of twelve D-Class Demons heading North towards the edge of the city. They're exiting Sector 8 and entering Sector 3," Naruto announced over the channel that connected him to everyone fighting in the field. "Uchihas in the Southwest in Sector 37, you're clustered together, pleasure thin yourselves out a little more and handle the three B-Class Demons within the vicinity."

Hinata watched as Naruto began to give order after order without missing a beat. His eyes never lingered in one area for too long and he spoke clearly and his voice wasn't too aggressive but still authoritative. She looked around the room and watched as many people relayed information out to those in the field while others communicated to the other cities their current situations.

The large screen that sat in front of the room displayed nearly fifty different locations, each of them showing Exorcist and Demons fighting. Hinata was relieved that their fight wasn't too difficult but with the volume of Demons entering the Human Realm, it was still exhausting.

"Naruto?"

Hinata looked towards where Naruto stood and saw he was crouched down and holding his stomach. She quickly went to his side and put a hand on his back. "Naruto-kun? What's wrong?"

Naruto shook his head before opening his eyes and letting out a breath. He groaned and rubbed his stomach before looking at Hinata, a relieved expression on his face. "Kurama returned. He said that the Shadow Realm Kurama managed to return thanks to Hinata."

Hinata let out a sigh of relief and stood with him. "Thank goodness. Did he say anything about where she was and if she was okay? What about the other Tailed Beast?"

"He said something about the Forgotten Realm," Kurama answered as he materialized across the table. "I'm not entirely sure if we're thinking of the same place but long before there was a Demon Realm, Shadow Realm, and Human Realm, there was a Realm where the Outsutsuki Clan reigned supreme. I'd only heard stories of it from Master Hagoromo when we were adolescents. He called it the Origin of Everything."

"Origin of Everything?" Naruto repeated. He thought for a moment as he tapped his fingers against the table top. "Chino, connect me to Shikamaru."

"Roger," Chino quickly stood to her feet and walked over to him. She drew some characters in the air before a screen appeared and Shikamaru appeared on it.

He was in the middle of reading something before he looked up and saw Naruto on the other side. "Naruto? What is it?"

"Do you know anything about a place called the Origin of Everything?" Naruto questioned as he handed his headset to Tsunade who took the place of directing those in the field.

"It sounds familiar," Shikamaru answered. "It's mentioned more in religious text than anything else but I do know that it's where our magic is from. If I remember correctly, in the Book of Hagoromo it said that magic was originally something only controlled by nature and those who were chosen to eat the fruit of the Tree of Essence. In some places this Tree of Essence can be called the Tree of Life."

"So Magic was an exclusive privilege back then?" Naruto questioned.

Shikamaru nodded. "However, there was one woman who stole a piece of fruit from the Tree of Essence and ate from it without the permission of the elders. They cursed her of course but what they didn't bargain for was that this woman would be more powerful than anything they'd seen before. She took power and divide those who resided in her world between those who could use magic and those who couldn't."

"What happened to those who couldn't use magic?" Naruto questioned.

"They're what we like to call Human," Shikamaru answered. "The woman I mentioned is named Kaguya in the Book of Hagoromo and there's been speculation that the woman who presides of that Outsutsuki Clan today is the same woman as back then because of their resemblance. Of course, many believe that she's just a reincarnation of that Kaguya from that time. I suppose after Kaguya had her sons and they locked her away – at least that's what the book claims – they created a new realm and from that, they created a haven for those who couldn't use magic."

"Kurama, would it be possible for you to reach this Forgotten Realm if possible?" Naruto questioned.

Kurama shook his head. "Not likely. Like I said before, I'd only heard stories about it when I was still a pup. Master Hagoromo never clarified if that Origin of Everything was a Realm of its own or just some place in the Demon Realm that was no longer visited. If anyone can get there, from the sound of it, it's an Outsutsuki."

"Speaking hypothetically if this Forgotten Realm does exist, there may be a way," Shikamaru started as he looked at Naruto. "You're not going to like it though."

"What is it?" Naruto questioned.

"You could have a Hyuuga try and get there," Shikamaru explained. "They're one of the Five Great Clans closes related to the Outsutsuki. If anyone can get there besides an Outsutsuki, it's a Hyuuga."

"Confirm the existence of a fourth realm and then we'll theorize how to get there," Naruto said and just as he was about to dismiss the screen, chaos erupted from Shikamaru's end. "Shikamaru?"

"What's happening?" Shikamaru called before his eyes widen. "There's no way."

"Shikamaru?" Naruto called again.

"The Guardians, they're moving," Shikamaru looked back at the screen.

Naruto's eyes widen. "That's not possible? They haven't moved in almost three thousand years. Where're they going?"

Just as Shikamaru began to shake his head, chaos erupted behind Naruto. He quickly looked over his shoulder and saw the display on the main wall adjust to where it was only five screens, each of them displaying a Guardian from the Demon Realm.

"What are those?" Tsunade ask, her voice shaky.

"They're called The Guardians," Kurama answered as his eyes remained fixed on the five towering Tengu Guardians. "When Master Hagoromo fell ill, the ten of us went our separate ways and often clashed with one another over territory. He created these five Guardians with the help of his sons, to counter us because he couldn't do anything himself and there wasn't anyone in the Demon Realm who had the power to stop us. We fought with the Guardians briefly before we were subdued into our temples."

"Simply put," Naruto joined in, "they're a countermeasure against the Tailed Beast."

Everyone watched as the Guardians stood completely still in each of the cities they appeared in. Atop their shoulders and heads were dozens of men and women, each of them pale with white hair and white eyes.

"Kaguya," Naruto snarled as he clinched his fist. He took his headset back from Tsunade and began to give his next order. "Gaara, Yugito, Killer Bee, I hate to ask this of you but Beast Transformation is necessary if we're going to be able to hold our own against the Guardians. Killer Bee, Yugito, members of the Uchiha Clan are going to help transport you to Kumo City and Iwa City. Sasuke, I want you to take as many Uchiha as you can and go to Kiri City and provide them with support."

"Hello, hello. Is this Uzumaki Naruto-san?"

"Who is this?" Naruto questioned.

"Sorry for contact you so late but this channel was really hard to find," the young girl's voice responded. "Oh and sorry again for not coming around sooner."

"Huh?"

"I'm – what do you call it? – a Jinchuuriki! My name is Fuu and I'm the Jinchuuriki for Choumei. I'm from Taki City which is two hours south of Kiri City," Fuu announced.

"Where are you currently?" Naruto questioned.

"I'm headed for that big thing with wings right now," Fuu responded a little too cheerfully. "I managed to convince the others to get off their asses and join in so we should be able to be of some considerable help?"

"The others?" Naruto repeated.

"Utakata, Han, Roushi, and Yagurachi," Fuu responded. "The five of us were the last five you needed to contact, weren't we? We live here in the Human Realm and we figured we shouldn't leave you to protect it all by yourself. So, from here on out, you have all of us on your side."

"However, after all of this is over, we can't guarantee that we'll stick around," Utakata's voice came through on the radio.

"Now, now, don't be like that Utakata," Roushi's voice bellowed through the radio. "You have a responsibility to do and running away after all of this isn't going to do any of us any good."

"Weren't you also avoiding Uzumaki-san until recently, Roushi?" Utakata questioned.

"Enough bickering you two," Yagura groaned from his end. "We have work to do."

"Well this is certainly and interesting turn of events," Gaara's voice came on over the channel. "Well then Naruto, tell us what we need to do."

Naruto couldn't help but wear a smile on his face at the sound of all their voices. "Let's show Kaguya that we're not going down without a fight."

"Roger!" all of them said simultaneously.

To Be Continued...