Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme
chpt.25: To Break in Time
The Makai portal suddenly began to fluctuate, bring Moegi and Roushi into an alert status. "Hey, what's wrong with the portal?" asked Moegi to Gaara and Utakata.
"Something must be passing through it" says Utakata in response.
"Prepare yourself, little snippet. We may have battle coming are way" says Roushi as he was already preparing to unleash a Lava style jutsu attack.
Moegi nods, extending her hands outwards and forming a block of ice to launch out in attack as well. After a few seconds, three figures pass from the portal back into the Pinnacle Rocks. Moegi breaths a sigh of relief as she runs forward and Roushi allows himself to relax as well.
"Big brother, you're back" cries Moegi before hugging Naruto, much to his annoyance. He growls at hearing Fuu snickering at him, likely thinking about Moegi's brother complex becoming a major issue. Behind them, Gaara and Utakata allow themselves to break away from the portal which causes it to close as they leave their Mazuko Modes, returning to normal.
"Did you find anything?" asked Gaara.
Naruto looks back at his two fellow Jinchuriki and says "Something, but nothing immediately helpful though."
"Like what, exactly?" asked Roushi.
"Wait, where's master at?" asked Hanabi.
"Huh, ancient granny?" says Moegi. "She said she was feeling a little tired so she went to lay down."
"Not surprising. Opening that portal must have taken a lot out of her" says Fuu. "In fact, she seems to have been tired a lot lately."
"I'll go get her" says Hanabi, moving to the exit orb. "She should hear this as soon as possible so we can get her input on this matter" she adds before touching the orb and vanishing from the Casteopa.
"While we wait, wanna go ahead and fill us in?" asked Utakata.
For the next few minutes, Naruto and Fuu re-accounted their short time inside the Realm, their run in with the last pure Yoma and the transformed Kin, and their discovery inside Kyubi's Throne.
"So, this masked man isn't Madara Uchiha then" says Roushi. "That's reassuring in its own way."
"I wish I could share that sentiment" says Naruto.
"What do you mean?" asked Roushi.
"Well, we know that though Madara could control the Kyubi, possibly even all the Biju once they were here in our world, the same couldn't be said on their home turf. But who ever the masked man is, he does somehow have the power to bind them to his will even in the Makai. That alone is a scary thought" explained Fuu.
"So, if it's not Madara back from the dead, then who then?" asked Utakata.
"Could it be that Pain guy?" asked Gaara.
Naruto shakes his head. "No, I'm sure Pain has nothing to do with this. So far, we have only one clue to go on that hopefully ancient granny may have an idea about."
"And what's that, big brother?" asked Moegi.
"He wasn't wearing his mask in the memory so I saw his left eye and the spiral like iris he had" says Naruto. "I don't know why, but there's something familiar about it."
"A spiral iris?" repeats Roushi. "Another ocular based blood limit, perhaps? One that has been kept secret from the general public."
Fuu shrugs, then says "Who can say say, really. But if such a thing does exist, then the person or clan that produced it has done a very good job keeping its existence a complete secret."
"Putting that aside for now, something else did become known to me" says Naruto.
"What, seriously?" asked Fuu, hearing this for the first time.
Naruto nods, then grins a little before saying "I'm not sure where the idea came from, but this wicked cool idea came to me when we were at the Throne; an interesting new way to use the tails of my chakra cloak."
"Seriously?" asked Moegi.
"Yeah, I'm not sure if I can do it perfectly right off the bat, but I'll see if I can show you anyways" says Naruto as he begins to invoke. But Hanabi suddenly reappears, visibly in a panic.
"Everyone, master's missing..."
(the Final Valley)
"So, the time has finally come...elder Mada."
Tobi then stands up, looking her over before saying, in a rather joky fashion "Boy, the times have not be find to you, huh? I never thought I'd see the day you, of all people, would look like a wrinkled old fossil woman."
Mada's face shifts into a dead pan like expression as she returns "Well, I like to think I look pretty good given my age and all. Besides, I thought you had been raised to be more respectful than this towards your elders?"
Tobi chuckles as he brings a hand to rest against his chin. "Yeah, I suppose you're right, elder Mada. Oh, would it be OK if I call you by your true name..."
"Lady Amarillo Namikaze" says Tobi, trying to sound as grandiose as he could. "No, that's not right either. After all, it would be most appropriate if I call you by the correct term, wouldn't you agree...MOM!"
Mada, or should I say Amarillo, sighs as she rubs her forehead. "You still haven't changed, always with that cocky attitude in your tone. And here I was hoping that you would have grown out of that after all these years, Uchiha Namikaze."
"So, you really did know it was me all along then" says Tobi...Uchiha as he pulls his mask off, revealing a young looking face with a Sharingan in his right eye and the spiral iris-ed eye in the left socket. "What gave me away?"
"The truth is that I have always suspected that it could be you, or someone from those times who was a little on the ambitious side. The theft of Musashi's Rinnegan from the vault, the special items the Order of Ama seemed to have access to, and other things besides" says Mada. "Though I had honestly hoped that I was wrong about it being you though."
"Sorry to disappoint, mom" says Tobi. "Though I guess in retrospect, that's all I could ever do in your eyes."
"It has been a very long time, but I refuse to get back into this argument with you now, Uchiha. But I do still want to know how you managed to live this long? And how did you gain access to the vaults inner sanctum?"
"So, you wanna know how I'm still alive, huh?" asked Tobi before starting to pace back and forth. "Well, I suppose you can thank the professor for that one...indirect though it may have been. After all, it was professor Van Hohenheim who was research the secrets behind immortality, though he eventually abandoned his research. I managed to cover his work before it was fully destroyed and used to to create my Soul Transference technique. After my fight with Senju and nearly dying, I used it to soul jump into a new body and have been doing such ever since up until this day."
"As for how I accessed the vault? Well, old methods are the best as I had preserved some of my DNA for a future project and I was able to trick the computer AI into thinking I was either you or dad, I can't remember which. And just so you don't have to ask, I found the vault to begin with through a process of illumination. After all, it was safe to assume you all would have used a spot familiar to you and I was aware of all the locations" says Tobi.
"I knew we should have found a new spot" growled Mada, realizing they had been pretty stupid there.
"Now you tell me, mom. Just how did you survive this long" asked Tobi. "And while we're at it, I would also like to know if Minato Namikaze was really little Uzumaki, all grown up."
"Your father saw a vision before his death, one that foresaw a Second Age of Darkness possibly happening in the distant future. As neither one of us would naturally live long enough to stop it again, we implemented several fail safes to protect the future world" says Mada.
"Oh, I can't wait to hear this one" says Tobi.
"First, we had professor Van create the genetic code for a new ocular power and then this code was placed inside your sister, Hinata, body so it could be passed on from one generation to another till the time of the second age came about, where it would naturally manifest in her most current living descendents, which by chance was a girl who was also named Hinata" says Mada, deciding to keep the fact it wasn't just the Byakugan that Van had created back then.
"Next, Uzumaki was taken to the Celestial Realm and placed inside the Silhouette Moon, where he slept outside of the flow of time till I went and re-awoke him and brought him back into the world, and do to the existence of an official Uzumaki Clan that had been born from Senju's line along with the Senju Clan itself, we agreed he would be known as Minato now. And I'm sure you know the rest, seeing as you caused his death" says Mada, her tone filled with anger.
"He made the choice to invoke the shinigami, not me. I can't be blamed for that" spat out Tobi, making Mada clench her fist at her oldest seemingly lack of caring. "Though I do mourn him in my own way" he then adds, trying to act like he cared.
Mada doesn't buy it though, but decides to put it off to the side for the moment as there would be plenty of time for punishment here soon. "And as for me, your father and I developed a way to use my natural talent with nature energy to freeze myself within a moments time, allowing me to live far beyond what was possible for any human. In doing this, I could try to stop the second age if possible and if I couldn't do it, then I could at least train a new generation of heroes to do the job. Of course, I have opted to do both just to be safe."
"Well that makes sense, I guess" says Tobi. "And I knew something was going on with Hinata, what with her always paying visits to the professor's lab. Heh, to be honest, I always thought she and the professor had some secret relationship going on despite the major age difference."
"Get your mind out of the gutter" says Mada, while thinking the humor in that as some of those visits wasn't about the genetic encoding, but Hinata spending time with her boyfriend in secret. This thought brought up an old memory for her. Wasn't Hinata's boyfriend also named Naruto? Naruto Kishimoto to be exact. It seemed Hinata's were always attracted to boys named Naruto, or that's what Mada assumed at least.
"Now tell me, Uchiha, why do you have a Sharingan when it took many generations for your descendents to gain it. Is that body of yours a former Uchiha Clan member?" asked Mada.
"No, this body was just one I found some years ago that had a talent for controlling other blood limits. I believe it was from the Hatake ninja family, possibly a cousin to the White Fang of Konoha. The Sharingan was taken from the body of Obito Uchiha, though it took me a few years to heal the eye given it was nearly crushed. But it was worth it though thanks to its Mangekyou ability, the Kamui; a power that allows one to shift themselves and others into an alternate phase space."
"So that's how you managed to kill Kushina then, as well as cause all that trouble in recent years as well" says Mada.
"I won't deny it."
"And what of the Uzugan then?" asked Mada, referring to Uchiha's left eye. "You only have one now."
"Yes, I lost my other one as a result of that fight with Senju. But I have kept this one because even if the Uzugan's hypnotic powers of absolute control have been lessened greatly, it can still be used to manipulate people to some degree. And when combined with the Sharingan's genjutsu based powers, it can be surprisingly effective. It can even bend a Biju to it's will inside the Makai Realm."
"I see I was to lax back then, assuming you had actually died" says Mada. "Now comes my real question. Just what are you planning? What is all of this for that led you to control the Biju and force them into this world, forcing Biju Jinchuriki to be made. Why kill Kushina Uzumaki and take her heart from her body and also play Mizukage and cause the bloodline purge that wiped out so many clans?"
Tobi raises his eyebrows in surprise, saying "Wow, you even know about that? I'm truly impressed."
"Is it some sort of world domination plan or something?" asked Mada.
"World domination?" says Tobi before laughing, hard. "What foolishness is that? Who would want to rule the world? So much work to keep everything in check is to much if you ask me, not worth the trouble. No mother, I have no disillusion about ruling the world. No, all I want is simply what I'm owed...my birth right."
Mada looks at him, shocked to hear that. "Your birth right? You mean, all of this...all the pain, suffering, and death you have caused...was so you could become the Jubi's Jinchuriki? YOU FOOL OF A BOY."
"Why is that foolish? To want to succeed father as the Sage and lead all mankind into the greater tomorrow. Look what has happened since father's death. Man has veered off the course, driving itself back into being like the old world was, the world that caused the Age of Darkness to begin with. Only the Sage can keep everyone on the right track and, as the oldest, it was both my right, my duty, and my honor to continue both yours and father's noble mission as well as to pass it on to the next generation when the time came."
"Uchiha, you idiot. Don't you understand why your father chose to course he did? Surely you remember what holding that force inside himself did to him, leaving him always sick and weak and bed ridden. It was torture to him, always leaving him in agony though he did his best to hide that fact from you four. He didn't want you, or anyone, to ever suffer like he had to" yells Mada.
"Oh, but I do understand. I understand he didn't have faith in me or my ability, he never really did. Why else did he always show more favor to Senju and not me? He even chose Senju as his named successor over me" says Tobi.
"But that was only because of your own personal actions. Senju was calmer and more willing to find peaceful solutions where as you were more about force" says Mada.
"It doesn't matter now for that is all in the past" says Tobi as he places his mask back on. "My mind will not be swayed, no matter what you say. I will become Jubi's Jinchuriki once the perfect body I have been growing is ready and I have captured all the Jinchuriki."
"I see" says Mada, feeling a great sadness take her. She had honestly hoped she could reason with him, get him to stop this. But there was no other choice now, she would have to kill her own son in order to save the world. "Then you leave me no choice, Uchiha. I will kill if that's what it will take to stop you."
And then, with blurring speed, Mada pulls her cane off the ground and launch's it at Tobi. For a split second, Tobi is thinking 'Seriously, she thinks her wooden cane will hurt me?' But his words are taken aback as the cane sudden turns into pure energy, forcing him to activate Kamui in order to escape it. The energy wrapped cane falls and collides with the rock, shattering and fading away.
"Pretty nasty attack there, mom. Surprising too. But if you think you can defeat me with moves like that, then I won't even need to get serious here" says Tobi.
"It seems you have forgotten, Uchiha, what your mother is capable of. I guess it's time I remind you" says Mada before bringing her hands together. An aura forms around her body followed by runic seals appearing on her skin. Both Tobi and Zetsu back away due to the intense heat that was coming off her. The light grows brighter and brighter till Mada could no longer be seen. And then, the light blast outwards, creating a deep crater upon the head of the statue they both stood on.
There was smoke for a moment, smoke that is quickly blown away by the wind, revealing Amarillo in her former glory; long golden hair, smooth, youthful looking skin, and a look of power in her overall stance. "And don't think I'll go easy on this time like I did before during all those training sessions" says Amarillo, her voice matching her newly restored youth.
Uchiha was shocked to say the least as he wasn't expecting this. 'So this was another benefit of locking you in a moments time, huh mother? I guess that's why you took on such an aged appearance.'
"I'll admit that this is a little unnerving, but don't think I'm as week as I was before. I may no longer have my original body, but I am still strong enough now to kill you" says Uchiha. "Don't make me do this, mother. You know I'm in the right here."
"All the more reason why I need to do this. Your ego has become to great and as your parent, it is my duty to reprimand you" says Amarillo before adding "Zetsu, I suggest you stay out of this."
"Believe us, we're not stupid enough to interfere here" says both Zetsu in unison.
Amarillo and Uchiha face each other, each waiting to see if the other would make the first move. Another strong wind pass's by, bringing with it a small leaf passing between the two. The moment the leaf had passed, Amarillo makes the first move, moving at her son with lightning like speed.
Uchiha brings his arms up to guard his body as Amarillo lands her first blow; a hit that lands with enough the blow Uchiha back a good twenty feet, nearly sending him flying off the top of Mada Uchiha's stone head. He recovers as Amarillo comes at him, faking another punch before suddenly going into a low spin, sweeping Uchiha off his legs. He twist his body, planting a hand on the ground then pushing off while sending his legs kicking wildly outwards. Amarillo blocks each kick, then notices Uchiha's legs beginning to glow, forcing Amarillo to jump back as Uchiha launch's a slicing wave through his legs. Amarillo smacks the attack to the side before heading back in.
Amarillo sends another punch, but this one pass's through Uchiha who then moves to the side so he could then grab her arm and launching his own series of punch's and kicks. Amarillo tries to counter, but each attack simply pass's through Uchiha now as he times his Kamui perfectly. Amarillo then jumps backwards, then surrounds her hands with chakra before going in for another round of attacks.
'It's pointless, mother' thinks Uchiha as her attacks continue to pass through him. 'You think if you attack fast enough, you'll catch me in a moment when I have to phase back? Sorry, but there's no way you'll ever land a hit on...'
His thoughts come to an sudden end as Amarillo's fist smash into his face, shattering the mask he was wearing, and sending him flying from the statue head down towards the lake below, moving at a speed that was creating visible distortions in the air. He slams into the water below, skipping along it like a stone till he collides with the surrounding land, carving a deep trench nearly two hundred feet in length before finally coming to a stop.
Uchiha groans as he picks himself up. He had been lucky the mask was as strong as it was or else her blow would have crushed his skull in. In fact, he was lucky he had he was still conscious after that blow, showing that it had been a good idea on his part to reinforce this body just in case he ever battles his mother again. But still, there was one question remaining.
'How the hell did she do that? I'm certain that the Kamui was still active' wonders Uchiha, then recalling when she had thrown her cane at him. It had passed through him...after it had turned into energy. 'Wait, was it that...?'
Amarillo lands in the water and approach's as Uchiha stand again, although his legs were a little wobbly. "When I threw my cane and it passed through you, it left a chakra signature mixed in with your lingering chakra signature that's left over when ever you use Kamui to perform partial phasing. All I had to do now was use my own chakra to find the frequency your Kamui resonates at and then..."
"You could land a hit on me even if I use Kamui" finish's Uchiha. "Well played, mother. I would expect nothing less from you. Oh well, relying on it would make this fight boring anyways." Uchiha then walks forward as his Sharingan begins to swirl, creating a portal.
"Let's take this fight to a more fitting location" says Uchiha as both he and Amarillo are pulled into the vortex. Within moments, they reemerge within the Kamui space, which looked strangly familiar to Amarillo.
"This place..." says Amarillo.
"You like it, mom? I modified it just for you, to resemble your home city" says Uchiha before throwing off his Akatsuki robes. He then makes several hand signs, making seal marks appear on his body which then release. "There, now I can fight on a more even field as you now."
"Then let's end this" says Amarillo as the two of them charge at each other, neither knowing the price the other was going to pay for this fight.
Uchiha jumps up and over Amarillo's first attack, landing behind her, then spinning around with a kick intended to knock her off her feet, but Amarillo jumps over his sweep, going into a spin while extending a leg outwards, bringing it down hard as Uchiha rolls back and the leg strike slams into the ground, creating a crater. Uchiha is quick to get back on his feet while pressing his hands together, creating a staff made from pure energy while Amarillo begins to fire off a volley of chakra bullets from her hands to which Uchiha blocks them while moving forward, then swings his energy staff at his mother whole responds by rolling under it, dodging the attack.
As she comes out of the roll, Uchiha had already turned back towards her, raising his staff upwards then thrusting it down to impale her. Amarillo dodges again with another quick roll then goes to get back on her feet only to feel Uchiha grab her shoulders with one hand, then push his body off the ground to get in behind her while using the momentum to launch Amarillo off the ground, into one of the fake buildings. Amarillo crash's through the wall as Uchiha jumps into the air, throwing his staff at the building, causing the whole thing to explode though Amarillo jumps from the explosion, landing safely on the ground before motioning at him to come at her again.
Uchiha comes at her and Amarillo suddenly does a spinning jump to the side, landing on a large chunk of the building, causing it to flip upwards, which she then round house kicks to her son. Reacting quickly, he does a forward slide underneath the projectile as there was just enough space for him to fit through. But as he clears the underside, his eyes see his mother above him, having ridden piggy back her attack as she lets go, does a spin to orientate herself, then dives down, landing a blow on him before leaning back, grabbing his legs, then jumping while swinging him up and around, launching him into another fake building.
A few seconds after Uchiha crashed into the building, it explodes, sending large chunks of debris flying at Amarillo who jumps from one to another while running toward her son as he begins moving at her as well, following after the building's remains. She goes in low; he high, as they each dodge the others attacks, then sending punch's at one another for several blows before flipping backwards and forming balls of energy in their hands which they launch at each other. The attacks collide, creating a blinding flash of light. As the light fades, Uchiha sees his mother already coming at him and so responds in kind by rushing at her as well.
Amarillo jumps again and Uchiha tries to push her away with his hands, but she moves her leg just slightly, planting it on his shoulder before doing a spin, sending a kick to his face that sends him flying back. But she grabs hold of one of his legs and push's him back towards her while sending her elbow slamming down hard into his gut which sends him slamming and bouncing off the ground to which she then kick pushes him off into another building.
He is quick to recover and pick himself back up, though the blood coming from his mouth and the cuts on his face do give him pause for concern as Amarillo comes in with a punch, to which he uses one of his legs to block then leaps off the ground with the other leg, launching a barrage of kicks both direct and arching at his mother while twisting his body and planting his hands upon the ground; gripping her head with both legs to send her spinning in the air, then kicking her skywards. He then spins his lower body around as it returns to the ground so he can launch himself into the air above Amarillo, then instead of landing a hit, uses his still airborne body to jump even higher while twisting around while energy forms in his hands. He releases blast of light that shoot outwards then arc down at Amarillo as she lands, throwing her arms into a guard position as the attacks land and explode around her.
Uchiha lands on the ground, turns, and makes a run for the largest tower like structure in the area. The smoke clears around Amarillo who quickly chases after Uchiha, arriving at the tower just as her son reaches the top. While on the way up, he had made several hand signs so that when he reached the top, he could slam his fist into the ground, causing a devastating chain reaction.
"Let's see how you handle this one" he shouts as lines race down from his strike point, then shooting out all over the fake cityscape before everything implodes, sending them both as well as the surviving remnants of the fake city into free fall above an unending abyss.
Suddenly, the debris shifts and turns into one never ending tower like structure which races ever onward into the unknown. Amarillo maneuvers her descent so she can shift her position and plant her feet upon the surface of the tower, but finds the force pulling her towards the abyss to strong to stop her movement so she opts for sliding towards the bottom as Uchiha appears higher up, running down the side at her.
The whole thing felt like a combination of sky diving and surfing, except on the side of this tower like object. Amarillo extends her left hand, firing off a fresh volley of chakra blast while Uchiha counters by reforming his energy staff, spinning it around to counter her attack. He then throws the staff at Amarillo, which she grabs from midair; breaking it in half then spinning it as she turns it into something for her own use. Uchiha smirks while lifting one leg clear of the tower, then stomping it down before jumping and going back into a proper free fall. Amarillo, hearing stone creaking, spins around and sees pillars rising from the towers sides, acting like barriers to block her away. She then breaks into a run, increasing her descent speed as she dances around each pillar, cutting through the ones she couldn't dodge around using the broken energy staff.
Uchiha comes in over her and she tries to swing her weapon at him, but he knocks them from her hands before spinning and landing a few kicks, then sails down a little farther and lands in her path. But Amarillo is quick to launch the next attack, grabbing him by his face, then plowing him through the remaining stone barricades as they come up. She then push's off the tower, landing them both on a piece of a pillar in free fall at which time Uchiha frees himself from her hold, then rush's her with his next attack. But Amarillo dodges it by flipping over him, then throwing him into a bear hug from behind before he could turn back at her, lifts him up and then does a suplex on him, leaving half his body sticking out of one side and the other half on the other side. Amarillo then flips herself off the piece, grabbing the edge and sending it into a spin as Uchiha tries to free himself.
Amarillo use the spin to launch her upwards a few meters while twisting herself back around and gathering nature energy into her hands, releasing a massive emerald green ball of fire at Uchiha and the pillar piece, causing them both to hit by the explosion from the impact. Uchiha emerges from the smoke, a swelling of dark energy around a fist, but Amarillo ducks under his swing and kicks him back downwards before using Swift Sprint to accelerate herself, catching Uchiha in a close line and races the both of them further down, finally impacting onto some ground. Amarillo is the first to emerge from the crater, jumping away then looking back to wait for Uchiha to emerge. She was beginning to breath heavily as she was also losing blood from her own injuries. And worse was that she was running out of time. Looking at her left hand, she can see it was beginning to lose it's youthful form and revert to the aged self from before.
"You truly are a monster, mom" says Uchiha as he stumbles from the smoke, also looking battered and beaten. "I always wondered what you could do when you didn't hold back and now I know..."
"Let's stop this now, Uchiha. Before this battle kills us both" says Amarillo, not wanting to kill her own child if she could avoid it. After all, despite what he had done, he was still her son and she hoped he could still be reasoned with.
"You and I both know that its far to late for that" says Uchiha, standing tall. "Also, I can tell this youthening you went through it running out of time. I admit that even I can't keep this up much longer. So what do you say we end this with one final attack."
Amarillo sighs, then nods. "So be it. If this is the only way" she says while holding a hand outwards, forming her own version of the Rasengan. "Then I will do what I know needs to be done..."
Uchiha raises his right hand to the sky, forming pure dark chakra around it. "Just for you, my Omega Zenith attack. And now, time to join dad...in death" shouts Uchiha before running at his mother who also charges him with her emerald colored Rasengan.
They close the distance from each other quickly and are upon one another within a split second, then Uchiha fully releases his attack which becomes like a spear and impales Amarillo through her chest, making her eyes bulge as she coughs up blood, stopping her movements and seemingly making her go limp. "You've gotten soft, mother."
"Have I?" she counters as her Rasengan suddenly glows brighter before suddenly shrinking to the size of a marble, then shooting from her hand at Uchiha's face, making him howl in pain as it makes contact with the Uzugan. Uchiha releases his attack on Amarillo and she collapses to the ground while he stumbles, a hand over his left eye and unable to hide the blood pouring from the wound.
"GAH, my eye. My damn eye" he roars as he collapses to his knees. His Sharingan eye looks at her with such rage and hate. "How could you? The Uzugan...you now destroyed it completely."
"And now you can't control them no more" says Amarillo, feeling some satisfaction in knowing that.
Uchiha keeps his anger filled eye locked on her for a moment more before taking in a deep breath, then says "No matter, it's loss though unfortunate is minor seeing as I hadn't a need for it anymore anyways." He then steps forward, pulls Amarillo up, and activates the Kamui to send them back to the real world.
"You finally lost, mom" says Uchiha as they reappear in the Final Valley. "You finally..."
"Don't be so sure" says Amarillo, suddenly throwing him into a bear hug. "I knew this battle would be the death of me, no matter what. But with this, my final act which will draw upon all my remaining power, we'll both go and join with your father on the other side."
Uchiha's eye goes wide as he body begins to glow; the power of nature energy being channeled like nothing he had ever seen. ""No, wait mother..."
"Goodby, my troublesome little boy. Please forgive me for not being able to save you" says Amarillo, a smile on her face as they both are pulled into the blast; a force strong enough to reshape the Final Valley and destroy the twin statues in an instant.
As the dust settles, Zetsu rises from the ground and White Zetsu says "Wow, that was terrifying."
"Forget about that, idiot' Where's Uchiha at?" asked Black Zetsu as he looks around.
A form is seen moving in the distance through the smoke, coming towards them. A moment later, Uchiha emerges, with no sign of injury upon his body. "Master, are you OK?" asked Zetsu.
"I'll live...though at a price" was Uchiha's response as the Sharingan gives off a faint glow before turning dark, then turning dead white to match the rest of his eyeball color. "I had to use it, the Uchiha Clan's final jutsu; Izanagi, in order to survive that. And all it cost me was this Sharingan and the power of the Kamui."
"And your Uzugan?" asked Zetsu.
"Also lost I'm afraid" says Uchiha. "Come, we're done here. Take me back to the lab so I can transplant some replacement eyes."
"Understood, master" says Zetsu before looking towards the motionless body of Amarillo, which had returned to looking like her elder Mada state. "What about your mother...?"
"Leave her. I'm sure they'll notice she's missing soon enough and will search for her, finding her here. I have no doubt they'll attend to her funeral."
"Understood" says Zetsu as he takes hold of Uchiha's hand, then begins to sink the both of them into the ground.
Though he was now blind, for the moment, Uchiha turns his head back towards his mother's body anyways as he thinks "I'm sorry as well mother, sorry that I was nothing but a disappointment to you and father. But this has to be done, it needs to be done. And only I can do it. There's no longer any alternative left but to do it now.'
"Goodbye, mother..."
The on the ground and lifeless, there was yet a spark left within Amarillo, though that spark was quickly fading. 'I've done all I can here. Now, Naruto, it's up to you, Hinata, Hanabi, and the rest to finish what I and Musashi started all those years ago. I know you can do it for you are not alone as even if you don't know it yet, they are with you. And because...you all are my precious children and as such, I know you'll succeed for that is the faith of a parent.'
'I'll be watching and believing in you...so never give up...'
And then, Amarillo, the last of the old heroes, finally passed on into history.
To be continued...
AN: Well, this concludes chapter 25. I hope you all liked the big reveal for both Mada and Tobi's identities. If nothing else, Tobi's true self is better than he is in the manga in my opinion.
Now for some bad news. Due to me having recently lost my job (back in late April to be more exact hence why my RMN releases came as fast as they did in May), I'm finding myself rather short of cash and it looks like my internet, along with my cable too, will have to be shut off for the next few months as I have not the money to pay that particular bill. I'll try to release a few more NITF chapters before I lose my internet. So if my releases suddenly stop over any greater length of time here in the near future, it's because my internet is down (and hopefully not also meaning I'm homeless).
The next chapter will deal with Amarillo and Musashi's younger years and chpt.27 will have a big reveal about Orochimaru's Eight Faces.
Till next time...