Chapter 32
Kakashi examined the beach area. His summons told him that the smell ended here.
'So...now what?' Subaru asked. Kakashi cupped his chin.
'Their base must be in plain sight. It's just that we can't see it.' Kakashi muttered.
'So invisible? Or maybe underground?' Kazuma chimed in. Kakashi suddenly slapped his fist into his palm.
'Of course!' He then pointed to the pool of water.
'It's highly probable that it's underwater!' He explained.
'Then let's go!' Naruto roared.
The four walked towards the ocean when Kakashi suddenly stopped.
Visions suddenly appeared in Kakashi's head. In the vision, he is digging up and beyond the surface…
'Clank!' Kakashi drew his kunai and blocked an underground attack.
A masked individual wearing the Akatsuki cloak appeared.
'Hello! How are you?' He began speaking.
'Akatsuki!' Naruto growled.
'Non non! My name is Tobi!' Tobi announced.
Naruto attacked with ferocity but he ended up moving past Tobi's body.
'What!' He roared.
'Hehehehe.' Tobi laughed.
Naruto kicked his left side while an approaching Subaru attacked Tobi's right.
However, the same thing happened again and they ended up kicking each other in the face.
'Why…' Kazuma began complaining at the work needed to be done once again. But hey! He got a kiss from the lovely Megumin.
Tobi punched both Subaru and Naruto in the face.
'Kakashi?' Kazuma asked a frozen Kakashi.
'...Let's go!' Kakashi threw three kunais which Tobi easily phased through.
Kazuma slashed at him with Chunchunmaru but Naruto whom threw a Rasengan phased through him and deflected Kazuma's strike.
'You can't beat me.' Tobi taunted. Suddenly, a realisation struck Subaru.
'(I fought him before!)'
'(That time...I discovered a weakness!)'
In the first few hours after Subaru woke up in this world, he struggled to get past his first trial. Then, he met Tobi.
His attacks all proved fruitless initially. But after going through it a few times, he earned a hard-fought hit.
With Ruby's extreme speed, she was able to exploit Tobi's weakness. By being a decoy, he was able to distract Tobi while Ruby attacked.
In the situation Ruby fails to get a hit, Kazuma could use his Concealment skill to get a hit off.
And Tobi's weakness was, every time he phased, he only turns that certain part of him intangible.
'Guys! I got it! It seems that he only turns one part of his body intangible at a time!' Subaru informed the others.
Tobi froze in his tracks as the others looked at Subaru suspiciously.
However, Kakashi decided to act on the new information.
'Everyone! Attack different locations on his body!' Naruto targeted Tobi's arm while Subaru went for his leg. However, he still phased through.
'I don't know how you figured it out, but do you really think I can only change a single part at a time?' Tobi laughed.
'No.' Contrary to expectations, Subaru smirked.
'Kazuma!' Naruto roared.
Kazuma appeared behind Tobi and stabbed him through his back.
'Concealment rules!' Kazuma laughed out loud.
Tobi coughed as he elbowed Kazuma in the face. During this period, Naruto followed up with a Rasengan.
He tore through Tobi's cloak and sent him flying.
'Everyone! Since he came from below, go down now!' Kakashi ordered.
Subaru nodded as he used an Unseen Hand to dig out the ground below, creating a hole straight into the Akatsuki base.
Kazuma, Subaru, and Naruto jumped into the hole. Tobi stood up slowly as he stared at Kakashi.
'Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!' A huge fireball erupted from Tobi's mouth and burnt the ground where Kakashi once stood on.
Kakashi landed a few metres back before pulling up his headband, revealing his Sharingan.
'Obito!' Kakashi called out. Tobi stopped, dead in his tracks.
They stared each other down.
A swarm of people walked through the streets of Planeptune.
Their CPU, Nepgear, overlooked them from the Basilicom's balcony.
She had a gentle expression on her face.
'Peace…' She muttered as she thought back on how difficult it was to have all the nations come under one banner.
She turned back into her room. It was very messy but that was to be expected of Neptune's old room.
Nepgear thought about cleaning it up but she, being the sole CPU left, didn't have time to do so.
She sat on the couch Neptune used to love so much. She touched the controller Neptune used to fight over for. She looked at the countless empty pudding cups Neptune used to splurge on.
She felt tears welling up in her eyes. She quickly shook her head.
'(I have to be strong!)' She thought. She knew Neptune wouldn't want to see her like that.
Wanting to shake herself out of her grief, she activated her HDD and flew off into the sky.
She struggled a bit in the air as she wasn't quite used to this new form she obtained after becoming the sole CPU.
She even felt slightly frustrated at the new colour scheme. She wanted to have purple as her motif. It was what would make her feel that the Purple Hearts haven't quite died out yet.
People whom saw her flying waved at her. Nepgear returned their waves with a forced smile.
She wanted to give a honest smile, but she wasn't able to quite do it with all her friends and family gone.
She landed in the Gamindustri Graveyard. The place where the Deity of Sin was vanquished.
She sat down on the dusty and cracked floor. The cracks all led to a separate crack.
The crack was from the impact of Gehaburn from when she killed the Deity of Sin.
She then laid down. Nepgear felt herself relax.
She really did like these few moments of respite.
Only when she is here can she rest peacefully.
'Nepgear!' Her eyes shot open. She thought she heard Neptune.
'Neppy Punch!' Nepgear awoke from her slumber. She rolled over and fell flat on her face.
'DAMN YOU!' Nepgear growled as she stood up. However, part of her mind was still hung up over her dream.
She was incredibly confused. Her sister was dead.
'I got something to ask you.' Nepgear told Neptune
Neptune spun in a circle and did a peace sign beside her face.
'Come at me with dem!' Neptune said cheerfully.
'Tch!' Nepgear looked at Neptune with a serious look. She didn't realise it at first, but Neptune seemed eerily similar to the girl she had constantly been seeing in her visions.
'Who are you?' She asked Neptune. Neptune had a confused expression.
'Wha? I'm just your friendly neighborhood Nep-Nep!' She cheerfully replied. Nepgear summoned Gehaburn and pointed it at Neptune's throat.
'Spit it out! Just who are you? For real, your actual identity!' Nepgear asked, not wanting to be given any of the usual Neptune nonsense.
'But I'm telling the truth!' Neptune insisted. Nepgear was getting fed up. She didn't believe that someone who held back during the tournament to the extent it was stupidly obvious could be so dumb...okay. Maybe they could be.
Yet, despite her threats, she found that she couldn't bear to kill her after all.
It was the same during their first encounter. When Neptune's guard was down, she decisively went for the kill.
Yet, at the very last moment, she felt regret and fear. Even if Uni didn't stop her, she would've stopped herself.
'(Why can't I kill her...no! I can't show any weaknesses...I have to be strong!)'
Nepgear then widened her eyes.
What was that thought. Why did she need to conceal her weaknesses? Why did she need to be strong? She thought deeply about it.
As Neptune was left hanging, she began doing some hilariously stupid faces.
Nepgear saw Neptune's faces and that was the final push. A flood of emotions and memories entered her mind.
She remembered. How she first met Neptune. Neptune's defeat and three year disappearance. Their reunion. And finally, Neptune's last words.
Tears began rolling down Nepgear's cheeks. Neptune, afraid she did something wrong, panicked and began patting Nepgear's back.
'What's wrong?' Neptune asked. Nepgear couldn't reply however. She could only continue to cry.
Her cries reached everyone's ears. However, everyone decided to leave the two alone.
Neptune, although clueless, wasn't dumb enough to crack any cold jokes at that moment. Thus, she decided to simply embrace Nepgear.
Neptune clenched her fist as Nepgear continued to cry.
Who has hurt Nepgear's heart so much? And furthermore, Neptune realised something.
Nepgear wasn't her sister.
She didn't mean that they were unrelated, per say. She meant that this Nepgear, was very likely from another dimension.
She has experienced enough dimension travelling crap to know that.
Anyway, the reason she knew it was because she was sure her Nepgear wouldn't cry so hard for no apparent reason. She treated her Nepgear well and ensured she lived happily.
Despite the knowledge however, the girl crying in her arms, was still Nepgear. Still her sister.
Thus, Neptune couldn't help but let a few tears drop as well.
To be continued