Hey, I finally got it done!

Fuckin hell with the Corona Virus. I come all the way to Australia, and voila, ONLINE CLASSES.

Hope all of you are having a better time than I am. Some countries just went into lockdown recently like Italy and Malaysia, and probably Australia soon.

The people were all panic buying stuff... So I had to go out multiple times just to get food and supplies. Seriously though, why do people panic buy toilet paper of all things?

Anyways, given the... Extra time, I got, I managed to finish the chapter, a bit slightly ahead of schedule.

To NeonGamer973, thanks dude. Good luck with your story haha. And yeah, if you're doin a story about a series you're new to, get the lore clear, or well, you could always just make it up, and make it AU.

To Saifani Tri, yeah, Dark God Vector. I did mention that Kazuto, Quinella, Cardinal and Vector are all literally god siblings. Well, you'll just have to find out in this chapter. Or the next. Hahaha. But the reaction on harem meets harem will come.

NinjaFang1331, thank you, glad you liked it.

Guest, Misaka Phenex, well, its gonna be here in the chapter, but I'll add a summary at the bottom to keep track.

So yeah, that's that. I do hope everything gets better, for both the story and the current viral situation.

Anyways, here's the newest chapter.

XXX

In Konohagakure, Sasuke walked past the gates after a solo mission to clean up one of Orochimaru's hideouts.

After Danzo had died in Aincrad, the snake summoner had practically vanished. Jiraiya and Tsunade both figured that their old teammate was jumping between hideouts, especially since Itachi was now back with Konoha.

Frankly speaking, the youngest Uchiha could care less about the snake. The lesser he showed his slimy face, the better.

Now, as Sasuke walked past the streets, greeting his fellow villagers as he did, the man came across Kirito's shop. Klein, with Asuna's permission, had decided to continue working at the shop, so it was still open.

The Uchiha's let out a sigh, resting his hand on the chokuto Kirito crafted for him, before he decided to head to the Namikaze compound.

Three months had passed since Kirito vanished, and nothing had been the same.

The four girls that loved the blacksmith had blamed themselves for what happened, Hikari moreso than the others.

After a few weeks, Asuna, Suguha and Sinon had more or less recovered, and were back on active roster, though they took lesser missions than before.

As for Hikari, the Jinchurikii had locked herself in her room, and had never bothered to even show up at their team meetings.

Soon, Sasuke reached the compound, and he gave a knock on the door.

After a short while, the door opened, revealing Asuna.

The chestnut haired girl looked like she hadn't slept for a few days, though Sasuke couldn't blame her.

The girl forced a smile as she saw her friend, "Sasuke, what's up?"

The Uchiha responded, "Is Hikari in?"

Asuna's smile dropped a bit, and nodded, "Yeah, she's in her room..."

Sasuke nodded, before he asked, "Mind if I come in?"

The girl nodded, "Of course."

The young man nodded, before following the girl inside.

Soon, the two were standing outside Hikari's room, and Asuna said, "She's been holed up in there for the past few weeks now, and she only ever comes out for dinner. Even then, she never eats more than a few bites."

Sasuke looked at the door, "That bad huh..."

The man then asked, "So, how're the others doing?"

Asuna let out a breath, "Sinon-chan and Suguha-chan practically stay in the Forest of Death now, they train there every day we don't have a mission, and by the time they get back, they're already exhausted and they head to bed straight away."

The girl closed her eyes as they walked, "Yui-chan is... optimistic. She's convinced Kirito-kun isn't... dead, and she's running off around the village everyday, particularly Kayaba-san's shop."

Sasuke nodded, "I see... And you?"

Asuna glanced at the man, and she forced a smile, "I'm holding on, if that's what you're asking."

The man nodded, not prying any further as they reached Hikari's room.

Asuna nodded, before she walked to her room, "I'll let you talk to her alone, okay?"

The Uchiha nodded, "Yeah, thanks."

The rapier user left, leaving Sasuke alone.

The Uchiha then looked at the door, before he let out a breath and knocked, "Hey, Hikari, you there?"

No response came from the room, but Sasuke could easily sense Hikari's chakra from behind the door.

The Uchiha sighed, and he pushed open the door, "I'm coming in."

Again, no reply, and Sasuke entered the room.

Upon entering, the young man saw Hikari on her bed, hugging the sheathed broken shards of the Elucidator and the Dark Repulsor.

The girl herself had seen better days than she was now. Her usual twin tails were gone, instead, her hair was messy, and she had thick bags under her eyes, probably from not sleeping for days.

Sasuke sighed, "Hikari, you can't keep this up."

The girl didn't respond, staring off blankly at the opened door.

The Uchiha walked to stand in front of her, ignoring the messy state of the room, "Hey, I know he's gone, but Kirito wouldn't want you to be like this."

Again, no response.

Sasuke stared at the girl, and he clenched his fists. The man knew Hikari was hurting, but she couldn't stay like this, not after three months.

The Uchiha let out a breath, "Hikari, you need to move on, you can't stay like forever."

Again, no response.

Sasuke sighed, it seemed that the blonde wouldn't react no matter what.

The Uchiha then turned to leave, but before he could, he heard Hikari softly speak, "You weren't there..."

Sasuke turned, and he saw her dull blue eyes looking at him as she spoke softly again, "You weren't there when he vanished..."

The Uchiha stared at her, narrowing his eyes, "And that makes it okay to stay like this?"

Hikari's eyes moved to look at the two swords in her arms, "Its my fault, if I didn't let myself get caught, Kirito-kun would still be here."

Sasuke gritted his teeth, feeling anger swelling in his chest, and he grabbed the girl's collar, "Its not your fault!"

The Uchiha took a breath, calming himself down, as he let the girl go, before he repeated, "Its not your fault. Kirito chose to save you, to save all four of you."

Sasuke stared at the girl straight in the eye, "Don't sully his memory like that, don't waste that life he gave you."

Hikari stared at her teammate blankly, before looking at the swords in her arms again, "I already did... When I broke these swords.."

The Uchiha turned, "I see... Then Kirito wasted his life for nothing."

With that said, Sasuke stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him, intent on coming back tomorrow to make sure his teammate wouldn't stay like she was now forever.

A short while after Sasuke left, Kurama spoke up in Hikari's seal, "You know, that didn't sound like the usual Uchiha we all know. He seemed... really emotional, for the lack of a better word."

Hikari didn't respond, instead, opting to stare at the swords she had in her arms.

Kurama sighed, resting his head on his arms, looking at the plains in front of him, "Are you seriously gonna let him say that to you? You'd normally never let anyone insult your family like that."

The blonde stayed silent again.

The bijuu let out another sigh, "We've been through this before, but the Uchiha is right, you can't keep this up. What if that bastard Tobi comes back? You'll lose the remaining family you have."

Hikari didn't reply again.

Kurama shook his head silently, closing his eyes, 'Well, can't blame her for being like this anyways...'

The nine tailed fox laid down on the grass, closing his eyes as he drifted to sleep once more.

With Hikari, the blonde hugged the swords closer to her chest, the words from Kurama, Sasuke, and everyone else who had visited her before ringing in her mind.

Then, slowly, the girl got off from her bed, and started walking towards the training room.

(linebreak)

Later that evening, in Kayaba's shop, Yui perked up as she felt a pulse of energy, a faint one, originating from a place that was far away from Konoha, but could still be felt clearly.

The girl immediately put down the scroll she had on portals and the Underworld and left for her home, where her mothers undoubtedly were preparing dinner.

Closing the door of the shop behind her, Yui vanished in a burst of chakra, turning into her pixie form as she flew straight for her home.

In less than five minutes, Yui reverted to her normal size and quickly opened the door.

The girl quickly entered her home and yelled, "Mama!"

Asuna's voice rang out from the kitchen, while Suguha and Sinon peeked out from the training room, and surprisingly for Yui, Hikari yelled out from her study, "Yes/Yui/What?"

The girl spoke out frantically, "The Underworld! Its connected!"

The four young women immediately rushed out, and Sinon looked at Yui, "Are you serious?"

The younger girl nodded, and she took a breath, "And I also felt Papa's chakra."

That drew a reaction from all four of them, and they looked at each other, joy evident in their eyes.

Hikari looked at Yui, "Where is he?"

Yui nodded, "In the Underworld, his signature was faint, but Papa's definitely there."

Suguha looked at her sisters, "We need to tell Hokage-sama."

The three girls nodded, and they quickly changed and headed for the Hokage tower.

(Linebreak)

A short moment later, the five were in Tsunade's office, and Yui had told the Hokage and Jiraiya about her findings.

Jiraiya rubbed his chin, "Hmm, so the path to the Underworld is open..."

Tsunade regarded the little girl, "Do you know where the entrance is?"

The girl nodded, "I can roughly point it out on the map."

Sinon blinked, "You can do that?"

Yui grinned at the brunette, "Yep! I managed to pinpoint the rough location when Hikari-mama brought us here."

The four young women sweatdropped at their daughter. Considering Hikari had used the Hiraishin to bring them to Tsunade's office, it meant she had done it in less than 3 minutes.

Before they could continue however, Tsunade brought out a map, and caught their attention, "So, Yui, can you point out the location?"

The black haired girl nodded, looking at the map briefly before pointing at a point at the ocean south of Kaze no Kuni and north of Tsuki no Kuni (Moon Country), "Here. A small island should have formed here, that's where the entrance should be."

Tsunade nodded, considering her words, before she nodded, "Very well."

The Hokage looked at her goddaughter and her extended family, "Hikari, Asuna, Suguha, Sinon, pack up, you'll be scouting area with your respective teams. I'll tell the others later. Jiraiya will also go with you."

The four girls nodded.

Jiraiya smirked, "Pretty sure I won't be needed though."

Tsunade glanced at her old teammate, "Yeah, but its just a precaution."

The Toad Sannin just nodded in acceptance, before Tsunade turned to the girls again, "You're all dismissed. Go home, pack up and get some rest. You'll be leaving in two days."

The girls all nodded in response, before they quickly excused themselves.

After Sinon closed the door behind her, Tsunade took a sip out of her tea, "So, Jiraiya, what do you think about this?"

Jiraiya glanced at his friend, "About what?"

The Fifth Hokage looked at her tea, "The Underworld...and Kirito."

The white haired man let out a breath, "I'm... worried... To be honest."

Tsunade glanced at the toad sage with a raised eyebrow, "Why so?"

Jiraiya closed his eyes, "The Underworld has been closed off for ages. Hell, we've never even seen it before. Only Kayaba Akihiko has, and he came back younger than he was supposed to."

Tsunade nodded, "According to sensei's notes, time runs differently there... And apparently, so do the people. They have knights, instead of ninja."

Jiraiya nodded, bringing out a file Tsunade had given him about the Underworld from Hiruzen's notes, "Integrity Knights, huh? Sarutobi-sensei mentioned one of them could match a thousand men."

Tsunade nodded, "So they are at least elite Jounin level, if not Kage level."

Jiraiya let out a breath, "Yeah, it'll be trouble if they turn out to be our enemy."

The Hokage took another sip from her tea, "We'll just have to hope for the best."

The toad sage nodded, "Yeah..."

The man then started to climb out of the window, "Well, I'll be going then. Still need to do some research before we leave."

Tsunade sighed and just shook her head as her friend leaped out of the window.

(linebreak)

Meanwhile, in a hidden cave deep within the mountains near the Valley of the End, one masked man let out a sigh as he stared at the creepy figure of the Gedo Mazo, along with his army of Zetsu clones waiting behind the statue.

The skeleton of the Juubi sat there motionless, as it had done throughout all these years.

Tobi turned to glance at the scroll, containing the secrets of the Edo Tensei no Jutsu, something Sasori had gotten from Kabuto before the puppeteer's untimely demise.

But it didn't matter anymore. The Uchiha had access to the Edo Tensei, and he could move his plans forward.

Tobi let out a breath as he felt the presence of his last remaining ally, "What do you have, Zetsu?"

The hybrid man rose from the ground, "I discovered something that might have your interest."

Tobi turned and glanced at the spy with a raised eyebrow, "Go on."

The white part of Zetsu grinned, "It pertains the Underworld. We might be able to use them for our cause."

The masked Uchiha nodded, "Tell me."

Both parts of Zetsu grinned, the black part more evilly than the other, but Tobi didn't notice nor did he care.

(linebreak- Underworld)

In the Dark Territory, Vector looked out of his balcony at the vast plains.

Compared to the area his siblings governed over, his lands were waste and barren. However, he also had a vast amount of subjects living in his territory.

Orcs. Goblins. Dark magicians. Dark knights. Pugilists. The list went on.

Each and every tribe had more than a thousand men, and it was at least three times more than what the Human Empire had.

Of course, the Human Empire weren't inferior in terms of military might.

They had the Integrity Knights, each rumored to be equivalent to a thousand men.

Vector, of course, knew it wasn't just a rumor, but a fact.

Then they had two goddesses amongst them.

No.

Two goddesses and one god.

Vector closed his eyes. He could still feel his brother. Weak, but still there.

The god of darkness let out a breath, "Vassago."

In an instant, a knight wearing dark grey and purple armor appeared by his side, "Yes, my lord."

Vector opened his eyes, his gaze icy and hardened, "Assemble the army. Its time we prepare for war."

The Dark Knight, Vector's right hand, grinned excitedly, "Yes, my lord."

With that said, Vassago vanished without a trace.

Upon feeling the absence of his right hand, Vector looked over the plains once again, 'Kazuto, Quinella, Cardinal. I hope you are all ready.'

Soon, the empty plains weren't empty at all. Slowly, from all visible corners of the plains, armies marched towards the castle, and Vector let a small smirk appear on his face.

The dark god turned and headed for the throne room. It was time to greet his army.

(linebreak)

A short moment later, Vector sat on his throne.

In front of him, were the residents of the Dark Territory, which also happened to be his army.

On the far right, were a group of humans wearing simple clothes. They were all merchants, the commerce guild of the Dark Territory, and all supplies that flowed throughout the Dark Territory were handled by them.

At the front of the guild was the guild master, Rengil Gila Scobo.

Next to them were the orcs. They all looked like pig demons, but it was obvious they weren't a force to underestimate.

Standing at the front, was the chief of all orcs, Lilpillin.

Next, were the dark mages. While they were known as mages, it would be more accurate to call them witches, as they were all female.

Leading at the front, was the chancellor, or rather, mistress of the dark mages, Dee Eye Ell.

Next were the mountain goblins, lead by the goblin chief Hagashi.

Standing next to the mountain goblins were the plain goblins, lead by the chief Kubiri.

Next to them, stood the giants, lead by their chief Sigurosig.

After that were the ogres, wolf-like humanoid beings that looked more like werewolves than ogres. Leading them was the chief Furgur.

Next were the pugilists. Fist fighters that train their bodies to their maximum capacity. It was also a well known fact that weapons would do nothing against their steel-like skin.

Standing proudly at the front was a young man with tanned skin and dirty blonde hair, the tenth champion of their tribe, Iskahn.

Next, standing silently next to them, were the assassins, lead by their head, Fu Za.

Finally, on Vector's far left, stood the dark knights. Leading them was their commander, Vixur ul Shasta.

Assembled before the god Vector, were the Ten Lords of the Dark Territory.

Vector regarded all of them. Some of them were new faces, obviously successors to the previous leaders that fought alongside the dark god.

The god spoke, "It's good to see you, well, some of you. Although, I see some new faces amongst you. Care to introduce yourselves?"

Most likely the youngest leader amongst the ten lords, Iskahn spoke up, confidence very much present in his words, "I'm the 10th champion of the pugilist tribe, Iskahn!"

Vector glanced at the young man, intrigued by his confidence. The previous leader, or at least, the 5th champion, who had fought alongside him, was rather submissive, meek, and didn't dare to voice out his opinions.

The god nodded, "I expect great things from your tribe, Iskahn."

The young champion grinned with pride, "Yes sir!"

Vector then glanced at another new face, the merchant guild master, "And you are?"

The big boned merchant smiled eagerly, "I'm Rengil Gila Scobo, our guild is at your disposal, my lord."

Vector nodded, "I'll be counting on you to maintain our supplies."

Rengil smiled, "Of course."

The god nodded, before he glanced at the final new member amongst the ten lords, the chancellor of the witch guild, "So, you are?"

The scantily dressed witch lowered her head, "My name is Dee Eye Ell, my 3000 witches, my heart, and body are yours to do as you please."

Vector held back his disgust upon seeing the greed that was practically leaking through her eyes and words, but she did have her uses.

Instead, the god nodded, "Good, I expect you all to match the Human Empire's sacred arts."

The god's attention was then brought to the knight commander, as Shasta spoke up, "My lord, may I ask, now that you've returned, what do you plan to do?"

Vector stared at the knight, one that was but a mere foot soldier back when he was conscious, now the leader of the Dark Knight Order.

The god let out a breath, "Simple. I want to settle things with my siblings, after that, if the situation allows for it, we will have peace."

Shasta nodded, before he asked again, "If I may, what do you mean by settle things?"

Vector glanced at the knight, "Exactly as I said, I want to sort things out with them. Should things escalate to war, then we go to war. Should things end peacefully, then we have peace."

Shasta nodded, "I see. Thank you, my lord."

Vector only nodded, before he spoke, "For now, ready your forces, stay on standby. I will meet my siblings soon, and I want all of you to be prepared."

The ten lords nodded, before Vector stood up, "You're dismissed, be prepared for anything."

With that said, the god vanished, returning to his private quarters, leaving the ten lords to themselves before they returned to their respective places.

(linebreak)

With Shasta, the knight commander headed back to his own room, as the Dark Knights lived in a separate building of the castle.

The commander sat down, something mirrored by his assistant, or rather, partner, Lipia Zancale.

Shasta poured a glass of water for both Lipia and himself, before he asked, "So, what do you think, about Lord Vector?"

Lipia took the glass of water, before she answered, "He... seems less evil (?), I suppose the word is, compared to what we're taught."

Shasta nodded, taking a sip from his glass, "Yeah... He was much... angrier before. But I wasn't asking about that."

Lipia nodded, "I don't think he will threaten our chance to obtain peace. Rather, I think one of the 10 Lords will."

The commander nodded, "Yeah, Dee Eye Ell, Fu Za, the goblins, the ogres, and possibly the merchants."

Lipia blinked, "The merchants?"

Shasta chuckled, "I know what you're thinking, they're just merchants, why would they threaten peace, right?"

The woman nodded, "Yes."

The older knight chuckled humourlessly, "They have everything to gain from a war. They handle supplies. War means a demand for supplies, that gives them money."

Lipia nodded in understanding, before she asked, "So, what do we do?"

Shasta shook his head, "Nothing, for now. If Lord Vector has changed, then maybe peace will be much easily obtained than we expect."

Before Lipia could respond however, a voice interrupted them, "If the Human Empire cooperates, then we can have peace, but if not, well, war."

The two turned to see Vassago with a glass of wine in his hand.

Shasta raised an eyebrow, "Vassago? What are you doing here?"

The man chuckled, "Chill dude, Lord Vector is resting, so I figured I'd pay you a visit."

The commander nodded, gesturing the man to take a seat.

Vassago sat down, glancing at the two knights, "So, I hope you two aren't planning anything drastic."

Lipia narrowed her eyes at the man, "What are you implying?"

The right hand of the dark god raised a palm, "Nothing. As long as you don't plan to attack Lord Vector, which won't end well for either of you, then its fine."

Shasta let out a breath, "Its unlike you to worry for our god."

Vassago huffed, "Course not. I'm lookin out for you two, considering we used to fight together."

The second in command huffed, "I doubt that."

Vassago chuckled, "Just look out for Dee Eye Ell and Fu Za. The orcs, ogres and goblins all only care about their own kind. Iskahn and his tribe don't care either way as long as they can fist fight. Dee Eye Ell and Fu Za, on the other hand, its no secret they wanna rule the world."

Shasta nodded, "True. But why tell us?"

Vassago's smile dropped, "Because I doubt Lord Vector will care much. The goblins, orcs, ogres and pugilists won't bother if it doesn't affect them, and peace or no, it doesn't affect them. You two, on the other hand, have been in a stalemate with the Integrity Knights."

The right hand of the god sighed, "I'm tired too. You know I had to handle everything until Lord Vector returned. In fact, I don't doubt that Fu Za or Dee Eye Ell has plans to kill me if that went on."

Shasta nodded, "I see... Very well, we'll keep a look out for the two of them."

Vassago nodded, "That's all I ask."

The man stood up, heading for the door, "I'll be leaving then. Don't worry, I'll do my best to make sure Lord Vector doesn't choose war against them."

With that, the man vanished.

After a few minutes, Lipia spoke up, "You're not gonna believe, are you?"

Shasta stared at the spot where Vassago had vanished, "As far as I could throw him."

The knight commander drank from his glass, before he let out a breath, "But, there's no denying his loyalty to Lord Vector. So I suppose we can count on that."

Lipia nodded.

As the pair continued to discuss their plans, neither of them noticed the dark goo leaving the room.

(linebreak)

With Vassago, the dark knight was on his way to his room, blissfully unaware of the dark goo that was following him.

The man then felt a tap on his back, and on reflex, Vassago turned around to see who it was.

The man never saw it coming, as the black goo latched itself onto his face, entering his mouth when he attempted to scream, causing the man to gag as the black goo entered his body.

After a short moment, Vassago opened his eyes, and for one brief moment, his pupils turned white, before returning to normal.

The knight groaned as he sat up, "What the hell?"

The right hand of the dark god looked around, finding no one in the otherwise empty hallways, before he stood up, returning to his room as he was doing.

Not once, did he remember the black goo that had latched onto him, nor was he ever aware of the fact that that very black goo was dripping from his fingers as he walked.

(linebreak)

Meanwhile, in the Human Empire, 10 of the Integrity Knights, being Kirito, Eugeo, Alice, Bercouli, Eldrie, Emiya, Gawain, Nero, Medusa and Renry, along with Quinella and Cardinal, were in a forest, deep within Wesdarath.

Soon, the 10 knights, along with the two goddesses reached a huge altar.

It had four pillars surrounding the center, one that could easily fit 30 people on it.

Bercouli commented as they stopped in front of it, "So, that's the famed altar that will connect us to the other world?"

Quinella nodded, "Yes, there's one here, and another in the Dark Territory."

Cardinal spoke up, "Though to be precise, there's also one on the top floor of the Cathedral, but that one's sealed permanently."

The knights all nodded in understanding, before Kirito asked, "So, what do we do now?"

Medusa answered, "We wait."

Eugeo blinked, "What do you mean?"

Cardinal glanced at the blonde, "The portal is open, but we don't know if the people at the Elemental Nations will activate it, and I would rather not take any hasty actions. So we wait."

Bercouli added, "Plus, with the dark god Vector back, we don't know what will happen. Worst case scenario, we might have another war. So we have to be prepared."

The others just oh'd or nodded in understanding.

Then, the altar started to glow, and everyone snapped to attention, ready to move at moment's notice.

Bercouli spoke out loud, tightening his grip around his sword, "Stay vigilant."

The other knights merely gripped their weapons, as the glow intensified.

Finally, the glow subsided, and revealed one single man, clad in black robes, wearing an white mask with multiple circles on it, three commas, or rather, tomoe on the mask, one at each eye, and the last one at the forehead.

Cardinal stared at the man warily, "Who are you?"

The man regarded the knights, before he spotted Kirito, but held back his surprise.

The man took a breath, before he spoke, "My name is Obito, Uchiha Obito, and I need your help."

The knights glanced at each other, specifically Bercouli.

The commander glanced at Quinella and Cardinal, and the two only nodded, before he spoke up, "Are you a representative of the Elemental Nations?"

The masked man shook his head, "Not exactly, its a long story."

He looked at the group in front of him, his mismatching red and purple eyes glowing creepily, "Do you mind if we talk somewhere more comfortable?"

Bercouli glanced at the two goddesses, and while they were wary, they nodded.

(linebreak)

A short while later, the knights, Quinella, Cardinal and Obito were in the dining area.

Medusa, Renry, Gawain and Emiya were standing guard outside, while Bercouli, Alice, Kirito, Eugeo and Nero were in the dining area with Quinella and Cardinal, along with Obito.

As they sat at a round table, Bercouli asked, "So, earlier, you said you needed our help, care to explain?"

The man nodded, "Yes. The Elemental Nations is corrupted. The ninja village of the Fire Country, Konohagakure no Sato, is planning to dominate the world, alongside the other ninja villages."

Cardinal stared at the man, "And you want us to help?"

Obito nodded, "Yes."

Kirito spoke up for the first time since they came back, very skeptical about the masked man, "How do we know we can trust you?"

The man stared at the black knight, betraying none of what he was actually feeling, "You don't. But my friend, Kayaba Akihiko told me I could find help here."

Bercouli raised an eyebrow, "Akihiko? That brat's alive?"

Obito looked down at the table, before shaking his head, "Unfortunately... No. He was killed when he tried to take down one of Konoha's leaders."

Bercouli nodded, "I see... It can't be helped, but if you knew Akihiko, then you can be trusted."

Kirito stared at Bercouli, before he sighed and nodded, "Fine, if Bercouli-sensei says so."

Nero then asked, "By the way, why are you wearing mask?"

The flamboyant blonde grinned, "Is it because you're shy about letting people see your face?"

Alice elbowed the elder blonde, earning a wince from her as she whispered harshly, "Nero."

The self proclaimed rose rubbed her ribs, and smiled sheepishly, "Sorry."

Obito shook his head, "It's fine. You're not far off, but if it helps make you trust me, then I suppose I could take it off. But its not a pretty sight."

Before anyone could respond, Obito took off the mask, revealing his mismatched eyes, along with the scarred half of his face.

Alice held back a gasp, while the others stared the Uchiha in surprise.

Eugeo said, still surprised at the scarred face, "W-what happened to your face?"

The Uchiha smiled sadly, with a hint of self-mockery, "A result of my own failure to save one of my most precious people."

Quinella nodded, "I see... We're sorry for your loss."

Obito put his mask back on, "Thank you, but we should get back on topic."

The Uchiha brought out a scroll and rolled it out on the table, revealing contents about the Juubi and the moon, "I got this from an informant of mine within Konoha, though he may as well be dead at this point, but that's another story."

Kirito stared at the scroll, "What is this?"

Obito cleared his throat, "This is something the village elder, Danzo called Project Tsuki no Me, the Moon's Eye."

The Uchiha pointed at a description with a picture of the Gedo Mazo, "This is the Gedo Mazo, its the corpse of a legendary beast known as the Juubi. It destroyed the lands, wreaking havoc across the nations."

Cardinal nodded, "Yes, the result of Otsutsuki Kaguya going berserk."

Obito held back his surprise, but wrote it off as something the goddess witnessed ages ago, before he nodded and pointed at another section of the scroll, showing the Rikudo Sennin, "At that time, a sage from our place, known as the Sage of Six Paths, split the beast into nine parts."

The man then pointed to the next section, showing the nine bijuu, "These are the nine bijuu, their strengths increase with their tails, and they were split across the Elemental Nations to prevent the return of the Juubi."

Bercouli nodded, "So this, Konoha and their allies, they plan to revive this Juubi?"

Obito nodded, "Yes, and to do so, they require all nine bijuu, along with the corpse of the Juubi."

Quinella spoke up, "The last time we were in contact with the Elemental Nations, the husk was sealed in the moon."

The Uchiha nodded, "Indeed it was. But, you see my left eye?"

Bercouli nodded, "You possess a Rinnegan."

Obito nodded, again holding back his surprise at their knowledge of it, "It can summon the Gedo Mazo, and they have a natural wielder with them."

Nero nodded, "Hmm, I see. So they can summon the statue to them."

Eugeo then asked, "But umm, why do you have one Rinnegan, and another different eye?"

Obito glanced at the blonde, "My... grandfather, he found out that the Uchiha, like myself, were descendants of the Rikudo Sennin, and it is possible to force the activation of the Rinnegan through certain methods."

Cardinal nodded, "I see. But there's another thing I wish to know, if Konoha and their allies plan to dominate the world through the Juubi, how far are they with collecting the Bijuu?"

Obito stared at the shorter goddess, and nodded, "They were moving at a decent pace, but I managed to take the Ichibi, Yonbi, Gobi and the Rokubi from them, along with the Gedo Mazo. I've also sealed it so that they cannot summon it."

Kirito then asked, "Then why do you still need our help? For all you've told us, you might be the one who wants the Juubi."

Alice elbowed the black haired knight in the ribs, and whispered harshly, just as she did to Nero earlier, "Kirito!"

Kirito winced and rubbed his ribs, glaring lightly at his childhood friend, "Sorry."

Obito shook his head, "No, you have every right to suspect me. It's a lot to take in, first contact with someone from our world, and I put this on you."

The Uchiha paused for a short moment, before he continued, "But to answer your suspicion, they can still dominate the world, but with war. The Juubi is just the easiest way, as its power is said to be able to destroy mountains in one blow."

Bercouli nodded, "Yep, been there, saw it."

Obito blinked, "Y-yeah, but anyways, they have the Kyuubi, Niibi, Sanbi and the Nanabi, the Hachibi is with another allied village, Kumogakure. Five bijuu is more than enough to win a war."

For some reason, hearing the five bijuu mentioned caused a sense of discomfort in Kirito's chest, suddenly being reminded of the four girls he saw in his visions, and it only made him suspect the man in front of them even more.

Quinella nodded, "That is true, I suppose."

The aspect of life and creation looked at Bercouli, "What do you think should we provide help?"

Bercouli considered that thought, "Hmm, I don't see a problem with that, but we'll need to plan our actions."

Kirito spoke up, "Hey, I think we should scout out the place, make sure what he says is real."

Quinella looked at her brother's reincarnation, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to do so."

Bercouli glanced at his protégé, and nodded, "Very well, better safer than sorry."

Cardinal nodded, "Then its settled."

The aspect of wisdom and knowledge looked at the masked man, "I apologise, but we'd like to confirm the situation ourselves, if you don't mind."

Obito held back a curse, but nodded anyways, "Its fine. I don't fault you for doing so."

The Uchiha then spoke up, "But if you plan to scout them out, then please be prepared. Konoha has sensor ninja, and they can detect your presence within a certain radius away from the village. They also have ninja who can cast illusions on you."

Alice blinked, "Illusions?"

Obito nodded, holding back a smirk, "Yes, and there is one person who can trap targets in an illusion which alters their perception of time."

Nero blinked, "Really?"

The Uchiha nodded, "From what my sources have told me, he generally tortures them for 72 hours, but only 3 seconds would have passed in the real world."

Bercouli nodded, "I see, then we'll have to be careful of him."

Obito nodded, "Yes, and there's also another person who can cast a genjutsu that fully controls the target."

Alice frowned, "Can you tell us who that is?"

The Uchiha nodded, "They're both Uchiha like I am. They have black hair like mine, probably a bit different, but you can't miss it."

The knights nodded, before Obito spoke again, "That should be it, I'll have to bring more scrolls to tell you more."

Quinella nodded, before she glanced at the clock, "Its fine, its also getting a bit late, would you like to stay here for the night?"

Obito shook his head, "It's fine, I can head back to my place."

He glanced at Kirito, only shown by the movement of his mismatched eyes, "And I'm sure some of you don't trust me yet, so its better if I don't impose."

Cardinal nodded, "I suppose so, then let us send you back, at the very least."

Obito nodded, "That would be appreciated."

Granted, he could simply use Kamui, but well, better not for appearances sake.

The aspect of wisdom nodded, before she turned to Nero, "Nero, can you bring him back to the altar?"

The blonde grinned brightly and stood at attention, "Aye aye ma'am!"

The Uchiha stood up and looked at the red rose knight, "After you."

The immortal knight nodded, and they left the room, leaving the knights and goddesses alone.

After a short moment of silence, Quinella glanced at Kirito, "Kirito, you seemed... unusually suspicious of Uchiha Obito."

Kirito nodded, "Yeah, its just... I feel like he's not what he seems to be."

Bercouli glanced at his student, "Well, I won't say he is trustworthy, but at the very least, he wasn't lying about most of the things he was telling us."

The others nodded.

Cardinal spoke up, "Well, we will know soon either way."

The aspect of wisdom looked at her sister, and they shared a nod before Quinella said, "Go get some rest."

She then looked at Bercouli, "Bercouli, choose a team to investigate the Elemental Nations, got it?"

Bercouli nodded, before he looked at Kirito, "Hey, Kirito, how about you lead the team?"

Kirito blinked, caught off guard by the question, "W-what?"

Bercouli smirked, "I have a feeling you'll find something interesting there. Besides, this'll be a good chance for you to see if that Obito man can be trusted."

Kirito considered the idea for a while, before he nodded, "Got it."

Quinella smiled, "Good. Kirito, you may bring up to five knights, including yourself, and you may leave whenever you like, but I'd prefer if you did within the week."

Kirito nodded, "Got it."

The silver haired woman nodded, before she shared a nod with Cardinal, "Alright, you should go decide who to bring with you, and get some rest after that."

Kirito nodded, before the two left for the library, leaving the knights in the dining area.

Bercouli then stood up, "Alright, I'm gonna take a bath and get some sleep. Tell me if you need anything, kay?"

The three younger knights nodded, before Eugeo asked, "So, who are you bringing with you?"

Kirito leaned back into his chair, "I don't know. I was hoping you and Alice would follow me."

Alice smiled, "Kirito, we'd follow you anywhere if you wanted us to."

Eugeo nodded, "Yeah, especially since this is unknown territory."

Alice nodded in agreement, "If you want us to, we'll follow you."

Kirito smiled, "Thanks guys."

He then looked up at the ceiling, "But who else should I bring? Quinella said I can bring five of us, including myself."

Eugeo considered a while before he asked, "How about we ask Gawain?"

Kirito raised an eyebrow, "Gawain?"

Eugeo nodded, "Yeah."

The black knight nodded, "Okay, I'll ask him later then."

Alice then suggested, "How about we ask Lancelot as well?"

Kirito nodded, "Good idea, I think I'll ask him too."

Alice nodded, before she stood up, "Alright, let's go. We'll need to prepare."

The two young men nodded, and they left the dining hall.

(linebreak)

Later that night, after Kirito asked Gawain and Lancelot about them joining him to scout out the Elemental Nations, the knight was in his room.

Sat on his bed, Kirito closed his eyes, and he opened them to see Kazuto sitting in front of him.

The god glanced at his youngest self, "Hey."

Kirito nodded, "Hey."

Kazuto looked up at the seemingly endless sky, "You wanted to ask me about Obito, yes?"

Kirito nodded, "Yeah, he feels... weird."

The god chuckled, "We're of the same mind then, literally."

Kazuto glanced to his right, where the deeper parts of their shared soul was, "But, I believe that man is an important part to the last part our last soul, be it an enemy or an ally."

Kirito raised an eyebrow, "You don't know?"

The god shook his head, "No. I'm the same as you, I get glimpses of our memories time to time. But because I'm inside our soul scape, I get them more frequently than you do."

Kirito nodded, "I see."

Kazuto let out a breath, "But be prepared for anything. Its been ages since I've last seen the Elemental Nations. Things might have changed."

The knight nodded, "Yeah... About that, what do you think about what Obito told us?"

Kazuto shrugged, "Seemed valid. But he's holding back something."

Kirito frowned, "Bercouli-sensei seemed to trust him."

The god chuckled, "Don't take it too seriously. Bercouli may seem like it, but he doesn't trust the man one bit. Its an act."

Kirito blinked, "How do you know?"

Kazuto grinned, "Bro, I knew him millenia ago, back when he started as the first Integrity Knight."

The younger incarnation slowly nodded, "I see..."

The god chuckled, "Don't think too much about it. You'll find out soon, when we merge eventually. Now rest."

With that, Kazuto flicked his wrist at the younger man, causing everything around Kirito to turn black, and he faded to the realm of dreams.

XXX

Done! So yeah, that's the chapter. Review please.

The next chapter will be the long awaited reunion. Look forward to it.

See ya next time.