Hey guys, I'm finally done with the latest chapter.

Again, university has not been kind for the past few months... On the bright side, Melbourne's starting to lighten up in terms of restrictions, and I finally got a hair cut. :)

Anyways, thank you for those who reviewed, I appreciate it.

Nameless Guest, yeah, I noticed that mistake. Hahaha I just hope I have enough SQs for Castoria in two years or so... I am trying to get all Artorias for my support line-up hahaha. Right now I'm just missing three slots, Caster, Assassin and Berserker... Ruler too, if you wanna be technical, but the extra slot is filled by MHXX anyways sooo.. Anyway, yeah, sure hope proto-merlin comes to mobile.

About Rhongomyniad breaking the Susano'o, lore-wise, it can break through anything. The games try to adhere to the lore, but there is still something called balancing so hahahaha... Fuu probably won't return to the frontline for now. As for Liz and Silica, they won't be with Kirito if you're asking. Their appearance was just a one time thing.

Similar with Yuuki, the story will be focusing on the more important characters in both the Elemental Nations and the Underworld.

NinjaFang1331, thank you for the comment.

Guest, you'll find out soon hahahahaha.

Saint Saber Fang, I shall try, but I'm currently back into Gacha hell... Not just one, but four... FGO, Honkai Impact 3rd, Azur Lane, and Gundam Breaker Mobile... ahahahahha I seriously need a life...

Chessmasteroftheuniverse, thank you for your reviews. Neji knows, in fact, all of the Hyuuga clan know about Yui and the four Jinchurikii in Konoha. As for Danzo, well, yeah, game over hahahaa.

So yeah, here's the newest chapter, and I also changed the name to just 'To Protect Those He Loves', so yeah, just a note about that.

Anyways, here it is.

XXX

A single kunai stabbed itself into the ground, before Hikari and Asuna both appeared in a yellow flash.

The two Jinchurikii took note that they were standing in the middle of a barren wasteland, while Tobi, Madara and Zetsu stood some distance away from them.

Tobi stared at them, "I must admit, you two have the guts to come here alone."

Hikari and Asuna both glared at him, more specifically, the scroll in his hands.

This obviously wasn't missed by the masked Uchiha, who chuckled, "Hmm? Ah, the scroll containing a half of the Nanabi. What, do you want it?"

The glare the two girls sent them was more than enough of an answer.

Madara huffed, "It seems they don't want to talk, Obito."

The two men were cut off by a flash of yellow, revealing Suguha, Sinon and two clones of Hikari.

Madara raised an eyebrow, "Hmm, you must be quite confident to gather all the Bijuu you have left in front of us. No, the Hachibi's not here I suppose."

Hikari glared at him, "Give Choumei back."

Obito raised an eyebrow, "Choumei? Now who is that?"

The ancient Uchiha huffed, folding his arms, "I believe they are referring to the Nanabi."

Madara let out a breath and glanced at Obito, "Now, Obito, I'll have some fun with them. You go get things ready."

Obito nodded and turned to Zetsu, "Let us begin."

The plant man nodded and followed Obito away from Madara and the Jinchurikii.

The girls immediately gave chase, only to be stopped as Madara's Susano'o arms blocked them.

The ancient Uchiha stared at them, "I will be your opponent. It's time we took the remaining Bijuu from you."

Hikari growled, extending her chains from her palms, "Try it!"

Madara smirked, "Come."

The Uzumaki dashed forward, her Kyuubi Chakra cloak forming as she swung her chains at Madara.

The Uchiha merely willed his Susano'o's arms to block the strike, noting the strength behind the blow, before dissolving the Susano'o armor to hit Hikari with his war fan.

In response, Hikari created a chakra arm to block the fan, only to widen her eyes from the strength behind the strike, as she immediately braced herself as to not be blown away.

On a side, Asuna, Sinon and Suguha all made a beeline for Obito, only to be stopped by a Madara clone.

The clone stared at them indifferently, "Now, I can't have you interfering with him."

The three girls brandished their swords, and stared at him warily.

The clone let a small smirk appear on his face, "Now, let's see how well you can dance."

Without another word, the three Jinchurikii charged.

(Linebreak)

With Hikari and the original Madara, the blonde stared at the ancient Uchiha warily. Kurama spoke in her seal, "Hikari, do not let up even a second. This is Uchiha Madara we're facing. Even I probably won't be able to defeat him as I am now."

The blonde nodded, and she decided to try a different approach, letting natural chakra flow into her Nine Tails chakra cloak.

The change in demeanor was not unnoticed by the Uchiha, who merely raised an eyebrow, "Ho, Senjutsu? And using it with the Kyuubi's chakra? That is interesting."

Madara took a stance, "Now, it's been a while since I've fought a Senjutsu user. Do entertain me."

Hikari narrowed her eyes as the Uchiha charged, and she immediately started shooting her chains from the ground in an attempt to skewer the man.

But the ancient Uchiha dodged them easily as if he knew the chains were there, and before Hikari knew it, the Uchiha was already in her face.

Madara huffed, "Naïve."

The blonde gritted her teeth as she blocked a punch from the man, her body having moved an inch from the blow, before the girl formed a Rasengan in her right arm and thrust it at the reanimated Uchiha.

Madara narrowed his eyes and blocked it with a semi-formed Susano'o arm, and he noted that the Rasengan was slowly grinding away at his armor, "Hmm, an interesting technique. Do have more?"

Hikari glared at him, "Of course I DO!"

Madara's eyes barely widened, because the answer didn't come from Hikari.

It came from behind.

Madara turned to glance back, and sure enough, another Hikari was in the air holding a Rasenshuriken.

The Hikari in front of him immediately pulled back, and Madara turned to use his war fan, only to find a set of chains restricting his body.

Madara narrowed his eyes and immediately formed his Susano'o right as the Rasenshuriken closed in.

The result was a huge explosion around the reanimated Uchiha, and both Hikari's landed on the ground, staring at the cloud of smoke warily.

The smoke soon cleared, revealing Madara's figure to be intact, but slightly burned up.

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes at the girl, "The Uzumaki clan's chakra chains that can absorb chakra, the Kyuubi's chakra, and that impressive Fuuton jutsu. You are really interesting. It's a shame my plans require all of the Bijuu's chakra."

However, before Hikari could reply, screams reached their ears, and the girl's eyes widened as she snapped her head to where the screams came from.

(Linebreak)

With the other girls, they were barely keeping up with Madara's clone.

The reason was simple. While being a Shadow Clone, the clone was using his Susano'o to keep the girls away, while rotating between using his fan, taijutsu and Katon Jutsu to keep them busy.

While all three Jinchurikii were using their Bijuu chakra modes, it was still rather hard for them to keep up with him due to his monstrous strength.

"Katon: Goka Mekkayku!"

A large wave of flames shot out of Madara's mouth, threatening to engulf all three girls.

In response, Asuna flashed through a set of seals, 'Isobu!' "Suiton: Bakusui Shoha!"

Drawing into Isobu's affinity with water, the girl launched an explosive wave of water at the flames, forming a huge screen of vapour.

Suguha dashed forward, not missing the chance as she pumped her sword with chakra.

At the same time, Sinon notched three arrows, the tips glowing from the seals and chakra she was pouring in.

Suguha swung her katana, aiming at Madara's neck.

However, Madara merely stopped the slash with his fan, reflecting the force from Suguha's slash back at her, before he swung the fan and blew Sinon's arrows away.

As Suguha was blown away by the force reflected back at her, Asuna dashed past her, aiming her rapier at Madara's chest, while Sinon continued firing more arrows.

Madara narrowed his eyes at the attacks, and merely swung his fan, blowing the arrows, Asuna and Suguha away as they skidded across the ground.

The clone sighed as he caught sight of Hikari trading blows with his original, "This is boring. The Kyuubi is doing well against my original. Can't the three of you do more?"

He paused as the girls got to their feet and shook his head, "No, forget it. Zetsu."

Immediately, the plant man rose from the ground, having chosen to respond to Madara's call and left Obito's side, "Yes, Madara-sama?"

The Uchiha stared at the three Jinchurikii, who were standing there warily as they noticed Zetsu's presence.

He sighed, "Chain em up."

Zetsu nodded, "By your will."

With that said, the plant sunk into the ground, causing all three girls to stare around in caution.

The Madara clone then dashed forward, "Don't forget I'm here."

Suguha cursed and used her katana in an attempt to block the clone's gunbai, only for the force behind the gunbai to blow her straight into Sinon.

Asuna growled, thrusting her rapier forward. But Madara simply side stepped and slammed his palm on her chest armor, sending her flying back to Sinon and Suguha.

The girls shared a glance, and immediately, they started to grow.

Madara looked at the girls and commented, "Bijuu Mode, eh? Zetsu."

Immediately, before the girls could fully transform, multiple chains wrapped themselves around them, forcing the Bijuu chakra back into their bodies and restraining them.

With Hikari, the blonde gritted her teeth, and tried to move to help them, only for Madara to appear in her path.

The Uchiha smirked, "Don't forget me, Kyubi."

The blonde glared at him, but before she could do anything, multiple weapons shot down onto the ground, cutting the chains and releasing the three girls.

"Fools! Don't just run off like that!"

Madara and Hikari glanced up, to see Gilgamesh landing on the ground, his Vimana returning into his treasury.

At the same time, Mordred leapt off the aircraft and slashed at Madara's clone, causing it to back away.

But before the clone could put distance between them, Mordred swung her sword, prompting arcs of lightning to shoot out from Clarent, striking the clone and dispersing it in a puff of smoke.

The former Knight of Betrayal huffed, glancing back at the three girls, "For god's sake, that was a close one."

Madara glanced at the Integrity Knights, before he spoke, "So, Integrity Knights..."

Gilgamesh huffed, "You're the famous Uchiha Madara?"

The Uchiha smirked, "And what of it?"

The third Integrity Knight narrowed his eyes. He could spot Obito at a distance, the Gedo Mazo waiting there obediently, albeit with charred burns on it.

Gilgamesh glanced at Mordred and the three Jinchurikii, and he spoke, "Mordred, get the statue. I'll deal with him."

Madara raised an eyebrow, "Do you think you'll just do as you please?"

The former king stared at the infamous Uchiha indifferently, "That goes without saying, mongrel. You'll be facing me."

The Uchiha raised an eyebrow, before he remembered Artoria's prowess, and he smirked, "Very well."

Obito can fend for himself. After all, if he couldn't handle that much, then he wasn't worthy.

Madara charged, grasping his fan in preparation to strike, but a flash of gold stopped him, as numerous weapons stabbed themselves in front of him.

The Uchiha frowned, spotting the weapons, but Gilgamesh had yet to move.

The king of heroes on the other hand, merely stared at the reanimated ninja cautiously. No, passively was the better word.

More weapons started to rain down on Madara, who danced around them gracefully, dodging them regardless of how many weapons came down at him.

Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes. Not one of his weapons had so much even nicked the Edo Tensei.

The king glanced at Hikari, who had recovered enough to help her sisters heal.

"Don't think you can afford to look away!"

Madara dashed forward, swinging his fan at Gilgamesh, only for a set of golden chains to block his strike.

The former King of Heroes spared him a cold glance, "I look away because I can, mongrel. Do not believe you can lecture me."

A flash of golden blinded Madara's eyes, and he barely managed to pull his fan back, before a barrage of weapons shot out at him.

The legendary Uchiha cursed as he was forced to back away. No, that wasn't correct, he was using his chakra to stay put on the ground, but even then he was being pushed away.

Gilgamesh huffed, "This is getting boring. Don't you have more?"

Madara smirked, "Of course I do. But it wouldn't be interesting if I pull them out straight away."

The king huffed, "And you think you can afford such a thing, mongrel?"

Multiple portals to his treasury opened behind him, the tips of the weapons protruding out only so much as if to mock the Uchiha.

With frightening speed, even for Madara, the weapons shot out at him, causing the Uchiha to leap around, using his Gunbai to deflect some of the weapons.

But it wasn't without cost. Each blow was strong, slightly weaker than Hashirama's punches, but still very strong.

Madara smirked in excitement, it had been such a while since he had faced such an adversary, one that might even triumph against the Shodaime Hokage himself.

The plans could wait. He needed to enjoy himself now.

(Linebreak)

With Mordred, the knight made a beeline for Obito, "Got you!"

She jumped up and came down with a vertical slash, only for her sword to simply phase through the man.

Obito frowned behind his mask, before turning and swinging his chains at the knight, prompting her to jump away.

The masked Uchiha frowned, "Another Integrity Knight."

Mordred smirked, taking note of the scrolls Obito had on the ground, and Gedo Mazo behind him, "Yeah, and I won't let you revive the Ten Tails."

Obito's lips thinned, and he glanced up, "Well, there's still time. So I guess we can play a bit."

He brandished his chains, before noticing Asuna, Hikari, Suguha and Sinon some distance behind Mordred.

Obito frowned, "Hmm... Trouble's here..."

He shook his head, "No, this is also good chance."

Mordred frowned, "Don't just stand there blabbing about some bullshit!"

She charged, swinging her sword at the rogue Uchiha, only for his chains to stop her strike.

Obito stared at her, "Its none of your business."

Before Mordred could react, the Bijuu sealed in the Gedo Mazo shot out into their full Bijuu forms, causing the Integrity Knight to follow to where they were headed.

Obito took the lapse of focus and kicked her away, before using his Kamui to appear between the raging Bijuu and Mordred, "Integrity Knight, I shall be your opponent."

Mordred tch'd, "Bastard. Very well, I'll play."

The former Knight of Betrayal dashed forward, swinging her sword at the man, only for Clarent to simply phase through.

Obito swiftly took the chance the strike her, only for the Integrity Knight to switch her sword onto her left hand, and used her now free right arm to bat the man away.

Mordred glared murderously at the man, and roared, "Come, Crimson Lightning!"

The Uchiha tch'd, quickly letting go of Mordred and activated Kamui again just in time as arcs of red lightning blasted out from Mordred's sword and armor.

The man jumped away, taking the chance to even his breath, "Why do you stand against us? The Underworld doesn't gain, nor does it lose from our plans."

The knight huffed, taking a stance, "Asking this now? Aren't you a little too late?"

Obito paused, and he nodded, "I suppose so. But, it's never too late for you to change your mind."

Mordred huffed, "And why would we bother? You have no idea what you're dealing with."

The masked Uchiha tilted his head, "On the contrary, I do. This world is fake, fake peace, fake relationships. Fake people. The Juubi will let us face our true world, our true peace."

The former knight of betrayal huffed, "No idea what the hell fucked your head over, but at least, I can say this much..."

Mordred's eyes narrowed, "There will always be people who fuck you over, and there will also be people who genuinely care for you, you just have to find them. And I assure you, this world is definitely not fake."

The masked Uchiha frowned behind his mask, as Mordred stared at him, her eyes not showing a shred of hesitation, "So, I assume that is the same, for all you Integrity Knights?"

Mordred smirked, "Yeah, believe it."

Obito narrowed his eyes, finding her response rather infuriating for some reason, and he charged.

(linebreak - Earlier)

With the four Jinchurikii, they looked on as the massive figures of Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken formed in front of them, towering menacingly before them.

Hikari steeled her nerves, "You ready girls?"

Asuna, Suguha and Sinon all nodded, whisps of their Bijuu chakra forming around them.

Kurama grunted somberly as he felt his chakra being drawn out of his seal, "Let's get this over with."

In a burst of chakra, the four girls vanished, replaced by their respective Bijuu.

Kurama grunted as yellow his ethereal body formed, followed by the physical bodies of Matatabi, Isobu and Choumei.

Choumei grunted displeasingly as it hovered in the air, "Let's hurry up and get my other half back..."

Suguha nodded inside the Bijuu, "Fuu-san's life is counting on it after all."

Isobu huffed, "Whatever, as long as the Juubi stays dead, then all is good."

The two tails glanced at her brethren, "That goes without saying. But how long has it been since so much of us are gathered together?"

Kurama huffed, "Longer than it should have. Well, not that I care. All we're missing is that fat tanuki and the bull."

The three tails grunted, "It's not like you to reminisce old times, Kurama."

The nine tails gave his brother a half-hearted glare, "Like I give a fuck what you say."

"Be nice, Kurama."

Hikari's voice rang out from his head, causing him to sigh as the other Bijuu snickered at his expense.

Sinon smiled, before she noticed the three Bijuu in front of them moving, "Here they come."

Kurama's eyes hardened, "Matatabi, Isobu, take Son. Choumei, we'll be taking both Saiken and Kokuo."

The three other Bijuu stared at their strongest brother, before they nodded.

The two and three tails both charged their four tailed brother, while the Choumei took to the skies, as the nine tailed fox charged his two other siblings.

(Linebreak)

With Matatabi and Isobu, the hell cat unleashed a wave of blue flaming spheres at the monkey, prompting the four tailed monkey to slam its fists on the ground, raising a slab of earth to block the flames.

Son Goku roared in response as he charged the two other Bijuu, magma craters appearing on the ground for every step he made.

Isobu reacted by blasting a pressurized jet of water at the lava type Bijuu, causing Son to block the stream with his arms, creating a huge screen of steam.

The monkey bijuu growled, only to eat dirt as Matatabi's paw slammed into his ear.

However, before he could even start to regain his bearings, Matatabi leapt away from the monkey, only for Isobu to slam into Son Goku in his shelled up form.

The controlled Son Goku growled in frustration as he stabilized his footing, glaring at his two siblings.

Isobu grunted as Matatabi landed by his side, "So, any ideas how we'll get him back?"

The two tailed hell cat narrowed her eyes, before spotting several rods protruding from Son Goku's neck, "I think I got it. Those rods on his neck."

The turtle grunted in acknowledgement as he easily spotted them even in Son Goku's fur, "Hmm, so that's what's controlling them?"

Matatabi nodded, "It would seem so. I'll try pulling them out."

But before the cat could move, Son Goku jerked his head upwards, and then came the tell-tale signs of a Bijuudama forming.

Isobu frowned, "You can do that after we deal with that."

The Bijuudama was forming at an alarming rate even for Son Goku himself, and Matatabi and Isobu both decided it was due to the link the Bijuu had to the Gedo Mazo.

Sinon glanced at Isobu and spoke, "We'll have to counter that with our own Bijuudama."

Asuna nodded from within the three tailed turtle, and in complete unison, the two Bijuu started to form a Bijuudama at a faster rate and twice the size of what Son Goku had.

"BIJUUDAMA!"

The four roared in unison, unleashing the tailed beast bomb as Son Goku sent off his own.

It wasn't even a contest.

The girls' Bijuudama easily devoured Son's own, before slamming straight into the four tailed monkey.

The blast easily sent the monkey sailing across the skies, before crashing onto the ground, and Isobu and Matatabi gave chase.

(Linebreak - Meanwhile)

With Kurama and Choumei, the nine-tailed fox was wrestling with his two siblings, while Choumei flew down to give his brother aerial support time to time.

Kurama grunted as he supplemented his fists with Asura's chakra from Hikari, letting his ethereal fist to double in size, before he gave Kokuo a hard knuckle sandwich.

The punch easily sent the dolphin-horse flying and crashed into the ground, before Hikari spotted Saiken releasing several globs of acid at them, "Jump!"

The fox leapt up just in time to dodge the acid, before Choumei came down and slammed his tail into Saiken's head, sending the slug to the ground.

Kokuo regained his balance, and leapt up for a massive stomp on Kurama.

The fox narrowed his eyes and jumped away to dodge it, before he formed a Rasenshuriken in his hands with Hikari's help, and chucked it at his younger brother.

Kurama grinned as the Rasenshuriken sailed through the air. The thing he absolutely loved about the technique was that it was essentially a hand-thrown Bijuudama, and it required way less chakra than the Bijuudama itself.

The Rasenshuriken exploded in Kokuo's face, sending the dolphin horse crashing into the ground some distance away.

As for Saiken, the slug was being kept busy by Choumei's hit and run tactics, and throughout the entire process, the six tailed slug had not once noticed the lingering scale powders due to its decreased intelligence of being enslaved.

Choumei hovered in the air as he looked at the scale powder he left around Saiken, and Suguha asked, "We ready, Choumei?"

The kabutomushi smirked inside, "Heh, this won't take em down, at most we'll just force em back."

Suguha nodded, "I see... Then, can we take them back?"

Choumei frowned in his mind, "Hmm, that's a very good question. We can certainly try to take the rods out from Saiken's neck, but I'm not very sure if I wanna stick my pincers in Saiken's body."

The girl furrowed her brows as they dodged the blobs of acid Saiken was spatting at them, before Choumei dove downwards.

The Nanabi yelled as they got into the Rokubi's face, "Rinpun Bakusai!"

Choumei started to spin, pulling in all the scale powder into a hurricane around them, and he clicked on his jaws, causing a massive explosion that engulfed both Bijuu.

The seven tailed beetle shot out of the smoke, hovering above as the smoke cleared to reveal a very much injured Saiken.

Then, before any of them could react, all three enslaved Bijuu were absorbed back into the Gedo Mazo.

(linebreak)

Back with Obito, the man was weaving around Mordred's wild and wide attacks.

Contrary to his initial beliefs, the Integrity Knight was proving to be more than a handful for him. Her wide, wild yet unpredictable swings were making it hard for him to time his Kamui.

The masked Uchiha leapt back, narrowly dodging yet another slash as he absentmindedly noted that the three Bijuu he had sent were not doing very well.

It was to be expected, he supposed. Obito couldn't possible send the Gedo Mazo to fight them now, not with how damaged it was. And his Bijuu were already outnumbered.

Obito used his chains to hold Mordred back, and glanced at Madara, a small frown on his face, 'Seems like he's enjoying himself...'

He glanced up at the moon that was now visible to the world, 'No matter. I can handle this for now.'

Plus, he knew Madara would follow the plan once the Juubi was resurrected. The ancient Uchiha was more than just a battle-obsessed idiot after all.

The masked Uchiha jumped back to the Gedo Mazo, "It's about time we end this farce."

He raised his arms, and in an instant, all three Bijuu returned to the Gedo Mazo, causing Mordred to narrow her eyes in alarm.

Obito huffed, "Zetsu, keep her busy for now."

The plant man didn't show himself, but before Mordred could react, multiple thick roots wrapped themselves around her body, causing the Integrity Knight to struggle against the wood.

Obito dismissively noted that she easily ripped them apart, before more roots took their place, effectively stalling the knight. It was enough.

The masked man brought out the scrolls containing the concentrated amounts of the Niibi, Sanbi and the Kyubi, as well as the scrolls containing the half of the Nanabi and the Hachibi's tentacle.

Obito frowned as he allowed the Gedo Mazo to absorb the chakra from the Niibi, Sanbi, Kyuubi and Hachibi.

It wasn't an ideal choice, considering the Juubi needed all the chakra from all nine Bijuu to be at full strength. But having just a tail's worth of chakra from half of the nine Bijuu, couple with the complete Bijuu of the other half, was enough to bring the Juubi.

The man pulled open the scroll containing the half of Choumei, and he presented it to the Gedo Mazo.

But then a shadow caught his eye, and Obito immediately pulled his arm back.

He was a tad bit too late, as the scroll containing the Nanabi's chakra was gone from his hands.

Obito turned to where he had spotted the shadow, and his eyes widened in shock.

The reason was simple.

Before him, was an army, led by a single blonde man. The shadow he had caught sight of presenting the scroll to the blonde man.

Vector grabbed the scroll, rolling it up as he felt the chakra of the Nanabi in it, and he nodded, "Good job, Fu Za."

The leader of the Assassin's guild lowered his head, "You honor me."

The god of darkness simply dismissed it, "Go back to your men, Fu Za."

The assassin nodded, and retreated to his ranks.

Obito narrowed his eyes as stared at the god, "I'm afraid you'll have to give that scroll back."

Vector merely stared at the man with no regard, "And if I do not?"

The Gedo Mazo started to move, and that was the only answer Vector needed.

In an instant, Obito blacked out, and his mind returned barely in time for him to activate his Kamui to avoid a slash from Vassago.

The man backed away, narrowing his eyes, 'What the hell was that? Genjutsu?'

Before he could continue his thoughts, however, a massive wave of flames shot past him towards Vector and the Dark Territory army.

(linebreak - Earlier)

With Madara and Gilgamesh, the two were engaged in a never ending dance. No, it would be more accurate to say that Madara was the only one moving, for Gilgamesh had yet to move a single inch.

The former King of Heroes had maintained a steady barrage of weapons, refreshing his never-ending treasury immediately after firing more than 50 of his weapons.

That had given Madara a bit of leeway, since there were no weapons to hinder his movement on the ground, he merely needed to keep track of the weapons that came from above, left, right and back.

The ancient Uchiha's Sharigan literally spun in overdrive as he took in all the details of the weapons that came down at him.

Which angle they came from, how many came at him, and the force they possessed.

Gilgamesh held back a smirk. He was honestly impressed.

Infuriating as it was, the former king knew when to acknowledge a person's strengths, and while a mongrel, Madara was certainly no weakling.

His eyes darted around, taking in every detail, and every movement the Uchiha made was with purpose. Each step helped him move forward, and each twitch helped him dodge Gilgamesh's weapons.

Still, it wasn't enough for Madara to close the distance between him and Gilgamesh, for every time he came close, Gilgamesh would increase the portals he had by a small number.

And that was enough to keep the Uchiha away.

Madara furrowed his brows as he backed away once more. So far Gilgamesh had only used projectiles. Frighteningly fast projectiles yes, but still projectiles.

The Uchiha took a breath, and his Mangekyou Sharingan came to life.

Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow, "Hmm? A different set of eyes..."

The former king merely stared on passively, the Chains of Heaven shooting out of his treasury to counter a huge blue flaming sword.

The blonde didn't so much bat an eye at the fact that Madara had half of his Susano'o on, he had seen a similar one many many years ago after all, "Hmm, so this like that brat back then."

However, before any of them could continue, both of them felt a massive chakra signature nearby, greater than even the strongest of the Bijuu.

(Linebreak - Now)

Madara landed beside Obito, who glanced at his ancestor, "So, these are the so called Dark Territory forces."

Obito gave no reply, instead focusing on the army in front of him.

Gilgamesh frowned, as he stood some distance behind both Madara and Obito, with Mordred by his side, and the three Jinchurikii now in human form some distance to his left.

The former king stared at the god, "So you've finally decided to show yourself, god of darkness, Vector."

The god regarded the knight, "Gilgamesh, and Mordred. I see, where are the rest of your knights?"

Mordred glared at the blonde, "They'll get here soon enough."

Vector merely stared at them passively, before his eyes landed on the four Jinchurikii nearby, "So, those four are carriers of the so called Bijuu."

It wasn't a question, but a statement from an observation.

Gilgamesh frowned, "And what if they are?"

Vector didn't so much spare him another glance, "Simple. I crush them."

The god closed his eyes, before he spoke again, "But, before that..."

Vector raised his arm, and in an instant, shadows rose from the ground and wrapped around Gilgamesh and Mordred, stopping them before either they could even react.

The god spared the two a simple glance, "Sleep a bit." 'Loyal vassals of my brother.'

The four girls didn't miss the fact that both Integrity Knights gave no response, and Hikari glared at the god, "What did you do to them?!"

The blonde man scoffed, "Nothing compared to what I'll do to you."

...

On a side, Madara raised an eyebrow from a side, rather intrigued by how simply the god had neutralized the two Integrity Knights.

Obito, on the other hand, frowned behind his mask. The god had some sort of Genjutsu, one that he nor the Integrity Knights could not defend against. He glanced at his ancestor, and wondered if Madara could resist it.

The ancient Uchiha spared his partner a glance, "Obito, we'll be waiting a bit. I'm interested in what they can do."

The masked man's frown deepened. To be honest, Obito didn't like their chances now, especially with what Vector had pulled off earlier, plus, he couldn't feel the cloaked man, Fu Za's presence at all when the scroll got taken away.

Regardless, Obito stayed silent, and merely nodded. He could just observe them first, they were only missing one part of a Bijuu after all. And if worse comes to worst, he could always pull everything back into his pocket dimension.

...

Back to Vector, he stared on dismissively as the four girls charged him.

Vassago, Shasta and Iskahn moved forward, but Vector raised a palm, "Relax, I'll deal with them."

The dark knight commander blinked, "But, my lord..."

The god spared the knight a glance, "I want to preserve our forces as much as possible, including all of you."

He looked back at the four Jinchurikii, "It will take but a moment."

Vector's eyes steeled and his lips thinned, 'Jinchurikii, was it? Human sacrifices... Is this what you wanted, brother?'

The god simply pointed his arm at the four.

In an instant, all four girls were blown away.

However, the girls quickly regained their footing, and Sinon frowned, "What was that?"

Suguha grunted as she gripped her katana, "It felt like Nagato-san's Shinra Tensei..."

Asuna and Hikari nodded, before all four girls drew on their Bijuu cloaks.

Vector simply raised an eyebrow, as Asuna, Sinon and Suguha all took on the version 2 Bijuu cloak, while Hikari took on the Asura/Kurama chakra cloak.

Then, the girls all charged forward in a burst of speed.

If the god could follow the four, he didn't show it. Instead, he simply raised his arm again, and unleashed a dark aura that threatened to engulf everything.

Immediately, all the Bijuu inside the girls went on full alert. Kurama roared in his seal, "Hikari! STOP!"

They were too late, for in an instant, all of the Bijuu could only see darkness.

Outside the seals, all four girls lost consciousness and fell to the ground, skidding across the floor until they stopped some distance away from Vector.

The dark god let out a breath, "That is all?

The god walked towards the four girls, "Well, at the very least, I suppose I'll send you all off with a sword."

Vector pulled out the sword at his waist, raising it as mana gathered around the sword.

...

But, before he could swing it down, Vector's eyes widened as he leapt away, much to the surprise of everyone watching.

Right as Vector jumped up, multiple beams struck the floor where the dark god previously was.

The beams died down, revealing six swords, three black, and three blue.

Vector narrowed his eyes as he easily recognized two of the swords stabbed in the ground. After all, they were the swords his brother used against him.

Unity Vox and Divination.

Soon enough, a figure landed before him.

He wore a black coat (yes, the original black coat), his black eyes flickering with a yellow outline around his pupils as he stared unwaveringly at his brother.

Vector's lips thinned, "Kazuto."

Kirito regarded his brother, "Vector."

(Flashback)

Kirito blinked confused as he looked at his own face, before he noticed another one behind the man in front of him.

This one wore a pitch black armor, as opposed to the other one who wore a simple tunic and pants.

The knight smiled, "Confused? I was the same when I met him."

Kirito blinked, "W-who are you guys?"

The man in simple clothing's face turned serious, "To put it simply, we are you."

The black swordsman blinked, "You're both...me?"

The knight nodded, "We are all one the same, but different parts of the soul and mind."

The knight shrugged as he pointed his thumb at the man in simple clothing, "Well, at least, that's what he told me."

The god chuckled, "Well, that's not wrong."

Kirito furrowed his brows, "Then, why am I here? The last thing I remember was facing... Sugou, yes, Oberon... Then..."

Kazuto shrugged, "Who knows? Well, the main point is that we're all here now."

Kirito stared at the two, noticing the scenery behind them.

Both of them were backed by a field of endless swords, but after that, they started to differ.

Behind the knight, was a simple village in daylight, followed by a city with a massive tower.

As for the god, he was followed by an endless plain covered by the night sky. However, the thing that caught his eye was the massive planet visible in the sky.

Kirito then looked back, and behind him, as expected, was a field of endless swords under the sun. After that, was Konoha, followed by the Elemental Nations.

His behavior wasn't unnoticed by Kazuto, who nodded, "You can see it too, yes?"

Kirito nodded, and he asked, "What is this?"

The knight smirked, "I think you should know."

The black swordsman furrowed his brows. Yes, he did know. The scenery represented their experiences, and the part of the soul they held.

Kazuto nodded, seemingly knowing that Kirito understood, and he spoke, "That aside, Kirito, are you aware of what is happening?"

The swordsman nodded, he knew. While vague, their memories were shared amongst all of them now that he was here, "Yeah, war."

No more words were needed. They were all the same person after all.

Kirito smiled, and he wondered if this was how Hikari felt when she conversed with her clones.

All three parts of the soul walked towards each other, bringing the three worlds behind them closer.

Then, they all drew a pair of swords, black and blue.

Kirito instantly knew them. No, he already knew them.

In his hands, Elucidator and Dark Repulsor.

In the knight's hands, the Night Sky Sword and the Blue Rose Sword.

Finally, in the god's hands, Unity Vox and Divination.

Then, three pairs of swords crossed, and a white blinding light filled the soul scape.

(Linebreak - in the library of the Central Cathedral)

Cardinal's eyes widened as light filled the library.

Needless to say, she immediately knew where the light was coming from, and the aspect of wisdom hopped off her chair, running to the source.

However, as soon as she reached it, the light died down, and sure enough, Kazuto's body was gone.

The goddess smiled. She had to tell Quinella.

(Linebreak)

Back in Konoha, Yui's eyes widened as a glowing silhouette appeared above her father's unconscious body.

The girl watched as the silhouette fused with her father, "This is...!"

Light filled the area, forcing the girl to avert her eyes.

Soon, it died down, and a smile formed on Yui's face as she took in the sight in front of her.

There he was, her Papa, somehow in his signature coat, smiling at her.

Kirito spoke, "I'm back, Yui."

The girl hugged her father tightly, "Papa!"

The man smiled as he patted her head, before his smile vanished, "Yui... I need to go."

The pseudo-Bijuu pulled away from the hug, and her face turned serious as well, "I know."

No more words were needed, and the father and daughter quickly left the household.

(Flashback end)

Kirito glanced back, noticing the four girls' blank faces, and he immediately knew what had happened.

His lips thinned, before he unleashed a burst of chakra, effectively overriding Vector's hold on their consciousness.

The effects were instantaneous, as Hikari, Asuna, Suguha, Sinon, Gilgamesh and Mordred all gasped as they regained their bearings.

They also quickly noticed Kirito's presence.

"Kirito-kun!"

The man gave them a smile and a nod, before he turned to look at Vector, "Yui, stay with them."

The girl nodded and flew to her mothers in her pixie form.

Kirito then regarded Gilgamesh and Mordred, giving them a nod.

The two knights instantly knew. The god they respected was back.

The swordsman gave Madara and Obito a passing glance. He'd deal with them later if need to, but now?

Kirito stared at the god of darkness and the army behind him.

The six swords rose from the ground, pointing at Vector and his army.

Vector's brows furrowed, he had hoped to avoid fighting his brother. But it was inevitable.

The reason was simple.

Kirito's eyes were that of a man ready to take on the world...

To protect the ones he loved.

XXX

DONE.

So yeah, KIRITO IS BACK.

Unlike canon, no best boi to wake him up, sadly. But considering Eugeo's still alive...

Anyways, the next chapter will be the fight between Kirito and Vector.

Please review the chapter.

I shall do my best to complete the next chapter soon, but well, I still have a bunch of assignments and shit... So... can't make any promises.

And a side note, please do give my new story, Burst of Possibilities, a read.

Until next time.