Shinobi of Hellfire: I have returned. Let's leave it at that and get to the chapter.
Forged in Hellfire: Lost Soul Reborn
Chapter Forty–Five: Meeting of the Champions
]Location: Yūhi Residence
POV: General POV]
"Ino, I hope this important; otherwise, I am gutting you like a fish," Haku grumbled out, which made Naruto laugh.
It was 3:45 A.M, and an apologetic Ino awakened all of her allies from their deep sleep to have this meeting.
"I'll hold her down," Anko added with a yawn.
"You both will do no such thing," Hinata said with an irritable tone.
"You guys sure are grumpy," Sakura said as she glanced at everyone's sleepy expressions.
"Not everyone could wake up cheerful like you, Pink," Tayuya said as she placed her feet on the table, her eyes closed.
"I made some tea for everyone," Kurenai said as she sat down a teapot and platter of cookies. "I made sure the cookies were not oatmeal," Kurenai said to Sasuke with a smile.
"Thank you," Sasuke said as he sipped on the tea and had a cookie.
"So, what was this meeting about?" Anko asked.
"Well," Ino began. "It seems some shit went down with Samui back in Hisako. I guess Frost's soul took her on and lost. Samui gained her memories and powers as a cryomancer."
"Pity, she had so much potential," Naruto sighed out, with Hinata nodding in agreement.
"Meh, I hated that bitch," Tayuya said.
"I did too. Far too arrogant," Ino said. "Plus, she doesn't make it look good like I do. But anyways, Samui found out a lot of information, which is why we are here. Speaking of which, Fujin! Bring your ass!"
And with a gust of wind, a wind-created humanoid took shape beside Ino. "Everyone, this is Fujin, the God of Wind. Well, his Earthrealm avatar at least."
"Thank you, Ino," Fujin told the blonde before he said, "Hello everyone." The humanoid's head then turned to Kurenai, and with a warm tone, he said, "And hello again, Lady Kurenai."
"Good morning, Fujin-sama," Kurenai said with a bow. Hinata and Ino exchanged a glance when they saw a slight blush on the ruby-eyed woman's face.
Fujin then turned to Naruto and said, "It has been a long time, Grandmaster Hasashi."
"Naruto, please," Naruto corrected. "And it is good to see the better God."
Fujin chuckled and said to Hinata, "Princess Kitana. I am pleased to see you are well."
"Hinata is fine, but I do appreciate the sentiment all the same," Hinata replied.
Fujin turned to Tayuya and wordlessly held out his right fist. Tayuya smirked and placed her fist against his and said, "Good to you see too, Cool Breeze."
Fujin glanced at Haku and said, "Chiharu's chosen. I cannot wait to see you grow."
Haku narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at the windy figure.
Fujin glanced at Sakura and said, "I see a lot of potential in you, Haruno Sakura. I hope to see you blossom to your true skills."
Sakura flushed and said, "Thank you."
Fujin then looked to Anko and said, "The scent of snakes and blood, but there is goodness within your soul. It is wonderful to see."
"Well, fuck. Thanks for the compliment, God boy," Anko said.
Fujin finally turned to Sasuke and began to chuckle. "I see. This should be truly interesting to see play out. I will be watching you with great interest, Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke tilted his head in confusion.
"Now that the introductions are complete, I must share what has been learned," Fujin said, his airy tone turning as serious as a raging storm. "Thanks to your own Samui, we have discovered a threat bigger than anything we have ever seen."
"Oh, that's ominous," Tayuya murmured to Hinata, who nodded in agreement.
"As Ino has told you all, Samui was able to defeat Frost and gain her skills and memories. Through Frost's memories, we discovered an insidious plot, planned by the Keeper of Time, Architect of the Destiny, and the mother of the Elder God Cetrion and Fallen Elder God Shinnok, The Titaness, Kronika," Fujin began.
"Kronika," Naruto murmured.
"Wait, this Kronika is the Keeper of Time?" Ino questioned. "What about Kairos? She's a Time Guardian, right?"
"Kairos is a Time guardian and fellow God, like Raiden and I," Fujin answered, ignoring the brief looks of anger that Hinata, Ino, and Naruto had at the mention of the Fallen Thunder God. "As a Time Guardian, Kairos fixes the timeline she is watching over, which is the one we are in now. But this Kronika can control time itself. So it means that whatever Kairos fixes, it's by Kronika's design…."
"So we have a potential enemy in this Kairos?" Anko asked.
"No, other Elder gods or gods know about this Kronika," Fujin said. "Except for Cetrion and Shinnok, of course," Fujin said. "But the thought did not escape me."
"Well, tell us more," Sasuke said.
"Let's start at the beginning. Raiden, and I know three of you aren't fond of my brother, but I will need to talk about him so let's end the hostility for now. Same with you, Cage, regarding Liu Kang," Fujin preemptively said to Naruto, Hinata, Tayuya, and Ino.
"Raiden received visions of a past timeline where Shao Kahn was able to defeat him during the events of Armageddon. Because of these visions, he sought to change past events, which caused the alternate timeline."
"Originally, Liu Kang was supposed to defeat Shang Tsung in the first Mortal Kombat tournament, defeat Shao Kahn in the second one, defeat Shao Kahn during his attempt to take over Earthrealm, and then defeat Shinnok. After that, he was to perish to Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, the Deadly Alliance. From there, Raiden would sacrifice himself and Shang Tsung to try and defeat Onaga. Except it failed, and not only did Onaga stand, but Raiden was also corrupted."
"Tale as old as time," Hinata muttered.
"With the combined forces of Shujinko and Nightwolf, Onaga was defeated and bound in the Netherrealm. But because of Onaga's awakening, Armageddon was triggered. Every Kombatant, good, evil and in-between fought to gain power at the top of the pyramid. Including the one that was supposed to save all of the realms in Taven. But in the end, Raiden and Shao Kahn stood, and everyone had been slain."
"Shao Kahn ruins everything," Sakura muttered.
"Shao Kahn had won, and in desperation, Raiden used the power of his amulet to send his memories back in time. He was never supposed to do this. Kronika had been controlling everything. From what Kronika told Frost when she was recruited, there is a balance between good and evil. Good cannot live without evil and vice versa. Her goal is to keep the scales balanced forever," Fujin said.
"So her goal is to balance good and evil forever," Kurenai summarized. "And one tips the scales…"
"She resets," Fujin answered.
Hinata's eyes widened. "Wait, the vision that I had!" Hinata exclaimed.
Ino's eyes widened as she remembered Kairos' words.
"A future that should have been…And still could be, and that is all that I shall mention of it."
"What vision, Hinata?" Ino asked.
"The vision that I was given. It showed that Shao Kahn was victorious against Raiden at the Pyramids, but I defeated him. I had survived and ushered a new era of eternal peace with the other realms!" Hinata exclaimed.
Ino lowered her head as realization set in. "Kairos must know something about Kronika. If she didn't, she wouldn't have known about that timeline if it became before this one."
"We must investigate further," Fujin said. "But if this vision Karios has shown you was true, Hinata. Then the scales were balanced since you and Shao Kahn were alive at the pyramids," Fujin said. "But if that vision showed your victory and everlasting peace…"
Hinata stared at her hands in stunned disbelief as she murmured, "Kronika would have erased that timeline….."
"I'm sorry," Fujin said.
Hinata bowed her head and began to laugh. "My dream was to see Edenia freed. It was that dream that gave me the redemption I sought so I could make it come true."
Hinata then looked to Naruto and said, "I dreamed that we rule it together in peace as Queen and King of the New Edenia. But Knowing that Kronika would have erased it had I succeeded in my dream…."
Hinata balled her fists then looked to Fujin with a dark expression on her face as she said, "Continue Fujin. I must know the plan of the Titan whose head I shall take."
Naruto, Haku, and Ino exchanged glances of concern while Tayuya tugged on her collar. "Whoof, It is hot beside me right now."
"Raiden went back to change the timeline and was successful, but the scales were still even due to Quan-Chi and Shinnok. So despite things going awry with Shao Kahn's ultimate defeat and the death of Liu Kang and his allies," Fujin paused, sparring Hinata and Ino a look. "Kronika continued. Until Shinnok's defeat at the hands of you, Cassie," Fujin said as he looked at Tayuya. "Or do you prefer Tayuya?"
"Tayuya works well for me, Cool Breeze," Tayuya answered.
"You were never supposed to Shinnok, Tayuya. No one was. As mentioned, Kronika planned to keep the forces of good and evil fighting forever, and with you defeating Shinnok, it tilted the scales. Because of this, Kronika's plan to reset the timeline began anew," Fujin told her.
"Well fuck me!" Tayuya exclaimed.
"That's some fucked luck," Anko said. "Kid saved the universe but doomed the timeline at the same time. Fucked."
"So, she approached Liu Kang and told him that Raiden had slain Kung Lao, enticing his anger and when you, Hinata, disappeared from the Netherrealm, she appeared to Liu Kang again and stoked his flames until he was driven mad. She gave him her word that if he were to defeat Earthrealm and all of their champions, she would reset the timeline where Raiden would not exist. For his assistance, Liu Kang would be granted a realm of his own, separated from the others, so he would live in peace with those he cares about.."
"And so, he accepted. One by one, Kronika went to her allies, Shang Tsung, Frost, Tanya, Bi-Han, and many others, told them her plans and her rewards to them if they were to help. After that, the invasions of all the realms began," Fujin finished.
"And with that, our deaths and rebirth on this new Earthrealm," Ino finished.
"So she plans to restart the timeline," Naruto said. "And I guess she needs all the realms under control to do it successfully, which is why she waits until the scales are imbalanced."
"That seems to be the case," Fujin said. "And with Earthrealm still somewhat safe, even with the barrier cracked, she has no way to do this yet. But It seems Liu Kang is aware of this damage because the revenant Smoke landed in Earthrealm an hour ago."
"Smoke?" Hinata asked with concern.
"Yes, and Shino fought and managed to end it in a stalemate," Fujin answered.
"Smoke….Shino…Will they be alright?" Hinata asked.
"They are receiving help as we speak," Fujin said. "But now we know that we are dealing with Kronika and her plan. We must all be careful, for we do not know what happens next…"
"So, our mission seems simple. Defeat Liu Kang and any of Kronika's allies and then take Kronika herself," Naruto said.
"That is correct," Fujin said. "But there is something I must discuss with you, Hinata and Tayuya, Naruto." Fujin's avatar morphed into a portal. "All three of you, come with me immediately. We must consult with the Elder Gods."
[Unknown Location:
POV: Unknown]
A figure resembling a human female with piercing blue eyes stood before an hourglass.
The woman was bald but adorned her scalp with a piece of gold metal. She wore a black, white, and gold dress and matching armor and heels while parts of her body have a blue, ethereal glow.
"Interesting," the woman said as she turned around to face a kneeling figure.
The kneeling figure resembled a human female but had dull purple skin, green hair resembling seaweed, and tiny green dots around her similarly-glowing eyes resembling shining stars.
Her outfit appears to be a combination of teal crystal, green plant matter, and thin brown cords wrapped around her neck, torso, and waist. There were also chunks of crystal floating behind her head in a rough ring shape.
"It seems they are aware of now of my presence, Cetrion," the woman said to the kneeling woman.
"That Fujin is meddlesome, mother," Cetrion said as she stood. "Shall I exterminate him?"
"No," the woman said. "Let him do what he pleases with those Earthrealmers. We shall continue with our plans. Has Shang Tsung located the crown yet?"
"Not yet, mother," Cetrion replied.
"Perhaps I should send Geras to Earthrealm and have him locate it instead," The woman stated. "The sooner we have that crown, the sooner we can reset the timeline and rid ourselves of Raiden."
"And what of Kairos?" Cetrion questioned. "You know of her plans as well and have yet decided to act upon them."
"Kairos believes she has the upper hand in her plans, and I will continue to allow her to believe so," The woman said. "But for now, I have a mission for you, my dear daughter."
Cetrion nodded. "Whatever can be done, I will assist."
The woman smiled as an image of Hatake Kakashi appeared within the hourglass.
Captain Blues: To be continued hahahahahaha! Multiple timeslines, Gods, Titans, time travel. It's crazy and it's only going to get crazier.