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Kaguya's eyebrows furrowed as she examined the track.
It was fresh...very fresh.
The long claw marks and lengthy dew claw gave the identity of the print's maker away. Its very presence here was enough to give her shivers.
When she first heard the reports, her heart froze. Hagoromo and Hashirama almost laughed them off as stories passed around by the same humans that regarded her as a demon. But Kaguya took them very seriously. She announced she would look into these reports personally, taking both her sons and the messengers by surprise.
The two brothers tried to convince their mother that this was beneath Kaguya Otsutsuki. But she wouldn't hear a word of it as she glided out of her palace. Looking back, she should've told them the truth. Told them why it was imperative that even a mere hint of these things warranted the most intense investigation.
But that would've gotten them even more interested. And she didn't want either of her sons to come with in case her worst fears were realized.
She appointed both of them as acting rulers of the empire until her return, before she journeyed to the region where the sightings were reported. Despite the fear from the locals, she did manage to establish the creature's hunting grounds and where the attacks were reported as well as some basic physical characteristics common throughout the sightings. It only intensified her desire to find these beasts and put them down.
And so she did. For the past two weeks, she hunted them down one by one. Only stopping into town for the occasional tip or offering reassurance that the matter was being handled. At first she had the advantage. She took them by surprise, hunting her prey down before they could retaliate. Often killing them with an ash bone without alerting the others.
But then they started getting smarter. Their attacks became more coordinated. They started bunching up into tighter groups. It was getting harder to pick them off singularly, forcing her to take on entire groups at once. While the Mother of Chakra could certainly handle even a bunch of these things, she'll be the first to admit they were quite ferocious in numbers.
Luckily, the one she was tracking seemed to be separated from the pack. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, Kaguya tracked it down as cautiously as she could. Well, as cautiously as somebody with such an immense aura of chakra as her while wearing heavy robes through the brush could manage anyways. But she didn't want to risk opening up a hole into one of her dimensions. Such a technique might tip them off and she might find herself ambushed.
She activated her Byakugan, peering through the dense thicket into a small clearing.
And there it was.
Feeding upon the desiccated corpse of what seemed to be a human was what could only be described as an unholy combination of a vulture and an emancipated dog. From what she remembered, the ancients called these creatures "Hounds", although the resemblance was fleeting at best. The canine muzzle was replaced with a bony beak, its front legs producing what looked like clawed hands rather than paws. And where there should have been fur running down its back was a series of quills.
The Hound ripped off one of the corpse's arms before snapping it in two with its powerful beak. However, no blood was spilled. Given the skeletal look of the cadaver, it almost seemed as all vital fluids and organs and simply been drained from the body.
Kaguya scowled as she saw it messily crunch at the corpse, almost as if it were looking for one last morsel. She had little love for humans, but even she thought this treatment was...disgusting. It didn't seem as though it was even eating it. Just tearing apart the ashen remains apart like a mad dog.
The goddess had seen enough. Slowly raising one of her arms, a long All-Killing Ash Bone appeared from her massive sleeve. She steadied her hand as she took aim at the beast.
Suddenly, the beast snapped its head up and sniffed the air. Kaguya held her breath. The bone ready to fire at a moment's notice.
The Hound shook its head as it resumed its feeding.
Kaguya pushed the muscles in her palms, and the bone was sent flying from the bushes. The projectile caught the Hound in the shoulder, pinning it to a tree.
She launched herself from her hiding spot as she glided across the clearing, hair and robes billowing through the air. The thing tried to cry out in surprise, but her hand clamped its muzzle shut. Raising her other arm, she opened her hand while focusing her energies. What seemed to be some kind of shadowy energy was siphoned from the beast and was channeled to her outreached hand, causing it to squirm in distress.
Its claws lashed out, raking her arms. But she didn't feel a thing as the Hound's energy was being drained. It wasn't just a matter of taking its chakra. Entities like these never manifest if they do not have a master to summon them. With each drain, she could more accurately pinpoint where exactly their leader was through their energy.
The Hound slackened its struggles as the last of its life force was leached from its body. Kaguya couldn't help but sigh in relief as she absorbed the beast's chakra. The other benefit from taking their chakra was she was able to rejuvenate herself throughout the hunt, keeping her stamina up.
Relaxing her grip, she allowed the lifeless husk of the beast to crumple to the forest floor. The All Killing Ash Bone did the rest as it disintegrated the abomination's body.
She then gasped as the visions came forth.
A dark mountain. A cave where no light escaped. A circle of corpses. And a great shadow, waiting at its center.
Kaguya caught her breath as the vision ended. The process was always unpleasant, but it did tell her where her ultimate quarry was. It was the same vision again, she just wanted to make sure it was consistent with the others. She already figured the mountain was at the heart of their territory, and if she looked she might find a cave where her prey awaited.
But first she needed to wipe out the rest of its dogs. There were two left from what she gathered, and every minute they were still alive, the greater the coming danger would be. Their purpose was to test this world for suitable game, and if they managed to bring back ample amounts of energy to their master, it could produce more Hounds, and thus being able to siphon even more chakra.
And if it accumulated more and more chakra…
The goddess shook her head clear of the vision. What mattered now was that she dealt with the last of them.
Rising up, she walked towards the middle of the clearing towards the cadaver. The poor soul looked like it had a face of pain and horror from the attack. Gently, she waved her hand over the corpse, summoning up a wind that gingerly picked up the husk. So brittle was it, it disintegrated into a cloud of dust as the ashes were carried up to the sky.
No one should have to die like that. Not even a human, she thought.
She blinked as she just realized something.
There was only one Hound.
And by now they should've known she was hunting them.
Why did-?
At that thought, a pair of dark shadows erupted from the brush. Whipping her arm forth as she turned, she summoned forth a massive gale that kicked up the earth. The sudden gust of wind caught one of the Hounds off guard, sending it tumbling to the ground.
The other though managed to leap above the gust and pounced on the surprised goddess, driving one of its fists into her gut. Kaguya felt the wind being knocked out of her, but she managed to keep steady as she batted the beast away with one of her arms. Summoning forth another ash bone, she stabbed wildly forward in an effort to skewer her assailant.
Rearing back on its hindlegs, the Hound skillfully batted away the weapon and raked its claws across her kimono. The robes were thick and protected her from serious damage, but she snarled in frustration.
They laid a trap. They had caught her off guard. She should have known of course. The Elders always said that Hounds were smarter than they looked.
Summoning forth her chakra, a massive aura that formed into what seemed to be a beastly fist surrounded one of her arms. She thrusted the arm forward, bringing the Vacuum Attack forward. The Hound managed to nimbly dodge, but the force of the attack pushed it backward, giving Kaguya some space. Seizing the initiative, the Mother of Chakra lunged forward, grabbing the foul thing by the throat.
Movement to her right indicated the other Hound was back up on its feet and rushing forward. She struck out her other arm at the right moment, grabbing the beast by its throat as well. Both creatures struggled in her grasp, their limbs thrashing wildly in the air.
Hearing a hiss to her left, she turned to face the first Hound.
The beast opened its maw, and let forth a wave of dark energy right into her pearl eyes.
Kaguya grunted in pain, the shadows gnawing at her pupils. She relinquished her grip as she stumbled back, her eyes forced shut from the attack. A series of blows began to hammer at her body, as claws began to rip into her kimono. Blinded, she sent blast of energy after blast of energy at her assailants, trying desperately to land a hit. But the Hounds simply dodged her wild attacks, darting in and landing strike after strike.
The goddess was forced to her knees as she began to buckle from the assault. Blindly, she sent a wave of energy in the direction of the latest attacker. She got a shriek of surprise as her reward. Her eyes blinked open as the attacks stopped. With her sight returned, she looked around to take a quick assessment of the situation.
Plumes of smoke and dust were kicked up around her, clouding her surroundings. Snarling she was about to activate her Byakugan before the pair burst out of the cloud, digging their fists deep into her body.
Kaguya grimaced from the blows. True she could withstand such attacks sure, but she needed to go on the offensive and soon. Gathering a great deal of chakra within her body, she thrust her arms out and released a massive burst of power. The sudden force sent the hounds flying while the great trees were ripped from the force of her might.
Breathing heavily, Kaguya looked around. She had dislodged a massive amount of foliage, creating a large crater within the earth. The goddess couldn't help but frown. She didn't like to have to expend so much chakra when the result was this. Already though her chakra reserves were filling up from the massive ocean of energy she possessed. But that didn't mean the threat had diminished.
A low growl from her left caused her to shoot out her arm. Great pillars of rocks erupted before slamming down and imprisoning the downed beast. Kaguya couldn't help but smile. Those rocks wouldn't hold it for long, but it would slow it down while she dealt with-
Her hair lashed out as the foul thing lunged, the famously long locks ensnaring the beast in their tight embrace. Turning around, the Mother of Chakra summoned forth another fist of aura and slammed it into the trapped Hound, sending it flying across the crater.
The beast managed to land on its feet, hissing in rage as it raced forward. Kaguya fired a series of All Killing Ash Bones at the approaching abomination, but the agile Hound was able to dodge them all as it rapidly closed the distance. Instinct kicked in as the goddess brought up a series of claws made of bone from her arm before raising them in front of her like a shield.
She held steady as the Hound slammed into her defense, snarling and clawing around at her impenetrable barrier. Kaguya readied another ash bone, preparing to-
Her thoughts were shattered as the claws from the other Hound dug right into her back. She stifled a cry as dark talons bit into her flesh.
The beast snarled as it snapped at her neck, trying to go for the jugular. Thankfully, her hair managed to interlock with each other, forming a tight layer that protected her for the moment. Tendrils formed from her hair that managed to wrangle the vicious claws and jagged beak of the Hound away, restraining the abomination.
In the span of a second, a plume of sharpened bones violently erupted from Kaguya's back. The knife like protrusions speared through the Hound's body as a horrible shriek left the thing's maw. Twisting her body, the goddess batted away the creature with her bone shield while throwing the impaled one off the bones coming from her back.
Kaguya's bones from Shikotsumyaku retracted as she channeled chakra into her fists once again. With her Byakugan activated to find the right nerve points, her hair spread out as it began to shoot a series of Rabbit Hair Needles at the Hound in front of her. The projectiles hit home, digging in the staggered beast's muscles. She flew forward as the shadowy creature collapsed, its muscles effectively paralyzed from the precisive strikes of the needles.
The Mother of Chakra then proceeded to unleash the full force of her Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack, smashing her aura fists into the Hound. Each impact unleashed a tremendous amount of energy, practically tearing the creature's black body apart. One last massive strike sent the hapless thing flying, its crippled body carving a furrow in the dirt of the crater.
She couldn't help but hunch over to catch her breath. This was the other reason. Kaguya certainly had a near limitless reservoir of chakra at her disposal and using it wasn't a problem, but she still felt like a wreck every time she exerted too much of it all at once. The goddess chalked it up to being her body still getting used to the massive influx of power she received. It wasn't unheard of, she recalled: the 'chosen' Otsutsuki apparently took small increments of chakra at first, getting their bodies ready for the massive influxes of power they would later receive from the harvests. She never received the conditioning, Kaguya was only meant as a sacrifice to her partner.
The thought made her snarl. Her whole life and she was only meant to serve as a sacrifice to somebody else? It was absurd. Not to mention half of the decisions made by the clan Elders made positively no sense whatsoever. Especially the need to sacrifice whole worlds just so they could become stronger. All those lives, all those civilizations snuffed out. It was too much.
There had to be another way, she thought. All of existence shouldn't be just a means to an end for our clan. And I'm going to prove it. I'll become more powerful than ALL of them and show you don't need to slaughter billions to become a god.
As she collected her thoughts, she looked over at the two Hounds laying in crumpled heaps at her feet. Reaching out with her hands, she began to absorb both of the creatures' chakra. They struggled as they attempted to free themselves but they were simply too weak to resist. Like the first, their bodies too turned to dust.
Once again, Kaguya recoiled from the sudden vision from both of them. It was the same as before. That dark and ominous mountain at the heart of the territory. If there was any doubt that is where the Hounds' master had made its den, it was dashed from the vividness of the memories.
The goddess caught her breath as the vision ended and the last of her adrenaline faded. Already her wounds were healing both from her innate rejuvenation abilities, and the chakra she had just absorbed. It wouldn't take long for her to get back up to full strength.
Trudging her way out of the crater, Kaguya looked to the horizon where a dark mountain awaited.
The Hounds were all dead. Now it was time to deal with their master.
0-0-0-0-0
Finding the entrance to the cave was easy enough. The visions all depicted a gaping black maw opening up into what appeared to be a gloomy abyss where light cannot penetrate. And indeed, the jagged shards of rock that outlined the opening into the mountain seemed like an apt description of a maw.
The problem was actually getting to the cave. Kaguya didn't want to risk alerting the prey to her presence just yet. Chances are it knew she was coming, just not when. And she vowed to keep the element of surprise as soon as possible. So she decided not to fly towards the mountain, fearing the creature could sense the chakra needed to power her flight. Instead, she trekked on foot.
Which turned out to be more of a hassle than she thought. The woods were dense and thick, with no hint that any man had come this way in forever. So making her way through the brush was difficult. Even more difficult considering that the size of her ceremonial kimono made it difficult to squeeze into tighter spaces. She lost count of the times one of her large sleeves caught on a branch, and she was certain that there were more than a few branches caught within her trailing hair.
By the time she made it to the cave entrance, it was night. Kaguya briefly shook herself, getting a few branches out of her hair as she peered within. It was dark indeed, the moonlight barely able to penetrate the murky gloom.
Taking a deep breath, the goddess stepped inside the cave.
Kaguya immediately activated her Byakugan, the veins of her eyes straining to give her extra vision. This allowed her to take advantage of what little light there was. Slowly she made her way into the cave, looking for any sign of the prey. But there was surprisingly little at the entrance. Some disturbed rocks to be sure, but with the hard surface, they could've come from anybody. The Hounds, their master…
Even humans.
The thought chilled her to the core. But she suppressed the thought as she ventured in. There was no need to jump to conclusions just yet. Sure the villages she talked to told of disappearing villagers, but she just assumed that they were victims of the Hounds. That had to have been it.
Right?
Cautiously, Kaguya pushed forward deeper into the cave. Her ears were on high alert, awaiting to hear any sign of the prey. But so far, the only thing they picked up was her robes brushing against rocks and pushing aside pebbles.
It wasn't until she pushed much farther into the cave that she came upon the first signs of life. Deep claw marks that gouged into the hard stone of the cave walls. Her eyes narrowed. The scratches must've been made by the Hounds, possibly marking this cavern as their own. She had come across similar gouges in the bases of trees back in the forest. But here, they appeared much more frequently. It was almost as if this place was critical to them in some way.
Possibly the lair of their master, she thought.
Kaguya followed the claw marks deeper into the cave. These gougings could also have been a way for the beasts to navigate towards their lair. At the very least it made navigating the tunnels a little easier. But her eyes and ears remained on high alert. There's no telling exactly what lay ahead.
Deeper and deeper she plunged into the darkness. The shadows darkened at every turn. She felt was on the verge of something the more she pressed on. After all, the claw marks increased with frequency, to the point they nearly covered the entirety of the cave walls.
And then suddenly...they stopped.
Yet what she saw was somehow still chilling to the core.
Kaguya had found herself in a small opening facing a large, even wall. Upon the wall was a series of murals and paintings that decorated the surface. But it wasn't the mere presence of these images that stopped her in her tracks.
No, it was the fact that she recognized them.
Starting from the left, the first image depicted a group of horned, white beings amongst what appeared to be a group of stars. Their hands were outstretched as they appeared to siphon what seemed to be some sort of power from them. Kaguya knew these figures well. They were the Ancients, the first of her kind that predated the Otsutsuki clan. Like them, they desired the power to become the divine and uplift their people to the cosmos. To do this, they travelled the universe in search of worlds to drain energy from and convert them into their own. From what she knew, the process was not as refined as the God Trees. But after years, the Ancients had succeeded in their goal and their empire spread across the stars.
It was unfortunate that their rise to power attracted the attention of the real gods.
They were known by many names: Star-Eaters, the Darkness Between Worlds, the Black Chaos. Kaguya knew them as the Dark Ones. Whatever they were called, they were essentially the same force. An ancient, dark presence that prowled the depths of the cosmos, hunting those that thought themselves gods. No one truly knew where they came from; a wandering presence from another reality, or a nightmare that was as old if not older than all creation itself. All they knew was that if there was some sort of a cosmic food chain, they'd be on top of it.
The Ancients in their arrogance drew the attention of the Dark Ones. By accumulating their power, they made themselves both challengers and prey to the gods. Mere pretenders to the throne. Thus began the Great War. But using the term war was being generous. It was really a slaughter of the highest caliber. The Ancients, while terrifyingly powerful, did not know how best to use and control their newfound strength. They were clumsy and unrefined. The Dark Ones though drew upon millenia upon millenia of experience, drawing on the Ancients' weaknesses and tearing their ranks to shreds in great droves.
This was what was depicted in the next mural. Dark shadowy creatures were depicted as slaughtering the beings of light, their horns and bodies torn to shreds. Some of the creatures, while crudely depicted, were familiar to Kaguya, such as the Hounds she hunted.
And then there was the being all these beasts descended from. It was depicted as a gigantic eye surrounded by a swirling mass of tendrils and darkness.
The Otsutsuki clan referred to it as the Abyssal, the source of all the Dark Ones. No one truly knew what it looked like. For all records who told of its presence came from dead worlds and peoples.
The tale continued in the next mural. It depicted a group of the light beings standing defiant against the shadow, wearing a symbol upon their robes and drawing energy from gigantic trees.
Kaguya touched one of the symbols on her robes. It was the emblem of clan Otsutsuki.
She remembered the legend well, at least the part that the Elders told her. When their species was on the verge of oblivion and the Ancients were destroyed, the Otsutsukis discovered a way to counter the Dark Ones. By drawing upon a special species of tree, they could more quickly accumulate power that could overwhelm the shadowy beasts. Over time, they perfected techniques that allowed them to acquire more and more power, allowing them to even the odds against the abominations.
But these gains came at a terrible cost. The God Trees they used destroyed entire worlds, stripping them bare of energy. Even worse, many of her people were used as sacrifices to further the Otsutsukis' power. These sacrifices included herself and many other of the lower ranking members of the clan. All to empower the few elites, who they alone claimed were capable of destroying the Abyssal.
Though as the final mural depicted, it was a sorry comfort indeed. It showed a terrible war waged by the few Otsutsuki Elders against the countless Dark Ones. Worlds were shown ravaged by conflict. Stars dying. It was a truth only Kaguya knew. With constant sacrifices to further strengthen the power drunk Elders, her race was on the verge of perpetual extinction. Not helping matters was that only so many Elders can be anywhere at once, meaning rebuilding their people was not an option for fear of drawing the Dark Ones' attention.
Made even worse with the constant sacrifices of worlds. Even if somehow the war was won, many of the worlds the Otsutsukis had visited were barren. Progress would be slow, and many would hate them for what they did. And that's assuming the war with the Abyssal could even be won at this rate. So few Elders against so many Dark Ones. The conflict almost seemed destined to last to the end of time itself.
That was something Kaguya couldn't allow.
She wanted to prove that there was another way to obtaining ultimate power. Rather than plundering worlds, she vowed to protect them. The God Tree may have given her power, but there were more ways of becoming the divine. And she vowed to prove it. Prove that there was a way to defeat the Dark Ones and safeguard lives rather than snuff them out. To provide a more stable future for her people in the process.
Kaguya didn't just desire to become a Goddess. She wanted to become a guardian.
Although admittedly, the presence of such depictions almost made her reconsider her options. Dark Ones didn't keep records. They didn't tell legends. And they most certainly paint walls with their stories.
There was only one creature in this world that could've been responsible for such creations.
She sighed internally. It was a well known fact amongst the clan Elders that many lesser races would often worship the Dark Ones as gods. Offering themselves up as sacrifices or acting as servants. It was primarily the reason why the higher members of the Otsutsukis didn't think too much about slaughtering weaker sentients.
Kaguya shook her head as she thought about it. Humans were backwards, yes. But there were some amongst them who were decent. Aino was proof of that.
And look where she ended up…
The goddess closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. It was obvious the Hounds' master was here. No matter her thoughts about humans, she needed to keep a clear head for the battle that was to lie ahead.
Turning to her left, she saw an opening. Cautiously she made her way to the entrance and peered inside. Her Byakugan managed to see a massive cavern inside, easily rivalling the great halls of her palace in the ice dimension.
And in the center, were rows of kneeling corpses.
Venturing forward, Kaguya could see that these corpses were turned to husks. Evidently the Dark Ones here had drained them of their energy. But given their posture and almost reverent like bowing, it seemed as though they offered themselves up. Giving their energy to their gods.
Not unlike what the clan elders would do to native populations, she thought. The resemblance between the two kinds of worship between Otsutsuki and Dark One was uncanny. And certainly a bit chilling. It boggled her mind why the Elders hadn't noticed the similarities. Even if by some miracle they did win this war, they'd only be replacing one pantheon of horrors for another.
She noticed that all the husks were bowing in a particular direction towards the center of the chamber. To her surprise, the darkness at the chamber's heart was so thick, that even her Byakugan could not pierce it.
There's only one source that can produce a darkness this thick, the goddess thought.
Kaguya strode forward into the cavern with her arms outstretched and chakra flaring. The surge of energy caused her hair and kimono to billow with power. It was a good reason to wear such heavy robes, she thought. Only such garbs would denounce the power of the divine and the weight of their expectation. Not to mention being quite intimidating once you know how to use them.
"I am Princess Kaguya Otsutsuki of the Otsutsuki Clan," she said with authority. Kaguya spoke lowly, she really wasn't a loud person and was hoping her outstretched arms and robes billowing with raw power would get the message across. "Mother and Progenitor of Chakra. Goddess of this world and its people. You are not welcome here."
From within the shadow, a dark figure stirred. A pair of crimson glowing eyes turned slowly towards her. She certainly caught its attention, that's for sure.
Kaguya continued. "You and your kind are trespassing on this sacred nursery, bringing their malice and tainting the people of this world with your influence. I cannot allow you to bring further suffering upon them. Leave this world and return to the stars. Lest you suffer my wrath." She added a burst of power at that last point to emphasize her point.
She heard something scraping along the cave floor, likely the talons of the beast being dragged across stone. The crimson eyes were lifted higher into the air, looking down at the goddess. Kaguya held steady as the shadows deepened.
"tHis woorrllldd...is nOt yOURs to cLaiM."
The voice sounded neither male nor female. It simply sounded like something that was trying to speak words with parts not meant to speak her tongue.
"Theeeeeyyy...arE not yoUrs to rUleeeeee…"
"I never claimed them as my own. I have placed them under my charge. To protect them from abominations like you."
Kaguya let out another burst of chakra, this time infusing it with light. The brightness lit up her side of the cavern, dividing the chamber into two sides of light and dark. With the illumination, she could just barely make out the figure of the monster.
"Yet youuuu are fAr from hoommmmeeeee...yOu cannOt faTHom the power you possesssss...you Are but a LaMB, pretENding to be the shePHErd."
Its torso was skeletal, with bony protrusions covering its chest. From its torso came two pairs of arms, the larger of which ended in a pair of massive scythes. The smaller ended in a pair of clawed hands. Two bird-like legs held up the horror which sprouted a set of talons for each foot. A long, tapering tail protruded from its backside with two smaller tails right beside the larger one. Sharp quills ran down the monster's back, giving it a demonic look.
Its face was the most horrifying though. A mane of what could only be described as physical darkness cascaded from its baldish head. The red eyes were mere prickpoints on the side of a round forehead. White sharp teeth gleamed in the darkness with saliva dripping down its maw.
She knew this Dark One from the legends. They called this breed a Reaper.
Kaguya stood her ground, her aura flaring with yet more chakra. "If you will not leave this world in peace, then I must eradicate your influence and wipe clean your blight. You will harm not one more soul."
"tHis woRrrrrld is alreAdy dOOMed…" The Reaper shrieked as it outstretched its claws and scythes. Kaguya tensed her muscles, preparing for battle.
At once, both goddess and monster charged at each other. Kaguya extended a sharpened bone from her palm as she closed in on the beast. The Reaper raised one of its scythes and brought it down in a powerful swing. She managed to glide just out of the way, slashing at the creature's heel with her makeshift blade.
The Mother of Chakra wheeled around as she faced her opponent. Her blow had hobbled the beast, but the Reaper quickly regained its footing as it too turned to face its assailant. Its eyes and mane of darkness surged as it roared and slammed both of its scythes into the ground. Each blade unleashed a burst of dark energy as they smashed into the hard surface. From the point of impact, two rows of dark spikes began to penetrate from the earth towards the goddess.
Kaguya timed the incoming blades before releasing a massive burst of chakra around her. The attack burst apart the dark blades as they smashed into the aura. As the dark constructs dissipated, the Reaper rushed forward with outstretched hands. Unable to react fast enough, Kaguya was taken in its claws and slammed into the wall of the cavern.
Snarling, the beast lashed out with both of its scythes both aimed at the goddess's head. In response, Kaguya managed to conjure two Vacuum Fists just in time and grabbed the blades right in midswing. The beings of light and dark wrestled for a moment before dark smoke and energy began to seep out of the Reaper's maw.
Sensing the oncoming attack, Kaguya managed to reach around with a few tendrils of her hair and wretched the beast's maw away from her. The blast of shadowy energy fired into the ceiling. With its attention driven away, the goddess shoved the scythes away and smashed both of her Vacuum Fists into the monster's face. Such impact from the strikes sent the Reaper careening to the ground, though it regained its momentum by digging its blades into the ground.
Once more the abomination fused shadowy energies into the tips of its blades. Landing on her feet, her third red eye opened up in the middle of her forehead. Kaguya could tell this was going to be quite the battle, and she was going to need the Sharingan if she had any hope of victory.
Dark energies lengthened the tips of the Reaper's blades. The creature then began to swing its shadowy scythes at the goddess. Kaguya began to infuse chakra into her hair, strands already hardening to ready a barrage of Rabbit Hair Needles. Her Sharingan widened as it saw the incoming attack, the eye precisely predicting where it was going to land.
The Mother of Chakra levitated off the ground and gracefully dodged the first strike. The second swipe she managed to avoid at the last second. For the third, the Reaper raised up both of its scythes and brought them straight down in a fury. Kaguya merely opened a portal and reappeared above the scythes.
A huge blast of dark energy was released as the weapons smashed into the ground. The resulting impact caused a few stalactites to fall from the ceiling and shatter on the rocky floor. The blast also seemed to release the energy that made up the constructs of the blades since they returned to normal.
It also gave Kaguya an opening.
Her Byakugan flared as her hair lashed out with the Rabbit Hair Needles. Her preferred eyes pinpoint the exact location of the Reaper's nerve points. Particularly in the larger pair of arms. The beast snarled from the pain as it tried to bring its scythes up to bear. But all it could accomplish was merely flop them on the ground. This caused the creature to howl as its main weapons were disabled.
With her prey virtually defenseless, Kaguya darted in and smashed another pair of Vacuum Fists right into the abomination's chest. The impact slammed it into the side of the cavern, causing rocks to crumble from the collision. She then lashed out with her hair, restraining the Reaper as her body began to glow from channeling a massive amount of chakra.
Kaguya vowed to end her prey right here and right now. She had it right where she wanted it.
Suddenly, the Reaper lunged forward with one of its smaller arms striking out. The claws ripped through the goddess's kimono, breaking her concentration and causing her chakra to dissipate. It then proceeded to smash its head into Kaguya's cranium, sending her flying. The Mother of Chakra only just managed to stagger to her feet before being beset with a stream of dark energy.
Hastily, Kaguya released another burst of chakra, causing the blast to part. Her aura cast a bright light which split the darkness and caused it to stream past her before dissipating.
Kaguya took a knee as she assessed the damage. The slashes looked bad, but her kimono was thick enough that the claws didn't penetrate too deeply. Another good reason to wear them, she thought. They're heavy enough to act as a good armor.
She felt something liquid running down her chin. Bringing her clawed hand up to her face, Kaguya saw that her mouth was bleeding. The smash to her head really did do some damage. Could be where that enormous head pain was coming from.
Staggering to her feet, Kaguya shook her head free from the dizziness and focused once again at the battle at hand. Only to see nothing but a deep darkness in the cave. The shadows seemed darker than ever, to the point that she couldn't even see her assailant.
There was no way she could pierce through that darkness with the Byakugan. She would have to wait for the prey to make their move. Kaguya brought forth a pair of All Killing Ash Bones from her hands as she put her eyes and ears on high alert. The goddess readied her muscles as she prepared to strike.
Then she waited.
Her eyes and ears scanned the darkness. All was still...
…
Her Sharingan twitched. Seeing the oncoming attack, Kaguya turned her body to the side, just avoiding a swing from one of the scythes. Her eyes narrowed as she raised on of her arms-
A tendril shot out of the darkness. It was one of the monster's tails. The appendage wrapped around her outstretched arm and squeezed tightly.
*SNAP!*
Kaguya did everything she could not to scream as the tendril broke her arm. She heard talons scraping across the stone floor as the figure of the Reaper rushed out of the darkness with one of its smaller arms stretched out. Its claws were sprayed out.
The beast proceeded to rake its claws across Kaguya's Sharingan, forcing it shut. She cried out from the pain, for between her arm and her eye the punishment was excruciating. The goddess then felt herself being tossed across the cavern, slamming into the cave's wall.
Her head ringing, Kaguya managed to see out of her blurry vision the Reaper charging forward with its scythes raised. Instinct kicked in as she raised her functioning arm and fired her other Ash Killing Bone.
The sharpened bone buried itself into the monster, causing it to hiss in pain and retreat back into the shadow.
Kaguya grimaced as she pulled herself back to her feet. She knew that Ash Killing Bones didn't affect Dark Ones like they did humans. It certainly would hurt, but it wasn't a guaranteed kill. Even still, she did have a little bit of breathing space for the moment.
She gasped in pain as her bones in her arms snapped back into place thanks to her regenerative abilities. People often assumed being nearly indestructible meant she was impervious to pain. Kaguya would argue that they haven't had the bones in the arms contorting and violently pushing through muscle in order to restore her limb to functioning order. And indeed, testing her fingers indicated her arm was back to be usable.
Picking herself up, Kaguya realized that the abomination had retreated back into the shadows. This wasn't working, she thought. In a cave this dark, it can just meld with the darkness and wear me down. It has the homefield advantage.
She couldn't help but smirk at the thought.
Good thing I have the perfect counter.
Kaguya reached out with her power, preparing to teleport herself and the Reaper to one of her dimensions-
She cried out as a sudden jabbing pain almost pierced her mind. Kaguya grimaced before concentra-
The goddess fell to her knees as another jab wrecked havoc on her constitution. Her eyes widened in shock. Why wasn't she able to teleport to one of her dimensions? That should've been her ace in the hole.
Then she realized the awful truth. There was a reason the Reaper chose this place as their arena. It must've known she was coming after it. It should've known she killed its Hounds.
By that logic, it should've known what she was capable of.
It all made sense now. The Reaper not only waited for her to come. It counted on her entering its lair. Here, it was master of the shadows and wielder of reality. There was little question it must've altered the fabrics of space that disallowed her to drag it to one of her dimensions. Her most powerful asset was just yanked away from her. And it wasn't like she could just wait it out and draw the monster out. It could just spawn more Hounds from its lair and continue to build its power. That was something she could not allow.
The Dark One had set a trap. And she blundered into it.
A scythe came down from the darkness. The goddess just barely managed to move herself out of the way and avoid having her head skewered by the blade. She flew up the wall, hoping to get out of the beast's range so she could figure out a plan. To her dismay, the Reaper merely just dug in its other blade and proceeded to climb up the wall after her.
The monster snarled as it raised a scythe to skewer her. Thinking fast, she sent a blast of energy in the Dark One's face. With its one arm out of the wall, the blast caused the abomination to stumble and slacken its grip. Seizing the opportunity, Kaguya smashed a Vacuum Fist right in the Reaper's face, sending it careening to the cave floor.
Kaguya levitated away as she panted. This fight was getting out of hand. Without her access to the dimensions, she couldn't break out of this trap. And with this darkness, there was no way she could even see the Reaper to mount an offensive. She'd be forced to fight defensively, and it would only be a matter of time before she ran out of steam and not be able to dodge anymore…
A stalactite from the ceiling smashed into her back. Stifling a cry, Kaguya looked up to see cracks in the ceiling.
Suddenly, the goddess had an idea…
Summoning up a pair of Vacuum Fists, Kaguya teleported to the ceiling, just barely avoiding an oncoming charge from the Reaper. Quickly, she smashed both of her aura fists into the ceiling, each strike releasing a large amount of energy.
The ceiling cracked open even further as a greater amount of stalactites fell. Down below, the Dark One had begun to take notice of what Kaguya was doing. It attempted to reach up and yank the goddess out of the air, but a series of falling rocks began to pummel the monster, forcing it to its knees.
Kaguya then reached out with her chakra, pouring it in between the various cracks that had opened up in the wall. She channeled more and more, causing the very mountain itself to tremble as its structure was weakened.
A tendril wrapping around her waist and proceeded to slam her back down into the floor, causing her to black out.
She woozily opened her eyes, her head feeling like it was about to split in two. Kaguya tried to move, but she felt restrained by the tendrils wrapping around her body. Her pearl eyes looked up and met the crimson orbs of the Reaper as it pulled back its scythe.
A small hole opened up in the ceiling, letting in a stream of moonlight. This caught the Dark One's attention, causing it to look up-
-to see part of the ceiling collapse, allowing the chamber to be bathed in the moon's brilliant magnificence.
The Reaper shrieked as it retreated into the still dark part of the cavern, releasing its hold on Kaguya. Getting up, she saw its aura of shadow diminish as it cringed away from the light.
It was a young one, she realized with a start. No wonder it wasn't active as its servants. It probably wasn't powerful enough to move freely in the light. Hounds could, so they would bring it chakra to increase its strength.
Straightening up, Kaguya brought to bear a series of sharpened bones from her hands using Shikotsumyaku.
It was time to end this. Now.
Kaguya rushed forward, her impromptu daggers at the ready. The Reaper hissed as it swung down one of its scythes on her. The goddess merely batted it away with one of her arms while swinging the claws of the other into the beast's torso. Her sharpened blades tore through the creature's flesh, earning her a howl of pain from the monster.
The Mother of Chakra pressed on the advantage, clawing away at the Reaper with her blades. Each swing elicitation a howl of agony from the shadowy monster as bits of flesh and dark smoke sprayed out with each strike. The assault forced the abomination onto its knees, weakened and bested from the onslaught.
Retracting her claws, Kaguya then gathered an immense amount of chakra into her fists and unleashed the fully fury of her Eighty Gods Vacuum attack on her prey. Powerful fist after powerful fist buried themselves in the Reaper's body, each one unleashing a tremendous amount of energy. The fiend could do little but howl in pain as it was ravaged by the merciless assault.
Upon the final strike, the Reaper was sent flying into the darkened corner of the cavern, its body smashing into the wall hard.
Kaguya waited for a moment.
Groggily, the Reaper stumbled to its feet and glared at Kaguya with undisguised hatred…
...before promptly collapsing onto the ground. Defeated.
Kaguya let out a sigh of relief as she began to take deep, ragged breaths. This was unlike any foe she had ever faced before. She knew the Dark Ones, even the younger ones were dangerous from what the Elders told her. But to fight one, that was another thing entirely.
Regardless, she had triumphed. She proved she could go toe to toe with such beasts and come out victoriou-
Her ears perked up as she heard something.
Then her eyes widened in shock as a pair of dark blades from the ground ran themselves right through her body.
Looking ahead, she saw that the Reaper had staggered back to its feet, its eyes burning bright red with hatred and scythes brimming with dark power.
It was playing dead, she realized as the monstrosity approached. It certainly wasn't as powerful as it was before, the moonlight having diminished its shadowy aura. But even a weakened Dark One was still dangerous.
And she was arrogant enough to assume she had managed to kill it outright.
The Reaper hissed as it approached. "YoU arE beaTen litTLe OtSutSUkiii…" Dark bile leaked from its hideous maw as it spoke. "YOur aRRoganCe is BounDLesssss…"
Kaguya attempted to struggle herself free from the blades, fire off a burst of aura, anything! But her body was racked with pain. She expended too much chakra in such a short amount of time. Not to mention the damage sustained from the fight was beginning to wear down her stamina. Simply put, she was completely exhausted.
"DiD you reALLLLyYyYY thInK yoU coUlD saaaaVee thIs woRLD?" The Reaper stalked around her, its talons slowly scraping across the stone floor. "The PowER of thIs woRld haS alReadY seePed inTO iTs peOple...whY do You thINk we Are hEre to BeGIN witH?"
"You're lying," Kaguya hissed out. "The humans cannot wield chakra. Only my sons and I are the sole masters of chakra on this world. We would've heard rumors of them using such power, but none have reached our ears. Only that you and your kin are butchering them."
"We woULd nOt be heRe if thIs worLd's chaKra was Not unLeasheeeddd…" the Dark One merely responded. "BecAUSe of YoUr GoD TrEe, the worLD's enErGY haS leakED in thE veRY soiLLL...a poWER yoU had unleasheeeeddd whEn you ConSumed the fruit…"
"Only those who eat of the divine fruit can wield chakra!" she shouted back, fighting back the pain. "I have ensured that no human can touch the tree. There is no way they can even touch such a power!" The goddess knows this well. One of the first things she did when she first ascended was ensure that no human would ever set foot anywhere near the tree. After the horrors she had seen during when she first arrived here, there was no telling what they would unleash with such power.
"We haVE alREAdy tAsTEd thEir fleshhhh...the poWer lieS dormANt for now...buT in TimE, tHey wiLL be AbLe to usE it...aNd ThEy wiLL bE reADy fOr the feaassstttt…" the Reaper purred as it stopped in front of her. "ThEy will EIther destroyyyyy thEMselVEs...or theY wiLL be conSUmed…"
No. It can't be true!, her mind screamed. Humans cannot wield chakra. If they did…
The implications were nightmarish. They were bad enough when given swords and bows. If they ever gained the power of the gods…
...this whole world would face carnage that eclipsed anything she had ever seen before.
And even if the humans didn't destroy themselves with such power…
...so many beings wielding chakra would attract the Dark Ones.
Not to mention the Otsutsuki clan once they figure out what she did.
Both the Otsutsuki Elders AND the Dark Ones. It would be little more but a massacre. And the bloodbath that played itself out on a thousand worlds would ravage the one she had sworn to protect.
All her efforts would have been for nothing.
…
No.
A monstrous amount of chakra began to well up inside her.
I cannot allow this to happen.
Debris and stone began to levitate from the tremendous volume of power flowing through her veins.
I betrayed my clan. I saved the humans from their destruction, both from themselves and from the God Tree.
Great auras of fists appeared at her hands as her robes and hair surged with power. Noticing her power rising, the Reaper lunged forward with a scythe raised…
...only to receive an All-Killing Ash Bone right in its wounded chest. The Dark One reeled as it tried to remove the painful projectile.
Kaguya glared daggers as she wrapped her fists around the blades penetrating her body.
"As long as I draw breath, I will not, I cannot…"
She grimaced from the pain that was about to come.
"SUFFER YOU TO POLLUTE THIS WORLD ANY FURTHER!"
Kaguya screamed with rage as she snapped off both the blades from the ground while releasing a massive burst of chakra. The surge caught the Reaper off guard, sending it crashing to the ground.
Her opponent down for the moment, Kaguya grimaced as she yanked out the blades embedded in her body. She nearly blacked out then and there, the pain was that excruciating. But she already felt her regenerative powers kicking in and minimizing the damage.
And there was no way she could give up now. Not with so much on the line.
Seeing the Reaper stagger to its feet, the goddess dropped the blades. Kaguya rushed forward, smashing one of her aura fists right in the beast's face. The Dark One found itself reeling from the chakra infused impact. She followed up with another hook from her other Vacuum Fist, sending it further back.
Snarling, the Reaper lashed out with one of its scythes. Kaguya proceeded to almost casually grab the falling blade at its wrist.
Twisting her arm, she snapped the scythe off.
The Dark One in agony as black blood spewed from its wound. Seeing the opportunity, Kaguya lashed out with her other arm and grabbed the remaining bladed arm. Yanking back, she wretched the limb out of its socket and tore it off the body. Throwing the severed limb to the ground, she buried two more powerful Vacuum attacks into the beast's chest. The force sent the Reaper slamming into the wall of the ruined cave.
Rocks began to fall as the impact shook the mountain to its foundations, but it did not seem that Kaguya noticed the falling debris. If she did, it didn't seem she cared as she marched forward with her chakra reaching a fever pitch.
The Reaper hunched down and held its arms out, almost like it was begging for mercy.
But Kaguya was fresh out.
She slammed Vacuum fist after Vacuum fist into the monster, each one unleashing a monstrous amount of chakra with each impact. The wall of the cave crumbled as the Reaper was driven deeper and deeper.
Kaguya wasn't sure how many times she pummeled the beast she was so enraged. She just increased her rate of attack with each strike, to the point she was just pouring in a successive barrage of Eighty God Vacuum Attacks.
All she knew though was that this thing could not be allowed to leave the mountain alive.
A large crack from above finally caused her to pause her assault and look up.
The Mother of Chakra's eyes widened as 11 tons of mountain came crashing down on them both.
0-0-0-0-0
To this day, there are no official explanations explaining the collapsed mountain in that particular part of the region. Though there have been many attempts to explain the strange formation, none of them seemed to pan out due to the sheer scale of the destruction.
The locals though had their own theories. They claimed that the mountain was destroyed in the midst of a horrific battle between two deities. A formless demon of shadow and malice, and a horned being of light and hope.
They said that in the midst of the fighting, the great mountain collapsed, burying them both. Such a calamity would've killed most mortal beings.
But for the divine, it was merely a setback.
0-0-0-0-0
Kaguya wasn't sure how long she had been out for. Hours? Days? All she knew that her whole body was wracked with pain.
Not being able to see much of anything didn't help matters. She blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't dreaming, but all she saw was darkness.
Grunting, she tried to pull herself up-
-only to be weighed down by something immensely heavy on her back.
The goddess tried to move the rest of her body. She could barely even move her arms, the pressure was so great.
A quick look from her Byakkugan confirmed her suspicions. She was buried under an immense pile of rubble. Probably got herself crushed when the mountain came down.
Pinned by such an enormous force, Kaguya had little options. Her first thought was to unleash a burst of chakra to blast her way out. And indeed, she already tried that as she mustered up a bit of power. But to her dismay, she wasn't able to hold it for long enough to build up. The battle had left her body psychically drained, and it would take a little bit of time for it to recover fully to use chakra in such quantities once more.
But the Reaper could still be alive. Every moment Kaguya was trapped was another moment the Dark One had to recover. She needed a solution, now.
Grimacing, Kaguya began to move every part of her body once again. She closed her eyes as she heard the rubble pinning her down shift above her. For this part, she needed to concentrat-
There! The rocks crushing her right arm seemed to move more than the others. If they moved that much, there was a good chance they were loose.
Kaguya moved her arm back and forth, loosening the rocks in the pile. Eventually, she felt the arm grasp at open air, free at last. Moving her arm around, she began clawing away at the rocks right in front of her face.
The goddess gasped a breath of air as she burst her head and upper torso out from the pile. It was a start, but her body was still thoroughly buried underneath the rubble. But if she were able to dig part of herself out, she could do so for the rest.
She looked ahead as she squirmed her way out of the pile of rubble. Kaguya could just barely make out the fallen shape of the Reaper. It lay still for the most part. The only reason she knew it wasn't dead was the rhythmic motion of the beast's body that indicated its breath.
It was still alive, she thought. But it probably isn't in a better condition than myself. I need to finish it off while it's still weak. NOW!
With one final tug, Kaguya pulled herself out of the debris. Though as she took a step, the goddess proceeded to collapse to her knees and cough up a splatter of blood. The pain was intense. Her robes were dirtied and torn. Her wounds were healing, but she still felt their pain. Her white hair had red streaks here and there from the gashes in her chest. And as she began to take a series of ragged breaths, she realized that at least one of her ribs was broken.
Kaguya Otsutsuki, the so-called demon was a wreck. She wondered if the humans would even fear her if she was seen like this.
But what she felt like right now was irrelevant as she looked ahead.
The Reaper was indeed alive, but barely. She could see it ooze black blood onto the ground with its body broken. As bad as she felt, Kaguya doubted the monster could even move under its own power. It was quite clear that it was at death's door.
Time to usher it to the next life.
Dragging herself to her feet, Kaguya limped forward, holding one of her arms where she felt her broken rib was. Every movement felt like agony, but the goddess pushed forward. She couldn't afford to give up now, not when she was this close.
At last, she made it to the broken form of the Reaper. One of its still functioning eyes gazed up, and widened in what looked like horror. For Kaguya was silhouetted against the moon, glaring down upon it with righteous fury.
It learned right then and there why many believed she was a goddess.
The Mother of Chakra reached out with her energy and began to drain the beast of its power. It's dark energy was beyond anything she had anticipated. Far exceeding those of the hounds. Yet somehow, it was familiar. This was to be expected. The Elders always did say that the Dark Ones derived their powers from the life force of the universe: chakra. The very same power they used against them.
Already what she tasted was intoxicating. She had never felt such power flowing through her body. Already she felt several of her wounds close up, and her energy restored.
But she needed more.
If she was to stand a chance, she needed more.
So Kaguya drew more, draining every last ounce of power from the Reaper, turning its body into a husk. The power flowing through her veins like a flood bringing the spring waters to a thirsty desert. She felt energized, renewed, but most importantly, more powerful.
The Elders always said that the path to power led to madness in the hands of the low ranking members. But they had never intended to share their might. And as Kaguya could tell, they were one to talk about hoarding power.
Eventually, the process was complete. The body of the Reaper was nothing more than a skeleton as it dissolved into nothing. Kaguya sighed in relief. Her hunt was complete, and she felt better than ever. It was done.
Then the visions came.
So too did the new power.
Kaguya screamed in horror as both her body and mind were torn apart.
0-0-0-0-0
Following the collapse of the mountain, the locals said that they heard their goddess scream right before a massive explosion.
For where there was once the rubble of a mountain, now lay a massive crater.
As the legend goes, a whole day passed before their goddess staggered out of the crater and told them their scourge had been defeated, before she departed these lands for good. A study made by the Seventh Hokage of Konoha indicated that these events happened shortly before Kaguya apparently made her descent into madness, though he didn't know the exact reasons.
0-0-0-0-0
Where the Reaper's lair once lay, a great crater had formed. For a whole day, no life stirred. All one could see inside the massive dent in the earth was overturned dirt and earth.
Then, as the day turned to night, a clawed hand gripped the edge of the crater.
Kaguya grunted as she crawled herself out of the crater. Exhausted both physically and mentally, she collapsed on her back to take a few breaths.
The Matriarch of the Otsutsuki Clan on earth starred up into the dark heavens, her pearl eyes gazing at the nearly infinite stars and cosmos. The only thing she heard was her breath coming in and out, her chest heaving with effort as Kaguya took a moment to recover.
Her wounds had mostly healed, although it still hurt to walk. The biggest issues was, ironically, the sheer amount of power she had absorbed had simply too much for her unprepared body. As a result, she unleashed a massive wave of chakra that vaporized the area around her. It was the only way she could retain such power without killing herself.
But the result was devastating both to the environment around her, and her energy. The backlash left her virtually drained and weakened. So weak in fact that she couldn't muster the energy needed to pull herself up and crawl out of the crater. In fact, most of the day she spent staring at the sky as she regained enough strength to stand under her own weight.
Yet that wasn't the worst part.
The worst part was the visions.
For the energy that the Dark Ones had harvested did come from humans. They did have chakra buried within their systems. It was dormant for the moment, but Kaguya estimated that a few generations would all be what it took for them to wield it.
She also saw the future the humans would wrought with chakra. Endless wars that made the conflicts she arrived in look like a firecracker in comparison. Genocides and whole peoples wiped out left and right. Great beasts capable of wiping out countries conjured from blood rituals and mere thought. Meteors falling from the sky. The world nearly destroyed four times and whole generations traumatized and ruined from senseless bloodshed.
She saw the Otsutsuki clan, turning their attention to this world due to her actions. Momoshiki and Kinshiki, the mad renegades would be the first to arrive. Followed by more as the Elders take an increasing interest in man's chakra. Even at their strongest, they'd never be able to match the power of gods.
She saw the Dark Ones, also attracted by the prospect of power. Like sharks smelling blood in the water, they would arrive en masse. The hordes would ravage the lands, butcher millions and stop at nothing until all of Earth was their feast. Cults would be risen up in their name, and countless atrocities would herald their dominion over all.
She saw the Dark Ones and the Otsutsukis encountering each other, and turning the world into a battleground. Their territories chosen, they'd launch cataclysmic attacks that would forever ravage this planet and all who inhabit it. All would burn with their fury.
But the worse was yet to come.
For she saw the Abyssal. That terrible being of darkness and chaos that had ravaged countless worlds over millions of years. An abomination as old as the universe itself and perhaps older still. Something so terrible, that many peoples refuse to acknowledge its existence for the fear of such a being was too much to bear.
Worse still: the Abyssal saw her. And the gaze and focus of such an ancient monster was trained on her and her alone.
It...it was too much.
Kaguya clambered to her feet and limped over to a tree to support herself. It was all horrible. All the Reaper said was true and more. This world was heading to disaster, and blood will drench the earth.
So what on earth could she do?
She...she wasn't sure.
Well the first thing she ought to do was head to the nearby settlements and tell them she took care of the Dark Ones. No longer would they live in fear at least. But the thought of talking to the humans after what she saw...she got a horrific feeling in her gut.
No, she told herself. Not all of them were horrible. Think of Aino. She would've wanted you to trust them.
With the thought of her old friend in mind, Kaguya Otsutsuki limped away from the crater, confident she'd be fully healed by the time she reached the humans.
But the dark thought lingered.
0-0-0-0-0
Time passed, and all it did was confirm her worst fears.
Humans were beginning to exhibit chakra. This was the worst part. She'd seen the cruelty the humans were capable of when she first arrived. Of how they were ruled by their worst vices. Heaven knows what an immature species would do with the power of the divine.
Worst still, Hagoromo seemed to encourage this sort of development. How he believed the power would make them humble and more knowledgeable. Hamura stayed neutral, but Kaguya knew a part of him sympathized with his brother. She argued that such power could not be trusted in the humans. Hagoromo shot back that they would learn. Kaguya said by the time they learned, they'd already be dead.
Things had gotten even worse over time. They learned about the sacrifices to the Divine Tree, and they were rightfully outraged. Kaguya said it had to be done, so that the tree didn't consume the earth and that the humans would remain loyal, but they did not listen. Hagoromo even said she had become the demon the humans feared her to be.
While her son could be overly sympathetic, she did suppose he did have a point.
Especially for what she was about to do next.
Kaguya looked at the Divine Tree from her window. It was insane, but it may be the best option left. She needed more power. With the humans gaining chakra and the lingering threat of the rest of her clan AND the Dark Ones, she couldn't afford to wait for the next fruit to blossom. That's why she decided to try and absorb the tree itself.
It was never done before, but if this worked, she'd wield a power that could only scarcely be comprehended. She'd become even more powerful than even the Elders themselves.
But the cost would be staggering. Mankind would cease to exist, all converted to White Zetsus. This chilled Kaguya to the core. After much thought though, it felt like the only option. Not all humans were evil, no. But they would suffer immensely under the thrall of those power hungry warlords and maniacs that would grow drunk off the power of chakra.
If nothing else, she'd be granting them a mercy death. Her Infinite Tsukuyomi would ensure they wouldn't feel a thing, even allowing them to live out their fantasies as their lives were taken. It was the least she could do.
She wasn't stupid though. Kaguya knew her sons would try to stop her. Heard rumors of them developing a seal that would effectively shut down her chakra, and trap her inside of a moon. As bad as getting a mountain dropped on you was, the thought of being crushed by millions upon millions of tons was flat out nightmarish. Not to mention without chakra to free herself and her regenerative capabilities making her immortal, this would be an agony she would have to endure for an eternity.
That...that was a scary thought. But even she knew it was a real possibility.
It was why she needed a backup plan.
Kaguya turned away and looked at the scroll before her. It detailed a simple plan to gather enough chakra to help revive the Divine Tree, or whatever form it would take. Even if she were sealed, the physical body of the Tree would remain on Earth. And while she could not escape her prison directly, she could transfer her consciousness to someone else. This meant getting a willing human to act as a sacrifice to give their body up.
She paused as she looked over that part. The thought was horrifying, but if she failed, the world would face bloodshed like none had ever faced before. If there were still anyone like Aino in the future, they too would seek an end to the bloodshed. Maybe even willing enough to give their lives to preserve a lasting peace.
The Goddess then sighed as she looked up at the unformed dark mass before her.
If she was sealed, she needed something to carry out her will. So, as much as it disgusted her, she created a lifeform from the chakra siphoned from the Dark Ones. She was able to replicate their energies exactly to give birth to a...thing. A hybrid between the Zetsus of what the Elders created and one of the Dark Ones.
A Black Zetsu more or less.
Upon thinking over what she needed to do, she nearly stopped right then and there and apologized to her sons and cease her actions. Kaguya realized she had become no better than the Dark Ones or the Elders. Taking advantage of the weak and becoming a monster. But upon reflection, she had no other choice. This was the one way to not only ensure that mankind would not destroy itself, but also so she could become powerful enough to challenge her clan and the Abyssal and possibly safeguard other races from annihilation.
Hagoromo was right in one respect. Kaguya Otsutsuki was no goddess. She wasn't even a guardian like she hoped. She was a demon.
Kaguya turned away, the Black Zetsu would be fully formed in a few days. She took one last look out the window.
Looking back, the Mother of Chakra couldn't blame her sons for seeking to defeat her. She would've done the same thing if she were younger and more naive. They were doing what they thought was best. Perhaps maybe things wouldn't turn out as bad after all if she lost.
She shed a few tears at that thought. How could things have gone so wrong? Was there anything she could've done to prevent this from happening? Something she could have said to change their minds? Should she have told them about the rest of her clan and the Dark Ones?
...no.
It was too late to think back now. Besides, even if she did tell them, it was unlikely they still would've changed their minds. Things may have ended up the same and this battle may have been inevitable after all.
But she couldn't back down. It wasn't in her nature. She had to fight not only for this world, but for countless others in their inhabitants. Just like her sons.
If nothing else, they'll certainly carry on her determination even if she lost.
Kaguya took a deep breath as she turned towards the door. No matter how this ends, no one will truly walk out a hero. Either she killed her sons and betrayed her values, or her sons sealed their mother and doomed their future. At the very least she left a series of scrolls in her ice palace explaining her actions in the hope one of her sons would visit and discover the truth.
But it was no guarantee. And it still didn't change the fact she had become what she hated.
She walked out the door of her castle and made her way towards the Divine Tree.
No matter how this ends, no matter how she may go down in history, Kaguya Otsutsuki would make sure she'd face her destiny or judgement with her head held high and her soul resolute.
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Ever since the Fourth Great Shinobi War, the name Kaguya Otsutsuki had joined the ranks of Madara Uchiha and Pain as one of the most hated villains in all of history. For her actions and the actions of Black Zetsu had ruined the lives of many and ensured her name would always be spoken of in either hatred, or fear.
Even still, there was still a small region in the world that thought differently. A series of small villages and settlements in an area with one of the largest craters in the world. A place where demons still lurked amongst the trees.
For every year, they held a festival honoring the one who had saved them from the Shadow of the Heavens as they called it.
They still remembered that long before Kaguya Otsutsuki was a demon, she was a goddess.
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A/N: I just wanna preface this by saying I've got no clue as to why I wrote this. Kaguya's not the most popular character and everything she's associated is regarded by many as the lowest point in the series. And yeah, they're right. She came out of nowhere, her fight was too short and she went down too easily, and it involved a whole bunch of retcons that fundamentally changed the canon. So why bother?
Well, I actually kind of like Kaguya, at least some of her ideas. I wanted to give her a chance to show off some of her power and round out her character a bit more. Give her actions additional context. If fics were able to handle Sakura better than canon, why not Kaguya?
As for the timeline, this takes place before she kills Isshiki. So this was the time when she was still a hero and only just reclusive from humans. I didn't want to give her the Draco in Leather Pants treatment though. No matter how sympathetic she was, she still went waaaay too far in how she handled absorbing the Divine Tree and the Infinite Tsukuyomi. But I did want to at least make her feel human, or at the very least balance out her Hate Sink portrayal she got in canon.
In regards to the Moon Revival Plan, I figured she'd originally wanted it to be simple and more open. A simple plan is less likely to cock up after all, and she didn't want to be like the humans and cause suffering upon suffering. I always regarded the whole orchestrating wars and massacres deal as being Black Zetsu's doing rather than hers. Like he really didn't know her, only knew that she hated humans, and wanted to do what she would've wanted. Cause even at her worst, I seriously doubt Kaguya would want to make humans suffer like she saw them suffer when she initially arrived.
Actually, it would place her final battle in different context. She didn't seem alright in the head and it took Black Zetsu's prodding to make her hostile. More than a thousand years in the moon probably would do that to you. Also would explain her poor performance.
So anyways, leave a review, let me know what you think, and make sure to leave a favorite if you like. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and have a great day!