Disclaimer: I don't own anything belonging to Code: Geass or Naruto.
The ocean was completely calm on the nice sunny day as the waves slowly washed against the beach of Kamine Island while seagulls flew above the beach, cawing out and simply enjoying the nice day. Meanwhile the two humans on the beach weren't concentrating on how nice a day it was; rather they were focused on each other. Naruto and C.C. were dressed in their ANBU style clothing but left their cloaks and masks under the shade of a nearby tree since they weren't needed. C.C. held her kodachi in both hands while standing in a basic ready stance but Naruto kept his sheathed while holding a tri-pronged kunai in one hand, pointed at C.C. with his other arm just below his right, protecting his chest.
The henge around both of their eyes had dropped, Rinnegan staring into Rinnegan as they prepared. A single wave crashed against the beach…
And they both vanished, blurring through the air as katana and kunai clashed with each other, sending sparks flying. Both opponents were able to keep up with each other due to their massive amounts of chakra and stamina and their eyes could keep up with their opponent no matter how fast. C.C. smirked as she was able to push Naruto back with her kodachi even though he was the one who taught her the art of Kenjutsu. The style she was using was actually from the Uzumaki Clan that Naruto had learned from Kurama who remembered the fighting styles of his previous hosts and passed them on through Naruto.
The style was known as the Dance of the Whirlpool Goddess
It was a style that revolved around utilizing speed, agility, along with spinning strikes to overwhelm the opponent but the hidden power was that it relied heavily on a body of water being nearby, using it as a weapon in its attacks, increasing the power of the strikes and using the momentum of the movements to gain the advantage of larger opponents. It was a style that C.C. found had suited her perfectly, possibly because she had fought with a sword in several conflicts during her long life and had easily taken to the style.
"Are you done playing, Naruto? I'm waiting for you to actually do something." C.C. said as her kodachi clashed with Naruto's kunai.
"I'm sorry; I thought you were the one who was playing, Cera." Naruto retorted but he was smiling. "Does this mean we're both done playing?"
"I guess so." C.C. answered, mirroring Naruto's smirk before both jumped back.
'Time to see if it works…' Naruto said as he made a hand sign and took a deep breath before opening his mouth and releasing a giant fireball from his mouth. " Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu! "
C.C. dropped her kodachi and made several hand signs. " Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu! "
A dragon made of water erupted from the ocean and collided with the fire ball, cancelling both attacks out and covering the beach in mist of steam.
'The classic result of fire vs water.' Naruto mused as he stared at the steam.
His eyes narrowed as he caught a hint of movement through the mist and knew C.C. was up to something.
" Wind Style: Wind Slash! " C.C. called out.
The steam mist was cut in half by crescent arc of wind that shot at Naruto who quickly defended by holding up his hand and a wall of chakra and air spun around the palm. " Wind Style: Vortex Wall! "
This technique took the first level of the Rasengan and was converted into spinning wind that expanded outwards, creating a powerful shield that blocked and literally shredded anything that touched it. C.C.'s wind attack was no different as it collided with Naruto's Spinning Wind and was absorbed by the spinning shield.
"Impressive." C.C. commented as she took a step through the remains of the steamy mist. "I didn't think you took your Rasengan training to this level."
"And you said I was getting lazy." Naruto retorted.
"My apologies." C.C. sarcastically replied as she picked up her kodachi. "But is that all you've done."
"Come and find out."
That was the invitation C.C. needed as she charged forward with an eager grin on her face.
Once again the two clashed, dance, and spun around each other at high speed for a moment before C.C. dodged Naruto's kunai as he slashed at her cheek but she still felt a cut across her cheek and blood flying out before it instantly healed. C.C. narrowed her eyes as she eyed the wind chakra circling at the end of Naruto's kunai and knew that Naruto had dropped a fast one on her.
"Like it? It's called Hien no Jutsu ." Naruto remarked, holding his kunai in front of his face. "Who needs to directly cut you when the sharpness of the blade can be extended through Wind Chakra?"
"Cute." C.C. wiped the blood of her cheek as the cut instantly healed. "But you should have done the smart thing and aimed for my neck. It's not like it would have killed me and now that I've seen it you won't get another chance to use it on me. Are you dim or are you just pretending?"
"Now that's just mean, Cera." Naruto remarked.
"Oh I'm sorry. Here let me show you my new trick." C.C. thrust her blade at Naruto who stepped aside.
C.C. spun and slashed her blade down at Naruto, channelling chakra through her sword as she did. Naruto's eyes widened as he could see flames traveling through C.C. kodachi as she spun and a fire ball appeared at the tip of her blade as she swung her blade down. An explosion kicked up dirt as C.C. jumped back, watching as crater she created spawned shards of glass created from the super heated sand but no Naruto.
"Wow." C.C. turned her head and saw Naruto sitting a rock not far away. "You channeled your chakra through your sword like I did through my kunai but instead of converting it to wind you converted to heat, burning the air to make a fire ball at the edge of your sword just as you spun."
"Someone's smart today." C.C. commented with a smirk. "Combining fire and air to use the Scorch element but I got inspired by the secret of the Uzumaki's sword style."
"I almost didn't see that coming. If not for my dad's kunai I'd have been roasted." Naruto chuckled as he stood up. "You've come a long from falling on your ass off the wall."
"Why thank you. Does this mean you give up?" C.C. asked amusedly.
"Dream on." Naruto retorted as he made a hand sign and pointed the palm of his hand at C.C. "Here's a new trick of my own. Storm Style: Laser Cannon! "
A giant blast of white light shot out of Naruto's hand towards C.C. who jumped to the side as the blast shot past her. C.C. barely had time to react as Naruto was right in front of her and delivered a kick to her stomach that sent her skidding across the ground.
C.C. used both of her hands and flipped up, landing on her feet and made a hand sigh. " Water Style: Violent Water Wave! "
She released a gigantic wave of water from her mouth that shot towards Naruto who jumped out of the way and landed on a tree branch, watching as the beach was flooded. Amongst the many uses of the Rinnegan was the use of all the natural elements and sub-elements meaning he and C.C. were all naturals with any elemental ninjutsu. They were putting all their training into this spar but they agreed not to use any of the Six Paths techniques into this spar, rather they would use any form of ninjutsu and anything else they had learned over their training and push themselves to the limit.
"Now to try your jutsu, Haku." Naruto whispered as he made hand signs with a single hand which surprised C.C. who didn't know that Naruto could now make seals with one hand. " Hidden Jutsu: Sensatsu Suisho(A Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death)! "
The water created from C.C.'s water attack flew up into the air, turning into spikes and then freezing ice as they flew at C.C. who spun around in circle while channelling wind chakra into her sword and creating spinning tornado that blocked the icy needles.
C.C. stopped spinning, smirking in victory but that smirk faded as she saw Naruto make another hand sign. " Ice Style: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals! "
C.C.'s eyes widened in shock as she was surrounded icy mirrors that formed around her like a dome, even one floating above her. And in each mirror was Naruto smirking at her as he created icy needles in his hands. "Like it? This was the greatest technique of a good friend of mine and a powerful shinobi. Almost no one has ever defeated it."
"Let's see if I break that record. Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu! " C.C. said as she made hand signs and released a giant ball of fire from her.
The fireball hit the mirror in front of her, melting it slightly but it then it suddenly restored itself a second later.
"You were saying?" Naruto asked rhetorically.
"I see…" C.C. narrowed her eyes. "This jutsu, you are drawing moisture from the air to repair the ice and freeze it quickly."
"Yep. I saw what happened when a fireball hit the ice when we fought my friend." Naruto explained.
"Too bad I can do this." C.C. smirked as she vanished, using her new space-time jutsu to disappear and reappear outside the dome.
Naruto sighed as he stepped out of a mirror and dispelled the jutsu. "Really? Not even going to fight your way out?"
"Now why would I do that?" C.C. retorted as she readied herself, unsheathing her sword. "Ready to continue?"
Naruto held out his hand and summoned his tri-pronged kunai in a puff of smoke. "I'm more than ready."
With that said the two charged towards one another and the battle was renewed. Naruto jumped up onto a branch and C.C. quickly followed, jumping above the blond and swinging her sword down but Naruto jumped off the branch and landed on another. C.C. raced after her sparring partner, determined to make sure her sword sliced him to bits or at least get a cut on his torso. The battle was now raging through the forest as C.C. and Naruto jumped from tree to tree, clashing through the air and sending sparks flying everywhere. Both of them had eager grins on their faces which was coming from the pure adrenaline they were experiencing fighting each other with nothing to hold them back.
Nothing hold them back in the slightest.
C.C. landed on a tree branch, spotting Naruto land on another and put her hand on the tree she was on. "Let's see if this works. Plant Style: Razor Leaf Barrage! "
Her chakra shot through the tree and sent dozens of leaves flying towards Naruto who jumped off his branch, watching as the leaves cut through the tree like a knife through butter and landed on the ground. He was not out of the woods yet as he jumped back as tentacles made of wood sprouted from the ground to grab him.
' Cera has made some progress with the Mokuton. She's not at the Shodaime's level but it's an impressive start and it's even more advanced than the Shodaime. ' Kurama commented.
"You got that right. Shadow Kunai Jutsu! " Naruto threw his kunai which turned into a dozen kunai as it flew through the air, cutting through the wooden tentacles with ease. "But not enough."
"Then let's kick it up a notch." C.C.'s voice whispered from behind Naruto. " Takamagahara(Plain of High Heaven)! "
Naruto felt himself being stretched as he was pulled towards C.C.'s eyes and knew what he had to do. He threw his kunai and just before he was pulled into C.C.'s pocket dimension he vanished and reappeared next to the tree his kunai was embedded in.
'That was close!' Naruto thought as he grabbed his kunai. 'I almost forgot how dangerous Kamui was and Cera's Takamagahara is just as dangerous.'
' In some ways she is more dangerous than Obito was because she has both eyes while Obito only had one original Sharingan meaning his Kamui ability was crippled. ' Kurama commented.
'You're kidding right? Considering how dangerous Obito was with just one eye how bad could it have been if he had both from the start?' Naruto shuddered.
He made it out into a clearing and stopped as he watched C.C. appeared using Takamagahara with a smirk on her face. "Going somewhere?"
"Just catching some fresh air." Naruto retorted with a smirk.
"Well… time's up." C.C. said as she took a step forward.
"Yes… it is." Naruto replied and charged forward.
'What's he up to?' C.C. narrowed her eyes as she dashed towards Naruto as well. 'He's obviously got a plan to counter my Takamagahara but what? I won't go down so easily, Naruto!'
Naruto tossed his kunai at C.C. who simply used Takamagahara to make the kunai pass through her head while she prepared to stab Naruto in the chest but just as her blade was mere inches from Naruto's chest, right where his heart was, he literally vanished.
'Wha-FUCK!' C.C. realized what Naruto had done as he appeared right above with her back facing him and Naruto already forming a Rasengan in his hand.
"Rasengan!" Naruto slammed his hand down and the attack sent dirt flying everywhere, forming a crater in the ground but when the dust cleared Naruto saw that C.C. had vanished. "So that's what Kurama meant when your Takamagahara was more powerful than Kamui . You literally teleported, switching with that rock over. It was so fast I almost didn't see it."
"That's what I was hoping for." C.C. remarked as she stepped out from behind a tree, looking slightly dirty. "I had forgotten how experienced you are with Kamui so it makes sense you'd try and use what you'd learned against me. Now that I've used my best tricks how about you show me yours since you've only showed a few techniques in our little match."
"What makes you think I'm holding back?" Naruto rhetorically asked.
"Because I know you." C.C. simply said.
Naruto chuckled. "All right, let's see the results of my training." He held out his hand and formed a Rasengan.
"Oh please. I know all about the Rasengan and the Rasenshuriken, Naruto. Are you trying to bore me?" C.C. frowned.
"You're right, Cera. I taught you all you know about the Rasengan and how to use the Rasenshuriken. But not everything I know." Naruto's mischievous smile widened a bit, making the hairs on the back of C.C.'s head want to stand up. "Now here's something new."
C.C.'s eyes widened as her Rinnegan gazed at Naruto, seeing him infusing chakra into the sphere of chakra in his hand. 'That's not wind chakra! That's-'
" Lightning Style. " Naruto whispered as Rasengan turned blue-ish white and expanded, forming itself into a giant arrow with the sphere that was originally a single Rasengan in the very center of the arrow, sparkling with electricity. " Rasenyajirushi(Spiraling Arrow)! "
He shot his new Lightning Rasengan at C.C. who almost used her Preta Path to absorb the chakra from the attack but remembered the deal and quickly dodged because she didn't believe she could use her Takamagahara to phase through it by ducking and the attack sailed over her head. The arrow of lightning chakra hit the ground and created a large explosion that drilled through the ground, scorching the surface as a small shockwave shot out of the crater, knocking several trees down.
'He infused that Rasengan with Lightning chakra and actually shaped into something other than a shuriken. I didn't think that was possible.' C.C. stared at the crater before looking back at Naruto. 'But is that the only thing he-'
"It's not over yet, Cera-chan." Naruto remarked as he created another Rasengan and infused with chakra like before only this time it turned aqua blue. "This one's a little different."
The newly formed chakra sphere expanded outwards, looking like a tidal wave that snaked around Naruto, forming into a lance.
'He did it again. He infused another form of elemental chakra into the Rasengan and completely altered it.' C.C. thought as she readied herself.
" Water Style: Rasenransu(Spiraling Lance)!" Naruto shouted as the Rasengan morphed into what looked like a lance with charka circling through it like a raging whirlpool and launched it at C.C.
" Earth Style: Earth Dome Fortress! " C.C. shouted as a dome formed around her for protection but she used another technique to sink into the ground.
And it was a good thing she did as Naruto's Rasenransu pierced through the earth dome, shattering the wall and coming through the other side, collapsing the dome and continued on until it hit ground and exploded, resembling a massive tidal wave that shot into the air before it finally dissipated.
"Two down, two more to go." Naruto remarked as C.C. rose up from the ground. "Are you impressed yet?"
'I just had to ask if he had any new tricks.' C.C. grumbled but the smirk on her face showed she was enjoying herself and the spar. 'I just need to come up with something to counter this technique.'
"Having trouble, Cera?" Naruto asked.
"Oh, what gives you that impression?" C.C. asked with a scoff. "I was just taking a breather. So, anything else?"
"Oh yeah." Naruto replied as he formed another Rasengan in his hand. "Plenty."
'He already used Lightning and Water chakra so the next one is either Fire or Earth.' C.C. thought over in her head. 'I wonder what form it will take this time.'
This time the sphere of bright blue chakra turned bright orange, morphing into a bladed disk spun much like the Rasenshuriken . "I read up on weapons resembling these discovered they are called Chakrams in India. This is what I gained. Fire Style: Rasenchakuramu(Spiraling Chakram)! "
'Chakram, now that's a surprise.' C.C. commented in her head as she readied herself.
"Here we go!"
Naruto threw his new Rasenchakuramu at C.C. made a hand sign. " Water Style: Violent Water Wave! "
Like before a massive blast of water shot from C.C.'s mouth and collided with the flaming attack but the Rasenchakuramu literally turned the water into steam the moment they came into contact and continued towards C.C. who narrowed her eyes as she was engulfed by an explosion of fire when it seemingly collided with her. Naruto stared at the flames before conjuring some water and quickly putting the fire out.
"Could you have cut it anymore close?" C.C. asked in an irate tone as she appeared out of thin air next to Naruto using Takamagahara.
"You know I'm not pulling my punches, Cera and you did ask me to show any new tricks I came up with." Naruto retorted.
"Well if I didn't know better I'd have thought you were trying to kill me." Cera humped as she turned her head away. "Now you make me feel like all the progress I made was for nothing."
"How the hell do I make you feel like that?" Naruto asked incredulously.
"By doing this…" C.C. gestured to the scared battle ground. "Coming with so many versions of the Rasengan with a different elemental nature… I never thought it was possible."
"Probably my dad didn't either." Naruto smiled. "And what I just did probably doesn't ever scratch the surface."
"What do you mean?" C.C. looked at Naruto with confusion in her eyes.
"Think about it, if I can combine the Rasengan the five natural chakra elements than what would happen if I tried to combine with a sub-element?" Naruto asked rhetorically.
C.C.'s eyes widened as she considered the implications of what Naruto had just said. "That's… that's… that's brilliant… and actually a little scary."
' We thought the same thing. ' Kurama commented in Naruto's mind with the other Biju agreeing.
"Now we have one more…" Naruto remarked as he created another Rasengan .
"Are you sure you're not going put some strain on your body? I remember what you said about the Rasenshuriken when you first used it." C.C. pointed out.
"I guess you're right." Naruto said as the Rasengan in his hand vanished. "I guess I just got carried away."
"Again/ Again. " C.C. and the Biju said at the same time.
"Shut up." Naruto grumbled.
"Is that all? Is the Rasengan the only thing you've improved on?" C.C. asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
"Well, I did consult Kurama on my mother's powers…" Naruto grinned and C.C. knew that meant trouble for anyone, even her. "Let me show you…"
Naruto raised his left hand and chains made of chakra with sharp spears at the end blasted from the sleeves towards C.C. who jumped to the side, grunting as a single chain managed to slice her side but it was only a shallow cut. Naruto recalled the chains and held out his hand, creating a staff made purely of chakra.
" Secret Uzumaki Technique: Materialization Of All Things. " Naruto stated with pride in his voice.
During his training Naruto had asked Kurama about the chakra chains his mother could create and Kurama explained that the special chakra the Uzumaki were known for was so thick they could temporarily become solid objects and be shaped into anything with the right training. It was actually a variation of the Creation of All Things like the forbidden technique Izanagi but instead of bending reality it created and shaped temporary vessels of chakra that remained as long as the castor used it or ran out of chakra.
'If I had trained with these when I was younger I'd probably have made Chunin in the exam and wouldn't have needed Kurama to fight Neji and Gaara.' Naruto thought.
' Blame the idiots in your village for erasing all knowledge of the Uzumaki Clan and Uzushiogakure. ' Kurama stated.
It slightly stung Naruto that his village, including the Sandaime had erased all knowledge of his family, the family that was Konoha's strongest allies and was even bonded with the Senju Clan through the marriage of the Shodai Hokage and Mito Uzumaki. Naruto's trust had been slightly damaged because even though he still thought of the old man as a grandfather Kurama wouldn't lie to him about his family or what they had gone through.
"I think we're done for now, Cera. We've both improved greatly but even we need to take a break." Naruto sighed as he sat down on the ground.
C.C. smirked as she walked over and sat down next to Naruto, the two of them now gazing at the ocean.
"Lelouch will have noticed we're gone soon." Naruto spoke up after a moment of silence.
"He and Kallen can take care of themselves plus they both have that kunai you have them." C.C. replied with a shrug. "Besides, he won't call upon us unless he really needs our help. You know stubborn he is sometimes."
"I guess." Naruto sighed as he leaned back while C.C. put her head on his shoulder. "You know I still wonder if I'm still dreaming."
"Why is that?" C.C. asked, closing her eyes.
"It's just… I've never been with a woman before even though I asked one on dates many times and a girl crushed on me but I never knew." Naruto explained, thinking back to his world. "I was an idiot not to see it."
C.C. opened one eye. "It's not your fault."
"Huh?" Naruto looked at the green haired girl. "What do you mean?"
"How could you have known anything about love or crushes when you were never shown it. The 'people' of your village showed you only hate when you were growing up and you had no one at the beginning." C.C. explained, frowning at the mention of the people who were mean to Naruto while he was growing up. "If you had parents growing up things would have been different."
"… You understand." Naruto stated.
"Of course, I went through the same thing you did." C.C. looked up at Naruto. "I only had a nun who looked after me while everyone else in the village I was raised in ignored me."
"That nun… She was the previous possessor of the Code wasn't she? And she was the one who gave you Geass." Naruto asked, figuring it out.
"Yes. At first I was happy; she gave me a home and food and raised me as if I was her daughter. Then she bestowed upon me her curse in the form of Geass… My Geass, the Power to be Loved. I used it to make people love me and I loved the attention but then I lost control and couldn't turn it off. The nun told me she would help me but she tricked me into killing her… She died and transferred her Code to me and when my Geass vanished and the villagers realized what I had done to them…" C.C. closed her eyes tightly as she remembered the feeling of fire burning away at her body.
Naruto, sensing her feeling put an arm around her and held her close. "It's all right, Cera, it's all right. You have me now…"
"Yes." C.C. looked up at Naruto with a smile as a tear fell down her cheek. "I have you. I lived for so long, I only thought of death and the sweet release from endless torment but you changed everything, Naruto. You gave me…"
"Love." Naruto smiled back at her. "We're not so different after all, Cera. We've both lost so much but in all that pain we found each other and we're connected. Not because of our contract or our shared vision… We're connected through our hearts."
C.C. sighed but leaned back on Naruto's shoulder. "You had to get all sappy on me."
"It's true and you know it." Naruto retorted.
C.C.'s smile remained as she snuggled against Naruto's shoulder, looking content. "Yes, it's true."
Two battered and broken hearts had come together and through the pain they shared slowly healed as they promised to journey through life together.
"You know… we should probably… go destroy that Thought Elevator." Naruto spoke after a few minutes.
C.C. opened one eye in irritation. "Do you ever take a break?"
"It's not my fault that I've just got a lot of energy and get bored quickly." Naruto pouted. "We could have destroyed it last time we were on this island but there were so many people."
"You could have just blown it up." C.C. blew a strand of hair from her face.
"Come on, Cera. I am a Shinobi but I don't killing pointlessly. All those soldiers…" Naruto looked away.
C.C. sighed. "You're fighting a war but you don't like killing people, just like that Suzaku kid."
"In my defense I'm not working with Britannia and hoping things will change just because I am a good soldier." Naruto retorted. "I kill but only when there is no other choice or when the enemy is a bastard that has it coming to him. I didn't see you killing every guy in every battle."
"I've fought and watched a dozen wars and I even fought Joan of Arc on behalf of Lelouch's ancestor who was perhaps one of the few good Emperors Britannia has ever produced only to be assassinated at a young age. At this point I'm most apathetic to killing or not, even though your softness has rubbed off on me a little bit." C.C. said, not even blinking in the verbal spar. "I've even been trying to die for thousands of years. At this point even if killing is a sin I've long accepted that death is an inevitability. By the sword, gun, human fists, or by old age all things die."
"But that doesn't mean all living beings shouldn't have a chance to enjoy life while they have a chance." Naruto stated.
"And there it is again, that un-shaking faith in people." C.C. sighed. "Why do I put up with you?"
"I thought that was obvious." Naruto said with a smirk.
C.C. lightly smacked Naruto on the head. "And you have the nerve to complain about perverts."
"At least I don't peek on woman in hot springs." Naruto grunted as he stood up, offering his hand to C.C. "Come on, Cera. It'll be quick and you know it."
"Fine." C.C. accepted Naruto's hand and stood up. "If V.V. or Charles are there I'll at least get satisfaction in watching them try and fail to extract my Code."
"That's the spirit." Naruto smiled as they walked through the forest.
It would be easy to locate the Thought Elevator and simply blow the ruins up, destroying one of them and delaying the plan Britannia's rulers had made to try and destroy the Gods. If they destroyed all but three Elevators than the Ragnarok Connection and the Sword of Akasha would be useless and their plan to unite humanity into a dream world would fail.
" Rolo, did you make sure that Zero's spies intercepted the information? "
"Yes. I discovered several cells working as part of Zero's spy network and ensured that proper information reached them."
" Excellent. He'll no doubt want to investigate and we'll have him. The Director is getting impatient and we're running out of excuses. We need to understand what we're actually dealing with. We had C.C. but we badly underestimated her. "
"I'll be on stand-by, My Lord."
" Good. We've been fighting Zero from the shadows. We need to force his hand by using the same power that's been key to the success of his battles. "
"Geass." Rolo stated.
" Yes. Zero's Geass allow him to make the impossible trivial but if he was on his he would not have come this far without the help of those two Knightmares. It's time we started getting answers before the Emperor and the Director become impatient."
"Everything will be set up by the time the Black Knights arrive." Rolo said, knowing the plan down to the last detail.
" Good. "
"This information… is it reliable?" Lelouch asked as he gazed at the report handed to him by Diethard.
"Yes, I went over the information myself and used a few sources to confirm its authenticity. It would explain Castor rui Britannia's presence here as I am aware he is in charge of a Knightmare factory in Area Eight." Diethard nodded.
"A special project? The Daedalous Project? I've never heard of it." Ohgi commented as he looked at the information.
"There are likely not many who have, Ohgi if this information is correct. Many in the Royal Family who are connected with the military conduct their work in secret to avoid the possibility of humiliation should anything go wrong. So far only Prince Schneizel el Britannia has avoided such a fate due the fact that he's been behind so many successful projects in the fields of military, economy, and medical work that he's avoided that humiliation despite the defeats the Lancelot has suffered against us and the theft of the Gawain." Lelouch pointed out.
"It is true on that and that fact that Prince Clovis was collaborating with Prince Castor means there is perhaps something they did not want being discovered." Diethard agreed.
"Like what?" Tamaki questioned, skeptical of the information.
"Possibly the reason why Prince Clovis had poison gas even though biological warfare is outlawed." Lelouch deduced, wondering if C.C. or Naruto might know about this.
"Good point, must be big." Ohgi agreed.
"Hmm…" Todoh closed his eyes. "I have my own reservations about this. There is a chance that this could be a trap."
"Yes, I took that into consideration but the fact is the late Prince Clovis was involved in a conspiracy that he did not want anyone to discover. That is why he ordered the massacre in Shinjuku." Lelouch stated, earning everyone's attention at the table.
"What do you mean, Zero?" Ohgi asked.
"For some time now I've been attempting to learn what Clovis was up to here in Japan. He claimed the capsule was full of poison gas which is illegal and then ordered that everyone in Shinjuku be executed to ensure it wasn't discovered while saying that it was the poison gas that killed all those people. If another Prince of Britannia is involved than it means whatever Clovis wanted to keep hidden might still be in operation." Lelouch explained.
"What do you think he was up to?" Ohgi questioned again.
"It's too early for me to make any assumptions since Clovis's staff cleared out any evidence before I killed him." Lelouch answered, pushing down the remaining guilt he felt for killing his half brother.
"They want to hide the evidence that badly? Well we should go and find out and expose it the public! We owe it to the people who died in Shinjuku!" Tamaki exclaimed.
"He has a point, Todoh-sama. We know that Clovis massacred those people and Britannia covered it up." Ohgi looked over at Todoh who opened his eyes.
"Very well but we must tread carefully. There is a chance that a secret this valuable will be heavily guarded." Todoh cautioned.
"Agreed." Lelouch nodded.
Kallen panted as she held the training sword in her hand while in front of her stood Sayoko. Both of them wore karate robes and were in a training room that Sayoko used to keep her skills sharp. Kallen had asked to be trained by Naruto and C.C. but Sayoko had volunteered to fill in for them while they were away and Kallen realized that Lelouch's maid was perhaps more dangerous than he was. Kallen had a few bruises on her face and tears on her outfit while Sayoko was perfectly fine with her signature calm expression staring at Kallen.
"Are you ready for more, Kallen-san?" Sayoko asked.
"You better believe it." Kallen grunted as she leapt at Sayoko with a shout.
Sayoko was mostly on the defensive as she dodged Kallen's slashes expertly, taking note of Kallen's progress. She was too rigid in her stances and she broadcasted her attacks quite openly even without her shouting. She was fast and swift but too aggressive and often let her guard down, allowing Sayoko to move in and disarm the red head easily. Kallen gasped as Sayoko caught her arm and twisted her wrist, making her grunt in pain as she dropped her sword.
"You are making progress, Kallen-san but you are moves are still too rigid. You are paying too much attention to instructions and not focusing on reflexes and movement." Sayoko said as she released Kallen's wrist. "It's good to focus on form and stance but you must also focus on movement and precision."
Kallen sighed as she rubbed her wrist. "Lelouch knew what he was doing when he hired you."
"I was caretaker to Milly Ashford before Master Lelouch and Lady Nunnally. The Ashfords knew no one better to protect their youngest child than the head of the Sonazaki School of Taijutsu." Sayoko softly retorted with a smile.
"Yeah… I heard about you growing up." Kallen sat down on the floor. "I actually studied a few techniques practiced at your school when I stated fighting Britannia."
"I'm flattered to hear you say that, Kallen-san." Sayoko bowed her head. "It's an honor that my clan's teachings have not been forgotten."
"Yeah… Hey Sayoko, where did C.C. and Naruto go anyways?" Kallen asked, wondering why they weren't here.
"Training. Even they must branch out to learn new things." Sayoko answered. "If you feel that they are needed they will come and help you."
The way Sayoko spoke of them made it hard for Kallen to not believe her but at the same time she wondered about the exact origins of their powers.
Powers that the Emperor of Britannia would kill to get his hands on.
Nunnally sighed as she looked at note left by her brother saying he would be out late again. Whatever this new job of his required it had him out late at night and she wondered what he could possibly be doing.
'Oh Big Brother, I thought things would be like they were when we were children now that I can walk and see again but something is keeping us apart…' Nunnally put the note down and looked at the hall where Lelouch's room was.
She was always a curious child when she was little and when she regained her legs that curiosity had returned in full force which was proven when Nunnally was in front of the door to her brother's room and slowly opened it. She slowly peeked in, keeping the lights off and looking around carefully as she took her first step in.
'I snuck into Big Brother's room a lot when Mother was still alive.' Nunnally mused with a small smile before frowning.
For the longest time her brother had been sole silver lining in the darkness that had become her life and when her sight had returned that lining became a rainbow of colors in the forms of the many friends she could now see and walk with like she was a normal little girl. Of course a few friends she made around her age were incredibly shallow to the point that Nunnally wondered if she should start trying to find a way to skip a grade so she could in the same class as her brother. Maybe then she would be with him and she might figure out what he's up to. Nunnally may play the role of the cute innocent little sister that her big brother loved but she wasn't naïve.
She knew when someone was keeping secrets from her.
She knew when her Big Brother was keeping secrets from her.
Perhaps she was being paranoid and Lelouch would be back any second now but that was Nunnally's heart speaking, not her mind. She found Lelouch's laptop sitting on his desk and walked over to it, pressing the power button and waited as it powered on. It was as simple as any other ordinary laptop but Nunnally knew that if her brother was hiding anything he'd disguise it as something ordinary that would be easily overlooked.
'Let's see…' Nunnally looked over the files.
It was waiting.
It had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity ever since it had first awakened to the golden sky above and it knew what it was and where it was and why it was here. It sensed a presence, no, it could sense presences coming towards it and they both carried great power.
Power that it needed badly.
Power that would heal it .
Power that would make it grow stronger.
Power to reshape the entire world.
The warehouse that was at the address Lelouch's sources looked like a regular ordinary warehouse and it likely supposed to look the part. According to Lelouch's sources the warehouse was front for a special project that Prince Clovis had been involved in before his death at the hands of Zero. The crates in the warehouse were found to be empty which proved it was nothing but a front for whatever it was that Britannia was hiding.
"The entrance is an elevator that's hidden somewhere in this warehouse. It could be camouflaged to be disguised as part of the wall so everyone check carefully and be on the lookout. There are most likely motion sensors and cameras in place." Lelouch stated as he pulled out his handgun. "Split off into pairs and no one is to be left alone or out of sight."
Kallen nodded as she stayed with Lelouch while everyone else paired up and slowly walked in different directions, checking each and every point of the warehouse.
"You sure it's good idea to come here without Naruto and C.C.?" Kallen whispered when they were alone.
"As skilled as they both are we need to remember that there will be times when we can't rely on them for everything. This is an information and gathering mission which requires a low profile. I'm confident we can make it through this without our two aces to bail us out." Lelouch's modulated voice whispered back to Kallen who hesitantly nodded.
Any future conversation between them ended as they walked around the corner of the fire row of crates at the far end of the warehouse and stopped, seeing a pair of elevator doors and…
"Oh my God." Kallen gasped.
"Over here!" Lelouch shouted.
The rest of the Black Knights quickly regrouped and saw what had surprised their leader. Two bodies near the elevator, wearing military uniforms that were bloody and torn.
"Holy shit." Tamaki whispered.
"Those bodies… Looks like something took a big bite out of them." Ohgi suppressed the urge to vomit.
Todoh narrowed his eyes as he slowly stepped forward, gripping his katana as he looked at the pattern of blood on the floor.
"Colonel." Chiba whispered.
"Whatever did this to them was no animal. They would have left paw prints on the floor from all the blood that came out. They didn't leave this warehouse meaning they must have taken the elevator." Todoh stated, his keen eyes looking at the bloody scene.
"What do you mean an animal didn't do this? They look like they were mauled to death by a bear or something." Kallen stated.
"I don't know but a bear or a dog wouldn't have left a mess like this and not leave any prints." Todoh looked around. "And if an animal did do this we would have seen considering the doors to this warehouse were locked."
"That's a relief." Sugiyama whispered.
Lelouch walked over the bodies and looked at their uniforms, seeing a badge. "It seems our sources were correct. This was a front of Prince Clovis's operations."
"What do you mean?" Urabe asked.
Lelouch picked up the badge and showed to them. On the badge was the crest of the Britannian Royal Family with a three and a sixteen under it. "The crest represents the Royal Family of Britannia while the number symbolize Clovis's status. He was the Third Prince to be born and the sixteenth in line for the throne. These badges are worn by soldiers that personally answered to Clovis and to avoid misunderstandings with the authorities."
Everyone nodded, including Todoh who knew how the Britannian system operated thanks to learning it from his two charged before Japan was invaded.
"So now we've confirmed that this warehouse was part of whatever research Clovis funding despite the manner in which we found these bodies. We know this was not done by an animal, drug cartels, or even rebels since most of you were part of the group that stole the gas canister from Clovis before joining the Black Knights and I know none of you would condone actions like these." Lelouch stated, earning nods from everyone. "This means that something else happened, most likely something trying to escape this facility but was taken back if the trail of blood is anything to go by." He gestured to the blood trail leading back into the elevator.
"So whatever they were doing when Clovis was still alive… They're still doing it." Ohgi whispered, his skin slightly pale now.
"Precisely." Lelouch nodded.
"What do we now?" Inoue asked.
"We have two choices. We can leave and report this to the authorities and let them deal with it. However any work involving the Royal Family will be instantly covered up and we'll lose any chance of discovering what that elevator leads down to. The second option we go down there and learn the truth for ourselves." Lelouch stated turning to face his subordinates. "These are our options. The question is which one will you choose?"
"Looks like Britannia has cleared out here." Naruto commented as he and C.C. stood in front of the cave that led to the Thought Elevator.
"Charles no doubt has men on the inside helping to construct the Sword." C.C. said as she stepped into the cave, quickly followed by Naruto.
They walked through the tunnel that was lit by artificial lights no doubt left by Britannia before they left. A moment later they reached the end of the tunnel was the giant door with strange markings resided; looking exactly the same as the last time they saw it.
"Here it is." Naruto stated.
"Thank you for the obvious, Naruto." C.C. walked up to the door and touched the markings. "This one has not been used since we were last here."
"Then let's make sure it's not used ever." Naruto remarked as he prepared to blow the place up.
In that instant the markings on the door lit up with a bright red light that temporarily blinded the two as they had not been expecting the Thought Elevator to react.
"What the hell-" Naruto was cut off as he and C.C. were suddenly pulled forward by an unexpected force and vanished into the light.
C.C. grunted as she hit the floor but shook off her disorientation as she lifted her head to get a better look around. She knew this place, it was the place that Charles, Marianne, and V.V. had begun building when she had left to complete their dream: killing the Gods.
"Ugh… What hit me?" Naruto groaned from behind her as he stood up. "Where are we?"
"We're in the Thought Elevator." C.C. answered as she looked around, frowning. "Hmmm… I thought they made some progress since I left but it looks like something happened here."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
"The Sword of Akesha… It's been damaged, badly." C.C. saw the cracks, stress fractures, and several broken pillars around the platform. "I'm not sure what could have done something like this."
"Maybe someone tried to destroy it." Naruto offered with a shrug. "Does it really matter? We were going to destroy it anyways."
"I guess so." C.C. shrugged back.
They would have tried to leave if the world around them hadn't seemed to stir, causing them to stiffen as they sensed something was in the world with them.
'Kurama, you feel that?' Naruto asked.
' Yeah, some kind of strange consciousness waking up. ' Kurama grunted.
"Cera." Naruto started.
"I know." C.C. unsheathed her sword. "We're not alone."
From below the platform lunged tendrils of bright energy that reached up and tried to grab the two but their speed and reflexes allowed them to dodge by jumping out of the way as the tendrils hit the platform. C.C. back flipped and swung her sword at a tendril that tried to sneak up behind her, cutting through the tendril easily and discarded limb dissolved into nothing.
"It's not physical… It's a manifestation of psychokinetic energy." C.C. realized as three more tendrils tried to grab her.
"In English Cera!" Naruto pulled out his kunai and sliced through two tendrils.
"They're spectral manifestations!" Cera grunted as she spun out of the way of another tendril. "They're not human!"
"I knew that part!" Naruto grunted as he pressed his back against C.C.'s. "It's some kind of strange consciousness that just woke up."
' I just said that! ' Kurama growled.
"The question is what is it? Is it the Gods?" C.C. looked up at the gold tinted sky. "No it can't be the Gods doing this."
" Gods…. " An ethereal voice whispered throughout the sky of C's World.
"Did you hear that?" Naruto whispered.
"I'm not deaf, Naruto." C.C. narrowed her eyes.
From below the platform came a giant spiral that transformed into a cloud that stretched out, consuming part of the platform. "Kill… the Gods… Kill the Gods. Destroy it all."
"What the hell…" Naruto whispered as his and C.C.'s Rinnegan stared at the giant cloud. "I've never seen anything like that before."
From within the cloud spawned a giant eye with the Geass crest growing bright red. "Eliminate… All… Lies."
"Geass?" C.C. whispered in confusion.
"Power… Code… Power of the King…" The cloud whispered as the red light of the Geass crest glowed brighter.
Naruto readied himself as he sensed a sudden feeling of… hunger emanating from the entity and knew what it wanted.
It wanted C.C.
"Cera, it thinks you still have your Code." Naruto whispered.
C.C. didn't reply, she just readied herself. The cloud seemed to think they would fight it as the Geass crest vanished and unleashed a blast of cloud darkness at the two.
" Wind Style: Vortex Wall! " Naruto quickly created his Wind Barrier, blocking the attack but grunted as he was pushed back by the force of the attack.
The cloud launched more attacks and C.C. jumped forward and attempted to slash the cloud with her sword but the cloud released several tentacles to attack. C.C. slashed through the tentacles but was knocked back by a dark smoky blast that knocked her back.
"Cera!" Naruto exclaimed but to his relief C.C. landed on her feet, only looking a little winded as she glared at the cloud.
"I'm fine." C.C. answered. "Just getting a little annoyed."
The cloud released another giant black smoky attack but this time C.C. used the power of the Preta Path to absorb the attack. The cloud relented in its attack, deciding to attack a different way. Above the platform appeared giant blocks that materialized out of thin air and fell towards the two shinobi.
"Oh crap!" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped forward, avoiding being flattened by the giant block that fell towards him.
C.C. jumped as well to avoid getting flattened but as she jumped she was suddenly paralyzed by a bright red light that surrounded her. A tendril lunged out of the cloud and wrapped itself around C.C., pulling her towards the cloud. As C.C. grunted as she tried to break free the Geass crest that had appeared inside the cloud earlier returned, glowing even brighter.
" The Code… " The cloud whispered hungrily.
C.C. grunted as she felt the tendril touched her head but didn't find the sigil left by the Code. "You're in for a disappointment."
"Two disappointments!" Naruto landed next to C.C. and cut the tendril holding her. "Don't touch her!"
The cloud recoiled in shock as the discarded limb dissolved into nothing.
"It does want my Code but it probably just realized my Code's been altered." C.C. stood up with a smirk.
"Either way we're taking it out here and now." Naruto stated.
The cloud screamed as the Geass crest almost blinded them with its red light. Bolts of red lightning shot out of the cloud but Naruto and C.C. dodged it attacks.
Naruto quickly created a Rasengan and fused it with Lightning Chakra. " Rasenyajirushi! "
He launched the spiraling arrow at the cloud, watching as it pierced the entity and causing it to scream out in pain as the arrow passed through it, hitting the Geass crest. C.C. narrowed her eyes as she wondered if Naruto had managed to hurt it but that question was soon answered as the creature split into smaller puffy clouds that flew around the platform. Just as she and Naruto were planning their next move spikes sprouted from the platform and almost skewered the both of them if not for their enhanced senses detecting movement beneath them.
"We need to pull back! That thing has the advantage here!" C.C. called out. "It's influencing the Thought Elevators to attack us!"
"There's no way it'll let us leave!" Naruto pointed out as the clouds flew at them.
"That's why you have me to do the thinking." C.C.'s Rinnegan flared. " Takamagahara !"
Naruto was slowly pulled into C.C.'s eyes followed C.C. herself as the clouds converged on them. Once they were gone the entity let out a psychic scream that shook the foundations of the Thought Elevators.
"That was close." Naruto sighed once they were in C.C.'s pocket dimension. "But what the hell was that thing?"
"I don't know. Whatever that thing was it was connected to Geass, I know that much. It wanted me because it thought I still had my Code." C.C. answered with a frown.
"That's not good. If it managed to pull us into C's World when we just in front of a Thought Elevator then we shouldn't go anywhere near those ruins again. But still… where did that thing come from?" Naruto asked with a frown. "All I sensed from it was a need for something. It was single minded and its emotions were all scattered, I couldn't understand it."
"Whatever it was, I doubt even Charles and V.V. made it. That was not the kind of monster they would unleash." C.C. sighed a chair appeared behind her as she sat down. "If it wanted my Code there's a chance it may want V.V.'s Code as well."
"What do you think we should do?" Naruto asked.
"… We find out what that thing is and what it wants. It mentioned killing the Gods but that's not possible. The Sword of Akesha is damaged and without two Codes it can't be done." C.C. closed her eyes. "We need to understand what it is we're dealing with and fast. If it can control the Thought Elevators and use them to its advantage… It's only a matter of time before it tries something else."
I changed the name of C.C.'s space-time technique to Takamagahara(Plain of High Heaven) when a reviewer suggested because it sounded better. Hope you all enjoy this new chapter and the new techniques. There are not many stories where Naruto gets the Rinnegan to explores just how much he can really do so I'm experimenting with these sparring matches. What else will we see in the future? Who knows.