Naruto the knuckleheaded ninja that we all know, and love is just starting his career as a ninja, but the stakes are higher now. With his two girls Iris and Chaos growing up at a startling rate he must now handle their growing powers, and the mysterious demons that are after him and uncover the mystery behind Sōkyoku's mysterious past and origin. Watch Naruto progress through his live as an Ancient Evil born before the beginning of time stirs behind the scenes that threaten all of existence. Watch Naruto as he goes from being a Father to a Ninja.
I do not own anything from the Naruto Franchise, Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime that I may borrow themes and ideas from.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.
Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys I have returned. Unfortunately, I couldn't release this chapter by my birthday like I had wanted to. The stress of trying to put not only this mammoth chapter together but write the last two all in one week plus the normal everyday things in my real life proved to be to much of a challenge even for me. After my birthday I took a few days off to recharge my batteries so that I wouldn't burn myself out and now I've finally completed this long awaited chapter that closes out the Fire on the Mystic Island Arc. This is without a doubt the longest chapter I've ever written besides the prologue to Part 1. A lot happens in this chapter guys and resolutions as well as enormous revelations are all dropped in this chapter that will have ramifications that will shape the rest of the story to come.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Chapter 70
Hōrai Island Part 5: The Uzumaki Rise Again
It was hot… unbearably so, but even so Naruto tried to keep his wits about him as he increased his speed by kicking off the many random floating molten rocks suspended in the chamber of the cauldron. "Asagi!" Naruto roared as he closed the distance between himself and the screaming girl who had tears of terror pouring out of her eyes. Colliding in midair Naruto instinctively reached out and wrapped his arms around the smaller girl in a protective embrace. "I've got you Asagi! You're safe now." Naruto soothed as the blue haired preteen squeezed Naruto's more muscular form with every ounce of strength she had in her.
"I'm scared! We're going to die!" Asagi cried as Naruto spotted a larger floating stone approaching them. "No, we're not. It's not over yet!" Naruto encouraged as he formed one of his swords in his hand and stuck it into the side of the nearby rock. Naruto's ice sword nearly shattered just on the impact alone but due to their momentum Naruto's sword dug through the rock with so much friction that it snapped in half not to long afterwards sending the two children into a brief freefall where Naruto pressed Asagi against his stomach while his back slammed into another rock. "Ahh." The breath was taken out of Naruto's lungs as the heat from the floating stone singed his back. "Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu!" Naruto breathlessly said as the entire stone froze over in a thick block of ice while a small dome shaped hollow sphere was constructed around the two children so that they could breathe.
"Asagi are you ok?" Naruto mumbled as he looked down at the child hugged tightly to his chest. The heat alone from the cauldron had already drenched her clothes in sweat and her skin was red from the heat she was being exposed to but luckily enough there were no injuries on her person. "I'm fine, but what about you?" Asagi replied as she fretted over Naruto's condition. "Hehehehe! It looks like someone's worried for their papa… I didn't know you'd get into the role so quickly." Naruto joked as the younger girl pouted in annoyance. "You jerk! This isn't the time for jokes. I'm worried about you."
Naruto chuckled a bit at this as he patted the younger girl on her head eliciting a blush from Asagi who was demonstrating once again her lack of exposure to human interaction and affectionate gestures. "I'm just trying to cheer you up a bit and keep you from worrying. I'll get us out of this mess somehow." Naruto conciliated as he sat up with the thin girl in his lap. Even though the surface of the stone was now frosted over by a thick sheet of ice both children could still feel the immense amount of heat around them that was warming up the ice rather quickly. It wouldn't be far to long before Naruto's ice started to melt… so with that in mind he knew he had to take action fast.
As soon as Naruto tried to stand a presence unlike anything he's ever felt before surrounded his body as he felt his massive reserves of chakra get drained from him in a violent way. 'What is this! I've never felt anything like this before. All of my chakra is leaving me!' Naruto screamed in his mind as his chakra poured out of him in a thick band of energy that got sucked into the walls of the cauldron around them. "My chakra!" Naruto grimaced as Asagi felt her meager Yōki reserves get sucked out of her body as well. "The Cauldron takes the energy of the person thrown in… then it takes your soul so that it can continue to burn and power the island." Asagi grunted as she felt all of her strength leave her in one fell swoop. She didn't have even 5% the amount of energy that Naruto had and so she fell limply against Naruto's chest who wrapped his arms back around her. "Hang in there Asagi." Naruto chanted but, on the inside, he wasn't feeling so optimistic. 'I can't recognize this energy, in fact I can't even sense or identify it. It feels faintly similar to Lady Sōkyoku's power but that's where the similarities end. It's not chakra, Yōki, or Holy Aura… what is it? Why does it feel so void of everything?' Naruto described in his mind as he couldn't properly identify what the energy inside of the cauldron was like. The only reason why he was even able to tell there was a power at work was because of the cold feeling of something interacting with and pulling on his chakra. It was foreign to him.
["The day has finally come."] A regal and ethereal voice spoke with an echoing tone that vibrated off of the walls around the two children who felt something almost primordial in nature reach out to their subconscious. "What…?" Naruto whispered in awe as an overwhelming presence surrounded him accompanied by a blinding white light. Once his vision cleared Naruto gasped at the being standing in front of him. With an ethereal and holy illumination surrounding them the being stood before Naruto and Asagi who couldn't properly form words as they were left in a state of reverence for the entity before them.
As it turns out the being was female as Naruto noted while taking in her appearance. The woman stood at a short height of 5'2 but it did nothing to detract from her imposing aura of presence. She is a slender yet shapely woman with fair skin and reddish-brown eyes. She has waist-length lilac colored hair in a very light tone with shorter bangs cut in a Hime style. She wears the traditional attire of a Miko that consists out of a purple hakama, a white haori with a sash-like belt, wooden sandals and a white ribbon to partially hold her hair in place. A graceful smile was on her face that was making Naruto's heart beat out of his chest as he's never seen a person quite as stunning as the woman before him. 'This feeling in my chest… this awe and reverence that I feel… it's just like with Iris and how not only I but everyone else feels when they lay eyes on her. Is this woman a divine being… is she a real Goddess?' Naruto thought shell shocked as the woman's smile grew larger as if she had read his mind… which she did.
["My word… you really are a sharp young man. It would seem you've figured me out already."] The confirmed Goddess spoke with an elegant giggle resounding from her mouth creating a soft melody that brushed against Naruto's soul as well as that of Asagi who was speechless and incapable of talking in the presence of the being before them. "Did you just read my mind…?" Naruto sputtered as he involuntarily squeezed Asagi to his chest harder. That was a serious invasion of a person's privacy. ["Oh yes I did, I'm sorry… but it's a bit involuntary on my end. Your mortal mind is a bit open to my privy in retrospect. I apologize."] The regal woman explained as her smile charmed Naruto into instantly becoming complacent around her. 'Her very presence is controlling my every move. I want to be cautious and weary of her, but I can't. She's just ignoring all of my mental barriers and feelings as if they're not even there to begin with. I know she must be a goddess, but I still can't help but question what kind of being is she?' Naruto panicked in his mind yet much to his notice he didn't feel any urgency or fear in his thought process like any normal person would feel right now.
["I know that you are scared my child, but you must remain calm… we have much to discuss."] The Goddess soothed as the tranquil atmosphere around Naruto and Asagi increased to the point that all of the stress, anger, and pain consuming Naruto for the last few days evaporated into thin air. Asagi fell into a gentle slumber which Naruto wasn't able to feel any panic or concern about due to the deity's very presence. Naruto remained silent as the pleasant deity sat down in front of him. ["To start things off I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Miya Asama. I'm the Guardian Goddess of Wisdom, Peace, and Life as well as the Warrior Goddess of War and Justice."] Miya spoke with power emanating from her voice while Naruto absorbed this introduction with contemplation. "You're a real-life Goddess… just like Lady Sōkyoku…" Naruto whispered in awe as Miya raised her delicate eyebrow at the mentioning of the powerful Phoenix.
["Mhmm… Yes, I'm a real goddess as you say but I find it quite funny that you think Lady Sōkyoku is a Goddess Naruto."] Miya confirmed but the lilac haired woman giggled a dainty giggle as she mentioned Sōkyoku. "Huh… what do you mean? Lady Sōkyoku isn't a Goddess?" Naruto whispered in confusion as the woman continued to giggle. ["No little one… Lady Sōkyoku isn't a Goddess at all. She's something much more than that."] Miya admitted as you could see the gears spinning in Naruto's mind. "I know she's said in the past that she's not a Goddess, but how would you know this? How would you even know about her? Lady Sōkyoku said she's so old that most deities don't even know who she is." Naruto admitted as he wanted to feel the sensation of caution and weariness but much to his frustration that couldn't even properly manifest he didn't feel anything but tranquility in the presence of Miya.
A peculiar unknown look came to Miya's eyes as a small faint smile crept on her beautiful face. ["My word… you really are a sharp young man. You're right. The vast majority of the deity's and higher beings in existence don't even know her name much less her lore. But the truth is I'm a really old being. I was around when time was young, and I have the privilege of actually knowing of her existence. But enough about that. We're here to talk about you."] Miya explained while shifting the conversation away from Sōkyoku which Naruto managed to pick up on, but the innocent smile that twitched upward on Miya's mouth indicated to Naruto that she was still reading his mind.
"What do you want to talk about…?" Naruto questioned as Miya's smile became less teasing and settled down into a gentle one. ["I've waited quite some time for this day to come… it was to be put in motion that one day you would travel to this land and transcend it to new heights the likes of which the world hasn't seen before."] Miya foretold as Naruto sat up straight at this. "Why me…?" Naruto simply asked. ["Well silly its simple. It's your birthright… you are the next Shī-ō after all."] Miya stated. {'Among other things that is.'} The goddess privately thought to herself in a more serious tone. "I'm the next Shī-ō … how…?" Naruto questioned as his mind started to go into overdrive. ["Your mother was the princess of this land and its next ruler. Her name was Kushina Uzumaki and she was my favorite little rascal that would always come spend her afternoons as a small child around my temple trying to prank me or play games with me."] Miya admitted as she watched Naruto heart nearly stop.
"My mother was the princess… then that means I'm the prince. I know who my mother is now…" Naruto breathlessly stated as his eyes welled up with tears of joy and shock. He was being overcome with millions of emotions that he couldn't properly comprehend them all. After all this time he finally knows who his mother is, and it turns out she was the princess that the orphans were talking about. He just spent the night sleeping in her old room. It was surreal.
["Yes… she was a kind and gentle spirit and also my student. She grew up to become my apostle of War and Justice. Her power shook the very earth itself and she made very powerful life long friends and allies along the way from both your world and those beyond. She was fanatically loved and worshiped by the people of Hōrai Island when she was growing up. Tragically her life was cut short… but for the greater good she gave birth to you… the Child of Prophecy."] Miya explained as Naruto listened silently to every word Miya spoke. Tears of joy were still streaming down his face, but he was trying his hardest to listen to what the goddess had to say.
"Child of Prophecy…? What is that? How am I something like that?" Naruto questioned as that caught his attention the most. Miya said that term with a faint almost undetectable tone of reverence in her voice. ["The Child of Prophecy is the one who is born to become Lady Sōkyoku's chosen one. You and Lady Sōkyoku were always destined to meet."] Miya answered as she let her words sink in. {It's more accurate to say that we orchestrated for you to meet her… she needs you little one. All of this was for you.'} Miya silently thought once again in a more serious light.
'I was always meant to meet Lady Sōkyoku… that can't possibly be right. There's no such thing as fate and destiny. After everything that I've done and everything I've had to fight for there is no way I can belief in that. Not after I taught Neji the right path.' Naruto denied as he refused to think that he was put in Lady Sōkyoku's path to meet. It was ridiculous and even suspicious. 'Wait… all this time… all of these years and all of the little hints and signs.' Naruto's thought processes illuminated in the cauldron as theories crafted themselves together.
'This was planned. Lady Sōkyoku has always been coy and elusive with me. It's extremely subtle but she's always pushed me in a certain direction… her direction and for better or worst things always turn out ok… but at what cost? Why does she hide these things from me? She's controlling my life and crafting it to her own design. I see that now. She told me back in Midway that something was coming… an enemy that she faced in the past. She's been preparing me for whenever that day comes by manipulating events around me… she's doing it for a good cause but… it's wrong… it's so very wrong to play with life like that… my life.' Naruto grieved as he began to see the larger picture. Lady Sōkyoku wasn't who she said she was. From every conversation they've ever had that much has become clear to Naruto over the years and yet he still felt like he could trust her. But he couldn't condone the way he suspected she was going about it. A faint memory echoed in the back of Naruto's mind to the night in the hospital years ago when Shoko was on the very brink of death after coming back from the mission to South Fork Town. It was the mission in which she fought and later saved Aria's life and brought her back with her to the Hidden Leaf.
Flashback Begin
"You believe in me?" Naruto choked out. ["Yes. You were created to be even more special than all the rest. You can't give up just yet so let me lend you a hand."] The voice said as out of nowhere a giant red feather the size of a large house slammed into the ground in front of Naruto. "What is this? A feather?" Naruto asked as he reached out and the second he touched it a surge of power the likes of which he's never felt overflowed into him.
["I will help you out here but let me tell you that nothing in your life will be handed to you as it was here. You will fight and scratch and claw your way to achieve your power for only then will that power be enough for what is to come in the future. Every time you think of giving up I and everyone else you meet along the way will be there to pick you back up. For your story from this point on starts now and it will be greater than all the others."]
["But only if you believe. Believe that it's…"] The voice said as it seemed to get closer to Naruto. Looking up Naruto finally saw something in the darkness. Two massive glowing emerald eyes the size of large stores where gazing down at him with eon's worth of strength, courage, wisdom, and warmth.
The pitch-black void of darkness was suddenly lit up into a world of vibrant red flames that engulfed everything around it. The shrill cry of a bird that sounded like an eagle was heard and Naruto saw something that would forever be imprinted into his mind to the day he died. A massive Phoenix that was bigger than anything he had ever seen or would see was before him spreading out its wings and fanning its flames lighting up the world around it. The flames suddenly turned from its vibrant display of reds, oranges, and yellows and settled down on a magnificent rich golden color that Naruto would never forget. 'You're the phoenix in my dreams!'
Flashback End
'She believed in me… she was the first person to truly believe in me in such a profound way… but she said that I was created to be even more special than all the rest. My story… she said it would be that of legends… the clues were always there from every important conversation we've ever had. She's always pushed me to be better and to never give up… but she's done so not only for my sake, but for hers as well.' Naruto thought with silent tears of shock rolling down his face. 'She's planned all of this… for every good deed she's ever done for me it wasn't just for my benefit… but for hers as well.' Naruto grieved in his mind as he was going through an existential crisis in his mind.
If that was the case, then that means the trouble he's going through right now she has already long since known about. The pain and suffering that others have had to go through was unforgivable. ["I see you have figured it out somewhat. I know this is a lot to take in, but you must understand that everything she has done and not done is for your own good. If she were to interfere to much in your life not only would you not grow but you'd fail to become the person we all know you're meant to become. The evil that faced off against Lady Sōkyoku in the past lacks a consciences… it lacks morality and compassion. It's only reason for existing is because it wants to destroy everything. Lady Sōkyoku stands in its way of fulfilling its greatest desire. It feeds off of chaos and destruction. It is a leech and a parasite that infects all and is unstoppable. It managed to overpower Lady Sōkyoku long ago and it nearly killed her. Her light is what drove it off and helped seal it away to a place where it could do no harm. But it's influence can escape its cage and infect reality as a whole. That is why she has sought you out. She needs a container… a vessel that can become her weapon to fight off this evil. Every experience you go through in life is meant to temper your heart and forge your soul into an unstoppable and incorruptible blade that can cut it down."] Miya preached as she explained this heavy subject to a shell-shocked Naruto whose mind was ready to explode.
"You've orchestrated my life… just so that I can help you fight this thing… a thing I don't even know…!" Naruto seethed as anger bloomed in his heart. This emotion superseded everything else and managed to seep through the aura of tranquility surrounding the two. "All I want is to be a father… to be a shinobi… to be Hokage one day… all I want is to save these people and go home! I didn't ask for any of this… I didn't ask for you or anyone else to play god with my life!" Naruto yelled as Miya had a remorseful look on her face.
["Did you know that Lady Sōkyoku has a twin sister."] Miya interrupted as Naruto's tirade came to an abrupt halt. "What…?" Naruto stuttered out in surprise as Miya looked at him with a bemused smile. ["Oh, don't act surprised… search your feelings… you know it to be true."] Miya spoke with a giggle at the private joke she made. In seconds Naruto gasped as a spark of a memory flickered into his mind. "The creature with red glowing eyes that looked just like Lady Sōkyoku's… I saw her in my dream the night after we left the Land of Waves… she felt cold… everything the opposite of Lady Sōkyoku." Naruto explained as Miya nodded in confirmation.
["Her sister… Lady Amaterasu… she's crippled…"] Miya bluntly admitted as Naruto's jaw dropped. "She's what?!" That was a lot to take in. He couldn't even fathom how that was possible. ["She was critically injured fighting off the being that opposed them. It fatally wounded Lady Amaterasu when she took a blow meant for Lady Sōkyoku. I was there during that battle. She flew into a rage and nearly obliterated the monster with her wrath but in the end, it wasn't enough… so with little choice Lady Sōkyoku sealed the dark being away into a place called Purgatory. It's a void where the souls of the decease pass through while waiting to be judged. It was the only place powerful enough to keep it at bay."] Miya explained as Naruto let everything that was said sink in.
["Lady Sōkyoku loves her sister dearly… they were just as close as little Iris is to Chaos… they were inseparable from one another. After that fateful battle Lady Sōkyoku sent her sister into hiding to protect her in her weakened state. The monster's influence was the only thing that could escape from Purgatory so they both thought it best if she was kept far away from every other dimension while Lady Sōkyoku goes out and gathers the fragments of Lady Amaterasu's missing power. It was in that search where she was finally ambushed by entities possessed by the monster's influence. They fatally wounded Lady Sōkyoku and forced her to reincarnate herself to avoid permanent destruction. She chose to reincarnate herself into the form of a baby girl for you to find and take care of. She wants you to be her ally… and her weapon to destroy the thing that nearly killed both her and her sister."] Miya explained as Naruto felt a lot of his anger melt away by his own volition at hearing Miya's gripping story.
"But why me…" Naruto weakly mumbled as Miya leaned forward and caressed Naruto's cheek gently. ["Because why not you… why not a hero that has done so much already and has so much more to do yet. I know you have your reservations about Lady Sōkyoku's methods in handling this… but please bear with her. She's a tired old soul who has done far too much to remain pure and innocent like her status would have you believe. She's desensitized to doing things that would morally be questionable to those that may criticize her actions. But I want you to know that everything she does… she does for you… and between you and me I shouldn't be telling you this but…"] Miya apologized on behalf of Lady Sōkyoku and with a teasing smile she leaned in to whisper a confession to Naruto with a conspirator like expression.
["She's grown quite fond of you… she doesn't interact with mortals very often and especially for eons… these few short years have been some of the best memories she's ever made. It goes without saying that with the little crush Iris has on you it reflects the more serious bond that has formed between you and her."] Miya teased a bit but with a more melancholic tone to her voice. A gentle smile was on her face as a subconscious smile came to Naruto's own face as well. "Yeah you don't have to tell me twice. Iris is a real daddy's girl that's for sure, and she gets jealous easily… I just pretend not to notice." Naruto said bashfully while scratching the back of his head in his usual nervous tick. "Thank you for telling me all this Lady Miya, but I would also like to hear it from Lady Sōkyoku. We have so much to talk about." Naruto said politely as the guardian deity smiled a beautiful smile in return. ["Right… you have much to do. The Four War Gods won't be beaten by themselves and it's not going to be easy. I sealed their power spheres away inside of this box. To defeat them these energy spheres, need to be returned to their bodies and destroyed along with them. However, Gōra the Island Turtle must survive… he is the sworn guardian of Hōrai Island for over a thousand years. This place is his home and a parasite demon is possessing him. His weak spot is the small humanoid face on Gōra's forehead. That is the parasite demon that the Four War Gods implanted into Gōra to control him."] Miya explained as she pulled out a small box that revealed four small jewel like spheres.
"It won't be easy at all, but I will beat them." Naruto promised as Miya nodded in agreement to this. ["I imparted a prophecy onto the Legendary Titans on the day that Hōrai Island fell. They must defeat two threats that spawned from this island in order for the Hidden Whirlpool Village to rise again. One of them is the Four War Gods and it is your destiny to ultimately kill them and facilitate the rise of a brand new Hidden Whirlpool Village that will be far stronger than the last."] Miya explained as Naruto latched onto certain words of Miya's statement.
"What about the other threat?" Naruto questioned as Miya gave him a peculiar look. ["That is solely for Shoko to defeat one day, then and only then will she find true closure for her bloody life and reclaim her glory. It will be tough, but she can do it. I had a hand in training her after all."] Miya giggled as Naruto blinked in surprise at this. "You trained Shoko!" Naruto blurted out in surprise while Miya simply replied to this bout of shock. ["And your mother Kushina… but I only trained Shoko in Kenjutsu. The rest she learned from her Jōnin sensei. As for little Kushina, I taught her a great many things alongside her father. From master level Fūinjutsu to Kenjutsu I turned her into a warrior… and I hope in time I can do the same for you to prepare you for your future."] Miya admitted as Naruto felt a fire ignite within his soul. This goddess taught both his mother and Shoko. She helped turn them into the powerful warriors that they became with Naruto knowing first hand just how powerful Shoko was. This undeniable urge to surpass and make his mother proud filled his soul as Naruto watched a proud smile work its way onto Miya's face from what he could only guess was her reading his mind once again.
["It's time you go… Hōrai Island needs its future leader… and the world needs its future savior."] Miya spoke with a certain amount of ethereal power in her voice almost as if she were baptizing or blessing Naruto with her words. "I won't fail… but you probably already know that don't you." Naruto promised with a friendly snide remark as Miya laughed an elegant laugh. ["Yes, sorry to take all of the suspense out of your perils but you can't die here today. As I said… the world needs its future Savior and your story can't end here today."] Miya preened as she stood up to her feet with Naruto doing the same with the sleeping Asagi in his arms. ["The Four War Gods will regain their power once this box is back in the mortal realm. They may seem tough, but these spheres will be their downfall. They'll fall because of their arrogance."] Miya encouraged as she placed her hand against Naruto's forehead and he felt an unprecedented surge of power enter his body. 'Unbelievable… all of my chakra the was sucked out of me is back… but its twice as much… no three times as much.' Naruto trembled in awe as his body felt heavy with the amount of Yōki rich chakra flowing through his veins. He felt powerful. But that wasn't all that happened… knowledge and information flooded Naruto's mind of several technique's he wasn't familiar with. Along with that came a potent dosage of Holy Aura that intermingled with his chakra reserves leaving Naruto in a state of euphoria. 'This grace feels just like Lady Sōkyoku's divine grace.' Naruto idly noted as there wasn't much of a difference between Miya's divine energy and that of Lady Sōkyoku.
["Nothing in life is for free and nothing will just be simply given to you. It's up to you to make this power your own and to use it wisely. So, go my child… show them the wrath of the Uzumaki."] Miya smiled as a confident and cocky smirk came to Naruto's face. "Oh, I plan on it…"
The entire Cauldron shook as Naruto roared to the heavens above. Chakra rippled out of his body in waves as the Cauldron that he could feel synergizing with his very soul responded to his will. Rocketing off from his position Naruto soared all the way to the top of the seemingly infinite Cauldron where the light from the outside world shined brightly. Miya's spectral form smiled a proud smile as it disappeared into an ethereal cloud of divine aura and silently followed Naruto out of the ancient relic.
Mt. Hōrai – Cauldron of Resonance
"What's taking so long!? We should have received his power by now… not to mention our power spheres." Jūra growled as nearly 10 minutes passed by and nothing happened. The transfer of energy from the sacrificial party and the recipient was supposed to be almost instant after the process begins, yet nothing happened.
"I don't know… but it would seem like we have company. A group has infiltrated the island." Kyōra spoke as a bird made of blue fire landed besides him and turned to embers around him. Receiving its report Kyōra now knew that powerful individuals were here with them now. "Who could find us out here? The island is still hidden?" Jūra questioned as Kyōra smirked down at his brother. "It's the humans… and Shoko is among them." This was all Jūra needed to hear as a psychotic grin stretched across his face. "Pay back time." The Tiger demon growled just as a rumbling from the chamber itself shook the entire cave. "What's going on?" Ryūra grimaced as he was pushed back to the edge of the steps. Jūra was almost knocked over the side of the platform while Kyōra wisely removed himself from sitting on top of the Cauldron.
A bright light shinned out of the open gates of the Cauldron and once it died down Naruto could be seen standing in the gateway with Asagi tucked securely into his arms. A scowl was on his face as his normally cerulean colored eyes were glowing an ethereal white very much like the aura that surrounded Miya when she first appeared before him.
"It's you!" Ryūra growled as he got to his feet. Before anyone could move Naruto simply disappeared without a sound leaving the great demons god smacked. "Where did he go?!" The three demons looked around the room and soon turned their gaze to the entrance of the cave to see Naruto standing there. In one arm Asagi's sleeping form could be seen while in his other arm was Fuki who was knocked unconscious with a small bruise on the back of her neck. A shadow clone was next to Naruto in an instant as he passed the girls to the clone who left without a word and without resistance from the enemy who could only look on in stunned silence.
"Now we can fight…" Naruto spoke his first words as the cave vibrated and trembled under his power. Ryūra, Jūra, Kyōra, and Kurruk all got into battle stances as they came to a quick realization that something was different with Naruto. He wasn't messing around and they couldn't afford to take him lightly. "Before we start… I better make this easier on you. Here." Naruto spoke as he opened the jewel box and the four spheres shot off into the air. Each color coordinated sphere shot into the forehead of the demons with the fourth one rocketing off from the cave through the large skylight in the ceiling.
Massive surges of Yōki rippled off from the demons that could be felt all across the island who screamed to the heavens in triumph. "You shouldn't have done that boy…" Ryūra growled in a menacing tone while taking out his twin prized swords. Kyōra unhooked his large feathered war fan from his back while Jūra summoned his battle cannon into his hands. "Kurruk. Leave and get his clone. Bring back the slave girl to us." Kyōra ordered as Naruto watched the mummy use his bandages to repel himself out of the cave through the ceiling. He would let the mummy go. Right now, he could sense the rescue team on the island and his clone was racing down the island back to the Hidden Whirlpool Village with a burst of natural speed that was just as fast as Rock Lee without his weights on.
"Bring it." Naruto challenged as the three Great Demons charged at him with Naruto doing the same. Disappearing in a burst of intense speed Naruto appeared before Jūra first and placed his palm against the larger man's stomach. "Ice Style: Icicle Impact!" A frigid cold mass of ice surged out of Naruto's palm carrying Jūra with it across the cave where he slammed into its wall with a large column of ice pinning him to the recently cracked surface of he wall. Naruto wanted Jūra out of the way first. He knew that he was the physically strongest of the three and since he's fought him once before he had the most experience on what he wanted to do in regard to the man. Even though he fought Kyōra first when he was seven years old Naruto instinctively knew that using that fight as a measuring stick against the powerful demon's abilities would be foolish. His seven-year-old self couldn't hold a candle to him now.
Spinning on his heel Naruto had his two ice swords out in an instant that blocked the overhead slash from Ryūra's sword and the side swipe by Kyōra's war fan. The demons found their weapons frosting over from being in contact with Naruto's swords who glared at the two despicable beings who ruined the lives of so many individuals. Growling Ryūra swung his second sword at Naruto in the hopes of bisecting him but on instinct and skill alone Naruto jumped above the obvious attack while spinning horizontally between the two war gods. Lashing out with a roundhouse kick Naruto nailed Ryūra in the face while putting a small gash in Kyōra's shoulder blade who could do nothing to defend himself.
Landing behind them Naruto crossed his swords before unleashing a power shockwave that pushed the two brothers back. "Kenjutsu: X – Scissor!" Flying back Ryūra rooted himself in place with his swords in an act of defiance that Naruto took notice of. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu!" Naruto roared as he unleashed gale force winds from his mouth as a spinning vortex slammed into Ryūra who stood his ground with a pulse of Yōki rippling from his body. "Earth Dragon Gale!" Ryūra roared back as a spinning dome of compressed Yōki enhanced wind surrounded Ryūra in its protective embrace saving him from the fate his brother met as Kyōra was blasted back by the supercharged attack of Naruto to the point he slammed into the wall of the cave just like Jūra.
"Someone has a lot of power in them now… how interesting." Ryūra spoke condescendingly as a primal roar of rage sounded out from the cave signaling Jūra's return who blasted his way out of the ice prison Naruto left him in. "I'm going to kill you boy." Jūra growled as he charged across the room with blinding speed. "Double Acceleration!" Naruto retaliated with a massive surge of speed that allowed the two combatants to clash in the middle of the large cave shaking the area with their strength. "Yōjutsu: Armored Tiger Claw!" Jūra roared as his fist became surrounded by sizzling white Yōki that transformed his arm into a grotesque version of itself. Clenching his fist in response to this Naruto coated both his hands in his hybrid chakra.
"Accelerated Dual Fist!" Launching both fist faster than Jūra could Naruto landed both of his strikes like a shotgun blast to Jūra's stomach that caved in and subsequently shattered his protective armor around his torso with the resounding shockwave tearing the breath from his lungs. Flying back Jūra destroyed a part of the stone steps that led to the Cauldron of Resonance with his body that flew right through it and landed in the small lagoon of murky water below the sacred relic. The physically built demon had so much momentum that his body skipped across the surface of the water before embedding itself on the shore at the back of the cave. Blood was trickling out of Jūra's mouth while his two brothers had shocked looks on their faces.
They were unnerved at the brutality and level-headed mentality Naruto was employing who was instilling within them the sense that he really wanted them dead. With this though in mind Kyōra stepped forward. "Brother… take Jūra and go. We must ensure that the infiltrators are caught. If they are allowed to group up here, they'll overwhelm us. It's best if we attack first. I'll deal with the boy with everything I have. We have what we wanted from him and now he's to dangerous to be kept alive." Kyōra offered as Ryūra struggled with the decision for a bit. He wanted to kill the boy before him, but he also realized that none of them could go all out without either getting in each other's way or bringing down the entire cave around them. It would be best to let one of them handle the situation on their own without distractions. It was also an important point that if any of the individuals from the rescue team reached the cave, especially Shoko then their task would become infinitely harder. She would be a thorn in their side.
"Alright… be careful Kyōra. Something is different about the boy. Kill him and come join us with subduing those humans." Ryūra conceded as he left Kyōra's side to retrieve Jūra. Once he did Ryūra left the cave with Naruto once again doing nothing to stop them. Their time was fast approaching, and it made no difference to the Uzumaki who had a score to settle with the brother who started it all. "I've waited for this day for a very long time… a chance to get back at the demon who marked me all those years ago. You're going down… believe it!" Naruto declared as his chakra swirled around him in anticipation.
Kyōra scowled at this as he twirled his massive feathered war fan around in response to this. "You've been a worthy specimen to study… you've progressed so far to the point that I'm impressed you could contend with us, but that progress stops here. You've outlived your usefulness and now we don't need you anymore." Kyōra dictated as a red aura of Yōki surrounded his body.
"PREPARE YOURSELF BOY!" Kyōra roared as a massive inferno of fire raged out of control from his body as he slammed the pole end of his war fan into the think stone floor of the cavern. The entire cave was ingulfed in a massive wild fire that surged out of control alongside Kyōra's immense reserves of Yōki that was easily mid to high Kage Level.
"Bring it." Was Naruto's simple rely accompanied by a death glare as the two beings disappeared from their positions before an inevitable clash and shockwave shook the cave like a calamity.
With Jiraiya and Shoko
It didn't take the powerful shinobi more than a minute to reach Minos and his escorts but when they did the adults could see the state Chaos was in for their own selves. She was in terrible shape with injuries all across her body and a real chain wrapped around her neck was responsible for the poor girl being dragged against her will in the hands of Minos.
"Chaos!" Shoko shouted as she saw life return to Chaos who weakly looked up at Shoko with a spark of hope in her robotic eyes. "Who are you?" Jiraiya questioned in his stern voice as Minos turned to address the group of humans who in his mind dared to speak to him.
"I owe you no explanation human… I've simply come here to collect my property. Nothing more… nothing less." Minos said in his deep voice as he leveled the group with a powerful glare that didn't cause a single one of them to flinch. If anything, Shoko and the others glared harder in return. "Chaos's isn't anyone's property… let alone yours. Hand over my granddaughter right now." Shoko growled as she immediately drew her sword in preparation for the coming conflict. There was going to be nothing peaceful about their conversation and everyone knew that. Shoko truly from the bottom of her heart considered Naruto to be her son and with Iris and Chaos in turn being his children it was only natural that the powerful woman would refer to the twins as her own as well.
"The arrogance of you humans never cease to amaze me no matter the realm I visit. This thing is my property. I created her, and I can do with her whatever I may please… her fate belongs in my hands." Minos scowled as he was repulsed by the defiance in the group before him. Chaos was a creation of his own design. He could do whatever he wanted with her. He didn't need their permission or opinions on the matter. "We're not asking…" Jiraiya intoned with his deep voice as he stepped forward as well. Balalaika was silently standing next to Jiraiya watching the proceedings going on with a critical gaze. She was keeping her opinions to herself, but she would be ready when the time came. She could sense Lilith's Yōki stirring below the surface of the island over a hundred yards away. She was coming.
Minos's black angelic wings twitched behind him in agitation as a deep scowl marred his face with hatred. "You dare command me to do anything you insect… you will be taught your place." Minos threatened as he lifted his hand in a signal for his two harpies to carry out his will. It was at that exact moment that both Shoko and surprisingly enough Karasuba moved as one. Their movements were in such synchronicity that you would be hard press to tell them apart. Crossing the distance between the two groups before anyone could draw a breath both woman with swords drawn lunged forward at the same time shouting the name of their identical technique.
"Kenjutsu: One Slice!"
With their advanced interceptor model sensors Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 could perceive the two Legendary Titan's coming at them but the speed in which they were traveling was something the two Angeloids didn't know these humans were capable of. They got a brief taste of Naruto's speed back in Midway nearly a month earlier but that was nothing in comparison to the legends they were facing now. Shoko veered off to the right while Karasuba leaned over to the left and with swords out the two women cut invisible long ranged slashes into the two Angeloid's torsos that pushed them back with the amount of force behind the swings of their swords. Their tough skin and metallic armor did nothing to protect the harpies from the two swordswomen who weren't done yet. Spinning on her heel Shoko in one smooth and fluid motion cut the chain wrapped around Chaos's neck attaching her to Minos's wrist.
To their credit the Angeloids recovered almost instantaneously as they fired off bolts of energy from their Prometheus Cannons attached to their arms but Karasuba was ready at the same time Shoko was busy attending to Chaos. Flipping her sword around in her hand the Black Reaper slammed the blade of her sword into the ground and channeled her deadly chakra through her weapon. "Earth Style: Earth Wall Jutsu!" Before the blasts of energy could reach them a thick wall of soil and rock shot up into the air in front of Karasuba blocking the incoming attacks that detonated against the surface of the wall taking out a large chunk of it in the process.
Not deterred in the slightest Shoko still with a finesse befitting her stature brought her sword to bare behind Karasuba's back and swung it with her well-known strength and ferocity. "Kenjutsu: Hazard Slice!" Shoko roared as a deadly shockwave rippled out from her beautiful sword and broke through Karasuba's damaged wall of earth mere seconds after the ash gray haired woman ducked on both instinct and an unknown trust in her partner. The Titan of the Hidden Stone already had a Jutsu prepared before Shoko even finished swinging her sword as a violent wind picked up in front of her. "Wind Style: Gale Palm Jutsu!" Shoko's shockwave tore through Karasuba's wall of earth sending chunks of stone and debris flying at the two Angeloids who were more than prepared to initially dodge these projectiles but where then caught off guard when the incoming chunks of stone got a massive boost in speed via Karasuba's assistance.
The two Angeloids were mercilessly pelted by wind enhanced flying boulders and stones that rattled their mechanical if not slightly organic wings and put small microscopic dents and tears in their synthetic skin. Finally, the twin sisters were blown back by Shoko's initial shockwave that slammed the two war machines into a nearby cliff that had them embedded over three inches into the hard stone. This entire exchanged took less than 15 seconds to complete with the two opposing Titans standing protectively with Chaos now in Shoko's secure embrace with the two woman both pointing their swords at Minos in challenge. Karasuba's grey haori and hair was fluttering in the wind along with Shoko's long purple hair as the two women had identical deadly looks in their eyes that looked the same. These two women were truly rivals as their stances and facial expressions were identical down to every single point possible.
"How dare you… you insolent mongrels." Minos seethed out breathlessly as the look of defiance and a promise of death in the two Legendary Titan's eyes were not something Minos was used to. He was used to getting his way. Not having people oppose him so openly.
Before the powerful fallen angel could say any further a deep moan came from the sea as a small shining sphere of light plunged into the ocean lighting up the area. A massive surge of Yōki so powerful erupted from the ocean that a tidal wave slammed into the coast of Hōrai Island striking an iota of caution into the rescue team. Three more identical surges of powerful Yōki vibrated the island as a whole and it was emanating from Mt. Hōrai on the northernmost point of the island. The Four War Gods had their original power back. Within moments a large spiky armored shell broke the surface of the water followed by a long dark green neck with the head of a snapping turtle at the forefront with glowing red eyes filled with power staring out at the inhabitants of the island. Gōra was so massive that his head reached well into the sky and allowed him to view the human sized individuals who stood on the raised-up land of Hōrai Island with ease.
Sucking in a deep breath Gōra unleashed a terrifying roar that could be heard from miles around and sent tremors throughout the island that everyone could feel. If the rescue team thought that their troubles were over then the sudden darkening of the sky and a menacing and truly terrifying pulse of Yōki from behind them drew their attention to Lilith who was rising into sky with a dark blood red miasma of aura surrounding her. Power was rippling off of her in waves and a vicious snarl of anger was on her face as she stared down at the group of shinobi who all tensed up. Lilith's aura of Yōki eclipsed that of the Four War Gods causing the island to descend into a never-ending tremor of shaking that signified the amount of power the tiny woman had.
"Well shit…" Jiraiya cursed as he began formulating a plan in mind. Things just went from bad to worst faster than he would have liked. "Now this is a challenge worthy of my time." Balalaika was of the opposite mindset in this matter as a deadly look came to her eyes. A dark and savage grin was in place as the King Pin loosened the valves on her tightly restrained vast reserves of chakra and immediately everyone felt it. Once again, the ground beneath everyone's feet began to vibrate as stones and pebbles floated off the ground with the sense of gravity pressing down on everyone's shoulders. A dark brown aura of chakra surrounded Balalaika's body as the air shimmered with her barely unrestrained power.
Even with just this much she was quickly approaching the levels of energy the Four War Gods were expunging and the thing that unnerved those that knew her was that they knew this wasn't even a fraction of her actual strength. She had far more power at her disposal. This was just her flexing her might… and not even the full scope of it.
"Alright listen up… this is the plan." Jiraiya announced so that order could return to their group. "Balalaika I need you to keep Lilith busy for me, that little psycho can't be allowed to rampage around. I'll deal with this Fallen Angel while my summons handle Gōra. If they can subdue him, it will lessen the burden on all of us. Shoko and Karasuba I'm going to need you on back up along with you Guy helping out in anyway you can. Kakashi I need you to take little Chaos back to the ruins of the old Hidden Whirlpool Village. If my gut is right, then Anko probably disobeyed my orders and is on her way to help Naruto. Meet up with them there and reunite the twins. With whatever hidden power that they have I'm sure it can change the tide of this battle. If we can get Naruto to somehow convince them faster, then all the better. I'm sure he already has his hands full." Jiraiya handed out the game plan with decades of experience under his belt guiding him in this decision making. It was the best laid plan he could think of on the fly as he was already flying through hand signs for the Summoning Jutsu.
"With pleasure…" Balalaika purred as she directed her attention to Lilith who rose to this challenge. She was well acquainted with the King Pin from the Third Shinobi World War. They had a lot to catch up on. Minos huffed in aggravation as he saw Shoko pass Chaos off to Kakashi who lifted up his headband. His Sharingan was active and searching out every threat possible since he knew he would most likely be fighting too. With that said every combatant rushed forward with deadly intent.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Jiraiya roared as two massive plumes of smoke rose into the air only to be dispersed when two massive toads rose into the air. One was a massive magenta colored toad with black markings on his face, arms, and legs with horn like protrusions on his head. He is as big as Gamabunta if not slighter taller in stature, and towers over most buildings, trees and large rock formations. He wears a black kimono with a white sash and mesh armor underneath. He keeps a Sakazuki-like shield wrapped around his back and his Sasumata in his hand. His name was Gamaken and he was a reserved and shy Toad who always claimed to be very clumsy despite his incredibly martial art combat prowess in battle.
The second toad was a more familiar one that Jiraiya recently summoned during the invasion of the Hidden Leaf to crush the giant Three Headed Snake that attempted to kill Shoko. His name was Gamahiro and he was just as big as Gamabunta and like Gamaken he stood at a taller stature due to the shape of his body and the fact he had two skyscraper sized katana's strapped to his back which prevented him from hunching over to far. Gamahiro has an aquamarine skin tone and yellow eyes with grey markings around them and two distinct, circular markings on his shoulders and around his waist he had a thick orange pinstriped sash that helped secure the bottom half of the sheaths for his swords.
"Hiro! Ken! I need you to keep Gōra busy!" Jiraiya requested as the two great warrior toads of Mt. Myōboku alongside Gamabunta and the elder sages knew of Gōra and has even met with him quite often in the past. Jiraiya even fought alongside Gōra back during the Second Shinobi World War when a particularly deadly battle reached the coast of the Land of Fire and the Uzumaki decided to send aid in return which eventually culminated in the victory of the Hidden Leaf and Whirlpool during that particular battle. Jiraiya would never forget the overwhelming power the giant Island Turtle displayed back then and the feeling of safety the allies felt when the demon defended them. Knowing just how much of a difference maker Gōra could make in any kind of battle was all the reasoning Jiraiya needed in keeping the powerful opponent occupied.
"I'm ungraceful but I'll try!" Gamaken replied in a predictably deep yet noticeably shy tone. Gamahiro didn't reply verbally but a croak from his throat was good enough for Jiraiya as he watched his two companions tense their legs before jumping high into the air. Their touchdown in the ocean sent huge waves crashing against the shores of Hōrai Island once again as the two toads immediately gained the advantage by landing behind Gōra and well within the massive turtle's blind spot.
"Such unsightly creatures… I don't have time to deal with you all. Hand over the girl before I destroy you." Minos growled as he flexed his large folded pairs of wings that stretched out behind him as he began to ascend into the air. Five pairs of pitch black wings flexed to their full length behind the angered Fallen Angel who generated an Unholy Light Spear in his hand that was bright yellow in color. Shoko and Karasuba rose to the challenge with their glares becoming more potent with Jiraiya and Guy joining them.
With Balalaika and Lilith
"It's been a long time Balalaika. To think you'd join forces with your sworn enemies… just like you humans to band together when faced with true power." Lilith patronized with an arrogant expression on her youthful face as she floated above Balalaika who smirked in a sickening pleasure at the thought of fighting against a foe incredibly powerful. "Times change, and shinobi must be adaptable to every situation possible. My resolve won't let me fail here and it won't let you win this battle." The King Pin retaliated as Lilith's eyes glowed a sickly amber gold with retribution and a promise of pain boiling within them. "A stranger showed up and took Neo's daughter from me… he even had the nerve to sneak attack me and bury me beneath the rubble. Typical shinobi tactics. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" Lilith questioned as she watched the interested and surprised look cross the dirty blond-haired woman's face.
"No… but I do find that to be quite interesting. Remind me to thank him later for getting the first hit in on you." The daring woman joked as that sent Lilith over the edge. "That's it! Yōjutsu: Bloody Ambrosia!" The little fairy yelled as a blood red flower shaped fireball shot through the air towards Balalaika who placed her hands in the classic Ram hand sign. Potent surges of brown colored chakra erupted from her body that was so dense it stonewalled Lilith's attack cold. The ground shook as Balalaika let out a small whisper like cry of exertion. Her chakra alone could be used in its raw form for combat both offensively and defensively without her even having to cast a ninjutsu.
"It's been far to long since I've been able to stretch my legs… I'm going to enjoy this immensely." Balalaika declared in a bone chilling voice as she transitioned her fingers into a unique and custom set of hand signs that molded her chakra in a terrifying way. For the umpteenth time in one day the entire island shook but this time to its very core as Balalaika prepared her signature technique for the first time in well over a decade.
"Steel Style: Stigmata Creation Jutsu." Balalaika intoned as small brown spheres of her dense chakra started to form around her in the air then surprisingly enough they took on the physical appearance of steel balls. In total ten of these large beach ball sized spheres of metal floated around her but the woman wasn't done yet. Switching up the sequence the powerful woman continued her set up. "Magnet Style: Magnet Pull Jutsu." A vivid shimmering in the air signified a magnetic field being generated around Balalaika as she focused them around the steel balls allowing them to self-generate their own magnetic fields.
"Up to your old tricks again. Such a foul technique." Lilith growled as she attempted to attack her opponent once again with her signature technique, but the crafty king pin summoned an identical earthen wall that Karasuba previously made to block the incoming fireballs. "So impatient… don't worry I'm almost ready for you." Balalaika patronized as she continued to mold her technique. It's been many years since she's had to use her prized technique that she used to clash with Kushina all the time back in the war. Of course, if she really wanted to, she could complete the technique in a matter of seconds instead of activating it step by step. However, the Hidden Stone native wanted to enjoy her first taste of combat in a long while. It also went with being said that she wanted to rile up Lilith which she was happy to see was working.
"Steel Style: Magnet Rise Jutsu!" It was almost time as the steel balls began to rise in the air as they were in turn affected by Balalaika's generated magnetic field that sent the high into the air and scattered about in the area surrounding both combatants. The ground around their feet shook as massive slabs of earth rose off the ground and began congregating around the magnetic spheres that pulled them into its embrace. It didn't take long before a large jagged crater was carved out of the ground on Hōrai Island as its resources went to creating large earthen spheres that looked very much like small planetoids.
"Stigmata Satellite System complete" Balalaika intoned with a dark grin as Lilith was struggling with a grimace on her face. She was trying to stay stationary in the air but the multiple floating stone planetoids around her each had very strong gravitational pulls generated by their magnetic fields that were trying to pull her in. She remembered this technique very well. It was one of the strongest techniques anyone has every created and not for its size or range… but for the sheer versatility that it grants Balalaika in regard to attacking, defending, and all around supporting her own self and others. It was a chakra intensive technique that even Kage Level ninja wouldn't be capable of keeping sustained indefinitely, but Balalaika was special. She had chakra reserves equal to and surpassing most of the Tailed Beast allowing her to keep this chakra intensive technique going for long periods of time before tiring.
'Damn this human… she's not going to make this easy.' Lilith cursed in her mind as she charged up her Yōki to launch her attacks. "Yōjutsu: Bloody Hydrangea!" Dozens upon dozens of large fireballs spawned around Lilith who sent them into the floating colony of rocks surrounding them. Using her chakra as a controlling device Balalaika moved the stone satellites out of the way with frightening speeds that disrupted Lilith's flight pattern with the shifting and overlapping magnetic fields that were trying to pull the little fairy in.
Continuing the assault Lilith bombarded the ground around Balalaika who used the Body Flicker technique to dodge her fireballs that were landing a little to close for comfort. Disappearing in a burst of speed Balalaika surprised Lilith by appearing on the surface of one of her floating stones right near her without her even being able to sense her arrival. "Earth Style: Earth Dragon Jutsu!" Out of the surface of the floating boulder she was standing on a dragon made up of a long trail of stones formed and slammed into Lilith who put up a barrier of Yōki at the last second. It didn't stop the momentum she had picked up though, so the little fairy was slammed brutally into the ground by the dragon that crumbled around her into a makeshift landslide.
"Get crushed." Balalaika intoned as she tapped the planetoid below her. "Earth Style: Super Heavyweight Boulder Jutsu!" The already heavy floating satellite of stone that weighted hundreds of tons gained incredible amounts of mass to the point that noticeable amounts of gravity started to press down on the surrounding stones in the sky. The overall mass of the planetoid increased severalfold as it dropped out of the sky like a stone that crashed directly on top of Lilith who could be seen blasting her way out of the rubble around her. "No…!" The Fairy seethed right before she was crushed beneath the weight of a large mountain filled to the brim with Balalaika's chakra.
Everyone else was knocked off their feet as an earthquake shook the island that was taken a monumental amount of abuse that it hasn't seen since the time the Land of Whirlpool's was invaded. The King Pin wasn't done as she could sense Lilith who was buried beneath the large spherical boulder building up her destructive Yōki to blast her way out of her imprisonment. While being known for her incredible strength, Balalaika's true strength lied in her strategic and flexible mind that never let arrogance or overconfidence cloud it.
Lilith was an abnormality within her species as a Seasonal Fairy. It was normally impossible for them to grow to be as powerful as Lilith has become. Only Queen Neo had this kind of power and even then, it was frighteningly enough even more monstrous than this. With Lilith to gain this same kind of strength, she had experimented around and ingested the energies of demons around her and with the use of her Yata Mirror she was able to ensure the transfusions were safe as the amount of energy she's collected over the years is something the body of a Fairy would more than likely implode from.
Balalaika couldn't confirm it right now, but she wasn't sure if Lilith had more energy than her… even if it wasn't the case, with the monstrous reserves of Yōki that she had at her disposal Lilith could obliterate Hōrai Island off the face of the earth with ease and lay waste to countries the size of the Land of Fire or Water with little difficulty at all. Her power is incredibly destructive and letting the fairy have the time to build up any ounce of that destructive potential was suicide to whoever she's facing. The only downside that Lilith faces in battle is the fact that she has to constantly siphon out power from her Yata Mirror in order to maintain a perfect balance ratio in her body. Because of that fact it takes her a while to build up energy safely within her body during fights. It was the only saving grace any of the members of the rescue party had right now that prevented Lilith from outright blowing the entire island up in one strike.
Knowing of this fact and capitalizing on it Balalaika was going to do everything in her power to keep Lilith off balance and in a position where she would be incapable of drawing on her destructive power. "Steel Style: Magnet Bomb Jutsu!" Balalaika intoned as she condensed the chakra and magnetic field in the steel ball that was at the center of the massive boulder. A powerful electromagnetic bomb exploded from the boulder destroying the entire construct and vaporizing the area around it with a massive explosion that even knocked Minos out of the air leaving him vulnerable to a Rasengan curtesy of Jiraiya that sent the arrogant and abusive Fallen Angel troubling off of the cliff near the shore of the island to the beach below where Jiraiya followed after him in pursuit.
With Shoko, Guy and Jūra
While this was happening Ryūra and Jūra showed up to confront the rescue team but were blocked by Shoko, Karasuba, and Guy who stood before them. Kakashi had used the confusion and destruction going on around him to sneak off with Chaos's unresponsive form tucked securely in his embrace. He was already more than halfway to the old ruins of the Hidden Whirlpool Village and although he had to face off against several weak patrols of low class demons and Yōkai he simply cut through them with assassin like precision using his Lightning Blade while never stopping his run. He would just simply run pass them so fast that they could neither sense his approach or dodge out of the way. Using this method Kakashi racked up over 10 one shot kills already.
With Shoko and her unlikely ally in Karasuba they were preparing to face off against Ryūra and Jūra who already had their weapons out. They knew this was going to be a climactic battle. "Ready for round two human?" Jūra hackled as Shoko's chakra hummed on the surface of her skin. The deadliest death glare was on her face and if it had the power to kill Jūra would be dead already. "Where is my baby boy?" Shoko asked in an eerily calm voice that didn't match the unbound rage shimmering in her withered heart. She was going to kill Jūra, but she wanted to know if Naruto was okay.
"The boy is tougher than expected… but right about now he should be dying at the hands of my dear old brother. Being burned to death is such a terrible way to go." Jūra clamored as Shoko growled before disappearing from her position. She unleashed a bone jarring punch directly into Jūra's face that was so powerful a shockwave blew Ryūra off course who was charging at Karasuba who moved the same time Shoko did. Guy wasn't far behind as he followed Shoko who jumped off of the cliff to chase after Jūra's rag dolling form who was freefalling off the tall cliffs of Hōrai Island.
Shoko broke the sound barrier with her speed as her feet dug into the rough cliffs below her as she ran down the vertical incline with inhuman amounts of speed. In less than 4 seconds after punching Jūra in the face Shoko had managed to catch up with the powerful demon again in mid air and this time she had more punishment for him. She could feel her muscles and body ache from the strain they were under. She had just fought Jūra 3 days ago during the invasion and the fight they had and the exertion that she had to output in that fight and the rest of the conflict at hand had drained the powerful woman of her energy. She was still recovering from the substantial amount of injuries that he inflicted upon her in their head to head battle and now as far as Shoko was concerned it was now time for some well-deserved payback.
"Heavenly Kick of Pain!"
Shoko roared as she launched a devastating falling axe kick to the top of Jūra's head the nearly gave him a concussion and generated a sonic boom that slammed him into the ocean so hard the resulting wave managed to reach the top of the cliff side. Slamming into the ocean herself Shoko wasn't done as Jūra could be seen racing out of the large spray of water with blood leaking from his head. Running across the surface of the water Jūra looked behind him to see Shoko actually outrunning him on the water and in seconds she overtook him and in a nasty move tripped him up with her leg causing him to tumble through the water at high speed. "Enough of this! THUNDER CANNON!" Jūra roared as he unleashed a blistering barrage of lightning balls at Shoko and Guy who started to dodge out of the way.
"Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!" Shoko yelled as a massive wall of water rose up out of the ocean in front of the kunoichi that took the brunt of several of Jūra's attacks. Out of the veil of water came Guy who like a spinning vortex slammed into Jūra who barely raised his arms to block at the last possible second. "Leaf Hurricane!" Guy roared as he delivered the signature attack of the Strong Fist Taijutsu Style. The green clad Jōnin came in with a powerful roundhouse kick that dunked Jūra beneath the ocean and displaced the water around them. Seconds later the demon emerged looking pissed off, but he was immediately met with Guy who had a pair of special nunchaku in his hands as he slammed them into Jūra's hand cannon so hard that it almost fell out of his grip.
Using his cannon like a blunt club Jūra smashed into Guy's defenses who used his nun chucks to masterful use as he peppered Jūra's unprotected ribs and legs whenever he would overextend on his strikes. "Get a taste of my hot-blooded youth!" Guy pridefully announced as he dished out a picture-perfect leg sweep that took Jūra clean off his feet. Floating in mid air because of his momentum Guy slammed into him with another vicious reverse round house kick. "Leaf Severe Hurricane!" Guy roared as his speed was so fast a whirlwind sprung up around the two displacing the water around them. Jūra was slammed so hard by Guy's attack that he flew across the bay of Hōrai Island and slammed into the side of Gōra who groaned in discomfort.
The island turtle was already having trouble dealing with the warrior toads of Mt. Myōboku. Jūra's ant size body slamming into him at such speeds was like getting stuck with a really long needle. Groaning in pain Jūra barely had time to gather his thoughts before Shoko seemingly teleported in front of him with speed she shouldn't have. "This is for my jaw the other day!" Shoko roared as she cocked her fist back and slammed it into Jūra's jaw with such force that she actually managed to make Gōra's hulking frame move with the sheer force of her punch as Jūra spat out globs of blood from his now broken jaw. "I'm not done yet you bitch!" Jūra raged as he smashed his cannon into Shoko's ribcage in a feint that got her to back up with a grimace of pain. Her injuries from the previous battle was flaring up once again.
"Yōjutsu: Tiger Claw!" Jūra yelled as he slammed his Yōki covered fist into Shoko's sword which she had managed to instinctively hold up in a blocking stance at the last second. While she avoided the damage from the punch the actual force of it was a different matter entirely as the Kage Level woman was pushed back nearly a hundred feet in the water by Jūra's desperate attack. Sadly, the Great Tiger Demon wouldn't get a single second of reprieve as Guy returned crouched down low in front of Jūra who was to slow to react even with his superhuman reflexes.
"Dancing Leaf Shadow!" Guy called out as he landed a devastating rising kick to Jūra's already broken jaw that rattled his brain within. Guy's stance was a mirror image of Lee's over a month ago when he fought Gaara. Launching Jūra high up into the air Guy disappeared into a lightning fast Body Flicker Jutsu to appear underneath Jūra's heavily damaged body with a deadly look in his usually cheerful eyes. Much like the mummy, white bandages flew out from Guys wrists and wrapped around Jūra body who began to struggle but to no avail. Gripping the demon in his embrace Guy mentally opened the first of the Eight Inner Gates to safely perform his upcoming technique. "This is the end for you!" Guy threatened as he flipped the two upside-down and began to spin at dizzying speeds.
"Primary Lotus!" Guy roared as he executed a brutal corkscrew piledriver on Jūra's head directly into the hard shell of Gōra's back that was so powerful Gōra's entire body much like with Shoko earlier moved from the sheer impact of Guy's attack. This time Gōra's shell sunk a few noticeable yards below its normal surface area as the giant island turtle roared in pain. Jumping away at the last second Guy regrouped with Shoko a few yards away from Gōra's shell while Gamaken capitalized on Jūra's vulnerable form to jump high into the air with his Sasumata held tightly in his magenta colored hands.
"Exploding Sasumata Lance!" Gamaken shouted as he slammed his large metallic weapon directly into Jūra's prone form which resulted in a massive explosion that damaged both tiger and turtle demons at the same. It took a few minutes but Jūra recovered and what Shoko and Guy saw caused them to frown. Most of Jūra's body was charred black from the explosion while he pulled himself out from a huge dent in Gōra's shell. "I'm going to kill all of you!" Jūra roared to the sky as every ounce of Yōki stored within his body exploded sending shockwaves out as far as the eye could see. His body underwent a noticeable transformation with his skin becoming thick and bonelike with his shirt ripping off. Three huge claw shaped bone structures formed on Jūra's shoulders as he unleashed a beastly roar. "Ultimate Berserker Release: Baneful Tiger Frenzy!" Jūra announced as Shoko and Guy tensed. This was the climax of their battle. Jūra was coming at them with everything they had.
Crossing his arms Guy growled a low hum as chakra exploded from his body. "Sixth Gate of Joy: Open!" Guy screamed as lime green chakra shot off into the sky in a pillar bathing Guy in its glow. Digging deep within herself to find her old spark Shoko screamed as a monstrous amount of chakra rippled out from her body. Its purple hue contrasted well with the green from Guys body and the white light from Jūra's as the three beings rocketed off from their positions breaking the sound barrier twice over without difficulty. Jūra was so fast that he literally kicked off of the air to propel himself forward where he crashed into Shoko and Guys charging from creating a shockwave so strong it toppled Gamahiro over who was trying to dodge one of Gōra's lightning cannon blasts.
The violent and turbulent waves being caused by the climactic battle going on in the ocean next to him caused Gōra to be unbalanced which was affecting his aim. This distraction allowed Gamaken to hook his Sasumata around Gōra's neck while Gamahiro took one of his swords and stabbed the giant turtle that was more than six times their size in the head with the very tip of his sword which killed the parasite demon possessing Gōra all these years. The sacred power sphere located in the parasite's forehead shattered when Gamahiro added a little bit of Natural Energy to his sword to create a brief surge of Senjutsu.
With Gōra finally free after all these years the island sized turtle let loose a terrifying roar of freedom and outrage as it still had a little bit of energy left within its body. Turning to the coast of Hōrai Island the great turtle while exhausted beyond measure had its heart filled with vengeance as it's many cannon holes all across its shell lit up in power. Unleashing a barrage of lightning balls Gōra targeted Jūra who was close enough to him and landed several successful shots at the Tiger Demon who screamed in pain from the immense power inside of the attacks. Capitalizing on this Guy jumped into the air after Jūra's flailing form and got into a stance. "Asakujaku: Morning Peacock!" Guy yelled as his fist became engulfed in flames because of the sheer velocity and friction rubbing at his fist. Landing well over a 1000 successful punches to Jūra's battered form who after transforming managed to tear off Guys Jōnin flak jacket and deliver several gashes to the green clad Jōnin and Shoko as well was sent rocketing off into the cliffside of Hōrai Island where he was imbedded into the surface with blood leaking from his body.
"This is the end of you! With this no one will ever be hurt by you again. The Uzumaki Clan can finally rest in peace." Shoko said as she seemingly teleported in front of Jūra's weak and battered from who weakly opened his eyes only to widened them when he saw a monstrous amount of chakra gathered at the very tip of Shoko's sword. "Goodbye Jūra. Kenjutsu: Singularity Point." Shoko whispered as she shoved her sword straight through Jūra's heart with such force that a massive hole was blown into the side of Hōrai Island that shook the entire land and created a brand-new cave in the process. The Tiger Demon's body was disintegrated instantly along with his Power Sphere making it impossible for him to be revived which brought peace to Shoko's heart who dropped to her knees in exhaustion but with an air of peace around her as she managed to lift a weight off of her heart that has been holding her down for well over a decade.
The Uzumaki Clan was avenged in her eyes.
While Shoko and Guy were happy their battle was over with the danger was still present as Gōra with vengeance in his heart was bombarding Hōrai Island as a whole while targeting Minos and Lilith in particular. He still had some sense of self to identify who was an enemy and who wasn't, but it didn't matter in the long run as with his constant barrage a large chunk of the island would fall out and sink into the ocean if he wasn't stopped. Shoko didn't have it in her to confront Gōra as much as her bravado would state otherwise and Guy wasn't sure going to the 7th or 8th Gates would be the wises idea to stop the titanic sized turtle from destroying the island. The cost to himself and potentially others would be far too high.
Everyone hand their hands full except for Balalaika who would do something so drastic that it would be etched into the minds over everyone who witnessed it for years to come. Flaring her potent chakra to what she would describe to be around 60% of her maximum, Balalaika reached out with her will and surrounded one of the floating sky islands orbiting Hōrai Island with her brown colored chakra. Everyone saw what she was doing while simultaneously holding back Lilith who recovered from the bomb Balalaika hit her with. The little fairy knew she was at a disadvantage and after having to dodge Gōra's retribution decided it would be best for her to retreat. When Balalaika turned her attention away from her Lilith created one of her transportation circles and slipped into it right as the remaining floating rocks from Balalaika's satellite technique crashed together right were she was just floating.
Seeing Lilith scurrying away as usual Balalaika hissed her teeth before concentrating her full attention on the task at hand. Raising her hands to the sky Balalaika canceled out the chakra she was sending to her stigmata technique and focused it all on the floating sky island hovering above everyone's heads. Taking control of it with copious amounts of sweat pouring down her face Balalaika brought her hands down and ripped the sky island from its stable orbit and caused it to come crashing down on to Gōra's body crushing him beneath the mammoth weight and mass of the sky island the shattered and crumble apart when the strange glowing crystals in its core shattered and broke against Gōra's shell.
Knocked unconscious but still very much alive Gōra's unresponsive body sunk below the ocean with the broken remains of the sky island crumbled around his body. Everyone was speechless including Minos who took the opportunity provided for him to escape with his Angeloids who were carrying his own limp body out of the battlefield despite the fact they were in rough shape themselves.
"Well that takes care of that…" Balalaika murmured as she took out a cigar and lit it with a lighter. Her job was done now.
With Karasuba and Ryūra
While Shoko and Guy are overwhelming Jūra and keeping him busy Karasuba was fighting against Ryūra one on one and the leader of the Four War Gods was having just as bad if not worst time dealing with the Black Reaper who was pressuring Ryūra with a maniacal grin on her face.
"I had no idea you'd grow to be so powerful. You should have joined us in the past." Ryūra stated as he was stuck in a blade lock with the deadly kunoichi who grinned a savage smile in return. "Oh, and spend the next decade watching you sorry lot try scheme after scheme to steal your pathetic powers back. I would have put you out of your misery like I'm about to do right now." Karasuba replied as she disengaged her blade lock with Ryūra so fast that the demon stumbled forward and ran straight into the pommel of Karasuba's jet black sword handle that she brutally smashed straight into the dragon demon's face.
Stunned by this painful assault Ryūra was left wide open to Karasuba's follow up attacks. "Genjutsu: Paralysis." It was as quick as it was subtle as Karasuba touched Ryūra with her finger his whole body froze up on the spot which was exactly what the deadly woman wanted. "I remember you had Wind and Lightning related techniques at your disposal. Let's have some fun with that then." Karasuba prowled as she placed her pointer and middle fingers together and a long thin blade made out of razor sharp winds generated off of her finger tips. "Wind Style: Wind Sword Jutsu!" Thrusting forward with deadly intent Karasuba stabbed Ryūra directly into his chest piercing the armor protecting it. Blood spat out of Ryūra's mouth as he glared a murderous look directly into the ash grey haired woman's eyes who grinned viciously.
"That's the look I want to see… come on, I'm not through with you just yet. Lightning Style: Shockwave Jutsu!" Karasuba's methods were as brutal as they were efficient as she pushed forward with her fingers until they were buried in Ryūra's skin causing the demon to grimace in pain. With her fingers inside of his skin the kunoichi unleashed a potent dosage of crackling lightning directly into his body that lit up the surrounding area with its light. Roaring in pain Ryūra was then brutally kicked in the stomach with enough force that it sent him flying back into a hill that buckled and cracked under his momentum.
"You're not as strong as you think Ryūra… helping you guys get rid of the Uzumaki Clan was the biggest mistake we could have ever made. Yes, they were incredibly powerful and produced many strong shinobi but even I despite all of my many faults regret the actions I did that day. You should haven been the ones to die." Karasuba stated with a rare showing of empathy and remorse in her tone of voice. She had a disgusted look on her face as Ryūra growled in rage. "You want lightning… I'll give you lightning." The demon seethed as he brought his yellow sword to bare.
"Dragon Lightning!" Ryūra exclaimed as a dark blue colored bolt of lightning fell from the sky and struck the position Karasuba was supposed to be in but a split second before the bolt of lightning hit her the Black Reaper phased out of existence with a swift Body Flicker that brought her right in front of her target. Slamming into him Karasuba and Ryūra entered a dance of death that had sparks flying all over the place. Sonic booms and tremors vibrated the surrounding area as two nearly invisible blurs clashed repeatedly over and over again. Craters and dug outs were cut into the ground as Karasuba and Ryūra tore up the island around them.
Navigating her way through Ryūra's heavy swings Karasuba stepped into his guard where she grinned her normal grin. "Kenjutsu: Reaper Blade Dance!" Over ten slashes cut into Ryūra's body before he could even bring his swords back around with Karasuba laughing at the blood splashing on her face. Recovering from this onslaught Ryūra began blocking the kunoichi's repeated attacks with more sonic booms shaking the area. "Oh… so you can keep up huh? Well how about this?" The Black Reaper challenged as she formed a quick sequence of hand signs while still continuing her sword strikes. "Earth Style: Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Five clouds of smoke puffed around Karasuba to reveal shadow clones made out of the Earth Style Nature who all drew their swords before charging in at Ryūra alongside the real Karasuba who had an aura of black chakra around her.
"Kenjutsu: Reaper Cult Dance!" All six kunoichi attacked Ryūra simultaneously with dozens of cuts appearing on his body as he swung his swords at speeds he never thought he'd have to go at. Blocking many strikes but losing to many more Ryūra was surrounded by a cloud of his own blood from deep gash wounds being cut into his body from every angle imaginable. Cloaked in an aura of dark colored chakra Karasuba rained down blow after blow with the great demon being powerless to stop it.
Grunting in anguishing amounts of pain Ryūra surged his potent Yōki in defiance to the powerful woman before him. "I won't be beaten by the likes of you. Earth Dragon Gale!" Ryūra roared as a massive spherical gale of wind erupted from Ryūra's green sword destroying Karasuba's clones that turned into piles of mud that stuck to Ryūra's body restricting his movements which he quickly came to realize. "You never were a shinobi… always plan ahead." Karasuba patronized as she lunged forward with her sword pointed at Ryūra's heart. "Kenjutsu: Black Reaper Soul Strike!" Shouted the Black Reaper as she pierced Ryūra straight through his heart with such force that the cliff behind him exploded. Karasuba's sword was covered in an ethereal miasma of black chakra that had copious amounts of her Yin Nature Chakra flowing through it. Ryūra's entire body exploded destroying the power sphere inside his head killing him instantly with a spray of blood washing over Karasuba's body. "That felt so good…" The woman purred as a pleasurable aroused look came to her face with a pink blush staining her cheeks.
Jiraiya himself was having a tough time with Minos himself but it was nothing the Legendary Sannin couldn't handle. Whatever offense Minos wanted to unleash was always disrupted by the strong magnetic fields caused by Balalaika's satellite technique. As a Fallen Angel Minos's main offense came from aerial combat and the use of his species ability to conjure constructs made out of Light Magic. He wasn't very good at ground combat and he was most definitely terrible at close range hand to hand combat which was were any shinobi worth their headband was great at and as one of the Three Legendary Sannin Jiraiya was an absolute master at it. Minos's ability to fly was also being disrupted by the floating stones in the air.
Another problem Minos ran into were the natural floating sky islands around Hōrai Island. The five floating islands were orbiting Hōrai Island in a natural clockwise formation and anytime Minos got to close to them in his attempts to gain superior altitude to rest the strong gravitational pull of the islands would pull him in which happened on a few occasions when he wasn't paying attention. Minos wasn't the best front-line fighter in the Grigori. He had five pairs of wings which made him an undoubtedly powerful opponent and his reserves of holy grace could attest to that, but he wasn't a natural fighter like some of his brethren or his friend Kokabiel for example. He was a master manipulator and a fairly decent strategist but not a fighter.
This was proven factual when he lowered himself to the ground to engage Jiraiya at a closer range and preceded to get beaten badly by the powerful man who unleashed Kage level Taijutsu attacks at him that left the arrogant man battered. Everytime he would charge up one of his very powerful light spears the white-haired sage would quickly counter it with a Rasengan that would detonate the spear before it could kill him. Getting close to the ground was a terrible idea on Minos's part which proved true when Jiraiya cleverly caught the powerful Fallen Angel in his favorite technique. The Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld Jutsu. Minos was now trapped and with the momentum shifting against the Four War Gods the Fallen Angel knew that he was on the losing side. His Angeloids who were previously damaged by Shoko and Karasuba tried to intervene on his behalf, but they were each dealt with by a Rasengan and some of Jiraiya's Toad related techniques.
The Toad Sage was contemplating using his honored Sage Mode against Minos due to the vast amount of holy power the Fallen Angel had at his disposal but when he saw how poor of a combatant he was Jiraiya decided against it. His Sage Mode was incomplete as it is, and he would need to summon the great elder sage's to help him mold the natural energy he would need in the first place which would take a long while. He would be vulnerable for the time being which would allow Minos the chance to kill him. Fighting him in his base form was the safest option for Jiraiya as he proved to be the Fallen Angel's better with his decades worth of actual high-level combat and the fact he didn't rely so heavily on his wings for flight. As a shinobi Jiraiya was a much more adaptable and versatile fighter and when you add on his years of experience it allowed him to make the vast disparity in his and Minos's actual overall power irrelevant.
With Naruto and Kyōra
Back on Mt. Hōrai Naruto's fight with Kyōra had hit its climax as he began to pressure the Phoenix demon in their dual. "Ice Style: Icicle Bullets!" Naruto intoned as he shot off lightning fast ice shards into Kyōra's wings that he was using to hover off the ground. Naruto's Yōki rich chakra packed the ice with enough force that it ripped through the feathers of Kyōra's pelt allowing air to flow through the holes in his wings preventing him from flying properly. Dropping to the ground in pain Kyōra rolled out of the way when Naruto cracked the ground with his bare fist that almost caved his skull in had he not moved.
"Kenjutsu: Accelerated Decapitation!" Not missing a beat Naruto swung his whole body around and came within inches of chopping Kyōra's head clean off with his swords taking a noticeable chunk of the demons vibrant red hair with him. Growling at this Kyōra roared his anger to Naruto who growled right back. "Yōjutsu: Birds of Fire!" Kyōra shouted as he swung his feathered fan around an unleashed an entire flock of large human sized flaming birds that forced Naruto to switch tactics.
Jumping up to the pillar that was on the platform behind him Naruto slammed his hand into the old stone with force. "Ice Style: Ice Mirror Jutsu!" Channeling chakra into the air around him several thin sheets of flat paned ice surrounded him in a protective dome very much like Haku's signature technique but on a much weaker scale. Kyōra's fire birds slammed into these mirrors and exploded against them shattering the icicle constructs just like Naruto wanted. Changing the flow of his chakra Naruto immediately launched his second technique while hidden in the mist and steam from the birds colliding with his frozen constructions.
"Ice Style: Ice Kunai Barrage Jutsu!" Dozens of kunai flew out of the thick billowing cloud of mist that masked Naruto's visual presence and that of the kunai now coming at Kyōra who with masterful grace deflected as many of the kunai as he could while dodging the rest. Nearing the end of the barrage Kyōra didn't take notice of the fact a few of the kunai had paper bombs attached to them until it was to late. Being swallowed in a massive explosion that caused a small portion of the raised platform that the Cauldron of Resonance rests on to collapse Naruto watched as Kyōra fell to the murky water below. Jumping down after him while cracking the stone pillar behind him Naruto was hot on Kyōra's trail who quickly jumped out of the water while screaming in pain.
As it was stated before the water below the cauldron was filled to the brim with copious amounts of divine energy that saturates in the water from the Cauldron above. The Phoenix Demon was in excruciating pain as he was almost purified on the spot. Channeling a thick aura of protective aura around his body Kyōra felt a small dosage of relieve fill his purified body that had holy burns all across his skin. Before the feminine man could even bask in the small window of reprieve he was afforded he was blindsided by a vengeful Naruto who slammed into him with a powerful X – Scissor attack that displaced the water around them. Landing in the small lagoon Naruto felt the presence of the Cauldron all around him as his boosted reserves of chakra mixed with the unique divine energy in the water. Racing across the water Naruto prevented Kyōra from taking off with his damaged wings by engaging him up close.
"Kenjutsu: Arctic Blade Dance!" Blow after vicious blow was rained down on Kyōra from Naruto who was not letting up in the slightest. Twirling his fan around Kyōra met each of Naruto's strikes with ones of his own which resulted in small shockwaves and sonic booms to shake the cave they were in. Disappearing in blurs the two opponents darted around the pool of water in a dance of death that was very reminiscent of the ones happening down below on the island with the other combatants. Disappearing and reappearing all over the cave and to lagoon every time Naruto and Kyōra would reappear a sonic boom would ring out in the cave as it could be seen that Naruto was slamming his swords into Kyōra's war fan over and over again repeatedly.
"Is this all you have boy!?" Kyōra yelled as he pushed Naruto back and swung his fan forward while generating a potent blast of Yōki. "Yōjutsu: Crimson Demon Fan – Raging Inferno!" A massive wildfire surged out from Kyōra's fan which threatened to incinerate Naruto on the spot but the deadly and confident look in his eyes didn't disappear in the slightest as he pulsed his chakra out words. "Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!" Naruto shouted as he used the lagoon water to create a giant wall of water filled with divine energy to sweep through the billowing wall of flames with little resistance at all. Running forward while generating the technique Naruto managed to tear open a small narrow passage way through the fire storm which Kyōra saw too as he slammed his war fan into the water below. "Yōjutsu: Red Dawn!" Generating a massive burst of red lightning Kyōra caused the wave of water to explode while sending an electrical current through the water that forced Naruto to jump into the air to avoid it.
While in the air Naruto crossed his fingers and created a shadow clone that landed behind Kyōra while Naruto himself landed only a few yards away from the demon who brought his war fan back around to block what he knew to be incoming attacks. "Kenjutsu: Arctic Duet Dance!" Naruto shouted as he and his shadow clone each performed their signature Arctic Blade Dance technique on Kyōra in the classical pincer maneuver that had the taller man grimacing in discomfort as he was being pressured by the two advanced Genin who were not giving him an inch. Unleashing more of his flame coated birds Kyōra forced the clone away who was dealing with the flock while he slammed into Naruto who lost one of his swords in the process.
Forced into an unfamiliar situation Naruto blocked Kyōra's overhead strike with both hands on his one remaining sword. Naruto was very unused to using one sword at a time as he was a dual wielding specialist at heart but the fire in his eyes couldn't be put out as he seamlessly adapted to using only one of his arctic blades. Clashing over and over again Naruto found himself getting into a certain rhythm that he's never experienced before with one sword as he put more weight and momentum behind his swings that were all tight and focused into the body of Kyōra who couldn't get enough distance away form Naruto to catch a breath.
Parrying Kyōra's downwards slash Naruto flicked his wrist and knocked Kyōra's staff out of his hand and in one swift movement stabbed Kyōra through the torso who jumped back after kicking Naruto away. "You bastard child… how dare you…" Kyōra groaned as he spat out a large glob of blood into the water below. "I'm going to make you suffer the same way you made all of your victims suffer… the same way you made my ancestors and brethren suffer. You don't even deserve to be called demons because at least the one I know is nothing like you." Naruto raged as he lunged forward when Kyōra reached for his war fan. Placing his hand in the murky water below Naruto splashed some of it into Kyōra's face causing the man to scream in unrestrained pain and anguish.
Kneeing the man in the chin with a bone rattling skull shot Naruto then cocked his fist back before delivering a devastating right haymaker that almost caused Kyōra to fall below the surface of the water. He was using his potent Yōki to stay afloat above the waters surface but the blows he was taking were making it hard for him to do so. "You and your brothers are nothing but monsters and I'm going to put you down like the scum you are!" Naruto roared as he slammed his chakra coated fist into Kyōra's skull causing blood to fly out of the older mans head who in blind rage and pain kicked Naruto away from him who skidded back over 20 yards. "We are War Gods! We are strong! The weak will bow to our strength boy! Don't act all high and mighty. I sensed something in you so long ago and now I know what it is… it's more than your daughters and more than your lineage as Princess Kushina's son. You have a darkness in you. A bloody past that came about long before I marked you that day. You enjoy fighting and killing just as much as I do. We are kindred spirits you and I." Kyōra ranted as he saw a true spark of darkness and pain flash through Naruto's eyes before they were stomped out by righteous fury.
"We are nothing alike!" Naruto screamed as he took off with Kyōra doing the same who grabbed his staff in one clean swoop. "Accelerated Punch!" Naruto shouted as he through forth his kinetic punch that Kyōra countered with his Ragin Inferno technique. Discharging the built-up energy in his fist Naruto blew apart the fire storm much to Kyōra's shock who took the opportunity to jump as far back as he could get. "Yōjutsu: Crimson Demon Fan – Flaming Vortex!" Kyōra announced as a spinning vortex of fire charged across the sacred cave to Naruto whose body glowed a familiar blue. "Tempest Turn!" Scattering in four different directions Naruto and his accelerated shadow clones dodged the technique before bombarding Kyōra from all sides with lighting fast strafing runs that cut into Kyōra's skin each time they connected.
"Yōjutsu: Birds of Fire!" Kyōra shouted as he unleashed an entire flock of flaming birds that each locked on to one of Naruto's accel clones and smashed into it destroying the clones who willingly detonated the kinetic energy inside of them to destroy all of the fire birds so that they couldn't be used against the original.
"Why won't you die!?" The demon raged as he disappeared with a sonic boom splitting the water below him. Kyōra's Yōki was reaching a fevered pitch as Naruto roared to the heavens his acceptance of the Phoenix Demons challenge. Building up his hybrid chakra once again for his High-End Skills Naruto noticed a certain boost occurring right as he took off. It was in that moment that he knew he perfected the Double Acceleration and cleared another plateau in his cherished skill set. "No-Interval Double Accel!" Taking off like a bullet Naruto and Kyōra tore the cave apart as they reappeared at random places all across the cavern from the ceiling to the walls to the lagoon below.
Naruto immediately notice a big difference from his normal Acceleration and Double Acceleration in comparison to now. There is a usual lag in between the usage of his Double Accel when he uses up one pocket of kinetic energy and has to switch to the second one to complete the technique. Here, there was no lag. From start to finish Naruto was being propelled forward on one continuous burst of kinetic energy that was compressed further than the base technique ever was.
Breaking through the side of the cave Naruto and Kyōra reappeared on the outside of Mt. Hōrai with their bodies clad in their respective colors. Red and Blue. "This ends now boy! You are far to dangerous to be kept alive!" Kyōra shouted as he ascended into the sky despite the fact his wings wore torn to shreds by Naruto's earlier attacks. "Yōjutsu: Crimson Demon Fan – Corona Blast!" Pouring every ounce of Yōki into his attack Kyōra created a deep red colored fireball over his head that had red lightning sparking from the center of it. This was his ultimate attack and he was dead set on killing Naruto and potentially destroying the mountain along with him. "DIE!" The demon roared as he launched the fireball at Naruto who showed nothing but raw determination in his eyes. 'Let's do this Nine Tails.' Naruto thought as he called upon his residence's potent Chakra that immediately darkened the skies to black and caused snow to flood the area.
Skipping over his Initial Jinchūriki Form, Naruto instead took it a step further and progressed to his Version 1 cloak complete with 1 Tail behind him as the fireball slammed into his waiting hands that shook the entire mountain with the shockwaves alone. Roaring to the heavens Naruto dug his heels into the stone beneath him as a deep trench was carved out flowing down the side of Mt. Hōrai as Naruto was being pushed down the mountain with the fireball licking at his cloak with its flames. "DIE! DIE! DIE!" Kyōra shouted as he pumped as much Yōki as his body could handle into the technique. The fireball continued to grow in side as Naruto reached the base of Mt. Hōrai in less than 10 seconds which was a feat considering how tall the mountain was.
A massive crater formed around Naruto form the mass of the fireball as it continued to push him through the valley that laid in between Mt. Hōrai and the unnamed second smaller mountain next to it that along with Mt. Hōrai rested at the base of the massive crater formed during the fall of the Hidden Whirlpool Village.
"I WON'T GIVE UP!" Naruto roared as he began to actually lift the giant sphere of fire off the ground a little which was changing its trajectory. "HHHHHAHAAAAAAA!" Letting out every inch of courage he had inside of him Naruto picked the orb of fire up and launched it back at Kyōra who's heart skipped a beat seeing his own attack reflected back at him. Crimson red chakra arms were flowing off of Naruto's arms as the fireball in his hands looked very much like the Rasengan Jiraiya would often use. Slamming into Kyōra with earthshattering force the Phoenix demon placed his hands against his own attack and held it there so that it wouldn't kill him. "I will not be beaten by my own attack boy! Do you hear me!" The demon screamed as he knew he couldn't move. He wasn't fast enough to fly out of the way of his own attack in the split seconds after taking his hands off of the fireball. He would be incinerated on the spot.
"This is for everything you and your brothers ever did to your victims. This is for the Uzumaki Clan! This is for the Refugees! This is for my children! This is for my mother!" Naruto screamed as he pushed the fireball closer to Kyōra who screamed and pushed the fireball as far away from him as he possibly could. "THEY ARE ALL WEAK! They deserved to be killed by men like us! That killer instinct is inside of you to boy. You're more of a demon than you realize." The man tried to state as he pushed harder against his own attack causing Naruto's knees to buckle beneath him as well as the ground for around 20 feet. Groaning in pain Naruto felt his strength slipping as the strain the Version 1 cloak was putting on him was immense considering the fact this was the very first time he voluntarily called upon it without the Nine Tails interfering or using it as a medium to rampage around. This much chakra flooding through his body on top of the power boost he received from Lady Miya was far too much for his body to handle.
He could feel his grip slipping but Naruto didn't want to give up so easily. However, help would come in the most unlikely and unseen place as a whisper like sound barely audible over the wind carried itself to Naruto's ears right before the fire ball became engulfed in what Naruto could only describe as black flames.
"Amaterasu."
Kyōra's panicked cries were heard by Naruto as the black flames began to eat away at the fire ball until they reached the center of the attack that was filled to the brim with densely compacted potent levels of Yōki which were exposed to the supreme fire. Red lightning sparked off of the Yōki core while Naruto saw his chance to end things. "IT'S OVER!" With a second wind Naruto stood up and shoved his chakra coated hand forward and slammed the now smaller Yōki core covered in black flames directly into Kyōra's chest who screamed the most pain filled cry Naruto's ever heard in his life.
"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!"
A titanic explosion shook the island as a bright light could be seen from the top of Mt. Hōrai that filled the darken sky with its illumination. Being blown back Naruto flew all the way through Ilex Forest while crashing through trees and boulders and crashed down into the rolling hills right above the ruins of the old Hidden Whirlpool Village. He never saw who caused those black flames as Itachi cloaked in his plain black cloak disappeared around the unnamed mountain with his Sharingan eyes in a strange pattern with blood flowing out of them.
"Naruto!" It was faint, but Naruto could hear a voice calling out to him as he drifted between consciousness. In moments a person was crushing him within their embrace and opening his eyes Naruto could see it was Hinata of all people with Anko, Karin, Fū, and Aria surrounding him with looks of relief, concern, and shock on their faces.
"Hinata…" Naruto gasped as tears came to his eyes. He knew a rescue party was coming but he didn't know that his best friend and crush was one of them. The look in her lavender colored eyes spoke volumes to how she was feeling right now but the most overpowering emotion of all was love and it was all directed toward him who even in the terrible condition he was in managed a small bashful blush that stained his cheeks. "You came for me?" Naruto whispered as his best friend cried silently into his chest. "Of course, silly… you would have done the same for me if not more." Hinata weakly stated with a tiny punch to Naruto's chest who chuckled and hugged Hinata tighter while ignoring the blush on his face. He knew one was on her face as well, but he would be damned if he let anything interrupt this moment… anything except for one thing.
"Daddy."
One word and Naruto's heart leapt into his throat as he leaned his head over to see Iris standing behind Hinata with a look of hope and relief in her eyes. Sōkyoku's influence was gone now with the little girl having small crystal-clear tears brimming in her blue eyes. "Iris…" Naruto breathlessly murmured as he grimaced in pain. Pushing himself up to a sitting position Naruto watched as Hinata moved away to let Iris through. In seconds father and daughter embraced with the little girl tackling Naruto back to the ground with a bone crushing hug that caused Naruto to wince in pain.
"You're ok! I've missed you daddy!" Iris sobbed as she buried her face in Naruto's bruised chest. Naruto felt a certain hollowness in his chest as he looked down at his distraught daughter who was in his embrace. Lady Sōkyoku has been manipulating events in his life since day one and what's worse was she knew how his future would play out. She knew things that should never be known or predicted. It left a bad taste in his mouth as he tried to keep the happy look on his face.
Unknowingly enough, the others had very similar looks as well as they bore witness to Sōkyoku's true self. They all had conflicting emotions in their hearts at seeing Iris act like a child again. It was jarring and unnerving to see since they now knew this wasn't the only side to Iris, but they all agreed to keep their opinions to themselves for now.
"I've missed you too Iris… I'm glad you're ok." Naruto comforted as he checked the little girl over for injuries which he was relieved to see none, but he did notice the sheer amount of mental and physical fatigue weighing her body down. "Where is Chaos!? Did you guys find her?" Naruto questioned once he noticed his favorite little homicidal daughter was not among the group. She would have snuck up on him by now to prank him. After the terrible ordeal they all underwent she would need to recuperate her strength by absorbing his negative energy.
"She's back at the ruins of the village with Kakashi. There's a large group of refugees gathered there with a group of orphans claiming to know you. But Naruto… Fuki… she's here… why?" Hinata explained to Naruto who nodded in understanding as he was happy to find out the rest of the refugees on the island are safe but towards the end Hinata had a confused and distraught look on her face as she along with Anko looked towards the blond-haired boy for answers. Looking down in shame Naruto answered in a whisper like voice. "I'm sorry Anko… but Fuki was a secret agent of the Four War Gods all this time. Ever since we were seven years old in fact. She was the person who attacked me on the night of our graduation. She has the mark of the four war gods on her back just like me." Naruto explained as a defeated look came to Anko's face as she grew quiet. Her own student was working for the enemy all this time. Did she fail as a teacher? Was it something she did? How could she have not seen the signs?
Anko had a lot to think about when it came to the fate of her student who was highly likely to be charged as a criminal. It was a lot to think about for the Jōnin Sensei who was a first-time teacher. This was her first Genin team and after this monumental failure it would probably be her last.
Ruins of The Hidden Whirlpool Village
"I think it would be best that we get back to the village. Everyone there must be worried about us." Naruto suggested as the others agreed. As much as they didn't want too, the topic of discussion was Fuki and her betrayal on their way back to the village. It would be on their minds for a long time to come as Naruto explained everything he knew about Fuki's involvement to the group before switching over to depicting the ordeal he had to endure at the hands of his captors. Reaching the village Naruto was elated to see Shoko who rushed up to him and embraced him in a bone crushing hug that nearly broke him in two.
Dark circles were around her eyes of exhaustion and stress that once more spoke volumes to the state of her mind and the stress upon it. "My baby boy… I'm so glad you're okay." Shoko sobbed as Naruto shed his own tears at being in the arms of the woman he thought of as a mother. The knowledge of now knowing who his mother was brought Naruto to his knees as he squeezed the taller woman with all of his might. "Shoko… I know… I know who my mother is now." Naruto revealed as Shoko's breath got hitched in her throat.
"Naruto… what are you saying? How did you find out?" The woman trembled as she placed her hands-on Naruto's whiskered cheeks with a gentleness and uncertainty that belayed her anxiety and tension building in her heart. "Lady Miya told me when I met her." Naruto admitted as a gasp left Shoko's mouth as she look at Naruto with an expression of awe and shock on her face. "You met Lady Miya…?" Shoko breathlessly stated as Balalaika, Karasuba, and Jiraiya all felt their hearts catch in their throats.
The Lady Miya… the High Priestess of the Uzumaki Clan? The one and the same. That should have been impossible since from Balalaika and Karasuba's prospective the Priestess never made it off the island before it disappeared and cut itself off from the rest of the world and from Shoko's recounts of that day alongside her teammates and friends the powerful High Priestess sealed herself away within the sacred relic of the Uzumaki Clan.
"That's right little Shoko… it's been far to long." Miya's voice spoke up as everyone turned to see the Priestess in question with a gentle smile on her face. Her voice no longer had the same booming ethereal tone to it that constantly leaked the overwhelming power she possessed. Now Miya sounded just like everyone else, except her voice still carried that mesmerizing and melodic quality to it that grabbed people's attention the same way Iris's does whenever she speaks. Their shared natures as higher deities are responsible for this special phenomenon. Shoko's breath hitched in her throat at seeing her old mentor in the flesh. Growing up as a little girl, Shoko would often accompany Kushina and their teammates to the Hidden Whirlpool Village to visit. Miya took an interest in training her in Kenjutsu and Fūinjutsu alongside Kushina. Balalaika and Karasuba both tensed at seeing the powerful woman near them.
Even the two powerful women never dared to approach her during the invasion. Fear gripped Karasuba's heart as she attempted to draw her sword on instinct when Miya walked passed her but, in a heartbeat, Miya looked over her shoulder while placing her finger on Karasuba's hand that was gripping her sword. A dark miasma filled the air around Miya as a deceptive innocent smile stared back at Karasuba who saw what appeared to be a Hannya Mask hovering over Miya's shoulder.
"The time for hostilities are over with… while the crimes you committed in the past are unforgivable… now is not the time to continue in that same mindset. We will have peace for now." Miya admonished with a calm tone but through the finger touching her hand Karasuba could feel a wellspring of raw power humming gently below the surface of Miya's skin. For all of Karasuba's raw might and immense power in the back of her mind she felt like all her power amounted to nothing but a drop in the ocean compared to the deity that stood next to her. Even then Karasuba still didn't feel like that analogy did her despair any justice as Miya walked past her and approached Shoko who dropped to a knee before the supreme presence walking among them.
"I can't believe it's you… I never thought I'd see you again mistress." Shoko mumbled in disbelieve as she refused to look at the priestess. Miya smiled an amused smile at this as a dainty giggle escaped her lips in response to this act. "We have much to discuss."
The rest of the day was spent with Miya introducing herself to the others as she healed Eva and Chaos from their injuries with no difficulty at all. Naruto was once more surprised to see Eva in her full sized human form after all this time, but the novelty wouldn't last as she returned to her natural state soon after being healed from the extraction process that strained her body over the course of the full day Lilith was at it. The Aqua Stone was tied to Eva's very soul and was impossible to simply remove on one try, especially with it's unique properties.
The many groups of orphans and refugees were introduced to the rescue team including the familiar group of orphans that Naruto decided to take in. Introductions were thrown around until a wave of shock filled the air when Miya formally announced that Naruto was the son of Princess Kushina the rightful heir to the old Hidden Whirlpool Village. Further proof was shown when Miya allowed Naruto to show off the usage of the Nine Tails Chakra. Only an Uzumaki could hold Kurama due to the sheer amount of overwhelming chakra possessed by him and since it was known by the citizens that Kushina was Kurama's Jinchūriki it lent credit to Miya's claims.
It took some time after getting to know him, but Naruto was rendered speechless when the rest of the refugees in the camp bowed to him and acknowledged him as their new Shī-ō. Naruto had no words to say as the older generation of refugees who were alive during the time when the Hidden Whirlpool Village still stood remembered their fond memories of Kushina and those around her. They could tell immediately that they were related. Naruto explained to those who wished to listen the story of how everything came to be including the events that led up to him coming to the island.
Most were captivated by his story and showed outrage in certain parts. Young and old were interested to learn about Naruto's life and so he told them as much as he could while leaving certain parts out, especially concerning Iris and Chaos's importance and true nature. He even included some of his childhood and its rough spots that sparked vocal output and unrest from those listening which warmed Naruto's heart immensely. Naruto expressed his desire to return to the Hidden Leaf but promised to keep in touch with his people. Naruto explained to his new people that he needed to get stronger and that the Hidden Leaf was his home. He couldn't leave it to move to Hōrai Island indefinitely.
He mentioned to them that he wanted to be the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf. He never dreamed of having a leadership role in his life but throughout the years of spending time with the Third Hokage and secretly wanting to not only be acknowledged by his people but to also protect his home he genuinely built up a desire to become the Hokage of the village. The refugees were understandably disheartened at this news and seeing where this was going Naruto continued by telling them that he will restore Hōrai Island and the Hidden Whirlpool Village back to its former glory.
The refugees were saddened to know that Naruto's heart belonged to the Hidden Leaf and that he wanted to be their Hokage. It was the exact same situation that befell Kushina when she was a little girl. She was chosen to be the Second Jinchūriki to Kurama the Nine Tailed Fox. It was a task that while she was very nervous and afraid to do she never the less accepted with pride and humility. She would grow to hold a love for the Hidden Leaf as well as for the Hidden Whirlpool. While she balanced her life between her two homes and secretly favored the Hidden Whirlpool over the Leaf it still didn't prevent the negative feelings that the citizens felt in regard to Kushina being taken away from them when she was supposed to be the next Shī-ō.
But hearing that he is willing to restore Hōrai Island and breathe life back into the Hidden Whirlpool Village brought the refugees to tears. They've lived the last two decades isolated on the island with no outside contact and no hope that the Four War Gods would ever be defeated. To know that Kushina's child was still alive and willing to one day lead them was all the victims needed to hear in order for hope to return to their hearts. One by one Naruto's new citizens and breather started to bow before him once again with certain individuals stepping forward to kneel before him. These were some of the last warriors and shinobi native to the Land of Whirlpools and survivors of their past.
Sadly, there were only a handful of these combat capable individuals in the group to approach him and the ones to make the most memorable impact on Naruto at the time were interesting individuals from both walks of life such as being human and some being supernatural in nature. One was an elderly woman who Naruto could tell spent her entire life on the island long before it fell. She was wearing the traditional attire of a Miko and she introduced herself as Kaede. She was of a short comparable height to Naruto and had greying hair with an eyepatch over her right eye. The next was a tall man with dark skin and silver hair. It turned out he was a Bat Demon which intrigued Naruto greatly with the man introducing himself as Tsukuyomaru. The next was yet another demon that stood at a tall stature. He had a pale complexion and light purple hair. The most distinguished feature of him was a ceramic face mask that covered the left side of his face. He introduced himself as Shishinki. The last was a beautiful woman that revealed herself to be a Siren with the lower body of a fish. Her scales were rainbow like in coloration and she had a voluptuous upper half with long blue hair and fish like gills for ears. Her skin is snow white in color with gold stripes decorating it all across her body. She introduced herself as Laira Lorelei the leader of a clan of Mermaids who called the underwater caves of Hōrai Island their home. They were trapped and confined to the caves of the island since the whirlpools that surrounded the island prevented them from swimming away and the strong gravitational pull of the island which would normally be negligible since the Uzumaki would allow them save passage in the past keeps pulling them back to the island whenever they try to swim away.
It was this phenomenon that killed off Ai's parents in the past. These individuals bowed before Naruto and expressed their gratitude and happiness at having a surviving Uzumaki back on the island once again and knowing that he was the rightful heir to the Uzumaki Clan made them even happier. They each swore their loyalty to Naruto which left him uncomfortable as he didn't like the thought of being in charge of people so completely. It reminded him of the relationship he shares with Aria.
The villagers moods would brighten even further when Karin introduced herself as an Uzumaki which they could all easily confirm. She asked Naruto if she could live on the island which Naruto easily agreed to as he was elated to know that he had a living relative. He and Karin would spend hours together talking and getting to know one another. Since they couldn't determine how closely they were related they both agreed to just say that they were cousins. However, Naruto quickly grew to see Karin as his sister which she returned the sentiment by calling him her older brother. She revealed she was born after him when they compared their birthdays and the actual years they were born. As it turned out Karin was a very clingy and perverted girl who stuck to Naruto's arm after accepting him as her family. She also couldn't help herself as she passed off several inappropriate jokes around Iris and Chaos much to Naruto's annoyance and Anko's amusement who took a liking to her for that exact reason. Fū not wanting to be separated from her new friend also petitioned Naruto for asylum on Hōrai Island. Naruto was greatly shocked by this as Fū belonged to the Hidden Waterfall Village. Fū explained that aside from the village leader Shibuki, no one cared for her at all and would not miss her if she were to disappear. While Naruto didn't want to potentially bring future problems to himself he couldn't find it in his heart to turn down the energetic girl who he learned to be the Jinchūriki of the Seven Tails. After everything he went through with Gaara and the promise he made to himself Naruto decided that he wanted to protect his fellow Jinchūriki and help make their lives easier. With this thought in his mind Naruto accepted Fū's request which put him on the energetic girls good side who kissed him dangerously close to his lips while re-affirming her earlier joke from before Naruto's kidnapping that she wouldn't mind having him as a boyfriend. This obviously didn't go over to well with Hinata who was struggling with keeping the polite smile on her face while speaking with the Jinchūriki.
The interactions with the villagers would last for the rest of the day as the rescue team had to heal their wounds and tend to the very sick and unhealthy refugees out of obligation. Miya would shock the group when she summoned an entire building out of thin air which she called Izumo Inn. It turns out the building was her own personal pocket dimension that she could control at will. She allowed everyone to stay in the building which seemed to grow infinitely bigger on the inside to accommodate the dozens of refuges on the island despite the fact it was only two floors from the outside and had a very limited number of boarding rooms.
Fuki was properly restrained and kept under the watchful eye of Anko who questioned her student throughout the day but was met with little success. The girl was filled with remorse and refused to talk to her sensei. Everyone else busied themselves with menial tasks as Naruto spent a lot of time with Hinata who helped him take care of Eva, Iris, and Chaos who were all recovering from their ordeal. He himself received some healing sessions from Miya who helped his body adjust to the influx of chakra and energy granted to him from being inside of the Cauldron of Resonance. As the official Shī-ō and heir to the island Naruto unknowingly fused with the soul of the Cauldron which turned out to be Miya who Naruto could now feel in the very furthest reaches of his mind. It was bothering him all day and well into the night that Miya's presence reminded him of Sōkyoku, but when questioned about this feeling Miya just giggled and told Naruto not to flatter her with such a statement.
While Naruto managed to stay to himself while interacting with his new citizens and children who was being watched by Aria he couldn't escape the gaze of Balalaika who struck up a conversation with Naruto and praised him for his tenacity and will to survive and fight against all odds. She shocked Naruto to his core by telling Naruto that Kushina would be proud of how he has grown. When Naruto in turn asked the Kingpin if she knew his mother Balalaika responded in the positive but refrained from telling him more out of respect since Shoko was sending her a warning look. That was a right that was reserved for Shoko.
One interesting thing to happen to Naruto late into the day was the fact Miya instructed Naruto on how to perfect his Magic Circle Glyph which she had him perform on Gōra after the mammoth island turtle regained consciousness. After the technique was complete Naruto managed to form a contract with Gōra like all of the previous Shī-ō did in the past. Of course, he didn't have no where near the amount of chakra necessary to summon the powerful creature but the deed itself was done and now Gōra was happy to resume his sacred duty of protecting his home like he has done for the last 1000 years.
Late into the night everyone settled down to fall asleep with Naruto having Iris and Chaos as usual snuggled up to his side with his arm wrapped protectively around them. Eva who was back to her default size was resting in his hair after the partners spent the day not leaving each other's side. Naruto and Eva cried once they were reunited with each other and the little fairy told Naruto what Lilith did to her. Sadly, Kurruk was never found by Kakashi or anyone else who came for Naruto's clone that brought Asagi and Fuki back to the ruins. It was the general consensus that the mummy has once again escaped but without his masters to guide him he was now a wild card. Embarrassingly enough Hinata was sharing a room with Naruto that was instigated by Anko and surprisingly enough Shoko who was in good spirits after reuniting with Naruto and meeting Miya again after all these years. Each room only had one bed so much to Naruto's horror Hinata was in the same bed with him which had Naruto's heart beating out of his chest. Even though Chaos was situated between the two lifelong friends it did nothing to lessen the embarrassment Naruto was feeling. Hinata herself passed out once she realized the situation she was in which ended up with Anko placing her limp body in the beg with Naruto against her will and without her knowledge.
With everyone either asleep or doing their own thing it left Izumo Inn in a comfortable silence. After managing to set aside his embarrassment from having Hinata so close to him Naruto managed to fall asleep and was out like a light. His immense exhaustion from the ordeal he had to suffer through left him completely drained of energy. He fell into a deep sleep which was why he nor Hinata noticed when Iris quietly slipped out of his strong embrace.
Courtyard of Izumo Inn
The night was silent as the full moon hung low in the sky. A gentle almost unnoticeable breeze filtered through the small courtyard of Izumo Inn as all of its residents were fast asleep. After the dangerous battle, they just endured everyone wanted nothing more than to sleep the night away. Everyone was asleep except for one individual. The owner of the Inn herself, Miya Asuma. The landlady was dressed in her shrine maiden clothes from earlier and a melancholy look was on her face as she looked up at the full moon.
"It's a lovely moon out tonight… isn't that right mother." The Miko spoke in her soft voice as she didn't look away from her star gazing. "It really is… and I see you're still calling me mother." A soft yet rich voice spoke up. It was a very familiar voice that we've heard for many years. It was Sōkyoku herself who was manifesting herself through Iris's body right now. The little girl was sitting on the porch with the older woman clad in her yellow pajamas, Iris's eyes that are usually a piercing and slightly glowing sapphire blue were now a rich and powerful emerald green that was giving off an ethereal glow. "You've always been my mother, ever since the day you gave me life." Miya countered as her gaze softened a bit.
Sōkyoku smiled a bemused smile as she rolled her eyes a bit. "You are my creation. You are one of my oldest and very first creations… my little feather." Sōkyoku corrected as her smile softened a bit as she could tell Miya was going to speak again. "Creation or not, I still consider you my mother. You raised me as such after all." Miya giggled with a dainty hand raised over her mouth in a lady like gesture. Shaking her head with another roll of her eyes Sōkyoku kept the banter going. "And you seem to forget one crucial detail my child. I cannot naturally conceive a child. It's impossible for a being like me." Sōkyoku admitted although her voice carried with it a certain melody of sadness and resignation to it that would strike even the coldest heart with compassion and sympathy. "And it is for that very reason why I will always consider myself your child and you my mother." Miya enforced with a beautiful smile as she pulled her now revealed mother into her lap and wrapped her arms around Sōkyoku's tiny body.
"I missed you so much mother… it feels like forever even though time has no domain over us." Miya spoke softly with a small tremor of sadness in her voice. Her eyes shimmered in the night as she looked down into the glowing eyes of the child who long ago gave her life. "I know Miya… I'm so sorry that I haven't been with you or any of your siblings for that matter. I've been so preoccupied with trying to recover my sister's power and restore my health that it's taken up so much of my time. For eons I've searched for her missing power only to come to find out it was placed inside of Chaos's body. It's why I asked you to create this dimension in the first place." Sōkyoku mumbled as she snuggled into Miya's embrace.
Looking down sadly at her hurting mother Miya hugged Iris's body closer to her chest. Sōkyoku cared about her sister more than anything in existence. They were quite literally two halves of the same whole. Other than her own creations Sōkyoku loved her sister above all else and to know that she was in such a weakened state because she took a fatal blow meant for her put a murky pool of guilt in Sōkyoku's heart that she's never been able to cure. "When I was attacked by those possessed Guardians of the Gates of Purgatory I knew that 'he' was gaining back his strength. His influence is the only part of his essence that purgatory can't hold back. He managed to infuse those damn creatures with enough power that they overpowered me in my vulnerable state. I hadn't fought in a battle for so long my battle sense and judgement skills dulled to a pathetic state. It was an embarrassment on my pride." Sōkyoku admitted through gritted teeth as she buried her face into Miya's chest who spoke encouraging words to her distraught creator.
"It's ok… I don't think any less of you my lady. You did your best and because of that we were able to prepare for the inevitable conflict that is to come one day. He will eventually break free from purgatory and he will come for you and aunty once more. You two are the only ones capable of beating him." Miya spoke as Sōkyoku peered up at one of her oldest feathers and smiled a very small smile. "That's not the case anymore. When I was sucked into that dimensional portal and felt my body breaking apart I sent my consciousness out to communicate with you. I gave you instructions to create this dimension to give birth to a new Child of Prophecy that would be directly created from out influence. With his help we can put the darkness back where it belongs." Sōkyoku revealed as she gently rubbed the top of Miya's head. It was an odd sight to see a child patting the head of a full-grown adult, but the two higher beings cared little for semantics like that.
"I feel terrible for manipulating history like this… a lot of pain and suffering was required to produce this timeline in which Naruto is born to these circumstances. I just hope he can forgive you for all of this." Miya spoke in sadness that was reflected in Sōkyoku's illuminating emerald eyes. "I can sense our relationship has become strained. I could sense his hesitation and thoughts deep within his heart when he greeted Iris earlier. He's lost his faith and trust in me. I don't blame him, but I never expected it to hurt so much. I'm not used to interacting with mortals… I have very few bonds in my life so to feel one of them strained is a unique experience for me." Sōkyoku admitted as she curled up into a ball within Miya's lap. A pained look was in her eyes as Miya softly cooed into the young girls ears. "I know it hurts mother, but all that means is that you'll have to work to gain back his trust. It will make the both of you stronger for the future… he will forgive you one day very soon. Family's fight all the time. Just look at me and my siblings." Miya encouraged with a chuckle towards the end that Sōkyoku joined in on as she thought to the other feathers she dropped from her body that turned into deities that viewed her as their mother. She didn't have many at all but eons ago they did bicker and fight a lot because of their conflicting personalities.
"I guess you're right… things will work itself out between us with time. For a concept that holds no domain over me it sure does like to stretch out its influence a lot." Sōkyoku chuckled with Miya cracking a smile at this. "It's been so long but if I'm not mistaken it was created after me, right?" Miya questioned as Sōkyoku scrunched up her face in contemplation. Unknowingly, Sōkyoku looked exactly like Naruto whenever he was in deep thought.
"I… believe so… I actually don't know… It was a force that was created long after I came into being, but I can't remember exactly when. Since I existed long before it I technically don't have an actual age to measure my life on. Man… I feel old." Sōkyoku murmured as she blinked a few times in exasperation. She was having a mini existential crisis of identity since these small nuances of life were things the deity never pondered before. The concept and force of time was an extremely young abstract that came about long after Sōkyoku and her sister had been created. In retrospect the concept of time was one of the oldest laws in all of existence in comparison to some of the oldest and first generation of gods and higher beings who all acknowledged that time existed for some time before they came into being. It just proved how old Sōkyoku really was.
Miya hearing the bewilderment in her mother's voice laughed a dainty laugh that sounded like a choir of angels. The sound softly vibrated off the walls of Izumo Inn as Miya smiled a true genuine smile that was filled with happiness for being able to spend time with her mother after all this time. It was another precious memory she could add to her life now.
"I think it's time you got back to Naruto before he notices you missing mother." Miya spoke as she picked Iris's small body up and placed her down on the floor on her feet. In turn Miya rose to her feet as well with Sōkyoku looking up at her creation with a soft smile. "I agree… I just hope that one day we can finally obtain peace where I can go back to spending time with you all. I hope Naruto will be by my side when that time comes." Sōkyoku admitted with a tremor of uncertainty and vulnerability in her voice. Miya felt her heart ache for the pain she knew her mother to be in. The primordial being had a weight of stress on her heart that no one else could fathom. It was eating away at the pure being's heart each and every day.
"He will… we all will. I'll even drag my siblings along if you need me to. Naruto will be by your side because you are going to make him strong enough to survive what is to come." Miya spoke as she leaned down on one knee and rubbed Sōkyoku's cheek. "I find it quite amusing mother that you consider Naruto to be like a father figure in your life. It's proof that your changing… you never used to act this way." Miya revealed as Sōkyoku laughed a mirthless laugh. "We'll even a being such as I secretly desires what it is like to have loving parents. My creator wasn't much of a parenting type. She only created my sister and I to destroy the darkness that was disturbing her. Not the best mother material around." Sōkyoku patronizingly stated with a sliver of bitterness and sadness in her voice. It always hurt her to think about the exact reason for her existence. It was hollow and painful.
Miya never had any words to comfort Sōkyoku whenever this topic came up, so she settled on a simple hug she's always given out. "Things will be different now… I promise. So, let's get you off to bed now mother. Growing girls need their sleep." Miya said softly with warmth and encouragement lacing every word she spoke. She transitioned over into a teasing tone as she joked with her mother and pushed her along back to Naruto's room with Sōkyoku allowing this as her eyes slowly faded back to their normal sapphire blue hue. "Thank you, my little feather… good night." Sōkyoku softly said with a genuine maternal smile on her face as she reached up and planted a soft kiss onto Miya's cheek before her influence completely faded and Iris was left in Miya's care who quickly waved her hand in the girls face getting her to fall back asleep. Silently placing Iris's body back into Naruto's bed where they both subconsciously reached out for one another Miya left the room and traversed the halls of her special pocket dimension designed as an inn.
'You're welcome mother… I'll do everything in my power to help you combat what is to come and if by doing so I have to prepare Naruto for the future then so be it. Everything I've manipulated in this world so far has been for that purpose. This time we will win.' Miya thought to herself as she allowed her resolve to build within her. Her soft eyes glowed in power as she returned to her own room. 'We will win… we have to.'
To be continued...
[End of the Fire on the Mystic Island Arc]
Jutsu Library
1.) Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu - This technique allows the user to infuse their chakra with ice on the ground and bring it to the surface. The user can then trap their opponent within the ice by controlling its movements and completely surrounding them in the ice. It is strong enough to withstand basic Fire Release techniques, because the ice has already been infused with the user's chakra. The user can also surround themselves with the ice prison to act as a shield. Additionally, any piece of ice that Naruto is controlling can be used to immobilize a target. If he hits you with ice from any Ice Style Jutsu then he can freeze you in place.
2.) Ice Style: Icicle Impact Jutsu - A Jutsu that Naruto developed that allows him to slam into an area and create a massive construct of ice that breaks apart and cuts deeply into anything in the surrounding area with millions of little icicle shards. It is an area effect Jutsu that covers large distances.
3.) Kenjutsu: X – Scissor - A technique that Naruto created that allows Naruto to cut an opponent in an "X" formation leaving an "X" shaped scar across the user's body. For ease of use it works best when duel wielding.
4.) Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu - A technique that simply creates a ferocious gust of wind, whose scale and usage varies depending on the user. If used by a superior shinobi, it has enough destructive power to knock down a large tree. The wind from the squall can blow away all things in the user's line of sight. The technique can also be used in the form of a devastation stream of wind expelled from the user's mouth.
5.) Earth Dragon Gale - A defensive technique where Ryūra creates a spiraling dome of wind that can easily repel most attacks even when his power sphere is sealed away. Overall it resembles a barrier created from wind compressed together by a barrier generated with Yōki.
6.) Double Acceleration - The first variant of Accelerating Turn that works the same way as the original. The user stores up kinetic energy in their body but the difference is at this point. The user separates the built-up energy into two separate pockets surrounded by a shell of the user's internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), the two bubbles of kinetic energy is pressed up against each other and concentrated at the user's feet creating which in turn creates tremendous amounts of pressure on the body. Once released the added pressure results in a massive shockwave of kinetic energy that propels the user forwards at incredible speeds. The user then releases the second and final bubble of kinetic energy after the first gets depleted allowing them to speed back up again. Because of this there is a brief amount of lag in between each jump but the lag spike is so short that only experienced fighters would be able to notice or counter it.
7.) Yōjutsu: Armored Tiger Claw - An upgraded move to Jūra's signature Tiger Claw technique. The Great Demon encases his hands in an ultra-thick coating of super condensed Yōki that is strong enough to block attacks from other high-level beings in relation to him. This attack increases both the durability and attack potency of his claw strikes.
8.) Accelerated Dual Fist - An advanced version of Naruto's base Accelerated Punch technique. Channeling all of his built up kinetic energy into both of his hands Naruto places both of his fist on top of each other that he then places against his opponents body. He then releases all of the built up kinetic energy at the point of contact through the small opening in his cloak of chakra. The destructive power of this technique comes from the point of impact. Naruto lands both of his fist in a dual hammer fist formation to the same spot on the target maximizing the total damage done to the target. The power of this technique is so immense that it can create shockwaves and tremors in the ground as well as outright disintegrating weak defenses and causing severe blunt force damage to extremely durable opponents.
9.) Kenjutsu: One Slice - A sword technique where the user slashes their sword in front of them and a cut will appear on the target even though the sword never touched the target. This is a long-range attack that cuts the opponent with the same cutting ability as the actual sword that is used.
10.) Earth Style: Earth Wall Jutsu - The user creates a solid wall of earth as a form of defense. Chakra is either converted to earth within the body and then spat out to form the wall or the user can manipulate pre-existing earth to form the wall. The earth then instantly rises up and takes form. The barrier itself is also coated with chakra, making its strength incomparable to that of a normal mud wall. Because of the earth's special characteristics, the wall is highly resistant against, for instance, fire and water.
11.) Kenjutsu: Hazard Slice - An upgrade and advanced form of the One Slice technique, the user swings their sword at such a high rate of speed that a shockwave forms and blows back anything in the vicinity. In addition, clean razor-sharp cuts appear on anything caught in the swing of the sword. This technique is actually the follow up combo technique to Shoko's Hazard Blade Dance hence the similarity in name.
12.) Wind Style: Gale Palm Jutsu - A simple technique whereby when the user clasps their hands together, wind is compressed and transformed into a powerful gale. This technique, when used as an isolated attack, has the power to easily knock over a human. Though the true value comes from using it together with projectile weapons like shuriken or kunai. Their speed, power, and ability to wound or even kill are all increased several times.
13.) Summoning Jutsu - The Summoning Technique is a space–time ninjutsu that allows the summoner to transport animals or people across long distances instantly and uses blood as a sacrifice. Before an animal summoning can be performed, a prospective summoner must first sign a contract with a given species. The contract comes in the form of a scroll, on which the contractor uses their own blood to sign their name and place their fingerprints and once signed it is valid even after the contractor's death as long as the contract itself remains intact. After this, they need only offer an additional donation of blood on the hand they signed the contract with, mold their chakra with hand seals and then plant the hand they signed the contract with at the location they wish to summon the creature. The amount of chakra used during the summoning determines how powerful the summoned creature can be. It is possible for a summoner to summon a group of the same contracted animal, as opposed to a single individual.
14.) Unholy Light Spear - This simple technique that is used by all Angels and Fallen Angel's alike allows any holy being to summon a stylized spear made out of Holy/Unholy Aura that is colored in a variety of colors. This spear depending on the power of the user can be very strong or weak and even break if it comes in contact with stronger foes. The user can wield the weapon in a melee style or throw it at their enemy in a long-range attack.
15.) Yōjutsu: Bloody Ambrosia - Lilith's signature technique that she falls back on due to personal preference. Summoning her magical glyph Lilith generates a massive fireball of blood red hell fire that burns hotter than normal fire. Lilith then launches the fireball that takes the shape of a sunflower that rapidly expands in diameter as it travels away from Lilith. The flames are so hot that it can instantly raise the natural temperature of the environment around it to unbearable levels while the illumination of the flames itself are bright enough to be spotted from great distances.
16.) Steel Style: Stigmata Creation Jutsu - Balalaika's second signature Jutsu is her ability to actually create metal away from her body using chakra as her medium. This process cost more chakra then simply creating it directly from her body, but she makes up for this chakra consuming task with the fact that she has Chakra reserves that are equal to that of a Tailed Beast just like the 4th Raikage A.
17.) Magnet Style: Magnet Pull Jutsu - Balalaika using the signature Technique of her magnet Style allows her to exert a magnetic field around any metallic object within her vicinity. When using the maximum potential of her Kekkei Genkai Balalaika can exert a force over the iron that is naturally found within the blood stream of people and using that she can pull them towards her or pinned them to the ground.
18.) Steel Style: Magnet Rise Jutsu - Balalaika using this Jutsu can levitate both herself, others, and other objects using electrically charged particles that she can manipulate within her magnetic field. Within her 50 square feet range of influence she can control a large volume of objects of all shapes, sizes, and volumes.
19.) Stigmata Satellite System - Balalaika's signature Jutsu. Balalaika combines all of the her Jutsu from both her Magnet Style and Steel Style Kekkei Genkai as well as mixing in certain Earth Style Ninjutsu to create a field of absolute control for her. She creates large floating stones which holds at its center a magnetized metal sphere that she creates. The floating stone emits a magnetic field that allows her to pull objects towards it as well as emit sound waves that allow her to place others under Genjutsu. This Jutsu takes attributes from every single one of her Kekkei Genkai Based Ninjutsu as well as her Mastery of Earth Style Jutsu. The only Jutsu that is not a part of this would be her Bullet Punch Technique but every other Jutsu plays a part in creating this massive Jutsu. The amount of chakra necessary to create and maintain control over this Jutsu is vast and not something many people can do. Even Kage Level Shinobi would struggle with this technique. With her Chakra reserves the size of a Tailed Beast Balalaika can keep this Jutsu up for a long period of time and her mastery of many other Jutsu that she can use even when maintaining this one makes her virtually impossible to defeat.
20.) Yōjutsu: Bloody Hydrangea - A unique and versatile technique that allows Lilith to spawn a vast array of small fireballs that are uniquely detailed in the patterns of the beautiful Hydrangea flower that is uncommon in the world. These flaming orbs of super condensed Yōki when launched travel nearly at the speed of sound and can tear through the human body so quickly that the victim's body would combust in a delayed reaction. Like with many of Lilith's techniques these fireballs are extremely hot and raises the temperature in the immediate vicinity to tremendous temperatures.
21.) Earth Style: Earth Dragon Jutsu - The user creates a dragon made from the ground to attack the opponent.
22.) Earth Style: Super Heavyweight Boulder Jutsu - A more advanced version of the Earth Style: Heavyweight Boulder Jutsu, in which the user drastically increases the weight of their target, but to a much greater extent than that of the original ability. Under certain circumstances, the technique can be used to increase the force behind attacks.
23.) Steel Style: Magnet Bomb Jutsu - This Jutsu is a combination of Balalaika's Stigmata Creation Jutsu and her Magnet Style Kekkei Genkai. Balalaika creates floating steel spheres in the air around her and supercharges them with a magnetic field that she creates using her Magnet Style. This is her typical and signature set up for her Stigmata Satellite System. The Combination Jutsu that she is most famous for. She can then launch the spheres at her enemy and when they strike something, an explosion occurs due to the amount of chakra packed into the spheres, but a magnetic field is also created at the blast zone causing any metal or magnetic materials to be sucked into the heart of the explosion which is an almost guaranteed instant death. When she is using the max potential of her Magnet Style she can exert a force over the iron that is naturally found inside a person's blood and when this is combined with this Jutsu she can even pull people who are trying to escape into the epicenter of the explosion.
24.) Heavenly Kick of Pain - This is the signature technique of Tsunade Senju of the Legendary Sannin. The user concentrates a massive amount of chakra to one fine point on the person's heel when they are in midair. The user will then fall towards the ground in the formation of a falling axe kick. Once the user strikes the ground or target they release the pent up chakra in their foot which detonates with tremendous force. A massive crater is formed in place of this and the stronger the user the stronger the damage will be.
25.) Thunder Cannon - It is an attack that is unique to the weapon used by Jūra as it shares the same name with its own weapon. The portable cannon shoots out an extremely compressed ball of electricity that is made up of pure potent Yōki. The attack travels fast and can cover long distances fairly quickly. It explodes like a bomb and can cause considerable damage to anything that it hits. There is at least a 3 to 5 second reload time in between each shot as the weapon itself is not a rapid fire one as it needs time to gather, compress, and then shoot out the electric ball. Also, when shot it is accompanied by a very loud and noticeable bang and flash of light which eliminates the weapons use in missions of stealth and discretion. A cloud of smoke and exhaust also leaves from the barrel of the cannon which further diminishes the weapons roll to nothing more than a front-line weapon as stealth is out of the question.
26.) Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu - This defensive technique creates a wall of water around the user. Enemy attacks are completely intercepted by a fence of water blown out from the mouth and is raised from below with tremendous might. The water is blown out in the form of a circle around the user, and it makes for a defense without openings. It is also possible for the user to control the amount of water and duration at will. The wall's strength and resistance change following the quantity of chakra poured down into the water, so a skillful shinobi will be able to build a sturdy one. Furthermore, because the field of vision is maintained even while defending one can easily go on to the next move, which is a great advantage. The wall can also be formed from a pre-existing water source.
27.) Leaf Hurricane - A taijutsu where one launches a succession of high kicks and low kicks. Firstly, the opponent's evasion margin is restrained upon seeing the high kick, thus augmenting the chances for the low kick to hit the mark. So originally the high kick is little more than a feint. The technique can also be used in the form of a spinning-roundhouse kick through the air, either alone or in unison with another user for more efficiency.
28.) Leaf Severe Hurricane - A Taijutsu using a combination of speed and power. The essence of this technique is concentrated in a spinning back kick, with such speed that not a single person can follow the user's movement, smashing his enemy with overwhelming strength. It also creates a powerful whirlwind around the user, which can be used to attack multiple opponents at once as an aftereffect.
29.) Yōjutsu: Tiger Claw - Jūra's signature technique. The Great Demon coats his claw like hands in a white skin layer of Yōki and focuses a considerable amount of said Yōki around his actual nails that sharpen into incredibly durable and sharp claws capable of tearing through steel. It is Jūra's signature technique that he always falls back on. He can also use the attack to counter or defend against other attacks since the Yōki surrounding his hands is thick enough to offer him some protection.
30.) Dancing Leaf Shadow - A technique used to appear behind an airborne opponent, mimicking how their body is positioned, just like a leaf that dances in the air is followed by its shadow. While harmless on its own, it is used as a stepping stone to perform techniques such as the Primary Lotus and the Lion Combo. The technique is usually preceded by a swift upper kick that will launch the target into the air.
31.) Primary Lotus - The Primary Lotus is a technique that requires the user to open the first of the Eight Gates, giving the user five times their normal strength. The user kicks their opponent into the air and then uses Dancing Leaf Shadow. Once behind their opponent, the user restrains them and pile-drives them into the ground head first while rotating at a ferocious speed. Due to the use of one of the Eight Gates, the user is left extremely fatigued, making this technique a (double-edged sword). It may also be used on multiple people at once.
32.) Exploding Sasumata Lance - A unique technique used by Gamaken that allows the magenta colored Toad to use his massive Sasumata Lance to strike a target with unprecedented force. The lance has combustible Toad Oil from Mt. Myōboku coated into the metal of the weapon that can explode violently when Gamaken surges his chakra into the very tips of the lance itself.
33.) Ultimate Berserker Release: Baneful Tiger Frenzy - In this state Jūra unleashes all of his Yōki and undergoes a grotesque transformation into a more armored version of himself with his body being covered in thick black bone like skin that makes him unrecognizable. In this state Jūra is at his most powerful and all of his physical abilities are heightened to their maximum level. In particular his speed, agility, reaction speed, and lastly his strength are all pushed to limits that requires Guy to open the Sixth Gate of Joy to keep up with his jump in power.
34.) Sixth Gate: Gate of Joy - Located in the stomach, increases the user's speed and power. Opening of this gate releases such enormous amounts of energy that it can cause nearby water bodies to form a vortex around the user. The user will secrete glowing green sweat from every inch of their body which immediately evaporates from their own heat energy, creating an aura which people mistake as a chakra coating. Once opened, capable users can perform the Morning Peacock.
35.) Asakujaku: Morning Peacock - The Morning Peacock is a certain-kill taijutsu born from the philosophy of Might Guy. The principle of this taijutsu is to rapidly increase the body's abilities by opening up to and including the sixth of the Eight Gates, and then to strike the enemy down with countless punches. The technique is started by kicking the enemy into the air, which for most would be an instant kill. The user then jumps into the air in a distinctive stance and begins punching the enemy repeatedly. The punches are so fast, they are set ablaze by sheer speed and friction which in turn creates a peacock-like fan of flames around the opponent. Once the attack is finished, the enemy will be sent crashing back to the ground, covered with the attack's aura.
36.) Kenjutsu: Singularity Point - A powerful advanced move of Shoko's that she commented on not having to use for a long time. The user takes on a rigid and strong stance and it is implied that they are as still as a statue and immovable like one as well. When they have their target in sight they will thrust their sword forward at such a dangerous speed that they can pierce almost anything. The attack is very precise oriented, and it hits one spot and one spot only. However, the thrusting power is so immense that it can pierce and shatter almost any defense. Furthermore, the massive buildup of kinetic energy will release itself in a cylindrical cone of concussive compressed air in the form of a shockwave that will go on for an undetermined distance and will pierce and destroy anything in its path as demonstrated by Shoko. As for the target, they will violently implode at the point of singularity or origin hence the name. It can be heavily implied that this is one of Shoko's more destructive sword techniques and is one that she rarely has to use.
37.) Genjutsu: Paralysis - The user binds the opponent in a Genjutsu, this Genjutsu can be used on more than one target at the same time. Once the target is bound, the user or an ally can rush up to the enemy and deliver a devastating killing blow.
38.) Wind Style: Wind Sword Jutsu - A pinpoint slashing strike, where the user emits wind-based chakra from their fingertips and materializes it into a near invisible blade that assaults the enemy in a gust of wind, leaving their body mutilated.
39.) Lightning Style: Shockwave Jutsu - A very basic Lightning Style Jutsu that allows the user to send a surge of electricity out of their body into the surrounding area. They can send it into the ground where it can spread via conductive properties underneath the surface or they can send it out as a shockwave in midair.
40.) Dragon Lightning - This technique is similar to that of Sesshōmaru's initial Dragon Strike where he has lightning strike his enemies as well. There are some differences, however, where rather than generating the lightning directly from his blade and slashing it forward, Ryūra points the tip of his thunder blade towards the sky and it calls down a lightning bolt directly from a cloud to electrocute his opponents.
41.) Kenjutsu: Reaper Blade Dance - Karasuba's own unique version to Shoko's Kenjutsu: Hazard Blade Dance. Karasuba attacks with a lightning fast paced flurry of slices and swings from her sword as she either attacks a single opponent or multiple targets. It is a hard technique to dodge or counter due to the sheer speed at which Karasuba moves and handles her sword. Most of the strikes are simply invisible to the naked eye. Only the exceptional shinobi who are S – Rank can properly perceive and or counter this technique.
42.) Earth Style: Shadow Clone Jutsu - This technique creates a shadow clone made of mud of the user. Since its made of mud, it can continue to reform and mold itself back to its original shape. Once reverted to mud, the clone can serve as a powerful restraint that is capable of completely halting the opponent's movements.
43.) Kenjutsu: Reaper Cult Dance - Using a cloning Jutsu as the base for this technique Karasuba creates anywhere from 1 to 10 clones of herself who all perform her signature Reaper Blade Dance technique. She can kill a hundred-enemy ninja in under 10 seconds with this technique.
44.) Kenjutsu: Black Reaper Soul Strike - Karasuba's strongest attack. With this deadly technique Karasuba imbues her sword with her Yin Release Chakra and attacks her target with blinding speeds. The technique is so powerful that it can even reach the soul within the human body and damage it.
45.) Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld Jutsu - By changing the surface of an object beneath the target into mud and creating a swamp, the user can sink their target into the mud. The adhesive, chakra-infused mud ensnares the body, making it almost impossible to recover one's strength and escape from the swamp. The size and depth of the created swamp depends on the user's skill and the amount of chakra used, but if the user is an expert in this technique, it will always be possible to make a fair-sized swamp which is extremely effective against a great number of enemies or when having to face gigantic creatures.
46.) Ice Style: Icicle Bullets - A move that Naruto created that allows him to form thin icicles that he can launch at incredible speeds that most people can't track. It has a massive amount of penetration power since it was able to shoot straight through Mizuki's shoulder blade despite the fact that he had on his flak jacket. It pierced through the bones in his shoulder.
47.) Kenjutsu: Accelerated Decapitation - A move that Naruto came up with in the heat of battle mixed in with his determination to escape a dire situation he found himself in. Coating himself in his Accel Cloak Naruto who has a sword or bladed weapon in his hands {It can be a real weapon, or one created from his Ice Style} disappears in a burst of speed granted to him by his Accel Turn and swiftly decapitates his target in one fluid and quick motion. The victim will have no time to react since this technique is used at point black range and it is used during the element of surprise which will catch the opponent off guard.
48.) Yōjutsu: Birds of Fire - A simple technique in which Kyōra creates avian creates made completely out of fire that he can telekinetically control with his mind at all times. They swarm their intended targets and smother them with their bodies completely burning their victims to death in a matter of minutes.
49.) Ice Style: Ice Mirror Jutsu - A move that Naruto can use that allows him to create thin sheets of ice that are smooth and reflective. The technique is relatively weak and is used mostly for light defensive purposes only. He can create them easiest in the water, but he has no problem creating them in midair or on dry land.
50.) Ice Style: Ice Kunai Barrage Jutsu - A Jutsu that allows Naruto to create dozens of ice kunai in midair and telekinetically control them and launch them at a target.
51.) Kenjutsu: Arctic Blade Dance - Naruto's own version of Shoko's Hazard Blade Dance. By using his twin swords made of ice Naruto reenacts the same attack as Shoko but the difference is that crescent waves made of ice are launched from his swords with each swing and they will flash freeze anything they come in contact with.
52.) Yōjutsu: Crimson Demon Fan – Raging Inferno - By swinging his war fan around Kyōra can generate massive infernos that are unlike most Fire Style Ninjutsu. The flames are shimmering with potent dosages of Yōki and can burn down entire forest with only a single swing. Kyōra also has very refined control over the flames themselves as he can manipulate the fire that is generated off of his fan to take any shape he wishes.
53.) Yōjutsu: Red Dawn - A very powerful technique at Kyōra's disposal that allows him to generate bright crimson colored bolts of electricity and lightning from any part of his body that is supercharged by his very potent Yōki. Kyōra has very accurate procision with his blasts as he is capable of singling out individual targets or launching a large wide spread blast of lightning that can plow through most defenses.
54.) Kenjutsu: Arctic Duet Dance - The advanced version of Naruto's signature Arctic Blade Dance technique. With the assistance of one of his Shadow Clones, Naruto performs the normal technique in perfect synchronicity with his clone that can overpower the enemy. Naruto and his clone can also attack their intended target in the classical pincer maneuver to completely overwhelm the target in an instant.
55.) Accelerated Punch - The only known technique of Acceleration. By molding all of the chakra in the cloak to his fist Naruto can discharge a massive burst of both chakra and kinetic energy that can demolish at this point in time almost anything. However, at this attack can be canceled out by an attack of equal force of makeup.
56.) Yōjutsu: Crimson Demon Fan – Flaming Vortex - By swinging his war fan around Kyōra can generate a massive spinning vortex of fire that can swallow an opponent in a firestorm that they can't escape from easily.
57.) Tempest Turn - Tempest Turn works by storing Kinetic energy in one's own body, reinforced by their own internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), and then giving form to that energy using their internal energy and shooting it out of their body. With this technique that is unique to only Naruto he can create multiple afterimages of himself that function similarly to Shadow Clones. However, they cannot interact with their environment like normal Shadow Clones. They are literally made up of the energy cloak Naruto creates whenever he activates his Accel Turn. The after images energy wise are indistinguishable from their creator but visually they have a light blue glow to them. The copies have a sizable speed advantage, but they are not moving at the same speed as when Naruto uses Acceleration. Also, the copies take up so much energy that Naruto can only create up to four copies with this move. Also, while using this move to its fullest Naruto is unable to use Acceleration because all of it is being used to maintain Tempest Turn.
58.) No-Interval Double Accel - The Special variant of Double Acceleration. It works much like its base technique. However, the difference comes in the fact that there is no lag in-between each jump. This is achieved by connecting both spheres of kinetic energy together before releasing them. Once released the user has to control the opening in the chakra cloak and syphon out the kinetic energy in one continuous burst of propulsion. Also, an alternative would be to release the second bubble of kinetic energy before the first one depletes but you run the risk of damaging your legs and feet by releasing so much kinetic energy upon them.
59.) Yōjutsu: Crimson Demon Fan – Corona Blast - Kyōra's ultimate attack is a massive red Yōki orb covered in flames that he launches at his target that when detonated can carve out a massive chunk of earth from between Mt. Hōrai and Mt. Epsilon.
60.) Amaterasu - Amaterasu is a Mangekyō Sharingan Dōjutsu, and the highest level of Fire Release. Amaterasu produces black flames at the focal point of the user's vision. In most situations, this makes Amaterasu impossible to avoid. However, if the target can move fast enough to prevent being focused on, Amaterasu will miss them when it's cast. Once created, it can continue burning for seven days and seven nights. The flames cannot be extinguished with water or any other normal methods; only the user can put the flames out. Said to be "the fires from hell" and to burn as hot as the sun itself, Amaterasu burns any material - other flames included - until nothing but ash remains. Use of this technique puts a great deal of strain on the user, usually causing their eyes to bleed. For all its lethal potential, Amaterasu burns fairly slowly, allowing targets to remove burning clothes before their body is caught ablaze or, if it's too late for that, remove the burning body part(s) before it spreads.
Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys... this chapter...
Resolutions and Ramifications are abound in this incredibly important chapter that is the turning point for the story. Everything starts from here on a slow and steady climb to the events to eventually come. Naruto saves Asagi and meets Lady Miya for the first time who reveals herself to be the High Priestess of the Uzumaki Clan and more importantly she is a real Goddess. If that's not enough, she's the daughter of Sōkyoku. A lot is revealed in their conversation as Miya tells Naruto a fateful truth. Naruto and Sōkyoku were always fated to meet... or as Miya silently puts it. It was engineered for Naruto to meet the Primordial Being of Life that would come to be a pivotal point in his life. Miya unveils many things including Sōkyoku's twin sister, Lady Amaterasu. We learn that she is severely incapacitated and weakened from their final fight with their mortal enemy. Deep within Naruto's heart he feels this hollowness of uncertainty and unease at knowing Sōkyoku has been manipulating his life.
Naruto moves past these feelings as Miya encourages him to defeat the Four War Gods. Returning from the Cauldron of Resonance, Naruto has received a powerboost from Miya that allows him to completely overpower all three brothers at the same time much to their shock. Naruto and Kyōra face off in a climactic battle which results in the death of the Phoenix Demon who perishes with the unknown assistance of Itachi and a silent application of his Amaterasu. Shoko and Guy face off against Jūra in their own climactic battle where we once again see Shoko going all out to her maximum potential which is shown to be incredible powerful as her superhuman strength and speed completely overwhelms Jūra who also has to contend with Guy who brings out his special Nunchucks that batters away at Jūra's defenses. In the end Jūra is forced to use his ultimate power with Guy resorting to the 6th Gate with Shoko joining him in overpowering the berserker demon. In the end he is killed by Shoko who disitergrates his body with her favorite move. Shoko attains a sense of peace as she avenges the Uzumaki Clan and all of the inhabitants of the Land of Whirlpools.
Karasuba makes quick work of Ryūra as she quickly and brutally overpowers the Dragon Demon in a swift battle that showcases her brutality and efficiency in battle. In an exciting twist we finally get to see Balalaika in a battle and it is revealed that she has two Kekkei Genkai that she seemingly incorporates together with her mastery of her Earth Style. With her signature technique called the Stigmata Satellite System she can create massive planetoid like floating rocks that float in the air and generate their own strong magnetic field that is so strong it also produces a gravitational field that pulls things into it. Balalaika can telepathically control these floating orbs of stone and produce many other techniques from them. The versatility and sheer power that these orbs allow Balalaika in battle is a major contribution to why she is as powerful as she is. The planetoids in question look similar to Madara's use of the Heaven Concealed Technique but on a smaller scale with multiple planetoids instead of one. Balalaika's true might is put on display when she takes control of one of the floating sky islands orbiting around the island and drops it down on Gōra's body knocking the giant turtle out in one blow.
As is shown Minos gets completely overpowered by Jiraiya as I showcase a glaring weakness in not only Minos's lack of fighting skills but also in his overreliance on his wings as a Fallen Angel. These weaknesses will result in his downfall and cause him to flee the battle. With the death of the Four War Gods and the forcible retreat of both Lilith and Minos the rescue teams accomplishes what they set out to do in saving Naruto who reunites with them in an emotionally charged setting. Kurruk the Mummy also manages to escape the island once he realizes he can't recapture Fuki and the death of his masters becomes apparent to him. He's now a wild card that can come into play anytime in the future.
Much is answered and resolved with many more questions surfacing on the horizon. Naruto is officially named the new Shī-ō of the Uzumaki Clan which pleases his new citizens a lot. Naruto spends the day catching up with his family and friends as well as getting to know his new people who will play a significant role in his life from now on. He even signs a contract with Gōra to be his personal summon, though that will rarely happen due to the island turtles immense power and the sizeable amount of energy Naruto would need in order to even summon him. Only special circumstances would apply for Naruto to summon such a behemoth.
Finally we get a very important scene between Miya and Sōkyoku where mother and daughter reunite and catch up with each other. Many little tidbits of information is revealed in that important conversation as this arc gets wrapped up.
Next Chapter: Chapter 71 (Priority: New Hokage – The Search for Tsunade)
That's the end of Chapter 70 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.
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Published: 7/8/2018
