Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its affiliated products.

Chapter 2

When one weighs the weight of their life they often feel as if they have come up short. Few people are ever satisfied with the works of their own hands. I didn't even have the sense to make works with my own hands. That was something my family laid claim to, a legacy I'd do anything to recapture.

I was never the biggest anime fan, sure I'd seen a bit of Bleach and MHA but never enough to call myself a fan.

Naruto was different.

I remember watching it in the afternoons after school, the characters dancing upon the screen. Stories, brought to life by the pens of a handful of artists that managed to capture the minds of millions.

My preteen self had a much simpler reason to watch. I had just thought Kakashi was cool.

So I made an effort to watch Naruto every time it was on, my DVR was filled with the show and I know my dad missed a few movies he would've died to see to allow me that privilege.

But like all fans that lived in the glory days of anime, I grew up. I drifted away from the franchise in high school and come Shippuden I was only keeping up to date via YouTube videos.

But even with all that, I knew who Kaguya Otsutsuki was. The final villain of Naruto was something I had to see, even if it was just by watching commentary videos on the internet.

Like many fans, I was disappointed, with Kaguya's motives, her personality, her powers. Everything about her reeked of overpowered chicanery. 'What a stupid character', I had said. 'She's a space alien rabbit, for Pete's sake. That's stupidity incarnate!'

I take it back, I take it all back.

When vision returned to my eyes, the first thing I noticed was the light. I was standing in some place, whether a building or a cave I couldn't tell, while any direction but forward was shrouded in darkness.

But before me, before me was a throne fit for a goddess. It was golden, but that word felt too simple to describe it. Up and down the arms of the throne countless jewels sparkled, creating a rainbow of light around the throne. Upon it sat Kaguya herself, and she looked very very bored.

"There, isn't this better? The very air of your realm is dead and lifeless. Imagine, a world without Nature Energy?" She gave that laugh again before smiling. "The concept is ludicrous."

"W-where am I?" I asked, my throat painfully dry. It was obvious this wasn't a normal hallucination, so I'd either snapped beyond all recognition, or this was real. I'm not sure which option was more preferable, but Kaguya was right about one thing. I could feel the difference in the air here. Like it was alive in a way Earth wasn't.

I didn't like what that implied.

Kaguya looked down at me and smirked, cruel humor abounding her pale eyes.

"I browsed your mind while you recovered from having your soul ripped asunder, but it wasn't nearly as amusing as I hoped. So entertain me, mortal. What just happened?"

Of course she pushed things off on me. I had half a mind to leave her in silence, but the fact of her existence being up for debate left me hesitant. If she's a hallucination then I'm screwed. To even try to fix something of this magnitude would require a potent mix of drugs and therapy.

But if she was real, then pissing her off was the last thing I wanted.

"All right," I said shifting my weight from side to side, a nervous quirk I know. "If I had to guess, you used one of the Rinnegan's hax powers to rip out my soul, which I'm pretty sure it can do." Once again I stared into the sheer darkness outside of Kaguya's presence. That was still disconcerting. "I don't know where we are, but," And at once I was struck by a thought. Where had Kaguya been during the main plot of Naruto?

"Is-is this the Moon?" I asked, my jaw dropping at the revelation.

Kaguya leaned forward, curiosity painting her features like the fine make up she once wore.

"Truly you are an amusing human." She stood up with outstretched arms and gestured to the area, grandiosity infusing her tone "Welcome to my Prison and Temple."

That, I wasn't quite sure what to make of that. The Moon? For one, I didn't expect the thing to be hollow, even if it was Kaguya's prison.

Kaguya returned to her throne and gestured for me to continue.

"I know you have many more questions, and a god I might be, but patient I am not."

Duly noted. I cleared my throat and tried to not look like I was fearful for my life.

"Why, why am I here? You brought me here for a reason, right? You aren't just jaunting to earth and killing people for fun are you?" The idea Kaguya could even travel to earth at all was a terrifying thought I hadn't considered until now. Was there anywhere she couldn't go? And what was the point of sealing her away if she could just walk to earth and continue her plot?

Kaguya placed a hand on her chin, and radiated displeasure. Not as in, 'She looked angry', no She literally radiated irritation.

"A god has no need to explain themselves to a flea, but I am a benevolent goddess and I do not leave my pawns ignorant, unlike my sons." She said with the last word with an almost snarl twisting her beautiful features.

"Your world has access to visions of mine, through Jutsu or Kekkai Genkai I do not know, but suffice it to say, you know of my world. And you know of my fate?" There was a pause, one I assumed to mean she wanted a response.

I hoped that was what she meant.

"You, you lose." I said hesitantly, in an attempt to gauge her ire. When she didn't immediately Amaterasu me, I felt it safe to continue. "You're defeated by Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha." Plus Sakura Haruno and Kakashi Hatake, but I wasn't sure if she would care about them at the moment. "You're sealed away and Black Zetsu alongside you. It was supposed to be the end." Kaguya just nodded along, the same politely curious look on her face.

"And what of the future? I know you know of my kin returning from the heavens."

"I do," I responded, curious to see where she was going with this. Now I was starting to wish I'd watched Boruto, instead of doing schoolwork. Damn that's the first time I ever thought that.

A smirk broke out upon her face, and a feeling of dread went down my spine. That look could not be good.

"Has it ever once occurred to you that they would be seeking my head alongside mankind's?" No. No it hadn't occurred to me, and now I was kicking myself for not thinking of that sooner. Kaguya turned traitor, didn't she? Of course she'd be hated by the other Otsutsuki.

"By my escape and reimprisonment inside this rock, I proved there were warriors capable of defeating an Otsutsuki, even if they did happen to be twisted mockeries of my grandsons' spirits. When my kin return, which they will do, they will attempt to reform the God Tree, and those humans will weaken them. They will lose, I have no doubt, but humans are an annoyingly persistent species. They will take a good number of Otsutsuki with them. But when the tree is inevitably reformed, the moon will turn white."

"And you'll be free." I gasped. Kaguya laughed, not the noble laugh of before, but the one of a person who knew they had won.

"And I at the height of my power, will kill the winners, and have the world at my feet, praising me as the goddess I am for killing the invaders." Kaguya looked down at me, cruel humor in Her eyes once again. "Tell me, how does it feel to know it was all worthless?"

"Well, I grew up thinking your world was fake, so it doesn't quite have the impact your expecting." I said, regretting the words the moment they left my mouth. My mother always said a sharp tongue led to an early grave, but I never thought she was serious.

Kaguya blinked, seemingly bemused.

"Well," She began, "I did not think of that, a fair point I'll admit." Kaguya twisted her wrist and a elaborate fan appeared in her hands. She gently and elegantly fanned herself while giving me the barest amount of attention possible. In fact, I think she forgot I was there for a moment. I wonder if the fanning was some sort of power game? I barely understood most people and she was an alien with a god complex. The fan lingered across her face for a moment before the Rabbit Goddess turned Her head slightly and sighed.

"Ah yes, I never did answer your question. You wonder why I brought you here?" She paused, savoring the anticipation no doubt. "It's because I am impatient. Tell me mortal," She looked up and stared intently at the ceiling of the chamber. "I win, it's inevitable. But this place is Perdition. My soul languishes here." She turned back to me, sorrow in Her eyes. "Is it no wonder that I wish for some distraction, some premature end to my torment?"

As our eyes met, I couldn't help but feel bad for Her. She's been imprisoned for thousands of years by Her own sons. It wasn't Her fault She was possessed by the Ten-Tails. She had just wanted peace among humanity! She was the victim in this. If people have just listened to Her, let Her rule over them like was right, then none of this would've happened. But everyone accused Her of the pain of the Shinobi world. But how could blame be placed on someone with such a heartbroken look in Her three eyes? Truly they were- wait.

Three eyes?

She was only supposed to have two. Something wasn't right here. I, I needed to move. But my body resisted my command. There was a sluggishness that I'd just awakened too, and with a great effort I barely managed to tear my eyes away from her own. When had she exposed the Rinnesharingan?

Kaguya blinked her three eyes before the expression of sorrow slide off her face as easily as a passing shadow.

"Hm, you are clever." She said, the grandiosity to her presence lessening by the moment. The golden sheen to her throne dimmed to the point of normal gold, if that.

"W-was that the creepy Sharingan mind control Jutsu?" I said, my voice wavering. "You, you were inside my head, making me pity you! Twisting my thoughts to make you seem glorious. To make me do whatever you asked!" The deceiver laughed again.

"Please, as if I'd waste that power on you. That was merely one of the thousands of ways I can use my eyes." She hummed before looking me over, taking me apart with her eyes. "But I must wonder, am I weakening in this plane, or are you cleverer then I give you credit for? To see through a Sharingan Genjustu is no mean feat. Hm, I wonder."

"Just, just get on with whatever you're doing." I growled. Perhaps it was unwise, but I was getting fed up with her games. If she wanted to kill me then she'd better well hurry up about it.

Kaguya paid me little mind, caught up in her thoughts as she was.

"Hm, yes. That would be interesting." All three of her eyes locked onto me, and I suddenly realized the center of her attention was very bad place to be. She rose from her throne in a fluid motion, the picture of elegance given form. She began to slowly float off her dais, each second coming close to me.

"You are not the first soul I've stolen from your world. Many men over many moons have stood before me, and they all worshipped." She stopped in front of me, not enough we touched but close enough that she could kill me in a heartbeat. Up close, her voice had an airiness to it, like chimes in the wind, or like the moon on a summer night.

"Some resisted me, but their souls became mine in the end. But you, you are the first in a long time to break my Genjutsu. The last one, is a man you may know as Tobirama Senju."

What? Tobirama as in the Second Hokage? He was from my world? What the crap?

"Surprised are you?" She asked, the airiness still omnipresent. "You've seen the works he tried to make, an end to Warring States, organized education, a standardized system of government, science beyond most of his contemporaries understanding. Is it too hard to believe he had outside knowledge?"

No, no it wasn't. But you just blew my mind again you damn rabbit. What were the implications of this? Tobirama was from my world? Then how did he get to Naruto's?

Oh.

Oh.

"Realized it yet?" Kaguya asked, a smirk upon her face. "I sent him to my world, to work my will, willing or not. He struggled, and fought me at every turn, even defiling the dead to kill me. But his Edo Tensei was the next step in my plan." All three of her eyes stared into mine and I winced as I expected my mind to be violated again. But nothing happened. Kaguya seemed to take some enjoyment from my suffering, judging by her smirk.

"But now it is your turn to your goddess' will."

"I'll, I'll never help you. You're a monster!" I cried out, struggling against the rigidness in my limbs. I might not be able to fight her, but by god I'm not gonna let her take me easily!

Kaguya just laughed at my indignation, shaking her head in the way a parent would towards a child who'd said something particularly amusing.

"Oh dearest, you don't have a choice. Rinne Rebirth!" A bright flash filled my eyes and the worst headache I ever had blossomed in my skull.

Not again.