KG: For these next few chapters, I'm gonna need all your trust, guys! A LOT OF IT! We're heading into places we never thought possible!
Music of the Week: Legends Never Die by Riot Games ft. Against The Current
Quote: "I hope it is true that a man can die and yet not only live in others but give them life, and not only life, but that great consciousness of life," by Jack Kerouac.
Warning: Character Deaths
Naruto groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Though his vision was hazy, his nose couldn't mistake the smell of fresh blood. When some of his sight cleared, he saw that he was in the remnants of what looked like a home of sorts. It'd been turned into a bunker lined with numerous wounded men and women. A thousand voices moved through his head in either frantic whispers or curses. He tried to move his arms to wipe the sweat from his brow, but a severe pain pushed itself through his arms.
"Wouldn't do that if I were you, dude. You're pretty banged up."
The blond turned his head and he noticed Kankuro looking at him, sitting down on a chair while medic-nin from Sunagakure quickly approached. "You're… Gaara's brother?" he asked as the medics quickly started to perform their work on him.
"In the flesh. Got to admit, you Konoha guys really have a thing for showing up at weird times. You literally came crashing into the ground, destroyed a large part of one of the quadrants too. We managed to drag you out of the pit you were in and get you here. Sorry to say, but you won't be moving anywhere for a little while. Both your arms are broken, you've got five cracked ribs, and you're suffering a bad concussion. To be honest, I'm a little surprised you're alive," Kankuro said.
As soon as the man said those words, it all quickly started to come back to Naruto. He'd been effectively blown away by the strength of Jashin. Was that the power of a god, to lazily propel a mortal all the way from Otogakure to Suna?
Before Naruto could even properly comprehend the question he'd just asked himself, he felt his body chill. He could feel his mother's Honshou rising rapidly in the distance. In fact, it was growing even stronger than he'd ever felt before. Like a beacon to all who would look upon it, it was almost impossible for him to not sense it. He could also sense it rising against the power of Jashin that he'd faced before.
"NGH!"
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" Kankuro asked as the medics tried to hold Naruto down. However, the blond quickly blew them away, shocking Kankuro and those around them when his Honshou exploded. His silver hair and bright aura surrounded his body. Various jonin and chunin moved to intervene before Naruto forcefully leaned himself up. Without the use of his arms, he staggered onto the floor.
"Get. Outta. My. Way! My mother's out there fighting! I can't let her fight alone!" he snarled, ripping the IV from his arm. His legs stumbled over themselves, but he refused to fall. Even as he stood, he could feel his mother's might. He could feel her very being exploding in such a variety of colors and auras that he wondered if it was even her to begin with.
Kankuro quickly got up. "Look, I've heard stories of the Red Death. She's fucking famous, but who could she be fighting that she needs your help? Hell, how are you going to help her in the state that you're in now?" the puppet master tried to ask, hoping that his brother's friend would understand what he was saying.
Unfortunately, Naruto did understand what he was saying. He just didn't care. "If I said she was fighting a god, would you believe me?" the blond asked.
No, no Kankuro wouldn't believe him. In fact, the hooded man nearly scoffed at the notion, but the more he thought about it, the more unsure he felt. Given the rapid changes in weather and violent destruction of the natural environment, maybe… it wasn't so hard to believe. Plus, Kankuro stared into the eyes of Naruto. To be honest, sometimes the middle sibling wondered if the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was cut out to be a shinobi. He was much too honest and a horrible liar sometimes. However, it was for that reason that Kankuro believed him. After all, the jonin had no idea what jutsu could send someone so far away like it had for Naruto.
Kankuro could also tell that Naruto's words had a reverberating effect on the masses around them. Many people had already begun falling on their knees, some whispering prayers to whatever god they aligned with for mercy. A few of the jonin and chunin found his words hard to believe, but they grew concerned for the Kazekage and his sister. They'd seen the pillar of light that exploded in the distance. Gaara tasked Kankuro with helping Naruto while he took a majority of his forces to investigate.
"What are you talking about a god?" Kankuro asked nervously.
Naruto sucked his teeth. He didn't have time for this. "Oi, Furball, my wounds… how long will it take to heal them?" he asked.
To his horror. He received no answer. "Kyuubi?" Naruto questioned. The only thing which answered him was the sorrowful mournings of the Suna populace behind him. He called again and again, but his companion, his friend refused to answer his call.
"Pakura?" Naruto called next. She offered no answer either.
Neither did Dan, Gari, Suiren, Yahiko, Kimimmaro, the Kindred, nor Mōryō. Everyone he'd associated with since summoning them hadn't responded to him. That made Naruto quickly worried. Where did they go? Could something have happened to them? Why was everything going to hell all of a sudden?
Naruto stared at his arms. As expected, Kankuro was right. They were twisting in ways that they shouldn't. His legs were shaking, close to collapsing in a second. However, he'd rather let his body waste away than let his mother leave his life again. He would NOT ALLOW IT!
"If we're lucky, you won't have to find out!" Naruto said before he stepped outside. Kankuro quickly stood up and ran after him, but before he could restrain the Uzumaki patriarch, Naruto's honshou immediately exploded. The ground crumbled away from his divine power before he blasted off in the direction of his mother's aura.
Kankuro watched him go and cursed. "Dammit, that idiot's gonna get himself killed!" he exclaimed before his eyes gazed at the ground where the blond had just been. Copious amounts of his blood lay stained there along with the deep ridge he'd created from his jump. Hell, who the hell had power like that? Even worse, who had the power to knock around someone like that?
The older brother of Gaara bit his lip before he turned around. "Galin! You're in charge until I get back. Gaara left me in charge of that idiot and if he dies, I just know I'm gonna live to regret it! If anything happens while I'm gone, then don't stay here. Head to the furthest outskirts of Wind Country and set up a base for the civilians there. Wait for orders until the Kazekage returns!" he said.
"Understood, Kankuro-sama!" the one named Galin said before Kankuro channeled chakra to his feet. He dashed off after Naruto, thankful that it'd finally stopped raining blood to allow him to go outside safely.
Meanwhile, Naruto landed in a field of bloodied sand, the impact creating a vicious wave of red sand in every direction. He seethed, hissing in pain from his arms and legs. He also felt short of breath, the result of his broken ribs. Nevertheless, he steeled himself and dashed off, leaving another crater.
"Kaa-chan… I lost you once. I won't do it again!" Naruto said as he ran as fast as he could.
-x-
Jiraiya finally entered the lands of Oto, or what was left of them. When he entered the land, he almost wished that he hadn't. Thunderous booms and explosions the likes of which he'd never seen continued to run rampant through the air. Now that he was here in the midst of it, he felt more terrified than ever. A realm far above his own continued to swarm the air. His legs were shaking and he wondered if his fears were confirmed by the prophecy. The Toad Sage had to see it for himself. If he had to put his former student down, he'd only do it if there was no other choice.
So, despite his fears, Jiraiya ventured further into Oto. When he arrived on a hill, his eyes widened when a figure crashed just a few feet from him. "What has the power to do this?" he asked before he received his answer. Out of the crater in the hill appeared Kushina. Jiraiya widened his eyes before the Uzumaki matriarch quickly stood up.
With a snarl, she sucked in her legs and blasted into the air. Jiraiya barely even watch her move before she rolled her fist back and buried it in the stomach of Jashin. The shockwave from the blow tore through the ground. The trees that Jiraiya stood behind were quickly ripped apart before Kushina clashed her sword with Jashin's spear. Each parry, each blow reshaped the landscape around them.
"What am I even watching?" Jiraiya questioned.
Meanwhile, Kushina blocked another blow from Jashin. The two crashed into the ground below, the earth scarred left and right from their blows of fire, wind, and thunder. Kushina's pure white form clashed against the slaughter god's. Jashin thrust out the black spear and Kushina dodged away from it. For miles, the ground tore from a fierce blazing trail of lightning as a result of Jashin's divine strength.
Kushina grabbed her sword handle with both hands. With the strength of the seals ignited by her blood and her Honshou, a mixture of fire and lightning swirled around it. With a great roar, she swung it against Jashin's spear. The body of her blade and the tip of his spear nearly collected, a space of divine energy coating their weapons warped the space between them. Jashin glanced off to the side. Lightning of various colors ranging from black to white flashed through the skies.
"Interesting…" he thought to himself before he turned back in time to see Kushina sock him across the face with her fist. Jashin's head whipped to the side, stunned by the brazenness of the mortal. He could already see the spirit her soul was currently fused to. Such powerful strength amplified by her divine presence, from a world far, far away.
The spirit quickly detached from Kushina and she replaced it with another. This time, Kushina inhaled and blew a torrent of white fire out of her mouth. Jashin quickly jumped back and soared into the air. The Uzumaki clan matriarch turned her head as the flames followed after the slaughter god. The white area of the flames crashed through the ruptured hillside while she slammed her hands together.
Immediately, Jashin saw hundreds, if not thousands of spirits surround him. One by one they charged at him. However, the god wasn't overwhelmed. Instead, one swing of his spear slaughtered hundreds of them. Nevertheless, the spirits weren't deterred for many of them were the souls of great and powerful warriors. Jashin held up his hand and blocked the ferocity of Kushina's flames while he contended with the others. He was actually amused by their futile resistance.
Kushina scowled when she watched Jashin decimate her army of spirits with one swing of his spear. A wave of black energy which she couldn't begin to identify slaughtered them all without remorse. To think he could even do that to the souls of the dead. No wonder the Shinigami hated him.
When Jashin let down his hand, Kushina chose that time to strike. She charged at him and threw her sword into the air. With her left fist, she clashed it with his. "Amusing! Very amusing, mortal! Entertain me further!" Jashin said as the booming sound between their impacts. Kushina growled before her power continued to rise.
"I'll give you enough to die for!" Kushina hollered. She dropped back to the ground and charged again. This time when the two collided, Kushina lifted up her knee. Jashin's chin flew into the air before she slammed her left fist into his chest. Jashin's grin widened before Kushina stiffened. The God of Slaughter raised his fist and threw it forward. Kushina barely had the skill to raise her arms to block.
Flung away from the god, she crashed into the deep edges of a hillside. With a frown on her face, Kushina rolled over. She detached her soul from one of the spirits and merged with another, a powerful healer. She healed her broken arms and panted. "Why does it still feel like he's toying with me?" Kushina questioned before she rubbed her cheek. Well, who said it was easy to fell a god?
Kushina stood up and healed her body, burning through the essence of the spirit attached to her to perform its otherworldly techniques. The only thing she could do was apologize for the agony she knew she was putting it through. That said, she felt its acceptance. It would not mind dying for the to-be wife of the one who summons the dead.
She looked up and saw Jashin floating above her. That arrogant smirk on his face never left and it annoyed her greatly. What she wouldn't give to fly also. "I shall offer you congratulations for taking your first steps into the realm of godhood. However, I hope you have more to reveal to me. You're making a strong case right now," Jashin said while Kushina frowned.
"A case for what?" she asked.
"Why don't you beat the answers out of me like you claimed you would?" he returned, taunting her. However, Kushina detached one of the spirits from her soul and merged with yet another. She glanced at her sword, levitating in the air. She touched her palms together and exhaled. She pulled her palms apart from each other and Jashin noticed a white lance made of pure Honshou.
Jashin assumed Kushina would engage him with it, but she didn't do so. Instead, she broke the lance four times, turning its long, thin frame into an innumerable amount of small dagger-like blades. "Shinsenpō: Hikōmai Senha (Death Sage Art: The Flying Dance of a Thousand Blades)!" Kushina muttered as Jashin watched the daggers of divine power expand out like a blooming flower around the female redhead's body.
"Yes. Come!" he urged as Kushina thrust her hand out. Jashin watched a thousand blades face him. They then charged at him with great speed. Amused, he was ready to intercept every one of them before he heard thunder boom from overhead. He looked up and saw Kushina diving down onto him, her sword in hand.
Grinning like a madman, Jashin turned to face her. He waved his hand and a black sphere appeared between him and the blades below. "You take me for a fool?!" He asked before Kushina laughed. She clashed against Jashin, forcing him to the ground as felt the impact of the daggers behind him, each of them struck the sphere with enough strength to shake his very body.
About 500 or so flew over the sphere and Jashin watched them meld into Kushina's sword. Its length got larger and larger. It got so large that Jashin wondered how a mortal could even wield it. Kushina's eyes burned with fierce white fire. The male redhead narrowed his eyes at her before they both crashed into the ground, kicking up a sandstorm's worth of dust and dirt.
From the smoke, Kushina flew out from a hard kick, courtesy of Jashin. She slid on her hands while her opponent emerged from the crater they'd created. "How does it feel? The power of a god? The power to reshape any mortal realm to your liking? I can tell you're enjoying it," Jashin said while Kushina tried to tune him out. She focused on the rest of her swords. With a flick of two fingers, her ears picked on the sounds of hard steel and brutal impacts.
Raising her hand into the air, Kushina watched her thousands of daggers fly into the air. She tightened her grip on her sword before she sensed the God of Slaughter behind her. When she turned around, she barely managed to block the punch that snapped her shoulders. Holding her nerve, she quickly healed her broken bones in time for her and Jashin to lock fingers. She glared at him with great murder in her eyes before the Power of Life flourished from within their bodies.
Unable to hold their continually rising divine power, the ground crumbled beneath their feet. Lower and lower, the two descended as the ground caved beneath them. As if a large sphere pushing anything mortal out, roads, hills, and mountains were destroyed, shoved apart to make way for the realm of the gods to serve its own making.
Kushina gritted her teeth while Jashin looked at her neutrally. Never had she felt so much power running through her veins. Holding hands, contesting the power of a literal god aside from her, she wondered how long she could keep this up. However, she couldn't afford to let such a thought linger. She'd keep it up until she couldn't anymore. For her family, for her son, she didn't mind if her body wasted away. For that… was her resolve.
Kushina lifted one of her fingers and her daggers moved by her command. Jashin watched them head for him, but that proved to be a mistake. When his attention was taken, Kushina took the opportunity to release her Honshou as much as she could. She rolled back her released her grip from Jashin. He turned back to her only to feel the blow of her fist to his face. His head whipped to the side and his body followed. He crashed into the wall of the crater they'd created.
Kushina didn't let up. She quickly appeared in front of him. She detached yet another spirit and filled her body with one from another world that possessed immense strength, strength greater than what any shinobi in the Elemental Nations could produce. She slammed her fist into Jashin's face. She then slammed another, and another. Punching, punching, punching, Kushina released a vicious, merciless fury of blows, burying Jashin further and further into the earth as far as she could.
The Uzumaki matriarch then sucked in her legs and jumped out of the hole. Landing on the edge of its great width, she slammed her hands together. The daggers flew into the sky and the red clouds, along with the dark skies were quickly illuminated as if it became day upon the lands of Oto. Kushina then spread out her arms.
As if obeying her will, the clouds parted and a shower of thousands of white streaks crashed into the bottomless pit where she and Jashin had just been in. Her silver-white hair blew in the exploding destruction like an innumerable number of paper bombs. The force of the collisions was so great that even Kushina couldn't stand against them, being blown across the lands of Oto until she crashed through one still-standing tree, then another, and another. She then skipped on the hard earth before finally sliding on her stomach.
Beads of sweat fell down her face. Her chest burned and her body felt like it was breaking apart. She felt another spirit leave her, its essence being used to repair the damage done to her body. "Heh, I suppose there is something to this. No way the last steps of the Uzumaki style would have closed the gap if not for my son's power," she thought to herself as she watched the rumbling blasts of her blades still descending in the distance.
"Kushina…"
A voice pierced through the noise and the violence. Kushina turned her head, the side of her face muddled by dirt and sand. She scoffed, eyeing the wooden sandals that were all too familiar. "You always have lousy timing, Jiraiya," Kushina said as she saw the Toad Sage of Konoha standing next to her.
"You… what was… what's going…?" he fired off numerous questions, as he watched the raining show of light far in the distance. Despite how away they were, he still felt the tremble in the ground. He found it hard to breathe, but bit his lip and hoped the pain would reconnect his senses.
Jiraiya knelt to help Kushina, but he was immediately forced away. An invisible wall of pure divine energy formed between him and her. "Don't… touch… me. You'll get… yourself killed!" she warned as she tried to heal herself again of the damage that no mortal ought to be taking.
Jiraiya jerked his hand back in surprise before he looked at the ground. It was true. He could feel the inner workings that made up his body and soul telling him to bow and show reverence to Minato's former wife. In fact, just standing next to her was taking all of his nerves. His eyes traveled to the ground and he saw the small hue of gold aura moving through the ground. Rich plants that had once been crushed and buried beneath mountains of blood, gore, and death started to sprout around her. Each of them perfect and without blemish.
"Kushina, you…" Jiraiya paused before Kushina leaned herself up and staggered to her feet.
Jiraiya looked at Kushina in bewilderment. The aura around her was unlike any chakra he'd ever felt before. When he watched her battle, he truly felt like he was out of his depth. Jiraiya wasn't sure if the Sage of Six Paths existed, but… he imagined that this might be what it was like for such a man to fight. The number of techniques he'd seen her use he'd never even thought of. However, he also spotted neither hide nor hair of Naruto. That concerned him.
"Jiraiya, you have to get out of here. You're only gonna get in my way if you stay here. I can't fight and protect you at the same time!" Kushina said as she grabbed her sword. The explosions were beginning to stop, but Jashin's aura hadn't dissipated still.
"Protect me from who? Kushina, what's going on?!"Jiraiya asked before he felt the deepest sense of dread through his body all forcing his gaze to stare into the sky. Kushina followed after him and sucked her teeth.
"Shit!" she thought as Jashin appeared overhead.
"Hmmm, it seems my rebirth has missed a few ants. This one also seems to be particularly distracting. I don't appreciate having my fun interrupted. It seems we'll have to… remove the distraction!" Jashin said as he glared down at Kushina and Jiraiya with murder in his eyes.
-x-
Sasuke, Mikoto, Yura, Karin, and Konan continued to head for Yuri's location. The tremblings of the world only got worse. Even the roads they were forced to travel on from not having any trees were made treacherous by the breaking and fracturing of the ground beneath their feet. One wrong step lead to a cavern so deep that no one could see the bottom of it.
In fact, the group of shinobi was having trouble just dodging the black spikes that erupted from the ground, one after the other. Konan quickly grabbed Yura's arm and pulled her away. Had the young Uzumaki stayed where she was, one of the spikes would have pierced through her abdomen, a gruesome fate waiting for her.
"Thanks!" Yura said, trying to keep herself focused as the group continued onwards.
"Yura, I understand that you're concerned for your sister, but it won't do you any good to die before we even get to her. Remember your training with us. As you can see, I fear our world is going through a great change," Mikoto warned.
As if to prove her point, the other gasped when a hot pocket of steam flew into the air. After it came bouts of molten rock and lava. Sasuke took out his sword and charged with lightning. With a strong swipe of his blade, the uprooted river of lava was cut to pieces. Konan, Karin, Yura, and the Uchiha ran beneath it, continuing on their way.
"I understand," Yura said responded.
Sasuke glanced at her, his eyes softening with sympathy. He knew all too well what Yura was feeling. He'd felt it as well, and he'd known the dreadful bitterness of its taste at being able to do nothing about it due to your own weakness. "Karin," Sasuke alerted.
The redhead turned her head, causing him to speak. "How far is Yuri?" he asked.
"We're getting closer. Her chakra's saturating the air. In fact, it's almost suffocating!" Karin said before she and the others felt the earth tremble again. Far off in the distance to the east, in the direction Kushina was in, they all saw a pillar of light pierce the clouds.
"What's going on over there?" Yura asked, still sensing every expanding power.
"Nothing good," Sasuke said with a glare. His fists tightened. While he might not admit it, he wouldn't live with himself if somehow Naruto lost his mother and he didn't help prevent it.
Mikoto took note of her son's agitation. She touched her bandaged eye and sighed.
The journey was long and wrought with danger, but finally, Karin sensed Yuri's chakra. Focusing her natural Uzumaki sensor abilities, she pinpointed her location. Immediately, her eyes shot open in shock.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Karin shouted before everyone saw what looked like a flash of light in the distance. Immediately, Sasuke grabbed Mikoto and Yura while Konan flew over and picked up the female member of Hebi.
Konan picked Karin up just in time as, beneath the soles of her shoes, passed a beam of pure chakra. Like a spear whose length goes on through eternity, it flew into the distance. When it crashed into the earth's surface, the group was stunned and their eyes were deafened when piercing explosions of fire, light, dust, and smoke.
Sasuke, Mikoto, and Yura dove into the dirt. The former covered the heads of the latter, each of them gritting their teeth while they felt like the entire world was being broken into a thousand pieces. Unknown to them, that was exactly what it did. Konan immediately flew down to them with Karin. Once she landed, she dropped the redhead and opened her arms. From her sleeves, thousands of flying papers were released. One by one, they came together through Konan's will, forming a protective dome around everyone. Konan groaned when she felt large boulders, trees, and the very wrath of the earth itself fall upon them.
When the rupturing settled for at least a little while, Konan slowly took down the wall of paper. "What the hell was that?!" Karin asked, finding it hard to stand from the tremors beneath her knees.
Mikoto stared at the reddened sky and then off into the distance. She'd actually seen something like that before. It was back when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha sixteen years ago. "I think we should hurry. That came from Yuri's direction. It seems she really has lost control of the Sanbi," the matriarch of the Uchiha clan said which made everyone shudder.
"How long do we have?" Sasuke asked.
Karin held up another handsign. "Perhaps, half an hour? Depending on how long we stay here," she advised while Mikoto turned to her son.
"Sasuke, while we run there, we'll cover you. I want you to gather whatever chakra you can. Of you and I, you're the only one who can reliably do it. Yura and I will supply you with as much chakra as we can. Konan, draw the Sanbi's attention. If it's on a rampage, then we just need to get it to look at Sasuke. We'll then try and get her to return to normal," Mikoto said.
"And if that doesn't work?" Karin asked.
"...I'd rather reach that bridge when we cross it. Unfortunately, I don't think all of us have the power to take on a bijuu, especially with the critical condition that we're in right now. At the worst case, we'll have to… come back to Yuri. Once we've helped Kushina with her… problem, we can hopefully help Yuri, but we gain nothing from staying here. In fact, I say we're in more danger," Mikoto replied.
"I agree," Konan said. Her eyes shifted to the north. Everyone followed her gaze and they saw more spires breaking through the ground, with them more and more steam started to release. Not only that, but maybe everyone was seeing things, but they were sure they saw large, black spirit-like monstrosities. Each of them roamed and wailed around the spires before they disappeared.
"Did anyone else see that?" Yura asked.
"I wish I didn't."
Karin gulped, but Mikoto quickly brought the focus back to the group. They couldn't afford to get distracted by maybes or what they might have seen. As far as they were aware, the world had literally descended into hell itself. Nothing could be what it appeared anymore. For now, all they could do was deal with the certainties. And one of those certainties was that Yuri needed their help.
The group continued onward. Just as Mikoto said, she and Yura offered Sasuke what chakra they could while they closed in on Yuri's location. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything to hide them for the entire land had become a waste of death, decay, and slaughter. Bodies littered the ground in the hundreds or thousands. Limbs were scattered around the lands of Kusa. So mangled were corpses that the group wasn't sure which body was the whole of another.
However, outside the bodies and the trenches of death, Sasuke, Mikoto, Karin, Konan, and a stunned Yura watched the Sanbi unleash a piercing roar. Its tails crashed into the ocean of blood and bodies, knocking them all up one by one. A black pillar, much taller and more menacing than all the others stood at the center of it. They watched the Sanbi roar before it curled up into a spiky ball. It crashed into the tower over and over. Spouts of blood and bodies flew into the air, but the spire didn't buckle.
The Sanbi crashed back into the ocean before it quickly opened its maw, gathering up black and white orbs of chakra. Once a ball was formed, it swallowed it and then fired it at the tower. The ground blasted away in the faces of the two Uchiha, two Uzumaki, and former Akatsuki member. They covered their eyes, squinting from the force of the beam colliding with the tower.
"What's she doing?" Karin questioned.
"It looks like she's trying to destroy the spire!" Mikoto replied loudly, trying to speak over the booming noise.
"But why?" Yura asked.
Once the blast stopped, the team shivered when they saw the spire not only still standing, but it had nary a scratch on it. That only seemed to make the Sanbi angrier as it roared to the high heavens. Karin covered her ears before she noticed Sasuke stand to his feet.
"We'll ask her that when we've calmed her down. Change of plans, mother. Konan and I will go down. Karin will relay any unexpected information to us. You and Yura will take soldier pills to replenish your chakra. Once it's filled, you'll join us down!" Sasuke said.
"But…" Yura argued nervously. She didn't agree, but she knew there wasn't much she could do to deter the plan. Just having to run all the way here drained all of her chakra excessively. A hand appeared on her shoulder and she saw Sasuke looking down at the Sanbi.
"I'll save her. I swear it," he said with a strong, determined glare.
He then jumped down and Konan quickly followed him. Yura bit her lip before she reached into her pouch and crunched a soldier pill. "I'm too weak. I have to get stronger!" Yura exclaimed before she swallowed the bitter-tasting ration.
Meanwhile, Konan quickly formed a platform of paper for Sasuke to stand on through the sea of blood. Once he was safe there, she formed wings of paper for herself, floating through the sickening stench that filled up her nostrils. The same could be said for Sasuke, the sheets of paper kept together by Konan's chakra were becoming stained with the color of dark red. The ocean rumbled from the Sanbi's voice.
"What do we do?" Konan asked.
Sasuke took out his sword and tossed it to Konan. "Hold it in the air. I'll get her attention," he said as he began to coat his hand in lightning chakra. The blue-haired woman quickly nodded and flew into the sky. The young Uchiha watched her go before his eyes turned back to Yuri. A tidal of the red sea threatened to overwhelm him. Konan quickly formed another platform of paper for him. He jumped to it before the waves could overwhelm him. He grimaced when he watched a dismembered hand glide through the oozy liquid before it seeped into its depths.
Turning his attention back to Yuri, Sasuke saw Konan in the middle of the air. He then held his hand up. Instantly, his blade coursed with lightning. A string of its chirping fury connected between his blade and his hand. Sasuke then focused some more. Soon after, the lightning from the blade flew into the red clouds. Harsh booming thunder quickly followed. The skies darkened and a torrent of blood rain began to fall. Konan covered herself and Sasuke with more paper.
The skies growled with even more anger. Multiple streaks of lightning crashed through the skies. The Sanbi stopped its rampage for only a moment to roar at the thundering storm. Konan then gasped focusing her chakra with a groan of pain when the lightning in the sky flew down like a spear from the heavens. It passed through the blade and down to Sasuke's hand. A vicious roar escaped the clouds as everyone saw the head of a dragon come from the clouds. Konan widened her eyes as the dragon's eyes honed in on the blade.
"Is he going to…"
"Roar at the skies, Yuri, and the skies shall roar back. Gōkokyū no Kirin (Grand Breath of Kirin)!" Sasuke said. Konan, Mikoto, Karin, Yura, and the Sanbi watched as the lightning dragon opened its maw. Simultaneously, Sasuke held up a handsign, aggressively molding the chakra in his stomach.
"Katon: Gōkaseikei (Fire Release: Great Fire Molding)!" Sasuke uttered. The Sanbi quickly cast its enormous gaze upon him while he blew a stream of thin, orange flames into his blade at the same time as the lightning dragon fired its technique. Konan groaned forced to close her eyes when the harsh lights of fire and lightning caught Sasuke's blade. Her hands shook from the great power gathering all at once into the blade before over thirty beams of fire release and lightning release chakra ran through the sky. Sasuke's blade as a conduit which combined the two elements, the beams crashed through the ocean of blood. They tore through the skin of the earth, pushing apart the life fluid of mortals. The technique then collided with the Sanbi. A towering commandment of lightning-infused fire rupture from the ground and into the sky.
Sasuke panted while Konan flew down next to him, his sword burning with the fading embers of his power. "Think that got her attention?" he asked.
No sooner than him asking the question did the Sanbi roar, glaring at the both of them. "I'd say it did," Konan replied as she watched Yuri charge at the both of them. Luckily, in her anger, the Sanbi's eyes were completely exposed.
Sasuke slowly exhaled, a trail of blood moving down the side of his eyes. He then opened them and quickly subdued the giant turtle. Konan watched the same of the Sharingan appear in the Sanbi's eye before its rage finally quieted down.
"Did he do it?" Yura asked.
"Well, she's settled down it seems, but we won't be able to know for sure. Just focus on your recovery. We won't know if we'll have to intervene or not," Mikoto said. Yura swallowed hard, nervous as to the implications of what the Uchiha matriarch meant. She just prayed that it didn't come down to that as she continued to watch Sasuke and the Sanbi.
Meanwhile, Sasuke had finally found Yuri. Through the genjutsu, he'd managed to weave his way into her consciousness, perhaps no different from when he'd minorly pushed back the Kyuubi in Naruto's own mind. He'd been wandering around in a dark void of negative emotions, each more berating than the last. Sasuke empathized with some of them, for they were thoughts that he'd told to himself. He remembered the days after the Uchiha Massacre. He remembered the numerous suicidal thoughts that ran through his mind. The longer he walked, the more self-deprecating the thoughts became until he wondered if he was even in the mind of the same cheerful girl.
When Sasuke found Yuri, she was alone, clenching her head in agony as the voice screamed at her.
Weak. Worthless. Spoiled. If only you'd tried harder. Nothing. All talk. Pathetic. You don't deserve to be happy.
These and more penetrated the furthest depths of Yuri's mind before Sasuke put his hand on her shoulder. "Yuri," he said, making sure his voice pierced through the void of thoughts threatening to overwhelm the Sanbi jinchuuriki.
Yuri turned around, her eyes puffed and red. "Sasuke. Why? Why did this happen?" she asked, her voice cracked and broken. The Uchiha spoke not a word for a moment, kneeling next to Yuri.
"What happened?" he asked.
Yuri's fists tightened. The words seemed to die in her throat, only finally coming up as if they took the last of her greatest will to speak them. "Yukimaru, Hanabi, Konohamaru, Moegi, Aoba-sensei… they… they… I couldn't save them. I couldn't save anyone!" She cried, her very spirit threatening to break apart into a thousand pieces.
Sasuke widened his eyes. While he didn't know anyone in the group outside of Yukimaru personally, he knew that a few of them were Naruto's… fan group of sorts. He also recognized Hanabi and Hinata's sister, part of the Uzumaki clan through the blood ties formed with the Hyuuga clan. She and Yukimaru… were engaged to be married in the future, furthering the ties between the clans.
…now they were gone. They were gone like so many others in every part of the world from the destruction happening around them. Sasuke didn't have the heart to ask why or how it happened, but Yuri seemed to do it anyway.
"We met up with Yukimaru's team on our way to Iwa. We decided to travel together. We were camping out last night before everything went to hell. One of those black spikes… Moegi wasn't fast enough. We tried to run, but Yukimaru's sensei was next. He saved them before the blood washed over him. We thought we'd be safe, but then the ground split apart beneath Hanabi. I… managed to pull her out before she fell, but it didn't matter. When I climbed out… Konohamaru was dead. I tried to find Yukimaru. Now I wonder if I should have even bothered. I ran as hard as I could, but the spikes kept getting in my way, I couldn't destroy them either no matter how much I tried. By the time I got to Yukimaru and Hanabi… they were gone, pierced by the spikes before I could even do anything," she said, her voice void of emotion. How was she even going to explain this to Guren?
Sasuke quickly began to understand, even with the odd way of telling the events that Yuri did. Nevertheless, he saw the anguish in her eyes, reminding him of the many times he hid his own pain when no one was looking. "I know what it's like to lose someone. You haven't lost everyone yet. If you failed to save someone, then remember this grief you have to save someone else. Yura is outside, waiting for you to come back. Kushina is out there, fighting hard against a powerful enemy, the probable cause of all of this. If there's anyone you want to take revenge on, let it be them! Don't let her go too!" Sasuke exclaimed.
"Sasuke…" Yuri said before the Uchiha picked her up.
"Besides, you like the dobe right? He always has a habit of changing the worst things around. Fight to live on and wait for that hope, because we'll do it also. If anyone can make room for that idiot to work a miracle, then it'll be us!" he urged while Yuri rubbed her eyes.
After a moment she offered something of a sad smile. "You suck at motivation," she said while the Uchiha snorted.
"Hn, be thankful I even tried," he said as she stood up.
"Kushina's fighting?" she asked.
"Yeah. Whoever she's fighting, she's not holding back," he said.
Yuri narrowed her eyes and sighed. Yukimaru, Yuri would avenge you or she'd fucking die trying. "Fine. Just let me take my hearing from Sanbi-san. I'll bet he's already yelling at me," she said while Sasuke stood up.
"We'll be waiting for you," he said before he slowly faded away from her consciousness. Yuri watched him go before the smile on her face fell. She clenched her fists again.
…Yukimaru.
Finally, Sasuke opened his eyes and he noticed he was with the others. "Sasuke-kun, are you alright?" Karin asked while the Uchiha leaned up. He noticed he was no longer in the ocean of blood. It lay below them in the deepest ditch he'd ever seen, stretching out for miles on end. Next to him was Yuri, unconscious and much more human than bijuu.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Whatever you did worked. Yuri returned to normal, but her seal had been completely destroyed. If the Sanbi wanted to escape, nothing could stop it. Konan flew you both over while you kept her under control," Mikoto said as Sasuke saw the numerous blood-soaked clothes from a medkit that had been used to wipe up the opening around Yuri's navel.
The male Uchiha leaned up with the help of Yura and Karin. "Thank you, Sasuke-san! You saved Yuri!" Yura said, trying to keep herself calm despite the elation she felt.
Unfortunately, Sasuke couldn't keep the same emotion. "Yeah, well… I think I got an idea about why she lost control," he said.
The others stiffened. Mikoto narrowed her eyes and touched her son's shoulder. Without even asking, Sasuke told them all the story that Yuri told him. Karin and Yura listened, stunned and in disbelief. Mikoto bit her lip and scowled. Kushina and Naruto weren't going to like this at all. But, how would Guren feel about this? It would destroy her.
"No. P-Please, tell me you're lying, Sasuke!" Yura said as she slammed her fist on the ground. Sasuke remained silent as did everyone else. There was no reason for him to lie, but Yura wished that he was.
It was then that she recalled the Shinigami's words. Those were his words to her before it seemed like the whole world had gone to hell in just the span of a few hours. The resurgence of her clan, her family, seemed to be falling to pieces.
"Well, what about Naruto? He can revive them right?" Karin asked.
Mikoto sighed. "I think Naruto might have a lot of reviving to do. Who knows how many have died so far? How many people would Naruto have to kill to revive everyone who died? More than that, were they good people? Evil people? How are we to know?" Mikoto asked.
No one seemed capable of answering that question. The group fell into a great silence before Konan cleared her throat. "I suggest we ponder this once we've taken care of the problem. We won't be saving anyone if we can't even save ourselves," Konan said, still relieved that Yuri was alright. Well, at least she was breathing.
Mikoto slowly exhaled, steadying her thoughts. "Konan's right. We've achieved our objective here. Now, we have to meet up with Kakashi and the others. Karin, do you have enough chakra to heal Yuri?" she asked.
The glasses-wearing kunoichi swiftly nodded. "Yeah, I should have enough. Here, give her to me," Karin said. Yura quickly leaned her sister up and opened her mouth. The Sanbi Jinchuuriki took a small bite of Karin's arm. The young girl groaned in slight discomfort before she slowly opened her eyes as healing energy started to enter her body.
Once Yuri opened her eyes, Yura smiled. "You really know how to worry someone, you know that?" she asked, wiping a tear from her eyes while Yuri smiled weakly. However, that smile quickly fell as the memories started to return.
"Well, what sister would I be if I didn't worry you? If you're gonna yell at me, at least do it later. I already got a load of it from Sanbi-chan," Yuri replied while the Sanbi snorted.
"As well you should, you idiot. You're lucky we have more pressing matters or I'd have more to say to you!" he replied with a grumpy voice as Yuri tried to smile, but it just wouldn't show up on her face.
"Glad you care," she said before she looked down into the ditch where she'd been throwing her rampage. She narrowed her eyes at the black spire, proudly standing in the sky. Its form loomed over her arrogantly, grinning at her as the voices of her own failure moved through her head. The images of Yukimaru and Hanabi's deaths at its hands, their young bodies pierced by its spikes burned into Yuri's mind. If there was someone who caused all of them, she'd fucking make them pay!
A hand came on her shoulder. Yuri noticed her sister looking at her. "It wasn't your fault, Yuri. You did what you could," Yura said when she saw the sad and lonely gaze on her sister's face.
"Well, apparently what I could do wasn't enough. If it were Nii-chan, he would have found a way. He always finds a way," Yuri said back, holding her head down.
"Nii-sama is Nii-sama, and you are you. Even he has things he can't do. We'll be alright, I promise."
Yuri looked at her sister. She wondered how Yura could have such a hopeful look on her face despite the despair permeating the air around them. Unfortunately, her sister's words didn't help them as much as she let on, but… they were nice to hear. "Yeah, right," she replied, turning her head away.
When Yuri expanded her senses, it seemed that Sasuke was right. She could feel Kushina's great power in the distance, clashing against one that seemed to rival, if not overpower her own. Plus, the land had only grown worse since she lost herself to her rage. Even now, flashes of light and crashes even louder than thunder boomed over the distance. It was just like one of those apocalyptic novels Yuri read sometimes.
"So what will we do now?" Karin asked. Sasuke stood up and glanced into the distance. His eyes narrowed when he watched a mountain split into pieces. Another black spire sprouted into the air.
"We can't stay here. The landscape's changing with every blow that Kushina and her enemy make. Konan, rendezvous with Kakashi and Yugao. We're near the border of Fire Country and I've got no doubts that Tsunade's gathering her forces to that same spot just like the Tsuchikage was. In fact, I'll speculate that all the Kage are headed in that direction. It probably won't do us good to show up with Konan. As far as the nations are concerned, she's still a part of the Akatsuki. If she randomly shows up through Kakashi and Yugao, I doubt anyone would question it. In the meantime, we'll regroup with the Konoha forces. Tsunade's gonna want to know what's going on," Sasuke said before Yuri interjected.
"I'm heading there right now," she said, a fierce glare on her face.
"Yuri…" Yura said slowly, almost in disbelief at her little sister's attitude.
Seeing the mood of the group, Mikoto carefully spoke. "Yuri, you're in no position to fight at the moment. You've been using the Sanbi's chakra for a very long time. The strain on your body has to be extreme. Just be patient for now. We're heading that way right now, but it's still a long journey. Conserve what chakra you can, and remember that you are a shinobi. Act carefully," Mikoto urged.
Yuri snarled, but she kept her mouth shut, not trusting herself to speak. She merely nodded her head and everyone quickly agreed as well.
"Then I will be going," Konan said before she sent one more look at the Sanbi Jinchuuriki. The smiling, cheerful young woman who'd gotten on her last nerve and this one seemed like night and day. Perhaps once everything settled, they could have a long talk. Just the two of them. It reminded Konan of how they met.
"It'll be alright, Yuri-san," Konan said.
The young redhead lifted her eyes to her friend, seeing the small smile on her face. As much as Yuri wanted to, she couldn't reciprocate. Instead, she just nodded her head.
Konan then left the group, dashing off into the distance at a great speed. The others watched her go. After a few extra minutes of tense rest, they collected themselves and ran off. As they traveled Yuri's eyes narrowed. Whoever did this, whoever turned their life into this mess of hell, she'd fucking make them rue the day!
-x-
Jiraiya gasped as he ran. Everything seemed to be happening so fast. He'd nearly lost his life due to the speed of the man. His spear had been inches from piercing through the Sanin's skull, if not for Kushina parrying his blade. The force of their blows crashed into the skies and parted the dark clouds. A bead of sweat fell from Jiraiya's face before Kushina forcefully pushed him away.
"Get out of here! You'll only slow me down!" She exclaimed.
Unfortunately, the Toad Sannin wasn't exactly sure he heard her. His eyes were too far focused on the man that was her opponent. The Toad Sage had been through many battles, a lot of them he'd nearly lost his life. He remembered the inferiority he felt when Hanzo had beaten him, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, letting them live with their new titles. He remembered facing Naruto as the four-tails, the second time he'd nearly died. Yet, none of those experiences seemed to be worse than now. Maybe he preferred them to this man.
Never had Jiraiya felt such pressure, one that kept his legs shaking and his eyes focused with great fear. Worst of all, the man seemed to enjoy the look, basking in the fear and the angst. If there was one thing Jiraiya was sure about, this guy definitely wasn't Naruto. Yet, the prophecy seemed to be coming true. However, what did this have to do with Naruto?!
"JIRAIYA!" Kushina screamed.
The Uzumaki matriarch's voice peered through the darkness of Jiraiya's mind, snapping him momentarily out of his fear. That led to right now, Jiraiya running through the desolate lands while the thunder-like booms behind him ensued.
Kushina panted and huffed. She slammed her fist into Jashin's face. Her eyes burning with white fire, she pulled back her other hand. Her fist pushing through the wind coating her arm, she crashed it deep into the Slaughter God's stomach. Over and over, blow after blow, she never relented. She struck and struck, pushing him away while she tried to buy time for Jiraiya's escape.
"Dammit! I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere! But I've got to do this! I've got no time to hesitate!" Kushina thought to herself before she grabbed Jashin's shoulders. Pulling him forward, she buried her knee into his chest. For her effort, Jashin released an annoyed grunt of pain.
Flipping herself over him, Kushina slammed her hands together. Ten chains of white divine energy wrapped themselves around Jashin's body. He turned to face her. "That man's important to you, isn't he?" he asked with a wide grin on his face.
Kushina snarled before she drove the both of them into the ground. Fissures ruptured and fierce pockets of lava spouted into the skies. The black spire that had pierced through the ground were overturned and bashed into one another, falling back to the dirt.
Jiraiya covered his eyes, wondering what the hell he could even do in this situation to help Kushina. "Tell me, are you afraid to die, mortal?"
Jiraiya felt his body shiver when a voice came so close to his ear. He turned his head and saw Jashin standing next to him. "What?! How did he… I should have sensed his presence!" the Toad Sage said while Jashin rolled his neck.
"I must thank you for showing yourself, Mortal. Your presence has made this battle that much more interesting. I wonder if I'll find something even more interesting if you die!" he said.
Surprisingly, Jiraiya found himself grinning. "S-Sorry, I'm not the dying type. Who would swoon the ladies if I died?" He asked before he popped into smoke. Jashin raised an eyebrow before he noticed a sea of flames headed toward him.
"Katon: Karyū Endan (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet)!" Jiraiya called out as he watched the stream of flames crash into Jashin's form. The Sannin smirked when he saw the flames swirl about violently turning into a tornado. However, that smirk slowly fell when he saw Jashin casually walk out of the flames, an arrogant grin ever present.
"Well, it looks like I'm in quite a pickle this time. You better think of something fast, Jiraiya," The Toad Sage said to himself, nervously taking a step back before a crash came down between him and Jashin. The Slaughter God's grin widened when Jiraiya saw Kushina stand in front of him. The Sannin quickly noticed how beaten the side of her face was. Her lip seemed like it'd been bleeding before it started to heal.
"Perhaps he's your father? Lover? Brother? Why would you fight so hard for him?" Jashin asked.
Kushina kept her mouth shut while Jiraiya stared down as the ground slowly split to pieces from her immense power. The redhead then turned back to Naruto's former teacher. "I'll apologize later," she said when she put her hand on his chest. The Sannin widened his eyes before she shoved him away far into the horizon before she turned back to Jashin and immediately engaged him.
The two clashed, sword and black spear pushed against each other. Kushina gritted her teeth while Jashin slightly glared at her. The ground beneath their feet started to tear into two sides. The shifting plates beneath the earth's crust pushed themselves apart. Mountains far off broke apart as black spires fell into the darkest crevices below. Hot steam blew in vast, unrestrained pockets all around them. The remains of what was once the lands of Otogakure caved in on themselves, breaking apart between Kushina and Jashin.
"It doesn't matter where you send him. I will find them. I will find all of them, and I'll enjoy tearing down your feeble resistance. But most of all, to all of you who have stood with her, I shall visit all of your worlds and ruin them all. If you believe this woman can save you, then I'll prove my point by breaking her down first. Then, you'll be next!" Jashin said.
Kushina could feel the anger of the spirits inside her. With her will, she made them all kneel once again. They would not control her. She wouldn't allow it. She would make them serve her and keep that future from happening. "Let's see you try!" Kushina said as she pulled her blade back.
This action made Jashin lean forward with his spear. "Uzu no Fukushū: Senpō no Ryūha (Whirlpool Revenge: Spearhead of the Dragonblade)!" Kushina roared as Jashin watched her instantly swing her blade before she sheathed it again. Immediately a storm of lightning crashed down from the sky on top of the Slaughter God. Now this, this seemed to hurt if only a little. The divine lightning coursed through his body and the roar of a dragon resounded in his ears. The light was so bright it made him squint a moment and that was a moment that Kushina needed.
She unsheathed her sword and latched her soul with two warriors at once, one for immense strength and one as an ascended master of the blade. She pulled her arm back and thrust it forward. Jashin wasn't sure, but he thought he saw the head of a dragon combined with every element of the mortal realm. She thrust her blade into his chest and the Slaughter God was sent flying through the air. Had any shinobi been close enough, they would have stared in awe at a large dragon head made of fire, wind, earth, water, and lightning roaring through the air as its maw overwhelmed Jashin. He lazily tried to push it back before his eyebrow raised. This technique was rather powerful.
The fiancee of Uzumaki Naruto watched as the God of Slaughter was swallowed up in a cratering explosion that forced Kushina to close her eyes. When the light dissipated and the smoke cleared, she noticed that Jashin was gone. With a grunt, she fell to her knees and panted. "P-Please hold on. I've got to hold on! I'm the only one who can," Kushina said as the light around her began to slowly fade until she gritted her teeth and forced more power into the technique.
"It seems your mortal coils are at the end of their rope. It's no surprise why. You might have the aura of a god temporarily, but I AM a god. Do you really believe you can kill me?" Jashin asked as Kushina widened her eyes when the voice appeared from behind her. Before Kushina could turn around she gritted her teeth when the spear pierced through her shoulder. Immediately, the redhead screamed as a flood of negative emotions began to overwhelm her. She turned her head and she snarled, great contempt burning on her face.
Jashin laughed. "I like that look on your face, but I can tell by the way you fight. Your strength is failing you. It seems that this is all you amount to. I suppose it's what I should have expected, but you can stay here now while I bring that mortal back and teach you what happens to those who…"
"Raiton: LARIAT!"
"Sōtenkyaku (Heavenly Spear Foot)!"
Kushina blinked before she saw the Hokage and the Raikage crash into Jashin. An explosion of lightning chakra and broken stone ruptured around the female redhead before she saw Jashin crash into the ground, ragdolling up and down before he finally slide to a stop. The God of Slaughter rubbed his cheek in surprise. While that didn't hurt, it came out of nowhere faster than he thought.
Then, immediately the maw of the earth opened up. "Yōton: Yōfunka no Jutsu (Lava Release: Lava Eruption Technique)!"
Kushina turned her head and watched a wall of molten lava sprout out from the open air as she saw Mei Terumi next to her. "You've changed a lot, Kushina. I'm getting chills just standing next to you," the Mizukage said with a smile on her face.
Kushina turned her head and she saw Tsunade kneel behind her. Immediately, the Hokage started to heal what injuries she could. "I can't believe this is even you, Kushina. You're glowing!" Tsunade exclaimed.
"I've been through a lot of shit today," she replied while Ay stood in front of her.
"You wouldn't know the half of it. Now, someone tell me what's going on here!" the dark-skinned man exclaimed angrily.
"I'd like to know that as well. Kushina, what happened to you?" Mei asked, not quite used to standing next to the other Kage outside of the Kage Summit. She also wondered if this was the first time so many of them had gathered on a battlefield.
Kushina tried to stand, but her legs buckled and she fell back down. "Let's just say I've got a lot of guys yelling at me all at once and I'm trying pretty damn hard to not lose my mind. As for why I'm like this, would you believe me if I said I was fighting the God of Slaughter?" Kushina asked.
"The one those cultists worship? Jashin?" Mei asked in disbelief. That crazy, evil god that the cult of murderers worshiped was real?!
"A god? Has the battle destroyed the brain of the late Yellow Flash's wife?" The Raikage asked.
While Tsunade didn't appreciate the Raikage comments, she found it hard to believe as well. Of course, this whole… thing with the Shinigami had completely flipped her belief. Hell, perhaps the realization that Kushina was even alive should have been proof enough.
"Do you know any ninjutsu that can do this?" Kushina asked calmly. To be honest, if it weren't happening to her, she'd find it hard to believe as well.
Ay looked around and indeed he couldn't begin to explain what happened. It would also make sense since the Jashin symbol for the cult appeared high above the village. So that man was the cause of all of it! "He's the one who destroyed my village and my people?!" the Raikage asked.
Mei glared. "My village has also befallen that fate," she said before Tsunade narrowed her eyes.
"If that's the case, then why is Konoha still standing?" she asked.
"What?!" Ay asked while Mei started at the Hokage with great suspicion.
Why would Konoha be spared from the destruction when their villages hadn't? Mei didn't want to believe that something like this could be a ploy from Konoha, but that wouldn't make much sense. Why would Kushina be fighting this mysterious man who destroyed their villages if Konoha was responsible?
Unfortunately, the Raikage didn't see it that way. He quickly grabbed Tsunade by the shirt. "If I find out you've had something to do with this, I don't care how many Yellow Flashes you produce or how many Uzumaki are family between us. I will raze your nation into the dirt!" he threatened before Tsunade forcefully removed his hand.
"Just as how your nation has infiltrated ours over the numerous years and grieved the Hyuuga clan occasion after occasion! If there's anyone who deserves to…"
"SHUT UP!" Kushina thundered, her divine presence subduing the both of them. Both shivered when the ground beneath the Uzumaki matriarch exploded, rocks levitating in the air. The Raikage obediently released Tsunade and their tirade against each other stilled.
"We'll fucking figure it out later! You can all kill each other when our world is back to normal. Now if you want to act like fucking children then do it away from here! I can't protect all of you if you're at each other's throats!" Kushina roared.
Unconsciously the Raikage and the Hokage took steps back in surprise before they all heard a laugh.
"Oh no, please continue on. I'm quite enjoying the show."
Kushina glared up as did Tsunade, Ay, and Mei. The three Kage widened their eyes when they saw Jashin, floating in the air. He sat there with one leg over the other, almost as if he were lording over all of them from on high. "He's alive?!" Ay asked while Tsunade clenched her fists.
Mei narrowed her eyes. "Maybe he really is a god," she said while Kushina found the strength to stand up. She grabbed her sword and held it up while Jashin's ears picked up on Mei's words.
"Your admiration of my status is dully deserved, mortal. Clearly, my mother has blessed you with discerning eyes. However, now that you have interfered, I shall doll out to you the same punishment that shall befall this little entertainment piece of mine…" Jashin said as he pointed his black spear at Kushina.
"...so I suggest you mortals hold fast to yourselves and continue to entertain me further, for your world has only begun to know true hell. Your world, and all worlds, shall know of the terror of Jashin, the God of Slaughter!" he finished with a confident smirk on his face.
KG: A LOT OF TRUST!
KG: CREAM SODA!
