**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the quote below. I just own Sintary ^^ Also I do not own the other OC Kokuro. He's my friend's.
So, yes, took me a month-ish to get up, BUTbutbutbut, we have a HUGE chapter for you guys. 17 pages, just under 10,000 words, roughly 13 DIMENSIONS, new and old, several cameos (let's see you guys get the reference), the take down of the century, and birth. Without further rambling, here is chapter 38 of Dear Itachi.
Ko and Sin
"One has not only an ability to perceive the world but an ability to alter one's perception of it; more simply, one can change things by the manner in which one looks at them."
-Tom Robbins
"Kaguya Otsutsuki, say your final goodbyes, because you will not becoming back from this."
A hissing filled the once silent dimension as life invaded this void. Pearl eyes glanced around, trying to find the source of the noise. She could see the light dimming ever so slightly. Feeling something in her sleeve, she reached in with her other arm and yanked out a vicious viper. Narrowing her eyes, Kaguya whipped the reptile down, moving out of the way as a writhing mass of them came tumbling down out of the darkness.
"Where is my influence? Where are these beasts coming from?" She muttered to herself. This was her core dimension. She was in control of what happened here.
"Mother," Black Zetsu called from her sleeve.
The Rabbit Goddess looked up, noticing she was no longer in her sanctuary. Instead, she was in a dark tomb with jagged rocked surrounding her. She could barely make those out with her own Byakugan activated. It was completely dark otherwise. Her instincts still aided her though. She could sense her chakra; it called to her like a beacon in this endless blackness. Kaguya flew to it, slashing at the source with a chakra infused hand, only for her white hand to be stained red with the blood of a snake instead of her son. The serpent hissing angrily at the wounding.
In snap seconds, the young Otsutsuki unconsciously pulled from his Uchiha friend's memory and recreated the battle he faced against Kabuto. It had been the former's technique that lured his mother to try and move in the darkness. Assured that her senses were dampened, he waved the signs: Sage Art: White Rage Technique. The dragon swirled forth, blinding her with a ear splitting sound that froze her in her spot, even silencing her black creation in her sleeve.
Kokuro came smashing into Kaguya, ramming his mother into the stone enclosing them. The tomb quaked at their impact, shedding some of his rock from above. The white-haired male shoved her towards them, trying to pin her down. He could sense her open up a portal to get away.
"Oh no you're not!" Kokuro roared teleporting before her again and shoving her through, taking control of where they went.
They tumbled into the grass together. Kaguya quickly taking to the sky to gain the upper hand. She formed a mass of chakra, throwing it down at her son, and trying to obliterate him. Kokuro needed a weapon, he needed a way to defend himself and take the upper hand. The silverite channeled his chakra and willed it to summon forth a weapon, the Bashosen. He flurried the fan, smashing into the compressed chakra, watching it fly past his mother. He then levitating as his mother tried running away through another portal. He shot his own chakra at the ball, turning it into a storm before it landed. Kokuro caught up with Kaguya, yanking her back with his Deva Path. She came to him prepared, launching chakra fists at him.
The Otsutsuki summoned his own Susanoo needing defense immediately. The silver figure rapidly appeared around Kokuro in a rampage of storm clouds and cyclones. Instead of taking the multiple hits, it absorbed them using his master's Preta Path. The storm embodied frozen winds and frigid air, chilling and raining ice upon the land as even the Susanoo began to freeze. Kokuro let the storm rage on though; the cold never bother the white-haired Otsutsuki boy anyway.
The silverette dismissed his Susanoo, appearing behind his mother and kicking her in the back, sending her in the same direction that mystical ball went.
As Kokuro flew over there, he saw a little kingdom below. The once green place was now covered in white snow, even the fjord turned to ice. He winced, 'I wondered if we caused that.'
Deciding they needed to leave before they caused more harm to these people, Kokuro opened a portal and shoved his mother through it, hanging onto her as they whipped through dimensional space. He could barely register where they were going; seeing blurs of white, green, brown, even a starry black in his periphery.
Kokuro felt a prickling in the back of his mind, a heat washing over his head. He saw Kaguya's face contour as she smirked devilishly.
The first thing that came to his mind was Sintary and his children. Kaguya was after them; going to snatch them from his hands and eat them - well, their chakra - like the demon she truly was. He was so determined to stop her from reaching them that he didn't even notice when the world around them warped into the birthing chambers.
"Holy shit! Kokuro!" Kiba exclaimed looking up and seeing them.
All eyes fell on him up in the starry night. Sintary looked frightened, her eyes darting from him to Kaguya, with a hand over her swollen belly. Tsume looked annoyed, and her son looked worried, instinctively moving closer to where his children were. Itachi tightened his grip on his beloved, dread etching into his stone face.
Angered ringed eyes settled on his mother. "You bitch!" He roared, engulfing in a seething shimmering cloak of white chakra. "You poked around in my mind, and brought us here! I am going to murder you for that alone!"
Without hesitation, Kokuro flitted in front of the Goddess, his hand brandishing a sleeve of white light. It connected with her, just tapping her sternum, before exploding and sending her flying over the vast expanse of water. Kokuro was before his family one minute, and then gone the next, his fists flying at her faster than she could track even with the Byakugan. Her jaw, her gut, her side, her head, anywhere Kokuro could physically hurt he did. All the while his hands lashed out with every change in nature, every attack he could think of. The very dimension rattling out, shaking and warping under the onslaught.
"He's like an avenging god," Itachi whispered, his words quivering as he watched his best friend treat his mother like a punching bag.
Blood spewed from the goddess, and that's when the group noticed Kokuro had casted a shield around them. The red liquid oozed down the sides before Kaguya came crashing face down into it. Kokuro's ivory sleeves stained crimson, the blood almost beautifully fading up his arms.
Sintary gasped, startled by the impact. Kokuro landed on top of her, bones and spines protruding from his body, he looked more a ferocious beast than the gentle moonlight God that he was. Kokuro stood, straddling her from behind as he yanked back on her horns. He then let go, letting the force of her pulling away from him rebound her face. A hand gripped in her white tresses as he started smashing Kaguya's face into the barrier; the barrier resounding and even cracking as he loosed his fury upon her..
The young woman closed her eyes, trying to find comfort in her lover underneath her. She couldn't bare to watch her best friend who she considered a brother like this. His pale face coiled with angry, wrinkles etching around his Rinne Sharingan in his forehead. She hadn't seen him this angry since their teens when he was in Root.
Itachi, on the other hand, was completely lost for words, a cold sweat covered his body. He had never seen Kokuro this livid. He had fought him while half mad, and witness him crushing his enemies, but this was person. This goddess had crossed the line when she entered his sacred place and threatened his children.
Kaguya managed to whip around, scratching her long nails against Kokuro's chest, causing him to jump off her. He then reached down and grabbed her by her hair again. He spun, once, twice, and then a third, launching the Rabbit Goddess into the sky.
He chased after her, both of them gaining some stability in the air.
'Kami, I thought I was your darkness,' trembled Tsuki.
Genbu agreed, 'This is the rage that threatens dimensions, the fury of Otsutsuki. Though, this is unhinged even for bloodlust.'
Kokuro flurried his chakra and formed several truth-seeker orbs, launching them at Kaguya, the goddess forming her own in retaliation. She dove after them, taking their explosions to hide her assault, the children would be hers. She was just before the barrier when Kokuro stepped out of a rift, his face twisted in rage.
"GET LOST YOU EVIL BITCH!"
He charged her and slammed a Wind Style: Rasengan into her stomach, reaching out his other hand to grab her long hair, pulling her into the blow. Kaguya steeled her hair, piercing Kokuro's hand forcing him to let her go. Kaguya flew through another portal. The force of his attack pulling strands of stained ivory hair from Kaguya's pretty little head. The younger Otsutsuki ran in after her, his mind completely blank of any thought other than destroying the woman who attempted to kill his children.
Kokuro dashed after her, and vaguely remembered crashing into a green and white sign that said, 'Welcome to Mys-' something or another. He had knocked it to the ground, followed by crashing into the trees, and ending in a creepy graveyard. He quickly tried to put it back into place, barely glancing at it before Kaguya lashed out slamming into him. They spiraled through the air and smashed into tree and tombstone alike; even an avenging angel tumbled onto them.
Eventually, Kaguya gained enough focus to open another rift for them to fly through. During the flight, Kaguya lashed out with her bones, stabbing into Kokuro; using the momentum she open a rift and froze him in the void space before fleeing through the portal.
Kaguya used the time to try and get back to her own realms. She was confused at her son's abilities. While she was able to shift between dimensions at will, she only had a select few; he, on the other hand, had already crafted a few dozen in the time they were fighting. She was progenitor of all chakra, how could his power exceed her own? Nonetheless, the Rabbit Goddess was able to get back to her ice dimension, where she was met with hundreds of Naruto's clones. Knowing Kokuro was only moments behind her, she started attacking the clones.
"The real one has the Truth Seeking Balls around him, mother," Black Zetsu informed her. "Kill him now, or you could be sealed forever."
The mother was reluctant at first, she wanted his chakra. However, she felt another rift opening nearby and shot her All-Killing Ash Bones technique at her target. The Naruto hit crumbled, disintegrating, before exploding into a plume of smoke, revealing yet another clone. She narrowed her eyes in disdain before they widened in shock, feeling her long hair get yanked.
"Come back here, mother," Kokuro hissed as they moved into another dimension, his pale eye narrowed in anger.. He had only been delayed this long because of the ice, and he found Obito and Sakura in her core, trying to find Sasuke. He knew he had to distract Kaguya from finding them before he was found.
The two celestial beings continued their clash; in their wake, they left mostly destruction, however, their chakra poured from them, changing everything they touched. One instance was Kaguya's tears. They had landed outside a large kingdom, the castle separated from the village by a moat, floating above a hilltop.
He had noticed the heartless creature, crying again. "Why must I be cursed with such wretched children!" She screamed at him as her crystalline tears fell from her pale face.
"The fact you call us wretched answers all your question: you were unfit to be a mother, you have failed us all, your children and your people." Kokuro spat at her.
He looked down below, seeing something golden glow out of the corner of his eyes. He saw a lily bloom at a moment's notice, opening with beautiful golden yellow petal with a purple middle. Kokuro pulled away from the flower's beauty upon hearing an animalistic cry from the goddess as she flew towards him.
He opened another portal, letting her shove him through it, still in control. They appeared in the dark sky, flying over yet another castle; this one filled with dozens of cone-like tops with a lake to its south and a dark forest surround its other young Otsutsuki felt his back slam into something hard as he bounced off it slightly. He glanced to see what he hit and saw a light blue metal contraption with what he thought was wheels. It was like a wagon, but… not made out of wood? And it was flying too! Dumbfounded by what he saw (and what he thought was two boys screaming), Kaguya took advantage of his stunned stay and hit him with a fire enhanced chakra fist. Taking the hit that he needed to get his head back into this battle, Kokuro yanked his mother down with him using his Rinnegan. The pair barrelled down into the ground, specifically at the junction of a tree trunk and the ground; crashing through a narrow passage beneath the roots of the plant. The pair slammed against the hard stone below the earth, and both of them opened a portal disappearing beneath the ground.
Below it though, life began to flourish from their chakra, illuminating a warping tunnel. Kokuro opened yet another portal in which they were surrounded by a variety of flowers. Everywhere they stepped, they breathed life and chakra into these plants, thus causing them to grow mighty in size - even form an ego, too.
Mother and son dualed here; Kaguya was no longer on the defense. She aimed to teach this son a lesson: that she was in charge. She slashed towards him with her chakra infused hand, Kokuro catching her attacks with his red and white Bashosen. Their collisons exploded with their energy each time, creating large cracks and craters in the ground they tussled on. Kaguya flourished on, calling upon all of the changes of nature at her disposal, and Kokuro found himself countering in turn. The pair flurried in a wide array of ninjutsu, fires blazed and even wind whipped up the land into a flurry. The very fabric of the reality of the dimension was warping and becoming twisted by their duel.
Kokuro hissed as Kaguya cut the top of his shoulder, flying backwards as his blood spattered on some white roses. He cupped his shoulder, staining his hand with blood before his chakra began to meld it back together. Weaving his hands for a summoning; in a grand conflagration of embers, cinder, and ash, Yomi burst forth. The duo acted immediately, expelling a combined attack; Yomi spewing fire onto its opponent, putting the Uchiha clan's Great Fireball Jutsu to shame in its wake, and Kokuro weaving the sign of the horse flaring out a vibrant plume of blue phoenix flames.
"Not so fast," Kaguya hissed, holding up her hand in front of her. The goddess raced forward, surrounding herself in frozen air from the dimension of ice; she absorbed the flames,or froze them, as she pushed through it. Vying until her hand met the beast itself. Seething with rage she forced her chakra, malice and hate into Yomi, claiming it as her own instead, corrupting him.
Kokuro watched in horror as his dragon writhed in agony, screaming out in horrendous pain. Thick leathery wings, sprouted and then thinned as if they had been burned by the fire themselves. His once pallid white scales scalding in the hate and flames, scorching and becoming a deadened grey. Yomi withered away into nothing, decaying and burning into a malice shell of their once vibrant heavenly self. All of the old dragon had been consumed, their traits now foreign and rotted. The defining feature was the now red eyes, ringed with the Rinne Sharingan.
"Now, off with your head," Kaguya spat at him as the dragon charged at Kokuro.
The white-haired shinobi began to run, trying to evade his own summoning. He could feel the air behind him getting hotter, indicating a fire attack ganging up on him. He summoned his Susanoo once more as he stopped running. Out of the fire came the dragon, clashing with the silver chakra shield. Kokuro winced on impact, but pushed forward, sending whirlwinds from his defense. He didn't want to kill his summoning though, but he couldn't release it from Kaguya's command, it was too late. There was only one thing to do: teleport.
Once he saw Kaguya's face again, Kokuro appeared to her side and slammed her into another portal. Looking around at their newgrounds, Kokuro saw glittering, brass domes in one direction, a city of glistening emerald in another, and in the center was a castle made up of what looked like giant metal spikes. One more turn, and he was met with a giant white and brown, circular flying contraption that looked kinda like a giant fish with brown fins sticking out its side and behind. Kokuro dropped down, trying to avoid it, only for a small row boat attached to it by giant ropes to knock him out of the sky. Not wanting to cause any damage, the young boy quickly righted himself as he landed on black pavement. It looked like an ordinary town, only the ground was black with some white and yellow markings instead of brown gravel. He saw more of those metal things he hit a few dimensions back along the side of the road, unmoving. There were also these weird ropes cluttering the view of the sky. He looked up one tall building, a clock tower, with his mother perched on top of it. A portal with a sea of lime green opened up behind Kaguya.
'It's her dimension of acid, Kokuro, you have to stop her before she unleashes it on this world,' Genbu informed his inhabitant.
Kokuro flew towards Kaguya, using his own dimensional abilities to transform the acid into sea water, plunging them into it. He came to the surface, sputtering as the waves violently tore around him. He transferred chakra to his limbs and climbed on top of the water, looking around for his mother. What he did notice was two rows of these massive boats that reached insane heights with masts in the middle along with large sails. Two of these large boats moved forward, one as dark as his mother's heart, and the other from the other side, looking as dead as that organ inside her.
Rain started pouring from the darkened sky. Lightning crackled, aiming directly for Kokuro. Again, he used Bashosen as a shield, the natural energy transferring to the sea and winds, causing a thunderstorm to form. The silverite watched on as the ships sailed forward, Kaguya hiding in the clouds exacerbating the storm. The very water began to heave and drag, the current racing. The sea shifted, and then sank abruptly swirling deep and violent into a dark void. A massive whirlpool had formed.
Kaguya lashed out again from the storm, and the lightning arced towards the silverite. Balancing on the shifting current, Kokuro channeled the lightning into the Bashosen, having it carry down deep into the sea. Kokuro recovered from the flare, started to take to the sky, but was stopped when he heard people screaming, "Fire!" He looked around confused, not seeing any orange-red flames, but instead this massive black spheres that came from the giant boats.
Thinking they were more of his mother's Truth-Seeker Balls, Kokuro stood ready with his weapon. As it approached, the shinobi thought he would feel chakra radiating from it, but he felt absolutely nothing. He lowered his weapon, very confused, when it smashed into him with a dull ringing, cracking his ribs. Kokuro landed back into ocean feeling like he had gone through one of Danzo's "training sessions" again.
'Weakling,' Tsuki teased in the background. 'This is nothing. It was only metal that hit ya. You'll live.'
'So supportive…' Kokuro mumbled as he slowly opened his eyes.
Although a bit blurry, he could make out a white blob heading towards him. He didn't even have time to stand as Kaguya thrusted him further into the maelstrom. The water shifting around them violently as she tried to get the better of him. Kokuro gasped for air as he felt boney fingers circle around his neck. He went under the sea water again as he felt a force shove him down. Above him was his mother, looking like a hungry siren sinking her drove them deeper into the wrath of the current, all the while, Kokuro struggled to keep from opening his mouth and taking in more salt water. He looked around in panic for the first time; it was eerily quiet and calm down here. No one could hear him call for help; no one could hear him scream; no one would see him die.
The water and the crushing blackness seemed almost blissful, until a bolt of lightning shattered through the shadows.
Fear. Instantaneous fear.
In that single moment of lightning, Kokuro made out a face, a woman's face. Eye's hollow and dark, mouth gaping with jagged teeth, hair in thick cords blending into the blackness. She was pulling the water down deeper and deeper, and in that flash her attention shifted to the drowning pair.
Lightning flashed again.
Her face had shifted, staring at them with an evil grin. The pits of her eyes illuminated with a pale yellow luminescence as her body shifted. She was the sea, the ocean floor her body, a great leviathan of the deep, and she was going to kill them both. Kaguya oblivious to the monstrous being as she tried to kill Kokuro.
'Not on my watch,' Genbu echoed inside him, sending a massive pulse of chakra, alternating their dimension in the process.
Kaguya was knocked off Kokuro who teleported himself to the surface. He crawled onto the grassy land as he threw up the sea water. He felt the earth tremor under him from the force of Genbu's power. Rolling over, Kokuro saw his mother, the immortal, slowly rising out of the ocean. Water streaming down here, and her expression… well, she looked like a witch who just had water poured on her and didn't melt. She raised her long fingers and went her own wave of chakra, bringing up the water with it. Suddenly, a tsunami as high as the heavens rose before Kokuro in a matter of seconds. He swore as teleported above it, his ringed eyes widening as he saw people, screaming and running, as the massive force torn down their city. He saw children in the center and felt sick to his stomach…. What were they doing? While trying to keep her away from Naruto and Sasuke, he was destroying everywhere they went, killing people as well as their land. Screams and wails rung out in cacophony with alarm bells. Denizens racing towards the city on glimmering stone fish, shouting for their loved ones.
He closed his eyes in despair, only to open them after feeling a gust of wind push past him. He saw a blue light glimmering as a barrier rose over the city's center. It closed just as the water rushed over, claiming it as its own along with the people.
Filled with rage over their destruction, Kokuro turned to Kaguya, screaming as he charged at her. Chakra oozed off of him, shaping the world around him, changing the very time around them. The young Otsutsuki grabbed hold of the Rabbit Goddess and forced her away from all the people. Together, they flew, by his command as the wind and cloud whipped around them, keeping Kaguya at bay. Kokuro felt them smash into a building, but glass shattered around them. Using the wind as his aid, he pulled them further into the clouds, trying to avoid more damage. His jaw nearly feel open as he was met again with another flying contraption. It was narrow with wings and a tail. Assuming people were on board, he diverted their destructive nature down again.
Barrelling down from the atmosphere, Kaguya felt her back grow hot as their fall accelerated. Flames soon erupted around her, barely missing Kokuro before they crashed into the ocean once more. Waves rose in the masses along with the wind Kokuro at been using, creating a typhoon. Steam covered their immediate area. Not missing a beat, the shinobi cast the Hidden Mist jutsu to keep Kaguya blindsighted. He appeared behind her at a moment's notice a launched his Fire Style: Grand Phoenix Flower Jutsu at her. In the midst of his attack, Kaguya sent her Rabbit Hair Needle attack back at him. Determined to get away, Kokuro dove under the water where he was sure Kaguya wouldn't follow him immediately.
When he rose once more, he looked around seeing the mist had cleared, but his mother was nowhere in sight. He levitated above the sea level and started looking for her. In his pursuit for her, he was faced with many horrors. Kokuro saw cities flooded, buildings completely destroyed and utterly abandoned. As he continued, he saw mountains now lying in a pile of rubble, volcanoes pouring out ash and oozing lava. He also saw what became of his attack. Several spots were covered in flames that kept spreading.
Kokuro collapsed into the ocean, barely keeping afloat. He gasped as tears came pouring from him. He did this. He caused this destruction - this ring of fire. It was all his fault.
"God dammit! Why can't I do anything right?" He exclaimed as he slammed the water.
'Hush, moonblood. You did not do this on your own. Civilization will survive, but only if you take out what threatens their very lives. Sasuke and Naruto have reconvened. You must join them and seal away Kaguya. You can do damage control later.' Genbu told him solemnly.
"I'm going to enjoy taking her out," the angry boy muttered as he casted one last sorrowful glance at the destruction that surrounded him before teleporting away.
The Rabbit God led Kokuro to everyone else. He could see Sasuke trying to take on Kaguya by himself. Naruto was with Kakashi, Sakura, and a crumbling Obito.
"What happened here?" He asked coming over to the group.
"Obito took a hit from Kaguya's Ash jutsu thing for us. He teleported Kakashi-sensei's away and stood to protect me. And now… now he's gone." Naruto mumbled as Obito crumbled to ash and dust.
"The coward didn't even stand a chance against us," Black Zetsu called from inside his mother's sleeve. "He gave his life to a useless cause. You all will face the same fate as he."
"Obito was an amazing man because he believe in becoming Hokage!" Naruto exclaimed reaching them with speed he hadn't used before and cut off Kaguya's left arm.
Kaguya narrowed her eyes as she quickly moved away from the young boy. She then lashed out again with her chakra fists, determined to knock him down for daring to strike her. Sasuke came up behind, attacking with his Susanoo, but doing little harm because she absorbed his attacks.
'Moonblood,' Genbu called from his subconscious. 'Something's off about Kaguya. She seems off balance without her left arm. Look closely, there's sweat gathering on her brow.'
"Immortals don't grow tired from physically battles… She's losing control of something…" Kokuro thought as he continued observing. Each attack of Sasuke's seemed to have no effect, however, each opening he gave Naruto changed Kaguya.
'Genbu, it has to be Naruto's Tailed Beast chakra that is throwing Kaguya off. We need to aid him, it might give us the opening we need.' Kokuro informed the god within him as he joined the battle front.
"Sasuke, get us another opening. Naruto, gather the chakra from your friends inside you, and together, we strike Kaguya." He told the younger shinobi who nodded with compliance.
The young Uchiha made quick with his opening, attacking the goddess with his Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu. The attack was blocked by chakra fists, but it diverted Kaguya's attention enough for Naruto and Kokuro to both land physical attacks on her that were laced with chakra enhanced by the all ten tailed beasts. All three gathered away from Kaguya as she began to morph with a white sphere. Features began to merge - remnants of the tailed beasts emerging forward.
"She's losing control over them." Kokuro explained. "We're exhausting her chakra supply since we're not giving her a chance to take from those in the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Without that constant supply, she's not able to exercise her control over them. That, and they respond to you, Naruto. They're trying to escape to help you."
Suddenly, a white hands extend from the monster, snatching one of Naruto's clones.
"Guys, it's absorbing everything it touches. Don't let it get you!" The blond informed them as he quickly dodged more.
The flying shinobi were able to avoid the appendixes with ease, they couldn't say the same for the companion on the ground. Sakura let out a scream of horror as she raced away from the mensing thing.
"Sakura!" Naruto and Sasuke yelled in unison as the latter moved to save her.
Shooting a purple arrow at her, Sasuke left the safety of his Susanoo and replaced the arrow with himself when it was close enough. He didn't think, he acted; his body just moved on its own. His arms wrapped around her protectively as fear encased his soul. Thinking about a world without Sakura was like losing his family all over again, and if he lost her to this world, he wouldn't want to remain in it. So, yes, he was risking the world for one person, but that person was his world, and one of the few reasons he was still here.
Sasuke heard her breath hitch with shock and fear as her nails bit into his sleeves. He focused on her sweet sent, and how her pink head rested against his chest while his head sat on top of hers. She was so fragile and feminine in his arms like he was trying to protect her from being broken.
He prepared for nothingness; to be absorbed and die with her in his arms. Instead, he felt them being lifted.
"Don't worry," Kakashi called towards them. "Obito and I will protect you all."
Sasuke opened his mismatched eyes to see his sensei with a pair Mangekyo Sharingan and donning a bright blue Susanoo. He jerked a bit as Kakashi sent a Kamui Shuriken at another outstretched arm. The white blob slowly became a compact sphere again giving time to separate from Kakashi and Sakura and form his own full body Susanoo.
Kokuro watched the trio, relief flooding him when he saw they were safe. He then turned his gaze towards Kaguya. He could sense her replenished energy start to gather again. It became more controlled, and the white mass began to turn black as his mother began to emerge from it again.
'Kokuro,' Tsuki's voice resonated within him. 'When the time comes, let me be the one to seal her away.'
'Why?'
'Let it never be said that I didn't do anything for you, and that I am a hero too.'
The silverette didn't have a chance to reply as his thoughts were interrupted.
"Holy shit!" Naruto exclaimed. "It's like a giant Truth-Seeking Ball!"
"She's going to take out her core dimension with it!" Kokuro shouted over the massive wind current that pulled everything into the void. "We need to move and fast! I need to hit her first to seal her chakra so she can never be reborn again, and then Naruto and Sasuke, you've got to seal her away! Understand?!"
"How do we even get close enough with that thing next to her?" Sakura called from Kakashi's Susanoo.
The Copycat nin suddenly pulled together a plan. "Team Seven, assemble! We have a mission to complete!" His former students assembled around him and he felt a bit nostalgic. Sasuke, clouded in advance ninjutsu and his clan's prowess; Sakura, always right in front him, as bright and determined as always; and Naruto, the shining shinobi to who never gave up. Shaking out of it, Kakashi faced them: "Our final mission as a squad is to assist Kokuro in ending Kaguya Otsutsuki. Do you all understand the task?" He got a nod of affirmation from his team.
"Good. Let's take this mother fucking bitch down." Kokuro huffed as they broke off, though the team barely registered the change that overcame the young man.
The plan was simple; it always had to be with Team Seven as Kakashi remembered. Naruto would distract, Kakashi would aim to weaken their opponent to his students' level (not that this was needed anymore), Sasuke would sneak in for the kill, and Sakura was their hidden gem, forgotten by the enemy, but no less fierce than her teammates. Kokuro melted into the picture like liquid, sliding through the chakra, but never disturbing the finishings.
The moment Kakashi rendered Kaguya's right arm useless, Kokuro was in front of Kaguya. He moved swiftly, pulling back his open palm with his Byakugan activated; as if he was going to use the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist on her.
Kaguya's eyes widened in fear when she saw the Tree of Life symbol engraved in his hand. "That is nothing but a myth! My immortality will remain!" She screeched at him in panic. She was trapped, and she knew it. She felt her breathing increase as her chest grew heavier against her body. Pearl eyes began to frantically look for away out, but there were shinobi all around, there was nowhere to escape to-
Thump.
It was a pulse; a single pulse to end it all. Kokuro's hand laid across his mother's heart as her thoughts finally stopped. Her body lost almost all it's beauty. Her skin became taught over her bones as she instantly lost any weight she owned. Her chakra cloak became nothing more than a white kimono that hung limply off her shoulder. Her hair remained long and white, but it no longer held any ounce of chakra in it, rendering it useless, dry, and lack-luster.
Her pearl eyes settled on her assailant's inverted silver-purple eyes. Her lips twisted into a snarl. "You… I gave you life… I gave you a chance to rule besides me!... and you failed. You let Kokuro win the battle, and brought about our doom!"
"It's time to know what death feels like mother," Tsuki hissed to her, but his eyes were soft. "When you die, you will die peacefully, from the world you always loved"
Kokuro laid his hand on Tsuki's rejoining his chakra, "In a world where you knew love." He whispered as his third eye pulsed, throbbing a deep red.
In that moment, Kaguya saw Kokuro and Tsuki stand side by side, evolving into her own set of twins before she was transported somewhere deep in her mind. She did not feel the Slug Princess's apprentice take out one of her horns. She did not feel despair when descendants of Hamura and Hagoromo collided with her and sealed her Rinnegan, and thus her, away. She did not feel her body being broken as the Bijuu left her fully, leaving her in a less than decent form.
The Rabbit Goddess was a mere shell of herself. She, the progenitor of chakra, was out bested by fragments of her own chakra. But, her true son, not a shadow of her will, gave her mercy. He sent her to a world where she was surrounded by all her children with Tenji by her side. Aino was there, too, of course. The woman had helped Kaguya give birth to the twins, and then to their little Kokuro. Everything was perfect… there was no bloodshed… no hate… and no chakra to fret about.
'Goodbye… Kokuro…' Tsuki whispered into the abyss of their minds.
A wailing over took them as Kaguya took her last breath. It wasn't from her, but instead from a portal opening up.
"Kokuro! You have to come now!" Kiba exclaimed leaning out of it.
The white haired shinobi blinked with immediate fear before jumping to where he lover was. Meanwhile, Team Seven was transported back to their realm by ten kage and the Sage of Six Paths. Hashirama says his final goodbyes to Madara and Naruto says his final goodbyes to Lord Fourth.
Naruto turned to Sasuke, tears still fresh in his eyes, but his face seriously. "This isn't over yet," he whispered. "I can feel it."
Sasuke and the Six Path's narrowed their eyes. "What do you mean, Naruto?" The Sage asked
"I can see it…" Sasuke muttered looking between Naruto and his own left hand. "That little bastard attached parts of himself to each our dominate sides."
"Let me take a look," Sakura insisted and started looking over each of their arms. She frowned with dismay. "It's too small, almost microscopic. I wouldn't be able to remove it. I don't even know the extent of all this. Like if it truly is Zetsu, I'm no sure if he could spread himself, or take over, or anything in that nature."
"Maybe baa-chan will have a way. Uh, no offense Sakura. I know you're just as good as her, but she has WAY more experience-"
"Dobe, stop talking." Sasuke reprimanded and rolled his eyes before looking at Sakura. "He has a point though. Maybe you and the Fifth could put something together with more equipment and time."
Sakura went from angry to awed in seconds. There Sasuke was, actually defending her worth. It had took them a long time to get where they were, but they did it together. She smiled confidently at him and nodded. "All we can do is try."
Sasuke nodded as the four of them started walking back towards Konoha. The group was quiet, content on lazily making their way back home. As they approached a familiar area, both heroes began to feel funny. Their arms began to twitch against their will. White cells began to make their way to the surface and multiply.
"It's Zetsu!" Naruto exclaimed as he lashed out to attack his former sensei. "Sorry, Kakashi! It's like he's taking over!"
"We need to get rid of him." Sasuke stated as he slashed at Sakura who managed to looked at his arm while dodging.
She grabbed Sasuke's left arm with her monstrous strength and inserted her medical chakra. Her green eyes widened as she flipped backwards to avoid another attack. "Sasuke, I can't decipher which cells are yours and which are Zetsu's."
"So, what does that mean?" Kakashi inquired as he jumped out of the way of Naruto.
"There's only one way to get rid of him." Sasuke frowned. "Kakashi, Sakura, stay here and out of the way; you'll just be targets for Zetsu if you come. Naruto, follow me."
The blond haired shinobi quickly followed behind his companion. They were halted almost immediately as the Zetsu cells began to force them into combat against each other. They were only using taijutsu and weaponry, not wanting to do serious damage to each other.
"Sasuke, what are we going to do to get rid of him?" Naruto yelled towards his friend across the river below them once they had separated. Suddenly, the screaming of the Chidori filled the air. "Shit, is that you or him doing that?!"
"It's me, dobe. It seems Zetsu can't control our jutsu yet. However, I doubt that will last very long. I can see and feel him spreading up my arm. It burns like the curse seal used to." Sasuke explained to Naruto. "
"Yeah… I know what you mean. It feels like I'm losing control all over again; like my actions aren't my own."
The brightness of the lightning attack died down. "We're going to have to blast him out of us, Naruto." The young Uchiha started, vague as always.
"But Sakura said she can't even tell what belongs to us. So, how can we just get rid of him so simply?" The blond questioned confused.
Sasuke's face fell grim as his jaw set. "We're going to have to fight, Naruto, for real."
Naruto gaped, looking completely lost. "I don't understand, what are you getting at?!"
Hands flew together in corporation, landing in the sign of the tiger as the Uchiha took in a big breath. A massive fireball launched at the flabbergasted blond, who immediately began to dodge that one and the several others coming after it. Naruto's feet landed on the crafted rock behind him and tried to form his own hand signs. He was caught off guard when a kunai landed next to him and suddenly Sasuke was on top of him again. The duo climbed up the stone continuing their dance with taijutsu.
"What the hell, Sasuke?!" Naruto yelled at him.
"You have to die, Naruto." His companion replied, landing blows under his defense. "And you have to kill me, too." He whispered solemnly as he sent Naruto flying down towards the river.
Gritting his teeth with anger, two shadow clones appeared around the Konoha hero as he threw them at Sasuke, a third quickly following behind.
"Why is your answer always death?" He screamed through the clones as Sasuke took them on.
The dark-haired shinobi easily took on all four Naruto's. "He's spreading like an infection, Naruto. There's no telling how long before he spreads even further up our body - or into our chakra networks. Can you imagine if he got that far? The world would be in danger again. We're the only ones affected by him, and we're the one he wants. We die, and we take him with us."
Grabbing a hold of his opponent, Naruto thrusted Sasuke into the stone replication of his ancestor. "There's gotta be another way!" He screamed as he came on top of the dark-haired shinobi.
As his clones were launching Rasengan punches at Sasuke, Naruto felt more control over his right arm. So long as they fought, Zetsu seemed to let him dictate the motions. Nonetheless, the blond really didn't want to kill his best friend - or die- in order for this to be resolved. There just had to be another way.
Fighting on the length of the statue's arm, Sasuke used his Sharingan to land targeted blows on Naruto's shadow clones as well as evade the blond's own attacks. Gaining a bit of breathing room, Sasuke plotted out his next attack. Naruto felt himself and his clones being pulled towards his best friend, panic setting in he felt the pulse of the Rinnegan. Black flames erupted from Sasuke, impaling the clones and almost doing bodily harm to Naruto. He had managed to stop it with a chakra arm.
"Is that really how you're going to play?!" Naruto roared as two more hands sprouted from him, forming a fist and nailing Sasuke into the stone.
Entering in Sage Mode, the blond begins his barrage against Sasuke who summoned his Susanoo to his aid. The two began to clash with tails and blade at their will. The heavenly sword was soon tossed to the side, and Sasuke sent a fist instead. A yellow fist met purple; their blow wasn't a powerful one to them, but the waves soared as tall as their cloaked facades.
"Sasuke, please," pleaded Naruto earnestly. "There has to be another way."
"Do you know how a herder stops infections from dwindling their stock?" Sasuke asked, calm and detached. "He slaughters those that have already be infiltrated."
The blond shook his head. "We're not animals, Sasuke. We have people who love us here, people who will help us. We just have to let them!"
"And by delaying the inevitable, we're only going to make it worse for them!" Sasuke yelled at Naruto. "Can't you feel it? He's merging with us, Naruto. He is going to take over every last inch of us until we cease to exist! What happens if he takes over more than just our arms? You and I are the most powerful shinobi in the world right now. Who is going to be able to actually stop us from killing everyone else? Is that what you want?! For everyone else to die!"
Naruto roared as his tails wrapped around Sasuke's Susanoo and he dragged him through the rock and slapped him down into the water they were on top of. Angered beyond containment, a black Tailed Beast Ball rose from Kurama's form around Naruto. He hesitated though as dread filled his heart. Sasuke laid floating in the water, his face neutral, but accepting in the face of death.
'No,' Naruto thought to himself. 'This isn't the way.'
The blond was betrayed by that though. Lightning connected from Sasuke's hand to the storm raging on above them, and he electrocuted Naruto's form.
Disappearing from his grasp, Sasuke appeared behind him, "Don't hesitate, dobe." Sasuke seethed, angered by Naruto's lack of response. Something kept driving him to kill, and it wasn't merely from the fact he was sure they had to anymore.
"I don't want to kill you though," Naruto muttered as he came out of the water. He could feel his strength waning in and out. The idea came to him where maybe, just maybe, if he exhausted Sasuke that would give him enough time to subdue him and for Tsunade to figure things out.
Summoning another Tailed Beast Ball, Naruto lunged at Sasuke, meeting his Chidori head on. Another seismic clash broke up the water around them.
Pulling away, Sasuke narrowed his mismatched eyes. "That's not enough to kill me, Naruto." He chastised.
"I'm not trying to kill you," Naruto reminded him. "I'm-"
"Enough," the Uchiha commanded. "Apparently, I'm the only capable of taking on the task at hand. I'm the only one willing to sacrifice whatever necessary to ensure a justified end is met - just like always!"
"I've sacrificed everything for you, Sasuke! Everything I've ever done has to bring you back to us - back home! And I'll be damned if I left you just kill yourself at this point!" Naruto yelled back.
Summoning more Kurama clones to his aid, the force of golden began to battle the purple Susanoo. With each blow, Sasuke absorbed more and more of the Tailed Beast chakra from Naruto, carefully storing away for his final attack. Tails upon armor, the two were equally matched. Suddenly going above the clouds, Sasuke transferred the energy he gathered from Naruto and enhanced his Susanoo with their chakra. Purple armor became more solid as the fleshy part of the warrior filled out with white-blue lightning.
The minute Naruto rose with his clones, Sasuke became to lash with his electric sword. He easily cut through Kurama's form as if it was flesh. The chakra dissipated, not always replenishing right away like before. The young Uchiha knew that the end was coming. Naruto was growing weak, and he was too. Maybe at this state, he could take the blond out, and he could just die of exhaustion and chakra starvation. Sasuke closed his eyes, trying to settle on the fact that he absolutely had to kill Naruto to end this…. He had to kill his best friend… and then follow him into the afterlife.
A bow and arrow formed in Susanoo's hands. The arrow vibrated with unruly energy. Channeling the rest of the Tailed Beast chakra into its power, Sasuke was ready to aim it at the defenseless Naruto. Unexpectedly though, natural chakra flooded the sky as Kurama's form was transformed into a multi-faced and multi-armed body. Producing two massive attacks, the Rasenshuriken, and the Tailed Beast Rasenshuriken, Naruto stood ready to maximize Sasuke's reserves.
Sasuke smirked slightly, feeling bittersweet realizing Naruto had finally come to his senses. 'Goodbye, my friend...' he thought as the arrow was let go.
Both heroes' vision went white as their titanic attacks wreaked havoc all around; so much so that Sakura and Kakashi had to take cover from where they were at.
"Sensei, what are they doing to each other?!" The pinkette questioned, startled by the mass of chakra washing over them.
"I'm not sure, but whatever it is, we can't go over there." The older man told her, actually quivering inside.
Sakura blinked. "Why the hell not? Kakashi-sensei, they could be killing themselves!"
"Sakura!" Kakashi said sternly. "We are not interfering. The last time you tried stopping them you almost kill yourself, and I wasn't able to diffuse their attacks, just redirect them. That was almost five years ago, Sakura. They were children. Now, we're dealing with two legendary shinobi who just took down the progenitor of chakra. We aren't even in the same league as them anymore…. No one is…"
Green eyes casted downward, her shoulders slumping with dread. Her fists gripped together. She had spent too long trying to keep up with them… only to realize she didn't have to. She was in her own league; the only other person who shared that was her shishou, Tsunade. She is the only one who could heal and battle as effectively as the Legendary Sucker; and the only one who could ever bring sense to her teammates.
"You're wrong, Kakashi-sensei…." She said, her voice quivering with the intense feelings coursing through her. "We're the only ones that can stop them, and I'm not going to sit back and let them destroy themselves!" She then took off running towards the battle.
Nearing the edge of the cliff, the young woman looked around at the all the destruction that had occurred because of their battle. No longer stood two massive statues of Madara and Harashima, the heads laying rest at the bottom of valley. Her heart started to sink as she desperately looked around for her beloved teammates. Seeing movement down below, she watched Naruto stumble towards Sasuke with a Rasengan instead. She moved to jump down, but stopped seeing the blond collapse to the ground. A gasp escaped her lips as she saw Sasuke moving swiftly to the fallen comrade and kicking back into the air.
"Sasuke!" She screamed from up top. "Stop it already!"
Red flashed before her eyes before her body collapsed to the ground. Down below, the young Uchiha gripped his eye blood dripping from overuse.
"You...fucker! Why… why did you do that to Sakura?" Naruto said between heavy pants.
"I told her… not to interfere. It's too… dangerous!"
The two fell into a series of punches. One blow, one dodge, both falling afterwards because of the exhaustion to settle in. Honestly, neither one wanted to fight anymore, but their dominant hands continued on. Naruto aimed a punch at Sasuke's forehead while the dark-haired shinobi aimed for the stomach. They're exchanged just made contact, promoting no further damaging.
'So close,' Sasuke panted, tired. "Naruto… just kill me already…" he whispered.
"No…"
His one good eye closed with a dull ache. "Then, let me kill you…"
"I said, no!" Naruto exclaimed, punching Sasuke in the jaw up into the rocks.
Shocked by his friend's attack, the young shinobi slowly came out of the hole he made. Panting, he could feel the burning as Zetsu's cells spreaded up three-quarters of his arm.
Rage overcoming him, Sasuke slammed into his fist into the rock, breaking it even more. "We've been over this! Over and over, and over, and over, and over again! Just let me cut you down already!"
"... I can't do that…" Naruto muttered slowly meeting Sasuke's enraged gaze. "We don't solve our problems by killing each other in this family."
That stung… it was a low blow, and he knew it. Sasuke closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to calm himself. "I'm going to kill you just for saying that…" he said slowly as Chidori erupted from his hand once more. He laced it with flames just so the bastard could burn.
This was it, and they both knew it.
The pinkette managed to work her way out of Sasuke's genjutsu in time to see the final blow. She gasped waking up and quickly scrambled to the edge. She saw Sasuke launch himself at Naruto, and the former jumping to meet with his own attack. Her panic rose; Kakashi-sensei was right. It was just like last time… only their lives were literally on the line, and there was nothing she could do…
Her ears were filled with unbelievable pain; from Sasuke and Naruto's battle cries and her own terror. Her ears were filled with screams.
Kokuro's ears were filled with screams. Sintary was in labor, trying to give birth to the first head. Itachi remained somber behind her, trying to sooth her or merely be the hand she held as she pushed. Another agonizing scream ripped through her followed by a small cry of its own.
"Well, well, there is one ugly pup." Tsume sighed as she wrapped the baby and handed it to Kiba to be taken care of. "Okay, come on, mama, one more."
"I'm not your bitch Tsume," Sintary growled at her fiercely.
Kokuro looked at her worriedly, she looked dazed and not very lucid. "Is she okay?" He dared to ask.
Dark blue eyes met him in a glare. "I've been in labor since you brought that fucking bitch in here! My body has been racked with pain without any pain killers. It feels like every little bit of me is going to just fucking explode!" She exclaimed at him. "So, yeah, I'M DOING JUST FINE!"
"Shhh…" Itachi whispered in her ear as he smoothed the top of her head. "The first child has been birth. He can sense that you're upset, and you're yelling doesn't help, my love. Focus on bringing the second out. It'll be over after that."
"I'm going to punch your ass," Sintary hissed back at him.
"I'm the only one comforting you, Sintary," Itachi reminded her. "If you get rid of me, you'll have to deal with all this alone."
"Fuck you," she muttered.
"Oh shut up. You already have plenty of times." Tsume butted in. "PUSH!" She yelled at the tired mother.
Gathering her wits together, Sintary shoved with all her might, gasping as her body relaxed immediately, collapsing into Itachi's. She wheezed, air barely getting down into her lungs at this point.
"Come on, Sin, one more push," Kokuro cooed for her as he stood by Tsume seeing the head. "One more giant push."
Two more screams filled the air as the second Otsutsuki-Inuzuka twin was born into the world.
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