Naruto: A Red Eye Hidden by Shadow

by Tatanka4Life

On the fateful night of the Uchiha Massacre, a girl of Uchiha and Nara blood is spared and left with no memories of her past. Now she must walk on the path left by her family to help her build a new future for herself. Her path will be hard, full of struggles and pain, but as long as she has her friends and family at her side she will keep forging ahead, even if it was a drag.

159. Chapter 158: Doubts of the Faithful

Chapter 158

Royal Blood: Doubts of the Faithful

In the dimming light of evening, shadows cast from what appeared to be small clouds glided across desert landscape, smoothly climbing the peaks of dunes, passing over their crests and sailing off into the distance.

Were a lost traveler to have seen the shadows, they may have raised their gaze to see the unnatural tan clouds flying overhead, ferrying shinobi of the Sand and Leaf over motionless waves of sand. However, there were no travelers to see them. Nor was no peace amid the bitter air and howling wind.

Only a sense of purpose. Duty. A drive to reach the destination before their enemies could.

As the sun sank closer to the horizon, setting the blue sky surrounding the celestial body aflame, the once golden dunes began to glimmer like superheated metal, giving off the appearance of a tumultuous sea of blood frozen as its waves swelled and broke.

The shinobi crossed the desert sea like birds, resting while the opportunity presented itself; they had a long journey ahead.

"Hey, are we sure this nomad tribe isn't yanking us around?" Kankurō broke the relative silence, speaking loudly to be heard over the wind whistling in their ears. "We'd look pretty stupid if they tricked us into investigating the wrong ruins."

"I don't see Gramps trying to pull a fast one," replied Naruto. "It'd be a whole lot easier to not tell us anything. Besides, he knows Temujin and his allies are gonna keep coming for his tribe. We're all he's really got to rely on."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Kankurō conceded. "Against these invaders, a roaming caravan of civilians won't last long. Hate to admit it, but these people are no joke."

Naruto's poncho and Sakura's shawl flapped and fluttered. The bitter nip in the air was quickly transforming into a rabid dog's bite. They were ill-prepared for a desert night. Very ill-prepared.

"The nomad's Intel matches Hikari's vision," Gaara said calmly. "The ruins will be there. As will we, when they arrive."

Hikari hummed. Vision, she could admit, sounded omniscient. 'Twas a word better associated to the seers of ancient times.

What she witnessed was no omniscient prediction of what was to come. The future events had not unravelled before her, she could not say who would win the coming battle or what the cost would be.

If fate were comprised of threads, she could not feel whether they were velvet or twine, she could not tell if they wrapped around the planet or only stretched as far as her arm. They remained a mystery to the kunoichi.

What she experienced, 'twas but a moment of sight—true sight. Like witnessing Amaririsu's brilliant light paint her silhouette amid the void of nothingness she occupied.

However, the new light was brighter than Amaririsu's. It crashed and roared hasher than stormy waves against a sheer cliff, it poured like the endless sand waterfalls of the Demon Desert.

The invader set it loose to stampede straight for the kunoichi, full of life, yet seeking to extinguish hers.

'Twas magnificent. And terrifying.

Even the thought of it now raised gooseflesh over her skin, as though scorpions or beetles were crawling all over her.

Then she appeared. An ethereal being manifested from the same power the invader used to attack, projecting into the mortal and frail world of mankind from the stone, which had begun emanating gentle warmth as power suddenly burgeoned from it.

Hikari had never seen another person as those around her did daily. The closest imitation of sight she could experience was the result of Amaririsu's flourishing cloak of chakra.

Yet, in that moment, though blind, Hikari saw the woman in all her magnificent splendor. She could still see the woman in her mind, glowing with the constitution of the foreigner's power.

Naked of clothes, the being stood as tall as an adult, their shimmering long hair undulating and levitating as though submerged in the sea. Limitless power poured off of her.

'Twas a power Hikari could not see a beginning or an end to. Power she could not fully wrap her mind around or touch or understand or express through the stiff and confining nature of language. For even the sea's depths had limitations. The mountains eventually reached their peak. Trees inevitably died.

This power—her power—had no limitations. No peak. 'Twas not confined by the chains of a finite existence.

This power—this woman—was something more.

Hikari sensed the overflow of power and life within the woman when she parted the energy with a single hand. She felt deep in her core the vastness of their existence, equal, she believed, to every known celestial body in the universe.

Despite the vastness she felt safe in their presence. Not because they saved her, but their spirit exuded a sense of peace, boundless warmth, and everlasting comfort; it flowed off her and into Hikari.

What she felt, 'twas a sense of peace she'd only ever known in Gaara's and Amaririsu's company. A comfort she'd only felt when their hands were in hers. A warmth greater even than one of Amaririsu's embraces, impossible as it seemed.

Reaching into her pouch, Hikari cradled the dormant stone in her hands. 'Twas warm. Warm with life.

The being had retreated into the stone. Yet she felt the threads of their existence deeper in the stone when she reached her senses out. Deeper, hidden, in a place they could not reach while constrained by mortal shells.

She rubbed her thumbs along the smooth, egg-shape.

Who are you? she wondered the question she had asked.

The warm stone did not answer, just as the being hadn't.

She had merely imparted the location of the ruins onto Hikari, and then gave her a mission to see through.

"Ensure this stone reaches Haya. It is the only way to stop the calamity. It is the only way to save everyone."

Hikari swore to see it through.

Above the desert dunes they glided silently towards the ancient ruins.

---

The Crows were an invaluable asset.

With their aid, they could communicate and coordinate with Naruto and Sakura's group across long distances, in a reasonable amount of time, too.

Already that advantage had granted them crucial Intel—two invaders were dead, Hikari captured a Stone of Gelel, and now they had three extra sets of hands to complete their two operations.

On one hand we have a rescue operation, Shikamaru ruminated while lying prone midst the shadows, monitoring the broken carriages and dead carcasses of the rhino and ostriches. On the other hand we have an elimination mission.

Two distinct objectives. One to save lives, the other to remove the invaders.

Starting with the rescue operation, they were already in a fairly advantageous position. Better than he could have hoped, actually.

By claiming a Stone, freeing the souls of the prisoners shifted from wishful thinking to an actionable objective. It also granted real, tangible purpose to devote resources to the rescue. Beyond morality.

Their bodies and souls could be freed and reunited. Now their rescue squad wouldn't just be rescuing husks, wasting time and energy they could've devoted to eliminating the invaders.

Additionally, their advantage for the rescue increased simply for the Intel and scouting performed by 'Risu, Sasuke, and their Anbu guard. They knew where the prisoners were being held, how many there were, and what manner of resistance they would face.

And the enemy couldn't move them. Not without a lot of time and effort.

Either way, they needed several hands on deck to handle hundreds of people. His gut told him it was bound to be a drag.

Then there was the elimination of the invaders. They had some major Intel on the strength and abilities of Haido's lieutenants, but, conversely, the lieutenants to see them in action had learned of their abilities as well. At least to some degree.

They'd need to take them out quickly. If they didn't, if the enemy force managed to gain control of the power they were after, the whole world was screwed. At least that's what Kahiko believed.

Flies buzzed around the carcasses. The odor of death was pungent. He missed the scent of barbecue chips almost as much as he missed his bed.

The world's apparently at stake, he thought, resting his chin on his hands. Hard to wrap your head around. Doesn't really feel real or as existential as Gramps makes it sounds. Just feels like a normal mission—with a bit of the Team Seven flair, of course.

Real or not, Shikamaru had no intention of taking chances. He had to take Kahiko at his word. He had to take 'Risu's strange encounter on the land-ship and the information she learned in the Book of Gelel at face value. That was the only way to protect his friends properly.

He'd complain about being over-prepared later, after everything went smoothly.

So, in order to rescue the hostages and eliminate the invaders in a coordinated strike, they'd need to meet two specific criteria.

First, and most obvious, they'd need everyone to regroup. Separated the way they were, the vast scope of rescue and elimination they were dealing with would be too difficult for their small squads.

'Risu hadn't mastered the Flying Raijin yet, so they couldn't use it—or her—as a crutch for the rescue operation. The enemy were on high alert, anyway. The chamber would be locked down and patrolled—too much risk for collateral damage.

As long as their bodies are alive, there's a chance to save everyone. We can't have a full-fledged battle in there, he thought, tapping his middle finger on his wrist as he mentally simulated their next moves. So, our second priority is to draw Haido and his lieutenants out—somewhere far away from the chamber.

They'd need a pretty big carrot to do that. Fortunately, they had one. A big, juicy orange carrot responsible for their invasion.

If that carrot could also be used to regroup their three squads, locking in a single location for their ambush, well, the operation might be less troublesome. It might even go smoothly.

Yeah, right, he snorted. Don't kid yourself. This is still a Team Seven mission. That means anything is bound to happen.

"Their scout has finally shown up," 'Risu's voice entered his earpiece. "He's on his own."

"All right. Looks like they're reacting just as we expected," Shikamaru said. "Let's keep it that way. We'll make them play right into our hands."

"And then crush them when they least expect it," Sasuke agreed.

"Exactly. 'Risu, draw him in deeper. Then it's your move."

"Roger that."

They'd been playing defense and catch-up since the mission began. Now their trap was set.

Now they could finally begin a counter-offensive.

---

The putrid stench of the rhinoceros carcasses wasn't enough to churn Temujin's stomach. Nor were the dozens—maybe even hundreds—of flies buzzing around and skittering into its wounds, bundling together in vibrating black mounds, crawling over each other to deposit their eggs before flying off.

It was a foul stench, to be certain. His nose scrunched unconsciously as he kneeled beside the carcasses, scanning the beasts and the earth for any signs the nomad's may have left behind.

Apparently, from what Fugai and Master Haido learned, these people possessed essential information on the Vault of Gelel's location. To think he'd taken them for innocent folk. Victims of bygone wars waged by the natives of this foreign land. How foolish of him.

He was growing soft, Fugai had chastised. Soft and naïve. He had every opportunity to gather the information they desperately needed, but he hadn't seen it. Hadn't suspected anything, even when signs were right in front of him.

Amaririsu was always in close proximity to the elder of the tribe. She spoke often to him, but I mistook it for childish curiosity.

Temujin rose and turned away from the carcasses. The tribespeople hadn't returned to the rhinos to gather meat, nor had they taken plumes of feathers from the dead ostrich. He needed to look elsewhere for tracks.

Torn cloth flapped in the breeze, drawing his hardened gaze towards the shatter remains of a destroyed carriage.

"Whether you tell me or not, I'll figure out what you and your people are really planning."

He clenched his jaw.

"It brings me no joy telling you this, my son, but Amaririsu has been working in the shadows to sabotage us. As soon as you were gone, she launched an unprovoked attack upon me in order to steal the Book of Gelel. I believe she's been corrupted by its promise of power.

"Then, in yet another act of cruelty, she and her allies kidnapped our most devoted followers, ripping them from their pods and destroying the machine which granted them limitless rebirth after falling in battle. I believe she intends to use them as hostages. It's basic strategy, after all."

Stiffly, Temujin approached the carriage, bathed unevenly in both light and shadow as the last rays of the setting sun peeked into the narrow, rocky pass.

It was obvious now Amaririsu had been scheming from the very beginning. First, by gathering information from him and the tribespeople, and now those dark schemes were on the cusp of fruition.

She spoke of gentler paths, but, as always, those were empty words.

For Amaririsu to stoop so low to take hostages of his comrades and friends, he clearly misjudged her.

Someone so easily corrupted couldn't be allowed to wield the power of Gelel.

Temujin drew back the long white cloth drawn over the carriages shattered remains.

There are still provisions here, he noted, eyeing a bag of oats, scattered cans of beans, nuts, spices, and a basket of vegetables the flies were buzzing around. It's difficult to believe the tribespeople would abandon all of thi—

He felt a strange pressure build around his thighs and chest plate. Looking down, his eyes went wide at the sight of two dragons, dyed black against his white armor; they were climbing towards his neck, their long, ink-colored bodies already binding his legs and chest.

At that moment, as if realizing he noticed them, they rapidly coiled around his arms, and then his head and helmet, but they did not snap their teeth around him, nor did they snap his neck, which he could feel was within their power.

Temujin struggled against the paralysis. His muscles quivered. He grit his teeth together.

"Amaririsu," he grunted, instinctually knowing it was her.

"You shouldn't keep a girl waiting, you know," she replied in a bored drawl. "It's rude."

"So, this trap was another one of your schemes," he grunted. "I should've expected as much, from a coward and a thief."

"Name calling? Seriously? I thought knights were supposed to be charming. I thought they were meant to sweep girls off their feet." She exhaled a long, exaggeratedly miserable sigh. "You've ruined an entire genre of romance novels for me."

Her mockery were sharp spurs kicking his raw nerves. He could only grind his teeth together, and begin drawing upon the Stone of Gelel.

Suddenly full-fledged paralysis swept over his body. Though he could feel the Stone's power, somehow, impossibly, its strength refused to burst forth and break him free.

The dragons binding him began to recede. Yet, to his shock, the paralysis remained.

What power is this? I…can't move.

"Tell me, what was Haido more insistent on you locating? The tribe and his book? Or your comrades?" Amaririsu asked, dispensing of her mockery.

"We must prioritize locating those nomads and the Book of Gelel. No matter the cost," he recalled his Master's calm and authoritative voice. "It's unfortunate, but in order for a utopia to exist, necessary sacrifices must be made."

He said nothing. He refused to play her game.

"It was the book and tribe, wasn't it?" she pressed when he gave no answer. He heard her light steps approach. "Let me guess, he claimed it was a 'necessary sacrifice' your friends were willing to make for utopia.

"It's quite the noble mission statement, wouldn't you say? It must be so difficult for someone seated so high on his throne, so removed from everyone else, to throw away the lives of poor children and natives he captured."

He growled but couldn't act. Nor would he deign to verbally joust with a liar and thief, no matter which of his buttons she tried to press.

"So, though it is so very unfortunate," her tone dipped into a cruel imitation of his Master, "you must abandon them to an unknown fate. It's the necessary sacrifice you must make, Temujin. Even if it means we're cutting them up piece by piece right now. Even if it means we're drowning them in cages.

"Ah, ah, ah, don't bother drawing on that power of yours. Besides, why are you getting so worked up? Aren't you committed to the cause? Aren't you devoted and willing to sacrifice anything and anyone to achieve utopia?

"So even if we've slit their throats, and they're gurgling on their final breaths as we speak now, you must harden your heart and understand that those poor children—your friends—well, they knew what they were getting into. Right? They signed up to face cruelty and darkness. They were devoted followers. Soldiers ready to kill for Master Haido's righteous cause."

Amaririsu suddenly materialized inside the carriage among the scattered cans, appearing to teleport, though he knew better. He'd heard her quick footsteps.

She carried a long rope on her shoulder, twirling its end in her hand out of boredom. Crimson fire and hardened lavender glared through him.

"I suppose it doesn't matter now. You kidnapped natives of our Land and bound their souls to your puppets," she stated. "It's only fair we treat our prisoners the same way. We'll just release their souls from their bodies altogether. It's easier that way. No containment required. Oh, come on, what's with that look? That's hardly the face for a righteous knight to make.

"After all, you taught me the end justifies the means. That's the world you're creating, isn't it? One where it doesn't matter who dies or what is destroyed, so long as your goal is accomplished.

"I wonder, did they know they might actually die? Or did you just shove them into containment spheres where they couldn't argue, convincing them they'd be invincible and would never have to face any consequences for their actions?"

"They volun—"

"Volunteered? Is that what you call brainwashing and manipulation?" Amaririsu cut off his instinctive defense.

"Brainwashed fool!"

The memory of the disembodied voice caused him to grind his molars together.

"Or is that just when you rip children from the arms of their parents, even as they scream and plead not to be taken away?" she wondered coldly. "Ah, wait, now I get it. That's the 'necessary sacrifice' they're being asked to make, right? Obviously they wouldn't willing serve your cause if they were given an honest choice.

"So, no matter how they feel, it's better we bind their soul, shove them in a sphere, and get on with building a utopia. You should probably imprison dissenters, too. Maybe even reeducate them. Or just bind their souls and force them to fight for you. It's just necessary sacrifices for the greater good.

"How very utopian. Not tyrannical at all."

Temujin glared but said nothing.

"Well, anyway," she stopped swinging the rope. "I'm sure your faith will be rewarded. Besides, what nobler fate can your friends ask for than dying for utopia." She shrugged nonchalantly as he felt his heart flare. "Unfortunately, they've been robbed of their peace by Haido. Now they'll spend the rest of their days trapped between Earth and Heaven."

"Trapped betwee— What does that even mean?" Temujin demanded, unable to contain himself.

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" She feigned shock. "Should the body of a bound soul die, the soul will be forever trapped in The Beyond. Neither capable of returning to Earth, nor capable of passing into Heaven. They are lost in the in-between—a sort of Purgatory. Never able to know peace."

"You lie," he declared.

For there could be no truth to such a ridiculous and groundless claim. Trapped? In some beyond? No, such a thing couldn't be real.

"If I wanted to lie, I'd keep it simple," she dismissed, twirling the end of the rope once. "I wouldn't fabricate a complex story. It'd be too much of a drag to remember it."

"Liar. How could you possibly know something like that?"

"It's all in that book. You can learn so much by reading, and through that knowledge you can gain all manner of power. And if you horde that knowledge, use it to herd the gullible and cull the wise, then you can rule a Country or a Continent. Even a utopia.

"Hmph. I can feel your anger flooding off of you. But it's not me you should be angry at. I'm not the one who bound your friends to a place they may never return from. And though I've taunted you, it was merely to make a point about the end justifying the means. The people we rescued are still alive and unharmed."

"Where are they?"

"They don't matter, now do they?" she reminded cruelly. "You're here for a book and the tribe. Your friends have already made their sacrifice. Isn't that what Master Haido believes?"

"You're a coward. A liar. A thief."

Amaririsu rolled her eyes and swatted away a fly buzzing around her head. He could feel several crawling on him—his right hand, his neck, even one on his forehead.

He couldn't do anything. Not to the flies. Not to Amaririsu.

"Say what you will. Curse me all you like," she replied calmly. "But you're the one buried in a silo of Haido's lies. He's lied to you since the very beginning. You just don't want to accept it. Because if that's true, then everything you've done has been for a lie. Every 'sacrifice' you made was not a sacrifice at all, and that's too much for you to bear. Isn't it?"

Temujin wished to clench his fists. He wished to lunge at her and demand the truth, for nothing she had said could be true. Nothing!

Master Haido would not have lied so cruelly. He would not have bound the souls of his friends in a place where they would never know peace.

"Here's the deal," Amaririsu began, shrugging the rope off her shoulder and into her hands. "We're going to sit and talk, and you're going to listen to what I and Mr. Kahiko have to say. That's the only way you'll ever get Haido's book back."

She narrowed her eyes. "Harm a single hair on his head or any of the tribe, and we will kill you where you stand. This is the last chance I'm giving you to see reason. Understand?"

He understood. Yes, he understood she was a coward hiding behind hostages, a liar who was trying sow seeds of doubt in his heart, and a thief who had stolen precious knowledge they could use to build a utopia.

He understood this was all apart of her scheme. But, then, he had expected all of this, and plotted a scheme of his own.

"Fine," he growled.

"There is still time to see reason," the disembodied voice whispered from everywhere and nowhere. His chest felt warm again. "It's never too late to right your path."

Temujin ignored the voice. What was there to right? His path was noble. His sacrifices would bring forth a true utopia.

Why couldn't anyone see that?

Amaririsu paused as she unwound the rope. Her brow knitted together and her eyes glanced towards him. Ruby eyes and mismatched crimson and lavender narrowed.

This strange sensation… You feel it too, don't you?

Is a God speaking to us?

No, it couldn't be. A God would see how righteous their goal was. A God wouldn't dissent against someone as noble as Master Haido. It certainly wouldn't favor a lying native or her allies.

Amaririsu moved around him. She bound his stiff arms behind his back, then proceeded to constrict his entire upper body and bound arms beneath the rope, coiling it around him how a snake crushes its prey.

The rope was tight. Almost too tight to breath. His shoulders were already burning from the awkward and uncomfortable position of his arms.

Amaririsu glanced off into the distance and gave a small nod. Suddenly the paralysis faded.

Temujin did not break free of the ropes.

With a reluctant sigh, Amaririsu bent towards him. Horror of what she intended to do kicked him like a horse. Helplessly, Temujin could only gasp before she hefted him onto her shoulder.

"He- hey!" he shouted, flushing beneath his helmet.

"Shut up," she grunted. "Dammit, you're a lot heavier than you look."

"I demand you to put me down!"

"I'll take it under consideration."

"Amaririsu, stop at once! I can walk myself wherever you are taking me!"

"Stop squirming. The bottom of your chest plate keeps digging into my shoulder."

"Put me down!"

"Hehe," she giggled through exertion. "Looks like the roles of knight and princess have been reversed."

Never before had he suffered such indignity and mortification.

He swore it would never happen again.

---

Amaririsu carried him far from the narrow pass and stench of death. She spoke to her allies through a communicator along the way, advising them to move on ahead to the rendezvous point since, by her measure, it'd be quicker and less troublesome.

Temujin had ceased to struggle or speak, hanging limply from her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He could not say the indignity of being carried by a small girl had passed, but he had calmed his heart and refocused on his mission—reclaim the Book of Gelel and locate the Vault.

He had already checked what little he could of Amaririsu for the book; such a thick tome would stick out, if she was carrying it. Her hip pouch was far too small to bear the tome. Nor did she carry a pack on her person where it could be stashed.

Her pack will have it, Temujin concluded, shifting and jolting uncomfortably as she leapt to the ground. It's likely she's keeping it at the rendezvous point, alongside the nomads.

Amaririsu began walking again. This had become apart of their routine. She would switch between leaping and walking at steady intervals, conserving her strength, he assumed, to not be easily incapacitated by him—her prisoner.

She steadied her breaths with controlled inhales and exhales while she walked. He could feel heat rising from her body. Their armor and gear jostled noisily.

The sweaty tang of their warm and dirty bodies wafted into his nose, overcoming the shielding of deodorant. He hadn't a moment to spare for bathing since departing for the Land of Wind. Amaririsu couldn't have found an opportunity, either, given her acts of thievery and taking hostages.

In truth, Temujin could smell himself over the stench of death trapped in his nostrils. It wasn't pleasant, but he'd suffered through worse odors on battlefields. However, he felt uneasy to smell like a soldier fresh off the battlefield in the presence of a girl—even one that was his enemy.

Amaririsu never mentioned it. She never grunted or complained about how the fabric of his clothes seemed to absorb the stench of death, mingling it with his natural body odor. But she did complain about his armor jamming and pinching her shoulder.

She grunted at how ridiculous it was to wear so much armor, but leave his thighs and their arteries exposed.

He didn't deign to mention her severe lack of armor and the arteries it exposed.

Yet never once did she complain about his smell. Perhaps she didn't care. Perhaps she was used to the odors of boys and men. Or, perhaps, he was holding her to a strange and unfair standard, as though girls and women—especially soldiers—did not sweat. Or were not meant to.

It doesn't matter, Temujin dismissed his wandering thoughts. What she thinks or feels about me—about anything—doesn't matter. She's my enemy. I have my mission.

Soon after Amaririsu began leaping again.

Temujin shut his eyes to meditate. He refused to squirm to see the sky, for it might delay them even more. And he wasn't so improper, as Naruto once slandered, to leer.

After that time… When Kamira cornered him in the lake before crossing the sea…

"Enjoying the show, sweetie?" she had purred as she stripped from her armor. "Aw, don't look so flustered. I'm only teasing you, Temujin."

Temujin squeezed his eyes shut tighter. He tried to push away the memories. Tried to forget how she dove into the lake, naked as the day as she was born. And so proud of her nudity, too. He'd tried to leave, to swim to shore, as he tried to swim away from the memory. To no avail.

Her hand clamped around his wrist, preventing his retreat from the lake. And from the memory.

"Ah, ah, ah, where do you think you're going?"

He wanted to forget it all. He wanted nothing more than to wipe his memory clean of that day, as if it had never existed. But it haunted him often.

He could still feel the anxious, trapped feeling bundle in his chest, so reminiscent of when he was but a boy hiding from the invaders as they ruined his home, his privacy, and his sense of security.

They'd trapped him within the one place that was supposed to be safe. He could remember being so afraid. He could remember shivering, hoping, pleading, praying to be saved.

To be left alone.

The pressure on his wrists made him feel it all over again. Worse was the pressure she induced through words alone. Through concepts he thought he had to live up to in order to "be a man of great power." Like Master Haido.

The sinister and satisfied glint in her eyes when he finally accepted her…proposition… It plagued Temujin. As did her lips roughly crushing against his, and that trapped feeling as her hands kept his wrists beneath their terrible vice grip, refusing to let him build any sort of distance, or allow any of his profound doubts step between them.

That day his misconceptions about love, about intimacy, were shattered. All as his consent was warped by shame and guilt imposed by another.

Did she actually warp my choice? Or is it just easier to blame her for my own weakness?

Temujin didn't know anymore. He hadn't spoken of that incident to anyone. Not even Master Haido. He just wanted to forget it entirely. To erase it from his memories.

But he couldn't, so he strove to be a different man—a stronger man—one that couldn't be so easily warped by base desires. One devoted to a noble cause, and nothing else.

He was no longer interested in concepts like love and intimacy.

When Amaririsu's comrades confirmed they were in position, she halted suddenly. So suddenly he bumped his head against her lower back.

Before he could grouse about it, a disorienting sensation overcame him, one that made his stomach jump and drop, as though falling without falling.

"What just…" Temujin paused.

Candlelight from a lantern bounced against stone walls—a cave, it seemed. Beneath Amaririsu's feet, as well as the back wall, the stone was smoothed into a platform—order amid the otherwise natural chaos of the cave.

The lantern sat upon a stone pedestal on his left side, its orange glow illuminated a wooden triple bunk, layered by colorful, folded blankets of blues, greens, reds, and purples—the caravan's blankets.

Stalactites protruded from the ceiling like spines of stone. He heard the shuffling of people beyond his line of sight. Whispers of children reverberated noisily along the walls.

This place… She'd taken him to some manner of secret hideout of the nomad tribe. It was the only explanation he could think of for the craftsmanship of the platform.

Lifting his head and eyes, he examined the smooth wall and the pentagon shape sunken into the stone fashioned into a sort of altar—another human design in the midst of nature.

Decorating the stone were strange figures and designs painted in blood red and turquoise paints, which glowed in the candlelight.

These cave paintings are ancient, he realized. How did she bring me here so quickly?

Did she actually possess teleportation of some sort? He tried to grasp the reality of it as she sat him down on the ground. He ignored her sigh of relief and absorbed his new surroundings.

The cave was quite large with a high ceiling, despite the hazardous stalactites. He had a clear view of the entrance, where a large root system from somewhere above snaked through the stones and into the earth.

Among the occupants were faces he recognized. Emina was tending to two children by the triple bunks; one was the girl he had saved from falling, the other was a girl perhaps a year or two older than the other.

The tribe elder sat upon a square wooden stool, a sort of old bulwark between Temujin and the rest of his people, who sat, lay, and observed him with suspicion and fear.

There was also that boy, the one who expelled fire like Amaririsu—her teammate. He was leaning against the root system. Clearly he was one of the allies Master Haido mentioned who helped her steal their devoted followers.

Then there were the faces he didn't recognize. All comrades of Amaririsu, obviously, by that strange insignia they all shared. A boy with black hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing a green flak jacket and the headband around his left bicep sat on the top of the root system. He leaned forward, forearms braced on his thighs, and bore a serious expression.

A chubby boy of brown hair, bearing strange red swirls on his cheeks was another face he didn't recognize. He shoveled chips into his mouth from a bag. His nose unconsciously scrunched at the intense scent of barbecue.

There was also another girl. A blonde with blue eyes donning a white cloak, beneath which she wore a purple top and skirt with white wrappings around her abdomen and thighs.

You're all child soldiers, but you have the audacity to judge our ways. What's so different about us?

"How many of them actually had a choice, huh? How many actually had homes to go back to?"

Master Haido had given them a home. He had given them all purpose. They'd all chosen to follow him.

"Of course they threw themselves in with you. What else did they have! Devoted followers? Get real! They were hungry and scared children with nowhere to go! And your Master, that bastard, he twisted them into his pawns!"

Temujin clenched his jaw. He needed to silence these pointless arguments. They simply couldn't see. No, they refused to see these sorts of sacrifices were necessary for utopia, and he and his allies were the only ones willing to make them.

"All right, now that we're all gathered here together," Amaririsu began after removing his helmet. "It's time for us to talk."

"I have nothing more to say to you."

"Then listen," she replied firmly. "You might actually learn something."

Temujin said nothing. Learn? From their lies? No, he only needed to learn the location of the Vault and Book; that was the only knowledge they possessed that he required.

Amaririsu sat on the edge of the platform in front of the bunks, then gestured to the old man.

"Mr. Kahiko, your captive audience is ready."

"Temujin, was it?" the elder asked.

He turned his head to look at Kahiko. Such an unassuming old man. To think he tended to their injuries while hiding world-changing secrets, hoarding the knowledge like bandits hoarded treasure.

"It never occurred to me you would know anything about the Stones. Or the Vault."

Kahiko flattened his lips, gaze stern. "Never mind that, boy. I want you to be honest with me: Why are you after the Vault?"

"It's essential to our cause," Temujin replied stiffly, then he fixed his gaze on a crack in the ceiling.

"You don't know the horrors the Vault carries with it. It can never be returned to this world, do you understand?"

"Heh," he sniffed derisively, a smirk forming on his lips. "Save your lecture for someone else."

Lecturing him on the Stone and its power, who did this old man think he was talking to? A child? Unlike him and his motley tribe, he'd actually wielded it for years now.

The old man couldn't teach him anything he hadn't already learned.

To prove the control he possessed over the Stone, Temujin called upon its power.

A cylindric light emanated from his chest, projecting a floating image of the Stone Master Haido had fused with his flesh.

The elder shut his eyes and exhaled a soft, distressed breath. Gasps exhaled from children. The native soldiers watched through narrowed eyes, confusion, or with apparent disinterest.

"So," Kahiko said after a beat, "it's as I thought."

"What is that light?" the blonde girl asked.

"This is a crystal of Gelel," the elder replied. "A projection, more accurately, of the crystal merged with his flesh."

"It's smaller than I thought it'd be," said Amaririsu's teammate.

"Don't be fooled by its size. These crystals," the elder spoke in low, foreboding tones, "are said to be the source of all life energy."

"I know more about the Stones than anybody," Temujin boasted, allowing the projection to fade.

"That explains your power of recovery. And how did you come by this Stone?"

"It was a gift from my Master Haido."

"I see."

Kahiko ruminated on his answer. Temujin focused on the crack in the ceiling.

"Your Master Haido gave it to you, you say," Kahiko began after a moment of silence. "From what Amaririsu tells me, he's also gifted Stones to certain comrades of yours, like that woman who attacked our caravan. There is also the Stone he keeps for himself."

Temujin's harsh eyes snapped to the elder. "Master Haido does not wield a Stone," he refuted.

"Actually, he does," Amaririsu spoke up. "He attacked me with it as I nabbed his precious book."

"You lie."

"So, he's hidden even that from you. Now that's interesting."

"You won't trick me with your schemes."

"Amaririsu has no reason to trick you, Temujin," the elder claimed sternly. "I wonder, have you ever considered why your allies cannot tap into the true power of Gelel?"

"Tap into its true power?" He made a face. "What in the world are you talking about?"

What sort of game was this old man trying to play?

"You haven't noticed it?"

"Noticed what?" he bit out.

"The difference in how you wield The Power," Kahiko replied calmly. "Your body has never undergone a transformation, has it? No matter how much you draw upon it, it answers your call. Yet your comrades…"

"It's a difference of abilities," he brushed it off. "The Stones grant unique powers to its wielders, depending on how they adapt to it."

"Close to the truth, but not quite. While your comrades do gain incredible strength from the Stones they wield, they do not have access to The Power, as you do. They, like those who perverted The Power before them, do not draw from it naturally. Only descendants of our people, and those who are trained to wield its power by our descendants, can perform such a feat. For you it was natural, was it not?

"Your friends, however, they could not draw from The Power naturally. It rejected them. So, in order to gain power, they could only do one thing: Subjugate it. You could say it is a different adaption of The Power, but that is a convenient half-truth your Master has leaned on to evade honesty.

"They are truly subjugating The Power—enslaving it by force. Twisting it with their dark Wills, and as a result twisting themselves. It is a Forbidden Technique, for it corrupts those who subjugate The Power, more than the mere monstrous transformations suggest."

"How do you mean?" Amaririsu asked.

"Subjugating The Power will intensify the subjugators worst traits. You could say it cultivates the darkness in the human heart. It turns cruelty into vicious savagery. It twists a spark of anger into blind rage. Greed transforms into gluttony. Lust becomes an insatiable hunger, and so on."

Kamira's sinister and satisfied gaze flashed through his mind. He could feel her tight hold on his wrists over the burning aches thrumming in his shoulders.

Could it be…

Temujin silenced the doubt quickly. No, they were trying to manipulate him. He couldn't let them.

"Sounds like a Curse Mark," Amaririsu's teammate said.

"All power has a price. Forbidden power has the steepest," she replied.

"What does any of this have to do with me?" Temujin wondered, feigning disinterest.

"Not very sharp, is he?" the one with dark ponytail drawled.

The boys snorted. Amaririsu smirked, faintly, but then looked at Temujin.

"You can access the full potential of The Power because you're a descendant of the royal family," she said. "That's why it comes naturally to you, but not your friends. I bet Haido figured out who you were when he robbed and killed your parents, then, knowing he'd need your power, he wrapped you around his finger."

Temujin shifted his jaw. "More lies about Master Haido? This is getting old."

"Amaririsu is likely right." The elder's confirmation spurred his raw nerves. "In the days of yore, it was the members of the royal family who led our Clan. Only they were capable of tapping into the true power of Gelel.

"I spoke to Amaririsu about this before. How a part of our Clan departed across the sea when our kingdom fell. According to legends, it was the royal family itself who left, taking the Book of Gelel and the remaining Stones across the waves.

"For your Master to come into possession of them, and for you to wield The Power naturally, can only mean one thing."

Kahiko's old and wise gaze stripped him of his armor and his pride. He stared past the knight, and rendered Temujin a small child once more.

"Your parents were members of the royal family. Don't you see? You haven't come to a new land, boy. You've returned home! You and I are of the same people, both descended from a single Clan."

"He speaks the truth," the disembodied voice whispered.

Temujin shut his eyes tightly. What are you? What is your game?

"The interloper has manipulated you."

"Murderer."

"Destroyer."

"Gluttonous fool."

"They subjugate what is not theirs."

"You have seen this."

You're wrong, he denied.

"You lie to yourself."

We've made noble sacrifices for the greater good. Sacrifices no one else is willing to make.

"Your fallen friends wish you could see the truth. They wish their voices could reach you, but you've shut them out."

"You abandoned them."

"Necessary sacrifices for the greater good."

Stop it. You lie. I haven't shut them out. I carry their Wills in my heart.

"Self-deceiver."

"You fear the truth."

"The truth is before you!"

"It is not that you cannot see it. You refuse to."

"You're afraid."

Enough! Temujin shook his head against the searing agony emanating from his chest.

"Your blood is royal, but your actions fall short of true nobility."

"Everywhere you go you raze the earth."

"You rip this world asunder from a throne of lies, believing you will cease savagery once you seize the Vault, but power claimed through savagery will only be used savagely."

"Change your course, Temujin."

"There's still a chance."

"Listen to them."

"Listen!"

"Pretty insistent, aren't they?"

Temujin inhaled sharply. Amaririsu's voice grounded him in the cave, back into a world illuminated by flickering orange light of a lantern, among the tribespeople and native soldiers. Far from the strange, disembodied void the voice drew him into.

He stared at her with wide eyes. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead.

"What?"

"The voice you heard, they're pretty insistent, aren't they?" Amaririsu repeated, expression unreadable.

Temujin swallowed roughly. "You heard all of that?"

"No. I just recognize the signs."

"The signs…" His eyes went wide. "When we were before Master Haido—"

"You've awoken something incredibly powerful," Amaririsu interrupted. "Something that has laid dormant within the Power of Gelel since the kingdom you hail from collapsed. Someone—or something—is reaching through from The Beyond. It's trying to prevent the interloper—Haido—from claiming The Power."

"You're afraid of it."

"And you're a fool not to be."

"Hmph," he snorted, trying to relieve the tension in his body. "So I should let you take this power instead, is that it?"

"I want nothing to do with this power," Amaririsu declared.

"I don't buy that for an instant. As someone not of royal blood, I bet you were corrupted by the voice when you first heard it. When you felt that tremendous power."

She cocked an eyebrow. "So you admit The Power can corrupt those not of royal blood. Does that mean you also admit Haido is corrupted, too?"

"No. I do not believe he is," he refuted. "Someone as strong-willed and noble as Master Haido cannot be corrupted."

"I see. Which means you admit he's lied and hidden a Stone from you. I wonder what else he's lied about, then."

"How convenient of you to shift the conversation back to Master Haido," he ground out through grit teeth, "instead of your potential corruption. And your obvious desires for power."

"Geez," the dark ponytailed boy sighed. "Who's making the convenient conversation change now? It's too late, though. 'Risu has already proven the point. You may not admit it to us, and I don't really care if you do, but it's obvious you believe in the potential of corruption. You even believe that your Master has lied to you. So, what else has he lied about?"

"You're not worried she's being corrupted by this power?" Temujin demanded, losing himself in the heat of the accusations.

"No," the boy rolled his eyes. "You seem to have forgotten an important detail Gramps mentioned. People outside the Clan could use The Power without corruption, as long as they were trained to use it. As long as she doesn't subjugate a Stone, she can't be corrupted."

"He's also forgetting Amari hasn't even touched a Stone," Amaririsu's teammate pointed out.

"I thought that went without saying. But he is dense, so maybe I should've started there."

"And as I said before, I have no interest in claiming the Vault," Amaririsu declared again.

"Then why did you steal the Book of Gelel?"

"So I could figure out how to save the souls your precious Master bound to The Beyond."

"So you say."

"Sheesh. He may be handsome, but serious points off for attitude," the blonde girl commented, placing a hand on her hip.

"Amaririsu has not been corrupted by the Stone, Temujin," Kahiko said.

His confidence in the claim only made Temujin clench his fists beneath the binds.

"What you two are experiencing is a resonance from The Beyond. Someone—or something—is reaching through your Stone to Amaririsu."

What could possibly be reaching through, though? And why would it bother reaching out to her when he wielded the Stone. When he was a member of the royal family.

By their own assertions, assuming they weren't lying, it should've resonated with him and him alone. It should see the righteousness of his mission.

So why? Why was it taking her side?

"If anything you've said is true, why would it reach out to an outsider?" he wanted to know.

"Perhaps because it realizes you, a member of the royal family, has been led astray, and it recognizes that she has the power or the ability to somehow prevent the calamity your Master threatens to unleash" Kahiko theorized. "It may be she was chosen by chance, for simply being near you at the right place and the right time. Perhaps she was the most receptive to The Beyond. Or perhaps there is another reason we cannot fathom.

"The truth is, we know little about The Power, The Beyond, and origin of the Stone's. But it seems in very early times a mysterious vein of mineral was discovered. Our ancestors were able to refine it in a crystalized form, and they named the mineral Gelel. A vast empire was built on this continent with the precious Stone as its foundation.

"Wells never ran dry, livestock multiplied overnight, and trees continually bore fruit. It's even said they searched for a way to stop all life from aging."

"This is the first any of us have ever heard of it," the boy with a black ponytail commented.

"This was all a very long time ago. But as is often the case, great power brought with it unimaginable catastrophe. People fought and quarreled shamelessly over the Stones.

"In the end, their power was used to wage a massive war. Souls were bound, then lost, trapped forever in The Beyond. Mountain and earth were ripped asunder, until, eventually, the battle obliterated the empire altogether."

"How awful," the blonde girl said.

"Only a handful of the young survived," the elder continued. "Our ancestors sealed away the coveted mineral deep underground—this is what became known as the Vault. They vowed never to revive its power again."

"If it was so dangerous, why not destroy it instead?" the chubby one asked through a mouthful of chips.

"Because the Stones, and the Vault, can only be destroyed by those of royal blood. But with the royal family lost to us forever, we could only watch over them, guarding their secret with every generation. The legends have slowly faded away, and one day our past will just die out altogether."

"Die out? Fade away?" Temujin scoffed, sneering at the old man. "Hearing all of that, my resolve is stronger than ever before. Nothing will stop me from acquiring the Vault."

"Haven't you listened to anything we've said?" Amaririsu hissed. "The Power of Gelel is too dangerous to be uncovered. You'll throw this whole world into a war—into a calamity there's no coming back from!"

"Power is power, nothing more," he replied calmly. "The only thing that matters is who's wielding it."

"Some power can only cause destruction. Annihilation," she refuted. Then shook her head. "There are no 'right hands' for something like that."

"Righteous men can wield such power for the greater good."

"Then forfeit your Stone to Mr. Kahiko."

"Now why would I do that?"

"He's a righteous man, bearing no intent to dominate, subjugate, or harm others. Meanwhile, you and your allies are fanatics. You're not worthy of the Stone, and it's clear The Power is beginning to reject you and your actions, now that you've awoken it."

He growled, knuckles white beneath his gloves. He hated the certainty in her voice. He hated that, to some degree, she was right.

The Stone was beginning to reject him and his actions.

Amaririsu made an absent gesture towards him. "You want to believe you're more mature than us, wiser, stronger in Will, but you're still the same afraid little boy who lost his parents. And I'm no different. I'll always have that scared, crying girl inside of me, who's desperately trying to make up for her indecision and lack of strength. All because I couldn't save my family or my brothers.

"So, if power is power, nothing more, you should surrender the Stone to Mr. Kahiko. He won't be corrupted by its power."

"No."

"Ah," she smiled a fake and cruel smile, "so as long as you wield it, power is only power. As long as Haido has the Book of Gelel, it's just a book. A means to create utopia. But if someone else wields it, oh dear, oh dear, then it's too dangerous. Except in the hands of the all-mighty Haido."

"Is mockery all you're capable of?"

"We won't allow you to foist Haido onto the throne of the world," she stated emphatically. "I won't let you make him some sort of wannabe God."

"Listen to her, Temujin," Kahiko advised. "The Vault cannot be awoken from its slumber. The Power must remain sealed away."

"Whatever power it may hold, Master Haido will use it justly," Temujin declared.

"Yeah. Leave it to a liar who's destroyed countless villages to use immense power justly. Real smart," drawled the black-haired boy.

"None of you understand. You haven't seen what I have."

"You're right. We haven't," Amaririsu's teammate sounded less than impressed, but his eyes were cold. "We haven't seen how it looks to raze an innocent village or kidnap their people to make them our puppets. We haven't seen the children's faces as they're torn from their parents arms before their souls are bound to some other plane. Such righteousness is beneath us savages."

"I've had enough of your constant mockery," Temujin growled.

"And I'm tired of your self-righteous whining," he replied coldly. "You think you're the only one who understands the suffering of war? Of loss? Heh," he exhaled a laugh, but it was less amused, and more annoyed. "I watched my mother, father and my whole Clan slaughtered before my eyes. Over and over and over again.

"Amari," he lifted his chin to his teammate, "died right in front of me, too, believe it or not. And I couldn't do a damn thing to protect her. Our Village was plunged into the fog of war. And thanks to you and your people, we're probably bound to see more of it."

Temujin growled.

"Truth hurts," he said coldly. "You sit here and whine about the state of the world. All while you perform the same heinous deeds that took your parents from you to new children. How many orphans have you created to fill your army?"

"That isn't what we've done. We gave them homes—"

"Spare me your excuses. I'm not interested," he dismissed. "You haven't changed a thing about this world. And you never will. Not like this. You're just a tool for another tyrant who wants to play god."

"Sasuke's right," the black-haired one said. And Temujin felt the spurs dig deeper into his bleeding nerves. "Haido's convinced you to take the shortest path imaginable to a utopia. You want the easy way out. The easy solution. But guess what? There are no easy solutions. Not for something like utopia."

"Your way will never work," Temujin argued. "It will take too long," he added, shaking his head.

"It will take long because we're laying a strong foundation," Amaririsu countered.

"Yeah," the chubby one agreed. "It's sort of like a meal. Sure, you could open a bag of barbecue potato chips and chow down; it's a lot easier and doesn't take long to get a little satisfaction. But that's just a snack. Instead, if you take the time to cook a full course meal, even though it takes longer, it fills you up and keeps you super satisfied."

"Always food with you," the blonde sighed. Then she stared at Temujin with a serious expression. "But he's right. Building a strong foundation might take a long time—so long we may not personally see its conclusion. But we're willing to accept that, because a strong foundation won't break easily under pressure. As long as we lay down the right soil nurture it with gentle hands, the future can bloom into an evergreen flower."

"Little by little," Amaririsu nodded in agreement. "Little by little we'll change this world. It didn't get like this overnight. It won't change overnight, either. So as long as we keep at it, as long as we keep reaching out to others, and building towards the future, one day this world will be a true utopia."

Temujin's jaw was too tight. Kahiko and Emina both looked at the children with fondness and satisfaction. He felt the Stone resonating warmly in his chest, spurring his frustration.

"That is unacceptable," he declared. "It's too idealistic. Your way won't work. War only breeds suffering. Without someone guiding us from Above, there can be no end to all of this pointless bloodshed. This is what my Master teaches. The truth of his words are etched into my heart."

"He has a god complex, Temujin," Amaririsu chastised. "And I told you already: I won't let you turn him into a god. Think, Temujin. You can see threads of his lies and manipulation. It isn't too late to change. It's never too late to change your path."

"I don't need to change," he replied fiercely. "I've already chosen my path. I've already made sacrifices. We are on the verge of a utopia. Soon Master Haido's dream will be complete: We will free this world of war! No sacrifice is too great to accomplish that."

"Is that how you truly feel?" Amaririsu questioned, eyes sharp but voice calm.

"It is. My comrades and I feel the same. My only dream is to free this world of war." Temujin began to draw on the Stone's power. "And I need the Vault of Gelel to bring it about!"

The ropes snapped beneath his strength. He sprang up and flipped through the air gracefully, drawing his sword as he landed and placing it to Kahiko's throat.

The native soldiers were on their feet and blocking the exit together, but keeping their distance, as he anticipated. They wouldn't want to risk the hostage's life. Their sense of honor and refusal to do what was necessary for a grand cause was also their weakness.

"He was faking us out the whole time," the dark-haired one groaned.

"Don't be an idiot, Temujin," Amaririsu said. "Mr. Kahiko is the only one who know's the location of the Vault."

The only one who knew, huh? He'd use that slip of the tongue to his advantage.

"Now, you will tell me where the Vault of Gelel is," Temujin demanded, watching for Amaririsu's shadow.

Kahiko did not flinch. "I will do no such thing."

"Where's the Book, Amaririsu?"

"I destroyed it."

"You what?" he hissed.

She smirked. "I told you, I have no interest in that power. Better its knowledge lost than in the filthy hands of a power-hungry tyrant."

"Then you leave me no choice."

Temujin struck the old man in the neck with his hilt. Kahiko's body went limp.

The knight raised his left fist into the air and smashed a small capsule against the stone, shutting his eyes as it exploded. Then bright yellow light consumed the room. He heard the groans and cries as the native soldiers and the nomads were blinded.

Like a ghoul, Temujin swept the old man and the child he once saved from the cave, darting out into the moist, evening air. He eyed a large stone wheel outside the mouth of the cave—a door for the secret hideout.

Once it was sealed shut and the natives trapped inside, he commandeered a saddled antelope, as tall and sturdy as a horse, and secured the old man and the child on it.

"Hold onto him," he coaxed the child, as he stood on the antelopes back, reins in hand.

Into the night they dashed.

Once the old man awoke he demanded directions to the Vault. At the sight of the child, Kahiko complied, reluctantly.

Your schemes backfired, Amaririsu, Temujin thought. I won't let you stand in the way of utopia. Should we meet again, I won't hesitate to end your life.

He knew she would feel the same way.

---

"Looks like he fell into our trap perfectly," Shikamaru said as they exited the cave, now opened by 'Risu's Anbu agent.

"There isn't time to waste," 'Risu said, joining him outside with the ferret on her shoulder. "Had I known he would be willing to sacrifice anything, I wouldn't have risked Mr. Kahiko or these people. He's capable of anything."

"Nah," Shikamaru shook his head. "He talks tough, but when it comes down to it, he's not the kind of guy to kill a kid or Gramps."

"You sure about that, Shikamaru?" Ino asked.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I saw it in his eyes. He's at his breaking point for 'necessary sacrifices.' All it'll take is one more push, and he'll crumble."

"I hope you're right, Shika. But if he doesn't turn back, I won't let him succeed. No matter what."

"We won't," Sasuke corrected.

"Right. Sorry. I keep doing that."

"Are we all ready to go?" the Anbu agent asked. "There's a long road ahead of us to the Land of Wind. Now is your last chance to make any final preparations to your gear."

"My team is ready," Shikamaru said.

"As are we," 'Risu agreed.

"Then let's go."

---

The twilight sky was awash with stars as Temujin followed Kahiko down the long, ancient stone staircase crossing the perilous gorge amid wisps of a waterfalls mist.

Every step brought them closer and closer to the floating stone palace of a long forgotten kingdom.

Of course, the palace was not truly floating. It was an illusion conjured by the angle of the staircase and the mist, preventing him from glimpsing the structure of stone which supported it from below.

The palace's exterior had not crumbled despite its abandonment. Though it lacked the banners of its former kingdom, and statues once decorating its courtyard had long ago been removed by plunderers of the former kingdoms, it looked as sturdy as the day the kingdom fell.

A result of the Vault? Temujin could only assume it played some role.

Nearing the entrance he noticed broken and cracked plant pots; some appeared to contain the decomposed particles—almost like ashes—of whatever once filled them. But perhaps it was only sand.

Here, where the rocky terrain of the Land of Rivers melded together with the Land of Wind's desert, sand was more likely.

Kahiko led him into the palace.

The Vault, Temujin realized, was moments away.

Soon utopia would be at hand.

Soon this world of war would be over, and a world of peace could finally begin.

---

"The invader entered the ruins seven minutes ago," Gaara informed as they regrouped on the plateau above the palace. "He sent his child hostage away and launched a strange signal flare. A beam of light which shot across the sky like a shooting star towards the Land of Rivers."

"We saw that," Shikamaru nodded. "The Crows say their land-ship is making a beeline straight for us now. We've got minutes to prepare."

"Naruto, Sakura, and Kankurō are already within the ruins," Hikari said, seated on a black disk of Iron Sand. "Gaara and I will await their vessel and render it inoperable."

"My squadron and I will aid their efforts," Osamu said from his perch on Amari's shoulder, opposite of Nerugui. "Once the land-ship is inoperable, we will begin our rescue operation."

"My squad will join the rescue efforts," Shikamaru said. "Hate to say it, but I may not be any help in those ruins. Not if there aren't any shadows to work with. Besides, the more of us removing prisoners, the quicker we can relieve the assault squad from battling hundreds of troops."

"Sounds like we have everything settled, then," Amari said.

"Yeah. It's only too bad the other ruins were inside the Demon Desert," Shikamaru said. "Could've led them right into our trap without bringing them closer to their objective."

"While I agree, the Demon Desert is dangerous even for seasoned Sand shinobi," Gaara explained. "Conditions can change rapidly. And it possesses many deadly hazards—the fauna, flora, even the sands themselves have claimed many lives. To ask all of you to cross it without a guide would've been irresponsible."

"We appreciate your thoughtfulness," the Anbu agent said, dipping her head in gratitude.

"Before you leave, Amaririsu." Hikari reached into her pouch and pulled out a glowing turquoise stone that was slightly larger than an egg. "I cannot say what the being was, but she asked me to ensure this stone reached you."

"Thank you, Hikari," Amari thanked, taking the stone into her hand. "I'm not sure who or what they are, either, but I do know this will help us save everyone. I… Hmm."

"What's the matter, 'Risu?"

"I guess I expected when I touched it I'd have some amazing sort of vision or the voice would become more clear. I thought I'd know everything I'd need to do. But besides feeling a bit warm, it just feels like I'm holding a normal stone."

"I am certain, when the time comes, you will know what must be done, Lady Amari," Osamu said. "All I ask is you do not go somewhere we cannot follow you. Please, do not be overly reckless."

"I'll do my best, Osamu."

"I leave them in your care then," Osamu directed to the Anbu agent.

"Of course. Sasuke, Amari, let's go."

"Right behind you."

"Lead the way."

---

Kahiko led him deep into the abandoned palace, through long, dark halls he would have certainly gotten lost within, around obstructed paths and crumbled bridges, into a dim and vast underground sanctum.

Temujin had never seen anything like it before. It was a kingdom within a kingdom. A city beneath a city. An entire new world hidden beneath the surface many travelers must've once walked over.

How deep were they underground now? He could no longer tell how far they'd travel or how deep this forgotten palace truly delved.

As they crossed an intact bridge towards the inner sanctums center—a platform shaped almost like a three leaf clover, bearing strange pinwheel designs carved into the stone—Temujin let his eyes travel the room.

The sanctums general shape was circular, bearing an outer ring that was either crumbled and broken, or cracked and hazardous in appearance. Many of the once grand halls were blocked off by collapsed stones, or barricades of newly grown stalagmites protruding from the floor below.

Beyond the sanctum, he could see tremendous octagonal stone pillars hanging like wind chimes from the ceiling in a nearby chamber. Somewhere out there he could hear the faint bubbling of a stream pouring in.

He glanced off to the side, paused, then performed a double take, uncertain if his mind was playing tricks on him.

Are those…trees?

The silhouette of tree trunks, like husks of mountain giants, grew from the stones in the opposite chamber. Their root systems had unearthed stone, strange twisting and coiling branches had come to bear the weight of collapsed debris, yet they appeared to still grow leaves.

How can anything grow down here? Is this the power of the Vault?

Their path ended on the upper clover of the platform. Kahiko kept his posture straight, while maintaining his distance. Temujin eyed him, then the sanctum.

"The Vault is beneath us, isn't it?" he questioned.

"It is," Kahiko confirmed. "However, I'm afraid this is as far as I will take you."

"How do we reach the Vault? I don't see any path to it."

"I will not tell you that."

Temujin shifted his jaw. "Don't play games, old man."

"This is no game, boy," Kahiko replied, clasping his hands behind his back. His gaze was sharp and unflinching. "I led you this far for two reasons. First, I would not see a child of my tribe harmed in my place. But now that she is safe, I have no reason to cooperate.

"If this is where I am meant to die, so be it," he said, and meant it. "I have lived a long life. My only regret will be I could not uphold my duty and hide these ruins entirely from your allies. But I will not allow them to use the Vault in their schemes, nor will I allow your Master to use a member of the royal family as a pawn."

"Old man," Temujin ground out, taking an aggressive step forward.

The whistle of blades alerted Temujin. He hopped back as the blades struck and bounced off the stone between him and Kahiko.

"Second," the old man continued calmly, "Amaririsu and Shikamaru crafted quite the compelling ambush. This has gone exactly as they said it would."

Wait, so they…

Ruby eyes lifted and met cerulean and emerald amidst the dim sanctum, the pair of natives standing on the shatter remains of a higher ring.

"We've been waiting for you, Temujin," Naruto said, arms crossed.

"We told you already, didn't we?" Sakura questioned, short blades between the gaps of her fingers. "We're not going to stand by and let you have your way."

They led us into a trap? Does that mean Master Haido will be in danger when he arrives? No. No, it's no matter, he drew his sword. Master Haido will bring the hideout. Even their powers aren't enough to stop it.

"Tell me something, Temujin, are you really willing to just sacrifice your friends for this utopia you're trying to build?" Naruto asked. "Are they just a means to an end to you?"

"This is what it means to accomplish something," he replied coldly, repeating the words of his Master. "My brethren and I feel the same. We've made great sacrifices. Noble sacrifices."

"Then they aren't really your friends, are they?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he questioned, annoyance and frustration bubbling over rational thought.

"You know, it wasn't until I met Amari that I gained my first friend. I was nine or ten, I think. And she… She was the first real friend I had. She was the first one who saw me for who I was. Her eyes… Heh," he chuckled, voice breaking a little. "They saw right through me. They saw everything, even the dark parts.

"Amari never turned away from me. I wasn't used to it—the sincere affection. The people in our Village always treated me like I had the plague. I've been yelled at, run off, hit with brooms, and taken more beatings from adults than you might believe.

"But Amari, she made my life better, you know? I was…actually happy for once in my life," he said, smiling faintly. "Really happy."

His expression shifted, eyes narrowing and hardening. "You say those people were your friends, but a friend isn't something you can just sacrifice. They should be the most precious thing in the world to you!"

He felt a strange twinge in his chest. He grit his teeth and said,

"In order to build a utopia, necessary sacrifices must be—"

"Enough of that crap!" Naruto swiped his arm through the air, then jabbed his finger at him. "Who the hell are you even building this utopia for? When you reach the end of your goal and everything and everyone you've ever loved is dead, what then, huh?! You think you're gonna be happy? That you'll be able to live in a utopia with all of those lives weighing down on your soul?"

"I don't seek respite. I seek to build a future so those living now, and those who will live in the future, will never know war."

"What's the point of building a future that doesn't include your friends?" Naruto boomed.

Temujin grunted but said nothing.

"Dreams that don't include the people you cherish are total garbage! That's why we're gonna put an end to this!"

Teeth grit, knuckles white around his sword, Temujin stretched and clawed at the void for a counter. A criticism of their idealistic view.

Why? Why were they standing in the way of a utopia? Why couldn't they understand? A utopia would never exist without necessary sacrifices.

"Are they necessary? Are they really?"

There was no other way. In order for Master Haido's dream to come true, they had to reach the Vault as quickly as possible, then the world would be forever free of war. Then they could heal all the land they ravaged. The people could rebuild the homes they lost.

It could all be healed. Rebuilt. Fixed. They were making necessary sacrifices for the sake of the future, there was nothing more noble than that. Nothing more righteous.

Once Master Haido had the Vault, he would use its power to end war and lead the world into an everlasting era of peace.

"Yeah. Leave it to a liar who's destroyed countless villages to use immense power justly. Real smart."

He gripped his sword so tightly his hand was cramping. He felt his teeth on the verge of cracking.

They were wrong about Master Haido. They had no idea what kind of man he was. They had no idea what it took to accomplish a goal such as utopia.

"You're right. We haven't seen how it looks to raze an innocent village or kidnap their people to make them our puppets. We haven't seen the children's faces as they're torn from their parents arms before their souls are bound to some other plane. Such righteousness is beneath us savages."

You're wrong, Temujin growled, hand and blade trembling. You're all wrong about him. You don't understand what it takes to change this world. You refuse to see that sacrifices must be made.

"You sit here and whine about the state of the world. All while you perform the same heinous deeds that took your parents from you to new children. How many orphans have you created to fill your army?"

Many villages had fallen. Many survivors were taken in, but they'd done so to grant them places to stay after destroying their homes. Those who joined their cause volunteered.

"Self-deceiver."

He ground his teeth together. You're wrong.

"You haven't changed a thing about this world. And you never will. Not like this. You're just a tool for another tyrant who wants to play god."

You're wrong.

"Haido's convinced you to take the shortest path imaginable to a utopia. You want the easy way out. The easy solution. But guess what? There are no easy solutions. Not for something like utopia."

You're all wrong! It will never work your way. It'll take too long. More people will suffer. More people will die. The fog of war won't be lifted for generations.

"Building a strong foundation might take a long time—so long we may not personally see its conclusion. But we're willing to accept that, because a strong foundation won't break easily under pressure. As long as we lay down the right soil nurture it with gentle hands, the future can bloom into an evergreen flower."

No, he narrowed his eyes, switching between Naruto and Sakura. No! I won't stand for that.

"Little by little we'll change this world. It didn't get like this overnight. It won't change overnight, either. So as long as we keep at it, as long as we keep reaching out to others, and building towards the future, one day this world will be a true utopia."

We can change this world now. Why wait? Why take the long path when a shortcut will get us there so much faster? Your way may be gentler, but it isn't necessary.

This is… This is why we need someone guiding us from Above. Without that, there will never be an end to all of this pointless bloodshed.

This world needs Master Haido.

"He's lied to you since the very beginning. You just don't want to accept it. Because if that's true, then everything you've done has been for a lie. Every 'sacrifice' you made was not a sacrifice at all, and that's too much for you to bear. Isn't it?"

It wasn't true. It couldn't be true.

"You know it to be true in your heart," the disembodied voice whispered. "How many more lies will you weave to protect yourself?"

Master Haido had saved him—saved countless people. He offered shelter, guidance, nurtured him and his closest friend after their village had been destroyed by brigands. After their parents had been slain.

"Convenient, is it not?"

"He has repeated the process again and again."

"You destroyed villages exactly as he taught you."

"You knew it was wrong."

"Necessary sacrifices."

"This is all for the greater good."

"We will heal this land. Rebuild their homes."

"You wove a tapestry of lies, all to ease your conscious."

"Watching Haya, Naruto and Sakura has fostered doubt."

"The illusion is broken."

"Open your eyes to reality, Temujin."

"Why is it you feel resentment towards them?"

"You know the answer."

"Yes, you know."

Stop it.

Temujin didn't realize he had collapsed to a knee in a heap of sweat. The voice was overwhelming his senses, the stone was burning a supernova in his chest.

That's enough.

"You do not resent their idealism."

"What's more noble than striving to create a better world peacefully?"

"You resent them because they have everything you desire."

"Friendship."

"Love."

"Their life is a struggle."

"Naruto and Haya lost everything, just as you have."

"But they still smile."

"Their laughter hurts you."

"You watched them care for each other."

"Their bond is strong, isn't it?"

"You wish your friends were beside you."

"But Haido forced you to sacrifice even them."

"He demands sacrifice."

"How much more will he demand of you?"

"He never sacrifices anything."

"He will demand more."

"Will you answer his demands?"

"Will they, too, be noble sacrifices?"

"He is here."

The shuddering and explosion of stone snapped Temujin to the present. Through deep breaths and warm sweat he perceived the whirr of the land-ships drills.

"What in the world?" Kahiko gasped.

Beneath the drills piercing into the chamber, a platform began to lower, revealing Master Haido, Fugai, Kamira, and four of the devoted.

It took great effort for Temujin to rise, then kneel before his Master, head bowed.

"Master Haido, the Vault of Gelel rests below us," he said.

"Thank you, my son. I'm in your debt," Master Haido replied, smiling. "Thanks to your sacrifices our utopia is finally near at ha–"

Suddenly the land-ship shuddered, causing all those on the platform to stumble, lower into crouches, or in the case of Master Haido, fall onto all fours. Temujin sucked in a sharp breath.

No, it can't be. Is that boy who could control sand here as well?

Another impact of tremendous magnitude struck the land-ship. Stones around its entry point crumbled and rained from the ceiling. Master Haido rolled off the edge, but caught the lip of the ramp.

"Master Haido!" Temujin and Fugai yelled in unison.

Before Temujin could act, the entire cylindric platform beneath him began to slide farther away from the land-ship, gliding deeper into the chamber.

Whirling around, he saw Kahiko standing in the same position, but beneath his foot, a circular disk forming a part of the pinwheel had rotated out of its pattern.

The platform halted.

"Old man, what are you doing?" Temujin demanded.

"It's time for this thing to be eliminated from the world once and for all!" Kahiko declared firmly. "Even if it means our doom!"

He shifted the disk again with his foot.

Temujin felt his heart jump as the platform descended rapidly into a dark shaft.

The last he saw of the sanctum was the dim light being sealed shut behind a stone wall.

The inner sanctum was a scene of chaos when they arrived.

Kamira had transformed into her bat-like form, swooshing and gliding through the air; her sinister giggle reverberated across the room as the clickity-clack of Kankurō's Crow Puppet gave chase.

Fugai, transformed into a bipedal wolf, sprang across the sanctum into the opposite chamber, chasing down Sakura, unleashing howls which exploded the ancient stone.

Finally, Haido, having knocked aside Naruto with a single, powerful blow, smashed his fist into the stone seal which Mr. Kahiko and Temujin vanished beneath, shattering it.

A strange set of four red orbs formed behind him, then transformed into wings similar to a dragonflies, before he and his four metal giants leapt down the chasm.

"Looks like Mr. Kahiko called an audible." The ferret suddenly leapt off her shoulder, scaling down the rocks as quick as any elite shinobi. "Hey, Nerugui!"

Nerugui didn't stop. He made it to the ground floor than vanished from sight through a crawlspace only a small animal could fit through.

"Where is he going now?" she muttered.

"Think he knows a secret way down to the Vault?" Sasuke asked.

"Maybe. It isn't important now," she shook of the thought. "We have to stop these people here and now."

"Yeah. Looks like they've tried to separate us. But that also means they've separated themselves from their allies."

"Now we can turn the numbers against them."

"We will divide and conquer," Miss Anbu stated, echoing the thoughts of the two Uchiha. "Sasuke, aid the Sand shinobi. I will regroup with Sakura and eliminate his second-in-command. Haya, regroup with Naruto and do whatever you can to stop or delay Haido and Temujin from acquiring the Vault. We will regroup with you as soon as we are able."

"Got it."

"Let's move."

They separated to fulfill their duties.

As Amari landed down on the main bridge, Naruto was pulling himself out of the crater Haido had used his body to create.

"Naruto, you and I are going to stop Haido and Temujin," she called, then leapt off to the portal in the floor. "Come on!"

"Right behind you, Sis!" He followed after her.

With chakra glowing at their feet they glided down the inside of the ancient elevator, almost like riding a snowboard down a slope.

The Stone, secured in her pouch, pulsed with power.

"I'm waiting for you."

"The time to use the Stone draws near."

"Only our combined power together can stop the interloper."

"I will be waiting on the other side."

"Hurry, Haya."

They glided down deeper into the darkness, the blue hue of chakra and a red eye the only light to be seen.

The battle for the fate of the world was about to begin.

---

Review Response to Guest: Glad you enjoyed the last chapter! We'll have to wait and see who the deity is, though that is an interesting theory. Thanks for the compliment. I'm happy I was able to give you chills with Hikari killing Wakiko.

Sounds like they went with more of a spectacle for the Last movie as what may have been, at that time, thought of as the last hurrah of the series. Though that's speculation without actual knowledge of what was going on behind the scenes and without seeing it. I'll probably still enjoy it even if I end up having criticisms of it, but that's just my way. Like Naruto not knowing the difference of loving a person and ramen is...certainly a strange choice. I mean, he's shown to be pretty stupid at times, but we spent so much time with his character that it's kind of obvious that he actually cared/liked/loved Sakura. But still, I've rolled my eyes at events from the actual anime before, so it's not that big of a deal. If they can still entertain me, make me feel, bring joy to me, then the overall experience outweighs my criticisms. Maybe I'm weird.

As for Boruto the movie and anime, if I had to guess, they saw where the anime ended, in terms of power scaling, and the spectacular jutsus and such that were being done and figured they couldn't do two things. First, they couldn't go too far backwards with power and make the kids as weak/strong as Naruto and the others were at their age without losing viewers. We'd already seen the kids start from scratch, so it risked being Naruto 2.0 and being criticized for that, which it always would be, given how immensely popular its predecessor series was. It was always going to have to live in the shadow of Naruto, and the original fans were going to be incredibly hard to please, because of how impactful it was to the original fans childhood, because of nostalgia, and there was also the problem that the original fans are now all older. No longer kids. And the younger your main character, generally, broad brush painting now, the less likely someone older will be interested in watching/reading.

Then there was problem number two, which is the concept the series roles with: The next generation always surpass those who came before them. So they may have thought if Boruto and his classmates were suddenly at Naruto's level when he was a kid, or even a little better, they would automatically be seen as "weak" because we're suddenly going back to Genin level, and our most recent memories of Naruto and the group were when they were super strong. Though, that's just a theory.

Honestly, I think they were in a pretty tough spot. I haven't seen the show or the movie yet, though not for any nefarious reason, but some things I've seen I haven't entirely liked. And that's okay. Maybe its not for me. I can't make that judgment yet without actually sitting down and watching, but even if it isn't something I personally end up enjoying, it doesn't erase the memories of the original series I have or ruin it. I can always go back and watch it. And if others are enjoying the new series, which seems to be the case, otherwise I don't see them continuing to produce an anime for it, then that's awesome, too. I want others to feel the same joy and love I've felt through all the different animes/movies/books/games/life moments I've experienced, even if they aren't exactly the same ones I enjoyed in the same way I enjoyed it.

I mean, aren't the feelings we felt when we watched Naruto and Naruto Shippuden what mattered? The connection we made with the characters and the memories they gave us are what we hold onto now that its over. It made an impact on our lives, otherwise we wouldn't all be here searching for and reading fan fiction about it, wanting to experience more of it.

So, even if you feel disappointed by Boruto, don't let it consume you. Don't let it fill you with hatred for it as a series or fill you with negativity. You can constructively criticize it, you can even be disappointed that it didn't live up to your expectations, there's nothing wrong with that, but too many people let it be all they do. It's all some feel. They live and breathe for that outlet to criticize and be a contrarian, and it ends up making others miserable. Especially the people that do it.

As for Pain and the Rinnegan, that probably should've been the peak of power, but the Akatsuki/Naruto series as a whole fell prey to the villain of the week sort of problem. Once upon a time Zabuza and Haku were the toughest shinobi. Then Orochimaru was the absolute peak. Then each new main villain of an arc—specifically when dealing with the Akatsuki—had to have some amazing ability for the protagonists to overcome. Until we reach Pain—a god, basically.

Meanwhile Naruto has a grand total of two moves, with variations. Shadow Clone Jutsu and Rasengan. And when they don't work, more Shadow Clones and bigger Rasengan. And when that doesn't work even more Shadow Clones and even bigger Rasengan, except now with Wind Nature.

It wasn't the best power system by the end, needless to say.

There were plenty of opportunities to actually build Naruto and Hinata's relationship after she confessed her love. Could've done that over flashbacks to Part 1 explaining Naruto and Sasuke's rivalry for the third or fourth time. Like some of the original filler arcs where Naruto went on missions with the other teams.

I always thought Neji's death was the result of people complaining no one named had died, honestly, but either way I thought his death was kind of pointless. Or it didn't really have a lasting impact, like Asuma's and Jiraiya's, despite how cool I always thought Neji was, because then the story sort of weaved in and out of limbo of filler arcs regarding either the infinite tsukuyomi or Kaguya's and Hagaromo's background, some of which I actually enjoyed, but by the time we actually see his funeral, it was like, oh that's right, they killed him. Was that like a hundred something episodes ago?

Anyway, I've rambled a lot.

Thank you for the review!