Kakashi's eyes widened when he looked upon Suisen for the first time in a long while. The village had a bridge making up the gap between the river that had set it apart from the rest of the land of fire. That would have been alright on its own but…
The people seemed a strange mix of melancholic and overjoyed. On one hand, there was a feast being kept for who knew what reason, but on the other side of the village, near the cemetery, a small group of people was gathered and burying someone. Ouch, what an unfortunate day to celebrate.
"Mom, where did Gundan-sama go?"
The entire quartet stilled where they were, hiding in the shadows of the trees. So Pakkun has been right, Gundan did come here after all!
"Kaiza took him towards the ruins of Uzushiogakure, last I saw." The boy's mother answered, before squinting at his leg. "Why? Does the bone hurt?"
"Nope!" the boy shook his head. "I just wanted to ask the way to Konoha! I mean, they sent him here, right? So, he's the reason we have so much food and everyone is okay again!"
Kakashi silently groaned. Of course. The boy had a hero-complex a mile wide. Of course, he'd somehow find out an entire village needed help, leave the village without tripping the sensing dome, and speed off to help. By his actions so far, this was only logical. Plus, he can teleport! He doesn't need to physically walk through the barrier as long as he was near the gates and could see beyond.
"Well, you're not going to be able to see them soon. Kaiza-san is a civilian, so they'll be at a slow pace." The mother chided. "I'm sure Gundan-sama will return soon, Koto, so be patient for a few days."
Kakashi signaled his team to stealthily make their way across town, and they did so with great care. He passed by the funeral himself but was too occupied to bother with analyzing who it was who was being buried.
"They've departed to Uzushio… should we follow suit?" Hizashi asked, shifting from foot to foot. Personally, the man adored the adopted-Uzumaki ever since he saw how he was with his son. Neji had been a quiet child ever since his mother passed away, even at such a young age that he shouldn't have even comprehended the loss, but the arrival of Gundan had brought joy back – not just to him, but the entirety of the Hyuuga Clan.
"Yes." Kakashi said firmly. "I don't know whether Gundan knows this Kaiza, but we should be prudent in assuring their safety anyhow."
"I don't know what you're all yammering about. He's got as much chakra as a Chunin, now." Riruka grumbled. "But orders are orders… let's go make sure the little troublemaker is fine."
The others nodded, and the next instant there was only a small breeze in their wake as they took to running across the water towards the destroyed village.
There you go! My clones popped!
There were ten [Location Collectible]s in Nami no Kuni. I only got nine, but one of my clones found some sort of cavern buried deep underground. I'll be investigating that later, though. For now, I have 450 points to spend.
That's right, each collectible was worth fifty stat points now. I guess it makes sense – a greater number required to ascend into a higher race would mean that I will be able to find more points. But if each point is worth ten of that of my peers, and I'm going to have an abundance of them…
I shuddered.
Anyway, sorting out the points…. Here we go! Oh wait, I had ninety points on hand already, sixty from when I redeemed Orochimaru and thirty from now, so I spent eighty in each statistic, then another thirty in both [Agility] and [Luck]. My new stats looked pretty good when it included the Rogue Path bonus.
[Character Page
Uzumaki Gundan – Level 6
Race: Nephilim
Title: Outsider's Chosen
Next Level: 5,000/30,000 EXP
HP - 14000
QI - 14000
RR - 14000
CON - 130
STR - 130
AGL - 172
INT - 130
LCK - 172
WIS - 130
Resistances:
Physical – 90%
Chakra – 6% (-50% vs Tainted)
Spiritual – 43%]
And since I now had four hundred and ten perk points, I decided to buy a perk for myself. From whichever universe Pandora's Box has come, it is bound to have either something very powerful in it or guarding it. I can't risk not having an ace under my sleeve. I selected [Signature Weapon 1].
PING!
[Please select one of the following:
War's Great-sword
Death's Twin Scythes
Fury's Whip
Strife's Guns]
The weapons of the four horsemen from Darksiders. Okay… I haven't played any of them besides the second one, so I chose the one I was most familiar with.
[You have chosen Death's Scythes.
WARNING: This option will occupy a permanent slot in your soul collection and cannot be removed.
Are you sure?]
Yes.
PING!
[Due to a special action, your Zanpakuto has grown more powerful!
Zanpakuto – Akuma-sha (Legendary)
The physical manifestation of the power of your Reiryoku, Akuma-sha is the only Zanpakuto in existence that has sentience but not a soul or avatar. Instead, the blade consumes the spirits of any weapon it destroys and gives you unrestricted access to their powers, even those that are hidden from the original wielder.
Soul Storage: SHINIGAMI, Ryuujinjakka, Senbonzakura, Suzumebachi, Zangetsu, (Empty), (Empty).
DMG: STR + (0.5)AGL]
So… it added a soul without taking up one of the empty two spots… I guess the six I got at the start were for me to play around with. So, if the total soul limit is ten, I have a total of four perks to choose signature weapons from. Cool. I'm really glad I trained with Akuma-sha in the Mirror Dimension, otherwise, I'd be going into this totally blind.
I wonder what's with the translated and capitalized name, though? Ah, probably something similar in effect to when my name got translated. Huh.
I looked to my side and saw Kaiza easily keeping up with me, looking at my fingers as if puzzling out something of great confusion. The man was probably wondering what I was tapping away at in thin air. I wasn't going to tell him a thing as long as he kept his secret away from me – it was only fair.
After a half-hour of silent traveling (which was extremely frustrating for me given that I could have easily crossed the distance in a few seconds with the Speed-Force), we came across what would be the first in a series of whirlpools that surrounded an island.
"It is too powerful to occur naturally." Kaiza hummed, eyeing the vortex critically. "This wasn't as strong before…"
I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. We need to get to Pandora's Box as quickly as we can."
"Alright, I can't take it." The man huffed, turning to round on me with an incredulous expression on his face. "Aren't you going to ask me how I'm walking on water when I'm supposed to be a civilian? Or about this sword in my hand? Are you not curious at all?"
"I think the most pressing matter is the container of alien things that can destroy the world as we know it." I said, meeting his gaze with my own. "Besides, your secrets are yours to keep. If you cross me, I can end you, however invincible you may think you are. A lot of chakra does you no good if I can stop you before you use a single technique."
He looked shocked for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. "In my life, I have never seen someone as overconfident as you."
I shrugged. "Overconfidence for some, a fact for me." I ruffled my hair. "Look, we can each argue our cases with each other till the sun rises, but as it stands, we need to find Pandora's Box as soon as possible." I shuddered. "I just hope it hasn't been opened yet."
And really, I do. Only in a few of the franchises that something called a 'Pandora's Box' has been involved in has it been anything good or neutral. More often than not it has been something that unleashed monsters never imagined or evils that brought down pantheons. I have no desire to see it opened, only destroyed. By my hands. With extreme prejudice.
No power in the world is worth the chance that this world could get destroyed.
"You seem to be familiar with this… 'Pandora's Box'. What I do not understand is how." He finally spoke as we began to cross. "You said it contained the vilest of evils in 'many times'…"
"People are entitled to their secrets, are they not?" I ask in way of a reply. "I am not in the mood for word-games, Kaiza. Either ask me what you want directly or remain silent. I must prepare myself mentally."
He remained silent for about three or so whirlpools until we reached solid ground, and ran up the short hill, only pausing at its apex. "This…"
I don't know whether it as through the rigors of time or the actions of man, but the proud hub once known as the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools was a massive, expansive ruin. Its size was far greater than Konoha – if my home was a city, this was a metropolis. The architecture looked very different from anything I had seen with my eyes; it reminded me of the skyscrapers from Amegakure, smooth and structured. Even in ruins, it was a magnificent sight to behold.
The village itself was set in some sort of depression in the land – either crafted through jutsu or occurring naturally. It was surrounded by a ring of hills (at least from the outside; form the village they probably looked like mountains) and had no water bodies in it at all. No building larger than two floors remained standing, but you could easily see pieces of the once-grand structures flung about haphazardly. That's right, Rock, Cloud, and Mist had attacked together with the best of their forces, that meant six of the nine tailed-beasts were employed in battle here…
How strong had Uzushio been to warrant that amount of might?
I bowed my head in silent respect for a moment before I gathered my Reiryoku and pulsed it out. I ignored Kaiza's startled reaction and focused on the readings I was getting from the technique… there! A flare of strange chakra right in the center of the village!
I broke into a run and ignored Kaiza's calls behind me, focusing wholly on my destination. When I landed, I looked up in awe of the giant monolith that stood before me. In sharp contrast to everything else here, the tower was not in disrepair at all and was a cyan-colored structure that reached about eight or nine stories – the largest building I have seen yet in this world. Since Naruto is two this year, Uzushio fell what… some… twenty or so years back? How advanced was the Uzumaki Clan to have built this? I'm sure there was a heavy application of Doton but still…
Come to think of it, the rubble that's present around me is too much for a village filled with houses that were only one or two stories… did this mean that the entire village was like a modern city, like Rain?
"Slow down, kid!" Kaiza reprimanded, landing next to me with no sound other than harsh breathing. Oh, that's right, my stats now trump his. "You're fast when you want to be."
"I can go faster." I said impatiently, not bothering to look at him. Then I sighed and leveled an apologetic look at him. "I'm sorry for my behavior. It's just…"
"You need to destroy Pandora's Box." The man nodded. "From the instant that this thing was mentioned, you have this haze about you… a focus that's both admirable and frightening. I hope this isn't nearly as bad as you make it seem."
I shook my head. "No. It will be worse."
He lapsed into silence at that, so I took the opportunity to close my eyes. A slam of my foot on the ground revealed a tunnel that went deep below… very deep…
There!
Around seven hundred meters below us, a large chamber existed! And not just that, there was a couple of tunnels! It… it was a lab of some sort. I could see a lot of medical equipment… and a large library of scrolls and books!
Skill jackpot!
And then, at the end of it all, a large cavern with a chakra sphere. I bet that Pandora's Box is inside. One I get a look at it, I'll definitely know from which universe it is!
I took out the scroll that Asoka gave me, and unfurled it, slamming it face-first onto the only door visible. The entire tower was set aglow for the briefest of moments before the door clicked.
"It's open." I needlessly said, withdrawing the now empty scroll and setting it in a pocket. "Kaiza… I don't know what we'll find within, but if I don't make it… promise me you'll return to the Leaf and take care of Naruto and Tenten."
The man looked at me solemnly for a moment, before nodding. "I swear it."
I offered him a wane smile and pushed the door open, looking down into only a tunnel that reached deep without much light. I turned to him and gave a weak smile. "Shall we?"
Kakashi dodged, charging up the new technique he learned from the very person he was rushing to protect and firing it. The strange sea serpent groaned, then fell into the waters.
Next to him, Riruka was focused on healing Hizashi as quickly as she could, while Ren watched on with a worried expression.
"This is strange… I didn't hear or see any sound of battle before." Kakashi murmured as he looked upon his injured comrade. "It's… suspicious."
"Don't think I'm crazy but…" Ren looked towards the island of Uzushio, still a few ways away but close enough to see, "I think this creature let the two of them through."
"But why?" Kakashi stressed, running his hand through his hair in agitation. "Gundan was adopted as an Uzumaki, he wasn't really one. There should be no reason that he was allowed to pass, unless…"
Ren nodded worriedly. "Unless it was a trap."
I swiftly lowered myself into the tunnel, a flare of chakra surrounding me and lighting up the darkness withe eerie blue light. Kaiza slid down along the wall using some sort of technique that I was too single-minded to focus on. Even at the speed I was going, it took me a whole twenty seconds to reach the bottom. Because I was flying, I landed without much fanfare.
"Some ride." Kaiza huffed, then looked at me with a strange expression. "Are you some sort of Doton expert, kid? As far as I know, only the current Tsuchikage knows that jutsu."
I shrugged. "Not really. But that explanation makes far more sense than the truth, so believe what you will." I gestured that we should continue with a hand and walked forwards towards the Library Cavern.
"You're interesting, Uzumaki Gundan." He said after a few moments of silence. "After your self-appointed mission is done with… I'd like to come to the Hidden Leaf with you."
I looked at him oddly. "Are you sure? What about Suisen?"
"Asoka oba-sama ordered me to be with you, but she didn't specify until when." The man clarified, smirking. "It would be rude to offend the soul of the woman who saved my life."
Saved his life? But he's immortal! Maybe he meant it metaphorically… "Okay. You can come back with me." We could use a master-smith, either at the compound only or for the village as a whole. "You'll have to subject yourself to the security evaluations, though."
"I'm familiar with them. Don't worry, nothing I don't want to be known will be." He waved me off. Well… he has lived a long time. Maybe he knows how to fight off Yamanaka jutsu…
I didn't get a chance to say much as I opened the door at the end of the tunnel.
As soon as I did, torches lit themselves both behind and in front of us. A large chandelier overhead illuminated a room full of gigantic shelves, all filled with scrolls.
I walked to the nearest shelve and looked at the title of a scroll… it was a water-element jutsu. I turned to another shelf entirely to check another one out – this claimed to have the first half of the Warring-Clan Era records.
"There's… so much here…" I said in awe. "No wonder the Uzumaki were targeted. How could any village not be stupidly strong with this much knowledge in their hands?"
"I'm not surprised." Kaiza answered, although his tone was quiet with respect. "The battle between Whirlpool and Mist, Rock, and Cloud is legendary. Not because it brought down the strongest village, but because the month-long siege led to the attacking three villages to lose almost all their forces."
"Woah." I mean, like, the Leaf had around two thousand shinobi currently, after the Kyuubi attack. It is said that, at one time, the Cloud had more than triple that amount. I guess I know what brought it down now…
Damn.
I quickly brought my hands together and created a couple of hundred shadow-clones. "You know what to do. Bring me anything that you may find as interesting."
My clones nodded wordlessly and vanished in streaks of black lightning. All around the cavern, similar flashes could be seen.
"You know the Raikage's Lightning Armor, too?" Kaiza asked, tone incredulous.
I turned to smirk at his visage, which was contorting into several amusing expressions. "Now, now, Kaiza-san, remember what I said about being allowed to keep secrets? Any anyway, it's better that I seal away the entire Library now, rather than after destroying Pandora's Box and setting off whatever traps it may set off."
He raised his hands in frustration, then crossed them. "Anything else I should know? Are you capable of summoning dragons, or making a moon, or something?"
"Not yet." I grinned cheekily.
In the time it took to finish that exchange, the library was emptied, and my clones dispelled themselves, save one who personally handed me a few scrolls, then burst. I looked at them curiously. All four were skill scrolls… and made me grin like Cheshire. Since Kaiza chose to go sulk as he walked on, I chose to learn them immediately.
PING!
[You have acquired the skill scroll: Chakra Manifestation.
Would you like to learn this skill?]
Yep!
[You have learned a new skill!
Ninja Art: Chakra Manifestation (Active) Lv 1 (0.00%)
By expelling potent chakra and manipulating it outside your body, you are able to effectively create objects of pure chakra.
Cost: 100CP/sec.]
I guess this is how Kushina made her Kongo Fusa. Being the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, her chakra had turned so potent, not even the fox himself could fight against her chains.
[You have acquired the skill scroll: Chi-blocking Taijutsu Manual.
Would you like to learn this skill?]
Hell yes!
[Due to a special action, a skill has been updated!
Master Brawler (Passive) Lv MAX
You are a master of hand-to-hand combat, able to hemorrhage opponents with a combination of skill, technique, and tactics. Your enemies are almost never able to dodge your attacks, and you now have a much higher chance to score a critical hit.
+95% chance to cause damage to internal organs.
+50% critical chance.
1% evasion chance for opponents.
Styles learned: Arrancar Hakuda, Konoha Academy Style, Uzushio Chi-Blocking.]
I never would have guessed that this would come from here of all places. But, well, I'm benefitting like crazy.
[You have acquired the skill scroll: Sheath-shield Kenjutsu Manual.
Would you like to learn this skill?]
Sounds interesting. Why not?
[Due to a special action, a skill has been updated!
Master Swordsman (Passive) Lv MAX
A true master of the way of the sword, your self-taught style in conjunction with several others makes you a fearsome opponent.
+100% damage with bladed weapons.
-99% chance for your opponent to dodge.
+50% chance for a critical strike.
Styles learned: Iaido, Konoha Swallow, Uzushio Sheath-shield, Fire-Country Slash, Twin-Sword Dance.]
That's… an awesome style! Hell, yes! Using chakra to effectively make your sheath a shield? Dude! I'm so fucking pumped right now, it ain't even funny!
[You have acquired the skill scroll: Kikoro Secret Technique – DNA Manipulation.]
Would you like to learn this skill?]
Hold the hell up. What? Are you… game, are you telling me that I can actually manipulate DNA?! Like, what Orochimaru has essentially been trying to do all his life so far?! Game, y u du dis. Like, seriously. I made my cool with being overpowered, hell – I miss being able to just tromp anyone in my way, but… this is insane. If I study biology enough and have samples of DNA available, I can change… a lot of stuff.
I can make Tenten and myself a real Uzumaki. I can make Shaak TI a real human, if she wants. Hell, I can make anyone anything I like!
So… should I get this skill? I'll probably need extensive DNA samples, though… where would I get-
Ah. Wait. Orochimaru's labs. If not the samples themselves, I should at least be able to get the location of the source. I know for a fact that the Hokage's bodies are behind their respective stone faces. I just need to find an Uzumaki sample. I can also include the particular markers from Adam's DNA that will allow me t work with augmentations. Hell, now opening a business with augmentations as its focus is viable now! I can just include the specific sequences that allow people to accept implants as a prerequisite somewhere in the process!
But I'm pretty sure this technique wasn't in canon. Or… it was, and it just wasn't discovered? I don't know, this just seems too convenient. I know that practically no one could even come here, but…
Crap. There's that bad feeling again.
Oh well. I've got a technique that allows me to alter DNA. That's slick as fuck.
[You have learned a new skill!
Ninja Art: DNA Manipulation (Active) Lv 1 (0.00%)
Using dense chakra folded down on a chromosome, you are able to alter it in any way you see fit. You can currently make one change to an organism safely.
1% chance of success.
Cost: 10000CP/sec.]
That's insane. My costs are already being cut down by 99%. What, was the cost a million, before? Holy. But, like, I get it. I mean, we're talking about altering DNA here – it's no small deal. But, like… did the residents of Uzushio really have that much chakra? And how?
I didn't suddenly become all-knowing about DNA, though. I'm going to have to study a lot before I even try this. And fuck attempting it on humans first, I'll begin with conjured animals. No way I'm taking this anyway near humans without getting the chances of success as high as it can go.
Okay… so I'm deadlier and more story-breaking now… yay, me!
I shook my head and wiped the scary grin off my face to replace it with a small smile, then rushed to catch up with Kaiza. I paused when I saw a location collectible hovering at the exact center of the cavern.
PING!
[You have discovered: Uzushiogakure Vault! 1/50 Uzushio locations discovered!
Map feature unlocked!
Please select one of the following –
10000 exp.
500 Perk Points.
50 stat points.]
I grinned widely as I selected the perk points, the immediately created a clone that zipped back towards the entrance. I had thought that since Uzushio was destroyed, there wouldn't be any collectibles, but I guess that they somehow exist even in spite of the dilapidated state of the village.
I rushed back up to Kaiza, where he had paused in front of a mural in the tunnel beyond. I looked at it with trepidation. On it was a mountain, surrounded by clouds both above the peak and below. Something about it struck me as familiar, though…
"What do you think this is trying to say, super-brat?" Kaiza asked, although there was no heat behind the term.
I looked around and sighed. "There are a series of murals here… let's look at them all and then decide.
In the end, we surmised that it told a story. At first, there was nothing, only that mountain and some smoke around it. Then, a woman entered the scene and pulsed out something… maybe chakra. A meteor crashed on the mountain and cracked open to reveal a tree.
I recognized that tree very well. The God Tree, it was.
So… the meteor arrived because someone called it here? But who?
I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. The [External Influences] perk was really messing up the history of the world as I know it… damn. How much is all my foreknowledge worth, really? Does Madara even exist here? Is Hagoromo is wandering the Astral Plane?
Eh. Whatever comes, I can take it.
My clone popped, then. It chose the perk points option for four more collectibles, and then went on to select the stat points option for all the others. So I now had a total of two thousand six hundred and ten perk points, and two thousand two hundred and fifty stat points.
First, let's raise my agility and luck to five hundred each… then divide by four and slot them into the others… oh, wait, two points extra than a multiple of four… so I'll just slot those two into one each of my main stats, since those two are actually behind the others now, by a whopping twenty-seven points! I think this is the first time in the entire session that something like this has happened. Oh, well.
I looked at my new stats before I confirmed it.
[Character Page
Uzumaki Gundan – Level 6
Race: Nephilim
Title: Outsider's Chosen
Next Level: 5,000/30,000 EXP
HP - 53800
QI - 53800
RR - 53800
CON - 528
STR - 528
AGL - 501
INT - 528
LCK - 501
WIS - 528
Resistances:
Physical – 90%
Chakra – 6% (-50% vs Tainted)
Spiritual – 43%]
Cool. I'm so much stronger than even Kaiza now… it ain't even funny. Nothing can hold me back now, ha!
Since I had quite a bit of perk points to spend, I moved over to the menu in question and selected [Magic Specialty 3]
[Please select one of the following:
Alteration
Conjuration
Destruction
Illusion
Restoration]
These… are the five schools of magic from the Elder Scrolls series! I'm so happy to see that Fairy Tail isn't the only place my magic options come from! Anyway, what to choose?
Destruction is useless to me with bending. Restoration is also equally useless since I can easily destroy any undead rather than repel or banish them. Illusion has nothing I can't already do with the Mark, and Alteration… what were the spells there, again? Something about armor, changing one thing to another, and… draining magicka to fill health or something. Useless.
That left only one.
PING!
[You have selected, Conjuration. Are you sure?]
Of course! Daedric Lords, come forth to do my will!
[Due to purchasing a perk, a skill has been created!
Magic Specialty: Oblivion Summoning (Active) Lv 1 (0.00%)
You are able to open portals to the realm of Oblivion, calling forth allies to help you in battle.
Roster: Wolf, Flaming Wolf.
Cost: 500RR/summon.
Limit: 1 entity.]
Cool. I guess 'Summoning' implies bringing a Daedra or Atronach here from Oblivion – the plane, not the game. Actually, Skyrim is the only Elder Scrolls game I ever played; a pity ever since I heard that you can craft your own spells in Oblivion. Still too close to Kuchiyose, actually, but since I'm already overpowered as fuck…
Anyway, next is… [Enhanced Mode 1]!
[Please select one of the following:
Blight Enrichment
Elemental Enrichment
Eterano Enrichment
Solar Radiation Enrichment.]
Okay, I have no idea where these are from. That word, though… blight… could it be… from the Dragon Age universe? And weren't there spells in the same that allowed you to enchant your weapons in battle with elements? Eterano is obviously from Fairy Tail (again), but solar radiation… where could that be from?
Eh, I'll go with that, I suppose. Try new things and all, right?
[You have selected Solar Radiation Enrichment. Are you sure?]
I guess? Eh, the choices here really let me down.
[Due to purchasing a perk, a skill has been created!
Solar Radiation Enrichment (Passive) Lv 1 (0.00%)
Your body's cells drink in the radiation of a yellow sun, granting you preternatural capabilities in strength, speed, and various other ways .
+1% to all stats.]
Okay… not mysterious at all… I'm sure I know where it's from though… ugh.
Anyway, that brings me down to two thousand and ten perk points. More than enough to clear out this tier and move on to the next one when I get back. I eyed Kaiza for a moment, but then I realized that I know nothing about the guy, so dropped that idea immediately.
In fact, I'm actually rather sad that I didn't get any skills when I crossed the 500-point mark for my stats. Here's to hoping I'll get something at the 1000-point threshold.
We finally got to the end of the long tunnel, and Kaiza paused, turning to look at me expectantly. I sighed and steadied myself, then reached forward (and up, much to my chagrin) to push open the door.
The room beyond was alight, but not with the orange light of a fire. Instead, blue seals everywhere bathed the room in an eerie glow. From the very walls to the ceiling, and even the floor – all were covered in entwined lines of bright glowing seals. In a circular pattern, they all converged on a translucent sphere of chakra in the center, within which…
Was Pandora's Box from God of War.
Okay, back the fuck up. Kratos released Hope and all the evils within when he destroyed Olympus. That box should be empty!
Wait… blue…
Chakra was blue. The power that Kratos released at the end of the third game… was blue. And, and! Heightened emotional states always affect chakra in strange ways! Does that mean… the magic of the God of War universe was chakra all along? And… it actually happened here, in this world?
Nah, maybe I'm overthinking this. Maybe the box just appeared here… somehow. Maybe the ghost of Athena sent it here-
Oh. Fucking. Hell.
Athena!
I turned on my heel and apparated back to the murals, appearing there a second later. Sure enough, the woman depicted there was the perfect representation of Athena! She called the Shinjuu here from… wherever the Ootsutsuki Clan comes from! But why?!
At the end, after Kratos stabs himself with the Blade of Olympus, Athena appears distraught that he did so. She wanted the power for herself. She calls it 'Hope', but maybe that's because the ability to use chakra itself gave her hope of redeeming mankind from the ashes?'
It makes sense! She brought forth the Shinjuu to gather the chakra that had dispersed back into a single item to consume it and regain the power. But… something went wrong, because I'm clearly not in a roman-cultured world.
I apparated back to a harried-looking Kaiza.
"Where did you go? How did you go?" Kaiza demanded, then shook his head. "You know what, I don't want to know."
"Let's save it for later." I waved him off. "That, right there, is Pandora's Box." I pointed it out. "I need to destroy it. Remember: open it under no circumstances."
"Gundan-kun!"
I whirled around, staring incredulously at the group of four that appeared behind us, panting as if they had run a marathon. "Kakashi?! Hizashi-san?! What are you two doing here?"
"That's… something we… should be… asking… you…" Kakashi panted, trying desperately to breathe.
I quickly rushed to them and got to work, calling out two embers of flame in my hands and rejuvenating his chakra. He exhausted himself almost completely – what was he thinking? I quickly did the same for the other three, who I recognized as the ANBU team who kept watch on me before. "Are you four insane? I kept a shadow clone in the village for a reason! I didn't want anyone coming after me!" I bonked Kakashi on the head.
Hiashi gasped and activated his Byakugan. "Gundan-kun… your chakra…"
He winced. "You… have gotten stronger. Of course, you have. Brilliant."
I narrowed my eyes at him, but internally worried. I guess I should have expected this… I'm too strong to control myself now… but, eh, that can be dealt with later. "Kakashi-"
"So, these are ninjas from the Hidden leaf, hm?" Kaiza butted in, inspecting each of them critically. "A Hyuuga, an Inazuka without his dog, a civilian girl, and… Hatake Kakashi, son of the White Fang." He smirked at me. "If he's anything like his father, you've got an overbearing friend on your hands."
"You are a horrible secret keeper." I deadpanned, then cleared my throat. "Everyone, this is Kaiza-san – a citizen of Suisen."
He waved his hand without much fanfare.
"Kaiza-san, this is the ANBU group that kept watch over me when I was still an unknown." I gestured towards the four of them. The Inazuka [Inazuka Ren – Lv 73], and civilian [Sato Riruka – Lv 71] both laughed nervously. "They're really bad at staying hidden, but they seem strong enough."
"Not everyone can have a bloodline that breaks the norm of what's known as normal, brat." Kaiza shrugged.
Kakashi narrowed his visible eye at me. "You told him about your bloodline? In fact, you're in deep trouble for leaving the village in the first place – explain yourself."
Okay, time to play this carefully. I forced a blush on my face and looked away. "I was going to be back before morning, or else I wouldn't even bother leaving a clone. I heard about how Wave was going to fall into an economic depression soon and… well… I couldn't help myself." I slumped. "But then, I found an old lady Uzumaki there, Uzumaki Asoka, and she told me about something being here… something that shouldn't be."
"How do you know what should and shouldn't be here?" Kakashi asked, tone softer but no less stern. "You haven't been here before… have you?"
"No." I shook my head, then bit my lip. Okay, what to blame this on…. Ugh. I guess I have to come clean about some things. I sighed, removing a glove and holding up the Mark for everyone to see. "This Mark… is not a part of my natural bloodline."
"We guessed as much, Gundan-kun." Hizashi said, Byakugan active and focusing on my Mark intensely. "It is in no way tied to the other abilities you have mentioned to us so far and has no prior occurrence of existing. A Dojutsu is fine, no matter how strange, but a seal?"
"It's not a seal." I said, stiffening to exhibit nervousness. I fidgeted with the glove in my hand. "It's… a gift. From a god."
Silence.
"He's known as the Outsider." I spoke, not wanting to give them a chance to do so before I get it all out. "He has existed since eons and eons ago and is very powerful. He lives in an alternate dimension called the Void. He gives the Mark to those he believes can be a catalyst for great change… or can make his observation of the various universes interesting." I gestured towards the murals on the walls. "When I sleep, he shows me things… events that have occurred in places far away in both space and time from ours… and so I know that Pandora's Box shouldn't be here… not form what I've seen."
There was even more silence before Kakashi finally spoke, "Other dimensions?"
"There are many, countless of them." I nodded. "There are some with minor changes, like if your father had not died, or the Sandaime sacrificing himself for the Shiki Fuujin instead of the Yondaime, but… there are some that are far different. Massive buildings of stone and metal, carts that fly, technology and medicine that we can never even imagine… and, of course, magic. It goes by different names in different universes, all with their own laws and rules and nuances, but it is an almost uniformly existing parallel between them all."
"This… Pandora's Box? What is it?" Kaiza asked, eyes looking far away.
I nodded, weaving a genjutsu to show the story around us with a simple thought. "In another world far from ours, although I doubt that now, humanity was not the only race to live. First, there were the titans, born of the Primordial beings and out of chaos and earth. Of them, the leader was Kronos, a Titan who had control over time. Over the years, his power waned as he grew complacent in himself and his brothers' strength. All was as he wished until a prophecy was made by… I can't remember whom. A child born of his would be the cause of his downfall. To prevent this, he decided to eat his children, for he was as tall as the tallest of mountains, then.
"However, his wife, Rhea, was not so heartless so as to do this. After giving up many of her children to her husband, she grew weary when a last was born, a white-haired child that struck at her wrecked heartstrings. So, instead, she offered up a stone to her husband disguised as him, and Kronos was fooled. The child, Zeus, was secreted away by Rhea and Gaia, a titan who was both Kronos' mother and wife and was raised strong in body and soul. When he was strong enough, he faced Kronos and freed his siblings before retreating to grow in strength and power.
"The Titans, and the Gods, as Kronos' children came to be known, faced in a cataclysmic battle that reshaped the earth known as the Great War. Zeus forged a sword out of the very power that ran through the earth to end the war, known as the Blade of Olympus. He used it to put a full-stop to the conflict.
"When the dust settled, the Gods decided to rule over man in the Titan's stead from the throne of Olympus. Zeus took dominion over the heavens. Poseidon ruled over the seas. Hades ruled over the Underworld. Together, they were known as the great three, for their power was the greatest amongst the gods.
"However, the evils that roamed the land plagued their citizens and even threatened to encroach upon their own minds. So, Zeus had Hephaestus, a master smith Olympian, construct a box to hold them all. The evils were gathered and imprisoned there, and Athena, Zeus' daughter and Goddess of Wisdom, slipped in a powerful force to help hold the evils within. This box… is known as Pandora's Box."
I let the Genjutsu fade as I spoke. "What follows is a long story of manipulation, betrayal, and revenge, but that is a story for another time. What's important is that if that's the same Pandora's Box like the one from that world, then it shouldn't be here. There aren't supposed to be any pathways between the worlds at all."
"That's Athena." Riruka said suddenly, pointing at the woman in the mural. "But…"
"This looks like a piece of history documented by the Uzumaki… somehow. It is clearly after any vision I have ever seen of this world." I nodded. "This raises many questions… something I hope to investigate in the chamber where the box is held, and also destroy it once and for all."
Kakashi sighed heavily, rubbing his uncovered temple. "You… are a very troublesome boy, Gundan-kun."
I grinned shakily at him. "Hey, it's my job to protect everyone, remember? No one has to do anything they don't have to on my watch."
He looked at me solemnly, then slowly nodded. "Alright. What should we do?"
"For some reason, I can't bend the elements or use magic in these halls." I lied. For some reason, this prompted a confused look from everyone present. "Don't worry, though, my sword will be more than enough to handle anything that comes our way. We need to go to where the box is being kept, try to find out what happened, and then destroy it. If there's an open gateway into our world, then we must see it closed before something more dangerous from the other worlds come through."
"We need to report this to the Hokage." Riruka protested. "We also need backup in case things get worse."
I shook my head. "We're lucky that the leak hasn't let out anything else. If something else comes through in the little time we're gone, even with me teleporting us all into Konoha, then what? The world I just spoke of… is one of the tamest I have seen in my visions." Well, not really, but eh, semantics. "Plus, we have a legend," I pointed at Kakashi, "a Hyuuga," Hizashi, "an unknown man with a lot more chakra than anyone I have ever seen," I gestured towards Kaiza, "and best of all, me. We'll be fine."
"But still…" Riruka weakly continued.
I sighed and made a shadow clone, who then proceeded to walk over and stand next to Riruka. "Okay, let's split up then. You and the Inazuka return to Konoha and explain the situation to the Hokage. My clone will bring back you guys, and anyone else he will send as support. We are quite far from Konoha, but any major battle should be felt there."
"Good idea." Kakashi nodded. "Even though I don't like losing good combatants, we'll be getting much more in return."
I looked at him weirdly. "You're okay with me just ordering you lot around like that?"
He shrugged. "You know the situation better than me. I'll trust you."
I smiled a small smiled and nudged him with my shoulder. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it." He looked away.
Kaiza chuckled. "Oh, this is just precious."
"What?" I asked him, confused. He just waved me off in response. So, I shrugged and nodded at my clone, who vanished along with Ren and Riruka. I turned to lead the way towards the chamber in which the box was being kept. "A word of warning – what is magic to me is mental energy to you lot, so don't be sure that just blocking will allow you to escape its effects if you face it. Dodge or try to turn it back on the caster, okay?"
"Let me guess – the Mark allows you to do magic and that's how you've been teleporting around." Kakashi sighed. "Wonderful. We need to try to build a defense up against that."
I shrugged. "I'll see what I can come up with. Wait. I… my clone just teleported…"
I quickly brought up the quest screen and, yes, the bonus objectives that told me not to use magic or bending were both slashed out.
"Sonofabitch!" I swore. Ugh, so much for that! Wait, no, recover! "I guess my skillset was just blocked on the way here, which is… suspicious…" I chuckled weakly.