NARUTO: Getsuju Monogatari
Chapter 2 - Out of Silence


Kaguya's Dimension


How long had he been gone?

It was a question that often weighed on Sasuke Uchiha's mind, as he clambered through the icy tundra of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's time–space dimension. His wife and daughter, both of whom he barely saw, were incredibly patient people that Sasuke knew he didn't deserve. The fact that Sasuke saw this frozen hellscape more than he saw his own family, if anything, was bitterer than the cold. As for why he was here, well, that was an entirely different matter. Though Momoshiki had been defeated a little over a year prior, Sasuke had made a return to this dimension - among Kaguya's others - through the Toyokumono of his Rinnegan. Instinct told him that this dimension was a clue.

Positioned at the far end of the dimension, across the frozen hills and bottomless ravine, rested Kaguya's castle. This frozen abode was, in fact, the object of interest. Sasuke remembered seeing this castle - and one similarly placed in volcanic dimension - and it gave him the worst sense of foreboding.

Why place such a structure here, of all places? And that volcano dimension is even worse... The Head of the Uchiha clan eyed the distant castle, his Sharingan and Rinnegan glinting in the darkness. There's little point to a castle unless you have someone or something to rule over. Yet Kaguya had two palaces - possibly more, in each of her dimensions - that served not only as military bases, but dwellings with all the trappings for the one who heeded as royalty in the past. Sasuke had been so sure that, when he'd found Kaguya's scroll here the last time, which had detailed information on Momoshiki and Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki, that would have settled everything.

And for the Ōtsutsuki threat, it very well may have. Kaguya Ōtsutsuki had unleashed the Infinite Tsukuyomi on the Earth, and created a White Zetsu Army, all due to her paranoia about the impending arrival of those two superior Ōtsutsuki. It was all very neat, and wrapped itself together almost like a story. But Sasuke felt there was more to it. Those two were Kaguya's fear, certainly, and this place might have been her sanctuary from them - one of many - yet it still had the trace pieces of evidence of having been used and upkept regularly.

Kaguya had been sealed away in the moon for thousands of years by this point... Sasuke thought, making the wide crossing of the ravine in a relatively short time, soldes of his sandals landing back on the frozen ground. The hawk he had summoned to fly him across vanished in a burst of smoke behind him, and Sasuke plodded onward. For the Ōtsutsuki, its never as simple as growing a new God Tree...there's always contingencies... Sasuke was lost in thought, soon finding himself as the steps of Kaguya's chilled domain. Using his Rinnegan, he scanned the entirety of the castle for fluctuations in chakra.

Nothing.

But he remembered. Before encountering Momoshiki and Kinshiki, on his second visit to this domain, he'd felt something. He'd seen something move, as if it were monitoring his movements. When the two Ōtsutsuki attacked him, initially, he'd attributed it to them. They'd taken awhile to arrive on Earth, so perhaps scoping things out was their modus operandi. After their encounter and subsequent battle against them, however, Sasuke gave the matter deliberation, and realised how wrong he'd been. The pit in his stomach grew when he realised that Momoshiki and Kinshiki's chakra were unfamiliar to him, and the movement he'd detected must belong to another source.

Sasuke entered the castle again, combing through its empty hall for any sign of evidence. The lack of chakra signatures told the logical part of his brain that nothing was here. The only chakra source he'd found the last time he'd come was the scroll; trace sources of chakra tied to Kaguya, allowing for the deciphering of the scroll. Now, the castle was entirely devoid of anything which might give him a lead. He'd have clicked his teeth in frustration, if Sasuke wasn't used to turning up empty in many of these searches. He wasn't the originator of Kaguya's dimensions, and the Toyokumono may be able to bring him to other dimensions, but he was rarely able to wind up exactly where he'd hoped, not without something tying him to that dimension.

So winding up as close as he had to Kaguya's castle this time, should have been lucky.

Then why isn't my foreboding feeling going away? Sasuke couldn't shake the feeling that he'd made it this close to the castle because he'd been called here. He passed through the entrance into a spacious room, located at the height of the palace. It was the throne room. He'd never been up this far into Kaguya's castle before, as his last venture here had seem him making haste back to Konoha with his spoils of war, while fending off Kinshiki's vicious assault. The room, much like the rest of the castle, was entirely frozen due to accumulated ice, yet everything else was as immaculate as the rest of the castle. Empty, aside from the raised platform at the end where a throne sat, Sasuke walked carefully through the room.

The man exhaled, the frost of his breath visible in the air. Something was still here. Of that, Sasuke was certain. He combed the room, scanning the entirety of it with both of his dōjutsu.

Not a trace of anything.

Walking towards windows, the outside gave away nothing. Sasuke turned to leave the room...

...and found himself confronted by a white-robed figure, who stood in the doorway.

"...Who are you?" inquired the Uchiha, his voice carrying in the frozen, barren room. How had he not detected this person? Were they suppressing their chakra? The Rinnegan should have still seen them...unless it's a puppet? The robed individual did not reply, and Sasuke spoke again. "I'm asking who you are. This is an Ōtsutsuki castle, so I know you're not simply sight-seeing."

Silence at first.

Then the robed figure moved, rushing Sasuke in burst of speed. Sasuke's Sharingan gleamed in the darkness, following their movements, but surprised by their pace. Sasuke raised his right arm - the only arm he had - in an attempt to counter, only to see his would-be-assailant took to his left flank, which lacked an arm and adequate means of response — or so they thought.

Asura Path!

Out from beneath Sasuke's cloak, ripping the sleeve that normally covered his missing limb, emerged a pale, facsimile of a human arm. It had segments along the length of it, giving it the appearance of a puppet. In response, the robed target leapt back, flipping onto its hands before launching itself back upright, keeping distance from Sasuke.

Striking my blindspot was cleverer than I anticipated...so I was right... Sasuke did not retract the substitute limb yet, his dōjutsu eyeing his target carefully. "You've been monitoring me. There's no other reason you'd have gone for that side. I want to know what your ties to this place are...and to the Ōtsutsuki." Retracting the false arm, the cloaked Uchiha prepared his counterattack, only to feel a sudden surge of chakra. It wasn't coming from the cloaked figure, so his eyes swiveled to the outside.

Shit!

A loud explosion preceded the ceiling crumbling beneath the strength of a thin beam of chakra. Acting quickly, Sasuke used his Rinnegan to swap instantaneously with the throne. The beam sliced through everything, rendering the throne and ground in twain as Sasuke looked onward. A massive gust of frigid wind filled the area. The robed enemy continued to monitor Sasuke, as if nothing had happening. They watched each other from opposing sides, and Sasuke knew he had to get out of the castle entirely; his foe was being backed on the outside, so he needed a better vantage point. Turning his Rinnegan to the large gap in the castle wall, Sasuke vanished, reappearing outside, above a cliff that overlooked the castle. Returning his gaze towards his enemy, Sasuke saw that he'd not been pursued. He just make them out.

They raised their hand.

Sasuke realised a critical factor, and it came to light far, far too late. Around him, near the base of the cliffside, to his rear, the fore, and his sides, robed figures began to make themselves known. Sasuke hadn't sensed a single one of them, there was no fluctuation in their chakra that had given them away. Absolutely perfect stealth. And he'd fallen for it. His footing suddenly shifted, Sasuke glancing towards his feet to realise a similar beam of light that had cleaved the tower cut the rock from beneath his soles, sending him falling downwards.

He swore aloud, but this predicament was not what concerned him. His eyes picked up the sprinting of movement, seeing his adversary from the castle had finally pursued him, leaping into the abyss with him.

What Sasuke saw next a grin beneath the hood.


A/N: So this was a fun second chapter to write, and I decided to get it put up quickly. As I promised, this story won't interfere with my main three - in fact, The Tale of the Sky Maiden is being worked on as I type this - but once I knew what I wanted to do with the second chapter, I had to write it out. As you can see, these chapters will be shorter than the chapters of my main three fanfics, and that's to my benefit. It'll prevent me from burning out while writing all of these fics, if the one I do on the side is relatively compact. So, the Toyokumono is the name of the technique Sasuke uses to move from dimension to dimension. It has no official name in canon, so I gave it one here. I'll be changing it if Kishimoto ever names it, but...given events in the most recent chapters, we'll never see this technique again. Toyokumono, as with many Mangekyō Sharingan and Rinnegan techniques, finds its name stemming from Japanese mythology. In this case, the Toyokumono no Kami, also known as the Toyokumune no Mikoto, one of the Kamiyonanayo, the seven generations of gods who emerged after the heavens and earth. The kanji I use for it, courtesy of a friend, is Toyokumuno (豊組野 Bountiful Assembled Field). I hope this chapter gives everyone something to enjoy, and show you this story is in for the long haul. I'll see you soon.