Swoosh…
A shadow creeps behind Izuna. Izuna turns towards the shadow.
"Huh?!"
A small wolf jumps out from the shadow.
"Master! There is an emergency."
The wolf has a grim expression on its face.
"So cute!"
The eyes of the three girls lit up. They immediately surround the wolf and stroke its fur.
"So soft!"
Ayaka wraps her arms around the pelt of the wolf.
"So beautiful!"
Hanabi wraps the tail of the wolf around her neck and cuddles it.
"Roen! I missed you a lot. You should come and play with me more often!"
Ayaka gently strokes Roen's neck.
Tickle… tickle…
She continues to tickle him.
Growl… ahhh… ahhh… Awoo…
Roen's ears twitch slightly and he growls in bliss.
"What an embarrassing sight to show to you, master?!" Roen apologizes to Izuna.
"Go on! Enjoy yourself!" Izuna takes another bite of meat and ignores Roen's plight.
Yakumo watches Ayaka and Hanabi play with Roen. She notices the soft and fluffy fur of Roen.
'I want to play too!'
She hesitates for a bit, but the charm of fluff is irresistible to her.
Yakumo also grabs the soft pelt of Roen and rubs her face against it.
"So fluffy!"
She turns to Ayaka and asks her.
"Who is this wolf?"
"He is Onii-san's summon. His actual size is enormous."
Ayaka expands her arms.
"He is almost as tall as the Hokage Monument. But Roen can shrink himself to this size. When I was small, I used to play with him a lot. Then, brother sent him away on a mission."
Ayaka snorts at Izuna.
Izuna ignores their banter and throws a piece of meat at Roen.
"Let's talk while you have some food. I will cook for you."
He turns towards the server and orders.
"Please send eight pounds of meat to our table."
Soon,
The server arrives with the meat.
Swoosh…
Izuna casts a silencing barrier around the group and turns to Roen.
"It has been four years since we met and three years since you left for your journey. So, how was your experience in these past few years? But first, tell me what is this emergency you speak of?"
Izuna curiously asks Roen as he grills the piece of meat for him.
Chomp… chomp…
Roen bites on the meat and answers.
"Master! As per your orders, I departed for the Land of Sky to search for the traces of the Zero-tails. After three years, I have finally found a lead when I abruptly sensed a large amount of dark chakra.
However, the chakra was immediately suppressed, and I wasn't able to pinpoint the exact location of the Zero-tails.
I tried to search for the trails of the chakra but lost the lead. So, I used our contract to reverse summon myself by your side."
Roen reports the incident.
"I see!"
Hm?!
He raises his head and gazes at the sky.
"Looks like the enemy is quite quick to act."
Whoosh….
Izuna flickers out of Yakiniku-Q restaurant.
He arrives at the center of the village and makes some hand signs.
"Barrier Gate Five Seals Technique: Castle Closing Eight Gates"
Izuna slams his palm on the ground.
Fwoosh…
A gigantic seal forms at the center of the village. The seal quickly spreads through the entire village and covers it.
A giant transparent barrier encloses the entire village.
"What?!"
"What's going on?"
The villager panics at the sudden appearance of the barrier.
At the Hokage Office,
Whoosh…
Tsunade and Shizune flicker to the top of the Hokage office. Both of them notice the giant barrier slowly enclosing the village.
"Tsunade-sama! This is… Is this an enemy attack?"
Shizune has a grim expression.
Hmm…
Tsunade focuses her attention on the barrier.
"No, it's not!" She shakes her head after a while.
"I can sense Izuna's chakra in this barrier."
Whoosh…
Izuna flickers towards the Hokage Office and approaches them.
"Tsunade! This is an emergency! An attack is coming Konoha's way!"
Izuna replies to her.
"An attack?!"
Tsunade's expression turns grim.
"Is it another of those otherworldly invaders?" She warily asks him.
"No! It's from the Land of Sky."
Izuna shakes his head.
"Land of Sky… land of sky…"
Tsunade ponders for a while as she tries to figure out the identity of the familiar name.
"Don't tell me it's the Land of Sky from the Second Great Shinobi War!" Tsunade has an anxious expression.
"Yes, it is." Izuna nods his head.
"I… I see!"
She turns to Izuna and asks him.
"You can easily handle the enemies if you want, so why inform me?" She curiously questions him.
"I won't help this time." Izuna shakes his head.
"I am a ninja not a nanny of the village who will tend to every problem."
"But…"
"Tsunade! The villagers must learn to fend for themselves. I won't always be here protecting them."
Izuna refuses to budge from his decision.
"Also, this barrier will only last for half an hour against enemie's relentless attacks." He informs them.
"Tsunade-sama! What's that?"
Shizune points towards multiple shinobis flying towards Konoha.
Tch…
"They are already here!"
Tsunade clicks her tongue.
"Send out the Level 3 security alert!"
She immediately summons the anbu.
"Immediately evacuate the civilians and alert the clan leaders to prepare for a battle!"
Tsunade hastily instructs them.
"It's not enough!"
She takes out a scroll and infuses some chakra into it. A Taiko drum appears in front of the group.
Bang… Bang…
Tsunade infuses chakra in her palm and slams the drum.
"That's an emergency signal!"
Nearby chunnins and Jounins immediately recognize the sound of the drum.
Whoosh… whoosh…
They quickly spread through the entire village.
Meanwhile, up in the air,
On top of a sky ship,
An elderly man with long grey hair, thick grey eyebrows, and yellow eyes with bags around them stares at Konoha with an evil glint in his eyes.
"Konoha! You will pay for your sins. Thirty years… it has been thirty years since I waited for this moment.
Back then, you crushed our Land of Sky through cruel and sinister means. It's time to pay back that cruelty. We have amassed our strength for the past thirty years. Now, it's the time to settle our grudge."
He tightly clenches his fist.
"We aren't like Sunagakure who trapped themselves in a quagmire. Our technology gives us an advantage in aerial combat."
"Men! Lay waste to every single structure of Konoha."
He points his hands towards Konoha and instructs his battalion.
Swoosh… swoosh…
Multiple sky shinobis equipped with Winged Mechanical devices fly atop Konoha.
"Release"
One by one all of them drop bombs on Konoha in an attempt to destroy everything.
BOOM… BOOM… BOOM…
Multiple explosion rings on top of Konoha as a faint barrier shields the structures.
Tch…
"There is a barrier protecting the village."
The elderly man clicks his tongue in dismay.
"Deploy the Barrier demolition squad. With their Flying Destruction Machine, they can easily get through this barrier."
He issues another order.
Swoosh…
Six giant flying machines operated by four people each fly on top of the barrier. Three of the people are operating the wings of the machine while the fourth person is sitting in an extendable compartment.
Bzzt…
The group of four focuses their chakra on a cylindrical structure.
Lightning flickers through the cylinder as massive amounts of energy gather in front of the cylindrical barrel.
SHOOM…
The machine fires a wide destructive beam of chakra.
BOOM…
The beam of chakra explodes on top of the barrier. The barrier successfully blocks the attack, but its glow dims down a little.
Back in Konoha,
Multiple Konoha shinobis are assembled on top of the roofs of the houses.
"Who are these enemies? How can they fly?"
One of the Akimichi clan members questions his partners.
"They are using chakra to pilot these things."
A Hyuga member points out.
"That mist around them is creating an air pressure difference between the tops and bottoms of wings causing them to stay in the air and fly." A member of the Uchiha Police Force inspects the sky shinobi with his Sharingan.
"Get ready for the counterattack. The barrier won't last long enough!"
An Aburame clan member warns them.
Whoosh… whoosh…
The members of Konoha 12 gather on top of the houses and stare at the group of flying shinobis.
"What's that, Dattebyo?!"
Naruto curiously stares at the flying shinobis.
"That headband! I have never seen such a symbol before." Sasuke inspects the shinobis.
"Also, these strange flying devices they are using… it feels familiar to the chakra armor we faced in Land of Snow."
"No matter who they are… Me and Akamaru will crush them? Right Akamaru?!" Kiba pumps his fist.
Woof…
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but how do you plan to get up that high?"
Shikamaru asks him.
"I… I…"
Kiba turns silent at his remark.
"We will figure out a way!"
Woof…
"Looks like you have fed your intelligence to your dog. Even I can come up with better ideas!" Naruto smugly smiles at Kiba.
Youtwosnap out of your childish thoughts and let's focus on the enemyin front of us." Neji chides them.
Hmph…
Kiba snorts and turns towards the flying Sky shinobis.
BOOM… BOOM…
The Flying Destruction Machines continue to wreak havoc on the barrier.
Crack…
Numerous cracks appear on top of the barrier.
"Prepare for the attack!" Shikamaru warns them.
Bzzt…
Sasuke gathers large amounts of lightning chakra in his palm.
"Chidori Sharp Spear"
He uses the shape transformation to morph his Chidori into a long spear.
BOOM…
The barrier protecting Konoha shatters into countless fragments.
"Attack! The barrier is down."
The elderly man rallies his troops to attack Konoha.
Swoosh… swoosh…
Multiple sky shinobi in winged mechanical devices fly through the skies of Konoha.
BOOM… BOOM…
One by one they drop multiple bombs on the buildings.
Sasuke clutches his spear and aims it towards the retreating Flying Destruction Machine.
Swish…
The Chidori spear wheezes through the air and penetrates through the heart of the pilot.
BOOM…
The machine explodes into pieces and falls towards the ground.
AAAH…
The screams of the sky shinobis ring in their ears as they crash into the ground.
Swish… swish…
Sasuke makes some hand signs and slams his palm on the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu"
Poof…
A giant brown hawk appears in front of the group. The hawk has dark marking aroundits eyes, and there are some red markings along the side of its beak.
"Hey, isn't it Garuda?"
Naruto immediately recognizes the gianthawk.
"When did it grow so huge?"
He curiously strokes the hawk's feather.
"You humans aren't the only ones who can grow tall." Garuda scoffs at him.
"Well… that's true!" Naruto scratches his head.
"Hop on! We will let them have a taste of their own medicine."
Sasuke gestures to Naruto.
Scree…
The hawk releases a shrill cry and leaps in the air.
BOOM… BOOM…
The sky shinobis continue to bombard thehouses and other buildings.
At the entrance of the Uchiha clan,
Swoosh… swoosh…
Akira, Yagami, and Fugaku stand on top of a pillar and stare at the flying shinobis.
"It's them again!"
The three of them grit their teeth as some memories of Second Shinobi War freshen in their mind.
Fwoosh… Fwoosh…
The Sky shinobis drop their bombs towards the Uchiha clan compound.
"Not so fast!"
Bzzt…
Akira infuses some chakra in his palm and throws multiple lighting senbons at them.
Chii… chii…
The senbons pierce through the bombs and defuse them.
"Amaterasu"
Fugaku's right eye changes into Mangekyo Sharingan as he sets multiple sky shinobis on fire.
Caw… caw…
Multiple crows appear in front of the groupas Shisui appears in front of them.
"Let me handle them!"
He jumps on top of a giant crow and flies in the air.
Slash… slash…
Shisui reaps one life after another as multiplesky shinobis fall under his blade.
On the other side,
The flying sky ninja shoots a barrage of kunai towards Naruto and Sasuke with their HandheldKunai Launcher.
Clang… clang…
Naruto deflects all the kunais and forms a hand seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu"
He creates two shadow clones. One of theshadow clones picks up the other clone and launches it towards the sky ninja like a projectile.
Bang…
The clone Naruto slams into a sky ninja and destroys his flying device.
AAH…
The sky ninja screams in fright as it falls on the ground and turns into mush.
"…"
Shikamaru and the group speechlessly stare at him.
"When he told me, he will use his head, I didn't expect he will use his head in this manner. He is bashing himself into the group of enemies."
Naruto continues to throw his clones towards the sky ninjas.
In front of the Hokage Office,
Chirp… chii…
Kakashi destroys another platoon of Sky shinobis.
Whoosh…
Itachi leads his anbu teams and takes down multiple flying units.
"We can't use any large-scale techniques here or it might harm the village."
He warns his team.
On top of the sky ship,
Tch…
The expression of the elderly man turnsugly.
"Looks like this amount of force isn't enough to lay waste to Konoha. I have to summon Ancor Vantian and uses its powerful chakra cannon to obliterate it in one go."
He turns towards the remaining sky shinobis and signals them.
"Retreat!"
Whoosh… whoosh…
The remaining sky shinobis turn around and flee from Konoha.
'I had already harvested enough dark chakra. It's time for Plan B.' The elderly man has a sinister smile on his face.
"Shall we chase after them?"
Kakashi turns to Tsunade for further orders.
"No need! For now, help the injured peopleand make a damage report."
Whoosh…
She returns to the Hokage Office.
--
In the Yakiniku-Q restaurant,
Izuna is silently munching his steak as the rest of the customers together with the servers hide beneath the tables.
Team three is also sitting beside them asthey warily stare at the flying sky shinobis.
Umm…
Hanabi and Yakumo bite their lips as they stare at Izuna.
Izuna places down his chopstick and turns to the girls.
"There is no need to worry about anything. You will be safe, as long as you're inside this building." He assures them.
"Ano, Sensei! You are also a Jounin, right?"
Hmm…
"Then why didn't you join the fight?" The girls curiously ask him.
"Well, I did. The barrier you saw earlier wascreated by me."
Ah…
The girls are stunned by his response as words remain stuck in their mouths. In the end, they don't inquire any further.
--
Later at the Hokage Office,
Izuna and Team three are standing in front of Tsunade.
Tsunade puts down her brush and raises her head. She has an annoyed expression on her face as she notices Izuna.
"Why are you here now?" She angrily asks him.
"Well! I am here to settle the score with those sky scoundrels."
Izuna helplessly replies to her.
"You better do what you mean!" Tsunade snorts at him.
Izuna takes out a scroll and passes it to Tsunade.
"I have bad news for you."
"What?!"
"The Zero-tails has resurfaced."
"That's bad!"
Tsunade's expression turns ugly.
"It's the people of the Land of Sky."
Tsunade reads the intel in the scroll as she remarks.
"It was during the Second Shinobi War. When the war was about to reach its conclusion and almost all hidden villages had exhausted their resources; the Hidden Village of Land of Sky resurfaced with their grand ambition.
They openly challenged the Five GreatShinobi Villages for control of the Shinobi World. To prove their strength, they initiated an attack on Konoha."
Tsunade signals to Shizune who walks to a nearby shelf.
Shizune rummages through the bundle of scrolls and after some search, she appears with a giant scroll in her hand.
Tsunade lays down the scroll on the table and explains it to the group.
"The shinobis of the Land of Sky can mold their chakra in mist, which allows them to flyhigh in the sky. Thus, they are masters of aerial combat. This gives them an unprecedented advantage in the battle against the Land troops.
Their hidden village, Ancor Vantian, is a flying fortress armed with various powerful chakra weapons and cannons. It's powered by the Zero-tails and can easily lay waste to any hidden village."
Tsunade points towards an ancient flying city drawn on the scroll.
"Wow! So powerful!"
Ayaka's and Hanabi's eyes widen in surprise.
"Yes, they were extremely powerful. The Aerial troop of the Land of Sky bombards the ground unit of other villages with explosives. During the war, they leveled many small villages in the vicinity of the Land of Fire.
The sorrow, hatred, helplessness, anxiety, fear, desperation, and all such negative emotions served as fuel for the Zero-tails. It further bolstered the strength of the Ancor Vantian."
"Then how did they lose the war?"
Yakumo curiously asks her. The rest of the group, including Izuna, perks up their ears.
'Since this incident occurred during the second shinobi war, I have no clue how the village repelled the attacks of the Land of Sky.'
Izuna curiously awaits her response.
"Well!"
Tsunade has a hesitant expression on her face as she answers.
"During the initial phase of the war against Land of Sky, Konoha was on the losing side. The aerial troops of Land of Sky will bombard the village without any warnings.
However, the Root head Danzo Shimura formulated a strategy. His Root Anbus infiltrated among the ranks of the Land of Sky and secretly assassinated them in the dark.
Without the lead of higher-ups, the administration of the Ancor Vantian crumbled and thus our village was able to secure avictory against them."
Tsunade pulls out another scroll and passes it to Izuna.
"I see!"
Izuna reads its contents and nods his head.
"Who is Danzo Shimura?"
The trio of girls curiously asks them.
"Well!"
A conflicted expression appears on her face as she turns to Izuna.
The existence of Danzo Shimura is a shame to Konoha. Although, he led the village to victory on multiple occasions; however, most of these conflicts were orchestrated by him.
For example, Danzo joined hands with Hanzo, the salamander, and initiated the SecondShinobi War. This incident led to the formation of Akatsuki, the most powerful criminal organization in the shinobi world.
Later, he staged various conflicts at the border with Iwa, which ultimately led to the Third Shinobi War.
Not only this, he even joined hands with Akatsuki to massacre the Uchiha clan, which is the backbone of Konoha.
Sigh…
Izuna takes a deep breath and answers.
"Danzo Shimura is a traitor of the village. As for the rest of the information…"
He turns towards the trio and smiles.
"You three don't have enough clearance level to know the rest of the information."
Izuna purses his lips and avoids their question.
Tch…
Ayaka clicks her tongue.
"Alright!"
Izuna snaps his fingers to dismiss the previous conversation.
"Tsunade! I will handle this revenge mission with Team three."
"You better!" Tsunade firmly nods her head.
"I will handle the entire nation on my own!" Izuna confidently nods his head.
"It's just the remnants of the Land of Sky. I am more than enough to handle them. Besides, this will serve as a training trip to these little girls."
Izuna ruffles their hairs.
Hmph…
Tsunade snorts and takes out a brush and scroll.
"Investigation in the Land of Sky! It will be a B-rank mission for team Three."
She stamps it and passes a copy to Izuna.
"…"
Izuna is speechless to hear this.
"Tsunade?! Are you sure this is a B-Rank mission? Shouldn't it be an S-Rank mission?"
Tsunade continues to stamp other papers as she remarks.
"The village is quite low on funds after the previous incident. Besides, there was a certain someone who refused to make a move and let the entire village suffer heavy damage!"
"Wait! That was for the safety of the village!"
Izuna protests.
"If I made a move, then the village might suffer more damage from the backlash of my jutsus."
Tsunade places down her brush and raises her head.
"I will count it as your contribution to the village in the previous incident." She replies as a matter of fact.
"You got me!"
Izuna helplessly shakes his head.
"But if I complete the mission within a week, then you will treat me to an expensive meal in Yakiniku-Q."
He turns around and leaves without waiting for her response. Team three immediately follows him.
Tsunade takes out her purse from the drawer.
Buzz…
A fly buzzes out of the empty purse.
Whoosh…
Tsunade immediately shelves her purse. She turns to Shizune.
"Shizune… Can I borrow some money from you?
"…"
Huff… Huff…
Ayaka and the group breathe heavily as they lay down on the sand.
"I am exhausted!"
Ayaka massages her sore legs.
"Here!"
Izuna tosses three coconuts with straws to the girls.
"Thank you, Sensei!"
Hanabi and Yakumo silently sip on the coconut and gaze at the horizon.
"It's my first time viewing the sunset at a beach. I had never been this close to the sea before." Hanabi sips on her coconut.
The girls silently record the scene of the setting sun in their memory.
The sky changes from minute to minute. From orange-yellow to flamboyant pink, the clouds are painted with changing colors as the sun goes down. The golden disc is already touching the surface of the ocean. It seems in a hurry to disappear, slipping quickly behind the line of the horizon spreading its last rays.
"So, beautiful!"
They appreciate the view as Izuna relaxes on his deck chair.
'Maybe I can start a sea-side business in Kiri. It's surrounded by sea from all sides and can act as a famous tourist spot for foreigners. The benefit from the business will contribute towards the organization and I can save up some for my family too.'
Hm…
'That's a nice idea. Maybe I should talk to father about it. He is the head of the Terumi clan and under his leadership, the business will only flourish and it will also help them wipe the bad reputation of Kiri.'
He stretches his arm and appreciates the sunset as various seabirds like gulls, pelicans, tern, and sandpipers fly through the sky.
--
Far away on a stranded island in the Mist Sea,
Tch…
The elderly commander of the Sky fleet clicks his tongue.
"It looks like Konoha was prepared for our assault. Or else how could they counterattack us? Our casualties are far greater than Konoha."
Bam…
He slams his palm on the grill of the deck. He is in a foul mood as the Sky fleet suffered a major loss.
Whoosh…
A masked ninja flickers in front of him and bows his head.
"Commander! There are some movements in the power source of the flying city."
"Alright! I will look into it."
He waves his hand and dismisses the shinobi.
'Looks like the cocoon of the Zero-tails hasn't matured yet. It needs more negative chakra to evolve to its next form."
Swoosh…
He takes out a dark purple orb from his pocket. The purple orb flickers with a sinister hue as it sends chills down the spines of the nearby Sky ninjas.
"Luckily, I managed to harvest quite a fair amount of dark chakra from the shinobis of Konoha. We still need some more chakra and the Zero-tails will evolve to its next form."
He pockets the orb and turns towards one of his admirals.
"Which is the nearest civilian or shinobi settlement? It should be a small country or village!" He questions him.
"Sir! There are four countries nearby: Land of Water, Land of Lightning, Land of Whirlpool, and Benisu island."
The admiral lays down a map on a table and marks the places on the map.
Hmm…
The elderly commander glances at the map and ponders for a while.
"The villages at the coast of Land of Water, Land of Lightning, and the Land of Whirlpool are under the protection of three of the five hidden villages.
If we attack the land of another hidden village, then the rest of the hidden villages might ally and launch an attack against us.
So, for now, let's launch an attack on Benisu Island. Send one of your elite battalions and lay waste to the Benisu island."
The commander orders them.
He forks out a crystal-clear orb from his pocket and passes it to the admiral.
"Use it to harvest the negative chakra!"
"Yes, sir!"
The admiral salutes him and moves out to prepare a battalion.
"It's time for the Land of Sky to rise and show its might to the rest of the shinobi world."
--
At the coast of the Land of Fire,
Izuna silently sits on his deck chair as Hanabi and Ayaka create sandcastles.
Yakumo walks towards him and stands beside him.
Hmm…
Izuna lowers his sunglasses and asks her.
"Aren't you going to play with them?"
"No! I don't feel like it." She shakes her head.
"All these things feel new to me. I was locked inside a house since I was born. I never had this much freedom before, so I don't know how should I feel about it!"
She sighs in melancholy.
Haha…
Izuna chuckles and pats her head.
"Look at you, acting all grown up! In this era of peace, kids of your age should go and play with their friends. Although you are a shinobi; a killer in the eyes of the world; but that doesn't mean you need to repress your desires and innocence.
Just slowly enjoy yourself and slowly open up to the rest of your team. After this mission, I will teach you a new secret genjutsu technique!"
"Really?!" Yakumo's ears perk up at the mention of a new technique.
"Now go!"
Izuna nudges her as he shakes his head.
"Ok!"
Yakumo happily walks towards Ayaka and Hanabi to play with them.
"Brat! You are one to talk about innocence." Yin Kurama rolls his eyes.
"At their age, you already had a moniker as the 'Silent Shinigami' of the Leaf. You killed countless shinobis during the Third Shinobi War."
"Well! That was a different era. I was born during the war but these girls grew up in peace and I want it to stay like this but another war is imminent."
"Another war?"
Kurama's interest is piqued at his remark.
"You will understand in the future."
He shakes his head.
"By the way, Kurama, I have a question for you. It's about the origin of the zero-tails." Izuna diverts Kurama's attention.
"ZERO-TAILS!"
Kurama's eye turns red as he growls in anger.
"That malevolent spirit! How dare it call itself a tailed beast?!"
Kurama roars in fury.
"Oh?!"
Izuna is surprised to see Kurama's aggressive nature flare-up.
"Tell me more about this malevolent spirit!"
He curiously asks Kurama.
"Hmph… The history of this Zero-tails dates back to the era of Sage of Six Paths."
Kurama enters in his history teacher mode as he explains to Izuna.
"After the death of Sage of Six Paths, various evil forces which were lurking in shadows made their move. One such force was the evil cult of Kishin."
"Hmm… you told me about that." Izuna nods his head.
"Indra and Asura had a fallout with each other. To settle their feud, they fought a fierce battle in the Valley of the End. The battle concluded with the death of the elder brother, Indra.
However, the younger brother Asura was assassinated soon after the end of the battle."
Izuna describes the record he read in Mount Myoboku.
'Well, at least that's what recorded in scrolls of the Mount Myoboku. But it begs the question, who killed him despite his Six Paths Power.'
"Yes! While Asura was on his way back, he was ambushed by a member of the Kishin cult. The attacker was a host of that malevolent spirit. The current zero-tails is nowhere close to its previous power."
Kurama explains to him.
"Hmm… the Jinchuriki of the zero-tails was able to kill the son of Sage of Six Path?! That's news for me."
Izuna curiously turns to Kurama for more answers.
"Before I explain the power and purpose of the Zero-tails, let me explain the origin of Zero-tails!"
Kurama nods his head.
"After the death of the Sage of Six Paths, the seals he placed on the gateway to the other dimension grew weak. Using this opportunity, the various clans which were a member of the cult of Kishin released the seal and opened the gateway to the Abyss."
"Abyss?!" Izuna tilts his head in dimension.
"Yes, Abyss! There are multiple independent dimensions out there. The shinobi world is one of such small dimensions. Abyss is another such big dimension."
Kurama marks a few circles on the map with his nails.
"In the shinobi world, Nature energy is the basis and foundation of all life whereas, in Abyss, dark chakra flows through the entire dimension."
Kurama draws a few holes around the large dimension marked as Abyss.
"Abyss is home to various malevolent spirits, demons, and evil entities. That Lord Kishin is the ruler of that dimension and he commands an army of demons and evil spirits.
However, unlike our dimension, the Abyss doesn't have a self-sustaining environment. It's dependent on the dark chakra from the other dimensions.
To gather this dark chakra, they invade other small worlds through the unstable passages present between the worlds. They sent a representative of their to corrupt the mind of the natives of that dimension and then they establish an altar which acts as a medium to channel the dark chakra into their dimension."
Hmm…
"So, it kind of works like the faith of religions where the followers present offerings to their God."
Izuna raises an eyebrow.
"You can put it that way, but not exactly!" Kurama shakes his head.
"The Abyssal creatures feed on dark energy generated by the negative emotions of other beings through the various spatial tunnels.
Dark chakra is produced when a human with chakra or Nature energy is consumed by negative emotions.
They invade other worlds and set up an altar to transfer the dark chakra of a world to their dimension. Usually, these creatures will stay low key and act only in the dark, but for some odd reason, they are quite insistent on invading the Shinobi world."
Kurama recounts the events from his memories.
"Back then, the Sage of Six Paths discovered one such altar of sorrow, which was trying to open up a permanent rift in our world. The Sage acted hastily and sealed the passage with a powerful seal.
On his deathbed, he instructed his youngest son, who inherited his chakra, to guard the seal. Soon after his death, the seal was cracked open by a few humans who were enchanted by the whispers from the Abyss.
It corrupted their mind and converted them into demons by altering their physique. They look humane on the surface but with the infusion of dark chakra they will morph into demonic beings."
Kurama draws a few figures on the floor.
Hmm…
Izuna curiously inspects the figures as he ponders.
'In the original Naruto, there was not much information on the origin of demonic beings. They were said to be intruders from otherworld but now it makes sense for them to be from a specific dimension meant for them.
I wonder which of them is stronger, Otsutsuki or the Demons. Have the two groups fought against each other in the past? Then there is also that purple cloaked guy with his grimoire and that unknown race of otherworldly beings who helped in the creation of the Uzumaki clan.'
"Damn! So many mysteries."
Izuna clutches his forehead. He turns towards Kurama and asks him.
"Then how is this all related to the Zero-tails?"
"Hear me out, brat! Don't be so impatient."
Kurama builds up the suspense.
"…"
Izuna rolls his eyes.
"Just spit it out already. It's not Sherlock Holmes Sunday Suspense!"
He impatiently glares at Kurama.
Ahem…
Kurama clears his throat and answers.
"The Abyss sent a very powerful demon to invade the Shinobi World. However, the younger son Asura sensed its presence before it could cause any major havoc.
He fought a deadly battle with the spirit for ten days and nights. We tailed-beasts also lent our power to him and finally, Asura was able to slay the demon for good."
Kurama pauses and stares at Izuna, who nods his head.
"Or that's what we thought! Asura successfully destroyed his physical body, but the spirit of the demon escaped. It took shelter with the demon clan and nourished itself from the dark chakra of the world.
However, the damage from the previous battle was too great for its spirit. It lost its sense of being and transformed into a mindless spirit.
Sensing the condition of his representative, the Lord of Abyss Kishin transferred some of his dark powers to him and transformed him into a malevolent spirit.
But the Abyss Lord was not pleased with the failure of the demon. So, he sealed him into a person and banished him to the shinobi world."
"Oh!"
Izuna nods his head in understanding.
"So, later Zero-tails found an opportunity and assassinated Asura."
"Yes!" Kurama nods his head.
"Asura was exhausted and heartbroken after his battle with Indra. Both brothers fought for fifteen days and nights and finally, the battle ended with the defeat of Indra.
Asura had tears in his eyes when he dealt the final blow to his elder brother Indra. We tailed beasts witnessed this battle with our eyes."
Kurama sighs helplessly.
"The Sage of Six Paths envisioned a future where both brothers will co-operate with each other and lead this world to great heights. But the elder brother Indra went astray from the path of righteousness. Sigh…"
Kurama shakes his head as he blankly stares at the space.
Izuna silently stares at Kurama.
'I don't know if I can understand your sentiment. Indra and Asura were like elder brothers to you tailed-beasts and both of them died in front of your very own eyes.'
Sniff…
Yin Kurama wipes his tears and continues.
"The host of the Zero-tails ambushed Asura in his weakened state, hoping to exact his revenge. But in the end, both of them perished in that battle."
"I… I see!"
Izuna pats Kurama's giant head to console him.
"I am… I am alright!"
Kurama shakes his head.
"You are a thousand years too young to console me!" He adds.
"…"
"Fine!" Izuna grunts and ignores him.
"Back then, the zero-tails perished with its host, but the power of the Abyss Lord Kishin was too great. The Zero-tails reformed itself using the dark emotions generated through countless wars over the years.
It grew so powerful that it was threatening to destroy the world. We tailed beasts had to join hands to kill it again."
A shiver runs down Kurama's spine as it narrates the incident.
"Five out of us nine died in that battle. Shukaku was the first one to die in that battle."
Kurama has mixed emotions as he recounts this.
"Since I had the most tails, and I survived the battle, I judged Shukaku as the weakest of us all with his One-tail. It's the part of the reason he hates me to till this day." Kurama chuckles.
"You are so mean to your younger brothers, you know." Izuna rolls his eyes as he adopts the posture of a caring elder brother.
He curiously stares at Kurama as a question pop into his mind.
'Back when they were born, these tailed beasts were in their chibi form. Now they have grown into their adult forms. Do they also grow like humans or other animals?'
Unable to hold his curiosity, he questions Kurama.
"Of course, we grow like you humans, but our growth is slightly different!" Kurama nods his head.
"Unlike your body of flesh and blood, we are sentient beings of chakra. You humans absorb nutrients from your food to grow, we tailed-beasts passively absorb a little amount of Nature energy to sustain ourselves. Over these years, by slowly accumulating Nature energy and influencing it with my will; my chakra reserve has grown a lot from the day I was born.
Unlike you humans, we chakra beasts won't die unless our consciousness is destroyed. The Sage of Six Paths used a very powerful technique to create us.
It's because of that technique that our consciousness and will is preserved even if our physical bodies are destroyed." Kurama proudly praises the Sage of Six Paths.
Hmm…
Izuna nods his head.
'Creation of All things is surely a very powerful Yin-Yang technique. Back then, I used its reverse application to destroy Danzo's soul for good. Destruction is easy, but creation is hard. Even with my Rinnegan, I am not proficient enough to create anything useful. I am limited by my body and chakra.'
He helplessly shakes his head.
Honk… Honk…
His conversation with Kurama is interrupted by the sound of a horn.
Izuna's consciousness exits the space of Sin Seal and stares at the sea.
A giant boat is sailing towards them.
"Sensei!"
The girls surround him as they curiously stare at the boat.
"Don't worry! Our ride is here."
Izuna ruffles their hair and turns towards the boat.
"Hey! Izuna-kun!"
A woman in a sailor uniform with a bandanna on her forehead is waving at him. Her two large mounds sway up and down as she waves her hand.
"Izuna-kun! It has been a while. I missed you!"
"…"
Izuna sweat drops at the enthusiasm of the woman.
Ziii…
He feels a sharp glare focused on his back.
Izuna turns around and notices Ayaka glaring holes at his back.
"Nii-san?! Who is that woman?!"
Ayaka points towards the Sailor Girl.
"Ayaka she is…"
Swoosh…
The boat reaches the coast and docks near it.
Whoosh…
The sailor woman jumps from the boat and dashes towards him.
"Izuna-Kyun! I missed you a lot!"
The woman tightly hugs him and squeezes his face in her chest.
Ah!
Ayaka and the girls blankly stare at Izuna and the woman.
"Nii-san! Are you cheating on Mei Nee-san?"
Ayaka grinds her teeth as she glares at Izuna.
Haah…
Izuna pushes the woman away and turns to Ayaka.
"Ayaka, it isn't what you think it is? Kanami is just a friend of mine.
Izuna tries to explain to Ayaka.
"Just a friend! You betrayed me Izuna!"
Kanami glares at Izuna.
Sigh…
He helplessly turns to Kanami, who purses her lips with a smile.
"Don't make things worse for me!"
Don't make things worse for me!"
Izuna helplessly turns to Kanami.
"Explain!"
Ayaka crosses her hand in front ofher chest and taps her foot on the ground.
Kanami hugs Izuna and speaks.
"Izuna-kun and I hugged while naked towarm each other."
Fwish…
Izuna pushes her aside and chides her.
"Don't speak such misleading words."
He turns to Ayaka and explains.
"This is a very old incident from my childhood. Before the third shinobi war, the village tasked me to trade some herbs on the Benisu island."
Izuna recalls some old memories from his childhood.
"Benisu Island?!"
The girls curiously stare at him.
"I have never heard of it!"
Yakumo and Hanabi shake their head.
"Me too!" Ayaka also tries to recall the name but fails.
"Benisu Island is an island nation in the Mist Sea. It's a small island situated between the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning."
Izuna starts his geography lessons.
"Benisu island is a paradise for traders,merchants, and business people. This island is rich in resources with various sea products and commodities."
Izuna turns to Ayaka and remarks.
"Your favorite Catla carp is also fished out and supplied from the Benisu island. It's such a treasure trove of resources that the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning attempted to annex this island.
However, there are various whirlpools and rock beds around the island which prevent any invasion from the sea."
Izuna draws an island on the beach and marks various circles and squares on the island, representing whirlpools and rock beds.
"Then how do the people of the Benisu island leave for trade?"
Hanabi curiously asks him.
"Like this…"
Izuna draws a passage in front of the rocks.
"There is a small passage in front of the island. The people of the Benisu island cleared out the rocks and created a passage for the sea trade.
This passage is heavily guarded by the shinobis of the Benisu island. Despite being a small island country, Benisu Island still raised a batchof shinobis through its wealth. These shinobis are called 'Sailor Shinobis' by other nations."
Izuna points towards Kanami.
"Kanami is one such sailor shinobi. She is often tasked with the escort missions of the shipment from Benisu Island.
Back then, during the third shinobi war, sheescorted a very important shipment to the Land of Fire. Konoha dispatched me and Shisui's team to escort the shipment back to the Benisu island."
Izuna closes his eyes as the memories of Kazuko and Mami flash in his mind. Izuna is lost in grief as he recalls their names and faces.
"SENSEI!"
The shout of the girls breaks him from his stupor. He shakes his head to dispel such thoughts and continues.
"During our return trip, we were hit by a very powerful storm and the entire ship was wrecked in that storm. Kanami and I grabbed the planks of the broken ships and drifted into the sea for three days. On the fourth day, we managed to drift to a small iceberg at the boundary of the Mist Sea and Polar Sea. All of our clothes werewet and there wasn't any mean to dry them and keep ourself warm. So, we have to…"
Izuna turns to Kanami and coughs slightly.
"…"
The girls roll their eyes as Izuna pushes Kanami aside.
Kanami hides her embarrassment and retorts.
"Still, Izuna-kun! You are so mean. You took advantage of me and you didn't even invite me to your wedding." She complains.
"I did!"
Izuna helplessly turns to her.
"But you were on escort duty to the Moon Island. Also, I had no other means to communicate with you."
"Alright! Alright! Get aboard on the ship and set sail for the Benisu island."
Kanami issues orders to the rest of the crew.
The group boards the ship as it lifts the anchor.
Ayaka and the rest of the girls curiously look around as it's their first time traveling on thesea.
"We will arrive at Benisu island by tomorrownight. So, enjoy your sea journey." Kanami remarks.
Izuna takes out his deck chair and lazily lies down on the ship. Ayaka and the rest of thegirls sit beside him and silently practices their jutsu.
After an hour,
"Ah… Mo! I am so bored!"
Ayaka closes the Fuinjutsu scroll in frustration. She turns towards Izuna, who is sleeping on his chair.
"He is sleeping like a log! Let me check the ship."
Ayaka pockets her scroll and frolics around onthe ship.
Bzzzt…
Suddenly,
Black clouds appear in the sky and block the sunlight.
Bzzt…
Lightning crackles through the clouds as it discharges one bolt after another.
Large waves rise in the sea as the ship swayswildly.
"Everyone! Grab hold of the sail. We will steer against the storm!"
Kanami instructs the rest of the sailors as the rest of the crew handles the situation. Sheturns towards the girls and orders them.
"You three! Go and take shelter in the cabin until the situation calms down."
Swoosh…
Izuna waves his hand and forms a wind barrier around himself as he silently remarks.
'What's a sea journey without a storm! If it comes to worst, I will butt in.' With that he closes his eyes.
After another hour,
The waves calm down slightly as the sail becomes steady.
Phew…
Kanami heaves a sigh of relief and rests against the mast.
Ayaka and the rest of the girls also walk outof the cabin.
"Is the sea journey always like this?"
Yakumo turns towards Kanami.
"The sea journey is full of the perilous journey like this. Especially the journey through the Mist Sea. There is always a chance of capsizing.Also, there is a strange rumor that strange chakra flows through the sea bed of the Mist Sea.
Sometimes, it will exert a very powerful gravitational pull and drown a ship, and othertimes it creates a very powerful repulsive force which will create gigantic waves." Kanami answers her.
Hmm…
Izuna opens his eyes as he gazes at the sea.
'This Mist Sea is the place where the Sage of Six Path and the Ten-tails fought against each other. The Sage used a massive chunk of this land to form the moon, leaving a bottomless pit behind. Later, this place became the Mist Sea.'
Ayaka and the girls attentively listen to Kanami's tales.
"Oh!"
Seeing the girls hooked up to her story, an evil smile appears on Kanami's face as she remarks.
"The Mist Sea is full of mysteries. The tale of the Cursed Ghost Ship and the Giant Corpse Crab are a few of such stories."
Kanami smiles at the girls.
Bzzt… BOOM…
A bolt of lightning flashes in the sky, lightingup her evil smile.
Gulp…
Hanabi gulps her saliva and hugs Ayaka's arm.
"Ayaka! I… I don't like ghost stories. They are so scary."
"It will be alright!" Ayaka pats her head, but her expression is also ugly.
Yawn…
Izuna yawns and walks inside the ship.
"It's nighttime already! I am feeling sleepy."
He stretches his arm and walks into his cabin.
Hmph…
Kanami angrily harrumphs at him, but he ignores her.
"Kanami-san!"
Yakumo tugs on her sleeves.
"Can you tell me more about the cursed shipand the corpse crab?!" Yakumo has a curious expression.
"Of course!"
Kanami nods her head, much to Ayaka's and Hanabi's dislike.
"The cursed ghost ship is a very mysterious ship which sails through Mist's waters. Only a very lucky few or unlucky few came across this ship."
Kanami has a mysterious expression as her tone turns heavy.
"This Cursed Ghost ship only appears during thick fogs."
"Is it like this one?"
Hanabi points towards their surroundings with a trembling finger.
Hmm…
Yakumo and the rest of the crew who are indulged in Kanami's story look around.
"Strange!"
Ayaka and Hanabi stare at the surrounding mist.
"How come there is such a thick fog all of a sudden?"
Hanabi asks in trepidation.
"I have no idea!" Ayaka shakes her head as she hugs Hanabi.
"This fog is no big deal!"
Kanami waves her hand.
"Usually, after such a heavy downpour is followed by thick mist. After all, the Mist Sea is known for its thick fogs."
"I… I see!" Hanabi nods her head as Kanami continues her story.
"The ghost ship is followed by a flock of crows. The crew of the ship is entirely composed of ugly ghosts."
Haha…
The entire crew bursts out in laughter.
"That's one pleasant story!"
The crew members shrug their shoulders and return to their work.
"We have to steer carefully through this fog or we might bump into an iceberg or a rock formation."
Swish… Swish…
Hanabi silently tugs on Ayaka's sleeves.
"A… Ayaka! Llll… look over there!"
Hmm…
"What's the matter?"
Ayaka turns towards the direction pointedby Hanabi.
"I can't see anything!" She shakes her head.
"Llll… look closely!"
Hanabi continues to point in the direction with trembling hands.
"Ok! Let me see!"
Ayaka narrows her eyes to take a closer look.
"This is…"
Her eyes widen in shock.
Thisis…"
Ayaka'sandHanabi'sexpression freezes as they blankly stare at the sea.
Haha…
Yakumo laughs with the rest of the crew as Kanami concludes her story.
"Don't take this story to heart. It's a folklore in the Mist Sea."
Kanami dismisses the crew. She turns towards the girls.
"Alright girls! It's nighttime already. Time for sleep!"
Kanami waves her hand in front of the terrified Hanabi and Ayaka.
"What's the matter, girls?"
"Ka… Ka… Kanami-san! Look over there!"
Ayaka points towards the thick fog with trembling hands.
Hm?!
Kanami stares at the thick mist surrounding their cargo ship.
An outline of a giant ship appears in their vision. There is a giant black flag on the mast of the ship and a flock of crows follows the ship.
"It's the Ghostship from the folklore." Hanabi remarks in fear.
"What?!"
Kanami warily stares at the Ghostship.
"Everyone! Get ready to intercept the enemy."
She tightens her Bandanna headband and draws a long saber from her waist.
Fwoosh…
The ghost ship sails towards the Kanami's cargo ship at an incredible speed.
"At this rate, it will ram into our ship."
Kanami's expression turns ugly.
"Ready the cannons! We can't allow it to close on us."
The nearby sailor ninjas quickly rush towards the deck and prepare the cannons. They aim it towards the approaching ghost ship.
"Ready!"
The sailor ninjas load the cannon with specially made spherical projectiles. They insert the sphere into the cannon and infuse it with chakra.
BOOM… BOOM…
The cannon fires multiple spherical orbs at the incoming ship.
Swish… swish…
The orbs split opens and fire a barrage of kunai with explosive tags towards the Ghost Ship.
BOOM…
A giant explosion occurs on top of the ghost ship. Large amounts of mist rise in the surroundings and block their view.
Fwoosh…
The Ghostship rams into their cargo ship.
Rumble… Rumble…
The ship sways wildly as the collision destroys a major portion of the ship.
Tch…
Kanami clicks her tongue.
"That will be cut from my paycheck."
She angrily turns towards the Ghostship.
"Whoever you are! You better get ready to pay for my loss!"
Whoosh…
Kanami draws her saber and leaps from the ship. She dashes towards the Ghostship and jumps on its deck.
Swoosh… swoosh…
The rest of the sailor ninja follows after her and jumps on the deck of the Ghostship.
"Get ready for the attack!"
Kanami clenches her sword as she gazes at the dark cabin of the ship.
Fwoosh… fwoosh…
Multiple figures in black clothes charge out of the cabin and launch an attack against the entire crew of sailor shinobis.
Swish… swish…
Kanami makes some hand signs.
"Water Style: Torrent Bullet"
Kanami spews out a giant vortex of water. The vortex expands rapidly and engulfs the entire fleet of enemies.
Hmph…
"That's what you get for messing with thesailor shinobis of Benisu Island in the sea."
Both sides engage in a fierce battle against each other.
On the Cargo ship,
Team three stares at the barrage of jutsu released one after another.
"Shall we help them?" Hanabi asks cautiously.
"We should! If the ship gets destroyed, then we will lose our way and end up being stranded in the middle of this vast sea."
Ayaka nods her head.
"Let's go!"
Ayaka and Hanabi leap into the sea and dashover the water towards the enemy ship.
"I will support you both from here!"
Yakumo takes out a painting scroll from her storage. She swiftly draws clouds and the enemy ship with her brush.
"Eat this!"
Ayaka jumps on the deck of the ship. She quickly makes some hand signs.
"Fire Style: Pheonix Flower Jutsu"
She fires a volley of small fireballs at the enemy group.
BOOM… BOOM…
Multiple explosion rings on the deck as Ayakaquickly deals with a group of enemies.
Inside a cabin in the cargo ship,
Yawn…
Izuna yawns lazily as he stares out of the window. He notices the trio of girls engaged in a battle against a group of masked enemies.
Sigh…
Izuna helplessly shakes his head.
Shiing…
He activates his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Crack… crack…
His surrounding shatters into fragments as he frees himself from the genjutsu.
Izuna opens his eyes and notices a gigantic crustacean attacking the ship.
"So, this is the Giant Corpse Crab from the stories."
Izuna scrutinizes the appearance of the crab.
The Giant Corpse crab has razor-sharp pincers which are hooked on the hull of the ship as he slowly tears it apart.
Multiple sailor ninjas, including team three, are standing on top of its back as they fervently attack the 'enemies'.
The rock-hard shell of the corpse crab easily blocks all the jutsus of the group. The barnacles on the crab's back open up and attempt to swallow the crew.
BANG…
Hanabi uses her gentle fist to repel the attack from a barnacle.
Haah…
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two palms"
She rapidly attacks the barnacle.
Poof…
The barnacle explodes into flesh and blood.
Swoosh… swoosh…
Multiple barnacles surround Hanabi tooverwhelm her.
"I will help you!"
Ayaka groups up Hanabi as both of them resist the attack of the 'enemy crew'.
Whoosh…
The giant corpse crab opens its mouth and releases a multitude of tentacles from it.
Fwish… Fwish…
It grabs multiple Sailor shinobis and grabs them inside his mouth.
"Hmm… A vine user!" Kanani frowns as she stares at the dark cabin.
"Your tricks won't work against me."
Swish… swish…
She skillfully weaves her saber and chops the vine into pieces.
Haha…
Izuna ruefully stares at the struggles of the giant corpse crab and the crew of Benisu Island.
"This crab sure is crafty."
He stares at the thick mist surrounding their ship and remark.
"This crab releases a thick chakra mist in the sea to act as a trap. Later, he hides beneath the sea and patiently waits for its prey. Whenever any living being enters the thick mist, it will alert the crab.
The crab will quickly arrive at the surface and then it will use the mist as a medium to cast a powerful genjutsu on its victim.
Inside the genjutsu, his body morphs into a gigantic ghost ship. He rams his body into the ship to prevent its target from fleeing from its clutches.
The barnacles on its hard-shell act as the pirates of the ghost ship as they slowly overwhelm the crew with their sheer number. What a nasty strategy!"
Izuna shakes his head as he is surprised by the craftiness of the crab.
"This crab lacks spiritual intelligence and yet he is still able to formulate such a sinister plan. I wonder how many ships have it targeted to become folklore in the Mist Sea. Maybe a lucky few survived his clutches and spread the rumors of the Cursed Ghost Ship to the rest of the world."
Izuna hides his presence and slowly walks towards the giant crab.
"I won't interfere with their battle, since it can serve as training for the girls. But I also won't allow this crab to harm any crew member. After all, I still have to visit Benisu Island."
Swoosh… swoosh…
Izuna saves the sailor shinobis from the grasp of the giant corpse crab.
--
On the Cursed Ghost Ship,
Huff… huff…
Ayaka, Hanabi, and the rest of the crew breathe heavily as they stare at the dark cabin of the ship.
"How many more?"
Huff… huff…
"How many of these pirates are still hiding inside this ship." One of the crew members breathes heavily.
"I have lost count of how many enemies I killed, but they keep coming endlessly!"
Kanami frowns as she stares at the corpses of the pirates. She nudges the body of a pirate with her saber.
The empty head of a corpse tumbles down and rolls on the ground. The hood of the head slides down to reveal a Skelton.
Eek…
Ayaka and Hanabi scream in fear and hugs each other.
"This is a Ghost Ship. This ship is definitely a ghost ship!"
Hanabi frantically nods her head.
"That's a made-up tale among sailors!"
Kanami waves her hands to dismiss her.
"Then… then… how can you explain the endless amounts of enemies appearing one after another!" Hanabi argues with her.
"Well!"
Kanami is stuck speechless as she confronts another wave of enemies.
'Is it really a ghost ship?'
Doubts appear in her mind.
Swish… swish…
Kanami slashes another pair of vines and frees one of her teammates.
"Things aren't looking good; at this rate, we will run out of chakra and stamina before we could defeat the enemy." She has a grim expression on her face."
Ayaka and Hanabi are fighting against the endless waves of enemies as signs of exhaustion appear on their bodies.
"I am almost out of chakra!"
Hanabi breathes heavily.
"I am down to half!"
Ayaka's back rests against Hanabi's as she actively scans the enemies with her Sharingan.
'It's strange! Very strange! There is no distinction between the movements of the enemies. All of them follow a similar attack pattern. It's almost like they are puppets or something.'
Confusion appears in her eyes as she engages in the battle.
On the deck of the Cargo ship,
A frown appears on Yakumo's face as she stares at the battle. She places down her brush and attentively stares at the enemy ship.
"Somehow, I feel like something is off here!"
"Oh!"
Izuna notices Yakumo's restlessness.
"Looks like she is the first one to figure out the genjutsu."
He turns towards the thick mist surrounding the group.
"This mist is the source of this genjutsu. There is a strange chakra flowing through this mist, which disrupts the chakra of the victim.
Normally, a genjutsu disrupts the flow of chakra in the target's cerebral nervous system. Or to be precise, it affects the prosencephalon structure of the brain. This particular part of the brain is responsible for the sensory organs of the body.
The sensory organs will function normallyand send proper feedback to the brain. But the genjutsu will alter the information perceived by the brain, thus altering the perception of the brain. However, the genjutsu cast by this crab is different."
Izuna activates his Mangekyo Sharingan and stares at the thick fog. Various tiny purple particles are present in the fog.
"These particles invade the body through the olfactory system and disrupt the chakra of the sensory organ rather than the brain. As a result, the sensory organs will send false feedbackto the brain.
Since it affects the sensory organs directly, such a genjutsu is quite hard to dispel, since the conventional method of disrupting the brain's chakra won't work in this case. On the contrary, it might lead to a further imbalance between mind and body."
Izuna shakes his head as he remembers a certain past incident.
"It's similar to those glaze snow lilies fromthe Valley of Lies!"
BOOM… BOOM…
The battle continues to rage on as the crew resists the frantic attacks of the giant corpse crabs and his barnacle army.
Grrr… Scree…
The corpse crab screeches in anger. Despiteits continuous attacks, it has failed to capture even a single prey.
Grrr…
It releases a dark purple chakra from its body which covers the entire crew. The movementsof the entire crew turn sluggish as the toxins in the chakra turn them lethargic.
"What's going on?!"
"Why do I feel so dizzy all of a sudden?"
The crew members grab their forehead as the toxins of the crab slowly poison them. Dark purple chakra rises from their body and enters in a bead on the crab's head.
Hm?!
Izuna frowns as he notices the dark chakra leaking from the crew members with his Sharingan.
"So, this is how dark chakra is extracted from a person. This bead seems to be sort ofcontainer."
The corpse crab wildly flails its tentacles around and attacks the crew.
"Watch out, Ayaka!" Hanabi warns Ayakaas one of the tentacles swiftly attacks her.
Ah!
Ayaka shields her eyes with her hands toblock the attack.
Swoosh…
"That's enough!"
Izuna appears in front of Ayaka and slices the tentacle.
"Onii-chan!"
Ayaka stares at Izuna's back with relief.
"It's about time to end this farce."
Bzzt…
Black lightning flickers through Izuna's hand.
"Black Lightning: Lightning Spear"
Izuna creates a giant lightning spear in hispalm.
BAM…
The black lightning spear skewers through the crab's body, instantly killing it in the process.
The lightning continues to flicker through water and clears the dense fog around them.
The dense fog comprises Yin chakra and the small genjutsu particles. Izuna's black lightning is composed of Yang chakra and lightning, which makes it a powerful counter to the genjutsu.
Fwoosh…
The genjutsu dispels slowly as the thick film of fog vanishes.
AH!
The sailor crew members slowly gain their bearing. They gawk at the giant screen ofthick fog slowly fading before their eyes.
"Perhaps you should look beneath your feet!"
Izuna warns them as he picks up Ayaka and Hanabi and flickers towards the cargo ship.
EH!
The group returns to their senses and noticesthe corpse of a giant corpse crab under their feet.
"What?!"
Dark purple fumes rise from the giant crab's body. The bead on its forehead slowly absorbs the fumes.
Whoosh… whoosh…
The sailor crew hastily jumps on the water and avoids the body of the corpse crab.
"Sensei! So, the ghost ship we were fighting was this giant crab." Hanabi asks in fear.
"Yes!" Izuna nods his head.
"This corpse crab was secretly following our ship in the search of prey. When we were in the middle of the sea, he slowly released the thick fog from its body. This fog slowly encapsulatedyou all and without even your awareness all of you were trapped in its genjutsu."
Izuna chuckles and ruffles their hairs.
"Still, you did well for a fight of such scale. Yakumo even figured out the genjutsu."
He turns towards Yakumo and praises her.
Hmm…
Yakumo is blankly staring at the giant corpse crab as Izuna's voice startles her.
"Ah! Sensei! I… I…"
"What's the matter? Why were you spacing out all of a sudden?"
"Well! I… How do I say it?"
She points towards the bead on the crab's head.
"Sensei! I didn't know, but for some reason, I can feel a familiar chakra from this bead. But the chakra in this bead is scary."
"Oh!" Izuna raises an eyebrow as heremembers the strange chakra used in Yakumo'smindscape.
'Does that chakra have some connections with this dark chakra?'
Swoosh…
Izuna waves his hand and the beads float towards him.
"Wow!"
Ayaka and Hanabi stare at the bead in amazement.
"Don't touch it! The chakra inside the bead is very evil, it will corrupt your mind."
Izuna warns them.
"Are you sure it feels familiar?"
He turns to Yakumo.
"Yes, Sensei!"
'Interesting!'
"Alright! Let me purify the evil will inside this chakra."
Izuna uses the purifying element of his light release to purify the sinister Will inside the bead.
Fwoosh…
Suddenly, Izuna is dragged into his mindscape.
"Why am I in my mindscape all of a sudden? Did someone attack my mindscape?"
A gigantic serpentine creature with a verylong and dark purple body and multiple dragon-based heads appears in his mindscape.
Shiing…
The eyes of the creature glow with a red hue.
Swish…
It swipes its gigantic claws at Izuna's mindscape in an attempt to destroy his mind.
Swoosh… swoosh…
The elemental orbs around rapidly shoot in front of him and form a barrier.
Clang…
The claws land on the barrier, but the barrier absorbs the attack.
Fwish…
The counterforce from the barrier disperses the claw and turns it into smoke.
ROAR…
The giant serpentine creature roars in fury. Its eyes blazed in anger.
"You dare overstep your mortal authority and challenge a God?!"
Hmph…
Izuna scoffs and waves his hand as the light orb shoots towards the giant serpentine figure.
"Just a small fading consciousness and you proclaim yourself a God!"
BOOM…
The light orb slams into the giant serpentine creature.
Crack… crack…
The figure shatters into countless fragments and turns into a wisp of smoke.
Swoosh…
The darkness orb floats in front of Izunaand absorbs the wisp of smoke.
Fwoosh…
Izuna exits his mindscape.
"Here!"
He passes the bead to Yakumo and curiously stares at her.
'The presence of that consciousness pointstowards the involvement of demons. But Yakumo can sense a feeling of familiarity with this object. Does she have some connections with the demons or does her bloodline originate from a demon?'
Izuna speculates various possibilities as Yakumo carefully grabs the orb.
Swoosh…
Dark purple chakra rises from the orb and slowly shrouds Yakumo.
Hmm…
Swish… swish…
Izuna makes some hand signs and covers Yakumo's body in an illusion to hide the process from others.
'I am afraid, others might fear her for her sinister power. I don't want people to isolate her again.'
AHHHH…
Yakumo screams in pain as the dark purple chakra enters her body through her mouth.
Hm?!
Izuna frowns at the process.
'She isn't absorbing the chakra as we dowith Nature energy and normal chakra. She is directly eating the chakra.'
The dark chakra travels through her entire body. Izuna spectates the entire process with his Mangekyo Sharingan. It slowly circulates through her chakra system and then enters her brain.
The dark chakra slowly enters her mindscape. A demonic being with horns and sharp, long canines slowly walks out of the darkness within Yakumo's mind.
Shoosh…
The demonic being opens its mouth and consumes the entire dark purple chakra.
It slowly turns around to return to the darkness.
"Hold on a minute!"
Izuna's voice echoes in Yakumo's mindscape.
Huh?!
The demonic figure pauses and slowly turns around. It blankly stares at Izuna's figure with its beady eyes.
"Who are you?! What are you doing in this girl's mindscape?"
Izuna draws his cyan blade and points it towards the demonic figure.
Swoosh…
The demonic figure waves its hand as a giant painting appears in front of her.
Swish… swish…
The figure rapidly makes some strokes with her brush.
Fwoosh…
The surroundings change instantly. A giant purgatory of lava and flames appears around them as the demonic figure floats on a pedestal.
Burble… burble…
Bubbles of hot air rise from the lava and form a gigantic wave.
Swoosh…
The gigantic wave comes crashing down on Izuna and submerges him.
"That's some fancy trick you have got there!"
Izuna slowly walks out unscathed from the pool of flames.
Whoosh…
He waves his hand and throws a light senbon at the painting.
Crackle… crackle…
The senbon pierces the corner of the painting and lights it on fire.
Ah!
The demonic figure flinches at the fire and hastily throws the painting away.
The painting turns into ashes and leaves a small wisp of dark purple chakra behind.
Swoosh…
Izuna stretches his hand and draws the wisp of dark purple chakra towards himself.
"Hmm… A Genjutsu using the dark chakra!"
Fwoosh…
Izuna flicks his finger and dispels the dark purple chakra.
The eyes of the demonic figure narrow at this. The figure immediately summons another painting scroll and scribbles on it.
Swish… swish…
The demonic figure's brush strokes move swiftly and it creates another painting.
Shoom…
Suddenly, the surroundings change again.
Woosh… woosh…
Icy wind blows, and snow slowly falls on the ground. A bone-chilling gust of wind envelops Izuna and encases him in ice.
Swish…
The demonic figure makes a few more brush strokes and many sharp snow lances pierce through the snow encased Izuna.
The demonic figure calmly puts down its brush and prepares to roll the scroll.
Crackle… crackle…
The painting catches fire, and a small burning hole appears near Izuna's drawing. The demonic figure warily turns towards the ice-encased Izuna.
Crack… crack…
Numerous cracks appear on the ice casing.
BAM…
Izuna stretches out his fist and shatters the ice.
"Is this all you have got?"
He raises his head and stares into the eyes of the demonic figure.
A trace of fear appears in the eyes of the demonic figure. It narrows its eyes and flicks its hand.
Whoosh…
A gigantic painting scroll appears in front of it.
Swish… swish…
The demonic figure makes some quick strokes directly with its nail instead of a brush.
Rumble… rumble…
The surrounding trembles slightly, the vast expense of darkness shrouds Izuna, isolating him from the rest of the world.
Bzzt…
Dark purple flames rise in the domain of darkness and form a giant circular ring around Izuna.
BAM… BAM….
Multiple gigantic Tori gates fall from the sky and form a formation around the circular flames.
The flames morph into a gigantic demonic figure and brandish its claws and slam them at Izuna.
Oh!
Izuna raises an eyebrow.
'A reality illusion of Yomi-no-Kuni, the world of darkness or the gateway to the netherworld, to be precise. A polluted land where the gloomy and shadowy existence coagulated from the sins and filth of mortal resides.'
BOOM…
The giant palm of the demonic figure slaps down on Izuna, engulfing his entire body in the process.
The fiery figure of the demon smirks as it stares at the ground beneath its palm.
"Too bad! This is not the real thing. Also, you are not an adjudicator of death."
Rumble…
A beam of golden light rises from the ground and pierces through the fiery purple figure, dispelling it in the process.
Rumble… rumble…
The entire illusory realm trembles.
Crack… crack…
Countless cracks spread through the domain, and it crumbles apart, revealing the mindscape of Yakumo.
"NO! Don't come near me. Leave me alone!"
The demonic figure releases a shrill cry. It hugs its body and shivers in a corner.
Various paintings around the figure are set ablaze with flames. They turn into a small wisp of dark purple chakra and float around the demonic figure.
Izuna takes a step forward and slowly approaches the demonic figure.
"NO! Leave me alone! NO!"
The demonic figure's voice turns feminine as a familiar voice falls in Izuna's ears.
"Yakumo?!"
Izuna's eyes widen in surprise as he blankly stares at the demonic figure for a while.
He approaches the demonic figure and gets on his knees in front of the figure.
"Are you the inner-self of Yakumo?'
Izuna has an incredulous expression on his face as he questions the demon.
Every being, be it an animal or a human, has two aspects. The first aspect is his outer self; his body, which is present in the real world.
The second aspect of a person is his inner self; his spiritual form which is present in the mindscape of a person. The inner self is a reflection of the true form of a person.
A person can alter his outer appearance and looks, but one can't alter their inner self. The inner self is the inherent aspect of a being. It represents their form, personality, character, ambition, and spirituality.
Then there is also a hidden aspect. The aspect of the soul. It's such a complex aspect that not many have been able to delve deeper into it.
Izuna shakes his head as he recalls some of the information he found in the record alongside the sin of lust.
The demonic figure shivers in fear as it hugs its body.
Izuna looks at the pathetic condition of the figure and slowly extends his hand. He pats her head.
"Don't worry! Your Sensei is here."
The demonic figure slowly raises her head and stares at Izuna with beady eyes. Izuna has a warm smile on his face as he waves at the figure.
"Ido! My name is Ido!"
The demon wipes her tears and kneels in front of Izuna.
"I… I… I am sorry, Sensei! I didn't mean to harm you!"
It apologizes to Izuna.
"Oh!"
Izuna is surprised to see her reaction.
"I could have forgiven you if you weren't so hell-bent on wiping me from his existence." He has a serious expression on his face.
"No! No! Sensei! It wasn't my intention. I just don't want you to see my inner self. So, I tried to expel you from my mindscape." Ido has a flustered expression.
Haha…
Izuna chuckles and shakes his head. He pats her head and remarks.
"You are a hundred years too early to even think about facing me."
Shiing…
Izuna's eyes change into Mangekyo Sharingan.
Fwoosh…
The surrounding scenery changes rapidly. Both of them appear in a giant vast patch of grassland. There is a small table with two chairs and a teapot in front of them.
Izuna calmly sits on the table and gestures for Ido to sit. He pours a cup of tea and sips on it.
"The honey tea from the land of Honey is still my favorite." He pours a cup for Ido to calm her down.
"I… I…"
Ido has a flustered look on her face as the sudden change in her mindscape transfixes her.
"Have a cup of tea to calm your nerves." Izuna offers her a cup.
"Y… Yes!"
Ido grabs the cup and sips from it.
"So good!" She meekly closes her eyes and relaxes.
"Alright! Seems like you have relaxed a little. Now tell me about your origin and all of the shenanigans that you did?"
Izuna crosses his arms and stares at her.
"I… I…" Ido bites her lips and hesitates.
"Don't worry about anything. Just speak up! I will take care of the rest." Izuna assures her.
"Sensei! I am the inner self of Yakumo. But… but she hates me. She despises me for my appearance; much to the point that I have become the darkness of her heart. Sensei! I don't know why, but I was born this way.
Yakumo first came to know about me when she was four years old. Back then, she lost control of her powers and set her own house on fire. She immolated our house on fire. Our parents dived into the fire to save us but the flames consumed them."
A tear drops slides down from Ido's face.
Sniff…
She wipes her tears and continues.
"Heart-broken by the loss of our parents, Yakumo fell in deep grief. When she woke up, she was already in her mindscape. There she met me, Ido. I told her that I was her true inner-self.
But Yakumo was terrified of my appearance. She judged me as being responsible for the death of her parents. Thus, she despised my existence and locked away her heart.
This rejection and hatred from my outer self-created an imbalance in our bodies. This is the part of the reason, Yakumo's body is so weak despite her being a shinobi."
Ido recounts her story to Izuna. She turns to Izuna and performs a dogeza.
"Sensei! Please help us or I am afraid Yakumo won't live long with the imbalance between her physical and spiritual self!"
Ido pleads to Izuna.
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