An hour ago,
"This concludes our trip to the village."
Amaru stops in front of a diner.
"This is the best food shop in the village. The food here is very delicious. But I can't afford to eat her often!"
Amaru sighs helplessly.
"Oh, Amaru-chan!"
The owner of the diner walks out of the shop. He notices Amaru and the group.
"You are here with friends?"
"No! No! It's not like that. I was just showing them around the village."
Amaru shakes her hands with a flustered face.
"Haha! It's fine. I will treat all of you to lunch. Doctor Shinnō has done so for us. A free meal once in a while is the least, I could do."
"Then I will take you on the generous offer."
Amaru gestures to Ayaka and the rest to enter.
A few minutes later,
Nom… Nom…
The girls gulp down their food happily as they chatter.
"Your food is as delicious as ever, Ōji-san!"
Amaru praises the food.
"Haha… I am glad you like it." The shop owner nods his head.
Aaa… Chomp…
Hanabi takes a big bite of the chicken meat and turns to Amaru.
"Amaru-chan, I never got to ask, but how old are you?"
Ayaka and Yakumo also turns to her.
"Me?!"
Amaru place down her chopsticks and counts on her finger.
"Hmm… I spent six years in the village orphanage and then another seven years with Shinnō Sensei. So, I am thirteen years old and I am about to turn fourteen."
"Oh!" Hanabi is surprised to hear her age.
"But you look a little too small for your age. My elder sister is also fourteen, and she is big."
Hanabi makes a curve sign around the chest.
Hmph…
"I am sorry if I am small. But I will grow with time." Amaru snorts at them.
Fufu… fufu…
Ayaka and Yakumo sniggers at the side.
Suddenly,
Whoosh… whoosh…
The girls hear wheezing sounds in the air.
"What's going on?!"
Ayaka quickly gazes out of the window. She notices a group of Sky shinobis flying through around the village.
"Them again?!"
Ayaka frowns at the appearance of the Sky shinobis.
"Why does this feel like a Déjà vu? First in Konoha, they appeared while we were celebrating in Yakiniku-Q. Then on Benisu Island, Miss Kanami was treating us to the seafood. Now here in this isolated village. What's the deal with these Sky shinobis?"
Ayaka angrily stares at the group of sky shinobis. She frantically turns to the group and warns them.
"It's the shinobis from Sky. They are attacking the village; we have to take cover."
"You four hide in the underground storage." The shop owner quickly gestures to them.
"No, I won't!"
Amaru stubbornly shakes her head. She attempts to dash out of the shop.
"Shinnō Sensei is still out. I have to find him."
"Wait, Amaru!" Ayaka chases after Amaru and tightly grabs her arm.
"It's dangerous out there! If you rush like this, then you might die under the attacks of the enemies."
Boom… Boom…
The Sky shinobis bombard the houses in the Nagano village.
BOOM…
A bomb falls near the girls' position and explodes.
AAAH…
The explosion hurls Ayaka and Amaru in the air.
Bang…
Ayaka pushes Amaru towards a pile of straws as she slams into a nearby tree.
"Shinnō Sensei! Amaru will save you."
Amaru ignores Ayaka and dashes towards the village.
Whoosh… whoosh…
Hanabi and Yakumo flickers towards Ayaka and support her.
"Are you ok?"
"I am alright!" Ayaka nods her head.
"But Amaru… she…"
"Let's save her!" Hanabi suggests.
Tch…
"We have no choice then!" Yakumo clicks her tongue.
"That's why I hate stubborn people." She remarks and dashes towards the explosion.
Swoosh…
A shadow clone of Izuna appears at their previous place.
'It's such a hassle! I have the urge to finish it up all, but then the girls won't learn anything. This mission is a learning experience for them. Dammit! Being a teacher is more work than I thought it to be. Is this the reason there are no Nara clan members teaching in the academy despite their high intelligence?'
"For now, I will evacuate the villagers to a safe spot. I will let the girls fight to gain more combat experience."
Whoosh…
The clone Izuna flickers towards the explosion.
"Shinnō Sensei! Shinnō Sensei! Where are you Shinnō Sensei?"
Amaru continues to dash around the village while yelling Shinnō's name.
Up in the air, In a sky ship;
"That's the girl! Be careful not to hurt her."
Shinnō points towards Amaru.
"I will descend. You know the rest?!"
"Yes, commander!" The Captain respectfully nods his head.
Boom… Boom…
Multiple explosions set off around Amaru as she continues her search.
"Amaru!"
Shinnō appears at the entrance of the village with a bag of herbs in his hand.
"Sensei!"
Amaru dashes towards Shinnōwith tears in her eyes.
BOOM…
An explosive shell falls from the sky and explodes in front of Shinnō.
"SENSEI!"
Amaru screams in terror as dust and smoke rises in the air.
WHOOSH…
Shinnō's bloody and charred body flies out of the explosion. It lands right in front of Amaru.
"SENSEI!"
Amaru frantically rushes towards Shinnōand supports him in her arms.
"SENSEI! Please don't leave me."
Drip… drip…
Large amounts of blood leaks from Shinnō's body and drenches Amaru's clothes.
"Sensei! I will use the medical knowledge you taught me to heal you. Everything will be alright!"
Amaru frantically takes a scalpel and tweezer to operate on Shinnō.
"A… Amaru! It's… its too late. Sensei is happy that you are fine!"
Shinnō gently touches Amaru's face with his bloody hands.
Shuash…
His body stops breathing and his heart stops beating as Shinnō's hand lifelessly falls to the ground.
"SENNNSSSEEEIIII!!!"
Amaru yells in despair with Shinnōcold corpse in her arms.
Whoosh… whoosh…
Ayaka, Hanabi, and Yakumo arrives at the scene.
"We were too late!"
They helplessly shake their head.
"Those sky shinobis held us back!" Yakumo clicks her tongue.
"Amaru…"
Ayaka walks towards Amaru to comfort her.
BOOM…
A blast of chakra falls from the flying destruction device and lands on top of the Ayaka and the girls.
"Ayaka!"
Amaru yells in desperation as Ayaka and the girls vanish into smoke.
HAHA…
"Serve them well for what they did to me?!"
AAAHH…
Amaru clutches her forehead and screams in agony.
Fwish… fwish…
Multiple dark chains rise from her body. The chains rapidly attack the flying shinobis and machines and absorb their chakra.
AAAH…
Dark purple chakra rises from Amaru's body as he drains one Sky shinobi after another.
The purple orb on her chest glows brightly and sucks all the chakra.
BOOM…
The dark chains wrap around the sky ship captain and pull him down. They drill through his body and drain his life force and chakra. The captain turns into an emaciated corpse.
AAAAHHHH…
The dark chains rampage around and slaughters every last remaining shinobi of the sky troupe.
AAAH…
Amaru clutches her forehead and passes out.
"Omoshiroi!"
Shinnō, who is pretending to be dead, wakes up. He wipes the blood around his body and makes some hand signs.
Swish… swish…
"Body Revival Technique"
His wounds heal rapidly and his complexion turns young.
Crack… crack…
The revived Shinnōcracks his neck and walks towards Amaru.
Bang…
He kicks her away.
"Damn this little brat! I have to wait for seven years for this day."
He flips the girl with her legs.
Slash…
Shinnō rips apart her clothes and removes the orb around her chest.
Haha….
He laughs hysterically as he inspects the orb.
"I have more than enough chakra to resurrect and power the ancient fortress. With this, the Land of Sky shall be sole ruler of this world. As for this girl…"
He turns towards Amaru and laughs.
"I will spare her pathetic life to let her suffer in despair and agony."
Whoosh…
He flickers away from the ruins of the Nagano village.
Five minutes later,
Swoosh…
The clone Izuna appears in front of an unconscious Izuna with Team three in tow.
"Go and help her!"
He waves to them as Hanabi rushes towards Amaru to support her.
Hmph…
Ayaka turns to him and snorts.
"Do you like watching us suffer?" She angrily harrumphs at him.
"Ayaka-chan! It's not like that. You three are shinobis now; so you should face the harsh life of a shinobi." Izuna tries to appease her.
Hmph…
"I am not buying that. I will tell Mei Nii-san everything. She is the only one who loves me now. My Onni-chan doesn't love me anymore."
Ayaka ignores Izuna's pleading gaze and walks towards Amaru to support her.
A few minutes ago,
During the very last second of the explosion, the clone Izuna used Kamui to teleport the girls and save them from the impact of the explosion.
Later, the girl witnessed the truth about Shinnōunfold before their eyes.
"Here you go!"
Izuna tosses a camera and a scroll towards Yakumo.
"Show this to the girl to convince her! Also, this is a map of the location Shinnō is heading to. My chakra has run out!"
Poof…
The clone Izuna disappears in a puff of smoke
Shoom… Shoom…
Darkness shrouds the entire fortress as one by one all the power source in the temple shuts down.
"Nani?!"
The commander looks at the situation in trepidation.
"Did I miscalculate something?"
He warily stares at the controls and makes some adjustments.
Rumble… Rumble…
The entire temple trembles violently.
Shoom…
Large amounts of darkchakra leave the cocoon and enter the walls of theroom.
Shoom… Shoom…
The runes on the walls light up and startto adjust their sequence.
Swoosh…
They arrange in a certain pattern and channels the dark chakra through the entire fortress.
Fwoosh…
The eyes of the various statues in the temple light up with purple colour as the various chakra circuits inlaid around the temple connect.
RUMBLE…
The temple trembles slightly and with a thrust, it slowly rises from the ground.
--
In one of the chambers of the temple,
"It has begun!"
Izuna warily stares at the various statues and the chakra circuits inlaid in the walls of the temple.
"This temple isn't just an architectural construction, but it's an artifact which requiresa large amount of chakra to function. Amazing!"
"Oye brat! Stop being amazed by the design of this temple and do something about it. I have a bad feeling about this entire ordeal. I feel like my other half is also in some sort of extreme danger." Yin Kurama has an anxious expression.
"What Naruto is in danger? Then why didn't my sealing formula warn me."
Izuna quickly looks at the bracelet on his wrist. There is no response from the bracelet. He inserts some chakra into the bracelet, but nothing happens.
"Looks like something or someone is messing up with my seals. I can't locate Naruto and the rest of the group."
Worry appears on Izuna's face.
"The chakra of the zero-tails flows through this entire fortress. Using this, I can track the location of the Zero-tails."
He places his hand on the floor and closes hiseyes.
"Found it!"
Izuna opens his eyes and quickly flickers towards the central chamber of the temple.
--
A few minutes ago,
Outside the temple,
"This is the place Sensei marked on the map."
Yakumo unfurls the map and stares at the opening of the Aztec temple.
"It's scary! I am feeling goosebumps around this temple."
Hanabi crosses her arms.
The girls stop in front of the temple and gaze at its opening.
"Should we go in?"
Hanabi asks anxiously.
"Of course! We have to go. It's a part of ourmission." Ayaka nods at her.
"Also…"
She turns around and stares at Amaru, who is blankly staring at the temple.
"Amaru-chan, are you sure you want to come with us? It's going to be quite dangerous once we enter this temple." Ayaka tries to persuade her.
"I am." Amaru resolutely nods her head.
"If Shinnō Sensei is alive, then I want to ask him why he did all of this? I am sure he will hear me out."
"Well… I won't stop you then."
Looking at Amaru's resolute expression, Ayaka could give up on persuading her.
"Let's go!"
Yakumo takes the lead and steps forward.
BAM…
She slams into something at the entrance of the temple.
"Ouch! Ouch!"
She clutches her forehead and stares at the entrance.
"I felt like, I hit a wall just now."
Hmm…
Ayaka walks towards the entrance and knocks around on the entrance. Her hand hits a watery film and ricochets back.
"There is an invisible barrier around this temple!"
Hanabi activates her Byakugan and inspects the entrance.
"I can't see anything past the barrier." She deactivates her Byakugan and shakes her head.
Tch…
"If we can't even enter this place, then how are we supposed to stop the culprit!"
Yakumo clicks her tongue. She rests against the invisible barrier.
Rumble…
The temple trembles violently.
"Wha… what's going on?"
Yakumo loses her balance and falls to theground. She face plants on the entrance of the temple.
"Ah! The barrier is gone."
Ayaka enters the temple. Amaru and Hanabi follow her. Hanabi stretches her arm to help Yakumo.
"What was that tremor just now? Is something happening within this temple?" Ayaka and thegroup look around for clues.
Rumble… Rumble…
Another powerful tremor runs across the temple.
The girls quickly grab each other's hands tobalance themselves. The tremble lasts for a few seconds.
"What a poor design this place has? It can't even provide protection from earthquakes." Ayaka complains.
"Aaa… Ayaka!! Ll… LLOOK!!"
Hanabi points towards the entrance of the temple with trembling hands.
"What? What happened?"
The girls quickly dash towards the entrance.
Swoosh…
Sharp wind currents blow on their face astheir hair flutters in the wind.
The girl looks down and notices a layer of clouds around them.
"What?! We are flying!!"
Whoosh…
Shinnō swings his arms to dispel the fog. Helooks around to search for a trace of the girls.
"These girls forced me to open three gates out of the Eight!"
Behind a giant pillar,
Huff… Huff…
Ayaka and Hanabi breathe heavily as they warily stare at Shinnō.
"That was a close call! I thought I almost died for a second."
Hanabi catches her breath.
"He is too fast. I can follow his movements with my eyes but I am unable to react to them."
Ayaka shakes her head.
"After this mission, I have to train my speed."
The girls turn towards Yakumo, who is besidean unconscious Amaru.
"She was causing such a ruckus, so I had to put her under a genjutsu!"
"I… I see!" Hanabi and Ayaka sweat at her remark.
"We have to think of a plan to deal with him. If we are somehow able to restrain his movements, then I can land a killing blow on him."
Ayaka formulates a plan.
"Leave it to me!"
Yakumo nods her head.
"Then I will act as a distraction. Since he is usingTaijutsu to fight against us, I can repel his attacks using rotation to some degree." Hanabi clenches her fist.
"Then let's get him!"
Swoosh…
Yakumo takes out a notebook from her storage. She quickly scribbles on it.
"I need a few minutes to complete my genjutsu!"
"Found you!"
Shinnō notices the girls hiding behind the pillar.
Whoosh…
He quickly flickers towards them. Shinnō clenches his fist and punches the girls.
"Haah… eat this!"
Swirl…
Ayaka creates a spiralling mass of chakra in her right hand.
"Rasengan!"
She aims it towards Shinnō's punch.
Haah…
Shinnō cups his hands in front of his chest. He gathers a large amount of dark chakra between his palms.
"Revival Fist"
He focuses the dark chakra into a beam and shoots it towards Ayaka to intercept her attack.
BANG…
Ayaka smashes her Rasengan into the beam of dark chakra.
Fwoosh…
Her Rasengan ploughs through the dark chakra beam and slams into Shinnō's hands.
BAM…
The impact from the Rasengan pushes him back, but he is able to stabilize his footing.
Ah…
Shinnō gazes down and notices his badly mangled right hand.
Snap…
He uses his left hand to fix his bone at right angles. Dark chakra rises in his hand and heals it completely.
Crack… crack…
Shinnō clenches his fist.
"So, I am still lacking in terms of Ninjutsu."
He turns towards Ayaka and compliments.
"Girl! You have quite a good Ninjutsu technique. Now watch this!"
He stretches his left hand and infuses a large amount of dark chakra into it.
Swirl…
The dark chakra quickly condenses in his palm and forms a dark purple orb. Two dark rings form around the orb and spin rapidly.
"This… No way!"
Ayaka and Hanabi are flabbergasted as Shinnō copies the principle of Rasengan to create his own jutsu.
Swoosh…
He quickly disappears from his place and reappears in front of Ayaka.
"Have a taste of your own medicine!"
"Super Revival Fist"
BANG…
He ploughs the dark chakra orb through Ayaka's stomach.
Bleurgh…
Ayaka pukes out a mouthful of blood and saliva.
Poof…
She disappears in a puff of smoke.
"A clone?!"
Haah…
Ayaka appears above Shinnō with a shadow clone by her side.
"Eat this! Chō-ōdama Rasengan."
She slams a giant Rasengan at Shinnō.
Hmph…
Shinnō snorts and intercepts her attack with his own technique.
BOOM…
Both techniques collide with each other and create a blinding explosion. Dust and debris rise at the impact.
Bang…
Ayaka is sent flying out of the debris.
Whoosh…
Hanabi quickly flickers beside Ayaka and supports her.
Bang…
Shinnō is also sent spinning out of the debris. He slams into a near wall and forms a crater in the wall. His body slides down as he falls to the ground.
There is a spiralling indention around his neck.
"Are you alright, Ayaka?"
Hanabi inquires with concern.
"I am fine, but it looks like I broke my wrist!"
She points towards her right wrist, bent at an unnatural angle.
"Let me try to fix it!"
Hanabi grabs her hand.
Snap…
She readjusts the joint angle of the bone.
"I have snapped it back to the correct angle but the bone in your wrist is still cracked."
Swoosh…
Ayaka takes out a medicinal pill from her storage and eats it. She also applies some medicine on her wrist and wraps a bandage around it.
Haha…
Shinnō slowly stands up and stares at the girls with amusement.
"He is still alive?!"
Despair appears in Ayaka's and Hanabi's eyes.
"Body Revival Technique"
Shoom…
Large amounts of dark chakra gather around the throne and infuse into Shinnō's body through the various chakra circuits in the temple.
Crack… crack…
Numerous cracks appear on the floor as Shinnō riles up his chakra.
Sizzle… sizzle…
White smoke rises from his body as the dent in his stomach heals rapidly.
Huhu… Hahaha… Ahaha…
Shinnō laughs hysterically at the look of despair in the girl's eyes.
"With each death and destruction, my body becomes more adapted to this new power, this chakra. Muscles grow stronger with rebirth. As long as I have the dark chakra from Reibi, I am INVINCIBLE!"
Fwoosh…
Dark blue flames appear around him and form a cage.
"Right on time!"
Ayaka heaves a sigh of relief.
"Huh?! What's this?"
BAM…
Shinnō punches the cage with his bare hands.
Sizzle… sizzle…
Smoke rises from his hands as the flames chars them.
"Hmph… do you think you can stop me with such lame tricks."
He scoffs at the girls and coats his hands with dark chakra.
Bang… Bang…
He continues to punch the cage. The flames within the cage diminish with each hit.
"Quick! I can't hold him back for longer."
Sweat trickles down Yakumo's forehead as she resists Shinnō's relentless attacks.
"I am on it!"
Ayaka slowly stands up. She infuses the rest of her chakra into her left hand and forms a lightning blade.
"Chidori!"
Ayaka dashes towards Shinnō with Chidori.
Hmm…
Shinnō senses her intention and gathers dark chakra in his other hand.
"Darkness wave"
He waves his hand and releases a wave of darkness that penetrates through the cage and aims for Ayaka.
"I won't let you harm Ayaka!"
Hanabi jumps in front of Ayaka.
"Rotation"
She spins rapidly and dispels the jutsu.
Whoosh…
"Eat this!"
Stab…
Ayaka plunges her fist through Shinnō guts as the lightning blade pierces through his back.
Haah…
Yakumo dispels her jutsu and falls down while panting.
Bleurgh…
Shinnō pukes out a mouthful of blood. He clutches his abdomen and falls to his knees.
"How could this be? I had Reibi's power!"
Argh…
He falls to the ground as blood continues to leak from his abdomen.
Huff… Huff…
Ayaka breathes heavily. She stares at Shinnō, who is lifelessly lying on the ground. After ensuring he is dead, she turns around to leave.
Whoosh…
Suddenly, Shinnō stands upright.
"Watch out Ayaka!" Hanabi yells to warn her.
Swoosh…
Shinnō performs a roundhouse kick.
BANG…
Ayaka is sent flying by his kick.
"AYAKA!!" Hanabi and Yakumo anxiously stare at Ayaka.
BAM…
Ayaka slams into the wall and falls. She loses consciousness from the impact.
"AYAKA!!"
Hanabi and Yakumo hurriedly dash towards her to support her.
Haha…
"Do you think the perfect body, with its chakra exertion, will fall so easily? Let me give you a show of my real power. Haah…"
Shinnō clenches his fists and stretches them in front of his body.
"Eight Gates: Gate of Death open…."
BOOM…
He rapidly sucks a large amount of dark chakra from the nearby chakra circuits.
Crack… crack…
The floor beneath him crumbles and forms a crater as he continues to rile up his chakra.
Bang…
Shinnō clenches his fist and punches himself right above his heart.
Fwoosh…
A bloody stream rises from his body. His pores, hairs, and eyebrows emanate a blood-red aura.
Shoom…
He releases a shock wave from his body, which sends the girls flying.
Argh…
Amaru clutches her forehead as the sinister chakra causes her to break free from the genjutsu.
Swoosh…
Large amounts of steam rise from Shinnō's body as opening the eight gates rapidly incinerates him inside-out.
"Normally, the only outcome after opening the Eight Gate is death, but…"
Shinnō clenches his fists as he basks in the raw power of eight gates.
"I can circumvent death by rapidly healing my body up to the cellular level using the miraculous body revival technique. Paired with the constant supply of dark chakra from Reibi, my body will constantly undergo death and rebirth until it formed a balance between the two and my body can sustain the power of Eight gates."
He turns towards the girls with a sinister smile.
"Want to be the first test subject of my new power?"
He clenches his fist and punches the girls.
BOOM…
He releases a cannon of pressurized air from his punch. The air pressure blows a portion of the wall around the girls, forming a giant gaping hole through the fortress.
"Oops… Looks like I missed!"
He stares at girls with a mocking smile.
Gulp…
Hanabi and Yakumo gulp their saliva as terror reflects in their eyes.
"Haha… This expression! That's what I would like to see in the eyes of those shinobi nations when they stand against me."
"Sensei! Why sensei?!"
Amaru weakly stares at Shinnō with tears dripping from her eyes.
"Amaru! Oh, dear Amaru! Humans! They are inherently weak. They don't have fangs or claws to fight against those inhuman monsters roaming throughout the world. So, why do humans still exist in the world despite such terrifying monsters?"
Crack… crack…
Shinnō slowly walks towards them.
"Because among all the living beings, we're the most inhumane!"
Whoosh…
He reappears in front of girls with his fists clenched tightly.
"DIE!"
Hanabi and Yakumo close their eyes in despair as Shinnō punches towards them.
"NO! Shinnō Sensei, you can't!"
Amaru yells at him.
Swoosh… swoosh…
Multiple dark purple chains rise from her body and bind Shinnō. The chains kill his momentum and hold him at a place.
"Huh?!"
Yakumo and Hanabi open their eyes and notice Shinnō struggling in front of them. They turn towards Amaru with a shocked expression.
"Amaru! You?!"
"No, sensei! I won't allow you to harm anyone. You are such a kind and gentle soul. How can you even think about killing other people? This is not the real you. I will fix you soon!"
Shoom… Shoom…
More chains rise from her body and wrap around Shinnō.
Hmph…
Shinnō riles up his chakra and pulls his arms and snaps the chains wrapped around it.
Swoosh…
More chains appear and retie his hands.
"So, you have awakened your troublesome suppressed bloodline!"
Shinnō scoffs at her.
"These chains are said to be strong enough to hold down even a tailed beast but…"
Snap…
Shinnō draws more dark chakra from his throne. His muscles swell up as his physical strength is pushed to the limit.
"It won't be able to hold me back since I have already surpassed that limit."
Snap… Snap…
The chains around him shatter and Shinnō frees himself.
"S… sensei!"
Amaru loses consciousness due to the over-exertion of her chakra.
Shoom…
Shinnō gathers a large amount of chakra in his right hand as he performs his version of Rasengan.
"I should have killed you back then to lessen my troubles. But now it doesn't matter anymore!"
Shoom…
He releases the mass of dark chakra towards Amaru.
"Amaru-chan!!"
Swoosh… Boom…
Another ball of crackling blue energy appears out of nowhere and collides with the dark ball of chakra.
BOOM…
Both energy balls explode and disperse in a brilliant display of sparkles.
AWOOH…
A wolf's howls rings in their ears as Roen walks out of the other end of the hallway.
"Master was right to send him here. If I was late even by a moment, then this red-hair girl would have died."
Roen slowly walks in front of the girls. He turns towards Ayaka, who had lost consciousness.
Swoosh…
Roen presses his paw on her forehead and releases some Healing chakra.
"Medical Ninjutsu!!"
The girls recognize the healing chakra.
"Roen you can use medical ninjutsu, so amazing?!"
The girls have stars in their eyes as the fear in their recedes completely.
The presence of Roen assures them that their Sensei is nearby, so they don't have to worry anymore.
"Of course! I have picked up a few tricks under Master's guidance." Roen turns towards a stunned Shinnō.
"You girls would be fine even if this mongrel attacked you, but this red-haired girl would have died!" He points out.
"Really?!"
Yakumo and Hanabi doubtfully stare at Roen.
Roen points towards the bracelet around the girl's wrist.
"The bracelet master gave you isn't just a storage tool; it also has a very powerful barrier formation inscribed on it. It will activate whenever your life is in danger." He assures them.
"I am not buying that!" Yakumo shakes her head.
"If it activates when our life was in danger, then why didn't it activate now when we are about to die under his attack." She argues with him.
"Yes, I agree with Yakumo." Hanabi also nods her head.
"It didn't activate because I deactivated it."
Roen points towards the collar around his neck.
"This works in a similar fashion to your bracelet. All of them are connected with each other with a seal. So, if you know the sealing formula, you can deactivate it. With me here, there was no need for the barrier!"
Shinnō gnashes his teeth. He stares at Roen with anger and resentment.
"A puny summon thinks that he can deal with me when my powers are even greater than the tail-beasts. Haha…"
Shinnō mockingly laughs at the small size of Roen.
Shoom…
He riles up his chakra and extends both of his palms in front of his chest.
Fwoosh…
A large amount of dark chakra gathers in between his hands. He compresses the dark chakra into an orb and aims it for the girls.
"That previous time must have been a fluke. I won't miss this time!"
Roen turn to the girls and gestures towards them.
"You kids, hide behind that pillar. You are a part of my lupical, I can't allow the young cubs like you to get hurt when I am about to go all out."
"Alright!"
Yakumo and Hanabi nods and pick up an unconscious Ayaka and Amaru.
Shoom…
Dark blue flames light up on Roen's tail as it splits in two.
Whoosh…
One of the flames flies towards the girl and forms a transparent blue barrier around them. After assuring their safety, Roen ferociously turns towards Shinnō.
Grrr…
Roen's eyes turn red as his body slowly expands.
Awooo…
He howls in fury and reveals his fangs and claws.
"You mongrel, you dare harm the dearest lupical of mine."
Roen turns towards Ayaka, who is slowly waking up. Memories of Ayaka's childhood flash through his mind as she used to play with him.
"I lost my only lupical when I was a cub and now when I finally found my lupical you dare harm her. You will pay for this audacity!"
Roen opens his mouth and gathers a large amount of Negative chakra from the surroundings.
He condenses a large amount of negative chakra into a blue ball and fires towards Shinnō's incoming attack in the form of a beam.
BOOM…
Both jutsu collide with each other as a gigantic explosion occurs at the center of the hallway. The explosion blows away multiple layers of the floor to reveal various chakra circuits running across it. They are held in a deadlock, as none of them can overpower each other.
Haha…
Shinnō laughs as he notices the deadlock.
"Even as a summoned beast, you have some skills, but this is not the limit of my power. With Reibi's chakra, I have unlimited power."
Shoom…
He draws more dark chakra through the throne and infuses it into the technique.
Shinnō's technique overpowers Roen's energy beam and slowly pushes it back.
"It's good you can put a fight or else I won't be able to execute you properly."
Roen grins at him.
Shoom… Shoom… Shoom…
Five blue magatama flames light up around his neck.
Swoosh… swoosh… swoosh…
They merge with the energy beam and empower it.
BOOM…
The energy beam instantly obliterates Shinnō's jutsu and smashes in him.
"NO! How… how is this possible?!"
Shinnō has an incredulous expression on his face. He is nailed to the wall as the energy beam destroys the surrounding wall.
Sizzle… sizzle…
White smoke rises from Shinnō's body and heals his body. He slowly stands up and smirks at Roen.
"As long as I have access to Reibi's chakra, I…"
Swish…
Roen infuses the negative blue flames in his claws and swipes them at Shinnō.
Slash…
He slashes a major portion of Shinnō's front body, leaving behind a gigantic gash around his chest and abdomen.
Spurt…
A large amount of blood leaks from the gash. Shinnō grabs his chest and falls into his pool of blood.
Swish…
Roen wipes his claws and stares at Shinnō with a savage expression as his suppressed inner bestial nature erupts.
"Now that's what I like to see when my prey won't die easily. This way I can toy with them however I like."
Black fumes rise from the bloody gash as it negates Shinnō's healing technique.
"My earlier attack was infused with a large amount of corrosive negative chakra. It can negate most regeneration techniques. I am surprised you can still heal after that!"
Roen curiously stares at Shinnō.
"Let me see how long will you last!"
"Damn you beast!" Shinnō growl in anger as he gives up on defense and healing.
"I will take you down first, then I will enough opportunity to heal myself!"
At the side-lines,
Yakumo and Hanabi stare at the battle with amazement.
"Wow! Roen is so amazing. He is so powerful!"
"Of course! He is the summon of the most powerful shinobi."
Yakumo nods her head.
--
Back at the battle between Izuna and ten-tails,
Izuna raises his head and stares at the ceiling.
"Looks like Roen handled everything perfectly. But I can't break this final barrier around Zero-tails without him."
Izuna stretches his right hand.
Shoom…
He gathers a large amount of wind, fire, and lightning chakra.
"Sunder Release: Valkyrie Execution"
He compresses the chakra into a spear and aims it towards the ceiling.
"Since a kid learns from his father, then a father can do the same!"
Swoosh…
He releases the spear towards the ceiling of the closed chamber.
BOOM…
The spear slams into the ceiling. It pierces through the various runes carved on the walls and explodes.
Rumble…
The ceiling collapses from the impact of the jutsu.
Rumble…
The ceiling collapses from the impact of the jutsu.
"What the…"
Shinnō, who is preparing a powerful dark jutsu to get rid of Roen and the girls, is taken by surprise by the sudden collapse of the ground.
Rumble… Rumble…
The floor beneath them crumbles, revealing a dark gloomy abyss. Shinnō jumps on the falling debris to slow down his descent.
AHHH…
The girls also free falls towards the lower floor of the temple.
Swoosh… Whoosh…
Roen turns into his shadow form and supports them on his back. He swiftly jumps towards the various falling debris and descends lower.
Swish…
Izuna waves his hand and creates a barrier around himself to avoid the falling debris.
Crack… crack…
Multiple cracks appear on the barrier around Zero-tails.
Shoom…
The ruins and Fuinjutsu seal around the Reibi glow brightly as it absorbs the dark chakra from the surroundings and repair the barrier.
Tch…
Izuna clicks his tongue.
"Pesky cockroach!"
Swoosh…
Roen lands beside him with the girls in his town.
"Oh! You are finally here, Roen."
Izuna nods.
"I need your help. I want you to cut off the connection of this beast with the dark chakra. It's absorbing the negative emotions of the surrounding people. This entire temple acts as a giant conductor to channel the negative chakra towards him. I am pretty sure there are multiple people locked in this temple who act as batteries for Reibi.
Since you also possess the ability to channel the dark and negative chakra, I want you to contest control over the negative chakra while I cut the supply from the main node."
Izuna issues a command to Roen.
"Yes, master!"
Roen nods and walks towards the giant cocoon of Reibi. He extends his claws and slams them into the ground.
Bzzt…
A large amount of dark purple chakra flows through Roen's body, turning his fur purple and his eyes a darker shade of red.
Awooo…
Roen howls in agony as numerous negative emotions flow through his mind. The aura of Roen changes and it reminds Izuna of the time when they first met with each other.
"Are you okay, Roen?" He asks with worry.
"I am fine for now, master! I can still hold for another ten minutes."
"Good!"
Izuna nods and makes some hand signs. He extends his right hand in front of his forehead and makes a one-hand Ram seal.
"Kokoro No Me"
A giant vertical dark purple eye opens in the mindscape of Izuna. The eyes appear beside the various elemental orbs floating in his mindscape.
Izuna feels like his consciousness has left his body and transcended a higher state of existence as he gazes at the entire place, including his body, from a third-person perspective.
He tries to sense his body, but everything points towards his body, which is closing its eyes on the ground.
"What a strange technique?"
Izuna gives up on trying to sense his existence.
This is one of the techniques which appeared in the Sin Grimoire recently.
'The existence of Sin Seal itself is an anomaly. Much less the technique associated with it.'
He shakes his head and focuses his attention on the surrounding area. The entire world appears in a shade of gray as a detailed map of the entire area appears in his mind. His senses easily bypass various barriers and other restrictions meant to counter the abilities of powerful Dojutsu.
Soon, Izuna's consciousness leaves the scope of the Ancor Vantian and stares at everything from the atmosphere of the planet.
Huh?!
Izuna is shocked to see a glowing red aura around the entire planet as a beam of red energy shoots towards the sky from a distant place. There is a huge rift in the sky which appears like a scar on the planet's surface.
Chills run down Izuna's spine as he feels a threatening energy signature from the rift. He turns down and notices Ancor Vantian emitting a similar dark red color chakra towards the sky.
'This flying fortress is a beacon which sends a signal to that rift to guide something to this planet.'
Izuna concludes.
--
Meanwhile,
As Izuna is lost in his technique to search for the core of the temple; Shinnō lands on the ground and notices Izuna and the rest of the group.
"This place… How did they find it?"
He notices Roen interrupting the flow of the dark chakra.
"Argh… you beast! Stop what you are doing right now!"
He dashes towards Roen with mad anger.
BOOM…
A shield of dark chakra blocks his attack.
Grrr…
Roen towards him with his dark red eyes and giant glowing purple fur.
Swish…
He slashes his claw and sends Shinnō flying.
BOOM…
Shinnō slams into a nearby wall as he blocks the attack with his arms.
Sizzle… sizzle…
The gash on his arms heals slowly. He turns towards the girls, who are hiding behind Izuna.
"This man… he must be the mastermind who ruined my plan!"
Shinnō gnashes his teeth and lunges towards an open Akio.
"Die!"
Shinnō gathers a massive surge of dark chakra in his arms and forms a giant purple orb with three rings around it.
"Super Shadow Revival Fist"
He slams it towards Izuna's head.
"Nii-san! Watch out!"
Ayaka screams at the top of her lungs to warn him.
Swoosh…
Izuna's consciousness returns to his body as time slows down around him.
Swoosh…
His right eye changes into Mangekyo Sharingan. Akio slowly opens his eyes and gazes at Shinnō's incoming attack with a cold expression.
"You had your share of fun toying with my students and imouto. Now, it's my turn to return the favor."
Cyan color chakra shrouds Izuna's arm. He clenches his fist and punches the attack of Shinnō.
BOOM…
Everything happens so fast that Shinnō is unable to react to Izuna's sudden punch. Izuna's punch blows the dark red orb of dark chakra as it lands straight on his chest.
Crack…
Shinnō's spinal cord shatters with the punch as the latter is sent flying towards another wall. He firmly lodges in the wall and creates a crater in it.
Argh…
He pukes a mouthful of blood and slowly slides onto the ground. There is a fist-sized dent in his chest.
Bleurgh…
He pukes out another mouthful of blood and stares at Izuna with disbelief.
"How are you so powerful? I have already reached the peak of humanity with all eight gates open. How can you still survive an attack from me and even wound me to this extent with just a single punch?"
"Peak of humanity?!"
Izuna shakes his head.
"Your technique is flawed. Your grasp of eight gates is flawed. Your circulation of chakra is flawed and even your use of your chakra is flawed. You don't even have a proper technique to use that powerful strength granted by the opening of all gates. And you boast that you have reached the peak of humanity? I already someone who can use Eight gates to its full extent with a heart of resolve."
A figure of Guy flashes in Izuna's mind. He shakes his head and turns to Roen, who is struggling to contain all the dark chakra and negative emotions.
"Just hold on for a little longer! I have found the core of this Fuinjutsu formation."
Izuna slowly floats up and flies towards a wall.
Bang…
He shatters a hole in the wall and flies deeper into the temple.
"Damn you! How can you leave like that after ridiculing my lifelong dream and hard work?"
Shinnō clenches his fist and channels the dark chakra through his body.
Argh…
Dark red lightning flickers across his body. He pukes another mouthful of blood as his body shrivels and his hair turns gray.
His eye sockets turn hollow and his musclesdeflate. Shinnō turns into a bag of bones as the side-effect of forcefully using the Eight Gates kicks in.
The previous attack from Izuna disrupted his flow of chakra, shattering the balance of dark chakra and the Eight Gate. However, the powerful energy of the dark chakra helped him survive the backlash, albeit at a cost.
"No!"
Shinnō slams his fists on the ground as he stares at his pathetic state.
"Why? Why? Why did this happen to me? I… Ijust wanted to avenge my country. I just… I just wanted to pay back for the injustice suffered by my people."
Shinnō wallows in sorrow as the girls silently stare at him.
"I feel sorry for him!"
Hanabi, who is the most emotional out of them remarks.
"Save your pity for someone else. He is not worth it!"
Ayaka shakes her head and points towards Amaru.
"He is paying for all the misdeeds he did in his life. This is his retribution, his karma!"
"Ayaka is right!" Yakumo shakes her head as she recalls her own life.
'Perhaps I would have followed a similar path if I didn't meet my team.'
ROAR…
The trio is startled by a suddenroar.
Roar…
The fur of Roen changes to purple as dark purple flames rise from its tails. Roen's eyes turn blood red and he releases an aura filled with immense bloodlust.
Roar…
Roen roars again and looks around. He notices the girls shivering in a corner, terrified by the chilling aura of Roen.
Roar…
Roen roars and lunges at them.
"Rrrr… Roen! What happened to you?"
Ayaka timidly calls his name. But Roen ignores it and swipes his claw at the girls.
Swoosh…
A dark green barrier appears around girls and protects them from Roen's attack.
Roar…
Roen roars in anger and attacks again and again with his claws. He infuses dark chakra into his claws and releases a dark purple flame slashes at the barrier.
Rumble…
Claw marks appear on the ground as the barrier trembles because of the powerful attack. The attack fails to scratch the barrier.
Roar…
The fury of the Roen's mindless state increases and it relentlessly releases a barrage of attacks at the barrier.
Crack… crack…
Multiple cracks appear in the barrier. Roen starts to slowly chip away the barrier with his powerful attacks and dark purple corrosive flames.
"Wha… what's going on? Why is he attacking us?"
Hanabi timidly question as she stares at Roen's red-eye in fear.
"This dark chakra is influencing the mental state of Roen. I can feel overwhelming negative emotions from it."
Yakumo bites her lips as she stares at the dark purple flames.
"Roen! Calm down, Roen! Do you remember me? I am Ayaka! Roen…"
Ayaka tries to calm Roen by recounting some fond memories she spent with Roen.
Roar…
Roen growls again and shakes his head as the dark purple chakra continues to pervade his body.
Roar…
It roars again and slashes at the barrier with another powerful attack.
Crack… Crack… Boom…
The barrier shatters into countless fragments, exposing Ayaka and the rest to a berserk Roen.
Meanwhile,
As the girls are struggling against Roen, Izuna dives deeper into the depth of the temple.
Hmm…
He comes across a giant network of seals, where multiple cocoons are hanging around a tree.
Shiing…
Izuna's left eye changes into a Rinne-Sharingan. He notices multiple people held hostages in the cocoons as the giant tree siphons their chakra and converts it into dark chakra.
"This must be the core and the power source of the temple which also provides dark chakra to Reibi."
Slash…
He slashes the tendril of the cocoon attached to the branch to free the person locked inside.
Swish…
Another tendril immediately shoots out from the tree and recaptures the person.
Hmm…
"Seems like I will have to get rid of the tree to free these people. In that case…"
Shiing…
The tomoes in Izuna's Rinne-Sharingan rotates as he stretches his arm.
"Shinra Bansho"
Ten dark purple orbs appear in his palm.
Swoosh…
The orbs morph into a giant sword as Izuna grabs it by the handle.
"Ama-no-Habakiri"
Izuna waves the giant purple blade and slashes apart the giant tree from the middle cross-section.
Slash…
The powerful slash from the blade not only slashes the tree in half, it even slashes apart the entire temple as a violet wave of energy travels through the atmosphere.
Swoosh…
The invisible red aura around the temple disperses as the giant tree slowly dissipates.
Whoosh…
Izuna flickers and saves the hostages.
--
Roar…
Roen slowly regains his senses as the flow of dark chakra stops.
"Mm… Miss Ayaka, I… I can't control my body. Quickly run from here before I lose control again! Only master can handle me in this state"
He desperately holds himself back and pleads to Ayaka.
"Roen!"
Ayaka stares at Roen with teary eyes.
Roar…
The dark purple chakra around Roen flares again as he swipes his claws at the girls.
Swish…
The consciousness of Roen is temporarily able to resist it and stop the attack.
"Run away! Please run away!"
"Roen, I… I can't watch you in agony."
Ayaka clicks her tongue and recalls the incident from the past.
'It has been almost five years since that incident when Onii-chan almost died at the hands of that man. That day, I decided I will grow strong and protect my Onii-chan. But I… I am so weak…"
Ayaka grits her teeth.
"Let me try! I think I can absorb the dark chakra."
Yakumo steps forward. She places a hand on Roen's body and slowly absorbs the dark chakra.
"Yakumo-chan!"
Ayaka clenches her fists as she is too powerless to help. Unbeknownst to her, a white aura leaks from her body and slowly engulfs the group as it repels the corrosive effect of dark chakra.
The invisible white aura blocks the flow of negative emotions and allows Yakumo to absorb and purge the dark chakra with no harmful effect.
Crack… crack…
The group hears the sound of an egg being shattered as the barrier around Reibi disperses.
Scree…
Reibi screams in anger as it awakens from its slumber. Having lost its vessel, it undergoes a crisis of existence to sustain itself.
Roar…
It roars and notices the life signature of the girls. Ayaka releases a pure white aura. The body of unconscious Amaru releases a red aura. Hanabi releases a cyan aura. Only Yakumo releases a dark purple aura.
Roar…
Reibi roars again and lunges towards Yakumo in an attempt to possess her to sustain its existence.
AHH…
The sudden appearance of a giant leech-like creature surprise and terrifies the girls.
Swoosh…
The bracelet on Yakumo's hand glows with a blue hue and forms a dark blue barrier to protect her. But Reibi ignores the barrier and dives into Yakumo's body.
Argh… AHHH…
Yakumo screams in pain as Reibi slowly possesses her body. Multiple black totems appear on her body. Her appearance changes slowly as horns, claws, fangs grow out from her body.
Whoosh…
Izuna arrives at the scene.
"Get away from my student, you vile beast!"
He makes some hand signs and forms a giant Fuinjutsu seal.
"Demon Purging Chains"
Swish… swish…
Numerous red chains emerge from the seals and coils around the Zero-tails.
Haah…
Izuna yanks the chains and pulls out Reibi from Yakumo's body.
Swish… swish…
He makes a couple more hand signs as the chains wrap around Zero-tails like a cocoon.
"Sin seal it!"
He commands the Sin seal.
Whoosh…
Multiple chains erupt from Sin Grimoire and drag the Reibi inside itself. The Zero-tails tremble in fear as it notices the appearance of Sin Seal.
Whoosh…
Izuna seals the Reibi and frees Yakumo from its influence. Yakumo loses consciousness and tumbles down the gap between the two halves of the giant temple.
"Yakumo!"
Ayaka and Hanabi quickly jump towards her and grab her hand before she could fall to her death. They slowly pull her up and lay her down beside Amaru.
Izuna turns to Roen and nods.
"You did well, Roen! Looks like you are able to control your dark negative emotions to some extent. Perhaps one day, you will be able to control your dark chakra form."
"Master! I hope that day will never come."
Fwoosh…
Roen shrinks into the size and walks towards the girls. He lifts Yakumo and Amaru and places them on his back. Izuna turns towards the girls and remarks.
"Our mission is done here. There are some hostages still held in this place. I will free them and destroy this giant temple, after which we will return to the village."
Whoosh… whoosh…
Izuna sends multiple shadow clones to clean up the place and free the hostages.
An hour later,
The group is standing on the ground as they stare at the giant fortress slowly falling towards the earth.
"It will be a disaster if this thing falls on the ground. I will annihilate it."
Shiing…
Izuna gathers a large amount of fire, wind, lightning, and water chakra in his palm.
"Oblivion Release: Spear of Penance"
He inserts less amount of chakra than the previous time. A dark crimson spear appears in his hands as he aims it towards the falling fortress.
"This should be enough to completely obliterate the fortress."
Swoosh…
He hurls the spear towards the fortress as the spear releases sonic booms as it travels through the air.
Eiyah…
The girls take shelter behind Roen's giant body as the shock waves uproot the nearby trees.
BOOM…
The spear collides with the remains of Ancor Vantian and explodes. A dazzling explosion of red energy followed by a black cloud of dust and debris rises in the sky as even the dust particles dissipate into nothingness.
The explosion forms a dumb-bell-shaped pillar and lasts for a few seconds before everything collapses on itself and dissipates into the void.
"Wow!"
Ayaka and Hanabi stare at the explosion with wide eyes as they get to see a glimpse of Izuna's true power.
'Onii-chan is so cool and so powerful!'
'Sensei is so powerful!'
Both girls have stars in their eyes. They stare at Izuna's back with reverence.
Hanabi tries to activate her Byakugan to stare at the explosion, but Izuna warns her.
"Don't activate your Byakugan or Sharingan! You will hurt your eyes."
In a private room beside the Hokage Office,
Tsunade, the various clan leaders, and the elders of the village are having a meeting as they discuss the recent events.
"Any lead Hokage-sama?"
Sakuma asks Tsunade with slight worry in his eyes.
"Lord Fourth! Report what your scouts saw."
"Yes, Lady Fifth!"
Minato nods and walks towards the centre of the room. In these recent years, Minato had been tasked with the leadership of the Anbu. As the previous Hokage, he is more than enough to qualify for the responsibility.
"Around a month ago, some of our anbu stationed near the HOLE noticed some abnormalities in the Tonika Village. So, a squad went to the HOLE for investigation."
Minato marks a place on the giant map spread on the table.
"However, after a week, there was no sign of them. Instead, a messenger eagle begging for help arrived at the Anbu headquarter."
Minato pauses and turns towards Tsunade and the clan leaders.
"Also, it was around this time that the shinobis from Land of Sky invaded the Land of Fire and launched an all-out assault on Konoha. It was thanks to quick action from Hokage-sama and Izuna Uchiha, the village was able to avert the disaster with no casualties."
The various clan leaders and village leaders stare at Fugaku with an envious gaze.
"There is no doubt about it that Izuna Uchiha is the greatest asset of the village. If not for him, then we might have suffered major losses during the attack of Sand and the attack of Sky."
Hiashi declares as others nod in agreement.
"His contributions alone make him a worthy candidate for the position of next hokage. Not to mention his strength, which even compares to the likes of the First Hokage." Inoichi remarks.
"And there was a time we people were foolish enough to believe in the lies of Danzo and other elders to banish Uchiha clan to the outskirts of the village." Another clan leader comments.
Fugaku crosses his arms around his chest. He has a neutral expression on his face, but everyone could sense the pride in his eyes.
Ahem…
Shikaku clears his throat to get their attention.
"We can discuss this matter later. For now, let's hear Lord Fourth's report."
"Yes… yes… Please excuse us, Lord Fourth and Lady Fifth!"
The clan leaders and elder regains their composure as Minato continues.
"Even though the damage was minimized, it still took us over a week to recover from it. The attack from the Land of Sky was a major violation of the peace treaty signed a few years ago.
So, Konoha had every right to counterattack and pay the favour in kind. Thus, Lady Fifth issued an SS-Rank mission to demolish the forces of Land of Sky. This mission was accepted by Izuna Uchiha, who I presume has already completed the mission."
Minato remind them of the red cloud that appeared on the horizon a few hours ago.
Mm…
The clan leaders nod with a solemn look.
'A single person single-handedly destroyed a country feared by multiple nations. This is no small feat. This makes Izuna Uchiha on the same level as the God of Shinobi.'
Such thoughts ran across their mind.
"However, the Land of Sky is not our concern and is not the reason behind the meeting." Minato continues.
"Lord Fourth, is it related to the stone golems which appeared at our borders?"
Akimichi inquires.
"Indeed, it is!"
Minato nods with a grave expression.
"According to the eyewitnesses at the borders, these golems suddenly appeared out of the nowhere and arranged themselves into a formation a few days ago. Since then, they haven't made any move.
That's not all! These stone golems have also been sighted at the border of Land of Wind, Land of Stone, and Land of Lightning. Land of Water, being a distant island, is the only place where these golems haven't appeared."
The expression of clan leaders turns grave.
"It seems there is a much bigger force at play here. Whoever or whatever it is, it wants to conquer all hidden villages in one fell swoop."
Shikaku speculates as he rubs his forehead.
"I also believe that such is the case." Minato nods in agreement.
"Then why they haven't made their move yet? Are they waiting for something or someone?" Fugaku raises a question.
"Hmm… about that!"
Minato presents the recent report to the group.
"I have sent a group of shinobis of the younger generation and the anbu Team Ro to investigate the peculiarity in the HOLE. The group includes team 7, team 10, team 4 and Team 8."
The expression of the clan leaders changes as they hear the teams.
"Two days ago, we lost contact with them. A giant red barrier has shrouded the entire Hole and despite the best efforts of our barrier team, we cannot break through it."
Minato reports to them.
"But that's…"
Hiashi, Inoichi, Choza, Tsume enquires with worry. Only Fugaku, Shikaku, and Shibi maintain their composure.
"I am sure you all are worried about your kids. Even my son Naruto, whom I met after twelve years, is trapped in that place. But as a shinobi, we can't allow such sentiments to blind us at such a grim time.
If I am not wrong, there is a huge possibility of the Fourth Shinobi War starting anytime soon. As such, we can't embroil ourselves with sentiments and lose sight of our enemies. Otherwise, the cost will be too much for us to bear."
Minato warns them with a heavy heart.
Sigh…
The clan leader sighs helplessly.
"Lord Fourth is right! We can't allow such emotions to cloud our judgement and let our entire clans and village suffer because of this."
Shikaku breaks the silence.
"We need to command our troupes and get ready for the battle. Meanwhile, we will send a team of highly skilled and trustworthy shinobis to inspect the barrier. If possible, we should ask Izuna Uchiha."
Shikaku breaks down the situation.
Suddenly,
Swoosh…
The surrounding space warps slightly as Izuna appears in the room with his team.
Hmm…
He looks around and notices various clan leaders and leaders gathered for a meeting. Izuna notices their grim expression and asks.
"Is something bothering you all?"
Ah…
The clan leaders get out of their shock as Shikaku continues.
"You came just in time. There is an emergency! The Fourth shinobi war is about to start."
"Fourth shinobi war?"
Izuna raises an eyebrow
'Did Obito start his plan without even capturing the tailed-beasts?'
"Fill me in!" He turns to Minato and Tsunade.
"It's like this…"
Minato recounts the entire series of events to Izuna. The girls also listen to the discussion.
"Hinata nee-san is in danger!"
Hanabi enquires with worry.
"Naruto and Sasuke Nii-san too!" Ayaka also has a worried expression.
"I see…"
Izuna nods and ponders
'Stone golems armed with weapons and armours? That must be the army of demons. Did they awaken their general? Looks like I have to make a quick trip to Land of Demons. That priestess and her kid are in danger. Also, an impenetrable barrier around the HOLE."
Izuna closes his eyes and tries to sense his mark on Naruto and the group.
"I can't sense it. They are isolated by a space-time barrier."
Izuna opens his eyes and turns to the clan leaders.
"Alright! I will accept the mission and investigate the situation at HOLE. Meanwhile, you people gather your forces and prepare for the imminent war. If possible, try to communicate with other nations to seek an alliance. The situation might be worse than it seems."
Izuna warns them.
"Ok! Lord Fourth will deploy the Anbu unit to investigate the enemies. Shikaku will handle the logistics and Sakumo will command the forces." Tsunade orders everyone.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
The group of clan leaders nod and leave the room in hurry.
Only Minato, Izuna, and Tsunade are left in the room.
"How is it Izuna-kun? What's the real situation?"
Minato and Tsunade ask him with slight worry.
"You know about it, Minato-san!"
Minato's and Tsunade's questions slightly surprise Izuna.
"Of course, all these years; you have grown under our eyes. You are like an open book in front of our eyes."
Sigh…
"Alright! I will tell you what I think is the truth or close to the truth."
Swish…
Izuna makes some one-hand signs and summons a chibi Yin Kurama.
"Kurama, explain everything to them. The tale of demons, the origin of Zero-tails and the seal of the Sage."