Author's note: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me.

Chapter 38: Lifelines

In a forest, somewhere outside the Village Hidden in the Leaves

Not far from the village, Sasuke was taking out his oldest twin son for a walk. Although reluctant at first, Inojin agreed to once Sasuke wanted to discuss with him about the finals of the Chuunin Exams. Nevertheless, the young boy remained suspicious of his father, and would not hesitate to attack Sasuke if he was tricking him.

But Inojin remembered what Sasuke had said to him after he had won this match in the third phase. Too his surprise, he was offered to be trained by Sasuke, his own father who knew that Inojin had no love towards. What was Sasuke trying to pull by doing this to his son? Inojin could see that his father had some resemblances to Fugaku Uchiha, his deceased paternal grandfather. Sasuke had short-hair that reached to his shoulders, similar to what Fugaku had. But Inojin had only looked at some old pictures of Sasuke's family when the former international criminal was just a young boy.

As the young boy dressed in black followed his father, he stopped as he could see Sasuke stopping in the middle of the depths of the forest. The raven-haired man looked to each side, making sure there was no one watching them as well as following them. Right now, the raven-haired man wanted some time alone with the son he didn't get along with and he didn't wish to have someone skulking nearby. In fact, Sasuke had strictly told both Ino and Shunsuke not to follow them. Ino was okay with it, as she felt that her husband was making an attempt to mend fences with Inojin. Shusnuke was having similar thoughts even though he was astounded by the fact that his father and twin brother was having a time together.

"We will stop here" Sasuke said lowly and turned around to face Inojin, his glance still as normal as ever. The young boy with ponytail was fixing a similar glance in return. All that existed between them were silence coming from the nature surrounding the father and son. But Sasuke broke it by speaking up. "You probably wondered why I took you out here" he remarked, his gaze never leaving his son.

"Tch, how the hell should I know?" Inojin rudely asked him while crossing his arms. "Considering your persona, I believe you dragged me out there so you could finish me off in person" he alleged while clenching his fists tightly.

Despite hearing this, Sasuke remained normal, although he did raise his eyebrow in question. He couldn't believe how ludicrous his son sounded. "Just what are you talking about? Have you really become this paranoid since you entered the Chuunin Exams?" he questioned him as if he wanted an answer. Sasuke could see the angry reaction on Inojin's face and it amused him. "If you are not paranoid then get your shit together and listen to what I have to offer you. And I recommend that you do so" the raven-haired man requested while fixing a slight disrespectful tone in his voice.

As much as he wanted to just punch his father, Inojin calmed himself, indicating that he would listen to Sasuke, but only for his own sake, not his father's. "Then speak and be done about it. I need to prepare myself for the finals" Inojin said, giving his father the word.

"Actually it was what I wanted to talk with you about" Sasuke revealed, catching his son's attention. "During the finals there is without a doubt that you will stumble upon strong opponents. Many of those opponents already know your moves, whether you use ninjutsu, genjutsu or taijutsu" he told Inojin, making sure the young boy got everything in his head.

"So you're saying that I should learn something new?" Inojin questioned his father. He chuckled sarcastically at his father's words. "Don't be ridiculous. On the Train Mountains I already learned something new….the acquiring of the Mangekyo Sharingan" he pointed out lowly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his son. "You call that learning something new?" he asked Inojin, forming a disapproving frown. "Impulsive fool, I already told you back then, you have zero chance of mastering it. Even now, you cannot perform Amaterasu. Mastering that takes longer than what you actually think. And you don't have much as strength to defeat me in combat. It is inevitable" Sasuke coldly scolded Inojin.

Inojin never formed a reaction to his father's criticism. He was only stunned on the inside, as he was trying not to show humility in front of his much despised father. As they still continued, the winds blew through the woods, creating sounds in the process.

"But enough about that, I have no intention of helping a brooding punk like you mastering the Mangekyo Sharingan. After discussing with your mother, I agreed to only teach you one technique" Sasuke revealed to him without regret. "This technique is called…the Chidori" he told Inojin of its name.

Hearing this made Inojin surprised. He had heard that name before, let alone seen it. Before the young boy could even open his mouth to speak, he witnessed his father doing a few hand seals, while holding his right arm tightly. Before the young boy knew it, sparkles of lightning Chakra began forming in Sasuke's right hand. It sparkled and even shined throughout the woods. Itachi became cautious about what his father was doing.

"What is the meaning of this!?" he asked out loud so that Sasuke could hear it.

Sasuke faced his son with a serious look, his eyes even changing into the Sharingan. "This is how Chidori really works!" he answered Inojin, the lightning in his palm glowing brighter in the process. He then moved the Chidori against a large rock that was sitting right next to him. As his fist dug into it, the entire rock collapsed, greatly surprising the raven-haired boy.

As Inojin could see the results, all that remained of the rock was nothing but rubbles. It shocked to see how strong his father actually was with a simple technique such as that. But yet, Inojin was cautious about his father, who was now clapping off the dusts on his hands. Sasuke faced his son once again, this time, with normal black eyes as his Sharingan had been deactivated.

"Now that you have seen the results, all that I want from you is an answer" Sasuke said while crossing his arms. "Now look me in the eyes and answer me this: are you up for the test? Will you be learning something new from me?" he asked Inojin seriously.

While the boy was facing the ground, he slowly looked up to his father's normal glance and their black eyes met. There was a brief moment of silence before Inojin spoke up. "Very well…if that what it takes to make me able to defeat you in combat…...so be it" he came up with an answer.

Seeing this made Sasuke smile smugly. "I am glad that there is still some level of intelligence in that small head of yours. The finals demand everything from you, including your thinking and perceptiveness" he commended Inojin. He then began facing through the small openings in the forest, watching the rays of sunshine streaming through.

"But can I at least tell Shunsuke about this?" Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted by Inojin's question.

The raven-haired man faced his son once again, surprisingly sighing. "No. You don't have to contend with such problems. You will keep this private from anyone, including your teammates and teacher. Rather, it would be best if you surprised all of them at the finals, once you have managed to learn the Chidori that is" Sasuke came up with an answer, although it didn't necessarily seem cold.

Although Inojin did not feel like doing that, he knew that keeping a secret had its benefits. But perhaps he could only let Ayumu know of this. He was still uncertain that he could share it with Shikio, considering that he could become a future opponent of his. However, Inojin wanted to learn the Chidori and he would do so, even if that meant being trained by his own father.

In the local park, Village Hidden in the Leaves

Hisoka Sado was training by himself. He had done that for the last couple of days, having no time to celebrate his victory in the third phase. But he was okay with that, as he had not been pressured by his uncle and teacher to do so.

Right now, the boy with dreadlocks was training his flexibility, jumping from various spots in the park. Although he was usually talented at raw strength, Hisoka was also known to be a fast individual, using his speed to intimidate or confuse his opponent. During his match with Saburou, Hisoka had managed to intimidate and surprise his opponent. But even so, the blonde-haired boy from the Aburame clan proved to be a worthy adversary to him, and Hisoka had openly admitted that he had underestimated his opponent.

The young black-skinned boy was panting while sweating at the same time, drinking some water from a bottle he had brought with him. After taking a refreshing slurp, he grinned cockily to himself.

"Heh, I bet the others still have uncertainties about the finals. But I have the opposite" Hisoka noted in his head, his grin never fading away. Despite the fact that he wouldn't know who he would fight against until the day of the finals, Hisoka didn't seem worried about it at the least. He only brushed off his concerns. "Those who watched me knew what I was capable of. They should be concerned about having me as an opponent" he added to his thoughts.

But Hisoka had not forgotten Guy's match, and how it ended. True, ever since watching his teammate lose his match, Hisoka had begun to grow wary of Jurou and his abilities. In his own opinion, the orange-haired boy was perhaps the most deadly of his competitors in the finals. But there were also Inojin, Minami, Nashiko and even the other two Mist genins he had to contend with as well. But among them, Inojin and perhaps Minami were the other deadly competitors of his.

Nevertheless, the black-skinned boy had to admit that Guy had put up a valiant effort in his match against Jurou. In fact, Hisoka was starting to have some form of respect for him. But he still considered the brown-haired boy's persona and determination foolish and unrealistic.

"Guy, you may have impressed me with your talents, and I sure as hell wanna fight you some day. But beneath all of that, you're still a reckless fool" Hisoka expressed his opinion of Guy.

Hisoka had not visited either him not Kimiko since the third phase ended, but he expected Kimiko to have been released from the hospital much earlier than Guy, who was left in a critical condition after his match.

All of this thinking, made Hisoka wanting to focus on something else. To this end, he took out a picture from one of his pockets on his pants and looked at it with surprisingly worrying eyes. The picture he was looking at was that of a 17 year old teenager with black-skin, and curly black hair. His eyes were brown, just like his and Hideki's. He was dressed in a black tank top, which exposed his muscular arms and biceps. He also wore light-brown baggy shorts and black sandals. In addition to that, he had a small tint of facial hair across his chin.

Hisoka sighed as he looked at the boy, who was actually his elder brother: Hotaka Sado. When Hisoka was a young boy, Hotaka suddenly left his team and the village as a whole. His comrades desperately tried to stop him, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. From what Hisoka had been told, Hotaka left the village in order to focus on solving a long-time issue the Sado clan had with the Village Hidden in the Clouds. Having learned this, Hisoka, against Hideki's wishes, sought to find out more about the Sado clan and its history.

A few weeks before the Chuunin Exams even started, Hisoka had managed to uncover some interesting facts about him and his clan. The Sado clan had its roots and origins in the Cloud Village. The Cloud Village wasn't necessarily known to have many clans, but among them, the Sados were the most infamous of them all. All members possessed the Kekkei Genkai Kaminaraigan, but it was unknown if the Sado clan had some relations to the largest ninja clans in the world.

But Hisoka learned than his clan was exiled from the Cloud Village in the aftermath of the Fourth Shinobi World War. It was at that time when his uncle and father were pre-teens. Hisoka also missed his father, as he had left him and his brother since they were little children.

"How long are you gonna stand looking at that piece of junk?" the booming voice of Hideki came, as the muscular man was now leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. He faced Hisoka with disapproving eyes. "Get rid of it. It ain't worth your time, kid" Hideki added.

Hisoka did not face his uncle, still keeping his eyes locked upon the picture. However, the young boy would not shy away from replying to his uncle. "Shut up, fool. I'm deciding about what to do with my time. You can only sit and watch me from the sidelines" he hit back, not necessarily sounding angered or irritated.

Hideki narrowed his eyes at his student's rude language. "Are you trying to make me angry? Heh, believe me, you would really not like to see me when I'm angry" he warned him without any signs of kindness. But the black-skinned man decided to change subject. "To be honest with you, Hotaka was more open-minded than you" Hideki suddenly spitted out.

Hearing this made Hisoka face his teacher with angry eyes, but he remained calm on the inside. "Back the fuck off! Since when do you have the right to speak about my brother as if he is your own dog?" he demanded, the expression on his face never fading away.

"Because he too is my nephew, not my dog!" the man with long, black hair replied strictly. "I've watched him and you grow up while your father left his parental duties" he added, causing Hisoka to feel somewhat stunned.

The boy with dreadlocks was lost in thoughts, until he finally spoke up again, this time facing Hideki with less angered eyes. "Sensei…is daddy still alive?" he asked his teacher as if he really wanted to know the answer. Hideki only shut his eyes, forming a deep frown in the process. This made Hisoka grit his teeth in anger. "Don't give me that bullshit response! You think I don't know anything!?" the young boy asked with anger.

"If you already know, then why is it necessary for me to answer?" Hideki asked him while opening his eyes, facing his student with a cooked eyebrow. "You know of our clan's conflicted history with the Village Hidden in the Clouds" he pointed out.

"But if we became exiles, why the hell did he left us?" Hisoka asked while throwing his arms in the air. "That bastard probably sold our clan's dignity to the Cloud Village and framed us!" he expressed his frustration.

His uncle was beginning to narrow his eyes at him and took a few steps forward. "Quit speaking like some ignorant dumbass, Hisoka! You have really no idea what your father, my little brother, has done to make sure the Sado clan survived!" Hideki growled, not even regretting what he just did.

Despite hearing this, Hisoka only turned around to show his back to his teacher, something which made the black-skinned man pause. "I really don't give a rat's ass about all this nonsense. But I will tell you this, uncle" he spoke up with a softer voice, almost as if he was actually trying to be nice to him. "Once the Chuunin Exams are over, I'll begin searching for both Hotaka and my father. You can try to stop me all you want, but I won't listen" he added with his intentions and slowly began walking away.

Hideki was surprised and somewhat moved by his nephew's words and he decided only to watch him walk away. As he watched Hisoka exit the park, the muscular man began closing his eyes, thinking about his little brother. "Your boys need you, Hideyoshi. Wherever you're dead or alive, you owe some explanations to them" he thought while thinking about Hideyoshi Sado: his younger brother.

Somewhere outside the Village Hidden in the Leaves

Nashiko was standing in the middle of a forest. But she was holding a water balloon in her right hand while holding it up. Meanwhile, Konohamaru was watching from the sidelines, making sure that the pink-haired girl did not lose concentration.

But Nashiko was getting tired of just standing there. However, she actually understood why she had to begin with holding a water balloon, as much as ridiculous it sounded. It was about collecting wind chakra with her hand, and forming it into a ball. The young girl had foolishly tried to do that without the instructions, something which had caused Konohamaru to raise an eyebrow.

"You're doing it completely wrong, girl! You can't just reach out your hand and expect a ball of chakra to be formed!" those were the words Nashiko was told by the brown-haired man. "If you wanna learn how to perform a Rasengan, then you must imagine as if that water balloon is the ball of chakra you have created. That means you will have to break it with the help of wind chakra. And remember, concentrate! When this is over, you will thank me later" Konohamaru's advice and instructions kept bugging in her head.

Nashiko kept looking at the water balloon in her palm and she got frustrated. But she chose not to throw a hissy fit, as she knew that it wouldn't solve anything either. In fact, she let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes. Perhaps imagining would help?

"I know it may sound crazy, but damn it I have to try!" she thought determined. In fact, she even formed a smug smile with her mouth. "A lot of my future opponents are strong, and I would be so dumb to underestimate them. That is why I have to learn and be patient…..for now" she added to her thoughts while concentrating.

Konohamaru sat underneath the tree's shade, putting his arms behind his neck while watching the show, even though he had begun to grow tired of it. He even let out a yawn, but made sure it was silent enough for Nashiko to hear.

"Nashiko has a long way to go, but at least she still has a few days left" the brown-haired man thought while watching the sun go down. "But as I've told her, she will need more than the Rasengan to be able to last in the finals. She may have the strength, but she lacks the perspective" he added to his analysis of Nashiko. But Konohamaru surprisingly fixed himself a smug look on his face, especially when thinking about his role model, Naruto. "I hate to do something like this behind your back, Naruto. But perhaps it would be fun to see you and Sakura get all stunned when seeing your own daughter performing the Rasengan. You will see its benefits later, I promise you that" he thought about how Naruto and Sakura would react to this.

Inside a steakhouse, the Village Hidden in the Leaves

When his cousins from the Sand Village felt hungry, Shikaien was forced by his mother to help them. With enough blackmailing, he reluctantly agreed to take the Sand Scorpions to some place to eat. But since Shikio was not necessarily a restaurant-enthusiast, he "hired" Chouta to assist him. The chubby girl was more than happy to comply and she immediately came over to the Nara household, where she was introduced to Tsubasa, Haruka and Atsushi.

Afterwards, Chouta led them all to a steakhouse she claimed served the best steaks in the Leaf Village. While Haruka and Atsushi were very keen on going there, Tsubasa and Shikaien was less than enthusiastic, especially Tsubasa, who only wanted to go eat somewhere cheap.

Right now, they were all sitting at a table, waiting for their food to arrive. Haruka huffed impatiently.

"This is so stupid! Can't those cooks pick up the pace?" the brunette asked while wailing.

Chouta showed understanding towards her. "I know right? The bad part of this steakhouse is the fact that you have to wait long. It sucks" she said while agreeing with Haruka.

Tsubasa only stared at her with an annoyed glance across the table. "You need to have a little patience, Haruka. Whining like some 4-year old won't help the food come any faster" he pointed out the kunoichi, who crossed her arms in return.

"You lecture me about patience?" Haruka quizzed her with a raised eyebrow. "I am as patient as the winds themselves. But you, on the other hand, have a really bad temper and attitude" she analyzed her calculating teammate.

The reddish brown-haired boy sighed in irritation, knowing it was pointless to argue with a hungry Haruka. "Such stupidity" he thought in his head while eyeing out the window beside him.

Atsushi could feel the slight animosity between Tsubasa and Haruka, so he decided to give them a better mood by speaking with Shikaien. "So Shikaien, have you ever tasted the food here? It sure smells good in this steakhouse" he asked the dark blonde-haired boy who was almost moping at the table.

"I've only been here a couple of times. But only mom is interested in going out to places like this. Dad is more of a reserved type, who isn't keen on drinking wine or beer in the evening" he answered, but he was actually thinking about something in his head. "Seriously mom, you could've just asked me to take them out for dinner instead of taking all my stuff away!" he thought while thinking about the blackmailing his mother had done to him.

"Let me assure you, the food here is delicious!" Chouta assured the boy with markings on his face. "The moment you chew on the steak, your mouth cannot stop drooling" she claimed, feeling very hungry right now.

Atsushi smiled at the chubby girl. "Then I'll have to be prepared for it" he remarked in return. But he could also notice how silent both his teammates were, especially since they had bickered just a few seconds ago. But Atsushi was interrupted in his thought by Chouta's voice.

"So, is it true that you and your teammates will watch the finals?" she asked him with a smile. The brown-haired boy only nodded his head. "I'm also doing that, considering that I will be rooting for both Shikaien and Inojin" she explained while facing her lazy teammate.

Shikaien only rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Well that's very kind of you, Chouta. But make sure that you don't embarrass us, okay?" he tried to make her listen, but the young boy could see that she was already not getting his picture. This convinced Shikaiennot to say anything.

Tsubasa was actually in deep thought, even though he pretended to just be staring out the window. In fact, he began facing the street and rooftops that could be seen from his seat. "Only a few days left before my father will arrive here in the Leaf Village. Even though things seem to have been calm around here, I can sense a great uncertainty in the air. It is as if every night, when the moon rises up, someone is watching us" he thought while fixing his eyes on the crescent moon that was beginning to slightly show up. "But I also sensed something similar back in the Sand Village. What was that? Perhaps the answers will be revealed in time" he concluded his suspicions, deciding to think about something else.

On a cliff overlooking the Village Hidden in the Sand

The night was almost upon one of the few civilizations in the giant desert. While daytime would give people living in the Sand Village hot and warm weathers, nighttime was a different story. During nights, it was easy for the village and the surrounding desert to experience strong winds. But luckily for the village, the cliffs surrounding it protected it from the harshest of winds. Few travelers ever dared venturing out in the desert during night. At night, the wisest decision was to stay in one of the civilizations the Land of Wind offered.

But right now, the Fifth Kazekage was now standing on a cliff overlooking the Sand Village. Gaara felt proud over seeing his village change into something more. He could only imagine how every citizen of the Sand felt safe under his protection, guidance and leadership. The red-haired man closed his eyes to feel the winds blow through him.

"Sleep well, brothers and sisters of the Hidden Sand Village. Your leader is always looking out for you" he thought, not wanting to say any word to ruin the silence.

Gaara slowly turned around and began studying something on the ground. His blue eyes narrowed as he showed away some sands. He once again closed his eyes to feel the sandy ground itself.

"I sense something….elusive" he noted lowly as he opened his eyes. "Those mysterious strangers were standing at this spot. But they haven't been coming back here since the day they declared war upon us" he added and suddenly walked towards the other end of the cliff. From that spot, he could gaze out into the endless desert. There were no signs of forest or any other things beyond the horizon. Here, the winds blew stronger, yet Gaara managed to stand form while gazing out towards the desolate landscape. "Brotherhood of the Blue Moon, what kind of madness do they worship?" he wondered in his head.

As he kept standing there, someone was approaching the Kazegake with small steps. Even so, Gaara didn't bother turn around nor look over his shoulder. He knew who that was. His brother and fellow member of the Sand Siblings Kankuro stood right beside him. He also gazed out towards the landscape, not bothering to look at his younger brother. They both were silent until the man dressed in black broke the silence.

"It has begun, hasn't it?" Kankuro suddenly spoke up. "There are some days left before the finals of the Chuunin Exams. But I've been much updated on how Atsushi, Temari and the others are doing over at the Leaf" he remarked with seriousness. The man with paintings then began facing Gaara. "I don't know what you think, but I sure as hell am not comfortable with all our children being there, in light what has happened" he admitted his thoughts.

The red-haired man then moved his eyes to see Kankuro's troubled look. "Are you having suspicions about Naruto, Shikamaru, Tsunade and the others?" he asked his older brother, who snapped in surprise at this.

"That's not what I meant!" Kankuro insisted to him, calming down in the process. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not as nutty as to suspect our friends of committing something as atrocious as that. But ever since those white-robed bastards appeared before our doorstep uninvited, I can't help but to feel unease" he then admitted, recalling the events that had transpired.

Gaara only showed understanding towards Kankuro, as he knew that his brother could not be blamed for feeling this way. He then put a hand on his shoulder with a reassuring smile. "You and I must stand strong together, Kankuro. I promise that I won't go down so easily against deception, like father did" he told him, although Gaara sounded rather grim at the end of his sentence.

Hearing this made Kankuro smile smugly in return. Perhaps it had helped him ease his concerns? "You're damn right, we must! The Sand Village has faced so many problems before. Therefore, we are ready against any who would do us harm" he said as he was actually feeling confident.

Gaara was happy for Kankuro. But there was something he wanted to know more from his older brother. "Kankuro, what is the latest update on the Sand Scorpions?" he asked him.

"From what Chiasa told me, the Leaf Village was nothing but calm. However, both she and Tsubasa admit that they sense something uncertain in the air. I don't know if Atsushi and Haruka feel the same thing, but considering their objective for coming there, they must be just as curious" Kankuro filled in what he had been told by the teacher of his son. The man dressed in black then sighed deeply. "I just hope that nothing happens to Atsushi before we arrive there" he then told Gaara who nodded his head in return.

"I admit that me and Matsuri feel the same with Tsubasa. But I think our son is more than capable of holding on his own against any foes, as are Atsushi and Haruka" the Kazekage assured his brother. The Kazekage then began moving towards the village. "Come. Let us get some well-deserved rest. Even watchers like us must sleep to save our energies" Gaara told his brother while moving, the winds tailing behind him on the way.

Kankuro chuckled by seeing how much mature and wise Gaara had grown. Perhaps becoming Kazekage at a young age had made him act this way. But that was only half of the truth. When meeting and learning from Naruto, Gaara knew that this world was to be loved, not hated. The red-haired man held nothing but respect for the one who had opened his eyes to the truth. Wiping off the chuckle on his mouth, the man dressed in black followed his younger brother to the Sand Village, their home.

Inside an ancient hall, somewhere hidden from the world itself

Far away from the realm of the shinobis lied an ancient temple with banners of the moon decorated all over it. This temple had an ancient hall which had fountains and statues as decoration. The water was shining brightly as the moon itself.

But beyond two large doors in the hall, darkness was the only thing enveloping. That room was a throne room and on the throne itself, someone was sleeping while a celestial music was playing in the background. But the one who was sleeping had tears running across his cheeks. From the look on his sleeping eyes, he was ancient.

"Almost….there" two words from the sleeper's dry mouth came out. But there was no one around him but himself and the melody which made him cry.

But in the hall before the dark throne room, there existed a roundtable and 13 seats stood and surrounded it. They were each reserved for the people that dwelled within this celestial temple. But the one in the middle was almost like a throne.

All of a sudden, the large doors to the hall opened and 12 people entered. What they all had in common were the fact that their eyes were blue, their necks covered with black markings and their choice of white outfits.

They each took their seat, with the throne only one remaining unoccupied. Bright light shined through the hall and a large glowing ball was floating at the middle of the roundtable. But it was actually an orb, but not any ordinary orb. It was the Orb of Asura. As the orb glowed, celestial music were played in the background and each of the people sitting around the table had their eyes closed.

It was apparent that they were silently praying while the music played. Once the music ebbed out slowly, each of them opened their azure blue eyes. They then began speaking up, indicating that they were having a sacred gathering, but to what end?

"Susanowa Otsutsuki: First Son of the Moon" the one with the spikey grey hair and beard said while folding his hands.

"Mikazuki Otsutsuki: Second Son of the Moon" the one with the long, white hair said while folding his hands.

"Koshin Otsutsuki: Third Son of the Moon" the one with short, black hair and goatee said while folding his arms.

"Tukiko Otsutsuki: First Daughter of the Moon" the one with the shoulder-length teal hair said while folding her hands.

"Tukiyo Otsutsuki: Also First Daughter of the Moon" the one with the long, teal hair said while folding her hands. She and Tukiko were actually twins.

"Uzume Otsutsuki: Second Daughter of the Moon" the one with the long, brown hair said while folding her hands.

"Bishamon Otsutsuki: Fourth Son of the Moon" the one with the shaved, brown hair said while folding his hands.

"Kishijoten Otsutsuki: Third Daughter of the Moon" the one with the shoulder-length blonde hair said while folding her hands.

"Hotei Otsutsuki: Fifth Son of the Moon" the one with the spikey, white hair and blue headband around his forehead said while folding his hands.

"Benten Otsutsuki: Fourth Daughter of the Moon" the one with the white hair tied into two pigtails said while folding her hands.

"Inari Otsutsuki: Sixth Son of the Moon" the one with the grey, messy hair said while folding his hands.

"Isora Otsutsuki: Also Sixth Son of the Moon" the one with the long, grey hair said while folding his hands. He and Inari were twins.

As they all had said their names, Mikazuki seemed ready to begin speaking and his siblings could tell that by looking at him. The white-haired man was satisfied as he got their attentions.

"Well met, brothers and sisters. It has been a while since we last sat around this table as a fellowship and a family. Since we are all gathered here with the Orb of Asura before our eyes, I am pleased to deliver you some good news" he told everyone while looking at each of them, one by one.

Susanowa narrowed his eyes at him, feeling somewhat offended by this man's smug personality. "And what would they be? Can we finally stop listening to you?" he asked Mikazuki, who only faced him sternly in return. "Will you treat us like siblings for once?" Susanowa added.

"Yeah, I'm tired of having to listen to whatever crap and nonsense you spew out!" Hotei called out, also voicing his dissatisfaction. "Frankly, we'd all be better off without you leading us!" he added.

"Just because you were appointed regent by HIM does not mean you can control us like your own hounds" Koshin spoke up while facing Mikazuki. "I still can't get over the moment you had sent your lackeys Susanowa and Uzume to bring me back here! I was only trying to explore the night and study all the hidden villages!" he claimed while justifying his actions.

While Uzume felt uncomfortable hearing this, Susanowa fixed a death glare upon Koshin. In fact, the man with beard pointed his hand palm against the black-haired man with goatee. "Mind your tongue, Koshin! I can make you look like an accident if you desperately wish to die" he told him threateningly, only for Koshin to glare back at him. This made Susanowa smirk. "You still think you can match up to my power? Pathetic" he added with distaste of his brother.

Bishamon chuckled smugly upon seeing this conflict. "And they say I have a bad temper?" he wondered.

His younger brother could hear it and he grinned sheepishly. "Tell me about it. Those morons are always so full of themselves" Hotei said while facing him.

While Hotei and Bishamon were musing at seeing their brothers fight, Benten only sighed deeply in irritation. "I came all the way here for this!?" she whined while landing her pretty face on the table. "Someone please just kill those idiots" she added.

"That is not a possibility, little sister" the stern voice of Kishijoten could be heard. The blonde-haired woman shut her eyes. "With these three, interfering in their fight is meaningless" she added. "But that is unless you are none other than…" she was interrupted when something happened in the temple.

All clashes were stopped, as everyone around the table could feel the entire temple shaking. It wasn't an earthquake, as it actually came from behind the large door at the other side of the hall. The shaking immediately stopped and silence began dominating the topics at the roundtable.

"That was…" Uzume was at loss of words. "The almighty Hirohito" she added lowly.

"His power…I can feel it" Isora stated in amazement. "It flows through my veins!" he added as if he felt some satisfaction by this feeling.

"Has he awoken? Is he finally awake?" Inari asked Mikazuki who only mused in return.

"That is the good news was trying to tell you before I was so rudely interrupted" Mikazuki replied and stood up from his seat. "After channeling enough energy, he now has enough power to even stand on his two feet" he said with pride. Mikazuki then raised his arms in the air. "Behold brothers and sisters! THE ALMIGHTY HIROHITO HAS AWAKENED!" he declared to make sure everyone heard them.

The large doors on the other side suddenly opened and celestial light and energies floated around the hall. The twelve siblings rushed off their seats and stood before the opened doors, kneeling before it. Even the bright light could never hope to blind their eyes.

"I can't believe it! After so many years of waiting…he's standing before us!" Tukiyo exclaimed with a smile.

Her twin sister nodded in return. "I agree with you, sister. This night is something worth celebrating" Tukiko said, agreeing with what Tukiyo said.

As celestial music played again, a silhouette appeared beyond the light. When it came closer, the twelve siblings could only smile or even cry, as their beloved leader had now awakened, no longer being unable to walk.

It was in the form of an ancient man with long white hair and beard. He had wrinkles, but despite being ancient, he didn't have many. His white clothes were decorated with black stripes along his sleeves. The skin was pale, but along his forehead, two horns stuck out. They were a good addition to his blue eyes which had just opened, showing everyone his azure pupils. In addition to his clothes, he also held a black and long Japanese trident in his right hand.

As he stood now a few meters from his followers, the ancient man began forming a smile with his dry mouth. "I have returned" he said deeply, the light behind him never fading away. But he suddenly slammed his trident on the ruined floor, shutting off the powerful light behind him. As the light shut off, the ancient man was reflecting on something in his thoughts. "Mother…brothers…I am not lost" he thought in his head.

All his followers stood proudly before him kneeling. To them, he was their great inspiration to what they were standing for. Mikazuki raised up his head with satisfaction in his eyes. "We are delighted of your return, Hirohito Otsutsuki: our lord and father" he said with praise of the ancient man.

To be continued…

Author's note: There! Chapter 38 completed! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Writing on this story has so far been fun and exciting. See you around! And by the way, here are the voices to each of these mysterious beings introduced in this chapter. Will they be friends or foes? Here are the voices I chose. They might be questionable, but what the hell!

Hirohito Otsutsuki – Keith David

Susanowa Otsutsuki – Matthew Yang King

Mikazuki Otsutsuki – Justin Gross

Koshin Otsutsuki – Dameon Clarke

Tukiko Otsutsuki – Karen Strassman

Tukiyo Otsutsuki – Jennifer Hale

Bishamon Otsutsuki – Jason Liebrecht

Uzume Otsutsuki – Mela Lee

Kishijoten Otsutsuki – Caitlin Glass

Hotei Otsutsuki – Micah Solusod

Benten Otsutsuki – Cherami Leigh

Inari Otsutsuki – Vic Mignogna

Isora Otsutsuki – Darrel Guilbeau