You guys are awesome and glorious! Over One Million views!
I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. Work and life...got tiring. But I've moved to a far better shift, so hopefully I'll be able to put out chapters sooner than I have been.
This chapter marks the end of the Mist Arc, so it's a bit longer than my normal chapters.
So sit back and enjoy the next chapter. Chapter 51: Light and Dark
"Shion." Naruto settled next to the High Priestess with his plate of delectable food, "I have a question for you." The group had made excellent time in the last eight hours. Since Taruho was no longer with the group, the shinobi had been able to travel considerably faster, covering in mere hours what would have taken the average soldier days. It would have been cruel to say it out loud, but the reality was that Taruho had forced them to move at a considerably slower pace. As per Sakura's calculation, the temple where Moryo's body was sealed was only three days away at their current pace.
"What is it?"
"Why did the temple guards not train you in self-defense?" Naruto took a bite of his fish, savoring the taste before expanding at Shion's wordless request. "You are a high ranking member of the government. If you would be captured or killed, it could have been disastrous." The Uzumaki shrugged, "I mean, in other places we've had missions where officials didn't have any combat training, but they had more than one bodyguard."
"When I was twelve, I asked one of the priests." Shion's empty plate made a soft clink as she set it on the ground, "He told me that Mother forbade it." Naruto's mouth dropped open.
"Wha-"
"Mother had to juggle her duties as a High Priestess and as a mother." The young woman continued, her eyes downcast, "And I think it was one of those times she had to choose the High Priestess. If I was corrupted by a demon or turned to the path of darkness, I would nearly unstoppable thanks to my bloodline." Shion sighed, the sound heavy and resigned. "And if I was versed in combat as well…"
"That's a load of crap." Naruto's blunt declaration caught her off guard, "She obviously forgot the most important thing about family."
Shion blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Family protects one another." There was a simple finality in Naruto's words that rendered Shion speechless. "That's what power is for. To protect those you care about. No more." The Uzumaki shook his head, "No less." Spearing another piece of fish, he waved the chopstick around, using it like a pointer stick. "If she was worried that you might go evil, then she should have stayed by your side and showed you why the path of protection is the right one, not darkness. Or," The chopstick jabbed upwards in emphasis, "She could have just trusted you."
"Mother thought what she was doing was best." Shion drew her knees up to her chest, "She couldn't have known that Moryo would return like this." Dropping her gaze to face Naruto, she studied his features, noting the confidence, strong edges of his jaw that reminded her somehow of a fox, and the endless determination that carried him through any adversity. "But you could teach me. You could show me how to fight."
"I thought about it." Naruto admitted, setting his now empty plate down and leaning back to stare up at the night sky, "But then I realized that I can't do that." A side glance showed the hurt that flashed across her face. "It's not you." His tone was soft and calm, yet there was a sad edge to it. "It's me." Sitting up, the Uzumaki brought his left hand up in front of his face. "What I know isn't self-defense. Oh, we might pretty it up, but shinobi don't learn self-defense. We learned hand-to-hand combat. To kill and hurt." Shion couldn't help but twitch back in shock at his blunt words.
"Plus," Naruto sent a proud look over to Shion, "You don't have the right kind of hands for fighting. Self-defense, yes," Naruto nodded, "But not fighting. They're for something better."
"My hands?" Shion dropped her gaze to her hands, "What do you mean?" She stared at her hands. They were pale white, just like the rest of her skin. They were soft and uncalloused, unused to toil or trouble. They were weak hands. "How could my hands be special?"
Two larger hands closed over hers, causing her to snap her hand up towards Naruto.
"Your hands are for helping." Naruto's smile was small and sincerity radiated through his eyes. "They are for guiding others. They are for protecting." His hands were warm, stirred something within her that she had never felt before. "That's what your bloodline is for, I think. It's to guide people and to show them the way. To protect them."
There was a strange sense of loss, Shion distantly noted, when Naruto pulled his hands away. She didn't speak. What could she say after words like that? Silence fell between the two of them.
"Welp." Naruto stood and stretched, "I'll let you get to bed. I've got some sealing ideas to go over with Honoka-Chan before she has to go to sleep." The Uzumaki made it two steps before Shion's question halted his step.
"How did you keep going after everything?" Puzzled, Naruto turned around and shot the still seated young woman a questioning look. "When everything is going wrong. When there is nothing but pain. Why," Shion shook her head, "Why did you not give up?"
"It's because of the fire that burns deep inside." Naruto's gaze turned to watch Haku, Sakura, and Hinata converse amongst themselves, "That defiant fire that burns within. It's what makes us alive. As long as you remember who you have to protect, there is a light that never goes out. No matter how dark the night, no matter how terrible your situation, deep down inside there is a light that never goes out."
Shion's breath caught in her throat. Naruto looked so wise in that moment, as if he was the first man to walk the earth. The flickering campfire highlighted his face, the shadows only serving to accent his exotic and handsome features. Naruto shot a grin her way and then headed off, moving towards the others. Behind him, Shion clutched her hand to her chest. "What is this feeling? Why does it feel warm and exciting?" Despite her confusion, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the Uzumaki's upper back. "Were his shoulders always so wide?"
The night and next two days swiftly passed for Shion, the speed and monotony of their traveling method allowing her to zone out and consider what Naruto had said.
"...Deep down inside there is a light that never goes out."
The shadows grew long, and the shinobi slowed and then halted for the evening. They could have continued onwards, but their client was growing tired, unused to traveling for long periods of time without a break. Naruto hadn't heard her complain once, a far cry from just a short time ago when she had refused Taruho's meal. But she needed her rest. The resting place of Moryo's body was only a day's travel away, and Shion needed to be awake and alert for her part.
However, Naruto wasn't going to let the High Priestess sacrifice herself when there was a better way. Sakura and Hinata had worked together to extract Moryo's dark chakra from the blood samples the medic nin had obtained, and had worked with Honoka and Naruto in hopes of creating a new way of defeating Moryo that didn't involve the sacrifice of a High Priestess.
"Lady Shion." Shion glanced up from her plate, the mostly untouched food having been pushed around the steel rather than eaten, "When you have a moment, Sakura-Chan would like to see you. It's about possibly creating an alternative way to stop Moryo."
Momentarily forgetting the tremulous emotions warring within her as curiosity bubbled up, Shion set her plate aside stood up, and followed Haku. Despite knowing that there was no other way - her mother had died hadn't she? - she couldn't help but wonder...what if there was another way?
"There you are." Sakura glanced up from the medical textbook she was reading on chakra theory as Shion approached, "Come over her and look at this." Noting the page she was on, the kunoichi sealed the book into her sealing scroll and stood. Heading over to a secluded section of the camp with Shion following close behind, the pinkette slowed as she neared the small barrier covering the ground. The dome was, to Shion's untrained eyes, a simple trick of the light, causing the camp light to bend ever so slightly when it reached the barrier's domed edges.
"Close your eyes and step through." Sakura's pace hitched for a moment as she passed the invisible membrane of the barrier, and like magic, disappeared from Shion's sight when she fully passed the barrier. Stopping outside of the barrier, Shion reached out and touched the surface. Despite not seeing anything different in front of her, she could feel the perfectly smooth surface of the barrier. Taking a deep breath, the young woman closed her eyes and took a step forward.
For the briefest of moments, the crackling and popping of the fire shifted and distorted, the sound seeming to fold in on itself. Light shifted and twisted behind her closed eyelids, the glow from the fire warping in five directions at once. Then, she was through. Shion opened her eyes.
She immediately spotted Naruto who was crouched next to Honoka, both Uzumaki hunched over a tome filled with arcane looking symbols and arrays. Hinata was staring intently at a sealing array that had been draw onto a large sheet of sealing paper. Cool air wafted from Haku's palm as she held it upwards, maintaining a cool but not uncomfortable temperature in the semi-isolated atmosphere inside the barrier. The ice user was standing guard in case enemies - however unlikely it was - would invade the barrier Sakura was nearing the sealing array that Hinata was watching, and once there, motioned for Shion to come over as well.
Padding over to where Sakura was standing, Shion glanced down to where Sakura was pointing. She couldn't help but stare as she caught a closer glimpse of the sealing array and what was contained inside it. There was a looping spiral to the seal array, countless - at least to Shion's untrained eyes - seals making up the spiraling symbol. At the very center of the array was a small dark purple blob that was thrashing about as it tried to escape its confinement. Curious, the blonde girl stepped closer to the array. The blob froze before rotating, something vaguely reminiscent of a head cocking to the side as it studied her. Then, it jolted back in recognition the small space afforded in the center of the sealing array. A moment later it quivered in rage, a tiny roaring maw forming.
A chill crawled up Shion's spine as she recognized what the dark blob was: It Moryo's chakra. The dark chakra overcame its shock and bashed itself against the seal. Shion staggered back, the memories of the terrible time when she had been held captive by Moryo all those years ago flaring up. Instinctual fear rose within her. Her mind warred with her memories.
"It can't hurt you." Honoka's calm voice broke Shion from her thoughts, "It lacks the strength to break the sealing array." A hint of amused pride flickered across her elegant features. "It is a variant of a seal designed to contain something much more powerful than it. Now," The Uzumaki kunoichi motioned over to a smaller array connected to the spiraling array by three thick lines, "Please come over here and place your palms in the center of the array."
As Shion stepped near the array and kneeled down next to it, Honoka continued her explanation. "We have run a variety of simple tests on the chakra, and due to a lack of proper tools and equipment, haven't been able to gather much data beyond a few simple details." The Uzumaki tapped a sealing scroll. "I have copies of the gathered data if you are interested. The barrier you stepped through prevents Moryo's chakra from communicating with its source. We do not know if it is possible for Moryo or its men to sense the chakra concentration, so we set up this barrier to block the chakra signature."
"This array," Honoka motioned to the seal array in front of Shion, "Will allow you to channel your chakra into it and then it will transfer that chakra to the array. There is something special with a High Priestess' chakra, given how it is a requirement for sealing away demons." Shion placed her hands in the empty spot in the center of the array. "Naruto-Kun has a few ideas, but we need to see how the dark chakra reacts to your chakra in order to see if his idea will work."
The High Priestess closed her eyes and concentrated on channeling her chakra into the seal in front of her. Pinkish-white chakra filtered through her fingers and disappeared into the paper. After a moment, Shion felt a resistance to her chakra, the sensation similar to being full after eating. Opening her eyes and lifting her hands from the seal, she couldn't help the wonder that filled her as she watched the sealing array in front of her glow white-pink, followed by the three connecting lines. The chakra traced around the spiral until it reached the center and Moryo's chakra.
The dark chakra began to disintegrate, seemingly writhing in agony. Within mere moments, it ceased to exist. Baffled and amazed, Shion stared at her hand in undisguised awe. Was that really her chakra? Was it capable of defeating the darkness?
"Looks like you were right Naruto-Kun." Honoka's voice broke Shion from her thoughts, "The High Priestess'
special chakra is the catalyst needed to seal a demon." Moving over to her fellow Uzumaki, the pair pulled Hinata into their huddle and all three hunched over a sealing scroll that had a complicated - at least to Shion - looking seal array.
Sakura's hand lit up green as she scanned the area, making sure that no trace of Moryo's chakra remained. Haku, taking pity on Shion who looked extremely confused as she sat on the ground, knelt down next to the blonde young woman and explained what was going on in brief terms.
"After examining and deciphering the High Priestess' seal array designed to seal a greater demon, Naruto-Sama theorized that in order to seal a demon away, it requires a High Priestess' chakra. However," There was unmistakable pride in her voice, "He was able to work with Honoka-Chan and together they redesigned the seal array, using both his own seal and the High Priestess' seal array as a base."
"As you saw, it was able to restrain a small portion of Moryo's chakra." Haku paused, sorting out her thoughts. "From what I understand, Naruto-Sama believed that if your chakra was added to a larger version and then that array was powered by enough chakra, it would bind Moryo to this plane."
"Why would you bind instead of seal it? It cannot be allowed to roam the earth and kill." Binding Moryo to this plane of existence? What good would that do?
The smile Shion got from Haku was cold and merciless. "Because then we can destroy it."
Shion blinked. Greater demons, such as Moryo, could not be killed. If they were somehow severely injured, they would dematerialize, return to the abyss that spawned them, heal, and then return in a short few years. The ancient High Priestesses had learned that lesson the hard way. Then, when all seemed lost, the secret of how to seal the demons was discovered, turning the tide.
"Once we bind Moryo, we will kill it" Shion's mind whirled at the sheer audacity of such a plan, not to mention that it flew in the face of every tradition. If they failed, Moryo would dominate the world, unable to be stopped. But if the plan succeeded…
Several hours later Shion still wasn't sure what to believe. Her head, who insisted that there was no way for mere humans to destroy a greater demon and she should continue the way that it always had been done, sealing Moryo once again, or her heart, who whispered that it was time to hope. Time to defy. Time to change the future for the better. The young woman found herself standing on the edge of the camp, staring up at the night sky. "What should I do Mother? Should I be Shion or the High Priestess?"
"Shion-San." Honoka stepped up beside the blonde, "Would you like to know how the High Priestess' seal actually works?"
"So I have to die to seal Moryo." Staring up at the stars, Shion couldn't help but notice that they seemed so far away. "I will sacrifice myself just like all of the High Priestesses before me. Just like Mother." It was relieving in a way to know that she hadn't killed her mother. Having carried the secret guilt of believing that she had been the cause of her mother's death, it was strange to know that her mother would have died even if she hadn't been kidnapped by Moryo's followers.
"But Haku-San didn't say anything about Naruto's plan needing me to die." Despite the complete outlandishness of their plan, Shion couldn't help but ask, "Honoka-San, this plan of yours and Naruto-Kun's, would it require me to die as well?"
"No, it would not." Honoka's long red tresses swayed as she shook her head, "All that we would need is a portion of your chakra. It would require you to be directly in the center of the seal, but we will do our best to protect you while you channeled your chakra. Once that is complete, we will take it from there. There is no need for you to fight Moryo directly." She avoided pointing out the obvious, which was that Shion had never learned to fight a civilian, much less a monster of considerable power.
For the first time in her life, Shion stood at the crossroads of belief. On one road stood tradition. Things continuing like they always had, familiar and safe. The demon's will would be halted, and the land would be saved. Fate would continue to decide the destiny of man. The ultimate sacrifice would be made to ensure that others would live.
On the other was the unknown. Flying in the face of every tradition, every story of old. Using methods she had never heard of, they hoped to take down a creature that was rightly named the Dominator. There was no guarantee of success. All they had was hope and defiance. Fate would not decide their destiny.
Caught up in her thoughts, Shion didn't notice Honoka step to the side to make room for Naruto. She did, however, notice the moment he started speaking. "I someone I know once believed in Fate at least as much as you do, if not a little bit more." Shion spun to face the direction of his voice as he continued. "He had to get it beaten into him that Fate doesn't control everything, but in the end it was up to him. He had to decide if he would continue believing in Fate or take a risk on the hope for a better future."
"Now that you know what two paths lay before you, what do you choose?"
Shion searched Naruto's blue eyes, seeking to find hidden fears or doubts. She found none. Looking at his smile, Shion came to a decision.
She chose hope.
It was still dark when they awoke for the day. They hadn't slept much given what was to come when they arrived at the temple, but the shinobi knew the value of rest, and had slept for a few hours. Shion had fallen into a restless sleep for only an hour before she was shaken awake and then picked up by Sakura. The Konoha group made quick time, arriving within a mile of the temple by daybreak. Shion, who was on the verge of falling back asleep, caught sight of the temple as the sun rose above the treetops. The temple was dark obsidian. Light seemed to be absorbed rather than reflected from the smooth stone. Unlike the temples of her home, Moryo's temple was harsh angles and spiked spires. The shadows cast by the temple were long and grasping, seeking out to crush any life that dared enter its domain.
While Shion stared at the temple, Hinata also surveyed the area. Sweeping the area with her bloodline, she found enemies. Four missing ninja were waiting on the shadows of the valley. Corrupted chakra wound around their bodies and chakra coils like dark, pulsing vines, and the Hyuga couldn't say where the ninjas' chakra ended and Moryo's chakra began. The chakras were far too tightly intertwined to distinguish the enemies' original chakra nature, much less any new abilities granted by the dark chakra.
Continuing her search, Hinata swept past an army of statues, each with a chakra core. She blinked and refocused her gaze on one of the statues. On the outside it looked much like any other statue of a warrior, motionless and unyielding. The statue was of a soldier clad in heavy armor and wielding a razor sharp spear. But to the Hyuga, there was something else buried beneath the statue's grey stone skin.
Dark purple chakra spidered outward from a seething core like spilled ink, mixing with the stone like unholy veins. No part of the stone was untainted, and now that she knew the truth, Hinata saw the statue differently. It did not grip its spear with reserved focus, but with determination and drive to destroy its enemies. It was the perfect guard, unchanging and unyielding, and filled only with tireless energy. There would be no mercy found within its soulless gaze.
It was an army created for a single purpose: To subjugate the world of men.
After a quick meeting, according to Hinata the missing ninja had noticed them and were slowly ambling in their direction, it was decided that the four kunoichi would take on the missing ninja while Naruto would take on the army. Having the most chakra - and thus the most raw, explosive power of the group - the male Uzumaki was the logical choice to face the unfeeling army of stone. A clone of Naruto would carry Shion to the temple once they were significantly distracted.
Given that there wasn't much information to glean about the enemy ninja's skills, they had reluctantly decided that they would engage the enemies in the order that they appeared. Sakura would take the first, Honoka the second, the Haku the third, and Hinata would take the final enemy. After a few quiet words, the group headed out to battle.
As she climbed on Naruto's clone's back, Shion couldn't stop the thrill of excitement from shooting through her. Perhaps, once this was all over, she would think more on the feelings his presence invoked. She did need a new bodyguard… Then, his hands clasped around her thighs and he tensed. A moment later, the clone shot forward along with the rest of the group, and Shion didn't have time to think of anything else.
As the ground blurred by, she watched Sakura engage with the enemy female ninja, both blurring faster that she could follow. Within seconds, the other Kunoichi had split off as well, engaging the enemies who approached. They reached the valley floor and the stone army. Naruto moved off, drawing the army's attention away. The clone skidded to a halt beneath the shadow of a rock outcropping. Sliding off its back, Shion opened her mouth to plead for it to stay with her. "I'm not strong enough. I can't be the High Priestess. I'm not like you."
"...Your hands are for helping."
The words died on her tongue. "I didn't matter if I feel strong enough. I have to do this." Determination kindled a fire within her. "I am the High Priestess. Protector of the realm. But I am also Shion, a simple girl. And I have friends. They will not let me down. And I will not let them down." Closing her mouth, she nodded to the clone, which leapt out from behind the outcropping to draw away the few stone soldiers who were drawing near.
She was still afraid, but Shion would not let her fear stop her. Peeking out from behind the outcropping, she didn't see any of the stone soldiers. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out from the safety of the outcropping and moved towards the temple.
"Oh…good." Shizuku smirked as she surveyed the pink haired kunoichi standing thirty feet from her, "I wanted someone to play with." She sighed, the sound wistful. "I would have preferred the blonde girl, but you'll do." Water beaded on her skin, sliding down her arms in a slow, lazy stream. A chain dropped out of the wide sleeves of her white robe, and the blade attached to the end of the chain hit the ground with a soft tink. "Shall we begin?"
Testing the fit of her dark brown leather gloves, Sakura didn't answer. Despite the casualness of her words, the pink haired kunoichi could see the naked intent to maim and harm in the woman's posture. She might have been pretty once, but that beauty was now marred and corrupted. Dark thick purple lines stained what would have been classically elegant skin, and her once vibrant orange hair was now matted and dull. Shizuku's pupils were now a sickly purple, no trace her original eye color remaining. The lines pulsed, like a second heartbeat. Sakura breathed in and then out.
Her hand twitched, a pre-coated poisoned senbon unsealing and dropping into her hand. She hurled the senbon directly at Shizuku's head.
With a blast of water, the enemy kunoichi spun out of the way and launched herself forward, covering the ground in almost the blink of an eye. With a flick of her wrist, the daggertails scythed towards Sakura. Back springing away, Sakura flashed through the hand seals for an earth technique. Landing, she slapped her palm against the ground and shoved a spike of chakra through it. A short platform shot upwards, deflecting the daggertails Shizuku had thrown.
Using the platform as a stepping stone, Sakura hurled herself upwards into the air. Twisting to avoid the half dozen water bullets Shizuku sent rocketing at her, the pink haired kunoichi sent a dozen kunai racing at Shizuku. Swerving to avoid the deadly projectiles, Shizuku only had a moment to react when Sakura slammed into the ground, her chakra enhanced strength shattering the ground beneath her fist.
Now within melee range, Sakura surged forward towards the surprised enemy nin, snapping her clenched fist towards Shizuku's torso. Her fist plowed into the woman's chest.
Shizuku exploded into water droplets.
Staggering forward from the lack of expected resistance, Sakura was unable to fully dodge the massive wave of water that rushed towards her. Something snapped in her side as she bounced off of the platform she had created. Coughing, Sakura pushed the pain spiking through her away and brought her hand to her side. Her palm glowed green as she knit the broken skin and snapped ribs back together. Green eyes narrowed as Shizuku's mocking voice washed over her. Wiping her lips of the spit up blood, the pink haired kunoichi readied herself.
"Oh my…" Shizuku reformed out of the puddle of water, "...Did someone break a nail?" Giggling, the sound both sinister and grating, she raised her hand, three water spears forming over her shoulder. "Let's see if I can break the other ones."
Spinning out of the way of a flying spear made of rock, Honoka assessed her options. The redheaded kunoichi had already tried several different sealing arrays, and all of them had failed. Her opponent, Gitai if she wasn't mistaken, was a rather irritating opponent. Every time she created a sealing array, he would simply stomp and the ground would erupt, destroying the seal array before it could activate.
His armor was too tough for her rapier to pierce, and he was too fast to bind with her sealing chains. The rock armor he wore - or perhaps it was his skin? - deflected both fire and wind with equal ease. Honoka's eyes narrowed. She would have to try something else.
The ground below her feet erupted. A spike tore its way towards her. Slamming her arms together, Honoka directed her chains towards the spike roaring towards her. The ribbon like chains surged forward and down, the symbol for "shield" flashing into existence. The material bent slightly as the hardened earth tried to breach the seal, but the chains held firm against the onslaught. Glancing up as the force behind the spike dropped, Honoka spotted a large, rock covered fist rocketing toward her face.
Her red hair shifted in the wind as she ducked, and her hand glowed. Shifting forward, the Uzumaki kunoichi placed her hand against Gitai's rock covered chest, the motion almost delicate. Seals crawled outwards from her palm, tracing into a small seal array. Gitai froze, the paralysis seal taking hold.
A snarl rumbled from deep within his chest. Honoka shifted her hand upwards, her ribbons speeding inwards.
The stone armor trembled.
Gitai roared. Spikes erupted from his armor, piercing Honoka's hand and shoulder even as she hurled herself away. With a sound similar to cracking stone, four arms burst out from the cultist's sides, flesh melding with stone.
Unsealing a bandage, the Uzumaki wrapped her hand and shoulder the best she could, pushing the pain aside in favor of assessing the new abilities her opponent had gained. Three arms raised her in her direction. With a crack, countless sharpened stones blasted in her direction. Tugging the sealing scroll of her back, Honoka snapped it open holding it like a shield. Channeling chakra into the Uzumaki designed paper, she traced the seal array in her mind in an instant.
The rock shards hit the paper...and sank in it, vanishing from sight. Another snarl alerted her to Gitai changing tactics. Ducking while simultaneously bending back, she avoided the two spikes that would have impaled her. Using the spikes as a springboard, she pushed herself backwards to avoid Gitai's lethal haymaker. Bits of stone blasted in every direction as three fists clipped the spikes, easily shattering them.
"Just stand still." Gitai glared at her, "Let me crush you."
"I must decline."
"Shion-Chan should be far enough away now." Tapping his left heel against the ground to reduce speed, Naruto let the force of his speed spin him around. As he spun, he dipped his hand into his kunai pouch and tapped the third ridge three times. Withdrawing three kunai that had already lit explosive tags on them, he hurled the weapons at the four nearest stone soldiers.
The tags exploded. Heat bloomed outwards, and hungry flames licked the night sky.
The stone soldiers marched towards him, none worse for wear.
"Ok…" Naruto muttered, "That was supposed to do something. Let's try...fire." Blurring through the handsigns for a fireball, he sent the attack directly at the lead soldier twenty feet away. Fire rolled and obscured the stone soldier for a moment. Then it was visible again, its step unhindered along with its brethren. The stone was blackened, but still strong.
Wind proved equally ineffective. The stone was too tough to slice, and the soldiers too heavy to move. Making a slight cup, Naruto formed a Rasengan in his right hand with a thought. Crossing the short distance to the nearest soldier within a second, the Uzumaki slammed the spinning blue ball into its armored chest. Stone chips flew in all directions as the attack grinded deeper and deeper.
Naruto's eyes widened as the Rasengan continued to bore into the stone soldier, and it didn't seem to care. Elbow deep into the construct's chest, he felt rather than saw the stone spear racing towards him. Grabbing the soldier's shoulder, the Uzumaki pulled himself upwards, narrowly dodging the attack. Frowning as he stared at his now stuck right arm, he formed a Rasengan with his left hand and shoved it into the top golem's head, grinding deep within it.
"Shit." Now both of his arms were stuck. The stone soldier, undeterred by the lack of a head, thrust the spear again. Shoving chakra into his back, Naruto concentrated on stopping the spear. Chains erupted from his back, tearing through the thin cloth of his shirt. They wound around the spear, constricting its movement. The razor sharp tip halted inches from his head.
"Boss!" The clone he had sent to drop off Shion raced in front of the golem Naruto was stuck in, "Hold on. I'll get you loose." Closing its eyes, the clone formed six other clones. The other stone soldiers closed in. Spears raised and drew back. Purple eyes burned bright. Forming Rasengans, the shadow clones desperately grinded away at the stone soldier, working in unison to free their creator.
With a dull crack, its chest finally split open, freeing Naruto from its grasp. Leaping back and retracting his chains, Naruto reassessed the situation. "Ok. That didn't work either." Flexing his hand, Naruto flooded chakra to it. "Let's try something a bit more...violent." He charged the another golem that was striding past the shattered one.
Shoving his hand against the stone soldier, he unleashed the gathered chakra. With a boom, it exploded into dust. Naruto grinned. He could work with this. Closing his eyes, he tugged deep within himself. White smoke blanketed the battlefield. The stone army halted, momentarily confused.
Out of the smoke marched another army. Naruto's army. In unison with their creator, their hands began to glow. Stone spears raised in a wordless challenge.
The armies charged.
With a wet pop, Haku's ice shield gave way. The ice user had already moved out of the way, her creation buying her enough time. Spinning as she moved away from Kusuna, she unleashed a dozen senbons at the enemy nin. Much like the times before, the man dodged a few of the senbons and a multitude of snakes made of dark chakra blocked the rest. The few times she had successfully hit the man, Haku had unpleasantly discovered that he was also a medic ninja, capable healing the few wounds she had managed to open.
"Run…" Kusuna cackled, "...Run little girl." Sending out another barrage of dark chakra snakes in her direction, he couldn't help but be amused by her defiance. He could have end the fight some time ago, but where was the fun in that? Her ice constructs were easily shattered when the chakra within them was corrupted, and it was more fun to watch her run. She hadn't much of a noise when he had nicked her with one of the chakra snakes, or even now as her wounds oozed blood. But that was alright. He had all the time in the world to make her scream.
The shadows were deep, far deeper than they had any right to be. Creeping through the shadows as she snuck closer to the temple's main door, Shion couldn't help the crawling sensation that she was being watched. Stopping yet again, she spun around in a circle, seeking to find anything amiss. Nothing but shadows. Behind her, there was a roar of a wave of water, and the blond haired young woman couldn't help but pray for Sakura's survival. The pink haired kunoichi was strong, but that had been a massive wave of water, easily thirty feet high and equally as long.
Daring to increase her pace, Shion darted from the shadow she was into the next one. Her heart thudded in her chest, and despite the emotions warring in her head, she had never felt more alive in her life. The ground rumbled suddenly, threatening to knock her off her feet. A roar echoed across the barren valley. Nearly tumbling to the ground in shock, Shion whipped around to look in the direction of the noise.
Honoka had just dodged two spikes from a six armed enemy ninja. Shion's stomach dropped as she made out the bandage on the Uzumaki kunoichi's hand and shoulder. "They are getting hurt because of me." The High Priestess shook her head, "No. It's Moryo's fault." Quickly sending up a prayer for the elegant Uzumaki, Shion pressed onwards.
Soon, almost far too soon, she was in front of the massive doors that led to the temple. Blasphemous sigils were carved deep into the flat obsidian, forming morbid murals of pain and fear. Shivering as she looked up at them, Shion couldn't stop the momentary spike of fear that whispered that it was hopeless. Despite knowing that Naruto's plan was for her to wait until he and the rest of the group, she shouldn't help but feel like there was tugging pull towards the door. Shaking her head with more force than was necessary, she reached out and pushed against the door.
The stone, defying all logic, was warm. Refusing to acknowledge the panic that thrashed about inside, she pushed harder. The doors opened on soundless hinges. Light spilled into the room, pushing the dense shadows back. And there, at the center of the massive room, was the crystal holding Moryo's body. Glowing seals pulsed softly across the floor.
Stepping into the temple, Shion bit down on her lip to avoid screaming in shock when her footsteps echoed, the sound far louder than it should be. Spotting a torch, she let out a cry of instinctive relief. Abruptly remembering that she had a flint and steel in her pockets, meant for lighting the sacred torches, Shion broke into a run as she hurried towards the nearest torch stand. Fumbling in her pockets, her clammy fingers nearly dropped the thin pieces of metal when she tugged them out of her pockets. It took a half of a dozen tries due to her trembling fingers, but she succeeded on the seventh try. Quickly moving to the next torch, she lit that one as well.
Her heart eased with each torch lit, and by the eighth torch, she had almost grown used to the echoing sound of her own footsteps. Padding over to the ninth, and final torch - being careful not to smudge the delicate lines of the seal array holding Moryo's monstrous body back - Shion frowned. Why wasn't there a torch in the torch holder?
Step. The sound echoed in the chamber.
Puzzled, Shion stared down at her sandal covered feet. She didn't think that she had moved her foot. She must have though. She was the only one in the room.
Step. The sound echoed again.
Shion's breath caught in her throat. She hadn't moved her feet.
Step. The footstep was closer, unhurried in its approach.
Shion's hands began to tremble. Who was with her, and why did their approach fill her with dread?
"Well, look who decided to join me." Yomi's voice echoed in the still chamber, his tone mixed with a deeper, inhuman one. "Just the person I was looking for." He moved closer, his pace slow and deliberate. "The last High Priestess. All alone."
"I-I'm not alone." Shion pushed past her fear and turned to face Yomi. "Naruto and the others will come to help me defeat you." Her eyes fell onto Yomi, and her bloodline activated. A pink kaleidoscope spin in her eyes, and the vision took her.
Yomi was standing in the near a glowing seal line. Darkness pooled around him, nearly swallowing him whole. Dark purple veins pulsed and shifted, standing out in stark contrast to his pale, almost waxen skin.
Then...something moved beneath his skin. The skin rippled and bubbled. There was a sound of shattering crystal in the distance. The rippling increased.
Then...purple chakra exploded out of his chest. Blood and bone blasted outwards, and as his body hit the floor, something dark and evil crawled out the hole.
The man was pale. His skin was waxen, and his hair limp and dull. Purple veins beat in time with a heartbeat, and his eyes glowed malicious purple. A savage, inhuman grin stiched across his face as he spotted Shion's look. "What's the matter? You look like you saw a ghost."
"Do you…" Shion's voice was soft as she tried desperately to be brave, "Do you want to know how you're going to die?"
Yomi scowled. "You're not afraid. Not yet. Why is that I wonder?" Agitated for reasons he couldn't quite explain, the cultist leader stalked towards the girl, stopping a mere twenty feet from her. The fact that she wasn't shaking in fear - even with all that had happened to her while she was waiting to be rescued all those years ago - was infuriating. But beneath that there was another emotion buried deep within Yomi. Moryo whispered within his skull, and acting upon his master's orders, Yomi raised his hand to the massive doors of the temple.
The shadows squirmed near the doors, tendrils reaching out towards the doors. They began to close. As the light from the outside shrunk, Shion felt her defiance shrink with it.
Thud.
Purple seals lit up along the doors' surface, the blasphemous sigils glowing with baleful, purple light. "Now it is just you and me." Relishing how Shion's hands trembled, Yomi stalked a bit closer. The girl glared back, still holding onto some hope. Biting back an angered snarl, Yomi tried a different route.
"Did you know that a High Priestess has to sacrifice themselves in order to seal a greater demon?" Yomi frowned at her lack of surprise, but pressed onwards, determined to see her fall into despair. "Perhaps you did. But did you know that it doesn't have to be that way?" That caught her attention. "Oh yes. One of my Lord's more...inspired plans."
The way Shion clasped her hands together to hide the trembling was almost beautiful. "It was a long reaching plan, I will admit. After the High Priestess'..." Naked hatred dripped from his tone at the thought of those who stopped his master time and time again, "Started defeating our forces, Lord Moryo came up with a plan. He sent one of his loyal followers with a special seal array to the High Priestess camp…" Shion gasped in horror.
"Yesss…" It was almost a purr, "Now you understand. They sealed us, one by one, until they believed themselves safe. There was hundreds of the accursed High Priestesses. I gave them...hope.I waited, knowing that in time I would once again be free." Reverence and malice laced Yomi's tone. "And so the High Priestesses died, one by one. Each time dying to seal the us. And now…" He leaned forward, you are all alone."
"I am not alone." Shion shook her head, "Naruto and the others will come for me." A dull explosion echoed from the outside. She did her best to ignore it. "Fate doesn't control us."
"It doesn't?" Yomi tilted his head to the side, "Just think: For you to hear that explosion through the thick doors, how big do you think it must have been? Could any of them survived that?"
"I…" If Fate didn't control anyone, that meant that anyone could die. And if anyone could die…
"I…"
"They are dead. And you are alone."
Shion sank to her knees. Shadows crept inwards. And one by one, the torches began to wink out.
Sawoosh.
Hinata spun out of the way of another wind blade, and then twisted out of the way of the next. She had been fighting her opponent for several minutes and they had come to a standstill. Due to the seemingly unlimited chakra he had been granted, he had sent blade after blade of wind chakra at her. Having realized the danger of being at close range when being attacked by a Hyuga, he had simply kept her at range.
To make matters worse, the wind chakra dispersed her lightning chakra, limiting her attack options even further. When she had tried to close in, he had generated a veritable wave of tiny wind blades, making it impossible to move in. However, Hinata was content to wait. His chakra levels were slowly dropping. Given enough time, the enemy ninja would run out of chakra. Then she would strike.
Risking a quick expansion of her bloodline, Hinata increased the range to encompass the entire valley. Pale eyes widened. The other kunoichi were losing. It was a subtle thing, but their chakra levels were lower than their opponents by a significant amount. They had all been injured. While none of the injuries Haku, Sakura, or Honoka had suffered were immediately life threatening, the wounds did decrease their combat capabilities. By contrast, Naruto was unhurt, but still working his way through the stone army. Movement from her opponent's hands brought Hinata back to the fight.
Setsuna swept his hand downwards, sending out a razor sharp wind blade at the Hyuga. Mentally floating just above the surface of intoxicating power bestowed on him by Moryo, he was certain that the Hyuga girl was slowly losing ground. "Master will reward me for bringing him her corpse."
Hurling one more wind blade at Hinata, Setsuna sped through the handsigns for his newest wind technique. Finishing the final seal, the ninja spun on his heel, drawing deep on the chakra within. Just as he completed his complete rotation, he unleashed the gathered wind.
A tornado twisted into existence.
The white, twisting chakra construct turned dark within seconds as it consumed dirt, rock, and what little vegetation stubbornly clung to life in the barren valley. The grinding whistle from the twister was ear screeching, assaulting the senses like a maddened bird of prey.
Hinata got two steps before she froze. Naruto had stopped along with his clones, his worry for her safety outweighing his own. Pale eyes narrowed. How could she stand beside him if she couldn't even defeat a simple storm? Turning to face the oncoming storm, Hinata began to focus.
Planting her feet, the Hyuga breathed in and out, shoving every scrap of chakra she could gather to her eyes. Pain sparked across her temple. A stray rock whipped past, slicing open her cheek. The sensation was ignored, along with the feeling of dripping liquid. Her vision flickered between blurry and focused. Hinata concentrated, one thought dominating her mind. "I will not be the reason you cry, Naruto-Kun." The pain behind her eyes transformed into agony.
Still, she stared into the oncoming storm. Her blue hair slapped her face as it bellowed in the wind. The cloud of dust proceeding the tornado swallowed her.
"I…" Red flickered in her pale eyes, veins of crimson chakra crawling inwards from the edges. "...Will…" It was a promise. A demand. A defiant command. "...Protect…" The crimson lines met. And Hinata saw.
She saw the shifting energy that twisted and spun in front of her. She saw the sweeping arcs that made up the wind chakra. She saw the flowing energies that made up water. The straight lines that formed earth. The twisted and coiled nature of the dark chakra wound around the enemy's very soul.
Her sight deepened. She saw the malice within Moryo's chakra, its very existence polluting the world around it, twisting it to a mockery of itself. Her enemy was lost within that chakra, his soul consumed by the darkness long ago. And then...Hinata saw Naruto. She saw his hopes of a better future. She saw his hidden fear that he would never been good enough for them. She saw his defiance of a fate that would harm those he cared about. She saw the darkness that slept quietly within him, a raging fire that would burn the world if kindled. She saw...love. It was luminous. It shown like the brightest star in the night sky. Despite everything that had happened to him, all of the pain, lies, and betrayals, Naruto still loved. Even though he did not fully understand himself, Naruto loved.
She drew upon that image, that knowledge, and raised her hand. White chakra flickered like a flame. Her eyes began to glow white, the red veins dissipating. She searched the twisting blades of chakra, searching for a weakness. Then, as it almost consumed her, she did the unthinkable.
Hinata split the storm.
Her hand swept forward weaving a pattern that split the blades of wind, destabilizing them within a split-second. The storm dissipated. The glowing white faded, and along with it, her enhanced vision. Pale eyes met Setsuna's shocked ones. And in that moment, Hinata knew what to do, how to help those she cared about. She raised her hands, forming a specific handsign. White smoke blanketed her.
"Sakura-Chan." Sakura glanced over at the location where Hinata's voice had come from, "I know how to defeat your enemy." The pink haired kunoichi blinked as she saw the Hyuga casually standing a few feet away watching Shizuku. Hinata raised her hand. "I'm a shadow clone."
"Please," Shizuku called out in that sickly sweet tone that Sakura had quickly grown to hate, "Take your time. I have all day." The woman licked her lips. "I'm not quite done with you, but if you need a moment to cry, I'll be happy to give you that."
Sakura stepped next to the clone. "What is it?" She kept her voice as low as she could, "I tried everything. She just has too much chakra and isn't solid enough for me to land a killing blow."
"There are also shadow clones speaking with Haku-Chan and Honoka-Chan." Hinata's shadow clone whispered back, "In just under thirty seconds, Haku-Chan is going to be engaging your target. You will be moving forward and engaging Honoka-Chan's target, who is mostly tough and uses earth techniques along with rock armor. Honoka will be switching to my target, and I will be switching to Haku-Chan's." The clone took an unneeded breath. "Make sure that you move quickly to your next target."
"I'm bored." Shizuku announced, "So you'd better be done powdering your nose." Water swirled around her form. "Because playtime is just getting started." Sakura shot off, away from the shadow clone. Hearing it dissipate behind her, she began silently count.
"One." Shoving chakra into her legs, Sakura sprinted to the side, circling Shizuku. Dropping to her knees in a slide to avoid three closely packed water spears, the pink haired shinobi snapped a kunai directly at Shizuku's head. It passed through the smirking enemy's head, Shizuku's water form rendering the attack useless.
"Five." Rolling back to her feet, Sakura wove through the handsigns for the fireball technique. Spitting out the ball of condensed fire, she watched it explode against Shizuku without any effect. Shizuku retaliated with a grandiose sweep of her arm, sending out a wave of spiked water racing towards Sakura.
"Ten." Blitzing through the handsigns for a simple earth wall, Sakura finished the final seal and slammed her hands against the ground, a protective wall shooting up to block the oncoming wave.
"Twenty." A spike of chakra alerted Sakura that Shizuku would be firing the high pressure jets again, and the pinkette leapt away from the earthen wall moments before it was perforated by a half dozen coin-sized jet streams.
"Twenty-Five." Unsealing a kunai with an explosive tag, Sakura lobbed it upwards, aiming for it to land on top of Shizuku. A torso sized ball of water rocketed in her direction, spitting tiny blades of water in all directions as it whizzed through the air. Green eyes analyzed the attack within a moment. There was no blades of water shooting out from the top. Sakura hurled herself up and over the attack.
"Thirty." The explosive tag detonated, clouding the area with smoke.
Shizuku frowned, annoyed that the smoke interrupted her playtime. The body her master had granted her was far too powerful for the explosion to be anything other than a minor inconvenience, but the smoke was annoying. Waving both of her arms, she directed the water to swirl around her, blowing away the clinging smoke.
The smoke cleared, and she eagerly peered around the area, seeking the pink haired girl so that she could toy with her more. Shizuku blinked when she spotted someone other than Sakura standing thirty feet away. "Where did the pink haired girl go?" She puffed out her cheeks, "I wasn't done playing with her yet."
"I'm sorry." Haku shook her head, "But Sakura-Chan is busy. Please surrender or I will be forced to subdue you."
"Subdue me?" Shizuku placed a hand on her rather ample bosom, "I'm beyond you, beyond any of you. My master has granted me power beyond that of any mortal." Raising her hand, the kunoichi sent a water spear racing towards Haku. "Die."
The ice user raised her hand, a shield of ice constructing itself within a heartbeat. The water spear slammed into the shield, not even scratching the surface. "Tell me, why do you serve Moryo? He is a demon."
"Lord Moryo is a god." Outrage and devotion swirled within the water user's voice, "You are not worthy to speak his name. I would do anything for him. I will kill anyone for him. He will return." The dark chakra surged within her, seeming to agree. "My lord commands me to destroy you." She sped her hands through a series of handsigns. Water cycloned around her arms, frothing at the tips of her fingers. "Die for my master." A gigantic dragon made of water roared and zoomed towards the seemingly defenseless Haku. "Die for his glory."
"No." Haku spiked her chakra, and the dragon froze solid. Snapping open her clenched fist, she directed her chakra outwards. The dragon exploded. "I will not let you harm anyone else." Raising her hand to point at Shizuku, the ice user spiked her chakra and clenched her fist.
Shizuku was instantly flash frozen. Haku's expression could have been carved from stone. The ice user opened her clenched fist.
Racing towards Honoka's target, Sakura leapt off a jagged rock and hurled three shurikens at the six armed enemy's head. They bounced off his armored helm. With a noise similar to an aggravated, rumbling snarl, Gitai turned and stomped in her direction. "Wait your turn. I'm not done breaking her yet." Spinning back around, the missing nin searched for Honoka. Not finding her, he turned back around to Sakura. "I'll break her later. Are you ready to scream?"
Leather creaked as Sakura clenched her fists. Gitai, taking the motion as a challenge, threw two of his arms toward Sakura and launched a dozen rock shards. Rolling to the side, the pink haired kunoichi rolled to her feet and wove through the handsigns for a small mist jutsu as she sprinted to the side. Breathing out, she pulled a vial of poison from her pouch and eased it into the mist. The mist rolled towards the enemy ninja.
Gitai snarled underneath his helm and raised his hand again, shooting out an endless barrage of rock shards. The shards whistled through the air, slicing through the space Sakura left behind. The pink haired kunoichi ducked and slammed her hand into the ground, instantly stopping her momentum. Blitzing through the handsigns for a genjutsu, she hurled herself backwards as Gitai's lower arms gestured, and the ground erupted in spikes.
Finishing the final seal, Sakura focused on the image she wanted to produce. She landed, and before Gitai's unbelieving eyes, stopped moving. The missing nin's eyes stung as the mist contacted his face. Annoyed, he waved it away, his rock barrage halting. There was something wrong with the pink haired kunoichi, he was sure of it. His head pounded, and he sent a spike at her chest. The spike shot out of the ground without warning...and impaled Sakura. Blood sprayed out of her mouth as she was lifted upwards.
Something wasn't right. Feeling like he had run a marathon, heaved for breath. What was happening?
Raising his suddenly heavy arms, he spiked his chakra. Sakura vanished from the spike. "Genjutsu!" A flash of pink movement directly in front of Gitai caught his attention, but moving felt like he was moving through molasses. Sakura seemed to zoom in front of him, her first already cocked back. With a shout, her fist rocketed forward.
Crack.
Gitai's armor shattered. Staggering back, the cultist only had brief glimpse of chakra blades forming on the kunoichi's fist before she closed in again, and everything went black.
"Switching opponents?" Kusana mused as he watched the ice user sprint off while another kunoichi slid into a fighting stance in her place. Flicking his pink hair to the side of his face, he analyzed the kunoichi in front of him. While he couldn't identify her fighting stance, her pale eyes were a dead giveaway: She was a Hyuga.
There were some oddities with her eyes, given that they had a subtle white glow to them, but since the enemy ninja group from Konoha had a female Hyuga with them, it was a safe bet that the girl in front of him was the Hyuga their spy mentioned. Before, Kusana would have worried, but now, empowered by his master's dark chakra...how could he lose?
Besides, he was sure that the stories of the Hyuga were over exaggerated.
Mentally commanding one of the dark purple chakra snakes to grab a scalpel from his coat, he held out his hand. The smooth metal weapon dropped in his palm a moment later. Lightning danced along the Hyuga kunoichi's arm, and Kusana felt a spike of caution. Pushing it aside - he had Lord Moryo's power running through his veins, did he not? - he extended his arm. Eight chakra snakes shot out from his back like tendrils.
Hinata surged towards the enemy. As the chakra tendril neared her, the Hyuga merely blinked focusing her bloodline on the chakra construct. Locating its weakpoint, her hand snapped forward and tapped it, disabling the chakra flow. It dissipated within moments.
"What the…" Kusana almost choked in shock, "How did she…?" Before he could react, Hinata disabled the remaining chakra snakes and was within striking distance.
"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms."
The first two strikes disabled Kusana's hands, the scalpel dropping out of nerveless fingers. Fear enveloped Kusana for the briefest of moments as his chakra points were rapidly closed off. A final blow knocked him off his feet. The scalpel clattered to the ground.
Unable to use chakra or defend himself, Kusana could only stare up in terror as the emotionless Hyuga's hand flashed towards his face.
"Whew." Naruto sighed in relief as he watched his friends handily defeat their opponents. He didn't know what he would do if he lost them. Turning back to the significantly reduced stone army, he couldn't help but grin. "Time to finish this up. Shion is probably waiting for us outside the gate by now." Summoning a new batch of shadow clones, the army of blonds charged.
Setsuna couldn't help but shake open fear as he watched the oncoming red haired kunoichi move in his direction. He sent out another dozen wind blades, only for each of them to dissipate against her raised chakra chains. The wind attacks, while deadly, lacked enough mass to halt or even stall her advance. "In that case," The cultist wove the handsigns for another tornado, "I'll have to go all out from the start."
Wind roared and spun as he completed the final handsign. Honoka knelt down and unsealed a sealing brush. Dipping it in ink, she quickly began to draw.
The tornado rushed at her and then, with a roar, swallowed her from view. When it dissipated, Setsuna squinted, trying to see if she had somehow survived like the other kunoichi he had fought before. The dust settled, and the cultist froze. Standing in the center of the devastated area was the Uzumaki kunoichi. A shimmering barrier faded away as she glided forward once again.
There was a reason why the Uzumaki were feared.
"So now you realize." A lone torch remained, "There is nothing you can do to prevent my Lord's resurrection." Yomi leaned forward, "Nothing." The torch flickered, but didn't go out. "It doesn't matter what you think." Turning away, he moved to the center of the seal. Planting his foot on the seal line, he shoved his chakra downwards. He slid his foot back. The glowing seal line broke.
Darkness pooled around him, nearly swallowing him whole. Dark purple veins pulsed and shifted, standing out in stark contrast to his pale, almost waxen skin. Then...something moved beneath his skin. The skin rippled and bubbled. There was a sound of shattering crystal in the distance. The rippling increased. Purple chakra exploded out of his chest. Blood and bone blasted outwards, and as his body hit the floor, something dark and evil crawled out the hole.
"Ah…" Moryo's voice boomed, "Much...better." Four massive claws cracked the stone floor. "In the end, I always win." Eight terrible dragon heads stretched and yawned. "Dominion is inevitable." Darkness crawled closer and close to Shion. The torch flickered and suttered. "Now...die like your mother."
The torch went out.
Darkness.
There was nothing but darkness.
It pressed into her like a physical thing, and Shion couldn't help but despair. What could she do against such power? How could she, just a mere girl, stop anything?
Fate...was cruel.
"...Protect the ones you care about."
The darkness pressed, sliding across her skin. There was no light. Closing her eyes, Shion reached deep down inside. She thought of those who had fought and died for her. She thought of those in the villages of her land, those who looked up to her and believed in her. She remembered how strong Taruho had been, right up until the end. She remembered the sunny smile that came so easily to Naruto. Defiance began to flicker and burn. Shion reached deep inside.
Darkness cloaked everything.
But…
Deep inside…
Deep down…
There is a light that never goes out.
Shion's eyes snapped open. Pink light blasted outwards, obliterating the darkness choking her. Power, new yet impossibly ancient, welled up within her. Moryo staggered back, snarling.
"No." Tendrils of darkness twisted in fury and confusion, "Despair had taken you. Why do you continue to fight?"
"Because I believe in my friends." Shion pushed herself to her feet, "I believe in them, and I will protect everyone who believes in me."
Shaking its heads, the demon regained its composure and leaned forward, its massive heads dwarfing the, by comparison, small blonde girl with glowing pink eyes. Still, it was careful to not step in the tiny pulsing circle that emanated from Shion, nor did it dare to breach the light surrounding her. "Tell me… little high priestess, what do you plan to do now?" Eight maws split into mocking grins, "You are still so alone."
"I'm not strong enough to defeat you." Shion admitted, the light aura dimming slightly. "But…" The light resurged, "I can stop you." Pink eyes, no longer afraid, met Moryo's. "I will sacrifice myself, and in doing so, you will be sealed once more." Moryo hissed, the sound angry and primal. "You won't hurt anyone else."
"No one will know of your sacrifice." Moryo leaned back from the light, "You will be unmourned and unremembered. Can you continue knowing that it will all be vain? Can you continue knowing that I will return one day?"
"Yes." Light began to waft off of the edges of Shion's hair, "Because I know that no matter how long it takes, others will rise up to stop you." Color bled out of her robes, leaving only untainted white behind. "I don't know what the future holds in store, but I choose to believe in a future without darkness; without pain; without you." The High Priestess knelt, choosing her fate.
"No." It was a snarl out of eight throats, "I will not be sealed. I am MORYO! I am the Will That Dominates. I am the power that controls. I am eternal and everlasting." Purple light coalesced in each of its jagged mouths. "I will not be stopped the likes of you." The heads reared back, preparing to unleash their hellish power. "DIE."
Zteezt.
The purple seals on the doors flickered and died. Moryo's baleful power flickered in confusion.
The doors flew open. Sunlight spilled into the room.
"Hey." Naruto grinned. "Sorry it took us so long." Light framed him and the four young women flanking him. "Hey Shion." The High Priestess turned to look at him, "Are you ready to kick that thing's ass?"
A dozen shadow clones raced past the Konoha group and knelt down at specific points on the massive seal array that had held Moyro's body within the array, altering and adding to the seal lines with speed born of urgency.
Naruto and the other ninja surged forward, attacks flying from them, buffeting Moryo and thoroughly distracting it from the shadow clones. Purple beams of dark energy scythed across the walls, ceiling, and floors the greater demon roared and fought back. Shion felt something welling up from within, something powerful and ancient. Something that had driven soldiers to fight from the dawn of time. Something that pushed inventors to create. Something that pushed a young blond boy forward despite the pain.
Hope.
Light, almost blinding in its brilliance, erupted from her. Wings made of hardened light burst out of her back, and her hair rippled and floated around her. Moryo was shoved back, part of its body burnt and singed. A seal array, old as the world itself, phased into existence. The final clone finished the last sealing line with a flourish. Moryo screamed and raged, somehow sensing that this time was different than all of the times before.
"Hey Moryo." There was something in Naruto's voice that drew Moryo's attention. "If any part of your chakra escapes and makes its way to Hell, give them a message." Standing in the center of the activation portion of the newly reconfigured array, the Jinchuriki's red and blue eyes met the demon's. He raised his hands. With a soundless roar, the massive image of Kyuubi burst into existence behind him. "Tell them that this world is protected." The Kyuubi grinned at the shocked demon, its sharp teeth flashing in the light. "Tell them that this world is under my protection. And if they wish to harm it, they will have to get through us."
Taking a step forward, the Nine-Tails towered above its container and met Moryo's eyes. "This is my container." The Nine-Tailed Biju's words echoed in Naruto's mind, and judging by the expression on Moryo's faces, it heard it as well. "I have defied death for him. He has defended me. Together…" A chakra cloak flared into existence around Naruto, four tails snapping in the non-existent wind, "We can accomplish anything."The Uzumaki slammed his hands down on the array.
SHAWUUM
Red, blue, and white lines flickered into existence, meeting and melding with the seal array Shion had created. Then...for the first time in its existence, Moryo knew fear.
"I will not die!" For daring to suggest such a thing, this mortal world would burn. "I am one of the Three." Unthinkable. "My power is undeniable." Power, dark and tainted, swirled within four of its maws, and another four lunged towards the assembled group. "Oblivion take you!"
Shion extended her right hand, the gesture simple and deceptively peaceful. A pulse of power echoed across the room. Four additional sources of light chased the demon's power farther into the shadows. Sakura clenched her now glowing fists, a grin that was savage, and all the more beautiful for it, sweeping across her face. Hinata flowed through her combat stance, living pink lightning dancing through her fingers. Haku's hair tinted white, and flowers made of glowing ice bloomed around her. Ribbons made of glowing, almost living chakra danced around Honoka's form.
The stone floor cracked when Sakura planted her foot. The leather gloves creaked as her fists tightened. Glowing jade eyes narrowed. The demon's jagged maw rocketed closer. Pink tresses fluttered, as she breathed in and out. The monster's mouth opened, ready to tear and maim. Sakura surged forward.
Her glowing fist plowed into the oncoming head, obliterating it. The headless neck flew backwards and slammed into the wall behind it, staggering the seven headed demon.
Nearby metal sparked and vibrated as Hinata brought up her hands. Pink-tinted white eyes watched the oncoming head, instantly picking apart its weaknesses. Faster than the eye could see, her palms snapped forward, carrying lightning in the grasp.
Light flashed as her hands collided with the demon's head. Its eyes boiled. Its skin burst into flame. With a soundless boom, the head detonated, driving Moryo back another step.
All it took was a single flick of Haku's wrist to freeze the head and neck in place, halting it a mere foot from her. The ice maiden raised her hand, and meeting the demon's burning eyes, splayed her hand. The head and neck came apart in a shower of ice and tainted chakra.
The fourth head's momentum was arrested by countless chakra chains, each showing one seal.
Restrain.
The ribbon like chains pulsed and shimmered. The seals changed.
Light.
The fourth head disintegrated.
Screaming in pain, Moryo blasted four beams of destructive energy at Shion and Naruto. The High Priestess raised her left hand. Her eyes stung. An impenetrable wall made of light formed in front of her, protecting those she cared about. The beams slammed into the shield and shattered. Lifting his hands now that the array was fully powered, Naruto charged.
Two of Moryo's remaining four heads were dragged down by caustic red tails and torn apart. Drawing his swords from his back and creating a dozen chains, the Uzumaki sent the chains outwards, one of the heads to the ground with a bone shattering thud. Seals light up along the razor-sharp blades. Spinning the swords in his hands, Naruto leapt upwards and brought them crashing down on the trapped head, pinning it to the floor.
Stalking forward, the Uzumaki flexed his hand. A rasengan churned into reality with a grinding snarl. Moryo's last head reared back, dark power - so dark that it seemed to absorb light itself - dripping from its maw. The head shot forward.
The ground shattered under Naruto's feet as he launched himself at the head. His arm snapped forward.
Moryo died.
-Line-
-Line-
The sounds of the market faded into a muted murmur as entered the specialty shop. Called the Kunoichi's Kiss, it was one of the most popular stores within the Guardian section of Konoha. The vast array of cosmetics were water and sweat proof, and the perfumes stayed pleasantly fresh even after days in the field. The weapon line that was exclusive to the shop was stylish, yet sturdy. Perfect for the modern kunoichi.
After snagging another bottle of Rose-Red, Ino headed towards the checkout when the bold and colorful cover of a magazine caught her attention. "Twenty-Five Ways to Capture the Perfect Man." She read outloud, "Find your dream man today with these easy tips." Amused more than intrigued, the blonde young woman paged through the magazine.
Most of the tips were amusing at best. "Search for the Alpha Male in the group?" Shook her head, "Where do they come up with this stuff?" Her eyes fell on the next tip, and she stopped smiling.
"If all of the other women are interested in him, how could they be wrong?" The magazine slammed back onto the rack with more force that Ino intended. She had once been like them; one of those girls who chased after the most popular guy. Only...that supposed 'perfect' guy turned out to be a victim, who then chose to be a murder. The only reason he hadn't succeeded was the unstoppable will hosed within Naruto.
That was the real irony, she mused silently as she paid for her purchase. Naruto had been the one they all underestimated, and by the time that she had figured out who really was worth pursuing, the blond Uzumaki out of her reach. Ino wasn't bitter. Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, and Haku fit together like a perfect puzzle, and the Yamanaka wasn't going to step between them.
Shaking off the small fantasy of what being close to Naruto would be like, Ino headed back out into the busy street. She was thankful for Naruto. He had shown her what really mattered in a relationship. She wanted someone who could make her smile. She wanted someone who could challenge her. She wanted someone who would stand beside her, allowing her to stand tall as a proud kunoichi. She needed someone to hold her when she was sad, and someone to be there for her, always.
The standards were high, she knew that. But a girl had to have standards, right? Someday she might find the person who met those standards, but for now, Ino was content to focus on becoming strong enough to protect those she cared about.
"Ino." The familiar baritone call caused a smile to break out on the young woman's face. Spinning to face her teammate, Ino waved back. "Wait up."
"Choji." She greeted her teammate neared. He had grown over the years from a short, stout boy to a tall, healthy young man. Shoulder length hair was tamed by a red headband, and though the signature extra weight clung to his muscled form, he was a far cry from the overweight Genin he had been.
The Akimichi was a terror on the battlefield, speed unhindered by his bulk. During the numerous training sessions she had with him, he and Ino perfected a dual fighting style, seamlessly blending their attacks and bloodlines to devastating effect.
"How's it going?" Choji slowed his pace to match Ino's shorter legs, "I haven't seen you since we got back from our mission last week."
"Don't remind me." Ino groaned, "I never thought I would get the mud out of my hair." Choji opened his mouth, only to snap it shut when the blonde young woman leveled a finger in his direction. "Quiet. I'm not cutting my hair."
Choji raised his hands and backed a few steps away. "I wasn't going to say that."
"Really?" Placing her hand on her hip, Ino waited for him to cave.
"Yep." Choji dropped his hands and placed both of his hands on his hips, meeting her gaze. "The thought never crossed my mind." The sight of her friend doing his best to mimic her stance reduced Ino to helpless giggles.
"You..." Straightening up, she grinned as she grew close to her friend. Slugging his arm, she then grabbed it and tugged him along beside her. "...Really need to work on your form."
Choji blinked. Recognizing the mischievousness his friend's tone, he took a deep breath and waited for her to finish.
"You see, when placing a hand on your hip, you need to decide how you are going to do it. You don't just..." Ino let one of her arms go limp, "...slap it on there like a piece of meat."
"And I'm sure you're an expert on meat." Inwardly pumping his fist at the momentary stunned look that flashed across Ino's face, Choji savored his rare victory.
"Ohh..." Ino chuckled, feeling light and free, "It's on mister."
So what did you think? Drop a review and let me know.
On Naruto and his explanation of hand-to-hand: This chapter is the first in which Naruto verbalizes one of his deeply hidden fears. He secretly fears that he is nothing more than a killer and a monster...just like he was told all those years ago.
To my reviewer's direct questions:
Animaman: While this arc is over, next chapter (at least a part of it) will have the aftermath, during that time, Shion may...be asking a question of Sakura, Hianta, and Haku.
Fury074: Naruto isn't 24. That was actually memories bleeding through. It's the other person's age who's memory he was channeling subconsciously.
Notsae: I'll be entirely honest. That was more of me than the character. During the time that I was writing chapter 35, I probably received at least 25 PMs asking about if they were going to get together. Sadly my frustration bled through to the writing. Once I get chapter 35 for the remastery, I plan on fixing that.
FOWLKON: As of this time, I don't plan on adding anyone else to the harem.
Nin-Guest: Ironically, when I first started I had planned on this story only being 40 chapters long. Obviously it's going to be much, much longer than that. As far as your point on the "time-travel" stories that are fix-it fics, I definitely enjoy them too. I think I have a half-started first chapter of a Evangelion fic if memory serves. I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter. And you are definitely right about Shion's memory in relation to her fate-o-vision. I'm fairly certain that they didn't wonder about what to do with people who surrender. No one has actually taken them off on the offer yet.
Nin-Guest Part 2: I've actually played (and really enjoyed) AC up until Black Flag (which was basically a pirate game that happened to involve assassins). Your comparison of "Nothing is True and Everything is Permitted" to HotE was awesome. I never thought of it that way, and you are completely awesome for making the comparison. Basically most of the concepts connect, and especially the last one.
Nin-Guest Part 3: Naruto is going to try to do is best to minimize pain/suffering when he thinks about it/recognizes it. Unfortunately for Naruto, one of the first lessons he learned when growing up (life before Sakura) was violence. Those parts of him sometimes war within him. Obito is definitely going to push Naruto towards the being ok with his master plan during future arcs. He's going to be asking the questions that Naruto can't readily answer. And as for the part about Uragiyu...Spoilers! And yeah, I'm totally looking forward to the new AC game. It looks awesome.