Chapter Ten

To walk the path of the Red Goddess required sacrifice and perseverance. She, Mother of Mothers, demanded everything from those who served her. Likewise, the path would take everything to test the faith of those who walked it, allowing only the most devoted to reach the end. For those who gave both mind, body, and soul, there was an eternity in paradise in the light of the Goddess. It was not a path that most could tread, and many faltered into a bottomless despair once revealed to the cosmic mysteries. Those strong enough to withstand the madness of transcendence gained a glimpse into ultimate reality.

"Priestess, it is almost time."

Ino glanced over to her husband with a sad smile. This would be their final private moment together until all things came to an end. She loved him truly, and his faith in the Goddess made her love him even more. As a girl, she imagined that Sasuke would be her husband in a final triumph over Sakura that would forever make her the winner of their silly rivalry. The Goddess decided to give her a far superior mate in the form of Sai. Now, at the climax of human history, she was the one with a husband while her old rival sat alone despite winning Sasuke's heart.

"Are the chosen prepared?"

"Yes. I have briefed each one on what needs to be done and ensured their payloads are primed."

"Excellent." Ino examined the explosive-laced vest Sai wore instead of his everyday black outfit. She felt jealous that he got the chance to prove ultimate faith by being a martyr but quickly pushed the thoughts away. They all played a small part in the greater plan, and her role gave the Goddess information. "Are you ready?"

"Of course! My life for Her." Sai brushed her cheek with a gloved hand. "I'll be waiting for you in the new world with our son. What do you think it will look like, love?"

Many faithful asked the same question, but the scriptures never gave a concrete description beyond referencing it as a land of eternal spring. She liked to imagine that there would be fields of flowers surrounding a golden city where the faithful would forever live. Still, she knew this was more of a personal answer than one sanctioned one. Whatever it would look like, she trusted the Goddess that it would be worth the cost.

"What does your heart tell you it will look like?"

Sai tilted his head for a moment before smiling. "Everyone we love will be there. Shin and your father will be eager to meet us."

The thought of her son finally meeting the grandfather who only existed in pictures nearly brought tears to her eyes. Her entire family would finally be reunited in a world where they could use their gifts for good causes. "I know father will adore you. Come, let us begin the mass."

Husband and wife emerged from their bedroom and into the dimly lit storefront turned into a makeshift church by order of their High-Priestess. At first, Ino failed to see the wisdom in taking so many faithful away from the main cathedral at such a critical moment but finally understood once word reached her that the Hokage stormed it in a futile attempt to crush the faithful. These twenty gathered in front of her would be the retribution against a world run by power-hungry elites that robbed their families of a future. She looked into the eyes of each man and woman wearing a vest similar to her husband's and could feel nothing but pride.

"Brothers and sisters," she began once in front of the hastily done painting of the Crimson Queen courtesy of Sai, "we join our voices together one final time thanks to the Holy Mother."

"Praise be Her Name," the congregation responded in a unified voice that drowned out individuality. "Glory to She who awaits awakening!"

"Glory be Her name. Tonight, each of you will face their final test of faith in carrying out the blessed orders of our High-Priestess. Failure is not an option. The salvation of all souls depends on your success. I am aware that among our flock is one that has not had the chance to receive blessed communion."

Sakura Uchiha emerged from the group laden with the explosive vest and a photograph of Sasuke in hand. Jade's eyes, once full of life, looked forward without a hint of emotion. Her husband's death shattered her world but gave her the chance to be brought into the Church before it was too late for ultimate paradise. Sadly, her daughter was not chosen as one of the twenty to spark the flame that would consume the old world.

"The High-Priestess originally wanted me to wait another week," Sakura muttered as all looked upon her. "However, she gave me the chance to earn salvation through martyrdom."

The situation was an odd one, and Ino wondered if her old friend was worthy yet to receive the blood of the Goddess. "Do you believe in the Red Goddess?"

"I do."

"Do you believe that The Scarlet Scripture is mankind's only hope for paradise?"

"I do."

"Do you reject the world in favor of the promise of a better one?"

"I do."

"Come forward and kneel." Ino removed a small goblet from the glass altar prepared by her husband, along with the ritual knife. She sliced open her wrist to fill the goblet to the rim with fresh offerings before handing it over to Sakura so as not to spill the holy content. "It is written in the Twlight's Codex that the Goddess first connected with humanity by giving her blood to our forefathers to satiate their thirst. This tied our souls forever to her infinite self in a bond that remains strong even to this day. We honor this covenant by recreating the ritual."

Sakura lifted the goblet to her lips to take in a mouthful of blood. Her face twisted, unable to hide the repugnance to the coppery taste. Those around her placed gentle hands on her back to ease the liquid down while muttering prayers, asking their Goddess to guard the newest member of the flock in the trial to come. Encouraged, she quickly downed the rest of the goblet eagerly, much to the congregation's pleasure. While late to the party, Ino felt good knowing her friend had finally arrived.

"We have contacts."

Naruto stared at the radio hanging from his belt with a raised eyebrow as the police commander's voice rang out. The customarily collected man sounded panicked. He flipped the transmission switch and brought it to his lips. "Repeat?"

"Multiple contacts coming from all directions." There was a static sound that drowned out the rest of the message, but he heard the faint sound of singing over the electrical whine. Finally, after a long pause, the commander responded with the alarm still thick in his voice. "More protesters. Be advised. Numbers greater than estimated."

Wonderful. Just when everything seemed to be going in his favor.

The ANBU and police that followed him into the cathedral busied themselves with the arrests by dragging the prominent leaders of the Church to the vestibule for quick verification. He wanted to ensure that no charismatic preacher remained free after the raid to stir up trouble in the village after the night's trauma. He ordered that each person taken into custody be verified by chakra signatures. His team moved quickly, but a dozen more prisoners were still awaiting processing. Those with no warrants were herded into a side room to be contained until after they left. A few tried to resist but were brutally put down with truncheons and fists.

"Give us another half-hour. Deploy reserves."

"This is not good. The Sleeping One should have been here." Hanae grabbed his arm, pulling his attention from the prisoners to her insanity-filled eyes. "Destroying its avatar is the critical part of this mission. These vermin are nothing without their false god."

"We can't fight what we can't find."

Naruto broke free of her grasp and stepped back to put a safe distance between them. The last thing he needed at the moment was more of her paranoid ramblings. While he needed her help, the woman still scared the crap out of him, with his trust being near zero. If not for her knowledge, he would have ordered her thrown into a cell or out of the village.

"Panda, I need a status update on the Hyūga now."

Said ANBU paused her rough-housing of a crying priest and placed a finger on her communication device. She shook her head and muttered something under her mask. "Nothing, sir. He is not responding. My runner has just arrived at Ichiraku. I'll let you know the first moment I hear something."

"Gods help me. I need a fucking aspirin."

"She won't let you take me." Ayame stared at him with tears flowing down her face. A small trickle of blood ran down her face where he had thrown her to the ground. "You've brought this on yourself, Lord Hokage. Your world will end tonight."

Naruto rolled his eyes at the zealot garbage being spewed. "Whatever. You should have stuck to making ramen."

"Your son will succeed where you have failed. He has seen the light while his father remains blind!"

"Now that's an interesting topic." Naruto grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled up. She whimpered at the pain but remained defiant. "Where is Boruto?"

"She has taken him somewhere safe. He's been selected to be sheltered from the coming storm."

He slammed a fist into her face, shattering her nose in a bloody spray and earning a pitiful cry. "Where is my son? Answer now, and I won't have Ibiki skull fuck you."

"Death simply hastens me to salvation."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Naruto tossed back onto the ground and stepped outside into the night. As ordered, the police had formed a tight perimeter around the cathedral's main square to block any attempts at retaking it. Those initial protesters remained on the ground, either incapacitated or with the unlucky ones lying in a pool of their own blood. He forced himself to stare at the casualties as a form of repentance for failing to act sooner. The thought that this could have been prevented haunted him, and once he was free from being Hokage, he knew that would be the hardest thing to overcome. He looked towards the stone faces of the past Hokage and wondered what they would have done in his shoes.

Toneri landed beside him with a small smile and touched his shoulder.

"Good evening, Naruto."

"Ain't nothing good about it."

The moon-man's youthful appearance was still creepy even after all these years, and his habit of keeping his eyes closed made it all the more difficult to converse. At least it was better than staring into the empty sockets where his eyes used to be.

"Have you seen any trace of Ama?"

"No. It seems to be hiding from us." Toneri frowned and looked towards his home far above them. "Nor have I heard from the other members of my clan."

"Are you sure involving other Ōtsutsuki was a good idea? Besides the Old Sage, your entire clan has tried to destroy the world multiple times. It's not long ago that you tried to blow everything up and marry Hinata."

"I had reservations about reaching out to them," Toneri admitted softly. "Yet, the Sleeping One is a threat not only to this world but every world. We have a common enemy."

"For now."

"For now. Once this threat has passed, we'll deal with the Ōtsutsuki together. Have you heard anything from the Hyūga?"

"Nothing. I almost regret asking Hiashi for help."

"I understand your frustration. He is a difficult man to work with. I nearly ignored his initial plea."

"Why did you agree to come down here? I thought you wanted to keep your distance."

"What is it that your people say? Drastic times call for drastic measures. The Sleeping One seeks to undo the world that the Great Sage Hagoromo built. I believe Lord Hamura would have come down to prevent that." Toneri's face twisted with a look of conflict. "Naruto...there is something I have to tell you about…"

"Lord Hokage! Bad news!" Panda sprinted from the cathedral towards him. "The Hyūga team has been…"

The first explosion rang out from the hospital across Konohagakure. The second and third targeted the Hokage Tower and ANBU Headquarters, respectively, in roaring blasts that illuminated the night in a second dawn. Proceeding detonations echoed throughout the village, though Naruto's mind could not register their locations as one far closer sent him to the ground as a wave of molten air washed over him. He heard Panda cry out and soon felt her body on top of him as a fleshy shield as another explosion thundered nearby. The riot police soon began to join in the chaotic symphony of screams that sang terror around him. His hand reached for the radio on his belt but found a fresh, searing wound that stained his fingers crimson. The pain of the shrapnel took a few seconds to slither up his nerves to the brain and, once registered, filled his world with agony. Above the screams, he heard the beginnings of a new battle, with gunfire and jutsu clashing against unknown foes that howled with fury.

His mind swirled as Tenten, whose Panda mask was lost in the confusion, hauled him to his feet. She yanked him towards the cathedral's entrance with a sword in her hand. Kakashi appeared in the doorway with eyes full of surprise.

"What the hell is going on?"

"The Hokage is wounded! Medic! We need a medic!"

An ANBU rushed to his side to begin treating the wound, yet the pain continued to climb to new heights. This was not the first time he had suffered such an injury, and he knew that death lurked around the corner, waiting for a chance to claim his soul. He wondered if it would be easier to submit like Sasuke and Shikamaru had.

"We need to move him now. It's too deep for me to remove here," advised the ANBU with a desperate shake of his head. "He'll need surgery."

"Move him where? The hospital is gone, dumbass." Tenten looked down at him with a trembling lip. "Don't worry, Naruto. We'll get you some help. Hold on, and don't give up."

"That's...my ninja way."

Kakashi stepped out into the frenzied night. "We have an issue, guys."

"Of course we-" Tenten sent a sharp glare to him but froze mid-sentence as she followed his pointing finger to the figure standing across the square staring at them.

The monstrosity was a surreal fusion of fox and human. Nine red tails twisted and writhed like mating serpents. Inky black eyes set deep in a vulpine head swirled with the reflections of stars and galaxies, hypnotizing and entrapping. She wore no clothes and proudly displayed her multiple sets of breasts in all their bestial glory. Her fingers extended into elongated, bone-white talons that already dripped with the blood of the police who vainly tried to stop her advance. Ayame stood kneeling at her side with both hands raised up in praise.

"Tenten," Kakashi's sharp tone snapped her back into reality. "You need to get Lord Hokage somewhere safe. If he dies here, the village...the nation...is doomed."

"What about you?"

Kakashi watched the creature flex her claws in preparation for the coming battle. He shrugged slightly and removed a small orange book from his back pocket. The remaining ANBU from the cathedral lined up behind him with their weapons drawn.

"It's time I finally finish my book."

Kept you waiting, huh?

So much awesome stuff has happened in my personal life since the last time I updated the story, so apologies are in order for the lack of communication. In short, I received the chance to have some of my original horror fiction (published under my real name) to be put into a publication. Preparing those pieces and sharpening them up took a lot of my energy leaving me little time to write. Luckily, that process is done with and I can come back to bring about the end of humanity...I mean the end of the Red Goddess. We're now at the point where shit really hits the fan at the very end of Act 2. I am planning on having this story finished by Halloween (perfect time of the year) so keep tuned in.

Now, its time to answer a few questions I've gotten in reviews or through messages! I will be doing a much larger Q&A at the end of the final chapter so submit your questions for that and I may answer it sooner.

1) Why are there guns in the story?

A good question and one that I have debated with myself about including. The technology in Naruto's world is very odd with examples of incredible technology, like airships and trains, mixed with a more fedual style Japan. After doing a bit of thinking and watching 'Boruto', I've decided that firearms would easily exist in the world. The metallurgy is easily advanced enough, and they do use blasting powder before. Interesting enough, there is an episode of the anime where they do use a sniper-rifle that shoots darts.

2) What the hell is Kurama?

Kurama is a fox furry that is a little too anthropomorphic. Jokes aside, I am unsure if I will ever fully state what she/it truly is. For the purpose of the story just know that she is akin to a Lovecraftian deity.

3) Where is that golden disk from the previous chapter?

Its with Shizune and will be featured very soon. One person in a PM guessed what it really was.

4) Why is Naruto under-powered compared to canon or fanon?

Simply a design choice given the nature of the story. Horror, by its nature, tends to feature people not too over-powered. Can't really panic about a character's situation if they can shit out ten thousand clones. That said, in most of my stories, I tend to depower ninja in general to more reasonable levels for the sake of suspension. I think Naruto Part 1 did a good job of generally maintaining some reason in terms of power scaling (Land of Wave Arc being a good example), but Part 2 got nuts by the end with so many transformations and modes.

5) Where the hell is the sex scene at?

Truth be told, I doubt there will ever be a full lemon in this story. Sex in stories should be used like fight scenes in movies: the less there is, the more impactful they are. Eroticism is present in this story (see earlier chapters) but I've always used it to progress or flavor the plot.

6) Can I translate this story into another language?

Yes! Someone is already doing a version in spanish, but for any other language, simply reach out to me for permission and link back to this main story. I'll glady provide input if needed as well.