Alright, Time for the next chapter, sorry it's a bit late, was going to have it up a few days ago but then Fanfiction was being stupid and the sight was down so I went back and added some more content and it pushed the release back a few days. Sorry and hope you enjoy. hope you enjoy!
Broken Angel
Chapter 83
"I can't even fucking believe this." Riley thought to herself as she and Gaia followed Shinno and Amaru out to a quiet place on the edge of town.
"I know. What are the chances? This is almost to good to be true." Kurama agreed.
Gaia was quiet as she followed along with them, though she occasionally sent glances at Riley, noticing the look on Riley's face. It was obvious to the Kazekage, that something was bothering her future wife.
"So, what can I do for the Hero of the Burning Leaf?" Shinno inquired, once they made it to their destination. Amaru seemed surprised by that, obviously knowing who that was, but not recognizing Riley.
"You're the Hero of the Burning Leaf?" Amaru asked, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"Eh, yeah. That would be me." Riley replied as she locked eyes with her daughter.
"Are all of your children female?" Kurama inquired.
"Who knows. I guess it depends on the method of pregnancy. I'm guessing most are girls, but there's probably a few boys out there. The Darkness despite having no real gender is more masculine, so I'd have to guess he was probably male when he was born." Riley thought back, earning a hum of agreement from Kurama.
Much to Riley's surprise, Amaru's own surprise quickly faded, and was replaced by a darker visage. She didn't say anything, or lash out, but it was obvious that she wasn't overly thrilled with Riley's presence.
"Well… that wasn't the reaction I was expecting." Kurama mused as he too felt Amaru's mood darken.
"So what can I do for you?" Shinno inquired.
"We actually require your assistance with an important matter. We had heard you were a highly proficient and sought-after medical professional, so we decided to come and speak with you." Gaia answered, quickly replying with a rehearsed lie. Both knew to be weary of Shinno, and both knew that a battle with him would be very loud and disruptive to the area around them.
If they wanted to take him down without drawing the attention of Kumo even further, then first they needed to get him far away from Kumo territory and into an underpopulated area.
"Oh? From what I hear, the Hero of the Burning Leaf is a skilled medic. There are reports of her healing prowess after the battles out in the Land of Stone." Shinno noted giving the two a curious look.
"You're right. I am proficient at medical Ninjutsu, but this is a case where magic is… less helpful, in dealing with the situation then it ought to be. We need someone skilled in advanced medical procedures, that do not require magic, someone like yourself, that's probably why your name was recommended." Riley answered. She maintained a cool and professional attitude when dealing with the man, but her attention was diverted between him and Amaru. The cold distance that Amaru was displaying was highly unusual. For some reason, learning about Riley's hero status really rubbed the young woman the wrong way.
"Some kind of ailment? An allergic reaction to magic? Or perhaps an over-sensitivity to it?" Shinno began to muse. He too was playing his performance quite well. Riley dared not attempt to breach his mind, he was highly skilled and she didn't want to tip him off that there was something amiss. She relied solely on her emotion sensing to keep track of him, despite his calm veneer on the inside he was feeling anxious, worried, fearful, and deceptive.
"The latter actually. This person was harmed during a recent battle and requires medical assistance, she has an over-sensitivity to magic due to exposure to demonic energy when she was an infant. It caused a unique mutation in her magical core causing her own magic to react wildly with foreign magic." Riley lied, earning a nod of agreement from Gaia. Being a demon, Riley gave off no physical tells that she was lying. And it appeared, as if Shinno believed them. Just from feeling his emotions, there was a tiny bit of relief within him, but he was still cautious. If she had to make a guess, he had bought their lie, but he wasn't going to take any chances.
"Tell me, have I done something to offend you?" Riley inquired as she sent a glance at Amaru. The redhead had been sending glances at Riley during her explanation. They weren't necessarily dark looks but there was a bit of anger behind those eyes.
Amaru's eyes widened in surprise but before she could answer, Shinno did.
"Please forgive her. She's probably very confused about how to feel. A while back Amaru and I were in a village helping some sick people out. While we were there, a bandit who lived in the area began to stalk Amaru. He cornered her one day while I was away, and I can only imagine what he intended. The man was stopped..." Shinno explained, earning a curious look from Gaia, and a look of realization from Riley.
"By the Angel of Carnage." Riley finished Shinno's statement with a slightly amazed look. She actually remembered that moment. A bandit was intending to rape a young redheaded woman. Riley had noted, if only for a moment that she reminded her of Kushina a bit, this enraged Riley, so she ripped the man to pieces while in Angel form. She hadn't spared the young woman a second glance and left as quickly as she had come. Back then Amaru had her hair down, which would explain why Riley didn't immediately recognize her. Now Amaru kept her hair up in a bandanna, and seemed to be trying to pass off as a boy. The reasons for doing so were quite readily apparent for everyone there.
"You defeated the angel. I know it did bad things, I know it destroyed an entire city and killed a lot of people… but it saved my life." Amaru stated, her eyes downcast. She wasn't outright apologizing for being cold towards Riley, but she was trying to help her make sense of where Amaru stood.
"It's… alright. I understand. I did what I thought was right, and saved the people I could. I fully understand some people might owe the Angel a great debt." Riley responded with a distant look.
To her mind this was just surreal. Not only had she run into another of her children just out of nowhere, but she had also met that child once before and even helped save that child from being raped and possibly murdered.
"Hmm… it's so strange being on the ground like this. We so rarely stray from out position in life that we never really get the chance to see things like this. How many people do you wonder, feel as she does? How many people are thankful that the angel slaughtered thousands of wicked and cruel individuals? Most people probably have no clue why it suddenly stopped. Only magicals would know of your status as the Hero of the Burning Leaf. I'd be curious to see the ramifications of the angel's appearance in the muggle world. We've pretty much ignored them for the entirety of lives, but now I'm curious to see just whats been happening with them since they gained irrefutable proof of the existence of something greater then them." Kurama mused, earning a subconscious nod of agreement from Riley.
"Yeah… maybe when this is all over we can look into that. I find myself curious as well." Riley thought back as she let out an audible sigh.
"Hmm, you know, since we ran into Amaru before and you didn't sense any of the Zero Tails' chakra on her, that would mean that he only started infusing it into her, in the last few months. Kurama noted, earning a mental hum of agreement from Riley.
"Well, this does sound like a very interesting issue, and I have been considering heading up towards the land of Stone to assist the injured from the war. This person, this girl, where is she." Shinno inquired.
"She's been moved to a hospital in the land of Rivers, they're having trouble treating her there which is why we came looking for you. Can you help us?" Riley asked.
"Tell me, what is this person's relationship with you? I'm more then willing to aid anyone who is in need, but I find it very curious that someone with your reputation would come all the way out here yourself." Shinno noted giving her a curious look.
"She's my mate. My lover. She was hurt badly in a skirmish with Orochimaru's Sound Ninja, and it left her with several broken bones, and internal damage. We can't use magic to heal her due to her condition, so we need a very skilled surgeon who can handle and operation like this. If magic could be used, I could handle it myself, but seeing as how I can't, I wont trust something like this to just anyone. You come highly recommended. People say you're one of the best. So please… help us. Help her." Riley again lied, she allowed a bit of emotion to fill her voice, but she quickly steeled it behind a wall of cold apathy. Her intention was to give the impression of a feeling of worry and fear, behind her confident and powerful demeanor.
Shinno seemed to buy it, though it pissed Riley off a bit when she didn't feel even an ounce of pity from the man. He pretended to feel pity, and he gave a realistic performance, so much so that Amaru had even glanced at him with a reverent gaze, admiring his determination and hopeful beliefs. But Riley could tell it was all a lie. She could feel what he was feeling, and all that he felt was a sickening level of annoyance. Almost like he was tired of hearing these sob stories.
"Well, we best not wait around. I'll gather my supplies and we can start heading towards the Land of Rivers." Shinno stated earning a nod from Gaia and Riley.
A short while later and the group found themselves moving along the roads, heading in the direction of the Land of Rivers.
While Gaia kept a close eye on Shinno as they walked, Riley split her attention between the man and Amaru. Despite her rather relaxed demeanor, the girl radiated with demonic energy. The dark power of the Zero Tails ebbed off of her in waves.
"She's not a Jinchuriki, but she is an anchor of some sort for it's power. She seems to be drawing in negative emotion, while at the same time, emanating the Leech's power. It's strange." Riley mused to herself as she continued to walk. Shinno led the way, standing tall and with a bit of pride and he carried on. Amaru hung back a bit, and occasionally sent glances in the man's direction. There was something in her eyes, love, most likely, and it made Riley hesitate, when she started noticing it.
Amaru seemed to care a great deal for this Shinno. It was quite obvious that the two had been with each other for quite a while. Riley's original plan had been to lure the man away from a populated area and deal with him quickly and efficiently, but now seeing the way Amaru looked at him, she hesitated. Riley knew she needed more information. Amaru had feelings for the doctor. She cared for him a great deal. With Amaru being one of Riley's children, she couldn't just kill the old man and be done with it.
They walked for nearly an hour, very little chit-chat occurred. Gaia and Riley communicated with their eyes, Gaia quickly catching on that there was something going on that Riley knew, and she didn't. The whole time, Riley studied Amaru, and began to wonder just which one of her mates Amaru's mother was. There was a possibility that it was Kaede, given the red hair, but a part of Riley was also suspecting that it was someone else. And that someone was much closer.
Despite not being one of her mates yet, Riley couldn't shake the idea that there was a strong possibility that Amaru was Gaia's daughter. Amaru had red hair, and though it was much lighter then Riley's, it was a pretty even match between Riley's and Gaia's in terms of pigment. And her eyes. Amaru's eyes were a darker teal, very much like a combination of Riley original dark blue eye color and Gaia's light green.
She shared many similarities with the two of them, enough so that Riley could definitely see herself and Gaia in the young woman.
"We'll keep along this path for a few more miles. We're not far from the edge of the disputed territory. Once we pass it, there shouldn't be anything between us and the Land of Rivers." Shinno noted, earning a hum of agreement from Riley.
Right then, Riley felt her danger senses fire off, as did Gaia. Riley's eyes focused forward on something heading straight towards them. Her eyes quickly picked up on the whirling objects, a hail of shuriken aimed right at Shinno.
Riley saw out of the corner of her eye, Gaia instinctively raise a hand to send her sand forward, but Riley was quick to stop her by grabbing her arm. In the half second it took for the shuriken to finish their approach Gaia's gaze adjusted and met Riley's and for a brief moment, a conversation was shared between the two. Gaia could clearly see it in Riley's eyes. She was saying to let it happen. Let Shinno take the hit.
This all occurred at a fraction of a second, and with the remaining time, Riley pivoted forward and grabbed Amaru by the back of her vest and pulled her back, tossing her safely behind the two women, as Shinno was struck by a hail of shuriken.
Riley and Gaia both watched as Shinno stumbled back. Both were slightly surprised that he had taken the hit without so much as a flinch. He turned a bit and glanced back at the three of them his eyes falling on Amaru. Before he fell, he mumbled out one word, 'Amaru'.
"NO!" Amaru let out an anguished shriek as she tried to run to him, only for Riley to grab her and push her back, right as another hail of Shuriken came rushing at them. This attack was blocked by Gaia's sand, and within moments the roadway was filled on either side by a platoon of Kumo ninja.
"Hand over the girl!" The lead ninja barked.
"No." Riley snarled in reply. Despite knowing what he was, hearing her daughter's anguished screams over her fallen friend, ignited a fury in the powerful demoness. Her eyes bled red, and her teeth sharpened, as she let out several animalistic growls.
"Sir… is that…?" One of the Kumo ninja stuttered out as Riley's blood red eyes came into focus for them.
"Shit." The squad leader muttered under his breath. There was nearly twenty Kumo ninja, but they knew to be incredibly cautious when dealing with someone like Riley.
"We should pull back." One of the Chuunin whispered.
"No. That Girl is the target. We have a mission to complete." Their commander replied.
"But sir, what about the policy. We were told to flee if we ever ran into her." The same man replied.
"Policy doesn't count on S-Ranked missions. We drew the distance lottery whelp. You don't run from S-Ranked missions." A nearby Jonin responded earning several nods of agreement from his fellow Kumo Ninja.
With no more words left to exchange, the Kumo host advanced. The ones in front were met by Riley, while the ones at the rear, were met by Gaia.
With a wave of her arm, Gaia's gourd erupted open and a sea of sand shot out and flooded towards her attackers. A string of curses could be heard as three of the attacking ten, were caught by the wave, the rest jumped up into the tree. Of the three that were caught, two were lifted into the air by Sand tendrils and flung mercilessly into nearby trees. The bone shattering cracks, and the silencing of their screams signified their deaths. The third was also lifted into the air, but he was slowly encased in a cocoon of sand.
"Sand Coffin. Sand Burial!" Gaia growled out, and with a clenching of her fist, the man within the cocoon was crushed. Blood showered down from his death, spreading across the new layer of sand, dying it red.
"Shit! Th-That's the Kazekage!" One of the Kumo ninja cried out.
"Stay behind me." Gaia threw back at the cowering Amaru. Her eyes were currently locked on the body of Shinno. She hadn't yet torn her eyes from it, his apparent death causing her to freeze.
While Gaia dealt with the attacking force on her side, Riley was flying through the group in front of her. Screams ripped through the squad, as she tore her way through them, she moved without sound or sight, appearing as if a blur to her enemies, in fact the more accurate method of tracking her movements was to follow the movements of blood erupting into the air. Seeing the direction it flowed as the speedy demon passed by, helped some of the veteran Shinobi to at least track her movements.
Within seconds, all but two on her side were dead. Riley was quick to focus her attention on one of the remaining two. This man, couldn't have been more then twenty. He held a sword, and maintained his stance despite the overwhelming fear he must have felt at that moment.
With a snarl, Riley clasped her hands together, forcing gravity to push right onto his center mass. With a haunting scream the man imploded, his body folding into itself and then erupting from the condensed pressure.
Gore showered the immediate area as Riley turned towards the final Kumo ninja on her side. Blood red eyes, met golden eyes staring back.
A familiar face greeted her, and it caused Riley to take pause. Standing before her was someone she had met during the Triwizard Tournament. Karui, if she remembered correctly. The Kumo swordswoman.
Karui's jaw hung open and she was trembling, she was just close enough to her fellow Kumo ninja, to be affected by his death. Blood and bits of organ covered one side of the woman's body. Every part of her was shaking. Despite being a well trained and skilled combatant, the impossible scream of her comrade as he imploded into himself, was quite possibly the most horrific thing the kunuoichi had ever witnessed.
Without another seconds hesitation Riley dashed forward and seized the stunned woman by the throat lifting her into the air.
Karui's sword fell to the ground as both of her hands went to Riley's arm. Riley had a firm grasp around her neck and her nails were digging into the woman's throat.
As blood began to wash over Riley's hand, Karui was able to mutter out a single word. "Why?"
"No one, hurts my family." Riley snarled in response.
Then, with no warning Riley slammed the Kumo ninja into the ground, causing her eyes to go wide, and blood to further erupt from her mouth and neck wound.
Riley stared down at Karui for several long moments, intent on squeezing the life out of her, when suddenly, a familiar feeling washed over her. The magic in Karui's blood. Something about it was familiar to Riley.
Several seconds passed as a face appeared in Riley's mind. It was her mother's. Kushina.
Riley was confused for several long moments. Why did this Kumo ninja remind her of Kushina?
Riley stared down at her, and it began to click in her mind. Red hair, yellow eyes, but most importantly, the familiar chakra. Karui was an Uzumaki.
"This potent chakra… You're an Uzumaki." Riley noted as she locked eyes with Karui. By now the woman had stopped struggling. Though her eyes remained open, it was obvious that, that slam had at the very least dislocated many of her bones, if not outright breaking many of them.
"She's an Uzumaki. Must be a descendant of a survivor from the fall of Uzushio. I wonder if Kumo even realizes what they have." Kurama mused.
Riley let out a grunt of acknowledgment and raised Karui up so that the two were nose to nose.
"Looks like it's your lucky day." Riley stated as she began to pass healing energy into her hand.
Within moments the holes in her throat sealed shut, though Riley refrained from healing the rest of her body, intent on getting answers from her fellow Uzumaki, as soon as she was able.
"Gaia." Riley called out to the Kazekage. Hearing her call Gaia sent a glance back towards Riley. She was just about to finish off the three remaining Kumo ninja, when she heard Riley's voice.
"What is it?" Gaia inquired.
"Leave one alive. Send him or her back to Kumo with a message to the Raikage. If his forces take a single step further into the Land of Fire, it's him I'll be targeting next." Riley called back as she dropped Karui's near lifeless body to the ground.
Gaia nodded and clenched her fist, crushing two of the three remaining Kumo ninja.
The last one had both of his arms crushed by her sand, but he was left alive and able to move.
"Return to your Kage, let him know that the Sand and the Legion will not stand for further conflict in the Land of Fire. The Fire Daimyo is our ally, and with Iwa on the run, we are free to turn our attention to more interesting opponents. He's been warned." Gaia commanded earning a fearful nod from the surviving Shinobi. He quickly turned and fled into the forest once Gaia had released him.
Once he was out of sight, Gaia turned and headed over to Riley, recalling her sand as she did. She passed by Amaru who was huddled over the body of Shinno, crying and screaming to all the heavens. She offered the girl a minor look of sympathy but didn't stop as she made her way to her future wife, whom was standing over the body of a still living Kumo ninja.
"You're keeping this one alive?" Gaia inquired.
"She's an Uzumaki. Like me. Plus she has answers for us. These Kumo ninja wanted Amaru. The only explanation for that is because they know she holds ties to the Zero Tails. I want to know how they know that." Riley explained earning a nod of understanding from Gaia.
Riley then knelt down and drew the unconscious Karui into Kamui.
Both women then shared a look then glanced over at Shinno.
"That was too easy." Gaia noted.
"He's not dead. His chakra hasn't left his body." Riley noted, as she stared at Shinno's corpse.
"What's the deal with the girl, Riley?" Gaia inquired.
"She's my daughter." Riley answered earning a very surprised look from Gaia.
"How?" Gaia was able to mutter, through her surprise.
"Time travel. Dimension hopping, and a sprinkle of magic." Riley answered with a smirk, earning a minor glare from Gaia.
"This isn't the first of my children I've come across. All of them have a black feather taken from my wings. She has one too. That's how I know. That's also why I didn't just kill Shinno the second we were away from town." Riley added on, earning a slow nod from Gaia. The Kazekage knew there must be more, but didn't push, knowing such an explanation could take a while.
Instead she allowed an answer to fall into place for something she had been curious about. The two dark haired girls that looked alike. The ones that hung around Riley and her mates, they must have been more of Riley's children. Riley didn't hang off of them like she did her mates, so they had to be these other kids, that she was talking about.
From there the two made their way over to Amaru, who was still crying. Riley knelt down and placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. Despite seeing zero good in Shinno, Riley understood that Amaru cared for him very deeply, possibly even loved him. She wouldn't profane this moment by breaking her daughter's heart further.
After several long minutes, Riley was able to pull the girl away from his body, and into an embrace. Amaru clung to her, still crying. Riley sent a glance towards Gaia and motioned towards the body with eyes. Gaia caught the hint and used her sand to lift Shinno's body into the air.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Amaru inquired when she saw her mentor's body lift off the ground.
"We should bury him. We don't know when more Kumo ninja will show up." Gaia answered as she began moving Shinno's body into the forest.
Amaru offered a tearful nod and rose to move with Gaia along with Riley.
They headed a short way into the forest where Gaia set Shinno down. Riley then used Earth Elemental Magic to open a small hole in the ground.
"Would you like to say a few things?" Riley inquired to Amaru.
"Um… yes… I…" Amaru started to stutter out. Riley offered the girl another look of sympathy and placed her hand on Amaru's shoulder. Allowing her Youki to pass forth her emotions, Riley channeled as much comfort and kindness as she could into the distraught young woman.
Her efforts proved fruitful as Amaru seemed to rally and regain a bit of composure.
"Thank you, Doctor Shinno. You were the only person who helped me when I was alone. You were there for me, and I don't think I ever thanked you enough. I'm so sorry this happened. I'm just… so sorry." Amaru cried as she spoke, obviously feeling a great swell of emotion.
While she spoke, Gaia put Shinno's body into the ground, and covered it.
They then left a basic marker to represent the grave. Amaru stood in silence for several long moments, quietly staring at the grave.
"Doctor Shinno was my only friend. He looked out for me, when no one else would. Why did this have to happen?" Amaru muttered.
"Who knows. The world is a harsh place. Sometimes good people die for no real reason." Gaia replied, earning a saddened sigh from Amaru.
"Let's go. We can't stay here for much longer." Riley noted.
With great reluctance, Amaru pulled herself away from the freshly dug grave and the three started moving deeper into the forest.
They continued for nearly an hour in relative silence, Amaru hadn't said so much as a word to the two women, and Riley and Gaia, were keeping their eyes peeled for anyone that might be chasing them.
Eventually the sun started to set and they stopped to allow Amaru to rest. She sat queitly by herself, while Gaia and Riley moved off to the side to speak privately.
"So, she's your daughter?" Gaia began.
"Yes. Very long story short. In an alternate timeline, a future version of myself lost her children during an accident. They ended up scattered across multiple timelines, ours being one of them. When I learned of this, I was asked to find them all and bring them together. I've been on the lookout for any of my children that live in our time, Amaru is one of them. The Darkness is another." Riley quickly explained though she had to stop to elaborate when Gaia gave her a curious look at the end.
"That Darkness, those dark tentacles I unleashed at the Wind Capital. That was one of my full demon children. He and I merged, and now I act as his host." Riley explained earning a tentative nod from Gaia.
"What are we going to do about Shinno? You know he's still alive." Gaia inquired.
"I've been keeping an eye on him with my Byakugan while we walk. His vitals reactivated shortly after we departed. He's been following us for a short while now." Riley stated.
"I see." Gaia replied with a sigh.
"He'll dig his own grave. Amaru was crushed when she thought he died. He wont be able to explain his way out of it, and I doubt he would. That guy was fucked up." Riley noted.
"Hmm… so what now?" Gaia asked.
"We follow Amaru." Riley answered. Gaia gave her a look then glanced over to where Amaru had been only to find her missing.
"The Zero Tails is calling to her, feeding on her pain. We follow her, and she'll take us right to it. Then we kill it, and Shinno." Riley stated, earning a nod from Gaia.
The two then began to follow after Amaru. The girl was crying and running through the forest, some memories must have come up, that had caused her to be overwhelmed by emotion. She kept running for nearly fifteen minutes until she made it to a wide open field filled with some old ruins.
Amaru came to rest just before the ruins and dropped down to start crying again. Gaia and Riley hung back in the treeline and just watched while the young woman screamed her heart out. While they watched, both started to sense the presence of something demonic filling the area.
"He's here." Kurama noted, sensing the Zero Tails' power filling the area.
"Right." Riley stated as she and Gaia jumped out into the area, landing a few meters away from Amaru.
Gaia felt something ominous swirling around the girl, while Riley could actually see it. Darkened energy coalesced around her and Amaru slowly rose to her feet, and turned her gaze to them, revealing blood red eyes.
"So you finally came." A demonic voice rung out from her lips.
"So you're the zero tails?" Riley noted.
"I must thank you. You've been causing such chaos and death. It fills the air like a miasma. You've delivered such a succulent flavor of death and carnage onto the world. I must thank you." The Zero Tails let out a menacing chuckle as it began to take form around Amaru, appearing as an elongated leach with a mask for a face.
"I can't say I didn't enjoy it, but I didn't do it for you." Riley responded, earning another demonic chuckle from the beast.
"Yes. Regardless. Through you I have achieved more power then ever before. And now… I will show you just how great a gift, you have given me." And with that, the beast began gathering energy just before it's mask. The energy gathered into a tiny blackened sphere before erupting as a beam of energy, shooting right towards Riley and Gaia.
Both women dove to the sides to avoid the blast, Gaia was quick to unseal her sand, and form a massive torrent with it. Hopping on top of the wave of sand she rode it right into the side of the tailed beast, tossing it's upper body aside and sending it sprawling across the ground. It's lower body remained coiled around Amaru, whom stood within it, eyes red, and tears streaming down her face, obviously lost in grief.
Riley watched Gaia slam into the beast with a smirk, unlike Riley's other mates, there was a lot less fear for Gaia's safety. Gaia was a kage, a Jinchuriki, a long standing shinobi, and most importantly, she had the sand defending her. All of that put together, eased Riley tension and allowed her to relax a bit and let Gaia fight.
"You cannot stop what is to come. I see into your hearts. I know of the death and destruction you intend to bring. This one will help. She has given up. She only wants to make others hurt as much as she is. The true gift of suffering." The Beast bellowed out
The Zero Tails then attempted to lash out at Gaia, sending tendrils from it's body directly towards the Kazekage, but she was to quick, speeding through the air, on a cloud of sand.
While continuing to dodge, Gaia formed a solid sphere of sand that moved with her. This sphere grew in size until it was as big as a truck. She then flew right towards the beast and drove the hardened sphere of sand, right into it's face.
The Zero Tails let out a snarl and began to charge another beam attack. Gaia was able to easily avoid the attack, moving nimbly through the air. Her grace and speed were on full display as the Kazekage held her own against the Tailed beast.
With a smirk, Riley decided to step in. She quickly rushed forward, appearing beside the creature's head, with immense speed and incredible power, she drove her fist into it's side, sending it flying and stretching as it's lower body remained anchored.
Seeing that the beast was relatively unaffected by her strikes, and noting that it was slowly absorbing Riley's own demonic energy, Riley decided not to let it continue feeding on her and made a move towards the base of it's body.
As she approached it, she could clearly make out Amaru standing within.
"It hurts, losing those you truly love. I live in fear of it every day. I'm sorry you feel this way, and I'm sorry he wasn't worthy of it." Riley stated as she reached the edge of it's body and locked eyes with Amaru's visage within.
Riley could tell that Amaru had heard her, her eyes seemed to focus on Riley, filling with confusion and anger.
"You loved him, but you never knew who or what he was. And I don't think there's anything I can say, to make that not hurt. I'm sorry for that." Riley continued as the Zero Tails focused on her.
"You think you understand pain? True Pain? Your suffering is nothing compared to the suffering of others. You may have known loneliness, but you were never truly alone. You may have known loss, but you have never known what it means to truly lose that which cannot be returned. You could not possibly understand what it means to be human, because you have never been human. I know what you are, dearest sister. My brother wishes for a friend to last till time immemorial. He cares only for you, so long as you stave off his loneliness. You believe you know what it's like to feel pain, but you've never experienced the pain of true loneliness and isolation." The Zero Tails bellowed out, attempting to draw anger and rage from Riley, more energy for it to feed off of.
"You're right. Things could have been so much worse for me. I've never really stopped to wonder what my life would have been like without my grandfather there to look out for me. Looking back, it could have been worse. My life could have been so much worse. I could have been completely alone, I could have gone without training my whole life, I could have ended up some sick fuckers wet dream. I could have died. I could have suffered more then I did. But that doesn't change anything. My life is mine. My suffering is mine. It's no greater, and no worse then anyone else, because it's mine. My suffering is given meaning only by me. It's as bad as I want it to be. That's how it is for everyone. I may have only ever been fully human for a few hours after my birth, but I was raised by humans, I lived with humans, I'm in love with more then a few humans. I know how they think. I know what goes on in their heads. My pain is mine. I give it meaning. I can let it destroy me, or I can rise above it. It can always be worse. I don't like to think about it. I don't like to admit to myself that others have had it worse, because looking back on my early life… I wouldn't wish that suffering on anyone. That's why I can empathize with her. Because we've both suffered." Riley responded, activating her Intangibility when the beast lashed out at her, allowing it's attacks to fade right through her body.
"Amaru… you admire Shinno. You love him. He taught you the tricks of the trade. He taught you to be a doctor. You don't want to fight. You don't want to hurt people do you?" Riley inquired as she stared into Amaru's tear-filled eyes.
"Doctor Shinno." Amaru muttered out as the Zero Tails began to break apart and fade away. It seems that despite it's strength the beast was only able to go on the offensive when Amaru wanted to lash out. Or at the very least, it could only use her as a conduit when she wanted to lash out.
As Amaru started to collapse to the ground, Riley swiftly caught her.
"I'm sorry." Amaru muttered out as Riley held her close.
"It's alright. I get kinda crazy when I'm upset too." Riley noted, earning a look from Gaia, that Riley had to physically stop herself from smirking at.
"I-I don't know what came over me." Amaru muttered as she pulled back from Riley and locked eyes with her.
"Grief." Riley stated, earning a nod of agreement from Gaia.
"What caused you to run off?" Gaia inquired.
"I… I started to think about being alone. I guess it just hit me… I have nowhere to go now." Amaru responded as she wiped some tears from her eyes.
Riley stared at her for several seconds before smiling and wiping a few tears from her face. "You can come back with us. Return with us to the Wind Capital, and if you feel like it, you can leave with me, and I can take you to my homeland."
"You'd do that? Why?" Amaru muttered out, her eyes filled with wonder and uncertainty.
Riley was silent for several moments wondering if she should answer with the truth or not. Before she could, she felt a burst of demonic energy coarse through everything around them and the Earth started to shake.
All three women struggled to keep their footing as the ruins all around them began to shift and move.
"Hey Riley… remember that secret weapon the Sky Ninja said Shinno was looking for?" Kurama inquired, earning a curse from Riley.
"Yeah I think he found it. And if that chakra pulse is anything to go by, I think my shithead brother is being used to power it." Kurama added, earning another curse from Riley.
"What the hell is this?" Gaia ground out, as she formed a sand cloud beneath her, Riley, and Amaru.
"Bullshit, that's what it is." Riley muttered as the ground began to rise up.
Gaia quickly pulled the Trio away from the area as a massive structure rose up out of the ground and then began to lift into the air. The three watched, dumbstruck as very soon, a large floating city filled their gaze.
"Who builds this shit!" Riley sniped as she and the others beheld the massive structure.
"People with way to much time on their hands." Gaia answered.
"Fuck." Came Riley's response to that.
"We're flying… we're actually flying… I think I feel feint." Amaru muttered as her gaze switched between the floating city and the ground, that now sat hundreds of feet below.
"Don't faint yet. We're got an appointment to keep." Riley stated as she activated her Byakugan and scanned the structure. Just as Kurama had suggested, the Zero Tails' energy circulated through the entire floating city. Someone had managed to build this structure and use the Zero Tails as a battery.
While looking through the structure to try and pinpoint where the Zero Tails was, Riley came upon an interesting sight. In a large open throne room, near where the Zero Tails was housed, Riley spotted a familiar face. A quick check of the rest of the facility revealed a multitude of individuals held in cages. These people seemed to be average civilians and they were being drained of energy and fed into the Zero Tails.
"Gaia, take us up to it, anywhere will do." Riley ordered, earning a nod from her wife-to-be.
"We're not going inside that thing, are we?" Amaru inquired.
"Yeah… got a demon to slay, and there's someone inside that you need to see." Riley replied. Gaia it seemed, understood what Riley was insinuating, but Amaru just looked confused.
"What about your mate? If she's still in danger we can't waste time running around some weird floating building." Amaru pointed out, not at all eager to go hunting for the thing that just tried to possess her.
"Oh, I lied about that." Riley stated.
"What?" Amaru responded with surprise adorning her features.
"Yeah, needed to get you and Shinno away from Kumo territory. Let's go." Riley stated as she grabbed the two and phased through the wall of the structure and into it's interior.
The two women followed Riley as she led them to the central chamber. The trip was mostly silent, there was no one present in the halls.
Eventually, after several minutes the three walked into a wide open room. In the center of that room, sat a throne, and on that throne was Shinno.
The three stared at him, Riley and Gaia showing no emotion. Seeing the doctor alive Amaru immediately burst into tears and began running towards him. Before she even made it half way, Riley appeared between the two, stopping her from advancing.
"What are you doing here, doctor?" Gaia asked as she walked up next to Riley.
"I could ask you the same thing. I've heard of your exploits in the Land of Wind. I've heard rumors of what you did at the Wind Capital. Do you think I could be so easily fooled. There was never any injured friend." Shinno responded with a cruel smirk as he rose to his feet.
"It should be obvious. We're here to kill you." Riley answered, earning a shocked gasp from Amaru.
"I thought as much. Who was it? Definitely not Orochimaru, from what I hear, you despise the man. No… something a bit closer to home perhaps?" Shinno inquired.
"Your old village sends it's regards." Riley stated as she took a step forward.
"What are you talking about? Why are you trying to kill him… and doctor… how are you alive?" Amaru asked as she shot glances between the two.
"Stupid girl." Shinno muttered just barely loud enough for Gaia and Riley to hear him.
"This man is a traitor. He's a shinobi from the Hidden Sky Village. He betrayed them and disappeared onto the mainland. He stole the Zero Tails from them, used you as a conduit for it's power, and it appears he intends to use it, to power this city." Gaia explained.
"What? That thing from earlier? He did that to me? But why?" Amaru muttered out as her eyes danced between Gaia and Shinno.
"Because he's a cunt with an over inflated view of himself." Riley answered, earning a chuckle from Shinno.
"Oh, and you're not?" Shinno sniped.
"Well… unlike some people in the room, I can actually back up my over inflated view of myself." Riley responded, with a vicious grin.
"Hmph… perhaps. Allow me to even the playing field a bit." Shinno stated as he brought his hands together, channeled his chakra into every cell of his body, and then let out a mighty yell, releasing a burst of energy.
Right before their eyes, Shinno became younger, and stronger. He grew a bit taller, his muscles exploded outward tearing through his upper robes. His white hair turned black, and he was left with an insane mane of hair that would have looked ridiculous if the man himself wasn't over seven and a half feet tall now.
"Do you see now. This is what the peak of human perfection looks like." Shinno called out to them, a mad grin adorning his face.
"Impressive. You somehow managed to make yourself younger, buffer, and taller, yet at the same time became less threatening. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, but it's impressive, none the less." Riley stated.
"Look at you, all talk. Here I sit, on the throne of kings. Ancor Vantian at my command, yet still you mock me. I am well aware of your power. You stand before perfection, a perfection that no one can match, not even you." Shinno responded, his grin growing larger and more predatory.
"How you managed to hide that ego, I will never know. It breaks my heart that Amaru could ever love a lying, backstabbing, bottom of the barrel piece of scum like you." Riley stated with a scowl.
"Love?" Shinno noted with a look as he glanced past Riley towards Amaru who's eyes filled with emotion.
Amaru started to say something, to agree with what Riley had said. That she did love him. That she believed in him, and in his teachings. She tried so hard to muster the words, but right before she could speak them Shinno burst out into laughter.
His mad cackling was the most damning thing, Amaru had heard that day. He had heard that she loved him, and his response was to laugh at her like it was funniest joke in the world.
"Doctor..." Amaru began at tears welled up in her eyes.
"You stupid pathetic girl. As thanks for serving as my most successful test subject for the power of the Zero Tails, I'll reward you with a quick death." Shinno stated with a smirk as he vanished in an insane burst of speed.
He appeared right in front of Amaru and brought his first hurtling toward her face. Amaru's entire life flashed before her eyes. She knew, as soon as he made contact, she'd be dead. She witnessed every moment of her life pass by leading to this moment, and it only brought her more pain. She had shut her eyes as soon as it started, waiting for that shock of pain to prelude her death. But it never came.
She slowly opened her eyes to find Shinno's fist mere centimeters from her face. Wrapped around his arm was some sort of tentacle, covered in blackish murky scales. The tentacle split apart at the end, into five smaller tendrils which were burrowing into Shinno's knuckles drawing blood and causing the man to gape.
"Keep you hands off my daughter." Riley stated in a menacing snarl, as her tail pulled him back, away from Amaru and sent him flying into his throne. He punched right through it and landed on the other side with a shocked gasp.
Riley slowly walked towards Amaru, whom had fallen to her knees in the confusion. She was staring wide-eyed at Riley, having heard what she said.
"Wh-what?" Amaru muttered as Riley knelt in front of her and offered a gentle smile.
"I needed to show you what he really was. I'm so sorry that he used you like this. I'll make sure he suffers before the end. Then… I'll take you back with me, and you can meet your siblings. You wont have to be alone anymore." Riley stated as she reached a hand out and wiped a tear from Amaru's eyes.
"I don't understand." Amaru muttered, as she stared into Riley's eyes, confusion flooding her own.
"Magic, alternate dimensions, time travel, and a mistake. But yeah… you're my daughter. Mine and Gaia's I think." Riley stated earning a surprised look from the Kazekage.
"I… Wh..." Amaru couldn't think of what to say to that. Her mind was rushing a mile a minute and everything that had happened in such a short period of time had really thrown her for a loop.
"I'm sorry… If I had known back then… I would have taken you with me, when we first met." Riley stated as she reached out and caressed the feather that stuck out of Amaru's cap.
"What are you talking about?" Amaru muttered as her gaze passed over the feather. To her surprise, it began to glow brightly in Riley's fingers.
"I gave one of these to all my children. One of my feathers, for safe keeping. That's how I know you're mine." Riley responded.
"One of your..." Amaru started to say but she stopped when something large and dark erupted from Riley's back.
Amaru felt her jaw drop open as she took in what it was. Wings. Two pitch black wings, that glowed with fire and arced with red lightning.
"Those Wings… you… you're..." Amaru mumbled out, her eyes as wide as saucers.
"The Angel of Carnage. The one who rescued you that day. I'm sorry for not recognizing you back then. That was before I knew that I had kids out there that needed my help. I promise… I'll explain everything, but later. Now I need you to go with Gaia." Riley stated as she pulled Amaru to her feet and sent a glance over to the Kazekage.
"Gaia, there are people here, innocents that need to be set free. Can you and Amaru go and get them out?" Riley inquired. Gaia was still staring at her, shock adorning her features. It took several moments but the question finally registered with her and she gave a nod.
"Follow my clone. She'll lead you there. I'll finish off Shinno and deal with the Zero Tails. Once that's done, I'll see what I can do about salvaging this weapon. It could be useful to us." Riley stated, earning another nod from Gaia.
Riley returned her gaze to Amaru and gave her a gentle smile, she then passed her over to Gaia.
"I'll see you soon." Riley stated and turned to face Shinno. By now the man had pulled himself to his feet and was gaping at the trio, having heard what she said to Amaru, and now seeing what she was.
"You're Ralael? The Angel? It makes sense now. Why Amaru is resistant to the negative effects of the Zero-Tails power. I guess I will have some more use for her after all." Shinno stated with a devilish smirk.
"Go. He's already hurt you enough. I don't want you to have to hear his screams of agony." Riley commanded as the rest of her tails unfurled and more of her demonic features appeared.
"Don't take to long Riley." Gaia stated after several moments.
Amaru was staring at Riley's back, struggling to say something. Sensing her eyes on her, Riley sent a glance back at her daughter and smiled.
"Go. There are innocent people that need your help. I'll see ya later." Riley stated.
After several seconds, Amaru gave a nod and started to walk backwards towards the exit.
"It wont be long my dear. Once I deal with your… 'mother'… we'll be together again." Shinno stated with a smirk, now finding value in the person he had so callously cast aside.
Amaru could only glare as fresh tears fell from her eyes. Despite her pain, she did not stop, and kept retreating until she and Gaia had exited the room. Then, the two turned and ran off, a clone of Riley appearing and chasing after them to guide them towards where the people were being held.
"Don't worry. Once I'm done with you, I'll be sure to treat her gently." Shinno stated, his words causing Riley's eyes to turn blood red.
"I want so badly to rip you to pieces. I want to hear you scream in anguish and pain. I want you to suffer for what you've done to her. What you want to do to her. But I wont. I wont rip you to shreds. I wont tear you limb from limb. Instead… I'll destroy your sense of self worth. I'll show you that despite all that you've done to achieve your so called power, that you're nothing but a little man, with a god complex." Riley hissed out. Shinno's smirk did not falter at her words, though if one looked deep into his eyes they could detect a hint of fear. Shinno was by no means a fool. He couldn't hold back against a beast like the Angel of Carnage. So with a roar of power, he rushed forward with all his strength and speed.
His aim was to take her head off. Riley did not dodge, nor did she block him, instead she simply held up her hand so that it was about level with his advancing chest.
He rushed at her so quickly, intent on body slamming her, instead he found himself passing right through her, as if she wasn't even there. He skidded to a halt nearly fifteen feet past her and spun around to stare at her.
She hadn't moved much at all. Shinno couldn't help the feeling of dread that washed over him as he felt a cold tingling begin to enter every cell of his body. He glanced down at his hands feeling cold wash over them. The tingling grew and Shinno felt his head begin to spin.
His first thought was some sort of poison. But then his eyes returned to Riley. She had turned to face him, her hand still outstretched. Shinno's eyes widened in disbelief. In his final moment he could only lament on how quick and quiet his ascension to supposed 'perfection' had been. Riley hadn't even really needed to do much in order to achieve victory.
As Shinno crumbled to the ground, his whole body losing feeling, his last thought drifted to the power he could have had, if only he had waited. Amaru had been the key. If only he had known earlier of her attachment to Riley, he could have used her to further his power.
But he didn't. He didn't know. And now, here he was, dead before he even had a chance to enjoy his new life. Riley didn't need to fight him. She didn't need to overpower him. All she needed to do was remind him that he was still human. Despite his supposed perfection, no human could survive without a heart. And there, sitting in her palm, was his.
Riley allowed the organ to slowly slide from her hand. It plopped to the ground with a loud splat. Riley silently walked past Shinno's corpse, drawing in his soul as she did and allowing his knowledge to flood her mind.
His death had been the greatest insult she could inflict upon him. He went out as a pitiful insect his heart, torn from his chest as he passed through Riley. All she had needed to do was enter into Kamui then as soon as he passed through her, she grabbed his heart, pulling it in with her and removing it from his body. Without a heart, the blood cannot pump. Without blood to carry oxygen, all organs would begin to shut down, starting first with the brain.
Using Shinno's memories, Riley moved through the floor and entered into the Zero-Tails Chamber.
The large writhing leech focused on her as Riley unveiled a maw of razor sharp teeth and let out a hiss.
-Elsewhere-
Amaru and Gaia had found and freed the innocent people trapped inside the floating fortress. They were able to lead them to an exterior where Gaia created a large cloud of sand for them all to stand on.
Amaru was one of the last to step onto it, throwing worried glances back towards the interior of the structure.
"Don't worry. Riley's strong. Stronger then anyone in world. She'll be fine" Gaia stated earning a very reluctant nod from Amaru, as she slowly stepped onto the sand cloud.
Gaia then began moving them from the fortress towards the safety of the ground.
It only took several moments before she felt something evil echo through the air. It seems everyone felt it as all eyes turned towards the flying fortress.
"Seems it's done. Baby Brother's gone to join Kokuo and Son. Guess he shouldn't have picked a fight with a demoness as strong as Gyuki, with the power of Kurama at her beck and call, eh?" The Ichibi informed it's host earning a hum of agreement from Gaia.
Several moments passed as the Fortress began to slowly fall from the sky. Without the Zero-Tails to power it, Ancor Vantian couldn't sustain itself.
They all watched as it began to plummet, then right before their eyes, the fortress started to collapse into itself. They all watched in amazement as the fortress was pulled into Kamui, courtesy of Riley.
It took almost ten seconds for the whole fortress to disappear but when it did, all that was left was Riley.
She had retracted her wings and demonic features after defeating the beast, so those who spotted her begin to fall towards the earth, had no reason to suspect her demonic ties.
They all spotted Riley throw something up in their direction before disappearing in a flash. They then heard something impact the sand cloud, glancing at their own feet many spotted the twin-pronged kunai that held the Hiraishin formula. In a second flash Riley appeared before them.
"Well, that was fun." Riley noted with a smirk.
"We need to talk." Gaia stated as she continued to lower herself and the others towards the ground.
Riley merely glanced at her, then at Amaru and offered them a smile.
-Later-
A few short hours later, Riley, Gaia, and Amaru appeared within the Wind Capital. Once they had landed safely, Gaia and Riley helped the group of people find their ways back to familiar territory, and then Riley pulled Gaia and Amaru aside and explained the whole situation to them. About her children, time travel. All of that good stuff. Needless to say it left both redheads dumbfounded. Amaru spent the majority of her time asking question after question. Despite her obvious curiosity, Riley suspected that her question had a lot to do with keeping her mind off of Shinno.
Sensing that, Riley indulged her newest child, answering all the questions to the best of her ability and even offering to continue Amaru's training in the medical field and even help her unlock her magic.
Amaru accepted the offer, a bit of shyness coloring her features. Riley was happy to have found a new daughter to spend time with and was excited to get her back to meet the rest of the family.
Gaia made several notes to have a long, in depth conversation with Riley and learn everything she needed to know. This 'learn as it came up' method simply wouldn't do. She needed more answers.
Once they were back in the Wind Capital, Riley immediately took Amaru to see her mates and the rest of her family.
Introductions were surprising and awkward, at least for Amaru, as she met her three half sisters, learned of her sorta half-brother living in Riley, and met her grandparents. Despite the awkwardness, Amaru finally had family, and they seemed to all be kind and decent people. Even with the wound being fresh, she already felt herself starting to recover from Shinno's betrayal. It would take time, but she could make it past this. Especially with the help of those who seemed to truly care about her.
Two days passed from there, with Riley updating her fellow commanders on what had happened and even informing the Sky ninja commander as to what happened with Shinno. He expressed his gratitude for her having dealt with the threat he posed, though Riley kept quiet about possessing the Sky Ninja's ancient weapon. She intended to do her own studies of the thing, and learn it's secrets.
Riley had also informed her mother and Hashirama of Karui, giving the girl to Hashirama in the process to look after, and gather information from. Karui was an Uzumaki by blood, and thus stubborn, but Riley wanted to keep this, in the family as it were, and not send her to Ibiki or Anko. Hashirama and Kushina thanked Riley for sparing a fellow clansmen and both began to take time to speak with Karui and build a connection with her.
The only ones who knew of her was Riley, her mates, her fellow commanders, and her family. And Riley intended to keep it that way.
It was on the second day after her return, mere hours before the great host they had amassed was about to leave, when Usagi appeared in Riley's tent. Riley was surprised to see the white rabbit. It should have been at Taki relaying scrolls to a summoning point in Riley's tent. Riley wondered if perhaps it hadn't understood it's order accurately, or if whoever gave it this scroll, hadn't known how to reverse summon it away for the rabbit.
Riley was quick to retrieve the scroll from the little creature and found that inside of it was information on Pain and a message.
Taki had fallen.
Ten minutes later Riley was standing before her fellow commanders, Gaia, the Wind Daimyo the Sky commander and all of their advisers.
She had just delivered the message to them.
"I can't believe this. Why didn't Usagi send us a warning once the attack commenced?" Itachi asked.
"A barrier. Pain threw up a barrier before the attack, and once he was finished he left the barrier to fall on it's own. Usagi was trapped within the city for nearly twelve hours after Pain had departed. He was buried under rubble as well, and had to dig his way out." Riley informed them.
"Is it wise to march into the Land of Earth with the threat of the Akatsuki so apparent?" The Wind Daimyo inquired.
"If we don't destroy them now, they'll find a new Tsuchikage. Once they rally, beating them down will be a much more trying endeavor. We have to destroy them now." Gaia responded, earning several nods of agreement.
"I don't understand, why can't you resurrect those that were killed in Taki, like you did here?" Kankuro asked, causing many to turn their eyes towards Riley.
"There is a time limit. If I bring people back after that time is up, they'll return as monsters. If I were to resurrect Taki now, it would give rise to an army of abominations. And don't think that thought hasn't crossed my mind. Bringing them back in whatever twisted form they take and unleashing them onto Rain and the Akatsuki. Those people… I think they've suffered enough." Riley answered earning several slow nods of agreement and acceptance.
Kankuro and Temari shared a look with one another, finally understanding why Riley didn't bring back the people that had died in the attack on Suna. It must have been past the time frame she needed.
Gaia was of a similar mind, understanding this.
"So what now?" Came the question on everyone's mind.
"We march forward. I'll deal with Akatsuki. I'll go after them, while you all march into the Land of Earth." Riley stated, earning surprised looks from her fellows.
"Riley..." Gaia began but Riley cut her off.
"You don't need me to finish them off. The Akatsuki are to great a threat to ignore any longer. I'll march into the Land of Rain, and lay waste to everything in my path. I'll tear the Akatsuki's foundation out from under them, while you steamroll over Iwa." Riley replied.
"But we do need you. You're power, it turns this conflict overwhelmingly in our favor. Without you there, this fight could drag on for much longer." Came the argument from the Daimyo himself.
"You don't need me. You have the Kazekage, my fellow commanders, and most importantly, my grandfathers." Riley stated earning confused looks from those around her.
Riley turned her gaze towards the back of the room to where two cloaked figures stood and watched. They both shared a look before stepping forward and pulling back their hoods and face masks.
Many people let out gasps of surprise and shock as they beheld the forms of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.
The only people in the room who knew that the two were alive had been Riley's fellow commanders, and only recently, Gaia, after having her in-depth conversation with Riley.
"Greetings Lord Daimyo." Hashirama offered with a polite bow. Madara offered one as well.
"How is this possible?" Asked Lady Chiyo.
"The answer, Elder Chiyo, is magic." Hashirama answered with a smile, earning a snort of amusement from Madara as well.
"My Grandfathers have been fighting alongside the Legion since this war began. I see no reason to hide their existence any longer. At least not from our allies. They'll march with you, and with their power, you will roll over the Land of Earth like it was nothing. With their help, Iwagakure will probably be in our control by the time I'm finished with the Akatsuki." Riley stated with a smirk of her own.
Knowing that they had Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju by their side, eased many minds in the room.
It was then decided that plans would proceed as intended.
Soon after that meeting, Riley found herself standing along with Madara and Hashirama, out in an open field away from the Wind Capital. Riley was quick to summon Zetsu and as soon as he appeared she seized him by the throat.
"Gah!" Zetsu cried out as Riley grabbed him and pulled him close to glare into his eyes.
"What the hell kinda game are you playing?" Riley hissed as she squeezed his throat.
"I guess that means you heard." She heard White Zetsu gargled out.
"My Lady… allow us to explain." Black Zetsu's voice came out much clearer.
"You have ten seconds." Riley snapped.
"Pain sent us to find the Six Tails. We had no idea he was going to go after the Seven Tails on his own. We found it though. We know where the Six Tails' Jinchuriki is." White Zetsu quickly explained.
Riley's glare intensified for several moments before softening. She then let out a sigh and released Zetsu from her grasp.
"We were on our way to tell you the moment we heard about what Pain did. He hasn't summoned the Akatsuki to seal the Seven Tails away, and we have no idea where he put it." Black Zetsu added.
"I see. I apologize for my outburst Zetsu." Riley stated earning a fearful nod from both half's of the plant-man hybrid.
Riley quickly flashed through handsigns and summoned Loki to her side.
"Hello mother." Loki greeted with a bow as he appeared.
"Loki, Zetsu has the location of the Six Tails Jinchuriki. I want you to head out there and keep an eye on him. I'm going to destroy Ame, when I'm done, the Akatsuki will be destroyed. However… if some of them escape, I want you there to make sure they cannot reach him, or to let me know if they try to capture him." Riley commanded earning a nod from her faithful familiar.
"It will be done." Loki responded.
"So…. You've finally decided to remove the Akatsuki as a threat. What can we do to help?" Black Zetsu asked.
"Tell me where Ame is, exactly where it is, and then go to Pain and deliver a message to him. Let him know that you've heard rumors that I'm making my way towards the Land of Rain. Let him know I'm coming." Riley commanded, earning a nod of understanding from Zetsu.
"It's time I finished this." Riley snarled as her eyes bled red.
Zetsu offered a nod of understanding. In that moment, he saw so much of Kaguya that it nearly caused him to gasp.
-Elsewhere-
"It's done. The Seven Tails will be sealed within moments." Pain stated to Konan.
"This seems like a far more efficient method. What do you think the others will say?" Konan inquired.
"It matters not, their opinions are of no concern." Pain responded, earning a slow nod from his partner.
"Still… do you think it was wise to accept his offer? Who knows what it could do to you in the long run." Konan stated after a moment of silence.
"Again, it doesn't matter Konan. Whatever sacrifice is required for true peace, I will happily pay it." Pain responded.
Konan gave him a look but held her tongue knowing he was right, despite not feeling the same.
Deep within the bowels of Ame, Nagato Uzumaki sat in darkness. His body was hooked up to a machine that kept him alive. Before him sat a massive slab of stone, carved with ancient symbols. The center most symbols were glowing with a dim red flame. This flame did little to light up the room, but it did illuminate the formation of a large symbol upon the towering slab of stone. The symbol was in the formation of a large S with two small markings. One sat just off the top end of the letter, and the other sat within the lower curve.
"It is done." A dark voice whispered out from the symbol.
Nagato let out a huff and brought his hands together. In a large poof of smoke, the Gedo Statue appeared. Moments later, Obito manifested from Kamui. He slowly walked up to the statue and gave it a look. A new eye had opened up, indicating that the Seven Tails had been successfully sealed within it. He glanced over at Nagato and gave him a nod before taking the statue into Kamui.
Nagato said nothing as this all played out. He knew the deal he had made was without a doubt, the most risky venture of his life. He knew that to deal with the creature that spoke through the mark was to invite misfortune, but he had done it anyway.
He couldn't afford anymore failures. His soul was a small price to pay in exchange for ensuring that no one could stop them in their quest for peace. Whatever that thing was beyond the burning mark, he knew it to be a great evil. For some reason, it refused to cross over, to take the step from it's home, into their world. Perhaps it couldn't. Perhaps such a transition was impossible. Nagato didn't know. All he knew was that it could rip the Tailed Beasts out of their hosts and fuse them into the Statue in mere moments. With such power, Nagato knew to be weary.
It was time to go hunting again. There were still more beasts to collect. The Akatsuki still had a plan, and the world would soon know what true pain was.
-To Be Continued-
Alright there's the next chapter for you guys. Again sorry it took so long. For anyone wondering, yes that was the Mark of Skath, as I said earlier I'll be introducing crossover content way in advance of actually needing it, and I plan on making Trigon a major villain in the next book, so I hope you look forward to feeling his influence as the story progresses. He's helping Nagato for a reason, what reason could that be? Well is soul for one, but there are others.
Next Chapter, Riley is going all out against Pain. Can't wait! See ya then. Ja Ne!
\