Time for the next chapter, keep on keeping on, and please pay close attention towards the end. The end game is about to be announced and I don't want anyone to be lost. This chapter is a lot of set up for the follow up and for the last arc of this book, so I hope you all enjoy. Final countdown beginning now.
Broken Angel
Chapter 87
Arturia sat atop the wall of the Earth capital staring down at the ground. Riley sat next to her, both silent as they stared at the city. Riley wore a knowing smile as Arturia fidgeted nervously. After waking from her drunken stupor with a helluva hangover, Arturia was able to vividly recall the nights events, which included seeing Riley in the nude, saying lewd things to her, spilling her heart and soul to Riley's mother and recruiting Riley's grandfathers into aiding them into getting into Riley's tent for some odd reason. She had spent the entire morning nursing a headache and dreading the moment when she would either have to show her face outside or Riley would come to speak with her.
It turned out that it had been the former, as Tom had called a meeting for the Legion to discuss the finer details of it's tactics in regards to the final battle with Iwa. The whole time the meeting was going on, Riley kept sending smirks towards Arturia, making her feel even more nervous then she already was. Now the two of them sat atop the walls, both wondering when the other was going to say something.
Finally Riley decided to bite the bullet and turned towards Arturia.
"So… now's your chance to speak to my breasts." Riley stated with a smirk, earning a sigh of embarrassment from Arturia.
"That was uncouth of me, to say the least." Arturia said with another sigh.
"It was really funny though." Riley replied, earning a befuddled look from Arturia.
"I will find a way to apologize for that." Arturia stated, earning a chuckle from Riley.
"The amusement it provided me and my mates was more then enough repayment. Honestly, I never would have expected that to happen, and I've experienced some weird shit in my life." Riley responded with a good-natured smirk.
"Still though… it shouldn't have happened." Arturia stated, resolutely, folding her arms across her chest as she did. "I will not rest until I find a way to properly apologize."
"How about a date?" Riley asked.
"Uh… what?" Arturia responded.
"You know, a date. We go somewhere, we talk, we have fun, we enjoy each others company." Riley explained.
"I know what a date is, I just… you truly want to spend more time around me? I'm not exactly a fun person to be around." Arturia stated.
"Well if you end up being really boring I can always just get you drunk. You seem like you'd be the life of the party with zero inhibitions." Riley noted, earning a minor blush from Arturia.
"Riley..." Arturia began only to be cut off when Riley reached out and pressed a finger to her lips.
"You'll repay me by just being yourself, and seeing if we work. I wanna know, and it's quite obvious to me that you also want to know. So let's give it a try. What do you say?" Riley pushed.
For several moments, Arturia was silent, finally she offered a smile, and nodded.
"Yes!" Riley now sported a massive grin, as she turned her eyes back out over the city. Arturia was silent as she contemplated just what she had gotten herself into. Now she had agreed to pursue a relationship with Riley, Arturia had no idea what forward was, or what it entailed, she just hoped that her feet took her in the right direction and that fate would be kind enough to give her answers.
With the battle of the Earth Capital won, the armies of the Magical Alliance prepared to begin marching towards Iwagakure. Their advance was going to be swift and merciless. Riley intended to send out RAAM and Skorge along with her two dragons, Deimos and Midir to lay waste to any outlaying bases or forts while their main force took down Iwa once and for all.
The following days were filled with rapid advancement through the remainder of Iwa's defenses. A few messengers arrived during the advance, bringing messages from the ruling powers in Iwa, their council, the messengers were turned away. The Legion had no intention of parlaying with the enemy, and Gaia was of similar mind.
They were ending this, and no one was going to stop them.
Every moment they moved closer and closer to their enemies, every moment they tightened the noose.
"You ever wonder is this is just plain unfair?" Draco inquired to Riley as they moved through the ruined debris of one of the last major forts between them and their goal.
"Nope. I think they're getting exactly what they asked for." Riley responded.
"We deal with this, and then we get to start winding down." Draco noted, earning a nod from Riley.
"Yeah. We deal with Iwa, then Kusa, and then we deal with Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. It's all coming together. I can almost hear professor Snape's lectures in my mind, I can't wait to get back home." Riley responded, earning a smirk from Draco.
"Home. Feels like forever since we've been there. Can't wait to finally go back." Draco added.
"Too long my friend. We'll finish with our work here, and then I've got a honeymoon and several weddings to plan." Riley stated earning a chuckle from Draco.
"Busy life. Let's finish this." Draco stated earning a nod from Riley as the two finished their march out of the ruins of one of Iwa's last remaining strongholds.
Within hours, Riley had launched her plan into action, summoning RAAM and Skorge and dispatching them along with her two dragons to hit what was left of Iwa's defenses away from Iwagakure.
Two days after that, and Iwagakure finally sat before them. The magical Alliance arrived just as the Sky ninja began their assault from the air.
The attack began with a massive charge from a coalition of nearly fifty thousand shinobi, and members of the Legion.
They slammed into the outer defense of Iwa with unyielding force. The defenders of Iwagakure tried their hardest to mount a reasonable defense, but they were obviously exhausted and their morale was barely in existence.
Within ten minutes, they had broken through the outer defenses and were pushing into the city. Riley stayed in contact with Amygdala as she advanced using it to spot Iwa commanders and to pick them off as their forces advanced.
Riley, Madara and Hashirama, led major assault forces across multiple fronts of attack. Each one of the three was proving to be an incredibly effective vanguard as they pushed through what defenses had been put before them.
Despite it being their own home turf, Iwa was unable to mount a defense. This war had broken their backs, and they fought with barely any resolve. It was mostly out of fear, rather then any belief that they could actually win.
As Riley pushed through a small collection of Iwa ninja, Arturia was right by her side. The two fought with extreme ferocity, pushing through the enemy and leading their forces further and further into the city. Riley found it exhilarating to fight alongside Arturia, now that she was on the track to becoming one of Riley's mates. Riley always enjoyed seeing her mates fight, and she got a special kind of joy out of seeing them kill. With Arturia, now a possible mate, Riley instinctively paid much closer attention to her actions, and how she moved in battle.
It became almost mesmerizing for Riley, whom more then once, lost herself in admiring her future mate, and allowing her body to work on autopilot.
As the battle progressed, more and more of Iwa's command structure vanished, leaving the rest, leaderless and disorganized.
With their leadership disappearing, Iwa's resolve quickly shattered. Within two hours, the battle was over, most Iwa shinobi who had been present were either captured or killed, and the village's leadership was brought before the supreme commander of the Magical Alliance, Gaia.
Vile insults and begs for mercy filled her ears as she stared them down, she simply stood quietly as they tried whatever they could to either insult her, or convince her to spare them. It ended when Gaia ordered them all thrown in cells, and that they'd all be investigated and punished for whatever crimes they assisted Iwa in committing.
With that, the battle was over. Iwa had been captured.
"Well that was eventful." Riley noted with a smirk from her place next to Gaia.
"This was too easy." Gaia stated with a hard look as she surveyed the damage done to the city around them.
"Tell that to all the people that died, getting us here." Riley responded. After the battle was over, she had once again utilized Rinne Rebirth to revive all of her fallen allies, but that didn't change the fact that many lives were lost in the taking of the city.
"I realize that. But still… I never thought taking a Hidden Village would have been so easy." Gaia stated as her gaze drifted around to the ruins of the village around her.
"They barely had any leadership to speak of, and they were demoralized. No army can operate without those things. We overwhelmed them." Riley offered, earning a contemplative look from Gaia.
"We should take a look at their rosters. I want to know just how many of them were absent from the battle, and we need to find out where that last golem is." Gaia stated, earning a nod of agreement from Riley.
With the city captured, investigations began into the presence of any unaccounted for shinobi. Several thousand Iwa ninja were not present in the city for the final stand. It was presumed by many that they were deserters, but Gaia was worried of what would become of them. She suspected they'd either form rebel factions and continue to be a pain, or they would become sellswords and bandits, either way, it wouldn't be easy to hunt them all down. She was quick to put her forces to work gathering info on all of those that were missing, so that they could form a comprehensive list and begin hunting them down.
With Iwa now captured, discussions began as to what should be done with the Land of Earth. Many ideas were thrown around, with some suggesting to leave it to the Daimyo, some suggested they burn the city down and massacre the Iwa ninja, others suggested keeping them prisoner, and using Iwagakure as like a second Suna. Finally it was Tom who suggested making Iwakagure into a servant state. He suggested that with the help of the goblins they could put a new Tsuchikage in place, have that person swear to a magical contract and then have all Iwa ninja swear to an oath of loyalty to the Tsuchikage. These oaths would magically bind them and effectively turn Iwa into a protectorate.
Any who refused the oath would be put down.
Gaia actually took this idea to heart and dispatched word to the Wind Daimyo to discuss such a change in government. If given approval, Gaia would put the pieces into place to effectively neuter Iwa's independence, while at the same time, using Iwa's name, and position to help secure the now ravaged Land of Earth.
Riley herself, approved of the idea, as it effectively turned Iwa into Suna's bitch. While Gaia worked on that front, Riley got to work with the commander of the Sky ninja and the Legion commanders as they planned the eventual march on Kusagakure. Kusa had only played a small part in the war, providing supplies to Iwa, but they were still an ally of their enemy, and thus needed to be dealt with before they began smaller operations to hunt down Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. Riley also had a trip to Kumogakure she needed to plan, now that Iwa had been reduced to something sad and pitiful.
-A Short While Later-
"You sure this is a good idea?" Kankuro inquired.
"Always the worry wart. It'll be fine. By the time I'm finished in Kumo, our plan for Kusa should be ready to commence. Besides, while I'm in Kumo enduring these negotiations, the Sky ninja will be launching raids on the Land of Grass. They'll be too worried about that to launch any sort of surprise attack against our main forces." Riley replied with a smile.
"Still though… we're on a roll. I'd hate to lose this momentum, just because we had to stop and play politics." Kankuro muttered.
"Hey, everything will be alright. If something happens, Gaia has one of the Hiraishin kunai. I can be here in a flash." Riley stated, with a grin.
Gaia sat nearby and offered a nod. She'd be joining Riley in a few days time, after she finished organizing the efforts in Iwa. For now, Temari, and Lady Chiyo would be standing in as Suna's representatives in these negotiations. Despite not being there for the opening, Gaia made sure to pull aside Riley's mates and ask them to try and help these things along. An alliance with Kumo was desperately needed to secure the continent, and Gaia was dead set on seeing this through. Peace, in her lifetime. Well, most kage only ever dreamed of such a victory.
Riley's mates offered their assurances that they would try to keep Riley focused, and make sure she was at least trying to make nice with Yugito.
Daphne was especially interested in seeing this through, as this would serve as a major political gain for the magical alliance, and if she helped shape it, that would serve as a very noteworthy achievement for her ambitions.
Within several days of taking down Iwa, Riley and a small band of followers were ready to depart to Kumo. Riley intended to take with her, her mates, her grandfathers, her mother, Arturia, and Tom to assist in these opening negotiations, with Daphne bringing along Alucard, just because she could. Itachi was left in charge of Legion during their absence, which suited him just fine.
Riley was able to quickly transport her group to Kumogakure, using Kamui to appear just outside of the village itself.
"Ready for this?" Katie inquired as the group made their way the rest of the distance to the gates of Kumo.
"I just wish this all wasn't happening so fast. I know what this means for Gaia, and the Elemental Nations. I know what this'll do for the people. I just wish I had more time to spend with Gaia, and Arturia before hopping into another relationship." Riley stated, earning a small smile from Katie, whom wrapped an arm around Riley's waist, and pulled her into her side.
They were about thirty yards from the entrance when a cluster of shinobi appeared before them.
"Halt! State your business travelers!" The head Kumo ninja ordered.
"I am Riley of the Uchiwa Clan. I have come to negotiate with your Raikage." Riley stated, earning surprise and fear from the gathering of Kumo ninja.
"Lady Uchiwa. We were told to be prepared for your arrival, though I didn't think it would be this quickly. Please, allow me to escort you to the Raikage." The Head ninja offered, earning a nod from Riley, as she led her company after the man, and into Kumogakure.
The group kept mostly quiet as they were led into the bustling city. Kumo was quite lively, despite the state of the continent. While the other half of the world was suffering from the Fourth Great Ninja War, Kumo had prospered, and the people couldn't possibly be happier.
Riley kept her senses open, keeping an eye on how people felt, as that reflected not only the state of the village, but how people perceived the world around them. From what she could feel, people were genuinely happy. There wasn't an overwhelming feeling of greed or desire, Kumo felt much more like a regular town, then a ninja village. If Riley had to guess, that was probably due to the extreme amount of hard work the Raikage had put into keeping his people happy, while also not making enemies with the rest of the world. He was playing the cautious game, and as was apparent, his people were prospering because of it.
Children played in the street. People laughed and did business. Smiles were everywhere. All in all, Kumo seemed… normal.
Riley's group was led to a large building which presumably held the Raikage's office and Kumo's council chambers. The group was led to the council chamber and Riley was greeted to a familiar sight.
"Ah there it is." Riley thought as she felt that familiar feeling of greed, and corrupt malice. Kumo's council was much smaller then Konoha's and it consisted of only shinobi. Each council member presided over a singular aspect of Kumo's operations. From agriculture, to infrastructure, to trade, to Chuunin, Jonin, and Anbu commanders. All in all, there was about a dozen council members, plus the Raikage, his chief aide, and his little brother Killer Bee.
The room itself was a wide open area with a large oval shaped table in the center of it. It looked like the table had been adjusted recently, as all of the seats for the Kumo side, had been moved to one side of the table, with the Raikage and his closest advisers sitting towards the middle.
"Lord Raikage, honorary council… may I present to you, Lady Riley of house Uchiwa." The gate guard announced, earning several nods and pointed looks from the Raikage's office, and his council.
For many, this was their first time ever seeing Riley, so a lot of them gave her a quick once over, memorizing her face and body features.
Riley stood in silence for several moments, her arms folded across her chest, a bored look adorning her face. Her stance was all Madara, the way her hair hung in her face, much like his would, and the way she held herself. It would be easy to see the resemblance between grandfather and granddaughter given how much alike they looked. Not far off, Madara held himself in a similar fashion, arms folded over his chest, and his hair covering one of his eyes.
Madara was easily recognized as an Uchiha, which drew some attention from Kumo's council, though Hashirama received no more then a few glances. His physical characteristics weren't as well known as the Uchiha clan's were, so most people didn't recognize him, just off his appearance. Kushina drew many looks from the council, both for her beauty and her obvious Uzumaki traits. She did little to hide her disdain for Kumo's council, especially some of the older members, whom probably had a hand in her attempted kidnapped many years ago.
Riley's mates drew only a few glances, mostly towards Fleur, and Kaede. One for her allure, and the other for her strange appearance.
Lady Chiyo and Temari kept quiet for the few seconds this occurred before stepping forward along with Tom. Once the three of them were right next to Riley she spoke.
"I am Riley, head of the houses, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Uchiwa. Heir to the houses of Black, Uzumaki, and Senju. Beside me is Lady Chiyo of Suna, Lady Temari no Sabaku, elder sister to the Fifth Kazekage, and Thomas Gaunt, one of my fellow commanders in the Cysgodol Legion. They are here representing Suna and Britain in these negotiations, while the Kazekage is busy dealing with what remains of Iwagakure. I have decided to merely represent myself so anything to do with Trade, or military alliances, will go through them." Riley stated, her voice carrying out an even tone to it.
Kumo's council shared looks with one another and several people started to whisper to each other. They ceased as soon as the Raikage rose to his feet.
"Greetings, honorary guests. We of Kumo greatly appreciate you coming all this way to meet with us. There is much we have to discuss, and it's good that all parties will have adequate representation in these discussions. Please, have a seat." A welcomed them, earning nods from Riley's party as they moved to sit on their side of the table, which conveniently already had enough chairs for them.
"So… what would we all like to discuss first?" Lady Chiyo inquired as they all finished sitting.
"Well perhaps we should get everyone's name and occupation, so that we can all take part in these talks. Then from there, I believe it'd be best to address the marriage alliance first, as that would be the part that would ultimately lead to all others." Hashirama offered earning a nod from those around him, including Chiyo.
"Very well then. I am A, the Fourth Raikage of Kumo." A began, and from there, his side listed off their names and what their job was as a councilor. This cleared up a lot so that once discussion reached certain points like trade agreements, both sides would know who would be the expert and would generally be taking the lead.
Once it got to Riley's side, Riley's face split with a wide grin. Hashirama was the first to offer his name. Giving it casually like he was talking about the weather. Hashirama had never been a vain man. He'd always been courteous and straightforward, so when he gave his name, he was honestly surprised when almost the entirety of the Kumo council let out gasps.
"How is that possible?" The Jonin commander of Kumo inquired.
"I'm sure by now you've all heard rumors of what I've been doing in this war. I think you're smart enough to put the pieces together. As for the why, Hashirama Senju is my great-grandfather." Riley responded, earning more shocked looks. The knowledge that she was descended from Madara had spread around already, but to know that Hashirama Senju was also her grandfather, now that was something that wasn't as well known.
"But how is that possible? I thought your mother came from another land?" Mabui inquired curiously.
"It's a long story, but the short version is that Lily Namikaze, was not my biological mother. Kushina Uzumaki is, and she is the First Hokage's Granddaughter." Riley responded and nodded at Kushina, earning more surprised looks, as people finally placed where they recognized Kushina from. Konohagakure's Red Death was well known to Kumo, having terrorized them during the Third Great Ninja War.
"If you are Hashirama Senju then does that mean you're…?" Mabui again spoke, though this time her attention shifted over to Madara whom simply nodded.
"Yes. I am Madara Uchiwa. Formerly of the Uchiha clan." Madara stated.
While A did his best to appear calm, on the inside he was both freaking out, and putting the pieces together. The Legion's power now made complete sense. Not only did they have Riley but they had the First Hokage, the Red Death, and Madara Uchiha. It also answered an old question of his, why Riley fought like Madara. She had to have been getting training from him, since before the Triwizard tournament in Britain.
"I am Chiyo, of Suna." Lady Chiyo introduced herself.
"And I am Temari no Sabaku. As lady Riley stated, I am the Fifth Kazekage's elder sister, and the daughter of the Fourth Kazekage." Temari introduced herself.
"I am Kushina Uzumaki." Kushina stated simply, pinning each member of the Kumo council with a skin peeling look, making them all nervous.
"I am Thomas Gaunt." Voldemort added, taking great pleasure in watching Kushina terrorize the collective of Kumo ninja.
"I am Arturia Pendragon." Arturia offered.
"Fleur Delacour." Fleur continued down the line.
"Luna Lovegood." Luna added as she rested her chin on her folded hands.
"Daphne Greengrass Hellsing Slytherin." Daphne offered, earning several looks, as many on the Kumo side took notice of the wedding ring on her finger. Despite coming with them, Alucard kept to the shadows, avoiding being seen unless he was needed. Daphne was half tempted to call him into the meeting, but she knew Riley and the ancient vampire would just feed off one another as they attempted to goad the Kumo side into doing something stupid, so she had him remain out of sight unless she needed him.
"Kaede." Was all Kaede offered, as she glanced around at those who sat opposite of her. She looked bored.
"Katie Bell." Katie was the last to offer.
"Those last five are my mates, with Daphne being my first wife. I also intend to pursue a relationship with Arturia, and with her along with the Kazekage that brings me up to Seven mates. Yugito would make eight." Riley stated earning a nod from A.
Many on the Kumo side took this moment to give Riley's mates another once over, now understanding their importance.
Riley's eyes snapped between certain members of Kumo's council whenever certain thoughts or emotions reared themselves in relation to her mates. A and Killer Bee, both took notice of this.
"She can read their minds Bee. Best to get these talks going before she decides to do something to get them to stop." The Eight tails informed it's host, earning a nod from Bee whom casually nudged A, giving him a side glance that A recognized and understood as a warning.
A knew where the warning stemmed from and knew of the magicals abilities in the mind arts. He knew enough about them to know that Riley would make it a bit more obvious if she was actively reading a persons mind, but that didn't mean she wasn't reading surface thoughts, so she probably knew what they were thinking, and A knew his council well enough to know that some of them were thinking of ways to exploit Riley and her mates to further their own power, or Kumo's.
"Well now that introductions are out of the way, let's begin with the first item on our agenda. Your marriage to Yugito." A began drawing all attention to him.
"I don't know the woman very well. I'd like to spend some time getting to know her to see if we're compatible. If we are, then I don't see a reason why I wouldn't agree to the marriage. With that being said I'll withhold my decision on whether or not to accept the marriage alliance, until the end of the week. In the mean time, we can discuss the finer points of this particular aspect of the alliance, like for instance, what were your intentions when it came to Yugito's freedom of movement?" Riley inquired after she finished explaining her position to them.
"If you agree to the marriage alliance, then Yugito will be given the position of Kumo's ambassador to Britain and Suna. With such responsibilities will also come great privileges. She'll be allowed free travel wherever she sees fit so long as she continues to perform her duties. As Kumo's main ambassador, she'll be responsible for keeping Kumo informed on political matters pertaining to our alliance, as well as passing on word from Kumo, and ensuring our alliance stays operational." A explained earning a slow nod from Riley.
"Alright. Now what about children?" Madara stated, fixing A with a very pointed look, that unnerved the Raikage a bit. Everyone knew this topic was a sensitive one, and it was quite apparent that Kumo would want to somehow exploit a child of Riley and Yugito. Members of the Kumo council shifted nervously, though A held his composure and focused his attention on Riley.
"I wont mince words with you. The idea of having a child of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki and a woman with your pedigree, become a part of our village, is quite an enticing one. With that being said, the purpose of this alliance is not to attempt a power-play. Kumogakure does not wish for any conflict with Suna or Britain. The opportunity is available should your child wish it, but otherwise, the major concern here is to form a lasting bond between our nations." A explained, earning a slow, calculated nod from Riley, whom eyed the rest of the Kumo council to gauge their reactions.
It was obvious that this didn't sit well with some members of the Kumo council. They probably had hoped to exploit Riley and Yugito's union and gain a powerful subordinate from it.
"Well… it's good to know you have your priorities straight." Riley stated, earning a scowl from several members of the Kumo council.
"You don't approve?" Riley took the opportunity to goad them. The look A shot towards his subordinates almost made Riley laugh out loud. A number of them had the decency to break their line of thought, though one decided to take the bait.
"I don't appreciate having my mind read by a foreign shinobi." The commander of the Chuunin snapped at Riley, believing that she had been utilizing Legilimency to read their thoughts.
"I'm not a shinobi anymore, and I don't need to read your mind to know what you're thinking. You're just so fucking obvious about it." Riley stated with a chuckle, earning a glare from her counterpart.
"Ah yes. Your short stint as a Ronin. Were you unable to cut it, or was that just another one of your games?" The man replied, earning a pointed glare from the Raikage, whom looked ready to leap over his comrades to strangle the man.
"I only became a Ronin to prove a point to the Fourth Hokage and the Leaf. I made Jonin at a younger age then you did, I can promise you that. And I've killed far more kage then you have too." Riley added with a grin, earning a chuckle from some on her side and a few eye rolls from her mates, who knew she was just trying to rile up the Kumo Jonin.
The man looked like he wanted to say something more, but by this time the proverbial elbowing had passed far enough along the Kumo side of the table to reach him and he felt the Raikage's eyes bore into the side of his head.
With as dignified a huff as he could manage, the man quieted down.
"I apologize for his outburst. My men are a bit on edge, with the recent attack on Yugito, and the incident with you." The Raikage explained.
"Her name is Amaru. The girl you wanted to kidnap and use as a weapon. Or possibly kill to take the Zero tails out of her. I never bothered to ask what the actual intention was behind that. Regardless, it wouldn't have mattered any way. She's not a Jinchuriki." Riley stated earning a confused look from the Raikage.
"She's not?" A couldn't help but reply.
"No. she is, or was, a conduit. Through a very intricate work of seal making, the man she was traveling with was able to form a link between her and the Zero Tails. It wasn't actually sealed within her. It could channel power into her, from across a distance." Riley explained. Almost as soon as the words finished leaving her mouth, the gears started turning in a lot of their minds.
"Before you go asking, no I don't plan on revealing the seal diagram he used. Even if I did, it wouldn't matter. The Zero Tails is the only one of the Bijuu who can utilize it's power like that. It can break into pieces and control those pieces over a distance. With any of the other tailed beasts, well you might as well just take parts of it's chakra and put them into multiple people. And besides that, the Zero Tails is also the only one who can operate in people who haven't been it's vessel since a young age. So like I said, it'd be useless to you." Riley explained to them, earning a slow nod from the Raikage as he pondered that bit of info. The Zero Tails was almost completely unknown in the Elemental Nations. The creature itself, was little more then a rumor.
"Is the beast now in your possession?" Mabui inquired.
"No, I killed it." Riley responded.
"Why?" Mabui asked curiously.
"It was kind of a prick. And honestly, I didn't trust the thing not to try and possess as many people as it could. Like I said, it's the only tailed beast that can fully control the pieces of itself in other places, so I could, in theory, go around placing parts of it's chakra into dozens of people, and then possess them for whatever the hell it wanted. There were simply to many unknowns when it came to the beast, so I figured it was for the best to just kill it, and let it revive itself in a few years, after we've finished with this war, and everything quiets down." Riley offered as an explanation, earning a nod from the Raikage.
"Well that's probably for the best then. Had we known that it was the Zero Tails we were dealing with, and of it's abilities, I would have had my shinobi operate with a much greater degree of caution." A stated.
"Regardless, that incident was just a tiny showing of my power. Twenty guys, that's nothing. You want some honesty from me? You want to hear a statement that has no lies, or falsehoods at all? I could have destroyed Iwa in a day. I could have annihilated their entire army, leveled their hidden village, and annihilated the Earth Capital, all in less then twenty-four hours." Riley stated, earning many hard looks from those sitting across from her.
"Then why didn't you?" A asked, as he eyed her intently.
"Because… as a single person, I can be overwhelmed, I can be outmaneuvered. The Legion though… it can be something greater. Something bigger then one person. When people look at this war, they'll see me as a commander, as a vanguard, and as a soldier, but they'll see me as part of a whole, part of an army. When people talk about who won this war, they'll talk about the Legion. They'll talk about a force of five thousand that was able to turn back an entire ninja village, and it's host nation, and put the fear of the gods into them. Suna was facing a desperate situation. They were outnumbered, fifty to one. Iwa had two bijuu at their disposal, and the aid of their host nation, and the aid of Kusagakure. Suna stood alone. And then the attack began, and it took the Kazekage herself to stall Iwa's advance through the desert. All the while, Suna's entire front was pushed back. All except for one place. And that's where we were. Sinnon. You go there, and you'll find the remains of one of Iwa's golems, you'll find the corpses of tens of thousands in the hills outside the city. It was a slaughter. We painted the hills red with the blood of Iwa and they felt it, all across the battle line. That isn't boasting, that isn't bragging. That is what happened. That is what we did. Five thousand members of the Legion, and a team of Suna ninja, did that." Riley stated to them, her voice carrying dominance and authority to it.
Temari and Chiyo could only offer slow nods at Riley's assessment of the situation. Suna was facing a desperate situation before the war. They were vastly outnumbered, and all in all, they only really had two advantages going into the conflict. They would be fighting on home-turf, which is never fun, and they had Gaia, who could inflict immense damage in the deserts as she had proven. But it was the battle at Sinnon that stopped Iwa's advance. Gaia defeating one of the golems, was probably expected. And while she used her power to stop one, the other four, along with their invasion forces would push forward towards Suna and the Wind Capital. It was only the slaughter at Sinnon, the death of tens of thousands in one night, that ultimately stopped Iwa's advance, dead in it's tracks.
"You asked for this alliance because you're scared shitless of me. And you're right to be afraid, because what I've done so far… it's been nothing. I destroyed Iwa's army at the Wind capital almost single handedly. I killed the Tsuchikage, who was also the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, and I killed the Five-Tails almost immediately afterwards. I killed thousands, and then I killed two of the most powerful fighters in the world, back to back. You're scared of the things you've heard I can do. It's nothing… all of it's nothing. If I wanted to, I could level the entirety of the Elemental Nations." Riley continued, her eyes shining malevolently, as she released a bit of her power.
The reaction was instant, as those on the Kumo side felt a pressure flood the room. Those on Riley's side had felt it coming or were strong enough to resist the affects of her incredibly potent energy. Several long seconds went by, as those on the Kumo side tensed, and the Raikage himself locked eyes with Riley. Her Rinne Sharingan was almost shining with blood lust, and the desire to kill. For a second the Raikage tensed to move, expecting an attack, but none came.
Several long seconds went by, and the power faded. Silence permeated the room, and held there for almost a full minute before Hashirama Senju, God of the Shinobi himself, burst out laughing.
His booming laughter filled the room, as a grin spread across Riley's face.
Several long moments passed as Hashirama's laughter came and went. It was obvious to those that knew him that Hashirama found Riley's posturing to be quite amusing. He'd seen Madara do it, he'd seen Tobirama do it. All his life Hashirama had watched as men and women postured before one another, trying to show off. It made him proud to know that his little great-grandfather was so good at it, and she reminded him a lot of Madara when she did. His laughter, stemmed from that amusement, which stood in stark contract to how others were feeling.
It just went to show, that while even that Raikage was unnerved by Riley's boasts, the God of the Shinobi simply found it amusing.
Riley herself offered her great-grandfather a playful smirk, sensing that he was enjoying her attempts to scare the Kumo ninja. Even Madara could only shake his head and smirk, as he had experienced this plenty of times before whenever he and Tobirama were forced to do the negotiating because Hashirama was busy not taking anything seriously.
After a few moments, Riley continued.
"Kumo has grown powerful these past few years, but make no mistake, this may be your village, but you're on my time. My children, are mine. If Yugito ends up as my mate, she'll be mine. No one touches whats mine. If Yugito becomes my mate, then you'll never be rid of me. My eyes will always be on Kumo, and if any asshole, in this village, does something to hurt her, you'll find me here, and if I'm feeling generous, only the person responsible will be dead. I protect my own. If Kumo plays nice and proves that it can be a faithful ally, then you'll be counted amongst that very short list. But for that to happen, you have to understand how I work. You play nice with me, and you prove that you're genuine, and I'll treat you fairly. There is very little here in the Elemental Nations that I want. Once I kill Orochimaru, and wipe out the Akatsuki, the only thing tying me to this place will be the Kazekage. If Kumo wants nice with me, and wants to reap whatever benefits come with being my ally, then all you have to do, is go against every natural instinct you have to fuck me over for your own benefit. I know that isn't easy for shinobi like yourselves, but so long as you can do that one thing, we shouldn't have much of an issue with each other." Riley explained to them all, earning a slow and deliberate nod from A, whom was listening very carefully to what she was saying.
"I understand. An alliance between Suna, Kumo, and the Legion will ensure that hostilities cease, and we no longer have to live in fear of one another. Despite what certain members of my council may think, my ideals are genuine. I do not wish for a conflict between us." A stated.
"Good to hear. Then I look forward to getting to know Yugito. Perhaps something will blossom, and I'll have you to thank for that Lord Raikage. I guess we'll just have to see." Riley offered with a smile.
Now that all the posturing was out of the way, they began the real negotiations. Several long hours passed as discussions ran the gambit of Trade, Military endeavors, and even Political allegiances and how things would go after the alliance was formulated. Talks even drifted back and forth to what Riley would do with possible children. While not offering much, Riley did put out there that so long as Kumo stayed in her good graces, then she would leave it up to the child in question. If that child desired to follow in Yugito's footsteps and become a Kumo ninja, that was entirely up to them.
Though Riley made sure to add a limitation. She made clear to all of them that if her child did decide they wanted to be a Kumo shinobi, they would only do so if Kumo met Riley's conditions. The biggest of which was that her child would be taken as an apprentice first and foremost by only one of several people within the village. Before arriving Riley had studied up on Kumo's laws and knew quite a bit about their apprenticeships.
She made sure to inform the Kumo council that if her child did join Kumo it would primarily be as an apprentice to one of a set of individuals, including the Raikage's personal guard, Killer Bee, the Raikage himself, and Yugito. When asked why she had chosen these people in particular by the commander of the Jonin, it was actually Mabui that answered.
"Because of the way apprenticeships work here in Kumo. If you take an apprentice that apprentice is given special rights. That's why so few Kumo ninja take apprentices because once you take one, that apprentice is tied to your station. Meaning even a young child could speak with the authority of a Jonin if taken on by someone of that rank. Apprentices in Kumo unofficially hold the same rank of authority as their masters. This allows the student to speak with their masters full backing in any matter. Meaning if lord A took an apprentice, technically anything that apprentice says or does could be seen as coming from the Raikage himself. I believe she chose these specific individuals because they are the most prominent in the village and all of them hold a special station that puts them directly under the Raikage's personal command." Mabui explained to the room earning a nod from Riley.
"Understandable. Given the child's lineage it makes sense that you wouldn't want them put into regular circulation. I probably wouldn't have done that anyway considering the level of talent a child like that might possess. More then likely I'd find a speciallized trainer that is best suited for whatever the child's strengths are, but if those are your conditions I see no reason we can't agree to them for now. Perhaps things will change down the line when you learn more about us, or perhaps the child will seek out it's own teacher if it comes to that." A offered, again earning a nod of agreement from Riley.
Riley wasn't big on the idea of one of her kids joining a ninja village but if they wanted too, that was completely up to them. If she had kids with Gaia and they wanted to become Suna ninja, Riley wasn't going to stand in their way. She intended to offer the same freedom in regards to Yugito, and Kumo, though she would add restrictions. Her child was not going to be under any councils command. If her child did join Kumo it was be as an apprentice of one of those that were outside of the Councils control. Someone who served the Raikage directly, or one of the Jinchuriki.
Talks continued afterwards with A explaining that they had a few ceremonies set up for the rest of the week. A tour of Kumo, some special dinners, a meeting with Yugito the following day, and even a ceremony to present promised gifts to Riley and Gaia once she arrived in a few days.
After the talks were done, the group was shown to where they'd be staying. Fancy rooms had been set up in the most luxurious hotel in Kumo. All of the dignitaries got their own room, though of course, Riley and her mates all shared one.
After doing a quick check to ensure that there were no listening seals, or other forms of surveillance, Riley and her mates tucked in for the night. Nothing more happened that night, though there were a few whispers amongst Riley's ladies about how much they enjoyed this level of comfort, and Riley made special note to make a few upgrades when they returned home to Britain. If her mates wanted to be spoiled, then by all the gods, Riley would spoil them rotten.
While Riley's party was settling in for the night, the Raikage was busy scolding his own entourage. While Riley and her own seemed to take everything in stride, A made sure to hammer home that they were not regular dignitaries. They needed to ensure Riley did not attack them. She alone, was enough reason to live in fear of the Legion, but now they knew that she had Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju at her beck and call. That changed the game even further. Despite what Riley had said about simply playing nice and she would too, A couldn't put trust in that. He had seen her temper, back during the Triwizard Tournament. He knew how quick she was to anger, and he wanted to ensure more then just working relations with Riley and Suna.
If A had it his way, he'd do whatever it took to make Riley happy, because he knew, without a doubt, that what she had proclaimed was the truth. If she wanted too, she could destroy ever single Nation on the continent. He had seen what was left of Konoha… the Raikage had no delusions about what she could accomplish if she were pissed off enough.
Shortly after dealing with his council, A called a meeting with his personal advisers and Yugito. Ever since being told of her newest assignment, she had been very cross with everyone, and much to A's dismay, she seemed to be focusing hard on training. He hoped, deep down, that she was simply trying to get her mind off of her upcoming nuptials, but he knew that was a fools hope. Yugito was training hard, and if he had to guess, she was planning on making Riley work for any form of relationship they ended up with. And that made A very nervous. Riley seemed like the kind of woman to like a bit of backbone, but A was worried that Yugito's anger may lead her to take it out on someone other then Riley. More specifically Riley's mates. And that, was what was going to get them all killed.
"She really has grown up these last few years. She's not even eighteen yet, if I'm not mistaken." Mabui noted.
"From the moment that child could walk, she was set on the path that would lead her here. She has power we cannot even imagine, and believe me… I've tried." A agreed.
"She's scary, that's for sure. But… well, if I were in Yugito's place, I might not have much of a problem with having a woman like that in my life." Darui noted with a chuckle, earning one from Cee as well.
"Best keep comments like that to yourself. She might be a natural legillimens which means she might be able to passively hear your surface thoughts." Mabui warned the two, earning nods and smirks from both.
"Still though. I know it's different for Yugito, but… damn, if you ordered me to marry a woman like that, I'd probably do a back flip out of sheer joy." Cee added, earning a chuckle from Darui.
"The Uchiwa Clan head is looking super fine Yo! She went from a pretty young thing, to a smoking hot babe, and I can't even complain. Oh yeah." Bee sang, off to the side.
"Not you too lord Bee." Mabui muttered, as Bee continued to sing and rap off to the side.
While his advisers spoke amongst each other, A kept his eyes firmly on Yugito whom stood between him and them. She was obviously listening to what they were saying, and as soon as Bee started to rap about Riley's beauty, she gave up on her composure. Her face was twisted into an annoyed sneer, as her patience with their praise of the Uchiwa clan head, quickly evaporated.
"Will you shut up!" She finally snapped at Bee, when he started to sing about Riley's womanly endowments, aka her breasts.
"Yugito..." A began, as she returned her attention to the Raikage.
"Yes my lord?" Yugito inquired, almost through gritted teeth. A didn't know at that moment whether she wanted to kill him, or Bee more. A settled on Bee, as Yugito threw a skin peeling glare back at him when he started to hum a tune again.
"Have you seen her?" A inquired.
"Yes, my lord." Yugito replied, returning her full attention to him as she did.
"You'll meet with her tomorrow. When you do I want you to be presentable..." A began, but Yugito quickly added her own input.
"Oh I will be. I'll gussy myself up, so I can whore myself out to her. I already went and bought the perfect dress. Got the edible panties and everything." She sniped, earning a sigh from A.
"That wasn't what I meant." A stated as he rubbed his face.
"Oh?" Yugito stated, fixing him with a challenging glare. Normally she'd be fearing the repercussions of her tone, but at this point she knew A wouldn't do anything to her. He needed her 'presentable'. In most cases, her kind of back talk and insolence would have rewarded her with a boot to the chest and an express pass to the bottom of the Raikage's office building, courtesy of the nearest wall. A was notorious for booting his shinobi out of his office when they pissed him off. Killer Bee got the worst of it, but that was probably because he wasn't actually afraid of A. Everyone else was though and they made sure to stay respectful or the Raikage would reintroduce them to their manners.
Still though, if Yugito was to be presented to her new master tomorrow, then she was free to say whatever the hell she wanted to today. A wasn't going to risk bruising her, and by the time this was over, she'll have either succeeded in her mission, and would have become the Uchiwa Clan Leader's newest bitch, or she'd have failed, and A will have probably killed her for it, so either way, she wasn't going to face punishment for whatever she said now, so she was sure as the sky is blue, going to say whatever she pleased.
"What I meant, was that you needed to get some sleep. I don't need you showing up in high-heels and a tight dress. I need you to be yourself. Looking like you've spent the last two weeks getting less than an hour of sleep a night, isn't going to help your chances. A good night's sleep will do you some good. May help with your mood as well." A stated.
"My mood is perfectly fine my lord. This is how I always act. Besides, I want to make a good impression for my new master. I do hope she likes me, the dress I got is low cut in the front and it comes off really easily." Yugito replied, earning another sigh from the Raikage, while Mabui fixed Yugito with a disappointed look.
"I know I'm forcing you into this but I thought you'd be happy to finally be free of Kumo. The way she fawns over her girlfriends, and wife, she'd probably happily see you go anywhere you wanted in the world. All you have to do is play nice and you can go anywhere and do anything. This ambassador job is little more than a fancy title, you're literally getting all the perks of freedom with none of the responsibilities it entails, and all you have to do is give the woman a chance." A said to her as he focused his gaze onto her.
Yugito was careful to avoid meeting his eyes as she stared off. A could tell that the entire time she was trying not to lash out and scream something at him. He knew she was waiting for him to finish so she could deliver it to him coldly, instead of in a rage.
He was right, when she finally spoke, it was with pain, sorrow, and malice in her voice.
"That 'thing' killed one of my only friends. The scouts couldn't even find a recognizable piece of her. And now… I have to literally sell my own ass to that monster, for the good of the village. Something I would have happily done, six months ago, when I actually had people in it that were worth the price I was paying." Yugito snarled out. A's face was completely devoid of emotions as he listened to her, taking it all in. He knew what he was doing to her, and he knew how desperately she didn't want this. This was one of the hardest decisions he had ever had to make, but he knew it needed to happen.
"I hate her. I hate her so much. Karui was one of my only friends… she was like my sister. The little sister I never had. She looked up to me, and I wasn't there to protect her. I wasn't there when that monster tore her to pieces and left those pieces on a dirt road in the Land of Fire. And now… now I have to make nice with that monster, all for the good of the village. You have no idea what this feels like! You couldn't possibly imagine, what I'm going through, what you're putting me through!" Yugito continued as her eyes fell on the floor and her hands balled into fists.
"What would Karui have wanted?" The question caused Yugito's eyes to shoot up back to A, but the question hadn't come from him. It had come from Killer Bee.
"Your pain is real, Yugito. A tragic mistake led Karui into the jaws of death, but that ain't your fault. You remember why Karui admired you so much, don't ya? She admired that powerful heart that beats in your chest, that burning will that allowed you to keep pushing ahead, despite the pain. You're strong, Yugito. That's why she loved you. That's why she admired you. She admired that strength of your heart, and your willingness to forgive others. You wore a kind smile even when the villagers treated you like dirt, ya know. Karui admired that about you, she admired that smile that wouldn't falter no matter what life threw at you. So don't give up now, with true peace on the horizon. You can make her death mean something, make sense of it, for sure." Bee offered to her.
Yugito was quiet as she listened to him. A part of her knew that he was right. Karui would have wanted her to do what was right, to fight for the village and protect others. The best way to do that was to make nice with Riley and ensure peace. That didn't make it any easier for her. And despite herself, she didn't know if she was strong enough for something like this.
It was early the next morning when Riley exited her room along with her mates. Her party was met by a team of Anbu, though they were in civilian clothing. They were to serve as their escort whenever they moved about the city. The group had some time to kill before they were supposed to meet with the Raikage so they went to pick up some breakfast for themselves, and then asked to be led to one of the training grounds. Chiyo and Temari tagged along, since they had nothing better to do, and watched as Riley spent the early morning training with Kushina and Arturia in sword play.
Riley's mates were busy running through their morning work out routines, which Hashirama and Madara joined them in, and about an hour later, A showed up with his advisers.
Yugito was with them and they arrived just in time to see Riley dueling with Kushina and Arturia. The latter two were trying to overpower Riley but she was putting up a powerful resistance, armed with the Sword of Kusanagi.
"Damn." Darui muttered as Arturia released a Mana Burst and slammed into Riley, the force of their blades meeting sent out a shockwave that could literally be seen with the naked eye.
"Are you ready?" A whispered to Yugito. The woman had her eyes locked on Riley, she took a deep breath as she watched her duel. Finally she let it out and offered a quick nod.
"Good." A whispered as his group advanced.
Yugito was silent as she moved with them. Inside of her, a war raged. She knew what the right thing was, but she also knew that she wanted to be selfish. She had a choice to make, and it wouldn't be easy. That much was for certain. Regardless, it was time to face the music.
-Elsewhere at the same time-
"It's almost ready." Obito stated as he walked into a darkened room. Sitting in a chair, all by herself, was Mito Uzumaki. Before her was a massive stone tablet, the same one that Nagato had been utilizing to contact something from another world.
"He's almost ready on his side. He's promised ten million." Mito responded as she turned her gaze from the tablet to Obito.
"Will that be enough?" Obito inquired.
"Yes, it will be more then enough to trigger it's revival. Once that's done, it shouldn't take very long at all for the Ten Tails to reach maturity." Mito replied.
"Are you sure it will be revived correctly?" Obito asked as his gaze fell on the stone tablet.
"I've placed fragments of the remaining tailed beasts into the statue. It now holds a part of all of the tailed beasts. All we need now is power." Mito responded with a smirk.
"And how did you attain these pieces?" Obito asked as he turned his gaze towards her, his Sharingan glowing as he met her eyes.
"Hashirama Senju captured all nine of the tailed beasts, but do you think he accomplished it alone? No, it was the Uzumaki that aided him in it. I simply kept a few pieces in case I ever needed them. With just those fragments it would take decades for the Ten Tails to fully regenerate. However… if we were to feed it demonic energy that it could adapt..." Mito explained.
"So long as the beast comes out as it was meant to. I only require it for the Infinite Tsukuyomi." Obito stated as he turned his gaze towards the darkness. Within it he spotted a sea of coffins, each one standing on end, and marked with Kanji symbols.
"I've already passed on the seal matrix to our friend on the other side and he's inscribed it on his army. Every single person they kill will have their souls immediately transferred to the statue, and any of the demons that fall will also be fed to it. These bodies will help us as well. I've already removed the revived Four and Five Tails from these two" Mito explained with a smirk as several of the coffins popped open revealing what was within.
Obito stared at the coffins, a dark look in his eyes. Within the six most front coffins were the bodies that were to be his paths.
The first was Han the Steam Giant whom had, had the Five Tails removed after he was revived with the Reanimation Jutsu. The second was Roshi, who had also had his tailed beast removed upon revival. Since they had both died with the beast still within them, it came back when they did.
The third person was Kagura of the Mist, the fourth Mizukage. The fourth was Fu of Taki, the Seven Tails Jinchuriki. The fifth was Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha.
The sixth was someone near and dear to Obito's heart. Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage.
Behind the six of them, other coffins opened revealing dozens of undead brought back by Mito utilizing the Second Hokage's jutsu.
"You've been preparing for this for a long time." Obito noted with a dark chuckle.
"It wasn't easy getting dna from all of them, but I learned of a way to incorporate the Dna of their descendants in order to get what I needed. These are some of the most powerful Shinobi and magicals, the world has ever known." Mito stated with a sweeping gesture, her eyes falling on certain individuals, such as four people, each bearing one bearing a separate magical crest. The crests of Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Gryffindor.
Beside the four founders was Albus Dumbledore and Lily Namikaze, along with dozens of other magicals that fought and died during the various dark uprisings in the world.
Just behind the six Obito had chosen for his paths, stood some more familiar faces, including Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, Tsunade Senju, Fugaku Uchiha, Mikoto Uchiha, Jiraya, and Shisui Uchiha.
Here, in her own pocket dimension, Mito could control Time and Space. With careful precision she had utilized the Second Hokage's Reanimation Jutsu to revive a host of several hundred undead soldiers. Beyond the void their demonic ally mustered a massive army of demons. All of it would soon be unleashed upon the Elemental Nations. Each person the demons killed would have their soul fed to the statue, every demon that fell would also be devoured by the statue. Utilizing this method, the Akatsuki were going to finish fueling the statue with power by waging war on the Elemental Nations. All that was required now was time, and within her pocket dimension, Mito had as much of that, as she needed. Slowly her eyes fell onto a particular person, and a nasty grin split her face.
Standing by Madara's side was an Uzumaki. One with long red hair that fell to her knees. She was beautiful and elegant, despite the cracked skin. This was Kaguya Uzumaki, Mito's dearest sister, and unknown to Mito, the reincarnation of the Rabbit Goddess.
In the shadows far out of sight, a small boy watched the scene with ripple patterned eyes. His hair was white as snow, and his skin ghostly pale. He couldn't be more then four, but his eyes shined with deep insight. He was terrified of what he was seeing. The only comfort he was brought was the presence of his mother nearby. The only person he had ever truly known.
Though as his eyes scanned the crowd of undead, they came to halt on the form of a woman. A woman with red hair and green eyes. He wondered for only a moment why she seemed so familiar to him. Nothing came to mind though as his eyes drifted past her. He knew something was about to happen, something terrible, but he didn't know what. He could only hope that everything would be alright, that his mother would be alright.
This child was a lonely one, with only one person in all the world for him. Without her, he would have no one, and that was exactly what Mito intended.
-To be continued-
Alright, there's the next chapter. Now we see the repercussions of the Shinigami's backdoor into Riley's soul well. All the people she's devoured can now be brought back, and guess what, they have. Mito being Hashirama's wife, she probably helped him greatly in catching and sealing the tailed beasts, and she probably stole parts of them for herself, so just like in canon, that Ten Tails can be revived without all of it's power. Remember, Hashirama and Madara with Riley are only fragments of who they once were, given power by Riley. These revived forms are their true selves back from the dead, and neither of them will know Riley or what has happened since their deaths, meaning revived Madara is evil Madara.
Also, Minato is back, and so is Lily, and probably even more importantly, Shisui is also back. How will Riley react to seeing them again. Especially Shisui… it's gonna be intense. Look forward to it, Ja Ne!
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