Alright here's the next chapter. 11 more to go, hope you're all belted in, because it's time for some major battles, and a finishing sweep for Broken Angel. I'm really looking forward to starting a whole new story and getting the chance to write about Riley and her family going forward. I've got plenty more story to tell but I feel like after this ark in the Elemental Nations that I should just call this book finished and start a new one. A hundred chapters of actual story, nearly a million words, that seems to me like it would be a good place to end it. By the time I'm done, I'll be close to, if not past a million words which will be almost as long as all of the Harry Potter books combined. That is friggin astounding to me, and I really appreciate all the support and criticism I've gotten along the way. I hope to finish this up by the end of the year, so buckle in, I'm really going to be pumping these chapters out now to try and meet my dead line.
Broken Angel
Chapter 90
Screams of rage and fury tore through the crowds of devils as Riley flew threw them. She was a blur of motion, as she lashed out with the sword of Kusanagi, and her hand scythe. The thrill of battle had once again overtaken her, and unlike with human beings the devils didn't succumb to fear as quickly as humans did. Riley knew they were terrified of her, and her monstrous power, but unlike humans they didn't succumb to fear, they fed on it. They out numbered her several thousand to one at this point, and that meant they could try to overwhelm her.
Riley sported several cuts and bruises on her body from injuries she'd received from the higher form of devils. These beings weren't at the level of greater devils but they were definitely a cut above their comrades. Their demonic powers actually could cause minor harm to Riley's body. Enough so that her healing didn't just overtake the wound instantly. It actually took several seconds to heal some of the more serious wounds, and several injuries, like stab wounds that had pierced under her protective cloak, had even scarred over, showing the power of demonic energy. It wasn't nearly as bad as Holy Magic, but it was still vastly more powerful then what humans could output on a regular basis. The only thing that came close was Nature Energy.
The pain she felt every time she was cut or stabbed by the powerful devils was enough to ignite a fire in her belly. She truly felt alive as she fought her way through them, lashing out with ferocity and skill, cutting them down one after another.
Each one was nearly as powerful as a veteran Jonin, and many of them had the skills to match, that made the battle far more interesting then it would have been otherwise.
"Riley, I understand you're having fun, but we need to hurry this up and track down the Akatsuki before they open another portal. This was far too easy, and I'm not sensing the Six-Tails anywhere nearby. Chances are good it might have been captured." Kurama stated.
"I know. I'm trying to finish them all off without unleashing all of my power. I don't need to slip into a violent rage right now. I need my senses focused and for that, I need to keep the power output on the downside." Riley responded as she took the head off another devil, then spun to parry the strike from one making a stab at her.
"I recognize the need for control, but perhaps a bit higher on the power output so we can deal with this rabble and catch up with the real enemy." Kurama pressed, earning a mental sigh from Riley as she unleashed a Shinra Tensei that sent all nearby attackers flying.
"All right. If I can just blind them for a moment, I can utilize the Hirashin to finish them all off." Riley quickly formulated a plan. Dropping her sword, she instead replaced it with her wand. By now the devils were charging again, with a powerful influx of magic, Riley envisioned her mates. The gentle smiles on their faces after a restful nights sleep. The love in their eyes whenever they spent time with her. Riley allowed the memories to flood into her mind as she raised her wand into the air, pointing it to the sky.
"Expecto Patronus!" Riley bellowed, as light exploded from her wand tip. For a half second as the spell emerged from her wand, Riley reflected on the thought that she hadn't used this spell since ascending to becoming a full fledged demon. The last time she used it was to save Sirius from the Dementor horde back during Third year. For a moment she wondered if it would even work, but it did. Light exploded from her wand and the spectral image of a fox shot forth into the sky.
Unlike before, the entire fox emerged, standing massive and dominating the sky, and bluish light. Waves of light erupted from it's body, rippling across the surface of the Earth and much to Riley's amazement, doing something unforseen with her attackers.
Riley had intended to use the spell to blind them with the bright light, and then overwhelm them during the moment of distraction, but much to her surprise, her own magic within the spell seemed to be purified and was purifying the twisted energy within her foes, as well as forcing the demonic Youki in the air, away from her with every pulse of light.
"I don't believe it!" Kurama muttered in awe. Before their vary eyes, the devils were burning out. The purifying energy of Riley's Patronus, her love for her mates, given form, was purifying the devils own energy, and causing their bodies to burn through, leaving nothing behind but figures of ash, that resembled the beasts they had once been.
"Her love is purifying their darkness. They cannot survive on that energy." The Darkness intoned.
"They can't withstand it. The Youki in the outside world is being pushed back by the power of your Patronus, just like it would for the Dementors, but for the devils themselves, the energy has nowhere to go. It's trapped in their bodies, and thus the light of your Patronus is purifying them." Kurama offered up.
"I…. wow!" Riley muttered with wide eyes. She watched in amazement as the devils nearest to her burned out while those towards the back of the army were struggling to flee, they were knocked to the ground with each pulse of light from Riley's Patronus. Their screams of rage had turned into cries of agony as their own twisted magic was purified by the pure magic of Riley's happiest memories.
"I can't believe it. You managed to somehow purify your own magic." Kurama stated with wonder. He knew enough about demons and dark magic to know that something like that was nigh impossible. Then again, demons were all about negative energy so Riley was probably one of the only ones that could harness the powers of her positive emotions.
Seeing something like that, coming from an Archdemon, it was unlike anything ever seen before in nature. Kurama had to guess that if a normal person used a Patronus it would probably greatly annoy a demon, just like it would a dementor, and since Dementors were basically parts of a demon themselves, the concept of the Patronus and it's effects on them should be similar. But Riley was much more powerful then a normal person. She could pump enough magic into her Patronus to kill a dementor, something no one had accomplished before her. And that was before she became an Archdemon. Now that she was one, Kurama had assumed that utilizing a Patronus would have been impossible, at least in it's original form, but no. It had worked as intended and pushed back the dark energy around it, even going so far as to purify any demonic magic that couldn't flow away with the pulses of light.
Riley watched with amazement for many long seconds. Her eyes taking in everything around her. She even activated her Byakugan to see what the pulses were doing with the demonic magic they were pushing away. Any free hanging dark energy was carried away like it was on a wave of water. If it was free to move, it wasn't purified, but instead pushed back, like a dementor would have been with a regular Patronus. It was amazing to see, and for a few moments Riley felt lighter then she had in a long time.
Her moment of serenity swiftly passed however as her Patronus faded and the light it provided disappeared. Darkness quickly fell back over the city, as the smoke and death resumed choking the air. The demonic power that had once resided there was gone, but the presence of other devils in the city that were far enough away to avoid purification, were slowly starting to pollute it again.
As seconds passed, the lightness that Riley had felt was quickly replaced by the oppressive weight of her power. For a second it almost felt like her own power had been lifted off of her shoulders by the strength of her emotions.
"That was… interesting." Riley muttered as she gaze around at the ashen faces of the dead devils. Many were stuck in poses, almost looking like victims of a volcano. Their bodies were all gray and looked to be as fragile as a powder statue. Some even collapsed under the strength of the blowing wind, showing that the devils had burned through to their very cores.
For a moment Riley glanced around. Finally she focused her Byakugan to locate her familiar. She noticed him hanging onto a woman with incredible chakra stores, meaning either she was one of Kiri's swordsmen, or she was the Mizukage.
Moving quickly, Riley headed to meet up with them. As she moved through the city she came to the realization that the devils and the undead were seemingly in a state of retreat. She could only guess that her Patronus had served to demoralize the enemy and weaken them enough to rally Kiri's defenders.
Within a few minutes she arrived to find the Mizukage being patched up by some of her guards. Loki sat nearby, perched on a rock. Once her familiar saw her, he let out a happy trill and flew over to land on her shoulder.
The noise drew the attention of the Mizukage and her guards, all of whom quickly rose and assumed defensive positions.
"The fuck happened over here?" Riley inquired to the bird, earning confused looks from the Kiri nin. A few of them quickly started to recognize her however, and their jaws fell open.
"Kisame Hoshigaki and the reanimated Seven Swordsmen were trying to overpower the Mizukage and her guards mother. I did my best to hold them off, though I'm not a fighting type." Loki sent through their mental link.
"I see. Well done on keeping her alive. I'm guessing the Akatsuki retreated along with their most powerful undead servants. The rest must have been left to take out a few more Kiri ninja." Riley muttered.
"You're the Uchiwa Clan Leader. The Hero of the Burning Leaf. What are you doing here?" The Mizukage asked, as she lowered her guard and offered Riley a curious look.
Riley gave her a glance and took note of the woman's appearance. She wore a long blue dress, with visible fishnet stockings underneath it. She was incredibly beautiful with very long brown hair, and an incredibly voluptuous figure.
"I came here to kick ass and retrieve my bird." Riley replied, earning curious looks from the Kiri ninja.
"Were you the one who destroyed the portal and created that light in the sky?" The Mizukage asked.
"Yep. Now that that's done, I'll help you get rid of the remaining enemies, and then I need to get back to the mainland. This attack isn't over yet. I can feel it in my bones. Quick question though, what happened to the Six Tails Jinchuriki?" Riley inquired with a curious glance.
The Kiri ninja seemed to tense at that, and the Mizukage's eyes fell on the ground and her hands curled tightly into fists.
"He was captured and brought through the portal. That masked man along with reanimated forms of several Kage were able to overpower him. I couldn't stop them. Not with Kisame Hoshigaki and the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen bearing down on me." The Mizukage replied with obvious anger.
"The Kage… one of them wasn't the Fourth Hokage, was it?" Riley asked as a feeling of dread began to build within her.
"Yes. The Fourth was amongst them. I saw him with my own two eyes. He wiped out a large platoon of my Anbu before I could even blink." Came the reply from the Mizukage. Riley's was quick to let out a string of curses that were mirrored by her resident Bijuu.
"Alright. I'll help you finish these fuckers off, and then I've got work to do." Riley stated as she turned and dashed away. Her movement was so fast it left Loki momentarily floating in air, but he was quickly able to take flight before gravity pulled him down to the ground. The demonic familiar was quick to chase after it's master, eager to aid her in destroying the rest of these enemies so they could move on to the next battle.
-Elsewhere-
Mito's eyes slowly opened as she felt the collapse of the demonic portal in Kiri. Her eyes turned towards Obito whom let out a sigh.
"I felt it too." Obito noted.
"Her power is impressive, that's for damn sure. We'll have to proceed with much more caution from this point onward." Mito stated with a glare as her eyes slowly began to close, and she returned her focus to the task at hand.
Obito turned his gaze over to Minato who held a silent smirk. Obito tried not to focus on it, but a part of him felt that there was something more that the Fourth Hokage knew that he hadn't revealed to them. Something that could drastically alter their plans.
A few seconds went by before Mito rose to her feet and flashed through handsigns. She slammed her palm into the ground, and a seal diagram emerged.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Mito bellowed, and a large eruption of smoke shot out. From it, came the forms of the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha.
"Calling us back?" Madara inquired with a glare.
"Yes. You've done enough for now. I wanted the both of you to witness this." Mito replied with a devilish smirk.
She quickly flashed through handsigns, and just as Obito had done before, pillars began to rise from the ground around her. Madara and Hashirama watched with morbid fascination as Mito constructed another hellgate. They watched as hundreds of souls poured out of a large seal on the ground and fed into the portal allowing it to grow larger and larger, until finally it exploded outward and a rip was torn between dimensions.
From the rift, devils started to pour through.
"Mito… what on Earth would possess you to commit such an act? Do you have any idea what you've done? These things will destroy everyone. I don't know what it is you hope to gain, by summoning these monsters." Hashirama warned with a dark look.
"I know exactly what I'm doing my dearest Hashirama. Everything is going according to my plans." Mito responded with a smirk.
"Big talk for a coward who refuses to face the real threat in battle. You really think you can beat her. All of Konoha couldn't beat her. All the shinobi in the world couldn't defeat her. You really think these little plans of yours are going to mean anything? She is going to destroy you both, and send us all back to the afterlife." Minato stated with a smirk of his own, earning him a glare from both Obito and Mito.
"Who is this 'she' you refer to boy?" Madara demanded, his Sharingan blazing, evidence of his rage at this alteration to his well laid plans.
"My daughter. Your granddaughter. And the Great-Granddaughter of the First Hokage. She's the one who killed me, and destroyed the Hidden Leaf. And now she's going to destroy these two." Minato answered, earning surprised looks from both Hashirama and Madara.
"My… Granddaugther? Your daughter? But that would mean..." Madara began, his eyes wide in surprise.
"Yes. I am your son, Lord Madara. My Daughter Narumi has full command over the Nine Tailed Fox, and even without it's power, she was able to overwhelm me, and several hundred of my Anbu, while the Fox destroyed Konoha. She possesses the Rinnegan and Wood Style." Minato responded with a smile, knowing that he was doing a good job pissing off Mito and Obito. He wondered how much further he could go before they stopped him from speaking all together.
"The Rinnegan?" Madara's surprise grew and he threw a pointed look at Obito, a look that demanded his verification of his supposed 'son's' statement.
"She awakened her Sharingan at Eight, and her Mangekyou the same year, if my knowledge is correct. She then awakened the Rinnegan sometime between her eighth and fourteenth birthday. She also began utilizing Wood Style at around the same time. I don't know when it occurred, but my Akatsuki have confirmed that she carried the eyes, and she used them to masterful affect in defeating Nagato Uzumaki." Obito confirmed with a dark look.
Madara was obviously thrown completely off his game by this. Not only had his son been alive, but he had been the fourth Hokage. And the Fourth had a daughter and said daughter had awakened the highest form of her eyes, and destroyed Konoha.
"Her Rinnegan is more powerful then the regular one, right? She has tomoe within it, much like the Sharingan does." Minato added.
"Tomoe combined with the Rinnegan?" Madara muttered with a faraway look. That was a form of the eyes that not even he possessed. He knew what it was though. The ultimate form of the Rinnegan. The Rinne Sharingan. That meant that this child had somehow done something only the Rabbit Goddess had accomplished. A part of Madara felt a swelling of pride, while other parts of him were filled with rampant emotion. He didn't know what to make of this information. A part of him wanted to bombard his son with questions, and try to discern how he had survived and what he had done to drive his own daughter to kill him, while other parts wanted to know about this girl, a young woman who sounded like she was a true and realistic threat to whatever Mito and Obito had cooked up to replace his original plan.
Obito and Mito took a moment to begin commanding the devils to begin spreading out and tearing more portal open in Ame. They were going to turn the city itself into a massive citadel filled with demonic power. Once that was done, the devils would spread out and invade the rest of the land, tearing it apart as they went.
While that was going on, Minato took the opportunity to give one last piece of info to his father. Something that he had neglected to tell Obito and Mito.
"She has your memories, Lord Madara. She claims to have learned through your chakra, how to fight." Minato whispered to him.
"The piece of chakra I sealed in you?" Madara inquired, earning a nod from Minato.
"I see." Madara stated with a distant look.
"What's going on Madara?" Hashirama inquired. He had been listening in, and a part of him was feeling a torrent of confusion at what he had heard. Somewhere along the line, one of his descendants had, had a child with Madara's son, and they produced his Great-Granddaughter. This young woman apparently had his Wood Style, some very powerful eyes, and a massive grudge against Konoha, that led her to destroying it and killing her own father. Hashirama couldn't help the feeling of sadness that welled up in his heart to hear that his beloved village had been destroyed, but another part of him was desperate for a reason why. There had to be one. No one puts in the effort to destroy an entire Ninja village, just for the fun of it. Something had to have happened, and Hashirama was determined to find out, before he returned to the afterlife.
"It seems I have a granddaughter that relishes in causing trouble." Madara responded with a far away look. For years he had lived with the idea that his wife and child were dead. He had devoted countless hours to planning his revenge, how he would repay the world for taking the two people he cherished most away from him. Now here he stood, his plan in a quagmire of chaos and his son, standing by his side as a reanimated soul.
He had a granddaughter, and from the sound of it, she was incredibly powerful. So powerful in fact, that she seemed to be a viable threat to their plans. She sounded like she may even be a viable threat to Hashirama and Madara. That was an idea that Madara didn't exactly know how feel about. A young woman more powerful then either of these titans amongst shinobi. She must truly have been something amazing if she were that kind of threat.
While Hashirama gazed around as the sky darkened and demonic energy flooded through the gateway, Madara lost himself in a deep meditation as he contemplated just what this all could mean for his plans, and even the world at large.
-In the Land of Earth-
"Gaia! There's another one. I can feel it in the Land of Rain. Those bastards have opened another portal to hell!" The One-Tails warned.
Gaia's face darkened as she called her forces to a halt. Now it wasn't just the Akatsuki that may be waiting for them ahead, but an actual army of demons.
Gaia quickly called up her fellow commanders and informed them about what was happening.
"Damn. I can't believe Obito is willing to take such a risk on using actual demons. The chances of this ending badly for him are incredibly high." Itachi noted, earning a nod of agreement from Tom.
"There is a reason you don't mess with demons. Sure their power is magnificent but the price for that power is eternal damnation. Summoning them is an ill fated gambit, and the Akatsuki will surely suffer for this act. Magic has a way of retaliating for such acts." Tom agreed.
"What about Riley? Do you think she's made any progress in Kirigakure?" Itachi inquired.
"Shukaku has informed me that the portal in Kiri has been closed. I would assume Riley is attempting to finish off any stragglers, but I don't know for certain what she's doing at the moment." Gaia informed them all after a moment of silence.
"Well that's one down. We still have to deal with the newest one though, and who knows how long it will take Lady Uchiwa to complete her task." The Sky commander noted.
"You're right, we need to begin operation in the Land of Rain. We'll take up position on the border between Earth and Rain and begin evacuating civilians. We'll try our best not to engage the enemy until Riley returns. I don't want to subject our forces to that kind of demonic energy if we don't have too." Gaia informed them all.
"Very well. We should get moving then. The enemy will not wait." Itachi stated, earning nods of agreement from all of his fellows.
"I agree." Gaia stated, and with that, they broke their meeting and continued moving.
Back in the Land of Water, Kisame Hoshikagi led the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen and a handful of elite undead units away from Kiri. While Riley was busy mopping up the rest of their demonic allies, Kisame intended to slip away and rejoin with his allies. He and his undead subordinates were right on the edge of what would be considered part of Kirigakure when two figures dropped in front of them, forcing the platoon to halt.
"Where do you think you're going?" Came the question from Kakashi Hatake.
By his side was Might Guy. Both men were draped in long black cloaks that made Kisame feel uneasy. Both also wore facemasks. But the red glow of Kakashi's signature Sharingan, as well as Guy's Taijutsu stance, revealed the two for who they really were.
"Kakashi the Copy-cat ninja, the Green Beast. It's an honor. I would love to stick around and play with you two but if you don't mind stepping aside, I've got places to be." Kisame stated as a devilish smirk spread across his face. Though he hid it well, on the inside Kisame was actually very nervous.
The idea of fighting Riley, even with the backup of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen, was a trying task. Kisame wasn't sure they would win, even with the power of that many S-Ranked warriors combined.
"Sorry, but we can't let you leave here." Kakashi responded.
"That's right. You have to answer for you crimes!" Guy agreed.
"You really think the two of you can beat all of us. You're outnumbered ten to one." Kisame replied.
"I think we can manage." Kakashi stated as he withdrew a tri-pronged kunai and threw it into the ground nearby. A moment later and a reddish-Black flash appeared.
Riley was quick to take up position next to her two comrades, folding her arms across her chest as she did.
"What do we have here?" Riley inquired, while Kisame let out a curse.
"What's this, are you actually scared of this little girl? You've changed Kisame." One of the swordsmen tutted with a chuckle.
"This girl is the daughter of the Fourth Hokage. Granddaughter of Madara Uchiha. She killed Onoki the Fence Sitter, and she killed Roshi the Red General. She also managed to defeat Han the Steam Giant, mere moments after killing Roshi. She's more powerful then any shinobi alive, and her chakra is so caustic and poisonous that Samehada can't bear to take it in." Kisame explained, earning surprised looks from the swordsmen.
"Kakashi." Came the familiar voice of Zabuza Mamochi.
"Yes?" Kakashi inquired with obvious sadness lacing his voice.
"Is it true? Is this girl really that brat's sister?" Zabuza inquired. He stood near the front of the pack of undead with a young effeminate looking boy standing by his side.
"Yes. This is Riley. She's Naruko's big sister." Kakashi answered, earning curious looks from both Zabuza and the boy by his side.
"So this is the one that fed her dream? The sister she wanted to surpass?" The Boy inquired.
"Yes. She still holds that dream. That battle with the two of you, it really helped her. It served as the building blocks for the woman she is today. I think you'd be proud of her. Even after the fighting was done, even after what she endured battling against you, she still admitted to me that she was saddened by your deaths. And… that she kinda liked the two of you." Kakashi informed them, earning a gentle smile from the boy, and a tut of laughter from Zabuza.
"I don't want to have this fight again Kakashi, but we're not in control of our bodies. Do me a favor will you?" Zabuza stated as he drew a katana and prepared to charge.
"Anything." Kakashi replied.
"See us back to our rightful place." Zabuza asked as he broke into a charge towards Kakashi, along with the boy.
Kakashi offered a quick nod and engaged the two. Two more of the swordsmen moved to join him but Guy was quick to intercede, taking those two on himself, leaving Riley with those that remained.
As Kakashi moved off to fight Zabuza and the Boy, Riley couldn't help but listen in to their conversation and remember back to fourth year. Naruko had mentioned something about fighting Zabuza Mamochi. In fact, at the time Riley had just thought her sister had been boasting, but in retrospect, she had placed Zabuza on a higher pedestal then even an Anbu Captain. Perhaps Kakashi was right and even back then, Naruko had learned a bit of humility and came to respect and admire these two men.
Riley offered a silent prayer of success for Kakashi to see his old foes back to the grave, meanwhile she stepped forward to take on the dozen or so that remained, including what was left of the Seven Swordsmen and Kisame.
"It's time I see you all back to the afterlife. And you'll join them, fish-face." Riley stated as she cracked her knuckles.
"Fine then. If this is how I'm going to go out, then let's make sure it's a fight to remember." Kisame responded as he drew Samehada and charged at her, moving with his comrades to attempt to overwhelm her with brute force.
As each battle took off, Loki arrived on the scene having followed after Riley as soon as she flashed away. He quickly moved to join Guy, who was already in the midst of activating some of the Inner Gates to overpower his two foes.
Kakashi himself was a flurry of attacks as he kept Zabuza on the defensive, all the while avoiding Haku's needles. He was fighting at his peek, using every ounce of his skill to send these two back where they belonged. It broke his heart to see them like this as he too had come to respect the two after their battle in Wave, so long ago. All he wanted now was to give them some measure of peace.
While Guy pummeled his two opponents with his Taijutsu, Loki in bird firm continuously covered himself in black flames and flew through any of their techniques, allowing the flames to consume them before they could hit Guy. This ensured that Guy could maintain a focused offensive on one, while the other one was being occupied by Loki.
Back with Riley, she was making short work of the enemy. Deciding not to waste time and not taking any chances, she utilized the Killing Curse to put down one after another after another, freeing there souls with quiet ease.
Her target here was Kisame, she focused most of her offense on pinning him down so that he couldn't make a hasty retreat while the others were trying to overwhelm her. Her attempt was mildly successful, he hadn't made a break for it yet, though these swordsmen were proving to be difficult to hit. Their skills along with the magical strength of their blades gave them a defense to the Killing Curse. They could use their swords as shields to block the spells, allowing them to harmlessly splash against the metal, and because they were magical weapons, the metal didn't warp or break under the strain of the spells.
She kept her offensive going though. She fully intended to strike another member of the Akatsuki off of her hit list before the day was out.
At that moment Riley felt a rush of incredibly dark energy flood the field. She sent a glance off in the direction that Kakashi had vanished with Zabuza and that kid. Dark purple chakra could be seen rising from the nearby forest, and with Riley's eyes she could tell that this energy was partly demonic.
"A Half demon. Huh. That's interesting." Riley noted before turning her attention back onto the Shinobi swordsmen.
Back with Kakashi, he was quick to deliver a spin kick to Haku, sending the boy flying across the battlefield to land next to Zabuza. Dark purple chakra could be seen billowing up from Zabuza's body, a kind of chakra Kakashi had only ever seen in Zabuza himself, which made it unique.
Zabuza slowly raised his sword, pointing it at Kakashi. It was odd seeing Zabuza fight with a sword that was the Kubikiribocho, but if Kakashi's memory was correct that sword was now in the hands of one of Orochimaru's goons. A kiri ninja, with white hair, if he was recalling correctly.
A part of Kakashi could envision the powerful blade back in Zabuza's hand, even to the point of the image appearing before his eyes, mimicking Zabuza's stance. It was as Kakashi was eyeing Zabuza's stance that his eyes caught sight of something interesting.
Tied to the end of Zabuza's sword was a black feather. A very familiar black feather.
Kakashi stated at the feather for several moments trying to recall if he had scene it during their first encounter. It took a moment but he actually realized that he had seen that same feather before when Zabuza had the Kubikiribocho. In fact the feather had been something of note because it had tipped Kakashi off that Zabuza and Haku were working together because Haku had a black feather just like that, tied to some beads that hung from his hair.
Low and behold, when Kakashi brought his eyes to the masked boy's face, there it was, sticking out of from behind the mask was a black feather to match Zabuza's.
"Holy shit!" Was the first thought that came to mind.
"Those feathers. Where did the two of you get them?" Kakashi inquired, earning curious looks from both of them.
"Why so curious?" Zabuza inquired, seemingly confused at the random inquiry.
"I've seen those feathers before, or better yet, I've seen them since we ran into each other." Kakashi replied, causing the two to share a look of surprise.
"You have? I've had this feather for as long as I can remember. So has Master Zabuza. It's one of the things that drew us together. I have no idea where I got mine." Haku responded, sharing another look with his master.
"Haku is right. As much as I would love to discuss the intricacies of an old mystery in my life, perhaps you should be more focused on our attempts to kill you rather then some old trinkets." Zabuza responded as he dashed forward.
"What are the chances? I mean I guess I understand. It explains where the two of them got their incredible power from. Haku is barely a teenager and yet he'd be nearly as deadly as Zabuza if he had been more aggressive in life, and Zabuza well… this explains that incredibly dark energy he has. I guess I'm just surprised to have run into some of Riley's progeny. With how many girlfriends she seems to be racking up, it's no real surprise that her spawn are running around all over the place. I wouldn't be surprised if a large percentage of the human population was descended from her at this rate." Kakashi thought to himself.
"Riley. I need you to come over here." Kakashi called out to her over the Gravemind link.
"Little busy at the moment." Riley responded.
"I found one of your kids. Well two of them actually." Kakashi responded. Silence followed as Kakashi did his best to dodge Zabuza's attacks.
With Riley, she stood with wide eyes.
"Well… I guess that energy was more familiar then you thought." Kurama noted.
"Fucking hell." Riley snarled. Right then most of the swordsmen rushed her, with Kisame hanging back. Seeing an opportunity, Riley activated Aminokenjikara and switched places with Kisame, putting him in the path of their attack. Riley watched with a twisted grin as Kisame was pierced by the twin swords, and his shoulder was cleaved in by the Axe. Kisame's eyes displayed his shock, as blood erupted from his mouth.
The undead around him were also shocked. This moment of surprise was immediately capitalized on as Riley unleashed a barrage of killing curses on the group, dropping the two that had struck Kisame, causing their bodies to shatter.
Kisame himself dropped to his knees, dropping Samehada as he did. The ax embedded in his shoulder prevented him from holding onto the blade. Despite his surprise, this was exactly what he had expected to happen. He knew he couldn't beat her. This woman was simply too powerful, and without the aide of Samehada's greatest ability, he wasn't going to be able to bring her down to a manageable level.
Riley then used the same technique to once again trade places, appearing in the midst of the swordsmen, she then unleashed a torrent of Fiendfyre and encased herself with it before blasting it outward with Shinra Tensei.
The blast of flames erupted outwards at incredible speed encasing the rest of the undead. Their bodies disappearing within the wall of fire.
Riley watched as they flailed and tried to put themselves out with Water Style techniques, but it did them no good. Fiendfyre was purposefully difficult to put out. Their bodies were quickly consumed until their was nothing left.
"When you remove a person's survival instinct they become more susceptible to damage. Hit them with the right kind and even these undead bastards are easily put down." Riley thought to herself as the flames put away from her revealing nothing left of the undead but their floating souls and their magical weapons, left still intact.
Several of the reanimates offered her nods of approval before disappearing from sight. Riley was quiet for a few moments before hearing an explosion erupt from nearby.
In the distance she could see a cloud of smoke rising and above it, blackish flames swirling about. She could easily make out Loki swirling high in the sky wrapped in Black Flames. The bird was quick to let out a cry and then dive-bomb into the smoke, obviously intent on slamming into something while wrapped in the flames of Amaturasu.
Activating her Byakugan Riley quickly surveyed the situation. Loki had successfully set one of the two they were fighting ablaze. Within moments his body would be fully consumed. The last remaining swordsmen was armed with a blade wrapped in exploding tags. He was facing a six Gate's Guy, and was only barely holding him back with the utilization of the numerous exploding tags in his armament.
Riley quickly flashed through some handsigns and created a Wood Clone. She dispatched it to go and join up with Guy and Loki. She was sure the two of them could hand this foe but just in case, she was going to keep a close eye on them. Once that was done she turned her gaze towards where Kakashi was. She found him still fighting Zabuza and that boy.
He had said he'd encountered two of her children that could only mean…
"Zabuza and that Boy… hmm… you're children seem to be running around all over the place. I guess it isn't that surprising when you really think about it. I mean with how promiscuous you are and how many mates you have you'll probably have dozens of kids before any of them reach their fifties." Kurama noted, earning a nod of agreement from Riley.
Riley quickly made her way over to Kakashi, meanwhile the man himself delivered a powerful kick to Zabuza's chest, sending him flying, he then turned and deflected a hail of needles that came swarming at him, courtesy of Haku's Ice mirrors.
Ice Mirrors started to form around Kakashi's side and Haku was using them to flank him. It was right as he entered one directly out from Kakashi's right shoulder when a blade of lighting shattered through that mirror forcing Haku to dodge. Before he even realized what was happening, he felt a hand slam into his chest, sending him flying.
He landed several meters away from Zabuza and both readied to charge back into the fray when they were struck by and unseen forces that hammered the two into the ground with incredible force.
Kakashi let out a sigh of relief as Riley appeared by his side. Utilizing Limbo: Border Jail, Riley was able to keep the two from getting back up.
"What the hell is this?" Zabuza demanded as he struggled to his knees only to be drop kicked by a Limbo clone sending him back into the dirt, hard.
"That would be Riley." Kakashi responded with a eye smile.
"Wha-!" Zabuza began when he was again slammed into the ground.
"They both have one your feathers." Kakashi noted.
"I know. I see them. I didn't even notice them before, I was too focused on Kisame. This is the second time I've run into a child here in the Elemental Nations and the first time it's been a boy. And low and behold it isn't just one but two children." Riley stated, as she slammed the two into the ground again, preventing them from moving, and holding them in place.
With a few handsigns, tree branches rose up and ensnared the two.
"This is so weird." Haku noted as the tree limbs lifted them up off the ground and wrapped around their whole bodies. Branches even slid between their fingers preventing them from forming handsigns.
"I'm sorry Riley. Had I know they were yours I wouldn't have killed them. Haku, the boy died by my hand. Zabuza might as well have been my kill from the injuries he suffered fighting me. He gave his life to kill the corrupt shipping tycoon Gato." Kakashi explained earning a stoic nod from Riley. She wasn't angry at him. She knew full well that he had no way of knowing that either of them held any connection to her.
Riley was silent as she stared at the two. Their darkened eyes and cracked skins were sure signs that they were dead, but the power they radiated was now much more familiar to her. The older of the two Zabuza was obviously able to access his demonic half and utilize those powers, while Haku's Ice based abilities bore a stark resemblance to Elsa's Ice based powers.
They were obviously hers now that she was actually looking at them. The feathers glowed with her power and their own magic was similar in nature to her own. She believed she knew who Haku's mother was, but Zabuza was a bit harder to tell, since it was obvious that he took more after Riley's demonic half then his mother's human half.
"Well now… what are you gonna do with them? They can't really be reasoned with. Mito or whoever performed the reanimation jutsu with just keep forcing them to attack, and they can probably see through their summoned eyes if they're focusing." Kurama noted.
"I realized that. I wonder… is it possible she knew this was going to happen?" Riley mentally inquired.
"Who?" Kurama asked back.
"The elder Elizabeth. She told me that the reason she had to specifically tailor this timeline for her siblings was because by the point of my birth many of them were dead. So then why were these two allowed to die?" Riley explained, finding it confusing that the Elder Elizabeth would have gone to so much trouble to manipulate an entire timeline to suit her needs, and yet she would allow this one slip.
"Maybe so that you could meet them now." Kurama suggested.
"So… does that mean I can resurrect them? I mean they've been reanimated. Someone sacrificed anothers soul and used that person to bring them back from the dead. If there souls are here right now, then does that mean that Rinne Rebirth would simply work as intended. Can I just resurrect them since I wont be recalling their souls from death?" Riley thought to herself and half questioned her Tailed-Beast companion.
"That sounds logical. If their souls have been brought back to this plain of existence through the sacrifice of others, then your ability with Rinne Rebirth should work the same as it does for the recently dead. They should be turned into full demons by your using the technique. Unless there's something I'm missing." Kurama replied.
"Well shit." Riley muttered as she locked eyes with Zabuza who was currently struggling against the wooden bindings.
She was quick to push her way into his head with a Legilimency Probe, she immediately found what she was looking for, a physical link to the summoner. She forcefully surged her power into the link, taking hold of it and sending forward a powerful mental attack with the help of the Gravemind.
Elsewhere in the world Mito Uzumaki let out a hiss of pain as she felt like something had speared into her head.
"What's wrong?" Obito demanded when he saw her cringe and grit her teeth.
"Something it attempting to push it's way into my mind. It's some sort of demon, but there's something else. Something far more powerful." Mito responded as she tried to focus enough to pinpoint what was happening and were it was coming from.
Back with Riley she used this opportunity to flash through handsigns and activate Rinne Rebirth. Her attack on Mito served as a distraction to temporarily debilitate the woman so that Riley could attempt to sever the connection she had to Zabuza and Haku, as well as return them to life.
It was rare that Riley was able to use the Gravemind in an offensive sense, but this was one time it proved it's mastery over the mind arts, traversing across the bond between master and servant, all the while dismantling it and stabbing forth to drive pain straight into Mito's mind.
As the green lights flew into the two men's bodies and their fake reanimated ones exploded away, Riley couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction the flowed into her. Despite the profanity of resurrecting the dead and abusing them in such a way, Mito had unknowingly gifted Riley with two more of her children. She'd have to thank the woman before she killed her.
"Kakashi… what in the fuck is going on?" Zabuza demanded as his body finished healing. He let out a surprised gasp as his senses fully returned to him. Smell, being the most drastic as that was the one that he didn't have as a reanimation.
"Riley here has brought you two back from the dead." Kakashi responded with an eye smile.
"What!" Both of them responded in unison.
"Settle down, the two of you. I just need to make sure that the person who originally summon you has no more hold over your physical bodies and I'll let you go." Riley commanded as she approached the two, Zabuza first, she stared deep into his eyes, once again entering it and searching for the connection.
When she found that it had vanished to moved to check on Haku.
"You were able to bring them back? I didn't think you could bring back people that had been dead for this long." Kakashi inquired as Riley moved over to Haku.
"When you die your soul remains on Earth for a certain time frame. For most people you quickly accept death and your soul fades into the afterlife in only a couple of hours. Some people never accept their deaths and become ghosts. Others die fully accepting their demises and leave immediately. I can bring back most people I suspect because their souls are still earth bound and all I'm really doing is fully repairing their bodies and putting the soul back into it. The reason why I have difficulties bringing back those who've already entered death is because at that point I calling their souls from another plane of existence which requires a huge amount of energy and a piece of my own lifeforce. Now unlike humans I can regenerate my lifeforce. So I'm free to sacrifice it whenever I please. The problem is that anyone I bring back utilizing that method will come into contact with my lifeforce and be corrupted by it because of what I am." Riley explained to Kakashi once she was finished checking Haku's mind for any remaining attachments to the summoner.
"I see. So since they were brought back with a reanimation jutsu and their souls are currently earth-bound, you can resurrect them without corrupting them?" Kakashi guessed, earning a nod from Riley.
"That's what I think. It could be because of their unique biology, being half-breeds, so maybe they're just immune to the effects. It's one or the other." Riley responded.
"What is going on Kakashi?" Zabuza asked again, this time with a great deal more calm.
"My friend Riley here brought you two back from the dead. She's quite gifted at the impossible, you'll come to learn." Kakashi responded, while Riley released the two from her hold. They all heard another explosion in the distance and a few moments later Riley felt the battle with the last remaining swordsmen come to an end. Guy and Loki had been successful in taking them out.
"It's over. The last of the reanimates her in Kiri have been destroyed." Riley informed Kakashi earning a sigh from the man.
"Good. What about the demonic invaders? I saw that the portal was destroyed." Kakashi asked.
"I took out as many as I could and severely weakened those that remained with my Patronus. I don't really know how it happened, but at the very least, the Kiri ninja seemed to have rallied and are handling those that remain." Riley answered him.
"Well that's good at least." Kakashi stated with another sigh.
"Another portal's been opened though. Somewhere on the mainland." Riley informed him, earning a look from Kakashi.
"You were right then. Let's gather Guy and get out of here. What will you two do?" Kakashi inquired to Haku and Zabuza. Both were currently standing next to each other, watching Kakashi and Riley, with obvious confusion. They both understood that they had been brought back, fully. The question was, how? And why?
"Do you need a moment?" Kakashi asked Riley as he took notice of the awkward silence.
"Maybe you should tell them. You actually knew them. I'll go gather Guy and Loki and then we'll set off." Riley answered and then vanished in a burst of speed.
"Well… goody." Kakashi sighed for a third time and turned towards Zabuza and Haku.
"That was Riley, as I said earlier, she's Naruko's sister." Riley informed them, earning curious looks from both.
"So that woman really was the little brat's sister? Wow… I though the Hokage's daughters were twins?" Zabuza responded.
"They are. You've been dead for a few years now. Naruko is Seventeen, or she will be in a few weeks." Kakashi informed the two of them.
"So that's the sister she dreamed of surpassing? The one she wanted to prove herself too? Wow. Naruko was right, there is something amazing about her." Haku noted as he stared off in the direction Riley had been.
"Huh, well I guess it makes sense that Naruko would bare her soul to a complete stranger. I always knew she loved and secretly admired Riley, she was just too proud and stuck up to ever admit it to herself. Still though, I'm surprised she was actually willing to say those things aloud." Kakashi noted earning a light chuckle from Haku who had removed his mask.
"Perhaps I just have one of those faces. She did recognize me as her enemy when we first met, but she was willing to help me gather herbs to help heal master Zabuza despite it all. She has a big heart, even if she is quite brash." Haku noted earning a chuckle from Kakashi.
"How is the brat doing?" Zabuza inquired after a moment.
"Naruko is doing fine. She's… uh… a mother now? Maybe it's a best to say a father? She's a parent now." Kakashi finally decided earning shocked looks from the both of them.
"What the fuck did you just say?" Zabuza demanded, not sure he had heard him right.
"A bit of gender alteration magic, but yeah, she has a son named Boruto. She actually just got back from taking care of him, he was born only a few weeks ago, so she stayed away from this war to take care of him until she knew that his birth mother was well enough to look out for him, herself. She's grown quite a bit. Both physically and mentally." Kakashi informed the two, smiling as their shock turned to dumbstruck looks.
"Well… that's wonderful. I hope she's happy." Haku stated after a moment.
"Wow..." Zabuza muttered with a shake of his head.
"Why did Naruko's sister bring us back? It can't be just because of Naruko, from what Naruko told me, I gathered that the two of them had a strained relationship." Haku inquired.
"Well, it's because those feathers the two of you have… they mark you as her children." Kakashi answer honestly. He almost laughed out loud as both adopted looks of confusion.
"It's a complicated story involving sibling of your sending you and the rest of your siblings all throughout the timeline. Riley gave each of her future children one of her feathers and used some sort of unknown magic to tie it to the child so that it could never leave them. Those feathers belong to Riley. They're part of her person. You two aren't the first of her children she's run into. As of right now you have five other siblings. Four girls and uh well… a thing." Kakashi explained, though as he finished he didn't quite know how to classify the darkness as technically it was a demonic aspect, so it had less of a gender then even the Nine Tails, if that made sense.
"That's… unbelievable." Haku muttered.
"Yes well, believe me, I found it just as crazy when I first met some of her kids. But I've met the time traveler. Her name is Elizabeth. She can open portals to parallel times, and pull objects from them into our world. It's truly a sight to behold. I know it might be hard to believe but why else would she resurrect the two of you?" Kakashi stated.
The two men shared looks with each other, both finding this incredibly difficult to believe.
"Look, I know this is all really confusing. We're about to move out and rejoin the rest of our forces to engage the enemy in their next assault. You two are free to stay here and try to rejoin Kiri's forces, or you can leave. Or you can come with us, and meet your siblings and grandparents. Whatever you choose to do, it's your choice. I'm sure Riley will seek you out one day when she has the time to actually sit down and talk to you, but right now we really need to get moving. The world is in great danger, and if we don't stop the Akatsuki, they'll destroy everything we hold dear." Kakashi informed the two.
After he finished saying that, Kakashi turned and headed off to join up with Riley, Guy, and Loki.
Zabuza and Haku remained where they had been standing and pondered what they had just learned. Both of them shared a look and then glanced at the blackened feathers they both carried. A mystery as old as their entire lives had just been answered, and it had opened the door to a whole new slew of questions. The path before them was clear. If they chose to walk away, then who knows when or if they'd get another chance to learn about this mysterious family of theirs. Otherwise they could try and return to Kiri, but that probably wouldn't work out too well considering Zabuza's reputation, though it did seem Kiri had changed since the Bloodline purges so who really knew for sure. Or they could follow Kakashi and see where that path lead. Along that path would probably be the answers they both sought. So the question presented was what to do.
After a few seconds of pondering Haku let out a small laugh and glanced at Zabuza. "As always, I will follow you wherever. Though I am curious to learn if what Kakashi said was true or not."
Zabuza let out a sigh as he gave the boy a look. He had trained him very well, and even now, Haku was willing to follow wherever Zabuza wherever he went, even if it meant walking away from answers. Zabuza stared at the boy for several long moments pondering the realization that if what Kakashi said was true, then that would make the two of them brothers. In a way that touched at Zabuza's heartstrings, both in a good and bad way. There had been times when he had seriously regretted how cold he had been to Haku, and he was remorseful about how he treated him. To know that he might actually share a familial connection to his longtime ward, made his treatment of him, all the more real.
With that thought filling his mind, he quickly made a decision. He would seek out answers, if not for himself, then for Haku whom seemed genuinely interested to learn the truth.
"Let's go." He stated as he started off in Kakashi's direction. A small smile appeared on Haku's face as he quickly joined his master's side and followed after him.
The two of them quickly caught up to Kakashi whom was standing over the battered for of Guy. Kakashi was shaking his head, exasperated, while Guy simply smiled, offering his good guy thumbs up to Kakashi to show that despite his state, he was still fine.
"You're such a handful Guy." Kakashi sighed.
Off to the side, Riley stood with Loki on her shoulder, her gaze extended out towards Kiri. The Mist shinobi had indeed rallied and the Mizukage was leading them in wiping out the rest of the devils. With confidence that, that situation could be handled, Riley created a Wood Clone to go and speak with the Mizukage. She intended to offer her aide to the Mist shinobi and gain what intel she could from them. With that done she turned back to Kakashi and Guy, taking notice of Zabuza and Haku as she did.
"So you two intend to come with us?" Riley inquired.
"I believe you owe us some answers. Kakashi said some things that don't quite make a lot of sense. I think we need to hear the whole story. I don't know if I believe all this time travel nonsense, but I can't find a reason for him to lie to us, and you did revive us from death. I'm not certain why you did it, but it can't have been easy. His words must hold some semblance of truth if you were willing to go through the trouble." Zabuza responded, staring Riley down. He found himself almost mesmerized by her eyes. Their pattern was similar to Kakashi's Sharingan, but different as well. Her look and posture screamed power. Despite being the same age as Naruko, this girl wasn't a child like Naruko had been when they first met. At seventeen Riley held herself like a true shinobi. Powerful, prideful, mysterious, all in all a complete enigma to those around her.
"I see. Well then, I'll tell you what I can but first we should return to Kamui. There I can give you a full explanation and then we can move to rejoin the rest of the Legion. For the foreseeable future, I guess you'll be traveling with us. I don't have the time to drop you off elsewhere so if you come with us now you may not be able to return to the Land of Water for quite some time." Riley informed the two.
"That's fine. I'm after answers, and a bit of payback against the bitch who descecrated our graves and used us as puppets!" Zabuza informed her, earning a nod and a smirk from Riley.
"Then our goals are aligned. We'll take all the help we can get." Riley stated as she walked over to Guy and Kakashi. She offered a hand to both of them which they both accepted. She then drew then into her pocket dimension, much to the surprise of Haku and Zabuza.
"What was that?" Haku asked.
"Kamui. Part of the ability allows me to draw things that I touch or see into my own pocket dimension. There I can control the flow of time and space, allowing me to use it as my own base of operations. I'll take the two of you there, and once there, I can explain things much more in depth." Riley explained.
Zabuza offered a nod, still eyeing Riley with suspicion.
"Is that going to hurt?" Haku inquired innocently, earning a smile from Riley.
"Only if you struggle." Riley responded, earning her a not so amused glare from Zabuza and an uncertain look from Haku.
Riley simply let out a chuckle and shook her head. In a motion neither could follow, her tails shot out, grabbing both of them and drawing them into Kamui. The action was so swift that they only really had time to let out a half-curse before they were completely drawn in.
Riley then quickly joined them.
She appeared in Kamui with a laugh, as she found Zabuza and Haku on the ground, their eyes wide in shock and surprise.
"What in the fuck!" Zabuza hissed as he shot to his feet taking a threatening step towards Riley, only to be intercepted by Kakashi.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. She's the granddaughter of Madara Uchiha. Great-Granddaughter of the First Hokage, and she's surpassed them both. All three of us could go up against her and she wouldn't even break a sweat." Kakashi informed him, earning even greater shock from Zabuza.
"She's the daughter of… Well… I guess that explains the Wood Style she used on us." Zabuza quickly collected himself while Haku gazed about, eyeing the unique and physically impossible landscape of Riley's Kamui dimension.
"This place is beautiful." Haku noted with awe lacing his voice. His eyes turned towards the sky which matched Riley's mindscape, a dim eerie dim orage colored the sky with pitch black clouds hanging over a setting sun. It indeed beautiful from a certain point of view. Most people might find it a bit unnerving but Shinobi could probably find beauty in it's appearance.
Riley offered the boy a kind smile, admiring his taste as she too found the scenery around her to be beautiful. The darkness pushing back and enclosing around everything, with the sun just barely poking through to allow a dim light to shine on the whole of Riley's pocket dimension. Riley often found this landscape to be quite metaphorical in it's beauty, believing it to represent her soul, a dark and shadowy thing, with a bright sun at the center signifying an inner light that was constantly fighting to push through.
"So… this is a pocket dimension. I've heard that powerful shinobi could utilize things like Space-Time ninjutsu, I just never thought I would encounter it myself. They say the Sanbi could pull itself into it's own pocket dimension, that it could escape any form of attack by just disappearing from the world. I guess such abilities do exist." Zabuza muttered as he glanced around the world at the dark and forlorn landscape. Tall grass filled the fields and massive trees hung in the distance, standing tall and creaking loudly, as they shifted in the breeze. In the distance, towering over them on all sides were four massive mountains that stood taller then anything either men had ever seen.
It was honestly breathtaking. Beautiful. Dark. Eerie. But ultimately beautiful in it's dark tranquility.
"Alright. We're here now so could you please elaborate on the situation at hand. Kakashi says these feathers belong to you and that you're our parent." Zabuza demanded as he focused his attention back on Riley. Haku joined him in offering Riley a curious look and taking a moment to examine her.
"Your sister Elizabeth, opened a rip in time that separated you and all of your siblings across the timeline. An older version of her tracked me down and asked that I held gather you all up. Some of you were sent into the past, others are here in the present, some, I'm betting, have yet to even be born, or should I say, appear. The one thing you and all of your siblings share is a black feather taken from my wings. All of you have one, and it helps to identify you as mine." Riley explained to the two.
"What do you mean your 'wings'?" Haku inquired.
Riley allowed herself a smirk as her wings erupted from her back, and her tails unfurled. She also did them the favor of unleashing her power causing both of them to stumble back in shock and awe. Even Kakashi and Guy had to shield their eyes as power erupted out of her.
"I am not human. They call you the Demon of the Hidden Mist. That name is much more on the nose then you might realize. I am a full demon. You both are half-demons. I believe I know who your mothers are now." Riley stated as she took a good long look at them. It was obvious that Haku was Daphne's, his ice powers were just too closely related to Elsa's Ice powers for them not to be full siblings, while Zabuza, she would be actual money that he was Katie's. He physical abilities and the nature of his magic and endurance, made it very likely that she was Zabuza's. Besides that his hair was more her color then Riley's almost black.
"Such power..." Was all Zabuza could get out. It felt like an enormous pressure was pushing him down. He had once thought it amazing that Kakashi could condense the chakra around his body so much that it actually became visible, but this was something far more grand. He could actually see the swirling torrent of blackish energy and it roared with unimaginable ferocity.
"It's like Naruko..." Haku hissed out with fear and disbelief.
"So my sister called upon the fox's power in order to fight you. Hmm… well my power is different from the Nine Tails. And this strength is all my own." Riley informed the two as she reigned in her power and released them both from it's terrifying grip.
"I can't imagine anyone could be that powerful. Not even Yagura was this strong." Zabuza hissed out through his teeth.
"Oh you haven't seen anything yet. When she gets going it's unlike anything you could imagine." Kakashi noted earning a nod of agreement from Guy.
"Now… allow me to explain a few things." Riley began as she started to inform the two about who she was and what she was.
Outside of Kamui, in almost the dead center of the Elemental Nations, Mito, Obito, Madara, Hashirama, and Obito's paths, stood atop the tallest tower in Ame. Below them in the streets, thousands of devils were marching, moving their way out of the city.
"The portal in Kiri has been destroyed, and Kisame is dead. She somehow managed to sever my connection to the reanimations with a mental attack." Mito informed Obito.
"Well then you'll have to be careful which ones you open the connection too." Obito responded.
Mito offered a nod at that, her eyes turning over to Madara and Hashirama, both men glared at her, their hatred for her obvious. She didn't care though. It didn't matter if they hated her. All that mattered is for her to complete her plan. She was so close to seeing it done. So close to having what she needed.
She knew he was watching. The boy had his eyes on her from a place Minato's eldest could never reach. He watched, with fear and love for the only person he had in his life, and Mito knew he wouldn't take his eyes off this war until it was over and she had returned to him. All she needed was the last peace and then everything would fall into place. As soon as the Ten-Tails was revived she would have full access to the remnants of the God Tree. All she needed was a few peaces, enough to give her what she wanted. At that point, then Obito could do what he wanted with the beast.
For so long she had planned for this day. For so long she had adjusted and remade the variables so that everything would fall into place on it's own. Her ascension would be swift and it would leave so much left out of her control, but she was ready. She had faith in herself. She was the only one who knew what game she was playing. Everything had been set up, now she just needed to see the final peaces brought together, and then she could meet the Angel of Carnage in open battle.
She glanced over at Obito and offered him a nod. Mito quickly hopped from the building, Hashirama and Madara following behind her against their will.
The plan was set. The Legion and some of the Wind Army was moving in from the north. Soon they would meet the demonic army in battle, while Riley attacked from the south. Both sides would clash in a spectacular display. As Mito raced from rooftop to rooftop, her eyes shot over to the Gedo Statue that sat perched atop a tall structure, ready and waiting to accept more power. On it's chest, the Mark of Scath, tied to a special seal Mito had mixed in with it. Now all they had to do was wait for the battle to begin.
The enemy would attack, and all those that bore the Mark of Scath, all the devils in their army, when they died, their power would be recalled into the statue. It would take tens of thousands to begin the Ten-Tails revival, but that was no great issue. Not with the Angel of Carnage on her way.
Obito would stay here and protect the statue for a while. Once that battle got too close he would seal the statue away and move to their next stage. By that point in time, enough demonic energy should have been gathered that the statue would only need a final rush of power in order to awaken the Ten-Tails.
That's where Obito would be going once Riley and her companions closed in on him in Ame. He would retreat into the Land of Wind, to a place Minato had been a long time ago. A place only Minato and a handful of others knew the location on. An access point to the Lay-lines here in the Elemental Nations. There Obito would unseal the access point with Minato's aid, and allow the Statue to feast on the power the Shinju Tree had provided for the world so long ago.
While that was going on, Mito would initiate their distraction using the help of the undead as her command. At the moment she was moving to join up with Kakuzu and Hidan as well as a powerful cluster of undead servants. They would wait until the Magical Alliance attacked Ame, and then commence their attack on the Fire Capital. By the time the Angel of Carnage had finished dealing with the portal in Ame, another would be opened in the Fire Capital. And that is where they planned to hold her.
While Riley and her compatriots fought to regain the Fire Capital, Obito would finish reviving the Ten-Tails. By the time Minato's eldest managed to destroy the new portal in Fire, and defeat the First Hokage and Madara, the Ten-Tails would be ready to be revived.
Everything was ready. They just needed to see it through.
Elsewhere in the world, Zetsu rushed through the forests heading for the last known location of the Magical Alliance. Clones he'd left in the Land of Water told him of Riley's presence there, but now she was gone. He needed to catch up to her. He needed to tell her what was going on. If she didn't stop Obito, the not only would he revive the Ten-Tails but he may even awaken Kaguya in the process. Zetsu didn't know what mental state his mother would be in when she returned but he could bear to let Riley and her fight. A fight of that magnitude would destroy everything in the world, including him.
She had to know what was coming. He just hoped he made it in time.
-To Be Continued-
Alright that's it for the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you though and look forward to the next. Ten more chapters to go! Ja Ne!