Time for the next chapter. Closing in on 100, so happy to finally be in the end stretch to this long as hell story. I just want to finish it and get started on new adventures for Riley and the gang. Hope you all enjoy the ride, and have enjoyed the time spent with me as I wrote this monster. I hope to continue writing for a long time as this has become one of the few great passions of my life.
Broken Angel
Chapter 91
Gaia and her comrades stood on a hillside overlooking the Land of Rain. Before them was a wide open expanse of rice patties. Black clouds hung in the air and red lightning lit up the skies in the distance.
The scent of sulfur and decay was beginning to tinge the air, earning unease from the men and women at her side.
"They're coming Gaia. I can feel them moving closer with every passing second. They're coming for us. We should hunker down here and prepare for them. At this rate they'll be here in less then six hours." Shukaku informed his host.
"The ferocity of their assault. I can almost feel it like a physical miasma. There's so much rage and hatred. I can't imagine what it must feel like close to them. This overwhelming anger being directed at us. I've never felt anything like it before." Gaia thought to herself.
"Nor should you have. Something like this was never meant to happen Gaia. The number of people it would take to tear portal this massive through to another dimension would be in the thousands, plus you would need the right know-how in order to stabilize it." Shukaku said, earning a humph of acknowledgment from his host.
"What do you wanna do Lady Kazekage?" Kankuro inquired from her side.
"The enemy is moving towards us. We should set up defenses and prepare to face them. We'll hold the line and allow for the civilians behind us to retreat further from the combat zone." Gaia commanded earning a nod from her brother.
"These hills offer us a good vantage point. We'll see them coming." Kankuro noted.
"I'm not worried about seeing them coming. They're here for battle. They want to fight us. They're not here to play games." Gaia responded, her gaze set on the horizon.
Kankuro offered a solemn nod of agreement and turned to head off and begin giving orders.
Down in the camp, Riley's friends sat gathered just waiting for their next orders. Huddled in their own little group, Riley's mates sat together along with her children, mother, and grandfathers.
"She should be on her way back." Hashirama noted, hoping to lift the spirits of his surrounding family. Riley's mates had felt her bloodlust subside a short while ago, but she hadn't yet returned. They could only hope that she was still helping Kiri mop up the stragglers and would be back with them as soon as she was able.
Off a short ways, Arturia stood at a slightly elevated position giving her a good view of her surroundings and allowing her to see if anyone made a move towards Riley's family or her mates. Despite her budding intimate relationship with the Demoness it was still her duty to follow Riley's commands and Arturia knew that Riley would want them protected, no matter what.
A few short seconds passed by as Madara and Hashirama stepped up next to her along with Kushina.
"What are you thinking Madara?" Hashirama inquired. Madara had been very quiet since this whole thing began. He almost seemed to be very deep in thought about something or another. It was possible that he was worried about Riley but Hashirama didn't think so. Madara held great pride for the Granddaughter he had raised and trained since birth. He believed in her, as strongly as he believed in himself. As strongly as Hashirama believed in Madara. No. Madara was not worrying. He was thinking about something.
"I feel like something is calling to me. It's powerful and at the same time… familiar." Madara responded, earning a nod from Hashirama.
"I've felt something similar. I don't know what it is, but it feels like it's calling to me from somewhere far away and at the same time, very close. I don't really know how to explain it." Hashirama stated aloud.
"Zetsu once told me that my real self intended to have Obito resurrect him for the Moon Eye Plan. I don't know how much Obito has altered those plans since then, but I have to wonder. Is it possible you and I were reanimated alongside those others?" Madara inquired.
"Reanimation. It's possible. My brother was a genius. Despite what I may feel about such abilities, he truly worked hard to make it work. We both might have been revived. In which case we're out there old friend. And Mito plans on using us to harm Riley." Hashirama stated, causing Madara's features to darken at that thought.
"We'll need to do something about our reanimates." Madara muttered.
"Well then, we'd best start preparing. I'd hate to lose to myself." Hashirama stated, earning a humph of agreement from Madara.
Arturia had been silently listening to the two, it was quite worrisome that men as strong as the two of them could have been brought back. Perhaps all of those duels with Madara were going to pay off. If needed she would return her reanimated compatriots to the afterlife, the idea of leaving such a thing to Riley, did not sit well with Arturia.
Kushina was of a similar mind. Seeing Riley fight her grandfathers to the death was not something she was keen on experiencing. She just hoped that when the time came, the Legion could handle the two Titans of the Shinobi world. Such a battle was by no means going to be easy, but it was their duty to put an end to this, no matter how difficult the task.
Voices began to rise through the camp drawing the eyes of Riley's family and her mates. Riley could be seen marching through the camp with Kakashi and Guy at her side. Trailing behind them were two people that most didn't recognize.
"She made it back." Hashirama noted with a smirk.
"That was quick. Can't say I'm surprised though. We should inform her of our theories, just in case she hasn't already prepared herself for the possibility." Madara noted, earning a nod of agreement from his old friend.
Kushina herself smiled brightly and moved to head down and check on her daughter. Riley's mates were of similar mind it seemed as they were quick to move through the crowd and close in on their beloved mate.
"Riley!" Fleur called out to her as Riley made her way to the command tent.
Riley through a glance over her shoulder spotting her mates as she did. She paused in her advance allowing them to catch up to her.
"Are you alright?" Was the first question asked when they caught up to her. Riley simply smiled and tilted her head, offering them a pleasantly annoyed look.
"You though I wouldn't be?" Riley inquired.
"Well no, but you have a habit of making us worry." Fleur answered, earning a nod of agreement from Katie.
"How was it?" Kaede inquired.
"Hell. The city was partially destroyed though we managed to get there before it could be completely overrun. Kiri will survive." Riley responded earning a nod from her half-demon mate.
"What of the portal?" Daphne asked.
"Gone, as if any other possibility existed. Come on, you ladies know me better then that. As you can see I am completely fine and I managed to find two more of our kids. Daph, Katie, these are your kids, Haku and Zabuza. Boys, these are your mothers, Daphne and Katie." Riley stated gesturing between the four of them earning surprise from Riley's mates, a shy look from Haku, and a curious one from Zabuza.
"Wow… I uh… you just stumble upon the craziest things don't you?" Katie muttered as she gazed at the tall imposing figure of her could-be son.
"I'll let you all get acquainted, I'm gonna go speak with Gaia. We've got another portal to deal with and I've got some interesting news to report." Riley stated as she moved passed them and continued onward leaving her mates with her newly discovered kids.
"Well this is awkward. Luna can you go fetch the others, I think we should get introductions out of the way?" Katie inquired earning a nod from Luna. Katie and Daphne shared a look before composing themselves and stepping up to meet their sons.
"It's nice to meet you, I'm Katie, Katie Bell." Katie introduced herself to Zabuza.
"My name is Daphne, Daphne Greengrass Slytherin Hellsing. It's nice to make your acquaintance." Daphne offered to Haku.
"So you're my mother. It's very nice to meet you. I'm Haku." Haku introduced himself with a smile.
"Zabuza Mamochi." Zabuza replied, his arms folded across his chest. He was currently eyeing Katie with a piercing analytical gaze. There was strength in the young woman's stance. She obviously wasn't on his level yet but she was by no means a rookie. She was strong, though she held herself lightly, with confidence and just a bit of pride. Overall there was nothing mindblowing about the young woman, nothing that separated her from the pack. She seemed to fit in quite well, which was actually a benefit in a Shinobi's line of work. Brown hair and dark eyes allowed one to easily vanish into a crowd. People who looked like Kakashi or Naruko tended to stand out, so Katie obviously had her looks working in her favor.
"Zabuza Mamochi… I've heard that name before. Aren't you one of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist?" Katie inquired after a moment of thought.
"So you've heard of me?" Zabuza responded with a smirk.
"Yeah I read about you in the Bingo book. The Leaf reported that you had died and Naruko stated that she fought against you during a mission to Wave but no body was ever found to verify your death." Katie responded earning a curious look from Zabuza.
"Kakashi must have buried us somewhere in Wave. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. He seemed like he had a soft heart beneath it all. Whatever his reasons though, I'm glad he didn't sell off our bodies to be picked apart." Zabuza responded earning a nod of agreement from Haku.
"How are you alive?" Daphne inquired.
"Riley brought us back, or I guess we were reanimated by Mito Uzumaki and Riley revived us fully and severed Mito's control over us." Haku answered earning a grunt of agreement from Zabuza.
"Hmm… I wonder what effects your reanimation had on the Rinne Rebirth? Usually she can't revive someone who's been dead for an extended period of time without negative consequences." Daphne noted.
"She stated that she thought it might have been because our souls were present on this plain of existence already. Because a sacrifice was used to bring our souls here to this realm, she was able to revive us without those negative consequences you spoke of. Either that or because we're 'her' children." Zabuza explained what Riley had told them, earning nods from the two women and Riley's mates.
A few moments passed when Luna returned with the rest of Riley's kids.
"Haku, Zabuza, these are your sisters. Amaru, Elizabeth, Elsa, and Eleanor. Ladies, these are your brothers, Haku and Zabuza." Daphne introduced them all earning a bit of surprise and curiosity from the rest of Riley's kids.
"Hello." Haku offered with a smile.
Zabuza simply offered them a nod of greeting. His eyes scanned the two and he was intrigued by what he saw. Elsa was interesting to look at, her blue dress gleamed with magic, and served as an obvious sign of power, but she didn't hold herself as a warrior. There was confidence in her stance, but very little in the way of militancy.
Eleanor on the other hand. She held herself with power and had obviously embraced her demonic heritage. Her dark blue eyes were crushing in their weight, and she held herself with power and confidence. She offered her newly discovered brother a charming smirk.
"Greetings Zabuza. My name is Eleanor, I've read a bit about you in some of the old Bingo Books." Eleanor informed him.
"You seem to take more after Riley then our mother." Zabuza noted.
"As do you. You've obviously begun to tap into your demonic power as I have." Eleanor responded, as her pupils became slitted and power began to radiate in her eyes.
"Hmph. Spunky. I like you kid. I think we'll get along just fine." Zabuza noted with a chuckle, earning one from Eleanor as well.
"They seem to like each other." Haku noted earning a nod from Elsa.
"Yes. I hope we can get along as well. My name is Elsa." Elsa offered earning a polite smile from Haku.
"My name is Haku. Riley informed me that you and I share Ice based powers." Haku stated earning a very Riley-like smirk from Elsa.
She then held up her hand and allowed her ice magic to flow freely, creating spheres of ice above her palm. Haku's smile grew a bit wider as he made a handsign, drawing moisture from the air around him and using it to form several spheres of ice as well.
Elsa allowed herself to lightly chuckle at the display, meanwhile her other siblings, along with Anna, watched from the sidelines.
"Wow, Elsa has a brother… that's so amazing. I wonder if he's anywhere near as strong as Elsa is." Anna wondered aloud earning a shrug from Amaru and Elizabeth.
"Well we know the Darkness is definitely the most powerful but it's got an unfair advantage. It's billions of years old. As for the rest of us, I'd say Elsa is the most powerful but Eleanor is the best fighter." Amaru stated.
"I agree with that. I wonder how strong they are. Both of them are actually shinobi, Zabuza was one of the best swordsmen in the Elemental Nations at one point in time." Elizabeth added.
"Well at the very least we can count him in the same class as Eleanor. He's obviously embraced his demonic power." Amaru noted, earning hums of agreement, not just from her siblings but from Fleur, Daphne, Luna, Katie and Kaede as well.
"Well, let's continue introductions." Katie offered after a moment.
Meanwhile, Riley was making her way to the command tent with Madara, Hashirama, Arturia, Kushina, as well as Kakashi and Guy following by her side.
"So Minato is back." Madara muttered, having just heard from Riley that he'd been seen in Kiri with Obito.
"That just furthers my assumption that we may have been resurrected as well." Hashirama stated.
"We'll deal with it, just like we deal with everything else. We'll track down Minato and send him back to the grave, and as for your reanimations, perhaps there's something more we can do with them. Maybe use their souls to fully resurrect the two of you." Riley responded, earning thoughtful looks from her grandfathers.
"And what of Minato? What if he's told Mito and Obito things about you? What if he told them that you're the Angel." Kushina inquired lightly, keeping her voice very quiet so as not to draw attention to them.
Riley came to a pause as she shut her eyes and thought about that information. Many quiet moments passed before she opened them again and turned her gaze towards her mother. "Knowing that wont save them. I never revealed my true power, even as the angel. They may be more prepared in knowing that, but they still have no idea what they're dealing with. Those two are already dead, they just don't know it yet. What I'm more concerned about is how Mito revived Minato when his soul is supposed to be in my soul well. Kurama is looking into it right now, and hopefully he'll have something to tell me when he's done." Her response earning a slow nod from Kushina.
From there they quickly made it to the command tent where Gaia, Itachi, and Tom were waiting for them.
"You're back." Gaia noted as Riley entered the tent.
"One portal down, along with Kisame Hoshigaki, and Kiri still stands." Riley informed Gaia and the rest.
"Good but now we have another problem. Scouts are already reporting in, thousands of demons are heading for us right now and their power is absolutely monstrous. We need a plan." Gaia stated.
"Call for Inoichi and Shikaku. I'll share my experience in Kiri fighting the devils with Inoichi and allow him to pass the knowledge on to Shikaku Nara. From their, Shikaku can formulate a battle strategy." Riley informed them, earning nods from those present.
"What then?" Gaia pressed her.
"You'll hold the line." Riley responded.
"You intend to go after the portal alone." Gaia concluded, knowing that Riley wasn't going to wait around for others again.
"These new portals are in Ame. Everyone there is already dead. I can push past the army and attack them before they're ready, and in Ame I can unleash my full power without fear of harming innocents. I can't do that with others around me. Kiri was one thing because I was going to have to hold back anyway due to the presence of innocent civilians. I wont have that same problem in Ame. No one else can be near by. If we want to end this quickly, I have to go and handle it alone." Riley explained, earning a sigh from Gaia, and looks of concern from the rest.
"Riley..." Kushina began but Riley cut her off with a shake of her head.
"I know mother. Trust me, I know. But now is not the time for fear. I'm going, and none of you can stop me. But I need to know that you can hold out while I'm gone. The destruction of the portal will weaken the enemy severely but they will still be able to fight back. You need to hold the line until I return." Riley replied focusing a look on her mother and then her grandfathers.
"If you get in bind, summon us. We'll be there to help you." Hashirama ordered her, earning a small smile from his granddaughter.
"You know me grandfather, when it comes to fighting, I learned from the best." Riley responded giving both her grandfathers fond looks.
"We could be amongst them, Riley, ensure that you react with the utmost of caution around Hashirama's reanimation. His nature energy could be used to overwhelm you." Madara warned her, earning a nod from Riley.
"And you will probably have your Rinnegan, I know. I'll be ready." Riley responded.
"Do you have a plan?" Itachi inquired.
"Always." Riley responded with a small smirk.
Itachi stared at her for several moments before adopting a small smile. "Good luck Riley, I know you can do this."
"Thank you. I'll leave a few clones behind to aid you here, and… don't tell my mates I went alone. I'll tell them after this is finished. You understand the seriousness of this Gaia, but… I don't know if I could refuse them all." Riley asked, earning a sigh and a nod from Gaia.
"Please stay safe. I wish you would tell me what you are planning." Gaia responded as she stepped up to her future wife.
"Playing it close to the chest. No risks. I'll see you later." Riley responded as she closed the distance and gave Gaia a passionate kiss on the lips, not caring that Gaia's siblings and underlings were present. Gaia didn't seem to care either and returned the kiss with equal passion.
Riley broke the contact first giving Gaia one of her signature grins as she did. She then turned and made her way for the exit out of the tent, her intention to find Shikaku and Inoichi, deliver the info to them and then depart. As she made her way out of the tent, she found Arturia waiting outside.
"I'm heading out." Riley informed her.
"Alone?" Arturia inquired as she met Riley's stride.
"Yes. I need to work fast and I can't hold back anymore. I don't want anyone I care about in the firing line, so yes, I'm going alone." Riley responded earning a hard look from Arturia. Sensing the ancient King's anxiety, Riley stopped turned to Arturia, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled the woman into a deep and passionate kiss.
Arturia seized up in surprise for several moments as she felt lust and affection pass through Riley's lips, into her body. The kiss felt amazing to her, far better then she remembered the drunken kiss she had shared with Riley some days prior. It took almost a full ten seconds but Arturia finally recovered from her surprise and allowed herself to tentatively return the kiss.
Despite the passion involved on Riley's end, it was probably one of the gentlest of kisses she had ever given, matched equally by the very inexperienced Arturia. Their lips remained locked for almost a full minute before separating. A crimson red blush adorned Arturia's face, and she had to avert her eyes to hide her embarrassment.
"You're one of the strongest people I know, Arturia. One last time I need to ask you something. Do this for me, and when it's done, I promise I'll never have another order for you." Riley stated earning Arturia's gaze, which was now filled with surprise.
"Riley..." Arturia began but Riley silenced her with a chuckle.
"I wont have one of my mates living to serve me. So one last time, all I ask is that you protect them. Protect those I love, and make sure you count yourself amongst them. Stay alive until I return, because I intend to make you mine one day. I know I said I had a crush on you, but I lied. I really like you, and I want so badly to love you, I think I do. In fact, I know I do. So do this thing for me one more time, and when I return, you and I can be together." Riley responded earning a very gentle smile from Arturia.
"I want to be with you too. I will protect them, and I wont die. I swear to you I wont. On my honor as a knight and a king, we will see each other again." Arturia responded fervently, earning a smile from Riley.
"I'll see you then." Riley responded as she released her and started heading off.
Arturia stared after her, love and affection on clear display in her eyes. She didn't care in that moment who saw it or what they thought. She knew she loved that woman, and she wasn't going to deny herself or Riley any longer. When this war was over she'd allow herself to feel for the first time in her life. She'd allow herself to love, as all people should be free too.
As Riley departed, Arturia swore an oath to herself, that she would not die, not ever. She would stay alive for as long as her body held out, because she couldn't bare to hurt Riley like that. She refused to die and leave Riley without her. To imagine the heartbreak that Riley would feel at her death was to tear a hole in her chest and remove her own still beating heart. She couldn't stand the thought and refused to allow it to linger. She wouldn't die, and she wouldn't allow any of Riley's precious people to die either. She would never allow what had become her precious person, to feel such pain, by all of her strength she would see such an oath through to it's conclusion. An eternity of protection, for the woman that she loved.
Riley quickly made her way through the camp, stopping only momentarily when she came across Yugito.
"You're back." Yugito noted upon spotting her.
"Leaving soon. Try not to die until I get back okay, we still have some shit we gotta work through." Riley responded with a smirk.
"Good luck. I'd hate to hear that we went through all of this trouble only for you to die before we even got the chance to lovey eyes at each other." Yugito responded with her own smirk.
"Cute, we'll have to see if you keep that pride of yours when I'm railing your brains out." Riley stated, earning a blanch from Yugito, whom started to blush and tried to stutter out a response, but couldn't manage to make one before Riley burst into uproarious laughter.
"I'll catch you around." Riley stated with a charming smirk as she turned and headed off.
Yugito stared after her for several moments looking indignant, but finally she allowed herself to smile.
"She's an interesting one." The Cat noted.
"Interesting, yeah, that about sums it up." Yugito responded aloud.
From there Riley quickly tracked down Inoichi and allowed him to draw up her memories of the event in Kiri. If she had a pensieve she would have just used one of those but without in the Yamanaka clan leader was the best bet of showing someone else exactly what happened in Kiri, thus allowed Shikaku to see how the devils fought and thus formulate a plan on how to effectively fight them.
Once that was done, Riley created a few Wood Clones, she intended to leave behind, and then she prepared to leave. She knew her mates would probably be pissed that she left on her own, but she didn't have time to convince them that this needed to happen. Sometimes it was better to ask for forgiveness then permission.
"Riley, I've finished looking through your soul well and I think I found the problem." Kurama informed her.
"Really? What's up?" Riley inquired.
"There was some sort of hole in you soul well. I closed it up, but yeah, the souls within it were leaking out and presumably going to death. You managed to retain their memories and life energy, but their actual souls were leaving. That's why I think the Reanimation Jutsu worked on Minato and some of the others. Because their souls are no longer within you." Kurama explained to her, earning silence from Riley as she took in the information.
"The Shinigami?" Riley asked with a sigh.
"I think so. He's the only one who could have done it and would benefit from the souls going to death." Kurama responded, earning another sigh from Riley.
"I'll deal with him later. The hole is sealed now, right?" Riley inquired.
"Yep, all patched up. What did I miss?" Kurama replied.
"We're headed for Konoha." Riley responded as she activated Kamui.
"Konoha? Why would we go there, the enemy is in Ame?" Kurama asked with obvious confusion.
"I've left wood clones behind to make it seem like I'm still here. Meanwhile, I'll be going to Konoha to enact the Angel's escape." Riley replied.
"Ralael. She's coming back?" Kurama responded with surprise.
"Can you think of a better reason for an Angel to break free, then a demonic invasion? Under the guise of Ralael I can unleash my full power and my familiars." Riley informed her demonic companion.
"Well I can't fault your logic. We cannot hold back any longer." Kurama stated after a few moments of thought.
"No, we cannot." Riley replied as she exited Kamui reappearing at the edge of a massive crater. In the sky above her floated a gargantuan orb of stone.
The scent of blood started to tinge the air, drawing Riley's curiosity. She turned her gaze further down the crater towards a camp where several guards in Auror robes were stationed. After the destruction of Konoha the ICW had placed guards around the ruins to keep people from investigating the Angel of Carnage. Everyone simply hoped that the beast was locked away for good.
Riley stared down at the camp, trying to discern where the scent of blood was coming from. After a few moments she activated her Byakugan and gazed through the tents in the camp. Just like before, veins emerged around her eyes, but her pupil turned black, and just like before Riley felt a surge of incredible power pass through her.
"What the hell is that?" Riley absently wondered as she scanned the tents and came across the bodies of several people stashed inside.
"I have no idea, but we don't have time to worry about it now. I think someone is already here, and they have plans to screw with the angel." Kurama noted, earning a nod from Riley.
Glancing at the guards, she could see them hiding kunai and shuriken under their robes. Looking with a bit more intensity she eventually spotted the headbands with the sound note on them.
"Orochimaru!" Riley growled as her gaze shot down towards the crater, searching for the man. It only took a few moments before she spotted him, and a monstrous grin tore across her face.
She began her advance, first jumping down to the nearby camp. She landed directly in front of the three guards, and right as they reached for weapon and began to speak, her tails shot out and decapitated the three.
From there she moved on, racing down the crater, cutting down anyone who got in her way.
At the base of the crater, Orochimaru stood with his master, Herpo the Foul. Before them stood a number of Dark Wizards and shinobi performing some sort of ritual. Energy could be seen drifting down from the meteor and gathering into a large rune that had been placed on a stone in the center of the ritual circle.
"It's odd. The energy isn't as malevolent as I would have suspected." The ancient Dark Wizard noted.
"Yes, it's almost like corrupted nature energy. Still twisted but not wholly dark." Orochimaru agreed.
"We'll finish gathering a decent amount of the energy and retreat. We can study commence with our then." Herpo stated with an analyzing look.
"We'll have to move our operation far from the Elemental Nations. Things have become too violent here for our purposes." Orochimaru informed the dark wizard.
"Yes, we'll move to one of my ancient strongholds. There we can continue our work in peace." Herpo responded. Right then, a scream tore through the air.
All eyes turned just in time to see a sound ninja split in half. Standing before his broken body was the enraged visage of Riley.
"Hey there Orochimaru, never thought I'd run into you here of all places." Riley stated with a snarl. Guren was nearby was let out a curse as she jumped in front of her master. Nearby Kabuto stood and he immediately chose to lose all pretenses of service to Orochimaru and dropped to his knees, kowtowing in the face of the wrathful goddess.
"Ah, the Uchiwa clan leader, to what do I owe the unexpected pleasure?" Orochimaru hissed, a bit of nervousness filling his gaze. He hadn't intended to run into Riley. In fact the whole purpose of this attempt was the idea that everyone and their mother would be focused on the Akatsuki, and thus Orochimaru could move in relative peace.
"Lady Luck hates your ass, what else can I say." Riley responded as she marched towards him.
"You know how well this worked last time. You know you cannot kill me." Orochimaru stated with a vicious smirk. Right then, Guren sped through handsigns summoning forth a crystalline dragon that immediately rushed towards Riley.
"Go my Lord! I'll hold her off!" Guren shouted as the dragon rushed towards Riley.
Orochimaru smirked and nodded, quickly turning to jump away when he spotted Kabuto on his knees.
"What..." He began when he heard a loud noise that sounded like something being shattered, and immediately following it was a cry of pain. His eyes snapped back to Guren to find her being held aloft by the Uchiwa clan leader. Riley wasted no time in snapping the Crystal users neck.
As Riley tossed the body aside she ripped out the woman's soul giving the appearance of separating the body and soul with a single movement.
Seeing one of Orochimaru's strongest servant killed in an instant caused most to lose whatever confidence they may have had.
"Fuck this!" Came the hiss from a man with white hair armed with one of the Seven Swords of Kiri.
Riley spotted him and recognized the blade. During her time in Kamui with Haku and Zabuza, the whereabouts of Zabuza's signature sword, the Kubikiribocho, came up. Kakashi swore that he had placed it as a grave marker over Zabuza's resting place but he also remembered seeing it in the hands of one of Orochimaru's servants when they attempted to ambush him.
Spotting the sword and realizing that this man may have robbed from one of her children's graves, ignited even more fury within Riley.
As Suigetsu turned to flee, a bolt of lightning snapped down from the sky, turning his body to water and forcing him to drop the sword. Riley quickly summoned the Executioner's Blade to her hand, holding it aloft with impossible ease.
"This doesn't belong to you!" Riley snarled as Suigetsu reformed with obvious fear in his eyes.
He moved to start running when Riley cut him off by igniting a massive blast of Amaturasu around him. The water user disappeared into the flames, his screams vanished as he reverted to pure water and then evaporated out of existence.
This all occurred in the space of at most, five seconds. Which was just enough time for Orochimaru to recover from his surprise and reach for his portkey.
Riley's eyes shot back to him, and to the object he was reaching for. The strange man that Orochimaru had been speaking with, smiled and vanished with the telltale signs of a portkey. Seeing Orochimaru reaching for an item strapped to his belt, Riley focused her gaze on the object.
With Amenotejikara Riley instantly swapped placed with the object, so when Orochimaru finished reaching for it, all he grasped was Riley's own hand.
He turned his gaze to meet her, shock evident in his eyes.
"No escape this time." Riley snarled as she formed a Rasengan in her hand and infused it with Hellfire. The soul destroying flame fused with the rotating sphere of chakra creating a purple ball of chaos in her hand.
Holding firmly onto Orochimaru and with incredible speed she drove the sphere into his chest. She watched with cruel eyes as the flaming sphere tore through his flesh and magic and began to devour his soul. Orochimaru's screams tore through the air as the sphere of purple flames grew larger and larger, consuming more of the man with each passing second.
Within moments, Orochimaru had vanished into the chaotic mass, as Riley held control over the sphere, keeping it just large enough to envelop the man's entire body.
"This is for my wife you fucker!" Riley snarled, as she consumed him with hellfire.
After about five whole seconds Riley released the technique, revealing to all those watching that, there was now nothing remaining of the Snake man. Riley knew he still had a soul anchor out there somewhere but with the majority of his soul burned away he'd never again be able to assume physical form on his own, and even if he did, he would never be the man he once was.
She would track down the fragment one day, as well as the strange man that Orochimaru was conversing with, but for now, the last of the Sannin had been dealt with. She turned her gaze towards the fleeing mass of dark wizards and sound ninja. He eyes stopped for a moment on Kabuto whom was still bowing, refusing to raise his head from the dirt. She knew now without a doubt that he was the spy feeding her information on Orochimaru.
With a burst of speed, Riley vanished from sight. Kabuto kept his head down as the sound of screams tore through the air. These screams continued for several long moments until finally they stopped.
Kabuto felt more then heard someone stand over him. He knew exactly who it was, and after taking a careful breath, he slowly raised his head from the dirt.
Standing above him was a blood soaked Riley. She looked positively demented, and despite his many years of service to Orochimaru, and the uncountable atrocious acts he had partaken in and witnessed, he couldn't help but tremble in fear of her terrifying visage.
"So we finally get the chance to talk." Riley noted as the man finally met her gaze.
"My Lady." Kabuto offered in greetings.
"You've been helpful in the information you've provided for me. For that reason I will spare your life. You told me once you sought answers to your questions. If you wish for those answers then you will have to do something for me." Riley stated, her eyes filled with an ominous weight to them and glowing an incredible red that seemed to shine. It was unlike the red he had seen in her eyes when she confronted those Iwa ninja for hurting Luna during the Tri-wizard tournament. This red glow was bright and it almost looked like there was a glowing flower-like pattern, beneath the pattern of the Rinne-Sharingan.
"Name it." Kabuto responded.
"When this war is over you will seek out the Legion and use your skills to aid us. Do that and I will answer your questions." Riley commanded, earning a nod from Kabuto. With that, Riley turned and started walking away. Kabuto watched until she was directly beneath the meteor. She stopped right around where the ritual stone had been placed. With a snarl, a tail whipped out from beneath her cloak and sliced the stone in half, releasing the energy it had gathered.
Riley absorbed the ambient nature energy her wood clone had been gathering and then turned her eyes skyward.
"Time to raise hell!" Kurama noted with a smirk.
"YESSS! Let us be free!" The Darkness intoned. A cruel smirk spread across Riley's face as she lifted off the ground, appearing to float up into the sky.
Kabuto watched with amazement as she lifted higher and higher, until finally she passed into the stone sphere, using Kamui to phase through the rock.
She kept going until she reached a hollow in the dead center of the stone sphere. Within this hollow was an old Wood clone, barring the image of the fallen angel.
The two met each others gaze and smiled.
Outside of the sphere, Kabuto rose to his feet and made his way out of the crater. He had just made it to the edge when a loud shredding noise was heard.
He turned his gaze back to the sphere just in time to see massive tears beginning to form along it's exterior.
Sensing the danger that would accompany the sphere's destruction, Kabuto started to race away.
A small smile formed across his face as he made his way into the forest that used to reside around Konoha.
"So the Angel is returning. Things must be spiraling out of control if you plan on retaking that mantel." Kabuto thought to himself as he moved away from the ruins of the Hidden Leaf.
Nearby Zetsu was racing through the forest when he spotted the damage beginning to appear on the earthen sphere.
"What the hell is that?" Black Zetsu muttered.
"It could be Lady Riley. We should investigate." White Zetsu responded, earning agreement from his other half. The two then began to race towards the massive floating sphere.
The tears across the sphere eventually led to massive chunks beginning to break off and fall to the ground below.
Kabuto was only a few miles away from the edge of the crater when he felt the first one impact the ground.
The resulting tremors would probably be felt for miles as more pieces began to break off and fall to the ground.
Massive dust clouds rose up out of the crater as the sphere broke apart. Piece by piece it shredded until finally it split open, revealing the beast that had been stored inside.
Floating high above the ruins of Konoha was the Angel of Carnage.
Draped in the dementor king, Riley gazed out at the world. Slowly she made her way to the ground, disappearing amongst the rubble. She made her way to the edge of the crater where she was met by a surprise visitor.
"My Lady!" Someone shouted. Riley gazed at them curiously just as Zetsu burst through the smoke and came to a kneel in front of her.
"Zetsu." Riley stated curiously.
"My Lady, we have information. Mito and Obito are launching their plans into action. These demonic attacks a distraction as well as a means to empower the Ten Tails. All of the devils have seals on them, and each one that dies is then immediately recalled into the statue. They plan on using you to fill the statue with as much dark energy as possible." Black Zetsu explained to her.
"I see. What about the Tailed Beasts?" Riley inquired.
"Mito had fragment of them all, already stored. She took them when she aided Hashirama Senju in capturing all of the Bijuu. She intends to use the energy from the devils to supplement their souls until the Ten Tails can be revived." Zetsu answered.
"Fuck! Wait but as powerful as those devils are it would take millions of them to match up to the Ten Tails. Surely they realize that I would catch up to them long before they could summon that many?" Riley noted, giving the plant hybrid a curious look.
"I don't know exactly my lady, all I do know is that Obito and Mito have a plan. I know that the Ten Tails can be revived in an incomplete form and allowed to mature to full strength quite rapidly so that only need to get it to about a tenth of it's full power to begin the awakening, but that still a lot of dead demons needed to fuel it's power. I think they have an alternative method to fill it with the necessary energy to get it to the level they need." Black Zetsu responded, earning another curse from Riley.
"Alright. I'm headed to Ame to put a stop to this before more of those fucking things pass through. What will you be doing?" Riley informed them.
"I'm done serving Obito and Mito. I'll follow you." Black Zetsu responded.
"I don't intend to hold back in this fight, you might be harmed if you come with me." Riley informed him.
"I'll stay close. Offer you what knowledge I can and help where I can." Black Zetsu replied as he began to peel off of white zetsu, becoming a blackened glob of living tissue.
Riley watched with curiosity as the black mass fully detached from the white half and then reached out for her. Riley responded by offering her hand, allowing the blackened mass to sliver up her arm and wrap around it.
"There, now I'll be out of the way, and you can unleash your full power." Black Zetsu stated, earning a nod of understand from Riley, whom glanced into her sleeve, and was greeted by the sight of two blowing yellow eyes, and a sea of white teeth.
"Well alright then. What about you?" Riley turned her gaze towards the white half of Zetsu.
"I'll return to our bases and father my siblings. The original plan was to breed an army of us to use in battle but that changed with Mito's involvement. I'll head there and gather the others then go to join to the Legion. There may not be many of us, but we were enhanced with Hashirama's wood style allowing us to suppress demonic energy. Thus we should prove useful in aiding your allies. While I'm at the base I'll also deal with Spiral Zetsu and retrieve Nagato's other Rinnegan." White Zetsu explained, earning a nod of agreement from Riley.
"Then do so, I'll send a message to the Legion commanders letting them know all of this, and that you're on your way. Hold the line until I finish with the portal in Ame and if you succeed in recovering one of those eyes, give it to Madara when you arrive at the Legion camp." Riley commanded, earning a nod from White Zetsu as he sunk into the ground.
Several silent seconds passed before Riley turned and started to head off.
"Black Zetsu." Riley began as she rose off the ground.
"Yes?" Zetsu responded.
"There's something different about my eyes. I absorbed power from one of the Sage's old artifacts and I was able to speak with the man personally. He told me I was Kaguya's heir and that I was chosen by her to be the goddess of this world. He even offered to train me when the time was right. Since then, every time I activate my Byakugan I feel a burst of power." Riley informed him, earning a surprised gasp from the being.
"You spoke with Hagoromo. Well… I guess I shouldn't be surprised. His power was immense. Though those things he said. I can't believe he'd actually acknowledge you as mother's heir. Perhaps he has gained some wisdom in his old age. Regardless, to asnwer your question, if you gained Otsutsuki chakra and infused it with your own, then maybe you've awakened the Tenseigan." Zetsu answered.
"That what?" Kurama asked.
"The Tenseigan?" Riley inquired as she brought her arm up to look down at the creature again. This time he actually focused on her eyes, and let out a light laugh as he spotted the blazing flower patter design of the Tenseigan shining beneath her Rinne Sharingan.
"Yes, it's the equivalent of the Rinnegan. If was the dojutsu unlocked by Hamura Otsutsuki, the Sage's little brother. Where as Hagoromo awakened the Sharingan then the Mangekyou and then the Rinnegan, Hamura pushed his powers with the Byakugan to their extreme, gaining access to the Otsutsuki's legendary ancient dojutsu." Black Zetsu explained.
"So what does it do?" Riley inquired.
"A lot of the same things the Rinnegan can. But whereas the Rinnegan was born from fusing the Otsutsuki's chakra with the chakra of the God Tree's, the Tenseigan is a natural evolution. In essense, the Tenseigan is the original awakened eyes. As the Otsutsuki had the Byakugan first and only developed techniques like the Sharingan after having children once they ate from the fruit of the god tree. My guess is that you awakened it when you combined Otsutsuki chakra with the incredible power of your eyes, causing the Tenseigan to awaken whenever you activate your Byakugan. Mother never had the Tenseigan, and it only reappeared in Hamura and his descendants. I don't know what having the two will exactly allow you to do, all I do know is that it'll give you the power to activate Chakra mode." Black Zetsu explained to her.
"Chakra mode, like what we've been trying to replicate with the fusion of our powers?" Riley wondered.
"Maybe I only ever remember hearing stories about the Tenseigan. I never actually saw it. I never met Hamura either, so I couldn't tell you if that new pattern in your eyes has something to do with it. It seems you can turn it on and off though, and when it's active the power of your eyes is magnified several times." Kurama agreed, earning a curious hum from Riley as she started to head in the direction of Ame.
Riley quickly took to the skies and headed in the direction of Ame. Her speed quickly accelerated far beyond the speed of sound as she rushed to finally deal with the threat of the Akatsuki, all the while wondering just what it was that Obito and Mito had planned to fully revive the Ten-Tails.
It took only a handful of minutes for Riley to start to close in on Ame. As she made her way there she started to pass burning towards and villages. The presence of devils pouring out over the land, filled her senses. Despite wanting to stop and kill them, Riley knew that to do so would only allow more to pass through and would only strengthen the Ten-Tails. She needed to reach Ame and put an end to the portals right now. She could save more people in the long run, if she shut the portals and retrieved the statue before Obito could revive the Ten-Tails.
Atop a tall building in Ame, Obito stared out across the land. An eerie red glow, bathed a litteral hellscape around him.
Reddened clouds hung in the sky, and the waters of Ame were turning black from demonic pollution. It was amazing for the man to see how quickly demonic energy warped and twisted reality. The power of demonkind was so far beyond imagination that even to a magical it appeared to be the work of fiction. It bent and twisted all known laws of magic and reality. Things that had once been set in stone, were now malleable and could flow along with the raw power that demons possessed. They truly were magnificent.
Suddenly, he picked up a powerful presence. His eyes turned skyward as a collective roar, ripped through the world around him, nearly causing the whole city to shake. It seems every devil within ten miles could feel something approaching.
By now nearly a dozen portals were open around Ame, and thousands of Devils were swarming through. Despite the number, they weren't going to stop there, at various sights across the city more rituals were being performed to tear further holes through reality and allow more of their vicious kind through.
From the skies, Riley watched, gazing down at the city, analyzing the placement of the portals.
Once she had pinpointed all of the ones currently standing, she flared her power, releasing a shockwave that send the reddened clouds around her, scattering in all directions.
All eyes turned skyward as the blinding light of the midday sun, bathed the land, earning an enraged shriek from the devils below.
Obito spotted her almost immediately. Surprise was his first thought, as they had anticipated her either fighting with her army, or attacking them from the south. It seemed she had chosen to allow the demons free reign and was here to cut them off at their source. An intelligent move, but unexpected.
"Damn..." Obito muttered as he heard a chuckle escape from Minato nearby.
"Looks like she's done playing games." Minato noted as Riley disappeared from sight accompanied by a deafening sonic boom.
"Let's go." Obito growled out.
"Leaving already. I thought you wanted to wait this out?" Minato again berated him with a chuckle. Obito sent a glare at him, and then silenced his old sensei without so much as a word. He was tired of hearing the man speak. He and his paths quickly hopped over to the Statue and Obito drew it into Kamui where he then vanished as well.
Elsewhere, Riley hit the first portal, landing before it with a massive explosion, as she landed, all eight of her tails exploded outward, spearing through all of the nearby devils.
In both her hands she charged up powerful Reducto Maxima's which she set flying towards the support pillars of the portal. Both spells hit true exploding violently and blast apart the stone structures keeping the portal stabilized.
Hundreds of enraged cries tore through the air as devils and demons swarmed in around her.
Riley ignored them, phasing through their attacks as she moved towards the next portal.
-Elsewhere at the same time-
Mito, Hashirama, Madara and a massive collection of undead, stood on the out wall of the Fire Capital.
"Time to have some fun." Mito stated with a smirk, as she willed the undead to commence their attack.
Mito watched with a smirk as the undead leaped down into the city and began to slaughter the inhabitants.
"Change of plans." Came Obito's voice as he appeared from Kamui along with his paths.
"What are you doing here?" Mito demanded with a glare.
"I'm leaving my paths here so that she'll sense my chakra and come to look for me here. She's already in Ame and she's retaken the appearance of the Angel of Carnage. I'm heading to the Layline with Minato. We'll unseal it as soon as she arrives here." Obito informed her, earning a reluctant nod from Mito.
"Very well then." Mito responded as Obito vanished along with Minato.
"Damn her. This is going to be harder then I thought. No matter, just a bit longer." Mito thought to herself as she sat down and began preparing the ritual to open another portal.
"Soon… very soon." Mito whispered.
Down in the city, a redheaded woman cut down a number of samurai. She was armed with an eloquent katana. Her hair had been tied back into a long pony tail, but even tied up, it still reached thighs.
She gazed around at the death and carnage with obvious distaste.
"Why am I here? Who am I? Zetsu… where are you?" The woman thought to herself.
She turned her gaze towards a charging samurai who was immediately cut down as Madara appeared in front of him and delivered an ax kick to the side of his head.
"Kaguya… let's go." Madara shouted back to her, earning a slow nod from the woman as she continued forward.
"This all wrong." Kaguya Uzumaki noted as she took up position next to her husband.
"I know. You were never meant to be brought back like this. I'm sorry." Madara responded, with obvious regret. To see his own wife brought back and used in such a way, filled him with more hatred then he had ever felt in his life. She didn't deserve to suffer more then she already had.
"No… I mean… this… it's all wrong. I was meant to come back, but not like this. I remember." Kaguya replied as she turned her gaze towards the sky.
"What are you talking about?" Madara inquired as he turned his gaze towards her.
"…Nothing." Kaguya replied after a few moments. Despite her outer composure, on the inside, the woman was in turmoil. Two sets of memories filled her mind, and that left utter confusion in their wake. Who was she, and why did nothing make sense?
These thoughts plagued her head as she cut down a young woman, barely in her twenties. She fought alongside her husband, her body reacting on it's own, not truly needing her input.
"Zetsu… where are you?" Kaguya wondered.
-Back in Ame-
Another portal shattered as Riley cut down dozens of devils. Riley was in impossibly good form. Utilizing her tails and the her ability to amplify her own strength over a hundred times, Riley tore through her enemy with mountain shattering ease. Her tails would lash out and slice entire building clean through. She moved so fast through the city that even the exceptionally powerful army of monsters could barely keep up with her.
She'd been present for less then ten minutes and already four portals were closed. At this rate she'd have them all shut before the army even reached her allies at the border.
She just needed to be faster, and stronger.
Her rage powered her, and filled her body. She moved faster, and faster with each passing second, magic roared around her, cutting down her enemies with impossible ease. A territorial rage filled the demoness as she fought. These invaders were attempting to devil her home. She would teach them a lesson that would remain ingrained in their monstrous psyche for eons to come.
As she fought, Black Zetsu watched, admiring her power and the abilities she possessed.
"Zetsu..." A quiet whisper pierced his mind.
"Mother… Soon… soon you will return, and your heiress will be waiting for you." Zetsu thought back, as Riley made a dash for another portal. The crux of it all was approaching. Zetsu could feel it. This war wouldn't end before Riley faced the Ten-Tails in battle. Zetsu knew that was how this was going to end. He just knew it. No other possibility existed.
-To Be Continued-
Alright there's the next chapter, hope you all enjoyed, sorry it took so long I just started a new position at work and spent the last few weeks training, so I apologize for the time delay. Next chapter will be up soon. Ja Ne!