Broken Angel
Chapter 94
Riley stared down at the shadowy mass that rose out of Mito's corpse. Her eyes were alight with confusion. Riley, for the life of her, couldn't understand. Why was Mito smiling? Had she just faked her own death, was she doing something to try and trick Riley? It didn't seem like it. It definitely felt like the woman had died, and her soul was now undergoing something brutal, as it was pierced, burned, devoured, and defiled by the blackness that slowly bled out of her body.
Despite wanting to leave it alone and hope that she had been successful, Riley knew that she couldn't take any risks, she needed to ensure that Mito was gone for good. Anything less then a positive assurance wasn't good enough for Riley.
Around her, attacks came rushing at her but they were quickly stopped by Hashirama and Madara as the two appeared by Riley's side and began to fight off the attackers. Despite being compelled to kill Riley, the reanimates were happy with her for killing Mito, even Tsunade and Rasa, and thus, most of them were barely putting any effort into their assault.
As the battle raged around her, Riley took a breath and called forth a ball of Hellfire that materialized in her palm. She then stuck her hand forward into the blackened mist rising out of Mito. She utilized her demonic abilities to draw forth what little of Mito's soul she could find, intent on drawing it into the flames and ensuring that if whatever was happening wasn't actually killing Mito, then at the very least, she could deal some permanent damage to the woman's soul
Riley and Kurama had both braced for something to occur when Riley made contact with the blackened mist. Both expected it to try and fuse with Riley, or something of that nature. Instead it passed around her hand, almost like water, draining from a faucet. Riley felt it along her skin, felt the rampant emotion that was contained within. It danced away from the flames, and seemed to be unaffected by the Hellfire.
In each small segment of the mist, Riley felt a thousand different twisted emotions churning within. It was like pure chaos, given form.
"This was inside of you?" Riley thought to herself, unable to contain her surprise. All of these feelings and emotions… Riley couldn't possibly image the level of control a person would need in order to maintain their sanity with all of this inside of them.
To think that the calm and manipulative woman that Riley had fought against, was holding all of this within her… it just didn't make sense.
A few moments passed as Riley searched the mist for any intact parts of Mito's soul. The mist itself seemed uninterested in Riley and seemed to be floating up into the air, only to fade out of existence, or more specifically, disappear to somewhere else. Where it was going was anyone's guess, but it was definitely headed somewhere.
Riley kept searching for parts of Mito's soul to burn when she felt something reach out and touch her, almost like a hand grabbing at her own.
Suddenly, and without warning, Riley found herself in a mindscape of sorts. She was standing on the surface of water, the water itself was perfectly clear, allowing one to see deep down towards the blackened abyss that lay beneath. The sky of the mindscape was blue, but in it, hung blackened clouds, that looked ready to unleash torrents of rain.
Standing before Riley was the twisted form of Mito Uzumaki. The woman herself was little more then a ghost, her physical form was being twisted and devoured by the blackened mist. It was obvious that even here, she was quickly becoming consumed.
"Well played, brat." Mito offered as a compliment, that maddening grin, taking up refuge on her sickly face.
For a moment Riley tensed, expecting an attack of some sort, but as he senses adapted to the sudden shift in reality she realized what had happened. Despite being dead, Mito still held a bit of control over herself, and had reached out to Riley, drawing Riley into the remnants of Mito's own mindscape
"Don't fucking patronize me! You brought me here, so let's hear it! Answers now!" Riley snarled, as Kurama appeared behind her, taking physical form in this metaphysical realm.
"Answers? In regards to what? My evil plan? Unfortunately I wont be revealing all of that to you. But I will offer you the compliment of acknowledging my defeat. I honestly expected you to take the bait and fight my summons for a bit. I never would have guessed that you considered me enough of a threat to just go all out and end me like that. Such magnificent power." Mito responded, earning a growl from Riley.
"Damn you… just give me some fucking answers. Why draw me here? You knew that even with the help of all those undead, you didn't have a chance, so why do it? What are you getting out of this? Why let me kill you?" Riley demanded, earning a chuckle from Mito.
"To be honest, I fully expected to die by your hands. I just didn't think it'd be that fast. I thought I'd at least live to see the Ten-Tails revival. Oh well… the game isn't over yet. You may have thrown things out of order, but the gears are still turning. Things will continue forward, just as I intended them to." Mito responded with a shrug.
Riley and Kurama both growled at that. Neither liked the idea of Mito's plans continuing or the idea of her still getting what she wanted.
"You once told me I didn't even know the game that was being played. You were so cocky and arrogant then, and yet… when I mentioned Kaguya Ootsutsuki… it drew you to a pause… what is it you know about her? What is it about her that makes you hesitate?" Riley asked as she tilted her head curiously, her eyes focused in an unearthly glare.
"Kaguya… well I could tell you, but I think I'll let her explain. It doesn't really matter to me anymore. Regardless…" Mito responded, earning a sigh from Riley.
"You did something. Something that is destroying your soul, now that you're dead. Why?" Riley demanded, leveling an intense glare at the woman.
"'I' didn't do this. This is merely the result of a mistake I made long ago. I dabbled in things I wasn't ready for, and it stuck with me like a bad odor. For a while I had assumed it was gone, the rampancy of it all quieted for a long while, but then a few years ago it came rushing back, almost as if it had been caged, only to be set free once more." Mito responded as she held up a hand and stared at it, her gaze seemingly passing through the already translucent appendage.
"All of those dark emotions… I've never felt something so intense before." Riley stated, looking thoughtful.
"It's evil… that's what it is. Humanity's evil, all placed onto one person. It's a curse, one that mankind invoked long ago, in the Age of Heroes and Gods. I know you don't understand, and a part of me takes great pleasure in that fact… but for your own sake, I'll give you a bit of advice… never underestimate the extent of humanity's depravity, for I have seen it at it's fullest. What you feel coming from me, is the physical manifestation of that depravity. It is evil incarnate." Mito stated, earning a curious look from Riley, and Kurama.
"Where is it going?" Riley asked.
"To it's next host. That's what it does. Goes from one host to the next inflicting them with the very same curse that brought it into the world." Mito responded with a smirk, earning a strange look from her Great-Granddaughter.
"And what curse was that, Mito?" Kurama demanded.
"All of the world's evil. That's what it is, and that's what having it, represents. The one who carries the curse, is the one who represents all evil in the world. And there must be one to carry that burden. Someone must represent the evil of this world, less the curse be undone, and humanity forced to open their eyes, and realize that they are responsible for their own sins." Mito responded, almost sounding thoughful.
"This thing… it didn't…? Did this thing make you like this?" Riley asked, as the thought dawned on her.
"It's been a part of me for a long time… but no. I never succumbed to it's chaos. All it did was ensure that even if I had wanted to, there would be no 'redemption' for me. Those that carry this curse, are forever denied redemption in the eyes of humanity. I was a carrier, I was cursed, and thus… I am responsible for all the worlds woes. Forgiveness was never an option, and thus… I never sought it." Mito responded with a shake of her head and a smirk.
Riley was quiet for a moment as she pondered that. By Mito's own admission, whatever this curse was, didn't necessarily make a person evil, but it made them responsible for the worlds woes. It was almost like this curse gave the world a physical villain, someone who people could point to and say, 'they are the ones responsible'. Something like that was obviously born on unspeakably powerful magic, but it was almost like this curse acted as a primal trigger for people, even Riley had been influenced by it, blaming most, if not all of the woes in her life on Mito. In many ways she held Mito even more responsible then Minato and Lily for what befell Kushina, and for Riley's own childhood. It was because of Mito's backstabbing and the actions she took against Kushina and Minato that led to Riley's awful childhood years.
But with this new knowledge, a question formed in the young demoness's mind, was Riley also influenced by the curse now? Did she blame Mito for things, purely because of this curse, or was she now free of it? Regardless of the answer, Riley still hated the woman. It didn't truly matter, but it was still a curious thing. As awful as Mito was, and she was most certainly awful, was she truly as bad as Riley had believed? Or was that merely the result of this curse, forcing everyone to hate and revile her, finding blame in her for everything and anything that could have gone wrong?
Riley didn't know, neither did Kurama. All the two of them knew now was that Mito was dying, and this curse was being passed onto another. Someone out there would be taking her place as the person humanity viewed as the soul source of their woes. The world's scapegoat. Riley wondered in that moment, if it was possible to destroy said curse? And if that occurred, how would the world change? With people forced to accept that they were the one's responsible for their own actions, how would society react? These thoughts filled Riley's head and despite wanting to sit down and spend the next few hours discussing this with Kurama, the Darkness, Hashirama, and Madara, Riley knew that now was not the time.
With a sigh and a hardening of her gaze, Riley returned her powerful gaze to the woman, who stared back at her with a devilish grin, almost as if Mito knew exactly what Riley was thinking.
"So… here we stand. What now Mito? You know that I know about my sibling. I know they're out there, and you've probably filled their head with all sorts of crap. I'll have to find them and see if I can free them from your influence, and if not… I'll send them to the afterlife." Riley demanded as she took a step forward.
"For now, he is beyond your reach, but he will seek you out one day. Of that I have no doubt. Tell him about me if you wish. Try and convince him that I am evil incarnate. I do not care. In the end… I still win." Mito replied.
"Why?" Riley demanded in a snarl. She needed to know. She just needed some sort of direction. What in the seven hells did Mito get from all of this?
"You had so much potential, you know that? The eyes of a goddess, unparalleled potential, and yet… you're so naive. You know it was I who led Madara to Uzushio. After his battle with Hashirama in the Final Valley, I was the one who told him how to find it. It was indirectly of course, I suggested it to Hashirama, but Madara found his way there because of me. He found my sister… because me. He had your father… because I put him on that path. In more ways then you realize, you were born… because of me. I've been waiting for you for a long time. I had intended to cultivate a pure Uchiha strain through Minato's line, but then he had to go and fuck Kushina and get her pregnant. The unification of Uchiha and Senju genetics was supposed to happen when I was ready for it. Instead the horny little bastards rutted like rabbits and dearest granddaughter ended up pregnant with you. So I sought to correct it. I had you transferred to Lily, hoping that would negate the affects and buy me time. It probably would have worked, had you not had Madara there, whispering into your ear the whole time." Mito explained, earning surprise and a lot of curiosity from both Riley and Kurama, both of whom were silent, allowing her to continue speaking.
They were never going to get another chance to speak with her, so letting her get as much out as possible was paramount for answering their questions.
"It didn't matter that you had the Rinnegan. Madara had it at the end. He completed the cycle, taking things back to Hagoromo's day. But you… you took a step further. Further then Hagoromo. Further then Hamura. Further then even Kaguya. Even now I see it in your eyes. The Rinne Sharingan, and the Tenseigan, fused together. I don't know if any Ootsutsuki has ever managed such a thing." Mito stated with a chuckle and a shake of her head. Her body was almost completely translucent now, and the dark mist had nearly consumed her entirely. She could barely be seen within the cloud.
"You needed my eyes? Why?" Riley asked, taking another step forward.
"I didn't need your eyes… they were simply a shortcut. One that I intended to cultivate and exploit. The Rinnegan grants godlike power, but the Rinne Sharingan… those are the true eyes of a supreme being. Those eyes transfer a level of true godhood to the individual possessing them. You are still a child… still so naive… such wasted potential. But perhaps you can still do some good. Perhaps you can fix what she broke. I don't have much faith in you managing it… you're to much like Madara for my liking. To hotheaded. But perhaps…" Mito stated, her body now completely invisible, and only her voice carried out of the blackened mist, but that too was growing weaker.
"You'd ask something of me? After everything you've done to me? Everything you've done to the world? You'd really ask me for anything?" Riley stated with a growl.
"Yes. You don't need to do it. I've already set the pieces in motion. The Ten-Tails revival will cause it. Whoever ends up as the damn things vessel will initiate my plan and set my goal into motion whether they intended to or not. All I need from you is to keep doing what you've been doing. When a threat appears… destroy it. That's all I ask." Mito responded.
"What? After everything you've done… after everything you've put me and this world through… What the fuck!" Riley snarled out, her anger growing with each word that spilled out of the woman's mouth.
"What is it you intend to do with the Juubi, Mito?" Kurama demanded.
"Change things." Mito answered simply, and though neither could see her any longer, both knew she was smiling.
"For fucks sake, you are literally on the verge of disappearing, answer the fucking question! You want me to do something for you, then give me something!" Riley demanded.
"My idiot sister ended an age because she was too frightened of our kinsmen to grow a backbone and learn how to fight. Despite her power she was a fearful thing. And because of her actions… a thousand years of chaos consumed the world, and that chaos brought an end to the Age of Gods and Heroes. With the revival of the Ten-Tails… magic… will consume all. The days of living in secret from non-magicals will be limited after that. Very limited. Even if you beat it back, somehow defeat it. Even if you can kill the beast without sealing it away… the amount of magic that will pour into the world will reawaken all of the laylines and rejuvenate the world's heart. What none of you realize is that the Age of Man is over. A new age is about to begin. I would never expect either of you to understand. But perhaps you do Zetsu… after all… I smell her stench on you. You can tell her the rest… I think you understand now." Mito finished with a whisper, directing the last of her words towards the entity in Riley's sleeve, which was also present with them in the mindscape.
"What in the fuck is she talking about?" Riley asked Black Zetsu.
"Mito… you're… That's not possible." Black Zetsu muttered in disbelief.
"Beware little one for the dark one seeks to end everything in our world. You must face him one day. And in the attempt… you will learn what it means to truly suffer." Came Mito's whispers from the blackened mist. They sounded as if they were drifting in from somewhere far off.
"Hey… answer the question..." Riley began, but she was cut off by the sudden snapping of her connection to the fragment of Mito's soul. Without any jeers or a single goodbye, the mindscape blackened out, and Riley was left standing over the lifeless corpse of Mito, the last of the black mist just now leaving her body, and floating up into the air, evaporating from sight.
"What the hell was that?" Riley demanded, but before she could get an answer the sound fighting caught her ears. She glanced around to see Hashirama and Madara fending off several dozen undead, along with two members of the Akatsuki.
Both men were doing marvelously well considering they were outnumbered. Even though the undead were immortal and also had infinite chakra, Riley's Hashirama and Madara were connected to her and could raw power from her, and since she was so strong, they could both essentially operate on all cylinders and never have to worry about magical exhaustion.
Riley's eyes flitted around at her surrounding foes. Despite Mito's demise, they were still driven by their final order which was to kill Riley and her grandfathers. The chaotic scene was enough to make most people delirious from the overwhelming number of attacks being tossed around.
At the edge of the edge of battlefield, devils were beginning to pour in from the rest of the city, intent on overwhelming them in a massive assault.
Riley stared at the oncoming horde for several long moments, she then turned her gaze back to the corpse of Mito. Hatred filled her gaze as the took in the smirking visage of her most hated foe. Even at the end, Mito was indignant and the rotten woman managed to leave Riley with more questions than answers.
Anger and hatred swelled in Riley's breast, as she stared down at Mito. Mito intended to change things. That was her reasoning? Such a thing sounded asinine to Riley. She set out making the world a worse place, in order to change things? The world was already bad, her making it worse didn't change things from Riley's perspective, it only made it worse. There was also the part where she said she intended for the days of secrecy to come to an end.
Even if Mito's goal had been the breaking of the Statute of Secrecy, such a thing could be achieved with much greater ease. All of the back stabbing and maneuvering… none of it made sense. If she really wanted to end the separation between magicals and muggles then she could easily have just gone to any first world country in the world, broken into a live news broadcast and displayed her powers on live television.
Mito's motivations were maddening. Nothing she said truly made sense. And the fact that she referenced what Riley could only assume was the Rabbit Goddess, as her sister, was even more confusing. Did Mito know who Kaguya Uzumaki really was, is that what she meant when she said 'sister', or was there more? Black Zetsu's reaction was telling. Something about what she had said struck a cord with him. Riley needed answers… she needed them desperately. This whole situation had just become even more confusing. Was Mito telling the truth with what little she had offered? Or was it a taunt. Did she say those things to try and dissuade Riley was even trying or was she being honest? Riley didn't know and that bothered her. Mito was an accursed enigma, and now that she was dead, it appeared like she would become even more of a pain. Her passing leaving behind questions that may never have an answer.
The roar of the incoming horde and the sound of chaotic battle around Riley, broke her from her deep thought. With one last look at Mito's corpse, she blasted the body with Amaterasu burning it to ash, denying it's presence in the world.
She then turned towards the fighting and withdrew her wand. In an instant it had taken on it's staff form and she raised it into the air. Calling forth the happiest memories she possibly could, she unleashed a direct and focused Patronus, sending forth a glowing fox from the end of her wand.
The beast stood at nearly fifty feet high and was filled with the lightest and happiest memories that Riley could possibly conjure. The beast shot forward into the horde of devils, turning them to ash as it passed through them. Screams of rage and pain tore through the air, and Riley channeled greater power into the Patronus, causing it to begin to pulse waves of light, that pushed away the dark energy and purified the surrounding horde.
Riley kept channeling power into her attack until the waves of light consumed the entire city. Riley kept at it until the entire city was bathed in her positive energy. The screams of rage, quickly turned silent as the demonic host was purified by Riley's power.
Just as before, Riley felt a weight lift off of her, as her own demonic power was temporarily purified by the light. And in that moment of purity, one of the reanimated Kage, made their move.
Riley caught a glint of a kunai headed towards her and she side stepped it. Just as it passed her, she felt a sheering pain in her gut. Her eyes caught the blue blur and she turned her head to see the back of the Second Hokage, a sword in his hand, extended, and coated in reddish flames.
He let out a curse at his successful strike, and turned just as Riley felt the weight of her power slam back into her. It was in that moment that she realized the downfall of using the Patronus, it left her temporarily weakened against physical attacks since her own demonic energy was also purified.
With her power returning, Riley's wound quickly sealed shut. She focused her attention on the Second Hokage as he dropped his sword onto the ground. Riley could tell just from looking at the blade that the reddish flames hadn't been from any doing of the Second, but rather her own fiery blood, that had ignited it when he cut through her.
The man turned his attention to her, and was only mildly surprised to see her staring him down, as if the injury hadn't even occurred.
"Your healing powers are impressive, though you should learn not to let your guard down." Tobirama Senju stated as he fell into a battle stance.
"Still learning the ins and outs of my abilities. Wont happen again." Riley responded with a smirk, as she shot forward in a burst of speed.
Tobirama was quick to jump away from her strike, just as the third Raikage shot past Hashirama and Madara, his body covered in lightning chakra.
His aim was to pierce her chest with his lightning covered arm, in a near instantaneous movement, he was in front of her, his arms shooting forward like a spear.
Riley watched him approach, her eyes focused, and as keen as they had ever been. Moving at her own top speed, Riley narrowly sidestepped the attack, much to the surprise of many of her foes, and even the Raikage himself.
Before he could even finish his strike on empty air, Riley took the opportunity to drive her fist, straight into his gut, sending the giant of a man, flying back into the crowd of kage.
Riley stared at the crowd of Kage as her Hashirama and Madara fell back to stand by her side. Riley shared a glance with both men before summoning Deimos. The massive dragon appeared in a cloud of smoke, and let out a monstrous roar to accompany it's arrival.
"Deimos, head out and destroy the portals. Most of the devils should be dead, so head out and end this." Riley commanded the dragon. The beast offered her a snort of understanding and quickly took to the skies. She then turned her attention back towards the platoon of powerful shinobi that stood watching her.
"They're quite skilled." Hashirama noted as he stared at the crowd of shinobi, his eyes finally settling on his reanimation who was slowly advancing from the group, his eyes locked on Riley.
"As fun as this is, we cannot dally. Obito is still out there, and we need to end this." Madara noted as he also locked onto his reanimation.
"Right… allow me to try something." Riley stated as she locked eyes with Hashirama's reanimate and dove into his mind. She quickly towards the foreign part of his mind and found the remnants of the reanimation jutsu's control.
It was a strange thing to encounter without Mito's presence attached to it. A drive, a force of will, without a noticeable source. The enforcement of Mito's command seemed to be drawing from the reanimate's own will to force them to continue.
It was an elegant solution to answer the problem of free will in reanimations. Mito had changed the design to force the target to follow her orders more stringently, the harder they tried to resist.
Riley used the Gravemind to tear that aura of influence to pieces, causing Hashirama to cease his assault and his eyes to go wide.
With a smirk, Riley proceeded to do the same to Madara. Within a minute, Riley was able to free all of the reanimates from Mito's control.
Sensing that things were quickly turning against them, Kakuzu grabbed Hidan and portkeyed away.
Watching the fight nearby, were the remainder of Obito's paths, whom Obito was using to spy on the situation through their shared view. Seeing how Riley was freeing the undead from their shackles, Obito quickly reverse summoned his paths back to him to ensure that Riley could not use them to find him.
"Well done." Hashirama stated as the undead ceased their assault.
"Even in death she's still a cunt." Riley stated with a shake of her head.
"Good job on freeing us from Mito's control. I'm curious to hear how you managed to accomplish such a thing, but from the looks of it, my brother has a question for you." Tobirama Senju noted, drawing Riley's attention to the reanimated form of her Great-Grandfather.
"Grandfather." Riley stated, earning a surprised look from Tobirama, whom hadn't been made privy to that information yet.
"Hello my dear. First and foremost, allow me to thank you for freeing us from Mito's control. I'm unsure of how you managed such a feat, considering it is one of my brother's techniques, but I wont look a gift horse in the mouth." Hashirama began, his eyes held a firm gaze, even as they drifted over to Riley's Hashirama and Madara, before returning to her.
"You wish to say something to me?" Riley asked, staring the man down.
"I met your father… the Fourth Hokage. He told me some things… about his death, about what happened to the Leaf village." Hashirama began, earning a sigh and a nod from Riley.
"Even in death..." Riley muttered with a shake of her head.
"You destroyed Konoha." Hashirama stated, earning surprise from many of the reanimate's including Tsunade. Jiraiya meanwhile looked pained to hear that. He didn't seem as surprised as the rest, instead he merely looked sad.
"What do you mean she destroyed Konoha?" Tobirama demanded.
"My son informed Hashirama and I that my dearest Granddaughter turned the village into slag. Turns out she's a chip off the old block, eh Tobirama." Madara's reanimation noted with a smirk, earning a dark glare from Tobirama, but he was stopped from making a move by Hashirama holding out his hand.
"Here you stand, the unification of both the Senju Clan, and the Uchiha. You were something I only ever dreamed of. I have to know the truth. Why go through all that effort… why destroy your home?" Hashirama asked of her. It pained Riley to see her Grandfather so sad. It tore at her heart strings that he was forced to go through this all again. She knew her Hashirama and Madara both were gearing up to defend her actions but she silenced them both with a gentle look. The look itself did not go unnoticed by the reanimated forms of her kin.
"Well… before I start..." Riley quickly vanished from sight, moving at impossible speeds. She appeared at the far edge of the crowd of undead, where the Kazekage Raza was trying to sneak away.
"You didn't think I'd forget about you?" Riley greeted the man with a devilish smirk.
"Monster!" He hissed as his golden dust shot forward intent on consuming her.
With a chuckle, Riley shot forward and seized him by the throat. Before he could utter another curse, Riley drew his soul out of his body.
"Back where you belong." Riley stated with a chuckle as she released the dissolving corpse and turned back to the crowd.
"Helluva strike." Came the compliment from the second Mizukage.
"And you are?" Riley inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"Gengetsu Hozuki! The Second Mizukage, at your service. I'm assuming you had some issues with the Suna ninja." The man stated with a grin, as Riley's kinsmen moved back to the front of the pack.
"With Suna ninja in general? No. I'm actually going to marry the Fifth Kazekage. This cunt though… he made her life a living hell and forced her to kill her own uncle. I killed him once already, and I sure as shit wasn't going to allow him to slink away to return the favor." Riley responded, earning a nod from many of the other Kage.
"A wise course of action, considering how spiteful most shinobi are." Came the statement from a man wrapped in bandages who stepped up next to the second Mizukage.
"And you might be?" Riley inquired.
"I am Mu, the second Tsuchikage." The man responded.
"I see." Riley replied with a smirk. A quiet moment passed before she switched places with the Mizukage and fired the killing curse at the Tsuchikage, freeing him from his reanimation.
"What the hell!" Came the shout from the Third Kazekage, as many of them shot back to avoid another attack from her.
"Any other Iwa ninja here?" Riley inquired as she glanced around the crowd. When no one said anything or pointed out the other Iwa ninja Riley allowed herself to relax. She then turned to the Second Mizukage and offered the man a smirk. "Iwa ninja on the other hand… well considering the Fourth Great Ninja War is about to end and over the course of it, I've made their entire village my bitch, I'd say that it's best to keep them under control."
The Mizukage let out a loud laugh at that, as did some of the other Kage. Hearing that both Konoha and Iwa had been dealt serious blows, really lifted many of their undead spirits.
Now that the obvious threats had been dealt with, Riley sent a warning glance over to Tsunade and Jiraiya. While Tsunade glared back hatefully, Jiraiya was busy staring at the ground, looking tired and sad.
Riley then turned her attention back to her reanimated grandfathers.
She slowly approached the two, and locked eyes with Hashirama as she did.
"My apologies, I just had to clean up some trash. Now, what was it you wanted to know?" Riley inquired as she came to a halt and folded her arms across her chest.
"Why did you destroy your home? Why destroy Konoha?" Hashirama asked.
"Konoha was never my home. It was the place I was born, nothing more. You heard from my 'father' that I destroyed the village and killed him? Did he also mention the part where he abandoned me in favor of my twin? Or the part where he used that same twin as breeding stock when she awakened the Rinnegan? Did the cunt mention any of that?" Riley demanded, earning a shocked look from both Hashirama and Tobirama, and a dark look from Madara and Kaguya. Sensing their dark emotions, Riley glanced over at her reanimated grandfather, and took note of the woman by his side. She recognized the woman quickly, as Madara's wife, Kaguya Uzumaki. Riley definitely intended to have words with the woman when time permitted but for now it seemed that she was more interested in listening. Near Madara stood another Uchiha who looked a lot like Sasuke. Riley could only wonder who he was, since she had never seen another member of the clan that looked like him, at that moment, she also wondered where the reanimated Uchiha clan members were, and what they were doing at that moment.
"You're speaking the truth? Your own father really put you and your sister through that?" Hashirama asked, he looked horrified by the implication.
"He was a cunt who had his genetics sealed away by Mito, for some fucking reason. I can only guess what that kind of thing does to your mind. The fourth Hokage was a fool who allowed himself to be ruled by prophecy. He devoted his whole life to the belief that someone tied to his person would become some sort of child of destiny, and that child would either save the world or destroy it. He pampered my twin and abandoned me because he thought she was that chosen one, but somewhere along the way, he changed his mind and used her as a tool to strengthen the village. You ask why I destroyed Konoha… that's a part of it. I could go on. I could tell you about how the villagers beat me. How they starved me and ridiculed me. Did what they could to make my life hell. I could go on for hours about how much the village sucked! But I wont put all of that on you Grandfather. Despite this impasse, I need you to understand that you and grandfather Madara are some of the people I hold closest to heart. I love both of you, and if it hadn't been for the threat the village posed to my loved ones, I would have been content to let it self destruct in it's own corruption." Riley explained, earning a sad look from Hashirama's reanimation, and small smiles from her Hashirama and Madara.
"You say the village targeted those closest to you? That's why you destroyed it?" Madara's reanimation inquired.
"One of my lovers… she lost her mother when a member of the Leaf council sent poison to my friends and family in an attempt to gain revenge for me aiding the Uchiha clan in freeing themselves from the Leaf and it's persecution. The village just couldn't leave it alone. I knew… I always knew, from the moment I left that fucking place, that one day they'd come for me. That the village would do something to force me to destroy it. I launched my first attack when I learned that the woman I thought was my mother, was only a surrogate, and that my real mother, Kushina Uzumaki, was laying in a hospital bed, in a coma, from having me torn from her womb while she was pregnant. I left the place in ruins when they had my twin sister raped. I burned it down, and had the Nine Tailed Fox slaughter every single living person in the village, when they hurt those I love more then you could possibly fathom. I never loved Konoha, but they did everything in their power to ensure that I hated it. I'm not sorry I destroyed it. I'm glad I did. I sleep better at night knowing that their fanatical zeal died with them. I sleep better knowing that those who took the 'Will of Fire' and turned it into an excuse to persecute and abuse the rest of the world, are gone." Riley responded, the whole time her eyes slowly turned blood red, glowing brightly and with a fiery intensity that made even the undead Kage feel small.
"Did it really have to be this way?" Hashirama's reanimation muttered as his eyes fell to the ground.
"No. It didn't. If my parents had loved me. If I had been raised like the rest of the villagers, I would have carried that same blind zeal, and I would have done awful things in the name of the Hidden Leaf. Only from the outside do I see that the Leaf was no better than any other shinobi village. When you and Tobirama died, the village lost it's way. Whatever you intended it to be… it started to die when you did, Grandfather… and without your guidance or will, War and Pain consumed the rest." Riley responded sadly.
"Ah… so I was right. The village did turn out to be a failure." Madara's reanimation noted with a sigh.
"Not in that way." Riley's Madara responded, locking eyes with his reanimation.
"What do you mean?" The reanimation asked.
"The village didn't change. The way it affected the world did. Our village system, ended the age of war during the Warring States Period. It did what we wanted it to. But the cost was something we never expected. Our hidden village invited power. The presence of Konoha, demanded an answer in those who wished to challenge it. So other hidden villages rose up. We ended the Warring States Period, and gave rise to a period of ordered chaos. Instead of constant wars between clans, now we have massive wars between armies of tens of thousands of shinobi. Our actions gave rise to long standing eras of peace. But when those times came to an end, the wars that replaced them were more bloody and brutal then we could have ever imagined. We wanted Konoha to be a family. To those who lived within it's walls… we were. But to those on the outside… we were a cult. One that paraded around our grandeur and invited conflict. So… in a way… we were right. The village did fail. Just not in the way we believed it did. We accomplished what we wanted, and in doing so, we invited an era of far greater chaos and pain. One where children still suffered and died without any meaning. Konoha was simply a cog in this chaotic machine. No better and no worse then any of the other villages." Riley's Madara stated, earning the attention of many of the Kage whom looked thoughtful at his explanation. Some even seemed genuinely surprised to hear just what the First Hokage and Madara had intended when they created the hidden Villages. It was a truly eye opening experience to learn such things.
"I see…. So this is all my fault." Hashirama's reanimation muttered, his eyes downcast, and a heavy aura of depression hanging over the usually lively man.
"It wasn't your fault grandfather. You trusted them. You trusted people. But people are fearful and chaotic. If left to their own devices, eventually they'll close themselves off. Fear leads to paranoia, paranoia to mistrust, mistrust to resentment, and then anger. Grandfather Madara is right. Konoha was just another cog in the machine. That's why I knew I'd have to destroy it one day. That's why I knew they weren't going to leave me alone. Since their founding the villages have developed an all consuming 'us versus them' mentality. And from that, war and chaos and backstabbing rein supreme. Konoha suffered the first blow because of their actions. Ishi then followed, Iwa soon after. Then Ame. Oto will soon follow when I find where Orochimaru built his bases. When this war is over, the landscape of this continent will be forever changed. If everything works out… I'll end the conflict on this continent, once and for all." Riley stated, earning curious and surprised looks from all of the Kage. Many were worried at hearing just how many hidden villages had fallen in the recent war. It sounded like Konoha was gone. Ishi, and Ame were gone. And it sounded like Iwa was now under enemy control.
Many of the Kage began to wonder about the fates of their own hidden villages, and what Riley meant by securing peace on the continent.
"So you intend to follow in Madara's footsteps and secure peace by brute force?" Tobirama noted, his gaze heavy and calculating.
"No. I intend to secure peace through fear." Riley responded.
"Fear?" Tobirama parroted back at her, his eyes narrowing.
"I am due to be married to the Fifth Kazekage. My marriage to her will secure an alliance between my country and the Land of Wind. Kumo has also asked me to marry the Two-Tails Jinchuriki to secure an alliance between my country, Suna and them. That would form a Trinity of Nations, unified together, through me. Kiri is the only oddball out, but considering they are still recovering from a civil war, and I just aided them in repelling a demonic invasion, I think I can work something out with them to avoid further conflict. Besides that, even if they wanted to try something, it would require them going up against my country, Kumo and Suna. When this war is over, and if everything goes well… it'll be the nations fear of my power and what I'll do to them if they fuck up, that'll keep them in line. Kumo offered up one of their damn Jinchuriki, to placate me, because they know what I can do if I really set my mind to it." Riley responded, earning many curious looks, especially from the Third Kazekage, Third Raikage, and Second Mizukage. All of whom were very interested to learn of the state of their own villages.
"Fear is a powerful tool and when wielded as a passive thing, it can be the greatest instrument of peace. Inactive fear, doesn't invite conflict. It's the same principle as a parent disciplining their child. A swift whooping, and a stern talking to leads children to fear the reprisal for their screw ups. You compliment your children when they do good and you punish them when they do wrong and they'll grow up with a decent head on their shoulders. It's the same with the Hidden Villages. When you're as powerful as I am, and can wipe them out without much effort, the relationship between them and I becomes almost like a parent and child. I will give them peace and allow them to enjoy the comfort of their own borders without living in fear of being attacked by their enemies, so long as they don't piss me off. I'm not difficult to placate, and not a whole lot bothers me. Don't be an ass, and don't fuck with me and mine, and I wont have a reason to get involved. When this war is over, I'm going to ensure that it's the last one these fucking ninja fight amongst each other. There's plenty of other foes in the world that need to meet a grisly end, shinobi can find a good use for their abilities in other places. The Era of fighting each other over scraps of land, will come to an end. It'll happen, I'll make sure of it." Riley added, earning a chuckle from her grandfathers.
"I know it may seem hard to believe, and I know you may not understand right now, but I believe in Riley. I saw what the village became and I was there when she did it. Not only did she offer the entire village a warning that she was coming, but she offered them a second warning when she freed her sister from that place, and she even told all of the people and shinobi what the village's leaders had done, and what they had played part in allowing. Please understand that this wasn't just an instant assault on the village where innocent people were brutalized without so much as an ounce of warning. Riley's first attack occurred months before the final one, and her second attack was still months before the final as well. The people knew what was coming. They knew what had happened and why they were being targeted. Those that left the village, those that renounced the corruption and set off into the world or stood down when Riley attacked were allowed to live, and even go free. Not only did she give them warning, but gathered the embers of the Will of Fire and brought them to safety. Even now, the fire begins to build anew." Hashirama explained to his reanimated self and brother.
"How is it that you are even there brother? What jutsu allowed you back into this world without fully reviving you from the dead?" Tobirama inquired, as he sent a glance between both versions of his brother.
"Much like Madara, I sealed a peace of my chakra into my children, which then passed to my grandchildren. Kushina Uzumaki is one of my grandchildren along with Tsu-Tsu, and when Riley rescued her from the village and healed her, my chakra fragment passed into her. Through my new ties with her incredible power, this fragment was able to regain physical form and be empowered by her reserves." He answered, earning an amazed look from both the reanimation of Hashirama and Madara.
Despite not going all out, Riley's versions of the two titans had managed to hold off several Kage level foes together will little effort. And they were doing it while leeching off of Riley, and she didn't even seem mildly bothered by it. It dawned on both men at that moment that Riley's power was beyond human, if she could empower both of them, and still fight on her own without so much as a lick of exhaustion.
"I see." Tobirama stated with a nod, his eyes flickering to Riley and then back to her version of Hashirama.
"It's the truth brother. And because of our connection, I've seen her memories. I've seen what the village did to her. To her sister. To Kushina. To the Uchiha. To innocent people in the world. I wanted us to be better then that. I wanted us to rise above the horrors of the Warring States. But we never did. I planted a forest, believing it to be perfection, and the moment it was left unattended, corruption seeped into it's very foundation. I once swore to protect any and all who would dare harm those that I considered family. Those that carried the Will of Fire, those who believed in each other, and willingly sacrificed for one another, were those I considered family. It was never about blood, or even a village. It was about the people. Somewhere along the way, people forgot that. And they stopped trusting each other. The village fractured and turned on the innocent. Good people suffered in the name of greed, and power. In the end… I was forced to make a choice. Stand with the village and what it represented, or stand with my family. Those that still believed in the power of love, and friendship." Riley's Hashirama answered, earning a focused look from his brother and a very interested look from his reanimation, who was watching himself with great intensity, hanging on every word.
Riley offered her Grandfather a smile at his words, which he returned when he noticed it. He was quick to continue though as he felt all eyes fall on him. The charisma of the First Hokage, shining through in his ability to captivate even a crowd of people who once stood as enemies. The passion in his voice and the fervor of his beliefs erased any shadow of doubt in the minds of the reanimations that this look-alike could be anything less then the true Hashirama.
"She may be rough around the edge and she's definitely Madara's grandchild, but I've seen firsthand the power of this young woman's love. I've seen the strength of her heart. This woman, my great-granddaughter, is a truer representation of the Will of Fire, then even I. For she understands what it truly means. All those that we love, no matter the blood ties, no matter the political affiliation, those we love, are family. You hear so often how people would proclaim that they would die for those they love. In Riley I see something greater. I see the willingness to 'live' for those she loves. Her dream is to build a paradise for them. So that those she holds closest to heart can live a peaceful and happy existence, without needing to worry about the horrors of the world. In her I see the chance to try again, and this time… to get it right. To build a place where the Will of Fire burns strongly and that those who stand united in friendship and love, can see each other as family, no matter the differences that separate them. I believe that she can succeed where I failed. I believe that through her… the Will of Fire will be reignited, and will burn brighter then it ever has." Hashirama's offered praise was meant as a representation of his faith in his beloved great-granddaughter, but in offering it, he had truly struck a cord with Riley whom had never heard him offer this level of praise to her before, and in doing so, reveal his own belief in her ability to fulfill his dream and reignite the Will of Fire.
The Will of Fire in an of itself was a strange concept for Riley, mostly because she had always been on the outside of it growing up. She saw it, much like how it was earlier described, a cult-like belief that had most definitely changed from it's inception to become something dogmatic and oppressive to outsiders. Growing up, the Will of Fire, to her, was a metaphorical line drawn in the sand, or perhaps it was better described as a glass barrier. Those that stood above it and those that stood below it, were the firm representation of the belief. Those above the line were united, were 'family'. While those below it were trash, unworthy of love, respect, time, or care.
Even with that representation of it in her mind growing up, she had never doubted that it was once a good thing, especially after she had first met Hashirama, and came to love the man. Hearing him speak of it now, and how it was always meant to be a bond of love and friendship, really moved Riley and she found herself wanting to live up to his praise. Despite having never wanted anything to do with the Leaf, after she had left the village, perhaps this one thing she could do to honor the memory of what it had represented at it's creation. Hashirama was right when he said that she had collected the embers of the Hidden Leaf. From those embers, a new flame could be born. She could reignite the Will of Fire within the Legion and build a community of people that believed in each other, above all others. She had the power to do it, and with Hashirama and Madara, by her side, she had the guidance to see it through to the end.
As Riley stood there pondering, a feeling struck her, as if nature itself was crying out in pain.
Her eyes turned towards the West, as this feeling passed over her.
All of the sensors nearby felt it as well, and turned to gaze in the same direction.
"It's begun. Obito to trying to revive the Ten-Tails! We have to hurry!" Kurama stated.
"I'm sorry grandfather, as much as I'd like to continue this conversation, I have to go. We'll talk more later. For the rest of you, I offer you a choice, I can give you your lives back, and all I ask is that you give me two things in return. Offer to embrace the era of peace I intend to establish, and help me put an end to this fucking war. Do these things, and I will return you to life. If not, then when this is over, I will seek you out and return you to the afterlife. Make your choice." Riley stated as she turned and jumped high into the air, just as Deimos dove down and passed by.
Riley was able to land on the dragon's back and tear off in the direction of the Land of Wind, her Byakugan, springing to life, as she extended her gaze outward, intent on finding the exact position of Obito and the Ten-Tails, and ending this war, once and for all.
"Well... the time has come. As interesting as this is, the world wont wait while we dally. Kaguya, Izuna, Me… have fun." Riley's Madara stated as he turned and dashed off after Riley.
"Always on the move. He loves his precious granddaughter, very much." Riley's Hashirama stated, earning a smile from his reanimation and a blush from Madara's reanimation.
"Don't even start with that crap. Let's go. I want to see with my own two eyes just what convinced me to set aside my plans and believe once more." Madara's reanimation stated to his wife and brother, earning a nod from both as they dashed off after Riley.
The Kage were all quick to follow, even Tsunade and Jiraiya followed after, intent on at least helping to stop Obito, even if neither believed they'd be offered the same chance to return to life, even if they did. Regardless, with the Akatsuki's plan on the verge of succeeding, everyone knew they had to set there pasts aside and work together to save the world.
As they raced forward, Kaguya Uzumaki, had her mind filled with thoughts of Riley. This young woman, bore her eyes, and held great power within her. Kaguya wondered just how much she knew about what was going on, and if she was ready to face the might of the Ten-Tails. Despite not fully understanding what was happening, she knew she needed to help put a stop to this, lest the enemy launch the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and destroy reality.
-Elsewhere-
Obito stood before a towering demonic gate. Tens of thousands of devils marched out of it, in preparation for the final battle.
Behind him, the demonic statue stood crouched over a great torrent of chakra, pouring out of the laylines. The statue drank in the chakra, using it to fuel itself and return to power. It wouldn't be long now, only a few minutes before Obito could initiate the revival of the beast, and from there, he'd only need to hold off for a little while longer before he could accomplish his goals and initiate project Tsuki No Me.
-To Be Continued-
Alright, there's the next chapter. The final battle is about to begin. I know I said I'd keep going till chapter 100 but I don't want this to drag out longer then nescesarry, so I've decided to just end it sooner. Two or three chapters left at the most, and then I can start work on the sequel. Hope you all enjoy, and I hope the hints given before Mito's demise helped for people to begin understanding her motives just a bit. I tried to stay vague and not just flat out tell you her motivations, but I hope a lot can be inferred by what was said. Enjoy!