Alright, here's the next chapter. I think It's gonna be three more before I finish Broken Angel, so this one, next one, and then one more after that and I can finally stamp this beast with the completed sign and put an end to 3 and a half years of hard work. Let's see this through, I'm hoping to have this all finished before February is over, so I'm gonna try to keep to that deadline. Thank again, you're all fucking amazing and I've loved every second of this. Let's begin.
Broken Angel
Chapter 95
"That girl can really move." The Second Mizukage stated with a smirk. The reanimated Kage, along with Riley's Hashirama and Madara were following a distance behind Riley and Deimos, the large Dragon was moving quite fast, faster then those on the ground which was surprising, considering the beast's size. They kept Riley in their view though and kept pace as best they could, slowly catching up to her.
"So Obito has initiated the revival of the Ten-Tails? Do you really think she can beat him?" Madara's Reanimation inquired to his alternate self.
"If Obito manages to become the Ten-Tail's Jinchuriki, then he may have a snowballs chance in hell of beating her, but if not, he's a dead man walking. No ifs, ands or buts about it." Riley's Madara responded.
"Powerful praise coming from you brother. I still don't quite understand what's happening, but I gathered that that girl was your grandchild." Came the voice of Izuna as he kept pace with both versions of his brother.
Hashirama and his reanimation, along with Tobirama and Kaguya weren't far off either and were close enough to hear their conversation.
"Izuna… trust me when I say this baby brother, that young woman is stronger then all of us combined. I raised her from birth and she awakened the Sharingan, at seven years old. Mastered it's powers in months. She awakened the Mangekyou, a few months later, and could wield it's powers like a pro, by the time she was ten. I even gave her my old eyes so that she could awaken the Eternal Mangekyou. If that isn't impressive enough for you, she awoke her Rinnegan, the day she was born. And I know that you don't truly know what that is, but trust me when I say that the power of the Sharingan, is paltry, compared to the might of the Rinnegan." Madara's reanimation explained, earning surprise from himself, his brother, and Kaguya, at hearing just how skilled Riley was, and how early she had awakened her eyes.
"You say she awoke her Rinnegan, when she was born, but then awoke the Sharingan, later in life? How is such a thing possible?" Came the question called out by Kaguya.
Riley's Madara sent a glance over at the woman offering her a curious gaze, but finding it hard not to stop and address her question directly. Seeing Kaguya in such a state, did things to the legendary Uchiha's heart that couldn't be described in words. As much as he wanted to spend time with her, he knew there was no time to waste, and another part of him was well aware that something about this woman was different from the Kaguya he knew. A part of him suspected something more was going on with her.
"Riley awoke the Rinnegan, as a defense to protect herself. She managed to kill a powerful magical being with it's powers, but it quickly deactivated after the threat had passed. She was twelve years old when she awoke the eyes for a second time, and gained the ability to turn it on and off at will. Later she gained access to the Rinne Sharingan, and subsequently lost the ability to deactivate them. Meaning those eyes, are her true eyes now, and their powers are a part of her, forever more." Madara explained, earning a nod of understanding from Kaguya.
"So in spirit form you helped to guide her from infancy, yet you didn't lead her on the path to fulfill the Eye of Moon plan?" Madara's reanimation inquired, causing Riley's version to glance back at him.
"The thought had crossed my mind, but I made the choice to wait until she was older, and understood the world better before making that decision. With that being said, I gave up on the Eye of the Moon plan when I saw the potential she possessed. In her, I saw the possibility of a world, united under a single banner. In her, I see the ability to achieve peace. You don't get it yet, but you will understand very soon. Her power is on a whole other level from us. These Kage are probably the only people in the world that can offer her an exciting fight, but none of them are a true threat. You saw how easily she dispatched the Kazekage and Tsuchikage. The only ones that have a snowballs chance in hell of holding out against her for any meaningful amount of time, is Hashirama and I, and only when we fight together. Alone, her power and skill is at a point where she is beyond the level of a god. It doesn't hurt that we've both taught her pretty much everything we knew." Madara explained, earning a very curious look from his reanimation, as well as a curious look from Hashirama and Tobirama.
"Does that mean she has access to brother's Wood Style?" Tobirama inquired.
"Yes. She's even managed to learn and master the Sage Art: Wood Style: Shin-Su Senju, Veritable 1000-armed Kan'on. Her power with Wood Style, has more then likely surpassed Hashirama's by this point. Just as her ability to utilize her ocular powers has surpassed mine." Madara responded with a smirk, earning a smile from both forms of Hashirama.
"It seems you taught her well Madara. The two of us, raising a child, who would of ever thought it. I'm surprised she didn't turn out much worse with us as role-models." Hashirama's reanimation stated, earning a laugh from his living counterpart.
"As funny as that is, don't get Madara started, he'll sing Riley's praise till the sun burns out. He loves that girl, with all his heart. It's a wonderful thing to see him so hopeful and full of love." Riley's Hashirama stated, earning a soft smile from his reanimation.
Hashirama's reanimation turned his gaze back towards the racing form of Riley's Madara. The man didn't bother to throw a glare back or challenge the praise, as his reanimation had done. Something about this new Madara seemed lighter then his counterpart. Perhaps he was telling the truth when he had said that Madara truly loved the young woman, and cared for her, almost like a proud father would.
It was in that moment, as that thought struck Hashirama's reanimation that he realized he was absolutely on the money. Madara didn't see the girl as his grandchild. To Madara, that girl was his daughter. She was his child, through and through. It was an amazing thing to consider, but Hashirama knew he was right.
Add onto that, that Madara had been willing to allow Hashirama to assist in raising their shared grandchild, just went to show how far Madara was willing to go, and how much he was willing to let go, to ensure that she got the best possible life, she could. Despite their friendship, it was a heartwarming surprise to see that Madara loved and cherished his granddaughter enough to encourage a relationship between her and her Senju Grandfather. It was this, along with their earlier conversation with her, that started to open Hashirama's eyes to what his alternate was saying. Perhaps there was something to look forward to? Perhaps their dream could still be accomplished?
If only a little, Hashirama's reanimation, felt the hope in his heart grow, just a bit.
As they were racing, they saw Riley hop off the back of the dragon which quickly vanished in a poof of smoke. She slowed a bit to allow them all to catch up to her as she continued forward.
"What's the plan Riley?" Madara inquired.
"I've found him. He's on the border near where the Land of Wind, meets the Land of Stone. We actually weren't all that far from there when we were pushing Iwa back. There's some sort of barrier set up there. I can only assume Obito has thrown up the same Space-Time barrier that Mito used to accelerate the sealing process occurring inside. If it works the same then several hours will have passed by the time we get there, probably enough time to ensure that the Ten-Tails is revived." Riley explained as they ran.
"So what is it you plan on doing?" Riley's Hashirama asked.
"I'm gonna place you all into Kamui, and race there on my own. We'll clear the distance much faster if I move on my own. I'll swing by our forces and gather Kakashi, so that we have a definitive counter to Obito's Kamui, but otherwise, I'm making a beeline there. Once we arrive I'll release you all, smash that fucking barrier and if Obito has finished reviving the Ten-Tails, then I'll just have to go about killing the fucking thing." Riley answered.
"And what if we cannot kill it?" Hashirama asked.
"Then I'll do what the Sage did and separate it's power from it's body and seal that power into myself. I'm not gonna let that asshole win. As much as it sucks, I'd rather this world then some flowery illusion that's not real." Riley answered as her eyes bled red.
Hashirama and Madara both shared a glance with each other but nodded. Both recognizing that, that outcome might be required in order to save them.
"I know you've already considered this, but I just have to reiterate it so I don't hear any complaining later. If we absorb the Ten-Tails, that amount of power will flood your senses, and I don't know how long it'll take to regain your bearings. Remember, it's power is primordial, it's sense of self, almost eldritch, absorbing the Ten-Tails will more then double your current power alone. But unlike all the others you've absorbed, the Ten-Tails is all nature, all energy, all instinct. Be careful Riley. The Darkness and I will be buried under all of that power and we wont be able to help you maintain control. Only absorb it, if you have to." Kurama warned her, knowing full well that the Ten-Tails was a foe, unlike any other.
"You know we can't hold back against the Ten-Tails, or Obito, correct?" Madara stated as the group came a halt.
"I know. I have a plan." Riley responded as she held out her hand.
Madara stared at her for several long moments before smirking and taking her hand. Curiosity and confusion swept through the ranks of S-Ranked Shinobi as Madara was pulled into Kamui. Riley's Hashirama turned to the rest of them and offered a smile. "Completely safe." He said as he too was drawn into the pocket dimension.
"So you can utilize that ability, just like Obito." Madara's reanimation noted as he stepped up to her.
"I can. I'll send you all to Kamui, gather some of my allies and then utilize the ability to get us all to the battlefield in mere moments." Riley explained, earning a nod from Madara's reanimation as he took her hand.
With Madara's compliance, many of the others quickly followed suit until it was just Riley left, standing alone.
For a moment, she stood in quiet contemplation, before finally flashing back to her forces with the aid of the Hiraishin.
When she arrived, she found them rapidly preparing to move out. Riley quickly moved through camp tracking down her target. She found Kakashi in the command tent with a collection of others, including her fellow commanders. Gaia was in the midst of delivering their plan of movement when Riley stormed in, earning everyone's attention.
"Kakashi!" Riley commanded as she came in.
The man in question quickly stepped out of the crowd.
"I'm sending you into Kamui. We're headed to the battlefield. It's time to end the fight against Obito. We'll head there, I'll force him away from the beast, and we can utilize your half of his Kamui to counter him and quickly put that son of a bitch in the ground and end this." Riley quickly explained the situation to the man, earning a sigh and a nod from Kakashi, whom always knew he'd be needed to finish off Obito, and had spent the majority of his time with the Legion training for the moment he'd be forced to face his old friend in battle once more.
"What is it you intend for the rest of us, Riley?" Itachi inquired.
"Gather our forces and head as far away from the border with the Land of Stone as possible. Collect any civilians along the way and get them as far from here as possible. Head for our allies in Kumo or perhaps out towards the Land of Waves. Just get the fuck away from here. That's all that matters." Riley responded as she stepped up next to Kakashi and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"That's it? You're going off alone and you intend for the rest of us to just run away?" Gaia demanded from across the room.
"The Ten-Tails is more powerful then any of you can possibly imagine. The things that it can do, the power it can unleash. I wouldn't be surprised if it's power can warp the very fabric of reality. I don't know what will happen if someone dies in it's presence. I wont take the risk of losing those I care for. I'll deal with it. I've freed many of the reanimated Kage from Mito's control, and I'll be going into battle with them. If we can't kill the fucking thing with all of us combined, then I'll seal it away, just as the Sage did so long ago. We wont be alone either, the Angel is moving in that direction, I can sense it's energy." Riley answered, earning a hard look from Gaia, and a chorus of whispers from those in the room.
Gaia stared at Riley, her eyes boring into the mighty demoness. Riley stared back, unflinchingly. It took a moment, but Gaia quickly surmised that there was no point in arguing. Riley wasn't going to take them with her, no matter what she said. She loved her friends and family so much, that she'd never put them at risk like that, even if it helped guarantee her victory.
Gaia stood silently as Riley drew Kakashi into Kamui, and then turned and offered Gaia a charming and reassuring smile, which did little to lighten the Kazekage's displeasure with being left behind.
"I love you. I'll see you when I get back." Gaia heard Riley's voice whispered into her mind over their shared bond. In that moment, Gaia felt a reaction over their bond, and she knew that her fellow mates had also felt it as well. It would only be later that Gaia realized that Riley had said that to all of them at once.
Before leaving, Riley threw a glance at her mother, her friends and even at Arturia, offering them each a smirk. Before any of them could try and stop her, she disappeared in a flash.
Silence permeated the room for several long minutes before all eyes turned back to the glaring visage of the Kazekage.
"Prepare our forces to move out. At top speed we should be able to reach the battlefield in about five Hours." Gaia stated, earning a smile from those like Kushina and Arturia whom fully intended to chase after Riley and aid her in finishing this. The demoness may have been able to slow them down by not taking them with her, but that didn't mean they were forced to do what she had said.
"Yes… let's go and aid our friends in ending this." Itachi agreed, earning a nod from Tom.
"She's not going to be very happy about this." Tom noted with a chuckle.
"The way I see it, the Land of Wind is my responsibility. And I am the commander of the Magical Alliance's armed forces. She can order me around all she wants, but I am in charge. Besides… I already sent a large swath of our forces back towards the Land of Wind to prepare it's defenses. They wont be far from that area by now, so we'll be involved anyway. So let's go." Gaia responded earning a nod from her followers as everyone rose up and made to move out.
In Kamui, Riley stood with the Kage along with Kakashi as they prepared for the final battle.
"When we arrive, Kakashi will engage Obito and end the fucker. I'll leave a clone to aid him in doing so, and to deal with Obito's paths. I'll have another clone focus on my father, and deal with him quickly. The rest of us will deal with the Ten-Tails and anything else that may be laying in wait there. The beast is monstrously powerful, stronger then the Nine-Tails by a significant margin, so we'll have to be very careful and deal with it quickly." Riley stated to the surrounding Kage.
"How do you intend to defeat the beast?" Madara's reanimation, inquired with a curious look, one that was mirrored by Kaguya as well.
"I have a few ideas in store. I'll try to overwhelm it with my power, but if I can't then I'll try and utilize Hellfire, to destroy it. Failing that… I'll seal it away within myself." Riley responded, her look hard and focused.
Madara's reanimation stared deep into her eyes before turning and sharing a look with his living counterpart. The other Madara offered a nod, showing his approval with the idea, and his belief that she could accomplish it.
That part confused many of those that were present, especially Madara's reanimation. Despite her obvious power, the very minor amounts of fear or hesitation she displayed when faced with a beast like the Legendary Ten-Tails spoke volumes about something. Either she was incredibly prideful, which was possible considering who raised her, or his living counterpart had been correct when he had said earlier that he didn't fully understand yet just what he was dealing with then it came to her.
"If it comes to that, do you think we can pull off Bijuu Mode, for long enough to overpower it?" Riley inquired to Kurama and the Darkness.
"Three minutes was the longest we could hold that form, but at that rate we'd be combining both of our full powers, making us much stronger then the Ten-Tails, with the ability to recharge almost all of our powers, near instantly, thanks to The Darkness. The three of us working in unison should be able to overpower the Ten-Tails, however… if we do that, it'll leave you exhausted and strain your core, preventing you from regenerating as quickly for a time. The three minutes of power it buys us will have to be used very well to avoid leaving you in a weakened state." Kurama responded.
"Alright. Our powers are closing in on each others Kurama. I can almost feel my ascension to the Ninth Tail about to occur. It may even happen in this battle. We can't hold back. If I have to use Bijuu Mode, then we'll have to go all out, and use that three minutes to our advantage. If we can't kill the thing, I'll have to absorb it." Riley stated to the mighty beast, earning a sigh from Kurama.
"You know where I stand on that Riley. If it has to be done, then it has to be done, but I am worried about what'll happen it you take in all of that massive power at once. Just be ready alright. I'll try to help as much as I can." Kurama responded, earning a nod from Riley.
"Alright, if there's no questions, then let's get going." Riley stated.
"I only have one. What are you planning to do with the Angel Riley?" Hashirama inquired, earning a smirk from Riley.
"I plan on working with it to beat our enemies." Riley responded with a knowing smirk, earning a curious look from Hashirama. She then offered her great-grandfather a smirk. One that spoke of a plan that was already built in her mind.
Offering her a nod, Riley exited Kamui, reappearing in the outside world near the location of Sinnon, which was located less then thirty miles from where the Ten-Tails was being revived.
In a burst of speed, Riley dashed in that direction, closing the distance in only a couple of moments. She arrived to find a several mile wide half sphere of red energy covering the ground. The sphere seemed to represent a powerful barrier of sorts and stood in stark contrast to the landscape. Just being near it, Riley could feel the chaotic demonic power being used to fuel it, though otherwise, it held back any and all that it contained.
The barrier itself was truly a magnificent construct, as it was even able to keep the world around it, almost completely unaffected by what was occurring within. Riley knew the second she punched through it, that whatever horrors lay within would be unleashed onto the world.
Demonic energy churned within the sphere, and the twisted, red and black aura of the barrier obfuscated what lay within. Riley glanced up at the sky for a moment, heavily covered by clouds. It was an odd sight in the desert, to see such heavy cloud cover. The clouds couldn't have been a natural formation, and were most likely the cause of the Natural Energy of the area going crazy from the affects of the Ten-Tails revival.
"Are you ready for this?" Kurama inquired.
"I am. I'm ready to go home. I'm ready to be free. Let's end this. Let's end the Akatsuki. Let's see whatever plan Mito left in store for us, put to an end." Riley thought back.
"Look uh… I'm not about this mushy stuff, but… if things don't go our way in there, I just wanted you to know… it's been an honor." Kurama offered. His words drew Riley into her mindscape and she appeared before him. She turned and offered her longtime friend and mentor a smile.
"The honors been all mine, Kurama. Let's do this." Riley responded, earning a smirk and a nod from the Fox.
With a bit of focus Riley released her companions from Kamui. The collection of powerful shinobi took up position by her side as they all gazed at the powerful barrier before them. Even those that weren't sensors could detect the monstrous occurrence within the barriers reddish haze.
"More then likely, Obito has opened portals to unleash more devils. Most likely he intends to buy as much time as physically possible to achieve his ends. We'll need to be ready for it." Riley's Hashirama noted.
"Someone will need to focus on those portals. We cannot allow an army of devils to overwhelm us." Riley stated.
"I'll go." The Third Raikage stated.
"As will I. Just tell us how to close those portals and we'll see it done." The Third Kazekage stated, earning a nod of agreement from the Second Mizukage as well.
"If the portals are like the others, then a monstrous amount of force delivered to the support pillars will destabilize it. Just destroy those and the portal will swallow itself." Riley responded, earning a nod from the three men.
"You have a plan for getting through the barrier?" Tobirama inquired, Riley gave the man a glance, then offered him a very Madara-like smirk.
At that point, Riley raised her hand into the air, and began to channel her magic. The surrounding individuals all watched in amazement or curiosity as blackish-red magic began to rise from her palm, almost like a liquid. It flowed together into a sphere that quickly swelled in size.
"Her chakra became so dense it reached a liquid state!" Tobirama noted with amazement.
"Just like one of the Bijuu." Hashirama's reanimation noted, as he sent a glance over to his living counterpart, and noted the smile on his face. Every second it became more apparent that this young woman was far more then she appeared. Only the Bijuu had ever shown the ability to condense their magic to this point, to make it not only visible, but give it the form of a liquid.
The sphere that grew over Riley's hand, swelled in size, getting larger and large until it was nearly the size of a small house. Then the sphere began to condense, collapsing in on itself, and becoming more and more compact.
The pressure that was being released from the sphere of chakra was enough that even the kage had to tense their muscles to keep from being pushed back, but as it condensed, the pressure grew and a force was felt, as if an energy of some sort was trying to push them away from sphere. The ground beneath Riley began to crack and collapse in on itself as the pressure from the condensed sphere of chakra grew more and more intense.
This continued for several long moments until finally the sphere was as small as a golf ball.
Having watched the process in it's entirety, the surrounding kage level individuals could only guess that she had somehow replicated the Bijuu Dama, of the Tailed Beasts.
With a wave of her hand, Riley sent the black sphere rushing forward at incredible speed. It shot across the landscape, straight for the dome barrier, right as it was about to strike it, the sphere vanished from sight.
"Was that supposed to happen?" The Second Mizukage asked after a moment of silence.
Riley stood quietly, as her eyes bled red. An enraged glare took up residence on her face as she focused her attention on something standing just outside of the barrier.
"I believe the enemy has come to stop us." Tobirama noted with a firm gaze. Many of the kage focused their attention on these newcomers, spotting several reanimations standing before the barrier.
Riley began to advance towards the enemy, followed closely by her Grandfathers. In the far distance an explosion lit up the cloudy sky. The sensors amongst the group could tell that whatever had been done to Riley's attack, it had just landed somewhere over there.
Within moments they had arrived, standing no more then a dozen meters away from the enemy. At the front of the pack was the reanimated form of Minato Namikaze, sporting a Sharingan in one eye and a Rinnegan in the other.
"Hello Narumi." Minato greeted her as they approached.
"Minato!" Riley hissed with a dark glare.
"I see you managed to free some of my fellow undead from the enemy's control. Well done, though you'll find we're much less easy to deal with." Minato stated as he locked eyes with his daughter.
Riley stared back, unflinchingly. She could tell just by the foreign magic intermixed with his own, that it wasn't a mental bond that was tying these remaining reanimations to the will of their master, it was raw magic.
Riley could see this foreign magic emanating from centralized points on each of their chests. It didn't take a genius to guess that these must have been people Obito was specifically commanding. These individuals included her father, Han the Steam Giant, the fourth Tsuchikage Roshi, a young woman with green hair, a young man with blond hair and stitching under his eyes, and finally, a man that was almost a spitting image of Kakashi.
"Do you know that guy, Kakashi?" Riley inquired, as she sent a glance over at her longtime friend.
"Yes. Hello, father." Kakashi replied with a dark look, that was filled with sadness and anger.
"Hello… my son." The White Fang of Konoha, responded, sadly.
"I'm sorry it has to be this way, Narumi, Kakashi… but it looks like Obito intends for us to hold you here while the Ten-Tails finishes it's revival. He had me unlock the laylines here and he's been feeding the magic of our world to the Ten-Tails itself. The beast has already drunk in unthinkable amounts of magic. It can't be far from returning to physical form." Minato stated as he drew one of his signature kunai knives and fell into a battle stance.
"Don't bother me with pleasantries old man. You and I both knew the second you came back, that this was how it was going to end." Riley responded with a snarl.
"Despite what you many think of me, I do not wish to fight you anymore Narumi. I know you don't believe it, and I know you may think me a monster, but I do love you. I have always loved you. I know it doesn't mean much considering all that has happened, but I wanted you to know before this begins, that I'm sorry." Minato stated, sadness residing in every aspect of his stance, and his features.
"You're sorry?" Riley parroted back with a growl, her glare darkening.
"For everything. For what I did to you. To Kushina. To Naruko. I believed I was doing what was right. I believed I was preparing the Child of Prophecy for the moment when they would be required to decide the fate of the world. I was wrong, and now I stand as your foe, placing the world in the very danger I sought to save it from. Everything I did to ensure the safety of our world, and now I'm the one who stands in the way of the true savior. It's ironic… isn't it. Perhaps that is my greatest punishment. To see everything I pushed for, turned to dust, with me standing over it as it's destroyer. I know it doesn't matter anymore, and I know you probably don't care… but I am sorry it had to be this way. I'm sorry for everything." Minato stated, his look heavy, and despite his dead appearance, his face mirrored his emotions quite well.
"For what it's worth you bastard… I'll save the world. And I'll fulfill your fucking prophecy. But in order to do that… I need to send you back to hell." Riley responded, earning a nod from Minato which slowly morphed into a smirk. For a moment, Riley hesitated. She truly didn't believe a word of what Minato was saying, he was playing at something. He had to be.
The wrath and malice she had sensed directed towards her when they had fought the last time had been real. Riley couldn't believe that he had undergone some sort of world-changing metamorphosis and now believed that she was the supposed savior. No… he was saying these things intentionally, but not for the reasons that he claimed.
For a second, the answer didn't appear, but then an idea crawled into the back of her mind. He had stated that he no longer believed that Naruko was the Child of Prophecy, but he never said that he thought it was Riley now. In that moment, Riley knew what he was thinking, she knew why he had so callously abandoned Naruko.
Minato now believed that his youngest child was the Savior. He now thought that this child would go on to save the world. He was trying to push Riley into stopping Obito and keeping the world safe, just so his supposed savior could truly save it, when the time was right.
It didn't take a genius to guess just whom Minato thought the world needed saving from. It seems that even from the grave, Minato intended for Riley to suffer. In this case, he believed that his child would be the one to avenge the loss of Konoha, and destroy Riley.
Riley had no idea if her thoughts on this matter were true, but it sounded just like the kind of back-stabbing crap, the Fourth Hokage would try to pull.
"No holding back this time then. You need to get past us to reach Obito and the Ten-Tails. Good luck." Minato responded, ready to fight. His words, drew a darker glare from Riley, whom saw through his deceptive words.
Minato tensed, though he faltered slightly when his eyes drifted over to Jiraiya whom stared back sadly.
Seeing Jiraiya, also reanimated, caused a reaction to occurs on the Fourth Hokage's face. It was almost like he wanted to snarl but couldn't. It was strange to see, but none of them chose to question him on it.
In a burst of speed that broke the ground beneath her feet, Riley shot forward, aiming to take Minato's undead head off with an earth flattening punch.
With his newly acquired eyes, and near limitless energy Minato was able to drift out of the way of the attack, and launch one of his own, stabbing out with his blade, aiming for placing it between Riley's ribs.
Riley caught the blade in her hand, easily wrenching it out of Minato's grasp and elbowing him hard in the face, sending him flying back.
Riley quickly shot after him, while the rest of Obito's paths, dashed towards Riley, intend on overwhelming her. They were cut off when Riley's Grandfathers intercepted them.
"So that's him? Our son." Kaguya noted to the reanimated Madara, as they watched the battle ensue.
"Yes. The one that abandoned her." Madara responded. Despite not knowing Riley at all, the reanimated Madara couldn't help but feel a bit of kinship with his granddaughter, as she too was ostracized by her family and essentially cast out, just as he had been.
Kaguya watched the battle occur before her, her eyes were glued onto her granddaughter. The young woman possessed the Rinne Sharingan, eyes that Kaguya only obtained after eating the fruit of the god tree. Somehow this young girl had awakened those legendary eyes, and now possessed unimaginable levels of power.
Kaguya struggled to wrap her head around what she was seeing. Within her mind, two personalities and two sets of memories were clashing. She knew who she was, Kaguya Uzumaki. But at the same time, she knew who she had once been, Kaguya Otsutsuki. Kaguya found it difficult to separate the two lives and personalities from one another, as there wasn't much that differentiated them.
And during all of this confusion, she was trapped in a reanimated body, with her son and granddaughter fighting to the death, and supposed granddaughter was just like her, baring the eyes that she once possessed.
A massive explosion tore through the landscape as Riley and Minato slammed into each other, Odama Rasengan meeting Chidori, in a magnificent clash of power.
It was obvious from the moment of the clash that Riley would be the victor, the torrent of the lightning that arced through the air and filled the world around it with ear piercing chirps, was simply to much for even the undead Fourth Hokage to withstand and he was quickly blown away by the resulting explosion.
Elsewhere, Kakashi was engaged with his own father, trading blows with the man, all the while waiting for his opportunity to incapacitate him.
"You've grown so much Kakashi. I'm happy to see you doing so well." Sakumo Hatake complimented his son as he dodged a strike and lashed out with a tanto.
Kakashi blocked his father's attack and kicked him away.
"It's been a long time dad. I'm sorry this had to happen to you. I'll send you back to the afterlife, and I'll make the person who did this too you pay." Kakashi stated, his Sharingan blazing with anger and righteous fury.
"I understand you must be going through a great deal with this Kakashi. Do what you must, and see me on my way. You've got a world to save son. Know that I'm proud of you." Sakumo stated with a smile. Kakashi stared back at his father for several seconds as a single tear fell from his eye. He then hardened his heart and rushed forward, intent on ending this as fast as possible and then dealing with Obito. When he saw his old friend once again, Kakashi would show him no mercy, not after this.
Elsewhere, Riley and Minato were still trading blows as Riley worked out a way to pin Minato down and finally take him out.
"Come on Narumi, you seem to be hesitating. Has that fiery wrath finally gone out or are you planning something?" Minato inquired with a smirk.
"You certainly became a lively fucker after death. The second you give me an opening, I'll send you back to the afterlife and you and the Shinigami can suck each other off for the rest of fucking time for all I care." Riley responded as she lashed out at him, carefully planning each strike to avoid Minato hitting her with a seal of some sorts while she also pushed him to the proper position so that she could trap him and destroy the black rod that Obito was using to control him. Once that was gone, she could use the momentary lapse in freedom he would experience to either rip out his soul again, or blast it out of him with the Killing Curse.
"I wish you the best of luck Narumi. You need to kill me to get to Obito." Minato responded with a smile.
As she listened to his words, a thought struck her.
"Oh… now I get it." Riley stated with a sigh.
"Get what?" Minato inquired.
"Ever since this fight started, I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out why none of what you're saying sounds in any fucking way, genuine. And the answer just fucking struck me." Riley responded with a shake of her head.
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Narumi. I'm being honest here." Minato responded.
"Please shut the fuck up, Obito. I will be there in just a moment to tear your asshole out through your throat." Riley responded, earning a chuckle from Minato.
"Well… it worked for a little while." Minato responded with a laugh, revealing that it was actually Obito saying these things, using Minato like a puppet.
"It didn't work at all, because you suck at this. Now… if you'll kindly shut up, we'll speak in person in about fifteen seconds." Riley replied, as she shot forward at immense speed, engaging Minato once again.
Minato, or more specifically, Obito, laughed at her, taking a great deal of amusement in trying to trick her. His laughter only pissed her off more, so he decided to end the charade.
"Alright Narumi, have it your way. You want to talk… then let's talk!" Obito stated through Minato, and in that moment, Riley felt immense power come rushing at her.
She quickly halted her assault and jumped several dozen meters back, focusing on Minato and the glowing red barrier behind him.
It occurred over the expanse of only a few moments. The barrier buckled and twisted forward, almost as if a great pressure was being placed on it from the inside. It stretched towards them, as a sound began to build.
"What the fuck is that?" Came the demand from the Third Raikage.
"The Barrier is breaking!" Tobirama shouted. As soon as the words left his mouth, his statement became reality. The barrier exploded in a magnificent rush of power, and revealing a massive oncoming Bijuu Dama.
"Damn!" Hashirama's reanimation swore as he saw the massive collection of chakra come rushing towards where they were fighting. Everyone, in that moment was focused on it, knowing that they couldn't escape it, not at this range.
The pointed sphere of the Bijuu Dama, shot right towards Riley, within a second it would slam into her and detonate, leveling everything for several kilometers in every direction. Seeing it, Riley let out a growl and raised her hand.
The instant the attack struck her palm she began to channel the powers of the Preta Path.
Everyone, including Obito's paths, watched in astonishment as instead of exploding, the Tailed Beast Bomb, began to break down and flow into Riley's body as a whitish barrier formed around Riley's body.
"She's absorbing the attack." Tobirama noted with amazement.
"She puts herself at great risk doing that. That much chakra will weight her down considerably." Madara noted, earning an unconscious nod of agreement from Kaguya, both knowing the extent of the powers of the Preta Path, and what that much chakra could do to a human body. Despite knowing that Riley was special, neither understood fully yet, just how much they were underestimating their grandchild.
"Oh that's that good shit!" Kurama noted as he felt the massive amount of chakra surge through Riley's system.
"Good news, I can still absorb the Ten-Tails chakra. Bad news, the Ten-Tails is revived." Riley noted as despite not yet seeing the legendary beast, she knew for a fact that only one thing within that barrier could have accomplished the creation of a Bijuu Dama.
About half-way through absorbing the attack, Riley felt a presence appear by her side. She turned her head just in time to see Minato by her side, his hand engulfed in chakra, and reaching out to her, probably to hit her with a seal of some sort.
In her current state, she couldn't become intangible and she couldn't stop absorbing the attack, lest it explode right here and do significant damage to her.
Deciding, to hell with secrecy, Riley allowed some of her more demonic traits to explode outward, namely her tails. In an instant, four of them had speared Minato through the chest and sent him flying backwards in surprise. One of the tails was aimed right for the Black chakra rod in his chest and succeeded in punching it clean out of his body, thus freeing the Fourth Hokage from Obito's control.
The fourth Hokage fell free from Riley's tails and landed a dozen yards away from her. Madara was quickly in front of Minato to stop him from launching another attack. Despite the holes in his chest, Minato was quickly to pull himself off the ground and seize one of his signature kunai knives. Madara tensed and readied himself to send his son back to the afterlife, when Minato suddenly turned the blade on himself, driving the kunai knife, right into the Rinnegan that Obito had implanted in his eye.
Madara stared, his eyes remaining focused on his son, as Minato tore the kunai free. Instead of the Rinnegan regenerating in the ruined eye-socket, Minato's regular blue eye grew in it's place. In that moment, Madara understood what had happened. In a moment of freedom, Minato fully severed any and all control Obito might have had over him by destroying the Rinnegan. With the black chakra rod gone as well, the Fourth Hokage was now free from Obito's control.
Minato rose to his feet as he finished regenerating and turned his gaze towards Madara.
"Hello Father." Minato stated before turning his gaze towards Riley as she finished absorbing the remainder of the Ten-Tails' attack.
"Riley… do you feel that?" Kurama questioned, as he felt Riley's power begin to bubble and rapidly expand and then contract, almost like she was having trouble holding in the burst of power she just took in from the Ten-Tails.
"And so it comes to pass, that the adolescent becomes an adult. Fitting that it would here." The Darkness whispered. Hearing that, Kurama had his question answered
Kurama began to chuckle as he felt Riley's power explode outward. The moment had finally come. After nearly one hundred and thirty years, Riley had finally reached maturity and ascended to the Ninth Tail. From this point onward, her power would no longer grow on it's own. Every ounce of power she gained from now on, would be through her own hard word and dedication. She had finished her growth, the Darkness had been right, it was fitting that she would reach it here, at the end of this great war.
On the outside, the surrounding Kage watched in awe as torrents of chakra exploded off of Riley's body in massive waves, filling the area with color as chakra and raw magic seeped out of her every pore.
"What is she brother?" Tobirama asked as he shielded his face from the onslaught of chakra. Being a sensor the man could clearly feel just how massive her power was now. It was only now that many of them realized that the incredible strength she had been shown to possess was nothing more then her power being fully suppressed to the point of appearing simply on a whole other level to even Kage. Now though, many of them, even those that weren't sensors, realized that she was much stronger then even that.
"I've only ever felt power like this once before. She's as strong as the Nine Tailed Fox." Hashirama's reanimation stated in utter disbelief.
Nearby, Kaguya herself watched with amazement and fascination. This child went beyond any of her expectations. She was more powerful then Hagoromo and Hamura had even been. If she continued to grow her power like this, then this child, her granddaughter, would soon equal the power she was held, so very long ago. It was as that thought struck her that Kaguya made another realization. If this child reached that level of power, then not even Kaguya at full strength would be able to stand against her. Not simply because they were evenly matched in their power, but because this child was raised by Madara. Raised as a warrior. Unlike Kaguya, whom wasn't a fighter in either of her lives, despite her power in both, this child would have the power, the tactical knowledge, the skill, and the battlefield experience to wield that godly strength in a way that Kaguya never could.
It was in that moment that she realized just why her husband's living counterpart, held such faith in her abilities. Because he understood these things as well. She had the power of a tailed beast, with the skill of a warrior trained by two of the greatest fighters to ever walk the earth.
The power burst continued for several long moments before finally dying down. When it did, Riley was left with several of her demonic features still showing, including her claws, ears, and the now nine tails, that she sports, swaying by her feet.
Despite many of them, including Obito's paths, and thus Obito himself, staring at her, Riley seemed not to notice them, and instead she was focused entirely on the hellscape that lay before her.
With the barrier now destroyed, what had resided within it, now spilled out across the entire world. Demonic energy, and chaotic power quickly flooded everyone's senses, even those who weren't sensors themselves. All eyes quickly turned towards where the barrier had been. With it's destruction, the demonic power that had been building within it, was now released. The sky was quickly filling with black clouds, and a dark red miasma filled the air.
Spread across the landscape before them, were dozens of demonic portals, and surrounding each one were legions of devils, hundreds of thousands in number. Demonic roars and chants filled the air as the massive army of monsters prepared to invade the rest of the world. Standing in the center of it all though, was the one responsible.
Towering over a fifteen hundred feet high, a massive titan stood over the battlefield. The creature looked gaunt, with greyish brown skin. It's arms and legs with much longer then what would appear natural to the human eye. One of it's arms was incomplete, ending just after the elbow in a kind of writhing wiggly nub, while the other stretched all the way down until it almost touched the ground from a standing position. The massive creature was adorned with a crown of horns, not too dissimilar from Riley's own.
It's head bore four additional features, besides the crown of horns. It had additional horns sticking out of the lower half of it's face. It held a mouth on the left side of it's head, a massive incomplete Rinne Sharingan in the center of it's head facing them, and an ear on the right side of it's face.
"That's it, my lady. That's the Ten-Tails. It's incomplete now, but it'll surely mature at a rapid rate." Black Zetsu informed Riley.
"Damn." Riley swore.
As she did, all of Obito's remaining paths jumped towards the massive army and stood before Riley's group, ready to reengage them, as soon as Obito gave the order.
"Do you see now Narumi!?" All five of Obito's remaining paths stated at once, Obito speaking through each of them in unison.
"No matter how strong you are… you are nothing before the true god of this world. Don't worry though… I despite you finding your way to afterlife very soon… all those you love will live in peace, in the world I build for them. When I launch the Infinite Tsukuyomi… your loved ones will know nothing but peace and happiness. Perhaps they will even see you there. You are all that stands in the way of that dream becoming real. So… let's end this. Once and for all!" The paths chorused out Obito's threat.
"Don't you dare talk about my friends and family. Don't you dare try to insinuate that you know what a perfect world looks like. I dream of a paradise for those I love, but even I'm not so bullheaded to think it'll be perfect. No one wants perfect. Perfection is an unreachable aspiration. It's something you strive towards knowing that you'll never reach it. But you do it anyway, because the closer you get, the better it becomes. Only an illusion could accomplish perfection. Only something fake could come that close… and your perfect world is just that, fake!" Riley snapped back.
"Regardless of whether its fake or not. It will become the new reality. That much I can assure you." Was the response given.
Riley let out a snarl as that, and as she did, a sonicboom tore through the sky. All eyes turned skyward as a winged creature tore through the heavens and in a near imperceptible burst of speed the Angel of Carnage shot down from the sky, and slammed into the titanic Ten-Tails' chest.
The massive creature flailed and stumbled back as it lost it's balance and became to fall backwards.
"Take that you fucker!" Riley howled over the sound of the beast toppling to the ground crushing thousands of devils under it's massive size and weight.
Obito's paths quickly rushed forward, but were intercepted as two large figures landed between Riley and them.
RAAM and Skorge, having been summoned by Riley's Wood Clone in the angel garb, quickly engaged Obito's paths, holding them off as Riley turned towards her comrades.
"Alright, time to end this shit. I need a volunteer to go with Kakashi and prepare our trap." Riley stated, earning confusion from many of the reanimations.
"Obito Uchiha, the man controlling the Ten-Tails, has access to a special Space-Time ninjutsu tied to his Sharingan, that allows him to become intangible and enter his own pocket dimension. Kakashi has access to that same pocket dimension through his Sharingan. We can't touch Obito while he's intangible, but if Kakashi uses his half of the ability to teleport a powerful attack into the other dimension while Obito is intangible, it'll strike him there, and it might even kill him. Though even if he survives he'll be discouraged from trying it again and will be forced to fight without it." Riley's Hashirama, quickly explained to them all, earning nods of understanding.
"I'll stay with Kakashi." Came the offer from Minato, drawing Riley's gaze to the man. He returned her stare, offering no emotion to his gaze as she glared at him.
Riley took this moment to note that it didn't appear like Obito's chakra was within Minato any longer. Meaning that with the removal of the Black chakra rod and Obito's implanted Rinnegan, Minato was now free from his control and could do whatever he wanted.
"Sensei?" Kakashi stated.
"I have the proper technique in mind. A sage chakra enhanced, Odama Rasengan, should do the trick, and Kakashi will have a much easier time drawing it into Kamui since I can hold it in place. Less room for error that way." Minato explained, earning a nod from Riley.
"Fine. That works. Just be ready." Riley stated, earning a nod from both men. Despite her hatred for the Fourth Hokage, now was certainly not the time to fight him. She would deal with him once this war was over. For now though, they were tentative allies.
"Alright, now how shall we deal with this lot?" Riley's Madara inquired as he stepped up next to her.
"The angel has engaged the Ten-Tails, I'll go and join it. Once I'm in position I'll separate Obito from the fucking thing. If he isn't killed from Minato's jutsu, then I'm trusting Kakashi and the Fourth Hokage to deal with their old comrade, while I finish off the Ten-Tails." Riley responded, earning a nod from Madara.
"While I focus on the Juubi, the rest of you need to destroy those portals and slaughter the devil army. Go at them with all of your might and keep them off my back. The faster you take them out the faster you can join back up with me and we can take down the Ten-Tails together." Riley added, earning nods from many of the surrounding Kage. It was Madara's reanimate who was the only one to voice a question.
"You really believe you can take it on, all alone?" He inquired, giving her a curious look.
"That's what separates you and I, grandfather. Despite our many similarities, you're more of a lone wolf when it comes to dancing. Me… I always have a partner." Riley responded with a very Madara-like smirk. This earned her a raised eyebrow from the Uchiha Patriarch.
"We don't have much time. Once the Ten-Tails is finished regenerating, Obito will be able to become it's Jinchuriki. We have to hurry if we want to defeat it." Black Zetsu stated aloud, earning many surprised looks from those around Riley as he stretched out of Riley's sleeve, appearing as a pure black mass with yellow eyes and a maw of pointed teeth.
Despite the surprise many of them felt at seeing the strange entity, none were more shocked then Kaguya.
"Zetsu. How? You're with her… why though? You were created to enforce my will. Did something change? Or perhaps… is there something I'm missing. She has my eyes. And she's stronger then even Hagoromo and Hamura. Could it be… no that's not… perhaps… my heir..." Kaguya frantically thought for several moments before focusing her gaze on her granddaughter.
Riley nodded at the entity and allowed it to slither back into her sleeve. She then turned towards her grandfathers and Kakashi.
"I'll see you on the other side." Riley offered them, earning a nod from the three men as she turned and dashed forward, jumping over Obito's paths which were currently engaged with her familiars.
Kaguya watched as she raced ahead of them, only one though repeating in her mind. "My heir."
The group watched her for several seconds as Riley flashed through handsigns and extended her hand.
"Let's go Kurama!" She called out as a massive plume of smoke, filled the air. Form it, the Nine-Tailed Fox appeared with a mighty roar.
Seeing the Fox appear alongside his granddaughter, caused Madara's reanimation to begin laughing. The more he saw, the more he understood just what had changed his perceptions on the world. This child had changed him. Her strength, her heart, who she was as a person. She had given him faith in something. It was because of her that Madara began to believe once more.
"Alright then little one. Show me what you can do." Madara's reanimation stated with his own smirk as Riley and the Fox barreled through the horde of devils, rushing straight towards the Ten-Tails which was quickly rising back up.
"Alright. No more dallying about. Let's end this." Riley's Hashirama stated, earning a nod from Madara as the two quickly rushed forward, passing the nearby fight with Obito's path and following after Riley.
"Front row seats to the greatest fight the world has ever known… this is going to be fun." Madara's reanimation hummed as he followed after them. Soon all of the reanimations were racing after them, each one intent on ending this all, once and for all.
The final battle of the Fourth Great Ninja War, had finally begun.
-To Be Continued.
Alright there's the next chapter for you. Last bit of build up so that the whole next chapter can be about the final battle. Hope you all enjoy and leave you reviews. Two more chapters after this and I can finally call Broken Angel, finished. I've also been catching up on my corrections, so now I'm only about twenty chapters or so from having the whole story sufficiently proofread. I hope it makes for a much cleaner read, and I hope everyone finds it more well established and set up, from beginning to end. Anyway, look forward to the final chapters in the coming weeks, I'm in the home stretch now. Just gotta make it a bit further and I can finally get to the sequel that I've been dying to get started for a while now. Already have everything planned out for how I wanted to end this, so I just gotta see it through all the way. Hope you like it, and I hope you've all had as much fun as I did when making this story. Ja Ne!