The Jealous Moon
World #01
A guttural laugh resounded, bounced along the length of the walls of the dimly lit place.
It was a laugh that had instilled terror in the hearts of many, for it had often been the last thing they ever heard. And those had been the lucky ones, really.
It was a laugh that only reminded people of how tenuous man's sanity was. And just how thin the line that separated both sides of it was.
It was a laugh that announced the best of times… it was a laugh that announced the worst of times.
It was a sound that she had heard a thousand times before. And a few times in this high-pitched voice as well. It was definitely less impressive than before.
Her lover would have trembled in his Konoha-issued sandals, but well… both Shisui and his younger brother were terrified of her sensei/father/older brother. The reason for it was lost in time, at this point.
(Also because they had never wanted to tell her.)
Anko rolled her eyes fondly. "Congratulations, sensei. I'm sure the world will tremble before your might."
"Oh, they won't have to." Orochimaru explained patiently. "The Ōtsutsuki, on the other hand…" He smiled sharply.
To Anko, it looked about as threatening as Obito had looked, back in the Academy, when trying to channel his older cousin's — Uchiha Masaru — actually threatening grin after stealing Kurenai's more appetizing bentō.
Fucking Obito, really. He had changed some, sure. But in the end…
Different methods, same pansy.
Masaru… Madara.
Tomato… Tomato.
Obito… Pansy.
"This calls for a celebration, doesn't it?" Anko asked, instead of reminiscing about old classmates. Most of them were dead, anyway.
"Neither you nor I should drink, Anko." Orochimaru rolled his eyes.
"I didn't mean it like this."
"I am sure."
"Really. Although I do wonder when that damn kid is due, at this point." Anko frowned.
Orochimaru shrugged. "I could induce labor and grow it in a test tube for you."
Anko snorted. "Thanks for the offer, but no thanks."
"Now back to my darling project… The Ōtsutsuki barrier should be operational — though I still have to calibrate it to allow for Naruto to come through, should he… decide to—"
"Become a world-devouring god while he's away."
"Indeed." Orochimaru nodded absentmindedly. "And the Ōtsutsuki locator is almost completed, in case some of them are hiding among us."
Orochimaru had his own questions about that immortal Naruto had somehow become friends with, but that was for another day.
Orochimaru paused.
"Is something wrong…?" Anko asked.
"Why is there an Ōtsutsuki sealed within the Moon?"
Far up north. Close to Nigiso.
Yoisen had felt Naruto's presence from kilometers away — she had been in Nigiso.
She knew about the clones he had left behind, of course. But these never strayed out of the cities. Which would likely mean one thing: he was back.
With this in mind — as well as plenty of questions, she went to meet him. Calmly. She was smiling, though.
She calmly walked out of the rift, far away from him, hiding her presence.
Then she noticed that Naruto was not alone.
She stared.
Yoisen calmly retreated back into a rift, reappearing a few kilometers away, up north. Calmly.
Once she deemed she was sufficiently far away from everything, she calmly proceeded to stomp her foot down.
The rock shattered under her foot. Snow began to crumble, falling in ever-accelerating patterns. Growing ever-bigger, too.
The blank, placid smile never left her face.
Naruto would not bother to answer her Amaterasu-damned letters, but he would find the time to meet new women…?
"This… this… this cur!" She muttered.
Was there no limit to his greed?
She breathed in and out. Calm resumed.
Yoisen had a few answers to get.
Hotaru and Tayuya covered a lot of ground, in the end.
There was no point in staying on the road in such terrible weather conditions, cloaked in fire as they were or not. Weakened fraction of something that was a bit more than a man and somewhat rusty shinobi or not, traveling fast was something that they could still do well, thank you very much.
Also, there had been some sort of avalanche, hours ago, apparently. Which normally didn't really happen in the region.
Evening had fallen.
Hotaru and Tayuya had found refuge in a small inn, not far from the town of Nigiso.
They'd share a room because it was cheaper — with two beds, of course, past dalliances meant nothing in the present. Things were pretty quiet here. There was a storm outside, rain and hail mixed, coming to tap against the thick windows. Thunder rumbled, chasing the quiet away like autumn banished leaves from trees in Konoha.
There was only one more traveler, aside from them. The surly, kept-to-himself type. And the innkeeper, who simply hummed a song and polished so many different glasses that Hotaru was starting to believe he was just keeping his hands busy — there was no way there were quite this many people passing through here at such a time.
"—Look, I'm telling you that it depends on the type of gig." Tayuya repeated.
"If we play, we get some pay." Hotaru frowned. "Why such a difference…?"
"Because…" She began. "Let's say there are basically two kinds of gigs: bars and events. "Bars" include restaurants and dancing venues, as well as those that specialize in entertainment that sell tickets but primarily make their money from food and/or drink. "Events" include festivals, weddings and more… corporate gigs."
"Corporate…?" Hotaru tilted his head. "Are we selling out already?"
"…In a bar, you are basically trying to increase the number of customers and encourage them to stay longer and spend money. You are not there for entertainment… any more than the rice beer is there for hydration. You are in a partnership with the venue to make them money. How much you can be paid is—"
"Not based on your performance, then."
"—a fucking calculation on a spreadsheet. Even if your band — yes, you can fucking laugh but we're a band, thick as thieves, now — is a proven audience draw, you won't be able to ask for a whole lot more than every other band that plays there."
"That's rough." He frowned.
"Welcome to the gigging musician's life, shithead." Tayuya said grandly. "Events, on the other hand, aren't necessarily expected to make money, and often pay significantly better than bars. Street fairs, festivals, weddings, parties, community groups, religious observances, all that shit… - in these settings you are primarily hired to entertain. How much you're paid depends on the budget for the event."
"Okay. What if I genjutsu someone into giving us a chance?" Hotaru asked.
"You don't know shit about genjutsu." She huffed.
"I can learn." There was always the power of science-… seals.
"…Learn music instead."
"Whatever." Being broke still beat being Lord Naruto, the Terror. According to Hotaru, at least.
"Here's some real shit." Tayuya said, more seriously. "Being heard is a privilege and one of the hardest things to do as a musician."
Hotaru thought about it.
(Being heard, being seen; faces; his own.)
"I should probably hide my face." Was what he said.
"…What?"
"Well, I don't mean to brag — especially when considering the subject at hand — but I'm… like the most famous man in the world."
Tayuya frowned. "That's… true — I guess that's one way to draw business, though."
"I don't really want people to cheer on us just because they're afraid their heads will roll otherwise, though." He shrugged.
"A bit late for that, isn't it?" Tayuya remarked smartly.
"I really should have known..." Hotaru frowned. "About the impact a little mass murder would have on my music career - baddies or not."
She choked on her breath. Hotaru grinned.
"Motherfucker."
"Don't worry, if both of us work together, I'm sure we can find a long-term way of hiding my mug." He smiled. "Ino did it, after all."
"Who's Ino?"
"Ah… she's Naruto's wife."
"The what now?"
"Yeah, that guy got married — after I split from him, so that's his problem, really."
Tayuya just stared at him.
"I'm my own man." Hotaru nodded.
"…"
"Do go on with your explanation, please." Hotaru motioned for her to continue.
"…Alright. So… In either case, you cannot realistically demand more than what's been budgeted. You can, of course, get less if you don't know what the budget is. It's not rude to ask — don't look at me like this, I do know what's considered rude and what isn't."
"Okay."
"The point I'm making is that it's not about your "worth" as a band. It's about what the employer is able to pay, within the constraints of his budget. It'll be a range, but not a wide range — some are just as broke as we are, some aren't. Some just fucking assholes who won't pay you—"
"Until we shake them up."
"Until we shake them up." Tayuya grinned. "You're not that bad at this."
"Thanks." He said dryly. "Well, let's work on our repertoire — I'll ask the innkeeper if he minds the noise."
Hotaru stood up.
…
And then, suddenly…
There was one more person in the room.
A regal woman with snow-white hair and golden eyes. Still wearing shades of burgundy.
Tayuya tensed. She hadn't felt the woman approach. And she felt a vague sense of danger. The woman was a complete unknown.
(Also, she made Tayuya feel very plain, which was just a rude thing to do.)
The woman simply sat there, waiting. She wasn't looking at her, but Tayuya still felt as though she were being observed. And judged. And found lacking.
From here, it almost looked as though she were staring at Hotaru — who was leaning on the counter between himself and the innkeeper. Tayuya wondered what it was about. Sure, he was pretty cute and all, but…
The innkeeper gave a flippant shrug; they would be able to practice some, then.
Hotaru smiled and headed back to Tayuya.
Okay. There could be no doubt anymore. That woman was staring at him. Tayuya watched her carefully, a hand on her flute.
"Ah. Yoisen." Hotaru greeted her with a smile. "I felt your presence — before too, I think."
…He knew her? Who was she? Was that fucker just going around the world, getting—
"Naruto. I was looking for you." She said, very calmly. Her golden eyes were fixed on him, never breaking contact. Tayuya knew the look.
"Different day, different man. I'm Hotaru now, actually." He said evenly. "Naruto's gone and left the world to us — I left it to someone else in turn."
"Are you a clone, then…?"
"Yup."
Yoisen frowned. Tayuya shivered.
"…As you say." She nodded once. "Would you care for a seat at my table?"
"Nah, I'm here with a friend." Hotaru chuckled and Tayuya didn't miss the glint of something smoldering in the golden eyes. Gods, that was a bit too much like Orochimaru on a bad day. At least she wasn't coming any closer— "You can come sit at ours, though." He offered.
'Oh, fuck me.' Tayuya cursed him. Was he trying to get her killed…?
The woman didn't seem particularly happy about it, but she did so.
Tayuya noticed her taking a longer look at her hair, too. She avoided fiddling with it. Was it tangled up again…? She knew her shade of red was pretty rare, too.
The three sat in silence at the table. Only Hotaru seemed to be at ease.
"Well, how have you been, Yoisen?" He asked idly.
Yoisen stared at him flatly.
"You would know if you — well, Naruto — even bothered to answer my letters." She said, more or less evenly. "I am sorry that they are such a… burden upon you."
"Letters…?" Hotaru tilted his head. "Look, I think you might have the wrong impression here."
"Oh, do I now?" She simply asked.
Tayuya was feeling very left out. And in danger. Was Hotaru not seeing it…?
"Well, yes." Hotaru nodded. "I'm not linked to Naruto — my creator — in any way, by now. I have no idea what happened to him… where he went exactly, besides the broad outline — that guy never really bothers with our Shadow network. Well, I won't either from now on, so yeah."
"So if I understand this… you have no idea at all about our… correspondence…?" Yoisen asked.
"None." Hotaru shrugged.
"…Very well." She said, frowning. "I am not going to blame you for it, then."
"How fair of you." He said dryly.
"You did say you were another man altogether." She mused.
"Yup. I'll make this legal at some point, too." He chuckled.
The woman seemed to have no idea what to make of him.
There was another long silence.
"You… uh play any music?" Tayuya asked.
"I do." Yoisen nodded. "I am afraid I do not have the time for music at the moment, though."
"Shame." Tayuya said — She thought that she almost managed to make it sound honest, too.
Yoisen tapped her fingers on the table. The sound made Tayuya stiffen.
"Now… you have been Uzumaki Naruto at some point — until recently, even." She said, staring at Hotaru.
"Yeah."
"And you do know how his mind works."
"Yeah, I'd say I'm the local Uzumaki Naruto expert." He nodded. "It's my first claim to fame."
Yoisen hesitated.
"You're a fucking comedian, now…?" Tayuya muttered.
"I'm just a simple, honest musician."
"Learn some fucking drums then."
"Why don't you?"
"I don't know how to use clones." She admitted.
"Then I'll teach you."
Yoisen was still hesitating.
"…Is there any reason Naruto would stop writing back… according to you?" She asked at last.
Hotaru frowned. "Writing back…? To you…?" He thought about it. "…No, I don't think so. He actually likes you, I'd say."
Yoisen looked very quiet. "…Do you believe he does?"
"Sure." Hotaru shrugged. "I mean I kinda did already, and you guys have been writing to each other for… Well, I don't know how much time he has spent over there, he just told us that he was going to fuck with space-time, basically."
Tayuya stared at him.
Yoisen nodded. "I do not know for certain how much time it has been for him, but… from the way he writes… two years for him, at the very least. There were plenty of letters, it was somewhat hard to keep up."
(She still did, though. Getting an instantaneous letter back had been somewhat strange at first.)
(Which made it all the more suspicious when she didn't receive anything in days.)
Hotaru nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that's somewhat strange."
"Do you think something may have happened to him?" Yoisen asked, arms folded. Tayuya looked between the two of them. "I know that he is basically immortal, but surely there are other ways…"
Hotaru scratched his chin. "I… have to say I never studied the possible implications of this whole space-time breaking — you'd have to ask one of my more nerdy counterparts, like the one who's taking care of Nasui; perhaps Orochimaru himself. But that would make some sense to me." He said, shrugging. Naruto could likely handle himself. And even in the case something happened… Orochimaru would likely fix it, grumbling.
Yoisen looked deep in thought.
Tayuya was feeling more and more out of the loop. She gave Hotaru a glare; a look that asked for explanations. He shrugged a 'later.'
"…And here I thought that he was ignoring me because—" She said at last.
Hotaru laughed. "There's no reason he would suddenly ignore you."
Yoisen nodded. "…I see. That's… something of a relief, I have to say."
(There was a grand total of one person who understood and knew her - clones not included, she thought she wasn't quite that desperate.)
…
Unbeknownst to Yoisen, Ino's latest pet project and synchronizing with Sasuke had the unintended side-effect of forcing them to stay synchronized to his sense of time.
Which meant there would be no jumping back and forth in time in their homeworld.
An hour, wherever they were… would be equal to an hour back home. It was as close to normal passage of time as it went, when talking about world-hopping.
And Naruto would have gotten around to writing to Yoisen in a few days.
…Probably.
…
"I see." Yoisen repeated. "That's… good, isn't it?"
"I… guess." Hotaru said dubiously. "So… are you staying?"
"No." Yoisen shook her head. "Since you're apparently not Naruto, and I'm looking for him… there's no reason for me to."
"That's fair." Hotaru shrugged.
"How do I find him?"
"Hmm… Where was he last time you guys wrote to each other?"
Yoisen told him.
"Ah." Hotaru nodded. "You might need a Rinnegan for this sort of thing."
"I do not have a Rinnegan." She said dryly. Her life would have been much easier.
"Then go find Orochimaru or Sasuke or… something." Hotaru shrugged.
"…Who?" She frowned. Orochimaru, she knew — the one who had trained Naruto for a few years. Sasuke…?
"The snake-man from Umi or the Uchiha from Konoha who was up there on Uzushio — the one who had a Bijuu within him, not either of the other two. …Asura." He finished.
Ah.
That man. She did know who Asura's reincarnation was.
Yoisen nodded. "And they might be able to help me?"
"Probably." Hotaru thought about it some more. "Yeah, scratch that, not Sasuke. I'd say Orochimaru is your best bet — apparently he's a child now, Naruto sent a pretty vague message."
"Orochimaru has… a kid?" Tayuya asked in disbelief. "What the shit?"
"No. Don't be ridiculous." Hotaru shook his head. "He is a child."
"…What?"
"He died." Hotaru nodded.
"But—"
"Oh come on, it's Orochimaru shit." He shrugged.
Yoisen stood up. "I see." She said. "Then I shall find Orochimaru."
"Sure." Hotaru smiled. "See you around, Yoisen. Say hi to Naruto when you see him — he's probably alive. Also tell him to go fuck himself."
"So shall I." Yoisen nodded, very seriously.
Her hand slashed through the air, and something like a rift opened. Yoisen vanished.
Tayuya stared.
The two were left alone. Hotaru looked at her, somewhat amused.
"What the fuck was this all about?" Tayuya asked.
"The fuck." Tayuya shook her head in disbelief. "You got any more revelations to spring upon me…?"
"Nope." He said.
Then he thought about it.
"Ah… maybe one." Hotaru winced. "You remember that time we had sex? - First time, I mean."
She looked at him, frowning. "…Yes?"
"And you remember how you thought I was… seventeen or something?"
"Yup." She had a bad feeling about it.
"Well… maybe I just went along with it, that time."
"How old were you…? Sixteen?"
He chuckled a bit awkwardly.
…
"Yeah… Adult in the eye of the law, right? Shinobi, you know…"
"Motherfucker."
i imgur com 0JzOJiD png
Yoisen reappeared in one of her safehouses.
…Well.
Perhaps she had misjudged the situation. Not entirely, though, she amended herself. These two were definitely pretty… chummy. But Yoisen couldn't care about what one of the clones that had been Severed from Naruto did with his life. They had been left on their own, anyway.
She focused again.
If Naruto was in danger… it was up to her to help. As opposed to that time in Uzushiogakure, there were no contradictory feelings here. It was nothing like helping bring Indra back to life, which came with its own… endless pile of complications.
She considered Naruto her only equal in this world… and there was no way she was going to wait, this time.
Her first stop was Umigakure, then.
Umigakure.
"Orochimaru-sama." Tanabe Mai — head of intel — appeared.
She was breathless, which was a pretty bad sign usually. She reported to Naruto's Shadows directly, but in this particular situation… Orochimaru was probably better suited to handle the matter.
"What is it…?" He asked curtly. He had plenty of other things to take care of.
"There is a woman here to see you."
"…Someone worth telling me about directly?" He muttered, displeased.
"She entered Umi itself without us noticing."
Orochimaru paused, entirely surprised. Anko spoke.
"…A stranger?" She asked.
"Yes."
"Did you restrain her?"
"We - uh… She is waiting by the central island."
Orochimaru sighed, thinking. "I see. Who is she?"
"…We do not know." Mai shook her head.
"Any overt affiliation…?" Anko asked.
"No. She's a woman we do not know, one with white hair."
Anko and Orochimaru shared a look; one expression full of thunder, the other of cool detachment.
Anko lifted her hand up, at exactly the height that the top of Orochimaru's head reached whenever he was standing; that was her argument.
Orochimaru simply motioned to Anko's stomach with his chin.
She growled but relented. Orochimaru stood up — it wasn't particularly impressive on its own.
"Do lead the way then, Mai." He said.
She did, and soon they were standing on Umi's central island.
There were plenty of people there… and one clear stranger.
Nobody was saying much. Nobody was really moving, either.
People were staring at the stranger, as though they were frozen.
The woman took it with quiet grace. Her hair was the color of snow, as Mai had said, and her eyes were a striking gold. From her posture, it was clear that she was a fighter, if not necessarily a shinobi. The sword at her waist was a decent indication too, of course.
Orochimaru motioned for her to come away from the crowds.
The woman spoke first.
"Orochimaru." She simply greeted. Her words cut through the stillness easily.
"To whom do I owe the pleasure…?" He asked in return.
She smiled slightly.
"I am Uzumaki Yoisen."
Orochimaru blinked.
"…Of course." He murmured. Who else but Naruto could bring so much trouble at their door, without even being there…?
The only silver lining here was that she wasn't Otsutsuki — which had been his first guess. Which also meant that his latest instrument was still very likely working as it should.
"Your ancestry can be traced to the people of Lake Takura, can it not…?" Yoisen asked.
Orochimaru managed not to react. "…Indeed." He said, after several beats of silence.
Yoisen just smiled.
"If I may." Orochimaru began. She obviously knew who he was; that she didn't seem to be surprised by the fact he was a child had already been telling enough. "What is the purpose of your visit…?"
"Ah, of course." Yoisen nodded. "I have come to believe Naruto might have found himself in a tricky situation."
The only reaction Orochimaru showed outwardly was a tensing of his jaws.
"…Why do you believe so…?" He asked.
('He's not answering my letter.' Yoisen thought.)
"From his lack of communication. Naruto's Shadow and I believe him to be currently unable to do so." Yoisen said.
Orochimaru mulled it over.
The fact was that they usually sent a package at the exact same hour every day — which was easy to do for them, as time in other dimensions was entirely separate from theirs. For two or three days, nothing had come through at all.
Perhaps there was something to what she was saying. Orochimaru pushed his own worry away.
"Why did you come to me…?" He asked, eyes narrowed.
"I intend to go find him and help." Yoisen answered. "And for this, I will require the Rinnegan's power."
Orochimaru almost snorted. "Oh, only that…?"
"Yes." She said, equally amused. "Do not worry, I shall not ask for anything else."
It was a ridiculous demand. Anybody else… he would have sent away, more or less forcefully depending on his mood.
Unfortunately, Naruto had told him exactly who she was.
"Would you care for me to verify your intentions…?" Orochimaru asked. He would start from there.
"Using the Rinnegan, I assume." Yoisen said. "I do not mind." He was Naruto's trusted ally.
"Of course."
…
Orochimaru pursed his lips. She hadn't been lying.
"…Well, I do realize you could easily have stolen our Rinnegan." He said, sighing.
"I felt that it would be unwise." Yoisen smiled slightly. "And a terrible start; we may see more of each other in the future, still."
"…Why is that…?" Orochimaru asked.
"Why, because I intend to stay by Naruto's side." She said with a fond look. Too fond. "If he agrees to it, of course." She amended herself.
Orochimaru's eyes closed in consternation. Was it his fault...?
("Why don't you find yourself a nice girlfriend or two, then?")
Rarely had he regretted saying something more. Not killing Nagato when he was a child still was higher on his broader list of regrets, though.
"…I see." Orochimaru lied. "In that case… there might be one service I will require of you."
"Speak your terms." Yoisen nodded.
Yoisen left, in order to complete what Orochimaru had asked of her.
He turned around, facing his amused disciple.
"What the hell did you teach him, Anko…?" Orochimaru hissed. "We said "flirting basics", not… whatever caused this."
Anko shrugged helplessly. "I really don't think this has anything at all to do with what I taught him."
"What else could it be…?"
"How should I know…?" Anko laughed.
Orochimaru absentmindedly remembered some of the worst anecdotes Jiraiya had shared, after too much sake.
("I swear, it's something inhuman — these Senju women… Uzumaki guys or whatever… they have something more. The men just have to pull their d—" )
Tsunade had clobbered him then.
'That fool Jiraiya…' Orochimaru thought fondly.
Orochimaru had had to actually test it out, just to see if there had been any truth to the claim; once he proved that their pheromones were entirely too human, he had offered the results to Jiraiya. Who had had no choice but to accept the truth.
("—I'm sorry, Jiraiya. But the reason Sango didn't want to listen to your tales had nothing to do with 'Senju cock '."
"Take it back, you bastard!"
"Will you two shut the fuck up?! Why don't you get yourselves a girlfriend or two? Especially you, Jiraiya!")
Well now… There was only one thing to do, now.
Orochimaru waited for Yoisen to bring what he had dubbed the Moon Presence back to him.
i imgur com bjMdE7W png