On Tsuki.
Ōtsutsuki Higuri only watched it happen from far away.
He was still young, by his clan's standards. Three hundred full Tsuki cycles, which meant that he had most of his life ahead of him.
As of now, he wished he had spent his last moments in a better way.
He wished that he had told Chagarō what he truly thought of him, perhaps. That he could have risen to become strong enough to be sent to conquer the worlds beyond. That he had eaten Tsurugaeshi perhaps, the same way he had eaten the shit she kept flinging at him as well as her damnable words for too long.
He was not dead, not as of yet, but he was almost certain that it was only a matter of time.
Still, he wished that he had done something more interesting than cleaning his family's household.
It had started like any moon.
Higuri could not even remember half of the things he had done since waking up.
Lord Momoshiki had left for another world, according to rumor, followed by several of his elite guards.
Higuri could not remember much of how everything had happened, in fact.
He could remember the sight of blue light, high up in the dark skies. The feeling of his skin tingling from the strength of the chakra it carried. He could remember wandering aimlessly about, too panicked, too numb to even worry properly.
He could remember a flash of dark light.
And something about his entire perception changing. As though the almost carnal pull he felt for outer space had suddenly receded.
And then, power.
…
He came to see it from up close, close to the edge of his Byakugan's range.
Many of them did, in fact. He saw Tereitaro in the large crowd. Kachisani nodded at him almost imperceptibly. Kobutori looked as afraid as he himself felt.
It was quiet, almost as though everyone was holding their breath.
Well, except for the metaphorical dragon in the equally metaphorical room.
For there, in the middle of the Twelve Heavenly Generals, were the outsiders.
One was a woman bearing golden chains, with a shock of red hair flying behind her.
The other was yellow-haired, something Higuri had never seen before either.
According to the people's mutters, their hair had been white before; which only added to their confusion.
Some part of him was in shock, he knew, even as he stood, unable to look away from the terrifying display.
Not just at the fact that Tsuki had been invaded — although that was a first, they were the ones doing the invading, normally.
Rather, it was because the of Twelve Heavenly Generals, a mythical group of ascended, immortal Ōtsutsuki known in folklore through Tsuki…
A group tasked with guarding the King, who had not been sighted outside of his palace for eons…
A group many thought to be mere fiction.
Not Higuri, though. He knew everything there was to know about them, because it was a topic that fascinated him. He knew about the Generals' pasts. Their powers.
They were real, after all.
To think they were here.
In the flesh, not mere words on chakra transcripts, or hearsay.
And they were fighting. And…
Well, they were not losing...
But it didn't look as though they were winning, either.
…
Purple wings of chakra carried the yellow-haired man forward, with a single beat.
He shot forward with a violent acceleration, and with a swing of his pale sword, General Basara fell, his head severed.
The red-haired one tried to do the same thing she had done to Mekira before, burying him into a sphere of compacted ice and rock.
Higuri heard people start to cry in the crowd. They were the first of them.
Red was stopped by Anira, Warrior of the Sun.
Four, five of the others chased Yellow. He spun away into the air, spinning under the moon, and gathering chakra to himself.
...And the strength of it, too.
Higuri stood and looked aimlessly, almost blinded by it. He was no stranger to power, having seen such men as Lord Momoshiki before. His guards, as well. And people like Lord Shippeitaro. Lord Kasa. Lady Kaguya and Lord Isshiki as well, close to a hundred cycles ago.
Higuri was not about to voice it out loud, — doubt was frowned upon — but he idly wondered if with them around, they would have stood a chance. Then he pushed such a traitorous thought away.
Yellow fell upon another, his long blade carving through Makora's skull.
Higuri knew she would heal.
Because why would she not?
Her powers of fertility and renewal had let her live through countless battles. She was not as fast or agile as some of the others, but she more than made up for it with her ability to heal from anything quickly.
And that was long before she even became a General—
And then Yellow reached down, eyes glinting ominous purple and hand burning with chakra.
He called words Higuri did not understand.
And for some reason he didn't understand either, he had the feeling that this monster knew what to do about her healing ability.
He ignored it.
What Higuri did understand was that the man's Rinnegan flashed. What were they, and how did they obtain this sacred eye?
Makora was buried alive, too. And this was a sealing Art that came from Lord Kasa's line, was it not…?
Soon, there were only ten Generals left.
And the red-haired woman, whose skin was also of a strange complexion, compared to any of Tsuki's inhabitants, made sure they couldn't reach the ones that were trapped.
The less of the Generals there were, the harder they fought.
The harder the Generals fought, the more Yellow enjoyed the battle.
There was blood around him, flowing like red petals in the wind.
And he showed no signs of stopping. Far from it.
There was a method to Naruto's madness.
Figuring out an enemy's weaknesses and exploiting them ruthlessly was something he found very enjoyable, certainly.
And madness might be an appropriate term, here. He and Karin had used their Ten-Tails' power to warp the homeworld away. They had also exhausted most of the chakra in the process.
But the effect it had on each of their minds was not negligible. This was true now as well, with only the lingering effects of using so much of it over a short time period.
The chakra had a tendency of amplifying traits that they usually did not want amplified.
Lust for battle — or lust in general, for that matter —, pride, anger… And some of their worst habits.
Some were more affected than others, of course. Naruto could only theorize about the reasons — and along with Ino, they had a working model.
But telling Sakura that she turned into a proper nightmare under its influence was never going to lead to a helpful conversation, especially not during.
Karin was the least affected. She was certainly a bit more aggressive than usual, but as long as she stayed away from any sort of fighting, things would be fine, likely. Tonight would have to be an exception.
Ino's already short temper became a bit more of an actual problem. She was a proud kunoichi, one with a sharp tongue under normal circumstances. With the Ten-Tails' chakra, she was quick to take offense. And considering she had a bad habit of knowing what made people tick, she knew which buttons to push.
And speaking of pride... If Sakura wasn't… Sakura. Well, Hanabi would likely be the worst of them. Simple as that. A slight superiority complex that was closer to an inside joke than anything else usually became much more real.
And Toru, who was usually pretty laid-back… only seemed to be looking for the next fight. As though he still had something to prove.
Not that Naruto could really talk shit about either of them. He took a bit from each.
Especially the battle rage.
The only thing that kept him grounded was that he knew he wasn't alone here. And that he needed to keep himself in check, because there were people waiting for him back home.
A son.
A son.
He kept his hold on the inhuman thing pulling at his concept of self. What was pride worth, in comparison…?
…
The first creature they had sealed away was a strange being.
One that seemed to know how to outmaneuver them on the battlefield.
As though he could divine their moves, up to a certain degree of precision. This perception, this intuition made him a formidable opponent, able to sense the slightest shifts in the battlefield.
And to adapt their strategy accordingly.
Which meant that he had to go first.
And forewarned as he had been, there was only so much he could do against the last of the inhuman chakra. An unstoppable offense, repeated enough times to overpower him.
Simple as that.
And as he and Karin had predicted, it had been the right choice.
The Ten-Tails' chakra was gone, but the battle seemed more approachable, now.
Then they had gotten that seemingly invincible one, of course.
Mostly because her ability was annoying.
She could go and regenerate as much as she wanted, trapped and sealed as she was in a sphere of rocks.
They would get free at some point, undoubtedly. But he and Karin would already be gone, likely.
Of course, this was only the beginning.
…
There were still ten of them.
And they were more careful, now.
The Guardians' faces seemed to ripple. Markings spread upon their eyeless, smooth visages.
Naruto watched with, admittedly, some curiosity. The markings reminded him of animals — although this was likely a bit of a stretch, what were the chances that most Ōtsutsuki had met Earth's creatures…?
It was truly a shame that neither he nor Karin could speak their language. Or the opposite, truly. Perhaps they would have had things to say to each other.
The Ōtsutsuki's leader was unquestionably the imposing female Ōtsutsuki, whose mask looked like a Boar. The moonbeam she had grasped before had turned into a staff.
That she was currently pointing at them.
He looked at Karin. She stared back.
Boar barked an order.
Dog lifted his large hand. It shook; from the air around it, a sphere of liquid metal shaped itself into an arrow.
'Huh.' Naruto thought. 'That's new.'
Karin's chain exploded into motion. Because his back was exposed, and he trusted her to cover it, entirely. Just like he would protect hers.
Sheep became incandescent and the entire area was bathed in burning light.
Karin summoned Water in between them. Steam filled the air, just as the deafening silence did. Then there were screams as they all moved.
The area exploded.
There was no other way to put it. The Generals had nothing to fear, when it came to destroying their immortal bodies. Shapes burst apart in sprays of blood and flesh, in a thick mist that was only partly steam.
Karin's hastily formed barrier held for a little. More than enough time for Naruto to use a short-range space-time jutsu to extirpate both of them from the circle.
The circle that seemed to be a sea of bodies now.
Naruto and Karin split again. He saw a fierce expression on her face, her focus entirely on their enemies. There would be no hesitation here.
Tiger, whose arm had been mostly severed, was cloaked in thick blood. Her leg slammed into the shattered ice.
Roots, as thick as decades-old trees, exploded from under them; sickly green-black and gnarled. They dug into the ice, burying themselves and erupting from it at the same time. Most of the ice fell away, dousing them with frigid water. It did nothing to halt the Mokuton's precursor. Mist drifted between the roots, guided by Ox's thick hands.
Naruto let his sword fall. It would bury itself into the ice.
The eternal night was pierced by Sheep's sun-like chakra.
Naruto flickered.
The light purple Storm that shrouded him was so thick he looked incorporeal; more spirit than man.
He picked his sword up again, a long while — to him — before it hit the ground.
His Storm Step carried him faster than a thought. When his sword cleaved through the swordswoman, Monkey, the ranks broke. He didn't have time to seal her away.
Instead, Naruto grabbed her exposed spine and pulled with a furious howl.
It came out. By the time it did, he was covered head to toe in bright blood. He lifted it as though it were a crimson banner. Where would Monkey reform…? Around her spine, or around her fallen body…?
Fire burst around him, searing his legs. Lightning flashed; brilliant purple lifted in the billowing smoke. His own.
Karin's chains didn't quite hold up to Sheep's roaring flames. Naruto heard her shriek and he pushed his worry away. She disappeared through the Naraka Path's mouth. She came out of it entirely healed, but more exhausted. He knew that he was tired as well… but through the haze that seemed to permeate his mind it was hard to truly feel it.
Snake charged, racing down the slope of raised water that one of the others had formed. His sword gleamed bright with ethereal fire. Naruto smiled a mirthless smile.
A burst of red light from nearby forced him to launch himself up in the air.
Both Snake and Horse were upon him, now. Twin swords for the former, dagger for the latter. Both wielding strange fires. Naruto dashed through the air, low and quick, falling back to the land. He was no Hanabi and did not have any particular desire to have to keep watch under him at all times.
He felt Karin's white-hot anger at being roaster alive, through their bond.
Naruto refrained from smiling. This was not the sort of battle he could afford to let drag on, likely. No matter how much he enjoyed this — despite himself. He pushed off the floor, wreathed in light, to slip in between two of the giants. He parried a heavy blow hastily.
Metallic blades exploded out the ice, courtesy of another, and he had felt them coming. He glanced up at Horse, so nimble and agile. Horse, who was wielding strange flames.
"Fire, then…?" Naruto asked.
Naruto thrust his own off-hand forward.
Lightning and Wind and Fire.
A beam of white, electrical fire - Radiance, he called it - shot forth.
The ice melted under it, the metal it went through turned to noxious vapor.
Horse dodged. Rat, who had hidden in his shadow, didn't.
(Cunning Bikara, who had always been the most stealthy of assassins.)
Naruto was here with another long Step. He slammed his hands together and sealed the vapors — the only thing that was left of her — away, as well.
Nine left.
Karin deflected a strike aimed at his neck with her chains. Naruto leaped forward again, cutting through Ox's tendons. Naruto leaped, hand extended again, wreathed in powerful chakra. The giant's body jolted suddenly, and Water exploded out of him.
He pushed himself into the open sea.
Naruto grunted and summoned a second sword to parry Snake's twin strikes. He was forced back. Horse tried to slam his dagger into his ribs. Naruto dropped down to the floor, extending his leg into a forceful sweep, enhanced by Wind and Earth.
It proved to be enough to trip the large creature. Naruto narrowly dodged Snake's counter. Soon he was blurring away again, flipping through a flurry of incandescent fireballs, courtesy of Sheep.
Dog's arrow was deflected with a pommel strike. It still bit his ear.
The arrow became liquid metal as well, expanding to its full size and pushing him forward.
Another appeared in front of him, as he was stumbling. Then another, under him.
Both Monkey and Dog wielded Metal, then.
They were trying to crush him.
The molten element poured from above him too, and Naruto could feel its searing heat from where he was, too.
That was Sheep, likely. Their Sun Warrior. Naruto gathered his chakra. More than he would like to expend, but well…
"Shinra Tensei!"
He reduced everything around him to nothing.
In answer, a shadow fell upon him. He stared up at the skies, where Wood Dragons were looming… and falling on him.
Under him, a wall of fire.
From every direction, consecutive waves of bending metal.
Well, this was likely going to hurt.
'Summon me.' Karin thought.
So he did.
Her chains extended with a rattle and layers of barriers wrapped around them in a flash. Flashes of light broke the air, until it was only smoke and ruin over the ocean.
Karin was panting.
'Are you sure…' She began. 'That I can't make you reconsider… about going back home?'
Naruto smiled mirthlessly.
'Again, you can go.'
'I think now might not be the best moment to have a cock-swinging contest.' She thought, dryly.
'It's not. It's about sending a message. A clear one.'
'…Is that what you tell yourself…?' She growled.
Perhaps there was some truth to that. Naruto's blood was singing. He still felt the treacherous desire to use up what little was left of the Ten-Tails' chakra.
What did it matter…? Just a little bit more.
He stomped down on it.
If Karin could do the same, there was no reason for him to give in.
'…Partly.' He admitted. 'It also happens to be important.'
Karin scoffed. She tended to be a bit more dismissive, whenever she pulled upon the chakra.
Nevertheless, she stayed.
Naruto weaved through hand seals. He gathered his chakra, which felt almost burning.
Tiny shards, fragments of light formed around them, innumerable.
They swirled around them like a pale wave.
Karin released her shields.
The shards spread around them; then more of them. Then more.
"Radiance: Phantasm."
Blades rained down from the heavens.
Two more shaped themselves into his hands, to replace the ones he had lost.
Karin gave him a nod.
She weaved through hand seals of her own, releasing several high-pressured jets of water from under the giants' feet.
More of the twisted trees bloomed from underneath her, trying to immobilize her. She summoned a wall of solid rock in between her and the gnarled bark.
Some went through, and she drained their chakra dry, restoring some of her own. It felt cold.
Naruto was already gone.
The falling blades gave him a diversion. He was already engaged in close-range combat with Horse.
Horse, whose dagger strike missed when Naruto ducked.
Naruto kicked at him, and the Ōtsutsuki… thing parried with his wrist. Naruto bounced and swept his leg again.
Horse fell into the water with a mighty splash. Already, he was gathering Fire. Naruto stomped on his stomach. Hard.
Had the alien been a human… that would have been enough to crush him easily.
But he wasn't, and simply stood back up.
Naruto parried the giant's retaliating kick with a wince and dashed away. In the same beat, he threw his left-hand sword at him, like a missile.
Horse sent a wave of searing flame toward the sky.
"Storm Release: Grounding!"
Naruto dashed through them, aimed at the sword. The sword… which released a mighty pulse of Lightning through the water it had penetrated.
Horse still recovered and his hand shot forward, grabbing Naruto out of the air.
Naruto exploded in a shattering burst of Water.
The sword flashed, and the real Naruto revealed himself. The sword he kept in both hands tripled in length. Wreathed as it was in purple light, it cut through Horse's neck.
Naruto grabbed it and pulled, using the Human Path.
He was able to dig through some of the memories — not that he had really tried to, millennia's worth of memory was not something he wanted to deal with right now.
Still, it was enough to learn more about the others' abilities.
And their weaknesses.
Then he felt for Horse's current identity — as a General, not the life he had left so long ago.
His name could be approximated as Sanchira, in the humans' language.
He relied on his speed and agility, as Naruto had thought. And he simply was not used to his speed being matched.
Then Naruto felt resistance, coming from his soul.
It was wrestled away from him, and Naruto blinked.
"Preta Path." Naruto called. He restored most of the chakra he had expended with the very foreign-feeling one that still remained within the disembodied head.
Then he sealed the head away, as well.
Eight remaining.
…
A shadow moved through the water.
Headed toward Karin. Naruto warned her. But she had known already.
When Dragon — Haira, Naruto knew — reformed from raindrops behind her, she was expecting her.
The Ōtsutsuki swung her scythe with a grunt. Karin didn't try to dodge. Her skin turned black, and sturdy as diamond. The water scythe bounced off her skin with an audible clang.
Chakra whirred to life in Karin's hand, and a chain carried the Rasengan toward Haira. The alien exploded into water drops again, long before the attack could reach her. Karin grunted with exertion, and Earth enhanced her jutsu.
"Earth Style: Gravity Ball."
It was a bit more than a "simple" Earth-style Rasengan. Using the Rinnegan's ability on top of it, it pulled things to itself. Karin retracted her chain, and the jutsu followed.
So did Haira, still in her water form.
Karin grasped at the chakra-laden waters, and pulled.
Nothing happened.
Whatever that jutsu he was using was, it was not something she could undo with the Preta Path. Water rushed at her, entering her nostrils and mouth.
'Oh, fuck! Fuck fuck—' She thought.
She was very clearly doing her best to drown her. And it was going decently well, too. She was trying to slip into her lungs, now.
This time, Karin transformed her chakra to Earth and let it flow throughout her entire body, hardening skin, muscle and bone altogether. Along with some of her own organs.
It was the strongest internal shield she could manage.
And Earth was strong against Water, too.
Karin expelled the water out with a forceful exhale. Sweat ran down her eyes.
Then she fell to her knees. She had managed to do some internal damage to herself, this much was obvious. Organs were not supposed to turn to stone.
The Ōtsutsuki turned back to her corporeal form, scythe flying once more.
Karin summoned the Naraka Path and disappeared into it.
The next moment, Naruto was close again, followed by Monkey and Snake alike.
Karin summoned layers of chains to shield herself from Sheep's incandescent fireball. It exploded into a pillar of liquid flame, whose heat she could feel through the barriers.
For once, she was really looking forward to this being over.
Her chakra reserves dipped lower once more, as she used more power to fuel her barrier jutsu. The world was consumed by flame and steam.
Still, she forced her chains through the ice.
The aliens were eyeless, certainly. They likely relied upon chakra sensing to find them. Which meant that in such a chakra-laden blaze, her chains would go unnoticed.
Haira — Dragon — did not even feel the chains that broke the ice under her legs before it was too late.
"Rock Shackles." Karin muttered.
The anchors that bound Haira in place held.
As she had expected, the Ōtsutsuki exploded into water again.
"Earth Release: Gravity Well."
The large Rasengan that had erupted at her chains' tips exploded into a large sphere of darkness, drawing everything toward its center. Including the water particles.
One more jutsu.
"Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei."
Karin breathed out, ignoring her pounding heart. And the cold sweat down her back.
Seven more.
Higuri trembled.
He was not the only one. There were people weeping, too. Sobs racked a woman close to him. Many were staring at the awful spectacle in consternation.
He himself was having a hard time making himself believe this was truly happening.
It seemed more like a fever dream than anything else.
A terrifying one, on top of it.
And… there was something that was simply too ironic about the situation, as well.
Mekira, known for his intelligence and strategies, who could outsmart enemies at every turn. Mekira, bound to his duty of protecting the king.
Mekira, who had simply been out-powered. There had been no trap, nothing he could not anticipate, nothing his intelligence would not have found a way around, given enough time.
He didn't get that time.
(He would have been Rooster, to the humans. He didn't get the chance.)
Makora, quick to heal and restore herself, said to be able to heal any injuries sustained during combat, who could keep on fighting even when enemies such as Yellow thought they had the upper hand.
Makora, who did not even get the chance to exploit her abilities. She was alive and well.
In a place where that didn't matter.
(She would have been Hare, to the humans.)
Sanchira, known for his speed and agility, said to be able to outrun and evade his opponents in battle. Sanchira, bound to his duty of protecting the king.
Sanchira, who had been tired out, and out-sped. He had been led on a long chase, forced to run in circles, until Yellow had found an opening.
He had gone out in a blink.
(He had been Horse, to the humans.)
Haira, slippery Haira, able to use the power of water to wash away her enemies and prevent them from getting too close. Haira, bound to her duty of protecting the king.
Haira, who had been caught in her supposedly immaterial form. She had been lured into using her own power to push her into a vulnerable position.
She had been trapped.
(She had been Dragon, to the humans.)
Bikara, known for her cunning and stealth, whose devious schemes allowed her to rid herself of opponents before they even realized what happened. Bikara, bound to her duty of protecting the king.
Bikara, who had been roasted away seemingly by accident, as she was hidden in another's shadow.
Her cunning had gotten her sealed away.
(She had been Rat, to the humans.)
Hopefully, the seven remaining…
Ah. No.
Six, now.
Anchira, the wise and dexterous warrior, had been made to slip on ice.
Out of all things.
His agility had been turned against him.
(He had been Monkey, to the humans.)
And Higuri was very afraid, by now.
The Ōtsutsuki seemed in shock, too. To see their legendary Generals made to look so very vulnerable. Several paled, if such a thing were even possible in the first place.
Someone let out a worried scream.
There was the telltale light that came with a portal being opened.
There was hope.
Had the King sent more help?
Higuri let himself hope.
Then that hope was blown away, like a candle in the wind. Many disbelieving eyes stared, as one.
Perhaps it was a trick of the light. Perhaps—
It wasn't.
The Generals fled the battle.
On Earth.
Ōtsutsuki Tawara was still alive.
He quickly looked around himself. There were pieces of uniform, stuck to a bloody mess that had once been an Ōtsutsuki limb. The Earth underneath it was caked black with blood. That one had been crushed—
A fireball — or something — landed close to him. He never even got to hear it coming. And if he were honest with himself, he was terrified. The air was so thick with chakra that he had trouble seeing through it. As most Ōtsutsuki did, he feared the dark. He pulled himself together, trying to make sense of the whirling confusion that clouded his brain.
Was it raining, or was he sweating…?
No matter what it was, he wiped his forehead with his sleeve. His hand trembled and he was panting softly, making a vain attempt to convince himself to come out of his hiding place once more.
Then he felt ashamed of himself. What sort of coward hid while others fought…?
Then he heard the screams once more. Was it the mind-controlled Ishhiki cutting through their ranks like chaff…? Was it that white-haired Rinnegan user, who had turned men against their comrades…? Was it the psychic woman, who conjured horrors beyond their worst nightmares inside their minds…? Or the seemingly untouchable woman, the one bearing the tainted Byakugan?
Crawling, Tawara peered into a nightmarish scene. Flames dancing, arcs of lightning hurtled into his fellow Ōtsutsuki and the humans' side alike. Howling winds, boulders. Crushing waves, too.
There was the tell-tale feeling of the Ōtsutsuki's Sacred Art, Yomotsu Hirasaka, being used.
Cautiously, he let himself hope again. Reinforcements were here.
He was still afraid, but he could make more sense out of things. Closer to a heightened state of caution.
And then he heard soft footsteps close to him and the fear resumed.
He pressed himself deeper down in a hole, half-filled with water, and pretended to be dead. He lay entirely motionless and could not really see, even with his Byakugan.
A fireball landed too close to him for comfort. He grit his teeth in the mud and waited.
The steps seemed to have gone away.
The only sounds he could still hear were those of battle, as though an unbroken chain of terrible noise.
And then something heavy fell over him. He did not think at all and stood up again. He knew this chakra. His hand flew, shaping itself into a sharp point.
The child-ape caught it.
…
Orochimaru smiled, as though this were a particularly pleasant day.
"Will this be all?" He asked.
The Ōtsutsuki — the only one to speak their language, he was certain of it — reacted in the way a cornered animal would. Orochimaru deflected his strike, and his snakes bound the man.
"If not… Do bring them." Orochimaru smiled. "Bring the rest of your men here."
Something about it must have made the alien snap, likely.
Fear gave way to anger.
He growled. "They are here already."
Orochimaru chuckled. "Then why are you alone…?"
"You brought it upon yourself, monkey." Chakra made his voice much louder. He boomed orders.
White-robed men and women appeared in the skies. Most of them, close to Orochimaru and the Ōtsutsuki named Tawara.
"They should all be here, then." Orochimaru nodded. "Good. I tire of this."
He smiled, and it wasn't pretty.
Orochimaru slammed his hands together.
"Eight-Forked Binding."
Eight radiant lights danced, shone bright in the night sky.
They were not stars.
Every remaining Ōtsutsuki fell.
One moment they were hovering in the air, raining gouts of fire and lightning.
The next they tumbled gracelessly, as though they had simply forgotten how to stay suspended up there.
And they were entirely still.
"…What?" Tawara muttered. "…No."
He was quiet at first.
"No."
The alien continued to mutter.
"Are they…?"
"What…?" Orochimaru asked coldly. "Dead?"
Orochimaru drew closer to him; his soft steps made no sound at all, this time.
"How?!" Tawara howled.
"I am a cautious person." The child chuckled. "I prepared for your arrival, of course."
Tawara growled.
"What did you do?"
Orochimaru shrugged.
"Out with it, monkey!"
"I am unsure why you presume you can give me orders. Besides, I am in no hurry." Orochimaru said, sitting down. "You, on the other hand…"
Tawara roared.
He didn't manage to stand up.
"I would advise you not to try to use your chakra."
"What — What did you do?!"
"Well, I put a little… something in the air, of course." Orochimaru laughed. "You could call it a poison, should you wish to do so."
Tawara's breathing quickened. His heart was pounding.
"Or a gas, rather." Orochimaru laughed. "One tailored to your species. I infected you."
He counted a few breaths.
"The poison is already in your system, yes."
"What?! What sort—"
"Now, for the strongest of you Ōtsutsuki… My solution didn't work." Orochimaru began. "Weaker ones, like the newcomers, though…"
He chuckled, motioning at the moaning aliens.
"And you as well, of course. Is it enough gloating for you yet?" He asked.
Tawara growled.
"You're right. I can keep going." Orochimaru nodded. "Let me tell you what is happening."
Orochimaru smiled.
"There are some diseases that are exceptionally common on Earth." He began. "Luckily, most people don't run into their vectors too often."
Tawara stayed immobile.
"And I learned about a very interesting poison as well, thanks to my apprentice. So… I had an idea. Let me tell you how this is going to go, for you. All of you."
The fighting had died down.
Ino, Hanabi and Toru had likely gotten rid of the last of the strong fighters, then.
"You manage to conquer Earth after all, and kill all of us monkeys. You decide to take a well-earned nap. You forget all about that moment of weakness all of you Ōtsutsuki had at the same time — it must have been a strange gravity jutsu, and the child-ape was only trying to lie his way out of trouble.
"No test seems to reveal anything out of the ordinary in your bodies. Perhaps they use the Rinnegan's Naraka Path on you. It will not work, because once was enough for me to learn my lesson.
"After a while, you simply forget about this supposed poison entirely. The child-ape had been lying, after all.
"The poison is already multiplying. It does no damage and is still entirely undetectable, even to the Rinnegan, the Byakugan itself. You show no symptoms.
"In a year, maybe a hundred years, you start to ache. It is nothing too far out there. Simply a bellyache. Perhaps a headache?
"At this point… you are dead already. You simply do not know it.
"Your slight ache turns into a full-blown fever. Now you know something is wrong with you. You shiver. You tremble. You're very uncomfortable. Scared, too. Sleep eludes you. The poison has reached your brain already.
"Again, this conquest of Earth has long been forgotten already.
"Then… you become truly afraid. Anxious. And the most delightful part…? You do not know why. The poison has taken over your brain.
"You lose coordination slowly. Then your balance. Perhaps you can still fly…? Not for long, I would wager.
"No healer can find anything wrong with you.
"You are alone, shaking… afraid. Fear has taken over you, from both your worries… and the poison. I would say… you likely have not ever felt this intensity of fear before. Because your amygdala has just been toyed with.
"You feel your species' longing for chakra. More than ever before.
"But… you cannot consume it. Any time you do, your body clamps shut. You vomit. You began to fear chakra. An active fear. And yet… you need it, now. Because your own does not replenish itself anymore.
"Perhaps your healers will try to force-feed you some. But it is too late. It was too late the very moment the poison entered your body.
"You begin to hallucinate. You see things that are not there. You hear things that are not there. You feel things that are not there.
"And then… you begin having trouble remembering things.
"You are alone and confused. Afraid. Terrified, even.
"Who are these strange people trying to force-feed you this something you cannot remember the name of…? Who are these people around your bed, crying your name…? Your name…? What was it…? It was just on the tip of your tongue.
"Time blurs. It means nothing to you anymore.
"Long after your body does, your brain begins to shut down. It will be ugly. You lose control over your muscles. Your eyelids do not blink properly. Your tongue seems to slip in the back of your mouth. Your heartbeat seems somewhat off, for some reason no one can pinpoint.
"Light feels blinding. Your face slacks. You drool. Sleep? That is something you cannot achieve anymore.
"Then… you die. Inevitably.
"And no one could do anything for you."
Tawara stared, eyes wide in fright.
Orochimaru smiled.
"Leave. Or die. I do not care, frankly." He said.
Tawara called upon his chakra.
"Ah." Orochimaru shrugged. "You're hoping there is an antidote, aren't you…? One that I would have given to Kaguya, perhaps…?"
Tawara roared and forced himself forward.
Then he fell, clutching at his throat.
Orochimaru blinked.
"Oh…?" He chuckled. "Did I forget to tell you that I was a decent liar…? And that the poison was chakra-triggered, perhaps…? I must have become forgetful, in my old… young age. Shame on me."
He shook his head, amused.
"Shame on me."
The battle was over as soon as the poison reached the Ōtsutsuki, of course.
"You created a goddamn bioweapon?!" Ino spat, hair still white. "Are you out of your mind?!"
This was it.
Naruto's sensei or not, this little bastard had gone too far, this time—
"Yes. Do you see, now?" Orochimaru asked, sounding proud of himself. "The situation was entirely under control."
It took Ino a few moments to regain control of her temper. Orochimaru seemed to sense it, because he did not speak for that little while.
"…It has worked, hasn't it…?" Hanabi asked. "Perhaps if you weren't this sensitive about such matters—"
"Don't." Ino gritted out. "This is far too dangerous."
"I took my precautions." Orochimaru nodded. "Besides, didn't you use to torture people? I would have thought you would be less squeamish."
Hanabi moved to put a firm hand on Ino's shoulder when she felt her stiffen. Ino glared at her instead.
Toru's distaste was apparent as well.
The tension was palpable.
"Are we really going to do this?" He asked. "Why don't we just…"
"Fight it out?" Hanabi grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that."
"Whatever." Ino spat.
The three left.
Shisui arrived first. He did not say anything, he just oversaw the ruined area.
"Fabulous, is it not?" Orochimaru asked him.
Shisui let out a nervous laugh.
"What, this…?" He motioned toward the carnage. "I… guess it worked. Whatever it is you did."
"Well, not this, no." Orochimaru shook his head. The land would be fixed by Earth users, of course. "Naruto's little jutsu — that he firmly kept away from me. I suppose we now have a workable way of reaching other planets. See? Innovation is driven by need, Shisui."
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(a General)
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(a happy child)