Meeting of the Multiversal Council
March 5th, Year One of the Unification
Projection Set In Imperial Palace's Heaven Room
Safe, R-Encrypted Copy
PRESENT
[…]
Arrivals:
Uzumaki Naruto, from World #6718 (Shizune's Note to K,N: A world where Five Great Nations compete in a friendly, Olympic-style tournament to showcase their skills — The Olympics are something World #7570 has, as well: a friendly contest.)
[…]
Uzumaki Naruto (#6718): Are you competing in strength sports?
Uzumaki Naruto (Chair): That is a pleasant way to see it, I suppose.
Uzumaki Naruko (#466): And you, newcomer…
Uzumaki Naruto (#6718): Yes?
Uzumaki Naruko (#466): You train a lot too, don't you? I can tell.
[…]
Uzumaki Naruto (Chair): Please file this complaint as well, Mai.
Tanabe Mai (Secretary): The Empress, I suppose?
Uzumaki Naruto (Chair): Yes.
Meeting of the Multiversal Council
March 8th, Year One of the Unification
Projection Set In Imperial Palace's Heaven Room
Safe, R-Encrypted Copy
PRESENT
[…]
Arrivals:
Albus Dumbledore, from World #H94 (Shizune's Note to K,N: First name first. A world where magical beings coexist with non-magical ones, hidden in plain sight. They attend schools to learn magic, similar to chakra academies. Also, your nephew went there.)
Severus Snape, from World #H94 (Shizune's Note to K,N: Comes from the same world as Albus Dumbledore. He is known to be a skilled potion maker and an accomplished wizard in his own right.)
[…]
Albus Dumbledore (#H94): It is truly a pleasure to be here, esteemed council members.
Severus Snape (#H94): […]
Albus Dumbledore (#H94): Please, Severus.
Severus Snape (#H94): […] Likewise.
Uzumaki Naruto (Chair): Welcome, Dumbledore. Your world sounds quite interesting. Is everything going well with the exchange students?
[…]
Kage (#07): Triwizard is the name, then? Sounds exciting! My son told me about it. And dragons, too?! We only have summons! Never had to face a real dragon before. That slick bast[…] rascal Boruto gets to see it, and I don't!
Albus Dumbledore (#H94): That is fascinating, and you're more than welcome to spectate. I will clarify for everyone else. In the Triwizard Tournament, young wizards and witches face a series of magical challenges[…]
Severus Snape (#H94): I assure you, the novelty wears off rather quickly when you're tasked with tending to burns from dragon fire, dubious Chinese fireworks.
Albus Dumbledore (#H94): Severus[…]
Uchiha Toru (#01): Please make sure to record that, Mai. We might need to add dragons to the curriculum.
Kaitaro (Chair): Please don't listen to him. He is not even in charge of the Academies.
Uzumaki Naruto (Chair): What he said.
Tanabe Mai (Secretary): Duly noted, Chairmen.
[…]
Severus Snape (#H94): This is not a venue for banter and idle chit-chat. We are here to maintain the stability of the universes.
Albus Dumbledore (#H94): Indeed, Severus, your point is well taken. However, I've always found a pinch of mirth makes the hefty task of governance a bit more palatable.
Killer Bee (#5304): Alright, no need for a fight. Toru's just askin', ain't no taskin'.
Uchiha Toru (#01): Appreciate it, Bee.
Killer Bee (#5304): Plus, it ain't a ruse, he needs some cruise. Just a little jive, ain't no dive. Snape could use some love in his life.
Severus Snape (#H94): My personal affairs bear no relevance to this council's proceedings.
Uzumaki Naruto (#5304): Man, it's called a conversation. We're just shootin' the breeze.
Severus Snape (#H94): A breeze I would rather not be caught in, thank you.
[…]
Albus Dumbledore (#H94): My dear Severus, one must learn to appreciate the directness here. This council, you see, not only shares their unique strengths through the wide universes, but also fosters a delightful sense of camaraderie. A rather unique blend, wouldn't you agree?
Severus Snape (#H94): Most peculiar. It is all I am willing to concede.
Kage (#07): Yeah, don't mind Bee, Severus. We all just try to keep things light here. I mean, who knows what we might have to face next?
Uzumaki Naruto (Chair): Jinsuke would love this guy. Mai, if you could?
Tanabe Mai (Secretary): It is hardly important. Or proper.
Uzumaki Naruto (Chair): Mai, please.
Tanabe Mai (Secretary): […] Noted. Will add "Universe #H94 may contain dragons and humor-resistant potion masters" to the records.
Severus Snape (#H94): Very[…] amusing. Let us proceed.
Kaitaro (Chair): Indeed. Let's move to the next item on our agenda.
On the Nature of Kami
Astrologers wondered, their fingers tracing the impossible constellation.
The night sky held a new story, it seemed.
Several of them gazed at the shimmering tapestry, and connected the celestial dots in discernable shapes.
As they charted tales of gods and beasts, heroes and villains onto the cosmos' canvas, they decided upon this one.
The Butterfly.
Sisui Protects
As a baby, Toru was so tiny that Shisui was hesitant about touching him.
Perhaps it was because he was afraid of hurting him.
Perhaps it was because he had already killed with these hands.
Their father, a few years before he would lose his mind, only snorted in derision and handed his brother to him. Toru's mother — but not really Shisui's, never really Shisui's — had a strange look in her eyes as she watched the scene.
Toru — that was his name, then — was loud. That was the first thing Shisui thought. And he looked weird.
But… Shisui supposed, a bit grudgingly, that this was his brother, now.
Shisui knew how bad the real world could be.
And maybe he understood what little Itachi meant, in this half-childish, half-ancient way of his.
Shisui would do anything to protect Toru.
Later on, he breaks the rules, teaches him about forbidden techniques; asks Kakashi for a favor. Toru survives.
He breaks the rules again, and lets his brother go free when every instinct tells him he shouldn't. Toru doesn't survive.
He blames himself, Shimura Danzō, and Uzumaki Naruto; decides that all three must die.
The other two die.
Toru lives again. So does Uzumaki Naruto, but at this point, the dislike Shisui bears for him is mostly the same as the one he bears for anyone else who killed allies. And there are many of them.
Aside from what he did to Kakashi, of course. This feels more personal.
As a baby, Yui is so small that Shisui is hesitant about touching her.
But Anko rolls her eyes, with a lightheartedness that Shisui's father never had, and hands him their daughter.
Toru is his own man, and stronger than Shisui could ever have imagined, now (stronger than him, too). He doesn't need Shisui, and that he finally seems at ease around him again is something he had never dared to hope for.
Yui, on the other hand, needs him.
Uzumaki Naruto is doing a decent job with the world, Shisui can grudgingly admit it. He also not only opened Pandora's Box, but seemingly managed to throw most of his entourage into it, albeit unknowingly.
There is nothing Shisui wouldn't do to protect his family. Whether that is Anko and Yui, Itachi and Toru and Sasuke and Mikoto... his latest cousins — and which of Uchiha Naruto or the youngest Sasuke is more of a ticking time-bomb is something that keeps both he and Itachi awake at night — doesn't matter.
And if that meant listening to a man made out of spare parts of the worst monsters of Uchiha legend and his very own twist on the time-proven formula for madness…
Or going to space with an earthly monster, a Tsuki-monster and a head-only monster…
Then so be it.
The Depths of Suiten
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 1
...Where do I start...?
My name...? Eh, who cares. I've never considered myself to be a very interesting person.
There are people like my cousin Itachi who seem to be able to do anything, and to do it well, too. Or Sasuke, really. That's not my case.
I've had good days.
I've had bad days.
And then I've had days like today, where all of the bad days, put together, barely seem to scratch the surface of how bad things could get.
Now… I've always wanted to go to space, of course. The reason was somewhat stupid, and I mostly blame old comic books for my current situation.
In any case, wanting to go to space was the whole reason I found myself onboard the star cruiser named The Great Leaf. It was not one that would win any awards, certainly, but that was a trip I could afford, at least.
It started pretty well, too!
Then there was an alarm blaring, a red light… people screaming about a meteor shower, the star cruiser shaking…
Ah, fuck. Saying it out loud now… I have trouble remembering much after that. I ran toward the nearest escape pod, forgot most of my stuff behind…
And yeah.
It soared to the planet below.
When I came to, I was here. I don't think I got knocked out, although that's hard to say — got a hard head hahaha.
…I really shouldn't be laughing, huh.
In any case, the flotation devices activated, which meant I had made a water landing. At the time, I just remember thinking that at least I wasn't on a gaseous planet.
Though I'm pretty sure it's not that great, either.
When I climbed atop of the pod, all I could see was sea. Everywhere. As far as the eye could see.
The pod was bobbing softly on the fucking waves and there was, and still is… nothing out there. No fucking people around. I don't even know where the ship is, if it landed or…
Whatever.
Anyway, I spent most of the two hours after that crying or cursing, maybe both… I don't know.
Apparently, I still have some supplies, at least. Enough for two or three days, and then I guess I might just kill myself, make it shorter and all.
Oh, yeah. I found a fabricator, too — SynTech issued, hopefully it's as reliable as it is said to be.
Ah, great. It's getting dark, too.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 2
I ate too much of my food.
I don't even know why I did this, really. I panicked, I think.
Also, I think my situation finally hit me fully.
I didn't do much of anything, today — and I definitely did not get out of the pod.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 3
I started to explore a bit.
Well, I say explore, but that just means I dove underwater, once I found the survival suit that was stashed away in the safe.
Also, my pod's PDA is still working, apparently. Too bad it's not telling me anything too useful. I tried to use it to call for help, but it seems no one's picking up. Perhaps I'm too far out of range…? I don't know.
So, anyway, I dove into the water, with nothing but a little knife.
It's a quite shallow place, full of coral reefs, and apparently there's nothing too dangerous around.
Look, I'm not that superstitious, but maybe I shouldn't say that out loud either.
There's plenty of small fish here, so I worked on catching some. If you've never had the pleasure of doing that before, I can't say I would recommend my way — it was highly inefficient. I managed to catch one, though.
It was all very tiring, and I don't know if the fish, even cooked through the fabricator, really made up for it, but I suppose it was something.
Still trying to get the hang of this thing, but the PDA really does help — although charging it in the sun is a bit of a pain.
If anything, being so close to nature helped me with yesterday's depression. I learned that I could rely on myself, how beautiful the world was… All that.
I'm joking, of course, I'm still depressed.
And likely going to die alone on fucking sea planet.
I really should have stayed on land.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 4
Apparently, the PDA and the fabricator are my best chances at surviving a little bit longer - fish aside.
They taught me how to make the water drinkable, filtering it through a live fish. I'll spare you the process, which is admittedly a bit cruel, but I'm a very thirsty man.
In any case, these two pieces of technology are simply too useful to be ignored.
If they died on me, I was as good as dead — faster.
So I asked the PDA how to make another PDA and fabricator, using the fabricator, of course.
The answer turns out to be a bit more complicated than I wished for, and I don't have half the required materials to do that, so I guess I'll have to hope for the best.
That's all I do these days, hahahaha.
…haha.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 5
I asked the PDA — named him Hiroshi Quantumblade, like one of my favorite comics — how to catch more of these filtering fishes.
I don't know why I didn't think of making an electromagnetic net before.
Ah, true. Mostly because that's out of my fucking reach, as of now.
Sorry, Hiroshi. I guess you don't exactly have feelings to hurt, but it wasn't a bad suggestion, really. Just one that's a bit too complicated in this context.
It wasn't a bad start, however, and I decided that making a net would be good, even. I'd just need to make some sort of rope.
I saw some vines the other day, I guess it's a decent place to start.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 6
It worked!
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 7
Fishing should be a bit more approachable, now that I don't have to catch them with my bare hands, I suppose.
I guess I've got a reliable means of obtaining food and water. Somewhat. I don't know much about fish — we don't really have them on my home planet.
Do they… like… migrate at some point?
Because if they do, I'm in deep shit.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 8
I have decided I'm going to be working on traps.
Throwing nets around is all good and fun, until you realize you have to do it underwater.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 8
Hiroshi told me that my best way of surviving would be to gather materials.
There were mineral deposits around, of course. Everywhere, in fact.
Maybe I should have asked Hiroshi right away.
But I can learn — yeah, laugh, whoever you are, listening to a dead man's recordings.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 9
Made a little pickaxe tool. The oceans shall tremble before my power.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 10
Hiroshi taught me how to make an oxygen tank from metal.
I dared to go a little bit further away — not too far of course, because if I manage to lose my pod, I'm fucked.
There are little caves, and more minerals inside. Not sure what, though, and Hiroshi is much too precious to be risked by taking it along.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 11
Yeah, I took Hiroshi with me.
It's copper and quartz, anyway.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 12
Oh, I could make a scanner from these materials.
Guess who's not being risked anymore. That's you, Hiroshi!
Today was more cave scrubbing. Also I need to replace my pickaxe, I guess. Not too fond of using my nails, really.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 13
Turns out I could possibly make this stasis trap.
It would stay in place and catch loose fish, and I'd just need… what was it? More rocks whose name I can't remember — but that's what the scanner's for… Limestone, titanium, some gold, some silver…
Whatever. I'm just doing what the nice computer tells me to do anyway.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 14
Reminder to empty the stasis traps fast or just make them bigger.
Having this much fish in one place seems to attract bigger ones.
Not cool.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 15
I am a god made flesh!
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 17
I'm sick and tired of living in this cramped pod.
I'm going to build a sea house, or something. As long as I can sleep on my back, I think I'll be fine.
More material, then, I suppose.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 19
So, I mean, sure…
These four walls are pretty sterile, too… and it's barely bigger than the pod itself, but to me at least, it looks pretty sweet.
There's even some room to store things away —… Yeah, I better make some real cabinets.
Using the vines from that other day, the fabricator can make blankets… pillows.
Pillows!
So, sure… I still shit in the pod, but small victories, eh?
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 20
I'm sick of looking at these white walls.
I moved everything from the pod into here, though.
I'm going to make a window or two. Or expand my house.
Or both.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 21
Ate some fish for breakfast — and probably more for lunch.
I set out to pick up more vine. I think with Hiroshi's help, I'd be able to plant some more, because I'd rather not find myself in that situation.
…Had a close brush with one of the bigger fish, too.
I'm not too shaken. They're big, and somewhat aggressive, too… but I'm bigger.
I'm going to venture a bit further away, to find some material. I'll take the bigger tank.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 23
What… What the hell was that?!
I… Oh, man.
Let me catch my breath. I was out and it was getting dark. I had my trusty little torch with me, so I wasn't particularly worried…
Oh, I didn't mention the torch in these logs, I guess. Well, it makes light.
I was packing it up, dragging my haul across the ocean floor when I heard it.
The most… blood-curdling of screams.
It came from down below, and I have no idea whether it was coming from me, or not.
Whatever it was… it was big.
In any case, I high-tailed it — I don't know if I ever swam this fast before.
I… I… Fuck it. Let's cut it here for today.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 25
Did nothing yesterday.
If there was such a thing as land, I would build a home there and wait for someone, anyone to pick me up.
But there's no land. And there's no one to pick me up, it seems.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 26
Yesterday was a day of reflection. Today is a day of action.
Despite the fear, I ventured out again — armed with my trusty torch and that little blade I fashioned from scrap metal.
I went back for the resources I left the other day.
I found a new type of plant, some kind of bulbous thing, glowing a soft purple. They're beautiful and almost hypnotic... but that doesn't mean they're safe. I've learned the hard way not to touch everything.
The fish are less bothered by me these days.
I'm just another creature to them. One with strange appendages and bulky equipment, but a creature nonetheless. Surviving here is beginning to feel almost normal. Almost.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 28
An interesting discovery today.
There's an extensive cave system down below, deeper than I've gone before.
Hiroshi believes it could be a source of new resources, maybe even food.
That scream from before still haunts me, but I can't let fear dictate my actions. I need to explore those caves.
We're… well I am preparing for a deeper dive tomorrow.
The idea of swimming into the dark belly of Suiten is... daunting. But the prospect of finding something valuable down there is too tempting to pass.
Oh, yeah. I gave it a name, I guess.
I think I'm lonely.
No, scratch that, some days I feel as though I'm losing my mind. I feel a bit more chatty, though. Maybe it's because of that.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 30
Today, I descended into the abyss.
The caves were filled with strange luminescent corals and critters that scurried away from my torch.
Something brushed against my leg and I panicked.
I swam up and hit my head against a rock.
I'm okay, but it was a close call. Down there, in the dark, I found what looked like a vein of some sort of metal.
Not sure what it is, but Hiroshi will be able to analyze it, if I scan it.
Tomorrow, I'll go back and try to mine some of it. With new resources, we might… I might — Hiroshi is not an actual person. Stand a better chance against… whatever is out there.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 32
Something happened today.
It wasn't the scream from before, but something…. different.
A low, distant rumble that shook the sea floor. I thought it was an earthquake, but Hiroshi is convinced it's coming from something alive.
I'm scared.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 36
Took me a while to get out and down again.
Good news and bad news.
The good: the metal is unlike anything we've ever seen. Hiroshi believes it could be used to upgrade my equipment or even build something entirely new.
The bad: we had another encounter with a big fish today. A closer encounter than ever before. I think I'll need some time to heal my wounds.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 37
The wound is a bit worse than I expected, but it should be fine.
I'm tough like that.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 39
The days are blurring together.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 40
Maybe it's the time alone, maybe it's the injury. Hiroshi doesn't know.
Whatever it is… the hallucinations are getting worse.
I'm finding it hard to care, really.
Either I die here… or a bit later.
It's a pitiful fate, really. A fucking fish wound, out of all things. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.
To journey among the stars and all that… to be undone by a creature of the sea on a random alien world.
I should have known better to think that I'd find anything in space. I… I was just running from myself, I suppose.
Guess there won't be much running anymore.
Eh.
In the meantime, I suppose I can just get some sunlight. And Suiten's waves always seem to blur the passage of time.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 41
Okay — I…
I'm definitely fucking losing it, now. Or I'm dead already.
I was on top of the landing pod, watching the sun sinking. I… I saw… I thought I saw the strangest thing go down from the clouds.
It looked like a spaceship, in a way. Well, none that I had ever seen before.
It… landed on the water.
A man that looked suspiciously like me, but less handsome, waved me hello. Call it entertaining a delusion if you want… but I waved back.
Then he walked atop the water and I knew I was fucked.
This was likely God.
Even for a hallucination, the words he was saying made no sense. Some of them felt somewhat familiar, sure, but I couldn't make any sort of sense of what he was saying.
He carried me over like a sack of potatoes, and brought me inside their ship. There was…
Shit. There was a tall woman, a child and…
Oh. I think I imagined a disembodied head, too.
The child asked me some questions, and I did not understand any of them. He tapped my forehead, and it felt as though I relived most of the previous month, in the blink of an eye.
For real.
The child barked an order to the Uchiha-looking man, to which he rolled his eyes and went out again. When he came back, entirely wet, he gave me something that looked like a scroll.
The child said something about Hiroshi, pointing at the scroll, which freaked me out entirely. I might have said some stuff, too. Then I figured this was the sort of thing that only made sense during a hallucination... and I decided to just play along.
The child and the man said more things between them, and before I knew it, I was hauled through a dark portal of light, and screaming.
Death was a strange thing.
[LOG ENTRY] - Day 42
Today, I woke up on a hospital bed.
If I look through the window, I can see the ocean. Again.
It still makes me queasy, of course.
I'm still unsure whether or not I am hallucinating this whole thing and am currently dying, dead... from whatever it was that caused me to lose my mind out there, but… I mean, there's not much of a point in freaking out, anyway. Either I'm dead or I'm not.
Not sure what the human-looking aliens want from me, though. The nurse is kind, however. We have trouble communicating, of course, but whatever that strange device she is using to show me pictures is, it is pretty convenient. And she is picking up on a lot of words quickly.
Maybe I'll manage to find my way back home at some point. I hope so, at least. For now, this will be enough.
I'm still trying to make sense of it. And this 'Umigakure' place.
[LOG END] - Uchiha Isamu
Uchiha Shisui and the Twin Tyrants
Later. In another world entirely.
Uchiha Shisui had long wondered whom he hated most.
Uzumaki Naruto, for being who he was…
Or Orochimaru. For the exact same reason — on top of being his boss.
Right now, in the middle of a war-torn universe, far from his young daughter, — but with a decent reason, at least — he thought he was forming a tentative answer.
There was a whirl of colors and light, and sounds, too.
None were the pleasant kind.
Shisui's sharp eyes were slowly taking in the grim panorama that unfolded before them.
At least, it was not that horrible water planet. How that guy, who looked a bit too much like Toru, had managed to survive, even for a month, he was not entirely sure.
They hadn't found much on that planet, aside from that distress signal. There were terrible creatures down the depths, apparently, but nothing kami-related. So they had left.
And the only good thing about this new place... was that it was not that ocean planet.
They were standing on the edge of a vast battlefield, a scene reminiscent of ancient, primitive wars… but one fought with a level of technology that made their own world seem provincial in comparison.
Giant mechs lay scattered around, lifeless eyes staring into nothingness.
An unending stretch of gray and rust was the only scenery, interspersed with craters of varying sizes and the occasional twisted, charred piece of metal.
Smoke curled up into the leaden skies from distant fires, and the stench of oil, molten metal, and something ominously unrecognizable filled the air.
In the backdrop, a ravaged field stood under the ominous, inky void of the sky, dwarfing them with its cratered, ruinous grandeur.
And the fighting was ongoing, too.
More armed forces were apparently coming in.
"…You realize all of this is as much your fault as it is his, right?" Shisui asked Orochimaru calmly.
"Ah, yes." Orochimaru said, quite dryly. "Because I expected Naruto to get his grubby hands on world-breaking power, at the time I told him to scarify himself, obviously."
"Not just that." Shisui hissed. "This! So... thank you."
He was pointing at the horror unfolding around them.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, seemed unperturbed by the macabre scene. His child-like face was alight with excitement, the eerie glow of the fires reflecting in his mesmerizing, snake-like eyes.
His eyes were fixed on the broken mechs, his mind already buzzing with theories and questions about the foreign technology.
"You're welcome, Shisui." He said, beaming. "Isn't it exciting?"
…
Kaguya had gotten lost.
Admitting it, or worse, going back to the humans once she located them, felt like admitting defeat.
Still, she would have to find them, if only to get home. Or away from here, in any case.
Besides, when they had gotten separated, she had gotten the impression that she had lucked out, really.
Compared to the violent scenes they had been subject to before, this bustling marketplace stood out like an oasis of life.
…And it was very peculiar, too.
Humans of all shapes and sizes moved around, their speech a cacophonous mix of dialects and roars. Vendors shouted out their wares, strange but fascinating gadgets spread out before them.
However, even in their midst, she stood out.
It was likely her alien sort of elegance, she thought. They had probably never seen an Ōtsutsuki woman before.
She could not make sense of many of the things they were selling, however. This was… perhaps a bit more advanced than what they had on Tsuki.
Brow furrowed in concentration, and trying her best to appear inconspicuous, she tried to understand the currency exchange.
If there was even anything she had that could work as currency.
Well, at the very least, there would be no dealing with that overly virtuous Relena Peacecraft and her painful pacifism.
…
Hidan got more unlucky.
He had lost consciousness at some point… and somehow ended up in a busy mechanicum workshop.
That's what they called it, at least.
And Hidan wasn't entirely sure how he could even understand them at all. Had they fucked with his brain, somehow...?
Shelves piled high with arcane devices, the air filled with the smell of grease and a constant undercurrent of electricity.
And in the center of the chaos was Hidan, a disembodied head housed in a clunky machine, surrounded by a group of wide-eyed tech-priests.
One of them leaned in closer, his mechanical eye zooming in and out in fascination.
"By the Omnissiah." He muttered, an awed reverence in his voice. "This is a true marvel of the Machine God. Alive still, even after such drastic alterations…"
In response, Hidan, who was all too used to tech-lunatics, just rolled his eyes.
"I am no machine-god-gift." He spat.
"Did you hear that, brother Archibaldus?" Another tech-priest exclaimed, turning towards his companion with a mechanical whir. "It speaks!"
"Indeed, brother Servulus." Archibaldus nodded solemnly, his voice carrying an edge of excitement. "Such volition, such spirit! Truly, it is a blessed creation."
"If this blessed creation had its body, you'd be a bloody pulp by now." Hidan grumbled, the threat losing its bite when it was accompanied by the whirring of gears and the beep of indicators.
Also, the fact he had no body.
"And so spirited, too!" Servulus added with a chuckle. "Brother Archibaldus, do you suppose it is capable of more interaction?"
A third tech-priest, this one garbed in a more ornate robe, approached Hidan's machine. "It's fascinating, brothers. An intact consciousness housed within a shell that seems identical to primitive humans, from Terra itself." He mused, his voice filled with awe. "I wonder what tales it could tell."
Hidan groaned loudly, the machine he was stuck in mimicking his exasperation perfectly.
"Tales? You want tales? I'll tell you the tale of how I'm gonna rip your–"
"Did you hear that?" Archibaldus interrupted, raising a hand excitedly. "It's... it's storytelling! What an advanced Machine Spirit!"
The other tech-priests nodded in agreement, their mechanical appendages clanking together in shared excitement.
Servulus turned to the other priests, his voice filled with anticipation. "Should we bring brother Lucius? He's been working on deciphering the ancient lexicons, this Machine Spirit might assist him."
"Great idea, brother Servulus!" Archibaldus praised.
Hidan's muffled curses only made the situation seem more absurd to him.
"Indeed, we must celebrate this blessing from the Omnissiah! Fetch some sacred oil, brother Servulus. Today, we honor the Machine Spirit with our rites."
As Hidan's continued threats were met with further admiration, he almost began to wonder where exactly Orochimaru was.
…
"Are we leaving?" Shisui asked tightly.
"Not yet." Orochimaru muttered absentmindedly.
There was a flash of light, and with a curse, a green arm sprung around Shisui, shielding them both from a stray beam of light.
"Thank you, Shisui. I saw it coming." Orochimaru said, equally absentmindedly. "I see your reflexes are sharpening."
Wave after wave of men clad in Imperial garb — that's what they were screaming about when they got torn apart - clashed against a seemingly endless tide of chittering monsters.
Their war cries filled the air, just as the smoke, heat and fire did.
"Look at them, Shisui." Orochimaru said, shaking his head. "Such fervor. Such devotion. Such raw brutality, too. If Naruto finally accepted my methods, we could have this, as well."
Shisui was less enthusiastic, of course.
His red eyes were darting across the field, and he knew he was going to regret keeping his Sharingan on later, when he found himself stuck with useless, horrible memories of people in more pieces that he had thought was possible, even after decades of being a shinobi.
Orochimaru shook his head. "Oh, Shisui." He said, almost fondly. "Can you not appreciate the art of war? The clash of ideologies…? The essence of survival?"
"I'd appreciate not getting skewered by these ogre-looking bastards a fair bit more." Shisui retorted.
"Understandable, understandable." Orochimaru nodded. "But this conflict… seems like something a bit beyond us, I see no point in trying to stop it. You may as well see what there is to see in it."
"…If you have any more philosophical musings, they can wait until we are safe — What the fuck are you doing?!"
The child-man-snake was gone, flitting through the chaos in a small, almost unnoticeable shape.
A snake, of course.
Shisui's heart stopped. He had been given a backup Rinnegan, of course, and Toru had said something about Shisui being linked to his younger brother's immortal soul and whatever that was… but Shisui wasn't entirely sure whether or not he would manage to find his way back home.
If Orochimaru managed to die—
With a curse, weaving an illusion around himself, Shisui ran after him.
The ground exploded near him, but he had seen it coming.
Shisui could hear the snake mutter to himself as it slithered through the danger with preternatural ability.
"Fascinating." Orochimaru said, gleefully.
And he was poking through the corpses, likely pilfering them for information in that ghoulish way of his.
Bringing a Yamanaka to that man had probably set back the entire field of ethics two generations back. Another thing to thank Uzumaki Naruto for.
"Bolter." Orochimaru said, muttering the unfamiliar word to himself. "Lasgun."
Every single new item was a source of fascination to him.
Orochimaru veered, and maneuvered dangerously close to one of these alive, large fellows from before. One with a face that looked as though it had been bashed against a wall one too many times.
And the humanoid thing gave Shisui a look that made his heart stop.
Could people in this horrible universe see through illusions…?
He gathered chakra—
Then the ogre looked away and resumed its charge against the hive of monsters.
"That was an Ogryn, Shisui." Orochimaru said, quite casually. "And you look quite fetching in this Guardsman uniform, too."
"I don't care." Shisui spat.
Orochimaru, still in snake form, sighed. "…How dreadful." He said. "I should have taken your brother along, instead."
"…Leave Toru out of this." Shisui said, with a bit more edge than intended.
"Oh?" Orochimaru laughed. "Feeling protective, then? I assure you, he would be in no more danger than you. Likely less, even, considering your respective strength levels."
Shisui clenched his fist.
"In any case…" Orochimaru nodded. "We are done here. I have learned some of the language… as well as the location of the Mechanicus Archive."
"The what?"
Orochimaru grinned.
…
In the cold, calculating heart of the Adeptus Mechanicus' fortress, a small servo-skull bobbed unassumingly amidst its brethren.
Then, another.
None of them were ordinary skulls. Behind the metallic facades were the two shinobi.
One of them was absolutely enthralled by the advanced technology and boundless potential that resided within this place.
The other wanted to be done with anything technology, space, kami, Uzumaki or Orochimaru-related.
Their first stop was the grand Mechanicus archive, a treasure trove of encrypted data and sacred texts.
As he innocently floated amongst the solemn servo-skulls, Orochimaru's keen eyes scanned the ancient designs of titanic war machines and detailed schematics of "warp drive" systems.
The prospect of harnessing the destructive power of these machines, or introducing more technology to instantaneously traverse the world, was intoxicating.
The warp itself, not so much. Orochimaru had already meddled far too many times with things beyond his comprehension, and this one seemed particularly volatile to begin with.
It was a starting point, however.
The Mechanicus laboratory, which he found right after Shisui nearly hit another servo-skull, was a biologist's paradise.
Biotechnological marvels, too.
Such as replacing limbs and organs with mechanical counterparts, sparked Orochimaru's interest. He could do it easily for himself, thanks to the Rinnegan, but others were another story.
A future where people could recover from severe injuries with this technology held the potential to revolutionize medicine.
And he was pretty sure that the Tsunade from the other world would see the potential in it, too.
She was not very squeamish.
The display of energy weapons, far more advanced than anything in the Shinobi world, intrigued him some, too.
Less so, however. Orochimaru could envision a combination of chakra with these energy weapons, chakra-enhanced power weapons… perhaps plasma-based.
And finally, he found himself before the "cogitator," the grand database housing secrets of artificial intelligence, genetic manipulation, and other assorted mysteries.
He saw a myriad of possibilities.
From intelligent ninja tools to new bloodlines, insights into the nature of dimensions.
He prepared to download the priceless information, pulling out a peculiar device - a data storage unit he had hastily cobbled together using both Shinobi and what he understood of Mechanicus technology.
Plugging the device into the cogitator, he initiated the download.
Orochimaru, still in servo-skull form, floated above the cogitator, his anticipation palpable even in this mechanical guise.
The data storage unit flashed an ominous red. It failed.
He paused, eyes narrowed as he examined the error code flashing on the device.
And he could feel Shisui's burning glare upon him, too. Cute.
Without missing a beat, Orochimaru started troubleshooting.
His first suspicion was the language barrier - were the cogitator's data protocols too complex, or did they conflict with the code inscribed in his device?
He had done most of the work before he had a working understanding of the language — thanks to pilfered memories.
He began to recalibrate his device.
Then came the dreaded whir of alarm servitors.
The tech-priests had detected his unauthorized access attempt, and he was suddenly the center of a flurry of activity.
Of course.
Orochimaru sighed.
More of the mechanical priests came in hurriedly, red robes flowing behind them.
Among them, a metallic figure stood out, the normally headless body of a servitor now hosting a disembodied head.
"…Hidan?" Shisui asked in disbelief.
"How nice of you to join us." Orochimaru said, smiling.
Hidan ignored both of them, and hoped that the tech-priests didn't speak their language.
The priests opened fire upon the two servo-looking guys without any sort of questioning.
Their precious tech vaults contained millenia of precious data, after all.
Shisui cursed and let the twin illusions fall, summoning a shroud of green chakra around them, to shield them from what Orochimaru was calling radium and neutron-las fire.
…
The Vindicare Assassin was not off-duty.
No servant of the Emperor ever was, in truth.
In the grim world they lived in, the cold precision of an Imperial Assassin was always needed, in particular.
And there were enemies here. Heretics, of course.
One or a thousand, he would kill them all.
Assassination was an art, of course. Something closer to a surgical removal of an infection before it could spread. The same thing went for both traitors and heretics.
One shot was all he needed.
The Exitus Rifle was not just a weapon. It was a part of him. The Assassin cradled his most precious and deadly limb.
The rifle was an exquisite piece of Imperial technology, one made by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Raw firepower… and an elegant design.
It was said to be capable of puncturing even the toughest of Astartes power armor at extreme distances.
Each round, specialized for various targets, was inscribed with microscopic Cog Mechanicum, a silent prayer to the Omnissiah to guide its flight.
The weapon's telescopic sight was linked directly to his neural cortex, providing unparalleled accuracy.
It hummed gently in his grasp, an ode to lethality. Silent as a whisper, deadly as a psychic storm, it was not merely a tool of death, but the instrument of the Emperor's justice.
The Assassin raised it.
"Such fragility." He mused as he observed his target through the scope. There was always this macabre sort of fascination to a kill.
The thing in a human child's body likely had a weak body. He glanced at the thing's neck. Brittle… like old parchment. Waiting for the touch of a hand to crumble into nothingness.
His finger found the trigger.
Then again, in front of the Emperor's justice, all is brittle.
He exhaled slowly, entering the trance-like state that always preceded the pull.
His world condensed into a singular point of clarity, the crosshairs, the target, and nothing else.
He squeezed the trigger. The Exitus roared in silence, a lethal projectile screaming through the air.
The bullet found its mark, an echo of death humming through the stillness.
The 'child' fell and the other 'man' whirled around.
The tech-priests continued to fire at him, and the thing summoned more of that psychic green shroud.
The 'child's' body disappeared.
A horde of snakes erupted from its still form. Then they disappeared.
In a blink.
"…By the Emperor." The Assassin whispered.
He quickly understood where they had reappeared.
Because they devoured the Assassin in an instant, both body and mind.
The echoes of his screams were swallowed by the hissing storm of las-fire, and just as suddenly as they had emerged, the serpents slithered away, disappearing into the shadows.
…
Things go from bad to worse for the Adeptus Mechanicus once the child-like monster somehow manages to transform his right arm into a gatling blaster.
The little monster's eyes gleam, at first with a purple light as his body changes... then again once he realizes it worked.
Then, with a staggering rate of fire, the barrel rotates and explosive rounds of unknown origin are fired throughout the room, bathing the world in bright fire.
…
The tech-priest fell to the floor.
The child-abomination stood, a menacing figure, even with its small frame.
Its pale fingers traced the outside of his golden ringed eyes. And there was a hint of excitement within his gaze.
"We made sure you wouldn't kill yourself — unlike that other one. Interesting creature, aren't you?" It murmured, in…
By the Emperor.
That was Lingua Technis, a language that was normally reserved to the Adeptus Mechanicus.
The tech-priest could do nothing but glare at his captor through mechanical eyes.
The child raised its hand and its eyes gleamed. A spectral hand materialized from its palm, reaching out and sinking into the tech-priest's skull.
The tech-priest trembled, his cybernetic implants sparking and whirring in distress as the thing who had called itself Orochimaru began what could only be knowledge extraction.
Orochimaru's eyes glowed brighter, its focus absolute as he sifted through layers of knowledge, navigating through complex cryptographic mechanisms the tech-priest's mind had implemented as a defense.
In the heart of the Adeptus Mechanicus's psyche, Orochimaru found a treasure trove of information: machine prayers, lost archeotech data, secrets of the Omnissiah, designs of powerful weapons, and understanding of unknown technologies.
It was a mental landscape as complex and intricate as the grandest Mechanicus cathedral.
The process was agonizing for the Tech-Priest, every strand of knowledge stripped away bit by bit.
However, he maintained his composure, a servant of the Omnissiah till the end, even as his essence was drained. His last act of defiance was to trigger a cerebral purge, attempting to delete critical data before it could be taken.
However, it was for nothing. This Orochimaru was relentless, his mental grasp firm and fast.
Even through the tech-priest's last, Orochimaru extracted as much as he could, leaving behind an empty husk.
As the last byte of information was drawn out, the Tech-Priest's form slumped, devoid of life.
Orochimaru pulled back, and his eyes shimmered with a newly acquired knowledge, a promise of dark potential.
"Fascinating." He whispered, gazing at the lifeless Tech-Priest. "Such complexity, such secrets."
With that, Orochimaru turned away, leaving behind the husk of the Tech-Priest.
His mind was buzzing with new possibilities, schematics, and plans. The integration of this knowledge with his own would undoubtedly yield potent results, and he was eager to begin.
Yes, very eager.
…
"Are we done here?" Shisui hissed. "I think the room is bathed in blood, by now. Enough."
Orochimaru rolled his eyes fondly. "Almost, yes."
Pulling out his extraction device again, he plugged it into the cogitator, and initiated the download.
This time, armed with knowledge, he managed.
Plasma reactors. Battleship plans. Perpetual motion machine—
Orochimaru was pulled away from his technological euphoria when he heard a whimper.
"Oh, Hidan." He said, unable to hide his amusement. "You survived, then?"
Hidan grumbled something unintelligible, because he was lying under a pile of metal.
"Oh, grow up." Orochimaru rolled his eyes. "I'm in a good mood. Perhaps I'll even fix your new body."
Shisui's eyes were on him, and he was far from amused. "…Do you remember who that man is?"
Orochimaru shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't worry, I will remove his body-having privileges once we get back home."
This pacified Shisui somewhat, but he still seemed unsatisfied. Just like Hidan was.
"Oh?" Shisui bit out. "So we are getting home at some point?"
"Don't be like this." Orochimaru gave him a comforting pat. "I let you see Anko just a few weeks ago."
"And my child—"
"And your child, yes." Orochimaru nodded, sighing. "Thank you for reminding me. My good mood is gone, now."
His download being complete, Orochimaru carefully stowed away his extraction device.
He looked thrilled, which was likely why Shisui let out a quick shiver, and not the chill of the room.
There was the sound of air being displaced, and a terrible power rose.
Shisui whirled around, sword of flame in hand…
But it was only Kaguya, who had appeared out of nowhere, as was customary for her. As abruptly as ever.
"I see you have found something you deem interesting, Orochimaru." She said, seemingly unimpressed. Shisui blinked. Was she... challenging him?
"Indeed." Orochimaru replied, a small grin playing on his lips. "This world is a treasure trove of marvels, truly."
Kaguya nodded briefly.
Then, to Shisui's surprise, she held out her hand, revealing a small device of her own. It was intricately designed, and emanated a soft, ethereal glow. "Well then, you might find this interesting."
Shisui glanced at her, glanced at Orochimaru. Then at the device.
Orochimaru's curiosity was piqued when he took the device from her. "Where did you find this?" He asked, fingers tracing the alien symbols engraved on the device.
"In the city." Kaguya replied. "I thought it might be worth studying."
Shisui watched in disbelief as Orochimaru eagerly examined the device.
"You've been exploring this world…?" Shisui asked Kaguya, his surprise clear. Contributing...?
Kaguya merely shrugged, which beat her ignoring him, as she usually did. "And why would I not? It is… fascinating." Shisui shivered briefly. "Different, yet so similar to our own Earth in many ways."
Orochimaru, engrossed in the device's intricate craftsmanship, nodded along. "Another civilization, then?"
His eyes flickered with intrigue, the opportunity for discovery stirring his curiosity.
"Yes." Kaguya nodded. "A wandering traveler scavenged this device. They claimed it was from the so-called space elves. Unfortunately…" She paused for a second. "I do not believe we might go back to ask him more questions. He is rather… indisposed."
"Space elves?" Shisui blurted out, recalling something Orochimaru had mentioned earlier about them. "Are those real?"
Orochimaru looked up from the device, a teasing grin on his face. "Perhaps we should investigate that for ourselves."
Shisui groaned, already foreseeing the chaos that would ensue. And he knew there was no stopping Orochimaru when he was in the mood for exploration… for discovery.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Shisui put his foot down.
"No." He said. "We're not going."
Orochimaru, predictably, raised a mocking eyebrow. "Oh, Shisui, your protests only serve to tempt me even more."
"We should refrain." Kaguya said.
"Why should we?" Orochimaru retorted, unwilling to let go of this new source of excitement so easily.
To Shisui's endless frustration, Orochimaru didn't seem to deny her on principle. Did Orochimaru engage in all this pettiness because Shisui was effectively his son-in-law?
"This race of space-elves, the Aeldari… they are skilled mind readers and wield strong psychic powers. We would stand out to them… like a beacon."
Orochimaru sighed. "I suppose we have more pressing concerns to attend to." He conceded.
Shisui was left perplexed by this sudden turn of events.
"Well, that is a shame." Orochimaru said, shrugging. "Back to the Celestial Serpent, then. And home, after. There are plenty of things I can hardly wait to try out."
The General
"Do we really have to?" Shisui nearly whined.
Orochimaru snorted. "You sound like your brother, Shisui. It is entirely unbecoming of you." He said the words, but didn't really believe them — the brothers were similar, in that.
"…I don't necessarily want more of that man." Shisui said, crossing his arms.
Orochimaru shrugged. "It is an easy stop, I believe." He said. "Your brother arranged this."
Shisui paused. "So he met that man… and didn't bother doing the job himself…?"
"That is one way to see it." Orochimaru nodded. "Not a good one, but a way. That was before we began… recruiting."
…
Orochimaru sent Shisui to deal with it.
"And where will you be…?" The Uchiha asked suspiciously. "I swear on Uchiha Kagami's good name that if you go back to see these space elves…"
…because Kaguya apparently had some information to share about the latter world's gods. What was she doing...?
Nothing useful, likely, but Orochimaru said he needed to go through it, in any case.
"I wouldn't dare, Shisui." Orochimaru said, smiling mysteriously.
Whatever, Shisui thought. That was the child-man's problem. They had gods on their ass anyway.
Uzumaki Naruto, Rokudaime Hokage of Konoha, had an orderly office.
An orderly chaos of military honors, maps and antique furniture, that was. It told a story of wars survived and victories earned.
The room was illuminated by a single desk lamp, and that was when Shisui had the pleasure of meeting the man he would nickname "The General."
Not so fondly.
"Are you down gawking, Uchiha?" The Rokudaime barked. Shisui met Uzumaki's lone eye unflinchingly. "So you're that spastic world-hopper's relative?"
"In the flesh." Shisui nodded.
Uzumaki scoffed. "It wasn't a question."
"I am, anyway."
"I am, sir." Uzumaki barked. "Aren't you a Konoha ninja, where you come from?"
Shisui clenched his jaw.
And his fist, too. But supposedly, this was important. He swallowed his pride, furiously.
"…I am, sir." He said, dryly.
Uzumaki leaned back in his chair, the dim desk lamp throwing shadows across his scarred face.
"Heard a lot about your kin from people who knew 'em. Fire and brimstone, burning down towns, lands."
"We Uchiha don't do that anymore—"
Uzumaki slammed his fist upon the desktop. Shisui paused.
"Are you here to spin your damn narrative, Uchiha?" He growled. "Why should I buy into this story of yours? Gods, really?"
Shisui's nostrils flared. His patience was nearly spent already.
"…It's about survival." He gritted out. "And yes, gods."
Uzumaki shot a glare across the desk, his lone eye piercing through the dimly lit office.
"Oh, I've heard it all before." He said, mockingly. "Survival. Sacrifice. All wrapped in sweet words. And yet, the world continues to spin, doesn't it…? Iwa thought they were special, too." He barked a short laugh. "Not quite."
Shisui felt a vein on his forehead throb.
"…For how long are you going to — Your world might be on the brink, too. We have sent you the reports ahead, you have seen the data."
Uzumaki huffed, crossing his arms as he leaned back further into his chair.
"Data can be manipulated. Reports can be falsified. So. Kami?" He scoffed. "How am I to know this isn't all some elaborate ruse?"
"Look into my eyes and I will show you. The threat is very real."
Uzumaki laughed.
"Do you think me foolish enough to trust you, Uchiha? Your kind is known for their… tendency to sow chaos. And their treacherousness."
Shisui's anger flared, but he maintained control, his every muscle taut with restraint.
Uzumaki regarded him with a skeptical eye. "What, now? Are you going to plead, then? That would be quite the humble act." He leaned forward. "But why should I help…? What's in it for Konoha…? What's in it for me?"
Shisui took a deep breath. "This isn't a game."
"Am I supposed to trust your desperate words…?"
Shisui seethed.
Desperate…? For this man?
"You know what…?" He asked, turning to leave. He spat his next words over his shoulder. "Go fuck yourself."
Someone else was going to try to talk some sense into that man, because he was done.
A slow, solitary clap resounded through the room.
Uzumaki had risen to his feet, his hand hitting the wood of his desk in a rhythmic clap. Each slap of his hand on the desk seemed to punctuate the heavy silence.
Shisui decided he was going to kill him, here and then. That was one Uzumaki Naruto less for the multiverse—
"Well, I'll be damned." Uzumaki said gruffly, slapping his shoulder in grudging respect. "You weren't lying, then. My instincts never led me astray, Uchiha."
Shisui said nothing.
Uzumaki smirked. "I respect guts." He said. "Maybe it's time I take a gamble, then."
Shisui, if anything, was even more opposed to him joining, now. "Look, I decided that we might not—"
"Quit your stammering, Uchiha." He said gruffly. "The decision's made."
Shisui glared, an insult on the tip of his tongue. Uzumaki ignored him, fishing in his pocket for something.
"I've survived wars, watched comrades fall, and pulled this village out of the ashes more times than I can count." His voice echoed off the high ceiling of the office, dropping to a low, contemplative hum. "If this is the battle we're destined for, if it means the survival of our world… then it's a fight worth joining."
Uzumaki nodded to himself. Shisui cursed himself.
"Now, get out of my office, Uchiha." The Rokudaime said, resolutely, lighting his cigar. "And tell your fool of a brother… I'm in."
lensdump
i CxN6nm : The Other Uchiha
i CxNqZv : The General / Roku