Celebration Day
'A jutsu for a jutsu. The completed method to separate aspects of a soul, in exchange for a way to bring him back to life.'
That was the deal that the other Yamanaka Ino (Uzumaki now, apparently) had offered her. She hadn't put much faith in it, at first, being more willing to rely on the Rinnegan which had been left behind by a mysterious benefactor.
Then that woman just smiled, and explained that an ally of theirs had left it there in the first place. A woman with white hair that neither Ino had truly cared for, particularly at the time they first met. That… changed things, however.
Then Uzumaki Ino revealed that she too bore the Rinnegan, and had done so for years now. She was skilled enough to teach them the very procedure they might use to bring Naruto back to life.
Initially, Yamanaka Ino harbored doubts, her skepticism mounting upon discovering the potential displeasure of the 'guardian below.'
But Uzumaki Ino made a promise: either it would work and everything would be sorted out... Or she would come back later to fix it. There had been something dangerous in her eyes as she said it, and Yamanaka Ino was rather glad she and her friends did not have to find out what it was that she meant, exactly.
Because it worked.
And the two women, working together, managed to pull on what had been Naruto's mind from the cacophony that was Indra's soul. The older man seemed to be a shadow of himself, one who didn't seem to have much interest in the matters of the living world.
After a year of near complete absence, Uzumaki Naruto breathed again.
(A few days later, so would Uchiha Toru and a few other people, at around the same time Uchiha Obito died for good.)
And he was bewildered to even be here at all. The world was not at war, was not threatened. Nagato had been killed. Umi was fine, and Anko was pushing hard for long, lasting peace. Karin and Ino were both crying, stumbling upon their words. Hanabi hugged him. Hells, Sakura seemed close to tears.
It was a whole new world, apparently.
Uzumaki Ino left with a soft smile, the technique Yamanaka Ino had worked upon to split a soul in two, and a promise to make good use of it. What with, Yamanaka Ino had no idea; she had never managed to make it work on a human, not without the person dying.
The other woman shrugged, and told her that there were foes that were not humans, out there. She left her something she said could be used to contact them, if needed, and disappeared.
That had been a few months ago.
Then unfolded a night of exuberant revelry, unlike anything Ino had witnessed before. They feasted and drank, with Naruto gladly bearing the cost of their indulgence.
The only water on the table was in bowls to rinse their hands. In their cups flowed the finest sake from the Land of Rice Fields, aged Umeshu from the Land of Rivers, cool Mizuame from the Land of Waves, and sweet Yuzu-shu.
Each toast they raised was toward the suddenly brighter future.
PARTS/GOOD MORNING
Yoisen lay in her new room, the soft glow of a bedside lamp casting shadows on the walls.
The house was quiet, almost eerily so, but she knew better. Her eyes flicked to the clock: midnight. She sighed, pulling the covers up to her chin.
The day had been surprisingly normal, almost disarmingly so.
Naruto and Ino had gone out together in the evening, earlier on, finally laughing together again, and it was a stark contrast to the tension of the morning.
Karin and Hanabi had also departed, their faces more serious, hinting at undisclosed missions beyond the Ring.
Well, nearly all of them were working.
Sakura had spent the day with Yoisen, as though she sensed her unease and went out of her way to make her feel genuinely welcome.
…Or perhaps because both were doing their best to avoid Ino.
Sakura was not Naruto, who was much better at navigating this particular storm — a few hours after the discussion, Ino had stopped ignoring him. The same could not be said of Sakura.
But perhaps that was because she had managed to pour more oil on the fire, with her usual bluntness.
Yoisen's mind was full of concern over the possible consequences of Ino's acceptance. She pondered the reasons behind Ino's decision — was it a mere strategy to maintain morale for the upcoming challenges, with plans to sever ties once their goal was achieved? Or was it a calculated move to draw Yoisen in closer, and if so, to what purpose? Yoisen wondered if the other woman believed that she would choose to leave after spending enough time in close confines with them.
Perhaps it was nothing at all.
Regardless of the underlying tensions, Yoisen found a temporary respite in her interactions with Sakura. Their conversation — and laughter — provided a brief escape from the... intricate web she had entangled herself in. But it wasn't a case of forgetfulness, not really.
Rather, Yoisen and Naruto had mutually decided to postpone their long awaited discussion until the next day.
Well, once they were done with their plans for the day. Some things came first.
Right now, as night fell, the reality of her situation returned.
Then she heard it — a soft giggle, followed by a muffled moan. The voice was undeniably Naruto's. Her eyes widened for a moment before she shook her head, trying to focus on the book in her hands. But the sounds continued, growing in intensity, punctuated by whispers and laughter.
Yoisen closed her book, setting it aside.
She took a deep breath. She was the newcomer here, the variable in an already complex equation. And this was what she had asked for, too.
Yoisen rose from the bed and walked to the window, staring out into the night. The artificial moon was a thin crescent, barely illuminating the landscape. She felt a strange kinship with it—
Her thoughts were interrupted by another sound, this one a clear, unmistakable cry of pleasure. Yoisen felt her cheeks warm. She turned away from the window, pacing the room in an attempt to gather her thoughts.
Where were the soundproofing seals, again…?
Sakura had showed her everything, but right now, the only thing Yoisen could think about, when thinking of her, was that she knew all three voices moaning out a bit too well. Had Ino and Sakura already made up, then?
Perhaps she'd simply draw her own seals.
Yoisen climbed back into bed, picking up her book once more.
But her eyes kept drifting away from the pages, her thoughts a jumble of emotions. And a nervous flutter in her stomach.
While the members of the Uzumaki household rested, the secondary team, often referred to as the 'B-Team,' tackled additional missions.
The morning light streamed through the tall windows of the living room, and Yoisen had been awake for a while already.
Ino's entrance was like a ripple in still water. She nearly sauntered in, wearing a thin robe that was more revealing than concealing. She caught Yoisen's eye as she moved to the coffee jar, her movements deliberate, unhurried.
"Good morning." Ino greeted, her voice tinged with a casual air that felt almost rehearsed. "Sleep well?"
'…What is going on?'
Yoisen looked up, her eyes meeting Ino's for a moment, stopping on her partially open blouse, before shifting away. "…Yes, thank you. You, as well?"
Ino grinned, pouring herself a cup of coffee — prepared and sealed away in a perfectly ready state for the days she didn't want to bother with the morning ritual of preparing it. "Oh… like a baby. Naruto has that effect, you know?"
Yoisen felt a flush creep up her cheeks but maintained her poise. "I imagine."
Ino took a sip of her coffee, then walked over to the kitchen island where Yoisen sat. She leaned against it, her robe slipping just a bit to reveal more skin. "Finding everything to your liking?"
Yoisen, slightly weirded out, took a moment to think of her answer — perhaps she was reading too much into Ino's words. Yoisen chose her own carefully. "It is an adjustment."
"To say the least." Ino replied, her nonchalance not quite reaching her eyes. "I still don't think you know what you're getting into, but that's your business. I'll play nice."
Yoisen did not really have an answer to give her. Mostly because she didn't know how much of it was an act.
Ino's eyes narrowed, scrutinizing her. "Now… We're all very open here. It's crucial."
Yoisen, now feeling entirely off, decided that the words held a layered meaning, a veiled warning that she couldn't ignore. Or worse.
She met Ino's challenge. "...I appreciate the warning. Openness is going to be a matter of time, however."
Ino straightened up, her eyes locking onto Yoisen's, a glint of something unreadable in her eyes. Yoisen couldn't help but wonder: was this another veiled threat?
('…Is she hitting on me?' Ino wondered, incredulously.)
After a tense pause, Ino spoke softly, if only to confirm her outlandish thought — and her answer came out as a challenge. "I suppose. Sometimes, however, it's good to let loose."
It was Yoisen's turn to remain silent — a silence fraught with ambiguity.
('Is she flirting with me?' Yoisen wondered, worriedly.)
Meeting Ino's eyes once again, Yoisen chose her words carefully. Equally defiant. "…Boundaries can be flexible, I suppose."
Neither woman spoke for a long, strangely tense moment. They stared at each other, slightly hesitant, like skittish animals who didn't quite know what to make of the situation.
Then Ino shook her head, as though banishing a thought, and she offered a tight smile. "…Tea?"
Yoisen looked surprised. "Only coffee's ready. No need to bother—"
"I'll make an exception today." Ino interrupted. "Tea it is, then."
She went about preparing it.
Returning with two mugs, Ino placed one before Yoisen and cradled her own. "Here."
"…Thank you." Yoisen said, her tone carrying a touch of gratitude.
"It's slightly bitter, but not too much." Ino said.
Yoisen paused, a hint of surprise in her eyes. This time, she chose to assume Ino was talking about her tea preferences. "I did not think you would remember that."
Unsaid went the fact that Ino might have been reading her thoughts.
Ino shrugged, her expression unreadable. "I did not think you would drink anything I prepared without checking."
Yoisen gave her a small smile, but said nothing as she took a sip.
"And it's not just because we are today." Ino continued, eyes narrowed in thought. "…No. There's something you want to say. I can tell."
Yoisen met Ino's eyes, the temporary truce between them lingering a moment longer. "I wanted to thank you. For this — It means more than you might think."
Ino's eyes softened, just a fraction. "…It's fine. Don't mention it."
With a final, inscrutable look, Ino pushed away from the island and headed out of the kitchen, her robe flowing behind her like a banner.
The trouble with mind-readers, Yoisen felt, was that they never really bothered explaining themselves.
Or that one, at least.
"Are you Yagami Raito? …Light?"
Yagami Light glanced up from his coffee, eyeing the two newcomers cautiously. "Who wants to know?"
"I'm Uchiha Shisui. This is Uchiha Toru." The man gestured to his companion. "We're law enforcement."
Light stared at the two men, who looked very much alike. He gave them a skeptical once-over. "Interesting. You don't look like any police officers I've ever seen."
"We have our methods." The younger man said, mysteriously.
"Huh." Light said, calm and utterly bland. "Undercover, then. If you're law enforcement, I'll need to see some ID."
Both 'Uchiha' exchanged a fleeting glance. "ID?"
Light's lips curled into a restrained smile. "I'm a police officer's son. Isn't it protocol to show identification?"
In truth, it wasn't necessarily true, but neither men seemed aware of that fact.
Light's mind began to race — who were these individuals, and why were they interested in him? Thankfully, they were in a public café; he could easily make an escape.
Unless they were armed, but that seemed unlikely given their attire — strange outfits that looked as though someone had taken a quick glance through high-fashion catalogs and put something together randomly, slapping a few vaguely police-ish looking symbols on top of it.
(Like an alien's attempt at fitting in.)
"Oh, ID, of course." The younger man nodded, to Light's surprise.
As if reading his mind, Toru nodded. "Ah, yes. ID." He waved his empty hand, and Light accepted it as sufficient identification.
Light nodded. "Thank you for showing me." He leaned back slightly, and was getting somewhat worried, now. What had he done to get noticed by the police, exactly…? "What brings you here, officers?"
The older man — Shisui — nodded, smiling thinly. "It's about a certain notebook, actually."
Ice filled Light's veins. For a rare moment, he was at a loss for words.
"…Which notebook might you be talking about?" He asked.
"The one you're using to play god. The one currently in your backpack, disguised as a nondescript red artbook." Toru cut in bluntly. "So let's discuss this god complex of yours."
In that split second, Light realized that his reaction had betrayed him. They didn't seem surprised, or triumphant. Just… certain.
He was ensnared, and his confidence faltered. They had him, and they knew it.
Light's eyes narrowed, but he maintained his composure. "I'm afraid you're mistaken. And I don't know what you're talking about."
Shisui chuckled softly. "Denial isn't a good look on you. Besides…" He sighed. "We already have a… dark enforcer at home. That will have to be enough."
A heavy silence stretched between them as Light absorbed the implications.
"We're not from your world." Toru finally said. "Nor from your shinigami's. I'm afraid to say they don't really scare us, either."
Light felt the ice in his stomach thicken.
The implications were clear: they were from elsewhere, had their own version of justice, one that didn't adhere to conventional law enforcement. Yet the term "enforcer" suggested something more sinister, more absolute. A piece in a much larger game, perhaps?
"…I see." Light finally broke the silence, the words tinged with ice, precarious as it was. "And yet… You come into my life, uninvited, accusing me of playing god. The irony is almost palpable."
Shisui's eyes met Light's, each gauging the other. "Ah, but we're not pretending to be something we're not. We are law enforcement, I suppose, just not the kind you're familiar with."
"Parallel worlds, alternate realities, and different dimensions. Have you ever considered the possibility?" Toru chimed in, pulling Light's attention to him.
A chill went down Light's spine. How much did they know? Not just about the Death Note, but about the possibilities that might lie beyond?
"It's a large multiverse out there." Toru continued. "You're not the first, and you won't be the last, to think you can arbitrate life and death." He sighed. "…We're guilty of it, too."
Light pushed down on fear itself, the primal veil that seemed to precede death.
"Is this a threat or a proposition?" Light asked, his voice sounding cool and detached. And remote to himself, too.
"A bit of both." Shisui said. "But mostly, it's a choice."
"Choice?"
"Turn the notebook over to us. Do that, and you can continue your life, once we determine whether it's a good idea. Refuse, and we'll be forced to take more definitive measures."
The gravity of their words weighed on Light. It was terrifying.
"…Suppose I give you the Death Note. What will you do with it?" Light asked quietly, cutting through the thick tension.
Toru shrugged. "We destroy it, and the others, too. Maybe the shinigami, too, if it comes to that. It's causing more harm than good."
"What would you know of it?" Light hissed.
"Someone called for help, so I assume things have gotten pretty bad, at some point."
A moment of understanding. These men were offering him an exit, a way out of the labyrinth he'd built for himself.
And yet, at the core, was he willing to relinquish control? To yield the Death Note was to abandon his vision for a new world, a just world.
"I'll need time to consider." Light said, masking the turmoil within him with an impassive face.
"You're lying." Shisui stated. "Do it another time, or give us an answer we find unsatisfactory, and we'll have to leave you with a deep-set compulsion."
"Never mind." Toru continued to stare at him. "I think we might have to do it anyway, or get you to face your world's justice. It seems as though you killed more than criminals. And I won't even get into the reasons why this was a waste of time from the very beginning. Doesn't your country have a strangely high conviction rate? How many innocent people did you kill, on top of small-time lawbreakers…?"
Light tensed, but no hot retort made it past his lips.
"You have five minutes." Shisui said.
Toru nodded. "We're patient, but not that patient. Ah, please don't try to write our names in it, it might be unpleasant for both of us."
"Good morning, Hanabi." Yoisen greeted, setting her book aside.
Her mind was not really on it anyway.
"Morning." Hanabi replied, yawning as she sank into a plush chair across from Yoisen. "You're up early."
"So are you." Yoisen noted.
Hanabi shrugged. "I've always been an early riser, and Naruto's already been out for a while — he doesn't sleep much. But Ino…? That's new."
Yoisen felt a flicker of curiosity. "What do you mean?"
Hanabi leaned forward, her sharp eyes taking everything in. "Didn't Ino wake up early just to talk to you alone?"
Yoisen blinked. "Did she?"
Hanabi shrugged again, this time with a knowing smile. "Ino never wakes up early if she can avoid it."
"I didn't know." Yoisen admitted. "Should I be worried?"
"Probably not. Although she can be petty like an Uchiha." Hanabi leaned back, her eyes studying Yoisen. "Well, if she's altering her habits for you, I guess we can call it progress."
"How positive of you." Yoisen gave her a wry smile. "...Yes. Perhaps it's just being hospitable."
"Could be." Hanabi laughed. "In any case, Ino's not one for subtlety, when it comes to these matters. If she's going out of her way, it's for a reason."
Yoisen pondered this, her thoughts a swirl of questions and half-formed conclusions. "I suppose I'll have to wait and see. Though this all might just be temporary—"
"Oh please." Hanabi grinned, her eyes twinkling. "You know better. Welcome to the family, Yoisen."
"Eren Yeager." Shisui called out, and the young man with brown hair and sharp eyes looked up from the table full of military blueprints.
Eren Yeager stood up abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. "Who are you? How did you get in here?"
Shisui glanced at Toru and then back at Eren. "Uchiha Shisui, and this is Uchiha Toru. We're not here to harm you. We need to talk about your plans for the Titans."
Eren's face tightened, eyes darting to the door as if contemplating a call for guards. He had no weapon and if he transformed here… "Who are you people? Why should I trust you?"
"Fighting giants is something we're good at." Shisui said.
"We know about the basement, the Titans, and the walls." Toru cut in, eyes locked onto Eren's. "Ah, your plans, too?"
A moment of silence stretched long before Eren's eyes widened. "Fine, let's talk."
Toru nodded. "Your plan will accomplish nothing. You're looking to repeat history."
Eren clenched his fists. "You know nothing — Nothing about our suffering!"
"More than you think." Shisui said. "We've seen this sort of cycle before. You're not so unique."
Eren glared at them. For a moment, he considered transforming anyway.
"What do you propose, then?" He hissed instead, full of derision.
"Something that doesn't involve becoming… a mass murderer for your friends' sake." Toru managed to say with a straight face.
Hanabi could be easy to converse with, and Karin always was, this was nothing new.
The latter took a seat at the table, stifling a yawn as she did, and they settled into idle chatter, never mentioning anything about yesterday's conversation.
"Say." Karin said, after a lull in a very casual conversation. "You're an expert on the Uzumaki sealing techniques, aren't you?"
Yoisen offered a half-shrug. "Once they came into existence and became more than creative attempts at dying in messy ways, they became a necessity, yes. However, time has a way of erasing nuances, and my memory isn't infallible."
"Can I ask you some questions about their Sealed Fields?"
A faint smile crossed Yoisen's face. "I am surprised you even heard of them. Those techniques always were more of a secret art, passed down orally to the few."
"Hanabi suggested that Naruto's unfinished Shinjutsu might be derivative of those." Karin stated.
Hanabi shrugged. "It wasn't that hard to figure out, to be honest."
"I suppose not." Yoisen said, nodding. "You were right, in any case. He and I based the two techniques we planned to use on Sealed Fields' principles, if loosely."
The heart of these domains lay in their nature as sealed spaces, where an Uzumaki's powers intensified, granting a significant advantage.
Crafted through intricate fūinjutsu, these domains were as treacherous as they were powerful — prone to collapsing on the user, leaving them vulnerable and exposed, with less control over their abilities for a time.
They had fallen out of favor for good reason.
And considering exactly how their attempt at bringing them back to use against the kami had went, Yoisen was not entirely sure whether or not they were worth bringing back—
"Can you teach us?" Karin asked.
Yoisen blinked. Hanabi chuckled. "What else did you think we'd ask when we started?"
Yoisen's gaze flickered between the two women. "Teach you? Given their unpredictability, I'm not sure that would be wise."
"Why not?"
"Naruto's own collapsed on him at the worst possible time, and my own barely even set itself in place."
Karin's eyes met Yoisen's. "Sometimes wisdom needs to be sidestepped for the greater good."
Yoisen stared back.
A treacherous flicker of amusement broke through Karin's facade. "Ah, my bad. I can't really say this with a straight face."
Hanabi was earnest. "We need every advantage we can get."
Yoisen sighed, eyes drifting to the table's surface. "While I appreciate your courage, it's my duty to underscore the risks involved."
Karin leaned back, arms crossed. "I think that we might just manage, now."
"Why is that?" Yoisen asked.
"This kami power has to be good for something, right?" Hanabi asked, grinning.
"I do not know if that's…" Yoisen began.
But then she actually thought of it. All of the kami's powers had seemed particularly suited for bending reality to their whims.
It occurred to her that leveraging them could indeed stabilize the volatile Sealed Fields. She weighed the decision, and finally nodded.
"…Very well. It is something worth trying, at least. We shall do it together." She began. "First—"
Karin lifted a hand. "Breakfast."
Yoisen stopped. Hanabi smirked. "Not what you were going to say?"
"Far from it." Yoisen replied, a faint smile touching her lips.
"That's alright." Hanabi said magnanimously. "You can tell me about your favorite erotica while we eat."
"I do not read erotica." Yoisen said.
Hanabi grinned. "Oh, please. Do you know how old I was when I learned to tell when someone was lying?"
Karin glanced at her. "…How old were you, actually?"
Hanabi shrugged. "I can't remember, but it wasn't yesterday. I can tell you that much."
Yoisen rubbed her temples, caught off guard by the unexpected turn the conversation had taken.
"If you're shy about it, I can go first." Hanabi leaned in, eager to share. "I really loved 'The Nanny's Temptation' and 'Velvet Ride.'"
Taking note of Yoisen's incredulous expression, Hanabi made an executive decision.
"Or we could start with some less steamy romance. Your call."
In a medieval-like virtual landscape, Shisui and Toru's rudimentary, level one avatars materialized in front of a swordsman wearing a black coat. Dual swords.
Toru looked down, and he thought he saw steel-toed boots, too. He winced.
"The… Black Swordsman?" Toru asked hesitantly.
"Kirito, is it?" Shisui asked.
"Yes, who are you?" Kirito unsheathed his sword.
"Put that down. We're here to help, not harm." Toru interjected.
Shisui nodded. "We're from another world. We know how to free the players trapped here."
Kirito hesitated, then sheathed his sword. "I'm listening."
"Why are you idiots talking about porn in the morning?" Sakura grunted by way of greeting.
She had walked into the room just in time to hear the tail end of a conversation she had no real interest in.
The room fell silent for a heartbeat, and then Karin laughed. "Well, it's as good of a time as any."
Yoisen seemed relieved by the interruption, a hint of gratitude in her eyes. "Sakura, your timing is impeccable."
Hanabi grinned at Sakura, unabashed. "We're just having a cultured discussion, is all."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Reading porn doesn't make you a 'woman of culture.'" She then turned to Yoisen. "Slept well?"
Yoisen paused, remembering a few sounds. Then, slowly, she nodded. "…It was a very comfortable bed."
Sakura gave a satisfied nod. "Very good. I had Toru make it, after all."
"Because yours are barely fit for camping?" Hanabi asked.
"Nobody talks to me like that." Sakura said, mock-haughtily. "Not even you."
"I just did." Hanabi said. "What're you gonna do about it?"
"That's exactly how you talk to others, Sakura." Karin pointed out.
"My point exactly." Sakura grinned back.
"Tea, coffee?" Karin offered.
"This dubious swill that Naruto decided to call stellar nectar, perhaps?" Hanabi asked, arching an eyebrow.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "If I wanted to drink hyper-efficient gunpowder, I'd ask Orochimaru to brew me some. For now, I'll stick to…"
Yoisen knew what she was about to do before Sakura did it — the woman had picked up the habit while traveling with her… and done so several times in front of her, after all. She still closed her eyes in consternation.
Sakura threw both tea and coffee in the same cup.
Hanabi groaned in revulsion. "Oh, for fuck's sake — this, again? Have you got no taste at all?"
Sakura took her time with the drink, clearly appreciating every sip — or their discomfort.
"Well, I assume it's going to be a long morning, so I might as well have both." She said, as though it made any sort of sense.
Shisui and Toru appeared on a ship with a skull flag.
"…Luffy, right? We need a word." Toru spoke, spotting the young pirate.
Monkey D. Luffy, mid-bite, looked up. "About what?"
"The One Piece." Shisui said. "What you're looking for doesn't just affect your world. It's bigger than that."
Luffy's eyes gleamed. "Cool!"
Yugito appeared in a flash of thunder, waddling child and stone-faced Bijū in tow.
She saw and greeted Yoisen, and managed to seem appropriately surprised at seeing her as she did so.
Yūshirō's eyes, which were more his mother's than Naruto's, darted around the people in the room before locking onto Yoisen. Right after, he flashed Sakura his teeth.
"Dada?" He giggled, his small fingers still outstretched as if trying to grasp something just out of reach.
"Naruto isn't here right now, then." Yugito said, her voice tinged with a warmth reserved only for her son. "Is he tied up with something? — Please don't make that joke, Hanabi."
"I'd say he is." Karin nodded and smiled down at the kid. "Still not a fan of his clones, huh?"
Yūshirō seemed to consider this, his baby brows furrowing in a mimicry of deep thought. Then, as if coming to a conclusion, he clapped his tiny hands together and beamed.
Yugito sighed. "Ever since he learned to tell them apart…"
"We can keep him, if you want. We're not going before a few hours, at least."
"No, thank you." Yugito shook her head. "I'll go and bother my son's father later, then."
"Father knows he deserves all the trouble that comes his way and more." Matatabi muttered.
"Thank you for dropping by, Matatabi." Hanabi said, smiling pleasantly.
"H-He… did what?"
The other Black Swordsman stared at the two young men in front of him, his single eye narrowed at the question.
"I told you exactly what happened, Uchiha." The edge in his voice was as sharp as his sword. "Believe it or not, that's your choice. My focus is revenge."
"Man…" Toru shook his head, wiping his eyes discreetly. "Your story is a nightmare come to life."
"I don't care for pity." The man scowled. "Get out of my way."
Toru stood, and his brother Shisui rose beside him. "We're not offering pity. Nor sniffles."
"Don't start." Toru said.
The Black Swordsman scowled. "Are you offering anything at all?" The skepticism in his voice was palpable.
"Our clan excels in the art of revenge."
For a moment, Guts just blinked.
And whatever his arch-enemy-turned-chaos-god had expected upon encountering his former friend, it certainly wasn't three dark-haired swordsmen, faces set in grim determination, roaring his good name in rage.
"GRIFFITH!"
"You talk a good game." Hanabi gave a dramatic sigh. "But that's all it is — talk. You can't actually turn water into fire. Ino can't. Even Sasuke can't."
Yoisen's brow furrowed.
"I happen to for a fact that she can, as long as it's not infused with strong chakra." Sakura said. "She just doesn't like to do it because it's rude."
"There's nothing impolite about it—" Yoisen began.
"Then there should be no problem with you showing us, then." Hanabi leaned forward conspiratorially, resting her elbows on the table.
Yoisen squinted, and Karin grinned a roguish grin. "Are you three trying to fleece me out of my best tricks?"
"Of course not." Hanabi said with a wide grin. "We merely want to see a few things you've managed to learn over your long life, dear."
Karin stepped in. "Not that she's implying that you are old, of course."
"But I am old." Yoisen countered, unfazed. "If not, who qualifies?"
Karin leaned back. "Well, thank you for nothing." She sighed. "I meant to say that you are wise, of course."
"That would be a decent catch." Sakura nodded, as wisely as Karin had implied the oldest woman among them was. "Please show them the trick, Yoisen. They will be insufferable, otherwise."
"We'll teach you a few things we've learned in return, of course." Hanabi said.
Yoisen shrugged. She pulled from a seal and held a small glass bowl that Sakura filled with water.
"As you likely know, energy, in its essence, is quite malleable." Yoisen began. "The water in this bowl holds the potential to be so much more—"
"Isn't water just water though?" Sakura asked, shrugging. "It always worked pretty well, to me."
"It is getting a bit more into… esoteric territory. Is a river just water?" Yoisen asked back. "Or is it also the force that carves canyons and powers cities?"
Karin nodded. "So, you're saying water's more than what we see?"
"Yes and no. This goes for any element." Yoisen set the bowl down. "How does water turn into fire? How do we transmute the nature of this element—"
"I'd take control of it with my chains." Karin said, clenching her fist. "And then summon fire and earth to rend my enemies through."
"I'd dispel it." Hanabi said. "But I rarely had an use for ninjutsu, frankly."
"I'd let it pass through me harmlessly, like everything else." Sakura said. "If I needed fire, I'd ask Ino."
Yoisen stared at them, pursing her lips. "…Do you want this lesson or not?"
Hanabi leaned in, curious. "We're all ears."
Yoisen picked up a vial from the table. "I do not mean to disappoint you, but it is pretty simple, in truth. Observe."
"Observe." Hanabi echoed, grandiosely. Yoisen hid a quick smile.
The water trembled, then started to steam, and finally burst into flame. A delicate fire danced on the surface of the liquid, beautiful and improbable.
"Ah, I see." Hanabi acknowledged. "You were right, pretty straightforward."
Yoisen smiled. "I did tell you."
"Did I get this right? You applied both Water and Fire to the water in the bowl." Karin began. Then you controlled them to create steam."
"Correct." Yoisen nodded. "With advanced abilities like the Rinnegan or Jūbi, the process can be circumvented. But at its core, it's a matter of balance and control. We are not trying to manipulate Steam, only to pull Fire from it, and let the rest collapse — preferably in a non-explosive way."
"Oh, so it's not a Rinnegan trick, then?" Sakura asked, nodding. "That's pretty good chakra control."
"That's how you multiply an element with itself too, right?" Karin asked. "Like to get Steel from Earth, Blaze from Fire, and all that. I'm still trying to make it work consistently."
"Precisely." Yoisen nodded. "It is about fine control. Which takes time, even now."
"…Multiply?" Sakura frowned. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Do tell."
Hanabi grinned. "Interested, now?"
It was Yoisen's turn to lean forward toward Hanabi. "You did say you had a few things to share, too."
Hanabi grinned.
"Guys!" Black Star shouted, his loud voice carrying through the DWMA's bustling corridors. "Someone is trying to — Someone is bringing the MOON DOWN!"
Hanabi finished her explanation.
"—you see, that too is all about finesse and control." She concluded, seemingly pleased with her explanation.
Hidden behind her hands, Yoisen's expression was both incredulous and confused, and also a furious, blushing red.
"…Do people really do this sort of thing, nowadays?" She asked.
Hanabi nodded very seriously. "They do, and much more. You should ask Naruto for his take on it—"
"That would be ill-advised." Yoisen interjected.
Karin leaned in, intrigued. "Ill-advised to ask… or to partake?"
Yoisen pondered for a moment, hesitating. "To ask. I think."
A burst of laughter erupted from Karin. Sakura and Hanabi shared amused smiles. "See? There's still hope for her."
"If it's any consolation, people likely have been deviants for longer than you think." Sakura offered. "You just weren't around to witness them."
"How is this any sort of consolation?" Yoisen asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sakura shrugged. "Hey, I'm not the one who tried to join the harem of the most powerful man in the world. How is this on me?"
Yoisen's face remained flushed as she looked at Sakura. "You didn't?"
"Absolutely not." Sakura said, shaking her head. "Who do you think I am? Karin…? Hanabi? No, I simply answered the invitation."
In the dim church, the air was thick with defeat and the smell of burnt earth.
Kotomine Kirei, amidst the debris, masked his inner turmoil with stoic calm. A sardonic smile played on his lips despite the gravity of the situation.
The Holy Grail lay in ruins. Its destruction was absolute, undeniable.
Kirei's gaze, distant and thoughtful, wasn't really on the shattered Grail but on a deeper loss — the demise of his connection to Angra Mainyu, his lifelong obsession.
This relic's end symbolized more than just physical destruction; it was the severing of his last tie to the being that represented humanity's darkest elements, which he sought to understand and, in his twisted way, to empathize with.
He pondered the irony of his plight. Always envious of ordinary joy, he found himself unable to attain such simple pleasures.
His actions, dark as they seemed, were attempts to connect with a world from which he felt eternally estranged.
This was a personal defeat in his quest for meaning and a place in the world.
His thoughts turned to someone else. The King of Heroes, with his… unique grasp of joy and pain, would interpret this loss differently.
Taking a deep, resigned breath, Kirei braced himself for the encounter with Gilgamesh, a meeting he approached with fatalistic anticipation.
Oh, the King of Heroes wasn't going to be too happy about this.
And stranger still, he couldn't sense his presence anymore. In fact, the only thing he could see was red, spinning, spinning endlessly…
"Your love life would have been a disaster otherwise, likely." Karin said. "No offense meant."
Sakura made a derisive noise. "As if. Men and women would line up for me."
"There's no shortage of other-yous who married a Sasuke." Hanabi pointed out.
Sakura frowned. "I hope a shark tries to suck your clit."
Karin choked on her drink. "…Where did that come from?"
"A place of pure hatred."
The scream shattered the tense silence, a desperate battle cry that reverberated across the scarred landscape.
"INCURSIO!"
In this world, haunted by violence, betrayal, and death, the call served as a grim anthem. It was a world where every swing of a sword could end a life, where every promise could be a lie.
To Toru, it felt pretty much like their old world. He took a deep inhale. "Ah." He exhaled deeply, full of sarcasm. "Home, at last."
Shisui rolled his eyes. "Could you at least pretend to help? These Night Raid guys are going to get themselves killed."
"Sure, sure…" Toru's voice trailed off as his eyes widened. "Wait, is that guy turning into a dragon?"
"That is exactly what I meant, yes."
With a burst of speed, Toru and Shisui leapt into the fray, their chakra surging.
"Find me the local authorities, then." Toru said.
"Don't order me around, whelp."
Toru stared back at him, deflecting several arrows with a wave of his hand. "I'm taller than you, now. On top of being much better looking."
"Imagine if you had brains, now."
"That would just be dumb. Orochimaru would have roped me into his shady plans if I did. How's the Space Program?"
Shisui just growled in answer, which Toru considered a victory.
"…Do we really have to do this?" Sakura questioned, her eyes darting between Karin and Hanabi.
The two had pleasantly cornered Yoisen with questions that seemed too heavy for a casual breakfast conversation. Sakura couldn't help but feel protective of Yoisen, for reasons she couldn't quite articulate.
"Well, she is the only one to really know about that man, aside from Naruto." Hanabi shrugged.
"Under his influence — or whatever that madness was — Naruto kinda tried to kill us." Karin supplied.
Yoisen winced.
Sakura frowned. "…Then ask Naruto directly."
Hanabi waved it off. "What if we trigger some kind of psychotic break again?"
"Please don't joke about this stuff." Karin frowned.
"Alright, alright." Hanabi conceded. "I'm just saying, I'm curious too. But maybe I don't want to be the one to stir that pot." She sighed, looking at Yoisen. "I realize I'm asking you because I'm hesitant to bring it back up with Naruto myself."
Karin looked at Yoisen, her eyes softening. "Forget it. Maybe another time—"
Yoisen finally answered. "I did not refuse, did I?"
Both Karin and Hanabi leaned in, their eyes fixed on Yoisen, who sighed deeply. For a moment, the room was filled with a heavy silence. Then she began to speak.
"Indra's perception and the reality outside of it were always at odds. Naruto was on the same path, when he was younger. Both of them faced an inherent disconnect, shaped by their birthright."
"You don't think that's it, then." Sakura remarked.
Yoisen smiled. "The bubble Indra lived in was something of his own creation."
"That's where they differ, you mean."
"That's where the divergence started to happen, I suppose." Yoisen said. "Aside from his father, the Sage, Indra was the strongest, and he began seeing himself as just that, as the incredible power he wielded, the responsibility. That was his measuring stick, and no one could quite measure up to it."
"So he was always an ass?" Hanabi asked. "I mean, I could kinda see it, knowing what became of his descendants…"
Yoisen laughed. "…No. I suppose he was not always an ass." She said. "But he did struggle to form deep connections with people, because he could not relate to them. The only exceptions…"
Karin nodded, motioning for her to go on.
"Were his brother and… Yasu." Yoisen said.
"Yasu?" Karin asked. To her, the name was only vaguely familiar.
"Did Naruto never say anything?" Yoisen asked.
"Not much." Sakura said. "Something about his dead wife from another life?"
Hanabi nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's probably why."
Yoisen made a choked sound. "…Yasu was Indra's lover." She said with a small smile, lost in memories of an age long gone.
"So, like, the strongest he could find?" Sakura asked. "Someone who could bear him a strong child or something equally utilitarian? Like some sort of baby-carrying, fridge-shaped—"
"No." Yoisen said. "She could not use chakra at all. He genuinely cared for her."
"Huh."
"She was probably the only person he allowed into his bubble. He seemed to believe the others never could understand him. So he never let them reach him."
"You included, then?" Sakura asked. Karin raised an eyebrow at her.
But Yoisen just chuckled. "Me included. My relationship with Indra was a simple one. I was one out of many followers, in the end. There would have been no true understanding, had he believed in Ninshū or not."
"I don't think that's entirely true." Hanabi said, frowning.
"Perhaps not." Yoisen acknowledged. "But I do not believe it to be particularly important to the argument I am trying to make. Indra's existence revolved around becoming and staying the strongest. It stemmed from good intentions, initially."
"To bring peace." Sakura surmised. "'As always.'"
"Exactly." Yoisen confirmed. "Then the Sage passed him over. I do not believe Indra knew how to be anything but the role he thought he was preparing for his entire life.
"And he felt that he needed to reaffirm his place in the world. Yasu helped him with that. Tried to help him cope. But it was obvious that he was a fractured man. Someone who was always tethering on the brink. They disappeared for a few short years."
She then paused.
"He came back, then." She said. "We spoke."
"What happened?" Karin's voice was soft, inviting honesty.
Yoisen's lips moved, but no words came out at first. Then she burst into speech.
"I am tempted to lie." She said. "To say that Indra is the one who was entirely out of line — And he was at fault, certainly — But I said things I should not have either. I am tempted to say that I was overwhelmed by the latest grievous losses of that day. But it would be doing Yasu a disservice. In the end, our actions were our own."
Her eyes flickered, and her face seemed to pale.
"There was an argument — I was there, and so was Yasu. He and I were both proud and furious and unshakable, each convinced we knew the best way to… to save this world." She said, with a sharp, derisive laugh. "What did we really know?
"We disagreed. Bitterly. He pulled out his weapon, and then I pulled out my own, and Yasu tried to stop us, as we should have known she would, and things — Our tempers were burning, and our chakra, too — She never could use it, and she still interposed herself — and then she was dead."
Her voice cracked slightly on the last word. She knew Indra had been the one to deal the fatal blow, in the end.
It didn't change everything else.
"I'm sorry." Karin whispered. "I'm so sorry. I should have known…"
Yoisen held a hand up. "…No, it's all right. And it is important."
"It's not worth—"
"Naruto and I have talked about it at length." Yoisen insisted. "It is something you deserve to know, too. If we are to…"
She did not need to finish; Hanabi simply grabbed her hand wordlessly. Yoisen did not mind.
She cleared her throat and continued.
"Days later, and we had learned all the wrong lessons." Yoisen said. "Indra sought to purge his weaknesses, and it quickly escalated to purging weakness as a whole. I… decided that since my own lapse in judgment had caused this… Well, I thought it better to follow than intervene, and carried that with me for a long time. And I suppose we found some precarious balance like that.
"After that…" She said, and she tried to think of where to begin.
All the terrible actions, the war, the endless fighting. None of it seemed like a good place. "…I suppose Indra became entirely resigned to being alone, surrounded as he was by strong allies. He was lonely. Happiness was only a thing from a distant past, something that belonged in childhood. Perhaps someone strong enough could have broken him from his bubble.
"But the Sage was getting older, then. And… I suppose he did not want to fight his son. I did not know enough to understand it then, but sealing his mother had dampened his spirit severely. No matter what it was, neither he nor Asura could truly reach him anymore.
"And once more, it bears saying that Indra was lonely. Surrounded by powerful allies, yet profoundly alone. I think… I think that deep down, he wished for a world in which his father never abandoned him. I am not saying that it is justified, considering it was his own doing, but that was how he felt. And so, he remained trapped in that loneliness, yearning for a world where he was understood, where Yasu lived, where his father never lost faith.
"And Indra slowly forgot about himself."
Yoisen paused.
"He became a wraith, and spiraled ever faster. Of course, the machinations of Kaguya's will did not help. But his insanity, this 'curse'… is something that is mostly of his own doing. He had too much power for his own good, but Indra still was a man. Perhaps that is the problem with the eyes his clan inherited. To see much, but to remain unable to do anything about it."
"Hm." Sakura simply said, with something like understanding in her gaze.
Yoisen nodded. "You have noticed it, and you likely understand it better than I do. The Sharingan evolves through the loss of attachment. Its ultimate form, supposedly, is expressed when its wielder is unbridled, free."
"By letting go." Sakura stated. "The Sharingan doesn't question its own evolution. Concerns like 'why' and 'what for,' labels, even common sense — those are secondary."
"Wow." Hanabi said, quite dryly. "So your sheer selfishness allowed you to transcend, then?"
"I told you it was a boon." Sakura countered. "Did you listen? Who else managed to evolve a Rinne-Sharingan?"
Hanabi didn't miss a beat. "Toru. It can't be that special."
Sakura dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "I'm talking about real people."
Yoisen shrugged. "I cannot speak for Toru, nor for Sasuke. An awakening is a personal matter, still. What is certain is that Indra never managed to let go, paradoxically. Had he done so, perhaps…" She trailed off. "Who knows? The world would have been a very different place."
"That's not something you should blame yourself for." Karin said.
"Perhaps not." Yoisen said, after a long pause. "In any case… perhaps Naruto would have walked the same path. He was close enough, closer than anyone else."
"But he didn't." Karin said, repressing a small shiver. "In the end, he didn't."
"No, he did not." Yoisen nodded, her voice growing stronger. "He found his answer, and with that, he proved to be a different man. A better one."
"Because he finally understood himself?" Sakura asked.
"Yes. But that's not it." Yoisen said, a small, true smile blooming upon her face. "He had you."
"Bro, please." Toru was practically on the verge of begging. "You can't just obliterate Kingdom Hearts."
Now he remembered why Naruto could be more difficult to manage than Shisui usually was.
A scowl crossed Naruto's face as lightning crackled at his fingertips. "It's not going to harm people directly. I'll make sure of it."
"You don't know that for sure." Toru then tried again, differently. "It's… A realm of pure emotion and dreams. You can't just erase that."
"And why not? This place has been the root of a lot of trouble and confusion. Seems like a simple solution to me. We'll put something more logical instead."
"Look, it's a mess, but one we can clean up." Toru said.
"I'm done with these clones of clones, computer simulation, coma-induced, five times cloned again bullshit — I can't even keep track." Naruto continued to scowl. "Ansem wasn't really Ansem, but he was Ansem's apprentice Xehanort pretending to be Ansem—"
"The man pretending to pull the strings, pretending to be Madara, wasn't really Madara, who pretended to be the one pulling the strings. Instead, he was Madara's apprentice Obito, who pretended to be Madara and feigned being under his control, but really was acting for his own interest, but in truth was being pulled along by what pretended to be Madara's will, but turned out to be Kaguya's, manipulating Madara." Toru countered, before taking a deep breath. Just now, he knew he had won. "And Madara's who you'd be like, if you erased people's dreams — or whatever that is!"
Naruto paused. Then he chuckled. "Really? Madara's Threshold, again? Shame on you."
Toru shrugged. "If it works, it works."
"…I think I get it." He then sighed. "Fine, have it your way. But if Mickey Mouse tries any funny business, I'm blowing this place sky-high."
Sakura chuckled.
"Perhaps he should thank us for preventing the end of the world a bit more often, then." She said, just glad that the conversation was turning lighter again.
"Are you feeling neglected?" Karin asked, smiling.
"Right." Sakura said sarcastically. "Since I came back, he's had even less time than ever before."
"Ah, he's probably busy filling out paperwork to get you released from Enma's clutches." Hanabi said.
"What?" Sakura raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
Hanabi shrugged, grinning. "I mean, Hell must be missing its only pink-haired resident."
Sakura frowned. "…I did not even die."
"No, that's me, actually." Hanabi corrected. "You all did."
Sakura glared at her and grumbled, reminding Yoisen of her husband for a moment.
Rate Your Helper
Uchiha Toru
Path of the Warrior, Path of the Artisan — Umigakure, Celestial Ring
Rating: 5/5
Hey there, Toru-sama!
I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. I'm Nakamura Yumi. We met under rather extraordinary circumstances. You may not remember me among the many faces you must have encountered, but I was there in Soranoiro (which you called World CN-3400-something), the day you did something truly incredible.
I've been wanting to write to you since that day, but finding the right words has been a challenge. You see, what you did for our world was nothing short of miraculous, and I find myself grateful beyond measure. As many do. Your bravery and kindness didn't just save us; they inspired me in ways I'm still trying to understand.
I often find myself thinking about that day, about you, and the impact you've left on my life.
It's strange how someone can enter your world for just a fleeting moment and leave such an indelible mark. Your strength and compassion were a beacon of hope in our darkest hour, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
I'm writing this through here because I am unsure how to find you — not just to thank you, but also in the hope of getting to know you better. There's so much I wish to say, so many questions I'd like to ask. But for now, let me just express my deepest admiration for the person you are and all that you've done for us.
If you ever find yourself in Soranoiro again, or if you ever wish to talk, know that there's someone here who thinks highly of you and would cherish the opportunity to meet again.
Take care, and may your journey always be filled with light and kindness.
With admiration and hope,
Yumi
[4,121 people found this comment useful]
"That's just strange." Sakura decided.
"…You just said there was no wrong breakfast choice." Karin pointed out.
"Yeah, but that didn't include pancakes."
Yoisen frowned. "Pancakes are the epitome of breakfast."
"…Right." Sakura sighed. "Who are you, Naruto?"
Yoisen raised an eyebrow. Karin explained. "Ever since we stopped in…" Sakura paused. "Where was it, Hanabi?"
Hanabi smiled. "I don't know, I wasn't there."
"But you know exactly what I'm talking about." Sakura insisted, and Hanabi nodded. "Tell me, then."
"No."
Nostrils flared, Sakura turned to Karin. "Where was it, Karin?"
"Shimo." Karin said.
"Yeah, that." Sakura nodded. "Ever since we stopped there, years ago, he's been eating fatty pancakes like three times a week."
"Is that a bad thing?" Yoisen asked.
"Pancakes are, yes." Sakura nodded.
"All right, then." Yoisen said, lifting an eyebrow. "What do you eat for breakfast, aside from roasted animals?"
Hanabi stifled a laugh, and she elaborated when Sakura glared at her. "She survives on miso soup and rice."
"Fascinatingly bland." Yoisen nodded. "And that is your vaunted alternative to pancakes?"
Sakura frowned at her. "I'm taking my protection back. Deal with Ino on your own."
"…Would you call what you did protection?" Yoisen asked neutrally.
Sakura ignored her. "I like sushi."
"That's dinner food." Hanabi argued.
Karin groaned. "Please, not this shit again."
"Anything can be breakfast." Sakura said.
"I have noticed while we were traveling, yes." Yoisen nodded, entirely unimpressed.
Sakura stared at her. "That's it. I'm not preparing you pancakes."
"That is entirely fine. I did not feel like dying today."
Rate Your Helper
Uzumaki Naruto
Path of the Warrior, Path of Command — Umigakure, Celestial Ring
Rating: 5/5
To the Immortal Emperor Naruto, Sovereign of All Realms,
As one of Your chosen, I write this with a heart full of devotion and a soul dedicated to Your cause. We, your hands and eyes, stride across the worlds, bringing light to the darkened corners and extending Your benevolent reach. To heal. To uplift. To enlighten. Under Your guidance, we have turned battlefields into grounds of hope, transforming despair into possibility. Every victory is in Your honor; every enemy, every despot vanquished a testament to Your glory.
In eternal loyalty,
Hirogawa Takashi
[6,244 people found this comment useful]
"But your name's Yoisen." Hanabi reminded her, almost gently.
"I am well aware." Yoisen said. Were it anyone else, perhaps they would have felt chided by her dry tones.
Not Uzumaki Hanabi, however.
"You did say it was your birth name, too." She said. "Was that a clever lie? That's strange, because my eyes—"
"Did not see through it, yada yada." Sakura rolled her own.
"Exactly." Hanabi smiled. "So that means it was true."
"Well…" Yoisen began. "There are only so many times one can use the same name throughout history before people become suspicious."
"What if you wait it out?" Hanabi asked.
Yoisen nodded. "Even then. If you were to check the Uzumaki lineage records — there are several Uzumaki Yoisen. Aside from the one who helped the Uzumaki clan settle on the islands, long ago… The others are not me."
Hanabi was puzzled. "You could have side-stepped all that mess by simply telling your relatives that you were immortal."
Yoisen pursed her lips. "…You make it sound very simple."
Hanabi smiled. "Because it is, really. That's what I would do, were I in your shoes."
"Aside from bringing the world to its knees?" Karin asked.
"Aside from that, obviously." Hanabi acquiesced. "But that goes without saying. A thousand years is a long time."
Yoisen nodded. "It really is."
"What did you do during all that time, even?" Sakura asked.
"I became very decent at ancient languages, silver-plate photography, Ryūmen architecture, and deciphering cuneiform scripts. And Go, too."
Sakura raised an eyebrow "…Okay. What about the other nine hundred ninety-something years?"
"Very decent." Yoisen said.
…
"Hmmm?" Yoisen asked.
Hanabi squinted. "I'm pretty sure you heard me. I asked what was the deal with that letter you sent to Naruto, back then?"
"I am entirely unsure which one you are referring to." Yoisen tried. "There were many—"
"Your face is flushed. Why?"
Yoisen fidgeted.
Karin nudged Hanabi. "Can you please stop? She clearly doesn't want to talk about it — that's understandable. The last thing I'd want to do in her shoes would be to explain anything like that to you."
Haanbi laughed, a fond expression wiping the frown from her face. "That's just not true. You'd use the opportunity to further your agenda — and I would feel no shame at all."
Karin averted her eyes, smiling. "Well, yes, perhaps. But that's different — and we're not talking about me, now."
Hanabi turned back to Yoisen, whose expression resembled prey cornered by Inuzuka hounds.
"…I am tempted to say that I knew exactly what I was doing when I sent that letter." Yoisen broke the silence. "But the truth is, a younger woman told me it was the custom nowadays. I simply took her word for it."
Sakura couldn't hold back. "Who in their right mind sends nudes through interdimensional mail? That's probably a first."
Yoisen's cheeks flamed even brighter. "A fool, I suppose."
…
"What's appropriate courting…?" Karin repeated.
Yoisen nodded, staring at her cup of tea. "In the times I grew up in, courting was straightforward. A look, a gift, a few choice words, and intentions were clear. Probably."
Karin stared at her. "What makes you think it's actually a good idea to ask any of us? We—"
"Hush, now." Sakura said, seizing her lips in between her thumb and index.
Yoisen looked up, puzzled. "Are you saying you don't know either?"
Sakura shook her head. "It's just Karin being humble."
"No it's not." Karin grunted.
Hanabi laughed. "Speak for yourself. I think I'm quite good at this whole courting thing."
Karin raised an eyebrow. "You…? Hanabi, you basically forced Naruto to notice you."
"Well it worked, didn't it?"
Yoisen watched the exchange, more bewildered than before. "So modern courtship is more forceful?"
"I suppose, yes." Hanabi nodded.
"No!" Karin said. "Please don't listen to her."
"Hanabi is a special case." Sakura said, shaking her head.
"…What did you do?" Yoisen asked.
"I made my peace with polygamy." Sakura nodded. "It's pretty nice, in the end."
Yoisen nodded slowly. "I have done that already."
Sakura stared. "…Huh." She said, deep in thought. "And you have powerful eyes already, too. And you've built your legend, too."
"…What is this about?" Yoisen asked.
"Nothing, actually." Sakura said. "I think you're ready. It's just a matter of time, now."
"A matter of time for what?"
"Just tackle him during training." Hanabi offered.
"It's not universal." Karin countered.
"…Naruto?" Yoisen asked.
Sakura chuckled. "Whoever has caught your eye. It's universal."
"It's not." Karin repeated.
"…Can we please get started with the last preparations?" Yoisen asked.
"Killjoy." Sakura grunted.
And so went most of their morning.
"Well." Sakura said, her eyes sweeping across the faces of her companions.
"Well." Hanabi echoed. The two women exchanged a knowing glance.
"Is it time already?" Karin asked.
Yoisen gave a curt nod. "The timing is right."
"Good. I'm done warming up." Karin said, flexing her fingers like a pianist before a performance.
"The tools?" Sakura asked.
"Ready to go." Yoisen confirmed. "Is Ino…?"
"She's in position, yes."
"Perfect." Hanabi nodded. "Naruto will go in first, as planned."
"Exactly—"
Sakura's personal device sent her a pulse. "…For real, now?"
"Is it Naruto?" Karin asked.
Sakura scoffed. "Nah. We're in the same world. He'd just communicate telepathically. He's a dinosaur when it comes to these matters — no offense meant, Yoisen."
"It did not sound derogatory before." Yoisen pointed out.
"Ah. My bad." Sakura said. "It's Toru, in any case."
Hanabi groaned. "Oh, for fuck's sake. Now…? Does that big baby want yet another dumb sugary drink…? Of course he does." She then sighed. "…Which one does he want?"
"I promise you, it's going to be a pleasant one." Toru said. "Me and Shisui—"
"Shisui and I." Sasuke corrected.
"Me and Shisui have been through plenty of them, and it all went smoothly." Toru assured him. "No big trouble, only a few fights here and there…"
Toru cut himself off.
"…Am I dreaming or is this 'Soul Society' thing being invaded?"
"…No, it is being invaded." Sasuke confirmed, and then he sighed. "I'm starting to believe that you're doing something to attract trouble only when I'm around, cousin."
Toru made a few hand signs, and soon he peered through his swallows' eyes — perhaps something could be said about him mimicking a pretty shitty Byakugan, but this wasn't the time nor the place.
"Did the distress call mention anything about infighting between the Shinigami?" He asked.
"No, it specifically mentioned invaders in white uniforms."
A pause.
"I see. Something went wrong." Sasuke said. "And… speaking of. Do you think Sakura might have messed up the timeline last time she came here?"
Toru snorted. "Did Fū have to shit in the woods for a year and some?"
"Thought so." Sasuke nodded sagely, unfolding his arms.
Toru nodded too. "Sasuke, please—"
"I'm not playing your theme song." Sasuke said, and then sighed again. "Let's warn the others, in any case. This smells like foul play."
Three of the enemies stood out from the rest, all dressed in long white robes. The contrast with the black-robed Shinigami was clear. And it was a different sort of uniform than the others, too.
"Three factions, then?" Toru asked.
"Seems like it." Sasuke said, sighing. "Bad day for it, too. Will that impact the other plans?"
Toru thought about it. "Nah, Naruto's a big boy. And his battle harem can handle anything, really."
"As you say."
Toru grinned. "Do you trust my judgment, bro?"
Sasuke chuckled. "Hardly. I'm going to wait for Sakura a bit further away, in case. Close to the other invaders."
"Right." Toru nodded. "You mean that you're going to take care of it in the meantime."
"We wouldn't want Sakura to do it, would we...?"
"No." Toru laughed.
He glanced at the three invaders that had caught his eyes.
They seemed like dangerous fuckers. Which meant that it was better to grab their attention, too.
Toru knew what to do, of course. Every villain seemed to fall for the same ruse: looking for their throne. Or any throne, really.
He summoned Chair-kun, his favorite seat. And then he waited for them to come to him.
"Oh, for real?" Naruto grunted, when he noticed Sakura's absence.
"Hello to you too." Karin said, smiling slightly.
He couldn't help a small smile from forming. Naruto drew a deep breath and nodded to himself. "Hello, Karin. Hanabi. Yoisen."
They greeted him back, and perhaps one of them was not really meeting his eyes for longer than necessary.
"If it matters…" Hanabi said. "And I suppose it does. Sakura got caught up in something. Or, to be precise, Toru got caught up in something and Sakura went to help him."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "I swear, that man has the worst timing I've seen since Anko on drums."
"Should we still go?" Yoisen asked him quietly.
Naruto thought about it.
"Yes." He decided. "Nothing in the plan hinges upon either of their abilities. If it comes to that, we'll back off… or call for reinforcements, likely. However…"
He glanced up at them and smiled a confident smile that they returned.
"I don't think either will be needed."
Relaxed in his chair, arms folded, Toru studied the trio before him.
He was thankful for the mission briefing, right now. Although these men were pretty chatty, too. Putting the pieces together...
"Quite the grand scheme you've got there. Toppling the 'Soul King' and upending the world's order is no small feat. Manipulating the two other sides to do it, either."
Aizen Sōsuke smiled that enigmatic smile of his. "A world needs to be broken before it can be remade, don't you agree?"
Ichimaru Gin grinned, eyes shut as usual. "Breakin' things can be fun, ya know?"
Tōsen Kaname nodded. "Justice demands that the corrupt world be purified."
Toru chuckled. "You guys talk like poets."
"Poetry is what harmony feels like." Tosen replied.
Toru's tone shifted to a more serious note. "You like poetry? That's nice."
Aizen, with a knowing smile, interjected, "Every man has his own interest."
Toru leaned forward, his gaze piercing. "And I'm sure yours have nothing to do with these Shinigami slaughtering each other out there, right? Or with those who are clearly not fighters."
Gin's grin widened a fraction. "Well, strength's what ya need to clear away any hurdles, ain't it?"
Tōsen's expression remained stern as he nodded in agreement. "Eliminating such hurdles is the foundation of justice."
"I see, I see." Toru nodded. "I'm sorry, but from where I sit, it seems like you guys might actually be the villains."
Aizen smiled easily. "As often tends to happen with revolutionaries."
"Right, right…" Toru nodded pleasantly. "And that's why you three came to invade this Soul Society on your own—"
"Soul Society…?" Aizen asked with an amused smile. "Oh, is this where you believe we are, right now…?"
Toru frowned minutely. "Are we not?" He asked, but no answer came, unless you counted their amusement. "…Fine. I guess we're going to talk philosophy while those other people die, huh. There's no other way, it's inescapable, like gravity's call."
"What're ya rambling about now?" Gin asked, still grinning.
Toru shrugged. "Just that even people like us are bound by obligations. Cosmic forces…"
Tōsen sighed. "I have no patience for this. Will you fight?"
Toru frowned. "Indulge me for a while — you were very talkative, before. We could share, gather ideas.."
"Enough with the cryptic nonsense!" Tōsen declared, as his hand went to his blade.
"All in order to ascend."
Aizen realized it just before Gin did. "Kaname, it is a chant—"
In a flash, the air became superheated with chakra. Two of the shinigami traitors reacted fast enough to leap away. One didn't.
Where Tōsen Kaname had been, nothing remained but a dark orb.
It was no ordinary gravitational pull. It was not exactly a singularity either. But it drew in air, light and matter, as the crushed floor underneath could attest to. And more importantly, it compressed his enemy until he vanished completely — obliterated from existence.
"Indeed." Toru said evenly as he stood up from Chair-kun. "That's what it was."
He lowered his hand, and the Chibaku Tensei dissipated as quickly as it had formed.
"Were you saying something about harmony?" Toru's voice was icy, his eyes devoid of their previous warmth. "Seems like your trio just lost its bass note."
In answer, Aizen simply pulled his weapon out. Ichimaru already had.
In the depths of Naraka, Enma-daiō sat brooding on his throne.
The flow of souls, once a roaring river, had dwindled to a mere trickle, then to an unnerving stillness.
This anomaly had begun months ago, timed with Earth's annihilation by a celestial being. Enma knew humanity had somehow endured, and that Uzumaki Naruto was partly to blame for this apocalypse.
And still, no souls came to him anymore.
Enma was typically unshakeable, but today, an unsettling unease permeated the air. It was then that he sensed it.
A terrible, oppressive force tore barriers with an intensity that defied understanding.
Before Enma could fully rise, the Gate to the Mortal World shattered. A torrent of celestial light surged in, a spectacle of power the likes of which had never been seen in these dark realms.
In that instant, the air itself seemed to rupture, giving way to a thunderclap that descended upon Enma with wrathful might.
Everything became static for a moment. And then there was pain.
The force of nature unleashed with devastating precision, hurling Enma through the very walls of Hell.
Enma's body, unyielding, formidable... was flung like a ragdoll through the blackened walls of the underworld's stone. Each barrier he crashed through crumbled like brittle parchment, unable to withstand the thunderous assault.
As he continued his uncontrollable flight, the air scorched around him, filled with the sulfurous fumes of the infernal landscape. He finally came to an abrupt, bone-shattering halt, buried deep in the molten heart of a lava flow. The molten rock, glowing with a malevolent light, seemed to embrace him in its fiery grasp.
Around them, Hell itself seemed to react in kind. Eruptions burst forth in a cacophony of destruction, as if the underworld itself was echoing the fury of the celestial attack.
Lava spewed skyward, painting a terrifying portrait of chaos, of fury. The ground shook with tremors, resonating with the aftermath of the thunderous strike.
Enma slowly rose out of the lava, gathering power to himself.
The last time he'd felt anything like this, he'd been grappling with deities in the distant past.
There was only one being who could wield such might—
"Enma!" A very human voice resounded, a booming sound that echoed through the cavern. "On your feet!"
It wasn't Susanoo-Arashi.
The man emerged from the holes in Hell's walls with an air of serene confidence. Each step he took was measured and unhurried, as if he were merely strolling through a peaceful garden rather than the infernal depths of Hell. The chaotic energy and destruction around him seemed to part in deference to his calm demeanor.
The jagged edges of the broken walls and the flickering shadows cast by the eruptions of lava and fire only served to highlight his composed bearing. Enma's servants stood rooted to the ground, and they let the man pass.
His voice reverberated like an earthquake, shattering Hell's constraints and resonating through the labyrinthine corridors. He was far, far away into the distance, and now that the dragon of lightning that had carried him faded into wisps of light, Enma finally caught clear sight of him.
The King of Hell rose before the intruder; before the large man, bathed in heavenly light.
He stood there, his Rinnegan eyes swirling with eerie light.
One moment he was there, far away. The next, he was standing in front of Enma.
"I warned you before." Enma's words were a low growl as cruel, ethereal flames coalesced into a massive axe.
A smile curled Uzumaki Naruto's lips, as he settled into a battle stance. "Which is why I didn't waste time haggling. I'll try persuading you when you're defeated. Or dead."
"You're a moth drawn to the fire, Uzumaki Naruto. A jumped-up country boy, who never knew his place!"
Uzumaki Naruto laughed heartily, summoning a radiant Ōdachi, from which a ribbon flew, into his grip. "Oh, were you nobility, before you settled here? I assume you will teach me about it, then? About my place?"
"I will." Enma said, full of dreadful finality.
With a guttural snarl, the King of Hell summoned his mightiest soldiers from the flames. Armies would soon coalesce, and Uzumaki Naruto knew it, too.
"Calling upon your underlings? I thought this was a duel." Uzumaki Naruto said. "Where is your pride…? Legend says you were a man, once."
Enma didn't bother answering. His soldiers moved as a silent response.
In response, Naruto raised his other hand.
He unleashed arks of electrical energy in every direction. Lightning shattered the islands of stone, the netherstone roof, high, high above them, reducing them all to molten rivers, cascades of lava. Obliterating mighty warriors that had lived for eons. And for the first time, Enma's dominion wavered under an external force.
Emerging from the depths of dark portals, three armored women materialized, poised and prepared for the conflict ahead. Their hair, a striking blend of white, red, and brown, flowed behind them as they stepped with determined grace across the sinister, flowing rivers of the underworld.
"Step into Hell as the insolent fools you are." Enma's voice was a venomous snarl. "Leave as humbled spirits — if you're fortunate enough to leave."
"We only came because there's no other choice." The red-haired woman replied, her aura radiating a golden hue.
"This pointlessness ends with you, Enma." The brown-haired one declared, before turning incandescent.
The woman with white hair remained silent, imbuing her weapon with holy fire, her eyes aflame with unspoken intent.
"Perhaps there is another path." Enma's grin was a wicked baring of teeth. "Short of divine intervention, you will all become my servants. Breaking your spirits will be my pleasure."
A laugh broke the tension, confident and devoid of fear.
"Allow us to set the record straight." Naruto said with cold clarity, and the smile on his face held only dark promise — this was a fight he wanted.
"You're really not going to enjoy your last day on the job."
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i/3VqYvi :"Should we wait?"