Chapter 31


When Sothis volunteered to reach out to the Konoha Shinobi on standby in the village, she hadn't exactly thought about how she would go about doing so.

In Fodlan, she had the blessing of prayers and mana to pull from to make her incorporeal form visible to those of her lineage. Here, however, there was no such blessing—meaning, for all intents and purposes, she was a ghost to the rest of the world.

Of course, there were ways she could still appear to the outside via their magic. It didn't cost much, if anything at all. All it required was for her host to have even a snippet of mana and her voice could be heard by the undeserving.

But he had none. Zero. Silch.

Thankfully, it wasn't the end of the world. If she couldn't use their mana to sustain herself, then she could use the boy's chakra to at the very least have her voice heard. It would make convincing whoever she found a lot more tedious, but not impossible. All she'd need to do is pull on the right thread and her voice would reach.

And then what little chakra he had left suddenly vanished as well.

On the one hand, it probably meant something had happened in the little time she was gone, forcing him to expunge more than his resources to survive. On the other hand, she wanted to strangle the brat for using her last and only means of communicating with the outside world. She'd thought this was planned if the situation wasn't so dire. Now, she has to wait for his network to recharge for a couple of minutes before she can even think about communicating with their allies.

And on that note, she needed to FIND said allies.

Thankfully, it was a task proven to not test the little patience she had left. Just on the outskirts of the town stood multiple figures in green, 15 in total, with the symbol of her ward's clan shown proudly on the back of their jackets. Whether they were investigating or waiting on something in particular was hard to tell, but they were a relief to see nonetheless.

If things couldn't get any more convenient, she recognized two faces.

Both were currently being looked over by one of the kunoichi, the woman putting a glowing green hand to the Hyuga's head while the friend next to him seemed to be nursing a headache.

Well, she found her targets. The only issue now was actually speaking to them.

Thankfully, the medic had left the Genin to their own recovery, giving her the perfect opportunity to try her luck. Floating right in front of them, she cleared her throat, the words she had prepared already flowing naturally from her lips.

"Children of Konoha, heed my words, for they are a matter of life and death. My name is Sothis, and I am a mutual friend of Uzumaki Naruto. Your fellow comrades are currently in grave danger and require your immediate action. The enemy you seek is currently below these very grounds. Please, save them before they no longer have the strength left to fight him off!"

Her piece said, Sothis waited. She had chosen her words carefully, making sure to point out the urgency without coming off as too suspicious. Surely, this would be enough to push them into action.

So she waited.

And waited...

...

...

...

...

"...Hey, Neji?"

"Un?"

"Am I still asleep, or did we just get a random side-quest from a ghost?"

"...Is it still considered a dream if we both heard the same thing?"

"...Maybe a Genjutsu?"

"I'm ready to believe that before I entertain the notion of being spoken to by a ghost."

"...Yeah, let's go with that."

Sothis looked down on the two children, jaw slack, and unable to formulate a single coherent sentence for nearly a solid minute.

"I am not a ghost, nor an illusion you single-minded simpletons! Your friends are really in danger and are in need of your immediate assistance!" She roared, succeeding in getting their full attention where her informative speech before did not.

"Holy cow! You're real?!" Tenten exclaimed, her eyes now wide and attentive.

"Yes I am real, you dunce! Now get off your rears already and inform your superiors of the situation before it is too late!" Sothis finished with a huff, expecting the two to move immediately after doubts of the supernatural had been cleared. Unfortunately, their skepticism was still clear to see, evident by the way they held each other's gaze with a pondering look on their brows.

"Who are you, exactly?" Neji questioned, frustrating the Goddess further.

"I've told you my name and affiliation! We do not have time for an entire backstory when lives are at stake!" Sothis tried, but their skepticism was still present. In fact, it only seemed to anchor itself further, going from how the Hyuga's brow suddenly created a frown.

"We were just drugged and kidnapped in the very house of our clients and two people we thought were our comrades. You'll have to forgive us if we aren't exactly 'trusting' at the moment, 'Sothis'."

"What do you want from me? I don't have a physical form! How am I meant to convince anyone?!"

"Isn't that something you should have thought about? Not our fault you're suspicious as hell." Tenten pointed out.

A hand came to the Goddess's face as it slowly slid down in defeat. Of all the times she could possibly be hit with Shinobi paranoia, this was the absolute worst! The children were no doubt in a vulnerable state at the moment, increasing their already valid paranoia and leaving their ability to trust hanging on a thread. They were rightfully being cautious, which was ironic considering all the times she preached her ward to be the same, yet she wished they were more like him in these extenuating. No doubt, if he were in their shoes, she wouldn't even have to say what the danger was before he was running in its direction.

Grumbling, she tried desperately to think of something—anything that could assist her in convincing the duo. Very little came to mind, and what did only served to anger her further. There was no guarantee the duo would even hear her plea, and even if they did, their chances of reaching the others in time were dropping with every second they wasted here. How exactly was one meant to get an emotionally paranoid, prepubescent Shinobi to heed-

'...No.'

She denied a thought immediately. Granted, it could work, but...but at what cost? Even if the boy survived this ordeal, was the embarrassment afterward worth it?

Well, it was not only his life at stake, but hers as well. It was her best shot, and their window of opportunity was quickly closing.

However...

Would she really put her pride over her own life? Her ward's?

'...'

Her body slumped in defeat.

In the end, she did not wish to die. Shame and humiliation were temporary, but death was eternal.

Repeating that phrase over and over in her head, she took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself for the stupidity she was about to spill.

"Sothis is," the Goddess paused, gathering herself once more before continuing. "Sothis, is not...is not the name you know me by." The brows on both teens rose at that, getting another sigh from the Goddess. She was really about to say it. "You, may know me as a...Goddess..."

Yes, she was really about to say it.

"The...Loli...Goddess..."

The silence that followed threatened to swallow Sothis whole before the embarrassment eventually would. Both Genin's were staring owlishly into the distance, their eyes half lit, while their minds were likely attempting to process her words. The longer she waited for a response, the more she wished for death to come.

"...Hey, Neji?"

"Un..."

"I may sound crazy for this, but I think we're both in the same dream."

"...As unrealistic as that may sound, I think I believe you."

Slowly, Sothis buried her face in her hands, not wishing for any to see how red she'd gotten despite the fact she was invisible to their eyes.


Location: Underground

Getting teleported from her venture into enemy territory was, admittedly, not something Byleth Eisner fully accounted for. Getting run through almost immediately after appearing was more of an annoyance than anything, yet the punch she sent into the pale skinned bastard gave her immediate relief despite the sword now hanging from her chest.

The dangers of going against an organization so deeply rooted in Fodlan's politics held their fair share of surprises. So far, the most she had run into were numbers, along with technology she didn't think was possible to exist in their current society.

And yet still, there was little, if anything, that truly posed a threat to her.

The power that came from the demon far outclassed anything Fodlan could throw her way. Short of complete evisceration, Byleth was confident in her success in erasing these stains from the lands with little to no real threat to here continued existence.

Ripping the sword from her chest, she immediately felt the demon's mana begin knitting the wound, closing it within seconds. No longer wounded, she checked her surroundings, noting the dark corridor, the strange lights on the walls, and the smell of blood in the air that was so thick it couldn't be hers. The latter was a little disconcerting considering the horrors she'd seen in the creature's labs back in the Empire, but was easily pushed to the back of her mind as her gaze finally landed on the four behind her.

One was dead, evident by the sword in her chest and the pool of blood around her. The one closest to the corpse and the only one standing, the greenette in black, looked both in awe and scared as their eyes met. Turning slightly, her eyes met two more. The red-eyed one looked cautious, as if prepared for her to attack at any moment. The way he dressed was peculiar, the mask giving him a sense of mystery, along with the way his hair basically defied gravity.

The boy next to him was a corpse in comparison. Breaths came out in ragged gasps while blood practically coated his front—which she suspected wasn't his own. His seafoam-colored eyes were glazed over, and his entire body shook as if he were trying not to fall over. Despite the state he was in, he was still able to keep her gaze, analyzing her much like the mysterious man next to him.

Seeing that they were likely not going to speak, she decided to be the one to start, asking the question that was only reasonable to ask in the situation she had found herself in.

"Where am I?"

No one answered the question—at least, not immediately. When the silence was finally broken, it was by the silver-haired Jonin, who basically answered her question with a question—said question not for herself, but for the boy next to him.

"Naruto, who is this?"

'Naruto' turned tired eyes to the man before returning them to her.

"I..don't know." He tiredly admitted, followed by a hushed conversation once they realized she could hear them.

They were ignoring her.

...Rude.

All she wanted was information, and she was being treated like the enemy. And here she thought they would at least be grateful after she had been run through by a sword that was clearly meant for the blonde.

"A-are you here to help?" The greenette asked, the only one seemingly willing to girl her the time of day.

"...That depends," Byleth answered cryptically, understanding that these people could potentially be her enemies despite their circumstances.

She was about to continue, but movement from behind her had them all returning their attention to the man she'd sent flying moments ago.

The snake was already on his feet, his unnaturally pale face expressionless as his golden eyes landed on her. The look in his eyes promised death, but it was also filled with curiosity as he stared down the new arrival.

Byleth figured one punch wouldn't be enough to kill such a being, yet it still surprised her that these people's skins were so tough. Not only that, but his mana felt different from the others she had killed, as if he were a half blood rather than a full blood.

Nevertheless, a good swing of her blade was more than enough to end his pitiful existence. She swore to kill them all, and she was a woman of her word.

"Is he your enemy?" Byleth questioned the trio behind her, their answer vital to her next course of action.

"Y-yes," the green-haired one answered again, and that was all Byleth needed to hear. Anyone fighting these plagues on Fodlan's history was an ally, no matter how weirdly they dressed.

Turning from them, she began her walk towards the pale man whose face contorted into a smile as he now stood tall and confident once more.

"I must say, it's been quite some time since I've been punched like that, kukuku." Orochimaru chuckled, not at all bothered by the woman now approaching him with his own sword in hand. "I must also admit that this is the first time I've ever seen a human summoned. And those eyes...and marks..." His curiosity grew, not only for the now feral lines on her face, but for the slitted red eyes that were definitely teal before. If things couldn't get more interesting, the wound in her chest was no longer bleeding... Oddly enough, it looked to have been closed complete-

An arm suddenly shot up to defend his face as a leg threatened to kick it off. Unfortunately, the power behind the roundhouse kick was just as unexpected as the woman suddenly appearing in front of him within the blink of an eye. It not only broke through his guard but sent him flying once again. This time, his back hit a wall, knocking the air from him before another punch into his abdomen made his vision go white momentarily as they broke through the wall completely.

He wished it had stopped there, yet another powerful fist into his abdomen sent him through yet another wall, those slitted eyes the only thing the Sannin was able to see through the blue and dirt. Soon, his back was saved from going through yet another wall as they both began to free-fall. Above him, he could see the blurry form of the bluenette raising his Kusanagi over her head. With a simple twitch of his fingers, the sword vibrated before shooting out of her grip entirely. Her momentary shock gave him the opportunity he needed to turn his body and kick her away.

Landing on his feet in the new open space, Orochimaru immediately motioned his Kusanagi back to him and charged the now unarmed woman. She met him halfway, her hand going to her side to grab what looked to be the hilt of a sword. Her arm shot out to swing in an arc, pulling the sword from its scabbard to reveal its double-edges to the Sannin.

He deflected the blow, his sword coming up just in time to redirect the blade from cutting into his neck. Despite this, she followed up almost immediately by swinging once again for his head. The snake leaned back 90°, the sword passing harmlessly over him while he used the new opening to lift his leg and send a kick into her chin.

The blow connected once more, but did nothing to stop the monster of a woman from continuing her offensive. He barely had time to recover as she began to swing her sword in a barrage of strategically placed swings that forced the snake to either dodge or deflect, less he be cut in two.

Her speed and ferocity had him on the backfoot, blocking and dodging each strike as if he were dancing. There was also technique in every swing, not just brute force. It forced Orochimaru to not be careless with his body, lest he be cut down. She proved to be skilled with her sword, much like a samurai. However, it was pretty evident she wasn't used to fighting someone on the Sannin's level.

An overextension from a slash was rewarded with a kick to her shin that she took in stride. Another mistake came in the form of a follow-up, which allowed him to grab her by the wrist and use her momentum against her. In the next instant, she was sailing over the Sannin's head before landing on her back.

As she rolled with the impact, the snake swung his Kusanagi downward but was caught along the edge of her sword as she stood to a knee. Not one to leave openings, she used his momentary pause to throw his guard high before going in for a tackle. Orochimaru immediately back-stepped to avoid the grapple. When that failed, Byleth swung horizontally, the tip of her blade cutting through the fabric of his shirt. Had the Sannin been a split-second slower, the blade would have cut right through him. As it was, it merely managed to cut a shallow line across his abdomen, which amused him more than anything.

Nevertheless, she did not stop her aggression. He continued to backstep from the woman's unrelenting attacks, a grin stretching his face as his enjoyment of the situation quickly grew.

"Tsk tsk tsk. All that aggression, that speed, and yet can't hit little ol' me?" He mocked, yet if it got under the woman's skin, she didn't show it. Instead, she closed the distance once more, her sword arm reeling back over her face and Orochimaru ready to answer accordingly.

There was no way to expect the light that illuminated briefly within her coat before shooting through it to slam into him. The momentary pain was all the woman needed, and she swung without mercy. The snake dodged, but was in no position to defend against the powerful swing. All he could do was lean his body back while the Kusanagi itself was violently knocked from his hand. He tried jumping back, but found his face in the woman's hand before his head was slammed into the ground—a crater forming beneath.

The next thing he knew, he was being dragged through the ground. His body flailed like a ragdoll as the hard surface continuously broke over the force of his cranium breaking through it before he was finally lifted off the ground to be slammed through a pillar. When his face was finally released, he only had a moment to reorientate himself before the woman game into view.

A blink later, and she had gone right through him.

Two halfs of a man went flying in separate directions—one to the right and the other to the left.

Landing, Byleth immediately observed her kill. The snake's face was etched forever into that of surprise, though Byleth did not yet feel the sense of victory that she should have as she frowned down at the corpse.

She watched in fascination as both halves began to melt, the man's form turning brown as the rest of his body turned to mud.

She had no time to wonder how such a thing was possible before the ground beneath her shook. Instinctively, she jumped high and away, and not a moment too soon.

From the ground emerged a snake, mouth wide and ready to clamp down.

Not just any snake, mind you.

Despite what most would immediately picture, it was anything but small. It's open mouth dwarfed her 20 times over, meaning it could swallow her as easily as it could a wagon or maybe even a small house. There would be no getting out, especially as her sword was far too small to make it between its teeth.

Not wishing to become food, her free arm shot out, an unspoken spell entering her mind before a red magic sigil appeared in front of her. Electricity sparked from her fingertips before a thunderclap echoed in the underground labyrinth. At the same time, a beam of condensed electricity shot from the magic sigil, tearing through the snake's mouth and making it writhe in pain as its wound was cauterized almost immediately.

Far from done, she decided to safely make her descent to the ground by impaling her sword into the side of the colossal snake's mouth, using the rest of her enhanced strength to both hold on as it writhed and cut all the way until she was safely on the ground. Landing on her feet, she observed the writhing creature with an analytical eye, wondering both how it got to such a size and where exactly it had been hiding from the world for so long that not even a whisper of its existence reached the outside world.

Then it just vanished.

*Poof*

A cloud of smoke later, and she was alone in the rubble it had left behind, making her blink multiple times as she tried to figure out what had just happened.

Turning swiftly, she brought her sword up horizontally across her body to stop the sword meant to run her through. Its wielder was nowhere to be seen, and neither was the hilt. There was only a blade that extended from the shadows, pushing her back to eventually crash into and through a nearby pillar.

Dust covered her vision, followed quickly by pain as the sound of shattering steel was quickly followed by pain as the blade won its battle and claimed its reward by running her through. Blood immediately left her lips as blood filled her lungs, but it did not stop her from gripping onto the blade that had run her through for the second time in an hour.

Her hand bled almost immediately, the edges of the blade much sharper than she first thought. Nevertheless, she gripped tight, ignoring the pain as she reeled a fist back. Before she could go through with the rest of the motion, the blade retracted, cutting both her insides and hand deeper as she fell to the ground without the blade's support.

Landing on her feet, she immediately brought a hand to her chest to assist in her regeneration process while keeping an eye out for any further surprises.

Not too far away, the snake man emerged from the ground on all fours, giving that same mocking smirk Byleth was starting to hate along with his weird sorcery.

"What's the matter? Can't keep up? And I was just starting to have fun, kukuku." He mocked her, Byleth allowing it as long as it gave her time to heal. From the way his smile grew, he knew her game. "Though I have to admit, you've been a very, very interesting plaything. Not even I was prepared for your little flashy trick. I'd be lying if I said it didn't grab my attention, kukuku."

Byleth's wounds couldn't have picked a better time to finish. The look in the snakes eyes put her on edge more than the predatory way he licked his lips, the long organ circling down to his jaw before slithering back into his mouth. A quick glance at her arm reminded her of her broken weapon, but it did not break her spirit. Broken or not, it was still steel with an edge, no matter how little of it there was left.

From their distance apart, she couldn't see much, yet she didn't miss the way the snake-man's mouth constantly shifted as if he were chewing something.

What came to be as the thing opened its mouth far eclipsed anything she had ever seen done by another human being.

Snakes, in thousands, slithered from his mouth. They were the size of her forearm, each looking just as deadly as the other as they coiled together in a giant mass that stretched across the ground. Their hisses echoed, a cacophony of sound that promised certain death for all that stood in their way more than the swords poking from their throats.

Byleth didn't know if she should have been disgusted, amazed, or curious. Part of her wanted to know how such a thing was possible. Where did he keep the snakes? Were they in his stomach the entire time? If so, how did they survive? Could he breathe normally while they were inside of him? Or did they have their own air supply? Did they have to eat like normal snakes? The list could go on for days.

Of course, these were all questions she would ask herself much later on. For now, dealing with the swarm of death was her main priority.

In truth, there was nothing in her arsenal that could counter such a force. Even the strongest spell she knew would only make a dent in the horde, but would not be nearly enough to stop them completely. Of course, rapid firing multiple spells was easily the most preferable option, but she had never attempted such a feat. Even with her current magical abilities, the drain would likely kill her faster than the snakes could.

What to do, what to do...

...Oh who was she kidding? She had the answer from the very beginning.

Around her, red chakra began to bubble from every pour on her body until she was fully cloaked in it. Three chakra tails grew from the cloak, waving menacingly along with the newly grown ears on her head. Within the cloak, Blyeth's appearance grew more feral—her hair and whiskers becoming even more wild while her teeth sharpened considerably.

Orochimaru was no longer smiling.

The woman's new aura blanketed the entire underground, halting even the snakes in their charge. The familiar killing intent ran up his spine, the power of the demon rubbing against his subconscious and telling him to flee.

He should have done so the moment her arm reeled back. Instead, he watched in stupified fascination at the impossibility in front of him before he was forced to go underground as razor-like winds blew through the horde in one condensed pulse of air. The floor was blasted apart, leaving a trench leading from the woman to where Orochimaru once stood. All around, snakes began disappearing in a puff of smoke until Byleth was the only one left standing in the area. Above, debris fell from the cracked ceiling, a warning that anymore recklessness would be paid with the entire underground collapsing on top of them.

But Byleth paid no need to it. Her gaze was glued to the ground, and on the snake man currently getting further and further away from her.

She disappeared in a blur of red, reappearing a ways away before slamming her hands into the ground. Immediately, the Earth shook upon her intrusion into its surface, but that did not stop Byleth from pushing more chakra into the ground. Her senses followed the snake perfectly, and the moment she go close enough...

BOOM!

Massive chakra arms erupted from the ground, bring up dirt and critters in equal measure, but no snake. As fast as they came up, they re-entered the ground, quickly pursuing their prey once more. Dust and debris quickly began to coat the area, blinding the human eye, but not at all impeding Byleth in her pursuit of the snake.

That also meant she knew exactly where he was going, that being the only corridor leading out of this place.

The snake was trying to escape.

The thought made Byleth grit her teeth.

She couldn't allow him to escape.

She couldn't allow any of them to escape.

There was no salvation for their kind.

Only death.

Another tail erupted from behind her, and the pressure in the area grew once more as Byleth transformed once again. Her skin peeled almost instantly, revealing a blackened flow of red that seemed to be constantly moving. Her eyes were replaced by white voids, with only sharp spikes for a mouth. Unlike the many times before, the transformation didn't hurt. Instead, it fueled her frustrations further, aiming it at her soon-to-be victim.

The ground around her erupted, the ceiling caving in following not long after.

...

Orochimaru's movements were a blur of serpentine grace, weaving through roots while dodging the monstrous chakra arms that saught to enclose him in their grip. One too many times he felt the searing heat of the attacks singe his body from only a millisecond of contact, painting an unpleasant picture for what would become of him if he were caught.

He moved faster, his body shifting through the soil like a worm through dirt as his mind desperately tried thinking of a different course of action.

Running into a Jinchuuriki was expected from the reports he had received. The problem was that he was expecting a young, naive Genin with no knowledge of the power dwelling within him. A brat with skill is manageable.

Nowhere in the reports did it say he could summon living, breathing people. Admittedly, such reports in such a short amount of time without proper provocation were the fault of no one in particular. Provoking the Konoha-Nin into action early brought problems that could force their retreat if handled wrong. This was their only course of action, and by the time such knowledge was gained, they were already in the thick of things.

And for the first time in a very long time, Orochimaru had been deceived—utterly and completely.

Fighting a brat with minimum control over their beast's power may have been tolerable—fighting an out of control brat even more so. But fighting a grown woman who could fully harness the power of the Nine-Tails?

That was madness!

Orochimaru did not claim to be completely sane, knowing that one must be even slightly mad to achieve greatness. But even he had his limits.

He would not stand a chance against the woman. Not now. Not without preparation.

The thought angered him to no end.

For the second time in most recent years, he was running with his tail between his legs.

Thankfully, he had made it into the corridor unscathed. The chakra hands pursuing him crashed against the entrance, covering it with rubble and blocking his view of the Jinchuuriki. The moment he saw their paths were cut, he reemerged from the ground and took off in a sprint towards where he knew an exit to be.

He had plans. Great, magnificent plans that he could not afford to squander here. He would live, and when he had more information on the brat, he would-

The cave suddenly shook violently as a roar echoed throughout the chamber. Orochimaru only had a moment of reprieve before something behind him exploded.

Streams of red and black erupted from every direction, collapsing the tunnel and getting far too close for comfort. Glancing back once was all he needed to want—no part of it.

Fate had other plans.

The same scene behind him appeared in front of him, forcing him to turn down another corridor, lest he be captured or buried. The next exit was a ways away, a small setback compared to losing his life. He could hear the roar and the explosions of the beast behind him, its pursuit relentless and seemingly impossible to shake.

Unexpectedly, something grabbed him. From below, a red hand gripped his ankle. There was only enough time to blink before the ground beneath him uplifted and the hand pulled him to and through the ceiling.


Location: Underground Exit

Far from town, an inconspicuous piece of sod in the middle of the forest was blown from the ground to land in pieces on the surrounding area. From the knewly created hole, a head of silver-hair poked out, a single eye scanning the area before he emerged fully from the home—an unconscious Kagero on his back. Following close behind were Flayn and Naruto, the latter with an arm wrapped over the former's shoulder for support.

Fresh sunlight from a rising sun was as much of a relief as the sounds of birds chirping and wind rustling leaves—a sign that their struggles were almost over.

"We're at the homestretch now, kids." Kakashi reassured Flayn and Naruto, adjusting the woman on his back to prepare for their trek back to the town.

Flayn sighed in relief, her radiant smile turning to her surrogate little brother, "You hear that, Naruto? Just a little more, and we'll be safe. Think you can hold on till then?"

Naruto gave an exhausted nod at that, the physical and mental strain from the past hour evident on his face. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Good." Flayn nodded, turning back to the Jonin. "Lead the way-"

BOOM!

All three stumbled as the earth shook. So mighty was the quake that trees were shaken to their roots while the chirping of birds stopped almost immediately.

Then it hit them.

An invisible pressure weighed down their limbs, quickly followed by a killing intent that was unlike anything Flayn or Naruto had ever felt.

But Kakashi knew it. He'd felt it many times before, yet even with his experience, his knees buckled and his legs refused to move not only at the memory, but sheer impossibility. His single eye shot to the blonde next to him, which only seemed to confuse him further as the boy's seafoam eyes met his.

'It, can't be.' He thought to himself, yet there was no mistaking that chakra.

And yet, it didn't make sense because Naruto was right here, just as confused and lost as he was.

A roar then echoed, one that did not belong to any known animal and further triggering Kakashi's PTSD.

If that wasn't Naruto, then...

"We need to go." Kakashi said urgently, snapping Flayn out of her stupor. "We need to get back to the town and then as far away from here as possible. Now."

Flayn silently agreed, forcing her shaking limbs to move before whatever was causing that quake came for them.

They had only made it a few seconds into their retreat when the Earth shook once more—this time throwing the Genin and his companion off their feet. Kakashi turned to assist them when one final shake was followed by the sound of trees toppling.

That feeling of dread increased tenfold when he saw a massive red and black hand break through the canopy. Around it, trees, dirt, and rocks were sent flying in all directions before slamming into the ground. The group all stared up in awe, momentarily nailed to the spot.

The hand suddenly descending to the Earth far faster than what should have been possible for something of its size had them snapping out of it almost instantly. Naruto immediately picked up Flayn and leaped as far as he could, Kakashi following suit. Not a moment later, the shockwave of the fist hitting the ground threw all three off balance, sending them careening through the forest.

...

Naruto's ears were ringing. His eyes were open, yet his vision was dark. Pain coursed through his body as he tried forcing his muscles to move, his fingers digging into the ground underneath him as he did so. Dirt and debris slid off of him with every motion, the feeling only second to the blinding light of the sun and the spots dancing in his vision.

As the ringing finally ceased, so did the spots in his vision. Thankfully, Flayn's body was the first thing he saw. What was even more relieving was the fact she was clearly conscious going from the way she seemed to be desperately trying to pull her foot from the rubble that had entrapped it.

His body was still weak, but he still had the strength to crawl to her side. She jumped slightly at the twigs and leaves broken under his hands and knees, but immediately relaxed upon seeing his face.

"Oh, thank the heavens you're OK." Flayn sighed in relief.

"I'm glad you're OK too," Naruto admitted, looking from her face to the foot currently stuck under a tree and dirt.

"Don't worry, it's not crushed," she reassured, though her expression turned solemn. "Though I don't think I can get out of this one without mana." She admitted, wishing she had enough mana to at least transform.

Wanting to help, Naruto put his hands to the bark of the tree and began to push with what little strength he had. It was not enough, unfortunately. He was still far too weak, and the little chakra he had was barely enough to stave off chakra exhaustion. Looking around bore no fruit as neither Kakashi nor his Sensei were anywhere in sight. Left with no option, he dug within and-

A hand immediately shot to his chest as the divine energy that was once warm and inviting compressed tightly around his organs. It would seem not enough time had yet passed for him to use another pulse, a fact that was beginning to frustrate him to no end.

"Whats wrong?" Flayn immediately asked in concern.

"It-its nothing." Naruto lied, returning his attention back to the tree. Despite his vast knowledge, there was nothing he could think to do in this situation without chakra, mana, or a pulse. It angered him to the point he wanted to hit himself.

In the end, there was only one thing he could do. One that did not require either of the three and would make sure she was safe.

Resolving himself, a hand came up, his index and middle fingers pointed while the others curled.

His wrist was caught before he could finish the motion. Following the hand to its owner, Flayn's determined eyes stared back at him, unwavering in their intensity.

"Don't," was all she said.

"...I have to." He tried, yet Flayn's expression only hardened further.

"I'm not leaving, Naruto. Not until I know you are safe."

"But-" the grip on his hand grew tighter, adding to the resolve behind her words.

"I'm. Not. Leaving."

Naruto's own fist tightened, the memory of her lifeless form back in the tunnel flashing across his mind.

"Please," Flayn begged, her face now pleading with him.

His resolve crumbled.

"I-," his throat bobbed. "Alright," he relented, a relieved smile immediately lighting up her face.

"By the stars, what happened?"

A familiar voice in his head had his heart jumping.

"Sothis?" He called and was immediately answered.

"You both look horrible."

"We've seen better days." Naruto retorted.

"Is that Lady Sothis? Has she returned?" Flayn inquired, which Naruto confirmed with a nod. "Has she found reinforcements."

"I was...somewhat successful." Sothis admitted, a tone in her voice that could be construed as sheepishness.

"She says she did." Naruto acted as her voice as he looked at the fallen tree. "Though I doubt anyone would see this and not investigate."

"You're telling me! What happened in my absence? I thought you'd had perished if you hadn't attempted to use another pulse." Sothis interrogated, to which Naruto lowered his head in shame.

"Sorry, I was getting desperate." Naruto admitted, instantly remembering their situation. "I need to go find help. I can't lift this thing how I am now. Plus, Kakashi and Kagero-sensei are also-"

The sudden shaking of the earth found Naruto on his ass and his senses tingled once again. His eyes turned to his left, the threatening chakra from moments ago raising the hairs on his arms and neck.

Gulping, he stood shakily to his feet, beginning his walk towards the light and likely the source of that terror. Flayn and Sothis' voices called out to him, but were ultimately lost in the background as his feet took him forward.

A crater was the first thing he saw upon exiting the canopy. It stretched to half the span of a training ground with fallen trees decorating the outskirts. Around the edges, trees had toppled over, some falling into the hole itself while the others hung on what little roots weren't already exposed.

And in the center of it all walked a lone figure, its body covered in red and black moving lines with white voids for eyes. That dangerous chakra feeling from before became far more directed, almost suffocating.

It began walking, not towards him, but the pair of legs sticking from the ground. Every step it took felt as if a titan was marching, the ground feeling as though it were shaking with every impact of its foot despite reality saying otherwise.

Then the earth actually shook and the creature looked down. Bursting from the ground was the maw of a serpent, swallowing the red being whole, along with any and everything within a 7-meter radius.

Naruto gawked at the sight, its weight being added to the other events that had baffled him in the last few hours.

Maybe if he hadn't been so distracted, he would have seen it coming. Maybe if he hadn't been so tired, he would have reacted in time.

When the sword burst from the dirt, he was anything but prepared. A sharp pain in his chest has him seeing white. Looking down, a bloodied blade poked out of his chest, his mind trying to comprehend how and why.

Then it retracted, and his mind was brought back to reality.

Blood bubbled up his throat, spilling from his lips as he fell forward. Absent-mindedly, he registered someone yelling, but it sounded far away, like they were on the other side of a wall.

When his face met the dirt, instinct once again took over.

It only added to the pain as the godly power rejected him once more.

He tried to move, but his body felt heavy. He tried to speak, but all that came out were cracks in his voice. He tried to think, but the only thing that began running through his mind were memories. Memories of his life—the good and the bad.

Ah.

He knew what this was.

He was dying.

It was funny.

He hadn't felt like this in a long time.

The power to rewind one's mortality could give anyone a different perspective on life. Ever since that night when he was first killed by that masked man, he had never even thought about the chance that death could claim him. After all, why would death ever be a factor when he could cheat it?

Since that day, he has never thought about it.

Not even once.

Even at times where he met his demise once more, it did not become something to fear, but something to learn from. It invigorated him, gave him courage, and gave him motivation to keep pushing forward—to be better than he was before his demise. Pain was pain, but even that eventually no longer concerned him. As long as he learned from the experience, his mind would be intact.

Now, when his blood spilled and his body refused to move, he realized that this was permanent.

This is one of the only times in his life where he genuinely felt afraid.

The ground in front of him shifted, yet he didn't even have the energy to see who was now standing over him.

What he did see was Flayn.

She was moving erratically, trying desperately to free herself. Soon, her flailing turned into violence as she began hitting the tree to no avail.

When she finally stopped, she was looking right at him.

The look that crossed her face was one of a sorrow that he couldn't describe. She looked as if the world was ending, as if she had failed. Tears streamed down her cheeks to mix with the dirt, and the wail she let out made his ears ring.

Then he shifted violently.

He didn't get any distance, but it was as if someone had tried shaking him awake.

Green locks suddenly covered his vision.

The sleepiness that had clouded his vision suddenly vanished as he recognized the locks.

Using every bit of power he had, he turned his neck as far as it could go while on his face.

Two things greeted him that nearly stopped his heart.

The first was the face of his best friend, her expression one of pain and only inches from his.

The moment their eyes met, a look crossed her face. Like before, he couldn't describe it, but it almost looked as if she were relieved—as if she had done the right thing.

Her eyes closed, and right before his eyes, she began to fade into balls of light.

Within seconds, she was gone.

And that's when he saw Orochimaru, and the sword he had run her through with.

A sword that was meant for him.

'Sothis?' He called her name from within.

No answer.

'Sothis?'

Desperately, he reached within, trying to feel her presence.

Nothing.

'Sothis?'

He called again, hoping beyond hope that this wasn't real. That he was perhaps even hallucinating.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

There was nothing.

He couldn't feel her.

He couldn't feel her warm, divine presence that had been there since he could even remember.

He couldn't hear her.

That voice that had scolded him more times than he could remember.

That presence that made him feel safe.

That voice that believed him.

The first one who had ever put her trust in him.

There was just...nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing...

Nothing...

...Something.

There was something there.

It was something.

It mixed in with the loss and the anger, but there was something.

It felt like a piece of her, yet it wasn't.

It felt like it was meant for him, and him alone.

He couldn't feel Sothis, but he could feel this.

It fueled him.

Gave him direction.

It made him feel powerful.

He embraced it...

...And the world stood still.


Moments before...

Orochimaru materialized from the ground, glaring down at the blonde currently bleeding out before him.

To think a brat could be such a threat.

To think such a brat could resemble that man even when it came to ingenuity.

Granted, not even the late Fourth had the ability to summon Jinchuuriki at will, which made him even more of a threat to the world than anyone even realized.

Such a power did not belong in the hands of a brat.

He needed to die.

He could not leave here alive.

"NARUTO!"

The Sannin ignored the desperate cries of the trapped girl and heaved his Kusanagi over his head.

Lopping off his head would do.

No chance of survival, and no chance of ever coming back from the dead.

His blade fell, followed instantly by the pitiful girl's scream.

His blade met resistance—the resistance of bone.

And yet, it was not that of blonde's.

Orochimaru's eyes widened to inhuman proportions at the small form who had literally appeared out of nowhere to shield the brat with her body. Her hair was long and green, covering the rest of her body aside from her feet. She shone with a brilliant light, reflecting off of her to the point where he had to shield his eyes.

It was as if an angel had come down to use her own body as a shield.

And then she was gone.

Disappearing to join the light around them.

It momentarily baffled him.

He looked down at the boy, a new-found fear that only strengthened his belief that he could not be allowed to leave here alive.

His Kusanagi rose again, swinging it almost immediately after.

And as if it were once again divine intervention, the world froze.

In the blink of an eye, everything went from color to black and grey.

Sound ceased to exist, and physics was no longer plausible.

His blade was suspended midair, and no matter how much he willed it to move, it did not.

Even his eyes were glued to the body below him, equally frozen and unmoving.

The shattering of glass echoed in the silence so loud that it made his ears ring.

That would have been fine. The ringing only told him that he was still alive. It could explain a flaw in a genjutsu that he simply needed to use his chakra at the break.

Problem is, not only was his chakra not responding, but the world around him cracked.

This was no metaphor.

The world in front of him quite literally cracked as if they were in a mirror this whole time.

Soon the cracks expanded, stretching to the edges of his vision.

Then the pieces began to fall.

Behind the pieces, color returned, but only within the spaces where the pieces had cleared.

It was almost like a puzzle, except the pieces did not fit together.

He recognized the blonde through the gray, yet the more pieces that fell, the more reality began to twist into a picture that was hard to make sense of.

Then it all just shattered.

Color returned to the world along with sound. Orochimaru felt his limbs return their functionality, yet he was still nailed to the spot. His eyes remained wide in shock while cracked noises continued to leave his throat.

In front of him, Uzumaki Naruto stood. Surrounding him was an aura that seemed to cling to him like a second layer of transparent skin. The wound that he had inflicted was now gone, not even a drop of blood in the surroundings to prove he had even been hurt.

The boy was no longer looking at him. Instead, he was looking at his own hand, seemingly transfixed with the aura around it.

It was unearthly.

Too 'holy' for mankind.

Then the Sannin noticed their surroundings.

They were in a sphere.

That wasn't at all weird.

What was strange were the leaves.

They were floating.

As if they were frozen in time.

It was impossible.

And yet, outside of the sphere, leaves flew each and every way with the wind, along with the trees and whatever else was kicked up by the wind. The girl stuck under the tree was staring at them still, her quivering his only way of confirming she wasn't frozen.

And the kicker?

They were moving fast.

Unnaturally so.

As if they were moving twice the speed.

It was as if the world outside the sphere was accelerating while they were stuck in place.

It did not feel as if it were something of this world.

None of this did.

And yet, Orochimaru had felt this before.

It was as if he were back on that day. That day a phenomenon unlike any he had ever witnessed before left him in a stupor for days. A phenomenon that, to this day, he had no answer for. A phenomenon that he thought was simply an illusion from stress. He remembered what he felt that they as if it were yesterday.

And now, it was here again.

That day that broke his perceptions.

That day that had him questioning reality.

The cause...was standing right in front of him.

The power around the boy vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, and the boy dropped to his face. Orochimaru's eyes tracked him all the way down, yet he still couldn't move. The revelation of what had happened all those years was before him, not in the form of mysteries and the unknown, but in the flesh.

He didn't feel the chakra from his summoms suddenly disappearing.

He didn't register Kakashi breaking from the canopy, a lightning-coated fist in his hand.

He didn't register the Jinchuuriki blitzing him in the same moment.

He didn't register both of their hands entering his body almost simultaneously.

He didn't register the pain or the blood that exploded from his chest and mouth.

All he could see, all he could think about was the boy on the ground and the revelation.

A revelation that could change the very fabric of this world if he had his hands on it.

The answers to all his hours of research lie prone in front of him.

The whisper that left his lips was unintelligible. Not because it was a garbled mess of words, but because it was a whisper. A mere utterance. An utterance that was too quiet for the two ninja to hear as they removed their bloodied hands from his body. A whisper that spoke the truth to his world.

"It was you."


New Skill Tree Unlocked

Temporal Space: ?

Temporal Healing: ?

Temporal Duplication: ?

Ruptured Heaven: ?

?

?

?

?


A/N: Aaaaaaand CUT! With that, we have ourselves the final villain of this story and the end to this arc! I have had this ending in mind since the beginning of the story. If you all remember, the very first time Naruto uses a divine pulse, multiple people were able to feel the 'awakening' as I will call it. Orochimaru was one of those people. He will have the biggest impact on the story by far and will be the reason for a 'change' to come to this wonderful world.

Next chapter isn't very action-packed. It revolves mostly around Byleth and Naruto, as well as two special guests that I'm sure you guys have had questions about in the past. It will also immediately explain the 'Skill Tree' above, which is just a major boost to Naruto's admittedly small time arsenal. Hope you all look forward to that!

I really want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter and any chapter leading up to this one. It has been a long journey and I appreciate every single message I get. It really motivates me to continue the story even if I start to feel as if I've fallen off. I've been writing this far because of you guys and I really appreciate it.

That being said, I thought to address a review that I had to agree with.

Petra Anderson: In truth, I agree with you. It was lazy on my part sense now I can think of other ways to keep her in the story. The only defense that I have is that keeping her alive wouldn't make sense writing wise in my head. It was more meaningful for the plot and his growth, so I ultimately went with this outcome. I kinda regret it now since there are many conversations I already had in mind for them, but what is done is done. Can't take it back now and I appreciate your point of view nonetheless.

So, I'm just gonna be honest here and say the story is going on a temporary hiatus. It's not because of anything major happening in life, or anything I feel personally. The truth is, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree comes out this Friday and I NEED IT! The game is said to be 30 hours, but I expect to be exploring every single nook and cranny of the game until it's 100% complete. I know, not that important than this story, but I've been waiting on this DLC for MONTHS and I damn well am gonna play it!

But do not worry. I plan to return either in July, or the beginning of August. I will write as much as I can within this first week, and when I return, it will hopefully be with a weekly schedule again.

As always, don't forget to review, fav, follow and have a DAMN good day!