Hinata: Byakurenden
From Dawn to Dusk
The whole world felt like it had been turned on its head.
Hinata nearly stumbled, a sense of vertigo overtaking her senses, causing her stomach to flip and head to spin. Everything she thought that had been obvious to her no longer made sense.
Amaterasu was the ultimate evil. A terrible goddess come to upend their world and usher in a dystopian future. An existence that should not be permitted to exist under any circumstances. It had been the life-long mission of Kali and all her reincarnations to prevent her and those like her from coming to this plane, and having failed that it was Hinata's duty- nay, her destiny- to defeat her.
That was all before she knew that Amaterasu was pregnant. How could such a thing be possible? Hinata's teacher, Kurenai, was also pregnant at this very moment, she and her husband Asuma currently waiting to welcome the birth of their child into the world. It was such a blessing when Hinata found out, her heart overcome with joy. Yet the same news about Amaterasu somehow made her feel sick? It was like she no longer understood anything.
Amaterasu was supposed to be a despicable monster, whose existence could not be forgiven. Yet as Hinata looked at her now, she had a kind of glow about her, no different from Kurenai, the joy of imminent motherhood affecting them equally the same. Amaterasu's bulging belly poked out from the elegant kimono robes, and she took uneasy steps off the throne that had been prepared for her, aided by a blue-haired woman wearing an Akatsuki cloak.
"Oh, let me help you!" Obito jogged forward, coming around to Amaterasu's right-hand side, also wrapping an arm through her elbow to help guide her forward. As he approached, Amaterasu smiled up at him warmly, lifting a hand and resting it against the scarred side of his face, black claw-like fingernails tracing patterns in the scars. He returned the smile, not one of sarcasm or arrogance like he had given them, but a loving gesture reserved for that special person.
"Thank you, my beloved consort." Amaterasu accepted his help, before dismissing the blue haired woman, addressing her as Konan. This only confused Hinata more, and she felt like her sense of reality was beginning to spiral out of control.
"You're the father?" Hinata's voice didn't even feel like it was her own, but rather someone else had spoken for her. Somehow she had tricked herself into believing that Amaterasu had just magically reproduced on her own, despite the fact this would have been weirder than there being a father.
"I am." Obito admitted, voice full of pride, but also tinged with embarrassment. He had never expected to find love in this world again, not after Rin had gone. It had been her death which pushed him to wanting to find a way to escape this hellish reality. Least of all did he expect to find it in the one that he had called upon to grant his dreams. In his eyes, he had been unworthy of her affection, which was exactly what qualified him to become her first consort.
"There is beauty to be found in asymmetry." Amaterasu said, referring not only to Obito's mismatched face, but also his differing Sharingan and the pale Zetsu flesh that made up half his torso. "And I repay those who love me unconditionally with love in return. Even more so to the man that not only welcomed my entrance into this world, but served as my guide in it." In her own way, it did seem like Amaterasu was fond of the man called Uchiha Obito.
"Your consort is a lying scumbag." Tayuya found her voice, having taken until now to overcome her own shock. "Did you know he's the one that sent Kabuto to try and kill Hinata? You punished him for using the Edo Tensei, but it was your 'beloved consort' that arranged all that shit." Her strategy was to drive a wedge between the lovers, breaking their trust. A tactic Hinata might have agreed with if her mind wasn't still reeling from these recent revelations.
"Unconditional love isn't without its pitfalls." Amaterasu laughed to herself as if she told a joke, the gracious sound filling the air of the temple and echoing off the walls. "He fears the White Lotus and her intentions, what's more now that I'm nearing the end of my pregnancy. His actions, while misguided, were all for myself and our children."
"…Children?" Hinata hadn't missed that final word, yet another revelation hitting her like an exploding tag to the face.
"Yes!" Amaterasu held a hand over her stomach and beamed brightly. "Just like my childhood friend, Kaguya, we too have been blessed with twins. After all, anything that Kaguya once had, I too desire. Only then can I understand what she was seeking in this garden world of hers."
For that reason, Amaterasu had desired children? Just to understand Kaguya and her emotions. Hinata didn't bother saying that it was Kaguya's own children that eventually led to her demise, Hagoromo and Hamura sealing her inside the moon after she had gone crazy with lust for power. She already understood that the logic Amaterasu lived by was different from Hinata's own. There would be no mutual understanding in that regard.
"So what now?" Hinata asked, as Amaterasu and Obito came to stop just in front of them. This was what they had wanted her to see, and while Hinata didn't want to admit it, she couldn't just go about thinking of her destiny and duty as she once had, not with things as they were. Their ploy had won and the dogged desire that once drove her was broken, at least for the time being.
"First, allow us to apologize for that nasty business that went down in the Sand Village." Amaterasu inclined her head, unable to bow with her bulging stomach. "It should have never come to that, and I would have liked it if we could talk before such a travesty transpired."
"I'm deeply sorry for putting you in that situation, Hinata of the White Lotus." Obito bent at a ninety-degree angle, still careful to support the mother of his children as he did. The words and actions didn't seem fake, nor like he was being forced to do it. If Amaterasu insisted that he apologize, then he full-heartedly believed that was the correct course of action. That was how deep his love and belief in her had grown.
"That doesn't answer the question." Tayuya crossed her arms, not looking convinced. Hinata wasn't quite so composed, unable to deny that the apology and the sincerity of it resonated with her. This wasn't how Amaterasu was supposed to be, and she was having trouble reconciling her preconceived notion of the terrible sun goddess with the pregnant woman in front of her now.
"Your vassal could do with some training in manners." Amaterasu glanced at Tayuya like one might an insect crawling beneath her feet. It wasn't annoyance or frustration at her impertinence, but more of that kind of mild contempt for a lesser life form that didn't understand its place.
"Vassal-?" Tayuya scoffed, "Listen here you old bi-" Before she could get the words out, Hinata had raised an arm in front of her to cut off that final word. Tayuya hadn't noticed it, but the temperature in the room had risen a degree or two. The same thing that had happened before Danzo's demise. And Hinata didn't know what she would feel compelled to do if Tayuya were to meet the same fate.
"Tayuya is my friend. I'm not so great as to have something like vassals or consorts." Hinata said in place of the words that almost got Tayuya killed. It seemed to be the right call, the temperature of the room returning to the merely mildly uncomfortable heat it was once at, instead of the scorching heat it had risen to.
"You underestimate your own worth, Hinata of the White Lotus." Amaterasu continued to call her by the title she had introduced herself as during their first battle. "I would very much desire you to stay the day. Watch what it is I do, and understand the services which I perform for this country in return for nothing but their love and admiration."
"Of course, I will have to insist that you be gone from the village by dusk." Obito added quickly. Hinata understood immediately why, as Amaterasu's strength increased during the day, but waned at night without the sun. He was still cautious of her and he wasn't wrong to be so. Hinata understood that if there would ever be an opportunity to defeat Amaterasu, then it was tonight.
She was here now, a rare opportunity that wouldn't present itself again without having to fight her way into the country and through a literal army of cult-like worshippers. And Amaterasu would never be weaker than at this point, during a night nearing the end of her pregnancy. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
One she wouldn't make use of.
She couldn't kill a pregnant woman, no matter how evil she was or sinister her plans for the world. For it wouldn't just be one life she was taking, but those of the children inside her too. And they had done no wrong, committed no evil acts. They might even grow up to be forces of good for their world one day, like how Kaguya's children had been.
"I understand." Hinata was the one to bow to them now. "Please allow me to observe your duties." This was a rare opportunity in another sense as well, a chance for her to try to get to know Amaterasu and really understand just what kind of entity she was. Not the her from Kali's legends or the evil things she saw her subordinates like Sasori do, but Amaterasu herself.
"Well spoken. You might well make a great spiritual leader in your own right yet." Amaterasu praised, but the true meaning of her words were unclear. Was she actually saying that she could be someone of similar stature to Obito? No matter how this observation today went, Hinata didn't see a world in which they became allies, but Amaterasu for some reason seemed optimistic.
After that, Obito once again helped Amaterasu back to her throne where she sat regally, despite the bulging stomach. Hinata stood by her left hand side, while Obito took up a space to the right. Konan was called to take Tayuya, guiding her out of the temple to an undisclosed location. It was only at Obito's reassurance that the promise of non-hostility remained in effect that Hinata reluctantly agreed. Tayuya also seemed strangely eager to go, Konan having whispered some details of their destination to her.
As the two of them disappeared out the partially opened doubled doors, the six men with the Rinnegan pushed the doors completely open, creating a pathway large enough to encompass the wide bridge and the hundreds of praying monks outside came into view. They chanted audibly now, their prayers spilling into the temple and echoing in an eerie rhythm.
It wasn't just the monks now, but a line of people stood on the same pathway between the monks that Hinata had been guided through. The first of the people was beckoned forward by one of the men with the Rinnegan and he fell to his knees as he entered the room, not daring to look up and upon the visage of Amaterasu. He crawled forward on hands and knees, taking what felt like an eternity to reach even the halfway point of the hall. He stopped upon Obito's command.
Amaterasu spoke next, her voice carrying over the sound of the chants, covering the temple hall in a warm embrace. She questioned the man, asking why he had sought an audience with her today. Hinata thought the man might have come to talk about some troubles he was having, asking for Amaterasu to offer a resolution to it. She forgot just how fervent the people here were in maintaining their happiness.
For he did not dump his woes upon Amaterasu, and instead sung her praises. He talked of the days when the village was still one consumed by rain, and the evilness of the five great nations that used their land for war. How this was all no more thanks to her power and guidance. When he was finished, Amaterasu thanked him for his story and he slunk away. Then the next person came in, repeating the process all over again.
This continued until high-noon.
Tayuya followed behind Konan, the two walking in the opposite direction of the long line that had gathered, each individual desiring an audience with the goddess, Amaterasu.
It all seemed like such bullshit to her, that she couldn't possibly hope to understand what was wrong with these people. It reminded her so much of the Sound Village and how they had been so infatuated with Orochimaru and his perverse charisma. Perhaps it was because she thought of her old village, but one of the members lined up jumped out to her and she recognized his clothes as having been from the Sound.
"What the hell…?" She mumbled under her breath, glancing around the line and paying closer attention now. No, she wasn't mistaken, she recognized outfits and appearances belonging to those of several nations. The Land of Grass, Waterfall, Rivers, and many other minor nations were here, as if they had made a pilgrimage from their homes just to meet the goddess that brought sunlight to the Rain.
This problem was far larger than she had initially assumed. If this many minor nations had banded together under one religion, then their power would easily rival that of any of the Five Great Nations. She was witnessing the birth of a sixth great super power. All in a mere two years since Amaterasu had been ushered into their world.
"Is something the matter?" Konan asked, having heard Tayuya's surprised mutter. The blue-haired beauty glanced back at her, orange eyes giving her a suspicious look. It would seem that unlike Obito, Konan wasn't naive enough to just trust them. Something else also stood out to Tayuya.
Unlike the rest of the whole damn city, Konan didn't smile.
"Yeah, you could say that." Tayuya decided to dig for as much information as she could while they continued onwards to their destination. "I just have a hard time believing everyone here is really in on this whole thing. There must be some kind of resistance or those that are dissatisfied with having some 'goddess' come in out of nowhere and start running the place."
"Even if such a thing were true," Konan took them back into the elevator, the two riding it down. "Why would I tell our enemy of such a weakness they could exploit?" By not outright denying it, Tayuya took that as at least partial admission.
"You sure you're not one of them?" Tayuya asked, just to be sure. There was no one else here in the elevator. It would seem those that were waiting on the bridge had climbed the stairs up, so desperate to meet Amaterasu that they would make such an arduous ascension.
"Do not place those of us in the Akatsuki on the same level as the common worshippers." Konan reprimanded, her voice stern now, angry at having her faith called into question. "Amaterasu-sama has bestowed upon me greater power than you could understand. I was once an angel with nought but paper wings… but now I am a proper herald, capable of spreading the gospel of the sun-giver to the whole world."
"Alright, alright. Jeez, no need to go all zealot on me." Tayuya held up her hands as if in surrender, having not expected to trigger such a reaction. All the same, she had gotten a hint of Konan's powers thanks to that, even if she had no idea what she actually meant by any of it.
The elevator came to a stop, having only descended a quarter of the way down. The door on the opposite end opened this time, taking them inside the tall building, not outside of it. They both stepped out into some kind of laboratory, filled with all numbers of various scrolls, seals, tools, and even scattered body parts. To Tayuya's disgust, she could see the scattered parts of the body moving as if still alive. There was a jar, filled with fingers and toes crawling over each other. A heart sat on a tray, beating despite not having any blood to pump.
The scale of the experiments were different, but it was regrettably all too familiar to her. This was exactly like the village she escaped from. The door on the other side opened, and the architect of the room strolled in, eyes buried in some report. At the very sight of him, Tayuya felt her blood boil, the man that killed her mother right in front of her.
"Ah, dear Konan." Orochimaru only just seemed to realize he wasn't alone, snake-like eyes glancing up from his report. He was dressed in a lab coat, long black hair tied in a ponytail to keep it out of the way of his experiments. His pale skin was as sickly looking as ever, like he spent all his time in this lab, not basking in the sun that the goddess everyone worshiped provided for them. "Oh, and a familiar face that I haven't seen for some time. How are you, Tayuya-chan?" He asked, eyes darting from Konan to her.
"Don't 'how are you' me you bastard!" Tayuya yelled, the power of the three Doki inside her swelling. The three Doki had been the only thing left to her by her mother before Orochimaru killed her. She had sealed them inside herself using the Uzumaki chakra chains, a gift passed down only to the women of their clan. Those Doki gathered nature energy for her, allowing her to activate Sage Mode.
Her Sage Mode was similar to her Stage Two curse mark transformation, curled horns sprouting out of her head like a demon's. The moment her transformation was complete and she leapt across the room, closing the distance between herself and Orochimaru in the blink of an eye. The snake-like man didn't so much as flinch. He had no fear of Tayuya, even if Konan wasn't present.
"Please refrain from violence while in the village." Konan had crossed the distance even faster than Tayuya had, now standing between the two, having caught Tayuya's outstretched fist. She shouldn't have been able to stop such a blow with arms so small. For Tayuya had the strength of the three monstrous Doki and natural energy powering her blow. Yet Konan had stopped it like it was nothing.
Adorning Konan's back now were wings of golden light, and a halo made of the same light spun above her head. It had been those wings that allowed her to cross the distance near instantaneously, a single flap granting her speed unmatched by any human. And it was the halo granting her immeasurable physical strength. It was as if she had become a literal angel of light, serving to spread the message of the sun giver.
"Outta my way." Tayuya snapped, yanking her arm free and taking a step back. Before she could even blink, Konan had reclaimed the distance she attempted to put between them, lips coming up to her ear.
"I've given you your one and only warning. Further acts of violence will be met in turn. And if you die, what do you think the White Lotus will have to do?" She whispered, the threat sending a shiver up Tayuya's spine. It also gave her pause, and she realized the situation she was in. Even if she managed to fight around Konan and kill Orochimaru, she would then have to fight her way out of the whole village. And Hinata would get dragged into that mess.
Tayuya had to weigh her revenge against the promise to her mother. No, she had long made her choice already. When she had tricked Kimimaro into going after Hinata, her path was decided.
"Fine, I get it already. Sorry." Tayuya once again stepped away, rubbing the ear that had been whispered into, and this time Konan didn't give chase.
"As lively as ever I see." Orochimaru cackled to himself, walking around the two of them and going over to a scroll he had on a desk. "You came just in time Konan, I think I've had a breakthrough thanks to the efforts of our friend here." He gestured to the beating heart on the table.
"You mean to say that you can make it in time for the birth?" Konan asked, a rare emotion flashing across her features. It almost looked like excitement, but Tayuya couldn't actually be sure.
"It'll be close, but I do believe that I'll be capable of the transference, yes." Orochimaru held up the scroll, passing it over to Konan as he spoke. "These are a list of the facilities that I will need brought up to the temple closer to the day of the solar eclipse. Timing will be essential. And dear Obito will also have his part to play for the sake of his demigod children."
"What the hell are you all talking about?" Tayuya didn't like being kept in the dark, and if they were going to drag her here, then they at least had a right to explain what was happening.
"Oh, this is very exciting stuff." Orochimaru answered enthusiastically, glad to have someone to explain his experiments too again. He slid the tray with the beating heart closer to Tayuya and she reflexively took a step away from it. "This here is the heart of Hidan… now then, how do you think it's still beating?"
"The hell should I know?" Tayuya snapped, having always hated this part of the snake.
"That's what made it so fascinating, I didn't understand the principle behind why it worked for so long either, but just recently I've finally cracked it!" Orochimaru took a scalpel, suddenly stabbing the heart. A black smoke oozed from the stab wound, forcing the knife out, before stitching the wound closed. "You see it!?" He cheered, still enthralled no matter how many times he had done it.
"See what exactly?" Konan asked, her previous enthusiasm gone, just as lost as to what Orochimaru was showing them as what Tayuya felt.
"I don't really understand how he did it, but Hidan somehow called down the god, Jashin, and the god used his heart as a vessel. This is the true source of his immortality." Orochimaru rambled quickly, his excitement overcoming his normally slow, deliberate speaking style. "Now while I won't be able to replicate the exact same method, I've come to believe that it can be done using my Living Corpse Reincarnation technique in conjunction with Obito's Kamui at the moment of the twin's births."
"What can be done?" Tayuya was starting to get a sick feeling about all this, as nothing good could possibly come from the combination of things that Orochimaru just listed. Before Konan could wave a hand to silence him, Orochimaru told her exactly what it was they were planning.
"We can fulfill Amaterasu-sama's desire for one true family. By placing the souls of her god brothers, Susanoo and Tsukuyomi, inside her twin boys, we can reincarnate them into this world- and with her brothers reborn as children under her control, there will be nothing that can stop her from claiming the entire world as her own."
The day had seemed to stretch on endlessly.
It was almost like Amaterasu had the ability to slow the rotation of the planet, keeping the sun in the sky for longer than it should have been. Hinata knew she didn't actually have such an ability, but with how long this day felt, she wouldn't have been surprised to find out she actually did.
After listening to the people do nothing but thank her for the light of the sun continually until noon, the temple doors had been closed, Amaterasu not even able to hear out half of those who had lined up. Bells chimed throughout the village and a grandiose lunch had been whisked into the room. Hinata wasn't able to deny that she was hungry after fighting all night.
Tayuya returned with Konan for lunch, and despite themselves, they couldn't help but enjoy the finest delicacies from all corners of the world. If Hinata had one complaint, it was that there were just too many options placed before them for even her bottomless appetite to eat it all. She worried the rest of the uneaten food would go to waste when Obito ordered the leftovers go down to the bottom level of the village to be distributed amongst the hungry.
After lunch, Hinata and Tayuya were left in the care of Obito again who went around to the numerous shrines set up over the village to officiate weddings and bless newborn babies. It was apparently a job that Amaterasu had usually taken care of, but with her pregnancy so far along now, she had to leave the job to him for the time being.
They did this until the late afternoon, when Obito decided to bring them back to the temple. The two were taken into a side hall where a luxurious open-air bath awaited them. How they managed to pump the water all the way up to the top floor of the skyscraper, Hinata didn't dare ask, but she couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of a hot bath.
For as much as she tried to enjoy it anyway. It was here that Tayuya told her about the plans she heard. Susanoo and Tsukuyomi, two more gods that had also tried to exert their influence on their world through the Mangekyo Sharingan, would also be summoned at the moment of the twin's births.
Although it sounded like they wouldn't be quite summoned in the same way as Amaterasu had been. She had come here through a portal, bringing her own flesh and blood into their world. What she wanted to do with her brothers was simply bring their souls, sticking them inside her infant newborns. For some reason, Orochimaru believed this would give her complete control over them, meaning Amaterasu wouldn't have to share power with her brothers, but rule as their mother.
It was all too much information for Hinata to process. She needed help to understand it all. After the bath, the two were led to a changing room where they would be allowed to wear kimonos for a type of daily ceremony just before dusk. This was the last chance Hinata would have, so asking Tayuya to keep guard, she began to meditate and entered the interstate.
"I don't understand what you're hesitating for." Kali said as soon as Hinata arrived. "There is never going to be a better chance than now to defeat her, and if you don't, you heard what will happen. You'll have three gods to contend with. Not just one."
She was floating in the center of the eight trigrams, above the pinyin as she always did. However, she was far from the usually picturesque version of a graceful shrine maiden that she usually appeared as. Instead her hair was bristling, and clothes slightly disheveled, as if she had been in some kind of scuffle. That was because this wasn't Kali's true physical body, but a reflection of her, and the more unstable her emotions, the more unkempt she would appear.
"Please wait a minute." Hinata hadn't expected such an outburst the moment she arrived. Kali was always so patient with her in the past, even when she really didn't need to be. She had never seen her so on edge. "Help me understand what's going on. I don't even know how to begin processing everything. First she's pregnant. Then Obito-san is the father, and now she wants to turn her babies into her brothers? I don't understand any of it."
"There's nothing to be confused about here, Hinata." Kali sighed in exasperation, but began to explain it anyway. "Amaterasu was always jealous of my grandmother. And she wants the same things that she had. That means a family of her own too, along with the love of the people. However, she has the benefit of hindsight and won't make the same mistakes my grandmother did. Instead of raising children that have her chakra and may one day betray her, she's going to turn them into her brothers- or versions of them, at any rate."
"But why would she use her own children for that?" This was the part Hinata couldn't understand the most. "Wouldn't it just be easier to open a portal and bring her brothers over the same way she did?"
"She won't do that simply because she doesn't want that." Kali said matter-of-factly. "Amaterasu doesn't share power, especially not with her brothers. Tsukuyomi has always been a bit of a loner and an outcast, and Susanoo a war-mongering psychopath, at least according to my grandmother." Kali had never actually met any of these gods herself, but Kaguya had told stories about them from when they were all younger.
"And using her children as vessels for their souls changes that?" Hinata wondered aloud, not actually understanding how they even planned to do that.
"Think of it as like that Edo-Tensei technique that Kabuto bastard used." Kali knew there was no easy way to make it understandable, so she just used the closest parallel she could think of. "Amaterasu will use the infant bodies of her children like the tags that allowed him to control the previous Hokage. They'll maintain their personalities, but they won't be capable of circumventing her control or running rampant and betraying her. If she successfully pulls off this transference, it's the worst case possible scenario for us. She'll have control not just of the sun, but the moon and storm clouds as well, meaning she'll have absolute power no matter the time of day or weather conditions."
Tsukuyomi was the god of the moon and Hinata had once found herself trapped inside his realm at the behest of Itachi's old Mangekyo Sharingan. A being capable of the ultimate genjutsu. Meanwhile, Susanoo was the god of storms, and granted his numerous armor sets to those that mastered the Mangekyo in both eyes. Itachi lost both these abilities when he used Izanagi to cheat death. Tsukuyomi because it had been the light of that eye Itachi traded in exchange for life, and Susanoo because he was a petulant child that hated his parents and refused to grant his armor to those who would rely on them.
"Okay, I think I understand." Hinata nodded, still trying to wrap her mind around the details completely. This was just so far beyond what she had expected to have to deal with. Amaterasu was one thing, but a pregnant goddess that might be giving birth to two more gods was something else entirely.
"If you understand, then you need to go out there and kill her before it's too late." Kali repeated, urging Hinata to go to war. However, even having all the facts didn't change what was in Hinata's heart.
"I- I can't do that." She said, hanging her head and unable to look at Kali. The children inside her had nothing to do with Tsukuyomi and Susanoo. Not yet anyways. "If I can just take care of either Obito or Orochimaru before the children are born… then maybe we can prevent it altogether?" She said slowly, forming the idea as she spoke.
"That is too big a risk." Kali rejected the idea out of hand. "Amaterasu is weakened right now. You kill her along with those children inside and everything ends right here and now. There's no need to overcomplicate it."
"But don't you think the enemy knows that?" Hinata asked, desperate for an out. "Why did they even let us find out about their plans, isn't it because they want us to make a mistake?" That was right, Orochimaru wasn't dumb enough to just leak their plans in front of Tayuya. That meant they wanted her to find out. Because if she knew, it would mean she had a reason to try to kill Amaterasu and the babies inside without feeling guilty about it. Which also meant they had a plan to deal with her if she tried anything here.
"Then the enemy is underestimating you and the power you have." Kali didn't care if it was a trap. She believed in Hinata's power, and by extension her own. "Look, if you don't want to bloody your hands, then turn control back over to me like you did with Kabuto. I'll take care of everything myself." For the first time, Hinata felt herself bristle at Kali's words.
"How can you say that!?" She shouted, surprising even herself. "You've always said this is my life to live, but now you're trying to take control… so you can kill unborn babies!? Even if I did give you control, don't you realize the blood is on my hands!?"
"That blood will save the lives of millions of others, including unborn children such as the one Kurenai is carrying right now!" Kali yelled back. "If you weigh their lives against only two that don't even know what life is yet, the scale isn't just unbalanced, it's broken!"
"I don't care about scales or anything like that! I won't kill a pregnant woman, I just won't do it!" Hinata had been prepared to kill Amaterasu for duty, but this was a step over the line and she refused to cross it.
"Then you'll have to live with the blood on your hands of every single person that is killed from here on out because you're too weak to do what has to be done." Kali was done shouting, instead delivering that line with cold stoicism. Hinata tried not to show it, but being called weak by Kali hurt her more than that word ever had before. She had gotten used to hearing it- from her father, Neji, the members of her clan, and even her school teachers. It never really bothered her, but to hear Kali say it, it felt like someone had just stabbed her in the heart with a kunai.
"…Goodbye, Kali." She said, closing her eyes. When she opened them, she was back in the changing room with Tayuya, the two of them dressed in kimonos. She was wearing a purple one with blue striped print, whereas Tayuya had picked one with orange and red.
"You alright?" Tayuya asked, voice strangely concerned. It was only then that Hinata realized she had started silently crying, tears running down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away before lurching to her feet.
"I'm fine, thank you." She said, turning hurriedly towards the door. "We should go before they become suspicious." The two walked back out into the main hall before any further conversation could be had.
"Welcome back ladies, I hope you found clothes to your tastes." Obito greeted them upon their return, not directly commenting about how long it had taken them, but the suggestion was clear.
"We did, thank you." Hinata smiled at him, putting on the mask of an emissary to hide the hurt she was currently feeling. All she had to do was get through one more ritual and then she would be allowed to leave this city, and Kali's temptation would be behind them.
"You have become most charming, I must say." Amaterasu cooed, stepping around Obito to give a tug at Hinata's kimono, pulling it slightly tighter over her chest. This close to her and Hinata could smell her now, and it was the same as before. Despite being in this city that was built almost entirely from metal, Amaterasu's scent reminded her of nature- of the trees and farms of the countryside. It was a strangely rustic smell for someone that otherwise reeked of elegance.
"I only hope to be as beautiful as you some day." Hinata returned the compliment, and she could just picture Kali rolling around in the interstate as she heard it.
"Well, I suppose that isn't possible, but dreams are important." Amaterasu said with a pitiable smile, looking down at Hinata like she was some kind of small dog. She then turned towards the back of the hall, extending her elbow. "Would you do the honors of walking me to our destination? It isn't far, I assure you."
"Gladly." Hinata looped her arm through Amaterasu's elbow and the two began to slowly make their way out the rear exit, behind the goddess's throne. Obito, Konan, Tayuya, and the six men with the Rinnegan followed silently behind them like a funeral procession. They came out onto a large balcony that was overlooking a massive town square built halfway up the tower. The sun hung low in the sky, this balcony looking out over the western bank of the city, its final rays shining right upon them.
It took Hinata's eyes several moments to adjust and when they did, she saw what looked like every single citizen of the village had gathered for the event. Every balcony and bridge was entirely filled as far as the eye could see. The only blank spot was a designated area right in the middle of the town square, large enough to hold something like a festival bonfire. Only there was no kindling or anything prepared, which seemed to rule that out as the purpose of the space set aside.
The moment they appeared and the people began shouting their love and admiration for the goddess Amaterasu. This time it was slightly different than all the times before, the chanting and praises usually choreographed and harmonious in some way, but this just seemed to be randomized chaos, the people allowed to show their love and appreciation in the way that suited them best individually.
Amaterasu basked in their love, like how a person might enjoy the sunlight, rising her head, silky black hair falling away from her ears so as to allow no obstruction between them and the adoring voices of her people. The smile on her face was absolutely radiant, Gurengan half-lidded as if in ecstasy.
This was the true source of her power. The more strongly the people believed in her, loved her, and the sun with which she provided, the more powerful she was. It was easy to forget because she was pregnant, but she was quite possibly the most powerful being on the planet at the moment.
It was a somewhat infectious feeling, standing next to Amaterasu like this allowed Hinata to even pretend for a brief moment that all these cheers and professions of love were for her. And for that moment all too short, Hinata felt like some hole deep inside her was filled. The illusion disappeared, Amaterasu holding up her hand and the crowd falling silent near instantly.
"My beloved subjects," Amaterasu spoke as if she was in a small private room, yet somehow her voice carried across the entire city, as if riding on the waves of light to reach every single citizen's ears. "I thank you everyday for your love. It is only through your efforts that my rays can continue to shine on this land once plagued by nothing but darkness and rain. Alas, the day is almost over and the sun too must rest for the night."
She paused, and the voices of the people cried out in dismay and disappointment. As if even the natural phenomenon of night was a plague upon them and their happiness. Amaterasu smiled in satisfaction, pleased by the reaction.
"Before the final rays of daylight are gone, it is my solemn promise to you all that although the sun may set today, it will surely rise again tomorrow. And to make sure that promise is honored, it is my duty to remind you that what happens in the night does not escape my gaze." At those words, something in the crowd stirred nearby the town square.
Hinata felt a hole open in her stomach and it was like her heart fell into it.
Something was approaching them, heading towards the empty area that had been set aside. It didn't take long for what- or more accurately- who it was to be revealed. A group of twenty or so men and women were pulled along in a line of two, their hands and legs bound together, forcing them to shuffle along at a painfully slow pace.
As they were dragged through the crowd, there were cries of anger, swears, spit, and rotten fruit thrown at them, making the already disheveled group even more-so before they reached their destination. They were crowded into a circle inside the designated open area. The moment they were secured, those that had dragged them there made themselves scarce, and the crowd quickly put as much distance as they could, not daring to come too close even to throw something at them.
They knew what was next, and Hinata feared she already did too.
"For the crimes of conspiracy, disloyalty, and for failing to love me… I offer you these sacrifices so that you may always remember that it is I and I alone that can grant you all the salvation of the sun."
Despite the sun having been about to set, the temperature rose another several degrees, making it hot enough for Hinata to break out in sweat. That was the only warning that came, the power of Amaterasu's Gurengan activating. The group of twenty criminals were set ablaze, burning in a pillar of black flame that incinerated them near instantly.
And the moment they were immolated, the cheers of the crowd roared so violently that the buildings began to shake. People threw up their arms in celebration, fell to their knees in prayer, and there were even those that began to dance, everyone celebrating in the execution of their fellow man, even if their only crime had been failing to properly love their new ruler.
Hinata stared at the pillar of black flame… and in the back of her mind she could've sworn she heard Kali laughing at her.
Chapter End
AN: Hinata has been having a rough time of it these past few chapters.
This was an important but difficult chapter, as this was basically my one shot to do as much humanizing for the character of Amaterasu as I could. Of course, I want her to be the type of antagonist you root against, but I also wanted to write her as a complex character with flaws and moments of kindness too. So I took a lot of big swings with this chapter's developments, and I hope some of them worked out.
Next time, we'll be changing locations and pushing the plot forward, so please look forward to that!