Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto

Co-Author and Beta: Ethereal-23

Tribute: For Joachim

Chapter 70: Battle at Forked River Valley Act I

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Smoke from Tsukiko's hand-carved ivory kiseru lingers in the open garden of the main Uzushio mansion. She sits beside her oldest daughter and mother in human form at a carved stone table and chairs with the afternoon sun glowing above them. Their eyes focused on a large map. "There have been at least half a dozen reports of demon sightings along with several rampages at villages across the northern border." The immortal woman exhaled some smoke.

Meihui cocked a brow at her daughter, "Sigrun and her Valkyries can handle this. This region is closer to their territory, Norsca, than ours."

"But haven't they been busy with their problems?" Kaida inquired, leaning against her chair and crossing her arms, "The Nations are not the only ones dealing with this surprise in rising demonic activity."

"We are not," Tsukiko brought her kiseru to her lips for a drag before exhaling more smoke. "Our contacts from Albion to Franc have alerted us of sporadic movement. Moreover, that old lecherous druid is assured these of the Hellborn variety."

For the most obvious reasons that drew concern from the trio. The legions of the Avernus could be poking for weaknesses across the world to invade again. There had been more than enough of that madness during the Age of Chaos. Granted, the nine hells had been in utter chaos since its Dark Lord Morningstar had been felled centuries ago. But that hasn't stopped other Hell Princes from wanting to pursue their lust for conquest for blood and destruction. And while Tsukiko knew a Prince who no longer wanted battles, there were still many more who did.

"No word from Tomoe about it?" Meihui asked.

"Nothing worth mentioning on her end," Tsukiko replied. "But she can't be everywhere. It might be just a small warlord getting ideas. A few old guards from the Age of Chaos who want to settle scores. Or just a few loose demons. But I'd rather go there and check for myself."

"Don't be so hasty," The dragon woman chuckled and waved her hand with a flair. "You could let the locals handle it."

"The Lotus once existed beyond borders in mind. I want to go myself."

"Always on the move. Amazing my daughter ever managed to have you and your siblings," Meihui droned at her granddaughter. "Little miracles, you all are."

"Heh!" Kaida laughed, "Not so little anymore, maw-maw."

"Maybe you and Ganyu can make a few miracles of your own then~?"

The large, muscular warrior seemed to choke on nothing at all, looking startled, with her cheeks matching her hair.

"I need more little ones to pamper~"

"We're courting slowly," Kaida defended herself with a stern look, which clashed with her blush. "We prefer it that way; we have the time anyway."

Meihui sighed with all the drama of a theatre diva, casting a despondent look at her daughter. "Oh, how cruelly does your daughter treat me, denying me the joys of my great-grandchildren?"

Tsukiko didn't even look at her. She just kept her eyes closed and continued smoking. "Give it a rest, mother. Let them court at their pace."

"Well, I suppose I should at least take solace in the fact they are open about how they feel instead of stubbornly denying it."

Tsukiko glared at her, "I was not stubborn; I had reservations about Korin."

"Oh, you complained daily about him! He was all you could talk about! You were like children pulling each other's hair!"

"Hmph!" Tsukiko sharply turned her head indignantly; the scene made Kaida chuckle with amusement. Oh, was her grandmother one of the only people who could ever get under her mother's skin.

Kaida's smile dimmed as she thought of her father, specifically where he was. "He should be back from Konoha soon," The other two women shared mellow and sad gazes. The swordswoman pursed her lips, "I'll be visiting Kushi next," She smiled at her mother. "She'd love it if you visit her too, once you return."

That put a smile on the immortal Uzumaki, "She might like some souvenirs from the North."

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The wind whipped around Meihui in dragon form, flying high above the skies. Her eyes shone with resolve and wrath wrapped into one with her son Genryu and granddaughter Kamiko flying on either side of her. Kushina and Lyn sat just at the base of their great-grandmother's head. Further back sat Naruto and Karin with their teammates, who, despite reassurances from Kushina. Sasuke and Sakura had their feet and hands laced with chakra. Sitting beside the kids were Kosuke and Kya, who held onto the massive Kuma, who bit at the air.

Tomoe sat on Genryu's head with Ganyu beside her and Jiraiya behind them with Saito, Soujiro, and Samensouke, On Kamiko sat Shirou, Rin, Tamamo, Hikari, Yugao, Homura, along with fifty of the best monkey warriors Enma and the White Lotus could provide. "Give those wretch serpents a reckoning Lord Sun Wukong would praise!" The Monkey Chief declared as he stayed with Mimir and the others.

"Isn't this cool!" Naruto shouted beside his teammates and sister, who held onto his arm.

"We have glaring differences on what cool is!" Sakura shrieked back before squeaking from the turbulence of the wind. The sole Uchiha said nothing as his skin looked slightly greenish.

"Flying is scary and yet very fun!" Homura declared, holding on for dear life to the dragon's hair while Yugao chuckled at her side. The two practically jumped at the chance to aid their teacher in such an honorable act.

"You better not let go of me!" Rin screamed at the top of her lungs.

"You're the one holding on to me!" Shirou grunted as Rin's arms were locked tightly around his neck. "Why did you want to come along?!"

Rin deadpans, "This is Tsukiko Uzumaki. A living legend known throughout the entire Nations! Moreover, this is for your family! Why wouldn't I come along!?"

"One day, I'll learn to fly!" Kushina cheered, throwing her arm up. "Imma turn into a dragon and fly like baachan could! Ack!" She choked as a bug flew right into her mouth.

"Ha-ha!" Lyn childishly mocked, "That's what you get for-uck!" The same fate befell her. Her girlfriend did not look particularly sympathetic. Saito, who rode upon his uncle's back, merely rubbed his eyes at their antics.

"Focus yourselves!" Meihui said with authority. "We're on an important mission, not a day trip!"

That had to be the harshest Naruto had ever heard maw-maw, and honestly, it was jarring. It made him feel like a little kid. His mother and aunt sure looked like they had been scolded like a pair of children as they ceased their usual antics and fell silent.

"Are you alright, grandmother?" Kamiko asked, her voice as loud as the wind currents they flew through.

"Of course I am!" The great dragon said firmly, yet there was no cheer in her voice, only grim determination. "We're going to find my daughter after all!" The words should have been celebrated, yet her voice carried a heavy burden: fear.

"Calm yourself, Meihui-sama," Tomoe gently said to the great dragon. "Shishou will be with us soon enough; it'll be alright."

"It has to be alright!" Meihui seethed through clenched teeth, her eyes hardening before adopting a mournful look. "I have to save her, I... I cannot fail her again, not like I failed Uzushio..."

Mournful gazes radiate from her draconian son and granddaughter, along with Ganyu, as they know what the Uzumaki matron implies despite none blaming her for that time so long ago. Karin felt a tremendous sensation of remorse flowing over the ancient dragon. "Do you blame yourself for what happened?"

Meihui did not speak for a prolonged moment, with sorrow and rage blazing in her eyes. "...I wasn't there when Uzushio fell..." A silence came over the others, "When Tsukiko was taken, I flew into a rage and tracked her movements before she disappeared. She had gone far north to near the borders of Norsca. And I jumped to conclusions, believing Herivax had taken her."

"Who?" Naruto questioned

"Herivax, the One-Eyed, is a bronze dragon almost as old as I am and just as powerful. But holds very little compassion or concern for mortals and any other beings. He is also extremely territorial and goes after anyone encroaching on his domain."

Soujiro made his voice known, "You fought him." It was more a statement than a question.

"I wasn't exactly in a chattering mood, and Herivax isn't known for being hospitable. The moment he felt me he charged, we were locked into battle for hours."

The ground trembled, and the skies almost looked frightened as the colossal bronze one-eyed winged drake roared with anger, breathing out flames matched by the fury of Meihui.

Meihui growled, "I was too emotional to realize Herivax didn't take her. If I had to guess, the news of Tsukiko being taken was sent to Uzushio because the Kurokiba knew I would overreact." The mere fact those lowly snakes deceived her so well enraged her further. "And while I was gone... Those wretched snakes and those pathetic mortals of Earth and Lightning struck the island."

At that point, Genryu took over, "Myself and Kamiko were at Uzushio when the attack happened. Swarms of Kurokiba serpents, Iwa and Kumo shinobi, emerged on the shorelines from all directions. The Sandaime Raikage A personally came alongside Manda for it… With mother and sister gone, they were emboldened enough to come to our island and attack in full force."

"Korin, Daisuke, and Kaida were the first to lead the counterattack to try to defend the village." Kamiko's voice rumbled with mourning. "The majority of the Kurokida were keeping Father and me busy." Her eyes grew distant, "The rest went after every man, woman, and child they could find. Rokuro defended as many as possible alongside some of our forces but fell first by Iwa and Kumo forces..."

"Mei-Lin and her husband Nadashi killed many snakes on the sea," Genryu said mournfully yet proudly. "Saved as many ships as they could. Yet still they were felled by a three-headed snake." His serpentine eye looked at his Lyn, who sat solemnly upon Meihui's back. "I do believe it was that one you killed in Konoha, niece."

Lyn said nothing; she merely remained uncharacteristically silent. Her eyes were sad. She did not feel satisfied by her deed. If she felt any comfort at having slain her parents' killer, it was only fleeting. The only satisfaction was knowing that many of Uzu's victims had been avenged and that she had done her parents proud.

Gently, Kya placed her hand atop hers, and Lyn held on to it tightly.

"My mother, Ahmya," Saito softly brought up. "You said she stood with the last of the seal masters to secure our treasures, keep them away from the enemies' hands."

"And what a marvelous work they did," Meihui said proudly. "Either men or snakes claimed no single scroll, weapon, or sacred heirloom of the clan. To this day, not even we of the dragon clan can even upon the gates she sealed. There it stands to this day, the records of our history, our traditions, the memories of the clan."

"A masterful woman," Soujiro commented. To most people, his voice would feel even and calm as always. Yet there was still an underlying tone of regret almost imperceivable. "I wish I could have met her."

"So do we, kiddo," Samenosuke said with melancholy at the woman who had helped raise him, all while Saito smiled lovingly at his son as he placed a hand upon his red locks.

"Daisuke fought magnificently amidst dozens of snakes and shinobi alike; his fire was worthy of the dragon blood in the Uzumaki lineage," Genryu said with pride; the Uzukage had fought with everything he had, commanding the loyalty and respect and his kin with a true leader's charisma.

Kushina's eyes shone with both pride and pain. Her father had fought to the very end but was taken away from her too soon. Seeing him again by Edo Tensei because of Orochimaru's twisted machination worsened the pain of losing him. If nothing else, Naruto had gotten to see his grandfather, at least for a moment.

"Korin was facing down A in a fierce battle across the island," Kamiko spoke up, "The two were evenly matched until Kurokiba snakes appeared and bit Korin, poisoning him. Yet he did not go down. He died on his feet with a slew of dead snakes and shinobi around him."

Meihui closed her eyes in a shudder, "Korin was always a stubborn one. But he died a true warrior."

"None of them should be dead at all," Lyn growled.

"No, they shouldn't," Kosuke spoke back. "But dwelling on old pain won't help us." He paused before speaking again, "What became of Aunt Kaida?"

Shame bloomed in Genryu's visage, "Manda and his snakes had injured me and Kamiko too much to see fully. But the whole island felt like an explosion of fire rocked it."

Jiraiya declared in the dialogue, "I was along with the forces to reach the island the following day... All we found was a massive crater and ashes. We were able to save Genryu and Kamiko from their wounds. But for those who did not flee by ship, their corpses were everywhere. Uzushio had been completely devastated."

"It's all a ruin now..." Kushina muttered the words dulled as the pain was old. It was a terrible reality they all had to deal with. Uzushio had been wrecked beyond recognition; there was nothing but crumbled buildings. The dragons and Konoha had recovered all the bodies they could, giving them all a proper burial in their homeland. But the ruins remained as they were, a reminder of what was done to their friends and family. The tragic fall of Uzu would remain a reminder of who their enemies were and what they had done.

Konoha took on the symbol of the Uzumaki on their backs to never forget the scarlet warriors they had meant to their home.

Jiraiya remembered the days after Uzushio's fall when the village had cried out for blood. For Iwa's and Kumo's, to pay for all they had done... The Second Great Shinobi War was on the horizon; they'd get their chance eventually. He was sure many of his fellow Konoha nin felt glad to have killed Kumo and Iwa after what they had done. But then, the war kept escalating. Mizu and Suna joined in, fighting for their survival again. All the major villages, and many minor and independent ones. Some, like the Land of the Sky, were wiped out entirely.

All that pain and loss and... nothing. In the end, he couldn't say anyone had won. Only the dead had truly lost.

It did not bring Uzushio back, nor any of the Uzumaki. But tragedies like that could have been avoided if he had found a way to help people reach an understanding and peace.

He was so proud of these youths who truly believed in that goal. Make a world for everyone to live in peace...

Except the Kurokiba, fuck them.

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The mountainous forest valley of the Land of Fangs was cloaked by three colossal shadows that flowed in the skies above. Meihui's eyes surveyed every inch of the land before Tomoe called out where their destination was to be. One of the larger peaks had an enormous cavity that was a cave entrance.

They were here!

Quickly, the dragons descended before stopping at the cave threshold. Everyone on their backs leaped onto the soft, earthy ground as they did, much to the immense relief of Sakura, Sasuke, and Rin. Tamamo sniffed the air before sneering, "Can't mistake that smell." She put her hand to her nose.

As the last person leaped off Meihui, her body soon glowed as she shifted into her human form. However, replacing her usual Yukata was now black and red long-sleeved battle robes. Hikari swore their clan matron's body seemed to glow with fire on her body. Her rage-filled eyes glared into the darkness of the cave. "Three decades they have harbored my daughter... Manda and all his Kurokiba will bear suffering even the Gods shall fear."

Kosuke gave a reassuring pat to Kuma, sensing his unease, "It's alright, little brother. Her rage is for the cowards in that cave."

The blond Uzumaki stared into the cave's darkness, standing beside his mother and Jiraiya. "What should we expect?" He questioned his mother and godfather.

"They have Tsukiko prisoner here. Manda will have his most ruthless and powerful snakes guarding her. This won't be a fight, gaki; this will be a war." The Toad Sage said with severity to get the point across.

The Namikaze of the group held the hilt of her sheathed katana, "This place holds an evil aura."

Beside her, Lyn snorted, glaring ahead, "Those fucking snakes corrupt everything they slither on."

"You ready, Rin?" Shirou asked.

"As you are."

Tomoe came to the front of the group to Meihui's side. She looked back at Genryu and Kamiko, "Mind watching the entrance?"

"Any stragglers who come out will face our fire and fangs," Genryu nodded alongside his daughter.

Kamiko spoke next with a resolved tone, "Free Aunt Tsukiko. And make every snake pay."

With a resolute nod and a hardened gaze, Meihui motioned for their forces to move. "Form up," The monkeys quickly lined up with the Uzumaki and their allies in the middle, "Scout ahead, this place looks too unguarded..."

No sooner than she said so, at least three of the monkeys sprung to action, dashing towards the cave entrance and vanishing within its darkness. After a moment or two, one of them called out. "It's clear!"

"Move in," The dragon matriarch quickly ordered, and their large company began marching ahead.

Kushina frowned once the shadow of the cavern began covering them, the light of the entrance vanishing the further they went in, with the biggest source of illumination being a flame hovering above her great-grandmother. "This isn't right," She said. "Why are there no guards? Why haven't we triggered any safety measures?"

"They got sloppy," The white-haired dragon woman curtly replied.

"Where they keep baachan?!" Kushina replied, feeling on edge. "This... doesn't feel right. It's too convenient."

"Kushina's right," Saito agreed with her. "This feels wrong." He kept a hand on his blade if he needed to draw it. The large cavern, built for great snakes to slither through, presented various opportunities for enemies to spring out of nowhere. And the fact that they hadn't run into anyone yet truly unnerved him.

"It's fine," Meihui firmly insisted, even as the others began having doubts about their situation.

"No, it's not fine" Jiraiya said. "We rushed in without enough recon. And this is all painting a worrisome picture."

Dragon's eyes turned to glare at him. "We'll find resistance once we near Tsukiko; they'll have everyone there to guard her."

"I have to agree with them, maw-maw," Lyn muttered, looking around for any sign of snakes. Giant or small. She found now, and that was the distressing part. "We may have made a mistake,"

"Will you please stop worrying?!" Meihui growly, clearly restless, "We'll find my daughter and get out! It's all going to be okay."

That... did not calm the others. It became increasingly clear that Meihui's tunnel vision kept her from looking at the bigger picture. She was desperate to bring her daughter back, and it was making her act reckless. They should have considered that a dragon as old as her and of her particular nature would sometimes throw rationality out the window when they felt very emotional.

"Meihui-sama," Ganyu, her longtime servant, called out softly to her. They hoped she could try to talk some sense into her.

She let out a long sigh, "What now, Ganyu?"

The bluenette's mouth opened, but any comforting words or advice she may have had did not come out. Instead, she voiced a concern. "...Is the cave getting darker?"

That made the group stop, looking more carefully at their surroundings. The rocky underground terrain was becoming increasingly more difficult to see; even with the dragon flame illuminating things around them, the ball of fire, too, was dimming...

"Shit...!" Hikari swore as she took a fighting stance. Tamamo summoned various orbs of fox fire with a swing of her tail; the blue flame was too pale against the encroaching darkness.

The shadows kept advancing towards them like a miasma...

"What's happening?!"

"I can't see!"

"Link hands! Don't get separated!"

"My fire's not working!"

Meihui's gaze snapped from side to side, watching as even her draconic gaze could not perceive anything beyond the encroaching shadows. One by one, she lost sight of her companions; her heart thundered in her chest, panicking as she tried to reach out to anyone to keep them safe. To hold their hand lest they disappear too.

She didn't know whose hand she grasped, as the darkness consumed her too...

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A gasp escaped Sakura's lips as her eyes shot open while lying on the ground. She sat up quickly, looking around in every direction, and saw Samensouke and Kuma nearby. But where was everyone else?!

Moreover...

Her jade eyes looked back up to see the night sky. That couldn't be right. It was still midday when they entered. Had they been out that long?. She shook her head to focus, quickly getting to her feet, and ran over to the roguish Uzumaki and giant bear. "Samenosuke-san." The pinkette called before kneeling beside the man to shake him awake. "Samenosuke-san!" Her voice roused Kuma from his slumber, shaking his massive furry head.

A low groan from the Uzumaki man before he opened his eyes. He sat up, rubbing his face, "That was unpleasant." He blinked, seeing Sakura kneeling beside him and Kuma getting up. His eyes soon scanned the area, "Where is everyone else?"

"I... I don't know," Sakura muttered before pointing up with a finger.

Gazing upwards, the Uzu man's brow shot up, "Oh, I got a bad feeling about this."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

"Shit," Jiraiya cursed under his breath, "They were waiting for us." He looked back, seeing Sasuke and Ganyu surveying the area along with some Monkey warriors.

Sasuke's Sharingan took in every detail around them, "I can't see any of our comrades."

"A separation spell," Ganyu concluded before looking at the night sky. "That feels far too unnatural."

Several Monkey warriors stood on the few trees near them, "There is a foulness in the air, Toad Sage!" One called out in plain combat robes.

"Kurokiba!?"

"Something worse!"

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Tomoe's eyes opened as she stood in an extensive clearing near several trees. Quickly, she drew her katana as flames glowed on the blade. Her crimson orbs glanced to see the night sky above her but kept her attention on her surroundings. 'We were separated... Damn it." The Onna-musha cursed herself. Making such a fledgling mistake for a mission like this. Closing her eyes, she could feel the others a great distance away from her and each other.

Yet, while she felt the others grouped up. She was alone.

Was this deliberate?

Her eyes shot open before pointing her flaming blade forward, "Though you hide in the shadow, fiend. I can feel your bloodlust. Come out!"

A long silence met her declaration. Till a feminine malicious chuckle echoed with the darkness. "Exactement comme je me souviens de toi. Vieil ami." rang out a voice in a language Tomoe recalled vividly. But her body went rigid as the words came from a voice from a person she knew... that person was long dead.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

"Well, isn't this just perfect?! When someone says 'something is wrong,' things go wrong!"

Kya stared at her surroundings, trying to feel the natural energy. It was still the same, so they hadn't been separated... too far. They hadn't been near the woods when they entered the cavern. The water energies were faint, so the river wasn't close either. And, of course, the great peak at the east showed they were near its base.

"And, of course, that dumbass didn't grab my hand in time! We wouldn't be separated had he been holding it from the start! N-Not that I wanted to or anything!"

Saito hummed in thought, rubbing his chin as he tried to figure out what had happened. "The darkness consumed us, and suddenly we are somewhere else. A space displacement technique?"

"A trap laid out for us," The shaggy-haired Namikaze nodded in agreement, "And we walked right into it."

He sighed, "So foolish of us..."

"Idiotic! So idiotic!"

"You were all desperate to get Tsukiko-sama," Kya said gently. "Yes, it was a mistake rushing in. But you're all smart enough to learn from this."

"That idiot better will!" Rin shouted, pulling at her ponytails while her face was locked in a rageful grimace. "GRRR! Okay, okay, okay, okay..." She tried to calm herself, taking a deep breath as she joined her hands in a prayer-like gesture. "Not to worry, I'm a Tohsaka; we do not lose our cool no matter the situation." She said, ignoring that she had lost her cool in this situation. "I have my amazing magical skills to guide us through!" The blue-eyed girl confidently said as she performed swiping gestures with her arms, her fingers going through half-seal quickly. A blue circle filled with various kanji and complex-looking array matrixes floated in front of her, the lines interconnecting in intricate manners while the lines of letters spun like gears. "I'll divinate our location right now! Just need a moment..."

"We could just go up the trees and see if we can spot my uncle and cousin," Saito pointed out. "They are enormous dragons, after all."

Rin froze, and the magic circle fizzled out with a comical sound like a broken wind-up toy. "I knew that! Just..." She grumbled incoherently, blushing as she tried to avoid their gazes and walked towards the closest tree.

Saito deadpanned. "From my interactions with Shirou-kun, I can tell he's sometimes a bit dense. Though perhaps Rin-san herself is too grounded herself. Quite the relationship duties they must share."

"'Tis a heavy burden," Kya, very familiar with such a role when in a relationship with a rowdy Uzumaki, said in sympathy.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Lyn let out a low groan, "We fucked up, didn't we?" The redhead slumped and looked around, tapping her naginata staff on her shoulder.

Beside her, Kushina dryly deadpans back at her, sighing, "First news in nearly thirty years that Baachan is alive. Of course, we overreacted out of impulse instead of fully preparing ourselves." She could hear Sakumo-sensei scolding her for acting so unprofessional, especially regarding a mission as important as this.

'Naruto and Karin are alright,' Kushina's mind was also in maternal mode with worry for her son and daughter. She had full confidence in both taking care of themselves. But dealing with the Kurokiba, she had trained them further on how dangerous these vile snakes could be. The former captain's mind also went to her former and new student. '...What the hell was I even thinking of bringing Homura here!?'

...Despite the young adolescent adamant in wanting help. Kushina knew, she knew, that a mission as dangerous as this was too soon for an aspiring Genin. Former ANBU prospect notwithstanding. Well, if there were any blowback, she'd deal with it after this mess. "I wished I'd have some of Karin's sensory abilities."

"That would be handy right now," Lyn agreed, huffing before she and Kushina glared north of them to shadows ahead of them.

The former ANBU drew her katana, ready for anything that was about to face them. But who came from the shadows sent a wave of fear she had not felt in years.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Tamamo stared with horror at the night sky above them, "The amount of power to shift the sky like that would be immense... Astronomically, ridiculously immense..."

"So we could be dealing with Onmyōji," Yugao surmised, keeping calm but alert.

Soujiro glanced at his Kitsune cousin, "So, likely a group is working with the Kurokiba?"

"This more than what the Kurokiba could have accomplished," One of the monkeys, an old-looking baboon with various scars on his face, muttered, looking at the sky with trepidation. "We're dealing with ancient power, the type only the highest level of mysticism could command."

"The Cult, then?" The ANBU brought up. "They could have created this illusion. But for what purpose?" To keep them lost? The lack of sunlight would only be a momentary setback.

"You don't understand," Tamamo sharply turned, the hairs on her tail standing on edge while her ears twitched nervously. "We're not in a genjutsu, or-or some technique designed to change the looks of our surroundings. This," She waved a hand at the starry sky above them, "is nighttime, in the middle of the day! The sky is dark, the stars are visible, and we're barely past noon! I can feel the aberrant warping of reality around us!" She let out a ragged breath. "This... This power is not mere technique, not an onmyōji ritual sustained by a cabal of sorcerers... something did this, something very old and VERY powerful."

Yugao gulped, the grip on her blade's handle.

"Authority," Another monkey muttered, both awed and terrified.

"We need to regroup right now," Tamamo urgently expressed.

"That may take time," Soujiro commented as he drew his blade. "We're being surrounded, and they do not have peaceful intentions."

The foliage around them rustled...

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

"I see Lord Genryu and Lady Kamiko to the north!" A long-armed gibbon called out from the tree top, pointing at where they saw the great dragons; both were staring at the sky in the distance.

Shirou nodded, "Then that's where we need to go." He began walking towards the direction pointed by the gibbon, the six monkeys around him already heading off, keeping enough distance to recon out the area to keep an eye for their enemies. No doubt they'd be waiting for them.

Hikari paused as she noticed Karin had not moved an inch; the bespectacled girl was frozen, her eyes wide in awe and horror, and her lower lip trembled. "Karin?" She knelt before the younger girl, tentatively placing her arms on her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

She drew in a shuddering breath. "I've never felt power like this before..."

The ground rumbled, a minor thing, but still, they felt it. They stood on alert, thinking it was an enemy attack. The gibbons let out a startled whoop, pointing frantically above them in the tree. "T-The cavern exploded! Something came out! It... Hanuman's tail, it's a dragon!"

"What?!" Another of the monkeys shouted. "A dragon?! From which clan?!"

Hikari's eyes widened, and the muscular young woman looked back at Karin. "Is this what you felt?"

Karin's words made cold dread settle in her stomach. "...No"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

It had all happened within the blink of an eye. Genryu went down quickly to save his mother and the others as they vanished into the darkness, and the next moment, day became night! The dragon chief's claws were outstretched at the cave entrance, but he growled as he felt the entire group vanish.

They, however, soon felt everyone at a great distance around them. "We have been spread apart!" Kamiko declared before looking to the now starry night sky above. "That is no genjutsu."

Before her father could reply, the earth soon quaked as both felt an immense power coming for them from the cave! The silver dragon moved back just in time to avoid a large maw with rows of teeth erupting and shattering the cave.

Genryu and Kamiko saw before their eyes a serpentine dragon, much like themselves, rising from the earth, unleashing a laughing roar. It had purple scales with black lines across its body, four sharp-clawed appendages, two long tendrils on its snout, and a shaggy mane on the back of its head with four horns on top.

Neither father nor daughter recognized this dragon. But its laugh had a tone both recognized. For which they stared in shock, "It can't be..."

"HAHAHAHAHA!" The purple dragon kept laughing, staring up to the heavens before looking back down with his green slit irises, "At long last! The power taken from us is at last restored!"

"Manda..." Kamiko shuddered in disbelief.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Meihui stared in shock at the purple dragon confronting Genryu and Kamiko alongside Naruto, Kosuke, and several gorillas. The silverback that nearly stood the height of Kosuke frowned, "We played right into their hands."

...Damn it. Damn it! GODS FUCKING DAMN IT!

Again... Once more, Meihui realized she let her emotions dictate her actions before thinking!

However, her self-loathing would be paused as a lyrical laugh caught the attention of the bunch. "I did say it, didn't I, boy." Naruto's brow rose before he snarled, vividly remembering that voice. Slowly, from out of the forest's darkness came Aezvyn and Zoros, who maliciously smiled at a scowling Kosuke. "Lady Meihui, it is an honor." The hellborn demoness gave a mocked bow.

"Shall we finish what we started, Kosuke Uzumaki?" Zoros questioned, popping his knuckles.

"Gladly," Kosuke snarled alongside the gorillas who readied themselves for battle. Homura's chakra blades appeared in her hands as she stood resolute beside her comrades.

The growl from Meihui established she was not in the mood for games, "Get the fuck out of my sight before I demolish you..." An aura of fire glowed from her body.

Aezvyn shuddered, feeling the power just oozing off the ancient dragon. However, it was not fear illuminating her eyes. "Our great serpent Lord has brought you a gift. Enjoy."

The moment those words came, the small group soon saw what looked like ripples in the fabric of reality behind the Hellborn demons. And within that moment, ALL soon felt it as Karin did. This power, sheer, massive, unholy might emanated from this new figure soon manifesting. It was overwhelming, like the entire weight of an ocean, consuming you in its depths and dragging you to the deepest, darkest parts of the sea floor where you suffocated, crushed under the enormous pressure.

Naruto and his friends had witnessed demons, monsters of all stripes, and even a Bijuu being unleashed. Yet this thing blew them all out of the water.

"HI!"

The voice was cheerful, melodic even. Sweet like honey and beautiful to listen to. Her figure was imposing, three meters in height, with four black and red horns of varying length, long light blue hair, and pink highlights flowing freely. Her skin was a grayish purple, and her body proportions were the stuff any man would go mad over. Regardless of orientation and gender, something primal in her allure would make any fall to their knees. She dressed in straps of white clothing and black tape running over her torso, legs, and arms, long puffy see-through leggings cuffed at the shins by golden adornments, sleeves of the same material but much smaller tied around her biceps, five golden bracelets on each wrist, her nails were long and polished. A necklace of jade tomoe hung from her neck, with multiple larger pieces hanging by her waist.

The bluish-white hair split into crossed strands over her forehead, a few strands draped over her pointy ears, while red eyes stared at the people in front of them with a sort of innocent glee. "Ohhhh, it is nice to meet you all! Hehe!"

Her voice could not fool them; every word echoed with ancient power. So much, too much, it was overwhelming; it was going to crush them, consume them, devour them utterly, and-

Shirou and Hikari gasped as Karin fell to her knees and threw up.

Once more, the newly transformed dragon Manda laughed as Genryu and Kamiko's heads snapped in the direction they felt... her. "She cannot be alive!" Genryu despaired. "H-How is this possible?!"

Meihui's human features that showed rage turned to pure terror, staring at the being that should be long dead! "...Ibuki-Douji..."

Upon hearing her name, Ibuki waved with both hands, "That's my name! You are the strongest one here, Miss Dragon lady." She cutely frowned, "But for some reason felt the need to come this way aside from you. Must be the sake." The towering entity shrugged happily.

Fear and terror grip those around Naruto; the blond stood stock still. His eyes stared at Ibuki with a stray tear coming from his eyes, "You're alive..." His voice carried heavy emotion before he shook his head. He didn't know why he said that. It was so low nobody else could hear him even if they tried. The thing before them captured all of their attention.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

The great calamity... A living apocalypse made manifest... Demonic, Draconic, Divine. The impossibility that should never exist but does. Tomoe shuddered with genuine fear in her eyes as she looked in the direction she felt the nightmare that plagued her homeland in ancient times. A nigh-unstoppable force of nature that fell thanks to the efforts of Minamoto no Yorimitsu and The Golden Boy Sakata Kintoki.

...It was impossible!

But then again...

The Onna-Musha turned her head back to the pale-skinned woman she had known so long ago. She was a pious and devout woman who served her deity and the people of her nation with unwavering resolve and love. Betrayed by her people and given to the demons during the Age of Chaos. Even Morningstar himself appeared upon the earth and celebrated her capture and horrific torture. But Tomoe's old friend never wavered from her faith. In an action of selflessness, she sacrificed herself and slew Lucifer with a divine act.

Jeanne d'Arc was the greatest hero for the people of France. Slayer of the Devil. Because of her sacrifice, all of the nine hells were flung into anarchy.

But now, the once gentle and sweet girl Tomoe called a friend glared at her with sheer hatred and wrath in her crimson eyes. The kindly smile was replaced with a sinister, malicious smirk. "L'expression de votre visage est exactement celle que j'espérais."

Tears glistened, threatening to fall from the Hanyō's woman's eyes, "What have you become?" Her lower lip trembled.

"I am what you and your bitch of a master made me," Jeanne now seethed. "I held unto my faith. I never wavered, even as I was tormented and violated by Lucifer and his minions. Mocked and ridiculed, and yet I still held on till at last I slew that bastard... And look where it got me, Gozen!" She scowled, hissing in a way that was disturbingly familiar to Tomoe. "I gave up everything; you filled my head with talks of 'honor,' 'justice,' and 'righteousness.' You forced me to fight your damn wars in France! You made me fight for a land that betrayed me!"

Tomoe looked at her pleadingly, taking a step forward. "Jeanne, what happened to you was terrible, but you came to us! You believed in all those things before we even met! It all happened so fast, we would have-!"

"Shut it," The words lacked the previous volume but still held an unbelievable amount of hatred. "When I was brought back, I realized my mistakes. Trusting you, fighting for a country, for a world that doesn't deserve it." Her smile widened once more, running her tongue over her sharp incisors. "I understood things once Gilles brought me back with whatever tome of dark magic he could. So, this was the best he could do," She waved a hand at herself. "Not too bad, I'd say. I've grown to like the taste of blood..."

"Jeanne..." Tomoe muttered with grief in her voice.

"Philip and his damn sycophants, the soldiers I've given up everything for, I made sure they all suffered for what was done to me. I would have carried over my revenge for centuries more had I had the chance." The once-holy woman scoffed, "But of course, the world had to be torn up in that cataclysm. Thought nothing else mattered, my revenge was over, and I got to carry on as a vampire... Until I found people who offered me a better cause, a chance to remake this broken world into something truly worth it."

Red eyes gleamed with sadistic glee.

"I joined Ishtar's Cult."

Jeanne grinned again, seeing the true despair emerge on her friend's face. "For the new world we shall create. This one shall burn and be reforged." The undead woman grew closer till she and Tomoe were a hair's breadth apart.

Tears now ran from the eyes of the Onna-musha. Her blade arm trembled, remembering the once gentle, loving smile of the woman she came to call friend replaced with malicious joy explaining how she killed all she had once loved so dear to her. The sheer evil radiating off the undead was an aberration to all Jeanne once stood for.

Gone was la Pucelle, the Maiden of Orléans.

Her friend...

"Many of my compatriots in the Cult assumed you would be lost in hell forever. But I knew you well enough to know none of the nine hells could restrain you." Jeanne's smile was outright murderous, with her vampiric fangs growing, "I've waited centuries for this, you half-breed whore."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

If not for Kuma's animal instincts and Samenosuke's decades of combat experience. They would have kept being distracted from the danger that sprinted for them and leaped out, wielding a demonic-looking scythe! The Uzumaki quickly picked up Sakura, who gasped out of her state from the power of the being that overwhelmed the area. Now she saw, like the others, a tall blue-skinned male demon with curved horns wearing only black leather pants and a waistcoat. It gave a shrilling roar, bringing down his weapon to slice one in half.

It scoffed as his blade only stuck to the ground, "Oh fuck's sake! One of you could have stayed still! You know how long I have been craving to kill someone in this new body!?"

Samenosuke landed far away before putting Sakura back on the ground, and Kuma snarled beside them. "None of us feel like dying today, so not sorry!" The normal jovial man was replaced with a serious, stern glare.

"Ohhh, you believe you have a choice in this?" The demon's grin was sharpened fangs. "There is no choice, only Jashin's will, and she demands your blood," He spun his scythe above his head, a gust of wind picking up from the sheer speed and force behind it. "And I, Hidan, her eternally faithful instrument, shall deliver it to her! Rejoice, unbelievers, for you will die in her name!"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Ganyu sniffed the air; her ears twitched as she heard the ruffle of leaves and twigs cracking. "They draw near..."

"Demons, humans, and... something else," One of the monkeys, a lemur half the size of a human, warned. "Almost like a mix between the two..."

"Vampire," The half-dragon muttered, blue eyes narrowing.

"Are you sure, Ganyu-san?"

"I'm very familiar with the scent."

"Stick close, kid," Jiraiya advised to Sasuke. "They'll be sending the heavy hitters after me; you're in great danger right now."

Sasuke scoffed; his Sharingan was already activated. "I've been in danger ever since I graduated."

"Fair point. Not to worry, the Gallant Jiraiya isn't going to let a bunch of thugs and monsters get the better of him." The Toad Sage smiled confidently, "You can count on me,"

"I saw your state after you fought a demon once, and you had help. That says a lot more about the enemies' strength."

Jiraiya gave him a deadpanning look. "Now that demon was a freak, very old. Don't think I've been slacking off since then." The wild-maned man rolled his neck and popped the joints. "We fell into their trap and split us off, but just because we're not together now doesn't mean we're easy picking."

Ganyu's eyes widened, and with a flair of her hand, she summed a beautifully carved and intricate bow. She knocked a shining arrow on its string... and aimed it right at Sasuke before letting loose.

His Sharingan let him see the true trajectory of the arrow; it was not aimed at his head but very close. The sound of wood breaking and metal scratching rang too close to his ear as Ganyu's arrow intercepted another projectile aimed straight for his head.

"Barrier, now!" Ganyu shouted.

Jiraiya slammed his hands together and summoned a large earthen wall with a stomp of his foot just in time to shield them from a volley of arrows. The projectiles buried themselves on the other side of the wall until the rain of arrows eventually stopped...

For a moment, they held their breath.

Then the wall exploded.

A woman barged through it, her eyes a bright purple, her sclera black. Her skin was a deep brown while her long dark locks gradually became purple. She was dressed in a compelling attire: black leather, long gloves, and boots that reached strong thighs. She smiled, showing sharp fangs. Her palm slammed against Jiraiya's face, and with a burst of purple lightning, their forms dashed forward as she dragged his back over the terrain, moving too fast for any of the monkeys, the half-dragon, or the Uchiha to stop her.

Jiraiya grunted and growled but could not stop his aggressor as he was whipped around in the air and sent flying from a mighty kick by the undead woman. The vampire landed on the ground with a vicious smile as the Toad Sage slammed through and broke several trees. Her pink eyes gleamed, ducking and weaving through arrows and kunai thrown at her by Ganyu and Sasuke.

The monkey warriors were also quick to join the fray. Yet as they attacked with fists and feet, Their opponent blocked, dodged, or deflected each move brought against her. "I've heard tales of the famed White Lotus," the woman spoke in a rich husky accent. "To think you all fell for such an obvious trick..."

As those words left the enemy's lips, a small horde of demons and humans clad in sinister-looking armor and weapons in hand emerged from the trees and charged for Ganyu, Sasuke, and the monkeys. With his Doujutsu, the Uchiha saw lithe figures in the trees holding bows. He only saw the outline of women in attire matching the one who seemed to lead them. But saw their facial features were more angular and with elongated pointed ears.

The largest of the Hellborn barreled towards Ganyu, who readied her bow till a disheveled Jiraiya's outreached hand appeared with a glowing Rasengan. Slamming into the beast, it flew like a pinwheel fired from a cannon into a tree.

A glare came from the Toad Sage despite the blood dripping from the side of his head and his clothes now badly torn. "You are going to have to do better in trying to kill me than that, honey."

Those words only made the female vampire smile, "Then I, Drolta, will sacrifice you all to our goddess." She licked her fanged lips.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

All this happened within a blink; Lyn barely saw a long purple-haired woman dash out from the forest around them and bee-line it toward Kushina with her katana drawn. "An old girlfriend of yours!?" The Demon Huntress called out. However, her cousin did not respond and saw the terror in the eyes of her fellow Uzu as the enemy pressed her attack further with wild strikes.

Kushina drew her sword to block the one that came right towards her at blinding speed and was pushing her back. Her violet eyes stared in fear to the violet eyes gleaming back with sheer excitement. "Kushina..." Katsura shuddered with a deranged smile on her lips. "I thought I lost you, my love..."

Her legs buckled under the immense pressure from the woman's blade. After all this time, her strength was still colossal. "But you've returned to me, my sweet." The woman's purple eyes seemed to gleam. "We can fight again, and again, and again!" Her voice was like a mixture of euphoric joy and maddened sadness. "Ohhhhh, how my blood boils! How my heart leaps in joy!" Tears streamed down her face.

Lightning shrouded her blade.

"I've missed you so much, Kushina!" The berserker woman cried out; her figure became a blur covered in electricity. The vague outline of her form dashed from side to side as it slammed against the redhead with full force, sending her through the woods and making her slam against a large tree, breaking its bark.

"Kushina!" Lyn shouted, setting her naginata ablaze. Her senses screamed danger as the madwoman turned to look at her. Killing intent so thick and strong, it formed a demonic aura around her. She held her sword over her head and brought it down with a mighty swing, the sheer pressure from the attack creating a shockwave that carried a straight bolt of lightning, forcing Lyn to hastily create a barrier before the attack slammed against her with a blast of purple light.

Standing up even as her back screamed in pain, Kushina gritted her teeth and glared at the woman who kept walking towards her, her calm gait betrayed by the maddened smile on her lips. Though stunning in looks, with an impressively endowed chest and curves filled with slim corded muscles, all wrapped in a skin-tight bodysuit with various pieces of armor, just taking a good look at her would let anyone know something was wrong with that woman.

Katsura Ichimonji is one of the survivors of the dreaded Ichimonji clan. Battle-crazed maniacs held with as much fear and contempt as the terrible Kaguya clan (and wasn't it just her luck she had also fought a member of that clan...). Their battlelust had driven both clans to near extinction, but those who remained were monsters whose battle-prowess was nigh-instinctive, making for extremely dangerous adversaries.

And, of course, she had run repeatedly into Katsura across the years. The mad woman was completely driven to fight and kill her out of this warped sense of 'love' because she could give her the fights she always wanted.

Suffice it to say, Kushina wanted NOTHING to do with that.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

A blade of pure wind shot from Kya's blade, slicing through several hellborns and humans that charged for her, Saito, and Rin. While the young teen was caught off guard, her elders, thankfully, were hardened warriors with strong combat senses and awareness of their surroundings.

But the young adolescent would not be a useless third wheel as arcane energy glowed from her fingertips. Her Onmyōdō talents came to life, firing shards of ice and balls of flames at devils and evil humans who came for her or tried to outnumber her comrades.

Saito deflected the wicked axe of a large horned demon before severing its head from its neck. He sharply glanced to his side to witness a human female in armor charge him with a spear. Only for her body to be engulfed in flames. "Should I be surprised humans also joined the Cult?"

"I'm not," Kya declares, running her blade through the heart of a man who fell dead at her feet. She looked over to Rin, "Have you fought people before?"

"I've fought bandits with Shirou and my family's guards." Neither adult heard any tremble in her voice. Yet, despite her bravado. They could see the pale with a touch of green to her face.

While she has been in battles, something of this scope was undoubtedly new.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Bladed tonfas danced in the long-armed gibbons as demons poured out from the forest around the monkeys, Shirou, Hikari, and Karin. The bifocal Uzu was grateful for the ambush as it helped her not keep focus on the force that overwhelmed her senses. Chakra chains shot from her arm towards a large horned blue demon, wrapping the chain around the hellspawn.

It thrashed and roared till Shirou's blade pierced its skull. Seals soon glowed on the weapon, with fire engulfing the demon.

The martial artist Uzumaki used several blocks, parries, and throws mixed with powerful punches and kicks. "Karin!"

"I'm alright! The fight is keeping me focused!" Despite her reassurances, the older Uzumaki teens saw how deathly pale their younger cousin still was. But they would not argue if she were fit enough to fight.

Several large red-furred orangutans roared and soon leaped out of the forest shadows. The largest of them, with hints of grey fur, clasped his hands together, slamming them down on the face of a surprised demon. Sending it down to the ground, "So glad we found you, children!"

"Yamakami-san!" Hikari called out.

"About time you showed up!" One of the human-sized monkeys chimed with a grin.

"You're a terrible babysitter!" The orangutan Yamakami boomed with a fiercely deep voice. "Can't let you watch over the Uzu kids alone!"

"Don't need a babysitter," Shirou quipped, brandishing a sword he seemed to have summoned from storage somewhere on his person. "We know how to take care of ourselves." He slashed away a charging demon, parrying another's jagged blade before kicking it away, leaving it open for a monkey to crack its skull for a staff.

The ground shook, heralding the coming of something large and angry.

Karin swore, "We have a strong one coming!"

"Then you better be ready to put those words to the test, boy!"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Yugao grunted as her blade cut through yet another human opponent; the man's unnaturally pale skin and downright emaciated looks were visible underneath the multiple bandages on his head, while his old-fashioned samurai attire was falling apart; even his weapon looked old and rusted. Milky white eyes stared blankly while he fell to the ground with a shrill cry.

This had not been the only strange warrior she had cut down. She was pretty certain she had killed him already.

Well, killed was perhaps the wrong term...

The warriors around them were of similar look, pale, wearing broken pieces of armor and uniforms from all over the hidden villages and countries. Moaning and letting dry gasps as they lunged without care for their safety, cutting them down one by one only to rise again moments later.

Much like the ANBU woman's efforts, Soujiro's blade did the same damage to his opponent in broken armor and decomposing flesh. No matter how often he brought the person down, the body rose repeatedly. "What is this?"

The old Baboon warrior roared, slamming down his enemies, "Foul sorcery to use the dead!" His fellow monkies also tear through reanimated corpses.

"An onmyōji is around!" Tamamo declared, unleashing fireballs from her hands and the tips of her fox tails. "We have to get rid of him or her to stop these guys!"

In the shadows of the forest close by stood a lone figure wrapped in robes and a mask holding a glowing staff. A malicious androgynous chuckle came from behind the mask.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Aezvyn could not stop the smile from her lips, seeing the fear and terror as Lady Ibuki appeared at her and Zoros's side. Her emergence soon sparks the charge of humans and demons of their forces, which her hulking comrade quickly leads for his prey, the towering Uzumaki man and the warrior gorillas. Her own eyes turned towards Naruto, licking her lips. Her transformation had given her such a boost of strength she had not had for centuries. Her body almost ached for more.

More of that delicious primal energy.

However, she wondered why the boy wasn't showing fear as he gazed at Lady Ibuki. No matter, her wings fully opened before she soon lunged for her meal. And the girl beside the boy would make a lovely snack.

Ibuki herself cheered, bouncing on the balls of her feet as the fighting soon erupted around her, "I missed this! I'm so happy Papa let me out to play! It's been so long!" Pausing in her cheer, and she looked in the direction where Aezvyn went after the Heir of Rama boy alongside some blue-haired human girl. "Hmm."

A low growl came from Meihui, "Was this your father's goal? Bringing you back?" Redrawing Ibuki's attention to her.

"Papa just missed me, so he brought me back first." The towering woman beamed before getting serious, "The super duper big plans are still in the works." She put a finger to her lips, "But that is top secret."

"...Kosuke," The dragon matriarch's words made the large man stop snarling against the large demon he had fought against in Tree. "I will distract her, take her as far from here as possible. Because if she feels like it even for a second, all of you are dead."

"Maw-maw..." Kosuke wanted to argue, he did, but... never before in his life had he felt in so much danger like this. Even the terrible day Uzu fell when he was separated from every one, with the snakes tearing through their ships, felt small compared to this *creature* in front of them.

"Hmm," The tall grey-skinned woman poked a long tongue through her lips, "I'm feeling peckish though, not sure who should I start with..."

She made it sound like she was picking up dinner...

Meihui rose through the air, flying without returning to her true form. "Ibuki-Douji!"

"That's me!"

"Would you rather snack on these lesser primates-"

"Hey!" A gorilla cried out indignantly.

"Shut up, she's saving our lives!"

"-Or would you rather feast on the flesh of a heavenly dragon?"

The giant woman's face looked entranced momentarily, drool leaking from the corners of her mouth. "Ohhh, I haven't had that in centuries..."

"M-My lady," Even the large Zoros cowered before Ibuki, not daring to object too strongly to her desires. "She's just distracting you..."

"I know~!" She bonked her head, "But I want to eat her out, you know!"

"What's with that phrasing...?" Another ape questioned with incredulity.

Meihui nodded; gods, it was so easy to distract a creature of instinct like her. It was how they had managed to kill her in the first place all those ages ago. She gave her kin and allies a worried look, "I got us into this mess, so I need you to stand strong while I distract her."

'Distract' her... Even Meihui didn't sound too confident in her ability to beat this creature.

"Maw-Maw!" Naruto called out, trying to keep a safe distance from the succubus who thirsted for Kurama's power.

"I'll be fine!" She glared at the large demon woman who kept smiling widely. "Come, we'll take this elsewhere!" And flew away with the speed of the wind.

"Ohhh, fun!" Then, the woman leaped with such strength she cracked the ground under her feet and left a strong gust of wind in her wake, her form disappearing over the distance as she crossed a large part of the valley in a single leap.

Even if she drew away, the presence of her power still lingered.

'What was she?!' Naruto thought desperately.

"Ibuki-Douji," Kurama grimly replied. And fuck, things were bad if Kurama, of all people, sounded scared. "An ancient demon from ages past, one of Japan's Three Great Calamities! Yamata-no-Orochi's daughter! Kid, your great-great-grandmother just went to distract the Dragon of Devastation's very spawn!" As he remembered the tales, the Fox clan told him.

Naruto gnashed his teeth. 'She... She'll be fine, right?'

"Meihui is mighty. I admit it, and she's stronger than me. She's an ancient dragon, after all. With skills and knowledge, I don't possess. And you felt that woman! I wouldn't want to fight her without help! That's right, I'm swallowing my pride because I know when a bigger predator is around!"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Manda roared, unleashing a stream of fire that Genryu met with his own. The former serpent-turned-dragon cut off his flames, evading Kamiko's jaws. He swung his serpentine body around and aimed his bladed tail at the she-dragon. The bronze dragon ducked before unleashing a wave of flames at their sworn enemy.

The most hateful growl escaped the maw of Genryu, "You wretched piece of filth! You used her essence to change yourself!"

Once more, an infuriating laugh escaped the former snake dodging Kamiko's flames. "Three decades was well worth the wait to regain what was stolen!"

"Your clan lost the right to be dragons after what your ancestors did!"

"And we have finally shattered the unjustified punishment laid upon us!" The newly reborn dragon lunged at Genryu with his claws, ready to slice through his silver scales. "Our long overdue vengeance shall be reaped!" His danger sense soon gripped him as he stopped before a massive tanto flew towards him. Flying out of the way, Gamabunta roared, bringing down a webbed fist, punching Manda hard and sending him back.

Angry smoke bellowed from the Toad chief's kiseru, "Jiraiya owes me for summoning me into this shit-storm. Ibuki-douji is alive, and this good-for-nothing ground crawler has become a dragon! What kind of a fucked up day is this!?"

Kamiko let out a sigh, "A complicated one, Gamabunta-dono."

However, Manda only seems to smile maliciously, "Good. Saves me the trouble going to Mount Myōboku for your head, Bunta." An orange hue glowed from his maw.

The toad chief scoffed, "You're welcome to try!"

Analyzing their surroundings, Genryu's daughter took an assessment of their situation. "Father, if we all stay to battle Manda, the damage could spill over while our family and allies remain separated."

"Your girl is right. All of us would be causing a change in the geography dealing with this whelp." Bunta glanced at his old friend.

Genryu growled, not taking his eyes off his sworn enemy, "Suggestions?"

"I'll go help the others," his daughter offered without hesitation, "You and Gamabunta-dono can handle Manda alone."

"...Fine, go!" Without another word, Kamiko quickly flew away.

"Foolish move, Genryu." Manda chuckled, "But I'll kill her later after burning both of you!" Rearing back, he released pure fire at his longtime foes from his maw.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Natural disasters were beyond humankind's ability to control. You couldn't stop an earthquake. You didn't face a tornado. No matter how powerful a human became, only those worthy of being called legends could challenge phenomena created by the planet itself. And more often than not, the planet won.

So what could one do when that disaster had a mind and a will of its own?

Meihui had served Susano'o himself. In his name his name he had given rain to the suffering farmers. Flooded the lands of ungrateful and cruel lords. Smite sinners and devoured them. She and her kin were rulers of the sea and the storm and could conjure them at will.

But Ibuki-Douji...? She was an aspect of destruction, a calamity given shape. She was born to wreak havoc upon the world because that was her purpose, just like her father.

Meihui knew she couldn't defeat Ibuki, but at least she could buy them all the time because Ibuki was a creature of instincts and whims. She could play that to her advantage while ensuring she didn't go serious, or else they'd really be in trouble.

Meihui flew around a mountain peak, traveling over its surface in an arc to prolong the chase. And Ibuki was all too happy to indulge herself. She laughed as her feet stomped over the mountain's surface, leaving indentations and cracked earth with each step. "Gotcha!" She lunged with a long arm for Meihui's white tail; the dragon snatched it just in time, and her fingers grasped the air. "Whoops!"

Meihui took the chance to strike her, the whiplash of her tail creating a thunderclap and a shockwave directly upon the demon's face. Ibuki was thrown back and fell down the mountain peak for dozens of meters.

Then her sharp nails dug into the earth, carving a path as they went until she stopped her fall. "My turn!" And with a mighty heave, she threw herself up, propelling herself at great speeds to the point she cleared the distance in just two seconds. Meihui gasped when the demon was face to face, her red eyes shining with amusement as her smile beamed on her lips. "Boom!"

Her palm connected with Meihui's cheek, and she was buried on the mountain's side as a great spider-web of fractured cracks formed with chunks of earth blasting away.

Meihui uttered a sharp cry but kept focused as she saw Ibuki approaching her. "Here I come!" The ancient dragon quickly took back to the skies, avoiding her opponent's sharp, long claws that dug into the ground. The daughter of Yamata looked up, smiling brightly, "This is so fun. I'm so happy Papa let me out!"

"Ibuki," the white-haired horned draconian woman called out in the air, "You did your purpose before in ages past; you don't need to be the monster again."

Ibuki looks up, genuinely curious, "But I am a monster; it's just what I do."

"What about Kintoki? Were his words meaningless in the end?"

"...Kintoki," Ibuki spoke the name slowly. Repeating it a few times before looking back up, "Who... Who is Kintoki?" Her voice sounded lost for a moment.

Meihui's brow shot up past her bangs. "...Sakata Kintoki... You don't remember him? All that you shared with him. You loved him!"

Once more, she was met with a blank stare back at her, "I... did? Shouldn't I remember someone I love?" Blinking while scratching her head, Ibuki looked back where they came from. "My head feels funny." She turned her gaze back to Meihui. "Can we go back to fighting, please?"

The Son of Sekiryu, the thunder god in dragon form, the Golden Boy, Kintarō of Mount Ashigara, who took the name Sakata Kintoki once he came to serve under Minamoto no Yorimitsu to fight the demons and monsters plaguing the land. Their greatest challenge came from the demons of Mount Ooe, who would come down the mountains to pillage and raid the human lands like bandits, led by the monster woman who would become one of Japan's Three Great Calamities.

Ibuki's story was linked in a very intimate manner with Kintoki, which few people knew about. She wasn't just a monster or a demon; she was a god, born very aware of her nature as a being of calamity, but kami were as benevolent as they were rageful. They just had to be appeased. And Kintoki showed great promise to appease the terrible creature... by loving her of all things.

Few were willing to take that chance, such as Yorimitsu, who spiked the sake they used when meeting the demon under the pretense of bearing gifts. With her guard down and weakened, Yorimitsu had severed her head and ended the dark days that had plagued Kyoto.

Kintoki was never the same after that day.

So how could she have forgotten him?

This is all stank of Yamata's doing...

But she couldn't ponder this right now. This meant Ibuki was as dangerous as she ever was, and she had to keep her at bay and give the others time to overcome these obstacles so they could rescue her daughter.

With a draconic cry, Meihui invoked flames and lightning to bring down upon the godling, who met them head-on with a joyous laugh.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

A cold shiver ran down numerous demonic guards' spines as Akuma strode past them. His usual unearthly presence was enough to send terror into even their associates, save those who shared a seat at the top with him and Yamata himself. But at this moment, a few guards swore ice was forming on the walls, with torch flames being frozen solid!

His milky white eyes held a glare that could terrorize the denizens of hell. The undead shinobi came to the main chamber doors, nearly slamming them open, garnering Yamata's abrupt attention. "You sent Ibuki for this mission?" The normal monotoned, raspy guttural now holding traces of anger.

"Meihui was leading this force for Forked River Valley. To combat someone of her caliber, we need our best."

"Revealing Ibuki now, regardless of the Greatwyrm, is beyond reckless. But moreover," Akuma came closer, "The past few missions we have done have been overly bold for us. And that has led to more failures than victories."

The eight-headed serpent narrowed his many eyes, "Are you implying we have grown incompetent?"

"We have gotten sloppy by revealing ourselves when we should remain in the shadows. We reveal too much too soon. Showing the world your daughter lives again will stir our foes into rallying mortalkind and others after we have spent several millennia keeping them divided. What we do now is the height folly."

The atmosphere of the room grew frighteningly cold. "We have remained focused on our purpose and never wavered. And in five more years, we can finally revive our lady."

Akuma drew closer, "This is precisely why we cannot afford these constant mistakes. Or else all we designed will fall to ashes."

"Remember who you're speaking to; I am the leader of Ishtar's cult. It is thanks to me we can make her reclamation possible!"

Lesser beings would have crumbled before the ungodly killing intent. Even mighty creatures would shudder in terror.

But fear was not felt by the dead.

"And do not forget," Akuma rasped in his unearthly voice. "It is only thanks to me that this cult and you," He pointed a finger accusingly at the great serpent, "have survived for millennia."

The Snake God hissed... and backed away his head as all his eyes closed in silent contemplation.

Akuma was the most ancient ninja in existence, the truest master of the ways of deception. During the opening days of the Age of Chaos, when Rama slew Ishtar, and he himself suffered the scorching desolation at the hands of Surya's spawn... they had been powerless, decimated, their leadership all but extinguished, at the risk of falling pray to the power-hungry Demon Lords who had allied themselves out of convenience. No doubt the Morning Star himself would have swooped upon them if he felt he could gain something from it.

But Akuma, master of shadows that he was, rallied them underground. Did everything within his abilities to keep his weak and small form alive to recover, hidden in the darkest places of the earth as the surface was bathed in blood spilled through unholy wars. As the centuries went by, Akuma proved his loyalty and diligence to the cause by doing all that was necessary for their numbers to grow again while subtly undermining their enemies as they kept their survival hidden from the eyes of the world.

It was not an exaggeration to say the Cult would not have survived were it not for Akuma.

For that reason, no one Yamata tolerated, and dare he say trust, more than him to lead the Cult at his side. While his word was law, the first to be heeded, Akuma's was a very close second.

And Yamata had learned to trust his counsel.

Nnrgh, just as he should be doing right now...

"You're right." One of his heads sighed, "...I have grown careless due to our plans nearing its fruition. I should have known better." Another head spoke with irritation. "However, the die has been cast for this battle. And there is no going back."

The spectral Shinobi crossed his arms, "Then we do better the next time."

"Indeed," Yamata's many heads nodded, "We did acquire some new tool for our use. The time has come to put them at the forefront. Once Jeanne and Ibuki have dealt with this, we shall focus on properly employing them."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Sparks danced from Kushina's katana and Lyn's naginata dueling against Katsura, who kept her deranged smile and focused on the former ANBU. Cuts upon her clothes and skin with dashes of blood dripping from Kushina did not deter her. Her cousin was not faring much better as she huffed, "You told me Ichimonjis were dangerous. But fuck!"

"Less talking, more fighting!" kushina outright commanded, keeping as much pressure on the purple-haired woman. It was the only strategy that ever worked against this monster in human form.

Katsura made a slight whine, "Oh, Kushi-chan. But we have twelve years of catching up to do." She leaned in with a chilling smile, "I know about your son with Minato-Kun~."

Whatever terror coursed through Kushina quickly burned away with wrath as she roared back, "You will stay the fuck away from my son!" She yelled louder than Lyn ever heard her scream.

A roar caught all three ladies' attention as Lyn sighed with relief at the sight of Kamiko flying towards them. The bronze dragon's body soon glowed and shrunk, assuming the form of a human female coming down with a kick straight from Katsura, who quickly evaded and leaped back. Both Uzu women stood in shock as it was the first time they saw their older cousin shapeshift.

In replace of her draconian form now stood a gorgeous young, flawless, fair-skinned woman dressed in a ruqun hanfu with chin-length brunette-bronze hair with the bangs in a bob cut style. Her dressed form fitted her curvy figure to rival his cousins along with endowed breasts. Her slit amber eyes glared hard at the Ichimonji woman.

"This is your human form!? Damn!" Lyn declared before eyeing Kamiko's bosom and then her own, "Oh, thanks, gods! My boobs are still bigger!"

The driest deadpan came from Kushina, "You are an idiot."

Kamiko, however, remained vigilant on their enemy, "Kushina, Lyn, go look for her! I'll handle this."

"Oh hell no," Kushina protested, "It will take all of us to bring her down!" She had gotten so much stronger in the last decade…

"I've fought all kinds of demons and monsters, including a Bijuu with your son, if you recall. Don't forget why we are here. Now go!"

"She's right!" Lyn said, tugging at Kushina's arm, "Come on!"

"No..." The purple-haired warrior muttered with loathing. "No, no, you cannot leave me again, not after so long!" Purple lightning arched in her hands as she let go of her blade and formed a bow and arrow out of pure energy. The bolt was let loose with all the speed of its element, cutting through the air with the cry of energized ions.

Kamiko quickly stood in the way, her lightning gathering in her palm as she thrust it forward; a spike of energy shot from it and pierced the projectile with a screeching sound. The energy sent the human's hairs on end, making their teeth rattle.

A moment later, there was a blast; the air ignited with a bright light that engulfed the dragon and the Ichimonji.

Kushina clenched her fists, "Good luck." She didn't want to make their cousin cover for them, but they had greater priorities. Kamiko was strong; she'd handle this. Together, both she and Lyn took off, leaping through the trees.

The smoke slowly settled, revealing Kamiko with her attire and skin slightly singed but no worse for wear. Her eyes amber eyes narrowed as the woman's figure, too, became visible. "I see..."

Half her face was gone, yet the skin and muscle were swiftly regrowing at an impressive rate, the visible muscle twisting into a grin before pale skin covered it once more, the hair regrowing soon after.

"There's something inhuman about you. The Cult's doing no doubt."

Katsura laughed and lunged at the woman with a powerful arc of lightning coursing through her blade.

Enhanced or not, Kamiko had a feeling that bloodlust and madness was all her.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Kushina and Lyn jumped and ran as fast as their legs could carry them, racing through the trees until they finally spotted the clearing and the river coursing through the valley. Nothing could have prevented them from what they saw next.

"What the fuck...?"

Two dragons were fighting in the sky, biting and clawing at each other while breathing fire and lightning in equal measure. Such mighty was their clash they were creating a localized storm, with voracious winds snapping in every direction. One was clearly their uncle. The other was a purple dragon whose identity they could not recognize. And yet further on the horizon, on the peaks, one of the mountains was visibly shaking. The rumblings felt all the way to their position as another titanic clash occurred.

"...We made a mistake," Kushina muttered.

"We made a lot of those," Lyn agreed.

They spotted another giant figure, and gods, does it say something they hadn't paid attention to so far with everything happening? Giant and red, it lay on the ground, groaning in pain while struggling to get up.

"Gamabunta!" Kushina cried out as the two ran towards the toad chief.

"Hnng?" The great toad looked at them with one eye open, holding on to his side while blood dripped from his head. "'Bout time you showed up..."

"What's going on?!" Lyn asked desperately as she stared at the giant toad and then pointed at the battle in the skies. "Who is that?!"

Gamabunta grimaced, scowling with great fury in his features. "It is Manda..."

Kushina gasped in horror, and Lyn's jaw went slack.

"No... H-How can this be?"

"The bastard...!" Gamabunta groaned, holding on to his side even as he tried to sit up properly. "They somehow... found the way to turn themselves back into dragons! Undoing the ancient kings' punishment of their clan!" He seethed, "He has reclaimed his ancestor's power. He's stronger than ever!"

Both ladies stood stock still, their eyes turning upwards at their Uncle and Manda battling. They were kids when Aunt Kaida told them the Kurokiba was once a clan of powerful dragons. But committed an act of heresy so vile the Dragon Kings stripped them of their powers and turned them into snakes. Casting them out of all the dragon realms.

"How is that possible?" Lyn shuddered.

The Toad Chief groaned as he finally sat properly despite the pain of his wounds, "They used Tsukiko's essence and experimented till they finally got it right!"

Shocked ebbed away from Kushina with growing determination, "We need to get baachan!"

"Got that right!" Bunta declared, swiping at the collapsed cavern; Manda wrecked as he came out. The debris flew as he reopened the entrance, "Now go get her, and we all get the hell out of here!" The entire area shook as they noticed fire, lightning, and energy flying near the mountain range in the distance: "By the way, your great-grandmother is fighting a walking calamity, so... yeah! DOUBLE TIME IT!" He glared back as the girls started running to Genryu and Manda, raging in the skies, "WILL YOU KILL THAT PIECE OF CRAP ALREADY!"

"NOT EXACTLY EASY YOU DAMN TOAD! HOW ABOUT LEARNING TO FLY AND HELP ME UP HERE!"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

They did not make the same mistake as before. They scouted the cavern entrance properly this time. Kushina and Lyn summoned dozens and dozens of Shadow Clones to observe every nook and cranny of the passageways. They were enormous, truly built for giant serpents, with multiple smaller entrances for the less giant of their kin to slither through. Whenever a clone found something worth reporting, they quietly dispelled and relayed the information to the original. This allowed the two Uzumaki to move undetected. The snakes' sense of smell would have detected them fast, but... something was permeating the air here, something stale and foul. It wasn't rotten like a corpse, but like there was a gaseous swamp underground, if that made any sense.

And that was just what their physical senses could feel; something truly malignant was lying further ahead.

"What's happening here?" Kushina muttered as the wall-walked on the ceiling, avoiding a few snakes on patrol on the ground. "What is that feeling?"

"It feels like a gathering of curses," Lyn replied unnervedly. "I've faced my share of curses afflicting an area, but this? I've never felt something like this. It's like someone is purposely trying to corrupt something here."

"...Or someone," The shinobi said with dread as realization set in. And by the look on her cousin's face, she arrived at the same conclusion.

They hurried up, passing through another heavily guarded chamber by sticking to the roof. It was a nest, a hatchery. But there were only four eggs, with the remnants of a fifth splattered. The pulsating power coming from them was all too familiar.

"This is where Manda transformed," The wild-maned Uzumaki said, looking at the foul things undergoing the same process.

"We could destroy them," Kushina said distantly. "Make sure the more of those bastards don't become dragons." The foul Kurokiba, wielding the power of the dragons, was a horrifying concept that Kushina did not want unleashed upon the world.

"We'd be giving up our location," Lyn said, "We won't find Grandmother if we do."

Kushina sighed, "I know..."

They had to pick their priorities, and saving Tsukiko was the highest on the list. They would have to deal with this terrible development another time.

The two continued, going to where the gathering of cursed energy felt stronger. The tunnels lead to a smaller passage, fitting for human-sized individuals yet ample enough for various rows of people to march through. The foul sensation kept getting stronger, making sweat roll down their necks. It was like killing intent made flesh. Every single foul desire and emotion there could exist gathered in one place.

The passage eventually gave room for a large chamber. Unlike the rest of the caverns, this one had been carved to resemble a proper structure with a domed ceiling carved with images all over its length. Old-style art depicting dragons fighting each other, with the next set of images showing one of those groups falling from the heavens, and finally, it ended with snakes slithering on the ground, yet roaring at the heavens in defiance and spite. This was a visual retelling of the Kurokiba clan's story when their dragon ancestors defiled the Dragon Kings' decrees of ruling over humanity directly and had their heavenly powers stripped, reducing them to mere snakes, cursed to tread upon the earth on their stomachs, the skies denied to them forever.

But no longer...

At least six massive pillars were on the ground, with numerous robed figures gathering in a circle and chanting in some tongue they couldn't understand. The leading figure was dressed in ceremonial robes with a large hat, waving his hands dramatically as he led the chorus. The most notable trait of this individual was that he was nothing but bones. He was a moving skeleton lacking anything resembling skin or flesh. Instead, he had two shining orbs of light in his otherwise empty eye sockets.

Kushina and Lyn quietly hid behind one of the pillars and peeked over. "What is that?" The demon hunter muttered in disbelief.

The cabal of robbed people were all gathered around a pool of liquid they would not call water. It was pitch black and oily and looked wrong in every sense. This was the source of the curse, this malignant feeling that filled the air with nothing but malice.

"It's evil," Kushina replied. What else could such a gathering of curses could be?

Lyn tapped her shoulders rapidly. "Look, there!" She pointed behind the skeletal being, a set of heavy steel doors on the other side of the chamber. A sealing array of brightly red kanji was inscribed upon its surface, keeping the gates locked up tighter than any lock or mechanism could.

There could only be one reason those sealed doors were there in the first place. "She's there," Kushina said, her heart thundered in her chest. "She has to be."

Lyn rested her head against the pillar, reigning in her emotions before turning back to her cousin, "Okay. So, how do we deal with Bone-head and his choir of nut jobs?"

"...Comment en effet..." The redheads stood stock still as a raspy, accented voice in a strange dialect spoke up. "You can stop hiding les jeunes. I can smell your living flesh from here."

Groaning, Kushina slowly revealed herself along with Lyn as the robed skeleton stared at them, "Bienvenu. Je n'ai pas reçu d'aussi belles beautés depuis des lustres."

"Uh, what?" Lyn blankly questioned.

The skeleton scoffed, "Ah, pardonne-moi. I forget. Your lands are ignorant of the beautiful français tongue. I suppose Nihongo is also somewhat elegant but lacks the charm. Gilles De Rais, at your service."

Kushina blinked, "Well, he's polite. Though think he insulted us too?"

Her buxom cousin shook her head before clearing her throat, "We want what is behind that door, if you don't mind."

"Oh, you're the bunch causing my lady Jeanne such a racket up topside." Gilles glanced behind him at the door, "I must admit she has proven herself quite resilient. We have poured every ounce of our dark magic into her, and she has yet to succumb to our will." He looked back at the ladies drawing their weapons, "ready to fight, eh?"

The members of Gilles's group raised their hands, glowing with arcane energies. The Lich himself raised his staff that appeared in his skeletal hand. "While we lack martial skills. We make up with our gift of the arcane. You have never faced the like of us."

"We don't care what you throw at us, Mr. Bones." Kushina took a stance with her katana, "We're getting our family back."

"Je respecte la détermination. But you will die."

"Sorry, we're too busy to die." Kushina pulled a scroll from her pouch and flung it towards the ceiling.

The scroll quickly unraveled, and with a half-ram seal, Kushina released its contents. A large plume of white smoke came with a loud blast, and three enormous figures descended upon the cult members. Large and imposing, their fall created cracks in the floor with their sheer weight. One of the robbed figures cried out before his body made a sickening, crunching noise the moment a giant food descended upon it.

They were monstrous in appearance. One wore a dark green full-body suit with its hair covering its entire head and face; it wielded a giant studded metal club. The other was shirtless and wore dark pants. Scars covered its bald head, while a blindfold covered its eyes. It was armed with a claw-like weapon seemingly tied to each arm. The third one had its upper body completely covered in bandages, and it stood backward with its head constantly tilted up and had several needles protruding from its head.

The Doki let out unnatural roars and began attacking everything in sight. The robbed sorcerers cast incantations and magic unfamiliar with these lands, firing bolts of dark magic that only worked to stagger the beasts but could not stop them. The metal club bore down upon one of the mages and smashed him to a pulp. Sharp claws tore through them. At the same time, others were pierced and squashed under the nail-studded head.

"Mindless beasts! Do you think these lesser ogres can-?!"

The skeleton's words were silenced when the blunt end of Lyn's naginata hit his jaw with a crunching sound, sending the undead man toward the wall. Lyn and Kushina quickly hurried to the door while the Doki kept making a mess of things, keeping the Cult members at bay while enduring their desperate counter-offensive.

"Hot damn, you finally used those things!" Lyn called out with a grin.

"Yeah, these guys exist in a perpetual state of anger, so I didn't want to let them loose until I got a handle on them!"

"Great! You tamed them, then?"

"Y...Yeah!"

"...That stammering does not inspire confidence, Kushi."

"We'll deal with it later, okay!" The two stopped before the metal doors. "Help me undo the seal!"

Quickly coming to her cousin's side, Kushina and Lyn look at the seal array on the door. "What is this? Double-layered?" Lyn inquired.

"Triple. Highly complex, too." Kushina whistled before glancing at her cousin, who quickly went through several hand seals.

Quickly, both slammed their hands on the door, "SEAL RELEASE!" Both yelled as they saw the red kanji begin to burn away slowly. As it did, the two Uzumaki women began to push open the doors that creaked and groaned.

The chamber's light illuminated a large carved-out room with several metal chains and seals on the walls. But what drew their attention upon entering was an old, feeble-looking figure with dirty, long white hair. The woman wore tattered rags for garments over wrinkly old skin that barely hung off the bones. Also upon her body were countless seals everywhere.

Kushina and Lyn froze where they stood... Was this... "B-Baachan?" The former ANBU muttered in a cracked tone.

The older woman had her head hung forward. She was unmoving till her body lightly twitched. Slowly raising her head, her face was barely visible through her hair. But the Uzu women saw crimson eyes looking at them. They were glossed over momentarily before recognition soon gleamed, "K-Kushina... Lyn..." Her voice held no tone they remembered as children. It was aged and rough as sandpaper.

Quickly, the two knelt to the older woman, tears threatening to spill from their eyes. "Baachan... We came to get you out," Lyn spoke in a near-broken tone.

Small tears dripped from aged eyes, looking at both, "You're... here...?"

Kushina nodded quickly, "We're here. We came to save you." Her voice nearly choked up as she spoke.

"G...Get...These...S-seals off me..."

"On it, just hang on." Kushina carefully began removing the tags, double-checking to ensure they wouldn't trigger any trap. They seemed designed to sap her strength and keep her from struggling. She winced whenever she caught sight of the wrinkly skin nearly bereft of bone. Gods, she was emaciated; they must have only fed her enough to keep her alive...

"What she's been through..." Lyn muttered tearfully at the state their grandmother was in. Tentatively reaching a hand to touch her cheek. Weakened as she was, Tsukiko smiled at the gesture.

"Lyn, the chains," Kushina said as she kept removing the seals on her person.

"R-Right," With strong swings of her naginata, the chains were severed, loosening on her person and allowing Lyn to remove them fully. "Almost there, we'll get you out."

Kushina sighed as she removed the last seal, "Okay, it's done. Come on," She reached out to hold her up but hesitated; their grandmother looked fragile. Moving her in this state at all might be dangerous.

"Wait, I'll get a summon!" Lyn snapped her fingers. "They can transport her out."

"Good idea,"

"No..."

They stopped, looking at their grandmother's red eyes as she slowly lifted her head; there was a fire in them, an edge that years had not dulled out.

"Just need... some energy."

With a shaky and deathly thin hand, she placed her palm on the ground.

She drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out.

Then they felt it.

Nature chakra, flowing from the depths of the earth with such volume, was astonishing. Far more power than they had ever seen, either Jiraiya or Kya draw on their own. It came rushing in like a tidal wave, the land answering her summons and replenishing her vitality.

Kushina and Lyn stared with awe and pride as their grandmother drew in from the world, channeling these primordial energies into her person to the point the chakra became visible, like an aqua-hued aura emanating from her figure. She drew deep breaths, in and out, her chest heaving as her bones seemed to pop. Slowly, the wrinkles receded, and the flesh filled out more. The white looks slowly regained their pigmentation.

This great sage's experience dwarfed any currently living sages by a wide margin. Someone who could truly revitalize herself with nature's power, the strength of her body, and her bloodline, allowing such a thing to be possible with her knowledge and abilities.

They smiled as their grandmother began looking healthier by the second. She looked up as she slowly stood up on her own and...

Was Tsukiko-baachan always that tall?

Long stands of white hair flared with the torrent of energy increasing, shifting from a soft pink to a bright Uzumaki red. She clenched her fists as the joints popped loudly, bones strengthening after years of unuse. The muscle mass kept increasing, beyond a healthy tone to a prominent amount that filled the rags she wore. The seams groaned in protest as, bit by bit, the fabric began tearing, ripping under the strain of insistent muscles of tremendous size. Sleeves were unraveled to two real strong arms, and a wide back tore her garments in half, letting the rest fall off her chest to reveal a wide torso carved by various muscle groups.

The woman, the sage, the warrior, howled with a fierce cry of defiance as the strength that had been sapped away from her after thirty years returned in full. She stood towering above the two other Uzumaki women, a face so painfully familiar and dear to them stared at them with love and joy in her eyes, the same kind of love Tsukiko held for them all.

But this woman... wasn't Tsukiko.

"...Aunty Kaida?"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Cliffhanger twist!

Hope you enjoyed it; things are getting really hectic for our heroes here

To get a good look at this character here, check out this wonderful art of her, done by the amazingly talented UNIG0RE, whom you can find on Twitter!

To see the link, clear the space and replace 'dot' with an actual dot!

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