Naruto: Infinity Divide
City of the Dead
Blanket Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Star Trek
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Not much to add in author's notes this time. The Tkon Arc continues. Enjoy!
Port = Left
Starboard = Right
[ ] Signifies a foreign language
Last time:
Hours later the U.S.S Gettysburg was in orbit of Eremar II. Captain Sarutobi was scrutinizing the readings on the screen. "What exactly are we looking at Commander Lyakat?" he asked puzzled. "The less damaged side appears to have vague geometric shapes here and there."
The Saurian scientist's bulging yellow eyes were full of awe. "They appear to be the ruins of a massive city…built just beneath the surface in a geofront. A regular satellite with no deep surface sensors would never detect it sir."
"I have to say I'm impressed." said Mabui. "I was expecting nothing but dust."
"As was I to be quite honest." admitted Lyakat. "This is simply breathtaking."
"How much surface was blown away I wonder?" said Samui.
"I'd say only a kilometer or so was removed from the surface on the less damaged side of Eremar II. There might be remnants on the more damaged side as wellwell, I doubt it." said the Saurian.
"Even if that's the case this is a stupendous find." said Asuma. "It looks like we have some serious work to do after all…"
'I wonder if this is actually Ozari-thul…' pondered Lyakat in wonder.
…
Chapter 39
Stardate 2274.220, Eremar System, Eremar II orbit, NCC-1728 U.S.S. Gettysburg
"Ships Log, Stardate 2274.220: Captain Asuma Sarutobi reporting. Our discovery of a geofront on Eremar II has the entire crew excited. Our deep surface scans show the subterranean city to have a thin methane atmosphere as well as liquid and ice forms of methane in the city. Our sensors detect no life but given we are scanning through a kilometer of solid rock it would be next to impossible anyway. We are currently assembling an Away Team that will be taking a shuttlecraft to the surface to enter through the few holes in the surface that lead to the city itself…"
Naruto was fitting out his survival suit with 8 hour tanks down in the shuttle bay. Lieutenant Commander Lyakat, Wanda Hardy, Maya Ayasugi, Shizuka Nadeshiko and Commander Mabui Kumo were also going on the mission. Naruto crossed fingers with T'Lyra in a silent farewell before he looked at the shuttle. On the side the name NCC-1728/01 George G. Meade was emblemized. The blonde hybrid had everything on but his helmet when he boarded the shuttlecraft and took the pilot's seat. Beside him was Commander Kumo and the others filed into the back. The last two seats in the shuttlecraft were filled with various pieces of equipment for the mission.
"This is shuttlecraft Meade to Gettysburg." said Naruto into the shuttle's communicator. "We are ready for takeoff."
The shuttle bay doors opened and M'rella's purring voice came over the speaker. "All systems are green Meade. You may launch when ready. Good luck and good hunting." Mabui nodded at Naruto and the shuttle was soon out in space descending toward the geofront on Eremar II.
Naruto smoothly flew the shuttle down to the surface where they stopped over the first of several holes in the roof of the geofront. Mabui was looking at the gaping fissure below them with the scanners and said, "No go on this one Lieutenant Naruto. There is debris blocking the entrance. Let's try the one a kilometer to port."
"Understood Commander." said the blonde hybrid. "Turning to port."
On the fourth opening in the surface they found there was plenty of clearance and descended through the roof of the geofront. Switching on the shuttle's high intensity spotlights they travelled nearly a kilometer downwards before they emerged inside the geofront proper. Before them was a vast complex of towers hanging from the roof and rising from the ground. Many of the buildings had fallen or collapsed but considering how ancient the structures were, it was a testament to the people who built them.
Maya Ayasugi gasped at the sheer size of the subterranean city and said, "It's like looking at a cave full of manmade stalactites and stalagmites. This is amazing."
The others were eagerly looking out of the portholes as well. Wanda Hardy said, "This is almost impossible to believe. It must have taken centuries to build this."
"As impressive as it is now, imagine what it would have looked like when the city was alive with people." said Commander Lyakat.
Mabui was more practical and said, "Let's find a safe place to land."
…
Naruto soon landed the shuttle Meade on a paved area that bordered on what appeared to be a lake of partially frozen methane. Once everyone put the helmets of their survival suits on; they stepped outside the shuttle and onto the paved plaza they landed on. Mabui signaled the ship. "Kumo to Gettysburg, do you copy?"
"Loud and clear Commander Kumo." answered Captain Sarutobi. "What do you have to report?"
"We've landed safely in some kind of large plaza. The place is in amazing shape considering it went through a supernova. We'll report on the hour whether we find anything or not…"
…
Lieutenant Hardy was scanning the methane lake with her tricorder and found the ice one lake was very thin. "The lake is covered with a thin layer of ice Commander Lyakat." she said. Wanda put her foot down on the ice and it cracked instantly. "It's not safe to cross."
That was when they heard something swish in the distance and Naruto reacted like lightning. He shielded his hand with chakra and blocked a whip like blade that would have decapitated Hardy. The whip receded back into the darkness and a creature that resemble a Gerridae*① emerged. It leapt forward onto Naruto who kicked its armored carapace back into the lake. It was about the size of a large dog. The creature lunged again at Naruto who had placed himself between it and the petrified Hardy. Then its whip like appendages lashed out at Naruto. Naruto said "Wind blades!" and the front appendages were cut off. One limb flew by Naruto and skidded up on shore and the other landed on the thin ice.
The creature howled in a haunting tone like a whale song before a phaser beam courtesy of Shizuka Nadeshiko shot it dead. Then the thing buckled over and sank into the lake.
"Good god!" said Ayasugi. "That thing looked like a massive Water Strider."
Hardy had scrambled back from the lake edge and was badly shaken up. Mabui was attempting to calm the woman down.
Naruto's eyes crackled with chakra, and he simply said, "There are more out there. Stay away from the methane lakes."
"Are you alright Naruto?" asked Shizuka in a concerned tone.
"I'm fine Shizuka." replied the blonde. Naruto picked up the blade that the strider lost to his wind jutsu and took it up closer to the shuttle where it was well lit. 'This would make a good sword.' He thought to himself as he looked at the jet black appendage.
Lyakat scanned the area with his tricorder and said, "There are a number of them out in the deeper parts of the lake. They are quadruped insectoids, and the tips of their legs are like blades. They walk on the surface of the liquid methane. I suppose we could call them methane striders for now."
Commander Kumo said, "Well, we discovered life down here even if it is hostile. Considering the size of that strider there must be an ecosystem to support that size of predator." Mabui turned to Wanda and said, "Get up Lieutenant Hardy. The danger has passed, and you are uninjured."
Hardy nodded and stood up shakily. She shuffled over to Naruto and said, "Thank you for saving my life. I never saw it coming…"
Naruto replied, "I'm sure you would have done the same for me."
…
Eremar II orbit, U.S.S. Gettysburg
"Our records show nothing of that nature in the Memory banks Commander Lyakat." said Shar over the communicator as he manned the science station. "Calling them methane striders is as good a label as anything. Are you planning to bring back that sample with you?"
"That's an affirmative Ensign Shar." said Lyakat. "We're in no position to try and capture one so the sample will have to do."
"Understood Commander. Be careful down there. Gettysburg out." said Shar. The Andorian looked at the tricorder scans of the strider that the Away Team relayed to the ship. 'It does look like something that should live in a black subterranean pit…' He cringed.
"Creepy crawlies bothering you Shar?" asked Rafi with a laugh from the helm station.
Shar replied, "Given they are a meter tall? Frankly, yes."
…
Down in the geofront the Away Team was looking around the plaza in pairs. Naruto was with Shizuka, Lyakat was with Hardy and Mabui was with Ayasugi. At the center of the plaza was a monument that Lyakat was examining with his tricorder. It was covered in the script of the Tkon people. On the main plaque was written 'With the Blessings of Ozari.'
"Intriguing." mumbled Lyakat to himself. "This monument lists the various Imperial Dynasties through the Ages of Bastu and Cimi. I wonder if there are other monuments with the other ages listed…"
Mabui and Ayasugi were over on the east side of the plaza looking at a building with a pair of four-meter-tall statues in front of it. The statues were basically humanoid wearing armor and helmets, so it was impossible to tell much about the Tkon's physical appearance. Ayasugi said, "They seem to be in the guard position, barring the entryway. I wonder what the significance of this structure is."
Commander Kumo replied, "Whatever it is the architecture is quite different from the rest of the buildings here."
"Here lay the Holy Empresses of the past and future." read Ayasugi aloud as she scanned the script written over the sealed entrance to the building. "It appears to be a mausoleum for the Tkon Empresses."
Mabui gently touched the massive doors to the tomb and felt how solid they were. "They are about seven meters tall and two meters wide each. God only knows how thick." she said in reference to the doors. "I wonder how many tons they each weigh."
"If I could identify the alloy, I might be able to venture a guess." replied Ayasugi…
Naruto and Shizuka were on the west side of the plaza looking at what could only be described as a petrified forest garden. Looking at the delicate, silver colored plants and flowers Shizuka said, "Are they even real? They look too detailed to be sculptures."
The blonde nodded as he looked at the readout on his tricorder. "They are metal, but they show a cellular structure. They are either plants turned into metal through some process or a natural metal life form. At any rate they are dead and have been for countless centuries." 'Lieutenant Hardy is a botanist. I should probably point this out to her.'
A small swarm of bat winged creatures flew over them, each showing a single enormous eye that they each stared at Shizuka and Naruto with. Naruto did his best to scan them with his tricorder as they flew by and Shizuka kept her phaser trained on them just in case. Shizuka said, "Well, at least they didn't attack us like the methane striders did…"
…
The group of six regrouped at the central monument and discussed what they'd seen. Ayasugi said, "I saw the flying eyeballs too. One landed near Commander Kumo and I so I got a decent scan of it. It surprises me we haven't seen more life forms or at least signs of them."
"I agree but this plaza is a wide-open area." said Lyakat. "It provides no camouflage against predators. I'd imagine that there is a lot more hidden in the cracks and crevices."
Soon Wanda Hardy and Commander Lyakat were over at the 'metal garden' and Shizuka and Naruto went over to the tomb along with Commander Kumo and Ayasugi. Maya said, "Do your wall walking thing and look at the tops of the doors Naruto. There is a step up there and maybe we can see in."
The blonde didn't advertise his chakra abilities but everyone in the Think Tank knew about them. Naruto charged his feet with chakra and stepped onto the door. Suddenly the doors started emitting wave patterns around Naruto's feet and script appeared on the doors. Naruto immediately hopped off the door and said, "These doors are chakra conductive." in a surprised tone. The script seemed to be engraved in the doors now, but one set of symbols was glowing brightly Otsutsuki. Naruto quickly looked on his tricorder to translate the word and found it was a clan name.
"What do we have here?" asked Commander Lyakat who appeared out of nowhere and made everyone else jump. The Saurian got out his own tricorder and started looking at the dynastic lists and said, "Otsutsuki, the first Empress of the Age of Cimi. Why is this glowing and when did this script appear?"
…
?
Naruto suddenly found himself in the plaza alone with the two guardian statues. It was bright and artificially lit from above to look like the sun. Sand was on the ground everywhere. The monument was nowhere to be seen. The city was alive with crowds roaring at him, "Otsutsuki! Otsutsuki! Otsutsuki!" The blonde then realized he was in gladiatorial clothes and sandals with a double-edged straight sword strapped on his back. The two stone guardians suddenly moved of their own accord. One had some sort of pole axe and the other a broadsword. "Otsutsuki! Otsutsuki! Otsutsuki!" chanted the crowd as they started pounding their hands and feet in a drum-like fashion. Naruto drew his sword instinctively and the crowd roared in approval…
"What the hell is going on?" asked Shizuka in shock as she was surrounded by ghostly members of the crowd up in the stadium seating. She noticed that she was in a dress of odd fashion and had a metal flower in her long black hair. The Security Chief looked out and saw her lover facing the two stone guardians down and screamed his name only for it to be lost on the wind…
Lyakat was watching from some sort of balcony spot. 'In reality I'm in my survival suit out on the plaza but my mind is completely immersed in this illusion!' Looking down on the field of combat the Saurian thought aloud, "I hope you come out of this alright Naruto…"
Wanda Hardy was disoriented by the noise of the crowd but soon regained her bearings. She saw the two huge stone guardians towering over Naruto and thought, 'Oh no!'
Naruto spun his sword to test the weight of it and channeled a bit of wind chakra through it which made the edges of the sword glow brightly. 'It's chakra conductive and balanced properly. I can use this.' The guardian with the pole axe stood back and the one with the broadsword advanced rapidly on Naruto. It kicked up a lot of sand as it thundered forward. Then the guardian made an overhead slash that hit right where Naruto was standing. Smoke and dust went everywhere, and the crowd screamed and cheered when Naruto emerged from the cloud of sand running up the broadsword with his own blade glowing like a star.
The giant jolted in surprise as Naruto's blade cut deep into its arm causing the guardian's forearm and the broadsword to crash to the ground with a huge clatter. Naruto leapt off the guardian's stump of a left arm as the giant tried to crush him with its right hand. The blonde rolled to a halt in the sand and made two shadow clones that ran in opposite directions so the guardian couldn't tell which of the three sword wielding hybrids attacking it was the real one. The three Narutos each formed and oodama rasengan and charged the giant only for one of them to be crushed under its massive foot. The two remaining Narutos each hit a leg and obliterated the giant's ability to stand.
The legless giant grabbed its broadsword with its remaining hand and swung it only for Naruto to deflect the broadsword upwards with his own sword. The broadsword's momentum carried the giant's body on around where its head was facing Naruto. The blonde didn't hesitate for a second and beheaded the guardian in on wind chakra enhanced slash…The guardian's head rolled to a stop, and it faded from the battlefield as if it was a mirage…
"Alright!" yelled Shizuka excitedly in approval. "That's one down!" The crowd was going wild...
Maya Ayasugi was watching from her place in the stands and was totally enraptured with the illusion. "That's it, Naruto! Show 'em how it's done!"
Commander Kumo was hoping for the safety of her subordinate. She didn't pretend to know how or why the blonde Vulcan was still alive, but Mabui hoped he'd stay that way…
The other guardian 'cracked' its massive neck side to side and strode forward to face Naruto who was regaining his breath. It spun its pole axe artfully before stopped in an offensive position. The blonde Vulcan took a low defensive stance and prepared to fight. The giant went for a decapitating strike that Naruto jumped over acrobatically and avoided. The guardian followed up with a fluid foot sweep that hit Naruto as he landed and sent the blonde skipping across the plaza. Naruto was hurting badly but had reinforced his body with chakra so the damage wasn't as bad as it could have been.
The blonde thought to himself, 'This guardian is better than the first one on all counts. I need to be more careful.' The giant charged as Naruto disappeared in a body flicker and appeared behind it. The hybrid didn't have time to charge his sword with wind chakra, but the sword still took a chunk out of the area where the guardian's Achilles' tendon would be. That had the desired effect, and the giant now had a severe hobble slowing it down. Naruto body flickered out of axe range to regain his breath. The two opponents stared each other down as they sized each other up.
Naruto felt the blood flowing from his brow and the ribs on his left side streaming from the hit earlier. The guardian was testing the weight of its damaged ankle and was obviously having a difficult time. Naruto spun his sword and overcharged it with wind chakra. The guardian put its good foot forward to charge. The crowd screamed in approval as both combatants exploded into action. Naruto ran at the giant full speed and leaped at the last second hitting the guardian in the torso with his wind sword at its maximum. The giant swung low where Naruto had been. When Naruto landed in a kneeling position the guardian fell behind him with its torso blown in half horizontally. It tumbled to a halt and faded away as Naruto stood back up amidst the cheers of the crowd…
"Otsutsuki! Otsutsuki! Otsutsuki!" chanted the crowd as they threw ribbon banners and flowers at Naruto…
…
The Plaza
Naruto found he was back looking at the doors again, but his left side was in excruciating pain. He kneeled and tried to regain his breath. The others snapped back to reality and saw Naruto was injured. They laid him down and Maya Ayasugi immediately started scanning him with her tricorder. "Good thing I know life sciences. Without a medical tricorder it's hard to say but there's at least a concussion and bruised ribs."
Mabui said, "Let's get him back to the ship."
Lyakat noticed the sword that Naruto was wielding in battle against the giants was lying on the ground and picked up the heavy weapon and its strap/sheath to take back to the ship. 'There is clearly an intelligence behind this.' thought the Saurian. 'There is no other explanation.'
Wanda Hardy looked up and saw the guardian statues were no longer barring the entrance to the mausoleum but were standing in a straight guard position leaving the doors clear…
…
Eremar II orbit, U.S.S. Gettysburg
Naruto woke up in sick bay aboard the Gettysburg with Shelly Wilson scanning his ribs. Seeing him awake she said, "It's a good thing you heal fast Naruto. I heard a giant foot kicked you across a stadium. You get in the most interesting situations."
The blonde groaned. "Logically I was hoping the illusion I was immersed in wouldn't result in real life injuries."
Shelly laughed. "I'm glad to see your Vulcan sense of humor is intact Naruto. You are going to have to take it easy for 48 hours and then check in with me. You were badly injured. If it was anyone else, it would take weeks." She looked up, "Ah, the Captain is here to see you."
Asuma asked, "Is he well enough to describe what happened Doctor Wilson?"
Shelly nodded. "He can make a report Captain."
"How are you feeling Lieutenant?" asked Asuma.
"I am in much less pain than I was thanks to Doctor Wilson." said the blonde. "Would you like my report Captain Sarutobi?"
'Vulcans, always formal.' thought Asuma to himself humorously. "Tell me what happened out there Naruto…"
Naruto explained the battle in detail and Asuma's eyebrows raised higher and higher on his forehead. The blonde's story correlated with the others perfectly but somehow hearing it in the first person was more intense to the Captain.
"It seems your combat skills are far beyond what I realized." said Asuma impressed. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"My Father and Mother taught me combat from a very young age." replied the blonde. "My Father teaches at the Vulcan Institute for Defensive Arts."
"Obviously they taught you well." said Captain Sarutobi with a sweat drop. 'I probably would have been crushed into paste.' he thought ruefully. "Well, rest up and concentrate on healing Lieutenant Naruto."
"Aye, sir." replied the tired blonde.
…
On the other side of the primary hull of the Gettysburg the sword and one of the metal flowers were being examined along with the blade/limb of the strider. Ensign Kloene from engineering was up there examining the metallurgy of the sword as well. "This metal not only is incredibly dense, but its edge is also like new." The big Orion lifted the double-edged sword with a bit of strain and thought aloud, "Naruto can lift this one handed? Good gods, just how strong is he?"
"He's stronger than all of us put together." said Lieutenant Wanda Hardy as she examined the metal flower sample. "Chief Nadeshiko and Commander Lyakat were the only ones that could haul it without help."
…
In the Staff Meeting Room Lieutenant Commander Lyakat was very enthused. "The ruins have to be seen in person to truly be believed. A dedicated survey of the city could easily take decades. My initial reports to Starfleet Command are going to be extremely detailed as a result."
"Given how advanced the technology is there makes me wonder if we aren't looking at Pandora's Box." said Samui. "If the Klingons or Tholians found out about this it could spark off a war."
Commander Kumo nodded. "Lieutenant Schrodinger is correct. We witnessed an illusion so powerful that it could literally kill. We need to be careful."
Shizuka added, "We also suspect there is an active intelligence controlling the illusion. Whether it is a living being or an artificial intelligence it is dangerous."
"What about the obvious link between Lieutenant Naruto and the Empress Otsutsuki?" asked Lyakat. "We certainly need to explore that in detail."
"I'm concerned that the Lieutenant could be killed by that 'obvious link' Commander Lyakat." said Mabui. "He could have easily been slain in that gladiatorial ring."
"But he may be able to open the mausoleum now." said Lyakat. "There could be a treasure trove of knowledge there."
"Let's at least wait until Naruto has recovered from his injuries." growled Shizuka.
Lyakat waved his hands in a placating manner. "Of course, Chief Nadeshiko. There is plenty to explore in the meantime."
…
Taurus Reach, IKV Abomination
Captain Burot was in the ship's labs of the Abomination looking at the star charts of where the Federation Cruiser went. Despite the fact he'd always been in the command branch of the fleet Burot's hobby was astronomy. Something about that pulsar system the Feds went into struck a chord with Burot and he was puzzling it out. 'The systems surrounding that pulsar were wiped out eons ago when the star went supernova….' thought the Captain. He turned to his science team and said, "Chief Lab Tech; what can you tell me about this particular pulsar?"
His Lab Chief brought up the data on the pulsar system they were heading towards and said, "The system has never been surveyed by a ship of ours, sir. Our astronomers believe it went supernova between 500,000 and 600,000 years ago and the explosion was massive enough to cause a chain reaction in other nearby systems. From a purely scientific view it is large for a pulsar and has a very slow rotation period."
"Would there be a particular reason to go this far out of the way to explore the system?" asked Burot.
The lab chief stroked his chin and said, "Barring an outside reason like a missing ship or historical significance it is possible that some rare and valuable heavy elements were formed during the supernova. If there are any planets remaining in the system, they would definitely be worth examining for mining purposes. The Federation might be surveying for a mining project."
"If that's the case then the Federation has gone to a lot of trouble even for valuable ores. A survey freighter would do the job." thought Burot aloud. 'I just don't buy it.' Then he said, "Captain to Bridge, respond."
"Commander Konmel here Captain." answered his first officer.
"How many hours till we enter the pulsar system the Federation cruiser is exploring?" asked Burot.
"It is forty-two hours until the Flatheads meet their destiny sir!" answered the energetic Konmel.
Burot sweat dropped and thought to himself, '…Meet their destiny? Give me a break…'
….
Eremar II orbit, U.S.S. Gettysburg
In sick bay T'Lyra was visiting her injured mate between shifts. Naruto was awake and they were speaking telepathically through crossed fingers. He had related what exactly happened and T'Lyra wanted to shake her head. 'How do you get into these situations Naruto?' she asked. 'The odds of your chakra interacting with some ancient, long dead civilization are incalculable. You should contact your Grandmother Kaguya about this.'
'We are in total agreement about that T'Lyra.' said the blonde. 'She is the only link we have in this mystery. Unfortunately, my body needs to heal and contacting her is taxing mentally. It will have to wait until I am well.'
'That is logical.' agreed the beautiful brunette. 'Focus on healing yourself. It pains me to see you hurting this way. Shizuka is worried about you as well.'
Naruto mentally smiled. 'I will recover before the two of you know it. It pleases me that you both care so much.'
'I have to get back to work my love.' said T'Lyra. 'I will come back after I finish my shift so rest until then.'
Naruto nodded and drifted off to sleep…
…Only to be awakened by his other mate after she got out of the staff meeting. Shizuka blushed slightly and said, "I didn't mean to wake you."
Naruto replied, "It is alright; I am glad you are here." He reached over and crossed fingers with her. 'There, now we can converse freely.' Her green eyes widened, and she went to say something, but Naruto said mentally, 'Just think what you want to say Shizuka. I will hear you like you are hearing me.'
Shizuka smiled and thought, 'You amaze me Naruto. I never imagined we could talk like this.'
'T'Lyra and I will teach you Shizuka.' said Naruto. 'It is not difficult, especially for mates like you and I.'
The Security Chief smiled warmly and said, 'I was terrified when you were fighting those stone guardians but when you won, I was so proud of you.'
Naruto said, 'They were a difficult challenge. I'm glad you were watching over me.'
The two lovers talked for some time before Shizuka had to return to work as well and the blonde drifted back into a deep sleep…
…
Dream…
"Heir of Otsutsuki, what is it you seek here?" thundered a female voice.
Naruto found he was in long white robes that had an emblem that was a circle with an eight pointed star on it. Four points were black and four were white*②. He also noted the symbol was tattooed on the back of his right hand. The blonde saw he was in what looked like some sort of assembly hall. He asked, "Where am I?"
"You are in the Hall of Elders where the dead preside as judges." said the same voice. "We are curious why you came to Ozari-thul after all this time."
The blonde simply said, "I come seeking knowledge. I was ignorant of my relation to Empress Otsutsuki."
There was a pregnant pause and then the voice said, "If you were unaware then you coming here by chance…"
Naruto said, "The odds are immeasurable."
"Indeed." said the voice. "Still, you passed the test of Guardians and showed a great mastery of chakra for one so young. You have earned the right to enter the Tomb of the Holy Empresses. Speak only to your Holy Ancestress for she is wise. Let the others rest."
"I shall do as you have instructed." said Naruto with a bow.
"Go now Heir of Otsutsuki; forge your destiny among the stars."
Dream end…
…
Naruto awoke with a jolt. He noticed a slight discomfort on the back of his right hand and instinctively channeled chakra through it. The Otsutsuki Clan emblem glowed there for all to see. When he stopped channeling chakra it vanished, and Naruto's hand returned to normal.
'What have I gotten myself into?' wondered the blonde. 'I need to contact my Grandmother Kaguya before I enter that tomb…if I enter it at all…'
…
POSTSCRIPT:
*① The Gerridae are a family of insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as water striders, water bugs, pond skaters, water skippers, or jesus bugs.
*② Otsutsuki Clan Emblem: See Narutopedia under Otsutsuki Clan to view this.
Next chapter the Klingons will arrive in the Eremar system unless there is some unforeseen circumstance. Naruto is in a bit of a fix and is wondering what the connection is between himself and the Empress Otsutsuki. What will come of that? See you next time. Blue out. 10/1/23