Naruto: Tales of Ashihara
The Shinden Saga – Arc 4: The Otsutsuki War
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Chapter 161 – Nunobukuro
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Floating above the army of Konoha, Naobi Otsutsuki stares at Izuna Uchiha, who has chosen to endorse the role of first leading line for his village. As she analyzes him, she becomes curious about his unleashed Sengo seal, but first comes to question his intentions.
"Izuna Uchiha, you certainly don't expect to beat me, do you?"
"Surely not. Just to wear you out enough to make beating you easier for my parents once they're done with their battles." Izuna answers, which makes Taiyoshiki, who stands with his fellows, sigh.
Naobi doesn't reply to this bold statement. She is only here to prevent Konoha from joining the rest of the Union against Yasona, and so will she, though her mind is more focused on the battle of her beloved Yamitsuki. Izuna, relying on the chakra of his Sengo to avoid fainting like last time, uses his brother's Sharingan ability on the goddess.
Futsunushi
By reading through her body and chakra he finds out about her mastery of countless S-rank jutsu that are considered unique or forbidden by ninjas, but most importantly, he learns of her ultimate Genjutsu, Kami Musubi. It seems like it really can be activated simply by any stimulus she emits, even just a breeze of wind against your skin or a whisper in your mind. However, unless she uses Shinjutsu, it cannot trick someone with the same ascended chakra nature.
"So… I know I won't be able to counter your Genjutsu, but I can at least sense through it with the Sengo, as long as you don't use your Shinsen Kata." he tells her.
"I won't" she simply answers, to state her resolve.
Taking this as a provocation and invitation to fight, Izuna leans on the border of the gate's top and suddenly leaps up, dashing through the air to reach the flying goddess. He engages in physical combat, which comes down to a comparison of their Dojutsu's speed. Her Sharin-Byakugan being superior to his eternal eyes, she dodges all his hits until he has to hold onto her scepter, to avoid being brought down by gravity.
In an attempt to pull her down by her staff, he instead elevates up to her and tries a fast combo of gentle hits that she completely avoids, not flattered by the lack of strength put in these attacks. As she takes her distance to force him into a more keen to long range approach, she sees him go down again.
"You're falling, young man. You can't levitate. The sky is not your battleground." she mocks him calmly, to which he just answers with a determined look before finally putting his abilities to use.
Ameno Hohi
With his own visual prowess, he teleports himself in her back above her and throws a violent punch down on her. Thanks to her Dojutsu allowing her to see in clear focus in all directions, she catches sight of him and blocks his fist with her truth-seeking scepter. The staff counters and absorbs this first full strength strike, but can't fully contain its effect.
The push of this godly fist repels Naobi all the way to the ground. She catches grip on the air again and stops her fall just centimeters away from the forest's soil but can't stop the shock wave of Izuna's punch that completely crushes the forest, lifting the dirt and trees and leaving a massive crater under her. Izuna doesn't let her think and immediately comes again.
As gravity made him follow her, he arrives above her head and tries to land a talon kick, which she avoids by rapidly swinging aside and holding her scepter to block the repel again. Not yet done, he directly spins on his leg and tries to land another kick, and another, and another. He goes with such speed and precision that every move cuts all air out of his way. Yet Naobi keeps avoiding every hit.
As he keeps trying to land a strike, Izuna tries to decipher her movements with his Sharingan, to find a surprising detail, not about her but him. Even though he keeps going faster and faster, and even unknowingly stopped controlling his strength, she keeps dodging all his movements with the same ease. But even though he pushes stronger and stronger, he doesn't witness the effect he expects and appears much weaker than he really is to his eyes.
To test his doubt, he closes his eyes and keeps striking, basing his aim only on the sensory ability given to him by the Sengo. And so he notices, she isn't moving to avoid his strikes. She is simply not where he looks. He's fallen victim to Kami Musubi without noticing, but knows just how to break out of it. With a swift movement, he spins and reorients his last punch behind him, where she really stands.
Izunome
Amazed to see the Uchiha actually getting through her illusions, Naobi hurries to teleport away in an instant and undoes her Genjutsu. Izuna opens his eyes, sees her in the sky again, and also notices the careless destruction he caused by unconsciously using his strength. The forest looks like an unearthed field, and his last punch dug a trench that goes all the way to the east lake, and is getting filled as an extension.
But now that he isn't blinded by any illusion, he gambles more on his next strike. Focused on Naobi above him. He holds his punch back and makes his chakra spiral in fire around his loaded fist. Then, when his signature move is ready, he gets in range.
Ameno Hohi
He teleports in her back right as he delivers his punch, but she reacts instantly and, just as his punch will land, uses Izunome to teleport behind him as well. Yet to her surprise, Izuna doesn't give up and finds a way. By letting his body be carried by the rotation of his flames, he spins around and redirects his punch into her.
Rasen Enken
He thrusts his arm forward and releases a gigantic spiral of red flames into the sky, but is once again blocked. Using Inyoton to manipulate the matter of her scepter, Naobi used it similarly to a Gudodama and reshaped it into an unbreakable protection, or so she thinks. Even though Izuna's Enken can't get through this divine guard, Naobi is still surprised to see a crack in her shield.
Down on the ground, the ninjas of Konoha stare in wonder as they see the sky be cleansed and filled with ashen clouds as it turns red, all as a result of Izuna's mighty punch. It is the first time they see the Hokage's star pupil go all out, and it is even more impressive than what they know of Boruto Hyuga's power.
Sakitsuki isn't as astonished as everyone else. She knows Naobi too well to be worried for her. Even the other members of her clan don't know just how truly almighty the goddess of creation is. Only one other celestial here may be aware, and Saki stares right at him. Rihetsuki, the retired god who has seen Naobi grow up into the sage she is today, and even taught her the arts of life and medicine.
Noticing her golden gaze upon him, Rihei looks back at Saki, knowing that she is waiting for him to make a move, as he came to do.
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In the crowd of ninjas, Rebekka is still next to the Otsutsuki clan standing by, after her own sealing attempt failed and apparently didn't even happen. Sat down, she boringly stares at the sky, upset that Izuna is stealing what could have been her big time of glory. Out of boredom, and lack of interest in just spectating a battle, she looks around and gets distracted by something next to her.
Chishiki Otsutsuki, disciple of Yasona, is holding Ameno Nuhoko, her celestial spear. Below the blade are 6 diamond rings hanging from the tip, and their shine in the moonlight makes Rebekka curious. The celestial obviously notices the insistent gaze of that kunoichi, but seems to ignore it. Determined to break her boredom, she randomly tries to start a conversation.
"Are those actual diamonds?" Rebekka asks, about the spear, to no answer, which only makes her want to try more. "Ya know I'm talking to you, right, small woman?"
Hearing what she called the Otsutsuki, the ninjas of Konoha around Rebekka get startled and on their guard, afraid of what reaction it could cause. Kuboshiki, standing there with Torushiki, squints one eye and widely opens the other, triggered by Rebekka's manner. Chishiki also stares at her but with no hate or disgust, only surprise. That odd phrasing just reminds her of how her mistress, Yasona, speaks to people.
"Helloo~" Rebekka says, waving her hands to Chishiki to force her attention on her even though she's already staring. "Those rings on your spear are diamonds, right? What are they for? Is it just to be fancy? And why is that spear twice your size? Isn't it hard to handle it for you? Or did someone bigger give it to you?"
Mirai Sarutobi and others nearby just stand still, confused by the careless chat of Rebekka, who just really trusts that the Otsutsuki clan members won't disobey the goddess fighting against Izuna. Chishiki, losing the little interest she had, looks away, which feels like a challenge for Rebekka, who takes a closer look at her face.
"You kinda look like one of the Uchiha? Guess it's the dark hair and black eyes, though it doesn't look like the Sharingan." she comments on her rare powerless eyes, considered a birth defect by her kind. "You're kinda tough for your size, and those horns look like handlebars… You look kissable."
This last remark almost makes Chishiki break her nonchalance as she manages to hold back her reaction. The ninjas nearby all loudly gasp or choke, taken off guard by this out of context comment. Kuboshiki, who's had enough of this disrespect toward one of his kind, voices his concern.
"This animal's voice is so painful and annoying to hear!" he exclaims.
Hearing this, Rebekka bends over her knees to see who said it and looks at him with a credulous face. She analyzes him, his attitude and the lack of concern from his two acolytes.
"You remind me of someone I know." she says to him, thinking of Namonaki. "Another racist ass, not-so-good-looking, who just always gives off bad energy."
At this comment, the surrounding ninjas freak out collectively as Mirai exclaims, asking Rebekka to shut up now. However, Chishiki uncontrollably smirks, unable to hide her amusement this time. This little nose blow and voice whimper alerts everyone, including Rebekka, who just smiles brightly.
"See I knew some of y'all were chill too!" she says at last, figuring that Chishiki doesn't fit the heartless bastard description of the Otsutsuki that was given to her.
Kuboshiki, confused by Chishiki's laugh, makes a cringed face and sighs, thinking of just how much he'd enjoy drowning that purple haired freak. He looks at Torushiki to seek his support in this odd situation. But the thunder god shows no concern. He just feels contempt toward Kuboshiki, whom he finds pathetic for letting vile inferior creatures interfere with his mood.
This noisy situation shouldn't distract Torushiki from what keeps his mind alert. He is facing toward the land of Earth, where he knows his mistress is currently fighting against the Shinobi Union for her right to conquer this world. Even though her battle should be no more than entertainment thanks to Naobi's help, Torushiki still feels a strange concern. As if things would still tend to the misfortune of his mistress.
Sakitsuki, floating above the gate of Konoha behind Kakashi and Rihetsuki, quietly looks at Chishiki with a smile. She doesn't really know her well and only rarely spoke with her despite all they have in common. This is why it comes as a pleasant surprise to see that she could potentially appreciate the company of humans.
While in her wonders, she notices Taiyoshiki also lightly smiling while staring at the scene where Kuboshiki was just mocked. The son of Tokubei, after a few seconds, looks around and crosses the golden gaze of Saki, whom he notices was not only watching but also focusing on him. This washes off his shy smile and, to look concerned, makes him stare toward the red dome where his father is still taking on his challenger.
In front of her, Ibiki Morino and Ino Yamanaka arrive and join Inoue, Kakashi, Shikamaru and Konohamaru. They've been called here to put in place a defense strategy to protect the villagers from any harm. As soon as they arrive, everyone's attention is drawn to the sky again, where Izuna is still giving his all to barely fight against the goddess of creation.
Looking up there, Ino goes next to her daughter, standing ready to assist her boyfriend if needed. To get rid of his gravity and accuracy problem that made him overuse Ameno Hohi until now, Izuna unleashes the 3rd ability of his Sharingan.
Kanzentai Susanoo
A colossal white winged samurai appears in the sky in front of Naobi Otsutsuki. It is tough, bare-handed, with an oni face and horns on his forehead, alike to the optical tentacles of the slug of the Shikkotsu forest. This colossus flaps its wings, making a loud noise and shock wave be felt by everyone on the ground, including the villagers who gathered at their windows to look at the events from their homes.
Izuna uses his Susanoo's fist to punch in the direction of Naobi, who at first prepares to block the strike with her staff again, but changes her mind at the last moment.
Izunome
She gets out of range again with her instant teleportation and lets the avatar's fist hit the air and suddenly wash the dusty red sky clean in a split second. On the ground, the few trees who are still standing next to the village's gate abruptly lose their leaves, and some of the present ninjas fall on their butts under the pressure of that attack.
After missing his target, Izuna immediately localizes her behind him and the Susanoo turns rapidly with its limbs wide spread. At the right distance, it brings its two muscular arms and open hands together, in an attempt to crush the opponent with its massive strength. Naobi, intending to nullify this effort as well, stays static for a quiet moment when she suddenly has her mind troubled by strangers.
Shinranshin
Inoue and Ino join forces to remotely take over the body of the goddess and destabilize her just enough for Izuna's strike to land safely. Naobi is surely startled by this attack, but still maintains control and moves away in time to avoid being crushed in the Susanoo's palms. As Izuna makes his armor's hands clap, the shock wave lifts the hair and dress of Naobi, who's floating just inches away when it happens.
On the ground, everyone holds their head and ears in pain, feeling them vibrate inside and almost implode because of the resonance of that clap. Ino and Inoue, also feeling this effect, try their best to keep their jutsu active and make it stronger. But the goddess of creation, having now identified them, easily gets rid of it.
"You can't defeat me at this game." she simply comments as the Susanoo already tries its next strike by throwing its hands down in a double karate chop coated in flames.
All of a sudden, Inoue and Ino, who were struggling to have the slightest effect on Naobi, have now taken Izuna as a target. Unconsciously, they manipulate his body into a slight change of direction. Naobi stands still as the fire hand blade of the Susanoo passes by and misses her by an inch. But as its hand swings through the air, it releases a stream of flames that slashes down toward Konoha.
Seeing his own attack head down to his village, Izuna panics, but before he can take action to stop it, his Susanoo receives a hit to the shoulder that completely destroys its arm and busies him too much to focus. At the gate, Sakitsuki looks at the fire stream that seems too powerful for her to stop, and at the crowd of ninjas who can't do anything about it.
Fortunately, she sees Rihetsuki finally making his move. He flies up, gets in the way of the flames and, to everyone's surprise, just lets it hit him. By imposing his body on the way, he didn't stop the attack but slightly dissipated and weakened the flames, enough so that Sakitsuki can now stop them.
Suiton – Ameno Kagami (Heavenly Mirror)
Out of thin air appears a wall of clear water in the sky that collides with the flying flames, extinguishing the fire and vaporizing the water that now falls like a gentle rain of summer on the village.
Rihetsuki, burnt by the flames and falling from the sky, is caught by Sai passing by on an ink bird. Kakashi and everyone else confusingly stare at the bird and wonder about Rihetsuki's motivation. Why did he take such a violent strike up front? He clearly isn't close enough to Konoha to consider such a sacrifice.
The present celestials wonder all the same. There is actually none of them who actually knew Rihetsuki before. They were all too young to remember or not even born. The only one who has known him as a member of the clan is Naobi who finally acknowledges him. She obviously noticed his presence when she first arrived but elected to ignore him until now, as it was his own wish to be seen as no different from humans.
Injured by the flames, Rihei sits up next to Sai and looks at Naobi, now that he has her attention. She must certainly be questioning his intentions as much as everyone else.
"I am not here for war, Naobi-sama." he says. "I just seek two things. Security and answers. I do not wish to interfere with this world. But when the threat is, like me, from outer space, I cannot simply sit back. Moreover, I know you have the answers I need. I'm sure that you know, why does my daughter wield the same power as you?"
Hearing this question, Naobi lightly tilts her head, unsure to know what is being referred to. Up until now, she was still never made aware of the abilities of Tojiki, nor about her existence. While she stares at Rihei in a silence that feels like teasing, Izuna tries to strike again with a Susanoo kick in her back. She notices and feels it in time and instantly gets away.
Izunome
She teleports behind him and, to her contempt, discovers that his avatar is still missing an arm and shoulder because of her previous strike. Just to be sure, she puts him in a critical situation to test his reactions.
Senjutsu Kaiho (Sage Canon)
By firing raw chakra as a massive beam into one of the Susanoo's wings, she pierces through and destroys it. Izuna worriedly looks at his lost wing and feels his armor starting to crash. When he read her abilities, he saw that she was able to use all Senjutsu elements, manipulate nature and minds, and even that her Taijutsu skills were at least as great as his father's. Yet, she uses nothing of that in battle and still ridicules him.
Her space-time jutsu, Izunome, seems to have no limits whatsoever, and he never saw anyone attack with such brute chakra before, other than the Biju and Naruto. And this isn't even considering the abilities of her Dojutsu, her absolute Genjutsu, and her Shinsen Kata. Worried that he'll fall to the ground, Naobi doesn't even let him do that.
Mokushi no Ame (Rain of Apocalypse)
As he falls, a heavy rain starts only above his Susanoo and, to his shocking surprise, every single drop of rain breaks through his armor like unstoppable bullets. Within a couple of seconds, his whole armor shatters and the rain drops directly hit his body.
"You still have much to learn, Izuna Uchiha." Naobi tells him as he falls. "The Sengo should allow you to significantly enhance your Susanoo's durability, and even to regenerate it like your own body, yet you can only improve its strength. And you should have been able to move your avatar with your space-time jutsu as well. It seems like, to you, Susanoo is only a tool to fly and get bigger."
Left with no armor, Izuna waits to land to heal the grave injuries he received from the rain. But before he does, he is caught by Sai's ink bird. There, Rihetsuki hurries to hold onto his shoulder and use a mysterious jutsu.
Nunobukuro
Izuna, who was just about to use his Sengo to completely heal his wounds, oddly finds that he has no injuries left already. In confusion, he notices dense, lightly purple tainted, blood squirting on him. Curious, he looks behind him and sees Rihei who's still burned by the flames from earlier but now also has countless bullet wounds just like Izuna's all over his body.
Sai, startled as much as Izuna, decides to fly down to bring Rihetsuki to care, but he refuses.
"No. Stay here. I'm not done." he says as he steps forward to stand before them and face Naobi. "Izuna Uchiha, read me." he adds, obviously asking the Uchiha to use Futsunushi, which he does.
By doing so, Izuna discovers the true power of the jutsu that Rihei just used to heal him, and he therefore immediately understands his intentions. Waiting to get back in action, he sits back. Rihei, before finally confronting Naobi, speaks a few words.
"Naobi-sama, when I left the clan to live among those of Hamura, it was because, to me, the Otsutsuki had become nothing more than a crowd of overpowered megalomaniacs drowned in arrogance since the death of the queen mother. All of us were just hoping to take her place and be just as evil as her. I have to admit two things however. First is my respect for Yamitsuki-sama and you, for always staying true to your valor despite the authority you were given. Second is my mistake about human kind. Under Hamura, men seemed to contradict everything we were taught. A species able to use chakra, yet so peaceful. Of course time proved me wrong, as this peace was only dependent on Hamura's presence. I discovered that humans could be just as greedy as us, and way more delusional. But I kept hoping to see one day a soul as noble as you, an heir to Hamura and Hagoromo. These souls are here today. They are your rivals. They are the true human spirit. And to me, there is no doubt that in a few centuries, they will be your replacement."
After these bold words, he abruptly stabs through his own hearts with chakra scalpels on both his hands, which quietly shocks Naobi. Sai, all the ninjas, and all the celestials gasp, but not Izuna. He knows the plan, and puts it in action immediately. He leaps up, grabs Rihetsuki by the arm and warps into action again.
Ameno Hohi
He appears right before Naobi and tries to punch her, but is instead blocked and smashed aside by her scepter. Right in front of her is now Rihetsuki who holds a hand out and tries to land it on her shoulder. Aware of his power, she uses Izunome to get away, but surprisingly gets fooled by Izuna's strategy.
On her right, she didn't notice Izuna getting a hold on her scepter right as she teleports. As she was wielding the staff, Izuna still held Rihei's hand, so they were all transported by the jutsu, and so Rihetsuki's hand lands on Naobi as intended.
Nunobukuro
The secret jutsu of the retired celestial can not only instantly absorb all the harm of a body to his own, but also to pass it on to another person with a simple touch. And so it is now Naobi who finds herself burnt, shot multiple times, and stabbed through both hearts. Receiving these sudden wounds, she exclaims in agony as her blood splashes around.
"Naobi-sama!" Sakitsuki shouts worriedly, fearing for the life of her mistress.
As she is deadly injured and heartless, a fatal blow to her head or neck would immediately kill her. Weakened, she's unable to fly and falls down to crash, nearly dead on the ground where Izuna and Rihei land on their feet before her. All the other celestials are astonished, as it is the first time they even see the great goddess of creation injured.
"I assume this is the first time they see you like that." Rihei says, seeing the reaction of the clan. "But not me. I have seen you go through your toughest battle. And I know that today is not worth going through the same pain. We won't let anyone take advantage of your current state to finish you, and I know you can heal yourself within a minute. But this is a warning. You know ninjas can rival us. You know these fights are not one-sided. You know the wisest thing to do is stop this war while you still have time. Using your voice to reason with Yamitsuki-sama will serve peace much better than what you are now doing. Only you can do it, Naobi-sama."
Right when he finishes his speech, he and Izuna are pushed aside by Sakitsuki who blitzes past them and hurries to lie next to Naobi. In anguish she holds her against her and lies her head on her lap. Naobi stays silent to Rihei's demand, knowing that she already tried to stop this conflict before it began, but that it isn't in her power to do so.
"Sakitsuki, you can step aside, and do not show such weakness of heart so easily. You know I am not in danger." the goddess advises before looking at Rihei. "Rihetsuki Otsutsuki, you have seen me suffering greater wounds, face an enemy far greater than even Yamitsuki, and have known me as a studying child curious of the ways of life and medicine. But this bias causes you to underestimate me apparently. I have known you as an elder, wiser and more experienced individual than myself in the past. And this is why I don't underestimate you. You know I knew about Nunobukuro, and so you know that I would certainly not have let you touch me, in reality."
Kami Musubi
After this dramatic last word, everyone sees the world shift in a blink. Sakitsuki is actually still floating above the gate of the village. She immediately looks up to see her mistress up in the sky, perfectly safe and unharmed. Sai, on his floating bird, squints while looking at where he thought they were and hears a loud breath next to him. Izuna and Rihetsuki never left the bird's back, and Rihetsuki is lying there, heartless and on the verge of death.
Izuna trembles and hurries to heal the injuries of the celestial manually while Sai rapidly flies back to the gate, to bring them closer to Kakashi, Inoue and the others. Among the celestials, Hebemi and Seimei sigh out of relief and quietly cheer in surprise, greatly impressed by the seemingly unlimited power of the great goddess of order.
The ninjas and citizens of Konoha get confused, some even shake in anxiety. It is the 4th time they see reality suddenly shift just because Naobi wants it. This makes them question what is even real. Can these illusions be nested into each other? How much of what they've lived in the last few hours, or even days, really happened. It seems to them like this power is not made for human comprehension. Nor was it supposed to be for humans to witness. It is somehow even more frightening than the Mugen Tsukuyomi.
Shikamaru analyzes the surroundings to see all that really didn't happen. In this effort he notices that the moon also seems to have moved. It is already nearing sunset. This must mean that within her illusions, Naobi also ensures to waste everyone's time by making everything slower than it really is. Yet, he is unable to find any clue to identify when it is an illusion before it breaks.
"Damn it, what a drag,…" he says to himself, realizing that Izuna's seal and eyes combined may really be the only thing that can even slightly recognize an illusion.
"It would be wise of you to stop engaging in pointless wrestles." Naobi says to the leaders of Konoha as she slowly comes flying down closer to the ground. "None of you has or will lay a single finger on me. I cannot allow it. I have to remain unharmed. My heart and mind's mission is not within this place. I still need to make sure he doesn't make a fatal mistake."
After saying these mysterious words, she looks up at the moon. Sakitsuki, following her gaze, squints as she sees the Hokage and the Dragon Sage's battle go on as the supply of clones of Naruto seems to run out faster than Yamitsuki's resources.
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End of Chapter 161 – Next Chapter: Unexpected Reinforcement