Chapter 409: 387. Fickle Heart
"Hmm… little girl, who are you?' Tsunade suspiciously stares at Ayaka.
'Tsunade Nee-san doesn't recognize me?! Am I in someone else's illusory reality or she has yet to regain her sealed memories?' Ayaka questions herself.
'You are in right illusory reality.' Sin informs her.
'Which means Tsunade Nee-san has yet to regain her sealed memories?'
Ayaka hands over the In-Yō token to Tsunade and introduces herself.
"I am Ayaka, sister of the Izuna Uchiha."
"AH!" Tsunade inspects the token.
"This token is real. But did you say you are the sister of my husband?" Tsunade is shocked to hear Ayaka's identity.
"What?" Now it's Ayaka's turn to get shocked.
"You are my brother's wife? How could this be? My brother is married to Mei Nee-san." Ayaka gasps at Tsunade's remark.
"Mei Nee-san?! Was Izuna cheating on me? And who is this Mei Nee-san?" Tsunade glares at Ayaka with her sharp eyes.
"Mei Nee-san is Mei Terumi from the Kirigakure. She is my brother's only wife." Ayaka nods at Tsunade.
'What's going on? How is Tsunade Nee-san's wife? Wasn't this illusion supposed to be based on reality? Then how come everything is different in Tsunade Nee-san's illusory reality?' Ayaka asks herself.
'It's not impossible. This technique was supposed to create an ideal world for the victim based on his memories. The stronger the desire of the victim, the more will it be similar to their ideal world and the more it will influence their mind.' Sin explains to her.
'So, does this mean… Tsunade Nee-san, she?' Ayaka stares at Tsunade's face.
'Has she been hiding her feelings for Izuna Nee-san all this time? If that's the case, what should I do? How am I supposed to free her?'
'The illusory reality has heavily influenced her thoughts. If you disclose something that heavily stresses her emotions, then it might negatively affect her spirit.' Sin warns her.
"The Mizukage?!" Kakashi and the rest turn to Ayaka.
"But that… that's not possible. Argh…" Tsunade clutches her forehead. Her jumbled memories slowly surface.
"Tsunade-sama!" Sakura hurriedly supports her.
"Are you impersonating Izuna-san's sister to create a rift between Konoha and Kiri before the Kage Summit?" Kakashi points his kunai towards Ayaka.
"This girl has ill intentions towards the Hokage-sama. Detain her!" Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi surround her.
Ayaka takes a combat stance as she warily stares at the group.
'They aren't the real Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi Nii-san. But still…'
Swish…
Sasuke makes his first move. He throws a shuriken toward Ayaka.
"Shadow Shuriken clone Jutsu,"
Sasuke makes some hand signs and releases multiple shurikens toward Ayaka.
Hmm…
Ayaka takes out her blade and deflects the kunais with it.
Swoosh…
She ducks down and dodges a roundhouse kick from her blind spot.
Haah…
Naruto rotates his body in mid-air and aims his kick at Ayaka's head.
Bang…
Ayaka blocks the kick with her arm and jumps back.
"Got you!"
Whoosh…
Kakashi suddenly appears behind her and grabs her wrist. A seal forms on his hand to restrict Ayaka's movements.
Poof…
Ayaka turns into a wooden log and disappears from her place. She reappears a few meters away from the group.
Tch…
Naruto and Sasuke click their tongue.
'What should I do, Sin? I don't want to waste my time here.' Ayaka urgently asks Sin for a solution.
'I have a method to free her from the influence of this illusory reality, but if her will is weak; then she might not awaken even after escaping from here.' Sin warns her.
'Do it! I believe in Tsunade Nee-san.' Ayaka grits her teeth.
'Get ready! I will prepare the seal to free her. She will lose consciousness as a side effect.'
Fwish…
A seal appears on Ayaka's hand. She ignores Naruto and Sasuke's pursuit and dashes toward Tsunade.
"This is not good! This girl has harmful intentions toward the Hokage-sama. Stop her at all costs!" Kakashi notices the seal on Ayaka's hand. He immediately warns Naruto and Sasuke.
"What?" Naruto and Sasuke's expressions turn grim.
Shiing…
Sasuke's eyes turn into Mangekyo Sharingan. Purple Lightning flicker around him as he forms a Chidori in his hands.
Fwoosh…
Nine-Tails chakra cloak appears around Naruto. He creates a Rasengan in his hand and turns towards Ayaka.
In the next instance,
Swoosh…
Both Naruto and Sasuke disappear from their position and reappear beside Ayaka. They have killing intent in their eyes as they aim their powerful techniques toward Ayaka to deal a killing blow.
"I won't let you stop me."
Shiing…
Ayaka's eyes turn to Sharingan. Suddenly, a sharp burst of chakra discharges from her body.
Whoosh…
Ayaka dodges Sasuke's and Naruto's attacks and reappears in front of Tsunade.
'Such speed! There was no memory of that.' Both of them mutter simultaneously.
'Swift Release: Blink Glimpse,'
Ayaka places her hand on Tsunade's forehead. The seal on her hand activates and covers Tsunade's eyes.
"WHAT?"
Kakashi's sneak attack pauses a hair's breadth from Ayaka's head.
Crack… crack…
Multiple cracks spread across the dimension and the space slowly crumbles apart.
"How is this possible?" Kakashi mumbles.
"Hmm… I was right. You were a creation of this illusion to trap Tsunade Nee-san in this fake world." Ayaka glares into Kakashi's eyes, who have a twisted expression on his face.
"Now, disappear!"
Bang…
The illusory reality shatters and Ayaka returns to space with a red waning moon with Tsunade in her arms. She places Tsunade's unconscious body beside Mei.
"Mei Nee-san… did you… did you see her dream?" Ayaka asks with slight hesitation.
"I did!" Mei nods.
"I saw everything!"
"Then… does…"
"Don't worry Ayaka! I am not a fickle woman. I saw love and care in Tsunade-san's eyes. I noticed her feelings way before this incident. But since she wasn't honest with herself, I let them be. However, if she makes up her mind and gets the courage to express them; I will leave the final decision to Izuna. Because it's that bastard's fault to hurt everyone's feelings." Mei grits her teeth. She places her hand on Tsunade's forehead.
"Go! We have to save others, too." Mei reminds Ayaka.
"Alright!"
Ayaka chooses another illusory reality and jumps into it.
'I hope it won't be as troublesome as Tsunade Nee-san's illusion.'
--------------------
"Haah…"
Mei slightly chuckles at herself.
"I am a fickle woman, indeed. Since the day I came to Konoha, I have noticed Tsunade-san's feelings for Izuna. Back then, they shared a bond far stronger than my bond with Izuna. Izuna was a prized disciple of Tsunade who would help her in every sticky situation.
Back then, I was envious of such a relationship. 'If only we could have such a relationship?' This was what I thought at that time. However, Tsunade-san never expressed her feelings, and this gave me an opportunity. I accepted his proposal, and we got married. I was so happy back then that it was me, not somebody else, but me. And yet…"
Mei lowers her head. She notices the tears flowing from Tsunade's eyes.
"Why does it pain my heart? Izuna and Tsunade had a unique bond, a bond I could not hope to reciprocate with him. Perhaps if Tsunade-san was a bit younger, then it wouldn't be me but her who would have married Izuna."
Mei grits her teeth.
"Why? Why does it pain my heart to see her like that and yet there is a feeling of hidden relief in my heart?… It's all that bastard's fault. Why couldn't he see the feelings of people around himself and… and…"
Mei bursts into tears.
"I don't want Tsunade-san to suffer like this and yet I don't have a way to help her. It's all that guy's fault. He is the one who is responsible for all of this. He should take responsibility for all his actions."
Mei raises her head and stares at the waning moon.
"Wherever you are, get your ass back here as soon as possible! How dare you play with a woman's feelings!"
---------------
Somewhere in an unknown space,
Achoo…
A cloaked figure sneezes.
"I should be immune to any sort of disease. What's going on?"
Roar…
A gigantic dragon roars in front of him.
"Hmm… this stench!" The cloaked figure frowns.
Roar… roar…
Multiple flood dragon roars in front of him.
"So annoying!"
The cloaked figure draws a sword and sheathes it immediately.
"Blade of Nandaka: Death of All Creation,"
Swirl… Fwoosh…
Suddenly, the flesh of all dragons rips away from their skins, revealing their bones. The bones slowly wither away into dust, wiping away the existence of all flood dragons.
Roar… roar…
More flood dragons surround them.
"There is no end to them!"
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A/N:- My new Naruto fan-fic, 'The Rogue Demon of the Shinobi World' is out.
Also, check out my pat reon www.pa treon.com/ForgottenLife to support my work and get a sneak peak at the latest chapters of both series in advance. Read upto 60+ chapters from both series combined in advance.
Chapter 410: 388. The Illusion Shatters
Argh…
Tsunade grabs her forehead and slowly opens her eyes.
"Where am I? My head…" she groans in pain.
"Tsunade-san! Are… are you… are you alright?" Mei inquires.
"Augh… I am fine. But my head hurts and my memories are jumbled up." Mei helps Tsunade sit up.
"Where are we?" Tsunade slowly looks around and notices the creepy atmosphere and waning red moon.
"We are currently trapped in an isolated dimension. Currently, we both have escaped from illusions thanks to Ayaka's help. Ayaka can freely enter and exit this space. Once everyone is here, she will help us shatter this dimension." Mei explains the details to Tsunade.
She points towards the various projections of the illusory realities of other people.
"I… I see!" Tsunade grips her forehead.
"Let's wait for others," Mei suggests.
Mm…
Silence descends in the surroundings for a while.
"Did you see it?" Tsunade mutters weakly.
"Huh?!" Mei turns to Tsunade.
"I mean… did you see my illusory reality?" Tsunade asks again.
"Well… I…"
"So, you did see it. Sigh…" Tsunade sighs helplessly.
"I saw it." Mei nods her head.
"So, your feelings for Izuna. Are they…" Mei is about to ask further.
Whoosh…
Suddenly, Sasuke appears in front of them with Ayaka. He looks around and notices the red waning moon.
"So, my guess was right. I was trapped inside an illusory reality and this is an isolated space of that illusion." Sasuke scrutinizes the place with his Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Sasuke Nii-san, I will save others." Ayaka bade him farewell and jumps into another projection.
"Sigh… Let's talk about it later. I think both of us have some sort of misunderstanding." Tsunade shakes her head.
Wiggle… wiggle…
A small Katsuyu clone pops out of her clothes.
"Tsunade-sama! This place is scary." The small Katsuyu clone shiver in fright.
"It's alright! We will soon escape from this place." Tsunade strokes the little slug.
"Katsuyu always sends her clones or to be exact her offspring with him. This little one is one of them." Tsunade explains to Mei.
"Then how does she recognize everyone?" Mei asks in curiosity.
"All Katsuyu clones share a hive mind. So, it's not difficult for them to share information. She was also caught in the illusion with me."
Tsunade appeases the little Katsuyu clone.
A few minutes later,
"Looks like everyone is here!" A haggard Ayaka looks around.
"It was all thanks to little Ayaka's effort that we were able to easily escape from this illusion." Minato smiles at Ayaka.
"Ayaka-chan, are you alright?" Tsunade stares at Ayaka's exhausted face.
"I… I… am alright! I just overexerted my chakra a little. I will be fine after a little rest." Ayaka shakes her head.
"Take care of yourself." Mei ruffles her hair.
"Now, everyone prepares your most powerful jutsu and gets ready to attack the red waning moon in the sky. I will do the same from outside this isolated space. We have to shatter the core of this isolated space at the same time to break free from its restraints." Ayaka relays her plan to them.
"Got it!" Everyone adopts a serious expression.
Fwoosh…
Ayaka's figure disappears from the isolated space. She gathers a large amount of chakra in her hands.
"Three…"
Naruto and Sasuke enter Sage Mode. Naruto prepares a giant sage art Rasenshuriken. Sasuke infuses chakra in his mouth and spits out a giant white rage dragon made of nature energy. Kakashi also infuses chakra in both of his hands.
Purple lightning flickers through Kakashi's hand and slowly morphs into a giant spear.
Bzzt… Crackle…
Chakra arms of Susanoo manifest behind Izumi. The giant arms wield a katana. Electric arc crackles across the katana.
Minato raises his hand in the air and creates a gigantic Rasengan with wind infusion. The Rasengan turns cyan and generates super powerful winds strong enough to blow nearby surroundings.
Tsunade gathers a large amount of chakra into her fists. The chakra turns visible to the eyes and coats her fists. Multiple marking appears over Tsunade's body. Brow pigmentation appears around her eyes. The chakra cloak around her arm turns dark yellow, boosting her physical strength to another level.
Chojuro wields the Hiramekarei blade and summons multiple giant blue water blades. Mei takes a deep breath and expels a giant lava meteor from her mouth.
Ao and Sakura also perform their part.
White flames gather in Ayaka's hands.
Fire, wind, and lightning chakra gather in her hands. The fire and wind chakra mix and create scarlet flames.
Bzzt… crackle…
Lightning flickers across the flames and slowly merges with them. The color of the flame changes to blue before turning white.
Ayaka directs her hands toward the moon in the sky. The white flames transform into a lance.
"Two…"
The size of the lance increases by two-fold.
"One…"
"Incineration Release: All purging white Samadhi flames,"
"Sage Art: Chō Ōdama Rasenshuriken,"
"Sage Art: White Rage Dragon's Roar,"
"Purple Lighting Release: Engulfing storm spear,"
"Raikou: Third Form: Musou Tenbatsu,"
"Sage Art: Fūma Ōdama Rasengan,"
"Sage Art: Heavenly Fist of Doom,"
"Water Release: Water fang blades,"
"Lava Release: Chaos Meteor,"
BOOM…
All of their attacks land on the waning red moon.
Tsunade's fists create a gigantic air dragon that soars toward the moon. Mei's meteor expands and explodes into a shower of lava meteor that bombards the red moon.
BOOM…
Shockwaves travel through the illusory space. Kakashi makes some quick hand signs and erects multiple earth walls to protect them. Minato creates a Rashomon gate to absorb the shock of the multiple powerful jutsus.
Snap… Crack…
Multiple cracks appear in the surrounding space. The cracks start from the red moon and spread across the entire isolated dimension.
Bang…
With a loud bang, the entire space shatters into countless fragments like a glass crystal.
Huff… Huff…
The group pants and falls to their knees from exhaustion.
"Ayaka!"
Ayaka's figure appears in their vision.
"Ever… everyone!" Ayaka's vision turns blurry, and she falls to the ground.
Whoosh…
Naruto and Sasuke swiftly appear beside her and catches her in their arms.
"She endured a lot. The built-up physical fatigue and mental exhaustion must have taken a toll on her." Katsuyu wraps herself around Ayaka and infuses some nature energy into her body to rejuvenate her.
"Tch…" Kakashi, Ao, and Izumi click their tongue.
"It was a well-thought-out plan. We didn't expect them to possess such a powerful restraining jutsu. If only we had taken precautions earlier…"
"It's not your fault." Minato shakes his head.
"Earlier, I sensed the presence of Akatsuki's hidden leader and Kabuto. It must have been their handiwork. Looks like they still haven't given up on the Nine-tails."
Everyone turns to Naruto.
"Ehe… why do I feel that everyone wants a piece of me lately?" Naruto scratches his head.
"Everything is fine, as long as everyone is unharmed. However, this attack also opened our eyes to the full extent of our opponent's power. Imagine if Akatsuki used such a powerful jutsu to restrain every shinobi on the battlefield.
At that time, we will headless chickens on their chopping board." Minato stares at the corpses of the multiple rogue shinobis. He notices the crazed expression of the shinobis.
Gulp…
Everyone gulps their saliva and heaves a sigh of relief after a close encounter with disaster.
"This is a lesson for you all. No matter the circumstances, don't get complacent. Especially you, Naruto!" Minato focuses his eyes on Naruto.
"Alright, let's leave this place for now. Our ship is still waiting on the shore. We have to leave this place before other ambitious people like them appear." Minato relays his orders.
Mei places a sleeping Ayaka on her shoulder and the group dashes towards the shore.
Swoosh… swoosh…
A few minutes later, they reach the harbor of the Land of Waterfall.
"Everyone, it's my pleasure to meet you." A giant ship awaits their arrival on the harbor. The captain of the ship greets them with courtesy.
"I was worried about your arrival, since you were quite late from the scheduled time." The captain reports his worries.
"We are fine! Some unexpected circumstances cropped up, but somehow, we were able to make it here." Mei gives a short explanation.
"Also, how are our supplies?"
"We have already stockpiled them and were waiting for your arrival." The captain answers her.
"Then let's set sail for the journey."
"Very well, please get onboard. We will set sail for the Land of Medicine!" The captain signals to sailors to pull the anchor and set sail.
With this, the group begins their sea journey.
********************************
A/N:- My new Naruto fan-fic, 'The Rogue Demon of the Shinobi World' is out.
Also, check out my pat reon www.pa treon.com/ForgottenLife to support my work and get a sneak peak at the latest chapters of both series in advance. Read upto 60+ chapters from both series combined in advance.
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