章 38: Chapter 38
Naruto's eyes suddenly snapped opened as he felt someone invading his palace. He was one with the place, whatever happened within his space, he knew. There was also the fact that he had placed a barrier around the structure to ensure that nothing that flies stepped its filthy feet on the holy ground he had set aside for himself.
The barrier was not one that could be broken. It was made by his will to live, as long as his will to survive was intact, no one could break through it. However, that didn't mean that it couldn't be bypassed. Given the right conditions, a few special people could pass through it, without it breaking it.
He wasn't given much time to think as a figure came rushing towards him in blinding speeds. Although his eyes could keep track of the movements, his body refused to follow the speed of his eyes. The attacker was upon him in mere seconds and a hard kick hit him on his forehead. The force was so heavy that it nearly snapped his neck.
Nearly being the case. The result of the brutal kick was Naruto crashing through his throne - a throne crafted with the hardest material on the entire structure. But he didn't break even a bone. Of course the pain of the coursed through his head like he had been hit by a sledge hammer.
Because the throne was crafted with strong materials, the flight of the kick didn't send him crashing through the wall that was behind the throne within the hall. He did hit the wall, but much of the sting had already been taken out by the throne, so he was not able to break through it. He hit it with his back and managed to fell down on the floor on his knees.
Before he could even look up at his attacker, a very familiar blue Susano'o appeared above him. The Susano'o hit the ceiling and tore apart his hall, allowing the sun to finally enter the place. The Susano'o wings were flapped and its blade swinging down towards him in fast movements. More of his palace was torn apart because of the power behind the swing of the blade.
The swing was powerful enough to cut him in half - Naruto knew this. It wouldn't kill him though, but in this current state, he was going to avoid it at all costs.
He quickly held out both his hands in preparation for his defense. The powerful barrier he put above him was able to hold up as the swing struck. However, the collision of the sword with his defense created a strong shockwave that spread around the all. The shockwave was powerful enough to send large cracks around the walls of the hall. The floor around Naruto was turned into a hole.
Seeing this destruction, Naruto knew that he would to rebuild his precious palace.
If that wasn't enough, the attacker didn't let up in his attack. He kept pressing for dominance, pushing Naruto further down. And he was already at an disadvantage. He may have been able to block the swing, but the force behind it had pitched much pain throughout his body. It was only his strong will that he did not drop is cracking defense.
Naruto cursed when another Susano'o rushed towards him using the floor while the blue one was still above him. He couldn't possibly defend himself now given the current situation. The incoming Susano'o swung its blade level to the floor, picking up strong gusts of wind as it matched towards him. Naruto left his left hand holding the defense above him and held out his right to create another defense on his side.
It was futile - he knew it. But he couldn't give up like that.
As soon as the sword of the Susano'o on the floor reached him, the sword above him disappeared, leaving him at the mercy of the incoming blade. The hit felt like a slap from Kami. Powerful, it nearly cut through his body and split his guards out for the hungry sky birds to feed. But his defense did enough to stop that from happening.
But he was still sent rocketing throughout at the palace. The force carried him outside his the Holy Ground and left much destruction on his palace. He was definitely going to have to rebuild it again. And this time he would make sure that it was not destroyed by anyone.
Before gravity could pull him down the ground, since he was no longer in his sky ground, both his attackers appeared above him. Naruto could only curse as both slammed him hard on the chest and gut respectively. Both hits were rather painful. It was like the hammers of justice had taken a swing at him. His insides cried in pain and a few ribs cracked. But given enough time, they would heal.
That wasn't the most important thing though
He was currently rocketing down the ground; he passed the clouds that had presented themselves for the day. The people of his Capital watched with interest as a rocket rushed over down the city in great speed. You would think that they would be running around in fear thinking that is going to explode on them.
Lucky for them, Naruto's fall from the heavens was a bit away from the civilization; however, he fell on some buildings that had been recently completed. His fall was enough to send the buildings down the ground to rumbles. More things that needed to be rebuild. The capital nearly shock at the fall, putting everyone on alert. A large smoke of debris disturbed anyone from seeing anything.
When it finally disappeared, Naruto was lying down on a large crater on his back. His mouth leaking some blood, hands stretched out wide. His breathing labored, eyes dimly opened.
On the edge of the crater, Sasuke and Madara were looking down impassively with both their respective hands folded across their chests.
It didn't take a full minute for the place to be surrounded by the special corps of the Capital. Such a scene was not acceptable and they were ready to deal with the threat that dare disrespect the Emperor. They had been trained to deal with such insolence against his Majesty.
Shinji rushed over to Naruto, ''Your Excellency, shall we exterminate the problem for this sin?'' It wasn't a good sight to see the Emperor down on the ground, looking broken. The sight of the Emperor in this kind of situation made his blood boil, but not enough to make him act rashly.
Naruto merely raised his hand and waved it in a dismissive manner. ''I will deal with those two.'' Despite looking broken, his tone was still firm - he was still lying on the ground as he spoke.
Shinji wouldn't question the Emperor, and he wouldn't his power. ''Hai,'' he responded before giving a signal for his men to leave. They left without a word of complaint.
After everyone listened to the orders, Naruto got on one knee and looked at both his attackers. ''I see,'' he stated, seeing that Sasuke also had the Rinnegan. But after this, he would not be having it - he would take it. ''Hagoromo gave them passage to my palace. That foolish child, I will punish him. He's never listened to his mother.''
''I thought that would do much damage on him given his current state,'' Sasuke said to Madara, his eyes firmly fixed down on Naruto. Really, the previous attack was enough to kill anyone. But Naruto was still alive, but he still took some damage.
''He might be weakened, but he is still no weakling. I was not expecting much damage, but it seems that he has taken quite a knock,'' Madara responded so casually. Naruto had escaped with his life on the previous attack he had executed so perfectly; he was certainly not going to underestimate him again.
Sasuke studied Naruto's further, before nodding. The blond had taken quite a knock. If things continued like this, Naruto would lose.
''Shall we send him to the battlefield?'' Madara said, grinning at the thought sharing a real battlefield with Naruto. Their last encounter was one sided. He didn't want this one to be like that. However, if it couldn't be helped, he would do with what he was offered.
Even though Sasuke didn't know where the battlefield was, he just decided to follow Madara's lead. Both sped towards Naruto's position; the blond was still on one knee. In a blur, they were both in front of him, left and right legs in position for brutal kicks. Naruto could only bring out both his hands to lessen the damage on his body.
When both kicks from his attackers hit him, he was sent rocketing away from the village, and again, like a bullet. To add to the insult, a powerful wind hit him and propelled him further away from the Capital. Naruto did not regain his composure until he hit a few trees along his flight. When he recovered, both Madara and Sasuke were not close to him; they were moving towards another location, further away from the capital.
He decided to follow them. He sped across the rocks of the Rice Kingdom using his fastest speed. It took him a few minutes to finally reach both Uchiha's and Naruto was welcomed into a large ring; it was just clear ground.
Madara seemed to have prepared a battle field for them.
''You guys certainly know how to invite one to a battle,'' Naruto stated, looking at the other Uchiha's with a calm look on his face. ''It seems that you have actually gotten close to Hagoromo's power, Madara.''
''It seems I have.'' Madara responded with a small shrug. ''You have also recovered well. I didn't think you would be in such a better condition after all that.''
''It may appear that I am in a better condition but I'm not well at all. Even to fix the damage you two have already caused, my body burns too much chakra.'' Naruto said, looking at his hands.
''I am up for talking once we are done fighting. I cannot settle well while I know you can still fight,'' Sasuke interrupted the conversation between Naruto and Madara. Really, he was not going to give Naruto much chance to recover.
''How impatient,'' Madara stated on Sasuke. He earned a subtle nod from Naruto. ''But I guess it can't be helped.'' He looked straight at Naruto. ''You can't have any complains because it is two on one.''
''Well, I can complain. It is a bit unfair that you two get to gang up on me while I am at this state. You have also taken my left eye. But I guess that won't change anything,'' Naruto responded, looking a bit thoughtful.
''Enough!'' Sasuke raised his voice. ''Let us get this over with!''
Both Naruto and Madara merely shook their heads.
''I will tell you this; he may look weakened, but don't underestimate him. He makes ninjutsu useless, and don't play around.'' Madara stated, not even looking at whom he was advising. As much as he would like to have fun with Naruto, the situation did not favor it. Especially when he was suspecting that Naruto cannot be killed.
''I don't plan on playing. I wish not to waste valuable chakra, it may come in handy if I have to deal with another threat,'' Sasuke responded in a cool tone taking his stance. The other threat was obviously Madara, but the legendary Uchiha didn't respond to those words.
Sasuke did not waste any time, his Susano'o came to live, knowing that only the big guns would work on this kind of a battlefield. Within seconds, he had already shot an arrow straight at Naruto. He was impressed when Naruto actually dodged it, despite the speed that made it near impossible to dodge.
''You will have to shoot those a bit faster if you are going to hit me,'' Naruto stated, now floating in the air above where he had been standing. His eyes looked around the place; there were no trees, or anything that seemed to be alive. It was just the unclothed ground, full of a few rocks and holes there and there.
''How about this then...?'' Madara stated, appearing above Naruto. He was already going through hand seals. ''Fire Style: Majestic Flame Destroyer!''
Yes, those destructive flames rushed towards the blond in fury. They seemed to consume him for a moment, before they just disappeared. Naruto had not even moved from his position. The flames disappeared without even touching him. The only thing he felt from the flames was the heat they brought.
After the flames disappeared, he looked above him where Madara was floating. ''Weren't you the one telling Sasuke that ninjutsu was useless against...'' Naruto trailed off when he sensed something coming from behind him. He quickly turned around only to be glared down by an arrow dipped in Amaterasu. ''Diversion...'' he realized.
Naruto raised his right hand before the technique could hit him. The arrow never reached him as it suddenly hit an invisible wall and dispersed into thin air. ''But it is still not good enough.'' He stated as his eyes went back to Madara because he felt a chakra spike.
The man's Susano'o was already activated and its blade was charging towards him. He raised his left hand to put that his invincible barrier. The blade hit his barrier with much force that sent him sent him away, despite having put his barrier. He really should think twice about putting up a barrier like that in his current condition.
Before he could even recover from the momentum, Sasuke was right above. Too bad for the raven head Uchiha, Naruto had expected such to occur. The raven head attempted to kick him down the ground with his back heel. But Naruto caught the kick with his right hand, and used Sasuke's balance to regain his composure. With his composure regained, he was able to float by himself in the air while still holding Sasuke's leg.
The other Uchiha never gave him much time as he twisted and attempted to hit him on the face with his free leg. Naruto was also able to catch that kick. Holding both of Sasuke's feet, Naruto twisted in air before spinning around twice. Once done, he hurled Sasuke away from him and held out his right hand for the real attack.
But he never got to use the technique he wanted because he was forced to dodge a spinning kick from Madara. He did not just dodge the kick; he also disappeared from the air and appeared down the ground, landing on his own two feet. Both his opponents also took the ground.
So far so good.
''Is it just me or is he becoming faster by the second?'' Sasuke questioned, standing beside Uchiha Madara. He was not able to hit the blond with the same speed he had used previously. Despite this, he wasn't the least concerned.
''He has, but that is the best he can do, for now,'' Madara responded calmly.
''Then this should be easy.''
Sadly, Madara shook his head. ''You have to put him in an unfavorable position for him to fight with all his might.'' It was the same with him. He never went all out unless the situation called for it. At the moment, it was not calling for Naruto to go all out.
Sasuke was still not deterred. ''That can be arranged,'' he disappeared in a speed that even had Madara raising a brow. Within that second, he was in front of Naruto. He twisted, spinning around as he went for a kick on Naruto. The kick hit Naruto's hand that had been raised a a shield. But the power of the kick pushed him back.
Sasuke was not yet done.
He rushed at the blond, this time using the air; he jumped up and attempted to kick Naruto in the temple again. This time, Naruto jumped back to avoid the kick. The blond noticed that Madara was merely watching. With the look the man had on his eyes, it appears that he was not going to get in the way for a few moments.
He better use this chance now or he was not going to get it again
Sasuke was at him again. But this time, he attempted a right hook straight at his face. Naruto was more than equal to the punch. He blocked the attack and gripped Sasuke's hand firmly before throwing his own attack. The Uchiha blocked the attack, not wanting to be bettered. But Naruto still did not let his hand go.
''Look up you,'' Naruto stated, using his greater physical prowess to hurl Sasuke into the air by his hand. Above them was a portal that looked to devour Sasuke, but it didn't do that; the portal spat out chakra rods that rushed at the incoming raven head.
To avoid being pierced by the rods, Sasuke went through hand seals. ''Fire Style: Great Fire Ball Jutsu!'' he released a fireball that hit the rods with all its glaring heat. The jutsu did enough to block the rods from piercing through his flesh. Even though ninjutsu was useless against Naruto, it still had its uses against him in a battle.
''Do not forget that I am still free,'' Naruto suddenly spoke from under the Uchiha. Sasuke cursed, but was quick enough to react. Before Naruto could even hit him with a brutal kick on his back, he quickly activated a small portion of his Susano'o. Damage averted and Naruto made his distance from him.
Both then hit the ground on their feet. Naruto was the first to make his moved. He clasped both his hands together and the ground began to shake. Not so long, a large rock was pulled down from the earth into the air. Without wasting much time, Naruto directed it down towards Sasuke. It was of quite a size, and not something a weak jutsu could deal with.
Sasuke activated his Susano'o quickly, after having deactivated it when he landed on the ground so to preserve his chakra. He quickly short two arrows in quick succession towards the large rock that looked to crush him under its might. His arrows hit the rock and shattered it into harmless pieces.
But before he could do anything else, Naruto was already in front of him. Sasuke was not fast enough to do anything as the blond placed his right hand on his Susano'o and much to his surprise, it disappeared without his command. He did not feel like Naruto deactivated from outside. It felt like he had been stripped of it. That had never happened before.
Naruto was still holding his right hand, but he had a small smile on his face. A small black ball appeared on his palm before it was short towards him. His instincts screamed danger when he saw the ball. Naruto was quick to make his disappearance as the ball exploded into a large explosion.
Sasuke was able to escape the explosion with nothing but a few bruises thanks to his Susano'o. He brought out his hands from his face, which he had used to shield himself from the debris. He looked at the debris that was still joyfully dancing about and then at Naruto. That thing was certainly dangerous, and he did not want to get hit by hit.
Without wasting much time, he dispersed his Susano'o and charged at Naruto again. When he reached the blond, it seemed that the blond was waiting for him. His right was raised with its palm facing him. A portal opened just in front of him and Sasuke got the feeling that he knew what was going to come out of it.
As he thought, chakra rods came out of it. He was forced to halt his movements so not to become hit by the chakra rods. He too raised his right hand and blasted the rods away from him. ''You have improved from our last battle.'' Naruto's voice suddenly echoed from behind him making his eyes wide. He had not sensed him move.
Sasuke winced painfully when an unbelievable force connected with his back sending him flying. It hurt like bitch. He did not know what actually hit him. It did not matter as he had other matters to deal with. While he was still being carried by the force of whatever hit him, another large rock was flying towards him. He braced himself as the rock hit him dead on.
If that was not enough, Naruto appeared under him and kicked him into their air. He did not stop there. He appeared above him again and crashed his right foot on his chest before sending him crashing down the ground like a bullet. The crash was a bit painful, but he was used to this kind of pain.
Slowly, Sasuke got up and spat out some blood. He smirked, ''You are taking this serious now. I guess I should kick it up a notch...''
Before Naruto could even comprehend what the Uchiha was saying, in the blink of an eyes, Sasuke was gripping his face tightly with his right hand. Before he could mount a struggle to get lose from the grip, the Raven head lifted him into the air, before forcefully slamming him down the ground.
Sasuke did not let go of him on that moment. He stomped his foot on his chest, pressing him further down the ground. ''If this is the best you can do, then this will be done quickly,'' the Uchiha stated, as his hand sounding like chirping birds. He drove his Chidori towards Naruto's head, but the blond was able to tilt his quickly to avoid the jutsu. The hand holding the jutsu pierced the ground before the jutsu died down.
Sasuke retrieved his hand before he attempted to punch the blond while he was still down. But Naruto caught the fist with his right hand and quickly held out his left hand. ''You are a little too close to me,'' Naruto stated as Sasuke was blasted away from an invincible force.
Never minding how quickly the Uchiha recovered, Naruto got up and dusted himself. But before he could finish, two heavy kicks from the front and back him brutally. He was certain a few bones in his rib cage broke. The force of both kicks was powerful enough to render him immobile for a few seconds. But that was all that Madara needed.
The elder Uchiha's Susano'o came to life and its blade never shied away from Naruto. It hit him hard while he was still immobile. Had it not been for the haste barrier he put up, it would have possibly cut him in half. Naruto was sent flying instead of being cut in half, and the other end, Sasuke's own Susano'o was waiting for him. Its mighty fist crashed onto him from above and slammed him onto the ground to create another crater.
No time was he given to recover, Sasuke short three arrows down at the crater in quick successions. They were not just normal arrows; they were also coated with Amaterasu. They hit the crater creating an explosion and the black flames to come live within the explosion.
Madara also added his own attack. He formed a large rock above the target before allowing it to drop in a fast speed. His opponent was Naruto; it would not be fair to go easy on him. The rock crashed down on the blond, creating a smoke of dust.
Naruto responded by walking out of the crater in slow movements. But he was not unharmed. It was far from it. He had a couple of bruises what were leaking some blood and as well his mouth. His cloak was torn apart as well as sporting burns. He still looked like he was going for another round.
''I thought you were going to allow Sasuke to have some fun,'' Naruto stated after he got out of the crater he had been nearly buried under. Sasuke noticed something peculiar with Naruto's wounds - they were healing, albeit slowly. He was positive that Madara had noticed it too. But he did not seem too surprised by it.
''You have already started the process of reviving the Juubi. The more time I waste, the Juubi is revived, and since I can't get to it with you standing, it's not good for me. I have to work towards seeing you down,'' Madara responded, ever so calmly.
''Hagoromo no doubt told you that,'' Naruto sighed at the thought. ''The process of reviving the Juubi should be done soon. But don't worry, you will see it after it fully forms.''
''I don't want to see it with you under your feet. If something like that happens, things will end for me,'' Madara was never shy to admit this reality. It was Naruto after all. There was nothing to be embarrassed about.
''Well it can't be helped.'' Naruto said, referring to the fact that if Madara wanted to see the Juubi in his own terms, he would have to bring him down on his knees, and that would not be an easy task.
''Your wounds are healing, have your regained your power?''
''Possibly but not all of it,'' Naruto responded. He wasn't afraid to tell his opponents that he was not at full power. Madara knew it already, so there was no good reason to hide. It was not like it gave them any advantage in this battle. ''Do you know why I'm like this, Madara? Despite the grave internal damage you did to my body, I should've recovered quickly, especially after I'd synchronized with the Gedo Mazo.''
Madara narrowed his eyes at the blond. ''What are you saying?''
''The world is much more than it seems, grandfather. There are things you've not seen, things that even you couldn't hope to comprehend. To understand a bit of the world, you must go back at creation, and ask yourself these questions; how did humans come to be alive? How did the Shinju come to this world? How long have the beings in the summon world been alive?'' Naruto threw at words at Madara's face, looking completely neutral.
''Then, if you were to be asked of those questions, what would be your answer? And what does that have to do with your recovery?'' Madara queried, eyes fully narrowed at Naruto. Just by looking at him, he could see that the blond was very much in the mood to kill some time.
''My answer...that is for another day. Should you be alive after this, you will know of it,'' Naruto responded smiling at a bit. ''The Shinju is a force of nature, if you could say. And there might be such things as gods who watch over humanity. We already have a death god, why didn't we ever implore the possibility of seeing more kinds of gods? Is it because we never saw them? Then if so, who first discover the Shinigami? He isn't of this realm.''
That was just questioning creation itself and to be able to understand it all. ''Are you saying that these other gods don't wish for you to be well?''
Naruto shook his head. ''I'm merely throwing in a possibility. What I do know is that, Hagoromo interferes with my time too much. And the laws of nature are against my evolution. However, I already exist between life and death, such laws can't bind me. Hagoromo thinks that I don't know what he's been up to, but I know it all. Hagoromo isn't the one who interferes, but you don't need to know who.''
''Are you saying that Hagoromo has been interfering with you?''
Naruto nodded. ''He is taught that child a few things,'' he said looking at Sasuke. ''He really doesn't wish for me to become an ''abomination'' but that isn't for him to decide. I've freed myself from the shackles of fate, and tore the script she'd written for me. The heavens are within my grasp, and what you suspect of me is true, Madara.''
Not being part of the conversation, Sasuke chose to attack Naruto. ''Amaterasu,'' he stated as he attempted to set Naruto on fire with Amaterasu.
Naruto merely raised his right hand and the flames came to life right in front of his hand. It did not take long for them to disperse. He looked at Sasuke who was on his right side. ''I can sense your build up of chakra on your left eye. If you want to hit me, you will have to be faster than that,'' he looked back at Madara on his left. ''You used Limbo. Don't you think increasing the numbers is a bit unfair given that it is already two on one?''
Madara shrugged. ''You can also increase if you choose to, or unless you just can't,'' his eyes narrowed at the part of his words. Naruto only had one Rinnegan. Even though he was using his original eyes with the Mangekyou Sharingan, he couldn't use his full power. However, if Naruto was being truthful, it may not matter.
Naruto shook his head. ''That won't do,'' he said. ''My shadows against yours will equal to a draw. How about we just put it on a draw? It is enough that I have to focus on two of you.''
''Fine, then. I can work about with the handicap. But if the situation calls for it, I will bring them out,'' Madara stated smoothly.
''You know grandfather, I know for certain that you are only agreeing to this because you know that they are not effective when your opponent can see them and make them like you do,'' Naruto responded shaking his head.
Sasuke was currently feeling left out of this conversation. He still didn't get how Madara can say that he couldn't waste time but still talk like that. And while they talked, this gave time for Naruto heal himself. His wounds were already closing, and he had not burned that much chakra.
''Perhaps, but it does not really matter,'' Madara stated, he went on to slam both his hands on the ground. The ground beneath Naruto shook and a rock sprouted beneath him taking him to flight. The blond tried well to keep his balance.
This was just target practice for Sasuke. He shot two arrows at Naruto in quick succession. Naruto did not use the weird technique he has been using. A portal just opened up in front of him and swallowed the arrows. Danger averted for the blond.
But Madara still had his own attack coming. He was already charging at the blond with his Susano'o in full force by the time Sasuke short his arrows at Naruto. Upon reaching the blond, its blade cleaved through the rock formation, breaking his support. He did not stop there; another swing was directed at the blond.
For his own health, Naruto raised both his hands to create a shield. Like always, the blade failed to cut him but was able to send him flying away because of its brute power. While Naruto was still being carried by the momentum, Sasuke appeared above him, with his Susano'o.
'Unpredictable... Is it teleportation?' Naruto thought seeing Sasuke above him. He was going to get hit - that was certain.
The fist of Sasuke's Susano'o pummeled him to the ground in blinding speeds. His crash on the precious earth was another crater. Before Naruto could even think of recovering, Madara was right above him. The man punched him hard on the chest, compelling him further on the ground, before he disappeared.
Naruto could only wince and cough up blood in impact of the punch. Despite this and while he was still lying on the ground, he spoke in a calm tone. ''Why don't we talk about my physical change? You never allowed me to talk that last time we met.'' He initiated another conversation again.
''You will tell me about it after I become the Jinchuriki of the Juubi.'' Madara responded dismissively. Though he was curious, he couldn't allow the blond to buy himself more time.
''Last time you made a proclamation like that, you almost drained all of my chakra and nearly killed me by chakra exhaustion. I think I should be scared,'' Naruto stated, looking at the clear sky. The clouds had disappeared; perhaps as an honor of this day.
''But I did not get what I want. I will not fail this time,'' Madara stated in a firm tone. He held both his hands together, channeling chakra. ''Especially given your current condition. I did a number on you last time,'' the legendary Uchiha sounded very much proud about the effort. Well, given Naruto's power, he had to be proud.
Before Naruto could respond, wooden structures fell on him and kept him grounded. He was pinned down on both his legs, restricting his movements; the other was restraining his neck, pinning it down on the ground. His hands were no special to the case. But he still spoke like nothing was wrong.
''You seem positive that my current power is not enough to deal with both of you. But have I truly become weakened? In this condition, what is it that has weakened? Am I really vulnerable to attack?'' Naruto threw a fit of questions, while still looking above. There was nowhere he could look really; his head was locked into the ground after all.
Madara narrowed his eyes. ''If you are as powerful as you were when we met, then why don't you show it to me...'' the Uchiha stated. In their previous encounter, Naruto barely escaped or was it not as it looked?
Sasuke found this certainly curious. Naruto was not the one that said things just for the sake of saying them. According to the Sage of Six paths, Naruto was vulnerable to attack, he wasn't at his most powerful level and this would give them a better chance of defeating them. He wasn't told exactly what happened, but he was getting the feeling that Madara and Naruto fought before this day.
He could see that Naruto's skin looked a bit pale, and his movements were sort of shaky at times. He could see that he used this time of talking to recover. If anything, Naruto's body was tiring rather easily and he used his time well to recover. But it also seemed that hit by hit, the blond was becoming stable and a little stronger.
''You never allowed me to explain my physical change. Perhaps I should explain it now for you to understand what I am about to say,'' Naruto stated, still locked down by the ground by the wooden structures. ''I told you that I killed Zetsu... Well I lied about that. I didn't kill him. My physical change is the result of a fusion if you could say. But I wouldn't call it that, my change is because I consumed Kaguya, her power, body, and mind.''
Madara narrowed his eyes. He was suspecting as much, but he did not think that Naruto would do that. ''How did that come to?''
Sasuke sure that Kaguya was Hagoromo's mother, but that man did not tell him that Naruto had done such a thing. If Naruto had consumed her, then it would explain why he felt much powerful than he was at the Kage summit. If Kaguya was Hagoromo's mother then she too had to be ridiculously strong. By why would Naruto consume her, was it all just for power?
''Kaguya was sealed away by her sons the same time as the Juubi. I won't tell you much of it though. But before she was sealed way, she created Zetsu with the will to revive her. Black Zetsu was never your will, he just latched onto the opportunity to when you thought you were transferring a part of your mind onto white Zetsu. The Uchiha stone tablets were not written by Hagoromo, it was Zetsu's doing.
Zetsu's purpose was the revive Kaguya, and the only one who can revive her was someone with the Rinnegan. Let us not get to history, but you can figure out that Zetsu had been using you. Now then,'' Naruto stated rather calmly. The wooden structures holding him down the ground shattered into small pieces. He then stood up from the crater, ''If have not yet deduced you full potential, but if this is the best you can do, you cannot defeat me. I may end up killing both of you.''
''As you said, you haven't seen our full power. Don't go around making such conclusions before you even see us at our best,'' Sasuke stated, a little annoyed at the dismissive tone Naruto had used.
''I will explain to you my current condition; is only that my body that is weak. However, I can heal from any wound but I can't seem to access some of my abilities. However, it is not a problem to me, the jutsus that are available to me are more than enough for both of you,'' Naruto stated calmly. Still, his lack of the left Rinnegan wasn't much of a bother to him.
Sasuke disappeared from view and appeared before Naruto in an instant. He did not appear to be attacking, as he spoke. ''Like I said, you have not seen our full power. Don't go around underestimating us.''
Naruto only narrowed his eyes. His brows rose up when Sasuke produced his own black ball. This was unexpected. He did not think that such thing was going to happen. But it was nothing he couldn't handle. He quickly disappeared from the Uchiha's sight, but when he appeared to another location, Sasuke was still with him.
Sasuke didn't wait long with him, he made his distance.
Boom!
The ball of black energy exploded in Naruto's face. The blond was quick to shield his face with both his hands as he jumped away from the explosion. His clock was not so lucky to escape from explosion. He was able to shield his body by strengthening his hair to avoid being much damage.
''Weak,'' Naruto muttered. He was referring to the jutsu Sasuke had thrown at him. Before he could continue on his thoughts, Madara appeared behind him. The Uchiha had his palm facing him and without much time wasted. He was forcefully blown away by a silent Shinra Tensei. The force behind the jutsu felt like his body was being pressed down by tons of weight, and it hurt like crap.
He was not given the time to recover, as Sasuke and his clone, armed with Susano'o short multiple arrows at him. Naruto quickly raised both his hands, and used the same technique he had been using before. The arrows that threatened to dip their fangs on his body were dispersed.
Naruto raised his right hand high after recovering, multiple portals opened up in the sky above them. When they did, they started spitting out large chunks of earth in rock formations. But they were shaped as spikes that looked dangerous. The rocks were coming down around the battlefield in fast speeds.
Naruto watched for a second as both Sasuke and Madara danced around the battlefield attempting to run away from the rocks. Without wasting much further time, he was right about Sasuke who was busy trying to dodge the raining rocks. He held out his right hand again and touched the Susano'o. Like last time, it disappeared.
And Naruto moved far quicker than Sasuke expected. He punched the Uchiha straight on his gut with a very brutal punch. He was not done; he spun around and hit Sasuke with another brutal kick on his head. He never allowed Sasuke to be carried by the force of the kick. He grabbed his left leg and slammed the Uchiha down the ground very brutally.
He then turned on Madara; the portals above them had closed. The notorious Uchiha was now looking straight at him. He held out his right hand, and formed a Rasenshuriken, its center being a small orb of black energy like the truth seeking ball. He threw the Jutsu straight at the man. Madara held out both his hands and to shield himself from the jutsu. But it merely exploded upon contact.
''Too much power than I anticipated,'' he muttered.
Naruto looked behind him as he sensed something. Sasuke was already on his feet and the Susano'o alive. He arrow he sort towards him was almost three times is big as the ones he had been shooting, and it came at even faster speed.
The blond knew with that speed, his jutsu could not shatter it in time. He would have to stop it before shattering it. And with the speed, the feet were near impossible. He held out both his hands as the arrow reached him. As the technique flashed before him, he caught the arrow, but its speed pushed him back a few feet back. For what Sasuke thought he would never see, Naruto was doing it; he was struggling with his large arrow with his hands... His HANDS!
While Naruto was still struggling, Madara charged from behind. The sword of his Susano'o cleaving through the ground as it sped towards him. Dangerous. His hands and energy were both tied up in his struggle with the arrow. But before the blade of Madara's Susano'o could reach him, Naruto twisted around on his right, while his hands were still holding the arrow from Susano'o. He directed the arrow to the path of the blade and the two collided, making a shockwave.
Naruto received the full end of it. But Madara was not quite done yet, the second blade of his Susano'o rushed towards Naruto, coming down on his left side. He was at its mercy, and it took him out into the air. He was not given the chance for a breather, Sasuke teleported right above him before slamming him down the ground with a brutal punch to his chest.
By the time Naruto hit the ground, he already had a dislocated shoulder caused by being hit by Madara's blade. He received no pity from his opponents. Sasuke Shot an arrow down at him with the simple purpose of pinning him down the ground while Madara worked. A large rock was thrown down at him, crushing him under its might.
Both waited for a few moments, as everything that was above Naruto was blasted away from him. Naruto, now that he was given a breather, managed to get on his knees. He grimaced at the thought of fixing his dislocated left shoulder. It was not the only thing wrong with him though; His breathing was labored, blood all over his tattered cloak.
Before he could even think of fixing his shoulder, Sasuke appeared in front of him before hitting him with a focused Shinra Tensei. The jutsu sent him hurling into the air, but he was not given the chance to hit any of the rumbles around the clearing. Madara was right above him with a large wooden pole. He swung it downwards with all his might, and hit him with it.
Naruto felt things break upon contact and he coughed some unhealthy amount of blood. And that was before he could even hit the ground. When he did, it felt like he had been cursed by Kami. This was surely a punishment of some sort. He continued to cough more blood while down on the ground on his back.
Naruto held out his right hand, knowing that both his opponents could hear him, he spoke. ''Both of you have Hagoromo's powers. Madara was still powerful on his own right, and he stole some of my power. But I have been able to take some of it back.'' Despite his beaten and broken form, he still spoke like he was okay and his breathing had also calmed down. "I wonder what he was thinking. Well, it doesn't matter," Naruto finished in thought.
''...and you are becoming weaker by the minute,'' Sasuke responded.
Naruto did not say a word for a moment; he stood up from the crater and fixed his left shoulder. He held out both his hands before bringing them back to his sides. ''Shall I see your full power?''
This time it was Madara who responded. ''I guess it can't be helped,'' he said. They were not getting anywhere at the moment. Yes, Naruto was receiving some damage, but he was still healing. What he had noticed was that he was not fully healing. The progress was there, albeit slow. It was not good enough for him.
As though in sync, both Madara and Sasuke activated their perfect Susano'os. Naruto spoke before they could make a move to attack him.'' Although both of you have Hagoromo's power, none of you can access the Truth-Seeking Balls. I thought you were using them, but those are just cheap imitations.''
He was not given a response in words; instead, Sasuke swung the blade of his Susano'o while charging towards him. Naruto jumped into the air before holding out his right hand, ''Shinra Tensei,'' he muttered, releasing a concentrated force on Sasuke's Susano'o. What Sasuke thought could not happen, to his perfect Susano'o occurred - the jutsu forced his Susano'o backwards before it finally stumbled down on its behind.
Sasuke looked straight at Naruto. That was just some powerful force, he thought. It took all his power to maintain his Susano'o while the jutsu hit him. And by the looks of it, Naruto was not pleased with the result. If he was going to test and see just how powerful Naruto was, he would have to stand up and face the blond.
Madara flapped the wings of his Susano'o and took the air above Naruto. The blade of his Susano'o was cleaving through the air as it charged down at Naruto. From the speed, it was certainly dangerous and he could not block something like this. A swing of a perfect Susano'o could cut through a mountain, with his current body; he was by no means stronger than a mountain.
He disappeared into one of his portals and appeared above Madara. Madara's slashed cut through the ground like a knife cutting through butter.
Naruto held out both his hands while still above the Uchiha, Both his palms faced the Susano'o, ''Shinra Tensei,'' again, the same jutsu he did on Sasuke. But in this position, it favored him. Given the weight of the Susano'o, gravity was surely going to work even better.
On cue, Madara's perfect Susano'o was slammed hard by the force of his jutsu and it crashed down the ground in a boom that created a large shockwave. Naruto was not yet done though, he opened a large portal above him and multiple wooden pillars began to appear from it.
Before he could direct them towards Madara, Sasuke acted - the Uchiha shot an arrow that barely missed him. But that was intentional on the Uchiha's part. The arrow was aimed at the portal. The projectile hit the wooden pillars causing them to break apart as an explosion occurred. The portal closed shortly after that.
Madara was at it again, before Naruto could do anything after Sasuke's attack, he short a large blue beam of energy towards the blond. Speed and the amount of power behind the jutsu screamed danger to him. Naruto held out both his hands - his right was opened facing the beam coming from Madara, his left was left facing Sasuke.
Just when Madara's jutsu was about to hit him, portals opened on both his sides, each in front of his hands. The portal on his right consumed the beam of energy from Madara and the portal on his left spat it out, speed doubled and towards Sasuke. The Uchiha brought our both hands of his Susano'o to shield from the beam. When it collided with the Susano'o, an explosion occurred.
The ground beneath the raven head shook for a moment before everything calmed down. Sasuke was not hurt by the jutsu, his Susano'o protected him. Naruto looked down at both his opponents. ''Don't disappoint me,'' he said.
He did not wait for them to attack him though, he held out his right hand, summoning a large black sphere of energy. Madara, knowing the danger, quickly jumped up to the blond and swung his blade towards him. The aim was to cut him in half or at least disrupt his control over the sphere, but Naruto disappeared from view along with the large ball of energy.
He appeared a distance away, still holding the ball. ''Now, then, for a good explosion,'' Naruto started, still floating in the air. ''To be able to survive this attack, you will have to use your natural energy in defense, or else you will all turn to ash,'' after saying those words, Naruto threw the large sphere of energy between the two perfect Susano'os.
Upon hitting the ground, the ball exploded into a large mushroom of debris that shook the entire battlefield. Naruto simply watched with a smile on his face before he descended down the ground. A second later, he was on one knee coughing up some blood. That was to be expected. He had already received much damage on his body and he really should not be using high powered speed to move about, especially when carrying something like a truth seeking ball of that magnitude.
It was putting a lot of pressure on his body. If he didn't do something quickly, he would surely lose this battle. His chakra reserves were being drained much faster than normal.
Naruto then stood up, and wiped the blood off his lips. He was put on alert as both Sasuke and Madara charged at him - both still had their Susano'os activated.. The former was doing so using the ground, while the other used the air. And in an instant, their swords sped towards him, cutting through the air, and Naruto was put in the situation he was put before while they were still at his palace.
This time though, he was able to defend himself well. He blocked both swords using his manipulation of wind and gravity. But the ground beneath him wasn't very much lucky. The contact of his defense jutsu and the two blades caused a large shockwave that reached inside his own heart, giving it so much pressure that he thought it would explode. The ground beneath him turned into a large crater due to the force of the attacks.
Both Madara and Naruto Sasuke retrieved their weapons, allowing Naruto to breathe. He needed it. His whole body nearly absorbed the power of two swings from two Susano'os. That was just playing dangerous. The effects of his dangerous play did not do well to his body at all. Naruto dropped to his knees coughing up blood, hands on his chest. He really should not have done that.
Although Madara didn't say anything, he felt proud and was very much awed by the feat Naruto had achieved. He didn't block just a swing from a Susano'o, he blocked slashes from two Perfect Susano'os, and that was a feat no one could reach, especially when they weren't using some big to catch the blade.
What he had discovered so far about Naruto's jutsu was that it was gravity that he was manipulation. The basic manipulation the Rinnegan offered was to push and pull things towards him. Naruto was using it on another level, somehow, he was able to distort the space around him, slow time down for a second and then create a wall but didn't push things from him, no, he stopped them from reaching him.
However, that wasn't all there was to the jutsu. He'd seen it before with Sasuke's arrows; Naruto was able to make him disperse upon stopping them, depending on the size, speed and power. He could guess that it was because of his ability to nullify all forms of ninjutsu. However, he'd thought to be able to nullify Ninjutsu; you'd need the truth-seeking balls. Naruto only used them for attacking, not for defense, why?
Despite Naruto's condition, his opponents felt no pity for him. Sasuke cleaved through the ground with his blade, but Naruto was only hit by the powerful gusts of wind it produced. Given his current state, the winds forced him into the sky and Madara was right above him, without his Susano'o though. Naruto cursed when Madara used Limbo Hengoku on him. Two shadows of Madara did him no favor when they both brutally pummeled him to the ground.
Yes, something definably broke as he hit the ground, worse, his left shoulder had dislocated again. Blood was now freely matching out of his mouth as he stayed down the ground. If the shadows brutality was not enough, Madara crashed both his feet on his chest. The reaction from the blond was in an instant and it was a bit pitiful. More blood being spat out. If things continued, he would bleed all of his blood.
What was also certain was that he was not going to stand on his feet for a few minutes. "Grandfather, don't you find it odd that despite having the Rinnegan, Sasuke can't see your shadows?" Naruto asked a puzzling question at the elder Uchiha.
Madara looked at Sasuke for a moment, it was indeed odd. One with the Rinnegan should be able to see them, but by the looks of things, Sasuke couldn't see them, why? He shook his head; Naruto was doing rather in stalling for time by asking those kinds of questions that would get him to think. He held his hands together, "Tengai Shinsei."
Just when Naruto was thinking of getting some rest, a large meteorite came crashing down towards him. ''You have to be kidding me. Perhaps grandfather wishes to kill me,'' despite saying so, he only sounded amused by the thought. No fear of death came close to him; these two couldn't kill him. He slowly held both his hands together as the meteorite seemingly crushed him under its weight.
The ground shook violently as the large rock from space pummeled earth under its might. Naruto would not have surely survived if something like that hit him. And Madara and Sasuke had used their abilities to stay away from the path of the space rock. The shaking of the ground settled down, debris cleared, and another slope of the battleground was introduced.
Naruto appeared above the battle ground, floating in air, he was still in the same position as he was when he hit the ground. ''Sasuke,'' the blond called, without even looking at the raven head Uchiha. ''Depending on the answer you give me after this, you will live or die.''
Given the current condition Naruto was in, Sasuke only scoffed. ''Yeh, right,'' he agreed sarcastically. But Naruto didn't respond.
''You did well you dodge that. But it appears that you can't fight anymore. Then I won't waste much time,'' Madara stated, holding a single hand seal. He shot multiple chakra rods straight at the blond, but they never reached him. They were blasted away by another invincible force, and Naruto quickly got to his feet while still in air.
Despite his wounds and injury, he still looked fine with the expression on his face. ''The Juubi has finally been revived,'' he announced. ''Do you know something Madara? The Gedo Mazo was locked deep within my palace. I only released it when I wanted to revive the Juubi. I've also been holding back some of my chakra to keep my special dimension from collapsing...'' a very, very large portal opened above the sky. Naruto continued speaking. ''This is why my wounds took too long to heal. While my body has been weak, I still had much power. However, my body is just weak to handle it all. This is what Hagoromo meant when he said I am vulnerable. Now, then, say hello to the Ten-tails.''
Sasuke widened his eyes as the thing called the Ten-Tails dropped out of the portal above them. It was ridiculously huge. He thought that Bijuus were big, but this thing just made the Nine-tails looks like a pet fox. Despite its ridiculous size, it landed on the ground gracefully, but it did shake the ground a bit.
Before Madara or Sasuke could do anything, both found themselves surrounded by truth-seeking balls. ''You should never take your eyes on your opponent, even if he is down.'' Naruto stated. He did not wish for them to interfere. ''This won't kill you, but it will hurt you.'' Then, the spheres of energy exploded.
''Now, then, I will have to seal the Juubi inside of me to begin things. Without my left eye, I can't do things the way I would have liked. But I this will still get me to the same point,'' Naruto stated, as he went through hand seals.
''I did not expect him to have hid these things around me,'' Madara stated, as he watched the very thing he did not want happening, Naruto becoming the Jinchuriki of the Juubi. He had already used his other trump card. Naruto knew he wouldn't be allowed to seal the Juubi inside of him without interference; that is why he held them back with the truth-seeking balls.
He could say that it was a perfect diversion; it had rendered him unable to do anything but watch.
''What is happening?'' Sasuke questioned, shielding his eyes as the Juubi seemed to disappear and winds began to pick up.
''Naruto is becoming the Jinchuriki of the Juubi,'' Madara responded, so casually as though it did not bother him.
''Aren't you going to stop him?'' Sasuke was starting to panic a little. He knew that the Bijuus were powerful, and if Naruto became the Jinchuriki of the Juubi, he would be hard to beat.
''I can't stop him at this moment,'' Madara responded, sitting down on one of the rocks around the area. Once Naruto started doing the hand seals, he couldn't do anything. When Naruto was doing the required hand seals, he couldn't even move because those cursed truth-seeking balls had surrounded him before exploding, allowing the blond to finish the hand seals.
Naruto would come out soon, and if things go as predicted, he would choose to talk first.
A few moments later, a shockwave blasted the debris that had picked up, leaving the battlefield cleared. Naruto was seen standing above the other Uchiha's. But his appearance did not look as what Madara had imagined. Naruto no longer possessed his blond hair, his hair had now turned pitch black, it was long enough to reach his waist; a down grade from its previous length. His hair also had flashes of red in mixture; a bang still covered his right eye. He was wearing black pants, with no shoes, white bandages covered his feet. His upper body was also wearing white bandages from waist up to his shoulders. The bandages were also on both his hands. The last piece of clothing was a long sleeveless black coat that was hanging over his shoulders, it also had high collar. The coat reached down on his feet; on the back of his coat, there was a pattern of 8 red magatama. He also wore a necklace which was made up of six magatama. He was holding the same shakujo Hagoromo carried and there were 8 truth-seeking balls floating on his back. He'd also regained his left Rinnegan and it had also taken a change, it was the eye of the Juubi.
From, this, Madara was sure something was wrong in the picture. And Naruto's presence felt ominous.
Naruto held out his free left hand, ''So my human form is dominated by the Senju, Uchiha and Uzumaki DNA in me,'' he thought before looking down. ''Sasuke, depending on your answer, you will live or die - forget Naruto said that.'' the sage spoke in a smooth tone, that displayed no emotion, yet it was different from the one he always used. It felt natural for him to speak like that.
This forced Sasuke to question, ''Who are you?''
''I am the Omnipresent Sage. But this world will know me as Kami - for I have existed before humans were even created, I am the force of nature, I am the one for brings order and balance into this world.'' It was a response to Sasuke that the sage gave.
''Don't make me laugh, Naruto. You are just 17 years old, and I am even older than you. How can you say that you existed before humans, and why do you say humans like you are not one?'' Sasuke questioned, now glaring up at the blond.
''That is because he is no longer human,'' Madara responded, shocking Sasuke. ''If I am correct, he fused with the Juubi, but still maintained this form. But if he so wills he can change into the Juubi, just as he can do with Kaguya. It is like a fusion of three minds, but Naruto's mind is the basis. He is Kaguya, Naruto and the Juubi. So he has every right to say he has been alive before humans were created. He is not the Jinchuriki of the Juubi, no, he is something else the world has never seen.''
''You got to be freaking kidding me! How do we stop him then?''
Madara was silent for a few moments. ''It seems impossible. My last card won't even work on him - he is immortal. Kaguya was immortal and so was the Juubi. Since he is both of them, he is gained their immortality,'' Madara paused for a moment. ''Is this your decision to get rid of the Bijuus to make sure that there are no more Jinchurikis?''
''That seems to have been the thought of before all this.'' The sage paused for a moment. ''There won't be any Bijuus for all eternity, as they are part of me. The Bijuus were created from me after all. Hagoromo created them using my chakra, so no one should complain and neither can the Bijuus.''
''That logic...'' Madara shook his head. ''You have completely erased your humanity. But you still have your memories of being human.''
''Can the process be reversed, and take the Juubi away from him?'' Sasuke question, looking at bit impatient.
''No,'' Madara shook his head. He was becoming a little annoyed with Sasuke. At any second, he was going to end up killing him.
Before Sasuke could respond, the sage appeared before them. What he did notice was Madara's surprise. Sasuke widened his eyes when he saw a truth seeking ball attached to Madara's gut. He had not seen that happening. Even though he was going to die, Madara smiled, ''At least I had some fun. And the world will be a little better with you managing it.''
The Uchiha turned into ash after a bright explosion.
The very thing that surprised Sasuke was the fact that Naruto's expression never changed, not even a little. He did not even look when Madara turned to ash. It was like he was not the least concerned about it. Wasn't Madara his grandfather? How could he remain like that after killing his only alive family?
When Sasuke looked into Naruto's left eye, he saw nothing. It was very different from before. ''Now then...I shall take Hagoromo's power - it is reminding me too much of him.'' Even though the tone gave no emotions, to Sasuke, it felt natural that Naruto speak like that. It was like there was nothing wrong with the way he was talking.
The omnipresent sage snapped his fingers and time stopped moving. The ground beneath Sasuke shook and roots sprouted out from the ground. He snapped his fingers again, and before Sasuke could finger what was happening, the roots quickly surrounded him and sucked out all of Hagoromo's power. His left eye closed for a moment before opening again - the Rinnegan was gone.
He then turned away from Sasuke as the roots returned to ground. ''I should first destroy all the nonsense Black Zetsu left behind and take my eye from white Zetsu.''
Sasuke glared at the back of the sage. ''Are you forgetting about me?''
It was then that the sage turned to face the Uchiha. The look the teen was giving him did not concern him. ''What is it?''
''The Sage said you would eventually destroy Konoha, is this true and will it be out of revenge?''
''Revenge? I have no such emotions, Uchiha. There is only redemption and purification that rotten village and Any method I think justifiable will be used.'' Naruto responded looking straight at Sasuke.
''What gives you the right to purify Konoha and redeem it?'' Sasuke questioned in a firm tone, eyes glaring at the other Uchiha.
Before the sage could even respond, he let go of his shakujo and clutched his head. Sasuke did not even get the chance to ask what had happened because Naruto suddenly disappeared along with his staff.
''What the hell just happened?''
Imperial Palace
Naruto could be seen sitting on the remains of his throne, eyes closed.
Hagoromo appeared in front of Naruto and spoke. ''So, this is your curse?''
''It appears so,'' Naruto responded, opening his left eye.
''You knew about it, this is why you had Guren take charge of your Kingdom from the beginning. This also explains a lot of things. However, it must be a pain for you know that you are cursed into remaining in this palace for all eternity.''
Naruto shook his head. ''I've told you that there was nothing impossible for Uchiha Naruto, Hagoromo. In about an hour these binds will not be able to hold me and I shall set forth to prepare the stage for Konoha,'' he spoke rather calmly. ''Now, I guess this is checkmate, how should I punish you?''
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット