Chương 2205: 16
Notes:
Almost at the end! A little bit more wrapping up this chapter, and then next chapter will be a time skip and an epilogue. This was one of those chapters that I just kept staring at and struggled to put my thoughts together. I hope it turned out ok!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Their plan was simple, in theory: they would split into two groups and deal with their remaining problems simultaneously.
The two Sannin were, at Master Jiraiya's request, heading to Amegakure to speak with his former students about destroying the Rinnegan. Considering how adament she'd been about not setting foot in Konoha again, Tsunade was surprisingly reluctant to leave her post at the hospital. She'd gotten into a good rhythm, and only agreed to go with her teammate when her apprentice promised to keep an eye on the hospital in her stead.
Jiraiya also admitted that, once they'd successfully dealt with the immediate world-ending threat, he was hoping that he and Tsunade could search for their third teammate. The Toad Sage had pestered Kushina into getting information about Orochimaru from Kurama, then used the information to convince himself that they needed to try to change the snake's future too. Kurama liked the idea of removing the Snake Sannin from play so that the Nidaime's reanimation technique wouldn't be used like it had been in the fox's time. Except, Kurama's suggestion for dealing with the snake was far more violent and permanent than Jiraiya was willing to entertain.
Once Tsunade's presence was no longer a constant necessity at the hospital, the two Sannin left without any additional fanfare, leaving Tsunade's apprentice in charge in her stead. Jiraiya was confident that they would not run into any trouble, given how receptive his former students had been the last time they'd met. Still, he left a series of Minato's hiraishin markers hidden along the way, as far apart as Minato's range would allow him to travel in one jump. If he got into trouble, Minato could get there in mere minutes if his master needed backup.
That left their second team in charge of finding and sealing Black Zetsu. Minato obviously couldn't come with her and Kakashi, but he didn't like the idea of sending them without more backup. Fugaku couldn't be spared either, given his role as head of the police and the Uchiha themselves, but Kushina was both thrilled and surprised about the alternative that presented itself.
"Are you absolutely certain you're up for this?" Fugaku asked, again, looking uncharacteristically open about his concern.
"I may be rusty," Mikoto repeated to her husband, "but I'm not completely out of shape. I know I'm not going to be a frontline fighter but I can confidently provide backup." The woman had the patience of a saint, showing not even the slightest bit of irritation over having to continuously soothe her husband's worries.
The clan head was frowning, watching his wife nonchalantly pack her bag. Kushina couldn't stop staring at the scene, feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation at the idea of taking a mission with her friend again for the first time in years. Kakashi, at least, pretended to not be eavesdropping in the other room. He'd roped Itachi into helping him with shuriken maintenance, since they no longer needed to find excuses to get the kid out of the room when discussing their plans. It was a surprisingly thoughtful gesture from Kakashi, keeping the younger boy occupied. Despite his normally age-defying stoicism, apparently the thought of his mother leaving on a potentially dangerous mission was enough to make him visibly distressed.
Fugaku was still not convinced. "You've just been off active duty for so long. Are you absolutely certain?"
"I have kept up with some training," she reminded him, "even if it is not as intense as when I was an active jounin." Mikoto tied on her weapons pouch, securing it over her leg. "I'm really just planning on being support. Kakashi is still adjusting to being a jinchuuriki, Kushina needs more back up."
Fugaku looked like he was sucking on a lemon, so Kushina tried to reassure him. "Kurama doesn't think Zetsu will be nearly as strong as it was before," she explained. "But he says it's really slippery. It would be good to have more Sharingan in the field to keep an eye on it." She gave the clan head what she hoped was a reassuring thumbs up.
The man's lips were pressed into a thin line. "I know I can't stop you," he sighed, "but I still don't like it."
Technically, he probably could stop her. Or at least, he could order her not to go. Mikoto likely wouldn't pick a fight if he did. Fortunately, he did not seem to be interested in acting on that particular idea, even if he wasn't shy about making his displeasure known.
"Will you be ok taking care of the boys on your own?" Mikoto asked. She'd been their primary caretaker since Itachi was born. It was more traditional for their clan, for the wife to be the homemaker, plus Fugaku didn't exactly have a lot of availability as head of the clan.
"We will make do. Itachi is fairly self-sufficient," he reminded them. "As for Sasuke, the Hokage has already set a precedent for bringing toddlers to important meetings." Fugaku didn't quite smile, but the corner of his lips did twitch with amusement.
Apparently, the combination of the statement and the gesture turned out to be the Uchiha equivalent of a hilarious joke. Mikoto openly laughed, and even Itachi didn't hold back an obvious smile. Kushina made brief eye contact with Kakashi, who shrugged in response.
Without any further arguments, the three of them set off the next day at first light. Tears were shed at the prospect of leaving their family (Kushina), stoic promises were made to the Hokage (Kakashi), and one cranky toddler was soothed (Mikoto).
Their first stop was a place none of them were looking forward to visiting, but it was the only lead they had; they were starting at Black Zetsu's last known location. That meant they were starting at the place where Obito had become the monster that would help destroy an entire reality. It was not going to be a pleasant trip. Kakashi especially was looking particularly nauseated about their destination.
When they left the village, it was in silence. They leapt through the trees, all of them feeling the weight of their mission, and the hopes of those left behind. It wasn't a trip they could make in a single day, even if they were pushing themselves, which they were not. They weren't in a rush, and it was obvious that Kakashi was not looking forward to revisiting the site where his teammate had begun his descent into madness.
They ended up stopping for the night, making camp just before the border of Fire. The war may be over, but that didn't mean the world was truly at peace. It would be much safer to camp in Fire and cross the border during the day to finish their journey. They were at least slightly less likely to be attacked on this side of the border.
Kushina placed a handful of seals around their camp to hide their presence, and Mikoto reinforced them with genjutsu. Meanwhile, Kakashi added in a handful of traps, then went out to forage and hunt for some dinner. By the time he returned, Kushina and Mikoto had set up their camp and started a campfire that was skillfully hidden by a combination of fuuinjutsu and genjusu.
While they were searing some kind of unseasoned, unidentified rodent meat, Mikoto wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I think I blocked out all of my memories of eating stale ration bars and gamey bushmeat. This is a part of going on missions that I can't say I missed."
Kushina teased, "Gotten a little soft during your time off?"
"Oh please." Mikoto waved a hand dismissively. "You'd be surprised how similar raising a child prodigy is to an A-ranked mission. This is nothing compared to when Itachi learned how to ask 'why' when he was two. And of course it wasn't just the usual kid questions, it was complicated enough that I had to sneak out to the library a few times to find the answers he wanted."
"I remember," Kushina mused. "You showed up at my house in the middle of the night because he almost gave you an existential crisis."
Kakashi poked at the fire with a stick. "Thanks for the reminder of why I don't deal with children."
Kushina hummed in understanding. "Right. Except we promised Kurama you would be Naruto's jounin instructor."
Kakashi dropped the stick in shock. "What?"
Smiling innocently, Kushina asked, "Did Minato and I forget to mention that?"
Kakashi just glared at her, before turning his head away to subtly pull his mask away for a bite of bland game meat. Kushina snickered at Kakashi's indignation. She grinned and added, "You'll be teaching Sasuke too, and a girl we haven't met yet. Doesn't that sound like fun?"
"Not in the slightest," Kakashi grumbled.
"Take it up with Kurama, then," Kushina teased. "You don't expect us to break a promise we made to him, do you?"
Kakashi paused, one hand reaching toward his mask, the other still holding his meal. His brow furrowed. "Oh, don't you start. It's not funny." He paused again. "It's not, Isobu."
Kushina shook her head fondly as Kakashi quietly bickered with Isobu. Mikoto had a small smile on her face as well, but her eyes were troubled as she stared into the fire. She pulled the stick that had her meal skewered out of the fire, looking at it far too intently. Kushina waited for her friend to gather her thoughts.
"I can't help but think about what Kurama showed me," Mikoto explained after an extended silence. "Thinking about Sasuke on a genin team, I just know how wrong it can all go."
Kakashi coughed awkwardly at the change in topic, doing his best to make it look like he couldn't hear their conversation. Kushina patted her friend's arm sympathetically. "I understand. Sometimes I think about how alone Naruto could have been and it makes me both simultaneously depressed and furious."
"What if we haven't stopped all of it?" Mikoto asked, sounding desperate.
"We have," Kushina insisted.
Mikoto laughed softly. "I wish I had that Uzumaki optimism."
"It's not just optimism, I know it for a fact," Kushina responded. "We've changed things. All of us, and Kurama. We won't let it happen."
Mikoto just smiled sadly, and took a few bites of her meal. Kushina removed her own skewer from the fire, holding it aside so it could cool. She didn't take her eyes off her friend.
"So, uh, speaking of the, um, less desirable future," Kushina said carefully, "I never got the chance to say I was sorry. For keeping it from you, y'know? I would understand if you were upset with me."
Raising an eyebrow, Mikoto responded, "Honestly? I'm not. What could you have done, told me completely out of the blue that the Kyuubi time traveled and said that my entire clan was wiped out in an alternate timeline?" She shrugged. "It was a difficult enough story to believe with context and evidence, I probably would have thought you lost your mind if you just brought it up randomly."
"Thanks," Kushina responded dryly, but she was definitely relieved to learn that Mikoto wasn't angry about her secret keeping.
"I know that you were doing everything possible to prevent that future," Mikoto added. "So if anything, I should be thanking you."
"Nah," Kushina grinned. "That's what friends are for, right?"
Mikoto stifled a snort of laughter. "For preventing cataclysmic alternate realities?"
"Obviously!"
The two of them laughed, and Kakashi joined in with a few of his own light chuckles. It left them in a much lighter mood than when they'd set out from Konoha, but they knew it would be gone by morning. Their mission was too high stakes for such a thing to last.
—------------------------------
They crossed the border in the morning, after a quick breakfast of ration bars and foraged berries. They didn't know exactly where they were going, so they were getting as close to the remnants of Kannabi Bridge as possible. From there, Kakashi assured them he would have at least some sense of where to go. There was no way of knowing if they'd find their target when they arrived at their destination, but it was the only lead they had. From Kurama's memories, and their knowledge of Obito's fate, they knew that Black Zetsu had at least been in this general area at some point.
Kushina and Mikoto let Kakashi take the lead as he became more sure about the direction of their destination. Afterall, he was the only one who had ever been here before. Not that Kakashi was looking forward to going back, but they were certainly all eager to officially put the possibility of Kurama's horrific future to rest.
Fortunately, they didn't run into any enemy patrols, but they were on edge during the entire journey. Their group had to take a wide arc or double-back a few times to avoid potential conflicts. It would not look good for Minato if any Konoha shinobi were found snooping around, but particularly his own wife and the village's new, illegitimate jinchuuriki.
Eventually, Kakashi seemed to key in on one particular trail or direction. He became laser focused and explained, "Obito had his Sharingan active the whole time we were looking for Rin, and then for everything after, so I remember every detail about where he–" Kakashi cut himself off with a wince. "I'm starting to recognize things."
Kushina tried to give him a sympathetic look, but Kakashi was avoiding her gaze. He led them on, pushing through forest with a single-minded determination. They continued on for another few hours, until Kakashi stopped suddenly without any warning. The two of them stopped just as abruptly beside him.
Kakashi glanced around silently for a few moments, deep in thought. There was nothing particularly of note around them, just nature. At least, that's what Kushina would have assumed if she didn't see the forlorn expression on Kakashi's face. He pointed at an unassuming pile of rocks in front of him. "That's it. It was there."
"You don't have to be here for this part," Kushina assured the teen.
Kakashi didn't reply, taking a shaky step forward toward the pile of rocks. Kushina almost asked if he was sure this was the right spot, because how could he possibly tell? It had been years since Kannabi Bridge and the cave-in. Moss was growing over the uneven surface, and opportunistic plants sprouted through the cracks. It looked just like any other pile of rocks, but the look on Kakashi's face told her it was the pile of rocks. So she didn't ask.
"Obito would have been nearly dead when they found him," Kushina said, forcing herself not to focus on Kakashi's grimace. "Wherever they took him, it must be nearby. He wouldn't have survived a long journey."
Mikoto was scanning the area with her Sharingan active, but she didn't seem to notice anything useful. She shook her head slightly when Kushina glanced at her. Kakashi hadn't moved, still staring forlornly at the place where his life had been turned upside down. Unconsciously, he reached up toward his gifted eye, probably thinking too much about the day he got it.
They kept searching, moving around boulders and utilizing Kakashi's ninken. Of course, Obito's scent was long gone, but they kept their noses to the ground in search of anything else suspicious. Nothing turned up, and Kushina started to wonder if maybe it was the wrong pile of rocks afterall.
Kushina almost said so, but then Kakashi straightened up and dismissed his ninken. "Isobu senses…something."
Without offering a more useful explanation, Kakashi started following an invisible trail, likely guided by the Sanbi's instructions. Kushina and Mikoto followed closely behind, keeping their guard up as Kakashi led them deeper into the surrounding forest. There was no clear trail to follow, or any kind of indication of where they were going, but Kakashi followed the bijuu's instructions without hesitation.
Eventually, they found themselves at a dead end, blocked by an impenetrable wall of earth. Part of the mountain, maybe. There didn't appear to be any kind of entrance, or signs of life, but Kakashi didn't move away from the earth wall. He was still and silent, not immediately relaying whatever Isobu was telling him.
Kushina was not a patient woman. She did not want to sit and wait, completely out of the loop while the fate of the world was potentially hanging in the balance. "So…?" she pressed, looking at Kakashi expectantly.
Kakashi glanced back at her, looking worn and wary. "Under the mountain. I don't quite understand what Isobu says he's sensing, but he says it's definitely important."
"Alright," she sighed, "we better get digging, then."
Of course, they didn't really dig, at least not manually. A combination of earth-style techniques, bijuu chakra, and Sharingan-directed demolition allowed them to tunnel through the mountain with impressive efficiency. Kakashi remained at the front of the trio, guiding their tunnel-making with the help of Isobu's unheard directions.
Eventually, they stopped hitting resistance. The three of them crawled out of their makeshift tunnel, entering a large cavern. It was empty, their senses told them, but too dark to see without external lighting. Mikoto was fashioning them torches, when Kakashi suddenly became alight with glowing red bijuu chakra. He blinked a few times in surprise, then muttered a quiet "thank you" to his over-enthusiastic tenant.
The glowing chakra, along with the torches Mikoto produced for them, provided just enough light to explore the open cavern. There wasn't much, but there were a few undeniable signs of life. A bed, covered in dirty, tattered sheets. Scuff marks on the floors and walls. Discarded bandages and wrappings, long forgotten. And–
"What is that ?" Mikoto asked, using her Sharingan to analyze the most obvious and unique feature in the cavern.
A massive statue with a gaping mouth, as if twisted into a perpetual scream. She recognized it from Kurama's memories of his future. The husk that would contain all the bijuu and become the Juubi.
" The Gedo Statue," a voice that was definitely not Kakashi's said from out of Kakashi's mouth. "It is what remains of the Juubi, on this plane of existence."
Obviously, the explanation came from Isobu. The bijuu had taken enough temporary control to tell them what they were seeing, before retreating back into the seal. The transition between the Sanbi's control and Kakashi's control was visible. When Isobu had spoken, using his jinchuuriki's body, he'd been wary and on guard, as one would expect from a creature that hides in its shell at the first sign of danger. When he released control back to Kakashi, his entire demeanor shifted back into an aggressive, battle-ready stance.
"We should get rid of it, then," Kakashi reasoned. "Seems like it would be pretty important for ending the world."
Kushina didn't disagree, but there were a few logistical concerns. "I didn't exactly come prepared to seal something this large. I'll need some time to prepare."
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," a new voice cooed, sickly sweet. "You've already messed up enough of my plans as it is, I cannot allow any more disruptions."
The three of them shifted closer together, into their previously agreed upon defensive formation. How had none of them noticed an enemy approaching? None of them were sensors, sure, but Kakashi's natural senses made it extremely difficult to sneak up on him. Plus, most Uzumaki were naturally more in tune with surrounding chakra and presences, so Kushina should have noticed something . And then there was Mikoto with her active Sharingan, who should have picked up on even the most subtle movement in the cavern.
From within the walls of the mountain, a barely formed, dark shape emerged. It settled in the heavy shadows of the cavern, peering out at them with a pair of yellow eyes.
The creature was recognizable from the nightmare that constituted Kurama's final memories. Apparently, their hunch on where to start looking for Black Zetsu had been right. It was not a very comforting thought, given how easily the creature had snuck up on them. She didn't like being at a disadvantage so early in a fight.
"That's it," Kushina told her companions, "that's Zetsu."
If the creature was surprised at Kushina's recognition, it didn't show it. " You are well informed," it mused. "What else do you know?"
Kushina almost laughed at the question. "Everything. We know about you, and your mother, and your plans for the world."
This time, the creature did appear to be caught off guard. Its form shuddered in the shadows, yellow eyes narrowing in anger. " Oh? So my other half was not mistaken, then. Obito truly did betray us." It hissed in displeasure, incorrectly assuming their source of information. "I told Madara he was more trouble than he was worth. We should have disposed of him when we had the chance."
Kakashi bristled at the statement, the Sanbi's chakra flaring in response. "You should have never laid a hand on him."
Zetsu noticed the intensity of Kakashi's response and grinned darkly. "Would you rather we left him to die?"
"Don't act like what you did for him was a kindness," the teen growled, sounding rougher than usual.
"It certainly wasn't," the creature agreed. "Obito was only ever meant to be a pawn for us, and he wasn't even a particularly useful one, in the end. You seemed to have undone all of our hard work so easily."
The conversation was taking its toll on Kakashi. He was visibly angry, in a way that Kushina rarely saw from him. "Stop it," he snarled.
"Stop speaking the truth?" the creature taunted. "In the end, the boy was nothing but a failed experiment. But I will admit, it was entertaining, playing puppet master for a while." Its grin widened. "He was such a gullible pawn."
"Shut up!" Kakashi was seething now, the Sanbi's chakra flaring wildly around him. "Obito wasn't your plaything, or your pawn. Even after everything you did to him, in the end, he still chose to do the right thing. He still chose to turn against you."
"An inconvenience, I admit, but nothing more," Zetsu responded flippantly.
"After everything you did to him, that's all you have to say? You kept him here, in this horrible dark, disgusting place," Kakashi lamented, looking between the dirty, rumpled bed sheets and the imposing statue. "You twisted him into something, and made him your pawn. You…you…" Kakashi was spirling, and Kushina realized far too late what would happen next.
Kakashi shook uncontrollably, starting the creature in front of them down with a fury that Kushina had never seen before from the teen. He growled, a noise that was clearly not completely human, and Kushina saw the beginnings of a jinchuuriki transformation.
"Kakashi, Isobu, don't! You need to calm down!" she reasoned. "If you lose control down here, you could trap us. We'll take care of Zetsu, just keep it together!"
She reached out toward Kakashi, but immediately pulled her hand back when she felt the familiar burn of angry bijuu chakra. The teen whirled on her, just as the Sanbi's chakra turned corrosive and malicious. His pupil in his non-Sharingan eye was slitted, and his nails had started to sharpen. Kushina did notice that the transformation didn't seem to be quite the same as what she'd experienced with Kurama. When she'd undergone a one or two-tailed transformation, her features had become more animal-like too, but more like the fox sealed within her. It seemed that some jinchuuriki features were the same regardless of which bijuu was sealed within them, but some must be unique to each beast.
Instead of the lithe, fox-like characteristics that Kushina remembered from her own transformations, Kakashi grew armored scales on his arms and face. It made sense, given that Isobu was functionally a giant turtle, but she'd never seen another jinchuuriki lose control before so she hadn't realized each transformation would be different.
Before Kushina could approach Kakashi again, hoping to calm him down, she was yanked back by their third companion. Mikoto held her arm tightly, and shook her head. "Don't. He's not in control right now. Neither of them are."
"Don't you think I know that better than anyone?!" Kushina snapped at her friend.
Mikoto, used to her friend's temper, remained calm as Kushina seethed. "Yes but you've never been on the other side of a jinchuuriki's rampage. I have," she reminded her.
Kushina winced at the reminder. Mikoto had seen her lose control of the Kyuubi once before, in the early days of their friendship. It was how she found out that Kushina was a jinchuuriki in the first place. Kushina thought it would ruin their friendship, but Mikoto had stuck by her, even visiting her in the hospital while she recovered from the damage done by the Kyuubi's chakra.
"I just thought–" Kushina grimaced as she watched Kakashi immediately go into a two-tailed state. "Maybe since he and Isobu aren't fighting for control, I might be able to get through to one of them."
She'd told Kakashi that strong emotions might still make him lose control, but she hadn't expected to find out that she was right quite so soon. Isobu might not be actively trying to influence Kakashi or escape, but it was still second-nature for bijuu chakra to respond to such intense anger and hatred. The bijuu likely didn't have any more control over the situation than Kakashi did. His jinchuuriki's rage was his own, and he would respond accordingly.
Throughout the transformation, and Kushina's uncertainty, Black Zetsu appeared unconcerned. "Oh? Was that boy precious to you? Perhaps you would like to hear about his suffering, then." It grinned darkly. "He was in pieces when we found him, and writhing in delicious agony. We had to put him back together, and the process was not smooth. Human screams are music to me, and his were like a symphony."
Whatever semblance of control that Kakashi may have had was completely severed in the wake of the creature's taunts. He ran at the creature on all fours, snarling viciously. Zetsu disappeared into the shadows, as if melting away. It reappeared across the room, formless other than a pair of beady yellow eyes and a set of pointed teeth. It waited long enough for the angry jinchuuriki to notice where it went, then slipped away once again. Based on the dark laughter resonating from the creature, it seemed to be enjoying the impromptu game of tag.
"You'll have to do better than that!" it teased in a sing-song voice, slipping into the shadows just before Kakashi could slash through it with a set of piercing chakra claws.
As Kushina had feared, the cavern wasn't handling the rampaging jinchuuriki well. Chunks of stone larger than their heads fell from the ceiling as the creature goaded Kakashi into slamming into a wall. He snarled and recovered quickly, chasing after a shadow with yellow-eyes and a condescending laugh.
It knew what it was doing, using the confined space and the jinchuuriki's anger. The creature was trying to bring the cave down around them. She and Mikoto could flee, but they'd have to leave Kakashi behind. Maybe he'd survive a cave-in while in his jinchuuriki state, but Kushina would never take that risk.
Kushina side-stepped an impressively sized chunk of the ceiling that nearly landed on top of her. Mikoto was doing the same, her Sharingan making it easy enough to dodge falling debris. She wasn't as nimble as she used to be, considering she hadn't been on a real mission in years, but she certainly wasn't out of shape.
"Is there anything that might help calm him down?" Mikoto asked.
"What, like a secret jinchuuriki calming technique?" Kushina snarked in response. "No, nothing I can–" she turned back toward her friend as the idea hit her. Why didn't she think of this before? "Use your Sharingan on him!"
Mikoto shook her head. "I don't have the Mangekyou, I can't control bijuu."
"No, but you can enter the mindscape," she reminded the other woman. "Like you did with Naruto and Kurama."
She barely remembered anything about her rampages from when she'd been the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. What she did remember was red. Red chakra, red in her vision, red spilling from her enemies. She remembered the rage and lack of control. But Kurama had been trying to escape, and to influence her. He'd been actively feeding her anger and trying to make her lose control.
Isobu wasn't doing that to Kakashi. The two of them were just stuck in Kakashi's anger, likely inadvertently feeding into it. If they could get one or both of them to listen, they might be able to talk them down. It was just a theory, of course. The only other fully cooperative bijuu-jinchuuriki duo she'd met was Naruto and Kurama, and their situation was obviously very different.
"I can try," Mikoto offered. "Can you catch him with your chakra chains? Just long enough to make eye contact."
Kushina nodded. "Yeah. I don't think I'll be able to maintain them, though. I have a feeling I'll be busy keeping Zetsu busy."
"Probably." Mikoto grimaced. "I don't know how long it will take. It could be just a few seconds, but we'll both be vulnerable." Kurama said Zetsu didn't have much power in its current state, but it likely still had enough to seriously injure or even kill a pair of unresponsive shinobi.
The two of them nodded at each other in understanding, then put their plan into action. They had to get in between an angry jinchuuriki and an alien parasite, which wasn't ideal, but it was the only opening they had. Mikoto shot a massive fireball at Zetsu, releasing an inferno that covered nearly half of the cavern. It forced the creature to slink away to avoid being caught in the blaze, though they knew it was only a temporary retreat.
Simultaneously, Kushina stood at her friend's back and summoned her chakra chains to capture the raging jinchuuriki. "Sorry about this, Kakashi!" She wouldn't say it was easy , holding him in place, but compared to containing Isobu at his full might? This was nothing.
Based on the feral snarl Kushina received in return, it didn't seem like either Kakashi nor Isobu was really aware of who she was or what she was trying to do. All he could tell, in his crazed state, was that something was holding him down. He didn't seem to even comprehend that Kushina was the source of the chains, based on how he was slashing and trying to bite the chains themselves. Kushina winced as she realized the teen's mask was gone, either torn off or burned away by bijuu chakra. He wouldn't like having his whole face exposed like this, but that was a problem for later.
"I've got him!" Kushina shouted, prompting Mikoto to release the stream of fire she'd been maintaining.
"Give me as much time as you can," the Uchiha matriarch requested, before turning her Sharingan on the snarling jinchuuriki.
All of the growling and snarling cut off instantly, and Kakashi went limp in her chakra chains. She released them cautiously, just in time to feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. Kushina whirled around with a kunai drawn, throwing it expertly at the threat she knew would be coming for them. Her instincts were right, but Zetsu was too crafty for the hit to land. Its form spasmed, allowing the kunai to embed itself in the rock beside it instead.
Their assumptions about Zetsu targeting the incapacitated members of their team was correct. It slinked across the floor, reaching shadowy tendrils out toward the unresponsive Mikoto and Kakashi. Mikoto was still upright, staring unblinkingly into Kakashi's eyes, but Kakashi had ended up slumped into a kneeling position, his neck craned upward.
"Don't you dare!" Kushina used a basic earth manipulation technique to disrupt the creature's path, forcing it to shrink back with an irritated hiss. "You won't get your slimy appendages on anyone else!"
Zetsu considered her through narrowed yellow eyes. " But you've brought me such good puppets. A Sharingan user, and an out of control jinchuuriki? What more could I ask for? "
"Not happening," she snarled. "I know that you're useless without someone to manipulate, so you don't stand a chance against us."
The creature hummed thoughtfully. "True, I may not be the strongest fighter, but I still have a few tricks left." It grinned viciously. "You think that I wouldn't have backup plans in place? You think I would leave centuries of plotting in the hands of your lesser species?" It laughed darkly. "You have delayed me, and caused me a great inconvenience, but you cannot stop me. Still, you clearly know too much, so I can't let you leave here alive, or with your free will intact."
Kushina recalled everything she could about Kurama's memories pertaining to the creature. It hadn't done much fighting, until it had its mother at its side, and had mostly been lying in wait. At least, that's what she remembered. She should have thought about having Kurama share his memories with Kakashi or Mikoto, who could have recalled the details perfectly thanks to their Sharingan.
As Zetsu lashed out with a shadowy tendril, Kushina remembered seeing that it had been able to control a person's body. It would probably be really bad if that thing got a hold of any of them. She dodged nimbly, countering with a handful of shuriken to force it back again.
It was a strange fight, arguably more of a dance. All of her instincts told her not to make direct contact with it, so she was forced to counter with weapons and long distance jutsu. She also had to keep it away from her companions, who still hadn't moved a muscle.
Zetsu, meanwhile, wasn't particularly physically strong and didn't seem to have much in the way of actual attacks. It was, however, incredibly slippery and agile. It didn't seem to have a completely corporeal form, and easily slipped away into shadows or crevices. It was smart enough to know that a direct attack was unlikely to end in its favor, instead aiming for one of the easier non-moving targets. That forced Kushina to split her attention between defending herself, and defending her friends.
Even without the Kyuubi's chakra, Kushina had the typical massive Uzumaki chakra reserves. It was her best asset, allowing her to throw out ninjutsu and clones to help keep Zetsu at bay. In the midst of the chaos, she set a barrier seal around her team, summoning a clone to stay with them in case it was breached. Given how easily Zetsu seemed to be able to move through shadow and earth, it was impossible to say if a barrier would be any kind of deterrent. She could easily end up keeping herself out, instead of their enemy. Keeping a clone inside the barrier with the still unresponsive Kakashi and Mikoto was meant to mitigate some of that risk.
Based on the angry shuddering the creature's form started doing, Kushina guessed that she made the right call. It had finally stopped grinning, and was making an irritated, animalistic hissing sound. It paused its assault, as if it was debating its next move. Possibly even considering fleeing.
That wouldn't be ideal. They were counting on themselves being too much of a tempting target for the creature to leave them be. Whether it was to capture another pawn, or silence them for knowing too much, they had to hope it was enough to keep it around. Knowing it was fairly powerless now, they had expected it to be flighty. That was why Kushina hadn't tried to seal Zetsu yet. The moment it realized what their plan was, it could slip away and they might not find it again. She couldn't bring out her seal until she knew she had a clear shot. She probably only had one chance to catch it.
She didn't know how long she'd been fighting when she got a sudden rush of memories from her clone poofing. With a grin, Kushina dropped the barrier she'd put up so her companions could join her in the fight.
Kakashi looked much worse for wear. His hair was even spikier and more disheveled than usual, and it was looking more dusty gray than his usual bright silver thanks to all the dirt that was stuck in it. His clothes were torn and singed, and most notably, his face was still bare. Even though Kakashi did sometimes take his mask off at home with them, he would never take it off in front of Mikoto, and definitely not in front of an enemy. The teenager was clearly uncomfortable about how exposed his face was, and how visible his expressions were.
"Feeling better?" Kushina asked cheekily.
Kakashi just grunted in response, looking embarrassed about the outburst. He avoided eye contact with her, but muttered a quick thanks to Mikoto for dragging him out of his rampage. Mikoto nodded in acknowledgement, but did her best to keep her gaze respectfully averted from Kakashi's unmasked face.
Kushina considered herself a damn good shinobi, and not someone who would fall for obvious tricks or distractions. However, she couldn't deny that she had a bit of a blind spot when it came to people she considered family. It was just a split second of worrying about how ragged Kakashi looked, and remembering how awful her own first bijuu-enhanced rampage felt in the aftermath, but it was enough. Her attention slipped, just momentarily, as she spent just a split-second too long looking Kakashi over to make sure he was really ok.
It was enough of a distraction for Zetsu to make its move. Without any other warning, Kushina suddenly felt her entire body seize up. She couldn't make herself move no matter how hard she tried to force her muscles to cooperate. It was like something had grabbed ahold of her, and she had a feeling she knew what that something was.
Mikoto had moved to rush forward and intercept Zetsu, but she hesitated when she realized it had already latched onto Kushina. She called out for her friend, but didn't make a move, not wanting to take any risks now that it had a secure hold on Kushina's body.
Kushina couldn't suppress a shiver at the feeling of the dark tendrils slinking over her skin. It wasn't slimy, like she expected, but it was cold. Not normal cold, but something unnatural that seemed to sap the very warmth from her body wherever it touched her. Even if she couldn't quite explain the texture of the thing's body, every part of her rebelled at the idea of sharing space with it. Her own body knew that it was wrong, and not of this world.
She tried to yank her arm back, but her muscles wouldn't cooperate. When she tried to slice into Zetsu's body where it was holding onto hers, her arm hesitated. It was like she was trying to pull it through water. By the time the blade was level with the creature, it had pulled its own body away so she would be stabbing her own skin if she continued.
Mikoto was looking at her with both Sharingan active, her eyes wide. "It's…it's integrating itself with your body. How…?"
Zetsu laughed. " You weren't my first choice, but you'll do for now. I can see that I'm about to be outnumbered again, so I'm going to borrow your body to get myself out of here."
"Fuck you, you bastard parasite!" Kushina snarled, trying to force her arms to cooperate. "Absolutely not, we're not doing this." There was no way some creepy little alien was going to control her! "You think you can control me? I used to contain the Kyuubi, you're nothing in comparison!"
Kushina started small, just a twitch of her fingers. Then, through sheer force of will, she managed to twist her wrist next. It was slow, at first, but she could feel herself gradually gaining strength. As she'd thought, this was nothing compared to dealing with one of Kurama's temper tantrums back when she'd been a jinchuuriki.
The final push she needed was a reminder of what she was fighting for. Her home, and her loved ones. Thinking about her family gave her the final burst of strength required to start taking control back. She pictured her son's pudgy little cheeks, and her husband's warm smile. There was no way she'd let some creepy shadow monster take her body for a joyride!
It still felt like she was fighting some invisible resistance, but she managed to start moving her arms. First the right, then the left. Finally, she gathered enough strength and will to grab ahold of the creature and start to peel it off of herself.
Zetsu resisted with a low hiss, clinging on harder and trying to force her arms back down. She kept fighting, and even managed to tighten the grip her fingers had on the unnatural black tendrils clinging onto her skin. With great effort, she pulled the creature away from her body, starting up by her neck and chest so she could grip it with both hands. It fought back, but she was gradually peeling it away.
"How are you doing this?" the creature yowled, losing the battle against her own will.
Kushina grinned victoriously. "I'm an Uzumaki. Stubbornness is in my blood. And," she added viciously, "I hold grudges. After what you did to Obito, and what you wanted to do to this world, there's no way I'd ever let you best me."
Zetsu seemed to realize it wasn't going to regain control of the situation. It gave up trying to hold on, and let itself be peeled away from Kushina's body so it could try to make a hasty escape. It was no longer smiling, looking frantic as it eyed a crack in the ground.
She'd already been winning the battle of wills, and the creature's escape attempt was the final nail in the coffin for it. It couldn't hold her back, focusing all its strength and energy on getting away, and it couldn't wiggle out of her grip. That left Kushina wide open to produce the seal she'd brought to contain the creature. She opened the sealing scroll, which she'd modified heavily for security, using one hand to activate it while the other kept ahold of her opponent. Maybe a non-Uzumaki wouldn't have been quite so dextrous with their non-dominant hand, but it didn't slow Kushina down in the slightest. Her chakra rushed into the seal as she brandished it with a flourish.
"Consider this payback!" she snarled, positioning the scroll so it would be ready to contain Zetsu. "For Obito, for Kurama, for the other Naruto, and for everyone whose lives you ruined!"
Zetsu wailed, making one last frantic bid for freedom. It let go of Kushina completely, launching itself off of her like a springboard and managing to break through her hold. But Kushina had already activated the seal, and it sucked it in almost as fast as the blink of an eye. The creature didn't have any coherent last words, but she thought she heard it call for its mother.
There was a flash of light as the seal activated, and then it cut off, along with Zetsu's frantic cries. For a few moments, she stood with the scroll in her hand, blinking down at it blankly. The cavern went completely silent, save for the last lingering echo of the creature's shouts.
It hit her suddenly that they'd done it. With a triumphant cheer and a grin, Kushina gave the scroll a final once over. She was satisfied with the security of the scroll, so she rolled it up, clutching it tightly in her hand.
"We did it!" She grinned wildly at her companions, holding up the scroll for emphasis.
Mikoto gave her a more subdued but still genuine smile, and Kakashi sighed in relief. Neither of them were as energetic as her, nor were they prone to such outward displays of emotion. It didn't matter, though, because Kushina knew they were just as relieved as she was. It felt like they could finally end this particular chapter of their lives.
"This whole ordeal reinforced that retirement was a good decision," Mikoto groaned, stretching her back until it popped. Despite the exhaustion in her voice, her eyes sparkled with an excitement that Kushina hadn't seen in years.
Meanwhile, Kakashi had started digging around in his pack, finding a surgical mask that he must have packed for a situation like this where he lost his normal mask. He put the temporary mask over his face, some tension finally leaving his shoulders when it was covered once again.
With the adrenaline starting to fade, all three of them took stock of their injuries and their surroundings. While Kakashi was getting his face covered again, Kushina looked over the sealing scroll again to make sure Zetsu would remain secure. Minato had a place for it, but he was purposefully keeping the location to himself. That way, if anyone ever did try to look for it, Minato would be the only one that knew where it was hidden. It made it less likely that the information would ever be leaked or extracted. It may be unlikely that anyone would come looking for Zetsu, but they couldn't rule out whether it had more safeguards in place to see its plan through to fruition.
Satisfied that they were all in one piece, Mikoto gestured toward the one remaining notable object in the cavern. "What about the statue? I don't think we should leave it here. There would always be a risk that someone would figure out what to do with it."
Kushina nodded in agreement. "I don't know if I can seal something that big," she admitted. "At least, not without a little prep time. I'm sure I could figure something out eventually, but I really only came prepared to seal a singular alien parasite." She held up the seal containing Zetsu for emphasis.
Kakashi eyed the Gedo Statue, looking it up and down thoughtfully. "I should be able to use the Mangekyou to transport that thing into Kamui. Obito and I should be the only ones who could access it. Since we destroyed his other eye…" He trailed off, but the statement was easily understood. With Kakashi in possession of Obito's only remaining eye, Kamui was his domain.
"Are you sure you can handle that?" Kushina asked, knowing that Kakashi was notorious for pushing himself well past his limits. He already looked ragged after losing control of the Sanbi's chakra, and his shoulders were drooping with exhaustion.
The teen nodded. "The biggest immediate concern with using the Mangekyou was the drain on my chakra." He glanced toward Mikoto, who nodded in agreement. "With Isobu's help, that's much less of a concern now. I'll still be tired, considering how much chakra we've burned through already, but it shouldn't kill me."
Kushina frowned at the word choice. "Shouldn't?"
"Won't," Kakashi amended. "Isobu and I are both confident that he can lend me more than enough chakra."
Sighing in defeat, Kushina gestured toward the giant statue. "Ok, then. Work your magic."
Kakashi nodded, then approached the Gedo Statue. His transplanted Sharingan shifted into the Mangekyou's unique pattern. "It might take me a minute," he explained, readying himself. "I've never transported anything this large before."
Mikoto was looking at him critically. "Were you practicing on your own? Last I heard, Fugaku said he hadn't cleared you to start using the Mangekyou so freely."
Flinching, and avoiding eye contact, Kakashi admitted, "I may have practiced a few times…"
"You shouldn't be practicing by yourself," Mikoto chastised. "You could end up blind, or completely chakra drained."
"I wasn't alone," the teen countered. "Isobu was with me."
Both women glared at the younger shinobi. Kushina huffed, "You may be a jinchuuriki now, but that doesn't make you invincible, or immune to chakra exhaustion. You shouldn't be relying on Isobu so much anyway, you've barely had time to practice working with him!"
Kakashi shifted around nervously. "We practiced that too." Quickly, he added, "But we kept it only at one tail, and made sure we were well out of the village's boundaries."
Kushina heard, "we made sure to be far enough away that no one could sense the presence of bijuu chakra". It was less about being responsible, and more about being sneaky, most likely. It was honestly amazing that Kakashi hadn't gotten himself killed yet with all his reckless training techniques.
"Kakashi! You can't be practicing these things on your own!" Kushina scolded. Before the teenager could argue she added, "And Isobu doesn't count for supervision. I've learned that bijuu don't really have an understanding of human limitations." She scowled, hoping the Sanbi was paying attention too. "As far as I'm concerned, you're both on my shit list!"
It was unlikely that Kakashi would agree to stop training on his own. If he did, Kushina knew it would be a lie. Kakashi respected (or lowkey feared) her too much to outright lie to her like that, but he would definitely tell her to her face that he was going to keep doing something stupid and dangerous, and then wait until her back was turned to do it.
"Don't make me bring Minato into this," she threatened. Her husband had enough to deal with already, so she didn't want to give him more to worry about, but she would if she had to.
Despite both of them being parents, Mikoto was much more patient than her friend. She offered an alternative. "Fugaku hasn't said anything to me about not being willing to train you anymore. I'll talk to him about starting something up again, when things in the village calm down a bit. I'm sure Kushina and Minato would feel better if you had someone experienced keeping an eye on you."
"I didn't think the training offer extended beyond the necessity for a test subject," Kakashi grumbled.
"If the alternative is you getting yourself killed, I'm sure I can convince him," Mikoto assured him. "A lot of the clan won't like it, but most of us understand that it's better for you to be trained by one of our own. You may not be one of us, but you'll still be a tempting target for bloodline thieves, possibly worse than an actual Uchiha," she reasoned. "Letting our doujusu, particularly one that has developed into the Mangekyou, fall into enemy hands is much worse than training someone who was gifted the Sharingan voluntarily. Or so I've always thought."
Kushina nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and I've always thought that dying from chakra exhaustion when you had a safe, reliable alternative was idiotic," she snarked.
At least Kakashi had the decency to look guilty. "Ok, ok, I get it. No more practicing with the Mangekyou on my own."
"Or bijuu chakra," Kushina added tersely. "At least not until you have better control. And I'll be the judge of when that is."
"Fine," he sighed in defeat, knowing arguing with Kushina was a useless endeavor. "Now, can we get back to the task at hand, please?"
Kushina made an exaggerated gesture toward the hulking statue. "After you."
Kakashi shot her a dry look, but didn't respond to the baiting. He took a few steps forward, then squared his stance. "Ok, Isobu. Can you lend me just a bit more chakra?"
In response, the Sanbi's chakra surrounded Kakashi once again. This time, he was well in control, only taking enough to allow him safe use of the Mangekyou. He nodded a few times, seeming lost in a brief, silent conversation with Isobu. Then, he cracked his neck and readied himself.
Taking a deep breath, Isobu's chakra flared, and Kakashi yelled, "Kamui!" Space around the Gedo Statue became distorted, but it didn't immediately vanish. He was obviously straining to move the giant object, physically shaking and concentrating intensely. Blood started dripping from his Sharingan eye, and the statue still didn't disappear.
Kushina was becoming concerned. "Kakashi–"
"I can do it," the teen insisted through gritted teeth. "Just give me a minute." The Sanbi's chakra flared again, and then the swirl around the statue grew. The entire structure was sucked into the mysterious Kamui dimension, leaving not even a trace behind.
As soon as the statue disappeared, the Sanbi's chakra disappeared, and Kakashi slumped over. Kushina rushed forward to catch him as he swayed on his feet. She used her sleeve to rub the blood away from his eye. He looked awful, his clothes torn and singed, hair matted with sweat, and eyes squeezed shut. He was breathing heavily, and not even trying to resist Kushina's support, which showed just how worn out he really was.
Kakashi groaned painfully, then cracked open his non-Sharingan eye. "Told you I could do it," he slurred. He managed to get himself upright, pulling his forehead protector over his Sharingan and trying to keep himself from swaying. He didn't completely succeed, and Kushina did have to support him a few times to keep him from toppling over.
Being the proud, stubborn fool that he was, Kakashi was making every effort to return to independence and aloofness. He was not quite successful, but Kushina humored him as much as she could, shifting so Kakashi could lean against her for support instead of having to be held upright completely.
"Has anyone ever told you you're kind of a brat?" Kushina grumbled fondly.
Chuckling, Kakashi replied, "I believe I've heard that once or twice."
Mikoto failed to repress a snort of laughter at the comment, shooting Kakashi with her best "disappointed mother" look. It was quite effective, to the point that even Kushina felt a bit cowed under her friend's stare. She had to remind herself that she was not the one in trouble.
The shift in mood made Kushina realize that they'd really done it. The threats to their future, the ones that had destroyed Kurama's reality, had been neutralized. Even though they hadn't been able to prevent Obito's death, he had returned to them before the end. Jiraiya and Tsunade were dealing with the Rinnegan possibly at this very moment. Zetsu was sealed and would never see the light of day. They'd even taken the Gedo Statue out of play. Without Obito to follow through, or the Rinnegan to revive him, Madara Uchiha would remain dead and buried.
There would still be threats to the future, of course. Kushina wasn't naive enough to think the rest of their lives would be smooth sailing, and they would likely face threats that even Kurama couldn't prepare them for, given how much they'd changed the timeline. Case in point, Danzo had never tried to kidnap Naruto in Kurama's timeline. Isobu hadn't been sealed in a Konoha shinobi. The rokubi hadn't been left to roam free in the Land of Fire. There was no telling how these changes would impact the timeline.
The future was still a bit terrifying, if she was being honest. There would always be unknowns, particularly in their line of work, and even more so with Naruto being the Yondaime's son, one of the last Uzumaki, and a jinchuuriki at that. Naruto would always have to worry about potential threats and dangers. All of them would. They would always be worried for their families and friends, not knowing what tomorrow might bring.
But that was just life, wasn't it? She looked at her best friend, and the foolish boy she'd come to love like family, and she thought about her darling son and husband at home. She thought about Kurama, and his siblings. She thought about her village, and how even now they were rebuilding and would come back stronger than ever.
When she thought about her home and her loved ones, the future started to look more exciting than scary. Afterall, they had their whole lives, together, ahead of them.
Notes:
So it seemed like the jinchuuriki kind of looked the same during their transformations, but I really like the idea of each jinchuuriki taking on some characteristics from their respective bijuu. In my head, Kakashi can now hold his breath for a very long time haha. Isobu is just excited to be part of something. He's along for the ride and having a great time.
I loved the idea of Kushina being too stubborn for Zetsu to control her. Those Uzumaki are a special breed. Mikoto probably didn't need to come along but canon needs more strong female friendships and badass women so I have to give them as much screen time as possible.
Well, that pretty much wraps up the main story! I started the epilogue and I'm hoping to have it done before the end of October. I'm going on a long vacation later next month and I won't have my laptop. So if I don't finish it before I leave, it likely won't get done until near December. I don't wanna leave you all hanging like that :P Thank you everyone for sticking with me through this hot mess! You can tell me if there's anything you want to see addressed in the epilogue. I have a few key points that I hope you'll all enjoy but I'm also open to adding some things.
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