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The Legendary Sage of Six Paths, Chapter 12
'We're here...'
Having walked for half a day since we left the hard-fought challenge of the Game of Death and the Great Tower behind us, the three of us finally arrived at our new location. In front of us was a steep mountain wall, and a little to the left of it was what seemed to be a small crack which ran straight through the mountain. This crack formed up a narrow rocky path that lead further and deeper into a great darkness – it was almost as if taken straight from a fairytale. 'Yep, this is it...' Bruce firmly confirmed as he looked at me, acknowledging what Hamura had already stated. 'So this is really it, huh...' I mumbled. 'We just have to cross through this path and we'll be there...' Hamura followed up. 'It's that simple??' I wasn't fully convinced, but I knew I had no reason to doubt. 'How do you think our mother and I managed to remain hidden for this long, from our grandparents' reach otherwise? If we lived out in the open, anyone could find us. Trust me on this one, just follow me and we'll be there in no time, brother.' Hamura tried to ease my mind, but at this point I wasn't sure if I was just anxious to meet my real mother for the first time or if it was the scenery ahead that simply creeped me out. Either way, there was no point lingering any further – I had waited long enough. Leading ahead, Hamura showed the way as Bruce and I quickly followed. The moment I had been waiting for, for so long, had finally arrived...
Not long after, we were there as what seemed to be a cave of some sort waited up ahead at the end of the rocky path. The entrance was lit up by two torches, one hanging on each side. 'Up there??' I carefully asked, thinking for some reason that I was being lead astray. It was almost too good to be true. 'Indeed.' Hamura concurred. He hadn't been exaggerating when he said they had remained well-hidden. Picking up one of the torches, Hamura then lead us into the pitch black cave. Soon thereafter, we could feel a warm breeze upon us – We were close now. With the warm sensation followed a dim light as we came around a corner, and there in front of us waited a fire, and beside it, she sat... She was just like I had pictured her to be in my dreams. At long last, had I been reunited with my mother. I had no idea how impactful that meeting of ours would be for the future, not only on a personal level, but for the entire world as well. It was as if destiny had reunited us now, only to tear us apart later on. Both Hamura and Bruce urged me at the time to walk over to her, almost pushing me forward as they did. Taking one step at a time, I eventually came up to her side, so anxious that I didn't even know what to expect. Her face was lit up by the fire burning before her, and I could see her face for the very first time. Her extremely long white hair that touched the ground behind her, her pale bright eyes just like Hamura's, her two long horns sticking out of her head, and her white long dress... It all felt so familiar yet new as I let my emotions get the better of me. The only word I could utter, was "Mom..."
She turned her head as she looked at me. We simply stared at each other for a few seconds as if both in disbelief, caught up by the moment. It was as if she somehow knew I would come but still couldn't fully prepare herself for the actual moment. It didn't take long however before tears of joy were present on both our faces. I almost jumped into her embrace, crying helplessly. A bright smile formed on Hamura's face from behind; it was almost as if he had succeeded in his lifelong mission. He then walked up to us as he sat down beside me. Reaching both her hands out, our mother lifted our jaws up to have a better look at the both of us – A lifelong dream had indeed come true. Even if we were both grown men by the time of this reunion, we were still her children... Neither one of us could barely talk at first, but she managed to say the only thing that mattered at the time. She said; 'At long last have we been reunited. My sons, my beautiful children... I can see it clearly now; you both have your father's ambition and strength inside of you, before he-... Before he was corrupted by my father and mother, your grandparents. With the three of us reunited and your grandparents' corrupt ways ended, the Otsutsuki clan shall once more stand united, and peace shall thrive...' Looking at us from the shadows, it was almost as if Bruce fell a tear of joy as well. This was indeed a big day, not just for Kaguya, Hamura and I, but for any Otsutsuki as well. It was time to step out of the shadows and into the light...
Three years then passed by... By now I had already gained the trust of the Otsutsuki clan, and it was only a matter of time before a full cooperation between them and the Samurai clans of the land could recommence once more. Establishing lasting peace however, was not that easy. There were a lot of trust-issues going on still between not only the the Otsutsuki clan and the Samurai, but between the Samurai clans themselves as well. At the time I had alread established the sect I had been working on for the past few years to further the legacy of Trea's father, the old monk, as I continued to spread my teachings around in order to persuade people to peace instead of war, just like I had done before. I was not alone anymore however, which helped the effort tremendously. Trea and I had grown closer than ever before during these past three years as well, and things were looking promising. My appearance at the time wasn't too much unlike the one you are accustomed to seeing me with as of now, as all my Otsutsuki traits had long since taken form, with my horns having grown immensely in just the past three years. I still didn't possess the Rinnegan however, which would one day turn the world upside-down forever and mark the beginning of a new era. Even my brother Hamura and Bruce were full grown Otsutsuki members by now, and we were almost as if fighting to get in line for the throne of the clan. Indeed, as my grandparents' only remaining offspring even with all the hatred and corruption that had taken place, our mother Kaguya was selected as a natural leader for the clan since her sister, who was Bruce's mother, had long since passed away. What we didn't know at the time however, was that Kaguya was more ambitions than any of us, as the plan Hamura had told me she was making up and preparing for almost three years ago, was soon upon us. Even to this date she had remained secret about it, but with our newfound trust in each other, we didn't see no reason at the time to doubt her. All we could see was the promise of a great and peaceful future, as soon as the Otsutsuki and the Samurai Alliance could fall into place...
I was 33 years old at the time, and Hamura and Bruce had already begun mocking me for reasons you might not even have considered as of yet. Trea and I had been married for 13 years, and still we had no children to brag about. Fate would have it that the three of you would not arrive before after the Jubi had been sealed away inside of me, and thus my children, you have inherited a legacy far more powerful and dangerous than it would ever have been if you were born before that as just mere Otsutsuki clan members. Like I said, fate was indeed a peculiar thing, and just like Revan and Naruto had promised, it was just about time for the Jubi to rise. Together with Hamura, I was at the Sanada clan's main quarters discussing matters of politics with Danivass when the first news of great a disturbance arrived...
How could I have been so naive? To once more think that peace would last, that what Naruto and Revan had told me would not come true? Just as soon as the news arrived, this eerie feeling struck me. I knew there and then that this was serious, but I couldn't wrap my head around it. The samurai who had brought the news was panting heavily, as if having raced to the camp as fast as he could. Urging him to spit out whatever news he brought, Danivass, the leader of the Sanada, was getting impatient and with good reasons too as he got up from his seat. By now, he was almost an exact copy of his father, as much of the same spirit and firmness of Yukimura were present in him. Both Hamura and I remained seated, anticipating what the man had to say. Finally, after catching his breath and downing a cup of water, he began; 'A great tree-... No, it's not a tree... Actually, we don't know what it is, but it's huge and it reaches up to the skies themselves. Black clouds are gathering, and a powerful feeling fills the air, like a world caught in twilight. Hurricanes have been spotted nearby and animals have been seen fleeing away from it.' 'A tree??' Danivass wasn't sure what to say, but hearing this Hamura immediately shot up. 'The Divine Tree has sprouted, here on Earth?!' Turning his attention towards me, Hamura obviously knew something about this peculiar event as he urged not only me, but Danivass and all available samurai in the camp to amass and come with him as fast as possible to head out there. Time was of the essence, and only a quick hand could prevent certain catastrophe...
Things happened so fast that I didn't manage to gather my thoughts, but as we were riding over there, everything now made sense, just like Naruto had told me. Bit by bit, everything started to fall in place. Having urged Hamura to share everything he knew about this event, Danivass seemed very uneased as Hamura finally began explaining; 'It's a legend that has been passed down in our family... In the past, trees have sprouted on planets that have reached a certain climax point of war. Once the soil has absorbed enough spilled blood and this "hidden evil" has been fed, the Divine Tree will sprout. Doesn't matter where, doesn't matter when, sooner or later it will happen. Many believes it to be a blessing, others believes it to be a curse-...' "Curse." I staggered at the very word. The curse... The Curse of the Jubi, the Curse of Hatred. I couldn't even voice my concern as he continued... 'The tree itself isn't evil, but it grants godlike powers to anyone who eats its fruit. Whether it be for a good cause or bad, the one who eats the fruit will always eventually be overpowered by darkness. This is why we chose this planet in the first place, because every world who has been through the time of the Divine Tree has never been pure or the same again, and up until now, this young planet showed great promise of avoiding this. If this is really true, we need to act fast before anyone intending on gaining control over the land eats the fruit!' In the three years I had known Hamura, I hadn't seen him this concerned since the Tower of Death. A fruit that would give you godlike powers? Was it somehow connected to or similar to the Triforce? I then started remembering, first just the details, then the actual dialogues. Yes, I was thinking back to the last meeting I had with Naruto, and the details I remembered weren't of the good sort...
'A Divine Tree will first sprout from the blood-soaked soil of the land in the near future, and shortly thereafter will you encounter the Jubi...' I mumbled. 'What was that??' Danivass questioned, but Hamura had heard me alright as he looked at me. 'You remember back at the Tower of Death where we first met, right? I mentioned someone I had met with the ability to see the future... I also mentioned this to you Dani at the Samurai-meeting three years ago...' I began. 'That man had told me that very line, but I didn't think too much of it at the time. After all, he had a ton of things to tell me and I couldn't remember or worry about every single detail that would happen in the future.' Taking a short breath, I continued. 'He told me that my actions were the cause of this curse, that although hatred in this world had always existed, the Curse of the Jubi was brewing in the shadows because of my actions, because of the things I did.' 'Nonsense! What are you talking about Hagoromo?' Hamura interrupted, obviously taken aback by this claim. 'This has happened before on other planets, and even if the full cause of it is still unknown, it's always linked to war-...' 'But he also said that only you and I had the power to stop it, to save the world, and that was before I even met you!' I countered. For the first time in a long while, I was starting to lose my cool. Was it really all my fault? Had the curse been created due to my selfish desires and for using my powers that Naruto had helped me awakened for my own good? He had told me that reviving Trea and creating the Five Treasured Tools were part of it, but what more was it to all this? There just had to be more to it... He told me everything happened for a reason, and that whatever I did, it was meant to be, but still... 'Hagoromo!!' A sharp voice brought me back to reality as Hamura was almost up in my face on his horse. 'Don't let despair get ahead of you, we will know as soon as we get there...' He was right, but even so I couldn't help shake this feeling...
'If this really turns out to be and the fruit has been stolen, we will need every help we can get. Is there any way you can reach out to the other Samurai clans, Danivass?' Turning his attention towards him, Hamura didn't lack the will to make up his mind on what needed to be done next. Luckily, Hamura was always a man of action and strategy. Shaking his head slowly back and forth, Danivass stated that there was a way, but alarming them would probably take more time than we had and more effort than one would think due to the alliance still awaiting approval from some of the clan leaders. Despite saying that, he still sent three riders to head out to inform the nearest clans just in case, which in turn could send the message further to the rest. But for now, we were on our own. As this eerie feeling continued to pierce deeper into me, I couldn't help think about Trea at home. If matters turned to worse, there was no way I could warn her or make sure of her safety. No... We could do this, we had to. As long as I had Hamura by my side, there was little the two of us couldn't do together; and not to forget Danivass and the rest of the Sanada clan. 'And the Otsutsuki??' Danivass followed up. 'We will find a way to reach them in time.' Hamura simply stated. 'If only mother was here now, she would know exactly what to do and how to approach this situation.' He regretted, but he had a point. Our mother, Bruce, and the rest of the Otsutsuki... If this threat was as real and as serious as Hamura and Naruto made it out to be, we would need any help we could get, especially from the other Otsutsuki clan members. Even if our numbers were strong now, only Hamura and I could utilize chakra at this point of time amongst us...
Coming around and over a hill, we finally laid eyes upon it. And the samurai from before hadn't been exaggerating either, the tree was indeed enormous...
As we came upon the trunk of the Divine Tree, Hamura immediately spotted the fruit high up in the air almost at the top of the tree, hanging from one of the longest branches that stretched several hundred meters out of the trunk. The present moon shone upon the tree as we all could see it now. Not hesitating, Hamura dismounted his horse and went ahead, utilizing his chakra to climb the tree at a rapid pace. 'Hamura wait-...' He couldn't even hear me. 'Dani, make sure you and your troops are on standby, I'll go after him!' Giving me a nod, Danivass watched as I quickly followed after Hamura. Catching up to him, I questioned his motives. 'Don't tell me you haven't noticed Hagoromo?! There's someone up there with the fruit, look!' Pointing ahead, I then too noticed the silhouette of a person gravitating up and down beside it. Was he going to eat it?! Landing on the branch behind the person, both Hamura and I drew our weapons. 'Who are you? What are you planning, what do you want with the Chakra Fruit?' Hamura wasn't lenient in his questioning. Whoever it was, we could not allow him to eat the fruit. 'But isn't it obvious... My children.' You can only imagine the shock on our faces. As the shadows surrounding the person disappeared and the person's face came into the light of the moon, we realized. It was our mother, Kaguya...
Landing on the branch in front of us, she was halfway between us and the fruit, still with her back turned towards us. I didn't want to believe it, but I could recognize her long hair in addition to the voice now. I was shocked. 'What's the meaning of this mother??' Hamura carefully asked. 'You heard about this event too, didn't you? You came here to make sure of the fruit's safety knowing the history of our clan, didn't you??' Hamura almost seemed reassured of his own words saying that. Of course, our mother had simply caught on to this event as well and decided to head her to secure the fruit from falling into the wrong hands, right? 'Well...' She briefly began. 'Both yes and no.' 'What do you-... Mean, mother??' I uttered, not wanting to act hastily or without a real motive. 'I'm here to prevent the fruit from falling into the wrong hands, yes-...' 'So you are here for the same reason as us, I'm glad-...' Hamura interrupted her before she could finish, but she wouldn't let him as she spoke once more. 'As the only hands capable and worthy of seizing this fruit for oneself... Are my own hands!' Turning around, her face came into the light. Something about her was different, as if something was changed. Both Hamura and I stood idle by anticipating her moves. Was she really going to go for the fruit knowing the consequences? Was she really going to betray the peace? It couldn't be...
Both Hamura and I lost our tongues as we looked at her, trying to find a justified reason for her remark. Surely she was bluffing? I was holding firmly on to the Master Sword in front of me but I couldn't help shaking. I had already been forced to fight my father, I couldn't afford to fight my mother as well? Not after peace had been brought to the land, and the corruption of my grandparents had been broken? 'I'm glad the two of you are here sons... Let us seize the fruit together and assume control of the land... These humans are weak and nothing like the Otsutsuki clan. Together our clan can rule this world, and peace shall thrive...' 'Are you even listening to yourself mother?! What is going on with you?!! You're not like this, I know you better than anyone... Knowing the history of our clan, knowing of your own parents' corruption, the life we have had to live in hiding because of it!! Now that we are free to walk this earth without having to look over our shoulders every day, are you really willing to throw all that away?!' Hamura was furious, and I couldn't blame him. What I couldn't understand though was her true reasoning... I had only known her for three years, but I knew she was nothing like our grandparents. 'How do you think the Otsutsuki clan even became this powerful to begin with my boys??... Surely you know the story Hamura, but what about you Hagoromo? With the power of the fruit, we will never have to look over our shoulders again...' She looked at me. I kept my tongue in check as she went on explaining. 'On our home planet, we were just like these humans... Our story only began when the first of the Otsutsuki claimed the Chakra Fruit that grew on the Divine Tree there... We wouldn't have gained the ability to utilize chakra otherwise, now would we?? Obviously things went out of control, but I know... I know I can do better than our ancestors. Our power is only mere percentages of what it can be for the one who eats the fruit. We have a chance to start over, here on this planet... Don't force me to fight against you, join me!' The intense hurricanes raging on the surface around the Divine Tree were growing even bigger in the background as I could feel that things were worsening. Looking down, I could barely see Danivass and the rest of the samurai down there...
'Don't tell me this was your plan all along?! You knew this would happen, didn't you?! This was the plan you told me you had to establish peace?! Not to create a peaceful world, but to seize it for yourself and assume complete control through fear and power?!!' Hamura continued to bark at her, but I had already realized that talking further would only be pointless and stalling for time from now on. 'So you are serious mother...' I said. Through all my life and through all I had experienced, nothing ever surprised me anymore. That the ones I grew up with only were my foster parents, that Nobunaga was my real father and that I was an Otsutsuki clan member, encountering Hamura and Bruce at the Tower of Death, learning about my own powers and the fate of both this world and the universe as a whole, both in the past and in the future... I was so used to it by now that I took my shock for granted. But this? This was too much to bare, even for me. Never had I thought she would be the one on the opposite side, that she of all people would one day be my enemy. Still now my mind was uncertain... But I knew this felt like the biggest upset of them all. I hadn't been as angry in a long time. The shock had got the better of me, to such a degree that it had become one of my main feelings. Tears began to stream down my chins...
'First my father Nobunaga, then our grandparents, and now even you!! Will it ever stop?! Don't force me to do this mother, not you, not so soon after we finally reunited...' I was trembling and I could sense that Hamura was going through the same, perhaps even stronger than I was. Instinct took over as I leaped forward without hesitation. Before I could reach Kaguya however, Hamura stepped in between as my sword clashed into his spear. Pushing him back, I created space between us. 'What are you doing, brother?! Get out of the way! We need to stop her!' 'Hang on Hagoromo, we can't just go to war with our own mother?!' 'You were always the smart one of us, use your head Hamura, we have to do everything and anything to keep the peace, you should know that!' 'But she's our mother, I can't fight her!' 'Then step aside and let me deal with this! I know what you are going through, but we can't let her get her way even if she's our mother! Like our grandparents, she needs to be stopped or the whole world will burn to ashes!!' Leaping ahead once more, I sought to interfere with Kaguya who had now begun to approach the fruit, but once more stood Hamura in the way with his spear as we exchanged several rounds before breaking off. 'Don't you think I know that?! But we can't just strike her down! There has to be a way, a way to end this madness without breaking our bond and spilling unnecessary blood...' 'You are blinded by your love for her! Can't you see that she's approaching the fruit as we speak!!' A shiver went down Hamura's spine as I said that, realizing he had completely forgotten to mind his surroundings and the fruit. Turning rapidly around, he noticed that Kaguya already had the fruit in her hands. 'Mother don't!!' Shouting out, both Hamura and I tried to reach up to her but we were too late. In a bright flash, both of us were blown through the air and far away from the branch we were once standing on. Falling rapidly towards the ground, it was only a matter of time before we would crash to our deaths...
In the spur of the moment, I grabbed onto Hamura with the same hand as I was holding the Master Sword in, as we kept falling rapidly towards the ground. I then pulled forth a scroll and placed my free hand on it. In turn, a staff formed in my hand as a golden light surrounded us. In the next moment, we were standing beside Danivass and the samurai on the ground again, still in one piece. 'How did you??' Hamura was as baffled as ever. 'This is the Staff of Fortune & Destiny. Do not worry about it brother, we got bigger things to worry about.' 'The fruit, what happened??' Danivass managed to ask the only question that mattered as I turned my head towards him and shook it slowly back and forth. 'War is inevitable... What comes next will change the world forever.' Hamura concluded, as the whole sky lit up before us and swallowed the darkness of the night completely. Next thing we knew, the Divine Tree was gone and only Kaguya was seen gravitating in front of us. That was the moment I knew; the time of the Jubi had come. Transforming at a rapid pace, Kaguya's form changed completely into that of some sort of a demonic creature. Its size was almost as big as the tree itself as it let out a fierce roar. I couldn't even tell at that time whether my mother was still in control or not. 'We have to seal the Jubi away, Hagoromo... If we don't, this world will be lost. It's the only way we can overcome this...' Hamura had regained some his composure but he was still pretty shaken up. It was as if he always had been prepared for this moment, knowing exactly what needed to be down once it went down. Even without his heart in place, his mind was always ready for anything. But he was right, the moment of destiny had come, and only we could prevent the destruction of the world. 'Help whatever way you and your samurai can, Danivass, but know that this is not a battle ordinary men can survive.' With a determined look on his face, Hamura leaped off as he landed on top of a rock in front of us. Looking at Dani, I gave him a nod as his samurai spread out. Joining Hamura, I too leaped forward as I landed on top of a rock a little to the side of him. With the Master Sword in my left hand, and the Staff of Fortune & Destiny in my right hand, I went up against the Jubi...
As the battle raged on, both Hamura and I realized we needed something extraordinary to overcome this challenge. Even if the two of us could take a beating, the Samurai were dying left and right. The scale of this creature's attacks were not like anything I had ever dreamt of. I knew we had to deal with the situation fast before the creature could take up full form. Neither Hamura nor I however, had firepower enough to stand toe to toe with this challenge, not at the time at least. Looking at me, Hamura once more communicated to me telepathically, and I could pick up on his concern. He was questioning why Kaguya would suddenly do this and why now. Why he of all people hadn't figured out this sooner... If it really was too late, and that if the only way to get her back was to defeat her, it had to be done. I nodded. Even though I couldn't even begin to think out a plan on how to deal with this, I knew I couldn't hesitate. Just like when I fought my father Nobunaga and had to risk everything in order to save him, the same applied now. Was there really a way to turn this around at this stage??...
Right there and then, I felt I had truly lost her as well... Even with the situation at hand, a part of me couldn't blame her. If she succeeded, she would definitely rule this world and not a single battle would happen afterwards. But it was not true peace if it was created through fear, taking away people's freedom. It had to be a different way, and I knew the only thing I could do, the thing I had to do, was to do everything in my power to stop her, no matter the risk. Just as the battle was reaching some sort of a climax, a foul voice suddenly came from the Jubi. It was mother's, as if she had assumed control of the Jubi for the briefest of moments to speak out to us. Her voice was unrecognizable, but we both knew it was her. She said; 'I can feel this unbelievable power that I now have obtained flowing through me!! Even if you are my own sons, I won't allow you to stand in my way and I won't hesitate to strike you down if I must. You are foolish to stand against me... I have been too lenient for too long... Don't you see?? This has to be done, this is the only way!! I have seen a glimpse of the future through this newfound power, and I can assure you the future is not bright. I need to build an army to oppose this threat! And in order to do so, I will need to sacrifice mankind...' 'You cannot be serious!! We will not allow you to do that no matter what threat you have seen! Right now, you are the threat mother, and you are going against everything we ever stood for! The Otsutsuki clan, the Samurai... No one will welcome this forced peace of yours!!' Hamura was desperate to try to get some sense into her in what may very well have been the last attempt there was. No matter how small this chance seemed or really was, he felt he had to try...
I then spoke; 'A wise man once told me that; "To truly be able to achieve peace, one must seek love instead of power, so that each and everyone of us can connect with and understand each other, what we all feel deep down inside our hearts, minds and souls. As long as there is hatred, there will always be war, and true peace can never happen." Can't you see the wrong in your own doing?! Peace will never happen nor last this way!!' Turning her attention at me, she simply ignored what either one of us had said. She was truly lost to us now... 'If you won't join me... I will have to destroy you!!' Shouting out, the voice disappeared again as a huge black ball of energy at the size of a small mountain began forming before the Jubi, growing bigger and bigger by the second. Covering our faces, I forced my attention back towards Hamura, questioning what this new attack was and how we could counter it. He looked almost as shocked as I did. Whatever it could be, once it was ready, it would spell the end for all of us. Somehow, someway, I had to stop it before it ever got to fire away at us...
Time was running out and I knew it. I looked at Hamura once more, thinking he would come up with a strategy but I then noticed the uncertainty on his face. Hamura was in as much despair as any of us and I could feel it. Was there really any way to stop this attack? Were only Hamura and I able to stop it? I struggled as I tried to think back on anything useful I had read in the Founding Book of Jutsu, but nothing came to mind. Trying to reflect or block this attack would be helpless. We needed a way to move or make the attack disappear, but how? The ball had already finished forming as it was flung towards us at rapid pace. I didn't even manage to think as I was blinded by a bright light. Was this the end?? A huge explosion followed by a smokescreen that painted the sky black. Opening my eyes again, I was certain we had been blown away, but what I hadn't counted on was that Kaguya, Hamura and I, weren't the only Otsutsuki clan members finding out about this event. In front of us, the entire Otsutsuki clan stood, and around the Jubi, some sort of barrier had been formed. Thank the heavens! We were saved... 'You two seems to be in trouble eh??' A familiar voice sounded. My eyes searched around but I couldn't localize where it came from. Then I realized... A firm hand landed on my shoulder followed by a bright smile. It was Bruce, and he had brought the entire clan to help us. At least now, Hamura and I stood a chance. 'Amongst the three of us Hagoromo, you may excel at Ninjutsu, but do not forget that there are other clan members who possesses a broader and perhaps more powerful display in this category, like the one you see wrapped around the Jubi behind me now.' 'What type of technique is it?' Coughing as I struggled back up on my feet with the help of Bruce, I admired the scene in front of me realizing that we had been saved by the nick of time. The Jubi was raging as it tried to break free from the square-shaped barrier but there was no use. At each end of the four sides of the barrier, several Otsutsuki clan members stood, maintaining the barrier around the Jubi. Hamura then gathered himself as well as he too came over to us. 'The Four Red Yang Formation... Never have I been so glad to see that technique. In fact, I think it's the first time I ever see it with my own eyes... Impeccable timing Bruce.' Wiping away some sweat from his forehead, Hamura was as praised as I was. 'The remaining Otsutsuki clan members may be few nowadays, but when we combine our powers, number has little to say.' Bruce boasted, knowing that he had come at the right time. 'So you think this will hold the Jubi inside??' I questioned. 'I don't know what that creature is, but whatever it is, it is sure to cause destruction... Did someone eat the Chakra Fruit??' Bruce followed up, but neither Hamura nor I managed to answer at first...
'Well someone has to have eaten it... I mean, I was at our headquarter when we heard about a Divine Tree sprouting here on this planet. We knew right away that this required our full attention, so we assembled as fast as we could. And now, only this thing remains with the tree nowhere to be spotted. I had a feeling I would meet you two here, but I hadn't thought things would be this bad already. Truth been told, I always wondered what really happened when someone ate the fruit...' 'It's Kaguya, Bruce...' Hamura barely uttered as his face clearly belonged to a man full of regret. Bruce almost fell over in surprise hearing this, but even he, somehow, could sense it to be true. 'Aunt Kaguya ate the fruit, huh...' Turning towards the barrier and the other Otsutsuki clan members upholding it, Bruce bit his lip in frustration. 'I can't even comprehend what you two must be feeling, but even I know we cannot let emotions get in the way. If we let the same thing happen as it did on our planet, there is no hope for the future of this world.' 'So what do we do then??' Having listened to our conversation, Danivass had made his way over to us. 'Like I mentioned before, we have to somehow seal it away.' Hamura stated. 'Seal it away huh... What does that even mean?' Danivass was as shocked as any. 'From here on and out, I want your samurai to take the back-seat Dani... I know you want to help, but this is far too dangerous. I fear only the power of the Otsutsuki can stop this creature...' Looking at him, I knew that no matter how strong-hearted the Samurai were, this was beyond them. Heck, it was even beyond me at the time. 'Fine, but as soon as the other clans arrives, we will help out any way we can. We all live in this world and only with numbers and joint-forces can we overcome this, together. Even if you possess some special powers, you shouldn't underestimate the strength of the Samurai. We wouldn't have been able to oppose the Otsutsuki clan in the past otherwise...' He was right, and I knew the whole world would have to unite against this threat, but for now, we had to try to stall for time long enough for Hamura and I to come up with some sort of a plan to seal the Jubi away...
Giving Dani a smile of confidence, I then turned my head forward towards the Jubi. 'What if we somehow manage to seal it away inside of the Treasured Tools?' 'The Treasured Tools?' Hamura asked. 'In addition to this staff, there are five other tools that I created with it that can be quite helpful. I wouldn't have been able to defeat our grandparents otherwise. If that fails, I will have to try to find a way to seal some of the Jubi away inside the Underworld Dimension of this sword...' Holding the Master Sword up in front of me, I had begun to form up some sort of plan. But even I had no idea if any of them would work. If only Revan could come out of the sword to guide me once more... 'Well if they are as powerful as you claim them to be, we might as well try them out.' Bruce boasted. Hamura simply nodded back at me...
Holstering the Master Sword on my back and retracting the Staff of Fortune & Destiny, I then summoned the Five Treasured Tools from a scroll. I sat down as I began meditating to gather up my chakra as Hamura and Bruce paid close attention. For some reason I couldn't help thinking that the only reason Kaguya chose this route was because of the Corruption Gene taking over, just like it had with my grandparents. That had to be the case, but if so, when or even how? She'd had this plan for three years ever since before we met. Did this mean that she was already lost at that time when I finally met her? Had she just been abiding her time? 'What's on your mind, brother?' Sensing my doubt, Hamura questioned my thoughts, surely having caught on to some of them already. 'I believe that it's the Corruption Gene that is at play here, a gene said to have about half a chance to take over every Otsutsuki...' 'The Corruption Gene?' Bruce asked curiously. 'Yes...' 'Hmmm... Not sure I know all about it.' Hamura concurred. 'I heard of it for the first time from our father Nobunaga, and he told me about it. It is supposed to kick in once a member of the clan reaches a certain age, unbeknownst to the person him- or herself. It forms an ambition which overtakes the person completely, something that they can't do anything about. That is what happened to our grandparents, and I suspect that is what happened to our mother, Kaguya... And I feel like I don't even know half of it all... What is this gene and how or even why does it kick in? Why only some and not all? Can it happen to you too Hamura? Or you Bruce? Even I? Or what if the whole clan is destined to share this fate of corruption? How can we begin to prevent it? Are we destined to destroy ourselves in an endless Circle of Hate? There has to be a way to counter it or to keep it in check, there just has to...' Both Hamura and Bruce shared my concern, but there was nothing to do about it now. We had bigger fish to fry, and what was taking place before us was of the utmost importance. As I was still preparing to use the tools, something caught every one of ours attention. The Jubi caught in the barrier before us suddenly began transforming as Kaguya was standing before us once more. This time she had changed however and was more fearsome than ever before. She was no longer the mother we knew...
Looking around, she merely glanced at the clan members gathered around to oppose her. Furiously, she spoke: 'To think that my own clan would go against me, that they would unite with the Samurai and deny my rightful claim of power... Don't you see? With this power, we can be stronger than ever before! If my parents were right about one thing, it was that power is everything!!' Breaking out in a sinister laughter, I knew we had lost her to complete darkness. As every other Otsutsuki clan member realized who had eaten the fruit, despair began to spread amongst them as well. It didn't take long before enough of them got so despaired that they lost focus on maintaining the barrier, and just as soon as an opening in it was present, just as soon was Kaguya out of it!
Panic spread as the whole barrier crumbled, and it didn't take long before she began taking down members of the clan one by one at a rapid pace, as neither one of us were able to prevent it. Bones appeared from her fingertips as she fired them away, and whoever got hit by them turned immediately to ashes. It was a technique that reminded me of my "Blazing Annihilation Atomic Incineration Blast," but it was much more compact and accurate. After a short while however, she stopped in her tracks as she then began firing massive balls of fire everywhere around herself, on such a scale that any of my Ninjutsu seemed like child's play in comparison. 'Move out of the way Hagoromo!' Realizing that one of the fireballs were incoming, Hamura urged me to move out of the way as I barely managed to scramble on my feet and bring the tools with me. There was no time to waste, it was now or never. Tossing the Seven Star Sword and the Golden Canopy Rope over to Hamura, and the Banana Palm Fan over to Bruce, I picked up the Crimson Gourd and the Amber Purifying Pot as the three of us went out to face her. 'How do I even use this weapon?!' Bruce uttered, obviously confused about it. 'Connect with it and you will know! Same goes to you Hamura!' Finally figuring it out, Bruce used the Banana Palm Fan to its full potential, combining it with his great speed as he sent attack after attack her way; but she easily countered. Coming face to face with her, the two exchanged several blows before Kaguya went on the offensive and sent one of the several black energy balls that were now gravitating behind her, his way. Barely dodging it, Bruce flew backwards as he crashed to the ground, losing his grip on the fan in the process. Next, Hamura went in as sent one attack after the other her way, but whatever he did, he could not land a single hit with the rope which was required in order to activate the next phase of the sealing process. Grabbing on to him, she quickly threw away the rope from his grasp as she sent both him and the Seven Star Sword flying far and wide through the air. Even if she wasn't playing around, it still felt like she for some reason withheld the finishing blow whenever Hamura or I came face to face with her. Realizing that the plan had failed, I threw the Crimson Gourd her way as she merely reflected it and sent it flying away from the scene. All of the Five Treasured Tools except the Amber Purifying Pot were now spread in the wind, and I knew that it was the only thing that could work now. Calling out her name, I waited for her response, but no answer... Why?! She could not possibly know about this tool or how it worked?! Had she somehow figured it out already just by placing her eyes on it?? She smiled viciously at me as she approached me, once more I called out her name but no response. In the blink of the eye, she was suddenly up in my face as her hand grabbed my throat and lifted me up in the air before smashing me hard to the ground. I lost my breath as I saw the Amber Purifying Pot taking off through the air at immense speed. She would have nothing of it. Just like the rest of the tools, she easily dispatched of it...
Struggling to get free, I watched as she continued pressing me hard towards the ground as a hole opened up in the palm of her free hand as she placed it upon my forehead. One of the black balls were present at the backside of it, ready to fire away at me. Would I get away in time? To my surprise however, she suddenly spoke again. 'If only you could see my way... I could so easily terminate your existence right at this very moment. A second is all it would take, but somehow... I just can't-...' I couldn't believe it, was she somehow in some inner turmoil? Had she somehow found back to her own true self? Before I managed to reply, a strong kick suddenly landed right on her back as she simply turned around towards Bruce who had come flying in and easily dispatched of him once more, sending him flying through the air with a powerful vacuum-push of sort. Bruce landed so far away that I could barely see him in the distance. Turning her head back towards me, I noticed her Byakugan had activated. Of course, the technique she had been utilizing was of the Byakugan, and that was how she had activated that technique. That was probably even how she had managed to see through my Treasured Tools somehow...
Before she managed to speak again however, Hamura suddenly came flying in as well, but only this time, she grabbed a hold onto him and smashed him into the ground just beside me as he too was pinned down. Another black ball then appeared on the backside of her other hand that was pinning me to the ground, as she was now ready to strike at the both of us. She now had us both where she wanted, with both our lives ready to be decided by the flick of a finger. Grasping hard around our necks, she continued to press us even harder towards the ground, as other members of the Otsutsuki clan merely watched from a distance, none daring to approach. Getting back up on his feet, Bruce urge the others to help as he once more leaped ahead at her, trying to set us free, but this time, a third arm shot out of her back and punched his lights out. Falling over, Bruce passed out on the ground as she turned her attention towards us again. Both of us tried to break free, but neither of us could. 'Why must you force me to do this, why can't we just be a family again... To kill ones own children... It's not supposed to be like this...' 'Then don't-... It's not-... Too late to turn back-... Mother!!' Barely being able to utter a few words through her tightening grip around our necks, Hamura tried to the best of his ability to talk some sense into her. Would it work?? For now, it seemed to be our only hope...
'It is alas a sacrifice I will have to make... My beautiful children...' As she looked at us I noticed that she was crying; tears streamed down her chins. She was in pain, but she had made up her mind, but so had I... I knew I had to take advantage of this situation no matter how hard it would be, this was our only chance, there was no way she would change now. Only a matter of time before she dealt the finishing blow... Forcing my left hand towards her, the Staff of Fortune & Destiny formed in it once more as a bright light emerged, sending Kaguya flying on her back. Scrambling to our feet, Hamura and I were both ready for the final battle. As we were about to leap ahead and attack her while she was out of balance however, something strange happened. It was as if the Staff's light somehow had disrupted her control over her new powers as her form began changing once more. She started turning back into a creature again, but only this time she wasn't turning into the Jubi... What appeared to be some sort of a Demonic Rabbit standing half the size of the Jubi formed before us, as she leaped off as soon as it had taken up full form. I barely managed to grab the unconscious Bruce as both Hamura and I jumped to the side and avoided the attack. As we got up to our feet again, the other Otsutsuki clan members gathered beside us. But not only them, this time, the Sanada clan members formed up beside us as well. I looked at Dani as I nodded back at him. We had to stand together, all of us, and it was now or never. A faint wind blew across the field as the two sides observed each other. Just as Kaguya, in her new form, was about to launch at us again, a loud sound of a horn was heard, and with it, several thousand samurai came riding in from all edges of the battlefield. The previously dispatched riders had come through, having made it to the other camps, as all the Samurai clans in the land had come to help despite their differences...
The Otsutsuki, the Sanada, the Oda, the Tokugawa, the Azai, the Akechi, the Maeda, the Date, the Uesugi, the Fuma and the Toyotomi clan, as well as any other respected warrior roaming the land were there. The entire world was now united for a common cause, for the first time in ages...
Fun Facts & Author's Note (Note 2 & 8 are very important/interesting, so be sure to at least check them out!!):
1: Surprise! As I was writing this chapter I suddenly got the feeling that maybe it would be wiser to split the chapter up here (since this is about the halfway point, you can imagine how big it would have been otherwise, probably my 2nd biggest in this Series so far). Now, I know I've more or less stated that this story would be 16 chapters long, but the way I see it, this is just a bonus. Now at least it doesn't feel that stretched out. The only thing different is that the next chapter will be part 2 of the same name, so the other chapters will still have the same name and plot, just that I divided this one in two.
2: The second one is quite interesting, you see... The picture that I used in this chapter of the Sage of Six Paths going up against the Jubi as displayed in the manga, was basically what single-handedly inspired this prequel, the whole timeline, the shared universe, and the Master Sword's involvement, which in turn made all of this happen. It's what made it possible for me to incorporate the Sage of Six Paths and the Master Sword into my TLSoK Returns, and further build upon it from there. The reason is that when I was thinking of having Kabuto summon an Edo Tensei of the Sage of Six Paths back in 2011 (in TLSoK Returns), I searched around a bit to find pictures of him that had been shown in the manga (which basically was just that one pic at the time) to give me sort of a view of how he fought (against the Jubi). In this pic alone we see that he holds a Staff – Which gave me the idea to create the Staff of Fortune and Destiny, and we see him holding a sword... Once I realized the potential that this sword could serve, I figured it would make sense to portray it as the Master Sword, which in turn was handed down to Naruto at the time. That was what sparked the idea of this "prequel" back in 2011 and then later on as I was doing my One-Shot, it occurred to me that because I incorporated the Master Sword into my stories, there was actually a way I could make every single story I wrote fit in the same universe, on the same Timeline (just like how the Legend of Zelda Series operates), and that is how the different wielders of the sword came to be. I actually changed my ending for the Series Finale of TLSoK to match in with the rest of the Timeline because of it. They say that a picture can say more than a 1000 words... In this case, it couldn't be more true.
3: Did you know that 7 out of the 12 chapters so far opened up with a dialogue? No? Neither did I xP
4: The dialogue that Hagoromo recites in this chapter about how peace can be achieved, is actually the 3rd time I use that very dialogue in this story. The first time was when the Monk, Trea's father, told that very line to Hagoromo in the first chapter, second time was when Hagoromo battled his grandparents (I'm pretty sure it was then, but I might be mistaken), and now a 3rd time here. For some reason, that very line is one of my favorites from this series, and I honestly can't even remember how I came up with it.
5: Honestly I can't remember if this was talked about or not, but in case it wasn't (I suspect otherwise. I think I talked about this with Kuroi at least =p), the Tower of Death's location was on the exact spot where Madara and Hashirama would found Konoha later on. Naruto hinted at this in chapter 7 I believe, but for the heck of me I can't remember if people discussed it back then (and can't be bothered to go back to check, lmao). If not, now you know xP And before you ask, a lot can change in a 1000 years, so obviously the Tower would not be there anymore and the forest would grow "back" so to speak.
6: As a joke towards something I said in the FB group chat, it's come to my attention that only Kuroi remains of the old gang, or rather, the ones from 2009. Congratulation my friend, I suppose I never thought you would last this long 8) xP You now stand as the only possible member that can state that you have been there from start to finish once the final 4 chapters launches this year. Strange huh? I must have met with and acquainted over 100 people in that time. Some lasted months, some lasted years, but none lasted as long as you, haha. I never thought I would say that Dani is gone though >_> xO There are people who came in late that has been here since though (Trea, kremt), but that begs the question of what would have happened if they came around earlier, hmm... Anyways, once my book launches, I'll be sure to mention you there Ivan, bwuhahaha! 8-D
7: What, you want something about this chapter and what to come? Well... Now that the Jubi is finally out of the way, I can leave this "period of time" behind and focus on Hagoromo growing older and yeah... Chapter 14 will continue where the 1st chapter began, so if you don't really remember that aspect, it might be a good idea to read up on it. I might open it up the same way or... Nah, I'll probably just write it in a smooth way that will make sense regardless, hmm...
8: Okay here's a real note that may be important for my "new" readers. Regarding the ending of this story I've been thinking about a certain thing... Being that this story pretty much bases itself on established manga facts but also on stuff I invented taking place before it (i.e. the Timeline), I've mostly had free reigns regarding stuff that wouldn't crash with the manga. Here's the fun thing though that kind of intrigues me... Most of you if not all might have forgotten the fact that this story was always meant to be a "prequel" to my The Legendary Sage of Konoha, and I already planned out the main points of it back in 2011. Now, since it is supposed to be a prequel and also takes place within the same Timeline as the rest of my stories, I have to stick true to that. For most parts, The Legendary Sage of Konoha went its own road away from what happened in the manga, sort of being inevitable since I wrote it at the same time as the manga was on-going. If one person remembers the following fact, I believe it is Trea (since she caught up last to it), but to be honest, I don't think anyone else beside her and Kuroi have read my The Legendary Sage of Konoha series? And that's where the fun begins. You see...
In The Legendary Sage of Konoha, Tobi was never Obito... Yes, he was temporarily Madara or pretended to be Madara at some point at least but it was later revealed that my Tobi was actually... Indra. Yep... My Tobi turned out to be Indra and Zetsu turned out to be Indra's creation. The climax of this event was detailed in my 2nd sequel, TLSoK's Legacy, which I wrote back in 2013, two years ago. So this begs the question, how will The Legendary Sage of Six Paths end? I know I mentioned that Indra and Asura's feud will be detailed here at the very end, and that it will go down the lane of how Indra/Tobi told Naruto and Sasuke back in my first story that it did (which is somewhat different from the manga). I suppose I am the only one who remembers that (scene - which was quite nice. Maybe I'll fish it out if people are interested), but now that I've been reminded of it, I might have to make the "ending" broader than I first imagined. It is supposed to lead down to TLSoK, but it is also supposed to sort of conclude this Timeline for good (which it can't if I put too much emphasis on Indra surviving and causing trouble for future generations and end it there). I'll probably do some extensive writing and I do have something in mind, but the point of this is... I wanted to let you know beforehand so that you would not be surprised/confused when the moment came. That is also how certain things in this story have been different from the manga, like Hagoromo growing up with foster parents, Hagoromo also having a daughter, etc. Even if I have always tried to mirror the manga and the latest reveals there as much as possible in my stories, I always had to stick to the route I chose once I made up my mind of how I thought it would go. I guess that is pretty reasonable though... Any thoughts regarding this?
9: As you can see, since Bruce climbed the ranks as a fan favorite, I decided to bring him into this battle as well despite what I previously stated. Hope you found his actions somewhat interesting =p
10: Final one... The next release, being that this suddenly became a "Two-parter," should be right around the corner. That way, I can also make the contest in time. Comment, rate, subscribe, and catch you guys later
PS: Since I wrote most of these Author's Notes before I completed the chapter, some of them applies with both this chapter and the next having been released in mind. I'm sure you figured that out on your own however, but just in case.
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- How it all began, the Tale of The Sage of Six Paths Begins!
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- Massacre
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- The Master Sword & The Great Wizard
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- As Destiny had Foretold, the First Jutsu Emerges
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- Showdown
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- The Otsutsuki Clan
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- One's Destiny Bestowed, The Wizard's Final Lesson As The Samurai Clans Assembles
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- The Tower of Death Part 1; A Test of Power, Courage & Wisdom - The Game Begins!
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- The Tower of Death Part 2; Fist of Legend
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- The Tower of Death Part 3; The Point of No Return
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- The Tower of Death Part 4; An Old Nemesis ReturnsThe Legendary Sage of Six Paths, Chapter 12
The Jubi Emerges
Part 1
'We're here...'
Having walked for half a day since we left the hard-fought challenge of the Game of Death and the Great Tower behind us, the three of us finally arrived at our new location. In front of us was a steep mountain wall, and a little to the left of it was what seemed to be a small crack which ran straight through the mountain. This crack formed up a narrow rocky path that lead further and deeper into a great darkness – it was almost as if taken straight from a fairytale. 'Yep, this is it...' Bruce firmly confirmed as he looked at me, acknowledging what Hamura had already stated. 'So this is really it, huh...' I mumbled. 'We just have to cross through this path and we'll be there...' Hamura followed up. 'It's that simple??' I wasn't fully convinced, but I knew I had no reason to doubt. 'How do you think our mother and I managed to remain hidden for this long, from our grandparents' reach otherwise? If we lived out in the open, anyone could find us. Trust me on this one, just follow me and we'll be there in no time, brother.' Hamura tried to ease my mind, but at this point I wasn't sure if I was just anxious to meet my real mother for the first time or if it was the scenery ahead that simply creeped me out. Either way, there was no point lingering any further – I had waited long enough. Leading ahead, Hamura showed the way as Bruce and I quickly followed. The moment I had been waiting for, for so long, had finally arrived...
Not long after, we were there as what seemed to be a cave of some sort waited up ahead at the end of the rocky path. The entrance was lit up by two torches, one hanging on each side. 'Up there??' I carefully asked, thinking for some reason that I was being lead astray. It was almost too good to be true. 'Indeed.' Hamura concurred. He hadn't been exaggerating when he said they had remained well-hidden. Picking up one of the torches, Hamura then lead us into the pitch black cave. Soon thereafter, we could feel a warm breeze upon us – We were close now. With the warm sensation followed a dim light as we came around a corner, and there in front of us waited a fire, and beside it, she sat... She was just like I had pictured her to be in my dreams. At long last, had I been reunited with my mother. I had no idea how impactful that meeting of ours would be for the future, not only on a personal level, but for the entire world as well. It was as if destiny had reunited us now, only to tear us apart later on. Both Hamura and Bruce urged me at the time to walk over to her, almost pushing me forward as they did. Taking one step at a time, I eventually came up to her side, so anxious that I didn't even know what to expect. Her face was lit up by the fire burning before her, and I could see her face for the very first time. Her extremely long white hair that touched the ground behind her, her pale bright eyes just like Hamura's, her two long horns sticking out of her head, and her white long dress... It all felt so familiar yet new as I let my emotions get the better of me. The only word I could utter, was "Mom..."
She turned her head as she looked at me. We simply stared at each other for a few seconds as if both in disbelief, caught up by the moment. It was as if she somehow knew I would come but still couldn't fully prepare herself for the actual moment. It didn't take long however before tears of joy were present on both our faces. I almost jumped into her embrace, crying helplessly. A bright smile formed on Hamura's face from behind; it was almost as if he had succeeded in his lifelong mission. He then walked up to us as he sat down beside me. Reaching both her hands out, our mother lifted our jaws up to have a better look at the both of us – A lifelong dream had indeed come true. Even if we were both grown men by the time of this reunion, we were still her children... Neither one of us could barely talk at first, but she managed to say the only thing that mattered at the time. She said; 'At long last have we been reunited. My sons, my beautiful children... I can see it clearly now; you both have your father's ambition and strength inside of you, before he-... Before he was corrupted by my father and mother, your grandparents. With the three of us reunited and your grandparents' corrupt ways ended, the Otsutsuki clan shall once more stand united, and peace shall thrive...' Looking at us from the shadows, it was almost as if Bruce fell a tear of joy as well. This was indeed a big day, not just for Kaguya, Hamura and I, but for any Otsutsuki as well. It was time to step out of the shadows and into the light...
Three years then passed by... By now I had already gained the trust of the Otsutsuki clan, and it was only a matter of time before a full cooperation between them and the Samurai clans of the land could recommence once more. Establishing lasting peace however, was not that easy. There were a lot of trust-issues going on still between not only the the Otsutsuki clan and the Samurai, but between the Samurai clans themselves as well. At the time I had alread established the sect I had been working on for the past few years to further the legacy of Trea's father, the old monk, as I continued to spread my teachings around in order to persuade people to peace instead of war, just like I had done before. I was not alone anymore however, which helped the effort tremendously. Trea and I had grown closer than ever before during these past three years as well, and things were looking promising. My appearance at the time wasn't too much unlike the one you are accustomed to seeing me with as of now, as all my Otsutsuki traits had long since taken form, with my horns having grown immensely in just the past three years. I still didn't possess the Rinnegan however, which would one day turn the world upside-down forever and mark the beginning of a new era. Even my brother Hamura and Bruce were full grown Otsutsuki members by now, and we were almost as if fighting to get in line for the throne of the clan. Indeed, as my grandparents' only remaining offspring even with all the hatred and corruption that had taken place, our mother Kaguya was selected as a natural leader for the clan since her sister, who was Bruce's mother, had long since passed away. What we didn't know at the time however, was that Kaguya was more ambitions than any of us, as the plan Hamura had told me she was making up and preparing for almost three years ago, was soon upon us. Even to this date she had remained secret about it, but with our newfound trust in each other, we didn't see no reason at the time to doubt her. All we could see was the promise of a great and peaceful future, as soon as the Otsutsuki and the Samurai Alliance could fall into place...
I was 33 years old at the time, and Hamura and Bruce had already begun mocking me for reasons you might not even have considered as of yet. Trea and I had been married for 13 years, and still we had no children to brag about. Fate would have it that the three of you would not arrive before after the Jubi had been sealed away inside of me, and thus my children, you have inherited a legacy far more powerful and dangerous than it would ever have been if you were born before that as just mere Otsutsuki clan members. Like I said, fate was indeed a peculiar thing, and just like Revan and Naruto had promised, it was just about time for the Jubi to rise. Together with Hamura, I was at the Sanada clan's main quarters discussing matters of politics with Danivass when the first news of great a disturbance arrived...
How could I have been so naive? To once more think that peace would last, that what Naruto and Revan had told me would not come true? Just as soon as the news arrived, this eerie feeling struck me. I knew there and then that this was serious, but I couldn't wrap my head around it. The samurai who had brought the news was panting heavily, as if having raced to the camp as fast as he could. Urging him to spit out whatever news he brought, Danivass, the leader of the Sanada, was getting impatient and with good reasons too as he got up from his seat. By now, he was almost an exact copy of his father, as much of the same spirit and firmness of Yukimura were present in him. Both Hamura and I remained seated, anticipating what the man had to say. Finally, after catching his breath and downing a cup of water, he began; 'A great tree-... No, it's not a tree... Actually, we don't know what it is, but it's huge and it reaches up to the skies themselves. Black clouds are gathering, and a powerful feeling fills the air, like a world caught in twilight. Hurricanes have been spotted nearby and animals have been seen fleeing away from it.' 'A tree??' Danivass wasn't sure what to say, but hearing this Hamura immediately shot up. 'The Divine Tree has sprouted, here on Earth?!' Turning his attention towards me, Hamura obviously knew something about this peculiar event as he urged not only me, but Danivass and all available samurai in the camp to amass and come with him as fast as possible to head out there. Time was of the essence, and only a quick hand could prevent certain catastrophe...
Things happened so fast that I didn't manage to gather my thoughts, but as we were riding over there, everything now made sense, just like Naruto had told me. Bit by bit, everything started to fall in place. Having urged Hamura to share everything he knew about this event, Danivass seemed very uneased as Hamura finally began explaining; 'It's a legend that has been passed down in our family... In the past, trees have sprouted on planets that have reached a certain climax point of war. Once the soil has absorbed enough spilled blood and this "hidden evil" has been fed, the Divine Tree will sprout. Doesn't matter where, doesn't matter when, sooner or later it will happen. Many believes it to be a blessing, others believes it to be a curse-...' "Curse." I staggered at the very word. The curse... The Curse of the Jubi, the Curse of Hatred. I couldn't even voice my concern as he continued... 'The tree itself isn't evil, but it grants godlike powers to anyone who eats its fruit. Whether it be for a good cause or bad, the one who eats the fruit will always eventually be overpowered by darkness. This is why we chose this planet in the first place, because every world who has been through the time of the Divine Tree has never been pure or the same again, and up until now, this young planet showed great promise of avoiding this. If this is really true, we need to act fast before anyone intending on gaining control over the land eats the fruit!' In the three years I had known Hamura, I hadn't seen him this concerned since the Tower of Death. A fruit that would give you godlike powers? Was it somehow connected to or similar to the Triforce? I then started remembering, first just the details, then the actual dialogues. Yes, I was thinking back to the last meeting I had with Naruto, and the details I remembered weren't of the good sort...
'A Divine Tree will first sprout from the blood-soaked soil of the land in the near future, and shortly thereafter will you encounter the Jubi...' I mumbled. 'What was that??' Danivass questioned, but Hamura had heard me alright as he looked at me. 'You remember back at the Tower of Death where we first met, right? I mentioned someone I had met with the ability to see the future... I also mentioned this to you Dani at the Samurai-meeting three years ago...' I began. 'That man had told me that very line, but I didn't think too much of it at the time. After all, he had a ton of things to tell me and I couldn't remember or worry about every single detail that would happen in the future.' Taking a short breath, I continued. 'He told me that my actions were the cause of this curse, that although hatred in this world had always existed, the Curse of the Jubi was brewing in the shadows because of my actions, because of the things I did.' 'Nonsense! What are you talking about Hagoromo?' Hamura interrupted, obviously taken aback by this claim. 'This has happened before on other planets, and even if the full cause of it is still unknown, it's always linked to war-...' 'But he also said that only you and I had the power to stop it, to save the world, and that was before I even met you!' I countered. For the first time in a long while, I was starting to lose my cool. Was it really all my fault? Had the curse been created due to my selfish desires and for using my powers that Naruto had helped me awakened for my own good? He had told me that reviving Trea and creating the Five Treasured Tools were part of it, but what more was it to all this? There just had to be more to it... He told me everything happened for a reason, and that whatever I did, it was meant to be, but still... 'Hagoromo!!' A sharp voice brought me back to reality as Hamura was almost up in my face on his horse. 'Don't let despair get ahead of you, we will know as soon as we get there...' He was right, but even so I couldn't help shake this feeling...
'If this really turns out to be and the fruit has been stolen, we will need every help we can get. Is there any way you can reach out to the other Samurai clans, Danivass?' Turning his attention towards him, Hamura didn't lack the will to make up his mind on what needed to be done next. Luckily, Hamura was always a man of action and strategy. Shaking his head slowly back and forth, Danivass stated that there was a way, but alarming them would probably take more time than we had and more effort than one would think due to the alliance still awaiting approval from some of the clan leaders. Despite saying that, he still sent three riders to head out to inform the nearest clans just in case, which in turn could send the message further to the rest. But for now, we were on our own. As this eerie feeling continued to pierce deeper into me, I couldn't help think about Trea at home. If matters turned to worse, there was no way I could warn her or make sure of her safety. No... We could do this, we had to. As long as I had Hamura by my side, there was little the two of us couldn't do together; and not to forget Danivass and the rest of the Sanada clan. 'And the Otsutsuki??' Danivass followed up. 'We will find a way to reach them in time.' Hamura simply stated. 'If only mother was here now, she would know exactly what to do and how to approach this situation.' He regretted, but he had a point. Our mother, Bruce, and the rest of the Otsutsuki... If this threat was as real and as serious as Hamura and Naruto made it out to be, we would need any help we could get, especially from the other Otsutsuki clan members. Even if our numbers were strong now, only Hamura and I could utilize chakra at this point of time amongst us...
Coming around and over a hill, we finally laid eyes upon it. And the samurai from before hadn't been exaggerating either, the tree was indeed enormous...
As we came upon the trunk of the Divine Tree, Hamura immediately spotted the fruit high up in the air almost at the top of the tree, hanging from one of the longest branches that stretched several hundred meters out of the trunk. The present moon shone upon the tree as we all could see it now. Not hesitating, Hamura dismounted his horse and went ahead, utilizing his chakra to climb the tree at a rapid pace. 'Hamura wait-...' He couldn't even hear me. 'Dani, make sure you and your troops are on standby, I'll go after him!' Giving me a nod, Danivass watched as I quickly followed after Hamura. Catching up to him, I questioned his motives. 'Don't tell me you haven't noticed Hagoromo?! There's someone up there with the fruit, look!' Pointing ahead, I then too noticed the silhouette of a person gravitating up and down beside it. Was he going to eat it?! Landing on the branch behind the person, both Hamura and I drew our weapons. 'Who are you? What are you planning, what do you want with the Chakra Fruit?' Hamura wasn't lenient in his questioning. Whoever it was, we could not allow him to eat the fruit. 'But isn't it obvious... My children.' You can only imagine the shock on our faces. As the shadows surrounding the person disappeared and the person's face came into the light of the moon, we realized. It was our mother, Kaguya...
Landing on the branch in front of us, she was halfway between us and the fruit, still with her back turned towards us. I didn't want to believe it, but I could recognize her long hair in addition to the voice now. I was shocked. 'What's the meaning of this mother??' Hamura carefully asked. 'You heard about this event too, didn't you? You came here to make sure of the fruit's safety knowing the history of our clan, didn't you??' Hamura almost seemed reassured of his own words saying that. Of course, our mother had simply caught on to this event as well and decided to head her to secure the fruit from falling into the wrong hands, right? 'Well...' She briefly began. 'Both yes and no.' 'What do you-... Mean, mother??' I uttered, not wanting to act hastily or without a real motive. 'I'm here to prevent the fruit from falling into the wrong hands, yes-...' 'So you are here for the same reason as us, I'm glad-...' Hamura interrupted her before she could finish, but she wouldn't let him as she spoke once more. 'As the only hands capable and worthy of seizing this fruit for oneself... Are my own hands!' Turning around, her face came into the light. Something about her was different, as if something was changed. Both Hamura and I stood idle by anticipating her moves. Was she really going to go for the fruit knowing the consequences? Was she really going to betray the peace? It couldn't be...
Both Hamura and I lost our tongues as we looked at her, trying to find a justified reason for her remark. Surely she was bluffing? I was holding firmly on to the Master Sword in front of me but I couldn't help shaking. I had already been forced to fight my father, I couldn't afford to fight my mother as well? Not after peace had been brought to the land, and the corruption of my grandparents had been broken? 'I'm glad the two of you are here sons... Let us seize the fruit together and assume control of the land... These humans are weak and nothing like the Otsutsuki clan. Together our clan can rule this world, and peace shall thrive...' 'Are you even listening to yourself mother?! What is going on with you?!! You're not like this, I know you better than anyone... Knowing the history of our clan, knowing of your own parents' corruption, the life we have had to live in hiding because of it!! Now that we are free to walk this earth without having to look over our shoulders every day, are you really willing to throw all that away?!' Hamura was furious, and I couldn't blame him. What I couldn't understand though was her true reasoning... I had only known her for three years, but I knew she was nothing like our grandparents. 'How do you think the Otsutsuki clan even became this powerful to begin with my boys??... Surely you know the story Hamura, but what about you Hagoromo? With the power of the fruit, we will never have to look over our shoulders again...' She looked at me. I kept my tongue in check as she went on explaining. 'On our home planet, we were just like these humans... Our story only began when the first of the Otsutsuki claimed the Chakra Fruit that grew on the Divine Tree there... We wouldn't have gained the ability to utilize chakra otherwise, now would we?? Obviously things went out of control, but I know... I know I can do better than our ancestors. Our power is only mere percentages of what it can be for the one who eats the fruit. We have a chance to start over, here on this planet... Don't force me to fight against you, join me!' The intense hurricanes raging on the surface around the Divine Tree were growing even bigger in the background as I could feel that things were worsening. Looking down, I could barely see Danivass and the rest of the samurai down there...
'Don't tell me this was your plan all along?! You knew this would happen, didn't you?! This was the plan you told me you had to establish peace?! Not to create a peaceful world, but to seize it for yourself and assume complete control through fear and power?!!' Hamura continued to bark at her, but I had already realized that talking further would only be pointless and stalling for time from now on. 'So you are serious mother...' I said. Through all my life and through all I had experienced, nothing ever surprised me anymore. That the ones I grew up with only were my foster parents, that Nobunaga was my real father and that I was an Otsutsuki clan member, encountering Hamura and Bruce at the Tower of Death, learning about my own powers and the fate of both this world and the universe as a whole, both in the past and in the future... I was so used to it by now that I took my shock for granted. But this? This was too much to bare, even for me. Never had I thought she would be the one on the opposite side, that she of all people would one day be my enemy. Still now my mind was uncertain... But I knew this felt like the biggest upset of them all. I hadn't been as angry in a long time. The shock had got the better of me, to such a degree that it had become one of my main feelings. Tears began to stream down my chins...
'First my father Nobunaga, then our grandparents, and now even you!! Will it ever stop?! Don't force me to do this mother, not you, not so soon after we finally reunited...' I was trembling and I could sense that Hamura was going through the same, perhaps even stronger than I was. Instinct took over as I leaped forward without hesitation. Before I could reach Kaguya however, Hamura stepped in between as my sword clashed into his spear. Pushing him back, I created space between us. 'What are you doing, brother?! Get out of the way! We need to stop her!' 'Hang on Hagoromo, we can't just go to war with our own mother?!' 'You were always the smart one of us, use your head Hamura, we have to do everything and anything to keep the peace, you should know that!' 'But she's our mother, I can't fight her!' 'Then step aside and let me deal with this! I know what you are going through, but we can't let her get her way even if she's our mother! Like our grandparents, she needs to be stopped or the whole world will burn to ashes!!' Leaping ahead once more, I sought to interfere with Kaguya who had now begun to approach the fruit, but once more stood Hamura in the way with his spear as we exchanged several rounds before breaking off. 'Don't you think I know that?! But we can't just strike her down! There has to be a way, a way to end this madness without breaking our bond and spilling unnecessary blood...' 'You are blinded by your love for her! Can't you see that she's approaching the fruit as we speak!!' A shiver went down Hamura's spine as I said that, realizing he had completely forgotten to mind his surroundings and the fruit. Turning rapidly around, he noticed that Kaguya already had the fruit in her hands. 'Mother don't!!' Shouting out, both Hamura and I tried to reach up to her but we were too late. In a bright flash, both of us were blown through the air and far away from the branch we were once standing on. Falling rapidly towards the ground, it was only a matter of time before we would crash to our deaths...
In the spur of the moment, I grabbed onto Hamura with the same hand as I was holding the Master Sword in, as we kept falling rapidly towards the ground. I then pulled forth a scroll and placed my free hand on it. In turn, a staff formed in my hand as a golden light surrounded us. In the next moment, we were standing beside Danivass and the samurai on the ground again, still in one piece. 'How did you??' Hamura was as baffled as ever. 'This is the Staff of Fortune & Destiny. Do not worry about it brother, we got bigger things to worry about.' 'The fruit, what happened??' Danivass managed to ask the only question that mattered as I turned my head towards him and shook it slowly back and forth. 'War is inevitable... What comes next will change the world forever.' Hamura concluded, as the whole sky lit up before us and swallowed the darkness of the night completely. Next thing we knew, the Divine Tree was gone and only Kaguya was seen gravitating in front of us. That was the moment I knew; the time of the Jubi had come. Transforming at a rapid pace, Kaguya's form changed completely into that of some sort of a demonic creature. Its size was almost as big as the tree itself as it let out a fierce roar. I couldn't even tell at that time whether my mother was still in control or not. 'We have to seal the Jubi away, Hagoromo... If we don't, this world will be lost. It's the only way we can overcome this...' Hamura had regained some his composure but he was still pretty shaken up. It was as if he always had been prepared for this moment, knowing exactly what needed to be down once it went down. Even without his heart in place, his mind was always ready for anything. But he was right, the moment of destiny had come, and only we could prevent the destruction of the world. 'Help whatever way you and your samurai can, Danivass, but know that this is not a battle ordinary men can survive.' With a determined look on his face, Hamura leaped off as he landed on top of a rock in front of us. Looking at Dani, I gave him a nod as his samurai spread out. Joining Hamura, I too leaped forward as I landed on top of a rock a little to the side of him. With the Master Sword in my left hand, and the Staff of Fortune & Destiny in my right hand, I went up against the Jubi...
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As the battle raged on, both Hamura and I realized we needed something extraordinary to overcome this challenge. Even if the two of us could take a beating, the Samurai were dying left and right. The scale of this creature's attacks were not like anything I had ever dreamt of. I knew we had to deal with the situation fast before the creature could take up full form. Neither Hamura nor I however, had firepower enough to stand toe to toe with this challenge, not at the time at least. Looking at me, Hamura once more communicated to me telepathically, and I could pick up on his concern. He was questioning why Kaguya would suddenly do this and why now. Why he of all people hadn't figured out this sooner... If it really was too late, and that if the only way to get her back was to defeat her, it had to be done. I nodded. Even though I couldn't even begin to think out a plan on how to deal with this, I knew I couldn't hesitate. Just like when I fought my father Nobunaga and had to risk everything in order to save him, the same applied now. Was there really a way to turn this around at this stage??...
Right there and then, I felt I had truly lost her as well... Even with the situation at hand, a part of me couldn't blame her. If she succeeded, she would definitely rule this world and not a single battle would happen afterwards. But it was not true peace if it was created through fear, taking away people's freedom. It had to be a different way, and I knew the only thing I could do, the thing I had to do, was to do everything in my power to stop her, no matter the risk. Just as the battle was reaching some sort of a climax, a foul voice suddenly came from the Jubi. It was mother's, as if she had assumed control of the Jubi for the briefest of moments to speak out to us. Her voice was unrecognizable, but we both knew it was her. She said; 'I can feel this unbelievable power that I now have obtained flowing through me!! Even if you are my own sons, I won't allow you to stand in my way and I won't hesitate to strike you down if I must. You are foolish to stand against me... I have been too lenient for too long... Don't you see?? This has to be done, this is the only way!! I have seen a glimpse of the future through this newfound power, and I can assure you the future is not bright. I need to build an army to oppose this threat! And in order to do so, I will need to sacrifice mankind...' 'You cannot be serious!! We will not allow you to do that no matter what threat you have seen! Right now, you are the threat mother, and you are going against everything we ever stood for! The Otsutsuki clan, the Samurai... No one will welcome this forced peace of yours!!' Hamura was desperate to try to get some sense into her in what may very well have been the last attempt there was. No matter how small this chance seemed or really was, he felt he had to try...
I then spoke; 'A wise man once told me that; "To truly be able to achieve peace, one must seek love instead of power, so that each and everyone of us can connect with and understand each other, what we all feel deep down inside our hearts, minds and souls. As long as there is hatred, there will always be war, and true peace can never happen." Can't you see the wrong in your own doing?! Peace will never happen nor last this way!!' Turning her attention at me, she simply ignored what either one of us had said. She was truly lost to us now... 'If you won't join me... I will have to destroy you!!' Shouting out, the voice disappeared again as a huge black ball of energy at the size of a small mountain began forming before the Jubi, growing bigger and bigger by the second. Covering our faces, I forced my attention back towards Hamura, questioning what this new attack was and how we could counter it. He looked almost as shocked as I did. Whatever it could be, once it was ready, it would spell the end for all of us. Somehow, someway, I had to stop it before it ever got to fire away at us...
Time was running out and I knew it. I looked at Hamura once more, thinking he would come up with a strategy but I then noticed the uncertainty on his face. Hamura was in as much despair as any of us and I could feel it. Was there really any way to stop this attack? Were only Hamura and I able to stop it? I struggled as I tried to think back on anything useful I had read in the Founding Book of Jutsu, but nothing came to mind. Trying to reflect or block this attack would be helpless. We needed a way to move or make the attack disappear, but how? The ball had already finished forming as it was flung towards us at rapid pace. I didn't even manage to think as I was blinded by a bright light. Was this the end?? A huge explosion followed by a smokescreen that painted the sky black. Opening my eyes again, I was certain we had been blown away, but what I hadn't counted on was that Kaguya, Hamura and I, weren't the only Otsutsuki clan members finding out about this event. In front of us, the entire Otsutsuki clan stood, and around the Jubi, some sort of barrier had been formed. Thank the heavens! We were saved... 'You two seems to be in trouble eh??' A familiar voice sounded. My eyes searched around but I couldn't localize where it came from. Then I realized... A firm hand landed on my shoulder followed by a bright smile. It was Bruce, and he had brought the entire clan to help us. At least now, Hamura and I stood a chance. 'Amongst the three of us Hagoromo, you may excel at Ninjutsu, but do not forget that there are other clan members who possesses a broader and perhaps more powerful display in this category, like the one you see wrapped around the Jubi behind me now.' 'What type of technique is it?' Coughing as I struggled back up on my feet with the help of Bruce, I admired the scene in front of me realizing that we had been saved by the nick of time. The Jubi was raging as it tried to break free from the square-shaped barrier but there was no use. At each end of the four sides of the barrier, several Otsutsuki clan members stood, maintaining the barrier around the Jubi. Hamura then gathered himself as well as he too came over to us. 'The Four Red Yang Formation... Never have I been so glad to see that technique. In fact, I think it's the first time I ever see it with my own eyes... Impeccable timing Bruce.' Wiping away some sweat from his forehead, Hamura was as praised as I was. 'The remaining Otsutsuki clan members may be few nowadays, but when we combine our powers, number has little to say.' Bruce boasted, knowing that he had come at the right time. 'So you think this will hold the Jubi inside??' I questioned. 'I don't know what that creature is, but whatever it is, it is sure to cause destruction... Did someone eat the Chakra Fruit??' Bruce followed up, but neither Hamura nor I managed to answer at first...
'Well someone has to have eaten it... I mean, I was at our headquarter when we heard about a Divine Tree sprouting here on this planet. We knew right away that this required our full attention, so we assembled as fast as we could. And now, only this thing remains with the tree nowhere to be spotted. I had a feeling I would meet you two here, but I hadn't thought things would be this bad already. Truth been told, I always wondered what really happened when someone ate the fruit...' 'It's Kaguya, Bruce...' Hamura barely uttered as his face clearly belonged to a man full of regret. Bruce almost fell over in surprise hearing this, but even he, somehow, could sense it to be true. 'Aunt Kaguya ate the fruit, huh...' Turning towards the barrier and the other Otsutsuki clan members upholding it, Bruce bit his lip in frustration. 'I can't even comprehend what you two must be feeling, but even I know we cannot let emotions get in the way. If we let the same thing happen as it did on our planet, there is no hope for the future of this world.' 'So what do we do then??' Having listened to our conversation, Danivass had made his way over to us. 'Like I mentioned before, we have to somehow seal it away.' Hamura stated. 'Seal it away huh... What does that even mean?' Danivass was as shocked as any. 'From here on and out, I want your samurai to take the back-seat Dani... I know you want to help, but this is far too dangerous. I fear only the power of the Otsutsuki can stop this creature...' Looking at him, I knew that no matter how strong-hearted the Samurai were, this was beyond them. Heck, it was even beyond me at the time. 'Fine, but as soon as the other clans arrives, we will help out any way we can. We all live in this world and only with numbers and joint-forces can we overcome this, together. Even if you possess some special powers, you shouldn't underestimate the strength of the Samurai. We wouldn't have been able to oppose the Otsutsuki clan in the past otherwise...' He was right, and I knew the whole world would have to unite against this threat, but for now, we had to try to stall for time long enough for Hamura and I to come up with some sort of a plan to seal the Jubi away...
Giving Dani a smile of confidence, I then turned my head forward towards the Jubi. 'What if we somehow manage to seal it away inside of the Treasured Tools?' 'The Treasured Tools?' Hamura asked. 'In addition to this staff, there are five other tools that I created with it that can be quite helpful. I wouldn't have been able to defeat our grandparents otherwise. If that fails, I will have to try to find a way to seal some of the Jubi away inside the Underworld Dimension of this sword...' Holding the Master Sword up in front of me, I had begun to form up some sort of plan. But even I had no idea if any of them would work. If only Revan could come out of the sword to guide me once more... 'Well if they are as powerful as you claim them to be, we might as well try them out.' Bruce boasted. Hamura simply nodded back at me...
Holstering the Master Sword on my back and retracting the Staff of Fortune & Destiny, I then summoned the Five Treasured Tools from a scroll. I sat down as I began meditating to gather up my chakra as Hamura and Bruce paid close attention. For some reason I couldn't help thinking that the only reason Kaguya chose this route was because of the Corruption Gene taking over, just like it had with my grandparents. That had to be the case, but if so, when or even how? She'd had this plan for three years ever since before we met. Did this mean that she was already lost at that time when I finally met her? Had she just been abiding her time? 'What's on your mind, brother?' Sensing my doubt, Hamura questioned my thoughts, surely having caught on to some of them already. 'I believe that it's the Corruption Gene that is at play here, a gene said to have about half a chance to take over every Otsutsuki...' 'The Corruption Gene?' Bruce asked curiously. 'Yes...' 'Hmmm... Not sure I know all about it.' Hamura concurred. 'I heard of it for the first time from our father Nobunaga, and he told me about it. It is supposed to kick in once a member of the clan reaches a certain age, unbeknownst to the person him- or herself. It forms an ambition which overtakes the person completely, something that they can't do anything about. That is what happened to our grandparents, and I suspect that is what happened to our mother, Kaguya... And I feel like I don't even know half of it all... What is this gene and how or even why does it kick in? Why only some and not all? Can it happen to you too Hamura? Or you Bruce? Even I? Or what if the whole clan is destined to share this fate of corruption? How can we begin to prevent it? Are we destined to destroy ourselves in an endless Circle of Hate? There has to be a way to counter it or to keep it in check, there just has to...' Both Hamura and Bruce shared my concern, but there was nothing to do about it now. We had bigger fish to fry, and what was taking place before us was of the utmost importance. As I was still preparing to use the tools, something caught every one of ours attention. The Jubi caught in the barrier before us suddenly began transforming as Kaguya was standing before us once more. This time she had changed however and was more fearsome than ever before. She was no longer the mother we knew...
Looking around, she merely glanced at the clan members gathered around to oppose her. Furiously, she spoke: 'To think that my own clan would go against me, that they would unite with the Samurai and deny my rightful claim of power... Don't you see? With this power, we can be stronger than ever before! If my parents were right about one thing, it was that power is everything!!' Breaking out in a sinister laughter, I knew we had lost her to complete darkness. As every other Otsutsuki clan member realized who had eaten the fruit, despair began to spread amongst them as well. It didn't take long before enough of them got so despaired that they lost focus on maintaining the barrier, and just as soon as an opening in it was present, just as soon was Kaguya out of it!
Panic spread as the whole barrier crumbled, and it didn't take long before she began taking down members of the clan one by one at a rapid pace, as neither one of us were able to prevent it. Bones appeared from her fingertips as she fired them away, and whoever got hit by them turned immediately to ashes. It was a technique that reminded me of my "Blazing Annihilation Atomic Incineration Blast," but it was much more compact and accurate. After a short while however, she stopped in her tracks as she then began firing massive balls of fire everywhere around herself, on such a scale that any of my Ninjutsu seemed like child's play in comparison. 'Move out of the way Hagoromo!' Realizing that one of the fireballs were incoming, Hamura urged me to move out of the way as I barely managed to scramble on my feet and bring the tools with me. There was no time to waste, it was now or never. Tossing the Seven Star Sword and the Golden Canopy Rope over to Hamura, and the Banana Palm Fan over to Bruce, I picked up the Crimson Gourd and the Amber Purifying Pot as the three of us went out to face her. 'How do I even use this weapon?!' Bruce uttered, obviously confused about it. 'Connect with it and you will know! Same goes to you Hamura!' Finally figuring it out, Bruce used the Banana Palm Fan to its full potential, combining it with his great speed as he sent attack after attack her way; but she easily countered. Coming face to face with her, the two exchanged several blows before Kaguya went on the offensive and sent one of the several black energy balls that were now gravitating behind her, his way. Barely dodging it, Bruce flew backwards as he crashed to the ground, losing his grip on the fan in the process. Next, Hamura went in as sent one attack after the other her way, but whatever he did, he could not land a single hit with the rope which was required in order to activate the next phase of the sealing process. Grabbing on to him, she quickly threw away the rope from his grasp as she sent both him and the Seven Star Sword flying far and wide through the air. Even if she wasn't playing around, it still felt like she for some reason withheld the finishing blow whenever Hamura or I came face to face with her. Realizing that the plan had failed, I threw the Crimson Gourd her way as she merely reflected it and sent it flying away from the scene. All of the Five Treasured Tools except the Amber Purifying Pot were now spread in the wind, and I knew that it was the only thing that could work now. Calling out her name, I waited for her response, but no answer... Why?! She could not possibly know about this tool or how it worked?! Had she somehow figured it out already just by placing her eyes on it?? She smiled viciously at me as she approached me, once more I called out her name but no response. In the blink of the eye, she was suddenly up in my face as her hand grabbed my throat and lifted me up in the air before smashing me hard to the ground. I lost my breath as I saw the Amber Purifying Pot taking off through the air at immense speed. She would have nothing of it. Just like the rest of the tools, she easily dispatched of it...
Struggling to get free, I watched as she continued pressing me hard towards the ground as a hole opened up in the palm of her free hand as she placed it upon my forehead. One of the black balls were present at the backside of it, ready to fire away at me. Would I get away in time? To my surprise however, she suddenly spoke again. 'If only you could see my way... I could so easily terminate your existence right at this very moment. A second is all it would take, but somehow... I just can't-...' I couldn't believe it, was she somehow in some inner turmoil? Had she somehow found back to her own true self? Before I managed to reply, a strong kick suddenly landed right on her back as she simply turned around towards Bruce who had come flying in and easily dispatched of him once more, sending him flying through the air with a powerful vacuum-push of sort. Bruce landed so far away that I could barely see him in the distance. Turning her head back towards me, I noticed her Byakugan had activated. Of course, the technique she had been utilizing was of the Byakugan, and that was how she had activated that technique. That was probably even how she had managed to see through my Treasured Tools somehow...
Before she managed to speak again however, Hamura suddenly came flying in as well, but only this time, she grabbed a hold onto him and smashed him into the ground just beside me as he too was pinned down. Another black ball then appeared on the backside of her other hand that was pinning me to the ground, as she was now ready to strike at the both of us. She now had us both where she wanted, with both our lives ready to be decided by the flick of a finger. Grasping hard around our necks, she continued to press us even harder towards the ground, as other members of the Otsutsuki clan merely watched from a distance, none daring to approach. Getting back up on his feet, Bruce urge the others to help as he once more leaped ahead at her, trying to set us free, but this time, a third arm shot out of her back and punched his lights out. Falling over, Bruce passed out on the ground as she turned her attention towards us again. Both of us tried to break free, but neither of us could. 'Why must you force me to do this, why can't we just be a family again... To kill ones own children... It's not supposed to be like this...' 'Then don't-... It's not-... Too late to turn back-... Mother!!' Barely being able to utter a few words through her tightening grip around our necks, Hamura tried to the best of his ability to talk some sense into her. Would it work?? For now, it seemed to be our only hope...
'It is alas a sacrifice I will have to make... My beautiful children...' As she looked at us I noticed that she was crying; tears streamed down her chins. She was in pain, but she had made up her mind, but so had I... I knew I had to take advantage of this situation no matter how hard it would be, this was our only chance, there was no way she would change now. Only a matter of time before she dealt the finishing blow... Forcing my left hand towards her, the Staff of Fortune & Destiny formed in it once more as a bright light emerged, sending Kaguya flying on her back. Scrambling to our feet, Hamura and I were both ready for the final battle. As we were about to leap ahead and attack her while she was out of balance however, something strange happened. It was as if the Staff's light somehow had disrupted her control over her new powers as her form began changing once more. She started turning back into a creature again, but only this time she wasn't turning into the Jubi... What appeared to be some sort of a Demonic Rabbit standing half the size of the Jubi formed before us, as she leaped off as soon as it had taken up full form. I barely managed to grab the unconscious Bruce as both Hamura and I jumped to the side and avoided the attack. As we got up to our feet again, the other Otsutsuki clan members gathered beside us. But not only them, this time, the Sanada clan members formed up beside us as well. I looked at Dani as I nodded back at him. We had to stand together, all of us, and it was now or never. A faint wind blew across the field as the two sides observed each other. Just as Kaguya, in her new form, was about to launch at us again, a loud sound of a horn was heard, and with it, several thousand samurai came riding in from all edges of the battlefield. The previously dispatched riders had come through, having made it to the other camps, as all the Samurai clans in the land had come to help despite their differences...
The Otsutsuki, the Sanada, the Oda, the Tokugawa, the Azai, the Akechi, the Maeda, the Date, the Uesugi, the Fuma and the Toyotomi clan, as well as any other respected warrior roaming the land were there. The entire world was now united for a common cause, for the first time in ages...
Would it be enough to stop Kaguya and the Jubi??
~ End of Chapter 12
Fun Facts & Author's Note (Note 2 & 8 are very important/interesting, so be sure to at least check them out!!):
1: Surprise! As I was writing this chapter I suddenly got the feeling that maybe it would be wiser to split the chapter up here (since this is about the halfway point, you can imagine how big it would have been otherwise, probably my 2nd biggest in this Series so far). Now, I know I've more or less stated that this story would be 16 chapters long, but the way I see it, this is just a bonus. Now at least it doesn't feel that stretched out. The only thing different is that the next chapter will be part 2 of the same name, so the other chapters will still have the same name and plot, just that I divided this one in two.
2: The second one is quite interesting, you see... The picture that I used in this chapter of the Sage of Six Paths going up against the Jubi as displayed in the manga, was basically what single-handedly inspired this prequel, the whole timeline, the shared universe, and the Master Sword's involvement, which in turn made all of this happen. It's what made it possible for me to incorporate the Sage of Six Paths and the Master Sword into my TLSoK Returns, and further build upon it from there. The reason is that when I was thinking of having Kabuto summon an Edo Tensei of the Sage of Six Paths back in 2011 (in TLSoK Returns), I searched around a bit to find pictures of him that had been shown in the manga (which basically was just that one pic at the time) to give me sort of a view of how he fought (against the Jubi). In this pic alone we see that he holds a Staff – Which gave me the idea to create the Staff of Fortune and Destiny, and we see him holding a sword... Once I realized the potential that this sword could serve, I figured it would make sense to portray it as the Master Sword, which in turn was handed down to Naruto at the time. That was what sparked the idea of this "prequel" back in 2011 and then later on as I was doing my One-Shot, it occurred to me that because I incorporated the Master Sword into my stories, there was actually a way I could make every single story I wrote fit in the same universe, on the same Timeline (just like how the Legend of Zelda Series operates), and that is how the different wielders of the sword came to be. I actually changed my ending for the Series Finale of TLSoK to match in with the rest of the Timeline because of it. They say that a picture can say more than a 1000 words... In this case, it couldn't be more true.
3: Did you know that 7 out of the 12 chapters so far opened up with a dialogue? No? Neither did I xP
4: The dialogue that Hagoromo recites in this chapter about how peace can be achieved, is actually the 3rd time I use that very dialogue in this story. The first time was when the Monk, Trea's father, told that very line to Hagoromo in the first chapter, second time was when Hagoromo battled his grandparents (I'm pretty sure it was then, but I might be mistaken), and now a 3rd time here. For some reason, that very line is one of my favorites from this series, and I honestly can't even remember how I came up with it.
5: Honestly I can't remember if this was talked about or not, but in case it wasn't (I suspect otherwise. I think I talked about this with Kuroi at least =p), the Tower of Death's location was on the exact spot where Madara and Hashirama would found Konoha later on. Naruto hinted at this in chapter 7 I believe, but for the heck of me I can't remember if people discussed it back then (and can't be bothered to go back to check, lmao). If not, now you know xP And before you ask, a lot can change in a 1000 years, so obviously the Tower would not be there anymore and the forest would grow "back" so to speak.
6: As a joke towards something I said in the FB group chat, it's come to my attention that only Kuroi remains of the old gang, or rather, the ones from 2009. Congratulation my friend, I suppose I never thought you would last this long 8) xP You now stand as the only possible member that can state that you have been there from start to finish once the final 4 chapters launches this year. Strange huh? I must have met with and acquainted over 100 people in that time. Some lasted months, some lasted years, but none lasted as long as you, haha. I never thought I would say that Dani is gone though >_> xO There are people who came in late that has been here since though (Trea, kremt), but that begs the question of what would have happened if they came around earlier, hmm... Anyways, once my book launches, I'll be sure to mention you there Ivan, bwuhahaha! 8-D
7: What, you want something about this chapter and what to come? Well... Now that the Jubi is finally out of the way, I can leave this "period of time" behind and focus on Hagoromo growing older and yeah... Chapter 14 will continue where the 1st chapter began, so if you don't really remember that aspect, it might be a good idea to read up on it. I might open it up the same way or... Nah, I'll probably just write it in a smooth way that will make sense regardless, hmm...
8: Okay here's a real note that may be important for my "new" readers. Regarding the ending of this story I've been thinking about a certain thing... Being that this story pretty much bases itself on established manga facts but also on stuff I invented taking place before it (i.e. the Timeline), I've mostly had free reigns regarding stuff that wouldn't crash with the manga. Here's the fun thing though that kind of intrigues me... Most of you if not all might have forgotten the fact that this story was always meant to be a "prequel" to my The Legendary Sage of Konoha, and I already planned out the main points of it back in 2011. Now, since it is supposed to be a prequel and also takes place within the same Timeline as the rest of my stories, I have to stick true to that. For most parts, The Legendary Sage of Konoha went its own road away from what happened in the manga, sort of being inevitable since I wrote it at the same time as the manga was on-going. If one person remembers the following fact, I believe it is Trea (since she caught up last to it), but to be honest, I don't think anyone else beside her and Kuroi have read my The Legendary Sage of Konoha series? And that's where the fun begins. You see...
In The Legendary Sage of Konoha, Tobi was never Obito... Yes, he was temporarily Madara or pretended to be Madara at some point at least but it was later revealed that my Tobi was actually... Indra. Yep... My Tobi turned out to be Indra and Zetsu turned out to be Indra's creation. The climax of this event was detailed in my 2nd sequel, TLSoK's Legacy, which I wrote back in 2013, two years ago. So this begs the question, how will The Legendary Sage of Six Paths end? I know I mentioned that Indra and Asura's feud will be detailed here at the very end, and that it will go down the lane of how Indra/Tobi told Naruto and Sasuke back in my first story that it did (which is somewhat different from the manga). I suppose I am the only one who remembers that (scene - which was quite nice. Maybe I'll fish it out if people are interested), but now that I've been reminded of it, I might have to make the "ending" broader than I first imagined. It is supposed to lead down to TLSoK, but it is also supposed to sort of conclude this Timeline for good (which it can't if I put too much emphasis on Indra surviving and causing trouble for future generations and end it there). I'll probably do some extensive writing and I do have something in mind, but the point of this is... I wanted to let you know beforehand so that you would not be surprised/confused when the moment came. That is also how certain things in this story have been different from the manga, like Hagoromo growing up with foster parents, Hagoromo also having a daughter, etc. Even if I have always tried to mirror the manga and the latest reveals there as much as possible in my stories, I always had to stick to the route I chose once I made up my mind of how I thought it would go. I guess that is pretty reasonable though... Any thoughts regarding this?
9: As you can see, since Bruce climbed the ranks as a fan favorite, I decided to bring him into this battle as well despite what I previously stated. Hope you found his actions somewhat interesting =p
10: Final one... The next release, being that this suddenly became a "Two-parter," should be right around the corner. That way, I can also make the contest in time. Comment, rate, subscribe, and catch you guys later
PS: Since I wrote most of these Author's Notes before I completed the chapter, some of them applies with both this chapter and the next having been released in mind. I'm sure you figured that out on your own however, but just in case.
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