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The Legendary Sage of Six Paths, Chapter 13
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...
'I never thought I would see this day come true, brother...' Looking around, Hamura was still shocked to see everyone in the land united like this, on the whim of a new and bigger threat arising. 'Well... If we survive this, I guess you can say that at least something good came from this all albeit with a great cost...' My short reply to him sounded. All the Samurai clans in the land were now standing with us, everyone having drawn their weapons and ready for battle. I could easily sense some of their uncertainty regarding this battle however, but who could blame them? The world of men had seen nothing like this before, and it was as if taken straight out from a story about hell. Some of the clans were mounted on horses with both armor on themselves and their trusted steed – They usually went under the name of "Cavalry," and were one of the most mobile battle unites amongst us. On the other hand, some other clans mainly consisted of ranks with archers and their bows – They were the "Long Distance Warriors" who the cavalry usually tried avoiding a battle with. Then there was the final "class" of the hard-fought classic Samurai with their swords and spears, but also other weaponry as well. The term of "Samurai" was indeed broader these days than it had ever been before; to be honest though, swords and spears alone would probably not do too much damage to the Jubi, so we benefited more with the different classes we now had at our possession, if we only could manage to work together that is. As I looked around, I heard that some of them were talking indistinctly with each other while their clan leaders went in front, forming up and ordering the different ranks into position. The art of war was indeed something some of them took quite seriously... I didn't know at the time, but our numbers probably counted around the 10 000th. Not bad for a joint army, was it? But would it even then be enough to stop the Jubi? Only time would tell...
From the ground to the left of me a hand suddenly landed on my shoulder as a man was struggling to get back up to his feet again. 'That entirely depends-... On whether it will actually last-... Afterwards or not, that is, Hagoromo...' Coming to again, Bruce had finally gotten back up on his feet once more after that previous knockout-punch delivered to him by Kaguya, as he too looked around to see everyone who had gathered, taking a deep breath as he did. He was obviously still a bit dizzy as he clutched his head with his other hand. 'What was that?' Having not paid attention, I question what he was mumbling about. 'I said... If you think that everyone will still stand united after this battle, if we even survive it to begin with, you might need to put a damper to your hopes. After all, there's no guaranteeing it...' I looked back at him. Maybe he was on to something... 'I suppose you strike a fair point. Good of you to rejoin us, Bruce...' Steering his attention towards him, Hamura responded with a small hint of sarcasm. 'Well I couldn't sleep through this entire battle and miss the end of it, now could I cousin?' Replying back in the same tone, Bruce seemed almost motivated by Hamura's taunt. I couldn't help putting a smile on my face watching the tone between the two of them, even in the dire situation we found ourselves in. In front of us the Rabbit form of Kaguya seemed almost as if vexed at the current situation at hand, but she did not seem too bugged about it as she was stamping her huge feet to the ground as a warning sign which sent great shockwaves our way, forcing us to cover our eyes because of it. As the dust settled, Nagamasa Azai came over to us. 'So this is what all the turmoil was about, Danivass... I would never have thought we all would one day stand united against-... Whatever the hell that thing is...' Scratching his head, Nagamasa didn't know exactly what to make out of the situation. 'Well we can't afford to get careless. If we miss our chance, we won't survive this despite our numbers.' Dani firmly noted. 'So what is the plan if I may ask?' Also making his way over, Mitsuhide of the Akechi clan decided to join us as well, as the two of us briefly met eye contact. Things were still obviously sore after the last Samurai-meeting taking place three years ago, which hadn't exactly ended in peace. 'Don't think for a second that we are here because we feel like it, we are here because we must.' He quickly added, simply passing by me on his way over to Danivass, completely ignoring both Hamura, Bruce and I. 'Heh, if you are looking for a plan, you should ask the Otsutsuki brothers, they know what to do...' Dani simply said with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, knowing very well that Mitsuhide still despised us and our clan even to this date...
'So, you're saying we will have to listen to them?! What makes them so special in this situation that we-...' 'Since you obviously don't know anything about the Divine Tree, the Chakra Fruit nor the Jubi before us, I suggest you pay close attention and keep your tongue in check before you say something you will regret, whoever you think you are. We can't afford to be reckless, and neither can we afford to underestimate each other's worth at this stage. I've heard about you from my brother, and I know how your feelings towards especially our clan are...' Not caring much for his arrogant attitude, Hamura would have nothing of it. 'What did you say to me?! Do you realize who I am?!! My clan alone would be enough to wipe you out of exist-...' 'That is enough! Both of you... Hamura, don't rattle the bird cage, as like you said, we neither have time nor need for this with what's on stake right now... If we are to come through this, we have to settle our differences first and work together. And to answer your initial question Mitsuhide, we need to seal the Jubi away...' I was determined and felt I knew what needed to be done; if someone had to take up lead in this battle, it had to be Hamura or I, that much I knew. After all, the success of sealing the Jubi away depended on us. Mitsuhide didn't even respond to this but he simply nodded to show sign of his agreement, although I knew he had no idea what "sealing away the Jubi" even meant. As we all turned our attention back towards the Jubi, we realized that we couldn't linger around for too long. 'Very well. I'll put my own and my clan's trust in you. I hate to say it, but this actually seems quite serious.' That had to be the first time Mitsuhide had agreed upon anything I had said, but it was a welcomed change in the urgency of the situation we found ourselves in at the moment. Time for talk would be cut short however as the Rabbit form of the Jubi began moving towards us once more. 'Hagoromo and I will prepare the sealing of the Jubi... You Samurai do whatever you always do in the time of war!!' Hamura shouted out as everyone began to prepare themselves for the incoming attack. 'And what exactly do you mean that is??' Nagamasa questioned. 'Be useful... And don't die!' Indeed... Only the Otsutsuki clan amongst us all possessed chakra at this point of time, so no matter our number, it was utmost crucial that one of us lived long enough so that we could manage to seal the Jubi away, as the only ones of us who could. Even with that in mind, we couldn't do it without them as their support was better than anything we could have hoped for. Looking at Hamura, I knew we were running out of options. Sealing abilities in the clan were few, and I had just wasted our perhaps most reliable bet of them all – The Treasured Tools, which were now spread all across the battlefield. I knew that from this point onward, my safest bet for now would probably be the sealing ability of the Master Sword, an ability that seemed to activate more by chance than by my own doing up until now. But how would I even begin to understand how to activate the sword again or how to pull it off successfully? I mean, sealing away a person was one thing, and even that was hard to do... Sealing away a beast of this size, was on a different scale all together...
As the Jubi attacked, Hamura, Bruce and I drew its attention towards us as the Samurai pulled out to the sides and lined up for a counter attack. The archers with their bows began to hurl down upon it, but their arrows didn't seem to have much effect at all, and I knew there and then that only chakra could hurt this being. 'I'll activate the gates! You two back me up!' Going in, Bruce was not hard to ask as he landed a powerful kick straight to the Jubi's face as he sent it tumbling over on its back. Following up on this attack, some Otsutsuki clan members lined up to try to seal the Jubi away with one of their techniques. They were easily blown away however, as the Jubi flung its tails at them as it quickly rolled over and back on to its feet again. Having activated his Byakugan, Hamura as well was quick to assist Bruce. For now we had to somehow tire it out before sealing it away even was an option. This was a battle that would cost us a lot of energy, and it was a battle that would not be easily won... The propitious truth about this battle however, was that even if Kaguya had consumed the Chakra Fruit and absorbed the Divine Tree, it would take a long time before she could take up her final form and even begin to set her plans into motion. The battle against the Jubi raged on for three whole days, and by the end of the third day, only a few samurai were left standing. Whatever we tried, however we proceeded, we could not take down the Jubi long enough for any of our sealing techniques to work. It had all come down to the final play. If I didn't find a way to seal the Jubi inside the Master Sword, it would only be a matter of time before everyone was dead and Kaguya had succeeded. The whole world depended on us, and it would all be settled this very moment...
'Mitsuhide, watch out!!' Barely catching up to him, I managed to save him from one of the Jubi's tails just in time as it smashed towards the ground and pulverized Mitsuhide's horse underneath it. By now, the Rabbit form of the Jubi had changed back to the initial form it had first assumed three days ago, but this time it was bigger and far more powerful than it was back then. Soon its transformation would be completed, soon Kaguya would have full control over her new powers. We had however not heard a thing from the Jubi except its fierce roars for the last few days, so if anything was left of Kaguya in there now, she was surely in some type of stasis. 'What are you doing, put me down!' Mitsuhide demanded as he screamed at me, causing me to temporarily lose focus and tumble over a small rock, as I fell over from exhaustion. The two of us crashed to the ground as I was panting heavily. Most of my reserve was gone already, both my energy and my chakra... I met eyes with both Hamura and Bruce who were equally as beaten up as I was, as they too were both down for the count not too far away from me. Hamura barely managed to hold back a tail that came his way with his Air Palm Technique as he jumped out of harm's way just in time, watching as the tail smashed far and deep into the ground behind him. I briefly turned my attention back towards Mitsuhide as he spoke to me. 'Don't think this changes anything, Hagoromo...' He uttered as he struggled back up on his feet again. It was then however that he did something unexpected and reached his hand out to me, as I could only look surprised at him in return. A second passed by before I grabbed on to it, as he helped me up again. 'But thanks anyways.' He followed up. I could sense that he was in as much despair as the rest of us at the time. No matter what we tried, nothing seemed to work. There was no time to be sarcastic and no time to joke around either. If we all were to die this day, we could as well die as allies, or so he said. 'What about Dani, Nagamasa and the rest?' He questioned. I looked around but by now we were all so spread out that it was hard to see clear. Kenshin, the leader of the Uesugi clan had fallen within the first day. The leader of the Maeda clan followed shortly thereafter on the second day. Our numbers had probably declined from 10 000 to merely 300 at this stage. It was impossible to say who was and who weren't alive now. 'Don't falter Mitsuhide, I know we can pull through this one way or the other.' I had to stay positive, I had to keep moral up. Just as I was about to leap off again, he grabbed on to my arm. 'Hey, I was wrong about you and your clan Hagoromo, or at least the good sides of it.' Looking down, Mitsuhide seemed full of regret. 'Hah, save your compliments for a cup of sake once the battle is over my friend!' Giving him a nod, I was then on my way. Both Bruce and Hamura were still on the ground hiding out behind two rocks, trying to come up with a strategy, and I knew that everything had come down to this moment. If I was really destined to do so much great as Naruto had told me, I had to risk everything now to prove it. I looked at Hamura and Bruce as they nodded back at me. No more holding back, no more regrets...
Making up my mind, I began to slowly walk towards the Jubi who now stood far away on the other side of the battlefield, attacking everything and anything in its path. The closer I got to it, the easier I could feel the impact of its rampage as rocks, Samurai and horses flew all around me each time the Jubi swung one of its massive tails. I probably had a stern expression on my face at the time, but at least I was determined. I had to believe in myself, I had to be courageous... Drawing the Master Sword from my back, I began to pick up my pace as it began glowing bright and shone a path through the darkness of the night ahead of me. The Jubi's attention then turned to me, realizing I was up to something as it began to approach me as well, as it let out a foul roar that could probably be heard from the other side of the planet. Step by step, we came closer to each other and it was as if time slowed down every time the Jubi swung its great tails through the air, both at me and at everyone else. To my left, Bruce came running as he intercepted a tail; to my right, Hamura came running as he too intercepted a tail. I had picked up my pace even further now as I was almost running. Otsutsuki clan members and Samurai alike were now taking up position beside me as we all were storming the Jubi with what could very well be the final attack. United, fighting side by side until the very end like we never had been apart. This was it... To counter our movement, parts of the Jubi suddenly started splitting up as several thousand "Mini-Jubis" began to storm at us in return. This would be the final bet, this was the final hour. If my plan didn't work, we would all die...
As the Mini-Jubi army approached us, both Hamura and Bruce caught up and leaped ahead of me, as they started clearing out a secure path, buying me even more time and thus allowing me to keep progressing forward unopposed. At this point of time, it was as if we didn't even need to converse with each other to come up with a plan for most parts, neither through speech nor through thoughts; it was as if we already knew what the others were thinking. Some Samurai came riding passed me as well as they swung their spears around and hacked away at the incoming Mini-Jubis. One of them was Keiji Maeda with his great spear, but even as mighty of a warrior as he was, I could easily tell that we were slowly being overwhelmed. One by one, the Samurai warriors started to fall, and shortly thereafter, even the Otsutsuki clan members were falling all around me as well. We were totally outnumbered, and no one could stand against the attacks of the Jubi for long. Rivers of blood, screams of agony and pain – It was total chaos out there. I couldn't even recognize them all in the mess that was happening around me, but I did see Keiji finally being taken down, like his uncle before him, as three huge Mini-Jubis jumped him all at the same time, as he screamed out with a final battle cry before he was totally overpowered. His blood spilled everywhere... Every part of my body urged me to help him out, but I knew I couldn't. There was no chance that I could save everyone, and I couldn't really differ between who I chose to focus on saving and who I didn't risk saving, especially if I had to turn back and let go of the only chance we had, in order to do so. I had to stay focused on my target and keep moving forward no matter the cost or how hard it was, if we were to stand a chance. This was our only way and everyone was playing their part, their role in this battle so that we could salvage one last attempt to save the world. 'Hagoromo, be careful!! Whatever you are planning, it surely can't be without risks!!' I could barely hear Hamura's voice from behind me, but there was no going back now, I knew I had to put everything on the line, even my own life if I was to fulfill my destiny. Slowly turning my head around at him, I gave him a smile of confidence, as if it would be my last smile. I could see it on his face as he tried even harder to break through the Mini-Jubis that were standing in his way so that he could reach up to me. Telepathically, I told him that if this last move failed, I would die. If my plan failed, the whole world would suffer. Picking up my pace, I was now almost within the Jubi's reach...
Soon thereafter, I noticed Nagamasa and Danivass on their high horses charging ahead of me. Everyone was giving it their best shot, but it didn't seem to work. One huge tail came flying their way and I knew I had to intercept it or it would be the end of the both of them. Picking up my pace in order to reach up to them in time, I was soon to discover that I had reacted too late, as both them and their horses were easily swept away before me, before I even made it over there. Landing several hundred meters behind me, I knew there and then without having to head back to check, that they had stood no chance of surviving that attack which had hit them with such a powerful force. The impact was too great, and I couldn't even begin to think to save them. I had failed Yukimura and his dying request, I had failed protecting his son, and soon, I would fail the entire world if I couldn't keep forcing myself in going forward, no matter how hard it was. Tears began to stream down my chins... Was I really that powerless to prevent those I cared about from dying? Our numbers were probably down to 50 or even less by now, and almost all of the clan leaders had been injured gravely or killed. It was a massacre beyond compare out there, and I didn't know how much longer we could hold out or how much more time we had left. Earth had never witnessed a bloodshed like this before, and it was all because of the Jubi...
A great shiver went down my spine as I for the first time in ages began getting flashbacks to the massacre that took place during my stay with the Holy Sect of Peace, seventeen years ago. Back then, I had been powerless to stop the Oda clan assassins from annihilating the entire sect, and my only choice had been to run away and cling on to my life so that I could come back stronger and make up for my regrets. Had I really not changed at all during all these years? Was I really as weak and fragile as I had been back then? Would I always need to rely on everyone else in order to move forward? Fear struck deep in me as I temporarily stopped running. The demons of the past had caught up to me... In the next second, several hundred Mini-Jubis landed before me; I couldn't even move as I fell in a trance. The only things I could see were fire and death... Just before one of the Mini-Jubis reached up to me, Hamura suddenly caught up as he sent it flying with one great push, before he turned to me and slapped me across the face. The burning pain of his hand was what brought me back to reality as he grabbed a hold on to me. 'Whatever happens, keep moving forward, Hagoromo! You can't afford to look back, not even for Bruce nor I!' 'What if I fail, brother?? Look around, we have already lost! Every damn one of us are soon to be dead!' Hesitation had gotten a grip of me and I felt lost. 'If we are to die here, at least let it be with honor!' Hamura's voice rang through my head. He was right, and I had to get myself together. Even if I would end up being the only one left standing, Kaguya had to be stopped for the rest of the world's sake. Catching up to us, Bruce too seemed more determined and confident than in a while as he gave Hamura a nod, before the two of them leaped ahead and blew a hole straight through the Mini-Jubis' ranks in front of us, and thus cleared a new path for me. That was the only signal I needed as I ran straight through and kept pressing forward without doubt or looking back. It didn't take long however before I was all alone up front with new enemies approaching...
My path was completely blocked before me once again, and I knew I had to do it myself this time if I wanted to keep going forward. Hacking away with the Master Sword, I followed up by utilizing my chakra as I sent out a huge wave of fire, burning clear a path ahead of me. It was one of the many small techniques I had picked up in the last three years. My chakra was almost out now however – It was all or nothing now. Suddenly a thought appeared in my head; "I want you to focus solely on using the Master Sword. Its importance in your future acts is bigger than you might think. Only if you can wield it perfectly can you stand against the forces of evil. Without chakra, without hidden abilities, we are but men with our swords." I instantly recognized the voice that had rung through my head. That exact quote was something that Naruto had told me back when we last met, and I had finally realized what he meant now. I had gone at it wrong all this time. The remaining Samurai and Otsutsuki, lead by Hamura and Bruce, had caught up to me, and I didn't even want to count our numbers as I knew we were on the verge of being wiped out. From 10 000 strong, we were probably down to only 10 or so people left now. The biggest defeat in the history of the land was all but confirmed. Shouting out, I continued to force my way forward, telling those left around me to put their faith in me. Who was I kidding? I couldn't even pity myself...
My eyes met with Hamura and Bruce as I saw the despair from before returning in their eyes. We were standing against impossible odds. How had we even survived this long? This time, I had to be the one to motivate them. Giving them a brief nod, I leaped ahead as they continued to push back the incoming Mini-Jubis that tried to reach up to me from the sides. In front of me, the remaining part of the Jubi's main body roared out as I heard Kaguya's voice through it once more, telling us how foolish we had been and that she would now eradicate us all and claim the land for herself. I knew what she meant... Even if all of us warriors were gone, there were still millions of civilians left in the world that would stand no chance against her. We had to come through, no matter what, no matter the cost. I was now closer than ever to reaching up to the Jubi, but still a ton of Mini-Jubis stood in my way. It was then that Ieyasu Tokugawa came riding in on his horse with a spare horse beside him, as I quickly mounted it, with the two of us pressing forward. This was the chance I had been waiting for, or so I thought. Barely dodging an attack, I watched as Ieyasu and his horse were quickly swiped away. Another casualty I couldn't prevent...
Clapping my hands together, I rapidly made three copies of myself and the horse I sat on as I kept moving forward. Another line of defense formed up before me, the final rank of Mini-Jubis standing between me and the Jubi itself. This time, even more and bigger Mini-Jubis stood in my way. Luckily, Hamura, Bruce and the last remaining Otsutsuki clan members had caught up as they intervened. Together with some lone Samurai riders, I had almost reached my goal. By my side, Hanzo Hattori and Nobutada Oda had reached up to me. Together with my three copies, we seemed to be the only ones left of the assault. I turned my head back one more time as I met eyes with Hamura and Bruce, telling me to go for it. Turning around again, a tail suddenly came at me and I had no time to react at all. Just as I was about to get hit however, Hanzo, of all people, the assassin who had murdered my foster parents all those years ago and tried to kill me on several occasions, the man I had chosen to spare and not extract revenge on, rode into me and pushed me to the side, taking the direct blow himself. Another sacrifice, another pointless death... Just as I managed to get control of my horse again, I realized that Nobutada had been blown away by a tail as well, as I only heard him utter my name as he flew through the air. Now I was beyond angry, as hatred completely consumed my thoughts... Even if she was my own mother, nothing could ever forgive this! The only way she could stop me, was by killing me. Surviving wasn't even important anymore... The only thing that mattered was preventing Earth from falling into her hands, and we all knew it. This was a battle to the death...
Forming up with my three copies, I clapped my hands together as I shouted out; "Gracious Deity Gates!!" A massive energy of chakra emerged out of me as blood began to stream from my nostrils. In the next moment, the Jubi was pinned to the ground as several gate-like objects came crashing upon it from the sky. It roared out even more fiercely when it realized it was trapped. I myself was shocked to see what I suddenly had managed to pull off. This was my chance as I once more clapped my hands together and formed up some type of seals. Riding out and surrounding the Jubi from four corners, a barrier then shot up all around it as I left my three copies standing guard maintaining it, while I kept riding towards the Jubi. Now it was trapped, now no one else would get injured by its great tails. 'When and how the hell did you pull that off?!!' Shouting at me from the outside, Bruce was as baffled as anyone, as both Hamura and himself had caught up to the barrier, barely being able to still stand on their feet having survived against all odds. The three of us were by some miracle, the only ones left alive. I couldn't even think about it, I just had to do what I needed to do. Only the main body of the Jubi remained now. I didn't even know myself, but somehow I had been able to pull off two techniques I had merely read about in the Founding Book of Jutsu without having had any prior practice performing them. This barrier was nowhere as strong as the Four Red Yang Formation that the other Otsutsuki clan members had pulled off earlier however, but it would have to do. No words could describe the outcome of this battle. Even if I succeeded in sealing away the Jubi, every Samurai in the land had been wiped out, just like that. Even the entire Otsutsuki clan beside Hamura, Bruce, Kaguya and I, had been eradicated. There wasn't much more to even look forward to. I could hear Kaguya's voice through the foul tone of the Jubi. She was laughing, even if she was trapped. I looked the Jubi straight into the eyes as I could feel that she was mocking me, mocking us. Even if we sealed her up here and now, we had practically lost. It was only a matter of saving the rest of the world and securing a future for our legacy now. I knew there and then that the time of Men was over. If the world was to continue forward and prevent catastrophes like this in the future, something had to be done. Both Hamura and Bruce paid close attention as I kept pressing forward. The moment to strike had come...
Standing up on the horse with the Master Sword in my hand, I leaped off the horse's back as I flew through the air, ready to pierce the sword into the Jubi's skull. It was doing everything in its powers to break free as the gates that were pinning it down to the ground slowly began to break one by one. Would I make it in time? Getting its neck free, the Jubi began to charge up another massive ball of energy, aiming it at me. The moment of truth had come as I began uttering some chants as the Master Sword began to glow even brighter, with some inscription appearing on its blade and all over my body. I was now inches away from the Jubi who was just about to let loose of the energy ball it had been charging up. I even spat up some blood now and my sight began to blur. Using all those techniques right after each other had really cost me a lot and I knew this move was fatal. Even if I managed to seal the Jubi inside the Master Sword, I would surely die...
Momentarily halting its blast however, the Jubi realized that my three other copies were now flying in at it from all directions as well as it didn't know where to fire its energy ball, not knowing which one of us was the real one. That was the only distraction I needed, as I came together with all my copies mid-air as a bright light emerged the moment we connected, turning into one body again. A sharp noise followed the blinding light as the entire sky lit up. Plunging the Master Sword deep into the skull of the Jubi, I screamed out with all my might as the Jubi began to move fiercely around, breaking free from all the gates that had pinned it down as it fired the titanic energy ball straight upwards into the air, demolishing the barrier as it did. Blasting straight through, the Black Energy Ball flew straight up in the atmosphere and so far away that we could barely see it anymore. Before anyone of us had understood what really happened, the entire moon above us blew up and shattered into billion pieces upon impact. The strongest explosion in the history of time had blown up the moon itself! I was totally baffled seeing this as Bruce shouted out at me, not really sure how to even begin to grasp how someone or something could blow up the moon, or what consequences that would have for life on Earth...
I still clung on to the Master Sword as the Jubi tried to throw me off and into the air with its final strength. Falling to the ground with a great bang, the Jubi caused a lot of dust and dirt to spread all over the place, acting as if it was almost rendered immobile by the sword. 'Hagoromo!!' Shouting out to me, Hamura was making his way over as he too jumped on top of the Jubi's head and came over to me while the Jubi was still unable to move. 'I can't seal the Jubi away inside the Master Sword, it is simply too big!! I don't have enough strength left to pull it off...' Coughing up more blood, I almost fell over, still keeping the Master Sword's hilt tightly in the grip of my right hand as it was still plunged deep inside the head of the Jubi. Reaching out to me, Hamura was more concerned than ever before. 'So what do we do now?!' Shouting back at me, I barely managed to hear what he said due to the deafening loud sound of the Jubi's growl which almost sounded like a death-rattle. 'I have a plan...' I mumbled, as a strange feeling was now surging through me. It was as if a vision struck through my mind and I knew exactly what I had to do. 'The only option I have now is to seal it away inside my own body.' Hamura looked at me, not really sure what I meant. As the idea struck me, I knew it would work, but I couldn't do it entirely alone. Getting back up on my feet again, I placed my other hand on the hilt of the Master Sword as well as I held it tightly with both my hands. The Master Sword hadn't been useless you see, as even if it couldn't seal the Jubi away inside the Underworld Dimension, it allowed me to somehow absorb some of the Jubi's powers and use it temporarily for myself. As the Master Sword continued to draw energy from the Jubi, and I could feel all my strength returning and more, something strange did indeed happen. My eyes suddenly changed, as they became what you know as the Rinnegan...
'Hagoromo, your eyes?!' Also having made his way over, Bruce was panting heavily as well. 'I'm not sure how, but I can see it all clear now... First I will use this new power to seal away the chakra and the soul of the Jubi inside my own body with the help of the Master Sword, then with your help Hamura, I will trap the husk of the Jubi, with our mother inside, and create a new moon to replace the old one that she destroyed, which will then act as a seal that will keep it sealed away forever.' As the power of the Jubi continued to surge into me, the entire Jubi's body suddenly began to turn into a stone resembling a statue. Redrawing the Master Sword, I proceeded to jump off the Jubi's head as Hamura and Bruce quickly followed. Holstering the sword on my back, I then clapped my hands together as I began focusing up my chakra. 'With these new eyes, I will free the world of our mother's corruption.' As I said, a symbol began to glow on my right hand as I reached it out to Hamura. Looking at me, Hamura then met it with his own left hand, as a great source of power transferred into his body as well. In the palm of my right hand, a symbol of a sun appeared, and in the palm of Hamura's left hand, a symbol of a crescent moon appeared. Together, we preformed the "Chibaku Tensei," the Catastrophic Planetary Construction technique, as the husk of the Jubi was trapped inside of it with so much earth surrounding it, that it eventually became the moon you now know to this date, as we then hurled it into space. Kaguya had been defeated, but the cost had been too great...
'They never really stood a chance... Even if we won, we lost.' I began, as the new moon shone bright upon us. 'The samurai were but men, and could not stand up against the Jubi. Even we the Otsutsuki clan could not survive...' Neither Bruce nor Hamura knew what to say, but they were both clearly devastated as well. Reaching my hand out, I noticed that it had begun to snow. Merely staring ahead for a while, I continued. 'Now that I think about it, I do wonder what destiny is all about. The Curse of the Jubi which Naruto told me about, the Curse of Hatred... All the people he could have saved, should have saved, but didn't, all in order for destiny to become true, all because he had to let it happen in order for me to become the man I needed to be, because it was how the gods had predetermined it...' 'What are you talking about Hagoromo? You seem... Different...' Bruce causally asked, but he was right, I did feel different. This new power that I now possessed, the power of the Jubi, had changed me completely. 'You're still not on to what you said back then, are you? About the birth of the Jubi being all your fault, because you used your powers for your own good?' Hamura questioned. And it was with his question that I realized... 'I am tired of letting destiny rule over my life, I'm tired of not using the powers I possess to do good, to save the people I care about, to prevent evil from taking over the land... I will break this bond of fate and do things my own way regardless of what might happen. If it truly is my fault that the Divine Tree sprouted, I will have to set things straight.' 'Hagoromo, you're not thinking what I think you are?' Once more, both Hamura and Bruce seemed concerned about my thoughts. They couldn't even sense what I was on to about, even with their telepathic powers. I was no longer just an Otsutsuki, I was so much more. No wonder my mother had been able to wipe us all out. Instead of using my powers for evil though, I knew I would now have a true chance at changing the world and getting rid of hatred forever. The Key to Peace, was now in my hands if I could only find a way to use it. 'I will use up my remaining chakra to resurrect everyone that the Jubi killed. Since the Staff of Fortune & Destiny only can be used a certain amount of times within a certain time limit, I will depend on the new power I have awakened.' 'Are you crazy?! Surely such a power will kill you in the process?!' 'Bruce is right, it's too risky! I know you want to set things straight, believe me we all do, but can you really play god like that? Can you even-...' 'I am aware of the consequences, I am aware of what it will take. But I have already made up my mind...' 'Fine, if you believe you can do it, I will transfer my remaining chakra to you as well, but I am not sure if I believe this to be right and I don't necessarily agree with you. If you die by doing this, brother...' Hamura was stunned by my claim, but he had to know I was right. I simply nodded at the two of them as I clapped my hands together once more with the two of them paying close attention. I then preformed the "Gedō — Rinne Tensei no Jutsu," the Outer Path — Saṃsāra of Heavenly Life Technique...
In the next few moments, every Samurai and Otsutsuki clan member that had been killed in the battle, were revived – One by one... Kaguya had used this power to kill them all, and I found it only right to use the same power to revive them. Every one of them, 10 000 strong. I could barely hold it together as I coughed up even more blood. It felt like every opening in my body were bleeding now; my eyes, my ears, my nostrils... In the next moment everything went dark. I could only hear Hamura and Bruce's voices fading away. Was this really the end for me??...
Fun Facts & Author's Notes:
1: I mentioned this in the FB chat, but to the rest, I actually noticed that there was a huge plot-hole in not only this series about the Sage, but my entire Timeline as well. Being that most of the stories I've written comes before this one chronologically, it was hard to keep in mind that there's one certain big event that happens in The Legendary Sage of Six Paths that completely makes things important to remember in my past stories... Yup, the creation of the moon by Hagoromo. Now, being that it's such a figure of speech to talk about the moon and moonlight whenever there's a clear night, this never really crossed my mind. In chapter 3 of this series, I even wrote that Hagoromo looked up at the moon. The fun thing is that neither myself nor my readers have noticed this, which makes it humorous altogether. As you can see in this chapter however, I figured out a way to fix this "plot-hole" by simply having the "old moon" destroyed, in order for Hagoromo to replace it with a new one. This time I suppose you can say that I got lucky, because I literally realized this as I woke up the other day, right in time to add it into the story xO
2: In my One-Shot, The Legend of Link & The Master Sword's Origins, I actually had Link defeating Ganon(dorf) in a similar fashion as I had Hagoromo defeat the Jubi here. In the One-Shot, Link stabbed the Master Sword into the head of Ganon's dragon form, which in turn turned his entire body to stone. One could argue that Link sealed away Ganondorf's consciousness inside the Master Sword, while his body was turned to stone. The only difference is that Ganondorf's body remained on earth until it slowly began to "crumble" over the years, while the Jubi's husk was trapped and became the moon.
3: No idea if you remember this, but when Naruto sealed away the Jubi inside of himself in The Legendary Sage of Konoha Returns, he too awakened the Rinnegan. It's been so long that I sometime forget that my Naruto differs a lot from his manga counterpart. Heck, he could even turn the Rinnegan on and off like the Uchiha clan can turn the Sharingan on and off. That is why Hagoromo never questioned his eyes when he revealed himself to him in chapter 7, as Naruto hadn't activated the Rinnegan in ages. Probably not since before he went to the past.
4: Regarding the Triforce and its potential power, I now realize that incorporating it into this story was sort of a mismatch. In truth, Hagoromo could have used the Triforce to wish eternal peace, or even wish the destruction of the Jubi. I did limit some of the Triforce's power in my story (when it comes to wish making) and had Hagoromo only use a small portion of it before hiding it away for safekeeping, but still... Either way, the Tower of Death arc is really just a filler arc so it's not to be taken that serious, haha.
5: And finally, does Hagoromo die here?
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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 3; The Point of No Return
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- The Jubi Emerges Part 1The Legendary Sage of Six Paths, Chapter 13
The Jubi Emerges
Part 2
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...
'I never thought I would see this day come true, brother...' Looking around, Hamura was still shocked to see everyone in the land united like this, on the whim of a new and bigger threat arising. 'Well... If we survive this, I guess you can say that at least something good came from this all albeit with a great cost...' My short reply to him sounded. All the Samurai clans in the land were now standing with us, everyone having drawn their weapons and ready for battle. I could easily sense some of their uncertainty regarding this battle however, but who could blame them? The world of men had seen nothing like this before, and it was as if taken straight out from a story about hell. Some of the clans were mounted on horses with both armor on themselves and their trusted steed – They usually went under the name of "Cavalry," and were one of the most mobile battle unites amongst us. On the other hand, some other clans mainly consisted of ranks with archers and their bows – They were the "Long Distance Warriors" who the cavalry usually tried avoiding a battle with. Then there was the final "class" of the hard-fought classic Samurai with their swords and spears, but also other weaponry as well. The term of "Samurai" was indeed broader these days than it had ever been before; to be honest though, swords and spears alone would probably not do too much damage to the Jubi, so we benefited more with the different classes we now had at our possession, if we only could manage to work together that is. As I looked around, I heard that some of them were talking indistinctly with each other while their clan leaders went in front, forming up and ordering the different ranks into position. The art of war was indeed something some of them took quite seriously... I didn't know at the time, but our numbers probably counted around the 10 000th. Not bad for a joint army, was it? But would it even then be enough to stop the Jubi? Only time would tell...
From the ground to the left of me a hand suddenly landed on my shoulder as a man was struggling to get back up to his feet again. 'That entirely depends-... On whether it will actually last-... Afterwards or not, that is, Hagoromo...' Coming to again, Bruce had finally gotten back up on his feet once more after that previous knockout-punch delivered to him by Kaguya, as he too looked around to see everyone who had gathered, taking a deep breath as he did. He was obviously still a bit dizzy as he clutched his head with his other hand. 'What was that?' Having not paid attention, I question what he was mumbling about. 'I said... If you think that everyone will still stand united after this battle, if we even survive it to begin with, you might need to put a damper to your hopes. After all, there's no guaranteeing it...' I looked back at him. Maybe he was on to something... 'I suppose you strike a fair point. Good of you to rejoin us, Bruce...' Steering his attention towards him, Hamura responded with a small hint of sarcasm. 'Well I couldn't sleep through this entire battle and miss the end of it, now could I cousin?' Replying back in the same tone, Bruce seemed almost motivated by Hamura's taunt. I couldn't help putting a smile on my face watching the tone between the two of them, even in the dire situation we found ourselves in. In front of us the Rabbit form of Kaguya seemed almost as if vexed at the current situation at hand, but she did not seem too bugged about it as she was stamping her huge feet to the ground as a warning sign which sent great shockwaves our way, forcing us to cover our eyes because of it. As the dust settled, Nagamasa Azai came over to us. 'So this is what all the turmoil was about, Danivass... I would never have thought we all would one day stand united against-... Whatever the hell that thing is...' Scratching his head, Nagamasa didn't know exactly what to make out of the situation. 'Well we can't afford to get careless. If we miss our chance, we won't survive this despite our numbers.' Dani firmly noted. 'So what is the plan if I may ask?' Also making his way over, Mitsuhide of the Akechi clan decided to join us as well, as the two of us briefly met eye contact. Things were still obviously sore after the last Samurai-meeting taking place three years ago, which hadn't exactly ended in peace. 'Don't think for a second that we are here because we feel like it, we are here because we must.' He quickly added, simply passing by me on his way over to Danivass, completely ignoring both Hamura, Bruce and I. 'Heh, if you are looking for a plan, you should ask the Otsutsuki brothers, they know what to do...' Dani simply said with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, knowing very well that Mitsuhide still despised us and our clan even to this date...
'So, you're saying we will have to listen to them?! What makes them so special in this situation that we-...' 'Since you obviously don't know anything about the Divine Tree, the Chakra Fruit nor the Jubi before us, I suggest you pay close attention and keep your tongue in check before you say something you will regret, whoever you think you are. We can't afford to be reckless, and neither can we afford to underestimate each other's worth at this stage. I've heard about you from my brother, and I know how your feelings towards especially our clan are...' Not caring much for his arrogant attitude, Hamura would have nothing of it. 'What did you say to me?! Do you realize who I am?!! My clan alone would be enough to wipe you out of exist-...' 'That is enough! Both of you... Hamura, don't rattle the bird cage, as like you said, we neither have time nor need for this with what's on stake right now... If we are to come through this, we have to settle our differences first and work together. And to answer your initial question Mitsuhide, we need to seal the Jubi away...' I was determined and felt I knew what needed to be done; if someone had to take up lead in this battle, it had to be Hamura or I, that much I knew. After all, the success of sealing the Jubi away depended on us. Mitsuhide didn't even respond to this but he simply nodded to show sign of his agreement, although I knew he had no idea what "sealing away the Jubi" even meant. As we all turned our attention back towards the Jubi, we realized that we couldn't linger around for too long. 'Very well. I'll put my own and my clan's trust in you. I hate to say it, but this actually seems quite serious.' That had to be the first time Mitsuhide had agreed upon anything I had said, but it was a welcomed change in the urgency of the situation we found ourselves in at the moment. Time for talk would be cut short however as the Rabbit form of the Jubi began moving towards us once more. 'Hagoromo and I will prepare the sealing of the Jubi... You Samurai do whatever you always do in the time of war!!' Hamura shouted out as everyone began to prepare themselves for the incoming attack. 'And what exactly do you mean that is??' Nagamasa questioned. 'Be useful... And don't die!' Indeed... Only the Otsutsuki clan amongst us all possessed chakra at this point of time, so no matter our number, it was utmost crucial that one of us lived long enough so that we could manage to seal the Jubi away, as the only ones of us who could. Even with that in mind, we couldn't do it without them as their support was better than anything we could have hoped for. Looking at Hamura, I knew we were running out of options. Sealing abilities in the clan were few, and I had just wasted our perhaps most reliable bet of them all – The Treasured Tools, which were now spread all across the battlefield. I knew that from this point onward, my safest bet for now would probably be the sealing ability of the Master Sword, an ability that seemed to activate more by chance than by my own doing up until now. But how would I even begin to understand how to activate the sword again or how to pull it off successfully? I mean, sealing away a person was one thing, and even that was hard to do... Sealing away a beast of this size, was on a different scale all together...
As the Jubi attacked, Hamura, Bruce and I drew its attention towards us as the Samurai pulled out to the sides and lined up for a counter attack. The archers with their bows began to hurl down upon it, but their arrows didn't seem to have much effect at all, and I knew there and then that only chakra could hurt this being. 'I'll activate the gates! You two back me up!' Going in, Bruce was not hard to ask as he landed a powerful kick straight to the Jubi's face as he sent it tumbling over on its back. Following up on this attack, some Otsutsuki clan members lined up to try to seal the Jubi away with one of their techniques. They were easily blown away however, as the Jubi flung its tails at them as it quickly rolled over and back on to its feet again. Having activated his Byakugan, Hamura as well was quick to assist Bruce. For now we had to somehow tire it out before sealing it away even was an option. This was a battle that would cost us a lot of energy, and it was a battle that would not be easily won... The propitious truth about this battle however, was that even if Kaguya had consumed the Chakra Fruit and absorbed the Divine Tree, it would take a long time before she could take up her final form and even begin to set her plans into motion. The battle against the Jubi raged on for three whole days, and by the end of the third day, only a few samurai were left standing. Whatever we tried, however we proceeded, we could not take down the Jubi long enough for any of our sealing techniques to work. It had all come down to the final play. If I didn't find a way to seal the Jubi inside the Master Sword, it would only be a matter of time before everyone was dead and Kaguya had succeeded. The whole world depended on us, and it would all be settled this very moment...
'Mitsuhide, watch out!!' Barely catching up to him, I managed to save him from one of the Jubi's tails just in time as it smashed towards the ground and pulverized Mitsuhide's horse underneath it. By now, the Rabbit form of the Jubi had changed back to the initial form it had first assumed three days ago, but this time it was bigger and far more powerful than it was back then. Soon its transformation would be completed, soon Kaguya would have full control over her new powers. We had however not heard a thing from the Jubi except its fierce roars for the last few days, so if anything was left of Kaguya in there now, she was surely in some type of stasis. 'What are you doing, put me down!' Mitsuhide demanded as he screamed at me, causing me to temporarily lose focus and tumble over a small rock, as I fell over from exhaustion. The two of us crashed to the ground as I was panting heavily. Most of my reserve was gone already, both my energy and my chakra... I met eyes with both Hamura and Bruce who were equally as beaten up as I was, as they too were both down for the count not too far away from me. Hamura barely managed to hold back a tail that came his way with his Air Palm Technique as he jumped out of harm's way just in time, watching as the tail smashed far and deep into the ground behind him. I briefly turned my attention back towards Mitsuhide as he spoke to me. 'Don't think this changes anything, Hagoromo...' He uttered as he struggled back up on his feet again. It was then however that he did something unexpected and reached his hand out to me, as I could only look surprised at him in return. A second passed by before I grabbed on to it, as he helped me up again. 'But thanks anyways.' He followed up. I could sense that he was in as much despair as the rest of us at the time. No matter what we tried, nothing seemed to work. There was no time to be sarcastic and no time to joke around either. If we all were to die this day, we could as well die as allies, or so he said. 'What about Dani, Nagamasa and the rest?' He questioned. I looked around but by now we were all so spread out that it was hard to see clear. Kenshin, the leader of the Uesugi clan had fallen within the first day. The leader of the Maeda clan followed shortly thereafter on the second day. Our numbers had probably declined from 10 000 to merely 300 at this stage. It was impossible to say who was and who weren't alive now. 'Don't falter Mitsuhide, I know we can pull through this one way or the other.' I had to stay positive, I had to keep moral up. Just as I was about to leap off again, he grabbed on to my arm. 'Hey, I was wrong about you and your clan Hagoromo, or at least the good sides of it.' Looking down, Mitsuhide seemed full of regret. 'Hah, save your compliments for a cup of sake once the battle is over my friend!' Giving him a nod, I was then on my way. Both Bruce and Hamura were still on the ground hiding out behind two rocks, trying to come up with a strategy, and I knew that everything had come down to this moment. If I was really destined to do so much great as Naruto had told me, I had to risk everything now to prove it. I looked at Hamura and Bruce as they nodded back at me. No more holding back, no more regrets...
Making up my mind, I began to slowly walk towards the Jubi who now stood far away on the other side of the battlefield, attacking everything and anything in its path. The closer I got to it, the easier I could feel the impact of its rampage as rocks, Samurai and horses flew all around me each time the Jubi swung one of its massive tails. I probably had a stern expression on my face at the time, but at least I was determined. I had to believe in myself, I had to be courageous... Drawing the Master Sword from my back, I began to pick up my pace as it began glowing bright and shone a path through the darkness of the night ahead of me. The Jubi's attention then turned to me, realizing I was up to something as it began to approach me as well, as it let out a foul roar that could probably be heard from the other side of the planet. Step by step, we came closer to each other and it was as if time slowed down every time the Jubi swung its great tails through the air, both at me and at everyone else. To my left, Bruce came running as he intercepted a tail; to my right, Hamura came running as he too intercepted a tail. I had picked up my pace even further now as I was almost running. Otsutsuki clan members and Samurai alike were now taking up position beside me as we all were storming the Jubi with what could very well be the final attack. United, fighting side by side until the very end like we never had been apart. This was it... To counter our movement, parts of the Jubi suddenly started splitting up as several thousand "Mini-Jubis" began to storm at us in return. This would be the final bet, this was the final hour. If my plan didn't work, we would all die...
As the Mini-Jubi army approached us, both Hamura and Bruce caught up and leaped ahead of me, as they started clearing out a secure path, buying me even more time and thus allowing me to keep progressing forward unopposed. At this point of time, it was as if we didn't even need to converse with each other to come up with a plan for most parts, neither through speech nor through thoughts; it was as if we already knew what the others were thinking. Some Samurai came riding passed me as well as they swung their spears around and hacked away at the incoming Mini-Jubis. One of them was Keiji Maeda with his great spear, but even as mighty of a warrior as he was, I could easily tell that we were slowly being overwhelmed. One by one, the Samurai warriors started to fall, and shortly thereafter, even the Otsutsuki clan members were falling all around me as well. We were totally outnumbered, and no one could stand against the attacks of the Jubi for long. Rivers of blood, screams of agony and pain – It was total chaos out there. I couldn't even recognize them all in the mess that was happening around me, but I did see Keiji finally being taken down, like his uncle before him, as three huge Mini-Jubis jumped him all at the same time, as he screamed out with a final battle cry before he was totally overpowered. His blood spilled everywhere... Every part of my body urged me to help him out, but I knew I couldn't. There was no chance that I could save everyone, and I couldn't really differ between who I chose to focus on saving and who I didn't risk saving, especially if I had to turn back and let go of the only chance we had, in order to do so. I had to stay focused on my target and keep moving forward no matter the cost or how hard it was, if we were to stand a chance. This was our only way and everyone was playing their part, their role in this battle so that we could salvage one last attempt to save the world. 'Hagoromo, be careful!! Whatever you are planning, it surely can't be without risks!!' I could barely hear Hamura's voice from behind me, but there was no going back now, I knew I had to put everything on the line, even my own life if I was to fulfill my destiny. Slowly turning my head around at him, I gave him a smile of confidence, as if it would be my last smile. I could see it on his face as he tried even harder to break through the Mini-Jubis that were standing in his way so that he could reach up to me. Telepathically, I told him that if this last move failed, I would die. If my plan failed, the whole world would suffer. Picking up my pace, I was now almost within the Jubi's reach...
Soon thereafter, I noticed Nagamasa and Danivass on their high horses charging ahead of me. Everyone was giving it their best shot, but it didn't seem to work. One huge tail came flying their way and I knew I had to intercept it or it would be the end of the both of them. Picking up my pace in order to reach up to them in time, I was soon to discover that I had reacted too late, as both them and their horses were easily swept away before me, before I even made it over there. Landing several hundred meters behind me, I knew there and then without having to head back to check, that they had stood no chance of surviving that attack which had hit them with such a powerful force. The impact was too great, and I couldn't even begin to think to save them. I had failed Yukimura and his dying request, I had failed protecting his son, and soon, I would fail the entire world if I couldn't keep forcing myself in going forward, no matter how hard it was. Tears began to stream down my chins... Was I really that powerless to prevent those I cared about from dying? Our numbers were probably down to 50 or even less by now, and almost all of the clan leaders had been injured gravely or killed. It was a massacre beyond compare out there, and I didn't know how much longer we could hold out or how much more time we had left. Earth had never witnessed a bloodshed like this before, and it was all because of the Jubi...
A great shiver went down my spine as I for the first time in ages began getting flashbacks to the massacre that took place during my stay with the Holy Sect of Peace, seventeen years ago. Back then, I had been powerless to stop the Oda clan assassins from annihilating the entire sect, and my only choice had been to run away and cling on to my life so that I could come back stronger and make up for my regrets. Had I really not changed at all during all these years? Was I really as weak and fragile as I had been back then? Would I always need to rely on everyone else in order to move forward? Fear struck deep in me as I temporarily stopped running. The demons of the past had caught up to me... In the next second, several hundred Mini-Jubis landed before me; I couldn't even move as I fell in a trance. The only things I could see were fire and death... Just before one of the Mini-Jubis reached up to me, Hamura suddenly caught up as he sent it flying with one great push, before he turned to me and slapped me across the face. The burning pain of his hand was what brought me back to reality as he grabbed a hold on to me. 'Whatever happens, keep moving forward, Hagoromo! You can't afford to look back, not even for Bruce nor I!' 'What if I fail, brother?? Look around, we have already lost! Every damn one of us are soon to be dead!' Hesitation had gotten a grip of me and I felt lost. 'If we are to die here, at least let it be with honor!' Hamura's voice rang through my head. He was right, and I had to get myself together. Even if I would end up being the only one left standing, Kaguya had to be stopped for the rest of the world's sake. Catching up to us, Bruce too seemed more determined and confident than in a while as he gave Hamura a nod, before the two of them leaped ahead and blew a hole straight through the Mini-Jubis' ranks in front of us, and thus cleared a new path for me. That was the only signal I needed as I ran straight through and kept pressing forward without doubt or looking back. It didn't take long however before I was all alone up front with new enemies approaching...
My path was completely blocked before me once again, and I knew I had to do it myself this time if I wanted to keep going forward. Hacking away with the Master Sword, I followed up by utilizing my chakra as I sent out a huge wave of fire, burning clear a path ahead of me. It was one of the many small techniques I had picked up in the last three years. My chakra was almost out now however – It was all or nothing now. Suddenly a thought appeared in my head; "I want you to focus solely on using the Master Sword. Its importance in your future acts is bigger than you might think. Only if you can wield it perfectly can you stand against the forces of evil. Without chakra, without hidden abilities, we are but men with our swords." I instantly recognized the voice that had rung through my head. That exact quote was something that Naruto had told me back when we last met, and I had finally realized what he meant now. I had gone at it wrong all this time. The remaining Samurai and Otsutsuki, lead by Hamura and Bruce, had caught up to me, and I didn't even want to count our numbers as I knew we were on the verge of being wiped out. From 10 000 strong, we were probably down to only 10 or so people left now. The biggest defeat in the history of the land was all but confirmed. Shouting out, I continued to force my way forward, telling those left around me to put their faith in me. Who was I kidding? I couldn't even pity myself...
My eyes met with Hamura and Bruce as I saw the despair from before returning in their eyes. We were standing against impossible odds. How had we even survived this long? This time, I had to be the one to motivate them. Giving them a brief nod, I leaped ahead as they continued to push back the incoming Mini-Jubis that tried to reach up to me from the sides. In front of me, the remaining part of the Jubi's main body roared out as I heard Kaguya's voice through it once more, telling us how foolish we had been and that she would now eradicate us all and claim the land for herself. I knew what she meant... Even if all of us warriors were gone, there were still millions of civilians left in the world that would stand no chance against her. We had to come through, no matter what, no matter the cost. I was now closer than ever to reaching up to the Jubi, but still a ton of Mini-Jubis stood in my way. It was then that Ieyasu Tokugawa came riding in on his horse with a spare horse beside him, as I quickly mounted it, with the two of us pressing forward. This was the chance I had been waiting for, or so I thought. Barely dodging an attack, I watched as Ieyasu and his horse were quickly swiped away. Another casualty I couldn't prevent...
Clapping my hands together, I rapidly made three copies of myself and the horse I sat on as I kept moving forward. Another line of defense formed up before me, the final rank of Mini-Jubis standing between me and the Jubi itself. This time, even more and bigger Mini-Jubis stood in my way. Luckily, Hamura, Bruce and the last remaining Otsutsuki clan members had caught up as they intervened. Together with some lone Samurai riders, I had almost reached my goal. By my side, Hanzo Hattori and Nobutada Oda had reached up to me. Together with my three copies, we seemed to be the only ones left of the assault. I turned my head back one more time as I met eyes with Hamura and Bruce, telling me to go for it. Turning around again, a tail suddenly came at me and I had no time to react at all. Just as I was about to get hit however, Hanzo, of all people, the assassin who had murdered my foster parents all those years ago and tried to kill me on several occasions, the man I had chosen to spare and not extract revenge on, rode into me and pushed me to the side, taking the direct blow himself. Another sacrifice, another pointless death... Just as I managed to get control of my horse again, I realized that Nobutada had been blown away by a tail as well, as I only heard him utter my name as he flew through the air. Now I was beyond angry, as hatred completely consumed my thoughts... Even if she was my own mother, nothing could ever forgive this! The only way she could stop me, was by killing me. Surviving wasn't even important anymore... The only thing that mattered was preventing Earth from falling into her hands, and we all knew it. This was a battle to the death...
Forming up with my three copies, I clapped my hands together as I shouted out; "Gracious Deity Gates!!" A massive energy of chakra emerged out of me as blood began to stream from my nostrils. In the next moment, the Jubi was pinned to the ground as several gate-like objects came crashing upon it from the sky. It roared out even more fiercely when it realized it was trapped. I myself was shocked to see what I suddenly had managed to pull off. This was my chance as I once more clapped my hands together and formed up some type of seals. Riding out and surrounding the Jubi from four corners, a barrier then shot up all around it as I left my three copies standing guard maintaining it, while I kept riding towards the Jubi. Now it was trapped, now no one else would get injured by its great tails. 'When and how the hell did you pull that off?!!' Shouting at me from the outside, Bruce was as baffled as anyone, as both Hamura and himself had caught up to the barrier, barely being able to still stand on their feet having survived against all odds. The three of us were by some miracle, the only ones left alive. I couldn't even think about it, I just had to do what I needed to do. Only the main body of the Jubi remained now. I didn't even know myself, but somehow I had been able to pull off two techniques I had merely read about in the Founding Book of Jutsu without having had any prior practice performing them. This barrier was nowhere as strong as the Four Red Yang Formation that the other Otsutsuki clan members had pulled off earlier however, but it would have to do. No words could describe the outcome of this battle. Even if I succeeded in sealing away the Jubi, every Samurai in the land had been wiped out, just like that. Even the entire Otsutsuki clan beside Hamura, Bruce, Kaguya and I, had been eradicated. There wasn't much more to even look forward to. I could hear Kaguya's voice through the foul tone of the Jubi. She was laughing, even if she was trapped. I looked the Jubi straight into the eyes as I could feel that she was mocking me, mocking us. Even if we sealed her up here and now, we had practically lost. It was only a matter of saving the rest of the world and securing a future for our legacy now. I knew there and then that the time of Men was over. If the world was to continue forward and prevent catastrophes like this in the future, something had to be done. Both Hamura and Bruce paid close attention as I kept pressing forward. The moment to strike had come...
Standing up on the horse with the Master Sword in my hand, I leaped off the horse's back as I flew through the air, ready to pierce the sword into the Jubi's skull. It was doing everything in its powers to break free as the gates that were pinning it down to the ground slowly began to break one by one. Would I make it in time? Getting its neck free, the Jubi began to charge up another massive ball of energy, aiming it at me. The moment of truth had come as I began uttering some chants as the Master Sword began to glow even brighter, with some inscription appearing on its blade and all over my body. I was now inches away from the Jubi who was just about to let loose of the energy ball it had been charging up. I even spat up some blood now and my sight began to blur. Using all those techniques right after each other had really cost me a lot and I knew this move was fatal. Even if I managed to seal the Jubi inside the Master Sword, I would surely die...
Momentarily halting its blast however, the Jubi realized that my three other copies were now flying in at it from all directions as well as it didn't know where to fire its energy ball, not knowing which one of us was the real one. That was the only distraction I needed, as I came together with all my copies mid-air as a bright light emerged the moment we connected, turning into one body again. A sharp noise followed the blinding light as the entire sky lit up. Plunging the Master Sword deep into the skull of the Jubi, I screamed out with all my might as the Jubi began to move fiercely around, breaking free from all the gates that had pinned it down as it fired the titanic energy ball straight upwards into the air, demolishing the barrier as it did. Blasting straight through, the Black Energy Ball flew straight up in the atmosphere and so far away that we could barely see it anymore. Before anyone of us had understood what really happened, the entire moon above us blew up and shattered into billion pieces upon impact. The strongest explosion in the history of time had blown up the moon itself! I was totally baffled seeing this as Bruce shouted out at me, not really sure how to even begin to grasp how someone or something could blow up the moon, or what consequences that would have for life on Earth...
I still clung on to the Master Sword as the Jubi tried to throw me off and into the air with its final strength. Falling to the ground with a great bang, the Jubi caused a lot of dust and dirt to spread all over the place, acting as if it was almost rendered immobile by the sword. 'Hagoromo!!' Shouting out to me, Hamura was making his way over as he too jumped on top of the Jubi's head and came over to me while the Jubi was still unable to move. 'I can't seal the Jubi away inside the Master Sword, it is simply too big!! I don't have enough strength left to pull it off...' Coughing up more blood, I almost fell over, still keeping the Master Sword's hilt tightly in the grip of my right hand as it was still plunged deep inside the head of the Jubi. Reaching out to me, Hamura was more concerned than ever before. 'So what do we do now?!' Shouting back at me, I barely managed to hear what he said due to the deafening loud sound of the Jubi's growl which almost sounded like a death-rattle. 'I have a plan...' I mumbled, as a strange feeling was now surging through me. It was as if a vision struck through my mind and I knew exactly what I had to do. 'The only option I have now is to seal it away inside my own body.' Hamura looked at me, not really sure what I meant. As the idea struck me, I knew it would work, but I couldn't do it entirely alone. Getting back up on my feet again, I placed my other hand on the hilt of the Master Sword as well as I held it tightly with both my hands. The Master Sword hadn't been useless you see, as even if it couldn't seal the Jubi away inside the Underworld Dimension, it allowed me to somehow absorb some of the Jubi's powers and use it temporarily for myself. As the Master Sword continued to draw energy from the Jubi, and I could feel all my strength returning and more, something strange did indeed happen. My eyes suddenly changed, as they became what you know as the Rinnegan...
'Hagoromo, your eyes?!' Also having made his way over, Bruce was panting heavily as well. 'I'm not sure how, but I can see it all clear now... First I will use this new power to seal away the chakra and the soul of the Jubi inside my own body with the help of the Master Sword, then with your help Hamura, I will trap the husk of the Jubi, with our mother inside, and create a new moon to replace the old one that she destroyed, which will then act as a seal that will keep it sealed away forever.' As the power of the Jubi continued to surge into me, the entire Jubi's body suddenly began to turn into a stone resembling a statue. Redrawing the Master Sword, I proceeded to jump off the Jubi's head as Hamura and Bruce quickly followed. Holstering the sword on my back, I then clapped my hands together as I began focusing up my chakra. 'With these new eyes, I will free the world of our mother's corruption.' As I said, a symbol began to glow on my right hand as I reached it out to Hamura. Looking at me, Hamura then met it with his own left hand, as a great source of power transferred into his body as well. In the palm of my right hand, a symbol of a sun appeared, and in the palm of Hamura's left hand, a symbol of a crescent moon appeared. Together, we preformed the "Chibaku Tensei," the Catastrophic Planetary Construction technique, as the husk of the Jubi was trapped inside of it with so much earth surrounding it, that it eventually became the moon you now know to this date, as we then hurled it into space. Kaguya had been defeated, but the cost had been too great...
'They never really stood a chance... Even if we won, we lost.' I began, as the new moon shone bright upon us. 'The samurai were but men, and could not stand up against the Jubi. Even we the Otsutsuki clan could not survive...' Neither Bruce nor Hamura knew what to say, but they were both clearly devastated as well. Reaching my hand out, I noticed that it had begun to snow. Merely staring ahead for a while, I continued. 'Now that I think about it, I do wonder what destiny is all about. The Curse of the Jubi which Naruto told me about, the Curse of Hatred... All the people he could have saved, should have saved, but didn't, all in order for destiny to become true, all because he had to let it happen in order for me to become the man I needed to be, because it was how the gods had predetermined it...' 'What are you talking about Hagoromo? You seem... Different...' Bruce causally asked, but he was right, I did feel different. This new power that I now possessed, the power of the Jubi, had changed me completely. 'You're still not on to what you said back then, are you? About the birth of the Jubi being all your fault, because you used your powers for your own good?' Hamura questioned. And it was with his question that I realized... 'I am tired of letting destiny rule over my life, I'm tired of not using the powers I possess to do good, to save the people I care about, to prevent evil from taking over the land... I will break this bond of fate and do things my own way regardless of what might happen. If it truly is my fault that the Divine Tree sprouted, I will have to set things straight.' 'Hagoromo, you're not thinking what I think you are?' Once more, both Hamura and Bruce seemed concerned about my thoughts. They couldn't even sense what I was on to about, even with their telepathic powers. I was no longer just an Otsutsuki, I was so much more. No wonder my mother had been able to wipe us all out. Instead of using my powers for evil though, I knew I would now have a true chance at changing the world and getting rid of hatred forever. The Key to Peace, was now in my hands if I could only find a way to use it. 'I will use up my remaining chakra to resurrect everyone that the Jubi killed. Since the Staff of Fortune & Destiny only can be used a certain amount of times within a certain time limit, I will depend on the new power I have awakened.' 'Are you crazy?! Surely such a power will kill you in the process?!' 'Bruce is right, it's too risky! I know you want to set things straight, believe me we all do, but can you really play god like that? Can you even-...' 'I am aware of the consequences, I am aware of what it will take. But I have already made up my mind...' 'Fine, if you believe you can do it, I will transfer my remaining chakra to you as well, but I am not sure if I believe this to be right and I don't necessarily agree with you. If you die by doing this, brother...' Hamura was stunned by my claim, but he had to know I was right. I simply nodded at the two of them as I clapped my hands together once more with the two of them paying close attention. I then preformed the "Gedō — Rinne Tensei no Jutsu," the Outer Path — Saṃsāra of Heavenly Life Technique...
In the next few moments, every Samurai and Otsutsuki clan member that had been killed in the battle, were revived – One by one... Kaguya had used this power to kill them all, and I found it only right to use the same power to revive them. Every one of them, 10 000 strong. I could barely hold it together as I coughed up even more blood. It felt like every opening in my body were bleeding now; my eyes, my ears, my nostrils... In the next moment everything went dark. I could only hear Hamura and Bruce's voices fading away. Was this really the end for me??...
~ End of Chapter 13 ~
Fun Facts & Author's Notes:
1: I mentioned this in the FB chat, but to the rest, I actually noticed that there was a huge plot-hole in not only this series about the Sage, but my entire Timeline as well. Being that most of the stories I've written comes before this one chronologically, it was hard to keep in mind that there's one certain big event that happens in The Legendary Sage of Six Paths that completely makes things important to remember in my past stories... Yup, the creation of the moon by Hagoromo. Now, being that it's such a figure of speech to talk about the moon and moonlight whenever there's a clear night, this never really crossed my mind. In chapter 3 of this series, I even wrote that Hagoromo looked up at the moon. The fun thing is that neither myself nor my readers have noticed this, which makes it humorous altogether. As you can see in this chapter however, I figured out a way to fix this "plot-hole" by simply having the "old moon" destroyed, in order for Hagoromo to replace it with a new one. This time I suppose you can say that I got lucky, because I literally realized this as I woke up the other day, right in time to add it into the story xO
2: In my One-Shot, The Legend of Link & The Master Sword's Origins, I actually had Link defeating Ganon(dorf) in a similar fashion as I had Hagoromo defeat the Jubi here. In the One-Shot, Link stabbed the Master Sword into the head of Ganon's dragon form, which in turn turned his entire body to stone. One could argue that Link sealed away Ganondorf's consciousness inside the Master Sword, while his body was turned to stone. The only difference is that Ganondorf's body remained on earth until it slowly began to "crumble" over the years, while the Jubi's husk was trapped and became the moon.
3: No idea if you remember this, but when Naruto sealed away the Jubi inside of himself in The Legendary Sage of Konoha Returns, he too awakened the Rinnegan. It's been so long that I sometime forget that my Naruto differs a lot from his manga counterpart. Heck, he could even turn the Rinnegan on and off like the Uchiha clan can turn the Sharingan on and off. That is why Hagoromo never questioned his eyes when he revealed himself to him in chapter 7, as Naruto hadn't activated the Rinnegan in ages. Probably not since before he went to the past.
4: Regarding the Triforce and its potential power, I now realize that incorporating it into this story was sort of a mismatch. In truth, Hagoromo could have used the Triforce to wish eternal peace, or even wish the destruction of the Jubi. I did limit some of the Triforce's power in my story (when it comes to wish making) and had Hagoromo only use a small portion of it before hiding it away for safekeeping, but still... Either way, the Tower of Death arc is really just a filler arc so it's not to be taken that serious, haha.
5: And finally, does Hagoromo die here?
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