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The Legendary Sage of Six Paths, Chapter 8;
'So have I made everything clear to you, oh brave samurai warriors? You agree upon the rules I've laid out for you and you are now aware of the risks of this challenge, am I right? This will be the last chance to back out, so do not regret it once you have stepped inside as there are no safewords here, no turning back! Either you die, or you complete this challenge, understood??'
The gatekeeper boasted, still firmly in place on the oddly shaped rock below him.
I added. As I did, the steel doors in front of us suddenly began to open up inwards as a shocking view met us. All three of us stepped within the entrance as the doors began to close equally as fast as they had opened. Before they closed completely behind us however, the gatekeeper shouted out one last thing...
As we stepped into the Tower, or rather, into the great pagoda and onto the dojo mat stretching across the entire room in front of us, the steel doors behind us shut close tightly with a loud creaking noise. There was no turning back now, we had to work together to get through this despite the fact that none us us knew nothing of the other. The somewhat sinister fake smile of the gatekeeper was the last thing I saw as the light of day disappeared and the dense atmosphere of the room slowly began to creep up on me. I turned my attention back towards what was happening inside the room we now found ourselves in as I had no idea exactly what to make of the thing I saw. In front of us, a wide-spread fight was raging on as ten men dressed in white training gear were fighting two men who seemed heavily outnumbered and completely tired out of the battle that by now must indeed have dragged on. A little further to the left of us, a third man laid on the ground seemingly knocked out. This was indeed not some sort of a show-off mock battle that took place in front of us in what seemed to be some type of dojo arena. They were indeed the three challengers the gatekeeper had told us about that arrived about half an hour before us, and the ten men dressed in white, were indeed the guardians of the first floor. The three of us remained silent at first, observing the ongoing fight before the man in the yellow jumpsuit standing on my right finally spoke once more. He said; 'So should we help them out or wait until their fight is finished? If they can tire the opponents out for us, we shouldn't have much trouble dealing with them afterwards. That is if you two want to cooperate together that is?' I didn't even manage to think of a response before the man with the pale eyes, standing on my left, answered. 'I agree with the latter part of your questioning, however, we should join them now to even out the numbers a bit. That way, we can end this fight sooner and progress to the next level without much trouble.' The man in the yellow jumpsuit nodded back at him, and before I knew it, both of them charged ahead to join the fray. I waited patiently as I watched them smash through the ranks. I couldn't help think that there was something familiar with these two men, something I at the time couldn't put my finger on. As I was pondering about the fact, I looked up towards the ceiling as I discovered that the first floor indeed took up a lot of space. About as far away from the floor as from the ceiling, a platform made up of wood was seen hanging, acting as some type of a middle floor connecting the two floors together. It was about half the size of the ground floor in length and width, and it was only held up by some pillars reaching down from the ceiling that was connected at each of the four corners of the platform to keep it from falling towards the ground. I quickly realized that it didn't have anything around the edges to keep people from falling off except from where the staircase lead up to it from the ground floor on one side, and another on the other side leading up to what truly was the second floor. "The boss of the first floor as the gatekeeper had talked about surly waited up on that middle-floor, and any fight that took place up there was not without the risk of falling off and thus breaking any bones in your body below." I thought to myself. Despite that fact, we could not falter, we just had to get passed anyone down here first. The staircase leading up to that middle-floor had some sort of a fence-gate blocking the access to it, and it would probably not open before the ground level was cleared. Looking back at the fight in front of me, I noticed that three of the men dressed in white had already been taken care off within seconds of those two men I arrived with had joined the fray. I instantly realized that these two surely weren't any ordinary men as I had come to expect at first. Maybe something about them were actually more than a feeling? There was only one way to find out. I decided to join the fray as I leaped forward. It was time to put everything I had learned into practice...
I fell in a trance, as if everything around me suddenly started going in slow motion. I scanned the area, four men to the left, another three to the right. I can do this. A hand comes my way, but I barely dodge it, then a foot takes a swipe at me – I block it, then I beat my opponent to the ground. I look around, another man has fallen, this time to the man with the pale eyes. He's not relying on powers to make his strikes, his style is something I have never seen before. Efficient and deadly. I meet eye-contact with him for a brief second before my attention gets drawn elsewhere. I look at the man in the yellow jumpsuit – one fast upward kick, as his opponent flies through the air; only four men left. Now we're the ones outnumbering the men dressed in white. They quickly group together to form some type of defense but I deem it to be in vain, we are winning this fight. To my right one of the two men who came before us looks dead tired but at the same time relieved. Somehow, I can sense that he is not up for this task; the other man falls to his knees as I can see the desperation in his eyes. He forcefully gets back up again as he makes his way over to the unconscious man on the floor – his friend follows. He's still alive, but he's definitely out cold. I turn my attention back towards the remaining four men dressed in white. At my side, the man with the pale eyes and the one with the jumpsuit stands. This is it, time to end this fight. We all leap forward as we make impact – not long now. About ten seconds later, the fight is over. All ten men dressed in white are down for the count. I look up at my two companions as we nod at each other. I only needed to rely on Taijutsu, on hand-to-hand combat for this level, but that was just as I had come to expect; the next floors will be much harder. I sigh as I wipe my forehead of any sweat I've produced, but I can't seem to feel any. I think to myself that this floor was almost too easy as I look towards the fence-gate blocking the stairs up to the middle-floor, but it won't open. I then realize that the first floor is far from over just yet...
Time started moving normally again as the adrenaline of the combat eased down a bit but not without being immediately replaced by awareness. The ten men dressed in white that are now lying on the floor vanishes in black smoke. They were definitely not human despite their appearance, that much I knew. I didn't really know what to make out of it, but I didn't feel like puzzling over it any further. Turning around, the three of us walked over to the other three men that came before us. The unconscious man was still down and the two other in a bad state. One of them then got up as he asked us who we were and if we knew each other. Pale Eyes – as I now called him, shook his head in denial. Greetings and plans of approach were begging to be made, but the sooner the white dressed men had fallen, the sooner did the next phase begin. The three supporting walls of the room were in fact not just walls, they were doors leading into other secret rooms and at the realization of this, we were suddenly surrounded on all sides as this time, fifteen men dressed in black attires came charging out from the three sides in front, to the left and to the right of the steel doors leading out of this place. As soon as they had surrounded us, the doors slid closed again, as they were in fact more so passageways connecting the different rooms than walls. 'So this was just the warm-up huh? Guess the real 1st Floor begins now...' The man in the jumpsuit reckoned. Jumpsuit Man, I called him for now. Pale Eyes, Jumpsuit Man and I quickly got back to back as we readied ourselves. We didn't need to say anything, it was as if we all were connected somehow, understood how to work together. The two other men that still were able to fight forced themselves up as well after having taken a short breather, as they too got up to us. Paying close attention, we watched as one of the black dressed men gently grabbed a hold on to both hands of the unconscious man as he dragged him to the corner of the room and let him sleep in "peace" over there, before getting back in line again. That was the signal...
Just like before however, it didn't take long before the floor was cleared. I probably took out like two of the men, while Pale Eyes took out five all by himself. To top that, Jumpsuit Man took out seven in one fast swoop, while one of the two other men left standing of the three that came before us, managed to take care of one of them. It immediately became clear to me... Although I had gone to see the Grandmaster to improve my hand-to-hand combat, I had still a long way to go, and that Jumpsuit Man, well, let's just say that he was one heck of a fighter. Just like with the ten white dressed men, the fifteen black dressed men disappeared in a fog of black smoke. Not long after, a creaking noise was heard as the fence-gate blocking the staircase to the middle-floor finally opened. Now it was definitely time for the boss, but first, it was time to finally greet. Not everyone was that interested in doing just that however as the two men had once more gone over to their unconscious friend before giving each other a nod. They then turned to the three of us – Pale Eyes, Jumpsuit Man and I, as one of them spoke; 'I don't know who any of you guys are, but you are indeed powerful. I suppose you are here for the treasure like we are? However, it's every man for himself sooner or later. Until then though, we might as well team up, so what do you say? The gate is open now so let's go!' Shouting out in confidence, one seemed to impact the other as the two of them were just about to go on their way. 'What about your friend there??' Jumpsuit Man then added. 'Oh him? He'll be fine. So what do you say? Let's go already...' The other added. Indeed, the three of them didn't seem to care much for the other, and were most likely like Pale Eyes, Jumpsuit Man and I, still strangers to each other. Pale Eyes then casually said; 'If you want to go first, then be my guest. I don't see a timer no place, so I got all day.' I found that a strange thing to say. It would be easier to work together, wouldn't it? I kept my tongue, at least for now. 'Fine be that way, we don't need your help to clear this floor anyways!' Running ahead and up the stairs, the two men were out of sight but they could still be heard as a new fight had already started. I could only speculate how long it would take before one of them came flying down again. Then again, that wasn't really my primary concern...
'So who are you guys anyways??' I finally dared ask. Something about them had felt so familiar all this time that I just had to ask. The fact that Pale Eyes wanted to have a break for some reason supported this, maybe he knew or wanted to say something? Pale Eyes then looked at Jumpsuit Man as he nodded back at him. Of course! How could I not have caught on to it before? It was obvious now... The three of us had in fact not randomly met like this, both Pale Eyes and Jumpsuit Man obviously knew each other from before and they went a long way back. Jumpsuit Man then went up to me as he reached his hand out to greet me. 'So have you caught on already I presume? Well, my name is Bruce Otsutsuki, and this is my cousin.' Looking over at Pale Eyes, he too came over to me as he also went to shake my hand. Our meeting had not only been destined for a long, long time, but it was a much expected one as well, one that would change my life ever since. His name... Was Hamura. Hamura Otsutsuki, and he was in fact my long lost brother. I was baffled, but at the same time I felt relieved. At long last, I had found him, two years since Nobunaga, our father, had told me the truth about my real family. Was this why the Wizard, Naruto Uzumaki had sent me here in the first place? He knew we would meet here, that was his plan all along. It just had to be...
'Yes Hagoromo, I am your brother and this meeting of ours has been on my mind for a long time. Bruce here is indeed my cousin, our cousin, and he too has been expecting this meeting.' 'Did you know about this? That I would be here, this very day?' I briefly asked. I had so much I wanted to ask, but for some reason this was the first thing that came to my mind. Had they too met with Naruto, or even, did they know the truth about Nobunaga, and about our grandparents? Did they know the details about my battle with our grandfather, Kuroi, and our grandmother? So many questions now surged through my head but I had to stop thinking for a moment in order to be able to grasp the answers I were now given. 'I had a hunch you would be here.' The reply sounded. There was so much I didn't know about my brother, my cousin or even the clan for that matter. I immediately followed up. 'What about our mother, Kaguya? What about our clan? What about-...' 'One question at a time, will you?' Bruce annoyingly requested, crossing his arms together as he did. I laughed. Of course, there was no need to rush things. 'I'll take you to her later, but first, we should get some things out of the way.' Hamura firmly noted. We had indeed a lot to discuss...
The first thing I revealed was the reason to why I was here and how our meeting had come to be in the first place, that I had to clear the Tower of Death and overcome the challenge in order to awaken both the Master Sword's and my own powers. I only laid out the basics however, laying out all the details would take days and I knew it. Hamura then began summarizing what I had said to himself as he followed up by saying that in order to "claim" the symbols I was looking for, I had to go through a trial of Power, Courage and Wisdom – through the Tower of Death. Together, we would be able to combine our power and make it through it, but he feared that it would be a tough challenge regardless, the toughest any of us had faced yet. Somehow I felt my moral skyrocketing with this new information. I had set my mind on completing this challenge all by myself, but now that I had my brother and my cousin here to help, it had to be a whole lot easier although it would be naive of me to underestimate the Tower regardless. Bruce then decided to add something; 'Well before we move on, I suggest we use this break to lay down the ground facts like you mentioned Hamura. We're probably not going to get a better chance than this...' He was right. But where would we begin, and where would my journey take me from here? I could only wait and see. The history of the Otsutsuki Clan was however, one of the topics I most desired to know more about...
'The end of our grandparent's corruption and rule completely split the clan and spread them across the land...' Hamura began. 'Things finally calmed down a bit but none of us knew how to react to this. That is when Hamura and Kaguya finally emerged from their hideout, and the two of us met.' Bruce followed. 'We don't really have a leader of the clan right now and most of the clan members have been minding their own business, free from the clutches of our grandparents' control.' I could easily see that Hamura was at ease as he said that, but somehow I could still sense that he didn't know how the future of the clan would pan out. Bruce then continued. 'Neither one of us knows much about our clan's history as of yet, but all we know is that it was our grandparents, the first rulers who united our clan, that made the call to come to this place, to this planet. In either case, since we have no one to lead us, to guide us now, most of us feels lost. We need someone to reunite the clan and lead it on better ways, to a brighter future where we can actually co-exist with the ones who already lived here before we came.' I looked at him. Unlike Hamura who seemed to always be calm and recollected, Bruce was the more spiritual type who didn't rely too much on strategy or extensive planning. It felt like I somehow was a mix between both of their personalities, but I couldn't really pinpoint the meaning of those thoughts that suddenly went through my head as I listened to the both of them. Hamura then said; 'Kaguya, our mother, has told me that she has a plan on how to reunite our clan and to try to bring on a better future for all of us. She hasn't told me the details, but I have a feeling she knows something I don't. After having been in hiding for all my life, these two last years have enabled me to see not only a new side of myself and of our mother, but also of this world and the essence of life. If anyone knows what to do, it's our mother. I am however not sure when she plans on following up on her plan, but something tells me it should happen soon.' He felt reassured by his own claim but I had yet to even realize what type of person mother really was. I could only speculate for now until I would one day finally meet her myself. 'I'll take you too her as soon as we have cleared this tower, that's a deal.' He concluded. I nodded back at him. If I let my mind slip too far ahead, there would be no saying how bad this challenge could go. "Get it out of the way and then let everything else fall in line." I said to myself...
Hamura then went on to explain what he knew about this tower and its deadly challenge as Bruce gently sat down and crossed his legs together in a totally relaxed position. Hamura on the other hand was as serious as ever as he continued explaining. 'It is said that the Tower was built by the gods at the beginning of time, when the Earth was first created. At the top of this tower rests a treasure beyond any man, which is said to boost the capability to the one who touches it. It is called the "Triforce." Each floor of the tower is guarded by different guardians, some call them angels, others calls them demons. No one has ever gone passed the third floor. The guardians are not human, and some of them are even superior to our kind, Hagoromo.' He paused for a second as Bruce nodded in agreement. Maybe I had underestimated this challenge even the slightest bit? 'There are no way to confirm if this information of yours is true, Hamura, but we might as well go by it so that we avoid any nasty surprises.' Bruce concurred. Hamura then continued. 'The first floor only mirrors the strength of men and it will only get more and more difficult as we advance through each level. I reckon that the 4th floor should rival our clan's strength, so we shouldn't have much trouble before then.' 'But we are wise to tread carefully!' Bruce interrupted. These two seemed to know a lot more about this tower than I did, that was for sure. I wondered exactly where they had heard this information from however, so I immediately let them know of my inner thoughts. 'It's weird that I haven't heard about this place before and neither its purpose, but I suppose there's no reason to doubt your intel...' I simply said. Reflecting back on what Naruto had told me during our final meeting, I couldn't help think about the symbols that I was supposed to claim. Was it the same as this "Triforce?" Sensing my query, Hamura then asked me what was on my mind as I told him some of the details about Naruto and his time-travel. For some reason though, Hamura didn't seem to be that surprised although Bruce couldn't help scratch his head. From there on, the discussion side-tracked a bit as I told them about my fight with Nobunaga and how he was corrupted. Yet again, this was information Hamura and Bruce already seemed to possess. The only reason to how they knew about this that I could think of, was that Kaguya must have told them how things went down between her and Nobunaga before he became corrupted. It wouldn't be too unrealistic to think that. Before long however, we eventually got to the details of my encounter with our grandparents and how my battle had gone down, and this was where a shocking truth came out. Back then two years ago, I had somehow been saved after my final fight with Kuroi, our grandfather, but I had still to this date to find out who that person in the glowing light healing my wounds was. Even Naruto denied that it was him, stating that even if he knew who it was, I had to find out for myself, and as destiny probably had foretold once more, I would finally find out who. Obviously, Hamura knew about this and who my savior was. You'll never guess who...
That's right, it turned out that it was Hamura, your uncle, who had found me half dead on that snowy mountain top. I was shocked. I didn't even know what to say so I simply asked him how he knew and why he didn't stick around to introduce himself. He simply said; 'I sensed your presence, Hagoromo... After years of training and preparing, Kaguya told me where to find our grandparents so that I could try to avenge our father and free both our clan and the land from their grasp, and as I made my way over there, I could sense you. Once I finally arrived, the battle was already over however, and that is when I spotted you... I'm certain you sensed me as well back then, didn't you?' He was right... Right before my battle went down, I'd had this feeling of familiarity but I could not decipher it back then. 'And the reason to why I didn't stick around was because it wasn't the right time for us to meet. Let's just put it that way.' He followed up. It felt like I understood him somehow so I didn't press any further. 'So obviously we already knew who you were before we entered the tower, Hagoromo. We knew you would come this way so we too decided to go to help you out.' Bruce then said as he stood up to his feet again. At the time I couldn't grasp their powers, but surely one of them had some type of sensing ability. Before we managed to linger any further though, a body suddenly flew down from the middle-floor above and crashed hard to the ground. His limbs were broken in all directions, stone dead. Not long after, a scream followed. We all knew we had to get up there, we couldn't stand idle by any longer. Making our way to the stairs, we were up on the platform in matter of seconds...
Just as the three of us came up there, the other man from before came running towards us in despair as he shouted out; 'What were we thinking?! There's no way we'll be able to overcome this challenge! We need to get out of here, somehow, we won't live much longer if we stay here! Run for your lives!' Panic-struck, the man made his way through us as he stormed down the stairs. Confirming that one of his companions was dead while the other was still unconscious, the man didn't know where to go or what to do with himself. I couldn't help feel sorry for him and that I should have tried to help them to avoid pointless deaths somehow. Then again, everyone knew the risks of entering here, and it was their choice to partake in this challenge. My thoughts didn't manage to occupy my mind for too long however as my attention was drawn back to the opponent now standing in front of us. 'Let's take him on together.' Hamura calmly stated. 'No point underestimating anyone from here on and out...' My reply sounded. Bruce quickly nodded as all three of us readied ourselves. It was time to take on the 1st Boss...
Our minds focused, our reflexes sharpened. Whoever he was, he was surely a lot stronger than any of the foes we had faced so far. His training attire was grey, and his belt, unlike the others, didn't contain a specific color. While the rest of the foes up until now had had black belts, this guy had a belt that reminded me more of rainbow than anything else. Whatever it symbolized, it didn't matter – we had to bring him down regardless. First strike, and he didn't even hesitate. I barely managed to get my guard up but it wasn't me he was aiming for, it was Bruce. Luckily however, Bruce managed to block his incoming kick as the shockwave of the impact blew my way, forcing me to cover my face. Bruce was extremely fast however, and used his speed to counter. Grabbing a hold on to the guy's right foot with his left hand, Bruce aimed a kick of his own to the man's open left side, but sensing this, the man rapidly knocked Bruce backwards with his free foot and thus in the process, he also broke free from his grasp, landing on his feet firmly on the ground again. 'He's fast, nearly as fast as you, Bruce.' Hamura firmly said. Bruce nodded once more. If it was one thing that I had figured out, it was that Hamura and Bruce surely knew about each others' abilities and limitations, and if Hamura of all people complimented one of our foes, I couldn't take him lightly even if he was outnumbered. 'This guy seems to specialize himself in using his feet for combat.' Bruce followed up. 'I agree.' Hamura stated, as he studied the opponent in front of us. "They had already analyzed the foe before us and I hadn't even managed to begin to think of a combat strategy of my own??" I thought to myself. I had to hand it to them, they both had keen eyes and perceptive minds. Then it suddenly hit me like a moon on a starry night. "A man who specializes himself in fighting with his feet?" Thinking back to my time with the grandmaster, I remembered that he had told me that he knew one of the supposed guardians at the Tower of Death, namely the first floor, being a former student of his. Maybe this was the guy the grandmaster had talked about? He had after all said that he specialized himself in flying-kicks as he called it. It had to be, this was the last opponent before us on the first floor. I took a step forward to speak my mind but Hamura reached his hand out in front of me as if to signalize that I shouldn't be as carefree as I seemingly was. I halted, but I still asked the lingering questions I now couldn't get out of my head; 'You are one of the former students of the great grandmaster of hand-to-hand combat, aren't you?' I began. 'What is your name?' No answer... Not even the slightest movement on his face to either support or deny this claim. Bruce then leaned over to me as he said; 'Hagoromo... I don't think these guys really are humans, even if they match their strength.' 'But I am certain, the grandmaster told me he knew a former student of his on the first floor of this tower! And he specialized himself in flying-kicks, it has to be him!' I countered. Hamura looked at me but he didn't know what to say. I could read his mind though, and he was now clearly thinking that maybe something really was off with this challenge. He didn't let that thought linger any further though as he leaped forward on his own...
Exchanging several blows with the guardian, Hamura tried to bring the battle to a quick conclusion. Bruce then leaped off too as he attacked from the left and as he did, I realized it was time to get serious. Joining the two of them, it didn't take long before we overpowered the foe before us, just like Hamura had expected. With a combined kick to the face, the three of us sent the guardian flying off the platform we stood on as he went crashing down towards the ground beneath. Before he reached the bottom however, he too, like the rest, vanished in a black fog of smoke. Catching my breath, I looked at Hamura and Bruce. It was like we read each others' minds. Two things were certain... One, for some reason, this challenge wasn't as it should be, at least it felt that way. The imagery of the grandmaster's student that should have been but wasn't, and the black fog of smoke that appeared whenever we defeated a foe. It felt almost like an evil spirit had fallen upon the place but neither one of us could pinpoint what this sudden feeling meant. Secondly, the challenge would only get more and more difficult. How strong would the opponents on the 2nd Floor be? There was only one way to find out as the three of us rushed up the stairs and into a dark isolated room above on the next floor. We couldn't see a thing at first...
In comparison to the first floor, the second floor was less than half its size and way more packed around the edges. It surely was designed for close combat, which all made sense in regards to how the gatekeeper had described the different floors to be after the first one. The rest of them were probably just like this one, although hopefully a little less dark. Only the first floor had several opponents to fight, so each guardian from here on and out would be more powerful than the last. From the shadows of the dark, two peculiar looking guardians emerged, one more strange than the others. These guys had clothes I had never seen before, like they belonged to a different era, to a different time. They both seemed young in age but neither seemed to be human. Their appearance were more demon-like than anything, and both were black skinned with thorns sticking out all over their face. No time to let down our guards now and we knew it, but before the battle begun however, we were in for a surprise. These guardians didn't only seem to have emotions of their own, they also talked. 'Welcome to the 2nd Floor, Challengers...' One of them started. 'Long time since anyone placed foot here, mhm...' The other concluded. Silence accompanied the darkness and the shadows around us, but just as Bruce was about to take charge, one of the guardians reached his hand out and told him to stop. Halfway through the air, Bruce halted his advance as he almost tumbled over face first in the process. With a confused look on his face, Bruce didn't know what to say. I looked over at Hamura to see what he was thinking, but I immediately noticed that something about him had changed. His pale eyes had somewhat transformed as thick veins of blood were present all around them and his sight centered at the two guardians in front of us. Before I even managed to ask, he had already answered my question. 'Relax Hagoromo, this is my technique, my ocular power passed down to me from our mother. It's called the Byakugan, and with it, I can see beyond what the normal eye can see.' I was baffled, but at the same time, I wasn't surprised either. He was my brother after all...
Scanning the two of them, Hamura was as if trying to figure out their abilities but as of now, he kept quiet. It was then that the silence would finally break as the guardians began talking once more. 'Only "mind-tricks" are available for use on this floor, anything else will be futile. If you want to beat us, that is the way to go.' 'Mind-tricks??' Bruce asked. Staring back at the rather casual and laid-back guardians. The other one then answered. 'Only one person has ever gone to the next stage. Since nobody else has known how to utilize mind-tricks, no one else has passed.' Calling what he initially thought was a bluff as he laughed at them, Bruce decided to charge ahead unexpectedly as his fast kick landed a direct blow to one of the guardians, but to our surprise, he went straight through almost as if hitting a mirage. Not letting go of his attacks, Bruce followed up with several fast paced punches and kicks but none had the wanted effect as he crashed on the floor behind one of the guardians after giving it all with one powerful roundhouse kick. 'I told you, no physical attacks can hurt us...' 'Then how about this!' I'd had enough of the mockery as I decided to try a trick of my own, a trick I knew only I could pull off. I hadn't really found a fitting name for this style yet, but I had relied on it in moment of need before...
The last time I did use it, Tadakatsu himself perished before me. "Nothing these two could defend against!!" I thought to myself as I charged at them. How naive and cocky could I be? As I reached up to them, my hands started glowing as chakra emerged from my hands. In the blink of an eye, both guardians were engulfed in a fiery rage that normally would have turned them to ashes in an instant, just like every man who had seen this technique before them had. 'What on earth is that?!' Bruce exclaimed as he got back up on his feet. 'For some reason, the only name I have for it is "Blazing Annihilation Atomic Incineration Blast," and it's something I awoke from within myself shortly after I figured out how to utilize the chakra resting deep inside of me.' 'So you possess chakra as well, Hagoromo. So it is as I suspected.' Hamura concurred. I looked at him... With that being said, I thought I would explain how I had come to awaken this ability while I were at it; 'I think I read someplace in the Founding Book of Jutsu that it's called Ninshu or Ninjutsu, or something, but either way, it has proven effective...' 'Founding Book of Jutsu??' Bruce was as confused as ever. Of course, I hadn't told neither him nor Hamura about the tools the Wizard, the tools Naruto had bestowed upon me. 'Ninjutsu...' Hamura mumbled, but not so quietly that I couldn't hear it. 'Seems like we have more in common than you think, Hagoromo.' He followed up. 'Everyone in the clan awakens their powers in one way or the other, but none of us are born with the ability to utilize it right away. Whether it be chakra, immense strength or lightning fast speed. We all have to train our own way to unlock them.' Finishing his brief explanation, he then signaled both Bruce and I to come over to him as the smoke of the fire began to settle down behind me. 'What do you mean, Hagoromo can access chakra and utilize Ninjutsu as well? I thought only a selected few in the clan could do that?!' Bruce uttered. So that was how it was... That Byakugan of Hamura's was the same thing, of chakra, but it was all still out of my understanding to grasp. Before we managed to conclude the situation, Hamura drew our attention once more. 'Regain your focus, this fight hasn't even started yet.' Having kept his eyes on the targets without lingering for a second, Hamura had known all along that my "special" attack would have and didn't have no effect at all as the two guardians emerged out of the fire, simply laughing at us...
'Alright, let's try something else then.' I said. But before I was able to step forward, Hamura told me to wait. Something was on his mind and I knew it. 'With these eyes of mine, I can analyze things in a whole different way than any normal being can. I know for a fact that nothing but psychological attacks will work on them.' I pondered about what he said. These two guardians didn't seem eager to fight head on. Maybe they knew none of us had any idea how to overcome them so they just abode their time? 'Have you guys figured it out yet, hmm?' One of them said. 'Mind-tricks... Mind-tricks...' I repeated out loud. Could it relate to Genjutsu somehow? Yes, the very technique that Naruto had used on me the second time we met on the Three Wolves Mountain, when he at first had tricked me into seeing what seemed to be a live and fire-breathing dragon. A "Genjutsu," he called it back then – An illusion. Somehow, Hamura must have overheard what I was thinking because he clearly knew what was on my mind. Had I thought out loud openly in front of them? 'Aha, Genjutsu...' He confirmed to himself. 'So you know about it?' I followed up. 'Yes but barely. It's not my strongest card... While Bruce specializes his strength in Taijutsu, or rather, hand-to-hand combat, my abilities are a bit more spread out. I used to be called the gifted one in our clan, but that was obviously before we realized you had the affinity for chakra and the ability to utilize it for Ninjutsu as well, just like our mother and grandparents before us.' We both looked at him. So that was how it all came about. Even if Bruce was exceptionally acquainted with hand-to-hand combat, he never had the ability to fully utilize the chakra within himself. Bit by bit, I started to realize more about how our clan operated as I looked at Hamura who proceeded to clap his hands together, closing his eyes as he did. Taking a deep breath, he told the two of us to come close to him. The two guardians in front of us looked at us puzzled. Did they even know what Genjutsu was? What did they mean by Mind-tricks anyways? What was their definition of it? Only much later would I figure out as in the next moment, the room around us began changing. I couldn't understand what was happening at first but as soon as his technique had finished formalizing, Hamura opened his eyes again. In the next minute, we were all back in the same room, but both of the guardians before us had suddenly vanished in black smoke. At this point I had to stop and ask myself; "Did they die when they turned to smoke, or was this just a maneuver, a process they had to go through until they could recharge, until the next challengers would come?" Putting that thought aside for a moment, my attention was brought back to Hamura. I had no idea what exactly just had happened, but it had clearly taken a toll on Hamura and clearly had it done the trick. Falling to his knees in exhaustion, Bruce had to reach out to him to help him up again...
Panting heavily, a smile formed on Hamura's face. 'Seems like the Genjutsu worked.' He briefly said. 'What did you even do?' I followed up. 'Let's keep the details out of it. All I can say is that it's the only Genjutsu I ever awakened. It's related to these eyes, and it traps the targets in a world where only the caster can move freely about...' I was shocked. Hamura was indeed stronger than I thought he was, and at this realization, I knew we would not have gotten passed the 2nd Floor without him. Eying the stairs in front of us, leading up to the next floor, I looked at my two companions as Bruce nodded back at me as we helped Hamura over to the staircase. 'Are you sure you won't need a breather cousin?' Bruce asked worriedly. 'I'm fine Bruce, don't worry. I insist that you two go ahead though until I can regain some of the chakra I spent using that Genjutsu...' Forcing himself up on his feet, Hamura would have none of our worries about his stamina as he waved us off. 'We're in no rush though, we can just take a short breather before heading on I suppose. After all, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have cleared this floor to begin with.' Putting a smile on his face, Bruce seemed confident in his claim and I couldn't help laugh as I too gave Hamura a reassuring nod. Not long after however, we were finally ready to move on...
As we cautiously walked up the stairs in front of us, we noticed several weapons hanging on the walls on both sides, and without even thinking twice about it, both Bruce and Hamura decided to bring some of the weapons with them. Surely there was a purpose behind them being there and surely was the 3rd Floor connected to them. I on the other hand already had the weapon of my choice on my back, namely the Master Sword, which I had brought with me as the three of us then came up and into the room that was the third floor. Unlike the previous one, this room was lit up by candles and had an overall much more appealing look to it. It felt like someone actually lived there, but at the same time, it wasn't that cozy. It was still a training ground, but less of a dojo than the earlier levels. Bruce had brought a set of nunchaku with him while Hamura on the other hand had handpicked a spear as his weapon of choice. Drawing our weapons and readying ourselves, we were finally met by the guardian of the floor who up until then had been seated on what seemed like a throne of sort covered in tiger skin, eying us carefully as we entered his domain, his personal space and battle zone. Appearing before us, he had two red sticks, one in each hand, and a fierce look on his face...
'Remember what I told you guys?' Turning to us, Hamura seemed to recollect something he had said earlier but before either one of us had managed to reply, he had answered his own question. 'I predicted that the guardians of the first four floors should be about our strength, meaning that we are close to the power level of our own clan now. This guy is not to be taken lightly, by any of us. If we stick together, we can defeat him.' He was right. Something about this guy seemed to be the complete opposite of the goofy nature of the two last guardians. To top that, this guy was all by himself. He had short-trimmed black hair with a red band wrapped around his head and a full on black attire that consisted of a shirt and pants, but it was less of a training gear and more of a casual uniform unlike the previous guardians. Looking at us, the guardian then spoke. 'I have no intention of welcoming you neither have I the intention to let you pass easily. This is where the real challenge begins, this is the Temple of the Tiger.' He was cold but firm. This guy meant business. 'I can sense that you all possess special powers of sort, but not all of you are adapt to using them, especially that guy.' Pointing at Bruce, it was as if the guardian was hinting at something, something we could only speculate what was. Bruce then leaned into my ear as he whispered the words; 'Chakra... He's clearly referring to chakra.' He was probably right, but how did this guardian know? 'That ability of yours is off limit on this floor. You may try to utilize it but you will quickly discover that it's futile. This room is protected by a special barrier that prevents all foul magic from being used. Only by using your weapons can you get passed me. Whether that are weapons you have collected from the stairway or weapons you have brought with you, doesn't matter, as long as you use them. You can try to land a punch on me but that won't have any effect I can assure you.' So that was the deal of this floor... For some reason, each guardian seemed to be both more serious and more willing to talk than the previous ones. This guy even seemed human, but something about him did indeed feel off, just like the others...
'Whatever you do, stay as far away from the stairway as possible. If you try to climb to the next floor before this floor has been beaten, you will live to regret it.' He was on to something. Up until now, the stairways to the next floors had been locked until the floors had been beaten but this time, the stairway to the next floor was already accessible for reasons unknown. Was this to distract the challengers hoping to skip a floor or two? What did he mean by his last line? He then continued. 'To make things interesting, let's even the odds a little.' In the next moment, two copies of the Weapons Expert suddenly stood beside him. This would be a 3-on-3 and we all had to defeat one of them. So much for using our number to our advantage, but I figured this was the only way to go. Looking at Hamura and Bruce, I knew that the real fight was just about to begin...
Ending theme:
Author's Note:
1: Finally back to writing and finally back to The Legendary Sage of Six Paths after taking about two months off to focus on other things as well as writing out the 9 Entries for the Recollection of the Past. With everything else out of the way now however, my primary focus will be to get the remaining 8 chapters of this Series done (chapter 9-16)!
2: Hamura makes his official debut! This had been in the cards for a very long time but only now can I finally say that he's been included into the story as well. Also the third character that is the cousin of Hagoromo and Hamura, Bruce, is obviously (for some) based off on Bruce Lee (and more specifically his character in the Game of Death, hence the yellow jumpsuit). This is not only a goof however, and you will see in the upcoming chapters that for the first time in this series, the action will not only be focused on Hagoromo's point of view. Should be a lot of good stuff to look forward to here. And yes, this was actually the first ever Byakugan Genjutsu (for me and for the manga as well unless my memory fails me) which I thought was cool. Wonder what you guys think about that, haha. With all that being said, I suppose I don't have much else to say, so I hope you enjoyed this one, comment, rate, subscribe (lol) and catch you guys later! ~
3: Oh, well I suppose I can't stress enough the inspirations for this "side-story arc," as it was originally intended to be, so with that out there once more, I'd like to refer you to the following Youtube video which I've linked before. Should give you guys a good "look" on what to come in the next few chapters (if you haven't seen it already);
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The Legendary Sage of Six Paths, Chapter 8;
The Tower of Death Part 1;
A Test of Power , Courage & Wisdom - The Game Begins!:
A Test of Power , Courage & Wisdom - The Game Begins!:
'So have I made everything clear to you, oh brave samurai warriors? You agree upon the rules I've laid out for you and you are now aware of the risks of this challenge, am I right? This will be the last chance to back out, so do not regret it once you have stepped inside as there are no safewords here, no turning back! Either you die, or you complete this challenge, understood??'
The gatekeeper boasted, still firmly in place on the oddly shaped rock below him.
'Perfectly.'
I added. As I did, the steel doors in front of us suddenly began to open up inwards as a shocking view met us. All three of us stepped within the entrance as the doors began to close equally as fast as they had opened. Before they closed completely behind us however, the gatekeeper shouted out one last thing...
'Then I welcome Thee to the Tower of Death, brave young men, and to a Game of Death!!'
As we stepped into the Tower, or rather, into the great pagoda and onto the dojo mat stretching across the entire room in front of us, the steel doors behind us shut close tightly with a loud creaking noise. There was no turning back now, we had to work together to get through this despite the fact that none us us knew nothing of the other. The somewhat sinister fake smile of the gatekeeper was the last thing I saw as the light of day disappeared and the dense atmosphere of the room slowly began to creep up on me. I turned my attention back towards what was happening inside the room we now found ourselves in as I had no idea exactly what to make of the thing I saw. In front of us, a wide-spread fight was raging on as ten men dressed in white training gear were fighting two men who seemed heavily outnumbered and completely tired out of the battle that by now must indeed have dragged on. A little further to the left of us, a third man laid on the ground seemingly knocked out. This was indeed not some sort of a show-off mock battle that took place in front of us in what seemed to be some type of dojo arena. They were indeed the three challengers the gatekeeper had told us about that arrived about half an hour before us, and the ten men dressed in white, were indeed the guardians of the first floor. The three of us remained silent at first, observing the ongoing fight before the man in the yellow jumpsuit standing on my right finally spoke once more. He said; 'So should we help them out or wait until their fight is finished? If they can tire the opponents out for us, we shouldn't have much trouble dealing with them afterwards. That is if you two want to cooperate together that is?' I didn't even manage to think of a response before the man with the pale eyes, standing on my left, answered. 'I agree with the latter part of your questioning, however, we should join them now to even out the numbers a bit. That way, we can end this fight sooner and progress to the next level without much trouble.' The man in the yellow jumpsuit nodded back at him, and before I knew it, both of them charged ahead to join the fray. I waited patiently as I watched them smash through the ranks. I couldn't help think that there was something familiar with these two men, something I at the time couldn't put my finger on. As I was pondering about the fact, I looked up towards the ceiling as I discovered that the first floor indeed took up a lot of space. About as far away from the floor as from the ceiling, a platform made up of wood was seen hanging, acting as some type of a middle floor connecting the two floors together. It was about half the size of the ground floor in length and width, and it was only held up by some pillars reaching down from the ceiling that was connected at each of the four corners of the platform to keep it from falling towards the ground. I quickly realized that it didn't have anything around the edges to keep people from falling off except from where the staircase lead up to it from the ground floor on one side, and another on the other side leading up to what truly was the second floor. "The boss of the first floor as the gatekeeper had talked about surly waited up on that middle-floor, and any fight that took place up there was not without the risk of falling off and thus breaking any bones in your body below." I thought to myself. Despite that fact, we could not falter, we just had to get passed anyone down here first. The staircase leading up to that middle-floor had some sort of a fence-gate blocking the access to it, and it would probably not open before the ground level was cleared. Looking back at the fight in front of me, I noticed that three of the men dressed in white had already been taken care off within seconds of those two men I arrived with had joined the fray. I instantly realized that these two surely weren't any ordinary men as I had come to expect at first. Maybe something about them were actually more than a feeling? There was only one way to find out. I decided to join the fray as I leaped forward. It was time to put everything I had learned into practice...
I fell in a trance, as if everything around me suddenly started going in slow motion. I scanned the area, four men to the left, another three to the right. I can do this. A hand comes my way, but I barely dodge it, then a foot takes a swipe at me – I block it, then I beat my opponent to the ground. I look around, another man has fallen, this time to the man with the pale eyes. He's not relying on powers to make his strikes, his style is something I have never seen before. Efficient and deadly. I meet eye-contact with him for a brief second before my attention gets drawn elsewhere. I look at the man in the yellow jumpsuit – one fast upward kick, as his opponent flies through the air; only four men left. Now we're the ones outnumbering the men dressed in white. They quickly group together to form some type of defense but I deem it to be in vain, we are winning this fight. To my right one of the two men who came before us looks dead tired but at the same time relieved. Somehow, I can sense that he is not up for this task; the other man falls to his knees as I can see the desperation in his eyes. He forcefully gets back up again as he makes his way over to the unconscious man on the floor – his friend follows. He's still alive, but he's definitely out cold. I turn my attention back towards the remaining four men dressed in white. At my side, the man with the pale eyes and the one with the jumpsuit stands. This is it, time to end this fight. We all leap forward as we make impact – not long now. About ten seconds later, the fight is over. All ten men dressed in white are down for the count. I look up at my two companions as we nod at each other. I only needed to rely on Taijutsu, on hand-to-hand combat for this level, but that was just as I had come to expect; the next floors will be much harder. I sigh as I wipe my forehead of any sweat I've produced, but I can't seem to feel any. I think to myself that this floor was almost too easy as I look towards the fence-gate blocking the stairs up to the middle-floor, but it won't open. I then realize that the first floor is far from over just yet...
Time started moving normally again as the adrenaline of the combat eased down a bit but not without being immediately replaced by awareness. The ten men dressed in white that are now lying on the floor vanishes in black smoke. They were definitely not human despite their appearance, that much I knew. I didn't really know what to make out of it, but I didn't feel like puzzling over it any further. Turning around, the three of us walked over to the other three men that came before us. The unconscious man was still down and the two other in a bad state. One of them then got up as he asked us who we were and if we knew each other. Pale Eyes – as I now called him, shook his head in denial. Greetings and plans of approach were begging to be made, but the sooner the white dressed men had fallen, the sooner did the next phase begin. The three supporting walls of the room were in fact not just walls, they were doors leading into other secret rooms and at the realization of this, we were suddenly surrounded on all sides as this time, fifteen men dressed in black attires came charging out from the three sides in front, to the left and to the right of the steel doors leading out of this place. As soon as they had surrounded us, the doors slid closed again, as they were in fact more so passageways connecting the different rooms than walls. 'So this was just the warm-up huh? Guess the real 1st Floor begins now...' The man in the jumpsuit reckoned. Jumpsuit Man, I called him for now. Pale Eyes, Jumpsuit Man and I quickly got back to back as we readied ourselves. We didn't need to say anything, it was as if we all were connected somehow, understood how to work together. The two other men that still were able to fight forced themselves up as well after having taken a short breather, as they too got up to us. Paying close attention, we watched as one of the black dressed men gently grabbed a hold on to both hands of the unconscious man as he dragged him to the corner of the room and let him sleep in "peace" over there, before getting back in line again. That was the signal...
Just like before however, it didn't take long before the floor was cleared. I probably took out like two of the men, while Pale Eyes took out five all by himself. To top that, Jumpsuit Man took out seven in one fast swoop, while one of the two other men left standing of the three that came before us, managed to take care of one of them. It immediately became clear to me... Although I had gone to see the Grandmaster to improve my hand-to-hand combat, I had still a long way to go, and that Jumpsuit Man, well, let's just say that he was one heck of a fighter. Just like with the ten white dressed men, the fifteen black dressed men disappeared in a fog of black smoke. Not long after, a creaking noise was heard as the fence-gate blocking the staircase to the middle-floor finally opened. Now it was definitely time for the boss, but first, it was time to finally greet. Not everyone was that interested in doing just that however as the two men had once more gone over to their unconscious friend before giving each other a nod. They then turned to the three of us – Pale Eyes, Jumpsuit Man and I, as one of them spoke; 'I don't know who any of you guys are, but you are indeed powerful. I suppose you are here for the treasure like we are? However, it's every man for himself sooner or later. Until then though, we might as well team up, so what do you say? The gate is open now so let's go!' Shouting out in confidence, one seemed to impact the other as the two of them were just about to go on their way. 'What about your friend there??' Jumpsuit Man then added. 'Oh him? He'll be fine. So what do you say? Let's go already...' The other added. Indeed, the three of them didn't seem to care much for the other, and were most likely like Pale Eyes, Jumpsuit Man and I, still strangers to each other. Pale Eyes then casually said; 'If you want to go first, then be my guest. I don't see a timer no place, so I got all day.' I found that a strange thing to say. It would be easier to work together, wouldn't it? I kept my tongue, at least for now. 'Fine be that way, we don't need your help to clear this floor anyways!' Running ahead and up the stairs, the two men were out of sight but they could still be heard as a new fight had already started. I could only speculate how long it would take before one of them came flying down again. Then again, that wasn't really my primary concern...
'So who are you guys anyways??' I finally dared ask. Something about them had felt so familiar all this time that I just had to ask. The fact that Pale Eyes wanted to have a break for some reason supported this, maybe he knew or wanted to say something? Pale Eyes then looked at Jumpsuit Man as he nodded back at him. Of course! How could I not have caught on to it before? It was obvious now... The three of us had in fact not randomly met like this, both Pale Eyes and Jumpsuit Man obviously knew each other from before and they went a long way back. Jumpsuit Man then went up to me as he reached his hand out to greet me. 'So have you caught on already I presume? Well, my name is Bruce Otsutsuki, and this is my cousin.' Looking over at Pale Eyes, he too came over to me as he also went to shake my hand. Our meeting had not only been destined for a long, long time, but it was a much expected one as well, one that would change my life ever since. His name... Was Hamura. Hamura Otsutsuki, and he was in fact my long lost brother. I was baffled, but at the same time I felt relieved. At long last, I had found him, two years since Nobunaga, our father, had told me the truth about my real family. Was this why the Wizard, Naruto Uzumaki had sent me here in the first place? He knew we would meet here, that was his plan all along. It just had to be...
'Yes Hagoromo, I am your brother and this meeting of ours has been on my mind for a long time. Bruce here is indeed my cousin, our cousin, and he too has been expecting this meeting.' 'Did you know about this? That I would be here, this very day?' I briefly asked. I had so much I wanted to ask, but for some reason this was the first thing that came to my mind. Had they too met with Naruto, or even, did they know the truth about Nobunaga, and about our grandparents? Did they know the details about my battle with our grandfather, Kuroi, and our grandmother? So many questions now surged through my head but I had to stop thinking for a moment in order to be able to grasp the answers I were now given. 'I had a hunch you would be here.' The reply sounded. There was so much I didn't know about my brother, my cousin or even the clan for that matter. I immediately followed up. 'What about our mother, Kaguya? What about our clan? What about-...' 'One question at a time, will you?' Bruce annoyingly requested, crossing his arms together as he did. I laughed. Of course, there was no need to rush things. 'I'll take you to her later, but first, we should get some things out of the way.' Hamura firmly noted. We had indeed a lot to discuss...
The first thing I revealed was the reason to why I was here and how our meeting had come to be in the first place, that I had to clear the Tower of Death and overcome the challenge in order to awaken both the Master Sword's and my own powers. I only laid out the basics however, laying out all the details would take days and I knew it. Hamura then began summarizing what I had said to himself as he followed up by saying that in order to "claim" the symbols I was looking for, I had to go through a trial of Power, Courage and Wisdom – through the Tower of Death. Together, we would be able to combine our power and make it through it, but he feared that it would be a tough challenge regardless, the toughest any of us had faced yet. Somehow I felt my moral skyrocketing with this new information. I had set my mind on completing this challenge all by myself, but now that I had my brother and my cousin here to help, it had to be a whole lot easier although it would be naive of me to underestimate the Tower regardless. Bruce then decided to add something; 'Well before we move on, I suggest we use this break to lay down the ground facts like you mentioned Hamura. We're probably not going to get a better chance than this...' He was right. But where would we begin, and where would my journey take me from here? I could only wait and see. The history of the Otsutsuki Clan was however, one of the topics I most desired to know more about...
'The end of our grandparent's corruption and rule completely split the clan and spread them across the land...' Hamura began. 'Things finally calmed down a bit but none of us knew how to react to this. That is when Hamura and Kaguya finally emerged from their hideout, and the two of us met.' Bruce followed. 'We don't really have a leader of the clan right now and most of the clan members have been minding their own business, free from the clutches of our grandparents' control.' I could easily see that Hamura was at ease as he said that, but somehow I could still sense that he didn't know how the future of the clan would pan out. Bruce then continued. 'Neither one of us knows much about our clan's history as of yet, but all we know is that it was our grandparents, the first rulers who united our clan, that made the call to come to this place, to this planet. In either case, since we have no one to lead us, to guide us now, most of us feels lost. We need someone to reunite the clan and lead it on better ways, to a brighter future where we can actually co-exist with the ones who already lived here before we came.' I looked at him. Unlike Hamura who seemed to always be calm and recollected, Bruce was the more spiritual type who didn't rely too much on strategy or extensive planning. It felt like I somehow was a mix between both of their personalities, but I couldn't really pinpoint the meaning of those thoughts that suddenly went through my head as I listened to the both of them. Hamura then said; 'Kaguya, our mother, has told me that she has a plan on how to reunite our clan and to try to bring on a better future for all of us. She hasn't told me the details, but I have a feeling she knows something I don't. After having been in hiding for all my life, these two last years have enabled me to see not only a new side of myself and of our mother, but also of this world and the essence of life. If anyone knows what to do, it's our mother. I am however not sure when she plans on following up on her plan, but something tells me it should happen soon.' He felt reassured by his own claim but I had yet to even realize what type of person mother really was. I could only speculate for now until I would one day finally meet her myself. 'I'll take you too her as soon as we have cleared this tower, that's a deal.' He concluded. I nodded back at him. If I let my mind slip too far ahead, there would be no saying how bad this challenge could go. "Get it out of the way and then let everything else fall in line." I said to myself...
Hamura then went on to explain what he knew about this tower and its deadly challenge as Bruce gently sat down and crossed his legs together in a totally relaxed position. Hamura on the other hand was as serious as ever as he continued explaining. 'It is said that the Tower was built by the gods at the beginning of time, when the Earth was first created. At the top of this tower rests a treasure beyond any man, which is said to boost the capability to the one who touches it. It is called the "Triforce." Each floor of the tower is guarded by different guardians, some call them angels, others calls them demons. No one has ever gone passed the third floor. The guardians are not human, and some of them are even superior to our kind, Hagoromo.' He paused for a second as Bruce nodded in agreement. Maybe I had underestimated this challenge even the slightest bit? 'There are no way to confirm if this information of yours is true, Hamura, but we might as well go by it so that we avoid any nasty surprises.' Bruce concurred. Hamura then continued. 'The first floor only mirrors the strength of men and it will only get more and more difficult as we advance through each level. I reckon that the 4th floor should rival our clan's strength, so we shouldn't have much trouble before then.' 'But we are wise to tread carefully!' Bruce interrupted. These two seemed to know a lot more about this tower than I did, that was for sure. I wondered exactly where they had heard this information from however, so I immediately let them know of my inner thoughts. 'It's weird that I haven't heard about this place before and neither its purpose, but I suppose there's no reason to doubt your intel...' I simply said. Reflecting back on what Naruto had told me during our final meeting, I couldn't help think about the symbols that I was supposed to claim. Was it the same as this "Triforce?" Sensing my query, Hamura then asked me what was on my mind as I told him some of the details about Naruto and his time-travel. For some reason though, Hamura didn't seem to be that surprised although Bruce couldn't help scratch his head. From there on, the discussion side-tracked a bit as I told them about my fight with Nobunaga and how he was corrupted. Yet again, this was information Hamura and Bruce already seemed to possess. The only reason to how they knew about this that I could think of, was that Kaguya must have told them how things went down between her and Nobunaga before he became corrupted. It wouldn't be too unrealistic to think that. Before long however, we eventually got to the details of my encounter with our grandparents and how my battle had gone down, and this was where a shocking truth came out. Back then two years ago, I had somehow been saved after my final fight with Kuroi, our grandfather, but I had still to this date to find out who that person in the glowing light healing my wounds was. Even Naruto denied that it was him, stating that even if he knew who it was, I had to find out for myself, and as destiny probably had foretold once more, I would finally find out who. Obviously, Hamura knew about this and who my savior was. You'll never guess who...
That's right, it turned out that it was Hamura, your uncle, who had found me half dead on that snowy mountain top. I was shocked. I didn't even know what to say so I simply asked him how he knew and why he didn't stick around to introduce himself. He simply said; 'I sensed your presence, Hagoromo... After years of training and preparing, Kaguya told me where to find our grandparents so that I could try to avenge our father and free both our clan and the land from their grasp, and as I made my way over there, I could sense you. Once I finally arrived, the battle was already over however, and that is when I spotted you... I'm certain you sensed me as well back then, didn't you?' He was right... Right before my battle went down, I'd had this feeling of familiarity but I could not decipher it back then. 'And the reason to why I didn't stick around was because it wasn't the right time for us to meet. Let's just put it that way.' He followed up. It felt like I understood him somehow so I didn't press any further. 'So obviously we already knew who you were before we entered the tower, Hagoromo. We knew you would come this way so we too decided to go to help you out.' Bruce then said as he stood up to his feet again. At the time I couldn't grasp their powers, but surely one of them had some type of sensing ability. Before we managed to linger any further though, a body suddenly flew down from the middle-floor above and crashed hard to the ground. His limbs were broken in all directions, stone dead. Not long after, a scream followed. We all knew we had to get up there, we couldn't stand idle by any longer. Making our way to the stairs, we were up on the platform in matter of seconds...
Just as the three of us came up there, the other man from before came running towards us in despair as he shouted out; 'What were we thinking?! There's no way we'll be able to overcome this challenge! We need to get out of here, somehow, we won't live much longer if we stay here! Run for your lives!' Panic-struck, the man made his way through us as he stormed down the stairs. Confirming that one of his companions was dead while the other was still unconscious, the man didn't know where to go or what to do with himself. I couldn't help feel sorry for him and that I should have tried to help them to avoid pointless deaths somehow. Then again, everyone knew the risks of entering here, and it was their choice to partake in this challenge. My thoughts didn't manage to occupy my mind for too long however as my attention was drawn back to the opponent now standing in front of us. 'Let's take him on together.' Hamura calmly stated. 'No point underestimating anyone from here on and out...' My reply sounded. Bruce quickly nodded as all three of us readied ourselves. It was time to take on the 1st Boss...
Our minds focused, our reflexes sharpened. Whoever he was, he was surely a lot stronger than any of the foes we had faced so far. His training attire was grey, and his belt, unlike the others, didn't contain a specific color. While the rest of the foes up until now had had black belts, this guy had a belt that reminded me more of rainbow than anything else. Whatever it symbolized, it didn't matter – we had to bring him down regardless. First strike, and he didn't even hesitate. I barely managed to get my guard up but it wasn't me he was aiming for, it was Bruce. Luckily however, Bruce managed to block his incoming kick as the shockwave of the impact blew my way, forcing me to cover my face. Bruce was extremely fast however, and used his speed to counter. Grabbing a hold on to the guy's right foot with his left hand, Bruce aimed a kick of his own to the man's open left side, but sensing this, the man rapidly knocked Bruce backwards with his free foot and thus in the process, he also broke free from his grasp, landing on his feet firmly on the ground again. 'He's fast, nearly as fast as you, Bruce.' Hamura firmly said. Bruce nodded once more. If it was one thing that I had figured out, it was that Hamura and Bruce surely knew about each others' abilities and limitations, and if Hamura of all people complimented one of our foes, I couldn't take him lightly even if he was outnumbered. 'This guy seems to specialize himself in using his feet for combat.' Bruce followed up. 'I agree.' Hamura stated, as he studied the opponent in front of us. "They had already analyzed the foe before us and I hadn't even managed to begin to think of a combat strategy of my own??" I thought to myself. I had to hand it to them, they both had keen eyes and perceptive minds. Then it suddenly hit me like a moon on a starry night. "A man who specializes himself in fighting with his feet?" Thinking back to my time with the grandmaster, I remembered that he had told me that he knew one of the supposed guardians at the Tower of Death, namely the first floor, being a former student of his. Maybe this was the guy the grandmaster had talked about? He had after all said that he specialized himself in flying-kicks as he called it. It had to be, this was the last opponent before us on the first floor. I took a step forward to speak my mind but Hamura reached his hand out in front of me as if to signalize that I shouldn't be as carefree as I seemingly was. I halted, but I still asked the lingering questions I now couldn't get out of my head; 'You are one of the former students of the great grandmaster of hand-to-hand combat, aren't you?' I began. 'What is your name?' No answer... Not even the slightest movement on his face to either support or deny this claim. Bruce then leaned over to me as he said; 'Hagoromo... I don't think these guys really are humans, even if they match their strength.' 'But I am certain, the grandmaster told me he knew a former student of his on the first floor of this tower! And he specialized himself in flying-kicks, it has to be him!' I countered. Hamura looked at me but he didn't know what to say. I could read his mind though, and he was now clearly thinking that maybe something really was off with this challenge. He didn't let that thought linger any further though as he leaped forward on his own...
Exchanging several blows with the guardian, Hamura tried to bring the battle to a quick conclusion. Bruce then leaped off too as he attacked from the left and as he did, I realized it was time to get serious. Joining the two of them, it didn't take long before we overpowered the foe before us, just like Hamura had expected. With a combined kick to the face, the three of us sent the guardian flying off the platform we stood on as he went crashing down towards the ground beneath. Before he reached the bottom however, he too, like the rest, vanished in a black fog of smoke. Catching my breath, I looked at Hamura and Bruce. It was like we read each others' minds. Two things were certain... One, for some reason, this challenge wasn't as it should be, at least it felt that way. The imagery of the grandmaster's student that should have been but wasn't, and the black fog of smoke that appeared whenever we defeated a foe. It felt almost like an evil spirit had fallen upon the place but neither one of us could pinpoint what this sudden feeling meant. Secondly, the challenge would only get more and more difficult. How strong would the opponents on the 2nd Floor be? There was only one way to find out as the three of us rushed up the stairs and into a dark isolated room above on the next floor. We couldn't see a thing at first...
In comparison to the first floor, the second floor was less than half its size and way more packed around the edges. It surely was designed for close combat, which all made sense in regards to how the gatekeeper had described the different floors to be after the first one. The rest of them were probably just like this one, although hopefully a little less dark. Only the first floor had several opponents to fight, so each guardian from here on and out would be more powerful than the last. From the shadows of the dark, two peculiar looking guardians emerged, one more strange than the others. These guys had clothes I had never seen before, like they belonged to a different era, to a different time. They both seemed young in age but neither seemed to be human. Their appearance were more demon-like than anything, and both were black skinned with thorns sticking out all over their face. No time to let down our guards now and we knew it, but before the battle begun however, we were in for a surprise. These guardians didn't only seem to have emotions of their own, they also talked. 'Welcome to the 2nd Floor, Challengers...' One of them started. 'Long time since anyone placed foot here, mhm...' The other concluded. Silence accompanied the darkness and the shadows around us, but just as Bruce was about to take charge, one of the guardians reached his hand out and told him to stop. Halfway through the air, Bruce halted his advance as he almost tumbled over face first in the process. With a confused look on his face, Bruce didn't know what to say. I looked over at Hamura to see what he was thinking, but I immediately noticed that something about him had changed. His pale eyes had somewhat transformed as thick veins of blood were present all around them and his sight centered at the two guardians in front of us. Before I even managed to ask, he had already answered my question. 'Relax Hagoromo, this is my technique, my ocular power passed down to me from our mother. It's called the Byakugan, and with it, I can see beyond what the normal eye can see.' I was baffled, but at the same time, I wasn't surprised either. He was my brother after all...
Scanning the two of them, Hamura was as if trying to figure out their abilities but as of now, he kept quiet. It was then that the silence would finally break as the guardians began talking once more. 'Only "mind-tricks" are available for use on this floor, anything else will be futile. If you want to beat us, that is the way to go.' 'Mind-tricks??' Bruce asked. Staring back at the rather casual and laid-back guardians. The other one then answered. 'Only one person has ever gone to the next stage. Since nobody else has known how to utilize mind-tricks, no one else has passed.' Calling what he initially thought was a bluff as he laughed at them, Bruce decided to charge ahead unexpectedly as his fast kick landed a direct blow to one of the guardians, but to our surprise, he went straight through almost as if hitting a mirage. Not letting go of his attacks, Bruce followed up with several fast paced punches and kicks but none had the wanted effect as he crashed on the floor behind one of the guardians after giving it all with one powerful roundhouse kick. 'I told you, no physical attacks can hurt us...' 'Then how about this!' I'd had enough of the mockery as I decided to try a trick of my own, a trick I knew only I could pull off. I hadn't really found a fitting name for this style yet, but I had relied on it in moment of need before...
The last time I did use it, Tadakatsu himself perished before me. "Nothing these two could defend against!!" I thought to myself as I charged at them. How naive and cocky could I be? As I reached up to them, my hands started glowing as chakra emerged from my hands. In the blink of an eye, both guardians were engulfed in a fiery rage that normally would have turned them to ashes in an instant, just like every man who had seen this technique before them had. 'What on earth is that?!' Bruce exclaimed as he got back up on his feet. 'For some reason, the only name I have for it is "Blazing Annihilation Atomic Incineration Blast," and it's something I awoke from within myself shortly after I figured out how to utilize the chakra resting deep inside of me.' 'So you possess chakra as well, Hagoromo. So it is as I suspected.' Hamura concurred. I looked at him... With that being said, I thought I would explain how I had come to awaken this ability while I were at it; 'I think I read someplace in the Founding Book of Jutsu that it's called Ninshu or Ninjutsu, or something, but either way, it has proven effective...' 'Founding Book of Jutsu??' Bruce was as confused as ever. Of course, I hadn't told neither him nor Hamura about the tools the Wizard, the tools Naruto had bestowed upon me. 'Ninjutsu...' Hamura mumbled, but not so quietly that I couldn't hear it. 'Seems like we have more in common than you think, Hagoromo.' He followed up. 'Everyone in the clan awakens their powers in one way or the other, but none of us are born with the ability to utilize it right away. Whether it be chakra, immense strength or lightning fast speed. We all have to train our own way to unlock them.' Finishing his brief explanation, he then signaled both Bruce and I to come over to him as the smoke of the fire began to settle down behind me. 'What do you mean, Hagoromo can access chakra and utilize Ninjutsu as well? I thought only a selected few in the clan could do that?!' Bruce uttered. So that was how it was... That Byakugan of Hamura's was the same thing, of chakra, but it was all still out of my understanding to grasp. Before we managed to conclude the situation, Hamura drew our attention once more. 'Regain your focus, this fight hasn't even started yet.' Having kept his eyes on the targets without lingering for a second, Hamura had known all along that my "special" attack would have and didn't have no effect at all as the two guardians emerged out of the fire, simply laughing at us...
'Alright, let's try something else then.' I said. But before I was able to step forward, Hamura told me to wait. Something was on his mind and I knew it. 'With these eyes of mine, I can analyze things in a whole different way than any normal being can. I know for a fact that nothing but psychological attacks will work on them.' I pondered about what he said. These two guardians didn't seem eager to fight head on. Maybe they knew none of us had any idea how to overcome them so they just abode their time? 'Have you guys figured it out yet, hmm?' One of them said. 'Mind-tricks... Mind-tricks...' I repeated out loud. Could it relate to Genjutsu somehow? Yes, the very technique that Naruto had used on me the second time we met on the Three Wolves Mountain, when he at first had tricked me into seeing what seemed to be a live and fire-breathing dragon. A "Genjutsu," he called it back then – An illusion. Somehow, Hamura must have overheard what I was thinking because he clearly knew what was on my mind. Had I thought out loud openly in front of them? 'Aha, Genjutsu...' He confirmed to himself. 'So you know about it?' I followed up. 'Yes but barely. It's not my strongest card... While Bruce specializes his strength in Taijutsu, or rather, hand-to-hand combat, my abilities are a bit more spread out. I used to be called the gifted one in our clan, but that was obviously before we realized you had the affinity for chakra and the ability to utilize it for Ninjutsu as well, just like our mother and grandparents before us.' We both looked at him. So that was how it all came about. Even if Bruce was exceptionally acquainted with hand-to-hand combat, he never had the ability to fully utilize the chakra within himself. Bit by bit, I started to realize more about how our clan operated as I looked at Hamura who proceeded to clap his hands together, closing his eyes as he did. Taking a deep breath, he told the two of us to come close to him. The two guardians in front of us looked at us puzzled. Did they even know what Genjutsu was? What did they mean by Mind-tricks anyways? What was their definition of it? Only much later would I figure out as in the next moment, the room around us began changing. I couldn't understand what was happening at first but as soon as his technique had finished formalizing, Hamura opened his eyes again. In the next minute, we were all back in the same room, but both of the guardians before us had suddenly vanished in black smoke. At this point I had to stop and ask myself; "Did they die when they turned to smoke, or was this just a maneuver, a process they had to go through until they could recharge, until the next challengers would come?" Putting that thought aside for a moment, my attention was brought back to Hamura. I had no idea what exactly just had happened, but it had clearly taken a toll on Hamura and clearly had it done the trick. Falling to his knees in exhaustion, Bruce had to reach out to him to help him up again...
Panting heavily, a smile formed on Hamura's face. 'Seems like the Genjutsu worked.' He briefly said. 'What did you even do?' I followed up. 'Let's keep the details out of it. All I can say is that it's the only Genjutsu I ever awakened. It's related to these eyes, and it traps the targets in a world where only the caster can move freely about...' I was shocked. Hamura was indeed stronger than I thought he was, and at this realization, I knew we would not have gotten passed the 2nd Floor without him. Eying the stairs in front of us, leading up to the next floor, I looked at my two companions as Bruce nodded back at me as we helped Hamura over to the staircase. 'Are you sure you won't need a breather cousin?' Bruce asked worriedly. 'I'm fine Bruce, don't worry. I insist that you two go ahead though until I can regain some of the chakra I spent using that Genjutsu...' Forcing himself up on his feet, Hamura would have none of our worries about his stamina as he waved us off. 'We're in no rush though, we can just take a short breather before heading on I suppose. After all, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have cleared this floor to begin with.' Putting a smile on his face, Bruce seemed confident in his claim and I couldn't help laugh as I too gave Hamura a reassuring nod. Not long after however, we were finally ready to move on...
As we cautiously walked up the stairs in front of us, we noticed several weapons hanging on the walls on both sides, and without even thinking twice about it, both Bruce and Hamura decided to bring some of the weapons with them. Surely there was a purpose behind them being there and surely was the 3rd Floor connected to them. I on the other hand already had the weapon of my choice on my back, namely the Master Sword, which I had brought with me as the three of us then came up and into the room that was the third floor. Unlike the previous one, this room was lit up by candles and had an overall much more appealing look to it. It felt like someone actually lived there, but at the same time, it wasn't that cozy. It was still a training ground, but less of a dojo than the earlier levels. Bruce had brought a set of nunchaku with him while Hamura on the other hand had handpicked a spear as his weapon of choice. Drawing our weapons and readying ourselves, we were finally met by the guardian of the floor who up until then had been seated on what seemed like a throne of sort covered in tiger skin, eying us carefully as we entered his domain, his personal space and battle zone. Appearing before us, he had two red sticks, one in each hand, and a fierce look on his face...
'Remember what I told you guys?' Turning to us, Hamura seemed to recollect something he had said earlier but before either one of us had managed to reply, he had answered his own question. 'I predicted that the guardians of the first four floors should be about our strength, meaning that we are close to the power level of our own clan now. This guy is not to be taken lightly, by any of us. If we stick together, we can defeat him.' He was right. Something about this guy seemed to be the complete opposite of the goofy nature of the two last guardians. To top that, this guy was all by himself. He had short-trimmed black hair with a red band wrapped around his head and a full on black attire that consisted of a shirt and pants, but it was less of a training gear and more of a casual uniform unlike the previous guardians. Looking at us, the guardian then spoke. 'I have no intention of welcoming you neither have I the intention to let you pass easily. This is where the real challenge begins, this is the Temple of the Tiger.' He was cold but firm. This guy meant business. 'I can sense that you all possess special powers of sort, but not all of you are adapt to using them, especially that guy.' Pointing at Bruce, it was as if the guardian was hinting at something, something we could only speculate what was. Bruce then leaned into my ear as he whispered the words; 'Chakra... He's clearly referring to chakra.' He was probably right, but how did this guardian know? 'That ability of yours is off limit on this floor. You may try to utilize it but you will quickly discover that it's futile. This room is protected by a special barrier that prevents all foul magic from being used. Only by using your weapons can you get passed me. Whether that are weapons you have collected from the stairway or weapons you have brought with you, doesn't matter, as long as you use them. You can try to land a punch on me but that won't have any effect I can assure you.' So that was the deal of this floor... For some reason, each guardian seemed to be both more serious and more willing to talk than the previous ones. This guy even seemed human, but something about him did indeed feel off, just like the others...
'Whatever you do, stay as far away from the stairway as possible. If you try to climb to the next floor before this floor has been beaten, you will live to regret it.' He was on to something. Up until now, the stairways to the next floors had been locked until the floors had been beaten but this time, the stairway to the next floor was already accessible for reasons unknown. Was this to distract the challengers hoping to skip a floor or two? What did he mean by his last line? He then continued. 'To make things interesting, let's even the odds a little.' In the next moment, two copies of the Weapons Expert suddenly stood beside him. This would be a 3-on-3 and we all had to defeat one of them. So much for using our number to our advantage, but I figured this was the only way to go. Looking at Hamura and Bruce, I knew that the real fight was just about to begin...
~ End of Chapter 8 ~
Ending theme:
Author's Note:
1: Finally back to writing and finally back to The Legendary Sage of Six Paths after taking about two months off to focus on other things as well as writing out the 9 Entries for the Recollection of the Past. With everything else out of the way now however, my primary focus will be to get the remaining 8 chapters of this Series done (chapter 9-16)!
2: Hamura makes his official debut! This had been in the cards for a very long time but only now can I finally say that he's been included into the story as well. Also the third character that is the cousin of Hagoromo and Hamura, Bruce, is obviously (for some) based off on Bruce Lee (and more specifically his character in the Game of Death, hence the yellow jumpsuit). This is not only a goof however, and you will see in the upcoming chapters that for the first time in this series, the action will not only be focused on Hagoromo's point of view. Should be a lot of good stuff to look forward to here. And yes, this was actually the first ever Byakugan Genjutsu (for me and for the manga as well unless my memory fails me) which I thought was cool. Wonder what you guys think about that, haha. With all that being said, I suppose I don't have much else to say, so I hope you enjoyed this one, comment, rate, subscribe (lol) and catch you guys later! ~
3: Oh, well I suppose I can't stress enough the inspirations for this "side-story arc," as it was originally intended to be, so with that out there once more, I'd like to refer you to the following Youtube video which I've linked before. Should give you guys a good "look" on what to come in the next few chapters (if you haven't seen it already);
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