Naruto: Tales of Ashihara

Naruto: Tales of Ashihara

Kakumei – Arc 2: The Curse of Time

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Chapter 54 – The boy and the beast

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In the house of the Sarutobi clan leader, Konohamaru sits by Saori Minamoto's side as she's making a dress based on one of her own drawings. The Jonin just sits quietly and contemplates his guest who's wearing the dress he bought in express for her a few days ago. He now focuses on her hands at work.

"You seem to really enjoy sewing." he comments.

"For now, yes." answers the Minamoto princess.

"And… You're also really good at it." adds Konohamaru. "This drawing is a great design idea, and the execution is getting up to expectations. And you look happy working on it."

"Same goes for leading the village. Many say I'm not as terrible at the job as my father was." she responds, to avoid getting caught in these compliments. "But it's still a drudgery to me. This goes for everything I ever start enjoying. My mansion, my clan, the beach. I have the largest beach in the country in my village, but I didn't take a break on it for almost 6 years.I did this a lot in my first years of service, but grew bored of it."

"Well you should try it again now." he suggests. "This 6 years pause will destroy the routine feeling there was to it."

"… You're right…" she says, out of ideas to answer. "Let's go together when we get back to Ryuka, Konohamaru."

"What? Just me and you?" timidly asks the Sarutobi.

"Well, yes. Like a date?" she adds, a bit confused, still sewing.

"A DATE?" exclaims Konohamaru, who suddenly stands up.

Saori gasps, surprised by this sudden move, and stops working on the dress for a moment.

"Well yes… a date. I thought we were dating?" she says. "Are we? Or did I just get the wrong idea?"

"You thought?" asks Konohamaru, still standing startled. "Um… I mean. I didn't understand it… Or I didn't really want to see it this way. The thing is that, as a shinobi, I have to remain focused on the mission."

"You know… Life's not gonna end suddenly after this thing is over." Saori arguments. "We can do this a bit more enjoyably after this mission of yours is over. It could be of use to you, as a break from your ninja life."

This last part, Saori spells out with a sly smile, satisfied by the way she's put it into words. Konohamaru doesn't know what to answer, and slightly smiles back, relieved that she didn't take his first answer as a rejection.

"If you put it like that, sure, I'd love to go to the beach with you, Saori." she says.

The Minamoto princess, who'd been hiding her feelings and thoughts very well since she met this man, starts to break now, and lightly blushes. Her smile grows wider and more natural as she prepares to answer, but is interrupted by the sound of repeated knocks on the front door. Konohamaru turns around and, deranged by the mess, hurries to open the door.

"Hello, Konohamaru Sarutobi." says Kokoro, who stands before the door frame with Kaori and Yukiko. "My name is Kokoro, and I'm a Jonin from Kirigakure. We've been sent here to look after Saori Minamoto, and we've been told that she is staying at this place. Is she?"

Konohamaru doesn't answer, and just looks unpleasantly at the ninjas who stand before him. Before he can even answer the question, a fourth ninja comes from behind him, inside his home and gets back to the three others.

"Aunt Saori is here. She's in the living room." says Takeshi, calmly, as he passes under Konohamaru's shoulder.

"Uh? When did you get in?" asks the Sarutobi. "And what do you mean, your aunt?"

"I got in by the door, because you opened it. Isn't it obvious?" simply answers the Minamoto boy. "I'm Takeshi, from the Minamoto clan. I'm Saori's nephew."

"Her nephew? Tsubai's son then?" Konohamaru adds.

Takeshi just lighty nods, to answer. Kokoro looks at her genin team, and back at the Konoha-nin. She and her tengu can sense the love emitted by this man's soul, as well as who it is directed to. She also sees the visible embarrassment on his face and decides not to bother him any more.

"You know what, we should probably leave her security up to you." she says. "We'll go to the Hokage's office for more precise and different instructions."

"Agreed." he says. "Don't worry about Lady Saori. As long as she's with me, nobody will lay a hand on her."

Konohamaru closes the door as soon as the Kiri-nins turn around to leave, relieved that they didn't insist further.

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Meanwhile in the Hokage's office, Naruto is having a remote council with the other Kage. They're sharing their update on the latest events, including the attack on Ryuka.

"It seems like we've all checked for any Meinu that fits the description, and didn't find anything." says Gaara. "Do you think she might be using a metamorphosis jutsu?"

"Or just a fake name?" adds Kurotsuchi.

"Sorry, everyone, but we should probably focus on the Daitengu, and not any sub threat." suggests Darui. "Hokage, as you said, he's targeting Saori Minamoto, but are you sure it is to make her a yamabushi? From what we know, Akashita is the only dead tengu, and he already has a new host."

"He can also revive the two he absorbed. Tenshi and Ryutoki." answers Chojuro.

"Okay,… May sound controversial but why don't we let him proceed?" asks Kurotsuchi. "He just wants the princess to wield a tengu. He doesn't intend to kidnap her or use her against us. So it would actually be a bonus to us if she could get a free tengu power."

At this moment, Kokoro knocks at the Hokage's office. Without interrupting the council, and well aware of who arrived, Kakashi Hatake opens the door and lets the team in. They quietly get closer and salute the Hokage, who nods to acknowledge them, and focuses back on the council. They also follow and listen to the Kage's words.

"Reincarnating a tengu means the Daitengu will obtain its power, and grow more powerful." says Chojuro. "We can't let him revive any of them."

In Kokoro's mind, Kawahime guesses what was being told, and asks to step in the conversation.

"Excuse me, Hokage?" says Kokoro. "My tengu would like to share its idea of the situation. I'll repeat his words to you."

"Good." says Naruto, who now addresses the council. "Mizukage, your support team arrived at my office. The leader, Kokoro, and her tengu would like to clarify some things for us."

"We're listening." says Gaara.

Naruto looks back at Kokoro, and nods.

"You don't need to come closer to the microphone. This issue has been fixed." he adds, referring to what technical incident got on Sasuke's nerves last time they tried something similar.

Kokoro still takes a single step forward, clears her throat and speaks, repeating after her tengu who speaks in her mind.

"Sojobo absorbed Ryutoki and Tenshi. Which means if they're currently dead, he still has their powers. However, if he reaches Saori, he'll place a chakra seed inside her, and until it hatches he won't be able to use the abilities of the tengu he's attempting to resurrect."

"So… Hokage, shouldn't you let the enemy find his target and proceed to his plan?" asks Darui. "This will weaken him, you'll defeat him. And we would technically have stolen the powers of a tengu."

"There is one major problem with this suggestion." says Kokoro. "There are two tengu that Sojobo can still revive inside of Saori, since we already know that Akashita isn't a possibility. And one of them is Ryutoki, the Power of Kings. A violent and vile creature that would be harmful and deadly to his host."

"So we got one chance out of two?" guesses Kurotsuchi.

"Less than this, actually." continues Kokoro, still repeating Kawahime's words. "Ryutoki needs a more reliable and fitting body to host him. Saori, as a pure Minamoto, is a perfect candidate for this."

"But at least, if he puts a cocoon or whatever in Saori, he'll lose the powers of this Ryutoki." adds the Tsuchikage. "Seems like a right opportunity to weaken him."

"This is a good idea." says Kokoro, still simply playing intermediary between the Kage and her tengu. "Maybe what should be done is leaving Sojobo to put a tengu in Saori, defeat him as he would have lost a part of his best abilities, and finally,… kill Saori before the tengu seed in her can fully hatch."

Kokoro gasps in shock at her own words, and in her inner world, yells at Kawahime who, to her eyes, appears just as Shibata, the former yamabushi of Tentoki.

"Are you crazy? Did you hear what you made me say?" she complains.

"It is the best way to handle it, whether you want to admit it or not." answers the ghost of love. "Even if we don't defeat Sojobo, he'd have to wait months before being able to make a new egg for Ryutoki. And his only remaining options as hosts would be Takeshi and Tsubai. And these two have other tengu that could handle and contain Ryutoki. These two would be able to enslave the Power of Kings and actually make use of his powers."

Kokoro doesn't answer, unable to counter this argument. She just looks meanly at her tengu. In the office, every kage is shocked by this proposition as well, even though some of them are actually thinking of considering it. Chojuro doesn't, and keeps shaking his head to show his disagreement. The Hokage hates the idea too, and makes it clearer to the others.

"Kokoro, I'd really like to avoid going down this path." he says. "The best idea for me… Is to go by myself and to discuss it with the Daitengu himself."

"No time for dialogue with such a creature." says the Raikage. "Hokage, just hurry to take him down, and prevent all this from going really bad."

"Even if the Hokage proceeds this way, what would even be the point of killing him?" asks Gaara. "Naruto already destroyed the Daitengu once, but here he is, back and well. How do we know he won't just return again?"

"His return was made possible only because of Momoshiki, I believe." explains Naruto. "At least it is what Sasuke told me."

"I don't know if I missed a chapter but if I'm correct, it took the Hokage, Sasuke and Kobo Uchiha together to fight this thing last time, and it even let itself lose at the end." Kurotsuchi argues. "Why do I feel like some of you asking him to defeat this thing alone is unreasonable?"

As the Kage's conversation goes on and on, the three genins from Kiri stand silently and listen. Kaori and Yukiko tried to understand what was being discussed but gave up, missing too many details. Takeshi, meanwhile, understands everything, and judges every word. He knows or remembers things that the Kage seem to have forgotten. He stares at the Hokage and the screen before him, with his eyes full of disgust and doubt. Suddenly, he screams to interrupt the discussion.

"Guys… ARE YOU ALL DAMN IDIOTS?"

The room goes silent, and everyone stares, agape, at the young Minamoto. All the Kages stop speaking as well, having heard this sudden noise coming from the Hokage's output. They all make blank and confused faces.

"… Did this kid just openly insult the Kage council right to its face?" remarks Kurotsuchi, amused by the idea, but unsettled.

Naruto stares at Takeshi, waiting for an explanation, which the kid doesn't wait long before providing.

"Why are you explaining all of this… All your attack plans, your intentions… right in front of me and Kokoro-sensei?" he explains. "You're supposed to know that the Daitengu can see and hear everything we do!"

At these words, Kokoro covers her mouth, and contains her surprise. All the Kages react similarly. Takeshi is right. Since he entered the room, it's like they've been showing their plans to the enemy. The Minamoto doesn't stop there, and takes advantage of this moment to share his opinion of the context.

"All of you, the Kage, are misunderstanding the situation. You see the threat where it isn't. The only one who's right is the Hokage." he explains, rapidly and angrily. "The problem right now is the threat to my aunt's life. If Ryutoki is put inside of her, there won't be any way to stop its reincarnation once it's begun. And if we let him hatch, this monster will kill her and take her body himself. The only way to get rid of him in this case would be to kill my aunt. If Ryutoki's egg gets to her, she'll be doomed. Ryutoki is the real problem. He's far more evil and dangerous than any other tengu."

All the Kage listen to this lesson, and slowly come to agree. Naruto nods endlessly while listening. Takeshi perfectly described the intensity of the situation. Kaori, who stands next to Takeshi, got stuck on her teammate's last sentence.

"More evil than any other? Even more than the Daitengu?" she asks.

"Sojobo isn't evil." promptly and firmly answers Takeshi.

At these words, the room gets filled in shock and silence once again. Even Naruto, who was agreeing with him, opens his eyelids wide and stares agape at the young ninja, shocked by what this last answer might mean. The Hokage speaks out, trying to calm everyone down.

"I… I told this myself earlier." he says. "But until now, Sojobo's carelessness and ambitions always brought us against each other. Sasuke may be right about him after all. We can't trust him. The only way is to eliminate him. I'd like it to be different, but nothing's certain about his will to cooperate."

Takeshi stays on his word, and now suddenly feels weak. To his eyes alone, everything in the room seems to turn black. He looks around to know what this feeling is and realizes everything froze to his eye. Confused by this sudden change of environment, he seeks for help in his mind, but Tentoki froze as well. Back in real life, he looks to the Hokage's desk, and sees him. The Daitengu. He's sitting against the front of the desk, waiting to be seen.

"So this is your opinion of me." says the Curse of Time to the Minamoto child. "I am glad, truly glad, that you see beyond the ninja's forced idea of me."

"D-Daitengu?" Takeshi hardly says, surprised by this sudden apparition, but not afraid.

Sojobo stands up from the desk and comes closer to the boy. He bends over and brings his head down to face his last descendant.

"Do you believe what Naruto said?" adds the Daitengu. "Is it really impossible for me to simply exist in the same world as you? Does their peace really have to interfere with mine? Am I really the kind to risk my own family's life like they say I would?… Or are they simply afraid?"

Takeshi doesn't answer this rain of questions. He just stays quiet and recalls each of these in his mind endlessly. Sojobo gently pulls his hand on the boy's shoulder, and slowly stands up.

"Takeshi. You alone are really the only thing to improve my vision of humanity." he says. "You and your tengu are way more awake than anyone else. Even Tentoki, or Tsubai can't understand what you understand…"

With the hand he has on his shoulder, he slowly rubs against Takeshi's neck and cheek, gently with the pointy tips of his fingers.

"The truth, it is. Humans only see their own." he adds. "But you, you are beyond this… When we finally come face to face, I'll give you something… A gift. A promise. You shall be the only one of your lineage to escape my curse."

As the Daitengu says these last words, Takeshi is suddenly brought back to reality. He now sees the Hokage, sitting in front of him, holding his shoulders. Naruto just broke a Genjutsu that was imprisoning Takeshi's spirit. Just awake, the Minamoto looks around, at Naruto, at Kokoro, at Kakashi, and at the Kage on the screen.

"You're all just afraid…" he quietly says before passing out.

Naruto catches the boy in his arms before he hits the ground. Kokoro comes to kneel next to the Hokage and checks on her student. Kaori and Yukiko just look at each other, frightened by their teammate's behavior, but also worried for him.

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In Hikarigakure, the Daitengu brings his attention back to his real surroundings. He thinks of everything that he just witnessed. He thinks of Takeshi, of Naruto, of Saori. The Kage really have a bad opinion of him. He wouldn't put the life of his family at stake unless they've betrayed him. The two only descendants he still trusts are Takeshi and Saori, for they're the only ones who never turned against him. He would never harm them.

He now focuses on his last descendant, Takeshi Minamoto, and then on Naruto Uzumaki, who's the main opponent to his actions currently. What could the outcome of this story be? What is possible? What isn't? Will he reach Takeshi? Will he reach Saori? Will he be destroyed again?

To answer all his questions, and out of pure curiosity. He rolls the eye on his forehead all the way down to have the pupil facing inside his head.

Tsukuyomi – Zenpo

With the same Genjutsu he used on his own self to foresee his return to life a decade ago after being defeated, he tries to find out his fate. He repeats the illusion again, and again, changing his approach each time to see every possibility. Out of curiosity, he doesn't stop there. He tries to see even further in time. If he wins, how does it end for him? If he loses, when does he return? What does winning mean to him? What does losing mean? As he questions himself, he quietly hopes to find the answers to the mystery of his nature as well.

While he's trapped in this, seeing hundreds of possibilities each second that passes, Someone discreetly enters by the great door of the throne room. Akiko, followed by his brother, steps in and slowly walks to the Daitengu who seems to be sleeping, or going through some kind of meditation. The two Yamanaka brothers look at each other, confused by the inanimate scene.

Akiko smiles and quietly runs to the resting creature. Fuyuko wants to warn him not to do anything, but is afraid of waking the 2.50 meters monster up. Akiko, unsupervised, gathers black mist around his hands and jumps to the Daitengu. He holds his two hands against Sojobo's chest, spreading all the deadly fog inside of his shell. Fuyuko witnesses his brother's assassination attempt, and sighs when he realizes what is happening.

All the black mist simply gets absorbed in the Daitengu's body, not showing any effect. Akiko, disappointed, looks up to see the monster's face. It didn't move. Sojobo didn't even bother to wake up from his illusion. Akiko turns around to see his brother, annoyed by this failed attempt.

"So what's up?" asks Fuyuko.

"Seems like Akashita's thing doesn't work… Do something, you! Maybe your powers work." orders Akiko.

"Me? Do what, for instance?" responds the blond haired one.

"I dunno. Just do a thing. Erase him from existence or something." yells the black haired one.

"No! Why would I do that? I don't even know why you want to kill him."

Akiko doesn't answer. He just frowns at his brother, then gives up, and pouts his cheeks.

"Stop with that face!" yells Fuyuko. "You look like a girl!"

"A girl?" asks Akiko, somehow surprised by this remark.

"Yeah, a girl!" adds Fuyuko.

"And what's the problem with that?" answers Akiko. "Girls are pretty. Boy's aren't. You aren't."

"We have the same face, dumb ass!" yells Fuyuko, sick of his sibling's shit.

"No. There's a slight difference." says Akiko. "See, you're ugly, and I'm pretty."

"What?" asks the blond haired one, confused by these words. "How can you not be ugly if all boys are ugly?"

"Cuz maybe I'm not a boy?" Akiko answers, confidently.

"Ah… This shit again." Fuyuko responds, just now understanding his sibling's point.

"Fuyuko, denial like yours is the exact reason why I'm glad we left the fat man's home." the black haired one says before suddenly letting a loud and high pitched startled scream out.

Their arm is suddenly grabbed by the Daitengu's long fingered hand. Fuyuko gasps in surprise, while his sibling is almost having a heart attack. Sojobo just looks deep into Akashita's yamabushi's irises. Akiko looks back and sees the big red eyes on the creature's face and the black eye with a spiral Sharingan on its forehead all widely open.

The Daitengu seems afraid, oddly frightened. As if he just saw something terrible. After long seconds of silence, Sojobo seems to come back to reality. He eases his face and lets go off the kid's arm. Akiko jumps away.

"Tsk! You scared me, freaking… Suitless Slenderman!" he yells at the monster.

"And you attempted to kill me." answers Sojobo. "You Yamanaka really can't be trusted. You'll use my power freely until you elect that I have become too dangerous and suddenly turn against me…"

"It wasn't me. Akashita told me to." says Akiko in his defense.

"Akashita?" gasps the Daitengu.

He raises his hand and holds it wide open toward the black haired kid. Suddenly, inside Akiko's mind, Sojobo appears and sees Akashita, alive, out of his egg.

"So you're back, my child." he remarks, with a peaceful voice.

"Great Father! Forgive me for this killing attempt! I couldn't contain this kid's murderous intent." he cowardly says.

"Hey! Stop lying, you fog ass bitch!" yells Akiko. "You told me to do it!"

"Care to explain?" asks the Daitengu.

"… sigh… I… just returned. The first feeling that went through me was anger." tries to explain the black tengu. "I remembered what happened at last to me. You killed me."

"You remember things incorrectly. Moritaka Minamoto killed his brother Riku, your original yamabushi." explains Sojobo. "As a tengu in your first life, his death meant yours. I tried to save at least your power by absorbing you, but something made me fail. I intended to bring you back all along."

"… I see… Please, may you forgive my ignorance…" shyly asks the black foggy creature.

"Forgive what, you filth?" angrily adds Sojobo. "Since you don't remember, let me refresh your memories. You possessed the body of the innocent young Saori, and attempted to kill Tsubai and Daikoku, even though I specifically asked not to."

"But my Lord Daitengu, our days were numbered. We had to kill the last heir and tengu to survive." he tries to explain.

"Nonsense!" yells Sojobo, before calming down. "I created this curse. I AM the curse. It is the punishment deserved by all the Minamoto heirs. Killing the new heir won't change it. This is just a misconception. Sure, Tsukasa, Riku's father, managed to delay its effect, but not escape it. Once I come for your soul, nothing can save you."

Akashita doesn't answer. He just stares in fear at his all-father. Akiko, whose mind is the place of this argument, stares at the two discussing beasts and doesn't say a word. Sojobo takes a moment to calm down, and gets positive.

"Anyway…" he says. "The yamabushi are doomed to die, but not the tengu. I'll always bring you back. And here you are, by my side as you should, my child. I am glad to see you."

"Oh? Me too, my lord! I am sorry for what I did to Saori and Tsubai."

Sojobo ignores his child's apologies, and looks down to see Akiko. He just quietly stares at the kid, proudly, before exiting his mind. In the throne room, he now looks at Fuyuko, who's standing, confused, not far from the middle of the room. He quickly visits his mind to see how far the egg he placed in this one is. It is still far from hatching.

Suddenly, he remembers the illusion he just threw himself into. His curiosity brought him to go and see too far forward in time. He didn't see his future once, but thousands, millions of times. He saw millions of paths and possibilities… But all of them ended the same. He now knows everything, but not how to control the future. Frustrated, he frowns and tries to contain his anger.

Koton – Shunshin

To manage his hate and exterior it, he leaves the room in a flash. He runs out and keeps moving. He goes through all the hills and forest of this land, before finally stopping after just a few minutes. He lands on one of the dead divine roots of the giant plain that Momoshiki used as his garden.

There, he lets his chakra out, a mixture of every tengu's, as a dark wave of Meiton and Akashita's fog. When it touches the ground, this dark aura turns it into mud. The 5 tree trunks, who still lie dead in this garden, are covered in the black chakra, dried up, and sunk into the mud sea that now took over this part of the land.

Sitting on one of the roots as it sinks down, Sojobo looks up to the sky and thinks. What is the point of all this? What is the point of reviving his family and tengu? What is the point in fighting? What is the point of everything, knowing he won't be able to change the outcome? His fate has been chosen for him, and despite all the power he has, he doesn't have what it takes to change it.

Desperate, sitting on this sinking trunk, his multi-dimensional gaze crosses Takeshi's. He sees once more through the eyes of his last beloved heir. He sees him waking up from the Genjutsu he used earlier. In front of him is Kakashi Hatake, his life model. There's also Sakura Uchiha and Izuna Uchiha, the family of Indra.

Indra? Why did he call him Indra again? As far as he remembers, he never met this man, he woke up for the first time centuries after this man died. Why does he know him? This is another question he didn't get an answer to. Now only, he gets pissed off even more as he realizes that even after seeing through all the futures, he didn't find out what his nature and purpose are. He feels like nothing but a pointless creature. A man-made abomination that doesn't deserve to exist. But is he even man-made? He just now realizes he doesn't even know how he was born.

His endless thoughts and torments are put to silence for a tiny moment, when he hears the happy voice of an Uchiha kid through Takeshi's ears. Izuna is simply welcoming his friend back to his village, enthusiastic about this reunion.

Sojobo focuses on Takeshi again, and thinks of the boy's fate. By looking for his own, he couldn't see Takeshi's, which means that this kid may go further than he will. The Daitengu calms down, and reminds himself of the reason he looked through time for.

It was to see how a confrontation to reach Takeshi and Saori would play out. Having seen every outcome, he stands up, sure of himself. He doesn't need to wait for Fuyuko's tengu to hatch. All his frustration, fear and worries disappear, and are replaced with impatience. He's just eager to get his family complete again. Now that he knows the future, there is nothing to stop him. Nothing that he won't expect.

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End of Chapter 54 – Next Chapter: The spirit of the mountain