“You miserable shit! YOU LOWLY PIECE OF COPROLITE,” The merged foe snarls; with savage might, he flings the celestial being across the landscape like a ragdoll. “You will know NOTHING but suffering and despair.”
*KRA-KOOM!*
The blindsided Urashiki is sent slamming into a mountainside, creating a deep indentation where he crashed; he can feel his entire skeleton vibrating from the collision.
“That was for crime of harming OUR family.”
Wh-What… What an unusual suit he’s wearing… I-It felt as if it were alive… Wincing in pain, the Otsutsuki slowly opens his eyes only for them to pop open with pure shock.
“And this is for threatening my husband,” The one they call Ayanami says, immediately appearing right in front of him with her Tenseigan Chakra Mode actuated; she’s also wearing a strange mask that completely covers her entire face. “Sage Art: Lighting Style Twin Lion Fists!”
The woman’s hands begin emitting chakra in the form of a pair of large, guardian lion-shaped shrouds, their eyes and mouths crackle with violet electricity. She slams Urashiki’s chest with a twin palm strike.
*BOOM!!*
“…Gwaaahhh!!” The Otsutsuki coughs up blood upon impact; he lurches in pain as a very lurid sensation passes through his body.
The human female’s technique blasts him straight through to the other side of the mountain, destroying it in the process; countless shards of debris are sent flying in every direction.
Th-They’re just animals, no better than mere m-monkeys… Urashiki scowls as he’s buried under rubble; due to the sharp, scorching pain, he instinctively clutches his chest. …Why are th-these primitives g-giving ME this much trouble…?!!
Bristling with rage, the celestial being balls his hands into fists and grits his teeth; he infuses his chakra, blasting his way out of the pile of debris. He looks down and scowls at what has become of his body; the entirety of his pale white torso has been turned black and blue with bruises, blisters, and scorch marks with blood trickling out of gashes where the skin has begun peeling off.
“Don’t underestimate me, you inferior creatures! You’re all going to suffer for this indignity.”
Breathing heavily, the cornered Otsutsuki reaches for his glowing, red chakra gourd and consumes it, absorbing all the accumulated chakra he had stolen during his brief time on the pitiful planet, it’s natives call, “Earth;” he guzzles down the chakra like fine s?kē.
“Aren’t you forgetting a certain pair of someones…?” Jin jeers, looking down on the alien; he remains hovering in the air, crossing his arms.
Perplexed, Urashiki raises a brow. …Hmm?
To the Otsutsuki’s surprise, he finds himself about to be pincered by the ones they call, “Rito” and “Jaeger;” one charges at his left with a pair of white chakra wings, brandishing a crystalline ax while the dashes towards his right with a blade hidden within his sleeve, cloaked in a violet chakra shroud.
“Don’t think we haven’t forgotten how you kidnapped our ally, Naruto.” The goggle-eyed brute leers.
The faux jinchuriki continues with, “…OR how you and your friends attacked his village.”
Urashiki tries to dodge, but his legs are not responding; he glances down and to his shock, they have been completely encased in crystal. With barely any time to act, the charred Otsutsuki moves, hurriedly, to protect his most vital spots and braces himself; he grits his teeth and endures their two blades cleaving their way through his flesh in unison. Upon finishing their attack, the crystal shatters, sending the celestial being into the air, in a tailspin; his freshly spilt blood stains the ground.
S-Something doesn’t feel right… The wounded Urashiki is left befuddled.
He has already eaten the chakra pouch, but does not feel even an ounce stronger. Were the all ninja he stole from so weak that their chakra didn’t make the slightest of difference? The pale fisherman shakes his head and takes flight, soaring high above all his would-be assassins.
…I-I would’ve noticed if they did something to my gourd… The suspicious Urashiki ponders, reaching for his eyes; he is still short of breath. Never the matter… With this, the scales will be tipped in my favor!!
Forming a grin, the ominous Otsutsuki plucks both eyes from his sockets and stuffs them in his maw, feverishly devouring them; feeling a surge of chakra, the celestial being is engulfed in bright light.
The light fades away nearly as soon as it appeared, revealing he has evolved into a fiendish, avian form; the digits on his extremities have become elongated talons, and his eyes turned golden while also manifesting a golden Rinnegan on his forehead. Black asymmetrical markings have spread over his face and legs, and his hair’s grown long and wild while his horns took on the appearance of flared wings, with the broken right horn only partially formed.
With a twisted smile, Urashiki extends his arm outward toward his enemies and manically cackles, “AHAHAHAHAHAHA…!! I’M going to crush each and every last one of you like the pests you are. Amenosubaruboshinomikoto: Gyokkō!!”
*tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew*
*tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew*
The monstrous Otsutsuki unleashes a barrage of purple chakra blasts upon his four assailants; the merged one surrounds himself in a golden-yellow ribcage, which blocks all the oncoming projectiles while the female spins rapidly, creating a barrier of chakra that repels the attack. The two on the ground are protected by a crystal dome, which Rito erected.
*tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew*
*tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew* *tssew*
“Heh heh heh… Squirmy little tadpoles aren’t y–?!” The celestial being’s snicker is cut short the instant he feels something is painfully wrong.
The Otsutsuki’s vision has suddenly become blurry to the point of near-sightedness, and he feels his strength plummet to the point that his onslaught comes to an abrupt halt. His heavy breathing has intensified to the point of hyperventilation; he grows so weak that he drops to the ground, on his knees.
The celestial squints his eyes, trying to focus. However, all he can make out numerous are splotches, blurs and fuzzes dotting a gray, hazy landscape; the two foes in nearest proximity of him, now a gray blur and a red-violet haze, put some distance between themselves and him; they are at the sides of a black fog and a green fuzz.
“Tired?” The black fog sneers.
“What did you do? WHAT HAVE YOU, LOWER LIFEFORMS DONE TO ME??!!!” Urashiki glares daggers at the black splotch in the sky.
“It’s poison… tailored to Otsutsuki.” The black fog answers, jovially. “No taste, no color, no smell… I’d say it works like a charm! And since you can’t see, I should tell you: I’m rolling my eyes.”
*clang*
Feigning innocence, the green fuzz drops something. “Oops~.”
That woman--she must’ve poisoned me as she launched her attack…! Urashiki growls, shaking with fury; the veins in his forehead bulge to the point that his ichor squirts out. “I’ll roll ALL YOUR HEADS!!”
With great effort, the envenomed Otsutsuki forces his body to move, sluggishly taking flight once more and rushes toward the black fog, overcome with rage; he focuses all his chakra into his whole arm for one final, ferocious punch. Unfortunately, the enemy casually catches Urashiki’s fist and pulls him in close, close enough for him to discern his enemy’s curved, red, fluid eyes and his massive, lipless maw filled with multiple rows of jagged, sharp teeth with a long, protruding tongue.
*CRUNCH!*
While crushing the bones in the celestial being’s hand, Jin maliciously snickers, “You really should've taken us more seriously.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*creeeeeeeaakk*
*THUUD!!!*
Meanwhile, back where the Kage first arrived, an irritated Momoshiki Otsutsuki now wears a sinister grin as he’s just been aided by his servant and foster father, Kinshiki Otsutsuki; with one devastating swing of his large ethereal naginata spear, the burly guardian blows their enemies away whilst cutting down the divine tree housed in this dimension.
The leader is left sinking into a whirlpool of outrage and bewilderment; the fact that these lesser creatures are able apply this much pressure onto them, able to damage them to such a degree--sheer lunacy.
“Now, Lord Momoshiki…” The burly guardian utters, eerily calm; blood trickles down his left arm, where the skin is just gone. “It seems that the time has come for you to devour my chakra…”
An exasperated Momoshiki silently holds up his right hand to his foster father, opening the Rinnegan on its palm; the grizzled servant is engulfed in a fiery-red aura.
Steeling himself, Kinshiki continues with, “…Just like my attendant once entrusted his power to me… Don’t Hesitate…”
“Of course not!” Momoshiki hisses, ominously.
To everyone’s shock and horror, the veiled Otsutsuki uses the power of his Rinnegan to turn his own brethren into a chakra-filled edible, which resembles a fruit, in less than two seconds; he holds aloft the edible as he looks down on his soon-to-be victims with a sinister, maniacal grin.
“Now let me show you the way we handle thi--AAAAAAAARGH!!”
Momoshiki is interrupted, abruptly, by a black and jagged shuriken, which comes flying in; it slices off his right hand and, mysteriously, it carries away both the hand and the edible with a pair of tendrils.
“Urgh… Gwaaahhh!!” Blood gushing from his injury, the Otsutsuki quickly applies pressure to it. Wh-Who…? Who dares…?!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As soon as she’s certain that she is over 20 meters away, the audacious Mileena morphs back into her humanoid form; holding the edible and Rinne-hand, she turns back to face the alien invader and sticks out her tongue, blowing a raspberry his way.
Momoshiki comes rocketing toward her, bellowing, “Thieving ant… RETURN THOSE TO ME AT ONCE!”
“Power-up!” The defiant symbiote shouts; she immediately stuffs both items into her mouth, consuming them.
The murderously furious Otsutsuki produces a chakra receiver and goes in with the intent to run Mileena through, but the supercilious symbiote just gives the attempt the cold-shoulder; to the invader’s shock, the black rod harmlessly passes through her body like a bullet through water.
“Pfft, that all ya got?” Mileena scorns, smugly. “Was THAT supposed to hurt?”
The symbiote immediately grabs the last alien by his throat, but comes to an abrupt halt the moment she feels the sudden sensation of chakra building and overflowing within her biomass, causing a transformation; her red eyes turn light-purple and gain a ripple-like pattern. Giant, monstrous, draconic, web-like wings sprout from her back.
The evolved black mass pulls her enemy in close and hisses, “I could kill you now, but it’d be more fun to make your death a family affair.”
“ABOMINATIOOOON!!!” The fiendish Otsutsuki howls; spit sprays with every syllable uttered as his face viscerally contorts with rage, hatred, and disgust.
Mileena spreads her wings wide and flaps them, taking flight while expeditiously dragging the alien invader with her, high into the air; she throws Momoshiki at Ayanami, who effortlessly catches him before proceeding to plummet in a downward trajectory; she watches in admiration as her dearest big sister begins a spinning motion and propels them headfirst towards the ground, resembling a cyan drill.
“Sage Art: Primary Lotus!!”
*KAA-BOOOOOM!*
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the immediate aftermath of piledriving the last Otsutsuki into the ground, and creating a seismic event, the Storm Kunoichi stands tall over her downed foe.
“We are not your slaves, and we’re not your fertilizer,” The bold Ayanami firmly declares. “We never were, nor will we ever be… Leave Earth alone and never return.”
“Y-You… an impudent maggot… d-dare lecture… me…?!” Momoshiki slowly picks himself up, breathing heavily. “Y-Y… You… You are… WHAT I SAY YOU ARE!!”
The amputated Otsutsuki lunges at the kunoichi, ferociously.
“Get away from her, you bitch!!” an incensed Jaeger thunders, rushing in.
The blonde taijutsu master quickly blindsides Momoshiki, bodychecking him before he can even come close to touching his lovely wife, sending the Otsutsuki tumbling back; he manages to knock a couple of the alien’s teeth out.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Rito and Mileena suddenly appear on either side of Momoshiki; the genius engineer shoots out bolts of golden electricity from his hands while the symbiote simultaneously fires currents of purple lightning, electrocuting the pitiful alien.
“AAAAAAAAAAAIIIIEEE….!!!” The vile Otsutsuki unleashes a blood-curdling scream.
“Lightning Style: Electric Judgment.” The Crystal Style-user speaks aloud.
The evolved biomass vocalizes, “Lightning Style: Force Lightning.”
With a pompous look of satisfaction, Jin descends, landing beside Ayanami and Jaeger; he takes a few steps toward the tortured and defeated Otsutsuki and takes a moment to bask in the victory; dopamine and serotonin flood his veins like narcotics.
“Look at us. One big happy family, united by our hatred for a race of planet-butchers… Our time has come. For over a decade, we prepared, we grew stronger while YOU rested on your laurels… Believing your clan is the apex of life, that you were at the pinnacle, but you were deceived as we cultivated our power, right under your very noses. You assumed there wasn’t a force in the universe capable of challenging you. And now… Finally… We. Are. Here.”
Rito rolls his eyes and snorts, “Ugh! Quit your monologuing, Malgus, and just FINISH HIM!”
“Well, take all the fun out of it, why don’t you.” The Onikage crosses his arms, forced to come down from his high; he sighs, “Fine, we’ll get it over with… Happy Feet!”
Upon those words, Jaeger makes a mad dash toward Momoshiki, winding back his right arm while focusing the entirety of his chakra shroud into it before striking the Otsutsuki high into the air with a lightning-infused uppercut; the enemy coughs up blood upon impact. Jin, Ayanami, and Rito all leap into the air and take flight, chasing after their prey. Knowing what’s going to occur, both Mileena and Jaeger retreat to a safe distance, at Sasuke and the other Kage’s side.
“I’LL CRUSH YOU!!!!!!!!” The Storm Village leader roars, activating his Sage Mode; snake markings appear around his eyes while his body gains a crimson chakra shroud that forms into three ethereal snakes.
Even with all this power in use, Jin doesn’t stop there; his pair of Rinnegan turn red as he manifests his Perfect Susano’o; the colossal golden-yellow chakra avatar develops markings around its eyes due to its user accessing Sage Mode.
The cyan-coated kunoichi infuses chakra, clapping her hands together. “Sage Art: Wood Style Shinsu Senju Veritable 1000-Armed Kan'on!”
From the soles of her feet, Ayanami creates a wooden statue of titanic proportions; its size is comparable to her friend’s Susano’o. Thousands of hands originate from the statue's back in countless concentric rows, while its two main hands are clasped, as if in prayer.
“What you’re about to see will cover the whole battlefield,” an excited Rito shouts, ascending even higher than his two teammates. “…It’s gonna be gnarly!”
The muscular prodigy gathers a massive amount of chakra; he grows in size, transforming into the legendary Light Genryu, an enormous, majestic white dragon with an immaculate series of horns around his head that resemble a crown. Four brilliant orbs of light manifest, hovering around him.
Jin and Ayanami wind their gigantic fists back, meanwhile, Rito prepares to use his scaly head; with righteous fury, the three, simultaneously, connect their attacks on Momoshiki, the Crystal Style user from above, the snake sage and the toad sage from either side, respectively.
*THWAAAMM!!!!!*
The very moment–the very instant–their attacks make contact, the entire area is scarred; the clouds part for miles and the ground below them quakes and rumbles, sending boulders and debris flying outward; from the point of collision, bolts of lightning shoot out in all directions.
“I-Impossible!! Gyaaaaaarrrrgggh…!” Overcome with despair, Momoshiki releases a final, agonizing cry before being crushed to death.
The dastardly extraterrestrial’s remains are completely incinerated by the sheer intensity of the trio’s powerful chakras smashing into one another. Not even ashes remain.
Just like in the anime and manga, time itself comes to a sudden halt. The unsurprised Jin glances over to Naruto and Sasuke’s location where he spots Momoshiki’s ghost; the phantom converses with Boruto before taking hold of the boy’s arm.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And with that, Boruto’s movie is over… Tilting his head back, Jin sighs with relief; his hands drop to his sides.
After crushing the trio of insidious planet killers under his boots, the silent Onikage is overcome by a tranquil peace due to feeling another weight come off his chest. Unbeknownst to him, the corners of his lips curve up ever so slightly.
…Up next is Kara, Isshiki, and Kawaki. And after that, my own knowledge becomes worthless, and my advantage just goes up in smoke…
As the realization of this inevitable reality sets in, the introspective Storm Village leader, strangely, finds himself remaining calm; he doesn’t sulk, nor does he panic; he is, at this juncture, just experiencing serenity.
“Hey, guys, we just took down not 1, not 2, but 3 alien-wankers…” The thrilled Rito announces, walking up to his brother and putting his arm around him in celebration. “Do you know what this means?”
“Yeah… That we’ve got what it takes.” Jaeger nods, pumping his fist.
“So long as we maintain our focus and coordination, as well as continue to cultivate the next generation…” While adjusting her hair, Ayanami beams with pride and determination. “…There isn’t a force that can stop us.”
Jin nonchalantly removes his brother’s brawny arm from his shoulder. “On that, we can agree.”
“Heh… Looks like we--or rather you--won this battle,” Naruto grins, entering the conversation.
The rest of the rescue party converge on the reincarnations’ location; they gather around with brimming faces. Everyone is just relieved that the fighting is over for the time being.
“It seems I won this bet,” a smirking Sasuke tells his best friend. "The soul of a shinobi will never change.”
Ayanami shakes her head and sighs, “Not necessarily; we, shinobi, can endure BECAUSE we are able to grow and change.”
“As much as I love discussing philosophy… I’d like to return to our dimension.” The Fifth Raikage has his hand reaching for the back of his stretching neck; it sways from side-to-side.
“I’m with Darui. Let’s go home.” The Onikage nods in agreement, pointing his thumb at the cloud ninja.
Not wanting to waste even another minute in this pale and barren dust bowl, Jin builds up his chakra, focusing it into his Rinne Sharingan while calmly clapping his hands together.
“Six Paths: Chaos Control!”
In a blinding flash of radiant blue light, the whole group vanishes.
Instantly, in a glaring burst of cobalt phosphorescence, the Hokage’s Office Rescue Team reappears on the roof of the Hokage’s Office, where they are greeted by a small army of friendly faces; Naruto and his son are lovingly tackled by Hinata and Himawari while Sasuke is embraced by his family. The skies have cleared, revealing a beautiful sunset.
Amongst the crowd, Jin spots his children, Itsu, and Kurama and his teammates; they stare in awe mixed with admiration as they watch their parents, their heroes return triumphant from the rescue mission. At his core, Jin feels a deep sense of pride and satisfaction well up from the adulation in the kids’ eyes; it is a pleasantly warm and comforting feeling.
As they reconvene with their families, an unwinding Ayanami exclaims, “Worst. Chunin Exams. Ever!”
“Heheh… C’mon. Let’s head over to Ichiraku’s. I’m buyin’,” Jin announces, gesturing for everyone to follow him. “No life-and-death battles, no explosions, or anything. Just us.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it, but ‘just us’ sounds perfect.” Rito follows behind with his hands relaxing behind his head.
All our brave heroes walk off into the sunset to enjoy a well-earned meal, and spend some time with family and friends.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two weeks later, Urashiki awakens, finding himself floating within an endless, black void; perplexed, he scans his surroundings and all he finds is more and more of the infinite darkness surrounding him.
What is this? Where am I? And what happened to Lord Momoshiki…? The fisherman Otsutsuki’s mind races with questions as he continues searching for anything else here.
He tries to call upon his chakra, however, much to his shock and surprise, absolutely nothing happens; he still feels it coursing through his body, but it doesn’t appear to be responding to his thoughts.
“What’s going on?! I can’t access my chakra…! JUST WHERE IN THE HELL AM I…??!!!”
From within the dark void, a disgustingly familiar voice answers, “We’re in the Mindscape, and your over-bloated master is dead.”
“You…! Of all places…” Urashiki growls, his voice full of venom; he turns to face the new arrival.
From just a few yards away, the Onikage, Jin Uzumaki, mysteriously appears out of nowhere; his pale white complexion is a stark contrast to the infinite black.
“You seem troubled, Urashiki,” Jin sneers with his hands resting behind his back; his demeanor is relaxed and jovial. “…Why the long face?”
The alien invader lunges toward the storm shinobi, who, oddly enough, does nothing; his eyes track the enemy’s straight forward movement, but he does not move to either evade or block the oncoming attack, he just hovers there and watches. To the Otsutsuki’s befuddlement, he passes through the Onikage without causing any perceivable damage whatsoever.
Jin explains, “If you’re wondering why your attack didn’t land…? The Mindscape is not a physical realm, what you’re seeing is just a mental projection.”
“What’re you going on about?!” Urashiki shakes with rage.
“Our bodies aren’t real, they are just our perceptions of ourselves and each other. If you truly wish to see the state of your real body… then I won’t stop you…” The Onikage goes on to explain.
*snap*
With a snap of his fingers, something takes form out of the black, between the two of them. Jin cannot help but smile at the look of horror on Urashiki’s face when he sees what has truly become of him; his eyes have been plucked, leaving his sockets hollow, his arms, have been completely severed, and his body has been covered in numerous strange markings with an unknown device attached to his abdomen; a single wire juts out from each corner of the odd contraption, digging into his flesh.
“There wasn’t a precedent for capturing an Otsutsuki alive, so we naturally took every precaution. We started by removing your eyes, obviously. Then we cut off your arms, so you can’t weave hand signs. We applied a shit-load of seals just to keep you from even molding chakra. And lastly, if by some chance you managed to squeak out any chakra, that Chakra Disruption Device absorbs it; I really must give props to the Land of Snow for their scientific adva–”
“WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME,” a scowling Urashiki interrupts; due to his revulsion, his own complexion has actually gotten paler. “No one goes through THIS much trouble to keep someone alive if they don't need anything!!”
“I want you dead, but you are, in fact, a treasure trove of knowledge. The inner workings of the Otsutsuki Clan. Ancient artifacts and doomsday weapons. Shinjutsu… the information you possess will benefit all of Earth, starting with the Storm Village.” Still grinning, the smug Jin continues his explanation. …I would’ve preferred to do this with Momoshiki, but you attacked. My. Son. You earned this fate all on your own…
“What makes you think I would EVER betray my clan?” The scoffing Otsutsuki crosses his arms.
Tilting his head to one side, the Onikage maintains his pompous smirk, however, his gaze has turned ice-cold. “There seems to be a misunderstanding… We don’t need your cooperation to get what we’re after.”
“‘We’?” Urashiki raises a brow.
While the vision of the celestial being’s real body fades away, Jin does not respond, he, instead, eerily and silently watches as his agenda unfolds; from the eternal dark spawns a colossal, amorphous, pitch-black hand right behind the accursed alien; it lunges for the unsuspecting Urashiki, its tight grip is impossible for anyone to escape from.
“This isn’t over…! One day I WILL find a way out of this,” The raving fool declares; his desperate and defiant struggle to escape the hand’s clutches are in vain. “a…And I will inflict the same suffering upon you a thousandfold! Someday, VENGEANCE WILL BE MINE!!”
“Mileena, he’s all yours.” Growing tired of this conversation, an unimpressed Jin yawns.
The Storm Village leader watches the hand lift the cursed Otsutsuki higher, where a pitch-dark liquid body takes form connecting to said hand; it grows a gaping maw and thrusts the still bellowing Urashiki inside, swallowing him whole.
“And that takes care of that.” Jin wipes his hands clean, done with the ordeal. …Hmmm?
Finally noticing someone else's presence, the Onikage turns and looks directly at you, the reader. Even if it was only for the briefest of moments, he really saw you and his eyes widened for a fleeting instance, coming to an epiphany.
Jin gives you a smug yet welcoming grin. “Don’t Cha just love happy endings?”
THE END?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, in the Hidden Leaf Village, within the Limited Tsukuyomi’s Genjutsu World, Menma Uzumaki sits quietly on his throne in the dimly lit Hokage’s office; he waits patiently for his most loyal servants to arrive; his fingers tap rhythmically on his armrest.
The emperor’s fingers stop and he sits upright once they, Choji and Gaara, finally enter the room; they walk up to the throne’s bottom landing with purpose and get down on one knee, kneeling humbly before their lord and master.
“Speak, minions.” Menma leans to one side, resting his chin on his fist; his tone is cold and firm.
“My lord, your will is done.” The Akimichi Clan states, lifting his head up. “The Redaku continent has been conquered.”
The Sand Shinobi interjects with, “And per your command, we’ve begun mining the gelel mineral in the Land of Wind.”
“The empire is getting stronger everyday, Lord Menma. Soon the entire world will yield to your influence.” Choji continues.
Towering over them in his royal seat, the Emperor grins. “Heh heh heh… Excellent! This pleases me. Consider this meeting adjourned, you’re dismissed.”
The pair of ninja quickly stand tall once more and urgently make their way to the exit, leaving the throne room.
Soon… VERY soon, my ambitions will be fulfilled…! Leaning back in his seat, the conspiring Menma forms a sinister grin as he stares off into the distance. “Jin, Naruto… Just you wait. As soon as MY world is firmly under my thumb, I’ll be returning to reduce yours to ash.”
“Why focus your efforts on a single planet when there are SO MANY ripe for the taking?” says a mysterious disembodied voice.
Alerted by the intruder’s words, Menma begins infusing his chakra and readies himself; his narrowed eyes dart across the room. “Who dares…?!”
At the center of the throne room, the impudent interloper reveals himself by undoing his invisibility jutsu. Peering across the poorly lit room, the Emperor grimaces, shaking with rage at the very sight of the individual’s vague resemblance; he is a young man, who wears long brown hair back in a long cylinder with two locks wrapped in bandages framing both sides of his face; his eyebrows are cut short, and has purple eyes with a ripple-like pattern; his eyes have blue markings around them, which were turned up at the corners. He’s wearing a high-collared, light-colored kimono held closed by a dark sash; the collar of the kimono was adorned with magatama.
Despite not knowing who this familiar stranger is, the dark reflection of Naruto can detect powerful Six Path chakra irradiating off of him; it makes him even angrier.
“Who are you, why are you here?! And why do you look so much like Jin Uzumaki?”
“NEVER utter that name in my presence again…” The individual growls, menacingly glaring back at the comparison; several Truth-Seeker Orbs appear behind him. “My name is Indra Otsutsuki, and I am here because my benefactor wishes to elevate you, like he did me…”
(Author’s Note: This is the very same Indra that Jin and friends fought back in Chapters 25-27!)
Raising a brow, Menma leans forward. “A generous offer. Why me?”
*Clap!* *Boom!* *Rumble!*
As the two converse, thunder can be heard from outside as the sky darkens; a storm is brewing.
“You are uniquely resilient. Who else could conquer their entire planet, in less than 20 years?” Indra answers, brimming with cold apathy.
The handwaving Emperor scoffs, “If I was still the Ten-Tails jinchuriki, my conquest would’ve been completed within its 1st year! Even though I retain some of its chakra, it is but a mere fraction of the power I once held.”
“So, why haven’t you regained that power?” The Genius of Ninshu queries, pointing at him. “Why haven’t you collected the tailed beasts of your own world?”
“Because if I lose the chakra tug-of-war, I DIE! The only reason I’m still alive is due to my own separate Nine-Tails.”
“Excuses! Beings like us are meant to walk among gods, not peasants.” Indra chastises; he raises a fist to the emperor. “We offer you power! Power that makes the Ten-Tails look like an ailing child.”
Now hovering in the air, the Otsutsuki-hybrid floats over to Menma, who finally stands up from his throne; he holds out a hand to the emperor, revealing a hole in the middle of his palm.
“So, what's going to be?” Indra asks again. “Are you in or out?”
TO BE CONTINUED IN…
H.I.R.I.N.:
INFINITE CRISIS!
