For rather obvious reasons, this latest update was a tad delayed. I can't exactly say this chapter's going to have much in the way of anything comforting, albeit I have been waiting to do it for a while. I'll save the author commentary for afterward. Onto the story!

I do not own anything.

Fox Tails & Whirlpools

Chapter 23 - Ōmagatoki Pt.2

6:59 PM…

"The 'common arrogance' is believing that everything will go as you planned it. In this world, we can know a few things for certain, especially on the battlefield which is as chaotic and changing as the sea itself. One must adapt to the changes as best they can. Failure to do that will result in loss, and loss can result in death."

Danzō had done his best to be mindful of them…but the chaotic and unchanging world his sensei spoke of was not the ideal one, not one that could be peaceful. A firm hand was required to quell the chaos and turn it into order, to silence the rising threats before they could spill out and bring harm to the people of the village. Such things he couldn't let happen, so he'd chosen his path.

Unfortunately for him, the world wasn't always cooperative with his efforts.

"Report." He ordered in a controlled voice. Losing control now wasn't going to help anyone, not him or the village. In fact, if he lost control, things would no doubt get worse. Much, much worse.

The Anbu kneeling before him was ill-at-ease. Such a thing wasn't entirely uncommon, but the sources of said unease were usually more…mundane. And by that, Danzō meant it didn't involve creatures that were, as far as he could tell, blatantly inhuman in nature. The last time something like this had happened was the Nine-Tails attack seven years ago. It was looking like the incident would now be rivaled, and fall into the same category.

"Sir," the Anbu began, looking up and meeting the cycloptic man through the eye-holes of his mask. "According to reports, these monstrous creatures, demons, oni, have besieged the village at several points. They appear disorganized and are merely destroying everyone and everything that they come into contact with, especially humans. All civilians are being urged to stay inside while the village's forces are scrambling to intercept them. Sir, should we…"

Danzō could feel the question, practically hear it even though the Root operative stopped himself from physically speaking the words. Deep down, in his old sullied heart, the one-eyed ninja could sympathize. But he still had to keep a cool head. "What of Assassin and the Uchiha Clan? And the Kishinamis?"

"From what our scouts report, the sword given to Itachi Uchiha has driven him berserk. He's slaughtering the clan, but in such a reckless and wild manner he may go after anyone he comes across, including non-Uchiha members. Their Servant, Lancer, has also been spotted, albeit he is in a similar state, however…"

"Yes, out with it."

"Lord Danzō, he is…he's on fire, sir. His body is ablaze with flames that burner hotter than anything we've seen, almost on par with an Amaterasu." Continued the bird-masked shinobi, his voice flat and devoid of fear and uncertainty, which was no doubt simmering somewhere deep in his heart. He was far from alone as the other Root agents in the private chamber were no doubt feeling the same. While the building was secure enough, they couldn't feel the tremors of battle, that would only last so long at the rate things were going.

Flames? And he's locked in a berserker rage? Pondered the war hawk behind his ever-stoic façade. To say this was unexpected would have been an understatement. It was also a majorly unexpected curveball that threw his formulating plans into disarray. Once he'd heard that the Uchiha had a Servant, he began to formulate a possible attempt to steal the Servant away from them; that plan had now been derailed like so many others. Danzō's mind raced with questions, namely what had driven the Servant into a blind rage, if it could be reversed, and what the costs of doing so would be. If he was as mad as had been reported, then confronting him would result in quite a bit of collateral damage. Something that wasn't ideal given they already had several other unfolding catastrophes. Silently, Danzō held back his discontent and spoke again, "And what of the Kishinamis?" He already had a feeling they would be reacting to all of this.

The operative's words proved him right. "From what we've seen, the angelic Caster Hakuno Kishinami fought the other day has escaped and Tamamo Kishinami has given pursuit. Her husband has gone off to slay the demons." There was a pregnant pause as the Root member mentally wrestled with rather or not to proceed with a more detailed report. One look at his master and he knew nothing less would be accepted. "And sir, he is…handling them all quite effectively, moving faster than the eye can see and eliminating quite a number of them from what our scouts say."

It was exactly as Danzō had predicted. The Servant going after the Servant and the patriarch of the Kishinami Clan handling the rift-raft. Given he was strong enough to combat a malicious, battle-tested priest and his Servant at the same time, and come out victorious, Danzō was not surprised in the slightest that he was easily dispatching what he believed to be low-level demons and goblins. But such monsters weren't the only threats to the village. Not to mention, they most likely wouldn't act without shoring up one critical detail first. "Where is the Nine-Tails?" Questioned the war veteran.

"We…we believe he might still be at the hospital, sir."

"Then confirm that, and scramble the first and second units, they will eliminate those stranglers that remain behind." The response came out automatically, which surprised even Danzō himself a little. While he believed in using anything and everything available, he had a vague idea of what they were up against. Demons and evil spirits whose only allegiance likely lay to their bloodlust. Getting any use out of them would be a waste of effort, and potential manpower. Every second spent with chatter was more damage to the village, and more chances for another unpredictable variable to come into play.

At his command, the masked ninja scrambled to follow through on his order. Demons, monsters, it didn't matter, they were threats to the Hidden Leaf Village thus they had to be eliminated. That was all there was to it.

Alone in his chambers, Danzō gripped his walking stick. He wasn't scared, he couldn't possibly be scared. At least not of the otherworldly monsters now roaming about his home.

No, what was making him shake was the sense of uncertainty, a nagging feeling he couldn't quite pin down. This wasn't the first time he'd felt like this, far from it given his long life. But something about this time was different, something that made his old heart race a beat faster.

It was fear, fear of the unknown. For all of his surveillance and war-time wisdom, there were things out there that he knew next to nothing about, things that could pose a threat to his home.

And Danzō had the nagging suspicion that those things had been let in, by Hiruzen's actions…and his.

三o-◁≡=⊳ ⊲=≡▷-o 三

7:05 PM…

When he moved at lightspeed, his perception moved with him. Hakuno figured it was only natural, high-speed movement wasn't exactly much good if one's mind couldn't keep up with said movement. Such was the nature of "required secondary powers" as they could be called, you couldn't have one without the other if you expected to use an ability effectively. Thankfully, he could, but the ability to perceive the world while moving at lightspeed could also be a curse. He could hear and see what was happening around him as he ran, the fear in them all was what made it all so visible. Fear, an emotion that he'd had a long history with, a history he knew he couldn't ever truly escape.

He called out to the villagers to run, to get inside, even as he flew past them as a blur of silvery light that they probably thought to be a trick of their eyes. It was something at least.

As he moved, he gathered energy into his hands. By reflex, Hakuno's hands began to move in a pattern hand signs in a sequence that he himself had created. On some level, they were unnecessary as all he needed was thought, but maybe he'd just adapted to this world of shinobi more quickly than he realized. "Lunar Style," he whispered, throwing his hands out where the lunar energy amassed and condensed into solid shapes. Alongside his physical vision, there was what could only be described in layman's terms as a HUD, head's up display. It was a detailed map of his surrounding area, and the enemies within as well. Within a half-mile radius, Hakuno was surrounded by thirty-four demons, all of which he could cut down with minimal effort. They were speed bumps that came into view. "Silver Arms!"

Twin swords, that's what he went with because he needed to move as fast as possible. They were small fry that would go down in a single blow, that was what he used with each blade, a single-edged saber he held in each hand. The hard-light blades cleaved through the oddly colored flesh and scales that made up the demons' bodies. Through his HUD-like vision, Hakuno saw their life signs flicker, then die out completely. Cutting through them with his light blades was as easy as it was to do so with his knife.

Naruto. Thought the male brunette even as he twirled across the street-turned-battlefield with the grace of a swan in flight. The demons all came at him within seconds of his surprise assault on them. Their eyes, ranging in number from two to three and color from blood-red to bright glowing yellow, all blazed with ravenous hatred upon seeing him. No doubt now that he'd stopped moving and made himself known, they recognized him and were now coming at him with everything that they had. Hakuno was grateful for that, the fact that they were coming after him meant the rest of the villagers would hopefully be spared. Or take the time to getaway.

"Kishinami!" Bellowed a deep, masculine and bestial voice that rang through the night like a bell. A red-colored body that stood close to eight feet in height, a massive spiked kanabō raised high in the right arm. A tiger-skinned loincloth covered his waist down to the knees. Three unholy golden eyes homed in on the teenager. "This…this is just what we wanted, a chance to dine on genuine flesh…and pay you back for all the humiliation!" Screeched the demon, using his free hand to wipe away a spot of blood on his chin. All the seventeen-year-old did was stare blankly at the otherworldly creature, which further infuriated the oni. "Out of the way, his head is mi-!"

SLISH!

For the horrified spectators, fear had turned into awe. One minute, they'd been listening to the oni declare his desire to kill the brown-haired teenager himself, and the next they were watching the top half of his body topple to the ground, a fountain of blood erupting from the still-standing lower half. At least still standing for a few seconds, it fell forward, the legs twitching before going still. Their eyes turned to the teenager the demon had previously been threatening. No longer was he holding two swords. Instead, he was holding one, an ōdachi of silvery light that dripped blood that was thrown off as he flicked the blade to the side. Hakuno stared straight ahead as the newly bisected demon's body burst into a heap of azure flames that bathed his face in an ethereal glow.

And brought out the cold focus that adorned his face.

"Listen up," he began in a voice that betrayed no emotion. "If you leave this village, you'll live to see another sunrise. Stay and try to hurt anyone and it'll be your lives!"

The eyes of the spectators went wide. Was he seriously giving a choice to these demons?! Giving them the choice to leave with their lives?! Was he insane?!

"Shut-up!" Barked another one of the oni. "Kill him like-!"

SLISH!

You knew what the results would be, so why did you offer them that choice? Chimed a voice in the depths of the teen's head.

He was already moving on to the rest of the demons when he responded. Call it a whim. I'm not a demon slayer, even though I've already killed over two hundred demons. At least…I don't consider myself a professional one. Even though I've also done this enough times to know that giving them a choice at a time like this was probably futile. Responded the Victor of the Moon as blood splattered across the ground. Demons bleed just like humans, it was proof that they too lived under the umbrella of mortality, just like the humans they preyed upon. He switched from a long sword to a spear, and when he grew bored with that he broke the polearm into a pair of axes he viciously dug into the bodies of the demonic enemies that quickly converged on him, just as he wanted. This was not how I planned on spending the evening! Chided the honey-eyed teen, combining the two axes into one as he brought it down on one final oni. Blood gushed from the skull, then continued as he pushed the weapon downward, splitting the monster from the top down.

"W-W-What…"

"H-He…he moved so fast…h-he killed them all…"

"That was amazing…"

There was a quick inhalation through his nose; Hakuno smelled death on the nightly wind. He found something darkly…exhilarating about it. This is the real deal, all of this…is real, not digital. "Everyone," Ignoring the pool of blood and bodies around him, his commanding voice caught the attention of the citizens surrounding him - dozens of men, women, and children who were of course clenching at the sides of their parents. "Flee to the hospital, and if you can't do that then barricade yourselves indoors and don't come out until the fighting is over with!" He hoped his voice was commanding enough that they got the hint and didn't argue. Hakuno was well aware of how ridiculous things must have looked, of how he must have looked. Even if he had just slaughtered over twenty-plus demons with next to no effort at all. Sometimes, people were still stupid enough they couldn't take the hint.

Thankfully, the folks around him seemed able to do that. Most rose to their feet and started running, even helping those who couldn't or were still too traumatized to move on their own. They got moving just in time.

The smell hit seconds before the blast of wind did. Hakuno threw his arms up, partially to protect his nose, not that it helped much. His face immediately screwed up taking in the foul odor of poison, the poison that could rot away the toughest of armors and structures even with minimal effort from its owner's part. Next came the tremors and gales that ripped through the Hidden Leaf Village like lightning through the sky. While all the demon's he'd been engaging were merely blips on the radar, the biggest threat, the flashing red threat, was over two miles away, near the Uchiha District if he was right. Something had happened, and now that threat, that Servant was on a rampage throughout the village.

Boom!

Honey eyes widened as he watched the pillar of red-hot flames shoot upward into the night sky, illuminating the Hidden Leaf Village from within. Then, from the pillar came a rain of fist-sized fireballs that set ablaze anything they touched. Following them came the roar, the roar that was positively bestial, but still overwhelmingly human. It was the roar of a Berserker-Class Servant. "Yep, we're definitely approaching a ten on the bad shit meter. Hell, we may even shoot past that." Mused the teenager as another roar shook the air, this one was quickly accompanied by a sudden burst of flames that ignited two blocks' worth of buildings. Hakuno's heart leaped into his chest watching the fires go up. "Oh man, we're really heading full steam towards a ten!" Immediately, he stretched his brain to think about a way to quell the flames. From a glance, he could tell what sort of flames they were - solar-class flames similar to those his Servant had gained access to upon entering this new world. That meant there could only be one culprit behind all of this. Slowly, his gaze drifted upward to the bursts of light where his Servant was fighting the Grigori.

No, where she was fighting her sister.

A choice lay between him, but one he had to make fast.

"Hakuno!"

But first, he had another matter to deal with. Turning to his left, he found Kakashi standing before a squad of Anbu. Some of them had blood-splatters on their clothes, one whiff and he was happy to recognize the scent as demon blood instead of their own. That meant Tamamo's initial statement hadn't been entirely on the mark. "Kakashi, everyone, I'll make this brief. These things are demons - oni. They'll kill any humans they find, and if not kill, eat." He paused. "Or kill you and then eat your corpse."

Behind his dog-themed mask, Kakashi felt a strange tickle coming on. In the midst of this crisis, the mysterious teenager hadn't lost his dry sense of humor. In fact, he looked oddly calm as the ground shook and explosions tore through the night. Looking into his hardened brown eyes, he saw concluded why - this wasn't the first time the teenager had seen something like this. Kakashi quietly wondered exactly what the true story of this brown-haired youth was, this boy who was bound to a fox-eared and tailed witch with immense power, who was able to fight off two trained combatants, and now as he saw effortlessly slay a pack of demons with nary a scratch on his body. One thing was clear though, Hakuno Kishinami was seasoned in the art of this mayhem. And that meant that any advice he gave was to be taken to heart.

"Tamamo and I put up a barrier around the hospital, it's also where we left Naruto." He continued silently, watching the reactions of several of the Anbu. Some of them looked quite relieved, or felt relieved. "If you can, drop them off there. The demons won't be able to get through the barrier, they'll die before they can even make a crack in it."

"Speaking of dying, any advice on how to kill them?" Kakashi asked as another tremor shook the ground. They were running out of time and needed to get to the point.

Hakuno did just that. "The same way you would any other creature, but the quickest way to do that is to aim for the head. Slice it off or blow it off or crush it with sheer brute force. It's the most effective way so if you get a shot, take it." Snapping to his right, he saw another flare-up of fire followed next by another bestial shriek. "I'll handle the Servant, I'll try to lead him away from the village, after that…"

"Can you handle it by yourself?" Pressed the white-haired ninja. He wasn't cocky enough to deny the sweat racing down his shoulders. The feral roar in the distance brought back unsettling memories of his encounter in the Land of Grass. He didn't relish the thought of another being like that in the heart of his own village.

"I have to, I'm the only one who can. I'll leave the rest of the demons and protecting civilians to all of you. Oh, and Kakashi, use your knife. Eastern demons don't quite operate on the same principles as western ones. But that knife of yours, it's blessed to repel evil creatures, which these oni definitely are." He gave a faint smile to the Copy Ninja, then he took off in a silver flash, one that reminded Kakashi of his late mentor.

Glad he let me know about that before he left. And glad that I brought this thing with me. Mused the war veteran. "Alright, you heard the kid, we leave the big stuff to him. The rest of you, slay any demon you find! No matter how many of them, we make sure the only blood that will be spilled tonight is theirs!" Barked the Copy Ninja.

"Sir!"

The assembled ninja mobilized, each quietly steeling themselves for the inevitable encounter, and battle with creatures believed to exist only in fairy tales. Over the past month, what had once been confined to fiction was rapidly becoming reality, fantasy. Nowhere was that greater than the clashing forces overhead. Two beings, both divine, going to war with one another.

7:15 PM…

"Yeah…definitely approaching a twelve on the shit meter." Groaned the Victor of the Moon as he finally came into view of the flaming monstrosity that had leveled over ten blocks of the Leaf Village. Right after dodging a wave of blazing hot poison that would have left him crumbled upon the ground with his flesh dissolving in an incredibly painful way. As he dodged the energy projectile, he began to run through the list of potential Servants he would be confronting. A second later and he got a look at them, or rather him.

The last time he'd seen the Celtchar had been at Lunaopolis, when all the allied armies had clashed in the outside city turning the once peaceful and secure domain into battlefield. He'd been doing what he did best - fighting and killing; for what it was worth, he'd been on the side of his "allies", the Basilone Family. Hakuno's mind immediately jumped back to the scuffle in the Hidden Grass Village, the sudden attack that Comstock had used to end it and kill hundreds. One of them must have been Celtchar's Master freeing him up, and someone else had taken ownership of him and smuggled him into the Leaf Village.

Whoever that person was, they were more than likely dead, not to mention no longer necessary. Celtchar had a far more efficient source of mana fueling him more than any human ever could.

Hakuno dashed to the left to evade the oncoming attack, which touched down like a missile fired from an attack helicopter. Of course, the attack didn't end there as the now crazed Lancer knew his prey was still breathing. The solar flames surrounding him roared to life, propelling him in Hakuno's direction with his massive spear leveled at the teen's chest. Hakuno cursed, but held his ground, counting the distance between him and the flaming warrior until the moment came.

Celtchar roared as he thrust his lance forward, impaling a silvery afterimage of what he thought was his enemy. The image stared blank-faced at him, then exploded into a burst of silvery smoke and lightning, all of which converged around him. Celtchar roared in anger, but his cries of fury were silenced seconds after they rose as Hakuno clapped his hands together, condensing the vapor and cooling it into mystical ice which encased the Celtic warrior. He was frozen in place, but Hakuno knew that would only last for a few minutes at best. It actually turned out to be seconds.

Boom!

The male brunette was moving even before the burst of steam hit him, he had to in order to survive. Briefly, he saw the glowing orb-like object within Celtchar's chest, the divine power running through him and manifesting in the burst of divine flames that exploded from his body. They twisted and swerved around his lance, which was raised high in one hand, then brought down like a sledgehammer. Cursing, Hakuno backpedaled as fast as he could, watching in horror as the ground exploded into a near volcanic eruption that sent fissures snaking their way across the land. He got an unsettling good viewpoint from the rooftop of a nearby building, which itself shook with the implications it was going to collapse at any second. There was no need for that as Celtchar broke the ground in a leap that propelled him through the air, directly towards Hakuno.

In that moment, the Holy Grail War Victor realized what his options were. Door number one was if he moved then his enemy would bring the entire six-story structure he was on crashing down, which would have added to the collateral damage. Door number two was riskier, but it might work.

Still wrapped around the Lúin of Celtchar was the protective Bounded Field wrapped around the spearhead of the Celt's weapon. The poisonous odor surrounding it had grown stronger, enough that it cooked the air as it moved toward the teenager. It wasn't the first time he'd been in a situation like this, which explained why as the spear was thrust toward him, Hakuno felt oddly calm.

This was absolutely nothing new for him.

Both his arms were thrown out, his normally honey-brown eyes now rimmed with silver light which ran through from his eyes, down his neck to his chest, and then to his arms. "Lunar Style-Getsuyōbi!" Trial by fire was something he was familiar with, it was something Hakuno himself had been forced into several times. There always came the fear and tension with it, the fear of failure and the consequences that would follow. Hakuno didn't focus on the fear, doing so would weaken him; what he focused on was the strength of the moonlight barrier that manifested around him. Gnashing his teeth, he held his ground as the massive spear rammed against the mystical barrier, arcs of fire and wisps of poisonous air exploding in one direction while rays of silver light shot out in all directions. "Celtchar, I guess I owe you for giving me the chance to test this jutsu out in live combat!" barked the teenager, his glowing eyes meeting the blank white of the Celt's. Celtchar's eyes flashed with murderous hatred at seeing his attack aborted; Hakuno knew another surge was coming.

Ultimately, he was faster.

Lunar energy gathered around the point of contact between the barrier and the demonic spear. The barrier pulsated, and pushed outward. Celtchar gave a scream of rage as he was thrown backwards, his arm throbbing as the energy wave that temporarily paralyzed portions of his Servant body.

Seizing on his chance, Hakuno dashed toward the flying Servant. Ignoring the slight throbbing his arms, he reeled his arm back, blue and silver light wrapping around his fist. "Argent-!" By sheer reflex, he twisted his body around, turning his back to the Servant beneath him. A part of him screamed at the stupidity of such an act, but the shadow above him took precedence. His empowered fist struck out, colliding with a force of equal power. If he hadn't acted, he'd been sent plummeting to the ground with a sore back. A second later and Hakuno felt something cold and metallic wrapping around his right ankle. He had a split second to blink and curse before he felt himself being yanked downward.

He hit the ground with a thud, then went sliding across it before coming to a stop, his entire body feeling sore. A voice in his head told him if he were a little stronger, he would have been able to move in time to sever the chain around his ankle; he knew it was right, but that didn't matter now.

"Ohoho, seems like someone's gotten a little stronger since last time. That'll make this all the more fun!" Barked a feral voice that he recognized.

"Remember, Lady Vitch gave us orders to keep him alive." Chimed in another.

"Doesn't mean we can't rough him up a little. Besides, the punk has it coming!" Barked another. Upon hearing it, Hakuno chuckled. "What the hell are you laughing at, you little shit!?"

As he rose, he wiped the blood from his lip and stared at the assembled group of demons with mocking amusement. For several, it caused their anger to grow, which was just as Hakuno wanted it. "Just happy to see that Vitch brought the rest of you along. It means I get another chance to kick your asses…and maybe take your horns as real-life trophies this time around." As he expected, a majority of the demons reacted with anger, one in particular standing out over the others. He was pleased that the most violent and rowdy member of Shuten-Doji's four chieftains hadn't changed too much.

Torakuma-Doji's tiger-like face exploded into a vicious snarl as he took one threatening step forward, his claws coming out and glowing with demonic energy. He stood at the same fearsome six-feet five that he had in the Moon Cell, except like the rest of them, all of the black-stripped muscle was genuine flesh. As too were the fangs that that longed to skin into his flesh and claws that could slice clean through bone like they were nothing. "You've got an even bigger mouth on you, I'll be cutting it out of you, brat."

An arm came down in front of the tiger demon, then was swatted aside. As usual, Kōkyo barely batted an eye at the act, or the spiteful glare that Torakuma shot him for daring to try to hold him back. Instead, the bone demon focused his attention on Hakuno; he knew that the boy was up to something. "My, my, it seems you and Tamamo-no-Mae have made yourselves quite comfortable in this village. A shame that you didn't take the proper precautions to safeguard it, quite foolish of you. Perhaps the tranquility of the quiet life got to you."

"Maybe, but to be frank, you guys were the last ones we were expecting." Grunted the teenager, scanning the rest of the group. He counted a total of six amongst their number, all familiar faces. He focused his attention on the bone demon who was without a doubt the most focused and composed of the group, which also made him Vitch's lieutenant. "I'm going to guess that you've got Mosudoki sitting on the benches somewhere, Kōkyo?" The absence of the fire demon who was the bone demon's partner was something of a red flag for Hakuno. He didn't know why the demonic swordsman hated him, but wherever he was, wherever Vitch was, Mosudoki wasn't far behind. His end goal being Hakuno's head.

Kōkyo smirked in amusement. It served as a trigger for the only demon who could rival Torakuma in strength, and arrogance. "Enough yapping! Let's hurry up and break his arms and legs to make sure he can't escape! We all know this little bastard can be just as slippery as his mate, so we best not take any chances." Kane-dōji, an oni with a body composed of blackish-gray metal lined with painted tattoos. His blood-red eyes crackled with amusement as he took one threatening step after another towards Hakuno. The bloodlust was getting to him, just as it had for the others.

Peering behind the group, he saw the crackling embers of the Servant. By Hakuno's guess, he had about fourteen seconds before Celtchar exploded again.

"So, tell me, you know, still working for Vitch, or have you considered going back to Shuten?" He quipped; it was tough fighting the urge to smirk. In fairness though, he probably did without knowing it.

Torakuma-dōji and Kane-dōji's face erupted into murderous fury at the mention of their old boss. The others surged forth, not to stop them as they knew that was a pointless endeavor, but to back them up. Kōkyo was trailing behind them, no doubt to serve as support for the rest of them. His right arm had changed into the bony clawed appendage that he'd seen rip man and metal alike too many times to count; said bony spikes could be launched like projectiles as well, a fact Hakuno had learned the hard way some time ago. None of the demons charging at him were to be underestimated, but then again, neither was he.

"Lunar Style-Tsukiwa!" First, the Corona in his chest pulsated, bright bluish-white Tron-lines spreading through his body. The energy condensed within his chest, then fanned out as a wave of blue light that slammed into the six oncoming demons. The rule of gravity was removed for them as well as everything else in a fifteen-foot radius. "Enjoy your flight! If you want a refund, you'll have to catch me for it!" Laughed the teenager, Hakuno took his time to note the look of insane anger on each of his attackers save for one, who seemed impressed with the trick he pulled off. They were the last expressions that they had before they were propelled skyward, screaming and wailing all the while.

It was done just in time as Celtchar came at him, propelled by a burst of fire that reminded him of the sort that his Servant-wife could now wield. He'd been "granted" the ability to wield the same flames, albeit in Celtchar's case, it was clearly a curse. The flames weren't just on the outside, they were on the inside, empowering his Servant body while at the same time burning it from the inside out; the source was the divine jewel now embedded in his body. If Hakuno could remove that then he could stop Celtchar's rampage, and hopefully save the Celtic warrior himself. Of course, in order to do that, he'd have to find a way to subdue Celtchar, and that sure as hell wasn't happening here in the middle of the Hidden Leaf Village, a sudden demon invasion unfolding and with his wife and her Alter Ego battling it out above them.

So he ran.

Hakuno didn't need to look back to know that Celtchar was giving chase to him, his mind reduced to that a feral animal driven by pain and rage. In such a state, he'd destroy everything around him, which meant Hakuno had to get him as far away from civilization as possible. Then again, luring him into a dense forest was probably not the wisest idea. But Hakuno was short on time and options, neither of which were anything new for him. Trees that were trampled and burned could be regrown over time, human life lost couldn't be, at least not normally.

Mere seconds after he'd begun to run, he could see the walls of the village coming into view. If he could get Celtchar beyond that point, Hakuno felt like he'd be one step closer to ending this madness. Such optimism exacted an immediate toll from him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

"Tamamo!" Screamed the teenager, eyes wide and heart racing as his feet came to a stop at the top of the wall. Frantic, he searched the skies, dread building within him. It exploded in full as he saw a jet-black orb of darkness materializing in the skies above the village. His mouth dropped in horror as he recognized it. "Oh no…not again." Logic flew out the window and pure emotion took hold of him. He concentrated his power, preparing to propel himself through the air then smash the dark orb and free his wife from the nightmares of her past.

Except Celtchar got to him first. Hakuno had a second to curse, and the voice in his head had a second to chastise him for his emotionally-driven stupidity. After that, he was crashing through the forest, his flesh burning and bones straining under the pressure. By the time Hakuno's vision became somewhat clear again, he was staring up into blank white eyes consumed with rage. Then came a fist like a cinderblock coming straight for his face.

三o-◁≡=⊳ ⊲=≡▷-o 三

The abyss.

According to most myths, the universe began out of a void. The shapeless, formless chaos were there either was nothing or the nothingness itself was the substance. It was always described as dark and barren. Some would argue such a place counted as hell more so than any fiery pit or subterranean cavern.

For the record, those people were right.

Tamamo could hear her breathes growing more and more frantic as she ran and ran, her feet pounding against some invisible surface. She couldn't hear them though, she couldn't hear anything, or even really see anything to begin with. What was she running towards? What was she running from? She had no idea, but she ran anyway, shouting and screaming even though she couldn't hear her own words. There was no forward or back, how did she even know she was standing upright?

Her anger simmered, Tamamo kept feeding it as it was a better alternative to the other emotion bubbling up within her. "Vitch! Vitch! Show yourself, now! Do it or so help me, I'll burn this entire realm down and choke the life out of you amidst the flames!" Of course, silence was the answer she received, not even an echo of the mocking laughter that was the trademark of her "sister". Tamamo had been hoping for a response, but she knew she ultimately had to give her own. So she did, she burned, gold and orange flames erupting from her being, her foxy ears and tails taking on the same coloration. She snarled angrily. "VITCH, LET ME OUT! NOW!"

Silence and stillness surrounded her, it closed in on her. The Caster's flames burned, yet they burned nothing. They warmed nothing. They illuminated nothing.

Sound finally came.

"Hehehe, that's it? That's the light that illuminates the heavens? Pathetic! It's nothing compared to this, the light that I can produce! The light that can truly turn all things to cinders!"

From deep within, Tamamo felt a shudder of fear. That, in turn, caused her outer self to shiver as well. A second later and she was shaking as new light blazed into existence, the light of the storm.

She tried to keep on burning her flames as lightning flashed from an unseen sky and winds howled with enough force to sheer flesh from bone. She'd lived through this before, she had survived it. So she could do so again this time, couldn't she?

"No, no you can't. Do you want to know why? Because last time was a fluke, one that won't be repeated this time…besides, aren't you better off here, in the abyss?"

The shiver of fear grew stronger with the introduction of the second voice, cold as ice in contrast to the booming fortitude of the first. Hearing it caused Tamamo's knees to shake, nearly buckle as she fought the waves of arctic coldness washing over her. Also washing over her was light, hideous pale white light that stood in stark contrast to the bombastic lightning that had pelted the ground around her. She almost wished to have it back, at least that she could get out of the way of the lightning bolts. There was no hiding from the light, or what it illuminated.

"L-Lady…A-A-Ama…ter…asu…" Came the wispy and broken voice that still haunted the dreams of the sun goddess.

Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look down. Repeated the Caster again and again like a panic mantra to the point of madness, closed eyes trembling while she was biting her lower lip. Her knees finally gave out and her legs hit the ground. Immediately, she flinched as she felt something warm and wet began to seep through her leggings into her skin. Rising up and forcing its way into her nostrils was the smell of blood and rot and sullied food. They were like thousands of microscopic serpents forcing their way into her then biting down with their fangs, injecting their venom into every portion of her body. Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look down! The shiver that raced through her, nearly forced her to open her eyes in spite of doing everything in her power not to. It was a contradictory nature, contradictory, just like the-

"Maggots called humans you loved so much?" Came the gruff voice of her younger brother. "You want to play with them, but you know how we gods are. We tend to break our favorite playthings so often, don't we? After all, look at what you did to the Earth."

From deep within her, the goddess rose up. "THAT WAS YOUR FAULT, BOTH OF YOU!"

Tamamo's eyes snapped open, and what she saw made her wish she could seal them shut. He stood before her the same as he was when they were last together, a light blue shirt and dark blue pants. His expression was remarkable placid in spite of the fact that he had a gaping hole in his chest, the exact same place where the Luna Corona would have been.

What was most striking were his eyes, cold and emotionless as a statue…and staring at her with such complete apathy that all the fight drained out of her. "Was it their fault for being assholes…or your fault for being too weak-willed? You're the one who was chosen to succeed your father, the one everyone was placing their hopes on." His tone matched his expression, all of which were enough to bring Tamamo to her knees, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Not just her.

Though she remained standing, that was nothing but an act. The strength had left the goddess' legs. Whereas normally a snappy retort would have been an order, along with a death threat, there was none of that. Same as her outer self, the goddess of the sun had no fight in her, her flame had been snuffed out by the words of a lone human. The only human in thousands of years she'd chosen to believe.

"You know…you're probably better off here, alone in the darkness. Where a monster like you can't hurt anyone else…or get in anyone else's way." Continued the specter in the voice of their beloved. "Stay here, in the darkness, where you belong…Amaterasu." He added, tapping at the gaping black hole in his chest.

The abyss roared, calling to her, grabbing hold of her, and yanking her forward. There was no struggle, after all, there was no fight left in the fox or the goddess who was her inner self. The flame had been snuffed out. And now, there was only darkness. She fell through it, helpless and broken, and yet Tamamo-no-Mae screamed and begged. Her voice was drowned out against the outcries of anger and mockery, yet she could have sworn all she heard was the echoing of her own pleas. There were pleas made in futility as there was no one to hear them.

She was alone in the abyss. Again.

三o-◁≡=⊳ ⊲=≡▷-o 三

In spite of the orgasmic joy she was feeling, Vitch felt her eyelids beginning to water with sympathy. Was it sympathy for her other self? Her more godly self? "You forgot about it, didn't you, sister? You forgot the fear and terror that was so deeply ingrained in us." Cackled the Assassin, even as she felt tears begin to slip from her eyes. In spite of them, her smile was nothing short of a malicious grin, one fit only for a sadist. She wished that her other self could see it, but she couldn't, she was trapped in the pitch-black sphere of darkness maintained by all of her concertation.

It was a giant anomaly, even in this world without things such as the Counter Force and Alaya. Given this world was based on that of ancient Japan, perhaps it was recalling wretched memories just as the Caster trapped inside was. To Vitch's golden eyes, trails of light were following into the dark sphere, being absorbed leaving the world shrouded in darkness, figuratively and literally. She watched with glee as the lights dimmed all across the village; clouds rolled in obscuring the moon's glow.

That was the effect of her Noble Phantasm, the curse that deprived the world of light just as it was when her godly-self hid in the Ama-no-Iwato. A shame that the village below her was in desperate need of light, she could already hear the cries of shock and fear from the residents as an ethereal wave of darkness descended upon their homes. For the demons, it was the boost that they needed. Truth be told, Vitch was more than a little…surprised at how her demonic pawns had been repulsed, more so than she was expecting. Of the two hundred and forty-four that had come in, close to a hundred of them had already been slain. The humans of this village were a tad stronger than she was expecting…but it wouldn't matter in the end. With the loss of the light, her demons now had their second wind, and it was the wind that would decimate this pathetic village.

"You know, maybe I'll pull back and give you a second to watch this place burn, then absorb you. It's least I can do for you, eh, sister?" Cooed the Assassin. Directing her gaze to the right, she watched in vague amazement as the moonlight barrier surrounding the hospital held strong, unlike the solar-powered barrier that her sister had set up. With her imprisonment, the barrier had collapsed leaving behind the only human's protective spell. Vitch was honestly surprised it was still holding, even as he was no doubt battling Celtchar and her demonic followers. It was a testament to Hakuno's willpower more than anything, and his will was without a doubt his strongest weapon.

Vitch would enjoy taking her time to break it in this new world, and then helping herself to the shattered remains of the Victor of the Moon.

7:31 PM…

As bad as things are at the current moment, they can always get worse. Fugaku had learned that lesson well. Too well for his liking. The question was only ever had much worse things could get.

On this night when his clan was set to launch a coup that would throw the village, and eventually the entire shinobi world into chaos, he found the heights were seemingly never-ending.

First, there was the fact his clan had went and got a Servant, a Servant that he had officially lost track of. Second was it seemed the village was now being invaded by monsters torn straight from an ancient fable. And then, for number three and most severely, his oldest son was in the grips of some murderous power borne from a sword that was undoubtedly cursed. That last one was the one that he and his wife were having the most trouble in dealing with, to say nothing of the fact that they had no idea rather or not their second son was safe in the midst of all of this.

And then the light vanished. Almost literally.

As he put all he had into holding off his berserk son, Fugaku felt an unearth chill descend over the world. Few times he'd felt a sense of dread like this, and they were times when death had come dangerously close to claiming him and his allies. If he had to guess, the last time he'd felt like this was seven years ago when the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked out of nowhere and plunged the village into chaos, and the consequences had rippled over into the modern-day. But even that couldn't compare to this.

Nothing he'd ever experienced in his life could truly compare to the sense of dread that descended upon him at that moment. Even his crazed son seemed to pause in his frantic attacks as if the darkness was reaching out to grasp him as well in the midst of his murderous haze.

Pushing Itachi back and dispelling his Susanoo, Fugaku looked up to the sky, beads of sweat and blood rolling down his face. His Sharingan zeroed in on a massive black sphere of solidified darkness that hung above the skies of the village. Somehow, the sphere seemed to be exerting some sort of aura, some sort of suffocating pressure that made even breathing a tad bit difficult. The weakness in his legs wasn't just due to the exhaustion he felt from the rigorous battle, it felt as if the flames of life within him were truly being sapped by the darkening sphere.

"Raaahhh!" Breaking the fear-induced tranquility was the roar of his possessed son. No doubt the reason lay in the still-glowing sword held tightly in his hand. Fugaku jumped to the side, he'd found that jumping backwards while the sword glowed bright red was a fool-hardy idea unless he had some form of defense up. A straight blast of red energy shot forth, plowing through the street and buildings behind him. Another blast came, and then another as Fugaku danced out of the way in spite of his injuries. In his rage-filled haze, Itachi seemed to recognize that and reacted accordingly, he pulled his sword back, condensing the malefic energy around the blade. When he swung it forth, what was released was a ten-foot-wide crescent of blood-red energy that would have seared through Fugaku's body in an instant. Upon seeing him the first, he sent out a second, this one vertically-aligned.

Though his hands ached with pain, they were still usable. Fugaku knew what he was in for was going to be one hell of a long haul. "Fire Style-Blaze Ball!" The successor to his clan's Great Fireball jutsu, a jutsu that was their trademark. As the clan's leader, it was only natural that Fugaku knew it, and it was only natural his version of it was a massive ball of searing flames that easily dwarfed him. It clashed against the energy projectile in seconds, the fireball being fueled by Fugaku's continued breathing.

三o-◁≡=⊳ ⊲=≡▷-o 三

From the clash of the two attacks came of waves of sweat-inducing heat. It was just what was needed to knock the other pair of combatants out of their fear-induced stupor.

Mikoto turned her heated gaze to the Assassin in front of her while pointing at the spear of darkness. "What the hell is that?!" She demanded.

Okada's face naturally screwed up. "Why the hell are you asking me?! I'm going to kill you!"

It took a great deal, plus the pain from her injuries, to keep from truly snapping at the orange-eyed swordsman. She'd heard that samurai could be a tad thick-headed, but this was ridiculous! When Tamamo said that he was like a rabid dog, she wasn't kidding! But if he's like a dog then… "That black sphere, it's a Noble Phantasm, isn't it?"

Her answer grew manifested on the samurai's face. She could see just like her and her husband…Okada was scared. Odds were, he was also realizing that his simple missions to assassinate the Uchiha Clan had now taken a hard turn to the left and was zig-zagging down an unknown path. "That's…it's the Noble Phantasm of Tamamo-Vitch, one of the fox's Alter Egos. Odds are, she's used it on Caster."

Even though Mikoto knew what the answer would be to some extent, she'd still didn't like hearing it. The fact that it was being used on her new friend made it all the worse. Just being on the outside, miles away had filled her and likely hundreds of others with a sense of dread like the sun had just gone out; she could only imagine what Tamamo was going through. Making things worse was the fact if there was anyone who could quell the chaos through sheer presence, it might have been her. Briefly, her mind wandered to her husband, and then to their surrogate son. The more Mikoto thought about it, the weaker she felt, like her will to act was being drained. A stray glance back at the orb and she realized that the sphere wasn't just physical, it was perhaps metaphysical as well. It had deprived the world of light, and slowly but surely, it was robbing its inhabitants of the light within them as well.

Or at least, almost all of them.

She cursed as she raised her kunai just in time to meet the overhead slash of the Manslayer. Her right arm was sore as hell and would probably slow her down more than anything. Mikoto could either heal it or cut the limb off altogether, the first option would take time which she didn't have and the second might leave her at an even greater disadvantage for later on. Pushing the topic of what to do aside, she focused on keeping her guard up as Okada came at her with a new flurry of sword slashes, all of which were aimed at her neck, shoulders, and chest. All of them would have been killing blows if she wasn't able to intercept them.

Boorish as he may have been, there was no denying that Izō Okada was indeed a dangerous warrior, one worthy of his title of Manslayer.

But he was also a man with an ego that could be easily manipulated, which was more than likely how he had ended up playing the role of executioner to her and her clansmen.

"The longer you linger here, the smaller your window will get!" Shouted the Uchiha Clan Matriarch as sparks flew between her kunai and her opponent's katana.

At the very least, Okada didn't look to be dissuaded, at first anyway. "Running your mouth won't save you!"

"I know that, but you can be the one to save the village!" Shot back the kunoichi. Mikoto was a ninja, and like all ninja, she'd been trained to use every tactic, every ploy, imaginable to turn around a bad situation. Sometimes what was needed wasn't brute strength or power, but the words. Words had power, they had power because they could affect the human psyche, which ultimately governed everything that a person did. "That black sphere is siphoning away all the light and willpower in the village. But Vitch, the one casting it, surely maintaining it leaves her wide open, right?!" She saw it, the flash of recognition in the Assassin's eyes, even as he went in for a slash that would have split her head in two. It certainly separated a few strands of hair from her face. "She's wide open for a sneak attack, and she's an aspect of Tamamo, who you'd be rescuing with your act! She'd owe you her life, as would the rest of the village!" She hoped the desperation in her voice wasn't too strong, but then again, Mikoto Uchiha was desperate.

Okada had fallen back into a crouch from which he would have been in the perfect position for an iaijutsu strike, one that Mikoto actually doubted she would have been able to counter. Thankfully, it never came as Okada truly began to digest her words. His eyes moved back and forth between Mikoto, her clashing husband and son, and the dark sphere in the distance. Every second that passed Mikoto could feel a bead of sweat rolling down her face, and the shaking of the ground like a prelude to a massive earthquake. She took a step back and shut her eyes to pray for some sort of lucky break.

Her prayer was answered. "Hey, this doesn't mean you Uchiha are off the hook! Tell your husband and berserk son over there that! I'll be back for all of your heads, got that!" Shrieked the Manslayer, waving his sword at the wounded kunoichi. It took a great deal on Mikoto's part not to sigh in relief. She waited until he took off in the direction of the dark sphere, his entire presence vanishing from her sensory field.

Mikoto's legs nearly gave out as she finally stopped holding her breath. She shrieked in horror as her husband's blood-soaked form crashed down in front of her, a groan of pain leaving his lips. There was little time to mourn his condition as she heard the war cry of her oldest son, still possessed by that damn sword. Grabbing his body, Mikoto jumped backwards, watching in continued horror as a single slash from Itachi's sword split the ground like a knife would cut a loaf of bread. Quick as the wind, he turned to them and came at the people who'd birthed him into the world.

Desperate, the kunoichi dropped her husband and threw her hands together into a series of hand signs, ending with her slamming her palms into the ground. "Earth Style-Great Mud River!" Bursting from the spot where her hands lay came an upsurge of dark brown mud that began to immediately flow into a concentrated stream that slammed into the berserk Uchiha. It succeeded in slowing him down, keeping him from getting in close to kill them. However, it wasn't over yet. Seeing a close-quarters engagement wasn't possible, Itachi began to gather energy around his broadsword, intending on wiping his parents away with another energy blast. Mikoto wasn't planning on giving him the chance. "Earth Style-Bedrock Coffin!" In the midst of the mud, the hardened earth heeded the call of her chakra. All around her oldest son, stone spikes and monoliths rose and encircled him while the muddy ground beneath him began to give way, causing Itachi to further lose his footing. He roared and raged in anger at the ploy, every cry of anger further breaking Mikoto's heart.

Her husband's as well. "We…have to get that sword away from him, before it destroys him." Blood dripped from his eyes, his Mangekyō Sharingan having been deactivated to give him a moment's pause. He needed it as he'd been forced to maintain his Susanoo to fend off his son's frantic assault; the task had been anything but easy as evident by the piles of wreckage around them. Buildings that once marked the front entrance to the Uchiha District. Fugaku could only ponder where his clansmen were; if he had to guess, some of them had probably already fled the village. He couldn't afford to worry about that now. "Mikoto, can you restrain him? Can you paralyze his arm so I can get that sword out of his hands?"

She knew he was looking at her shoulder injury. The blood loss she'd suffered had left her right arm feeling numb, yet she'd still been able to move it enough to weave hand signs of her own. She could do so again and again, but eventually, she wouldn't be able to. "It'll be a long-shot, but it's one we have to-"

Their conversation came to a sudden end because of the explosion of rock and dark energy that heralded Itachi's release. Fugaku jumped in front of his wife as their son bared his rage-filled eyes at them before lunging at them. Acting on reflex, the war veteran called forth his yellow-bodied Susanoo; as it had before, it met the full force of the wayward Uchiha's charge attack. Fugaku gnashed his teeth as he pushed his son away, his spectral guardian manifested a string of electrified magatama, all of which were launched at the Anbu captain. Itachi was able to deflect the first three, but those three all exploded into bursts of paralyzing electricity that made him easy prey for the rest. Always quick to press the advantage, Fugaku commanded his Susanoo to throw both of its kusarigama toward his son, which it did. The ethereal weapons circled the static-filled smoke cloud where Itachi stood dazed and wounded, they quickly wrapped around him; the smoke was dispelled to reveal the former heir now bound in electrified chains.

Having taken the time to perform some emergency first-aid on herself, Mikoto stood, primed and ready. Her Sharingan eyes hardened and focused as she raced toward her son. Even when he broke free of her husband's bindings, shards of chakra, lightning, and darkness flying out in all directions, she wasn't detoured, nor was she fearful when he lashed out at her.

Itachi, this blind rage isn't you, or…maybe it's always been inside of you, festering within you. Morbidly thought the dark-haired woman, dodging the fast and wild slashes of her frenzied offspring. Were she not able to keep a semi-cooled head, then she might have been in bigger trouble than she already was. Catching sight of his rage-filled eyes, she mused, Perhaps this is my karma. It's entirely fitting considering what I was willing to condone, whose memory I was willing to spit in the face of.

Coming up behind her oldest son was her husband. Sensing him, Itachi gripping his sword with both hands and spun backwards, a trail of dark energy trailing his blade. The charred wooden block of wood her husband had substituted with was completely annihilated in the dark energy wave that shot forth from the cursed weapon. Sliding in beneath it came her husband's true self, he moved in close and swung his sword upward, cutting through their son's right shoulder. Just as quickly as he'd attacked, he defended; he stood strong as he felt what might as well have been a flaming boulder slamming into him. Itachi's attention now focused on Fugaku, Mikoto quickly began to weave a series of hand signs that began to bring her hair to life.

But the rising chakra was enough to tip Itachi off. His sword flared up and temporarily, he overpowered his father and turned his attention back to his mother. Mikoto stepped to the right, dodging yet another blast of magical energy cut across the ground. Reaching into her hair, she pulled several black strands in-between her fingers, all of which harden with her chakra into senbon-like needles. "Ninja Art-Harionna!" An aura of dark blue chakra surrounded her, then funneled themselves into her hair strands which she launched as if they were kunai. Thankfully, they hit their target, her son's right arm. Kushina, please, I beg you, give me strength, the strength to save my son! She had no right to make such a plea to her old friend, but she did so anyway on the grounds Kushina would certainly go through hell and high water to save her children; Mikoto loathed the fact she wasn't able to return the favor. "Sealing Jutsu-Harionna-Five-Point Seal!" Screamed the kunoichi, locking her palms together.

The effects immediately manifested themselves as Itachi's movements, specifically those of his right arm, came to a clear and present halt. Veins bulged as the cursed power of the demonic broadsword in his hand clashed with the fuinjutsu that Mikoto had cast; the two forces were now locked in a battle with the soul of the young Uchiha at stake. Mikoto knew she couldn't afford to lose.

Burning bright light erupted from the runes that ran up the blade, it was like a living creature, a beast enraged at the attempts to subdue it. The veins along his right arm began to pop and glow crimson red as more unholy energy was forced into him. A second passed, and then the dark energy won out, forcing out Mikoto's hair needles and the sealing jutsu she'd been attempting to cast. The clan matriarch collapsed to the ground, exhaustion slamming into her as she panted on her knees. She was in prime condition to be cut down, which the still-possessed Itachi had every intention of doing.

"ITACHI!"

Until he heard his father's voice calling out his name. Itachi was still lucid enough to recognize his voice and turn to him.

Fugaku wasn't at all detoured by the look of sheer malice that adorned his oldest son's face. "I don't blame you for looking at me like that. You have every right to, for the things I forced upon you. As a father…it wouldn't be a stretch to say that I've failed, I've failed both you and Sasuke." The stray hope that Fugaku had was rewarded. At the mention of his younger brother, the Itachi he knew and loved broke through the haze. "That's right, remember him, remember Sasuke! The younger brother who thinks the world of you, who looks up to you! Remember him, Itachi! He's out there somewhere in all of this, scared and alone!"

"S-Sa…suke…Sa…suke…" Grunted the now struggling teenager. For a brief moment, he looked into his father's eyes. There was no rage, only the light of shame and empathy that the clan patriarch had been searching for. But then it was gone, replaced by a murderous hatred that manifested in a raised blade, a malefic aura of red and black swirling around it. "It's your fault...it's your fault all of this is happening!" Screeched the possessed Uchiha. His sword was raised up high, dark energy twisting around it in preparation for another attack, one that would likely end the battle once and for all.

Again, Fugaku took it in strides. "Yes, it is. This…is my fault." The last of the hand signs were finished weaving, around his arms burst in arcs of crackling electricity. Appearing around him, his Susanoo had mimicked his hand signs and was now spreading its arms out, between its palms now hovered an orb of bright blue electricity that hummed with power. "This mistake…let me correct it, here and now! For one last time, let me act as your father and protect you, Itachi!"

The son screamed as he brought his cursed weapon down, sending forth a wave of crackling dark energy directly toward his father, who stood ready for it.

"Lightning Style-Fusion Bolt!" Cried Fugaku Uchiha, throwing his arms out, his spectral guardian mimicking him.

Colliding against the dark wave was a massive sphere of concentrated lightning, its luminous brightening up the darkened ruins around them. Which were also decimated by the storm-like blowback wrought from the two attacks pushing against one another. One fueled by cursed and suppressed rage, and the other by parental love that was finally being acted upon.

For the latter, the assault came from two places, from forward and behind.

Fugaku, as parents, we could have done so much better. As Kushina's friend, I could have done so much better. Mikoto had focused her chakra into her hair and ran through the motions of the sealing jutsu again. With Itachi's mind preoccupied with the lightning attack of his father, Mikoto was in the perfect position to make one more attempt to stop him. It would be her last as she was running dangerously low on chakra. She had to make this attempt count. Just this once, this one last time, let us try and succeed! Feeling her chakra inside of her son, she put all that she had into halting the dark energy flowing through his body.

This time, she succeeded.

The dark blast weakened as its power source began to falter. All too quickly, the lightning ball began to overpower it, pushing and pushing until it completely blasted past the sword beam, which dispersed into wisps of red-tinted darkness. Bolts of electricity tore across the ground as the ball kept on going, eventually slamming into the wreckage of the walls separating the Uchiha District from the village. The explosion was bright, bright enough to temporarily light up a section of the Hidden Leaf Village which had been befallen by a gloomy shadow, but it was only for an instant. All too quickly, the light faded and darkness rushed back in.

Leaf General Hospital, 7:33 PM…

When Naruto heard the hushed whispers and cries of horror, he knew immediately that something was wrong. Dropping the towels he'd been carrying, he rushed over to the nearest window, jumping up to grab on the ledge so he could get a look of the outside world. Through the glass, he saw the golden barrier his mother had put up dissolve into particles of light that faded away into the night within seconds. And then the lights in the hospital, all across the hospital, literally dimmed.

Hmph, seems that vixen went and got herself caught. I told her that her hot-headedness was going to get her into trouble. Snapped a voice from the back of Naruto's head that caused him to turn around and look around him. All he saw were doctors and nurses, all of whom seemed frozen in fear just as he was.

W-Who…who said that? Asked the blond boy in his mind while he went to pick up the supplies he'd been carrying. Something told him to stay active, to keep from thinking about what the shattering of the golden barrier, the barrier his mother had put up, meant. Or about the invisible wave of gloomy dread that fell over him.

He heard it, dark rumbling laughter that sometimes haunted his dreams. It was stronger this time, closer. Oh, just your closest friend. The REAL reason that those two took you in.

Naruto came to a complete stop. Either fortunately or unfortunately, he wasn't alone. Normally, the doctors and nurses would be shouting at him to get back to work, but quite a few of them were still frozen stiff as well. However, unlike them, the source of Naruto's fear-induced stillness was internal rather than external. He could literally hear the voice in the back of his head, almost like a ghost that was haunting him and no one but him.

It reminded him of all those times the villagers had called him a cursed child and a blight on the village.

Those statements were now bitterly ironic as mere moments ago, he'd been running from one end of the hospital to another, his arms filled with medical supplies for doctors who'd been working tooth and nail to save those same villagers. When his adoptive father had left the hospital protected, the medical staff had sprung back into action, and braced themselves for what they knew was coming - a flood of patients. Then there were those people who were just scared for their lives and seeking shelter, there were quite a number of them, some carrying the injured. Everyone who could help was ordered to, that included him.

He had to admit, Naruto felt…happy being ordered around. Warped as it might have been, it fulfilled the craving for acknowledgment that he still had within him, to be looked without scorn and disdain, even ordered to act and move, and occasionally thanked for his actions.

Maybe it was the yearning for all of that which caused him to raise his mouth and shout. Or perhaps it was just the sheer defiance in him. He pushed back the dark, rumbling voice in his head in favor of shouting at the other doctors, asking them if they still had patients to treat. Several looked at him as if realizing the "Demon Brat" was there for the first time, then they recognized what it was he was saying.

And admitted that he was right.

Orders were being barked once again as white and tan-clad bodies moved about in an ordered frenzy that consumed the hospital. Patients were treated as new ones were brought in, some bloodied messes that left red strains along the floor. Or rather, more red stains. Second by second, the floors were becoming filled up with blood from patients brought in, many of whom were wounded, some even missing limbs. Naruto pushed down the bile that rose in his throat and tried to focus on following every instruction given to him, even when he felt blood splatters against his clothes.

Look at you, the voice returned in its same cold and mocking tone. Such a dutiful little helper, and to the same people that mocked you, ridiculed you, and called you trash. Even after you were adopted. You know what some of them think of you, right? What do they think of your parents, your mother?

…So what if they are? So what if they think that? Naruto growled back as he found himself being forced to keep a bandage over a man's bloodied stomach. He was wheezing for breath, any second a part of him expected his breathing to stop. He didn't want that, he didn't want to listen as his life was pulled out of him. Even if they hated me and my family…dying like this…I can't take it! I want to get back at them, but not like this!

Naruto felt something, but he ignored it. Whatever the voice was, he couldn't afford to pay it much mind. Rather or not he'd gone insane was a topic best saved for another time, a time when he wasn't fearing for his adoptive parents, his academy friends whose lives might have been in just as great a danger as his, or his home which he stilled loved with all of his heart.

"Naruto? Naruto!" Called a deep male voice that snapped the whisker-faced boy out of his inner thoughts. Blinking, he looked around and realized that he was no longer leaning over an adult male trying to keep him from bleeding out. He was on his own two feet, hands smeared in blood stains and staring into the eyes of an elderly gray-bearded doctor. Behind pair of thin-rimmed glasses, a set of sage green eyes stared into his startled bright blue eyes. "It's over, you did it. Now…take a break, now before you pass out or you're scared worse than you already are." Spoke the doctor in a rather gentle voice that left the young jinchūriki more confused. "Shimako!" Called out the old doctor.

Snapping to his right, he saw a teenage girl dressed in a nurse's outfit. Like the old man, her eyes were dark green color that flashed with shock, then moved onto him. Instinctively, Naruto flinched and braced himself for the storm of denial and possible ridicule he'd receive.

"Alright, just don't strain yourself too much while we're gone." Spoke the brunette, reaching for Naruto and grabbing him by the sides. He was so stunned by the turn of events he lay completely still as the woman carried him through crowded halls and into a nearby bathroom. She sat him up on the counter and began to run some water, eventually taking his hands and running them under him.

"You know, when the Nine-Tails attacked, he lost his daughter, son-in-law, and grandson." She stated off-handedly as she washed him down.

His heart lurched into his gut. "That's…that's…that has…something to do with me, I guess?" Cold fear lacing his heart, he dared to look up and get a full look at the teenage nurse. She was kind of cute, green eyes and cinnamon brown hair pulled back into a tight bun in the back. Like so many others, like him, her uniform was caked in splotches of blood. Around her hip hung a number of surgical tools which were as red as her uniform. What he took note of were her eyes, he was waiting for the customary disdain and malice to form in them.

The more she stared into them, the more he began to realize those things weren't coming. What grew was curiosity as she stunned him, as she wiped his face clean. "Maybe it does…but maybe it doesn't." She finally said, causing his jaw to open. A smirk grew along her face, showing her amusement with him; amusement, not malice or scorn. "Thanks for helping out tonight. My name's Shimako, Shimako Maehara."

For the first time in what felt like hours, a sense of peace and calmness settled over the young jinchūriki. He, of course, responded with a toothy smile. "Naruto Kishinami-Uzumaki! Nice to meet ya'!"

Mere seconds after he introduced himself, the entire bathroom shook. Both cried out in alarm, but Shimako maintained a sliver of composure in grabbing hold of the academy student and holding him close. Penetrating through the walls was what sounded like bombshells. Wide-eyed, they looked up to the ceiling, expecting to see cracks forming or dust beginning to fall. Thankfully, there was none of that, but the shaking continued, it was all around them.

Suddenly, Naruto pulled himself free of the nurse. He darted out the door to the window that sat the opposite of the bathrooms. Like many other spectators, he watched in slack-jawed awe as a number of flying creatures tried and failed to penetrate the silvery barrier that surrounded the hospital. Some attempted to dive-bomb their way, in only to twist and rive in agony. Bolts of bright blue lightning shot out, tearing some apart while others outright combusted into blue and white-colored flames. It was as amazing as it was horrifying to witness. Then came the foxes, the familiars that Naruto had seen his mother create. Their bodies were flickering like dying embers; their life fading, they did what they could to take out as many enemies as they could with them.

On the ground, the battle was considerably more high-pitched. Amidst the flaming corpses of dying, several demons attempted to battle it out with the fox familiars while in the midst of retreating. Each one towering at over six feet give or take. They cast long shadows over the magical familiars that moved in fast and murderous paths across the ground and air, but for most, it was ultimately in vain.

Even from a distance, Naruto and the others could watch the flicker of fiery embers borne from when each familiar was ruthlessly stomped out. Their light was already fading like candles flickering in the wind. Combined with the disappearance of the golden barrier earlier on and the conclusions one could come to were not good.

They most definitely weren't for Naruto, who remembered the whisperings of "the voice" in his head. He knew it'd been talking about his mother.

"W-We'll be alright." Someone said, fear ringing their voice. "A-As long as the barrier stays up…t-t-those monsters can't get in."

"Then all we have to do is make sure that no one steps out of it. No matter what." Shimako echoed, her own hands trembling. Even with her kunoichi training, she didn't relish the prospect of battling any of the monsters beyond the barrier. From what she'd seen, they were big and strong, but some were quite dimwitted. Alone, they could have been taken down, but in groups such as the one outside the barrier, it was too risky. Not to mention the fox familiars seemed to have gotten their attention well enough.

"Hang on!" Shouted the blond boy beside her, shocking her and everyone else in the hallway to their core as he pushed open the window and jumped out of it.

"N-N-Naruto!" Shimako shrieked, going bug-eyed. "What the hell are you doing!?" Her shock continued as she watched the boy perfectly stick the landing from the third story window and take off running. In the back of her mind, she supposed she shouldn't have been too surprised; this was the same child that made it a daily habit of getting chased by the Leaf's jonin and even Anbu Black Ops. And successfully eluding them for hours to even days.

But this was entirely different. He was running into a life-or-death situation that wouldn't end with a stern lecture or parental punishment. Knowing that, Shimako took after him, her heart pounding a mile a minute.

Looking forward, he saw it, a familiar presence pinned beneath a giant hand. In the other hand, a massive sword was held up and ready to descend on the struggling fox. The creature would not go out with a whimper as it snarled and snapped at the oni holding it down. The demon grinned, letting salvia drip from its fangs as it opened its mouth in booming laughter.

"Wind Style-Air Bullet!"

The four oni looked in mutual surprise as they collectively turned in one direction. They got quite a surprise as a small mass of concentrated air slammed into one of their numbers, hitting him right in the face causing the blue-skinned creature to lose its grip on its prey. Said prey immediately seized on the opportunity and wriggled itself free. Then, it snapped at the demon's exposed neck, biting into it with all that the familiar had. Panic and filled with pain, the ogre stumbled back leaving its three compatriots to face the oncoming three, a human-child with nothing but his wits and determination.

Oh, and a spear dropped by one of their own numbers.

You little idiot! Do you have any idea what you're doing!? Roared the furious voice.

"Yeah, protecting my home!" Shouted back the blond. It felt good to finally be able to verbalize a response to the voice in his head. And maybe get an attempt to shut it up with his actions.

Strangely, fighting three giant demons didn't seem as scary as it had before. No doubt that was because of the adrenaline pumping through him, and the fact that Naruto feared things far worse than the three monsters in front of him.

Maybe there was also some ego involved.

The first demon came at him with a front charge, the exact same one he was giving. Naruto held strong as the shadow loomed over him, his heart thundered in his chest through a mixture of fear and adrenaline. There was no one around, no one to catch him if he fell. Strangely, the drive to succeed, to prove himself seemed to skyrocket in response. It allowed him to break to the right, his grip on the spear in his hand somehow holding firm. His feet slid across the dirt and with all his might, Naruto thrust the yari at the oni's exposed left side. The blade penetrated the creature's flesh and ran red with the creature's blood. Steeling himself, Naruto pulled to the side, turning a stab wound into a gash.

After drawing first blood, a switch was flipped inside of him, possibly quite literally. Snapping his head to the front, he watched as the second oni, a green-skinned two-horned giant, came charging at him, his every footstep shaking the ground. Naruto braced himself and crouched, making himself as small as possible. Like a predator in wait, he watched the ogre come charging at him, well aware that it was enraged at its kindred being upstaged by a mere human boy, that was what he was counting on. His plan worked, seeing his window, he pushed forward, sliding clean in-between the demon's legs. Quickly, he got back up to his feet and rammed his spear into the place he knew would surely be a crippling blow.

"Aaaarrrgggghhh!"

Spectators, human and demon alike, winced, especially the men. The green-skinned monster collapsed onto its knees, hands covering its bleeding buttocks. Profanities streamed out of the creature's mouth at the tiny human who quickly ascended it. Only at the last second did the demon realize where the human was, and what he had positioned above his neck.

Naruto knew the sound of metal cleaving through flesh and bone would haunt his dreams for the next several weeks, perhaps months or years…but he found it acceptable. He was going to be a ninja one day, and that meant he'd be seeing a great many things he probably didn't want to. On top of that, this creature had invaded his home and tried to kill the people he cared about, which made it easier for him to drive the spear downward and sever the demon's vertebrae.

"Y-You little bastard! How dare you!" Screeched the demon from earlier, blood still gushing from his side injury. Behind him, the fourth member of the group was fighting off the fox familiar, who'd come at him with renewed vigor, it was as if Naruto's presence had energized the creature allowing it to fight back even as its main source of power had been drastically diminished. "You think you're hot stuff, don't you!? Well, don't get so cocky, human!" Thundered the oni, charging forward raising its kanabō.

Tch! Following their advice to the letter, aren't you? Cracked the feral voice.

Naruto gripped his spear. Hey, they're big, dumb, and stupid, take away the horns, multiple eyes, towels around their waist, and they're kind of like people I deal with all the time! As he jumped away, he watched the blood and gore resulting from getting hit by the massive spiked club. Seizing on the short window there was, Naruto stabbed at the oni's leg, specifically right above the knee. Withdrawing his spear, he swiftly moved to the side, slashing at the demon's backside causing it further pain and rage. Eyes bulging, the creature swings its club in a frenzied attempt to squash the boy, but the latter was faster. Once more, he came out of a roll and plunged his spear upward, hitting the oni at the lower portion of its back. Naruto dug his heels in and poured his chakra into the blade, remembering what his parents had taught him. With a roar, he ripped the blade to the left side, a spray of red exploded outward staining the ground.

Roaring, the demon stumbled forward while Naruto stumbled backwards. His stumbling stopped as he felt a sudden warm presence behind him. Looking back, he grinned seeing the golden eyes of the fox familiar that had always been with him, always silently watching over him. The creature quickly motioned him onto his back, and once onboard, it leaped at the wheezing demon. Naruto pulled his yari back, then plunged it into the oni's backside neck, just as he'd done with the green one. Though he wobbled, he wrenched the blade free as his fur-covered mount hit the ground again, snarling as the six-foot ogre collapsed face-first into the dirt.

Staring dumbfounded at the corpse, the academy student temporarily forgot about the chaos consuming the village around him. What he felt was a sense of…pride. "I…I…I…I…"

Slayed a demon. Seems you were paying attention during those training sessions, runt. If Naruto didn't know any better, the voice sounded a bit…impressed. Don't get too cocky though. You're only lucky because you got the drop on them and they underestimated you.

As he mulled over the voice's words, Naruto seemed to finally realize someone had been watching him. Looking over, he went slack-jawed finding Shimako and a handful of others, including some Leaf chunin, staring at him in naked shock.

"Y-You…you…you just…" Gaped the brunette looking at the bodies then to Naruto. "You…you killed them. Naruto, you just…"

"Kyukon got two and I got two, so I guess it was a team effort." He said with a slight nervous chuckle. The sound of explosions and rumbling in the background, only served to make it all the more surreal. It also alerted Naruto to what was happening beyond the scope of the hospital sanctuary. What pride he felt gave way to a sense of realization.

"Naruto…" Slowly came the voice of the nurse who'd looked after him for the last ten minutes. She recognized that look in his eyes, and it frightened her.

"H-Hey," Motioned one of the chunin, having recognized the look as well. "Come on, kid, don't go getting any crazy ideas! You're just a kid! You can't go out there!"

His grip on the lance in his hand tightened. He could just barely wield it properly, the weapon being a good three feet taller than him, yet Naruto had seen his mother wield a spear whose size she could control. He'd watched her graceful movements, mimicked some in his off-time, and even thought if he could one day learn how to do the same. To do that, he'd have to start somewhere. And maybe tonight was the night.

Without even looking down, he could feel the gaze of his foxy mount on him. Whatever choice he made, the creature would abide by it. Though it had been born from Tamamo, it seemed to have a stronger bond with Naruto himself. It had after all cuddled up to him, watched over him in his sleep, and silently watched him when he was at school. A bond was there between the two.

One that stretched deeper than the Jinchūriki knew, but the beast inside of the boy did.

After all, it was through his power that the familiar had maintained a modicum of strength, allowing it to hold its own where as its brethren had lost theirs with their creator incapacitated.

"I'm going to help!" Shouted the academy student to the rest of the group, causing the fear on their faces to explode. He took a moment to note the genuine shock and horror on Shimako's face. They'd known each other for barely half an hour, yet she seemed concerned for him. She'd seen him not as a demon, but as just another person, a fellow villager. It felt comforting, the same kind of comforting it was when his classmates had looked at him the same way.

You really are a little runt desperate for affection and acknowledgment, aren't you? Mocked the voice as Kyukon took off in a sudden leap that had Naruto struggling to hold on for the first few seconds.

He held on though, he held on and focused his eyes onward. His ears registered the sounds of battle happening not too far off. Naruto held no delusions about what he was heading into, but he knew that he could do more than just help around in the hospital. If you've seen my life…can you blame me? He quietly questioned the voice.

Silence greeted him, at least until a low rumble echoed through his mind. Naruto almost let go of his fox's fur as a sudden warmth had swelled up inside of him. Specifically, within his stomach.

No…I don't suppose I can. Still doesn't change the fact that you're an idiot. There was a pause, then the swirling heat became stronger. Beneath the boy, the familiar's fur burned bright, turning flaming orange at the ends. Take their heads, brat. Take as many of their heads as you can!

三o-◁≡=⊳ ⊲=≡▷-o 三

"T-That kid…that demon brat…he really just ran off like that." Croaked one of the chunin, now on his knees with a dazed expression on his face. He wasn't alone as his two compatriots were also kneeling in the dirt while the third was still standing, a thoughtful look on his face.

It was common knowledge how protective the blonde's mother was…and should it come out that he ran off while under their watch, well, throwing themselves to the demons sounded like a preferable fate.

Shimako wasn't thinking about the potential fury of Tamamo-no-Mae Kishinami. "Demon…brat…" She repeated, looking around at the corpses of the demons Naruto and the fox had slain. All of them were lying in pools of their own blood. Her nose wrinkled as the foul odor rose up, it made her stomach lurch. "No…no." She repeated. Feeling her shoulders loosen, she looked at the road where he'd raced off on the larger than average fox, a creature that was subtly unnatural to her. Being a sensory type, she was adapt at sensing out chakra, and she'd certainly sensed some familiar chakra in the creature, chakra that seemed to resonate with Naruto's own. Which was unique in its own right.

It was pure and warm, like his wishes to prove himself had been.

"No." Shimako repeated with a firmer shaking of the head. It was enough to catch the attention of others. She paid them little mind as she took a bold step forward. A "demon brat" would have been on a rampage with the rest of these things…covered in the blood of innocent people and laughing about it. All she'd heard were stories, especially those from her teammates who'd made the foolish move of attempting to mess with the whisker-faced boy. They'd made him out to be a monster, not to mention a baby who needed his parents' help to do anything. That wasn't what Shimako had seen.

What she'd seen was a little boy who would either grow up into one of the biggest fools in the land…or someone who'd carve his name into the village's history.

She could only hope that she lived through the night to see which it would be.

Months of complications and finally I was able to get this chapter out. It definitely was a continuation of the previous one and is itself leading up to the climax of this story arc. Next chapter will definitely see the said climax as all the individual struggles of the characters start to come to an end or intertangle with one another. I'm sure some of you will notice that a certain someone has been missing since the "Uchiha Massacre" began, someone who was majorly affected by it. He'll be making his appearance next chapter and you all will get to see how he's been surviving the chaos. And by that, I mean don't expect it to be a pleasant experience, by the time the sun comes up I plan on every named character in the Leaf Village to be shaken at best or broken at worst. The Leaf's had it easy so I figure might as well end the tranquility with a bang.

Of note, two of the demons introduced this chapter, Kane-dōji and Torukuma-dōji are pulled directly from mythology. Besides Ibaraki, according to legend, Shuten-dōji had his own four "heavenly kings", these two are one half of the pair. I took rather literal inspiration for them in terms of appearance, Kane-dōji literally means "iron demon" while Torukuma-dōji means "tiger-bear demon". As you can tell they've thrown their lot in with Vitch, who is partnered up with the Akatsuki so don't be surprised when they start flying the Akatsuki's colors in the future. Sorta.

Speaking of Vitch, I'm pretty sure you can tell where her Noble Phantasm is coming from and what it does. It was one of the rather bleakest points of Shinto mythology and I fully believe Amaterasu, even the Nasuverse version of her, was scarred by it and wouldn't like to be reminded of it. Sadly, we don't always get what we want and have to face things we'd rather not. It's a fanon-created NP since she hasn't displayed an actual Noble Phantasm, not even in Olympus where we got a sneak glimpse at her Beast form.

See you all next chapter, until then, stay safe and healthy, everyone!