Disclaimer: see prologue
Warnings: see prologue

Fire is the bringer of life, the apostle of creation. Fire can be a gentle flame that warms and comforts. But take heed - fire can also be the tidings of death, the harbinger of destruction. Fire can also be a vicious flame that burns and consumes.

My Strategist: Yasaka

Amidst the burning wreckage of an unknown town in federal Japan, the figure of a young and beautiful woman could be found alone, staring at the flames with eyes that shone blankly. This woman emanated a curious aura of power and strength that belied her existence as one of not belonging within boundaries of mortality. Dressed in a shrine priestess outfit, with nine curious tails that seemed to dance in the shadows, this woman stood under the night sky and stared at the flames, as they flickered in a hypnotic dance.

Yasaka, Kyuubi no Kitsune, a fox-like yokai whom strength were determined by the number of tails they had, found herself in a conundrum. With each passing day, she could feel the urge within her grow stronger, awaiting the day where it would override her senses. The instinct to destroy, to devastate, to crush the world beneath her power... It was this lust for carnage that was starting to overwhelm her self-control and unhinging her with each passing day.

"Once again..."

She was too strong, gained her strength, her tails too fast that she was unable to cope and control the instincts that came with such strength. With powers that came with having nine tails, she awakened an instinct - the raw and primal instinct to bring everything into utter ruination. She thirsted for destruction, and lived to mercilessly crush, shred and slice her opponents. The strength that she gained from being a "Kyuubi" aroused the honed instinct that slumbered deep within her psyche to brutally kill, to slaughter, to eviscerate and to destroy everything. She yearned for blood, and desired nothing more than to drown the world in a sea of flames.

She was a berserker, one whom sought nothing but to endlessly kill, to eternally wreck destruction.

"...Another town set on fire... Another village, I have burned... "

She could feel it - the pure urge to destroy and devastate, to burn everything and anything, to immolate everything in a conflagration, it was this base urge that grew stronger day by day, slipping through erected barriers of her mind and attacked her sanity, gently coercing and seducing her to give in into those destructive instincts. It was torturous, it was excruciating, it was agony trying to suppress these impulses.

"These flames... They flare brightly, and consumes everything... It can't protect... It only destroys..."

She was a beast - an advent of the apocalypse, the visitation of destruction. She looked up to the sky blankly, and wondered, "When will this end... When will I be able to control these powers? When will I stop... bringing about mindless destruction? I don't want to kill anymore... Yet, I don't know when I will end up killing again..."

She was without a doubt, a monster. A creature who brought forth naught but destruction. But can a monster who feels remorse truly be called a monster?

"Ashes... to ashes... Dust... to dust..."

Click, clack.

The sound of wooden sandals against ground resounded throughout the air. A figure walked into the clearing, fading through flames and shadows as if they were non-existent. This figure, clad in a curious red leather cloak with designs of black flames sewed on the hemline, with a golden mane for hair and sapphire orbs for eyes, emitted an aura of strength that revealed his existence as something beyond the realm of mortality. This figure... was Uzumaki Naruto.

Stopping upon seeing the woman before him, Naruto let out a curious grunt. Yasaka turned, fixing her gaze at the man before her, her eyes vacant and empty.

"...Leave..." Yasaka spoke, her tone harsh, her words laborious. Digging her claws into her palm, trying to focus on the pain it brought in an attempt to stave off her rising instincts. "...Go away... Before... I end up... killing you."

Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill.

The urge to kill once again rose from within Yasaka's mind, threatening to take over her rationality at the sight of another living creature. The world began to meld into red, as a strange fog-like haze settled upon Yasaka's mind.

Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill...

Naruto merely stood there, his gaze appearing to peer deep into Yasaka's soul, as if searching for something. As seconds passed, the voices in Yasaka's head resounded louder and louder, demanding her to draw blood. Her eyes, the color of amber honey, faded into a fiery and bloodthirsty scarlet.

Kill, kill, kill, kill, KILL, KILL, KILL!

"...I'm going to kill you!" Yasaka screamed, lunging towards her prey, her claws, as sharp as any blade, streaking through the air to mercilessly shred her foe. In an instant, she was right in front of her foe, her body angled diagonally, her claws raised upwards ready to rend and butcher her foe into bloody pieces of flesh. Eyes alight with a feral and frenetic bloodlust, she swung her claws downwards.

CLANG!

Within a split second, in a motion so sublime spoke of years of practice until it was instinct, in a stroke so swift it resembled an elegant dance, Naruto unsheathed his blade from its scabbard and swung it upwards, the metallic dissonance announcing the clash between blade and claw as Yasaka's cleave was parried. Behind his blade, Naruto spoke, "I see... You possess incredible strength, incredible speed. For a moment, I thought I was about to die."

"Who... who are you?" Yasaka's eyes narrowed as she gutturally growled out. "You are... not normal."

"Me? I am Uzumaki Naruto, the one who will ascend to the onus of Sixth Nurarihyon, and the one who will become the future lord of pandemonium and master of all spirits! What is your name, Kyuubi?"

"...Yasaka."

"Very well, Yasaka! For my ambition, I will require strong yokai like you. Would you be willing to join me, as part of my Night Parade? There are many who are part of my Night Parade like you and I... You are alone, right? If you join me, you will never be alone... I guarantee it."

"...I'm not normal! I can't... help it. I don't know... when I'll start... killing those around me." Yasaka snarled, her tails slashing through the air like nine separate whips. "Even so, you invite me... to join your Parade? A monster... like me?!"

"I will not be killed. I am not that weak." Naruto answered in reply, his tone as calm and still as night.

"You... do not fear me?" Yasaka hesitantly questioned, her rage temporarily receding back to the deep recesses of her mind.

"I do not, Yasaka. I will act as your cell. I will stop you."

"...Do not be so presumptuous!" Yasaka jumped back, momentarily disengaging herself from the battle as her eyes alighted with a crimson fury once more. Channeling her burning inferno of anger, rage, hatred, fury, her tails, each as sharp as any blade, enveloped itself with fire, whipping through the air like blades. "You believe you can stop my rampage, should I ever go berserk? You believe you can tame me, descendant of Tamamo-no-mae herself?! My tails are whips! My fangs are daggers! My claws are swords! My fire incinerates everything! Yet, you believe you can stop me?! Many have claimed to be able to stop me, yet all have burned beneath the shadow of my flames! What guarantee do you have, that you will not?! What guarantee do you have, of your strength?! Do not give me false hope, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Please... stop me... Please... help me... Please...

Yet, a small voice deep within the abyss of Yasaka's mind pleaded for help once more. She didn't want to kill! She didn't want to destroy! She didn't want... this!

"...Very well." Naruto replied as he swung his sword downwards, his blade hissing through the air and releasing a mysterious black mist-like substance to the air. Clearing his mind of useless distractions as he prepared for battle, Naruto focused only on the vixen before him. There was only the battle. Everything else was drowned, was muted. "Then, I will simply have to show you my strength... I shall have you witness... my prowess!"

With that, Naruto lunged, initiating the fight once more, his blade screeching against the air to cut its foe. Unleashing a flurry of blows, Naruto was a whirlwind of death, a maelstrom of devastation. However, Yasaka retaliated to the onslaught with all nine of her tails, each a fiery blade of its own right, clashing with Naruto's single katana in a contest for supremacy. Naruto held the advantage of speed, while Yasaka held the advantage of simply having more armaments. They were equal, for now. The outcome of the battle would depend on who made the first mistake.

Flames and black mist clashed relentlessly, the battle taking place so swiftly that there was no time to think before the next strike, for the two combatants, there was only instinct and the fight. The rings and clash of blade against tail resounded throughout the air in a rapid fanfare of violence, a staccato of brutality. The youki the duo released in battle eroded the earth and disintegrated the ruined town around them, creating a clearing, a perfect place for them to continue their battle.

As the battle continued, Yasaka's rage grew, pooling together and accumulating like molten lava in a volcano, clouding her eyes with a furious madness. Growing increasingly frustrated, Yasaka overextended for an instant, launching all nine of her tails in a single strike in her opponent's direction, and in doing so, forsook her defenses entirely. Naruto's keen eyes caught that brief instant where Yasaka was hideously vulnerable, and was quick to act upon it. Dodging Yasaka's strike with a single sidestep, and his sword swept into view, screeching against the air to take advantage of this vulnerability.

From there, Naruto pressed the assault, and Yasaka could do naught but withstand this death by a thousand cuts, withstand slash after slash, cuts after cuts, awaiting the right moment to retaliate. Yasaka roared in pain in anger, and with a thunderous roar, released a burst of fire, fire capable of scorching and melting any average men's flesh from their bones. Naruto's eyes widened in a brief surprise before the stream of fire seemed to overcome him.

For a moment, the battle appeared to have reached its conclusion. At least, that was what Yasaka had thought, before she was disabused of that notion when black mist erupted from the gout of fire, converging to another spot and congealing to reveal the uninjured figure of Naruto.

Naruto stood in a lax manner, his azure eyes shining with jubilation and excitement. Those piercing sapphire orbs was filled not with fear or wariness, but with a flame that represented a lust, a thirst, a need for battle. Black ichor - the equivalent of blood for youkai - boiled furiously beneath his flesh. This was what he lived for! To fight! To battle!

A tempestuous growl erupted from Yasaka's throat, revealing her frustration at her failure in killing her foe, and slight pain as her wounds rapidly closed up, hissing as slight smoke rose from her regenerating form. Snarling, Yasaka's feral mind burned with the need to butcher this man who had the impudence to survive! The impertinence to stand there, mocking her! The insolence to challenge her! She would slay this foe with every ounce of her power!

"High speed regeneration? How interesting!"

Yasaka crouched, ready to leap and lunge at a moment's notice.

Naruto moved into a stance, preparing to strike.

On an unspoken signal, the two leapt into battle as one, fiery murderous orbs meeting joyful sapphire spheres.

A slash. An overhead cut. A thrust, a stab, a vertical strike. Body and blade moving in unison as if one being, Naruto's swordplay resembled an elegant dance, graceful and wielded with poise. Fighting with furious strength, Yasaka's frenzied strikes were that of a mad warrior's, savage, fierce, and cruel. The two were locked in a mortal waltz, the music a symphony of clashing steel.

"Horahorahorahora!" Naruto's blade seemed to move even swifter, even faster, if that was even possible. Suddenly, the match seemed to tip towards the favor of the young lord of chaos. His blade reached the body of the fox youkai through the torrent of tail strikes that sought to decapitate him, carving minor lines of blood before backing out. "Splendid. How truly magnificent you are, Yasaka!"

Roaring with pain, Yasaka jumped back, attempting to back off from the engagement, but like a fox onto its wounded prey, Naruto pressed on, the smell of weakness driving him forth, refusing to let his prey escape his sight. Slowly, but surely, Yasaka was losing ground. It was only a matter of time, until...

Panicking, Yasaka stumbled backwards while attempting to disengage, and in her hurry, failed to see a small piece of rubble behind her, causing her to momentarily lose her balance. It was for a short instant, yet it was a wide enough opening for Naruto to take advantage of.

Blurring into motion within her guard, Naruto swung with a kick, shooting Yasaka across the clearing, where she collided with the ground, tossing earth upwards. Frowning, Naruto looked towards the prone figure of Yasaka with a vague tinge of realization, and spoke. "I see now the true nature of your rage. It is a curse. A very malignant one."

Yasaka's eyes widened, her eyes, once scarlet red with rage, turning back to their original amber brown, her unbridled rage receding from her mind at Naruto's words. "Wh-wha-"

"It is a curse towards all of mankind, a curse borne of hatred and abhorrence aimed towards humanity. Its source is probably... Your ancestor, Tamamo no Mae."

"What of it?!" She yelled out defiantly, gritting her teeth as her fangs gnashed against each other. "What will knowing the true nature of these instincts do? It doesn't solve anything! It doesn't absolve my sins! It will not... bring those I killed back to life!"

"You are right. Those you killed will never come back. The dead does not belong in the realm of the living. That is a rule of the world... The natural order of life. But let me ask you this, Yasaka. Have you given up on lifting your curse?" Naruto questioned. "If you will allow me... Curses of hatred happen to be my specialty."

"...Impossible!" Yasaka growled out. "Lifting this curse? How long... How many times do you think I have tried? But it is futile! No matter what I do... No matter how many times I try... Even restraining myself, mutilating myself, and killing myself thousands and thousand of times... Eventually, I regenerate, I heal, and this incessant voice that thirst for destruction will overwhelm me, and I will burn everything once again! It is futile, Uzumaki Naruto!"

"So you have given up, is that it? On yourself, on life?"

"Shut up! I have had enough of your false words!" Yasaka screamed. Amber honey eyes turned scarlet red once again, signalling her descent to madness and rage.

"What a pity. I will show you then... That I mean every word I say."

"Shut up!" Feral, primal, Yasaka roared, releasing a flood of flames that threatened to set the entire clearing ablaze. Fire spewed forth like a river, engulfing everything in a continuous stream. This fiery deluge scorched the earth, burning it into soot, and its heat caused the very air to shimmer. This mastodonic ocean of wrathful flames, like that from a dragon's breath, transformed the battlefield into one of searing heat.

"Very well. It seems that I will have to force you to witness truth." Naruto sighed, holding his blade up to the sky. Black mist swirled around it, forming a miniature cyclone surrounding the blade. Yet - the blade seemed to drink in the black mist, almost as if it was alive. The world trembled at the astronomical amount of youki being emanated to fuel the transformation. The kanji "Kurama" emblazoned within the blade's steel then lit up with a blazing reddish orange. "Behold!"

What emerged from the tempestuous squall was a great cleaver, a massive serrated blade, its edges notched with sawlike teeth. It was obvious the blade was crafted with the intention to shed as much blood as possible, to inflict as much pain as possible. However, what was more outstanding was not the blade, but Naruto himself. Shrouded in an intense aura of yellow youki, Naruto's eyes, once blue, metamorphose to orange. The whisker-like marks on his cheeks thickened and widened, and his hair grew longer and spikier, giving him the appearance of a feral beast.

With a single swing, Naruto cut the oncoming torrent of flames into two, pushing the flames to the sides as they surged past him. "Rage against the dying of the night!"

Like a yellow flash, Naruto blurred into motion and reappeared before Yasaka, his great sword raised up and arcing through the air to deliver a downward slice. Yasaka's eyes widened in shock as she brought her tails up, all nine instinctively jabbing through the air to block the blow. Yasaka felt a jolt of astonishment when it required all nine of her tails to block the blow, but - was he still overpowering her?! Yasaka did not have time to register the absurd amount of strength her foe had in this new form as she jumped back, retreating before she was completely overwhelmed. "The hour of twilight is nigh!"

"No more, Yasaka! No more will I allow you to wallow in this pitiful state!"

"SILENCE!" The fox youkai screeched, as she cloaked itself in blistering, heat-inducing flames. Shrouding herself in a throbbing, rippling sphere of pure, concentrated, volatile fire, a gigantic fireball which resembled the sun, Yasaka channeled all her emotions, her rage, her anger, her fury and converted all of it to fuel her flames. What emerged was hellfire, a fiendish inferno of immense heat. "What do you know of my pain? My fear? My agony?! NOTHING! These cursed flames have brought me nothing but despair! These cursed, destructive flames which can only bring about destruction!"

Her roar echoing around the clearing, Yasaka stormed forwards.

"I see... the true cause of this is her hatred, her fear of her own flames." Naruto thought to himself, as he gazed at Yasaka's reckless charge. "One final move to end everything then, Yasaka? I will gladly oblige!"

The yellow youki Naruto emitted bleeded over and enveloped his blade, snaking through the metal to the tip of the blade, congealing and converging to create a similar, massive, spiraling sphere. However, four large points started protruding from the sphere, curving out and giving the sphere the appearance of a giant shuriken. The enormous sphere released a loud screech-like noise, creating a high-pitched dissonance somewhat akin to the sound of metal being ground. It was obvious from the amount of youki released that the sphere would spell utter doom for anybody it collided with. It was that destructive a force.

Swinging his blade, Naruto threw the spiraling sphere towards Yasaka, as he uttered the name of his technique. "Rasenshuriken."

Both spheres of fire and wind met in the middle, clashing and attempting to erase each other from existence. Fire tried to burn away wind, while wind tried to extinguish fire. The two spheres expanded as they clashed, creating a clean split between red and white as they released so much excess youki that disintegrated the earth. The collision of the two techniques released a great luminous light that blinded everything.

The roars of Yasaka accompanied the clash as the world melded to white.

Once upon a time, in the ancient Japanese capital of Edo, there was a family of four kitsune youkais who lived in the city, hiding amongst the humans in plain sight. The family lived happily, camouflaging themselves as normal humans, for they knew that if their true nature was disclosed, they would face discrimination and death. They pretended to be normal, and thus, lived in normality. Their lives, while normal and monotonous, were satisfying and fulfilling. The family comprised of a father, a mother, and their two beautiful daughters.

It seemed that life would have continued to stay this way forever. The elder sister, a beautiful kitsune named Yasaka, would have been satisfied living such an ordinary life forever. For living with her father, her mother and her younger sister peacefully brought her felicity. She desired nothing more. She lived her life normally, ordinarily, and was content.

But fate is cruel. Sometimes, fate throws a small rock into the river called life, creating minor ripples that changed everything, twisting the future and warping destiny. And the changes brought may not always be positive. Sometimes, the diverged future paved a path of hopelessness, pain and despair. Such a case happened here, in the town of Edo, within the small, close-knit family.

"Wow! Yasaka-nee, you gained nine tails! I can hardly believe it!" The younger sister, a smaller kitsune with four tails swaying in the wind exclaimed. "My own sister is gonna be one of the strongest youkai in all of Japan one day!"

For a kitsune, gaining a ninth tail was a big deal, as it was the very apex of strength a kitsune can ever achieve. It was a momentous occasion, and the family celebrated quietly, with high hopes for their progeny's future.

But tragedy soon befell the peaceful family on the 2nd of March, 1657.

There was a reason why most kitsune, if ever, gained their ninth tail after a few hundred years. It was because it is only then that a kitsune would be able to handle the absurd increase in power the ninth tail granted. The gain in strength each tail gave was exponential - the step up from eight tails to nine tails could hardly be compared to that from seven tails to eight.

Yasaka was too young. Her body, young, fragile as it was, was unable to withstand the pressure of the immense power that came with having nine tails. The following disaster could hardly be called her fault.

Just as waves gradually erodes and laps away at the river bank, just as all metals eventually rusts in the presence of water and oxygen, Yasaka's youki waned away at her reasoning and eventually surged to the surface, like a wild horse given free reign. Permeating every part of the body, her disciplined mind faltered before the great deluge and failed to control and prevent her from acting on a wild, berserk aggression. Unable to hold back and contain the potent youki, it broke out and overwhelmed Yasaka's mind, body and soul, twisting her reason and tinted her world with rage.

What followed was carnage.

What followed was famously known as the Great Fire of Meireki, or the Furisode Fire. An awesome fire that destroyed a major part of ancient Edo, that lasted for three days and estimated to have claimed over one hundred thousand lives. It was one of the greatest calamity and apocalyptic disaster in Japanese history.

When Yasaka awoke from the crimson haze of blood, she felt a faint tinge of freedom, as if she had let go of some of her inhibitions, as if she had finally released something that had pent up within her. Groggy and drunk from just awakening from her recent trance, Yasaka delighted in the vague sense of freedom, and slowly turned around...

Yasaka could not comprehend the sight before her. For before her, was a small, fragile figure of a girl, the girl's eyes distant and echoing with a dull pain. Blood leaking profusely from her lips, the young girl's chest was pierced with a tail that held her upright. A tail that was undoubtedly Yasaka's. Four smaller, different tails drooped limply to the ground, the furry appendages being connected to the back of the small, young girl at the tailbone.

"Why... Yasaka-nee..." A small whimper crawled out from the pale lips of the young girl.

Pillars of fire set the town ablaze, the fierce fire sundering houses and buildings, columns of searing heat trapping its occupants in tombs of scorching, spitting flames, reducing everything into motes of ashes and dust.

The mortals realms learned that day of the destructive potential of fire, a ravenous force which consumes everything and anything. The tidings of death, the harbinger of destruction, the visitation of woe, the herald of ruination. The apostle which held the potential to bring perishment to the world.

And Yasaka learned that day that she was a murderer, a beast which had laid waste to an entire city. And she hated herself forever for it, for the unforgivable sins she had committed.

Some say the world would end in fire. The world learned of the very real possibility of those words that day.

Yasaka's eyes flickered open, as a muddling haze surrounded her mind. Bewildered and groggy, she tried to blink away her sleepiness as she gazed at the alien scenery.

...Just a dream. She rarely dreamed about that torturous night, having sealed the memory in the deepest recesses of her mind. But the recent battle had cracked the seal, loosened the lock, and the events of that nightmarish night came forth, surging like a unstoppable wave.

A flicker of a spark caught her attention. She turned her head, and stared at a small campfire, its tongues licking the air. She gazed at the writhing embers, mesmerized. A haunting reminder of that which had taken away her family, a grim remembrance of her sins.

A voice cut through the air, snapping her from her trance. "So, you are awake. That was faster than I expected."

She stared into Naruto's eyes, the eyes of the man who had, despite her very best efforts, despite everything she threw at him, despite all her might, emerged triumphant as the stronger being, the fiercer force. And he gazed back, into the bottomless abyss that were Yasaka's eyes.

Yasaka inwardly marveled at the sheer resolve, the complete and absolute will to pave a path true to himself, and the utter determination to see his goals to the end that emanated from Naruto's eyes. It was the eyes of one who would defy common sense if it suited his belief.

Yasaka was the first one to back off from the stare off, submitting herself to the greater power. In a tone so dead, so resigned that it spoke of one who had given up completely on life, Yasaka asked, "Why... didn't you kill me? A murderer like me... have no right to live!"

"Don't you dare be so selfish, Yasaka." Naruto eyes narrowed harshly. "Your wish to die is simply egoism. The people you killed, the towns you have burned. Each and every one of them held a future, you ripped them away with your flames. They would never forgive you, and I am sure they would yell to the skies if they could, that death isn't an apology. So don't you dare die so irresponsibly, just to satisfy your own self, Yasaka!"

Yasaka's eyes widened, the semblance of an unknown emotion, a spark of life beginning to coalesce in her eyes. "Wh-what are you-"

She was cut off abruptly. "Do not be so quick to throw away your life. If, if you really feel remorse for your sin, then no matter how disgraceful or embarrassing it may be, you need to keep struggling to live your life in a way you can truly be proud of. You should live instead, live on the behalf of those who cannot, live your life atoning for your sins, live your life so that one day, one day, you can meet them with your head held high, and apologize to them properly."

Yasaka simply stared, and after a few dozen seconds of awkward silence, Naruto began to feel uneasy. Finally, Yasaka chuckled, which gradually grew in volume and intensity until it was a full-blown laughter. When it finally faded, she sighed amusedly, "For a moment, I was wondering what you would say to cheer me up. Are those words supposed to comfort me?"

Naruto merely smiled.

The female kitsune then looked at Naruto speculatively, musing. "He did prove his strength earlier, lending strength to his earlier words..."

Nodding her head and made a decision, be it for better or for worse. Holding hope within her heart, hope that finally, she would not be alone, hope that finally, she would stop bringing destruction, she kneeled down before the Lord of Chaos and Pandemonium, clasping her hands together, and spoke an oath. "Ah. At last, I have achieved my long-held hope of finding someone worthy to serve, someone who would hold the power necessary to reign me in. A man so unpredictable - a man so uncontrollable that he will overturn everything as we know it. My master, I, Yasaka, Kyuubi no Kitsune, descendant of Tamamo-no-mae, offer everything I am now to you. I will derive no greater pleasure than seeing your will realized."

Naruto peered at Yasaka blankly for a few seconds, before smirking. "Very well. I shall respond in kind. I, Uzumaki Naruto, Sixth Nurarihyon, hereby accept your pledge. I command you under my name, to become a part of my Hundred Demons, and lead a new life under me!"

A seal, a small emblem with the kanji for "Nurarihyon" appeared under the kneeling figure of Yasaka, and lit up with a furious orange, encasing her in light. Waves of power resonated through the air, crackling through the air.

And Yasaka eyes never wavered from her future lord through the entire process. For before her was hope. A sword of light in endless darkness, a beacon of light in the stormy seas, here was the answer to her pleas. For the first time in what felt like forever - she felt hope once again. And she thought to herself.

Ahh... So this is the rumored "fear" of the Lord of Pandemonium...

Teaser

"I am the fallen angel of the stars!" Kokabiel roared, his eyes glinting with rage. "Do you understand what this means, you filthy youkais?! I am the very stars themselves! I am..."

Throwing his hands up to the heavens, Kokabiel fingers grabbed at the air, as if he was clutching something invisible to all but himself. He then smashed that hand to downwards, akin to a basketball dunk.

"INFINITY!"

Naruto eyes widened in surprise, as an immense well of energy began to tickle at his senses. Looking up to the skies, he started to feel something, something astronomical that seemed just beyond the reach of his sense. But it was steadily coming closer, the instrument of doom, the apostle of death. He could feel it - the pure malice, the desire for destruction from Kokabiel's aura surrounding his summoned object.

Suddenly, the clouds split, as the vaguest visage of a fiery, rocky, crater filled surface descended from the heavens. A shadow overlapped the entire town, as the true form of Kokabiel's ultimate move was unveiled.

Kokabiel was the fallen angel of the stars. Thus, he was the stars.

A meteorite. Also known as a shooting or falling star.

Ultimate despair. Supreme hopelessness. A lesser man would have felt such emotions, and resigned to his fate upon seeing the star of darkness. However, Uzumaki Naruto have not, and will never, be weak-willed.

Clutching his sword tightly, he muttered to himself so softly that he might as well have not spoken. "Isn't this nostalgic... My good friend, Kurama?"

"INDEED. THE LAST WE SAW SUCH AN ATTACK WAS DURING THE FOURTH GREAT SHINOBI WAR, FROM THAT MOST VILE MAN, UCHIHA MADARA."

A booming, resounding voice echoed through the clearing, its mere presence powerful, ancient.

Chuckling to himself, his eyes lit up with a feral glee as his whisker-like mark thickened into bars. "Well, we can't let an attack we have seen before kill us, right?"

"LET US GRIND THIS WHELP INTO DUST. LET US SLICE THIS FILTH TO PIECES. LET US SHOW THIS ANT WHY WE YOUKAIS... ARE TO BE FEARED!"

Smirking, Naruto launched himself at what would normally be called "certain death", his blood singing with battle lust.

"I AM THE UNMAKER OF WORLDS, DESTRUCTION INCARNATE. HATRED GIVEN FLESH, ABHORRENCE GIVENPURPOSE."

His blade sheathed in a cyclone of black mist, the kanji emblazoned within the blade's steel glimmering with a furious red, the ancient words roaring with power.

"THE INEXORABLE, INEVITABLE TIDINGS OF DEATH TEMPERED BY HONOR. THE JAWS OF THE CATACLYSM CALMED BY CAMARADERIE."

A single black dot in comparison to the great, colossus, titanic sphere of what was the falling star. To any ordinary men, the outcome was obvious. That man who stood in defiance of the meteorite was sure to die.

"I AM KURAMA, NINTH DEMON BLADE. LET US SHOW YOU OUR POWER... THIS POWER THAT ONCE SEALED A PRIMORDIAL GODDESS."

But Naruto merely smiled, the pupils of his eyes transforming into a curious cross with a horizontal bar. His iris, originally blue, now became a wrathful red. A orange pigmentation appeared around his eyes, signalling his usage of natural energy.

"YOU WHO STANDS IN THE WAY OF MY FRIEND. WATCH AS YOUR WORLD COMES TO AN END."

The meteorite neared, blotting out the entire sky. Watching the falling rock that would spell demise for all creation under it, Naruto muttered a soft, rhetorical question to himself. "You would start a disaster for the sake of your selfish desires? You dare to threaten Japan, and its denizens, to satisfy yourself? Then let me, let us rectify the mistake of your existence right here and now."

"AND LET THE SEA SWALLOW YOUR SMOLDERING REMAINS."

A/N: Well, last of the Trinity trilogy, featuring Yasaka's past. Meanwhile, grab a teaser of the upcoming fight with Kokabiel.