Naruto: Tales of Ashihara
The Shinden Saga – Arc 4: The Otsutsuki War
.
Chapter 171 – Oshio's Legacy
.
It has been one week since the sudden suicide by arson of Oshio Uchiha. The news of his death has still not been spread. As Izuna Uchiha was present as it happened, his family and the village of Konoha have been informed. Only they, a minority in Iwa, and the council of the Shinobi Union are aware. Since then, the 7th Hokage and his son have fully recovered and his two incarnations returned to his duties.
Coming back too late to learn about the Kage's plan for an execution, Naruto was directly informed of the passing of Kakumei's ruler, as well as his last wishes reported by Izuna. Besides his tremendous gain in power in anticipation of his battle against the Ryu Shinsen, the Hokage has lived something similar to an enlightenment, following his final discussion with his opponent. He has learned a lesson from this experience that makes him feel awake, conscious, responsible., and made him approach this situation differently.
While imprisoned, Oshio could still witness the evolution of the world through the white rods he gifted to his various friends and subordinates. This way, he looked over Shin no Kuni until his death. Just as he told Izuna, the land is under control of the feudal families.
Briefly after the fall of Kakumei, after the leadership of Hikari was given to Anastasia Tomoe by Oshio himself, the armies of the feudal families, made of shugonin selected from hidden villages, settled in Shin no Kuni to investigate traces of the rebel group and find remaining members. This presence was turned into occupation when the feudal families sent representatives to Hikari and claimed control over the land.
Since then, Anastasia Tomoe has been working under the feudal order that sent the shugonin to spread their influence through the whole continent. Of course, as this nation belonged to the Tomoe clan before the coming of Momoshiki, this same clan rejected and fought against the invader. For the last 2 years, the Shinobi Union has been unknowingly warring against the kunoichi of Ketsugakure, led by Toshima Tomoe, daughter of Gozen Tomoe and mother of Anastasia.
.
Right now, near this hidden village, a battle is taking place in the plains covered in red flower fields. The troops of the feudal families are battling the defense of Ketsugakure in another attempt to subdue the Tomoe clan. Of course, this is not the first time this happens, as the ninjas of the Shinobi Union were repeatedly struck back by the superior strength and nature of a clan whose blessing equals that of the Uzumaki and the Senju.
At the gate of her village, Toshima Tomoe is looking over the battlefield, ready to join her troops. Much like her mother, she has always been a proud warrior who wouldn't send her army in a battle that she wouldn't fight herself. Riding her horse and holding her spear, she waits to make her entrance.
"How foolish of them." she comments on the actions of the enemies. "I refuse to believe that their leaders have any military skills." she adds before rushing in, followed by a couple dozen other horse riders.
Merged into the crowd, she repels all the shugonin she blitzes by, making the fight easier for her subordinates. Moving through, she precisely looks not for designed enemies but allies. Mother of 12 daughters, she knows that some of them are on this battlefield. Since her most skilled daughters are either too young or not by her side anymore, she is aware that those in this field may require assistance.
As she strikes forth like an unstoppable force, Toshima gets the attention of all enemies.
"You have no victory to find in this place." says the Tomoe queen. "Especially not by repeating the same mistake over and over. You have no advantage. If you want to rival us, come back with your leaders. No one but the Kage of your lands will get near a chance to get me off my ride."
.
At the same time in Hikari, representatives of the feudal families are gathered in the main room of the castle, with Anastasia Tomoe. Rumors of Oshio's passing have reached their ears from their lands and they know that it will soon spread through this continent as well. As a consequence, they could either see the people become more fragile, or more united. To force the first case, it is imperative that they quickly strengthen their hold on the territory.
"As we speak, your clan is murdering ninjas of the Shinobi Union." one of them tells the leader of Hikari. "Your mother is leading this. If you don't stop her now, she will make herself an enemy of the Kage. Are you waiting for this to happen?"
"I told you many times that I have no ties or power over Ketsugakure or my clan anymore." Anastasia tries to argue. "This happened 3 times before. How is that time different? Did the death of Oshio…"
"We are here to ask questions!" another one exclaims to interrupt her.
"I'm sorry, but I have no power over my mother." Anastasia tries to stay calm, consciously undermined in this room. "It seems like your army has initiated hostilities again. We cannot blame the Tomoe clan for wanting to keep their territory."
"This territory was rightfully colonized by the Shinobi Union! We defeated the sovereign and conquered Shin no Kuni. Just like Hikari, Ketsu should subdue."
"Ketsugakure was never under Kakumei's control." Anastasia clarifies, which is argued over.
"You are leading Kakumei's territory now, and we own your land. So your clan should also submit."
"I already said my leadership here has nothing to do with my clan."
"Anastasia Tomoe! Officially, the shugonin of the Union are affiliated to us, the feudal order." the advocate of the land of Fire speaks. "And in this land, we are based in this village. So our troops are affiliated to you. By resisting, your clan is fighting against you."
"Listen, Oshio Uchiha's death doesn't give any more right over…" she exclaims as she stands up before being interrupted again.
"You were put there by him! You are his shameful regime! And your clan…" the messenger for the Lightning feudal family yells before also being stopped when they all hear sudden crowd movements outside.
All alert, they run to the balcony to see what is happening. Unexpectedly, they see a mass of people moving up the street toward the castle. They seem to be gathered around something, or someone who is the cause of the movement. The crowd reaches the main square before the statues of the honored leaders of Hikari built by the people. On the left of the castle's gate is a statue of Gozen Tomoe, which used to stand before the entrance, but was moved when the second statue was made. A statue of Oshio Uchiha.
It is at the foot of this one that Anastasia and the others on the balcony see the center of attention. Sakura Uchiha and Izuna Uchiha, the family of Kakumei's leader. His mother seems to be carrying a jar, likely the ashes of her son.
"What the hell is happening?" the representative of the land of Wind grumbles.
.
Meanwhile, back on the battlefield in front of Ketsugakure, Toshima is leading her village to victory by forcing the shugonin to step back toward retreat. Meeting no one who can match her strength, she is alerted by two colliding blades she catches sight of on the field. One of her daughters is disarmed by a ninja of Konoha who makes her fall and prepares to finish her off with his sword.
Toshima lets out a war cry and rushes through the crowd. Consciously not fast enough, she infuses her chakra in her spear, making it burst into lightning, before throwing through the flower field, aiming precisely for the one targeting her daughter.
Fast enough to reach the Konoha-nin before his blade touches down, the thunder spear is abruptly stopped, caught by the tip mid-flight, and so is the sword of the ninja. To everyone's surprise, it is no other than the hero of the Shinobi Union, the 7th Hokage himself who stopped both weapons.
"Lord Hokage?!" the shugonin gasps out before letting go of his blade and bowing to his leader. All alerted by the sudden glow and presence of this person, the fighting stops. All the Konoha-nin hurry to bow as well, and are rapidly joined in their manner of respect by the rest of the feudal order's army.
Toshima, seeing her army retreat slowly, rides forward and stops near the newcomer. Intrigued, she steps off her horse and walks toward him. She heard the ninja call this person "Hokage" earlier, but she needs time to confirm it. Even though she never met him before, she heard the stories about the new Rikudo Shinsen and about his recent battle against the sovereign of the gods.
"Lord Hokage? So you are Naruto Uzumaki?" she asks him, as he drops the sword and stands straight. "So you are still alive? What are you here for? This conflict should barely matter to someone like you. Or are you here to claim my territory by force?"
"Not at all." Naruto answers, holding the spear forward to give it back to its owner. "I am here to stop this war."
Toshima raises her eyebrows, unsettled by this declaration. She looks at her spear, and at the Hokage to figure out if he's serious. Seeing no doubt in his eyes, she grabs her spear and holds it down. Naruto gently nods to her before turning around to look at the bowing shugonin, and speaks his message.
"This is not Konoha's war! Neither is it the war of any village of the Shinobi Union! The Tomoe clan has sovereignty over their land. It is not yours to take."
After a general silence and confusion, one shugonin, standing close to Naruto, looks up to explain their presence.
"Lord Hokage, we are shugonin, chosen by the Daimyo as guardians. It is not Konoha's war, but it is the war of the feudal order we are fighting for."
As a response, Naruto points his thumb at the forehead protector he is wearing, making every ninja aware of the one they are wearing.
"Which symbol do you carry on your headbands? You are ninjas who trained in a hidden village, and belong to this village's people. You respond to your Kage. No Kage will let soldiers wear their symbol on a battlefield for a war they didn't support. This war has no reason to be. You are not fighting for the feudal order anymore. If any of you still want to raise a weapon, they will have to come through me first."
Without a doubt, all the ninjas of the Union drop their weapons, even before being guaranteed that the kunoichi of Ketsu will do the same. While the presence of the Hokage threatens their cause, it also makes them all feel extremely safe. Caught up in the feeling, the Tomoe clan also drop their weapon, following the example of Toshima who is first to lower her spear.
.
In Hikari at the same time, the representatives of the feudal order see Sakura Uchiha lay the ashes of Oshio at the foot of his statue, under the eyes of the mourning people who are just now learning of the death of their former despotic ruler. Confused and frightened by the presence of this family here, the messenger of the Wind Daimyo freaks out.
"What is this blasphemy? They are not allowed to be here! And this statue was erected without our authorization. It is illegal!"
His rant is stopped early by a shugonin of his land barging into the room with a message from the troops.
"We have a message from the battlefield!" the ninja speaks loudly. "The 7th Hokage just appeared in the flower field!"
Before any of them even has time to react, a second shugonin runs in to deliver another message.
"Gentlemen, Lord Hokage is here in the castle!" he announces.
"What?" the three representatives of Fire, Lightning and Wind yell at the same time, unsettled by these two consecutive out of pocket news.
Yet, just as announced, Naruto Uzumaki walks into the former throne room of the castle and calmly greets everyone. Anastasia, startled by this sudden meeting with the most powerful ninja to ever live, begins to bow before hesitating and just shaking in place. The others, having all seen the Hokage in the past, are less impressed by his stance alone.
"Hokage, explain yourself! Why is Sakura Uchiha illegally lying the ashes of a criminal in our castle."
"Illegal?" Naruto answers with a question. "How can it be illegal to honor a relative in their homeland?"
At loss of words, the three messengers look at each other confusingly, unable and unwilling to argue. Not wasting any time, the Hokage goes straight to the point of his presence.
"You three can leave. This land is no longer property of any feudal family." he declares, which seems to only cause incomprehension, so he makes himself clear. "I am not demanding that you retreat. I decree it, as the ruler of the land of Fire, and the general of the army you deployed. In the name of the Shinobi Union, I withdraw our troops from this land."
The representatives all stay silent, gazing at each other. They all look at Anastasia who they suspect of having had a role in this. She is however as surprised as them. The messenger of the Daimyo of Fire, bothered more than anyone else, chooses to argue the reason for this sudden decision.
"Is this about the death of Oshio Uchiha?" he asks the same question that he didn't want to hear from Anastasia.
"It's only a shame that it took his word for us to do something." the Hokage calmly answers. "I am being honest. Our troops are on their way to the harbor right now. Lady Toshima Tomoe is also being escorted to this village as we speak."
That last statement surprises Anastasia who audibly gasps, not expecting a meeting with her mother. Unwilling to make this conversation go longer, Naruto steps away from the doorway, inviting the representatives to leave.
"Go home. Sail away with the armies. Your work here is done."
The three messengers just look down, giving up, now just wondering how the Hokage will justify this to the feudal families. Looking by the balcony, they see the people grieving the ruler that they replaced. A despot that they saw as a terrorist. Yet undoubtedly more beneficent and fair to this land than the feudal order could ever be.
.
While Sakura went with Izuna to Hikari to honor her late son, Sasuke refused to partake in this ritual. Ashamed of his failure and his own deception, he stayed behind, alone with his remorse. At the moment, he stands on the edge of the volcano pit where his first son was still imprisoned a week ago.
There he collects his black cape that he gave his elder son as a blanket the last time he saw him. The cloth has been left untouched by the flames of Oshio, on purpose. Looking into the bath of lava, he lets his thoughts flow and burn.
With his fist clenched, he thinks of Oshio, imagines him as a young kid, tries to portray to himself the day of his birth in a world where he wasn't taken away. As he ponders, he realizes that, just like Momoshiki took Oshio away in the first place by rewriting the past, Momoshiki is also the reason he loses Oshio again. His failure to find a solution to erase this enemy is why his son had to take this decision.
This reminds Sasuke of the very last thing Momoshiki told him.
"It's just a matter of time before you discover how much more I've taken from you, from your family, from your life. Eventually we'll come to meet again, and you'll have to pay the price for this crime."
Recalling these words, he hates himself even more for how right they turned out to be. But despite his grief, remembering the second sentence of Momoshiki's last words leaves him in anticipation. By committing suicide, Oshio stopped him from returning. But according to Naobi, Sasuke bears a stigmata that can also resurrect Momoshiki. This is what he meant by "pay the price for this crime". And Sasuke will definitely not let him be right once more.
His latest quarrel with Tokubei has delayed his quest to save his son until too late. Yet, he feels like it is time for him to admit that Ayaka Otsutsuki was right. No matter how long he'd have been searching, there was no way for him to save his son. As his thoughts converge toward his celestial enemies again, the Uchiha wanderer looks up to see the moon in the night sky of Iwa and wonders about the masked man he sealed inside.
Tokubei Otsutsuki has admitted to have manipulated his brother Itachi from above. And he has a connection to Indra that still needs to be unveiled. He is not Itachi, neither is he Izuna, Madara's brother. Sasuke still needs to find his true identity and story, as he has unexpectedly developed an odd sympathy for this opponent. Yet, this feeling only relies on the hypothesis that behind the mask is indeed something else than a celestial. About the Otsutsuki, every encounter with them still only makes Sasuke's hatred grow stronger.
In the end, the recent events led to Naruto's point being proven. They are not all soulless monsters. Their leader, the Ryu Shinsen, Yamitsuki, was a being capable of unmatched wisdom, comprehensiveness and love. The goddess of creation, Naobi, who freed Oshio from his deadlock, is a being of purity and empathy.
It turns out, as Naruto believed, that peace between their kinds is possible. The main Otsutsuki clan fights the same evil as them. However, this evil, responsible for all of Sasuke's and humanity's problems, comes from among celestials. Kaguya, Momoshiki, Katashiki, Urashiki… No true peace between their kind will ever be achieved unless the motivation, the source of all these evil spirits is eliminated, commonly by the Otsutsuki of Ashihara and the ninjas of the Shinobi Union.
Without knowing, Sasuke's mind is actually converging to the same conclusion and objective as Oshio. The wedding of Sincerity and Absolute. Just as his son unknowingly inherited his past will for revolution, Sasuke now carries the values and ideals of Oshio.
.
In Hikari, later that day, Sakura and Izuna are resting in grief after honoring Oshio. After all the subordinates of the feudal order were forced to leave the castle, now waiting at the harbor, Sakura went inside. She's now in the former throne room of her son, listening to tales about this village's past by Anastasia Tomoe.
Izuna, also feeling guilt besides grief, as he feels that, like his father, he could have helped in preventing this scenario, explores the village on his own, trying to see with real eyes the places that he dreamed of when Oshio was carrying his sight. He came to this village before and met Fuyuko's sister, who made him promise to make her brother come back to her. He trusts himself to keep this promise, but doesn't have as much hope about those made to Oshio.
While roaming around, he walks to the gate of the village as the troops of Ketsugakure and the shugonin who were fighting them arrive, following the 7th Hokage. Looking at his sensei leading the crowd, he finds himself daydreaming about succeeding to him for the first time in 4 years. Surprised by his own thoughts, he's alerted by his name being called by a familiar voice. The voice of an old friend.
When he looks aside, he sees a young man with pale skin, reddish black hair, and plain black eyes. His face looks different from who he remembers, but his Dojutsu's ability tells him this man's unexpected identity.
"Teru?" he exclaims, recognizing the son of Kobo Uchiha, who disappeared in this same village four years ago. It is indeed Teru Uchiha, standing here among other ninjas of this village, all recognizing Izuna as the brother of their former ruler.
"How long has it been?" Teru happily answers, confirming his identity. "So you're the one who poured Oshio's ashes earlier?"
"…" Finding this sudden meeting hard to process, Izuna blinks repeatedly and stays agape. He takes a good look at Teru and those behind him again. "What are you doing here?"
"Hm… Should we go somewhere comfortable?" the missing Uchiha says, now realizing how confusing this situation must be.
.
A few dozen minutes later, Izuna is with Teru and all his colleagues, sitting on a roof of Hikari. As soon as settled, Teru begins with answering Izuna's most obvious question, which is how he ended up here, after the battle of Hikari.
"After Mio and Mizuno-sensei died, I didn't know what to do." he explains. "Mariko, who deserted at the same time, went her own way. She went west, but I didn't. Seeking vengeance at first, I tried to return to this village looking for Mikitaka, the jinchuriki. But I was first found by Oshio."
This revelation shocks Izuna, who listens carefully as Teru goes on.
"He told me that even with my new eyes I wouldn't stand a chance, and that Mikitaka was going to die soon anyway. Turns out he himself would kill him later. Oshio instead explained that he intended to leave the village, and that I would be safe from Kakumei as long as I don't try to leave the land. Since he didn't leave me a choice, I stayed and joined the village's workforce later."
Izuna stays in wonder, realizing that he passed by this village a few times since his kidnapping. It's unfortunate that he never ran into Teru before. He stares at him with a thoughtful and pitiful gaze that doesn't go unnoticed. Teru answers the next question Izuna must have before it is asked.
"I don't blame Takeshi, don't worry." he says, looking at a girl among his friends for a brief moment. "I heard he went through a lot since then. Whatever I would hate him for, he must have paid the price… I heard even my mom left Kiri, so I just couldn't see myself going back there anyway."
"I see…" Izuna says, looking at the same woman that Teru gazed at, and recognizing Julia Tomoe, Fuyuko's accomplice and girlfriend who must have told Teru about Takeshi. Izuna doesn't mind, and asks another question instead. "So you awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan?"
"I did." answers Teru, briefly activating his Dojutsu to let Izuna see. "But I've barely used it since then. I'm not like you. I know I'll go blind if I rely on it. I didn't ask for this power. If you're curious, you can use Oshio's ability to see mine."
Izuna is indeed curious, but contains his curiosity. He instead gazes at Teru's friends who are whispering things to each other, and to whom he wasn't introduced. Noticing this, Teru fixes this.
"These are my friends. My teammates. They all used to work for Kakumei, under Kawaki. Now they're just waiting to integrate Hikari's ranks again when the feudal order leaves. So today seems like a big day for us."
Izuna widely opens his eyes, realizing he is in presence of Oshio's legacy. The future of this village. As Teru introduces them one by one, he captures their images into his mind.
Julia Tomoe, Fuyuko's ex-girlfriend, who was left free by Takeshi and returned to this village. She is not wearing the same chest armor as the others, characteristic of Kakumei's forces. She must be waiting to fulfill her own objective here.
Minako Onikuma, the young girl whose Kekkei Genkai allowed the murder attempt on the Hokage. She has grown, apparently 15 or 16 now. Izuna is seeing her for the first time, so he analyzes her face, her tainted black hair, her freckled under her green eyes on her pale skin, the make up and tattoos covering every visible part of her skin. She must have changed, and embraced an assumed provoking gothic style. She stares back without blinking, to play with the Uchiha.
Imi Nakamori, Minako's best friend. He wears a mask covering most of his face, but Izuna can notice and feel the wound behind. Based on his condition, he must have lost his hearing due to an explosion, making him a mute and deaf ninja, who didn't give up on his vocation anyway.
And at last, Sorito Kijima, a huge muscular man with grey tainted skin. A man who served as a lab rat for Minoka's experiments, making him incredibly durable, but unable to feel any physical touch. These people are all scarred in some way, and were probably chosen by Kawaki for this reason, out of compassion.
"I guess Oshio and Kakumei meant a lot to you guys?" he tries to say, wondering if he's right to ask. "How do you see things with Anastasia Tomoe in his place?"
"Never cared about Oshio, and can't stress enough how much I hate that woman's clan." Minako says, never forgetting that her own clan's extinction was Gozen Tomoe's fault. "Kawaki was my bro. He was the only reason I stayed here. Now I just have nowhere else to go."
Izuna feels bad for asking, as he also notices Kawaki's name tattooed on this girl's arm, next to another name. "Sakaka", the name of Minako's mother. In reality, she joined Kakumei because Oshio promised her that he would reunite her with her mom, and stayed in Hikari only because she is scared to get further from her. The Uchiha wonders if Minako suspects that Kawaki might still be alive, as Oshio told him, but he doesn't mention it as he isn't sure to believe it either.
"I'm sorry… But I did hear your name before, Minako." Izuna answers and changes the topic. "You know Karina Yamanaka, right? It's thanks to the information you gave her that I could find Minoka of Kakumei a few years back. Where is she now?"
"She's doing good." Minako answers, not giving more details.
"In case you didn't know, Izuna Uchiha, I was Fuyuko's accomplice when he tried to kill Takeshi." Julia says, since Fuyuko's sister was mentioned. "Like Minako, I can't say I have a good relation with the Tomoe clan. After I was exiled from Ketsugakure and lost my family, Kakumei took me in. Actually, it's thanks to Oshio that Fuyuko and I got close."
Izuna simply nods, glad to hear this. He also remembers that unlike Oshio, Fuyuko is getting a second chance. This might get him closer to meeting his sister again, as Izuna promised her in Oshio's name. He then looks at Sorito, now expecting to hear all their stories.
"Um…" the huge man says hesitatingly, noticing the attention. "I was just convinced to participate in scientific experiments and lost all sensation of touch in the process. I guess Oshio felt bad for what happened, so he made me join Kawaki's team. I don't feel hatred toward them for doing this to me. I blame mostly myself for accepting this. But I do hope that my condition can be fixed some day."
Izuna looks down again, knowing that the scientist in question is Minoka, to whom he gave a second chance. But before he can think about it too much, he sees the last person, Imi Nakamori, stand straight and make signs with his hands to communicate. He must indeed be mute and deaf, and followed the conversation by reading everyone's lips. After he's done, Minako translates it for everyone.
"Imi's just saying to you, Izuna Uchiha, that even though we all seem to have spite for the Tomoe clan or Oshio, we know that Kawaki, Fuyuko or Kakumei in general helped us get up, and that Oshio was their best friend and inspiration. Anastasia might be a Tomoe princess, but she was chosen by Oshio himself because she is different. If it wasn't for the feudal order, we'd gladly come together to defend Hikari in her name… That's what Imi says. I don't 100% agree, but the least I can say is I like this village. Whatever the leader, I'm happy to help the people."
Izuna looks at Teru who smiles back at him. In this little group, despite their differences, they all indirectly carry Oshio's legacy. They also carry the same values he defended. They might not know it yet, but the land is being given back to its people just as they speak, thanks to Naruto's contribution. These people will all very soon find a new peace in their home, and so one of Oshio's wishes will be fulfilled.
Hearing these stories also made Izuna oddly full of hope for himself. He reminds himself of Oshio's last demand to him. "Keep fighting for what's right, and become the Hokage you dream to be." It took his brother's words to finally make him understand the confidence that Inoue, Naruto, Sakura, Sarada, Boruto all have in him. They know that he has a good heart. The altruistic and compassionate heart of a protector. And he has the teaching and respect of his predecessors. They know that his self-guilt is only proof of his worthiness. When time comes from Naruto to pass the torch, nobody will be a better heir than Izuna Uchiha.
As realizes that he will have to fulfill his dream in a world where the feudal order is no more, and where the Kage unite together across nations to rule and protect, he comes to a conclusion again. By looking around at the people with him, who represent the surviving cause of Kakumei, he realizes that Oshio eventually won, just as he said and thought. The feudal order is falling. In the wait of a threat greater than anything they've seen, they have to rely on the most powerful of their kind, just like the celestials of Ashihara. Ultimately… Might makes right.
.
End of Chapter 171 – Next Chapter: The era of the new Rikudo