2 years from now, Toneri will hurl chunks of the moon at Earth… and about 15 years from now, the events of Boruto will occur… With arms folded, Jin silently broods as he stares up at the clear night sky.
The young man’s gaze remains transfixed on the glittering jewels which litter the heavens; he can feel his fears and anxieties being washed away by the comforting light of the plenilune; he feels adorned by the dazzling lights. The Onikage finds great joy in this mundane simple pleasure; he even basks in the cool night breeze.
In the aftermath of their battle, what was once the Final Valley, the place where stuff of legends occurred, has now been reduced to a rocky wasteland. Their last exchange of jutsu resulted in the wasteland being completely glassed over. The quiet Jin sits atop an obsidian boulder while Ayanami stands beside it. Naruto and Sasuke lie unconscious at the base of the stone; their dominant arms are both still intact and attached.
God… feels like it's been forever since I just sat down. Jin laments, sighing.
“The view’s a sight to behold, isn’t it?” The kunoichi breaks the silence, admiring the starry sky.
“Best seats in the house,” Jin agrees, still looking up. “Your goal was to surpass Naruto and Sasuke, right? How’s it feel?”
The elated Ayanami’s eyes sparkle like diamonds. “Exhilarating. I just beat the 2 greatest shinobi ever, and my friend had my back for all of it.”
“I’m just happy to be included among your friends in spite of my cowar–”
“Stop that.” The kunoichi is quick to interrupt him.
Confused, the Onikage furrows his brow. “Stop what?”
Jin looks down to his right and sees a pair of blank-white eyes staring back at him with a raised brow; she shakes her head with disapproval.
“You're not a coward, enough with the self-deprecation already.” Ayanami reasons.
“But… I AM one.” The snake sage argues.
“You fought in a war, and even used your knowledge of this world to your advantage,” The young Hyuga continues, further expounding on her appraisal of him. “That takes some serious courage and resourcefulness.”
Intrigued, Jin ponders on this revelation before answering with, “Hmmm… I wouldn’t know, I don’t usually self-reflect… but I’ll take your word for it. Thank you.”
“Urgh…”
“Ngh…”
Hearing grunts, Jin curiously leans forward and peers down to witness the co-protagonists stirring; they both can be seen wincing from the incredible pain they’re in.
“Well, good morning, sleepyheads! Or rather I should say… goodnight.” The Onikage kindly greets them with a patronizing grin.
“I-I… I can’t… move…!” A battered Naruto grunts, struggling and failing to rise.
The bruised Sasuke gazes back at the former Taka member before asking, “Why are you… so determined to stay involved with me?”
“Do I really have to repeat myself? Fine. I WANT to be your friend.” Jin curtly answers, cringing; his face has become a flush red. As embarrassing as this is… Gotta be honest and direct with anime characters. Don’t want any misunderstandings and needless drama…
“Just what is a friend to you?” The last Uchiha queries with a serious expression.
…A friend, huh? The Onikage stares into the ether as he thinks on it. “A friend to me is… someone I can laugh and cry with. Someone who’s honest and tells me what I need to hear because they have my best interests at heart. Someone who’ll pick me up when I stumble, and always have my back through thick-and-thin…”
As Jin delves into his sentimentality, images flash in his mind; he sees Rito, Mileena, Ayanami, and Mecha-Naruto. He even thinks fondly of his tenure in Taka; it was certainly hell at the time, to be sure, but he doesn’t regret any of it.
“…And I’d do the same for them. I’m lucky to say I know a few people like that.”
As Sasuke closes his eyes and digests the answer given, Jin flinches due to a beam of light hitting him in the face; he stares out into the distance and sees the sun rise, emerging from the horizon; when the sun’s rays touch glassy wasteland’s surface, it glistens and refracts, releasing a whole spectrum of colors. Finding inspiration, he commits this marvelous scene to memory in order to be drawn later.
“Ahhh!” Naruto yelps, breaking the silence. “Just when I thought I could punch you… Guess it’s too early to move.”
“Heh heh… Heh heh heh…” The rogue ninja chuckles for the first time in years; with a warm smile, he opens his eyes on the coming dawn. “I accept it. I lost.”
Flabbergasted, Naruto comically snaps, “Y… You idiot! This wasn’t about winning or–”
“ACTUALLY, it WAS about winning… Winning the argument.” Ayanami interrupts, chiming into the conversation; she speaks in a stern manner.
“Ayanami! Not you too…!” Naruto whines.
“Hey… If I die here, the chain of war that’s continued since the time of the Sage of Six Paths will end.” Sasuke thinks out louder, pondering his existence as well as the future. “This is another kind of revolution. I’ll decide this issue myself, once and for all.”
“I have a better idea…” The kunoichi makes a suggestion. “INSTEAD of dying, how about you help us make meaningful change in the world? But in a more positive way.”
“Who says everyone will agree to that? There’s no telling when I may defy you in the future…” Sasuke argues.
An annoyed Naruto growls, “You won’t do that–”
“Naruto, you have ABSOLUTELY no way of knowing that” Jin snaps at the hero, dismissing his assertions. “Losers should learn to shut up and accept their defeat with grace.”
“As I was saying… Should you take one step backwards, I’ll knock some sense back into you…” Ayanami says; her tone becomes more serious. “And if need be, stop you by any means necessary.”
“And she won’t do it alone.” The snake sage adds, giving his two cents on the matter. “The world’s not perfect. It never was nor will ever be perfect, but maybe, just maybe, it can be a little better… At least, that’s what *I* figure.”
Both reincarnations are very much aware of the alterations made to this timeline, they cannot rule out the possibility of Sasuke changing for the worst; they also can’t dismiss the idea that there must be other reincarnations out there, and that some of them might hardened criminals, complete psychopaths, or even terrorists. All they can do is hope and pray that these specific scenarios do not come to pass.
The conversation pauses with the last Uchiha going dead-silent; he says nothing for several minutes and just thinks. From where Jin sits, he can detect a look of regret coming from the rogue ninja; his remorseful expression quickly fades, replaced by a stern look as he gathers his bearings.
“I see… Well then… show me. Show me your way.” Sasuke says with a renewed determination.
Jin gives a warm grin, from ear-to-ear. “I’m glad you’ve learned to see the world through diamond eyes.”
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The Onikage holds out his left hand, focusing chakra into it; his hand emits a green aura due to him using medical ninjutsu; a wave of green energy cascades from his hand, bathing the two ninjas in gentle healing light. With their wounds gradually fading, he heals them just enough so they can stand and walk.
“AYANAMI! JIN! YOU GUYS STILL IN ONE PIECE?!” A familiar and rambunctious voice yells.
The confused reincarnations look out into the distance and spot Rito running toward; he is followed closely behind by Mileena and Mecha-Naruto.
The symbiote reaches out with the Mind Transmission jutsu. “Father, when you have time, I would like to discuss something with you.”
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Meanwhile, back in Kaguya’s core dimension, an unlikely survivor treks the rocky wastelands isolated and severely wounded.
“For a fleeting moment… I actually thought I was going to die…” Moryo mutters to himself as he limps forward with blood trickling out from his many injuries.
After miraculously surviving that explosion, the crafty demon immediately suppressed his chakra signature to avoid detection and his assured demise; his desperate, last-minute gamble appears to have worked.
Although Moryo survived, the demon’s entire body has taken extensive damage; one of his legs is fractured, an arm is disfigured and he is missing entire chunks of skin and meat on his chest, back, and legs; bone can be seen in the areas where flesh is absent.
Due to the loss of the Genryu, Moryo’s body has shrunk in size and reverted back to a more humanoid appearance; his human-like guise is likely caused by the two humans he has absorbed into his body as they are the strongest beings that are still one with him. Moryo’s dark purple body now only has one head with glowing red eyes and a lighter purple aura outlining his entire physique.
Clutching onto his mangled left arm, the beaten demon continues to limp on until he stands directly under the new satellite which hovers aimlessly in the sky; numerous boulders of varying sizes can be seen orbiting around the moon like a ring.
I wonder…? Can I use the residual chakra of the Gedo Statue to reverse summon myself back to Earth? Moryo postulates on possible escape routes. “When I get out of here… You humans will all pay for my imprisonment and humiliation!”
“What a mess…” A mysterious voice says from behind.
“Who–?!!!” Moryo whips head around only for his eyes to widen with shock and horror.
“It’s unfortunate that I couldn’t get to Kaguya in time… and even more unfortunate that you, an inferior creature, honestly believed you could surpass the power of the Otsutsuki.”
Taken aback, the demon is paralyzed with pure unadulterated fear and terror; he is unable to keep his legs from trembling; he is deeply perplexed as the figure who has just arrived is not supposed to unveil his existence for the next fifteen years, during the Boruto era, at the very least.
“You! Wh-Why are you h-here?!!” The terrified Moryo stutters.
“Rejoice, I’m not going to kill you. You may be of some use to me in the future.” The monk says with an indifferent expression and apathetic voice.
The haunting figure stabs his black staff into the ground and reaches into his sleeve, pulling out a translucent red orb which he then tosses; the orb lands at the demon’s feet and begins to glow ominously.
“...?! Aaaaauugh…!” Moryo screams.
The wailing demon is left powerless as he is sucked into the mysterious orb and sealed away; the orb stops glowing and darkens due to its newly acquired contents.
The detached monk casually picks up the orb and continues on his way. “Now then… I still need to find a worthy vessel.”
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Within the Genjutsu World of the Limited Tsukuyomi, Menma raced towards the Land of Water the very instant he returned to this world; he turned the entire nation inside out, searching every nook and cranny until he finally found his target.
“Heh heh heh… Everything you have, I will take from you. Haa ha ha ha ha!!” Menma cackles sinisterly.
“Wh-Who… are you? Why are y… you d-doing this?” The defeated Mist Ninja weakly groans.
The one Naruto’s dark reflection holds up by his throat is none other than Haku. In this world, the Ice Style user never died, and became a respectable Hidden Mist jonin; his reputation precedes him far and wide.
The Mist Shinobi dangles helplessly in the air with an arm missing and another broken; all of the tendons in his legs have been severed in order to prevent him from escaping.
“I’m going to take your power and achieve even greater strength!” Menma says gleefully. “Chimera Jutsu.”
The hand gripping Haku exudes a large mass of deep blue, viscous fluid that quickly spreads across the Mist Ninja’s body, coating him completely; it subsequently recedes back into Menma’s body, enhancing him, making him that much stronger.
Infusing his chakra, the evil double weaves a hand sign and the temperature in his immediate area instantly drops, causing a fog to form; a large mirror of ice manifests at his side to which he then puts his hand against, and it seamlessly enters the ice mirror.
Not enough, not NEARLY enough… I need more power! Menma broods assessing his newly acquired kekkei genkai; his fists shake with rage. “Jin. Ayanami. I will get my revenge, and I’ll crush that other me along with them…!”
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“Are you SURE this is okay?” A skeptical Jin asks.
After a lengthy and awkwardly silent trek back to the site of the Fourth Great Ninja War’s final battle, the group of tired shinobi find themselves standing on a cliff that overlooks the entire battlefield; Sasuke has just made a startling proposal, it is that Jin should undo the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
“Yes, I’m certain of it.” The last Uchiha affirms.
With his hands leisurely behind his head, Naruto adds, “As long as everyone’s freed from the Tsukuyomi, it doesn’t really matter who does it.”
Lost, Jin turns to his team for advice. “Thoughts?”
“Don’t look at me, I don’t have a Rinnegan or tailed beast chakra.” Ayanami shrugs.
Because the kunoichi has Kaguya’s flesh surgically grafted onto her body, the Onikage theorizes that she has the potential to also undo the Infinite Tsukuyomi by herself. However, since this is in the realm of uncharted waters, it is pure conjecture.
“What she said.” Rito states.
“Do it,” Mileena excitedly exclaims, bouncing vigorously; her eyes sparkle with pride. “You’ve earned it, it is your destiny.”
I’m not entirely sold on it, but whatever… The Snake Sage remains unconvinced but goes along with it anyway. “…Okay~.”
Infusing chakra, Jin calmly weaves the rat hand sign. “Release.”
*CREAK* *RUMBLE* *BOOM*
*CREAK* *RUMBLE* *BOOM*
*CREAK* *RUMBLE* *BOOM*
The entire group looks on with satisfaction as all of the colossal tree roots and branches gradually topple over and fall to the ground; their cocoons release the many people they have ensnared.
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“Huh… Wha…?” Shion, the Land of Ogres' priestess says, waking up.
The priestess drowsily stirs and rises to find herself covered in tree bark; confused, she tears the bark off herself and rubs her eyes.
“Toldja everything would be fine.”
The startled Shion whips her head around and sees that the feudal lord, Yoichi, and their escort, Jaeger, have also been cocooned; they tear their way out with Yoichi giving her a smug grin.
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“Ugh… What happened?” The confused Inoichi yawns, waking up from the best dream he’s ever had.
“The war’s over. We won.” A familiar voice says.
The Yamanaka clan head looks to his side and sees the alliance’s Chief Battle Strategist, Shikaku Nara, standing over him with his arm held out to help him up. The Mist Ninja Ao can be seen waking up in the background.
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“Hey, you’re… Neji and Hinata, right?” A Cloud Ninja asks as he holds out his hand.
“Yes, that’s right…” The Leaf Kunoichi drowsily responds.
The young man helps the two drowsy Hyuga clan members to their feet and walks off, digesting everything that has happened so far. For a while, everyone kept talking about these characters he has never even heard of since the aftermath of Five Kage Summit to the climax of the war where he got to see them in action; their butting-in to fights and conversations threw him for a loop, but also piqued his interest in them.
Ayanami and Jin, huh? The Cloud Shinobi quietly contemplates as he continues on his way to the Raikage’s location; he brushes his dreadlocks to the side and smirks. I was curious before, but now… After all this? Now I f’real HAVE to meet these guys.