43 Chapter 31 Epilogue
'Normal Speech'
'Thoughts'
'Bijuu/Summons/Gamer/Techniques'
'Bijuu/Summons/Thoughts/Techniques'
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, The Gamer, or any series for that matter. If I did the last thing I would do is write fanfiction for you. I am also way too lazy to come up with new creative and funny disclaimers to post on every chapter, so I'll be copying this one and pasting it on every chapter. I've got better things to do with my time, like read fanfiction, write fanfiction, eat, do work, work out, read fanfiction...you get the idea.
(P.S. Did you know I like fanfiction?)
Guess I didn't make it explicit enough but Yoru is going to the canon Naruto Shippūden world NOT a Naruto Shippūden of his world
Hmm, seems like I owe the Nasuverse people an apology for lowballing their danger level. Doing some research into it has enlightened me greatly into how fucked up that world is. It gets ❗️❗️❗️❗️but as for Ophis...Don't know what I'll rate her and Great Red
Epilogue
Kushina snapped open her eyes and hastily sat up from her bed, a form on her body falling off in response. She blinked and looked down at who had been hanging off of her only to see Mito soundly sleeping with Naruto behind her.
At the other end of the bed was the still and quiet form of the 4th Hokage.
It was still very early in the morning, she noticed.
Suddenly, the memories of last night came rushing back, her eyes widening in surprise. "Yoru!"
"Oh? You're finally awake."
A familiar deep dark voice sounded out from the depths of her mind.
Kushina frowned slightly. "Kurama…"
Inside her mindscape, the Kyuubi lay lazily on a large "stone" and half-heartedly waved his tails "Don't say my name so casually, it'll wear out." He said with a yawn.
Since their relationship had become less strained during the past few years since Kushina had started talking to him, Kyuubi had been released from some of his more egregious restraints. Now, he was no longer pinned to a large rock with spikes going through all his limbs and tails. He was still trapped within Kushina with little hope of ever escaping, but it was better than nothing.
"…What happened?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Kurama said in disinterest. "The kid knocked you out and tossed you besides your offspring, although…" Kurama paused and smiled as if he knew something interesting. "That's definitely not all he did."
Her brows furrowed, Kushina asked. "Well? Don't keep me in suspense! Spill!"
Kurama snorted. "You don't command me…" he muttered before saying. "Well, he allowed me to talk to my sister for the first time in over a century."
Kushina's brain processed Kurama's words and their meaning.
Then she froze.
She hastily looked to her side at Mito and lifted up her shirt.
Kushina's eye widened. "He…!" She began in shock as she saw the Four Trigram Seal on her stomach.
"Yep." Kurama said in amusement. "Your spawn crawled into the room under the direction of Matatabi and we were able to have a fun time picking on that monkey…ahh, that was a great night." Kurama said in reminiscence.
Slowly putting the shirt down, Kushina asked the most pressing question that had been on her mind, the one that she really didn't know if she wanted the answer to "…Which one is Matatabi?"
Kurama smirked as he finally realized something interesting. "She has two tails."
Kushina's expression constrained. "The Council Massacre and the loss of the Two-Tailed Jinchuriki…"
News about what happened that night had been basically impossible for Kumogakure to suppress. They had not only lost around 24 of their top ninja's in a single night, but their Jinchuuriki had been said to have gone missing. Up until now, no one had had any idea who could have done it.
Sure, Kushina had had the fleeting thought that Yoru had been responsible, but considering how tightly guarded Kumo had been at the time, she hadn't really considered the thought before dismissing it. However, considering the fact that the two-tails was sealed within her own daughter and all the other evidence…there was only one conclusion she could logically come to.
Kushina tightly closed her eyes and massaged her temples before taking a few calming breaths.
Meanwhile, Kurama was having a blast within her mental landscape. "Hahaha! I knew the kid was vicious, but I didn't think he was capable of something like this!" He chuckled a little more. "I can't say I don't like his style."
Kushina took one more deep calming breath before asking herself. "Why would he do that?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Kurama asked with a snicker. "He's a giant siscon. He probably killed them because they came after your little spawn."
Kushina couldn't even become shocked at that.
She knew very well how obsessively overprotective Yoru was.
"Yeah, to the point where he'd kill a Jinchuriki and implant the extracted tailed beast inside your progeny in order to protect her…that kid is insane."
"…"
Kushina sighed. "I can't even say I'm surprised…"
"So, what are you going to do?"
She had to ruminate on that for a moment as she felt a headache coming on. "I suppose Minato will have to know, but no one else."
"Your offspring already knows though…Matatabi is quite curious about human hosts apparently."
"I'll deal with it."
Suddenly, Kurama's ears twitched as he slightly lifted his head. "You've got visitors. Two of them. And they both seem anxious."
Hearing that, Kushina faltered for a moment before asking the most important question, "How do you know that…?"
"Obviously because I'm a sensor," Kurama stated half-heartedly with a closed eye. "Plus I can detect negative emotions."
Eyes twitching, Kushina then asked, "And why didn't you ever tell me this before?"
"You're not my mother, I don't have to tell you everything."
A vein bulged on Kushina's forehead before her hair started to sway dangerously.
Kurama closed his other eye and rested his head back in the rock. "Save it, they're now right at your door."
Right after he said that…
"Minato-sensei! Kushina-sensei!" A voice yelled from the first floor of the house.
Kushina instant forgot about her growing rage and her expression became normal as she heard the anxious shouts coming from a familiar voice. "Rin…!"
The loud shouts immediately woke up everyone else that was on the bed, Mito groggily rubbing her eyes and Naruto yawning with a tear leaking from one eye.
"What's wrong?" Minato asked as he sat up, his eyes half-lidded.
"I don't know," Kushina said as she hurriedly got out of bed.
Minato's gaze sharpened at the worry laced tone of Kushina's voice before he too got up after her and followed her to the door that she promptly whipped opened.
Kushina and Minato were startled back for a moment as Kakashi and Rin stood right in front of them.
Eyes narrowed solemnly from Kakashi's slightly distressed appearance and Ron's anxious gaze, Minato asked, "What happened?"
With a pause and a few calming breaths, Rin answered, "Obito…!"
Minato and Kushina had a pause before they looked at each other.
-Yoru: Gamer-
Four figures blurred across the rooftops of Konoha, the wind whipping past their forms. In but a few moments, they arrived at the Konoha Cemetery where a small gathering of individuals had surrounded a specific tombstone.
Minato, with his Hokage attire, appeared at the back of the gathered bodies, Kushina, Rin and Kakashi landing beside him soon after.
"Everyone, please make way," Minato stated, gathering the attention of everyone present.
The people immediately made way for their Kage as some muttered 'Lord Hokage' in his wake.
Minato and the others traveled through towards the center of the small crowd where the Uchiha police stood surrounding the tombstone, preventing people from coming closer. Up ahead, past the blockage of Uchiha police, Minato noted that Fugaku was standing with his arms crossed, his expression incredibly severe.
As the Uchiha Police allowed the group through, Minato stepped ahead and turned his gaze in the same direction Fugaku was looking.
And that's when he noticed it.
A coffin of ice lay perpendicular to the tombstone and it had a scroll on top of it.
But of course, that wasn't the important part.
Minato's eyes marginally widened.
"Obito…" Kushina said in surprise as she walked up closer. Through the portions of the ice that weren't fogged up (the ones that didn't show Obito's sensitive areas), Kushina could easily make out his familiar face. "How?"
"That was what I was hoping you all had the answer to," Fugaku stated, his face marred with a small frown. "A couple of my patrol units came through this area not too long ago and immediately contacted me. It seems like your students came by during that time as well along with a few other individuals who were here for their own reasons."
Kushina shook her head. "I don't know who found his body. From what I was told, Obito's body was buried under a pile of rubble but efforts to find him came up completely empty. I have no idea how or why he would suddenly turn up here."
Minato remained silent for a moment. "…I know of only one individual who would encase someone in ice like this."
Kakashi's eyes widened. "Yoru…!"
"Wait, you don't think…?!" Rin asked as she locked eyes with the silver haired Jonin.
They paused and saw the realization dawn in each other's eyes.
"What is it?" Minato asked, catching their reaction.
Rin and Kakashi looked at each other for a moment longer before the former spoke up as she looked at the others. "…Right before Yoru left for the exams, he said he would bring Obito's body back. At the time I had just thought that he simply hadn't given up hope like us…"
As they took in those words, Fugaku noted something important about Obito's condition. "His body doesn't have anything on it that would indicate he was buried under rubble for a few years."
"Mystical Healing can restore corpses to their original appearance before they died," Minato explained. "It's not unreasonable that Yoru somehow found him and healed him up but…"
Meanwhile, Kushina had been intently staring at the face and body structure of Obito's corpse…
And then something just clicked
"Kurama…tell me that I'm just imagining things."
"That would be a lie," Kurama replied as he saw the situation through Kushina's lens. "There's absolutely no doubt about it. That body looks-"
"…Older." Kushina whispered softly, enough that only Minato who was beside her was able to pick it up.
Minato's eyes perked up at the word before he began examining the body with much more scrutiny.
Slowly, his expression began to change. "…Fugaku." Minato said quietly, his expression rigid. "Get everyone away from here."
The Uchiha clan head noticed the Hokage's expression and sensed that Minato had realized more about this situation. "Very well." He replied before signaling to his police forces.
As the police moved to do their work, Kushina regarded Minato and at that instant, she could sense his loss distinctly…it was as if she could tangibly detect his negative emotions.
"Kurama…"
"Sometimes he's hard to read. I was feeling curious about what kind of despair he was experiencing."
"But you didn't need to give me that ability either…"
"…I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Thank you."
Now understanding more of what was going through his mind, Kushina looked at Kakashi and Rin who were staring at the ice coffin which what felt to be some joy and relief. "It seems like they haven't figured it out yet…"
Along with that thought process…
"You two should go home for today," Kushina told the two members of Team Minato. "We'll plan a proper burial for him later, alright?"
They looked at each other and then back at Kushina before nodding in agreement. Soon after, they vanished in a burst of high speed.
"I know what you're thinking." Kushina began as she looked at Minato before placing her hands on his cheeks. "But there's still another important part to all of this that we need to look through." She concluded while motioning towards the scroll that was on top of the casket.
Minato held her hands for a moment before walking forwards and taking the scroll, easily noticing the intricate seals placed around it…seals so complex that there were really only 3-4 people he could think of that would be able to break through them. "Yoru…" he thought before glancing at Fugaku once more. "Please, have your men take Obito to cryogenics. I believe your clan would like best to handle him."
Fugaku understood that there was a story of great magnitude to be told by the situation here based on Minato's current situation, but he didn't say anything more than, "Alright, the Uchiha clan will handle it from here."
Her husband's arm in her grasp, Kushina led him away from the site. "Come on, let's go back and read it."
With Minato's silent nod of acknowledgment, the couple traveled back to their home. Entering the building, Minato activated some of the defensive seals of his home before he cast a serious glance at the scroll in his palm.
A delicate hand overlapped his own. "Come. We'll do this together." Kushina declared while pulling Minato towards the couch.
They both then stared at the scroll, deconstructing its protective seals little by little. With some effort, both of them were able to decipher the key necessary to unlock the scroll, the Fuuinjutsu seals on the rolled up parchment disappearing as a result.
They glanced at each other one more time before returning their gazes back to the rolled up document.
Minato unfurled it, both he and his wife then observing the message within:
Yo, it's Yoru
So, after reading this, you (Kushina) will most likely want to strangle me, therefore I've decided to go off to a different dimension for a period of time. I think it'll be good for you and Minato to cool down from the situation you no doubt have figured out by now. Don't try to find me because you won't be able to.
Minato blinked. "Different dimension…?"
"Forget it, that's not important," Kushina stated, her expression strained. "Let's just read on shall we?"
And so, they did:
So, where to begin?
Let's start with Obito's situation.
As you've no doubt discovered (because you both are so intelligent [please don't hurt me when I get back Auntie Kushina])...
"I don't have that much of a temper…" she muttered.
"Heh." The Kyuubi snickered.
Minato did not comment.
Obito's body is older than what it should be.
Dead men can't age.
Mystical Healing can't age people either.
By now you've no doubt come to the realization that Obito has been alive all this time.
How you may be asking?
Hashirama cells.
They make absolutely no sense.
Pieces of the puzzle are probably now beginning to click in place:
The Four-tails attack was done by an Uchiha evident by the sharingan on Son Goku's eyes.
Obito was alive during this time and had gotten stronger.
Put two and two together along with the fact that Obito never returned to Konoha-
By this point, the hand grasping the scroll was trembling.
Minato was in a daze.
"Well…isn't that a twist?" Kurama muttered inside Kushina's mind. "But honestly, good riddance. That damn Madara controlled me with his blasted eyes and this Uchiha was about to do the same. Luckily, he made Son his bitch-"
"Kurama."
"Hm?"
"Shut up."
"…Whatever."
"Minato…" Kushina began, her arms wrapped around Minato's neck while she rested her head on his chest. "I know how you feel, but this isn't your fault." Her gaze became somber while her hands trembled. "Whatever decisions Obito made were his own. You had nothing to do with the choices he made."
"I know, it's just…" Minato paused, his gaze vacant. "I…feel like I failed. As a teacher…as someone, he could look up to." A shadow seemed to be cast over his vision. "I always imagined that he would be proud of me for becoming Hokage but now I find out that he tried to…"
"Murder you, your wife, and your unborn child while trying to destroy the village you were sworn to protect? I'm sure pride in you was the furthest thing from his mind."
"Kurama!"
"What? I'm just calling it as I see it."
With a mental sigh of exasperation, Kushina lifted her head and dragged Minato's to her chest. "You are an incredible father, husband, and teacher. You did what you could for him and…we tried our best to fill in the gaps for his parents. If anything, the blame falls on both of us for not being better." Her hand caressed Minato's scalp and she uttered those words morosely. "Let's continue with it. Maybe Yoru knows something more about what happened to Obito."
Anyway, I don't know where he could have possibly obtained Hashirama's DNA or what he went through that caused him to change so drastically, but I do have a clue.
First, you have to understand that Obito was there when Rin was impaled by Kakashi's chidori. Due to the circumstances, I quickly transported Rin and Kakashi away so Obito never had the chance to see me heal her.
This was the situation that bothered me the most.
Why was he there at that time?
Did he know Rin and Kakashi were in trouble?
If so, how?
I've always been thinking about it, but the timing of his arrival was too convenient-no it was too perfect. It was as if someone sent him to see the love of his life die in front of his eyes.
Someone had been manipulating him…someone close to him.
Most likely the person who saved him and gave him Hashirama cells.
I'm not 100% sure who that could have been, but I do have a name.
After telling him that she was still alive as he lay half dead in front of me, he screamed one name with such hatred and betrayed that I can only come to the logical conclusion that that individual played an integral role in Obito's change.
That name is
Zetsu.
By this point, some of the light had returned to Minato's eyes as his gaze became serious.
"Huh, what another twist. There is someone capable of manipulating an Uchiha? The masters of manipulation?" Kurama began in intrigue. "My money is on another Uchiha. Only an Uchiha could manipulate another Uchiha. That's all they ever excel at anyway."
Kushina ignored him. "It seems like there was more to what caused Obito to make that decision." She said with the slimmest traces of relief leaking through her tone. "I told you, it's not your fault." She stated again as she gently rubbed his head.
Minato smiled lightly and lifted his head before looking at Kushina sincerely. "Thank you…for believing in me." He said before leaning in and kissing her deeply.
"Ugh, are you two going to mate again? If so please remember to cut off our connection this time."
That snapped her out of it.
With an internal angry blush, Kushina regretfully separated and looked at the scroll. "Let's at least finish reading what he has to say."
With a calm smile, Minato nodded.
Now, you may be asking how long I knew this for?
Well, ever since the Four-Tails attack.
Your next question is why I never told you.
Simple.
I knew exactly how you would feel.
Like you had failed at being parental figures.
That you had failed at being a good influence.
What would you two have done had you known?
I didn't want you to be burdened with that.
Therefore, I took it upon myself to take care of the issue.
Do know, however, that before he died, Obito saved my life.
The entire sequence of events is complex and involves things I'm not aware of yet, but I do know that you should keep a vigilant eye out for a particular mercenary group.
The Akatsuki.
Obito seemed to have played a role in its formation, but another member of that group tried to kill both me and him while we had been weakened from our fight.
Be wary of him.
He calls himself Pain and he appears to be from Amegakure or at the very least he is a missing-nin from there.
But most important than that is his eyes…
I'd never seen anything like it.
They were quite frightening
I drew a picture below.
Here's to hoping you two can figure out what they are and why they caused my skin to crawl.
Minato and Kushina looked on intently at the ripple patterned eye illustration.
"I wonder…" Minato began. "I feel like I've heard of these from somewhere…maybe Jiraiya would know?"
"Wait." Kushina began as she observed them with squinted eyes. "I think I vaguely remember my clan elders telling me stories about something about this…it was something about a sage of some sort. It is apparently a story from many centuries ago, but I forgot the details since I wasn't always the best listener…"
Minato twitched a smile before he thought of something. "If this happened centuries ago, maybe he knows something."
Kushina blinked a the suggestion and decided that it made a lot of sense.
"Kurama, do those eyes look familiar to you?"
"…"
"Kurama?"
"…That shouldn't be possible."
"What's wrong?"
Inside Kushina's mindscape, Kurama's body was erect and alert. "Those eyes…I haven't seen them in almost a millennia, not since the Sage of Six Paths."
"That's what it was!" Kushina said in recollection.
"Not 'what it' it's 'who he'."
Minato looked at her intently. "What is?"
"The Sage of Six Paths." Kushina reiterated. "The elders of my clan would tell stories about how he saved the world from a terrifying beast and his eyes…they were legendary, considered the greatest dojutsu."
"Then, did it have a name?"
Kushina thought for a moment. "Hmm…was it the Rinnesharingan? Or maybe the sharinnegan? Or maybe-"
"How the hell can you come so close but be so off? They're called the Rinnegan."
"Ahh, I remember! It's called the Rinnegan!"
"…"
"Rinnegan…" Minato let the words roll off his tongue as he sank in thought. "I'll have to make sure to get intel on the Akatsuki and what their goals are. Whoever Pein is, he is undoubtedly dangerous if he really has such eyes."
Kurama scoffed. "There's no way this fake has abilities anywhere near the Sage."
"Even so, the fact that he has such a dojutsu is enough to be of concern. If he has even a fraction of the Sage of Six Path's power, then according to what my elders told me, he would still be incredibly dangerous."
"Hmph, whatever. He's not my problem anyway."
Kushina internally rolled her eyes before she opened the scroll a bit more and read, along with Minato, what was within.
Even if you can't find anything about them, just make sure to pay attention to Amegakure. I remember people talking about a god and an Angel there. If this Pain has anything to do with it, it would be best to exercise extreme caution.
I think you'll be fine though.
Tell Mito I'm sorry and not to hate me or I'll be sad.
Also, I'll bring back some souvenirs from my travels, so tell her to look forward to it.
Keep watch of Naruto. He's an interesting kid. He has a good heart, that one.
Tell Kotoe she's the best and that I'll miss her lap pillows (god they are so soft).
If you ever see a woman by the name of Mei Terumi of Kirigakure, please explain that I left due to extenuating circumstances and that I enjoyed our night together.
Love you both and stay safe.
If I come back to find any of you dead, I'll destroy the shinobi nations.
Kidding.
Maybe not…
(P.S. If you guys hear anything about the Valley of the End suddenly and unexplainably being replaced by a vast expanse of bare ground, do note that it was definitely not because of Obito's fight with me.
It had always been that way.)
Kushina looked on blankly. "…He slept with a woman already?"
"That's what stood out to you? Not the fact that he threatened to destroy the world if you all died? Nor the suspicious message he left at the end? Really?" Kurama asked inside Kushina's mind.
But then he thought about it for a little…"That being said, I can't say I don't like his style. Good riddance to that stupid valley. Honestly, I couldn't stand the fact that that stupid Uchiha had a monument set up half the size of his ego. Don't even get me started on that simpleton Senju."
"He's all grown up," Minato stated with a cool smile. "I wonder what she looks like? I hope he used protection…Maybe we should form an alliance with Kiri?"
"Hmph, he better take responsibility," Kushina stated as she took the scroll from Minato's hand and rolled it up. "Speaking of…" she straddled Minato with a coy smile and tossed the scroll aside. "You need to take responsibility for what you started."
"Ugh, please reme-"
Kushina shut him out.
"Now then…" The redhead began as she wrapped her arms around Minato's neck.
Minato wrapped his arms around her waist before he paused for a moment. " …The kids though."
"The seals say they went back to sleep," Kushina stated as she leaned in close. "As long as you're quiet we should be fine."
"Oh?" Minato began as he lifted Kushina up and lay her below him on the couch. "Last time I checked, you were the screamer."
Kushina smiled seductively. "Then make me."
A booming knock filled with anxiousness sounded out from behind their front door.
Both Minato and Kushina paused.
"Ignore it." The Hokage stated.
Just as he moved in for the capture, Kushina stopped him, resting her hand on his chest. "Wait, they feel very tense…uneasy."
Minato raised a brow. "How would you know that?"
"Kurama can sense negative emotions." She stated as she got out from underneath him and moved towards the door.
Minato followed after her. "Since when…?"
Before Kushina thought to answer, her hand was already on the doorknob before she swung it open.
"Lord Hokage! It's terrible!" An individual in front of numerous other shinobi anxiously stated as he stood outside the Hokage's door.
Minato blanked for a moment before sighing. "…The Valley of the End is gone-"
"The Valley of the End has completely vanished! There's no trace of it for-" The shinobi paused before asking. "Lord Hokage, how did you…?"
Minato and Kushina looked at each other and sighed.
-Yoru: Gamer-
"How did he…?" Kushina stated in silent awe.
The vast expanse of land for over a hundred kilometers was plain bare ground.
No landmarks demoting this area existed.
They were all gone.
And where the Valley of the End used to be was now just an empty crater, dozens of kilometers wide.
"I would need to charge a Bijuu Dama for a decently long period of time to get destruction anywhere near this scale…what a frightening kid." Kurama stated with some respect seeping through his tone.
Minato, meanwhile, deeply exhaled, his cranium aching. "Why?"
"That's the same question I wanted to ask you," Rasa stated as he floated some distance away on a gold dust cloud, his forces behind him. "The Valley bordered our two countries so when some of my men came to tell me that it had suddenly disappeared, you can imagine my disbelief. You wouldn't happen to know anything, would you?"
Minato looked at the destruction for a moment before shaking his head. "I have no clue. Maybe some tailed beasts fought each other? The Four-Tails should have reformed by now and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki had suddenly vanished a few years back. Maybe they met up and didn't like each other?"
"…Is that so?" Rasa stated with a blank gaze that demonstrated how little he truly believed that statement. "Those beasts are truly dangerous weapons of mass destruction if they can cause destruction on this scale." He narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the Hokage. "That sort of power really shouldn't be concentrated in one place, wouldn't you agree?"
"I agree sincerely," Minato stated with a smile. "It's a good thing they aren't, Isn't it?"
Rasa stared at the blond-haired Hokage for a few moments later before he took once more glance at the surrounding destruction. "Let's go. There's nothing much for us to do here anyway." Saying so, Rasa turned away and flew back to home base, his forces on the ground following right behind him.
"Hmm, I don't think he likes us much." Kushina muttered.
"What gave you that idea?"
"Probably the negative emotions. Can't be sure."
"Hmph."
"Let's leave." Minato stated as he shook his head, "There's nothing for us to do here."
Kushina smiled and wrapped her arms around one of Minato's own and whispered. "Then maybe we can continue where we left off…?"
Minato's eyebrows jumped for a fraction of a second before a minuscule smile donned his lips.
-Yoru: Gamer-
Mei Terumi opened her eyes and batted her lashes a few times before she sat up and pushed back a few strands of hair. Feeling the empty spot beside her, she sighed. "You couldn't at least wait till the morning…?"
She looked around before her gaze focused on the bed stand where a scroll lay where there hadn't been one last night. With a look of intrigue, she leaned forward and took the scroll before opening it.
Sorry for ditching you after our fun night, I had to go kill my friend you see.
He was becoming much too troublesome for me to leave alone.
Don't worry, I'll be back pretty soon so wait for me.
In the meantime, you should work on your stamina in bed.
Don't practice with other people though.
I will probably find out and kill them.
Joking.
Maybe not…
Mei paused and flushed in embarrassment for a moment before she took a breath to calm herself down.
She continued to read.
Anyway, I'm not good with this kind of thing so here's a flower to illustrate the depths of your blinding beauty.
Let's do this again sometime.
As she reached the end of the scroll, Mei saw a sealing inscription and an area on which she could supplant it with chakra.
After she did so, there was a puff followed by a cloud of smoke before an intricate flower appeared on her palm. There was fluorescent lava trapped within a crystal of ice that was shaped into a flower.
She smiled. "Charmer."
-Yoru: Gamer-
"You failed in killing him, Nagato."
In a dark room, a man with pale white skin, straight red hair, and purple eyes with a ripple pattern stood inside a mechanical walker. The ribs clearly visible from his skin and his sunken stomach lay evidence to the fact that he was deeply emancipated and could barely move on his own. Numerous black rods jutted from his back and creates a frightening image.
Nagato looked at Black Zetsu gravely. "Why are you here?"
"I see you are still in this unfortunate state." Zetsu stated as he scanned Nagato up and down.
Nagato's eyes narrowed in severity. "Choose your next words carefully."
From behind Black Zetsu came the Yahiko Deva Path of Pain.
Zetsu remained calm, "I know of a way to save you from your current state and return your body to its maximum capacity. All I need is your cooperation."
The Deva Path paused in its advancement while Nagato narrowed his eyes displaying deep skepticism.
"Explain."
-Yoru: Gamer-
There was a tree fluorescing with uncountable numbers of flickering lights.
Yoru appeared within the deepest layer of his soul before his astral body flashed through past the numerous illuminated worlds of the tree.
Appearing in front of J, Yoru froze.
Slowly but surely, small notes of light were flying off of J and disappearing into the void.
"What…?"
"10 human years," J stated as he looked as his slowly vanishing hands. "You gained conscious when your body was 4 years of age and now it's 14. My mission has been completed."
Yoru tightly knit his brows. "What exactly does that mean?"
"I'll explain, but isn't there something you want to ask first?"
Yoru simply nodded. "Yeah, what is wrong with my status screen? I have no levels and what's with the stat total?"
"You could just use the help function…" J stated, gently shaking his head. "You no longer need levels to progress as your strength is wholly dependent on your stats and Tier. Ever tier, from 10-C up to 5-A is given based on your stat total which is the sum of all you're stats: STR + VIT + DEX + INT + WIS + ENGY."
Yoru furrowed his brows. "What is the point of that?"
"It acts as a power level of sorts for you to quickly measure your aptitude compared to your opponents. And every increase in tier requires a minimum stat total. Tier increases will give you a greater bonus in stat effectiveness which basically increases the effects of your stats. Here:"
J opened up a screen.
Stat Total per Tier
10-C Total Stats: 1 - 10
10-B Total Stats: 10 - 20
10-A Total Stats: 20 - 40
9-C Total Stats: 40 - 80
9-B Total Stats: 80 - 160
9-A Total Stats: 160 - 320
8-C Total Stats: 320 - 640
8-B Total Stats: 640 - 1,280
8-A Total Stats: 1,280 - 2,560
7-C Total Stats: 2,560 - 5,120
7-B Total Stats: 5,120 - 10,240
7-A Total Stats: 10,240 - 20,480
6-C Total Stats: 20,480 - 40,960
6-B Total Stats: 40,960 - 81,920
6-A Total Stats: 81,920 - 163,840
6-A+ Total Stats: 163,840 - 327,680
5-C Total Stats: 327,680 - 655,360
5-B Total Stats: 655,360 - 1,310,720
5-A Total Stats: 1,310,720 - 2,621,440 (*1*)
Stat Effectiveness Bonus per Tier
10-C: 100.0%
10-B: 105.0%
10-A: 110.0%
9-C: 120.0%
9-B: 130.0%
9-A: 140.0%
8-C: 155.0%
8-B: 170.0%
8-A: 185.0%
7-C: 205.0%
7-B: 225.0%
7-A: 245.0%
6-C: 270.0%
6-B: 295.0%
6-A: 320.0%
6-A+: 350.0%
5-C: 385.0%
5-B: 420.0%
5-A: 455.0%
Yoru took it all in. "Huh, that's neat…"
"Everything now will mainly rely on your own efforts an any missions you receive will only reward you with stat points. EXP is no longer necessary nor required."
Yoru memorizes the information before his gaze became serious as he saw the rate of J's body vanishing increase. "You never really told me what you meant what you said we were the same."
J looked up at the numerous flickering lights of the Tree. "In the beginning, we were simply a formless entity that existed along with the Tree. We actually had a sort of symbiotic relationship: We would 'prune' the tree, so to speak, by devouring decaying or broken multiverses and in turn, the tree would be allowed to continually expand in its already infinite size and influence. Of course, there was a caveat. If we stopped gaining sustenance from the tree, we would eventually cease to exist. Our existences were intricately interlinked, but it was all fine because we were merely a being of instinct. Why would we care about any of that if we could just eat and survive?"
"Why do you keep saying we…?"
He was ignored.
"Fast forward a few eternities and we inexplicably developed a sense of self. In psychological terms, an EGO and that was when we realized how meaningless our existence was."
"Because our life was wholly dependent on the tree, we were unable to move up in 'tier'…We were stagnant, living a purposeless existence."
"We sought to change that."
"We sent merely infinitesimally small fragments of our being into numerous realities to learn from them…to study what We could to solve our predicament. We did many things…devoured numerous realities for our purpose…realities that weren't broken or decayed."
"Some natives who could understand our existence in those dimensional realities gave us a name…Jormungand, the world-devouring serpent."
"So We took that form."
"After eons exploring the numerous planes of realities, we finally found the solution to our problem."
J paused for a beat.
Yoru raised a brow. "And that was…?"
J intently gazed at Yoru. "In order to become independent of the Tree, we needed to become a completely different existence to sever our connection. A large piece of what was once 'us' was sent into a vessel we created that was disconnected from our existence. That vessel would grow up and assimilate into the world they were born in. That was you."
Yoru became speechless for a moment "...Oh"
"You were given small glimpses of information about the worlds we had visited in the past so that you wouldn't go insane or be easily influenced. In the meantime, I would stay in the background and support you, making sure that you grew relatively safely."
"Then why are you disappearing now…?" Yoru asked as he watched J continually fade.
"After your body was finished growing and your essence was implanted into it, you were slowly assimilated into the world while our connection grew distant. After a decade of that and me not devouring anything from the tree, the assimilation would be complete. With that, you would truly be a separate entity but I would be incomplete and starved. I would have to disappear."
Yoru remained silent for a moment. "That sucks…"
"Not really. You still exist so I will technically be alive in a sense. Besides…" J paused and smiled. "Did you know?" He asked as only his upper half remained visible while the rest of his body had disappeared. "In Japanese, my name can roughly translate to Yorumungando…a piece of our past will always be with you."
Yoru's eyes magnified.
"Relax and have fun with your life. There's a bunch of worlds waiting for you." J stated only his face remaining.
"Wait, didn't you say that we existed to support this Tree? What will happen if you disappear?"
J shrugged. "Not my problem and you should not make it yours either. Existence has a way of balancing itself out so it'll all work out anyway. Besides, even if something does happen, it would take innumerable years for the effects to be evident in your life." He looked at Yoru gently. "Don't let your existence go to waste."
He vanished.
Yoru stood in silence, his brain contemplating what he had just heard.
He gently shook his head, "He was right, it doesn't really matter."
-Yoru: Gamer-
Yoru opened his eyes and gazed at his trusted partner for a moment before stroking her scales.
His eyes became serious, "Now then, let's see where we can take our vacation."
Ping!
ID: Travel (Active):
You are connected to the numerous worlds of the Tree. [ID: Travel] also known as [Inter-Dimensional Travel] allows you to travel to new worlds and explore new places. Access the list of Worlds and choose the world you want to visit.
Worlds Visited:
→Naruto (Alternate)
List of worlds (Worlds with a ❗️ are potentially dangerous to you. Each ❗️ signifies the tier difference between you and the applicable individual of that world)
→Naruto (Shippūden) [Highly Recommended ❗️]
→MCU [Highly Recommended ❗️to ❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️]
→Toriko [Highly Recommended ❗️ to❗️❗️]
→Bleach [Highly Recommended ❗️]
→Jojo's BA [Recommended ❗️❗️]
→Nanatsu no Taizai [Recommended ❗️]
→Nasuverse [Recommended ❗️to❗️❗️❗️❗️]
→Hunter X Hunter [Recommended]
→One Piece [Recommended]
→Akame ga Kill [Recommended]
→Pokemon [Recommended ❗️to❗️❗️❗️❗️]
→Dragon Ball Z [Not Recommended ❗️to❗️❗️]
→Dragon Ball Super [❗️❗️to❗️❗️❗️❗️]
→Attack on Titan [Not Recommended]
→Boku no Hero Academia [Neutral]
→Fairy Tail [Neutral]
→High School DxD [Neutral ❗️❗️]
→…
(Cooldown: 3 months)
Yoru was somewhat overwhelmed with the innumerable options. Taking a quick moment to calm himself, he focused on the first handful of worlds and narrowed his eyes. "Naruto Shippūden…?"
He knew the names of the worlds and had some of the very basic information about what they were, but J did not impart with him any more than that.
There was still a lot he didn't know.
Clicking the top world that was so heavily recommended, a description popped up.
Ping!
Naruto (Shippūden) [Highly Recommended❗️]
It is an alternate reality based on a world in which you did not exist. It takes place around 12-13 years after you're current time period. Would you like to travel to this world?
Y/N?
It wasn't much information, but because Yoru already knew what there was to know about this world, there didn't need to be any more information than that. Brows furrowed in contemplation, Yoru thought about what he could achieve traveling to a seemingly future version of the world he was currently in…
His eyes sharpened. "What happened to cause Obito to become that way? Who is Pain? And what is Zetsu…" were the questions that immediately occupied his mind as he thought is what he would accomplish.
His hands slipped to his sides. "I've decided Levia. It seems like we don't quite have unfinished business with this place after all."
She looked at me in confusion and tilted her head with a hiss?
Yoru rubbed his chin as he looked at her. "It would be easier to explain if I could show you-"
Ping!
Would you like to grant your familiar [Levia] access to prompts?
Y/N?
Yoru blinked. "Where the heck was this before…?"
Shaking his head, Yoru offhandedly clicked Y.
Levia looked at the display curiously. "What is this?"
He froze for a moment. "…did you just speak human?"
"No…?" She stated with innocent confusion.
Yoru opened his mouth but closed it. "I think I see what it is…" he said as he removed Levia's access to the prompts.
She blinked in confusion as they disappeared.
hiss?
Yoru gave her back access.
"Oh, they're back. Big bro, what did you do?"
Yoru paused before a thought came to his mind. "Call me Onii-Chan."
"…Onii-Chan?"
A wide grin made its way in Yoru's face before he rubbed his cheek against Levia. "Ahh, you're too adorable!"
"Stop, it tickles." She stated as she wriggled around.
With a smile, Yoru places her on his shoulder before his gaze turned serious once more. "As you see, we are going to an alternative dimension of this world's future."
"I don't see that anywhere…I just see words with exclamation points next to them."
"Oh yeah…you wouldn't know…" shaking his head, Yoru just stated. "Anyway, that's what we are doing. Are you ready?"
"Yes!"
Yoru beamed and clicked Y on the prompt asking him to travel to that world.
And everything distorted.
In a few days, I'm going to go through all my chapters and Remove my author's notes because the story is complete with this chapter. Just an fyi so that when you get that surge of notifications, you don't think I've come out with a new chapter or something. On an unrelated note, my DC-Gamer story is up on 'My Stories' so for you men and women of culture who are interested in a 'plot' filled story, check it out. Don't expect too much from it.
What warrants those danger ratings in those worlds?
→Naruto (Shippūden) [❗️] = Kaguya/Momoshiki
→MCU [❗️to ❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️] = The One Above All
→Toriko [❗️ to❗️❗️] = Acacia's Gourmet Demon ate countless stars
→Bleach [❗️] = Thousand Year Blood War arc Aizen/Soul King Absorbed Yhwach (Though his hax make him 1000x more deadly than his tier)
→Jojo's BA [❗️❗️] = Heaven Ascension Dio
→Nanatsu no Taizai [❗️] = Demon King/Supreme Deity/Post-purgatory Meliodas (The reason they are at this tier ties in with my new system and their system of power levels)
→Nasuverse [❗️to❗️❗️❗️❗️] = BB/Archetype: Earth (Arcrueid Brunestud)/Kiara Sessyoin
→Pokemon [❗️to❗️❗️❗️❗️] = Arceus/Dialga/Palkia/Giratina
→Dragon Ball Z [❗️to❗️❗️] = I shouldn't have to explain
→Dragon Ball Super [❗️❗️to❗️❗️❗️❗️] = Gods of Destruction/Zeno/See above
→High School DxD [❗️❗️] = Ophis/Great Red (Note: No clue how strong they, but Great Red is said to be capable of destroying the various worlds of the mythologies in a battle with Trihexa so I'm playing it safe. Don't want to wank him)
The effects of Puberty on Gamer's Mind occurred long before Yoru regained access to his status screen.
Also, "Stat Total" has nothing to do with stat points. It simply represents the sum of all his stats (STR + VIT + DEX + INT + WIS + ENGY = Stat Total). The reasoning for this new addition to his stat page is explained in this chap.
stylo1: Yoru's stat updates are from the time when he lost his status screen (back in chapter 23) up till now. Also, remember there was a time skip explained in chapter 28.
Arya970: He didn't have access to his system screens remember? Using observe at that point in time would have allowed him to understand the capabilities of the people around him, but no numerical values would have appeared.
