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Pushing Through the Limit Chapter 59: Light and Dark
🕑 Added 2024-12-20 05:15:33 +0000 UTCOpening my eyes, I was met with a completely empty space that expended infinitely across the horizon. It was dimly lit, but I was able to see everything perfectly… Not that there was much to look at in the empty plane that I found myself in.
I let out a annoyed sigh. It didn’t work.
My attempts at contacting the Sanbi through use of the plane all Biju and Jinchuriki that were attuned with their Biju could access, only… The Sanbi was directly avoiding my attempts at contacting him.
“I told you that Isobu doesn’t like company,” Kurama said, his deep voice vibrating the air. “You’re physically going to have to confront him if you want to talk to him.”
“I know,” I sighed. “I was hoping that we would have been able to do things the easy way for once, but it seems like that’s not going to be possible.”
Turning around, I was greeted by Kurama's massive form. Now that he had merged with his Yin half, he was back to his original size, which was nothing less than titanic, while his Chakra capacity doubled in size. With the raw power he exuded, it was easy for me to see now why Kurama was considered a force of nature.
It truly was a testament to Hashirama’s strength that he was able to beat Madara who used Kurama alongside his Susanoo. Even after everything I’d put myself through in order to grow stronger and I was only just beginning to see the level Hashirama was at.
“Trust me,” Kurama chuckled deeply. “Confronting him will be the easier path.”
He wasn’t exactly wrong there. Out of all the Biju, Kurama was the strongest. Even with only half his Chakra, he was able to create a Bijuudama that equaled one that was formed by five other Biju. With his Yin half, he’d probably be able to fight off the rest of the Biju.
But at the same time, I couldn’t exactly use his Chakra… At least not without letting the world know that I was in Kiri.
“Sure,” I replied. “Let’s do this.”
…PTL…
Feeling my consciousness return to my body, I was greeted to the misty shores of one of Kiri’s larger lakes… More specifically, the one that was believed to be the source of the hallucinogenic mist that had been spreading across the Land of Water.
“So, how’d it go this time? You make any progress with the Sanbi?” Anko asked suddenly, causing the impromptu fourth member of our team and Kiri’s last remaining swordsman to jump.
Chōjūrō was technically serving as our guide. Unofficially, he was around to observe what we did in Kiri, making sure that we didn’t do anything that would negatively impact their village and, if I had to guess, see if Konoha was open to cooperating with them.
“Not great,” I said, dusting my cloak as I stood up. “The Sanbi doesn’t seem open to communicating, so we’re going to have to try bring him to the surface instead.”
“Um,” Chōjūrō began, fidgeting in an unsure manner. “How exactly would one go about doing that?”
“Simple,” I replied. Throwing a Kunai off into the distance, I formed a few Shadow Clones that immediately dived into the lake. “I’ll just have one of my clones use the Hiraishin to force the Sanbi out of the water.” One of them was bound to find him.
Blinking, Chōjūrō suddenly looked nervous and more than a little disturbed. “Your…” He gulped audibly. “Your clones can use the Hiraishin too?”
Right, I’d forgotten how horrifying that must seem from an outside perspective. Not only was I a Jinchuriki and capable of using one of the most revered techniques in the world, my clones were capable of it too. Having even a single marker in the country was a major security risk for Kiri and I’d already left a few here and there.
Outside of killing me, which Kiri wouldn’t attempt so long as Mei was the Mizukage, the only other option Kiri would have to ensure their village was safe would be to find all of my markers, or ensuring that our villages remained on good terms.
“They can,” I nodded slowly. “Although they do…” I paused and turned towards the lake. One of my clones had just been dispelled with a few more following suit a few seconds later.
Walking up to the lake, I placed my hand on its surface, feeling the way it vibrated. Even without entering Sage Mode, I was able to feel the massive amount of Chakra that was building up in the dark depths below.
The water began to rippling as large bubbles of fog tore free from the lake below, engulfing it in a thick white wall of mist.
“We need to … We need to leave right now,” Chōjūrō stuttered, getting ready to run as the mist began to near our location. “If we can get far enough away, the effects of the mist shouldn’t be as bad.”
“You can relax, I left one of my markers with your Mizukage,” I replied. “The moment this gets too out of hand, I’ll bring us all back to Kiri.”
“But what about…”
White hot flames poured across the lake, boiling the top of it as the flames collided with the mist, superheating it. The air began to grow thicker as the entire lake was filled with steam. The Sanbi’s hallucinogenic mist was rendered harmless as it was carried upward into the atmosphere by the hot air and steam where it would break down after a short amount of time.
Releasing her technique, Anko wiped her forehead as she turned towards us. “You think that should do it?”
“I think so, yeah,” I replied.
If any of the Sanbi’s mist remained, it was so little that it wouldn’t have that much of an effect on us, if any. The steam began to thin as the cooler air of the Land of Water began to flood in, helping it dissipate.
“I… Don’t think that I’ve ever seen mist beaten in such a way before,” Chōjūrō noted, now regarding Anko with weary respect. “If I may ask… What’s the plan regarding the Sanbi now?”
It was a fair question. I’d already tried communicating with the Sanbi and attempted to transport him to the surface… Not that he knew that. The only other option we had… Outside of leaving him alone, which was a no go… Was to force him to the surface.
“I’m going to get his attention,” I replied, stepping out onto the lake's surface. “You might want to take a few steps back.”
Holding my hand towards the lake, golden Chakra manifested itself around my arm in a partial Chakra cloak as a small black sphere began to grow in front of me.
“We’re going to need a bigger Bijuudama than that if we’re going to get Isobu’s attention.” Kurama commented. “That would barely damage a version 2 cloak, let alone a full sized Biju.”
‘How big should I make it?’
The Bijuudama immediately swelled to the size of a small house, before it was condensed down to the size of a human, causing the lake to shake violently below its enormous weight.
“That big,” Kurama said, sounding far too amused. “Now go ahead and throw it before Isobu has time to swim away.”
Nodding, I took a breath as I pressed forward. Water sprayed up and parted from the Bijuudama, as if it was consciously dodging it as the large ball of explosive Chakra made its way towards the bottom of the lake.
Quickly making my way back to the lake side, I began to wait.
A few silent moments passed before the Bijuudama finally detonated. The water shook violently, growing stronger by the second as waves crashed into the shore.
The lake seemed to explode as a massive amount of water was kicked high into the atmosphere, emptying out a decent portion while also revealing the Sanbi’s glaring form sitting at the bottom of the rapidly refilling lake.
“It looks like we’ve gotten his attention,” Kurama commented eagerly. “This is going to be fun.”
Crawling forward, the Sanbi’s form disappeared into the turbulent waters. Furiously swimming towards us, it kicked up a mass of water.
Launching itself out of the water, it flew high into the air before it began to fall to our position. Curling in on itself, the Sanbi began to spin in a manner similar to an Akimichi. Its spiked shell poised to do as much damage as possible.
Grabbing onto Anko, Chōjūrō and Shizune, I teleported us into the forest just as the Sanbi made contact with the ground, sending shockwaves throughout the general area as it cratered the ground.
“So that’s the Sanbi, huh,” Anko muttered, looking off into the direction we’d just been standing. A roar sounded through the forest, toppling a few trees. “I gotta say, you really know how to piss it off.”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “We’re going to have to immobilize it for a few seconds so I can form a connection,” I said, glancing towards Shizune and Chōjūrō. “Maybe the two of you should…”
“I might not be as strong as you or Anko, but I am still a member of this team,” Shizune interrupted.
Beating the Sanbi on my own wouldn’t be too hard. Even without using Mokuton, I still had a number of options available to me. The hard part would be making sure that no one was hurt.
I sighed as I felt the ground shake, the Sanbi was making its way towards us. There wasn’t any time to argue.
“If you’re staying, then you might need this,” I said. Tapping Shizune, I give her enough of my Chakra that, should the situation call for it, I could activate a Chakra cloak. As for Chōjūrō… “You, on the other hand, should probably retreat to a safe distance.”
“The Mizukage entrusted me to guide you three,” Chōjūrō began nervously. “I can’t just abandon my duty.”
“Then try not to die,” I said, patting him on the shoulder, giving him a small amount of Chakra as well. At the very least, I would be able to use the Hiraishin on Chōjūrō in order to move him out of harm’s way. It wouldn’t look good for Konoha if Chōjūrō died on my watch.
Seeing the Sanbi’s approaching form from above the treetops, I formed a massive Rasengan and brought it down into its shell just as it broke through only to be sent skidding backwards as the Sanbi powered through it.
Anchoring myself to the ground with Chakra, I entered Sage Mode and pushed back against the Biju, slowing its momentum.
“I hope you didn’t think I’d let you have all the fun.” Anko smirked as she appeared behind me. Placing her hands against my back, she helped in halting the Sanbi’s charge.
Spinning on the spot in an effort to crush us, it soon became clear that the Sanbi wasn’t going to crush us while I had my Rasengan. Stopping, a single moment passed before the Sanbi’s tail lashed out, swatting my massive Rasengan to the side.
Jumping back, Anko prepared to counterattack while I remained in my spot. Leaning forward the Sanbi stared down at me, its lone eye narrowing into a glare that I weathered without effort.
“Out of all the other Biju that I’ve met, you are, by far, the most difficult… And that’s saying something, because I’ve met both Shukaku and Kurama,” I muttered softly. Isobu’s lone eye widened in surprise at hearing those names. “I didn’t come here to fight… I came to talk. Madara…”
Rearing back, Isobu let out a deafening roar that shook the forest. Shaking his head, the whites of his eye slowly began to turn red. Thrashing around, Isobu glared down at me before he tried to crush me with his tail.
Landing on a treetop, I watched as the Sanbi headed towards me, crushing everything that got in his way.
‘Kurama, what’s happening here?’ The conversation was going so well. Isobu seemed like he was willing to hear what I had to say until I mentioned Madara.
“I would imagine that Isobu isn’t exactly fond of that name. It seems that bringing Madara up drove him into a rage,” Kurama mused. “Obito did enslave his former Jinchuriki, using him to do terrible things. I already hate Madara, but if I had to experience that… Let’s just say, I wouldn’t be receptive to hearing that name either.”
Throwing one of my Kunai to a distant tree, I teleported to it just as Isobu crushed my old one.
‘Any idea on how we can snap him out of it?’
“Not really,” Kurama hummed. “Maybe try subduing him… At least that way he won’t continue making a mess of the landscape.”
Roaring in frustration, Isobu turned towards my new location, but instead of mindlessly charging towards me, he instead, brought his tails overhead forming a Bijuudama.
Removing one of my Kunai, I began cycling through the necessary seals that would allow me to teleport the Bijuudama without touching the ball of violent energy. Sensing where Anko, Chōjūrō and Shizune were, I found their Chakra signatures some distance behind Isobu with Anko being the nearest.
Since they were so close, I was going to have to send the Bijuudama somewhere else. I didn’t want them getting caught in the crossfire.
Just as it seemed the Bijuudama was ready to be fired, Isobu suddenly jumped in surprise. Looking over his shoulder, he swung his tail down, shaking the land. Lifting his tail in order to complete the Bijuudama, only to find his tail was stuck.
Attempting to tug his tail free, the Sanbi found something pulling him off his feet instead. Rolling onto his side, Isobu was swung around, before being thrown off some distance away. His Bijuudama cracked and crumbled away without him having had the chance to condense it.
Crushing several dozen trees as he landed, Isobu barely had a moment to himself. The very ground beneath him suddenly came alive as sharp spires of stone shot out, stabbing into his skin and shell, immobilizing him in a matter of seconds.
Straining against the stone, it cracked, but didn’t give.
Having watched all of this, I teleported to the marker Anko had who was breathing heavily as she took in the Sanbi’s restrained form.
“Bout time you showed up,” Anko huffed, leaning on her Kusanagi as she slowly regained her stamina. “Not that it matters… I got him right where I want him,” She smiled smugly, sweat pouring down her face.
The stone spires imprisoning the Sanbi cracked loudly as coral began to grow in between them, causing the structures to crumble and break.
“You sure about that?” I asked.
“Oh for fucks sake!” Anko moaned.
Thrashing about, the Sanbi managed to shatter what remained of its stone prison, letting out a loud roar that shook the forest as it freed itself.
Glaring down at us, it took a single step forward, only for a root to burst forth from the ground, preventing it from continuing its path.
Clenching my hands together, several more roots shot out of the ground, wrapping around the Sanbi’s form before tugging it down to the ground, maturing into fully grown trees within a matter of seconds. It didn’t take long before the Sanbi was fully immobilized.
“Mokuton,” Anko muttered under her breath.
“I was originally saving this for when I needed it, but now seemed like an appropriate time,” I said, examining Isobu’s wooden constraints, ensuring that he wouldn’t be able to free himself like he had done with Anko’s stone spires. This was my first time restraining a Biju and I wanted to make sure that I did it right.
Making her way over, Anko glanced at the restrained Biju before turning back to me. “Okay, I thought it was only the Fourth Hokage, but… Just how many Hokage are you related to?”
“I suppose you could say I’m somewhat related to the First and Second Hokage… Although it’s extremely distant,” I replied. “The Senju and Uzumaki clans share a common ancestor.”
“I suppose that’s as good as any explanation as to why you’re capable of using Mokuton,” Anko hummed. “Although it’s not the truth, is it?”
“Not exactly,” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. “I…”
“Tell me about it later,” Anko interrupted suddenly. “For now, just act natural.”
Shizune landed in the flattened section of the forest with Chōjūrō following only a few moments later. Clenching Hiramekarei tightly, he took a cautious step towards Isobu, examining the massive tree that was managing to restrain the Biju.
“Is… Is that… Wood?” Chōjūrō asked shakily. “Like the First Hokage?”
“Well, seeing as it’s a living tree that’s restraining the Sanbi…” Anko trailed off. “No, it’s not wood at all… In fact, it’s actually ice.”
Shizune slapped her palm to her face.
“Really?” Chōjūrō asked, sounding almost hopeful.
Anko could only laugh at him for that, making the swordsman blush in embarrassment.
“M…Moving on,” Chōjūrō stuttered, readjusting his glasses. “Mizukage-sama will be happy to know that the mission was a success… And with so little damage too. Capturing a Biju without anyone dying is almost unheard of. We should go back and tell her the news.”
“In a minute,” I muttered, walking up to the Biju in question.
The Sanbi wasn’t in the right state of mind and I wasn’t going to make the same mistake Hashirama did and just hand him over like he was nothing but a bargaining chip.
Isobu was a living, breathing being and deserved to have the right to give his own opinions and make his own decisions.
Ignoring Chōjūrō further questions, I walked up to Isobu and placed my hand against his head, connecting my Chakra with the Biju’s own. The world began to fade.
…PTL…
An inky blackness surrounded me, obscuring my surroundings, but oddly enough, not me. Looking down at my hands, I found that I was still able to see them with perfect clarity. Crouching down, I touched the obscured ground beneath me and pulled back, only to find that a small portion of the floor had been revealed.
“This is new,” I muttered under my breath. “Any idea where we are, Kurama?” I asked, looking around the darkness. “Kurama?”
“I’m still in here,” Kurama replied, his voice sounding through my mind. “Something’s not quite right with the connection. Isobu and I weren’t able to share a joined space. Instead, it seems that you’ve been dragged into Isobu’s mind.”
“Is it always this dark?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Kurama said, sounding a little exasperated. “I don’t talk to my siblings that often and never like this. This is a first for me too.”
Well, if this was a first for both of us, I may as well figure out what was going on and I think I know where to start.
Bringing my hands together, I flared my Chakra and watched as the darkness began to fizzle away, revealing a small pocket of space that was similar to that of a joined mindscape. Using more Chakra, a larger chunk of the mindscape was revealed along with the Sanbi’s massive form.
Glancing at me tiredly, Isobu turned around, heading into the darkness.
“Wait.”
“You should leave,” Isobu muttered. “I’m not in the mood to talk… Especially not about that man who refers to himself as Madara.”
“We don’t have to talk about Madara,” I replied, taking a step towards the Biju. “There are a lot of other things that’s going on. The Biju are…”
“I am aware,” Isobu sighed, turning towards me. “The masked man is planning on reviving the Jubi and using its potent Chakra to perform the Infinite Tsukuyomi. He placed my previous host in an all but unbreakable Genjutsu… While he wasn’t able to control his actions, he was able to hear everything that was going on, meaning I was able to hear that too. He often talked about his plans… He even removed his mask a few times. Tell me, do you want to know his true identity?”
“Uchiha Obito… He was my dad’s former student… And is the reason he’s dead,” I answered. “He’s also the reason Kurama attacked Konoha.”
“I see… Then you have everything you need,” Isobu hummed. “Knowledge of your enemy and a reason to kill them outside of simple revenge along with my brother’s help. With that, you’re bound to succeed.”
Stepping into the darkness, I followed after him, using my Chakra to reveal more of the mindscape.
“There’s a few more things I need to talk to you about,” I called out, running to keep up with the massive turtle.
“You’re an interesting human, I’ve never known anyone that was capable of dispelling the darkness as you do,” Isobu noted. Lowering his head, his lone eye locked onto me as he examined my form. “I see now. Your Chakra is quite similar to that of my father. That must be the reason why you are able to speed up the process…”
“You mind explaining that to me?” I asked, not really understanding what he was getting at.
“When the Sage created us, he made us nigh immortal. Even in the event where we do die, we will simply reform. It’s an unpleasant experience that I’ve had the misfortune to experienced a few times,” Isobu explained. “But, death does take time to recover from. This darkness being a prime example. You, however, seem quite capable of dissipating it, something that only the Sage of Six Paths should be capable of.”
So my Chakra was helping Isobu recover… Or something else was. It wasn’t that long ago when I wore the Shinigami’s mask after all. That might have had something to do with it.
“In short, your Chakra seems to have the same life shaping and giving quality that the Sage of Six Paths possessed,” Isobu continued. “Although, it doesn’t seem to be on the same scale as that of my father.”
Wait… Life shaping and giving quality… That sounded a lot like Hagoromo’s Creation of All Things… As in, Yin-Yang Style. I hadn’t even considered that I would be able to use that, but it made sense now that I thought about it, especially since I combined my cells with Sasuke’s.
Holding my hands out in front of me, I began to focus. Splitting my Chakra, I channeled Yang Style Chakra to my left hand while my lesser practice Yin Style Chakra flowed to my right hand.
Bringing my hands together, A significant portion of my Chakra was used as a bright flash of light shone through Isobu’s mindscape in the most basic form of Yin-Yang Style, before suddenly dying down, revealing a sudden lack of darkness.
I looked down at my hands, flexing my fingers. This had the potential to change things. Yin-Yang Style had the potential to do… Pretty much anything, so long as I understood how it worked. Restoring lost body parts, preventing the 8th gate from killing its user, creating life… Although that last one might require a Rinnegan.
One thing I was definitely going to have to test was if I could replicate Advanced Nature Transformation Bloodlines… It should be possible… At least in theory.
“Don’t you think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself?” Kurama asked.
‘Probably, yeah…’ I thought back. Kurama was right. I was definitely going to have to experiment with this when I returned to Konoha, but I had other things to focus on right now.
“Perhaps I was wrong,” Isobu muttered, glancing around his mindscape. “You do seem to have a talent for using my father’s techniques. Perhaps one day, you’ll have the same mastery of your Chakra as he did his.”
“Maybe,” I replied. As much as I’d like to continue talking to Isobu about Yin-Yang Style, now wasn’t the right time. “There is something I need to talk to you about concerning Obito and Kiri.”
Sighing, Isobu resigned himself to listen, no longer having a place to hide.
…PTL…
Chōjūrō waited nervously, occasionally shooting glances towards one of the Shinobi he had been ordered to watch, Uzumaki Naruto, the Kyuubi Jinchuriki who was capable of using the Fourth Hokage’s most famed techniques and seemingly the First Hokage’s Mokuton as well which was terrifying in its own right.
He was dangerous… Extremely dangerous, and now he could just randomly teleport into Kiri without anyone knowing. He could bring people along with him and even his clones could even use the Hiraishin. Kiri would have no way to defend against that.
Then there was the other one… Anko. She faced down the Sanbi just as eagerly as Naruto. She used the Kusanagi which was just as unique as his own sword, but the thing she did with that sword was what convinced him that she was completely insane… Extending it to stab at the base of the Sanbi’s tail… In other words, it’s ass.
It had worked as a distraction, but at the same time, it was definitely not something Chōjūrō would ever consider doing… Especially not against a Biju. Anko was also incredibly strong, capable of throwing the Sanbi and even temporarily restraining it.
The most normal member of the team seemed to be the Medical Shinobi, Shizune, but… He’d occasionally caught her muttering to herself, listing off various organs, their functions and the best way to take them apart and put them back together whenever she thought no one was listening to her... Sadly, he was listening to her because the rest of her team was crazy.
All in all, Konoha had sent a terrifying team filled with monsters in order to help Kiri. Chōjūrō wasn’t sure if having them here was a good thing or not, but one thing was certain… They had done the job. Now all they had to do was inform the Mizukage that the Sanbi was restrained and then he could move on to a less stressful mission.
As luck would have it, it appeared that Naruto was done with… Whatever it was he was doing.
“Are we going back to Kiri n…” Whatever Chōjūrō had to say died on his tongue as he watched the wood begin to retract from the Sanbi, freeing it from its constraints. Reaching behind his back, he grabbed his blade. “What’s going on?!”
“Hm… Oh, we don’t need them anymore. The Sanbi’s agreed to meet with your Mizukage in order to decide how he’ll work with your village.” As if to accentuate what the blonde Shinobi had just said, the Sanbi gave a nod and sat down, watching them with a dispassionate eye.
Chōjūrō heard a snapping sound as something broke in his brain. Konoha was insane and their Shinobi were monsters.
