326. A Lot to take in
A/N:- Don't forget to vote with power stones. Also, if you have spare change; then sign up on my pa treon to read up to 40+ advance chapters of this series and around 40 chapters of another series Naruto: The Weapon Shop Owner.
www.pa treon.com/ForgottenLife
---------------------
"That's a lot to take in!"
Tsunade remarks after listening to the story.
"Yeah! Perhaps it may sound like the plot of one of those fantasy novels in the Konoha library, but it's the reality."
Izuna chuckles dryly.
"Hmm… So, Izuna-kun, you suspect that the demons are behind this incident?" Minato asks him.
"I am hundred percent sure. It's them. Also, from my trip to Land of Sky; I discovered they had some involvement with the demons or they excavated some ruins of the demons in the past. Perhaps this can also explain their sudden rise in power during the Second Shinobi War."
Izuna speculates.
"But for now, let's focus on the enemies knocking on our doorsteps. Meanwhile, I will check the matter at HOLE. It might be another attempt of demons to make a comeback and spread their Thousand-year kingdom like in the past."
Izuna closes his eyes and senses the space near the HOLE.
'That barrier is quite powerful. I can't even sense anything in a radius of fifty kilometers around that place.'
"Alright, I am off!"
Shoom…
A portal opens in front of Izuna. He walks into the portal and disappears from the room.
After his departure, Minato and Tsunade stare at each other and sigh.
"Izuna-kun is so reliable. Just having him around eases half of our worries." Tsunade remarks with a smile.
"Yes, he has grown a lot during all these years. I clearly remember the day when I first met him." Minato reminisces the past memories.
-----------------
Around seventy kilometers from the HOLE,
Swoosh…
A portal with a purple hue opens up. Izuna steps out of the portal and looks around.
"Hmm… I am slightly off from the coordinates I picked up."
Shiing…
His left eye changes into Rinne-Sharingan and he looks around.
"As I suspected, my earlier speculation was correct. This place isn't isolated by a space-time barrier. Rather, it has been transported to some unknown dimension."
Shiing…
He infuses some chakra in his eye as the surrounding scenery changes.
Multiple bolts of chaotic energy flow through the space. Numerous invisible small-scale explosions keep occurring in the surroundings.
'This is the dimensional gap that separates two different dimensions. The space-time momentum is so chaotic here that even a slight disturbance can alter the fragile equilibrium of space-time and lead to the collapse of the entire surrounding hundred kilometers. I have to be extra careful.'
"Susanoo"
Izuna shrouds himself with his Susanoo and carefully walks through the chaotic dimensional gap. Invisible bolts of energy keep hammering his Susanoo. Cracks start to appear on the armor of his Susanoo.
Tch…
"I am still too far away from the barrier. If I continue to move at this pace, then my Susanoo will disperse before I could even make it to the barrier."
He stretches his palm and creates ten purple orbs. The purple orbs cover his Susanoo and form another layer of protection.
"Full speed ahead!"
Swoosh… Boom…
With a sonic boom, Izuna speeds up through the dimensional gap. The chaotic energy particles continue to bombard his Susanoo.
"Almost there!"
A red barrier appears in front of Izuna's eyes.
Whoosh…
Izuna lands beside the barrier and extends his hand to touch the barrier.
Bzzt… Sizzle…
Red lightning streaks at the point of contact.
"Hot… hot…"
Izuna immediately removes his hand from the barrier. Smoke rises from his hand as his hands heal slowly.
Hmm…
"It's a very powerful barrier. I am afraid my understanding of Fuinjutsu isn't sufficient to decipher it."
Izuna stares at the various unknown runes and seals on the surface of the barrier.
"Perhaps I can try to brute force my way by striking at the seals I am familiar with."
Haah….
Izuna takes a deep breath and stretches his hand.
Swirl…
A large amount of dense fire, lightning, wind, and water chakra condenses in his hand.
"Oblivion Release: Arrow of Nothingness"
The dense chakra morphs into an arrow.
Fwoosh…
The Susanoo crosses its two upper arms and wings and creates a crossbow out of them.
Kaching…
Izuna notches the arrow on the crossbow and aims it for the weak spot of the barrier.
"This particular rune is vulnerable to high impact and heat. My jutsu condenses the power of a small scale nuke in a small arrow and thus can focus the destructive power at a single point. The pressure and temperature at the point of impact are almost at the level of a formation of a star."
Fwish…
The Susanoo releases the chakra string and launches the arrow towards the barrier.
Swoosh…
The Oblivion arrow tears through the fabric of the chaotic space and pierces into the barrier.
BOOM…
A deafening explosion occurs at the point of the impact as the entire compressed energy is released in the form of a cone.
Rumble… Rumble…
Ripples travel across the entire barrier from the point of impact. The entire barrier trembles violently.
"Will it succeed?"
Izuna stares at the arrow with an anxious expression.
Fwoosh… BOOM…
"Here comes the reaction force from the barrier."
Izuna crosses his arm and blocks the incoming assault of the reflected energy with his Susanoo.
BANG…
He is launched out of the chaotic space by the shock waves.
"Did I make it?"
Izuna narrows his eyes and stares at the point of impact. There is a basketball-sized hole in the barrier.
"All that effort and this is all I am capable of. Sigh…"
Izuna sighs helplessly as the hole slowly repairs itself.
Shiing…
One of the tomoes in his Rinnegan slowly fades away.
'It will take me two days to recover the chakra to use this jutsu again.'
He shakes his head and stares at a corner of the sky.
"I can see you, old man. There is no need to hide."
He speaks to no one in particular.
Tch…
An elderly man with pale skin and a face with deep wrinkles and a strong jawline appear in front of Izuna. The man has two small horn-like protrusions on his forehead. There is a red Rinnegan marking on the center of his forehead and he has two purple tomoe-less Rinnegan.
Sigh…
Hagoromo's spirit sighs and stares at the state of the surrounding space.
"This is too much to take in. I didn't expect my small homeworld to harbor such a big secret."
Hagoromo rubs his forehead.
'Even a spirit can get a headache?'
Izuna curiously stares at Hagoromo as this question pops into his mind.
Hagoromo turns towards Izuna, who has a tranquil expression on his face.
"The shinobi world is about to meet its end and yet you seem to have a calm expression."
Hagoromo's curiosity is piqued.
'Looks like this old man put some effort into learning the language of this era. I wonder which literature crash course he took.'
Umm…
"If the Sage of Six Paths himself is helpless in such a situation, then what can a powerless person like me can do in this situation?"
Izuna shakes his head.
"If the world is fated to end here, then so be it. I will happily accept my doom."
Izuna calmly responds to Hagoromo's question.
"Oh! So, have you accepted your fate?"
"No, of course not! Who would want to die in such a shitty way? But I am powerless in such a situation."
Izuna shakes his head.
"Hmm… that's true. But at least you should make some effort to change your fate." Hagoromo remarks.
"Old man, stop spouting riddles and get to the point. We have little time." Izuna cuts to the chase.
"Ah!"
Izuna's sudden rude remark surprises Hagoromo.
"Haha… you are quite impatient like my younger son, despite being the descendant of my elder son. Alright, I won't tease you anymore."
Hagoromo stretches his hand.
Swish… swish…
The truth-seeking orbs behind his back and flies in front of him and forms a staff.
Hmm…
Izuna scrutinizes the orbs with his Rinnegan to get a better understating of the jutsu.
Ting…
Hagoromo taps his staff in the air as their surrounding changes.
"This is a mindscape!"
Izuna curiously looks around as they appear in a completely dark space with multiple distant stars and nebulas.
"That's right! This place is my mindscape."
"Hmm… For an old man like you, this place is quite dull and…"
Izuna looks around a little more and remark.
"Umm… desolate! Don't you feel lonely in such a void?"
"Huh… it does look a little desolate, but I can only spare a certain amount of energy to sustain this place and prolong the lifespan of my spirit." Hagoromo shakes his head.
"After my death, my consciousness should have withered and returned to the nature. However, the half Otsutsuki bloodline granted longevity to my spirit. Thus, for years, my spirit preserved itself through slumber only to be awoken by the recent incidents."
Hagoromo explains the details to Izuna.
"This isn't the only reason for your awakening and seeking me, right?"