Naruto: Tales of Ashihara

Naruto: Tales of Ashihara

Shinden Saga – Arc 1: Kimera

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Chapter 119 – Frostbite

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On board of a boat that just sailed away from the land of Hot Water in direction of the south east border of the land of Lightning, a bunch of mercenaries are killing time. Aboard with them are dozens more. They've all been hired by the same employer to form a little private army, and were tasked with the delivery of a very important hostage.

Mercenaries are spread around the boat, guarding different areas or just chilling and enjoying the ride. All the people aboard are at least Jonin level, and a few are A-ranked. On the deck, a group of 5 sitting around a table and playing a card game with money at stake.

Among them, 2 A-ranks. The first goes by the name Sonic, referring to her signature jutsu that lets her move at the speed of sound. The second is Gambler. Like many competent bounty hunters, his best weapon is a Jujutsu. His power seals the soul of those he beats in any sort of game. The 3 others at the table are B-ranks. Two work as a duo of long shots, and the last is a ninja animal, precisely an iguana who's also a master of Katon.

Gambler, the most respected person on the boat, is easily winning at any card game that they try, which greatly annoys his colleagues. He's sitting with his boot sandals on the table and his secret ninja tool, a porcelain mask, lying next to his feet.

"If I was using my jutsu right now, you'd all be dead." he jokingly says. "What game do you wanna try now?"

"How about we drop the cards and play 'Who's got the longest tail' instead?" the iguana kids, considering he's the only animal with a tail.

"Longest tail?" one of the two snipers says with a pervy tone. "One thing is sure, Sonic won't win at that game!"

Everyone at the table lightly smirks. Sonic, the only woman present, smiles as well before shutting their penis jokes down.

"If you're gonna compare those tails, I'm not even sure you'd beat the lizard." she says to the one who made the joke.

Gambler, the lizard and the second sniper laugh louder, amused by the huntress' playfulness. The first sniper, victim of the joke, is not amused.

"What? Why? How big is a lizard shlong usually?" he confusingly asks, playing dumb.

To this question, the iguana replies half seriously while they all keep laughing. In this grotesque moment of cheers, Sonic stands up and pulls out a short sword from her back. The others think she's just messing around, until she discreetly makes a series of hand signs with one hand under the table.

Futon Shunshin

Using her favorite jutsu she boosts her speed and promptly impales the iguana to nail him to the table. The 3 others all tremble in shock and leap away, startled by this sudden murder. Gambler is the first to notice Sonic's own shocked expression. The panic on her face indicates that she isn't in control of her own movements. The long shot duo, not as observing as Gambler, simply jump into battle to punish this supposed betrayal.

But in short range, they don't stand a chance against the A-rank huntress who's still actively using her jutsu. She pulls the sword out from the table after beheading the reptile's corpse and takes on the two B-ranks.

As she eliminates these two, she visibly trembles like she's trying to resist her own body's movements. Gambler, who stepped back, looks at his mask on the table, and hurries to reach for it while Sonic has her back turned.

"Please! Stop me!" the huntress cries in incomprehension as she swiftly turns around and smashes the porcelain mask before Gambler can grab it.

The mercenary looks astonishingly at his broken relic and gulps down. Nobody on board is supposed to be aware of this mask's importance and use, but this move indicates that whoever is controlling Sonic knows. Who could it be, and where is this person?

Out of options, knowing that he wouldn't win against her, he runs away desperately. Fortunately for him, other hunters on the deck take action to stop this rampage and get the attention of who manipulates Sonic. The unwilling huntress dodges an invisible hot vapor projectile aiming for her, even though she couldn't have seen it coming, and engages combat with the others.

"I can't control myself!" she screams before being eliminated by another mist jutsu that burns and melts her skin.

Suddenly, other mercenaries feel themselves pulled by an exterior force. More than a third of them also turn against their allies and a bloody battle begins. Gambler, knowing that fighting is pointless, runs away in hope to get to a safer place. In his run, he receives a kunai to the leg, and keeps crawling to safety. In the crowd, one of the mercenaries looks up, sensing a strong presence, and notices the silhouette of a long-haired and horned woman looking down on them with golden eyes.

"There!" he yells while pointing his finger toward this figure right before being chopped in half in the action.

The others, while staying careful, quickly look toward the sky and see this mystical person hover down from the sky and come closer. As she reaches the boat's ground, she carelessly points her eyes toward a fishman like bounty hunter standing next to the guardrail. He, being the one who neutralized Sonic with Futton projectiles, jumps off the boat and swims away as quickly as possible, feeling at threat.

"… Wise decision." the goddess comments, even though she had no intention to target this one more than others. She looks back to the fighting hunters from which she controls the majority.

She is moving her fingers in a very precise and skillful way, in sync with the movements of the possessed ones. She's actually using simple Kugutsu and chakra strings to manipulate them like a puppet master would.

Some of them try to attack her, but not a single flying weapon or jutsu reaches her. Everything is intercepted by human puppets. To stop this madness, the ones who were inside the boat's control tower and behind the trapdoor join the fight, hoping to stop the invader. But she keeps calmly walking on the deck, toward the trapdoor that will lead her to what she came searching for.

This carnage goes on until no mercenary is left living. All are dead, except one. Gambler, who managed to crawl away from the battle, is noticed at last by the intruder who stands still to see him stand up, helping himself with the guardrail.

"What the hell are you? Why are you doing this?" he screams.

"Karuta Masashi, …" she answers, calling him by his real name. "Since you are aware of who you're escorting to the Chimera, you should have considered this scenario. The celestial kind wouldn't allow mistrustful humans such as you to play with our fellows."

"… But… We're just the deliverers!" he complains. "Look around yourself! What kind of monster are you?"

"I'd like to return this question to you, actually." she replies. "I know very well how to show pity, consideration and care. However, I was taught that this attention should be deserved. The lifestyle and deeds of the people on this boat, I was not raised to consider it worthy of my mercy… What about you, Karuta? Do you deserve to be spared?"

To this haunting question, Gambler doesn't answer. Feeling like it's the end for him, he attempts one last effort and pulls out a kunai with an explosive note that he prepares to throw at the enemy. But she's way faster to react than him. With a little finger snap, she uses Katon to light the explosive paper on and let it detonate while it's still in the mercenary's hand.

The explosion pushes Gambler off the boat and makes him fall into the sea. Standing still on the deck, Sakitsuki can see that he's still alive. It is possible that the current carries him to safety and that he manages to survive. Even though he doesn't deserve her pity, he's not worth her attention either. So she just lets him be and goes to find who she came for.

After finding and opening a trapdoor and going down in it, she hears the cries of a little girl in complete darkness. Using her Byakugan, she sees through the shadow and gets to a small cage in which a young child is locked.

This little girl is Tojiki Otsu, the daughter of Rihetsuki Otsutsuki. She has the same skin color as her father, and light pink-blue hair. Due to her strong human heritage, she doesn't have any horns, and a blindfold is covering her eyes. Sakitsuki gently takes off the cage's door and goes to sit next to the crying girl.

"No! Don't touch me!" the child begs with a quiet voice.

"Don't worry, Tojiki." Sakitsuki says with a warming tone, rubbing her hands on the little girl's cheeks before taking off her blindfold. "I'm here to bring you home."

"… Who… are you?" Tojiki asks, confused, before activating her Dojutsu unconsciously to see.

At the sight of the girl's pupils, Sakitsuki widely opens her golden eyes out of surprise as she notices something new. In the child's eyes, a regular pair of Byakugan, except for one detail. The right iris has a dark ring in the middle, with two of the Sharingan's tomoe on it.

"Sharin-Byakugan?" Saki questions aloud, recognizing the divine eye that only her mistress, Naobi Otsutsuki, should have. But she has to leave this surprise aside for now. The girl asked a question and is expecting an answer.

"My name is Sakitsuki." she replies. "I am here with the agreement of your father to rescue you."

"… Where are the evil men?" Tojiki asks, still troubled by her condition. "Where is Dad?"

"The evil men are gone. Dad is at home, waiting for you." she gently says. "Are you not surprised to see my appearance?"

"… Not really. You remind me of Daddy." the little girl confidently says, appeased.

Sakitsuki smiles, stands up and offers her hands to help Tojiki. Despite her long captivity, she has no visible bruises and seemingly didn't lose any weight. This is proof of her strong celestial heritage. This aspect of this person is something Sakitsuki should investigate while she can.

After helping her up, she takes Tojiki in her arms and carries her on the way outside. Before they cross the door to the deck where the dismantled corpses of mercenaries are still lying around, Sakitsuki asks a question.

"Tell me, Tojiki, don't your eyes feel different?"

"Um.. yes a bit. I feel like I can see better than before." the kid replies. "Also… I didn't notice we were in the dark earlier, but now the light is blinding me."

"I see." Sakitsuki comments. "If you'd like, I can tell you about what you can do with your eyes. I'll even teach you. But for now, I'd like you to just keep them closed for a minute." she adds with a wide smile.

Tojiki playfully does so, preventing her from seeing the bloody scenery on the deck as they walk out to leave the boat. While she calmly walks around the aftermath of her arrival, Sakitsuki hears the beeping sound of a hunter's communication device. She knows it is the Chimera who calls for an update.

Having seen Takeshi's provocative call from earlier, she feels inspired to try the same little play, and decides to pick up.

"I have arrived. How long will it still take you?" Kotobuki asks, cluelessly.

"We've sailed away just half an hour ago, sir." she replies, mimicking the device owner's voice. "We won't be there until this evening."

"As expected. I will be busy in the meantime anyway." Hideo says. "How is the VIP? Is she as powerful as I expect her to be?"

"Indeed. She seems pretty clueless and inoffensive, but she really has a lot of chakra." Saki keeps fooling around. "And there's something weird with her eyes, sir. It looks like she has a Dojutsu that we've never seen before. It's not the Uchiha or Hyuga eye, but more like… both at once? She… seems very powerful. It's frightening."

"Fantastic. We will meet at moonrise. Be there." Hideo says before hanging up. The description he just heard reminds him of what's mentioned in the latest reports of Sasuke Uchiha. It could potentially be something that defeated the Rinnegan user himself.

Sakitsuki throws the tool away, flies off toward the sky and looks down at the desert boat. While Tojiki is still keeping her eyes closed, she makes sure that this convoy never reaches its destination.

Suiton – Mizu Kagami

Using the sage chakra that is innate to her clan, she controls the sea's surface. She turns it into a mirror that absorbs everything on it and turns it around and upside down. The boat flips and sinks down to the abyss, without a single disturbing sound.

Sakitsuki now rubs the little girl's cheek to let her wake up. She greets her again with a warming smile and quickly thinks of what she should busy herself with. No one had anticipated that Rihetsuki's daughter could awaken such a Dojutsu, but this sure can't be ignored. Tojiki will require at least a formation to handle her power.

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Just as Sakitsuki finds a place, on the border of the land of Hot Water again, where she peacefully starts reassuring and instructing the young girl, Naomi Yuki finally gets out of the bathroom in her hideout cottage. With a towel that she uses to dry her hair on her head, she doesn't see around her and expects Takeshi to crack a little joke about her taking so long in the shower.

When she gets her head out of it, she notices his unsettling absence. They were supposed to discuss a plan against the Chimera when she's done. What kind of emergency could have happened for him to suddenly leave?

On the table in the main room, she finds her stuff that she left lying there, with a little note written on a piece of paper. Assuming that Takeshi left this for her, she reads: Something problematic might have happened in the capital. I'm going there to check on Kumo's agents. Wait for me, I'll be back quickly, hopefully. Minamoto

Naomi is amused by the template of this text. He wrote quite a lot just to say "Be Right Back", and why wouldn't he? After all, it probably took him clearly less time than it would have taken her to write a single word. What's funny is also that he signed with his clan name, despite not even being the leader of it.

While she enjoys mocking the hero of Kiri, she interrupts herself when she sees something not mentioned in the note. In her stuff, she notices that her communication apparatus isn't attached to her belt where she left it. After checking, she sees that a call was initiated and picked up which leaves her in panic.

Clueless, Takeshi must have seen it ringing again and replied to get the answers she wouldn't tell. The person who called must be someone working for the Chimera, if not the Chimera himself. What the Minamoto couldn't know when he picked up is that the reason she didn't is because it would have allowed whoever initiated the call to localize the receiving device, and therefore find her.

Fearing that the Kiri-nin accidentally set the Chimera on the way for her, she hurries to pack all her stuff, except this tool, to leave as fast as possible. Without Takeshi here, if someone attacks, it would be a tough fight for her, so she rather avoid any meeting. This is not even considering the worst case scenario.

Just as she finishes packing her stuff and thinks of it, she hears footsteps on the old wood in front of the cottage's main door, and then someone knocking twice. Since she can't feel anyone, she assumes they must be hiding their chakra signature. Portraying the worst in her mind, she leaps toward the door and slams her hands on the ground for a surprise attack.

Hyoton – Hyochuso

She creates a little bunch of sharp ice blade that protrude from the ground and pierce through the door toward whoever is standing on the other side. Not hearing any sound of impalement, she considers her target missed. She arms herself with an ice blade and turns around to exit by the back door. On her way, the offender attempts a first strike.

Mokuton – Mokusatsu Shibari

Naomi jumps off the ground just as wood branches emerge and try to wrap around her. While in the air, she slices down all the binding wood that follows her. This jutsu, or rather the element it uses, indicates a catastrophic scenario. The only person who could be after her and who's able to use this is Kotobuki himself.

Having figured out the emergency of this situation, she quickly gets outside and takes drastic measures to eliminate, or at least, slow down the intruder. She yells out a war cry just as she lets her ice cold chakra out in a massive effort.

Hyoton – Hissatsu Hyoso

Several giant spikes come from below and stab through the whole cottage, completely destroying it. The speed at which these lethal picks emerged is such that nothing on or inside the house had a chance to escape. Naomi looks at her massacred hideout and takes a moment to breathe, a bit tired by this effort.

Yet, she still feels unsafe. She doesn't think that this jutsu ended it. She replays the action in her mind, and remembers the wooden binding branches coming from the ground. They could have been summoned from any location, but the best place to control them is still… below.

Doton – Mogurugakure

Just in time, she leaps off the ground again as two hands come out to catch her feet and miss. When she sees those hands opening wide and facing the sky, she understands that another offensive is coming, and rapidly figures out a way out.

Hyoton – Kotai Kuki

Taking inspiration from Tsubai and Kasha's double jumps, she congeals the air under her feet and leans on it to jump away right as a thunder wall appears to shock everything in range. She lands just a few centimeters away from the lightning and attentively stares into it, waiting for it to settle.

This excess of attention foolishly causes her defeat. Out from the electric wall appears the Chimera face to face with her. The first thing she catches in sight when he shows up, unfortunately, is the Sharingan in his right eye that he directly uses to cast an illusion. Paralyzed by Genjutsu, Naomi is left unable to avoid the Chimera's next strike.

Yoton – Rakuseiken (Planet-Branding Fist)

Taking advantage of her confusion, Hideo Kotobuki coats his fist in deadly acid and fiercely punches through her stomach. This rough pain instantly breaks her out of the illusion. She looks down to see the hand of her former master all the way through her body just as he pulls it out. Still standing, she pointlessly keeps fighting.

She naively tries to hit him with her ice blade, but he catches her by the ankle with his acidic gauntlet and lets her hand melt off her arm. Defeated, she lets herself fall back to the ground. The Chimera looks down at the one he took under his wing years ago, with his Sharingan and his Byakugan.

"How shameful." he tells her as he crouches by her side. "To be defeated by a right eye and a Kekkei Genkai that you bestowed to me yourself."

Naomi doesn't answer. In front of this man again, she just feels idiotic for having helped him in the past.

"Damn Minamoto, isn't it?" the Chimera adds. "If it wasn't for him, you'd still be under cover… What can I say, other than I'm actually glad he got involved instead of Sasuke Uchiha."

"… He'll be after you soon. And he'll kill you." Naomi answers, out of breath.

"The Uchiha? He sure won't." Hideo confidently says. "This man is way too busy with his range of enemies. He wouldn't consider a mere smuggler as a threat, would he?…"

Naomi doesn't reply to that, knowing it's true. The reason Sasuke sent Takeshi with her is because he wouldn't have done it himself. Even if the Minamoto wasn't there, he would have given this task to Boruto Hyuga, but in no circumstance would he have bothered going after the Chimera on his own.

"Ah… Frostbite… What a shame that you had to betray me." Hideo keeps talking, knowing that she isn't close to passing away yet. "After all these years, all I've done for you, and for what? Just for one child to be saved, unlike all those you brought to me before."

"She isn't the same." Naomi argues, understanding that Hideo is talking about Shimo.

"Oh, she made you feel human, didn't she?" he mocks her. "But to what end? Despite the attention you may have shown, she didn't even care enough to stay by your side. And you let her go. Did you really care about her, or did you just not support the idea that I would obtain the same Kekkei Genkai as you?"

To this provocation, Naomi doesn't answer either. Trying to endure the pain, she stays quiet and thinks of a way out. Takeshi is the only person left in Chimera's way. It can't be just a coincidence that he shows up right when the Minamoto is absent.

"… It's Takeshi." she says. "You don't want to fight him. Because you're afraid he's stronger than you."

"Don't be ridiculous, Frostbite." he answers. "The young Minamoto has done nothing against me so far. His destiny is by my side." He makes a short pause to get closer and hold her by the chin. "You know better than anyone else what powers I've collected. Do you really think the young Minamoto can beat me? Very soon, I will acquire divine power. A power unknown to this world. Something that can beat even the New Rikudo-Sennin. And by that, I mean not a single soul will be able to oppose me. And I will finally rise above the one who hides in secret."

"You're just crazy. This person doesn't exist." Naomi says, pointlessly being provocative.

"I don't expect weak minds like you to understand what really hides in the shadows, Frostbite." he replies, gently rubbing her cheek.

"Don't call me by that name!" she angrily says while moving her head away tiredly.

"Oh!… But this name represents the only time of your life when you actually had a purpose." he frankly says. "You were nothing but an orphan fated to die as lonely as you lived. Without me, you'd be no different from the girl you saved… You managed to embarrass me quite efficiently back then, honestly. But in the end, you always pay your due."

Just as he says this last sentence. He lowers his hand to lie it on the retired huntress' chest, under her breast. A black marking spreads along his arm, coming from under his sleeve and goes all the way to his hand. It resembles the cursed divine blood seal of the Otsutsuki clan, but is fully in control of its user.

Kimera no Jutsu

As the Chimera's hand slowly dips through her skin and ribs, Naomi blankly looks up and reminds herself of the life she's lived. It hurts to admit it, but Kotobuki is right when he says that she wouldn't have become anything without him. Yet, she's glad that Sasuke, Daisuke and Shimo made her more than he expected her to be.

Focusing her thoughts on Shimo, the young girl who made her feel love and humanity, she weakly tries to clench her remaining fist, but can't hold it for long. As the Chimera completes his devilish ritual, she reaches her final but combative thoughts.

"No way I die here!" she promises to herself. "Not before finding Shimo again…"

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Later, up north in the same land, at the gate of the capital, Aoki wakes up from the unnatural fall she experienced earlier. She sits up and looks around in panic, unsure of what happened after she crashed into Yukai. Next to her, she finds him lying on the ground, still unconscious.

"He lost too much blood. He needs assistance." Kaminari says, behind her. He, who was taken down in one shot by White Claw, woke up first and only heard about the outcome.

"Where did that mercenary go?" she asks. "Who was he?"

"White Claw." W answers, standing by the Raikage's side, who arrived just a minute ago. "First time he lets himself be seen. That guy's a real menace."

"Something's bugging me…" Kaminari remarks. "When I asked where Narui went, you guys said all her clones were killed, but there's no other casualty? That guy got to know her original wasn't there and purposefully didn't make a victim. How did he even know about her jutsu?"

"You mean to say there's a reason he hides his face?" Darui suggests.

"Don't jump to conclusions." W doubtfully says to Kaminari. "Knowing about Narui doesn't mean anything. He could have just found out about her because of her infiltration mission in the underworld."

"He pisses me off so much!" Minaa adds, deriving the topic. "That bastard dares to humiliate me with my own clan's fighting style."

"You think he might be connected to your clan?" Kaminari asks. "One thing is sure. It should be a priority to eliminate him."

"So that guy really just ran in, killed the Daimyo and left? How fast is he really?" Aoki hears the voice of Takeshi Minamoto speak next to her.

Looking back to Yukai, she sees the Kiri-nin providing his chakra to Sana who's using her secret jutsu to heal Yukai. The widowed wife of Kobo Uchiha left Kiri after her son's desertion and joined Kumo to start a new life. There, she was put in charge of a part of the medical department. Takeshi is helping her to heal Yukai.

"About that Narui girl, and what the tall guy with locks just said, I guess one of her clones was pretending to be a huntress, and that's how you found out about this Daimyo bounty stuff in the first place, is that right?" Takeshi asks, to no reply, before stopping his help to Yukai. "Sorry, Miss Sana, but I can't give more than that for now. I should save chakra for later."

"Minamoto Takeshi?" Aoki exclaims. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me… That mercenary could be you!"

"Damn what now? You're not thinking straight." Takeshi replies, not taking this accusation seriously.

"No. She's thinking just as she should." The Raikage replies. "Minamoto, there aren't many people as fast as you. That you showed up in Kumo right before that bounty hunter came here, and come back when he leaves is dull. And whatever you said about meeting him at the border before coming here? Sorry but I don't believe it."

"Dude? I mean, Lord Raikage… I'm just tryna help you." Takeshi argues. "I noticed you guys really don't like me. I don't know why, and I don't care, but frankly I wouldn't even bother hiding if I really was a mercenary. And even less considering I'd be the one who just clowned your whole village."

"Lord Raikage, it's useless to accuse him." Sana takes Takeshi's defense before his reply turns into a tease. "I've known him and his parents for years. If he still has the voice of that white tengu in his mind, there's no way Takeshi would turn against Kiri."

"Yeah! And he doesn't need to be a mercenary to get rich anyway!" Minaa adds, also formerly a teammate of the Minamoto's parents.

"Thanks, ladies." Takeshi tells them before speaking to the Raikage again. "I actually know a few things about what happened that I'd like to tell if you'll let me speak."

"Go ahead?" Aoki replies in her father's place.

"It actually relates to the reason I'm here." he starts to tell. "I was told that this mercenary was paid by Killin' Kiss, the founder of Kakumei. She did this because she wants to get in the way of the new Daimyo of Water, Hideo Kotobuki. I know he's the Daimyo now, but we found out that he used to secretly work with the Blood Master. Taking over my land is just the first step of his plan. He wanted to come here to manipulate your Daimyo and rule your land or something. Truth is I didn't expect you to need help, so I was waiting for Kotobuki at the border."

"Interesting, but what's your source?" Darui asks. "It doesn't seem like your presence has been approved by the Mizukage."

"The Mizukage is hospitalized, but I got the village's approval. Reinforcement for my mission should be on the way." Takeshi says. "One of the sources is Naomi Yuki, who formerly worked with Kotobuki."

"That girl?" Minaa and Sana exclaim together. "Is she really trustworthy?" Sana adds.

"Yeah! I mean… She's changed a lot. And she's retired. Kiri actually agreed to her asylum demand."

In the Minamoto's mind, Tentoki shares a little thought.

"It's probably time to go get her and bring her here." he says. "Considering what happened, Hideo is either unaware and on the way or won't come at all. In the first case, we should all be there waiting for him. In the second, we'd have to think of a plan with her."

"You're right." Takeshi says aloud before pulling out a pen that he kept in his pocket. "I'll be right back, guys. I'll come back with her and we'll talk this out. Here's just a few things you should know in the meantime."

Before any of them can say anything more, Takeshi vanishes from his place and rushes back to where he came from, expecting to find Naomi. In just a little second before disappearing, he wrote down a few details about the Chimera and his mission on the flak jacket of Minaa. Being the only one fast enough to have noticed it, she takes off her armor to read the notes.

The Raikage, after the Minamoto left, thinks about what he just told about the new Daimyo of Water. If it's true, then they'll be forced into another battle like against the Blood Master 2 years ago.

Yet, as one would say, speak of the beast and doth it appears. Further from the gate, Ru and other ninjas from Kumo are guarding the path to the city when they see a crowd come closer in the distance. It's the Daimyo of Water, Hideo Kotobuki, and his elite guards. He arrives at his destination, expecting to meet the Daimyo of Lightning.

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End of Chapter 119 – Next Chapter: The Chimera