Naruto: Tales of Ashihara

Naruto: Tales of Ashihara

The Shinden Saga – Arc 2: Pain Divine

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Chapter 123 – All at Fault

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In another universe, not far from the one where the ninja world exists in the hyper space, there is a desert telluric planet that's about the size of Earth. On its surface is nothing but dry rock plains. There is no breathable air in its atmosphere, just a toxic cocktail that prevents any life form from developing.

In this eternally inactive world's green sky are 2 gods floating still and silently spectating the empty planet. They are the great goddess of creation, purity and order, Naobi Otsutsuki, and the supreme god of knowledge, nature, balance and dragons, sovereign of all celestials and universes, the Ryu Shinsen, Yamitsuki Otsutsuki.

"An unnamed world, in a stranger universe." Naobi comments. "And you chose one in a universe I originated… What should we name it, my dearest?"

"This choice was unmotivated." the dragon sage replies. "There is no reason to justify it. I give you freedom to name it. It was created by your energy after all."

"In that case, …" the goddess takes a moment to think. "Since the Sanmeigan's sight doesn't shine here, we shall call it Shoto, where lights are out."

Yomotsu Hirasaka

On the surface, not far from them, an inter-dimensional gate opens. Tokubei Otsutsuki, the masked Rinnegan user, and Hyakki Otsutsuki, the youngest of the council, arrive to join their fellow Shinden. They look towards the sky to see their superiors who demanded their presence here but aren't done yet with the preparation.

"We will need a comfortable place to host the council." Yamitsuki hints a request to his beloved.

Senjutsu

By manipulating the energy and matter of this world, Naobi creates a massive and glorious palace that compares to one of the ninja world's feudal capitals in terms of surface. As the temple is emerging under their feet, Hyakki and Tokubei levitate and go across the paths being built, toward the others. Slowly on their way, the masked one starts a conversation with his student.

"It's unusual for him to summon a Shinden council by himself." he remarks about the dragon sage.

"Well, I don't know what we'll be discussing, but Yamitsuki-sama really gotta be excited about it to do this." Hyakki replies. "I may have an idea about the topic though."

Jiku Hikido

By their side, an elegant sliding door appears and opens. Yasona Otsutsuki steps out from it, followed by her favorite pupil, Chishiki Otsutsuki. Seeing her, the two Shinden step on the solid ground of a hallway and wait to walk to the main room with her. The door closes and disappears. Chishiki gently greets the two men and stays quiet.

"Hello guys." Yasona says with a relaxed voice as she goes walking with them. "Coming from Yamitsuki, I expected him to choose a world in Saetsuki's realm,… but it seems like he still won't allow anyone in there."

"We were just questioning the meeting's topic, Yasona-senpai." Hyakki says to get her in the discussion.

"Huh… My guess would be… Earth obviously." the goddess of temptation says. "Maybe it's about time we scrap their memories out again."

"Well, a lot has happened since the last time we did." the young one replies. "Tokubei-sensei, your step in may not even be the last problem on date anymore."

"What do you mean by that?" Tokubei asks.

"I remember Sakitsuki saying she needed to do something there." he explains. "And I haven't seen her since then."

"What? Did she die?" the masked man exclaims in surprise.

"Setsura's daughter?" Yasona says. "Oh I'm sure not. If this little doll dies on Earth, it wouldn't even take a minute for Naobi to reduce that planet to nothing."

The others don't reply, agreeing with her point, yet intrigued about what the golden eyed woman went to the ninja world for. Yasona tilts her head and looks down to her subordinate who stood quiet all along and is making a thoughtful face.

"Wondering if I'd do the same for you, Chishi?" the Shinden asks. "Of course I would, cutie pie!"

They reach the highest room of the highest tower of this improvised architectural piece just as it's been completed. Yamitsuki looks at them coming in, and then quickly analyzes Naobi's construction.

"Yasona, I assume that you are going to make a remark, so I authorize you to take care of it." Yamitsuki says.

"Hm!" she smirks before bending over to lie a finger on the ground. With this touch, she uses Doton to polish the entire stone structure and make it as smooth as she wants it to be. In just these two moves, the goddesses built a masterpiece that would have taken decades if not centuries for a lower society.

They all go to sit on the thrones that were made part of the ensemble, around a large table. Before joining them, Yamitsuki notices a short-sized fellow standing behind Yasona.

"Attendance of this council is forbidden for all but the Shinden." he says to Chishiki.

Kandakoro

To get her out, he promptly invokes a space wormhole that absorbs her in an instant and carries her away. Yasona worriedly turns around, upset by this nonchalant action.

"Tsk! You could have at least asked where she wanted to be sent." she argues.

"I sent her to her domain, on Ashihara." Yamitsuki says. "She did not have to be present."

Yasona puffs her cheeks, upset, and keeps acting sassy.

"Why'd we have to come to that dirty, dusty, sorry place anyway?" she asks. "The temple of Izumo would've been just fine."

"It would not have been fine." The Ryu Shinsen answers. "We needed a place that guarantees privacy, away from the sight of the main concern."

At this remark, Yasona and Tokubei show signs of surprise. Naobi and Hyakki don't. One is already aware of what they'll be discussing and the others had his guess.

"I knew it would be about her." Hyakki comments. "I knew it was a bad idea to let her go."

"It has been exactly four months since Sakitsuki last visited her domain on Ashihara." Yamitsuki explains. "Naobi has used Gentoshin to project her spirit at the current location of her pupil and find out her whereabouts. I leave you to explain it."

"… I… am honestly ashamed of her naivete…" Naobi starts, expressing her disappointment in Saki. "Despite my visit, she likely isn't aware of it since I found her asleep. For one of us to have a rest outside of Ashihara is already unusual. She got way too comfortable on Earth."

"So what's she doing there? And why are they letting her be?" Tokubei asks.

"She originally went there to prevent a human from using Rihetsuki's lineage to acquire our kind's power." Naobi goes on. "But she cooperated with the last heir of the Minamoto clan, the tengu wielders. It appears that, after the threat was eliminated, she decided to stay there in contact with the children of Rihetsuki. The Minamoto is her host. They are spending an unhealthy amount of time together, and got dangerously close."

"Hm… These are the consequences of asking her to keep an eye on him since birth." Tokubei comments. "She obviously was brought spiritually closer to him because of this."

"I also became aware of a few surprising facts about this person, Takeshi Minamoto." Naobi adds. "It seems like he has a stronger connection to the Daitengu who founded his clan than his predecessors. He's starting to express traits and abilities similar to his ancestor."

"The Daitengu?" Hyakki wonders aloud, suddenly intrigued by Takeshi's case.

"To conclude about Sakitsuki…" Naobi says. "She didn't meet the yellow fox for now, but she ran into the Rinnegan wielder. Her careless behavior is motivated by her belief that Earth's memories will soon be erased anyway. But this alone wouldn't be enough to justify her suddenly being so unruly. She must somehow believe that she's allowed to do so."

"Welp… That might as well not matter, since she's right." Yasona gives her opinion. "Considering the mess that Momo and Kata did, and all that happened these last 10 years, hitting the reset button would be a good move. Maybe we should just wait for Tokubei to kill his Uchiha rival first. If I'm correct, he's currently looking for the old Takama. If he reaches that place, he could find out stuff that even I don't know. It's better if he dies and is scrapped from everyone's mind as well."

"We can't do that!" Tokubei exclaims. "We can't scrap Sasuke Uchiha away from existence, even after I kill him! Otherwise, no one on Earth would remember his failure."

"How does that matter?" the tall lady asks. "Even if they remember him, they won't know who killed him. We'll erase humans' memories of you anyway."

"In no way is this choice already made!" Tokubei exclaims.

"That is why we have to make it now." Naobi interrupts this fuss and stares at Yamitsuki. "My dearest, please, pretend to care for once and save the balance. How should we proceed?"

After this question, a long silence. They all wait for the answer of the sovereign who slowly stands up and walks around the table with his hands held together in his back.

"I have made this decision." he declares. "We will not resort to the reality manipulation of Kami Musubi, nor will we have Aritsuki absorb their memories."

At this answer, Naobi squints and presses her nails into the table out of frustration. Yasona and Hyakki just stare at each other in surprise. Tokubei sits still. He may have understood something about the ruler's intentions that the others can't fathom. The dragon sage explains.

"You, my fellows, are all at fault. Yasona, you sent Chishiki to the land of the Hokage to use her poisons and fake an epidemic, and this for no other motive than your boredom. Tokubei, you exposed your existence and feelings to Sasuke Uchiha and caused the demise of Urashiki. Naobi, by attempting to fix the mistakes of Tokubei, you spared the Uchiha and naively allowed him to find out about your abilities. Even I am in no position to lecture you, because I have intervened as well. I helped the children of Konoha to step in the way of one of the vessels of Momoshiki. Only Hyakki is innocent among us, for his wrongs belong to a further past."

The council stays silent and accepts this blaming, except Hyakki who sighs, reminded of a heavy untold past by the last sentence. The dragon sage concludes and justifies his choice.

"Except for Hyakki, we are all at fault. And I will not undo the last chapters of ninja history just to correct your childish plays. In fact, I have already told the last descendant of Hamura that there will be no turning back."

"This is more foolish than anything we've done!" Naobi dares to replicate. "You visited the Otsutsuki of the moon by yourself? You've set the Earth up for destruction! We have to undo their knowledge! It isn't about teaching us individuals a lesson. It is about saving the universe!"

"My dear Naobi…" Yamitsuki replies calmly. "I reckon we did erase their memories twice in the past and it worked out perfectly both times. However, today is fatally different. Unlike previously, there is a person on Earth who committed deicide and has been marked with the stigmata of his victims. You all know very well what this implies. Even if we erase their memories, the Tenshin will still have to complete their mission and bring judgment to this person. As long as their task is not accomplished, any action to stop humanity will be pointless."

Naobi sadly looks down, realizing that her beloved is right. Tokubei, however, thought this through before. The one person who will inevitably be targeted by Shiva and the Tenshin is Sasuke. But if he kills him first, this problem will be fixed. This is something that Yamitsuki could let happen. He will have to question him later about not suggesting it now.

The Ryu Shinsen, noticing the thoughtful eye of Tokubei staring at him, decides to end this council before any dangerous information leaks from those who hold secrets.

"Yet, the order of the moment is still the case of Sakitsuki." he says. "It is best if she is brought back to Ashihara as soon as possible. One of us will go for her, regardless of her agreement… but you shall not go, Naobi. After your meeting with the Uchiha, a second intervention could cause the humans to consider you as an enemy… Hyakki will go."

To this command, the youngest of the council nods to show his agreement. Yamitsuki looks around at everyone and at the room.

"I dismiss you for now." he comments. "This place, Shoto, goes well with its found purpose. We shall come here whenever we require to be out of the sight of Sakitsuki."

After this little remark, he looks at his partner, Naobi, who quietly looks down, worried about her pupil that she raised like a daughter, all by herself. Having heard the dragon, Tokubei, Yasona and Hyakki stand up to leave by the door. Before they do, the sovereign vanishes in a black rift.

Everyone exits leaving Naobi alone with her thoughts and worries for her student, but also for her beloved's mind that she slowly witnesses going down to its end. In the hallways of this palace, Yasona loudly sighs to show how painful she found this meeting.

"Hyakki, sweet little pea, since you're the only one of us to have not mastered any inter-dimensional traveling method, would you like me to drop you off?" she proposes. "If you don't mind, I'd like to invite you to the Kannogu on this occasion."

"Sorry madam, but you heard the Ryu Shinsen." Hyakki replies. "I've got stuff to do. I'll have Tokubei-sensei get me back to Ashihara."

Yasona shrugs, not too mindful of this answer. She summons her sliding gate again and takes it alone to exit. Hyakki and Tokubei keep walking and, as they do so, the masked man attempts to discuss what is on his student's mind.

"Something caught your attention about your task, Hyakki." he asks.

"It's the tengu user, sensei." the young one replies. "Naobi-sama said that this guy has common traits with that Daitengu thing… I told you before that this creature oddly reminded me of something about my cursed old man. And for this human to manifest the powers of such a being without even hosting its spirit? What kind of power does he possess?"

"I don't think it's anything on par with Asura and Sasuke." Tokubei replies. "Still, there's at least one thing special he was able to do. He made a celestial woman fall in love."

"What? Sakitsuki? You mean you think…?" Hyakki is quite startled by this suggestion. "Ain't no way! A goddess wouldn't fall for a human."

"Believe me, Hyakki, love is a universal language." Tokubei explains certain of his words. "Nothing prevents love between celestials and humans. But it is pointless to tell you, as you certainly know it very well."

Once again reminded of a painful past by this sentence, Hyakki is forced onto a train of thoughts that leave him silent for a few minutes before he shakes his head to escape the trouble of memories.

"Sensei… Don't mention this again, please." he says, acting as respectful as ever with elders. "Not that I reject this past. It's just that I'd rather not have it discussed."

Tokubei, seeing his student's apparent sorrow and embarrassment, accepts to change the topic.

"Anyway, if Sakitsuki is with this tengu user, then you'll have to cross paths with him." he says. "And luckily, Sasuke isn't near Earth for the moment. If you do a good job, you should avoid any encounters with Asura as well. You should get prepared." he adds at last as they walk through a passage of Yomotsu Hirasaka, toward Ashihara.

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It's been 4 months since the death of Hideo Kotobuki. 4 months that Sakitsuki Otsutsuki spent on Earth teaching fundamentals to Tojiki and exploring places and daily life with Takeshi Minamoto. Since then, the Mizukage informed the Shinobi Union of the existence and presence of a celestial individual on his territory, and of the case of Naomi Yuki who's been sent to a little village near Kiri.

As expected, the Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, immediately demanded to meet the goddess, hyped by the idea that a friendly member of the Otsutsuki clan finally showed up. However, this meeting was denied for him, as the mentioned person categorically refuses to take part in this. According to her, it could accidentally lead to uncontrolled hostilities with her kind.

The truth is that she doesn't trust herself enough to maintain her respect for the higher-ups' will for anonymity in case she's confronted with the yellow fox's questions. So she spent most of her time with Takeshi, who's almost the only human she interacts with.

Despite it having been many months, the Minamoto still didn't find the right time and courage to clearly state his feelings to her and honestly ask her out. But he feels happy regardless. Her company is enough to fill the void of uncertain love.

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At the moment, the two of them are lying on the roof of the Minamoto house, the home of Takeshi's family. While watching the sky, Takeshi points at stars that Saki identifies and names before giving a bit more explanation about each.

Noticing Yoshinari, Takeshi's 2 years old little sister, coming home and running to the door, Sakitsuki sits up and interrupts the discussion, letting the Minamoto notice her as well. Behind the little girl comes her mother, Tokiwa who looks up to see her son.

"Takeshi, can you tell your father to come home?" she asks. "He must be doing overtime at the intel division right now."

"How am I supposed to do that?" the son answers. "You got a seal phone. Can't you call him?"

"I could, but he's not sure to pick up." she argues. "You rushing there and telling him in person would still be faster and more reliable."

"Well… I'll be right back." Takeshi tells Saki before vanishing to do as asked.

After he's gone, Yoshinari comes back running to see the roof and waves to Sakitsuki.

"Hi Saki!" she shouts to her.

"Hello Yoshinari." the goddess replies.

"I can see under your dress!" she adds before running off, commenting about Saki's seated position.

"This isn't a problem." Saki says to Tokiwa about Yoshinari's remark. "Frankly, I'm more modest than most of my kind. I wouldn't go with just a dress or mantle and no underwear."

"…" Tokiwa analyzes Saki's outfit for a moment before commenting on it. "That dress is really gorgeous. These blue and golden bands, these black boots, your exposed shoulders… It really looks divine! It would be fantastic if Saori could learn from your style. I'd love to try this kind of clothes."

"Well… This is actually common dressing for my planet." Sakitsuki explains. "It's true that it's fundamentally very different from the civil wears of humans. But I like your style as well. Us celestials are all pale skinned dressed in white. You have a lot of black outfits and colorful pieces. They all look fantastic, but I assume you contribute to make them better by wearing them."

"Oh, it's my job you know!" Tokiwa answers, blushing a bit from this compliment. "I'll ask Saori to get you a few dresses. We'll see how it looks on you."

"I'd appreciate that." the celestial woman says with a smile.

"You could try some of mine." the mother suggests. "We don't look like we have the same measures, but we're approximately the same height… That's probably why my son is so fond of you."

To this comment, Sakitsuki doesn't reply. She just widely opens her eyes in surprise.

"I know Tsubai and a lot of other people are more close-minded, but I honestly think you'd fit well together." Tokiwa adds. "I don't know if you noticed it, but he's really a shy nut with you. You've been flirting for 5 months and he still hasn't asked you out."

The golden eyed lady stays quiet and listens. She doesn't react, already well aware of all that.

"Oh! I'm sorry madam!" Tokiwa suddenly exclaims. "To me, you're essentially an acquaintance of my son, so I tend to address you like a young girl, but you're certainly far more experienced in life and wiser than I'll ever be."

"Don't worry about that." Saki reassures her. "I'm actually more used to being addressed like a young girl."

"Okay then…" the top model says. "You know… Takeshi had a few relationships when he was younger, but they didn't work out. Fact is you've known each other for longer than any of these couples lasted. Now It's been a while since he last was with someone."

"Oh well… Same for me I guess?" she confusingly says.

"Really? How long has it been for you?" Tokiwa naively asks.

"Um? How old am I?"

"What? Really?" the mother shockingly exclaims. "You've never been with someone? Don't tell me… you're… No! Sorry! I shouldn't ask that!"

"Hmhm… You know, Tokiwa…" Sakitsuki takes this remark lightly, and prepares to make a little confession. "Keep that to yourself, please. I may have had feelings for Takeshi for longer than you'd think. It's likely why I let him find me. I wanted to meet him, and I'm glad I did. If I just wanted to do as I please, I'd have gotten engaged with him already. Moreover, I found out that time and lifespan may not even be a barrier in our case… But you see, I can't forget that my mistress would certainly not accept it. And our clan will very likely strive away from this planet soon, so it'll be pointless."

Tokiwa sighs in compassion, and doesn't answer. It sounds like Takeshi is unknowingly living a forbidden love story. But she stays hopeful for her son. What Saki said about time not being a barrier, Tokiwa doesn't know what it means, but it's good news to cling on.

This secret conversation is cut short by Takeshi's return. He flashes in and sits next to Saki again.

"He said he's on his way." he tells his mom about his dad. "Don't ask me why I didn't bring him. He obviously would hate to be carried around."

"I see, I see." Tokiwa says, going inside before her son asks about what they were talking about.

The question does pop up in his mind, but he doesn't dare ask it to Saki. Instead, he sits next to her and starts a little small talk.

"I don't think you've been in touch with anyone else since you've come to Earth." he comments. "Why don't you make any new friends?"

"I don't feel the need nor the wish to do so." she replies. "You're enough for me. And don't forget I also spend a lot of time with Tojiki."

"About her, how's it going? Is she making progress?" he asks.

"Hardly. There's not much more she can learn from me, other than the basics. I'm not much of a good teacher, and I can't have any experience with what she should be taught."

In Takeshi's mind, Tentoki comments on this answer.

"It could be that even this arrangement to tutor that little girl was just an excuse to get to stay on Earth." he suggests.

"Don't give me hope, Tentoki." Takeshi pessimistically says. "She can't feel anything for me. She knows our relationship would be pointless. She'll live for centuries, and I'm just human."

"Not sure." Makura breaks his silence to barge in. "Remember Kotobuki's analysis of you. The Daitengu's power could make you able to restore your youth."

"You think so?" Takeshi asks, suddenly enthusiastic again.

"Making friends wouldn't matter anyway." Sakitsuki says, bringing Takeshi's attention back to her. "Naobi-sama will probably ask me to leave sooner or later, and your memories will be erased."

"… I know I said it before, but I don't want to forget you." Takeshi reminds her.

"But it's better if you let it happen." she replies. "Boruto Hyuga, Toneri Otsutsuki, and Sasuke Uchiha are preparing for war against my kind, but this is something they wouldn't stand any chance to win. Getting this idea out of their mind, as well as everything about us and preventing these memories from ever coming back is the best way to avoid any harm to your world."

The Minamoto thinks this explanation through. For him, it could be summed up as a choice between Saki and the world. He surprises himself wondering about this. He never thought about such a thing for anyone else. Is he that much dependent on his feelings for her?

To forget these thoughts, he wonders about the methods that could be used to erase Earth's memories. Absorbing the memories of all of Earth would sure be something. Could it be that the jutsu she thinks of when she says this is the same as his dad's Kioku Kyuin? In that case, can it really be used to affect an entire planet?

"How would you even erase the memories of the whole world?" he asks, doubtful about this scenario.

"There's many ways we could proceed." she says. "It's up to the Shinden to decide."

"… So, the Shinden, the divine lords?" he starts on a new topic. "You said your mistress, Naobi, was one of them. Who are they?"

"I've told you about Naobi-sama before." she explains. "She's the goddess of creation, purity and order. She's the second most influential of them… This world also heard about Tokubei-sama, the god of paths, winter and longevity. But you don't know anything about Yasona-sama, the goddess of beauty, temptation and mischief."

"Are they all gods of something?" he asks. "Those titles don't seem all related. Are these clues about their abilities?"

"… Not really." she answers. "All those who live on our mainland have a title. Sometimes it is about their powers, but it's more often related to their behavior and personality. Those titles are given by primitive civilizations who come in contact with us, actually. Naobi-sama always strives for order and purity. Yasona-sama is well known for her mischievous attitude and her extreme attractiveness. I don't know Tokubei-sama well enough to tell though…"

"What are your nicknames then?" he questions before making his guess. "My guesses would have been purity and beauty, but they seem to be taken already. Is it protection? Or love?"

"I'm not as respected as them." she says. "I was only ever considered the golden-eyed goddess. Only the Shinden have that many titles and honors. It really depends on your might. The most important of the Shinden, Yamitsuki-sama, rules the council. He is the Sovereign of gods and all that light has touched. The god of knowledge, balance, dragons and nature. He generally goes by the title of Ryu Shinsen, the Dragon sage god, a title given to him by a superior spirit."

"… Well he sure sounds powerful." Takeshi remarks. "They don't really seem like merciful and gentle gods. A goddess of mischief? Sounds troublesome."

"Well, I can't deny that they're not all as angelic as my mistress." Sakitsuki concludes. "There are 5 of them in the council. The last one I didn't mention is the youngest. Hyakki-sama. The god of youth and destruction."

"God of destruction?" Takeshi repeats, a bit troubled by this title. "They sure got glory. You deserve that too. You should be… the goddess of kindness, or clairvoyance, or protection, or love…"

While he keeps listing all his ideas, Sakitsuki sits up, having her attention caught by something else in this vast universe. On a planet light years away from Earth, someone is wreaking havoc and annihilating the lives and lands just to get her to look at him. It is the youngest of the Shinden, who then stops to look up, expecting her attention, and slowly spells a sentence for her to read on his lips.

"Here I come, Goldie!" he says as a black cubic envelope engulfs him.

Takeshi, who stopped his praising list, keeps wondering about these given names. Saki, alerted by what she saw, sits up again.

"It's quite obvious if the names have to fit your personality." he says. "What about that last one? The god of destruction and youth. Is he young and destructive?"

"You bet I am." says someone emerging just in their back.

Joshi Tenso (Particular Transfer)

In a white volume behind them, the one Takeshi just mentioned comes to shape. Before Saki could stand and turn around, he grabs both the goddess and the Minamoto by the back of their heads and pushes them down onto the roof. They're forced through and land on the ground in the house.

Yoshinari, who was just roaming alone and training her balance, gets startled and screams in fear. Tokiwa comes to her, also alerted by the sound of the falling roof. Takeshi stands up, troubled. Not only is he surprised by this sudden attack, but also by the fact that something could out-speed him this way.

The newcomer jumps down the hole he made in the roof and lands before them, back to the door. Saki, seeing him, immediately bows in distress.

"My apologies! Hyakki-sama!" she exclaims, not yet aware of the reason for this sudden visit.

Hyakki looks through the room and sees everyone paralyzed, frightened, except one person. The Minamoto who can't fall to fear.

"You were really out there spending time with that human?" Hyakki comments. "What would one not do when subject to such weak feelings?"

"Hyakki, you said?" Takeshi asks Saki, before addressing the god of destruction. "What are you doing here?"

"I shouldn't allow a lower life form like you to address me this way, but if you must know…" Hyakki replies, before addressing Saki to give an answer. "Sakitsuki, you've left Ashihara for too long. I have to bring you back, by order of the Ryu Shinsen."

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End of Chapter 123 – Next Chapter: God of Destruction