Chapter 23 - 23. 3 Way War

*BOOM*

Mountains flattened, trees became dirt, and small lakes ceased to exist. This was the effect of the giant Buddha statue Hashirama had made. It eclipsed all the tailed beasts and even the Susanoo. ​​

But on the other hand, Minoshiki was looking at everything with excited eyes. Everything he had seen today had inspired him and excited him. He had learned things about the Chakra he didn't know initially. To him, this was the charm of researching effects of chakra on various civilizations, because each develops differently, in the end making the Otsutsuki more powerful.

Minoshiki was a member of the exploration and experimenting group of the Otsutsuki clan. They were given the most respect because they found ways to get stronger for the clan and hence were also the first to get their hands on any new power.

"Amazing... Marvellous. The things you have achieved with your gifts... This world is truly worth studying." He madly spoke.

But his laughter was no fun for the others.

Shiroken now knew how Hashirama was going to catch all the tailed beasts. This was it, nothing could get away from this monstrous jutsu.

~I need to stop this first of all~

Shiroken jumped towards all the Bijuu so he could plan an attack with them. But there was also Minoshiki who was sitting there like a headache.

"That whole statue is made of wood. As long as I can put my hand on it, I can take away its natural energy and it will dry up." Shiroken planned.

"Yes, and also it's too big, so there is no way he can take care of his backside. Even more so when we will be attacking from the front," Matatabi said.

"Then let's do this. Monari, you try to attack that Otsutsuki from a distance, since your attacks seem to be working on him. I just need a small window of opportunity." He suggested to her.

All of them firmly agreed, they were all in this together, "You go, Shiro. We will handle the front."

Shiroken jumped from there and ran into the forest to hide his presence. Then, all the Bijuu started to throw Bijuu-damas on the giant Buddha statue one after another.

But they had no idea that the giant statue's hands were also able to produce hand seals and send attacks. This meant that Hashirama could create 500 attacks jutsu at the same time.

*BOOM* *BOOM*

They dodged, they got hit, they stumbled, but they never gave up.

It was a fight for their freedom, for the sake of their family.

...

Shiroken was constantly hearing the explosion sounds. His heart raced very fast, that was if he had any. But he did have feelings.

He glanced at the sky, Minoshiki was still looking at the Buddha statue with glowing eyes.

~I hope he stays there~

He circled behind the statue of Buddha. There were no hands behind it and this was probably the most vulnerable side.

He dashed at full speed and arrived.

Clinging on the wood, he started taking away all its Natural Energy. It probably had thousands of trees combined into it to make itself.

...

*WOOSH*

Monari was now focused on keeping Minoshiki busy, away from the ongoing fight. She once again used the light of doom, the energy beam.

Now in her Susanoo form, it was greatly intensified.

*BANG*

With a boom, it travelled in the air and hit Minoshiki, who was distracted by the giant Buddha. It blew him away and also hurt him.

He angrily turned to look at Monari.

"I will take your eyes first, they are fascinating," Minoshiki claimed and flew directly towards her.

She was ready, her Susanoo had claws sharper than anything currently existing in material form.

As Minoshiki came close to her, she started slashing at him. The enhanced speed, strength and manoeuvrability made her slightly more dangerous even for him. She moved like a panther, fast and agile.

*SLASH* She made a cut on his body.

"Good, you are not weak. I presume your eyes made you this strong? Then don't mind me." Minoshiki emotionlessly said.

The Otsutsuki clan had the cheat of regenerative capabilities and a humongous chakra reserve.

For a mortal like Monari, just using Susanoo was exhausting, on top of that she was using her eye power. What was more troubling to her was that she was using Susanoo for the first time.

Every minute she stayed in this form depleted her chakra by a huge amount.

~I will die if I stop. I can't...~ She told herself.

*BAM*

Minoshiki threw a punch at her. She fell back, but he didn't give her a chance to stand up. He flew to the giant Susanoo's head and started punching.

*BOOM* *BOOM*

"Aaaaa... I will not die today..." Monari screamed in pain and tried to get up.

"No, you won't. I will first experiment with your eyes, then you will die." Minoshiki talked back and kept punching.

The Susanoo started to slowly diminish.

All the tailed beasts noticed this and tried to run to her to help.

*THUD*

But they were being dragged and locked by the hundreds of arms of the statue.

"ROAR" They shouted, sending Bijuu-Damas.

Monari was in mortal danger now. Minoshiki had gone crazy, trying to rip off the Susanoo armour with his bare hands.

...

Hashirama was focused on catching the tailed beasts. As long as he sealed them he could focus on the flying man.

"AH!"

But all of a sudden he felt his Buddha statue getting weaker and weaker. He tried to channel more Sage Chakra into it but all of it would get turned into normal Chakra.

He tried to find a reason and that was when he noticed that Shiroken was missing. What was in front of him was just a clone, but because it was also made of natural energy, he had no way of finding out without focusing.

Sensing that his sage chakra was being vanquished from behind the statue, he left the front and jumped to the back, while focusing to keep the statue moving.

He extended a hundred arms and sent them to attack Shiroken.

*POOF*

The one he attacked vanished in smoke.

"Another clone?" Hashirama muttered, trying to find the real Shiroken.

He himself started to look for him around the whole statue. After a few seconds, he would see Shiroken, but every time it would turn out to be a clone.

"SHIRO! SAVE MONARI!" Chomei suddenly shouted, he had been able to free himself from the statue and now flew higher in the air.

Shiroken was currently moving around on the statue, making Hashirama foolishly chase after him while he took away the Natural Energy. As he heard Chomei, he looked for Monari.

He saw the big white armour slowly losing its colour. His heart skipped a beat, seeing her inches away from death.

He aborted everything and dashed towards her. After all, if something happened to the Bijuu, they can return to life, if something happened to him, as long as there is even a tiny piece of him left he can also return, but if Monari died, that was the end.

"LEAVE HER!" He landed from the sky directly over Minoshiki. He finally had his sword out. Shiroken's whole body was at the moment covered in a white hue, it was the energy of his body that had materialised enough for the normal eye to see.

Hashirama saw it all happening and felt a shiver run down his spine. Shiroken's strength was unknown right now.

Shiroken moved so fast that only his red eyes made an after image, while his whole body was just invisible.

*CLANK*

Shiroken's sword struck Minoshiki's head, but the Otsutsuki stopped the sword strike with his horns.

He stopped punching Monari and looked at Shiroken, "Hoho? That was a dangerous strike."

"MONARI, NOW!" Shiroken shouted.

Monari in an instant stopped using Susanoo and moved away from them. She stumbled a few steps back, panting and bleeding.

*CLASH*

Shiroken and Minoshiki started sword fighting with each other. Shiroken's body was brimming with energy right now, and he finally found himself able to slightly handle the physical strikes.

"YOU WILL NOT RETURN HOME TODAY!!" Shiroken declared. He had a plan to deal with Minoshiki, once and for all.

With a smirk, Minoshiki lifted his one arm and aimed, "Wishful thinking. HEAVENLY PULL"

Shiroken found his body being pulled towards Minoshiki. He tried to stop himself by plunging the sword on the ground. But then the ground started to get lifted off.

Nervously, a distance away, Monari was looking at this in fear. She felt useless, helpless. All her practice, all her powers were useless. She may be near the apex power in terms of the world, but to an Otsutsuki she was weak.

"DON'T DIE, SHIRO!" She shouted.

~I need to do something~ She muttered to herself and ran towards Minoshiki with her own normal sword.

"LOOK!" She screamed near Minoshiki to get his attention.

"Haha, then you die first! And after taking away yours and that man's body, I WILL DESTROY THIS WORLD," Minoshiki moved his other hand with the horn/sword and aimed it at Monari.

Hashirama's heart fell when he heard this. He looked at the fight going on, with a hint of confusion in his mind, thinking if what he was doing was even right.

Monari was just a few inches away from the sword's tip.

At that moment, she looked Minoshiki in the eyes, and he did the same.

For the first time, Monari's left eye started bleeding.

*WOOSH*

"Ha?" Monari stopped in her tracks, shocked at what was happening.

Minoshiki's body had slowed down, it was as if he was moving slower than a turtle. His eyes too now looked hazy, as if there was no life in them. It seemed like he was stuck in some kind of a strong Genjutsu.

~Did my other eye do something?~ she wondered.

"HAAAAAAA...!"

*SLASH*

Shiroken had not stopped, instead because of the pull, he had increased his speed and with one great thrust, he plunged his sword into Minoshiki's chest.

However, that was not all... He inserted his whole right hand in his chest and grabbed Minoshiki's heart in his fist.

"THIS IS OVER!" He declared.

Minoshiki's body twitched, but he couldn't come out of whatever Monari did. All he was seeing right now was a white light, with no sense of space, sound, time, vision or touch.

*SHHHHH*

But all of a sudden, smoke started to come out of Minoshiki's body, covering the area, turning everything colder than the northern winter.

It was as if some kind of a safety mechanism had activated, as his whole body started to get covered in some kind of a crystal. Starting from his feet.

Shiroken grimaced, his eyes turning a deeper red, realising what was to come now. But, if he truly wanted to kill Minoshiki, he couldn't afford to move right now, not when he had the heart in his palm.

[A/N: Time Skip incoming, though MC will still be making some changes to the overall world plot and you will see how.]

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