Can you return what was once lost?

After returning from her absence Ryuko had begun investigating various rumors looking for a lead on the location of one Nozomi Himitsu. For being one of the most wanted women in the world there were surprisingly few leads on her. Ryuko couldn’t say that was exactly a surprise. After all, you couldn’t stay on the loose for long if you were easy to find.

She’d last seen the woman during the battle of Kariforunia island but unfronently while she’d prevented the floating island from crashing she’d been knocked out before she’d had the opportunity to speak with the missing ninja. She knew that in all likelihood Nozomi had likely been the one who’d saved her from plummeting to the ground but she hadn’t stuck around long enough to be thanked.

It was ironic how much she wanted to meet Nozomi again and to spend time together with her when they had only met less than a handful of times. Circumstances seemed to keep conspiring to insure they remained apart. Even today the rumor that had brought Ryuko to the Heavenly emporium hadn’t had anything to do with Nozomi, at least not in a way that was directly obvious.

No, the Raikage had come here today to investigate a different matter. She’d heard word of a woman who had managed to bring someone back from the dead. More specifically an Otsutsuki who had brought back a Hokage who had died under very mysterious circumstances. Considering the information she had on Satomi Uchiha’s death was vague at best she had to wonder if he’d even truly died in the first place.

It wasn’t like she or anyone else in Kumo for the matter had ever seen the supposid body. Considering that the former Raikage Seigi had once faked his death she wouldn’t put it past a former Hokage to do the same trick, or at least she wouldn’t have it if she hadn’t seen the political instability that had arisen from the event first hand. Kohana had been on the verge of becoming a mighty empire only for Tatsu-sama to throw a hairball into the mix which had nearly brought the nation to its knees.

There was no reason to pretend to stay dead in that type of situation, at least no sane one at any rate. Satomi might have a reputation for having a bit of a big ego but he hadn’t been known to be coocoo for cocoa puffs. Quite the opposite really since he was renowned for his cunning and tactical sense. That lent credence to the idea there might at least be something to the rumor at least.

She knew that the society was looking to bring people back from the dead. She didn’t know who they wanted to bring back or the why for the matter but she did know they didn’t seem to have the capability to do it on their own quite yet. That alone was a good enough reason to investigate even if she hadn’t had more personal reasons.

Ryuko had seen Seid open portals to other dimensions and now there was Arisu who could apparently raise the dead. Frankly, it made her want to ask Hakkin what the Otsutsuki couldn’t do. The clan of extraterrestrials seemed so powerful she had to wonder what they even needed humanity around for.

Still as powerful as Arisu no doubt was, she was still a single individual. If the full weight of the society came bearing down on her in an attempt to claim her resurrection power for themselves even she might be in trouble. Depending on the circumstances that meant there was room for negotiation though Ryuko shuddered to think of what price the woman might ask in exchange for the use of her abilities should they prove to be true. Returning from the dead was the miracle of miracles after all.

That said at no point did the Queen even consider the idea of extortion. Trying to blackmail someone when you were looking to ask for a favor would just be in extremely poor taste in her books. If she was going to defeat the society she couldn’t do so by sinking to their level otherwise it would only make for a hollow victory.

Instead of her battle armor Ryuko was wearing a simple but elegant white dress with blue accents. The golden amulet of kings with it’s large blue diamond sat prominently on display over her chest, along with the Archangel’s Tiara she wore on her head she certainly looked the part of being the sovereign ruler of a country.

As a queen there were times to be firm and times to be humble. Considering what she wanted to ask and to whom she would be asking this was no time to be making demands like she owned the joint. Instead she’d sent a message politely requesting to meet with Arisu and left it at that. All she could do now was pray to Hakkin that the woman from Kiri would consider it worth the time to meet with her.

[1]

It wouldn't be long into Ryuko's wait that a portal would open up near the entrance to the room. Pitch black, for a moment it would simply stay there, but just as quickly as it had appeared, a tall, pale woman stepped out of it. Two Rinnegan with two circles were present on her face, a single horn coming out of the side of her forehead. Her hair was pulled back into its usual ponytail, something she often did to keep her hair out of her face. The woman was a beauty by most people's standards, but behind that beauty was an almost God-like power.

Her outfit was a simple white and grey robe, something that many members of the Otsutsuki tended to wear. She tended to wear her battle outfit when out and about, but it perhaps wasn't the best idea to do so when she was meeting someone at the Heavenly Emporium, given that it was a no combat zone. Granted, no armor and no weapons wasn't much of a problem for her, considering the abilities she had under her control, but it didn't matter.

Arisu wasn't intimidated by the request to meet from the Queen of Kumogakure. She herself was a Princess as well as a fledgling god. Being intimidated by meeting important people hadn't happened to her in quite some time at this point.

Holding her hands behind her back, standing straight and staring down at Ryuko, Arisu's Rinnegan rested on Ryuko as the portal behind her closed. Ryuko was average height, maybe a little smaller, but Arisu was several inches taller than her, so the height differential was noticeable. Beyond that, Arisu's frame was extremely slender, which made her appear a little inhuman to most, which was apt enough considering she wasn't a human.

"Are you the woman who requested my presence? Queen Ryuko?"

Ryuko hadn’t even been fully sure Arisu would bother to show up but she had been expecting the extraterrestrial to use the door like a normal person, not appear through a rift in the time space continuum. Such a flashy entrance really emphasised the extra in extraterrestrial.

If she hadn’t seen Seid’s portals with her own eyes the sight would have been quite a bit more alarming. She’d been under the impression that was a special ability of his but she’d have to relevate that assessment now that she was seeing another member of his clan pull the same trick.

The idea of that being something any of them could learn was both terrifying and exciting at the same time and went a long way to explaining how they were able to travel from one world to the next. It was funny that she’d been looking to use technology so she could explore space herself when the real key might have been practically under her nose all along.

To top it all off Arisu was stunningly beautiful, she was the kind of celestial maiden that could turn men and even women's heads wherever she went. While Ryuko was quite pretty by most standards she couldn’t help but feel a tad jealous. God wasn’t supposed to give with two hands and yet here she was face to face with someone who had clearly been given the whole package.

“Indeed I am Queen Ryuko. Thank you very much for coming, Miss Arisu. Tis an honor to finally get to meet you.” said the Queen as she held out a hand hoping to shake. Normally she carried at least one or two weapons hidden on her person but right now she was unarmed as a show of good faith.

“First before anything else allow me to convey my most sincere gratitude. I hear tell that you have been instrumental in dispensing justice to the fiends that devastated Moonspire.” Perhaps now the souls that had been lost could finally rest in peace. It pained Ryuko that she hadn’t been able to bring the culprits in personally but more than that she was relieved that she hadn’t had to make good on her threat to turn Hana’s skeleton into a throne for herself.

“If possible, would you be willing to come to visit Kumogakure at a later date? I would like to publicly present you with a medal for your Meritorious Service.” as the Queen that was perhaps the highest honor she could bestow upon someone who wasn’t one of her citizens. Sure she could just hand it over in private but making a production out of it was half the point of making it prestigious to begin with.

The Otsutsuki clan was already quite well respected in Kumo . Ryuko had even gone so far as to help the construction of a clan district for them. Giving one of them a medal publicly would make for a great pr stunt, the fact that it would also double as part of the reconciliation efforts between Kiri and Kumo now that peace was at hand would make it even better.

With a snap of her finger Ryuko summoned a pair of maids to enter , each of which pulled a chair out from the circular table that sat at the center of the room inviting the two women to sit across from each other. As the Queen took her seat one of the maids began to pour a cup of some of the finest tea in the world before offering it to her and then Arisu. Naturally Ryuko took a sip first to demonstrate that the tea wasn’t poisoned. She wasn’t sure if the other woman could even be poisoned to begin with, but that was the standard etiquette and she would be nothing if not for her manners.

“The main reason I have called on you today is to inquire about your ability to resurrect the dead.” She began. While it would be a wonderful ability if it was true such a thing surely had to have limitations. Arisu wasn’t human but she wasn’t an omnipotent god either, asking her to bring back everyone who had died as a result of the war would be sheer madness.

“I won’t ask you for something silly like returning all the citizens of Moonspire to me, but I was hoping that perhaps you could bring back one or two people who were particularly close to me. Provided of course that doing so would have no negative repercussions on your health.” She had heard stories where someone had sacrificed themselves to revive someone who had passed recently. She was not the kind of person to settle on a life traded for a life, not in this kind of context at least.

[2]

Holding her hand out palm down, Arisu changed the offer for a handshake to one of letting Ryuko take Arisu's. She was a princess, sure, but her divine status elevated her above that station as well. A lot of the etiquette was pressed upon her throughout her upbringing, always let others treat you with the respect you deserve, but also treat others with proper respect as well. However, never lower your own status to one of equality when it came to those lower than your own station. Ryuko was a queen, but there was a separation of divinity that couldn't be bridged.

"No thanks are necessary. Those who use the power of Chakra for the harm of the innocent will get the justice they deserve. Perhaps I will visit Kumogakure. I was already hoping to travel there anyhow. I heard that another Otsutsuki formed a district of others of our kind."

Arisu thought back to her conversation with Kitsuki. Someone had tipped her off about that, and the woman was terrified of the idea of an invading force. They hadn't parted well after that particular conversation, but over time, Arisu knew that she'd need to check it out. If the Otsutsuki there were evil, or wished harm to the world, she'd need to know. And she needed to meet the one responsible for them being brought there. A trip to Kumo was needed.

Taking a seat after the table and chairs were brought out, Arisu's posture never changed, still sitting perfectly straight. Picking up her cup at the same time as Ryuko, she waited for the other woman to take a sip first. She doubted that it was a poison trick, but proper etiquette dictated that the host always took the first sip. Afterwards, Arisu took a sip of her own, before setting the cup back down. The whole ritual was designed to establish trust between two diplomats or nobles. Ryuko showing she was trustworthy, Arisu showing she shared the trust.

Then, right to business.

Arisu's eyebrow raised slightly in bemusement as Ryuko told her what she wanted. Of course, over time, her involvement with the resurrection of Satomi would have gotten out. Gossip spread like wildfire.

"As much as I might want to, I am unfortunately unable to revive the entire town of Moonspire. There is a time limit involved for mass resurrection, along with the cost of my own life. Individual resurrection, however, is in my purview. Tell me about the people who were close to you."

Ryuko wasn’t big on the whole status flexing thing. She was a Queen and acted like it when she needed to be but she didn’t tend to hold it over people’s heads unless she happened to need the extra leverage. Of course she was careful to still conduct herself in an appropriate manner. If she acted casually too much in public it would impugn on her dignity as a sovereign making it harder to do her job of ruling the country.

Arisu was only a princess which meant that technically she ranked lower on the scale then Ryuko but that was no reason to look down on her. Royalty was still Royalty and in consideration of the fact Ryuko was here to ask her for a favor she thought it best to treat the other woman as an Equal, especially as she was hoping to forge a longer term working relationship.

She didn’t fail to notice the significance of how Arisu held her hand out like she was at some kind of idol meet and greet event. It was the kind of gesture someone who was used to being worshiped as a god might make.

“I hate to admit it but with her power she pretty much is one.” Thought Ryuko who had decided to simply grin and bear it. “You’re pretty much a demi-god yourself now, don't let her look down on you too much…” advised Rafeala. It was a bitter reminder for the Vastel, who tended to conveniently forget that she herself was not quite human anymore.

She’d never asked to become like this and yet now she was stuck with it forever. And to think there were people in the world who aspired to be the kind of person even a God would need to make an appointment to see. The bottomless depth of human greed never ceased to astonish her.

“Ah you’ve heard of New Boros then, Tis widely considered to be the crown jewel of Kumogakure. I hope you will find the clan district to your liking.” Ryuko said in an attempt to talk the place up a little. Arisu approval would go a long way towards vindicating all the work the Queen had put into constructing it.

She’d had more than one person question the use of taxpayers' dime to fund such a project but she had insisted saying that it was easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar. The principle was simple, if she treated the clan then she might attract other clans to the village as well as.

Even if that wasn’t the case it was still a small price to pay to earn the Otsutsuki clans favor. Considering the clan was far from consolidated, the presence of a district would both discourage members that were from outside her country from attacking as well as encourage them to emigrate. She doubted Arisu would just up and decide to move in given her status in the land of water but she wouldn’t exactly say no in the unlikely event that happened.

It seemed her offhand remark about it being silly to ask to bring back all of Moonspire had paid off as it prompted Arisu to admit aspects of how her resurrection powers worked that she might not have otherwise. The fact that such an ability could have a time limit on its use was good to know. For example, If the Society wanted to bring back someone who was long dead like say the Sage of Six paths as an example then Arisu probably wouldn’t be able to bring him back for them.

“I would never ask you to exchange your life for a bunch of strangers. Even if such a thing were feasible regarding the time limit, the net loss to humanity as a whole from losing you would be devastating.” It would be a different story if Arisu went around razing entire villages to the ground instead of being someone working towards the greater good.

“The first would be my business partner Damian Darhk. He was a once in a millennium genius helping me to develop new and exciting technologies. Technologies we were planning to share with the rest of the elemental nations. He was going to build humanity's first steps towards the stars. Without him I fear the project will not get off the ground, at least not in our lifetimes at any rate.” said Ryuko with a sigh.

Even with an extended lifespan she knew this type of research was something that would take a very long time without someone like Damian around to accelerate things. She’d be lucky to accomplish even a quarter of her goals on her own. The things she’d wanted to accomplish together were numerous and would revolutionize entire industries including transportation. The sheer amount of jobs he would be able to provide alone would be a huge boon to the post war economy of several nations.

“Last but not least is my Student Tamwyn. He was a good man and was going to be a good father before an accident took him before his time. There was nothing particularly special about him that would make me choose him over countless others but the fact that he was always dedicated to doing the right thing. He’s someone I could trust from the bottom of my heart.” Trust was something they both knew was a rare commodity for people like them.

“This might seem like a silly question but do you have anyone like that? Someone whom you would bring back if something happened to them? Not because they are particularly powerful or cunning, but simply because you care.” Power was such an isolating thing. Ryuko shuddered to think what she would be like if she didn’t have someone like Shimiko around. Someone she could be herself around and who would keep her grounded.

She was hoping that Arisu had someone like that in her own life. Asking about this was a bit outside the business they had here but who said everything had to be reduced to a mere business transaction? Ryuko simply wanted to know more about Arisu as a person beyond what her powers could or could not do.

In all honesty investigating the rumors had been nothing more than an excuse to meet. Even if Arisu couldn’t bring back the dead Ryuko wouldn't have been upset. She’d just been hoping to speak with a woman of similar status as herself. Someone she could perhaps become friends with. Being at the top of the mountain sort to speak was an awfully lonely place.

[3]

Ryuko spoke about New Boros, which she assumed to be the name of the Clan compound. Assumedly that meant they came from a place called Boros. Arisu had no knowledge on that place, but perhaps Zoe would. She was a historian and chronicler, so perhaps she knew of the planet. She didn't know what the Otsutsuki were called, but there was a potential that they simply had a different word for their people. Things often got lost in translation.

Some flattery that Arisu wondered about. Did she really think that Arisu was more important than the lives that were lost at Moonspire? Perhaps. Arisu was a godly being with the greater good in mind, but it was a dangerous mindset to value any life as more important. Of course, she was willing to do anything she needed to do to complete her path to power, but she was more likely to take an option that minimized the collateral to anyone else. Still, some could argue that Arisu's simplest and quickest path to power would be to attack other Otsutsuki and take their abilities, and to subjugate any who would oppose her. If she started to think that a life, multiple lives, a town, a village, a city, a nation was less important, then it could be easy for her to view them with disdain and take the quicker route.

Then she explained the two people that she would want resurrected. Arisu could only do one, but from here it depended on the arguments made. She wasn't sure if she would bring either of them back, and certainly at this point it wouldn't be for free. Messing with the cycle of life and death wasn't the easiest thing to do, even for her, nor did she necessarily think that she should do it very often and for little reason. Satomi had been brought back in order to stabilize relations with Konoha and right a wrong that Kiri had done to Konoha. The one who had done it was never brought to justice, and so the burden was on Kiri to undo that wrong. With the Moonspire incident, the ones responsible were taken care of, and by Arisu personally. Justice had been meted out, so nothing was owed any longer.

That put this as a slightly different scenario where Arisu was less likely to consider it in the first place. Damien Dhark the businessman. Tamwyn the student. Only one could be chosen, and Arisu was leaning towards Tamwyn. Damien was a genius, but Ryuko's investment was fully in his mind, viewing him as a commodity. It was unfortunate to her that he died, but ultimately it was a setback. It said a lot about Ryuko that she valued what he could do, more than bringing him back for moral reasons. Very utilitarian. At least in some capacity, her statements had placed her solidly in the view of doing whatever benefited the most people. She was a very dangerous woman to have as an enemy in that case.

Her case for Tamwyn, however, showed her softer side. A personal interest. He was simply a good man who died in an accident. The way she spoke about him said more than it did about Damien. He wasn't special, but she trusted him and cared for him. Perhaps a relationship? She said he was a good father, but Arisu didn't think Ryuko had any children. Of course, it was hard to tell, but political figures lives were often gossiped about, so perhaps he was simply a beloved student as she said.

When Ryuko asked if she had anyone like that, Arisu's mind was blank for a moment as she thought. Perhaps Zoe, but she didn't know much about the girl. She was enamored by the Otsutsuki girl, but when it came to it, it just depended. Of course, she'd likely bring her back to life if possible, but she'd rather avoid her dying in the first place.

"Maybe I do. I don't really know though. Moreso than most of the other Otsutsuki, I have a unique relationship with life and death. I don't view death as bad as most would. My original path, the Outer Path, grants control over life and death. It's currently limited in capacity, but I'm in a fledgling state of my abilities. Give me a few centuries and perhaps I will have no limits to how I can affect life and death."

Of course, that said, she hadn't really addressed anything about Tamwyn or Damien.

"If I were to bring back either of them, it would likely be Tamwyn. Hearing you speak of them, Damien would only be useful for his mind, while Tamwyn is a genuinely good man. However, this wouldn't be a simple gift on my end. Bringing someone back to life is difficult and takes several years for me to do again safely. So what do you have to offer?"

Ryuko was trying to be extra careful with her words today. She didn’t want to give Arisu the wrong impression about her by saying the wrong thing.    Because she was so smart she often saw things in ways that other people didn’t, not everyone could understand her views on things.  The line between good and evil was sometimes as thin as a razor’s edge and she’d been accused of being callous before when making the kinds of hard choices the average citizen hoped never to have to deal with.

With all of her power and money it would be so very easy to make a great many changes to the world.  Because of that she often had to stop and ask herself if she was doing the right thing.   Just because she could do something didn’t mean she should.     Take the War that was now winding down for example, what if to end it sooner she deliberately targeted an enemy city for annihilation the same way Moonspire had been destroyed.   Was Killing a couple hundred thousand mostly innocent people to save millions more something she could really call justice?

Once you start reducing people to mere numbers everything becomes so much more abstract. One death was a tragedy, a million a statistic.  It would be all too easy to slide down that slippery slope of justifying horrible actions for the greater good. As the saying went, the path to hell was paved with good intentions.   Walking that path was most certainly not the kind of person she wanted to be.  

“What measure is a man’s worth?" Ryuko asked philosophically.  “As a follower of the Dragon God Hakkin to me all lives are a precious sacred thing.   They glitter like jewels, though some may shine more brilliantly than others. They might not all be equal but I try to preserve what I can just the same. ”   so began the Vestal's explanation.

“No man or woman for that matter can live without killing something else, even without meaning to.  Anyone who could claim to have never stepped on an insect or having never bent a blade of grass is a liar.   That which does not kill does not eat, but one should not kill if one does not need to eat outside of self defence.”  

It was a fairly complicated subject but basically she was saying that killing a deer because you were hungry was and needed to feed your family fine but that you shouldn’t kill one merely for sport.  Of course sometimes you needed to thin the herd so they wouldn’t overpopulate which could have devastating effects on the environment but again it was complicated.

“Because not all life is equal a species with Sentience  would naturally be more important that one without.  Which is not to say that non-sentience  should be mistreated either, merely that in an emergency one sometimes must prioritize who can be saved with the limited resources at hand,  in the world of medicine we refer to this process as Triage.”   It was a simple fact of life that you couldn’t save everyone.  If you wasted resources trying you would fail to save people you otherwise could have.  Sometimes she had to let a patient go even if it was a bitter decision for her every time that happened.

“This is strictly speaking of saving people who are still alive in the context of an emergency.   Anyone who decides they have the wisdom to start choosing who should live or who should die outside of that would be treading very dangerous waters at best.” She was thinking of people who decided they were superior because of the color of their skin or that their god was better than someone else’s when she said that.  Some degree of racism was unavoidable but when taken to extremes like that it was always evil.

“Death is a natural part of life, just one step in our soul's great journey.  Normally what was once lost is never meant to return in such a manner.  Bending the rules to return one soul is permissible, breaking them to return an entire city however could invite untold consequences.  The Gods would surely notice and they do not take kindly to such unnatural acts  against the flow of time. Inviting their wrath would be most unwise.” Ryuko would know having been dragged into their business once before.  They were not beings to be trifled with lightly.

“Besides, while there are plenty of people I would give my life to save, even I would hesitate to do so for something like returning an entire city from the grave.   It would be remiss of me to ask something of you that I would not be willing to give of myself.”   Arisu was special, yes but Ryuko wanted to make it clear that wasn’t the only reason she wouldn’t trade her in such a manner.

“In light of the fact that I’m asking you to return someone to me I likely  have no right to say this, but in the future you would do well to continue to use your powers judiciously.  Even if you were to gain control over life and death, using necromancy on a large scale never ends well.”  advisted the Queen.   What meaning would life have without death?  It was because they could die that it was so precious.  Something that could grow without end would become nothing more than cancer upon the universe.

Having said what she needed to demonstrate where she was coming from on her stance of life and death Ryuko let out a long sigh.  Debating such high level concepts like that could be incredibly draining and she was happy to be able to move onto much similar matters.

“We didn’t see eye to eye at first but Damian was quite upstanding for a businessman.  I admired his refusal to make weapons of mass destruction.  That said at the end of the day he still cared about profit above most things.   While I still mourn for his loss I thank you for removing the burden of choice from my shoulders.” said the Queen feeling like a massive weight had been lifted from her soul.  

If Arisu had asked Ryuko to choose between the two pruly on her own that would have been a most bitter pill to swallow.   Would she go with her heart and pick Tamwyn or with her Brain and pick Damian.   How would she ever be able to justify her decision to Kara or Yenn?  

With the tension relaxed from her burden lifted, a sudden realization came to Ryuko. In all of her excitement over realizing that Arisu could bring someone back from the dead she’d forgotten about the price asking such a favor would entail.   Arisu had asked her what she had to offer and for a good moment her mind went blank.  What do you get for the woman who has everything?

Money was no good. What price could even be put on such a thing to begin with?  For someone with godlike power, material wealth was nothing more than a trivial matter.   When you had all the time in the world making money was easy. That was when inspiration struck her as she realized the one thing she could offer Arisu that few else could.

"As it so happens I am blessed with resilience  and an extended lifespan.” explained Ryuko as she drew on a tiny fraction of the celestial power inside her from Rafeala causing the color of her hair to change from the usual black with a blue streak at the front to a uniform radiant golden yellow.   This was a demonstration to show she wasn't kidding about her life span.

“My offer to you is a simple one. A friendship that can last centuries.”  It was kind of a corny offer to make but a genuine one all the same.  Outside of her fellow clan members, who else could stand alongside Arisu for so long?  

Any normal humans she befriended would wither and crumble to dust after a scant few decades at best.  Her powers could bring someone back from an unnatural death but Ryuko was willing to bet they can’t reverse age, inevitably Arisu will be left alone in a world full of strangers.

“Beyond that I will also provide you with a boon to use at your own discretion. You can wish anything of me, within reason and I swear to Hakkin that I will do everything in my power to grant it.”    If for example Arisu needed help tackling a Bijuu Ryuko would be there to help in a heartbeat but there were limits to the things she was willing to provide.

She doubted someone so focused on Justice like Arisu would ask for anything too bad to begin with, but she wouldn’t do something immoral like betray one of her own allies or slaughter a bunch of innocent civilians for her for the matter.  

[4]

Arisu listened to Ryuko's thoughts, some of which coincided with her own personal views. Some of which she did not. However, ultimately, the woman was very wise. When it came down to it, Arisu didn't believe gods were subject to some of the same rules. Her divine realm was one over life and death. If other gods were to take issue with the mass restoring of life, it would be because a mortal was trying to step into the grounds of divinity, encroaching on the territory of the divine. However, with other gods, things changed. But that was a matter of debate.

"You are correct. You don't have any right to lecture me on how to utilize my abilities."

Arisu's eyes narrowed slightly. The gall of the woman. It was like Kitsuki all over again, ordering her, lecturing her, telling her what she could and couldn't do with her abilities. If her abilities weren't meant to be used, it wouldn't be natural to her. Ninjutsu was a perversion of the gift of Ninshu and an abuse of Chakra, stepping onto the territory and threshold of the divine, but it had been a gift from her ancestors. It wasn't meant to be innate in humanity, so their use of the abilities should always be limited. Unlike humans, the Otsutsuki were natural chakra manipulators. The Rinnegan and its powers was a natural evolution of their abilities. It hadn't been from an outside source.

"That said, I cannot fault you for that. Humanity knows little of what else is out there. That is why we Otsutsuki take our place as the gods of this world. To nurture and raise humanity. To serve as creators, with some serving as destroyers."

Raising her hands, her Rinnegan focused on Ryuko for a moment before she closed her eyes and formed the ram and snake seals. Concentrating on her connection to the Pure Land, Arisu poured through the souls there, selecting a surprisingly powerful one. A massive surge of chakra left her body, the head of the King of Hell rising from the ground next to her. The mouth of the King of Hell opened wide, and a silhouetted figure appeared near the entrance.

"Welcome back to the realm of the living."

Arisu opened her eyes again. She had expended an enormous amount of chakra, but she had long since been able to ignore any amount of stress or exhaustion from doing so.


---

The second technique is Samsara of Heavenly Life, a resurrection technique performed by forming the ram and snake hand seals. This summons the King of Hell, which can release any number of souls from the afterlife into their bodies; bodies that are damaged, broken, or in pieces will be restored, no matter how small an amount is left. If the body does not exist, the King of Hell will recreate it from the point at which the soul left it. This technique costs 100 points per soul, but can uniquely be used to resurrect every soul that died in the previous week at the expense of the user's life. It can only be used once every two years IRT. There is a window for such resurrections to take place.

Revived: Tamwyn

They say no one knows what happens in life after death. Everyone knows the soul goes to the 'pure' world. But just what is that world? What does that place entail? Is is paradise? Is it existence without pain and suffering? Is it servitude to the Shinigami who shepherds those to and fro? Tamwyn would never be able to answer, because as he felt himself reform. His body seemingly to snap back together in a dark and enclosed space he would lose all memory of it. It was as if what happened in the pure world, stayed in the pure world. It was both relieving, and absolutely insufferable. His yellow eyes would look around as an opening seemed to appear and widen vertically. A large mouth of some kind? Holding his hand up to the bright light, as any light would be when coming from total darkness, he stepped over, eye squinted. As he did he would hear words. A welcome back to life, and as his eyes adjusted he would look around in bewilderment. He was fully clothed in his armor that had been created for him by his Sensei, Ryuko. He had his hat on his head, which was a tad odd seeing as he had stopped wearing it toward the end but still, maybe that meant it was too much of a part of his identity.

Feeling over his chest he would feel the scarred brand of Yenns pendant under his clothing and his yellow eyes would begin to dart around, taking his surroundings. He would note the woman who had spoken first. Given he knew where to orient his eyes from where her voice had come from. She was a striking woman with pale skin. Extremely pale actually and..was that a horn? He was reminded of the Yokai clan from Kumogakure, but to his knowledge that clan had no capabilities of resurrection. Filtering through his memories he would realize who this was after a brief moment of thought. His mind slowly picking back up to his normal speed. Coming back from the dead tended to overwhelm the senses. Well, he guessed that was the cause anyway. "I think I know you. Arisu right? Based on your words, I have to assume I have you to thank for returning me from the dead. But I have one question, why? Is the war between our nations over? How long have I been dead?" He would ask, unsure of just how long he had been gone and of what had occurred. He had never seen the woman before so he couldn't judge based on any physical changes.

Once he had asked, his eyes would turn and he would lay eyes on a woman he had never expected to see again. Amber eyes would widen in recognition as he needed not to think at all to know who she was. "Ryuko-Sensei!" He would exclaim, falling to a knee as he saw the Queen of The Kingdom of Thunder. She wore a simple, but beautiful white dress with blue trim and a golden and blue amulet and a tiara was her only adornment otherwise. The last time he had seen her had been just after the fall of Moonspire. Before she had disappeared suddenly. Assuming by this point he would be told to stand. Tamwyn would rise to his full height of 6'0 and his yellow eyes would scan the area for a third woman whom he had hoped to see. Yenn and he had been married shortly before his death and he couldn't wait to see her again. Couldn't wait to hold her violet gaze with his amber one. When she was not there, he would nod. She would probably be at home. Turning back to the woman, Arisu, he would bow his head politely, and deeply. Something he didn't normally do for anyway but was certainly warranted now. "I owe you a debt I will never be able to repay, Lady Arisu. Thank you, for giving me my life back." He would say, his manners coming to the forefront.

[1]

Ryuko simply shrugged when Arisu told her she had no right to lecture her. She’d delivered her warning and if Arisu chose to ignore her in the future then the consequences would be on her head. Hopefully she wouldn’t accidentally start a zombie apocalypse or something where the Vestal would end up having to help clean up the mess. Sure she could probably count that as Arisu’s boon if the other woman hadn’t claimed it already by that point but talk about a total pain in the ass.

“Arrogant much? She clearly has delusions of grandeur.” Huffed Rafeala inside Ryuko’s head making the queen mentally roll her eyes. So what if Arisu was a small g God at best and not a capital one, as long as she stayed on the nurture humanity side and not the destroy side Ryuko didn’t have a problem with her. It wasn’t like Arisu was wrong about humanity in general knowing very little about the cosmos. Ryuko herself knew more than most but was also mature enough to admit she still had plenty left to learn.

“Have you been to the stars then Arisu? I would be thrilled if you enlightened me about your experiences.” Ryuko said eagerly as the alien woman stared at her for what was only a brief moment but felt to her more like an eternity. What must it have been like to travel from one planet to the next? What kind of sage would she be if she didn’t seek answers to those kinds of questions.

When Arisu suddenly began to perform hand signs Ryuko took a step back unsure of what the Otsutsuki was doing since she hadn’t verbally agreed to anything yet. The queen had assumed that performing the deed would be a bit more elaborate and that Arisu would need some time to prepare first and yet within the span of just a few moments Tamwyn was standing before her, looking just like she remembered him to be.

“Well, that was certainly expedient.” remarked Ryuko wryly. “Thank you.” She continued expressing her gratitude with a simple expression and a warm smile. She was tempted to give the other girl a hug but had a feeling that going over the top with her gratefulness like that wouldn’t be much appreciated.

The way Tamwyn talked, the way he moved there was no doubt in her mind this was the real deal and not some kind of elbarerate imposter. It seemed that the more things changed the more they stayed the same as upon seeing her he exclaimed her name and fell to his knees.

“Rise Tamwyn oh Seraph of Lightning” said the Queen with a grandurly tone using his title to emphasize that he was not some minor scrub that should be lowering himself to the ground every time he saw her. For just having come back from the dead he was pretty quick on the uptake but naturally he also had many questions.

“Would you care to explain or shall I?” Ryuko asked Arisu politely. It was a bit of a long story and if they both started talking about it at once things were libel to get confusing.

[5]

"I have, but not extensively."

Arisu had been on another planet before she'd arrived on this one, and with her portal ability, she was able to travel to several different planets as well, although they weren't necessary the most habitable. Much of the greater universe was not kind to outsiders or life in general.

But she wasn't here for idle chatter. Rather than expand more on that, she focused on resurrecting Tamwyn, and then the job was done. He was a perceptive one, seeming to already know who she was. Her reputation preceded her it seemed, since everyone knew who she was. It wasn't like she was hiding her identity anymore, so she didn't mind too much.

"Yes, I am indeed Arisu. I don't know how long you were dead, but the war is still ongoing. When I left Kirigakure, there was talk of peace talks, but I haven't been back to confirm how far along that process is. It is-" Insert the date here "so I'll let you decide how long you've been dead."

Tamwyn rather predictably thanked her for bringing him back to life, but Arisu shook her head. It was understandable why he'd be grateful, but she hadn't done it for his benefit. This was mostly transactional.

"You owe me nothing, it was Queen Ryuko that made the deal with me, so it is with her that the debt lies. I don't know what boon I'll ask, but I accept the terms. That said, I didn't wish to keep you waiting for me to make my decision, so consider this a good faith gesture."

"The war was at least somewhat on standby while Kitsuki, Satomi, and myself took care of the Moonspire conspirators. Hana Kaguya we took care of in Kirigakure, while there was a truce made with Kumogakure temporarily while we took care of Akihiro and Ikomiki. I know that the hope was to extend the truce to a lasting peace, but as I said, I'm unsure of how those talks have gone."

Tamwyn would crack his neck as the woman spoke, getting a feel for moving. He didn't think anyone would mind and frankly he wanted to see if he felt any stiffness in his body after being brought back. Surprisingly he felt none. He remembered how he died, he had miscalculated just how fast Raiju had been and he had deactivated his strongest tool in order to try to utilize a ninjutsu. Raiju's clones had caught him at that moment and had torn him limb from limb within the mindscape. Of course that wouldn't have affected his physical body. So he should've properly been buried. Did his return mean there was no body in the casket? Had he been burned instead? It was an interesting question but not one that should be asked right then. This was a wondrous moment. Not a time for macabre questions about bodies. When Arisu spoke of the date his eyebrows would rise in surprise. "I see, then it's been about a year since my death." He would say simply, his brow furrowing in thought. How much had happened in a year? Yenn would have obviously delivered their twins. She was ready to deliver at any time when he had gone to face his spirit companion in mortal combat.

That of course meant that Tamwyn was a father provided there were no complications. He doubted there would be, Kumogakure was a powerful village and hospitals in most villages were more than up to the task of delivering children while minimizing risks. He wondered what she would have named their children and a small, sad smile would creep across his features as he thought of it. "If it's been a year..then I'm a father.." He would say softly, tears welling in his eyes. He had missed so much already and he wished all the more than Yenn was here with him now so he could hug her tightly to him. So he could kiss her again. He doubted he would let her go after what had happened. Gods, how had she taken it? He was afraid to find out.

Arisu would go on to tell him that he owed her nothing, that Ryuko had negotiated the deal and it was Ryuko who would have to pay that debt. He considered only briefly before nodding. She would continue on though. Talking of the Moonspire conspirators. All she would say was that Hana had been taken care of, and so had Akihiro and Ikomiki. Of course at the mention of those names Tamwyn's hackles would rise, he had been at Moonspire when they had attacked and slaughtered everyone. He thought back to that day, to the order he had been given. To stay below ground, to protect Yenn. To his decision to obey that order when everything went to hell. To this day he still didn't know if he did the right thing, and he never would. Yet he had made peace with that. Now though, the mention of the three who instigated that attack drew a feeling of electrical discharge in the air. Faint, like static all around. His eyes glowed a brilliant yellow and far away, a distant howl could be heard by him. Raiju, acknowledging his presence once more. It should be noted that none of that static feeling was directed at Arisu, or Ryuko. It was simply an instinctive act done in anger. His yellow eyes meeting her eyes he would speak. Still politely, always politely, yet angry all the same. "I was at Moonspire..With that in mind I ask a question. You speak of 'taking care' of Hana, Akihiro, and Ikomiki. If I might ask, what do you mean exactly?" He would ask. If she didn't want to answer him he would respect that. They were shinobi not of Kumogakure, and one of them had been a previous Mizukage. The village to which Arisu held loyalty. However it could never hurt to ask and he wanted to know. More than anything.

[2]

Thank goodness. Thought Ryuko to herself with a sigh of relief. It seemed that Arisu wasn’t quite the experienced spacefarer after all. If she had experienced planet hooping to the point it was mundane then the odds of her being willing to help in the exploration department would be slim. Well unless she happened to be a particularly adventurous spirit. That wasn’t impossible but it didn’t seem likely in Arisu’s case. What god self proclaimed or otherwise would want to be away from her worshipers?

The queen had been so excited to see Tamwyn again her mind had skipped over some important details of his return, like the fact he had come back dressed. Was that particular concession an extra part of service on Arisu’s part or was she just trying to protect the delicate sensibilities of both herself and the Queen? Not that Ryuko would have cared much if Tamwyn had arrived in his birthday suit. She was a doctor so a man’s junk was nothing she hadn’t seen before.

Where did the line on her ability to replicate matter end? As an expert armorsmith Ryuko could tell that Tamwny’s current ensemble was a mere cloth replica of his usual armor that she’d made for him and nowhere near as tough as the real thing. Considering she had made top of the line S class equipment for him it would have been quite troublesome if Arisu could simply spit out duplicates like it was nothing given the amount of time and effort that usually went into their construction.

More importantly she’d just recreated his entire body from scratch. Ryuko had been wondering how that was going to work since it wasn’t like she had Damian’s corpse around. If that was a necessary component of the ritual she would have been up a creek without a paddle. Thankfully she hadn’t had to disturb Tamwyn’s grave in order to bring him back but now she had to wonder, what would it be like to be alive and yet able to visit your own grave? That had to be pretty spooky.

Medically speaking Ryuko wanted to know if Arisu’s ability could be applied in more limited aspects such as just replacing lost body parts instead of just returning the dead. According to Rafaela she’d gain the ability to restore lost limbs herself once she proved herself. If they could compare and contrast the two abilities it was possible they would be able to unlock the secret of how that worked and then teach it to people in general. Just because it was a special path power for now didn’t mean it had to always stay that way.

Speaking of paths, Seid had once told her a little bit about the Otsutsuki and how several of them had special powers that they competed for, though he hadn’t told her which path he had specifically. Arisu had mentioned the Outer path was her original which implied she had multiple. She supposed that meant that the Sage of the Six paths himself must have been an Otsutsuki which explained a lot about how powerful he was supposed to be back in his day. It also explained why Arius would think of herself as a god. Anyone would if getting multiple paths brought them to that level of power.

Even if Ryuko hadn’t invited Arisu to the village it would have only been a matter of time before the two Otsutsuki met since they were like magnets to each other drawn to the other's powers. The queen could only hope that when that happened the two of them could talk to each other like reasonable adults. The idea of two godlike beings being at each other's throats was headache inducing to say the least.


Tamwyn mentioning he was a father made her realize she didn’t know how that had worked out. The record keeping in the village had been somewhat spotty during her absence. She’d been able to find out that Tamwyn had died because Shimiko had bothered to report it but with how busy things had been with the war nobody was keeping an especially close census on births. She supposed she should be thankful Seid held things together as well as he had during her absence but that didn’t change the fact it was annoying not to have the information on hand.

“You’ll need to speak with Yenn about that. Your first mission once we are done here will be to find her and tell her the good news.” said Ryuko. When she’d first heard Tamwyn had died her first instinct had been to find Yenn and offer her condonalances but she hadn’t had much luck locating the woman so far. Yenn was Tamwny’s wife which meant he knew her best. If anyone knew where to find her it would be him.

“They were the perpetrators behind the attack on Moonspire. Arisu was kind enough to bring them to justice for us.” explained Ryuko with a hint of relief in her voice. Now that the Kingdom of lightning had its pound of flesh the senseless fighting could come to an end. “Shimiko is attending the talks in my place. I know she isn’t what you’d imagine as your typical diplomat but she truly cares about our country more than most and wants peace the same as you or I do. If not for herself then for our children.” said the Queen using Our in this sentence in the broader terms of the word.

Shimiko had adopted Miyu and the Twins and while they were all technically adults themselves now, what parent didn’t want to raise their kids in the safest environment possible? Ryuko was perhaps the first to see more potential in her sister then as a mere murder machine. It was a shame she couldn’t negotiate herself due to returning too late to attend but she had faith that this was a good opportunity for Shimiko to live up to the potential she had seen in her.

“Arisu, would you care to join us for a drink in celebration?” asked the queen, extending an invitation. She wasn’t talking about tea this time but hard liquor aka the good stuff. They had so much to toast it would be a shame to miss out.

[6]

"Akihiro and Hana were both executed, Ikomiki is to be delivered to Kumogakure so that justice can be enacted to her there, although I want her incinerated without having any DNA being taken from her. She may have been evil, but she's
one of my people."

She didn't fully trust that Konoha would honor their bargain with her having released Ikomiki back into their custody to oversee her execution with Kumo, so mentioning that she didn't want Ikomiki harvested to the people that might actually feel honor bound to make sure that her request was followed through with couldn't hurt.

"I must decline your offer for a drink. I don't enjoy the taste, and my body has recently been able to heal itself of any ailments, which might include being drunk."

Ever since she'd gained some powers from the weakened fruit, unlocking Senju-like abilities, she'd begun automatically healing from even the smallest of things. She appeared almost younger, more full of life as her life-force enhanced even further by the power that had been bestowed upon her. It was an interesting experience, and she understood why many Otsutsuki sought full fruits and drained planets, but she wasn't the type to do so.

"Anyhow, I have things to attend to, so I'll make my exit so you can enjoy your reunion in peace. I'll make my way to Kumogakure in the near future. Perhaps I'll have come up with some sort of request by then."

Standing up, Arisu stepped away from the table and tapped the air in front of her, opening up another portal, stepping through and returning to Konoha.

---
Exit

The news that Hana and Akihiro were dead would bring a surprised look to Tamwyn's eyes and he would pause for a moment to consider that. Shimiko attending peace talks seemed odd to the Seraph but he knew there were far worse options. The blonde woman had been willing to step up and help him, a total stranger at that point. With an insane fight that in all likelihood she would probably have been smarter to decline to assist with. Still, he might have tried to fight Raiju without her and that would have probably been the death of him regardless. Only in that situation there would have been no one to report it and no one who truly knew what had happened with the sole exception of Yenn. Still he had died anyway, due to a gross miscalculation on his part.

Ryuko would offer drinks and the idea of it made his stomach seem to try to flip. He was starving and he wanted to get back to Kumogakure as soon as possible. Wanted to get checked up in a hospital and get home to his wife and children as soon as he could do so. Arisu would decline the offer for a drink and bid them farewell before..opening a portal to somewhere. Then she would walk through it and the portal would disappear. Briefly Tamwyn wondered what would happen if he had walked through it right behind her. Would it only accept her as a passenger? It was an interesting question to be sure. Still it was not important at the moment.

Turning back to Ryuko he would give her a smile before speaking. "It's so good to see you sensei. Although I will decline a drink as well for the moment. My stomachs been effectively empty for a year and I can't imagine alcohol would settle well in that kind of void." He would say with a laugh. "What say we get started back home? I'm excited to return." He would ask, offer his arm toward her politely.

[3]

[Potential Exit]

Ryuko felt kind of disappointed that Arisu had turned her offer to have drinks together down. Even if she didn’t like alcohol Ryuko had virgin versions at hand to serve if needed as well as special stuff for people who could regenerate like her since their system would metabolize too quickly to get drunk otherwise.

For someone who supposedly had all the time in the world, what was the rush? At least she could understand why Tamwyn was in a hurry, Anyone would want to see their wife and kids first thing after returning from a long time away. “My student, always the gentlemen.” She exclaimed with glee as she took hold of the arm that had been offered. It felt stronger and more robust then when she had last seen him which made her wonder, was there anything she even had left to teach him? That was a question to answer on another day as the two of them returned home back to their village.

[7]

-Exit-