Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter.

Twin Paths

Chapter4: Migration

January 1913
Uzu no Kuni: Uzumaki Clan Village
Main Temple

Years passed far too quickly for Mito's liking and most of it she had spent travelling. The outlands were vast and filled with such wonders that she could scarcely believe any of it. The so-called 'Wizarding and 'Muggle' worlds may overlap each other but they were kept separate for the most part, something that she found very disturbing. But then again, the 'Shinobi' world wasn't any better with its never ending clan wars, though thankfully the conflict hadn't spread to the outlands and was 'contained' on the ninja continent. It took some work but she'd eventually discovered that the entire continent was hidden behind a barrier of some kind, one that hid it from the rest of the world.

"You've gathered quite a bit of information on the outlands," Ashina mused as he looked over the reports his daughter had given him. "Good work Mito."

"They're good people, father, just like us," Mito told him. "We could learn a lot from them."

"I will meet with them personally and begin negotiations. Who do you recommend we approach?" Ashina inquired.

"Potter Henry," Mito answered simply. "He recently took up his family's lordship and is starting to push for the wizards to aid the normal people in their current war. He's a good man, we should talk with him."

Yes, Henry Potter wasn't a weak willed man nor did he think of normal people as beneath him. All he wanted to do was help fight for the freedom of his family and nation, something that she could respect since she too had fought for her people. The only difference was that he fought in the political arena while she fought on the frontlines, constantly risking her life just to be able to buy the people she cared about one more day of survival.

"A good man huh?" Ashina smirked at his suddenly red faced daughter. "That's quite some praise coming from you, after all, not even those Senju and Uchiha kids garnered such words."

"It's nothing of the sort," Mito denied as she looked away. "He's just a friend."

"So were they," Ashina chuckled slightly before waving it off.

That's right; she'd once been friends with Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, the heirs of their respective clans. She hadn't seen them since the incident years ago however she'd heard the reports. They were still fighting to this day, battle after battle, day after day, constantly trying to defeat the other. What did they look like now? She couldn't even remember their faces now after so long, not that it mattered anymore.

"It doesn't matter now," Mito spoke clearly with closed eyes.

Those peaceful days were gone now, replaced with hardship and constant fighting. She was sick of it, the seemingly never ending war that they'd found themselves in because of the shinobi system and simple human nature. In a better world the three of them could have stayed friends and grown up together. But in this world that didn't happen and her only wish now was to find some way for her and her clan to live in peace.

"There is one thing that bothers me," Ashina spoke up suddenly turning serious once again. "Their isolationist nature and this 'Statute of Secrecy' may prove to be a problem later if the normal people discover them and us. We will have to tread carefully and plan accordingly."

"I will try and acquire more information."

March 1914
Uzu no Kuni: Uzumaki Clan Village
Main Temple

Uzumaki Ashina couldn't help but feel helpless as he looked over the latest reports from the mainland, specifically the reports regarding the Senju and Uchiha clans. The clan wars still continued as those two kept fighting each other and now that was about to spill over to them too. He'd just received marriage contracts from both clans asking for his daughter's hand and he hated himself for a moment when he actually considered accepting. Allying with one of the two strongest clans in Shinobi history was a wise course of action considering the state of their world at the moment and as the head of the Uzumaki clan it was their best bet to survive, however as a father he could never do such a thing.

Mito should marry for love not loyalty to the clan…

So he refused both contracts and now both clans were pissed at the Uzumaki for not falling into line like so many other clans had done. They were both gathering their forces to attack, using this as an excuse though they didn't really need one. The Senju in particular had been holding a grudge against him personally for the last time that there was an incident between their two clans and this had only made things worse. The Uchiha on the other hand couldn't take the risk that the Uzumaki might join their distant Senju clan cousins, especially since the Uchiha were losing at the moment. He wasn't going to allow them to do as they pleased however, not if they threatened his family. It was time to go through with their emergency plans, their last resort that he prayed they would never have to use.

"Mito," Ashina whispered softly. "Come here."

"What is it father?" Mito asked the question.

Ashina wordlessly handed her the reports and waited as she read them. As she read it her face darkened and her chakra started leaking out, cracking the floor beneath her as she failed to reign herself in. Looking at her now, Ashina couldn't help but feel proud of the woman she had become both as a person and as a kunoichi. Her chakra was strong, far stronger than his own and that was saying something considering what he had inside of him. It wasn't any kind of natural talent or unnatural power that she had, just simple training day after day, pushing herself more and more until she finally reached where she was now.

There was a reason that she was called the Goddess of Kunoichi these days…

"…How long?" she finally inquired.

"They'll be here in two days," Ashina answered. "I want you to begin final preparations."

Mito stared at her for a moment before closing her eyes and nodding, knowing what he was asking of her. Not trusting her voice, she turned and walked towards the door, her every step cracking the floor beneath her feet as she moved. The Senju and the Uchiha were going to invade Uzu no Kuni and crush the Uzumaki before resuming their own war. Mito knew the odds were stacked against them, especially with both clans being involved. The Uzumaki could probably fight one of them and survive, but both at the same time?

They didn't stand a chance…

"I love you father," Mito spoke quietly as she left the room.

"I love you too my little Mito-chan," Ashina said back. That was it, the order had been given and now it was out of his hands. He only prayed that he'd done enough for his daughter, his family and the future. He turned in his chair and stared out at the blue sky, his minding drifting back to his late wife. She would have been proud of their daughter too; if only she had lived then everything would be perfect.

Senju…

Uchiha…

If they dared to try and hurt the people he cared about again then he would show them exactly why you shouldn't anger an Uzumaki, especially one that was a Jinchuuriki. 'Hey,' Ashina thought as he rose from his seat. 'Are you ready for one last roll?'

Deep within the back of his mind a looming figure rose from its slumber, its huge form easily the size of a hill. As it stepped forward to the front of his mindscape, he saw the light hit its form, his form. He was a giant turtle-like creature with a crab-like shell, spikes all over his body and three massive shrimp-like tails stretching from its rear. His face was protected by a large forehead and lower jaw with spikes.

"I always am," replied the Sanbi. "I think father would have liked you, you and your daughter."

'Thank you for everything Isopu.'

Senju Butsuma wasn't the most emotional man in the world, far from it, but he did care greatly about his sons and clan. He'd spent his whole life on the battlefield fighting one battle after another, more often than not against the sworn enemy of the Senju clan, the Uchiha. The Senju and Uchiha clans were infamous for their hatred of each other, for their rivalry and their beliefs. The Will of Fire and the Curse of Hatred.

He hadn't planned to be here nor did he ever consider this course of action even if he had ordered contingencies to be put in place in case their wayward cousins ever decided to make a power play. The Uzumaki clan were an offshoot of the Senju clan after all and as the senior clan, they should obey Senju commands just like any other 'allied' clan. However instead of falling into line and accepting their place in the grand scheme of things by accepting the marriage contract, the Uzumaki had rejected it and in doing so they insulted the Senju.

The last time something like this happened was fifty years ago when the Senju had demanded that the Uzumaki hand over their knowledge of Fuinjutsu and in retaliation for their refusal, the Senju had made plans to wipe them out. Using their Mokuton bloodline they hunted down and captured the Sanbi, one of the nine Biju that roamed the Shinobi World. With their Mokuton bloodline they were able to take control of the beast's mind and then establish a temporary summoning contract with it. They then summoned it to Uzu no Kuni and used it to attack the Uzumaki clan with the sole intention of wiping them out. Even when they lost control of it during the battle, the Sanbi still rampaged through the night killing everything around it until something no one had predicted happened.

It was sealed…

A lone child, barely ten years old, stepped forward to face the beast and using his knowledge of his clan's Fuinjutsu, he sealed the Sanbi inside his own body. The boy later went onto becoming the next head of his clan, Uzumaki Ashina. After the battle, Ashina led several companies' worth of troops against the Senju which led to the latter being forced to redirect ninja from their war with the Uchiha to protect their backs from the Uzumaki. Eventually the Senju sued for peace with the Uzumaki and the two had kept away from each other ever since.

Time and again those red-haired freaks wouldn't fall into line like everyone else…

"Forward!"

The order was given and as one the Shinobi under his command ran along the beach and into the trees where they were most comfortable. The trees here were much smaller than those in Hi no Kuni however they still offered a fair amount of protection, especially for the Senju and their Mokuton bloodline. Still, there was something about all of this that he found troubling, as if something was wrong but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

It wasn't long before he realised what was wrong with this picture, after all it should have been obvious from the start. There was no one here; no one was waiting for them in the vain hope of defending their home, no one to guard or even walk along the beach, nothing. It was as quiet as a grave, silent and cold. That's when he heard it, the screams of his people as they died, cut down by an unknown assailant in the night. He took off towards where the screams were coming from and arrived a few minutes later to the sight of several dozens of his fellow Senju clan ninja lying in pieces on the ground. They'd been sliced in half, each and every one of them.

It was then that he saw it…

A lone figure standing against the moonlight, dressed in the red and black armour of the Uzumaki clan with the customary forehead protector emblazoned with the Uzumaki clan symbol, an orange spiral. In his hands was a silver spear, its tip glowing an eerie red. There was no mistaking this presence, this pressure in the air, this sheer force of intent that was seemingly sucking the air out of the world around him. Butsuma knew who he was the moment he saw him, after all who else had this kind of presence about themselves?

"Uzumaki Ashina," Butsuma spoke calmly.

"Senju Butsuma," Ashina greeted back as he wiped his spear clean. "A fine night for a stroll, is it not?"

Butsuma was many things but a fool was not one of them, he knew that he was being baited, first by the death of his clansmen and now by his words. Running in blindly and attacking without a plan would accomplish nothing but his own death. He'd known Ashina for years now and knew that the greying redhead was a formidable opponent. Ever since he first became the clan head, Ashina had led them through one war after another, most notably against the Kaguya clan. Considering just how dangerous the Kaguya clan really was, it said a lot about the Uzumaki that they were able to kick them out of Uzu no Kuni.

"My apologies Ashina-dono but I'm afraid that you and your clan have gone too far this time. Surrender now," Butsuma said clearly.

"I refuse," Ashina responded simply.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

They both heard the shout which was soon followed by a fireball descending upon him from above and exploding as soon as it hit the ground. A lone figure dropped down into the now destroyed and burning clearing a moment later. It was Uchiha Tajima, the head of the Uchiha clan and the one person in the world that Butsuma hated the most. What was he doing here? Was he here to help Ashina? No, he'd sooner die than help anyone that wasn't an Uchiha, especially not someone from a clan that he wasn't allied with.

"Damn," Tajima cursed as he stood up. "And here I was hoping to take both of you out with that one."

Butsuma had to bite back a curse at the way this battle was turning out and had to force himself to remain calm, especially in this situation. He knew that this was going to be difficult, Uzumaki Ashina was an exceptional shinobi and that was without taking the Sanbi into account so it wasn't like he wasn't expecting it. However with Tajima now involved and a battalion behind him, the situation had only gotten worse.

The trees rustled as the Senju and Uchiha clan members lunged at each other. For a moment Ashina contemplated just backing off and letting the two sides battle it out but if he did that then the fighting might move deeper into the island where the transportation seal was currently being used to send the rest of the Uzumaki clan to Britain. No, his only option was to hold them here and distract them long enough for the others to escape.

"Both of you are here at the same time? For two clans who hate each other, you both think alike," Ashina commented. "Maybe there's some history there?"

"We're nothing alike," Butsuma responded coldly. "We Senju have always been the strongest clan, and that won't change."

"Keep telling yourself that," Tajima said with a grin. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Enough of this," Butsuma glared back at his sworn enemy. "What are you doing here, Uchiha? This is a matter between the Senju and Uzumaki clans, the Uchiha have no place here."

"It concerns us too," Tajima shrugged before looking over at the grey-haired Uzumaki. "He rejected our proposal and now he has to face the consequences."

"I will not use my daughter or any other member of my clan just to ally with one of you," Ashina declared. "You both are the same when you think that if someone isn't with you then they're against you."

Suddenly another dozen Senju ninja burst out of the trees and descended upon the lone Uzumaki intent on killing him where he stood. Ashina saw them coming however and spun his spear around his arm, before slamming it down onto the ground. The area around him glowed before the attacking ninja abruptly fell to the ground with a series of echoing slams. A few seconds later they slowly changed, turning into wood right before his eyes.

"Juryo Fuin," Ashina spoke clearly. "Wood clones won't help you here, Butsuma."

It wasn't the first time he'd faced a Senju or an Uchiha and he hadn't lived so long in a world where thirty was considered old by being careless. He knew enough about how both clans fought to be able to stay one step ahead of them. The Senju usually fought with numbers because of their larger than average chakra reserves, hurling disposable wood clones at their enemies to wear them down so that the main body could move in and finish the job.

Both clans had been considered the strongest for as long as anyone could remember, and there was a reason for that. Both clans were formidable in their own way however there was one thing that the Uzumaki had that neither clan seemed to have, and that was Fuinjutsu. It was the most complex of ninja arts and the most dangerous too because of its volatile and deadly nature. To this day the only ninja that had been able to master Fuinjutsu to a high enough level to be considered battle-worthy were the Uzumaki.

Something he had no problem in showing the world…

Tajima appeared in front of him and thrust his sword forward only for Ashina's spear to come up and deflect the strike. It was just a distraction however as Tajima used the opportunity provided by their clash to lock eyes with the grey-haired Uzumaki. The Genjutsu took hold and Ashina suddenly found himself restrained by a block of steel. The illusion was abruptly shattered a second later as Tajima moved in for the kill only to receive a harsh kick to the stomach sending him hurtling back and crashing into nearby tree which snapped it in two. Tajima narrowed his eyes in confusion, after all that was his preferred tactic and it had never failed him before. The Senju dealt with their ocular Genjutsu by having a wood clone nearby to snap them out of it and run interference, and it didn't take hold of Hyuga clan members properly but this was different, Ashina had broken his Genjutsu in a matter of seconds.

That wasn't possible for a non-Uchiha…

"Genjutsu doesn't work on a Jinchuuriki who is on good terms with their Biju," Ashina answered the unasked questioned as dark red chakra started to leak from his body and shape itself around him in the shape of a turtle. "He's my partner."

That complicated things Tajima thought as he considered what the Uzumaki clan head as saying. Was he implying what he thought that he was? No, impossible, controlling the Biju had only ever been possible with the Sharingan and Mokuton bloodlines. There was no way that Ashina could not only use the Sanbi's power but had also gained full control of the beast. Butsuma gritted his teeth in frustration as his mind worked through every contingency plan he could think of to deal with Ashina and the Sanbi. The only thing that he could think of was to try and suppress its chakra the moment that Ashina started throwing it around, something he wasn't sure he was capable of when the beast was inside a human body. There was just not enough known about Jinchuuriki for him to be certain it would work or not.

"You're strong Ashina-kun," Tajima reasoned. "Won't you reconsider my offer?"

"No," Ashina replied simply. "Never."

"…So be it," Tajima nodded at his words. He hadn't wanted to use it but if Ashina really did have full control if the Sanbi then he couldn't afford to hold anything back, not with the power of a Biju being thrown around. His Sharingan changed, spiralling round and morphing into a hexagon pattern as black flames erupted from his eyes. "Amaterasu," he spoke clearly as the black flames lashed out and covered Ashina's chakra-covered body from head to toe.

This was the cursed power of the Uchiha, one with a terrible price and one that granted its user abilities beyond the norm. The black flames of Amaterasu couldn't be put out and burned for seven days and seven nights whenever they were unleashed. There was no defence against them other than to avoid them like the Senju did with their wood clones acting as disposable targets.

However nobody had told Ashina that…

"Fuka Hoin!" Ashina exclaimed as a scroll emerged from his sleeve. Even with his body covered in Isopu's chakra, he could still use his own Jutsu, something he demonstrated quite well when the scroll opened displaying a seal that sucked up the flames a moment later before they could teach him. Once they were all gone the scroll closed with a snap and fell to the ground in front of him, the black flames now sealed inside it.

"Impossible," Tajima whispered in shock. It wasn't possible, it was simply inconceivable that someone, anyone, could create a counter to his clan's most powerful fire Jutsu, one that could burn down a fortress in a matter of minutes. This more than anything convinced Tajima that Ashina needed to die and his clan hunted to extinction before they could teach others to do what he had just done. That couldn't be allowed to happen…

"Mokuton: Jukai Kotan!" Butsuma called out as his hands flashed through a series of hand-seals. The ground came alive as an even bigger forest than the one that was already there sprang up and seemingly rushed at Ashina who made no move to evade or escape.

There was no need…

'Hey Isopu,' Ashina thought. 'Can I have a bit of a boost?'

"Yes," the Sanbi agreed. "Just make sure you take that Senju down, Kami I hate that bloodline."

Let it never be said that Isopu didn't hold a grudge…

'Thanks,' the Uzumaki clan head smiled back in thought.

He remembered when they'd first met, after all they had fought, and then Isopu had ended up sealed within him. The first few weeks were hell not only for him but also everyone in the clan who weren't sure if the seal would break and they had to flee in order to get away from the rampaging Biju. That almost happened a few times however with his chakra which was capable of suppressing the Sanbi's power he was able to keep himself from losing control and hurting those around him. Eventually he was able to dive into his own mind and converse with the Sanbi.

That's when he made a deal…

If he could defeat the Sanbi in combat then Isopu would stop fighting him for control of his body and trying to escape. If the Sanbi won then he would be free and Ashina would be dead. Isopu accepted and they'd fought which eventually resulted in Ashina winning. They'd been friends ever since, or at least ever since he earned Isopu's respect. So when the forest had come alive and tried to kill Ashina, Isopu had no problem sending more chakra through his body, condensing it into a hardened deep crimson and black shroud in the shape of a turtle with three tails. His face was a black mask with a white mouth and equally white eyes.

When he had used the Sanbi's chakra before it had looked almost liquid allowing others to see inside of it. That was what he called his 'Version 1' chakra shroud, so by comparison his 'Version 2' chakra shroud had several noticeable differences, the main one being that his body was now nothing but a red haze with white eyes and mouth. He swung his hand down at the ground, a fist forming as he struck and roared an inhuman roar which shook the world. The forest that was coming at him disappeared, obliterated by the powerful shockwave released by the Human-Biju Hybrid.

This was the power of a Biju in human form…

A Jinchuuriki…

And it still wasn't the limit of their strength…

"You come to these lands as if you own them, you come because someone dared not do as you demanded," Ashina said clearly. "You will not live to regret it," he opened his mouth and brought his chakra tails together behind him. A second later red and blue chakra spheres sprang from his tails and compressed into a single ball that hovered in the air between them. In one motion he swung his tails around, pulling the chakra ball with it and swallowed the whole thing in one gulp.

"Shit," Butsuma cursed aloud as he jumped back and bit his thumb. "Kuchiyose: Sanju Rashomon!"

"Bijudama!"

There was no way he could survive that, an attack like that was immensely powerful, one that only the Biju were capable of. He quickly raced through hand-seals and slammed his hand down on the ground. Seals spread out across the ground and smoke exploded upwards as three massive demonic gates emerged into existence like three towering gods. A moment later the chakra orb exploded from Ashina's mouth and crossed the distance between him and the first demonic gate. The Bijudama tore through one gate after another until finally it came out the side of the third gate and detonated. The world was engulfed in light as the blast lit up the battlefield, a dome of destruction suddenly appearing in its midst.

This was the power of a Biju…

For a moment Butsuma wasn't sure if he'd been hit or not but after registering the burning pain coming from his shoulder he realised that he was indeed still alive. The demonic gates he'd summoned had been able to at least deflect the Bijudama enough to not kill him outright though it had still grazed his side as it massed before it exploded. Idly he looked back over his shoulder at where the Uchiha clan head had been standing and narrowed his eyes as he saw the dust clear.

He'd survived too…

Barely…

"So that's…" Ashina mused at the sight that greeted him.

"Susanoo," Tajima spoke as clearly as he could.

It was massive, a towering grey giant made of chakra that stretched upwards from Tajima's form. It had no legs and was shaped like a yamabushi with Tajima himself standing inside its ribcage. Muscle and armour formed over it until it was fully formed. Ashina didn't say anything more, he merely charged forward in a burst of speed, crossing the distance between them in a matter of seconds. He'd heard various reports of the Uchiha clan's Susanoo, a Jutsu that allowed them to create large bodies of physical chakra to combat their enemies though they were rare and were attributed to their 'Mangekyo Sharingan' that manifested at seemingly random times during battles. He'd personally never faced one in battle before and wasn't going to take any chances. He lunged right at the armoured giant and threw a punch only for the sword of chakra in its hands to swing from the side, batting him away with enough force to send him flying through the remaining trees.

Butsuma grudgingly acknowledged the power and skill of his long-time nemesis. After all how many times had the Uchiha called forth those abominations to fight on the frontlines? Too many to count if he was being honest, after all it seemed like every Uchiha that unlocked that cursed bloodline of theirs, the 'Mangekyo Sharingan,' ended up manifesting one of those things. Still, he couldn't help but admire the way it had managed to land a solid hit on the overwhelming Uzumaki clan head. He knew first-hand what it took to bring down a Susanoo, especially one that was fully developed like Tajima's seemed to be. Usually the Uchiha that used it had to use what chakra they had in order to maintain it so to combat it, Senju clan members generally just threw disposable wood clones at them until they ran out of chakra and then killed them when they were on their last legs.

Not the most honourable of strategies but it worked…

Ashina had his own method of dealing with a Susanoo, and that was to go all out. He'd bought his clansmen enough time to evacuate and now it was time to end this. After seeing his opponents bring out their most powerful abilities he saw no reason to hold back anymore, after all it was just him that he was risking now. So without another word he pushed himself back to his feet and drew on more of Isopu's chakra which the Sanbi happily provided if for no other reason than to see the Senju that had controlled it get their asses kicked. The red haze bubbled even more than it did before and expanded, changing even more than it had already.

It grew…

And grew…

Butsuma felt the change before he saw it, the seemingly endless sea of power that erupted from Ashina' form as his chakra shroud grew in size and shape until finally it towered over him. Like before it resembled a turtle with a crab-like shell and spikes all over it. Its shrimp-like tails swung behind it as it glared with such inhuman fury that even Butsuma whom had fought countless battles took a step back at the sheer presence that it exuded almost effortlessly.

The Sanbi….

Incredible…

"Magnificent," Tajima commented in amazement.

He'd read the reports and heard his clansmen whom had run into one of these foul demons before but it hadn't prepared him to see one first-hand. The sheer size of it alone dwarfed that of his Susanoo and the waves of power emanating from it was immense, almost unmeasurable. And this was one of the 'weaker' Tailed Beasts? Supposedly the power of a Biju was indicated by the number of tails they possessed so if this was the power of the Sanbi, what kind of monster was the Kyuubi? The Uzumaki couldn't be allowed to gain possession of the other Biju, especially if they were able to accomplish what Ashina had done with the Sanbi.

Any further thoughts on the matter were cut short as Ashina—no—Isopu rushed forward, its shell practically running over Tajima's Susanoo and rolling right over him. The Sanbi spun into a roll and turned before coming back. Tajima was barely able to reform Susanoo before Isopu bulldozed right over it and forced the Uchiha clan head to throw himself out of the way. Fast, that was his only thought as he watched the Sanbi continuing to roll for a bit before stopping and turning its gaze towards him.

"Mokuton: Mokuryu no Jutsu!" Butsuma exclaimed from below as he quickly flashed through hand-seals and then thrust his hand forward.

A large wooden dragon emerged from the ground around him, this one long and smooth. It turned towards Isopu and launched itself at the fully formed Tailed Beast. There was no time to dodge so Isopu instead opted to smashing its armoured shell directly into the wooden dragon's nose. A second later they felt it, the sudden drain on their combined chakra reserves as the wood dragon tried and partially succeeded in suppressing a bit of their power. Clearly the Mokuton bloodline could still at least restrain a Biju's power even if it was being channelled through a Jinchuuriki Ashina mused silently as the wood dragon quickly wrapped itself around Isopu's shell. In response to this, Isopu roared once more and started gathering chakra into a single orb at its mouth.

"Bijudama!"

The chakra sphere exploded forwards, aimed right at where Butsuma was standing only for the head of the wood dragon to move between them. Its mouth opened wide as it caught the Bijudama, its nature keeping the orb stable just long enough for the wood dragon to slam it back into Isopu's shell. It destabilized at that exact moment and exploded in a dome of light, the blast incinerating everything it touched in a matter of seconds.

Including the Sanbi…

The dust cleared after several long and agonizing moments to reveal a heavily wounded Ashina kneeling in the middle of a large crater. He was back in human form now with the Sanbi nowhere in sight, his transformation having worn off after absorbing its own attack. He was at his limit and he knew it. His spear wasn't anywhere in sight, his chakra reserves were starting to dwindle and he was having trouble calling upon Isopu's power after being partially suppressed like it had. Given time he could definitely draw on Isopu's chakra again but time was the one thing that he didn't have.

That only left one option…

The final option…

'This is it Isopu,' Ashina thought grimly as he forced himself back to his feet. 'Look after yourself my friend.'

"I won't forget you friend," Isopu told him as two shadows dropped down behind his Jinchuuriki.

Ashina smiled sadly as he stood up and turned to look at the heads of the Senju and Uchiha clans whom both looked like they were on their last legs too. They had nothing left, none of them did, all they had was their bodies. No bloodline limits, no Jinchuuriki powers, just three warriors whose sole intent was to win at any cost. It was then; when he was standing there that he heard it, the distant sound of a thousand explosive tags going off at once in the distance.

The transportation seal had been destroyed…

"You came to these lands believing that conquering the Uzumaki would be easy," Ashina spoke calmly as he stripped off his battered and broken armour to reveal his bleeding chest. "You were wrong."

With one swift motion he brought his hand to his stomach as the seal holding the Sanbi inside of him appeared. The key-seal appeared on his hand as he pressed it to the seal on his stomach and turned clockwise. He removed his hand just in time for the seal to unfold and chakra to explode outwards from the seal. Butsuma and Tajima didn't have time to fight or even escape before the Sanbi materialized in front of them and crushed them beneath its wait. Isopu roared as his former Jinchuuriki fell back and gasped as he felt a piece of himself disappear.

He'd had Isopu in his body for so long that he had forgotten what it felt like to be without him…

He didn't regret his decision to set Isopu free, after all they'd been friends for decades now and it was because of him that Ashina could honestly say that he lived this long. Ashina knew that he wasn't a saint, none of them were, but he knew that he'd always done what he believed to be right and this was no different. The Biju deserved to be free to do whatever they wished and go wherever they wanted. Sadly the world and more importantly humanity refused to let them do that. The Senju had hunted Isopu down and used their Mokuton bloodline to control him. It was only because Ashina had sealed him within his own body that the Senju weren't able to keep him enslaved.

For Isopu he had gone from a slave to a prisoner…

Or at least that's what it was for a time…

Because even if they started out as a prisoner and his jailer they had gone onto become true partners. The years had passed and Ashina was an old man now, or at least he was by Shinobi standards. This was the end of his journey and he knew it. He wasn't afraid to die for his clan, his legacy, his family. His people were strong, especially his daughter, oh his little Mito. She would surpass him, of that he had no doubts, after all she had her whole life ahead of her, one filled with better days than the one she'd known up to this point.

But that was another story…

I love you my little Mito…

Quietly and peacefully, Uzumaki Ashiina passed away under the moonlight…

Author's Notes:

Translation

Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu = Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
Juryo Fuin = Gravity Seal
Amaterasu = Heavenly Illumination
Fuka Hoin = Fire Sealing Method
Mokuton: Jukai Kotan = Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees
Kuchiyose: Sanju Rashomon = Summoning: Triple Rashomon
Bijudama = Tailed Beast Ball
Susanoo = He with the ability to help by all means
Mokuton: Mokuryu no Jutsu = Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique

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