Naruto: Call of Cthulhu

Next to the figure shrouded in darkness, there was a massive cloud of black smoke. It shifted in erratic movements, as though it was drifting like mist, but it generally maintained the shape of a cat with wings.

At the head of the cat were nine scarlet eyes. These eyes, glowing like the fires of hell, appeared less like eyes made of flames and more like a window into the underworld, peering into the human world. Anyone who looked into those eyes would, in turn, catch a glimpse of hell through this window.

"Who are you?"

The figure didn't respond to him. Instead, he gazed at the girl lying on the ground, bound by chains. The figure stepped forward and the cat also moved forward step by step.

Why can't I hear him?

This strange feeling was something he hadn't experienced since wearing the mask and taking on the role of Madara.

"I'll ask again: Who are you?"

His right foot unconsciously took half a step back in response to the strange figure's approach.

As an elite ninja, at least at Kage level, he immediately noticed these subtle movements in his body, yet they were beyond his control. These movements were the result of an instinctive reaction, triggered by a condition known as fear of the unknown.

The rational part of his mind wasn't sure if he was truly afraid of the figure before him, but his body had already made the decision for him.

Powerful shinobi often develop a sense of intuition when facing danger. This intuition can't always be explained, but it's usually quite accurate. And now, he was certain that the person before him was dangerous.

Faced with this danger, Obito refrained from acting rashly and continued to observe the figure's movements, analyzing his abilities.

What is the darkness surrounding him? Why does the darkness advance as he does? Before Obito could figure it out, the cat beside the dark figure made its move.

It let out a sound, and the fiery three-petaled eye in its smoky head grew even deeper, turning blood-red. The cat unfurled its tiny black wings, which transformed into massive ones large enough to envelop an adult. As it flew toward Obito, it released a stench so foul that it distorted the features of his face.

"What the—"

The smoke reached him in an instant, the nauseating stench stronger as the distance between them shrank, assaulting his nostrils. But he had no time to cover his nose — the threat was right in front of him.

He raised his sword and slashed at the cat. The blade cut through its body effortlessly, but he felt no satisfaction.

Something's wrong. There's no resistance! Before this realization could even register in his body, the cat's giant wings struck him.

In an instant, Obito's body was sent flying. His left hand released the chain, and he rolled several times before crashing heavily into the steps in front of the security building. The impact against the hard stone caused him to grunt, and he tasted blood in his throat. He nearly spat it out but managed to hold it back.

Ribs cracked, possibly a concussion. This pain…

Since mastering intangibility, Obito had rarely felt this kind of physical pain. The last time he experienced pain so vivid was during a mission to steal tribute, where he faced a genin with a special fire jutsu.

And it was this sharp, undeniable pain that reminded him that the dark figure and the cat were not illusions. They were real.

"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, slowly standing from the human-shaped dent left on the steps. His spine cracked as he twisted his waist.

"You've made me angry. No matter who you are, I'll make sure you die here!" he tossed aside his sword, a sign that he was preparing to use his true power to face his enemy.

But even so, his confidence didn't match his outward display. From the moment he first saw the dark figure and the cat, he thought the man was a puppeteer and the cat was a puppet cloaked in smoke.

So, when the cat rushed at him, Obito instinctively swung his sword. But as the blade passed through, he knew he had hit nothing. The smoke wasn't solid.

That sword swing revealed a brief vulnerability in him. During the attack, he couldn't make himself intangible, otherwise, his attack would have no effect. This trapped him in a paradox.

I can use intangibility to ignore physical attacks, but if I want to attack, I have to become tangible. But how could this cat puppet ignore physical attacks and strike me even when I pierced it with my sword?

Could it be… Obito reached a conclusion he didn't want to believe but had no choice but to accept.

This cat had a higher level of intangibility than him — it could launch physical attacks while remaining intangible.

"How is that possible?"

Earlier, the Uchiha girl had said the same thing after witnessing Obito's intangibility. Now, faced with the cat's superior abilities, he uttered those very words himself.

It was as if fate was playing a small, cruel joke on him, showing that even the most impressive of tricks could be outdone by a greater power.

---

Meanwhile, the girl remained bound by chains. She strained her neck to see behind her.

On the open ground, the masked man and the cat were locked in a fierce battle. Yet despite the intensity, neither seemed able to harm the other. It was impossible to tell whether the cat was phasing through the masked man or the masked man was phasing through the cat, but they kept passing through one another.

Is this some kind of genjutsu?

It can win, right?

The masked man had been about to kill her, but the cat had intervened. Although Izumi feared the cat, the thought that it might be a creature summoned or controlled by her savior lessened her fear.

She turned her head to thank the dark figure who should still be in front of her. "Thank you…"

But her words caught in her throat as she turned to find the figure's pitch-black, obsidian-like eyes staring directly into hers. In those eyes, Izumi couldn't distinguish between the whites and the pupils because both were merged into one solid black.

"Uchiha Izumi." The dark figure's lips barely parted, not wide enough to speak, but a voice could be heard. It was a man's voice, cold but magnetic, like a lover's whisper in a woman's ear.

For a brief moment, Izumi felt as though Itachi himself was speaking to her. But she quickly regained her composure because the person standing before her wasn't him; it was this unknown man.

Despite his form blending into the shadowy background, Izumi could see his every movement clearly. "You... know my name?" she asked cautiously. How? I've never seen this... person before.

The figure's lips barely parted again, and a string of words followed.

"I don't just know your name. I know the names of all young women. I know every girl's past, present…"

"And future."

His ominous tone sent a small but unmistakable shudder through Izumi. Normally, she would have thought such words were a joke. But from this man, she felt it was no trivial boast.

This isn't just a boast. He knows something... something impossible, Izumi realized, a chill running down her spine.

He's telling the truth! Suppressing her shock, she wanted to ask more, but the figure spoke first.

"I admire your past, Izumi."

"Witnessing the death of your parents and comrades has made you stronger. But it's not enough."

"Far from enough."

"Your suffering does not match your strength. Perhaps one day, you'll obtain even greater power."

"And maybe… that day is today."

His lips moved briefly, but a steady stream of words followed. Is this ventriloquism? Izumi didn't know why the man would use such a trick, but it seemed likely. But why?

He knows about my parents? About the massacre? Who is he? While Izumi was still guessing the man's identity, she was surprised to find herself in a pitch-black space. She couldn't even see her own hand.

The only thing she could see was a floating book.

What's happening? Where am I?

She instinctively stood up, her hands helplessly groping forward, hoping to touch the only thing with light in this darkness - the book.

Faint but spine-chilling strange sounds echoed in Izumi's ears, making her heart bear enormous pressure with each step forward, afraid she might directly touch the object making the strange noises in the darkness.

Finally, she stood in front of the book.

It was a thick book with an ugly cover, its edges decorated with something like animal teeth, while the middle was some kind of burned leather. In the center of the leather was a line of strange alien text.

For some reason, her brain could actually understand the meaning of this alien text.

The Book of Azathoth.

As if under some unknown compulsion, she unconsciously extended her hand over the book. A wave of heat rushed to her palm, but she didn't care at all, because at that moment, a magnificent scene was running in Izumi's brain with a higher priority than her sensory system signals.

It was a sun darker than darkness, and around that sun were planets harboring endless abysses revolving around it. She wanted to understand the core of that darkness, so she instinctively reached out to touch it.

The moment her hand touched the book, she learned the name of the core in that darkness, that sun darker than darkness. It was the center of the universe, the existence revered as the lord of all things. The Blind Idiot God, Azathoth!

Suddenly, pain in both mind and body brought Izumi's thoughts back. Her eyes slowly focused, changing from a blank white state back to black pupils, and she saw the dark figure in front of her again.

He was now crouching before her, holding open a thick book. On those yellowed pages were various symbols and alien text, and in the corner of the page was a drop of fresh blood.

It seemed that someone had accidentally cut themselves while turning the pages of this book.

When Izumi looked to the side, she realized that at some point, the iron chains on her body had been undone, and her hand was next to the turning pages, with blood still remaining on her fingertip.

The blood on that page was her own blood!

The dark figure closed the book and stood up. He then looked down at Izumi lying on the ground.

"This will do. Now, your soul is mine."