All-Star Ōtsutsuki 30 (Invincible/Naruto OC-SI) (Patreon)

Three aliens and a Global Defense Director sat in an office. That wasn’t the lead-in to a joke, just the odd reality that all of us found themselves in, as the makeshift group crowded in. Me, Mark, Allen, and Cecil gathered around to discuss important affairs and other matters.

“I suppose we should begin with welcoming you back, Allen,” Cecil diplomatically stated, his eyes drifting gaugingly up and down the altered form of the man. “You seem to have gone through a growth spurt.”

“Oh! Oh yeah,” Allen nodded, lifting up a beefy arm and flexing it as a demonstration. “It turns out that near death experiences are enough to kick my power up to the next tier. Getting beaten up by a few Viltrumites managed to do the trick.”

That immediately had all of our attention, as we stared at the man in surprise. I’d known he was tough, but to be that durable was beyond what I had assumed. Then again, looking at Allen, the changes in his metaphysical composition were difficult to miss. While his spiritual energy levels weren’t that different, he’d had a lot more physical energy poured into him.

“You survived that?” Mark asked, obviously a bit surprised.

A wince came from the man, as he gave us a slow nod. “Yeah. It wasn’t pleasant, trust me, but I was getting the best healthcare… at least till my boss turned off my life support.”

“I feel like I misheard that,” I stated, blinking. “The translation must have goofed somewhere along the line.”

“No, that’s what he did,” Allen admitted. “Which in hindsight seems insane, but it did force my body to recover and regenerate to even stronger heights.”

So he basically had a Zenkai boost. I was a little jealous; I wouldn’t lie, but the reality was that I had so many advantages of my own, it was beneath me to act like that. Even if I kind of wanted something like that for myself.

“We’re getting off track,” Cecil interjected, gently steering the conversation back to the main topic. “You mentioned getting smacked around by Viltrumites.”

“Right. I was with my girlfriend, having a meal, when they basically snatched me and tried to interrogate me for a few reasons.”

“Such as?” The sole pureblooded human in the room inquired.

“First was Mark, and if he was truly your Viltrumite guy’s son. Second was information on where he was being kept. Third…” He trailed off, his gigantic eye trailing to look at me. “Third, they wanted info on Taijitu.”

A shiver went down my spine, but I did my best to push my discomfort away. “How did they even know I existed in the first place? Or the other stuff.”

“Me and my boss suspect there’s a leak in our intelligence operations,” Allen gravely stated, looking displeased and concerned with the prospect. “They had way too many specific things they knew and tried to beat out of me.”

Cecil’s well-worn lines on his face only seemed to grow more severe, as he visibly rolled the idea around in his head. “If that’s the case, I’m unsure if I want to share the other news that we’ve found out about the Viltrumites with you. The holes in your information security…”

“We’re keeping any further intel between me and my boss, Thaddeus,” Allen soothed, lifting his hands placatingly. “Truly, if it can help the war effort, we’re in your debt. We’ve even got a vessel coming into the system that ought to be able to assist with some of the basic technologies the Coalition has at their disposal for member states.”

“That does make it go down easier,” Cecil admitted. “Provided you’re right, and there aren’t any further leaks…”

“If there are, I’ll lay down my life to plug them. I’m not as weak as I used to be,” the rust-colored cyclops spoke.

“True. If I had to guess, you’re not quite as strong as Nolan, but you’re not that far off, either.”

Cecil and Mark both gave me sharp looks at that, while Allen only looked at me with in confusion. “Huh?”

“He’s got weird eyes that can tell that sort of thing,” Mark explained. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh. Okay,” Allen shrugged. “So, what did you guys figure out?”

The three of us shared a glance before looking back at Allen. Some of this information from Nolan should be considered suspect, but realistically, none of it was that strategically useful for us. For the Coalition of planets, though, it could change everything.

“The biggest secret that we’ve got is the fact that there are only fifty or less pureblooded Viltrumites left alive in the universe,” I explained, gesturing over to Mark. “He’s basically one of them.”

“And my dad, in his day job as an author, is a pretty decent writer. He did end up writing about all of the Viltrumite weaknesses, or things they’ve found that can hurt them, though. We’ve got the list.”

That came from a conversation that I hadn’t been part of. Nor was it something we on Earth could readily capitalize on. People out in space, with a rough idea of where these things were… that was a different question entirely. They could track down all of these vulnerabilities and put them to use.

Theoretically, anyway.

Allen’s eye widened, as he slumped back against his chair. “They’ve been taken down to that extent…? How did they even hide it!”

“Very carefully,” I stated. “And by executing anyone who saw them in their moment of weakness, when they were attacked by a virus.”

Space is very big, and my only presumption was that other races couldn’t always tell members of specific species apart. Add in the fact that apparently they all had a singular uniform, and it wasn’t that strange that people might struggle to discover the secret. And if they did find it out, something told me they didn’t survive for very long.

“The entire war strategy has been operating under the presumption that there are hundreds, thousands, or even millions of Viltrumites flying around, ready to push back any front they land at,” Allen babbled, looking positively excited at the news. “Don’t get me wrong, one of them can basically conquer a planet with ease, especially with their janissaries backing them up. But this is…”

“A manageable number?” Cecil guessed, filling in the blanks for him.

“Sort of. It gives me hope, at least, that we can actually see their empire cast down, and the universe freed from their tyranny.”

“True,” I conceded. “It’s a much easier number to swallow.”

“That actually brings me around to one of the other reasons why I was here, outside of checking in on you guys,” Allen continued, glancing between me and Mark. “I was hoping that the two of you would come with me to Talescira and actually get involved in the war.”

It was something I genuinely hadn’t been expecting, though in hindsight, it seemed sensible. Intelligent even, from the perspective of the powers that be. Here were two individuals who could ostensibly demonstrate some degree of effort and skill when it came to actually fighting Viltrumites. Where were they located? All the way in some relatively rural world, that didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

The natural response would be an immediate no. There were too many situations that required me on Earth, threats that only my presence could solve. Objectively, once I looked at the situation, I could also recognize that feeling that way about the matter was no small amount of arrogance on my part.

Earth was doing just fine before I’d arrived. Well, not great, not with the murder of the Guardians of the Globe, but it was filled with superheroes ready and willing to take up the mantle. If I’d never arrived, I didn’t know if things would have well and truly been alright. Not with Nolan waiting in the wings. But they would have survived, somehow.

In theory, I didn’t actually think there was anything keeping me from going to Talescria, now that I thought about it. The presumed conflict was one that would come from my inability to assist if there was something happening on Earth. However, that was also just flat out untrue. Seeing as I had multiple ways of being made aware if there was a situation that required my presence.

A jutsu-shiki array that was paired with me would be relatively easy to set up. All it’d do would just be an alarm of sorts that someone could trigger to get my attention. From there, I could teleport back to Earth in no time at all. Though the actual expenditure of chakra was one that I imagined would be ruinous.

Provided that I couldn’t teleport, because someone preempted that specific threat, I could also fly fast enough in space to hit FTL. The only reason I didn’t do so in the atmosphere more often was to not devastate the environment when I flew. Leaving a shadow clone behind would probably be the less chakra-intense option, though, and thinking about the logistics more and more, it was getting harder to find reasons to decline.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Cecil spoke, making me whip my head around to turn and face him.

“Wait, you too?”

The balding director crossed his arms, giving me a slow nod. “It’s not something I’m thrilled about, don’t get me wrong. But having some eyes out there in the Coalition couldn’t hurt. And it does sound like they’re interested in you, for better or worse. That gives you an in.”

“It’s not every day we run into someone capable of fighting Viltrumites,” Allen pointed out. “My boss thinks I can, and I do feel stronger, but….”

“We can do some sparring later, if you want some frank evaluation on the matter.”

“That’d be awesome, dude!” He exclaimed, beaming at me. “But, uh, kind of getting off topic. So, in regard to going to Talescira?”

“I can’t,” Mark admitted, giving a wince of regret. “I know it sounds important, but between my mom, my dad, and everyone else I’ve got here, or trying to go to school…”

“It’s understandable,” Cecil assured him. “And if Taijitu does go, I’ll be running you ragged to pick up the slack.”

“Thanks for the warning!” Mark exclaimed, laughing but seeming a little at ease that no one was really pushing that hard for it.

“I don’t think I can see anything wrong with going, theoretically. Though, I’ll have to discuss it with a few people,” I admitted, glancing between Mark and Allen. “Mark, before you give Allen the list of vulnerabilities your father left you, wanna treat Allen to some of the local places to eat?”

That did make the boy perk up. “I mean… I could go for a bite.” Of course he was hungry, he was a teenage boy. Constitutionally, being a teenage boy meant you were either hungry, horny, or bored, and maybe sometimes all three at once.

“I could definitely go for something to eat,” Allen admitted. “I’ll catch up with you later, Taijitu.”

“Call me Genji,” I smiled. “Especially if we’re going to be seeing more of each other. Being called by my superhero name will get tiring.”

“Genji it is! Alright Mark, where’s the best place to eat in this dump?”

“Well, there’s this diner I go with my friends to…” The two of them spoke, voices trailing off as they exited the office. It left me alone with Cecil, which was the intent.

Once I was sure that the others were gone and out of earshot, I did turn to face Cecil with a curious expression. “What’s the real reason you want me out there? Since I know you’d prefer me to stay and defend Earth.”

“You’re not wrong. I would, genuinely, prefer it if you stuck around,” Cecil shamelessly admitted. “I’m also a very practical man. Fighting our enemies abroad, when they can raze entire planets, is more palatable than fighting them here.”

“That’s kind of callous.”

“I’m the director for Global Defense of Earth, not other planets,” he shrugged. “While I’d like to hope against hope that we’ll never have to face another Viltrumite, I’m not counting on good wishes to see us through this.”

“It’s… feasible, I guess,” I admitted begrudgingly, giving it some honest thought. “My portals should be able to make the distance, even if it’d be costly in chakra. As long as I know where I’m going, distance shouldn’t be a problem.”

Given that I was effectively making wormholes, the fact that I could do that much was a boon.

“Besides, I wouldn’t mind actually getting eyes on the Coalition of Planets. It’s one thing for me to be told how good they are, and it’s another for someone I trust to dig into their guts, past the gleam and glamour.”

I blinked, both eyebrows raising. “You trust me?”

“As much as I trust anyone these days. You’ve earned the benefit of the doubt from me, I’ll say that much.”

Ah, so he trusted me within limits. I’d like to say that it might have been offensive to me, but realistically it was the logical thing to say. Most people couldn’t even garner that much from a deep state spook like Cecil. In his own, callous way, he was extending a bit of grace to me.

“Invincible’s training has been going well, though I’m uncomfortable saying he’d stand up against a real Viltrumite alone,” I admitted, thinking to Mark’s current levels of strength. “With Rudy and his own powers, along with the rest of the Guardians of the Globe supporting them, and the Reanimen-Puppets… I think they can at least put up a stiff defense.”

“Unless they throw an enormous force at us, you’re likely not wrong,” Cecil admitted. “The thing about empires is that they’re big and unwieldy. You basically need to keep a hand on the wheel, or the entire thing might collapse right when you glance away.”

Nothing about what we knew so far of Viltrumites made me believe their imperial holdings were maintained with much fondness. If they were kept in line, it was through fear and resentment. No leader or people wanted to be responsible for what happened when their decisions led to the genocide of their race.

“Then I guess I’m going to space. Once I pack up and finish some of the projects, I’ll make sure that I head out with Allen to—" I began speaking, before stopping, freezing in place as a deluge of memories suddenly hit me, along with a spike in chakra returning to me.

Cecil at least had the good sense to seem alarmed, sitting up immediately with widened eyes. “Genji? What’s going on?”

Coming out of the brief catatonic state, trying to settle the immediate rush of very disorienting but good memories that I was sorting through. “Sorry,” I apologized, raising a hand to calm him down. “One of my clones just popped. It had some information that I was waiting on. Do you mind if I skip out now? I’ve got to try a few things.”

He seemed concerned, but not as much as he had before, giving me a slow, measured nod. “Feel free. Just let us know before you’re off-planet.”

“Of course,” I assured him, opening up a portal and immediately heading through, trying to restrain the giddiness inside of me.

After all of this time, my clone that I’d sent off to Hell had returned. And it’d returned with no small amount of information in tow. I’d been hoping that the environment would prove ideal for learning senjutsu…

A hope that had been confirmed, as all of the various recollections were settling inside of me. Now it was time to see what it actually gave me.

Having my clone’s memories incorporate into my mind was always a little weird. Not that I had any issues with them revolting or finding their lot in life truly deplorable. They were me, and they had my same practicality that came with using the technique to begin with. Yet there was something vaguely discomfiting that came with the perspective of someone who knew they were a limited, disposable existence.

I hesitated to call it nihilism exactly. It was more like they just were prone to behaviors that I wasn’t, especially when the situation wasn’t tremendously life or death. Joking in ways I wouldn’t, taking detours I wouldn’t think twice about, the works. The variances were even stranger, since the clone I’d sent to hell might have been existing longer than any other I’d created from the moment I’d arrived on Earth.

With each hour, every day it had been away from me, it had begun to diverge in ways that I wasn’t familiar with. Not a lot that it wasn’t recognizably me, but it still made me a little uncomfortable. To know there was a road that could have been taken, and I was getting a glimpse into it.

Whatever my personal feelings on the matter might have been, the clone did its job and did it well. I’d sent it to Hell to figure out natural energy and to check in with Damien Darkblood. On those two fronts it managed to accomplish the task immaculately.

Finding Damien wasn’t that difficult, even if the clone did have to contend with strange, magma-like entities that seemed to be becoming more common. They weren’t that difficult to freeze or destroy through various means, even if the clone and I would have liked to experiment on them some more. The demon in question was amongst others of his kind and had been surprised to see me, or my copy, to say the least.

Pleased, though, especially as I mentioned that I could begin working on a way to bring him back. He didn’t say as much, but I got the feeling that he didn’t quite fit in with the rest of his ilk. Outside of the fact that he was smaller than them, what I saw of the other demons certainly made them seem more bloodthirsty and violent than Damien.

A fact that seemed sensible, if still worrisome, as I slowly uncovered that the entire focus of their race was keeping enormous, sleeping entities sedate and weak through perpetual torture and torment. That sort of task would inevitably twist any sort of society. The fact that Damien was affable as he was proved something of a weird outlier amongst his kin.

Nor did I think Cecil was going to be pleased there was a secret society of torture-obsessed people below our feet. But he’d likely just have to live with it, like all of the other uncomfortable truths he was aware of. Such was life.

While that sort of situation of summoning Damien back to the surface was a bit of a sideshow to my alternate’s true purpose down there, they did make some progress. I had a sort of bastardized mixture of jutsu-shiki and ritual circle in my brain, clear and crisp. It’d be something to toy around with later, I suppose, or hand off to Rudy if he wanted to actually finish the job for me.

As for the actual goal of getting natural energy… that was a success. Sort of.

Sitting cross-legged, as deep into the wilderness of the Rocky Mountains that I could go, I rested at one of the highest peaks. With my eyes closed, my Byakugan were still active, as I pulsed chakra steadily to watch the ratios and mixtures that were gathering inside of me. My clone had managed to very carefully use their perfected chakra control to manage the process of sage mode.

Here, on the surface, I could tell how much slower the actual process was. Like there was something different about the primordial, ancient nature of Hell that made natural energy congeal. Perhaps certain other places in the world also had similar levels, like wherever kaiju came from. It’d explain their enormous sizes, so I made a mental note to look into it.

There was still progress being made, though. Slow progress, as I molded my chakra to be able to create senjutsu chakra. Almost immediately feeling the difference, as I sucked in a crisp breath of mountain air.

My body felt stronger, faster, and more durable with each passing second. If there was a benefit to being an inhuman space parasite, it was that unlike regular humans who had to stay perfectly still to gather it, I did not have that weakness. In fact, I was probably closer to Jūgo’s people, who could passively gather the energy just by walking and breathing.

Would it last forever when I started throwing around crazy jutsu? Absolutely not, and maintaining the balance in combat was going to be a bit of a learning curve. That didn’t mean I wasn’t eager to find out what the actual peaks of it were. When I pushed the utmost range of my eyes, I found that it was very much covering the entirety of the continental United States and a bit beyond.

Which was a level of information processing that should have fried my brain. Instead, it just felt like a new pair of shoes that I had to break in. All of the little people, going about their day, living, eating, loving, fighting, fucking, totally unaware of the greater conflicts going on above them. It was humbling to almost feel the ebb and pulse of the world in that moment, as I cut off the byakugan, lest I let myself drop too far into sentimentality.

Physically, there weren’t that many changes to me. When I’d been using my eyes, I saw strange tattoos that had run down from the bottom of my eyes, my bottom lip, and my chin and then converged at my neck. Along with my horns growing even larger, hair shaggier, and muscles just a touch more engorged.

It was still very much me, though. Even if something about my appearance did evoke a more feral, unrestrained imagery. While I still had some genuine trepidation about heading out into the universe as a whole, my discomfort with the potential of fighting another Viltrumite wasn’t nearly as strong.

I was ready for the wider universe. The real question would be whether or not it was ready for me.

Author’s Notes

Senjutsu! We’re actually getting into it, which made me double check what senjutsu actually does and research it up. All in all? Pretty useful! There’s some natural balances, but Genji’s also got some advantages over normal human users, so that’ll be fun to explore for the next major fight he gets into.

This is where we begin to see the wider universe, though it isn’t like Genji can’t just teleport back in when he’s needed or has time off. So it’s a matter of careful balance, between what makes sense and what isn’t going to break the story. Anyway, hope everyone’s enjoying things so far.

I was doing some preliminary work of future arcs, and came to realize that at this current pace, this story will be wrapped up by this time next year. I think. Like, Invincible as a plot, doesn’t actually have that much stuff happening, especially if you’re not getting involved in everyone’s nonsense.

That’s wild to think about for me. Next chapter Tuesday.