The Last Avenger and the World of Omni: Resurrection

[Sasuke Uchiha]

“Fitting, that you should be the first.” Sasuke heard a voice say, as a yellow blade of pure energy, which would be the young shinobi’s downfall, flashed into existence. The scream of energy and steel that followed left an impaled and dying shinobi in its wake, but that… that was a long time ago. 

Almost a fable now, as the legacy of the Dante’s Abyss Champion had become obscure to more and more. To the story’s credit, though, it had not fully died. It remained alive in the hushed whispers of the citizens of Nippur, whose lives and safety were in the shinobi’s charge, and the various primes who fought against his might. Those who still hold the story dear all seem to agree that it ended too short, hope of its return, and are always left wondering, in one form or another: Whatever became of the mighty Sasuke Uchiha? Well, for them, this is that story. 

Darkness of slumber and death; not the pale shadow before the dawn, but a never ending abyss. Void of perception and distinction, it consumed existence. Inundated by the void, Sasuke Uchiha felt it wash over him; its desire unyielding, yet peaceful, and calming. Suspended, he floated the ether and become enamored by sensory deprivation. In a dreamlike state, the youth became sedated with a sense of completion, and acceptance. Material desires and ambitions of the flesh diminished, until they were all but gone. Death wasn’t an agent of fear, but rather an escape from it; a warm embrace and a promise of refuge. Nirvana. For all castles made of sand, drift into the sea, eventually.

Oblivion came not with alarm, but with blissful optimism, and regardless of what lie await ahead of him, Sasuke welcomed it. In a trance, he began steadfast into that blackest of night. A night that would continue to elude him, however, because once over the threshold, his shoulder, where the legendary Sannin Orochimaru had cursed him, seared and sizzled. The smell of flesh burning was jarring. Agony rattled his core, awareness flooded his psyche, and instantly Sasuke rejected death’s embrace.

A breath later, an environment of altogether different scenery enclosed on the shinobi, leaving no trace of the former. More darkness came rushing to greet him, accompanied by a sphere of stone walls, slick with algae. Fresh water kissed his fair skin and soaked his garments as he lay disoriented, unable to place where he was or where he had come from.

 “Wake up.” Growled a raspy voice; it’s bearer unknown, veiled in the darkness.

Sasuke pushed himself from the slime coated cobblestone and took in his surroundings. Encompassing an area no larger than eight feet in circumference, it was submerged in shallow water, and had an opening for a ceiling, so many yards up it felt a fantasy. He awoke to find himself sitting in the belly of an empty, abandoned well. Where am I? The youth thought as he stirred, his mind plight with nebulous recollection, Where is this? 
 
“I said get up!” the raspy voice growled once more, “You’ve been sleeping long enough.”

“Sleeping?” Sasuke repeated the words the voice had spoke as he stood, peering into the darkness for a better look at its owner. His eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness, bestowing the shinobi not full sight, but enough to determine its shape and form.  A ferocious, winged demon was towering over the ninja from the cramped shadows of their confines.

“Dead.” The monster scoffed, “You’ve been dead long enough.”

“Dead?” as the words left the young shinobi’s lips, it all came rushing back to him; how he’d been abducted to help some imprisoned spirit, and how he had actually managed do so, amazingly enough. A victory short lived however, as he was then promptly defeated on his return to the Nexus.

 His defeat came to him by, what could only be explained as, a roaming army of primes, able to combine into one being of colossal strength, power, and badassery. The shinobi hadn’t fully recovered from it, to be honest, his mistakes haunted him. He was grieve stricken, it made his sick. How could he let this happen? There were no excuses. He had lost everything he worked so hard to achieve in Dante’s Abyss. He had fallen in power and most importantly, he had lost all the progress he had gained in his brother’s well deserved retribution. Shame, regret, anger, and a desperation to settle the wrongs he had wrought overwhelmed the young shinobi. His hand became a fist, clenched so hard, he drew blood.

“Did you think you’d escaped it? And were alive already?” The demon questioned, advancing forward to reveal it’s visage for the first time. A corrupted, twisted, and an evil version of Sasuke’s own features stared back at the youth. “Hardly.”  The demon snickered, mocking the shinobi before continuing, “That back there? That was your will to live.”

“My will to live?”

“Or lack thereof, you little bitch.” the monster snarled as he closed the distance, aggravating the tension between them, “You know what I think? Anyone who would just abandon their convictions doesn’t deserve to exist.”

“I didn’t.” Sasuke snapped, “You have bad information, demon.” The shinobi tilted his head from side to side, cracking his neck, bounced on his tip toes, and shook his body until he felt he had lifted the stiffness of slumber. His eyes never left the abomination before him, refusing to allow himself caught off-guard by this demon, should it chose to strike.

“I don’t,” the monster spat, expressing contempt for the youth freely, “and I would know firsthand.” The beast expanded his frame to its full extent before responding, removing any free space left within the well with its wingspan. The threat and imposing image it created was not lost on Sasuke. “I actually had to save you.” it griped, disgusted with the ninja. “I saved you!” he continued, fire in its demonic eyes, “After you let us die!”

Sasuke placed a hand to an irritated cursed mark upon his neck and clenched his teeth against the pain it brought. Confused, the shinobi’s mind was ablaze with a flurry of questions. What was this demon going on about? Sasuke repeated the demon, “Us?”

“And furthermore,” the demon continued to ignore the shinobi’s questions, as though acknowledging his input was beneath him, “You stayed dead, how pathetic.” The creature was now face to face with Sasuke.

“Who are you?” an angered Uchiha snapped, taking a combat stance, ready to cut the bullshit. “What are you talking about?”

“Do you know how long I have been waiting for you to get up?” the demon continued to ignore Sasuke, circling him as it spoke, “Makes you wonder about your integrity. Are you really the hero in this story?” It was directly behind Sasuke, a voice in his ear when it asked, “Or are you... something else?”

Fully aware that it was implying something heinous, Sasuke’s patience grew thin. “I said…” he seethed, scarcely restraining the hostility in his voice, “Who are yo--”

“I heard you” the demon hissed, interrupting Sasuke as he struck out his right hand, grasped the youth’s face in his palm, and thrust the ninja backward, slamming his head into stone.  Rock became debris and the youth’s motionless body slumped to the water below with a splash. “So much for the mighty Uchiha name.” The monster chuckled, admiring his handiwork, “Give me a break.”

“Shut your mouth!” Sasuke snarled back at the demon through gritted teeth. “I don’t care who you are.” He rose to face the demon, “I’ll kill you if you get in my way.” As the words left the shinobi’s lips, he exploded toward his opponent with a barrage of punches, kicks, and fury. Water gushed up, became mist, and colored their violent exchanges, as the youth tore through the well, “I… am an Avenger!”

 Each strike carried enough power to cave a weaker foe, but not this one. The monster shrugged attack after attack with ease, until bringing the Uchiha’s assault to a resounding halt. “You’re a broken record” the monster taunted, then slammed his knuckles into the boy’s sternum. Saliva escaped the youth’s mouth, his eyes watered, and he buckled over in pain, clutching his stomach. “You disgrace your own cause.” The demon pressed, dropping his elbow onto the backside of the ninja’s head, sending him back to the waters once more, “You disgrace me.”

 “Foolish boy” it snarled as it laced its ashen fingers around a fallen Sasuke’s neck, lifted his body several feet into the air, and slammed him back against the stone once more, forcing a yelp from the young Uchiha. Sasuke couldn’t breathe, the demon had cracked more than a few ribs. The pain was stifling. Who the fuck was this guy and why was he so strong?

 “What—”the shinobi began, but was cut off by his own fit of coughing that produced blood, “What… what do you want from me?” he finally managed to say, between the coughing and the troubled gasps for air.

“You lost.” The demon sneered, “You’re weak and you died.” The shinobi struggled against the demon’s grasp, fighting for more air. “I refuse to serve a king who is weaker than me and die with him.” the demon jeered, its grip on Sasuke’s neck tightening. “If you’re weaker than me, then I’ll destroy you and take the crown for myself.”

Just then a wild burst of live current flared into existence, in the palm of the shinobi’s right hand. Illuminated by the voltage, Sasuke’s face was alive with confidence as he spoke, “I don’t know what the hell you are talking about, but this isn’t going to end well for you.” Trapped or not, the shinobi was dangerous, and he would be treated as such. Without hesitation, his electric infused strike pierced the demons flesh as he declared defiantly “I’m not weak!”

[Sasuke Uchiha]

A cascade of brilliant azure sparks and white-hot embers crackled and fizzled against shallow waters, illuminating the clammy, crammed confines of a forsaken well; whereabouts unknown to Sasuke. Having claimed a great many victims previously brought to bear under its vigor, the thunderous electric current he wielded yearned to devour the demon. The might of Sasuke Uchiha’s famed Chidori viciously tore through flesh and bone alike. 

“You are weak.” Sasuke heard the demon say, feeling its ashen, callus fingers wrapped around the ninja’s wrist from a hand over position. “A shinobi whose lost their resolve will only get in the way.” the demon spat through gritted, carnivorous teeth. Twisting the shinobi’s arm counter-clockwise, the demon smirked as a shockwave of debilitating pain overcame and stifled the Uchiha’s power. Before the lightning chakra dissipated entirely, Sasuke caught a glimpse of the galvanized wound it left behind. Failing to impress, it was barely more than a flesh wound, and did little to abate the monster’s furry. The demon responded in kind with a chop to the youth’s exposed throat, spiraling the ninja to the waters once more; in a fit of coughing, hacking, and desperate gasping for air.  

Before the youth could compose himself, fiendish knuckles pummeled and peppered his visage. Blood mixed with water as the onslaught of strikes continued to batter the ninja’s face, until a comical puff of smoke shrouded it. Once the smoke lifted, a hunk of deadwood was revealed in place of the shinobi. Frustrated, the demon spun around, just in time to have his face pulverized. Sasuke’s own knuckles clobbered into the demon’s jaw, forcing him to stagger backward. Continuing his assault, the Uchiha executed a fine combination of martial art prowess. Connecting with every cross, hook, elbow, and kick he fired, the shinobi finished his assault with an explosive tag slapped onto the flailing demon’s chest. When the distraught demon looked down at the seal, Sasuke used the momentum of a backflip to kick his opponent upward and airborne. Crouching down low, the Uchiha used his arms for cover, and braced himself against the explosion that followed.

BOOM

Favoring his injured ribs, the shinobi stood to access for threat, and peered into the robust smoke left in the wake of the blast. Surprise colored the ninja’s face as the smolder and ash fled asunder. The demon had burst through the veil of smoke, and blindsided the shinobi before he could act. Enclosing its outstretched arms, the demon snatched a wisp full of hair from each side of the shinobi, and slammed Sasuke’s head into its own. Blood spurted out in all directions; Sasuke’s blood. The fiend released the boy and watched him fall like a sack of potatoes.  

There was a moment of silence, the demon stared blankly at the youth showing no expression until finally, a faint chuckled escaped its monstrous diaphragm. “You wanted to know who I am?” the demon questioned while lifting Sasuke’s motionless form by the wrist, and with only one ashen hand. “I am your curse,” it spat in blatant contempt, disgusted with the shinobi, “and you are mine.”
 
Sasuke managed to straighten himself, refusing to reveal the extent of his injuries. Though he felt helpless hanging there, he looked the demon square in the eye, and brazenly, he lied, “You hit like a bitch.”

 “Now, you’re getting it,” the demon coed, followed by a maniacal laughter, “that’s the spirit!” It then wrenched its hold on Sasuke, flung his dead weight around the well, and slammed him into an eroded stone wall with a deafening crash. “Strength is the only thing that matters in this life,” the demon snarled, “everything else is a delusion for the weak!”  

“Shut up…” the shinobi grunted while fighting though the pain as he rose. “Don’t you think I know that?!” he roared vehemently; venom in his words. An aura of bright cerulean flames suddenly enveloped Sasuke as he felt his chakra swell, amassing a colossal reservoir, until finally a devastating charge of live electric current flared into being, in Sasuke’s right hand.

“You keep acting like it’s over,” Sasuke flashed confident, sharingan blessed eyes as he spoke, “It’s not over when you lose, it’s over when you quit.” The legendary Sword of Kusanagi bore down on the monster, searing its flesh, as its lightning infused steel pierced through the demon’s front and out the back. “The Uchiha don’t quit.”

[Sasuke Uchiha]

Enabled by the damp acoustics of the forsaken well, the demon’s blood curdling cries of anguish were a like a joyous chorus to the Uchiha’s ears. Not only had he dispatched his foe, but he had managed to summon the might of Kusanagi once more. ‘How was this possible?’  the youth thought as he admired the once fabled weapon, now returned to him. His mind pondered the possibilities while he planted a foot to the demon’s chest, gave a good shove, and removed the blood and filth from his katana.

The demon staggered backward, shock and horror resided in its eyes, its ashen hands clutching onto the grievous wound, and copious blood flowed from its puncture. Then, suddenly, the demon’s expression changed. From misery to delight, it straightened itself, allowed its arms to its sides, and revealed a healthy torso, void of any lesions.

“What is the meaning of this, demon?” Sasuke questioned as he tightened his grip on the legendary blade’s hilt, took a combat stance, and braced himself for further confrontation. The demon responded with its arms up, as if to indicate it no longer wished to battle.

“You intrigue me...” The demon cooed as it advanced a step, “That blade is not a legitimate. You’ve created a fake, and yet, its bite is very real.” Sasuke eyed the monster as it crept closer and closer while speaking, “It’s not the true, raw power of Kusanagi, but a formidable power none the less. I’m considering…” the demon paused for effect, “Yes, you may keep your life.” The demon was now behind Sasuke, his words, but a whisper, “For now.” A devious chuckle sounded as the shinobi turned about, ready to dispatch his foe once more, but the demon had already rebounded from the ninja, “To gain something, you have to give up something.”  The demon smirked as he studied the young shinobi, “Tell me. What is it that you seek? Unless you have forgotten…”

Anger stirred within Sasuke; as if he could. Images of Itachi, his clan, his family, and their murder had all been seared into the shinobi’s psyche for years. It really was a lot for a young boy to cope with, enough to break a stronger man, let alone a fourteen year old. He was fucking seven when it happened. Fuck Itachi. It took everything in Sasuke not to break down, cry, and take his own life every day. Vengeance was all he had, his only comfort. “I have not forgotten what ails me.” Sasuke answered. “Or what I seek.” the words were like vile as the ninja spoke them.

“And you realize you’ve lost all of your progress?” the demon asked. “Worse than that. You were lucky to amass such power so quickly. It’s not likely you’ll be so fortunate twice.”

“I do not fear this new challenge,” Sasuke boasted, “rather, like a true Uchiha, I will rise to meet it.” His own devilish grin appeared and a fire ablaze in his sharingan blessed eyes, “Besides, in my experience I’ve learned that lightning can strike twice.”

[Sasuke Uchiha]

“You’ve been here far too long.” the demon hissed, narrowing its demonic black eyes at Sasuke. “You had better wake up,” it cooed with mock concern, as it offered the shinobi a devious grin, “before… before you forget how to.”

 Suddenly, an alarming breath of new life filled the Uchiha’s lungs. He flexed muscles that hadn’t been used in years, and the darkness around him evaporated; the demon with it. Just as before, a new environment of altogether different scenery enveloped the shinobi. Encompassed by a vast absence of color, the previous Dante’s Abyss Champion found himself on his back, outside of the well, not in it, where it had all began, just a few years ago: The Nexus.

“So, I’m back.” the shinobi concluded as he found his feet and began to access what the true sensation of feeling was once more. He clenched a fist and loosed it several times, experiencing the nerve endings coming alive after a deep slumber. “Well,” the shinobi said as he took in a deep breath and exhaled, enjoying his rejuvenation, “first things first.”  

An instant later the shinobi had vanished, leaving only a blur of colors in his wake, as he zoomed through The Nexus onto his next destination. Whizzing through the white void, Sasuke utilized the tech he had received from Commander Arnold Hammond of The Empire, and began researching the Dataverse for answers.

By the time he reached the portal gate he wanted, the shinobi had already learned a great deal of information, found a lead worth investigating, and had created a post on the universal messaging system. He wasn’t just back, he meant business. Sasuke placed the tech inside his garments, stepped through the portal, and became a blur of colors on the other side.