Naruto 1. Lazarus Rising

**Yo..**

**Welcome to the sequel of Namikaze Legend. For those of you who are reading this story for the first time, I strongly recommend you reading its first part (Namikaze legend), otherwise you won't be able to understand the gigantic AU universe which I have created.**

**This will be a completely different type of story in comparison to its prequel.**

**They very first thing that is new is the genre of this story. In contrast to Namikaze Legend which was Drama/Hurt/Comfort, this sequel will have a "Adventure/Romance" genre. There are other significant changes, but you'll have to read the story to find them.**

**I did leave a ton of mysteries in the prequel, including several promises I made to my loyal readers. This will be the final installment of this series and will fulfill all the promises made in the summary.**

**As for why I ended the prequel at that point, I hope this chapter will give you an insight behind my decision.**

**If not, then as we progress through this story you will understand the reasons behind my decision.**

**So, let's begin!**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Lazarus Rising**

* * *

(4 Years Later)

"His Majesty will now enter!"

The strong, loud voice of a royal guard boomed in the large halls of the Imperial Palace. The hundreds of people standing in the giant hall were patiently waiting for their "leader" to arrive. There was one thing which each and every person had in common...

All of them were nervous and had their eyes bowed in submission, none of them dared to look that man in the eye.

As a Testament to the power wielded by this man, the 5 previous Damiyo's of the once powerful Five nations (Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning and Earth) were currently bound in chains and were kneeling on the ground.

Behind these vanquished leaders, stood a firing squad of 5 commandos. Dressed in white colored metallic armor and light white colored pants, each of these soldiers had swords strapped on their backs, while their faces were covered by white T-shaped visor masks.

The Arc Trooper Corps.

A single cohesive military army of 30,000 disciplined, strong soldiers. These troopers were the main force of the Imperial Empire, and were the ones who had played a fundamental role in the complete destruction of the ninja world.

If the people in the room were scared of these soldiers, then the sound of footsteps made them freeze immediately.

A tall man slowly entered the room, he was light skinned and had waist length spiky black colored hair. He was wearing a elegant blue colored shirt and dark black pants, a bright shinning red armor could be seen on his chest while a pitch black flamboyant coat was resting on his shoulders.

There were cracks on the face of his skin and even on his body, but the most terrifying thing about this man were his dark red murderous eyes.

**"The Immortal Emperor"**

Yes, this was the name given to him by the people of the world. A name befitting him indeed, after all he was immortal...

He gracefully came forward and elegantly sat on his magnificent throne, his cold eyes looking at the weak people before him with little interest. Until his eyes shifted his attention towards the defeated Damiyo's and the cameras that were broadcasting this ceremony over the entire world.

"I am the 1st Emperor, Madara Uchiha"

Every person in the room dutifully bowed on hearing those words, only the Arc Troopers stood in attention keeping an eye on the defeated Damiyo's who had almost shit their pants in fear. But the soldiers did give a short bow in respect to their glorious leader.

A swift gust of wind blew across the vast room, as 8 warriors appeared beside Madara. Dressed in their dark cloaks with red clouds, the former members of the Akatsuki stood proudly before their new leader.

Pein appeared to be stoic as usual, and the same could be said for Konan.

Deidara had a small grin on his face, as he was getting a chance to display his art to the whole world. While Sasori did appreciate the opportunity, but chose to remain silent and settled for observing the people in front of them.

Contrary to the others, Orochimaru had his eyes settled on Madara. To think all of his dreams for knowledge were finally being fulfilled due to this man. Kukuku...

Kakuzu was keenly observing the kneeling Damiyo's, his greedy eyes fixed on the gold ornaments that were still on those wretched human's bodies.

Hidan was the only one who seemed a little anxious, his hands were tightly gripping the giant scythe in his hand as he glared at the Arc Troopers that were stealing his glory. Damn it, 5 Damiyo's would make a wonderful sacrifice for Jashin-sama, and he was being robbed of such pleasure.

However he and the other members of the former Akatsuki refrained from saying another word, daring not to interrupt their leader's speech.

"Allow me to introduce my holy knights. The leaders of the glorious Imperial Army..." said Madara proudly,

Several flashes happened as the photographers clicked the images of the strongest warriors of their planet. The people who had single handedly destroyed the entire ninja world, and it was indeed a rare moment for all of them to be seen together.

But then again, the execution of 5 previous Damiyo's was a huge event...

The prisoners flinched when Madara got up from his seat and confidently looked at the entire world, that was watching the last remnants of the ninja world about to be extinguished.

"Please, spare us. Madara-sama..." begged the Wind Damiyo, his terrified face covered in sweat as he fearfully looked at Madara.

"We surrender, there is no need to kill us..." pleaded the Fire Damiyo, with fake tears dropping from his eyes.

"It was those damned ninja, they forced us to fight against you!" explained the Water Damiyo quickly, hoping to save himself from this man's wrath.

"We will do anything you want, your highness!" pledged the Lightning Damiyo, trying his best to show his faith in the Uchiha who just stared at him with disdain evident in his eyes.

"We want to serve the Great Imperial Empire, please give us a chance!" requested the Earth Damiyo,

Madara simply made a small disappointed "Hn", before raising a single finger of his right hand.

The next second the heads of the 5 Damiyo's rolled on the floor as they arc troopers beheaded them with their sharp swords. There was a series of resounding thuds as the dismembered bodies fell down on the floor and blood started staining the already bright red colored carpet on the floor.

"This world is full of lies!" roared Madara, his strong-powerful voice sending shivers down everyone's hearts.

"I don't want to die, I will not lie, all these are mere lies which the weak have used for millennium to protect themselves"

Absolute silence reigned in the vast hall, with each and every person intently listening to Madara's each and every word. Not to mention, the millions who had currently watched the event through their TV sets.

It was an end of the old world.

"There is only one truth- Survival of the fittest. That's why one must devour all these lies, along with those who chose to adhere by these false beliefs" declared Madara in a staunch, strict voice. The command befitting for the leader of their world.

"The Imperial Empire has destroyed the world of lies which was known as the "Ninja World". From today, we mark the beginning of a new era. The Imperial Empire will create a new world free of lies, deception and deceit that the corrupt ninja world had carelessly spawned on this world. A world of victors, a world of love, a world of peace...

...a world where people can truly show their guts to each other and not hide behind lies. We will create such a world"

Black Zetsu had a feral grin on his face as he watched a significant victory unfold before his eyes. Even White Zetsu had a smile on his weird face, after all they had almost destroyed the old world.

And the Akatsuki had achieved its dream.

**_"World Domination!"_**

**_"It seemed you were more useful than I thought, Obito"_** thought Black Zetsu bemusedly, as he remembered the ''fallen'' previous leader of the Akatsuki.

It was still hard to believe, that 4 long years had passed since that night. And a lot of things had changed...

"To all those fools who stand in the way of peace, the Imperial Empire will bring peace to this world. And I Uchiha Madara, will destroy anyone who stands in our way...be it a man, woman, child." commanded Madara, and activated his Mangekyo while giving a murderous glare to the cameras.

The power of his eyes combined with the execution of the Damiyo's had sent an extremely strong message to the Resistance Members.

Soon, Victory will be his...

"All hail, Madara!"

"All hail, Madara!"

"All hail, Madara!"

The entire room erupted into loud chants of his name, as a small smirk came on the warrior's face.

* * *

(1 Hour Later)

Madara hastily threw away that annoying cloak on his back as he entered his personal living room, turning back he settled to give a threatening glare at Black Zetsu who just had an amused grin on his face.

"Zetsu, how long are we supposed to play this game?" asked Madara tiredly, frustration clearly evident on the man's face.

"I understand it's been 4 years since we started this campaign, and despite how annoying it was- we did manage to wipe out the troublesome 5 great ninja villages, along with their nations. Now, we can move towards the completion of our plan without any kind of solid resistance. It would have been stupid if the entire world would have united against us" explained White Zetsu in a neutral voice, as a mischievous smirk came on Madara's lips.

"Well, that would have been a good fight. Kids, these days don't know a goddamn battle dance..." complained Madara,

"You did seem to enjoy your battle with Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Yagura..." suggested White Zetsu rhetorically,

**"Yeah, right before he chopped the old man's (Hiruzen) neck and sealed the Jinhcuuriki's (Yagura) Biju inside the Gedo Mazou, killing the former Mizukage"** taunted Black Zetsu, as a small "Hn" was heard from Madara.

"That was...satisfying"

White Zetsu could only sigh on his master's behavior. If there was one thing, that annoyed him was Madara's addiction for good fights. He wondered just how was the man able to survive for so many years during the Clan Wars Era...

But then again, this was the real Madara Uchiha.

And unlike his former leader, this man was the real deal. He actually shivered a little as he remembered, the gigantic meteors that Madara had dropped on Iwa destroying the village completely.

Even the fool Ohnoki had tried hard to save his village, but was severely wounded. And if not for his granddaughter hauling the man away, he would have been buried in the crater which was known as "Iwa" a few years back. Although, he doubted Ohnoki would have survived the life threatening wounds which Madara gave him.

They had not received any information about the former Kage since past 2 years, and considering his age it was fair to assume that he was probably dead.

"Is there nobody strong enough to give a challenge? You shouldn't have revived me so early..." scolded Madara, as another person stepped inside the room.

A frown came on Madara's face as he saw the snake Sannin giving him a small nod, he didn't trust this man one bit. But Orochimaru was the one who found his remains (How he did still remains a mystery? What the hell was Obito doing?) and revived him as an Edo Tensei.

Dismissing those thoughts, he tried to focus his attention on the former Konoha ninja. He was sure, the snake was waiting for the right moment to strike...but that man had no idea about the power of Uchiha Madara. The day he tries to betray him, would be his last.

Till then, he needed the man for locating the Uzumaki temple and undo that seal.

"I have obtained some leads about the whereabouts of those masks..." said Orochimaru tersely, it was fair to say that he and Madara didn't like each other.

For him the man was nothing more than a _"Over Strong Brute"_, while his counterpart thought he was a _"Creepy, pedophile scientist"_

"Talk"

"My intel suggests the Shinigami masks are being kept hidden by the resistance members of Konoha. A weapon that powerful would surely be under the supervision of Blacklight..." said Orochimaru confidently, as Madara sighed tiredly.

Blacklight- that organization had caused nothing but trouble for him. Those little miscreants had started a guerrilla war with his empire, and were the strongest opposition that was standing against the might of the Imperial Empire.

Though short in numbers, he had seen videos of their battles with the Arc Troopers of the Empire. To say those young ninja were talented would be an understatement, especially _"Rangiku- The Flash"_ and _"Mikasa- The Ice Queen"_.

Both of these kunoichi were important members of the "Allied Forces Resistance" that was opposing the empire. The resistance was compromised of those ninja who had survived the holocaust which the Akatsuki had launched on the ninja world.

They were being led by Kakashi Hatake, a important shinobi of the now destroyed Konoha village.

It was funny that despite losing their villages, the ninjas continued to stick to their system of Kages and ranks. Although it only strengthened Madara's resolve to wipe them out, it was time to start a new world and those who were against him had to die.

And it was only a few more weeks before the resistance would fall, they just didn't have the numbers to go up against the Imperial Empire.

Not to mention they lacked resources, money, manpower and so much more.

Madara had made sure to create so much destruction that it created an intense fear in the hearts of the people. At first, the people of the world had openly opposed him but since they lost their Kages and were attacked by the Akatsuki at once, they suffered tremendous losses.

_"Obito, you may have been an emotional idiot. But your plan was flawless, this way there is at least slim to no resistance against the fulfillment of our plan. At least, you were useful in this way...if only you had not taken the Kyuubi down in your invasion of Konoha"_ thought Madara bitterly,

When he had learned that half of the Kyuubi had been sealed in the Shinigami's belly, Madara went mad with rage. He destroyed the entire Sand Village, before he could calm his nerves.

He needed every Biju to fulfill his plan with full efficiency. So, far the Akatsuki had been able to capture the Nibi (Two), Sanbi (Three), and Rokubi (Six) tails.

The rest of the Biju's jinchuuriki had gone into hiding, except for Yonbi (Four) and Gobi (Five) tails which had been destroyed in the previous war when their containers were killed in a mission.

But thankfully, after these years those beasts were being born again and he would capture them leading to fulfillment of his plan.

"Does anyone else knows about the power that mask possesses?" questioned White Zetsu curiously, halting Madara's train of thoughts as he refocused his attention on Orochimaru, who apparently got a small frown on his face.

"Yes, Jiraiya and Tsunade knew about it, and so did Kushina Uzumaki..."

"The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, who has the remaining half of that beast within her?" asked Madara seriously, and gained an affirmative nod from his subordinate.

"Yes, it seems they are trying their best to prevent us from unsealing the Kyuubi. And for once I agree with them, the Kyuubi was sealed within Naruto...if you bring the Biju back, then you would also bring the boy back. And that would be quite troublesome..." advised Orochimaru seriously, and Madara was intrigued on seeing the trouble on both Orochimaru and Zetsu's faces.

"It seems, all of you are traumatized by Naruto. What did he do to warrant this much fear?" questioned Madara curiously, it had always intrigued him that almost every member of the Akatsuki was extremely wary of Naruto.

He had seen the blood clones that were made from the boy, and they were quite powerful. But that was certainly not enough to warrant this much concern...

"Well let's see, Naruto made Konoha win an impossible war against 3 great ninja villages, successfully infiltrated the Akatsuki and fooled all of us including your protege Obito, stopped a civil war in the leaf, sealed your younger brother Izuna, defeated and killed Obito while ultimately sealing the Kyuubi in hell. That boy single handedly fucked up every single one of your plans and those of the Akatsuki...if that is not enough information to be wary of him, then I don't know what is" explained Orochimaru irritatedly, and he didn't flinch when Madara glared at him for mentioning "Izuna's" name.

Apparently, the man was still sore over that incident.

Sometimes, he just wanted to strangle this geezer Uchiha. Granted Madara was a god during battles, but the success they had achieved so far was only due to Obito's plan. It was Obito's strategies that played a fundamental role in establishing the Imperial Empire and allowing the Akatsuki to emerge from the shadows and take control over the world.

Even in death, Obito forced Naruto to die with him effectively taking out the only hope of the ninja world.

Orochimaru didn't admire the man, but he could respect the tactical knowledge and skill displayed by the previous Akatsuki leader. However the same feeling did not arose in his mind, when he looked at the ''real'' Madara.

The man considered everyone inferior to him, and only believed that Hashirama Senju was his equal. Sometimes, Orochimaru wished that Naruto was alive just to show this arrogant bastard a thing or two.

"He's right, Naruto was a powerful Kage level ninja, but most of all he was a master tactician and one of the greatest military commanders of Konoha. The name Namikaze was enough to lift the morale of the ninja of Konoha during the 4th great ninja war. Even now, the resistance is fighting because they believe in Naruto's younger brother, Itachi Namikaze" explained Black Zetsu, and Madara didn't miss the gleam in Orochimaru's eyes.

So, the man still wanted to capture the Namikaze in order to take over his body. Guess, he was never going to change...

"Itachi's a fighter, not a military commander like his brother. Granted he can cause great havoc on the enemy forces, and has become stronger in the past 4 years. But it still does not change the fact, that the resistance is on the verge of defeat. In peace time, Itachi would have been a great leader but this is war and everyone knows the boy can't defeat our Empire on his own." reassured Black Zetsu confidently, easing the tension among his comrades.

Everyone became silent for a few minutes, trying to understand the situation they were in until Madara casted his gaze towards Orochimaru.

"If Naruto was this much powerful, and if the Resistance has those Shinigami masks...then why didn't they revive him?" asked Madara sharply, gaining a smile a creepy smile from Orochimaru.

"Strategic Sacrifice"

"Meaning?"

"If they revive him, they also bring the sealed Kyuubi back in this world. Kushina was a former member of the Akatsuki, she knows we need every Biju at their full power to accomplish our plan. As such, they will not bring him back...or they don't know how to bring him back, it is either of these situations" explained Orochimaru in detail,

A tired sigh escaped from Madara's lips as he started walking away from the group, but stopped at the door of the room and glared at Orochimaru.

"You have 4 months to find those masks and bring me the sealed Kyuubi. The other members of the Akatsuki will continue to search for the remaining Jinchuuriki that are hiding. Get it done, or I will start the moon eye plan regardless and you won't be alive to see it..."

* * *

(Unknown Location)

In a dark cave, several people could be seen taking refuge. A few men could be seen guarding the entrance, their vigilant Byakugan observing each and every corner of their perimeter.

Shikamaru Nara had seen many things in his life, from witnessing the Kyuubi attack to the destruction of his village. Even then, he was confident that one day they would be successful in turning the tide against the Akatsuki, only to be proven wrong when the Imperial Empire rose.

The terror Madara unleashed by destroying 5 great ninja villages, forced the remaining population of the world to surrender.

Also, the fact that a severe winter had plagued their world since past 4 years, also played an important role in the destruction of the ninja world. More than 80% of the world was covered in snow, resources were becoming scarce.

Soon, people started losing the will to fight and survival took priority against oppression and freedom.

And if the execution of the Damiyo's was indeed true, then the resistance lost the last monetary and resource support being provided to them. With the force of the Imperial Empire hunting them, and the severe winter plaguing the ninja world...

Their days were numbered...

His eyes shifted towards a tall blonde boy who had become the last hope for their people. Things had changed a lot for Itachi Namikaze...

Gone was the young 13 year old boy who deeply loved his elder brother and aspired to become just like him. In the past, Itachi was quite selfish and only cared about his family...

But looking at him now brought a smile on the Nara's lips. Watching him help a young injured boy, while reassuring the boy's mother made Shikamaru gain some of his lost confidence.

"Hinata, status report"

Itachi's voice was stoic and calm, devoid of the aggressiveness that he possessed in the past. He patiently looked at his teammate, years had been kind on Hinata Hyuga.

She had transformed into a beautiful 17 year old girl, and had become stronger. Her midnight blue hair now reached up to her waist, and her soft and gentle face had become even more elegant. She was currently wearing an old chunin vest, that was barely able to hide the girl's large breasts.

Shikamaru could only sigh when Itachi just looked at her without any kind of emotion on his face. Everyone in their resistance cell knew the girl loved him.

Either Itachi was oblivious to this fact, or just didn't care about her feelings no matter how hard she tried to support him and be his pillar.

Ever since, the death of his elder brother Itachi changed. Shikamaru could still remember the day when they found Naruto's corpse on the field outside Konoha, the fake Madara now identified as "Obito" was also lying dead beside him and the Kyuubi was gone.

That night Itachi lost everything, and with what happened with Minato was the final nail that destroyed the boy as his entire family fell apart.

He became cold, distant from others. He still cared about his people, but in a way he became like an exact replica of Tobirama Senju.

"The perimeter is clear, Itachi-kun. You don't have to worry..." reassured Hinata politely, but her smile faltered when he just nodded and shifted his attention towards the map that was lying on the table.

"You're dismissed, Hinata"

"Itachi, I-"

"We have work to do, Hinata. And I'm busy, if I need anything I will let you know" replied Itachi flatly, and stared at her uncaringly.

Hinata suppressed the lump in her throat, and gave him a half hearted smile before returning to her station.

Shikamaru walked towards his friend, and was surprised when Sakura and Ino arrived beside their leader.

"I have healed the injured, it will take them a few days...but they will be fit to fight" said Sakura confidently,

"Good work"

The former member of Team 7 frowned on his short reply. Over these years, a lot of things had changed.

Sakura had transformed from a simple girl from a kunoichi family, into the Divisional Chief Medic of the resistance. She was now almost as tall at Itachi, her silky pink hair had been cut short and now reached up to her neck, with two bangs falling across her face. She was wearing a Jounin uniform, that was doing an excellent job of concealing her D-cup breasts.

Beside her Ino too looked at Itachi with concern evident in her eyes. She was a Lieutenant in the Communication Corps, and was also as tall as Sakura (5ft 9 inches). Her face had lost all baby fit (not that she possessed much), and her beautiful blonde hair now reached up her waist and were tied in a pony tail.

Itachi sensed Sakura's gaze on him, and gave looked at her again.

"What?"

_That's it!_

Ino smacked her forehead when Sakura lost her cool, and grabbed the boy's hand roughly before dragging him to a secluded corner of the cave.

"Troublesome..." said Shikamaru tiredly, why the hell was he caught in this love triangle?

He took out a small cigarette from his pocket, and was just about to light it when Ino smacked it away.

In that moment, Shikamaru cursed the gods who made women into such troublesome creatures.

* * *

Itachi roughly freed his hand from Sakura's grip as she finished dragging him inside his personal corner of the cave. It was times like these that reminded him that she had quite the physical strength.

Not to mention, the kind heart and understanding nature which she used again and again to break through the barriers he had formed to protect himself.

To not feel that pain again...

He saw her moving towards a tanto lying in the corner making him sigh tiredly...

"Sakura...''

But she had made up her mind, and didn't back down as she picked up the weapon and presented it to him.

"You miss your brother..." said Sakura sympathetically, and didn't flinch when he glared at her.

"He's been gone for 4 years now. It's done..." replied Itachi in a cold voice, and started walking away but she again grabbed his hand.

He looked at her angrily, but before he could react or send her away- she enwrapped him in a tight hug. At first, he wanted to get away but somehow he couldn't...

"You're not only my leader but my best friend, and you can't shut me out. I'm not going to stop..." said Sakura with determination,

"I don't want to talk about it. Please, Sakura..." requested Itachi, trying his hardest not to become too attached and evade this feeling in his heart.

"But I do, and I might say the wrong thing. Even then, I will see to it that you don't shut yourself away from your friends..." explained Sakura seriously,

"What's your point?" asked Itachi tiredly, and broke the hug a little to look her in the eye.

"I know you are in pain, after what happened. But we're there for you, all of us. It's not right that you isolate yourself from us..." suggested Sakura, and he averted his eyes in shame as everything she said was indeed true.

His cheek went bright red when she left a soft, tender kiss on his forehead. And for once, he was thankful to his brother's face mask for hiding the blush on his cheeks.

"We're losing, Sakura. No matter what I do, I can't save this world from Madara..." said Itachi sadly, but she just smiled.

"You're doing the best you can in the current situation. It may seem hopeless, but I truly believe that we can get past this one day...that one day we will have a future free from Akatsuki. We will get there eventually, you have to believe in it because the people believe in you..." explained Sakura patiently,

She waited for him, just like she had been waiting since the past 4 years. To everyone else, Itachi seemed like a cold, uncaring person...

But she knew what he truly was. He was just a 17 year old boy who had lost his family and was burdened with the future of the entire world.

"I miss him..."

She smiled on hearing those honest words, and pressed the tanto close to his heart as he tearfully looked at the weapon that his brother had gifted to him.

"He would be proud of you..." reassured Sakura, as a tiny sad smile came on his face.

"But I still need him..." said Itachi sadly, as she gently caressed his cheek with her soft hands.

"We all do..."

* * *

(Konoha Cemetery)

Wild gusts of wind blew across the graveyard of the destroyed Konoha village. The only thing that reminded the world that the village existed once, was this cemetery as well as crumbling Hokage faces.

The village was nothing but a ghost town, with its inhabitants abandoning their home 4 years ago.

The place was covered in snow everywhere, hiding any trace of the village that once existed.

The only place that had remained intact was the Blacklight cemetery, it was being protected by a secret fuinjutsu that prevented anyone (besides Blacklight) from getting inside. Even after the fall of Konoha 4 years ago, the Imperial Forces had been unable to infiltrate the place much to the dismay of Orochimaru.

And the reason behind it was quite simple...

The reason for the Snake Sannin's worries was a grave.

However there was a difference between this grave and the several others beside him.

**_Naruto Namikaze_**

The name that had terrified Akatsuki to this day was etched on this piece of stone. It was the only grave in the cemetery that still had fresh flowers placed on it, indicating someone regularly visited the fallen shinobi.

For the people who had known the boy, they would say he would be at peace since he was lying beside his teacher "Commander Fox" and his best friends "Armin Arlert" and "Kotetsu Hagane".

The belief would have been true, except the boy was not with his best friends and was instead rotting in hell with his teacher since the past 4 years.

Suddenly the wind stopped flowing, and so did the snow falling from the sky. The dark clouds that had concealed the moon behind them disappeared as a bright red colored moon was visible in the sky.

Strange seals started to glow on 2 graves, as the moonlight fell on them.

An ear piercing sound rang across the entire cemetery. The force of this unknown power broke several grave stones before a giant explosion occurred in the area.

"Ah"

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**Hope you guys liked it. All of the mysteries will be answered with each chapter...be patient.**

**PLEASE LEAVE LOTS OF REVIEWS XD!**


	2. The Men of Miracles

**Yo...**

**That was a good start for this sequel. Now, I want to make some things clear as there are some misconceptions in the mind of my readers.**

**While this story is a continuation of Namikaze Legend, it is on a totally different platform. 4 years have passed, and the whole world has been turned upside down.**

**The teenage characters (Naruto's group) are now in their 20's and 21.**

**All I'm saying that it is not possible for the characters to be the same after these events. Most of you will generally like the changes which I'm bringing, from a teenage drama fic series, it will turn into something more mature.**

**As far as Madara is concerned, it is not "right" to compare him with Cannon Madara. This is an AU story, and while he is the same man with the same personality...there will be a change in his persona, as he is an EMPEROR. We will definitely see his true wild nature during this story, but I am also trying to show another side of him.**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**The Men of Miracles**

* * *

The very first thing he felt was cold.

Extreme cold.

His blurry vision started to get more clear with each passing second, and he saw shades of white everywhere. Instinctively, he rubbed his eyes with the help of his fingers and looked again, only to be presented with the same results.

He touched the soft yet cold surface on which he was currently sitting, and in a flash he identified it due to the familiar feeling it provided.

_Snow_

As his vision cleared he saw he was actually sitting on snow, he was bare chested making him shiver a little as the cold winds of winter hit his body. Although he was glad for having a dark black colored jeans covering his lower half of body. It would have been fairly _unpleasant_, if he had to feel the cold winds brush against a sensitive organ.

A very sensitive one...

A dry chuckle escaped from his lips on thinking about that scenario, but he regretted the action as his throat was extremely dry. Goddammit, he needed some water...

Wait, what?

Since when did he need water? He was supposed to be-

And then it hit him like a solid punch to his gut, his veteran eyes hastily scanned the surrounding areas and he immediately recognized the buildings of Konoha. He had lived for so many years in this village, that he was practically familiar with its entire layout.

And this was definitely Konoha.

"What the hell?"

It was the only coherent sentence he could form on seeing the condition of his village- his home. It looked deserted and there were traces of large scale destruction everywhere judging from the broken structures of several houses, and the shattering Hokage faces on top of the mountain.

This was really Konoha.

But he was supposed to be dead, and trapped in the worst place of the entire world. And yet, here he was...

Kenshin Shimura was stunned, the scenario before him was just not possible. Not even in his wildest dream, and yet his fingers that were grasping the snow beneath him, and the cold air hitting his chest as well his sharp eyes that were showing him his beloved village, was making him believe that it was really true.

He tried to shake his head, hoping this dream would end. Maybe the Death God had finally decided to torture him...

No, it was not possible. He was not even touched by the monsters of hell, or had to undergo different types of tortures and nightmares, and all other worse kinds of suffering. It was something he wouldn't even wish on his staunch enemies...

It was horrible, no it was **terrifying**.

Even for him, that place had been nothing but a devastating nightmare. Although fortunate enough for not being tortured (The Death God really had a strange sense of justice, the only reason he was not being tortured was because he had not killed innocents and was being kept in hell due to the contract) if he could he wished he had never used the **Shiki Fujin Jutsu**.

Not that he didn't love this village anymore, but the things he had seen had definitely made him question the route he had taken to protect this place. If there was a chance to die for Konoha again, he would probably blow himself up but never again was he going to use _that_ forbidden jutsu.

Then his eyes widened in panic, his heartbeat increasing to extreme levels as he remembered something.

Rather he remembered someone.

_Naruto_

His desperate eyes searched for any trace of the boy whom he loved as much he was his own son. If this was not a dream, and if he was really back then he had to be with him.

No, he couldn't think of coming back here without him.

He quickly moved his hands and legs in order to prepare himself to move, as his eyes continued to search his surroundings. On further observation, he found himself sitting inside a cemetery. There were several broken gravestones, and uprooted grass...

Turning around he froze when he saw the name written on the grave behind him...

_Commander Fox_

So, it was not a dream and neither was he in hell. A series of questions started floating in his mind, his memories of the last few moments in hell were extremely hazy...although he was sure, that Naruto had been somewhere near him.

How the hell did he manage to escape from hell? More importantly, how did he manage to get his soul back inside his body?

He was not even supposed to have a body to return to.

As far as he could remember, Blacklight members had their bodies burnt and not buried when they died. And he had been a fucking commander, then why was his body preserved?

There was only one possible answer for this...

_"Han..."_ thought Kenshin bitterly, this was no doubt the doing of his father.

Han Shimura or what the man was infamously remembered as **"Baku"** had always been a strict father. That man had practically total control over Kenshin's entire life, he even disregarded the name "Kenshin" given to him by his beloved mother, and instead named him "Han" as if he was trying to mold his son into a spitting image of himself.

And he did it anyway.

Kenshin had always been the black sheep of the Shimura Clan, at least until he joined Blacklight on his father's orders and achieved the position of commander through his skills. According to his father, he was too soft hearted and emotional and Blacklight would straighten him out.

_Except it got him killed and sealed in hell for years..._

And he had a feeling his father had something to do with the preservation of his body, that man had been the supreme Blacklight commander. And considering his inflated ego, Kenshin doubted his father would let his body be destroyed.

He would rather have his body buried in a cemetery, as a symbol of sacrifice that his family had made for Konoha.

No doubt for his personal ambitions, and not because he cared about his son in the slightest.

If only his father had seen above his own ambitions, if he only he had not been so selfish, then maybe things wouldn't have gone this way...

Maybe they could have been...

_"I can't think about it right now..."_ thought Kenshin seriously,

Right now none of those things were as important to him, than the fact that Naruto was missing. He didn't leave the boy in that hell-hole, did he?

No, he couldn't.

Not after everything that place had done to the boy, not after the 300 years of suffering the death God had put the boy's soul through.

He wouldn't leave that boy, not even if he had to stay in that hell for all eternity.

Kenshin didn't know how much time had passed in this world, the sense of time was certainly different in hell. Not that he could do anything about it now.

For all he knew, months could have passed in this world while at the same time an entire century could have passed in the Shinigami's realm.

But rather than thinking about the sense of time of the world, he decided to focus on much bigger concerns.

Kenshin used every ounce of his strength and shakily got back on his feet, his body was still weak but in this case he would take whatever support he could muster, for a person who had been dead for years...his body was mysteriously intact and even stronger than before. He could clearly feel the chakra inside his body, and the strengthening of his muscles with every passing moment.

It was a miracle...

He heard a few cracks from his body, no doubt his muscles were trying to adjust with the newly found weight. He just wished this unpleasant feeling would be over soon...

Only if he knew how unlucky he was...

Before he could move in order to search for the boy the entire atmosphere went deadly silent, and if the air had been cold before...then now it had turned extremely chilling.

**"You treacherous human!"**

_Oh, Kami_\- he knew that voice very well. He slowly turned around only to find a pissed off Death God (Shinigami) emerging from a dark portal, and his best guess was the god was out for his soul.

He actually flinched beneath the fiery gaze of the entity, but regardless mustered whatever courage he had left.

"I-"

**"SILENCE! You have broken every divine rule of my realm...I will-"**

The Death God was not allowed to finish his sentence as two people landed in front of Kenshin, and one of them had Naruto in his arms.

**"So, it was you who did this."** growled the Death God angrily, and moved to strike the two men that had intervened.

Thousands of lightning sparks occurred all over Konoha, and the amount of KI released by these 3 monsters made Kenshin fall down on the ground, his hands desperately clutching his chest to breathe in some air. Who the fuck were these guys?

And he got his answer when the two new arrivals released giant wings from their backs, and their bodies got covered in different colors of chakra.

The one with the blonde hair was carefully holding Naruto in his arms, while the one with darker black hair was intensely staring into a furious Shinigami's eyes.

"Back off..." commanded the one with dark hair, his entire body shrouded in divine red colored chakra.

**"You dare to defy me, Indra?"** asked the Death God incredulously, his ghostly eyes boring into the angel looking man's very soul.

"This doesn't concern you anymore. Now, get back to your kingdom..." ordered the man named Indra, his voice devoid of any form of fear, hesitation.

Kenshin was left speechless with Indra's words, did the man/angel (whatever) knew who the fuck he was pissing off? Nobody ever messed with the Death God, and this guy had not only infuriated the ghostly entity but also insulted him in the worst possible way.

**"You stole 2 souls from my realm. You have violated the treaty between our realms...I hereby cast you to hell-"** announced the Death God furiously, but before things could escalate further the blonde one stepped forward with Naruto in his arms.

"Shinigami-sama, we have not broken any terms of our treaty. I request you to grant me an opportunity to explain our actions..." requested the blonde man/angel in a polite and respectful manner,

"Ashura!"

Kenshin watched as the man named Indra glared at his partner, but Ashura had made up his mind.

"Please, brother...have faith in me" requested Ashura,

_"Brother?"_ thought Kenshin in surprise, were these two really related to each other? And if they were the ones who rescued his and Naruto's soul from hell...then what did they want from them?

"You have 1 minute, Ashura. If he doesn't consent, I'm taking this matter in my own hands..." declared Indra seriously, completely ignoring the murderous glare the Death God was casting upon him.

The dark haired man/angel certainly knew how to **piss** people off, or God's in this case...

But it seemed the other brother was a peace loving person, as he placed Naruto's body on the snowy ground and gave a short apologetic bow to the Death God.

Surprisingly, the gesture did seem to reduce the frown on the Death God's face...albeit a little.

"My apologies for this mess, Shinigami-sama. But as I've said before, we didn't break any terms of the treaty shared between our realms..." stated Ashura diplomatically,

**"Explain yourself"**

"This boy here is Indra-nii-san's successor. Keeping his soul in your realm, prevents it from being passed on the next generation. He also has a part of me within him, and I'm sure you are aware about the circumstances in the living realm. If the situation in this world, continues to escalate in this manner...then the balance between all our realms would be broken." explained Ashura patiently,

Kenshin didn't understand what this man/angel had just said, but it worked. As the pressure which was being released by the Death God vanished, and so did the chakra which the brothers were releasing allowing him to breathe properly.

**"But this boy and I have a contract. I have fulfilled his wish, by all means his soul is my property now"** replied the Death God stubbornly, and this time Indra glared at him.

"_300_ years of torture was not enough for you? You have already caused enough damage..." cursed Indra angrily, earning a disgruntled scoff from the death god.

**"The boy was simply paying for his sins, he did murder 300 innocent humans. My rules are the same for everyone, I don't play _favorites_ like you..."** insulted the Death God, and Indra activated his chakra again.

"He is my protege, and Shinigami or not...I won't let his soul be further destroyed for your twisted sense of justice. And certainly not when the human world is about to fall apart..."

**"And whose mistake was it that led this world to this state? I remember it was your and your brother's mistakes..."** retorted the Death God, sarcasm evident in his voice.

"Which we are trying to rectify. We don't like meddling in your affairs, but this was unavoidable. This world needs him...and for once I agree with Nii-san. If you can't see reason, then we would be forced to fight you...and that is something which none of us want at this point of time." explained Ashura calmly,

**"And you committed this treason on your own? Or did you do it on** _his_ **orders?"** asked the Death God seriously,

For the first time in his entire mortal and spiritual life, Kenshin felt outclassed. He had never believed in the concept of Kami, hell, far less an angel. Only to be proven wrong, there were indeed some powers above them after all.

"Our own, you know he respects you and would never allow such actions. Even if it means complete destruction of the human world..." reassured Ashura respectfully,

**"You do know the consequences, right?"** asked the Death God, trying to confirm the real motive behind their actions.

"Crystal clear. For once during these thousand years, we see a chance for a real change. A solution to end all wars that were started due to our mistakes, but we need this boy for that. And if it means, we have to fight you then we accept it. It is our responsibility to stop the violence unleashed on this world..." said Ashura confidently,

"And if we go down, there will be **war**. A fight far worse than the crisis of this world, and I assure you _I will not be so easy to destroy_" warned Indra in a menacing voice,

A deadly silence prevailed between the three divine entities, Ashura was patiently waiting for the Shinigami to understand while Indra was ready to attack the God if he continued to get in his way.

**"I see your point, besides I've had enough fun with his soul. But that one goes with me..."** commanded the Death God, and pointed one of his fingers at Kenshin.

_"Fuck"_ thought Kenshin nervously, was he really going back to hell now?

The two brothers looked at him for just a second, before Indra turned towards the King of Hell...

"That won't be possible, either. We have plans for him..." replied Indra seriously,

**"Unacceptable..."**

"Then undo the damage which you have done on this boy's soul, heal him to the state he was before you started torturing his soul for 300 years.." requested Ashura smartly,

_"Am I fucking bargaining chip?"_ thought Kenshin in shock, but then again there was nothing he could do.

He only hoped everything ended well for him, he didn't want to go back after coming this far.

**"I won't do that either, as far as this boy's soul is concerned. He deserved the punishment I gave him..."** stated the Death God without any hint of remorse in his voice,

"Then I'm afraid we are at an impasse. If you could reconsider and do this as a favor-" said Ashura but was cut off, when his older brother walked forward and was now looking the Death God straight in the eye, mere inches away from his face.

"We are taking them, you have a problem? Then take it upstairs, or fight with me right here. And the war that would follow between the Pure World and Hell would be on your head. So, what shall it be?" asked Indra coldly,

A staring contest started between the Older angel and the God of Death, but it seemed Indra was far more determined as the Death God sighed after a few moments.

**"Do what you want. Any such transgression again-"** warned the Death God, but Ashura had already arrived to salvage the situation.

"It won't happen again, you have our word" promised Ashura, and even Indra gave a nod begrudgingly.

**"Very well..."**

Kenshin sighed in relief when the Death God disappeared inside his dark portal from where he had arrived a few minutes ago, however his relief was short lived when Indra turned towards him while Ashura was looking after Naruto.

"The Damage is quite extensive, brother. He is practically a vegetable right now..." explained Ashura disappointedly, while his hands were placed on Naruto's head.

"Can you do something about it, Ashura? You are the greatest healer in all 3 realms..." suggested Indra, but only gained an apologetic smile from his younger brother.

"I can heal any wounds to the body, but not to the soul. But I can do one thing..." said Ashura hopefully, and Kenshin watched as the man performed a set of unknown hand seals before slamming his hands on Naruto's forehead.

A strange set of seals spread across the boy's forehead, the sigils glowed brightly for a few seconds before mysteriously disappearing inside the skin.

Indra could only sigh tiredly as he realized what his brother had to do, but as he looked at Kenshin he was a little relieved. It seemed they had to rely on Plan B, after all...

"Kenshin..." commanded Indra, and smirked when the nervous Blacklight commander immediately bowed in front of him.

The older angel was satisfied that the man at least had the common sense to understand when he was outclassed, but then again any human would be frightened of him if he could make the Death God bow to his demand, even once.

"You're his teacher, aren't you?" questioned Ashura patiently, trying to ease the nervous man.

"Yes, I am his teacher and former commander..." clarified Kenshin truthfully, and even in this chilling atmosphere he felt a bead of sweat rolling from his forehead.

"And you're the only one who knows what happened down there with Naruto?" asked Indra sharply, his dark eyes boring into Kenshin's very soul.

"Yes" answered Kenshin wryly, extremely uncertain about the repercussions his answer would bring on him.

"The only reason we saved your soul from hell is because we need your help in protecting this boy. The way things are in this world, he might very well be my last successor..." explained Indra worriedly, and for the first time Kenshin saw some nervousness in the man's eyes.

"And after everything that happened down there, Naruto would never leave without you..." reassured Ashura with a small smile on his face, and was satisfied when the explanation seemed to ease all of Kenshin's fears.

Kenshin's gaze shifted towards the unconscious boy lying on the snowy ground. He looked so different now...

In place of a 16 year old boy, there stood a 20 year old man.

He was nearly 6ft 4 inches tall and had quite the muscular body (No doubt, due to Ashura's help), his chest and arms were more broader and lengthier respectively. But the most important thing was his face...

He was extremely fair skinned, his silky blonde hair were now longer and one bang had almost covered one of his eyes. He also had certain portion of his hair highlighted in black color (No doubt, due to his Uchiha heritage), surprisingly there was a small black colored beard on his chin.

"He's handsome, isn't it?" joked Ashura, making Indra smirk while bringing a smile on Kenshin's face.

"Indra-sama, can I ask you something?" asked Kenshin respectfully, as Indra raised one of his eyebrows on being referred as _"Sama"_, but then again this man was a human while he was something much more. The title was certainly befitting...

"Speak"

"Why didn't you rescue him from hell before?" asked Kenshin pointedly, for his part Indra never flinched on that accusation.

"We are not allowed to interfere with the living realm and Hell as well, even then this is the second time we have interfered on this boy and someone else's behalf. We have broken every single rule for their sake, and would have to face the punishment for it" said Indra honestly,

"And also due to my insistence. I had faith that my successor would be somehow able to counter the apocalypse that has arrived on this world, but I was wrong..." said Ashura shamefully,

"You were a fool, Ashura. Your successor is a leader who would flourish in times of peace, not in time of war. He no doubt has your fighting prowess, but he lacks the ruthlessness that is required to defeat the darkness of this world. In order to defeat evil, you sometimes have to become evil itself. And that is something your successor can never do..." scolded Indra harshly,

"I understand, it was my mistake" said Ashura apologetically, and Kenshin wanted to know who the other successor was, but refrained from asking the question.

"Don't be so down, what's done is done. Besides there was no way we could have rescued Naruto's soul, before the Shinigami had finished punishing him for his sins..." reassured Indra, trying to save his younger brother from feeling more guilty.

And he was saved from the situation, when Kenshin glared at him...

"You _purposefully_ let him suffer?" asked Kenshin incredulously, eyes burning with pure rage.

"There are limits to even our powers. And every person has to pay for their actions, and Naruto is no exception. He slaughtered an entire village of innocent people. He butchered innocent men, women, children...he didn't even spare infants. Can you give me an explanation that can justify his actions?" asked Indra sharply,

And the older angel was satisfied when Kenshin averted his eyes, no doubt the man had no answer for the question.

"If you think he is so evil, then why did you even bother saving him?" asked Kenshin bitterly, and Ashura was pleased on seeing the affection which the teacher had for his student.

It only proved that their choice of saving this man was right, because even after knowing the boy's sins he was still willing to fight for him.

"Because he overcame the darkness, the hatred, the evil that burned in his heart. Even in the face of death, he chose sacrifice instead of revenge. Put forward the future of others before the pain in his heart. Naruto chose to give the ninja world a chance at the cost of his own life, despite hating this world and its system...

...he's a hero and a villain at the same time. A person who understands the light and dark sides, and has been through both of them. In order to establish balance in this world, and counter the darkness that has risen...this world needs his help once again. He has sinned, but he has also saved and protected. And for these reasons, we are willing to risk everything for him" explained Indra proudly, while giving a hesitant glance towards his unconscious successor.

Out of all his transmigrants, it was fair to say that he cared for Naruto the most.

"I see..." said Kenshin happily,

"Right now, the boy has no allies, no friends, no family. He's all alone in this world, that's why we want you to become his shield and sword. There are certain circumstances that has turned some of the people to hate Naruto and they may even try to kill him again. We can't protect him anymore, nor can we interfere if something happens to him. It will take some time for him to regain himself, will you protect him? Will you be his knight?" asked Ashura seriously,

"Even the savior of the world needs a protector, not only are you strong but also the only one who knows everything about him. I understand you just got a new chance to live again, and may want to live it on your own terms-"

Indra was cut short when Kenshin closed his eyes and walked towards his unconscious student.

Ashura carefully observed as the teacher nostalgically looked at his fragile student, while gently ruffling his hair...

"He looks like his mother..." said Kenshin with a small smile on his face,

_"I'll never let my comrades die!"_

_"Arigatou...Tou-san!"_

Memories of their past came flooding back to his mind, he was the first person to witness and understand the darkness inside the boy's heart. But even then, he was the first one to believe in him...

And his student had made him proud, he did exactly what Kenshin expected from him.

_"Instead of drowning yourself in hatred...change this world with your power"_

_"Even in the end, you remembered my words and overcame the pain in your heart. You never wavered against any obstacles that came in your way and shouldered every burden that was entrusted on your young shoulders. I can't save the current world...but the only thing I can do is protect the current you, Naruto"_ thought Kenshin proudly,

Ashura was surprised when Kenshin opened his eyes, and looked at him.

''I accept it, I will protect this boy with my life" promised Kenshin,

Indra was relieved after hearing the promise made by the man, he tried his best to hide the tiny smile that came on his face as he looked at the determination in the teacher's eyes.

_"So, my successor finally gets his protector. Ashura, you win this match..."_ thought Indra bemusedly, as he remembered his brother's successor had an equally worthy and strong protector.

It was times like these that made him understand that it was not just a person who can change the world, rather there are several others that help him make the change.

He had failed to understand this truth during his mortal life, and always relied on himself only. And the same mistakes were made by all his successors except for this boy...

And looking at the love and faith which Kenshin had in Naruto made him proud.

"I believe in you, Kenshin"

Ashura could not believe what he just heard. Did his brother really say those words?

In the thousand years that he had known his brother, never once had the man believed in anyone other than himself. Indra never cared for his successors and had no faith in them, but now...

_"You have changed, Nii-san"_ thought Ashura happily, and deep down in his heart he knew their father would be proud of his sons.

Kenshin gave a firm nod, as Indra spread his wings before rising quickly in the sky. And just like that, the man was gone...

The former Blacklight commander was surprised when Ashura placed his hand on his shoulder, and he felt a strange sense of power returning in his body. It was as if his weak body was regaining its strength.

"This world still has a chance..." said Ashura calmly, as he finished his work on Kenshin's shoulder and casted one last glance at the unconscious Naruto.

Kenshin gave a small smile, as Ashura spread his wings and disappeared in the sky...

_"This will be the last time..._

_...we're counting on you"_

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**Hope you guys liked it. As you can see, in contrast to Namikaze Legend the chapters of this story are also longer. (Another good change, I guess)**

**Again, be patient as I will answer all of your questions as the story progresses.**

**I'm searching for character photos of this story, and will upload them when I find some good ones. Right now Naruto looks like the man in the profile picture of this story (With Black highlights in his hair).**

**PLEASE LEAVE LOTS OF REVIEWS XD!**


	3. Changing Tides

**Yo..**

**I was very very amused by some of the theories my guest reviewers had about my plans for Naruto, the girls, relationships, etc. It was quite interesting, even if a few of them sounded quite aggressive.**

**One thing I will clarify right now: There will be no Kaguya in this story.**

**Most of you know, I extremely hate that character, Kishi can do whatever he wants with his manga...but in this story I call the shots, and I am not bringing that stupid "mute" bitch into my story. Her name may get referred once or twice, but the opposition will be Akatsuki and the Empire.**

**With Madara as their leader.**

**Do we even need another villain when we have EPIC Madara as the boss? I can just imagine the moment where Naruto and Madara meet...I sometimes find myself in a dilemma, whether I like Naruto more or Madara?**

**Enjoy the chapter...**.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**Changing Tides**

* * *

(Few Hours Later)

Kenshin sighed tiredly as he lay beside an unconscious Naruto. The angels that had saved them were now gone, and both of them were now left alone in the snow covered cemetery and the deserted village that was once known as Konoha.

While happy for being rescued from hell, Kenshin had no idea what the current state of this world was.

Not to mention how much time had passed since both him and Naruto had been dead. Considering the 300 years of torture the Shinigami put Naruto's soul through, and the "vegetable" remark from Ashura made him extremely worried for the boy.

And he had valid reasons behind such concerns.

Their only sanctuary in the world was nothing more than a ghost village, with their comrades and families missing.

Neither they had any resources or even clothes to survive in this cold winter. Also, he had no idea about the condition Naruto was in...

Granted the boy was alive and seemed stable, but then again the same could not be said for his mind and soul. Kenshin only hoped that whatever Ashura did would be enough to let the boy survive in this changed world.

"Kenshin..."

He froze when he heard that voice, it was weak but still familiar.

Turning around he saw Naruto was awake, and was calmly staring at him. He expected the boy to flinch on waking up in a snow covered cemetery but the boy seemed extremely calm...

"Where are we?"

His question brought the former Blacklight Commander out of his dilemma, as he approached his fragile student. Kneeling down, he checked the boy's body for any signs of fever, all the while avoiding the stoic gaze the boy was giving him.

"You seem fine. A little weak, maybe..." suggested Kenshin, and was intrigued when he received no response from the boy.

The Naruto he had known would have asked probably 5 questions by now or tried to assess his surroundings. But the person before him seemed to be completely different...

"Pick me up..." said Naruto flatly, neither it was an order or a request.

Regardless, Kenshin passed one of his hands beneath the boy's back and slowly lifted him up, followed by placing one of the boy's hands over his own shoulders making him stand properly.

Silence followed between the two as Naruto simply stared at the deserted village around him, and the destroyed buildings.

Kenshin saw the boy narrowing his gaze when he saw the crumbling Hokage faces, specifically the monument of the fourth. But the intrigued look was soon hidden behind the stoic face which the boy had adopted a few moments ago.

And it unnerved the former Blacklight commander...

No matter how much Naruto tried to hide his emotions in the past, Kenshin had always been able to read his emotions just by looking at his face or in his eyes. But he could not feel the same thing from this boy...

He seemed cold...

Not that he blamed him, after what happened with him down there...Kenshin doubted Naruto would even be sane without Ashura's help.

Deciding to give him sometime, Kenshin started walking towards the exit of the cemetery. After all, they just could not stay in the open when such a cold atmosphere was lethal for their survival. They had to find someplace warm...

And some good warm clothes too.

They had just arrived outside the cemetery when Naruto stiffened, and Kenshin too sensed the uneasy feeling.

"We are surrounded. It's a trap..." said Naruto calmly, and it was quite unnerving to see the once hyper active boy so calm and collected.

Soon enough they found themselves surrounded from all directions. Their assailants were dressed in dark black colored samurai armor, and judging from their swords in their hands left little doubt about the type of warriors they were.

Kenshin looked towards his student only to find him giving a small nod, and without another word he sat down on the ground.

"Slacker..." muttered Kenshin, on seeing his student's lack of interest in dealing with their supposed enemies.

"You have committed the crime of trespassing on a restricted area. By the power vested in us, by the Imperial Empire...we will execute you right here" announced the leader of the mysterious samurai.

_"Duh, if only you knew we fucking rose from our graves..."_ thought Kenshin bemusedly, but refrained from passing this information.

He saw Naruto's eyes narrowing on hearing the word "Empire", the interest in the boy's eyes was enough to show Kenshin that either the boy had some information about this new order, or was familiar with the word. After all, it was the first thing that had interested the boy...

Kenshin was grateful to Ashura once more, the divine deity had restored his strength. While not strong enough to wield chakra, he at least had the physical strength to fight a taijutsu battle with these samurai.

He saw at least 10 of them, including the leader who had just announced their ''execution'' sentence.

If only the fool knew who he was messing with...

"What are you going to do? I'm useless right now..." replied the boy casually,

Kenshin did raise an eyebrow on the blatant statement, this was certainly not like his student. Naruto would rather die, then admit he was useless in a fight. Something was indeed off about him...

He was being more honest and straight forward...

Was this the effect Ashura had warned him about? The entity had only said Naruto was a ''vegetable" right now...

Whether he meant it in terms of his physical strength, mental capacity or what?

_"Stupid divine entities and their stupid riddles..."_ thought Kenshin in frustration,

"Try not to kill all of them. I want their clothes..." said Naruto nonchalantly, and Kenshin face palmed on hearing the boy's blatant demand.

"I'm not your servant!" scolded Kenshin, as Naruto raised one of his eyebrows.

"Then don't take their clothes..." replied Naruto carelessly, and shrugged his shoulders.

"What do you think we are? We are great Samurai of the glorious empire...you dare insult us, boy" yelled the samurai leader furiously, how dare this brat insult his men and their strength so easily?

They were a part of the Emperor's forces, no one had dared to defy them till now.

But even now the boy looked at him with severe disinterest evident in his eyes.

"You're boring..."

_That was it!_

Kenshin cursed his idiotic student, when the Samurai leader signaled his soldiers and all of them charged towards them at once. To his surprise, Naruto idly sat on the snowy ground patiently observing the murderous enemy forces approaching towards him.

Maybe the boy didn't value his life, but Kenshin had sworn to protect him. To be his shield...and he intended to do that.

Gathering his energy, he quickly kicked the ground sending snow straight into the eyes of the incoming Samurai. It was a cheap trick, but then again they were ninjas.

Naruto curiously watched as his teacher jumped towards the group of Samurai and delivered a strong roundhouse kick sending 4 of them enemy assailants sailing away.

"Not bad..." complimented Naruto, bringing a small smile on Kenshin's face.

"...for a zombie"

The young Namikaze got a small smirk on his lips, when his teacher's eyebrows twitched violently, and he took out the newly found anger by grabbing a nearby Samurai in a headlock before mercilessly crushing the man's neck.

"Touche..." teased Naruto, and chuckled when Kenshin lost it.

"Will you stop it?" asked Kenshin irritatedly, he was supposed to be a mature 28 year old man...but this 20 year old brat was easily getting under his skin.

"Nope..."

For once, he wished he could have that brooding, emoish Naruto back.

He was not given much time as another 2 samurai tried to stab him from both sides, but he easily caught the incoming sharp weapons. The former Blacklight commander was quite surprised with the strength of these samurai...

They were certainly not pushovers, as they pressed harder to stab his body from both sides. While he saw another samurai jumping high in the air and descending towards him.

"Shit" cursed Kenshin, as the man was mere inches away from his chest and the shining sword was certainly enough to kill him once again.

**BAM!**

A hard snowball was sent straight in the man's face that made him lose momentum and fall flat beneath Kenshin's feet. From a corner of his eye, he saw it was Naruto who had made that strange attack.

Using the moment, Kenshin crushed the man's skull with a strong kick splattering the man's brains on the snowy surface.

But it weakened his grip on the swords that the Samurai beside him were trying to stab in his chest, as the weapons grazed his skin he quickly back flipped high in the air and in a flash stole the weapons of the surprised Samurai.

They were not given any time to get over their initial shock, as Kenshin severed their heads.

"4 down, 6 more to go..." said Kenshin excitedly, maybe it was the thrill of battle or the rush of adrenaline in his body.

But he was loving this battle...

He tightly grabbed the 2 swords in his hand as he charged straight towards the group of 4 Samurai who had just managed to get up back on their feet, after the severe kick he gave them that had sent them sailing away.

The first one tried to launch a horizontal slash from his sword, but Kenshin used his greater speed to evade the incoming strike while parrying another sword from the next samurai.

The enemy soldier was surprised when Kenshin suddenly dropped the sword, making the ancient warrior slide towards him. Apparently, the man had been applying too much force, and the sudden loss of resistance made him lose balance.

And it was all the former Blacklight commander needed, as he stabbed his free hand clean through the man's chest.

The man coughed up blood violently, before his shoulders slumped. The sudden demise of their comrade paralyzed the samurai whose sword Kenshin had parried, utilizing the advantage he gave a harsh kick breaking the man's neck in a flash.

"Die!" yelled the remaining 2 samurai, as they tried to stab the fierce blacklight commander from behind.

At the very last moment, Kenshin used the man he had stabbed with his hand as a shield making the enemies swords pierce the dead man's chest.

He quickly removed his bloodied hand from the man's chest and jumped over him, as the surprised Samurai looked at him in fear.

It was all over in a moment as he cracked their skulls with a sickening strike from his elbows, the lifeless bodies falling down on the ground with a resounding thud.

However his eyes widened in shock, when he saw the Samurai leader and his remaining lackey about to chop Naruto's head off.

_"I won't make it in time..."_ thought Kenshin worriedly,

**_SLASH_**

Metal pierced skin as blood flew in the air, the swords of the Samurai were strongly grabbed by Naruto's hands.

The enemy forces were trying hard to just slice the hands that had fiercely grabbed their weapons, but what happened next completely shocked them and Kenshin.

The swords were broken in half as Naruto applied a little more force, and without waiting he stabbed the broken blade in the last 2 samurai's heart.

Kenshin quickly rushed towards his student as the enemies collapsed on the ground, what unnerved him was the lack of expression on the boy's face.

It was as if he didn't even care...

"Are you alright?" asked Kenshin worriedly, as he glanced at Naruto's bleeding palms.

He saw the boy mysteriously glancing at the bodies of the now deceased enemy forces. Kenshin just couldn't understand what was going through his student's mind...

The wounds on the boy's palm slowly started to heal, as he got up from the ground as Kenshin immediately moved to support him. His student gave him a thankful nod for the help.

Whatever questions Kenshin wanted to ask were left alone as Naruto averted his eyes from him.

Understanding the unsaid message of leaving him alone, Kenshin decided to focus on more important matters. He offered one of his swords to Naruto, as the boy accepted the blood stained weapon without any kind of hesitation.

He was worried...

Not because they had just been ambushed, or because some ''empire'' was somehow linked to the current state of his village. Rather he was more concerned with the changes in Naruto...

He was so different from the young boy he once knew, but he also knew what the boy went through down there.

His soul was ripped apart, tortured, maimed, and so much more horrible things had been done to him which Kenshin didn't want to remember. Naruto's helpless screams still terrified his heart...

The Death God had not shown any mercy, even when his student had completely broken down. The boy was tortured till there was nothing left of him, and just when he thought everything was over...

The torture would start again...

Again

Again

Again

During the first 50 something years of torture, the boy had helplessly screamed for his mother, his brother, his father. For somebody to arrive and rescue him from hell, but alas his cries went unanswered.

It was not as if Kenshin had not tried to save his student, or even request the Shinigami to show him mercy or at the very least reduce his suffering.

And he was given the same answer which Indra received a few hours ago...

That everyone was equal in the eyes of the Death God, and those who had sinned would be punished severely regardless of their noble intentions. The cold bastard didn't believe that the end justified the means.

Naruto's only sense of relief would be the occasional moments when Kenshin visited him in his dungeon, when the Death God was busy torturing someone else. Even then the merciless god kept harassing the boy through various nightmares.

For his part, Naruto remained strong for at least 180 years. Enduring the atrocities committed on his soul, but after that he broke...

He just became numb, lost all sense of reality.

Devoid of Emotions.

Just an empty soul.

He had been in that state for the past century at least, until they were rescued by Indra and Ashura. Kenshin didn't even want to think about the fate of the boy if he had not been rescued. If he had been forced to stay in hell...

Whatever cheerful attitude, or the mischievous jabs he was trying to give were just an upfront. A mask which the boy was using, or was it something else?

"You were quite the fighter back there. You did the right thing..." complimented Kenshin, trying to start a conversation.

"I'm no warrior, sensei. I just want to live a normal life..." said Naruto seriously,

"You want to find out about this empire? Why they are so secretly guarding this place?" asked Kenshin curiously, he knew he had to take things slowly. He didn't want Naruto to snap suddenly and disappear.

But to his surprise, the boy refused.

"It doesn't matter, I rather prefer we go into hiding and live a normal life. But that's my choice..." suggested Naruto frankly, and didn't flinch when his teacher narrowed his gaze at him.

"But-"

"You can go if you want. I don't want to be a burden anymore than I already have..." answered Naruto frankly, as a tired sigh escaped from his teacher's lips.

"You're not a burden to me. And like it or not, we will stick together. No matter what choices you make, I'll be by your side" said Kenshin confidently, his eyes shining with determination.

And he meant it.

When he had vowed to protect the boy, he had forsaken all his previous vows to Konoha and Fire Country. Besides, there was no Konoha anymore...

And things had changed in the past few years, he found himself caring more about Naruto's well being than that of an extinct village. Maybe because Naruto was his favorite student, or it was due to their shared experiences in hell that he wanted to be helpful to the boy.

"Thanks..."

The former Blacklight commander was surprised when he heard that word, and looking at the faint smile on Naruto's face made him smile too.

"There maybe some warm clothes in that store. Should we check it out?" offered Naruto, and Kenshin recognized the shop down the right corner of the street.

Giving a nod to his student, both of them walked towards the abandoned place while carefully keeping an eye on their surroundings. As soon as they reached the door, Kenshin made a quick scan of the store but found it completely empty.

Grabbing Naruto firmly, he opened the door and entered inside.

The place was empty, the counter was broken and the place where the store owner would have stored his money seemed to be broken and barren. But there were a lot of clothes left in that store, good quality material.

Either the people were in a hurry, or just didn't care about saving their investment.

Whatever the case, it turned out to be beneficial for them.

Kenshin idly wondered how did the Samurai sense their presence, maybe it was due to the gigantic chakra explosions between the two angel brothers and the Death God. That kind of disturbance was likely to gather a lot of attention.

If that was the case, then more people would be arriving here to check it out.

The question was: Were they enemies or friends?

In any case, he didn't want to wait here to find it out. He scanned the different racks of clothes, trying to find something that would suit his tastes.

And there it was.

He quickly grabbed a white colored shirt and a dark black pant, if they were in enemy territory then these clothes would help him remain invisible most of the time. The color of his shirt would sync in perfectly with the snow, while his dark pant would hide him during night travel where he would take his shirt off.

Kenshin also picked up a pair of gloves and boots.

As soon as he was finished dressing in his new attire, he turned around only to find Naruto standing patiently in a corner. And the boy's choice of clothing amused his teacher...

Instead of any shinobi clothes, the boy was simply wearing a pair of dress shoes, a black suit, a buttoned white-striped dress shirt accentuated by a beige trench coat. His face was hidden behind a dark blue colored face mask, and so were his eyes behind those dark sunglasses.

The boy's new outward appearance was radiating a natural calm and serenity which would certainly put people at ease, he didn't look like a person who could kill. Rather he looked like a plain working class civilian.

And the face mask, and sunglasses would do well in hiding the boy's true identity.

Naruto sensed the strange look his teacher was giving him, and it irritated him a little bit.

"What?"

"You look strange..." said Kenshin awkwardly, as the boy simply shrugged his shoulders.

"They're warm and soft..." replied the boy easily, silencing any further comments his amused teacher wanted to pass.

He didn't miss the slight narrowing of his teacher's eyes, as he gave him a warning signal. Grabbing his sword he quickly took cover behind a rack of clothes, with the same action repeated by Kenshin.

They saw a couple of ninja dressed in familiar uniforms arriving outside in the street...

It didn't take Kenshin more than a second to recognize that uniform. Of all the people, he never thought the struggle between the divine gods would have attracted the attention of his old special ops units.

It was Blacklight.

He looked towards Naruto in order to ascertain the boy's reaction, but the boy's face mask and sunglasses prevented him from seeing it.

Strangely his former students/comrades were not wearing their traditional masks, or any masks as a matter of fact. They were dressed in their Blacklight uniforms, and had the familiar 3d gear and kunai launcher with them.

_"There are 7 of them..."_

He silently communicated the information to his student who was carefully observing the small squad out in the street. Kenshin was not sure, but he sensed Naruto's gaze fixed on one of the soldiers.

Before he could find out who it was, the Blacklight squad busted through the store and pointed their weapons towards him and Naruto.

"Drop your weapons!"

Kenshin chuckled on hearing that idiot's voice, and confidently got up only to come face to face with a terrified Izumo Kamizuki.

"Impossible..."

"It can't be..."

"Captain, this is..."

"Shodaime!"

Ignoring the shocked sentences of his comrades, he shifted his gaze towards the familiar tall blonde girl who was staring at him. Trying to determine whether he was real or not...

Another sound was heard, as the squad cautiously shifted in the east direction as Naruto came forward. He was still clutching the sword in his hand, but it didn't look like he wanted to attack.

"Easy there, Rangiku. He's a friend of mine..." said Kenshin bemusedly, he was just waiting for her reaction.

Kami, knew the girl had a thing for his student, which had slowly transformed into something much deeper.

She had certainly matured in appearance and strength during these past few years...

Rangiku was now almost as tall as Naruto, she had long wavy blonde hair that were reaching up to her back. Her sharp, piercing blue eyes were now shifted towards Naruto, while her full lips were closed in order to prevent the boy from ascertaining her reaction.

There was a small beauty mark located under the right side of her mouth, her Blacklight uniform tightly sticking to her body. However it did little to hide the busty rack which the girl had developed over the years.

If Kenshin knew better, he would say they were almost as large as Tsunade's.

There was a sword strapped on her back, and a kunai launcher in her arms while the 3d gear was hanging loosely around her legs.

The appearance was certainly befitting for _"Rangiku- The Flash"_, but Kenshin didn't know that his former student was now one of the prominent members of the Resistance and one of the most powerful soldiers that was opposing Madara's empire.

But what happened next was something which Kenshin had never expected in his wildest dreams. Naruto slowly removed his sunglasses, and judging from the shocked gasp escaping from the girl's lips was enough to show she recognized the person standing before her.

However, that was to be expected...

What intrigued Kenshin was the words that escaped from Naruto's lips...

"Who are you?"

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**Hope you guys liked it. See you next chapter...**

**PLEASE LEAVE LOTS OF REVIEWS XD!**


	4. The Turn of a Hero

**Yo...**

**I've recently noticed many of you have praised the improvement in my writing style in this story in comparison to its prequel. Well, I recently read a very awesome story which gave me a little more knowledge on writing styles and verb phrases, I've got a long way to go but regardless it's still a start.**

**I'm also willing to start a new story in the Code Geass fandom. But I want to take up a challenge in this fandom, so if any of you have any challenges in the Code Geass section...then feel free to forward it to me. If I like it, I will start the story and give you the required credit.**

**Besides your own challenges for a Code Geass fic, you can also refer me any challenges put up by other authors in that category. If I get the necessary permission, I might as well start a story too.**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**The Turn of a Hero**

* * *

It hurt.

Those 3 simple words broke her heart.

Under any other circumstances, it would have been a normal question, but in this case it butchered every feeling in her heart. It was one thing to not have your love be rewarded, but to completely erase any trace of every feeling, every moment, every memory that they had shared in the past was perhaps the most cruelest thing a girl could face.

Rangiku didn't know whether it was the curious look in his eyes, or the burning rage in her heart but she did the only thing she could in the current situation.

The sound of metal clashing against metal was heard, along with the shocked gasps of the people around them as she fired her kunai launcher towards Naruto and the boy simply crushed her attack with a firm swing of his sword.

Everything went to hell after that...

Kenshin had jumped towards her but Izumo and her squad got in the way, as the man collided head on with them.

She braced herself for Naruto's counterattack, and yet...

Nothing happened.

He merely stood there, as calm as ever. His eyes still had that curious expression in them mixed with a little sharpness as he looked at her. His sword was now firmly grasped in his hand and raised in the air but not once did he move to harm her or the soldiers under her command.

"I mean you no harm..." exclaimed Naruto carefully, his eyes still boring into her very soul.

"You're a clone, I have to eliminate you..." replied Rangiku in a stiff, flat voice.

For a moment, a curious expression was etched across his semi-hidden face, which was again replaced by the stoic mask from moments ago.

"RANGIKU, he's no clone. He's Naruto!" chided Kenshin urgently, as he desperately tried to free himself from the 6 Blacklight that were holding him captive.

If not for his weak condition, he would have easily brushed these young soldiers off him. It was one thing to fight against Samurai who fought traditionally, but another thing to fight against the most dangerous special ops unit of their world.

And he had trained almost all of these young soldiers, as a result none of them would go down so easily.

"Rangiku-san..."

She stopped breathing and her heartbeat increased when she heard that voice.

His voice.

No, she had been deceived before. Her Naruto died 4 years ago, the one standing in front of them was nothing but a mere modified new blood clone trooper.

And the fascist empire even had the gall, to start the cloning of their former commander (Kenshin-a.k.a" Commander Fox").

_UNFORGIVABLE!_

She was just about to put a final end to this painful deception, when the man she once loved appeared right beside her. Even the Blacklight squad as well as Kenshin were stunned with the amount of speed displayed by Naruto.

After all, it was one of the rare few moments when someone got this close to Rangiku who was famous as one of the fastest ninja of their destroyed ninja world.

"I don't want to fight and neither do I have any interest in killing you or your soldiers. But don't push me..." warned Naruto, and to make his point clear he pressed the tip of his sword making a small scratch on her vest just near her heart.

She glanced in his eyes only to freeze in shock, the look in his eyes was cold, murderous.

A perfect super-soldier ready to kill.

A mere killing machine.

Just as she lowered her kunai launcher towards the ground, the look in his eyes changed back to their calm, collected manner and he too lowered his sword as a sign of peace.

However he did give a sharp glance to Izumo and the rest of the Blacklight soldiers...

"Leave him alone. Neither of us mean you any harm, stand back and we'll be out of your hair" commanded Naruto, and he saw 2 of the Blacklight glaring at him.

Izumo casted a quick glance at Rangiku, and how close Naruto was to his leader.

If he didn't back off, things could turn really ugly.

Kenshin grumpily got up as Izumo signaled his soldiers to move, and the very next second he glared at Naruto.

"You should have told me you were fit to fight..." scolded Kenshin, as Naruto sheathed his sword.

"Just because I can fight, does not mean that I will fight. Kenshin, I have no interest in the conflicts of this world and neither do I want any unnecessary blood on my hands. The sooner all of you understand this- the better." explained Naruto sharply, and started walking away towards the door.

Rangiku could only stare helplessly as he walked away from her. Her heart was screaming to her telling that this was the real Naruto, the man she loved with every fiber in her body.

And for once, she decided to listen to her foolish heart.

"I'll never let my comrades die"

He stopped.

A small tear slipped from Rangiku's eyes, there was little doubt left in her heart now. No, blood clone trooper of the empire could ever remember those words.

The soldiers of Madara were nothing but mere killing machines, who did not have a single emotion in them.

In contrast, the Naruto standing before her was not only different in appearance but also had a certain amount of emotions and morals, which he had displayed during these past few minutes.

Otherwise, he would have killed her instantly for attacking him. Or was he just trying to win their trust, to infiltrate one of their resistance cells? Was he a new prototype soldier of the Empire? Was even Kenshin another prototype?

No, she refused to believe that.

Not only were both of these people sealed in hell for years, they also possessed some of the traits of their past self's. She had to take this gamble, if not for anyone then at least for her and Mikasa's sake.

If anything went wrong, then she would take full responsibility for it. At least it would give her closure and dismiss any lingering feelings in her heart.

But if it was really him, then...

Looking at Izumo, the boy too noticed how his former best friend and commander had stopped. Those words which Rangiku just said, were once said by Naruto himself.

And only to a selected few friends...

Naruto hesitantly turned around and looked at her, expression blank but curious nonetheless.

"I've heard that somewhere..." said Naruto confidently,

He saw the female captain giving him a strange warm smile, and somehow he saw a glimpse of a younger version of her sitting beside with a younger version of him at a riverside.

But he dismissed those memories, yet even then he felt a strange connection to her.

It was illogical and beyond the realms of science and truth, and even then he wanted it to be true.

And it scared him.

He could not get attached, no matter what. He even secretly wished, Kenshin would leave him alone. That man maybe the only friend/teacher he had in this world...but he did not want him to die for his sake.

Kenshin loved battles, and the same could not be said for him.

He just didn't want to fight anymore, why couldn't they all just leave him alone from the messy conflicts of their fucked up world?

Why couldn't he get the opportunity to find a small, peaceful piece of land where he could live happily. A place where he could fall in love, marry a woman, have kids, grow old, and then die without any regrets while surrounded by his family.

Compared to that wonderful life, there was no value in dying during pointless battles.

The world could go fuck itself, for all he cared.

He was no savior, no messiah. It may sound selfish, but he was going to live for only his sake from this point.

"I need you to come with us..." said Rangiku in a much polite and respectful tone, which was completely opposite to her actions a few seconds ago.

"No"

She blinked in surprise on hearing that answer from him, her gaze shifted towards Kenshin- only to find her teacher have the same surprised expression on his face.

"Hey, these are the good guys. I know them, we can trust them..." suggested Kenshin, but only gained a negative answer.

"Going with them means putting ourselves into more useless violence. It's not worth it, Kenshin..." answered Naruto seriously, as he warily glanced at the nervous Blacklight around him.

Kenshin was just about to suggest another valid reason to persuade the boy, when Izumo beat him.

"You're kidding me, right? You're not even going to meet your mother and little brother?" asked Izumo incredenously, his furious eyes glaring daggers at his best friend.

Kenshin cursed his luck, when Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he lost all of his previous confidence and hesitantly glanced at the aggressive Blacklight.

"What did you say?" asked Naruto pointedly, giving his most intimidating gaze to his former best friend who got a small mischievous glint in his eyes.

He had won this match.

"Or you could just be on your way, but you will never know you have a family. So, what will it be?" asked Izumo straight forwardly,

Rangiku suppressed the small smile that was about to arrive on her lips, as she watched the former two best friends glaring daggers at each other, waiting for the other to cower and back down.

But Izumo had the upper hand, and ultimately Naruto's curiosity or remorse got the better of him.

"Fine, but anything goes wrong...I'll kill you"

"Of course, Naruto..." answered Izumo confidently, though he did have a small smirk on his lips for beating his friend.

Everyone was surprised when Naruto's eyebrows twitched in annoyance, as he glared at all of them.

"It's Naoto..."

* * *

(Resistance Base- Kagoshima)

In a dark room of a hospital, a man could be seen sleeping peacefully on his bed. There were several machines attached to various parts of his body, and a monitor was placed on a nearby stand which regularly updated the man's stable heartbeat.

Beside his bed, was a small table on which a photo frame was carefully placed.

There were 4 people in that photo, one was the man himself standing proudly in his Hokage uniform, beside him was his lovely wife who was holding their 4 year old toddler in her arms, and their hands were also placed on another child's shoulder that were standing in front of them.

A pair of dark black colored eyes painfully watched the photo while casting a sad glance at the man in the photo, to the man who was currently sleeping on the bed.

It was fair to say, that the past 4 years had been extremely cruel on Mikoto Namikaze.

Her lonely eyes were fixed on her husband who was peacefully sleeping in his bed. Under normal circumstances it would not have much difference, except for the fact that her husband had been sleeping since the past 4 years.

One of her sons was dead and sealed in hell for eternity...

While her other remaining son was on the front lines, fighting a hopeless war.

She could still remember that faithful day that destroyed her happy family. The night where the gods saved her one son, while taking away the other...

* * *

(Flashback: 4 Years Ago)

_Mikoto could only helplessly stare at Itachi's cold, lifeless body. It had happened so fast..._

_One moment they were preparing to engage Madara, and the next her young son was caught up in the man's trap._

_Not only was her younger son killed, but another harsh truth was presented to her today. A truth which she had been unable to accept..._

_Madara's words still echoed in her heart, and that look in Naruto's eyes..._

_Emptiness_

_Was that how he really felt all this time? Was he really living with a hole in his heart..._

_Trying to put up a cheerful attitude for her, hiding the pain in his heart. How could she have missed those fake smiles? Those half hearted imitations of his past self..._

_No_

_She didn't want to believe that, in a way she had accepted the fake mask which her son was showing her. It was far more easy than looking at the boy's broken heart..._

_Looking in that hole which she had helped create..._

_And now looking at the fierce battle between her son and Madara proved another point. To any other person, it would look as if Naruto was trying to protect the village, but she was his mother..._

_Despite being away from him, she could feel the pain burning in his heart. The boy was pouring everything out..._

_She wanted to help, but she didn't have the strength or the courage. Not only Naruto's pain, but Itachi's death had completely paralyzed her._

_"Stop it..." said Mikoto in a choked voice, she just couldn't handle this pain anymore._

_She was surprised when a bright little sun mark emerged on Itachi's chest, and slowly the blood on the boy's chest started disappearing. The wounds on the boy's body miraculously closed, as if they were never even there._

_And his eyes opened..._

_"Kaa-san..."_

_The sun mark stopped glowing and was now visible on the boy's chest, but her eyes were only fixed on his gaze that was looking at her._

_"Itachi..."_

_She couldn't believe it, it was a miracle. It was a bloody miracle from Kami..._

_He was really alive..._

_Before both of them could say something, the entire ground shook violently as the Kyuubi was thrashed down violently on the ground._

_Itachi quickly realized the situation, and got up from the ground ignoring her protest. She tried to question him, but he raised his hand..._

_"I have to help my brother..."_

_Surprisingly, that statement only brought a proud smile on her face. Both of them looked at each other for another moment, before Mikoto too got up and was now standing beside her son._

_"Let's go..." said Mikoto happily, as Itachi's saw the barrier around Konoha disappearing._

_"The barrier disappeared..." said Itachi in surprise,_

_Both of them quickly started jumping through several rooftops. What troubled them was the deadly silence that had spread over the entire region...and that was not something one would expect when there was a roaring tailed beast just outside their village._

_Mikoto saw several Blacklight members rushing towards the place where her elder son was fighting, their loyalty to her son still surprised her till this day._

_But Itachi was more concerned with the fact that the Kyuubi was not visible anywhere..._

_Both mother and son quickly crossed the border and were now rushing towards the open field, where several Blacklight soldiers had made a circle and were looking down._

_"Nidaime!"_

_Mikoto's heart sunk when she heard the panicked voice of a Blacklight soldier, and she saw the same fear in Itachi's eyes. They were after all aware of the fact, that their son/brother had been the Nidaime Taichou of Blacklight._

_Itachi quickly stormed ahead, pushing several Blacklight soldiers out of the way..._

_And then he stopped._

_No, he froze._

_She arrived moments later and saw where her son's gaze was fixed, tears were dropping from his eyes as he collapsed on the ground._

_And then Mikoto's gaze shifted and what she saw terrified her very soul._

_Lying in a river of blood was the body of her own son. There were so many lethal injuries on his body, but what scared her the most were his lifeless eyes which were staring at them._

_The Mark of the Death God was implanted on his chest..._

_And then everything went dark..._

(Flashback end)

* * *

She painfully closed her eyes as she finished reliving that memory.

It was perhaps the most unbearable pain for a parent when they outlived their own children. But in her case, the pain had transformed into an agony as not only was her son dead, but sealed in hell.

She prayed that the Death God at least showed her little boy some mercy...

In a way, she was glad Minato was not there to witness that moment, to feel the same pain. Even though, Naruto and Minato were not extremely close it did not rule out the fact that Naruto was Minato's elder son and heir to their clan.

And a future leader of Konoha...

He was perhaps the star of everyone's eyes, and the ray of hope that promised a better future to their people.

Strangely, she did not muster the strength to hate the person due to whom her son was dead.

Obito Uchiha.

Mikoto could not understand how the sweet little boy who dreamed to be Hokage, had transformed into the monster known as "Madara". That boy was the star of Minato's eyes, his favorite student. Obito was the one who had played a part in bringing her and Minato together, and he also proved out to be the one who was responsible for the death of their son and played an important role in the destruction of Konoha.

And the ninja world.

"You're still here, I see..."

She turned around and saw her best and oldest friend staring at her sympathetically. Over these years, Kushina was perhaps the only one who didn't change neither in personality or in her appearance.

Despite being 34, she had the appearance of a woman in her mid-20's. She was currently dressed in a Jounin uniform, her beautiful red hair were freely flowing in the air. Granted, Kushina was 2 years younger than her and Minato but still...

She looked as beautiful as ever.

"What else is there to do? We're about to lose this war anyway..." replied Mikoto, despair evident in her eyes as she tightly grasped Minato's hand.

''Don't talk like that, as long as even one of us is alive...the fight will continue. We will not let Madara and his evil empire succeed in destroying our world..." encouraged Kushina, as she came forward and picked up a seat on the side of Minato's bed.

"You're still naive, Kushi-chan..." scolded Mikoto, but her tone was not condemning instead it was quite sad.

A small smile came on Mikoto's lips as Kushina gently caressed her face with the help of her right hand, while giving her a small, warm smile.

"Naruto would not have wanted you to be like this, he would want you to fight and protect his dream"

"After everything, that's happened I can't even say that I knew my son, the real one behind all the masks that he put up for everyone's sake. To protect us from any kind of pain, he continued lying to everyone to the very end" said Mikoto sadly,

"He never lied to you or anyone..." said Kushina calmly,

"I don't understand..."

"The truth was right in front of us, what the war had turned Naruto into. A few of us saw it, a few didn't. But Naruto never lied, it's important...it's fundamental" declared Kushina seriously, while her friend shifted her gaze even deeper towards the ground.

"You really loved him, didn't you?" asked Mikoto calmly, her voice devoid of any scorn, anger, it was just plain acceptance.

She watched with a bitter sweet smile, as it was now Kushina who averted her eyes from Mikoto. It had taken her by surprise when she found out about their relationship and the connection they shared.

But never once did it anger her, or made her hate the woman.

Mikoto had long since left criticizing her son's choice in women, she may or may not approve of them but her heart refused to interfere in those affairs. Because deep down she knew Naruto loved all 3 girls (Mikasa, Rangiku and Kushina) equally. For him, it was never just about physical attraction, but he shared a deep emotional bond and love with the 3 ladies in his life.

A bond so deep, that for their future he sacrificed himself.

"Yes, I loved him. Even now I do, and perhaps it will remain the same for the rest of life..." said Kushina sadly,

"You two would have made quite an exceptional couple..." teased Mikoto, making her friend blush a little.

"Mikoto, you should have let me use those Shinigami masks. I can bring him back..." requested Kushina, and despite the pain in Mikoto's eyes she shook her head in negative.

"It's not a guaranteed successful technique. And even if you manage to free his soul and place it back in his body, it would not be possible to physically revive him. Most of Naruto's vital organs were destroyed in that battle, and even if it was possible I would not allow you to do it. He died to give you a future, to give a future to all of us, and his sacrifice would be meaningless if you died for him. Kushina, you're the only one who has the power to fight against the Empire. The Resistance needs you..." explained Mikoto patiently, as the red head gave a weak nod.

Kushina raised her head to comfort her friend, when a giant explosion rocked the entire hospital. Red lights quickly littered across the corridors as the speakers burst to life...

_"The Imperial Forces have launched an attack, we've been found. All hands on deck! I repeat, all hands on deck!"_

With one quick glance towards Minato, both of the kunoichi ran straight towards the corridors.

They would defend Naruto's dream, no matter what.

* * *

(With Rangiku)

Izumo warily glanced towards "Naoto" or rather his best friend who was either pretending to be someone he was not, or had either lost all his memories. Whatever the case may be, it didn't bode well for them and the resistance.

They needed him desperately, but the boy was neither willing to fight or even willing to kill unless extremely necessary.

It had been quite an embarrassing situation for him, when his former best friend had secretly asked her about the "Blonde Chick" who happened to be his leader. He had literally choked when Naruto asked if Rangiku was single or not.

Of course, the tone of his voice suggested he was joking but it still made Izumo feel quite uneasy. Not to mention, the sharp glare that he had received from Rangiku preventing him from answering that question.

Only if Naruto knew, the girl had been someone close to him in the past.

Their little group was currently approaching towards one of their secret bases, where the higher ups would determine what to do with Kenshin and Naruto.

Not only were these two former commanders of Konoha, but were extremely strong and capable military leaders. Besides those facts, Naruto also possessed half of the Kyuubi inside of him, that practically made him resistance's property.

Although he refrained from passing this information to Naruto, Kami knew what the boy would do after he realized this fact.

_"Blacklight squad 4, the Kagoshima base is under heavy attack. The Imperial forces have crushed our frontal line of defense..."_

Naruto and Kenshin saw the entire Blacklight squad getting tensed after hearing that communication. He saw Rangiku quickly placing her finger on her own communication device...

"What's the status? Are the civilians safe?" asked Rangiku quickly, surprisingly the girl was calm even in this desperate situation.

_"Negative, the Imperial Forces are killing everyone. Those bastards are not even sparing children, our soldiers are doing what they can to save the civilians. Return to Base ASAP..." _

"We're on our way. ETA 5 minutes, we also have 2 guests with us..."

_"Just get here as fast as you can. We're getting crushed here, they outnumber us 5 to 1"_

The link was shortly cut after that, as Rangiku turned towards her squad. She also looked towards Kenshin and Naruto, but was disappointed when she only saw her teacher giving an affirmative nod. It seemed only that man wanted to help them...

"I'd prefer you let me go. There is no point in risking my life in a pointless battle, besides I have no qualms with the Empire" said Naruto dismissively, and for a moment he saw the girl was extremely hurt by his decision.

However her grief soon turned into rage as she gave a solid punch to his gut, swiftly knocking the air out of his lungs.

Even Kenshin didn't stop the furious blonde girl, as Naruto collapsed on the ground. But she didn't stop there, as she roughly grabbed his collar and made him look her straight in the eye.

"You really are a coward, aren't you?" asked Rangiku furiously, her fingers leaving gruesome creases on the fabric of his shirt.

"The empire's forces have already surrounded your people and outnumber your forces. It's strategically foolish to engage in such a futile battle. Your useless emotions would only result into the loss of more lives..." contradicted Naruto, as her eyes widened in shock.

The grip of her fingers around his collar started trembling...

"Do...you really mean that?" asked Rangiku sadly, and Naruto could not understand why everyone else (including Kenshin) had the same expression on their faces.

What the hell was wrong with these people?

"Don't try to be heroes. There is no such thing in this world..." scolded Naruto, as Rangiku released her grip making him fall down on the ground.

Without another word, she started walking away as the rest of the Blacklight quickly shunshined out of sight, even Kenshin told him _"I'll find you, later"_ and disappeared.

The only one that was left now, were him and Rangiku.

''I believe that you were once a true hero, my Naruto was a hero who protected the weak. Fought for those who couldn't defend themselves, bled and died for his comrades. So, you're wrong and we will never agree..." said Rangiku stubbornly, and gave him a disappointed look.

"I'm not Naruto...I'm Naoto!" yelled Naruto, but it only earned him a sympathetic look from Rangiku.

She winced when he hastily got up and turned in the opposite direction, but stopped when he saw her gaze still fixed on him.

"You're still Naruto for me, even if you don't remember yourself. Your once strong will is still alive in the people of the resistance, the very same people who are fighting to keep your dream alive. We maybe weak, we maybe foolish, we may even be fighting a hopeless battle...but we will still fight. And I would not give up, no matter what!" announced Rangiku proudly, as a soft, gentle smile came on his face.

"Rangiku, you really loved this Naruto, didn't you?"

She simply smiled a little, before disappearing in a bright flash leaving him all alone in the snowy forest.

For a few moments, he simply stared in the direction where his group had went. His eyes searching for any sign of Kenshin, but he didn't find or sense the man in the nearby vicinity.

Quickly tucking his hands inside his pockets, he slowly started walking away in the opposite direction...

The only thing that mattered was survival, nothing else.

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**Don't forget to send me the Code Geass challenges.**

**PLEASE LEAVE LOTS OF REVIEWS XD!**


	5. Lost Soul

**Yo...**

**I'm satisfied with the reactions of my readers due to changes in Naruto. Some of you don't like how he's become, but it just shows I've been successful in depicting what I wanted to show.**

**Now most of you can understand why I ended Namikaze Legend at that point, because all these monumental changes won't fit in that story.**

**I have started my Code Geass Story, as such the updates for this story might slow down.**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**Lost Soul**

* * *

The sounds of explosions, gunfire, cries of the wounded and screams of the dying rocked the small resistance base. Everywhere people could be seen running, falling, getting shot, stabbed, beheaded, and many worse things.

The limited number of resistance squads were trying their level best to fend off the 3000 Arc troopers that had barged through their home.

As far as eyes could see, the resistance members could only see the figures of the cold blooded arc troopers of the Empire. While the resistance was tasked with several objectives like- defending the base, saving civilians, rescuing the wounded, forming whatever line of defense they could muster.

The Empire's forces had only one objective.

Kill them all.

This was the scene which Rangiku and her team witnessed when they arrived. Their people were not being killed, but they were being butchered to the last man, woman, child.

Rangiku saw a lone blonde boy charging through the enemy ranks destroying everyone that came in his way, a small squad of the infamous "Konoha 11" right behind him. The young teenagers were fighting courageously, but the enemy forces were overwhelming them from all fronts.

"Izumo, take the squad towards the north side. Keep those fascist bastards away from the civilians" commanded Rangiku,

"As you wish"

And in a blink of an eye, the Blacklight squad rushed towards the north side of the base, killing every single clone trooper that came in their way. Kenshin could simply stare in horror as the soldiers dressed in white armor murdered a pair of 10 year old boys who were running towards their small tent.

This was madness.

He saw Rangiku giving him a firm nod as she grabbed her kunai launcher, ready to dive into the fight.

* * *

A torrent of kunai was fired by the clone troopers, as Hinata quickly jumped in front of the incoming projectiles. With great precision she started her clan's technique and deflected the weapons protecting her squad.

Sakura quickly followed suit by jumping above her comrade, her hands glowing with chakra as she smashed the snowy ground killing 5 clone troopers.

Chouji quickly grabbed 2 blood clone troopers with his giant hands, and mercilessly crushed the captured soldiers ending their pitiful lives.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru had effectively trapped a small platoon of clone troopers with his clan's shadow technique, while Ino was busy defending him from the incoming attacks from all sides.

"Hold the line, no matter the costs!" yelled Shikamaru worriedly, he had never been so scared in his entire life. There was no strategy coming in his mind that could help in saving his comrades. They were surrounded from all sides, and...

The enemy were simply too many...

"We can't hold them, Shikamaru!" shouted Kiba frustratedly, as he barely managed to kill an incoming clone trooper.

"Kiba, behind you!" yelled Shino urgently,

The Inuzuka boy turned around only to witness two exploding tag landing a few meters away from him. His eyes widened in horror, but it was already too late.

**BOOM!**

"Kiba..."

The young teenagers froze in terror when their friend was hit by a dangerous blast that sent him several feet away, before the wounded boy crashed in a nearby wall. His dog Akamaru too seemed to have lost consciousness and was bleeding heavily.

"Where the hell are the REINFORCEMENTS?" yelled Sasuke furiously, while continuing to engage the nearby soldiers in a fierce Taijutsu battle.

"Left flank has collapsed..."

"Right flank is being overrun..."

Another squad of clone troopers jumped straight towards Sasuke, but were intercepted by a bright yellow flash. The swift slicing of their heads followed suit as Itachi beheaded them with the help of his tanto.

He didn't wait there as he unleashed several exploding tags which landed near the charging enemy forces, as giant explosions ripped them apart.

Hidan cursed angrily, when he saw 50 of his pawns getting killed in one single strike. He pointed his finger towards the remaining 1500 clones standing devotedly behind him.

There was no way, he would lose this battle. Even if he had to sacrifice every single one of his soldiers...

After all, Madara only cared about victories and never the causalities. And these clones were simply expendable...

"All forces, advance! Crush these rebels in one go!'' commanded Hidan desperately, and smirked when he received firm salutes from each and every soldier.

"Roger, roger"

He smiled deviously when he saw terrified looks on the faces of the rebels, if previously they were getting stamped now they would get butchered like stray dogs. If only Madara had given him the permission to kill these people, he could have made so many sacrifices to Jashin-sama today.

But no, a Knight of the Emperor was far too important.

Apparently he was a symbol of the emperor's strength, and could not die in such a simple cleanup operation. As such he was given 3000 sacrificial pawns and ordered to destroy this rebel base. Hardly an exciting assignment when his enemy were this weak and outnumbered.

But he or any other member of the Akatsuki didn't have the courage to stand up to that monster known as Uchiha Madara.

Madara would destroy him to pieces, even if he could not die so easily...Hidan preferred to keep his head intact, instead of being buried under a meteor like Iwa.

He smiled when the massive clone army eliminated several resistance members, but the happiness was short lived when Itachi started attacking his forces with every ounce of his strength.

"FIGHT TILL YOUR LAST BREATH!"

The dishearted rebel soldiers gained a little confidence, and instead of retreating they charged head on towards Hidan's soldiers.

"Hidan-sama, our north flank is collapsing..." informed a clone captain, and Hidan gritted his teeth in frustration when he saw a Blacklight squad butchering his men with the help of their kunai launchers.

"Move forward, if we lose this place our forces will be eliminated" ordered Izumo, while stabbing a nearby enemy straight in the heart.

Hidan felt a bead of sweat roll down on his forehead, when he saw Kushina and Mikoto arriving on the battlefield. He was well aware of the power these two possessed, and if these two were his opponent then the massive army under his command would probably not be enough to kill them.

If that was the case, then he would simply divert their attention from him.

It was time for Plan B.

"Captain, bring in the Valkyrie Squadron. Bomb these bastards back to stone age..." gloated Hidan, and could not suppress his grin when he saw the two kunoichi getting nervous as at least 100 birds were visible in the sky.

The Bombing Fleet of the Empire would certainly keep them on the defensive...

And leading them was none other than Deidara, who had a mad grin on his face.

It was time for ART!

* * *

Kushina could not believe what she was seeing, this was simply too much for the resistance to fight against. A ground assault had already destroyed half of their forces, not to forget several civilians who got caught in the crossfire, or were simply murdered.

Even Mikoto understand the grave danger her people were in, both her and Kushina could cause vital damage to the enemy's ground forces.

However it would leave their people open for an air strike, and the Valkyrie squadron led by Knight Deidara was known for their accuracy and brutality.

"Kushina, fall back. Go towards the center of the base and create the barrier. I'll get our front line forces back..." suggested Mikoto, and was relieved when her friend just gave a nod.

"What about the reinforcements Kakashi promised us? We can't hold on for more than 20 minutes..." answered Kushina nervously, and the grim look on her friend's face was certainly not helping in improving her morale.

"It would take 2 hours for reinforcements to arrive. It's the best Kakashi can promise at this point of time...we have to hold this base till then" said Mikoto frankly, there was no point in giving false hope to her friend.

Everyone needed to know that their chances of survival were slim to none, but that didn't mean they would go down without a fight.

"Then let's do our best..." replied Kushina confidently, and started retreating towards the center of the base.

Mikoto's gaze shifted towards the 30 resistance soldiers who were fighting on their front lines, including her only son. Whatever the situation maybe, she had to get them back to the safety.

Her Mangekyo sharingan came to life which as she gathered a large amount of chakra.

It was time for payback!

* * *

(Konoha Cemetery)

A person could currently be seen standing inside the barren Blacklight cemetery. Despite the cold atmosphere, the boy continued to stand in the same position, his eyes glancing towards a single tombstone.

_Naruto Namikaze._

A small bitter smile came on his lips as he hesitantly placed his fingers on the piece of stone, the words on the stone brought a lot of painful memories back to his mind.

**"What are you going to do?"** asked a new dark voice, making him sigh.

"Since when did you start showing interest in my mundane affairs, Kyuubi. Last I checked, you were enjoying while I was being tortured in hell" replied Naruto icily, it was fair to say that he did not share a good relationship with his supposed partner.

In a way, both of them were stuck with each other.

**"You were quite the actor, for a moment even I believed you were a fool who didn't remember anything"** mocked the giant fox,

Instead of receiving a rhetoric response, the fox was met with deadly silence as the boy who had defeated him and that fake Madara simply stared at his own tombstone.

"Whenever you live, there's always war..." said Naruto sadly, as he glanced at the entire cemetery that contained various graves of his deceased comrades.

**"Hn, you naive fool. That's the nature of mankind..."** scolded the ancient Biju, sometimes the ignorance of humans certainly got on his nerves and his current host was a box full of mysteries.

"I believed that by killing Madara and stopping you this world can have a second chance, that it can learn from its past mistakes and move towards a better future. For that I sacrificed everything, I broke the promise which I made to Mikasa and Rangiku, I left Kushina alone despite promising to be by her side and treat her as an equal. I abandoned my family, suffered 300 years in hell...for what?" asked Naruto frustratedly,

And now it was the Biju who had no answer for that question, perhaps it was due to the fact that the boy was right or the Biju simply didn't care about humans anymore.

**"You're fully aware of what is going on in this world, aren't you?"** asked Kyuubi seriously,

"Yes"

**"And are you going to pretend that it doesn't concern or bother you anymore?"**

"What does it matter to you?" asked Naruto sarcastically, and grinned when the Biju instantly stopped from speaking any further.

For a beast who hated humans, Kyuubi certainly seemed quite interested in their mundane affairs.

_"Talk about irony..."_ thought Naruto bemusedly,

Naruto simply settled for staring at the graves of his friends, at this very moment his people were dying. His father, his mother, his brother were in danger. Rangiku and Kenshin were about to fight a suicidal battle.

Innocent men, women and children were being murdered.

His beloved village was destroyed and was nothing but a relic of the past.

In the midst of all this chaos, there was only one question passing through his heart.

What was he supposed to do?

Was he really ready or even willing to join a revolution? Did he actually possess the power to change the world?

_"I will not give up"_

Rangiku's words still echoed in his heart, how could he possibly explain to her that he was not the same person anymore? That he had changed...

Whichever person got attached to him always went through pain and suffering. First his mother, then Kenshin, Armin, Kotetsu, Aoba, and so many more. In his quest for change, he had sacrificed everything.

His morals, his beliefs, his love, his humanity.

Even then the world was in the same stage of conflict and warfare.

**"Maybe you're right, you're no leader"** said Kyuubi frankly, and surprisingly he received an affirmative nod from his host.

"I'm no leader, Kyuubi. I never was, I just wanted to be a human..." replied Naruto passively, and instead of another taunt his Biju simply settled for giving him a blank stare.

"And your brother? What will you do about him? He will die, if you don't save him. You will lose him along with every person you ever cared about..." said Kyuubi honestly, if there was one thing he liked about Naruto was his honesty. The boy had never lied to the Biju about his feelings, even calling him a beast on their first meeting.

And even if he was reluctant to admit it, the Biju had certainly developed an interest in seeing the choices this boy would make.

After all, in the 1000 years of his existence the Biju had never seen a human like Naruto. Even the gods were willing to break the rules for him, destiny was willing to form as per this boy's wishes. People were willing to follow him to the depths of hell without any questions, and the only thing standing in the way was...

Naruto himself.

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**If I can surmise Naruto's character, then I can say he is based on Castiel from Supernatural (With Minor personality traits of Dean- like Ikiryo, romantic relationships with 3 girls, carefree attitude), but for the most part he is like Castiel.**

**While Itachi is like Sam and Izuna.**

**PLEASE LEAVE LOTS OF REVIEWS XD!**


	6. Highway to Hell

**Yo..**

**Time for another chapter, and I'm very happy my readers are enjoying and liking the new changes in this story.**

**Also, I have published a new story called "The Demon Prince of Britannia".**

**Since the update speed for all of my stories has gotten slower, if you want to read something new from me then feel free to check it out.**

**Let's get on with the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**Highway to Hell**

* * *

Naruto patiently sat on a sharp ridge of a mountain, his eyes were currently fixed on a large red colored barrier in which several people were taking shelter. There were at least 2700 soldiers surrounding the barrier, all of them wearing the same uniform. Not to mention the 100 something fighter squadrons in the sky, that were constantly bombarding the barrier with explosives, hoping to tear it apart.

And within an hour or so, they would definitely tear the barrier apart. And the people taking refuge in it would have no where else to go after that.

This was their last stand.

He could feel a lot of familiar chakra signatures inside that barrier. People, friends, family. He knew almost all of them...

His eyes shifted towards the sword lying idly on his side, the warrior inside of him knew very well that if he picked up that blade again- then there would be no going back.

**"That's rough..."** said Kyuubi mirthlessly, as he watched the humans trapped like rats inside the giant barrier.

"Without any help or reinforcements, they're dead" answered Naruto flatly, his years of experience in the special forces easily presented the final outcome of this battle between the Resistance and the Empire's Forces.

**"They have you..."**

A low growl escaped from the Fox's mouth, when he saw his host reluctantly staring at the weapon beside him. The Biju knew why Naruto was so hesitant, and with good reason. The boy was scared of killing people, scared of sinning even if it was for the greater good. After the Death God punished his soul for committing sins, Naruto simply didn't want to get into any kind of mess that could put himself in trouble.

It was only a basic survival instinct which every human and animal had in themselves.

But right now, the boy's family and friends were trapped in that barrier. Along with other resistance members...

Despite pretending to be uncaring about the affairs of the human world, the ancient fox knew these few soldiers were the only one standing between him and Madara. If the Akatsuki got their hands on all the tailed beasts, then it would be very bad for him and the rest of the world. And the only one who even had a remote chance of stopping Madara, was none other than Naruto...

So, if it meant helping the boy for his own survival, then the fox was willing to put aside his hatred for humanity. The question was...

Whether Naruto would do the right thing or not?

"I don't know if I can defeat so many soldiers. I'm just one man..." argued Naruto, making his partner sigh in frustration.

**"Look, you've got the juice. You can smite every fucking soldier down there and send them all back to hell..."** encouraged Kyuubi reluctantly, for once he was relieved that no other tailed beast was here, or they would have laughed their ass off when they saw him motivating a mere human.

"But I don't remember how..." said Naruto silently, his voice sounding like a nervous child who was about to venture into an unknown territory.

**"It's in there, I'm sure it will be as easy as making ramen..."** suggested Kyuubi, and his eyebrows twitched when Naruto gave him a blank stare.

"I don't know how to do that either..."

The giant fox face palmed on hearing the boy's honest yet silly answer, but then again who could have thought that the greatest hero of the shinobi world sucked at cooking?

_**"My bad..."**_ thought Kyuubi tiredly, and settled for staring at the boy.

After a few moments, Naruto reluctantly picked up his sword and looked towards his partner.

"This is a bad idea..." answered Naruto doubtfully, as the fox got a wide grin on his face.

**"I don't know, I believe in little miracles..."**

* * *

A small squad of Sealing Corps was engaged in their tiresome efforts of deactivating the barrier in which the resistance was hiding. One of them looked at the 3 clone troopers guarding them. Granted the rebel soldiers would not dare to attack them, as it would crumble their barrier.

But they were far too close, and these troopers may not care about their lives.

However the Sealing Corps certainly did...

That's why when they saw a young man approaching from the west side, they immediately ceased their efforts and diverted the attention of their guards towards the intruder.

As the person came closer, the leader of the Sealing Corps froze in terror. How could he ever forget those blonde hair and dark eyes?

The 3 clone troopers immediately pointed their weapons towards the man, but he fearlessly approached towards them. His hands tightly grasping a sharp, long sword in his hand.

"Hey, I know you...but you were dead" said the leader nervously,

The clone troopers jumped towards the man but one quick slash and the very next second, the strongest soldiers of the empire were nothing more than masses of blood dispersed on the plain snowy surface.

"I've heard that a lot..." said Naruto calmly, as the 2 men of the Sealing Corps tried to stab him with their tanto.

With a quick duck, the former Konoha ninja evaded the attacks only to use his dangerous sword to slice open the necks of the soldiers of the sealing corps, their bodies falling to the ground with a resonating thud.

The leader of the Sealing Corps immediately started running back towards their main camp, only to come face to face with Naruto standing in front of him.

How the hell did he travel so fast?

"I don't think running will save you..." replied Naruto icily, and plunged his sword deep into the man's heart.

A painful scream was made by the man, his eyes becoming wide as saucers before closing for the last time as he fell dead on the ground.

**"That's a start..."** said Kyuubi smugly, and was surprised when even Naruto gave him an affirmative nod.

"I'm just getting started..."

* * *

(Barrier)

A group of people were currently taking refuge inside a semi-destroyed building, fear was clearly evident in their eyes. Sakura was busy in trying to save a heavily injured Kiba, who was hanging between life and death.

Kushina was sitting in the center of the room, her eyes were closed and hands clasped together. A large amount of chakra was being used by the kunoichi in order to maintain the barrier that was the last line of defense between the enemy forces and what was left of their resistance cell.

Rangiku's blacklight squad was stationed outside the building, the special ops soldiers observing each and every movement of the enemy forces.

Shino had spread his bugs all across the barrier in order to detect any breach, with Hinata acting as his scout by providing her 360 degree vision.

Ino was busy in trying to contact their main resistance cell, hoping to get into contact with their leader, Kakashi.

In the middle of room, Mikoto was currently surrounded by Sasuke and Itachi who were glaring daggers at her. From the expression on their faces, the two young soldiers were quite furious at her.

"We should be out there, Mikoto-sama..." said Sasuke frankly,

"He's right, Kaa-san. There is no use in hiding like cowards, they will eventually break through. At least send a few of us, we will hold the enemy forces and prevent their attempts to break this barrier" explained Itachi persistently, and was irritated when a snort was heard.

Their gaze shifted towards the tall man who had arrived with Rangiku, and he certainly didn't look very pleased with them.

Mikoto looked at the man skeptically, she trusted Rangiku and wanted to trust this man. Not only had he helped in protecting the resistance's front line forces, but was also a Blacklight level ninja and possessed a lot of knowledge about tactics and warfare, not to forget about Konoha.

"Both of you are idiots..." said Kenshin, and smirked when the boys looked at him furiously.

"What did you say?" asked Sasuke intimidatingly, but Kenshin just flicked the boy's forehead sending him straight towards the other corner of the room.

"Hey, what are you-"

Whatever words Itachi wanted to say were left unsaid, when Kenshin grabbed him by the collar and brought him very close to his face. And for the first time, Itachi felt a very strong power radiating from this man, not to mention his dangerous murderous eyes were making him feel uneasy.

"You're a good fighter, but a pathetic squad leader. I see, Naruto was the ace in that department..." said Kenshin seriously, and was intrigued when the nervous boy stopped fidgeting and was now looking at him with his best intimidating gaze.

"How do you know my brother?" asked Itachi icily, his hands edging towards his kunai pouch.

"I was the one who trained your brother. Your irrational decisions would lead to the deaths of these people, and you are not the commander of this base. So, listen to the chain of command and follow your orders like a good soldier" scolded Kenshin, and gave a gentle kick to Itachi's chest knocking the air out of the boy's lungs.

"That's enough..." commanded Mikoto, when she saw Itachi falling on his knees grasping for breath.

Kenshin turned towards the Uchiha, and one look was enough to remind him of a certain someone. Now he understood, who she was...

"So, you're the leader of this base and the mother of Naruto Namikaze. It's an honor to meet you, Mikoto Uchiha or shall I say Namikaze" offered Kenshin, and gave a short respectful bow while the Uchiha remained impassive.

"Who are you, really?" asked Mikoto seriously, her Mangekyo sharingan certainly taking Kenshin by surprise.

The duo was interrupted when Rangiku came running through the room, and the girl certainly seemed quite surprised. Maybe it had something to do with the enemy communication device, which she had taken from a dead trooper's outfit with the intent of listening to enemy communications.

What surprised Mikoto was the short bow which Rangiku gave to Kenshin, and gave him the communication device.

When Mikoto was the leader of this base and Rangiku's commanding officer.

"Sensei, Mikoto-sama you need to listen to this..." said Rangiku urgently,

_"Sensei?"_ thought a surprised Mikoto, so her assumptions were indeed correct.

Kenshin was a Blacklight, the newly found information and the trust which Rangiku was showing in this man was certainly enough to dispel any lingering doubts which Mikoto had about the man.

She stepped beside the duo, and focused her attention towards the static voices coming from the small communication device.

"The enemy forces are in a disarray..." said Rangiku hopefully,

"Reinforcements?" asked Kenshin quickly, but was disappointed when the girl shook her head in disapproval.

"It's something else..." replied Rangiku, and Mikoto quickly turned towards her soldiers.

"Is there anyone who got left behind? Itachi, Sasuke did any of your friends disobey my orders of staying inside this barrier. Answer me right now, or be ready for 2 months of detention!" barked Mikoto furiously, as the boys flinched and quickly started their observation.

_"I see from where Naruto gets his good looks and leadership skills..."_ thought Kenshin bemusedly,

After a few moments, both the boys finished their inspection and came towards Mikoto.

"Everyone who is alive is inside this barrier..." said Itachi confidently, and was backed up by Sasuke.

"Are you sure?" asked Mikoto sharply, her eyes boring into her young son's very soul.

"Yes...Kaa-san"

After intimidating her son for a few seconds, and finding no traces of deceit she ordered the boys to go back towards their group. Besides, it was a well known fact that Itachi was a very poor liar and certainly not a good actor.

Unlike his elder brother who was a master in the art of deceit and lies.

_"This is Squad 6, we are being attacked"_

The Resistance soldiers listened carefully, as a enemy communication was heard on the device. The voice of the next person was quite well known, and judging from the fury in Mikoto and Rangiku's eyes these kunoichi knew the person.

_"Who's attacking you, Squad 6"_ asked Hidan nonchalantly, the former Akatsuki seemed quite confident in his victory.

_"It's a single ninja..."_

_"WHAT?"_ barked Hidan in shock, how could a single ninja attack an entire squad of clone troopers?

And the same question was visible on the surprised resistance trio who were also listening to the intercepted message.

**_"AHHHH"_**

_"This is Squad 17, watch your flan-"_

**_"AHHHHHH"_**

_"What the hell is going on out there?"_ yelled Hidan angrily,

_"He's too fast..."_

_"Kami, what's going on out there? Captain send more men towards the west direction, suppress those terrorists now!"_ commanded Hidan,

The channel went dark, as Mikoto looked towards Rangiku who was quite shocked. But what confused her was the grin that came on Kenshin's face...

_"Better late than never, Naruto"_

* * *

(West Side)

A lone boy wearing civilian clothes could be seen standing on one side, his large trench coat protecting him from the cold winds that were hitting his body and making his hair flow wildly in the air. A blood stained sword could be seen in his right hand, as he calmly looked at the 400 enemy troops that had gathered in front of him.

"What is he, a tax accountant?" asked the leader clone trooper

"No information is available about him, Captain. Except, he's extremely dangerous..." replied his subordinate officer crisply,

"Troopers, Hidan-sama has ordered us to finish him off. Get ready..." commanded the Clone Captain,

"Roger, Roge-"

The clone army was shocked, when their leader and 20 other clones were blown off as a sharp sword laced with chakra was sent straight through their ranks. Their gaze shifted towards the attacker, who was simply flexing his wrists.

"ATTACK!"

The ground started shaking as the large enemy force started charging towards Naruto, who surprisingly stood in his position. The boy certainly looked calm and composed, despite the hundreds of blood thirsty enemy forces who were just about to rip him to shreds.

**"Are you going to do something, idiot?"** asked an irritated Kyuubi, he would have pounced on the opportunity on killing so many humans.

And it was not as if Naruto had not killed, he had certainly obliterated 4 entire enemy squads in his carnage.

"Very well..."

A monstrous amount of chakra was released from the boy's body, the impact was even more powerful than the combined tremors which the ground was previously making due to the charge of the massive enemy force. The ice around the area melted within seconds, and transformed into a large lake.

For a moment the enemy's charge was disrupted, but as a proof of their strength they quickly regained their footing and resumed their charge towards the Namikaze heir.

But the mindless clones could not realize what Kyuubi had just sensed...

And his assumptions were proved correct when Naruto made a single hand seal, and the water in the lake rose rapidly in the sky and quickly started dispersing into single particles/ streams of liquid.

**"Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu(Water Release: Water Bullet Technique)"**

In a sheer display of force, the entire lake transformed into countless sharp, needle like water bullets as Naruto simply pointed his finger towards the incoming forces.

Kurama was left speechless, when the once strong 400 clone troopers started to get butchered.

_Mercilessly._

Many of them tried to deflect the water bullets, but the attacks instead broke through their swords and ended their pitiful existence. Not only was the attack extremely fast and strong, but it was simply too large.

Within 30 seconds, where once stood a 400 strong enemy force lay a massive pool of blood. Combined with the water, it had transformed the position into a large red colored pond.

**_"Kushina had said the boy was strong in water style, but this was..."_** thought a speechless Kyuubi,

He watched warily as his host simply walked on the blood stained pond and picked up his sword as well as the several kunai, shuriken and exploding tags which were lying idly in the now useless armor of the deceased clone army.

The former Nidaime Taichou quickly placed the newly acquired arsenal in the various pockets of his trench coat, while firmly grabbing his sword in his right hand.

His eyes closed for a brief moment, as everything went deadly silent.

The Fox was intrigued when his partner simply charged towards the front with his eyes closed, one hand grasping his sword while the other resting close to the pocket where he had placed his newly acquired weapons.

The visage of the entire clone army appeared in front of them, apparently the enemy had realized this new development and had formulated a single line of defense. Everywhere silhouettes of fierce clone troopers could be seen, not to mention the 100 something birds in the sky who were moving towards them.

Instead of charging straight through the enemy ranks, Naruto jumped in the air and to everyone' surprise he started floating higher and higher in the air.

The Bombing Squadron of the Empire fired several exploding tags towards him from the sky, even the fox tensed a little when several exploding tags reached around Naruto, and lit up like fire crackers.

**BOOM!**

Hidan sighed in relief when several large explosions occurred in the air, he was simply glad that the mysterious warrior was now dead.

Oh, he was so wrong.

To his dismay, the giant explosions started getting absorbed in a dark portal, and a closer look showed him his greatest nightmare.

"It can't be...it's_ IMPOSSIBLE_!" yelled Hidan in fear,

As there standing in the sky was his greatest opponent, Naruto Namikaze.

One of the boy's eye was displaying the Mangekyo sharingan, while the other had a totally different colored eye. To add further to his fears, he saw Deidara quickly retreating away from his squadron, while ordering his men to face the newly arrived God of War.

"You're on your own, Hidan. I'm going to inform the Emperor..." yelled Deidara mischievously, and laughed on seeing the horror on his comrade's face.

"Get back here, Deidara. We're in this together..." said Hidan worriedly, but the blonde simply shrugged his shoulders.

"It's your operation and you are the commander. I was just helping you, but I've got some better things to do" replied Deidara,

"YOU BASTARD!"

The bomber was alarmed when he saw Naruto raising his hands towards him and his forces. And the Namikaze was certainly looking at him...

**"What makes you think that you can escape, _my fellow traitor_?"** asked Naruto darkly,

Deidara blanched on hearing that threat, and quickly took control of his bird. He had to get out of here...fast!

Kyuubi sensed a tremendous amount of chakra being gathered by his host, and judging from the appearance of the boy's new activated eyes. The Biju had a pretty good assumption what the boy was about to do.

**"Don't do it, you will shorten your life with this level of attack!"** warned Kyuubi, as the boy simply glared at the entire enemy force and the former two Akatsuki members.

His right eye shined brightly, as he finished gathering his chakra ignoring the terrified looks on Hidan and Deidara's faces.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" asked Hidan nervously, he wanted to flee but the fear of Madara's wrath was keeping him from running away.

**_"The power of all of them?"_** thought Kyuubi in fear, as Naruto closed his eyes.

_"I will never forget my people's pain"_ thought Naruto sadly, as memories of his destroyed village came flooding back in his heart.

His home was destroyed by these savages, the village for which he had fought, bled and even died was destroyed for the Empire and the Akatsuki's selfish motives. So, many of his friends and family members had given their lives to protect Konoha, only to be destroyed for one man's ambition.

The Akatsuki was even now trying to murder his family.

It made him furious.

_"An eye for an eye"_ was the motto of the ninja world, and he would remind the empire of the power of the ninja world.

He opened his eyes and gave one final glare to his terrified enemies...

"From here on out...

...the empire will know pain!"

A bright blinding light spread across the entire sky, as two words were heard in the entire area.

**"Shinra Tensei"**

* * *

**Author's Notes: To be continued.**

**Don't forget to check out my new story "The Demon Prince of Britannia"**

**See you next chapter.**

**PLEASE LEAVE LOTS OF REVIEWS XD!**


	7. A Gentle Heart

**Yo..**

**I'm very happy with the support you guys have given so far. Thanks a lot.**

**I've got something which I want to discuss/share with you, since I want to know is it just me or do others share the same feelings as me on certain topic.**

**But that will be at the end of this update.**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**A Gentle Heart**

* * *

The Nine Tailed Fox was a biju who had seen destruction, caused mayhem, murdered thousands, relished in carnage and misery of humans. But right now even he was at a loss of words, the picture in front of him sending shivers down his very spine.

It had been a very long time since he had seen this much destruction in a matter of seconds.

Where once stood the vast snowy plains stood a wide crater at least a 50 feet in depth and stretching up to at least 4 kilometers. Each and every inch of the land was robbed of every life form that had once stood on it, its soil covered in a bright red colored sheet.

A sheet made by the blood of the 2700 soldiers who were a formidable threat just a few seconds ago.

The sky was clear as day, the Bombing Fleet of the empire could not be seen anymore. Just the drops of blood that were falling from the sky was enough to suggest what had happened to the Empire's aerial forces.

His gaze shifted towards the person who had caused this carnage, the boy slowly landing on the ground. Naruto was extremely silent, blood was leaking from his mouth but he ignored the injury and simply stared walking through the crater.

Knowing very well, that he had massacred 2700 people instantly. Some might say his power was a blessing from Kami, but...

For him it was nothing but a curse.

An abomination that constantly reminded him of who he truly was, a blot on his soul that always destroyed any chance of him having a normal human life.

**"Damn..."**

Naruto completely dismissed his partner's amazed response, in the end even the Kyuubi did not understand that he hated all of this. He hated this bloodshed.

**"If you were this powerful, then why did you kill them so easily. Why not take your time and kill them slowly, exact some revenge for your home?"** asked Kyuubi curiously, and for a moment the boy flinched a little on hearing the question.

The Biju considered the boy's silence and the pained expression in his eyes, and the answer that came in his mind shocked him.

**"You showed them _mercy_?"** asked Kyuubi incredulously, a strange sense of anger passing through his heart.

"Yes"

**"WHY?"** growled Kyuubi furiously, his claws harshly grinding against his cage. If only the damn thing was not in the way, he would have ripped the boy apart for what was the most stupidest action in the fox's eyes.

For his part, Naruto stopped walking and just gave a small sympathetic smile to the blood raged Kyuubi, who was a symbol of wrath and vengeance.

"You won't understand..." said Naruto calmly, his eyes merely observing the thousands of metallic weapons that were mangled due to his attack.

**"THEN MAKE ME UNDERSTAND!"** yelled Kyuubi murderously, this was something he just could not understand. There had been no human since the Rikudo Sennin who possessed this much power, and yet opposed means of violence.

Madara was a man of power, and he did what was expected from a man who got his hands on too much power. The Uchiha destroyed everything that got in the way of his ambitions, until he was temporarily stopped by Hashirama Senju.

The Uchiha patriarch's actions left a deep impact on the fox, his hatred for humanity was increased due to Madara enslaving him, Hashirama enslaving him, Mito caging him, followed by Hiruzen caging him into Kushina and now this boy.

Everyone who gained huge power, never refrained from casting their will on others whether they be- people, nations, Biju, or even the entire world.

None of his previous hosts or the people who captured him, ever showed regret for their actions. Nor did anyone of them show their enemies mercy, and yet this boy...

"It's because people are the same. They fought for their justice, and I fought for mine" said Naruto patiently, somehow he sensed a deep pain behind the fox's angry demeanor. It was as if his actions had shaken the Biju's very beliefs.

**"They destroyed your home, your people. Even then they deserve mercy?"** asked Kyuubi with a deep frown clearly etched on his face.

"Did you come to understand what pain feels like?"

The fox was completely shocked on hearing that question, his eyes went wide as he felt something which he had never felt in centuries. Something which he had felt from only one man in the past. It just could not be...

"The pain of loss is same for everyone, Kyuubi. All of us are just ordinary humans, driven by revenge in the name of justice. It is this 'justice' that leads to the birth of hatred which goes on and on. It is very difficult to stop this hatred that has plagued this world since centuries, but a person can at least show mercy which is certainly in their power. Hatred can't be stopped by hatred, if a single one of us shows mercy then others will follow. In the past I believed people would follow me because I had power, that's why I dreamed of creating an empire.

...my intentions were to create peace, but it would have led to more hatred and violence. My power would have made me into someone which I never wanted to be." explained Naruto calmly,

**"Like Madara?"** asked Kyuubi silently,

"Yes"

**"Is that why you died?"** questioned a surprised Kyuubi, he had always believed that Naruto was forced to use the Shiki Fuin to stop him and Madara.

But the faint smile on the boy's face shocked the fox to the core.

_The boy chose to die._

"I refused to become the person the mark (Moon) and the power was forcing me to be. Cerberus had told me that I would be the one who would destroy the ninja world despite my ideals of peace. And deep down I knew it was true, that I was person who had simply gained too much power. The power of kings isolated me from everyone else. I had realized what misery my powers would wreck upon the world had I lived, I would have become the very same person Madara is right now. My Empire would have been the same system which is currently terrorizing this world...

...and the people who I saved right now, would become the very same people who would oppose my tyrannic rule. They would be heartbroken and pained with my actions, and I didn't want that. That's why I chose my own destiny, made a choice that would save the world not only from Obito but from me as well. I died and sealed myself in hell in order to prevent the world from witnessing another destroyer" explained Naruto deeply,

The Kyuubi's anger disappeared and for the first time in his entire existence, he lowered his head in front of a human. The ancient Biju could simply not muster the courage to look at the boy because if he did, then it presented him the ultimate answer.

It showed him a reasonable explanation for everything that had happened, the promise which his father had made to him was perhaps being fulfilled.

Humanity had caused him and his breatheren so much pain, that his heart was simply refusing to accept the truth in front of him.

Naruto Namikaze was really the chosen one.

Still, it would take time for him to believe that the boy was the savior which his father had promised. The fox still needed an answer to one question that would really show him whether Naruto was truly the one the Rikudo Sennin had promised.

**"How will you bring peace then? Answer my question in honest words, Namikaze Naruto..."** said Kyuubi seriously, and looked the boy straight in the eye.

"True Peace is an illusion, it is a promise which even I can't fulfill in a 1000 lifetimes. What I can do is create a better world, a system which demolishes violence, and tries to prevent divide among humans. It's not perfect, but this is my answer..." answered Naruto honestly,

**"Then why are you fighting with the Empire and Madara?"** asked Kyuubi flatly, and this time Naruto gave him a pointed glare.

"My war is not with the empire, rather it is with the ideals and misery which they have wrecked over this world. They have stopped violence by simply instilling fear in people, their peace is fake and eventually the people will rebel. Power does not mean that you can suppress the weak and rule over them, true power means trying your best in taking everyone together. You may not achieve complete success, but that does not mean that you can simply impose your will over others...

...since I have already picked up my blade, there is no going back. My war had always been with the system and never with humanity itself. And there will come a time, when I will need your help" replied Naruto frankly, and looked towards his partner who had surprisingly been extremely silent during his answer.

The fox seemed quite touched with the explanation provided by the boy, however the ancient Biju refused to speak.

Sensing the discomfort and reluctance in his partner's heart, Naruto simply smiled and severed their connection.

"You'll understand someday, Kyuubi"

* * *

Mikoto and Kushina were shell shocked on seeing the giant crater in front of their base. There was not a single enemy trooper in the nearby vicinity, it was as if the hundreds of warriors of the empire suddenly vanished from the face of the earth. The entire area appeared to be struck by a giant meteor or a god's wrath.

The Konoha 11 also were quite surprised with this sudden attack that seemed to have wiped out the entire enemy force.

Even the Valkryie Squadron was gone.

Kenshin stood in a corner of the base, his veteran eyes scanning the destruction his student had caused. He really needed to have a _talk_ with Naruto.

Their attention was disrupted when Rangiku instantly broke formation and ran straight outside the barrier. A look of panic and fear evident on the girl's face, as tears threatened to spill from her deep blue eyes.

"Rangiku, wait!" shouted Izumo, but she was long gone.

The Blacklight officer looked towards Mikoto, and received a firm nod from their leader. Soon the remaining members of the resistance started exiting from their barrier, albeit a bit cautiously.

They had to find out what had suddenly caused this massacre.

* * *

Mikasa hurriedly sped through the forests of the once known fire country. Behind her were several Blacklight platoon's along with 300 other resistance members. Hardly a formidable force, but this was the best help they could send for their ambushed comrades. Not only was Rangiku there, that base also hosted their previous Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki.

Along with several other prominent resistance members and civilians.

_"Mikasa, if you are not able to repel the enemy forces. Get Minato-sensei's body, along with Kushina, Mikoto and if possible Itachi. Rest of the people are expendable"_

She cursed Kakashi for the umpteenth time for forcing her into a such a position. But the kunoichi also understood the painful order which their supreme leader had to give. In terms of strategic value to the resistance, the mentioned targets were far more valuable than all the soldiers stationed in that base.

And her orders were crystal clear.

Rescue Kushina Uzumaki,_ no matter the costs_. Even if it meant sacrificing every soldier of her army along with the people in that base.

_"That won't happen, as long as I'm alive and kicking. The odds be damned..."_ thought Mikasa fiercely, as she tightly clenched her fists.

"Commander Mikasa, we are approaching the base. ETA 2 minutes" advised Genma seriously, as her gaze shifted towards her second in command and friend.

Years had not been kind on Genma, the former fourth Commander of 1st Blacklight company had lost one of his eyes. The destroyed organ was effectively hidden behind a small eye patch that had the old Konoha village symbol etched on it.

Genma had kept it as a reminder of his defeat, the boy had tried everything to protect Konoha from the Empire's army. However the odds were never in their favor, and losing Konoha despite Blacklight's best efforts took its toll on Genma. Even after losing one of his eyes and several friends while defending Konoha, the boy still blamed himself for the loss.

He resigned from his post as commander and as such she had to step in and take charge of her former unit.

She along with everyone else had tried to reassure Genma that Konoha's fall was not his fault, what could the boy possibly do when even Hiruzen fell in front of Madara and his brutal army. But the boy was stubborn just like every other men.

Just like **_him_**...

She felt anger increasing in her heart as a picture of a blonde boy passed through her mind. Her fists clenched so tightly, that some of her knuckles started to turn white in color, a menacing glare could be seen in her eyes and a frown was clearly etched on to her beautiful face.

Gone was the young 15 year old girl who was once madly in love with a certain Namikaze...

The only thing that remained now was a Blacklight commander, whose only goal was to defeat the evil empire along with Madara Uchiha.

Her appearance had also changed over these 4 years. Mikasa was now almost 6 feet tall, her silky black hair now reaching up to her back. Her face still looked the same and retained the delicate features which she had in the past. According to her, she still looked the same. But the people around were calling her a mini clone of Mikoto Uchiha.

And sometimes, even she had to admit that except for their different colored eyes. Mikasa looked exactly like a younger version of Mikoto...

But none of that mattered anymore. She had never cared about her looks, except for the time when she was with Naruto...

_Namikaze Naruto._

That name brought a lot of bitter sweet memories to her heart. The man whom she admired, loved and hated the most in the entire world.

Admired him for the sacrifice he made in order to protect Konoha and their people. Even if it was for a short lived peace, his actions increased the respect in her heart for him as a ninja. Till the very end, Naruto remained loyal to the village and fulfilled his oath as a soldier.

Loved him for what he was. A simple boy who accepted her for what she was, including all her faults. Loved her and supported her at every stage of their life, and became the person with whom she shared everything and trusted with every fiber in her body.

And **hated** him for leaving her alone. For breaking the promise of being by her side, being her family for as long as she lived. He abandoned her, discredited her love for the greater good. And for that, she had never forgiven him.

Mikasa didn't know what exactly her feelings were for Naruto. It was not as if she had not tried to forget the boy and move on, even tried dating for a while. Alas, those dates never crossed more than the first or second meetings. Either she would dislike the guy, or vice versa. Or their personalities simply wouldn't match.

The only one who ever got close to becoming a potential partner was Genma, but the boy had refused.

_"You still love him, perhaps you'll always do"_

This was what the boy had said despite the extremely painful look in his eyes. She knew how much it would have hurt him to reject her, knowing he had always liked her from their first meeting in Blacklight Boot Camp. But in the end, Genma turned out to be right...

Despite hating Naruto from the bottom of her heart, she could never forget him.

He was her best friend, first crush, first love, and the only one with whom she had shared a deep emotional and intimate relationship. Naruto knew everything about her, but she could never know everything about him. He always lied to her, to everyone till the very end.

And it broke her heart.

She could still remember the events of that night- finding his mutilated body, discovering that he sacrificed his soul and was now sealed in hell, the funeral which was the second time for her, and the pain that came afterwards.

Naruto had given her great happiness and love, but he was also the one who had caused her unbearable pain again and again.

And even then she loved him.

"Mikasa, are you alright?" asked Anko in a concerned voice, and the girl didn't miss how her friend easily wiped the small tear that had slipped from her eye.

"I'm fine..."

"You need to get laid" suggested Anko frankly, and chuckled when Mikasa shot her a glare.

"Fine, fine no need to be so grumpy. We have approached the location..." answered Anko quickly,

It would be a cold day in hell before she had to face Mikasa's wrath. Anko admitted she was a _little_ crazy, and loved teasing/having fun with people.

But she was not that crazy to poke the _"Ice Queen"_ that was Mikasa Ackerman.

The former Blacklight was surprised when Mikasa suddenly stopped on a nearby tree branch. A collective shocked gasps were heard from their comrades, as they saw the massive crater that was in front of their eyes.

However Mikasa's eyes widened for an entirely different reason. A mad rage passed through her entire body as she roughly unsheathed her sword. Her comrades who were previously shocked were now terrified when her entire body got covered in chakra, the nearby trees started to be freeze into crystal ice as the Blacklight commander leaked a tremendous amount of KI.

Mikasa Ackerman was _pissed_.

No she was consumed by a **terrifying blood lust!**

In a flash, she charged straight towards a young, unaware blonde boy who was standing inside the crater.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Evil Cliffhanger strikes once again.**

**Hope this chapter answered a lot of questions that were left unanswered in the prequel.**

**Manga Spoilers (This is merely a discussion and my personal views): Yeah, yeah we get the Naruto V/S Sasuke battle after so many years. I like it, but the sheer favoritism which Kishi shows Sasuke is what can I say...confusing. Is this really Naruto manga or Sasuke manga? Apparently Sasuke wants to murder 5 kage and be the new leader who creates a revolution.**

**Can somebody just tell this prick to get a brain first? He's a international criminal, and on top of that he believes he can easily murder 5 village leaders (Who are heroes in the eyes of their people) and thinks the people will cheer for him like fan girls and accept him as a leader?**

**I really wish Naruto kills Sasuke, but hey that's just a wishful dream.**

**Because Kishi will simply not allow Naruto or as a matter of fact _anyone_ to kill Sasuke. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for the final battle but deep down I already know the end result. Naruto will probably defeat Sasuke, then talk no jutsu, then the little Uchiha prick will get pardoned of all crimes** _(Including attacking Kages, betraying his nation, attempted murder of several comrades, working with Orochimaru, need I add more?. All because of Naruto's EXTRA LARGE heart)_

**Guess what, Sasuke then becomes Hokage. End of story.**

**I am absolutely confident that Kishi created Rikudo Sennin's had a brother theory out of thin air, in order to let Sasuke be the good guy for a while. It makes you wonder why during the entire fucking series Naruto was said to be the chosen one, and suddenly in the end the glory has to be shared with Sasuke. Kishi tries so hard to favor Sasuke, grant him powers, make him look cool (while all he is a dick), if he had even directed half of these efforts in Naruto's training trip.**

**Our blonde hero would have been a BAMF, except for being a Rasengan/ Clone Spamming robot.**

**That's all from me.**

**Next chapter: Hell Hath no fury (Author's Advice: Better run, Naruto)**

**PLEASE LEAVE LOTS OF REVIEWS XD!**


	8. Hell Hath No Fury

**Yo...**

**I've noticed many requests to make chapters longer, even I agree my short chapters are quite interesting and leaves my readers craving for more content. About the romance and pairing stuff, please be patient with me (This goes to all NaruMika, NaruRang, and NaruKushi fans)**

**I'm extremely talented in development of characters, creating completely different stories from cannon, good fight scenes, but fluff is not my strong forte. So, it takes me some time to make it work properly, but not to worry we already have baseline relationships (Two Solid: NaruMika, NaruRang, and One Blossoming: NaruKushi).**

**That gives me a prepared platform to work on...**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**Hell Hath No Fury**

* * *

Naruto casually observed the severed head that was a few feet away from him, the eyes of the person were closed and almost his entire body was spread across the crater. It was quite amusing to see the loud mouthed Hidan, to be so silent. Of course, it would only be a matter of time before that idiot came back to life and started his tantrums again.

It actually made him wonder, what kind of dark power was Hidan using that prevented him from dying.

Right now the man was simply unconscious, and he would definitely need someone to put his entire body together with his head.

He certainly was not going to let that happen, if only for the headache the religious fanatic would cause him. Maybe he ought to perform some experiments on the former Akatsuki...

**"Creepy..."** said Kurama, as Naruto simply arched an eyebrow. The fox was certainly acting quite well, it was as if their previous conversation had never happened.

But that was to be expected from a cunning fox like Kyuubi.

"What?" asked Naruto curiously, he had definitely heard the Biju calling him a disrespectful word.

**"You just sounded like a mad scientist..."** replied Kyuubi, and was certainly shocked when Naruto simply shrugged his shoulders.

"A little research on an immortal like person is not such a bad idea. Besides, I'll be _gentle_..." said Naruto sadistically, sending shivers down the fox spine.

**"I...think...you've...been...cramped...up...in...hell...for...a...little...too...long"** replied the Kyuubi nervously, and flinched when Naruto shot him a devious glare.

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe I should conduct some research on _you._." teased Naruto, and couldn't suppress his chuckle when the fox unknowingly took a few steps back in his cage.

Deciding he had teased the poor Biju enough, he closed the connection. Although, he was sure the fox was definitely going to have a few bad nightmares for a while.

While he didn't expect Hidan to open his eyes and start yelling, he also didn't expect a bone crushing punch on his right cheek that sent him crashing away.

He roughly rolled several times across the snowy ground, and just as he managed to stop he saw a young kunoichi descending upon him with a very sharp sword aimed at his heart.

Despite the logical choice of getting out of the way, or stopping the incoming attack he did the exact opposite.

Naruto just shifted a little so the sword pierced his left lung instead of his fragile heart. Streams of blood flew in the air, a few drops landed on his attacker's beautiful face, as he simply stared in her eyes.

The female simply twisted her sword, as Naruto grimaced with the pain but never once did he try to push her away, or remove the sword.

His actions certainly seemed to surprise the kunoichi, the girl was expecting him to die or something else. But when he simply continued to stare at her, she quickly grabbed a dangerous kunai from her pouch and fired it straight towards his face.

The sound of metal clashing against metal was heard, as a large sword easily deflected the weapon aimed towards him and another person appeared beside the duo.

"That's enough, Mikasa" snarled Rangiku, her hands swiftly knocking away Mikasa's grip on her sword.

The Blacklight commander was left speechless when her friend, completely ignored her and gently removed the sword from their enemy's chest. What infuriated her were the tears that were slipping from Rangiku's eyes, as she looked at that wounded clone on the ground.

This was the trait about Rangiku which she hated the most. Mikasa was a realist, while Rangiku was an idealist, and Kushina was just a peaceful person who always tried to maintain the peace between the two best friends.

"You're too soft hearted, Rangiku. He's a clone..." said Mikasa seriously, and tried to pick up her sword.

"It's been a long time, Mikasa..."

She freezed.

No clone trooper of the empire ever showed any emotion, or even had any memories like their original maker. They were simply killing machines ready to follow the orders of the emperor and his goons.

But not this one...

Not only did he know her name, but he also looked different in appearance. He was more muscular and strong than the enemy soldiers, not to mention a little handsome (Although she was hell bent on ignoring this aspect)

But what shocked her was the gentle eye smile he was giving her.

She knew that smile.

Rangiku tensely watched her friend's reaction, Mikasa's hands were clenched tightly as she simply glared at Naruto. A series of emotions were passing through her heart as she looked at the same face, same eyes. She also seemed to have remembered that he had never attacked her during her charge, and instead had allowed her to stab him.

Not to mention Rangiku's trust in this man, it all showed only one possibility.

"It's him..."

Both the Blacklight kunoichi turned around and saw Kushina standing behind them. Tears of joy were already falling from her eyes and before anyone could say something, the red head was beside their wounded savior her hands already glowing green with chakra as she quickly healed the wound he had suffered. Not that he needed the help, as the wound had already started healing itself.

Regardless, Naruto could not help but stare at the red head happily.

"Since when did he have a harem?" whispered Kenshin, as Izumo nervously chuckled with his cheeks turning bright red in embarrassment.

"It's a long story..." said Izumo nervously, and pursed his lips in order to stop himself from laughing out loud as he saw jealousy evident on his former teacher's face.

"Lucky bastard..."

The Shimura clan heir's gaze shifted towards a certain raven and a blonde boy, their eyes wide as saucers. While Mikoto seemed quite troubled, Itachi's face still retained its stoic expression but the shock was clearly seen in the younger Namikaze's eyes.

Kenshin slowly leaned towards the duo, a happy smile playing on his lips...

"He's all yours..."

Mikoto's sharingan could clearly see the Kyuubi chakra floating inside the boy's body, and she stopped breathing when he looked at her. Time seemed to have stopped for the mother, as she gazed into the eyes of her first child. She could never forget those eyes, it was the eyes of the boy who loved his family.

It was her Naruto's eyes...

Unknowingly, she took a single step forward as he slowly got up from the ground. The wound on his chest easily healed by now, but none of that mattered anymore.

He took a single step towards her, which she reciprocated by multiple of her own and before she knew it, she was storming towards him and in a flash enveloped him in what was perhaps the strongest hug she had given anyone. Tears freely rolled down her eyes, her heavy sobs were the only thing echoing through the entire area as everyone just watched, some with happy smiles while others with tears of their own.

She memorized each and every part of him. His hair, his skin, his broad shoulders, how he was taller than her.

It was all so surreal for her, not a single night had passed since the past 4 years when she had not dreamed of this moment. But to actually feel this miracle, to see her dream becoming a reality was perhaps the greatest gift she had received after Itachi's birth.

And if it was a dream, if this was just an illusion then she would happily like to stay in this moment forever.

_"I'm...home (sobs)...Kaa-chan"_

His own choked voice was the last step that proved this was not a dream. It was real...

Naruto was finally back, safe and sound in her arms.

And whether it was the feeling of being embraced by his mother, or being back among his friends and family the dam of tears which he was trying to hold broke down completely. The 3 centuries of suffering he had been through was all worth it, and he would happily go through all of that again if it allowed him to feel the happiness that he was feeling in this moment.

He had been overjoyed on seeing Mikasa, Rangiku and Kushina, he felt so happy. But this feeling was completely different...

It was stronger than anything he had felt in his entire life, a bond to which he had been connected his entire world. It was this place from where his existence took place, no matter how far or near he was, no matter how many ups and downs their relationships had to go through.

He really, really loved her.

Loved her more than any other woman in his life, whether in the past, present or the future.

Meanwhile, Itachi simply settled for a faint smile watching the scene in front of his eyes. Unlike his brother, he was not good at showing emotions. So, even if he was feeling extremely happy the best way he could show this feeling was through the best smile he could ever form.

He felt soft fingers entwine with his right hand, which gently offered a strange comfort to him as someone clasped their hands together. Casting a fleeting glance on his right, his smile deepened a little when he saw locks of pink hair freely flowing in the cold air obscuring the young girl's beautiful face.

Instead of looking towards Sakura, Itachi gently squeezed her hand back affectionately.

She always knew when to be gentle, when to be persistent, and much more. Maybe that was why he...

His gaze shifted back towards his brother and mother who were still embracing each other, completely unaware of the painful expression in a certain lavender haired girl's eyes as she continued watching their hands entwined together.

But Itachi didn't know that, as right now he felt happy for his older brother. Perhaps he and Minato were the only ones who knew what Mikoto meant to Naruto and vice versa. He was not ashamed to admit that his brother and mother shared something much deeper, and neither was he jealous about it. Just as Minato and him were close, Naruto and Mikoto were also a completely different duo.

He was a little startled when Naruto's eyes landed on him, and he felt a strange feeling in his gut as his brother slowly broke Mikoto's embrace and walked towards him, while Mikoto adorned a satisfied smile on her face.

Itachi didn't know how his arms automatically reached out and embraced the larger form of Naruto. Being the emotionless person, he didn't know what to say or do right now. His body was merely reacting on instincts...

"I'm proud of you..."

Those 4 words that were barely more than a whisper, struck somewhere deep. The series of barriers in his heart collapsed like a domino, as he not only got his brother back but was finally acknowledged by him.

His dream finally fulfilled.

And it was this moment which completely shocked every resistance members when tears slipped from Itachi's eyes as he firmly tightened the embrace.

_"Welcome home (sobs)...Nii-san"_

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**I know it's short, but it's perfect for me. But don't worry, next 2 chapters will be around 10k...**

**Next chapter: Republic of Japan**

**PLEASE LEAVE LOTS OF REVIEWS XD!**


	9. Heart

**Yo...**

**Glad you liked the previous chapter. The title of the chapter has been changed, as I've split the original document into 2 chapters.**

**This is the first one.**

**Enjoy this chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**Heart**

* * *

Kushina hesitantly walked through the stairs that were leading towards the roof of the hospital building. As she soon as she stepped outside, the bright moonlight reflected on her beautiful face, but her eyes were only fixed on the person sitting on the edge of the rooftop, silently enjoying the cool atmosphere of the night.

It had been a few hours since their reunion ended, everybody was quite overjoyed by the return of their greatest hero, along with Kenshin.

However everyone was surprised when Naruto requested them to leave him alone, despite their reluctance they granted his wish. In exchange for this understanding, Naruto had offered to answer all the questions they had in a private meeting with a few selected members. Mikasa would be leading the interrogation, as the Blacklight commander it was her job to make sure it was the real Naruto and not a infiltrator clone.

Although, Kushina knew it was much more personal for Mikasa.

They had already finished Kenshin's interrogation process, and were relieved that he was the real Commander Fox. But the man had simply refused to answer any questions regarding hell or how they came back to life, leaving the answer's in Naruto's hands.

"It's time, isn't it?"

His soft voice was barely above more than a whisper even in the silent atmosphere, and he was right as she was here to take him to the interrogation.

But she had another more important reason for being here, something on which her entire life depended.

"You have changed..." said Kushina hesitantly, and heard him smirk.

"You haven't, instead you became even more beautiful" praised Naruto, and simply offered a smile while her cheeks went bright red matching the color of her beautiful hair.

He simply got up and turned towards her, and waited patiently as she slowly came towards him. Each step was a battle which she seemed to be fighting with herself, the anxiety and fear clearly evident in her eyes. She was looking at him expectantly, and he had a very good idea what this was about.

As she came before him, he saw a torrent of feelings in her purple colored eyes...

"Where do we stand, Naruto?"

She nearly skipped a heartbeat when he just remained stoic on hearing that question, deciding he hadn't heard it clearly or was not able to understand her question, Kushina decided to explain her true feelings. That one question which had lingered in her heart ever since that night...

"Naruto, what do you think of me? What did that kiss from 4 years ago mean to you?" asked Kushina pleadingly,

Tension in the air suddenly rose as she desperately waited for his answer, waiting for any kind of word to escape from his lips or even any reaction visible from his eyes.

_Nothing._

He didn't move, he didn't speak, he simply looked at her without any kind of emotion.

Her heart shattered into a million pieces as she understood the meaning behind his silence. Controlling the tears that had started to emerge in her eyes, she took a deep breath before moving forward towards him.

Kushina slowly grasped his cheeks with her gentle hands, and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Her eyes remained shut, completely hiding the pain she felt in this moment as she memorized each and every second.

And when it ended, she broke away from him and stood straight. Eyes devoid of any emotion, her posture stiff like a perfect resistance soldier.

"Farewell, Naruto..."

She slowly turned around and started walking towards the roof exit, and just stopped at the door.

"The meeting will take place on the 2nd floor, if you will follow me" suggested Kushina, her voice sounding like a professional and not like the distressed woman she was mere moments ago,

"Understood" acknowledged Naruto

* * *

Mikoto could not understand the stone cold look on her friend's face, as she entered the room. Her gaze shifted towards her son, who appeared to be normal but something was definitely wrong. Kushina may seem fine, but Mikoto had known the red head for years and one look was enough to show her the redhead was heartbroken.

She doubted her son would do anything to hurt Kushina so badly, but she was also not sure what to think of Naruto?

They simply didn't know how much he had changed.

In the center of the room was a large TV set, on whose screen the faces of Kakashi, Homura and Koharu could be seen. The resistance leaders and his two advisers seemed extremely shocked on seeing Naruto.

"So, it's true after all..." said a shocked Kakashi,

"You seem well, Kakashi-senpai" replied Naruto respectfully, as Homura gave a short nod to Mikasa.

The former Blacklight stepped in front of Naruto, while Ino was now standing behind him. The Yamanaka's hand carefully resting on his head.

Mikasa was holding a sword in her hand, as a standard protocol for security. And he didn't doubt for a second that she would hesitate in killing him, if he failed this verification process.

"What's your name?"

"Naruto Namikaze"

"Your parents?"

"Minato Namikaze, and Mikoto Uchiha"

Standing in another corner of the room Rangiku and Itachi keenly observed as Mikasa started from easy questions like age, village affiliation, ninja registration number, identity of the people in the room.

"On which date did you lose your virginity?" questioned Mikasa slyly, and she would have laughed on seeing the baffled expression on Mikoto's face.

Itachi was blushing different shades of red along with some of the other females in the room, while Rangiku's eyebrows were twitching- jealousy clearly visible on the girl's face.

"9th july" answered Naruto confidently, and gave a small playful wink which even made Mikasa blush.

"I believe it was quite enjoyable for you too, Commander Mikasa"

"NARUTO!"

The Namikaze simply chuckled on hearing his mother's embarrassed shout as she not only heard something which she never wanted to hear, but the blush on Mikasa's face had already started creating indecent images of the duo in her mind.

Satisfied with his personal information, Kakashi decided to steer the conversation away.

"Where were you since the past 4 years?" asked the Resistance Leader sharply, his eyes boring into Naruto's very own.

"Hell"

Almost everyone winced on hearing that answer, however Kakashi simply decided to continue his investigation even if he wanted to believed that this was the real Naruto, he had to do it.

"What do you remember about hell? How did you manage to break out of it?" asked Kakashi seriously,

And for the first time she saw the change in his eyes, gone was the cool and composed look. He simply blanked out, his hollow eyes staring emptily at Kakashi. Every single person in the room anxiously waited for his answer, for him to say anything. Even Kushina seemed concerned...

Mikasa's gaze shifted towards Kenshin who was surprisingly deadly silent, and was finding the floor beneath his feet to be more interesting.

The tension in the air was so high as mere seconds seemed like a century, and then it came.

"I don't know. I must have blanked out...I don't remember a damn thing" said Naruto with as much confidence as he could muster.

To make his point clear he gave his most challenging glare to each and every person in the room, threatening anyone to discredit his answer. But deep down, he knew that there was no one in the room who believed the lie which he had presented before them. The delay in his reply combined with the look on his face was a dead give away...

"Naruto, lying to u-"

"Thank god you don't remember anything, Nii-san"

Whatever Kakashi wanted to say was cut short when Itachi came beside Naruto. Mikasa tried to stop him, but one glare from the boy's fully matured sharingan was enough to prevent any hostile action from the Blacklight.

"Itachi, I know you're emotionally attached to your brother. But we have to think rationally..." argued Kakashi, and was surprised when Itachi showed the sun mark on his chest.

The boy then simply went ahead and showed the moon mark that was shining brightly on Naruto's right hand.

"There is not a single clone trooper who has this mark, only my brother- the real Naruto had it. He not only remembers the memories of his past, even those moments which he shared with Commander Ackerman. He saved our asses and single handedly destroyed 10% of the empire's best soldiers along with incapacitating and capturing one holy knight of the Emperor and making the other flee" explained Itachi aggressively, and Mikoto smiled on seeing the confidence which her younger son had in his sibling.

"But he could be a spy, the resistance-" said Koharu, but was silenced when the younger grandson of Tobirama glared at her.

"Needs him, we are on the verge of being defeated. Our people have lost hope, and if he really wanted to kill us or was following the Emperor he wouldn't need all this acting. He would simply attack us and finish us off, once and for all. Now you can either trust in the man who is the greatest hero for our people, or you can kill him on the probability of being a enemy spy and then try to defeat the might of the Imperial Empire. So, what shall it be, Koharu-sama?" demanded Itachi,

Naruto was left speechless when he saw the council and Kakashi flinching on his brother's harsh explanation. The boy never really minced words and was extremely blunt like Tobirama, but it seemed to be working as he saw the council whispering among themselves.

He looked at Itachi, the unwavering faith which the boy had in him bringing a faint smile on his lips. Naruto also saw his other two students (Sakura and Hinata) giving approving nods, warming his heart.

Itachi saw Ino giving a secret nod to Kakashi as she verified the information from his brother's mind, but deep down he knew the girl had not seen anything about his brother's memories of the past 4 years.

Itachi knew _very well_ that his brother was lying.

That Naruto remembered everything that happened to him down there.

Even then...

"For the sake of the village and for our future, Nii-san sacrificed everything. He may not be a saint, but I'll be damned if I let your baseless fears ridicule my brother and the sacrifices he made for us."

_''Itachi, you really are a good brother"_ thought Naruto proudly,

"We understand in the current situation we have no choice, and the proof before us strongly suggests that he is the real Naruto. Will you swear allegiance to the resistance, Naruto?" asked Kakashi seriously,

"Yes" replied Naruto honestly,

"Then on account of Itachi's good faith and the trust which the other members have in you, we welcome you" said Kakashi happily, and gave a small smile as Naruto sighed in relief.

"Mikoto, round up your survivors and report to our headquarters before tomorrow evening. I fear, the emperor will send more forces to investigate the situation..." advised Homura, as the Uchiha gave a deep bow.

"It will be done, Homura-sama"

"Commander Ackerman, you will lead a small team and secure the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki in Base Shinkiro..." ordered Koharu, and Naruto narrowed his eyes when he saw how Mikasa flinched and the dishearted look on Kushina's face.

**"You stupid old hag..."**

Everyone was stunned when they heard those words, but the one who was most shocked was the old council woman as she came face to face with a terrifying Mangekyo shining brightly in Naruto's eyes.

Mikasa already had her sword up in the air, and blanched when Naruto glared at her.

"I don't have time for this..." said Naruto furiously,

With a single wave of his right hand, he sent the kunoichi sailing towards the other side of the room where she got pinned down to the wall.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Homura, as Kakashi tensed when he saw the look in Naruto's eyes.

"I will only say this once, so listen to me you old geezers. And if any smart ass tries to interfere you'll wish you were never born" warned Naruto, as the rookie Blacklights looked towards Mikasa.

They reluctantly backed away when the girl gave a firm nod, as Naruto's eyes shifted back towards a flinching Koharu.

"You want to put her in a dungeon that was used by Blacklight? And you dare insult her..." said Naruto furiously, completely surprising Kushina with his newly found anger.

The foolish council woman had enough of the boy's disrespect and decided to teach him a lesson on reality...

"She's a weapon of the resistance, the empire wants her. If she gets captured, then it's all over. That dungeon is the most secure location, and we can never be certain about her loyalties. She was once affiliated with the Akatsuki, just like you..." insulted Koharu, and saw Itachi about to say something but Naruto's hand on his shoulder stopped the boy.

Everybody watched curiously, as Naruto stepped towards a vacant TV set in another corner of the room. He slowly took out a security videotape of the resistance base, and inserted it. And the council members and Kakashi were shocked when they saw 2700 clone troopers getting demolished like flies within seconds by Naruto.

_"Oh boy..."_ thought Kenshin bemusedly, as he realized what Naruto was about to do.

Koharu literally wet herself when the Namikaze heir gave her a evil glare, sending shivers down her spine.

**"Koharu, my hands are already stained with blood. If you still have any doubts about my loyalty, fight with me. If you win, then you can do anything...but if you lose, then _I will kill you_"** declared Naruto darkly, as the older woman started stuttering.

"That's...not...what...I...meant..."

"SILENCE, COWARD!" yelled Naruto, instantly freezing the old woman.

Pin drop silence was observed in the small room, as not a single person dared to get in Naruto's way. Surprisingly, his anger disappeared as he looked towards Kushina who simply seemed too shocked.

"It's true that the empire is after her and I understand your concerns..." said Naruto with a heavy sigh, as Kushina's shoulder slumped.

"Then do you approve of our decision, Naruto?" asked Kakashi diplomatically, if what he had seen was true then it was better to have Naruto as an ally instead of an enemy. And he was smart enough to disregard to stubborn old geezers sitting beside him, he would have liked nothing more than to kick them out but they still garnered a lot of faith from the older resistance fighters.

As such he had to bear them, in order to maintain unity among the already disorganized resistance.

"I may understand your fears related to the empire, but not when it comes to Kushina..."

He let those words hang in the air, calmly observing the reactions of everyone present.

"For her, I have nothing but respect. She's a excellent, loyal friend who fights for her loved ones. But despite that she's a little clumsy and finds it difficult to mix with people..." said Naruto proudly, making Koharu lower her eyes.

Meanwhile, Mikoto saw the tears that had already started to arrive in her friend's eyes. Kushina was just too kind and co-operative, and the higher ups had always tried to confine her since the last 4 years on the basis of _"security concerns"_.

And for her people's safety and that of the world, she had agreed to this injustice every time.

"She already understands the pain in everyone's hearts, and tries to do the best for her people. Koharu, she is no longer your personal weapon...from this moment she's Uzumaki Kushina, a respectable member of the resistance and my comrade!"

Absolute silence prevailed in the small room, and only Kushina's sobbing could be heard as she looked at Naruto. She had been wrong, so wrong...

"We understand, but the people of the resistance still have concerns about her. How will you convince them?" asked Homura tiredly, he was at the end of his life and dying a cruel death by Naruto's hands was certainly not on his wish list.

The ball was back in Naruto's court, as everyone's gaze shifted back towards him. For his part, he remained calm and closed his eyes.

After 1 complete minute of silence, he opened his eyes and looked straight in the councilor's eyes.

"Then I will marry her..."

The shock had not even wore off, when Naruto stepped in front of the teary eyed, shocked red head. He simply looked at her, as a genuine smile came on his face.

Exhaling a short breath of air, he gently cupped her chin with his right hand and crashed his lips against her soft lips. At first gently and lingeringly, it was not a hot lustful kiss, or a haphazard one. There was nothing special about it, but for the redhead it was perhaps the most beautiful feeling in the world.

Before she could reciprocate, he ended the loving gesture and turned back towards the council.

"I Naruto Namikaze, 4th heir of the Namikaze clan hereby take Kushina Uzumaki as my wife. I swear to love her, protect her, be with her in happier and sad times. Is there any objections to this union?" asked Naruto bluntly,

Mikasa seemed too shock to say anything, while Rangiku just offered a short nod as she was fully aware of the situation and cared about Kushina. Itachi awkwardly gave a thumbs up,

Kenshin yelled _"That's my Harem King!"_, but was sent sailing through the walls courtesy of Sakura and Hinata's fists colliding across his face, who then also offered happy smiles to their teacher.

Izumo simply shrugged.

Kakashi giggled perversely, while the council members just gave hesitant nods of approval.

_And Mikoto fainted._

Yes, Naruto Namikaze was now officially married.

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**Next chapter: Republic of Japan**

**Thanks for reading, drop me some reviews, eh?**

**Blackwolf501**


	10. Truth

**Yo...**

**I bet all of you are quite surprised with Naruto's decision previous chapter. This extra chapter had to be created to give further insight...**

**This route was planned in the original script of this series, and I tend to stick with my story line.**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Truth**

* * *

The resistance members standing inside the room were left speechless by the event that had happened in the past few minutes. Many of them had heard great tales about Naruto Namikaze, for some he was a hero, for some he was the finest military leader, a handsome man, and many more things.

But the spontaneous decisions and ability to adapt according to changing circumstances was perhaps the boy's strongest ability. Due to these abilities, he managed to turn the tide of the war within the resistance'e favor, won the freedom of an innocent woman, and joined as a member of the resistance.

Neither the fear of the emperor, or the power of the Empire, or the fears and rules of the resistance leaders were able to stop him.

Because he was never born to follow, rather people were born to follow him.

"Itachi, take Kaa-san to her room. When she wakes up, I'll have a talk with her...'' said Naruto seriously, and was satisfied when his brother agreed.

"She'll kill you when she wakes up, Nii-san" warned Itachi, as he picked up an unconscious Mikoto.

"There's no escaping that. Sakura, Hinata..."

Both the kunoichi were startled on being called, but stepped in front of him instantly. He offered them a small smile...

"I will talk with you later, but right now Sakura I want you to look after the injured. And Hinata, you join with Shino and keep an eye on our perimeter. Kenshin will help you, and so will these Blacklights" explained Naruto briefly, as Kenshin sighed.

"Who made you boss? Besides, there are at least 200 shinobi guarding the perimeter..." protested Kenshin,

"This is not an order but a humble request. All of you need to do your best to protect our people, we are not safe until we reach Kakashi's base. I will need a few hours to regain the chakra and energy that I have lost, will you help us?" asked Naruto politely, and smirked when he saw his move was successful.

"You crafty fox, fine. Let's go rookies..." ordered Kenshin tiredly, as the Blacklight squad followed the former commander.

"I'll see you after some time, Naruto" replied Izumo patiently, gaining a smile from his best friend.

"I won't keep you waiting, we have a lot of catching up to do" said Naruto happily, as his friend simply smiled before walking out of the room.

The blonde warrior waited patiently as the rest of the people simply exited the room in order to return to their posts, they were still on high alert. That only left him in the room along with Mikasa, Rangiku and a stunned Kushina.

Slowly turning off the TV, he turned to face the real interrogation or torture, whichever it would turn out to be. He needed to clear his personal problems, before he completely got engrossed in the war of their world.

He just had to face his problems, head on. That was the only choice he had...

He had been through a lot, and every experience had taught him that he was not just an individual person who could do whatever he wanted. His powers bound him to be a leader to his people, and he would not be able to perform his job by simply running away from his problems like he had done in the past.

There were many things he learned from his suffering in hell, one of them was...

To cherish life and live each and every moment to their fullest.

He looked all of them straight in the eye, prepared to shed the lies which he had built around himself. They deserved to know him, the real one and make their decision.

Mikasa was surprised when he removed his face mask, followed by his trench coat, then his white shirt. She was about to question him, when she saw the large moon mark embedded in the center of his chest, while a smaller one was also visible on his right hand.

"It's time I break all lies and come clean. I have caused all of you great pain, and for that I apologize from the bottom of my heart" said Naruto sadly, and waited patiently for anyone to say something.

He simply stood still when Mikasa walked towards him, guess it always started with the tougher ones. But he was prepared to face anything, nothing they would say or do to him would be any worse than he had endured during the past 300 years. It wouldn't hurt him, but if it helped in relieving the pain they suffered due to him then he would happily to do so.

Meanwhile, as Mikasa stepped in front of him for the first time in their lives, she saw a strange fire burning inside his eyes. It was daring her to break the barriers and lies which he had formed all his life, and she intended to know that whether the man she loved was still willing to amend his mistakes, or was he still the same liar of the past.

If he was willing to be true to himself and all of them, then...

"Naruto, I only need one answer. If you can answer that honestly, then I am willing to forget everything and the pain you caused me by your decision to die. Do you accept it?" asked Mikasa seriously, as he merely smiled.

Mikasa was definitely the most difficult among the 3 women he loved, but that was perhaps also the reason that he loved her.

"Go ahead"

"What happened after your death? The real truth..." demanded Mikasa, as Rangiku and Kushina were shocked by the raven's question.

All of them had seen the fear in his eyes when he was asked this question by Kakashi. It was no doubt that it was something that even scared Naruto, and by asking for the truth Mikasa had not only asked him to face his fears, but also challenged his desire to be truthful to all of them.

She really was the fiercest among all of them.

Rangiku saw the same hollow look appearing in Naruto's eyes, before he took a deep breath and looked all of them straight in the eye.

"After I died, I was sealed in Hell and made to suffer for my sins. The Death God tortured my soul for 300 years, time flows differently in that realm. My soul was ripped apart, tortured, maimed, broken, and much worse things that I would rather not mention. Is that enough for you, Mikasa?" asked Naruto flatly, and for the first time the girl's anger disappeared.

"Naruto, I-"

"Don't pity me, Mikasa. That's the last thing I need from all of you, what's done is done. I was no saint, and I did murder innocents for the greater good of Konoha and the world. I lied to you about my pain, about my hatred of the ninja world, but I never lied about my feelings towards you. If there was one thing that remained true between us was my love for you, and it would remain that way for as long as I live...and perhaps even after that" explained Naruto calmly,

He watched as she averted her eyes from him, probably to hide the feelings that her eyes would easily reveal to him. In a way, Mikasa was still the same girl in whom he had fallen in love with.

"I need some time, Naruto. Can we talk in the morning? I'm tired..." requested Mikasa, and was surprised when he gently hugged her.

_"I missed you, Mikasa"_

That silent whisper made her eyes watery as she returned the hug, despite everything she was really glad that he was back with her. And she would never let him do something as reckless as dying ever again.

After a few moments, she broke the hug and walked towards the exit but stopped just at the door.

Naruto was surprised when she gave him a faint smile...

"I'm sorry for hurting you..." apologized Mikasa, and gained a small smile from him in return.

"Apology accepted..."

With one last fleeting glance towards Kushina and Rangiku, she quickly walked out of the room. Naruto then turned towards Rangiku who was now standing in front of him, an angry scowl present on her delicate face.

Though it made her look more beautiful, but he refrained from saying that.

"Why did you to lie to me? That you didn't remember any of us?" asked Rangiku sadly,

"I was scared of staining my hands through killing. After being punished for my sins, I was afraid of committing any further sins by killing more people..." said Naruto hesitantly, as a tired sigh escaped from her lips.

"Then why did you come back? Why did you decide to save our lives?" questioned Rangiku, and was surprised when he pouted like a little child and looked away from her.

The blonde beauty watched as he sank bank on the couch behind him, shoulders slumped in defeat while his head looking straight towards the floor.

"I simply...couldn't let you die, I can suffer in hell for any sins but that pain would be nothing in comparison to the pain I would feel if I lost any of you. I just-"

Whatever explanation he wanted to give was cut short when she kneeled down and enwrapped her soft hands around his head while leaving a soft kiss on his forehead.

"Rangiku..."

"I promised you, didn't I? That I would always stay by your side..." said Rangiku happily,

"I know, and I'll make it up to you I swear" promised Naruto, but suddenly felt a little cornered when he saw a predator like grin appearing on her face.

Kushina narrowed her eyes when she saw Rangiku leaning close to his ear and whispered something to him, and the very next second Naruto's entire face was even more redder than a tomato.

It didn't take her more than a second to understand what the blonde bombshell must have said, and it made her extremely jealous.

_Dammit, she was supposed to be his wife._

Wait, what was that? Where the hell did that come from?

Rangiku simply giggled when she saw what she had done to both Naruto and Kushina, both of them were blushing different shades of red. One with embarrassment and the other with jealousy.

She definitely was a teaser, and perhaps the naughtiest among the trio.

Naruto had to take a few deep breaths to control the adrenaline and excitement that had surged through his entire body. Never had he imagined mere words would have such an effect on him, but it also taught him how dangerous Rangiku was even with mere words.

He dared not look at Kushina, all of this was more complicated than he had imagined it to be. He had exercised his rights in marrying the woman and accepted her into his clan. But it was not just a simple marriage for securing her freedom and making people trust her.

The Namikaze clan had almost achieved royalty status in Konoha, with the decline of the Senju and Uchiha clans along with the rise of his father and his victories, the people had started hero worshiping his clan. And then he came along, and surpassed his father's achievements and rose his clan's status to an entire different level.

From the way people looked up to Itachi and him, he was sure whatever doubts they had about Kushina's loyalty would be removed as she was his wife now. And those who still had them would refrain from voicing them, considering who her husband was and what he could do to them. Not to mention how vital the Namikaze family was for the survival of the resistance.

Apart from those reasons, he had a few personal reasons behind such an action.

He maintained his composure as Kushina came forward and sat on the couch, an awkward silence followed between them. An hour ago, they didn't know what they were and now...

They were husband and wife...

It was the highest level of commitment which two people could offer each other, and he had promised it without any hesitation.

He was not naive, he very well knew the responsibilities that came with this bond. And he wouldn't have made such promises, if he didn't care about her so much. The red head sitting beside him was the reason the world was not facing another tyrant like Madara, or had not been curb stomped by the Akatsuki.

She had seen the darkest side of him, and even then she had loved him.

And it was something which he could probably never understand...

"Was it painful?"

He was surprised by her question, he had expected a torrent of questions, a few punches, curses, screaming at him for abruptly marrying her. But the very first thing she had asked about his pain, and it made him feel even more guilty for doing this to her.

Marriage was perhaps one of the most cherished dream every woman had since childhood, and he had destroyed it without even blinking.

It only proved how much of a failure he was as a person...

"I'm so sorry, Kushina" said Naruto sadly,

She got confused when he got up and picked up his trench coat, but before he could put it on a firm hand stopped him. Looking back, he saw her looking with the same innocent face which he came to love, it was as if his actions hadn't hurt her feelings.

"I'm your wife now, a part of you. Naruto, you simply cannot toss me aside anymore..." advised Kushina tersely, and somehow her authoritative voice worked as he tossed the trench coat aside and sat back on the couch.

Reluctant black eyes met with fierce violet ones, and ultimately the former closed in defeat.

"I can't talk about what happened down there, not now..." said Naruto politely, as she gently squeezed his hand affectionately.

"I understand, but I'll be here if you want to talk" offered Kushina with a small smile

"I never wanted to do this to you, I never wanted to force you into marrying me but it was the only way you could be free from the clutches and prejudices of people. But I want you to know that you have no obligation towards me, you don't have to force yourself to be a wife to me-"

"You're really dense when it comes to women, Naruto"

He blinked and was simply not able to understand the exasperated sigh that escaped from the red head's lips. What was he doing wrong?

"Do you love me, Naruto?" asked Kushina straight forwardly, and was relieved when he didn't seem troubled by her question.

"Yes"

"Then why did you not say anything when I expressed my feelings towards you?" questioned Kushina seriously, and this time Naruto glared at her.

"It was your fault, you can't just throw such a bomb at me when it's even less than 24 hours since I came back to life. I barely even know what has happened in the past 4 years, and you simply blurt your feelings out. Then without even giving me sometime, you decided that I did not love you. How can you make all these decisions?" scolded Naruto angrily, and it was Kushina who felt ashamed right now.

She averted her eyes from him, as she realized all her mistakes. But a soft hand was placed on her cheek and lifted her face only to see a smiling Naruto.

"But we're even now. Kushina, I didn't marry you just to free you. The answer to your question is yes. I love you, Kushina Uzumaki"

And to prove his point, he went forward and claimed her lips and this time she happily returned the gesture.

* * *

Naruto casually strolled through the resistance base, everyone that came in his route offered him smiles, bows, or friendly greetings. And it felt good to be back among his people. He had asked Kushina to wait for him, as he needed to discuss a few things with Itachi.

The red head had not been too happy with his decision, but had complied regardless as she understood Naruto had missed his brother and wanted to talk with him.

He idly wondered how much Itachi had changed during these years, the boy was stronger, a little bit smarter, and was like a mini clone of the fourth Hokage. Though one thing that had remained unchanged was Itachi's loyalty towards him, for which Naruto was extremely grateful.

His thoughts were interrupted when he reached his destination, and sensed Itachi's presence inside the room.

And he was not alone.

Focusing his senses, he heard the sound of moans and grunts coming from inside the room. For a few seconds, Naruto was surprised until a devious idea came in his mind and he stormed through the door.

And the sight before him, made him widen his eyes in surprise...

As there on a small cozy bed lay his brother with a naked Ino riding on top of him, the blonde bombshell was as naked as a new baby and the sight of her bouncing boobs and silky blonde hair made him feel quite uneasy, and if that was not enough Anko was down there engaged in a heated kiss with Itachi.

**"KYAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**

Two blondes were sent sailing in different corners of the room. On the right corner, Naruto lay unconscious with a dreamy look on his face- his plan of surprising his brother completely turning on him. While on the other side, Ino lay unconscious in shock with her face as bright as a tomato.

Itachi blanched when he saw what his brother had seen, and the hell that would follow when he woke up.

"Let's do a gangbang" yelled Anko mischievously,

"ANKO!"

* * *

Naruto drowned another cup of sake, his 5th one so far. His mind was still floating with images of his brother fucking Ino while kissing Anko, not to mention the moans that the trio were releasing were still ringing in his ears. Granted his brother was almost an adult now, but he had never imagined his sweet little brother would be so...

._..kinky._

He massaged his forehead with the help of his hands, trying very hard to rid himself of those erotic images.

_"Guess, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree..."_ thought Naruto bemusedly,

Both of them were currently sitting on the ridge of a snow covered mountain, he was currently drinking from a bottle of sake while Itachi was simply smoking a cigarette in the cold weather.

The boy had been extremely silent and only accompanied him when Naruto threatened to tell Mikoto about his..._exploits._

Itachi was almost an adult, but it still did not change the fact that he was still not a complete adult. Mikoto would chew him out if she ever found about his kinky side, he idly wondered what his mother would do to him in the morning as she now knew he had engaged in sex far before Itachi had.

But even then, he had been with a single girl...

"How long has this been going on?" asked Naruto curiously, trying hard not to laugh. Although, secretly he was proud of his little brother.

"Uh...a few months..." answered Itachi awkwardly,

"Do you love them?" asked Naruto seriously, and was surprised when Itachi shook his head in negative.

"What? Hell no, we're just..." said Itachi hesitantly,

"...fuckbuddies?" said Naruto mischievously, and laughed when his brother blushed a little.

"It helps relieve the stress, and it's fun" argued Itachi, as Naruto simply patted the boy's back.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, brother. You merely are exploring the pleasures of flesh..." teased Naruto, as Itachi smacked his forehead.

"You're not going to let this go, are you Nii-san?" asked Itachi tiredly,

"Nope..."

Both of them looked at each other for a moment, before their silence transformed into laughter as a proud Naruto offered his bottle of sake to his brother. It was time his brother became a man, and he was more than happy to celebrate this event.

In turn the younger Namikaze offered his smoke (cigarette) which Naruto was more than happy to accept...

"Fuck the empire" toasted a semi-drunk Naruto, as he raised the cigarette to his mouth.

"Fuck the emperor!" toasted Itachi, as he took a sip from the bottle of sake.

The brothers remained silent for a few minutes, merely enjoying the beautiful night. Itachi could not suppress the happy smile that came on his face as he watched his brother sitting beside him...

Naruto was the only one who understood him, besides Sakura. But even she scolded him for some of his antics...

But with Naruto, he could be himself. No boundaries, no strings attached, it was simply the two brothers against the entire world.

"So, how was it?" asked Naruto with a small smirk on his lips, as Itachi simply grinned.

"Wild"

"Do you love them?"

"Fuck no, I don't believe in love and all that crap..."

Naruto raised one of his eyebrows on hearing his brother's answer, Itachi saw Naruto looking at him and decided to say the truth.

"Anko is just having a sexual relationship with me, she's wild..." clarified Itachi, making Naruto snort.

"That's Anko..."

"About Ino, it's complicated..." said Itachi hesitantly,

"How so?" questioned Naruto curiously, and he saw Itachi sighing tiredly.

"I like Sakura and Ino both. Sakura is understanding while Ino is cheerful, bubbly...it's driving me crazy" confessed the younger Namikaze,

"What about Hinata?" asked Naruto, he was well aware of the crush the girl had on his brother and from the looks she was giving Itachi today proved that the situation was still the same even after 4 years.

Surprisingly, a frown came on his brother's face...

"Hinata's a good friend and comrade, but I don't like her more than that. She's a very nice person but I can never love her, and she can't take a _hint_.." said Itachi frustratedly,

"Then why don't you talk with her? I'm sure she will understand..." suggested Naruto, but Itachi refused.

"It will destroy her, brother. I maybe a cold person, but I'm not a jerk. I won't break her heart deliberately..." declared Itachi, making Naruto smile.

His brother maybe a womanizer like him, but he had the same sense of morals as him, and for that Naruto was proud of him.

"You'll figure it out eventually, just don't hide these feelings for too long. Trust me, it can complicate things..." advised Naruto sagely, as felt a little nostalgic on giving the same advice to his brother, which Hisana had given him all those years ago.

When he too was in the same situation as Itachi, confused for his love between Mikasa and Rangiku. In a way, his little brother was not so different from him in some aspects of life.

"I'll keep that in mind"

The younger Namikaze felt a little uneasy when the playful look disappeared from his brother's eyes, and was replaced by a cold, serious gaze. The cold winds brushed across the brother's faces, as the elder brother looked his sibling straight in the eye...

"Itachi, where's father?"

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**PLEASE LEAVE LOTS OF REVIEWS XD!**


	11. Republic of Japan

**Yo...**

**Time for another chapter. And I'm very happy that my readers liked the previous chapter, and for providing your suggestions.**

**Got nothing more to say, so...**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**Republic of Japan**

* * *

Itachi didn't know what to feel as he saw his brother silently sitting beside their unconscious father's bed. Naruto's face was hidden between his palms while his elbows firmly rested on Minato's bed. A few moments ago, he had seen a ray of tear slip from his brother's eyes...

Even if Naruto and Minato didn't get along in their earlier years, during the last days before Naruto's death the father and son had become extremely close. Even to the point, Naruto trusted and believed in Minato more than Mikoto.

And now he was back from the depths of hell, only to find his caring father in such state.

Gone was his father's beautiful smile, and the shining blue eyes. And it broke his heart...

"Who did this?" asked Naruto incredulously, anger clearly leaking from his voice.

"It was the Akatsuki, our best guess is they attacked the Kage summit. After you died, we were on high alert and needed every shinobi to protect the village. There was no contact with all the Kages for weeks, so we sent Toka along with a small squad to find out what happened to father, Hashirama and Tobirama..." explained Itachi, but Naruto didn't look at the boy.

"Where are the Edo Tensei? I have not seen anyone of them..."

"Hashirama and Tobirama are missing in action ever since that day, the squad we sent under Toka was ambushed went they reached the Kage summit. Toka barely managed to rescue our father who was heavily injured, that entire village was destroyed along with every single one of their ninja killed. Toka was injured by a metallic rod which slowly started destroying her body, but she managed to get father back to us...but her Edo Tensei body collapsed and she was sent back" replied Itachi disappointedly,

The younger Namikaze then decided to ask something which only Naruto could answer, even Kushina had refrained from answering this question and even if she had answered, people would probably not believe her.

But Naruto was another story...

"Nii-san, is there someone inside the Akatsuki who can attack 5 kages and destroy an entire village? Obito was here fighting with you, while Madara was not revived at that time...so, who is it?" asked Itachi seriously,

"Pein, you dare do this to my father...

Itachi's danger senses went off, when he heard those chilling words. And the look in his brother's eyes screamed bloody murder...

_**"That coward, I will destroy Amegakure!"**_ snarled Naruto furiously,

The very next second a monstrous amount of chakra bursted from the elder brother's body, the KI in the air rose to danger levels as both Naruto's Mangekyo and his strange ringed pattern eyes came to life. The walls in the room started cracking and small tremors were felt across the entire base...

**"NARUTO!"**

Another blast of chakra occurred as a fully developed sharingan glared at Naruto, whether it was the way Itachi had called him by his name for the first time, or the murderous gaze his brother was giving him, or the equally strong chakra that was radiating from the boy's body...

It was enough to stop Naruto from going on a rampage, or at the very least stop him in his tracks.

"Stand the fuck down!" commanded Itachi, stern blue eyes glaring into their defiant black counterparts.

The furious elder brother raised his chakra as the moon mark on his right hand glowed brightly, and the same gesture was reciprocated by the younger brother who also raised his chakra and KI, while the sun mark on his chest and hands glowed brightly.

The cracks in the walls started widening, and the terrified screams of the civilians echoed in the base as they felt the effects of an earthquake.

The intense standoff continued for 1 whole minute, but Itachi didn't back down and continued standing in Naruto's way. He may not be as strong as his brother, but he would be damned if he let that fool go on a mad rampage. Naruto not only possessed powerful eyes, but also was the Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tailed fox.

While he may be a god in ninjutsu, genjutsu, and some other arts. Itachi knew his own healing powers were far greater than that of his brother, not to mention he possessed a special sharingan, and was miles ahead of his brother in Taijutsu which also happened to be his brother's greatest weakness. Combined that with the natural speed he inherited from their father, it was fair to say that a fight between them would not end so quickly.

"Get out of my way, brother" warned Naruto, his entire body was flooded by a mad rage which wanted him to slaughter every single member of the Akatsuki.

That organization had destroyed his village, his home, his people, and now his very family. There were limits to his mercy, and Akatsuki had crossed every single one of them. It was time they paid for their sins in blood.

What he didn't expect was the charge of his brother, as Itachi came forward and grabbed him by the throat. He could have sworn the boy was standing a few feet away from him a millisecond ago...

With great force Itachi sent his brother sailing through the walls, and quickly followed suit as Naruto landed in an open area of the resistance base. The nearby ninja's survival instincts kicked in when they saw Itachi and Naruto standing against each other, and the ninja quickly started taking people away from the Namikaze brothers.

_"You must control his hatred and his dark side"_

He clearly remembered the words which Ashura had said to him 4 years ago, when he and his brother revived him. Itachi had never believed in those words as Naruto had died that night, but now he knew the meaning of those words.

His brother maybe a kind, gentle person but in the end he really resembled Indra and his anger...

"Brother, will you destroy everything we have fought so hard to protect? By charging at Pein, you will only go to your death..." warned Itachi, hopeful that his brother might listen to his reasonable argument.

"You know nothing, Itachi..." said Naruto bitterly, just why was the boy opposing him?

"I don't want to hurt you, Nii-san..." pleaded Itachi, as an evil chuckle escaped from Naruto's lips.

Mikasa and Rangiku had barely arrived on the scene, only to find Naruto laughing madly. This was not the boy they loved, but someone evil and dark...

"Are you saying you can defeat me, _Otouto_?" asked Naruto arrogantly, just what was happening to him? This wasn't him...

"No, we are brothers..."

Mikasa saw the last barrier's that were holding Naruto's anger collapsing and immediately started performing a set of hand seals, and slammed her hands on the ground.

The nearby shinobi were surprised when a large barrier was made around the enraged brothers, who were simply staring at each other.

"If you want to protect our people, then control your anger and pain, Nii-san" advised Itachi, and flinched when Naruto lost it.

"ITACHI!"

With a loud roar, the elder brother charged straight towards his sibling and delivered a solid punch to his gut, swiftly knocking the air out of Itachi's lungs. What he didn't expect was a sharp kick to his balls, followed by an even stronger punch to his chest that sent him sailing away.

Blood freely flowed from the mouths of the Namikaze brothers, as they looked at each other. Naruto still had the furious look in his eyes, but pain was also visible in those dark eyes for hurting his brother and for the sharp kick the younger one had delivered to his precious jewels.

"Stop this, brother. Fighting is meaningless..." argued Itachi, as for a moment hurt was visible in Naruto's eyes.

"Meaningless? Then why is father in such a state?" barked Naruto sadly, and for that the younger brother could only avert his eyes in sorrow.

Rangiku now understood the reason behind this fight, she had expected something like this from Naruto but it seemed Itachi too had some issues. But from where she was standing, the younger brother was still on the right side...

To think, he had the balls to stand up to a mad Naruto was an achievement itself.

"It's because those bastards did this to HIM!" yelled Naruto angrily, as flashes of his kind father came back in his heart.

He still remembered how much Minato had done for him, cared for him, understood him in the days after he returned from war. He was the only one who could exactly see the pain he was in, and despite their troubled pasts he had stood by his son.

His father didn't deserve this, he didn't deserve this at all.

Why could Itachi not see it?

Naruto didn't care what reason Pein had for his actions, or why he followed the Akatsuki and Obito, and now Madara. He was done with the fake god, and the only thing left between them was a final fight in which he would rip the man's entire body off.

_Piece by piece.._

He simply had to get his foolish brother out of his way.

"I have no interest in you right now, Itachi" said Naruto darkly, as both of his hands started transforming into sharp wooden spears.

"Don't act so high and mighty, Naruto" warned Itachi, as he felt his own anger rising.

"Have you ever cared about father, our family? If you had then you would not be standing in my way..." insulted Naruto, and the sharp wooden spears were now directed towards Itachi.

Itachi could not believe the hostility his brother was showing towards him, those wooden spears could definitely kill him in a flash if they ever connected anywhere on his body. Naruto was really serious...

"And if you could ever get over your feelings of hatred and revenge, then you would have known what protecting your family truly means" retorted Itachi, and to everyone's shock a strange chakra started getting formed in his right hand.

For a second, Naruto could not believe what he was seeing...

It was impossible!

"Rasengan, but that's father's..." thought Naruto in shock,

To think he had mastered that, and was willing to use it against his own brother. And for protecting whom? Pein?

"ITACHI!''

"NARUTO!"

Watching the brothers charge towards each other froze everyone standing nearby, the anger, the pain radiating from the brothers could be felt by each and every person. They could see the lethal blows they had directed towards each other...

Mikasa had erected a barrier with the intention of protecting the nearby people, but watching Itachi and Naruto charge like that shocked her. She immediately dispelled the barrier...

"Stop it, you two!" yelled Rangiku desperately, as she charged towards the fighting brothers.

**BOOM!**

A dangerous blast occurred, sending snow flowing in the entire area. As the fog slowly started to clear, they could see two people standing between the brothers.

Itachi's Rasengan had collided straight with Mikoto's Susanoo damaging a part of the skeleton structure, while Naruto was restrained on the ground courtesy of Kushina's chakra chains wrapped around his entire body.

The two senior kunoichi menacingly glared at the boys, disappointment evident in their eyes.

Mikoto's Susanoo hand grabbed Itachi by the collar, while Kushina's chakra chains raised Naruto high in the air. With one nod from Mikoto, the red head brought Naruto closer to his sibling, while Mikoto did the same for Itachi.

As the brothers came inches away from each other, Mikoto's icy voice flowed in the area...

_"Go ahead, kill your brother"_

Realization dawned on the previously enraged brothers as their mother's words and her icy stare terrified their very souls. Mikoto had never given them such a murderous look in their entire lives, this was not the kind, loving mother who doted on them.

No, this was a highly pissed of mother would rip their heads off if even one of them made a move.

The power that they were so proud off, the chakra that was endlessly being released from their bodies instantly disappeared. Their ocular powers were deactivated, as Mikoto and Kushina roughly slammed them on the ground.

Kushina quickly stepped back and removed her chakra chains, as Mikoto made her Susanoo disappear.

The Uchiha wordlessly walked towards her sons and grabbed them by the collars, before disappearing in a fast shunshin.

* * *

Both of them were roughly slammed on the plain surface of the hospital, as Mikoto put one of her foot on each of their chest. Her menacing sharingan was shining brightly in the dark room, there was absolute silence in the room except for the steady breathing that Minato was taking.

Naruto and Itachi could not look her in the eye, as they realized what they had just done. And they had no reasons to justify their individual actions, as deep down they knew both of them were wrong at some point.

They flinched when she kneeled towards them, and prepared themselves for the inevitable slap...

But it didn't come.

Instead they found themselves enwrapped in a warm, tight hug with their heads closely rested on Mikoto's chest. Her hands were tightly pressed on their backs, as tears freely fell from her eyes and landed on their hair.

"Don't ever do that again..."

Her choked voice destroyed every last remnants of anger between the boys, Naruto's hands reverted back to their original form while the Rasengan in Itachi's hand disappeared. The hands that were about to kill their sibling were now firmly rested on their mother's back as tired sighs escaped from their lips.

"I'm sorry, Kaa-san" apologized Itachi, and from a corner of his eyes he saw Naruto pouting.

"I'm...sorry"

As soon as those words were said by Naruto, two gentle kisses were laid on their forehead by Mikoto which suddenly made the teenage boys blush in embarrassment.

"You're supposed to be each other's shield, and not the sword that stabs the other in the heart. I don't care who was right or who was wrong, but I only have 2 sons and I don't want to lose either one of them anymore. There is enough misery and sadness in this world, I've already watched both of you die in the past...and I'm not strong enough to live through something like that again. So, please Naruto, Itachi...promise your mother that never again would either of you raise their hands against each other" demanded Mikoto, and worriedly looked towards her two boys.

As expected, Itachi was the first one to accept her request and gave a confident nod signifying his promise never to harm his brother. Her gaze shifted towards Naruto, and to their surprise he got out of her grasp and walked towards Minato's bed.

The boy sadly looked at his injured father, and then looked at his mother and brother.

"I will never raise my hand against my family ever again..." promised Naruto, gaining a satisfied smile from Mikoto and a faint one from Itachi.

''Itachi..."

The said boy looked towards his brother, who was strangely very quiet considering he was furious mere moments ago. What power did Mikoto wield over Naruto that made him stop so easily, and even over himself?

"Are you having second thoughts about our struggle with the Empire?" asked Naruto sharply, surprising Mikoto.

She looked towards her younger son only to find a troubled expression in his eyes...

"I've fought thus far for justice because I believed it to be the right thing to do. That's why I've killed so many people..." answered Itachi truthfully,

Mikoto sensed something deep in this conversation and decided to remain silent, as it was best if her sons resolved the conflicts prevailing in their hearts without her interference.

"But...Nii-san, will this war that you are about to unleash really change this world?" asked Itachi worriedly, as thoughts of the hundreds of innocent people that would die in this conflict arised in his mind. What good was peace if the people were not alive to feel it?

"It can. NO, it must change the world..."

"But-"

"Will there be sacrifice? Yes, and not just of soldiers, but innocent people as well. It's because of that I cannot stop, even if it means deceiving and hurting people. There can be no victory without sacrifice, I must become carnage itself. Itachi, I have to spill more blood so that the blood that has already been spilled does not go in vain...

...this is my sin, and my curse" explained Naruto honestly,

A small smile came on his face as he looked at his naive, innocent little brother. In times of peace, Itachi would have been a far better leader than him but it was a time of war. And as the God of War, he was destined to end lives and bring stability to this world...

"But I will not force you to take part in my sins, my brother. You can stay behind and let me take the lead, I will remove the hatred from this world and then you can create a better world..." said Naruto calmly, and watched curiously as Itachi got up and walked towards him.

The younger Namikaze looked at their father for a few moments, and he could feel his mother's gaze fixed on him- waiting for his answer.

"No, I will walk with you, by your side. No matter what, Nii-san" promised Itachi, as a smirk came on Naruto's face.

"Thank you, Itachi..."

"Your father would have been proud of you, both of you" said Mikoto happily, as she came beside them and gently ruffled their hairs earning groans and pouts from the boys.

"Maybe I can find something that can help, father. I don't know much about the power of my new eye, do you still have the Uchiha Tablet that has information on our dojutsu's powers?" asked Naruto seriously, gaining a quick nod from Mikoto.

"It's safely preserved in Kakashi's base, if you could look at it and maybe..." suggested Mikoto hopefully, as Naruto gently squeezed her shoulder.

"I'll do what I can, please give me sometime..." requested Naruto,

"I'll help him, Kaa-san" promised Itachi, earning a bright smile from his mother.

Looking at her two sons standing together, gave her hope not just for their world, but for their family as well. These two brothers had the power to change the course of destiny, and maybe someday their little family could be together again and live peacefully for the rest of their lives.

''Itachi, you told me all 5 great ninja villages are gone and only small resistances cells are opposing the empire. We can begin our fight, but the people of the world are living in fear, how can we get them on our side?" asked Naruto curiously,

''Nii-san, we can show that you have returned. You are remembered as a great hero who fought against the Akatsuki, your return would certainly get their hopes up. And by showing the video tapes, where you destroyed the emperor's best forces can encourage people to take up arms against the tyrant Madara" explained Itachi briefly,

"That does sound like a good idea..." said Mikoto confidently, but Naruto shook his head.

"It's not enough, people are already living in fear. But by siding with the empire, they are at least able to make their families survive. Despite the injustice, atrocities that they have to face within the empire, it is allowing them to secure the lives of their loved ones. But if they side with the resistance, they risk everything they have fought so hard to protect...

...Survival is important for every person. Through my life and death, I learned that people desire a future, unless they can see a bright future for themselves they won't join our side. It's ironic the world which we want to build for them, can't be build without their assistance. Any other way, and we would be just like Madara and the empire. We can't impose our will forcefully on the people..." declared Naruto,

"A world where there is less violence, where people are accepted regardless of their past, status, color..." said Mikoto seriously, gaining a nod from Naruto.

Their eyes shifted towards Itachi who had been silent during the entire explanation, and the smile that came on his face after a few minutes of thinking made his mother and brother gain some hope in their hearts.

"The Republic..."

Naruto's eyes widened on hearing his brother's words, and the same expression was seen on Mikoto's face.

''The Republic of Japan will be the future which we will offer to the people of this world, the future for which we will fight. Unlike the past systems practiced by humanity, this world will be completely different. It will be a collective body that will represent the people from all over the world. A system where people won't be discriminated due to their past, status or wealth. Each person shall be given equal rights...

...there would be no nobility or classes in society. Unlike the Shinobi system and the empire, where power was wielded by few leaders. The Republic will have its leaders chosen by the people. A single nation which will compromise of different people, each selected leader will be the voice of their people. They will be heard, and decisions will be taken collectively. By creating this system, wars can be reduced as other members would refuse the violence. We will interconnect the independent economies in such a way, that the survival of people will be interdependent on mutual co-operation and harmony in the republic"

When he finished explaining his ideas, he was surprised when he found his mother and brother smiling at him proudly.

"You are a far better leader than me, Itachi" said Naruto proudly, as he could see the difference between him and Itachi.

While he had aspired to create the same empire as Madara hoping to bring peace, Itachi wanted to grant power to the people. The power to choose their own future, choose their own paths...

To Be Free...

Mikoto saw the look in Naruto's eyes, and she too was stunned with Itachi's ideas. It had many great advantages, while having a few uncertainties but it was a thousand times better than the world they were living in.

The Republic would be a symbol of humanity's fight against injustice, violence, poverty, cultural differences, pride, hatred.

There would be problems in that system, but the mere imagination of living in such a free world sent butterflies in her heart. Minato won't be burdened with his leadership, and Naruto and Itachi won't have to fight wars. They could be at peace...

A Democratic World...

Itachi offered his hand to Naruto, waiting for his brother's final answer and was not disappointed when Naruto came forward and shook his hand confidently.

Determination could be seen in the brother's eyes, the desire to fight together for a better world as three words were simultaneously said by them.

"Long live Japan!"

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**Hope you guys liked it.**

**Next chapter: The Ultimate Challenge**

**PLEASE LEAVE LOTS OF REVIEWS XD!**


	12. The Ultimate Challenge

**Yo...**

**This is a rather special chapter, but before that I need to answer a couple of questions asked by my readers.**

**First: Naruto did not directly go to Kakashi's base using Kamui because he does not know where it is, and he is low on chakra now after raping Madara's entire elite forces along with loud mouthed Hidan, and artistic Deidara.**

**Second: Itachi shares a lot of traits with Tobirama, and he won't stand down if Naruto's reckless actions endanger their people. In most matters, he lets Naruto do whatever he wants and even supports his brother, but when a certain line is crossed he'll smack Naruto's ass back in line. That's why he got angry...**

**Warning: This chapter has a LEMON, so you've been warned. And yes, I had to take help of my friends and read some lemons on FF. So, I really hope you guys love it...**

**Man, I really am giving quite a lot of fan service and funny moments. But everything is going as per my the script...**

**So, enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

**The Ultimate Challenge**

* * *

_"Did you just marry my best friend?"_

Itachi had to bite his tongue hard to prevent himself from laughing manically, the look on his elder brother's face was simply priceless. The once strong Naruto Namikaze was profusely redder than a fucking tomato, beads of sweat were easily rolling down his face as he tried to say something as Mikoto looked at him very _sweetly_.

"Um...Kaa-chan...you...see..."

"And you already had sex with Mikasa? You took away that girl's innocence..."

"That's not true-"

"WHAT?" barked Mikoto, and inwardly laughed loudly on seeing the blushing mess which was her elder son.

Oh, she was definitely not going to miss this chance. A part of her was pissed at the boy for his abrupt actions, but another part of her heart was proud of him. Naruto maybe an idiot, but he really cared about Kushina and went even as far as marrying her to preserve her freedom. He stood up for her best friend, when none of them could do such a thing in the past 4 years. He even silenced that bitch Koharu...

"I'm sorry..." said Naruto tiredly, as Mikoto grabbed him by his collar and glared at him.

"_You're sorry_? It means you don't love her?" asked Mikoto deviously, as the poor boy simply shook his head vehemently.

"I love her from the bottom of my heart. She's kind, beautiful, understanding...Kushina's simply amazing"

He slammed his hands on his mouth as those words simply flew out of nowhere, and he grew extremely nervous when Mikoto narrowed her eyes at him. Just like a hunter had found a very suitable prey...

"_Oh, she's amazing now_? What impure thoughts you have for her, _you pervert_?" demanded Mikoto mischievously, even as a small smirk started appearing on her lips.

"That's not what I-"

"SILENCE!"

Itachi started laughing when he saw Naruto's shoulders slumping in defeat as a dark cloud started hovering above him. No matter how much he tried, he could never win this argument. His brother was looking like a freaking depressed Hashirama clone, as Mikoto started laughing.

The elder brother hesitantly glanced at his laughing mother, only to find her giving him a light pat on his head...

"I'm happy for you, my son" said Mikoto with a bright smile on her face, making Naruto release the breath he was holding for so long.

"Nani?"

"What you did was certainly unexpected, and I would have been angry at you if you did that for fun or personal gain. But you did it for Kushina, the way you stood up for her, the way you fought for her freedom even going as far as marrying her and making her a permanent part of your life and heart. Kushina has gone through much pain and suffering in her life, and in the past I was shocked when I came to know of your strange relationship...

...it's out of the boundaries made by our society, but then again a heart always chooses whom it loves and Kushina is a fine woman. The fact that she agreed to marry a dumbass like you, and waited 4 years for you shows how much she loves you. And for that I have no objections to this union, and grant you my blessings" explained Mikoto briefly, and smirked when Naruto's eyebrows twitched in annoyance.

"Why am I a dumbass?" asked Naruto irritatedly, and was further confused when Itachi smacked his own forehead.

"The fact that you are asking such a silly question proves that you are an idiot. (Sigh) you've got a long way to go in becoming a good husband like your father..." chastised Mikoto, making Naruto pout as if he was a little boy.

"I love her, what more do you need in a marriage?" asked Naruto cluelessly,

Mikoto eyebrows twitched in annoyance as she gave a light kick to Minato's bed, followed by glaring daggers at her lazy, sleeping husband.

"Aghhh, your father was supposed to give you the _'Talk'_. But the sneaky bastard always finds a way to escape from these embarrassing situations. _Itachi_ explain it to your brother" commanded Mikoto, as the previously chuckling Itachi suddenly found himself cornered.

The playboy Namikaze started stuttering incoherent words, as Mikoto got a devilish grin on her face and started walking towards the door. If her sons were going to give her headaches like these, then she would gladly return the favor by putting them in awkward situations like these.

She really was a **sadistic woman**...

Besides, she had caught Itachi a lot of times reading adult magazines with Jiraiya, who was his teacher. _Damn, that pervert_ for corrupting her son and making him into a playboy. She had gotten her **_''Uchiha revenge''_** on her teacher, but had allowed Itachi to get away as she knew it was just a means for the boy to relieve his pain which he felt due to Naruto's death.

But now she could have her _sweet_ payback on Itachi...

She stopped at the exit and gave a dark glare to the brothers, who cowered under her gaze. She definitely was a badass mother...

"I want grand babies soon..."

The door was slammed with a audible bang, and her footsteps could be heard in the outside corridor along with her sadistic laugh as Naruto and Itachi awkwardly glanced at each other.

"Does she want grandchildren now?" asked Naruto dumbly, and was surprised when Itachi swiftly gave a light bop on his head.

"No, you idiot. She was joking..._wasn't she_?" questioned the nervous boy, muttering the last part even more silently.

Silence followed between the brothers, as Naruto simply performed a set of hand seals and made a wooden wall that covered the giant hole that had occurred due to their previous fight. It would not be good, if he let his father suffer in such a cold atmosphere.

"Um, Nii-san...isn't this your wedding night?" asked Itachi nervously, since the grave implications of his brother's idiocy hit him.

"Yeah" answered Naruto nonchalantly, while finishing the construction of the wooden wall.

_''Now I know why mother called him a dumbass. You really are clueless, Nii-san..."_ thought Itachi bemusedly, and went forward to give Naruto a slight tap on his shoulder.

The elder Namikaze looked at his brother, only to find the boy making some strange hand signs...

Itachi's left hand was resembling a "O" shaped hole, while his right hand was awkwardly inserting one of its fingers into that hole. And the awkward glance his brother was giving him was certainly confusing even further.

If that was not awkward enough, his brother started making another series of embarrassing signs.

That's it!

_BAM!_

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING, IDIOT!" shouted Naruto in frustration, as Itachi lost it.

"GO GET FUCKING LAID, YOU MORON!"

And then it hit him, it was his wedding night and if the information he had read in Jiraiya's hentai novels years ago was true, then he had to be with his wife and give her_ that_ pleasure.

He really had screwed up, big time.

"Oh shit..." said Naruto nervously, as he realized why Kushina had not been too happy when he came to visit Itachi instead of staying with her.

What would Kushina think? That he didn't find her attractive? That he didn't like her? That he didn't love her?

Or worse she would think he was impotent in satisfying her needs?

"Yeah, both of us screwed up. I should have remembered the wedding stunt you pulled tonight, but when you caught me having fun with Ino and Anko I just wanted to do anything to escape from that embarrassment. Look, as far as I know you have to be with Kushina tonight...and you know, have se-"

"I know what that means" snarled Naruto, cheeks flaring red as a tired sigh escaped from his lips.

Marriage was really a complicated affair, and what was worse that he was not prepared at all for the responsibilities that came with it. But that was no excuse, he had married Kushina and he was determined to be there for her.

Standing up, he quickly ran outside the door with impressive speed.

He had to find a certain red head now, and salvage the already complicated situation. He still had 7 hours of night left, and he was determined to give every second of it for Kushina's happiness.

Itachi merely smiled on his naive yet kind hearted brother's reaction. This certainly was going to be a spectacular marriage, after all...

"Oh, Nii-san. You don't know how lucky you really are..."

* * *

Kushina was currently standing in front of a beautiful sakura tree. Her violet eyes were simply mesmerized by the petals that were frozen on the tree, a true beauty of nature indeed.

Her thoughts then shifted towards a certain blonde who had stolen her heart a few years ago, and was now her legally wedded husband.

He really as the Man of Miracles.

Naruto was not perfect in the eyes of other people, but somehow for her he was everything which she desired from her life partner. Yes, he did have some silly habits and was a clueless idiot but that could be blamed on his young age, after all he was merely 20 years old and had just returned after suffering 3 centuries in hell.

That thought made her wince in pain, if only she had helped him that night then he wouldn't have died and suffered in hell. Everybody had fought that night, but she was forced to stay away from the front lines. It was a logical decision, but it costed her the greatest happiness which Kami had bestowed in her miserable life.

She became the broken woman again when Naruto died, but for his dream she continued fighting for the resistance. Even if the people didn't trust her and many showed her hostility, even going as far as treating her as a weapon.

But when Naruto came back, she felt the sun rise in her life again. She was so overjoyed that she blurted her pent up feelings in front of him, without even thinking about the emotional situation of his heart and mind. She even went as far as making the decision that he didn't love her all by herself...

After so many transgressions, any normal person would have hated her.

But Naruto was never normal, he was simply extraordinary.

In one single strike he freed her from the chains the resistance leadership had used for the past 4 years, fought for her and praised her. Even giving her the greatest gift of her life, by marrying her. Granted, it didn't go the way she had planned her marriage to be...but he really was her husband now.

Due to such kind hearted actions, she found herself accepting the fact that Naruto needed to spend some time with his family. They deserved his love too...

And she had him for the rest of their lives...

"Kushina..."

Her surprised violet eyes immediately shifted behind her and saw him standing behind her. He still had that sheepish smile on his face, while the snow falling from the sky continued to fall on him making him look even more handsome.

She couldn't help but smile on seeing him, it was true that Naruto had a darker side to him. But more than, he had a far brighter side that was even more illuminating than the the entire sun's energy, his innocent sheepish smile, that awkward glance which he was giving her were perhaps one of the few reasons why she fell in love with him.

And now he was here standing in front of her, to think he was willing to spend this night with her.

"What are you doing here? I thought you wanted to spend time with Itachi..." said Kushina hesitantly, but he simply flashed her an apologetic smile.

"I'd like to be with you, if it's not much problem..." replied Naruto confidently, as he walked towards her and was now standing mere inches away from her.

He saw her looking at him shyly, while he gently entwined their fingers together...

"It's okay, I don't mind if you-"

"I want to be here not because we are just married now, but because I missed you. Look, I'm not very good at this but I promise I will try my best to be a good husband and lover to you. I'll do everything in my power to keep you happy..." promised Naruto from the bottom of his heart, and felt her fingers grasping his very own rather more affectionately after those words.

"Kushina..."

"You understand, Naruto? All that you did...all those sacrifices you made for me all these years..." said Kushina doubtfully, but was surprised when he flashed her a happy grin.

"It's my pleasure. You're finally free and happy now, that's all that matters...and nothing else" replied Naruto happily, making her blush.

"This time I managed to escape, but there would be more dangers ahead as I'm the Jinch-"

"Then I'll continue to be your shield that will protect you, as well as the sword that will provide you the strength that will help you beat the odds..." promised the blonde hero, as she could only look at him with watery eyes.

"Naruto..."

"Time and time again, I'll come to rescue you...

...after all, I love you Kushina"

He was surprised when he found himself on the receiving end of a passionate kiss, as Kushina had hastily grabbed his soft cheeks and had implanted her luscious lips on his own. Her tongue was furiously battling against him, asking for permission and he didn't have the power to resist her. As the red head started kissing him more fiercely, and their tongues started a battle of dominance...

He felt a strange sense of excitement and arousal erupting in his body, it had been years since he had been this close to a woman's touch. And since he loved her and she was his wife now, that did grant him certain rights as her husband.

But he didn't want to impose himself on her, Kushina was a blabber mouth but deep down she was the same as Mikasa. And he would not let their special bond be destroyed just because he was longing for her love...

At the same time, he couldn't stop himself from grabbing her right here and fulfilling his hormonal urges. So, he instead opted for another route...

* * *

Lemon Warning

* * *

She hadn't even been able to withdraw her lips from his when she felt him grab her by the hair and pull her head back gently to look at her.

"You know, someone as beautiful as you shouldn't do something like that to a man unless you want to do more."

She raised an eyebrow at his words. For a moment she looked into his lustful eyes that were longing for her, and all her doubts regarding his suggestion were cleared when she felt a certain part of his body hardening as it grazed her thighs.

"Oh..."

'_So that's what he wants... Hm... I don't mind.'_

Kushina could practically feel his hot breath on her neck as he continued laying kisses on the sensitive area, he was barely holding himself. Even she found this intimacy to be extremely pleasurable, and every fiber of her body wanted more. But it was not important to her, what mattered to her was that he wanted this even more.

After everything Naruto had done for her happiness, she was more than willing to share her most precious gift and dream with him.

She showed her consent by maintaining her hold on his neck to hoist herself up as she wrapped her legs around him. Naruto stopped kissing her delicate neck and their lips to meet with fiery passion. As their tongues massaged each other, teasing them with each flick, Kushina knew her lover was beyond control now.

Naruto ripped her dress off her with a feral growl, which surprised Kushina a bit as they were in the open. It was a secluded area of the base but they were still in public, but she didn't bother telling him to stop. He continued to squeeze her ass with his left hand while ripping off the rest of her clothing with the other.

He realized where this was going, but it was extremely hard for him to control his manly urges. As he threw her dress away, leaving her nude to his gaze, he let her down and took a step back.

A few deep calming breaths cleared his thoughts, if only slightly. "Kushina… do you really want this to continue? You know where this is going, right? I can stop now, but any further and you can't back out."

Kushina just rolled her eyes at her husband as she giggled. "I knew where this was going to go the moment you took off my dress Naruto, and if I had any objections trust me I would have told you."

Naruto smirked at his beautiful wife. He knew that she was strong enough that even if he wanted he couldn't force himself on her without severely injuring them both, not that he would do such a thing anyway. With one last look into each other's eyes, they re-engaged in their kissing session with renewed vigor.

Sensing the cold winds hitting her body and the slight shiver from her muscles, he enwrapped his hands protectively around her while performing a single hand seal that took them straight to the door of his room.

Naruto opened the door to his room with one hand while still firmly squeezing Kushina's butt with the other.

Their excitement hadn't been dulled in the slightest, and once she they were inside the warm quarters it only increased their rather large sexual urges.

Kushina was quite literally the epitome of feminine beauty. Naruto couldn't help but drool a little at her perfect hourglass figure and angelic features, which she noticed with a small blush. Naruto was a fine male specimen himself, he had gotten a hell of lot more taller and muscular. Add that to his perfect abs and soft skin he was a very healthy male.

Kushina's heart pounded in her chest as Naruto stepped towards her, without waiting he touched the side of her right breast with the tip his fingers, and then trailed his hand downwards feeling her curves along the way. He then wrapped his right hand around her waist and pulled her closer. The red head leaned into his touch as she placed her arms on his shoulders for support.

Then he used his left hand to grope Kushina's right breast and rub the nipple, while he sucked on her pink nipple of the left breast. Kushina shivered in pleasure and love that her lover was giving her. His every touch sending pleasant sensations throughout her body. As she felt his lips on her nipples, she couldn't help but moan and press against him even more fiercely.

Naruto himself was immensely enjoying his work. Kushina's soft and nubile body was tasty enough for him to be able to do this all day. But his hormonal urge to mate was slowly increasing to uncontrollable levels. Kushina felt his hard member press into her belly through his boxers and she slowly and a bit reluctantly pushed Naruto away from her to get down on her knees in front of him.

While Naruto was a bit disappointed to have been forced apart from her, he knew what was coming next was more than worth it. During his sexual encounter with Mikasa, they had not ventured into this category. But Kushina was more than willing to give him this pleasure, and somehow it was exciting him even more.

He felt himself harden further as his beautiful wife took hold of his boxers from either side and slowly slid them down. As his hardness sprang free, he nervously chuckled at the gasp from Kushina as she watched his newly powerful sex.

Naruto himself was quite surprised with his growth in that area, he wondered whether it was due to Kyuubi chakra expanding his chakra coils thereby increasing the flow of blood in his body, or due to the powers which had been bestowed upon him by Indra and Ashura, or whether it was due to his own powers as he belonged from two extremely powerful clans.

Whatever the reason was, he had definitely become the prime stock that would sell like hot cake in the ladies's market if any of them ever saw him naked.

Trembling slightly in fear and anticipation, she looked up at him with her violet eyes and bit her lower lip. "Naruto, I don't know if…it can't possible fit into me..."

For a virgin like Kushina nine inches was too much and he was as thick as her wrist. She was sure that if he used that on her, it wasn't going to be funny. She was now left wondering how much it might hurt being impaled by something that big. She knew it would hurt a bit at first, but with his immense size maybe the whole experience would become more pleasurable later on for her?

She saw he was just about to rescue her from doing this, and it hurt her a lot. Both as a prideful female and as a wife...if Mikasa could make him happy as a girlfriend, and Rangiku could make him blush with mere words then she could best both of the girls.

_'I hope you enjoy it Naruto, Maybe this will bring us more closer, and you deserve it from me...'_

The redhead pushed all the doubts aside, and decided to follow her instincts for now. As she touched his hot shaft and breathed on it, she felt him twitch in anticipation. She gave him a soft experimental tug, and was rewarded with a thick glob of precum.

Licking her lips, she moved in closer to him and extended her tongue out. Naruto had to resist the urge to just hold her head and fuck her mouth right there. He felt jolts run through his sex as her tongue made contact with the base and she gave him a long, slow, tentative lick on his hard shaft from the base to tip.

Making sure to lick off the thick glob of precum at the tip, she found its taste intriguing. Not mouth watering tasty, but it was something she got from her the man she loved, and that fact itself made it one of the most precious things Kushina wanted to have.

Naruto groaned in pleasure that his beautiful wife's tongue gave him. He felt his member twitch in anticipation as she once again moved in close. This time she was more confident and hungry for him.

She kissed his tip with her red lips experimentally, before she started to seemingly make out with it, using her tongue with great enthusiasm. All the while she used both her soft hands to pump him, occasionally taking delight in the small amount of fluid her efforts managed to conjure.

He looked down to see Kushina with her eyes closed, and when she had them open she was staring at him with love. He was expecting at least a bit of lust in them given what they were doing, but there was only one emotion he could see in them.

Naruto felt his heart flutter every time he looked at her love filled eyes. And the sensations she was giving him were simply mind blowing.

He was brought back to the real world when Kushina stopped making out with his crown and looked at him.

"Did you like that Naruto?"

It was innocent question, not one she had meant to arouse him with, but it still had that effect. She had absolutely no experience in the field, other than what her own mother had told her during her childhood and early teenage life. Hence she couldn't be completely sure about the most effective way to pleasure him.

"Yes, you're going along very nicely, don't stop now…"

Kushina beamed happily at the praise and took him back in her mouth, only an inch or two at first, but then more and more. Naruto watched the red headed beauty take his tip in her mouth and groaned loudly when he felt himself hit the back of her throat.

She massaged his member with her tongue while it was in her, then pulled back to lay kisses on him again. Once more she proceeded take him in, this time with some more determination. Naruto held the back of her head with his hands to better direct her, and get a little more control, then he watched her slowly take his member in her till it was in about four inches and had hit the back of her throat again before withdrawing completely, kissing his tip lovingly and taking it all the way in again.

After a while Naruto couldn't take it anymore and held her by the hair, forcing her to look up. As she focused her questioning gaze upon him, still sucking on him, he used his other hand to gently rub her cheek.

He didn't know how it was possible when she was sucking on him to blush with that little show of affection, but she did.

Given his current state, it was hard for him to not just slam her against the wall and fuck her till she passed out and even then he doubted he could stop. So there was no beating around the bush. "Would you mind if I told you to relax a bit and let me have your mouth?"

Kushina slowly took his member out before she smiled and nodded. As soon as she had, Naruto used her crimson locks as leverage to lower her on his cock again.

As he felt himself entering her warm mouth again, a particularly large glob of precum was spurted, which he felt her swallow. Holding her hair tightly, he slowly started pumping in and out of her mouth, while she tried her best to suck him in without using her hands.

Soon enough, he found himself pushing against her throat, trying to bury himself deeper. As it was her first time, Kushina may never even have thought about it. But Naruto had previous sexual experience, not to forget the knowledge he had gained from reading Icha Icha series.

"Try to swallow it, and don't resist."

That surprised her, but she did as she was told trusting her husband. As Naruto felt himself slowly getting past her gag reflex, his eyes almost rolled back. It was so, so tight!

"Oh fuck..."

Kushina felt a bit weird and afraid when she felt him get past her throat, but she trusted him. She started channeling chakra to her lungs, she knew she could live without oxygen for a few minutes. It might not have been possible for another female, but she hailed from the Uzumaki clan who were known for their strength and stamina. And those traits were certainly coming in quite handy, as she was able to pleasure him without much strain on her body.

After four or five minutes of furiously pumping in and out of the red head's mouth and throat, he felt himself reaching his limits. He buried himself hilt deep in her.

Kushina's nose twitched as she felt her husband's unique peppermint like smell assault her when her nose was touching his trimmed pubes. It was getting quite intense!

"Kushina-hime… be ready now…" he groaned.

She blushed furiously when he called her "princess''. Unknowingly, he had fulfilled one of her deepest fantasies...

Kushina couldn't speak since she had her mouth rather full, but gave him a nod as a permission, if he even needed that. However, he changed his mind as he withdrew from her throat.

Reading his intentions, she tried to smile, but was nervous, as she would definitely have that monstrous thing stuck up her tight belly soon enough. Of course, she knew, he would want her to taste the first load he gave to her. If he had shot it down her throat, that wouldn't have been possible.

Naruto watched as his beautiful redhead took him in her mouth again, and started bobbing up and down, careful to not take him too deep so that she got to taste all of him before it went into her belly.

Kushina felt him twitch as only his tip was in her mouth. She sucked deeply on him, and then came the first hot blast of sperms she ever tasted.

She swirled the thick and warm fluid around her tongue, savoring the taste as another rope of hot thick cream filled her mouth. She swallowed it like it was the best drink she ever had, bliss clearly written on her face. The taste wasn't exceptional, but the source of it made the fluid special for her.

He then continued to blast rope after rope of hot thick semen in her mouth. She gulped down again and again and again, savoring the taste of her lover's seed each and every time by swirling it around with her tongue before letting it enter her belly. Finally, after what seemed to her like it would never end, he stopped.

She felt her belly almost completely filled with her lover's cream, giving one last kiss to his tip she shakily tried to stand up, feeling his hot cream slosh inside her as she did so. The redhead leaned against Naruto's chest to recover a bit. Naruto had different ideas though.

Too aroused to stop and let his beautiful wife rest, Naruto growled as he held her shapely butt roughly and ripped her panties off. He threw her into the nearby bed, ignoring her startled gasp. She felt the weight shift as he then got down between her legs and bit on her thigh.

Kushina winced a bit, but didn't object. "Naruto, you don't have to…"

Entranced by her strawberry scent, her reply was cut short when she felt his hot breath hit her. She stopped breathing as her eyes were locked with Naruto's lips as they moved closer towards her between her creamy thighs.

As he licked her lower lips, he heard her sharp intake of breath and felt her arch her back. His eyes almost rolled to the back of his head at her heavenly taste. She tasted like strawberries, but still there was something different. She was different, smooth and sweet with the little naughtiness of the berries, but he couldn't put her into words.

She gasped at the strange feeling she got when he did that.

"Fuck!"

She squirmed a bit, not sure if she really should just sit back and enjoy like she wanted, or do something for him in return.

Naruto seemed amused by her reaction, but continued his assault at a teasing pace. He gave her a reassuring smile in between his licks, telling her to just sit back and relax.

His own excitement grew exponentially as her breathing became short and quick and she panted and moaned from his attention.

Taking another long lick at her, he used one of his hands to rub her right nipple and the other to massage her butt cheeks. Kushina's pants, moans and whimpers almost drove him wild, but he managed to restrain himself.

As his tongue went inside her tight hot body, Kushina felt as if stars had entered her vision. On reflex, she closed her thighs, effectively trapping the blonde in between her long smooth legs.

It had taken quite a while to get her there, but thankfully he had more than enough stamina for it. He continued his tinkling sensations with his tongue while Kushina writhed in pleasure under him. He got a wicked grin when he saw her squirming.

Smiling all the while, he took out his tongue from her folds, and gave her a long, slow lick from the base to her clit, without even giving her time to recover he drove two of his fingers into her. While she was painfully tight, his saliva combined with her love juices provided enough lubrication.

"Naruto! Please... be more gentle..." Kushina gasped out. Those fingers hurt when they entered her, even though she was thoroughly wet.

Her vision was getting foggy by now from all the pleasure she was receiving from her lover. She had tried to touch herself but that had been a disappointment as she found out she couldn't achieve release that way for some reason.

The redhead found herself getting closer and closer to her first ever orgasm at an alarming pace. She felt each time his tongue entered her, twisted around and played inside her, or his fingers went just a little farther.

"Fuck, Naru...I think...I will...!"

Naruto took his hand away from her breasts and used both his hands to squeeze both of her ass cheeks. He increased his assault on her clit and increased the pace at which he was finger fucking her, then inserted another finger.

That was way beyond what Kushina had needed for her release, and she felt her vision explode in various colors as she lost herself to the bliss of orgasm. Her body writhed and thrashed as she felt wave after wave of pleasure tear through her.

"FUCK!"

She just lay there panting as her bliss subsided and she finally caught up with the reality.

Naruto had happily lapped up all of the delicious nectar that his wife had showered on him. He _loved_ her taste. He moved upwards towards her breasts and started fondling them with his hands while sucking on her lower areas hoping to get any leftover nectar.

Kushina had just stopped thrashing in pleasure when her lover finally lost himself to the incredible arousal he was feeling. Without any warning, he positioned himself between her legs and took one last look at her to see if she had any doubts. He didn't know if he could stop now if she said no, but still he wanted to know and get her permission.

Kushina was a bit intimidated by looking at Naruto's massive length and girth positioned between her legs, ready to impale her. But she didn't have any doubts whatsoever about what he wanted, or if she was going to give it to him. She gulped in anticipation of what was to come, but gave her man an affirmative nod.

_'If it brings a little pain to me but makes him happy, I guess I can take it for him.'_

Naruto was a bit worried about her too, but his desire to fuck her senseless was too strong for him to resist, and he didn't _want_ to resist either.

He rubbed his tip up and down on her, and then pressed the tip against her entrance. Slowly he increased the pressure with which he was pushing, and started inserting his member in her folds. The blond marveled at the heat and tightness she provided him with, as his bulbous head entered her.

Kushina had to grit her teeth to stop from screaming as she felt her husband's thick tool stretch her. Her folds parted to allow him entry, albeit very reluctantly. Naruto savored her delicious warmth even as only the head had entered the woman when he had to pause in order to break her hymen.

He had hoped that it would be broken by now due to training or fights, but it seemed her advanced regeneration had prevented that from happening. He had no doubt she was a virgin though. There was no way the fiery redhead would let any other man touch her if she didn't love them.

Kushina kept staring as him as he entered in her for what felt like forever, and still almost his entire length was resting outside, waiting to impale her. It was baffling, she already felt quite full, and he hadn't even started yet. Still, she wrapped her legs around Naruto's waist to help him enter her.

She returned his apologizing but lust filled look with a smile, and then he pushed in with one extremely powerful thrust. She couldn't hold in her scream as he tore through her.

He had to grit his teeth together to prevent from cumming then and there from her warmth and tightness Kushina's velvety walls were giving him.

_'Fuck... She feels unreal!'_

Kushina was silenced when Naruto leaned forward and kissed her to provide some comfort. Her breaths were coming out in short gasps, and her eyes were tightly closed shut.

She felt tears run down her cheeks because of the sharp pain, which she had felt due to her virginity being taken, but she had never been so happy before. She was finally his!

As she felt his powerful muscle throb inside her and opened her eyes, an odd sense of pride washed over her. She was making her Naruto feel so good, pleasure was written all over his face. Now she knew no matter how painful this was at present, the emotional happiness she got more than compensated for it.

The crimson haired girl kissed him again lovingly when he had withdrawn his lips from hers.

She braced herself for all the pain she was going to feel that night. But felt happy that her Naruto was going to enjoy her. Naruto slowly withdrew till only an inch was inside of her, before moving back in her again. Her smooth and warm walls embracing and massaging his tool, giving him unspeakable pleasure.

She shuddered as he stretched her again to the point where she couldn't believe she was still in one piece. She felt butterflies flutter in her stomach at the pure bliss written over his face.

Naruto loved every moment of it. She was extremely tight, and her body held him in with a tender but vice like grip. He felt like he could die happy, having never felt so good before in his entire life. But he had to restrain himself to his limit to stop giving in to his urges and pounding senselessly into the gorgeous redhead below him. If this was hurting her enough for her to scream now, he knew he had to be careful with his strength.

He looked at her form below him and noticed the tears that had fallen from her eyes when he took her virginity. He felt a slight pang of guilt before pushing that thought aside, it had to happen if they were to take their relationship to the next level. And soon the pain will subside away.

He continued pumping in and out of her tight body at a somewhat restrained pace. Kushina's face turned to confusion as the pain started to subside, and was replaced with a dull throbbing ache and the feeling of him moving inside her. She got momentarily worried if her lover won't feel so good from her anymore if it didn't hurt, but then calmed down as Naruto still seemed to be enjoying her just as much.

Slowly, moans started escaping her lips and a thin sheen of sweat covered her form as pleasurable sensations started erupting inside of her. She couldn't help but be delighted every time Naruto hit her womb and buried himself in her to the hilt, rubbing his groin between her legs. Every little grunt of pleasure he gave, every time he twitched, entranced her. She was fascinated with how good she could make him feel this way and mentally swore she would make sure to give him the maximum happiness she can this way.

Naruto finally felt some of his guilt wash away as he saw her breathe heavily and moan, this time in pleasure instead of pain. He decided to keep his pace slow and steady as it might be too much for Kushina if he went too fast for the first time.

"Would you like to go faster, my love?"

He looked into her eyes a bit bewildered. "With how tight you are and how good this feels, I don't think I will last too long if I went faster, or if you can take it..."

Kushina pouted. What did he think she was, a quitter? "Of course I can take it! I can see you want to go faster, so please..."

Naruto sighed in defeat. "Fine, but don't blame me later..."

He took a hold of her hands with his, and put them over their head so he held her immobile. It seemed her arousal increased upon him doing this. Then he gave a mighty thrust in, all his length moving inside her in one stroke, and then withdrawn the next second. Sounds of flesh hitting flesh, Naruto's grunts and Kushina's moans and whimpers filled the room. Unlike last time, this wasn't just one feeling. Not just pain, not just pleasure, but a strange combination of both. With every thrust he was hitting the wall of her womb, stimulating areas in her that she didn't know existed and stretching her painfully tight body.

Kushina soon found herself reaching the limit again. She started thrusting back towards Naruto, moving with him in a rhythm. It hurt, and it felt good at the same time. She could feel something build up inside her, and the more it built the greater she felt.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, and arched her back as Naruto pounded into her almost mercilessly. This was what she desired, for him to take her just like this... As he withdrew, due to her arched back his belly rubbed against her flat stomach with each stroke, and his tight hold on her hands made it seem like she was completely his to take pleasure from.

Naruto buried his whole nine inches in her before grunting in effort. He was quickly reaching his limits, this was his first time after coming back to life, and it was a miracle he had been able to hold out this long with a goddess like Kushina.

The stunning redhead looked at him with a strange expression, and then leaned towards him to whisper into his ear. "Thank you Naruto-koi, I want you to know... you can have me however you want, whenever you want, wherever you want..."

Her affectionate yet sexually arousing words were proving to be a bit too much for him, but he gave her a nod, accepting her request. He withdrew again till only the tip was inside her, before thrusting back again.

"Kushina... I am going to cum…"

"Cum in me Naruto-koi, fill me up... just let it go..."

Naruto gave her a vicious grin and bite her on the neck, on reflex she gasped and bit him on his neck as well.

With one final thrust he buried all of his length into her and grabbed her shapely butt before squeezing it hard and pulling her tightly against him. He then blasted rope after rope of hot thick semen deep inside her.

Kushina felt him release his boiling hot seed inside her again and again into her previously undiscovered depths, it was hot enough that she was sure it would sizzle inside her. She squeezed him as hard as he could, trying to milk him for all he was worth. But that wasn't needed.

She felt her vision going dark before she felt unconsciousness take her.

Naruto looked down at his beautiful partner laying below him, completely out of it. He decided not to bother withdrawing his member as with her advanced regeneration she would soon recover and be ready to go again. He had a lot to make up for…

A few minutes later Kushina's eyes fluttered open, she found herself looking into his dark eyes. Her eyes widened with shock as she felt herself still getting her womb filled with his hot seed. "Naruto-koi? Are you still cumming in me?"

Naruto chuckled as his spurting finally came to a halt. The redhead felt like she was filled up completely. Her womb was full of her lover's sizzling cream, she could feel it. Her stomach was full of him too. She never felt so satisfied before.

Kushina gasped and then moaned as he suddenly started thrusting into her again.

"You said you are mine whatever way I wish, right? Let me know when you want me to stop though."

She didn't get any time to recover as he started moving in and out of her at a faster pace than before. "Naruto-koi...Naruto-sama... please don't stop... this feels so good...!"

With every thrust Kushina found herself closer to another orgasm.

Naruto finally let go of all restraints as he started going faster and harder than ever before, drawing a gasp from his gorgeous wife with every thrust. He was finally satisfying his urge of mating that he had been holding back for years! The fact that it was Kushina that was giving him all the pleasure was all the more satisfying... He felt her walls try to hold him in and convulse as she rode through her orgasm. That sent another wave of intense pleasure through him.

But Naruto had no intention to stop any time soon, he was going to use his monstrous stamina to see how long Kushina could hold herself together...

He continued his long hard thrusts into his wife with a happy and challenging smile on his face, which was returned by Kushina with a loving and determined gaze.

_'You don't know what you got yourself into Kushina!'_

* * *

(Imperial Palace)

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

A maniacal laughter echoed through the large corridors of the palace, as a rather excited Madara watched a video tape being played before him. To see so much carnage being wrecked by one man was simply so much fun.

Over the past 4 years, his life had become quite dull as there was no one to challenge his power.

He had to restrain himself, or he would have ended up destroying the entire world.

_Wait, he had did it anyway..._

But watching so many elite clone troopers being murdered like weak flies made him yearn for a fight, his gaze shifted towards a badly wounded Deidara. The blonde bomber was bleeding from head to toe, one of his hands was ripped apart and he looked as if he was about to faint from pain and exhaustion.

How did the mad idiot survive such attack?

It didn't matter to him, the only thing he wanted was...

"He really did it, after all..." said Madara excitedly, as a feral grin came on his danger face.

His Mangekyo eyes glared at the blonde boy that was flying in the sky, and Deidara blanched when an almost maddening look came in his leader's face. The man looked as if he was ready to rape the blonde boy in the video...

**"I've been waiting for you, NARUTO!"**

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**Wow, one of the longest chapters I've written in a year.**

**So, there my dear NaruKushi fans...I've fulfilled my promises to you. The other two pairings will get their development now, and the plot will venture into more dangerous areas.**

**This was the end of this arc.**

**More reviews= Happier Author= Better Fan Service/Faster Updates.**

**So leave your reviews in the box below and simply click send, it's as easy as that.**


	13. Declaration of Independence

**Yo..**

**Time for a new arc, and I'm glad you liked the previous chapter.**

**I would have uploaded this chapter sooner, but there was a curfew in my city and all internet connections had been severed, due to violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims. Even the Rapid Action Force (RAF) had to be deployed…..**

**But that's the wild west…..**

**Enjoy the chapter….**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

**Declaration of Independence**

* * *

_(MA Content- Read at your own risk)_

In the dark corners of a dungeon a young boy could be seen tied to chains, blood was oozing from each and every part of his body. Various parts of his body had turned blue due to constant beatings, as he hazily looked at the person standing before him.

90 years…..

This butcher had tortured him for 90 years and even now he still had the same sadistic smile on his face…..

**"So, Naruto are you ready to become a devil? There's no going back for you, it's better if you become my pawn…"** offered the Death God, and smiled when the boy motioned him to come forward.

Considering the stabs he had made all over the boy's body, it was possible he didn't have the strength to speak.

He was shocked when the boy spit a large amount of blood straight in his face, temporarily blinded by the liquid the Death God didn't see the boy breaking his chains with sheer strength while also losing one of his arms in the process.

Ignoring the severed limb, he surged towards his enemy and delivered a devastating punch to the man's gut which sent him sailing a few meters back.

"My name is…..Naruto Namikaze…eldest son of Minato Namikaze…..and a Blacklight commander of Konoha" muttered Naruto painfully, as fountain of blood erupted from his severed arm.

Ignoring the unbelievable pain, he simply walked towards the now furious Shinigami….

"Stop me if you can. If you think you have greater despair in your heart….because the day I get out, I will wipe out your entire existence" said Naruto darkly, and sent a kick towards the downed Death God.

Only for the man to disappear into smoke, and the scene in the room changed. And to his horror, he again found himself bound in chains and the bastard standing before him.

**"Oh, that was certainly interesting. You have quite the imagination, and I'll certainly reward you for it….."** declared the King of Hell sadistically,

With a flick of his fingers, they were transported directly in an open plain. The sky was red in color, and a dark moon could be seen in the center.

Naruto groggily saw the chains binding him had disappeared, and he was now lying on what seemed to be a river.

His eyes widened in horror, when he heard growling…

Not just any growling….

**"I wonder how strong is a Blacklight commander against 100 hell hounds…"** mused the Death God, and laughed on the fear visible in the terrified boy's face.

Menacing yellow eyes glowed in the entire area, as the pet dogs of the Death God started walking towards Naruto. Saliva leaked from the mouths of the beasts, hunger evident in their eyes…..

**"Sick em boys…."**

On hearing the command, the beasts jumped on the incapacitated boy as splatters of blood flew everywhere.

The once blue colored river was now stained with red.

**"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"**

* * *

(Unknown Hours Later)

Naruto slowly opened his eyes to find himself hanging upside down, everywhere around him were simply chains that had pierced various parts of his body.

He didn't know how much time had passed, and what had happened after the hell hounds attacked him, but he could still feel the pain. This was the most terrifying part of hell, the Death God could torture him for as long as he wished, and just like magic he would put his body together.

But the King of Hell made sure the boy remembered the torture and the pain that came with it, those horrifying memories of 100 dogs tearing him apart still afresh in his mind.

The only thing that kept him going was the fact that somewhere Obito was suffering the same fate. Or at least he hoped…..

Everywhere around him were hundreds of people who were screaming at the same time, their ear piercing screams for help, for somebody to save them going in vain.

_Greenies…._

That was what he called the newcomers, he vaguely remembered he was once one of them.

Yelling for help as the torture started, begging their family members to save them from the Pitts of hell.

"Futile, isn't it?" asked Mikoto with a small chuckle,

"You should call them screamers instead of greenies, that's a much cooler name…" suggested Itachi

The former Blacklight averted his eyes, trying his best not to look at the two people standing before him. They were not his family…

_It was an illusion….._

_A very bad dream._

"Why do you resist Naruto? Just let go, and come with me…." said Mikoto lovingly, as she laid a soft kiss on his cheek.

He glared at the woman who was once his mother, the very sight of her and his brother being used in such a way disgusted him.

"Now I see why you were casted to hell, and no one remembers you, Hamura" said Naruto mischievously, and was pleased when dark frowns came on the two Namikaze look alike faces.

"What are you saying, Nii-san?" asked Itachi dangerously, as Naruto chuckled.

"You were an arrogant coward, nothing more than a jealous prick who could not digest the fame his younger brother was gaining among humans…..and so you fought against your own brother.

…..but you know what, you lost and were casted to hell. History is written by the victors, and your name has vanished. No one remembers you, torture me all you want but I have a legacy. The people I saved can have a better future, and somewhere I will be remembered. While you will forever be nothing more than a jail master….." spat Naruto venomously,

The boy was satisfied when Itachi disappeared and in his place was now standing a furious death god, it seemed the truth really got on the man's nerves.

Even in hell there were people who knew a lot about the Shinigami, and the past decades had given him ample time to get some dirt on his torturer.

**"You're brave and stupid, but what else can you expect from the God of War…."** said the King of Hell darkly, it irked him that even after so many decades he was not able to break this boy.

Naruto was surprisingly extremely tough, and even after going through various physical torturing sessions he had the balls to insult the Death God. And it hurted the man's pride…

His eyes shifted towards Mikoto, as a very lecherous idea came in his mind….

_**"Will you strip for me, Mikoto-chan?"**_

Hamura smiled when the confidence vanished instantly from Naruto's face, the boy quickly shut his eyes which only made the Death God chuckle, as he simply flicked his fingers and forcefully opened Naruto's eyes.

Walking towards the boy he was very amused when he found him struggling to break free from his chains. Leaning down to his ear, Hamura was very happy to get his revenge….

**"Since you have been so brave, I'll give you a suitable reward for enduring 100 years of torture. And what better way than your very hot mother…."** said the Death God, as Naruto gulped nervously.

"Don't do this-"

**''I just realized physical torture is useless on you, so for the next century we will engage in various games of emotional and psychological torture. Starting with your kind and gentle mother, raping you and have her way with you…"** answered Hamura with a very sweet smile plastered on his face,

"I will kill you, no matter what happens…I will kill you" promised Naruto, and tears freely slipped from his eyes as the Death God commanded his naked mother to get on top of him.

In that moment, he knew that his inevitable defeat had finally appeared.

That he had lost.

He merely closed his eyes, and tried to ignore the torture being wrecked on him. As deep down, Naruto knew….

That this was just the beginning of his suffering.

(Flashback End)

* * *

He simply stared at the white ceiling of his room, a cold gust of air seeped through the window and hit his bed. Broken out of his trip down memory lane, he blinked and found himself lying in a comfortable bed.

Naruto felt something warm and soft enwrapped tightly against his chest, he quickly looked down worriedly, hoping that it was not Mikoto or Yuna. The two famous illusions which had tormented him for 100 years….

However he was relieved when he saw a woman with red hair…..

A remorseful look appeared in his eyes, as he remembered he had lied to Kushina again. He had only told her, Mikasa and Rangiku the most easiest ways in which he was tortured in hell. Never disclosing the details…

And it was probably for the best.

Sometimes ignorance was better than knowing the real truth. He could not burden her with that pain, as it would surely make her restless. Naruto only hoped that she could sleep so peacefully always, or else she or the other two girls would find out that he could never sleep again.

Ashura had created a barrier in his mind, it stopped the pain that he would have felt from 3 centuries of suffering. But it did not erase those memories….

He still remembered everything that happened in hell…..

Naruto wanted to run away, to seclude himself from the rest of the world. To excuse himself from the war that he was about to start, to prevent himself from committing any more sins.

But he had no choice…..

If their enemy was really Madara Uchiha, and if the empire was really this strong then his people needed his powers and mind to help them survive.

Logic stated that he should have ran away and left the resistance to fight for themselves, but he had not endured 3 centuries of suffering only to let his family die at the hands of another tyrant.

He knew that the Akatsuki wanted the Biju, and Kushina and him had half of the Kyuubi's in them. Which had directly made them prominent targets….

If the behavior of Koharu and Homura were any indication, then there was a faction within the resistance who would not hesitate in sacrificing Kushina if they ever got cornered. Marrying her was the right call…

Since Minato was incapacitated, that made him the new clan head of the Namikaze family. Even if there were few of them left alive, he was still a leader and no one would dare lay a hand on his wife, or they would risk his wrath.

And the people of Konoha knew better than to anger him…..

Even then it did not diminish the fact that until the threat of the Empire was removed, her life would always be in danger. Watching the happy smile on her face as she laid her head on his chest, made him smile a little.

She looked so happy…

Free from all the pain and suffering that she had endured during her entire life. He wanted to protect this smile, to shield her from any danger. Maybe this was what love was….

Last night was perhaps one of the most happiest nights of his life. Sure, the sex was amazing and even he was surprised by his own performance. He had certainly fared better than the last time….

But that was not the main point, he was happy for the fact that he was loved. That there was someone besides his family, that loved him despite his dark side. It was strange, but Kushina was worthy of being his wife and be a person on whom he could depend. But it also raised another question….

If he really trusted her, then should he tell her about his nightmares and the dark truths of hell which he had hidden from everyone?

**"Why do you lie?"** asked Kyuubi suddenly, making him smile.

"People lie because they yearn for something. In my case, it is for my selfish desire of protecting her smile. I already know deep down she feels responsible for my suffering, she hates herself for failing to help me. But what Kushina does not understand that all of it was due to my own actions…..

…in this world of lies, I will be the one thing that will remain by her side always." Explained Naruto confidently,

**"And if she or the other two girls find out your secret? What will you do?"** countered Kyuubi,

"Who knows? I am Naruto, the man of mysteries…." replied Naruto proudly, as he severed the link.

Forming a hand seal he created a shadow clone, and with a quick nod he replaced himself with the newly formed clone who was now sleeping beside Kushina. Walking towards the closet he put on his pants, and his trench coat….

Performing a hand seal he quickly disappeared from the room, leaving his wife to her peaceful sleep.

* * *

(Rooftop)

Mikasa was keenly observing the perimeter, her dark blue eyes searching for any sign of enemy forces. While the people inside the base were having a peaceful sleep, she was more comfortable in standing guard.

However her thoughts were fixed on Naruto, she still remembered the look in his eyes when he answered her question about hell.

He was hiding something from her.

More than that, she did not know where both of them currently stood. It would be a lie, if she said that she didn't love him. But so much had changed in the past 4 years, and was it even possible for them to continue from the point where their relationship abruptly came to an end.

"Are you still angry with me?"

She was a little startled and her instincts kicked in as she turned around and placed the tip of her sword on the person who had sneaked behind her…

Only to find Naruto looking at her…

"Aren't you supposed to be with your wife?" asked Mikasa sternly, making him sigh tiredly.

"She's asleep, and it's a luxury which I don't have right now. You shouldn't be out here in this cold weather…" advised Naruto, as she lowered her sword.

"I can take care of myself…."

"I never doubted your abilities, Mikasa. You were always able to control your emotions….."

She flinched as his words brought back a lot of memories, both happy and painful. What was ironic that he was not at all affected by his own words and was simply staring at her…..

In the empty plains of the resistance base, Mikasa found her barriers breaking as she grabbed his collars and brought him closer to her.

''Why did you leave me alone? We promised to stay together….." said Mikasa bitterly,

"Those that one holds dear need to be distanced….."

"Distanced from what?" shouted Mikasa angrily,

"From oneself"

His answer earned him a bone crushing punch in his gut, followed by her slamming him on the ground.

"Naruto, a part of you deserved the punishment which you suffered in hell…." confessed Mikasa, surprising him just for a second, but he quickly hid his shock.

"What are you saying, Mikasa?" asked Naruto curiously,

"When you chose to die, and _I know_ you chose it; you never cared about my feelings or even those of the other two women who loved you. Rangiku and Kushina are far too naïve and innocent, but I know you. I was there with you from the beginning, and I have never seen a man who lies so much. A man who hides behind so many masks, that even the ones closest to him don't really know who he trully was…." cursed Mikasa, as the blonde boy simply averted his eyes from her.

"You were always the sharpest one….." said Naruto calmly, and it crushed her as the truth behind his actions became clear.

"It didn't matter to you how me, Rangiku, Kushina or your own family would feel. You just wanted to end your own suffering of living, to escape from your dark side. People think you saved them, that you are their hero…but you were nothing more than a broken man. You betrayed me, crushed my heart…..

…..and for that Naruto Namikaze, you deserved every suffering in hell" explained Mikasa furiously

"It was to protect you and the world from me, to protect the future-"

_SLAP_

"You didn't care about the future, so don't give me that bullshit. Do you even know the meaning of our smiles?" asked Mikasa sternly, as he rubbed his red cheek.

"Huh?"

"And why don't you know the meaning of our smiles? Our smiles were the symbol of our love for you, that no matter what the world said we would stand by your side!"

"That smile would become a lie, if my ambitions were not stopped!" yelled Naruto, and was frightened when she gave her a murderous glare.

"I will not allow you to call them a lie. **YOU WILL NOT CALL THEM A LIE!**"

"Mikasa…."

"You looked down on us, neglected reality and ultimately gave up to your pain. Screw all that, the real truth is Naruto Namikaze…..

…that you abandoned all of us" said Mikasa sadly, with tears freely falling from her eyes.

_**"This girl is different, in the end there is someone who knows the real Naruto beneath all the lies. Interesting…."**_ thought Kyuubi bemusedly, as he patiently watched the shock etched across Naruto's face.

After all, he was caught. Never before, had someone guessed that this was one of the reasons behind his decision to die.

"Rangiku and Kushina are maybe unable to see it, but I can. Until, you change yourself, stop being a liar both of us can't have a relationship. I am ashamed to say this, but I still love you. Because despite all your sins, there is good in you. That you're someone that can still be saved…

…..and for that I will wait for you. It's still not too late, Naruto. You can't change the future unless you accept your past and learn from your mistakes instead of repeating them over and over again" said Mikasa patiently, while caressing his reddened cheek.

Ashamed black eyes hesitantly glanced in piercing blue eyes, as a battle of wills were continuously fought between them. The fight of good versus evil, the battle of love and pain…..

"How can you know everything?" asked Naruto irritatedly, making her smirk.

"You're overconfident, Namikaze. There is always someone who is better than you or who can easily understand just what type of person you really are…." advised Mikasa sagely

"I can never win against you, can I?" asked Naruto with a small smile on his face, as she offered him her hand.

"No, you can't" replied Mikasa calmly, and made him stand back on his feet.

"Can you still forgive me?"

She simply smiled on hearing his innocent question, and gently grabbed his hand with her own.

"I have always loved you, Naruto. And when you love an idiot, you have to accept their mistakes and help them improve their faults. That's what I am going to do, until you change I will stand by your side as a friend. And maybe after that we can-"

She was stopped when he immediately gave her a firm nod.

"I understand. Thank you, Mikasa…."

After that, no more words were needed as the lovers simply settled for staying beside each other, enjoying their silent company.

* * *

(Morning)

The morning rays of the sun slowly crept through the dark corridors of the room before finally falling over a sleeping red head's face. Instantly she brought her hand forward to block the offensive natural light, but it also made her realize something else.

The warmth that she was close to during the night had disappeared and so had the muscular chest on which she had been sleeping. Looking closer, she found herself sleeping alone in the bed….

She was just about to get hurt, when the smell of refreshing coffee hit her nostrils….

Turning to her right she found Naruto arriving from the kitchen, with two cups and a small bowl in his hands.

"You sure had your beauty sleep…." said Naruto jokingly, before presenting her with a bowl of ramen.

For a moment she remained stoic, making him nervous as to whether his cooking had been truly awful. Even a child knew, he was a terrible cook but after his little encounter with Mikasa something in him had changed.

He realized that he was taking their love for granted, and was hell bent on making up for his mistakes. Because all 3 of the girls were simply wonderful and loving and losing even one of them was unacceptable to him. And certainly not due to his own mistakes….

"You made these?" questioned Kushina hesitantly, as he chuckled nervously.

"Well….I….just….thought….we….should….have…something…to…eat. _I hope it's not too terrible…_" replied Naruto, muttering the last part even more silently than a whisper.

Much to his shock, she started crying…..

_"Is she in her periods?"_

The Kyuubi could not help but face palm on his container's stupid question to himself, and was just about to slam the boy, but fate had other plans.

He immediately kneeled to her level and tried to grab her chin, but she refused to look at him. Naruto cursed himself for ruining a perfectly good morning with his antics….

"I'm sorry. Look, I'll clean this up and make it up to you…please don't cry" apologized Naruto,

Just when he was about to pick up the bowl and cups from the table, she grabbed his hand with her own and before he could understand what was happening, she kissed him.

Confused by her quickly changing reactions he remained in his position, carefully observing his wife.

She withdrew after a few seconds and the smile that was on her face was even more brighter than the rays of the sun itself.

"Thank you…."

"Huh?"

"The past 24 hours have been the best time in my life, and now this. You never cease to make me happy, and I'm really, truly grateful to you" praised Kushina, as a faint smile crept up on his lips.

"Kushina, I lied about my time in hell. There are many things which I didn't tell any of you…" said Naruto honestly, and averted his eyes fearing the backlash he would have to face.

"I know…"

"WHAT?"

He jerked up and stared at her in shock, only to find her giving him a bemused smile. She pointed one of her fingers towards his eyes….

"You're a good liar, but once people get close to you they can see the truth in your eyes. They always reveal the real story, no matter how hard you try. …" stated Kushina patiently,

"I see…."

"You're a good person, Naruto. A person who cares about all of us, and loves us. Don't you?" asked Kushina with a smile on her face,

"Yes"

"Then just be who you really are, we'll accept you regardless. And I've seen _all of you_, so revealing your inner self won't be as difficult as you imagine it to be" teased Kushina, and he chuckled as he saw her winking at him as well as her gaze fixated on his toned chest.

"Of all the people in the world, you were the one who walked into mine" said Naruto mirthlessly, making her smile more.

"I'm glad I did" replied Kushina happily,

Her reward was a loving kiss on her forehead and a smiling Naruto, who went ahead to offer her the coffee which he had prepared. He nervously glanced as she sipped the liquid, waiting anxiously for her reaction….

After all it was the first time he had cooked something in his entire life.

His wife didn't give her opinion, and was just about to taste the ramen; when she saw him looking at her pointedly.

"Well?"

"Oh, the coffee was great. A little too sweet, but that's fine…good work" congratulated Kushina, as he sighed in relief followed by a large grin getting plastered on his face.

But it didn't last very long, as Kushina tasted the ramen only to have her entire face getting red as a tomato and hot steam blowing out of her nose and ears.

**"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY RAMEN!"**

* * *

(1 hour later)

Izumo did not understand the need for this urgent gathering. Each and every member of the resistance along with civilians were standing beside each other. Not only that, but the soldiers were ordered to be in their finest uniforms and be as presentable as possible.

Apart from that, the large camera that was once used for showing movies inside the base was now in front with a former civilian photographer keenly recording the entire event.

The screen of the movie theater was now converted into a live broadcast device, which the leaders of the resistance: Kakashi, Homura, Koharu, Jiraiya were currently watching. With each legendary ninja also in their finest uniforms.

There was a large stage in the center and many prominent soldiers like Mikasa, Rangiku, Mikoto, Itachi and Kushina were standing in attention.

"We're on…"

Many people curiously watched as the photographer-cum newly formed reporter raised his hand and the next second they saw several familiar faces of the past appearing on the screen along with the people belonging from different parts of the destroyed ninja villages.

Mei was standing beside Choujuro and Ao, along with her ragtag group of 700 rebel soldiers.

Kurotsuchi, the newly formed leader of Iwa resistance cell was also standing crisply beside her father and a fat boy who looked similar to Chouji in appearance.

Gaara of the Sand was also staring stoically, and was currently flanked by his siblings along with several soldiers wearing the Suna village's old ninja uniform.

A- the Raikage and Killer Bee, were also waiting anxiously along with a large army of soldiers.

Not to forget the thousands of civilians within the empire who were being forced to watch the video footage.

The people were definitely shocked when they saw a video footage being played, in which a very familiar blonde warrior butchered 3000 of the Empire's best forces along with the capture of Hidan and making Deidara flee, with these two warriors being two of the Emperor's knights and strongest soldiers.

_It was a message._

Izumo's assumption was proved correct when Naruto stepped on the stage, dressed in his former Blacklight uniform. Gone were the civilian clothes and facemask hiding his identity, as it drew shocked gasps from the different resistance leaders.

"Naruto-sama…"

"Namikaze brat!"

"Impossible…."

"Citizens of the world!" yelled Naruto confidently, displaying his finest game face. It was hard for him to believe that 24 hours earlier, his friend was even not willing to kill.

A fine actor and spokesperson indeed.

Wild gusts of cold wind blew across the area, flowing Naruto's Hokage alike cloak. It actually reminded Izumo of the Fourth Hokage's dress, except this cloak was totally black in color, matching the Blacklight uniform being worn by the boy.

"I have returned from the depths of hell. And I'm extremely hurt by the condition of our world, hurt by the atrocities wrecked on all of us by the evil hegemony known as the Imperial Empire" said Naruto sympathetically,

Sakura was quite amazed that the once hostile leaders of the former ninja villages, were astutely listening to the blonde hero. If the video footage shown before was an indication, then they needed Naruto more than he needed them.

After all, he was the only warrior in their arsenal who had the powers to go up against Madara. Not to forget his tactical brilliance in winning wars.

"Long have you waited for a bright future, for the empire to stop its oppression. But your hopes were destroyed by the monster known as Madara. They stole our homes, our loved ones, our dreams, our will to live….." said Naruto sadly,

Mikoto smiled when she saw tears in the eyes of hundreds of people who were currently watching the telecast. Her eyes shifted towards Itachi, who was the one that suggested this and made every preparations in the past few hours.

Surprisingly, Kakashi helped and soon the small resistance cells spread across the world arranged this entire telecast by any means necessary. They were all on their death beds, and this could possibly be the last chance to revive the fight.

And Naruto was a great symbol not only for the soldiers but also for the normal civilians. After all, no wars can be won by soldiers alone. Everybody had to step up now….or perish beneath the might of Uchiha Madara.

Whether it was through mutual co-operation or force, but all of them were together in this fight.

"Damn the empire!''

"Those monsters!"

"DIE!"

"Death to the emperor!"

The civilians all across the world shared the same feelings along with the soldiers, as a sly smile crept up on Naruto's face.

"YES! The empire is an evil machine, nothing more than murderers and tyrants trying to control the world through force and fear, but it ends NOW!" declared Naruto fiercely, and received acknowledging nods from the various resistance leaders.

And now came the most important part, as he glanced at Itachi who gave him a encouraging smile. Everything was going exactly as per their plan, the people were desperate for a ray of hope and this new system would be acknowledged whole heartedly.

"I hereby declare our independence from the Empire!"

The entire crowd erupted into cheers and applause's, some laughed, some cried, some jumped in joy and even the resistance leaders looked confident for the first time in 4 years.

Izumo still found it hard to believe that one man could change the destiny of the entire world. But whether he believed it or not,

It was happening right in front of his eyes.

"However we would be fools if we simply establish our old violent system and don't learn anything from our past…" suggested Naruto, drawing many curious glances from hundreds of people.

In a corner of the stage Mikasa had a fond smile on her face, as she heard his words. It seemed he was trying to make amends not just for the world, but for himself too.

"This new world which we shall create will be system which shall accept all those who seek refuge from corruption, injustice, oppression and cruelty. A single nation where people regardless of their race, creed or doctrine shall be welcome with open arms…..

…..our borders of the past had divided us and made us fall to the Empire. But as a single nation we can achieve everything we couldn't achieve in the past centuries. We will build a new future where the strong shall never reign over the weak, a system which will break all boundaries that separated us and will let us choose our own future….

….and it's name will be **THE REPUBLIC OF JAPAN!**" declared Naruto proudly,

The crowd erupted into an entire new level of applause and cheer, shouting various phrases "Yeah", "Is this true", 'Oh Kami"

Naruto's gaze shifted towards the various resistance leaders, it was an important step of Itachi's plan to seek the permission of these leaders, to make them feel important and not make it look as if the Namikaze family and Fire Country's resistance was passing off a decree.

"Water Country concurs" said Mei happily, and gave a small wink to Naruto who merely smiled. While another red head glared daggers at the Mizukage...

"Lightning Country concurs, let's take the fight back to Madara" said A eagerly, and Bee made a _"Yo, bro!"_ sound.

"Wind Country agrees to join the republic" replied Gaara seriously, gaining a respectful nod from Naruto.

"Earth Country will join the republic" said Kurotsuchi hesitantly, it seemed there were still some rivalry as she glared at Mikasa who had taken her prisoner during the previous war.

"Fire Country also agrees" said Kakashi confidently,

That was the only thing the desperate people of the world needed to hear, as they erupted into a single chant which would very well reach the ears of the Emperor and his goons.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

**"NAMIKAZE NARUTO!"**

Everyone blanched when the dangerous face of Madara Uchiha appeared on the screen, Izumo quickly ran towards the photographer who was co-coordinating this event. Not only was Madara visible on the screen, but he was flanked by the rest of the Akatsuki.

"Cut off the feeds, idiot!'' shouted Izumo, as the nervous civilian bowed before him.

"I'm very sorry, all channels have been overridden!"

Izumo looked towards Naruto, who was fairly looking at the most powerful man of their world. Madara looked as if he was going to have an orgasm, while Naruto simply narrowed his gaze.

"Do you think you can beat me in this battle?" asked Madara curiously, and was surprised when Naruto smirked.

"It won't be fun if you just give up, which I'm sure you won't" taunted Naruto, shocking the resistance leaders as they watched the 20 year old boy casually chatting with the monster known as Madara.

"I look forward to this battle, but you should know the ninja world is gone and your rag tag group of rebels have divided the world into two parts. You are a mere ant in comparison to our Empire, which only makes your republic useless. Therefore, whoever shall win this war will gain control over the entire world...

...very well, Naruto. Challenge me, either you will win everything or lose everything. But that's how a war is supposed to be!" said Madara excitedly, and raised his hands in the air.

"All hail THE EMPIRE!"

Naruto and every resistance member was shocked when they saw the thousands of clone troopers standing crisply outside the Emperor's palace, along with the other thousands of normal troops which had willingly joined Madara's side. The massive army chanting the name of their leader devotedly.

"All hail Madara!"

"All hail Madara!"

"All hail Madara!"

Itachi stepped forward and unsheathed his tanto and pointed it straight towards the smirking Madara...

"Long live Japan!"

"Long live Japan!"

"Long live Japan!"

The resistance army erupted into the slogan launched by the younger Namikaze, as Naruto and Madara glared at each other.

**The Holy War had just began...**

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**Next chapter: The Dark Knight Rises**

**Reviews are much appreciated.**


	14. The Dark Knight Rises

**Yo..**

**Time for a new arc...**

**One of my readers asked me to adopt a very popular story. I'm sorry mate, I'm currently overloaded with 6 stories and my personal life. Besides these reasons, I want the original author to finish it as I have read it, and like you I'm also waiting for an update. Hope you understand...**

**This chapter has been rated MA, and may contain many disturbing scenes. Read at your own risk, especially teenagers**

**You have been warned...**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

**The Dark Knight Rises**

* * *

The members of the former Akatsuki currently stood besides each other, eyes fixed on their previous leader who appeared to be calm but was fuming on the inside. It was after all a well known fact, that Pein hated Naruto Namikaze the most in the world.

The boy had almost destroyed the Akatsuki when he killed the previous fake Madara, and it was fair to say that it had made the boy the number one target on Pein's shit list. Not to mention Naruto betrayed the Akatsuki on multiple occasions, and in Hidan's uncanny words...

_Kicked their asses!_

And now the boy was back from the depths of hell, and the very first thing he did was to challenge the Akatsuki.

"Pein, the Emperor has assigned you the responsibility of teaching the rebels a lesson..." said Black Zetsu, gaining no reaction from the Rinnegan wielder.

Instead the man was sharply observing the map that was displayed on a table, on his side Konan seemed a bit uneasy. She had known her friend for decades, and he had never been this pissed after Yahiko's death. In a way, Pein suffered from an irrational fear of Naruto fucking up his plans again and was hell bent on preventing that from happening.

"Prepare the prisoners for execution..." commanded the self proclaimed God,

"How many?" asked Kakuzu, who was the in-charge of captured prisoners and people who had been detained by the empire.

"All of them..."

Even the cold blooded murderers standing inside the room were surprised by the order, did they just hear those words?

"Pein, there are 1000 rebel soldiers in our prison camps. Surely you don't plan to execute all of them?" asked Konan cautiously, and was rewarded a sharp glare.

"The resistance wants a war, I will show them the power of a god. Kakuzu, prepare the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th royal battalions. The executions will occur in Osaka city. Gather the TV crews, surround each and every corner of that city. Make it a bloody fortress..." declared Pein seriously,

"But the monetary cost of such a meas-" argued Kakuzu, but froze when he faced the full blown murderous glare of the man.

**_"FUCK THE MONEY!"_**

Kakuzu had the sense to shut his mouth, he maybe a selfish bastard but he was not an idiot like his former partner Hidan. Right now, judging from the pressure in Pein's voice and the KI leaking from his body was enough to show that he would kill him, if he disobeyed.

"As you wish, Pein"

"Then get going..."

Orochimaru who had been silently observing the ordeal couldn't help but see an even ulterior motive behind Pein's orders. This was not just to show the power of the empire, but...

"So, that's your plan. I have to say you are quite smart, Pein..." congratulated the Sannin, gaining curious glances from the others.

"What are you saying?" asked White Zetsu curiously, as Pein narrowed his eyes at Orochimaru.

_"So, you saw my real intentions. You are indeed a snake..."_ thought Pein cautiously, and watched Orochimaru stepping forward towards the map.

"Osaka is a heavily populated area, thousands of civilians live in this city. Not only that, it is a major commercial town. Instead of executing the prisoners in our camps, Pein here wants to show the world what it means to stand up against the empire. These deaths would reinforce the fear among the people, and if the resistance tries to save their comrades...

...they'll simply end up killing scores of civilians in the crossfire with our forces. If not that, a large part of the city would be destroyed and the people would lose their livelihoods. The little support the rebels have gained due to Naruto's return would be lost, the resistance will crumble like dominoes as they would not only lose 1000 comrades at once who also happen to be their brothers, sisters, lovers, parents, children. But they will also lose the support of the people, you really want to crush them, don't you Pein?" asked Orochimaru mirthlessly,

"They are flies in comparison to a god. They must pay for the sin they have committed against God..." said Pein arrogantly, and took out 2 pictures and displayed them on the table.

"These are-"

"Yes, I want you to start the executions with these two. Especially this girl, let Naruto feel true pain..." announced Pein sternly, and didn't flinch when Konan glared at him.

"Pein, if you even touch her you will only awaken a sleeping monster. Kill all the others, but leave these 2 alone- especially this girl..." warned Konan

"No"

"Listen to me for once, you have seen what Naruto can do. He's far more powerful, cruel, and evil. He'll burn the entire city to the ground just to rescue her...don't forget he killed 300 innocent people in the past without blinking an eye. Don't do this..." advised Konan worriedly, as she could clearly see the consequences of their actions.

What troubled her was the lack of concern on the other's faces, they were going to allow this.

"That's what I want, let the people see how evil he is. Then they will have no choice, but to accept me as their true god and the empire as their system..." said Pein in a staunch voice,

"Pein-sama's right. It's time we show Naruto our art, kick him in the balls for once. Please allow me to lead this operation, I will prove myself again..." requested Deidara, making Pein arch one of his eyebrows in amusement.

Despite sporting a new artificial arm, Deidara had not even lost an ounce of his cockiness or fighting spirit. The desire to prove himself burned clearly in his eyes, as Madara had threatened to execute the bomber for his failure and despicable act of fleeing from the battlefield.

Madara hated cowards and deserters the most, and Deidara was right now on the 2nd spot of his hit list. Only preceded by Naruto...

So, it was only natural that the blonde wanted to prove his usefulness at the earliest opportunity, before Madara executed him. Pein could not help but see the advantage in this offer...

If anything went wrong, Deidara would be the one to take the blame. And that was fine with Pein, not that he doubted the rebels could win...

"So be it, Deidara. This maybe your last chance, show me your're still useful..." consented Pein, as Konan started walking away.

"All of you are making a huge mistake, and I will have no part in this foolishness..." said Konan frustratedly, and walked out of the room.

Slamming the door with more force than required...

* * *

(Resistance Base: Kakashi's Cell)

Every person standing in the room tensed when a tremendous amount of KI erupted from a young boy. His hands were clenched to the point that blood was leaking out from the skin, eyes burning red with righteous fury and hatred as he observed the scene being shown on the TV screen.

Hinata had never seen Itachi this mad, if looks could kill then the entire empire would turn to ashes from the boy's murderous gaze.

On the contrary, Naruto seemed quite composed but his narrowed eyes and clenched jaw showed that he bore the same feelings as his younger brother, but since he was a leader the boy was maintaing his composure.

"My sister..." said Itachi furiously, as he saw Yuna being shackled in chains and Deidara announcing her execution within 24 hours.

If only he had known that his sister was alive and captured. All of them had thought she had died in a previous operation a few months ago, but now...

Meanwhile Mikoto's eyes were fixed on another person who was very dear to her. Someone whom she had grown up with, someone whom she loved and cherished as much as her own children.

"Shisui..."

The captured Uchiha clan head was also bound in chains beside Yuna, and was sentenced to death. She was brought out of her despair when Itachi roughly grabbed his tanto and started storming towards the door...

"Stand down, brother..."

Only Naruto's firm voice stopped the furious boy in his tracks, as the younger Namikaze glared at his sibling.

"Nii-san, they've got out sister and our uncle. I'll be damned if I let them die..." said Itachi coldly, but Naruto remained calm. And Kenshin who was standing beside his student was glad that his prodigy was maintaining his cool.

Even if he was fuming from the inside...

"I know how you feel..." consoled Naruto, but Itachi had other plans.

"Then let me go, or even better come with me. Yuna's our only sister, and Shisui has loved us as if we were his own children. We can't let them die like this..." argued Itachi, making Naruto close his eyes.

Mikasa, Rangiku, Kushina, Izumo, Sakura and Hinata along with Mikoto were waiting for the Namikaze clan head to say something. While Kakashi and Kenshin had an idea as to what was going on in Naruto's mind...

"Everyone except Kakashi and Kenshin, leave this room right now!" commanded Naruto,

"But, Naruto-" said Mikoto, as Naruto slammed his hand completely shattering a nearby table.

"NOW!"

Within seconds the room was empty, but Itachi had not left before casting a disappointed glance towards his brother. The younger sibling was certainly not happy with his brother's order...

_"Only if you knew the burden of leadership, Itachi..."_ thought Kakashi tiredly,

After their declaration of independence, it was unanimously agreed by all resistance leaders that Naruto was to be named the **"Supreme Commander of the Republic".**

The 20 year old boy was not only the leader of their army, but of their people, the symbol of their culture.

And now he was forced to chose between duty and family.

This was where the Namikaze brothers were different from each other. Itachi would never let his family die, he was a passionate warrior who believed in fighting till the last man. Just like their grandfather Tobirama...

But Naruto was different, he was a Blackops commander and had fought in their greatest world war. Hell, he even won the war for them...

As such he knew what they were up against...

"How many men do we have?" asked Naruto silently, voice devoid of any emotion.

"500 combat troops, 700 if we include the Blacklights. The other resistance cells are too far away to reach Osaka in such a short amount of time. Naruto, if we attack Osaka, we are doomed. There is nothing we can do for our comrades or your family members, I'm sorry..." clarified Kakashi frankly, earning a scowl from Kenshin.

"If you let our brothers and sisters die, this fight is over before it can even begin. An even stronger wave of fear and terror would sweep over the hearts of not only the civilians, but those of our own troops. The resistance would be destroyed, Kakashi..." warned Kenshin fiercely,

"I know, but-"

"It's a checkmate..."

The two commanders were stopped when they heard Naruto's words, and the boy stepped towards their combat table observing the various pieces spread across the board.

"Both of you are right. If we act, we are finished. If we don't act, then also we are doomed..."

"If it's over, then I suggest we retreat and gather our strength..." suggested Kakashi,

"No, it's not an option..." argued Kenshin,

"It's not over until I say it's over. As long as _I_ am the commander, I won't leave my soldiers to die like this, nor will I let the innocent people be terrorized by the Akatsuki..." declared Naruto authoritatively,

"We don't have the troops to fight such a battle..." said Kakashi aggressively,

"Wars are simply not won by sheer numbers. Half of the empire's army is compromising of missing ninjas of the past villages, thieves, robbers, bounty hunters and murderers beside the clone army. It is a highly undisciplined army being kept in line by Madara's fear..." replied Naruto smartly,

"What do you have in mind?" asked Kenshin confidently, completely surprising Kakashi.

"You two can't be serious. Naruto, your father would have agreed with me. Retreat is the logical option..." said Kakashi quickly, making Kenshin slam his hand on the table shaking the pieces on the board.

"Minato's not here right now. Naruto is not only our strongest fighter but the greatest military commander of this era. He has won impossible victories, Minato was a great Hokage but I trained this boy, and I can say it with absolute confidence that even his own father is no match for him in warfare and battle tactics. So, shut up...Kakashi" warned Kenshin, making Kakashi glare back.

Kakashi then looked towards Naruto, who requested him to maintain his calm.

"I understand your concerns, Kakashi. But what if I tell you, I can save our captured comrades but also give you Osaka..." offered Naruto slyly, an evil grin appearing on his face.

The shock was easily visible on Kakashi's face, as he comprehended the meaning behind those words. Winning Osaka would give the resistance a strong base and solve many logistical problems and garner them more support, it could very well be the first step towards victory.

The only question was...

How?

"What do you need?"

Kenshin couldn't help but smirk, when he saw the instant change in Kakashi's attitude. He had to hand it to his student, the boy could offer great deals that could even convince the most logical people like Kakashi.

For a moment they saw Naruto glancing at his captured sister, and the grinning Deidara beside her. A frown coming on his face, but he schooled his features and picked up a piece from the board.

"Give me this..."

* * *

(Execution Day: T-minus 6 Hours)

"This is madness..."

Naruto simply smiled on hearing his little brother's words, he could very well see and understand the fear in Itachi's eyes. And with good reason...

Him, Itachi and Yuna were the only siblings. One was already captured and near death, and the other was now heading straight for his own death.

"Naruto, this is too dangerous. At least, let me come with you..." requested Rangiku worriedly,

Mikasa and Kushina along with the entire resistance army had the same expression on their faces as they watched their leader finish his preparations. Dressed in his Blacklight uniform, Naruto placed his sword on its back. His face devoid of the worry that could be seen on the other's faces...

A kunai launcher was tossed into his hands, as a heavily armed Izumo stepped beside him.

"You two are insane..." said Mikasa irritatedly, making the two best friends chuckle.

"Maybe a little..." replied Izumo with a mischievous smile tugging on his lips,

"Scratch that, _we are crazy_..." said Naruto with a small laugh, while Izumo finished loading the magazine into his kunai launcher.

Kenshin also seemed doubtful about this action, what good were 2 Blacklights against an army of 4000 enemy troops? But knowing Naruto, he must have concrete reasons for such an action. Although the teacher was indeed surprised by Naruto choosing Izumo as his partner instead of Itachi. Granted the two boys were best friends, but he would have thought Itachi would be Naruto's first choice...

He also saw how heavily armed Naruto and Izumo were, in case of a fight they were sure to take down hundreds of enemy forces with the arsenal they were carrying.

Judging from the nervousness hanging in Izumo's eyes, the soldier knew something that no one in the resistance knew.

Naruto came forward and put a hand on his nervous younger brother's shoulder, giving him and the resistance soldiers a confident smile.

"If a king doesn't lead, his subjects won't follow. And there can be no victory without sacrifice..."

"This is not a game of chess, brother" argued Itachi in protest,

"_It is_ a game of chess. If everyone performs the tasks which I have assigned, then you have my word that victory will be ours..." assured Naruto,

The Supreme Commander then stepped towards the 500 battle ready shinobi who were looking towards him for guidance and strength. The only reason they had even agreed to stage this rescue operation was due to the fact that he was leading their army, and every resistance soldier had extreme faith in his abilities. If need be, they would not hesitate in dying for him...

"Today, I have no speech for you. But I do have a small message which you can use when you step on the battlefield..." said Naruto confidently, and raised his hand in the air.

**"Kill them all"**

The resistance army erupted into a series of cheers for a victory, simply the confidence that was oozing from their leader and the victorious look in his eyes was enough to motivate them. Many of their friends and family were going to be executed, and they would do everything to get them back.

With Naruto leading from the front, victory would be theirs...

"Izumo, let's go..."

The said soldier stepped beside his leader and best friend, as both of them gave a final look to their friends and family just before getting absorbed in a dark portal.

* * *

(Osaka: T-minus 30 Minutes)

After hiding in the shadows for 5 hours in the dark alleys of Osaka city, one Blacklight finally moved.

Izumo watched as Naruto quickly knocked down two clone troopers of the empire who were patrolling the alley. On receiving the signal, he grabbed one of the unconscious trooper, with Naruto grabbing the other. Giving affirmative nods to each other, the two former Blacklights dragged their enemies into a dark alley of Osaka city.

No words were said as Naruto removed the armor and clothing of the clone troopers, it was quite disturbing to see naked replicas's of his friend sleeping on the ground.

However, Izumo also performed the same action with the clone trooper which he had dragged.

Changing uniforms, the two best friends sealed off their former Blacklight clothes in a scroll and were now dressed in the uniform of the empire's clone troopers. There was a reason why Izumo was chosen for this mission...

He had the almost same height, weight, muscle that matched the clone troopers appearance. And by donning their uniform, he looked one of them...

While Naruto had effectively cast an illusion around himself in order to reduce his height and be on the level of clones. Even Izumo's veteran eyes could not see the difference or feel any disturbance in his chakra, which only proved how powerful Naruto's Mangekyo was right now. The eye had not only teleported them straight behind enemy lines but was also assisting in their deception...

Naruto had also taken into account the fact that the empire's forces had several kunai launchers, which they had confiscated from the captured or killed Blacklight soldiers in the past. So, not only the public but even the regular forces of the empire wouldn't doubt them for carrying these weapons as Madara had allowed a few elite clones to carry them.

And Naruto was wearing a dark reddish white colored armored uniform, signifying the rank of a clone captain. While Izumo was wearing a dark bluish-white colored armored uniform signifying his rank as a Lieutenant.

All the more reason the enemy wouldn't suspect them, and they would be able to carry out their mission.

But that was the hardest and heart crushing part...

Izumo looked towards his best friend who swiftly murdered the two clone troopers, their blood spreading across the entire ground.

"Naruto, are you really sure about this?" asked Izumo hesitantly,

"Yesterday we were soldiers on the front lines, Izumo. But today, front lines are history, uniforms are relic...this war will consume the entire world, and there will be thousands of casualties. Innocents will die in scores, we have to accept that..." said Naruto coldly,

"I know..." replied Izumo solemnly, what they were about to do would stain their souls for all eternity.

"Izumo, this mission will cost us a piece of our souls. But it would be a worthy sacrifice in comparison to what we will achieve for our future generations. Somebody has to stain their hands with blood..." explained Naruto sadly,

"No sacrifice, no victory"

Izumo couldn't believe his own words that escaped from his lips. For once, he was glad that Hana had died and was not here to see what he was about to do. It would have killed her...

With heavy hearts and those dark thoughts lingering in their minds, the two special ops soldiers walked out of the dark alley and stepped into one of the main street of Osaka city.

Hundreds of people were walking towards the center of the city as they were commanded by the empire's forces to watch the executions. Men, women, children...

They were surprised when they saw him and Naruto who were dressed as clone troopers officer's walk towards them.

The small flick of the kunai launcher's safety lock was heard as the masked Naruto looked towards him for one last time...

"Remember- no survivors"

For a moment the eyes of the people and those of the two Blackops soldiers met. First there was anxiety, then fear, then terror as they saw the deadly weapon being raised against them.

And then all hell broke loose...

_CLANG_

A sharp kunai was fired from Naruto's weapon which was lodged straight into an old man's forehead, instantly killing him. The man didn't even have the time to recognize what happened to him, before he was sent to the afterlife. As they lifeless body fell flat on the ground, and the blood started staining the soil the gravity of the situation finally registered among the people.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

"Run away!"

"They're killing us...!"

The terrified people were about to run when the full force of Naruto's kunai launcher rained upon down. Izumo also fired his own weapon as hundreds of kunai rained down on the defenseless people of Osaka city. Fountains of blood erupted across the entire street, staining the walls, the buildings, the windows, the soil...

Horrified screams echoed across the entire area as the life was stolen from the bodies of the people...

_CLANG_

_CLANG_

_CLANG_

_CLANG_

The deafening sound of the devastating kunai launcher ran loudly in the ears of the two best friends as with every passing second, their hands were being stained with the blood of more and more innocents and non-combatants.

Today, Izumo had realized how bloody this war was going to be and how much of their souls had to be sacrificed for a better future.

This was the reason Naruto had chosen him, he was the only one who could muster the strength to do what was necessary for victory. Kenshin would have agreed with this, but they needed him to lead their forces that were lying in wait outside the city.

A clone trooper squad along with several other regular forces of the empire appeared from a nearby street, their eyes had barely registered Naruto's presence before his kunai launcher butchered the enemy troops like flies.

The weapon never discriminating between friends or foes...

* * *

Deidara was shocked on seeing the several explosions occurring on the west side of the town, the cries of people dying were being heard across the entire city. And the thousands of Osaka residents that had gathered in the town square with him for the executions, were panicking with every passing second.

How did the resistance manage to infiltrate so deep behind enemy lines?

"Captain, have our perimeters been breached?" asked Deidara in panic, but was relived when the clone trooper leader nodded in negative.

"Perimeter is secure on all fronts. No sight of enemy forces, the fighting is happening inside the city. 2 of our own clone soldiers have turned and already murdered 100 civilians and several of our squads. They are slowly moving towards this position..." replied the clone tactlessly,

Deidara moved the stop the foolish mindless drone but it was already too late, the damage had been done.

The terrified civilians couldn't believe what they just heard, the empire was killing their families?

"You murderers!" yelled a young teenage boy, and threw a rock at Deidara

The Akatsuki easily evaded the attack, and glared at the furious people. He had to stop this mob right now, he had 4000 troops under his command but it was nothing in comparison to the 20,000 people that lived within this town.

Yuna who was chained to a cross, along with Shisui and several others saw the anger rising within the people. The clone army was keeping them in line, stopping them from breaking into mass panic.

She knew only one man who was capable of this much madness...

Her doubts were proven true, when several explosions occurred on various perimeters of the city. A tall red head could be seen standing on one of the giant walls...

Every soldier of the empire was shocked along with Deidara when they saw the most wanted target of the empire appearing right in front of them.

Kushina Uzumaki had emerged from the shadows after 4 years of hiding.

Shisui couldn't help but smirk, as he saw what was going on. Judging from the crazy look appearing in Deidara's eyes was enough to show the target had fallen to the offered bait...

Not only that, the hundreds of missing ninjas, bounty hunters, robbers, thieves that were serving in the empire's army saw the woman who had the largest bounty on her head. If they captured her, they would not only gain great wealth, but could also rise within the ranks and earn Madara's favor.

"Capture the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki!''

"This bitch's mine!''

"I'll capture her for Madara-sama!"

Like a chain of collapsing dominoes, half of the empire's army erupted into mass chaos as the greedy soldiers ran straight after Kushina, who simply smirked before running out of the city with 3 entire battalions of soldiers right behind her.

_"Take that you bastards!"_ thought Yuna proudly, as she saw the panic rising on Deidara's face.

The final nail in the coffin was struck when the giant TV screen that was stationed in the center of the town for broadcasting the executions of resistance soldiers, started playing an entire different scene.

A scene which sent shivers down the residents of the people of Osaka, as they watched their town folk getting butchered by 2 clone trooper officers.

* * *

Izumo just finished displaying the video footage, as Naruto changed back into his old Blacklight uniform. He quickly absorbed their blood stained kunai launchers inside his pocket dimension, and was now wielding his sword.

Performing a very familiar hand sign, the entire room and the street outside was filled with mysterious sounds.

Izumo was shocked when he saw at least 100 shadow clones of Naruto appearing beside them, not to mention the remaining 50 that were out on the street. They saw Naruto giving a signal and instantly transformed themselves into resistance soldier's replicas.

Without any word, the small army divided themselves into small squads and quickly went away in different directions.

"Naruto, the enemy has fallen into our trap. More than half of the empire's forces are chasing after Kushina..." warned Izumo, but his friend had his back turned towards him preventing Izumo from seeing what the man was upto.

"Are Kenshin and Itachi's forces in position?" asked Naruto stoically,

"Yes, the traps have been set. Our troops are already in their entrenched positions..."

"Connect me to the town's loudspeakers..."

Izumo pressed another series of buttons and turned towards Naruto to give the signal only to find tears slipping from his friend's eyes. Naruto didn't say anything as he grabbed the device...

But deep down both of them knew what price they had paid for this mission...

"Attention all Resistance soldiers and people of Osaka!"

Izumo saw relief appearing on the faces of the furious people of Osaka when they heard Naruto's voice. But none of them could see the tears and grief that was visible in Naruto's eyes...

''The empire's forces have massacred our brothers and sisters. This execution was only a trap to draw all of us out and silence us forever..." said Naruto passionately,

Taking one deep breath and closing his eyes in resignation, the leader of Republic made the most painful decision of his life...

"Attention all resistance soldiers, attack the Town square. Destroy the Empire's forces and save our Japanese breatheren. HURRY!" yelled Naruto passionately,

The skies of Osaka city were suddenly filled with several birds, and in moments several Blacklight squads led by Mikasa and Rangiku landed in various corners of the city.

Izumo quickly finished uploading the data from the devices that showed them the positions of their squads within and outside Osaka. Not only that, they were getting reports of the civilians revolting everywhere.

And it was increasing with every passing second.

A full blown mass riot!

"Naruto, your clones are in position. Is this what you really wanted?" asked Izumo hesitantly, and saw the tears in Naruto's eyes had dried up.

Now those eyes had a strange glow in them, a desire to win, a desire to crush the enemy to the very last soldier.

"Let me ask you something, Izumo..." said Naruto mysteriously, as he stepped towards the monitor.

"What?"

"Suppose if there is darkness in your world, which cannot be brought down through conventional means. Then what will you do?...

...will you taint your hands by committing sins in order to destroy the darkness, or carry out your own justice thereby creating another form of darkness?" asked Naruto slyly, making Izumo glare at him.

"It's all the same, you'll only replace evil with an even greater evil..." replied Izumo flatly,

The Blacklight saw his friend raising one of his fingers, and in that moment he realized what Naruto was about to do.

**BOOM!**

**BOOM!**

**BOOM!**

Hundreds of explosions rocked Osaka city as each and every one of Naruto's shadow clone exploded itself in a series of suicidal attacks. The sudden attacks instantly wiping out scores of enemy forces, buildings, houses, shops!

The Devil himself had descended upon the city...

The growing violence only seemed to further increase the anger of the thousands of Osaka's population. Within minutes, they were up in arms and fighting against the empire's clone army beside the resistance teams.

A massive revolt started everywhere, with the empire's divided forces getting overwhelmed on every front.

The bloody battle between the two factions was consuming scores of innocent people as the well trained clone army killed them mercilessly. But it would only be a matter of time, before they were outgunned...

And the entire world was witnessing this massacre with Izumo broadcasting the videos all across the world...

"We sent a strong message with this attack, Naruto..." said Izumo victoriously, as he saw their captured comrades getting freed by the people of Osaka.

Deidara had already started fleeing on his bird, as even he was not a match against an entire city of blood thirsty civilians. The Akatsuki fled from the battlefield leaving his disorganized troops to face the wrath...

On the other side, Kushina and Kenshin's little army had surrounded the enemy forces from all sides. And they were enjoying slaughtering each and every one of those missing ninjas and low life bounty hunters. For once, Kushina's Biju powers were coming in quite handy.

"Freeing our captured comrades was not the message..." said Naruto seriously,

"What do you mean?"

Izumo saw Naruto pointing towards the bodies of innocent civilians. Men, women, children who were killed by them disguised as Clone Troopers as well as the empire's forces that were also killing the enraged civilians in order to stop the revolt...

And this scene was being viewed all over the world.

**"This was the message..."** said Naruto darkly,

"The Akatsuki thinks they are smart and have the power. When the people of the world see these bodies, the entire world will cry for **war**..."

In that moment, Izumo truly saw and realized what his friend had just unleashed. And judging from the evil smirk that was etched on Naruto's face, it was fair to say his friend knew what he had done.

_A wind of sacrifice..._

_A wind of freedom..._

_A wind of justice..._

**_A wind of vengeance had just been unleashed..._**

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter...**

**Hope you guys liked it.**

**This chapter actually shows how committed and determined Naruto is for their cause. He is no longer the naive teenager which he was in the prequel, his time in hell has indeed made him accept the dark sides of humanity and that of himself.**

**Reviews are much appreciated.**

**Blackwolf501**


	15. Two Kings

**Yo..**

**Wow, a pretty good start to a new arc. I was skeptical whether my readers would like Naruto's actions, his morals are fucked up. But his tactical brilliance is the only thing that is saving the resistance's asses...**

**Real Wars are never like Cannon Naruto manga stuff, there is no justice, no honor, no pride. There is always slaughter...**

**I've got a question for my readers: Do you think the resistance can defeat the empire without Naruto?**

**If yes, then how? And if no, then why?**

**Would like to know your opinions on this subject.**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**Two Kings**

* * *

In a an abandoned valley of Osaka city, two boys could be seen standing beside each other. An eery silence prevailed upon the area, the occasional cold wind sweeping up the dull atmosphere with its cold current, while also swaying the boy's hair in the air. Their heavy, grief struck eyes remorsefully observed the blood stained walls, houses, shops, windows, streets...

And the 100 mutilated bodies lying around them...

Flesh pierced by sharp kunai, blood oozing out of their soft skins, their lifeless eyes staring upon the red colored sky as the sun was finally setting. Marking not only the end of the day, but the end of the lives of these people...

Who were they? What were their dreams? Did they have families?

Sadly, none of this would be remembered in history. Their names would vanish with the sands of time, and only proof of their existence would be the way they died which would be recorded in history. They would be remembered as the first casualties in the _"Revolutionary War for the Republic"_.

For the people of the future these dead men, women, and few teenage children would be nothing more than collateral damage.

But for the two boys standing here right now, caught up in the present time these people were far more than collateral damage.

"It's over, Naruto..." said Izumo sadly, as loud cheers of victory and sounds of bells ringing were heard across the entire city.

"Yeah..." replied the blonde leader silently,

"I...we...killed...them..." whispered Izumo, eyes filled with guilt. It was time to finally accept what they had just done for victory...

His chest felt heavy, he couldn't breathe on seeing the sight of all the blood. Izumo had been a Blacklight for years, fought in a war, watched so many friends and even his girlfriend die, but none of that could even come close to the amount of pain he was feeling right now.

He needed something, he needed to escape or he would simply die with the guilt in his heart.

A firm hand was planted on his back, before he was pushed forward and his head was now resting against someone's chest. A soft breath escaped from the person who had grabbed him in a light hug gently ruffling Izumo's hair...

"Let it out..."

His eyes widened in shock, those 3 simple words said by his best friend were like a sword that teared apart the barriers which Izumo had built. The dam of tears broke, as his ear shattering scream was heard in the entire area...

His comforter remained silent, resting his hand on Izumo's back as the young Blacklight poured out all his pain into the man's chest.

Time seemed to have stopped even as the sun vanished from the sky, the city's street lights were instantly activated. It was in that moment, when Izumo felt Naruto break the hug. He had never realized he was clinging on to his friend for the past 20 minutes, his friend's Blacklight uniform was wet from the tears that Izumo had spilled...

"Izumo..."

The boy looked up only to come face to face with a brightly glowing Mangekyo sharingan that was surprisingly looking at him kindly. The strange shaped eye moved while quickly pulling Izumo under its power...

"You won't remember any of this. The only thing you did today was hacking the enemy's communication channels, showed the videos across the world, while assisting in rescuing the people of Osaka city. You did a good job, you saved innocent people. Do you understand me, Izumo?" asked Naruto kindly,

"Yes, Naruto..."

"You should be proud of yourself, you're a good person. Now go and assist the others, I'll handle things here..." commanded Naruto, and gained a faithful nod from his hypnotized best friend.

"I'll see you later, Naruto..." replied Izumo happily, and flashed him his cheerful smile.

Naruto could only offer a half hearted smile as his friend shunshined out of the area, never remembering anything about the massacre they had to commit for victory.

And it was for the best.

"That was very kind of you..."

Naruto sighed tiredly when he heard that person's voice. He should have known, there was one person who could see through his schemes and tactics. After all, this man had trained him...

He was proved right, when Kenshin dressed in his old Blacklight uniform came beside him. His blood stained sword a proof of his power...

"Are the enemy units neutralized?" asked Naruto in a professional voice, making his teacher chuckle.

"There are still some left, but they are cornered. Mikasa is leading the charge, and will finish them off in a few minutes..." answered Kenshin frankly, as Naruto smirked.

"Sounds like Mikasa. I bet she's enjoying butchering the poor bastards..." joked Naruto,

"Very true..."

"Are you alright?" asked Kenshin hesitantly, as even he was a little disturbed on seeing the dead bodies around them. Knowing very well, how these people were killed...

The tactic was simply brilliant. Cruel, and heartless. But the results were off the charts...

"Who do you think I am?" asked Naruto smartly, as his teacher simply shook his head.

"Point taken...''

"But still I want you to know that I understand why you had to do this. This war can't be won by ideals alone, someone has to take the harsh decisions. Though I'm surprised you would go this far, after everything that happened in hell..." confessed Kenshin, and watched carefully as Naruto turned towards him.

Kenshin frowned when he saw a very familiar look appearing on Naruto's face...

"I don't know what you are talking about..." lied Naruto effortlessly, and didn't flinch when Kenshin narrowed his eyes sharply.

"Still a liar, I see..."

"It doesn't matter how I feel, what matters is the victory. I'm not the same person I was 4 years ago, this world is cruel. The moment I picked up this blade I knew there was no going back..." said Naruto seriously, gaining a nod from his teacher.

"But the Shinigami-"

"I will deal with him later. He's just a bitch, our real enemy is Madara. And don't worry, I will get my _sweet revenge_ at that fake Death God for what he did to me..." said Naruto with a small grin coming on his face.

"How? He's a god, and you're..." argued Kenshin, but stopped when Naruto started laughing.

"Don't forget who I am. _I am the **God of War**_, violence runs through my veins. I am the embodiment of power and vengeance, and I will take away the most precious thing that Hamura values..." declared Naruto in a dark, evil voice...

Kenshin was shell shocked on hearing that, he was really going to do that?

Sure, Naruto had angrily promised this action when he was being tortured in hell. But surely the boy was not serious, or was he?

After what had happened today, Kenshin would never fool himself in doubting how far Naruto could go for victory or vengeance.

**"Fuck the gods..."**

The dangerous Mangekyo that was shining in the darkness combined with the pressure in Naruto's voice, left little doubt in Kenshin's mind about his student's intentions. He really was going to do that...

"Hamura and his brother along with their descendants created this shitty world. It was their mistakes that sent humanity into an endless cycle of chaos and violence. I don't care what they think about my actions, they fucked up. As such they lost the right to judge me...

...they are simply humans who gained too much power and elevated themselves to a higher position." explained Naruto briefly,

"Naruto, we can't win against the gods..." suggested Kenshin hesitantly, after his time in hell the man certainly didn't have the will to challenge the supernatural beings.

He was further surprised when Naruto laughed...

"Who knows? I am Naruto, the man of miracles..." said Naruto victoriously, as his other mysterious eye was activated.

"Your powers won't work against them..." said Kenshin aggressively, but Naruto simply raised his hands in the air and looked towards the sky.

"Humans are never equals and since none of us are equals, do you know what that means,_Sensei_?" asked Naruto darkly,

"What are you doing, Naruto?" asked Kenshin worriedly,

"In this moment, I know who I am. I acknowledge what I am, I accept the sins I commit and I don't regret them as all of this is for a better world. That's why...

Dark clouds started hovering in the sky, lightning sparks started appearing among the clouds as Naruto raised himself up in the air. His murderous eyes looking in the vast sky, as if challenging each and every heavenly being as well as those creatures of hell.

"My name is Naruto Namikaze, eldest son of Minato Namikaze and the God of War...

...I challenge all of you, stop me if you can." challenged the blonde warrior, making the moon mark on his body glow as brightly as the real moon shining in the sky.

Kenshin was left speechless with his favorite student's actions. Gone was the broken boy whom he had comforted in hell, gone was the weak boy whom he had seen on the first day of Blacklight Boot Camp.

The only thing that remained now was a person who didn't fear anything, anyone, not even Kami.

A true God.

The same scene was being witnessed by the awestruck people of Osaka and the resistance soldiers, and they felt a new sense of energy and power surge through them when Naruto took out his sword and raised it in the air.

Many cameras were focused towards the brave boy, shocking millions who were watching the telecast when they saw Naruto flying in the sky.

"To the whole world..."

Mikoto also saw the power emanating from her elder son, as well as the affection and devotion which the people had in their eyes for him. It was as if Naruto was their true god...

"I am the Supreme Commander of the Republic of Japan, Naruto Namikaze..."

The resistance soldiers who were spread across all over the world, felt extremely proud from the power and confidence that their leader was displaying. After Madara's rise to power and his tyrannic rule, for the first time they could see an equally powerful hero in front of them. A man who was their savior, a man who shall lead them to victory...

To a better world...

"We, the people have liberated Osaka from the clutches of the empire. Our heroics and sacrifice this day has sent the empire's army running for their lives. As such, I name Osaka the first city of Japan. The first part of our glorious motherland!" declared Naruto proudly,

The reaction was phenomenal, the cheers of thousands of people echoed across the entire city. The hundreds of innocents lives being lost today all seemed worth this victory, as the people experienced true freedom being delivered upon them.

"This is only the first step towards victory. We will grow stronger, we shall attain our birthright. If the empire doesn't concede defeat, then we shall show them our true power!"

As he raised his sword high in the air, he saw the people looking at him expectantly...

**"LONG LIVE JAPAN!"**

The thousands of people along with the resistance soldiers erupted into similar chants, their determined voices sounding the first nail in the empire's coffin.

Itachi also stepped forward and offered a salute to their leader, with the others following soon after.

"All hail Naruto!"

"All hail Naruto!"

"All hail Naruto!"

In that moment, the man known as Naruto Namikaze was immortalized not only in history but in the hearts of each and every person of the world. And Kenshin could not help but smile on seeing the boy transforming into a god.

Indeed, Naruto Namikaze was destined for great things!

* * *

(1 Hour Later)

Naruto observed the scene before him with a fond smile playing on his lips, for there in front of him was an awkward Itachi who was embraced in a tight hug by their elder sister, Yuna. He had to admit his sister had transformed into quite an eye candy...

She was almost as tall as Itachi, her silky blonde hair now reached up to her back with one of the bangs covering her left eye. Her assets also seemed quite developed, which was all the more reason Itachi was feeling very uncomfortable while being suffocated in a bone crushing hug.

His playboy brother _deserved_ this little punishment...

"Spoke too soon..." cursed Naruto, as Yuna's hazel eyes landed on him as he stood on the doorstep of her room.

"You little shit..." snarled the eldest Namikaze sibling, as she marched towards Naruto. While Itachi heaved a sigh of relief, but didn't miss sending his cornered brother a mischievous grin.

"Oomph..."

Itachi snickered when he saw Naruto getting the same bone crushing hug from Yuna, but unlike him his elder brother returned the gesture quite happily. And it annoyed the younger brother...

How could Naruto maintain his cool demeanor so easily when Yuna's assets were pressed so close to his chest?

_Damn him, and his hip-cool attitude!_

While Itachi was busy in his world, Naruto was happy with embracing his elder sister.

"I missed you, Sister...'' said Naruto affectionately, and was surprised when she broke the hug.

Before he could comprehend what was going on, she laid a very quick peck on his lips. Itachi's jaw dropped down to the floor, and even Naruto was finding it quite difficult to maintain his demeanor.

"What...was...that...for?" asked Naruto nervously, gaining a mischievous grin on her lips.

"Just seeing if you were real. Last I knew you were dead..." teased Yuna, and chuckled when Naruto's cheeks turned a little red.

"And you verify that by kissing me?" asked Naruto awkwardly, but she simply shrugged her shoulders as if it was a regular habit.

"C'mon, it was just a peck..."

"Liar, you were feeling Nii-san up, **you pervert**!" yelled Itachi in an embarrassed voice, but flinched when the eldest sibling looked at him mischievously.

"_Oh, you seem jealous_...little brother. Do you want it too?" teased Yuna, and laughed when Itachi blushed like a tomato.

"That's not what I-"

"And you're one to call me a perv, when you are one of the biggest playboys in the resistance. Shall I tell Mikoto-sama about your hot springs ordeal with that girl named Tatsumi?" asked Yuna smartly, instantly silencing the hot-headed Namikaze, while Naruto bemusedly observed the banter.

It felt good to be back...

It was always like this, Yuna and Itachi would always banter like little children while he had to play the peacemaker. Even if she was the eldest among the trio, she was as much challenging like Itachi.

"All right, both of you are pervs. I guess it runs in the family..." said Naruto peacefully, receiving full blown murderous glares from the other two.

"Shut up, Harem king!"

"Hentai!"

Naruto's eyebrows twitched violently, his cool attitude vanishing instantly as he looked at his challenging siblings who were looking at him smugly.

"Wanna fight?" teased Naruto, but was taken aback when Yuna and Itachi's eyes gleamed brightly on the offer.

"Oh, shit!"

* * *

(30 Minutes Later)

Three youngsters currently lay flat on the floor beside each other, all of them were heavily panting but each of them had happy smiles on their faces. Yuna lay in the center with Naruto on her right, while Itachi on her left.

Her eyes shifted towards Naruto, he was so different than the little impulsive teenage brother she remembered. These two boys were the only family she had in this world, and were perhaps the two males whom she cared about the most in this world.

Even when she was about to executed, she had faint hope that Itachi would come to save her. There was no way her youngest sibling would let her die like that...

Instead she got both of her brothers storming the gates of Osaka, wrecking up the entire city and the giant army of the empire. It was a like a dream come true...

Naruto saw tears slipping from her eyes, and so did Itachi.

"I missed you so much..." said Yuna tearfully, as Itachi gently grasped her hand while Naruto wiped away her falling tears off her cheeks.

"You're safe now..." reassured Naruto, giving his elder sister a warm smile.

"Yeah, now the three of us can kick ass again..." joked Itachi, making her laugh a little.

Their words only seemed to make her even more emotional and so did their warm smiles. After being imprisoned for months, this was probably one of the most happiest times of her life. Not only was she saved, but she got both of her brothers back.

Itachi signaled Naruto, who simply gave a nod.

Going forward he wrapped his hands protectively around his sibling, resting her head onto his chest as she clutched onto him even more tightly. While Itachi sat nearby giving her a smile and caressing her hand.

Both of them knew that despite her mischievous and sometimes cold attitude, she was extremely soft on the inside. Too gentle, unlike them she had problems in controlling her emotions while with her closest kin. But it didn't bother them, instead the brothers found it adorable.

Yuna was one of the few people whom Naruto and Itachi cared about deeply, and would go to extreme lengths to protect her even if she was the eldest. They felt as if it was their duty to guard their only sister, who also happened to be their only sibling. Plus, she didn't have any parents...

Which was all the more reason they looked after her, and why she was so close to them.

She was half of the reason why Naruto had burned 20% of Osaka to the ground, murdered innocents, and butchered the empire's army. Yuna was simply too precious for even a cold hearted bastard like him.

And the same could be said for Itachi, who was ready to face the entire army of the empire alone if it meant saving her life.

"Please don't die on me again...'' requested Yuna, gaining a encouraging smile from Naruto.

"I promise..."

"You too, Itachi..." demanded Yuna, making the playboy Namikaze sigh before he too gave a faint nod.

"As bossy as ever. Fine, I'll stay by your side...or else you'll only get your ass captured once again" teased Itachi, easily diverting her attention from depressing thoughts. The competitive look appeared in her eyes again, as she poked Itachi's forehead.

"Pockey!"

Itachi's eyebrows twitched violently when she called him by that nickname. And Naruto couldn't help but laugh on seeing the priceless expression on his brother's eyes, he had to hand it to Yuna. No one else could rile up Itachi so much...

"Shrimp!'

"Pockey!"

"Shrimp!"

Naruto simply smacked his forehead when those two started once again, guess even gods had to deal with annoying siblings.

* * *

(Next Day)

When Naruto stepped into the newly established command centre, he didn't expect to find all of his officers standing crisply waiting for orders. His eyes then shifted towards the maps, electronic screens, communication devices. These guys had set up everything in a matter of a few hours...

But still he was the leader, and as such quickly hid his surprise and walked straight towards the centre receiving quick salutes from each officer on the way.

"Report..."

Rangiku stepped forward and flashed him a welcoming smile, which he returned faintly. She then pointed towards the large screen in the room, while Kakashi and Kenshin stood beside Naruto.

Several red dots appeared on the places around Osaka, as well as those in other countries.

"We've gained a huge advantage, Commander..." began Rangiku proudly,

Naruto also saw the army of blue dots that was spread across the entire world, it didn't take a genius to figure out those were the areas still under the control of the empire. Either the presence of enemy forces was too large there, or the people still hadn't gathered the courage to revolt.

Although the 50-60 red dots over the entire world, along with the 20 around Osaka were certainly much larger than he had expected.

"In the past few hours after seeing our victory over the broadcast, the people in several towns, cities and districts over the world have started an insurrection. Nagasaki, Ogi, Akita, Odate, Misawa and a few others have already overthrown the enemy forces in their towns. While the others are still engaged in an ongoing battle..." reported Rangiku quickly,

"We should grasp this opportunity and liberate as many cities as we can. The morale of our troops is high, and now we have several civilians willing to fight..." offered a resistance officer,

"Belay that order. We will do no such thing..." ordered Naruto,

"What do you suggest, supreme commander?" asked Kenshin curiously, as he saw Naruto observing a particular series of cities.

"Ask the Suna resistance to focus on cities/areas on their northern borders, and the Iwa resistance to focus on the few cities/areas on their southern border. Meanwhile, the Kumo resistance should move 1000 kilometers towards Otogakure..." suggested Naruto, while drawing various patterns on the screen in order to prove his point.

The soldiers and officers in the room couldn't understand why their leader was asking them to liberate those areas that were closer to the borders and had less resources in comparison to large towns and cities.

But Kakashi saw the pattern which Naruto was trying to form...

"You want to create a supply chain network. By making Iwa and Suna position near each other, their combined army along with the hundreds of civilian freedom fighters would be a formidable force that will help us in surrounding Ishi, Ame, Taki, and Kusa. They won't be able to launch a full scale invasion, but can effectively harass the enemy through guerrilla warfare...

...and since these two factions will be closer to each other, their coordination would be much effective. They can easily share supplies, reinforcements, weapons which will help them in surviving against the attacks of the empire" explained Kakashi briefly,

With the explanation, Kenshin also saw another pattern forming on a different front where Naruto had stationed the largest resistance cell: Kumo

"By deploying Kumo forces near Otogakure, you are effectively surrounding the empire from the north. Kumo forces have the numbers to completely destroy the northern front if they have proper support from other resistance cells. If Oto falls, then the empire loses their supply lines which helps them control Lightning Country. The entire sector will collapse..." said Kenshin in an impressed tone,

They were intrigued when Naruto drew arrows from Kiri resistance cells towards an abandoned island, while making Konoha's resistance cells fall back towards the coastal lines.

"With out feeble strength, it is not possible to maintain hold over so many cities. Instead we will consolidate our forces near the coastal cities, closer to Wave Country. While Kiri resistance will abandon water country and station themselves in the destroyed Uzushiogakure which is only a few miles away from Wave..." explained Naruto tactically,

"You're asking them to abandon their country?" asked Rangiku in shock, making Naruto shake his head in disapproval.

"Japan is our country, Water Country is simply too far away from the other resistance cells. We can not spare the resources to help them, plus the empire's largest naval fleet is stationed in the islands nearby. They are simply too strong there, and soon they will crush the resistance. It's best if they escape and bunker down in Uzu. Once we take over Wave, we can use that country's vast resources to build a naval fleet...

...only then we can wage a full on invasion to liberate water country. At the same time, if Kiri joins us on this front then we can form a formidable line of defense. And when Kumo moves to attack Oto, then both of us can charge from the eastern front and in a series of quick attacks we can seize the entire north-eastern front. We have to look at the bigger picture, or we will perish" said Naruto harshly,

There was absolute silence in the room, as the resistance leaders who were listening to the conference contemplated the offer. Naruto was their supreme commander and all of them had tasted bitter defeats at his hands in the previous war...

For a few minutes there was absolute silence in the room, as everyone's eyes were fixed on the light signals stationed in the right side of the room. If they glowed green, then Naruto's orders were accepted. If red, then there was objection...

It would still take time to establish actual communication lines, as Osaka had suffered quite the destruction in the past few hours.

And then it happened...

All 5 lights glowed green, signifying the agreement of all resistance cells and their leaders to Naruto's strategy.

"Start the deployments as soon as possible. Time is off the essence, the enemy must not figure out our strategy..." suggested Naruto,

He then turned towards a young officer who offered him a quick salute...

"Order Kushina Uzumaki to go to the borders of Water Country. It will be her job to safely relocate the Kiri resistance in her homeland. She's the only one who knows the way to enter that island. Kenshin, take 2 Blacklight platoons. You will keep her safe..." ordered Naruto,

"I'll protect her, you have my word" promised his teacher, as Naruto muttered a silent "Thank You"

"Kakashi, I am assigning you the task of training the civilian militia. We have no shortage of recruits and with your experience, I'm sure you can turn them into capable shock troops at the very least.." said Naruto confidently,

"No problem"

"Yuna, you will be the head of the Intelligence and Communication Units. Ino Yamanaka shall be your second in command..." said Naruto seriously, gaining a smile from his sister.

"I'll do my best..." promised Yuna happily,

"Mikasa and the 1st Blacklight company, and some of our best fighters would serve as the front line of our defense on the coastal front. Kakashi will regularly send them militia support along with logistics.."

"Understood" said Mikasa proudly, she was indeed honored that Naruto had assigned her such an important task.

"Itachi, you and the Konoha 12 and the others of your age group will act as my Rapid Action Force. Your task will be to gather resources, perform raids, destroy enemy outposts, and rescue civilians who are trying to join our side" instructed the elder brother

"Very well, Nii-san. I'll let the others know...and thank you for putting us on the front lines." said Itachi gratefully,

"You are our future, it is best if you lead the front and liberate our people..." answered Naruto, and then turned towards his mother.

"Mother, you shall be the leader of the medical division. Treat the wounded, and research for new medicines that can increase the fighting capabilities of our soldiers. I know supplies are short, but I have faith in your skills" said Naruto confidently, making her smile.

"I'll see what I can do..."

"Once Shisui recovers from his wounds and is fit for duty, Izumo will join him. Together they shall create our special aerial bombing fleet...their experiences from the past war will indeed prove to be quite useful" suggested Naruto,

"It's a good idea, we need that kind of firepower..." agreed Izumo,

"Before we launch our next large offensive, we need proper data and information. The only reason we won in Osaka is due to the 700 civilians who sacrificed themselves during the revolt, it was due to them that we didn't lose a single resistance soldier in this operation. However, innocent lives can't be sacrificed this callously again...

...as such I will be forming a Scouting Legion, with Rangiku as my second in command. I'll take the best trackers, infiltrators in our ranks and survey the enemy developments. Is that fine with you, Rangiku?" asked Naruto gently, and the blonde beauty was practically dancing with joy.

Not only would she be near him, but also serve as his second in command. It was a win-win situation for her...

"I'd be honored..." said Rangiku happily,

"Now, Homura-san and Koharu-san. You two are the most experienced leaders among us, I ask you to form an administrative system that will help in managing the thousands that have joined our side. If we are to win this war, then we need the people to follow rules and regulations instead of becoming lawless animals. And there is no one better than you for this important task..." requested Naruto very sweetly, after his last argument with these two old veterans, it was vital that he resolved their differences...

Despite their annoying traits, these two were effective governors and masters in keeping the civilians in line.

He was relieved when they gave him affirmative nods.

That settled everything, as he turned towards the other remaining officers in the room.

"All of you, I want a fresh count of the number of weapons, soldiers, logistics, number of civilians under us, every damn thing. You have 2 days, I suggest you get to work..." commanded the supreme leader,

Mikoto couldn't help but admire her elder son, watching him order people around and the people accepting him happily warmed her heart. Minato had once told her that he wanted to name Naruto as the next Hokage of Konoha.

Not only was he powerful, but an able military commander. He was also a diplomatic person, as he easily dissolved the tension between him and the elders (Homura and Koharu) while utilizing their talents for his gain and for the benefit of Japan. He knew when to be rough and when to be gentle...

It was hard for everyone to believe that only 4 days ago, they were on the verge of defeat. About to be crushed by the might of the empire and Madara...

And now...

For the first time in years, the people had hopes for a victory. For a world free of Madara, their hearts were full of enthusiasm and courage as they now had a powerful leader.

Yes, it was true that all of this would not have been possible without the support of the people. Soldiers and civilians both...

Their sacrifice was extremely crucial for the formation of their Republic.

But they couldn't deny the fact that they had more faith in Naruto than the system they were trying to form. He was the symbol of courage, victory, defiance, hope. His mere presence was enough to motivate even the weakest people to cease an impossible victory...

It was also quite dangerous, this entire revolution depended on her young son. She couldn't even imagine the burden Naruto must be feeling as he was not only responsible for the thousands that had decided to follow him, but was also responsible for defining history. In a way, it made Mikoto extremely sad...

All his life, Naruto had endured burdens which no one of his age should have bared. First the fourth great ninja war, then Obito, then hell, and now this war with Uchiha Madara. He had fought, bled, died, suffered in hell, and so much more for this cursed world. And was continuing to do so even now...

With a smile on his face...

If only Minato could see their son right now. How proud the father would be of his child...

_"You have finally surpassed your father, Naruto..."_ thought Mikoto happily, with a small tear slipping from her eye.

* * *

(Imperial Palace)

Uchiha Madara sighed tiredly as he watched Naruto liberating Osaka city from the grips of his empire. It was quite humiliating to watch his own troops getting butchered, if only the stupid missing ninjas and bounty hunters were alive, he would have killed them for their foolishness that led to his defeat.

Alas, Itachi Namikaze had not left a single one of them alive...

Although Madara could understand why. After all, they had threatened to execute Yuna, and Madara of all people knew how much a sibling could be precious to a person.

His eyes then shifted towards the woman standing before him...

The smartest and most dangerous member among his ranks. Sure the other Akatsuki were powerful in their own way, but Konan was the only one capable enough to stand against Naruto.

"It went as you predicted, Konan..." said Madara seriously, as the female Akatsuki looked towards him sharply.

"Did you allow the suggestion which I offered to you, Madara-sama?" asked Konan seriously, making the man smile deviously.

"You are smarter than all your male comrades, your thinking was the only reason that I am sitting here relaxing. Your idea would surely deal devastating damages over our enemies..." complimented Madara, and was further impressed when she didn't show any emotion.

She really was quite impressive, if only the woman in his time were like this. Powerful, smart and cunning...

"I am appointing you the new leader of our army and navy. Pein will handle the aerial fleets, you have proven far more useful than any of your peers. I'm impressed with your skills, woman" congratulated Madara, as a frown came on her beautiful face.

"I can't betray Nagato. He's far more suitable-"

"I will decide who is fit for what. Nagato was given a chance, he failed miserably. While your little trick will help us in gaining considerable advantage. The male members of Akatsuki are good fighters but you are one step above them. You are a genius strategist, who can predict Naruto's moves. I order you to become the leader of our army and navy, if anybody has objections then tell them to shove it down their throats...

_**...I am the rule here, got it?"**_ asked Madara darkly, making her flinch.

"Understood..."

"What about Deidara?" asked Konan quickly, trying to divert his attention.

"Leave that idiot, we have far more important things to take care of. If he ever shows his face, then you have permission to do as you please..." said Madara nonchalantly, and was intrigued when a cruel smirk came on Konan's lips.

Guess, she really disliked the blonde bomber...

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned- it was probably going to be proven in Deidara's case.

Watching the newly appointed female general leave, made Madara smirk.

He was actually going to enjoy the confrontations between the two great generals of his lifetime. Out of all the Akatsuki, he had extreme faith in Konan. If she had the same power as him, then the woman could have defeated him with her tactical brilliance.

Things were certainly going to get very interesting...

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**Don't forget to answer my question.**

**Reviews are also much appreciated.**

**Blackwolf501**

**PS: I have posted a map of Naruto world, if you want to see the strategy which Naruto formed then go to my profile, the map will be under Namikaze Legend pics section.**


	16. Breaking Bad

**Yo...**

**Thank you for answering my question.**

**And no, Yuna is not a romantic interest of Naruto. She's his sister, and neither does she have a sharingan. Remember she's only a Namikaze, and has no blood relations with the Uchiha like her brothers.**

**Madara is still in Edo Tensei mode, as such Pein still retains the Rinnegan with himself.**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

**Breaking Bad**

* * *

(3 Weeks Later)

In a lonely office, a young blonde boy was currently sitting peacefully. An entire row of papers lay idly on his desk which were being highlighted by the occasional moonlight that slipped through the windows. The city beneath his office tower was sleeping quite peacefully. The people safely resting in their comfortable homes, the streets were almost empty, and the entire atmosphere was quite silent.

The only sound that was heard was the regular taps of his ink brush and the stamps which he would plunge on the documents submitted to him.

Stamping another paper, he looked up to see only a few more remaining. Stifling a yawn, he grabbed them with the intention of going through them as well.

It was true he was very tired, it had been almost 3 weeks since he came back to life and never once had he slept. The dark circles beneath his eyes, and the reduction in his body mass a clear sign of his deteriorating health. He knew it was a serious matter of concern, but sleeping would be far more dangerous and horrifying.

Deciding to divert his attention back to work, he shifted his gaze towards a report which explained the list of supplies the research and development teams needed in order to build new and far more effective weapons than what they already possessed.

His creative mind started to think about various possible ways to provide the requested supplies, until a knock was heard on his door.

He could not help but wonder who could be visiting him at midnight, or how did someone knew he was working so late. Regardless, he was about to give a reply, when the person's patience ran out and the door was quickly opened.

For a moment Naruto felt a little annoyed as his privacy was disturbed without permission, but when he saw who it was the frown on his face disappeared and was replaced by a faint yet welcoming smile.

"Still working I see..."

"Yes, although I'm surprised you're still awake. You sure don't like your beauty sleep getting disturbed..." teased Naruto,

Rangiku merely scoffed on his light jab but couldn't stop herself from laughing a little. Just when Naruto was about to relax, she narrowed her eyes and gave him a sharp glare.

"You haven't slept ever since you came back to life...'' accused Rangiku pointedly, surprising the person before her.

"How do you-"

"Please, I'm a certified doctor now who was personally trained by Tsunade-sama before she died..." said Rangiku confidently, but cursed herself the very next second when she realized what she had just done.

Naruto sat in his chair, an unreadable expression etched across his face as his dark eyes looked at her. Just what was going through his mind...

Both of them knew it was Naruto's dream to become a doctor, before he was forced to become a ninja. Not only that, she had also carelessly reminded him about the death of one of his last relatives from the Senju clan.

"Thank you..."

She blinked in surprise on hearing him say those 2 words, what was more surprising was the proud look in his eyes as he gazed at her.

"I don't understand..." said Rangiku hesitantly,

"You were the only one who knew about my dream, that one wish which I could never fulfill. It may not mean much to you, but it really means a lot to me. It makes everything worth it, as there was someone who still remembered and cared about that little dream of mine..." said Naruto happily, as she came beside him.

"It was not just me, but everyone. All of us tried to keep on fighting, fulfilling your dreams in our own ways. But you've changed...

..._for worse_" said Rangiku disappointedly, as he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"And what might that be, _dear Rangiku_?" asked Naruto very sweetly, and chuckled when she gave him an equally dark glare.

"You are **evil**, a cold person who has no morals left in him. A warlord who would go to any lengths for victory, the others may not see it. But I can see the thirst for vengeance, the sea of anger, hatred burning within you...

...and you plan to engulf the entire world in it. Isn't that right?" asked Rangiku knowingly, and stood her ground when he got up from his chair.

Her lover didn't say anything, instead he walked towards the window of his room. His dark eyes observing the vast city of Osaka right beneath his feet...

"And what if I do?"

His cold, ruthless answer was no surprise to her as she merely sighed and averted her eyes that were glaring at his back. The commander of the Republic patiently waited for the series of accusations, curses to be hurled at him.

And he was certainly baffled when she kneeled before him devotedly, her right hand firmly resting on her chest offering a crisp salute.

"Then let me walk by your side. Maybe I can't change your mind, but getting away from you means giving a free reign to your darkness. I can't let the thousands of innocents be murdered for your madness, and neither can I allow you to dive any further into darkness...

...that's why I want to pledge myself to you." said Rangiku very seriously,

"There is no need-"

"_You_ don't get to decide that, Namikaze. Even if you're a dark person now, I still love you. If you have decided to forget all your emotions, morals then I will be the light that guides you. I will be the one that prevents you from staining your hands with unnecessary blood...

..._to protect you from yourself, Naruto_" promised Rangiku fiercely, making him smirk.

"It seems I'm not the only one who has changed after all, Rangiku..." said Naruto coolly, and turned around to face her fierce light blue colored eyes.

"And what do I get in return by granting you this position, to be so close to me?" asked Naruto sharply, surprising his lover.

"You...selfish punk" said Rangiku childishly, while the blonde leader merely chuckled on seeing her blushing cheeks. It seemed she had gotten the wrong idea, although that thought was also a part of the deal.

"It's only fair that I ask something from you, if I am allowing you to be my moral cop..." said Naruto nonchalantly, and the blonde beauty simply gritted her teeth.

"Fine, what do you want from me?" asked Rangiku sharply,

Naruto closed his eyes and walked towards her, then without another word he knelt down and engulfed her into a warm, passionate hug.

"Be yourself"

Rangiku was certainly shocked on hearing his request, did those words really mean what she was thinking?

"If I'm supposed to walk the path of evil, then I don't want you to have any part in it. It's my responsibility, but I do accept you as one of my most trusted comrades and appoint you a general in our army. And as a sign of my love towards you, and the relationship we shared in the past...

...I grant you the solemn power to ask the truth from me. I won't lie, not to you..." promised Naruto faithfully, and smiled when he felt soft hands embrace his back.

"Thank you, Naruto. Even if you're evil now...I can still see my old Naruto in there. He may never appear frequently, but the fact that he is still alive is enough for me" said Rangiku happily, as a lone tear slipped from her eye.

"Perhaps you'll see him when all of this is over, Rangiku..." suggested Naruto,

"I really want to believe that..."

"You were always the philosophical one, Rangiku?"

"And you were the realist..."

Silence fell in the room, as the couple stopped talking and were instead enjoying their close company. For the first time in weeks, and after 4 years of loneliness; Rangiku was finally getting what she always wanted. Even if Naruto had changed, she couldn't stop herself from loving him...

He was simply a person who was a master in stealing people's hearts, and hers was one of the million hearts whom he had stolen. He was a liar, manipulator, evil, selfish person- had every damn trait that a girl didn't want in her partner.

And yet...

She could not feel but get even more close to him, as she was one of the few who also knew another side of him. Through her life she had learned that when you loved someone, you have to accept their merits as well as their faults. Rangiku knew Naruto was truly a devil now...but he was fighting for a better future which could not be obtained without monumental sacrifices.

When she had seen the video of clone officers murdering civilians of Osaka, and the public outrage that led to the defeat of the enemy forces. Combined that with Naruto's secretive nature and how he only took Izumo with him, left little doubts as to what he had done for victory.

Yes, he had, was and will murder innocents. People who didn't deserve to die...

Even then, she would never leave his side. Because only once a person came to know the real Naruto Namikaze beneath all his masks, lies, there can simply be no reason for them to stop loving him or abandon him. And fortunately or unfortunately she had seen that side of him along with Mikasa and Kushina...

That's why despite everything, she would forever stay by his side. She had lost him twice in the past, once to the Akatsuki and then to Obito's madness.

And now she had to protect him from getting destroyed from _his own_ madness.

But it also raised another question in her innocent heart...

"Naruto am I the only one who can ask you any truth?" asked Rangiku hesitantly, knowing very well she was entering into dangerous territory.

"Yes"

"Why?"

"My mother's been through a lot, it's only fair that I don't put her in much trouble. Itachi has his own life and goals which he needs to accomplish and for that he needs a clear mind, Mikasa has her own demons to deal with and we're certainly not on the best terms right now. As much as I'm sad to say this, Kushina is far more dependent on me than I am on her. She has a sea of emotional needs which went unfulfilled throughout these years, plus there is the fact that she blames herself for my death 4 years ago, the Akatsuki is after her, and people have not been too kind on her...

...it's merciful that I don't put any more burden on her right now. Sometimes ignorance is best, the only one who knows everything about me is Kenshin. Everyone else have no need to get involved in my personal affairs. Does this answer seem truthful to you?" asked Naruto patiently,

"Yes, but why me?" asked Rangiku anxiously, making him smile pleasantly.

"You neither have a dark past or too many burdens on you. Lying to you, will only break your heart. Yes, I am a demon now...

...but I'm _not a monster_, Rangiku" whispered Naruto nervously, barely exposing his vulnerable side.

A part which he had concealed for the past 3 weeks...

"If you have any doubts, or feel that I am unworthy of your love then now is the chance to turn back. I won't blame you..." offered Naruto calmly, even if his heart was cursing him for offering such a proposal.

"Baka..."

A tender kiss was laid on his forehead, as her soft hands caressed his cheeks.

"The greatest general of this world, and yet you can't understand a woman's heart?" mocked Rangiku, as he merely smiled.

"Can't be a master at everything..." countered Naruto smartly, as his girlfriend simply sighed at his antics.

He was intrigued when she bit her lip nervously, something was definitely going through her over-imaginative mind. Hopefully, it was not something too dangerous.

"I want you to spend the night with me!" blurted out the blonde kunoichi rather too quickly,

Naruto blinked in surprise, as his logical mind tried to interpret the different meanings behind her haphazard request. In the end, he went for the most obvious answer that any 20 year old boy could think of at such an hour.

"You wanna have sex now?" asked Naruto dumbly, making her blush different shades of red.

Her response was a gentle bonk on his forehead, while she gave him the most intimidating gaze she could muster after hiding her previous embarrassment and little bit excitement.

"I didn't meant _that_, hentai. Oh Kami, all men are the same..." cursed Rangiku disappointedly,

"But I thought-"

"**What**, _that you're getting laid?_ You're so not getting into these pants so easily, _Namikaze-san_" mocked Rangiku triumphantly, as his shoulders slumped in defeat and a dark cloud started hovering above his head.

Although he completely missed her aroused gaze as she analyzed his newly developed body. He looked much more hotter than before, which was all the more reason it was so hard for her to resist him.

However, she would be damned if she let him get her so easily. She was neither Mikasa or Kushina, and knew perfectly well how _Not_ to fall to his charm.

And certainly not before he fulfilled that promise...

If he remembered it at all.

"Meanie..." moaned Naruto childishly, a fake pout etched across his handsome face.

"(sigh) So, are you ready to go?" asked Rangiku uncaringly, completely ignoring his puppy dog eyes jutsu.

Only one look was deadly enough to break her composure and engage in a heated session right here. No, she had to make him work for it!

Oh, she was definitely going to enjoy this little game.

But it seemed Naruto also had the same idea.

"On second thought, I do have some important reports to look into. Maybe some other time, Rangiku-chan?" asked Naruto evasively, an arrogant smirk coming across his lips as he knew his kind and gentle Rangiku would agree with him.

And that was when he was shocked when she pressed a kunai _very very_ close to his precious jewels, a demonic look appearing on her face as she gave him a very sweet smile.

_**"Did you say something?"**_

"NOPE!''

* * *

(Few Minutes Later)

"(sigh) Damn, that Rangiku!"

Naruto cursed his girlfriend for the umpteenth time as he found himself sitting on her bed, the curtains in the room were closed preventing any light from seeping inside the room. Nor could he see any scene of the outside world...

It was only due to his activated sharingan that he could barely see a few things in this much darkness. The room was indeed quite comfortable and cool, not to mention the beautiful piano tune that was being played on the recorder.

It was so peaceful and welcoming.

Even if he didn't want to admit it, he felt happy within this atmosphere. But what troubled him at the same time was the darkness and the loneliness he was facing by being alone, as these two factors brought back very dark memories.

He was relieved when he felt Rangiku entering the room, she was perhaps wearing a night gown which was barely hiding her voluptuous breasts, but he couldn't be too sure.

Deciding to avoid his carnal desires, he instead turned off his sharingan and settled for quietly relaxing on her bed. Maybe they could just talk, or he could wait till she fell asleep...

He was surprised when a cup was presented before him, and judging from the sweet, welcoming smell it was...

"Coffee..." said Naruto happily, as the drink that had helped him stay awake at nights was presented before him.

Muttering a silent "Thank You" he quickly took the cup, and gulped down the precious liquid drink with great ease and expertise. After all, he was a pro in drinking hot coffee after 3 weeks of practice.

He was indeed shocked when the liquid instead of making him feel more energetic, started draining every last ounce of energy from his body.

"Relax, Naruto. It's not poison..." joked Rangiku mischievously, while gently slipping in bed with him.

She was quite impressed with her new formula, although not so much with the amount she had to add in the coffee. But it had to be done, because as per her calculations Naruto's Biju powers would have certainly overcome the after effects very rapidly if not for such a high dose...

Just as predicted, his body lost all strength and she gently grasped him as he started falling down on the soft bed surface...

Resting his head in her lap, she gently started stroking his hair as the sweet music of the piano tune was played beautifully by the recorder.

"What...is...this...Rangiku?" asked Naruto tiredly,

"It's something which has to be done. Do you trust me?" questioned Rangiku seriously, making him roll his eyes.

"Yes..."

She was extremely silent for at least 1 or 2 minutes, gently stroking his hair with her hands. Strangely he felt quite comfortable in this position, even if it made his cheeks blush red. This peace was rather short lived...

"Then let me in..."

Rangiku felt him stiffen as hard as a rock, his hands roughly tightening the lower half of her nightgown. Even if he tried to hide it desperately, she could still feel the trembling of his muscles...

"Don't be afraid. It will be fine..." reassured Rangiku politely,

"No"

"Can I say something, Naruto?" asked Rangiku very patiently, as he simply scoffed. He was certainly not happy with the direction in which they were headed, yet the drug in his system combined with the peaceful atmosphere and her comforting presence was preventing him from starting a strong protest.

"Say what you want, I'm not doing that..." said Naruto stubbornly,

"All my life I chased after your shadow. I'm sure it must have been the same for Mikasa and Kushina, I wanted to be acknowledged by you, to be loved and adored by you. And when it happened, I was overwhelmed with joy as all my dreams were fulfilled, the pain of losing Armin and so many of our friends and comrades started to heal with time...

...but in this sea of happiness, I missed your pain. You're a liar, and a damn good one at that. You made each and everyone of us believe that you were fine and happy, that you could go on with your life after the war. But the truth was that you were tired, pained by your actions in the war. So much so that you wanted to repent in anyway possible. Am I right?" asked Rangiku sadly,

"I don't know what-"

"The pain was so unbearable that you chose to die while saving us from Obito and the Kyuubi. You're like a coin, always having two sides to yourself- light and dark. Your dark side was tired of the ninja world, the hatred, pain, revenge and everything. Tired of the sins you committed and wanted to repent while also making the entire world burn for the pain it caused you...

...while your light side was the kind and gentle you. The one who loved all of us, and wanted to protect us from any kind of pain, even if it came from you. I knew from the first day in Blacklight Boot Camp that you were like an anti-hero, a person who had a lot of darkness in himself. At first, it was your confidence and cool attitude, that attracted me to you. But then, I got to know the real you..." said Rangiku affectionately,

She felt him tightly gripping the fabric of her nightgown, it was a warning sign from him. Telling her to stop...but she could not. She would not stop...

"Despite your darkness, you really loved all your friends. Even when you called yourself selfish, you still protected us. The way you loved and cared for Armin, was perhaps even more than what a real big brother felt towards his younger brother and it was the same for Armin as well. You were open to all of us, shared your pain...

...but it all changed when Armin died"

"Stop it..." said Naruto desperately, just why couldn't she stop?

"His death destroyed you completely. You lost faith in everything, even in yourself. So, you closed yourself and let your pain build up within yourself. In your own twisted way, you were trying to punish yourself for failing to protect Armin, when it was he who willingly died for you and all of it was Baku's fault. After that, it was like a series of collapsing dominoes...

...you fell greater and greater into your own inner darkness, until Kushina somehow got you back to us. But by then, you were nothing more than a mere shell of your past self. Perhaps, only your father saw it and tried to help you. But the damage was far too extensive..." said Rangiku sadly, and flinched when he glared at her.

**Furiously**.

"I said stop it, woman!" shouted Naruto furiously,

_SLAP_

Tears were freely falling from her eyes when she gave him that hard blow on his right cheek. That resonating sound from the contact shattered his built up anger, making him avert his eyes. How could he shout at her like that?

It was unfair...

But she was getting too close. Too near to those barriers which he had built for years, and it was scaring him.

"A person who walked alone, despite having comrades on his side. A ninja who protected from the shadows, and never trusted anyone. A boy who tormented himself for eternity because he couldn't forgive himself for the death of his 2 closest friends...

...a man who was burdened by the sin of murdering 300 innocents for the greater good, a young teenage boy who was horrified of his own blood stained hands. The painful events never stopped even after the war and continued in the form of Konoha's Civil War, people's complete ignorance of your pain, and finally the death blow came in the form of Obito's attack. When you lost Itachi, you snapped." explained Rangiku remorsefully, completely unaware of a third party who was listening to her.

And neither was it's presence being felt by Naruto, however it didn't change the fact that the fox inside of him was listening to each and every word.

Getting to know just what kind of person his container was, what was he in the past and what actions/events made him turn out like this.

At the same time, Naruto was also undergoing a totally different kind of experience. And it was brutally painful, even in comparison to murdering innocents for saving the world.

"For the past 4 years I tried to understand each and everything about you. And now I finally understand you, the man I loved couldn't suffer anymore. Your darkness was overwhelming you, making you want to burn the entire world in your revenge. But you refused...

...in the end, you again overcame the odds and saved everyone as well as the world. In that one selfless act, you gave the world a chance at a new future, to amend its mistakes despite hating it from the bottom of your heart. While condemning yourself to an eternal existence of suffering, and that is the reason why I still love you. Why I still care about you, why I'm willing to live and die for you, Naruto" yelled Rangiku desperately,

Grasping his face, she lifted him up and was now staring at him with their eyes and lips mere inches away from each other. One had an eternity of pain trapped in them which the other was willing to accept.

"I can't take it anymore, Rangiku" pleaded Naruto, his every barrier was being crushed by every single word that escaped from her tongue.

Not only her pained voice, but the truth behind her words was what scared him the most. This had to stop...

"You're caught in an endless cycle, please don't torture yourself again. This is the same path you walked 4 years ago, this is your chance to start anew. Correct the mistakes and live a whole new life...

...so, please I'm begging you" requested Rangiku, but he shut his eyes quickly in order to avoid her tearful gaze.

"It is my responsibility to bear this, my burden to carry on with my pain. And I can do it, without yours or anyone else's help..." replied Naruto coldly, as her glare intensified.

"Don't be so arrogant, Naruto. You are only powerful because of the people around you, the teachers who trained you, the friends who stood by you no matter what, the family who loved and nurtured you, and the people who loved and respected you. The only reason you can even call yourself a god...

_...is because of our faith in you_" declared Rangiku straight forwardly,

The confidence shattered, arrogance vanished, as his eyes widened in shock and all the great God of War could do was stare at the fierce blonde woman in front of him.

"Rangiku, you..."

"Learn something from your parents, Naruto. Your father also had to murder hundreds of people for protecting Konoha, he had to take several tough decisions as Hokage while sending countless ninja to their deaths. How do you think he dealt with so much pain, grief, burdens? By simply being strong...

..**.No**, it was due to your mother. The one who stayed by your father's side, supported him, raised his family, gave him 2 wonderful children who brought the life back in Minato-sama's dark existence. If he had shouldered everything alone, then he would have ended up like Madara or Obito. You're heading on the same path of self destruction again. The Republic of Japan means nothing to me, if you are not there with me" suggested Rangiku patiently, as deep down she knew she was pretty close.

Not only she had to do this for Naruto's sake and their relationship, but he was also their leader. It was vital that he was relieved from his pain, she had been unable to see them in the past but now...

"It's too painful. None of you can bear it, and I can't put you through that pain" confessed Naruto, as she flicked his forehead with her finger.

"Ow!"

"Baka, don't make all decisions by yourself. Do you think it is less painful watching you suffer like this? If you try to shoulder everything on your own, you will end up like last time. Naruto, you already know what happened due to your decisions 4 years ago when you made all the decisions and shouldered all the pain. Deep down you know this too...

...so make a new choice this time. Believe in us, believe in me just as I believe in you as that is what is meant by truly loving someone" said Rangiku passionately, and inched even more closer to him.

Her lips now grazing his own lips, but yet maintaining a minimum distance while their hot breaths escaped from their lips.

She anxiously waited for him to say something, as she had tried everything she could. A wave of fear passed through her heart when he closed his eyes, was he closing up on her?

"You planned this up?" asked Naruto, as a faint smile came on his lips.

**"What are you going to do, Naruto? Walk the same path or-"** asked Kyuubi curiously, making the boy sigh tiredly.

_"Can't you see, Kyuubi. I'm already defeated, The Black King has fallen tonight...a checkmate"_ confessed Naruto honestly,

**"I see..."**

After a deep breath, he opened his eyes again and looked straight at her. Logical choice was quite plan and simple, and yet...

"You defeated me. Rangiku, you truly are a worthy partner..." complimented Naruto, while gently grasping the back of her neck.

His right hand was now resting on her cheek, and when he received a firm nod along with a wide smile from her...

...he went ahead and claimed her lips.

* * *

(2 Hours Later)

Rangiku still couldn't stop the tears falling from her eyes, her hands gently caressing the person's hair who was lying in her lap. What she had seen, there were no words which she could describe that horror with...

Now, she understood just how strong he was.

To be able to bear this much amount of pain, and still have the strength to lead the entire world while challenging Uchiha Madara.

"You really are amazing..." said Rangiku proudly,

And now there were no lies, no masks, no mysteries between them. The only thing that prevailed was the truth, he had chosen to trust her and shared his pain. It was quite painful for her to watch all those memories, and he had been true to his word and had showed her everything.

But in the end, it only brought them more closer. Made them understand each other even more, the distance that was created between them due to his lies and death was now finally sealed.

She could truly love him now without any kind of misgivings.

Rangiku couldn't help but smile in relief when she saw a peaceful smile etched across his handsome face, with a few tears drying up on the skin...

_...as he slept peacefully for the first time in more than 300 years!_

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**I was so busy watching Tokyo Ghoul anime and reading the manga, it's quite awesome. That's why it took this long to update...**

**Reviews are much appreciated.**

**Blackwolf501**


	17. RAF

**Yo...**

**Before I start, let's make some things absolutely clear. This AN maybe a little long, but it's necessary.**

**First of all, let's talk about Naruto's confession to Rangiku. Remember how secretive he was in the prequel, hiding all pain within himself until he couldn't live with himself anymore and sacrificed himself at the very first chance for the greater good, he was that desperate for redemption. It's my belief that people should learn from their past and their mistakes, and I want Naruto to go in a different direction from his past.**

**Next why Rangiku was the one who got through and not Mikasa, or Kushina?**

**From the beginning of this series, Rangiku was Naruto's sweetheart. Mikasa is a hardass and as Naruto said they are not on the best terms for now, while Kushina already blames herself for Naruto's suffering in hell. Use your rational sense and try to imagine what would happen if Naruto confessed what happened to him down there, Kushina would fall apart. And the fact that she's a Jinchuuriki, is also another reason that it should be prevented at all costs (The same goes for Naruto as well, see what Rangiku did not only for Naruto but for the republic. She is smart and very mature). Remember an emotionally wreck Naruto during Cannon Pein arc? (Kushina might even summon the Death God to smack him back to oblivion, LOL).**

**Kushina is a pairing option, along with Mikasa and Rangiku. It's been stated in the summary and I will give everyone equal treatment.**

**Don't even think for a second that writing a Harem story is easy. It's one of the most toughest things that a writer can attempt, development of female characters, giving them unique personality traits, making them presentable as real people instead of crazy fangirls is quite challenging. So far, I've done a good job on almost all fronts and I only prepare the plots that are suitable with my female characters.**

**Phew, and lastly I am the author/creator of this story.**

**That's all...**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

**RAF**

* * *

A group of men dressed in royal military uniforms crisply stood beside each other. The stars on their broad chests a symbol of their position as leaders of the great army of the most powerful empire of the world. In the past, they had served the Damiyo's and their vast armies, but now that the power balance had changed they had decided to bet on the most strongest player.

And that was Uchiha Madara...

What they couldn't understand was that how a prideful man like Madara, who utterly despised all female warriors had appointed one as the leader of his army and navy. It was a well known fact, that Madara considered most women to be weak and fragile.

But judging from the cold, steely gaze given to them by the female kunoichi before them was enough to show that she was neither weak or fragile.

The fact that she was one of the Holy Knights and former member of the Akatsuki was enough to keep these prideful generals to utter any words of defiance.

Meanwhile, Konan briefly observed the group of men before her. For her, they were nothing more than power hungry fools who could betray anyone for power regardless of any sense of justice or beliefs. Despite swearing an allegiance to Madara, they wouldn't hesitate in betraying him and the empire on the very first chance if they felt threatened.

A message was needed...

"I am the new leader of the ground as well as naval forces of our empire. Your previous leader has been relieved of his duties and assigned the task of leading the air force. I am neither concerned or care about your petty differences with each other or prejudices against me, but you will obey me and follow my commands. If I sense any treachery or attempts that will harm the empire, I will execute your entire clan who are now under the supervision of my personal guard" declared Konan coldly,

She remained calm, never raising a single eyebrow as the furious men glared daggers at her. One of them even tried to speak something, but was silenced by another fearing she would execute all of them, for the mistake of one.

"Rest assured, if you perform your duties no harm will come to them and they can enjoy their lavish lifestyles that has been granted to them by the Emperor. If you perform well, you might even rise higher in the nobility and gain considerable rewards from me and his majesty" offered Konan smartly,

She had to do her best to hide the frown on her face when she saw the greedy men looking at each other, completely forgetting her earlier intimidation as their selfish hearts were focused on the reward they shall achieve on victory. It was a standard tactic of intimidation and bribery which she had used against them, and to think these people were said to be great warrior generals...

When they were nothing more than a bunch of backstabbers, who sold of their armies and the Damiyo's for power. That was also one of the reasons why the empire rose so quickly, the people from the ninja world betrayed each other faster than the Akatsuki expected.

_"Men..."_ thought Konan disappointedly,

4 years ago, she was the only one in the Akatsuki who had strongly recommended Pein to kill Naruto Namikaze. Surprisingly, Orochimaru had backed her on this decision but had asked for the boy's body. Alas, Nagato's pride and Obito's overconfidence were the reason she was standing here trying to cover up their mistakes.

Even now she was angry at her childhood friend, how could Nagato be displeased when Madara appointed her the new leader? He should have known that she would rather die than betray him...

The glare that he gave her hurt a lot, he was the only person in the world whom she cared about. She had told him that his foolish plan of terrorizing people would fail, but the illusion that he was a god had certainly went to his head. The result...

Loss of several cities and towns, hundreds joining the rebellion, war on all fronts. It was a bloody uprising...

She could not help but admire Naruto, that boy didn't let his pride get in the way of his victory. He was willing to do anything for victory, right from infiltrating the Akatsuki, murdering innocents for the greater good, sacrificing himself, simply anything.

And he achieved results, every damn time.

So, here she was trying to cover up Nagato's mess. He should be thanking her rather than being jealous like some kid who got his toy stolen, they were not children anymore. Even Yahiko would have laughed at Nagato's foolishness...

The generals narrowed their eyes when they saw a remorseful look appearing in her eyes, but was quickly hidden behind her cold gaze. Memories of the past forgotten, and eyes set on her future path.

"General Nakamura, mobilize one of your finest battalions. I want them stationed on Mount Fuji, across these 2 peaks..." commanded Konan, as the 50 year old bald man looked at her hesitantly.

"May I know what my men are supposed to do there? Why Mount Fuji?" asked the old general seriously, and the others also watched quite intently when Konan pointed her fingers across several points on the map which was lying on the grand table.

"If the resistance wants to march further into the empire's heart, they will have to take Route 74 and march their armies through it. This long road is currently the only link that is connecting the cities which have rebelled against us. Supplies, weapons, every important thing is transported through this road. Cut it off, and the resistance's army would be severely crippled..." explained Konan briefly,

"But it is being guarded by several Blacklight forces along with the resistance's best fighters. Several attempts to retake this road have already failed..." argued Nakamura in protest, as the blue haired woman looked towards a middle aged man.

"General Li, has Pein-sama ordered you to prepare an airbase?" asked Konan seriously,

"Yes, he has agreed to support you. The resistance currently does not have any air power, which is also one of our advantages against them. The little summoning birds which they use for troop transport are ineffective against our bombers. Even if Blacklight are para-commandos, they are still in a way a ground special forces unit. If we attack them with our bombing fleets, while pushing them further with the help of our ground forces. Then it is possible, that they will have to retreat..." suggested the dark brown haired man, gaining a nod from Konan.

"You maybe right. But they have proven to be extremely resilient in the past. General Amon, lead the 8th regiment and engage the enemy forces. You will have full support from our air force..." ordered Konan, receiving a crisp salute from her subordinate.

"As you command, Konan-sama"

"General Liang, what's the status of Iwa's resistance?" asked Konan curiously, as the dark skinned man got a frown on his face.

"They are shifting towards the borders on the southern side. I don't understand, they were fighting so hard to gain the towns and cities up north and suddenly they are going in the opposite direction..." answered Liang confusedly, making Konan smirk.

"It's definitely one of Naruto's tricks. He's a master at deception, and the Iwa resistance is trying to join up with their Suna counterparts. Liang, I want you to destroy the Kaminejima Dam..."

Pin drop silence prevailed in the room as the shocked military officers tried to understand just what order their superior had issued.

Kaminejima Dam was one of the most modern technological innovations which had quickly eased the water problem of Wind Country. Iwa and Earth Country had quite a few resourceful rivers, and since the empire now ruled over the entire world they had diverted the water to the desert regions quickly silencing the rebels as the people's greatest problem was solved. Something which neither the great villages or rebels could solve in decades...

But it also didn't change the fact that the dam amassed massive amounts of water as it was supposed to supply an entire region. If it was broken down, then the entire northern sector of Suna would face devastating floods. Of course, the water would soon be absorbed by the vast desert, but the drought that would come would after that would not only devastate the people but the weak rebels as well...

Even the empire's forces stationed in Wind Country would experience quite a crisis, despite their well established and routinely maintained supply lines.

"Are you really sure about this, Konan-sama?" asked Liang hesitantly,

"Dams can be rebuilt. The rebels despite their foolish ambitions have a sympathetic side for their people and families, destroying the Dam would halt Suna's resistance cells for a few days. Also, make it look like an accident possibly done by the rebels as I don't want to anger the people even more. Meanwhile, Liang's remaining forces would initiate a massive crackdown operation in Earth Country. However instead of terrorizing people for the resistance's information...

...offer them bribes. Earth Country is suffering from a very poor economy and poverty is at an all time high. There are hundreds of people who would do anything for getting a day's food just to survive, use that weakness. Turn as many people into your spies and have them infiltrate the enemy ranks, destroy them from within. Reward those who deliver victory in order to get more and more people to betray the rebels..." explained Konan deviously,

"But why bribe them? We have enough soldiers to crush the entire Iwa resistance, just give me sometime..." requested Liang, and flinched when she glared at him.

"You fool, simply numbers and strength won't help you in winning a war. Set your pride aside, or I will relieve you of your command. Follow orders or be destroyed. I won't show any mercy to idiots, traitors or prideful men like you. I am the law here, is that clear General?" demanded Konan, her cold eyes sending shivers down the man's entire body.

"I apologize, your orders will be followed..."

"Good, Admiral Saito I want 40 entire flotillas of your ships to form a formation around the former Uzushiogakure, Wave Country and the islands near Lightning Country. How many soldiers, destroyers, frigates do you have? How much time would you need in reinforcing our stationed troops in these areas?" asked Konan quickly,

"At least 40 days, we are currently engaged with the uprising in Water Country. My navy is the only thing keeping the people from seizing those lands. I have 8000 men, 20 special ops teams, 600 frigates, 300 destroyers and several other ships. I can only give you half of them, otherwise I will not be able to stop Kiri's secession. That country is quite deadly and hard to maintain control over..." confessed the brown haired man, with a long mustache.

"Make it in 30 days, the Kiri rebels will shift their base to these islands. And I sense something brewing up in Kumo's resistance. Have your best officers leading this force. I'll also be sending 2 members of my personal guard to assist in this operation..." said Konan confidently,

"Understood..."

As the generals looked at the map, they could now see an entire pattern forming over the entire world. The rebels were trying to surround the empire from all sides, while Konan was doing the same to them while also sabotaging them from within through her spies and informants.

These tactics were completely opposite in comparison to the empire's past conflicts where it had simply crushed people with brute force.

Seeing their forces forming a strong formation around the rebels made the generals at least acknowledge the woman's tactical brilliance. The other members of the Akatsuki were busy capturing the remaining Jinchuuriki, but with such a plan they won't be needed for now.

The rebels would be forces to fight with everything they have, and even then it wouldn't be enough.

Now they knew why Konan was refereed as "Angel" by people of Ame. If Naruto and Pein were gods who had the power of destruction in their hands, then she possessed the wisdom to destroy such gods.

She was after all one of the 2 remaining students of Jiraiya- The Sannin. Yahiko was a dreamer and reformist, Nagato was a powerhouse while she was the logical one among the trio. Even at a young age, she was praised by the Sannin that one day she would become one of the most intelligent and powerful kunoichi's of the world.

Who would have thought Jiraiya's very own words would come back to bite him in the ass...

* * *

(4 Days Later; Resistance Military Headquarters)

"Squad 4 eliminated!"

"Squad 3 facing heavy casualties!"

"Squad 16 is getting surrounded!"

"Left flank is collapsing!"

A tired sigh escaped from Naruto's lips as he received continous reports of his forces facing heavy fire. Who would have thought that the empire could organize such a well planned attack. Even his Blacklight forces along with other powerful fighters were getting hammered...

"Yuna, order our soldiers to retreat and abandon Route 74..." said Naruto with a heavy heart,

"But that would cut us off from several cities and many of our other cells..." protested his sister vehemently,

"I know, but our fighters can't survive against such a fire power from the ground as well as the air. Have them retreat to Phase Line Alpha, and wait for further instructions. This is my final order..." commanded Naruto crisply,

"I..see" said Yuna sadly, as she conveyed the order.

Watching the retreating dots on the screen made him extremely frustrated. Not only that, he was getting several reports from other resistance cells across the world. The empire was striking back, and this time their attacks were extremely organized, their formations were strong, co-ordination between their forces increasing greatly.

It was as if a whole different person was leading the enemy army...

His entire strategy was based on the fact that Pein was the leader of the enemy army, but this was not his work. And there was only one person in the enemy ranks beside Orochimaru who could do such an organized damage...

"Konan..." snarled Naruto angrily,

Yuna flinched when Naruto slammed his hands on his arm chair, breaking one of the arms. Quickly getting up from the broken chair, he stormed towards the center of the room and looked straight at her.

"Mobilize the RAF"

**RAF**\- _Rapid Action Force_ was the newest force in their ranks. A mixed unit of former ninjas and members of the newly trained civilian militia. While having a large force of 3000 soldiers, it was mostly an inexperienced unit which was being led by few good officers like Nara Shikamaru, and Naruto's very own brother- Itachi Namikaze.

The fact that he was being forced to use a force which was mostly made up of teenage soldiers itself showed how dangerous the enemy was becoming.

The doors of the command center were quickly opened as two young boys stepped inside. Dressed in their officer uniforms, Itachi and Shikamaru were surprised on seeing a highly irritated Naruto looking at them expectantly.

Picking up a cane, Naruto pointed it at Mount Fuji while every other resistance units were retreating from the entire sector.

"The empire has built a bloody airbase behind this mountain. The forces here are bombarding Route 74, while their bombers and ground forces are delivering crushing attacks on Mikasa and her men. As long as they have this mountain, liberation of Fire Country is simply impossible. And if that happens, then our movement will fail..." explained Naruto bitterly,

"What do you need us to do, Nii-san?" asked Itachi confidently,

"Seize all your current operations. Capturing Mount Fuji is your only objective now, the enemy has stationed their troops across these 2 peaks. All our forces are currently engaged, you are the only soldiers under my command who can take this mountain. Get me this mountain at any cost, or Japan will only be a dream for us..." said Naruto worriedly,

"The situation's that bad, huh?" asked Shikamaru with a tired sigh, guess he just got a ton of more work headed his way.

"Nara Shikamaru, your deceased father had served the Hokages faithfully. He was one of the greatest tacticians whom I respect, and you are one of the most brilliant strategist in our army. I am promoting you to the rank of Major and assigning you the task of leading the RAF!" commanded Naruto, surprising the young boy.

"Troublesome, you're making me the leader? Itachi's is more powerful than me..." argued Shikamaru, but Naruto glared at him.

"Itachi's a fighter and squad leader, while you're the tactician. He will be leading the RAF on the ground, while you will supervise the operation and guide the troops. I want no excuses from you, get to work Nara!" ordered the Supreme Commander of the Republic sternly,

"(sigh) I understand, Commander. I accept this position..." said Shikamaru seriously, and shook his right hand with Naruto's very own.

"Good luck"

With one glance towards Itachi, the newly appointed major left the room leaving the two brothers standing in front of each other, while Yuna silently observed them from the corner.

"You always wanted to get a chance to prove yourself. This is _that_ chance, my brother..." said Naruto with a smile on his face, surprising the 17 year old boy standing in front of him.

Itachi's breathing stopped when Naruto took out something from one of the tables and presented it to him.

Even Yuna was shocked by the thing which Naruto was presenting to his brother.

In a bright, shining white cloth was embedded a magnificent red colored sun. This plain looking object was the first symbol of their new world.

"This is the first flag of our republic, it is the symbol of our freedom against oppression, cruelty, injustice and slavery. I want you to be the one to place it on Mount Fuji's peak..." said Naruto happily, and offered it to the shaking boy.

With trembling hands, Itachi slowly took the historical flag in his hands and looked at his smiling elder brother.

"Nii-san...I..."

"This is an order, Captain. May victory and glory be yours, my brother"

Wishing him good luck, Naruto then went ahead and offered a crisp salute which Itachi instantly reciprocated with newly found determination and courage burning in his heart.

What surprised Naruto and Yuna was the faint tear in Itachi's eyes, as he held the flag in his hands. His eyes then shifted towards the occupied mountain on the map, and the symbol of an enemy battalion painted on top of it.

It was a well known fact, that the attackers in mountain warfare suffered great amounts of casualties if the defenders were well fortified and in perfect positions. Mount Fuji was perhaps the most difficult terrain of their world. It was quite steep, was slippery and filled with sharp rocks.

But none of that mattered...

"Nii-san, either this flag will fly on top of that mountain. _Or I won't come back alive_...this...I...promise...you" vowed Itachi, his steely gaze filled with determination bringing a smile on Yuna's face.

However, Naruto was seeing something different. This was no simple promise, there was a sea of emotional determination behind it.

Itachi truly believed in the Republic of Japan, his fight, his heart, his dream, his will to beat the odds. Everything was for this dream, and there was no doubt in his mind that Itachi would not hesitate in sacrificing himself for the fulfillment of this dream.

Looking into eyes, Naruto could see his brother had found his goal in life. He had finally chosen his path, he was no longer the young naive boy who used to follow his elder brother like a lost puppy. Itachi still loved and admired him...

But Japan was now his dream...

He was the one who dreamed of this world, made Naruto believe in it too. And now the entire world was willing to accept this world...

"I know, Itachi..." said Naruto knowingly,

After a hesitant glance, he went forward and enwrapped his brother in a tight hug. Naruto knew how dangerous the situation was on that mountain, and he was sending his precious brother straight into the enemy's den. The fact that Itachi had promised to even die for the operation's success, only worsened Naruto's anxiety. Itachi was his only weakness as well as his greatest strength, and he could never live with himself if something happened to him.

But even then, he knew how much this meant to Itachi. As such he had accepted to bear this heavy burden, he would believe in him. No matter what...

"Be careful out there. Watch your corners, and don't be reckless. This will probably be the biggest battle of your life..." advised Naruto sagely, as traumatic memories of his battle at Shanxi Hill came flooding back in his heart.

He had lost so many friends that day- Hisana, Eagle, Bird, Hawk, Kenshin, Yugao, and so many others.

The strategist in him could clearly see the battle at Mount Fuji would be far more difficult than that of Shanxi Hill. His comrades were going to be attacking instead of defending.

The enemy was in well entrenched positions, heavily fortified and had ample ammunition as well as rations that could last for weeks. Their weapons would certainly be better than those in the arsenal of RAF.

And if his intuition of Konan being the new leader was true, then she would definitely have very dangerous countermeasures in place. She was one of the craftiest bitches he had known in his life.

The fact that she saw through his grand strategy and had already made such strong moves was a troublesome factor. He would have to personally go to Suna or help Mikasa's army.

"If your life is in danger, don't try to be a hero. Just call for me, and I will come for you..." promised Naruto,

"You're the supreme commander, you can't-"

"Nothing is more important to me than my brother. You keep that in mind when you go out there..." demanded Naruto, making the younger sibling smirk.

"Hai, I won't let you down"

* * *

(Empire Military Headquarters)

Konan comfortably sat on her large chair, legs crossed and hands resting on the sides. A stoic expression remained on her face as she observed the man standing before her.

The person had blue eyes with a darker ripple around the pupil, waist-length green hair with the top two bangs falling down on his cheeks on each side, and having dark fleshy lips. He wore a grey hooded mantle with three red stripes. Under his mantle, he wore a dark-brown sleeveless vest falling to his knees where the inside was purple, light brown belt, a light grey pants and, he had bandages covering most of his body, his neck down to his chest, including his arms and his tibia's.

His face hidden by an Anbu mask, which in a strange way depicted a human crying tears.

"I'm assigning you the command of the men at Mount Fuji. The rebels are going to send a new unit called the RAF, a unit made up former ninjas and civilian militia members. Expect medium to lightly strong fighters, few heavy strong ones. Most of the soldiers in the RAF are teenagers, and this will be their first combat. I don't want any survivors, you are free to terminate them as you wish. But you won't be torturing them...am I clear?" asked Konan quite aggressively,

She had to make her point absolutely clear, as the man before her had no doubt gained many valuable victories and helped in establishment of the empire. But was notoriously infamous for killing and torturing every person whether they be men, women or children.

A blood thirsty animal with a twisted sense of justice.

Unlike Orochimaru and few of the other Akatsuki, she hated such inhuman acts- especially torturing of young children. Yes, it may prove helpful in their fight to establish the "Perfect World" but it went against her beliefs. Even arch enemies should show each other respect, because a person can only be your enemy only till he's alive.

Once a person's dies, it is best to allow him peace or else you would only suffer yourself- whether through thoughts of revenge, inflicting suffering, anger and much more.

"Bury the bodies of the enemy soldiers once they are dead with full rituals, and if the rebels ask for their bodies. Give it back to them..." instructed Konan,

"I would rather bury them myself, can't trust the enemy and I won't let them take away my fun..." protested the Anbu, making Konan narrow her eyes in disdain.

"Raiga..."

"These are my terms in exchange for my services. I will enjoy burying so many younglings, it would make a Great FUNERAL!" yelled Raiga madly, and for a second Konan doubted the man's sanity.

Konan then got up from her seat and started walking towards the exit when his voice stopped her...

"You seem to know an awfully lot about the enemy's plan? A little bird tells me that you may have some spies deep within the enemy's higher command..." suggested Raiga sinisterly, as a faint smirk came on her lips.

"What makes you think of such an absurd thing?" questioned Konan bemusedly,

"Call it a wild guess..."

She simply shook her head and exited out of the room, leaving the former member of the Seven Swordsmen of Kiri and the junior member of the Akatsuki to his thoughts. Raiga had proven to be quite a useful substitute for Kisame who was slain by Mikasa Ackerman and the Blacklight's in the previous war.

The fact that those soldiers were able to eliminate an S-rank ninja and especially a monster like Kisame, made her extremely wary of them.

It was due to this fear, that she had assigned a large ground and air force that was continuously keeping the Blackllight's and their main army at bay. She had forced Naruto to use his trump card. Raiga was accurately correct when he suggested that she had insiders in the enemy command who were acting as her eyes and ears.

If her spies information was correct, then Itachi would be leading the charge on the ground. That was also an important reason why she had chosen Raiga Kurosaki, an S-rank ninja. Naruto dearly loved his brother and watching him fall would send him into an emotional turmoil, and at that point she would have her spies assassinate him or at the very least have him captured when he was at his weakest.

With Naruto dead, the rebels would again fall into a disarray and the movement will be crushed.

Everything depended on the battle of Mount Fuji which would be a decisive point in history which would either determine the continuity of the empire or the rise of the republic.

And all eyes were set on a young 17 year old blonde...

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**Be prepared for a whole new different kind of warfare. As I've pointed out this battle will be entirely different in comparison to Shanxi Hill of the prequel. I can even say, it may prove to be more epic than Shanxi.**

**Next chapter: Battle of Mount Fuji**

**Reviews are highly appreciated. What are your thoughts about Konan? This battle? I'd like to know how many of you think similar to me...**

**Blackwolf501**


	18. Battle of Mount Fuji: Day 1

**Yo...**

**Nothing to say, so...**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

**Battle of Mount Fuji: Day 1**

* * *

Itachi carefully grazed the tip of his tanto with his finger, the sharp blade making a thin line on his soft skin. The silence in the room was only being disturbed by the occasional blinking of the medical machine attached to the patient sleeping on the bed beside him.

Looking at the silent person near him made him sigh, putting his weapon aside the 17 year old started walking to and fro around the room. Anxiety and doubt clearly evident in his eyes as he drowned himself further into troublesome thoughts.

It was at this moment when Mikoto walked into the room, only to find her usually stoic son fretting quite nervously.

She couldn't help but smirk on seeing him like this, usually he would be like a mini-Tobirama always brooding around and all business like. Except for his playboy theatrics, there was hardly any personality wise difference which she could see between the Senju grandfather and the 17 year old before her. There was also the fact that Itachi admired Tobirama's rule as a Hokage and respected him immensely as a leader.

"Itu..."

He immediately stopped and she laughed whole heartedly on receiving his full blown furious glare. Kami, he really hated that nickname.

"Aren't you supposed to knock before barging in? And my name's Itachi...not _that abomination_" said Itachi childishly, even now his eyebrows twitched violently on seeing the smirk evident on his mother's face.

"For starters, this is _my_ husband's room. Second, I'm his doctor and in-charge...so yeah I have a few privileges, **_Itu_**" teased Mikoto again,

"Mother..."

"Hai, Hai...no need to get so riled up. Relax a little..."

That was enough to subside his pent up irritation as he nervously watched as his mother approached towards him. This was not supposed to go down like this, but there was no going back now.

She came forward and gave him a warm hug without any kind of warning...

"You'll be fine. I believe in you..." encouraged Mikoto, surprising him for a second.

It still amazed him how she could so easily see through his problems, but then again Mikoto was his mother and after Minato/Naruto she was the one who could understand him followed by Sakura.

Slowly he returned the hug, thoughts lingering about the battle he was about to barge into. He was not afraid of it, hell he was waiting for it. To charge straight into the shit storm and deliver a crushing blow to the evil empire. He didn't care whether he lived or died, but...

"My brother was only 14 when he fought at Shanxi Hill. He led a mere 120 strong company to victory against 4000 enemies, I..." confessed Itachi hesitantly,

"You're not sure that you can lead 3000 comrades against the enemy?" asked Mikoto knowingly, fully aware of her son's doubts.

"I'm no leader, mother. I never was, whenever I needed one I looked up to my brother. He's so good at it, but I can't do it. I'm a soldier, a fighter...but I'm no commander like my brother. I can barely lead a platoon and now the entire RAF..." said Itachi worriedly, and was surprised when she broke the hug and gently ruffled his spiky blonde hair.

"It's quite scary how different yet how similar my sons are..."

"What do you mean?"

"Your brother also never wanted to be a leader. He was just like you, he also thought he was a soldier, a fighter..." explained Mikoto honestly, completely shocking her son.

"That can't be true, Nii-san was a leader right from the start. He oozes such a charisma that hardly anyone can doubt his leadership for a second..." argued Itachi vehemently,

This strange truth that Naruto never wanted to be a leader and thought himself to be a simple soldier was something that Itachi could never believe. He had seen his brother all his life, and there was not a single event that could counter this belief.

"You don't know your brother completely. In fact no one knows, not even me. But I have seen him grow up into the man he is now, and Mikasa told me Naruto was in the same situation as you on that day. He too was scared, hell Mikasa had to beat and insult him to make him accept the position of Commander..." said Mikoto bemusedly, even she was quite surprised when Mikasa told her about this.

"Impossible..."

"It is possible, your brother is not a god which you believe him to be. He's also a person who had the same fears and doubts as you, if you are still not sure ask Naruto yourself..." said Mikoto straight forwardly, as Itachi averted his eyes and stared at the floor.

"Then how did he do it? How did he lead?" asked Itachi silently,

"Because he wanted to protect his friends..."

His head shot up and his eyes stared straight into his mother's very own. She simply gave him a firm nod, was this the real reason?

"I'll ask you a few questions, if you can answer them honestly then I can tell you right now whether you can lead or not? Do you agree?" offered Mikoto seriously,

She had never got the chance to encourage Naruto before he went to war, it was a mistake she regretted till this day. But destiny had other plans and Naruto emerged as an even more powerful person. However Itachi was different, Naruto had his friends who believed in him that day and supported him.

Right now, Itachi also needed someone to believe in him. His first choice would have been asking Minato for guidance, it was the reason why he was in this room. Even if his father could not answer his questions, just being near him was enough for Itachi.

But she was his mother too, and wanted to be there for him in this hour of need.

"Yes"

After a few moments of contemplation, he agreed to her offer and was now looking at her, waiting for the questions that would either make him believe or shatter whatever confidence he had.

"Do you want to win?"

"Yes"

"Do you believe that you are strong and can fight the enemy?"

"Not an entire battalion alone, but I can fight against quite a few..."

"Are your friends capable soldiers? Do you think they are fit to fight for Japan?"

"Of course, they are some of the best soldiers in the entire resistance..."

"Do you want to protect them?"

"With everything I have..."

"Then you're a leader, Itachi Namikaze..." declared Mikoto proudly, surprising her young son completely.

"That's it? These questions proves that I can lead?" asked a bewildered Itachi, but a small part of his heart was starting to believe that it was possible.

"You belong from a family of leaders. Right from your granduncle Hashirama, grandfather Tobirama, grandfather Kagami, father Minato, your uncle Shisui, and your brother Naruto. You have the same blood in your veins...

...believe in yourself and the soldiers behind you. That's all that matters" said Mikoto confidently,

She then took out a small scroll from one of her pockets and placed it in his hands. Judging his inquisitive look, she decided to explain...

"Open it before you go into battle. You'll know what to do...I made it for you" said Mikoto shyly, and was pleased when he happily placed the scroll in his right pocket.

Coming forward he placed a soft kiss on her cheek, and for the first time in years flashed her a wide smile.

"Thank you, Mother..." said Itachi gratefully,

With one quick glance towards Minato and after picking up his tanto, the young leader started walking towards the exit door fairly more confident than he was an hour ago, and it was all because of his wonderful mother. He was however stopped when she spoke his name...

Turning around he saw a faint tear escaping from her eye, as she looked at him worriedly.

"Be careful. And don't you dare die on me...or I'll bring you back from the dead and kill you myself" warned Mikoto, and smiled a little when he gave her a playful wink.

"Sure...you really are amazing, mother"

* * *

"Where the hell are those idiots?"

Sasuke's eyebrows twitched violently when he heard Ino yelling again for the 7th time, if he was not pissed by Itachi's tardiness then the blonde girl beside him was surely testing the limits of his patience. Why were blondes so troublesome?

Granted, there were still 2 minutes left before they embarked on their mission. And their two highest commanding officers (Shikamaru and Itachi) were nowhere in sight.

So, here he was acting as the 3rd in command, forced to bear so many troublesome teenagers.

"Ino, you're annoying..." cursed Sasuke, making her glare right back at him.

"And you're a prick, Uchiha..." retorted Ino back rather heatedly, but was further angered when the arrogant boy before her simply smirked.

The remaining soldiers beside the small group of Konoha 11 were watching their officers with a critical eye, these were the more experienced and stronger fighters in their force. RAF was compromised of people from the age of 12 to 19, saying they were green would be an understatement. Out of the 3000, in a gruesome battle there were barely a 1000 who could last longer.

And seeing their officers so relaxed and smiling was certainly a relief as it provided a false sense of security and assured that everything will be fine.

The only reason they were even confident of gaining victory was because they had a Namikaze as the leader of their force. The people from that legendary family were considered to be the best warriors among the common public, and since it was Itachi they had faith that somehow they would be able to gain victory with minimum losses.

"Man, I can't wait to kick those clones in the ass..." boasted Kiba, who was now wearing the stars of a Sergeant on his chest.

"Kiba, they kicked _your ass_ last time..." corrected Lieutenant Shino, as his angry friend and subordinate glared at him.

"What was that, bug boy?"

"That's enough, fall in line. You're the officers..." chided Sakura harshly, silencing her bickering comrades as even Ino stopped arguing with an annoyed Sasuke.

Donning the stars of a captain, she was the newly appointed in-charge of the medical division. Beside her was Hinata, who not only was her long time friend and teammate but was also her second in command and acting Lieutenant.

However, RAF had a different policy in comparison to regular forces. The stronger medical ninjas were supposed to fight on the front lines, similar to Blacklight medics. And since they were going to be fighting on a mountain, it would be very difficult to get the injured back to their base camp at the bottom. Some might not even make it, or would be too injured to be moved, or trapped between enemy fire.

Itachi had personally ordered her and Hinata to be with the main force during the attack, critics may say he was making a mistake. But Sakura knew both of them were strong, and since all of their comrades were very young their captain didn't want any of them suffer during death.

They were surprised when hundreds of eagles landed in front of them, and it was at this moment they saw their two commanding officers arriving. Both of them fully dressed in their officer uniforms, with Itachi having the stars of a Captain and Shikamaru having the stars of a major on their chest.

The Nara heir was holding a stack of papers in his hand, and was analyzing the contents quite thoroughly. In some far distance, they also saw another couple of Hawk squadrons taking off with several giant crates carrying supplies of arms, ammunition, rations, medical aid, and many other logistical support items.

Itachi stepped in front of the force, receiving one firm salute from each and every soldier which he reciprocated with one of his own.

"Grab your shit. We move in 5..."

* * *

(Republic Base Camp: Mount Fuji)

In a make shift tent, stood a couple of officers. Their eyes fixed on the artificial model of Mount Fuji that was placed on top of a table in the center of the room. In front of them stood Shikamaru with a cane in his hand, and surprisingly he looked quite serious.

"As you all know, the empire's forces have captured Mount Fuji. Our orders are to regain control over this mountain within 4 days at any cost..." started Shikamaru seriously,

Receiving firm nods from Itachi and many others, he stepped forward and pointed his sharp cane at the artificial model of the mountain.

"In mountain warfare, the advantage rests with the defenders and right now they are positioned on these two peaks..." said Shikamaru gravely and pointed the positions on the mountain model.

"What are our options?" asked Itachi curiously,

"We can't attack from the northern side, as that area still belongs to the enemy. It also has an airbase, so we can't even think about attacking from there as not only the soldiers stationed on the mountain but the entire air force of the enemy will rain down on us. Instant slaughter, which is why our supreme commander has strictly ordered us to refrain from venturing into that area..." explained Shikamaru briefly,

"Then we have 3 sides left for attack..." suggested Sasuke, gaining a nod from his leader.

"That's right, on the western side there is a cliff having a height of 800-900 feet. A straight wall which is acting as a natural defense of our enemy. Leaving us with only 2 sides for attack..." said Shikamaru disappointedly, as Sakura raised her hand.

"The southern side of the mountain has an open plain of 3-4 kilometers between us and the enemy. The empire's forces can clearly see each and every movement of ours, with no significant cover we would be nothing more than target practice for them..." warned Sakura, shocking the other members like Kiba and Chouji.

''Absolutely correct, Captain Sakura. That leaves us with only one side- Eastern..." clarified Shikamaru...

"Attacking the enemy head on would be a disaster, we need some more information before we plan our operation..." suggested Shino,

"You're right, Lieutenant. That's why we'll be sending a small patrol that will search for different possible ways on the eastern side that will grant us as much cover as possible, at no point of time will they engage the enemy. If you're fired on, then you can retaliate. But your first priority would be avoiding contact at all costs. Sasuke, you'll lead the patrol and take a Hyuga with you..." commanded Shikamaru

"Understood"

"What about us? What are we supposed to do in the meantime?" asked Itachi seriously,

"Prepare your respective companies, and report back to Itachi and when that's done Itachi will report back to me. Sakura, after setting up the medical camp, I want you to look over logistics along with Shino and report back to Itachi. While Ino will set up the communication center..." instructed the major,

"Hai"

Receiving a firm unison reply from his officers who also happened to be his friends gave him confidence. Even for someone like Shikamaru, this operation was quite dangerous. There were children younger than them under their command, their lives were the responsibility of the people sitting in this room. They would have to answer the questions of the parents if something happened to their children who were bravely fighting for the freedom of the world.

They had to succeed, no matter what.

Failure was not an option!

* * *

(Few Hours Later)

Itachi was currently reading over a few reports submitted by Kiba, and if the Inuzuka was present over here; Itachi would have loved nothing more than to smack the little shit to a bloody pulp. His hand writing was worse than the fingerprint of Akamaru's paw.

The morale of their forces was stable for now, the teenage soldiers were quite excited for the battle ready to prove themselves to the adults and gain some fame. While the more rational soldiers and veteran officers like him knew fame should be the last thing they needed right now.

What they needed was to survive...

A curt knock on his door was heard as he allowed the person permission to enter his room. He was still gazing over the lazy report of Kiba, when another one which was written in neat handwriting was placed over his desk.

Looking up he saw Sakura standing before him, and she seemed quite amused...

"What?" snapped Itachi, but she merely shrugged..

"It's quite refreshing watching you do all this paperwork. Kami knows how much you hate this stuff..." teased Sakura, as he glared at her.

"Teme..."

"Calm down, I'm just kidding. Here's mine and Shino's report regarding our logistics..." clarified Sakura, in order to escape from his unnecessary wrath. Judging from the horrible hand writing in the report which Itachi was reading, the medic couldn't help but curse Kiba for his tardiness.

If he was not such a good fighter and experienced soldier, he would have barely rose above a foot soldier.

"If you don't mind, can you please highlight the main points of your report? Kiba's horrible report is going to take a lot of time to read..." requested Itachi politely, and was relieved when she gave him a small smile.

"Sure thing. Our raid on Osaka was a life saver for us, the empire's army which we defeated left a lot of good weapons for us. Combine that with the supplies of the local police force of Osaka, was enough to complete the weapons need for our RAF. The civilian soldiers are equipped with crossbows, bows and arrows, swords and shields. While the ninjas will be fighting with their traditional weapons and chakra...

...your brother sent 30 kunai launchers as a good luck charm for you" said Sakura happily, surprising the young captain

"How did Nii-san manage that? We were quite short on kunai launchers, whatever we had was sent to Mikasa's main army..." said Itachi disbelievingly,

"The elite clone units we killed in Osaka were the ones we stole those launchers from. This battle is also going to be important, and so Naruto sent them to be used by our best fighters..." explained Sakura,

"Then take one, that's an order. Each superior officer must have one, this maybe the only advantage we have against the enemy besides our numbers..." instructed Itachi seriously, but she shook her head.

"I don't think I-"

"Do it, Sakura" insisted Itachi,

She wanted to argue, to protest against this order but looking at the concern evident in his eyes prevented her from doing so. She knew he was being bossy, but at the same time it also felt quite nice to see that he cared. For an orphan like her, who had no family gaining such an affection from a good person like him was quite heart warming.

No words were said, as she merely gave a nod as a relieved smile came on his face.

"Itachi, do you really think we can win? Is this fight worth the hundreds of children who will die in a few hours? Some of them are barely 12 to 14 years old..." said Sakura worriedly, and was shocked when he nodded confidently.

"Their sacrifice would be remembered in the republic. It's all for the republic..." said Itachi coldly,

"They're children, Itachi. Will you even take the youngest soldiers in our force to face against the merciless clone army?" asked Sakura in shock, but he never flinched on her piercing gaze.

"One way or another I am getting this mountain. Either they enemy will be eliminated till the last soldier, or the RAF will share the same fate. There will be no retreat, no surrender. We are way past the point of morals and the damage to young lives, I will bet everything I have for Japan and my brother who believed in me. There can be no victory without sacrifice...

...but arguing with you and Hinata is pointless. Even if we're teammates and friends, there are some things on which we will never agree. This is one of them" said Itachi stubbornly, as she sighed tiredly.

"I know how much Japan means to you, but just don't lose sight of yourself. Don't become someone whom even you can't look at in the mirror, these children look up to you. Our fight is important, but they are not your sacrificial pawns. They are someone's son/daughter, brother, sister...their lives are our responsibility. They are someone's family, Itachi" explained Sakura persistently, and whether it was the stress of handling the entire RAF or the mere pressure of the upcoming battle, Itachi snapped.

"Are you really going to lecture me about family? I know more about family than you..." said Itachi coldly,

He flinched when an extremely hurt look appeared in her eyes, but she easily schooled her features and manged to give him a courteous smile.

"Good night, Captain.."

With those heavy words, she exited from the room leaving a frustrated Itachi behind. How could he snap like that?

"Damn it..." cursed Itachi, and threw the few reports on his desk straight on the floor.

"Im so sorry, Sakura..."

* * *

(Next Day)

The young officers of the RAF couldn't understand why their leader had summoned them at 4 am in the morning. Even the sun had not rose in the sky, just what did Shikamaru need from them at such an early hour.

Itachi was the first one to raise the question which was on everyone's mind...

"What is it, Shikamaru?" asked Itachi quickly, and looked towards his friend Sasuke who was standing beside the Nara heir.

Last they remembered, Sasuke lead a patrol to scout out the routes on the eastern side for their charge against the enemy positions. Did he learn something useful?

"Itachi, Shino, Neji, Sasuke. Prepare your squads, I am sending you out as an aggressive patrol..." said Shikamaru seriously,

"Aggressive Patrol? What do you mean by that?" asked Neji curiously,

They were surprised when Sasuke stepped forward, so they did learn something about the enemy forces.

"A few hours ago we were able to find these ways through which our forces can gain maximum cover while advancing towards the enemy positions on the first peak. But we were not able to learn anything about their positions, numbers, weapons.." confessed Sasuke honestly, while pointing towards the discovered routes on the map.

"But you had a Hyuga with you. That should have helped in learning something, even if the distance between you and the enemy forces was more than the Hyuga's Byakugan range, it should have at least made you learn something..." argued Neji, as Sasuke glared at him.

"It's your clansmen fault, his eyes were not able to see past the strange smokescreen barrier. The enemy may have developed new biological weapons considering the vast resources the empire has and the various technological breakthroughs they've made in the past 4 years..." said Sasuke gravely,

"Shit, we're screwed..." cursed Kiba

"That's why I'm sending this patrol before we launch our attack. Engage the enemy forces, make it look like we have launched a full scale attack. For that each member of this patrol will carry the new kunai launchers issued to us..." instructed Shikamaru,

"But what is the purpose of this attack?" asked Ino suspiciously,

"Recon and information gathering. When the enemy fires on our patrol, they will give away their exact positions and the type of weapons possessed by them. It can prove to be critical information that may just help in saving the lives of our soldiers..." explained Shikamaru smartly,

"Everyone, Chouji was in their range for a few seconds during our mission. They could have easily taken him out, but they didn't fire..." warned Sasuke, shocking the others as they glared at the nervous Akimichi boy.

"Chouji, we told you to be careful..." said Ino worriedly,

"Sorry..."

"That's not the point, the fact that they didn't fire on us proves their commander doesn't want us to know anything about them. And this is just the 1st peak, who knows what is awaiting for us at the 2nd and highest peak of this mountain. That's the reason I am sending you out..." said Shikamaru worriedly,

The four assigned leaders (Itachi, Shino, Neji, Sasuke) watched as Shikamaru explained the plan and what roles they were supposed to perform.

* * *

(Enemy Perimeter: 2 Hours Later)

The 4 aggressive patrol teams nervously watched the rather large smoke screen behind which their enemy force was positioned. The distance between them and the enemy position was at least 3-4 kilometers, the steep, rocky terrain having various small and large stones which could be used as covers.

What was the challenging part would be the rather steep ascension when they reached the edge of that small hill, above which the enemy were positioned.

Itachi had to praise Shikamaru for his intelligence, the sky was dark as the sun was still about to rise in the sky. The lack of light would effectively make the enemy believe that this was a full scale attack.

He looked towards Neji and Sasuke who were hiding with their respective squads in different positions.

While Shino was with his squad on the far right side...

Everyone waiting for the final go ahead from their commander.

The blinking of their communication devices was heard, and the familiar voice of Shikamaru ran across their ears.

_"All teams, commence fire!"_

An eery silence prevailed in the area, as the young soldiers of the RAF pressed their fingers on their deadly kunai launchers. Heartbeats quickened, tension arose and then all hell broke loose.

"FIRE!"

Itachi's loud voice echoed through the area, and instantly the sound of 30 blazing kunai launchers resonated across the entire area.

_**CLANG**_

_**CLANG**_

_**CLANG**_

_**CLANG**_

Continuously hundreds of kunai were fired straight through the smoke screen, the enemy there must be getting quite a hammering with such a firepower. But as their first batch of magazines were expended, Itachi raised his hand commanding the others as well his own team to silence their deadly weapons.

Anxiety and fear rose within their hearts as they waited for something to happen...

Neji's eyes widened in shock when his Byakugan saw something that sent shivers down his heart. Quickly turning towards their force, he yelled loudly...

"TAKE COVER!"

**BOOM!**

Not even 3 seconds had passed when a heavy rain of exploding tags came crashing down near their positions. The smoke screen cleared, and what the Hyuga saw was quite terrifying.

Grabbing his communication device, he decided to fulfill his objective...

"There are 20 enemy bunkers, they have formed a trench line across the ridge. There are a series of archers who are raining down explosives on us from the west side, 75 degrees..." reported Neji crisply,

_"Acknowledged, Team 1"_

At the same time, Shino's team was under heavy fire from a torrent of kunai launchers raining down on their positions. The soldiers under his command were quite surprised that even in this precarious situation, the Aburama was still stoic as ever.

He calmly took hold of his communication device and spoke very slowly.

"The bunker line on the east side has soldiers manning heavy kunai launchers. Firepower extremely high..."

_"Roger that, Team 2..."_

Sasuke and his entire squad of ninjas formed a very familiar hand seal and immediately a shadow clone of each of them came into existence. The newly formed clones were given the order to charge at the enemy position.

The ninja clones had barely ran over a few hundred meters avoiding heavy enemy fire, when they were suddenly blown to pieces.

"Fuck, Shikamaru the enemy has hidden explosive tags in the ground between us and their positions..." said Sasuke frustratedly,

_"Fucking great. Standby Team 3...''_

Meanwhile, Itachi had activated his sharingan and was using his sensory powers and what he had learned was quite dangerous. Grabbing hold of his communication device, he decided to relay this information back to Shikamaru.

He thanked the Nara once again, if not for his intelligence the entire RAF would have walked straight into such a slaughter house.

"There are around 300 regular forces, while 100 clone troopers are assisting from the sides. What should we do? Continue our fire-" suggested Itachi, but was immediately cut off.

_"Absolutely not. Staying there anymore is suicide, we gained what we wanted to know. All teams Return to Base, I repeat all teams Return to Base..."_ commanded Shikamaru seriously

**BOOM!**

**BOOM!**

Itachi begrudgingly signaled his patrol force to fall back as the enemy's firing increased tremendously, they had fallen to their bait and had revealed quite a lot about their positions and many more things. Even then, Itachi couldn't stop the bad feeling that was surfacing in his heart...

Using the cover of the night, the patrol force quickly started retreating towards their command center at the bottom of the mountain.

But every one of them knew that...

_This was just the beginning..._

* * *

(1st Empire Peak)

A clone captain quickly grabbed his own communication device as his soldiers reported the retreat of the enemy forces. He was given strict orders to report about any developments to their leader, Raiga.

The missing ninja had ordered them not to fire on the patrol force that was sneaking around a few hours ago, but this time the enemy had attacked with full force and the empire's forces had retaliated in kind.

"Base, this is Force 1. The enemy units attacked our position, but didn't last for more than 5 minutes. We repelled their attack, Commander..." informed the clone leader crisply, voice devoid of any smugness or emotion.

**"You fool!"**

The stoic clone could not understand why his leader had cursed at him so loudly, he had merely followed protocol and did his duty in protecting the empire.

"Captain?" asked the clone again, as Raiga's angry snarl was heard on the channel.

"Idiot, they were here to gather information. Which they did, this was not an attack, you stupid clone...

_...the real attack will come very shortly!"_

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**Next chapter: Battle of Mount Fuji: Day 2**

**Like it? Then leave some reviews, will ya?**

**Blackwolf501**


	19. Battle of Mount Fuji: Day 2

**Yo...**

**Been a while, huh? Well a month of break from this story. The longest one I have taken for this series in a long time...**

**Work's been catching up to me, so I have less time for writing. Lol, I'm not dead either...although considering my job risks, that might happen very soon or later.**

**That just means living life to the fullest...**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 19**

**Battle of Mount Fuji: Day 2**

* * *

Mikoto had been wandering the newly established military base in Osaka, her dark eyes searching for the figure of her elder son for the past hour. It was fair to say that this city was the headquarters of the Republic Military Command. The various resistance cells across the world were co-ordinated from this location. Currently, they were at a stalemate against the Empire.

After their initial sweep of victories, the enemy army had changed its strategies. Hell, they even changed their commander...

And the new woman was giving a fierce challenge to the resistance, they had already lost 2 cities to Konan. And if the retaking of Mount Fuji failed, then things could turn very bad for them.

One of her sons was off fighting the most dangerous mission of his life, while the other one was enduring the weight of the entire free world.

Naruto and Itachi were under tremendous stress, and despite having an army of advisers and soldiers around them- the boys needed as much moral support they could get. She had done everything in her power to cheer Itachi up before he went away, but ever since his return from the afterlife never once had she gotten a chance to speak to her elder son briefly.

Even then she had noticed something in Naruto, to most people he looked the same. To the ones close to him, he just seemed to be dealing with a lot of responsibility thrust upon him.

But a mother could see through her child, no matter how much they tried to hide it.

And she was proven right, when her assumption was proven correct. Since Konoha was destroyed, Naruto had taken it upon himself to make a new gravesite for his deceased Blacklight friends. Word was that he had moved the graves to this city. With his teleportation powers, it would have been rather quick and less tiring.

He had not even spared the memorial stone, on which the names of Blacklight who had died in the line of duty were written. And right now could be seen staring at it...

"Hello, mother..."

She should have known he had probably sensed her presence far before. This was the grandson of Tobirama Senju, who had his amazing sensing and water powers right from the beginning.

Mikoto went forward and came beside him, only to find one of his hands resting on the memorial stone. While the other holding a picture of Naruto and his genin team of Itachi, Sakura and Hinata, just before he died. One of her eyebrow twitched in annoyance on seeing how similar Naruto looked in appearance to Kakashi in that photo, he had even given the same eye smile.

Itachi was as grumpy as ever standing in the middle, with smiling Sakura and Hinata on his sides. Naruto had simply laid a gentle hand on the heads of his female students while giving an eye smile...

"Naruto...was it right to send those kids to capture Mount Fuji?" asked Mikoto hesitantly, despite having more experience than him he was still her commander. But since she was his mother, there were some benefits of that title.

"Yes"

"It's not my place to ask, but I'm curious as to your reasons behind that? And why didn't you make Itachi the leader despite him being the strongest in that force?" asked Mikoto curiously, and watched as Naruto tucked his genin team's photo inside his pocket.

Turning around, he gave her a warm smile but his eyes were empty...

"It's because I don't want any of those kids to become someone like me..." confessed Naruto, shocking his mother.

"What are you saying, son?" asked Mikoto worriedly, as a bittersweet smile came on his face while staring at the memorial stone.

"I've lived a life full of regrets, Kaa-san. A person who could never protect his friends, or his village, his family, his lovers, or even guide his own students. For the world, I am a hero but deep down only I know what kind of person I truly am. The way I see it, Itachi would become the same as me if he follows his current path and ideologies..." explained Naruto frankly, his words breaking his mother's heart.

"You've done more for us-"

Hearing her attempt to reassure him, he merely showed her the moon mark on his chest.

"I am the darkness of this world, my brother is supposed to be the light that shall guide the new world for which we're fighting so hard. It's our destiny, my part is to guide mankind through this doomed era as only a person who has known darkness, can find the right path in the sea of abyss...

...no one can understand the burden these marks have placed on me and Itachi. I struggle everyday to prevent my hatred from destroying this fucked up world, to not just annihilate everything that comes in the path of my victory. Sometimes I even fail at that, that's why I want Itachi to accept the role which destiny has chosen for him. He has to be the sun..." said Naruto fiercely, making his mother understand some things in a broader perspective.

Gently putting a hand on his shoulder, she gave it a comforting squeeze...

In return, Naruto simply grabbed the offered hand accepting the comfort his mother was showering on him.

"Kaa-san, why is Itachi like this? He simply does not care about his comrades..." said Naruto disappointedly, making Mikoto sigh.

"Your little brother is an exceptional shinobi, in some arts he has even surpassed you. A progeny who comes once in a generation, that's who Itachi generally is...but as a person he has much to learn. He adored you from the beginning, and tried to follow your footsteps to the letter. When you told him to care for his comrades, he went against his nature and stared caring for others aside from his blood family. Then..." said Mikoto hesitantly

"I died" completed Naruto in a resigned voice, gaining a nod from his beautiful mother.

"Itachi watched you die twice, first when you were captured by the Akatsuki. And the second time when you sacrificed yourself against Obito, both times he saw you dying for your comrades. Dying for the village and its people, watching his brother whom he loved the most fall right in front of him broke his heart. Despite your sacrifice, the village got destroyed and our people scattered. Soon, Minato ended up in his current state of health and our family got destroyed...

...Itachi saw all of that. And he blamed your and Minato's love for our comrades for all of this. He saw it as a weakness which he discarded. If he didn't care about anyone, then he would not feel the pain which his brother felt due to his love for his comrades. That's why even after 4 years of guerrilla warfare, he never broke for a moment" explained Mikoto briefly, as Naruto shook his head.

"It is true that I lived a life full of regrets, but my friends and comrades were not one of them. Whatever I was able to accomplish was due to their assistance and their faith in me, in the end I isolated myself from everyone else which only increased my pain. Only by letting people in can one fill the hole in their hearts...this only proves that not only I failed as a teacher to my students, but also as a sibling" said Naruto disappointedly, his fists clenching tightly.

"If only I had been there for my students..."

"And if you had, even then you can't be sure that things wouldn't have turned out the way they are now. Each person is different, Naruto. Life is not a strategy which you can form on a map, things always don't go the way we want. You have to learn and adapt to the changes, Naruto. Just as you learned that you can't shoulder everything alone...

...Itachi will learn it too in time, and come to have faith in his comrades and in people. You just have to believe in your brother" suggested Mikoto confidently, gaining a smile from the republic army commander.

"I'll believe in him till the very end, I just don't want Itachi to live the same life that I lived..." said Naruto worriedly, and pouted when she flicked his forehead.

"That's for Itachi to choose..."

Naruto merely sighed, but he was feeling quite relieved than before. His worries about his brother had certainly been addressed in the most reassuring manner by their mother, and that was all he needed to hear.

"Will there ever be peace, mother? I've been at war ever since I was a boy, the more I struggle to maintain the peace; the worse the situation gets. It makes you wonder if all of this is worth it..." questioned Naruto doubtfully,

"You can't lose faith, Naruto. You're the only hope for the free people of this world, there is nothing we would not do for you. And it's because we believe you are the one who will lead us to a better future..." said Mikoto confidently, and saw Naruto staring at the memorial stone.

"We're turning young men into memories, every time I make a decision people die. And this is just the beginning, even I don't know when we will achieve victory. _If_ we will achieve victory...how am I supposed to face those mother's whose sons died following my orders? Those children who waited for their fathers to return home, but never got to seem them again? Those wives and lovers whose husbands/partners sacrificed themselves on my one order. How long am I supposed to carry this on?" asked Naruto worriedly, concern and fear evident in his eyes.

In return, Mikoto only gave him a determined gaze...

"As many times as you must..." said Mikoto flatly,

"Mother..."

"Every war needs a sea of hero's blood and sacrifices. Those mother's whose children died in this war are not sad, they are proud of them because they fought for the right thing. Those fathers who died for their children were not sad in the end, rather they were happy and met their end with a single hope; that their children would be living in a free world and that was worthy of their sacrifice. Those wives whose husbands died in combat knew what they fought for, but they will forever live on in their hearts..."

She went forward and enwrapped him in a warm, comforting hug which Naruto was more than willing to accept. There were very few people in this world around whom he could be himself, to whom he could share his fears and pain. And she was one of them...

"Don't give up, Naruto. I'm always there with you..." said Mikoto comfortingly, as he simply nuzzled into the warm embrace.

"Hai"

"Naruto, there is something I need to ask you..." said Mikoto hesitantly,

"Go ahead..."

She bit her lip nervously, when Kushina had said about Naruto's original plan of changing the world it was fair to say she was shocked to the core.

"If Kushina had failed in making you see reason, then what path would you have taken?" asked Mikoto slowly, choosing each word very carefully.

"The same as Madara, I would have created the very same empire and ruled over the world by any means necessary in order to preserve the peace..." said Naruto honestly, he still remembered Mikasa's anger at him for lying to everyone.

And for what it was worth, he was trying to do the right thing and improve his negative traits.

He didn't flinch when Mikoto tensed in his arms, a shocked gasp escaped from her lips as she tried to understand how grave the consequences would have been.

Naruto was her son, and she loved him very much. But she was not blind, she could see the darkness which was present in him. Combine that with his monstrous powers and even devious mind...

_**"Emperor Naruto Namikaze- The Demon**_, that's what I would have been. A tyrant who ruled through force, I doubt the resistance would have been able to put up such a long fight if I was your enemy. Just as you know me, I know you and Mikasa once said my mind is a scary place..." said Naruto seriously,

It took her a few seconds, but she was able to regain her composure to some extent.

"But you didn't become such a person, and in the end that's all that matters to me..." said Mikoto vehmently

"Hai"

_"Whatever helps you sleep at night, mother"_

* * *

(RAF Base Camp)

On one of the ridges of the mountain, stood the youngest member of the famous Namikaze clan. His serene blue eyes staring at the high peaked mountain before him, somewhere up there was a large force of enemy.

People with whom he was about to fight in less than an hour...

Looking below in the open field, he could see most of the RAF soldiers getting ready, preparing their weapons and gears. The plan had already been formed, they would be attacking the first peak tonight.

But the battle was already ongoing in his heart...with a single question plaguing his mind.

What was he supposed to do?

Protect the people below him during battle or charge straight through the enemy lines without caring about the casualties?

He knew what his brother would have done, but he had also seen his brother die miserably and suffer in hell for years due to such a choice. The Namikaze knew what power he had, he was no longer the weak boy that he was 4 years ago...

He was much stronger...

But he was simply not prepared or even willing to shoulder the responsibility of other people's lives, even if they were soldiers from his own army.

"Dobe"

Itachi smacked his forehead when his best friend came beside him, which was none other than Sasuke Uchiha. In a way, the boy was also his cousin due to their common Uchiha lineage. As such Sasuke was his self proclaimed brother.

And the only one besides Naruto who accepted him regardless of what he did...

"Emo..." retorted Itachi, making the Uchiha make a "Hn" type of sound.

"Nervous already?" asked Sasuke bemusedly, making Itachi snort.

"I'll kick the enemy's ass, but I can't do that when I have to shoulder the responsibility of leading these soldiers...and keeping them alive" said Itachi disappointedly,

"What do you want to do?" asked Sasuke flatly, getting straight to the point which made his friend smile.

"I just want to fight on my own today, this is the battle for which I've trained since the past 4 years..." said Itachi seriously,

In return Sasuke simply stared at the large force of whom they were the senior officers, and the ones who would be leading the charge. After all, Sasuke Uchiha was also a Lieutenant.

"Then do what your heart wants...I'll handle these brats" said Sasuke hesitantly, and gave a sharp stare when Itachi looked at him in shock.

Let it be noted, that Uchiha Sasuke never did anyone a favor unless it benefited him. The only exception to this self made rule was Sasuke's best and only friend Itachi.

"This is a one time offer only, don't expect me to handle your shit every time. Am I clear?" asked Sasuke flatly, making Itachi smile widely.

"If you would have been a girl, I would have kissed you by now..." said Itachi happily,

"I prefer you stay the hell away from me..." replied Sasuke in an irritated voice, as the young Namikaze laughed boisterously.

Watching him laugh brought a faint smirk on Sasuke's lips, there was not a single soldier in their force who was not scared, nervous or had a few concerns. They were not special ops soldiers like Blacklight, their force was full of freedom fighters who were battling for a democratic world. The spirits were high, but Sasuke knew that their names would not be remembered...

The only thing that will be remembered in history would be the final outcome of this campaign. One that shall change the world forever...

The stakes were too high, and even if Sasuke shared the same feelings as Itachi- he had to cover for his friend in the need of the hour. Even if it meant doing something which he normally didn't like.

"Be careful out there..." said Itachi silently, making his fellow Uchiha laugh.

Itachi smirked when Sasuke simply tucked his hands in his pockets and started walking away...

"Bring honor to the clan symbol on your back, and remember victory at any costs..." advised Sasuke sagely, before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Itachi simply shook his head in exasperation...

"Show off..."

* * *

(Minutes before the operation)

The young soldiers of the republic held their breaths, their anxious eyes fixed on the enemy positions in front of them. Between them stood a rather large field, which had very few places which could be used as cover. Not only was this field covered in explosives, but the enemy had a far more lethal firepower and arsenal than them.

Some of the younger teens could be seen sweating profusely, fear evident in their eyes as only now they felt this terrifying emotion. Tonight they realized an important lesson of life...

It was one thing to talk about a war, but an entirely different thing when you have to fight in it.

With your life on the line...

Where one mistake would be your final end, or something much worse. A battlefield where even your luck plays an important role in your survival...

The hands of a few Hyuga trembled when their eyes showed them the dangerous clone troopers of the empire ready for them, waiting to send them all to the afterlife without any hesitation.

Their only solace was their veteran officers (Konoha 12) being right beside them, and their confident looks did well in keeping the rest of them in line.

Shikamaru who was standing on the sides could also see how serious the situation was, until all of them heard the sound of footsteps. Turning around, he was relieved and surprised when he saw the person approaching towards the front.

Dressed in a traditional blue metallic armor was Itachi, the Namikaze clan symbol engraved on its chest. It was accompanied by sandals and a happuri styled forehead protector. In his right arm was a sword which none of them had ever seen before, and his cold gaze sent shivers down many people's hearts.

_"To think, he looks so identical to the Nidaime..."_ thought Shikamaru with a wry chuckle,

Turning towards the soldiers, the youngest member of the Namikaze family gave them a confident stare. Even if Sasuke would be handling the soldiers, Itachi was still the one leading the charge.

The soldiers were looking at him expectantly, wishing he would say something glorious.

"You're all afraid..."

The RAF members were quite in for a shock when they heard those words coming out of Itachi's mouth, never in their wildest dreams had they expected such a statement when they were at the gates of the enemy.

"Most of you are probably feeling the need of self preservation arising in your hearts. The odds are against us completely, the enemy has more tools in their hands that could end our lives, they have all the advantages. This is the real truth right now..." said Itachi flatly,

Shikamaru was never one for theatrics, but the soldiers needed something inspiring instead of words that would crush what little morale they had left. Right now, he could see the stark difference between the Namikaze brothers.

What the hell was Itachi doing?

"Many of us will die tonight, many will be wounded, it is possible that all of us may not survive this night..." said Itachi frankly, and didn't flinch for a second when many of his soldiers started taking a few steps back.

He even saw Hinata and Sakura looking at him worriedly, concern evident in their eyes. But he was determined to do this no matter the consequences...

It would be a cold day in hell before he took such cowards into battle...

"You want to retreat? Flea and save your life? Then now is the time...and it's logical. What are you? Farmers? Blacksmiths? Laborers? Most of you are not soldiers, and are not even qualified to fight this battle. So, you're free to go..." offered Itachi coldly, and Ino was surprised when she saw Sasuke smirking.

What was the Uchiha seeing in this disastrous last minute talk from Itachi? All she could see was a commander who had lost his mind...

"If you chose to turn your back on me, on the republic I will not judge you. In fact, none of us will...because in the end, you are _free_ men and women" said Itachi calmly,

The last words struck a cord through many people's hearts, that one simple word was enough to ignite something that was getting overwhelmed by fear.

"That's right, _you're free_. A fundamental right which every one of you enjoys regardless of your religion, status, birth. I am fighting to protect this freedom of mine, to preserve the right to choose my own destiny. To not be a slave, and for that I will charge straight through this field. Only those willing to die on their feet as free men, instead of lying on their knees as slaves shall take part in this decisive battle. For the republic" declared Itachi fiercely,

He didn't even look them in the eyes to offer any comfort, and instead turned towards the battlefield. It was not long before he saw Sasuke appearing on his side, followed by Sakura,

Hinata

Kiba

Shino

Ino

Chouji

Neji

Lee

Tenten

Shikamaru

The Nara heir looked behind and was further surprised when the fear struck soldiers stepped forward together and were now standing behind their leaders. A strange feeling of anger, determination could be seen in their eyes. Although, it was not sure whether they wanted to kick Itachi's ass or slaughter the enemy.

Whatever works...

_"Troublesome, at least they seem motivated now. You sure know how to piss people off..."_ thought Shikamaru tiredly,

Itachi merely glanced at the soldiers behind him, and gave them an acknowledging nod.

"When I give the signal, charge forward under the command of your respective officers..." said Itachi seriously,

"Are you going alone, captain?" asked a young girl worriedly, and was unnerved when Itachi merely nodded.

"There is something I have to handle, be ready..."

And with that, Itachi ran straight towards the open field as the enemy alarm echoed through the entire area. Understanding the situation, Shikamaru quickly gave a signal as the RAF units divided themselves into their respective platoons, with their squad leaders at front.

Neji's sharp eyes picked up the enemy aiming at Itachi and quickly gave a warning look to Shikamaru...

"Tenten, Now!" commanded Shikamaru loudly,

Right on cue, the weapons specialist and her 29 soldiers took positions on their trench lines. Armed with the deadly kunai launchers, they instantly started firing mercilessly on the enemy position. While her men were bombarding the enemy with a barrage of kunai, Tenten quickly jumped high in the air and unleashed several scrolls.

With a puff of smoke the barren sky was now instead covered with explosive tags, as Shikamaru turned towards 4 soldiers.

"Wind users, fire!"

**"Fuuton Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Jutsu)"**

The small unit of wind users unleashed a destructive wave of wind, which quickly swept up the exploding tags in the air in its current. With great skill, the RAF soldiers directed the newly formed offensive attack straight towards the enemy positions.

A smirk came on Tenten's face as her precious weapons sailed through the air and were within the range of enemy positions, while it was true the enemy had far better weapons but it didn't mean that they could underestimate the power of ninja tools. The only thing that could be considered a drawback was the large distance in the form of an open field that was between her and the enemy positions...

But Shikamaru had solved that problem, and with the power of the mountain wind backing them, the weapons now hovered over the enemy.

"Take that!" said Tenten loudly, and performed the ram seal

**BOOM!**

**BOOM!**

The previously nervous RAF was now relieved when they saw the enemy position get hit by their attacks, a few screams could also be heard as the explosives ripped apart 1 of the bunkers out of the total number of 30.

But the leader of the RAF was not at all relieved in the slightest, and the sharp gaze of Shikamaru Nara now turned towards his blonde teammate.

"Ino, link up the RAF" commanded Shikamaru quickly, as he watched Itachi dodging several projectiles that were being fired on him.

Damn, the guy was fast. But things were about to get worse for him as he just entered the explosive field.

"On it..." replied Ino confidently,

_"This'll hurt like a bitch tomorrow..."_ thought the Yamanaka irritatedly, as she performed her hand seals.

**"Shindenshin no Jutsu (Mind Body Transmission Technique)"**

Every soldier of the republic suddenly felt their consciousness linking up with someone, and looked at each other gaining respective nods of acknowledgement.

"Tenten, keep them pinned down with your fire team as long possible" ordered Shikamaru,

"Roger"

"Hyugas at front"

As soon as the order was issued a small squad of Hyugas stepped on the edge, with Neji at front. The prodigy looked at his side only to see his cousin Hinata offering him a smile.

"Everyone follow the plan, charge on my command!" said Shikamaru through the newly formed mental connection, thanks to Ino.

"Hai" replied the entire RAF in unison,

_"Shikamaru..."_

The Nara was surprised when he heard Itachi contacting him through the mental connection...

"I'll take the right sector where the clone troopers are, charge through with the RAF in 50 seconds" suggested Itachi seriously, as he took cover behind a large rock.

"But the explosives-"

"Leave them to me, just do as I say. As soon as I clear the field, crush the enemy's regular forces on the left flank..." said Itachi frankly,

"Roger, but I'll send Sasuke to back you up. Those clones are dangerous..." replied Shikamaru,

"No, in order to minimize the casualties on our side you need someone like Sasuke to be there. Crush the left flank, and we will gain significant advantage. As far as me going up against the clones, I've been ready for this day since the past 4 years and no one knows my brother better than me. Even if they are his clones, I know how to deal with them...and I don't want our soldiers to get caught in the crossfire. Trust me, Shikamaru..." requested Itachi,

"Negative, it's far too risky..." said Shikamaru sharply, the odds were totally against his friend.

The Nara commander and every person in the area suddenly felt a monstrous amount of killing intent erupting like a raging volcano. The pressure in the area tremendously increased and his eyes widened in fear when he saw Itachi's entire body covered in blue flames. Even from such a distance, he could feel the power radiating from the youngest member of the Namikaze family.

_"I was not asking for your permission..._" said Itachi coldly, his sharingan activated and his fierce glare made a few of his own soldiers take a few steps back in caution.

His eyes shifted towards his best friend, who merely gave a nod...

"Teme, I leave them to you..." said Itachi coolly, as a smirk came on Sasuke's face.

"Just don't get your ass kicked, dobe..."

"Likewise, duckface!

* * *

(With Itachi)

His eyes turned towards the sword in his hand, it started illuminating a strange yellow light as he initiated channeling his chakra through the sword. A faint smirk came on his lips as he remembered what Mikoto had said when she gave him that scroll...

_"Open it before you go into battle; you'll know what to do. I also made this for you..."_

His eyes also saw the new set of armor and clothes he was wearing right now, so this was the gift which Mikoto had given him. Not to mention the famous sword of his grandfather, Tobirama Senju.

Sparks of lightening started flying from the sword, with its power increasing every passing second.

**"Raijin no Ken (Sword of the Thunder God)"**

His sharingan could clearly see each and every explosive tags and mines that the enemy had laid in the vast field, if the RAF were to advance then these had to be eliminated.

Currently, the enemy archers and kunai launcher armed unit was being suppressed by Tenten and her squad; now was his chance.

He firmly grasped the powerful sword in his hand, and concentrated a large amount of chakra towards his legs. Taking one last deep breath, he jumped high in the air and focused his sharingan towards a center point in the field.

The divine sword in his hand cackled dangerously and the bright light illuminating from it nearly blinded every person in the area, as he directed the weapon towards his fixed position.

**"Kaminari no Ame (Divine Lightning Rain)"**

Numerous powerful bolts of lightning were fired from the powerful sword, in a blink of an eye the previously hidden explosives in the field lit up instantly. The whole ground shook violently, as simultaneous explosions rocked the entire mountain area.

The devastating attack was continued by Itachi for nearly 20 seconds, and by the time he was done a giant smokescreen had littered across the entire terrain due to the blowing up of the hidden explosives. Gracefully landing on the ground, he quickly sheathed his powerful sword and turned towards his awe struck comrades.

"Charge you fucking idiots!" yelled Itachi comically,

It took them a moment but when the young soldiers saw the murderous gaze of Itachi directed at them, their survival instincts kicked in and the entire force started charging towards the left flank with a thunderous battlecry.

As soon as he saw his comrades moving to complete their objective, his gaze shifted towards the right flank where the clone troopers were waiting for him.

He was not even surprised when he saw the best soldiers of the enemy firing hundreds of kunai at him, the attack was so wide that it didn't leave any position where he could hide. Instead of making him tremble in fear, it only incited his blood lust.

"Don't underestimate the student of Jiraiya!" yelled Itachi furiously,

His previously regular sharingan started spinning wildly and after a few rotations took the shape shuriken. He spread his hands wide in the air, and channeled a massive amount of chakra in his eyes.

**"Enton: Kagutsuchi (Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi)"**

A dome of black flames was formed on every side of Itachi, the deadly projectiles that were about to end his life were rendered useless as the divine black flames simply melted the metallic weapons with its power. He let the protective black flames remain around him for a few minutes as the enemy tried relentlessly to break through with every weapon they had, but it was futile.

_"Only if you fools knew I am far better than my brother with my flames..."_ thought Itachi darkly, as he clasped his hands together.

The dome of black flames now took the shape of a straight wall that took position in front of Itachi's body, while also covering his head by taking the shape of a helmet. As he channeled another burst of chakra his defensive jutsu again changed its structure and was now turned into hundreds of deadly shuriken, completely made from the very same flames.

A bloodthirsty grin came on the blonde warrior's face as he directed his hand towards the front line of the enemy position...

"Die"

Several black flame laced shuriken spinned tremendously and were fired straight towards the front line enemy forces, just when they were about to rain hell on those clones one of the officers jumped in front.

He performed a few hand seals which Itachi recognized, as a frown came on his face.

_"So, the officer clones are one grade above the soldiers. They can utilize more chakra, although I doubt he'll survive this attack..."_ thought Itachi calculatively,

His assumption was proved correct, when the clone officer who was wearing the uniform of a captain removed his mask and Itachi was able to see the sharingan in his eyes.

**"Izanagi"**

In a desperate suicidal move, the enemy officer who had the same face as his brother dispelled the black flame shuriken volley fired by Itachi, thus protecting his remaining troops from getting annihilated. But it also resulted into him violently blasting away with his blood spreading across the rocky terrain.

Itachi had already estimated what was about to happen and had utilized that time to charge ahead, while conducting his own set of hand seals. There was quite a distance between him and the enemy positions, not to mention the steep slope which he'll have to charge through.

**"To think, Obito used my brother's Uchiha and Senju DNA to make such warriors. The previous clones were not able to do such powerful jutsu, but it seems Madara is changing his battle style and has directed his attention to improve the fighting capabilities of his best troops. But still, only the officer clones seem to display this rise in power levels. No matter, it doesn't change anything..."** thought Itachi with determination shining in his eyes,

Biting his lip, he drew a stream of blood and finished his hand seals; and slammed his hands on the rough ground.

**"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)"**

* * *

(With RAF)

"Holy SHIT!" yelled Kiba in disbelief,

For the first time no female member of their group scolded him for his brash language, in fact Kiba's outburst was the same thought that was running through their mind when they saw Itachi now standing on top of a giant orange colored toad, who was smoking through a pipe.

They were still trying to digest the shock which they felt on watching Itachi's black flames, and now...

Shikamaru who had taken cover behind a rock, looked at Sasuke sharply as he too took cover behind an adjacent rock.

"You knew about this, didn't you?" asked Shikamaru with a frown clearly evident on his face,

"What of it? It's not my decision to say anything about his powers. Truthfully, none of you know anything about him..." said Sasuke flatly, as Hinata grabbed his arm roughly.

"When did he awaken those cursed eyes?" asked Hinata threateningly, as Sasuke looked at her bemusedly.

_"Dobe, how many girls are falling for you?"_ thought the Uchiha tiredly,

"The day his brother died, and ever since that time he has trained himself. Honestly, he can almost take this first peak on his own if he wants...all of you would simply get in his way" admitted Sasuke frankly,

_"So that's why he told us to stay away from his battlefield. Namikaze Itachi, you are on an entire different level than us..."_ thought Neji honestly,

"Itachi-san, your flames of youth are burning so brightly!" yelled Lee proudly. making the other young soldiers around him cringe.

"I...don't...understand...is...this...really...Itachi?" asked Sakura in disbelief,

"There are many things which you don't know about him. This battle is personal to him, it's not just about winning. It is something more than that, Sakura. He belongs from a family of Hokage's and his brother is one of he most dangerous fighters in this world. I'm surprised you didn't expect him to be strong..." replied Sasuke calmly,

"Is this his true power?" asked Ino hesitantly, as right now she could see the resemblance between Itachi and his father.

On her question, Sasuke merely scoffed and looked towards his best friend...

"He's just getting started..."

* * *

(With Itachi)

**"Yo..."**

Itachi gave a faint smile of acknowledgement to his long time friend and battle partner, Gamakichi. The toad was the son of the boss summon, and had been his partner since the past 2 years. He still thanked the day when Jiraiya gave him such a powerful contract...

If Naruto was a God, then he was no less.

By taking this hill he would prove that he was no longer the boy who walked in his brother's shadow, he was the student of Jiraiya and a son of Minato Namikaze. This was his battle...

"I need your help..." said Itachi quickly, as he saw the previously distorted clone forces reforming their formations.

Gamakichi simply scoffed on the obvious request, but gave a nod regardless. He would have given a smart ass remark, but there was something about his summoner's demeanor that screamed _"Shut the fuck up, or I'll kick your ass too"_.

But the boy always gave him good booze as reward, and also sent snacks for his annoying little brother, Gamatatsu.

And since he always fought interesting battles, Gamakichi didn't mind his bossy attitude.

"We'll be using Combination 2" commanded Itachi, gaining a firm nod from his partner.

**"You got it partner"**

The toad took a deep breath and unleashed a massive wave of oil straight towards the enemy positions, while the boy standing on top of him finished his rapid series of hand seals.

Transforming chakra into his lungs, Itachi bent a little and launched his attack...

**"Katon: Gamayu Endan (Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet)"**

A gigantic wave of fire was launched from his mouth, which when combined with the toad oil spewing from Gamkichi's mouth created a raging inferno which was now heading towards the clone forces.

Most sane people would be fleeing for their lives, but these were no ordinary soldiers. Holding true to their reputation of being fearless, they formed a single defensive line and performed their own set of hand seals.

**"Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Style: Violent Water Wave)"**

The entire clone army launched a tidal wave of water which collided head on with Itachi's attack, and surprisingly the powerful attack not only started overpowering the fire attack, but also started pushing the giant toad a few inches back.

_"Fuck, their water affinity has a natural advantage against my fire. Even if they are weak, they are still my brother's replica's..."_ thought Itachi seriously,

He could easily see if this attack continued, then the clones water wave would soon overpower him. Wordlessly, he simply gazed into the eyes of his battle partner who merely gave a nod in agreement.

With great force and mustering all his strength, Gamikichi unleashed every drop of toad oil inside his body. The effect was soon visible when they started regaining their edge as the water wave was now being pushed back.

While continuing to spew fire from his mouth, Itachi made a hand seal as a shadow clone of him appeared beside him.

The replica didn't waste any time and finished its own set of hand seals.

**"Fuuton Suidou no Tatsumaki (Wind Release: Tornado Tunnel Jutsu)"**

The shadow clone launched a powerful wind wave from its mouth, and the instantaneous effect was the rapid shapeshfiting of the fire wave. The real Itachi had maintained his hold over his jutsu, as his clone finished transforming his raw attack into a fire spear. And with the combined powers of fire and wind backing it, his new combination attack sliced through the water wave.

**Boom!**

**"AHHHHHH"**

A layer of mist spread across the battlefield due to the continous collusion of the powerful natural elements, many clones perished when Itachi's trio combination attack pierced through their defense; which in turn lead to the failure of the remaining clones in holding their weakened water wave.

Their sharp sensing powers were able to feel the sound of something sharp heading towards them through the mist.

Since their sharingan was useless in this mist they were unable to see the volley of shuriken that were now within range, and they had strange chakra glowing through them.

**"Fuuton Kaiten Shuriken (Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken Jutsu)"**

The front line clone units simply didn't have a chance to defend themselves as the deadly weapons pierced clean through their bodies, making them dispel in bursts of blood. Those few who did manage to use their tanto's as a defense were also not able to stop the wind powered shuriken, which simply broke their metallic weapons and ended their lives.

In a swirl of leaves Itachi appeared between the clone formation, and was mercilessly stabbed all across his body by the clones with their tanto. But they got confused when Itachi merely smirked...

As the secretly hidden burning explosive tag dropped from his pocket, and he disappeared into a puff of smoke revealing himself to be the previously formed support shadow clone.

**Boom!**

Nearly 20 clones were blown to pieces as they were within the blast radius, the last remaining 30 clones quickly took cover behind the weak earth wall that was formed by their sole surviving officer class clone.

"(whistles) Hey dumbasses!"

They looked up when they heard someone calling them only to see the _giant ass_ of Gamakichi descending towards them.

_CRASH_

A few lucky clones evaded the incoming attack, but most of them had to face the cruel destiny of being crushed beneath a toad's ass.

The last clone officer glared at the blonde boy standing on top of the giant toad, and signaled his men to take formation around him.

_"He used the toad not only as an offensive support, but used him to cover the distance between us and him. And now he has breached our perimeter, we have to take down this summon first"_ thought the clone leader calmly,

Itachi had seen the officer clone staring at his toad friend, and understood what the enemy's battle strategy would be.

"You may have my brother's face and his abilities, but you are not even close to his powers..." taunted Itachi,

"Gamakichi, we're done. Thanks for your help...I'll take it from here" said Itachi quickly,

**"Don't forget my reward"** replied the toad sarcastically, as the clones jumped towards his huge form with their tanto's ready to impale him.

"Yeah, yeah. Get out of here..."

And he did, with a large burst of smoke which served well in halting the advance of the charging clones. Using the momentary distraction, Itachi aimlessly launched several shuriken from his pouch and smirked when he heard a few grunts of pain.

Hey, whatever works in battle. Even if it was a random attack, luck definitely was on his side.

The smoke cleared as the silhouette of 15 clones and one officer were only visible on the entire right flank. The rest had met their maker with their blood spreading across the entire terrain.

"Prepare for close quarters, ATTACK!" commanded the officer clone loudly,

Following the issued order with extreme devotion, 5 clones leapt towards Itachi with quick speed and precision. Their tanto's ready to chop him to pieces...

_SLASH_

The enemy unit was the one who ended up getting destroyed as Itachi took out 2 tanto's from his back. One glowed with fire chakra running through its metal, with its counter tanto having wind chakra running through it.

Masterfully swinging his tanto's in a circular motion all around his body, he gave a challenging smirk to the last clones. Taunting them to attack him...

And they did...

_A diagonal..._

_A horizontal..._

_A vertical..._

_A clean sweep..._

Like a hot knife his blades slaughtered the clones with finesse and extreme precision. Not even their sharingan eyes was able to counter the speed with which he had used his weapons to end their miserable existence.

The only one left now was the last officer clone who was standing still in his position, reacting quickly he picked up a nearby kunai launcher and fired it at Itachi.

_CLANG_

_CLANG_

_CLANG_

The blood thirsty Namikaze evaded most of the attacks with great speed while blocking the remaining few with his deadly chakra powered blades, all the while as he ran towards the cornered clone officer.

As soon as he reached within striking distance of the last clone, the officer raised his giant sword to cleave Itachi in half.

"Yeah!"

Rather than blocking the incoming sword, Itachi gave a bone crushing kick on the man's chest which sent him sailing 30 feet away where he crashed against a nearby rock. An audible crack could be heard as the last enemy solder's ribs cracked. He hazily saw Itachi walking towards him, the chakra that was running through his blades was now stopped.

Placing his blades on the sides of the clone's neck, he beheaded the soldier in one swift motion. The severed head flew high in the air, as the lower half of the clone's body crumbled into blood. Itachi threw his blades high in the air, as they cut the flying head into two halves before landing effortlessly into their sheaths placed on his back.

While the pieces of flesh fell back on the ground...

"That's how it's done..."

* * *

(With RAF: :Left Flank)

Shino and Kiba threw a couple of smoke bombs which went off; and started preventing the enemy from pinpointing their exact location. On their left side, they saw Sasuke charging forward on the steep slope until a strange light glowed in the dark night sky.

"Take cover now!" shouted Sasuke loudly, and lounged towards a nearby rock.

Unfortunately his squad was not so lucky, as the light in the sky turned out to be burning explosive tags which went off.

**Boom!**

Sasuke cursed his luck when he saw his men getting killed by deadly sharpnels hitting their vital organs, he felt a little sad when the young teenager's bodies rolled down the slope like pieces of meat.

"Sasuke!"

The son of Fugaku Uchiha looked on his right to find Chouji looking at him, the fat boy gave a few hand signals which Sasuke understood. Turning out of his cover, he launched a volley of shuriken towards the enemy archers and shooters that were hiding within their bunkers and high trench line.

Using the momentary distraction, Chouji transformed into a rolling ball and gained momentum. With great strength, the Akimichi heir started charging onwards the steep slope with his squad following behind him.

**Boom!**

Shikamaru and Ino froze in fear when they saw their teammate and his entire squad being blown apart by explosive arrows that landed inches away from them.

"Chouji!" yelled Ino in fear, but was stopped when Shikamaru grabbed her strongly.

She gave a furious glare to the conflicted Nara, who only directed her gaze towards the 2 enemy bunkers that were waiting for more soldiers to come to Chouji's rescue. They could barely see if their friend was alive or dead, there was simply too much blood and body parts.

"Don't go out there recklessly, you'll only get killed. Ino, you're the communication specialist...if we lose you, the RAF will fall into more panic. Your life is far more precious. Stay back, this is an order" said Shikamaru harshly,

"We can't just leave him out there, Shika!"

"I know, you fool!"

_CLANG_

**_BOOM_**

_CLANG_

**_BOOM_**

The members of Team 10 were surprised when 5 enemy bunkers (including the ones near Chouji) were simultaneously bombed to oblivion. Their eyes shifted towards the sky, where they saw an ink bird flying.

"Sai, Sakura..." said Ino in relief,

Her childhood friend was the one who had fired those explosive laced kunai with the help of her kunai launcher, while the pale looking boy had launched several ink based animals straight through the enemy ranks.

Jumping down from the bird, the chief medic hurriedly ran towards the incapacitated RAF squad, all the while firing her kunai launcher. Meanwhile, Sai backed off his bird and took it away from the range of the enemy archers.

When she reached towards the injured squad, she saw 4 bodies of 14 year old boy's while Chouji was heavily bleeding from his arms and legs. It was a damn miracle he survived such a close quarter explosion, if not for his super strength he would have been paste like the others in his squad.

She cursed her luck when her kunai launcher ran out, and was now clearly in the cross hairs of the nearby enemy bunkers. Without wasting any time, she grabbed Chouji's injured body by his shirt's collar and started dragging him back towards cover. Sakura was definitely surprised when she saw Sasuke appearing in front of her, and he easily picked up the lower half of Chouji's body.

"You'll need help getting this fatso to safety, and I can't let the chief medic be killed" said Sasuke honestly, making her smile.

"Thanks" replied Sakura gratefully,

Watching his best friend being rescued relieved Shikamaru immensely, he had to hand it to Sasuke and Sakura. Despite the Uchiha being an asshole like Itachi, he helped when needed the most, and Sakura risked her life for a friend. He was definitely going to put their names for commendation...

His attention was diverted when Neji came beside him...

"There are 9 bunkers remaining, enemy troops are near 90 including their remaining archers. We need to get moving or they'll box us in..." advised the elder Hyuga sagely,

"Understood, Kiba, Shino..." barked Shikamaru, as his two friends came beside him.

"Shino, use your bugs to distract the enemy. Kiba you'll follow, eliminate the bunker of the upper north side. That one has quite a heavy firepower..." commanded Shikamaru quickly,

"Acknowledged" said the Aburame stoically,

"Heh, finally I'm going to kick some ass..." replied Kiba enthusiastically, with his dog barking in agreement.

The RAF leader watched patiently, as Shino spread his hands and a torrent of kikiachu bugs was unleashed. The bugs went straight towards the designated bunker and started pestering the enemy forces inside, as well as those near the trench by draining their chakra.

**"Gatsuga!"**

A sharp drilling form which was actually Kiba and his transformed dog ran clean through the bunker, killing everyone in it. Shikamaru didn't waste any time, and signaled the squads nearby to charge ahead.

He then turned towards Neji, and signaled Ino to come beside him. They were soon joined by an excited Lee, who had a wide grin on his face.

Ino quickly linked her hands with Shikamaru's forehead, as the supreme commander formed a connection with Tenten and her fire team who were far away from their location. Positioned in their original positions and keeping the enemy pinned with their kunai launcher supprressive fire. If not for them, half of the RAF would have been wiped out by now due to the heavy firepower of the enemy.

"Fire Team, you there?" asked Shikamaru hurriedly,

"Roger, Leader. We are alive and kicking, awaiting orders on new targets..." replied Tenten confidently,

"Fire concentrated bursts on bunkers 4, 5, 6. Keep them pinned down, do you copy?" questioned Shikamaru seriously,

"Affirmative, we'll keep those bastards under our heels. Fire Team out..." replied Tenten calmly,

Just as she promised, within seconds the designated enemy bunkers were flatly silenced as the RAF fire team rained down their full power on them. These were the positions where those damned enemy archers were hiding. And Shikamaru had a plan...

"Neji, can you do the attack which you mentioned a few weeks ago?"

"Yes, but those bunkers are far too away. I can't run or block their attacks due to this slope..." confessed Neji, and was a little unnerved when a mischievous smirk came on Shikamaru's lips.

The Hyuga was shocked when Lee grabbed him by his legs, as Neji glared at Shikamaru comically.

"Happy flying" taunted Shikamaru cheekily,

"YOUTH!"

Never in their entire lives had anyone seen Neji's eyes widening to such an extent as Lee literally threw him 50 feet high in the sky, with his super strength.

Even in the enemy couldn't believe when they saw a flying Hyuga whose hands were glowing brightly in the air...

**"Jūho Sōshiken (Gentle Step: Two Lion Fists)"**

The Hyugas nearby couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the chakra in Neji's hands taking the form of two ferocious lions before he fired the jutsu straight towards the 3 bunkers in front of him. The result was a massive explosion that completely destroyed the bunkers with the people in it.

A cocky smirk came on Neji's face as he just performed one of the most powerful techniques that was only taught to the main house members of the Hyuga clan. However his victorious expression didn't last when he saw he was freely falling towards the steep mountain slope.

"Oh no..." said Neji nervously, until he was grabbed in the clutches of an ink bird.

"You could have helped me sooner..." cursed Neji, as Sai merely gave a sweet smile.

Followed by dropping Neji flat on the ground with an audible thud, as the Hyuga cursed all his friends at the top of his lungs. Sai merely cleared his ear with his finger...

"Sorry, did you say something?"

Shikamaru couldn't stop himself from laughing when he saw Neji being dragged to safety by the soldiers nearby. At the most he'll have a sore ankle and ass..._hopefully_.

He didn't even need to say anything to the green jump suit wearing Taijutsu specialist as he merely gave a thumbs up. Now that the archers were gone, it was time for attack.

**"Omote Renge (Front Lotus)"**

Lee's body blasted a monstrous amount of energy and in a blink of an eye he appeared straight towards 2 enemy bunkers. How he manged to cover so much distance within seconds would forever be a mystery to Shikamaru and the RAF soldiers.

**"Dynamic Entry!"**

Like a raging tornado, Lee skillfully destroyed the 2 enemy bunkers while making the enemies near him fly in random directions.

"That was..." said Shikamaru hesitantly..

"Awesome! Go Lee-kun!" yelled Ino happily, but face palmed when she saw Lee giving her his flashy smile in his horrendous jumpsuit.

_She was definitely going to have nightmares for days!_

With only 2-3 enemy bunkers remaining on his flank, and a few stragglers in the trenches; Shikamaru took out a pair of trench knives and looked towards his soldiers.

"Banzai!"

Within minutes, the enemy position was overrun by the patriotic young soldiers of the RAF!

* * *

(With Itachi)

The second in command of RAF and younger brother of Naruto Namikaze could be seen sitting in a relaxed manner across a giant rock. He merely smiled on hearing the victorious cheers of his comrades, indicating the fighting on the left flank was finally over.

Victory was theirs...

Despite being surrounded in a pool of blood, he calmly smoked his cigarette. He was tired, but feeling happy too.

Until...

_"Force 1, come in"_

_"Force 1"_

A frown came on his lips when he saw a voice from the communication device of the last clone officer which he had killed. Since he could not feel any enemy presence near him, and his comrades were shouting happily only meant that communication was coming from the 2nd peak.

Roughly grabbing the small device, he placed it on his ear while still smoking carelessly.

_"Come in, you stupid clones. Why has the firing stopped?"_ yelled an irritated voice,

"I'm sorry, but your clones _can't_ hear you right now..." replied Itachi sarcastically, and he heard a tired sigh escaping from the person's lips.

_"I see...may I ask who I am speaking too?"_ asked the man rather excitedly,

Itachi had a wild guess that this was the enemy commander, but why did he seem so happy despite losing half of the mountain. And a significant amount of his army...

"Mother said never to talk with strangers..." said Itachi in a sing song manner, as the person on the other end laughed madly.

_"Too bad, I'll just have to prepare a nameless grave for you, boy"_ promised the commander manically, followed by his evil laugh.

Itachi merely massaged his forehead, why were the bad guys so stupid? Didn't they know who he was?

"You do that, I'll bury your wrinkled ass in that grave. **_Now shut the fuck up_**..." said Itachi flatly,

Not waiting for any answer, he removed the device from his ear and slammed it hard on the ground breaking it into pieces. Taking a puff of smoke, he effortlessly created a small cloud of it in the sky...

Meanwhile an even crazier expression had appeared on Raiga Kurosaki's face, as he memorized the voice which he had just heard.

_"I'll be waiting for you, boy..."_

* * *

**Author's Note: That's a wrap.**

**Nearly 10k chapter, been a long time since I've written such a lengthy chapter. Hope you enjoyed it.**

**If I don't update any of my stories for more than 6 months, consider me dead (For real). For reasons classified...**

**Reviews are much appreciated.**

**Until next time,**

**Blackwolf501**


	20. Flyboys

**Yo...**

**As you can see this arc is related to Itachi and the Konoha 12, and so far I'm happy that people are liking it.**

**Thanks to those who liked and reviewed the previous chap, could have been more but...meh.**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 20**

**Flyboys**

* * *

After a magnificent victory, it was generally a widely accepted belief that most victorious armies would be celebrating their success. Most soldiers would be enjoying for not only surviving but winning the battle, while the officers would also join in on the fun for a while. But RAF was not like a regular army, it was simply a band of misfits who had been banded together to achieve impossible tasks.

If they died fulfilling those tasks, then they would have served their purpose.

To most soldiers of the regular army, the RAF was simply a cannon fodder force whom they could throw on the enemies recklessly.

The same feelings could not be shared by those within the RAF, especially the officers as they stared at the 50 teenage bodies that were carefully wrapped up in body bags. Only after their initial few moments of victory, did they realize the prize they paid for victory.

Their casualties would have been disastrous if Itachi had not solely defeated the fearless clone army. A cold shiver ran down their spines when they even imagined what it would be like to face those emotionless, fearless droid like soldiers in battle.

Ino and Sakura had somber looks on their faces, as they were the ones who had supervised the procedure at the morgue. These children were so young, barely 15. While some of them were even more younger than that.

The two girls glared hatefully at the entire column of dead bodies that were laid in a straight line on the far left side, the corpses of their enemies. The bastards who mercilessly killed such young children.

"Send the bodies of our soldiers back to their families..." instructed Itachi stoically, he was the only one among them who was unfazed in this moment.

No regret, no sorrow, no pain, if not for knowing him for years the others would never see the difference between his personality and the ones of the clone troopers.

"Bury the enemies bodies with full respect, follow the proper rituals..." commanded Itachi flatly,and simply closed his eyes when he received a sharp glare from everyone except Shikamaru.

"Like hell, we should burn these bastards...have you forgotten they butchered our comrades?" yelled Kiba furiously, a feral growl escaping from Akamaru's throat.

"For once I agree with Kiba, these criminals don't deserve such treatment..." complied Ino angrily, as she still remembered how close the enemy came to killing Chouji. If not for Sasuke and Sakura, her friend would have died.

"I concur..." replied Tenten flatly,

"Itachi-san, our soldiers won't feel comfortable in following this order. Their minds are still afresh with the deaths of their comrades, the enemy hunted these 50 kids like rats..." explained Neji seriously,

"Neji-san has a point, Captain. I agree with his analysis..." stated Shino in agreement,

Sasuke merely shook his head reflecting even he did not agree with his best friend's order, there were some lines that he even he didn't wish to cross. He may not be as emotional as the others, but a part of him did feel sorry for their dead comrades. Some of whom were from the team he led into battle, as such this was more personal to him.

Hinata and Lee stood quiet, both of them were too kind hearted. However, the others were in a bad mood, and it would be unhealthy if they showed any opposition to the majority in this case. So they merely stayed silent and remained neutral, although the others took this as a sign of their agreement.

Sai was standing away from the others, carefully observing their reactions. He simply didn't care what the final conclusion would be...he merely followed orders.

"Itachi, are you sure about this? Please reconsider..." requested Sakura diplomatically, she had to be the soft one as the others had basically pounced on him.

All of them then looked towards Shikamaru, who simply pointed his finger towards Itachi. He might be the strategist and overall commander, but when it came to being in charge of the RAF and managing its activities, then Itachi was the man.

More than that, Shikamaru was himself conflicted in this matter; and was unable to arrive at a consensus between his logical mind and emotional heart..

_Besides, it was too troublesome..._

The blonde shinobi simply grunted in disappointment, as he tucked his hands back in his pocket and started walking away. But he was not done either...

"Then there is no difference between them and you. I want those bodies buried by nightfall, this is an order..." said Itachi authoritatively,

"What was that, teme?" challenged Kiba angrily, as far as he was concerned Itachi was simply a friend who just got promoted to higher rank.

And he was wrong in this...

The others were about to voice their rebellious voice, when they faced the full blown murderous glare of Itachi's Mangekyo. The sheer power radiating from those eyes send shivers down their souls, not even the boisterous Kiba had any courage left after watching first hand of what those eyes could do.

"But what about our comrades? We would be insulting them by doing this..." said Ino nervously,

"Their sacrifice will be remembered in the republic..."

The sound of fists tightening could be heard as a few people's blood boiled over that cold, uncaring statement. His words while being objective, were said in such a tone which only showed that their deceased soldiers were mere pawns who were sacrificed for the greater good.

Sakura took an aggressive step forward and glared at the half Uchiha, half Senju heir...

"Don't you dare talk about those kids as tools, they were mere children, Itachi" scolded Sakura furiously, but he didn't even flinch on her ire.

"The only thing that matters is the republic. There will be no victory without sacrifice, don't be emotional fools. We're ninja, each and every one of us is an expendable asset for the greater good. The sooner you accept it, the more easier it will be for you..." explained Itachi blatantly, never sugar coating any word.

The disbelief and shock on his comrade's faces was no surprise, and he didn't expect any better from them. It was not their fault, but ultimately such useless emotions was only hurting them.

"Who are you really?" asked Hinata in fear, she knew there were some problems with Itachi. But no one had expected, he was this fucked up.

"I am soldier, nothing else. The only thing that matters to me is forming the republic, and I'll make every sacrifice needed for it. Useless things like compassion and emotions will only get in my way..." said Itachi bitterly, as memories of a young teenage boy standing before a grave came flooding back in his mind.

Those broken eyes that held so much pain when they stared at the name written on the grave, was still afresh in his mind.

_"Never again..."_

Those words, that pledge which was made that day- he would keep it no matter what.

"I'll do it, Captain..."

Everyone sharply looked towards the one who had accepted Itachi's order, to find out it was none other than Sai. In return, Itachi gave him a respectful nod before walking away from there in order to avoid any further useless arguments.

On receiving glares, from the others the pale eyed former Root simply shrugged and walked away in order to fulfill his orders...

Old habits die hard...

* * *

(With Itachi)

"Dobe"

Itachi snapped his Icha Icha book shut as a tired sigh escaped from his lips. He simply didn't need this right now, why couldn't people leave him alone?

"I'm not in the mood for another lecture, duckface..." said Itachi tiredly, as Sasuke came beside him.

Wordlessly, the Uchiha sat down on the cliff on which Itachi was sitting and casually started observing the RAF camp beneath them.

"Get your shit in line, you'll need the others for the next mission. You won't be able to do it solo like this time..." advised Sasuke seriously, as a frown was easily visible on his friend's face.

"If they follow orders, we'll win. It's as simple as that..." answered Itachi flatly,

Silence prevailed between the two friends, as one of them tried to think of a way to make the other understand in the easiest way possible.

"Those ninja who don't follow rules and orders are trash, and those who can't control their emotions are even worse than trash..." said Itachi bitterly, making Sasuke look at him strangely.

"You just reminded me of Kakashi...although you totally flipped his original teachings which he gave to every resistance soldier" taunted Sasuke, hoping to rile up his friend.

Alas, it was not possible...

"The Kakashi of the Third Ninja World War was a perfect shinobi, we're ninjas. None of us are supposed to have feelings, there is only the mission. I've already been more lenient than I should have towards the RAF, I made a mistake..." said Itachi stoically, but Sasuke shook his head in negative.

"It's true that a good soldier follows orders, and I agree with most of the things you do. I can even accept your order of burying the enemy's bodies, but you can't treat our comrades as tools of war. While they are soldiers, they are also people and whether you want to believe it or not- we are friends. All of us, and it's the only reason we tolerate each other. Even an asshole like you..." explained Sasuke honestly, and received Itachi's glare in return.

"We're at war, Sasuke. I don't need friends, I simply need soldiers who can follow orders. That's all..." replied Itachi silently,

"Everyone is quite sad for the comrades we lost, the least we can do is show sympathy..." suggested Sasuke, and for a moment he saw that emotion appearing in Itachi's eyes.

His friend lowered his head and his eyes were staring at ground beneath him...

"We're...shinobi. We must carry out our missions even at the expense of our comrades, if this war drags on then more such soldiers will die. If ninja give in to their emotions, then it's a disaster. I have seen it many times, that's why we are taught rules and ordered to follow commands." explained Itachi hesitantly, as he knew Sasuke could see and understand what he was trying to explain.

"Are you talking about your brother? And what happened with him in the past?" asked Sasuke straight forwardly,

"Yes"

"For the people your brother is the greatest hero, I thought you had the same feelings..." said Sasuke confusedly, and was intrigued when Itachi sinked further.

His friend had became extremely silent proving the doubts that everyone had, that Itachi was damaged.

"It...didn't stop him from meeting his death and going to hell. If only he had thought with his mind instead of his heart, if only Anija (Big Brother) had not burdened himself for everything that happened then he would not have suffered so much. Yes, my brother's a hero who saved our lives and I respect him the most; but I don't agree with his ideology. He is one of the strongest warriors I've known, but he's weak due to his emotions and sympathizing nature.

...this world is cruel. He was the pillar that not only supported the village, but also his family and his people; and when he died everything crumbled. Our family, our village, this world- everything. I don't blame him for doing what he did, but I can't be like him. The only thing that matters to me is the mission and following the orders given to me according to the rules I've learned, I won't repeat the same mistake that my brother did. _I won't_" promised Itachi sadly,

He was completely surprised when his best friend started laughing, and not just a short one. Sasuke was laughing like he had lost his mind, before he could even ask why he was laughing the Uchiha got up and started walking away.

"Oi, Sasuke! Why the fuck are you laughing?" growled Itachi irritatedly, which made the raven haired boy stop.

Turning around he simply looked at his friend with one of his eyes, and there was something in that gaze which made Itachi nervous.

"You don't have a strong mask, Itachi. And unlike your brother, you suck at lying..."

Sasuke merely smirked when Itachi's eyes widened in shock, those words had struck a vital blow to something that he was protecting since the past 4 years. Something he was afraid of...

"The more you try to become the opposite of your brother, the more you follow his path..." commented Sasuke dryly, making Itachi shake his head vehemently.

"I threw away my past naive self..." said Itachi desperately,

"Then why did you solely take on the clone army? Why did you risk your life to save others? Why are you willing to bury the bodies of our enemies as a sign of honor? Why did you risk your life every time for the civilians that were staying in our bases? We had no future but yet you fought?"

The relentless firing of questions by Sasuke teared apart the barriers that Itachi had formed around himself, instead of the cold eyes that he displayed every time there was sorrow.

He stared at his friend in disbelief, but those onyx eyes didn't flinch and showed him something which he had denied everyday.

_"Are...you...saying...that...I..-"_ thought Itachi in fear,

In a blink of an eye he appeared in front of Sasuke, and gave him a bone crushing punch to his chest which literally knocked out the air from his lungs; as he collapsed on the ground. He hazily looked up to see Itachi's sharingan glaring at him murderously...

**"Don't mess with me again, Sasuke."** warned Itachi furiously,

* * *

(Medical Station)

Sakura had just finished checking over the wounded soldiers in the B-wing, most of them would be up and fighting in a few days. The A wing was an entire different scenario, where the soldiers who had been critically wounded were being treated. Most of them were out of danger, but needed extreme care in order to get back up on their feet.

She was just about to unlock the door, when she saw it was already half open. It was past midnight, and those who were not on guard duty had already slept.

Most of the medical staff was also taking a short break, and she was the only one who was supposed to be here. Could it be an enemy trying to sabotage their ranks?

Deciding to investigate immediately, she stealthily hid behind the door and creaked one of her eyes through the small gap between the door and the wall.

Her eyes widened in shock, when she saw someone standing beside Chouji's bed.

"Itachi..."

She whispered his name in disbelief, it was simply too hard for her to accept that he was not only here but also visiting an injured friend. For a person who didn't care about emotions, he was actually displaying quite a lot while looking at his wounded classmate.

He looked at Chouji and a few other soldiers for a few more seconds, before disappearing from the room with a quick shunshin.

No words were said by him, but she had seen what she wanted to see. Watching him just standing there, even for a few seconds was enough to restore her shaken faith in him.

* * *

(Next Day: Midnight)

Hinata was one of the few people who had been assigned the important task of guard duty, it was her job along with a few other comrades of hers to watch out for any sign of enemy or danger. It had been a day since their victory at the first peak, and they had successfully shifted their camp to this location.

Many soldiers wanted to advance towards the second peak to completely capture the mountain, but Shikamaru and Itachi had squashed that suggestion. Their reason being they need not get overconfident and underestimate the enemy which had not only lost half of their feature, but a considerable amount of their force.

It would only be natural that they would be extremely vigilant and ready to repel any attack the RAF could throw at them.

"Tokuma-san, do you see anything?" asked Hinata kindly, as her fellow Hyuga shook her head.

"Negative, Hinata-sama. There is no one in this area, we are all clear..." replied her bodyguard and friend, Hiashi was quite protective of her these days.

So much that he sent one of his best fighters to protect her, not that she needed it. What was more surprising was how her father was able to convince Naruto-sensei, maybe it had to do with Naruto's choice of keeping the Hyuga loyal to him. By allowing such a little request of the clan head, which had only increased his respect among her clan.

"Honestly, Hinata-sama I find it insulting that Itachi-san would order the Hyuga heiress to do such a menial job..." said Tokuma bitterly, but she simply offered a kind smile.

"No job is menial during war, and Itachi knows this. We are the ones whose vigilance is allowing our tired comrades to sleep peacefully, the way I see it Itachi trusts me with the safety of everyone in the camp and found me responsible enough to handle this job. Tokuma-san, I fully believe in him" reassured Hinata confidently, as her guard gave a hesitant nod.

"You really love him, don't you Hinata-sama?" asked Tokuma with a fond smile,

Before she could give a denial, her eyes saw something in the sky. Quickly activating her prized Byakugan, she saw someone falling from the sky at great speed. Her eyes widened in horror, when she realized it was none other than Sai.

He was the only one during aerial surveillance around their perimeter, and now he was falling thousands of feet from the sky.

"CHO!"

Her terrified shriek nearly deafened the Akimichi boy who was in-charge of the ground team manning the perimeter, and when he saw her pointing at the sky along with the falling silhouette of Sai; he didn't waste any time and clasped his hands together.

Instantly, his size widened to a great extent and he was now as big as a large balloon which acted as Sai's landing cushion, as he crashed. The Akimichi boy used his large hands to stop the unconscious boy from falling off his stomach by bouncing across it.

Hinata and her fellow scouts quickly rushed towards their injured comrade, when she reached towards the surrounded injured boy she saw he was badly burnt. Her previous assumption of him being unconscious was proven wrong, when Sai weakly pointed a shaky finger towards the sky.

She looked up and took a step back in fear, when squadrons and squadrons of enemy air force emerged from behind one of the shorter mountains. The entire fucking sky was covered with them, but instead of being seated on birds there were humans flying in some strange machine. The only one who was on a bird was a long, man with a strange eye.

_"I have to warn Itachi..."_ thought Hinata quickly, and turned to run towards her crush's tent.

**BOOM!**

She froze in shock when Itachi's tent was completely obliterated by a little clay bird that fell on it, it was not burning; instead the entire thing was completely obliterated. Tears arrived in her eyes, when she didn't see him emerging from the destroyed tent. The fire was simply preventing her eyes from seeing through...

By now, the entire camp was alerted and the half asleep teenage soldiers rushed out to deal with the enemy, only to fell prey to the thousands of kunai that were being fired on them by the ninjas flying in air machines. They were simply gliding across the sky in that thing, and firing their weapons mercilessly from their machine.

"ART IS BLAST!" yelled the blonde bomber,

What followed after that was 4 large explosions that blew up an entire barracks hosting a large number of RAF soldiers, terrifying screams echoed through the entire peak as burning soldiers came out of the destroyed barracks with their bodies on fire. And her Byakugan was making her watch this horrifying memory very closely.

"Hinata-sama, we need to-"

Whatever Tokuma was going to say would forever be a mystery as a sharp kunai came flying and struck clean in his head, making him crashing several feet away.

The RAF guards looked up only to see 100 clone troopers descending from the mountain, the enemy had brought hell straight to their gates.

Chaos had spread across their entire camp, it was pure madness. People were burning, bleeding, yelling. She saw another squadron of enemy air fighters heading towards her squad, who were ready to fire and end her life.

Hinata was definitely relieved when the approaching enemy was blown to shards, as a large hawk flew above their head. A smile came on her face when she saw a person dressed in captain's uniform leading the charge across the enemy fleet.

"Itachi..." said Hinata in relief,

The Hawk was now flying so fast and high that she could not see his features, but he was definitely wearing his captain uniform. And there was only one captain in the entire RAF...

When he raised one of his hands in the air, the previously terrified RAF soldiers got their confidence back. Watching their leader take out scores of enemies in a flash did well to motivate them, as the able bodied soldiers took their weapons and charged towards the incoming clone company with a murderous battle cry.

"Hinata, let's kick their asses!" yelled Kiba furiously, as he charged ahead with the soldiers.

In spite of seeing Itachi being their only fighter who was fighting against the entire enemy fleet, she knew the ground enemy forces needed to be stopped. Those kunai launchers of the clones could wreck havoc, and she had the power to stop those weapons.

Picking herself up, she too joined her comrades in defending their camp...

* * *

Sakura had been running through their burning camp, there was so much chaos everywhere. Since, she was one of the few medics they had; she tried to help those that could be saved and helped the injured move towards a more secured location.

But her only concern right now was the burning tent of Itachi that was right in front of her eyes...

When she had seen it being blown up, a part of her had almost died. However, her heart was unwilling to accept that he was dead and was determined to save him, no matter what. Even if it meant bringing him back from the dead...

"You better be alive, you cold hearted bastard..." cursed Sakura frustratedly, as she kicked apart the debris surrounding the burning camp.

As she painfully moved through the burning fire, her breathing stopped when she saw him lying in a corner. Blood was oozing badly from his entire body, and some parts of his skin were showing burns. He must have been in deep sleep after that tiresome battle, and the enemy's stealth attack was formidable.

"Sakura..."

She was snapped back to reality, when his weak voice reached her eyes. Running towards him, she quickly removed a few wooden logs that he was buried beneath. Putting a hand across his back, she lifted him up on her back and escaped from the tent just before it collapsed completely.

"(cough) I...(cough) need...to...fight..." said Itachi tiredly, although not a single part of his body could agree with such a request.

Carefully placing him on the ground, her hands glowed green with medical chakra as she placed them on his chest. He looked around for a few more seconds, before his wounded body couldn't take it anymore and he drifted into unconsciousness.

She didn't waste any time and started healing the damage around his vital organs, when she heard a enthusiastic yell from her comrades.

And a hawk rising in the sky, all the while slaughtering every enemy air fighter that came in its way...

But what was most surprising was the captain uniform the RAF soldier was wearing, her eyes shifted towards the wounded Itachi in her arms. Sakura looked back again in the sky confusedly.

"If Itachi is here, then who's in that captain uniform?"

* * *

(In the Sky)

**"Raiton Rakurai no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Thunderbolt Jutsu)"**

Hundreds of electric currents were fired from the RAF captain's hands which rained down on the clone troopers on the ground, quickly obliterating 7 of them instantly. His sharingan eyes saw another few kunai being fired from the enemy air fighters towards him.

With great speed and precision, he parried the incoming attacks with his own set of kunai.

Commanding his hawk to rise higher in the sky, he performed a few set of hand seals.

**"Katon Hosenka no Jutsu (Phoenix Sage Fire Technique)"**

As soon as he fired a volley of fire balls from his mouth, his summon partner flapped its wings with great speed adding the deadly wind element to his attack. The end result being 30 air fighters of the enemy getting hit and falling dead towards the ground.

"That takes our total count to 50..." said Sasuke with a smirk, as his hawk screeched loudly in agreement.

_"Intel really fucked us up on this one, we were told the entire enemy air force was busy pounding Mikasa-sensei's forces. Then how the hell did they manage to dispatch such a large force along with a Knight of the Emperor?"_ thought Sasuke seriously, as he maneuvered his bird in different angles to evade the enemy that were pursuing him.

At the very least, his devastating charge had stopped the enemy air forces from further decimating the RAF. The effects of this distraction could be seen as his comrades were slowly overwhelming the shock clone troopers.

"Katsu!"

A dangerous blast occurred very close on his right side, which made his hawk lose a little balance allowing the ninja around him to wound him with a few kunai planted in his legs.

Sasuke's sharingan quickly picked up the figure of Sakura who was trying to heal a badly injured Itachi. Painfully removing the weapons from his wounded leg, he turned back to see a grinning Deidara flying behind him with his minions right in tow.

"Stop running and see my art, Namikaze!" shouted Deidara in an irritated voice,

Sasuke would have sweat dropped on Deidara's stupidity, but very well knew that not only the former Akatsuki bomber but every soldier within the RAF was under the illusion that he (Sasuke) was Itachi. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he was wearing Itachi's uniform and had covered his head with a helmet, and was the only Uchiha in the entire unit besides Itachi.

_"I hope he's not that pissed when he finds out I had borrowed his uniform an hour ago. That asshole sleeps like a log..."_ thought Sasuke bemusedly,

Any sane person would have fled the area on seeing Deidara and his minion army of air fighters on their ass, but Sasuke Uchiha was never sane. In fact, he had the **_copyright_** of madness on his name and today he was going to use it.

Since everyone was thinking he was Itachi, and it was working out to their advantage. Why not use it to his benefit and make his best friend look like an idiot?

An evil grin came on his face as he looked at Deidara with his sharingan eyes...

"Your art sucks balls!" said Sasuke tauntingly, and flipped his enemy the bird.

He smiled when Deidara snarled in anger, and was just about to make his attack when he saw Sasuke take out something from his back. Eyes widening in shock, he quickly maneuvered his bird out of the way as the kunai launcher in Sasuke's hands fired mercilessly.

With the ever sharp sharingan of his, the only son of Fugaku Uchiha rapidly shot down 40 enemy air fighters down with a kunai stuck in their forehead.

Before he could relish on his accomplishment, he cursed when he saw Deidara launching a series of small clay creatures towards the RAF soldiers that were battling with the clone troopers on the ground. Particularly, his two teammates Kiba and Shino.

_"Sasuke, I leave them to you..."_

He still remembered his teacher's words, Mikasa had been absolutely clear when she told him to look after the brash Kiba and overlogical Aburame. And he would be damned, if he let them get hurt and be chewed out by Mikasa later. _That woman was scary..._

Quickly diving his hawk towards the ground, his hands cackled with lightning and he was just about to save his comrades from being bombed back to stone age...

When...

He saw another squadron of enemy fighters on his back, not to mention another round of clay creatures being fired by Deidara that were about to kill him. And the bomber had a mad grin when he saw the disrespectful brat getting cornered...

_"So, what shall it be brat? Save your comrades or save yourself, un? Either way, my art will win..."_ thought Deidara cockily, but nearly fell of his clay bird when Sasuke did the unthinkable.

The crazy boy jumped of his bird, with one hand holding his now loaded kunai launcher and the other cackling with electricity. Flipping in the air, he fired both attacks simultaneously.

Like a moth to flame, the electric senbon type attacks defused the bombs that were heading towards Kiba and Shino. While displaying his true skill in shooting projectiles, he single handedly took down the enemy fighters approaching near him. However, it left him open to the clay creatures with Deidara had fired on him.

"Die!" yelled Deidara, and made the ram seal.

**BOOM!**

The former Iwa shinobi cursed his luck when Sasuke substituted himself with one of the Sky country ninja that were under Deidara's command. Result, the soldier was blown to pieces while Sasuke landed back on his hawk and was now heading upwards towards him; all the while eliminating the sky country fighters that were trying to defend Deidara.

For the first time, the former Knight of Madara felt himself doubting his victory when he saw more than half of his air force being taken out by the blood thirsty captain of the enemy army. He had gone to great pains to rally these delusional sky country ninja in a revenge bid against former Konoha soldiers, he had endured insults by Raiga when he suggested such a daring attack. How many taunts did he have to suffer to get those 100 clones from Raiga as support?

And now this cocky brat was not only annihilating his army but mocking his godly art?

_**Unacceptable!**_

When Sasuke made his charge towards Deidara's bird, he had never expected the crazy man to slam his hands on his own bird making it open its mouth. His sharingan saw Deidara not only pumping clay but a hell of a lot more chakra into his bird.

"Witness the divine form of my C2, un!" said Deidara seriously,

He quickly increased the speed of his hawk in order to stop the bird's mouth from spawning whatever monstrosity Deidara was forming, he was expecting a series of clay bombs and accordingly charged his hand with electricity that could easily counter his enemy's attack.

"Fuck, what is this?" asked Sasuke in disbelief,

Instead of the series of bombs which he expected, came of a giant ass white colored clay dragon that instantly dashed towards him. Sasuke was barely able to save his hawk from getting slammed by the mighty dragon, and tried to cut it with his electricity but it proved to be futile.

_"Damn it, this one will take a hell of a lot more chakra to destroy"_ thought Sasuke seriously,

His eyes shifted towards the remaining 60 something enemy air fighters that were making a bomber type run towards his comrades, he also saw the dragon coming towards him and Deidara surrounding him from behind cutting off his escape.

"Looks like I'll have to use your technique Mikasa-sensei..." said Sasuke with a smirk,

He kneeled down and gave a tap on his hawk's head, as it gave a sound signifying his agreement. Channeling chakra to his feet he waited for the dragon to get close to him, and he made his bird fall back towards Deidara who raised his hand to make the ram seal, while throwing small clay creatures at him.

Grabbing a couple of shuriken between his fingers, he threw them at his opponent and jumped of his hawk with as much force as he could muster. His summon partner turned around and flapped its wings as Sasuke made a hand seal.

**"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu(Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique)"**

The wind supplied by his hawk's wings did well in increasing the speed of his attack, making Deidara divert his small cray creatures to intercept the incoming shuriken towards him. Using that momentary advantage, Sasuke quickly landed on the giant dragon and planted an explosive tag on it.

Picking up his momentum, he again used the dragon as a base for his long jump as he flew across the sky towards the remaining enemy fighters that were trying to kill his soldiers. Looking back he saw Deidara had finished fending of his shuriken attack, and his hawk was now caught between that dragon and its master. Making a hand seal he made the bird disappear in a large puff of smoke, which temporarily blinded Deidara.

Due to its high speed, the dragon could not stop its charge and rushed towards the position where the Hawk was previously flying, where not so luckily was now standing/flying Deidara. An evil grin came on Sasuke's face, as he freely started falling from the sky.

"Survive this art" said Sasuke victoriously, as he made the famous ram hand seal.

**BOOM!**

A ear shattering explosion rocked the sky, which diverted the sky country ninja to look up and see not only Sasuke descending towards them while performing hand seals, while also watching their leader's attack destroy him instead.

**"Ajisukitahakone (Dragon of Thunder)"**

A thunderous roar could be heard from within the clouds, and moments later a large dragon formed of lightning emerged from the darkness. Despite using every last ounce of chakra in his body that he could spare, a smirk came on his face when he saw the power of the jutsu which Mikasa had taught him. He had only heard tales of this attack that made the Four Tails crash during the previous war, and had only once seen Mikasa perform it for him.

The perks of being the only Raiton user on her squad, and the student closest to her.

He had already covered his body with electricity which made every hair on his body stand up, but it proved beneficial when he jumped on the dragon's head. Taking command over his new attack, he directed his beast towards the last remnants of the enemy fleet.

With a loud roar, the dragon swept up every sky country ninja that came in its way. It not only shocked the enemy's bodies, but also destroyed their flying machines turning them into "Flying coffers" as all of them crashed on the ground like flies.

He coughed up blood as his body could not sustain his tremendous usage of chakra, he actually missed the old days where soldiers pills were so easily available. But Madara had to bust those too, by making Gato industries the sole manufacturer of those precious pills. And that sneaky little Gato supplied it only to Madara.

His sharinagn started flickering as he started to run out of chakra, but he saw the large chunk of clones that were decimating his forces.

"Kiba, get the fuck out of there!" yelled Sasuke in warning,

The Inuzuka along with Shino and Hinata, looked up to see a giant electric dragon headed towards their position. In a flash, they grabbed their injured comrades and shunshined out of the area.

The clones looked up and performed hand seals to stop the big ass dragon, but Sasuke didn't stop to defend himself and crashed his beast straight down.

**BOOM!**

The RAF soldiers watched in absolute silence and horror when one of their best officers blew himself and the remaining army in a magnificent blast.

Although they sweat dropped when they saw Sasuke dressed in Itachi's uniform falling over the steep slope, a stupid grin could be seen on his face even though most of his clothes were burnt off and he was almost naked which did well in bringing bright blushes on every female's face.

Kiba had different plans though...

Walking forward he kicked his teammate in the ribs and looked at him incredulously...

"What the fuck dude? _Were you trying to kill me_?" asked Kiba angrily, as nearly everyone face palmed and Sasuke smacked his forehead in exasperation.

"I just saved your ass dumbass..." grumbled Sasuke, as the others came beside him.

Hinata kneeled down and started healing his wounds while also restoring his chakra, while Shino adjusted his glasses.

"Sasuke, have you recently developed a liking into cross dressing?" asked Shino flatly, making Kiba laugh loudly along with everyone else.

A faint blush came on Sasuke's face when he saw Shino pointing towards the burnt Captain uniform that rightfully belonged to Itachi.

_"Fuck, that bastard will kill me for this..."_ thought Sasuke irritatedly,

"(snickers) Cross dresser, huh..." mocked Kiba, as Sasuke kicked him in the balls.

"That's not cross dressing, you stupid mut!'' replied Sasuke frustratedly, which in turn only made his comrades laugh even more.

"But you were making yourself appear as Itachi, that is cross dressing to me..." said Shino seriously, as Sasuke gave him the bird too.

"Fuck you, Shino..."

"I'm afraid I don't understand this term..." replied Shino robotically, as Sasuke sweat dropped.

Before the others could erupt into another fit of laughter on Shino's silly remark, they saw Sasuke's eyes widening as he looked up in the sky. Deciding to investigate what was making him this afraid, they looked up only to see a 50 feet large Deidara like doll that was almost as wide as half of their entire camp diving towards them.

"Fuck me..." said Sasuke in disbelief and little fear,

Flying high in the sky was Deidara who was now missing one of his arms, his clothes had stains of blood on it but it didn't stop a maniacal smile arriving on his lips when he saw his beautiful art sending shivers down the enemy army's soul.

"TRUE ART IS AN EXPLOSION!"

* * *

**Author's Notes: Ding, ding, ding end of chapter.**

**Oh the suspense, I really loved writing this cliffhanger.**

**Would like if my readers leave some reviews (Around 30 would be fine, hehe).**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Blackwolf501**


	21. Tears of the Sun

**Yo...**

**Time for a new chapter, and wow in just 2 months this story will now have more than 100,000 words.**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 21**

**Tears of the Sun**

* * *

His eyes opened abruptly and all he could see were blurs of bright flashes, he felt the soft bed beneath him and the voices of several people as they moved across the room at a rapid pace. Slowly he could hear the cries, yells, screams of more and more people.

The silent sound of blood dripping reached his ears, he hazily looked around and as his vision started to clear he saw he was currently lying in an entire barrack full of wounded soldiers.

His men...

Suddenly the memory of an attack happening came flooding back in his mind, which made his eyes widen in shock. Reacting on his instincts, he sat up abruptly which made one of the medics nearby yell in surprise.

The young girl suddenly found herself facing the full blown glare of his sharingan, as he quickly got up from his bed and pushed away the assistants out of his way.

"Where are my officers? Report..."

His stern demand made her flinch, and she immediately averted her eyes from his piercing gaze. He gritted his teeth in anger when she didn't give him an answer, he quickly looked around the room and was horrified by the condition his soldiers were in. There was so much blood, flesh everywhere.

His helpless eyes madly searched for the faces of his..._friends._

He was supposed to be emotionless and yet right now all he could think about was them. Quickly pushing the mute girl of the way, ignoring all the protests of the medics nearby he charged towards the area where he just now felt Sakura's presence.

A part of him was relieved when he crossed a corridor on his right, and saw his friends standing outside the emergency room.

All of them were shocked to the core when they saw a heavily bandaged Itachi appear in front of them, his desperate eyes showed relief for a second until he noticed their wounded state.

And how few of them were in front of him...

When he moved forward to go into the emergency room, a crying Ino came running and enwrapped him in a tight hug. Her forehead was heavily bandaged, and there were some burns visible on her arms and legs.

Behind her he could see the dejected faces of Lee, Neji and Tenten who had minor wounds on their bodies.

Suppressing the lump in his throat, he regained whatever little courage he could muster.

"Where are the others?" asked Itachi numbly,

On hearing his question, the crying blonde girl in his arms erupted into more tears and started sobbing heavily. His fists clenched tightly as he felt his heart getting heavy, when he moved Ino out of his arms Neji came forward and stood in the way.

"Don't go in there..." said Neji sympathetically,

He didn't flinch when he received Itachi's glare...

"Get out of my way, Hyuga. This is an order..." said Itachi harshly,

A battle of wills was fought between them as the sharingan eyes fought against their Byakugan counterparts. Each trying to establish dominance over the other, until Neji closed his eyes in defeat and stepped out of the way.

With the Hyuga out of the way now, Itachi steeled his nervous heart and opened the door with trembling hands.

As he stepped inside, all he could see were several beds filled with the bodies of his injured classmates. All of them were hooked to emergency machines with a few medics keeping watch over them.

Kiba's arms were busted, and his entire chest was wrapped in bandages. His sharingan showed him that Shino had suffered internal damage and was currently knocked out cold. Shikamaru had lost one of his eyes and there were kunai wounds on his torso.

Hinata had suffered 2nd degree burns, and so had Sai.

"They're (cough) alive...dobe"

He nearly collapsed on hearing that voice, turning around he saw Sakura sitting in a far off corner with tears falling down her eyes. Beside her on the bed was Sasuke, or what was left of him.

The walk to that bed was the slowest one he had ever taken in his life, each step was taking away a huge chunk of his courage. Ripping off that protective mask which he had formed since the past 4 years, this was not supposed to happen.

He took a deep calming breath when he saw the condition of his best friend, one look with his sharingan eyes was enough to show him that this was it.

"End of the line, huh..." said Sasuke calmly, as heavy sobs escaped from Sakura.

The Uchiha raised one of his hands which Itachi grasped tightly, he had to commend the bastard for his stoic aura. His face was as cold as stone, but he could see what he wanted to in those eyes.

Meanwhile, Itachi was simply staring at the thin body of his best friend. He had lost so much weight, his muscles had lost most of their mass, bones were soaked of every ounce of energy. There was barely any chakra left in Sasuke's system which had directly affected his vital organs.

And his sharingan could clearly see the boy's heartbeat was decreasing slowly and slowly...

"You fool..."

Sasuke chuckled a bit when he heard the first words which his best friend had to say, and he had expected such a response from him as right now Itachi was staring at the blank left eye of Sasuke. The eyeball had turned completely white showing the boy had become blind in that eye, and there was only one technique which could do this to its user.

"I had to use it, dobe (cough) There was no other way..." said Sasuke calmly, as the blonde boy glared at him.

"There was a reason that jutsu was forbidden in our clan..." barked Itachi angrily, which only made his friend smile.

"Maybe I was sick and tired of following the rules..." jabbed Sasuke suggestively, which made Sakura chuckle as she saw a tick mark forming on Itachi's forehead.

"Sasuke-kun, you barely had some chakra left in your body when you performed that jutsu. Did you even know performing that technique would take away every ounce of chakra left in your body?" asked Sakura sadly,

"I know..."

The sharp sound of glass shattering could be heard as Itachi smashed the glass placed on Sasuke's table, his eyes burning with anger and sorrow.

"You should have waited for me, there is always another way..." roared Itachi furiously,

"Not this time, this was something which I had to do. Besides, you and Shikamaru got your asses kicked before the shit even began. I had to handle your shit..." said Sasuke bemusedly, and smirked when he saw Itachi's eyes becoming moist.

Turning towards Sakura, he roughly grabbed her by the shoulder and looked in her eyes. And for the first time in their entire lives she saw something in his eyes, which she had never seen or expected to see in their lives.

_Fear_

"Heal him..." requested Itachi desperately, and he nearly fell on his knees when she shook her head with tears falling from her eyes.

"(sobs) His vital organs and body have used all his chakra, he has also suffered many injuries. I've tried but his body is simply too far damaged, it just won't accept any external source of chakra as its internal structure is finished. I'm sorry..." replied Sakura painfully,

"I DON'T FUCKING CARE!"

He roughly grabbed her hands which were already supplying a steady amount of chakra to keep his best friend alive, and was about to force her to pump more chakra into his dying friend. When...

Another hand was placed on his...

He looked towards the source only to find Sasuke shaking his head in negative, which shattered his heart to pieces.

"I knew there was no coming back when I used **Izanagi** to save them from Deidara's attack, save her chakra for our injured officers. After I used my jutsu, they fought valiantly and were able to make Deidara retreat. You need her powers to save them, there is nothing you can do dobe" explained Sasuke patiently,

By now he could see tears swelling up in Itachi's eyes, as he tried to say something but his choked voice simply remained silent.

Swallowing a deep lump, he glared at his dying friend.

"As your commanding officer, I-"

"It's alright, dobe. Besides, I've missed my parents..." said Sasuke jokingly, as Itachi gripped his hand tightly.

"Sasuke, we have faced all the odds together. Don't give up now..." requested Itachi in a tearful voice, as Sasuke placed his other hand on Itachi's shoulder.

"Listen to me, dobe. You will have to fight (cough) (cough)...with twice as much strength in the morning" said Sasuke seriously, as Sakura stroked his cheek gently.

"All of us will fight shoulder to shoulder together, Sasuke" said the chief medic seriously, but he shook his head.

"No, Sakura. You and dobe are the highest ranking officers left, you will have to carry on for the rest of us..." advised Saskue seriously,

Still in denial Itachi grasped the bed sheets so badly that his hands teared them apart, his half hearted glare on his friend was now transformed into anger as he placed his primary finger towards him in accusation.

"You are not supposed to go like this, this was supposed to be my fate. You were a jerk, but still cared about others. How could you be like this when your father died just like my brother?" asked Itachi angrily, but Sasuke merely smiled.

"Maybe this is your wake up call. It's never too late, dobe. As for your question about me being like this and why I used Izanagi knowing I would die...I have only one answer- I understand now why the elephant helped the child in the forest" said Sasuke cryptically, with a serene smile on his face.

Sakura watched as Itachi's eyes widened in shock, he took a few steps back before his legs lost all strength and he collapsed on his knees. Tears freely fell from his eyes as memories of that night came flooding back in his mind...

* * *

_(Flashback: 4 Years Ago)_

_Itachi and Mikoto had just finished placing flowers on the graves of their Namikaze clansmen who died during the Kyuubi attack. It had barely been 2 days since they lost an important member of their family, while another one was still missing._

_They were still waiting for Minato to return so that he could perform the last ritual rites of his elder son, Naruto. But time was running out fast._

_They were just about to exit the cemetery where every shinobi of Konoha (except Blacklight) who had died in the attack were recently buried, until her eyes landed on a boy who was lonely standing in front of a grave._

_Being the sister of the clan heir and daughter of the clan head, it didn't take her more than a second to recognize the boy. After all, he was the son of a family friend and the man who had played a great role in teaching Itachi._

_She changed direction and instead of walking towards the gate, was now walking towards the lonely boy with Itachi following behind solemnly._

_"Sasuke..."_

_Her soft voice disturbed the boy as he quickly wiped away the tears from his cheeks, as Mikoto came forward and placed her last flower on Fugaku Uchiha's grave. She felt extremely sorry for the boy, his mother had died of illness just months ago._

_And now his father..._

_Being the Hokage's wife, she knew how to deal with situations like this. More than that, Sasuke could be considered a part of her family._

_"Your father was a brave man. His sacrifice saved a lot of lives..." consoled Mikoto, as Itachi frowned on those words as he remembered his dead brother who shared the same fate._

_Not only did his brother die due to caring about his comrades, but his first teacher died the same way. In the same battle..._

_There was only so much a young heart could take, and these deaths had made him learn that emotions and caring about comrades were the foolish things in the world. A ninja must have no emotions and care only about following the rules; and completing his mission._

_"He was an idiot, he should have retreated..." said Sasuke bitterly, gaining an invisible nod from Itachi who shared the same feelings._

_"And leave his comrades behind? Your father was the leader of the patrol squad. The sacrifice he and his men made helped the communication tower to set up defenses, and warn the village about the imminent attack.." explained Mikoto patiently, and merely smiled when he glared at her._

_"He was not strong enough to face that bastard (Obito) and his soldiers, then why did he do such a thing?" shouted Sasuke angrily, as Mikoto placed a comforting hand on his shoulder._

_Her dark eyes were now fixated on Fugaku's grave, she had already cried her fair share of tears for Naruto. Instead of being broken due to his death, she was proud of him. Despite everything that happened with him, the lack of faith in humanity, lack of belief in the ninja world, and his inner demons and his pain- her son rose above all that._

_Just like Fugaku and many others who died for Konoha, he believed in giving all of them a second chance to build a better future. They gave their lives for something much great and far more important._

_And she didn't blame Sasuke and Itachi for not understanding it, they were merely 13 year old boy's who had just entered the life of a shinobi._

_"A long time ago, there lived an ancient tribe in the forests. The people lived peacefully with nature and the wild animals, until one day a fire broke out in the forest and the people died. But one boy survived and was left all alone in the forest..." narrated Mikoto calmly,_

_Sasuke and Itachi both looked at each other, not understanding what the older female Uchiha was trying to say. But decided to remain silent, having nothing better to say or a valid excuse to stop her._

_She smiled on their gesture of silence, while bringing Itachi forward and placed her other hand on his shoulder. While one was also resting on Sasuke's shoulder..._

_"Now all alone, the boy wandered through the forests trying to find something to eat. Many animals had lost their lives in the fire too, and one day the boy met an elephant which helped him pick some fruits from the tall trees of the forests. Can any of you tell me why the elephant did it?" asked Mikoto kindly,_

_"I-" said Itachi hesitantly, but could not find any logical answer to her question._

_"I don't know either..." said Sasuke flatly, as Mikoto ruffled their hair making them groan._

_But she merely laughed..._

_"Maybe one day you'll know why the elephant helped the boy..." said Mikoto encouragingly, gaining hesitant nods from the boys._

_"Sasuke, you should come stay with us from now. Both you and Itachi could use some company right now, you should not be alone right now..." suggested Mikoto kindly, as the boy gave her an apologetic look._

_"Mikoto-sama, I don't think that's-" excused Sasuke, until she flicked his forehead affectionately._

_"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. I'm not trying to pity you here, I'm simply being selfish as all of us need each other right now" said Mikoto gently,_

_For a few moments Sasuke and Itachi looked at each other, until the latter shrugged and Sasuke gave a hesitant nod to his new guardian._

_"Welcome to the Namikaze family, Sasuke..."_

_(Flashback End)_

* * *

Itachi saw the same smile arriving on Sasuke's face, the smile which he had seen on his mother's face when she told them that mysterious story 4 years ago. And how someday they'll have an answer to her question.

"The elephant needed a friend..."

Those words were the final blow as they shattered his false mask, and in front of Sakura was standing a broken boy. His eyes were dead as he saw the breathing of his friend slowing...

He tightly grasped Sasuke's hand as the boy's breathing started getting quite fast...

"You'll...need...the...people...for...the...republic. (cough) Just...like...the elephant...we...need...friends(coughs). Thank...Mikoto-san...for...me...tell...her...I...really...liked...her...story-Uff"

A series of coughs erupted from his throat, before his chest stopped moving. A horrified look came in Itachi's eyes as he tightly grasped his friend's hand, but the one on his shoulder lost its grip and fell flat on the bed.

_"Don't do this, not again..."_ thought Itachi desperately, while tears slipped from his eyes.

Time seemed to have slowed down for him, when Sakura stopped supplying her chakra to his friend's chest, and tearfully went forward to close the now deceased Sasuke's open eyes. Instantly, he swapped her hand away and literally pushed her out of the way.

Moving forward he quickly sat beside him, and grabbed his friend by his burnt collars.

"You promised to kick (sobs) Madara's ass together with me. Don't do this..." said Itachi tearfully, and waited for any kind of response from the smartass boy on the bed.

He waited for something like _"Dobe, you're annoying"_ or _"Get away from me"_; but nothing came.

The only thing left was the blank stare of Sasuke's eyes which were observing the dull lights of the medical emergency room, the last remnants of blood that had been coughed from his mouth were slowly dripping down the skin of his neck

"Sasuke!''

Sakura saw the desperation evident in his eyes as he shook Sasuke violently, it was clear to her that he was still in denial that his best friend was gone and was never coming back.

**"SASUKE!"**

* * *

(Few Hours Later)

As he came out of the medical station, his eyes saw the devastation that had befallen upon their entire camp. Everywhere he could see dead bodies of his solders, some were burnt, some were hit by multiple kunai, shuriken, some were shredded to ribbons. There were body parts of his men as well as those of the enemy...

His lifeless gaze saw several tents of his army burnt to crisp, many were still burning. Several soldiers were in such bad condition that the medics were forced to operate on them in the open area where the cold atmosphere of the mountain was posing another difficulty.

Itachi's hands were still stained with the blood of his best friend, everything was so numb. Everywhere chaos was rampant, as the survivors tried to salvage what was left of their camp and help those that were still trapped within debris, and those that could be saved.

The tent storing majority of their rations and medical supplies was destroyed in the attack, which only proved one point to him.

RAF was lost.

They didn't even have enough healthy soldiers who could help put the dead ones into coffins, the few which they had were tired but were still keeping a sharp vigilance over their perimeter. Hoping to Kami, that no second attack came as this time they wouldn't be able to fend them off.

While it was true that RAF had eliminated the a large chunk of the air and ground forces of the enemy, it had paid a far more greater price for this victory.

If he could even call this a victory...

His commanding officer(Shikamaru) was gravely wounded, his second in command and best friend was killed in action. Most of his elite officers who were the backbone of the RAF were currently undergoing emergency treatment and were directly out of commission.

Stripped of weapons, food, and medical supplies. Not to mention their lack of tents had already destroyed his force's capacity to hold even the 1st peak which they had captured.

But none of these thoughts were important to him right now, his mind and heart was still afresh with the memory of Sasuke dying in front of him. The only person after Naruto, who knew who he really was from inside was gone in the blink of an eye.

Every soldier and officer that had died tonight, every person that been wounded and scarred for life...

All of that was on him, their deaths were his responsibility. He was supposed to be a captain, the leader who marched them to victory and shielded them from enemies.

But the burning camp in front of him and the bodies of his friends and comrades was showing an entire different story.

He simply glanced to his right as Konohamaru Sarutobi came beside him, the 15 year old boy was alright for the most part except for the few burns on his skin. The Third Hokage's grandson looked at his leader, who was dressed in the clothes of a patient. A bandage could be seen on Itachi's forehead, and some around his torso but for the most part he was fine.

Someone had done a far admirable job as a medic.

"Itachi-Nii-chan, more than half of our force is wiped out. 45% of the camp has been burnt completely, we are still counting the injured. Our supplies are shot to shit, communications are trying to get into contact with HQ. At this rate, our force will have to retreat from this peak by morning. We have already lost 15 junior officers, and several senior ones are currently in the emergency room getting treatment. What are your orders?" asked Konohamaru worriedly,

At first he thought that his ears were ringing, but after a few moments he saw that he was not wrong as Itachi started laughing madly.

But there was something in that laugh that terrified Konohamaru, he unconsciously took a few steps back when Itachi looked at him eagerly.

"Konohamaru..." said Itachi very calmly, completely in contrast to his maniacal laugh a few seconds ago.

"Yes, Nii-san?"

A hopeful smile came on the younger Namikaze's face as he looked at the boy who considered him as his idol and rival.

"Do you think I can speak to Sasuke?" asked Itachi hopefully, which made Konohamaru cringe.

_"Right, he just got out of surgery. Maybe he does not know..."_ thought Konohamaru worriedly, although he was quite scared of breaking this news to his leader and hero. Almost everyone close to Itachi knew, how important Sasuke was to him as a friend.

Some even called him as the boy's elder brother, the Uchiha had acted as one ever since Naruto died 4 years ago. There were even some wild rumors that Sasuke was the only one who had kept Itachi sane all this time.

"He...ummm..." said Konohamaru hesitantly, finding it extremely hard to say those words on seeing the hope in Itachi's eyes.

"I can't get into touch with him. Can you find that duckface for me?" asked Itachi eagerly, as Konohamaru gulped nervously.

"Umm...Nii-san, _he didn't make it_. Lieutenant Sasuke Uchiha sacrificed himself to save others from Deidara's C2 attack..." said Konohamaru slowly, as Itachi sighed.

"That's not what I'm asking, Kono. Let me speak with him..." said Itachi again, but this time the desperation was evident in his voice and eyes.

Which only made Konohamaru arrive at a very scary conclusion...

_"He already knows..."_ thought Konohamaru in shock, but decided to try again to make his leader understand.

"Sasuke died, Nii-san!" replied Konohamaru sympathetically, and was roughly grabbed by the collar.

He was terrified when Itachi's murderous Mangekyo glared daggers at him, clearly showing no answer was acceptable to the boy right now. That the ever stoic grandson of Tobirama had completely lost it. He had heard scary tales about the wrath of the Namikaze brothers, if Naruto was devious with his revenge.

Then Itachi was downright evil...

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" yelled Itachi murderously, making Konohamaru shiver in fear.

The killing intent in the area rose to an extreme level, the pressure radiating from Itachi's body was so high that Konohamaru couldn't even breathe. For a chunin level ninja like him, facing the full blown wrath of an Anbu level ninja like Itachi at such close proximity was downright suicide.

He was saved from a gruesome death when a scared female soldier came beside them, although she was shivering badly she went forward and relayed the message which she came to give.

"Captain...we have captured a few enemy ninja. The prisoners are currently being held in Sector C. What are your orders?" asked the girl nervously,

She nearly wet herself when Itachi looked at her with that manical grin on his face, he simply let go of Konohamaru making the boy fell flat on the ground. An evil smile crept up on the captain's face, one which could give Orochimaru a run for his money.

"Hehe...hahah...HAHAHAHAHA!''

Chuckling madly Itachi simply ran towards the area where the girl had said the prisoners were. A cold shiver ran down Konohamaru's spine as he remembered that laugh...

"He's lost it...'' said the female kunoichi in fear,

Konohamaru shakily got up from the ground, and without waiting for another moment dashed towards the only person who could put an end to this madness, before Itachi destroyed everything in his rage.

* * *

(30 Minutes Later)

Neji glanced nervously, his pale eyes observed the remaining officers of RAF (Ino, Lee, Neji, Tenten, Sakura) who had cordoned off the entire Sector C. When they had seen Itachi run out of the emergency room, they had assumed he needed some time alone to deal with his best friend's death.

But 20 minutes later, when Konohamaru came in with a horrified expression on his face then one look on the boy's face was enough to show...

That hell had been unleashed...

_**"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_

_**"No, no...please don't!"**_

_**SLASH**_

_**"MY EYE!"**_

The females shivered when they saw screams coming out of the dungeon type of makeshift tent, where the captured enemy prisoners were being held. Those unlucky bastards who survived the battle, and were being chewed out by Itachi personally.

They had done well in ordering the common soldiers to get away from this area, but it didn't stop the rumors from flying like _"The Captain has lost it"_, _"Itachi has gone berserk"_

And knowing their leader had gone mad, was the last thing the terrified RAF soldiers needed to hear right now.

As such they were hear to do damage control, to try to stop their comrade from doing more damage than he had already done.

He hesitantly glanced towards the pink haired medic who was standing near the doorsteps, from behind whom those screams were coming.

"I don't like this, Sakura. All of us should go together..." said Neji seriously, making Sakura flinch.

"I...know. But he'll kill you too if you get in his way, you don't want to face him when he's gone this mad. He has a far worse temper than his brother..." warned Sakura hesitantly,

"But still, we can't just let you go in there alone. I can help you in stopping him..." offered Ino, but her best friend shook her head.

"I'm scared too, Ino. Perhaps I'm the only one he'll even bother to listen before attacking, if that happens then I know how to knock him down unconscious.." explained Sakura patiently, and showed the medicine laced senbon that were deadly enough to knock out a giant elephant.

"Are you sure this many are needed, Sakura-san?" asked Lee curiously, making her give him a nod.

"Yes, Lee if something goes wrong then I want you to be the first one in. If Itachi does not stop, Then break every bone in his body. This is an order..." commanded Sakura strictly, as she knew that out of the officers present...

The Taijutsu specialist was the only one (Besides Sasuke) who had the speed, strength and stamina to even go toe-to-toe with Itachi. And even then, an insane Itachi was a totally different scenario.

Taking a deep breath and giving one last fake smile to her friends, she stepped inside the tent.

A cold chill was felt across her entire body when her eyes showed something which she had never expected to see in her entire life, a shocked gasp escaped from her lips as she took a few steps back in fear.

Everywhere there was blood- on the ground, on the walls, limbs were scattered everywhere. Few enemy soldier's bodies were hanging off the walls as their blood stained the floor, a few were withering on the ground.

Some had lost their mind and were screaming madly, while a few were trying to dig a hole through the ground in order to find a way to escape. With their bare hands...

"What is this?" asked Sakura in a terrified voice,

An evil chuckle could be heard in the room, and as she looked towards her right in those dark corners a pair of evil Mangekyo eyes were staring at her...

**"Is that you, Sakura?"**

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**Reviews are much appreciated.**

**Until next time,**

**Blackwolf501**


	22. A True Leader

**Yo...**

**Got nothing to say this time, so...**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 22**

**A True Leader**

* * *

The atmosphere in the room was quite tense as currently the top leaders of the resistance were staring at the supreme commander of the army quite intently. Yuna who was standing in the corner couldn't even fathom how her younger brother was able to face such leaders confidently, even Izumo standing beside her felt the pressure that was on Naruto right now.

It would be a lie if they believed that the other resistance cells would not pounce on the chance to grab the post of supreme commander, it was only due to Naruto's immense powers, his experience with the Akatsuki and knowledge of their inner dealings, as well as the charisma he had over the people of the world was the reason he was even able to sustain his position.

The people that were glaring at him right now could be considered Kage's of their own villages, and each of them would desire glory for themself and their resistance. Keeping the republic army together was perhaps the most difficult task one could ever take.

Looking at the pressure which Naruto was dealing with right now, could make her understand the burden which Minato bared for an entire decade as leader of Konoha.

"Namikaze, we have received intel that the army commanded by Mikasa Ackerman is being overwhelmed by enemy ground and air forces, and are on verge of defeat?" asked the Raikage (A) sternly,

The person facing the accusation was currently standing in attention, stoically looking into the eyes of the 4 other resistance commanders. Kakashi, the leader of Fire Country resistance was currently standing beside him.

"Yes"

On hearing Naruto accepting that blame, Kurotsuchi snarled and A slammed his hands on his table, splitting it into 2 halves.

"I knew it was a mistake, these tree huggers are good for nothing..." spat Kurotsuchi venomously,

Kakashi moved forward to give a befitting reply, when one glance from Naruto stopped him in his tracks. For a second there, he saw a reflection of his teacher in the boy as he calmly faced forward to answer the other leaders.

"Naruto-san, while the kumo resistance has the largest army. You have the highest number of special forces operative, not to mention a large chunk of supplies. The enemy is upto something in my nation and we are in need of your assistance..." said Gaara seriously, getting a nod from Naruto.

"I share the same request as Gaara, the empire's naval fleet is surrounding my forces on our front. Naruto, you promised me reinforcement troops. Without your support my men will be slaughtered..." explained Mei, concern evident on her face.

"You were supposed to march your armies deeper into the empire's heart towards their capital starting today, which would force the emperor to pull troops from the northern front where we are in order to save his capital. But your army has not even mobilized yet, what do you have to say?" demanded A bitterly,

The leaders saw the blonde former Blacklight close his eyes and take a deep breath, despite being unsatisfied with his new results on the war front they had to commend him for facing the anger of 4 Kages at the same time, at such a young age and not even showing a hint of tension or anger.

"As you all know, we are at war and there are times when complications arises. My army-" started Naruto, but was cut off.

"I don't want any excuses from you, Namikaze. Deliver results or hand over your leadership to someone else, at least they'll do a better job than you" jabbed Kurotsuchi insultingly, making the people near Naruto glare at her.

The other Kages felt a shiver run down their spines when Naruto's famed Mangekyo came to life and looked sweetly at the teenage girl before him.

"I've listened to your accusations respectfully, and I expect you allow me to explain myself without interfering like a _brat_. If you annoy me anymore, I'll simply teleport to your office and _swipe your head off_. I can actually prove this, do any of you want to test this claim?" asked Naruto very sweetly,

Kakashi smirked when he saw Kurotsuchi blanching in fear, and the other Kages also lost the cocky expressions on their faces. They knew very well what Naruto was capable off, and it was safe not to mess with him.

Yuna gaped in shock, did her brother just threaten to kill the Tsuchikage? And warn the others?

Izumo nudged her on the shoulder with his elbow, and she saw a proud smirk etched on his face.

"I told you, he can take it..." said Izumo cockily, bringing a smile on Yuna's face along with a faint blush.

"I can see that..."

The newly issued threat by the supreme commander did well in silencing the teenage girl, and the other Kages merely gave a nod showing their consent.

Naruto nodded in return, and looked towards Gaara after reading the report which Kakashi had offered him. Getting a brief scouting report about the enemy movements in wind country, he could clearly see why the Kazekage was so worried. Konan was upto something very nasty.

"Kazekage-dono, I can see why you are so concerned. With your permission, I would like to offer you my personal support in dealing with the enemy. I'll bring a group of my most skilled soldiers with me..." offered Naruto diplomatically, surprising Gaara.

Never one to forgo such immense help, the leader of Wind Country gave a firm nod.

"I would appreciate it very much, Namikaze-san..." replied Gaara thankfully,

The other leaders were quite stunned with this development, even if they had their doubts they very well knew how destructive Naruto was on the battlefield. And he was moving to Suna personally, that certainly didn't bode well for the enemy army in that area.

But was a blessing for Gaara and his army.

With the situation in Suna dealt with, the 19 year old leader then turned towards the ever charming Mizukage, who smiled a little when Naruto gave her a reassuring look.

"Mizukage-sama, while I cannot spare my main troops to help you right now. I do have a skilled sabotage unit led by my former Blacklight comrade (Anko), I'll immediately send them to your sector in order to harass the enemy by sabotaging their ships. That'll at least take the pressure of your men for a while..." said Naruto smartly,

Mei took an entire minute to think about the offered help, before giving Naruto a satisfied smile.

"While not enough, I appreciate the assistance. I have no doubt in your warfare skills ever since our battle together with Yagura's forces in the previous war, but we can't hold on for more than 2 months without your full support" explained Mei honestly,

"I understand, I won't let you down" promised Naruto truthfully,

''I know you won't, cutie" said the Mizukage playfully, and gave him a small wink.

The reactions of the people in the meeting were quite varied on the open flirtation which the Mizukage had made. Kurotsuchi merely rolled her eyes, Gaara remained stoic although a faint bemused smile could be seen on his lips if one observed carefully, A merely arched an eyebrow in surprise.

Yuna was fuming red in anger, how dare this woman flirt with her brother knowing he already was committed to 3 women.

_Oh, she still had to kick his ass for the harem of his._

Kakashi and Izumo giggled secretly, with the latter muttering _"Lucky Bastard"_. Although Izumo was left speechless when Mei also gave him a wink. Before he could return the flirtation, a hard bonk was placed on his head by Yuna while Mei simply laughed.

Naruto shook his head on the Mizukage's antics, same old Mei. He was thankful that Kushina or Mikasa were not here, or there would be a disaster.

Shaking of his distracted thoughts, he adopted a stoic gaze as he shifted his attention to Kurotsuchi. It was a well known fact that her family certainly had a grudge against Konoha, especially Minato Namikaze and his sons.

The people of Earth Country certainly held a grudge...

"I'll be sending a contingent of supplies through the newly formed secret route in Sector 57. That should help your men deal with the enemy for a few weeks. These are harsh times, and we'll have to adapt accordingly or perish altogether. Do we have an agreement?" asked Naruto seriously,

"Fine"

Now that the 3 major villages were dealt with, he turned towards the Raikage who was reading a new report given by his assistant Mabui. A frown came on the dark skinned man's face as he finished reading the report.

"My scouts on the border are telling me the RAF has captured the 1st peak on Mount Fuji. But they are stalled at the moment, and are facing difficulty in capturing the 2nd one?" asked A flatly, and narrowed his eyes when he saw Naruto's eyes flicker for a moment.

A grave look came on Yuna's face as she was the one who had informed Naruto just a few minutes ago, about the devastating counterattack of the enemy on the RAF.

And if the latest information about Itachi going berserk was true, then the RAF was lost and so would be Mount Fuji.

That mountain was the key to their plans, if it was not retaken by them then the little help which Naruto had provided to other cells won't be enough. A mutiny could occur within the republic army and attempts would be made to usurp his leadership.

"Raikage-sama, my men will capture the mountain very soon" assured Naruto seriously, and looked the man straight in the eye.

The two leaders stared at each other continuously for a few minutes, with both of them never flinching for a second.

"Hmm, my army can't advance until yours does. And it won't happen until that mountain is not captured, I can give you 3 days Namikaze. The RAF has 72 hours to take Mount Fuji, or I will be forced to send my Kinkaku force for this job. You know, I don't have a choice as my army can't stay in the open for long while continuing to avoid confrontation with the enemy..." explained A frankly, getting a firm nod from Naruto.

Even if A was directly questioning the ability of his men and that of his brother (Itachi), Naruto knew it was the bitter truth which he had to face. Mount Fuji had to be recaptured at all costs.

"Very well, 3 days it is" promised Naruto confidently, as A merely smirked.

"Then our business is done"

With that, the Raikage's screen went off and the others leaders followed suit a few moments later concluding the strategic meeting of the republic leaders.

An extremely tired sigh escaped from Naruto's face as he simply let himself collapse on his armchair, while Kakashi and Izumo sat in front of him. Yuna offered him a glass of water which he accepted with a grateful smile.

"You did well there, Naruto..." said Izumo proudly, as Kakashi nodded.

"To be honest, you're just like your father. The way you handled the Kages, I actually thought for a moment you were Minato-sensei..." said Kakashi light heartedly, getting a small smile from Naruto in return.

"Would you believe me, if I said I hated politics?" asked Naruto curiously,

"No"

"I would, but I have to say Naruto- for someone who hates politics, you are quite good at it. You used force where it was necessary, diplomacy when it was required, gave reassurances that actually satisfied 4 kages. Kakashi is right, we actually felt we were beside Minato-ojisan (uncle)..." explained Yuna seriously, and gave her little brother a few short pats on the back much to his displeasure.

"All I did was get us some time, I've basically stalled a mutiny. You think that it's a big deal?" asked Naruto randomly, as Yuna smacked her forehead.

"I take that back, you're an idiot..." said the elder sister irritatedly, as he chuckled on seeing her getting so riled up.

"You may not see it, or believe it. You're the acting Hokage and are doing a far better job than me, if only your father was here to see his son grow so much..." wished Kakashi,

"I've got that figured out, you'll get your sensei soon enough. Besides there is only so much smothering I can take from mother, with Itachi gone she barely leaves my side and takes care of me. While I appreciate it, she sometimes goes overboard. It's fair I wake up my lazy father from his sleep, it'll at least get mother off my back.." joked Naruto, although he was surprised when he saw three sets of eyes gawking at him.

"WHAT?"

He cringed when all 3 of them yelled in surprise, although Izumo's yell was quite low in voice. Sighing tiredly, the Namikaze clan head merely activated his new eye with tomoes in it.

"After I read the Uchiha Tablet, it turns out that this eye of mine can do some badass shit. I think it's possible to get my father up and fighting with the help of my Rinnesharingan..." said Naruto casually, making the other shake their head in disbelief.

Not for his powers, but over the casual way he dealt with life changing matters. This boy was seriously something else.

"It would be a great boost to our army if you can get Minato-sama back, although it would take him a few weeks to regain his strength." suggested Izumo, getting a nod from Naruto.

"Naruto, I have to ask. Is there anything that can get you out of your _"I can handle anything"_ attitude?" asked Kakashi curiously,

He saw Naruto tapping his chin in thought for a few moments, before looking at him with a very sweet eye smile.

"Only when I'll face Madara Uchiha, the real one this time. Or maybe Pein..." said Naruto frankly, making Kakashi smile.

"I see..."

"I'm surprised you're not pissed at me for sealing your buddy Obito in hell? Last I checked, he was getting quite a reception. Although I'm sure he has become the death god's personal bitch ever since I escaped from hell with Kenshin..." said Naruto bemusedly, making Izumo roll his eyes.

Kakashi simply lowered his eyes, as he thought about his teammate that had chosen the wrong side. Even now it hurt to think what Obito was in the past and what he became in the end...

"Obito chose the wrong side, and there's nothing we can do about it. I would appreciate it, if we don't talk about this subject..." said Kakashi hesitantly,

"Very well..."

Taking the Que to change the subject, Yuna presented another report before him which brought a smile on his face.

"So, our first air force squadron is ready. Shisui has done quite an admirable job in training them in such a short time..." said Naruto happily,

"They are awaiting assignment, your uncle has personally requested a mission very soon...'' said Yuna seriously,

"Naruto, your brother has gone berserk. And RAF has suffered quite a huge loss, the situation is grave. Mikasa has also requested your personal help in holding her line against the overwhelming enemy force. She can't survive without your assistance..." explained Izumo gravely,

The trio (Kakashi, Izumo, Yuna) flinched when his gaze turned icy cold and the pressure in the area rose quickly, a few cracks occurred on the table on which the report was placed. But he reigned himself in, and stopped the pressure much to his comrade's relief.

His eyes then flickered towards Yuna who was looking at him nervously.

"Tell Mikasa, I'll be there for assistance in a few hours..." ordered Naruto,

"I'll convey this message right now..." replied Yuna, but was stopped when Naruto raised his hand.

She saw him picking up a brush and write his signature of approval, sanctioning the newly formed air squadron. They were now formally accepted into the regular republic forces.

"Nighthawks?" asked Izumo knowingly, although Kakashi and Yuna saw the pain evident in the two boy's eyes.

"Kotetsu always said he would name his own company "Nighthawks", if he ever became captain. I've got to give Shisui's force a name, so..." said Naruto hesitantly, as Izumo looked at him nostalgically.

"You still remember that?" asked the best friend with a smile on his face,

"I remember everything, Izumo..."

As he named Shisui's air force squadron "Nighthawks", he didn't notice the serene smiles on the faces of his comrades. It was not only about the large miracles he did for the world, but also the small things like this that made him the leader. A person whom people loved and believed in with all their hearts.

After finishing the paperwork he handed over the report to Yuna, who went out of the room although for a moment she saw him staring at Izumo strangely. With his best friend staring back at her...

Kakashi saw Naruto ignoring the little eye contact going on between his elder sister and best friend, the boy pretended to look at the other reports placed on his table while a knowing smile could be seen on his lips.

_"Huh, he did pick up my hip-cool attitude..."_ thought Kakashi pleasantly, after all he was the boy's superior in the past for an entire month.

That had to have some effect on Naruto, people had been scarred for less. Gai being a prime example, hehe.

As soon as the blonde bombshell was out of the room, Naruto turned towards a nervous Izumo all the while giving him a very sweet smile.

"Izumo, if you hurt my sister...**_I'll cut your balls_**" promised Naruto, backing up the threat with a sharp kunai being shown to his best friend.

_"And there comes the protective brother stuff, and here I thought I had my own clone prodigy"_ thought Kakashi disappointedly,

However, Izumo's horrified expression did make up for Kakashi's disappointment. The poor boy tried to say something, but when you are in front of a Kage level ninja it is generally a wide accepted belief, to accept their orders unless you have a death wish.

And Izumo knew Naruto very well, so he merely sighed and gave a nod.

"We've only gone on 1 date, Naruto..." excused Izumo, as Naruto shut his ears with the help of his fingers.

"Too much information will make this watermelon of mine explode. You don't want that, do you Izumo?" asked Naruto bemusedly, while pointing at his brain.

"No, no definitely not.'' replied Izumo very quickly, as Naruto picked up a file from his desk.

"Good, now go to the armory and make Shisui's force ready for combat. Tell them to be on standby for some action..." said Naruto seriously,

"On it"

Snatching the file out of his hands, Izumo made a hasty exit out of the room all the while muttering _"Stupid Brothers"_

Naruto turned towards Kakashi who merely watched the young Blacklight high tail out of the room, fearing Naruto's wrath.

"You think I scared him enough?" asked Naruto bemusedly,

"More than enough..." deadpanned Kakashi, making Naruto chuckle.

"Yep, I'm an awesome brother and a kick-ass commander..." said Naruto cheerfully, while Kakashi raised one of his eyebrows.

"_Modest_, are we?" asked the copy ninja bemusedly, as Naruto got up from his seat.

**"If you don't believe you're awesome, no one else will..."** said Naruto proudly,

_"Now that's a fine quote, maybe better than my own..."_ thought Kakashi curiously,

He watched the flamboyant blonde shinobi walking away, as his Mangekyo slowly started spinning.

"You're in charge of operations until I return..." ordered Naruto,

"Where are you going?" asked Kakashi disappointedly, damn it the little bastard was taking away his reading time.

"Someone needs an ass-kicking..."

That was the only answer Naruto gave before disappearing into a dark vortex, leaving an impressed Kakashi alone in the office.

"I think he is awesome..." said Kakashi with a smile, and took out his famous Icha Icha book.

_"We do have some time left precious, Naruto won't mind it..."_ thought the copy ninja happily,

A horrified expression came on his face when the godly book was suddenly snatched from his hand, grabbing a kunai from his pouch he turned around to murder the _**sinner**_ who had the gall to touch his precious, only to find Naruto's head and hand sticking out of a dark vortex.

_The little bastard was smiling..._

"I'll be borrowing that, space travel gets quite boring. Get to work, Kakashi. Ta-ta..." said Naruto a little too happily, and disappeared before Kakashi could grab him.

**"PRECIOUS!"**

* * *

(Mount Fuji: RAF Camp)

A pair of green eyes suddenly found themself staring at a horror house, everywhere there were bodies. Some had their eyes gauged out, some their hands, some their legs, and some _that_ parts.

Blood was spread as a river in the tent, as the foul smell of bodies reached her nose.

They way 10 men were hanged across the walls as trophies was one of the creepiest things she had ever seen, what was heartbreaking that all these horrible acts were done by her teammate and a person she...

"I-Itachi..." stuttered Sakura nervously, as those evil Mangekyo eyes glared at her.

"Why are you here, Sakura?" asked Itachi darkly, his voice full of anger.

True to her prediction, he didn't attack her right off the bat. But instead was giving her the chance to explain herself and flee if need be, the others wouldn't get the same luxury from him.

She heard the faint thud and seconds later an empty bottle of sake came rolling down from the dark corner where he was seated.

"What are you doing?" asked Sakura angrily, how could he even think about getting drunk when the soldiers needed him so badly?

"Going back to the good old days of the academy, where there was no war. You should have some too..." offered Itachi weakly, as he slowly got up from his chair.

As he came out of the dark corner, she noticed his disheveled look. Blood was spread across his clothes (definitely of the poor bastards he killed in anger), his hair was a mess and he was swaying badly. He simply was not able to hold his liquor.

She saw another bottle in his hand and was just about to take another sip, when she grabbed it immediately and smashed it across the floor.

''Don't do stupid stuff like this!" snarled Sakura angrily,

Noticing his dejected look only served to fuel her anger, she cared about him deeply but sometimes he was just unbearable. This being one of them.

"So what if we suffered losses? Think of a new strategy, our mission still stands to capture the 2nd peak..." said Sakura furiously, her green eyes piercing across his broken Mangekyo sharingan ones.

"You still think it's possible to do such a thing?" asked Itachi mockingly, and swayed a little bit but she grabbed him by the shoulder to prevent him from falling flat on the ground.

"Yes, because you're still here. We'll listen to any order you give, just say what we need to do" pleaded Sakura desperately, and was relieved when she saw something in his eyes.

"Then, comfort me..."

When he grabbed her chin with his hand, her eyes widened when she realized what the drunken boy before her wanted. Her mind simply went blank as she saw his lips nearing hers, how could he even do this? This was simply not him...

Itachi was so focused on kissing her lips, that he never saw her chakra powered fist impact with his face sending him sailing 20 feet away where he crashed against a table.

Righteous feminine fury could be seen burning in her eyes, as she readied her senbon to stop him from doing something even more stupid than forcing himself on her. He was clearly out of his mind and had to be stopped.

"I'll take it from here..."

She was alarmed when a new person emerged from the dark corners of the tent, an enemy was inside the tent the entire time? He could have killed him and be done with it, changing targets she pointed her senbon towards this new person and was about to fire.

"That's enough anger for now, Sakura..."

That voice, whatever doubts she had were thrown out of the window when she saw a very familiar pair of Mangekyo eyes. A relieved smile came on her face when she saw it was her team leader and teacher who had been inside the tent.

"Anija-" said Itachi weakly,

_SLAM_

Sakura flinched when a Naruto curb stomped Itachi's face with the heel of his shoe, instantly breaking the younger boy's nose and knocking him out unconscious. He merely wiped out a few stains of blood from his cloak and came beside his other student. Giving her an eye smile, he gave her a few pats on her head.

"Sensei, you were here the entire time?" asked Sakura in surprise,

"Yes"

"Then why didn't you stop him?" questioned the medic irritatedly, as Naruto raised two fingers and poked her forehead making a tick mark form on her the said body part.

"First, I already extracted information from one of these sky ninja prisoners before he even got here, second I had to let him vent out of his anger before I recondition him.." explained Naruto patiently, making her blush in embarrassment.

Of course, he did. This was Naruto Namikaze after all, the man on whom not only the entire world's but her trust was also placed. They could always rely on him, no matter how bleak the situation might be.

After Konoha was destroyed most teams scattered, Mikasa and Rangiku were alive so they retained Team 8 and Team 10. But Naruto was dead, and no other person was ready to accept them. Granted she became Tsunade's student, and Jiraiya took Itachi under his wing but it still didn't stop them from being a team. Itachi, her and Hinata still went on every mission together as a team.

And it was all due to the lessons of teamwork which Naruto had drilled into them in his 3 months of tenure as their team leader.

As such, even if he didn't teach them many techniques he was still her teacher.

"I received the SOS your men sent me, and decided to come here. It's bad, isn't it?" asked Naruto solemnly, getting a hesitant nod from her.

"Sasuke died"

It was Naruto's time to be shocked as this information was not inside the report, looking back at the drunk, unconscious form of his brother he could now understand why Itachi was like this. To lose one's best friend, and be an Uchiha had to take its toll.

He could now understand how his brother felt, but could never accept his behavior.

"Sensei, our soldiers have lost the will to fight. Our junior officers have been killed, and the senior ones are in the emergency room. We want to finish our mission, but with Itachi like this I-" said Sakura worriedly, tears already swelling up in her eyes.

Moving forward he enwrapped the frightened girl in a warm hug, and shushed her when she tried to say something. It was his decision that pushed such young teenagers into a world of hell, the people that had died were due to his decision. That was why he was fighting so hard for the republic, so that no more children could be used for war. Ever

So that bloodshed era of ninjas could be finished, and a new chapter could be written.

Stroking her pink hair gently, he used his other hand to rub her back affectionately as she cried her heart out.

"Let it out, it's not good to store all that pain inside. I did that, and it didn't turn out well for me...I don't want my favorite student to make the same mistake" said Naruto comfortingly, as she looked at him in surprise.

"Favorite?" asked Sakura in shock, making Naruto scratch his hair.

"Yeah, Itachi's a dumbass and goes overboard. Hinata's very sweet but lacks leadership skills, you have quite a temper but are at least able to keep Itachi in line, and make Hinata comfortable in the team. You're the team balancer, just like my friend Armin was..." said Naruto proudly,

She beamed when he praised her, receiving compliments from the supreme commander who was also her squad leader did well in improving her sour mood.

"Thank you, Naruto-sensei..." said Sakura gratefully, as he again gave her an eye smile.

"You should stop mimicking Kakashi though,..." retorted Sakura irritatedly,

"Did you say something, Sakura?" asked Naruto sweetly, and chuckled when she slammed her hands on her own forehead.

"Now where's my sweet little Hinata?" questioned Naruto curiously, and saw an apologetic look arriving on her face.

"She got injured and is in the med bay, I don't think she'll be up for a fight anytime soon..." explained Sakura worriedly, and frowned when she saw a knowing smile on his face.

"Oh, I wonder about that..."

_"Sensei"_

He raised his hands in surrender when she got all riled up, he had to admit mimicking Kakashi's attitude was a fun way to irritate his cute little students.

"Ma, ma...just take me to her. You do know the route to the med bay, right?" asked Naruto seriously, getting a nod from her but she pointed a finger at the sleeping Itachi.

"What about him?"

"Leave his drunk ass here, I'll come back to give him an ass-kicking later. Trust me, he won't be waking up for 2 hours at least..." promised Naruto a little too happily,

"You're strange, Naruto-sensei" said Sakura dryly, who could be so happy in a situation like this?

"That's why you all love me, Saku-chan!" teased Naruto, and ducked when she swinged her chakra powered fist.

Without wasting anytime, he dashed out of the tent and saw a Gai clone at the door. He merely said _"Youth commands you to stop Sakura"_ and the boy did well in stopping Sakura instantly.

"Get back here, Naruto-sensei!"

* * *

(30 Minutes Later)

Ino and the other surviving officers were quite happy when they saw their hero and supreme commander appear beside them. Not only did he stop Itachi, but also reassured almost each and every common soldier personally. He gave them the will back to fight, just seeing him amongst them was enough to make the RAF soldiers forget about the devastation they suffered hours ago.

Naruto motivated the soldiers, gave them a new chunk of supplies which he had brought in scrolls, and even promised a few brave medals to those soldiers who sacrificed themselves to save their fellow comrades during Deidara's attack; Sasuke being one of them.

It was fair to say that he had breathed a new life in the dead unit, and shockingly everyone was working with double enthusiasm. It almost made them believe that despite their few numbers, they could achieve victory.

She had heard so many great tales throughout her entire childhood about Naruto, he was supposed to be this godly hero who won the fourth great ninja war for Konoha. And saved the village from Kyubbi, while killing Obito Uchiha who was masking himself as Madara.

But to see him casually chatting with Neji, ignoring Lee's rambling of flames of youth while occasionally saying _"Did you say something?"_ would make them laugh. They were actually feeling less depressed than before, just that kind of presence he had.

He had even made Sakura chase him with a stick in her hand across the entire camp, that alone was enough to bring the smiles back on the faces of the RAF soldiers.

As she stepped beside him, he greeted her with his charming eye smile making her blush. She still remembered him barging in the room in which she, Itachi and Anko were making out. His reaction was a simple "Oops" before exiting the room.

"Why did you let yourself look so stupid in front of the soldiers, by letting Sakura chase you?" asked Ino curiously, as he made a "Hm" sound while taping his chin.

"I was bored"

Ino and Tenten face palmed on hearing his answer, while Lee shouted _"Damn your hip cool attitude"_. Even Neji couldn't help but smirk at Naruto's little jabs to rile up his soldiers.

He helped the girls get up from the ground, and looked them straight in the eye.

"If doing some stupid things can cheer up my little soldiers, make them win battles then I have no problems with that. Besides, it's much more fun acting stupid rather than facing 4 grumpy kages. I'm only 19, by the way..." said Naruto suggestively and even gave a small wink, making the two girl blush crimson red.

They were just sizing him up, he definitely had a muscular body. His clothes while not stylish, did project an aura of authority. His personality was charming and he looked even more handsome than his younger brother, maybe because he always smiled instead of being stoic like Itachi. Yep, he was definitely better...

Before any of them could make their move on him, a fist collided with their leader's head sending him sailing a few meters away where he crashed against a wall.

The young officers of the RAF were shocked when they saw a hot, smoking blonde girl glaring murderous daggers at the crushed boy. It didn't take Ino a moment to recognize her teacher.

"Rangiku-sensei..." said Ino in shock, and watched as her teacher grabbed her boyfriend by the collar and shake him like a ragged doll.

"I barely leave you alone for 30 minutes, and you already start hitting on my student. You pervy little dufus!" shouted Rangiku, all the while shaking him viciously.

It was one thing to note that Rangiku Matsumoto was over protective of her students, and since two of them were injured the scale was just increased to a great extent. And seeing her boyfriend making playful hits on Ino and Tenten had made her explode.

"Whipped..." said Neji distastefully, but quickly shut up when Tenten looked at him.

"Such youthful display of love!" yelled Lee happily,

Sakura merely chuckled on seeing her teacher get a little taste of his own medicine, he had annoyed her for the past half hour and seeing him getting chewed up by Rangiku was a good payback.

"This guy is just as troublesome as his brother..."

They were utterly shocked when they turned around only to see their previously injured comrades standing idly, their injures were fully healed. It didn't even appear that they had suffered any injuries in the first place. Although, Shikamaru didn't seem pleased that he was healed.

Kiba slapped him on the back, making him groan...

"Oh, come on lazy ass. You're just sour someone disturbed your sleep, and now you've got work to do..." said Kiba cheerfully,

"Is that Rangiku-sensei?'' asked Chouji happily, before running towards his favorite teacher.

Watching her student coming towards her made Rangiku drop Naruto like a piece of doll, as Sakura helped him stand up. She even gave a small wink to Shikamaru and poked his new eye patch.

"Looks cool on you..." teased Rangiku,

"Troublesome, I should have lost both my eyes. That way I could have slept peacefully..." complained Shikamaru,

"Uh, Shika-kun then you won't be able to see clouds anymore..." suggested Hinata kindly, as Shikamaru smacked his forehead.

"Troublesome..."

Sakura looked at her teacher with a knowing smile on her face, as she now understood what Naruto had done.

"Oh, I failed to mention I brought this troublesome woman here to get these brats back to full health. I need my officers for the next phase..." said Naruto casually, as Rangiku got a smirk on her face.

"Yep, I saved your sorry asses. You better thank me kids..." boasted Rangiku, making the others chuckle.

"Can I get a little credit here?" asked Naruto hopefully, as all eyes turned towards him.

"NO!"

Rangiku laughed whole heartedly when Naruto got all depressed and a small rain cloud could be seen on his head, all the while muttering _"I get no respect these days, damn brats!"_

''Can you do anything about Lieutenant Sasuke Uchiha?" asked Sai flatly, and looked at Rangiku.

And there went the cheerful mood as everyone got quite sad, even Shikamaru stopped his complaints. Rangiku apologetically shook her head, as it was something out of her abilities. Even if she was the best medic in the resistance, and the student of Tsunade this was not possible for her.

Naruto merely slapped Sai on the back, while giving him a tired sigh...

"You need to learn some people skills, Sai. You're not in Root anymore..." said Naruto calmly, as he saw the depressed looks on the other officer's faces. Especially, Shino and Kiba since the deceased boy was their teammate.

He actually had to tell Mikasa about it, and that itself was a_ scary_ thought since he had just been informed that Sasuke was Mikasa's prized student.

The Konoha shinobi were certainly surprised when Naruto smacked his own forehead, and told them to come near him while whispering something very quietly.

By the time he was done, every person practically had their eyes popping out of their sockets. Even Rangiku was stunned with what he said...

"So, is that enough motivation to capture the 2nd peak?" asked Naruto with a smirk,

"Fuck yeah" said Kiba very happily,

"I believe you have solved a huge problem, Naruto-sama" said Shino respectfully, and gave a short bow in appreciation.

"Can you even do that, Naruto-sensei?" asked Hinata and Sakura in unison,

"Troublesome blondes..."

While the chatter was going on, Sai took out his notebook and started writing the newly acquired information.

_"Personality Tip 20: Never mess with stupid blondes"_

* * *

(Few Hours Later)

Itachi groaned as a massive headache was troubling him, he would have to keep this after effect in mind while drinking next time. As he opened his eyes, he saw himself hanging off a huge cliff. Thinking it was a dream, he rubbed his eyes in order to clear his vision. But when it did...

_He saw that he was actually hanging off a cliff..._

Fear crept up in his heart, but before he tried to move a voice stopped him.

"You try to move and the kunai holding your shirt to this rock will fall, and so shall you..." said Naruto seriously, and Itachi looked up to see that his brother was indeed sitting on the edge of the cliff.

The RAF camp was a mere dot, did Naruto teleport him to one of the highest mountains and hang him off a cliff?

"I'm disappointed with you, Itachi..." said Naruto honestly, a frown visible on his face as he watched the moon in the sky.

"_The story of my life..._" replied Itachi sarcastically, receiving a kick on his head which nearly made him fall of the cliff.

"I'm being serious here, Itachi. You kicked up a shitstorm, instead of being a leader when your soldiers needed one the most- you chose to drown in your own pain" said Naruto disappointedly,

"You know nothing about my pain, Nii-san" said Itachi angrily, making Naruto shake his head.

"On the contrary I know exactly how you feel. Right now, you think Sasuke's death was your fault. And there is nothing I can say which will make you change your mind, even a part of me still blames myself for what happened with my best friend Armin..." said Naruto honestly, surprising Itachi completely.

He expected to be scolded by Naruto, and here he was telling him that he actually understood him? And even agreed with him?

He averted his eyes from his brother's gaze as a few tears came in his eyes, memories of his best friend coming flooding back in his heart.

"I wanted him to stay by my side, to fight shoulder to shoulder against Madara., wanted him to see us making the republic and live in it..." said Itachi sadly,

"He fought valiantly, he saved all of you. It takes guts to do something like that..." said Naruto solemnly,

"Nii-san, I can't be a captain. If I was a good leader, then I wouldn't let my best friend die like this. Not let my soldiers get slaughtered like dogs, I failed Sasuke, you, everyone..." replied Itachi tearfully,

"Sasuke always had praise for you, Itachi..."

The teary eyed boy looked up to see his brother staring across the sky, he couldn't explain it. But there was something in Naruto's eyes that was showing he had been through the same pain.

"To be honest, I've failed my friends just like you. I couldn't protect my comrades, no matter how hard I tried..." admitted Naruto sadly, as Itachi's eyes widened in shock.

"Then how do you still fight? How can you still believe in yourself?" asked Itachi desperately,

"By living for their dream"

The younger Namikaze was left speechless when Naruto said those divine words with a knowing smile on his face.

"I live for Armin's dream till this day, he wanted me to look after Mikasa and Rangiku, to look after Konoha and our comrades. I did that to the best of my abilities, even then I failed. I died and went to hell just for the sake of protecting my best friend's dream, that is how you honor and remember your best friend. When I came back to life, I saw that dream was destroyed...

...I lost all will to fight and even gave up. Even when Rangiku screamed at me, I turned my back on her and turned my back on Armin's dream" explained Naruto patiently,

"But wasn't Konoha your friend's dream? If the village was destroyed then why did you join the resistance? Why even agree to form the republic?" asked Itachi seriously,

"Konoha was not just the bricks which we called the village, instead it was the people in it. Even now, they're still alive and fighting- so my best friend's dream is still alive, and I will protect it. Itachi, it's not when you fail in protecting your friend's dream that you dishonor him, _but you dishonor them and their sacrifice when you give up on that dream"_ said Naruto harshly,

"Remember Sasuke's last words to you..."

Itachi froze in shock, as that memory came flooding back in his heart.

_"You'll need the people for the republic. Just like the elephant we need friends..."_

Naruto pulled him up from the cliff and looked him straight in the eye, and gave him a pat on his head while using his other hand to wipe away the tears falling from his brother's eyes.

"Sasuke died for the republic, for the RAF soldiers. To protect these soldiers was his dream, and if you were truly his best friend then you'll continue this dream. It's true that you'll fail many times, but you have to get up and keep on moving forward. I lost my best friend too, so it's not that I don't understand your pain...and won't stop you from mourning Sasuke. But at the same time, you have to keep on fighting for his dream. You can't be a brat forever, Itachi..." explained Naruto honestly, and flicked his forehead.

"Shut up..." said Itachi irritatedly, as Naruto got up and started walking away.

"You're at an important stage in not only your life but in history as well, your actions will determine the future of this world. Armin entrusted me with many things- some big, some small. I'm sure Sasuke did the same for you?" asked Naruto seriously,

"Hai"

"Then don't you think it's time to step up in order to fulfill those dreams? Time for you to become someone on whom people can rely on, become a true leader..." suggested Naruto,

"Nii-san, I-"

"It won't be long before you will be responsible for the republic, and be called Itachi-sensei. It's time you stop being a brat, accept the role which destiny has chosen for you and be worthy of the sun mark on your chest. If you want to be a super cool ninja like Armin and Sasuke, that is..." suggested Naruto, and gave a small smile to the shocked Itachi.

He was relieved when a small smile came on his stoic younger brother's face, as he picked himself off the ground.

"You're...right. Thanks...Nii-san" said Itachi hesitantly, as Naruto pointed his finger over the 2nd peak on the mountain.

"Pull yourself together. You've got work to do..." ordered Naruto,

"Right"

* * *

(Next Morning)

The recovered officers of the RAF were currently standing outside their command center, their eyes fixed on the departing forms of Naruto and Rangiku. Although Itachi couldn't understand the scroll that his brother had on his hip, it was certainly not there when he came here.

Rangiku was quite amazed that in a mere span of hours Naruto had totally rejuvenated the RAF's will to fight, brought them back in the game. To think, he even got a stubborn boy like Itachi to fall in line and accept the role chosen for him was really something to brag about.

Instead her lover was merely smiling, only if Itachi knew how much Naruto loved him...

_"I won't let you turn out like me, I'll save you from having a life of regrets..."_ promised Naruto to himself, as his eyes shifted towards the scroll on his hip and then towards his brother.

"Be careful, Ino-Shika-Cho. Don't get your ass busted _again_, or I'll just have to increase your training..." said Rangiku happily, getting firm nods from her students.

"Ready?" asked Naruto patiently, and when she nodded he sucked her inside his dimension.

The officers still couldn't help but be surprised with his teleportation powers, they came in quite handy. Itachi then stepped towards Naruto...

"You sure you have to leave? Nii-san, you can single handedly take that 2nd peak..." said Itachi frankly,

_"But I have to help Mikasa hold her line, more importantly,"_ thought Naruto seriously,

"We could definitely use your help, sensei" said Sakura in agreement,

"All of you possess something which is far more powerful than my powers. It'll help you achieve your objective within the allotted time..." said Naruto confidently,

"And what is this thing?" asked Kiba curiously,

"The Will of Fire, all of you have it in yourselves. That is what I wanted to pass on..." said Naruto with a smile on his face, as he noticed the surprised looks on the younger ninja's faces.

"You don't need me anymore, I have faith that victory will be yours..." reassured Naruto, as Hinata stepped forward worriedly.

"But the enemy-"

Naruto merely turned around and started disappearing inside his dimension, but not before giving them one last smile.

"I tried to do to everything on my own in the past, and I failed. So, this time I leave the rest to my comrades..." said Naruto sagely, and the impact of those words could definitely be seen on Itachi's face as he clearly understood the meaning in those words.

Neji saw their leader disappearing inside his dimension, and his words only made him understand what his father always tried to explain to him.

_"Naruto-san, you really are something else..."_ thought the Hyuga proudly,

"Sakura, Hinata...I leave Itachi to you"

On receiving happy smiles from his female students, and giving one last nod to his brother; Naruto slowly disappeared into his pocket dimension leaving the young ninja with smiles on their faces.

Itachi stepped forward and gave a determined gaze to his comrades, and pointed his finger towards the 2nd peak.

"We've got work to do, everyone..."

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**To the readers of my code geass story, I'll update it when I get some free time. **

**Jeez, this story already crossed 100,000 words in 2 months. Yep, I'm awesome...**

**There is still one chapter or two left in this arc (including a surprise), I think. **

**Reviews/thoughts are always appreciated.**

**Blackwolf501**


	23. Shinobi of the Republic

**Yo...**

**Some of you are still confused as to how Sasuke died, he barely had any chakra left when he finished off the enemy air fleet and wounded Deidara. Since he didn't have any soldiers pills, he pulled every last ounce of energy from his body into that Izanagi and died from extreme chakra exhaustion. It's common for a ninja...**

**Another question was that weren't all kages dead, I believe this question will be properly answered in 3-4 chapters from now with proper details about some events of the past. You'll have to wait a little more...**

**Lastly, one of my readers asked if I could start a Naruto banished type of story. Well mate, I've already written a slightly similar type story and currently don't have much time for starting another new one. Glad you liked my work...**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 23**

**Shinobi of the Republic**

* * *

(Route 74)

Mikasa panted harshly as a stream of blood trailed down from her forehead, her sleep deprived eyes tiredly observed the hundreds of enemy soldiers standing in a single, strong formation. Their eyes glaring daggers at her and the few Blacklights that still had the energy to fight. For weeks, the last soldiers of the legendary Blacklight had defended this route with everything they had.

They were already a dying breed, and this war was slowly killing off what was left of them.

Most of the Blacklight Companies were destroyed in the Fourth Great Ninja war and the civil war launched by Baku, the only one left after that was the 1st company led by Naruto Namikaze. After the fall of their beloved commander and their village, many Blacklights from 1st company fought valiantly over these years to gain the freedom of their people back.

But the enemy outnumbered them by thousands and their commander was an immortal warrior.

She still remembered Hana dying in her arms, how long had it been since one of her oldest friends fell in the line of duty?

Mikasa still remembered how devastated Izumo was due to her death, but had still continued to fight. Out of the original group of Blacklight friends, only Naruto, her, Rangiku, Anko, Genma and Izumo were left.

Iwashi, Armin, Kotetsu, Aoba, Hana, Yugao, Raido and many more were dead.

And right now staring at the thousands of disciplined enemy soldiers glaring at her, left little doubt in her mind that after this battle only a few Blacklight's would survive.

The enemy had continuously bombarded them with their air force, they destroyed her camp, wounded and killed majority of her men from the civilian army, sabotaged her supplies, and created chaos. Even then, she was still satisfied that even against so many odds her soldiers had not allowed the enemy to advance. No matter the costs...

Someone was definitely making the enemy fight with better tactics, a general who had at least a considerable amount of skill in warfare. To think, they were challenging Naruto on multiple fronts and even winning in some sectors.

_BAM!_

She flinched when thousands of enemy soldiers slammed their swords and spears on their shields, the resonating sound was like a death nail. Looking behind she saw barely 50 Blacklight and a few other regular soldiers standing as the last line of defense. All of them were tired as hell...

"Don't worry, Mikasa. We've got your back..." reassured Genma, but she could clearly see the sweat pouring down from his forehead.

Not to mention the deep slash across his chest, the wound had reopened again and the boy was bleeding. He pointed his finger forward where she saw an officer dressed in royal uniform step forward. The tall, muscular man was currently seated on top of a horse making him look even more intimidating.

"This is General Amon of the 8th royal regiment, rebels surrender right now!" declared the man arrogantly, a cocky smirk etched across his lips.

Mikasa stepped forward to give the arrogant general a cocky remark of her own, when a sharp sound was heard in the area. Her senses located the source and at the last moment she was able to see a sharp spear rip off the general's fucking head off.

The force of the attack was so devastating that the deadly weapon didn't stop its charge and buried itself into the skulls of 4 other soldiers behind the deceased general, the cold sound of 5 bodies dropping to the ground echoed in the area.

An entire new level of pressure descended upon the area, the tension in the air rose to an extreme level. Even a few minor tremors could be felt across the ground. The empire's soldiers looked up to see the man dressed in a Blacklight gear standing atop of a high rock. A neutral expression could be seen on his face, although the chakra radiating from his body was enough to show his intentions.

Mikasa sighed in relief when she saw the familiar blonde comrade of her lift his finger and point it at the now trembling enemy army...

"Now, I'll say this once. Surrender or die..." said Naruto coldly,

A few of the bold enemy soldiers took a few steps forward, gaining a nod from Naruto himself. So, they actually wanted to take their chances against him rather than facing Madara's wrath.

"Interesting..." said Naruto curiously, while turning towards his tired soldiers.

Hopping off from the stone he casually walked towards Mikasa, totally unfazed by the vast enemy army only a few hundred meters away from them. Guess, suffering in hell for 3 centuries had made him fearless. Death, Torture, Suffering- he had endured it all.

The only thing that could defeat him and was his _Achilles's_ heal was something no one knew off, not that they needed to know. Because that thought alone made him shiver in fear...and god forbid if that happened, then the republic army would very well lose their commander.

He was neither afraid of Madara or his vast army, for all he cared they were mere obstacles for the republic.

An amused smile came on his face when all the soldiers bowed before him, which in turn made Mikasa give him a short bow. Although the discomfort was easily visible on her face.

She was simply waiting for him to make a joke or mock her bowing before him, but since he was the supreme commander and everyone else was doing the same thing; she simply had no choice. The highest ranking officers had to show respect to their leaders. And she was one of them...

Instead he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze,

"Everything will be alright, rest for now..." said Naruto comfortingly, and noticed the surprised looks on the faces of his men.

"But, sir-"

"You're at your limit, save your remaining energy. Besides, I need to stretch my body a little bit..." said Naruto humorlessly, as a few of them chuckled a bit.

They had fought under his command for years, and very well knew what he meant by stretching his body. The slayer of Obito Uchiha, and only man after Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha to go toe-to-toe against the Kyuubi. And even defeat it...

Mikasa watched as one of the soldiers offered Naruto a fine, sharp sword getting a nod from the supreme commander. He merely gave her a short glance before walking forward.

"Stay out of this, Mikasa" said Naruto seriously, his Mangekyo sharingan now fixed on the enemy who had somehow gathered their courage back.

Just when he was about to begin his attack, he saw Mikasa and every soldier stepping beside him. The tired looks on their faces were now replenished by a newly found confidence, a few had blood thirsty grin on their faces while others had nostalgic look in their eyes. He smiled when he saw the desire to fight beside him in the eyes of his Blacklight comrades...

"Let us fight beside you, we've waited a long time for this day Commander" said Mikasa politely, and smiled faintly when Naruto gave a short nod.

The ground started shaking as the enemy started marching towards them, as Naruto signaled his most loyal soldiers. Men and women willing to die for him and their cause, to even go to hell if it assured the dream of a republic.

She saw Naruto performing a few hand seals, and a series of wooden tendrils rose from the ground beneath them. The transformation didn't stop, as those wooden tendrils quickly started gaining mass and soon changed into shields. As a few Blacklight grabbed the newly made weapons, they felt a new source of chakra replenishing their bodies. A grin came on their faces, as they picked up their shields, including Mikasa.

In the meanwhile, Naruto had also grabbed a newly formed shield and was now holding a sword in his right hand.

He looked towards her with a serious expression etched across his face, as the enemy soldiers charged towards them; shaking the entire ground with their movement.

"Battle formations, Captain..." commanded Naruto, getting a nod from Mikasa.

She raised her hand and many of her men came forward and formed a long defensive line, many remained in the back supporting their vanguard. With the newly replenished chakra reserves, some of the stronger Blacklights were able to form a few shadow clones which quickly joined their defensive ranks.

With their shields in front, and their swords in their hands they waited with anticipated breaths as the gigantic enemy army charged towards them. They outnumbered them by scores, and an all out mad battle would only make them get slaughtered.

They had to fight with precision as a single, effective battle unit...just like their battle at Shanxi Hill.

Fortunately they had their old commander back, and the man knew definitely what he was doing.

"No Blacklight dies tonight..." said Naruto confidently, getting affirmative nods from his loyal fighters.

"I want everyone to follow Movement Bull, I trust you haven't got rusty over these years, eh?" asked Naruto humourlessly,

"Right back at you, mate" retorted Genma,

"We will follow your word, Commander. Just give the signal..."

With everyone clear on their tasks, Naruto's attention now shifted towards the enemy that were 50 yards and closing. His men quickly tightened their defensive lines, he could have engaged the enemy in one on one combat but that would have left his men open for attack; and many would have perished. Maybe Mikasa was right that they should fight together as a single unit, just like they were trained to be.

For a moment, his eyes shifted towards the girl he had fallen in love with. She had changed a bit over these years, her height had definetely increased over the years. While she was still shorter than him by an inch or two, her muscular body did well in intimidating the enemy. His sharingan was showing him that she had actually developed nearly 6 pack abs.

She had allowed her hair to grow longer and they were now reaching up to her back, her assets were quite bigger than they last time he saw them.

But then again he was dead since the past 4 years, or was it 300?

"If I catch you staring at my ass once again, _I'll kill you_" promised Mikasa irritatedly, as one of her eyebrows twitched.

Naruto grunted when a few of his men, including Genma snickered on hearing him being given a threat like that. And all of them knew, Mikasa could be very true to her words.

"Oh, come on Mikasa. You've grown into a fine, beautiful woman..." said Naruto coolly, two could definitely play the game.

And he smirked when he saw a faint blush arriving on her cheeks, as she quickly turned her face away from him. Guess some things never changed...

"Shut up..."

"Oh, I love you too Miku-chan" said Naruto very sweetly,

Before their little banter could go on any further, Genma nudged Naruto a bit and directed his attention towards the enemy who were yards away from them.

_"So these idiots are still here..."_ thought Naruto tiredly,

"BLACKLIGHT, GET READY!" yelled the blonde commander,

Mikasa saw the thousands of enemy forces charging towards them, even if her men were channeling chakra through their feet in order to hold their ground it would still not be enough to bear the push of 3000 enemy fighters.

Just when they enemy were a feet away from them, a stream of water was fired from Naruto's mouth. The deadly water quickly spilled on the ground and easily drenched the dry soil and made it sticky with its moisture. And since the enemy soldiers had not channeled chakra through their feet, they fell directly into the trap...

The Blacklight squads watched as the mighty front line of the enemy army faltered as their soldiers slipped and fell upon each other due to the wet soil, and at that moment they saw a predatory smile appearing on Naruto's face as he looked at them.

"Frontline, push!"

A volley of kunai and shuriken were fired from the soldiers behind the front line, which quickly took down the enemy soldiers who had barely managed to prevent themselves from falling due to Naruto's water attack. Alas, their luck just ran out...

As soon as the bodies of the 2nd line started falling, Naruto and his front line troops stepped forward together and stabbed their swords into the hearts of the fallen enemy who were still trying to recover themselves from the wet ground. Showers of blood erupted as the screams of the dying men flooded the area.

Naruto's eyes picked up an entire stream of shuriken, spears and kunai headed for his open troops and was just about to activate his Mangekyo when Mikasa stepped in front. Her shield was placed on her back, and her now free hand was directed towards the incoming attack.

**"Fuuton: Genzai no Tokutesu (Wind Release: Air Freeze)"**

The wind powering the weapons simply vanished into the open sky and the powerless weapons of destruction fell clumsily on the enemy itself. Naruto and the other republic fighters felt a tremendous pressure descending upon the area, the ground was shaking with a few cracks appearing everywhere. But it was not caused due to any killing any intent...

Rather Mikasa's hand was still pointed towards the enemy and the air around her was flowing violently, until they heard her cold voice.

**"Fuuton Atsugai (Wind Release: Pressure Damage Jutsu)"**

Violent pockets of air erupted around the unaware enemy soldiers, the mere pressure of the attack cleaved 100 of them into tiny little pieces while another 200 something had several of their limbs ripped off violently from their bodies. The screams of horror that were released from the empire's soldiers sent chills down every human's spine...

So much blood was released at once, that there was an entire rain shower of blood falling down from the sky drenching everyone in it. While Mikasa murderously glared at the terrified enemy forces, the air circulating around her preventing the red oozy liquid from drenching her uniform.

"I'm not here as a witness..." said Mikasa seriously, as she took up another sharp sword from the ground.

Now she had two swords in her hand, one was glowing with the ever sharp wind chakra while the other was cackling with lightning.

Taking one large jump she landed directly between one group of soldiers, and the next second their severed heads rolled down on the ground. A cocky looking man in his thirties tried to stab her from the back with his sword, only to have his weapon broken in half as it parried with her wind powered blade. Gracefully ducking over a series of attacks, she turned around and cleaved the man's body into two halves.

Her veteran eyes picked up around 50 enemy soldiers jumping towards her at once, ready to cleave her body from all sides.

**"Kame no Inazuma Bimu"**

Sliding her fingers into a small hole located in the hilt of her swords, she swinged her chakra glowing weapons in a 360 degree rotation as the wind and lightning chakra natures got combined creating a dark purple swirling tornado. Any person with 50 feet of her radius was blown several feet away, their bodies cut through numerous sharp blades of wind while also being shocked by deadly lightning pulses at the same time.

Naruto's jaw was hanging on the ground as he watched his oldest friend destroy the entire formation of the enemy forces and murder nearly 500 of them in cold blood. And she did that with pure skill on her own.

A smirking Genma nudged the shocked blonde on the ribs...

"Still think it's wise pissing her off?" asked Genma humorously, as Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Probably not..."

* * *

(2 Hours Later)

Inside one of the makeshifts camp, stood the Blacklight officers beside their supreme commander. Their battle with the rather large enemy had been cut short, when Mikasa went batshit crazy on them. The poor bastards had the common sense to retreat and limit their losses.

The enemy's top general was dead, and a large chunk of their soldiers were sent to Kami. And with Naruto here now, it would be unlikely that they would dare to attack again...

For now...

"Man, the perimeter and tell the scouts to keep an eye out. They'll be back soon..." said Naruto seriously,

"We'll give them another ass kicking, hell I bet Mikasa is more than enough for half of those useless samurai and bounty hunters..." boasted a young Blacklight officer, earning him a pointed glare from Naruto.

"Never underestimate the enemy, no matter how weak he may seem. Even a cunning trick from a genin is enough to kill a Kage, it's best not to take any chances. Am I clear, officer?" asked Naruto sharply, which immediately earned him a quick apologetic bow.

"My apologies, sir"

"Accepted, you're in charge of the first scouting party. Get moving" commanded Naruto, and the young officer didn't waste any time to get the hell out of the tent.

"You still haven't lost your edge, Commander?" joked Genma, making Naruto smirk a little.

"Perhaps; you fought well today. Take a few hours off, get some rest. I'll be making you run operations when you get back..." said Naruto bemusedly, as Genma's eyebrows twitched.

"Fine"

And with that the last Blacklight officer left the room, leaving only Naruto and a silent Mikasa standing in the corner. She noticed how he was completely ignoring her, now that he was beside her there were so many things she wanted to talk about. But all those ideas were thrown straight out of the window, when he started walking towards the exit before even sparing her a glance.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Mikasa in an irritated voice, which made him stop.

Turning around he looked her straight in the eye, and she was surprised when she saw a little anger visible in his eyes. When had he ever been angry at her?

"There is nothing to talk about, Mikasa. You're still pissed at me, and I'm done trying to explain myself every time. I am still there waiting for you, but we can't move forward unless you want to. Yes, I chose to die and my suffering was one of the reasons for it. But there were a hell of a lot more reasons behind that decision, like the fucking Kyuubi waiting to smash Konoha to oblivion, a mad man like Obito who wanted to destroy the world...

...I was already close to death when I used the Shiki Fuin, and why did I do that? Just for myself? I also wanted to save my comrades, to save you, and protect Armin's legacy. I'm sorry for making you feel pain, and I got what I deserved. Probably even more, isn't 300 years of suffering in hell enough?" asked Naruto frustratedly,

She flinched and her head dropped down in shame, after a minute she hesitantly looked up and saw his deeply hurt expression.

Mikasa saw that he had a hell of a lot more things to say to her, it could be clearly seen in his eyes. But he simply shook his head disheartedly, and continued his march towards the exit.

"I missed you..."

He suddenly stopped on hearing those 3 heart warming words, and the gentle voice of hers the one that he loved so much was more than enough to dilute some of his anger. But still he didn't turn around to face her, until he felt a pair of soft hands hug him from the back and were now spread across his chest in a protective manner.

"Mikasa..."

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I never wanted to hurt you, but I was so mad at you..." said Mikasa honestly, and felt a tired sigh escaped from his lips.

"I can't change the past, Mikasa. I was 15 when I sacrificed myself, my entire childhood was ruined due to war. I never got to understand and experience a peaceful life, never knew the meaning of life and how to deal with pain. Yes, I made mistakes and it hurt people; but no one understands how I feel. And I'm still trying to correct my mistakes, still trying to save the world. Everyone thinks it's easy to win against Madara and the empire...

...why?_ Naruto will create miracles, Naruto will save us, he will lead us to our new world._ My feelings and dreams are simply worthless and don't matter, don't they? I wanted to run away and live a fresh life just for myself, and yet here I am. I've always tried to do my best for everyone, to protect them, be there for them. And if this is not enough, then you don't even know what happened with me in hell? Sure, I gave you the rosy picture...but you never asked what really happened" said Naruto bitterly, it had been weeks since he came back from the dead.

He had missed her every day, waited for her but they had grown apart over the years and it was time he gave her a reality check too. Like the one she did after his marriage to Kushina...

"Naruto, I-"

"Don't. You never asked because it would have been too painful, and it would have reduced the anger which you had for me. Then aren't you running away from the problem like the past me? I'm just one man, Mikasa..." said Naruto tiredly, but stopped himself from ranting further when he saw her eyes getting moist.

And for being considered as a powerful ninja, and a man who was pissed as hell. He still could not see her getting sad like this, he was so much in love with her after all.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed his nerves and planted a soft kiss on her forehead startling her a bit. Her shocked eyes looked at him, as he managed to give her a reassuring smile.

"You need to let go, Mikasa. I know exactly what you're going through, Put the past behind us, and start a new future with me. I promise to do better with you this time, but I can't do this without you" said Naruto honestly, and nearly stumbled when she hugged him fiercely.

Her tears were now freely falling from her eyes, as all the anger, pain and frustration she had experienced over the years had finally come out. Her every muscle was screaming at her to hit him just a little, but her heart simply rejected that idea and she found herself clutching at him desperately.

Her breathing nearly stopped when instead of rebuking her; Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her closer to him. A small chuckle escaped from his lips as he nudged his forehead against her playfully, even as her tears never stopped.

"Don't...(sobs)...ever...(sobs)...leave...me...alone..." pleaded Mikasa, earning a soft nod and tender kiss on her cheek.

"I won't"

* * *

(Mount Fuji)

The officers of the RAF had their eyes widened in shock, surprise could be clearly seen in their eyes. Even Shikamaru, who was never interested in anything couldn't help but stare, was this really possible? Was he still dreaming?

As right now, Itachi Namikaze could be seen giving a deep bow to all of them and were his eyes moist?

"I'm sorry, everyone..."

Sakura and Hinata couldn't believe what they just heard, was this the same cold, hearted boy whom they had known for years? Was he the same person who didn't believe in his comrades and merely treated them as tools of war?

"What are you saying, Itachi-kun?Are you alright?" asked Ino worriedly, she was damn sure he was having some kind of fever.

Because Itachi Namikaze never apologized to anyone, maybe except his elder brother. However, there was something about this Itachi that felt different.

The still surprised Konoha shinobi waited as he got up and looked them in the eye, a peaceful smile adorning his face which was yet another shock.

"I...never appreciated what I had until it was taken from me. I merely became a soldier and stopped being a human, but I was wrong. I've hurt all of you many times over these years and for that I deeply apologize to everyone. It may not change what I've done, but I want to do it regardless" said Itachi calmly, even his previously cold voice resembling Tobirama, was now replaced by a strange warm one.

One that had feelings, one that was full of emotions. And nobody could see it better than Sai, who just gave Itachi a nod.

"Why?"

Everyone's attention shifted towards Shikamaru who was giving Itachi a hard look, but instead of giving a snark remark they saw Itachi's eyes fixed on the position where Sasuke used to stand and it didn't take them another moment to recognize the truth.

"Because all of you are my beloved friends, who stood by me even when I was dick. Who saved me from going on a suicide charge against Madara and the Akatsuki 4 years ago, Sai supported me as a true soldier and as a friend in every situation...

Choji was always by my side offering some food whenever I felt dishearted...

Ino used to cheer me up with her flirting and constant talking, despite saying that those talks were annoying they were one of the few things that kept me sane...

Shikamaru guided me in battle and stopped me from being a brute, and watching those clouds with you relaxed my nerves...

Neji helped me strengthen my Taijutsu and reflexes, even taught me to read some good books...

Tenten helped me with sparring and improving my efficiency with weapons, you're actually quite cool to hang out with...

Kiba, you are perhaps the coolest dude I've ever known...

Shino didn't say much, but I knew that I could count on you as you always had my back. I got so used to seeing you in the shadows, that I stopped caring that there was a friend like you behind me. One that didn't expect anything from me, yet gave me his unconditional support...

Lee's never give up attitude always made me think that I can win no matter the odds, just being around you removed any hesitation or fear from my heart...

Hinata, you are a friend I never appreciated. Even after 4 years of being teammates I don't know much about you, and it's all my fault. I was too much of a coward to welcome a kind hearted person like you in my heart. But I want to do now...

And Sakura, I'm sorry for what I did that night. I simply can't believe the person that I was and yet you stayed with me every time. Believed in me, supported me, tolerated my nuisances, words can't describe how grateful I am to you. I don't deserve you, all of you..." said Itachi regretfully,

A true smile came on her face as after several years she saw a glimpse of the boy whom she had liked since the academy, the one that had disappeared for so many years. The way he said those things and the regret in his eyes were real, along with the sorrow for the death of his best friend.

"Is it due to Sasuke?" asked Sakura sadly, getting a nod from the calm blonde boy.

"Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Namikaze- they were the people whom I considered as weak and emotional fools. Yet I was the idiot all the time, while they were stronger than me. Both of them went through the same pain as me by losing their beloved friends and family members, still they chose to live for others for as long as possible. I always resented the bonds my brother was so dependent upon, but now I understand that those bonds were his true strength. Those bonds were the reason he won the fourth great ninja war, defeated the Kyuubi and Obito, those bonds were the reason why Sasuke gave his life for the RAF..." said Itachi proudly, as Shikamaru closed his eyes with a small smirk arriving on his lips.

Kiba and Shino gave solemn nods as they saw the gigantic impact their teammates's death had on Itachi, it completely changed the boy.

Lee was crying manly tears while giving Itachi a thumbs up, while smirks could be seen on Neji and Sai's faces.

Tenten and Ino had proud smiles on their lips...

"They taught me that it is possible to change one's destiny, that my strength was directly connected to them. Namikaze Naruto, I too want to become a person like my elder brother. Someone who people look up to with admiration, so I will work hard and try to connect with our people and create a new future for myself. I promise not to isolate myself anymore, as a shinobi of the republic...and as your comrade" promised Itachi confidently, and turned around.

"Itachi..."

"But I can't do everything alone, that is why I need everyone's help. If you need me for anything, just call. It won't be easy to forgive me, but I'll keep on trying..." said Itachi calmly, and gave a small smile to his comrades.

As he started walking out of the tent, he was suddenly stopped when he heard something.

"You really loved him, didn't you Itachi?" asked Sakura knowingly,

"It's all for his dream and last wish, isn't it Itachi-kun?" questioned Hinata, and the others noticed the youngest Namikaze step towards the exit but his words were as clear as day.

A cool gust of wind blew his spiky blonde hair in the air, as his eyes looked up in the deep blue sky.

"Yeah, he was my best friend..."

* * *

Two people could be seen standing atop one of the mountain cliffs, their eyes were currently fixed on the RAF camp beneath them as small smiles were spread across their lips as they watched Itachi looking after the wounded soldiers.

The young Namikaze was moving across the entire camp, helping anyone who needed assistance. Interacting and laughing with common soldiers who certainly felt a little more happy as they got to know their leader...

"He's changed..." said the raven haired boy,

"Yeah, Itachi has finally accepted the role which destiny has chosen for him. He'll now become the sun which shall enlighten the world..." said his partner, who had brown hair and a kind smile as he watched Itachi.

"You seem to know a lot about him..." replied his partner suspiciously,

"Let's say I've come across someone like him in the past. Now that I think about it, both of them are the same..." joked the shorter boy, as a chuckle escaped from his lips.

The raven haired boy merely shook his head on the vague answer,

"So, what happens now?"

"I'm not sure, even I don't know the answer. Guess you'll just have to find out..." said the older boy mysteriously, making his raven haired partner's eyebrow twitch.

"You're annoying..."

The older boy merely chuckled happily on hearing his junior's remark, and patted him on the back as they both started to disappear into nothing.

Watching himself starting to vanish, made the raven haired boy looked towards the blonde Namikaze whom they had been watching for the past 2 days.

_"Be careful, dobe..."_

* * *

**Author's Note: End of chapter.**

**Next chapter: Raiders**

**One of my readers suggested Sakura should have been the one who got Itachi out of his depression, as that would help build their relationship. She tried really hard, but Naruto was the only one who knew how Itachi felt. And he was the only one besides Sasuke that Itachi would believe completely.**

**For ItachiSaku to develop, it is necessary for Itachi to stop being afraid. His entire playboy persona is a mask (just like his brother had one), he even admitted in this chapter that he distanced himself away from his friends because he was afraid of losing them, and getting more hurt.**

**This arc will get wrapped up in the next chapter...**

**Feel free to leave your reviews and give me some feedback...**

**Blackwolf501**


	24. Raiders

**Yo...**

**It's time for the finale of this arc, it has proved very important in development of Itachi and Konoha 12 as characters. Not to mention Naruto and Itachi's relationships with each other, and the girls they love.**

**So, without further ado...**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 24**

**Raiders**

* * *

Shikamaru was currently standing in front of 100 battle ready soldiers, dressed in their combat gears the patriots of the republic looked ready for battle. He had been surprised when Itachi asked him to step aside and let him make the plan to lead these men into battle.

And Itachi's plan was dangerous and in simple words impossible, but yet here they were...

In a way, Itachi had simply relieved him of his command and had taken charge. So, now Shikamaru was only responsible for holding the 1st peak they had captured along with the rest of their force, and looking after the injured.

He didn't mind it at all, in fact it was less work for him. What did intrigue him was Itachi's desire to work with others as a team, to accept the role of a real leader rather than a lone wolf which he had been since the beginning.

_"Sasuke, you didn't die in vain..."_ thought Shikamaru proudly,

Although the Nara heir was worried that only 100 soldiers would not be enough to face the 250-300 strong clone troopers protecting the final cliff, not to forget the enemy commander. They needed more men for a frontal assault, but many of their soldiers were still injured, many were dead, and the remaining were not battle ready.

The few who were ready were required to hold this position, so these 100 were the only ones he could spare...

Hinata and Ino could be seen dressed in their RAF officer uniform and were standing ahead of the 100 soldiers, while the remaining members of Konoha 12 were dressed in uniforms similar to Blacklight and were armed with kunai launchers.

"Today is going to be the most difficult day of our lives, in less than 7 hours we are supposed to capture the final cliff of Mount Fuji. If we fail, the republic loses this entire sector and our forces would suffer tremendous casualties..." began Itachi honestly,

"We won't let that happen, Captain..."

Itachi gave a nod as one of the junior officers promised to stop the enemy at all costs, and the same determination could be seen in many others.

"The Republic Command has directly not ordered us to attack the last cliff, and has left the final decision on me. And I've decided that I, Captain Itachi Namikaze of the RAF will not abandon my mission. Now I want to know your decisions..." asked Itachi straight forwardly, and saw Kiba to be the first one to step forward.

There was a lot of anger in the Inuzuka boy's eyes and with right reason after what happened to his teammate...

"Abandon our mission? I don't know about the others, but I will continue this mission. I will die but no way in hell I'm retreating..." said Kiba furiously, getting a nod from Itachi.

"I appreciate the confidence, Kiba. Today you have talked of dying, don't do it again. History has witnessed that victory is not gained by dying in battle rather it is gained by killing your enemy to the last man..." said Itachi sharply, and saw Shino stepping forward next...

"My teammate and many of our comrades have sacrificed their lives for this campaign, disobeying orders and facing penalty is acceptable to me but I can't abandon this mission, Captain..." answered Shino stoically, although if one observed carefully there was a little passion in the boy's voice...

"I understand how you feel, Shino. Sasuke was my best friend too and so were our other comrades precious to me, but command has also given this suggestion after proper analysis. We are merely 100 and the enemy force is nearly 300 clone troopers seated in a higher defensive position-" explained Itachi seriously, but Chouji shook his head.

"Many times even sparrows go toe-to-toe against eagles to defend their nest. If those little birds can fight against such predators, then we are humans. We don't fear how many clones are up there, for our republic we will face them till our last breath..." promised Chouji, gaining affirmative nods from every other soldier.

Sakura was surprised when a true genuine smile came on Itachi's face as he gave one final nod to his soldiers...

"So, should I assume that all of you will fight with me against the enemy till your last breath?" asked Itachi finally,

"YES SIR!"

On hearing 100 confident replies, he took out his kunai launcher and showed it to each and every soldier...

"If after this decision, any of you try to retreat or surrender I will shoot you myself with this kunai launcher..." warned Itachi, but not even a single RAF soldier flinched or hesitated on hearing the threat.

They were surprised when Itachi offered the same kunai launcher towards the soldiers, and looked them confidently in the eye...

"And if God forbid, my own steps falter and I try to retreat or surrender then ALL of you shoot me down with this kunai launcher. This is the order of your commanding officer" shouted Itachi,

Lee enthusiastically lifted his hand in the air, a bright smile shining on his face...

"Nippon Banzai (Long Live Japan)!"

"Nippon Banzai (Long Live Japan)!"

"Nippon Banzai (Long Live Japan)!"

Seeing his men getting fired up gave Itachi confidence as he signaled his soldiers to move out, for the first time in his life he could feel the pressure as he was seriously taking responsibility for the lives of these 100 soldiers. These men and the republic were the dream for which his best friend sacrificed his life, and it was his duty to protect it at all costs.

He saw Shikamaru coming beside him and in his hand was the first flag of the republic which Naruto had given him before this campaign...

"Naruto wanted this flag to fly at this mountain's highest peak, and so did Sasuke. Make sure it flies there at all costs, and when you achieve victory fire these flares. Your brother and all of us will be waiting for your signal..." explained Shikamaru confidently, receiving a salute from Itachi.

"It shall be done, Shikamaru..." replied Itachi seriously,

And with that last promise, the youngest son of Minato Namikaze joined his men in which would perhaps be one of the most important battles in history...

* * *

(With Naruto)

Rangiku was nervously walking across the small tent, sweat was pouring heavily from her forehead. Her heart was beating faster than ever and her furious eyes were glaring at the other blonde in front of her...

"Naruto, please don't do this..." begged Rangiku, concern evident in her voice

But he merely smiled...

"It will be fine, Rangiku. Trust me..." said Naruto calmly, as he stared at his target that was lying on the table in front of him.

She slammed her hands loudly against one of the walls, her frustrated eyes begging him to reconsider his decision. It was simply far too risky...

"You'll shorten your own life, don't do this. You can even die..." warned Rangiku, the medic in her could clearly see the repercussions which he could suffer from this move and yet...

"I know..."

"THEN WHY?" yelled Rangiku desperately, but he smiled and placed one of his hands on her cheek.

"I won't let history repeat itself, with this power I will change the cycle of pain and regret. It's too late for us, but I cannot let the next generation go through the same pain which we did..." explained Naruto patiently, making her sigh tiredly.

"There is nothing I can say to change your mind, can I?" asked Rangiku defeatedly, as he shook his head.

"Not this time. Maybe this is the reason why I was resurrected from the dead, to change the past and stop its repetition. I am the only one who can understand how important this task is, for a new sun to rise the dark moon must vanish first. Besides, I have you here so I have no need to worry. You're the best..." encouraged Naruto happily,

"(sigh) You're stubborn as always..." said Rangiku lightly, as he chuckled.

"That's why you love me..."

She actually smiled on hearing his answer, and watching that smile on his face made her believe that it was possible. That he was the one who would change everything, the one who would stop any pain from falling on his loved ones.

Because that's who Naruto Namikaze had always been from the very beginning, and was the man with whom she had fallen in love.

"Ready when you are, Naruto..." said Rangiku confidently, receiving a nod from him in return.

She activated the hidden seal on her forehead as her entire body was covered in massive amounts of chakra, she then walked towards him and placed one of her hands on his shoulder as he activated his most powerful dojutsu.

_"Ram, Snake..."_ thought Naruto cautiously, as he performed the hand seals in defined order.

* * *

(With RAF)

Hinata acutely observed the wristwatch in her hand, her eyes also saw the 100 RAF soldiers that were hiding in various positions around her. Ino was sitting beside her, as both of them took cover behind a giant rock.

Some 700-800 meters above was the enemy position, which was a series of bunkers and just as Itachi predicted every one of them was manned by Clone Troopers. In fact all the soldiers up there were clones, and there was a man who possessed large chakra reserves and had a giant sword.

Despite her failure in detecting the previous ambush, Itachi had trusted her again and made her leader of this force.

If what Naruto had said was true, then her and Ino's performance in this phase of the operation would be crucial for their victory.

Her sharp Byakugan instantly picked up the movements happening very high in the sky, and motioned Ino to edge closer to her. The Yamanaka clan heir quickly nodded and did as ordered, and placed one of her hands on Hinata's forehead.

Next the Hyuga heiress raised one of her fingers as the archers in her squad aimed their weapons

"Fire at will!"

A volley of arrows were released by her men which sailed a few hundred meters upwards towards the enemy positions, but the distance was too large and their weapons ended up falling short of their targets by 300 meters at least.

"HAHAHAA...is that all you got?" asked a sadistic voice, and she saw it was the man with the large swords.

**BOOM!**

The next second her army's positions started getting heavily bombarded with kunai, shuriken, bombs, falling rocks, and lightning strikes. Within moments 5 of her soldiers got hit and started rolling down the mountain cliff; and she could not do anything to save them.

Itachi had been right, the enemy was using everything they had to keep her army from advancing even an inch further.

But that was where they had made the biggest mistake...

"Nighthawks Squadron, this is RAF. Are you in position?" asked Hinata quickly, through the comm link which Ino had formed.

_"Roger that, RAF. We're in air and ready to provide assistance, designate your targets..."_ replied Captain Shisui Uchiha calmly,

Hinata increased the range of her byakugan and pinpointed the positions which she wanted her air support to target. Nighthawks were their first air force squadron, although this unit had never seen combat before.

Regardless it was being led by Shisui Uchiha who had carried out commando level missions in the past war, and had did some aerial missions too. Naruto had deemed this battle as a perfect opportunity for the Nighthawks to wreck havoc and bring glory to the republic.

She could hardly imagine their plan working without this support...

"North 700 meters, 64 degrees. Friendlies danger close, be advised..." said Hinata seriously,

_"Acknowledged, RAF. Servicing your targets, standby..."_

Ino and many other soldiers saw a hail of exploding tags falling from the sky, and within seconds they blasted in several places near the enemy positions. A few screams could be heard, as some enemy soldiers got killed in the attack.

_"Targets eliminated. Be advised, RAF our birds can only fly for 30 more minutes. Choose your targets carefully, as we will be RTB after that..."_ warned Shisui

"Understood, let's keep them engaged further more. Short bursts on 200 meters from the previous target, east side..."

* * *

(With Itachi)

The sound of a fierce battle could be heard across the valleys of Mount Fuji, amidst the sea of trees 30 soldiers dressed in dark black gears were currently sitting in a large circle. Their dark outfits were doing an admirable job of hiding their presences in the moonless night, and only the color of Itachi's bright red sharingan along with Neji's plain white Byakugan were shining brightly.

Everyone's attention was fixed on the blonde commander as he marked a cross on eastern side of the mountain.

They could only hope that Hinata and her army didn't sustain too many casualties, while it was true that they had air support. But that unit was newly commissioned into the army and were only ordered to provide assistance for a short while.

Basically they were here for a trial run, his elder brother was a crafty fox as always. But he appreciated the help regardless...

"Alright, phase 1 of the operation has been initiated. Now, Raiders it's your time to launch the next part..." instructed Itachi sharply, receiving quick nods from his soldiers.

These were some of the best soldiers and officers in the entire force, and he had brought them far away from the main battlefield for an entire different reason. Apparently, he had decided to take a page out of his brother's book of warfare.

"The enemy's air base is located in the northern sector behind Mount Fuji, approximately 5 kilometers from here. Tenten and Neji will be leading the Raiders, you will be taking 25 soldiers and engage in shock combat. Cause as much damage to the enemy's air base..." commanded Itachi, as Lee raised his hand.

"Captain, why are we doing this?" asked Lee curiously, as Itachi pointed 3 points on the map.

"We can't launch a full blown assault from one side due to our low numbers, that's why I divided our forces into different groups. We'll be attacking the enemy on 3 fronts, Hinata has already started from her front. Now you guys, will wreck havoc on the enemy's air base. Since it is crucial for their dominance in this sector, they will be forced to send reinforcement troops to save that airbase..." explained Itachi briefly,

"I see, it will weaken the enemy's strength as they would be forced to divert their troops. But Itachi, we were forbidden from crossing this border by your brother..." warned Neji, as the Namikaze merely smirked.

"Let me worry about my brother. This is war and we need to adapt according to the circumstances, my brother has fought more wars than me and he will surely understand and accept my decision if I get him victory with minimum casualties on our side. Is that fine?" asked Itachi bluntly,

"Hai"

The leader then pointed his finger towards Sai who had formed several ink birds, which were ready for transport.

"Sai will let you make air drops near the enemy air base. Instead of a full blown frontal assault, attack the bases from different sectors. It will allow you to prevent the enemy from concentrating their troops and weapons. When your force is deployed, Sai will provide support from the air...any questions?" instructed Itachi briefly,

"No, sir!"

The soldiers were actually very impressed with their battle strategy, it was risky for sure but their chances of success were highly increased with this plan.

"What about you, Itachi?" asked Chouji curiously,

"I'll be leading a small squad that shall climb this cliff..." said Itachi flatly, and pointed his finger at the 800 meter tall cliff.

Most of his soldiers were horrified when they saw the sheer height of the cliff, one misstep and it would be all over.

"Are you nuts?" asked Tenten incredulously,

"Maybe, but with the enemy busy on two fronts they'll never expect a surprise attack from this side as it is impossible to climb. But we will make this possible, and with one single strike we shall eliminate the enemy forces. When that's done, our replenished air support "Nighthawks" will rearrive and help you guys clear out that enemy air base. With that, the entire mountain along with this sector will be ours...the enemy ground units will be wiped out by Mikasa and her soldiers" suggested Itachi frankly, gaining confident nods in return.

"Who do you want to accompany you?" asked Chouji curiously,

"Lee, Kiba, Sakura, Kinto, Miko- all of you are with me. Any objections?" questioned Itachi seriously,

"No, sir" replied the chosen 5 in unison,

He then noticed some of the female members in their squad anxiously glancing towards some of their friends, and they looked towards him for permission.

"You have 3 minutes..." said Itachi kindly, and walked away from the group.

The stunned soldiers couldn't believe what they just heard, did Itachi just understand his comrade's feelings and allow them time to talk to each other one last time?

"Is this really, Itachi?" asked Neji in surprise, gaining a nod from Sakura.

"Yeah, it's the real one..."

* * *

Itachi was quickly doing one last check over his combat gear, climbing that tall cliff was going to be quite difficult. Fortunately, Jiraiya had put him through some serious shit over these years.

He had chosen his squad on those parameters.

Lee was physically stronger than all of them combined, and would have little difficulty in accomplishing this task. Not to mention, the havoc the Taijutsu specialist would create once they reached the top.

Kinto and Miko were expert marksmen who had served in the Royal Army of the Damiyo, and would be perfect in a fire fight against those clones.

Kiba along with Akamaru possessed the necessary strength and technique to destroy the heavy enemy bunkers...

And not only was Sakura deadly with her Taijutsu, he intended to make her use her special technique that would surely spell victory for them.

As far his own role was concerned, it had taken time but he was able to curb the anger and hatred in his heart. Rather than wanting revenge on the enemy for killing his best friend, he wanted to limit the number of casualties on his side while bearing the brunt of the attack.

_"Isn't that what leaders do, Sasuke?"_ thought Itachi nostalgically, as he glanced at the dark sky.

"That was extremely kind of you, Itachi..."

He turned around only to find his teammate and close friend standing behind him with a happy smile on her face. The cold breeze of the valley were freely floating her shiny pink hair, and her emerald eyes shined brightly in the dark night.

Sakura was surprised when she found him staring at her continuously, and was he blushing?

And he noticed his action after a few moments and quickly scratched the back of his head, as an embarrassed chuckle escaped from his lips.

"Ah, sorry. You startled me there..." lied Itachi, and averted his gaze towards the ground.

She giggled on hearing his dishonest answer, didn't he know that he sucked at lying? And those shining blue orbs of his always showed his real feelings every time...

"I bet..." said Sakura in compliance, making him sigh in relief

"Sakura, I want you to use that jutsu when we reach the top. I can't do this without my squad's help..." admitted Itachi honestly,

"It's strange hearing you asking for assistance..." said Sakura jokingly, making him smile in return.

"Ah...it is strange, yet it feels good. Is it alright if I do so?" asked Itachi innocently, as he honestly did not know whether he was doing the right thing or not.

He had fought his battles on his own for so long, he actually didn't remember the feelings of fighting beside one's comrade. To rely on someone else in battle, was he embarrassing his comrades or-

A soft flick on his forehead disrupted him from his thoughts, and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw her getting close and bumping her forehead against his.

His own heartbeat increased quite rapidly, when he smelled her hot breath and the warmth radiating from her body.

"Always..." said an overjoyed Sakura,

_"You're finally becoming the person I've loved all my life, the kind and gentle boy whom I saw in the academy. The one who loved his friends and adored his elder brother, the one who stood by me and became my first friend..."_ thought Sakura happily,

Itachi completely skipped a heartbeat when she laid a soft, tender kiss on his forehead.

The mere touch of her lips sent electrifying sensations across his entire body, his cheeks became bright red, heartbeat increased tremendously, a strange new tingling sensation started arising in his gut...

He was no stranger to physical pleasures, but this was something different. What was this feeling? Why did he suddenly want to hug her so badly? Why did he not want to let her go away from him ever?

_"Nii-san, Sasuke...what should I do?"_ thought the clueless boy,

She merely smirked on seeing the affect her gesture had on him, it was still hard for her to believe that such a strong fighter was a complete dumbass when it came to women. After all these years, he should have at least gotten a hint...

Oh, well maybe she had to wait-

Sakura had barely walked a few steps away from him when she heard him clearing his throat, on looking behind she saw him nervously smiling and scratching the back of his head with his right hand.

"Um, Sakura. After this mission...would you like to go out with me? You know, to eat something?" asked Itachi hesitantly, choosing each word very carefully.

"Oh, are you asking me on a _date,_ Namikaze?" asked Sakura flatly, and easily maintained her super cool expression but was finding it extremely hard to control herself from bursting out into laughter, as she saw him comically shaking his hands.

"No, it's not...''

**_"NO?"_** asked Sakura incredulously, as he again shook his hands desperately. The look on the poor boy's face was priceless...

"I mean..._yes_" whispered Itachi quietly, and completely averted his gaze away from her emerald eyes...

Before she could even give her reply, they were interrupted with a series of whistles and small claps. Turning right, they were shocked to see all their comrades staring at them. The girls had stars in their eyes, Kiba was blatantly mocking the shy personality of Itachi along with the remaining boys.

"SHUT UP!" yelled an embarrassed Itachi, as his friends laughed at his expense which only made him blush more.

He freezed as a rock when she came near him, tucked his collar and looked him straight in the eye.

"_It better not be ramen_, and you're paying mister..." said Sakura jokingly, and laughed on his horrified expression.

But he was smart enough not to voice any protest, although she did hear him saying **_"But Ramen's so cool, cheap and awesome!"_**

Kiba slapped his friend hard on the back, as Akamaru barked in agreement. The Inuzuka heir leaned closer towards Itachi's ear...

"You're whipped, dude..." whispered Kiba mischievously,

"KIBA!"

* * *

(With Raiga)

The army commander cursed the enemy forces for the 1000th time, why couldn't they just die so he could give them splendid funerals? If that was not enough, somehow a new air force squadron had been raining hell on his army for the past 20 minutes...

He had lost 56 clones so far, however they were successful in keeping the enemy pinned.

Not even a single RAF soldier had been able to move an inch forward, he too had used his divine swords and killed around 20-25 of those young children. Watching their fragile bodies rolling down the mountain after being hit by his lightning strikes was a memorable scene.

These kids had balls, to think they were still not surrendering or retreating after facing such dire losses.

_"It won't be long before their air support will have to return to their base for rearming themselves, then I'll use my entire army to bury these little bastards once and for all!"_ thought Raiga madly,

**BOOM!**

His maniacal laugh was interrupted by a monstrous explosion, turning behind he saw their most important air base getting shrouded in explosions.

"Sir, they have attacked the air strip. Sustaining heavy casualties, Genera Sura is requesting immediate reinforcements..." informed one the clone troopers urgently,

"The general say's they are being attacked by Blacklight forces. The situation is extremely dire..." said another clone quickly,

Raiga didn't waste any time and quickly took out a pair of binoculars from his pocket and zoomed in on that position. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when he saw young children dressed in Blacklight uniform blazing through his air base with those dangerous kunai launchers.

"Fuck, how did Blacklight cross through our border? FucK!" yelled Raiga furiously,

He was well aware of the havoc those little shits could cause; as for all intents and purposes he himself would have trouble in facing a fully armed Blacklight commando. And that poor excuse of a general who was guarding the air base didn't have a fucking chance to hold the world's most dangerous special ops soldiers.

"Captain, take 100 clones and go save that fucking air base!" screamed Raiga frustratedly, things were going out of hand.

"But, sir we will lose our strength. The enemy here-" argued a clone tactfully, but was silenced when Raiga swiped its head off with his sword.

"I can handle these little shits, now go complete your orders!" said Raiga forcefully, and received faithful salutes from his remaining soldiers.

"Roger, roger"

The reinforcement troops quickly arranged them into different columns and instantly started moving towards the back area of the mountain, as Raiga breathed a sigh of relief.

His eyebrows twitched when he saw his clone officer coming beside him, their remaining troops were keeping that Hyuga bitch's army at bay.

"Sir, should I take a scout patrol to search our perimeters?" asked the clone officer flatly, as Raiga scoffed.

"There's no need, the enemy can only attack on 2 fronts. Their many army is right under our heels, while a small Blacklight force is trying to destroy our air base. It is a desperate attempt to limit their losses as destroying that air base would halt our army from initiating a full blown attack against Mikasa Ackerman's forces. It only shows that the enemy command knows these RAF bastards are going to die tonight..." explained Raiga in detail,

He smacked his own forehead when the stoic clone soldier didn't say anything, and continued to stare at him. Why did he always forget the only thinking power these clones had were related to warfare. They could neither understand emotions or even a fucking joke, such boring idiots.

"Clone, where do you think the enemy is going to come from? The kilometers wide open field where we can easily kill them, or climb this 800 meter giant cliff? Only a madman would think of even climbing this cliff..." said Raiga mockingly, but the clone still remained standing.

"Gah, man your post. This is an order!" shouted Raiga frustratedly, and was surprised when he received a salute.

"Roger, roger!"

And the clone officer simply went to join his remaining forces leaving a confused Raiga behind.

_"I could have just said that too..."_ thought Raiga bemusedly, laughing loudly at his own folly.

"Only a madman has a chance to take this mountain from me..."

* * *

"I'm gonna kill you, Itachi!''

"Lunatic"

"Madman!"

"Why did I even agree to this?"

"Yosh, this is a perfect opportunity to display our flames of youth!"

Itachi laughed whole heartily when he heard the voices of his teams, he could understand and accept their curses thrown at him too. After all, he was making them hang at a rock 400 meters above the ground. Even looking down right now was a scary thought, as one misstep and their bodies would be splashed across the rocks at the ground.

He himself agreed that this was crazy, no sane commander would even attempt such a brazen strategy. Not even his elder brother...

Naruto would have relied on tactics and maneuver, and never attempt such a high risk strategy. The number of casualties would deter the elder Namikaze from launching such an attack, but he was different.

This mountain was the key to the republic's survival, and despite his wish to sustain few casualties he knew some lives would have to be sacrificed for capturing this mission. It was simply unavoidable...

_"Hinata, Ino...just hold their attention for a little longer"_ thought Itachi hopefully,

He had already received confirmation from Neji that the Raiders had started attacking the air base, he had purposefully made them wear uniforms similar to Blacklight. Even the mere name of that force was enough to scare the mightiest armies, and he had simply used that fear against the enemy.

Neji had reported that the enemy air base was very weakly guarded as they didn't expect an attack there, and when the defenders saw soldiers dressed as Blacklight more than half of them fled away. His team would have destroyed the base by now, if not for the 100 clones that had arrived as reinforcements. So, now Raiders were engaged in a heavy fight against the fierce clones who were ready to defend their territory to the last man.

He wanted his team to pull back as their objective had been achieved, but Tenten had requested to continue the mission. She was fairly confident that their team would be able to outlast the tired clones who had been fighting Hinata's army for quite some time. As such, he had decided to believe in his comrades and allowed them to fight.

And now the enemy was at half strength, tired, had suffered losses and would never expect a surprise attack.

So, yes...he was a madman with balls to attempt something like this.

Their air support had to return back to base as they had ran out of weapons, and would take some time before arriving back for further assistance. So, it was all upto his team now.

"Quit whining and keep climbing..." scolded Itachi, as he grabbed the tip of a flat rock.

"Itachi-teme, I might piss my pants..." retorted Kiba in an irritated fashion,

"Watch your step..." said Itachi worriedly, as he prevented Sakura and Miko from stepping on a weak rock.

"Thanks..." replied both of them in unison,

"Itachi, how long will it be before we can reach the top?" asked Kinto seriously,

"At this rate, we should be able to climb this cliff in 30 minutes. Hold on everyone..." reassured Itachi confidently,

"I feel quite drowsy when I look back, what should I do captain?" asked Kinto tiredly, as the 16 year old boy was sweating heavily despite the cold weather.

Itachi helped the boy climb atop a small rock, and he himself saw the height at which they were. They had to be careful or their death would be very quick...

"Don't look down, men..."

* * *

(45 Minutes Later)

Raiga was keenly observing the 75 strong RAF soldiers that were taking cover behind the rocks, that should make him proud but instead he felt something was wrong. He had attacked those kids mercilessly, and by now 25 of them had been killed.

But what was alarming was their lack of efforts in charging against his position...

Granted there were slim to no cover positions when they came near 400 meters of his bunkers, but even when they had air support not a single soldier attempted to make a charge against his position.

It was as if they were supposed to sit there as decoys, while the Blacklights destroy the air base.

Even then they should have known, that the empire could simply rebuild the air base if they continued to hold Mount Fuji. No matter how strong those Blacklights were, they would not be able to escape from a completely surrounded area.

Nobody would attempt an attack from the open field, could it be...

"OI, quickly check the positions near the cliff!" barked Raiga urgently,

Two platoons of clones quickly started moving towards the area, as a sense of dread started forming in Raiga's heart. Even then it was simply impossible for anyone to climb that cliff, no sane man could even think of making such a move.

"OPEN FIRE!"

_CLANG_

_CLANG_

_ CLANG_

_CLANG_

_CLANG_

The loud, deafening voice of Itachi Namikaze echoed through the entire mountain as his entire squad emerged from the cliff side, Raiga totally went wide eyed when he saw another Blacklight looking squad emerging right inside his position. And his troops were not prepared...

Within seconds, 2 of the enemy marksmen that were armed with kunai launchers opened fire and the shocked clone squads started falling like flies. In exactly 30 seconds more than 50 clones had been wiped out and now nearly 100 something were remaining, the lucky ones who had managed to find cover.

"They climbed the fucking 800 meter cliff?" asked Raiga incredulously,

**"SHANNARO!"**

Sakura didn't waste any time and gathered a large mass of chakra in her fists, before impacting them with the ground. The blow cleanly tore of an entire section of the mountain as 8 clones fell straight into the deep valley.

**"Konoha Senpuu (Leaf Hurricane)!''**

**"Gatsuuga (Fang Over Fang)!"**

Not allowing the enemy a moment to recover, Kiba and Lee followed through with their destructive attacks. The sudden, powerful blows destroyed 5 bunkers stationed on the front, along with the soldiers in it.

"Banzai!"

Raiga had just managed to get himself back on his feet, when he saw the entire RAF force that was pinned down beneath his position charging straight towards him. His troops that were dominating the battle moments ago, were now nearly wiped out.

The handful few that were remaining were being taken out by those monstrously strong kids...

So, this was the signal for which the RAF main force was waiting for!

"Let's see you face this!" said Raiga furiously, as he raised his twin Kiba blades in the air.

His blades cackled with electricity as he directed them towards the charging RAF, just one mighty strike and those 75 kids would have a splendid burial.

A cold gust of wind speared across his back, and he suddenly found the weight of his body decreasing instantly. The sharp sound of something slicing could be heard, and only when the warm, red colored liquid hit his cheek...did he realize that his entire right hand had been ripped off.

He bit back the scream coming from his throat, the only thing he ever saw was a bright yellow flash...

"Everyone stay back, I'll handle this piece of shit..." said Itachi murderously,

And nobody had the balls to oppose the order when they saw Itachi holding the blood stained Raijin No Ken (Sword of the Thunder God) of Tobirama Senju in one hand, and Raiga's very own Kiba in the other hand.

The blonde warrior coolly observed the former seven swordsmen of the mist fueling in anger, while Raiga was his better in Kenjutsu and had years of battle experience. What the man lacked was speed...

And Itachi Namikaze was considered the second reincarnation of Minato Namikaze, which only meant...

"A Mangekyo, huh?" asked Raiga distastefully, as he saw the strange shape of Itachi's eyes.

Deciding to finish off the boy quickly, he jumped towards Itachi at his best speed and brought his remaining kiba forward.

**"Ikazuchi no Kiba (Fangs of Lightning)"**

A dangerous bolt of lightning was fired towards Itachi who merely brought the other Kiba in his hand forward and completely absorbed the incoming attack. He quickly ducked a horizontal slash from Raiga who was now within close range.

His Mangekyo sharingan was doing an admirable job of predicting his opponent's attack pattern, and he was countering it with extreme caution.

Raiga had understood by now, that this surprised attack by the enemy was the death nail for his troops and only a handful were still fighting. And they would be eventually overrun, however if he could defeat Itachi then it would not be too much trouble to take out the others.

"Clones, delta formation!"

The remaining clones from the entire area instantly abandoned their fights and made a straight dash towards Itachi, who suddenly found himself getting completely surrounded by enemy forces.

_"So, you want to take out the commander itself..."_ thought Itachi bitterly,

** "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)"**

A small tornado was unleashed on the mountain top as a giant 15 feet tall slug appeared amidst the raging battle. The previously charging clones had to stop themselves immediately when the slug started spewing lethal acid from its mouth.

Itachi was surprised when he saw her standing on the summon, preventing the enemy soldiers from zeroing on him...

"Sakura..."

She merely smirked on seeing his surprised expression and laughed when she saw Raiga's angry face, the man was furious...

"I'll hold the clones off, you take care of that one..." advised Sakura, and jumped back into the battle.

Raiga quickly ducked when he saw Itachi focusing the gaze of his Mangekyo eyes on him, damn those Uchiha's and their fucking eyes!

Itachi quickly sheathed the Kiba blade on his back, and pointed his Raijin No Ken towards Raiga who had somehow managed to create some distance between them.

"Did you authorize the raid on my camp?" asked Itachi darkly, as the swordsman in front of him laughed proudly.

"Yes, I was overjoyed when Deidara slaughtered those brats..." boasted Raiga proudly, and saw Itachi averting his gaze towards the ground.

The boy even dropped his holy sword, as his blonde hair concealed his eyes from Raiga. Was the boy giving up now?

"You shouldn't have done that..." said Itachi very quietly,

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it?" asked Raiga arrogantly, did this brat think he was strong enough to face down one of the oldest swordsmen of Kirigakure.

"You will curse the day you were born, you bastard!" promised Itachi furiously,

The very next second he fired a sharp kunai towards Raiga's head, but the man easily avoided the weapon and was about to smirk until Itachi vanished from his sights.

A cold wind blew across his back, as his eyes widened when he...

"This is for my best friend!" yelled Itachi furiously,

**"RASENGAN!"**

A large blue ball of chakra was slammed in Raiga's back by Itachi who had appeared behind him, the powerful attack made the tall man fall down on the ground as many of his internal organs were badly damaged making him cough up blood violently.

His back was broken and the muscles around his waist were totally shredded, rendering him immobile.

He actually smirked when he saw Itachi putting his foot on his chest, making Raiga cough even more.

"(cough)...You...used...the...substitution...(cough)...and...exchanged...yourself...with...the...kunai...you...threw...at...me(cough). That was..." said Raiga slowly,

"One of the tricks I learned over these years. Your arrogance in your skill and habit of underestimating your enemy led you to this, no jutsu no matter how trivial it may seem can be considered as weak. And no man, no matter who or how powerful he is can be considered invincible. Remember this, as you die..." said Itachi seriously, as Raiga laughed madly.

"You think you can kill Madara Uchiha? Don't mock me, boy..." spat Raiga insultingly, but froze when a devious smile came on the boy's face.

_"I am going to kill him, the same way I am going to kill you..."_

**"Amaterasu"**

**"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"**

Sakura and Kiba quickly averted their eyes when they saw Itachi lighting up Raiga's entire body with his black flames, instead of putting the man out of his misery Itachi was making him suffer for killing the RAF soldiers in this campaign.

To make it worse, he nicked the man's throat silencing his painful cries and turned away from the burning man leaving him to die a painful death.

The fighting had been finished, as the few clones were not able to hold off the surprise attack. And were badly ambushed when the main RAF force charged into the positions. After that, it was pure slaughter.

She also saw their air support arriving and quickly directed it to support Neji's squad that was fighting against the last remnants of the enemy force.

When everything started to settle and her comrades started shouting slogans of victory, her eyes shifted towards Itachi who was standing all alone near the cliff. His supply bag was idly lying a few meters away, as he was staring across the valley of mountains.

As she came beside him, her eyes spotted the tears falling from his eyes. He didn't even try to hide them like his past self when he saw her standing beside him,

"We won..." said Sakura calmly,

"At what cost? How many did we lose this time, Sakura?" asked Itachi sadly,

"25 RAF have been killed in action, I have instructed Kiba to collect their bodies from the bottom of this mountain..." replied Sakura solemnly,

"Sometimes, I wonder if all of this is even worth it? I can't do this, I can't be a leader..." said Itachi tiredly, as he sat down on his knees.

He froze as stiff as a rock when she presented the republic's flag and placed it in his arms, and saw her looking at him with determination burning in her eyes.

"Don't lose faith, there will be losses. But they are not your fault, our comrades who died knew for what they were sacrificing their lives. It was for this flag and the new world which it stands for. And as long as we have Naruto-sensei on our side, we will win..." reassured Sakura proudly,

"Hai"

"Your brother wanted this flag to fly at the highest peak of this mountain. He will be waiting, and so is Sasuke..." said Sakura seriously,

She noticed the spark coming back in his tired eyes, as he slowly took the flag back in his hands. Itachi also checked the flares which Shikamaru had given him, and after a few moments gave a firm nod to her.

* * *

Rangiku was currently standing outside of her tent, after their big operation Naruto should be resting. Instead, the young boy was continuously staring at the peak of Mount Fuji. It was as if he was sure that Itachi would succeed despite the heavy odds.

"Naruto, the Raikage is asking for update on Mount Fuji. The deadline ends very soon..." said Rangiku seriously,

"He did it..."

Her neck nearly snapped when she turned towards him, only to find a lone tear escaping from his eye. A proud smile was visible on his tired face, as he saw the flag being planted on the highest peak of Mount Fuji.

"Itachi captured the Mountain?" asked Rangiku in disbelief, but even she could see the flag flying proudly in the air.

_"You truly became the person whom everyone loves and looks upto..."_ thought Naruto proudly, as he turned towards a surprised Rangiku.

"Inform the Raikage, that my boys have captured Mount Fuji. And there are still 3 hours left before the deadline ends..." said Naruto proudly, making her smile.

"Hai"

She heard a smirk escaping from a person's lips as he too smiled on seeing the republic flag flying proudly in the sky.

"Well done, Itachi..."

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter and the arc.**

**The next arc will answer a lot of questions which I left unanswered in the prequel.**

**But give me sometime...**

**And yes, we will be getting back to Naruto now. Whether you liked it or not, this arc was one of my favorites and was necessary for Itachi's development, Konoha 12's development, ItachiSaku and for the overall story.**

**So, let me know your thoughts about this arc and everything else.**

**Reviews are much appreciated.**

**Blackwolf501**


	25. Calm Before The Storm

**Yo...**

**You know I've been very patient during the past couple of updates, but it's time I raise this issue.**

**It seems despite many of you claiming that this is one of your favorite stories, or the favorite I hardly see any of you supporting it. You don't hesitate in demanding for updates and pester me when there are delays. Tell me something...**

**You expect me to devote 12 hours from my busy life in writing a chapter, and you can't even spend 2 minutes in writing a simple review. (Those who do, have my thanks)**

**This is the reason 70% of stories on this site get abandoned, and then you don't hesitate in cursing the writer. We don't get paid for all our hard work, your reviews and inputs are our only appreciation.**

**Still, I hope we can recover the lost support from this new arc. This is your story too...**

**Happy 2015 in advance as well...**

* * *

**Chapter 25**

**Calm Before the Storm**

* * *

Tension could be clearly seen on the faces of the people standing inside a small abandoned building of Uzushiogakure. The reason behind this was the condition their hero and supreme commander was currently in.

Standing beside each other neither Kushina or Kenshin had ever seen Naruto in such a state...

His body had lost considerable weight, large dark circles had formed beneath his eyes. His posture while being straight lacked the energy he had when the war began, it was clear that his health was deteriorating.

Even the soldiers from Kiri resistance seemed worried when they saw the man of miracles in such a state, but Naruto's entire focus was on the conversation which he was currently having with Mei Terumi.

"I'm thankful for all that you've done for my people, Naruto..." said Mei gratefully, and the same feelings were visible in the eyes of her soldiers.

A faint, weak smile came on his face as he gently shook his cold hand with hers.

"They are my people too. These soldiers are the future citizens of the republic, why wouldn't I do everything in my power to help them?" asked Naruto kindly, gaining grateful nods from the Kiri soldiers.

"I understand, but are you alright? You look tired..." said Mei worriedly,

"This is nothing, I just need to get some sleep. That's all..." said Naruto calmly, and retained his smile even as she looked at him critically.

"What's our plan now? You've rescued us all from getting killed in Kiri, but now my entire army is stuck in Uzu..." said Mei seriously,

"Keep your army on standby. Continue your preparations for a full scale war..."

A frown came on her face as she heard his evasive order, and she gave him a defiant look in return.

"The empire is destroying my homeland, and you want us to sit back and do nothing? We've already waited a month..." said Mei irritatedly,

"Konoha resistance has just managed to gain victories in the heart of the empire, Kumo's advance from the north is progressing well too. But the same cannot not be said for Iwa and Suna resistances. To put it simply, their sectors are on verge of collapse and we are at the brink of losing this war..." stated Naruto bluntly, shocking every person in the room.

"WHAT!"

"If we don't do something soon, our armies will be wiped out. We need each and every resistance to win against the empire, if those two cells fall then it's over. I've already assigned one of my special Blacklight sabotage units to you, support it and stall the empire's naval fleet from attacking your homeland further..." explained Naruto briefly, as she slammed her hands on the table beside them.

"My people are being murdered every day. Those civilians that supported us are facing cruel penalties. Men, women, children...the empire has already killed 10,000 innocent people while we hid like cowards in these fucking islands. We're turning young men into memories, and you-" barked Mei furiously, but was stopped when his own gaze hardened and he raised his hand.

"Do you think I enjoy this? Every day I make decisions that sends scores of young children to their deaths, every city that my forces capture reeks with the blood of innocents being killed in the crossfire with the enemy. Not a single moment has passed when I've not worked for the people of the entire world, we are up against Uchiha Madara and the Empire. This is the burden of my command..." said Naruto defiantly, his eyes showing the pain in his heart.

"The Kiri civilians..." argued Ao furiously, as a stoic look came in Naruto's cold voice.

"Are _useless_ to us. I won't sacrifice combat troops for rescuing a few civilians, this is war and they will simply get in our way. Their deaths at the hands of the empire would only further motivate the republic army to continue their fight. This is my final decision, follow the orders you've been assigned...that's all" instructed Naruto coldly, shocking the Kiri commanders.

"No..." said Mei in shock, but had to back down when Naruto's Mangekyo glared at all of them.

"This is _not_ a democracy. You are the army and it is your duty to follow orders. That's all you need to know..." said Naruto calmly, as he started walking towards the exit.

Kushina saw Choujuro grabbing his sword but before the young boy could move forward, Ao's firm hand on his shoulder stopped him. The Kiri soldiers also saw Mei clenching her fists, her head was bowed indicating her begrudging acceptance of the order.

"Don't you have any humanity left in you, bastard?" yelled Chojuro furiously, making Naruto stop in his tracks.

The young boy was shocked when he saw the cold eyes of his supreme leader...

"In the past wars, countless civilians have died. These ones are no special either...''

And with those cold, lifeless words he exited from the room leaving behind several shocked officers...

* * *

Kushina smacked her own forehead in frustration when her assumptions were proved correct. It was well past midnight, and most of the soldiers were sleeping peacefully. But her workaholic husband was still busy studying the pile of reports placed on his desk.

Among all the men she had known in her life, no one came close to him in terms of overworking oneself. Even Minato who was a Hokage knew when to rest and when to work.

Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw a shining pair of glasses on his handsome face, since when did he start wearing glasses?

Although it did make him look more attractive...

"Are you just going to stand there?" asked Naruto calmly, a small smile arriving on his lips as he continued doing his work.

The sound of footsteps getting closer didn't distract him as he kept on reading the logistics report, and just signed it when she suddenly came forward and sat in his lap.

"You got glasses?" asked Kushina curiously, as she observed the equipment with her soft fingers.

"Rangiku gave these to me, said it would prevent me from straining my eyes anymore. She also said they look cool on me..." said Naruto bemusedly, as she merely sighed.

"As naughty like always, Rangiku is really something else..." commented Kushina, a smile visible on her lips.

"Yeah, Mikasa and you are unique too. I was finally able to solve the distance between me and Mikasa, it's not much but it's still a start..." said Naruto hopefully,

"I'm glad to hear it. I'm sure that everything will be fine..." reassured Kushina,

"What's troubling you?"

She was stunned when he was able to sense something like that, she hadn't even mentioned that there was something which was troubling her and yet...

He gently placed his hand on her cheek and looked her in the eye.

"I may not be a good husband, but I do love you with all my heart. Just as you can sense my pain and worries, I can sense yours too..." said Naruto kindly, making her smile as she gently kissed his hand.

"Thank you, and you're doing the best you can. While I would definitely like to spend more time with you, our fight is also important..." replied Kushina honestly,

"Kushina..."

"Naruto, are you okay? Those people didn't go easy on you, and they were just one resistance faction. I'm there for you..." suggested Kushina, gaining a thankful nod from him.

"I've learned a lot from my past and my mistakes. I'm not that naive anymore, this war won't be won without great sacrifices. We'll lose a lot of things by its end, but I won't stop. I will take hard decisions even if the people consider me a bastard or an evil person..." promised Naruto,

"Is that why you did that thing? To prevent the past from repeating itself, even if it meant harming your health?" asked Kushina seriously, making him chuckle.

"It was necessary, Kushina. You worry too much..." scolded Naruto playfully, as she hit him lightly on his arm.

"Of course I do, I'm your wife..." boasted Kushina in a childish manner, as he gave an eye smile.

She couldn't stop laughing when he started tingling the soft skin around her belly, her pleading eyes requested him to stop but he had no such plans. Until it suddenly came to a halt...

Kushina blinked in surprise on seeing the shocked look on his face, it was as if he had seen a ghost.

"Kushina, is that-" asked Naruto in disbelief,

And when she averted her gaze from him his heart nearly stopped, his hand started trembling as his mouth remained open. Even his breathing became faster...

"I was going to tell you, but..." said Kushina slowly, but stopped when she noticed how he just froze.

"Naruto..."

"This _can't_ be happening. How did this happen?" asked Naruto nervously, and quickly got up from the chair making her get up too.

She became worried when he punched his hand through one of the walls cracking it instantly, as an angry snarl escaped from his lips.

"Please tell me that I didn't sense a new life in you right now?" asked Naruto very quietly, his voice making her take a step back in fear.

"I'm...pregnant"

She was terrified when he violently smashed his fists against the wall again making further cracks. And he continued doing it again and again...

"KUSO!"

Never in her entire life had she expected him to react in such a manner. Sure, he would have been shocked but he was angry? It was all it took to break her heart...

"It's our first child, can you believe it?" asked Kushina happily, words couldn't describe how she happy she was. It was her lifelong dream to become a mother someday, and now it was finally being fulfilled.

"I can't be a father...'' replied Naruto flatly, voice cold as ice.

"What are you saying?" asked Kushina sadly, tears already arriving in her eyes.

"You heard me, we're not having this child..." declared Naruto coldly, and was surprised when her furious eyes glared at him.

"This is not only your child, but mine too. And what the hell are you saying? THIS IS A CHILD!" yelled Kushina murderously, righteous feminine fury burning in her eyes.

She nearly had a heart attack when a cold, uncaring look appeared in his eyes as he sat back in his chair. Without casting another glance towards her, he started reading his reports once again.

"I never wanted any children of mine, that's it. We'll be leaving for the main base tomorrow, be ready. I'll talk with mother and she'll take care of this unplanned situation..." stated Naruto coldly, his voice sounding like a dictator.

He felt her furious gaze fixed on him, but never once did he change his opinion or even look at her. He heard the sound of her fists tightening before she ran out of the room, the sound of her tears reaching his sharp ears.

And she never looked back once, because if she had then she would have noticed something different in his eyes...

"I applaud you for being able to put a perfect dick mask in front of Kushina the entire time..."

The door to the office was opened again and the familiar face of his former commander and teacher appeared before him. He smirked when he saw how quiet and lonely the young boy was, and perhaps Kenshin was the only one who could understand the mystery of Naruto Namikaze.

He was the only one who knew of the boy's true plan...

"I tried to make it as gentle as possible, and how much did you listen?" asked Naruto sadly,

"Only the parts which were important, congratulations you're gonna be a father..." said Kenshin jokingly, and saw his student's eyebrows twitching in annoyance.

Naruto got up from his chair and slowly walked towards the window of the room, as Kenshin did the same.

"Naruto, isn't this enough? You have done well..." said Kenshin proudly, as he considered the boy beside him as his own son.

He had seen him grow so much, they had been through so much together. Every problem that he faced was Kenshin's problem too, after all he was the only one who had comforted the boy in hell as he was continuously tortured.

"You understand the reason I must do evil, right? Besides, there are a lot of other things which are far more important..." said Naruto seriously,

"But what about the people you love- your parents, Itachi, Mikasa, Rangiku, Kushina and this child now. You have been doing all of this for their sake..." replied Kenshin proudly, as his eyes hardened.

"I cannot give anyone special treatment anymore. For the sake of the thousands of lives that have been sacrificed, I can't stop on the path I have chosen...isn't that right, sensei?"

With those heavy words, the supreme republic commander walked out of the room as Kenshin gave him a respectful salute.

"Yes, your highness..."

* * *

(Next Day)

Itachi was tiredly walking through the dense forests of Fire Country, fatigue was easily visible on his face and that of his soldiers as they had continuously marched for the past 2 days from Mount Fuji. Reinforcements had relieved his RAF and now they were going back to their base, but it was quite far away...

He had never slept a moment since the past few days and now it was finally taking a toll on him.

His comrades were no good and couldn't help him walk properly, as they too were struggling. He suddenly lost balance and started collapsing towards the ground, only to land on someone's back comfortably.

A smirk escaped from the person's lips as he lifted him on his back, and he also saw other new soldiers arriving and supporting his tired RAF.

"You did great..." said Naruto proudly,

"Nii-san, I..."

"Just rest on me. I'll carry you back home, just like the old days..." replied Naruto happily, as memories of him carrying Itachi back home like this during their childhood came flooding back in the young boy's heart.

"Hai, thank you..." replied gratefully,

As Itachi took a short nap on his back, Naruto couldn't help but observe how much the boy had grown. He could still remember the little chibi who used to follow him everywhere and mimic his every actions, and now...

_"You've grown into a fine man, Itachi..."_ thought Naruto proudly,

Sakura couldn't help but smile on seeing the bond the two brothers shared, sometimes it made her jealous too. It was as if Naruto was the only one that was needed to guide and look after Itachi...

But it was necessary.

Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when the forests started clearing and the gates of Osaka city came closer. And there standing were thousands of people with happy smiles on their faces, a band was playing a welcoming tune, kids running towards them with the republic flags in their hands.

"They've all been waiting for you guys..." said Izumo kindly, as he helped the girl walk.

"Everyone..." said Sakura in shock,

"The entire world knows what the RAF achieved, you did great brats..." complimented Genma, getting a nod from the RAF soldiers.

Meanwhile, Itachi was simply left speechless by the sheer number of people waiting for him at the gates. They were cheering him, calling him a hero, and so much more. Was this really happening for him?

"I told you one day you will become the sun that shall enlighten this dark world..." said Naruto calmly, as he placed his stunned brother on the ground.

Giving him a few pats on the back and welcoming smile to the other RAF soldiers, Naruto and his Blacklight soldiers walked away as they knew it was time for the old guard to shift the future to the new ones.

There were so many things which Itachi wanted to talk with him about, but all of them went straight out of the window when a hard smack was planted on his head and he came face to face with his fuming sister, who strangely had tears in her eyes.

"You reckless brute..." said Yuna happily, and quickly jumped on top of him.

Unlike his past self, this time he didn't back away from such emotional display and happily returned the hug and saw his mother smiling at him.

"Hogging all the limelight, dobe?"

He actually chuckled when he could still hear Sasuke's ghostly voice circulating through his mind, even now he could feel that the Uchiha was still around.

"Never took you for a deaf person..."

"Shut up, teme..." said Itachi to himself, and opened his eyes in order to end his dreamy conversation.

The smile on his face instantly vanished when he could still see the figure of his best friend standing before his eyes. Was he really so much tired he was seeing Sasuke amidst so many people?

_SLAP_

His heart stopped beating when he felt the familiar hand of his friend impacting with his left cheek, and he felt the little pain. Looking around he also saw the same shock visible in the eyes of all his RAF soldiers.

He turned back and actually blinked his eyes, and yet that bastard was still standing there with the same cocky smirk on his face.

"S-Sasuke..." muttered Itachi in disbelief, as Yuna quickly prevented her younger brother from falling down in shock.

"The one and only, dobe..." replied the Uchiha happily,

"How?" asked Sakura in shock, she was absolutely sure that her friend had died.

_"I won't let him turn out like me and live a life full of regrets..." _

She remembered one person saying those words to him, and turning towards her right she saw Naruto standing away at a distance giving them a happy eye smile.

Even Mikoto was left speechless by this miracle, she was extremely saddened on hearing about Sasuke's death and the effect it was going to have on Itachi. her eyes turned towards the one person who had the power and heart to create such miracles, and watched him giving Itachi a happy smile.

And for the first time in 4 years, she saw Itachi completely breaking down with tears falling from his eyes.

But instead of sorrow they were of joy, his friends were quick to surround him and Sasuke as the best friends were finally reunited.

The celebrations increased by ten fold, as the people lifted Itachi and his friends on top of their shoulders, shouting victory slogans...

"He's the only one who knows exactly how Itachi feels, he knows the pain of losing one's best friend and gave it his best to save his brother from that pain..." said Mikasa proudly,

Mikoto was surprised on hearing those words from the calm, collected Blacklight commander. Mikasa was quite overjoyed as her prized student was brought back to life, which only made her respect and love Naruto even more. Mikoto also saw Izumo giving a proud smile to Naruto...

"You may not know it, Mikoto-sama. The Nidaime hoped that one day the people would come to see Itachi as a true hero, that was his last wish before he sealed the Kyuubi and died" stated Izumo honestly,

She was surprised when instead of sticking around for the celebration, Naruto quietly took a quick exit...

* * *

It had been 2 days since the RAF had returned from their campaign, and yet not even once had Naruto talked to her or even meet her. Kushina couldn't understand just what had gone wrong, why had her loving husband suddenly turned so cold and distant?

It were times like these that made her realize that she did not know him completely. There were so many mysteries about him that were still a secret to her.

Her hands protectively touched her belly, as she remembered his command of discarding his child.

_"I won't let anything happen to this child, even from you..."_ thought Kushina protectively,

But the main question was why was Naruto so scared? The arrival of a child was always welcomed, and in her opinion Naruto would be a great father. The way he looked after everyone he loved, she couldn't imagine him doing the same for his own son or daughter? Maybe even more...

However, he was doing the complete **opposite.**

And in order to solve this mystery, she currently opened the door to the person's office who had brought him in this world.

"Mikoto, are you there?" asked Kushina curiously,

Her best friend got a genuine smile on her face and motioned her to come in. She was quick to offer her a seat as she put aside a medical report that she was previous reading.

"So finally back, huh? Did everything go well with the Kiri resistance?" asked Mikoto curiously,

"For the most part, yes. They are under stress..." said Kushina seriously,

"Aren't we all? Speaking of which, you don't look so well. Are you alright, Kushi-chan?" questioned Mikoto worriedly, as she placed one of her hands on Kushina's own forehead, but she shook it away.

"I'm fine, just some travel fatigue. Mikoto, there is something I need to talk to you about..."

"Shoot"

"It's about Naruto..."

"What has that _idiot_ done now? Seriously the boy's a mess..." said Mikoto tiredly, it was hard to imagine Kushina complaining about anything.

So, her son must have done something which would have upset her good friend. What the hell was he upto these days anyway?

The Uchiha was intrigued when Kushina quickly shook her head in denial, and her reaction indeed brought a smile on the irritated mother's face.

"He has not done anything, I just want to know how was Naruto as a child, I'm just curious about his childhood..." admitted Kushina, cleanly lying about her true problem.

_Guess, Naruto was rubbing off on her in the wrong ways..._

''Where did this come from? You've never asked about it before..." said Mikoto suspiciously,

"Are you going to tell me or not?" asked Kushina irritatedly, her lack of patience getting the best of her but Mikoto merely smiled due to knowing her all their lives.

"He's a peculiar one, that boy. He's never cared about being liked and he never bothered for making friends until he met Mikasa and Armin. As his mother, you'd expect me to understand all of this but I don't..." said Mikoto disappointedly, showing a new side of her to Kushina.

"Was he a difficult child?" asked Kushina curiously, but Mikoto shook her head.

"That would be Itachi, not Naruto. There was a time when I knew everything about him, but the more he grew up the less I recognized him. By the time he returned from the war, he was a total different person. If not for Minato, I don't know how I would have been able to make reconnect with him..." expressed Mikoto worriedly,

"Minato?" asked Kushina in surprise, making the mother smile.

"Yeah, it's hard to believe. Naruto's relationship with his father was very rocky during his childhood, we were in an era of war and Minato hardly had any time for him. It affected our son badly, and he resented Minato. But after the war when nobody was able to help Naruto, only Minato knew how to help him. Kushina, everything which Naruto does is some way connected to his past...

...we expect too much from him and he carries all our burdens with a smile on his face. I've seen him working hard to change the past and not repeat it. Ever since he came back from hell, he has completely devoted himself to this task. He united the divided resistance factions, apologized to everyone whom he had hurt in the past, made Itachi a better person instead of letting him become a second version of himself, and now reviving Sasuke. I just hope his past does not affect your family life" explained Mikoto briefly,

Kushina had heard each and every word which Mikoto had told her, and with every passing moment she slowly came to understand why he behaved like that.

She was surprised when Mikoto gently grabbed her hand...

"Kushina, I know he is difficult. Just give him sometime, there are too many burdens which he carries with himself till this day. I can only do so much, if only Minato could help him. He's the only one who understands Naruto's needs, even better than me..." requested Mikoto, gaining a smile from her red head friend.

"I will, Mikoto..."

* * *

(Few Hours Later)

"I strongly advise against this, Madara-sama"

"I've appointed you the leader of my army, but that does not make you my boss..." said Madara flatly, as he quickly smashed the communication device silencing any protests which Konan had to raise.

Standing on top of a tall tree, his eager Mangekyo eyes calmly observed the large city of Osaka that was right in front of him. There seemed to some kind of festival happening in the city...

_"Let's double their fun..."_ thought Madara seriously, as he took his gunbai in his hand.

After months of waiting in that fucking palace, now that the four and five tails were captured it was time for him to flex his muscles. Only the 1, 7, 8 and 9 tailed beasts were left to be captured. And the strongest Jinchuuriki was residing right in the city which was in front of him...

It also happened to be the main headquarters of the resistance, where his arch enemy rival Naruto Namikaze was...

If only he had known sooner that the Namikaze were descendants of Tobirama Senju, and as such were related to Hashirama. Thanks to Hidan's loudmouth he was able to learn of this truth which Konan and the other members were deliberately hiding from him.

And they were right...

A maniacal grin came on his face as he jumped towards the border of the city, as one of the guards nearly died from a heart attack on seeing him...

"I've finally arrived, _**NARUTO NAMIKAZE!**_"

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**Think about what I said earlier...**

**Until Next time,**

**Blackwolf501**


	26. My final Deception

**Yo...**

**See, that's what I'm talking about. Thanks for the reviews, and a special message for Nomaan who Pm'd me.**

**I'm glad you are a fan, and sorry for not getting in contact with you through Facebook. I don't sit on it much these days, and my job also does not allow it anyway. But just know that I've read your message and thank you for the support. Hope this gets to you...**

**And I have nothing against shy people, I just dislike a specific character...that's all. But if you feel I do, then I respect your opinion.**

**Enough ramblings, enjoy the much awaited confrontation...**

* * *

**Chapter 26**

**My Final Deception**

* * *

He had never been this excited in a long time, this feeling which was arising in his gut was more pleasurable than anything in the entire world. His eyes showed the raw fear that had arrived on a border guard's face as the unfortunate soldier saw Emperor Uchiha Madara charging towards him.

The enemy soldiers started gripping their weapons with trembling hands, finding whatever courage they could muster to face someone like him.

The gates of Osaka inched closer and closer, as the maniacal grin on his face became wider.

_SLASH_

He was abruptly stopped when a long, sharp spear came crashing down from the sky. The weapon lodged itself forcefully into the ground, the terrified republic soldiers frantically looked around to find out who was the fool who had launched a preemptive strike against the most powerful man in the world.

They were surprised when Madara smirked, and without another word stabbed his own large gunbai in the ground.

A satisfied smile came on his face as his eyes calmly observed the frame of a tall, blonde man standing firmly on top of the largest building in Osaka. One look at him was enough to show him that he was the one...

The republic soldiers couldn't believe their eyes when Madara wordlessly sat on the ground, as the blonde warrior vanished inside the tower on which he was standing.

The silent message was already conveyed...

"I already like this boy..."

* * *

The door of his room was violently thrashed as several nervous people charged inside. They were rather surprised when they saw him already wearing his old Blacklight uniform, his traditional sword was strapped on his waist along with several other weapons in his small pocket pouches.

His forehead was covered by the same metal protector which his grandfather used to wear, and the infamous famous mask was effectively covering his face.

A large white colored haori bearing Blacklight insignia was covering his entire body, with the word "Nidaime" written clearly on the backside in plain red color.

"Naruto, the emperor's here..." said Mikasa seriously, but he was already aware of it.

Turning around he came face to face with the familiar faces of Mikasa, Rangiku, Kushina, Kakashi, Izumo and Mikoto. A few Blacklight's were ready in their combat gear waiting for his orders too.

They were not able to understand how could he be so calm and collected despite the death standing at their gates? And why the fuck was Madara even waiting patiently?

"Sir, we have started mobilizing our troops. We'll be ready in a few minutes to defend the city..."

"The civilians are being shifted to the safe-houses..."

"Naruto, your brother is already at the gates. However, he has not attacked Madara since the man is not showing any interest in fighting..."

"Blacklight are ready to fight, just give the order..."

His eyes were closed as he listened to each and every thing all of them had to say. The only one's who had not uttered a word were Mikoto and Kushina...

"He's not here for Osaka..."

Turning around he came face to face with them, and saw their surprise on hearing such a thing from him.

_"He's here for me..."_

A deadly silence followed as every single person in the room tried to digest the bomb which had been dropped on them, all of this was proving to be true as it explained why Madara had not just steamrolled through their front line defenses. Their numbers wouldn't pose even a minor threat to that monster, half of Osaka should be burning by now.

And yet...

Their eyes shifted towards him and the look in his eyes suggested he knew clearly what was going to happen.

There was only one person in the entire city who could give a worthy challenge to Uchiha Madara, and the emperor had came for him. Madara was not interested in destroying their headquarters, or killing their soldiers, or creating havoc but...

"He's here to take your life..." gasped Mikoto,

"But you can't fight in your condition, after what you did!" screamed Rangiku,

Nobody could understand what the frightened girl was trying to say, she froze when a faint smile appeared on his lips.

_SLAP_

The next second a tight slap was planted on his left cheek, as her murderous eyes glared at him. Her hands violently gripping the collars of his shirt, as furious light blue eyes met with calm, dark ones.

"You knew this would happen. That's why you..."

Whatever she wanted to say would be a mystery as he gently placed a finger on her forehead, and the next second she collapsed unconscious in his arms. He lovingly laid a small kiss on her lips before handing her over to Yuna.

"What was she talking about?" asked Mikasa knowingly,

"Nothing anyone of you should concern yourself with..."

His cold answer made her furious, and she took an aggressive step forward. The same thing happened to her as well, with his Mangekyo flaring quickly. With Mikasa out of the way, he stepped towards Kakashi and inched closer to man...

"The resistance can't win without you. They need a leader like you..." whispered Kakashi, trying to persuade the boy.

"I've taken care of everything. After today, you won't have to be scared of the empire..." answered Naruto calmly,

He placed his hand on the veteran ninja's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.

The Namikaze clan head took a deep breath as he stepped towards a trembling woman. Gently stroking her beautiful red hair, he placed a chastise kiss on her lips and looked her in the eye.

_"Now you know why..."_

Her eyes widened as she understood the meaning behind his words, she tried to say something but no words came out of her choked throat.

After a short hug to Izumo, he stepped towards his mother who had tears in her eyes. Kneeling before her, he gave her a full respectful bow. She quickly raised him up and engulfed him in a warm hug.

"No mother could ask for a better son than you..." said Mikoto tearfully,

''I love you too. Take care of Itachi for me..." replied Naruto, as he laid a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Leaving behind the shocked people, he stepped towards the exit where he saw a fully armed Kenshin waiting for him.

"It's time..." said the former Blacklight commander, but the boy raised his hand.

Coming closer he gave a crisp salute to his mentor and former commander, as the man merely closed his eyes understanding the silent order.

"Take care of them until the next one takes command..."

And with those heavy words, he went away. Never looking back for a single second...

* * *

Itachi didn't know why a sly smile came on Madara's lips, the winds were flowing quite rapidly. Turning behind he saw the person on whom Madara's gaze was fixed and a smile came on his face.

The soldiers also sighed in relief when their strongest warrior stepped towards the gate, as Madara got up from the ground and picked up his gunbai.

"Uchiha Madara..." he said, the dangerous Mangekyo sending a clear signal to the blonde warrior in front of him.

The fully armed boy lowered his mask, showing the face that had terrified the giant empire army and even the Akatsuki members.

"Naruto Namikaze, now you know whom you're fighting..." said the boy calmly,

Itachi quickly stepped beside his beloved brother, as a predator grin came on his lips. He slowly started taking out his own sword when a firm hand on the weapon stopped him. He was surprised when he saw it was none other than Naruto himself...

"Not today, little brother..." said Naruto calmly, a smile gracing his divine face.

"Like hell, together we can take him. This is what we have been waiting for..." replied Itachi defiantly, and saw Naruto's eyes fixed on Madara.

"He's stronger than me..." admitted Naruto frankly, shocking his own soldiers as a smirk came on the older Uchiha's face.

"Don't do this, Nii-san. Have you forgotten that this bastard killed the Tsuchikage and destroyed Iwa?" asked Itachi furiously,

Madara's fists clenched tightly as he saw the younger brother trying hard to persuade the older one. The conversation between them bringing painful memories from his own past...

_"Izuna..."_

Sensing the rising tension, a quick chop on the arguing boy's neck sent him spiraling towards the ground. Betrayal and shock easily visible in his eyes as he glared at his elder brother, but everything went blank when the man's foot collided with his face rendering him unconscious.

"This is my fight..." said Naruto seriously,

One quick glance towards his terrified soldiers and they instantly lifted Itachi and ran straight inside the city, closing the giant gates behind them.

"I like your style, boy..." complimented Madara, as the republic leader started walking towards him.

"Let's go somewhere else..." said Naruto flatly, making his enemy sigh.

"Don't tell me you are the same as Hashirama, that you are doing this to protect the weaklings in that city. What kind of soldiers are they who willingly abandoned you on seeing me?" taunted Madara, as a smirk came on the boy's face.

"They'll simply get in the way, and it wouldn't be **_fun_**..." replied Naruto darkly, as his Mangekyo activated.

"Hn, and you're not afraid of me?" asked Madara curiously,

"I've already died once, suffered in hell, murdered innocents, faced the wrath of the Death God. Facing you is just another thing I need to get over with...that's all" answered Naruto coldly, getting a respectful nod from his enemy.

"Looking at you reminds me of myself, why fight against me? You have the Uchiha blood like me, then why not join me. What do you want? Power, money, women...I can give you all of that" offered Madara, but smiled when the boy shook his head.

"You came here to fight me, then let's fight. Because you suck at lying, and even more at diplomacy..." insulted Naruto, making Madara laugh loudly.

"You got me, brat. It's been a long time since I've met someone who can think like me..."

"Well, then..."

_"...very well"_

* * *

Naruto couldn't help but smile when he saw the venue of his biggest fight, he bemusedly looked at his opponent who had the expression screaming "What!"

"And here I thought I was one for theatrics..." said Naruto bemusedly, a cool breeze flowing his silky blonde hair in the sky as he stood firmly on top of Hashirama Senju's giant ass statue.

"This place gives me the thrills, no fight is enjoyable if it is not thrilling..." admitted Madara,

"Your mom must have been high on steroids when you were born, or you really have a nagging itch in your dick. That's the only two reasons I can think of for you always gunning for a fight..." taunted Naruto, but instead of getting angry Madara laughed.

"And your mother must have read tons of war hero books, it explains your heroic last act of taking me away from the city. You feared I might get bored after our fight, and take it out on your people..." suggested Madara, but the boy shook his head in denial.

"I don't think you'd feel pretty much _anything_ after this, much less bored. You are not getting out of here alive, I'll make sure of it..." promised Naruto darkly,

"Boy, I'm _already_ dead. And you don't have the power required to seal me, even the Kages couldn't do it with their countless ninja supporting them..."

"They were not Naruto Namikaze..."

"Arrogant, are we?"

"Well, I did pick up some of my Uchiha traits. Guess, it runs in the family..."

Madara became silent for a few moments as he looked at the boy in front of him. There were few people in the world that intrigued him, most warriors fought for power, revenge, money, women, and so many common things. Some fought for nation, then what was this boy fighting for?

"What do you gain if you manage to win? You know everything comes at a price..." said Madara seriously,

"To give someone a world free of war..." said Naruto secretly, as the face of his unborn child came back in his mind.

He had lied to her, words couldn't describe how happy he was on receiving the news that his own child was coming in this world. At the same time, he expected something like this to happen and had been preparing from it from the start.

He knew how the lack of a father's presence affected children, he had gone through it.

The irony was that his own offspring would suffer the same fate, whether he lived or died it won't change a thing. So, at the very least he could give it his all to make a world where all of his loved ones could live peacefully.

If he could seal Madara here, then it won't be long before the combined strength of the five factions of resistance would overpower the empire. Pein was not as powerful as Madara, and he had made counter plans to silence the man forever.

He had made battle plans that would help lead his successor gain victory against the empire's army, heck the person was himself an army alone.

All pieces had been set into motion, and the only thing that remained was the two kings to kill each other.

"Kyuubi, fight with me and have your revenge..." said Naruto seriously, as the giant fox grinned madly.

**"I've waited a long time to kick these bastard's ass. You have my full power at your disposal..."** replied the fox cunningly,

_"The enemy of my enemy is my friend is indeed a true concept, I guess..."_ he thought,

Madara sensed the boy's intentions, and lifted his hand to grasp his gunbai from his back. Too late, as in a flash the boy was right in front of him the powerful shunshin bringing him in close proximity.

Instead of firing a traditional punch, the boy flipped himself in the air reaching behind the opponent's back and delivered a crushing kick on the fearless emperor's neck sending the man crashing down into the stream of water.

Shrouding his body in Kyuubi chakra, he casted the glance of his deadly eyes on the falling man...

**"Shinra Tensei"**

Madara was suddenly hit by a force 10 times powerful and he rocketed with thrice as much speed crashing violently on the ground creating a giant crater in its aftermath.

He heard a splash of water and saw the boy was waiting for him...

"You done joking?" asked Naruto seriously, as he noticed the grin on the man's face.

The young boy's eyes narrowed when he saw how quickly Madara's ruptured hands and limbs were getting resurrected. In that moment, he cursed Orochimaru and Tobirama for the umpteenth time for this abomination of jutsu.

"That was refreshing..." said Madara casually, any other normal person would be paste by now.

But the Uchiha had done a mastery in becoming a psychopath, and so far he was a credit to his personality.

Naruto gulped when all playful attitude vanished from Madara's eyes, and for the first time he felt the power inside the man. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when Madara performed hand seals faster than lightning.

**"Katon: Goka Mekkyaku (Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation)"**

A massive tidal wave of fire was unleashed by the crazy Uchiha, which was now heading towards him burning every single thing in its path of carnage. He quickly raised one of his hands and focused an equal amount of chakra.

**"Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique)"**

An equally powerful water dragon was born from the stream of water and it collided head on with the deadly flames, as the jutsu clashed with each other he quickly took out his sword and parried a strike from the gunbai as Madara emerged clean through the burning fire.

The man was definitely crazy, but then again he was merely and Edo Tensei...

He had the advantage in the fight...

Madara tried to press him back, but found himself facing stiff resistance as their Mangekyo's glared at each other. However, with one quick push he shoved his weapon straight into the boy's chest as he dissolved into water.

"Water Clone?" asked Madara curiously,

_SLASH_

A sword pierced his chest, but he merely smirked before disappearing into a puff of smoke revealing his true identity of a shadow clone.

As Naruto emerged from the water, he quickly had to block a powerful punch from the real Madara who emerged behind him. The man tried to sweep his legs, but he had already jumped and delivered a crushing kick to the man's jewels.

That did the trick as it sent the ancient Uchiha sailing a few meters back, as an irritated expression was etched on his face.

"A low blow..." said Madara disappointedly, as Naruto coolly looked at him.

"We're ninja, _deal with it_..." replied Naruto coldly,

Somehow it affected the Uchiha, as he carelessly tossed his gunbai aside and motioned him to attack him. Naruto accepted the offer and sheathed his own sword, cracking a few muscles he shifted his attention towards his opponent.

He quickly lunched towards Madara and ducked when the man released a powerful roundhouse kick, just when he tried to kick the man in his balls again the emperor deftly caught his leg. With measurable strength, he started thrashing him left and right using his caught leg as a device to swing him around like a rag doll.

Naruto felt a new sense of pain curse through his body on being continuously thrashed like a rag doll, just when he was raised high in the air to be thrashed again he channeled chakra through his palms and effectively severed Madara's right arm clean through his elbow.

As he slowly wiped the blood from his lips, he realized that in raw strength the man was stronger than him. One mistake, and it won't be long before he became the man's punching bag. Any kind of Taijutsu battle with him would result in several broken bones for him.

**"Careful, boy. Don't underestimate this Uchiha, I did once and it didn't end well for me..."** warned Kyuubi seriously,

Madara narrowed his eyes when Naruto formed a very familiar hand seal...

**"Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu (Water Clone Technique)"**

Around 50 replica's of him rose from the depths of the water surface, all having his stone cold look and without another word they simply charged towards Madara who glanced at him, irritation evident in the man's voice.

As the former Uchiha clan head decimated his clones, Naruto placed his finger on a device hidden inside his ear...

"You watching this, Kenshin?" asked Naruto quietly,

_"Crystal, this intel would help in saving a lot of lives if you..."_ said Kenshin hesitantly, as a clear video of the fight was being played in front of him through a secret camera hidden inside the boy's clothes.

As for all intents and purposes Naruto was in the end a Blacklight commander. Recon and information gathering was rooted deep inside his DNA itself.

It didn't take more than a minute for Madara to kill his army of water clones, and now the man was walking towards him.

"Let's cut the small tricks, bring out your real guns..." warned Madara,

**"Amaterasu"**

A raging tornado of black flames was born as the man focused his gaze on him, in return his own Mangekyo spinned with equal speed as he gathered a large amount of chakra.

**"Amaterasu"**

Black flames clashed against black flames, but this time Madara was definitely surprised when his attack was not overpowering Naruto's flames...but instead they were being pushed. His gaze shifted towards the massive Kyuubi chakra that the boy was using to fuel his attack...

The battle raged on with both dojutsu users trying to overpower each other, Naruto with Kyuubi on his side and Madara fueling his attack through the unlimited chakra passing through his body thanks to Edo Tensei.

**"Amaterasu Shuriken!''**

Naruto had to instantly shift his position when Madara transformed a large portion of his black flames into deadly shuriken. The deadly weapons started chasing him like hell hounds as his own black flames vanished due to lack of concentration. He saw Madara controlling the deadly attack, as a smile was visible on the man's face.

Madara was definitely surprised when Naruto changed course and ran straight towards him, his deadly sword now out in full glory...

_"So, you think I'll stop my attack if you turn towards me..."_ thought Madara bemusedly, and instead focused more power increasing the speed of his attack.

His black flame shuriken edged closer and closer to the boy, but he merely smirked as their distance was now barely 20 meters.

The boy did something unexpected when instead of closing in on Madara, he threw his sword like a spear straight towards his opponent. But Madara merely caught the deadly weapon easily with one hand , as the black flames shuriken were inches away from Naruto.

"Your arrogance shall be your fall, Madara..." said Naruto seriously, as he performed a series of hand seals.

**"Mokuton: Moku Joheki (Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall)"**

A tall wooden wall emerged behind Naruto which directly took the black flamed shuriken head on, the divine weapons disintegrated into common flames and spread across the dense wooden wall.

"So, you can use Mokuton. It makes this even more interesting..." complimented Madara, in truth he was overjoyed that his opponent was a true descendant of Hashirama.

He tried to move his hands in order to throw Naruto's sword away, but found himself completely bound. His eyes then shifted towards a seal which was now glowing on the sword.

**_"Fuuin Hyoushi no Jutsu (Binding Seal Technique)"_ **whispered Naruto darkly,

Black marks quickly emerged from the hidden seal on his sword and spread everywhere on Madara's body, as the man struggled to break himself from the sudden trap Naruto shrouded Madara's entire body in fierce, hot Amaterasu flames.

**_"Not only does he possess Hashirama's powers, but has a crude, calculative mind like Tobirama. Maybe he can truly..."_** thought Kyuubi hesitantly,

Naruto was in the process of completing another long set of hand seals, as slowly a wooden tomb started surrounding Madara from all sides.

_"So, he plans to seal me..."_ thought Madara bitterly, he had never expected the boy to be this cunning.

"Impressive, you truly possess the mind and strength of a Kage. However..." said Madara darkly,

**BOOM!**

A monstrous blast of chakra emerged from Madara, the powerful shock wave was enough to send Naruto skidding a few feet away. A malicious aura descended upon the entire area, as the loud roar of a beast resonated across the area.

_CLANG_

His sword that was previously binding Madara was now lying idly on the shore, the seal still glowing on it. While, Madara's body was surrounded by a skeletal structure. It had a strange monstrous head, and giant arms that were holding some glowing laser like swords.

"As I thought, he overpowers my calculative attacks with raw power. Kyuubi, any ideas?" asked Naruto silently,

**"Yeah, go all out..."**

Naruto face faulted on hearing the common reply, and irritatedly glared at the giant fox residing within him.

"What the hell do you think I'm doing?" asked Naruto sharply,

**"You're a skilled warrior, I accept that. But Madara is different, you can use the world's best tactics against him and he'll emerge victorious with his monstrous power nullifying your well thought out strategies. The only thing that can defeat this freak is sheer strength, if you want to seal him then you'll have to reduce him to a bloody pulp first. Even Hashirama had to use raw force against him, do you understand?"** explained Kyuubi patiently, getting a nod from Naruto.

"Okay, but I'll need your chakra..." said Naruto politely, making the fox scoff.

**"I'm merely surprised that you are still alive, you should be long dead after using that jutsu. If not for me, you would be lying in a grave right now..."** replied Kyuubi seriously,

"True, we make a good team. Don't we, partner?" asked Naruto, a smile etched on his handsome face.

**"Just focus on the battle..."**

As Naruto shifted his attention towards his opponent, he failed to notice the faint smile that came on the giant fox's face. For the first time someone had considered him something more than a beast, and it made him give the boy more of his chakra.

"What's the matter, Naruto? Cat got your tongue?" asked Madara calmly, a smirk visible on his lips.

"No, you just made this more fun..." said Naruto madly,

The boy's entire body was engulfed in blue flames, and the Kyuubi chakra added a certain red highlight to it. An equally maniacal grin came on the young Namikaze's face, when he jumped towards the Susanoo.

"Don't underestimate the republic!" yelled Naruto aggressively,

Madara quickly sent his Sussanno swords to stab the boy clean through his chest, but he flipped in the air and was now sailing towards him.

_CRASH_

It was Madara's turn to be surprised when his entire Susanno was shattered to pieces by the powerful punch which Naruto had launched. The mighty blow was enough to send the previously confident Uchiha crashing towards the rock.

He saw the boy's hand glowing with chakra, as he slowly got back up.

_"He's not as fast as Tobirama, but his physical strength is as good as Hashirama. I can't afford to let him land a few more punches like that, he's a freak of nature like me..."_ thought Madara seriously,

"Two can play the game..." said Madara excitedly, as he clasped his hands together.

**"Mokuton: Sashiki no Jutsu (Wood Release: Cutting Technique)"**

Just as he finished performing his hand seals, the same thing was copied by Naruto with the help of his ever sharp sharingan eyes.

**"Mokuton: Sashiki no Jutsu (Wood Release: Cutting Technique)"**

Both the warriors had to jump in the air as hundreds of wooden spikes rose from the ground. Madara easily reformed his Susanno again and sent its arms to crush the boy.

**"Susanno: Kai!"** yelled Madara loudly, as both the hands closed in on Naruto.

Naruto rapidly performed a series of hand seals, as his sharp Mangekyo focused on several points of Madara's perfect defense.

**"Susanno: Tsukumo!"** shouted Naruto,

Several green colored chakra needles were generated from his powerful eyes and he sent them sailing towards Madara's absolute defense. At first nothing happened, but a second later the entire Susanno got disintegrated again by cracks occurring on several key points.

The hands that were about to crush him also crumbled as the arm itself got destroyed and Madara dropped towards the ground.

_"A new jutsu? This boy can easily destroy my primary form of Susanno, and his Mokuton is also good. Looks like I'll have to give him a true taste of power..."_ thought Madara caluclatively,

His Mangekyo spinned again, as two giant hands of Susanno were formed. They quickly started generating several large beads as Naruto managed to land on the wooden spear laced ground.

**"Yasaka no Magatama!"** yelled Madara,

A platoon full of giant chakra laced beads were fired from his Susanno hands and they were now racing towards Naruto with immense speed.

**_BOOM!_**

**_BOOM!_**

**_BOOM!_**

The godly emperor didn't back down and continued firing his attack over and over again, as the terrain in front of him started getting destroyed with every passing second. The unlimited supply of chakra inside his body did well in keeping him continuing the attack, and only when 5 minutes had passed did he stop.

Smoke and ashes were spread across the entire area, the entire region was full of craters.

_"Is that the best you can do?"_

Madara merely chuckled when he heard the boy's voice from the smoke, although he was indeed surprised when he saw what had protected the boy.

"So, you have some special powers of your own as well. I can see why my attack was not able to even land a single scratch on you..." said Madara calmly,

For right in front of his eyes was a giant shield glowing brightly in immense red flames, not even a single scratch was visible anywhere on Naruto's body as he calmly stood in his previous position.

"The most powerful spiritual defense- **Yata Mirror**. You're the first Uchiha to awaken this power..." said Madara seriously,

"And hopefully the last, these eyes are nothing more than a curse..." replied Naruto distastefully,

"Is that how you see your own power?" questioned Madara,

"The more power humans obtain, the more destruction they cause. It's a fact of life, I resent the day Kaguya ate that fruit which started all this madness..." said Naruto bitterly,

"So you've read the Uchiha Tablet?"

"Yes"

"Zetsu tells me that you were the same as me, that you were planning to create the same empire like me. Then what changed, Naruto?" asked Madara curiously,

"I'm grateful to you and the Akatsuki, even to Obito..." said Naruto honestly, as Madara narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Grateful?"

"Humanity became so divided and violent over time, the fourth great ninja war was one of the results. But the rise of Akatsuki, Obito and you has made people understand true suffering and pain. They can now look beyond themselves, and work for a common goal..." said Naruto proudly,

"So, if we were not the enemy you would have taken the role of the enemy of the world?" asked Madara seriously,

"If that's what it took to unite the world..." replied Naruto flatly, as a small smile came on Madara's lips.

"You're just like Hashirama, naive and kind. People like you have no desire of their own, but selflessly live and die for others. Do you truly believe your republic can bring true peace?" asked Madara flatly,

"Before that answer my question first, do you want to control the world through _Mugen Tsukiyomi_?" counter questioned Naruto, and saw Madara's eyes narrowing dangerously.

"So you _do_ know our plan. How can I forget you're a former Akatsuki member, that fool Obito..." cursed Madara,

"Answer me, Madara..."

"I simply want to create a world where dreams are not shattered, where true peace can prevail no matter the cost..." replied Madara seriously,

"Even if it meant ignoring the true nature of humans?" demanded Naruto slyly, as Madara simply shrugged.

"That is a difference of opinion between us..." replied Madara nonchalantly,

"You simply want to stop the world in its present form, but such a world is not alive. It is merely an experience, not life..." said Naruto seriously, as Madara stroked his chin in thought.

''But wouldn't that same experience be considered knowledge?" questioned Madara, as a smirk came on the young boy's face.

"You are indeed a talented person, even better than me. But in that talent you fail to realize the real truth, Obito yearned for the past. You yearn for a stagnant present, while I want the future..." explained Naruto,

"The future may be worse than the present..." replied Madara flatly, but his opponent shook his head.

"No, it will be better. No matter how long it takes, people will continue the path of happiness..."

"And that would also lead to ambitions, the highest form of foolishness based on emotions, lies that can never become reality..." concluded Madara, an amused chuckle escaping from his lips.

"That's the way you see other people from your over-powerful eyes, I've seen it countless times that people rebel against misfortune, they yearn for a future. For that they hope, pray and continue to rebel to achieve that happiness..." explained Naruto sagely, his words showing his deep understanding of the world and humanity in general.

Madara couldn't help but scoff on the boy's explanation...

"It's ironic, you who denied other people's wills and do what you want, now come here before me and acknowledge the wills of the very same people. Enough, now let's end this..." said Madara dangerously, he was about to charge when a sinister smile appeared on Naruto's face.

One that was pure evil, a simple glance in the boy's eyes was enough to show the true intention in his heart.

**"Yeah, let's end this..."** said Naruto darkly,

_"You never intended to escape from this battle alive, rather you want to take me down with you. A suicidal battle..."_ thought Madara in surprise, without him the Akatsuki would crumble, the empire would crumble.

And Naruto knew it...

_**"Let's dance one last time, Madara..."**_

* * *

(Osaka)

Back in the headquarters, a murderous Mikasa had violently grasped Kenshin's throat and slammed the man against the wall. Kushina and Rangiku had already restrained both of the man's hands and were glaring at him threateningly.

"Tell me where he is..." said Mikasa dangerously, ready to kill if the man lied.

"You're the only one who knows his true plan..." said Rangiku angrily,

"I...can't. I promised him..." replied Kenshin weakly, as Mikasa tightened her grip around his neck.

Mikoto was silently sitting in a corner, the woman was dead silent even as Itachi screamed at her to do something. But deep down, she knew when Naruto made up his mind there was no stopping him.

"Kenshin, please. He's going to be a father..." said Kushina tearfully, shocking every single person in the room.

Mikoto abruptly stood up in shock, Itachi's eyes widened, and Mikasa lost her grip around Kenshin's neck. Rangiku's anger only increased on Naruto after hearing that...

"And that's exactly why he is doing this. You thought he didn't want that child? That he hated this new life inside you? The only reason he even got mad at you for having this child is because he knew his death was imminent. It was a prophecy by Death God..." admitted Kenshin truthfully,

"Naruto..."

"He knew his destiny from the moment we escaped from hell. He tried to run away from it, but came back for your sake knowing he would meet his end. He got angry not because this child was coming in this world, but because he wouldn't be there to see it grow up and be a father. And no one understands the importance of a father in a child's life better than Naruto..." explained Kenshin sympathetically, as Kushina collapsed on her knees.

The proud teacher glared at each and every person in the room, did they even think for a second any of them had a chance against Madara Uchiha? That they knew better than Naruto? That man would kill each and every person in the room (including him) like flies and it would make Naruto feel worse than death, his entire fight would be for nothing if even one person from this room died an unnecessary death.

He couldn't stand how they were seeing Naruto as a traitor who betrayed them again...

Without knowing that everything the boy did was for their sake, he lived and was willing to die again for their sake.

"Then let a father save his son..."

* * *

**Author's Notes: End of chapter.**

**I suppose this answers some of the questions...**

**Next chapter: The End of Sorrow**

**It might take me a while to get the next chapter out...**

**Don't forget to review.**

**Until Next Time,**

**Blackwolf501**


	27. The End of Sorrow

**Hi**

**Most of you already know me for those who don't I'm Stana. Blackwolf is off on duty for a week, so I'll be handling his stories for the time period. **

**Here's the new chapter**

* * *

**Chapter 27**

**The End of Sorrow**

* * *

Mikoto motionlessly stood in her place, her previously grief struck eyes were now wide in shock. That face, those eyes, that shiny blonde hair...

"Father?" asked Itachi in surprise,

The others were not fairing any better either, everyone except for Kakashi had their mouth open in shock. Looking at the frame of his teacher, the copy ninja understood what those words meant back then.

_"I've taken care of everything. After today, you won't have to be scared of the empire..."_

He remembered Naruto telling him this, and judging from the lack of surprise in Rangiku's eyes it only proved that the girl knew about this development. She was trying to tell them this when Naruto silenced her.

"It's good to see you, Itachi..." said Minato happily, and came forward to give a tight hug to his son.

But Itachi remained motionless, his heart not able to accept this. His father was brain dead for the past 4 years, only his body was alive. Mikoto had even given up hope of Minato ever waking up from his sleep, then how...

_"I promise you, I'll get father back no matter the cost..."_

His fists clenched tightly as memories of Naruto making that promise came back in his heart, and his brother was true to his word.

"How?"

Mikoto's simple question surprised her husband, as she came forward and hugged him tightly. Tears of joy freely flowed from her eyes as she laid a few kisses on Minato's cheeks much to Itachi's embarrassment.

"It was the same person who gave you your best friend back, and the same jutsu..." said Rangiku sadly,

"What are you saying, Rangiku?" asked Mikasa curiously,

"The bearer of the Rinnegan has powers that surpass human realms. One of which is the ability to govern life and death, the Rinne Tensei..." stated Rangiku bitterly,

"Rinne Tensei? How do you even know about this?" questioned Kushina hesitantly,

"I was the one who helped him when he used that jutsu. First on Uchiha Sasuke and then on Minato-sama. Despite my repeated protests, he was dead set on going through with it..." replied Rangiku seriously,

"Woah, so Nidaime can bring anybody back to life. He's truly a god..."

"Amazing..."

A few impressed Blacklight's were silenced when Rangiku's murderous glare landed on them, instantly silencing their voices.

"There is a cost, isn't it?" asked Minato calmly, the veteran Hokage easily understanding the reason behind the girl's bitterness.

"Cost?" questioned Mikoto and Itachi together,

"In exchange for bringing someone back to life, the user has to sacrifice his own. Naruto almost died when he brought Sasuke back to life..." said Rangiku sadly, and noticed the guilt easily surfacing in Itachi's eyes.

"Then why the hell did he use it?" yelled Kushina angrily, how could he be so reckless?

"To stop me from living a life full of regrets..." answered Itachi in a depressed tone,

"Love is a powerful emotion, one which burns brightly in your brother's heart. 36 hours ago we received intel from one of our spies inside the empire, Madara had became impatient and without informing anyone the Uchiha disappeared. Naruto immediately had an idea as to what the emperor was upto, and placed his entire spy network in finding that man...

...and we came to know that Madara was headed straight for Osaka. In that moment, Naruto knew what was going to happen and what he had to do" explained Kenshin briefly,

"When he revived Sasuke, I had given him all my chakra but it still nearly killed him. He sacrificed a considerable amount of his life when he did that, his body was still recovering from that strain when he came before me and asked me to help him revive his father..." said Rangiku flatly,

"And you let him do it?" asked Mikasa incredulously, making Rangiku glare at her.

"You should know better there is no stopping him when he wants to do something. I tried my best, but he said it was important for his plan. I didn't have the necessary chakra, even then he went through with it. He forcefully used that jutsu, and if not for the Kyuubi all of you would be staring at his corpse right now"

While the others tried to digest this bomb which was dropped on them, Kenshin's regretful gaze landed on Minato...

_"Take care of them until the next one takes command..."_

_"I finally understand just what kind of person you are, Namikaze Naruto..."_ thought Kenshin proudly, despite everything he couldn't help but be proud of his student.

"His body is not in a healthy condition, he will not be able to win a battle against Madara..." concluded Rangiku honestly,

"He never intended to win, didn't he?" asked Minato quietly, as Kenshin stepped beside him.

"Minato Namikaze, on the order of the 1st republic commander I hereby declare you the 2nd republic commander. Naruto Namikaze conveys his best wishes and hopes you will finish the task which he started..." said Kenshin crisply, offering a salute to the surprised father.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline, Kenshin..." said Minato calmly,

"Sir?"

"There can only be one hero and that is my elder son. While I understand why he did all of this, I cannot let him die and quit his post..." answered Minato, a smirk arriving on his lips.

"We don't know where he and Madara went..." said Mikasa irritatedly,

"Not to worry, a few years back I placed one of my Hirashin markers on Naruto. We can launch a rescue, but there is one little problem..." said Minato sheepishly,

**"WHAT!'**

He cringed when nearly every person in the room shouted at him, _couldn't they go easy on a person who just woke up from 4 years of sleep?_

"I have very little chakra, can a medic ninja lend me some?" asked Minato shyly, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

Everyone face palmed on hearing that simple request, as Minato only smiled sheepishly. Guess, somethings never changed...

* * *

Heavy smoke littered across the Valley of End, the giant statues of Hashirama and Madara were now reduced to dust. Giant craters could be seen on the landscapes, the nearby forest had been burned, as two men were currently standing on top of the small stream of water.

One of them had a satisfied smile on his face as he held the sword which had pierced his opponent's heart...

"Mokuton clone? I can't believe my back was taken..." said Naruto calmly, as he looked at his own sword which was stabbed clean through his heart.

In front of him stood a wood clone of Madara which was slowly getting sealed in his Susanoo's Totsuka blade, while the real Madara had struck the decisive blow from behind.

"It's ironic, Hashirama tried to kill me just like this. And now his own descendant fell to the same deception..." said Madara bemusedly,

"You're strong, Madara..." replied Naruto honestly, as he coughed up blood from his mouth.

"You're no slouch either, if not for this Mokuton of Hashirama that I _borrowed_. You would have been successful in sealing me, you truly are his successor. Not only in power but in ideals as well..." complimented Madara,

"I..." struggled Naruto, as he felt his vision getting dark.

The toll of the intense battle bearing impact on his weakened body, the over usage of Kyuubi chakra had already exhausted him. He had a few ounces of chakra left in his system, and every piece had been set in motion.

"You thought you could seal me with that sword? Or seal me the way you sealed Obito?" asked Madara curiously,

"Hn"

"You lost, boy. Now with your death, the world shall be guided towards true peace..." claimed Madara, but was surprised when Naruto started laughing.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Naruto darkly,

"What?"

_**"I am Naruto- the man of miracles..." **_

Madara tensed when the boy tightly grasped the sword piercing his chest, and raised one of his fingers in the ram seal.

**BOOM!**

A series of violent blasts occurred as several explosive tags hidden beneath Naruto's vest exploded engulfing both the warriors. Madara was rocketed a few feet away, his hands and legs were clearly blown away. Even half of his body was destroyed in the blast...

"A _suicide_ move? Aren't you forgetting that I am an Edo Tensei?" asked Madara irritatedly,

When the smoke cleared, he saw the horrible condition the boy was in. His clothes had been ripped apart, blood and flesh were leaking out from various parts of his body. His face was covered in his own blood, there were third degree burns all over his body and one of his hands was about to be severed. It was merely hanging on by a few strands of flesh...

"Hehe...Hehe...HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Have you lost it, boy?" questioned Madara, as his destroyed body parts slowly started to reform again.

_**"Uchiha Madara**_, in the last act of my cursed life I shall take you down with me..." proclaimed Naruto madly, as his Mangekyo came to life.

"What is he-"

Madara's eyes widened in shock when he felt his body getting absorbed in a dark portal, he tried to move but his arms and legs were still reforming.

"Kamui, you have the same ability as Obito. So, this was your trump card..." thought Madara in shock,

**"Amaterasu"**

His own Mangekyo sharingan set ablaze Naruto's entire body in black flames, but it was futile as the crazy boy didn't stop and continued his attack.

"This...is...the...end...of...lies. Humanity...deserves...a...second...chance..." said Naruto weakly,

"You bastard..." said Madara angrily,

**"Naruto, your body has ran out of chakra. If you use anymore, your life will..."** warned Kyuubi urgently, as a faint smile came on his container's face.

"In...order...to...give...the...republic...a...fair...chance...I...will...seal...him...in...my...pocket...dimension. He...won't be...able...to...escape...once...I...die, these...eyes of mine...will help...Itachi...fight...against...pein. Thank...you...for...your...help...but...this...is...as...far...as...I...can go-"

The boy was not able to finish his sentence as several wooden spikes rose from the ground and impaled him all over his body. Instead of crying out in pain, he smirked when Madara's furious eyes glared daggers at him.

**_"This is not over, Naruto..."_** promised Madara, as he was absorbed in the pocket dimension.

Using his last bits of chakra, he absorbed the black flames that were burning in his body. Coughing up blood, he broke free from the several wooden spikes that had pierced all across his body leaving behind large holes from where blood leaked out at an alarming pace.

He was barely able to take 2 steps before his legs gave out and he collapsed on top of the stream, his breathing became slow and vision started to get dark.

His body started drowning in the stream, as he peacefully looked at the bright blue sky one last time.

_"I guess it wasn't so bad, after all..."_ thought Naruto happily,

As he drowned in the water, faces of his deceased friends and family members came in front of his eyes bringing a faint smile on his lips.

_"I leave Konoha and Mikasa to you..."_

_"Regardless of what the others think, I think you are a great ninja..."_

_"We are proud to have served with you, Commander"_

He closed his eyes in regret as he heard them saying those words again, and it pained him a lot.

_"I can't do this anymore, everyone. I've tried my best...and yet I could not protect Konoha. All I'm good at is breaking promises..."_ thought Naruto tiredly,

His heartbeat slowed down, although he smiled when faces of Konoha 12 along side his brother came in front of him.

"Sorry, brats. But this is where my story comes to an end...

_...I leave the rest to you"_

* * *

Zetsu stood atop the destroyed Valley of End, a frustrated expression was visible on his and his partner's face as they had just arrived only to see their leader fall.

"This is bad..." said White Zetsu worriedly,

**"Pein won't like this..."** replied Black Zetsu flatly,

"Is...Madara-sama really gone?" asked White Zetsu hesitantly, the mere thought scared him.

**"I'm afraid so. That bastard Naruto...he always ruins our plans"** answered Black Zetsu angrily,

"Should we take his body back to Pein?"

**"There is not anything left to scavenge except for his eyes. I sense people coming, we need to retreat..."** ordered Black Zetsu quickly, as he saw many republic soldiers arriving with the yellow flash leading the charge.

"What should we tell, Pein?" asked White Zetsu hesitantly,

_"Naruto Namikaze has been killed in action..."_

* * *

**Author's Notes (Stana): Yeah, wtf?**

**Pretty much that is my reaction too, I'm also a little worried as there are no more chapters in his laptop for this story. **

**I don't think he will end this story on a sad note (I'll fucking kill him if he does). But when it comes to his stories, even I can't predict what goes on in that crazy maniac's head.**

**What do you guys think will happen? I mean, you know him as a writer better than me...**

**Ciao,**

**Stana**


	28. A Hero's Salvation

**Hi**

**It's Stana again, I was quite overjoyed when a new chapter of this story was sent to my mail. How did he manage to find an internet connection near the Himalayas is still a mystery...**

**I've not read the chapter since I don't want to jinx it, so I'll start reading it after I post it. In a way, I'll be reading it with you guys too...**

**It's ironic he made this story for me, and yet it took its own shape. Personally speaking, Blackwolf loves stories where the hero dies for the greater good (I guess it's natural since he works in the army, and his elder brother died as a war hero. It's no surprise he is the biggest fan of Lelouch from Code Geass, seriously the guys crazy about that character.). While I prefer a happy ending, and I really want Naruto to smile one day after everything he has been through...**

**So, let's hope for the best...**

* * *

**Chapter 28**

**A Hero's Salvation**

* * *

His calm eyes curiously stared at the vast green fields around him, mountains could be seen standing tall at a distance. The bright sun was slowly setting in the sky as he calmly sat beside a wide river.

He had never known what peace was, all his life he had been at war. Involved in one conflict after another...

But this pleasant feeling was so heart warming, yet at the same time he felt something missing. He hesitantly placed his hands at his heart and felt a hole there, while the rest of his body was perfect and in good shape...

Except for this giant hole in his heart...

"I guess heaven is not perfect after all. Still it's far more better than hell..." said Naruto peacefully,

"Is that you, Naruto?"

He turned around and curiously looked at several people who had arrived near his location. He could not recognize them properly, but there was something familiar about them.

Most of them were about the same age as him, and there was something eerily familiar about their faces. Not to forget the grins on their lips...

"Do I know you?" asked Naruto politely,

_BAM!_

A hard smack impacted with his head as another person crashed straight from the sky, he was just about to give his attacker a taste of his own medicine when his eyes connected with the person's own eyes.

"You..."

"Teme, you forgot us already? And hear I thought we were best buddies..." said the person, and gave a mock glare to the shell shocked blonde boy.

His trembling lips tried to say something, but no words came out of his choked throat. He nervously glanced towards the group of people, and on a closer inspection it didn't take long before tears arrived in his eyes.

A tall handsome boy with light brown hair, and dark black eyes came forward and engulfed him in a warm hug.

"It's over, Naruto...it's over" whispered Armin comfortingly,

Another tall boy with spiky black hair and a scar on his face laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, as the others gave him happy smiles.

"Kotetsu, Armin..." said Naruto happily, there were no words which could describe how happy he felt.

If this was heaven, then he was more than satisfied with it.

"Would you like to tell us your story?" asked Kotetsu calmly, displaying a tiny bit of maturity for the first time in his life.

"Yeah, we would like if you can tell us..." said Iwashi patiently, he looked quite older with a beard on his face.

"I'd like to hear about your adventures, Commander..." said Yugao eagerly, the young girl had now transformed into a true beautiful woman.

"Oi, we saved your ass once. So you definitely owe us an exciting story..." said Hawk, as Hisana, Eagle and Bird gave affirmative nods.

"I'd agree with these guys if I were you, Naruto..." hinted Aoba, as the older boy adjusted his glasses.

"Guys, can't you go easy on him?" asked Shizune in an irritated voice,

"Yeah, he just got here..." agreed Hana,

By the time their internal arguments came to an end they were surprised when they found Naruto staring at each of them, the smile on the boy's face was even brighter than the rays of the sun. He was more than happy to be amongst them...

He looked towards his two best friends who had lifted him on top of their shoulders...

"Why not? Although it's quite long..." said Naruto sheepishly, his cheeks becoming bright red as the others laughed at him.

"We don't mind..." said Armin calmly, gaining a nod from his best friend.

"Well, you see, Armin..."

* * *

Kakashi forcefully blocked Mikasa from going any further, his pleading eyes begging the crying girl not to go any further. Izumo and Sasuke were doing the same for Kushina...

Minato was lonely standing in the distance as few Blacklight's dragged his elder son's body from the stream, Mikoto and Rangiku froze on seeing the condition their son/fiance was in. Naruto's entire body appeared to have been mauled as if he was attacked by wild animals, blood, flesh, gore...

It was hard to even recognize that this was the same smiling boy they had known all their live...

Itachi was dumbly standing beside his brother's corpse as Sakura assisted Mikoto and Rangiku in their desperate attempt to resuscitate their beloved hero.

The heartbroken father slowly walked towards Kenshin who was standing all alone, the man was quick to wipe away a lone tear that had somehow slipped from his eye. Dressed in his combat gear, the former Blacklight commander gave a crisp salute to Minato...

"Why do you do it?" asked Minato quietly, as Kenshin's eyes fell on his deceased student's body.

"It is just who we are, sir..." replied Kenshin mysteriously,

"You didn't hesitate in using the Shiki Fuin in the past war to save your soldiers and my son from Mito and Sakumo, and it wasn't long before my son followed in your footsteps and died to save Konoha. Now that I look back, I was never there for him...when it mattered most, I was gone. And now you're taking a scouting patrol to detect any enemies nearby?" asked Minato in wonder, and saw Kenshin staring at the sky.

A faint smile arriving on the veteran ninja's face...

"There are still enemies out there..." said Kenshin calmly,

"You..."

"Whenever Blacklight's come back from a mission, people always ask us how can you be the way you are? Are you some kind of war-mongers who like to die at the first available chance? Are you that desperate to be seen as a hero? Neither me, Naruto or any of our boys say a word to all those people..." explained Kenshin patiently,

"Why?" asked Minato curiously,

"Because you won't understand why we do it. You've got to be a Blacklight to understand that, but now I'll answer you why...

...everything we do is for the soldier next to us, the one we share our food, our dreams, our faith, our blood with. That's all" stated Kenshin proudly,

Kenshin loaded a fresh magazine into his kunai launcher and signaled a squad of silent Blacklight. The sad soldiers had been staring at their slain commander but one signal from Kenshin, and they were back to being the most dangerous soldiers of the republic.

They quickly went ahead to follow their orders, giving respectful salutes to Minato as they passed by his side.

"The bond we share between us lives forever, whether we live or die. It was what kept your son fighting, kept him human and made him the man you all came to love. Naruto Namikaze was no hero...

_...he was simply a Blacklight"_

With those honest words and a proud smile, the tall Blacklight commander ran ahead to join his men. Minato simply stared as the soldiers slowly started going further and further away, and in them he saw the face of a smiling Naruto.

It was all it took to break his gentle heart, as for the first time in his life he cried whole-heartily.

* * *

All of them were peacefully sitting beside the riverside rocks, a small campfire was burning brightly illuminating all of them with its warmth while the bright moon shined brightly in the sky. As he finished telling his story, he couldn't understand why all of them were staring at him.

"Naruto, you must be hating us..." said Armin regretfully,

He looked around only to see similar guilty look in the eyes of all his friends, even the loud mouth Kotetsu had became extremely silent.

"By burdening you with our promises, we made your life miserable. We..." said Hisana hesitantly, as he smiled.

"This is so not like you guys..." replied Naruto, a small smile gracing his lips.

"Naruto..."

"Everything I am is because of all of you. If you had not been there for me, then I would have been the same selfish brat. I could have never loved Blacklight, die for Konoha, or even fight for the republic if you had not guided me in the beginning. After that, all of my actions were my own..." answered Naruto happily,

"But-" said Shizune, although he silenced her with his smile.

"It was true that I was pained when all of you started dying one by one, it was too painful. But now I'm no longer that brat, I understand why you did it. Now I am no longer ashamed of myself, I can proudly say that I am your friend..." said Naruto hesitantly, as Kotetsu wrapped his arms around the boy's neck.

"You're the man, we never stopped being friends even if we all took different paths. All of us made our own choices and none of us judge each other for that..." said Kotetsu sagely, although his eyebrow twitched when he saw Naruto gawking at him.

"What was that, teme?" asked Kotetsu irritatedly, as Naruto looked towards the others who merely chuckled.

"_Since when did he become so mature?_ Is he really Kotetsu?" asked Naruto dumbly,

_BAM!_

He had to nurse a bump on his head courtesy of a sulking Kotetsu, as the others erupted into laughter on seeing the silly banter between the two friends.

"Fine, fine I got some sense knocked into my head. Although you made me really proud by banging 3 hot chicks..." said Kotetsu excitedly, making the others face fault, the boy's pervy nature resurfacing again.

_"Guess, his mature side has a time span..."_ thought Iwashi sheepishly, as he saw Naruto blushing crimson red.

Armin couldn't help but smile widely as Kotetsu, Hisana, Hawk started teasing his best friend. And the smile on his friend's face was real, he was genuinely happy being among them.

He was no longer the supreme commander of republic, nor Blacklight commander, or Namikaze clan head...

_He was simply Naruto..._

A boy who was happy being amongst his best friends who were as precious to him as his real family. While the people of the world believed the republic to be their peaceful world, this simple place was Naruto's peace. He never wanted any riches, fame, power, or anything else.

All he ever wanted was for these moments to last forever.

Shizune saw Armin's fists clenching tightly as the young boy's hands trembled, she noticed how much pain he was in and gently rubbed his back receiving a small kiss in return.

"I can't do this..." said Armin selfishly, as she shook her head.

"You're the only one who can, you've always wished the best for him. Do the right thing..." requested Shizune gently, as a small tear slipped from his eye.

"He looks so peaceful and happy, more than he ever was when alive..." said Armin sadly, as Naruto laughed on Aoba's joke.

"Naruto lived his life for your dream, this is the least we can do for him. I know what he is to you, but-'' said Shizune compassionately, but stopped when he gave a weak nod.

Slowly getting back on his feet, he took a deep breath and slowly walked towards a laughing Naruto. Each step was too heavy for him, his mind screaming at him to be selfish but his heart saying the entire opposite.

"So, the Death God was so pissed off by Madara being reincarnated he actually stopped the ageless limit on spirits?" asked Naruto curiously,

"Yeah, that old fart became a laughing stock among the gods. First you and Commander fox escaped, and Madara was reincarnated even before that. In a fit of rage he changed the rules of the underworld. So if a dead spirit gets reincarnated through Edo Tensei, they'll actually be the same age as they are now..." explained Yugao bemusedly,

"Suits him just fine. Although it is a relief that it just made Edo Tensei weaker, it would have been definitely weirder if I came here and saw you in 13 year old bodies..." joked Naruto, getting nods from the others.

"Naruto..."

He stopped laughing and was intrigued when he saw Armin standing before him, a painful expression visible on his face.

"You have to go back..." said Armin hesitantly, as the others quickly went dead silent.

"Go back? I'm dead, remember? Besides, I'm happy here..." argued Naruto silently, getting a nod from Kotetsu who glared at Armin.

"You're special, Naruto. Try to concentrate harder and you'll see what I mean..." said Armin sadly, his voice portraying how hard this was for him.

Naruto frowned and closed his eyes, what the hell was Armin even saying? Go back to where?

**"Damn that, brat. Why am I even doing this?"**

His eyes snapped open in shock, only to find his entire body enwrapped in a bright orange colored chakra. And that voice...

"The Kyuubi..." said Naruto in shock,

"He's trying his level best to take you back to the world of living, and I'm sure there are many people on the other side who are desperately trying to save you. They want to get you back so badly, all you have to do is just accept..." explained Armin calmly,

"I don't want to go back..."

His answer surprised most of the people, while Armin sighed tiredly Kotetsu smile brightly.

"Why?" asked Armin patiently, as Naruto looked him in the eye.

"Haven't I done enough for the world? They are so close to peace, and I've set all the pieces for their victory against the empire. Itachi and my father can taken care of the rest...I can't go back out there, I've sacrificed my entire life for this task and suffered in hell. I'm happy here, Armin..." pleaded Naruto, and saw Armin's fists clenching tightly.

"This is not easy for us too, hell I don't even want you to go..." shouted Armin in a frustrated voice,

"Then what's the problem?" asked Naruto angrily, the two best friends having an argument for the first time in their lives.

"YOU'RE GONNA BE A FATHER!''

Deadly silence followed as everyone nervously watched Armin glaring at Naruto, while the latter got a cold look in his eyes.

"The child will be better off without me..." answered Naruto honestly,

"What was that?" asked Armin angrily,

"You heard me, I am no father material. The only thing I'm good at is breaking promises, I won't put my child through the same suffering as I went.." confessed Naruto, his eyes widened in surprise when Armin roughly grabbed his collar.

An icy expression visible in the generally gentle boy's eyes.

"Stop running away, Naruto. You're not as horrible as you believe yourself to be, sure you did a few bad things. _No one gives a shit_, the times were harsh and the situation demanded for it. I am not strong enough to make the hard choices which you can make, nobody blames you for anything. You have a choice, don't waste it..." stated Armin flatly, as Naruto was left speechless.

"Armin, you..."

"Truth is you'll perhaps be the greatest father. You'll make mistakes, but that's how you learn. Let the child decide if you are a good father or not, let Kushina, Mikasa and Rangiku live their lives with you and decide whether you turned out to be a good life partner or not. Your parents and brother need you too...you're not just a military leader or a soldier to them, you're family. And Blacklight never give up on family, if you are truly one of us then you know this better" explained Armin calmly, gently placing a hand on his confused friend's shoulder.

"I just want a peaceful live, I'm tired of waging wars all my life..." confessed Naruto,

"Maybe you just have to struggle a little more, don't give up. You should not stop believing, the world today is a far better place because of you. Naruto, your story does not necessarily have to end like this. You don't have to die and suffer for sins which you were forced to commit, if not for anything else...go back for my sake" pleaded Armin,

"You don't fear death, or the worst sufferings. What you really fear is yourself, what you really fear is your own power. Learn to control that fear, if you think you're not good enough to be a father, then struggle to be one. Nobody's perfect, we only fail when we stop trying..." explained Iwashi seriously,

"It is no coincidence that you were saved from damnation? You were resurrected from the dead, I don't think any human has had such a destiny. And now this child of yours..." suggested Kotetsu frankly,

"I don't know, commander. I just wish you don't give up on Mikasa-chan, she's my friend and she never gave up on you...'' hinted Yugao,

"Despite everything it does not change the fact that we are dead, we sacrificed our lives so that the living can live peacefully. Their happiness is our salvation, why do you think we have not moved on and found our peace?" asked Hisana calmly,

"Unless _you_ achieve peace, we will not rest peacefully. It is a good thing to remember the dead, but more important to continue to _survive_ for the living..." said Hawk honestly,

"You of all people know how much a child yearns for a father, don't deprive it from your love. Or else it'll wonder his/her entire life just what kind of man their father was, but they'll only hear stories about you and nothing more..." stated Shizune comfortingly,

"Our salvation lies in you..." said Eagle proudly,

_"And your salvation lies in your children..."_ concluded Armin,

"The children are our future, Naruto. They are the true kings whom we must protect, guide, nurture with love and pass off our legacies. So that the peace which we've built with our flesh and blood thrives for generations..." advised Bird sagely,

"You've become a great leader and a wonderful person, now become a father the likes of which this world has never seen..." requested Hana,

They waited patiently for him to say something, his eyes were set on the ground as the Kyuubi chakra burned brightly across his entire body slowly healing the hole in his heart. Satisfied smiles came on their faces when a green light erupted from his heart, as he looked up at them.

A true smile could be seen on his face, as he looked at each and everyone of them.

"_Maybe_ when the world does not need me, we can..." said Naruto hesitantly, as Armin and Kotetsu came forward to give him warm hugs.

The others joined in soon, and were surprised when he said something...

"Promise me?" asked Naruto seriously, as they gave him bright smiles.

"Yeah, we promise..." said Armin happily, and Naruto's frame started disappearing slowly and slowly.

"We'll meet again someday..."

* * *

Mikasa had been cradling his body in her arms for the past hour, after the repeated attempts of resurrecting him failed and Mikoto, Rangiku, Sakura ran out of chakra, she lost all her will to live. It was true that she had lived even when he died 4 years ago, but she was never alive.

There was no joy, emotion, hope in her life...

But everything changed when he came back from the depths of hell, he gave her everything back which was taken from her. Despite her repeated attempts to vent our her anger on him, he continued smiling and supporting her.

And now just when things had settled between them, he was gone...

She bent down on placed a passionate kiss on his cold lips, as her tears fell on his blood stained cheeks.

_And then someone kissed her back..._

* * *

**Author's Notes: Fuck yeah.**

**If he was here, I would have kissed him. But he's freezing his ass off in god know's which part of the Himalayas, the Chinese must be keeping him pretty busy with their little intrusions across the LOC.**

**The updates will keep on coming (although they'll be short, since duty and all), and I'll post it when they are in my hands.**

**Now I've gotta go, I've got another bunch of chapter's to upload for Sharingan Devil, Humanity's Last Stand, Survivors, and The Demon Prince of Britannia? (How can one guy come up with so many things, eh?)**

**Thank you for the reviews and support (NarMika rocks! Sorry, I'm the childish one among us...)**

**Ciao, **

**Stana**


	29. Swan Song

**Hi..**

**Been what, 2 weeks? Not to worry, I just received the next update from Blackwolf so here comes the next chapter of this series...**

**Glad you guys enjoyed the previous chapter, one or two didn't but meh. For me, it was Naruto's life coming full circle. He desperately needed that closure and I think the writer knew it was time...**

**I also have some good news, we're thinking of expanding this series into a trilogy. We have a lot of plans, although Blackwolf has the same idea for his Sharingan Devil story. That story will expand into 3 new universes which will be connected (This will happen once Sharingan Devil's plot is finished, and Naruto will be the MC). While Namikaze Legend will get turned into a trilogy...**

**More details will be revealed in time.**

**Although you can thank good, old me for this little good news...(Kidding)**

**Enjoy the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter 29**

**Swan Song**

* * *

Mikasa Ackerman had never been good with emotions, her family had died when she was young and she grew up alone as an orphan. Facing the hardships of life on her own, surviving in the cruel world day after day had made her develop a tough outlook towards life. Survival was the key...

That was what she always thought till this day, and then there was him.

The polar opposite, a person who was completely different from her. One who lived for the sake of his family and did everything in his power to keep them safe and happy, even at the cost of his own happiness and even his life.

Just like her father...

It was this reason why she had fallen for him. He was annoying, a liar, a dark person, and yet she loved him with every fiber in her body. And now, watching him die again shattered her heart into a million pieces.

His body was so cold, so wounded, there was simply so much blood...

She was the leader of Blacklight, a soldier trained to control emotions. There was not a single soldier till this day who could excel in that art, even Naruto failed in comparison to her. But now, she cried her eyes out.

The several ninja around her didn't bother her, nor did the cold atmosphere, as her tearful eyes only looked at his cold corpse.

She gently kissed his cold lips, her wet tears falling on his cheeks. How she wished to feel his touch one more time...

On the other side of the field, another broken person stared at the body of the fallen shinobi. The anguish in his heart was greater than any person, the man he loved, the man he respected, the man he wanted to become just laid there.

_**Dead.**_

Itachi could not breathe, his heart felt squeezed by an unnatural force. This moment reminded him of that memory from 4 years ago, the night when he saw his brother die for the first time.

It broke his heart on knowing that he lived while his brother suffered for eternity in hell. Naruto had always protected him all his life, against good, evil, destiny, gods, and even against himself. His brother loved him, guided him, played with him, shared his joys and sorrows with him.

Naruto never expected anything from him, and gave him everything in return. Everything Itachi's heart ever desired, his brother gave him.

His gaze shifted to Sasuke, then to his father. These people were alive and back again in his life because Naruto didn't want to make him go through the same suffering.

He looked towards a crest fallen Kushina who was touching her belly with trembling hands, the child his brother would never see.

_"Watching over you is my job, it's just who I am little brother..."_

He sobbed on hearing Naruto's words ring in his heart, his brother was gone now.

_"You were always there for me, big brother. I can't let you die like this, **I won't**..."_ thought Itachi painfully, tears slipping from his eyes.

Quickly turning around he stormed away from the destroyed valley, ignoring concerned looks from Sasuke and Sakura he continued running deeper and deeper into the forests.

Minutes passed but he didn't stop, everything was a blur. His heart heavy with the happy memories he shared with his brother, the agony his heart was in; was worse than what he felt when Sasuke died. There was not one person in the entire world whom he loved more than Naruto- not his parents, not his friends, not Sasuke, nor Sakura.

Naruto always got the dark side of life, while he was always sheltered in the light. While his brother suffered, he gained happiness.

He was helpless 4 years ago, a scared boy who had no way to save his brother.

Not anymore...

He stopped running when he reached his destination, his determined gaze looked around his surroundings but only the silence of nature greeted him. The dusty roads around him were empty, devoid of any forms of life...

Taking a deep breath he looked towards the sky one last time, every feeling in his heart hoping that his gamble worked...

_"I wanted to use this in the final battle, but now's a good time as any..."_ thought Itachi seriously,

Performing a quick set of hand seals, his body gathered a large amount of chakra. A secret hidden mark glowed brightly on his right hand, as the air around him turned icy cold.

Every tree in the area crumbled, leaves fell when he slammed his hand on the ground as a set of dark, mysterious seals spread across the barren soil.

**"Huh, well this is a surprise. Let me guess you want something, boy..."**

Itachi's ice, cold stare glared in the dark eyes of the thing standing in front of him. Raising a finger in the air, he spoke in a clear, confident tone...

_"I want my brother back..."_

As a cruel smile appeared on the person's lips...

* * *

(1 Hour Later)

Mikasa's eyes widened in shock when a hot breath passed through her mouth, the soft sensation of a lip touching her lip froze her. Her trembling hands stopped their motion, as a shaky breath escaped from the person's nose.

She was hallucinating, but yet she went ahead to put her head on his chest.

_BEAT_

A tearful smile came on her face, as she buried her head in his chest. Her cries of joy shocked every person around her...

"He's alive!" yelled Mikasa, at the top of her lungs.

Shocked gasps were heard, hurried footsteps reached her ears and within moments Mikoto and Rangiku appeared at her side. Followed by Kushina and Sakura, all of them put their hands on his chest and looked at each other in shock when they felt the same thing.

"It's a miracle..." said Sakura in relief,

The wounds on Naruto's entire body slowly started receding back, the blood flow stopped, the color of his pale skin slowly started to return. His shaky breathing slowly started to relax, as his heartbeat increased with every passing second.

Minato stood at their side, tears of joy welled in his eyes as he heard the breath of his elder son. The soft sound was perhaps the best thing he had ever heard in his entire life...

One by one friends and family started gathering around, their relieved eyes staring at their beloved hero.

Many prayed to the gods in heaven, thanked the gods for bringing their hero back to life. Their smiles on their faces were brighter than the sun, as Naruto slept peacefully at their side.

Far from the overjoyed Namikaze family and friends, soldiers of Naruto- one, young boy stood alone in the shadows of the trees. Tears of joy poured from his eyes, a satisfied smile etched on his lips. He ignored the cold feeling circulating around his body, and only focused on the warmth spreading from his people's joy.

"Welcome back, big brother..." said Itachi happily, slowly wiping out the tears falling from his eyes.

* * *

(2 Days Later)

A pair of dark blue eyes slowly opened up, the first thing they saw were the blank white ceilings as a short groan escaped from his lips.

_Fucking Hospitals!_

He tried to move but felt a weight on his chest and right leg. Clearing his vision he was literally shocked when he found Mikasa sleeping on his right side. Her beautiful face was lying on his chest as she breathed softly. On the left side Rangiku lay on the bed, her head popped up in the same way as Mikasa.

Down on the bed, Kushina slept near his feet. Her head using his leg as a pillow...

On the far side of the room, Minato and Mikoto were sleeping peacefully in their chairs. He silently thanked the gods as his cheeks flushed bright red, he certainly didn't expect to wake up to such a beautiful sight.

He was a lucky bastard!

The warmth that he was receiving from his 3 super hot female lovers made a certain part of his body quite comfortable. He idly wondered how he could get out of this situation, before things got more embarrassing. But any movement would disturb the sleep of his lovers, and judging from the bags beneath their eyes and their tired expression...

The ladies were exhausted, did they not leave his side the entire time? How long was he out?

He slowly looked around and was surprised to find his younger brother perched atop a window like a scarecrow, and the boy was reading a certain orange colored book.

"Back from the dead huh, Nii-san?" asked Itachi knowingly, without even looking up from his book.

The young boy's abrupt voice woke up every single person in the room, they hazily glared at Itachi for disturbing their sleep; but then their eyes shifted towards the direction where Itachi was pointing his finger. Shocked gasps escaped from their lips as they saw Naruto awake.

Not a second later, Naruto was swarmed from every side. There was a lot of crying, hugging (That hurt), questions after questions, all of this did well in giving him a minor headache. His gaze shifted towards Itachi who was still reading his book, although there was a mischievous smirk on his lips.

_"You little bastard..."_ thought Naruto irritatedly, as he glared at his younger brother.

His irritated gaze then shifted towards his family and lovers, his tired eyes screaming the unsaid line _"Give me a break, will ya?"_

"Oh..." said Rangiku clumsily, as Naruto rolled his eyes.

All of them backed up a little, allowing him to breathe properly. As he slowly sat back up on his bed (helped by Mikasa), he saw Itachi snapping his book shut. Jumping back on the floor, the younger brother walked towards him with a calm expression on his face.

_"Is it just me, or has he became more cooler?"_ thought Naruto dumbly,

**BAM!**

Everyone blanched in surprise when Itachi bonked the already injured Naruto hard on the head, making the older brother cry out in pain and irritation.

"Now that was satisfying..." said Itachi coolly,

"Huh?" was the unasked question by every person standing around them, since when did the little brother act like this?

"Jerk..." muttered Naruto, making Itachi smirk.

"Bitch..."

"Asshole..."

"Dickless..."

"Motherfu-"

**BAM!**

Mikasa was surprised when both the boys were bonked hard on the head, courtesy of their pissed off parents. Minato had grabbed Itachi's neck in a headlock, while Mikoto was strangling the life out of Naruto for the last remark.

"Dad...really?" asked Itachi slowly, but Minato simply smirked and tightened the grip.

"Mother, (cough) I just...got...back...are...you...that...desperate...to...kill...me...again?" asked Naruto slowly,

''Damn right, I am you little maggot!" yelled Mikoto irritatedly, but stopped when Minato tapped her shoulder.

She snapped towards her husband as he gave her a sheepish smile, while releasing Itachi from his headlock.

"I think they have a point..." said Minato sheepishly, as his wife glared at him.

Giving one more bonk to her sons, she released her elder son from the tight grip of her fingers as he sighed in relief. She was left speechless when after a moment both her boys smirked triumphantly, before embracing each other in a bone crushing hug.

"That was..." said Itachi happily, as Naruto grinned back.

"...fucking hilarious!" finished Naruto cheerfully, making his lovers face palm hard on the floor.

Naruto even sent a mischievous wink towards his mother, as she slammed her forehead with her hand. A moment later, the brothers found themselves in an even tighter embrace courtesy of a tearful Mikoto.

"Hey, where's my hug?" asked Minato in a mock hurtful voice, before jumping down on the bed.

Rangiku simply gawked at the four weird Namikaze family members, as they laughed/cried while hugging each other. She and Mikasa curiously looked towards Kushina who had a knowing smile on her face.

"Are they really this goofy?" asked both the young girls in unison, making the red head smile.

"Yep, the clumsiest idiots I've ever known. All of them..." declared Kushina proudly, making the young girls smirk.

Even they couldn't deny the scene was a sight for sore eyes. Watching the four of them together after years was a heart warming sight, a perfect picture.

Mikoto was crying tears of joy as she hugged the life out of her sons, who despite looking uncomfortable returned the hug lovingly. The boys were flashing identical grins to their father who had each hand on one of his sons...

Their little happy reunion continued uninterpreted for a few minutes, until Mikasa coughed lightly...

Mikoto, Minato and Itachi quickly stepped aside with knowing grins on their faces, they couldn't stop their laugh when Naruto paled on seeing the stern look in Mikasa's eyes. As she took each step towards him he gulped nervously, while raising his hands as a placating gesture.

"You reckless idiot..." said Mikasa icily, as he gave her a pleading smile.

"Mikasa, I can explain-"

"Moron!"

He closed his eyes preparing for the inevitable slap, but was surprised when a soft pair of lips kissed him passionately. He blinked and opened his eyes, his face becoming bright red even as she broke the heartwarming gesture. There were tears in her eyes, as she hugged him tightly.

"I love you, Naruto..." said Mikasa passionately,

A faint smile came on his face as he placed his hands on her back, and buried her head into her neck. He simply gave a nod, and it was all Mikasa needed to understand the unsaid message.

Minato and Itachi blushed when they saw Naruto kissing/hugging Rangiku...

By the time Kushina was done, they quickly edged away from Mikoto who was grumbling incoherently about her_ "Harem King like son!"_, although they did thank the gods for preventing Mikoto from bursting out in anger. She gave Itachi a pointed glare, and he quickly gave a nod promising not to follow in his brother's footsteps in this subject.

Not that it mattered anymore...

When everyone was done, Itachi and Minato stepped forward and placed their hands on Naruto's shoulders helping the injured boy stand up. He looked towards them curiously, but they simply walked him towards the window...

What Naruto saw made his breathing stopped, his eyes saw the entire city of Osaka full of people. On the roofs, in the streets, through the windows, all their eyes looking at him with smiles on their faces. Even on the outskirts he could see hordes of people waiting...

On seeing their leader, the thousands of people erupted into wild cheer. Among them Naruto saw many familiar faces, as a lone tear slipped from his eyes.

"They prayed for your recovery, all of them..." said Itachi calmly, as his stunned brother simply stared at the endless sea of people.

"People from all over the world came here to see the hero who freed them from Madara's tyranny..." said Mikoto happily, as Minato laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Everyone believes in you, hopes for your well being, prays for your safety, you changed the entire world. I'm proud of you, Naruto..." said Minato proudly,

"You gave it your all, Naruto..." said Mikasa, Rangiku and Kushina in unison.

Naruto was left speechless on seeing the heart warming welcome, this was everything he ever desired. It was perfect and for the first time in his life he truly felt grateful to be alive.

More tears slipped from his eyes, but he managed to give a sheepish smile to his family and a wave to his people.

"Thank you, everyone..." said Naruto gratefully,

* * *

(Few Hours Later)

After a warm reunion, the Namikaze family spent a lot of time chatting with each other. Naruto explained his actions of reviving Minato and his suicidal plan to finish Madara at the cost of his life. After a heated argument he was finally able to calm his mother and lover's, thanks to the support from Minato and Itachi.

If not for them, the women would have probably killed him.

_Again_

Mikoto wanted to talk a lot, especially about Naruto's future with Mikasa, Kushina and Rangiku. Not to mention the bashing she gave him on the way he reacted to the news of becoming a father. For a moment, he wished he was actually dead. Mikoto could be damn scary...

He was luckily saved when Minato pretended to faint (acting as if he was still weak) which promptly diverted Mikoto's ire towards her husband, as she dragged him by the ear back to the med-bay as Naruto muttered a silent "Thank you" to his father, who retorted "You owe me one".

Now the only ones left in the plain room were the two brothers, and three anxious girls...

Itachi shifted uncomfortably and tried to escape from the room, but was stopped when Naruto requested him to sit. He looked towards the 3 girls and silently urged them to give them some privacy, none of them seemed too thrilled with his request making Itachi more uncomfortable.

But he had to hand it to his brother, the 3 girls did step out of the room when Naruto shot them a pointed look.

"Brother, even for you that was a whole new mountain of stupid..." said Itachi carefully, as he had seen Kushina glare at Naruto before stepping out of the room.

For his part, Naruto shrugged and looked at his brother quite seriously.

"What did you do?" asked Naruto sternly, as Itachi narrowed his eyes.

"I don't-"

_"Don't Lie To Me"_ barked Naruto, getting up from the bed and grabbing his brother by the collar of his shirt.

"You're mistaken, Nii-san..." said Itachi calmly, making his brother glare harder.

"There is no other way this could have gone down, I fucking died. And believe me I know very well what death feels like, this was no miracle. Somebody brought me back..." said Naruto harshly, but Itachi pushed him away harshly.

"I'm sorry, I wish I had done it. But I didn't, you have to believe me..." replied Itachi seriously, and never flinched when Naruto's murderous gaze bore into his eyes.

Their staring contest continued for full 5 minutes, before Naruto's patience ran out and he sighed. Itachi laid a hand on his shoulder in comfort...

"Brother, you and I both know there are things greater than humans. Maybe they brought you back, just like they rescued you from hell..." suggested Itachi,

"I don't know, little brother. Somebody pulled a lot of strings to get my sorry ass out of dead space..." replied Naruto worriedly,

"Hey, none of that shit. You just got back, be thankful. You're gonna be a father, think about your child from now on before making any suicidal decisions. If need be let me fight your battles, your life is a thousand times more valuable than mine..." explained Itachi, but Naruto shook his head.

"I don't think so, little brother. You know, I love you more than anything in this world..." said Naruto honestly, bringing a smile on Itachi's face.

"The feeling's mutual..." replied Itachi, and smiled when Naruto hugged him tightly.

He gently returned the hug by placing his hands on his brother's back, even as a pained look appeared in his depressed eyes.

"I never imagined we would be facing death so closely during our lives..." said Naruto jokingly, as Itachi chuckled.

"Yeah, there were quite a few close calls. But we did make it, unlike a few of our friends..." replied Itachi solemnly, as Naruto nodded before breaking the hug.

"Yeah..."

As Naruto sat back on the bed, Itachi walked towards the window where he saw the entire city engulfed in a large party. People were dancing, eating, drinking, children were playing, young men were flirting, a few teenage girls were swooning over a few Blacklight soldiers which brought a smile on his face.

"I always thought you were an idiot as you lived for other people's sake, and sacrificed everything. All my life, I was so frustrated..." admitted Itachi sadly, as Naruto looked down.

"It must have been hard for you, I'm sorry..." apologized Naruto, but was surprised when he saw Itachi smiling.

"You know, Nii-san. No matter what happened you gave it your all, I understand why and what you fight for. Today I'm proud of my big brother who sacrificed everything and changed the fate of our world..." said Itachi happily, as Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

As he stared into his young brother's eyes he saw something which had been missing for Itachi's entire life.

"You've grown into a fine man, Itachi..." complimented Naruto, as a cocky smile came on the blonde boy's lips.

"That I am, here I brought you something. Thought you might need it..." said Itachi mischievously, and took out a sake bottle along with a pair of cigarettes.

"You're the best, little brother..." replied Naruto cheerfully, grinning like a 10 year old in a candy store.

"Hey, what are brothers for..." said Itachi jovially, and came beside Naruto.

Placing his hand on Naruto's shoulder, he gave a silent signal and received a nod from Naruto. And a moment later, both of them disappeared from the boring hospital room.

* * *

Both of them appeared near the bank of a river, as Itachi finished his shunshin. Despite the cold weather, Naruto went forward and sat on the rocks. Itachi did the same, as the sky dazzled with bright stars while the moon shined brightly spreading its light everywhere.

"It's perfect..." said Naruto happily, as Itachi offered him the sake bottle.

"Two brothers against the entire world? Sounds fun..." joked Itachi, as both of them opened their bottles followed by lighting their cigarettes.

Naruto grinned like an idiot, showing his childish side making Itachi repeat the grin as they stared at the sky.

"Man, I missed this..." said Naruto silently, getting a nod from his little brother.

"Don't give up, brother. We'll cross that bridge soon, after that each day of yours will be like this. Don't ever lose faith..." encouraged Itachi, as Naruto arched an eyebrow in surprise.

''Huh? The punk grew up fast..." mused Naruto, receiving a bop on the head.

"Don't flatter yourself, _bitch_..." taunted Itachi, as Naruto laughed.

"Likewise,_ jerk_..." grinned Naruto, as they made a silent cheer by smashing their sake bottles.

They became silent for a few minutes, enjoying their drinks and the weather before Naruto looked towards his brother...

"Hey, Itachi. The war's still not over, if one of us ends up dying I just want you to know-"

He was cut short as Itachi snorted, and pointed a finger at him. The boy was a little annoyed...

"You're _not_ gonna bust into a misty goodbye speech? That's not my style, and if this really was my last day on earth I really don't want it to be socially awkward..." slurred Itachi in a drunken voice, as Naruto grinned.

"You know what I do want..." suggested Itachi eagerly,

Naruto was definitely surprised when Itachi started singing a song...

"Kishimoto, really?" asked Naruto in surprise, as his brother sang a punk song from one of the old rock-stars from their father's generation.

"Hey, Kishi rocks _on occasion_..." argued Itachi bemusedly, as Naruto laughed.

"Point Taken..."

"And I walk these streets (hiccup),..." shouted Itachi, as Naruto slammed his forehead.

His brother continued singing in his horrible drunken voice, before he nudged him to join in. He seemed hesitant at first, but seeing Itachi make a pleading look made him sigh.

"Dead or alive!"

"Dead or alive!"

As they continued singing, Naruto failed to notice a bittersweet smile that came on his younger brother's face before he shook himself and continued their duet.

* * *

Kushina Uzumaki was feeling quite awkward, standing in the plain hospital room. Granted, she was delighted when Naruto called her first after he ended his little party with his brother. She loved the man who was currently staring outside the window, but a small part of her felt a little jealousy.

No matter how much she or the others girls wanted, Itachi would always be more important to Naruto. And vice versa...

Even Sakura faced the same problem with Itachi putting his brother before everything else, no man, women, or even a god could separate those two brothers. Frankly it was quite admirable...

"I'm sorry for reacting the way I did..." said Naruto honestly, as a smile came on her face.

"It's okay, I know why you reacted that way..." replied Kushina soothingly, but he shook his head.

"Don't mistake my intention, Kushina. I'm still not ready to be a father..." said Naruto flatly, as she came beside him.

Instead of blasting out at him like the last time, she gently entwined her hand with him and observed the lively city of Osaka.

"Why?" asked Kushina patiently,

"Honestly, I've never lived a peaceful life. My childhood was wasted fighting wars, even my teenage years. I spent 4 years in hell, and now I'm back made in charge of leading the entire world. Your life was painful too, but you've lived a little longer than me and a small part of your life was peaceful. I don't even know myself, what I am? A soldier? A strategist? A commander?..." explained Naruto briefly, choosing each word very carefully.

"I see your point..." said Kushina dejectedly, as he grasped her hand tighter.

"I love you, Kushina. I truly do, I never dreamed to live this long. Hell, I never imagined I would be married to a goddess one day and even have a child..." praised Naruto, as her cheeks matched the color of her hair.

"I..."

"Honestly, I always saw myself dying too young. It's just a part of my life, with great power comes great sacrifice. There's also the part where I don't want this child to face the same pain which I did, and it may sound childish but...never mind" said Naruto hesitantly, but she shook her head.

"Spill it, please..." said Kushina sweetly, although her tone was quite firm.

He blushed a little and averted his gaze away from her.

"I guess I won't be as important to you once this little life arrives..." said Naruto quietly, as her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

A pair of soft hands grasped his cheeks and a loving kiss was planted on his lips, which he returned a little hesitantly.

"I understand your point, but I promise nobody can replace you in my heart. I'll love you the same way till my last breath, your happiness matters to me the most..." said Kushina frankly, making him smile as he kissed her back.

"I'm glad to you have you in my life..." replied Naruto happily, gaining a nod.

"Don't worry, we can always start a family later when you're not burdened..." suggested Kushina, and saw him biting his lip.

"If it's not too late, I'd like to take that chance back. Life will never be perfect, I'll be the crappiest father ever but I will try..." said Naruto slowly, his cheeks blushing a little.

"Naruto, you-" said Kushina in shock, her eyes wide as saucers.

"I know I'm not good father material- I'm an idiot, st-"

_SMOOSH_

She silenced his ramblings with a fierce, passionate kiss. Her laugh eased the tension which had formed in his heart as he happily kissed her back. The overjoyed redhead leaned back and kissed his forehead, before flashing him her brightest smile.

"It's never too late..."

* * *

Mikasa and Rangiku sat beside him on the bed, Naruto was quite silent for the past few minutes. After a few more minutes, he looked into their eyes...

"I met them..." said Naruto hesitantly,

"What do you mean?" asked Mikasa gently, and saw him clenching his fists.

"Everyone, I met _him_..." suggested Naruto, as Rangiku's eyes widened in shock.

Mikasa looked at her for an answer, and was unnerved when Rangiku's face lost all color. It was as if she had seen a ghost...

Then it hit her like a ton of bricks falling on her head, and her gaze snapped towards him...

"What did he...they-" fumbled Rangiku, not finding the proper words.

"They're at peace, they were happy. All of them were together- Armin, Kotetsu, Shizune, Hana, Iwashi, Aoba, Yugao, Hisana, Hawk, Bird, Eagle..." explained Naruto happily, as a tear slipped from Rangiku's eyes.

Even Mikasa's eyes became a little moist as she remembered her childhood friend, now that she knew he was at peace it made her even more happy.

"Naruto, are you alright?" asked Rangiku worriedly, as she could only guess how stressful it would have been for him.

Mikasa became quite nervous when he averted his eyes and was now staring at the bed-sheet.

"It felt so good back there...for a moment I even thought of never returning back" admitted Naruto, as both the girls gasped in shock.

"Naruto!''

He winced on hearing their worried voices, and grasped their hands in a comforting manner.

"I don't feel that way now..."said Naruto honestly, and gave them a reassuring smile.

Mikasa tightly squeezed his hand and looked him straight in the eye...

"I'm just glad...you're back" said Mikasa in relief,

"Please don't be so reckless. Your life is not yours alone, we-" said Rangiku, but faltered as tears slipped from her eyes.

He gently wiped her tears, and looked both of them straight in the eye.

"I'm really sorry, I won't do something like that again. I promise..." said Naruto seriously,

"I'm glad to hear it..." replied Rangiku in a relieved voice,

"Rangiku, I'm really sorry for not spending time with you. Our date always gets delayed, as soon as I'm back on my feet I'm fulfilling that promise..." said Naruto happily, receiving a kiss on the cheek.

His gaze then shifted towards Mikasa whose hands were trembling, but stopped when he entwined their hands tightly.

"I'll make it up to you, too. For the past 4 years, but just don't push me away. I'm trying my best, Mikasa. You're important to me, staying away from you all this time was really painful. I just..." said Naruto hesitantly, but was stopped when she hugged him.

"I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you too. Just don't die on me..." pleaded Mikasa, as he nodded.

Rangiku then remembered the question that had been plaguing her mind all this time,

"Naruto, even if the Kyuubi channeled his chakra to heal you. If you were truly dead and in the other realm, how did you get back?" asked Rangiku worriedly, and saw the tension returning in his eyes.

"I don't know, and only one person can give me the answer..."

* * *

The sound of footsteps echoed in the dark room, as a giant pair of red eyes gleamed from behind a large cage. The trapped beast narrowed his eyes as his container stood before him, with a serious look in his eyes.

"Why did you save my life?" questioned Naruto curiously, as the Biju snorted.

**"I didn't..."** muttered the Biju,

"What!"

**"While I did try to heal your wounds with my chakra and a little help from Kushina's blood which was implanted in your system years ago. But I didn't drag your sorry ass from the realm of the dead..."** replied Kyuubi frankly, as Naruto's eyebrows narrowed dangerously.

"You could be free if I died, then-"

_**"It's none of your business, I do what I want. That's it..."**_ said the fox flatly, getting a nod from Naruto.

"Fine, but it still doesn't answer my question. Who could so something like this?" asked Naruto frustratedly,

"Your little brother..."

Both Naruto and Kyuubi stared in shock as an angry Indra appeared in the mindscape, and judging from the murderous look in the god/angel's eyes he was out for blood.

"What are you doing here?'' asked Naruto sharply, as Indra took out his sword.

Naruto tensed and prepared himself for an attack as Indra charged, but before any fatal attacking could start thunder rumbled in the dark space making Indra stop instantly.

The angel gritted his teeth and sheathed his sword, but his eyes still glared daggers at Naruto.

"Where's Ashura?" asked Naruto curiously, as he had always seen those brothers together.

"Thanks to your brother, Ashura got sealed in hell..." snarled Indra, receiving a glare from Naruto.

"Be careful with your tongue. Nobody messes with my little brother..." warned Naruto, as Indra glared equally at him.

"And nobody messes with mine..."

The Thunder rumbled again as Indra let out an irritated grumble, before taking a deep breath and calming his nerves. He flicked his fingers as a vision appeared in that mindscape, and what Naruto saw froze his blood.

There stood in the memory a dis-shelved Itachi, with the God of Death in front of him.

* * *

(Flashback: 2 Days Ago)

_"I want my brother back..."_

Itachi's voice was firm and his eyes burned with determination. But it only made the God of death chuckle as a sly smile came on his face...

**"Your brother's dead. There is no coming back now..."** said the scary god frankly, as Itachi glared at him.

"Don't play games with me. Tell me what you want...I'll do anything" admitted Itachi bitterly, every word coming out of his mouth slowly.

**"Tell me something, why are you so desperate to save him? Madara's sealed into an unknown dimension, you can become the new hero and maybe even defeat the empire. Why not take the power all for yourself?"** offered the Shinigami slyly, as Itachi scoffed.

"I don't care about that. There is no republic without Naruto, the alliances will crumble once we defeat the empire if my brother is not there. He also has a child coming into his life, he protected me all this time. My brother has suffered enough, now are you game or not?" explained Itachi desperately, and for a moment he saw a pained expression arriving in the god's eyes.

_**"So family is the fatal flaw, for both of you brothers. Quite admirable..."**_ mocked the Death God,

Itachi merely stood in his spot, and looked the god in the eye.

**"Fine, I'll spare your brother for a price. I've had enough fun with him anyway, you on the other hand are more interesting..."** said the Death God, as a chill erupted in Itachi's gut.

"You want my soul in exchange?" asked Itachi in a resigned voice,

**"No, that would be too obvious. It has become so expected from me, isn't it?"** mused the Shinigami,

"Tell me" yelled Itachi furiously,

**"Calm down, brat. I want your life and that strong body of yours..."** said the Shinigami seriously, a dark look appearing in his eyes.

"Why do you want that?" asked Itachi cautiously, narrowing his eyes.

**"Does it matter? Call it a personal fetish, and I forgot to tell you. The longer your brother stays dead, the greater the payment becomes for his soul...so what shall it be?" **

Itachi clenched his fists, and looked the god straight in the eye.

"Will you bring him back? Swear on your powers?" demanded Itachi, the pain visible in his eyes.

**"A deal's a deal, I always keep my promise. Do you accept the offer?"** asked the Death God Finally,

"I accept..."

A bright mark appeared on Itachi's chest with the symbol of a skull, as the Death God started to vanish.

**"Settle your affairs, Namikaze. I'll be expecting payment once you're done...do not try to betray me, or your brother will not only die. But I will make sure he ends up in hell, and suffers for eternity. He has quite a number of sins on his head so I can do that."** warned the Death God sternly,

"Get out of here..."

That was all Itachi said before charging back towards the valley. On reaching there, the boy smiled when he saw the people shouting in joy as his brother came back to life.

(Flashback end)

* * *

Kyuubi gulped when the vision finished, looking down he saw Naruto frozen in his spot. The boy's entire body was trembling, a terrified expression visible in his eyes.

"That idiot, I have to stop him..." said Naruto urgently,

**"Naruto, your life-"** warned Kyuubi, but the boy snapped at him.

"Fuck that, I can't let him pay for my actions. He's _my little brother_..." yelled Naruto desperately, and was about to teleport but failed.

He turned towards Indra who had a sympathetic look in his eyes.

"It's too late, boy..." said Indra seriously, receiving a glare in return.

_**"Let me go"** _hissed Naruto,

The god merely sighed before flicking his fingers and a vision appeared in front of the boy...

Naruto's legs lost all strength as he collapsed on the floor, tears slipped from his eyes as he saw Itachi's cold body lying alone on the bank of the river where they had shared their drinks a few hours ago.

_"Yeah, yeah, I'll catch up..." _

He still remembered Itachi's last words, and that mischievous smile. Never in his life had he dreamed, that would be the last time he saw that smile.

Naruto's breathing became uneasy, and he was about to erupt into more tears when he saw Itachi's body twitching. A cold chill went down his spine as his heart literally stopped.

Itachi's eyes snapped open...

Kurama took a few steps back in his cage, the fox's legs trembled on what his eyes showed him. _This was the end..._

Itachi's eyes were pitch black and a sinister smile was visible on his lips, a dark aura was circling around his entire body.

**"Fuck me..."** said Kyuubi in fear, as the vision closed.

Naruto lay frozen in his spot, his mind going crazy with what the vision had just shown him. He knew what he saw, yet his heart was unwilling to accept it...this was all lies.

Indra kneeled before him and put a hand on his shoulder...

"Your brother was tricked, by asking him to give up his body Hamura- The Death God gained the most powerful vessel after Ashura. Your brother simply assumed that Hamura wanted him to die for your life, and torture his body. But that bastard had other plans, and now he has risen again. With Itachi's death, and his surrender to the Death God, my brother was weakened. When he tried to save your brother, he was defeated and imprisoned in the deepest pits of hell..." explained Indra bitterly,

"My brother..." said Naruto in a heartbroken voice, as Indra squeezed his shoulder.

"Hamura has launched a war against my father, against heaven. Ashura was the first casualty of this war..." said Indra seriously, as Naruto pushed him away.

"I don't care, I want my brother back!" demanded Naruto furiously, as Indra rose back to his feet and glared at him.

The god grasped Naruto's throat, even as thunder rumbled again the plain. The KI rising to unbearable levels...

"Your brother is gone, brat. If my father is defeated, if heaven is destroyed then humanity will be destroyed too. My father barely defeated my uncle in the past war and it nearly destroyed this planet. The violence of the shinobi world has only increased Hell's power with the increasing number of souls. The empire is nothing in comparison to the madness Hamura will unleash..." explained Indra frankly,

Naruto shivered on remembering the things he saw in hell, there were still some things he wished to forget from that place. But none of that mattered...

"Fight your own war, I will save my brother..." said Naruto bitterly,

"The cycle has started again, Naruto. We hoped that it would end with you two brothers. But I guess destiny has come full circle, your brother has gone over to the dark side. The only way you can save him and the world is by **killing him**, his death would send Hamura back to his underworld and save all of us..." explained Indra bluntly,

"I will get him back..." promised Naruto, as Indra sighed.

"You're no match against Hamura with your brother as a vessel. Naruto, you're a descendant of us. Hamura is a true god, the only way to stop him from destroying the world is by you becoming my father's vessel. My father sacrificed a lot of his power when he divided the Ten Tails into smaller beasts like this fox. He's grown old and does not have the strength required to defeat his evil younger brother. Hamura won't stop by simply destroying us, he hates humanity as they worship the Sage of Six paths. Hamura was forgotten, and he blames both my father and humanity for it..." requested Indra,

The god was shocked when Naruto's entire body erupted in a extremely powerful energy blast, one which could rival his own. How much more power did this boy have?

_SMACK_

Indra was sent sailing several feet away by a powerful punch from Naruto, the boy's angry eyes screaming pure murder.

"_Your fucked up family started this mess_, you involved my little brother in your bullshit. You can turn your back against family, I won't. No matter what..." snarled Naruto murderously,

"You'll let the entire world burn for your selfishness?" barked Indra murderously,

"Let it burn..."

Indra was shocked on hearing those words coming from the boy's mouth, looking into his eyes assured the god that the boy meant it clearly. Scoffing in disgust, he started vanishing from the mindscape.

"The brother you loved is dead, only a monster remains. You will suck it up and accept the role destiny has chosen for you, Namikaze Naruto" declared Indra

"No"

The god wanted to shout more, but Naruto's power radiated across the entire area as his Mangekyo glared at him.

_**"Disappear"**_

In a flash of light, the entity disappeared from the area as Naruto slammed his hand violently on the ground.

**"Naruto, Indra has a point. You can't defeat Hamura..."** warned the Kyuubi, as a part of the Ten Tails once he had been witness to that god's power.

"I'll stop him..."

**"Why are you so stubborn? You risk everything you and humanity has ever accomplished?"** asked Kyuubi disappointedly, as the boy's fists clenched tightly.

"I'll make my own choice, fox..."

**"You don't know what you're up against, boy..."** said Kyuubi calmly, as Naruto started disappearing from the mindscape.

_"I will never give up on my family..."_

_**The Apocalypse had just began...**._

* * *

**Author's Notes (From Blackwolf501): The End.**

**Okay guys, we had a wild ride in this sequel. The final part of this series will be completed in the third installment. **

**"Namikaze Legend: The Titan War"**

**There are still tons and tons of mysteries which are left to explore. What will this god war be like? What about the empire? What about Madara? Akatsuki? How will Naruto face his brother?**

**The story is still being written and the first chapter should be up in February. I'll notify you guys like the last time, don't worry.**

**My stories are not everyone's cup of tea, I get that. But I think, this will be the first time or one of the few stories to have such a plot. You're welcome to read something new for a change...**

**Thank you for the wonderful support during this sequel, even if we butted heads once or twice I really enjoyed writing this story for you guys.**

**Well, since this is the last chapter I would really appreciate if you can leave a review. You know tell me about your experience, expectations from the final part, what you want to see, and all that. Maybe I'll make some changes if your point is valid...**

**Until Next Time (Hopefully I don't freeze in the Himalayas, hehe)**

**Blackwolf501**

**PS: Yeah, I love reviews. It's not a crime, bye.**


End file.
