Hey, this is Jesse. What's up? I don't own Naruto, its characters, or any of its affiliates, by the way. This is my first story, so tell me what you think! The characters don't have the exact personalities portrayed in the manga, though, and I made up a lot of the locations. Jus trying for a bit of originality. Thanks a bunch, and enjoy!
Chapter I: A Hard Week
Whipping past leaves and trees, the young ninja pulled out his kunai knife and put it in his mouth. Stopping on a branch, he sniffed the air, and, without detecting anything unusual, started leaping up the tree. Suddenly, two shuriken whizzed from nowhere and hit above the ninja's head with a thunk. The ninja leaped down, pulled another kunai knife from his pack, and felt his enemy's chakra from behind a tree. He summoned his own chakra into his hand, and aimed at the tree.
"Rasengan!" he shouted, and hurled the kunai at the tree. The wind-aided force flew through the trunk of the tree and, with a thunk, hit its target in the chest. The enemy fell in a heap down at the trunk.
"Damn," whispered another hidden enemy from a nearby tree. The ninja flew at the younger one, aiming to kill. The young ninja flung open a scroll, bit his thumb, and quickly wrote something on the scroll. Out came a gust of razor sharp winds, flying toward the enemy and ripping him to shreds.
"Mission complete," Naruto said over his radio, pulling the two dead ninja up the tree with him.
"Well done, Naruto," responded his superior. "Return to my office. I must speak with you."
"Yes, ma'am," said Naruto. He looked at the dead opponents' heads. They were wearing headbands depicting a few ripples. "Land of the Waves. As I thought."
Naruto Uzumaki was a 19-year old Chunin-level ninja from Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. In the midst of the Fourth Ninja War, Naruto had become a commander of the Konoha ninja army, and was regarded as a hero. In the course of the war, Naruto had achieved the level of Chunin, and his inner demon, the nine-tailed fox Kyuubi, had been released in an incomplete ritual by the organization Akutsuki. With the members of Akutsuki disbanded, he was able to tame the nine-tailed fox and save his former comrade Sasuke Uchiha, after helping kill his brother Itachi. All had been well until the war.
Naruto sighed. He remembered that day well. He and Sasuke had been acknowledged for their assassination of Yatu, a goblin warrior of the Land of the Darkness, when a messenger ran in. The Land of the Sand, led by the Kazekage who was Naruto's good friend Gaara, had been attacked by the Land of the Waves, led by a notorious assassin known as Atako. Gaara declared war on Atako, and the Land of Darkness and Land of the Earth joined in the Land of the Waves' war against the Sand. Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage and leader of Konoha, immediately declared war against the Sand's invaders, and in the next few days, the Sound, the Light, and the Wind had joined the war. Within a week, every hidden village in the land had joined the Fourth Ninja War.
The war itself was well matched. Both sides had their strengths and weaknesses, and both sides experienced victories and defeats. However, the casualties over the past year had been high, with the deaths of many of the best shinobi in the land.
Konoha had experienced its own casualties. Choiji Akimichi, the food loving ninja from Naruto's class, had lost his life in a mission involving an avalanche in the Land of the Earth. Hinata Hyuga and Kiba Inuzaku had passed as well, after being poisoned on the battlefield by a scorpio from the Land of the Darkness. Kurenai Yuhi, their sensei, had been slain a few days later in a quarrel with the Waves. Tenten and Ino Yamanaka had been severely injured in battle, and so had General Shikamaru Naru, the brilliant strategist from Naruto's class, in an invasion by the Sound. Even Naruto's sensei, Kakashi Hatake, experienced a bad chest wound in the Battle of Firefly Plains.
Naruto raced back to Konoha with the bodies. He wept away a tear when he thought about Hinata. She had been the bravest in that skirmish with the Dark, and saved Naruto when he was disarmed by an onslaught of goblins and scorpio. She and Kiba were poisoned as they charged into the onslaught and crushed the army. Kiba died quickly, but before Hinata died, she confessed her undying love to Naruto, and exchanged one last smile to Naruto before finally laying to rest. Naruto destroyed the rest of the army in his fury by summoning the Two-Tail, the tailed beast of vengeance.
"Commander," bowed Izumo Kamizuki, one of the Konoha gate guards, when Naruto reached the village. "I see you've caught the spies."
"Of course I have," responded Naruto. "Couldn't let them escape with those scrolls, could I?"
"Couldn't leave them alive? They might've been helpful."
"Tsunade told me to kill."
"Well, that woman could kill you herself if you didn't follow her orders."
"Yeah."
Izumo returned to his post as Naruto raced to Tsunade's office with the bodies. As he approached the door, his old classmate Commander Neji Hyuga came out the door.
"Hey, Neji," called Naruto.
"Hey, Naruto," responded Neji. "Nice job with the spies."
"Thanks," said Naruto. He noticed a dark shadow on Neji's face. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" Neji had been sullen ever since Hinata's death, but something was definitely not right.
"Yeah." Neji remarked with his eyes clouded with sadness. "My sensei, Might Guy, has just been reported among the dead in the battle near the Land of the Waves. Lee was killed as well."
Naruto was stunned. The masters of Taijitsu, or physical combat, in Konoha had been slain? Rock Lee, one of Naruto's rivals, had become an aspiring warrior who surpassed his master in taijitsu. He was to be promoted to a major soon. This turned the tables for Konoha.
"They were overwhelmed during a retreat," continued Neji. "They pulled back to allow Sakura and Iruka transport the refugees safely to Gaara's camp. Captain Ebisu went down with them."
"Did Tsunade just tell you this?"
"Yeah, just now. Gaara's men are holding both bodies safely at the camp. Ebisu's remains have been already burned."
"You're gonna have to tell Tenten. She might not take this well."
"Yeah, I know. Don't worry; I'll take care of it. Tsunade's cutting Tenten and me off of the frontlines for a while, but we'll be back soon. Remember, a shinobi – "
" – should never expose his or her emotions, no matter what the case," finished Naruto. "Forget that rule for now, Neji. Sometimes a shinobi just has to be human."
A tear rolled down Neji's cheek. "Thanks, Naruto. I'll be going now." He walked down the hall and out of sight as Naruto turned towards Tsunade's door. He knocked.
"Enter," came a voice from inside.
Naruto entered the office. The Fifth Hokage was sitting at her desk, head between her arms. Her bodyguards, Raido Namiashi and Ibiki Morino, stood beside her like statues. Ibiki, captain of the ANBU Interrogation and Torture Force, smiled as Naruto entered the office.
"Didn't give me anyone to torture this time, commander?" chuckled Ibiki.
"Sorry, General," grinned Naruto. "Hokage's orders."
Tsunade looked up. "Naruto," she said with a sullen face. "Well done. I want you to have a rest for now. This mission must have been exhausting after that onslaught two days ago with the Sand."
"It's quite all right, ma'am," responded Naruto. "General Temari of the Land of the Sand just sent me a letter earlier today. Commander Kankuro died yesterday of scorpio poison. I'm planning on heading over to the camp there tomorrow to help console her, if that's all right with you."
"Yes, of course. Kankuro's death is a heavy loss. Tamari must need your help. Go ahead and take a few shinobi with you. I'll send Sakura over there as well."
There were a few moments of silence after that. Ibiki and Raido shifted uncomfortably.
"I presume you've heard about the Taijitsu masters' deaths from Neji," said Tsunade quietly.
"Yes," said Naruto. "Commander Neji told me as he walked out from your meeting. I am deeply sorry for the loss."
"It is bad for our cause," lamented Tsunade. "Ebisu's loss is as well, as we have limited messengers on our hands. With Sai's and Shizune's deaths earlier this week, we have heavy casualties for our village again."
"Not to mention the loss of Kankuro," remarked Ibiki. Both Naruto and Tsunade nodded.
"This war must end soon," Tsunade said. "The enemy has shifted their targets to Konoha, as we are the strongest threat to them, not the Sand."
"The new village, the Blood, are especially dangerous," said Raibo. "They defeated the Three-Tail yesterday, though experiencing many casualties."
"Yes," continued Tsunade. "So, Naruto, rest up. I'll be talking to Kakashi about a joint attack with the Sand and the Wind against the Waves. This war must be crushed soon, and hopefully with a quick negotiation."
"But in the meantime, we must execute force," remarked Ibiki.
Naruto nodded. "I understand. Whom do you wish for me to take with me to the Sand?" he asked.
Tsunade paused for a second. "I would say Shikamaru, but he is still in a coma. Take Ino and Tenten with you, and Sakura will meet you there. I'm confident that Captain Iruka will be able to handle the refugees well with Gaara."
Naruto nodded. "Understood."