Welcome back to chapter two. First off I'd like to that Kishimoto for creating such a terrific cast of characters and I hope he keeps up the awesome work. As always I don't own Naruto or any of the other characters or themes.

I would like to thank all those who reviewed my first chapter: Sagemode 90; Graven Image; Tosakuai; DBZGTFan2004 and buzzbumble.

Responces:

Sagemode90 - The father and son are no one of importance I just used them to create my introduction. I'm gald you enjoyed the chapter so far.

BuzzBumble - No if you read Book One of my tale, I hope you have, then you should know Sakura is not dead. I'm just showing something else before going back to her.

Finally I'd like to respond to ARealPickle who recently reviewed the first few chapters of Book One. He was upset that I chose to kill off Kakashi. You see, when I first began to write thise chapter Kishi had just killed Kakashi in the canon tale. I wanted to keep the story as close to his work as I could so I chose to keep him dead in my work as well. Unfortunately by the time Kishi brought Kakashi back I was too far along into my story to make an edit. So I rolled with it. I'm a big Kakashi fan myself and I struggled a bit with the decision to keep him dead. Hope this helps.

So now, on to Chapter two and as always please review.

Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh

Book Two: New Dawn

Chapter Two: Meeting of the Mizukages

Kirigakure – Sunrise

The Fifth Mizukage and Ao stood in stunned silence as the masked intrudered stepped from the ledge and stood behind the Mizukage's desk. How did he get here so quickly, Ao thought. There's no way Akatsuki could have broken through so easily. Without hesitation, Ao leapt in front of the Mizukage prepared to fight. "Run Mizukage-sama," he said, "I'll hold him off for as long as I…." Before Ao could finish his sentence the man appeared just behind him and suddenly Ao saw that he had been cut, severely. Ao fell and lost consciousness as the man once again disappeared and reappeared behind the desk once more.

The Fifth quickly went over to Ao and confirmed that he was still alive. "Don't worry, Mayumi-kun," the man said, "He's still alive….for now. I just didn't want him disturbing our little chat." The man looked down at the heavy oak desk and touched it lightly as though it were a precious and fragile item. "My God," he said, "It truly has been a long time since I first had this made and placed here. It's still in excellent condition."

The Mizukage rose to her feet and stood straight, defiant and proud. Her back may be against the wall but she is still the leader of this land and a warrior. "You speak like you know this place Akatsuki," she said, "You speak like you know me. Are you the one commanding these barbarians at my door? If so I warn you that you have made a terrible mistake, one that will cost you your life."

The man laughed, "I would expect nothing less from the proud Kage of Kirigakure. At least there are some values that I instilled that remained in this shell of a village." The man then slowly sat in the chair behind the desk and ran his fingers gently on the desks smooth surface. I have come full circle yet again, the man thought. The phoenix has returned home to roost.

"Enough," The Mizukage erupted. "I have had enough of your cryptic words! Who are you! Why has Akatsuki attacked us, we have no Bijuu!" The Mizukage crept closer as she tried to close the gap between them. The man noticed this tiny, nearly imperceptible movement but remained unconcerned.

"You know who I am," he said, "You knew from the moment you laid eyes on me. My face may be masked but you know. The problem is you refuse to believe. So to help you I will say it. I am the former ruler of this land. I am the Third Mizukage, Uchiha Madara. And I have returned to take that which was taken from me."

The Fifth stood for a moment, silent and considering the words she had just heard. "Impossible," she said. "The Third Mizukage died nearly forty years ago. I was there when it happened. I saw him destroyed by the Fourth. I was a little girl then. I will never forget that day."

Madara stood now and to the Fifth he seemed to grow in stature. He seemed almost regal in how he now spoke. "The past is behind us. Only a glorious future remains. I give you this one chance Mayumi, pledge your servitude to me. Or die."

Meanwhile

Chojuro and Sato crashed hard on the ground in front of the building. Sato quickly got to his feet and leapt a few feet back and got into a defense stance. He watched Chojuro as he readied both blades in his hand. Smiling lightly Sato said, "So you've unlocked the second stage of Hiramekarei? I'm impressed. You're father would've been happy to know his son is so close to mastering the sword he made famous. Personally I had my misgivings when you were chosen to be its wielder. But I see now I was wrong. Good."

"Sh…shut up," Chojuro said. "Don't you dare talk to me like this. Don't you dare refer to my father as if you and he were friends!" Sato shook his head and still smiling said, "But we were friends, your father and I. It was so sad that he died so long ago during that failed coup. He died honorably though which is really all one can hope for."

"My father died," Chojuro said, "In a revolt that you took part in!! You're to blame as much as any other for my fathers death." Once again Sato shook his head. "It's a shame we had to come to this," Sato said, "If you could have lived longer you would learn the truth of things. But despite your power you're still just a child. And you have yet to put away your childish thoughts. I tried to warn your father as best I could. But he refused to listen. Kirigakure has grown soft and needs leadership that will return it to prominence. We failed then. We will not now."

Sato now slowly stepped to the side taking his time to gauge Chojuro as best he could. Sato had fully expected that he would have to kill Chojuro. He had not known however that Chojuro had unlocked the second form of Hiramekarei. Even with Chojuro's relative inexperience Sato knew that if he went easy on him he would die. "Chojuro," Sato said, "Out of respect for your father I will give you the chance to make the smart decision. The decision your father should have made. Join us."

Chojuro was in a cold sweat. He had been in many battles but he never dreamt he would one day have to face the Rock of the Mist. He gripped his blades tightly and shook his head. "Never," was all he said.

"Don't be a fool Chojuro," Sato said. "You know you don't stand a chance. I'd kill you before you could even raise your blades to me." Slowly Sato continued to move to the side and circle Chojuro. Chojuro watched and waited, knowing Sato was waiting for an opening. "I don't fear you Sato," Chojuro said.

"Oh really," Sato said as he smiled. "Then why are your hands trembling?" Chojuro, for split second looked at his hands as if he didn't know that his hands were trembling. Unfortunately a split second was all Sato needed and before Chojuro could react Sato was upon him.

Meanwhile

The Fifth launched herself at Madara who merely watched and made no effort to block her attack. The Fifth punched Madara but was shocked to find her fist had passed right though. Stunned she leapt back. "You really are Madara," she said, "Only he had such a Jutsu."

Madara chuckled, "Now your mind knows what your heart has known already. I am Uchiha Madara. Join me."

The Fifth seemed to once again gather her resolve and prepared again to attack. "No. You were a monster to our people and nearly led our land to ruin. That is why you were removed from the position of Mizukage. That is why the people tried to kill you. I'm not sure how you survived but I will finish what they started!" The Fifth then quickly created several hand signals and said, "Boil Release!"

From out of the Fifth's mouth a thick cloud of super hot mist was released and covered the entire area around Madara. "You may be able to become intangible," she said, "but if you want to fight me you'll have to be solid to do it. Once you do you'll burn." The Fifth then turned and grabbed Ao and moved him to the back of the room to ensure he wouldn't be hurt.

The Fifth kicked down her front door and ran down the hallway with Ao slung across her back. Once she decided she was a good distance away she gently placed Ao down and checked him again. He's going to need medical attention or he'll die, she thought. The Fifth then heard a sound from behind her and quickly turned to see Madara standing there. "Is that the best you can do after all these years," he said.

The Fifth once again ran at him ready to attack. This time Madara was solid and he began to block her attacks but was being driven back. The Fifth then began to attack with greater speed and ferocity and finally one of her kicks landed squarely on his jaw and knocked him to the ground. Madara slowly got to his feet and realized The Fifth was about to attack again. "Lava Release," she screamed and she released a flow of super hot liquid from her mouth directly at Madara.

The liquid passed harmlessly through him and splashed against the wall behind him, melting it away instantly. The Fifth then ran at Madara and tried to kick him but also passed through him and landed in the open room behind him.

Now seemingly upset she remained on one knee as she saw Madara slowly enter the room. "Do you understand now," he said. "You can't defeat me Mayumi. You can't even touch me." The Fifth smiled and rose to her feet. "Do you know why you failed as a leader Madara," she asked. "It's because you are guilty of the same mistake that causes the downfall of so many in your position. It's your overconfidence. I can defeat you Madara. I just couldn't do it with Ao nearby."

Madara turned and saw that the open wall behind him began to melt once again. But this time it closed behind him, sealing him in. Mayumi had planned for this. "Now it's just you and me Madara," she said. "And now I'm going to melt away the stain of your evil forever."

Meanwhile

Using the blade in his left hand, Chojuro transformed it into a large shield and blocked Sato's attack. He then immediately countered with the blade in his right, which was now the shape of a large fishtail. Sato was able to leap out of the way and dodge the fatal blow.

Damn it, Sato thought. I have to be careful here. Chojuro has unlocked the second form of Hiramekarei. Hirame is the heavy blade that can form into blunt weapons and shields, while Karei can form into sharp blades and lances. If perfectly used they can become an impenetrable close range weapon. I'll have to use a different tactic to defeat Chojuro.

Slamming his blade into the ground Sato created several hand signs. Chojuro had seen this technique before and stabbed Hirame into the ground and braced himself behind it to block what was coming. All around Sato dozens of pieces of rock broke free of the ground and formed itself into mini arrows. "Ninja Art: Heavy Rain!" Chojuro braced himself as he was assaulted by dozens and dozens of shrapnel. Chojuro was struck in his thigh and upper arm but still he held on. Sato's attack seemed endless and Chojuro quickly realized that if he didn't counter soon even Hirame wouldn't protect him for long.

Chojuro placed Karei below Hirame and aimed it directly at Chojuro and yelled, "Karei, extend!" Suddenly the blade of Karei grew thinner and extended out heading straight for its target. Sato was momentarily shocked to see the blade coming towards him and was able to dodge it as it came inches away from his heart.

Sato was upset now. Chojuro was going to prove more difficult than he assumed. "Ok Chojuro," he said, "You think you can actually challenge me? I'm going to bury you alive."

Meanwhile

"Boil Release," The Fifth said as once again she filled the room with boiling steam. Madara instantly defended himself by going intangible. "Mayumi," Madara said, "You can't possibly think things technique would work again? You can't touch me." It was then Madara noticed that she was smiling and…at the same time….he found himself getting hot…uncomfortably hot. Impossible, he thought as he realized that her Boil Release was in fact reaching him.

"I told you that your confidence was your weakness Madara," said The Fifth. Using his Sharingan, Madara looked at his arms and chest and noticed little infinitesimal specs of flesh clinging to him. Realizing what happened, he then looked at the Fifth's hands and confirmed his theory.

"Finally figured it out huh Madara," said the Fifth while smiling. "I melted small parts of the skin on my hands and when you let me hit you those pieces of flesh stuck to you and are now acting as a medium. It allows my jutsu to follow you into what ever dimension you place yourself in."

Madara seemed to grow dark and even without seeing his face The Fifth could tell he was no longer in the mood to play around. "Very well Mayumi," he said, "I was hoping, because of our past, that I could end this without hurting you much. But now you leave me no choice." Madara suddenly turned tangible, created several hand signs and said, "I'm ending this now. Ninja Art: Dogs of War!"

Meanwhile

"Ninja Art," Sato screamed as he stabbed the ground with his blade, "Avalanche!" Chojuro starred as he saw what happened in front of him. He had only seen this technique only once. It was back nearly two years ago when he and Sato were dealing with a group of rouge ninja out near the borders of Kirigakure's territory. Back then he remembered being in awe of it's terrible power. And in the back of his mind he wondered what he would ever do if faced with having to go against it.

Chojuro looked on as several dozen large stone blades rose from the ground in two columns surrounding both he and Sato. Suddenly, one of the blades began to break into thousands of small sharp pieces of rock and at a speed he could barely perceive, began to fly at him at several different directions. Chojuro instantly began to run in an attempt to dodge the projectiles. After seeing the effects of this technique first hand he knew his only chance was to run.

The projectiles being launched were impossibly sharp and would slice through him like butter if they made contact. He also knew he couldn't keep this up. At some point he'd have to counter or he'd die.

Chojuro ran and leapt behind one of the pillars Sato created. Several of the projectiles had already pierced his left shoulder and right thigh. Luckily they had gone through cleanly and the damage was fairly minimal. From behind the pillar Chojuro heard Sato laughter. "Let me get this straight," Sato said, "You think the safest place to hide is behind one of my own blades?! How stupid." Suddenly Chojuro felt the pillar he was behind shiver and he heard a deep rumbling and he instantly realized his mistake. Running again Chojuro heard the familiar sound of the pillar splitting into thousands of small of shards.

Realizing there was no where to hide and desperate Chojuro slammed Karei into the ground and embedded in at an angle and braced himself against it. He then took Hirame and formed it into a shield and placed it on the opposite side. Several of the projectiles cut through him yet again as he sealed himself in his self made shelter.

Sato peppered Chojuro's shelter relentlessly but as the last of his projectiles slammed against it he realized it was no use. Not even his attack could pierce this cocoon. Suddenly to his surprise he saw movement below the ground just in front of him. Out of the earth Chojuro burst forth and buried a kunai into his sternum. Sato punched Chojuro away and removed his blade from the ground. As he did so the large stone pillars crumbled and fell to the ground.

Sato fell to his knees and clutched at his open wound. He was bleeding heavily and knew he would need assistance soon. He stared at Chojuro, his eyes shown a mixture pain, surprise and rage. Chojuro himself had several more wounds throughout his body. Several of Sato's projectiles had struck him before he was able to seal himself away. But he fought past the pain and his bodies' desire for rest. Sato was reeling; he had to finish him before he could recover.

Chojuro quickly recovered his weapons and ran at Sato who was struggling to stand. Chojuro swung Karei at Sato who was able to raise his blade in time to block the attack. Unfortunately for him however, he was not fast enough to block Hirame. The blade, now in the shape of a large hammer slammed into Sato's right side launching him several yards and throwing him to the ground like a discarded rag doll.

Chojuro stood and watched the seemingly lifeless Sato. He was breathing heavily and his arms began to slump and his weapons touched the ground. Though his blade had the power to kill dozens of enemies with one blow the side affect was that it drained the stamina of the wieldier quickly and releasing it into its second form doubled the drain. A master could use Hiramekarei for maybe an hour without rest. He was no master. And the blood loss was weakening him even quicker. Chojuro, finding another burst of adrenaline, ran at Sato's body intent on killing him with Karei. As he was about to attack, a blade made of rock rose from the ground slicing his upper shoulder and forcing him back.

Slowly, gingerly, Sato got to his feet. With his sword touching the ground he had made it meld with the earth and create a blade to fend of Chojuro. He was lucky that he had regained consciousness so quickly. Seconds before Hirame hit him Sato did the only thing he could; he rolled with the hit which reduced its affect. If he hadn't his entire right side of his body would've been crushed. As it is his right arm and leg were broken and screaming in pain. He also felt dizzy and stars and black spots clouded his vision. The only thing keeping him going right now was instinct.

Sato knew he couldn't fight Chojuro at close range in this condition. At this point he had one shot left. Using his left hand Sato once again stabbed his blade into the earth. And once again dozens of stone blades rose from the ground. By this time Chojuro had gotten to his feet and realized his predicament.

"I can block your Avalanche Sato," Chojuro said, "All I need to do is figure out witch pillar you'll use in time." Racked with pain Sato forced a sinister smile. "You think that you've realized the limits of Earthcutter? You know nothing." Concentrating, Sato pumped nearly all his chakra into his blade and siphoned it off to all the pillars. "Now witness the full power of my blade," he said. "Ultimate Avalanche!"

Chojuro stood in horror as all the pillars shook and begun to divide simultaneously. He can use that attack using all the pillars at the same time, he thought. Instantly Chojuro knew he was dead. When one of those pillars broke apart they divided into several thousand small projectiles. Even then he could barely shield himself. With all the pillars divided he was now dealing with several million projectiles coming at him at every angle.

At this point he knew he had no chance. Oddly enough, the realization that he was about to die didn't frighten him. For the first time in his life he felt calmness; a reassurance and focus he never knew. For the first time in his life he made a decision that he didn't second guess. Dad, he thought, watch your son now. This is for you. Lifting his swords, Chojuro extended his arms out to the sides and bent to one knee. Focusing, he brought all his chakra to the surface and focused it into the blades.

Impossible, Sato thought as he saw Chojuro go into the stance Sato knew well. A stance he hadn't seen since Chojuro's father. He couldn't have unlocked that technique yet! There's no way! I have to end this. Using all his will power, Sato launched the millions of projectiles at Chojuro just as he quickly brought both blades back together and yelled, "HirameKarei, Third Release….Invincible Blade!"

The Invincible Blade was Hiramekarei's last and true form. It took the shape of a large, thick blade whose hilt was even wider and flat and attached itself directly to the wielders' arm. Unlike its first form it could not morph into shapes and unlike the second form could not be used for defense. This blade was an all or nothing offensive juggernaut that legend has it, could cut through mountains and could not be broken.

All Sato saw was a blinding light and then Chojuro stood with a large blade made of the purest white attached to his right arm. Chojuro then ran at Sato, through the hail of projectiles as they cut through him. Thousands, millions of small pieces of rock cut Chojuro from all sides but to Sato's amazement, he kept coming, his speed not slowing.

Chojuro, felt no pain, he felt nothing at all as shards pierced every organ and sliced through his arms and legs. He felt nothing as another shard cut his head. All there was, all that mattered, was Sato. As he neared him, Chojuro swung with all his might and then there was nothing. Only silence, the sounds of screams in the distance and fires burning nearby.

Slowly Sato turned his head and looked at Chojuro who was himself riddled with wounds. "You think you did anything important? You haven't done anything. Nothing has changed. Kirigakure has fallen. I am but a small piece of the machine and killing me prevents nothing. You have achieved nothing except ensure that we will continue our battle in hell."

It was then Chojuro looked back at Sato, his face horribly scarred by Sato's attack. Small pieces of rock were embedded in his face and one of his eyes was gone. Yet again to Sato's amazement, Chojuro smiled. "You're wrong," Chojuro said. "I did achieve something. I achieved……justice."

With his one good eye, Chojuro watched as Sato's eyes rolled up into the back of his head and his upper body slid away from his waist and fell to the ground while his legs remained standing like two of his pillars. Slowly Chojuro looked forward and stared at the rising sun. Kirigakure will not fall, he thought. Not so long as Mizukage-sama lives. "Do you hear me Mizukage-sama," he screamed as his blade, now returned its original form, fell from his dying hands.

Chojuro fell to his knees, his legs no longer strong enough to carry him. With darkness about to take him and his voice trailing off he said, "Mizukage-sama……you……must…..live." And then he fell back to the ground; a smile etched on his face.

Meanwhile

The Fifth stood staring at the scene in front of her. Seconds ago she swore she had heard someone call for her. But she couldn't focus on that now. In front of her, death stared back and if she wasn't careful, it would take her. The Fifth stared at Madara who was now flanked by five impossibly large black wolves. "A summoning jutsu," she said questioningly.

"Do you like them," Madara asked. "I rarely ever summon them. But when I do it is for one purpose only. To feast on flesh."

End of Chapter Two