"Charge!" A voice shouted out as a multitude of warriors charged forwards, the wave of bodies crushing a hastily made barricade that the defenders had set up. "For the glory of the Sarutobi clan!" The man screamed out as a small fraction of the warriors began to set fire to the building via the use of Fire Style Jutsu.

"We Can't hold them!" A young man screamed out in terror before a kunai embedded itself deep into his brain via his eye socket.

"Retreat to the final barricade! We've got to buy time so the Women and Children can get out!" cried an elderly man as he ushered the defenders to follow him. This man was Takahide Saito, the elder of the Saito clan that held power in a small stretch of land known as the Land Of Waves due to the frequent floods and annual tsunamis. Right know the Saito clan was being attacked, and wiped out, by the Sarutobi clan, a rival clan of theirs which held dominance in the Land Of Ash which was a strip of hilly terrain that stretched across the southern border of the Land Of Waves and the northern border of the Land Of Fire.

'The situation looks grim' The elderly man thought to himself as he directed his men to positions in order to stage their last line of defense 'But i'll be damned if i go down without a fight! Besides, as long as the Women and Children escape the Saito clan will live on'

"Get ready to defend men! We fight to the last so our wives and children can live to see a brighter future! As long as they survive the Saito shall live on!" Takahide shouted as he rallied the resolve in his remaining men. 'Heh, the last stand of 1000. Who would've thought the Sarutobi would muster so many of their forces to take us out' He idly thought as he watched the near five thousand strong force marching towards him and his men backed up by the main Sarutobi Shinobi force at the rear.

"Halt" The voice of the Sarutobi general, 'Yamato' Takahide mused, called out before the Sarutobi advance came to a stop. Looking around Takahide noticed this pause in battle caused his own men to start becoming nervous again as they realized how much the Sarutobi controlled the battle once more.

"Takahide" Yamato snarled at the leader of his clans greatest rivals. "Let us stop this bloodshed why don't we? There is no need for your clans men to die such... pointless deaths"

"How dare you! These young men have created this land with their blood, sweat and tears! How dare you make a mockery out of these warriors for their desire to protect their homeland!" He shouted back, angered at his enemies blatant disrespect towards those who had died on the battlefield.

"Oh, I apologize old man. I thought they were an armed peasantry, not you clans warriors, you know, with how weak they were and all" The younger Sarutobi man shot back, a sick smile gracing his face as he saw Takahide begin to shake in rage, "but as much as I enjoy killing you Saito scum, I have a more beneficial proposal for all of us." He said, smiling as he realized he had Takahide's attention, "A duel, me vs... well I would say you Takahide, but you are well past your prime... I'll give you five minutes to choose a champion for this duel. If I win, your clans lands are given to the Sarutobi and you and your clansmen will be shipped of to a small ghetto where you'll all live the rest of your days in solitude as nothing more then breeding stock and slave to the Sarutobi. If your champion wins, the Sarutobi clan gets your lands and you all get to leave these lands as nomads, never to be able to settle down anywhere in peace with the knowledge that the Sarutobi clan will always be around to destroy you. So what do you say old man? It's either that, or i order you all killed right know before we pursue your women and children and rape every last one of them over your disgusting, old, mangled corpse!"

Takahide looked down in anger as well as slight disappointment. 'As much as i hate to admit it, the Saito haven't had any noteworthy warriors in years, never mind shinobi, and either way this is a lose/lose situation, but at least... at least with the second option we have a future' He thought with determination. "Give me time to choose a champion" He replied as he turned away to think.

An evil smile gracing his features, Yamato began to chuckle for some time, "Remember old man, you only have five minutes" He called out towards the older warrior.

"So who's it going to be sir?"

"I'll gladly fight that bastard, show him the Saito aren't as weak as he believes!"

"Elder Takahide! I'll gladly give my life for the clan. Use this opportunity to escape whilst I fight him!"

"SILENCE!" Takahide roared at his clansmen, "I need time to think... as much as I don't want to admit it we all know the truth! As we are now the Sarutobi will destroy us. None of us are at the level of strength that Yamoto has achieved" As he said this many clansmen looked down in shame and guilt, knowing how weak they were compare to the Sarutobi, "We just need an opening" the elder Saito muttered to his clansmen, "One opportunity to escape... but i'm afraid that chance is looking slim, and with our stronger warriors with the Women and Children or amongst the many dead... i'm afraid that the chance of us winning this duel is nearly non-existent"

"That's why i'm here" A voice from behind him spoke out as Takahide's eyes widened slightly and he turned around in surprise. In front of him stood a tall man with shoulder length red hair and an exceptionally serious expression gracing his face. Besides this man stood a young white haired boy who's left eye shined gold and right eye held no shine to it, instead it was a dim dark red. The boy had no expression on his face as he was completely devoid of emotion apart from the slight glimmer of determination in his eyes.

"And who may you be young man?" The elderly Saito cautiously asked as some of his men moved to surround the duo, "And why would you be willing to help?" He pressed on with narrowed eyes.

"Haha!" The red haired man let out a chuckle "See Naruto" He said as he looked down at his young companion, "Some people understand i'm still as youthful as ever," As soon as he finished speaking to his companion his face once again held a serious expression, "As for why i'm here Elder Takahide... my name is Samuru Uzumaki, Elder of the Uzumaki clan... consider my help the repaying of the debt my clan owes you" The man spoke as Takahide's eyes widened more and more with every word spoke, he was surprised, absolutely so, but who wouldn't be when a legend like Samuru had arrived to help change the tides of a losing battle in a war that had lasted for years on end.

"Samuru my boy!" He exclaimed as he noticed that a small sense of hope began to fill his clansmen once more, "Not that I am ungrateful that a man of your caliber is here but I must ask... WHY are you here?... how did you know about the attack my boy?" He questioned as his eyes held a dangerous glint to them, wary in case the Uzumaki was here to betray them.

"Well that's a long story old man" Samuru replied as Takahide's brow twitched and Naruto muttered 'Hypocrite' under his breath, "I'll tell you once this is over and done with because YOU don't have much time. Now i'm going to say this to you as it is" Samuru continued as his eyes narrowed, "Either you send one of this no name Saito youngster's to their deaths, or you utilize the favor we Uzumaki owe you and escape with one thousand more clansmen alive and one thousand happy families. The choice is yours"

"Stupid, stubborn old man!" Samuru shouted as he cut down another shinobi of the Sarutobi clan.

After his conversation with Samuru, Takahide decided to call in of the favor the Uzumaki clan owed the Saito, but not in the way Samuru expected. Takahide came up with the idea that only a Saito could save what remains of the Saito clan but due to the weakness of the younger generation of Saito he came to the conclusion that only he will be able to fight against Yamato on near equal terms, his experience making up for the fact he is well past his prime. Whilst the duel took place he asked, demanded rather, that Samuru utilizes one of the techniques the Uzumaki are well known for the shadow clone (a technique which creates a solid clone of somebody) and follow it up with the transformation technique (a technique that can transform a person to look identical to another) in order to act like the Saito clan members were watching the duel whilst the actual clan members retreated further north to their secret holy grounds where their families will be awaiting them. Due to the fact they are being chased down by the Sarutobi it seems like Takahide lost the duel and Yamato and his men discovered that the 'Saito' who where there were merely transformed clones. Luckily for them only a small detachment of Sarutobi shinobi were attacking them as it seems the rest of their forces had scattered around in search for them, though if they didn't hurry up the full might of the Sarutobi army would soon be upon them.

"AHH!" A voice screamed out snapping the Uzumaki out of his thoughts as he saw a young teenage Kunoichi of the Saito clan with her back against a tree, her hand embedded into it by a kunai, about to be struck down by an enemy shinobi.

'Damn it!' Samuru shouted within his mind as he attempted to race towards the girl in order to save her, 'I'm not going to make it in time!' He thought as his eyes widened watching the kunai swing down towards the young female.

Spurt

Blood spurted all over the girls face as her eyes, as well as Samuru's, widened in shock and the Sarutobi screamed out in pain. Her eyes looking to the side of her the young kunoichi looked at the hand that no doubt belonged to the Sarutobi as it was still gripping onto the kunai that was about to end her existence. The shinobi clutched the stub which used to be his hand as he screamed out obscenities.

"Die... scum" A child like voice called out as a sword struck through the mans neck, slicing downwards towards his lungs, ripping out chunks of his ribs, his blooded muscles wrapping themselves around the blade as it tore through his body. The man quickly found himself clutching his neck, gurgling up blood as well as squirting it out of the gaping wound in his body, "I said... die" The voice said once again, with no emotion as the sword found itself embedded where the mans eye was, going straight into the socket and into the brain.

Looking up in shock the girl found the young boy who traveled with Samuru 'Naruto? that was his name, I think' The girl thought as she watched him with widened eyes as he kicked the body of the dead shinobi off his sword, she winced, as she looked at his sword, finding it blooded with pieces of the mans flesh, his eye and parts of his brain, was skewered to his sword.

She watched as he quickly glanced around, doing the same she came to realize that most of the Sarutobi shinobi were now either dead, dying or in full retreat, no doubt to get reinforcements and bring them here. She watched as her clansmen and women continued in their own retreat, not using this as a time to rest and idly noticed Samuru, who decided to move along when he realized Naruto had the situation covered, giving out orders on rotations for the medics, as there was a great deal of injured as well as getting reports from the older Saito clansmen.

"Are you alright?" She heard a voice question her as she snapped back to reality and noticed the young boy looking at her questioningly, as he used a cloth to wipe the gore off his sword and sheathed it. She could only nod to his question, still too shocked to speak, and a small smile graced his face due to her response.

"Do you think you can walk?" He asked, looking at her in some worry as he approached to the kunai that was embedded into her hand and quickly pulled it out.

"Ouch! you could of said something before you did that!" She responded angrily whilst rubbing her hand, "of course I can walk"

With the small smile still plastered on his face, Naruto ripped of some of the bottom end of his sleeve, idly wondering if Samuru would be annoyed that he has already ruined the new clothing he had given him, and took the girls injured hand withing his own, wrapping the sleeve around it and checking to make sure it was tight enough, one he was pleased with his work he gently patted the wound.

"You should get that checked out when you can, just in case there is an infection or something. I'm not really good with healing people, sorry." He said to the girl, a small, sad smile gracing his face.

"I... It's alright...Naruto" She replied, testing his name out, as she stood up. The young boy just looked at her and nodded slightly before he motioned towards the rest of her people and began to walk towards them, "Kicho!" She called out, and he turned around, a look of confusion on his face, sighing, she began to speak again, "Saito Kicho... that's my name!" She said, a beautiful smile etching her face.

She watched as a grin began to grace his face before it quickly turned into a full blown smile and she noticed as some light came into his dull, mismatched eyes. Once again he nodded and ran off to join everybody else. Shaking her head at the younger boys antics she decided to run after him, ignoring the bodies of the dead as she wanted nothing more then to get back to her family.

A/N There we go, The next chapter is complete! Hopefully it was better then the first two, being the first 'proper' full lengthed chapter and all. I did not want to do any proper battle scene, instead opting to show the end of battle scenes in order to ease you guys into what to be expected (because there will be some massive battle scenes in the future with full on blood and gore as well as... other things, one could expect from battles, before, during and after) and to ease myself into writing them (though it wasn't proper, proper battle scenes)

I would give my other points on why the end of those scene was not shown... but that might ruin what I have planned. Thanks you guys! Don't forget to follow and/or favorite! And the review section is always open for constructive criticism! :)