Chapter 4: One Fight Too Many

AN: So, I've decided that I will no longer be restrained by things like linear plot developments and narratives. I'm going to bounce around. For those of you who can't appreciate, stop reading. Oh, and this story gets bloody, so stop reading if you ain't into that. You've been warned.

They swarm: Hundreds, thousands of the enemy. They know no respite. Kill – it is their only command. They are obedient to the last.

The commander of the Iron Brigade, the Leaf's most prized combat unit, stands and waits for them. He ordered his men to wait behind the ridge line a few miles south of his position to guard the refugees of the fallen Waterfall Village. They leave him behind reluctantly. Each would die for him, but none will defy him.

He was their commander. His commands held the power of God to them.

So he stands alone, watching as the enemy draws near.

But he shows no fear – there's no fear to be had. He waits until they come. Jin, a missing-nin, is the first to reach the Leaf nin. Jin does not hesitate. He raises his blade, ready to strike. He wears the mark of the Uchiha.

Naruto frowns. An image of a young boy sitting alone on a dock, crestfallen, flashes before him. Jin notices that the feared "Hero of the Leaf" is distracted. His confidence surges. He sees only the blue in his target's eyes, like open sky. Then the black comes. His body cut in twain.

The commander roars, frightening the few who can hear the terrible sound. But there is no sound as dozens of shadow clones phase into existence – his mastery of the shadow clone jutsu complete.

Each of his doppelgangers knows what to do.

Fists collide with flesh, bones are crushed from the impact. Kunai cuts through the air, blood rains down in torrents, the death throttle of men, the clash of metal, recedes into the din.

All he hears now is the beating of his own heart. Thump. Thump. Thump. A shinobi flies towards him, sword drawn. His eyes show only hate and contempt. His head comes off easily; Naruto's deft reply to such impudent eyes.

Suddenly, the world comes into perfect clarity for Naruto. His senses are heightened, the thrill of the kill energizing him. He sees the beads of sweat, the rivulets of blood, the constricted pupils, the flying limbs, the flies buzzing through the air – he sees everything.

He smells the sweet, iron scent of blood, the bile bubbling from torn abdomens, the wildflowers growing on the hills beyond.

But he only hears the beating of his own heart.

Another enemy springs from the ground. The young chuunin does not have the chance to scream before his chest cavity is ripped asunder by wind blades. In the land of Sand, Naruto was known for his wind-based attacks – they called him Storm Rider for he rode the tempest.

A dozen of the enemy stare in horror as their intestines fall to the ground, the wretched wet sound booming in their ears. The tempest has landed.

Naruto sees the dead littering the field, but the enemy is many and much more will need to die before this battle is done. He concentrates chakra below his feet, infusing his wind element into the mix. Within a single breath, his body is lifted off the ground by a few inches. Beneath his feet are miniature whirlwinds. He leans forward – and he flies, streaking through the masses with uncanny speed – only the rushing wind can be heard.

Until he completes the jutsu – then all is silent.

The enemy stops their attack, confused by the feeling of the cool breeze and streaks of bright yellow flashing before their eyes.

"What's happening?" asks another young chuunin.

The answer comes – in the gurgling of blood.

Men began gripping their necks, trying to stem the gushing blood from the slits in their throats. They could not know that the Storm Rider had sped through their ranks, killing them before their body could react. They could not know that he was able to create a vortex, which enabled him to drill through the air at speeds unheard of. They could not know that he could use his vortex jutsu in combination with a wind-based attack. An attack that created virtual whips of chakra infused air that could slice through flesh on the cellular level.

They could not know that it took him nearly a decade to master, the Rasengan being the first step. They were dying - dying by the multitudes – and that was all would ever know of Naruto's feared Tempest technique.

Sasuke grimaced from the distance.

Even with his cursed eyes, he could not keep up with Naruto's attack. His speed was unnatural. Hundreds of his army was being slaughtered, and the battle had only just begun.

He had gotten stronger – always stronger. Sasuke did not want to admit it, but he could not defeat his friend with strength alone.

But he could defeat his friend with guile.

Naruto was a soft fool. Slowly, Sasuke began to smirk as he went through the hand signs – the chakra slowly building.

The Uchiha needed the Storm Rider, the Hurricane of the Leaf, the Hero of the Valley to be distracted if his plan was to work. He needed the fool to fight.

So he sent an army against the Waterfall village, knowing that the fool's nostalgia would bring him to the battle field. But Naruto had his blasted brigade, the feared Iron Brigade that had felled the bijuu army of the Akatsuki.

He needed to separate the fool from his army. The refugees had proven their worth. Protect the innocent villagers with your army and fight the enemy alone. What a brave and heroic fool Naruto had become. So predictable. .

The final hand sign completed, Sasuke uttered a single word: boom.

Naruto felt the searing heat engulf his being before it consumed him. Poof. The shadow clone was dispelled, transmitting the sensation of immolation to his master. A moment later, the world went white. It came in quick succession, the sound of men screaming, writhing in pain, then a deafening roar. Naruto quickly looked up from his kill and saw that all around him, the enemy had stopped fighting. They were clawing at their chests, crying out, screaming, hacking - dying. He could feel the pull of chakra. Nearby, he saw a young shinobi tear open his uniform, revealing a tattoo. No, not a tattoo…a seal.

Naruto eyes went wide. He knew that seal – he helped create it after all. A chakra bomb.

The young shinobi combusted into a fiery ball, incinerating those near him, but Naruto was long gone by then. But no matter how fast he went, he could not escape the sea of human mines.

He knew already that he had no route of escape. He only had a second before the fury would catch up to him, and not even his healing abilities would be able save him from the holocaust to come.

Accepting fate, he stops. He glances over to the east, feeling a familiar and haunting presence. He sees the Uchiha in the distance, his red eyes clearly visible as is his smug expression.

"I win," the traitor mouths.

Naruto just glares in response.

Excruciating pain floods his body, but only for an instant.