A/N: Hey guys. A couple of things. First of all, sorry for the delay. I was swamped with exams and I caught a friggin flu on top of that. Also, the invasion arc is proving to be very difficult to write, so bear with me please.
Next up, one of the readers, Flying Raijin, was kind enough to point out a sentence where I had stated that Kakashi flashstepped away. What I meant to say was Kakashi used the shunshin technique to flicker away. I am not going to take down the entire chapter to make one little correction, and so I'll leave it as a note here. Thanks man.
And finally, this is where the story shifts away from the canon. I do try to remain realistic, but some things may come off as surprising. Try to remember that this is MY story and Mr. Kishimotos. Things will be different, and if you compare them to his universe, it might not even seem possible. Also, I'm gonna take this chance to give a shout out to a friend of mine, Moony, who helped come up with some of the ideas here. Thanks Moony.
Alright, that's all. Enjoy your reading.
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, he'd know at least one more element by now, ffs.
Invasion of Konoha – Part 1
-Kage box-
"Kazekage-dono. What is the meaning of this? We have an alliance." Sarutobi spoke calmly. He had not moved from his seat, despite the unexpected smokescreen.
"An alliance is merely an illusion that helps one side be better prepared for war." The Kazekage replied.
"Alliances are meant to foster true peace and understanding between the villages. It is not a tool for war. It is a path to peace." Sarutobi fired back.
"And that is why your village will fall today. Because of your weak ideals. You have grown soft, old man. And now, your village will pay the price for it." The Kazekage vanished and reappeared behind the Hokage, with a kunai at his throat. Both kages seemingly teleported to the roof of the building, with speed that could only be achieved by a kage.
"It is not too late, Kazekage. You can still stop this madness. And you can stop the upcoming loss of life. Pull back now. Or I will stop you." Sarutobi proclaimed.
The Kazekage remained unfazed. "You cannot and will not stop me. You had your chance once before, old man. But you failed. And you will fail again. And this time, I will destroy Konoha. And it will be all because of your weakness, sensei!"
Sarutobi's eyes widened at the last word. It couldn't be. But there was no other explanation. It had to be true. "You! So you've finally come back, Orochimaru!"
-Top of the Hokage Monument-
"Damn that old man. What the hell is he thinking? I'm a freaking Sannin. I'm the strongest ninja that old fart's got. And he puts me, ME, The Great Jiraiya, Toad Sage and seal master of Konoha, on freaking guard duty. I bet he's doing this because he got a complaint from one of the bath houses. WHICH I CAN'T EVEN SEE FROM HERE! And I don't get to watch to exams either. Screw that old man. I feel like painting his gigantic face with makeup again. Just like old times. Maybe I should. He deserves it. This is a waste of my talents!"
Jiraiya continued his private rant, seated atop the Sandaime's head as he overlooked all of Konoha. He could see all the way to the walls on all sides of the village. He could see the stadium and could just barely make out some of the bath houses from his vantage point. Sadly his trusted telescope was not powerful enough to give him a clear view of either.
The village was calm and there was nothing going on besides the finals. Everyone was there, watching the matches except the poor souls who were put on guard duty. He was just about to abandon his post and wander off, just to take a small break/peek when a plume of smoke rose from the stadium. This was followed by a burst of sinister chakra from the same direction. "That can't be good." Jiraiya thought as he leaped off the head to make his way towards the stadium. He hadn't taken 2 steps when a massive explosion from the west of the village. "And that's even worse. Just my luck. That old man better be fine. There's plenty of jonin in that stadium though. I'm sure they'll be able to deal with whatever's going on there. This might need my attention though." The explosion created a towering cloud of dust that hung ominously in the air. "Gotta find Ibiki first." Jiraiya said to himself as he raced towards ANBU headquarters.
-Konoha Stadium-
"Genma! What is going on?!" Sasuke shouted in an anxious tone, as he felt the ground tremble.
Before Genma could reply, Temari, Kankuro, and Baki appeared next to Gaara. The sand sphere was collapsing as Temari and Kankuro approached. Baki stood between them and the leaf duo. Soon the sand had settled enough to show that Gaara was indeed, wounded. His shoulder was mangled and bloody, and his left arm hung limply as he screamed in agony again.
"You two! Get him out of here and prepare him. I'll hold these two off." Baki commanded, never taking his eyes off Genma. The Sand Siblings took off, up and over the stands
Genma tensed and shifted himself between Baki and Sasuke. "To answer your question, Sasuke, we have been betrayed by the Sand. They have chosen to invade us. This is the real deal now, rookie. We're at war." Genma spoke to Sasuke, though his attention was on Baki. "Sasuke. The exams are over now. You've proven, at least to me that you've got what it takes to be a chunin. Since wartime protocol is in place, I'm assigning you an a-rank mission. You've got the skills to pull this off."
Sasuke was beginning to compose himself. "We're at war. And I'm getting a solo mission. Alright! This is finally my chance to prove that I'm the best around!" Sasuke was getting excited at the thought of being a war hero. "Hai! What's my mission?"
"Finish the job. Assassinate Gaara. If those two get in the way, take them out. If you need help take any of the genin that you want." Genma ordered. Sasuke didn't waste a second as he took off after the sand nins.
"As if you can actually get away from me." Baki yelled, as he hurled several kunai at Sasuke. Genma threw his own kunai which deflected all of Baki's weapons. "As if you can actually hold me off. Tch. You'll be lucky if you even manage to hold your own against me. Don't underestimate Konoha. It'll be your death." Genma declare as he spat out his senbon to deflect the needle that Baki threw at him, as the two rushed towards each other.
-In the stands-
"ALL AVAILABLE JONIN AND CHUNIN! TO ME!" Kakashi shouted as he and Gai stood back to back holding off the onslaught of sand nins. Several jonin and chunin appeared at his command, as he addressed them. "We're at war. In accordance with wartime protocol, I am assigning you all missions. All chunin will stay in the stadium with me and Gai and clear out the stands, and dispel the genjustu, section by section. Jonin, spread out through Konoha, and head to the gates, and make sure they aren't breached. Deputize the genin to escort civilians and academy students to the bunkers. I don't need to tell you this, but Konoha is at stake. Now. DISPERSE!"
As the chunin got into formation and took the attack to the sand, the jonin vanished out of the stadium and ran to the walls.
"KAKASHIIII! I'VE TAKEN DOWN SEVEN ALREADY! AND IT'S ONLY BEEN TWO MINUTES!" Gai yelled emphatically as he delivered a vicious heel kick to an oncoming Suna nin. At the same time, Kakashi had dispatched a sound nin by stabbing a kunai into the back of his neck. "That makes nine." Kakashi replied calmly as the oto nin fell flat.
"YOSH! ON TO THE NEXT SECTION. WHOEVER GETS LESS WILL DO TWO HUNDRED LAPS AROUND KONOHA!"
"Guess that means I have to be serious then. Alright. Let's get serious." Kakashi lifted his headband and opened his sharingan as he dashed into the next section.
-ANBU Headquarters-
Jiraiya landed on the rooftop and was not surprised to find the scarred man already standing there, hands in his trench coat pockets. "Ibiki. Status report." Jiraiya wasted no time beating around the bush.
Ibiki gave a small bow to the Sannin and replied. "Jiraiya-sama. We are surrounded. There's an army of Suna nin approaching from the south, and Oto nin from the east. Scouts have confirmed that the suna have about four hundred, while the oto have about two hundred."
"And that explosion to the west?" Jiraiya questioned.
Ibiki opened his mouth to answer, but stopped short as a thunderous explosion was heard again from the west. The turned sharply to the western wall…or what's left of it.
Three giant snakes had broken through the wall. They were destroying the buildings and people were running every which way in terror.
"That." Ibiki said, monotonously.
"Damn. So it's war, then? Alright. Nothing new." Jiraiya bit his thumb and ran through the signs before pointing his hand to the ANBU training ground. In a giant puff of smoke, a toad, the size of a small mountain appeared on the training ground. "Gamahiro. Konoha is being invaded. I need you to take out those snakes as quickly and with as little collateral damage as possible. If possible, push them out of the village before killing them." Jiraiya spoke to the toad who gave a nod and jumped the buildings as he headed towards the snakes.
"I'll take the Oto army. Ibiki. Mobilize an army and defend the southern gate. If that gate falls, Konoha is doomed." Jiraiya ordered as he shifted into full on warrior mode.
"Understood, Jiraiya-sama." Ibiki bowed to Jiraiya and turned to his ANBU. "Well, you heard the man. GET A MOVE ON MAGGOTS! THIS IS WAR!"
A battlecry was heard before the ANBU began to mobilize as Jiraiya took off to the east.
-Above the Hokage box-
The roof over the Hokage was covered in a purple barrier that had been set up by the Sound Four, as soon as both the ninjas had landed. No one was getting in or out.
"Orochimaru. So you've finally returned. What are you going to do now?" Sarutobi asked, the kunai still pressed against his throat.
"Kukuku…what am I going to do? Lots of things, sensei. Lots of things. This village shunned me when I should have been Hokage. Then you exiled me, simply for chasing my dreams, just like any other ninja. So I am going to level this village until there's nothing left. Not even the rubble. And as for you. I am simply going to kill you, Sarutobi-sensei." Orochimaru proclaimed.
"I did not choose you as Hokage because you lacked the morals for it. The Hokage is supposed to be a protector, a guardian and a shield to the village. You just wanted power and immortality. You were exiled for experimenting on the villagers and ninja of Konoha. You betrayed the trust the civilians give you, you betrayed the trust of your fellow ninja, and most of all, you betrayed me. I let you go last time because I couldn't bear to strike down my favorite pupil." Sarutobi spoke with regret in his voice as he remembered his failures of the past, and the mistakes that he made that led to this.
"No more!" The tone in Sarutobi's voice changed. It rang with determination and fire as he deftly escaped Orochimaru's clutches and put some distance between them. He had shed his Hokage robe and hat as he faced Orochimaru in his full battle outfit. "Where is the Kazekage?"
"Kukukuku…He's dead. I killed him. I simply took his face before he died. Shall I show you?" Orochimaru snickered wickedly as he reached a hand up to his face to remove the mask. Along with the hat and loose mask, the skin seemed to melt off until the true face was seen. Pale white complexion, purple marks beneath his eyes.
"So…you finally completed that jutsu. You have attained your desired immortality I presume" Sarutobi inquired with disgust.
"Yes, sensei. I am immortal now. I have defeated death. Age will not kill me. And neither will you." Orochimaru replied, triumph already in his voice.
"That is where you are wrong, Orochimaru. Today, you do not face your sensei. You are not my student. You are a threat to Konoha. And as its Hokage, I WILL END YOU!" Sarutobi roared.
"JUST BRING IT OLD MAN!" Orochimaru screamed maniacally back as he rushed the Hokage to engage him in a Kage level taijutsu battle.
-Streets of Konoha-
"We have to get somewhere safe to tend to Gaara. We should head south, towards where our army is assembled." Temari instructed Kankuro who was supporting Gaara's, now unconscious, weight. Kankuro nodded. "What about that damned Uchiha still chasing us?" He said, starting to get annoyed at his persistence.
"No choice. We have to get behind the cover of our army. That'll stop him. So we keep running." Temari muttered, to which Kankuro agreed. Neither of them liked it, but for now, they had to run. And so, they sprinted through the streets as fast as they could, weaving in and out of fights and the scrambling civilians, until they eventually reached the gate.
-Konoha east wall-
Jiraiya stood outside the eastern gate, waiting for the enemy to show themselves. He had already used the time he had to lay out some basic traps here and there. Summoning Gamahiro had taken some chakra but it was starting to recover. He looked up at the sky, and the clouds rolling by, reminiscent of what the Nara clan would do so often.
It was a beautiful day. The sky was blue. The clouds looked like tufts of cotton and wisps of smoke. The sun was shining dazzlingly. If you paid enough attention, you could hear the birds in the nearby forest.
"This might actually be the last time I see this sky. Damn. How did I get myself into this? I'm about to take on an army of two hundred armed with nothing but myself. Twenty years ago, I wouldn't have broken a sweat. Now…I'm sweating already. Tch." Jiraiya continued to muse, not allowing himself to believe that this would be easy. Underestimating your opponent, even the newest genin, could be one way ticket to death.
A few more peaceful moments passed. Then, the first line popped up over the horizon.
"Alright. Here we go!" Jiraiya shifted into battle stance and was already signing as he rushed the first wave.
-Kage box rooftop-
The taijutsu battle had only gone on for a few minutes before both warriors pulled back. Though Orochimaru was well versed taijutsu, he preferred ninjutsu. His lack of interest in taijutsu, combined with the fact that Sarutobi was not the man he once was, the taijutsu skirmish ended in a stalemate.
"Orochimaru. You have made the mistake of underestimating Konoha. Konoha will not fall. Not today. Not ever. This village has over a thousand active ninja and the Sand have only about half as much. Their army cannot stand against mine. I think it's obvious that the Sound village belongs to you, does it not? And how many do you have? Three hundred? Four?" Sarutobi spoke spitefully.
"Kukuku. A lot of what you have said is true. The Sand have only half the army that Konoha have. And they didn't dare bring all of it, out of fear of leaving their village defenceless. And as for the size of my army, I only have two hundred. You or Jiraiya alone should be more than capable of dealing with that, don't you think? But I have not made any mistake today, old man. In fact. It is YOU who has underestimated ME. You should know me better than anyone else. And that means that you would know better than anyone that I wouldn't go into battle with no less than THREE trump cards!" Orochimaru declared, with a malicious intent clear in his eyes.
"Three trump cards? Yes…that has always been his way of doing things. How could I not remember? Did I actually underestimate him?" Sarutobi was genuinely worried now.
"Since you're about to die, I might as well tell you. Kukuku…how clichéd. A villains exposé. Still. It matters not. The first." At this Orochimaru's head snapped up and he opened his mouth, out of which came a single snake. That snake in turn opened its mouth. From the depths of the snake, the hilt of a sword appeared. Orochimaru grabbed it, and proceeded to draw the sword, seemingly from within himself. "Kusanagi. The legendary blade that will take your life." He said as he settled into a kenjutsu stance.
"The second…is the Ichibi. The one-tailed Shukaku. Though he seems to have gotten himself hurt. It matters not. He will recover, and proceed to flatten this pitiful village until not even rubble is left."
"The Ichibi?! How? How can he have a bijuu under his command? Or does he control the Jinchuriki? If so, then who is it? Shukaku of the Sand…sand…it must be that red headed boy, Gaara! This is bad. The only ones that can hold their own against a bijuu in this village are myself and Jiraiya. And I'm stuck here. So that must mean...Jiraiya is on his own. Damn you Orochimaru. How could you do this? And he has one MORE trump card?!"
"I'll bet you can't wait to find out how I plan on topping that one, can you, Sarutobi-sensei?" Orochimaru mocked the Hokage. Then he started laughing. Softly at first. Then louder and louder until it rang throughout the barrier.
"My greatest triumph to date, excluding my immortality. It took me every year since I left Konoha, every day to this day. One thousand eight hundred ninja died, but now…now…I COMMAND AN ARMY OF TWO HUNDRED NINJA WITH THE CURSED SEAL! AND THEY WILL RAZE THIS VILLAGE TO ASHES!" Orochimaru screamed to the sky and roared out his twisted laughter, as Sarutobi tried to take in the overwhelming information.
A/N: There you go. This is definitely not one of my better chapters, so I apologize. I have very little confidence in the whole invasion arc as well. I do have a plan, but putting it into writing is kinda tough. I promise to try and make the following arcs a lot better. Also, expect part 2 to be a little delayed as well. Leave a review but don't flame. I'm sensitive T.T
Till next time, stay awsum.