Embraced by Crimson
Chapter 6: Anchoring Reality
Rooftops near the Hokage Tower,
Naruto and Hiruzen vs. Orochimaru, Hashirama and Tobirama
The Senju brothers moved as one toward the blonde, chakra gathering and coalescing around their body. It would be an intimidating sight to even the most powerful of shinobi so for Naruto, not even in the same league as the two, it was worrisome to say the least. The two men moving at him weren't just powerful ninja - they weren't just kage - they were the founders of Konoha; relics of the legendary warring clan period. They'd been born into the fires of war and shaped it as they saw fit throughout their life.
Of course, Naruto quickly remembered he had a legend of his own beside him as he watched the Sandaime dive in the way of the Nidaime and cut him off from Naruto. And even as Orochimaru moved, hoping to eliminate the young jonin while his Hokage was distracted, he too was interrupted by a hastily risen earth justu. The snake sannin let out a small frown at the sight before jumping backwards to avoid damage.
It was clear to Naruto what the Sandaime was doing; the large wall of earth that had erupted was a symbol of the division in the battle. Naruto was to fight the oldest Senju brother while the aged Hokage dealt with Tobirama and Orochimaru. Naruto felt a wave of calm rush over him, focusing singularly on the enemy in front of him, and underneath that calm was the slightest semblance of pride as he recognised that the Sandaime had trusted him to handle the first Hokage.
As Hashirama finally came face-to-face with Naruto the blonde was forced to block a bone-crushing kick, his arms ringing from the strike. Immediately following was another strike, this time from the other foot. That too was blocked but the following punch wasn't - the wood-user's fist slamming into Naruto's face. The boy flew backwards from the strike before colliding with one of the roofs chimneys.
Before Naruto could even react his opponent was upon him. He was struck this time in the stomach before a kick from low down launched him into the air. Finally, the blonde regained his bearings and managed to stop the man's next strike that had been aiming to force him into the ground. Naruto grimaced as his arms shook from the strike before he reacted with his own hit, an elbow finding itself in his enemy's face.
Hashirama flew backwards from the force of the blow and Naruto felt some satisfaction seep into his bones; a strike like that - enhanced with his unique twisted chakra - was sure to leave a mark even on someone even as powerful as the Shodai. When the man stood back up from where he landed however, Naruto was greeted with the sight of a half destroyed face that seemed to be reforming in front of his eyes. Like some sort of sick reversed cremation the Senju's face righted itself in seconds.
Naruto frowned as his mind quickly came to several conclusions at once. First, and most importantly, the Shodai was most certainly not at full strength. His blows had been brutal yes - but they hadn't been earth shattering and they certainly hadn't been anything close to the godly strength he should have. That wasn't even mentioning the fact that the man didn't simply destroy Naruto where he stood with one of his many terrifying Mokuton jutsu. That the wood techniques didn't make an appearance suggested either that the man wasn't taking him seriously - which, considering Orochimaru seemed to have control of him, wasn't likely - or that he was somehow unable or unwilling to. Any reluctance on Hashirama's part to attack Naruto was more an indication of his own weakness than the blonde's strength so Naruto knew instinctively that the deceased Hokage wasn't at his usual power.
The second thing he realised was that the man opposite him had the ability to regenerate his body; clearly the result of the forbidden jutsu Orochimaru used to summon him. Even a weakened first Hokage with the ability to reform was incredibly dangerous and likely something Naruto couldn't handle without the use of some very powerful and dangerous abilities.
Naruto closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
All of this - from the first clash of fists to Naruto's realisations as the Senju recovered from his blow - occurred in a matter of seconds and to the ANBU outside the barrier looking in it was nothing more than a blur. It was clear to the squads surrounding the purple dome that the Elite Jonin they were watching was much stronger than anticipated and, as they witnessed a sudden shift in appearance for the blonde, they realised the battle was only going to get more awe-inspiring.
Naruto opened his eyes and the world was greeted with the sight of his once cerulean orbs instead replaced by the eyes of a toad.
The boy slammed his right hand on the ground without hesitation, "Kushiyose no Jutsu!" Smoke whirled around where his hand had hit the ground and hid the area from view. Hashirama, fully reformed, prepared to attack once again only to hesitate at the sight of two new forms coming out of the smoke.
"Naruto-chan!" It was the voice of an old lady and came from low on the ground, "What've you summoned us for?"
"Judging by the powerful chakra right next to us and sounds of battle I'm pretty sure he needs us to fight for him Ma." This time it was an elderly man who spoke, his tone no-nonsense and to the point.
"Sorry, Shima-obaasan, Fukasaku-ojiisan," Naruto announced contritely, "I'll need your help in this battle." The smoke finally cleared to reveal two small toads, both showing the signs of great age, standing next to Naruto's feet. Fukasaku shrugged good-naturedly and hopped onto Naruto's right shoulder without hesitation.
"Sure thing boy! These old bones have been needing a workout!" Fukasaku announced, stretching his legs in preparation for battle as he did so.
Shima frowned, "But what about lunch..." Her tone was of great distress even as she too hopped onto Naruto's other shoulder.
"Bah! So we'll eat a bit later then." Fukasaku countered in irritation.
"Naruto-chan will have to join us." Shima decided, "I'll go all out with a feast and-"
"Damnit woman! We're fighting here!" Fukasaku interrupted, his tone giving no room for further discussion.
To the ANBU outside the barrier the conversation going on between the two was bewildering. They recognised intrinsically that the two summons they were watching were powerful - unbelievably, immeasurably powerful - and so them bantering like an old married couple was disconcerting to say the least. Naruto however, didn't appear the slightest bit surprised by their arguing and seemed to be waiting for the conversation to finish, watching the Senju out of the corner of his eye as he did so. Suddenly, the man started summoning chakra and Naruto understood he'd had enough of analysing the inclusion of the toads.
"How long do we have?" Shima asked seriously, quiet enough that only her husband and Naruto could hear.
"I can last five minutes now." Naruto replied, "Then I'll have to summon another clone." He'd already dispelled one to attain his first influx of natural energy, which meant he only had one more to replenish his chakra. The two toads didn't respond to his statement, recognising that now wasn't the time to discuss Naruto's increase as a result of training.
Shima narrowed her eyes as she stared at Hashirama, "That man isn't natural." She sounded disgusted, "He feels like death."
"He is; that's the first Hokage. Orochimaru summoned him and the Nidaime." Naruto explained carefully as he watched the Senju, "The other two are fighting Hokage-sama."
"That foolish monkey - this is all his fault." Fukasaku growled. They'd had to watch as Jiraiya tore himself up over the betrayal of his teammate - they'd watched as a part of their precious summoner had died inside. To them no one was more at fault than the man who taught the two. The Sandaime was many things but to the toads he was not a man of respect. He could have stopped Orochimaru and perhaps even could have saved Minato but he didn't. They merely tolerated him and his summons out of necessity.
Naruto didn't respond to his angrily muttered words - he didn't have a chance to as Hashirama began to move. The first Hokage was flashing through handseals at an incredible pace and the sudden eruption of the Senju's chakra across the entire rooftop immediately put Naruto on guard.
"Mokuton Hijutsu: Jukai Kōtan." The man intoned calmly before releasing the tight control he held over his chakra. Without warning trees sprung out of the roof, growing all around the two ninja and two summons. Many were the magnificent, imposing trees one would see surrounding Konoha while others were sharp and jagged, looking entirely more vicious and dangerous. It was the latter type that sprouted up around Naruto and the blonde found himself rapidly dodging all over the place to avoid being dismembered by the plantlife. Shima and Fukasaku held onto his shoulders with grim expressions on their face - as soon as the wood technique had been launched they'd immediately understood the power of the man they were facing.
To wield nature itself like a mere toy spoke volumes of his strength; the last person to have attained such awesome power might have been the Sage of the Six Paths, if the whispered legends were even true. For that reason alone, the two toads worried for their summoner, hoping he had what it would take to face off against such a foe.
For several seconds the fight consisted singularly of Naruto dodging the rapidly growing forest around him. It was only when the boy was forced to launch himself high into the air off a handstand, his body upside down and off-balance, that the Senju released his hold over his fearsome jutsu.
"Mokuton: Daijurin no Jutsu!" Hashirama announced with a thrust of his arms. Within seconds the two appendages had transformed into long, stretching trees that were rapidly approaching Naruto. The blonde, still in midair and without any way to conceivably move his body, realised with startling clarity that the entire idea behind the deceased Hokage's growth of a forest had been to get him stuck in the air so he couldn't dodge this.
With no way out and a pair of rapidly approaching trees that looked sharp and deadly to the touch, Naruto found himself going through his own set of handseals.
"Fūton: Kaze no Yaiba!" As he thrust both arms forward in a x-shape he forced an incredible amount of chakra into the technique in order to ensure the blades of wind would be strong enough. Sure enough, the winds slashed at the tree-arms that were about to strike Naruto, cutting the edge of them off before they could hit. In perfect synchronization the two toads on Naruto's shoulders jumped together. Fukasaku didn't even mutter a word as he blasted an incredible amount of toad oil out of his mouth to soak and saturate the wood-users elongated limbs.
Shima had no such restraint however, loudly screaming, "Senpō: Goemon!" Fire streamed out of her mouth and hit the oil that Fukasaku had only just placed. Immediately the wood was alight and the flames rapidly crawled across the tree-arms until, just as they were about to reach the user, Hashirama released his jutsu and the wooden creations detached from his actual arms.
The absence of a wind technique to strengthen the collaboration jutsu they'd just used meant it wasn't as effective as it could have been but Shima understood that Naruto had needed to deal with the pressing threat of the sharp arms first. The wood had served as an unintentional boon anyway, empowering the fire along with the oil. In the end they'd avoided a grissly death from being impaled as well as forcing the wood-user to stop using his technique.
The twelve year old shinobi didn't pause there, using the distraction of the flames to launch his next jutsu.
"Fūton: Renkūdan!" The boy took in a huge breath before expelling it all at once from his mouth. The result was a small, incredibly compressed bullet of wind flying through the air toward the deceased Hokage. It struck cleanly through the forehead of the man and exploded with a loud bang instantly. The forest that had only just been created was upended as a result of the force of the explosion, countless tress ripping out of the rooftop they had grown out of and flying outward. Some even reached the barrier and disintegrated into dust.
The toads on Naruto's shoulders found themselves having to use chakra to stay in place else they'd be flung away from the power of the technique. After a few tense seconds the jutsu finally ended and the tumultuous winds died down to nothingness. Where once Hashirama Senju stood was only a pair of legs, still upright in the position they'd been when the wooden arms had been released.
Naruto let himself wonder for a few seconds if the jutsu may have been enough to stop his opponent's regeneration - after all, he'd surely destroyed whatever Orochimaru had put on the neck of the man. Unfortunately his hopes were dashed when the man simply regrew his body right where he stood, looking entirely unaffected by the terrifying wind technique just used against him.
Naruto tensed and prepared to attack again but found himself stopping as he felt a malignant chakra far away somewhere in Konoha. The evil nature of it gave the boy pause and even Hashirama had a contemplative look on his face.
At the same time,
ANBU HQ
"Status report." Shikaku requested quietly, gazing across the room at the countless ninja scrambling around in panic. He was in the ANBU HQ which itself was full of jonin and chunin that were keeping up with the progression of the invasion. He stood at the head of a large table that had maps and and troop movements outlined across it. Beside him was one of the ANBU captains - clearly assigned to maintain the information flow for the mysterious organisation.
At his demand the ninja in the room all began shouting things in quick succession.
"All civilians from the stadium have been evacuated!" One shouted, "Kakashi Hatake reports thirteen casualties!"
"Sectors 1 through to 7 are under Konoha control, 12 and 14 have fallen to the enemy - all others are still contested!" Another ninja, this one a jonin from the intelligence division, announced. Shikaku allowed a small smirk to grace his features; that was very good progress for the time the invasion had been going on.
"Jiraiya-sama has suppressed and captured the enemy Jinchuriki." This time it was a Chunin directly under Shikaku's command, her voice that of relief - and for good reason; the prevention of a Bijuu breakout was a huge step toward victory.
"Jonin?" Shikaku asked.
"Jonin from Sectors 1 to 7 are reinforcing where needed. No presence in sectors 12 and 14. Gai and Kakashi are moving toward them as we speak." A jonin, one who had been forced out of retirement to assist in this defence, announced calmly, "Eight reported casualties. Three missing." Shikaku didn't have a chance to speak before another voice broke through.
"Chunin in the controlled sectors have started pushing outside the walls and dealing with the snake summons." A chunin explained, "Twenty-seven reported casualties. The number unaccounted for is currently unclear."
Shikaku, satisfied with the two previous responses, decided to conclude the report, "And genin?"
"All civilians aside from the north are safely evacuated! Most genin are awaiting new orders!" Another ninja added. Shikaku frowned, for them to be waiting for orders meant Naruto was indisposed.
Shikaku voiced his concerns to the room, "What about Naruto Uzumaki?" For a second there was no reply and a few people worried for the boy. To not be giving orders implied he was either being negligent, was captured or was dead. The ninja in the HQ didn't know which of the three was worse.
"Elite Jonin Uzumaki is currently supporting the Sandaime in combat." The ANBU captain spoke up carefully, knowing the information he was about to reveal was important to say the least.
"Why aren't the ANBU doing that?"
Inoichi, who had previously been relaying information to the ninja on the battlefield through his mind techniques, interrupted, "Uzumaki and Hokage-sama are trapped in a barrier of some sort. Cat reports any attempts to break through have resulted in failure." Inoichi sounded distressed as he spoke which made Shikaku narrow his eyes in suspicion.
"Who're they fighting?" He demanded.
"Orochimaru has used a forbidden jutsu to summon Hashirama and Tobirama Senju from the dead and under his control." All activity in the room ceased at the ANBU captain's words. Gasps of shock and horror reverberated around the room, "Elite Jonin Uzumaki is currently engaging with the Shodai while Hokage-sama is fighting both the Nidaime and Orochimaru."
That... that was worrying. Shikaku could feel the panic settling into his bones - the addition of two kage-level enemies was something they hadn't accounted for and could do untold damage to the repulsion of the invasion. That wasn't even mentioning the precarious situation Naruto and the Sandaime were currently in. Their deaths, particularly Naruto, would have consequences so severe that Konoha's very existence might be threatened. And considering they were fighting against the founders of the village itself... their safety certainly wasn't guaranteed.
"Withdraw half the ANBU from the Hokage's location," Shikaku directed at the captain, "They are to assist in recovering sectors 12 and 14. Another captain is to take control of the genin - I don't care who, " Shikaku paused to catch his breath, "Someone inform Jiraiya about the recent developments and make sure he gets to the barrier as fast as possible to do what he can!" His voice raised at this point, angry at the lack of activity and shell-shocked attitude of the ninja, "Naruto and the Sandaime aren't hesitating in their battle so don't dishonour them by neglecting your own duties! Finish the report!"
His words seemed to snap them out of their daze as another Chunin began to speak, "There's been..."
Also at the same time,
Northern area of Konoha
Explosions struck across the street, debris and shrapnel flying around and hitting anyone within range. In the distance an apartment block could be seen in the final stages of collapse, its support giving way when a jutsu struck its side. The loud boom the building created when it began to fall did nothing to distract the countless ninja in the area; the noise lost in the madness of the war that was occurring around it. What had once been one of the markets of Konoha was now nothing more than a battlefield.
Sasuke darted across the ground and deflected a kunai that had been heading toward one of the civilians that Neji was leading away. He didn't pause for a second, jumping toward the assailant who threw the kunai and striking him across the face with a harsh punch. What immediately followed was a barrage of taijutsu as Sasuke fought desperately with the Suna chunin in front of him. Eventually the Uchiha got the upper hand, landing a debilitating kick that sent the shinobi flying into the body of one of his comrades.
The raven-haired boy took a deep breath and flashed through hand-signs, "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" He shouted as a huge ball of flame erupted from his mouth and headed toward the two unaware Suna ninja. The one Sasuke had been fighting noticed the approach of the jutsu and, in a flash of bravery, tried to cover the body of the other ninja he had knocked into. The fire hit the two directly and for a moment Sasuke swore he might have heard their screams above the deafening sounds of the battlefield.
When the flames and smoke cleared all that was left was the twisted sight of two charred bodies, one curled over the top of the other. The Uchiha stiffened in shock, his body reacting to the sight of his first kill. He let his hands fall to his side as he stared silently at the remains of the two ninja he had just killed. The ending of a life shouldn't have hit him so hard but a part of Sasuke, a part he had hidden deep inside, recognised this as another step toward becoming similar to That Man.
Neji meanwhile pushed the civilians in front of him onward, gesturing for them to pick up the piece. When Naruto had told him to evacuate the people in the south side of the village he hadn't been too worried; even if they were closer to the fighting very few ninja villages subscribed to the act of killing civilians. It was neither logical nor justifiable. If you won as invaders, then you'd have killed off your future workforce. If you lost then you had wasted valuable time killing people that only weighed down on the defenders.
"Keep moving, quickly!" Neji's voice echoed across the street. He encouraged a family near him, two children no older than seven or eight, to catch up to the rest of the people in front of them.
Of course, Neji knew, war never turned out how you expected. Him and the genin he had taken with him shouldn't have to fight enemy ninja but here they were, engaged in battle with a little less than a dozen Suna-nin. The cynical part of Neji's mind wondered if perhaps this was what Naruto had been expecting; to force them to fight the fodder that had been assigned to attack civilians. Maybe it was a test, to see if they were truly ninja of Konoha? The Hyuuga found he didn't particularly care right now.
When Neji was finally satisfied with the distance the civilians had reached away from the enemy ninja he turned to focus his attention on the battle occurring. When they had first encountered the Suna-nin Neji had ordered the rest of the genin to hold them off while he used his Byakugan to find safe passage for the civilians. It may have been callous as a leader to ignore the fighting but Hyuuga recognised it as the logical choice to make.
In the distance he could see Lee engaged with several enemy, Shino providing long range support with his bug-jutsu. Kiba, Akamaru and Tenten were replicating the actions of the two other Konoha-nin, using a combination of taijutsu and weapons to hold their opponents off. Sasuke seemed to be fighting two ninja by himself and was flashing through hand-signs for a jutsu even as Neji watched. A large fireball appeared and struck the two enemies. As Neji neared the fight he could tell that Sasuke had killed his two enemies.
He watched as the Uchiha froze, a combination of horror and satisfaction flickering across his face. He also watched as the only free Suna-nin moved toward the boy, recognizing the moment of weakness. He watched - because he knew he wouldn't reach the other genin in time - as a katana darted toward Sasuke's back, about to pierce the area near the heart.
The Hyuuga watched as Hiroki, Sasuke's teammate, dived in front of the blade and took the blow.
There was a lull in the battle - a fitting moment of silence for the heroic act of the Konoha shinobi. Sasuke turned slowly, feeling blood hitting his back. When he did he was met with the site of a heaving Hiroki with a blade jutting out of his chest. The boy's eyes were closed and his breathing was haggard. The blood that had flown out of the wound was dripping down Sasuke's neck, crawling under his skin. Behind his teammate the Suna-nin holding the katana began to regain his bearings, preparing to pull the weapon out of the genin.
Before he could though Hiroki grabbed the blunt side of the blade with both hands, effectively holding the katana in place in his body. Sasuke didn't move, frozen in shock at the sight of the the dying boy in front of him. The Suna-nin pulled harder on the blade and began to slice through the fingertips of Hiroki, drawing a pained wail out of the boy.
"S-Sorry, Sasuke." The boy panted as his grip weakened, "Guess I'm not strong enough..." The boy wheezed before letting the blade go entirely and his arms falling slack to his side. His breathing stopped. As the enemy ninja removed the katana out of the body and let Hiroki hit the floor with a dull thud Sasuke did nothing, his eyes stuck on the sight of his dead teammate.
When the man moved to strike Sasuke however, he was met with an earth-shattering scream and black flames.
"Do I sense Madara?" The first Hokage questioned out loud before adding, "No, it's very similar though. Interesting." The man said nothing else about the matter and so Naruto considered the few words he had spoken.
The only person left in the village that might have chakra similar to Madara was Sasuke - what had the genin possibly done to connect himself to his ancestor?
Naruto's thoughts were interrupted by the movement of Hashirama. He was once again flashing through a series of handseals. Naruto, trying to prevent the launch of what he presumed was another dangerous wood jutsu, launched several kunai at the man in quick succession. The Senju simply ignored them, allowing them to hit his body and pass through. It was at this point that Naruto truly understood the danger he was in; regeneration meant the only problem his opponent faced when struck was if the damage was enough to temporarily halt him. For small matters like kunai it was easier to ignore them entirely.
"Mokuton: Mokuryū" A huge wooden dragon erupted out of the floor, it's presence towering over even the trees that Hashirama had previously created. It was serpentine in nature and glided through the air toward Naruto like a snake. The blonde's eyes widened at the sight of it but reacted accordingly, moving backwards to create as much space as possible between him and the thing.
"Naruto-chan, fire won't work on something like that!" Shima shouted over the top of the roar of the battle.
Fukasaku nodded in agreement, "I might be able to lift it and throw it at the barrier." He offered, holding on tightly as the three flew backwards.
"It'll be connected to him, so that won't work," Naruto muttered absently. Very soon they'd run out of room to run backwards, the barrier stopping them. "I'll have to destroy it." He knew immediately what technique to use but it was very demanding and would likely make him run out of natural energy - that in turn meant he would run out of back-up clones. He frowned at the thought; he didn't like being on his last legs like that.
With them approaching the barrier he knew he couldn't put it off any longer and so summoned a clone wordlessly. At the audible pop the two toads looked at the clone in confusion. Naruto meanwhile began to create a Rasengan in his right hand. He'd long since mastered a single-handed Rasengan but the addition of the wind element to the technique forced him to rely on a clone.
As the wind nature gathered in his palm around the original Rasengan the two toads on his shoulders jumped off, aware of the power that was rapidly focusing in and around Naruto's hand and even more aware of their need to stay away from it for the moment. Naruto himself ignored their actions and continued his technique. Now the Rasengan looked more like a shuriken, wisps of wind flying around it.
Satisfied with it's completion, Naruto forced nature chakra around it and, without delay, threw it at the wooden dragon.
"Fūton: Rasenshuriken!" The boy shouted loudly, watching the jutsu collide with the dragon. An earth-shattering screech erupted across the battlefield before an explosive white dome expanded rapidly from where it struck the dragon.
A loud screech interrupted Shikaku's thoughts. Before he could even consider what he'd heard he felt the ground rumble and the ninja in the room with him all paused. It only lasted a few seconds but was still incredibly concerning; a jutsu of that power might have caused great devastation to the village.
"What was that?" Shikaku demanded to the group.
It was Inoichi who answered him, "ANBU Boar reports that a large explosion just occurred on the rooftops where the Sandaime is fighting. The forest that the first Hokage created has been reduced to a wasteland. Elite Jonin Uzumaki is visible in the destruction." relief settled on his face as he continued, "The resurrected Hashirama Senju no longer seems to be present!"
Cheers erupted around the room - the defeat of one of the deceased Hokage's put the pervading fear that had been around since the announcement of their presence to rest. Shikaku however didn't engage in the celebrations. It couldn't possibly have been that easy...
The sight of the destroyed forest did little to calm Naruto's nerves. He knew that wasn't enough to stop the resurrected Hashirama. His regeneration meant any damage was assailable. As he analysed the expanse of the roofs - several top floors now visible to the naked eye thanks to his technique - his eyes narrowed as he took sight of the heavily damaged earth wall that had once separated him from the Sandaime. Even now he could just make out their battle in the distance and from he could see the aged leader was fighting with Enma much like he was with the toads.
Suddenly, the last vestiges of Sage Mode ran out and he found himself without the use of natural energy. His eyes were still only returning to normal when Naruto whipped a small scroll out of his pouch and spit some blood on the parchment. With a puff of smoke a clone of him appeared, still in the pose used to gather nature chakra. Wordlessly, the clone dispelled and Naruto felt the natural energy bursting into his own body, refilling his reserves. The previously disappearing toad eyes returned in full force and Naruto allowed a small sigh to flow through his body as his exhaustion disappeared temporarily.
It was at this point that Hashirama made a reappearance. Right where he'd been standing when the Rasenshuriken hit his body began to reform, pieces of him spinning and twisting around until eventually the Senju was once again standing in front of Naruto in all his glory. The man didn't seem to have any reaction to his sudden destruction or the powerful technique - though whether this was as a result of being under control or simply his actual attitude Naruto didn't know.
Shima spoke up at this point, "Naruto-chan, I can feel him gathering a very large amount of chakra." She frowned, "Whatever he's doing, it's dangerous."
Carefully, the Senju man thrust his arms forward and announced, "Mokuton: Kajukai Kōrin." All around Naruto branches sprouted up out of the floor, creating a grotesque series of roots to replace the heavily damaged rooftop battlefield. As this was occurring what looked to be large flowers began to bloom out of the wood and an odd haze descended around them.
The flowers were releasing a green mist into the air and Naruto knew even without inhaling it that it was poisonous. Shima and Fukasaku both narrowed their eyes, feeling the untold natural energy that had just been distributed around them. As the pollen neared the two toads began to hack and cough, feeling woozy. Naruto however, felt little effect from the poison aside from a slight slur in his thought process. It was clear to the three that the Uzumaki was much more resistant to whatever the Senju had done than the toads.
"N-Naruto-chan," Fukasaku forced out through gritted teeth, "The pollen... it's knocking us out." His breathing was staggered and it was obvious it wouldn't be long before he lost to the approaching darkness. Without another word Naruto flashed through a series of handseals at breakneck pace.
"Fūton: Daitoppa!" He shouted, a huge gust of wind summoned by his chakra. It struck against the poison in the air and blew it backwards toward the Senju. For a brief moment the toads and Naruto found themselves not surrounded by a green haze. The blonde grimaced and held up his jutsu, maintaining it to prevent the pollen from returning. The elder toads seemed to recognise his efforts were futile.
Shima interrupted over the roaring winds, "It's pointless! I'm sorry, Naruto-chan - looks like we're useless for this." Naruto didn't visibly react to her proclamation and merely held onto the jutsu.
"Don't worry, just dispel and get home safe." Naruto decided grimly, "I'll handle it from here." The toads nodded resolutely as he spoke, accepting his request with great reluctance; they didn't like abandoning their summoner.
"Good luck Naruto!" Fukasaku shouted as he and Shima disappeared in a puff of smoke, their reverse summoning back to the mountain enacted.
Naruto meanwhile simply grimaced at the loss of his allies before focusing his gaze on the polluted battlefield he was now alone on. The pollen, while not severely affecting him, was still enough to slow his thinking down and so he needed to deal with it as fast as possible. He didn't want to waste too much of his remaining Sage Mode on a Rasenshuriken to destroy the flowers though and so considered his other options.
'Fire.' Naruto conceded internally, recognising it as the only way to counter the newly grown roots and branches. He instantly knew which technique to use - the only one that would be powerful enough. The jonin wasn't particularly talented in Katon jutsu and so he'd have to concentrate and ensure he kneaded the chakra absolutely perfectly or the strength of the jutsu wouldn't be enough.
'Ram. Horse. Snake. Dragon. Rat. Ox. Tiger!' Naruto recited as he flipped rapidly through the handseals.
"Katon: Karyū Endan!" It was one of the Sandaime's signature techniques and one of the few he'd taught Naruto; a fire dragon. As Naruto breathed out flames burst forward and began to form into a very specific shape. The head of a dragon-like creature could be seen in the torrential fire before the blonde released the tight grip he had on the jutsu and sending it toward the pollinating flowers. As the flaming dragon soared forward Naruto went through another set of handseals - ones he'd done only moments before.
"Fūton: Daitoppa!" He recited for the second time in the day. The gusts of wind that he summoned helped to fan the flames of the dragon and increased it's power and strength tenfold. Before Hashirama knew it where he was once facing a dragon only slightly larger than a human he was now opposing a gargantuan chakra monster, one that would surely wipe out any living thing in the immediate vicinity.
Deciding to forego the regeneration for another time, Hashirama summoned wood around him silently to form his own spectral guardian. It too was the face of a dragon, though it was not intended to destroy like Naruto's but to protect. The head formed entirely around the Senju man and stood strong against the approaching flames.
"Mokuton: Hōbi no Jutsu." Hashirama intoned quietly from his position inside the protective wood. For several seconds the man remained inside, listening to the roars of the flames as the fire dragon was surely consuming anything and everything in it's path. It was only when the sounds began to cease and the graphic destruction stopped, that the first Hokage released his hold on his jutsu and allowed the wooden protection to fall away beside him.
When he stood out of his technique he was greeted with the sight of an utterly desolate battlefield. All the flowers he'd previously created were nothing more than dried, burnt husks and where trees once stood now only ash remained. For the few branches and roots that survived, flames were still consuming them - creating an intimidating image of the aftermath of Naruto's jutsu.
When he gazed upon the scene Hashirama was reminded of the wastelands of the Warring Clans Period.
Sometime during the invasion,
In the middle of the battlefield in a damaged house
In the remains of a building with the sounds of battle surrounding her - the fight for her very village's survival happening in the background - Tsunade Senju sat silently in the same place Naruto left her. Her form was still, aside from the occasional nervous tremor as a result of the blood splattered across her body. The blonde woman didn't react to the shouts and screams of pain and triumph around her, nor to the knowledge that people were dying as she remained stuck, frozen in time.
Tsunade of the Sannin, the greatest Medic-nin of her generation, the strongest ninja in the world, the greatest kunoichi in Konoha's history, was paralyzed.
Paralyzed by memories. They flickered through her subconscious; images of a young, brown-haired boy and of an older, handsome long-haired man. She remembered the innocence, the naivety and the bravery of Nawaki and the intelligence, kindness and love of Dan. Then she remembered the cold, stiff and red - so red - corpses of them. Her thoughts were struck down by the immeasurable and unending phobia. She couldn't move.
But then other images flashed through her mind.
"I love my village and the people in it..."
It was a blonde boy, the same radiating, beautiful and warm eyes of sweet Nawaki.
"I want to protect them..."
He smiled and it was soft, full of kindness. Just like Dan.
"Pull yourself together..."
The face twisted into a disappointed expression, one of near disgust. Tsunade had to look away, unable to bear the shame that enveloped her at those sad, oh so familiar eyes.
'Damnit,' Tsunade's mind growled angrily at herself and at the world, 'Just one more time... I'll believe one more time.'
And so Tsunade of Konoha stood - and she moved.
Naruto had only just avoided another of the Senju's many extended wooden limbs, jumping off the floor and sticking to a nearby chimney, when Hashirama suddenly stopped moving. The blonde was grateful for the sudden break in fighting and so allowed himself to take in some deep breaths while watching the man carefully.
It was then that Naruto felt it.
A suffocating, terrifying and altogether unnatural presence. One that spoke not of humanity but something greater, something otherworldly. The blonde whipped his head around rapidly in fright, trying to pinpoint the cause of the dark feeling - whatever was causing this was something Naruto intrinsically knew he should fear. What he saw over the shattered remains of the earth wall that had once divided his and the Sandaime's battles ended up being so much worse than anything he could have imagined.
The Sandaime stood, grim-faced and resolute, Kusanagi pierced through his stomach and both his hands holding Orochimaru's shoulders and next to him the Nidaime was being held in a similar position by a clone of the Sarutobi. Behind him was something no one aside from the living Hokage and Naruto himself could see; the God of Death - Shinigami. It made for an imposing figure, towering over the entire rooftop with a dark grin on it's face. It wore a white cloak of some sort and flames danced around it's body. In it's mouth a small blade could be seen. All in all, it made for a hellish vision.
"Hokage-sama!" Naruto screamed, the presence of Hashirama across from him momentarily forgotten, "No!" To the ANBU outside the barrier that could now see Naruto thanks to the previous forest having been destroyed to nothingness, his fear seemed entirely unwarranted. They could merely see the Hokage holding Orochimaru in place and nothing else. Naruto, well versed and having the ability to use the jutsu due to his extensive training in Uzumaki techniques, was the only person aside from the Sandaime that could see the Shinigami.
Hiruzen grimaced as he heard the shout from his jonin but didn't respond, instead choosing to focus on the man in front of him. Orochimaru himself found himself for some strange reason unable to move - why he didn't know - and in a moment of startling clarity realised that his old teacher had deliberately taken his strike with the Kusanagi. To achieve what exactly, was unknown to him. But if the reaction of the Namikaze brat was anything to go by it was anything but good.
"What are you up to, you old fool?" Orochimaru hissed, angry he'd lost control of the fight.
The Sandaime only offered a grim smile, "Something I should have done long ago." At this the man raised one of his hands and the Shinigami behind him echoed his movement, it's ghostly limb moving toward Orochimaru. When the god touched him Orochimaru was suddenly able to see it and his eyes widened in shock and in pain - he could feel the cold embrace of death just from that touch alone.
"What - What is this!?" His composure was cracking rapidly as he took in the sight of something he knew instinctively as beyond his powers.
"For a man who seeks to avoid death," The Hokage's voice rose loudly, reverberating across the rooftops until all in the immediate area - from the few ANBU still around to Naruto - could hear, "There is no greater punishment then to be devoured by the Shinigami itself!"
At all at once everyone realised what was going on.
"Hokage-sama!" The ANBU repeated Naruto's previous harrowed calls.
Orochimaru meanwhile grew panicked, "You decrepit old man! This means your death!" But even as he spoke the Snake Sannin knew his teacher didn't care.
"A price I have been waiting to pay for far too long..." Hiruzen intoned softly, memories of his dead ninja, his dead successor and his dead wife flashing through his mind. In the throes of panic, Orochimaru suddenly ceased his movement, a wicked smirk adorning his features.
"You seem to have forgotten sensei, that we're not alone." At this the Sarutobi could suddenly feel another presence rapidly approaching him, Orochimaru and the Nidaime's position.
Naruto, who'd been watching the interaction in a dazed horror, realised that Hashirama had begun to move toward the Sandaime. Without a moment's hesitation he flung himself forward, desperately using the speed he was so proud of to close the gap. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how one saw it, he made it just in time.
The Sandaime turned to be greeted by a rapidly approaching Hashirama who was wielding a sharp wooden blade of some sort, clearly intending to cut him down. Instead, as the blade swung it met Naruto, slashing across his left eye as he leant back before completely bisecting his right arm from his body. The boy screamed in pain as his limb was coldly amputated and eye disfigured but still managed to grab the Shodai with his other arm, preventing him from striking the Hokage.
Hiruzen reacted immediately, summoning another clone without handseals and using it to hold Hashirama in place. As soon as he was sure that all three enemies - the two deceased Hokage and Orochimaru - were held in place, he allowed his gazed to fall down to the blonde jonin who just collapsed. He was kneeling, breathing harsh and sporadic, holding the wound where his arm had once connected to his shoulder tightly as blood seeped out and spilled around him. His left eye was closed but the ugly red gash from brow to cheek revealed how bad it was underneath the eyelid. The Sandaime knew a severe injury when he saw one - not even Naruto would be able to survive this sort of blood-loss without help.
"Naruto." He whispered in grief. This wasn't how it was supposed to be - the boy should have been somewhere else, somewhere far away and safe. Not fighting against his sick, twisted student. This battle was his and his alone...
He didn't have time to dally now, not with the life of Konoha's future hanging in the balance, "Hashirama-sensei, Tobirama-sensei, I'm sorry for what I'm about to do." He didn't even look at his old student as he spoke, pushing the death god forward toward the souls of the founders.
As the three felt their souls being tugged a calm washed over the battle, aside from Orochimaru's now frantic struggles.
"For what it's worth, we're sorry too, Hiruzen." Tobirama announced without emotion - unable to express any true feelings.
"Hah... uh-" Naruto forced himself into a standing position, regaining control of himself, "Wait, Hokage-sama-" He needed to stop this.
"Be quiet you stupid, naive, little boy." The Sandaime countered, tears forming at his eyes. "Let an old man atone for his mistakes. Finally." At this he began to truly pull at the souls of the three. When Orochimaru felt the grip of the god he seized in pain and fury, thrashing against it's grip. His control on the two Hokage collapsed entirely and so the Sandaime's clones had little trouble grabbing their souls and wrenching them viciously out from their body.
With a sick grin across it's face the Shinigami ruthlessly cut the souls apart and devoured them without a moment's hesitation. And with that, the bodies of the Senju brothers fell apart entirely, withering to ashes.
"NO!" Orochimaru cruelly twisted the Kusanagi blade which was still lodged in his teacher's stomach, hoping to cause enough pain to escape. The Sandaime gritted his teeth darkly however and held on. The tug of the Sannin's soul was a much more difficult affair and one that required all his remaining strength. For what seemed like hours but in reality was only a minutes the two struggled back and forth - Naruto forcing himself to stay conscious and staggering around despite his wounds in the background.
The ANBU, having seen the dissipation of the Konoha founders and heard the words of their leader, watched the entire affair in grim silence. They knew this would likely be the last time they'd gaze upon the venerable Sandaime while he was still alive.
Despite his best efforts, Hiruzen found his strength failing and his eyes began to widen in fear. To fail now wasn't acceptable - it'd surely spell doom for Naruto and perhaps even the village itself. Orochimaru seemed to notice his ailing lifeforce and so his struggling increased tenfold, a smirk reappearing on his face.
"Seems like you can't hold on, dear sensei." Orochimaru licked his lips as he watched the panic settling in his old teacher's eyes, "It's a shame you'll die as soon as you run out of strength - I'd liked you to have witnessed Konoha's fall." Before the man could continue to taunt the Sandaime however, he was forced to put all his efforts into bending his neck away from a kunai thrown by Naruto.
The jonin was barely standing, his remaining arm outstretched from where he'd released the weapon. A small cut could be seen on the Sannin's cheek - he'd only just avoided the throw.
"You... you won't touch-" The boy paused and fell to his feet again, desperately fighting against the approaching darkness. Orochimaru hissed in anger at the defiance of Naruto but didn't bother to reply, satisfied with waiting out the Hokage's collapse.
Unfortunately for him, the Sandaime wasn't.
"If I can't take your soul," His breathing was haggard as he spoke, "Then I suppose I'll have to settle... for these precious arms of yours." And then, without warning the Shinigami descended and struck, slashing at Orochimaru's soul. Hiruzen had only managed to drag out the man's upper limbs and so the god only devoured them alone. Regardless of this, Orochimaru still screamed in a combined pain and fury as he felt the cloaked spirit take away his arms.
"What have you done!?" The Sannin roared in anger as he found himself unable to move his arms. Even as the elderly man slipped off his sword and fell backwards, a content smile on his face, Orochimaru found himself unable to move his limbs to strike him down once and for all. Immediately, an incredibly, unbelievable fear enveloped him. This weakness would surely spell his doom if he remained here.
The Sannin jumped backwards, his arms swaying uselessly, "Sound Four!" He hissed, "Drop the barrier - we're leaving!" And with that four figures that no one had even known was around, appeared around the man. Wordlessly, they grabbed their apparent leader and darted across the rooftops - away from the scene of the dying Naruto and Sandaime.
The ANBU, who had moved toward the two as soon as the barrier was dropped, found themselves in a dilemma. They could either pursue the enemy or stay with their leader. They didn't hesitate in their decision.
"Secure the area! Check on Hokage-sama and Uzumaki!" One captain announced loudly, "Inform Headquarters, Orochimaru has been defeated and is retreating!" The ninja dispersed rapidly, each moving to do what they were best suited for. Two squads of four immediately set themselves up around the rooftops, eyes scanning the horizon for possible threats, while the captain that had been shouting as well as a single ANBU found themselves right beside the two downed Konoha-nin.
As this was all happening Naruto, who could no longer even stand, dragged himself over to the Hokage. He was greeted with the sight of a bleeding abdomen and slowly dying pair of eyes. The Sandaime didn't speak when he saw the boy pulling himself over to him, merely smiling softly at the sight.
Naruto however, started to freak, "No, no, no, no, no..." His eyes widened in fear before suddenly he released the gushing wound on his shoulder with his remaining arm and hovered over his leader's body. "I can-I can fix this!" He muttered, springing into action. His mind flickered rapidly through all the knowledge he had of the ninja arts before settling on a particular field.
Fuinjutsu would be able to save him; the jonin was sure of it. But what seal could stop the Shinigami itself? He racked his brain for any possible solution, anything that could conceivably prevent the god from taking his just desserts, and he couldn't thinking of anything. Without even contemplating the possibility of it's success, Naruto decided to start making a basic Anchor Seal - usually used to connect chakra to weaponry or other seals. They relied on the sophistication of language used when designing the seal for success but he didn't have time for sophistication - he didn't even have ink.
He stuck his fingers harshly into the gaping wound where his arm had once been, moaning in pain, before withdrawing them and holding them once again over the Sandaime's body. Silently and quickly the boy began to draw the seal, using his blood as the ink. His hands flashed rapidly around the Sandaime's arm - the place he'd chosen to draw it - every movement causing him great pain and exhausting him.
This was the sight the ANBU captain and his single medic-nin were greeted with when they finally found themselves within a few feet of the two; A dying Sandaime and a near-unconscious Naruto who was drawing some sort of seal with the blood from his missing arm. The medic-nin actually staggered at the sight, unsure whether to pull the boy away and address his wounds first or to try and save the Hokage from whatever death sentence he had. The ANBU member found his decision made for him when the boy suddenly jerked forward and passed out on top of the seal he'd half finished.
The medic moved swiftly, pulling the rapidly bleeding out jonin off of the Sandaime and taking a cursory glance at his various severe wounds. Before he could do anything to them however, he was disrupted by the sound of a shuddering, exhausted breath from the Sandaime.
When Inoichi whispered the news in his ear Shikaku could hardly believe what he was hearing. He took a moment to compose himself before slamming his fist down on the table. Immediately all activity in the room ceased as everyone directed their gaze at the scarred veteran shinobi. The expression on his face was unreadable but it was clear to all he had some information to reveal.
"Orochimaru and the revived Hokage have been defeated." He intoned neutrally, "Across the village Suna and Oto forces have broken and are retreating." The news was cause for celebration. A few murmurs of relief and happiness echoed across the room but the tense atmosphere didn't dispel.
A Chunin broke the pause in conversation, "What about Hokage-sama and Uzumaki-san?" He was addressing everyone's concerns, it was clear to the ninja present that Shikaku had something truly terrible to tell them about the battle on the rooftops if the lack of happiness was an indication.
"Elite Jonin Uzumaki is in critical condition. It's not clear if he'll make it." He breathed slowly and allowed the concerned whispers to break out for a few seconds. The next piece of news was the one he truly dreaded announcing.
"The Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi," Everything went quiet, "Has died in battle."
A/N: HELLO
Well, big chapter. Yay.
I took a lot of artistic licence with Edo Tensei - honestly, can't remember how the jutsu worked that far back (I don't think Kishi can either to be honest). So forgive any mistakes in it.
On the whole Naruto being related to Hashirama thing; I'd meant for it to be in terms of the reincarnation of Ashura. I'd just assumed that if even canon Naruto implicitly understood he was something much more significant than simply Uzumaki Naruto then Hashi would surely have found out about his origins in his life. Obviously recent chapters have implied this is incorrect with Hashi being confused by the Sage's words which makes my subtle reference useless. So to speak plainly, Naruto is in no way, shape or form connected to Hashirama beyond Ashura. I repeat, he does not have his blood nor the Mokuton.
Side-note: I'm aware that Shima and Fukasaku can't link with Naruto. They're literally just sitting on his shoulders as a place to be. Naruto still gets his natural energy from the clone method.
All the techniques are canon. Look em up if you want to know more about them.
Here is where canon rapidly diverges. Prepare yourself.