Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I like potatoes. And turtles. And…presto! The beginning of the final part of my story starts…NOW.

The army arrived as scheduled. The day the army was getting familiar with each other, the plans for attack would be announced. Sasuke brought me into a room and called Juugo. The room looked like my bedroom- no windows, electric lighting, but with two doors instead of one. Juugo came in the second door dragging a half-dead man.

I recognized his face.

I didn't know his name, but he wore his Konoha forehead protector the common way- the way my dad does, on his forehead. He was one of the Shinobi who guarded the borders of Konoha. When Dad had taken me with him to check on the borders of our village, we met the man I now saw half-dead. He was one of the leaders of the squads that regularly ran the border patrols. I don't remember him going missing. For some weird reason, I was remembering Sakura's wink. I also recalled her leaving to tend to some Shinobi who were attacked.

"You're going to get the secrets of the Konoha border patrols from this man."

"Why don't you try first?" I said, implying for him to use his genjutsu. Or torture. Anything other than what he wanted me to do.

"I have." Sasuke said. "He said that he wouldn't give up Konoha's secrets." That sounded like my comrades. But how could they do that, with the knowledge that they would die?

After two months of deliberate calling up the Rinnegan, it shifted into place as easily as a person could brush their teeth. I closed my eyes. Since this was the first time doing this, I felt nervous.

I took a deep breath, and laid my hand as gently as possible onto the man's head. I could feel the chakra in his brain. I leaked some of mine there to find out our situation. Once I gathered the information, I pulled my hand off his head. I had hoped that this wouldn't happen, but his chakra stuck like glue to mine. I pulled, trying to get my hand away, since he was in slight pain. His soul disappeared, and the corpse folded upon itself. I felt as if his soul was still attached to my hand, and I felt dirty and revolting. I had just killed a man.

I tried to hold in my self-disgust. I had killed people before, but when I was in a rage in my Rinnegan. I didn't remember. Or people I didn't know, or my enemies. Not friends.

"Well?" Sasuke asked impatiently. Juugo was leaning on the table in the room. I had just noticed it.

I stared into Sasuke's eyes. His Sharingan was out, and I was instantly comforted by his power that he had over me. "The border patrol dispatches every twenty minutes. It takes fifteen minutes to run one eighth of the border of Konoha, and that's what each of the eight sentry points does. Each sentry point corresponds to North, West, East, South, northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast. The intervals between border checks correspond with the hour." That was all they needed to know, because Sasuke immediately started discussing plans with Juugo and dismissed me, asking to call Suigetsu for him. I located him flirting with one of the army's kunoichi, and I looked over to see Mangetsu copying his dad. Once I talked to Suigetsu, I went over to his son and slapped the idiot upside the head.

I saw Ichiro and his two-year-old sister playing a game. His sister did not seem to understand that her brother probably wouldn't be the same after tomorrow. Of course, she was also so young, and a very cute child, with brown hair and her father's black eyes, his facial features, and thin build.

I saw Ko and her family embrace, realizing that one of them might not be there in two days. Ko kissed the top of her four-year-old brother's head. It was an oddly peaceful sight, and made me miss Ken so much my heart ached.

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. I had just gotten to the bathroom before I started to dry heave, and then I puked for all it was worth. I'm a terrible person, I thought, If I could even be called a person. Or a Shinobi. My parents…they hadn't raised me to be like this.

The next day, when I was feeling better about myself, the plan was explained: The ambush team (which had yours truly, and friends) would sneak past the north and northwest borders on the hour. We destroy the North Gate and create a diversion. At the same time, our parents (and other assassins) would pick off the sentry posts from the South going up, like a clock. Then we attack from the North Gate, and also all sides. Attack, and destroy. I didn't like the sound of that, and it took all my willpower to stop myself from flinching. Everyone cheered. Did they feel no compassion for the people they would kill today?

We left in the teams- the ambush squad, led by Mangetsu, followed by me, Ichiro, and Ko. Today I wasn't wearing my beautiful purple cloak, but the black cloak with red fringe that was the army uniform for us. All the under-age kids, including us, got the standard wear for the army right underneath. I had my kunai, my shuriken, all the tools I needed. Mangetsu had Kiba, Ko's skin was leaking a black pattern of vines all over her face and hands, and Ichiro's Sharingan was out.

The assassin squad consisted of Sasuke, Juugo, his wife, Suigetsu, and a couple of other men and women from the smaller villages chosen based on their ability to kill quickly and silently.

After the sentries are killed, the ambush and assassin squads join the main army in the attack.

We were the last to leave the hideout.

I slid the kunai and shuriken into the holster I had on the back right of my pants, as normal Konoha Shinobi do. I slid two kunai up the long sleeves on my army chain mail shirt. I shrugged on my black vest, and donned my cloak. I took a good long look at my room, and left. I had a feeling that this would be the final time that I walk these halls. I joined Mangetsu, Ichiro, and Ko, and we stepped into daylight for the first time in months. I blinked at the harsh morning sun, temporarily blinded by the light. I forgot how long I hadn't seen the sun, and I saw that my skin was paler, like ivory, and I was taller than Ichiro. My hair was longer and slightly darker. It was a dark, rich red, and down to my diaphragm. I tucked it back into my cloak and slid the hood on.

I was the first to slide my hood on. Mangetsu, Ko, and Ichiro slid their hoods on as well and we set off. We flew through the forest at top speed. We were in a diamond position: Mangetsu, the oldest and the leader, in the front, Ichiro slightly behind his right foot, me slightly behind his left food, and Ko close behind Mangetsu. It was about five thirty in the morning, and the sun was rising, casting brilliant colors across the trees and sky. I looked at my friends' faces. I could see the wonder of the spectacle in their eyes. Their faces were orange with the streaks of light from the sun. Ichiro was serious, but Mangetsu and Ko were awed and excited by our upcoming project.

After a while, the sun's magic began to fade. It was about six or six thirty in the morning. We were approaching the barrier. The other three had never been to Konoha, so of course they didn't know where it was, but thanks to my Rinnegan and Ichiro's Sharingan, we saw the dome-barrier of Konoha a mile before we were at the sentry points.

We were close. I nodded at Mangetsu, and he signaled for us to stop. We halted in a line on a tree branch. "We're close to the dome that protects Konoha." Ichiro explained. "It detects people who are not native to Konoha, but if they are in a group with non-natives, the group isn't attacked or seen as a threat." Ichiro explained. Of course, I already knew that, but had to pretend like I didn't.

"The sentries are stationed right outside of the border." I said. "If we attack the North Gate as soon as the others do, then we won't have to worry about detection." I said. "Let's go."

We took off. We were a little too close to the North sentry point, so we moved slightly west. The sentries probably should have been killed by now, and this was just a precaution.

But someone was still alive. And they were making an irregular round towards the Northwest sentry post. I could sense him coming. "Hide!" I said. The four of use immediately dropped into the underbrush of the forest and hid among the bushes.

"Shit." Mangetsu muttered next to me. "Would this be all for nothing? Is the plan gonna fail-

"Shut up." I whispered. "You're gonna ruin our mission." I said. It was effective. He didn't speak for those hushed, stressful minutes.

The sentry past us by, singing softly to himself. My heart was pounding in my throat. I could hear Mangetsu breathing beside me, and I placed my hand over his mouth, my eyes locked on the sentry. "It's so very easy for youth to forgive everything." He sang in a quiet voice. "I called in the rescue squad, so please kiss me, please kiss me, all night…" He leapt from tree to the next tree, his forehead protector gleaming and his flak jacket new and crisp on his shoulders. A newly promoted Chunin. Wow- getting a little sloppy, kid, are we?

He was gone after five minutes, his voice fading away. We all breathed a sigh of relief, jumped up onto the branches, and resumed our attack.

Apparently it wasn't even seven in the morning yet, because that's when the North Gate opens. We stood in front of it, and I felt an odd sense of homecoming.

"Kirigakure no Jutsu!" Mangetsu said. Immediately, there was a mist created by chakra all around the Gate. The sky started to darken, and Mangetsu withdrew the Kiba swords. He held them together in an X. There was lightning, and it crackled above our heads, and down suddenly to Mangetsu's swords. He directed it at the Gate, and it exploded in a blast and the crumble of smoking wood. "What's going on?" Screamed a Gate sentry. I was as surprised as he was. I didn't expect it to be so loud. The flames crackled on the wooden gates, and they didn't let us pass. I formed the seals as fast as I could, since Water techniques always took such a long time to do.

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu." I said. The Great Waterfall Technique crashed out of nowhere, and put out the fire. The four of us leapt up and ran on the water and jumped up to the houses. We had a beautiful view of Konoha, but my hometown was in chaos.

The attack had begun.

Whew! Long chapter. Not my longest one so far, since the next one is even longer (sorry). It was a bit boring, but I'm hoping to make it better.

My dad is watching Naruto right now, but it's difficult for him to remember names. It's so funny, because he's up to the episode when Tsunade gets inaugurated as Hokage. My dad: "Tsunayaih gets inaugurated as the Hofaye…" Love him.