Hey guys! Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!
A.N: Sorry for the very late chapter, it was supposed to be out about a week ago, but Xmas cleaning was a b*&$h!
To:
Orange21- that is for the future
Morality0duality- All of Naruto's enemies thus far have underestimated him. I assure you that won't be the case in the future. Also, I never played Ninja Gaiden (what a pity!) so I won't know the tech; it really just came to me.
Deadzepplin- I think your psychic! , and I need a beta so I'm doing the best I can on my own.
To all my readers and reviewers I'd like to say thank you for taking the time to read and review my story. I really appreciate it!
Now on to this long overdue chapter!
Quote: How funny it is that many different people view the same thing in different ways!
Perspectives
Sandaime was the first to recover among the shocked shinobi council. The news was monumental to Konoha and would call for a major restructuring of the economic and political balance of Hi no Kuni. This would be a great boon to Konoha, but on the other hand it would also mean that Konoha's enemies will have further reason to try and topple her. A rival country increasing its borders no matter how small the increase, would be a major cause of concern for the other countries.
Sandaime looked at the young boy in front of him and couldn't help but see the boy's father in him. 'Naruto is rapidly causing dramatic changes and trouble in and around him, in Konoha and in the elemental nations. Just like his father' the Sandaime thought.
It was the same with Naruto's father, Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage. Minato captured both the hearts and the minds of those around him, both in Konoha and abroad. Iwa and Kumo would both grudgingly admit to that. Minato thwarted Kumo's attempt to acquire the nine-tails jinchuriki, Uzumaki Kushina, who would later become Minato's wife and Naruto's mother. Minato then went on to gain further infamy by almost single handedly turning the tide of the Third Great shinobi war between Iwa and Konoha. Minato's final act as Hokage was saving the village from the Kyubi, and losing his life in the process.
Sandaime was more than happy to call of the stupid fiasco that was Naruto's trial.
"Well then, as per the order of the Daimyo of the Fire country, all charges against Uzumaki Naruto will be dropped and he is to choose an estate of his liking as a reward for his services to Fire country" Sandaime said.
At this announcement Myushi stood up. "Great, my student's stupid interrogation is now over! Let's go brat!" the old man said as he motioned a still stunned Naruto to follow him out.
"Stupid? What do mean by stupid Myushi-san" The boy committed a crime said Koharu
Myushi turned to face the elder shinobi. "Had it been anyone else they would have been lauded for their bravery, but because of my student's unique condition this is not the case" Myushi replied referring to the Kyubi.
All of the council members knew that he was talking about the Kyubi and some were a little disconcernted about the fact that he knew the village's biggest open secret
Myushi continued "You all dislike him for something that was not his fault, and you persecute him as if he was a criminal. Do you all not know as a samurai he is not bound to this village despite his condition? He could easily leave and serve under the Daimyo and there would be nothing you all could do because he is not a shinobi, and thus he does not fall under the auspices of this village. Many times I ask him why is he so loyal to a village that hates him so much, and do you know what he always says?" the old man paused for effect. "He always says 'This is my home!' I have never met a more loyal man in my life, and you all call yourselves wise elders? What stupidity you show that you can't tell difference between the container and the contained, you all are stupid people."
Sandaime would say nothing because he was thinking the exact same thing.
"Watch your mouth man, you're in a shinobi council have some respect" Danzo replied. His ire was raised because he saw Naruto as nothing more than a weapon to be controlled and unleashed upon Konoha's enemies. To hear talk of the boy as something other than a weapon was quite vexing to Danzo.
"And why should I respect you hmm? Respect is earned and not given by default, and you should watch your mouth around me. I am not your lowly shinobi, and I don't take kindly to threats by idiots" Myushi replied to Danzo's barely restrained threat. "Let's go boy!" he motioned to his student
Danzo narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists in an attempt to restrain his anger. He knew he couldn't get at the man even if he tried, and his Ne were no match whatsoever. He had to control himself after being insulted in front of the council who were eyeing him closely to see how he would react. Many council members were surprised how easily the man insulted Danzo without batting an eyelash, and quite frankly they couldn't be bothered; they didn't like the wizened shinobi anyway.
As Myushi was leaving with his student the messenger called out to him "Wait…wait…Sir! What about Naruto's reward?"
"We'll see about that some other time; he needs to train." Myushi told Konoha's ambassador who was clearly not used to Myushi's rough attitude.
Recovering from his initial stupor Naruto addressed the Sandaime. "Sandaime-sama, I think there are more pressing concerns to deal with right now"
Sandaime nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Get out of here; you have your training to do"
"Hai Hokage-sama" the boy said as he gave a respectful bow, first to the Hokage and then council, or more specifically Hyuga Hiashi. The boy knew very well that the Hyuga patriarch was trying to lessen his punishment.
Sarutobi looked at Myushi and nodded, to which Myushi responded in kind. The old man and his young student left the room. As he did so Sarutobi then turned to his council, but before he could say anything Koharu expressed her anger.
"How dare he come into this council chamber and call us stupid, does he not know who we are!" said Koharu who felt slighted by the disregard that was leveled against her.
To which Sandaime replied. "He most certainly knows who we are, and I totally agree with him"
"What's the meaning of this Sandaime-sama" Homura exclaimed
"His words are true, we all know this trail was not fair in any stretch of the imagination and it is my fault as Hokage for letting things go this far. There will no such fiascos going on again on my watch"
The entire shinobi council was at a loss for words at the declaration of their Sandaime. Over the past few months he began to change little by little, he was the Sandaime, yet still, not the Sandaime. For some reason he seemed more stern, and less diplomatic than usual. They couldn't explain it, yet they did not question it, how could they? They all knew why he was known as the Shinobi no Kami, and his actions have all been to protect the village.
"What a brusque man, and his student takes right after him! No wonder Shikamaru calls the boy troublesome." Nara Shikaku, Shikamaru's father. Yamanaka Inoichi knew exactly what his comrade was talking about. He knew how bossy his daughter could get at times and how often Shikamaru referred to her as troublesome
Inuzuka Tsume responded "What an interesting young man! He didn't even flinch, not even once during the entire interrogation. He firmly believed that his course of action was right and he was willing to face punishment for it. His master is pretty rude, but I like him. He's got balls coming in here and calling us all stupid without caring" Added Inuzuka Tsume
"He has a very strong resolve for one so young. His actions were not for fame or avoiding punishment, but he simply did what he thought was right—an admirable quality. Though he and his master could learn a little bit of manners" Aburame Shibi
"It would seem that Myushi-dono has little patience for unnecessary situations" added Hyuga Hiashi
"Why do I get the feeling that this will not be the last time we'll be seeing that boy in this chamber" Yamanaka Inoichi said.
Almost all of the council members aired their views about Naruto and his master but Sandaime wanted to proceed to more important matters. "We've had enough of the side talk, let us proceed with the meeting" Sandaime motioned his council to proceed
"Hai Hokage-sama." The council replied
Nara Shikaku, the head jonin, lead the discussion. "In order for his plan to succeed, Orochimaru needs to breach our walls in order to move his army in; the best way for him to do that is to use his snake summons to crash through the walls."
"Yes, that exactly the kind of thing Orochimaru will do, and in order to do that he'll need to station his summoning squads outside the village. So, we'll station ambush teams in the outskirts to neutralize the summoning teams that he'll most assuredly utilize. If we can stop the summons we'll have a better chance against the enemy forces" Sandaime said
"This is a very dangerous situation because we don't know how many sound ninja Orochimaru has under his command" said Inoichi
"Yes, but Konoha has faced many dangerous situations before and this one is no different" Sandaime replied.
"Hokage-sama, I believe that Orochimaru let us capture Mizuki in order to leak information about his attack. Thus, we will be playing right into his hands when we set up ambush squads near the outskirts. I think he intends to unleash his summons further out, thus making our ambush useless. Furthermore, it's hard to believe that he'd rely solely and his summons in launch his attack; there's more this than we're seeing." Nara Shikaku added
"If the Oto village is newly formed, then it stands to reason that Orochimaru's fighting force will be small, and not enough to pose a serious threat to our forces. In order to successfully carry out his plan, he'd need an allied nation-a nation that is participating in examinations. By logical deduction, we can rule out Taki, Kusa and Ame because their forces are too small to pose a serious threat to us. Thus, we are left with Suna as the only major village strong enough to supply military strength to aid him in his quest for vengeance" added Aburame Shibi, head of the Aburame clan.
"If that's the case then we'll be in a 2 vs. 1 one situation, with us being the 1. What do we do then call for aid from the daimyo? Given how dire the situation is, we can asked the Daimyo to aid us by sending in his samurai as delayed force and catch our enemies off guard" added Inzuka Tsume
"It might be hasty to call for aid from the Daimyo based on conjectures alone. Let's not forget that Suna and Konoha signed a peace treaty a few years aback. I don't think that they'll participate in such actions knowing that if it turns out bad they'd be in a whole heap of problems. Also, asking the Daimyo for aid is tantamount to admitting weakness, he could lose faith in us and start giving missions to rival nations" Inoichi counter-argued both the Aburame's and Inuzuka's logic.
All this time Sarutobi stood quietly listening to the arguments and counter arguments being put forth by his council, however one council member remained quiet the entire period—that member was Hyuga Hiashi. Sandaime wondered what was going through the Hyuga's mind, but before he could ask the Hyuga to share his thoughts on the matter the white-eyed man spoke up.
"What you say is very true Inoichi-dono, but we must also not forget how easily treaties are broken and the results of letting our guards down because of them. While we do have a treaty with the Sand village, we must not forget that both Konoha and Sand shared some very strained relations not too long ago. Let us not repeat the mistakes of the past"
That one statement by the Hyuga patriarch stunned the council silence. His words were deep, concise and you could hear the faintest expression of emotion. Everyone in the room knew what he was talking about—the infamous Hyuga kidnapping incident that almost caused war between Konoha and Kumo. Hyuga Hiashi's words rang deeply in the hearts present especially the Sandaime. The Hyuga clan leader words basically ended the argument and engendered the course of action for the leader of Konoha
After hearing all the arguments Sandaime came to a decision.
"We will be preparing for war with the Oto and Sound villages. We will take no chances with the safety of our village. The most likely time for Orochimaru to act is during the finals itself when the Daimyo and dignitaries of the various nations will be in attendance. We need to mobilize our forces and estimate our rations. We'll reconvene for the planning session in two hours time!"
"Hai Hokage-sama, they all said
At Myushi's shop
After Naruto was acquitted of his supposed crime, he and his master made their way back to the shop to discuss his training further.
"War is upon us, you know this very well. In fact, you predicted it and I'm proud of you for it. You are now ready for the next stage of your training. We're going to delve deeper in the mysteries of nito-jutsu and swordsmanship. You will find that much of it would be not what you were expecting, however it will be an important guide to the developing your abilities."
"When are we going start?" Naruto asked
"Your training is going to being right now" the old man replied
Now this had Naruto surprised. 'Well he did say, that it would not be what I am expecting' the boy thought, but to the young warrior's utter surprise Myushi repeated his thoughts exactly
"Well, he did say, that it would not be what I am expecting" Myushi said out loud to the boy
"WHAT THE HELL! How did you read my mind?" Naruto said in astonishment
"Yes, this is just one of the many secrets of the Kyu-Dai-Ken" Myushi said
"So you know of the Nine Great Swords?" Naruto asked in a bit of confusion
"How could I not know of them, I am the previous owner of the swords, or don't you remember boy?"
"Can you tell me more about them?" the boy asked eager to know more about his swords
"No! That is your trial to face alone. I am your master and guide, not your babysitter the path of the warrior is meant to be walked and discovered alone. My words can never compare your experience"
"But sensei! We're talking about war here, and you thought me that war is cruel and bring much pain to both the winner and the loser—there is no winner in a war. Why are you being like this now, I need your help!" the boy shouted out, as the onerous weight of the information given to him by his swords outweighed his young shoulders.
As the boy was about to continue his outburst, he saw his master make a strange hand-sign and the man began to speak "Shhhhh! Young one! Calm your fears, regain your composure. You have lost your balance, and your mind is weakened by the burden of the future. You are not in the future-we are not in the future. We are here—now, in this moment!"
As his master spoke, Naruto felt himself beginning to calm down. "What did you do to me? First you read my mind and then I'm all calm just like that?"
"Those are just a mere glimpse of the things that one is able to achieve when they fully understand the concepts of the Kyu-Dai-Ken. These teachings are not concerned with the trivial matter of sword techniques. They point to the greater power of human kind—an immense power that we possess and yet are blissfully unaware of." Naruto's master said
"Why are we so unaware of such a power? If it is so great, why can't we use it all the time?" Naruto asked
"Can you see air?" was the question Myushi posed to his student
"No!" the boy replied
"Yet you breathe it right?"
"Yes"
"It's the same with the Kyu-Dai-Ken. It's there, and people use it all the time either without knowing it, or totally ignoring the sacredness of the experience that they are having, or just had."
"What are the Kyu-Dai-Ken, if they are more than lowly sword techniques?" the boy asked
"The Kyu-Dai-Ken were discovered and perfected by the great sages of ancient times, whose teachings were passed down through successive generations. These teaching are founded deeply in the roots of nature and the pervading influence that nature exerts on mankind. The great sages were the ones who unlocked the secret of nature; they were the men and women who transcended everyday life; they reached a paramount level of existence. To world they were gods, but to them, their accomplishments were merely a natural byproduct of their connectedness with nature. When asked of their achievements, the sages would tell the people, that they too, were capable of such feats. However, the people never believed them, because they masses were too blinded by ignorance to see." Myushi told the boy
"What does all of this have to do with being a warrior?" Naruto asked
"The warrior can use the Kyu-Dai-Ken to achieve wondrous feats. However, everything begins with the Sho-Dai-Ken—the first great sword."
That night Naruto began a new level of training that took him deeper into the way of the warrior. While he was going through his training, the rookie genin were also undergoing some of the harshest training they've encountered so far in their young careers.
Training ground seven.
"Urghhhh!" A loud grunt was heard as Suko's body hit the ground harshly. Sakura hurried in front of him in a defensive position as he recovered. Sasuke and Kakashi were engaged in a heated taijutsu battle. It was not to long afterward when Sasuke came hurtling in the pair's direction. Sasuke righted himself in mid-air and landed next to his two comrades. Sharingan blazing with a mixture of determination and frustration
'Remain calm Sasuke! Compose yourself! Think!' Kakashi mentally urged his students as he mercilessly tore through them. After his encounter with Myushi and the impending invasion, the jonin saw that continuing to train his genin as he was, would result in their deaths. He took Myushi's word to heart and was slowly pushing them into the brink of hopelessness. He wanted them to face the pressure of overwhelming odds stacked against them and not lose composure—Sasuke was especially prone to this kind of training because of his pride and clan heritage. Suko and Sakura were more adaptable because they don't have ridiculous clan expectations to live up to.
'Think team think! Find a way' he was silently telling them
Sasuke and Co…
Their training sessions thus far, have been straight-out combat training, and Kakashi wasn't pulling his punches. Every mistake was punished, every weakness exploited and every opportunity presented was taken advantage of. Over the past few days, team seven came to experientially know why Kakashi was considered one of the very top jonin Konoha had to offer.
Nothing worked on the man. Ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu were all useless against the man; Sasuke even resorted to using his sword even though he wasn't used to wielding a blade—it was still useless.
Kakashi stood before them with a serious expression on his face. Team seven had seen this expression on their sensei during the mission to wave. However, the crucial difference was in the mission to Wave, that expression was aimed at their enemies, not at them.
"Nothing is working on the man" Sasuke said to the rest of the team
"Yeah, he's beating us badly. We can't get through to him Sasuke, let's retreat and come up with another plan!" Sakura said.
"Good idea Sakura!" Suko added "Sasuke, if you can slow him down I can get us out of here."
"Alright, I'll hold him off" Sasuke said with his Sharingan blazing ferociously at his sensei.
"Good idea against an opponent that is difficult to handle, but what will you do if the opponent isn't going to allow you to leave!" Kakashi said to his charges as he began a sequence of hand-signs—hand signs that Sasuke was all too familiar with.
"Everyone, behind me!" he shouted as he prepared his jutsu
"Katon Goukakyu no jutsu!"Kakashi shouted as he launched a huge fireball at team seven.
"Shit!" Suko said as he and Sakura scrambled behind Sasuke
"Katon Goukakyu no jutsu!" Sasuke shouted as he launched his fireball to counteract his opponent's fireball.
The two large fireballs clashed in a contest of power and dominance. Being significantly more worn out than his sensei, Sasuke's fireball began to weaken.
Kakashi felt his jutsu beginning to win against Sasuke's 'Hmm, he's beginning to run out of chakra. Time to finish them off for the day'
However, team seven had other plans…
Just as Kakashi's fireball was about to completely overwhelm the young genin, he saw wires encircling him, but that wasn't all. As the wires coiled and tightened around him, the whole area burst into a large cloud of smoke completely blocking his view. It didn't take long for the jonin to free himself of the wires, but it was long enough for team seven to get away from him. "Excellent!" the jonin muttered as he went behind his genin.
With team Kurenai…
While Kakashi focused on almost solely on combat and ninjutsu training. Kurenai focused on stealth and information gathering; that was what the team was chosen for. An Aburame, Inuzuka and a Hyuga were the standard shinobi recon team of Konoha, and Kurenai wanted to make her team the best recon team that they could possibly be. Thus team eight's training was different, but just as brutally and demanding as team seven's.
They were grilled in the art of hiding their chakra and infiltration—their's was a game of cat-and-mouse. If the mice were caught they were eaten, and in team eight's case they were badly beaten by their sensei.
"My body is hurting all over" Kiba sighed
"I concur" said Shino "Kurenai sensei is not giving us chance"
"Yes, we need this, we need to get stronger" Hinata said
"We can't shake her no matter what we do, and we still haven't gotten the information" replied Kiba
"We're leaving to many traces of presence—too many clues" Shino said
"She's coming our way!"
"Shit! Let's get out of here" Kiba said
And team 8 dashed off into the distance
They were ran and hid for the entire evening, with Kurenai hot on their tails every time. Only once were they able to get the documents successfully from their sensei.
Later that evening, Kurenai's young genin lay wearily on the ground, panting heavily from exhaustion.
"We finally did it!" Kiba said
"Yes we did, good job everyone" Shino
"Hai" Hinata said
"Good job?" they heard a voice cut through the forest
"You let your guard down in enemy territory, thinking your mission was over. That's not a good job-that is death!"
"But we got the scroll Kurenai sensei!" Kiba shouted out
Just then Hinata shouted out "Kiba dodge!"
The Inuzuka followed his teammate's instruction without question. Just as he moved out of the way a kunai with and explosive tag landed on the ground between the team and exploded.
"Exactly! I want my scroll back you thieving little Konoha brats"
'She's treating us exactly how an enemy ninja would in the battle field' Shino thought
"Kiba-san you and I will engage her to buy time for Shino to escape! When he does, we'll make our retreat" Hinata said
"Ok let's do this. Let's go Akamaru" Kiba said as the young dog responded with a bark in the affirmative.
"Don't worry, follow when you're done. I won't leave you alone" Shino said as he rushed off into the forest
"Hai" his teammates replied
'They understand that at times information is more valuable than life, good!' Kurenai thought as the two young genin charged at her and the other made his escape out of the training ground
Kiba and Hinata engaged their enemy until she saw him move out the range of her Byakugan. She then turned to Kiba and nodded
"Alright, let's get out here!" as he launched the Inuzuka smoke bomb at their enemy clouding her vision
As the smoke cleared Kiba and Hinata was nowhere to be found. It didn't take long for the jonin to find their trail; they were still sloppy with that. However, they were coming along very nicely
As she pursued the young genin she encountered numerous traps along the way that slowed down her pursuit
'Excellent! Shino set traps to cover his teammates' escape, he trusted them enough to come out of it alive, and knew that Hinata would be able to guide Kiba through the traps with her Byakugan. They are using each other's strengths excellently!'
It was late evening and training for the day was over…
Team eight was taking a well deserved rest after a long, grueling day
"Whew what a day!" Kiba sighed they tended to their wounds got during the training
"You all did a good job, but you could do better. Do not ever drop your guard in enemy territory. Don't ever assume that your mission is over once you achieve your objective. As you just saw, your enemies won't be inclined to let you leave so freely. Your job as the information gathering team is very important. In the shinobi world information is vital and at times, even more vital than lives. The information you gather will be used to formulate battle plans and make counter strategies. If the information you gather is wrong, or you get caught in the process, then the lives of those who depend upon how well you do your job is in danger. Furthermore, if you are caught in enemy territory your chance of survival is next to none" Kurenai said to her students in a serious tone
"Go rest! We train again tomorrow from 5am!"
"Hai sensei" the three genin replied with not a shred of complaint, they knew the gravity of the situation that their village was in.
With team Gai…
Neji, Tenten and Lee were all lying on the ground, badly beaten and bruised. Usually they trained really hard, but this was ridiculous. They knew their sensei was strong, but they didn't know that he was a monster.
"Get up and fight!" he commanded his students as he launched into the air coming down with a double fisted punch. All three genin quickly as their sensei, turned deadly opponent attacked them yet again. They spent the entire training session—if you could call it that, on the defensive.
Even Neji was having a very hard time against his sensei, for some reason his Juken seemed ineffective against the man. For a very long time Neji prided himself as being taijutsu prodigy, pride of the Hyuga clan, holders of the invincible taijutsu Juken. Yet here, against his sensei, a non-Hyuga he was being utterly demolishing him in taijutsu. Myushi words in the Hokage's office came flooding back into his mind
"I have been living and fighting even before your sensei were born. They aren't going to be around forever and they can't teach you everything; they're just guides. You hold your true power within. Your enemies will be great in number and they will vary in type and specialty. You'll meet enemies that are especially suited to dealing with your abilities."
'This is exactly what Naruto's sensei was talking about. I have met an opponent whose taijutsu is more effective than mine. I can't solely rely on close range combat!' the young Hyuga thought as he defended himself against his sensei.
Tenten was having a hard time keeping her distance in order to provide cover for her teammates; her weakness to close combat was glaringly exposed. She couldn't get away from her sensei; he didn't give her the chance to escape. Of course, he was their sensei so he would know their weaknesses and strengths. Tenten prided herself as being the weapons expert and one of the strongest kunoichi of her generation, but after this she knew she needed to improve, and improve rapidly at that. She couldn't get better if she didn't work on her weakness.
Although Lee was enjoying these long, tiring and extra difficult training sessions, he knew he was out matched by his sensei.
'I have to find an edge, something unique to me, if I ever meet up with someone as strong as Gai-sensei then I' done for' Myushi's words came back to his mind
"I have been living and fighting even before your sensei were born. They aren't going to be around forever and they can't teach you everything; they're just guides. They aren't going to be around forever and they can't teach you everything; they're just guides. You hold your true power within."
'I must find my own power! My own strength' the young taijutsu expert thought to himself.
He was awoken out of his thoughts by a hard punch to gut from his sensei that sent him flying. His fall was broken by his team mate Neji who caught him.
"Pay attention Lee, sensei is not playing around with us!" his teammate Neji said to him
"Hai, Neji-san!"
"We haven't been able to attack for the entire time!" Tenten said in exasperation
"Don't you all think it's about time we go on the offensive?" Neji said
"Yosh! It's about time Neji-san, let's show Gai-sensei the power of our youth!"
"Hell yeah!" Tenten said
"Let's go Lee, Tenten you know what to do" Neji said
"Yes, let's go!" the girl replied
Team ten got up and charged into their sensei—they were beaten to a pulp for the rest of the afternoon.
5 hours later after their through beating team Gai was making its way back to the village
Gai began to speak.
"My beautiful students our team is a close combat team, you all know this. We get in close to the enemy to inflict the maximum damage possible, and thus we are always in the most danger. Often, our lives are the first to be lost in open battle. Thus, speed is as particularly important to us."
Gai's students paid close attention to their sensei when he is in his serious mode.
"We must be swift as the wind, and strike like thunder against our enemies! From tomorrow, we shall train harder. We shall work on your speed!" My beautiful students
"Hai sensei!" they all said…
However, Konoha was not the only village preparing for war…
Konoha's jonin understood fully Myushi's words that were spoken to them in the Sandaime's office.
In Oto…
Orochimaru had successfully killed and impersonated Suna's Kazekage and while he was busy brewing the embers of war in the Sand village, he left his most trusted subordinate Kabuto in charge in Oto. Currently, the young ninja was with the Sound four, Orochimaru's bodyguards.
"By now Konoha will know Orochimaru's plans to attack the village, and they'll most definitely be making preparations against the snake summons, because they are the main focus of our attack. More than likely Konoha is going to set up ambush squads near the perimeter of the village in order to neutralize us. What they don't know is that we intend to unleash the snakes further out the village, thus making the ambush squads useless. Jirobo, Tayuya, Sakon and Kidomaru will act as the Kazekage's bodyguard and Kimimaro will be the commander of the Sound forces during the invasion."
"What if the enemy is on to our plan to summon the snakes further out Kabuto?" asked Kimimaro.
Orochimaru commanded Kabuto to find a way to prolong the Kimimaro's life for as long as possible, the Kagyua was a prized asset that Orochimaru did not want to part with so easily. The result of Kabuto's work was a new drug that delayed Kimimaro's disease by about four years.
"Then you must engage the enemy to buy time for the summoning squads to unleash the serpents. Those serpents are the key to Orochimaru's plan." Kabuto replied.
"Hai" replied the young Kaguya.
In Iwa…
The news of Konoha's expansion of its borders was a worrisome concern. Now their most hated rival was growing stronger while they we're at a standstill. The Sandaime Tsuchikage Onoki stood at the head of the council table for an emergency meeting was called as soon as the news of Wave's annexation to Konoha reached their ears.
"How can this be!" an irate Iwa council man said out loud
"It's simple they wanted to join Hi no Kuni for protection and Hi no Kuni accepted. They increased their borders without having to do anything at all" the Tsuchikage exclaimed.
"Even now after the war those tree huggers are still gaining strength, they must be stopped. If they continue in this manner soon they'll be back to peak military strength! Who knows what other small nation will want to join with Konoha in order to gain its protection!" another council member said.
"What you all say is true, but we must not also forget that despite the fact that they are recovering, as any great nation would after a war, they still have some very strong shinobi at their disposal. The Sandaime is not known as the Shinobi no Kami on a mere whim, and don't forget that they also have Jiraiya of Sanin and famed jonin Hatake Kakashi who was a student of the Yondaime Hokage. Furthermore, if we attack we run the risk of bringing back Tsunade of the Sanin as well. If and when we attack Konoha it shall be at the right time when they are their weakest. Patience council, patience! We cannot make war so hastily" Said the Tsuchikage.
The Tsuchikage knew very well that his council was itching for war against Konoha and so was the whole of Iwa. Their loss to their bitter rivals in the bitter Third shinobi war was too much for them to handle. Especially since they were at the brink of victory only for it to be snatched away by that cursed Yondaime Hokage
But when they did go to war with Konoha again, the Iwa would be afflicted by another curse…
In Kumo…
The news of Wave's annexation to Hi no Kuni didn't particularly bother the shinobi of Kumo.
"Raikage-sama, what do you think of the news of Wave's annexation to Konoha" one council member asked.
To which the burly Raikage responded. "I matters very little to us. They will gain but a small financial gain, but not enough to upset our financial dominance in trade. We hold all the cards economically."
"What of the young swordsman Uzumaki Naruto and the now infamous team seven? They have been involved in two high profile incidents back to back. We need to get some more information about them"
"Not to worry about them, we'll find out about them soon enough" the Raikage assured his shinoni council. "Let's just monitor this situation for now, because as it stands we're the strongest of the five great villages despite what people may believe. There's no need for us to be alarmed.
In the not too distant future, the Raikage would get more than enough reason to be alarmed at Konoha's development.
In Mist…
"Hmm! Wave annexes to Konoha and it all due to the Uzumaki Naruto and team seven. They were also responsible for the death of Zabuza and his accomplice Haku, as well as the tyrant Gato." The current Mizukage mused out loud at her desk in the office
"Yes, a most interesting story of a young swordsman and the now infamous team seven of Konoha." An old wrinkly council member of the mist said
"Maybe we should send a team to the chunin exams to investigate this Naruto and team seven. After this fiasco they're likely to get stronger and more famous, and famous teams mean more recognition for the village and the more recognition for the village means more missions and more money" another council member said
"No it's not the right timing as yet, because we are barely getting over the civil war. There's still much division in the country. We deal with our internal problems first then our external problems!" the Mizukage said
"That sounds reasonable" the council member said
"Besides, our clients are mostly from the islands and we're the only nation that specializes in water techniques. We have no need to worry about Konoha and its shinobi" the Mizukage said
She really did put things in perspective for the council member. The Mist village had nothing to worry about.
Oh how right the Mizukage was.
Suna War Council…
The Sandaime Kazekage sat the helm of the war council.
"Are sure you want to go ahead with the plan to attack Konoha Kazekage-sama? Suna and Konoha have enjoyed a period of relative peace for some years now and our military strength has been slowly in decline since the Daimyo started to reduce our funding. If the plan fails, we'll be at the mercy of Konoha" said one of the council members.
"We have been contacted by Orochimaru one of the Sannin, founder of the new village of Oto to form an alliance to destroy Konoha. He has devised a plan to destroy Konoha and he wishes for our help to carry out his plan. I believe that we should help him carry out his plan" Said the Kazekage.
"How can we trust Orochimaru? He's a traitor to his own country what makes you think he won't betray us Kazekage-sama?" another council member asked
The Sandaime Kazakage laughed. "What makes you think we're going to completely trust him? He's a traitor after all. We're using him as much as he's using us, and besides the enemy-of-my enemy is my friend. With their recent acquisition of Wave country, Konoha is steadily regaining its former strength, and that would mean doom for our country. We're already getting limited funding from the Daimyo of Wind and when he sees that smaller countries are willing to join Konoha, he may send even more business to them. Konoha must be destroyed for the sake of our great nation"
"What are the details of this so-called plan to destroy Konoha?" One of the elders asked who beginning to be swayed by his Kage's words
"There will be a simultaneous attack on all three gates on Konoha's North, East and West gates by Orochimaru's snake summons. While the snakes are causing chaos in the village, the Sand and Sound ninja will follow in behind the summons and continue with the attack. Then for the coup-de-grace, we'll unleash the one tailed beast upon them."
"Gaara?" one of the council members said in shock. "He's very unstable, he may just as quickly turn on us as much as his enemies"
"Well in that case, we'll just tell our ninja to run away from Gaara as they always have" the Sandaime replied.
"We'll send in Gaara's team with their jonin sensei Baki as Suna's representatives for the examination. Most of our forces will be stationed at the West gate, Orochimaru's forces will be stationed at the East gate, and the forces at the North gate will be a combination of both our forces. With attacks being made on each gate simultaneously by the summons, the invasion of enemy ninja and the unleashing of Gaara, Konoha will be hard pressed to avoid total annihilation. Suna will no longer be called the weakest of the five great shinobi nations" the Kazekage declared
Suna's war council was swayed by the plan set forth by their Kage and thus they approved of the attack on Konoha. Suna would be victorious. Little did they know that they were being led into war, not by their Kage, but by Orochimaru.
Three weeks prior…
The shinobi in the Intel division were carrying out their usual day's work of decoding messages coming into the village when the Wind Daimyo's special messenger hawk arrived.
When the officer saw the message he was alarmed "Shit! Send this message to Kazekage-sama immediately!"
"What's wrong Kimu!" the other officer on duty said
"Daimyo-sama is cutting funding the village again. Kazekage-sama won't like this one bit" the first officer said
Meanwhile the Kazekage was in a meeting with the council discussing several village matters that needed addressing, namely finances.
"Kazekage-sama the financial reports are ready; profits are at an all time low. We're just not getting enough missions, and if this continues we'll lose the ability to maintain our shinobi program. Eventually, we'll be so weak that we'll be susceptible to attacks from other villages, namely Iwa to our north." As the council member finished his statement the messenger hurried into the council chamber
"Kazekage-sama, Kazekage-sama!" the messenger said anxiously
"What is it Tomu?" the leader of the Sand village answered in an irritated tone. He was already receiving bad news.
"We're received a message from the Daimyo. He's going to make another budget cut!"
The news sent the entire council chamber into an uproar. Just when the Kazekage thought that things couldn't get worse—they just did.
"What is the Daimyo thinking? I'll have to deal with this personally" said the Kazekage. Only a personal meeting between him and the Daimyo could resolve this important issue.
A few hours later, the Sandaime Kazekage was making his way to the Daimyo's court for an urgent meeting with three of Sand's elite shinobi as his guard. The Yondaime Kazekage was travelling at a fast pace in order to reach the Daimyo's court as soon as possible, when one of his shinobi warned him of a presence up ahead.
"Kazekage-sama I sense a presence up ahead, the person possesses a strong, dark chakra" Sumi said, she was the sensor of the three elite guard.
"Everyone triangle formation!" the Kazekage said.
Shortly after he said those words they were accosted by Orochimaru."Hello there Kazekage-sama, I see that you received the Daimyo's message"
"How do you know about the letter Orochimaru?" asked the Kazekage
"Well it came from me of course" Orochimaru said in a mirthful tone
"How, how was that possible?" the Kazekage said in surprise
"I have spies in many countries, and in many influential places. It wasn't too difficult to get a letter forged" the traitor from Konoha said
"You, you betrayed me!" said the Kazekage in anger
"Like you weren't going to betray me either? I just beat you to it" the snake Sanin replied
"The deals off I'll be killing you now!" the Kazekage said in anger as he and his shinobi prepared for battle.
"Oh I think I'll make a better Kazekage than you, so I'll be taking over leadership of your village. Suna will be going to war under my command"
"That will never happen you snake." Sumi return to the village as fast as you can and let the council know of what has happened. "Iho, Jaki and I will be killing a snake today" The Kazekage said.
"Hai Kazekage-sama!" Sumi said before she made a swift return to the Sand village
Orochimaru stood casually in front of the three shinobi with a smile on his face.
"What are you smiling about snake-face!" asked the Kazekage
"Your little kunoichi isn't going to reach very far, you're going to die a painful death, and your village is going to be in my hands" Orochimaru replied
"Enough talk! Time for battle!" the Kazekage said
"As you wish Kazekage-sama. Seneijashu (Hidden shadow snake hands)" Orochimaru said as he launched his snakes at the Kazekage and his team
"Kaze no Yaiba(Wind Blades)" one of the Kazekage's bodyguards called out a series of wind blades that sliced up the on rushing snakes.
The second bodyguard began to launch a series of kunai at the snake Sanin, and as he was attacking Orochimaru, the Kazekage followed up with his own jutsu.
"Fuuton Daitoppa" the strong wind attack increased the speed of kunai flying at their opponent.
Undeterred Orochimaru did a short sequence of hand signs. "Hebi Tate: Snake Shield" as he said the words he was surrounded by a large boa constrictor that blocked the combination attack.
While inside the protective shield of the large snake Orochimaru spoke. "Black Fang, I have a tasty little treat for you. The two at the front are yours, and I'll take the one to the back" Without time to waste the snake launched itself at the two shinobi in front of him.
"Iho, Jaki get behind me!" the Kazekage ordered, to which his subordinates quickly responded. As the snake rapidly approached the team the Kazekage stood in front unafraid.
"Tatsumaki no Kaze(Tornado Wind)" the Kazekage said unleashing a giant tornado of wind that ripped the snake summon to shreds. However, he wasn't done there. Using the energy of the Tatsumaki no Kaze he prepared another large jutsu. "Dai-Kazeryu no jutsu (Great Wind Dragon)"
The tornado of wind turned into a large wind dragon that roared angrily at the snake Sanin and launched itself at its opponent
Orochimaru responded by summoning the great Rashomon gate to protect himself from the ferocious wind technique that almost blasted away the Rashomon gate. However, he had little time to linger as he was immediately engaged in close combat by the two Sand shinobi who had circled around him while he was defending himself from the wind dragon. The shinobi were pretty good at taijutsu, good enough to keep the Hebi Sannin on his toes. During the melee, one of the shinobi managed to score a critical hit on the Sannin who melted after taking the hit.
"It was some sort of bunshin, and the original is nowhere to found" one of the two body guards said.
"I'm right here!" Orochimaru said as he appeared behind the Kazekage and rushed to attack the man from behind. However, the Kazekage turned swiftly around and caught the onrushing shinobi by the neck.
"Don't play with me fool, stupid bunshin aren't going to work on me!" the Kazekage said as he snapped the Orochimaru's neck. The body fell to the ground and turned into earth.
"Another bunshin! Where is this man?" the Kazekage's bodyguard said as he scanned the area for his opponent
"You name as Kazekage is well deserved. You're a good workout—a good test subject for my ultimate technique, the Edo Tensei" Orochimaru said while doing hand seals. "This is beginning of the end of your reign Kazekage-sama" the Hebi Sanin said in a mocking tone as three coffins rose from the earth's surface.
"I don't think introductions are necessary, but as the host of this special meeting let me present to you the Shodaime, Nidaime and Sandaime Kazekage"
"What in the world!" the Kazekage exclaimed in utter surprise. "Iho and Jaki, you two run and don't look back. Get to village and inform them of what you have witnessed. I'll deal with these three"
"Hai Kazekage-sama!" the two shinobi said as they dashed off into the distance.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk! I don't think that they'll get too far." Orochimaru said in a mocking tone. "Shodaime-dono, kill those two shinobi please"
"Sorry Kazekage-dono, but this is not my will" the Shodaime Kazekage said to his successor as he went off behind the two fleeing ninja. It was not long before he caught up to and killed them.
"You despicable man, bring the dead back to this world and forcing them to do your bidding. I'm not going forgive you Orochimaru, for what you have done to my predecessors!" the current Kazekage said as he faced off against his predecessors without a shred of fear
"As expected of a Kazekage of the Sand you show no fear even in the face of your death!" the Sandaime Kazekage said as he and Nidaime Kazekage of the Sand village attacked and killed their successor. They took no pride in doing so.
Thirty minutes later Orochimaru stood over the dead bodies of the Yondaime Kazekage and his subordinates. A short while later Kabuto came out with the last of the Kazekage's subordinates.
"She was a tough one to catch and kill" was all Kabuto had to say.
Orochimaru now looked exactly like Sand's Kazekage and with a wicked grin on his face he said to his right-hand man "Time to prepare for war! Kukukukukukukuku!"
"Hai-Kazekage-sama!" Kabuto said with an equally wicked grin on his face
Visions of Konoha's destruction filled their minds.
That's a wrap! Please read and review