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Warnings: I beta my own work, so spelling and grammar might be flunky.

They all stood in silence, and it was a mere whisper that kept them all from saying much of anything to each other. Only the occasional breathed sentenced passing between the rigid warriors, quieted by a quick glare from the surrounded. No one dared to interrupt their Captains gentile mourning, standing several feet behind, none could see his state, though it was unspoken that he was crying without sound. Even the adviser just two paces in front of them remained passive, standing tall but with a hitching to his breath at random intervals. None payed him any heed, concerned for their Captains far to straight posture as he stood looming over the helmet of the late general, balanced firmly on a blade.

However, after several respectful moments, the crowd parted, returning to looking for resources and other such things. Naruto turned himself, something heavily settled in his chest, remaining elevated only by his optimism. But as he moved to aid his fellows, he heard the carried words of the adviser, sounding so solemn and contrite, that it brought him pause.

"Of all things, why did it come to this?" He stood and gazed at the man, no visible difference in his demeanor, or any change in his tone, that it sounded almost as if it had been a delusional utterance. Naruto however, was not one easily dissuaded, he knew what he had overheard. Perhaps it had been nothing more than a sigh in Madara's name, or a mourning for the village and the former company.

Something made Naruto think twice on that conclusion, though he could not pinpoint anything that caused his own confusion. Just then, the adviser turned around to see to his duties, he tactfully ignored Naruto staring at him, and walked as if nothing was amiss. The Omega knew not if that sparked his ire or if it was simply his frayed nerves.

Instead he ignored the man, and looked back towards their Captain kneeling within the snow. Gathering himself, he breathed deeply, and made his path forward, the remaining now crunching loudly underfoot. His leader obviously heard his approach. For he stood once more, but did not look behind. He simply stood rigid, aware, but acknowledging. Naruto found himself wavering, it was never a good idea to approach a mourning man.

But he had similar stance on his Father, and even his Mother, so it was possible that such situations were transcendent regardless of sex? Nodding to himself he moved up beside the man. Gazing up at his face, judging as best he could what lay beneath. Surprised, when he found himself looking instead into the man's eyes, he had not expected for him to be looking to him as well. Caught unaware, he swallowed, not quite nervous but uncertain on how to say what he desired. He did not want to ask if he was alright, because that answer was clear, and he had the feeling that the sentiment would be unappreicated.

"Did you know him?" He decided, where sentimentality would get nowhere with such a man, he found bravado surely would. Madara tensed for a moment, before he turned his face away from staring at Naruto's own, looking back towards the honorary grave. Before his muscles seemed to relax, but the blond warrior saw it for what it was, not relaxation, but recognition, understanding that whomever the general was to Madara he would not be returning. The display was painful to watch, for such a proud man, with the endurance to have trained such a ragtag bunch to seem so defeated, it was as if Naruto could feel the grief he was experiencing firsthand.

"He was my younger brother." Madara sighed loudly, instead looking up into the still smokey sky. "He was a proficient warrior, though he never much cared for the Emperor, he cared about the men he lead, and the people he protected. At the time, I was unable to enter the army myself, I was the eldest Alpha in my family, and my Mother remained sick. So I had to earn our keep, Izuna wished to go into training, so I paid his fees. When our Mother passed, an old friend of mine offered sanctuary in return for my service, I had wanted to enter regardless if only to keep an eye on my brother, I suppose it came to nothing."

Naruto found himself disagreeing.

"I don't believe your brother wouldn't see it that way. He died doing what he believed in, where he belonged, to a warrior, I cannot think of a more honorable death. Even if it isn't my place to say so." He vouched, hoping that his boundaries hadn't been overstepped. But the Captain said nothing to insinuate such, he only gazed toward the warrior, as if his response had been expected, yet surprising at the same time. Naruto found his thoughts busy convincing his mind that the heat he felt in his neck and cheeks was only from the sun refracting off the snow.

Madara moved then, his cloak bellowing behind him as the cold air hit Naruto's back, he felt a slight warmth on his shoulder for only a moment before it was gone.

"They'll be on the move, we have a better chance of finding them if we take the upper northeast path. As it stands, we are the only ones separating the Imperial city from the hun. Let's move out!" Madara's voice sounded clear and familiar throughout the bonafide village, and every one of the soldiers, cast the other a nervous glance, fearful of what would happen now. No one, disputed the departure, their role remained clearer than the glacial waters, none could expect to live to see the sun rise over the cleft of the rockface once more, but it was an unspoken acknowledgement.

Naruto looked to his fellows moving away from the village, and hesitated, the doll in his hands weighed heavily. Taking a moment, he placed it by the General, Izuna's, grave, and hoped for the man to have found peace.

When he joined with the others, pulling the cart once more, he was greeted with a pat on the back from Sakura and Jiraiya, he glaced at the both of them in confusion. Sakura's eyes were closed in resignation, and her breath came in small gasped shutters. Jiraiya however, bore a small smile on his face, he tilted his head back to where the grave stood behind them, and nodded ever so slightly. Respect. It was slightly jarring to remember that Jiraiya was actually experienced in war. Had he seen this sort of violence before?

"Jiraiya…" He started, but in truth he didn't know what he wanted to ask. The tall man gave a 'hmm?' in questioning, and tilted his chin forward once more. Listening, but not attentively. "Did you ever fight alongside my Father?" He stared at the ground he walked, the crunch underfoot having become a melody along with the wisping, whispering, winds, and the clank of moving armour.

"I don't know, what was his name?" He paused, if Jiraiya hadn't recognized his father's armour, when they had first met then it was unlikely they had fought together. Still, he found himself answering in a desperation for answers.

"Minato Namikaze…" Distracted by the strange clicking noise behind himself, he turned to the cart, in wonderence, ending up mumbling out his answer.

"Oh! Minato! Why, I taught the brat! I did hear he made a name for himself later on, Yellow Flash was it?" He let out a burst of laughter, "Ha! Never thought I'd see two Namikaze's in one lifetime." That made him pay vast attention to the older of the company, he knew little of his Father's early years, he was keen to know more.

However, there was a faint hissing sound from the cart behind him, which he knew well enough. It had him throwing to the ground as quickly as he could covering his ears. Just quick enough as a canon shot through the twine meshing and into the clouded sky, where it exploded. His head snapped to attention, fear winding into his chest as he saw the sparks falling, the cold in his hands from where they had hit the snow was not even a consideration.

He was going to kill Kakashi.

Before his thoughts could be brought to fruition his arm was grasped harshly and he was pulled straight. A sharp tug that jolted his arm and shifted his armour. It served him well as he regained himself, out of the panic brought on by fear.

Everyone had drawn their gaze on him, shoulders stiffened, and jaws clenched, some held their brows rigid and their hands on the hilts of their swords. But none said anything for long moments. Jiraiya slowly withdrew his hand, the painful sting all that remained where he had grasped.

Then a lone arrow collided with Sakura's armour at her right shoulder, causing her to tilt her stance jaggedly backwards at the unexpected impact. The moment they had hoped to never pass, had come sooner than expected, it was clear that the hun had not been far from their position. Perhaps a hair breath away just over the hill marching steadily to the Imperial city, unaware of their pursuers until the canon had flown.

More arrows rained down after the first, seemingly from the heavens, and within moments they were within the deadly grasp of wooden precipitation. They all succinctly hastened downwards in an attempt to get out of range from the many archers that clearly held their position. Naruto reared the supply cart as well as he could, but his mare was frightened and kept turning to the other direction. Soon arrows bathed in fire had alit the wagon, and the mare reared. Many of his comrades in arms moved to unload the canons as quickly as possible, then ran down the hillside where they had positioned themselves among the protruding rock faces in a rather futile attempt at cover. The hun held the high ground, and therefore could see their every move.

Moving quickly he sliced the reins on his Father's horse, and mounted fastly, years of practise easily coming to his aid as he spread towards the others. Not at all concerned for his spiritual friends whom he knew to be alive and well. When he got to the others, he noted that only he remained on horseback. Both the adviser and Captain stood not far behind on ground instead, no doubt the hun had killed the steeds with their blind attack earlier. A fact only solidified by the dampness on the adviser's shoulder, and snow still stuck fast to his pants and left side.

All of them had been graced with luck, and only minor injuries had been inflected by the storm of arrows. No one stood without panic infringing on their minds however, all knew the hun to be lurking just beyond the steep hills. On guard, Naruto found himself drawing his weapon. He was careful not to hold it high least the light refract and signal the hun. There was something over the horizon, a black line of vast size and even from his higher vantage point on his mare he could not distinguish what it could be.

He looked to the Captain, for perhaps he knew, only to find that the Captain was staring not ahead, but at him. They caught gazes momentarily. Then the roar of hooves echoed within the cavern. The hun stood there on the edge of the hill of snow they held numbers higher then one could expect and because of their similar dress stood amongst the pure white as a scourge of darkness infringing on the land. The man heading them seemed to be young, surprisingly young, with a cloak of brown fur and leather and a shirt that only held to his shoulders, a hawk resting on his upheld arm. His hair cut short and uneven unbrushed and dirt matted. Still he held the appearance of a higherup.

"An army indeed! Is this what your emperor expects to defend him?! I doubt you could hold your flame to one of my patrols. How about this, I keep your warriors as prisoners instead of killing them?" The man's voice was sharp and clear it almost sounded familiar in its quality. The heard of hun laughed heartily at their leaders boasting. All the alpha on their side began to growl, the thought of such humiliation being violently rejected by their primal side. Naruto remained silent, he knew what would happen to him were he captured and it was a dreaded thought. It didn't last long, the man signalled his army and soon they were at the edge of death with nearly a hundred alpha's charging towards them and no route to retreat.

They couldn't charge madly into this.

"What are you all standing still for? We fight for our lives now!" Madara shouted, and everyone began to rally, positioning the canons and aiming at the coming force. Everyone with the exception of the adviser, Naruto knew the man wasn't a warrior, but surely he held the desire to live! He wanted to yell the man, but then the Captain placed a hand on his shoulder, comforting. Something hidden was in occurrence.

"We need you." He heard Madara say, and he suddenly had no more time to focus on anything but living.

They were inbetween two mountains, a cliff face, and an army of hostile invaders. There was no route of escape and no way to maneuver around their attackers. Blind attack would fall to nothing, their numbers were far superior, and their steal would not suffice. They held a limited number of canons as well, what they needed was a well aimed single strike with what they had.

"Captain!" He shouted, perhaps in vain, but he needed some direction, something to clasp onto as they stared into defeats' longing gaze. The man looked at him straight foward, in a sterner stance a.. Something indescribable.

The wind bit at his face harshly into his skin searing at his sunburnt face and blowing the dry snow to close to his eyes for comfort. At least it held the enemy and bid them time, as they struggled against the current. It was then that a surge of panic grasped him as his foot slid on the ice and it fell into a.. Hole? It was smooth, strangely so, he pulled free and brushed aside the snow (now gusting around the valley, the Hans almost invisible.) He gasped, his foot had slipped into a hole of ice. Completely ice, even below! They weren't on a cliff face they were on a glacier! Spinning quickly, he looked over the ledge, it was tall, enough so that the fall would be fatal, but if one had cushioning it was conceivable that you could survive. An idea began to form.

The enemy coming forward, slowed by the gusts of strong turning winds. Blinded by the dry snow flying and spinning around them, slipping on the icey slopes. They could esacpe this, and if lucky take some Hans to their deaths.

"Captain! I have an idea!" He hurried to the man, there was little time until the Han were upon them. Madara was smart, a genius perhaps, hopefully they would come to a similar conclusion without the need to explain.

"Yes?"

"We're on a glacier! The fall from the ground is far, but the incline is not steep. We could glide down it and survive if-" His breaths were freezing in his chest.

"If we use the glacier as a means of descent.. But we need something to melt the ice quickly." The man grimaced clenching his fist and holding it to his head as if it offered comfort. They needed something to burn, they needed a conductor for the heat and a way to begin a fire. They could light a fire with the powder from the cannons but that wouldn't last it would burn fast and bright, not melt the ice. Madara suddenly grinned, like they had an army of a thousand men.
"Warriors! Take off your chest plates, dig until you reach the ice and place them fronts down onto it! From a line along the edge of the ice!" Naruto mechanically removed his armour, he trusted this Captain, but his thoughts were wary. Wait, he thought quickly, metal warmed fast and amplified heat. It would melt faster! The edge of the ice being thin the only thing holding the glacier to the rock of the actual cliff.

Without thinking he opened his mouth. "And poor the powder out of the cannons into the chest pieces!" He placed his own white piece onto the ice, a feeling of brief regret washed away by urgency. His eye's sparked fast, it wouldn't burn long enough.

"We need kindling!" Madara said behind him, echoing his thoughts, a stricken and panicked form beginning to take shape on his face. Naruto did the same, they had so little time. His eyes rested on the cart, much of it charred tilted on its side with wet meshing, but there was some remaining on what was facing the sky.

He could run it. Felt the strength winding in his legs already the steady drum of his heart under his rappings. He could run it.

Hesitating no further. He did. Sprinted. Panic roused swiftly within him, like the very winds of winter soaring through his entire body, it chilled him somewhere deep down. A memory hidden just beyond the surface.

"NARUTO!" He was fast. He knew he was fast. He was fast and they didn't have time, he couldn't listen to the screaming yell of his Captain, scared, scared for him. Towards the enemy, charging towards danger.

Running with the wind itself, it pushed his back not weighed back by his heavy chest plate. The sword by his side slowing him only slightly. The air bit at his exposed ears. It wouldn't have before. Freedom.

The meshing, was twine, it was perfect for a fire. But he was close, so close, they would be able to see his position. He slid his sword quickly slashing at the desired material, some charred some not, and tucked it under his arm clasping it as firmly as he could to himself.

"Naruto! Moron!" Madara stood there looking as if all air had been expelled from his lungs, and yet holding himself so tall, as if it were but a ruse by his own body. How? Oh, he recalled, Alpha. Stronger when frightened right. He had always surmised that as a myth.

"We needed it!" He shouted instead of voicing himself, there was no time for anger. The wind dulling his words. Less a shout.

"You moron." The Captain clasped onto his arm, luckily not the one holding onto the twine. But his hand held him firm like he was going to struggle and break free. Tight that it pained him. Then before he could blink against the snow he was pulled close, warmth blessing his frame as he shared in his Captain's bodyspace. So close that he could see the pinkness and littered near invisible scars marring the face before him, eyes so prominent that the red hidden in his irises stood clear. The bags under his eyes revealed themselves as early set wrinkles from strain. He breathed in. The brisk and sharp scent of smoke and pine. Rearing back in a panic, he clutched at the material now in his arms.

It had only been a moment of lust rolling in his gut. Only a moment.

Unforeseen Madara renched, lurching forward, face twisting as he attempted to reach behind him.

"Madara?!" He grabbed the man. The stiffened muscles under his own small fingers, convulsing in an involuntary reaction. There was a long arrow jutting from his back, near a critical point, but just to the right, enough that it was lodged but not fatal. He looked towards the enemy the wind biting painfully. The snow was clearer than it was near the rest of their battalion. The archer who had seen them was still staring, reaching for his quiver. They were too far out, lucky however, arrow or not, they were light, quicker than their enemy's could reach the others with enough time to spare, he could get there on his own faster, Madara was a heavy man of much form and muscle.

But he would not leave him.

They had time. Medical advice would mean nothing if they didn't hurry, so he pulled the arrow out worsing the cut, ripping the cloth, exposing the skin.

He knew the man could still run, unwise though it might be, nonetheless just in case he grasped onto the calloused hand with his own, he wanted assurance.

The Captain held an iron resilience. So he thought the ice was the key, so they slid on it. The snow blowing fast against him chilling his skin, burning his sun seared flesh. Madara gliding fast just behind him. The others had grasped onto the plan waiting with twitching fingers and beseeching eyes. Knees falling into the snow resonating on the ice, he placed the meshing in the first plate he saw, Handing out the remnants to the others. They all quickly lit the fires. Only time held them now.

"Captain! Your injured!" The advisers voice was loud even amongst the violent winds. As the man began to work on wrapping the wound. Fingers quick, breaths quicker. Through it, the Captain didn't utter a word of resistance. Though the tall man seemed entirely at ease, as if the pain was nonexistent, it was presence, Naruto thought. The presence of someone whom you know well, that was comforting the man.

"If you hadn't run off the Captain wouldn't be injured!" The aching in his bones increased through his body, his very mind going near numb at the effects. Resting his eyes on the adviser with nothing short of the intent to push through his stubborn and judgemental gaze, so familiar and cursed. He snarled.

"We needed kindling! We would die if someone didn't go and fetch the meshing!" The man rose, hardly taller than he, but now with the closeness of their proximity the ice would surely melt from the anger warming. "I did not insist the Captain follow in my tracks!" A scoff.

"You certainly did. Quite fast your legs work, like that of a common thief!" They were blazing at each other, fighting through wit and intimidation, fury and snarling primal instinct. Growling and snapping their teeth at each other.

"You fucking bastard!" His chest rumbled. A redding behind his eyes, a need, a sharpening pain behind his forehead. Longing to lash out, to teach the man some respect through fists and brawl. Surely such a weak willed man could not match his skill!

A deep growl resonated, and several whimpers echoed from the surrounding Alpha's. Madara's storming expression clear even with the blizzarding snow. Naruto felt a quick fire reaction before he realized that his head had bowed and his posture had slumped ashamed of his behaviour in front of an Alpha. He whimpered and whined at the anger. Biting at his mouth in an attempt to stifle it.

"Petty fights? Really?" He looked between the two of them but his head turned to the adviser first. Pulling his hood back and standing tall, ever proud and bearing weight down with merely his presence. The padded hood falls slowly, and dark black hair spills free blowing in the turning winds snow sticking to it like it was summoned there. A pale face, of sharp design and rich coal black eyes that look so similar to the darkest brown of the earth's dirt when wet. Naruto inclines his head, judging the similarity. Madara gives a brief snarl, though most of the look is blocked by his ice crystaled hair in the wind. The adviser gives one in return, a sharp growl in accompinse, and Naruto knows he's seen such an action before. Related. The Captain shoves the other, hands curling pink with the weather and eyes sharpened, rough and focused. Aware. The adviser stumbles from the hold. And turns without regret to the others all huddling in the center the message being clear.

His better turns to him then. Striking with the snow around him, and hair of wild black ice sprouting like stalactites from all directions. Skin grey from the cold, most everywhere but warm pink rising as a marker of life and blood in his cheeks. Dark eyes, quicker than the blade and freckled with red, stare at him with no particular meaning. Simply a grasp of gazes, intense and warm in the chill of the mountains.

The fire is blazing now, the ice hissing at it in protest, steam rising obstructing the view of their enemy's further, but they are not far. It catches on Madara. Dances in his eyes, and Naruto cannot fathom moving his gaze elsewhere entranced as the eyes of night turn into the depths of a bloodied pool. Catching the ice on his hair, the clear frost the black turns into a fire, he thinks 'a blaze of glory.'

"Trust me!" He hears, and it breaks his trance, his eyes move from the ensnarement of an Alpha 'an alpha I cannot hold.' Whispers in his mind. Instead they catch on Sakura, moving with purpose, pink hair turned lighter under the illusion the frost cast. He wonders what his own looks like. She moves towards the line of fire. He wishes to shout but by then she has reached it his warning would be late. She lets out a roar, animalistic but yet so very firm and rational it can be seen as something of necessity. She punches at the ice with her fist.

There is a large cracking sound, the ice had given to her force. When he clasps her hand to pull her into the safety of the century she hisses. Her hand is blue, quickly blackening, it had already succumbed to frostbite. Her fist is fine but bleeding at the knuckles she must have sheltered it.

They drop. Terrible screaming, but better than that of the whales of death reach his ears, but it doesn't bother him. He knows he is doing the same. They all tumble around he sees his mare attempting to find purchase. He stumbles himself, they are sliding down the cliff face fastly, keeping each man off their balance, he falls onto his rear, the whistle of the winds somehow louder.

Landing hurts, blows the very air from his lungs, and stings at his back. A crunch onto the ice with too much momentum. But he is alive, he takes that fact for what it is, and rolls, sees the others scrambling up, panting. Sakura beside him sits still, cradling her hand to her with a wince of pain that he could not understand, red seeping from blackened fingers, as if the pressure of the blood flow was enough to break the ailed flesh, her nails were gone. He wants to help, but knows in his forethought that he cannot. Her hand is gone, and will never regain movement, it will be lost to her should she survive it would be cut, but she would live. He helps her to her feet nonetheless, wary of the blacked hand, and even the one with broken fingers, simply pulling her up by her shoulders instead. He gains a nod, but little else.

Jiraiya comes from behind him and places a hand on her shoulder, comforting as he could be without being overly indulgent. Ino stands beside him her gaze is blank, carefully so, mouth blue and thinned. "She might not make it." She says quiet even in the barren that surrounded them, he had never heard her quiet. 'No,' he thinks, but doesn't voice anything. Sakura will. Any other outcome would be stupid. There is no rage in his stomach, but a hard and cold block of something else, it was numbing, and he turned away and walked to where the adviser was having trouble.

He holds out his hand, turning away his eyes, the numbness is comforting, he didn't want a warmth in him right now. Let alone from rage, a feeling he had never had before. Anger, not rage, and it had never blossomed so strongly always rational calm, so that he may think instead of acting without plan. It was embarrassing. Thinking on it. It had been instinct, insistent and primal, his thoughts had been to fight, not dominate but win so that he may prove. Something prickled at his eye. It had been an Alpha fight, a show of intimidation, and now as it was over, the very thought made his stomach turn.

Clenching his teeth, he fought down the oversensitive emotion and pulled at the hand grasping his own. He was offering a truce. He hoped the man took it. Never did he wish to lose his mind to anger again. Under his lids he saw a flurry of fire red hair and gentle smiling, his father's hand, a comfort to himself. Facing the adviser now. The man gave something light, resembling a smile, small, but enough. It was a thank you, he knew this.

"You and the Captain are related?" He asked, though it wasn't a question, it was clear. The adviser nodded, hesitant, and Naruto wondered how their relationship was.

"Distantly. His Aunt's daughter was my Mother." A sigh, and the man brushed hair out of his eyes. "Itachi." He said, and Naruto guessed that was his name. It made him feel better to have gained the man's trust, it didn't warm him, but it sparked inside like a burst, and he smiled largely. Itachi searched him with his eyes, something twisted his expression. Something sour as the lightness of his gaze dropped and his jaw twinged, anger. Naruto flinched. "You!-" But then the man sagged, and he nodded, sighing again. Naruto narrowed his eyes, confused. Then Itachi moved close, to close, he tried to back away, but an arm held him and he froze. His scent would- "I won't tell."

He shuddered. Itachi had seen him. He recognized him. He knew. There was an urge to scream, to push away, to run. Yet he held still, he focused himself, he settled. He was here for a reason, and apparently, he was safe. Itachi pulled away, a lazy gaze straying to the cliff from whence they had fallen, he looked as well. Someone stood there, covered in furs, no, two people. One he knew to be the hun leader, the other he had not seen before, which was odd, considering.. Then he tuned in on Itachi, something Madara had said before ringing in his ears. His eyes saw to visage of a sad man, a desolate man, a grieving man. The black eyes dropped, his hood one more pulled up, hiding his face. Naruto heard a strangled whisper, almost impossible to hear, and it served him no clarity.

"Sasuke." Questioning the two forms above them with his eyes, Naruto wondered, watching the red hair flare out from the one standing beside the leader, covered in warm furs, the leaders cloak strung over wide shoulders. The leader was sitting on the ledge, and it seemed mocking, the shagged black hair spiking around him seems so alike Madara's that Naruto found himself wondering Itachi wasn't the only member of Madara's family he had fought.