Naruto the Angel of Death

by Elredar Skylance

When faced with rejection, a man has only two choices: To wallow and despair or rise above and take that step toward the future… For Naruto, it is no different. But he makes the right choice. He chooses to become a true shinobi. Now, watch as he goes forth into the world and carve his name into history. All will know his name - Naruto the Angel of Death.

21. Invasion Part 1

Title: Naruto the Angel of Death

Author: Elredar Skylance

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or One Piece save for the things I invent in this story.

A/N – IMPORTANT NOTICE! MUST READ! Due to my ever growing frustrations in writing and the difficulties this creates in dialogue, I've changed some things with Ashbringer and Nightmare… mainly the fact that their sword forms have the same name as the entities themselves. So, in light of this, the sword names are now Ten'yuu (Divine Grace) and Mugetsu (Moonless Sky) while leaving the speaking entities that reside in the swords as Ashbringer and Nightmare. I might try to change all previous chapters to these names… but I'm not sure.

I've also changed the names of the bloodlines to actual Japanese Romaji with names that don't look so damn corny and cliché. I mean c'mon… Heaven's Light? Hell's Darkness? I know I thought up this story when I was still in early high school, but really? From this point on, Naruto's bloodline will now be known as Tentai (Heavenly Body) and the Datenshi's bloodline will be known as Shin'en (Abyss) though its original name will be Tenchijoku (Heaven's Disgrace).

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Chapter 21 – Invasion Part 1

"EVACUATE THE STADIUM!"

Panicked screams filled the air as the stadium was reduced into a horrendous battlefield. The high ranking shinobi clashed against the many enemies that had disguised themselves as civilians all over the village. The few low-ranked shinobi quickly awoke and escorted as many civilians as possible to evacuation points, simultaneously defending them from any stray attacks. They were fortunate that the massive numbers of enemy forces of what appeared to be primarily Suna and Oto-nin were more concerned of the stronger Chūnin, Jōnin, and Anbu forces than actually outright attacking them. But it wasn't just the stadium… the entire village had become a warzone. Even though the numerous traps lining the forests outside Konohagakure had cut down hundreds, if not thousands of enemy forces… the numbers were still great. Enemy infiltrators disguised as civilians had quickly utilized summoning scrolls to bring in whole squadrons of adversaries that quickly spread out to engage Konoha's defenders even as the great gates of Konoha were smashed down, allowing the first wave of invaders, which consisted of Tokubetsu Jōnin and Chūnin, charged in. Battles were being fought everywhere, scarring the earth with weapons and signs of Ninjutsu even as massive plumes of smoke went up around the village. These giant plumes of smoke cleared to reveal massive summons that quickly began laying waste in their immediate areas! Anbu and Elite Jounins leapt forward, intent on bringing down the dangerous summons for their village, even at the cost of their lives. The fight had already claimed many souls and it was horrifying to see so many corpses already littering the village. Up on the roof of the stadium, the three Kages had begun an incredible battle that literally shook the stadium with their respective powers. No one could tell who was fighting who due to four Oto-nins summoning a barrier preventing anyone from entering or leaving its boundaries, though it did appear to the nearby Anbu that two of the Kages were ganging up on the other. They could only hope the Raikage had sided with them, especially if their beliefs were true and that it was in fact Orochimaru masquerading as the Kazekage.

But even as the battle raged on, deadlier forces were being awakened as swarms of low-level demons appeared in the east, attacking, eating, and, in the unfortunate case of women, raping anything in sight… but they were soon met by the deadliest unknown force of Konoha: Yūgure (Twilight). In an instant, half of the demon swarm was crushed by the combined might of two divisions. As the enemy forces drew back in apprehension, one of the black clad Yūgure stepped forward. "We are Yūgure's Seventh and Eighth Division… I am the captain of Division Seven and my name… is meaningless to you filthy demons." Before the grotesque creatures could even bristle and take offense at the Twilight Captain's insult, the rest of Division Seven appeared beside their captain with swords slowly sliding back into their sheaths with a slight… CLINK… "HRYYAAHHH!" The demons cried out as their bodies suddenly exploded with blood! This was Yūgure's job… to destroy any unnatural or extremely dangerous forces that might threaten Konoha or, on rare occasions, the shinobi world as a whole. They knew exactly how to kill these unnatural creatures and that is why the demons never stood a chance or even saw the attacks coming. This is how in mere seconds, the Seventh Division took down over fifty demons! This was the power of Yūgure… the power of Twilight… and woe to all those who dared challenged them…

As the bodies piled up and the blood began to pool, one particular red-haired shinobi in the Stadium snapped. The sight of so much blood… it was so beautiful! There was so much of that glorious life-giving liquid… it called for him! Mother wanted it all! He wanted it all! Before anyone could react, Gaara had leapt into the arena, landing on an unsuspecting Jounin who instantly withered away into sand as the moisture was forcibly drained from his body. With a single hand seal, the gray sand that was once a proud Konoha shinobi suddenly rose and impaled a group of charging Chuunin… there screams were music to Gaara's ears as he watched blood flow from their wounds, coating the sand skewers that held them. It was agonizing… not just because they were impaled, but also due to the sand itself! It had grinded its way through their bodies and spread within causing more tormenting damage. "Yes! Give me your blood! Mother is hungry… MOTHER WANTS YOUR BLOOD!" Gaara screamed, his eyes taking a wild maniacal look. "Sabaku Kyū (Sand Binding Coffin)!"

The sand suddenly exploded and wrapped itself around the three Chuunin in a tight prison. Their screams for help went unanswered as Gaara clenched his hand into a fist with an evil smirk. "Sabaku Sōsō (Sand Waterfall Funeral)!"The sand imploded violently, splattering the ground with blood as Gaara whirled around and address the stadium filled with fighting shinobi. "WHOSE NEXT? COME! I WILL FEED YOU ALL TO MOTHER!"

Gaara's challenge was quickly answered by a quintet of Chuunin who were mowed down by the dozens of sand tendrils that lashed out at any unfortunate shinobi within range, regardless of their affiliation. More and more Konoha shinobi appeared trying to take down the unstable Jinchūriki, only to be flatten or crushed by arms of sand with blue veins… the arms of the One-Tailed Shukaku. Any shinobi that had been unlucky enough to bypass Gaara's sand was withered away at the Jinchūriki's touch.

"STOP HIM! FOCUS YOUR ATTACKS AND TAKE HIM DOWN!" an Anbu shouted, incinerating an enemy with a fire technique. Seeing that their individual efforts were unsuccessful, three dozen Konoha shinobi gathered in force after defeating their opponents and concentrated their attacks toward the raging Jinchūriki. Hundreds of kunai, shuriken and fire techniques were sent flying toward Gaara who, despite the clear danger, merely laughed as his protective sand rendered their assault useless.

"Weak… YOU'RE ALL SO WEAK!" With a swing of Gaara's arm, the earth before him suddenly split open in a jagged line. Both ends rose a hundred of feet into the air, spreading apart into the open mouth of the One-Tailed Shukaku. The two sides suddenly slammed together, swallowing anyone and anything unfortunate enough to be there. An entire section of the Stadium along with hundreds of civilians and shinobi were trapped inside the mouth of Shukaku, their screams unheard as Gaara touched the ground with a sinister grin. "Messa Bakusō(Ruining Sand Waterfall Burial)!" The face of Shukaku suddenly flattened, compressing itself at such high pressures that anything within it was instantly crushed into oblivion as the area sunk dozens of feet into the earth. Nothing remained but sand… "YES! PROVE MY EXISTENCE!"

This was what he wanted! His mother was pleased… He was pleased! Such delicious blood! The screams of pain! It was magnificent! But then there was silence… Looking around, Gaara roared angrily at the lack of victims. He needed more… more blood! More death! He needed more… and with that thought, the Jinchūriki dashed through the destroyed section of the Stadium intent on sating his thirst for blood. Claws of sands erupted from the ground, squashing even the civilians that were running past Gaara continued his carnage until…

"Katon: Gōenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Flame Flower Technique)!"

Six massive fireballs suddenly crashed down onto the earth where Gaara stood, incinerating any unfortunate shinobi within the blast. The entire area was covered in flames, burning all nearby buildings to ash but the attacker or attackers could only scowl upon seeing a sphere of sand that had protected the Jinchūriki from harm… The sphere suddenly exploded outwards, shattering the thin layer of glass that had formed from the intense heat as Gaara gazed at whoever had dared to attack him. Sand began crawling up the left side of his body, forming armor eerily similar to that of the Shukaku. His eyes narrowed. "You…"

"Yes me… now let's try that again!" the attacker said, blurring through seals. "Katon: Gōenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Flame Flower Technique)!"

---

Up in a different section of the stadium, Sakura and Kakashi was tearing through the invading forces with Zabuza, Haku, and a Jōnin by the name of Aoba, trying to protect Naruto who hadn't moved an inch since the invasion started. They had no idea where Sasuke was as he had immediately gone to the South, saying something about corrupted souls. Also adding to her anger, Sakura found herself unable to use much of her vast Ninjutsu repertoire, mainly due to the majority of them being fire techniques and Reiko now possessed that elemental talisman. Her other available elements were lightning, earth, and water and seeing as there were no nearby water sources and her lack of training in earth techniques, there was only one element available… and that honestly irritated her. Of course, this led to Sakura having many wonderful things to say to Naruto's impeccable timing.

"You stupid… idiot! You fucking moron! What are you doing? Of all the half-assed times to enter your mindscape, you pick now! Why are my best friends always scatter-brained? At least Ino had an excuse because of her bloodline techniques, but you don't! And you knew about the invasion so why did you go into your mindscape?" Sakura cursed, slapping aside a stray kunai with her bare hand. She was using her magnetism techniques to deflect the projectiles from herself and her teammates. Needless to say, her abilities were definitely freaking out both her opponents and her allies. Flipping through a couple hand seals, the pinkette gestured at a group of charging shinobi, her hand cackling with purple electricity. "Raiton: Jiki: Uragiri (Lightning Release: Magnetism: Betrayal)!"

The enemy shinobi suddenly cried out as their blades shot backwards and stabbed their one-time wielders. Looks of utter shock would forever remain on their faces as Kakashi finished them off with his lightning chain attack. "Naruto knows how critical the situation is… whatever the issue may be, he'll be back soon." The silver-haired Jounin glanced back at his student before pelting a trio of Oto-nin with shuriken. Unfortunately, two of the Oto-nins were able to deflect the projectiles and Kakashi soon found himself engaged in close-combat. He cursed as his opponents' kunai flashed just inches from his neck. "… He really did pick a real bad time to zone out…"

"By the way Kakashi-sensei, I got sixtee-" A hail of shuriken interrupted Sakura from finishing, but to the attackers' shock, the projectiles suddenly froze in midair. "Raiton: Jiki: Jikan Tōketsu (Lightning Release: Magnetism: Frozen Time)!" Glaring at the offenders, Sakura sent the floating weapons flying back with a blast of repelling magnetic energy. The Suna-nins didn't stand a chance as the weapons buried themselves into their bodies. "Okay… that's three more so… Kakashi-sensei! I got nineteen!"

"That's it? I know I trained you better than that! You should be at thirty by now!" Kakashi shouted back, killing his opponents with a Sharingan-enhanced Genjutsu and a few kunai. He then turned to face his student, taking on an extremely cocky pose. "I'm at forty-two!"

"No fair!" Sakura pointed to the seven dead shinobi she and Kakashi had taken down together. "I helped you kill them! They don't count!"

"Yes they do!"

"Now they don't! We both killed them!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Fine! Thirty-fi- wait!" Three shuriken later, two more Oto-nin were dead at the Elite Jounin's feet. "Make that thirty-seven!"

"Fuck you!"

"Zabuza-sama…" Haku said accusingly, gesturing at the competing teacher and student even as she turned her opponents into pincushions and ice sculptures. "That is your fault!"

Zabuza being the bloodthirsty, demonized monster he was, merely laughed proudly at his success in corrupting others with his bloodlust! Even as he skewered four shinobi with his blade, the swordsman merely goaded them on and yelled, "Hah! You're both pathetic! Forty-eight!" Unfortunately, or fortunately if you were Zabuza, his proclamation got the desired response as Sakura and Kakashi increased their efforts against the enemy forces. However, while their kills were quick and clean, the demonic swordsman appeared to have gotten even more bloodthirsty since his excursion in the First and Second Circles of Hell. His blindfolded hellfire eyes were quite literally glowing as he massacred the invading forces with Hellreaver, each kill more gruesome than the last. What's worse was Zabuza seemed intent on making his opponents suffer as he occasionally forgo using the bladed edge. One unfortunate soul was smacked on the side of the chest just under his left armpit, completely shattering the ribcage, crushing his lungs, and sending multiple fragments bone into the other, along with his heart, leaving him to drown in his own blood as his body was alit in emerald hellfire. Naturally, the former Demon of the Mist wasn't the least bit bothered by the gore and smirked proudly at his handiwork before continuing his slaughter.

Unlike her master, most of Haku's targets were still alive; merely in a death-like state or simply unconscious. Even if they somehow awoke, the ice-user had injured them enough to prevent them from moving. Unfortunately, her boyfriend was in a somewhat similar state and had yet to move since the invasion started. She had felt some strange powerful chakra emanating from him, but other than that, she had no idea what was going on. 'What could Naruto-kun be doing at a time like this?' she wondered, easily blocking the kick coming from the side before freezing the man in retaliation. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gaara shielding himself from a half dozen massive fireballs. Even from her vantage point on the stadium roof, she couldn't see the attacker but decided to take the opportunity to strike the Jinchūriki down while he was distracted. She would need to use something that could last through the intense heat of the inferno and still pack enough of a punch to get through Gaara's sand. "Hyōton: Byaku-KYAAH!" The brunette was suddenly blown back by a massive gale, interrupting her from completing the technique.

Fortunately, there were no walls to collide with and Haku easily reorienting herself. Landing lightly on her feet, the ice-user looked up at her attacker. Who she saw definitely surprised her even as she prepared herself to attack. "You're afraid of him, yet you still protect him… The bond between siblings is quite strong… right, Temari-san?"

The Suna kunoichi merely smirked, though mentally she couldn't refute Haku's claims. "Your attacks would catch his attention… and when he attacks… well, I kinda enjoy living." With a flourish, Temari opened her weapon sending a light gust into the air. "Besides… it's only a matter of time before Gaara kills the shinobi he's fighting and I want to have a little fun before he massacres everyone else." Haku suddenly appeared above her in a burst of speed with her arm swinging down toward her face. Sparks flew as needles held in a claw-like manner slammed into Temari's battle fan before a surprise kick to the face knocked her back. The attack was quickly followed up with a senbon embedded in her thigh, getting a pained curse as she was kicked off the roof. Easily recovering, Temari readied her fan ready to send a powerful gust when a hail of icicles came flying toward her, forcing her to move and stop her attack.

"I'm not going to let you use any more of your Fūton Ninjutsu…" Haku said, quickly taking advantage of the fall and charged forward. In an instant, the ice-user appeared beside her, ready to riddle her opponent with needles had the kunoichi not use a clever combo with Bunshin and Kawarimi no Jutsu. She didn't come out of the attack unscathed though… three senbon were sticking out of her back and shoulder… and unfortunately, Haku didn't let up. Before the Suna-nin could react, the ice maiden had come in with a series of lightning fast jabs and slashes, each strike aimed to further incapacitate and cripple. Temari was barely able to defend herself, forced to backpedal somewhat clumsily while using her chakra-reinforced fan as a shield.

It was the worst possible match up for Temari. The ice maiden specialized in speed and precision in comparison to the fan-wielding kunoichi's area Ninjutsu that required build-up time. Also, using such a large battle fan betrayed her intentions whenever she attempted a technique… giving Haku all the warnings she needed to avoid or, in this case, outright attack and interrupt her movements. 'I can't fight like this!' Temari mentally cursed. Multiple times, she found herself too slow to block Haku's attacks and soon found her arms, sides, and legs covered in small cuts. Each wound made it harder for her to fight back and she was only just barely suppressing the building pain.

"Dammit! Get away from me!" With a roar, Temari pushed on her make-shift shield, knocking a surprised Haku back while giving the Suna-nin enough time to finally use Ninjutsu. "Daikamaitachi no Jutsu (Great Sickle Weasel Technique)!" The blonde watched in satisfaction as the massive blast of slicing air currents blew Haku back, slamming her into a nearby building with bone-breaking force. The ice maiden cried out from the impact, already feeling the pain from her broken ribs as she collapsed onto the ground… before her body shattered into ice. Temari's eyes widened. "Shit! Bunshin!"

"It was a nice try though…" a voice said behind her.

Temari swung around with her fan only to hit air. 'Shit… where is she?' A heavy mist began to descend in the area, making it impossible for Temari to see… "So that's how you want to play this? You underestimate me!" The blonde kunoichi swung her fan around, using the opportunity to build up chakra and air for one of her best techniques. Dozens of ice senbon flew from all directions in an attempt to stop her but ended up shattering against the vortex that now swirled protectively around her. Clouds began to form above them as the heat from the nearby fires, the mist in the air, and the wind generated by her fan rose into the sky, all of it perfectly controlled by the blonde… then the clouds darkened… storm clouds.

From her hiding spot, Haku watched the clouds above her grow bigger and bigger. 'I don't know what she's doing, but I can't let her finish!' Channeling chakra into her legs, Haku broke into a dead sprint, becoming nothing more than a blur as she sporadically appeared slashing at any unfortunate enemies in her way… none of them were standing when she stopped, poised to turn Temari into a pincushion… but…

"You're too late!" A massive tornado roared into existent, tearing up the earth and buildings nearby as it moved toward her opponent who had made a hasty retreat. "Daisen Fūkōheki (Great Fan Wind Roaring Wall)!"

"Hyōton: Hyōkai (Ice Release: Frozen Sea)!"

A tsunami wave of snow and ice blew out from Haku's mouth in an attempt to counter Temari's tornado. It had taken Haku most of the month to figure out how to duplicate Miyuki's technique, but in the end, she had succeeded. The technique was far too useful for her to waste as it provided an immense amount of water and ice ready to use for her other techniques while simultaneously making it more difficult for her opponents. Thanks to her bloodline, Haku could execute the technique regardless of the environment unlike Miyuki who likely had the snow and ice stored in her sword. Unfortunately for both Temari and Haku… they didn't anticipate the outcome of their techniques clashing.

The two forces of wind and snow collided into each other with a deafening roar! Then to their creators' shock, they began to combine. The rapidly revolving winds brought the frozen water into the clouds above as the winds began to pick up speed. Soon, the storm clouds above them had spread over a square mile of the village as the temperature dropped into the negatives. Snow, hail, and water began to pour down as howling winds swept through the streets… they had created a blizzard! A blizzard on a scale far greater than Naruto's own technique! Dozens of shinobi around them had been knocked down by the sudden winds and were now shivering from the intense cold… some even showed signs of frostbite!

In the very center of the howling blizzard stood its creators, Haku and Temari, both of whom were in shock at what they had created. Never had they dreamed their attacks would combine into this! Thankfully, neither of the kunoichi was affected by the clothes due to Haku's bloodline and Temari's proximity to the fires left behind by Gaara's attackers. She was fortunate that the infernos were hot enough to endure the freezing winter, otherwise she'd be shivering like everyone else around her. Neither of them moved… both unsure how to proceed… after all, if these attacks could create blizzards, then what about their best techniques? Or was it just those two specific techniques that were capable of combining? And would their other attacks be affected by the blizzard?

They were about to find out…

Leaping back onto the roof, Haku raised her hand to the clouds above and slowly clenched her fist. Immediately, the temperature dropped even further as the downpour of snow began to cluster together into huge chunks of ice! The blizzard turned hailstorm crashed down onto the earth, killing scores of nearby enemy shinobi while leaving all Konoha defenders unharmed. This blizzard… this frozen tundra was Haku's domain! With her bloodline, she could take control of all the snow and use it however she liked! "I'm sorry Temari-san… but the fight is mine!" With a single gesture, snow and ice suddenly clustered together into a massive ice dragon, by far the biggest one Haku had ever created and her best technique. "Hyōton: Byakuryū Bōfūsetsu (Ice Release: White Dragon Blizzard)!" The creature of ice let loose a shrieking roar as it charged toward Temari, intent on annihilating the kunoichi from existence even as she raised her fan to counter with her own ace.

"Fūjin Chūten (Wind God Rising to the Heavens)!"

Swinging her battle fan four times, a quartet of tornadoes swirled into existence, scarring the ground as they howled toward Haku's ice dragon. The fierce winds that already blew through the area augmented the sheer power of Temari's technique and with a deafening crash; the ice and one of the tornados collided, showering the area with shards of ice as they tried to overpower each other! Seconds ticked by as the two techniques fought until finally, the ice maiden's technique slipped through! It seemed as though Haku was going to win… Temari was too close to dodge and also unable to move or she'd lose control over her technique until… BOOM! The four tornados suddenly crashed together, combining into one massive multi-vortex tornado! The ice dragon shattered, sending large chunks of ice flying everywhere, striking down anyone unfortunate enough to be in range save for Gaara and his opponents. "Oh c'mon! Again?" Haku said cursing uncharacteristically over her technique once again combining with her opponent's. She vanished into an ice mirror and out of the tornado's path of destruction before reappearing above the clouds. The ice maiden then prepared another attack, intent on using the hailstorm as a cover for her attacks. "Hyōton: Tsubame Fubuki (Ice Release: Swallow Snowstorm)!"

A swarm of ice needles numbering in the thousands flew at Temari with deadly accuracy. But they never even got close as the Suna Kunoichi destroyed them with a single swing of her fan. 'Seems like our weaker attacks won't combine…' Haku thought, creating a large spear of ice as she landed on the stadium roof. She needed to be careful… The tornado was still there, though considerably smaller due to its collision with the ice dragon and no longer under Temari's control… Unfortunately, the powerful winds were keeping the natural disaster going even without any chakra left in it and the winds themselves were affecting the trajectory of her attacks.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Temari shouted, shattering the thrown ice spear with a well time swing. The large distance between them was too great for Haku to cross in time to interrupt her techniques, thereby evening the playing field. Also, with her position on the ground, she was unaffected by the buffeting winds that were battering her opponent up above. She easily dodged the hail of ice senbon and sent powerful gusts back in retaliation, all the while ensuring she kept her distance from her opponent. 'No way am I letting her get in close again…' Temari thought as Haku charged in. "Daikamaitachi no Jutsu (Great Sickle Weasel Technique)!"

"What the hell are they?" A nearby Oto-nin shouted as he dodged stray chunks of ice. It was terrifying seeing two young kunoichi capable of literally creating blizzards, hailstorms, and tornadoes… what's next? Lightning storms?

"Watch out!"

"Shit! They're about to use Ninjutsu again! Everybody move!"

Dozens of shinobi responded to the warning and hightailed it out of there. Each attack exchanged between the two only worsened the environment around them as gust and ice flew in all directions. Tornados were destroying all nearby buildings and the ground was now covered in several feet of snow and ice. 'Time to change things up a bit…' The three stars emblazed on the battle-fan suddenly began glowing with cackling blue electricity, much to Haku's surprise. "Didn't think I could use another element, huh?" Temari laughed, having noticed her opponent's surprise and fear. "I can't blame you for being surprised. A wind element with lightning element techniques… I'm one of the few shinobi out there with opposing elemental affinities! Since your ice and my wind keep combining, I figured its time I tried a different approach! Raiton: Kyūden (Lightning Release: Ball Lightning)!"

"Wait! Don't-!"

But it was too late. Small orbs of lightning were shot in groups of three at Haku with each swing of Temari's fan. The ice maiden easily dodged the attacks and could only watch in fear as the electricity enter the storm clouds above… 'Oh shit…' Haku and Temari immediately took shelter as the sky lit up with bolts of lightning slamming into the ground with terrifying force! Any shinobi that had survived the blizzard and hailstorm were instantly struck by thousands of volts of electricity!

"Dammit! What did you that for?" Haku shouted indignantly, having completely lost her cool.

Taking shelter, Temari could only look at the lit sky in fear. "I didn't know this would happen!"

"You didn't know this was going to happen? You sent electricity into storm clouds!"

"Well sorry!"

"It's too late for that!" Dodging another lightning bolt, Haku quickly created an icicle and sent it flying at Temari who retaliated with another gust of wind. "Dammit! Stop using techniques to counter! Do you want to make this storm worse? Just dodge it!"

"Who the fuck are these people?" one Konoha-nin shouted as screams filled the air from electrocutions. The Jounin quickly took shelter in a nearby building as he watched the two kunoichi capable of creating natural weather disasters continue their fight whilst wreaking havoc over the immediate area. Waves of snow crashed down toward the streets only to be blown into tornados or hurricanes by gusts of winds… lightning crashed into the earth with terrifying force… blizzards and sub-zero temperatures froze and killed anyone wounded or just unfortunate enough to be in the area… no one was safe while these two girls fought for their countries.

---

"Orochimaru… I knew it was you," Sarutobi sighed from his position as his student's hostage. They along with the Raikage were trapped in a barrier created by four Jōnin… and speaking of the muscular dark-skinned shinobi, Sarutobi noted that Ē was suffering the same situation. His captor… or captors in this case were two clearly powerful shinobi. One was a seemingly sickly man holding a bone knife to Ē's throat. His white hair, green eyes, and red dots signified his relation to the Kaguya clan. The other individual was a tall orange-haired man… but there was something truly disturbing about him. He was laughing manically despite part of body was dark gray, including his mutated right arm that held the Raikage in its gigantic grasp. "My apologies for your unfortunate predicament Raikage-dono… I wasn't sure where you're allegiance lied in this invasion."

Ē, while furious at the situation, could not fault the elderly Hokage. Kumo and Konoha had a rather tenuous relationship and had it been any other nation, the Raikage might have accepted and participated in the invasion. However, Orochimaru had kidnapped and killed thousands of his shinobi and civilians for his experiments or just simple sport… and it was thanks to those horrendous crimes that had Ē firmly sided with the Hokage and ready to take down Orochimaru at the first opportunity. "We are shinobi Sarutobi… I cannot blame you for your precautions! I only wish we weren't in such a predicament."

Sarutobi nodded his acknowledgement before shifting his attention back to his former student. "To think you've fallen so far… Orochimaru, you were a Sannin of Konoha and respected throughout the village! And yet now, you seek to destroy it! What for?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "What do you think Sarutobi-sensei? My ambition! Imagine how different things would be had you simply let me continue my research… but none of you understood the genius behind my work!" He stepped away from the Sandaime Hokage, not the least bit concerned of getting attacked by his hostages. "Imagine… immortality! My experiments led us closer to perfection than anyone could ever hope to achieve! Konoha could've been invincible! And I! I would've been their leader! Their benefactor to true power!"

"Again with that foolish goal! Do you still not understand that one could never be immortal in this world?" He whipped off his robes, revealing armor similar to that of Yūgure with a red leaf insignia on a black face-guard similar to that of the Nidaime Hokage. "Because of your ridiculous pursuit, thousands of lives have been lost under your experiments… and now, you seek to destroy the very country that once held you dear! And for what? Revenge? You cannot crush Konoha nor will the Hi no Ishi (Will of Fire) ever be extinguished."

"Ku ku ku, are you truly so naive Sensei? The God of Shinobi… the Professor… despite your titles, you are nothing but an old fool leading a broken village at the end of its pathetic existence," Orochimaru mocked, shedding his Kazekage disguise completely. A signal directed at his two subordinates had them releasing the Raikage who immediately jumped to Sarutobi's side. "I will not only crush you, but I'll make sure to destroy every single one of Konoha's citizens. Their lives… the lives of all your shinobi and civilian will be exterminated! Know that it was your failure that led to Konoha's destruction Sensei!"

"Such hatred is unbecoming of you Orochimaru… it will get you nowhere…"

"Spoken like a true senile old man! Do you truly not understand sensei? This is more than simple hatred… this village shunned my work! I was striving for immortality! To ensure that the lives of Konoha would never fall! It would grant us the ability to master every technique every created, learn every secret the world holds… we'd be invincible! But still, they scorned my work! And for that, they will reap the consequences of their actions… complete obliteration! Not just by my hand but by my associates! True devils of the abyss… fallen angels. " A cruel smirk formed across Orochimaru's pale face upon seeing the Hokage's startled reaction to the Datenshi. "But… since I've taken a sideline perspective, I can see all of Konoha's crimes. Do you not think that my actions would be doing the shinobi world a justice? I've seen your tears for the Jinchūriki… The very people of this village attacking a helpless child for merely having something thrust into him at birth shows the value of this so-called honorable village. Oh, and did I forget to mention that the one suffering the abuse is the Yondaime's son? Even with that delicious power he now holds with his teammates, the village continues to scorn him! Minato would be disappointed…"

"Don't you dare continue Orochimaru! Do you think I am ignorant to the misdeeds of my village's people? Do you think I feel no remorse at the pain Naruto must suffer for saving our village?" Sarutobi demanded. His eyes were burning with fury and near palpable killing intent could be felt crushing down upon the immediate area. To all those who could see the peace-loving elderly man literally radiating chakra, they felt a cold shiver of fear race down their spines. Even the Raikage was startled at the amount of raw chakra his fellow Kage possessed. "Raikage-dono… unfortunately, I must ask you to fight Orochimaru's subordinates. I must be the one to kill my former student."

Ē nodded. "We will be having a serious talk after this is over Sarutobi! But for now, I will comply with your request… just be sure to land a few hits for me. He's killed hundreds of my shinobi."

Sarutobi smirked. "Do not fret my friend… I will make sure he pays the price of his crimes a hundred fold."

"Foolish… you think you can defeat me Sensei? You're nothing more than prey… I will destroy you and this pathetic village! And as for the Raikage," Orochimaru glanced at the dark-skinned man. "My deepest apologies for not introducing your captors, Raikage-dono… Please welcome two of my strongest subordinates: Tenbin no Jūgo (Jūgo of the Scales) and Kimimaro Kaguya!"

In a flash, the two Oto-nins had engaged Ē in close combat, utilizing their curse seal enhanced abilities to keep the Raikage on edge. The two Jōnin were a perfect combination of raw power and high speeds that was on par with Ē's own elite shinobi. With the Raikage suitably preoccupied, Orochimaru turned to face his former sensei. "Now Sarutobi-sensei… shall we? Its time I destroy the backwash village Minato gave his life and son for!"

"Orochimaru!" Sarutobi roared in fury. Full seal sequences were formed and finished in less than a second as the Hokage let loose his rage. The area around Orochimaru suddenly began to glow with the symbols of a massive pocket dimension Fūinjutsu, courtesy of Jiraiya to ensure his own Ninjutsu didn't damage the building. "Since your attack on Naruto-kun and his team, I have known of the invasion and have prepared accordingly… Your arrogance has led to your downfall! Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld)!"

A massive and deep (thanks to the seal) swamp suddenly appeared under Orochimaru's feet, sucking him into its depths at alarming speeds! But the Snake Sannin was unfazed… He had seen his fellow Sannin use this technique multiple times and was perfectly able to counter so he continued to smile mockingly… until he realized that his sensei was far from finished. He was about to prove why the world knew him as the God of Shinobi. "Doton: Doryūsō (Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears)!" Half a second later…"Katon: Eikōdan no Jutsu (Fire Release: Flare Bomb Technique)!" Dozens of spikes, formed from condensed mud, shot out from the swamp in clusters, protruding outwards in an attempt to skewer the rapidly moving Snake Sannin as a rain of fireballs set the muddy and very much flammable swamp ablaze!

Sarutobi smirked. "Ikijigoku (Hell on Earth)!"

Horrifying screams of pain echoed throughout the roof and stadium, momentarily ceasing all fighting as everyone turned toward the burning swamp. To think that in mere seconds, the old Hokage had combined three techniques in a way that would kill armies. It was simply incredible! This was the kind of thing the Anbu outside the barrier could only dream of… the power and fluidity… the creativity. Only the Sandaime Hokage, the God of Shinobi, could pull off such feats. Surely Orochimaru couldn't have survived such an onslaught, right?

"Cut the acting and get out here Orochimaru… I know that isn't enough to kill you." And true enough, Orochimaru emerged a distance away from the swamp, completely unharmed. Thanks to the abundant amount of mud in the swamp, it had been child's play for the Snake Sannin to create a clone and replaced himself with it.

"Ku ku ku… not bad Sarutobi-sensei... despite your senility, your skills remain quite impressive. Now it's my turn!" Orochimaru's abnormally long tongue suddenly transformed into a snake and shot out toward the old Hokage. It was quickly incinerated by Sarutobi's flamethrower before the blaze was directed at him, forcing the Snake Sannin to raise an earth wall else he get burned to a crisp.

At first, it seemed like the shield was going to hold but as the heat gradually rose, Orochimaru quickly realized that it was only a matter of seconds before the attack got through. Knowing time was running short, he quickly escaped via substitution and charged his sensei.

The two combatants eventually collided into a furious Taijutsu battle, dozens of blows at speeds and strength that would awe Gai and Lee into a hugging session of youth. Even with both Sarutobi and Orochimaru's age, their skills were topnotch as punches were blocked, kicks redirected, elbow shot avoided, and knees were stopped by hasty hands covering the groin. But in the end, the advantage was clear. Orochimaru had speed and more stamina at his disposal and it wasn't long before Sarutobi found himself gritting his teeth in pain from a cheap shot to the kidneys. Before he could react, Orochimaru had connected with a dozen more punches and finished up with a powerful uppercut. As he fell back, Orochimaru drew a kunai and it swung it toward the Hokage's neck. Sarutobi was only just barely able to raise his own to block and shot out with another kunai.

It was pretty satisfying to feel the blade connect.

Cursing, Orochimaru was forced to back off as his opponent disappeared in a burst of speed. The wound was shallow… Barely more than a scratch but the fact that his sensei had scored a hit was unacceptable. "Sen'ei Jashu (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)!" Orochimaru's tongue once again transformed into a snake and immediately clamped down onto Sarutobi's neck, injecting lethal venom into the elderly Hokage's system. The satisfaction the traitorous shinobi felt upon seeing this was almost palpable… until the body suddenly fell apart into mud. "Replacement…" the Snake Sannin muttered.

"Orochimaru…" Sarutobi said, appearing behind his student. The Snake Sannin remained unfazed at his seemingly apparent vulnerability and instead waited for his former master to speak. "You wish to obtain through immortality the ability to master every technique… yet how will you accomplish this when there are dozens of new techniques created every generation? Konoha has recently obtained the skills of a true developer of techniques and has gifted the shinobi with his work. Now, allow me to show you the gifts of Konoha's Creator!" Mud and earth began collecting together and take form. Larger and larger the figure became, completely awing the Snake Sannin as he watched the technique progress. "Doton: Gansō no Jutsu: Chimi (Earth Release: Rock Formation Technique: Mountain Demon)!"

Unlike with Sakura, this golem had far more defined features. Mostly humanoid in appearance, the rock construct also had horns and teeth with spikes protruded from various places along its body. With its creation complete, Sarutobi smirked as he raised his hands in a single seal. "Iku (Go)…"

With a roar, the demonic golem charged straight at Orochimaru, its earthen fist raised to do more than kill. It was aiming to exterminate. The sudden appearance and speed the golem possessed truly shocked the Sannin and before he could react, the rock construct had nailed him with a solid blow to the jaw. Pain flooded his body as Orochimaru staggered back as questions popped up within his twisted mind. 'Where did he learn such a technique? Sensei claimed it was developed by Konoha's Creator… I've heard rumors of such a developer…' His eyes widened as he recalled Kabuto's Intel. 'The Kyuubi Jinchuriki! He developed this technique?' A sick smile appeared on his face. 'To make such powerful techniques… no doubt the Ninjutsu Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan used were also created by him. Such delicious potential!' He hadn't gotten the chance to witness Naruto's recent improvements due to the invasion starting, but the Snake Sannin fully intended on seeking him out afterwards. But first… the golem… With his wits collected, Orochimaru proved himself worthy of his title and dodged through each wild swing with slippery ease. Occasionally, the construct would fire its spikes at him, and more than once Orochimaru found himself dangerously close to getting injured from the high-speed projectiles. "This is getting annoying… Sen'ei Jashu (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)!"

From his sleeve, over a half dozen snakes appeared and wrapped themselves around the golem. With the construct unable to move, the Snake Sannin slammed his palm into the golem's chest. "Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!" The raw force behind the gale contained in such a small space between Orochimaru's hand and the golem left only one option. The creature was blown back at breakneck speed, slamming into the barrier surrounding them with enough power to make its walls shimmer. Needless to say, the golem crumbled away but the minute Orochimaru had spent fighting had given Sarutobi plenty of time to prepare his next attack.

"Doton: Doryū Taiga (Earth Release: Earth Flow River)!"

A massive torrent of mud alight with fire came gushing out of the swamp. Sarutobi was fortunate that the swamp created at the beginning of the battle was still there cackling with intense flames. It was time to put the resource to use. As it approached Orochimaru who quickly leapt back as even he didn't want to risk getting hit by burning mud, it suddenly split. "Rin (Circle)!" Sarutobi ordered, switching to another seal as the river obeyed his commands. It eventually finished its circuit and heading back to the swamp in the shape of a light bulb with the Sandaime standing at the only opening.

Now surrounded by a river of gushing mud alight with fire, Orochimaru turned toward his sensei with an amused grin. "Do you truly believe this can contain me Sarutobi-sensei?"

He got a smile in return. "Always short-sided… you never were able to grasp the finer executions of Ninjutsu. Allow me to show you what the Professor can do!" Blurring through seals, Sarutobi executed his technique. "Doton: Doryūdan (Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet)!"

To Orochimaru's horror, six dragon heads instead of the usual one appeared around him from the river of mud. They immediately began opened fire, pelting him with hundreds of flaming mud projectiles as the Snake Sannin screamed in true pain. In his curiosity and arrogance, Orochimaru didn't have the time to create a clone to substitute with and was now taking the full brunt of his master's incredible combination technique… surrounding an enemy with the river and then attack from all sides? Truly a masterful tactic and the Sannin was experiencing the full powers of it. He could feel his bruised skin burning from the flames with the mud merely added irritation to the open wounds…

After what felt like an eternity but had really only been a minute, the attack ceased leaving Orochimaru standing there bloody, bruised, and burned. It was not a pretty sight.

"I see you live up to your name Sarutobi!"

Turning, the Sandaime was greeted with a bloody Raikage enveloped in his Lightning Release Armor Fortunately, the blood did not appear to be his own and Sarutobi didn't see any noticeable wounds. Looking past the muscular man, he saw the downed forms of Kimimaro and Jūgo… Numerous craters and spikes of what appeared to be bone littered the Raikage's battleground. "You didn't kill them."

Ē shook his head. "Both are high-ranking Oto-nins… regardless of whether or not Orochimaru lives past today, they'll likely possess Intel we need to take out any remaining bases and perhaps even rescue some of our kidnapped citizens."

"A wise decision Raikage-dono…"

"Do you think your techniques were enough to kill him?"

Sarutobi shook his head. "I can only hope so… but it's unlikely. Orochimaru has always been a resilient one…"

A furious roar snapped the two Kages' attention back toward their enemy. With his mouth wide open, the Snake Sannin proceeded to disgust Sarutobi, Ē, the Anbu, and basically everyone within viewing distance as a separate Orochimaru appeared from within his mouth, crawling out of a skin just like that of a snake. The original skin went slack as the 'new' Orochimaru stood before their eyes, saliva and what appeared to be some kind of chemical dripping off its body. Every injury that had been previously inflicted was gone, leaving the Sannin ready, able, and furious. The hatred he harbored for Konoha and its Hokage could clearly be seen on his face.

"You defeated my henchmen… and with such ease. I underestimated your power Raikage-dono." Orochimaru then faced his teacher once more with a scowl. "As for you Sarutobi-sensei… did you truly think your techniques would be enough to defeat me?"

"You were badly injured and had I moved sooner, you would be dead now."

"Yes… perhaps, but you didn't. You were expecting that last attack to finish me."

"I was hopeful," he admitted.

"Ku ku ku… Yes, even I'll admit it was a good attempt!"

"Why thank you…"

Orochimaru laughed at Sarutobi's mocking tone. "Now tell me about that technique! You said it was the Creator who developed it… Its Naruto-kun, am I right?"

Sarutobi didn't respond, but the answer was clear nonetheless.

"Ku ku ku… this is fantastic news! Such talent in creating Ninjutsu and to possess the legendary bloodline of angels… Naruto the Angel of Death!" At that very instant, a golden white light shone into the heavens, drawing the two Kages and Sannin's attention outside. They were immediately greeted with the sights of numerous giant summons, a massive lightning-charged blizzard, huge waves of sands slamming against red and blue flames, and a glowing white light clashing against a black light in the sky. Needless to say, the battle going on was incredible. "Yes… just look at that power! Going head-to-head with the Datenshi! It may not be Yami-sama… but to be able to fight on par with any member of that fearsome clan is a feat of its own!"

"Naruto-kun along with every other shinobi in Konoha bear the Hi no Ishi (Will of Fire)! That is how he is able to go up against the Datenshi and that is why you will lose here today," Sarutobi proudly said, watching his surrogate grandson fight with all his might.

"Spoken like a true senile old man…"

"Even if I am… this senile old man has been dominating our battle since its beginning."

Orochimaru scowled at the insult. "Not anymore…" A cruel sneer appeared on the pale shinobi's face. "Time I turn the field back in my favor and introduce to you, Sarutobi-sensei, some old friends…" It wasn't hard for the Sandaime Hokage to realize what his traitorous student meant and immediately let loose a searing inferno… but he was too late. "Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei (Summoning: Impure World Resurrection)!"

"NO!"

The inferno being expelled out the Hokage's mouth suddenly quadrupled in temperature, turning white hot in an attempt to stop Orochimaru from completing his technique. But to both Kage's shock, a coffin began to rise right through the flames, shielding the Sannin from harm as Orochimaru gleefully announced, "First!"

"Raikage-dono! We must stop him!"

"Right!" In a flash, Ē had appeared beside Orochimaru with his fist already flying to decapitate the Sannin… only to share in shock. "W-What?" Blood splattered across his face and clothing, his arm shoved elbow deep in the person's flesh and moving out the back. He was so shocked that he could not even think of removing his arm from said person's chest… black markings began to recede as protruding bones crumbled away…

"I… I exist… to serve Orochimaru-sama…" Everyone could only stare in shock as the sacrificing shinobi let out his last rattling breath, content that he succeeded in protecting his master. Even the Oto-nins holding up the barrier had expressions of surprise and amazement.

"Ku ku ku HAHAHAHA! YES! YOU WERE A WONDERFUL SUBORDINATE KIMIMARO!" Orochimaru cackled, watching without remorse as the man slid off Ē's arm onto the floor. Pulling out Kusanagi, Orochimaru forced the Raikage to retreat with a single swing of his blade. "Thanks to you, the second has risen!"

Fortunately for Sarutobi and Ē, that's where the undead summoning stopped. Despite Orochimaru's efforts, the next coffin refused to rise… but it mattered not. The odds were once again in the Snake Sannin's favor. As the coffin lids fell forward revealing its contents, the undead forms of the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokage, Orochimaru's sinister grin grew to its widest… with this, his ambition of seeing Konoha burn would be fulfilled! It was a moment of such triumph, of such sweet revenge and satisfaction for the Snake Sannin… that someone just HAD to reward him with the one technique he feared the most.

"Rasengan (Spiraling Sphere)!"

A blue orb of swirling chakra with the force of a hurricane slammed into the torso of the now screaming Snake Sannin. The raw power behind the legendary technique sent Orochimaru flying back, but before he could even collide into the purple barrier surrounding them, a flash of yellow light appeared in his path as another Rasengan (Spiraling Sphere) was smashed into his face.

"Impossible!" Orochimaru cried out as the attack attempted to liquefy his head. Only pure luck and years of honed reflexes allowed Orochimaru to use his body-shedding technique half a second after the second Rasengan connected. Though still somewhat injured from having taken part of the attack through his escape, he was in considerably better condition than before. But his mind was now reeling at what he had just experienced… only two shinobi in the world knew the Rasenganand out of those two, there was only one that could perform the Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique)… but that was impossible! He was dead! Minato is dead! He sacrificed himself to seal the Kyuubi into his son! So how… "How… How did you use those techniques? The two legendary techniques of the Yondaime Hokage… Who are you?"

The black-hooded man smiled behind his face-mask. Standing to his full height, he drew a tri-pronged kunai with his left hand and created a Rasengan in his right. His hood fell back, revealing his spiky blond hair and sapphire eyes leaving everyone, save Sarutobi who was smiling, standing in open shock. "Sorry for the wait old man," the mysterious shinobi said before turning to face Orochimaru and his undead summons. "Hello there! I am the leader of Konoha's Yūgure (Twilight) and captain of Division One! My name…" Instantly, Orochimaru found himself once again suffering under the drilling force of Yūgure Commander's technique. "… is Minato Namikaze."

---

"Naruto! You're back!" Sakura exclaimed happily, even as she buried a kunai into an Oto-nin's skull. Then a tick mark appeared on the pinkette's (massive) forehead as she grabbed her teammate by the jacket and pulled him up close. "What the fuck were you doing in your mindscape? You knew about the invasion and yet you suddenly zoned out! I should beat you into the next centur-"

Naruto suddenly looked directly into her eyes… and the pinkette instantly found herself unable to speak or move as she gazed into those sapphire orbs. A gleam of pure determination and warmth around a sea of sadness could be seen within his eyes as they began to glow white with the signs of Naruto's bloodline. They were drawing her in… even though Sakura's heart (and lust) lay with Sasuke, she couldn't stop the flush that appeared on her cheeks. Then he spoke. "Sakura…"

"Huh?" was her intelligent response.

"MOVE!" Pulling the girl into his arms, Naruto leapt into the air with his wings released and flung his holy blade down upon the group of Oto-nin that had tried to sneak up behind them. The blade glowed with holy chakra and slammed into the earth, releasing a wave of golden flames upon the enemy. "Seitōryū: Tenmō (Holy Sword Style: Heaven's Vengeance)!"

They didn't stand a chance.

"Naruto-kun…" Sakura muttered, somewhat embarrassed that she was in the blond angel's arms. "You can put me down now."

"What? Oh, sorry…" Returning his teammate back to the ground, Naruto retrieved Ten'yuu and looked around to get an idea of how the battle was going… unfortunately, it wasn't a pretty sight. His beloved village had transformed into a massive warzone. Building had been destroyed and countless dead civilians and shinobi littered the streets. To his right, the blond angel could see Kakashi, Zabuza, and Aoba slaughtering any unfortunate enemy in view. To the north, he could see his girlfriend battling one of the Sand Siblings and somehow creating blizzards and lightning storms whenever their powers clashed. Nearby, the Jinchūriki of the Ichibi no Shukaku was battling against a foe that clearly had a talent for fire elemental techniques. High above, Naruto could see two Datenshi reaping havoc with their bloodline. "Where's Sasuke?"

Sakura shrugged as she activated her strength augmentation and punted an enemy shinobi through a building. "He ran off to the South saying something about corrupted souls… probably has something to do with Forsaken."

"What about the rest of Zabuza's group?"

"No clue, but I overheard Shuzuki saying that the invasion was the perfect opportunity to rip the tops off foreign kunoichi… fucking pervert."

"Damn right… He's as bad as Ero-sennin," Naruto sighed, slicing off the arms of another enemy. He ignored the man's screams as Sakura finished him off via snapped neck. "What about the other rookies?"

"I haven't seen them since the invasion started."

"Shit… we need to find them. They don't stand a chance in this invasion."

"What about Haku?" Sakura said, looking at the battling ice maiden. "Shouldn't you help her?"

"No… she can handle herself." And it was true. Even with their techniques combining, Haku still had the clear advantage and Naruto could see that Temari was struggling. The blood that had splashed around the girl in the snow didn't help her case either. "C'mon, we need to find the others. Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza are more than enough for this area… in fact, I don't even see any more enemies."

Looking around, Sakura realize her teammate was right. Zabuza had only just finished off the last Oto-nin in the immediate area and had run off in search for more victims. "Alright… anyways, what happened to you? You went into your mindscape right when the invasion started! That's not like you at all!" Despite moving across the village at high speeds, Sakura didn't miss Naruto's wince. "What happened, Naruto? And where did you get that crimson sword?"

---

-Flashback-

"Naruto-kun…"

He didn't see Ashbringer or Nightmare standing beside him. All the registered was that voice… it was heavenly music to his ears. The sweet sound of a demon lord, of Meigetsu, the Kyuubi no Yoko and the woman he lov- no… he had Haku now… but what was he supposed to say now? A battle that would decide the fate of Konoha was raging on in reality but he couldn't leave… She was standing before him. After disappearing for over a month, she had finally returned. He couldn't even begin to express the joy he felt from seeing her again… but… "Mei-hime… how… Where have you been?" Just like that, the gates flooded open. "A month and nine days! That's how long you've been gone! Do you have any idea how worried I've been? How upset Hitomi was when her mother suddenly disappeared? WHERE WERE YOU?" He sounded like a sissy but did he care? Not at all… he had to know why she disappeared… why she left him…

Tears began to well up in her eyes as she gazed at her vessel. He had changed so much since the Academy. Instead of a weak teenager with delusions of power and adequacy, she saw a powerful shinobi brimming with confidence and the abilities to back it up. She knew that the stress and chakra of shinobi's caused accelerated growth and with the regenerative powers Meigetsu bestowed upon her vessel, it was magnified in Naruto leaving him with a sixteen year old body despite his age of fourteen. His mind had advanced too, allowing her to see and experience so much more. The things she had seen, the memories… the emotions… she had spent the last month experiencing everything Naruto had felt for her. It was staggering the love he held for her… and the pain he went through. Every instant of heartbreaking agony, every sparkle of pure joy, all of it because of her… the Bijū responsible for the last twelve years of ridicule and hatred… it was… unbelievable. "I… Naruto-kun…" How was she supposed to express her feelings? The sea of misery and regret that raged within her was calling out for him… only he could calm the storm. "I'm so sorry Naruto-kun… I should've known how you felt…"

How he felt? What was she talking about? It was like she knew… "No… how did you…?"

Seeing that Meigetsu was too choked up to respond Ashbringer stepped up to explain. "Naruto-kun… when you changed your mindscape into this land, you also changed how you store certain memories and emotions." She gestured to the vast forest behind her. "Simply put, each of the trees represents an emotion in regards to an event or person. In this case, a Cherry Blossom Tree would represent love… and Meigetsu discovered the one that expressed your feelings for her. By connecting herself to it, she was exposed to every memory, feeling, and thought you've ever had for her."

Naruto felt his heart plummet upon hearing this. 'She knows…' This was never supposed to happen. He had chosen to give up his feelings for Haku and he was happy with his decision! Meigetsu had left him… and had invaded his privacy. Besides, there was still the matter of her mate, Shizaru. Even if he did let himself succumb to his feelings, Meigetsu was still committed to someone else. "It doesn't matter Mei-hime… There's no need to apologize."

"B-But…" How could he say it like that? Even though she was a demon, Meigetsu understood the pains and joys of love. She knew how much Naruto had suffered under his feelings for her… so how? How could he dismiss and forgive her so easily?

"Mei-hime… you have Shizaru and I now have a girlfriend. There's no need for you to apologize. I shouldn't have fallen for you and even though I'm still in love with you… I'm also in love with Haku-chan. This works out for both of us!" Naruto said smiling, even though it was a little strained. "You don't have to worry about my feelings anymore and I can fulfill my promise of reuniting you with Shizaru! I'm happy with Haku-chan."

"I… Naruto-kun…" Meigetsu muttered. She knew that while the majority of what Naruto had said was the truth, he had lied too. Naruto loved her and even with his growing feelings for Haku, she would always have a part of his heart. And if she was to be completely honest… he had a part of hers as well. But… "You're right Naruto-kun. This is for the best."

Naruto stoically nodded his head.

He would not break… could not break.

"But… before you go… just so that we can both know what it's like…" Meigetsu approached her vessel, her beautiful red eyes piercing his very soul and heart. She enveloped the teen in a hug, pressing her entire body against his. She felt him return the gesture, wrapping his arms tightly around her frame and pull her close. Both relished in the closeness. It was warm, comforting, and made their hearts sing… it was bliss.

He knew what she was going to do. And he knew in his heart that he had to stop it. "Mei-hime… I don't think…"

"I know… but just once." Before he could react, Meigetsu had her lips pressed against his own… and it was pure ecstasy. They could feel the passion, the happiness, the love flooding through each other as they kissed. Both knew that this would likely never happen again and they wanted… no, they needed to cherish this moment of union for as long as possible. It was hot and steamy; so full of passion that it brought moans to them both. It felt like an eternity of bliss, but like all good things, it had to end. Tears slid down their cheeks as they finally broke apart; their passion for the other evident in their eyes as they let loose labored breaths. They were betraying their loved ones… but the overwhelming feelings they had for each other crushed that guilt away. "I love you Naruto-kun… I'm sorry it took so long for me to realize your feelings. It took so long for me to realize mine… but now I know… I love you and I always will."

Tears continued to fall. "Me too Mei-hime…"

"Here…" A magnificent crimson sword was placed in his hand. Like that of the Ten'yuu, the blade itself was a single-edged straight katana. Black flame designs, somewhat similar to that of Sasuke's cursed seal, were etched upon the blade's length. A large ruby sat at the end of the black handle and surprisingly, there was no hand guard. "This is my sword. The Guren Kitetsu (Crimson Lotus Demon-Splitter)… combined with the Ten'yuu (Divine Grace) and the Mugetsu (Moonless Sky), your Santōryū is complete. Like the other swords, this blade will allow you to control our demonic chakra with more ease. After this invasion is over, I'll start teaching you some Matōryū (Devil Sword Style) techniques. Its… consider that sword as the first part of my apology for hurting you, Naruto-kun. I wish I could apologize differently, but this is the best I can do." Before he could protest to that, Meigetsu had pressed her lips against Naruto's once more, eliciting a pained but loving moan of want from them both before backing away. "I couldn't resist doing it once more… okay… go Naruto-kun. We can talk more later."

Naruto nodded and faded from the mindscape, but not before whispering, "Thank you Mei-hime… I-I love you."

"I love you too…"

---

"Naruto?"

Sakura's concerned voice quickly brought the angel back to reality. A tear had slid down his cheek as he recalled what had happened. It hurt… it would always hurt. But that pain came with a sense of happiness. Meigetsu, the Kyuubi no Yōko had returned! There was no way he'd lose today.. "Just had a lot on my mind… I'm fine now, Sakura."

Unconvinced but not wanting to pry, Sakura merely nodded as the two continued their trek around the village. Thanks to the pinkette's chakra sonar, they knew exactly where their missing teammate was and fully intended on joining up with him. Together, they could take on the Datenshi without too much difficulty.

Minutes later, Sakura suddenly felt an insanely powerful chakra coming toward them at breakneck speeds. But it wasn't aimed at her; no, it was going straight for… "NARUTO! LOOK OUT!"

A streak of black from the sky slammed the unsuspecting blond into the earth. Blood splattered the ground as Naruto tried to recover from his attacker's powerful and unexpected blow but soon realized that he was being held down. He was being pinned face-down and couldn't see who the enemy was but the mere feel of his attacker's chakra was enough to identify him. "Datenshi…"

Seigen Datenshi grinned as he drew his sword, completely ignoring the malevolent demonic chakra radiating from his captive. His hood had been thrown back, giving Sakura a clear view of his face. With a strong jaw, amber eyes, and wavy brown hair, the man was quite a looker… had it not been for the sadistic and bloodthirsty smile on his face. "Good guess! You owe me a fight Namikaze! I've been looking forward to our match in the Chūnin Selection Exams this past month but Orochimaru and Kabuto just had to start the invasion early." The powerful shinobi scoffed as he glanced at the purple barrier where Orochimaru resided battling his former sensei and the Raikage. Even with the raging fires and explosions happening within, he was unimpressed. The slimy snake didn't stand a chance, even with his forbidden techniques. "But it's no matter… here we are on a true battlefield in the midst of a war. Now let's see whose bloodline is stronger! Shin'en (Abyss) versus Tentai (Heavenly Body)… a battle to the death!" Seigen cackled and swung his sword.

"Raiton: Jiki: Jikan Tōketsu (Lightning Release: Magnetism: Frozen Time)!"

The black blade suddenly stopped its descent just inches from Naruto's exposed neck. Despite his considerable strength, Seigen could not get the blade to move. Cursing, he glared at the pink-haired one responsible. Foul chakra began to build up in his hand. "How dare you stop my sword… You're going to pay for that. Reiko wanted to be the one to kill you, but I think she'll just have to deal with the disappointment!" But before he could retaliate, Naruto slammed his elbow into Seigen's knee giving himself the opportunity to escape to Sakura's side.

"Thanks Sakura," Naruto breathed. "You caught me off guard that time… it won't happen again!"

Seigen laughed as he released his black wings. An aura of black chakra swirled around him as he pointed his sword at his clan's hated nemesis. "I hope you're ready for this! My Shūsui (Clear Autumn Water) wants your blood!"

"Get ready Sakura!" Naruto shouted as he charged. In a flash the two collided with their swords slammed against each other before taking to the sky. It was a deadly dance of blades as the two continued to trade blows, slashing and blocking each strike that came their way before Naruto suddenly blurred away. Using the Rokushiki style, the blond angel was able to make instantaneous sharp turns and was able to slip by Seigen's guard, reappearing behind him in mid-swing. The shinobi quickly ducked under the swing and after flipping his sword into a reverse grip, slammed his blade into Naruto's in a shower of sparks as the two battled for dominance. Eyes locked upon each other as they pushed, trying to overwhelm the other with their strength but neither gaining ground.

Seconds ticked by before the two finally separated, flying above the village at such high speeds that they were nothing but black and white blurs to the shinobi below. Twisting away from Seigen's sword thrust, Naruto swung Ten'yuu up at the Datenshi's ribs only for the attack to miss and be immediately returned with an overhead strike. Naruto, not one to back down, snarled as he slammed his blade back in retaliation. "Not bad Namikaze! You've improved since your fight with that ice bitch!" Siegen sneered as he kicked Naruto away. Charging after him, the Datenshi quickly appeared above Naruto's still falling form and swung his blade down. The hastily raised block shuddered from the impact as Siegen rained dozens of strikes, smashing his black sword into Ten'yuu with such strength that shockwaves could be seen. It was almost too painful to watch as dozens of shinobi, ally and enemy alike, stared in awe at the two angels plummeting toward the earth from high in the sky. Blow after blow, the assault continued before Seigen finished up with a rib-cracking kick to his torso. "Hahaha! Try again!"

Fortunately, the blond quickly recovered from his fall and lashed out with a horizontal slice only for it to be batted aside. Not deterred, Naruto unleashed a high speed combination of jabs, hoping to impale or at least injure his opponent in the volley. But it was for naught as Seigen slapped the blade away each time before finally striking back. A deep cut now bled from Naruto's leg, staining his pants as he tried to back away in pain… he blindly swung his sword, hoping to put some distance between them but the Datenshi laughingly knocked it aside in an exaggerated gesture to expose Naruto's chest for a final strike… 'Does he really think I'm that weak?' Naruto thought triumphantly. Before Seigen could take advantage of the opening, Naruto spun around, having used the Datenshi's parry, which had also left him wide open, for momentum and swung his sword that glowed with the signs of chakra begging to be released. "Seitōryū: Dai Tengiri (Holy Sword Style: Great Celestial Slash)!"

Seigen's eyes widened as an enormous crescent of golden white chakra erupted from Naruto's swinging blade, moving at speeds too fast for him to dodge. "Well shit…"

BOOM!

The blast exploded against the black angel, illuminating the sky with its blinding light. Nearby shinobi were forced to shield their eyes from the explosion but mentally, they cheered at what appeared to be the Datenshi's defeat. But Naruto knew better… and when the light finally died down, he was unsurprised to see Seigen only mildly singed with a shallow cut across his chest. If anything, the blond angel was annoyed at how infinitesimal the damage was. He wasn't even bleeding!

But before Seigen could even begin taunting Naruto at the ineffectiveness of his attack, Sakura appeared above him, her fist reared back with bloody intentions. "SHANNARO!" There was an audible crack as the Datenshi was sent plummeting into the earth and obliterating a building upon impact! A plume of dust followed the destruction as Naruto swooped down and grabbed Sakura out from her descent.

"Nice one Sakura!" Naruto said, holding the green-glowing girl close as they flew away. They knew Seigen wasn't down for the count yet… he was simply too powerful, but that blow would probably have him seeing double for at least a moment. That gave them the time to execute a tactical retreat to find allies willing to help. While they would prefer their own teammate, even the rookies would be helpful as Naruto had given them techniques that, while not enough for true damage, would be detrimental to Seigen's maneuverability at the very least.

"I hope that punch gave him the mother of all headaches," Sakura muttered, deactivating her strength technique to conserve chakra. She was relieved to see that Naruto's leg wound had partially healed… though she mentally noted that the healing was significantly faster than before. Then again, he had the chakra to spare.

Naruto grinned. "I'm sure it did. You really can pack quite a punch."

"Hehe, you know this from experience."

"Yes I would… bitch."

"Hey! You're the one who acted like an idiot!"

"And that gives you the right to beat me black and blue?"

"YES!"

"Oh… Well, I was pretty stupid… But it still hurt! So fuck you!"

"Maybe later… I can see Neji and Tenten. Looks like they need some help," Sakura said, ending their banter with a teasing smile. She always did enjoy messing around with Naruto since neither held any real intent in their words for the other. It always served to calm each other down in dangerous situations that could afford talking.

Flying down, the two saw Neji and Tenten valiantly fighting off a trio of Chūnin in an alley… and winning. If only barely. Neji was keeping them back with his Jūken (Gentle Fist) with his teammate providing cover with her seemingly endless supply of weapons. The tactic had proved effective so far, but it was only a matter of time before the Chūnin somehow overwhelmed them. Not wanting to leave their friends in such a predicament, Naruto released his teammate, letting Sakura drop the fifteen feet with her fist reared back.

Thanks to his Byakugan, Neji had seen the two's approach and leapt back just in time to avoid the earth-shattering impact. The blow instantly crushed one enemy as a shockwave threw back the other two. Before they could recover, Neji had blurred over and killed them with a quick jab to their hearts.

"Naruto!" Tenten chirped, happy to see her friend and teacher flying down. "Thanks for the help. I wasn't sure how much longer we could've held them off."

"Yes… I thank you for the assistance," Neji said with a bow. "Fate was kind to have brought you to us."

Naruto and Sakura sweat-dropped at Neji's behavior, still not quite understanding his ramblings of fate and destiny. Fortunately, there didn't appear to be any enemies in the area leaving them free to speak for the time being. Naruto turned to Tenten. "Have you used it yet?"

The brunette shook her head. "Not yet, I want to conserve my chakra. We have no idea how long this battle is going to last."

The blond angel nodded, ignoring the confused looks from Sakura and Neji. "Good decision, because we're going to need just about every ounce of chakra you two have… is he moving yet Sakura?"

"He'll be here in ten seconds!"

"Shit! No time to explain… bottom line is we're fighting someone as strong as a Kage so stay on your toes!" Naruto barked, pulling out Mugetsu just in time as a maniacally grinning Seigen materialized before him, his blade slammed against his own with such force that the resulting shockwave knocked the others back. With a loud curse, Naruto swung with Ten'yuu in a vertical slash only for it to be parried and returned with a stabbing thrust. The blond jerked back and smacked the enemy blade aside, spun around, and scored a shallow cut on the Datenshi's arm but was instantly rewarded with a kick to the the two began trading blows. Still, it was the first real hit he had scored and Naruto considered that an achievement. It was fortunate that Naruto was better at Nitōryū than Ittōryū as the battle was now much more even, especially since he could still use his legs for Aka Ashi (Red Leg). With that versatility available, Naruto struck. Stabbing both swords into the ground, the blond swung both his legs straight into Seigen's chin. The Datenshi was sent skyward, his body temporarily paralyzed as Naruto appeared above him, somersaulting into a crushing ax kick with both swords swinging down in tangent. "Planche À Découper (Cutting Board)!"

Unable to move, Seigen took the full blow with a scream of pain. The two blades sliced clean through his armor and into his side, literally cutting open his lung and filling it with blood… while the ax-kick sent him plummeting into the earth below, cratering the earth leaving the Datenshi groaning in excruciating pain. Blood had already begun to pool in the crater, soaking the feathers of his black wings… but it only served to darken his image of death and invincibility, especially when… he started standing up?

"What the fuck is he?" Naruto demanded. "Tenten!"

"Already on it!" In a puff of smoke, Naruto's own violin appeared in the brunette's hands. It was a gift that was perfect for the budding weapon mistress should her supply of projectiles run out or if she simply wished to fight more conservatively. After all, the only chakra the girl used was for summoning and stamina, meaning that she would have a near-full tank upon using the violin! Raising her bow, Tenten smirked at the bleeding fallen angel and struck up a battle-worthy tune.

Blood-pumping music began to fill the air, providing a rather fitting background to the battle being fought in the air. As the melody continued, dozens of musical notes began to form and fill the air.

But there wasn't enough…

"Namikaze!"

Seigen was back on his feet.

"You think these little baby scratches are enough to beat me?" Seigen laughed, spreading his blood soaked wings. In a flash, the Datenshi materialized before the blond angel, swinging his black blade down with all his strength. The blades clashed with tremendous force, sending Naruto flying back from the impact alone. "C'MON NAMIKAZE! YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!"

Naruto cursed as Seigen flew after him swinging, forcing him to block as he recklessly glanced at Tenten… She was only now approaching the first hundred chakra notes. 'Shit… she doesn't have the skill or chakra to create the numbers we need instantaneous…' A biting pain brought Naruto back to earth at the gash the Datenshi scored on his abdomen. "UGHH… dammit, get back! Seitōryū: Dai Tengiri (Holy Sword Style: Great Celestial Slash)!" The blinding crescent of holy chakra slammed into Seigen's sword, pushing him back and giving Naruto the time to turn toward Sakura, Neji, and two Konoha Chūnin that had been drawn by the music. "Hit him with everything you've got! We need to buy Tenten time!"

"HAI!"

"Oh, planning something are you?" Seigen smirked, having returned from knocking off the wave of chakra with nary a scratch. What was more disconcerting was that despite the still bleeding injuries that should've resulted in death by now, the Datenshi remained upright and battle-ready! What was he? "What could you weak mortals possibly do to me? I'm a Datenshi! Only demons, angels, and Kages could hurt me-"

As if to personally remind and answer him, Sakura suddenly appeared beside him, her fist once again cocked back and enveloped in a green glow. She smirked. "Déjà vu… heh, bye bye!"

"Oh that's just not righ-"

WHAM!

The earth-shaking punch sent Seigen plummeting toward the earth in agonizing pain! So strong was the punch that the Datenshi actually smashed through two buildings before hitting the ground, leaving not only his jaw shattered, but several of his ribs and left leg. The blow also knocked Shūsui out from his hand and was now frozen in midair, courtesy of a sadistically smiling Sakura… "Raiton: Jiki: Uragiri (Lightning Release: Magnetism: Betrayal)!" Honed by its master's bioelectric signature, Seigen's sword shot down at high speeds and pierced him straight through his stomach and into the broken rubble under him. Blood spurted out from the wound and his mouth as he fought down a scream of agonizing pain. "Ugh… okay. I'll admit it! That hurt!" Seigen snarled, coughing up blood. Being impaled by your own sword really pissed him off… and he was pinned too! He glared at Sakura. "That's thrice you've hit and injured me… girl, I'm going to kill you! Where the hell is Reiko? She was the one who… what the…?"

"Ninpō: Gensōkyoku (Ninja Art: Fantasia)!"

Tenten had finally finished! Hundreds of musical notes formed from chakra littered the air! It was almost pretty… definitely something the kids would like, but of course, like all things in the shinobi world, they served a much more dangerous purpose. Slowly, they began to collect and swirl around the Datenshi, trapping the enemy in a perfect dome. As the music played faster and faster, the notes moved at greater speeds. Faster and faster and faster… until finally! With one decisive stroke of her violin, the chakra flew inward and struck!

There was no escape. An attack that complete encompassed the enemy in foreign chakra at high speeds. Seigen couldn't even protect himself as his already injured and pinned-down body got bombarded by hundreds of musical notes. Individually, they would be nothing! The power behind each note was low Chūnin at best… but multiplying that force by the hundreds at every point of his body (including his groin)… needless to say, Seigen screamed.

Naruto and Sakura flickered downed to Tenten who already had Neji looking at her in poorly-hid concern. The other two Chūnin were standing ready in case Seigen somehow survived the assault.

"Tenten! Are you okay?"

Tenten smiled. "I'm fine guys… I just used too much chakra."

"You did great Tenten," Naruto said, also smiling. "You'd better head to the hospital or the nearest evacuation site. This battle is far from over."

"No! I can still fight!"

"What? Are you crazy?"

"I can still fight! I still have some chakra left! I won't be left out from this fight…"

Naruto sighed. She could see the determination in the brunette's eyes, but this was a fight that she could easily get killed in. He gestured for his teammate to give it a shot. "Ten-chan…" Sakura started. "You're already suffering from mild chakra exhaustion… Use any more and you might actually die! We just don't want to see you get hur-"

"GYYAAHHH!"

Whirling around, the four genin were treated to the horrifying sight of the two Konoha Chūnin with bloody hands sticking out of their chests… They couldn't see the perpetrator, but Seigen quickly identified the enemy for them. "It's about damn time! Where were you Reiko?"

"I was just having a little fun," the gorgeous Datenshi giggled, throwing both bodies toward Seigen. She brought her blood-covered finger to her mouth and slowly licked the red liquid away, giving sultry looks to the stunned genin until her eyes landed on Sakura. "Kyah! Sakura-chan! How've you been? Did you miss me since our last encounter? I sure did… your blood… mm… so delicious..."

'Fucking creepy vampire,' Sakura thought, conveniently forgetting her own acts of vampirism with one Sasuke Uchiha. Her eyes narrowed upon seeing the second broach around her cloak… the Talisman of Fire… Her Talisman of Fire! She knew the female Datenshi was here for the other two. 'I need to get the Gears ready…'

Reiko pouted at Sakura's refusal to respond. "Aww, are you still mad at me for taking the Talisman of Fire?" She sighed dramatically, as if the pinkette's lack of response had truly depressed her, before turning to her fellow Datenshi and yanked out the sword impaled through his stomach. "Seigen-kun! Hurry up! I want to taste Sakura-chan again…"

Seigen didn't even flinch at Reiko's violent… assistance and instead merely scowled as he grabbed the nearly-dead Chūnin and sunk his teeth into the man's neck. "Hakaiton: Datsuryoku(Destruction Release: Draining of Strength)!"

Before their very eyes, the Konoha Genins were left watching in horror as Seigen drink every ounce of blood in their fellow shinobi… and then use the chakra and blood to regenerate? It was true! They could see the wounds all beginning to heal… and just like that, after two minutes of draining both Chūnin of their blood, Seigen was standing again as if he was never hurt in the first place! The two brave shinobi that had risked their lives to help Naruto and his friends were now nothing more than skeletons.

The sword wielding Datenshi walked to Reiko's side, cracking his neck as he did so. "Man… that felt good. Gotta admit though, pinky over there can really pack a punch."

Reiko giggled. "That's my Sakura-chan… and you know you loved it!"

"True."

"Masochist."

"This coming from the sadistic vampire…"

"Well, Takaya is a sadomasochist… best of both worlds!" Reiko chirped. "But I personally prefer that Zabuza guy… so big and strong with the smell of a demon… mmm, gets me all wet just thinking about him."

"You can fuck him later." Reiko shivered but that was completely ignored by Seigen whose attention was focused solely on Naruto. "Right now, we have a Tentai (Heavenly Body) user to kill… and you want those Talismans."

"What about the others?"

"Hmm, both…" Seigen suddenly materialized behind Tenten, his sword impaled straight through her chest. "… are a nuisance."

"TENTEN!"

Almost instantly, Naruto appeared with his foot in Seigen's neck, sending the Datenshi flying back into a nearby building. "… Collier (Neck)!" Naruto's face was the picture of rage and fury. How dare this bastard attack his friends! He wasn't going to let up. With Ten'yuu and Mugetsu alight with their chakras, Naruto flew in and slammed his blades into Seigen's sword, releasing the energy at the very instant of impact. The explosion of chakra that followed had a slightly singed Datenshi escaping into the air just before Naruto appeared above him, his swords swinging down in an overhead strike.

CLANG!

The three blades met, sending sparks into the air as Seigen blocked, redirected, and finally countered only for Naruto to duplicate his actions. The two trades blows, weaving through each other's swings and stabs as they moved further and further away from the blonde's friends. In fact, they were actually fighting above the Hokage Monument. 'I need to end this fight… and keep Seigen away from the others!' And with that thought in mind, the blond angel attacked with renewed vigor. "Seitōryū: Dai Tengiri (Holy Sword Style: Great Celestial Slash)!"

Meanwhile, Sakura quickly ran over to her injured friend, her hands already glowing with the signs of medical chakra. She made sure to keep one eye on Reiko, but the deadly kunoichi seemed content to let Sakura heal her friend first… But the pinkette knew it wouldn't be enough… she only knew basic first aid and Tenten's heart had been pierced! She knew her teammate couldn't use his holy healing techniques since they all required long uninterrupted periods of time, but with him keeping the sword-wielding Datenshi suitably distracted, they may be able to have Neji escape with Tenten to the nearest evacuation point. "Neji!" Sakura barked, forcing a soldier pill down the brunette's throat. The extra chakra would help her survive, if only marginally. "Take Tenten and go to the nearest evacuation site! There'll be medic-nins stationed there! I've done all I can, but that'll only give you another minute of extra time… so hurry! We'll hold them off!"

The Hyuuga branch member instantly took off with Tenten in his arms, moving at speeds that proved his status as a prodigy of Konoha. "This can't be your fate… I refuse for this to be your fate… just hang on Tenten, I'll get you there in no time," Neji muttered on his breath, using his near-perfect chakra control to blur through the village to the evacuation point.

"Did you have to do that Seigen-kun? I know you don't like music, but look how sad they are…" Reiko commented absentmindedly, not even bothering to look at the escaping Neji and Tenten or even Seigen who was now long gone and fighting Naruto. She did, however, see Sakura slowly took a stance, her beautiful face marred with a look of murderous intent. "Oh! Sakura-chan! Are you finally ready to fi-eh? What are you doing?"

Steam had begun to rise from the pinkette's body as her skin became flush and sweaty. "I'm going to make you pay… Giya Secando (Gear Second)!"

Reiko smiled. "You used that technique against that Rock Lee guy… At first, I thought it was you opening the Hachimon (Eight Gates), but I quickly realized that wasn't the case. Whatever it is you're doing to your body, it clearly involves chakra and that automatically means your technique can't affect m-URK!"

"You talk too much…" the pinkette growled with her fist buried in Reiko's stomach. Watching the woman cough up blood from the brutal blow was extremely satisfying. "You are right though… had I been releasing my chakra to somehow increase my physical abilities, your Hitei (Negation) would've rendered it useless. But…"

Sakura suddenly vanished, leaving behind afterimages as she attacked Reiko from all sides. And even as she attacked, she spoke… wanting the Datenshi to know that her supposed all-powerful technique that could nullify and destroy any Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and even some Taijutsu… had flaws that could be exposed. "My Gears involved the usage of the Elemental Talismans to control different aspects of my body… from within." Reiko's eyes widened. "Hehehe… I see you figured it out! That's right! The chakra never leaves my body! And it was all thanks to you that I figured it out…" Sakura whispered, relishing in twisting the knife a little deeper. "After fighting you directly, I figured out your technique's weaknesses! As long as you have it on, you also can't release chakra outside your body! I noticed how all your Genjutsu techniques required physical contact to initiate… So I have to thank you for giving me all the clues and showing me all the flaws… now, thanks to my gears, I can exploit it perfectly!"

"Even with your Gears… you're still no match for the Datenshi! You and Namikaze will die today… Konoha will fall and those Talismans will be mine!" Reiko growled, completely losing her usual seductive tone as she futilely attempted to locate her opponent. There was no way this stupid girl, a mortal with pink hair, could her technique! It was impossible! But even so…

"We'll see about that…" a voice whispered from behind. Reiko froze… "It's payback time bitch."

No… she was a Datenshi! Even if her technique had somehow failed against this girl, she wouldn't lose!

She couldn't lose…

"Bring it."

---

Note – The Allied Shinobi Forces is said to have around eighty thousand shinobi… so, if we were to incorrectly assume that each country have the same number of forces, that would mean that each individual Hidden Shinobi Village possess approximately sixteen thousand shinobi and this doesn't include the retired or genin! Thus, in thist story, the invading force on Konoha is approximately ten thousand, most of which are shinobi and mercenaries from Sound. It really didn't make much sense to me when I saw the anime version. I mean, it looked like there were barely a thousand shinobi attacking and they expected to pull of an invasion?

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Techniques:

Collier (Neck)

Planche À Découper (Cutting Board) - Original

Seitōryū: Tenmō (Holy Sword Style: Heaven's Vengeance) - Original

Seitōryū: Dai Tengiri (Holy Sword Style: Great Celestial Slash) - Original

Ninpō: Gensōkyoku (Ninja Art: Fantasia) - Original

Rasengan (Spiraling Sphere)

Sen'ei Jashu (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)

Ikijigoku (Hell on Earth) - Original

Katon: Gōenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Flame Flower Technique) - Original

Katon: Eikōdan no Jutsu (Fire Release: Flare Bomb Technique) - Original

Raiton: Kyūden (Lightning Release: Ball Lightning) - Original

Raiton: Jiki: Uragiri (Lightning Release: Magnetism: Betrayal) - Original

Raiton: Jiki: Jikan Tōketsu (Lightning Release: Magnetism: Frozen Time) - Original

Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)

Daikamaitachi no Jutsu (Great Sickle Weasel Technique)

Daisen Fūkōheki (Great Fan Wind Roaring Wall)

Fūjin Chūten (Wind God Rising to the Heavens) - Original

Doton: Doryūsō (Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears)

Doton: Doryū Taiga (Earth Release: Earth Flow River)

Doton: Doryūdan (Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet)

Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld)

Doton: Gansō no Jutsu: Chimi (Earth Release: Rock Formation Technique: Mountain Demon) - Original

Sabaku Kyū (Sand Binding Coffin)

Sabaku Sōsō (Sand Waterfall Funeral)

Messa Bakusō(Ruining Sand Waterfall Burial)

Hyōton: Tsubame Fubuki (Ice Release: Swallow Snowstorm)

Hyōton: Hyōkai (Ice Release: Frozen Sea) - Original

Hyōton: Byakuryū Bōfūsetsu (Ice Release: White Dragon Blizzard) - Original

Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei (Summoning: Impure World Resurrection)

Hakaiton: Datsuryoku(Destruction Release: Draining of Strength) - Original

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A/N - Well, here's the first chapter of the invasion! I am dreadfully sorry this took so long, but I ended up being a lot busier during the summer than I normally am! First I went to NYC, then to a ranch, then had one of my family's cars stolen, then college, girls, parties, ninja, pirates, vampires, platypuses, dragons, Emma Watson and Megan Fox making out... damn, that would be hot... etc etc... it was ridiculous! Adding onto that, this chapter was surprisingly difficult to write. Writing dialogue for Orochimaru just makes me feel... disgusting. And I just can't seem to get the Raikage's method of speech down... oh well.

Anyways, as always, I beg of you all to please review this and my other stories! We authors truly relish the moments we see we've gotten a new review and I am no exception to that mindset. I will try to get another chapter up as soon as possible, but with college back on, I can't make any promises... but I'll try my best! I already have the first couple pages done! SO yea... it might just come out soon! Hopefully... maybe... idk... hmm... oh, and please REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! Aloha! (Note, Aloha has three different meanings: Hello, Goodbye, I love you... obviously I meant the second meaning, but if you're a really hot girl, I meant the third one.)

YAY ME!