The large wind attack quickly tore through the ranks of Root agents as they advanced. Naruto followed by his current and old Anbu team then charge forward followed by team Eagle and the three Anbu teeams left a trail of blood and gore through the mass. Several dozen loyal Anbu followed them and widened the gap through then all the remaining Anbu and Jounin followed leaving Tsuande, Jiriaya and the chunin to guard the civilians and genin. Tsuande looked over to Kurenai who was watching the growing split in the ranks with a curious eye. A few days after her meeting with Naruto Kurenai realized what she said and how it affected him. For the majority of his life people looked down upon him. It wasn't until he faced Gaara during his chunin exams anyone outside his friends respected him. Then during the small border skirmishes between Konoha and Iwa when Kurenai was still a young academy student he made a name for himself. He achieved a position as Anbu captain and lead a galiant attack/ rescue mission against the enemy and against the odds rescued the captred shinobi.
Naruto stopped and wiped his sword on a corpse. He scanned the area around him and saw only a continuous line of white. He closed his eyes taking a deep breath then surged forward again. He weaved terough the root agents leaving a growing mass of corpses. After what seemed like hundreds of bodies Naruto made it to the back of the enemy. He sheathed his sword then started to formed hand seals. His hands slammed together in a tiger seal. "Katon: Endan!" Hundreds of small fireballs spurted forward from Naruto's mouth and cut into the ranks. The root agents screamed as the balls burned into their bodies before exploding outwards causing a shower of gore. Naruto spotted a Root flying on an ink bird that seemed to be commanding the force and smirked. He quickly drew a three pronged kunai and threw it.
Sai heard a faint whistle before a kunai impailed the birds wing. He paid it no mind as the bird kept flapping. He turned however when he felt a presence behind him and narrowly dodged an attack.
Naruto smirked as the Root jumped down. He threw another kunai then disappeared in a flash of yellow.
Sai turned as another flash of yellow popped behind him. He blocked a sword slash and retaliated with a kunai stab, but was surprised when the body bursdt in water. He turned when two other clones attacked him. He could tell they were clones as his sword passed through their heads.
Naruto smirked as Sai tore through his clones. HE made a familiar seal then a clone appeared. It ran out and stood behind Sai in the water.
Sai turned as another clone appeared. He slashed through it smirking. Then his body was overcome with large shocks as the clone dispelled into a cloud of lighting bolts sending a current through the water. Sai fell back from the sock in his hand and landed on his back and screamed as the electrical current surged through his body before causing his heart to shut down.
Naruto walked over to the downed commander and without another word stabbed a kunai into the man's throat before returning to the battle.
Yugito stood back to back with Roshi. The two shinobi looked at the surrounding Root and closed their eyes. Their eyes opened revealing two pairs of deep red eyes. The two surged forward and began to send the Root back. The surrounding Konoha jounin and Anbu loyal to Tsuande were in fear at the two jinchuurikis. Their fear only increased when Gaara joined the three and began to swarm through the ranks. Everyone stopped however when they felt an all to familiar sensation of fear wash over them. They looked as a 4 red tails flew over the others. These ones each capped with a white splotched like a fox's.
Naruto felt his chakra being depleted as a root sent kakai bugs towards him. Naruto smirked before he sent forth Kyubi's chakra and charged. He quickly ripped the man apart before turning to a group of Root running. Opening his mouth revealing a large ball of red chakra growing Naruto sent it towards the group and killing them all instantly. He turned and saw the rest of the group quickly kill all of the remaining Root. He dispersed his chakra cloak as Yugito, Roshi, Gaara, Team Raven and Team Eagle all approached him. Naruto greeted team Eagle and his teamamtes as Sasuke, Shino, Lee, Neji, and Kiba all walked past him towards Tsuande, Anko, kurenai, Iruka and the others of Naruto's family in Konoha. The two Kumo teams replaced their missing gear before informing Tsuande they would take rear and point. The two teams went off into the woods. Team Eagle back towards the gates to watch for anymore Konoha shinobi while team Fox went forward to watch for any missing ninja or flanking manuvers.
The four Kumo shinobi talked amongst themselves when they felt Tsuande, Team raven, and Naruto's former students enter their camp. The Konoha shinobi were surprised to see Naruto sitting with Gaara smoking while Roshi sat against a tree with Yugito in his lap leaning against his chest. The four had their masks on but loosely. The three other Kumo shinobi looked up as Naruto stood up. His hands crossed over his chest. "Hai Hokage-sama?"
"Naruto why did you leave us?"
"To protect my people. Only me and others like me can fight the ones that hunt us. Ataksuki are to dangerous for other vilalges to fight. Kumogakure realized this and recruited us all to fight for the world. Suna, Iwa, Kiri, and Shimo all pledged support to track down Ataksuki. Only Oto and Konoha refused. Konoha was necessary or at least I was. So I left the village. And then Kurenai made it clear that the village moved on so I've decided I like Kumo. Now if you would excuse me."
"Naruto you betrayed the Sandaime." Tsuande immediately regretted it. He turned and looked her in the eye.
"The Sandaime told me that a shinobi's job is to protect his home and lives of his loved ones. How can I protect them if I draw the enemy right to them? The Great Konoha would have fallen just as easily as Taki or Ishi did. You know what happened to Tani, Yuga, or Ishi? I was there picking people from the rubble. The Ataksuki sent two ninja to the vilalges then destroyed them. There wasn't even anything left to look for in Kusha. Everything was burned. No one survived it. Taki was destroyed, its waterfalls protecting it? Dried by the heat of the fires in the village. The hero water it held? Goen even the leader of the village drinking it only held the Ataksuki for a few minutes. They ran down the survivors like rats and killed them. Sure my team and Team B killed the two but they were lesser members. The members like Hidan, Diedaria, Itachi, Kisame, Sasori, or even Pain? They single handedly could destroy Konoha."
Tsuande stayed silent and Nartio turned from the group.
Kurenai stepped from behind Tsuande and walked forward. She laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder. He looked back and shook the hand form his shoulder. She felt tears well in her eyes. "Naruto I'm sorry. I was wrong, I need you, I love you."
"No you just think you do. If you did you wouldn't have said those things after I left. You would have listened to me." He stepped away and leaned back against the tree. "Now Konoha-sans, I would be grateful if you returned to your camp.
Kurenai tried to step forward again but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. It was Gaara. He looked at her through the eye holes on his mask and shook his head.
"Yuhi-san, we have heard much about you from Fox-san, but you hurt him much more than you could ever know. He will need a lot of time before he can heal." She nodded and turned away and ran from the clearing.
Tsuande and the rest followed her and returned to their camp. After they left Gaara sat down next to Naruto. "You know she wasn;t lying right?"
"YEah but what if she blows up like she did again. I can't have any stress right now. After this is all over I'll see if I can forgive her but until I have Pain's head on a platter ready to put on the memorial stones for the lost shinobi I won't be strayed from my path.
After a few days, the group was ready to move. All the wounded were healed. The few major wounded were carried by summons and they dead were stacked on pyres and given the traditional shinobi burial. Naruto watched as the flames contrasted with the blacked sky of the early morning. The Root agents as a last act of defile were left to rot in the sun as the Anbu took all the supplies form the dead bodies including the masks. Even in Root to die without your mask was a disgrace. Naruto watched as a Anbu in a lion mask took all the Root masks and threw them into a large pile before lighting them with a fire ball. The maskless corpses were left eyes open to the sun as the Konoha ninja left and headed to Kumo. Even though Naruto killed Danzo, his top advisers jumped into his spot and continued to keep Konoha on the path Danzo started.
Naruto sat in his tent staring at the roof as the first rays of sunshine became visible on the canopy. He sighed and rolled over getting dressed. He packed up all of his gear and sealed everything in a scroll before he watched his team as they did the same thing. The group started leading the refugees as they approached Kumo.
Kurenai dropped next to Naruto who was leading everyone and he stared straight ahead ignoring her presence.
"Naruto how many times do you want me to say it? I'm sorry. I was angry and felt betrayed because you left and didn't even say good bye to me. I was los…" She fell silent as he pulled ahead and away from her. She shook her head and looked down to her feet. She looked back up and sped to catch up with him.
"Naruto talk to me. What can I do?"
"You can file back in with the rest of the Konoha refugees and stop distracting me from my duties."
"Naruto. Why are you so cold, you used to be happy and smiling all the time."
He said nothing and jept going. Kurenai tried to pry deeper before he snapped.
"Kurenai go back with the others. I'm cold because I have people constanly tracking me and my friends down and you trying to fix a problem that can wait till after this fucking thing isn't helping!" Then he pushed more chakra put and sped up leaving her behind him.
Kurenai watched as he sped up leaving her behind and then sighed. She turned back wiping tears before they fell and rejoined the others.