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Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters here that belong to Naruto that I put into this story except for my own OCs. Neither do I own any of the character in any of the crossovers I do. I'm just using them in this fanfiction and I have no money so don't bother suing me. You'll just lose money instead of gaining any. And remember to leave a review!
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Supply Problems –
A covered supply wagon full of rice is being guarded by a squad of Romans, down a dirt road on a grassy field. They're on guard for ambushes from the ninjas that haven't joined their side. It's been little more then 2 months since the ninja villages found out that the lord's of the lands have decided to join the Roman side and have cut off all funding for the ninja villages. With the exception of the Sound Village that has join the Roman side all the villages suddenly found themselves lacking in supplies. The ninja villages are the most advance settlements in the Element lands that only the capitals of the lands are more advance compared to the other settlements. But the ninja villages import almost all the equipment from the factories that made them from the capitals. The ninja villages are geared to being an army base where the only things that produce on a large scale are weapons and equipment for combat. But when it comes to making a new light bulb or a new toilet they import them from their land's capitals. (1)
Now suddenly cut off from their funding the ninjas quickly found out how they really needed the steady supply of goods from the surrounding villages, that they only protected when they paid them to. Without money to pay for the goods the villages just stop shipping goods to them, and that went with the goods that are needed to maintain the basic way of life from the capitals as well. For the ninja villages are importers then exporters for raw goods, as well as not having the people who would know how to build and maintain the equipment needed to refine the raw materials into something useable. The ninja villagers have become desperate for supplies and some have taken up raiding to do so. (2)
"Over there," a soldier shouted spotting a fast moving figure running towards the wagon. He lifted his rifle and fires a shot off. Only for the ninja to puff into smoke.
The soldier fell dead as a ninja appeared behind him and drives his blade into his neck. The ninja was quickly shot dead by the other soldiers who open fire on her. More ninjas appeared attacking the soldiers who fought back. The ninjas have to get in close as unless they're throwing aim is dead center they wouldn't be able to able to hit the weak points on the armor the Roman's wore. The armor the Romans wore protected them from the blades of the ninjas, often times even raining down dozens of shurikens down on an armored Roman would just result in the Roman getting ticked off. The Romans have fitted a collar around the neck of their breast plates reducing the chances of being killed that way. The collar covers the entire back of the neck and the front stops just about at the chin, which has saved many soldiers from a lethal strike. The ninjas salvage any armor they can carry, the metal workers in their villages are still trying to figure out how to create the alloy titanium using the metal they got as a base.
The group of Romans numbing 8 fought the attacking ninjas who used their numbers to overwhelm the soldiers. But the Romans are prepared for this after the first few attacks on supply wagons. Leaping out from underneath the cover of the wagon are 6 of the ninjas that have joined the Romans. With the Roman ninjas help the tide of battle turned for the Roman's favor. A Roman soldier with the power of the armadillo sage power, powers up forming the sage armor around his body. The ninjas weapons and jutsus the ninjas threw at him, simply bounce off the armor. While the soldier simply stood still taking aim and pick off three ninjas with head shots while remaining safe.
"Retreat!" one of the ninjas shouted as he runs away followed by the surviving ninjas.
"How many did we lose?" the leader of the soldiers ask.
"We lost three sir and many wounded," a soldier replied.
"This is the 6 time this week they tried to take a wagon," the sergeant said.
"With how things are in the villages it's little wonder," an ex-sand ninja said.
"We got a live one here," a soldier said as he and a Roman ninja drag by the foot one of the attacking ninjas.
"How bad is she?" the sergeant ask.
"Both lungs are shot, she won't make it back to base," the soldier said.
"Too bad then," the sergeant said as he aims his shotgun at her head and pulled the trigger.
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Elsewhere -
Another supply wagon heading for the Roman held lands fell to their ninja attackers. The ninjas pulled off their ambush with them winning. The attacking ninjas used a shadow jutsu that froze the soldiers in place allowing other ninjas to kill them with poison darts. It helped that the transport is going through a heavy wooded area. The ninjas quickly found out that attacking a transport on open ground just made it easier for the Romans to fight.
"What they're carrying?" Gai ask Kakashi as he checks the wagon. The other ninjas are looting the 4 soldiers bodies. The soldiers are from the new forming army that the Fire Lord is forming and being trained by the Romans. In fact many Lord's are using their much expanded budget to create their own army to safeguard their lands, which is still cheaper then the ninjas.
"Just fertilizer," Kakashi answers shaking his head at the sight of cow droppings.
"That's just great," Gai said over the waste of time.
"At least the farmers back home can use it," Kakashi said as the Leaf village is like the other villages running on a tighten belt.
Without the funding they would normally gotten from the Fire Lord, the village is have logistic problems in just maintaining their way of life. The Romans also didn't help matters by having regular patrols on the roads near their bases. All the Lord's of the land now have a Roman out post built near their capital cities. And they have all but wipe out the bandits that once roamed the lands, that the ninjas would only do if they were paid to do so, which made many who have the money to hire ninjas to just go to the Roman's for help instead. Which resulted in fewer and fewer missions for the ninja villages to the point where the exams for the young ninjas that was suppose to happen this month was called off. The lords weren't interested in gambling on the ninjas during the exams or care about their power, for the bottom line is that is cost less to supply the Romans then it was to fund the ninjas.
"I still can't believe that this is what we're reduce to. Attacking wagons for the supplies on them," Gai said.
"It is and till we can drive the Romans away it stays this way," Kakashi said to him.
"When will we do it?" Gai ask.
"We're still gathering our strength to do so. You know as well as, I do that many of the older ninjas need time to get into fighting shape and the medical ninjas are working overtime to heal them," Kakashi said as many of the older ninjas who have stop going on missions did so for a reason.
"Better be soon more and more ninjas are joining their side," Gai spoke up.
"I know," Kakashi said as the other villages are having problems with ninjas leaving their villages to join the Romans. Some do it because how the village treat those who aren't born into clans and others do it because they see that it's a losing battle. The reason why the Leaf isn't suffering from runaway ninjas is that many of the ninjas are scared to join the Romans for what happen to Naruto.
Thinking about Naruto made Kakashi's thoughts turn bitter. After Naruto and his parents left, the Roman camp packed up and left for the capital of Land of Fire. Now station just outside the city limit's the ninjas can do little to the Romans at the camp without making themselves look worse to the Fire lord. Any attack could cause damage to the capital and the Fire Lord can just ask the Romans to deal with the Leaf Village. And with more and more soldier gaining sage powers, it's becoming harder to fight them. The ambush team was lucky that the 4 soldiers they killed didn't have sage powers and didn't had any Roman ninjas with them.
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At the Roman Fort -
"The ninjas are getting more desperate in their attacks," Drake said to the commanders of the army. They're in the meeting room of the fort.
"The wagons that survive the attacks do better when the Roman ninjas travel with them," one of the soldiers said.
"Which still lacking in numbers and training," Zabuza said being seated at the table as well as the leader of the Roman ninjas. The new ninjas have to be trained first in using firearms and to fight with the soldiers so not to get in each others way.
"It seems we're going to have to make another example of our might. Have the Leaf ninjas made any moves on us?" Drake ask.
"No they haven't unlike the other villages. They're stealing from the new Fire Army for supplies and the equipment we have given them," a soldier said.
"They're playing smart," a female commander spoke up. "Since they have insiders to report to them as long as they don't attack us."
"They have been careful not to be caught," Zabuza said as the kunoichis in the compound are very skilled.
"It won't matter once the real invasion starts," Drake said. "But in the meantime we must do something about these ninjas attacks."
"How about just let me go hog wild," Butcher suggested from his seat.
"No not yet," Drake said as he taps his chin.
"What do you have in mind?" Zabuza ask gotten to know how cunning Drake is.
"If the ninjas are desperate for supplies. Then we're going to just give it to them," Drake said.
"What are you going to poison them?" Butcher ask.
"Nothing like that the supplies will just be what they are, supplies to help keep the villages going. For we have been getting more and more ninjas who see siding with us better then the life they have with their villages. Showing the villages that we Romans can look over their attacks and give them supplies might turn some more of their numbers to our side. Or like the Sound Village will just outright join us," Drake explains.
"And if that doesn't work?" Butcher ask.
"Then we just crush them," Drake said flatly.
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In the Garden -
Naruto works the fields tending to his crops as Hinata sits under a tree watching him. She's been trying to get to know him for the past two months. But when she thought about it she was always too shy to really get to know him while they were still in the village. This Naruto however isn't the one she thought she knew. He didn't want to be a ninja or the Hokage anymore. He's content on becoming a farmer for the looks of things.
His parents are in the same boat as she is in trying to get him to open up. When they're not training the soldiers or the Roman ninjas they're trying to talk to their son. They did that by not treating him like he's a ninja but as a normal child. Hinata decided to follow their led by just treating him like he was never a ninja, just pretending that he and she were just two normal non ninjas.
Hinata had laid out a blanket, with food and drinks on it. She's been doing it for days now, always laying out some food and drinks for Naruto when he takes a break. She always invites him to join her and he does sometimes does. She would serve him food and some tea. They didn't talk during those times but it's enough for her that he's accepting her to be around him. The times he doesn't join her are when the other Leaf ninjas were with her.
Hinata just watch Naruto tilt the soil to get rid of the weeds that pop up. She has seen him pump his chakra into the soil making the plants grow quicker. He found a way for him to make use of the chakra he learned to use when he still dreamed of being a ninja. She wonders what will happen in the future, of the ninja world and what will become of it.
But for now watching as Naruto put the hoe down and began to walk to her. It didn't matter right now. All it matters is the time she gets to spend with someone she cares about but was always too shy to say it.
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Author's Notes -
1 – I have read the mangas and watch the anime but, I still haven't seen the factories that make the advance equipment and tools of Naruto's world. Where do all the lights, medical equipment and other modern day things that are seen in that world made? Since none of the ninja villages have a factory that makes any of that stuff it must come from someplace else. Sure there would be something on a small scale but not for everything or that the village would have all the raw materials needed to make them.
2 - Without supplies to feed the ninja villages that they can't produce on their own, means a slow death for them. Like how any modern army like the US would quickly fall apart if the supplies that are needed to maintain it, is suddenly cut off. And since ninja villages put all their energy and resources into making ninjas, they really don't have the skills that are needed to do anything else. Sure they would have some farmers and animal breeders but not on the scale that's needed to feed all the people in the village. Most of the land around the villages aren't farmlands but empty fields use as ninja training areas. The non ninjas in the village would have to teach the ninjas how to grow crops and take care of animals, as the imports of food would be cut off. And there would be people who can fix the machines that are in the village but a repairman can only do so much before they have to replace the worn out parts.
The ninja village can't maintain the standard of living they enjoy without the supplies they import. And the only real skill they can offer are ninja skills and medical, with the medical one having the more practical uses then the ninja ones. So the ninjas who aren't trained as medical ninjas will suddenly find their skills they gave up most of their lives to learn, suddenly become all but worthless by the outside world. And that's the whole point of this fic, the ninja villages can't survive as they are if the demand for their skills isn't there anymore. This is basic logic, why would you need a overpaid ninja to protect your village when the Romans can do it for much less. The only ones who would still hire ninjas are the ones who are rich enough to pay for their services. Which is why in DC and Marvel the ninjas there are mercenaries or work in organized crime rings. As the money to hire them goes into the training and equipment needed to maintain their strength. Which means they do just about anything for the right price, with only few exceptions mainly only dealing with a single ninja who turn their back to the clan. And while the ninjas are good at what they do, they know if they operate in the open like the ninjas in Naruto's world do, they would easily be targeted and destroyed.
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