The one nice thing about wars is that I have permission to kill off my favorite characters over and over again without it seeming out of place in the story. Angst lovers beware! D
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Inoichi was furious upon Itachi's return, going into great detail how close Itachi had come to being killed on sight as an enemy spy, the staggering amount of military protocol he had overstepped in his desertion of his post, and what lengths Inoichi had gone to to ensure the Uchiha had not been arrested on the spot upon his arrival. Itachi's report of Madara's current ploy stiffled the commander's outburst. Inoichi became graver still as he listened to Itachi's description of Zetsu's capabilities.
"Is there no other way of detecting this 'Zetsu?'" Inoichi asked in a hushed tone. He and Itachi maintained a safe distance from the rest of the squadron, a precaution against undetected spies.
"There is no other solution that I know of," Itachi shook his head.
Inoichi let out a tight sigh. "That doesn't give us much room for error. There's thousands of soldiers unaccounted for. We could be missing entire battalions. By tommorrow morning there'll be no way to tell their armies apart from our own." He studied the dawning horizon. "We could lose this entire war without Madara having to lift a hand."
"There is another way," Itachi contradicted. "We only have to find it. Every jutsu has its weakness, no matter how impenetrable it may seem."
"Well, you'd better start thinking, genius," Inoichi retorted, "Or the entire shinobi world is going to awaken to one bloody sunrise."
"Sir!"
Itachi and Inoichi turned as a shinobi ran towards them. The shinobi drew to a halt an saluted smartly before announcing,
"Sir, there's been emergency. The eight tails and nine tails have escaped."
Inoichi muttered a low curse under his breath. Thinking fast, he turned to Itachi.
"This is where your sharingan comes in handy. I'm assigning this mission to you, Uchiha. Find the jinchuriki and return them to safety. If Madara captures them, this war is over."
Itachi didn't even say a word. One minute he was standing in the clearing, in the blink of an eye he was gone. Inoichi allowed himself a grim smile. If anyone could track down the nine tails, it would be an Uchiha. Not for the first time, Inoichi was relieved that Itachi had sided against the Akatsuki.
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Despair.
The bitter taste of defeat ransacked the mindset, dulled the senses, and suffocated hope. For there was no hope. Only death awaited against this unseen enemy.
The landscape was torn and ravished, bodies of both enemy and ally littering the trampled earth. Leaders frantically shouted orders, despairing as the line between friend and foe became too smudged to recognize. The Zetsu army had increased by thousands. Sound, Iron, Leaf, Rain, and shinobi of every village and province moved as one. Every ninja maintained the same grim expression, their eyes mirroring regret and resignation. Zetsu had mimicked even their expressions to perfection.
Soldiers were mown down by the hundreds as the shinobi turned on one another. Friends ran their swords through their most trusted companions. Commanders were murdered by their own soldiers as the distrust growing in the air exploded into pandemonium.
Sasuke cursed the dawn as he leapt over another unknown soldier, his katana singing as it swiped through two more shinobi. Instantly their bodies convulsed into their true forms. A third shinobi fell to his blade, blood splattering the ground as her eyes widened in death. How many others had he slaughtered in the confusion? Tens? Hundreds? He had lost count.
Instinct warned him of the attack coming from behind. Sasuke jumped and twisted, the kunai whistling past his side. Blazing jade orbs spoke volumes as the pink haired kunoichi drew her arm back again. Sasuke didn't hestitate as he drove his katana forward. He knew it wasn't Sakura.
A hard object slammed into his back at that moment, driving him to his knees. Sasuke coughed and gagged as the air was driven from his lungs. Rolling aside, he thrust his katana into the iron masked soldier just before the fatal blow could be delved out. Blood trickled down the length of his sword, and once more he cursed the fates. How could one fight an enemy when they couldn't even discern it from their fellow men?
There was no time to mourn the loss of another ally. Once again Sasuke was on his feet, dodging and thrusting as he tried to escape the mayhem. Once he had defeated hundreds of elite Sound ninja without suffering a single injury. Multiply the number by thousands and add the fact that half the opposing shinobi were allies, and the whole world was twisted into a never ending throe of death.
There was a frightened gasp of a scream as a young shinobi tripped over a body and collapsed to the ground. Sasuke's mind whirled as he recognized Hinata. How did she get all the way out here? There was no time to question the facts as the Hyuuga's tormentor lifted a battle axe high and prepared to bring it crashing down on the helpless girl. Sasuke moved without thinking, gathering Hinata in his arms and dodging the heavy blade as it crashed a hair's breadth from his scalp.
Something wet and sticky trickled down his side. Sasuke stared down in shock as a red stain blossomed across his shirt. Hinata smiled softly and let her hand drop away from the kunai knife driven deeply between the Uchiha's ribs. Letting out a choked gasp, Sasuke stumbled to his knees. He cursed himself for falling for such a low trick. The Zetsu's compassionate expression morphed into a sneer as it grasped the kunai and prepared to yank it out. Sasuke's hand lashed out in one swift, deadly movement, shattering the Zetsu's neck. Hinata's features sloughed away, leaving the white corpse on the blood drenched battlefield.
The entire conflict had taken too long. A foot slammed between Sasuke's shoulderblades, crushing him to the earth as another boot crunched on his outstretched hand. Sasuke shouted out as the movement drove the kunai further into his side. Squinting against the blinding sunlight, he sought the face of his attacker.
"An Uchiha, or another one of those things? Hm, guess it doesn't matter." A hysterical shriek of laughter escaped the shinobi as he ground his foot deeper. "It hurts, doesn't it? You know what's even worse? Watching your brother die on the battlefield as some kid murders him just for the sake of showing off for his snake nosed teacher! You know how much that hurts? I'll show you! I'll get you for that, you low down, wretched, unfeeling - "
Sasuke's eyes whirled to mangekyo. Amaterasu!
"Oh, no, you don't!" The Shinobi's foot launched out, releasing Sasuke's wrist momentarily as he kicked his toe into the earth.
Sasuke screamed as mud intermingled with blood sprayed into his eyes, coating them with the stinging liquid. His hands were now free, though, and he instantly made the signs for a clone jutsu. A splintered log took his place under the unsuspecting shinobi as Sasuke made his escape. Seconds later the shinobi himself was run through by a Zetsu, his promise of revenge left incomplete.
Sasuke could only make it a short ways before he collapsed to the ground. His breath came in harsh rasps as he furtively rubbed at his burning eyes. Only the very end of the kunai protruded from his side, the rest having been plunged into his body. Sasuke didn't want to think about how which organs had been injured by the sharp implement.
The air whistled above him, and with a strangled yell Sasuke rolled away to avoid the katana blazing towards his heart. He forced himself to his knees and scrambled back, squinting through his impaired vision at the fuzzy shapes stumbling through the darkness. Another shinobi fell behind him, and three more to his left. Sasuke groaned and clutched his side. If he didn't find a way to escape the mayhem soon, he would die on this battlefield.
Suddenly his eyesight was completely cut off as a hand clapped around his eyes. Strong hands pinned down his arms, rendering him helpless as he was dragged away from the tummolt.
"Funny how often you and your brother get into trouble. Reminds me of the time when he snuck into my room and destroyed my most precious possessions."
Sasuke smirked as he recognized Kakashi's casual jest. "You and your perverted books," he rasped.
As if cued by that answer, the constraining grip was instantly released. "Sasuke."
The Uchiha could make no reply as he doubled over, choking and panting as the pain hit with a vengeance. Kakashi cursed under his breath and scooped Sasuke up before he could protest. His own sharingan burning like a garnet flame, he plunged through the forest. There was little time.
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The tension was thick enough to breath back at the intelligence squadron. Over fifty thousand enemy troops had been detected in the past hour. Thirty allied battalions were reported missing, and countless shinobi had been annihilated. There was no end to the carnage.
"Report!" Inoichi snapped at a young lieutenant, his temper fraying at the dire situation.
"Sir, Gaara's division has reported Naruto and Killer Bee in the area!" The lieutenant stuttered anxiously. "They have already assisted in destroying a number of the Zetsu army, and are moving in towards the front lines."
"Blast! Where is Itachi in all this?"
"Might Guy reported he engaged in a skirmish momentarily, and Onoki's division confirmed a sighting. The troops are having difficulty tracking him."
"Confounded sharingan," Inoichi muttered. "Inform General Kakashi of the jinchuriki's escape. Send a squadron to intercept them before Madara has the chance. Take all precautions should Itachi fail."
"Hai!" The soldier salluted sharply and dashed away to deliver the orders.
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Itachi kept to the forestline, his eyes searing through the mist as he flitted through the shadows. He was a phantom, a mere whisper in the air. A figment of dread, a flicker on the edge of vision. Untrackable, unstoppable.
The trees to Itachi's right blurred as his vision faltered momentarily. He was risking permanent damage to his eyesight from his frequent use of the mangekyo, but war left little choice in the matter. If stopping Madara meant losing his sight forever, then Itachi would gladly sacrifice it for the sake of Konoha.
Itachi took to the trees as he sensed the chakra signatures of another company ahead. Even if there was a chance that the oncoming troops were allies, he had neither time nor chakra to waste by risking a conflict. With luck, the soldiers would pass him by without a second thought.
As the company neared, Itachi drew tightly against a tree trunk and drew a kunai. His chakra signal was masked, and with luck he could avoid a skirmish. The first troops began to pass under the trees. Itachi drew in a sharp breath as he saw for the first time the sheer magnitude of the column.
Clearly these were not allied soldiers. No army of such size would have passed this way without word from Intelligence. His sharingan straining to see the end of the company, Itachi estimated there to be about ten thousand troops passing below. He hesitated, torn between his current mission and warning the closest allied division of the army coming their way. He shook his head gravely and turned around. Caught by surprise, the shinobi would stand no chance against this army. Darting through the shadows, Itachi ran ahead of the enemy, his sharingan granting him the neccessary speed to outdistance them.
Itachi sensed the buildup of chakra almost too late, and was scarcely able to activate his Susanoo in time as an explosion rocked the earth to its core. The trees around him shattered, raining blocks of smouldering wood onto the torn and twisted landscape. Boulders the size of houses slammed into the earth, ricocheting off the shield surrounding Itachi and sinking deeply into the hard soil. At last the shuddering ceased. Itachi maintained his shield, ignoring the rivulets of fire that seared his nerves from the overuse of his Susanoo. As the ashes began to settle, Itachi was given a clear view of his opponent.
"All right! Take that, you disgusting... whatever you are!"
Itachi raised his eyes to heaven and sighed heavily. "Naruto! Warn me next time before you try to kill me!"
The blond spun around. "Dah! Itachi, when did you get here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Itachi drawled, deactivating his Susanoo and folding his arms.
"I'm not going back," Naruto denied somberly. "I don't care what Madara does. I'm not going to hide away while everyone dies trying to protect me!"
"I wouldn't dream of stopping you," Itachi said matter-of-factly.
"I told you, Itachi, I - wait. Did you just... say you weren't going to make me go back?"
Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Would you listen if I tried?"
"Uh, no," Naruto flushed. "It still doesn't make any sense, though. You worked with Madara, after all. Shouldn't you be trying to keep me away from him?"
"He'll find you no matter where you are," Itachi replied gravely. "Hiding yourself away will only delay the inevitable and cause the death of more comrades. He will not stop until he is destroyed. The Shinobi forces cannot fight against him alone. They will fall. You two are their only hope left."
Naruto nodded somberly. "I won't fail."
"We won't," Itachi smiled. "Don't shoulder the burden by yourself, Naruto. You may be Hokage someday, but if you try and do everything on your own to protect others, you'll always fail. I almost did with Sasuke. It's a path no one should take."
Naruto's jaw tightened. "I won't let anyone else die for me, Itachi."
"If we finish this, they won't," Itachi promised. "But, killing Madara will take more strength than you can imagine, Naruto. He is not to be underestimated."
"You can tell me how to defeat him!"
Itachi shook his head. "The truth is, Naruto, I don't know how. For all the time I spent among the Akatsuki, I have learned little about his abilities. No shinobi is truly invincible, though. We will find a way to overthrow him."
Naruto pondered this, then nodded solemnly. "All right. Let's do this!"
"Not so fast," Itachi halted the jinchuriki in his tracks. "First, we need to warn the others. These aren't the first troops Madara has sent out. We need to find a way to track Zetsu and separate him from the rest of the army."
"Already ahead of you," Naruto said cheerfully. "I sent out shadow clones hours ago. They've already dealt with a bunch of these guys."
"Your shadow clones can tell the difference?" Itachi asked in wonder.
"With the kyuubi's power, I can sense their chakra," Naruto confirmed. "Hey, Itachi. What are those funny white guys, anyway?"
"He's an Akatsuki known as Zetsu," Itachi replied. He gave a brief explanation of the plant-like creature's powers.
"Oh, that answers a lot," Naruto mused. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go get Madara!"
"Whoah, slow down," the eight tails objected, launching into some form of rap. Itachi listened incredulously for a minute before rolling his eyes.
"Not meaning to rush you two, but we are in the middle of a war."
The eight tails shot him a dirty look and an even fouler insult. Naruto turned away, his blue eyes afire with fierce determination.
"Let's get this over with."
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Finished this at one thirty in the morning. Not a wise decision since my brain wasn't coherent at the time, so I have no idea how it turned out.
Review!