Chapter 36: Game Point
In a small glade merely ten miles from the northern gates of Konoha three men stood ready for war. A tall elderly man who looked only a few years younger then the Third Hokage had at his death stood with his black and brown battle armor on, the symbol of Iwa engraved in every metal surface and shining like the sun. A middle aged man with short brown hair was twirling his large sword in circles with his finger. The longest living legendary swordsman of the mist had, ironically, become a missing ninja of the mist village in his youth and joined up with Kumo when Kiri and Kumo had been at odds with each other. He easily worked his way through the ranks with deception and backstabbing and finally became the Raikage. He stopped twirling his sword as the third man spoke.
"I assume that Iwa's forces are in formation, honorable Tsuchikage?"
"My forces will be ready to attack the day after tomorrow, exactly at the time planned. Are Kumo's troops prepared?"
The swordsman smirked. It was obvious to both the other men that the man was powerful, and yet something was very wrong with him at the same time. The Raikage had killed seventy of his personal assistants since coming to his station, most for nothing more then making too much noise while they dropped a stack of paper.
He had only been Raikage less then a year.
"Kumo is ready."
The third man gave a slight, almost unperceivable shudder. Not of fear, as one would expect.
Orochimaru shuddered in almost physical pleasure. The sheer power and insanity he had surrounded himself with was enough to make him smile.
This time the other two men shuddered.
Definitely out of fear.
"Good. The attack begins on my signa…" Just then Orochimaru's smile shifted into a frown right before he coughed blood onto the ground. The other two men stood ready for anything but Orochimaru merely stood up, wiped his mouth, and smirked again.
"It looks like this body is going to give out sooner than I had hoped. But no matter… I have plenty of replacements lined up…"
"Kuso… I'm gonna get it from the counsel now!"
Naruto Uzumaki hopped across the rooftops at his top speed towards the Hyuga manor where only minutes ago he had been giving a speech to the counsel.
"Shit, I bet they all think I'm dead or something… Hinata will kill me!"
Don't you want to know why you were able to do that long range Hiraishin?
Naruto instantly tripped and fell into an alley way, bouncing off the walls before landing directly on his face.
Graceful, as always.
Annoying, as always. What do you mean, long range Hiraishin?
You went almost a day's journey in, what? An instant?
Yeah… I was kinda wondering about that…
That was my gift, baka. Your seal, as your father's before you, was imperfect even in its most mature form. Your brush strokes, as all humans are, were not perfectly steady and the seal engraved into them was not even made by you. But it was close, so close to being correct.
So? You changed every seal on every kunai to be perfect?
No, I changed your chakra signature to perfectly fit the seal.
Oh, that makes more sense.
Naruto was back up in an instant and within moments had reached the manor and was at the doors of the counsel room. With a push that was obviously more then necessary by the way the doors flung open with an enormous boom, silencing the room beyond which had been in an uproar for the last few minutes.
"Naruto!" Naruto's gaze instantly went to the people who called him. Hinata and Hiashi all stood at the front of the counsel and, with the rest of the people in the room, had their eyes on him.
"Gomen. I was called away to help a scout team." Naruto grinned and put his arms behind his head like old times. "I just had to go. What happened while I was gone?"
"We pretty much just argued about what the hell happened to you."
"Oh… well, I'm back. And, I guess I should report that the Kumo army has been spotted just south of the city, less then a day away now."
Gasps and murmurs filled the room once again as Naruto walked to the front. He nodded to the Hokage, who had just followed him in, and took his seat once again, trying his hardest not to make eye contact with the tear streaked face of Hinata except to give a reassuring smile. As he took his seat the Hokage decided to bring the room to order.
The sound of the floor cracking and the room shaking was enough to silence the crowd.
"We expected this and ninety-five percent of our ninja are in Konoha and ready to fight. Gaara of the sand himself will be arriving soon from the west sometime this evening. He should get here before they have us surrounded."
"The Hyuga clan has agreed to fight on the southern border, Naruto."
"Good. Bachan, what now?"
"We call a counsel of war."
Right lung.
Left lung.
Liver.
Throat.
Neck.
Head.
Heart.
Another kunai went into the training dummy, followed closely by a senbon passing through the loop and the end of the knife. Ten-ten smiled as Sasuke smirked.
"Looks like you are not the only one in Konoha with a one hundred percent hit rate with weapons anymore, Ten-ten."
"It was still me throwing half of those senbon, Sasuke. Don't get all cocky right before we go off to war."
"Me? Cocky? Never."
"Oh yeah? Let's look back into your past, Sasuke-kun. You were, to put it mildly, a complete ass."
"But a good looking ass, right?"
Ten-ten sighed and sat down in the grass of the training ground and Sasuke plopped down right beside her. She glanced over at the handsome Uchiha and punched him in the arm. He always did provide a good view, but there was no reason to tell him that.
"Ten-ten…"
"Yeah?"
"We almost bought it on that last mission, didn't we?"
"Yeah."
Silence. It wasn't something either liked to admit. They had been really about to die. Only a fluke of a miracle saved them.
"Ten-ten?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm not a sentimental guy…"
"You think I don't know that…"
"But what I wanted… what I need to say was that… kuso…"
Sasuke had his hands at his chin in a classic thinking position when Ten-ten glanced his way. He seemed to be struggling with something…
"Ten-ten, we've been going out for over three years now and not once have we ever told each other what we feel about each other. I mean, we've both held hands and gone on dates and trained together and kissed once or twice but not once have we ever said… It hit me as we sat in that frog's stomach that I never…"
"Sasuke… what are you trying…"
"I love you."
Ten-ten just stared at Sasuke, who was now looking very intently at her face. Never before had he looked this serious since the days when he had been determined to kill his brother. His eyes showed nothing but an intensity that others would have a hard time even comprehending.
"Sasuke…"
"Ten-ten, I don't need you to say anything right now but… I really needed to tell you before this battle begins. You saved my life, Ten-ten. When I was contemplating my future, or lack there of, it was your presence that allowed me to even stay in Konoha. I'd be long gone without you. Kakashi thought we were engaged, and I can't think of anything I would like better. I love you, and I don't want to live without you. When this is all over…"
Sasuke didn't get a chance to finish before Ten-ten had shut him up with a kiss. For years Sasuke had been a empty person filled with only the black hole of hatred for the world around him and anyone who dared to get in his way. When Ten-ten had come into his life the hole had closed. Now he was beginning to fill his soul again, this time with love.
Rock Lee had virtually done nothing but usher around a shocked Sakura since their return. Only a few hours had passed, but Lee couldn't help but be happy at the situation he was in despite the news that the city was likely going to under attack in a day and a half. Sakura had calmed down after a while of walking around the city and, to his great surprise, hadn't removed his arm from her shoulders. She seemed… more calm to Lee. Not in just the exterior emotional way, but it was like the turmoil she had been going through for years was finally gone. He couldn't say for sure, but Sakura might have been smiling.
"Lee…"
Lee was almost too startled to respond. Sakura never talked to him, ever.
"S…Sakura-san?"
"…Arigato. For helping me… back there…"
"It… it was nothing, Sakura…"
"No… it was. You know… that was the first time I had ever thought that Sasuke… had died? And… while I was angry and sad… I just couldn't help but think… I should have been hurting more. It was like when a friend died, not a lover… And I thought… is there anyone I know that it would break my heart to have die? Only one person cares about me that way and… and the only presence I know I would miss… was you."
"Sakura?"
"Gomen…"
"No… arigato."
They walked like that, leaning on each other in more ways then one, for a few hours more before night fell.
Kakashi stood at the door to a small, modest apartment with his hands in his pockets and his face downcast. His hand brushed a small orange book in his pocket, but flinched away from its leather bound cover subconsciously.
Never thought that would happen. But, then again, I never thought I would shy away from death like that.
For the first time in his life Kakashi had looked death in the eye…
And flinched.
A first, being that his entire life from the day Obito died has been in preparation for death.
The only thing he had thought as those monsters had come in at him was that he shouldn't die yet.
He couldn't die yet.
"Kakashi? Back from your mission already?"
His visible eye shot up to the woman standing in the doorway and instantly she knew something wasn't right.
"What happened? Come on in."
Kakashi stepped into the small apartment and almost immediately took a seat at the table. Then he proceeded to slam his head into the table, leaving it there.
"That bad, huh?"
Kurenai set a cup of hot tea in front of him as he barely lifted his head.
"That bad."
"Care to talk about it?"
Kakashi sighed before sitting up, casually removing his mask, and drinking some tea. It was a common occurrence for Kurenai to see what was beyond Kakashi's mask. She had seen his face multiple times, but as of yet still refused to tell anyone about it.
"You'll find out soon enough, but to put it simply… Konoha is now surrounded by a force of ninja over four times or current strength."
The cup that had been in Kurenai's hands was suddenly on the ground in pieces.
"Wha… what?"
"Kumo to the south, Iwa to the north. Orochimaru and his demons with both."
"And… you ran into them?"
"We went south. Ran into a large group of those… things…"
"Are they that strong?"
"They are 'that strong'. To give the team a chance to get away I was forced to be a… distraction."
"Well, you obviously were a very good distraction."
"No, I wasn't."
"What do you mean?"
"I failed. If it wasn't for Sasuke, Ten-ten, and Choji I would have died. And again, if Naruto hadn't shown up against all odds all four of us would be gone. Dead."
Kurenai just looked across the table at the man she had come to love, her cup laying forgotten on the floor in pieces. He had almost died. No… he should be dead.
"But I didn't die." Kakashi continued sipping his tea. "The problem was that in those few moments I knew death had me… I just wanted to live."
"But that's normal…"
"Normal for normal people, not for me. Kurenai, I have never forgiven myself for Obito's death, and every day I use this eye it just burns my shame into my soul. I couldn't forgive myself… For the longest time I have been… desiring death. Not so much that I would seek it out or let it take me without a fight. But I prepare myself everyday at the memorial stone to be the next one written on it. Preparing myself… almost… hoping for it. But… that's changed."
"Wh… why?"
"Because I have something that is overriding the guilt from Obito's death now, and I didn't think of what it was until it was almost too late. I have something to live for, Kurenai."
"What?"
"You."
They sat across the table staring into each other's eyes for what seemed to be hours before Kurenai finally spoke.
"Does this mean you're burning the books?"
"Is that still the deal?"
"Hai."
"Fine."
"Kakashi… you're not just joking with me, right? You're being serious? This isn't the time for jokes…"
"Kurenai, I'm serious."
"Fine. It's a deal, then."
"Alright."
"Good."
"Good."
Silence again as Kakashi drank from his cup and Kurenai picked the pieces off the floor. Kakashi had to chuckle a bit as she cleaned the tea from the floor.
"What are you laughing at now?"
"I was just thinking… that was probably the most absurd engagement process I've ever heard of."
Shino Aburame stood amongst probably the largest collection of insects anyone in his clan had ever gathered. The swarm blocked out the sunlight around Shino for meters before thinning out. Millions of insects called Shino home even when some of them lived in special hives built to simulate the clan heir. And they all had something in common. They were Shino. And Shino was them.
Shino didn't even blink behind his shades as the mass swarmed out to consume and entire tree, retreating moments later when the tree's chakra was consumed. What had been a healthy tree moments ago was as dead and lifeless as Hanabi Hyuga, the sister of one of his teammates.
He had not forgotten.
Neither had his nest.
His insects buzzed louder as his thoughts grew agitated. The hive mind, once separate from Shino's mind, now had become one with Shino. He controlled fifteen different species of chakra eating insect and two non insect species directly and also had a summoning contract. But that was not his strength. His strength came in his connection to his insects. They were no less an arm or a leg then the ones attached to his torso. They were merely extra appendages now, waiting his minds command to act instantly.
Konoha will win. I swear it. I will hold the Iwa ninja back until every last cell in my body is destroyed.
The bugs swirled ever more furiously, hungry for more than the chakra of a tree with Shino's lust for justice in their simple brains.
We will win.
Jiraiya the toad sage stood leaning against a wall in the Hokage's office, waiting for her return. She had gone with her ANBU to gather every jonin in the city together for a call to arms. Jiraiya was very much tempted to go over to her desk and grab the half full sake bottle and down it.
"Shit."
"Yes, a whole big pile of it."
Jiraiya turned to see the Fifth Hokage walking in the door to take a seat at her desk.
"Tsunade-hime. It's good to see…"
"Shut your mouth, Jiraiya. What good is going to come about by seeing me now? We're out numbered, Jiraiya. Outnumbered and most likely outclassed."
Tsunade beat him to the bottle and downed the rest in one gulp.
"Tsunade…"
"We have… what? Three thousand ninja in the city? Maybe?"
"Tsunade…"
"Yeah, and they have about ten gazillion monster thingies that can take an ANBU in one shot!"
"Tsunade."
"You know what else? I would be back in Paradise City if it wasn't for you and that brat, and the way things are turning out not only will both you die again but I'll die too!"
"Again?"
"KUSO!"
Tsunade threw the empty bottle against the wall in a fit of anger before slamming her head against the desk hard enough to crack it. Jiraiya had barely dodged the speedy projectile even with his ability. He was about to get Shizune to sober her sensei up when he heard something he had only heard three times in his entire life.
Tsunade's tears were spreading out from where her head was buried in her arms. Her body was racked with near silent sobs. And Jiraiya had no idea what to do. He had tried to console her after her brother and barely walked away alive. After Dan died… she hadn't even spoken to him before she had left the village.
"Tsunade…"
"WHAT? Can't you see I'm tired… damn pervert."
"Tsunade, I'm not going to die and neither will Naruto."
Silence.
"Tsunade…"
"That's what Dan said."
"I'm not Dan. I'm Jiraiya, the greatest sage since the beginning of time and one hell of an author."
Now he was just trying to cheer her up. Tsunade started to tune out before Jiraiya's voice suddenly changed from jovial to completely serious. Even… angry.
"I'm a bastard pervert who happens to enjoy peaking at women's baths and gallivanting around with young women because MY mind is consumed with what I lost only a year after you lost Dan! Or have you forgotten that Tokine died from wounds that should have been simple to heal if you had been there or if she hadn't been pregnant with my SON! Maybe you want to wallow in your past like I've been doing for all these years, but I'm not going to let you! I know how much pain it is! I haven't moved on for decades, and I still can't. Every book I've ever written wasn't based off of any research I've done to keep my mind off of her, but based off of HER! Look, I can't replace Dan, and Naruto can't replace your brother, just like every woman I see can't replace Tokine and every child I see can't replace the son I should have had. So move on! You can't lead this city if you can't control yourself. Why do you think I rejected this job? I can't turn my back on the past, I'm not strong enough. You are, or were, or said you would be."
"Well what if I'm not strong enough either?"
"Don't you dare say that after all you've been through! What about Naruto?"
"What about Naruto?"
"You said you got over the past when he brought you back. You said you had accepted it for the good of the city and him…"
"Well I CAN'T, ALRIGHT?"
Some time during their conversation their voices had gone from calm to yelling and they were now standing face to face with barely an inch between them. They stood like that with fire in their eyes, waiting for the other to flinch, for minutes.
"Hokage-sam…a?" Shizune entered to find the two face to face about to kill each other. The two broke eye contact a moment later and both looked very tired and Shizune saw for the first time the two sannin acting their age.
"Tsunade, you know what you need to do."
"Hai."
"Get it done at the counsel of war. Have you given thought as to who?"
"Who else?"
"I think it might be too soon, but I approve."
"Hokage-sama, the counsel of war has gathered and are waiting."
"I have made my decision. Besides… it's not like we're without precedent…"
The one tailed jinchuriki walked arm in arm with his fiancé down the streets of Konoha. Obviously the news hadn't gotten out yet about the enemies at their gates, or all of the shops would have been closed. Matsuri, the young woman Gaara had come to love, was looking around at all the sights, enthralled to be back in the first city she had been in after she had been freed.
By Gaara.
The pair munched on dango as they marched through the streets, receiving odd stares from everyone around them. The man who had almost destroyed the city three years ago and a beautiful girl in the same clothes as him looked like the ideal couple as they took a stroll. They passed by hundreds of civilians as they circled the village, watching the people go about their business as if their lives weren't going to be permanently changed in two days for better or worse.
It made Gaara angry.
It made Matsuri sad.
It made them both ready to fight.
"I think it is time to go to the counsel, Matsuri."
"I agree, Gaara. But…"
"What?"
"Let's make a promise, Gaara. We'll do this again sometime, right?"
The usual light in Matsuri's eyes had been replaced with worry. In order for Gaara to promise that, he must stay alive as well.
They both needed to.
"… hai."
"Good. Let's go then."
People were startled when the odd duo disappeared without a trace to the naked eye and were hopping along the rooftops of Konoha.
The counsel of war called in Konoha that day was the first of its kind since the creation of Konoha and the great clan wars before then. For the first time in decades every clan's head and elders were seated in the largest hall in the Hokage tower. Every jonin and most chunin were present and seated. The counsel of elders sat in a semi circle facing the attendees, with the Hokage at the podium in front of them. The counsel of elders contained some of the most influential citizens of Konoha to have ever lived. The leader of the counsel had been in charge for almost thirty years, and was the oldest living person in Konoha. The man had personally known the first and second Hokages and vowed to uphold their ideals, and had been doing so for years.
This was the first time since he had been and elder that the counsel had met like this. Not even the great ninja wars had made them resort to a massive meeting like this. It saddened the elder that this had to come to pass. To think that this once great city had finally come to the time of it's fall…
"Elders of the counsel, clan heads, elders of the clans, jonin and chunin of Konoha, I have news to bring you which will most likely end the war. Today we found out that an army of twenty thousand comes at us from both the North and the South. Kumo and Iwa have been emptied to end this war at our doorstep and crush us in one final blow after the failure at Suna. All of you knew about Iwa, but reports now show Kumo less then one day south of us. We can assume they will wait to attack until the dawn after Iwa's army arrives, giving us one day to prepare for an assault against forces that outnumber our own six to one. Even with the aid of our ally, Suna, and their extra ninja… the odds of us winning this battle without seriously damaging the city and significant loss of life are next to nil. Therefore, as my third to last act as Hokage…"
Before Tsunade got any further the room broke out into shouts of confusion. It took her literally banging the podium into the ground to get the crowd to quiet down.
"As I was saying, a list of ninja to help in the evacuation of the city to the underground tunnels will be posted in the mission assignment hall immediately after this meeting. All other ninja will have their job for preparation given there as well, as well as battle stations. My second to last task as Hokage is to coordinate this battle to the best of my ability. This battle will not be like the invasion of Kiri that was so successful. This army is at full strength and there will be no surprises for them. They will expect traps. They will expect us to fight to the end. They want us to. And as my last act as Hokage, not including conducting the battle to come, is to name a successor and explain why I must resign."
Now the entire room of a few hundred people seemed to lean forward and peer intently at the Hokage. Even the counsel had not known about this very confusing, very dangerous move. Changing leadership during war time must have a very good reason behind it. Only Jiraiya seemed calm, if slightly remorseful, leaning against a wall near the door.
"I can not perform this job to the best of my ability, and I believe it will be putting ninja and citizens in danger if I stay in office after this battle is over. Many had hoped that placing me in this role of responsibility would cause me to change what I had become and lead Konoha into a new age of prosperity brought by one of Konoha's own sennin. But I still gamble and get drunk daily. While I have not made many serious mistakes as Hokage yet… I feel as if this job was not meant for someone like me."
"Then, we assume, Jiraiya-sama will be taking over."
"Hell no." Jiraiya's voice carried over the crowd to the counsel of elders with firm resolve. "I would be worse then Orochimaru at that job… well… maybe not as bad as him…"
"No, my successor was chosen from the moment I became Hokage. When this war is over and I have trained him enough, I will hand over the position of Sixth Hokage of Konoha to Naruto Namikaze. I assume he will take over only a few years before his father did, in age. Naruto? You want to come up here?"
Silence filled the immense room, not one person making a noise.
"Naruto?"
"I don't think he's here, Hokage-sama."
"What the hell do you mean, he's not here? Every jonin in the city should be here."
"He told me to tell you he was sick, but I think he just went to get ramen with Hinata. After all…"
Hiashi smirked from his place in the front row.
"This is his birthday. The anniversary of the Kyuubi attack. Funny, though, how he missed hearing his own dream come true."
"Fine. I'll grant him that he deserves the break, but as punishment no one can tell him of his status as Hokage-in-training, got it?"
The entire room echoed with laughs and cries of osu and hai. The tension of impending doom relieved for a moment. Tsunade had to smile over her ninja who filled the massive room. Over four thousand Jonin and Chunin filled the seats of the auditorium and it seemed like they had all taken the announcement as if it had been expected, and none had started running around screaming in fear.
This is what they were trained for.
What they were alive for.
What they would die for.
But if the slight murderous intent coming from behind her was any indication, at least a few elders did not expect it and did not agree.
I'll deal with them later.
"Alright then. Everyone get some sleep. Your orders take effect at exactly five in the morning tomorrow. Dismissed."
Naruto Uzumaki stood on the top of the greatest landmark in Konoha. He stood right on the very edge of the Hokage monument, inches from a hundred foot drop. His fiancé of sixteen years, to the day, sat next to him. In the light of the war not one person seemed to have remembered that today was the anniversary of the attack of the Kyuubi, let alone the day he had been born. Hell, not even Naruto had remembered.
Until Hinata had reminded him.
Naruto now had one very special kunai. A kunai just like all his others, except for the fact that it was made from the strongest alloy known in the ninja world. One gram of the metal would bankrupt some of the smaller kingdoms of the world. And this was a kunai made from it, with his own personal seal crafted into it. The kunai would easily destroy any weapon it crossed in a few blows. Now it was clenched tightly in his hand as he stared out over the city that had a large chance of being gone in two days.
"Hinata… I'm sorry for leaving you so suddenly at the counsel meeting."
"You had to, Naruto. I don't blame you."
Silence.
"Hinata… tomorrow will not go well. I have faith in this village and our allies but… I don't think victory will come easily, or even with a little difficulty. Tomorrow… we have a fairly large chance of losing."
"So?"
Hinata leaned up against him with her head on his shoulder.
"So… I don't want you to die."
"Arigato. I don't want you to die, either."
"You don't understa…"
"Naruto, if you're going to ask me to evacuate, tell me you'll cover for me as I cowardly escape, that you think it's for the best if at least one of us survives, I swear I'll push you off this massive stone head."
Naruto had been about to do just that, but shut up quickly.
"I know you mean well, Naruto, but I swore that when you came back I would never, ever, let something separate us again. Not even death, Naruto. If you die, this city will most likely fall, and I will probably die. But we'll be together in the afterlife. Don't separate me from you now or ever."
"I don't want you to die…"
"I know, you said that, so I won't if you don't. Ok?"
Naruto sighed. Part of him was glad that she would be with him in this battle, the other part was worried.
"I love you, Hinata. Too much sometimes."
"I love you too much all the time, Naruto. Promise me… when this is all done… that no matter what happens you and I will always be together. Ok?"
Naruto kissed his fiancé on her forehead. There was nothing he could say to his courageous wife-to-be.
"Hai."
The next morning came early and with the tension of an upcoming inevitable battle. The evacuation went smoothly and the civilians of the city were safely hundreds of meters underground by noon, leaving the ninja to prepare for the assault. The weapons manufacturers were working non stop preparing hundreds of kunai. Hundreds of expert sealers created thousands upon thousands of explosive tags of varied strengths, which were placed all around the city walls in key places. Buildings were destroyed to create choke points where ninja could be held off. Barricades were erected on rooftops and in the streets.
Gaara and Jiraiya went around the city creating pit traps filled with either boiling mud or spikes made from glass. Ninja gathered weapons into scrolls and pouches, retired ninja practiced old jutsu that hadn't been used in years. Insects from the Aburame clan patrolled the forests around the city for miles while the byakugan was used to keep watch over even further distances.
Naruto handed out thousands of scrolls, each with a hundred special kunai in them, to jonin around the city. His grip never leaving the kunai Hinata had given him.
By evening the defenses of the city were better then they had been since the Oto invasion years earlier. Shikamaru couldn't even think of another idea that would create a significant benefit to the Konoha ninja. Konoha would be given every chance and benefit to survive this war.
But would it be enough?
With the night came a gentle wind, one that brought a feeling of peace to the doomed city. Every ninja slept lightly that night.
For with morning, death would come.
AN: And the last chapter will come as well...