AN: Thank you for all of the reviews! A quick note on why there are more Konoha named causalities than Kumo. There are FAR more names on the Konoha side than on the Kumo side! It is really only the Raikage, Darui, Atsui and the OC I made up, Fuyu. Meanwhile Konoha has dozens of names.

Special thanks to GJMEGA for his Beta work!

Chapter 48: Invasion Part IV

The Hokage along with his toad sage allies, as well as Genma and Yugao had rushed to the central gates that had finally been burst open with the return of the Raikage to the fight. The Raikage was a nearly unstoppable force of nature and he once again littered the battle field with the dead.

By the time Jiraiya got there the Raikage had butchered the defenders and the Kumo shinobi were pressing into the village. His blood up and the sight of the dead caused him to unleash a devastating wide area attack.

"Katon Dai Endan," (Fire Release: Big Flame Bullet) roared the Hokage.

Pa and Ma added to the conflagration with a paired Futon: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)

The roaring flames ignited several unfortunate Kumo shinobi. The Raikage snarled at seeing his proud shinobi wiped out so swiftly.

"Murderer! You claim to desire peace but ignite war?"

Jiraiya looked bewildered, "Me? Are you insane? You and Iwa started this war!"

"LIES!"

The Raikage blazed forward attempting to take off the Hokage's head. Jiraiya lacked the absolute speed of the Raikage but he wasn't so far outclassed that he couldn't dodge the obvious attack. He ducked the blow but the Raikage had stopped his momentum on a dime and then jabbed back with a vicious elbow that smashed into the Hokage's back violently throwing him forward.

Jiraiya's back gave a spasm of pain; it felt like his entire spine was bruised. The Raikage was not done and turned to finish off the older Kage.

The Hokage wasn't going to make it easy and swiftly used his fastest technique. Senpo: Kebari Senbon (Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon). Jiraiya's long white hair grew thick with senjutsu chakra and became hard as steel. In an instant the spikes were launched at the charging Raikage. The Raikage was hit by dozens of the steel hardened, nature chakra infused spikes. His Lightning Armor leaked chakra like a sieve but his pace was only slightly slowed.

The Raikage slammed his fist into Jiraiya's head that had been slightly bowed in order to more easily fire the hair spikes. Jiraiya crashed into the ground painfully. The Raikage's leg fired like a piston slamming into the Hokage's ribs and launching him into the air. The Raikage pushed off of the ground with chakra and jumped into the air to strike down the leader of the leaf village.

His strike was blocked by the sudden appearance of Gama, one of the stout battle toads of Mount Myoboku. While he was not a massive toad he did carry jōnin levels of strength and hardiness. Shima had summoned the toad without hand seals. The Raikage being the Raikage meant that even Gama's mighty strength was unequal to the task and the toad's arm shattered under the blow.

However the collision did pause the Raikage's momentum which gave Jiraiya the breathing room he needed to Kawarimi a safe distance away. He had cracked ribs and a nasty knot on his forehead. If it hadn't been for sage mode his skull would have likely been shattered. Gama dissipated in a puff of smoke back to Mount Myoboku.

While in mid air the Raikage's speed did him little good. With nothing to shove off of he could not change the laws of gravity with chakra the way Ōnoki could. He saw two senbon flash wide of him. The senbon had ultra-thin ninja wire attached that had lines of explosives tags on them. As the wires came together behind the Raikage the tags went off. Inside his Raiton no Yoroi (Lightning Release Armor) he took no damage but more chakra was burned off. Genma had to be content with that because there was little else in his arsenal that could make an impact.

The Raikage landed and launched himself back at the Hokage who was ready for him. Rasengan whirling in both hands he thrust them at speeding Raiton specialist. The Raikage dodged one and blocked the other which he had hoped would give him an opening to drive his fist into Jiraiya. The whirling mass of chakra couldn't pierce his aura of lightning but the swirling rotation did put out enough force to throw him back.

The instant he was thrown back Pa and Ma both let loose a blistering barrage of air bullets via Futon: Shinkugyoku (Wind Release Vacuum Bullets). A shinobi in free fall cannot arrest his momentum so he had little choice but to throw up his arms in a defensive posture as the two toad sage's peppered him with the air bullets.

The bullets tore into his Raiton no Yoroi (Lightning Release Armor) and pierced into his flesh. The energy had partially dissipated going through the lightning barrier but it still had enough cutting power to pierce a couple of inches into his muscular arms. Biting back the pain the Raikage heeded Darui's early request and fled back out of Konoha. Jiraiya lacked the speed to pursue; it was one thing to counter attack where he knew an enemy would be since they were on the offensive. It was another to chase after someone who was simply faster.

Jiraiya had no time to nurse his cracked ribs, the contusion on his head or his bruised back as the Kumo shinobi charged in. Despite the fiery death he laid out and their Kage seemingly routed they did their duty and charged fearlessly at the Hokage.

Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld) was quickly placed at the gate's entrance slowing the entry of more enemy shinobi. Those who were caught in the swamp slowly began to sink as the chakra infused mud prevented their escape through things like the body substitution technique.

There was no rest for the Hokage as Kumo shinobi already through and those climbing over the walls assailed him with kunai, senbon and kenjutsu. Some that attacked were Raiton clones that carried dangerous levels of voltage. Even a pair of genjutsu users attempted to snare the Sannin several times despite not being able to fool the toad sage's enhanced senses.

Jiraiya responded with devastating combination jutsus with his toad sage allies. The enemy was rarely able to cause damage but a few did. A senbon nicked Shima though fortunately it was not poisonous. A particularly skilled kenjutsu specialist managed to give the Hokage a shallow cut on his shoulder and finally a Katon jutsu from long range singed him. The fire jutsu was one Jiraiya hadn't seen before and actually seemed to follow the intended target.

Corpses piled up around him and his guards took on a support role doing their best to make sure the Hokage was not flanked. A normal sage would have long run out of natural chakra but Jiraiya had Pa and Ma who alternated staying perfectly still and gathered nature chakra for Jiraiya. However the battle with the Raikage and the non stop fighting with the Kumo shinobi was taxing them greatly. They simply could not keep up with the expenditure of natural chakra. Jiraiya could sense this but still fought on against the extremely skilled horde of shinobi.

***BREAK***

Even as Shizune breathed her last the Konoha logistical corps was frantically making back up plans to beef up the ad hoc trauma centers near the front lines for wounded shinobi. Those areas had supplies, but more supplies were going to be needed now that their primary aid location was decimated. Every skilled shinobi was needed to fight so it was up to the genin to take fuinjutsu sealed scrolls filled with bandages, plasma pills, soldier pills, sutures and other medical supplies to the waiting triage stations.

Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi were one such team that was frantically carrying a set of scrolls to one of the triage centers. In their haste they nearly ran into the middle of a battle involving several Hyūga and other chūnin against Fuyu, C and a band of infiltrators.

"Shit, this way," Konohamaru called out and bolted down a side alley.

A Kumo shinobi with a katana leapt down from one of the roofs cutting off their escape.

The man darted forward at chūnin level speed and Konohamaru got into a fighting stance while throwing a pair of shuriken. The chūnin easily deflected the shuriken but he had slowed his forward movement slightly which allowed Moegi time to open up a kunai scroll. Forty kunai burst forth at almost point blank range. The surprised chūnin contorted his body and deflected as best he could but one slammed into his leg, another slashed his cheek and the final one hit his side and deflected off of his rib.

The shinobi's charge turned into a tumble and Konohamaru took a risk and kicked the man's hand breaking his grip on the katana. Udon used a weak genjutsu that was ineffective while Konohamaru sent another kick at the chūnin. He caught Hiruzen's grandson's leg and slammed the boy against the wall of the alley painfully.

Moegi attached an explosive seal to her kunai and launched it at the nin's feet. The wounded shinobi pushed off with his good leg and pulled the kunai free of his leg. He threw it at the young kunoichi who brought up her own kunai to deflect it.

Chilling laughter could be heard at the opposite end of the ally in the direction of the fighting. Fuyu appeared with her blades dripping in blood.

"Having trouble with three genin? What a joke."

Konohamaru shakily got to his feet. The woman moved with a deadly grace.

"Boy I have no interest in killing children. I'll let you live if you know where Anko Mitarashi is."

Konohamaru had no idea where she was but even if he did he wouldn't tell the enemy anything.

"Screw you! My name is Konohamaru Sarutobi and I'll never betray my village!"

***BREAK***

Shikaku arrived near the hospital and saw Ōnoki start rising back into the air. The Nara couldn't believe their luck at finding him near the ground and immediately used a shunshin to close the distance and use Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique). Ōnoki had felt the chakra and prepared to defend himself. He only had an instant to see the shadows lash out after his own shadow.

At that the last moment before the shadows touched he used a Kawarimi with a piece of debris. The Tsuchikage was now on the ground. Shikaku sent his shadow racing back toward the Kage. The Tsuchikage knew flying into the air wouldn't stop the attack since he would still be casting a shadow on the ground, the Nara ability worked by shadows touching shadows.

Instead he recreated Earth Golems and sent them charging after the Nara. He then used Kawarimi again to get away from the streaking shadow. Meanwhile the rest of the team arrived. Inoichi opened up with a kunai scroll while Ebisu used Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique). Since he wasn't able to use Futon jutsu due to the flames, Ōnoki used a simple mud wall to block the kunai and the fiery jutsu.

Inoichi meanwhile used Magen: Niju Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu (Demonic Illusion: Double False Surrounding Technique). Ōnoki easily dispelled the genjutsu but only the first layer. The second layer however was not dispelled and Ōnoki did not detect it because it changed almost nothing about his surroundings. The only change was that it masked the approach of a second Kagemane being used by the real Shikaku.

The Earth Golem smashed down at the Nara shadow clone that dodged away from the attack. Chōza barreled into the scene and smashed straight through one golem. He was using Nikudan Sensha (Human Bullet Tank). He spun ominously and then headed straight for the diminutive Kage. The attack was not one he expected to connect wit. It was meant to deceive; it was just a further distraction so that the Kagemane could make contact.

As the Tsuchikage turned to face Chōza the Kagemane touched his shadow and he froze in place. As soon as that took place Ebisu used a shunshin to appear next to the Tsuchikage and drove a kunai into his throat.

Their victory turned to surprise as the Tsuchikage transformed into a broken pile of rocks. Shikaku instantly knew that the old man had used Iwa Bunshin no Jutsu (Rock Clone Technique) and played them for fools. But when did it happen? Thinking back on the battle the only time where it could have happened was when he made the Doton: Doryuheki (Earth Release: Mud Wall). At the same time as he created it he must have created the rock clone in the wall itself and then change places with the clone!

The wall exploded outward as an incredibly large and fast Doton: Dosekiryu (Earth Style: Earth Dragon) slammed into Ebisu. The dragon pushed the scarred shinobi into a building. The attack snapped a number of bones and Ebisu collapsed unconscious after the jutsu ended.

"Did you think it would be that easy to defeat a Kage?" Ōnoki taunted them. Shikaku knew that what stood before him was no the actual Tsuchikage but another rock clone. Shikaku also knew that Inoichi would be using his clan abilities to verify his actual location. It would be important for no one to reveal the fact that they knew the clone in front of them was not actually Ōnoki.

'I better keep him talking. Maybe I can draw him out'

"Troublesome. As someone who coordinated the defense of the village I am ashamed to admit I never considered your presence."

The rock clone chuckled, "That was the point. Any last words before I finish you off and then lay waste to your precious shelters?"

Shikaku smiled, "Just this. Even if you win here Team Seven will hunt you down. After all they were able to kill your son easily enough. It's unclear if your granddaughter survived the little attack on Takigakure but with the massive amount of casualties inflicted I wouldn't hold my breath."

The real Tsuchikage gave a cry of pure rage underneath the earth and then everything happened at once.

***BREAK***

Anko, Iruka, the ANBU and the small group of stragglers were about to start racing back to the village that now had more parts burning. Before they did Iruka raised his hand.

"A powerful chakra source is coming from the opposite direction. It will be here in about an hour."

He paused straining his senses and then his eyes widened.

"No, it's moving fast, incredibly fast. It will be here in less than 30 minutes."

Anko's mind raced as she considered the possibilities. Her mind almost immediately went to a worst case scenario situation. Could one of the jinchuuriki from Kumo be trying to hit the village from an unexpected angle?

"Are there any other chakra signatures? Does it have any demonic chakra?"

Iruka furrowed his brow.

"Well?" Anko pressed.

Iruka's eye's popped open and then a smile blossomed on his face.

"It's Naruto Namikaze."

***BREAK***

Pillars of strength held back the Kumo tide where the Tsuchikage had broken through the wall that surrounded Konohagakure. Maito Gai moved with relentless energy and never slowed down. His stamina reserves were astounding to all. Tsunade Senju was the second pillar of strength. Her chakra filled punches seemed to go on without end.

Asuma, Neji, Tenten and the few other surviving shinobi were truly in awe at what they were seeing. The initial moments of their team entering the battle was an uncontested slaughter. But as the battle grew longer Asuma and Neji grew wearier. They could still fight at a high jōnin level but they were slowing down.

The problem was that it wasn't trash that they were fighting. They had to use chakra to move and defend against deadly Raiton strikes. These were elite shinobi who had trained for years for this war. They were holding but only due to the prowess of Tsunade and Gai.

Both Asuma and Neji downed their soldier pills and used their renewed energy to fight back the fatigue that threatened to leave them dangerously open. Tenten could only hope that the two S class taijutsu specialists could keep going because if they faltered Kumo had an open path to the heart of Konoha.

***BREAK***

The Raikage made it back to where Darui had set up camp. His right arm was not there as he had gone to deal with the toad chief. His aides however briefed him on the situation and a medical nin quickly healed the Raikage's pockmarked arms.

He had knocked the Hokage around a bit but hadn't been able to deliver a decisive blow. The Hokage on his own wasn't his match but the two puppets on his shoulders were constantly thwarting his attempts to end the fight. And they had actually drawn blood, something that hadn't happened in years.

The leader of Kumo realized he needed to change his strategy. The next attack he made on the Hokage would not be to the man himself but on those damn frogs. With that thought he continued to play it out as Darui envisioned. He raced over to the right flank where Ōnoki had opened the breach. For some reason his shinobi had not yet been able to fully break through and invade the village.

***BREAK***

Konohamaru saw the writing on the wall. This was where he would die. The kunoichi was a jōnin and simply outclassed him and his teammates. But he would face death on his feet. Readying his kunai he faced his death like a Sarutobi.

"Run Konohamaru!"

The voice that shouted the order was from Kotetsu Hagane.

His partner Izumo used Suiton: Mizuame Nabara (Water Release: Syrup Trap) to flood the ally in between Konohamaru and Fuyu. Fuyu jumped back away from the sticky liquid and Kotetsu attacked her with both of his blades.

Fuyu was slightly off balance from her unexpected leap but she was faster than Kotetsu. Within just a moment or two it became clear who the jōnin was and who was the chūnin.

Meanwhile Konohamaru and his team charged the Kumo nin barring their path. Konohamaru was a talented genin and as he ran he used a surprisingly advanced technique. He palmed a pair of shuriken and used Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique). The Kumo chūnin cursed and threw himself flat on the ground allowing the scores of deadly projectiles to sail over him. The three genin leapt over him and fled the alley.

The Kumo nin gripped his blade and slashed at the last genin in the line. Udon was the last in line and so it was his leg that was sliced up by the katana. Udon stumbled and fell clutching his leg as his two teammates looked back in horror.

Fuyu's blades danced like they were alive and Kotetsu was being driven back quickly. However each time she thought she finally had him his partner would interfere somehow. A thrown kunai, a small water jutsu or even a minor genjutsu that distracted her. Their team work was superb.

They were momentarily distracted when Konohamaru yelled, "Udon no!"

The boy ran back for his friend and Izumo shouted for him to get away. But he wasn't going to leave his friend. Udon bled freely from his leg and the enemy nin rose up to cut him down. Konohamaru screamed and barely managed to parry the blow with his own kunai.

Izumo left his friend to deal with Fuyu while he saved the beloved Sandaime's grandson. Fuyu grinned and lunged forward. Without any distraction the difference in skill was too great and in a moment Kotetsu had a blade in his gut. Fuyu ripped it out viciously and then finished him off with a slash through the throat.

Izumo kicked the katana out of the wounded Kumo chūnin's hand and slammed him against the ally wall.

"Get out of here now," he barked out.

Moegi and Konohamaru helped the nearly unconscious Udon stagger out of the ally and they took off at a hobbled run.

Izumo managed to deliver a knife hand strike to the Kumo nin whose throat collapsed under the blow. He barely had time to turn before Fuyu was on him. He desperately tried to pull out a kunai and deflect one of Fuyu's descending blades but she compensated and cut off his hand. A quick double thrust to the chest finished off the affable pair of gate guards that knew everyone in the village. Their friendly faces would no longer greet returning shinobi and visitors alike.

***BREAK***

C was not having a great day. He had been separated from Fuyu after a major counterattack by the Konoha reserves running into them. In the swirling melee they had broken off into smaller fights. Right now he was with a half dozen fellow Kumo shinobi attempting to get back to their own lines. As a sensor he was able to avoid the trapped regions of Konoha but that funneled him right into places where Konoha shinobi lurked.

He sensed a strong chakra source followed by several smaller ones heading for him. He motioned for his squad to change directions but their pursuers followed.

'Damn Hyūga.'

C decided being chased down and running the risk of running into more enemies wasn't a good idea. He told his squad to get ready and then the enemy appeared. C instantly recognized Hiashi Hyūga. The clan head killed the comrade next to him.

He immediately used Raigen Raikochu (Lightning Illusion: Flash Pillar). Unlike the previous attempt it failed to do anything to slow down Hiashi. C watched as the rest of the shinobi with him fought an Inuzuka and a two shinobi who didn't have obvious clan markings.

"Do you think I don't know the abilities of every single Kumogakure shinobi of any note?" Hiashi asked in a deathly quiet voice.

The guard of the Raikage took a step back and then created chakra scalpels in his hands.

"C, jōnin level. Initially trained as a medical nin. Branched out into genjutsu and is reasonably skilled in taijutsu."

Hiashi glided forward, the epitome of Hyūga grace. C lashed out with one chakra scalpel that Hiashi easily dodged and counterattacked with an instantaneous strike to a tenketsu point on his arm. The Kumo shinobi's chakra scalpel wavered as the flow of chakra became irregular in his arm. C used his other arm to strike but again Hiashi easily avoided the blow and another tenketsu point was closed.

C backpedaled but Hiashi kept the distance close easily keeping up. He attempted to use Kawarimi but Hiashi was too close and interrupted the jutsu with a deadly strike to the chest that bruised his heart badly. The Kumo jōnin lashed out with his legs but that too was futile. The Hyūga pressed in close and soon a barrage of gentle yet painful strikes ripped into C's chest. After the first 20 the man was dead but Hiashi didn't stop until the last 44 strikes were complete.

The Konoha shinobi finished off the small squad here while Hiashi used his Byakugan and scanned the area for their next targets.

***BREAK***

Darui approached the battlefield where the Raikage had first struck. The Konoha shinobi had taken back the wall with the help of the toad chief Gamabunta. The stubborn defenders were using a wide array of jutsu and projectiles. With Gamabunta able to actually strike the top of the wall with his oversized knife it prevented any progress even when his shinobi push through the Konoha defenders.

Darui looked at the situation for a few moments and then sprinted up the wall. He dodged a Katon jutsu and then he was on top of the wall. His katana was out and his S class reflexes and speed were good enough to easily dispose of the two chūnin. Gamabunta saw the action on the wall and lashed out with his blade. Darui flattened himself dodging the blade and then leaped at Gamabunta with a war cry.

In midair he used Kawarimi to substitute himself with a discarded katana at Gamabunta's feet. Darui viciously slashed with his blade cutting deep into the great toad's lower leg. The great toad gave a grunt of pain and kicked out with more speed than Darui had been expecting.

Luckily for him he managed to dodge aside at that last moment so that the powerful kick only grazed his shoulder. The attack still spun him around but he quickly recovered. A pair of kunai with explosive tags flew toward him forcing him to dodge back. Gamabunta favored one leg and brought his knife down on Darui.

Darui dodged the massive attack and unleashed Ranton: Reiza Sakasu (Storm Release: Laser Circus). The thunderous energy smashed into Gamabunta who was already unbalanced from his leg wound. The great toad teetered ungainly and fell flat on his back.

A genjutsu tried to obscure Darui's senses but he quickly dispelled it without any real effort as he raced toward the downed toad. Gamabunta lifted his head and fired a Suiton: Teppodama (Water Release: Gun Shot) at the charging Kumo nin. Unlike a normal Suiton jutsu this attack was massive. It was 15 feet across and hurtling straight for him. With his forward momentum he couldn't dodge right or left to avoid it so he jumped over it. Gamabunta slashed with tanto at the descending storm release user.

Darui snapped his blade down hard to intercept the larger weapon. Darui knew he had no chance of knocking the blade aside but it allowed him to somewhat blunt its power. The two blades clashed and Darui avoided getting cut however he was sent flying backwards and slammed into Konoha's outer wall painfully.

Gamabunta struggled to his feet while Darui recovered from the hit. Changing tactics Darui created several Lightning Clones and sent them at Gamabunta's vulnerable legs.

Meanwhile he performed another Kawarimi and began cutting down Konoha shinobi trying to stop the Kumo shinobi from cresting the wall. His opponents weren't incompetent but they were all chūnin. His blade carved through their defenses like a hot knife through butter.

Gamabunta seethed in frustration. He couldn't really let loose with mighty leaps and flatten the area and hopefully get the slippery Raiton user because he would damage the defensive structures as well as kill his allies. Another Raiton clone bit into his leg, another one he squashed but it discharged electricity that was frying his nerves.

With a mighty roar Gamabunta came up with a solution to the situation. He flexed his legs and then gave a mighty leap over the Konoha wall and into the gathered Kumo shinobi waiting for their chance. A few kunai and an azure bolt of lightning struck him in mid air but the damage was minimal. In return he killed several shinobi with the landing and more were pushed back by the concussive shock waves.

The gathered Kumo shinobi let fly with kunai, shuriken and explosive seals. Bolts of lightning assailed the great toad from all sides. Darui looked out and tilted his head and decided he could do more good slaughtering the defenders on this side of the wall.

Gamabunta roared with the pain of hundreds of minor wounds. He took to the sky again and landed in a particular thick grouping of Kumo shinobi. Dozens of Kumo shinobi lost their lives. Another massive blast of water from his mouth sent more Kumo shinobi flying away.

Darui began slaughtering the gathered Konoha shinobi. He wasn't as adept as the Raikage but he was an S ranked shinobi for a reason. The difference between a jōnin and a chūnin was large but the difference between an average jōnin and an S ranked threat was even greater. And right now all Darui had to contend with was chūnin.

Gamabunta however was not so fortunate; he had to deal with chūnin and jōnin. While he was doing a fair job of massacring the chūnin, the jōnin were a harder nut to crack. His leaps allowed them time to vacate the area with a variety of techniques. He had created a sizeable dent in the invading Kumo shinobi on this side but blood loss and fried nerves were catching up to him.

'Sorry Jiraiya but I can't go on.'

With an explosive pop the exhausted and bloodied Gamabunta ended the summon and returned to Mount Myoboku.

The gathered Kumo shinobi cheered and poured into Konohagakure by the hundreds.

***BREAK***

Naruto and Sakura were intercepted by Anko and Iruka. Naruto put Sakura down and immediately asked, "What's going on why aren't you over there," as he pointed toward Konoha.

Anko gave him a thin smile.

"Nice to see you too, orders from the Hokage, we were tasked with gathering any stragglers coming back to Konoha. Are you ready to fight? Because from what I can tell from out here the fighting is all over Konoha."

Naruto grimaced. He had been privy to the defensive plans set up in case of this kind of invasion. He had after all created most of the seals. While Sakura had been the brain behind them it had been his clones that had allowed them to be mass produced. If they got past the walls it meant that the enemy was strong.

"I'm ready. I had to use the kyūbi's chakra to get here but I have more than enough energy left!"

Sakura also nodded indicating her readiness.

Anko quickly made a plan. Naruto would make clones and spread them out in all directions. He would pop them and determine the conditions in the village. Meanwhile they would advance at a quick pace but not at top speed. They would then hit the part of the battlefield in most need of help.

Before they moved out Sakura gave Iruka and Anko each a kunai.

"Put a little chakra in them and in two seconds the fuinjutsu seal will release. The seal is etched in the kunai. Anko yours will create a highly corrosive gas that can melt flesh. The pressure seals will make it expand to a radius of 15 feet."

She turned to Iruka.

"Yours is a modified kunai scroll that when released will send out 40 kunai and all of those kunai are replicas of the original."

Iruka's eyes widened, "That's… 1600 kunai!"

Sakura just smiled, Iruka hadn't seen the battle against the Iwa army.

Naruto though had a grim expression on his face as he created a hundred clones and had them fan out. They had invaded his country and attacked his home. Naruto was going to kick them the hell out, believe it.

AN: Probably two more chapters in the invasion. I apologize to those who aren't keen on a lot of battles but it is one of the parts that I do like to focus on when I write. Hopefully the different scene breaks help keep things moving.

Updated RIP list:

Shizune

Shibi Aburame

Kotetsu

Izumo

C