Disclaimer: Mittens-chan is feeling happy, even if he doesn't own Naruto! Also, my longest chapter to date. Please don't hate. Alright mate?
Tsunade scanned through the scroll before quickly putting it away and then opening it and staring at it again. She couldn't believe what she was reading. The Hidden Mist.. destroyed?! How?!
She examined the scouts standing before her. "Are you sure of these reports?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama." The reporting scout replied swiftly. "It is the reason all trade and contacts from the village has stopped."
Tsunade glared back down at the report. The report specified crumbled buildings and evidence that the village had apparently been crushed together by a terrifying force. "So you think that the village was.. packed into a ball and released?"
Another scout stepped up. "The distribution of the damage showed a radial pattern with a compact center surrounded by clusters of decreasing density. There is no doubt. It was as if the village had been crumpled into a sphere and then dropped from a height we estimate to be about sixty kilometers."
Tsunade sighed. The report said as much, but she couldn't believe it. The level of destruction described was nothing short of insane. She slammed the report onto her desk. "Identifying whatever's done this is now top priority. I'm calling a war council. Notify all relevant representatives. Then get some rest. You've done well."
The scouts dispatched wordlessly.
The Hokage knead her brows. "Shizune. Get me some sake."
"What?! Right before the council?!"
"Shizune." Tsunade intoned sharply before issuing another sigh."Fine. I'll drink after the council."
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama. It is the right decision" The Hokage's dark-haired apprentice and secretary gave a tiny smile of victory. "Are we really going to war?"
Tsunade swirled her empty sake bottle in defeat. "We might be. If it is what I think it is, then it's quite likely that our neighbors to the West will find that the Leaf takes its threats seriously."
-Intermission-
Sasuke stood in the family kitchen with his one foot on the counter, stretching out his right leg as he waited for the meat water to boil. Next to the pot of water was a basket of boil-cleaned chicken, several chopped vegetables, and an assortment of condiments. Having guests over at his house was a relatively new experience, but he couldn't say he didn't enjoy it. He was a bit disappointed when Sakura expressed surprise at his ability to cook. Of course he could cook. He'd lived alone for over five years. How could he possibly survive without knowing how to prepare his own meals. Honestly, it was moments like those that he really appreciated having a friend who understood him.
Naruto had also grown up alone, albeit for much longer than he had. In fact, it was Naruto who took the words right out of his mouth. Sasuke stared dreamily into the pot of boiling water as he recalled the scene from the night before.
xx
"Sakura-chan.. are you serious?! Of course he can cook! What'd ya think he's been eating all this time?!"
"Uhm." Sakura smiled sheepishly. "Take-out?"
xx
The smile diffused from his face as he felt someone traipse across the warding seals that Naruto's dad had taught him to write and setup. They were rudimentary, and his expertise on sealing wasn't very advanced yet, but his natural genius, his ability to learn and his Sharingan more than made up for his lack of intuition. Naruto, on the other hand, had it easy. It came down to simple genetics. Ironic really.. an Uchiha.. lamenting about genetics.
Kicking his leg up, Sasuke bound to the compound entrance and slid open the door. "Kurenai-sensei. Asuma-sensei." He gave a light bow. "It's a pleasure."
Asuma slipped his cigarette to the other side of his mouth and grinned. "We hadn't even rung the bells. How'd you know we were out here?"
Sasuke gave a knowing smile. "Can't tell you."
The Jounin paused for a few seconds at the denial and shrugged. "May we come in?"
"Oh yes, of course. Let me just get the- crap!" The water! Sasuke put one foot back toward the kitchen and stopped. "Please come in and make yourselves comfortable. I have to get something."
With that the boy shot back inside the compound. Kurenai chuckled. "I still can't believe the changes that boy has undergone. He seems so much happier."
Asuma plucked the stick of cigarette out of his mouth and with a quick burst of Chakra, he incinerated it, and the two proceeded to walk inside. "He does. Can't say much about his seals though. Saw them from a hundred feet away."
Kurenai shook her head. "You mean I saw them. You wouldn't have noticed if he'd set it right in front of you."
"Ah.. well. You're right, but right in front of me is a bit exaggerated.. I am still a Jounin after all" Asuma chuckled. "Maybe when it's right under my feet.."
.
Sasuke looked sadly at the pot. Most of the water had already been boiled away. "Ah just damn everything!"
He picked up the pot and filled it to the brim with water from the sink. Then he lifted it with a grunt of effort, and called out as he left the kitchen. "I'll be right with you in a few moments."
Kurenai's voice floated out of the guest room. "Don't worry! Take your time!"
Sasuke hefted his burden into the garden and set it down carefully. Checking that he hadn't spilled any water, he jumped back several meters and put his hands in the tiger seal. Wordlessly, he blew a massive ball of fire at the pot ('Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu') and sustained the blazing inferno for about twenty seconds before relenting. The fire receded, and the water was boiling. Perfect.
Just as he was about to make his way to the pot, he noticed a flash of orange rocket over the walls of the Uchiha compound. Oh my god not now…
He stepped to the side, and the thing flashed past him.
Sasuke turned to face the ball of orange. "Naruto how many times have I-"
He was suddenly hit from behind and crushed to the ground. "Gotcha! Bet you didn't think I'd send a clone first!"
Sasuke groaned, and Naruto released his choke hold. "Naruto I don't have time for this. How'd you even get past my wards?!"
"Pfft. Can't tell you." Naruto said cheerily. He'd known exactly what sealing structure Sasuke had used since his dad had taught them both the same kind. He'd designed a seal to counter it and had it tagged firmly on the underside of his headband. Of course, he wasn't about to let Sasuke know, or else the bastard would update his seals. Just thinking about coming up with another counter-seal was a pain in the ass. Naruto gave a cheeky grin. "Let's go training!"
"I'm having guests, Naruto." Sasuke dusted himself off. "Great timing too. I could use the extra hand."
"Ehhhhhh? But training…" Naruto pouted. "And why do you always have people at your house? I never get any visitors."
"Sakura and I don't count as visitors?"
"That's not what I meant and you know it." Naruto huffed. "So what do you need help on?"
"Groceries."
Naruto was suddenly handed a wad of cash and a list which rolled down past his feet. "What?! Why do you need so much food?!"
"Seriously? We're having an opening party tonight. I told you I'd be busy all day."
"I didn't think you'd be making it yourself."
"Of course not.. there's no way I can make food for two hundred people by myself. Now come on, I need your help in the kitchen."
Naruto shrugged and produced twenty clones. Ten of the clones split the money amongst themselves along with several portions of the shopping list and ran off. The rest rolled up their sleeves. The real Naruto helped Sasuke pick up the pot. As they carried the burden inside, Naruto had a sudden thought. "Wait. Since you weren't planning on doing this yourself, who were you planning on getting to help you prepare the food?" Sasuke said nothing, causing Naruto to examine his friend. "You knew I would come didn't you?"
Sasuke shrugged. "I'll pay you back."
Naruto sighed as they moved down the hall. They received jovial greetings from the Jounin visitors when they passed the entrance to the guest area. "Yo Naruto. Didn't think you'd be here."
"Hey Asuma-sensei. Kurenai-sensei." Naruto replied energetically.
Kurenai smiled and stood. "I'd hate to see you kids do all this work alone. Why don't you let us help?"
A Naruto clone popped into view from behind the pot-carrying duo. "Nah we're fine."
"Yup." Said another who sifted his way past Sasuke.
A third and fourth poked their heads from the side of the doorway. "We could make you some tea while you wait, sensei."
Asuma chuckled. "Looks like they won't be needing the extra hand."
"Thanks for the offer, but we'll be fine." Sasuke offered diplomatically before continuing down toward the kitchen.
Kurenai sighed. "They're such good kids. I can't imagine how the villagers can be so cruel as to treat them like common criminals and outcasts."
"Fear turns even the kindest of men into monsters." Asuma shook his head and knelt. "So, Kurenai. How've you been treating your shogi-skills these days?"
Kurenai knelt across from him, a table of pieces between them. "They're a bit rusted. Not every Jounin gets to have a shogi-nerd in their Genin-team."
"Jealous?"
"Of being constantly beaten by a child? Not really."
Asuma finished setting up his pieces. "He's a master of shogi, and he's a Nara. Can't really blame me for losing."
Kurenai made the first move. "You're thirty. The kid is only twelve. There's no way you don't feel a little stupid when he crushes you in a game that no twelve year old has a right to be so good at,"
Asuma smiled at the veiled insult. "Psychological warfare is it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Sarutobi-san."
Asuma chuckled as he started up using one of Shikamaru's favorite opening positions. Kurenai was right. He should feel bad about losing to a twelve year old, and normally he would too. But Shikamaru wasn't just any twelve year old. The kid was an absolute genius. There really isn't much room for feeling bad when the person you lose to happened to be an absolute genius.
Before they could make another move, a loud clang boomed from the kitchen.
'What are you doing?!'
"It's not like you're using it or anything!'
'WAIT NARUTO! GIVE ME BACK MY KNIFE!'
'Make me!'
Kurenai stood abruptly. "On second thought, we can hold this game off for now. Let's make sure they don't hurt themselves."
Asuma sighed. He'd been looking forward to showing off his shogi skills too, but..
'AGH! YOU ALMOST STABBED ME! NARUTO STOP!'
Asuma shot up. "Yup. Let's go."
-Intermission-
Tsunade reached into her desk and pulled out a kunai, She stabbed the kunai onto her desk and waited. After a little over two minutes of drumming her fingers against her desk and rereading one of her latest reports, she was finally greeted by the expected flash of disheveled blonde hair. She looked up. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"
"No. I. I was.." Minato bowed apologetically. "It's nothing. My apologies. What is it you require of me, Godaime-sama?"
The Kage smiled wryly. The man was being more formal than usual. "A report would be nice."
Minato nodded as he maintained tight control on his state of mind. "We've kept updated with Jiraiya-sensei's spy network. Other than that, there's really nothing left for us to do. Their leader will not negotiate. As I've reported earlier, We've already completely scouted and mapped an area of two hundred kilometers radius around their main city."
Tsunade fiddled with a scroll of paper. "What does Jiraiya plan to do?"
"He wants to keep waiting. He thinks that Nagato will eventually falter upon his determination."
"What do you think?"
"I believe we've wasted enough time wandering around their borders. I believe we should infiltrate the city to find and talk to his student."
Tsunade smirked. "You should've done that a long time ago."
"But the citizens' lives would be put at stake."
"As is all of ours. We're declaring war on the Hidden Rain."
"Why?"
Tsunade tossed the former Kage the scroll. "Read this."
Minato rolled the scroll open and proceeded to scan through the contents quickly. His eyes widened midway, but he didn't stop until he reached the end. He didn't need Tsunade to tell him. He'd already reached the same conclusion.
"If this war is happening, I suggest we bring in the other nations."
"What do you mean?"
Minato paused. Konan was going to be extremely unhappy, but this was more important. This was a chance for peace. "A man who can single-handedly obliterate entire Hidden Villages is a threat to everyone."
He paused to allow Tsunade to absorb his words. Tsunade gave a dismissive wave. "Get to the point."
"An alliance against a common enemy. A war to end all wars. The other nations most likely have also noticed that the Hidden Mist had been destroyed. Let us call together a Shinobi alliance."
"Ah. I see." The Hokage said thoughtfully. "A chance to bring together the Five Nations and end our centuries of strife.. I can't say that I have many problems with the proposition."
Minato nodded. "We need to make them aware that our enemy isn't the Hidden Rain but the man who wields the Rinnegan. We want as few casualties as possible - on either side."
"That's not going to be easy." Tsunade sighed. "In any case, consider your mission over. Bring everyone back."
-Intermission-
"The radial pattern of fallout, the lack of any evidence of explosives or heat signatures. This wasn't a Bijuu. It was a jutsu - a gravitational jutsu."
"How are you sure?"
Tsunade sighed for what seemed to be the millionth time. "The area has been investigated and mapped thoroughly. There is little doubt. The most likely culprit is the current leader of the Hidden Village of Rain."
The Daimyo frowned. "How do you know?"
Tsunade grit her teeth and swallowed her retort. "We have a comprehensive list of the man's abilities and his goals. It's in the report. They match perfectly with the evidence."
"You don't know that for certain. War is a heavy thing." Said the elderly Homura. "Who made this report?"
The Hokage lost her patience and banged a fist onto the meeting table, causing the rest of the assembled group to jump. "This man has shown that he can and is willing to destroy entire villages. There's nothing stopping him from demolishing ours. Are you saying we should sit here and wait to be slaughtered?"
The Daimyo shook his head. "Have you tried diplomacy?"
"Yes." Jiraiya responded from the Hokage's side. "The man refuses to negotiate. He's burned every letter we sent him as 'propaganda'. He's also tried to kill us every time we attempted to talk to him in person. Tsunade is right. War just might be the best solution."
"Is that so?" The Daimyo stroked his fat chin. "I believe you are right. I will contact the other daimyo. This alliance you'd have us create will do a lot of good for our society."
Tsunade smiled briefly before sweeping her gaze across the room. "Any objections or concerns?"
After a moment's silence, the daimyo spoke. "It seems we all agree. Let's work out the details of the arrangements then. We will need to send contacts to the lands of Lightning, Earth, Water and Wind. Now how shall we draft this proposal?"
-Intermission-
It rarely ever rained in up in the mountainous areas of Kumo and yet.. today it was pouring. A large man in goggles stepped out and looked across the wide chasm that spanned between Kumo and one of its neighboring mountain peaks. He watched as a sizable landslide of mud eroded down toward a village below.
The man launched into action, crossing the gap in a mighty leap before his body was consumed by immense tentacles large enough to cover entire city blocs.
'Yo partner! We've got a lot of mud comin' down. Let's show mother nature that we're no clowns!'
The man was met with silence for a few moments as he landed above the village. Shortly after, the deep and dry rumbling voice of the powerful Eight-tails rung in reply. "No problem. Ready, Bee?"
The man - Bee - grinned. 'Brother, I can take anything. We'll show 'em who's king! Let's do this thing!'
The Eight-tails shuddered as he dug his mountainous tentacles into the Earth. He liked his partner. Truly. Killer Bee was the best friend he's had in a long time, but the man could be a little overbearing sometimes with his levity. He could take the rhymes, but sometimes..
"Partner yo! I need your help hereabouts. Let's not go an be spacin' out!"
The Bijuu sighed. "Right. Remind me to give you a talk about your rhymes again after this." With that, the two gathered enough Chakra to demolish a mountain-side, forming a massive ball of condensed Chakra: the Bijuudama. Below, the villagers watched in both fear and amazement at the spectacle as the mud which would have submerged their homes was demolished, along with the entire mountaintop. The grounds shook as the titanic octopus disappeared.
Bee landed among the crowd.
"Kami-sama yo. Lovin' the rain ya know. But too much of this wet, is gonna make some folks upset." The man grinned and took out a small notepad, hovering over it to keep the rain from soaking its pages. "Heheh. Wet."
Before he could finish writing however, he felt something tug on him. Bee was suddenly sent flying into the air. He turned just in time to see a man wearing a black cloak with red clouds. The intruder's most notable features, however, were his eyes.
"Bee! Transform now!"
Bee obliged, the sudden weight countering the gravitational pull, causing him to fall back to the ground. He landed on his two feet, tentacles receding instantly, and pulled out the twin blades strapped on his back. "You've got nerve to challenge me. I'm the great Killer Bee!"
The man landed lightly on his two feet. The village had already scattered, either seeking shelter or to report the erosion and the intrusion. "Hachibi. I give you one chance. I will spare your village a gruesome end if you-
Before he could finish his sentence, the Jinchuuriki vanished in a burst of speed. Nagato's Rinnegan caught every detail, but more notably, he saw the gigantic burst of Chakra put into the movement. Without time to do anything else, he instantly activated a mental blast of his signature technique. 'Shinra-Tensei!'
To Nagato's surprise, his technique had not only failed to blow his opponent away, it hadn't even completely stopped him. It did however stop a blade just inches from piercing his throat. Bee grit his teeth with effort but could push no further.
Nagato stood his ground as he felt the force of his technique being pushed back against him. It was impossible. The man was actually resisting his technique with brute force. There was more Chakra on the Eight-tails' Jinchuuriki than an entire village combined yet the man wasn't a mindless mass of red. It couldn't be. The Eight-tails and its Jinchuuriki were working in tandem?!
Nagato lost his grip and was vaulted into the sky and off the mountaintops by the force of his own technique.
Bee watched the man fall from the unsurvivable heights of Kumo's mountains. "Well that's the end of that. He's definitely gonna splat."
The Eight Tails' voice became incredulous. "Really B? Those were the Rinnegan. That was the leader of the Hidden Village of Rain. The one that the Leaf warned us about and the one we're coming together to fight. He won't be that easy to beat."
"Huh really?"
"You weren't paying attention during the meeting weren't you?"
Before Bee could reply, the entire mountain began to shake. Seconds later, the entire range of mountains began to crumble and float up. On the other side of the mountain, Bee could see his Hidden Village disseminate right before his very eyes. The Jinchuuriki's voice became somber. "Huh? How? What's happening now?"
"The man's not dead yet. It's the Chibaku Tensei."
"Chibaku-ten-what?"
"Chibaku Tensei. It's father's technique."
"You have a father?!"
The Eight Tails silently cursed its loose tongue. "It doesn't matter. You need to stop him from channeling the technique. The village can be rebuilt, but once people get packed up there-" Bee looked up to see a sizable ball of earth forming. "They will die. Every single one of them."
Without another word, Bee let the Eight-tails' full form take shape, but it was too late. The technique was already pulling them up.
Gyuki preempted his container's question. "Since we can't move, we'll have to fire a Bijuudama at him. We can sense where he is down below. He'll be forced to stop."
Bee considered briefly and his spirits dropped. It was going to kill a lot of people, but if his partner is right, then it was the only way. The Jinchuuriki mumbled an apology under his breath as he prepared the deadliest projectile known to Shinobi. "I'm sorry."
To their great surprise and pleasure, the pull of gravity suddenly stopped, and the spherical ball that hung high in the sky began to crumble.
They didn't need an explanation. They could sense her. Kumo's other Jinchuuriki had saved the day - along with two other. Bee grinned with ecstatic relief. "Let's go, let's go. We need to help the sexy Yugito."
"Bee.." The Eight-tails sighed resignedly as he shrunk back into the confines of his seal. "You'd better hurry. Matatabi - even the Raikage - are no match for this man who wields the Sage's powers."
"Yee!" Bee ran to the edge of the mountain side, took one look, and jumped. "I hope he's prepared cuz he's gonna be facin' the full wrath of the mighty Killer B and his partner the great Lord Hachibi."
