AN: Long AN at the end – until then please enjoy!

Special thanks to GJMEGA for his beta work!

Chapter 49: Death of a Kage

Jiraiya was practically single handedly holding off the frontal attack on the gates. The Kumo shinobi could sense his movements becoming less crisp as he fought while exhaustion began setting in. But even slightly slower attacks still massacred them.

His taijutsu was swift and powerful, a single punch could kill if it struck the head or mid-section. Beyond just his taijutsu he liberally used ninjutsu that took out whole swathes of invaders. Raiton jutsu flashed through the air but failed to connect with the Godaime Hokage.

It wasn't only Jiraiya who was getting tired. Genma and Yugao were also breathing heavily. Genma was in a bit better shape as his attacks were primarily senbon based. Yugao on the other hand was using her katana and she could feel the ache in her limbs.

"Jiraiya boy you need to retreat. You are at your limit; soon you will drop out of sage mode!"

Jiraiya shook his head. He wouldn't stop, not until the village was safe.

On the opposing side of the battlefield Atsui saw the Hokage slowing down. Not even an S class threat like him could stand up forever against waves of enemy shinobi, especially one who had just tangled with the Raikage.

Knowing that Jiraiya couldn't keep them out forever Atsui had started stripping jōnin from the advancing waves of Kumo shinobi attacking the Hokage. He now had a dozen jōnin ready to go and would strike when the time was right. The honor of killing a Kage would be his. The elite jōnin gave a smile at the situation and thought about his sister. If he could kill a Kage and she could kill the Fire Daimyo there would be stories about their legend for generations.

'I'm coming for you soon Hokage!'

***BREAK***

The Raikage streaked across the battlefield. His speed was legendary and with that super human speed came power that made him the greatest taijutsu user in the world. Like he had done on the left flank and in the center he would cut through the Konoha line and allow his shinobi access into his enemy's stronghold.

Up ahead he saw why his shinobi hadn't made any progress. Gai and Tsunade were there holding the line. They were both ferociously skilled hand to hand combatants. Judging from the amount of blood on them and the number of his loyal shinobi dead at their feet they had caused the lion's share of the casualties.

Gai dipped his head a fraction allowing the katana to miss by an inch. He retaliated with a devastating fist to the chest that made the enemy shinobi fly backwards twenty feet. He sensed the approach of the Raikage and instantly knew his current level of power and speed would simply not be enough.

The green clad elite jōnin instantly accessed the Hachimon (Eight Gates) and opened the sixth gate. The Keimon (Gate of View) allowed massive increases in strength and speed and at the same time it granted the benefits of the early gates which refreshed his stamina. His skin turned red and power radiated around him. Shimmering with power Gai rushed forward and intercepted the Raikage.

The Raikage had been aiming for Tsunade and almost didn't see the flash of green and red before it was on him. He pivoted and blocked the powerful fist. The forceful collision shoved both of them back a few feet. The Raikage recovered slightly faster than Gai and rushed back in delivering a powerful elbow to Gai's chest, or it would have if Gai hadn't shoved it aside at the last moment.

Tsunade's eyes widened at the speed that they were fighting at. She could keep track of their movements but in a hand to hand fight she would have been decimated by either one of them. Granted she could heal herself from almost all wounds that weren't instantly fatal so the battle wouldn't have been a foregone conclusion; but it would have been a very painful test.

Asuma and Neji were panting heavily. They, Tenten and the few remaining Konoha shinobi wouldn't be able to stem the tide now that Gai was busy with the Raikage. Tsunade knew she would have to increase her participation in the fight.

She used her Byakugo no Jutsu (Strength of a Hundred Seal) and allowed the chakra to flow freely over her body. With it she flashed through the hand seals for Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique).

Katsuyu, the great slug of Shikkotsu Forest, appeared in front of Tsunade and in front of the attacking Kumo shinobi. The Kumo shinobi immediately struck out at the great slug summon. Though their attacks seemed to cause damage Tsunade knew that it would take far more to defeat Katsuyu.

Katsuyu began her contribution to the battle with Zesshi Nensan (Tongue Tooth Sticky Acid). A mass of highly corrosive acids splattered over the attacking Kumo shinobi. Where it struck death took only moments, the acid could melt stone. Flesh stood little chance of surviving that.

Gai and the Raikage continued their battle ignoring the towering slug and the attacking Kumo shinobi. The Raikage was still faster and this led to him being able to get more strikes in. However even with Gai being slower he managed to avoid damage to his body by expertly blocking or moving with the blow to mitigate the damage. The Raikage was impressed with Konoha's taijutsu expert. At equal speed and strength Gai would have destroyed him in combat.

However as good as Gai was the Raikage was still faster and he was surrounded by his Raiton no Yoroi (Lightning Release Armor). Though the Raikage had chakra reserves that equaled a jinchuuriki even he was starting to tire form the multiple battles he had participated in.

'I have to finish him off soon; I still have to deal with Tsunade and Jiraiya.'

The Raikage blitzed forward over and over refusing to even entertain a taijutsu battle. It was just raw speed pummeling the green clad elite shinobi. Tsunade was busy aiding her summon and while Asuma tried to assist Gai, his thrown chakra blade was easy to dodge with the speeds that the leader of Kumo was moving at.

Gai had no choice but to try to match the Raikage's speed and that meant opening another gate. With a loud cry he opened up Kyōmon (Gate of Wonder). The Raikage faltered for a moment as blue energy radiated from Konoha's green beast. Gai exploded into motion and launched a devastating kick at the Raikage.

The Raikage blocked but lost his footing and was sent barreling with lethal force through two of his own shinobi. Gai had a limit to how long he could maintain this level of power, every second would do more damage to his body. With little time to dally Gai dashed forward after the Raikage.

***BREAK**

As befitting his station Homura had not been asked to fight. But as the battle for Konoha raged and more and more shinobi were pulled from the reserves and thrust into battle he grew restless. This was his home and it was his people that were bleeding. When word came that the Tsuchikage had allied himself with the Kumo force it was the final straw. Homura walked away from the shelters and armed himself. He joined a band of shinobi who were rushing to reinforce the Hokage.

Homura had not gone on a mission in years and had not held a weapon in battle since the Kyūbi attack fifteen years ago. But he was a jōnin who had fought beside the Nidaime Hokage. With grim determination he kept pace with the half dozen four man squads that had been sent to the main gates.

'So few; things must be dire if Ibiki-san isn't sending more.'

***BREAK***

What Ōnoki was not aware of was that the Yamanaka clan head had used a very subtle jutsu that caused it's victims to become more angry and more impetuous. So when Shikaku taunted him with the death of his son and probable death of his granddaughter there was likely only going to be one response. What Inoichi was not aware of was that Ōnoki enraged was terrifyingly powerful.

Six Doton: Dosekiryu (Earth Style: Earth Dragon) simultaneously rose up from the ground around the wrathful Tsuchikage. The dragons made of rock slammed through buildings and nearly crushed Inoichi in his hiding place.

Shikaku, who was having his own troubles dodging the powerful earth golems, suddenly had a new problem to worry about. Only a Kawarimi at that very last split second prevented him from being smashed between the two. Chōza was the only one who dealt with the threat directly by increasing his size and smashing a pair of the earthen dragons away with his staff.

Ōnoki was far from done and with a single hand seal used Doton: Doryuso (Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears) underneath Chōza's feet. The large man was surprised by the suddenness of the attack and couldn't fully get out of the way and suffered severe puncture wounds in his calf and on his feet.

The Nara clan head gave a coded shout to his companions as he tossed a poison gas bomb at Ōnoki. The gas never got near him as an earthen wall sprang up to block the deadly projectile.

The Akimichi clan patriarch swiftly ate a capsule that contained the Horengan (Green Spinach Pill) and the Karegan (Yellow Curry Pill). A corona of pale blue chakra flickered behind Chōza as he charged forward and smashed an earth golem and a mud wall to pieces without even slowing down.

Sensing the danger but unwilling to retreat Ōnoki flickered through the hand seals and sent out a stream of super-heated fire. Incredibly Chōza did not veer or hesitate for a moment as he pushed his arms out in front of him and let the flames burn them.

The Nara clan head dashed in behind the Chōza sized hole and sent his shadow flying ahead. Even in his enraged state Ōnoki had expected this and as he fell back from the charging Chōza he simultaneously forged the chakra needed for his most powerful attack.

Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu (Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu) sprang to life in a massive cube covering Chōza and Shikaku.

Nara had a flash of panic as he thought their plan had failed however he then instantly realized that if he had time to even think it must have been a success. The chakra died down around Chōza and Shikaku and he knew that Inoichi had been successful.

The plan from the beginning was to use Chōza as a distraction. Shikaku knew that Ōnoki would realize this but just as the rock clone that had been stabbed by Ebisu had cleared one layer of genjutsu but not the 2nd he had failed to realize that Shikaku was also a distraction. The real attack had come from Inoichi

A war now raged in the mind of the Tsuchikage as Inoichi's Shintenshin no Jutsu (Mind Body Switch Technique) took hold. Against a lesser Yamanaka the powerful chakra and experience of his victim would have made the attack a failure. However he was the clan head for a reason and he only needed to hold it for a few seconds.

Shikaku swiftly tossed Ōnoki a small pellet that was actually a near instantaneous acting poison that was surrounded with a small layer of chakra paper. As soon as it was swallowed it acted in less than a half a second as the paper flaked off. Inoichi forced Ōnoki to catch the pellet, slip it into his mouth and swallow. At that exact moment he exited from the oldest living Kage's mind. Any damage done to Ōnoki would have also done the same to Inoichi – by using a wrapped pill it gave Inoichi just enough time to exit before the physiological effects of the pill would occur.

Ōnoki tried to attack as soon as he regained control of his limbs but by then it was too late and his body and mind shut down. He twitched for a few moments and then lay still. The Sandaime Tsuchikage had passed from the world.

***BREAK***

Darui had expected an easier time after breaching Konoha's defenses. Yes they were fighting on their home ground but he had hoped their strong outer defense had left a relatively weaker inner force. The force was weaker but streets had been trapped and the defenders harassed their march quite effectively.

Chasing after pairs of shinobi using those accursed kunai scrolls led to more losses as they fell victim to poisonous gas, explosions and ambushes. He had even suffered a close call when a massive explosion blew apart the building he was fighting on.

He knew if he left the battle to go find the Raikage the hundreds of shinobi behind him would suffer atrocious losses. Instead he gamely continued and hoped he would find C or Fuyu and send them to check on their leader.

Before he could do more searching in between fights a strong resistance gathered in the streets. The buildings near the gathered Konoha shinobi were probably death traps. They could try to take their time to clear them but that would prove costly as the hit and run attacks would be incessant. Kumo could not use their superior numbers in this fight either as there was only room for about 4-5 shinobi to fight in the artificially enclosed area.

Darui eyed the opponents and saw that Hiashi Hyūga was at their head.

'Raiton jutsu will just be deflected with Kaiten; a tough nut to crack.'

Wearily Darui unsheathed his blade. Kenjutsu beat taijutsu but against a master of the Juken (Gentle Fist) that maxim would be put to the test. He could feel the weight of the Byakugan stare, Hiashi hated Kumogakure and for good reason. Darui picked up his pace and raced toward the head of Konoha's most powerful clan.

***BREAK***

Jiraiya had just finished killing two Kumo shinobi with a vicious taijutsu assault when he felt sudden weakness overtake him. Ma and Pa gave out a cry as Jiraiya dropped out of sage mode. His chakra was at near terminal levels and since Ma and Pa had been summoned they both dissipated back to their home.

The Kumo shinobi were quick to pounce, eager to bring down the enemy leader. Atsui couldn't have asked for a better chance and gave the signal that sent the jōnin in.

Given Jiraiya's S class stamina and reserves a chakra pill wasn't going to do much but he still swallowed one and felt some of his energy return.

Genma blew out the last of his senbon at the assaulting Kumo shinobi and pulled out a kunai to go in up close and personal. The first three Kumo shinobi were on Jiraiya in a heartbeat. Kenjutsu specialists all of them, they forced the Hokage to duck and weave between their blades.

The Hokage didn't want to use the Rasengan due to the amount of chakra it required so he settled for delivering a strong kick to one cloud nin's midsection and deflecting a sword strike with a kunai that he pulled out of his sleeve. Years of experience allowed him to avoid the slicing blades and deal damage to the enemy in return.

However it wasn't looking good. There were more than three jōnin attacking and there were dozens more chūnin on their heels. Genma managed to surprise one of the jōnin with an unexpected Kawarimi. As his katana wielding opponent turned the senbon aficionado plunged his kunai into his spine.

Yugao was forced back by a pair of Kumo shinobi, one wielding a long blade and the other lashing out with Raiton jutsu. The combination of the two kept her on her toes and in a defensive posture.

Jiraiya accepted another slash to his shoulder in order to drive his stiffened fingers into his opponent's throat. The attacked instantly collapsed his windpipe and he died choking. But even though he had taken down two of his attackers more sprang into place and he was simply too worn down to counter effectively. A Lightning clone dissipated from a kick momentarily electrocuting the toad sage. A third shinobi stabbed him deep in the side delivering a painful wound that would eventually cause him to bleed out if it wasn't attended to.

Atsui chose that moment to strike and let loose with a super heated thin line of fire aimed directly at the Hokage's chest. Genma didn't have to think twice as he defended his Hokage the only way he had left. His Kawarimi interposed himself with the jet of fire. At the same time he tossed his kunai directly at the Kumo nin who had stabbed Jiraiya.

The flame lanced into Genma's body killing him. It stopped the flames however and at the same time Genma's kunai cut deep into the kenjutsu specialist next to Jiraiya. The distraction was enough for Jiraiya to recover and finish off two of the jōnin who had vexed him.

Atsui was pissed that his attack hadn't finished it but became even more upset when he saw reinforcements had finally arrived. An old man was leading a score of Konoha shinobi.

'No matter it won't be enough.'

The Katon specialist wasn't going to leave things to chance. He blazed forward and drew his own blade. He would kill the wounded Hokage himself.

Homura charged into battle and used Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique). While it was a low level genjutsu it was also easily used and the greater the user's skill the more devastating the effect. The Kumo shinobi he targeted were battling Yugao and it only caused them to falter for a moment. But that was all the Konoha kenjutsu specialist needed as she decapitated one and thrust into the other.

Jiraiya staggered back, nearly collapsing from the combination of his wounds, chakra exhaustion and his latest exertion. Atsui's first attack was narrowly avoided. The second strike sliced into his arm, almost to the bone. The third strike was intercepted by Yugao.

Homura flashed through the hand seals necessary for Doton: Doryuheki (Earth Release: Mud Wall) and poured extra chakra into it making it extend out further than normal. While Raiton had a natural advantage over Doton it was typically used to pierce a specific point not break down an entire wall.

"Get the Hokage to safety. Now!" the elderly shinobi thundered.

Half off the chūnin obeyed. A pair picked their leader up by the arms and leapt away from the battle. The rest gave a battle cry filled with Hi no Ishi (Will of Fire) and threw themselves at the invaders.

Yugao and Atsui exchanged stroke and counter stroke. Atsui had found a worthy opponent at the wrong time. He desperately wanted to rush past her and go after the real prize but her blade would not let him pass. The purple haired kunoichi pushed hard against Atsui's blade forcing him back a step before she sprung back herself and created two Kage Bunshin. The blades seemed to swirl together as she and they danced forward using Mikazuki no Mai (Crescent Moon Dance).

Atsui put up a blistering defense against the attacks and dispelled one of the shadow clones. The sheer skill and power of the attack however cost him his right arm. He screamed as Yugao moved to finish him off with a vertical strike that would have bifurcated him. However the Konoha defenders were outnumbered and two of his comrades came in and deflected the blow.

Atsui's dreams of killing a Kage were shattered as he was forced to retreat and be treated by a medical nin with all haste before he bled out. He watched as they pulled Jiraiya to safety while the Konoha shinobi were being overwhelmed with sheer numbers. Walls of earth and stone rose up blocking the invaders again.

Homura shouted over the fray, "ANBU-san stay with the Hokage."

Yugao hesitated for a second but then obeyed rushing after Jiraiya.

Homura used the last of his chakra to throw Doton jutsu. Wall after wall was put up interspersed with spears jutting from the earth itself. He held the attackers for a full minute before he collapsed, his chakra all but utterly spent. On the ground he looked up at who would be killing him.

A Kumo shinobi stood over him and stabbed down into his back. His last thought was one of contentment. He had served his village in one last battle. As the blade pierced his back and punctured his lungs he keyed the explosive seals that he had previously adhered to his body before he rushed out to help the reserve forces. The explosions killed him and took out one last enemy of Konoha.

***BREAK***

Darui was breathing heavily. Hiashi had been no easy foe. The clan head had moved with practiced skill and had been nearly impossible to pin down. His Kaiten stopped every blow. Finally Darui had feinted and triggered the Kaiten and once the rotation had stopped he had dangerously used a shunshin at near point blank range and sliced out with his blade as he moved past.

His blade had sliced into the man's eyes and that had changed the tone of the fight completely. Half blinded his opponent was unable to react in time and Darui had sliced and diced parts of his flesh every time he was a fraction of a second too slow to begin his rotation.

The Hyūga had died with a curse on his lips. Darui apologized to his corpse and moved on. He didn't have time to dwell on the death; he had a battle to win. Now finally at long last the resistance was broken. Traps still lined their possible routes but there was no sign of strong resistance. When it became clear the walls had been breached and half a thousand shinobi were inside without a force left to stop them Konoha would quit the field and flee. He acknowledged that much depended on the fate of the Leaf's S class shinobi but even they should be close to chakra exhaustion at this point. His plans were finally coming together; it had come at a horrific cost however.

But Darui had not yet won. Less than a minute later he and his forces were assaulted by an army of Kage Bunshin. It only took a light hit to cause the Bunshin to dissipate but these shadow clones were moving at elite jōnin speed. Darui watched in horror as a hundred of the speedy creations ripped into his army.

The Raikage's right hand man countered with his own Raiton jutsu sending out lightning in a broad arc but it was countered by the clones using Futon jutsu. Naruto Namikaze had entered the battle with all the force of a mighty hurricane.

The real Naruto was right behind his clones. He quickly created another hundred clones and prepared to clash with the third most deadly shinobi of Kumogakure. But he would not fight the battle alone as Sakura was right behind and ready to use genjutsu or fuinjutsu as the situation called for.

The others had been sent off with another band of Naruto clones to other parts of the battle. It would be up to Team Seven to deal with Darui and the Kumo nin who had broken through.

Darui called out, "When I didn't see clones manning the walls I assumed you were out dealing with Iwagakure. Is Hatake with you too?"

Naruto smiled at the attempt to gather information. He wasn't going to play those games with such a dangerous opponent. In a flash he made one of his senjutsu filled clones pop and instantly became filled with nature chakra. His eyes changed and his body was filled with vitality despite the long run he had just completed.

Darui was a bit surprised that the boy had learned senjutsu like the Hokage. It would make him even more dangerous. Darui opened up with Ranton: Reiza Sakasu (Storm Release: Laser Circus). The destructive blasts of energy dissipated themselves on a purple barrier that had sprung up in front of Naruto.

When Darui's jutsu was spent Naruto blazed forward at speeds Darui had only seen from the Raikage or Killer B. Darui sliced at the last Namikaze who parried with a kunai and kicked out catching Darui in the ribs and sending him crashing into a building.

'That kick hurt more than the great toad's.'

Without hand seals Darui created a Raiton clone and then used Kawarimi and suppressed his chakra. If he couldn't deal with the boy head one he would use the shinobi art of stealth and misdirection.

As intelligent as Darui was he was ignorant about some of the facts of sage mode. Naruto never lost track of him due to his enhanced senses. Naruto literally blew away the clone with Futon: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough) but kept his senses focused on the real Darui. The master of the storm release used the howling wind as cover to dash in and strike down Naruto.

Kakashi's student instead met the attack with a Futon: Shinkūjin (Wind Release: Vacuum Blade). Since he did not have his chakra blade due to it shattering with the fight against Itachi he created his own with chakra. The sudden attack caught Darui off guard and he had to parry the oncoming wind blade instead of continuing his attack.

Darui saw Naruto fall back and suck in a great quantity of air. He intended to use a Kawarimi to escape the imminent wind storm but at the very last instant felt the tendril of foreign chakra within his system. In horror he realized he was in a genjutsu and overloaded his tenketsu points with chakra disrupting the attack. But it was too late; Naruto was not 10 feet away preparing a powerful Futon jutsu. He was instantly in Darui's face thrusting his wind blade into his chest.

Failure was something Darui had never known but as his heart was torn to pieces he felt it keenly.

Naruto look down on the fallen shinobi.

"You know Sakura if you weren't here this would have been a really hard fight."

Sakura gave her partner a warm smile, "We are Team Seven. I'll always be there to watch your back Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned at the additional kun added to his name and used a shunshin to throw himself into the thick of the army of Kumo shinobi trying to fight his clones.

***BREAK***

With the seventh gate open Gai had every edge in their battle. He already was the more skilled in taijutsu but now he had strength and speed that surpassed the Raikage. The only thing that kept the Raikage alive was his Raiton no Yoroi (Lightning Release Armor). And even that had its limits. Every devastating blow and spine crushing kick that the armor protected him from drained a massive chunk of chakra.

If he had the chakra of an average jōnin the first two blows would have finished it. But since he had chakra that was equivalent to that of a tailed beast he survived the unstoppable barrage. The Raikage moved fully into defensive mode. He backed up instead of striking out. He dodged instead of blocked. He created separation every chance he got. The Raikage was outmatched currently but if he could hold on the price of the gates would give him the victory.

Gai felt his body protesting and his muscles being ripped to shreds. He had to end it now before the power of the gates left him a broken mess. Gai feinted with a kick that then turned it into a sweep and an elbow to the chest pinning the Raikage to the ground. In a split second he jumped up and at a point blank range used Hirudora (Daytime Tiger). With nothing but the power of condensed air from his ferocious punch the shockwave slammed into the Raikage with immense power.

The blast crushed the Raikage into the earth and the ground exploded outward in all directions. The lethal pressure killed shinobi too close to the fight and continued on into the walls of Konoha. Tsunade had kept an eye on the fight and saw what was about to happen. She had reacted and called for her summon to interpose herself between them and the blast. Lady Katsuyu obeyed and took the blast head on protecting Neji, Tenten, Asuma and her mistress.

The walls of Konoha even with their dispersal seals couldn't fully contain the massive shockwave and cracked in a few places as they shuddered. Scores of Kumo shinobi had been pulped by the blast and the giant slug had taken significant damage to her flesh but those who she had sheltered were safe.

The Raikage felt his chakra levels drop to their lowest point since childhood. His armor crackled around him barely maintaining its shape. He gazed up from the crater he was laying in at Maito Gai, the world's greatest taijutsu master. The green beast of Konoha was a near unstoppable force. But now that force was spent. The aura around him was fading and he was breathing heavily trying to drink in air.

"You are strong Gai. It was an honor to have fought you but this is the end. Your village must fall."

Gai looked to the sunset. He was straining to stand upright. Tsunade might be able to get to him and carry on the battle with the Raikage. But there was still an army and the Tsuchikage was still ravaging his village. The flames of youth still burned brightly in his veins. He had more to teach his precious Lee. But now before the sun set on his youthful vigor it was time to for him to showcase the true climax of the springtime of youth.

The Raikage looked on with horror as Gai stabbed himself with his own thumb in the chest and opened Shimon (Gate of Death). A flaming aura of red steam billowed around Gai as his body reached the absolute height of human potential. The Raikage stood stunned at what he was seeing. The Raikage instantly put his hands up crossing them over his front realizing that Gai's next attack could very well kill him.

Moving at a speed that the Raikage could not even begin to follow Gai appeared behind the Raikage and lashed out with Sekizō (Evening Elephant). The first of five blows punched the Raikage with enough force to send him flying at a speed that ruptured the sound barrier. But before he even moved two inches the next punch crashed into him. And the next and then the final two punches in even less time than it had taken the first. A vacuum of pressurized air added even more damage to the Raikage's Raiton defense.

The Raikage tumbled hundreds of feet as his jutsu failed him. His body was utterly spent and he could just barely lift up his head and see Gai's next and ultimate attack. Gai was naked as his clothes had long since been burnt to a crisp. Red cracks arced over his skin as it began to melt and fall off his body. Agony beyond comprehension was ignored by the noble green beast of Konoha. Blazing forward he put his all into the final kick of his life; the forbidden taijutsu Yagai (Night Guy).

The speed of the attack distorted space around him and the descending strike took on the shape of a dragon's head.

The attack ended the Raikage. The terrifying force of the blow vaporized his skin before even connecting and once it did connect the shockwave liquefied his organs and shattered every bone in his body. Mercifully the attack happened with such blinding speed the Raikage was dead before even feeling it. Gai's leg shattered in the process and Tsunade who was watching with a heavy heart was glad that the attack was pointed away from Konoha. The earth groaned in agony as Gai's kick created a tsunami of earth that buried hundreds of Kumo shinobi.

Gai lay there smiling at the sunset as his body turned to ash and blew into the wind.

AN: Well I'm sure I'll be flamed for this but I want to lay out my case. Before I do that… just a few thoughts from the author.

I'm not really happy about the Ōnoki fight – trying to showcase genius Nara tactics was taxing. If anyone has some other ideas I'm open to making some adjustments to it.

An earlier review said that Jiraiya was being portrayed as weak. I disagree; it is just that the anime places a HUGE emphasis on speed over almost anything else. As written if both participants start from a hundred feet away the Raikage wins against any living Kage. He would still lose against other speed freaks (prior Kage) but Mei, Ōnoki, Tsunade and Gaara don't stand a chance. If you let people start with summons out or Ōnoki flying in the air it might changes things… maybe. He could always evade with his superior chakra reserves for longer than all but Tsunade can keep on fighting.

So yes Jiraiya even in sage mode is slightly less strong than the Raikage. It doesn't mean he's weak he's still quite the beast.

And now on to Gai, everything I said about the Raikage applies also to Gai only more so. If you have read the Manga you know Gai in the 8th gate is something that completely dwarfs any of the living Kage to an absolutely ridiculous level. Him being alive makes any climactic future clash in this story lose meaning. After all the 'BBEG' can always get rocked by Gai, albeit at the cost of his life. Now with him out of the way that is not an option.

I could have weakened the 8 gates but considering it is canon and he is a fan favorite I kept the power and wrote it out of the story here by what I think was an amazingly awesome death scene. As always I appreciate your reviews even if you disagree.

Updated RIP list:

Shizune

Shibi Aburame

Kotetsu

Izumo

C

Genma

Hiashi

Gai

Raikage

Homura

Darui

Ōnoki