AN: Wow! I was very pleasantly surprised by the number of positive reviews in the last chapter. Thank you guys – you all rock!
Special thanks to GJMEGA for beta work!
Chapter 50: Invasion Part V
In the remaining few minutes of sage mode Naruto devastated the Kumo shinobi. The speed and force of his attacks were devastating. This was Kage level power smashing through primarily chūnin opponents.
Sakura wasn't idle either. Her genjutsu was not used to distract opponents from her teammate's attack. Unlike with Darui these shinobi could not defend themselves against the Namikaze onslaught. Instead her techniques caused Kumo shinobi to fight each other.
Blood ran down the streets of Konoha as they killed scores of shinobi in the span of those few minutes. While senjutsu enhanced Naruto was the main killer his clones helped out significantly. Kumo's shinobi were perhaps fighting their worst possible opponent. Kenjutsu specialized shinobi lost to the clone's superior speed. Raiton ninjutsu was countered by the clone's Futon abilities. A massacre was occurring and with Darui defeated the attacking shinobi broke and ran.
The retreat wasn't an all-out flight. It was orderly and several brave Kumo nin stood defiantly to try to slow down the slaughter while their comrades ran. Naruto saw them off by creating another 50 clones and had them give chase.
Naruto felt clones pop from further within Konoha. He turned to Sakura and said, "Pervy sage is hurt and Ibiki has called the last of the reserves to help fend off the shinobi who burst through our central gate. They are our next target."
Sakura nodded and they were off to help another part of the battle field.
***BREAK***
The shinobi who had witnessed the death of their Raikage were shell shocked. Some were simply stunned into inaction. Others fell to their knees in despair. Konoha had taken away their Kage.
Tsunade marched out of the walls of Konoha and shouted out in a strong voice, "I am Tsunade Senju! Your most powerful shinobi has been killed. Hundreds if not thousands of your comrades are dead because of this foolhardy attack. Leave this land and you will live. Or you can face me and die!"
Her killing intent erupted. Her anger at the loss of a man who had a will of fire that had literally turned him to ashes gave strength to that killing intent. Some ran in terror while others froze, rooted in place. Most however simply backed away. Their Raikage was dead and one of the Sannin stood before them. Their other S class asset was on the other side of the battle field. Perhaps it was best to withdraw for now.
Orders were given and the Kumo shinobi backed away from Konoha as messages went out to the other parts of the battle field. As correspondence went back and forth it was soon learned that the entire left side of the attack on Konoha had been shattered. Darui was dead and Team Seven had arrived. Several of the jōnin tried to figure out who was still alive to take command now that the Raikage and his strong right arm were dust in the wind.
Atsui was one of the few of the Raikage's inner circle that was still alive and he was badly wounded. He was missing an arm and had lost a considerable amount of blood. He was aware enough to relay orders. It was time to retreat.
While they had been close to breaking Konoha they simply had no one left to reliably take on the likes of Tsunade or Naruto. Numbers were still technically in their favor but casualties had been atrocious. More than half of the shinobi who had come to destroy Konohagakure were dead. The sun had set and in the darkness the Kumo shinobi slinked away like beaten dogs, utterly demoralized and defeated.
***BREAK***
Samui had marched her army and would strike at the Fire Daimyo's seat of power on that very night. Another night of treachery, betrayal and further losses would only weaken them. Hundreds of shinobi would not be able to participate in the fight and over a thousand of the Lightning Daimyo's soldiers were in the same situation.
But now the city was before them. No great wall surrounded it like Konoha due to its size. It was the most populous city in Hi no Kuni. Today she would bring it to its knees and cripple the country that housed Konohagakure.
Because she was wary about traps she sent in the Lightning Daimyo's soldiers in first. To some it would seem to be cruel to throw away lives like that but this was war and losing her best fighters would be foolish. The soldiers marched into the city and were attacked by shinobi who ruthlessly cut them down. It wasn't so much a fight as it was a slaughter.
Samui was troubled by the fact that there hadn't seemed to be any traps trigger. Had the Konoha forces been too busy harassing her army to plan for the defense? She was unsure of the best course of action and in the interim more soldiers died to the relatively small amount of shinobi facing them.
Finally she decided to send in her shinobi. Word reached her shortly afterward that the enemy ninja had melted back into the city. Her forces probed deeper into the city and began squaring off against the Fire Daimyo's soldiers. It was the enemy's turn to be slaughtered. Things were progressing well and the enemy didn't seem to be able to mount a significant resistance.
'Maybe they opted to flee with the royals and let the city fall? Disastrous to their economy but they would still have leadership over their country.'
And then explosions rocked the earth and plumes of fire roared up from the city signaling the death of scores of loyal Kumo shinobi. She had been wrong – they were not abandoning the city they were going to fight tooth and nail and use every filthy trick they could to kill the invading army even if they destroyed half the city with it!
***BREAK***
Danzō knew that the best moment to strike was when confusion and uncertainty were at its peak. As the flames devoured soldier and shinobi alike he unleashed his Futon jutsu to fan the flames into the face of the invaders. The fire storm roared out of control within the city just as he had planned.
At the same time his elite ROOT forces were striking down the shinobi who were not hit by the fiery flames. They were led by Sai and his Choju Giga (Super Beast Imitating Drawing) that summoned a small army of deadly animals. Behind him were his elites Torune and Fū. One had his kikaichu that would lead to a shinobi's death with just a touch and the other was more than a little skilled with a blade. The three and the rest of ROOT behind them cut down the surprised Kumo nin who had been butchering the Fire Daimyo's soldiers.
After causing the fire to spread even further Danzō played his next card.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu" (Summoning Technique)
The massive Baku appeared and immediately added his own considerable strength to ROOT. The massive beast with its razor sharp tiger claws could crush and slash with impunity. To make matters even worse his ability to manipulated wind chakra made their Raiton attacks practically worthless.
Danzō himself entered the fray with a vitality that belied his age. His speed with his wind powered blade was impressive. Even against shinobi who were experienced with kenjutsu his skill was disturbing. A man of his age simply should not have been capable of moving so fast.
The leader of ROOT didn't change his outward expression but he knew he had Hashirama's cells to thank for his endurance and spryness. Without them he would still be able to fight but not at the elite jōnin level he was currently using.
The six guardian shinobi under the command of Chion Akimichi also attacked in the confusion. Novices did not make guardian shinobi and they too played a part in the massacre of the Kumo shinobi. The city had turned into a slaughterhouse for the invading army.
***BREAK***
The level headed commander of the invasionary force was close to losing her cool. By all accounts the force that had gone into the city was now being slaughtered without mercy by Konoha's ANBU. A massive summon that she wasn't even aware Konoha had access to was rampaging and hundreds of loyal shinobi lay dead. The Daimyo's soldiers were breaking and defeat loomed if something wasn't done.
"Omoi, Karui, you two are with me. We are dealing with a small number of elite shinobi. Once we take care of them the rest of the army can finish the job."
Karui acknowledged the order with a grim look. It was hell on earth inside the city.
Omoi on the other hand replied with, "But what if we make matters worse? What if a surprise attack is just waiting for the troops out here? We could be playing right into…"
Samui silenced him with a look. There was no time for his usual antics. The three raced into the burning city. Their first opponent was obviously of Akimichi descent as he towered above the buildings and lay waste around him with a massive war hammer. A very un-shinobi like weapon Samui thought as she drew her tanto.
Her team operated flawlessly, demonstrating why the Raikage had entrusted them with this secondary objective. While Omoi distracted the massive giant with a flashy Raiton ninjutsu Karui cut through the back of his knee with a vicious swipe.
Chion bellowed and crashed into the ground. Despite the suddenness of the attack and the fact that he was falling backward he still managed to strike out with his hammer and nearly splattered Karui. However with that weapon now out of the way it meant the already in motion Samui had easy access to bury her tanto into his neck finishing the leader of the Shugonin Junishi (Twelve Guardian Ninja).
Around them they saw the bodies of countless Kumo shinobi as well as several other guardian shinobi that were identifiable by their sashes.
Before they could begin to advance further they had to dodge away from a swarm of air bullets that shattered the earth all around them.
The man the Raikage had once called the true snake of Konoha was before them.
"Samui, I trust you have enjoyed your march through Hi no Kuni?"
'This is the man responsible for all the hardship my shinobi and the soldiers faced. This is the man that makes even a Kage weary.'
Keeping her legendary cool she calmly prepared herself.
"Shall we?" The old man's voice was mocking.
She gave a nod and as one team Samui struck out at the Shinobi no Yami (The Shinobi of Darkness).
***BREAK***
Fuyu used her skill as an infiltration specialist to escape the village intact. She had wanted to keep searching for her brother's torturer but she had obligations. Getting out had been difficult but she had been successful when darkness fell.
She sought out who was in command and learned it had been Atsui, who was now unconscious. He was being treated by the medical nin for blood loss. Fuyu quickly brought herself up to speed with the situation. The news was grim, over half of their invasionary force was dead or missing. The Raikage was dead. Darui was dead. Konoha still stood strong before them. While they had killed a great many Leaf shinobi only one of the S class threats were dead.
This boded quite poorly for the continued war effort. The latest word from Samui was that she was attacking the capital in a night assault. The attack would be underway at the moment and it would be critical for it to succeed. Konoha had a large portion of their shinobi within the city as well as most of the village's elite which hopefully meant the Fire Daimyo was poorly guarded.
With a sigh she said, "Get the wounded ready. We need to get out of Hi no Kuni. Send a message to Samui's force to do as much damage as she can and to cripple the city before retreating back with us to Kumo. Once Konoha has licked their wounds they will attack with a vengeance. We must be ready."
And ready they would need to be. A new Kage would have to be selected and the obvious choice was now dead. And once that Kage was selected he or she would have to craft a winning strategy against Konoha.
'There will be more chances in this war Mitarashi. I'll cross blades with you if it is the last thing I do.'
***BREAK***
Zetsu reported the news to Pain, the nominal leader of the Akatsuki.
Pain was greatly displeased to learn of Han's passing. Their plan would be years delayed now. And Itachi dying was also surprising. Pain had been warned about Itachi's odd behavior by Madara but the near flawless shinobi's death was still counted as a shock.
After Zetsu left Madara made an appearance.
"I am disappointed as well. The remaining jinchuuriki must be captured and secured quickly so this type of disaster does not occur again."
Pain watched Madara with his Rinnegan. The man had been responsible for putting Pain on this path and his council was appreciated.
"The eight tails will be easier to obtain than the nine tails. The others will gather the six tails in short order. I will personally deal with the Hachibi and then the Kyūbi."
Madara shook his head, "A fine plan except for the Kyūbi. Do not underestimate him or his sensei."
Even the Rinnegan could give no clues about Madara's emotions. And yet Pain sensed a rare disquieting hesitation behind the orange mask Madara wore. If it were anyone else Pain would have thought it was fear.
Obito, who was the man behind the mask of Madara, was in fact feeling a tendril of that fear. He too was disappointed about the setback in their plans but he worried about a direct encounter with Kakashi, his old teammate.
Kakashi was a shinobi that only ever revealed the power needed to complete the mission. How strong was he truly? Since Rin and Minato had died he had yet to fail a single mission. He had fought against overwhelming odds and faced down S class opponents and always lived to tell the tale. Outside of chakra exhaustion he didn't take significant injuries.
Pain himself would not be enough to take on Team Seven. It wasn't just Kakashi but also the rest of his team. They were this generation's Sannin and put together with their genius sensei they were all but unstoppable.
He would have to think about how they would have to be dealt with. A frontal assault even with the power Pain wielded would likely be met with total failure. If the six paths of Pain failed it would be time to bring back the real Madara. But Obito was not ready to play second fiddle yet.
'Hmm Pain is prideful but if he were open to letting the rest of the Akatsuki assist that should be enough.'
Pain had remained quiet after Madara's warning.
Obito spoke again, "Go – bring back the eight tails and we will discuss how to best handle the Kyūbi after."
***BREAK***
Team Samui did an all-out blitz against Danzō. Omoi did not use Raiton jutsu this time due to seeing their opponent utilize Futon jutsu earlier. Instead he joined Samui and Karui in an all kenjutsu onslaught.
When faced with three attackers the logical move was to move toward one opponent and attack them while moving away from the others. If one was skilled and quick enough he could even the odds before the other two could flank him.
Danzō did not do this. He stayed perfectly stationary as Omoi struck first. Danzō parried the blade with his own Futon generated one. Karui came in a fraction of a second later and thrust Danzō through the gut with her katana. With his free hand Danzo grabbed her arm and then stabbed his wind blade into her body. Samui hadn't expected Danzo to get stabbed by Karui but was close enough to push the wind blade away from a fatal wound on her subordinate. Instead the wind chakra slashed through Karui's shoulder instead of her heart. Samui earned an elbow to the nose for her troubles and Omoi took the opening to slash into Danzō's side.
Samui and Karui were injured with Karui being far more damaged by the attack but they had done it, they had killed the bastard. Or so they thought.
Danzō had actually used Izanagi to completely erase all the damage, turning illusion into reality. Appearing unharmed he instantly used Futon: Shinkuha (Wind Release: Vacuum Wave). Blades of wind sang through the air cutting at all three of the enemy jōnin.
Samui flattened herself to the ground to avoid the waves of air while Omoi tried to deflect with his blade. He was only partially successfully in the endeavor as the wind currents weren't made of one solid substance. If a three foot wave of wind was cut it would cause the chakra to dissipate somewhat but at the edges the wind current could still cut. His forehead, arm and leg were all cut in the attack. Karui, already wounded and still shocked at Danzō disappearing, failed to stop the attack and her jugular was sliced open.
As Karui bled out, Samui dashed forward leading with her tanto. Danzo was impressed with her kenjutsu and could see why she was given command of the Kumo nin attacking the capital. Her strikes were deadly and precise and were a perfect representation of the Kumogakure kenjutsu style.
Omoi on the other hand had rushed over to Karui's side in an attempt to save her. He cauterized the gaping slash in her neck and then shoved a plasma pill into her mouth but it was all for naught. Karui died and Omoi had lost his teammate.
Danzō hadn't expected to have to lose a 2nd Sharingan eye but with the numbers still against his force he needed to be done with his current opponents sooner rather than later. Danzō didn't block the next strike, instead he stabbed forward right as she slashed at his midsection. His Futon powered blade did not strike flesh as Samui had backed off of her attack after seeing what had happened earlier in the fight.
Danzō now had the edge in the fight as Samui would only deliver a killing blow if she couldn't be attacked in return. This allowed Danzō to cease to worry about defense and just focus on powering through her guard.
Omoi reentered the battle and Danzō lunged forward against Samui forcing her to back away. Danzō then turned and slashed down at the oncoming Omoi who was now focusing on revenge not on battle tactics. Omoi cleanly decapitated Danzō but took a strike to the chest in return. Both bodies fell to the ground but Danzō's disappeared as another Sharingan eye closed from underneath his sleeves.
Samui had shouted a warning to Omoi but either he had disregarded it or hadn't heard. Samui saw both of her trusted companions slain before this seemingly unstoppable enemy.
"How are you doing this? I'm not in a genjutsu. How?"
Danzo titled his head slightly, like Kakashi he wasn't a fool. He would not be explaining his kinjutsu to her.
"You don't really expect me to answer that do you?"
Samui narrowed her eyes and rushed in with a headlong charge. Her chakra however was already gathered and she performed a hand seal free Kawarimi right before they clashed. She replaced herself with Omoi's katana that was only a foot away from Danzō and rushed in close. Her arm grabbed Danzō's sword arm and her tanto stabbed into his gut. Danzō's free hand revealed a kunai fused with wind energy and he used it to stab at Samui who blocked the hand with the elbow of the hand that wielded the tanto. She spun away from Danzō and watched as yet again he faded from view and reappeared utterly unharmed.
The elderly leaf nin was annoyed. He had failed to do any harm and the exchange had cost him a third Sharingan eye. Information was his forte and he knew Samui had a strong if short mission record. It was likely he was facing Kumo's forth strongest shinobi behind the Raikage, Killer B and Darui. The kenjutsu duel was not going as well as he had hoped but he had two more tricks yet to play.
AN: This entry was slightly delayed because I was out of town on the weekend visiting the Texas Renaissance Festival outside of Houston. My wife did her cosplay of Kakashi and WOW there are a lot of Naruto fans out there.
If anyone is in the Houston area I'd highly recommend you go; they have a wide variety of fantastic shows and the costumes are awesome. This year they introduced a new show called The Barbarian Bombshells that quickly became my personal favorite.
All right enough about me and my reasons for late updates – please review!
