Chapter 78:

The day was… beautiful.

It was a strange observation to make here, now. But it still reached him.

Through the pain, the taste of blood, the smell of smoke and the touch of metal it reached him.

The glimmering rays of warm sunlight breaking through the canopy, the sound of a small stream a short ways over the hill. The rustling of leaves and the creaking of branches in the gently whistling wind.

If people were quiet enough they could have heard it. If they weren't screaming. Fighting. Dying.

This war had always felt like a waste.

That seemed just a bit more clear now….

He took a deep breath. Feeling the ache across his chest, sharp and stinging.

Naruto heard the snapping of dry underbrush near him.

And just like that, he pushed those thoughts aside remembering instead An-chan's words and voice...

Don't. Be. Stupid.

His eyes shifted, from blue back to the eyes of a toad, the red markings spreading over his face as Ma and Pa took up their places on his shoulders.

He spread out his senses.

The Chuunin force was doubling back now, surrounding him. Hoping to help, or at the very least prevent his escape. Little candles floating around the blazing torches that were the S class Shinobi that hard helped wear him down already.

Not a threat. Not on their own.

But there were many.

So many…

I made An-chan a promise…

Chakra coruscated along his skin, flows and eddies of power pouring off his body, sinking into the earth.

They sensed him, as one, he felt them turn, converge, sharks turning to the blood drenched bait.

The trees parted at his command boughs and green covered limbs parting to spears of sunlight before he rushed headlong to meet them.

The first Chuunin barely had time to gasp.

The wind empowered blade sliced his head open, dark blood bursting from the clean gash

The next man saw him, raising his weapon, fear glinting in his eyes.

But not much more than that before the knife was through his throat.

Three more follow, three more die.

Then more and more.

They're too slow, too weak, they can't see, or they have no instincts.

Too young, too old., too frail.

He kills them.

One by one. They die in a pointless, wasted effort.

Blood washes the forest floor, painting the tree bark, the leaves the soil.

He hates this.

And it's a struggle to keep killing them. To keep his focus through the screams and the fear he can see behind the shadow of their eyes.

When they rush him, stupidly, desperately, he makes nature come alive around him.

Earth crushes men under stone and dirt, water bashes their bodies, breaking them as he tosses the corpses aside, wind carves them open and the wood of the trees bends and shapes around him to shield him from their attacks.

Then, Han is there.

The red armored Jinchuurikki comes bursting out of the forest, a path of ruin in his wake, steam bellows from his backpack, his eyes glowing white and smoky.

Sage powered strength meets him again, blow for blow, but he's fighting differently now, more… reserved… cautious.

A distraction.

The Mokuton user's senses spread out, an influx of sensory information nearly overwhelming him before he notices the danger.

He leaps up, into the sky as dozens of blades burst from the ground in a nearly perfect snare. A swarm of puppets chasing after him as they claw out of dirt and rock skittering up the trees to follow and attack him.

The trees twist and bend, their massive limbs crushing the puppets or speaking them in place. He hears metal tear, gears grinding together, glass and wires shattering and tearing.

More come pouring out of the forest, like insects, crawling over their dead to get to him.

His hands clap together, handseals forming in rapid succession before a gale of wind tears apart the forest around him forcing the puppets to hunker down or be swept up in the miniature tornado, their bodies breaking as he slams them into tree trunks and boulders.

There's a rustle of leaves above him, bypassing the winds, straight into the eye and the Konoha ninja turns hand lashing out and catching Fukuro's sword in his hand.

The blade was sharp, sharp enough to cut deep into his palm even with sage mode making him all but physically invulnerable. If the man would have been a wind user, he'd have lost his hand.

The sage twisted, looking to shatter the blade but with an utter lack of hesitation, Fukuro released the sword entirely, making the attempted break impossible with one hand.

With his free'd hands, the old assassin pulled free a stack of explosive notes, all but shoving them in Naruto's direction.

The chakra moved instinctively, forming a clone beside him, ready to yank him away, when, just as soon as it appeared, it was gone, banished by a screeching wail, razor sharp talons and the flapping of wings as Fukuro was pulled away by that same Owl summon.

Naruto did the only thing he could, he crossed his arms and braced.

Then the tags exploded.

Heat and force hit the blonde like a concrete wall; slamming into him, his grip slipped from Fukuro's sword, raw power knocking him out of the sky, sending him spiralling down end over end; the world becoming a blur of colors and disorientation.

He hit something, a tree, the wood breaking underneath him before he hit the ground, his body tearing the earth appart.

He coughed, tasting metal.

"You have to move boy!"

Pa's voice brings his mind back to the battle, forces him to focus; but it's almost too late.

A swarm of Deidara's bombs in the shape of birds and insects swoops down between the trees. Naruto's almost too slow, his chakra nearly too sluggish. Earth and wood twist and bend and warp around him, shielding him in a cocoon of stone and armor that's hammered and blasted into with enough force to break a mountain.

Wood splinters, earth cracks and crumbles. The force knocks the wind out of him, a thousand hammers pounding and pounding and pounding. He feels something break the sound is so loud he can't even hear himself scream as the heat and the flames burn at his flesh.

He's not sure how long the barrage lasts, he's barely even aware of when it ends.

"Boy. Boy can you hear me!?"

"Pa' he's bleedin! I don't think he's ok!"

Their voices, again give him something to focus on, a distraction from the pain. Naruto breathes and chokes on the taste of smoke, and the dryness of his throat.

He feels the soothing touch of healing chakra easing some of the aches in his body. The toads are not slugs. Healing is not their strong suit, but it helps, even if only enough to help him think clearly again…

"I'm alright…" It's a lie. A bad one. But it's all he can offer.

He reaches up, to the remains of the stone armor and wood shield that had cocooned him, saved him and finishes breaking it apart as he forces himself to his feet.

He sways, the last bits of crumbling rock and wood break apart over his body dust and smoke billowing around him. His left eye is stinging with the blood trailing down from his skull, and he can feel the oozing stickiness clinging to his clothes.

The wolves surround him now, closing in as though they can smell the wounds.

He tried to breathe and felt a sharp, jagged pain across his chest.

Was something broken?

Probably…

But...

He whirled where he stood, catching a thrown kunai by the ring twirling it around his finger before flinging it back, the wind blade shrouding it as it punched through a thick tree trunk to lodge itself in the back of the chuunin that had thrown it.

I'm not done yet...

(X)(X)(X)

When Hinata's fist came up, in a split second the rest of them came to a cold, dead stop along the trees.

Sasuke didn't speak, merely gesturing with his hands, knowing Hinata would see it with her active Byakugan.

What do you see?

The Hyuuga heiress turned her head, making a sharp move, indicating they should follow before darting off with barely a rustle of leaves left in her wake.

Sasuke followed her, and he heard more than saw Sakura and Lee follow him.

Hinata moved fast, almost too fast, her Byakugan giving her plenty of time to plan her movement in advance she'd almost be too fast to keep up with, if not for his own ability to follow directly behind her, using her as a guide.

When they came upon the men Sasuke felt himself go still, stiffening in surprise.

Konoha Shinobi.

A throng of them, fleeing, stumbling, bleeding. They'd fought. They'd fought recently; and they'd lost.

Hinata didn't spare them a glance, she was a woman with an objective and after a split second to get over his shock, Sasuke followed.

Finally, reaching whatever she was looking for, Hinata's hand snaked out, grasping someone, arresting their movement.

It was Tenten.

He hadn't recognized her, covered in dirt, blood, and lacking her typical hair buns but it was her.

"Hinata!?" Her eyes swam, finding his. "Sasuke?"

"We're here." Lee spoke up, marching past him and towards his teammate.

Tenten looked at him as though she couldn't believe he was flesh and blood rather than a mirage, she stumbled forward and Lee had to all but catch her as the strength in her legs seemed to abandon her.

Sasuke moved, his hand glowing with the light of a diagnostic scan. "Lay her down. I can help."

"Where's Naruto?"

Sakura's question was sharp, almost demanding. But no one rebuked her for the near rudeness, not even Tenten.

"Fighting." The chuunin commander answered, grunting.

"We were cut off." Sasuke's eyes turned to Kyofu, who carried on the back of her lizard summon, Ryoko, the white haired girl looking pale and gaunt as she wheezed her breaths. Her eyes swimming in her skull, likely slipping in and out of consciousness. "He's fighting. North of here. Multiple S class Shinobi."

It was Hinata that took charge, snapping her fingers with a sound so loud it was like a fire cracker, bringing all eyes to her as she gestured in sign language.

How many?

"Five at least." Kyofu answered. "If more came we can't be sure. There's also a force of Chuunin, fifty, maybe more. All fresh and ready to fight."

Sasuke's frown deepened.

He couldn't win against that…

Hinata's hands moved. Her orders clear, decisive and with no hesitation.

"Can you still fight?"

"I can." Kyofu nodded.

"Sasuke!" The Uchiha heir's attention was focused on the Hyuuga, her milky white eyes staring into his own as he followed the movement of her sign language.. "Fix Tenten. Fix Ryoko, organize whatever force you can here. Then bring them. Catch up."

Splitting up was a horrible choice… but then again… it was the only choice. He nodded.

"Sakura, Lee, Kyofu, with me. We move. Now!"

There was no word of protest, no second guessing. Each of the three obeyed without a second's hesitation.

Only a fleeting look passed between him and Sakura, his pink haired teammate offering a nod that was half reassurance, half promise.

(X)(X)(X)

The waters churned and rippled, a thousand little pools and puddles tinkling all around her as Konan stepped forward, her footsteps as soft as a raindrop on the crystalline surface.

Orochimaru circled the blue haired Kunoichi, Tsunade on the opposite flank.

The Ame woman marched forward, with not an ounce of fear or even concern that he could detect on her face or body language.

She felt in control, despite the fact that it was the two of them she was facing.

Orochimaru was not so foolish as to think it was without reason.

She drew her blade, the shortsword glinting almost silver in the rain

He shifted his weight and saw Tsunade respond, picking up on the tell.

The medic struck first.

Tsunade was slower than he was even at the best of times, but she didn't need speed.

Konan turned, facing the woman before Tsunade drew up her foot, stomping down on the ground, rock split apart, cracking open and spearing upwards like teeth.

Konan stumbled, her balance thrown off and Orochimaru seized the opportunity, striking as fast as the snake he was so likened to.

The Kusanagi blade flashed, cutting through the air , through droplets of rain to seek out Konan's naked throat.

Then she vanished.

There was no puff of smoke, no blur of speed, one second the woman was there, in the next she was gone with only the barest hint of chakra usage in the air to harken her disappearance.

He was surprised, but not so much so that he would fail to block the strike that came from above and behind him, the woman descending with a swing of her tanto.

Steel rang clear in his ears as the weapons struck one another, and Tsunade took the opportunity to leap with a blindingly fast kick that should have caught the Ame Kunoichi full in the ribs, shattering everything and ending the fight right then and there.

Only for the woman to vanish again.

This time, she reappeared between the both of them, kunai in one hand, Tanto in the other the knife moving to be thrown into Tsunade's back and the Tanto already mid swing to slice his stomach open.

He leapt back the short blade barely missing him as his tongue shot out of his mouth, wrapping around her wrist holding the kunai to yank the limb off course, the kunai now useless and out of position.

Tsunade came straight down, twisting in a nearly fluid motion to crack her leg onto Konan's exposed shoulder blade in her signature drop kick.

Orochimaru tightened the hold his tongue had over the kunoichi's wrist; intent on not allowing her to disappear once again.

His efforts were for nothing, the woman there one moment and simply gone the next, pulling free of his grip with impossible force.

Not teleportation then… something else. Strong. A form of Chakra manipulation? It couldn't be speed, even if she'd had the strength to break free she'd have been slowed, at least marginally…

What was this?

Tsunade's heel crashed down onto the ground, pools of rain water rippling and leaping from the ground in the tremendous crash that followed; The ground of the reservoir splitting apart

The snake Sanin's eyes panned across the area , searching, finding the target impossibly far away reaching her feet as she stared them down.

"It's not speed." Tsunade commented as she straightened, wiping at her knees before cracking her knuckles.

"No it's not." He agreed. "Some technique… one she can afford to use freely so not chakra intensive. Very precise."

"Hmm… any ideas?"

The rain poured down harder from the skies above hissing through the cracks and openings in the overhead cave ceiling.

He didn't have a ready answer for her.

(X)(X)(X)

He was killing them.

One by one, piece by piece Naruto was tearing through the encircling force of Iwa nin. A slew of corpses now littering the forest floor beneath her

Kurotsuchi could see the moment the strategy changed. The moment her 'team' decided to let sheer weight of numbers win the fight.

Fukuro was a mercenary. He wanted to spend the money he was paid, not die for it.

Sasori had already lost over a third of his 'hundred puppets' and was in no hurry to lose more, or risk his own life. The destruction of his primary puppet body had shaken him.

Deidara was nearly dead on his feet as it was, chakra exhaustion and blood loss sapping much of his strength. It seemed more spite than anything else was keeping the man conscious.

Even Han, the most bloodthirsty, the one that hated Naruto the most was content to let the others die in his place.

They were afraid…

A part of her wanted to order them to attack. To stop the mindless, needless slaughter of the Iwa chuunin and Jounin when this wasn't their fight. This wasn't the fight they were supposed to step into. Or one they could win without a steep, steep price Naruto would slaughter, had already slaughtered so many of them.

But the other part of her realized if she did… while Naruto might kill some of them too… it would just expedite his death if she gave that order.

Every swing, every kill, every dodge and fresh wound made the blonde move a little slower, just that bit more sluggish than the last time.

They were dying.

But they were killing him too.

She stood there, in the trees, hiding, watching and struggled to find what to do. How she could… end this… fix this.

Then, just like that, the decision was taken out of her hands.

She saw; she felt the instant the opening appeared when that strange, powerful chakra coursing through him flickered for an instant as his body failed him.

That's when they, all of them struck.

Sasori's puppets, Fukuro's speed, Han's brutality. Only she and Deidara didn't act.

The puppets grabbed him, held him down, the chakra returned and two more of them were destroyed but it was enough.

With a cry Fukuro's sword cut through flesh, narrowly missing the blonde's heart as he swerved at the last moment, instead the blade found and bit into the flesh at the juncture of his collarbone and shoulder joint running him through the steel holding him in place as Fukuro dug in his heels, chakra rooting him to the ground as the blonde grit his blood stained teeth.

Han was the last.

The red armored Jinchuurikki came in with speed and raw power, his armored fist cocked back and chambered for a thunderous blow.

Chakra swirled in Naruto's palm, a condensed ball of pure energy in the infamous Rasengan technique as his last remaining arm lashed out, catching Han's fist with a shriek of shearing metal and a squeal of steam powered armor.

Chakra crackled and leapt like lightning, pure power tearing appart Han's prosthetic arm; tearing the metal to pieces before the human weapon's flesh and blood arm pressed the attack. Striking with a right hook that caught the blonde full in the face, cracking his jaw and whipping his head back.

She saw him go slack, his body all but giving up the fight and held in place only by Fukuro's sword.

And like a lightning bolt leaping into his back, his body jerked back into motion. The roots of the trees spearing out of the dirt to gore Han through the soles of his boots, into his shins and thighs.

Fukuro ripped his sword out of the blonde's shoulder, tearing it up and out of his collarbone.

Han's lower body shifted, becoming wisps of steam, letting him slip free of the blood soaked roots before once again punching the Sage with all the strength he could, with blows that could match or surpass Senju Tsunade in strength.

The storm king fell… the thunderous strike tearing his body through trees and rocks along the forest floor. When he finally settled, the two toads that had been on his shoulders were gone.

He did not get back up.

Slowly, cautiously she saw them approach, encircling the body, Chuunin and S class nin inching their way closer, as though afraid of some trap.

Finally, Fukuro was the one to break the silence.

"Tough bastard wasn't he?"

The Mercenary from Takigakure stepped closer, leaning down over the body. The blood drenched blade dripped with red. .

Kurotsuchi marched out, descending from the canopy above before negotiating her way through the field of corpses and wary, wounded soldiers. Approaching Han and Fukuro, the closest of the teammates as her mind spun, trying to think of…

The Iwa Jinchuuriki moved then, stepping closer and she could almost feel the man's intent.

"Stop!" She blurted out the words before her brain could catch up and it was all she could do to keep the naked panic from her face.

The human weapon turned, eyeing her with a low, smoldering rage behind his steel gray eyes.

"What!?"

"I didn't stutter." Anger replaced the panic, false bravado serving as a shield, a sword and a mask all at once before she turned her eyes to the unconscious, bleeding Naruto. "We take him alive."

"No." Han snarled, rounding on her. "We kill him now. Last I checked that's what we're here for."

Her mind sped. Wondering how she could convince him.

Then she remembered… she didn't need to convince him.

"He's a greater prize alive than dead." She said, shifting her weight as she rested one hand over her hip, trying to portray more confidence than she felt. "The Mokuton, for the first time in generations. After the Sandaime's raid on our village how many secrets did they steal? How many techniques did they take? Not only does he have the Mokuton but three chakra affinities as well. He could be the secret to creating a whole new bloodline within Iwagakure. You may not like it since it can suppress your power as a Jinchuurikki, but the rest of us…"

She let the implication hang, and she could almost feel Fukuro and Sasori's greed warping their minds for her.

She just needed enough. Enough doubt, enough greed, enough potential power leveled against Han and she could force his compliance.

Her eyes trailed down to the battered and beaten Naruto.

He could escape later… he just had to survive. Just for a bit. Just long enough…

"We kill him."

"This isn't a democracy." She snapped. "I am your commanding officer. You follow my orders. We take him alive Jinchuurikki."

Han's eyes flashed with something, and she could feel the tingle of naked killing intent leveled her way, but she did not flinch.

He could get in line like the rest of the fucking world.

Her hand reached for the sword of the Daimyo resting at her back. Her warning clear.

Han was powerful, Han was a Jinchuurikki. But he was battered, tired, injured. Blood oozed from his leg, the stump of his prosthetic limb clicked and whirred in intermittent jams.

He was a beast. But a wounded one.

She wasn't.

She'd take those odds.

"Try it." She snarled.

"I agree with the dog."

Deidara's voice cut her down to the bone, a sharp slice of dread across her chest as she brought her eyes up where the pallid, ashen Nuke-nin stared down at the body like he'd sooner light it on fire than see him taken alive.

The man clutched at the stump of his arm, the blood still oozing from the wound and not for the first time did she regret saving him.

"Get it the fuck over with. Safer if he's dead."

"You might be scared. But I'm willin to bet that Tsuchikage of yours will throw in a pretty bonus at having him alive."

Fukuro's calm, dry voice carried a hint of laughter, and the old man seemed to be practically salivating at the thought of any further riches or boons that could come his way for this.

Her eyes trailed to Sasori, the deciding 'vote' on this. If he sided with her idea, she could force the other two.

If he didn't…

Well…

Suddenly, there was a shout somewhere behind them, screaming cutting through the trees, chaos breaking across the ranks of men surrounding them and Kurotsuchi turned her eyes away from Han and the other members of her team, just in time to see a white blur slice it's way across a half dozen men before rushing straight towards her.

Her arm snapped, drawing the blade of the Daimyo before the sound of steel striking steel was heard, a short ninjato blade grinding against her own weapon as the milky white eyes of a Hyuuga woman flashed like diamonds in the gleam of the light.

"KONOHA SENPUU!"

The white was matched by green and the blow that cracked across her sternum was too fast for her eyes to see, pure force making the air explode from her lungs as she was sent flying, smashing into a large boulder, her back cracking against the granite as she hit the ground on her hands and knees.

From there, the forest became chaos.

The Hyuuga with her Byakugan had navigated a path through the encirclement, until she could strike directly in the center of the formation.

Men were confused, panicked, spiders and lizard summons she recognized as the beasts from Naruto's teammate Kyofu exploded from the forest and the ground beneath their feet, right in the middle of the loose formation. Men screamed, and like that, pandemonium and fear spread like wildfire.

Kurotsuchi stumbled to her feet and took in the scene as Han battled against a green clad Jounin who's skin pulsed, angry and red with only the white of his eyes visible as the Hyuuga woman moved through Sasori's puppets and the onslaught of Chuunin like a river navigating through rocks, rushing towards the downed Naruto.

She was a threat, an obvious one.

Men moved to intercept not noticing the shadow with pink hair that reached Konoha's "Storm King" first.

She did.

But so did Fukuro.

The old man's blade lashed out, like quicksilver, its razor sharp edge nearly taking the girl's head off before she dodged.

Kurotsuchi saw him smile, reaching down and grabbing his prisoner.

"Sorry dear. This one's mine."

Kurotsuchi's heart dropped.

The old man vanished in a swirl of leaves.

She stumbled to her feet, gritting her teeth before turning away and pursuing the old man's faint chakra signature, not caring whether or not anyone noticed or whether they chose to stay to fight or follow after her.

(X)(X)(X)

By the time the bulk of the battle group that had left Amegakure realized the danger… it was already too late.

Barely a third of them were left and nearly all of them were under the thrall of her Genjutsu, having looked into her eyes without ever noticing the spinning red of the Sharingan, disguised under the Henge of already slain men or small, insignificant animals, ravens, swallows and bob cats.

They tried to flee, return to the 'safety' of Amegakure.

She didn't let them.

Word couldn't get back after all.

Instead, those under her thrall she redirected deeper into the forest, deeper into Konoha territory. Those not under her control she picked off. One by one as they fled and scattered, her raven thralls keeping eyes on them as she directed them into bogs, poisonous plants or simply used the more direct method of the knife and her own two hands.

The border patrols did the rest.

The remains of the disorganized, disoriented battle group were all killed with nary a scream, the chuunin patrols were quick to seize the advantage, slaying them all quickly, quietly.

Clean deaths.

And then, as quietly as the bodies were made, so too were they disposed. Destroyed or taken for study. It did not matter.

The only one that arrived, alive and fit to be questioned, was the commander. The leader. The one with information.

As she dropped the illusion over his mind and body, he looked upon her eyes directly for the first time, surrounded by over a dozen men.

He screamed. He screamed and screamed, horrified and terrified in equal measure as the full implications of his failure, of the terrible power of these eyes slammed into him.

Over three hundred men.

Killed in less than three days.

The Anbu that subdued the man nodded, thanking her brusquely.

Itachi did not have the time to listen, or even the will to. Her mind was exhausted. Her chakra reserves spent. She needed rest, both in mind and body.

She felt drained worn down to the bone.

So why was she so restless?

Her skin itched, and her bones were charged with electricity. The sparse rooms she'd been given at the outpost felt all at once too stifling and too empty.

Something was wrong.

Her heavy cloak was hung on the wall, her change of clothes feeling itchy and too clean having been freshly washed. Her skull was pounding with pain from the illusion and her own restlessness.

Something was wrong…

She stood up and paced her room, her body vibrating like a charged coil even after three days of no sleep.

Then, she got her answer.

A toad, one shrouded with chakra at the sight of her Sharingan eye lapt onto the window sill.

She approached the thing, it was a lesser one. One incapable of even speech. A spy, a scout. Nothing more.

Did he send one to check on her?

He would…

Or was he calling for help? Saying something else?

He wouldn't do that. If he was in danger, he wouldn't call her to step into it with him.

But the toads would…

A summoned animal appearing in the world without a summoner was a limited thing. Never could something like Gamabunta or even a more intelligent beast be capable of self summoning. Too much chakra required to bridge the worlds.

But something like this? A small little creature little better than a native toad?

That they could do...

Itachi's brain roiled, momentary indecision as the toad sat on the windowsill. She stretched out her hand, beckoning it closer, and the little creature leapt onto her hand.

She had a mission. There would be a second wave soon. And it was up to her to be here in case something went amiss, incase Tsunade and Orochimaru failed and the attack arrived in full force.

That was her job. Her mission…

Not to rescue him.

Or worse, abandon her post entirely for no reason if he were not in trouble at all…

All of her training, all of her knowledge, every part of her mind told her where she needed to be. Where she needed to stay

And yet…

The toad croaked once, its slimy pads resting on her palm before it vanished in a puff of gray smoke, its limited chakra finally running dry.

She made her decision.

The scouts of the outpost were surprised, and curious as out from the inner fortress a murder of crows suddenly burst out of the buildings, cawing and shrieking into the night as they flew north that very night.

(X)(X)(X)

Kakashi had learned long ago to trust his instincts, that little disquiet at the back of your mind that insisted;

'Something's wrong'

It had kept him alive through many a conflict that should have killed him, and though right here and now, within the Kage tower of Konohagakure he didn't feel as though he was in danger, as though there were eyes on the back of his head, or a dagger waiting to slip between his ribs, nevertheless the feeling persisted.

Something's wrong.

It was a restlessness that gripped him, distracting enough to keep him from focusing on the reports infront of him, and the paperwork that still needed doing for all the logistical concerns.

Something's wrong.

He racks his brain, trying to think of what could have placed this feeling there, what could have made it so insidious and insistent at the back of his thoughts that he couldn't consciously dismiss it…

Something… was… wrong.

His eyes trailed to the side of the room, where old reports sat, waiting for the secretaries and the clerks to take them away.

He stood and marched over to them.

His eyes panned over them again, weeks of work, reports, devoured all over again by a mind that refused to sit still, taken in with lightning speed as he took scrolls and tossed them aside when they weren't relevant.

Slowly, inexorably, he poured through them, ignoring his aides even as they entered and asked him what was wrong.

Finally, something clicked.

It was a report. A small thing, innocuous and unimportant. He'd have never noticed. Not as it was before. Not separated by weeks and a million more reports.

But here; gathered with the others of its kind…

There was a discrepancy…

Something was wrong.

Kakashi reached down, taking four other scrolls, laying them down across the large oaken desk that dominated his office his eyes darkening.

"Clever…"

His chakra flared, and after a moment Anbu bled out of the shadows of his office.

"We have little time to waste…"

(X)(X)(X)

Well here we are, honestly for those of you wondering why these updates are taking so long it's honestly because of the fights.

People say I'm good at writing fights. And I appreciate it really, but honestly if I had to pick what I like to write the least, it would be fights.

And I'm the idiot that planned a story that ends in a massive series of fights that span like five or six bloody chapters to reach a climax and conclusion.

Not my best strategic move I'll admit. But, luckilly the next two chapters have much more mannageble fights in terms of it being 1v1's or 2v1's as opposed to 5v1's which really is a struggle because you need to find the right balance of doing the loser justice and not fanwanking him.

For those of you wondering, I did almost three drafts of this chapter before I was satisfied, so rewrites galore. Hence why I kinda dislike writing fights. Takes me a while to be satisfied with the end result.

Anywho, for the readers who were disappointment in my response to the reader/troll in the AN last time, I get it, after a day or two, I was a little dissapointed in myself. But like all humans, I've got limits and after six months straight of getting weekly complaints and berating comments for not updating "on time" I pretty much found mine.

Not sorry for what I said. It had to be said, I am sorry however that I dissapointed some loyal readers. But straight up honesty; I'd likely do it again if I had a choice. Because not being constantly reminded of my lack of updates let me finally get the motivation to sit down and finish this chapter. So; it was for the best.

To everyone else who responded, thank you for all the support and all the love, much appreciated. For those non members you can still review, I haven't removed the guest reviews option so have at it if you wish. Thanks again for the support.

I hope to get the next chapter out soon. But as has always been my way it's done when it'd done. By my count, we have only 3 to 4 chapters left to go I'll see you all next time. Hope you stick around for the finale.