My apologies for the late updates. I got a really shit comment on this series and have been debating whether I'm going to remove all my stories on here, again. On the other hand, clearly the aim is to keep doing what I'm doing and fuck with people more because some people are just bigots.
Of course, all of you who've made it here are lovely and brilliant. Sorry to keep you all waiting.
Review responses:
Wingi - Unfortunately, I didn't get a massive chance to write Tenten a lot, but she definitely deserves some love and a moment to be the badass we know that she is. Nagato was an interesting character to write and I hope you continue to like his portrayal.
In relation to Naruto and Sasuke and their positions being swapped... That's definitely been an idea that I had for a while because it's such an interesting position and I love the fact that it's Sasuke who can reach out to Nagato here as opposed to Naruto. Yes, Naruto will win some battles by talking, but not all of them. And I forgot Sasuke's ninken, not them. But. Yeah. I fixed it at least!
Considering I had no idea how Karin's characterisation worked, I'm glad it came across well here!
TigrezzTail - I think because I fucked with the worldbuilding surrounding chakra it didn't quite work that well, largely because it's tied to chakra rather than your heart? It's weird, but whatever. I managed something in the end. And I'm glad you thought it was badass and liked the deal with Obito!
And yes! I love all the characters and additional POVs. Kimimaro deserves so much more time but I never got to write it, unfortunately.
nagi92 - Sasuke's characterisation being so different from canon has been so much fun and I love writing him. Thank you for your kind words!
Toru turns to Karin, who immediately snaps to attention. "Release Nagato," he says softly. The ANBU team who'd just joined the fight are hovering, waiting for orders probably and also just sticking with Toru since he's the Uzukage. He has a feeling that Ahorōtoru has ordered the ANBU to guard him wherever possible.
"Chakra cuffs, double squad guard," Toru signs at his ANBU. The captain salutes him and turns to their squad, organising them quickly, and Toru can sense the ANBU calling for back-up.
He turns now glancing over those with him, before focussing on Karin. "What's the situation as it currently stands?"
"All other Akatsuki members appear to have been incapacitated one way or another. The Oto-nins arrived and have helped, and Kiri appears to be coming across the sea now. They're about to hit the back of the army. And… most fights appear to be wrapping down now, even against the army," Karin reports.
"Thank you," Toru says. He looks around and knows there's more to do. He needs to find out what happened to all the Akatsuki and deal with the results of the fighting, (but… it's clear now that Uzushio will not be falling today; it fills him with relief and makes him want to drop on the ground, legs weak and trembling). He has to find out how much of Uzushio has been hit, what they'll need to rebuild, (how many people he's now lost).
"Karin, do you want to report to the Oto-nins perhaps? I'm sure Kimimaro-san will be glad to see you."
Immediately, Karin nods. She dips into a brief bow and then she darts away quickly. Toru doesn't turn to watch her go, just continues looking at his people. His ANBU have gotten Nagato secured and they're heading towards the central part of Uzushio where he's certain some of his people will be gathering—likely council members if the fighting has died down where they'd been stationed.
"Sasuke, Naruto, I'm imagining you want to go find those you came with. They'll likely be-"
"We've got it," Naruto says shortly, turning swiftly on his heel with Sasuke. The sharp words ache and Toru lets the pain burrow its way into his heart, before he checks over his team, not watching the Konoha-nins as they travel across the main part of the battle, searching for the others from their village, (which doesn't include Toru).
His team are watching him, quiet and calm, and it's more because of the battlefield they find themselves in. Toru knows that he can't let his emotions distract him from the fight he's in. Still, still, he has to ask. "Status?"
"Battle-ready," Sora, (Kyatapirā? The line between the two grows ever thinner it seems), says. It's not a confident response, or not a detailed one at least, but it's enough for now. Later, when everything is well and they can let themselves relax, they can go over things in depth. For now, knowing that Sora can go on for days and fight if necessary is all he needs.
"Ready to sleep," Souma says, a joking grin on his face. "Ready to continue in battle as necessary," he adds on. It's good to see him in a joking mood, (seeing Naruto and Sasuke, seeing them and knowing that they're avoiding him, had left a wound—one that his teammates are clearly trying to avoid aggravating, but the thought that they might do the same had stuck with him).
"Battle ready," Dai says and she's close enough to elbow Souma. Which she doesn't do—but Toru can read the gesture in her movements anyway. "What are your orders, Taichō?"
Toru doesn't breathe in, (breathe in; breathe out). He doesn't need to. Everything feels… not quite distant but it's strangely okay. Today, Uzushio has faced destruction, has faced an invasion, and Uzushio has lived.
Beneath his feet, Uzushio sings. Both he and the village have survived. And, in the aftermath, Uzushio will continue to survive, (and he will not walk alone in a village of skeletons and ghosts; he is far from alone now).
"We'll cut through the fighting and see what's happening," Toru decides. "We'll finish each fight individually if we need, before we gather with everyone else to figure out what went down elsewhere."
(He doesn't, not for a second, consider pausing or taking longer to join the rest of his village fighting. Yes, he's fought in multiple S-ranked battles today, but he's done better than he'd expected. He's come through largely unharmed, and that's more than he can say than some. Besides, his people are fighting for Uzushio and for him; he will join them and he will fight with them because he's fighting for Uzushio and for them too.)
There's no need for a conversation about positions, (not only are they versed in falling into formation easily; but falling into position for a war is something they had gotten used to in Mizu no Kuni). Dai slips into the back position with Sora and Souma taking up flanking spots. And Toru, of course, is point.
There's no slow pace; Toru leaps into a sprint and his teammates follow him. Below him, Uzushio continues to sing; her chakra twisting and leaping with joy, and he trusts that there's not much danger left. He just has to save as many people now as he can, but Uzushio will see this battle through to the end, (Uzushio has always been a village made up of fighters and survivors; now more than most).
The battle's shifted further away from the sea now, with the clones pushing the Uzushio-nins up onto the paved stones that make up so much of their village. Of course, neither location is good for the clones. The sea is as much Uzushio's as Uzushio herself is—there is no safety, not where they know the land, (but it cannot save them all; as Toru runs, he sees fallen bodies, sees people injured and failing to stand, he sees all of this and he keeps going).
The team burst into the battle like a battering ram. Nothing can stop them. Rather than going for any close-up fighting techniques, Toru calls on his chakra and goes for wide-range jutsus, (once upon a time, he'd been noted as a front-line ANBU and had held up a fleet of ships with his team; this is not the same, but there are similarities to be found). Behind him, his team fans out with their own techniques. They don't fight alone, but together, fires boosted by wind, water followed by lightning.
Perhaps, alone, the clones would be harder to fight. But they are not alone, (they never are, not anymore—they are together, they are teammates, and they will never be driven apart). Together, they carve swathes through the army, never once pausing or stopping or hesitating.
(They can't hesitate. To hesitate is to let an Uzushio-nin get hurt, let a strike land true, let an Uzushio-nin fall. And they cannot let that happen. Toru has seen it happen before, has watched his people fall in an invasion that won—Uzushio won this time, but that does not change anything.)
The thing is, with this army of clones, is that Toru knows it's not enough to simply force them to flee. The army will be back, with or without their leaders, (and they have taken enough Uzushio blood today that Toru feels vengeful; this army dared to breach their defences; this army dared to invade Uzushio after they'd just risen from the ash). So Toru will ensure each and every one falls, and Uzushio will stand behind him, (Uzushio will always stand behind him it seems and, in the rare event that they don't, his team will be there regardless).
With every Uzushio ninja that they pass, every Uzushio-nin they save, every one who sees them, the group at Toru's back grows. At first, it had been his ANBU team. Then another ANBU team joined, then two jōnins who'd been fighting together. Quickly, Toru ends up leading an army of his own.
(The world has seen armies before. It has seen many of them, though ninjas usually prefer brief skirmishes and sabotage. This, however, is a first because never before has an army not contained just one village, but four. The force Toru leads is largely made up of Uzushio-nins, but his allies—both Otogakure and Kirigakure—have joined, and there are Konoha-nins too. This is a first for this world, and it had been thought impossible. But that was before Toru.)
Toru spearheads the group, his team flanking him, and the others follow along behind him in a wedge formation. Every step brings them closer to the end of the battle and Toru doesn't even think about it, just thinks about that next attack, that next step, that next move.
However, the clone army is not infinite, even if it felt that way at times. Eventually, Toru stops, standing with only his people and his allies at his back, and the sea crashes against the shore, calm and steady and empty.
"We've won."
The words come from behind him, whispered ones, hopeful ones. Except this isn't just something born of hope, this is knowledge—they have won. There's no question about it. They've won.
Toru breathes out and looks around. It feels- feels impossible. There's no village dying, no people running, (no worrying about whether they'll make it or if they're all going to die). Beneath his feet, Uzushio continues to sing, proud.
There will be those injured and those dead. Toru knows that. But they haven't all died and he is alive and so are those he loves, and it's almost impossible to think of anything else in this moment.
Turning away from the sea, Toru glances around at all his people, (and they aren't all his, but he fought with them and they fought for Uzushio and for now, in the aftermath of this battle, they are his). "This war has been won," he agrees. "See to your own injuries, and the injuries of those around you. There's a chance that some of you might be needed elsewhere. Report to your commanders and whoever you must. If you're prepared to continue working even though the war has been won, report to where the council is meeting. If a few of you could start spreading the word to meet, that would be good. Otherwise, there's areas to rest. If you don't know where, ask around. Someone will be able to lead you there or provide room."
Toru nods, dismissing them, but they stick together and he's not surprised. After all, where do you go from this, now that the war's been won and there's nothing left to do? What comes next? Still, he can't stick around, can't check on each of his individual ninjas—not right now. Later, though. He'll do it later, of course.
But first he has to be the Uzukage that he is. He can't leave his people without orders. There's… a lot to organise.
(How strange to think that this is the first time Toru will be organising the aftermath of a battle. Many times has in fought in it, one time has he died in it, and now he will lead everyone through the end.)
"Sora, can you do a quick sweep and spread the news that the council will meet at EA1?"
Sora nods, though the set of her mouth reveals her unhappiness. He's not surprised. He knows his team will want to stick close, but he also knows that the only ones he'll really be directing will be the ANBU and his team for now. Most of the others will be doing other heavy lifting, but that's something he'll discuss with the council.
Then Sora is gone, lost amongst everyone else, and Toru leads his team towards the first emergency assemble point which is where the council will be gathering.
Dai's… Well. Dai's not entirely sure how to feel now that the battle's over. The war has been won, that much is clear, though she knows that Toru has much left to do, (and she knows that she will not rest, nor will Sora and Souma, until Toru rests).
It's different to how she felt when Kiri's war had come to a conclusion. That, too, hadn't felt real—but that had been a long drawn out thing that never seemed to end. This had been an invasion, (and that knowledge had sent panic thudding through Dai's body because she grew up running and running and running; a war lost still trailing in her footsteps—but she hadn't been as panicked as Toru who had died in the first invasion, had died and seen Uzushio die with him). An invasion that is now over and Dai feels that in her bones.
But the invasion had been for the jinchūriki and that… Uzushio had never had any jinchūrikis, not until Toru called his people home and they came too. Last time, the invasion had been targeting Uzushio for the power they could bring to the warfront. There is no war, not this time.
Just Uzushio, still standing, triumphant in the face of an invasion that threatened to destroy her. Now there is what comes after. There is always what comes after and Toru will see it through, (and so will his team, of course, because they will always stand at his back).
Some of the council members are already at the meeting point when they get there. The meeting point itself is the area where the education, business, and main shopping districts meet. Most of Uzushio has no idea the importance of this area, only know that it's one of the fall-back points in case of emergencies. Technically, Dai should have no knowledge either, but Toru is her captain and her leader, (and there are less secrets between them than perhaps there should be; but Toru trusts them with his secrets and Uzushio's secrets and Dai will never betray that trust). Thus, Dai knows that the square has seals written into its foundations for defensive and offensive purposes. She might not know what those seals do exactly, but she doesn't need to.
Dai doesn't know the chakra signatures of the council members to identify whether they're coming or not. However, she can sense that there are multiple people heading their direction and she signs that information to Toru, who nods in response. He waits a few minutes longer, during which time another four council members appear, and then he begins.
It's an informal council. There's no table, no chairs, nothing. It's just them, gathered together, with Uzushio still standing around them.
"It's good to see all of you," Toru says. "And we've won the war, but there is still much to do. The priority is to get into contact with those not here and the jinchūrikis."
"I can get started on that," Jūrō Asano, Clan Head of the Asano Clan, says. "The jinchūrikis won't be too difficult to find. I'm assuming the council members not here are the ones you want to check on?"
Toru nods. "Yes, sans the civilians," he says. "If you can, find out their status and get back to me." Dai glances over the group and tries to identify who's missing. A couple of the Clan Heads are, though they don't always have to attend. Kazue Takahashi, who leads the Seal Surveillance Department, isn't here and nor are some of those in charge of education, but Fuyuko Uzumaki—Ninja Academy Headmistress—is here. The Jōnin Corps leader, Atsuko Asano, is also missing. Other than, it looks like everyone's here, even Tomoe. Dai has no idea how the civilian's even here. Then again, it is Tomoe and Tomoe seems capable of doing whatever she wants to. No one could stop her—no one but Toru, that is.
Jūrō leaves without another word. It makes sense that she offered to go. After all, the Clan Heads are less important for this council meeting than some of the other positions. Atsuko will likely be needed, same with Kazue. That said, Kazue's second in command, Tazu Kuroda, is here.
"Priority at the moment," Toru begins, "is ensuring that Uzushio's defences are back up and running at full strength. Tazu-san, can you see who you can rummage up to check over our barrier seals? Also, do you know what happened to Kazue-san?"
"Kazue-san was injured," Tazu responds. "But she's going to be fine. Since I was around, I figured I could step in for her. I can get started on those seals as soon as possible. Did you want us to deal with the whirlpools as well?"
"Standard check of the system," Toru says. "Organise to launch an extensive check as soon as possible of all seals too." In response, Tazu nods. Continuing, Toru says, "What we also need is a good patrol set up. I know that a lot of ninjas are going to be tired, so try to have it by volunteering if possible. Ahorōtoru-san, get the ANBU running close-up patrols. I want one along the clifftop route, passageway route, and close-harbour route. I'll try to get a list of jōnin who'll be willing to help out as well."
"I can get that going for you," Hachirō, Nanami Clan Head, says, and Toru nods to him in gratitude.
"As you command, Uzukage-sama," Ahorōtoru says, and Dai catches the subtle gestures as she signs something. However, it's not directed at Toru, but at his team. It's a quick ask for a check-up on Toru's condition.
Dai doesn't smile, though she almost does. Toru's not just Uzushio's, after all, but also the ANBU's. He cares for them and he's their ANBU Commander, (he sees them as people and individuals, understands the division between ANBU and the person behind the mask more than most would, and so they won't just die for him and Uzushio, but see him looked after too). "No check-up yet," Dai signs back. "Just battle-ready status."
At that, Ahorōtoru doesn't quite frown—with a mask it's kind of hard to—but her chakra flares a tiny bit, and she signs a message to an ANBU who appears as a result. Dai knows that Toru sees what's going on and knows what's going on, but that he's letting them do it anyway. Knowing him, he probably wants all of them seen by a medic.
"The second priority is our hospitals. Megumi-san, Rikku-san, what are they looking like at the moment? And what do we know of the on-site first aid spots?" Toru continues.
Megumi launches a response, "We're at high capacity. We have space for the worst injuries, but everyone not dealing with surgeries or major wounds are being dealt without outside of the hospital. The main problem isn't the supplies or the space, those are things we could deal with. We just don't have the workers to deal with all the wounded coming in through our doors."
"However," Rikku interjects, "latest information from the battlefield shows that we might be able to deal with this latest influx. Especially as our own medics are reporting back in and we're getting any aid we can from all those who know small bits of aid. Not to mention, the Oto- and Kiri-nins who just arrived and know iryō ninjutsu have leapt to help us too."
Dai isn't surprised to see Rikku at the council meeting. Rikku may be a civilian, like Tomoe, but she's a medic and she refused to go. None of the civilian medics had gone, as far as Dai had known. She imagines it had been hard to convince any of the civilians to go. Uzushio is their home and they would fight for it too, if given the chance.
(They came home to Uzushio. Uzushio fell and her people were left wandering, left homeless, and then the call came—come home, Toru said and Uzushio said and the world said. Come home. This is their second chance, this is Uzushio rebuild, Uzushio surviving. If given the opportunity, all of them would fight. They are not going to let Uzushio fall again.)
Nodding in agreement, Megumi continues, "The battlefield medic-sites are still ongoing. However, we've slowly started moving people onwards towards the main hospital. But…"
"I know," Toru says, voice soft and quiet and gentle. He probably does know, Dai thinks, how it feels to watch lives slip away even while you try your best to see them live on. "We'll keep doing our best. I'm certain anyone who can give aid are heading your way. I'll do what I can to make sure those who are injured make their way to the hospital."
There are things they don't say, Dai knows. She can only imagine the medics who are working ceaselessly, never stopping in their quest to save more lives. There will be many scars after this, many wounds, but people will be alive and that's the best possible outcome sometimes. The medics will likely work until they no longer can, collapsing on rolled out mats and blankets and in offices, out of the way. She knows this is what they will be doing, just as she knows that Toru will make his way to the hospital the moment he can, (he will offer his aid to the injured, his comfort to the dying).
"We can start getting the civilians back out into Uzushio," Toru says, moving on after rubbing a hand over his eyes. His voice sounds gritty, hard, and the toll of the long battle is becoming clear. "I know—it's not a pretty sight, but this is Uzushio. This is their home."
"I can get onto that," Arata says. "The genins can probably be used for messengers as well. And," he glances at Toru, "we can start identifying areas requiring structural building and start moving rubble."
"Pair them up with a chūnin if possible," Toru says. "Make sure they're not about to overwork themselves."
"We don't need more people in the hospital after all," Megumi says, causing laughter. It's probably a bad joke, all in all, but it still lightens the atmosphere, (they are ninjas; they deal with death like it's an old friend).
There's a set to Toru's shoulders that Dai reads. She steels herself, knowing that what will come will be hard. "We will also need to retrieve the bodies and prepare for funeral rites," he says. "I know, I know, it'll be hard. But we won't be doing it alone."
(Dai… had forgotten, that Toru came here alone. Toru came to Uzushio, came to the place where he died, saw the bodies where his people had fallen. Bones and bones and bones. She can't imagine all the skeletons that Toru had seen. He had been here alone and mourned his people alone and had a funeral for all his people alone.)
If they were alone, if appearances of strength were a little bit less important, Dai would press forward and pull Toru into a hug. This is not the time for it though. Later. Later. She clings to it, just as she knows both Sora and Souma do as well.
"I'll start work on that," Michi says, shoulders set and face determined.
"And I'm sure many will join you," Haruko, Mizushima Clan Head, says. "Myself among them."
"Thank you," Toru says. "Then, other than the construction work that can be determined later, there is only the prisoners and surrender terms to be negotiated. And that will be mine to deal with. I will create a first draft of the terms for the surrender."
There's a lot of work to be done, but not all of it rests on Toru's shoulders. Much of it, in fact, has been delegated. Not to say that it won't be hard work, but at least Toru isn't dealing with all of it. "That will be all for now," Toru says. "I'll start taking the most important reports in."
"I'll screen them," Fuyuko Uzumaki says, arms folded. "There'll be many and you only need to take the most important in. What's the plan for our allies as well? Everything's going to go on for a few more days."
"Clan Compounds haven't been hit badly," Moe, Clan Head for the Kaito Clan, says. "We can host some people. Even then, much of the fighting has been along the beach rather than further back in residential areas. We might have enough space for them, but it might be squished."
"We can also put up tents and whatnot in the training grounds," Atsuko says. "It won't be hard, we have the supplies."
Toru breathes out, slow and steady and calm. "Alright," he says. "You all know what you're doing, let's get to work!"
With that, the council quickly disperses to their various jobs. Ahorōtoru stays just long enough to see a medic appear before she's gone to deal with the ANBU that Toru cannot directly give orders to, trapped as he is as Uzukage.
"Before you do anything," Souma says. "Get checked out by a medic-nin." For a heartbeat, Toru clearly hesitates, wanting to get to work but wanting to listen to his teammates. "Please." It's the please that sells it, as Toru nods, turning towards the medic-nin.
In theory, Dai could definitely run a diagnostic jutsu over all of them, but with how her focus is starting to waver, she doesn't want to risk missing something delicate and almost impossible to identify.
"Nothing major to note," the medic-nin reports, (and Dai's somewhat surprised that it's not Shōta here, who always seems to step up to Toru's side whenever a medic-nin is needed, but she imagines that he's busy with a number of other things). "I'd recommend rest whenever possible but…"
Toru smiles and doesn't respond. They all know that there's more work to do and not much rest to be found, not yet. It's… weird. To see how alright Toru is and to know how she's largely uninjured. The invasion hadn't been that bad. It had been pretty far from bad, actually. Dai had thought it would end worse. She'd thought there'd be more death but… They'd gone up against S-rank ninjas and had their own S-ranks too. In the end, Uzushio had triumphed, (long live Uzushio).
Dai had thought they'd come out way worse. She felt like the last battle in Kiri's civil war had been worse than this. Kiri isn't Uzushio though and they had enough time to form their own defences. Perhaps it makes sense.
"Could you check the rest of my team over?" Toru asks, pulling Dai from her thoughts.
The medic-nin nods and quickly gets to work. "You're all pretty much the same," they say when they're done. "Nothing worth healing, not with how everything else is at the moment. I'd definitely recommend getting rest and avoid using chakra-intensive jutsus as you're close to chakra exhaustion."
"Thank you," Toru says.
The medic-nin bows. "Thank you," they say and then they're gone.
Dai glances at Sora and Souma, sees them as they stand, proud and alive and tired. Toru, too, is the same. She's certain they all long for their home and being able to rest. She also knows that there's much to do and Toru can't rest yet. So none of them will either. Thankfully, Toru doesn't ask them to, just smiles soft and easy. Then, softly, he says, "Love you."
They don't have time to return the words, as Toru turns away to where others have been waiting for his attention. That's alright though. Toru knows they love him and they stand with him, even though they could rest. Love is more than just words.
The first non-council ninja to step forward is Utakata. The jinchūriki looks tired, not bags under his eyes tired, but his stance showed his exhaustion, (Toru remembers how he looked after battles in Mizu no Kuni, the way you got tired physically from a fight, as well as mentally from a long-drawn out war; at least one of those can be avoided here). "Utakata," Toru says, smiling. "It's good to see you." Good to see him alive and looking content for the most part.
"And you," Utakata replies, eyes sweeping the group to include Toru's teammates. After all, they had all fought together, such ties aren't easily forgotten. "I can report that all the Akatsuki have been dealt with. All the jinchūrikis are fine too, no major injuries or anything, just general weariness. Han confirmed Hidan's death and, of course, you dealt with Sasori alongside Rōshi. The Konoha-nins mentioned that Deidara was also killed. One of the Konoha-nins got Kisame to agree to stop fighting, potentially to join Kiri."
"Thank you," Toru says. "You're dismissed. Get some rest."
A smile pulls at Utakata's lips, "If you do," he says. In response, Toru can't help but laugh. He knows that he won't be resting for a while, and clearly Utakata is of the same mind. If they can keep helping Uzushio, then they will do so.
"I've got another report for you," Fuyuko says. "ANBU have got four prisoners at the moment. Konan and Nagato willing to form a treaty for Amegakure, Kisame willing to join Kirigakure, and someone who's still fighting and kept sealed for now."
Toru nods. "Souma, see if you can receive Yagura-san and whoever let the Kiri-nins here. Hand them off to," he looks around and spots Akira, who he waves over, "Akira-san." Souma nods and disappears. "Akira-san, do you mind just staying with Yagura-san and another Kiri-nin for a bit? I'll be able to deal with them shortly, depending on how these things go."
"Of course, Uzukage-sama," Akira answers.
"Sora, Dai, with me," Toru says. "We're going to check on the sealed-nin first." He remembers the seals that he'd seen, (that Uzushio had shown him). He knows that he laid down a seal that sealed away the shinobi's chakra. But that didn't destroy the seal, pretty far from it in fact. "Speaking of," he glances around, and spots Haruko Mizushima, "we're going to need a specialised seal master."
In a few steps, he crosses the courtyard and reaches Haruko's side. "Uzukage-sama?" The Mizushima says, somewhat confused, pausing in his conversations with other ninjas. "Is there something I can help with?"
"I need someone who specialises in slavery seals," Toru says. "I've got a ninja with a seal on his heart. I sealed his chakra for now, but I'm worried there's a slavery aspect involved, if not one explicitly linked to mind control."
(Toru knows his team can hear his words, knows that both Sora and Souma have suffered by slavery seals. He… regrets putting them through this, knows that it won't be easy to hear this, but at least they're not alone. He'll just have to keep a close eye on them for the next few days.)
"I know someone who might be able to help," Haruko answers, horror almost perfectly hidden. "Where do you want me to send them?"
Toru signals an ANBU who appears beside him. "Zebu-san will be able to lead them to where they need to be," he says. Zebu nods at him. The ANBU's been hanging around his back, likely on guard duty, but with so many ANBU currently moving about, Toru's able to give them various orders as the need arises. It also means they're close enough to hear what's happening and understand what Toru wants even without detailed orders.
Kisame can be dealt with second and the masked-nin last. Kisame's case should be fairly easy but the masked-nin will likely cause a number of problems. Nagato and Konan, on the other hand, have agreed to a surrender so there's just the terms to deal with. Toru just needs to identify some basic terms and gain an agreement to having future alliance discussions. Considering that both Konan and Nagato are trapped here, and Nagato had mentioned a desire for peace, Toru has high hopes.
(This is Uzushio, a village that survived on hope for a long time, Toru has reason to be hopeful in the face of everything. Uzushio won this battle, how could he not be hopeful?)
The prisoners have likely been taken to the holding rooms in the district that contains the Uzukage Office rather than being taken down past ANBU HQ or even to the general prisoners. The former are out of action with so many ANBU out on duty and not guarding the prison cells and Toru doesn't know what the status is of the latter.
Souma meets them near the entrance, slotting neatly into the formation. As he picks his way through rooftops, it feels rather… quiet. It's the absence of battle noise, which he'd gotten used to over the last few hours. In its place, the silence almost feels heavy, suspenseful. Toru knows he's not waiting for another attack, but he feels like it should be.
(There are few things to be thankful for. The fact the battle stayed on the edges of Uzushio is certainly one. Toru does not need to pick his way across bloody streets, doesn't need to see corpses everywhere he looks. Toru died in an invasion, but the differences are clear between that one and this one. It doesn't make everything perfect, but it helps keep him present more than many other things.)
"I'll speak with them," Toru tells his team. "Guard formation only please. Don't interfere unless it's necessary."
Dai is the only one to outwardly frown at that, but the trio are willing enough to vanish into the shadows. It's understandable they don't want to let Toru step further out of their reach, he wants to be close to them too. However, he's Uzukage here and he must appear so, battle-weary as he is.
The battle has been won. The invading forces have lost. Now, there is only the aftermath to deal with and it is no little thing.
Slowly we're getting closer and closer to the end. I foresee a chapter or two left for the aftermath, then some more closing conversations and whatnot which might take a few chapters, and then the final chapter. But we will see.
The council meeting was challenging because some names you know and some you don't. If you have any questions about who's who, feel free to ask. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed. Also Tomoe was so there. I don't know how, but she was there. Tomoe has her ways.
Don't have too much to say for this chapter actually, as it's all pretty straight forward. I hope you enjoyed though!