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Chapter 75: The Strength of The Will of Fire
Normal P.O.V.
On the other side of the battlefield, and on top of the Ten Tails' head, Obito and Madara stare down at their opponents with disinterest.
"Obito," Madara calls out, "I don't know about you, but I'm done entertaining these… people,"
"Agreed. We can no longer waist time on them. I suggest we end things quickly,"
"Naruto Uzumaki," Madara calls out, "Although you have put up a decent fight, this ridiculous struggle shall end here. You may outnumber us, but victory is not in your future. No matter how hard you struggle or how much you strategize, you will not win this war,"
"In this world, there is no hope. The sooner you get that through your dense head, the sooner you can accept your fate," Obito glares.
"I don't care about anything you're saying! Even if I must be the only hope that shines in this world, as long as I live, THIS WORLD WILL NOT END!" Naruto yells. "Everyone! You know what to do!"
"Yes!"
With Naruto's encouraging words, the Allied Shinobi rush into action. First, they use their lightning and wind jutsus to cut off their detection. Then, combining the elements of water, earth, and fire, they succeed in immobilizing it in a sand pit below the ground. Now, with the command from the Intelligence Headquarters, everyone jumps into the pit. The goal is to cut off the brains, namely Obito and Madara, from the rest of the body. If they can manage this, then they can turn the tide of war in their favor. Unfortunately, their opponents caught on too soon.
"Look at this pathetic attempt, Obito,"
"I can see that. Quite the spectacle. Too bad it's all in vain,"
"It matters not. The Ten-Tails is finally ready for its final transformation,"
"Already? Then that means we don't have a lot of time before we begin to lose control over it,"
"Do not concern yourself with such trivial things. I have already prepared us for that moment. You see, young one, the key to controlling this beast is a vessel. And the only vessel that is powerful enough for our plan to succeed is the blond idiot fox leading the Alliance Forces,"
"Naruto Uzumaki? You can't be serious,"
"Ah, but I am. Despite him being an idiot, he is quite the power being. We need his Will of Fire and strength, combined with the power of the Nine-Tails, if we expect to win this war,"
Thinking over Madara's words, Obito can only sigh and stand back from the lead, "I can only pray that you know what you're doing, Madara,"
"If you haven't already discovered this by now, then you're a bigger fool than I imagined. Now, watch as I show you what true control over power can do,"
The two older felines stand back and watch as the Allied Shinobi Forces unleash their ultimate jutsu. However, it only ends in disaster. As their attacks are unleased, the Ten Tails opens its tails and shoots them out of the ground. The forced of its attack is so powerful that sends everyone plummeting to the ground. While this is happening, the Ten Tails lets out an ear-piercing scream. Everyone covers their sensitive ears to protect themselves.
"What's happening?!" Sakura screams.
"I don't know but look at it!" Hinata screams back and points towards the massive beast.
The Ten-Tails continues to scream, as if it is in excruciating pain.
"Quick, reinforce your control over it by fussing more of Hashirama cells to it,"
Obito does as he's told and forms a more stable link with the beast, "Now, let's show them true despair!"
After their power link has been reestablished, the Ten-Tails opens its mouth and launches a series of attacks in the form of large, red crystals.
"Everyone! We have to find a way to stop them!" Sasuke yells.
"Earth-style users! Summon Earth Walls to try and deflect its attacks!" Shikamaru commands.
"Yes!"
Several Earth Walls appear and manage to deflect some of the crystals. But they couldn't stop the next string of attacks. Bringing its tails down, the Beast swats at the Allied Forces. Neji, Hinata, and the rest of their clan uses their Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation to stop most of the attacks.
"Naruto-kun! Please continue to do your best to lead us to victory!" Hinata says.
"Yes, you are the key to our victory. You must survive," Neji adds.
"They are becoming extremely annoying," Obito sighs.
"Do not allow them to get under your skin. Instead, plan our next move carefully. Let's deliver them a crushing blow,"
"I shall deliver unto them a crushing blow. Crushing Sprigs!"
Suddenly, the Ten Tails raises its tails and shoots out black sprigs. Everyone gaps as they hit and kill most of the Allied Shinobi.
"What is going on?!" Naruto screams as he sees his fellow commands dying before his eyes.
"Naruto-kun watch out!" Hinata says before standing before him with her arms stretched out.
"Hinata!" Neji yells before he does the same, using his body to protect both Naruto and Hinata.
"BIG BROTHER NEJI! NO!" "NEJI NO!" Both Naruto and Hinata scream with tears in their eyes.
"Father, I now understand what it is like to be free. Free to make the decision to die for your comrades. Free to be a willing wall of strength for my friends. Thank you, father, I look forward to uniting with you in the Heavens,"
Neji takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, waiting for the sprigs to pierce his flesh only to be surprised when it doesn't come. Opening his eyes, Neji looks around to see Sasuke standing before him with Susanoo surrounding them.
"Sasuke?"
"Are you alright, Neji?" Sasuke asks while glaring straight ahead.
"Yes, but why did you save me? I was ready to die to protect Naruto,"
"A foolish death if you ask me,"
"How dare you~"
"I should be saying the same thing. It's slowly becoming known that Naruto is my mate. And if you were to die, I'll never hear the end of it. Besides, I couldn't live with myself knowing that I could have saved you. We may have never gotten along or been close friends, but thanks to Naruto, I can see value in others' lives,"
"Hn. It seems that Naruto has changed you," Neji smirks.
"I can say the same for you. Let's continue this fight together,"
Sasuke releases his Susanoo in time for Naruto and Hinata to run towards them.
"Oh, Big Brother, I was so worried about you," Hinata cries into Neji's chest.
"There, there. It's alright. I'm still here," he smiles as he pats her head.
She takes a step back while whipping her tears away with a smile. She then walks up to Sasuke and takes his hand in here, "Thank you for saving him. I am forever in your debt,"
A small blush appears on Sasuke's cheeks as he turns his head and pulls his hand away, "It's nothing. I was just protecting a comrade is all,"
"Neji, Sasuke, give me one good reason I shouldn't strangle the both of you," Naruto glares with tears in his eyes and clenched fists.
"What is the matter with you now?" Sasuke sighs with his arms crossing.
"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with me?! You two could have been killed to protect me! How can I not be upset!"
"Calm down you idiot. Everything was fine. Susanoo is practically impenetrable. We were fine. There's nothing to worry about,"
"Nothing to worry about?! Sasuke Uchiha, you are the most reckless piece of ass I've ever met!"
As the coupe continues to argue, Hinata and Neji just stand back and laugh.
"I am profoundly grateful for Sasuke saving me. It's moments like this that I would have missed the most,"
"Yes. They are truly a match made by the Heavens. I'm happy for them," Hinata smiles sadly.
"And what are you smiling about?! You're not off the hook yet either, buster," Naruto glares as he continues to shake Sasuke.
"I expect nothing less. I shall take any punishment with pride,"
Naruto finally sighs, trying to calm himself, as he lets Sasuke go to hug Neji, "Just promise me you will stop being so reckless. I… don't want to lose you… You're too important to me,"
Neji smiles as he hugs his friend back, "You may hate me for saying this, but if given the option, I would sacrifice myself a hundred times for your sake. I guess I'm not the genius you called me after all,"
"Neji~"
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, but I would do the same as Brother Neji,"
"Hinata~"
"When are you going to get it through your thick head, almost everyone here would do the same for you. You don't know what power you hold. It's not just Kurama's power, but your ability to change and accept people for who they are that makes people go the extra mile for you. As I have said to Neji, we may not be close. But it is due to your power to save people that we can come together and protect each other and you. You are the most important part in this war. Now, let's finish this and go home already," Sasuke says.
Wiping his tears, Naruto mouths the words, "I love you," to his mate before standing tall with his friends.
"How positively sickening," Obito says. "All this talk of friendship and love, makes me want to vomit. So, what if one of your friends survived our attack. Look around you! Lok at all your other comrades' corpses laying at your feet. Do you call this a victory? What happened to "I'll never let my commands die,"? Was that a lie to convenience yourself that you will win this war? Are you proud of yourself?"
Looking around and grasping the reality of the situation, Naruto falls to his knees and grips his head, trying to block out Obito's words.
"No. It can't be! How could let this happen?! What can I do?! How am I going to save everyone else?!"
"Naruto, stand up," Sasuke calls out to his mate. "Stand up and stand tall. Stop letting them get inside of your head. We both knew before we entered this war that lives would be lost. We may have gotten lucky and not too many people we know are dead. This war is not over. Anything can happen. Buit nothing will happen if you decide to keep letting them get to you, got it,"
Staring up at his proud mate, Naruto takes a deep breath to calm himself before reaching for his mate's hand and standing beside him.
"Thanks, Sasuke. I owe you so much,"
"When did his hands become so big? I don't remember them being so… large and comforting," Sasuke thinks to himself.
"I've had enough of this," Obito growls with his hand stretched out, commanding the Ten Tails into a defensive pose.
"You're going to hurt yourself and it!"
"I don't care! Now rain down hell, my beast!"
From its defensive stance, the Ten Tails readies for another Tailed-Beast Ball attack. Above it, Sai and B fly in on one of Sai's drawn birds.
"Recharge complete!" B yells as he jumps off and transforms into his Eight-Tail form. Simultaneously, both Tailed-Beast ready their attacks. However, B is quicker and uses a smaller various of his Tailed-Beast Ball attack to deflect the Ten-Tail's first one. Once successful, B enters through its mouth and unleashes a larger one, blowing the dangerous beast up from the inside out. After the attack, B is sent plummeting to the ground and lands in a makeshift crater.
"B! Are you alright?!" Naruto calls out.
"I'm alright, my guy. Protecting everyone is my territory,"
After realizing his friend is ok, Naruto takes a deep. Neji and Hinata walk up to him and place their hands on his back for support.
"Thank you, everyone. Now, let's finish this war," Naruto says while activating his Nine-Tails Sage Mode.
"Ah, it sems you have grasped the technique of transferring my charka well,"
"Kurama! You're recharged too! Great, let's show these assholes what we're made of!"
With a large amount of confidence and Kurama's chakra flowing through us, Naruto releases Sasuke's hand to form his Shadow Clone Jutsu. After summoning four Naruto clones, the original commands them to spread out and transfer his chakra to all the Allied Forces.
"You're a bit late, Naruto," Shikamaru smirks as they smack hands.
"You can hit me for it later," the clone says as he continues onward to the others.
As Naruto transfers his chakra to his comrades, everyone cheers with their strength and Will of Fire revived. Seeing their new resolve and their hope increasing, Obito tries to launch another attack.
"Oh no you don't! Expansion Jutsu!"
Three males of the bear Akimichi clan use their unique jutsu to increase their sizes and grab the beast's tails. Using this opportunity, the Nara clan launches their Shadow Possession Jutsu to bind both Obito and the Ten Tails. With them being immobile, Ino uses her Mind Transfer Jutsu to enter Obito's mind.
"Naruto! Please continue to fill us with your most powerful youth!" Lee cheers as he receives his power surge.
"We don't have much time, Naruto. Are you almost done?" Kurama asks.
"Almost. Just give me a little more time,"
Kurama smirks as he watches his son work. As he sits back, Kurama reflects on Minato and Kushina, Minato, Kushina, you both are pathetic. Neither of you can compare to the Will of Fire nor the strength Naruto possesses,"
"HEY, YOU NO GOOD FOX BITCH! I CAN STILL HEAR YOU; YA KNOW!" Kushina yells from their subconscious plane, "But you're right. We are pathetic. I never realized my dreams of becoming the first female Hokage. Instead, I choose to stand beside Minato as he took on the role of Hokage and dreamt of raising my son. Sadly, I didn't get to realize that dream either. Fortunately, I could use you to pass the strength and lessons I wanted to pass onto my son. Minato and I always knew he was going to save the world someday. I'm only fortunate I get to be here for that… even if it is in spirit,"
"Hm. It's funny that a spirit like you can still have dreams such as this. However, I too share this dream. And, as long as I am still breathing, I shall see this boy's journey until the end,"
"Kurama, stop spacing out! I'm ready to attack now,"
"Good than, let's get started,"
From their position on top of the Ten-Tail's head, Madara turns his head to look at a frustrated Obito, "You look like your struggling,"
"Shut up. No one asked for your pity. I am doing fine on my own,"
"Not from where I'm standing, you're not. Here, allow mw to aid you. I simply do not have more time to waste here," Madara uses a hand sign to transfer some of his chakra into Obito, increasing his strength, "There. Now, do not let me down any further,"
Readying themselves for the next wave of attacks. The Allied Forces combine their various jutsus to deal a powerful blow to their opponents.
"You're going down!" Naruto yells.
All the Allied Forces use some of their most powerful jutsus in a group attack. Even though they manage to hit the beast and its "brains", effectively separating the three.
"Well, this is quite the predicament you've placed us in, Obito. I wonder what you have planned next,"
"DO NOT MOCK ME, OLD MAN! I AM IN COMPLETE CONTROL! NOW STAND BACK AND WATCH ME TAKE CONTROL OF THIS FIGHT!"
Obito and Marara summons their Fire Style: Majestic Flower Flame Jutsus. Sasuke and Kakashi summon their Susanoos for protection. Naruto's Chakra Cloak protects the ones that the Susanoos can't reach. Frustrated, Obito summons a storm of kunai. With their Susanoos' strength and Naruto's wind element, they push back the attack. After the dust clears, only Madara remains standing.
"Where did he go?" Naruto asks while scanning the battlefield.
"Naruto! Above you!" Kakashi yells out.
Looking up at just the right time, Naruto manages to dodge Obito's attack.
"It seems you've grown weaker, Naruto. Come, why don't you stop playing these games and join us. Together, we can bring peace to this world and start over,"
"Forget it! There's nothing in this world that will make me EVER side with you bastards!" Naruto yells before rushing into an attack. Obito dodges but is quickly intercepted by Sasuke and Kakashi. Bringing his sword down, Sasuke tries to slice off Obito's arm while Kakashi uses his Chidori to pierce his chest. Obito activates his Kaumi ability and causes the two to attack each other. Luckly, both were able to escape the other's attacks with minor damage.
"You alright, Sasuke?"
"Yeah. But I plan on killing that sneaky feline here in a minute," he pants.
"Enough playing, Naruto. It's time to be a good fox and come with us," Madara says, appearing behind Naruto.
Everyone gasps as Naruto turns around to face Madara, "BRAT! DON'T LOOK HIM IN THE EYES!" Kurama yells.
But it was too late. By time Naruto turns around to face him, Madara gains control over Naruto's mind and body.
"That's a good fox boy. Now, why don't you turn around and destroy some of your friends for me, eh?"
Doing as he was commanded; Naruto turns around to face his allies with a blank stare.
"Naruto? Hey, baka, snap out of it will ya," Sasuke calls out in a terrified voice.
"Naruto stop, you're scaring us,"
Unresponsive to his mate and friends, Naruto leaps forward and smashes his fists into the ground, creating a powerful blast and crater in his wake. Everyone's hearts thump against their chest at the realization that their most powerful comrade has been taken over by Madara. Not knowing what to do, they try not to fight back as hard to avoid hurting him. Unfortunately, Naruto was not doing the same. With his chakra hands and tails, he slashed through most of his allies like a knife through butter. Unbothered by the blood spilling over him, Naruto continues his rampage. Shikamaru tries to restrain him with his Shadow Possession Jutsu while others attack him.
"Stop! Don't hurt him! He's being controlled!" Sakura pleads.
"Sorry Sakura, but we have to do something or else he'll kill us all," Kiba says while trying to fight one of his best friends.
"Naruto! You must stop, please! Naruto!" Sakura tries to call out, but nothing works, "Sasuke-kun, we have to do something. Either they're going to hurt him or he's going to kill us. Sasuke-kun?"
"Shut up! I'm trying to think," he yells while grabbing his hair.
Watching his mate attack their friends and allies tears Sasuke up inside. What could he do? He can't fight his alpha, but if he didn't then they were all in serious trouble.
"I have to do something before it gets too bad,"
Naruto continues to rip through the Allied Shinobi until he is stopped by a large object. Coming face to face with Sasuke's Susanoo, a feral Naruto tries his best to penetrate it. When he is unsuccessful, Naruto jumps backwards and lands in front of Madara and Obito.
"Oh Sasuke. My poor, misguided, childlike Sasuke Uchiha. You disappoint me and our clan. The fact that you haven't mastered how to control the Nine Tails or its vessel with your Sharingan, especially in its more advanced stages, is the greatest insult. It seems you were meant to be nothing more than a mistake,"
"You're right. I am a mistake. Both Itachi and I were never meant to uphold the Uchiha's expectations, especially is this is what is expected of us. But one thing you will not do is stand here and insult me in front of all these people and Naruto. I am not a child. I am a man who will stand up for what is right and protect those around me. Now, release Naruto before I kill you. I want him to watch as I take both your lives,"
"Tough talk from an Uchiha Omega Bitch. Fine than, I shall bring about the demise of both you and your "friends". And I shall do that, with the help of your mate. Now, Naruto Uzumaki, destroy everyone and everything in your path,"
Naruto releases a loud, ear-piercing roar, causing almost everyone to quiver in their sandals. Sasuke is no different; he just hides it better. The thought of fighting his powerful alpha until either of them are dead… brings great terror to the young feline. His only hope now, is to pray for a miracle.
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To Be Continued…
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Author's Note:
Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I don't know how much more I can keep apologizing for the delays in updates, but I guess I'll keep counting lol. Anyway, I want to know what everything thinks so far. I know that this is much different from what was cannon, especially about Neji's death. I love hearing from you guys about the progress of the story. Drop me a pm and I'll respond as soon as I can. Love you guys!