Chapter Fifty-One
The reunion with Kushina and the command staff should have been a joyous one for Minato, especially now that he was back in proper form. Unfortunately, this is not a social call and we're up to our eyebrows in shit! Shikaku Nara had reviewed with the group the dire situation here in the Land of Sound – almost five million Zetsu creatures were about to bear down on the camp within the hour. On the Hidden Rain front, the situation was no better. Urban fighting and clearing had all but destroyed the Village Hidden in the Rain, and for all the destruction, the Shinobi Union forces were unable to push across the main bridge going east-west across the massive reservoir that bisected the village and most of the Land of the Rain.
So much death, so much destruction for so little progress. Minato didn't envy his wife the situation she found herself in charge of. No Hokage had ever faced a crisis so massive. Even in the height of the Third War, when villages were throwing genin straight from graduation into the meatgrinder, no Shinobi country had fielded a force remotely close to the size. Even the combined numbers of combatants on all sides were never larger than two million at any given time. "Are there any questions?" Shikaku asked, breaking Minato out of his thought.
"What direction are they coming from?" Naruto asked, determined as ever.
"All directions, but the main action looks like a pincer from the northwest and the southeast," Shikaku answered.
"There is also a large chakra signature approaching, albeit slowly," Inoichi added.
Naruto stared off into space, his normal sapphires turning pale until they glowed a ghostly blue-white and the blood vessels around his eyes protruded. Minato knew it wasn't normal Byakugan. Even Hiashi and Jiraiya had been at a loss to explain what happened. "It's Ten-Tails, or what part of it they've restored," Naruto nodded.
"Kushina, are you sure…" Shikaku started.
"Shikaku, if what you say is true, we're at our last stand," Minato cut him off before he stared at his wife. "I'm sorry, I sometimes forget that I'm not…"
"It's all right, love," Kushina didn't return to formality. "You'll pardon my saying so, but the odds are not in our favor of all of us surviving the coming battle." She turned back to Shikaku. "Lord Nara, is Operation Shadowhand still a go?"
"Yes," he nodded.
"I take it," Hinata broke in, "that has something to do with Shikamaru?"
"He and Team Ten are with Kankaro and Temari, trying to sneak past the enemy and seal Madara's remains before he can be reanimated."
"Why are they waiting?" Minato asked, "Clearly, it can't be long."
Orochimaru spoke up, "Without Rinnegan, reanimation jutsus can be quite unpredictable." He gestured toward the reanimated three Hokages, "Just maintaining them is quite taxing."
"I'd be more than happy to put you out of your misery," Lord Third's reanimated form spoke.
"And trying to make sure they don't kill me is equally taxing."
"How long can they maintain themselves without you?" Kushina asked.
"If the reanimator is killed or incapacitated, the subject typically will only last a few minutes."
"What about distracted?" Naruto asked.
"You got some kind of a plan, son?" Minato asked.
"They're bringing in Ten-Tails, and they're swarming all of the Zetsu-things all in one place; that might be our opportunity."
"Opportunity?" Shikaku scoffed, "Kid, I don't want to rain on your parade, but last I checked, we're outnumbered only a little better than ten-to-one!"
"Good, then we can't possibly lose," Hinata grinned slightly.
Minato chuckled slightly as his longstanding lieutenant's astonishment, "Never tell us the odds, Shikaku!"
"The kid's got spunk," Lord First turned to his brother, Lord Second.
"Balls of steel," Lord Second smirked, "I like that."
"And here I remember a young Yellow Flash and a Red Habanero Princess unsure if they were up to the task of leading the village," Lord Third smiled.
"A lot has changed since then," Kushina said, then turned to Minato, "Isn't that right, balls of steel?"
Minato shrugged, "I guess so," he grinned again. "So, tell us," he turned to Naruto and Hinata, "What's the plan?"
Temari stomach tied itself in knots as she went down her checklist. Don't get sloppy now, the world is depending on you, so don't get sloppy! She checked the o-ring seals and connectors on the rebreather pack. Father had insisted on her learning many special skills that most shinobi, except those from the Land of the Waves, would consider niche, if not completely useless. One of those skills happened to be scuba diving.
While more of a hobby than a practical skill, father encouraged her to learn the skill foreign to most Hidden Sand Shinobi, and Temari took well to learning diving, getting cave and rebreather certified at an incredibly at the age of fourteen – incredibly young. She pulled on her rig and her bailout tank, not that it would be much use.
"You almost ready, troublesome woman?" Shikamaru asked as he finished pulling on his own rig.
"You can't rush prep work," she huffed, "That's what gets people killed."
"This is true," Shikamaru replied, a hint of irony in his tone, "Kind of odd to have to take your time," he assessed his mouthpiece once last time, "when the sand is running out of the hourglass."
"Listen, crybaby!" she got up in his face, "We're going to get to the objective on time and seal him away!"
"Temari, I didn't mean to suggest…" Shikamaru stopped, perhaps understanding that further words were useless.
Are you really going to leave things like that with the real prospect that everything you love will die if you fail here? Temari softened her tone, "Look," she huffed, feeling her stomach turn upside down despite her lack of breakfast, "I'm scared, too! I know what the hell will happen if we come up short!"
"I just wish…" he sighed.
"Wish what?" she asked.
"Wish we could go back to being us," he shrugged.
Temari shook her head. After a month at war, aches were sinking into her shoulders that refused to go away. She didn't sleep but a couple hours each night, and any hope she'd had for a quick resolution ended weeks ago. Every morning for the past month, she'd wake from a restless sleep to check the casualty lists, praying she wouldn't see Shikamaru's name on it. "You and me both," she said somberly. Until last night, when they'd both been recalled for special assignment, they hadn't seen each other since arriving at the front.
"Are you two ready?" a fully geared Ino entered the tent.
"Yes," she nodded, "let's go."
Temari moved to leave, but Ino stopped her, "Hold just a second." Ino turned to Shikamaru, "Can you excuse us ladies?"
"What a pain," Shikamaru sighed, "I'll meet you down by water's edge; Asuma Sensei should already be there." He left the tent.
"Something on your mind?" Temari asked.
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Ino asked with a smirk. "Your gear looks heavy, and you know how I can tell?"
"Because you're a trained diver and an ANBU agent?" Temari didn't follow what Ino was getting at.
"No, because you've got the damn weight of the world on your shoulders. What's wrong?" Ino insisted.
"Nothing," Temari lied, hoping she'd drop the subject. Her mouth tasted sour from just thinking of the situation.
"You know I could just as easily probe your mind and extract an answer," Ino cocked up an eyebrow.
"But you wouldn't, not without my permission," Temari knew her friend too well.
"Fair enough," she shrugged, "but as the team medic, I could declare you mentally unfit for the mission."
"But you won't," Temari shot back.
"True," Ino shot her eyes to the side, slight mischief bubbling to the surface.
"But you won't let the conversation drop, will you?"
"Nope!" Ino laughed. "Now spill! Are you two having marital issues?"
"What makes you think that?" Temari felt her heart jump.
"First time in a long time I haven't caught you grabbing his ass when you think I'm not looking," Ino replied with a wink, "I get that a warzone isn't exactly great for a honeymoon, but I sense something more than that. You both are my friends, what's up?"
"Ino," Temari felt sick to her stomach at the question plaguing her, "what if I was wrong to get married so soon?"
"You seemed pretty dead-set on it during the summer, what changed?" She tilted her head in curiosity.
"We're both about to go on a mission where our odds of survival are not great," Temari finally addressed the elephant in the tent. "If I have to bury him…"
"It would be a tragic loss. You're afraid of moving on without him?"
"Very much so," she shook her head, "he made me feel things I never felt before, made me want things I didn't know I wanted…"
"Would your life be any richer had you not had them?" Ino asked.
"No," Temari replied with a shake of her head.
"Then you know that you didn't rush, and you know that you know whatever happens, you made the right choice." She chuckled, "At least you're better sorted out than Sai and myself."
"I thought you two were a couple?" Temari asked, confused.
"We… I don't know," now it was Ino's chance to sound confused.
"Don't know what exactly?" Temari asked.
"That's a long story, and sadly," Ino checked her watch, "if we don't get our asses in gear, we're going to miss the calm tide! We'll talk about it when this is over."
"Lunch at that sushi place? I'm buying." Temari spoke as they exited the tent.
They walked in silence from the camp, their black wetsuits blending with the constant shadow that blanketed the land of gloom and rain. Raindrops rippled the surface of the massive lake that divided the Village Hidden in the Rain east to west. "You two figure everything out?" Shikamaru asked.
Temari took a look at her husband, her light in the dark. "Yes, I think we did." She nodded. Temari pulled on her mask, "You ready, crybaby?"
"No, but let's get this over with," he secured his mask. They soon secured their fins and set off into the dark water. Everything will be fine. We're going to get through today, and we'll get through the day after, and the day after that.
Naruto held Hinata's hand as he scanned the approaching tsunami of enemies from a hill overlooking the camp with the strange mix of Byakugan and Sage Mode. By Shikaku's estimate, at least five million Zetsu creatures – every man, woman, and child from what had been the Land of Sound, plus the victims of trafficking – were approaching. In all directions, the lion's share by two pincers – one from the southeast, one from the northwest. The vivid detail with which he sensed the approaching horde did little to calm his nerves.
"I'd like to say I've been up against worse," Dad walked to his other side at the entrance to the valley through which the eastern wave was approaching, "but even I never faced odds this long." He said with some apprehension as he surveyed what he could with normal vision.
"You never were carrying a tailed-beast," Naruto laughed slightly. You've got this. Now is your chance to do something important!
"Or the chakra of the Sage of Six Paths," Hinata added. Her free hand rested on the hilt of the Hyūga Clan leader's sword. She squeezed his hand with her other hand. She was nervous, but also determined. If we fail today, everything we love dies; our future dies.
"Children of Prophecy," Mom's voice came from behind as she strode up the hill followed by Team Guy and the mixed team of Kakashi, Choji, Karui, Shino, and Kiba.
"What exactly was the story?" Hinata asked. "I heard Jiraiya-Sensei mention it a few times."
"Legend suggests," Mom explained, "that a child descendant of the Sage of Six Paths would come and either save the world or destroy it." She eyed him and Hinata thoughtfully, "Although, Jiraiya later told me that translation was archaic, and it possibly meant 'Children of Prophecy' instead of just one child."
Naruto turned to Hinata, "What do you say, ready to save the world?" he smiled as his thumb massaged the back of her hand. "Bet you didn't imaging doing this when you woke up this morning."
"Hell of a date," she smiled, "Just be safe with your half; otherwise, there isn't a world to save." They separated hands.
"Likewise," he said, then stared at the group, "Keep them off us if any get past," Naruto said.
"Right," the group nodded in unison.
"Follow me!" Naruto and Hinata both said at the same time as their respective escorts followed them to their starting points at opposite sides of the camp. Mom and Team Guy would protect Hinata; Dad and the mix unit would protect him. As Naruto approached the entrance to the valley to the east, he paused to ask his dad one last question, "You've done this before, any sage advice?"
Dad pulled several Kunai, and smiled, "Just keep moving, and don't stop; don't ever stop. If you find the field abandoned of enemies, you know you've won." He smiled faintly. "I never in a million years thought we'd be doing this, son."
"All right," Naruto wiped away a tear, "I love you too, Dad, but enough chick flick moments! Save it for afterwards!" Naruto focused his chakra. Ready Kurama?
"Always!" The fox grinned as its chakra surged through Naruto. Naruto closed his eyes, feeling the warm chakra enveloping him as his Six-Sages mode activated, and he felt the staff of the sun forming in his hands. Naruto sensed Hinata doing the same on her end.
The approaching horde were now less than a hundred meters away, and Naruto made the hand seal to bring out hundreds of shadow clones. "HERE WE GO!" Naruto and his clones charged forward to the onrush of Zetsu creatures.
Hinata felt the reassuring flow of Hamura's chakra and Kurama's chakra encasing her as the staff of the moon formed in one hand and she drew out her clan's blade with the other, the flow of chakra to the blade sprouted an ethereal blue-purple blade nearly three times the length of the physical blade. Do or die, just don't die!
"We've got this!" Kurama reassured her as she began charging toward the massive horde, leaving her escorts in the dust.
Thanks, Kyuubi! Hinata was nearly to the front rank.
"Just remember we have a deal!" The fox growled with a throaty laugh.
Yes, yes, I remember! More belly rubs when this is all over! Hinata screamed as she tore into the first rank of the enemy like a demonic scythe, "KIYAHHH!" Bodies and pieces of bodies went flying as she carved through the enemy ranks like a hot knife through butter.
Under normal circumstances, Shikamaru might have enjoyed the dive as he swam line abreast with Ino, Temari, and Asuma. The solitude of being underwater, staring out onto an alien world unseen by most eyes appealed to him the same as the thought of staring into the heavens with a telescope. As a child he fantasized about flying into outer space, seeing the stars – an impossibility. Diving was his close second, and to his surprise, Temari loved to dive, too. A girl comes from a desert trained to dive in sinkholes and the ocean's depths; who would have thought?
The appearance of the opposite bank of the reservoir dispelled the pleasant fantasy he had brewing of taking her to the Land of the Waves and exploring the Grand Reef. Business first! They exited at the far side just in time to hear a loud series of POPS followed by the concussive blast of the bridge that spanned the massive lake splitting into pieces. One way in, one way out, now!
Nobody spoke as they stripped out of dive gear and hurriedly donned mission gear, black jumpsuits with green flak vests. Asuma produced a map and his compass and eyed the group, "Follow me!" he whispered sharply. The group scurried away into shadow.
Kakashi watched as Naruto plowed through the ranks of White Zetsu like they were snowflakes. Even still, stragglers got past; and Minato, Kushina, and he were on standby to catch whatever slipped through. The angry burn of his Sharringan turned the world hellfire red as he spotted a group approaching. Kakashi charged his Chidori, feeling the tingling of lightning gathering around his hand as he scrambled toward the mass of Zetsu creatures.
His hand burned as he raced into action, and he drove his attack through one, two, three, a dozen, and finally, several dozen before the attack ran out of steam. This is too easy, what the hell are we missing?! Kakashi paused as he scanned the field of death, wondering what was overlooked.
The answer came from behind as a choking sensation closed around his throat. His left eye burned angrily he stood paralyzed, unable to breathe. Obito's masked vissage appeared in the corner of his vision, plunging his left hand into the hellfire of Kakahsi's left eye.
"AHHHH!" he screamed as the red vision faded to black, and Kakashi felt frigid cold fill the socket where an eye had been seconds earlier. With his one remaining eye, Kakashi watched as Obito placed the Sharringan he'd gifted Kakashi almost twenty years earlier back into the socket that hadn't been crushed.
"You were never worthy of it, just as you were never worthy of protecting her!" The chakra binding Kakashi's throat constricted further "And now, you will die!"
"You never did learn to mind your surrounding, shit for brains!" a familiar, fatherly voice spoke as the Thunder God mark on the side of Obito's face illuminated and he vanished in a flash. Replacing him was Minato, "Kakashi!" he caught Kakashi as his knees gave out. "Are you all right?"
"He took the Sharringan!" Kakashi felt his heart sink, "He doesn't need Madara to create a Rinnegan anymore!"
"SHIT!" Minato realized with Kakashi now too late that they had been played. According Sasuke and Orochimaru, Obito could now open the Eye of the Moon in the matter of a day or two. "We have to regroup! Come on!" he teleported them back to the camp.
The trek overland west took hours, but recognized the change in climate as the rain-soaked plain began giving way to hills, and later sandstone mountains dry as bone. In the distance, she saw their destination marked by a series of stone pillars. She pulled out a pair of binoculars, and spied a shadowy figure, one familiar to her. Prior to the Konoha Crush, the man in glasses had been disguised as a confidant of her father. In reality, Kabuto was serving Orochimaru, impersonating her father.
However, Kabuto did not look natural. An oily, black sheen coated most of his body as he summoned the stone casket containing Madara Uchiha's remains. "Dammit, HURRY!" she yelled, realizing they had seconds, if lucky, minutes, to interrupt what was about to happen.
The group sprinted with the desperation of being chased the Soul-Consuming Demon. As they did, she tore at her fan's case, freeing what she prayed was salvation from its prison. Just a little closer! Temari whipped her fan, sending a wind scythe attack at the spectacled man.
While he dodged the attack, he did not dodge Shikamaru's shadow. Ino split right and Asuma went left. Ino attacked with a fire release, incinerating the paralyzed Kabuto, but Temari eyed the form slipping away. "Where the hell do you think you're going!" She whipped her fan violently, sending sharp air currents at the creature. However, she was unable to stop it from reaching the casket.
"SEAL!" Asuma placed a binding seal around the casket, breathing what looked like a sweaty sigh of relief as the seal completed itself before the casket would open. Shit, did we do it! Temari breathed as several long, tense seconds past.
For a moment, she thought they had succeeded, but a crack began forming, tiny at first, in the stone casket. Soon, another crack formed, and another. Pretty soon the casket exploded in a shower of rock, "AH FUCK!" she yelled as chunks of rock pelted her and the rest of the group.
As her eyes adjusted and the dust settled, she saw the unmistakable form of Madara Uchiha standing before them, his eyes lifeless black sockets. "What the hell is this?" he stared down at his hands, "This is all wrong!" he growled. So, maybe we're not the only ones that have had shit go wrong!
Asuma was the first to attack, and he was the first to be sent flying through the air as Madara's reanimated form flung him like a rag doll. Even Pain and Hidan had not emanated such power. Despite knowing it would not likely have an effect, she batted her wind scythe at Madara. To her horror, he shrugged off the attack as little more than a gust of wind. NO WAY! His power had been legendary, but even the one or two times she'd practiced with Lord Fourth, he had at least been fazed by the attack – Madara was walking right through it!
As she wound up again, he dashed forward almost like he was teleporting. When she finished blinking, he was mere inches from her, and he had his hand around her throat. He lifted her with one arm several inches off the ground, "I see the villages are still sending children to do a man's job!" He squeezed her neck like a vice, and her vision went black and white. Then she felt nothing.
As Naruto whipped his way through yet another tidal wave of White Zetsu creatures, a cold, unsettling sensation crossed the corner of his awareness. He'd seen Kakashi go down to Obito, but he'd been unable to intervene. Thankfully, Dad had. This however, was different. Something had entered their world, or perhaps just returned to it. Though he'd never met Madara Uchiha, Naruto recognized the telltale chakra signature of immense power. Damn! Operation Shadowhand is a bust! Naruto vented back through his mental link to the Shinobi Union command bunker.
"Naruto, are you sure!" He recognized the thought patterns of Inoichi and Shikaku, both clearly worried about their children.
Yes! Naruto's heart began running away at the thought of his friends up against someone who'd outclass them combined.
"Naruto, go!" Hinata's soothing thoughts commanded. "I've got this, for now, just go!"
Naruto concentrated on the signature of the marked kunai he'd left with Shikamaru and teleported away from the battlefield.
Author's notes: Hello all, and happy Halloween! I hope you are continuing to enjoy! Next week, the war heats up as the sand in the hourglass runs out for the Shinobi Union. Until then, stay healthy, stay safe, and see you all then!