Fighting wars and being part of a team she wasn't going to stab in the back at the end, Guren felt like she was in a foreign world. Orochimaru had never accepted failure. She'd take teams with her and if things were going south, she'd slaughter them all and blame them for the failure. Sometimes she'd just do it because they were no longer useful. He'd never kept anything he no longer found useful. She hadn't even imagined that one day, she too would be discarded when he found someone he considered worthy of being his host. She smiled – she had honestly been mad in love with Orochimaru to even happily consider giving away her life and body.

But things were different now. She wore a headband, ready to fight with people who would watch her back. She honestly couldn't trust them to do so, but she had been told that would happen. Maybe she could trust Naruto a little but the Hyuga didn't hide his suspicion.

"Let's take a break," she heard the Hyuga say. They'd been hopping through trees, on their way to their destination with war.

Halting, Guren faced the Hyuga. A bit of sweat on his forehead. She turned to Naruto – he looked unbothered. Then again, he had the same stamina levels as that of a wild animal. He didn't seem to tire.

"Your chakra levels are low and so is your stamina," Guren said, settling on the branch of a tree. "Why are you even sent on this with us?"

Neji jumped from the trees and sat down, his back pressed against a tree. He took out a bottle of water from his bag and drank a little before shoving it back in.

Obviously, Naruto and Guren provided a fire power that would be destabilizing to any force. They could fight both long and short distances. He had another mission, and mainly because of his eyes and their vision of the battlefield. But it didn't mask that he would have to sit out if these two ever decided to go all out. He'd only be in the way of things.

"Coordination and support." Naruto said. "We'd be free to do as we please while you watch our backs. With the Byakugan, you're better suited to sit back and dish out instructions."

Naruto did think there was another reason for this team. He and Neji would have been fine and Guren could have been sent to another team. But the fact was that she wasn't trusted meant that Tsunade could only throw her into this team. In case anything happens, they'd be more than prepared to handle it. He was a sensory type and Neji had a clear vision. She could not successfully escape. At least he thought those were the thoughts of the Slug Princess.

"We will probably engage Kumo shinobi tomorrow or tonight. But given our abilities, we are suited for a battle at any time of the day." Neji said, ignoring what Naruto and Guren were saying.

"The night is for resting. Let is avoid night battles."

"Doesn't mean that enemy wont raid us while we snore." Guren said her in a flat tone.

"If you're lax, that will happen. This is war, they will do anything to win. But it is just the three of us. If there is anyone who is going to be raiding camps, it will be us," he paused. "But don't assume that the enemy doesn't have sensory types of shinobi."

"Works both ways."

"Indeed."

"Regardless." Neji cut in in a stern tone. "We need to decide how we engage them since we can come across them at any moment. It is better to be prepared before anything happens."

"You're the team leader." There was a hint of mild sarcasm in Guren's tone.

"You'll be taking the offensive first. You are the one with more chakra than anyone else. We can't engage all at once unless there is a need. We will reserve our strength while you fight…" Neji stated. "I'll also be hiding in a safe location and will be observing, giving signals."

"Fine by me."

"I don't like having to watch."

"This is no time for what you like to do or not. We are at war and reckless actions can lead to failure and our deaths."

"You just sound like Kabuto and that annoys me." Guren stared. She'd never gotten along with that man. She was really happy he was dead. But it was rather sad for Orochimaru to have lost his closest assets.

"Are we going to have issues with you taking orders?"

"No," Guren shook her head. "I'll follow your lead." If it makes sense. And she could stomach it.

"By that, we could send you to enemy camps to seduce them. Nobody knows you're a Konoha shinobi." Naruto said with a smile. Amused, just thinking about Guren trying to be sexy.

"I'll turn on you if you try to order me to do something like that.." she responded with a murderous glare.

Naruto shrugged. "Kunoichi are taught seduction techniques. Shinobi use every means to win. Some sleep with some people just to get information or close. The world is not as beautiful as we like to claim it is. But I think you're just mad because you probably can't pull it off. I've never seen you pulling off womanly charms."

Guren stared, wondering just how to respond. "There has never been a need."

"No wonder you are single. And you'll tell me there is no need and you don't need a man. But that is because you don't know what you're missing," Naruto flashed a sly smile. "You should let me show you."

"At least try to be subtle." Neji commented a bit dryly.

Naruto shrugged. "If I please her and she grows to like me, her loyalty to Konoha is cemented."

"Maybe," Neji adopted a thoughtful look. "But on that mission… you'd be better suited with that crude jutsu of yours."

"That is a jutsu of genius that exposes many things. It has defeated many people. It must just not be used on whims or it loses its appeal," Naruto answered in a serious tone. "I have no problem in engaging first. But Guren must be on standby when needed. I want to be careful with my chakra usage."

"Accepted. Five more minutes and we continue."

It was good that they was Sai in their team, scouting teams were a problem as they alerted the enemy of locations. But it was also a problem, Iwa was expecting to see their scouts back. When a scout didn't return, you automatically assumed they were caught and date. There was minimal time on waiting for scouts. It was easily the most dangerous and safest mission in war. When you got caught, it was torture for information. Shinobi lines were merciless, especially in war.

"Good work, Sai." The Jonin said, turning his attention on the two bound Iwa shinobi. Sai had spotted them while flying above to scout. Whether they had noticed them before or not was something they'd have to ask to know.

"What are we going to do with them?"

"Ask them questions, of course… you need to watch just in case they try something," he said to Sakura. He didn't want them biting their tongues to avoid talking.

The others were a bit behind. They didn't have to see everything. He was just going to ask questions and then decide what to do with them. Asking nicely would get him spat on. Torture was not his cup of tea. Sai had suggested it at first, saying he had been taught bother torture methods and ways to withstand torture. But he would still never be able to talk because of the seal Danzo placed on his Root shinobi.

The Jonin lifted his headband, revealing his Sharingan. He immediately switched to the Mangekyo. "Knock the other out," he instructed to Sakura.

She did as told.

Kakashi leaned on the remaining one. His left eye spinning hypnotically. "Now, I'm going to ask you some questions… do your best to answer them."

The man's eye widened slightly as the genjutsu began to take effect. Shinobi this days, they took less protections against Sharingan Genjutsu because there were no more Uchiha. The Genjutsu was still powerful and it was effective for interrogation. Though, it didn't always get everything.

"How close is Iwa to Taki?"

"They were still within the Earth country when I left them."

"Who is leading?"

"Kurotsuchi."

"How many are they?"

"Close to one thousand or more."

"Is there a Jinchuriki amongst them?"

"I don't know."

No more questions were answered. Kakashi forced the shinobi into sleep and then compelled had the other awake. He asked the same questions and got the exact answers.

"Sai, send a message to Konoha about this and another to Gai's team," the Jonin ordered. "We'll leave them here for the Anbu to collect and conduct further interrogation. For now, we march on. Iwa could be close."

It should be expected for Iwagakure to play war games much better than them. The Sandaime Tsuchikage was the oldest living Kage and someone who has fought wars since the first. His experience mattered. Yet, Gaara thought the old man was pushing his luck. Maybe it was the fear that Suna would step into the battlefield and change the tide of war. Though, Tsunade had said she was unlikely to require any assistance because she has thought of a better way to deal with both forces. Gaara believed she was depending too much on Naruto. Whether that would be a good thing or a bad thing remained to be seen. Either way, it should not matter if they manage to pull through.

And maybe at the end of it, Naruto will get a better life within the Leaf. His own life had little difference. It was there, little but he was not worried. As long as he got to lead this village and do what was good for it, he would not complain. He did have a history and he was working through it. He could not erase it but he could create new memories in which people of this village would remember him by.

Lifting up his eyes, Gaara looked at Temari. Ever since an attempt was made on his life, she has expressed much worry than usual. It was unnecessary as nothing had happened and he didn't think it would happen again. But she still worried for him. More so now that he pulled long hours. There was just no avoiding it. Three of the Great Five were at war and they could be pulled into it. There were signs of Iwa shinobi moving toward their borders. It was no planned attack, just a threat to keep them in place.

"Gaara… what are we going to do about Iwa people? We can't just let them camp near our borders."

"We can attack them," Gaara replied. "But it means going to war. This village is in a poor state. We cannot afford war if we cannot help it."

"But are we still just going to let them do as they please?"

"They are not doing anything. And I will dispatch Kankuro to watch over them. If they step into our country, we will attack them." It was that simple. He doubted it would come to it. Because Iwa did not want them in the war. That was the reason for those forces in the first place. "It is merely a threat that if we march through the River to aide Konoha, they will attack our village."

"That's just dirty."

Villages were usually safe from attacks. No one did the bloody thing of attacking villages while many were at war. However, no Kage actually left his or her village without sufficient defense just in case someone tries a sneak attack.

"It is war. Why do you think the Great Nations always use other lands for their wars? It is because they don't want anyone getting close to their villages. They actually try to push the other to their homes while the other defends territory. If you get into our home, it is over. You hold the village hostage and force us into surrender…" Gaara shook his head.

"So how will we move if Konoha requests our support? After everything, we are forced to help them."

"Indeed." Suna had after all invaded Konoha and then failed miserably to achieve its objective. Konoha had been lenient. And that was mainly due to Tsunade. "We will just have to move through Iwa shinobi. Or however we like. Nobody dares attack Suna with an army. We would bury them alive in the desert. I think the Tsuchikage is aware of this."

After all, his power was controlling sand. Anyone who dared enter the desert where the sand was at large was just suicidal. This has perhaps worked in the favor of the village which was why it had managed to remain standing even though being the weakest of the Great Five.

"Are you also going to go out?"

"Of course."

"Then I will be by your side."

It was nice to be loved, wasn't it? Why had it taken him this long and an unthinkable defeat in the hands of Naruto to even see it?

Naruto hoped they didn't come across Orochimaru during this trip to the Sound. He had no desire to face the Sannin, knowing he would be up to no good. Arrogant, yes. But still a dangerous foe that Naruto would have to deal with, soon enough. If everything else moved accordingly, then at the end of the war, things would be well.

Perhaps even Neji was put on them to be able to put an eye on him as well, not just Guren. Naruto was certain Tsunade didn't have any trust issues with him. After all, he has worked hard to ensure there was that relationship of trust between them. He shook his head. Did it really matter now? What was important for him was to continue doing what he did best. Because, this was war. A defining moment that would pave way for his future goals.

'I wonder how the shinobi world will react to my ideals.'

'Does it matter what they think?'

Inwardly, Naruto smiled. Other thoughts were irrelevant. He would impose as the Great Nations have also imposed on others as well. 'No… but it may bring more chaos.'

'You will be prepared to deal with it. But if you are having second thoughts, you can be a good loyal shinobi to the Leaf. Maybe after this war, they will treat you like a hero.'

A childish part of him would love to see it. It had been his dream to be recognized. But did he have to fight so hard just for other people to recognize that he was alive and not just a container but a person who had feelings and desires like everyone else?

'Would be something else but I cannot be happy knowing what I have went through. I should not work so hard to change people who are wrong.' Naruto shook his head. 'Well, they will learn.'

He stopped hopping through the trees, causing both Neji and Guren to stop as well.

"Something up?"

"There are two powerful shinobi on this direction," he said, pointing toward the left. It was a little off from where they were going but it would not be wrong to check it out.

"This does not have anything to do with our mission. We should just move ahead."

"Our mission is to stop the advance of Kumo and ensure they do not step into borders of the Fire Country. I'm certain that these chakra signatures are not from Konoha. They are too powerful to be just Jonin level shinobi. Hinata would be coming in behind, do you think it would be correct for us not to clear the path?"

Neji didn't want to move out of the way. He just wanted to get into the Sound. But Naruto did have a valid point. This was war. Anyone who wasn't their friend was an enemy. Things worked like that in war.

"Can't we just go? I'm itching for a battle. Haven't had a real battle since I got defeated by him."

"Let that go, woman."

"Not until you give me a proper battle."

Neji shook his head. "Fine… but we will just try to ascertain their identity first and see their threat level. If they are not much of a problem, we continue with the mission."

"Fair enough."

Naruto led the way.

Neji wished they had not come about this direction. He wished he had insisted they move on. But even he knew, if they had done that, these people were most likely to kill those they come across. His Byakugan was activated, looking ahead from the trees at two members of the Akatsuki. They were S-rank criminals. He was a Jonin but Neji was not sure how he would handle that kind of power. This team however, could handle it.

Still, a battle with these two would not be simple and it would derail them from their mission.

"You two move ahead, I will fight them."

"Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking to you?"

Neji stared. Naruto was strong but he didn't want to blond to exhaust himself when they didn't know what they would face in Kumo. Removing the Akatsuki was not a bad call but for Naruto to face them alone was another thing.

"I want in on it as well."

Naruto shook his head. "You need to continue moving ahead. I wont take long. There are many ways to handle a battle quickly. I will send my clone with you. It should have one third of my chakra."

"But it is a clone."

"With chakra that would be more than the two of you combined. Actually, dwarfing your reserves by miles. Not to mention, it can transform into the Kyubi if there is a need."

"There is no need to put it like that," Neji replied flatly. "A clone will do then. But we won't be moving at great speed. We will move just enough to be able to jump back in in case something happens."

"You will know if something has happens if my clone disappears…" Naruto said. He faced Guren. "Go with him."

She frowned staring back. But she did not argue. Naruto had his reasons – that she could figure out. But she wanted to know. He really wanted to fight them, but for what purpose, she could not tell.

"You will be fine?"

"I wouldn't try this without backup if I wasn't positive things would go well," Naruto responded with a wave of his right hand. "I'll catch up with you quickly. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve that will do me a favor."

Guren smiled. Naruto did have some crazy Ninjutsu arsenal. And also, he had a different style of fighting. It really depended on whether he wanted to fight a person or just kill them. If it was a fight, he would fight, but if he was going straight for the head, he would not waste time doing for it with the first move.

"Be careful. And don't do anything reckless," Neji said firmly.

"Sure~" A clone appeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto waved his right hand and disappeared from the view.

Guren stared at where the blond had been standing and then glanced at the clone. "I really can't tell the difference between you and the original." At least with the aura he exuded. Chakra? It was still massive.

"Benefits of being a Jinchuriki and Uzumaki… but my clones are real. Even he cannot tell the difference."

Kakuzu stopped walking in a small clearing and then turned around. Hidan didn't immediately notice he had stopped. And he didn't bother telling the religious man to stop.

"I had a feeling there was someone watching is," Kakuzu said.

"Fuck you talking about?" Hidan questioned, turning around to face his partner.

"Him…" Kakuzu said pointing at Naruto. He would have mentioned his partner's lack of awareness but did it really matter? Immortality gave him that freedom to be careless.

"Who the fuck is he?!"

Kakuzu glared at Hidan. "The Kyubi's Jinchuriki."

This was not their mission. But an opportunity had represented itself before him. There was money to be made – a lot of it. Iwa had placed a huge bounty on the blond's head. He considered fighting to kill the blond now, but knew it would create a problem if the leader found out. They were not kill a Jinchuriki. However, if he was the one who captured him, he could still claim the body once they were done with him.

"Aren't we going for the two Tails?"

"We are… but there is nothing wrong with this. There is a large bounty on his head."

"Greedy bastard. If you are getting him, I'm fighting the Nibi bitch."

So, the Akatsuki was on the move. And they were hunting Jinchuriki. He would have to send a message Tsunade for her to relay the warning to everyone. At least Konoha shinobi and to Suna. He didn't care if the others were to face the criminals and have their Bijuu taken. It would be less of a problem to the Leaf.

But what about the damn timing of it all? This was war. Jinchuriki were out in the open and they could not be hidden. They could also take advantage when they have worn themselves out from battles.

But Naruto couldn't let them leave. He wanted their bounty. It was a lot of money that he didn't have and needed. He smiled – perhaps Kakuzu was not the only greedy bastard.

He'd be openly cautious if Itachi hadn't told him some important details about members of the Akatsuki. Here, he knew what to expect from his opponents.

"I don't necessarily have an issue if both of you come at me at once," Naruto said, slowly moving toward the two, hands held out. "After all, at the end of the day, I'm going to claim the bounties on your heads."

Hidan laughed. "Another bounty hunter!" He stared at Kakuzu. "I should just watch you get hunted. It would be funny if someone does to you what you do to others."

"Shut up!" Kakuzu snapped. The hunter being hunted? That was amusing. But he did not laugh. "Stand back; I will handle this."

"Just be quick." Hidan said, walking back a bit.

Naruto did not wait for the two to finish speaking. He started darting toward Kakuzu. The man readied for him, taking a stance. When he arrived inches away from him, the man attacked first, stretching his right hand toward his face, a head on collision with the fist. Naruto twisted clockwise, lifting his right hand. The fist went past him, and he slapped the hand around the elbow with his palm.

Kakuzu lifted his knee seeing him closer, but Naruto saw this coming, and channeled chakra into his knees. He slapped his right open palm on the man's knee, before pushing back a bit as he jumped up into the air. Once up, he flipped upside down, going in behind the man.

Kakuzu reacted quickly without even looking back. The man raised his left foot, trying to kick him with a kick back. Naruto crossed his hands just around his chest, and the foot slammed onto his defense, sending him flying backwards.

He flipped several times and then landed gracefully.

"You hit hard." He commented, looking at his wrists. He probably would not have felt anything if he was using senjutsu.

He then held out his right hand. A small ball wrapped in paper appeared in a puff of smoke. He glanced at Hidan and then threw the ball.

Hidan saw this and waved his scythe to try to bat the ball away from him. But the second the ball touched the blade of his scythe, it exploded.

Boom!

Huge crimson flames erupted with so much violence that Hidan was blasted a distance away while the flames formed into a huge dome.

"Tsk…" Naruto frowned, turning to Kakuzu. "I didn't count the shockwave to do that," he said, lifting his right hand up in the air. While holding a single hand seal with his left hand. "Why do you think I slapped your knee and arm, Kakuzu?"

Kakuzu watched as a rasengan formed from Naruto's palm. There was a large pooling of chakra gathering. It made him nervous when four blades started to form, creating a screeching sound. The jutsu's strength was causing a whirlwind around the blond. That was just too much chakra. How could the blond even just casually lift it like that? He definitely didn't want to get hit by that. But how would Naruto even hit him? He was not going to throw that massive chakra around was he?

Focusing on the question Naruto asked, he glanced at his hand, where Naruto had touched. He saw a writing – explode.

"Ah, yes… they are not exactly explosive tags. Fuinjutsu at its core is sealing things into something." He glanced up. This was just too much. This thing was going to take everything in him just to hurl it. But he was managing to keep it together. "Tags usually include an already made jutsu sealed. But what I did there is just infuse my chakra. If you're infusing Ying and Yang, there must be the right balance. If not," his hand glowed with chakra. "This happens…"

Boom!

Boom!

Kakuzu's arm exploded with orange chakra. The expansion tore his arm apart. Simultaneously, the same occurred on his knee. It tore his leg around the knee, causing him to fall on his left knee, blood gushing out, teeth greeted.

"Kyubi… a bit of your chakra… not sure I can handle this without being in senjutsu…"

Kakuzu watched as Naruto took several steps toward him. At least, he didn't seem like he could throw the jutsu and needed to get closer. Perhaps that was the reason of disabling him like this. But he was not about to just sit and watch the blond attack him.

Before he could release his threads and mask, Naruto suddenly hurled the massive jutsu toward him.

Within the blink of an eye, it was upon him.

Boom!

The jutsu exploded violently, expanding. It picked up massive gusts, that slammed into Naruto, sending him flying backward slightly. It created a massive dome of thousands of tiny wind blades.

When it finally dispersed, there was a huge crater on the ground, with Kakuzu lying at the center, unmoving.

"Glad that didn't shred him, but damn it. That took…" he quickly jumped into the air, avoiding Hidan's scythe.

He landed a distance away as Hidan pulled back his scythe. Naruto settled in a meditative posture, sweat on his forehead.

Mini-giant Rasenshuriken had been a bit of an overkill. And he had already given too much chakra to the clone because he knew there was danger on the other side – if it decided to move quickly.

If Intel was correct, Hidan was barbaric with no recognized fighting style. Immortal, eh? He really wanted to test that, but not now. On the other side of the road, he had Kumo shinobi to face and it could be a huge battle. He had sensed that Kumo's other Jinchuriki was also just behind the others.

But how did he go out this?

"Fuck you sitting there for!?"

"I'm catching my breath and deciding on how to fight you," Naruto said standing up.

Hidan hurled his scythe toward him once more. It was disappointing seeing the scythe charge toward him head on. Everything was just straightforward. Just like him when he was younger. No wonder he got beatings but still survived because of endurance and insane chakra levels.

Naruto summoned a long blade from his storage and jumped up slightly just at the right moment. He stabbed his sword through one of the blades of the scythe, hooking it before the blade pierced through the ground. He then quickly landed on the scythe, while picking the sword. He channeled wind chakra through the sword and then hurled it straight toward Hidan who was trying to pull his scythe.

The sword stabbed through his chest, remaining there. The man only shouted cusses at him for making him feel pain. Naruto was a bit surprised. He still didn't bother to remove it as he forcefully pulled his scythe.

Naruto was forced to jump away from it and Hidan pulled it away.

"I suppose the only thing that makes your rank worth it is your special ability and your immortality. Even a Genin with enough experience and the tools could surely deal with you. I just have to chop both your legs, hands and head off and then you'll stop moving, no?"

"Can you even do it?"

Hidan was already lunging at him.

Tsunade was ready to leave the village, but she really could not depart and leave Danzo around with the peace of mind. There was no telling what he would do without anyone to reign on him. She did have a mission to get rid of him, but she couldn't do it with him wandering around the village, spreading poison. She couldn't take him with her. Breathing in heavily, she stared at the papers in front of her. Shikaku had already departed and she would be joining him. There were just steps needed to take to ensure that nothing happened while she was away.

When the war hawk appeared in her office, she immediately gave him a cold stare. Daringly, he returned the stare. And then beat her to the first words.

"Why are you not at war, Princess? The other Kages are already leading and commanding their shinobi."

Certainly, it would be a disaster for her to remain in the comfort of her village while her shinobi fought under her orders. "I'm leaving. Just tying up some loose ends."

Danzo nodded. "Why did you want to see me?"

"How ready is Sasuke?"

"Not quite… but he will be ready for battle when called upon."

"Good. I will summon for him when he is needed. Naruto will be wrecking havoc in the battlefield but Sasuke can still be useful with the Sharingan."

For that, they both had an agreement. "I'm working on plans to ensure he gains the Mangekyo Sharingan. It should unlock more power and make him a valuable asset for the village."

Tsunade was not even going to ask how he planned on doing that. She didn't want to know. As long as it happened. "And his loyalties?"

"You need not worry about it."

"Good. That is all I wanted from you."

Danzo did not leave. "Why have you not forced Suna into battle? They should be fighting on our side and you should not have returned that Jinchuriki back to Kiri. We have use for that power considering that the enemy has four of them."

Naïve? Maybe. There was not much difference between Tsunade and the Sandaime. At least Minato was a little effective. But these two were too nice. Suna shouldn't have been given freedom. It should have been forced to work for Konoha and in such cases, a few sacrificial lambs were needed.

Tsunade held her hands together, giving the man a hardened stare. She did not respond immediately as Shizune arrived at the office.

"You don't question my decisions, Danzo. Now, beat it. And have Sasuke ready for when I need him."

The man stared for a moment but decided to leave. She had a temper. He didn't want to stir it at this moment.

Once he was gone, Tsunade turned to Shizune. "What did Hiashi say?"

"Okay with it."

"Good." She stood up. "I'll be leaving in an hour. Get everything ready. I can't afford to be here. When things heat up, I must already be at the battlefield."

"Of course."

"Doton: Doryuso!"

Kurotsuchi slammed her right hand on the ground, causing earth spikes to protrude from the ground. The shinobi ahead of her quickly jumped into the air and away to avoid being pierced by the spikes.

A shinobi flashed above her, and crash landed. She immediately ducked under, crouching to avoid a fast kicking coming in from behind. The kick weaved above her as she twisted around to face the Konoha shinobi. Her right leg swept through the ground, she hooked the leg on the ground. Her movement caused him to fall backward. In a swift movement, she jumped up, landing on the man's chest before stabbing a kunai through his throat.

"Katon: Great Fire Ball no Jutsu!"

Damn Konoha shinobi and their jutsu. They were perhaps the most versatile shinobi in terms of the usage of Ninjutsu. When it came to Earth shinobi, their primary weapon was Doton. But Konoha had a range of users in different abilities. It wasn't to say this wasn't the case with Iwa, but Konoha did it best. That much she was willing to admit.

Without even looking at the large ball of flames coming from behind, Kurotsuchi did hand seals, slamming her hands on the ground once more.

"Doton: Mud Wall!"

A wall of mud protruded from the ground just in time to stand in the path of the intense flames. The jutsu collided with her wall, shattering the upper parts and threating to break her wall.

She glanced up, sensing something. A kunai with what she assumes as an explosive tag was hurled above the flames. It was not just one, but a couple of them.

"Doton: Mud Wall!"

Four shinobi in front of her did the jutsu simultaneously. A huge wall protruded behind her once more. But this one was four times bigger than hers. The kunai hit the wall and then exploded in fiery flames. The explosion destroyed the wall, but did its job of saving her from the attack.

"Hmm?"

Her eyes snapped to the left, sensing movement. A Kunoichi flashed on the side in midair, sending her right foot toward her. Kurotsuchi didn't even have to move as another Iwa shinobi appeared above the Konoha shinobi, slamming her to the ground by hitting her with a hardened punch.

She stood up, and jumped to safety before looking around.

It was chaos around. Shinobi were battling, killing each other. It was a battle between Konoha and Iwa within the Land of Canyons. Damn Leaf shinobi had moved far quicker than anticipated to halt their movement into Taki.

At this stage, they needed another plan to get past these people. She had already been informed that Konoha had sent some their best to deal with the situation. And quite honestly, Kurotsuchi didn't think there others would be able to handle the situation.

But at least, they had another overwhelming firepower to open a path for themselves.

Guren turned around to face Naruto – unharmed, not even a little. But she had senses the use of magic earlier. How had he even fought two S-rank criminals in such a short time? Shaking her head, she smiled as she came to a halt, jumping down to the ground. Neji followed her example and then started walking. The clone dispersed before a word could be said.

"That was quick."

"You can end battles quickly when you know how your opponent fights," Naruto responded with a wave of his right hand. "Besides, I have jutsu that simply overpower people."

"But it won't be like that when we fight next time. I didn't know much about you then. But now I know a lot."

Naruto smiled. "You think you can change things? But maybe you can. We can't be sure that things will occur in a certain way because reality has a way of surprising us."

"You speak like that and yet you went ahead to face two Akatsuki members," Neji shook his head. "I don't know if you're overconfident or just reckless."

"Both are not good options," Naruto responded. "The battles have already began between Konoha and Iwagakure. Once we engage, it will be total chaos."

"Can your senses even reach things happening in another country? I don't think I have heard a shinobi who can do that."

Naruto smiled. "We Uzumaki are rather special kind of people. It is a pity the world did not have tolerance for such peace loving people."

Neji had heard that the Uzumaki clan was wiped out by combined forces of some Great Nations. He now understood a little bit about the clan. He hadn't then. Hell, before he got interested in Naruto, he hadn't even known the Uzumaki was a clan. But perhaps that was because even though Konoha recognized its connection to the clan, it did not speak or even teach about that history. He thought it was rather convenient.

"I entered Sage Mode before getting to you guys. I wanted to see what was happening and if we had fallen behind."

"Have we?"

"No…" Naruto shook his head. "If anything, it seems Kumo shinobi are waiting or maybe not. But we are still on the right direction. We will meet them. And at this case, it doesn't matter what they do… war is already upon us."

"If they know we are coming, can we assume there are traps waiting for us?"

"Well," Naruto grinned. "This is why we have you isn't it?"

Neji grunted

Kakashi jumped into the air, twisting anti-clockwise before slamming his right foot into the temple of a shinobi who'd been lunging at him. The kick sent the man tumbling back to his friends.

A second later, the Jonin landed down, and quickly held out his left hand. A shinobi landed in front of him, driving a kunai toward his throat. He sidestepped the attack, and grabbed the wrist with his left hand. He took out a kunai and plunged it on the side of the man's chest before jumping away.

This was reality. How many lives has he taken? Not just in war but in missions as a shonobi? This life was cruel. It was always been cruel. Even the younger ones would experience the difficulty that was the shinobi world. You did not leave them standing or even on their knees, in the battlefield, they would crawl and stab you in the back.

The field around him wasn't huge. A couple of rock formations, some craters, but dead bodies everywhere. Both Iwa and Konoha shinobi. It was always like this. Both sides lost.

He glanced at Sakura, she was healing those who were still alive, just barely. You wanted to save every man you could but she would soon realize, she could not save everyone. Some would die in front of her. Sometimes, she would be forced to choose who to save and who to let live. This was war. Already, she seemed strained, and it was just day one. They had only come across just about a hundred. The majority of the Iwa forces were spread around the country. And they would be facing them, today, tonight or tomorrow. It really depended on who attacked first.

The Jonin moved away. The last were defeated. They needed a plan to move forward.

He gathered Yamato and Sai, sat them on the sides while the remaining forces regrouped.

"What is the position of Gai's team?" He asked Sai.

Sai took out a map and pointed along the border between Canyons and Earth. "They are right about here. But have not engaged. Others however have already engaged the Tsuchikage daughter."

"How is that going?" He probably knew the answer to that.

Sai shook his head. "Loss."

Unconcerned or unbothered? Kakashi couldn't tell Sai's thoughts. But it would be surprising if he expressed any emotion. He was still fresh from the pits of Danzo's den. He had yet to learn how normal people live. But perhaps this war would teach him something or maybe it would harden his heart.

"We should set up two fighting points. One on the other side of the border in anticipation of Kumo's forces." Yamato suggested.

Kakashi shook his head. It would only spread their lines thin. They could not try to welcome Kumo before others even arrive.

"We will hold our position. And have Gai move back a little closer to Taki. If they move further to the border of the earth. They could face an overwhelming ambush." Kakashi replied. "How is Iwa spread?"

"On three fronts. There is one led by the Tsuchikage's granddaughter and another by her father. I don't know who leads the other. the Majority of the forces are however moving through the Canyons by the sea side. There are also some movements across Mushrooms."

"They may be trying to get into the Fire Country through the Mushrooms. That is the only path we are not defending at the moment," Kakashi put on a thoughtful look. "How long till Kumo reach this country?"

"A day or less."

War needed strategy to save lives. At least on their side. But there was still the danger of Iwa's Jinchuriki. Kakashi didn't want to move carelessly.

"I have a plan for Kumo shinobi."