Yugito stared at the clone of Naruto, thinking of a way to escape this trap she'd been put into. If she could escape, she would be able to send a message to Kumo. She would warn Bee that he had to be careful, that he watched out for Naruto touching him for too long or else it would be over. Given that he stopped her from transforming, she assumed that the seal couldn't be applied when one had already transformed into a full Bijuu. If she had known, she wouldn't be a hostage. And so early in the war. The Raikage was going to consider this a failure. Truly a failure. She had put Kumo at a disadvantage already.
In all her life, Yugito had never thought she would become a hostage. After so many years of torture and training. It had to end like this. Not even been given the opportunity to use the power that made her fearsome, a Kunoichi Kumo was proud to have.
"Something on your mind?"
Yugito wondered if glaring was even worth it. "Where are you really taking me? We are not heading towards the direction of the Hidden Leaf."
"I can simply say that I ran out of chakra and then you escaped…" the clone said with a smile.
Yugito became nervous. No matter what, that was just treasonous. What was he playing at? For her it was over. Konoha wasn't a cruel village but this was still war. If she had been captured by Iwa, without doubt, they would have already started making plans to extract the Bijuu within. She would die as a result but with Kumo demanding her return, they would send her corpse to the Raikage tower.
Truly a sad end of her life.
"What are you suggesting?"
He shook his head. The life of a Jinchuriki was sad. And Yugito didn't have it easy either. But she seemed like a proud Kunoichi who loved her village. He wasn't going to suggest anything bad to her.
"If I take you to Konoha, a man named Danzo is going to make sure you become a loyal weapon for Konoha. Kumo cannot complain. The spoils of war."
Yugito smiled bitterly. It Kumo ends up on the losing side, it would indeed be the end. But if Kumo lost, she could be used as a bargaining chip. Tossed around like that. Her life was dependent on the whims of war. It would be much better for Kumo to win. She prayed that her village wins. Because if it didn't win, it was over for her. No, even if Kumo won, and she was taken to Konoha, things would end up bad for her.
Hence Naruto said he wasn't taking her to Konoha.
"What did you mean you could say I escaped?"
"Nothing. Just a passing thought. I have those kinds of thoughts at times. Of course, I cant let you escape. Not now. You'll only rejoin the war and cause trouble for Konoha."
Even if she accepted being freed with the promise of not fighting, she would still fight. She didn't have the power and to make a decision over her life. The Raikage was the one who dictated how she moved. A tool, truly. But it was the same for any shinobi. Just worse for a Jinchuriki.
"Then where are we going?"
"I'm going to stash you somewhere secret. I'll come for you after the war."
"Stash? What am I?"
The clone laughed. "A hostage that has forfeited its right to live and make any decisions. Right now, I can make any decision I want. I can undress you right now."
Yugito tensed. He was not some kind of pervert, was he? He wasn't going to do anything to her? At this rate, she couldn't do anything to defend herself.
Once more, the clone laughed. "Don't be tense. Nothing like that will happen to you. It is just a highlight of what happens in this world. We shinobi worry about missions, and face the possibility of death in such missions. Have you seen what is like for civilians? While travelling, they can get abducted. Sold as slaves. Sold for their organs to be harvested." And index finger pointed at her. "You could even be sold in a market to be someone's wife."
"Is the a point to any of this?"
"Yes. A highlight to the dangers of the shinobi world. Your life is mine now. If I choose, you won't go back to Kumo. If I choose, you'll never see the light again." The clone paused. "I'm a person tired of this world. You might not be. As long as you smile and do your duties, you are happy."
"Is there more I should demand?"
"Ah, people without dreams. Modest… Fine… you will witness the ugliness of this world and after all that, you'll make a choice. To live or to die. To help me or to become a spoil of war."
It was there and now it wasn't there anymore. Pure chaos in destruction. There had been people running about the streets a minute ago, but now there was nothing. Debris. A large crater at the heart of the capital. Perhaps some survivors lying under the debris. Maybe not. The entire capital wasn't wiped out. But you wouldn't think there had been buildings there. Not where the crater sat, now filling up with water.
Such was the power of Bijuu.
Kakashi bitterly dug himself from the ground and sat down, staring at the debris. He'd buried himself to the ground when he saw the bomb explode. He could have done something. Useless maybe, but he wouldn't have to live with the fact that he made this kind of choice. To allow himself to live to fight another day. Had he made the right choice? Would Minato sensei even look at him over what he had just done?
Seeing the debris moving, Kakashi moved and tried to lift it. There was someone under it. He helped them. A bruises. Cuts. A broken leg. He'd survived without breaking anything.
"Sensei!"
This voice, it brought relief in Kakashi's voice. He turned around, watching Sakura rush toward him from the rubbles. She was bruised but alive. He closed his eyes. They couldn't just be the only ones who survived this.
What had been the point of even coming here? This place would have been better suited if he didn't come. If Konoha had chosen to stay out of the way.
"Sensei…" Sakura had a look of horror in her face. Without Katsuyu, she would have become ashes by now, blowing with the winds.
"Heal her," Kakashi said.
Sakura knelt and then closed her eyes. A parent living while the child died. They had looked at them for protection. But in the end, they just brought this.
Who was cruel enough to do something like this? Something so inhuman? Something so evil. Innocent people had lost their lives and she couldn't protect them. They couldn't protect them. They were killed in their presence. Sakura felt like there was something bitter her throat. Was this what war was about? Did innocent people have do die like this?
Was this the ugliness of war that her master had been talking about?
"Why would anyone order such an attack?" She asked with disbelief.
Kakashi looked around. It didn't look like there was another attack coming. He swallowed hard. Who would do this though? He couldn't even say he could have saved those lives. He couldn't admit to anything. He just had to live with this burden and try to continue fighting. The war was sill continuing.
"I don't know Sakura. I really don't know. For now, let us look for survivors. Someone must have seen the explosion. Yamato will be coming to join us and we need to get ready to move head into battle."
It sounded cruel. Once Yamato arrives, there would be no time to do anything. They had to move into battle. Iwa would not wait for them to search for survivors.
"But sensei… are we going to leave things as they are?"
"If we don't go out and fight, this could happen to Konoha, to another town. We can't let them pass into the Fire Nation. We have to drive them back," Kakashi replied in a hardened tone. "Kusa is still in trouble as well."
Sakura swallowed. In her good conscious, she could not abandon the wounded to fight. She was a medic. Her first instinct was to heal someone, even when they are the enemy. How could she even sleep at night knowing that she abandoned someone who needed her help?
Didn't this go against everything Kakashi taught them?
Yamato saw the explosion and then became worried. This was bad. A Jinchuriki had finally appeared in the battlefield and it came with such a loud bang. He worried for the capital of Mushrooms. It couldn't have been able to survive that explosion, then what of Kakashi and the me he'd gone in with. Were they still alive? Was Iwa even moving toward the capital? Or just trying to get them out of the way?
This was war alright.
"Yamato Sensei," Shikamaru called a he walked toward the Mokuton user.
He had a bad feeling about this. That explosion was massive. The only thing that could have caused such an explosion had to be the power of a Bijuu. He hadn't seen anything like it–but if that was what they had to go against, it didn't look good. And now he could understand why shinobi villages valued the power of Bijuu
"Can we assume that Jinchuriki have now come to the battlefield?"
Yamato nodded. "But I cannot understand why they would attack the capital like that. There is no benefit. Unless many of Konoha's shinobi were there."
Shikamaru adopted a thoughtful look. What was the purpose? Did they even have to worry about that? They had a Jinchuriki to compete with. Because he couldn't find a way to counter that kind of power, Shikamaru considered about why Iwa would destroy the Mushrooms capital in the manner they did. It didn't give him the peace of mind. After all, the answers he came up with were just dreadful.
"Most likely to avoid Konoha gaining a stronghold and being boxed into the Earth country. Kumo is coming on the other side, and we are here. Suna is also camped across his borders. If Suna moves, Iwa gets pushed back…" he paused. "They could have just thought if we cant make it ours, then Konoha can't make it its own."
"Also acts as a deterrent. We do not know Iwa's Jinchuriki. We cannot even move carelessly."
"What of Naruto?"
"Received a message last night he was moving towards this side. But I don't know his exact location." Yamato shook his head. "I'm going to send scouts to check the area. We can't just move in without knowing what is happening there."
And if Kakashi was injured, then they would be acting against time. He had no choice nonetheless. He had to act with caution.
Mabui heard the message she'd received loud and clear. Ai hadn't been willing to head into battle yet, but the news that Yugito was gone meant that they had to do something and quick. Even she hadn't expected that they would lose so many in just one go and especially Yugito.
She looked at the Raikage. Calm, not as always. He was no doubt going to charge ahead now. But perhaps it was necessary. The strategy had to change now.
"Raikage-sama…"
"What, Mabui?"
"We've lost contact with both Samui and C. there is information coming that Yugito may have been captured."
"What?" Ai looked shocked. Yugito captured. Was it Konoha or Iwa? No, it had to be Konoha. "Who?"
"Scouts report that it was Konoha's Jinchuriki moving along the borders," Mabui reported. "Should we send people to look for her?"
"Of course. Even if they have to go deep into enemy territory. Yugito must be retrieved…" Ai frowned. But to think one of his Jinchuriki would be captured so early like that. He still had Bee. But his brother was going to move with him. "Konoha isn't going to try to move to our side. It was only interested in stopping us from going through the Fire Nation. Forget that assault. We march straight toward where the main battle is. Iwa and Konoha have already engaged."
"Shouldn't we leave a small force to be able to go behind Konoha? If they see us marching toward the Earth, they'll focus on their front lines. We can sneak into their rear. It can also cut off supplies coming from their village," Mabui suggested.
"Fine… We won't be quick to engage. Let Konoha and Iwa battle for a little longer."
Kitsuchi stared ahead, hundreds of Konoha shinobi. They hadn't engaged yet, not crossing swords. But Jutsu had have been thrown while they defended. Nobody really wanted to take the first step in charging ahead. So they were all trying to reduce the numbers of the others before making such a move. Both forces were conscious of this, if they made a move to charge, it would all just be about killing each other until the other gave up and retreated – or there was no more enemy standing. This was what war brought to the battlefield.
He too didn't want to take the first step. They were almost equal in numbers. Whoever had the best trained shinobi would edge out. But there would be a cost.
"Incoming!"
Hundreds of Kunai were flying toward them. No doubt, carrying explosive tags. This had been coming. With numbers so close to each other, it was always difficult to navigate. If they had Wind users, they would just end up deflecting them.
"Scatter!" Kitsuchi shouted.
There was no panic as the men made some distance between them. Just enough that they would be able to execute jutsu without getting in the other's way.
"Executive defensive jutsu!" He shouted once more. "First line, Golem!"
A resounding 'hai' followed shortly.
The first step was to create five earth golems in front of them. The jutsu was created in combination of different shinobi. They stepped in front and took some of the tags. Many more still managed to pass above, heading toward them.
Boom!
The tags that hit the golems exploded. It didn't take time for the golems to crumble down into dust.
A combination of Mud Walls and some mud domes were used to by the men to hide. The tags rained on them. One after the other they exploded. Kitsuchi closed his eyes for a moment as he heard some of his men crying. Shields faltering under the fire power.
A minute passed the explosions stopped.
"Incoming!"
When he heard the cry, Kitsuchi jumped from the mud wall he'd created and stood above it. Konoha were moving. They were charging while his men were disoriented from the explosions. He glanced back to look at the chaos from behind. There was no time to be sorry or even think of retreating to deal with the wounded. The war had to continue.
"Earth Displacement." He shouted while jumping down. He knew they would get it. 2o shinobi jumped in line with him, forming a strong shield.
But that was not the purpose.
They were doing hand seals. They all simultaneously shouted out their jutsu while slamming their hands to the ground.
Four massive displacement occurred within the Konoha shinobi ranks. They were charging ahead and then the four areas just started sinking. It was so quick, many sunk within the holes created while many jumped away to safety. The others just continued with their charge as if nothing had happened.
"Close them!" Kitsuchi ordered. This was to crush those caught within the jutsu. "Engage!"
And then the battle started in earnest.
Only the winner would walk out alive
They were already deep within the Fire Nation and close to the Konoha HQ camp where Shikaku was located. But as they travelled, a messenger stopped them and then spoke to Neji before going away.
"Orders?"
Neji looked grim as he turned around. "Iwa struck first." He said.
That could only mean their Jinchuriki had appeared in battle. They had to move quickly. But Neji's tone just suggested the worst had happened.
"Where?"
"Capital in Mushrooms. It was destroyed. Their Jinchuriki has attacked. And Konoha forces who haven't engaged have been ordered to avoid battle until the Jinchuriki have been located," Neji said.
Naruto closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly. The power of Bijuu being used in such a manner. Just for purely destruction. Iwagakure did not deserve to have a Jinchuriki. If they used it in such a manner, then both their weapons needed to be removed from their hands. There would be no cry about trying to maintain the balance of power. That worked long ago anyway. In today's age, it has become irrelevant.
Innocent people must have lost their lives. Was it all that was to war? Just pure chaos and destruction. Death and suffering. Yet shinobi nations did not blink before turning to war. Pain and suffering did not deter these people from going to war. It was almost as if they's already accepted that war was part of their lives. They lived by killing. Needless blood shed.
And now, Konoha was frozen.
He faced Neji and then asked. "What have we been ordered to do?"
"Guren and I will continue to the path of Taki to join others. You are to move head to Mushrooms. But there is something you must do first," Neji said. "There is a small force of Iwa shinobi that managed to get into the Fire Nation. They are apparently heading toward the HQ. Stop them."
Naruto nodded. The fire nation was large. They couldn't cover all lines. But still, this was going to be a busy time for him. He created two clones.
"I'll leave these clones watching the border on this side. They'll alert us if Kumo decides to sneak in from behind."
"That is fine."
"Still, war is a brutal thing, isn't it?" Naruto asked.
"What do you expect?" Guren asked, hands folded across her chest. "Shinobi are always fighting. We kill each other during missions. But this kind of battle brings the worst in people. You kill whoever you want. You reveal the inner parts of you that you would normally keep hidden."
"I think that is just people like you who are sadists. There are some of us who would rather not kill when it is not necessary."
"Naïve!" Guren exclaimed. "If you leave them alive, you only give them an opportunity to launch an attack while you look away. People will beg you to spare them and when you do, they will stab you in the back while laughing at how easy it was."
That was quite true. Naruto had seen it many times. You just could not trust shinobi. But that how things were in this world. To kill and kill until there was no one standing. Couldn't people just learn to live? Couldn't shinobi learn to accept defeat and just go home instead of crawling to kill the enemy even when your life has been spared?
If people like Guren commanded war, it would be hell. It was nonetheless obvious was that what happened in Mushrooms shouldn't have happened. It wasn't like this didn't happen outside of war. It occurred, it was just that there was no consequence for such an action. Great Nations minded their own business and would not do anything because it was right but rather, because they thought they could benefit something from it.
"Not everyone is like that," Neji said firmly. "But in this time, to spare someone like that would be a mistake. We are at war."
"Why does every action have to be condoned by saying we are at war."
"You are just too kind," Guren said with a stare. "But sometimes you don't look kind."
Naruto smiled. "Overlapping emotions, I guess," he said casually. "Either way, we have orders to follow. I hope you'll behave, Guren. We don't want you going loose. Neji will have a heart problem while trying to control you."
"He just needs to learn that he can't control me."
"I don't even know why I'm going with you…" Neji said with a shake of his head. "I'll still have a report to compile. Just know that when you don't follow orders, it doesn't reflect good on you."
Guren narrowed her eyes dangerously. "You're going to report me to the Hokage?"
"Of course," Neji replied as if it was the obvious thing to do. "You cannot be trusted to follow orders. In missions were we have to play as a team, you're likely to either put others or the mission in danger with your behavior."
"I'm not stupid enough to put a mission in danger."
"But brave enough to ignore orders."
"You two should just date and be done with it," Naruto said, getting ready to depart. "Be safe. And we will meet after this."
"You're going to face danger." Neji reminded him.
Naruto just smiled. "Sometimes, it is the easiest challenge that kills you," he said jumping down and the fled from the scene.
While running through the ground, Naruto wondered which of the Bijuu he should talk to. The Kyubi or Isobu? Perhaps Isobu would be better. Then again, with how things were going, he would need to have much better cooperation with the strongest Bijuu.
'Isobu.'
'Naruto.'
'What do you say about having more friends in with you? At this rate, I will end up having to take both Iwa's Jinchuriki. Depending on how things go on the other hand, I will also take Kumo's Jinchuriki.'
Better the power with him. Perhaps, he was starting to think as if he were god and that he alone should have power. There might be some truth in that. But Naruto wanted that power. Regardless of what anyone thought, without power you could not change anything in the shinobi world. Besides, it was best to keep the powers of the Bijuu away from humans. Eventually he would have to release them. To his death. He didn't expect to live a long life anyway. He just needed to live long enough to bring about a change and perhaps Jinchuriki would have better lives.
'I don't have a problem with it but I'm not sure your other friend will be happy about it.'
'Why are you bringing me into this?'
'Doesn't matter,' Naruto said with a smile. 'He lives rent free within me. He can afford to squat with others. It won't be for that long anyway.'
'And I thought you were becoming worse than all other humans by growing to love our powers.' The Kyubi said.
'Don't be like that. You know me better. But I think I've said I'm like other humans. It is true that I will use the power within me. But to me, you're not just a weapon. I think a Jinchuriki is better placed to understand that a Bijuu is more than just a mass of chakra. I see you everyday. I hear you talk. I know your emotions. Your hatred. Your pride as the Nine-Tails. That is just like any human. We love. We hate. We take pride in our powers.'
'Don't compare me to humans!'
'Bur you act like one.'
Isobu intervened, speaking in an amused tone. 'Your long time host is something else,' he said to the Kyubi. 'I've never had anyone claim that a Bijuu acted in a similar way to that of a human.'
'Because this one is not right in his head.'
Naruto laughed at this. 'I thought you and I were getting along just fine,' he said. 'It is fine nevertheless. But how come you're more relaxed unlike the drama queen, Nine-Tails? You've also has the same fate with humans, but his hatred is something else. Could it be that he is just highly emotional?'
Isobu laughed at this. Then again, when the Sage was saying his goodbyes, Kurama had the biggest tears.
'Well, we will see what happens in the coming hours or days.'
When Naruto landed on a tree branch, a kunai hit it. His eyes glanced down as he came to a halt. The kunai was imbedded with an explosive tag. He quickly tried to jump away from the tree but the tag exploded before he could make any distance. He was caught slightly but still managed to get away without his legs being burnt.
The second he landed on the ground, earth walls protruded from the ground in both his sides.
Naruto glanced ahead seeing that he was surrounded. They must have had a sensor and had known he was coming. These were not just normal shinobi if they had managed to hide and plot such attacks. They probably never had any attention of going after their command center but just wanted to keep him busy. Just to keep him away from battle while their Jinchuriki ran rampant against Konoha shinobi. A problematic situation.
His eyes narrowed at the closing walls. He could simply crush them using Sage Mode. But that was not a power to be wasted like that but seeing as he had no other option, Naruto held out both hands, touching the walls. For a moment, he stopped them from crushing him but this left him defenseless. A lack of experience. He cursed his luck seeing a volley of kunai reign toward him. No doubt, with explosive tags.
"Isobu, lets try your scales."
"Got it."
Naruto stopped trying to block the walls and just folded his hands together. The walls slammed into him on both sides, before the tags reigned on the walls. There were many of them. And when they were set off, a powerful blast rocked through the area. Crimson flames burst into the sky like a column, burning away the trees that surrounded. They continued to burn for over a minute before slowing down.
"You think we got him?"
"He is a Jinchuriki. That isn't going to be enough to bring him down."
"Ready for the last attack!"
When the flames died down, a large crater was chucked out by the explosion. Naruto was still standing within it, hands folded across his chest.
"Not even a scratch."
"How?!"
"Ready for the next attack!" The leader shouted, ignoring the shock the others were experiencing. Even he hadn't thought Naruto would actually survive that without even a scratch. That explosion was massive. Not even the Tsuchikage could have taken it and survived. "Deception…" he motioned as three masked men jumped toward the blond from the shadows.
"Uzumaki Naruto," one of the masked men said. "You will be buried here. We were looking for you but we didn't think you'd just come to us."
Naruto narrowed his eyes dangerously. There was a literal sense to what the man was saying. Iwagakure had skilled Earth Style users. They perfected those kind of Jutsu as it was their natural affinity.
"I walked into a trap then. Undesirable since Iwa is already on the attack. Let us deal with this quickly," Naruto said in a serious tone.
The three lunged toward him in a blur.
Yet, Naruto could see their movements. He had seen faster shinobi. After all, he had even seen Orochimaru and even Sasuke. They were better shinobi.
And so, he didn't permit them to reach him, but blurred out of their sight.
"Behind!" one of the masked man who had stayed hidden shouted.
It didn't matter to Naruto as he targeted the man in the middle. He was above the air, just behind the three when his right leg swept through the air in a blur, heading toward the back of the head of his target. Hearing the shout, the man tried to turn around, but he was welcomed by Naruto's right foot. Which slammed into his forehead. A sickening crunch as the kick connected. The man was sent bulleting away.
The other two reacted swiftly. They twisted around, lunging as both tried to kick him around his shoulders. Their kicks seemingly hit him but he exploded into a log, which quickly burst as the two attacks hit it.
Naruto landed behind the shinobi while holding a kunai. While driving it toward the back of one of the masked man, still slightly above the ground, he felt a shift of the ground and glanced below. Two hands burst out from the ground but Naruto quickly jumped up, avoiding the attack.
But this forced him to stop his attack and it gave an opportunity for the man he'd been trying to stab to twist around. The man planted his foot on his chest. Naruto didn't wince when the kick slammed into his chest. It was weak. Not enough to leave him gasping for air. He had received much worse.
The other flashed above him, and tried to hit him with a drop kick. Naruto folded his hands above, blocking the kick. This forced him to hit the ground.
The second he did, he knew something was wrong.
This became evident when he was suddenly dragged down. It was the very ground he stood on that was submerging deep within the earth. When the shinobi above him tried to flee, Naruto caught him by his foot, dragged him down and then slammed him to the ground. He then stepped on his throat, kept his eyes up. Within a couple of seconds, he was standing deep within a dark pit. It was so deep, he could only see the light far away from him.
"T-this i-s the end for you…" the shinobi Naruto was stepping on managed to sneak out a couple of words while grabbing onto his right leg. "T-this p-lace is going to be reinforced with iron to keep you grounded."
He then burst exploded into a liquid substance. Naruto realized, he was glued.
Well, he could give this effort an A. It was executed well. And if he was anyone else, he would be sweating bullets knowing this was the end for him.
He was learning. In war, you targeted the strongest to try to remove them from battle. After all, the strongest usually moved alone to go to different battlefields. It was the same as with the Sannin during the Second shinobi war. Or his father during the Third War. And now it was his turn.
Meanwhile
An iron boulder, slapped with explosive tags was being pushed into the hole, closing the gap. When it slammed down, there was an earth shaking explosion. But the ground remained closed.
"You think that's it?"
It had to be, they no longer had any plays left aside from fleeing.
Naruto wondered if heading ahead was going to be alright. That had been dangerous. The idea behind it at least. If Iwa could plot this for a Jinchuriki, surely they could plot such devilish tactics for other shinobi they dedicate as too dangerous for them. But in such a situation, what could he do aside for alerting Shikaku and the Hokage that such could possibly happen. In that way, they could take caution in their actions.
He had to head to the capital of the Mushrooms for now. But he could still send a message.
"That was quite a show."
"Shin." Naruto glanced at the man hidden in the shade of a tree through the corner of his eyes. "When did you get here?"
"Just at the end."
"If you're here, how goes the business with the Feudal Lords?"
"Challenges in the Wind Capital and Earth. The Earth was especially troublesome. The others were fine. We had to strong-arm things in the Fire though. The other people appeared to wield too much power and influence over the Daimyo. But things are in motion."
If you were plotting to change things with the Feudal Lords, you had to do it during such a time. In any other time, when there was resistance and violence was to be used, it could lead to other wars. But in such a war, Daimyo were useless. Only after when Villages have burnt through the funds that they needed the Feudal Lord's coffers to bail them out would they start valuing the political heads of their countries.
"With the Kage focused on war, we will speed through things. It nonetheless will take time for us to get it in order." Naruto said in a thoughtful tone. "But perhaps we can use war to our advantage. Though, things aren't going as I'd hoped."
"You're a little subdued?"
"Indeed," Naruto nodded. "One can't be greedy nonetheless. We must make do with what we have. We don't want to end up falling into a trap and starting demanding for more and more." Naruto stood up. "Approach the Mizukage."
"Openly?"
"Yes. Remind her I'm the same person who returned Kiri's Jinchuriki to her. Even if it was on orders of Konoha. Her views are rather interesting. I'm just not certain if they are as naïve as those of Jiraiya sensei."
"I'm afraid I may not be able to return soon given Kiri's location and current situation."
"It is acceptable."
Kakashi weakly smiled, seeing Yamato's company arrive. Gai was supposed to have been with them – but maybe he was sent away to another field. A day already in this place. He'd thought they would take some time before coming here. After all, scouts needed to do their jobs before they could move in. There was no telling if Iwa would move in and ambush them.
"Senpai…" Yamato smiled. "I thought for a moment you were gone when I saw that explosion."
Kakashi really didn't have reasons to smile. Or be happy. Sure, he was alive. But he'd allowed the explosion to take place. He could have stopped it. Even at the cost of his life. But that would have been pointless. Kakashi knew this much and yet he still felt weighed down by the fact that he allowed people do die.
"It is hardly the situation to be smiling," Kakashi replied and then glanced at Shikamaru who had a thoughtful look on his face.
"Sorry, senpai," Yamato turned around. Seeing the destruction that had been caused by the explosion. Worse, people were no doubt dead. They had waited a day before moving to this place. You could never be too sure about anything. "How did you even manage to survive such a blast?"
"Luck," Kakashi said lamely. "How is the situation?"
"They are not moving and the Jinchuriki has disappeared from the battle. But it does seem like they are trying to attack us in three different directions."
"And Kusa?"
"It is defending the borders. Gai has gone there to offer a helping a hand as they are threatening to be overrun."
Kakashi frowned at this. They were already stretched. That wasn't going to work out. "What of Kumogakure?"
It was Shikamaru who replied. "Approaching slowly. I heard that they lost one of their Jinchuriki. My guess is that they are waiting for us to reduce each other and then jump in."
"A conservative strategy from Kumogakure. I didn't think the Raikage would go for such a strategy," Kakashi said in a thoughtful tone.
He already knew that Naruto had already defeated one of their Jinchuriki. But what bothered him was their slow movements. They had already lost some men but the bulk of their shinobi had yet to engage. They needed to make things move. They needed to make Kumo enter battle by force. Otherwise, both Konoha and Iwagakure would be at the mercy of the Cloud. At least, they still had Suna waiting in the wings for support and there was still Kiri which had also promised to aide them.
"We need to make Kumo engage with Iwa immediately."
Shikamaru nodded in agreement. "Given their losses in the Fire Border, they appear to be trying to move toward the Earth but avoiding the Land of Fire."
"Their fight is with Iwagakure," Yamato said. "What do you think we should do?"
"Where is Sai?"
"He has gone to look for more explosive tags for the next phase. I suppose we are going to attack Kumo in the front lines now."
Kakashi nodded. "We avoid losing men by sending them to attack Kumo. If we do that aerial attack again, but on the Cloud, they will be forced to move," he paused. "And since we know where they are going, we can plan for it, for both Kumo and Stone."
Shikamaru smiled. "I see where you are going, sensei. If we have Sai plant the tags on the ground before he attacks, we also lead them to those traps."
"If we send many, they are likely to be discovered by scouts. But Sai is just one and can move in stealthily to avoid being spotted," Kakashi replied.
"But we would need to attack on the rear. If we attack in the front, they might be hesitant."
"When is Sai supposed to arrive?"
"Tonight or tomorrow morning."
The good thing was that Kumo was moving slowly. Kakashi didn't think there was a problem with plotting the attack then. But he just hoped that Iwa didn't spring a surprise attack on them. Because if it happened, it was just going to be dangerous for them. And Sai might not be able to carry out the special mission he had to carry out.
"And Naruto?"
"Nothing as yet. But I heard he was coming to this side," Yamato replied.
Kakashi nodded. "Hope he arrives soon. Knowing that we are defenseless, Iwa might attack again. We need Naruto," he said. He could use Kamui to blow two more or three Bijuu bombs by now. He had recovered his chakra without battling. The only person who was expending chakra was Sakura who has been healing people. "Try to help out with this mess, for now, while resting up. Tomorrow we might end up going into battle. Or a Jinchuriki could appear now."
"Don't say it like that senpai," Yamato said wearily. "You're going to make some people restless."
"But it is the truth." Shikamaru agreed with the Jonin.
This was war. Far cruel than what he had imagined. Shikamaru had made plans to succeed in missions. But now he was making plans to kill other people. It was either they allowed themselves to be killed or kill their enemies.
"We cannot afford to be absent minded about the threat that is present." The Nara said. "And the civilians still alive?"
"We can't afford to move them to Kusa. It makes them easy targets. We can only move them back into the Fire territory where there are no enemy shinobi." Kakashi replied with a slight shake of his head. "I have made arrangements for their evacuation."
Jiraiya waved his right hand, seeing Naruto. The blond looked normal. Then again, since returning from Konoha, Naruto has always been different. No doubt, war wasn't going to turn him into a different person. He was hardened. But perhaps this was also a new experience could influence some of his thinking. After all, nobody could truly prepare for war.
"I thought you were going to be very busy in battle," Naruto spoke, walking toward the Sannin who was settled under a tree.
"I'm still not at best, but I've engaged in one battle," Jiraiya said, looking up into the sky through the parted leaves. Night was upon them.
Naruto stopped beside the Sannin and then settled beside him. A messenger toad had informed him that the Sannin wanted to speak to him. Rest, he could do with it. He was sure, from tomorrow, it would be battle after battle. He wasn't even going to properly sleep tonight. He was going to part with Jiraiya and head toward his destination before stopping midway for rest.
"War is truly unpleasant. It is kill. Kill. Kill…" Naruto shook his head. "And I'm heading toward the heart of it tomorrow."
"It never was pleasant. Pain and hatred are about its effect. Even if you win, you lose something. But Great Nations never seem to learn anything. They continue to charge toward war without second thoughts."
Jiraiya wondered, was peace really possible in such a world? He really did believe and yet some days, he asked himself. For he couldn't even bring about an answer to the question he has been asking for a long time. Even his students have backed away from his ideals. Following a different path to life.
"That is why people are always thinking about peace," Naruto thought out loud. "But by nature, humans will always be in conflict. They will always lust over something. If we can love. We can hate. If we can desire, we can take."
There was silence as both delved into their thoughts. Naruto broke the silence after a while.
"What was important that you had to call for me?"
"Iwa has shinobi within the Land of Canyons. Most of Konoha's forces are concentrated between that border and the Fire. If they move, those forces will be overrun. The situation in Mushrooms is fine, even if Iwa went crazy for a moment," Jiraiya shook his head at this. "After reaching Mushrooms capital, I want you to tell them you need to move first. Those numbers are too many for Konoha in the Canyons. The attack has to be from the rear."
"You want me to launch a crazy attack from the rear?"
"Yes. I have sent a message to Shikaku about this," Jiraiya replied in a flat tone.
"So I must go and massacre people," Naruto said. "How do I get in behind them?"
"You can levitate, can't you?"
"Only on my original body and when using Senjutsu. Clones apparently can't handle the pressure… surprising, since I don't feel any pressure," Naruto replied casually. "Fine, it will be done."
In past wars, it was the Sannin. In the Third, it was Minato. In war, you really couldn't show any mercy. Kindness only got you killed. The purpose wasn't really to make your enemy surrender but to kill them.
"How are you dealing with this?" Jiraiya had already received report of Naruto's actions with Kumo shinobi.
"A bit difficult but so far so good. I suppose I haven't seen anything yet."
"Yeah," Jiraiya nodded. "Things are just going to get worse. At least nobody is making moves in Ame. Even though it was the usual fighting ground when Iwa and Konoha fought. It would have just caused more problems."
"I can imagine. I did defeat two members of the Akatsuki," Naruto said. "But then, you there are still others and you never know what happens next. I should go and visit Amegakure after the war."
"You want to die?'
Naruto shook his head. "Just to talk. I do want to hear what turned your former student into what he has become. Experiences change people, sensei."
"But not enough that you want to kill your master. I saved those brats and gave them the tools to protect themselves."
"Are you angry?"
Jiraiya shook his head and then smiled sadly. "I just feel like I have failed. I'm sad that one of my students turned out that way. But at least now I understand how the old man felt with Orochimaru."
"Well, we will see after," Naruto stood up. "Stay safe, sensei. Oh, before I leave; the shinobi who were heading toward the command camp were not. But rather an ambush party. From what I gathered, Iwa has teams targeting Konoha's most powerful who are moving in small groups. They gave me quite a fright."
"That's a problem."
"Indeed. Their plans are coordinated and they are very effective. Just not against me. But against someone else, even you, they could work."
"I will alert Tsunade and Shikaku," Jiraiya turned to Naruto. "Don't fall Naruto and don't die. At some level, we are all fragile and can die at any time. You need to survive this war. Even though what will be asked of you will be bloody and too much, I still want you to survive."
"It is war. Others are using their powers. Mine has to be used. It isn't about morals or anything but our own survival. If we lose, they are not going to let me live. They will extract the Bijuu within me and I'll see my end as a result."
"I would die first before that happens!"
Naruto just smiled and left the Sannin.
These days, there was hardly sleep. Sakura was honestly missing her bed. The safety of the Hidden Leaf – home. In this wilderness, there was no security. Shinobi could just appear out of nowhere and start attacking. A Bijuu could just launch a devastating attack on them. It made her feel like they were living on borrowed them. Yet, she wanted to survive this war. Not to tell the stories about the horrors she has had to witness. Nor her failure at the very thing she was trained to do – to save lives. But just so she could achieve dreams. Who wanted to die here?
Sakura stared at the destruction, wondering if such a thing could happen to Konoha. If it did, their loved ones would be lost. Her parents. The village. But what of Sasuke? It would have really made her happy if he was here, fighting with them, for Konoha.
"Someone looks lost in thought."
Sakura nearly jumped into the large crater when she heard the voice from behind. She twisted around and then beamed seeing Naruto. She nearly lunged at him, seeing his friendly face. A flash of memories. Happiness. Despite everything, in their team, Naruto had always been dependable.
"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed. "You're here."
"Finally," Naruto said, then smiled, holding out his hands. "Come on, you know you want to."
Sakura knew she was being teased. She folded her hands across her chest. She wanted to do it. Really. But for some reason, she became embarrassed and remained rooted. Naruto noticed and then laughed.
"I wish there was time to chat about, but," he turned away from her. "I must speak with others for I head into battle again."
Sakura followed after him. "Jinchuriki?"
Naruto glanced at her through the corner of his eyes. With the destruction that occurred here, it was understandable that she would be worried. But for Naruto, a Jinchuriki wasn't that of a problem. He knew Fuinjutsu, he could get them even after transforming. Because they were Jinchuriki, the chakra could be repressed.
"Not particularly," Naruto said with a wave of his hand. "Dealing with Jinchuriki isn't that difficult."
"Because you're one?" Sakura said as if it should be obvious.
Naruto laughed at this. "Because I am Uzumaki. Even an Uchiha who is powerful in Genjutsu can make it easy by manipulating the Bijuu and the Jinchuriki."
"Can something like that be done?" Sakura asked with surprise. But also a bit afraid that something like that could happen to Naruto.
"Ah yes. You just need to have a really powerful Sharingan," Naruto stopped, putting a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "But that can't happen to me. Like I said, I am Uzumaki." He turned away once more. "Stay safe, Sakura."
Naruto found Kakashi sitting with both Shikamaru and Yamato at the top of one of the buildings that still remained. He knew today was going to be a busy day. For him as well. They had some reprieve yesterday. But not him. Yesterday had been another battle.
"You took your time getting here," Shikamaru said in a tired tone.
"Had a bit of trouble on my way. Had Iwa waiting for me. Pulled off a bloody stunt that would have left me buried deep into the earth," Naruto said in a casual tone.
Kakashi raised an eye brow. Naruto's casual tone and his words didn't quite match. "Was it bad?"
Naruto adopted a thoughtful look. "A worthy effort but just not quite enough," the blond replied before settling with the three. "I'm not going to sit around too much. What do you need of me?"
"Another mission? I thought you were going to stay around to help us locate Iwa's Jinchuriki. If we can eliminate them, we deal a blow to Iwa's forces," Yamato said.
"That will be done…" Naruto said. "I'm told you might need me for Kumo."
"Ah yes. You will negotiate that with Sai."
Naruto nodded and then stood up. "There is going to be some fireworks. It should force the Jinchuriki to come out."
"Fireworks?"
"Pure destruction." Naruto gave a flat smile. "Just death and destruction."
End of chapter