World Without End

by MoonlessAir

The Fourth War ended… or did it? For Naruto and Sasuke, it certainly doesn't feel like it. Hurt, jailed, and attacked in their own village, they've had enough. They turn in their headbands, and walk out the Village gate, and turn north, into the snow and wind. The Alliance is crumbling, villages are dying, and the ice is coming, and death with it.

46. Chapter 45: The Allied Shinobi Conf, 1

45. The Allied Shinobi Conference, Part 1

The morning was bright and crisp and thin little clouds, like wrinkles in a cotton shirt, stitched together as if by young children, ran east and west above them. The grass raised itself towards the sun and leaned to the east. It rained hard yesterday, and everything was fresh, and clean, and the sky the color of sapphires and blue cotton.

Sai wore black slacks, and a crisp, white cotton dress shirt, sleeves rolled up, and two swords on his back, the black leather straps crossing his chest. He held Ino in his arms, and they walked around the twenty or so kage, ninja, guards, and attendants asleep on the ground, where all the paths met, in the middle of their village. Ino skimmed their minds, one by one, jumping into minds, and listening, and watching, and searching, and sometimes being pushed out, and sometimes meeting with locked doors. These were very strong and formidable ninja she was scanning, though, at Naruto's request, she didn't scan two of them: Darui, from the Cloud, and Gaara, from the Wind. When you trust your friends, then you trust them.

Sasuke stood, holding Sakura in his right arm; protecting her- keeping her back to them, with his left side forward. Her pink hair was tied back, and her tanktop clung to her chest. She was a little embarrassed he was holding her so close, and assertively, but wasn't going to complain. Shikamaru and Temari were sitting on the only bench, with Ko and Tsuna. Kakashi and Maki stood to the side, towards Sasuke's house. None of the women had their breasts wrapped, and all were barefoot, except Sai.

Ever so faintly, in the distance, the sound of a math being taught to students, through an open window, a whisper behind the waves, and birds out over the water, and morning beetles in the grass, whirring and chirping.

Naruto was laying down in the grass on Hinata's lap, looking up at her, and she was looking down at him, and they were lost in each other's eyes. She wore denim shorts and a purple tshirt, and both rings. He wore jeans and a white tshirt. Neither wanted to be here, doing this. They had taken a few days off work and spent the majority of that time sleeping and making love, laying on the beach and exploring the pine forest, going on dates, and snuggling under the stars. As newlyweds. And they weren't finished.

Ino sat up, and looked at Sasuke, and nodded. He walked over with Sakura, and she leaned in and whispered, "The mist is working directly with Jurogumo. Tsunade is working with Dodomeki trying to find us. But another, or a second, Dodomeki, is working her way across the Land of Lightning, threatening the Cloud. So maybe there's two of them? I don't know. The Cloud thinks she uses clones, and the Cloud needs our help. Not sure about the wind." There. That was the very best report she could deliver. Sai had been working with her on how to give reports to Sasuke, and that was perfect.

"Is that all?"

She shook her head no, and glanced at the attendants, and mouthed the words- "They're not all asleep."

He glanced from her, to the attendants, and nodded. "Thank you, Ino."

"You're welcome. Had breakfast yet?"

He shook his head no.

"We'll fix you up. Let's wake these idiots up and get this over with."

Sasuke agreed, and, once again, was forced to see Ino in a different light. She had been nice, pleasant, polite, accommodating, and slightly more intelligent since her vacation. If that's all it took, then she and Sai could disappear half a month every month and he would be fine with it. And he liked the picture she drew- the one on the fridge, and wanted her to do another of him and Sakura for their bedroom. Sasuke nodded to Sai, and he smiled back, and carried Ino towards Naruto and Hinata, and Sai started to let Ino go, to sit her down, but she shook her head no. "Hold me," she demanded, her arms around his neck. He kissed the side of her head, and hugged her, and held her.

This is who they kidnapped:

From the Leaf: Tsunade, Shizune, Hiashi, Tokuma, Lord Akamichi, four ANBU guards, and an elder they didn't recognize.

From the Wind: Gaara, Kankuro, Reki, & Isago and four guards. No elders either- perfect.

From the Stone: no one. Not a single representative, which they all found odd.

From the Mist: Mei Terumi, Chojuro, Kiri, and another ninja, who they did not recognize, with one of the seven legendary swords- a long sewing needle. Five ninja with them, though they looked more like mercenaries.

From the Cloud: Darui, Omoi, Jay, Atsui, and two elders. Neither the Raikage, nor his brother, Killer Bee, had bothered attending. Ten ninja. Also perfect.

From the Grass: One ninja they recognized- Kippo, and five they didn't.

And that was the total sum of Allied Conference attendants. They expected a lot more. Not much of an alliance.

Sleep bombs don't work all that well on Tsunade, and she hadn't been asleep, and so was first to wake. She knew Ino had walked around, scanning their memories. Tsunade had hoped this group would talk more, and say more, to perhaps give away their location, or intent, but they never did. She pretended to wake groggy, and wobbly. "How nice to see you again, Sasuke."

He looked at her, but didn't speak, though returned her cold stare with glacial indifference. He pulled Sakura closer.

Darui and the elders had never been asleep, though pretended to be, and pretended to wake up groggy- Temari kept the smoke where it needed to be- which was off the Cloud, and Gaara. Darui had dark skin, dark clothes, and white-blonde spikey hair. A very large sword lay beside him. He sat up and looked around. He saw Sasuke, and the others, and knew a few, but did not recognize the woman holding Naruto on her lap. He didn't recognize the woman sitting beside Shikamaru, either. He got to his feet, pretending to be a little wobbly. He helped the elders to their feet and looked around.

"Pssst, Sai," Naruto said, looking up at him. He could just barely see Darui over the grass. "Call Darui over for me."

Ino looked down at him like he was lazy. He was lazy. At least today he was. And the last few days. But, like her, he deserved to be lazy every now and then. And it was his honeymoon. Kinda. Proposal honeymoon. She reached over and patted his forehead, and smiled at Hinata. "Darui," she called. "Over here." Her voice woke the others.

Darui helped Omoi to his feet and then escorted him, and the two elders, over to the group of wanted criminals- three of them with bounties on their heads. They all took a seat in the grass near Naruto, and he looked up and smiled at each one. Jay and Atsui came along as well, and moved to the side, and didn't ask questions.

The mist ninja, with the huge needle for a sword hopped up and stepped aside and leaned against a low stone wall, watching. She wore a gray mask, shaped like a mouse, but her black eyes were visible through the large eye-holes.

All the kage woke, with their attendants, and their ninja, and guards, and the heads of their clans. The ocean, crisp and warm and salty, clean and blue, and six houses, and an academy, and a couple barns and a larger fishing village, in the distance, and eight criminals in front of them.

"We didn't bring you here to fight," Shikamaru said, "But we will. Stay put and listen up. Keep in mind: if you kill us you will be stranded here, and it will take you over a year to get back to your villages-" a little white lie- "And by the time you make it back your people will be dead, and your villages gone."

"You have balls, at least," Mei Tezuka said, her voice bright and strong. She was a voluptuous woman and wore blue robes that accentuated her curves. She was the Kage of Kiri village, of the Mist, and very formidable.

Tokuma pulled two kunai. Kankuro pulled a large coffin off his back, and stood it on the ground in front of him. Chojuro drew his sword. Many ninja and guards drew their weapons. "You do realize that kidnapping any Kage, or their attendants, is punishable by death, correct?" Chojuro, from the Mist, said. He pulled a few scrolls from his pouch, and unrolled them, and held them in his hand. He recognized most of these ninja, and was very surprised they were criminals, and had committed such indiscriminate crimes against any nation. And now, kidnapping the kage of all nations, and directly confronting them? He could understand Sasuke behaving in such a way- but Naruto?

Sasuke shifted Sakura so that his right arm was around her chest, and extended black, wiry armor across her body. He had his left hand across her waist, and on the hilt of his sword. She blushed. He was pretty much pinning her arms to her side, in front of everyone. She was on display, and couldn't fight like this, or do much of anything except squirm around, but then realized the second after he drew his sword she could fight- she could throw a right hook at about the same speed as he drew his sword. "Gaara, Hiashi, over here. We need to talk," he said, and tightened his arm around her- her chest, nearly lifting her off the ground, ready to turn her in his arm and cut down everyone in front of them. No other man was holding their girlfriend, or partner, like this, and Sakura also noticed the look in his eyes- he was jealous as all hell. Of who?

Two anbu readied themselves as Hiashi walked past, slowly.

Gaara spoke quietly to his ninja, and attendants, and nodded, and they moved to the side, and sat down as a group in the grass. They were sitting near the shade of two small myrtle trees. All except one- who stayed with Kankuro. Gaara did not look at him, or speak to him, as he passed.

Hiashi glanced at Naruto and Hinata, and the shameless way she was holding his head on her lap, and turned away, and stepped to the side, close to Kakashi. The only reason he did as instructed was to check on Hinabi, and perhaps try to take her back. Hinata as well.

Gaara shook his head as he passed Shikamaru, who nodded; he stood beside Maki, and spoke quietly to her.

Of the remaining attendees of the Allied Shinobi Conference, most were actively hunting for these ninja, for their own reasons. The mist certainly was. Kankuro was. Tsunade. Aburame. Tokuma-he nodded to the Anbu, and they went straight for Naruto and Hinata. Tokuma jumped forward, followed by two Anbu, and he leapt at Hinata, with a glowing kunai in his hand. How dare the Hyuga princess behave in such an unseemly manner. Sasuke could've stopped him. Temari definitely could've. And Sai scooted back a little, pulling the wind elders back. Tokuma drove the glowing kunai deep into Naruto's stomach, and twisted, then pulled the blade out, and started to stab him again, when Hinata smacked him across the face- hard. Tokuma's teeth rattled, and he reacted, and stabbed her in the throat, and both Naruto and Hinata puffed into smoke. Shadow clones?

Tokuma paused. The anbu, and Kankuro paused. A shadow clone of the woman, as well? And why hadn't the clones fought back? They all paused, and waited a moment, then heard a screen door open, and shut, and turned. Naruto had Hinata stepped off the porch laughing about something, holding hands. She had a cup of coffee in her free hand. Naruto leaned over and whispered something and she shook her head, and grinned. He laughed, and then she laughed, as they walked slowly towards the group, enjoying the morning, and each other- their path took them directly through the group of Kage, and if they were worried about being assaulted, they didn't show it. He stopped, and said hello to Chojuro. He turned and said hello to Lord Aburame and Lord Akamichi. He slapped Kankuro on the back, hard, knocking him a few steps forward, and smiled, then, with Hinata, they approached Tokuma, and the anbu. "Attack to kill? Is that how we're doing this, Tokuma?"

Hinata turned and grabbed Naruto's face, and stood up on her tiptoes, so Tokuma, and her father, could see, and kissed him- deeply, then broke the kiss and smiled. "Let me take him," she said, her voice low and at his lips. He smiled, and nodded.

"How dare you," Tokuma spat, and charged, behind the anbu.

Naruto knew about Hinata's byakugan because Hinabi had told him- sometimes the byakugan can do more than see through walls or far away. Sometimes it can see people's thoughts, like Hiashi's. Sometimes it can see spirits, like Neji's could. But sometimes a very rare byakugan shows up- that would be her older sister's byakugan: Hinata's.

Hinata turned around calmly, and held Naruto's hand, and waited. The first anbu was on her, a spiked metal ball in his hand, coated in chakra. Hinata knew where he was throwing it, and simply pulled Naruto to the left a little, and turned them to the side, and the ball exploded behind them and every piece of shrapnel missed. Hinata scanned their future as if her byakugan were a blizzard- narrowing them down to a single outcome; she was scanning the future using Naruto's chakra, and this was a little too easy- their blended and combined chakra was very strong. The second anbu was on her and punched at her face. She slipped to the left, and then to the right, no waisted movements on her part- just slight adjustments, compared to the anbu using all his effort and missing. She pulled Naruto back a step, then, instead of dodging the next punch, she stepped to the side and brought her foot up into his crotch, lifting him a foot off the ground, then drove two hard fingers into his chest while he was still in the air, breaking his sternum and collapsing his lung. He fell to the ground with a whimpering, gasping thud. The other anbu just missed with a kunai, and another and she slipped a jab to the left, then to the right, all while holding Naruto's hand, and then dodged, backwards, pulling them backwards and moving like fluid: she was like punching a silk ribbon hanging in the air; he thrust his blade at her face, and just missed, and just missed again, and he kept missing, then Hinata rebounded and drove two hardened fingers into his nasal septum. His front two teeth, his upper jaw, and his nose bone shattered- blood flew. The force destroyed his sinuses and blood vessels and ear drums and he would probably never see from his left eye, or breath through his nose, again. He crumpled like wet tissue paper, groaning and gasping and crawling away. Another anbu was in the air, driving down on Naruto with a spear of ice. Hinata pulled Naruto aside just slightly and caught the anbu in the throat with a straight punch so hard his spine shifted; she grabbed him out of the air and used his momentum to plow him into the ground. He was out, and perhaps permanently paralyzed.

Temari smiled- she knew how strong Hinata was. Ino smiled- fuck yeah. Sakura cringed. Hinata waited for Tokuma. Naruto yawned, causing Hinata to yawn- then she looked up at him and smiled, and he smiled back. "Stop that," she grinned. This wasn't even a warmup with Sen and Ash, yet. Hiashi was watching- amazed; when had she learned to fight like that?

"We stayed up too late. Other than Shikamaru, who the hell gets up this early in the morning?"

Hinata snickered, and saw an attack coming from behind, and knelt down and pulled a kunai from the downed anbu and tossed it off-mark at the ninja standing near Kankuro; the ninja dodged, just nudging Kankuro, who was just firing off a chakra web attack at them- Naruto and Hinata stood calmly as his attack flew off to the side.

Kankuro lowered his hands. How in the hell had she done that? Both of their backs were still to him, and she had thrown that kunai before he started his hand sign.

"Stand down," Sasuke ordered. "Before we kill every damn one of you."

Tokuma did not stand down- he came at the Hyuga princess, and they let him come- he coated his hands in chakra, and pretended to attack low, then another feint to throw them off, then another, then, finally, he jabbed the kunai at her shoulder, and coated it with liquid fire. Hinata spun, and grabbed his extended arm by the wrist, and Naruto grabbed him by the shoulder, and they drove their palms into his elbow and shattered his right arm in multiple places with a series of snaps and cracks. Bone protruded from his forearm and he collapsed. But Hinata wasn't done. She stomped his right leg till his knee cracked and buckled, then coated her left hand in chakra, then more chakra, until a full formed lion's head cloaked her hand, and she drove her fist into his back, then pulled it back, and punched again, collapsing his right lung. She grabbed him by the back of the neck, and the lion bit down on his head and feasted, draining him of chakra, and hurting like hell in the process. Then she stood and kicked him a few times. She glanced at her father, and growled, as a fox does when threatened. She snapped her left hand back, dropped her right knee and drove an overpowered air palm into the back of his skull, at point-blank range. He crashed into the earth and his face bounced, breaking nose and teeth, then her palm hit him again, then off the ground again, then off her hand again, then she drove him face first into the hard ground, cracking and splintering multiple bones. She stood and looked down at him like he was a nasty fucking grub worm. She turned, disgusted.

Naruto smiled at her. He couldn't stand this son of a bitch. "Done?"

"Done. Nasty." She guided Naruto past Tokuma, past the downed anbu, and sat on the ground with Sai and Ino. "Shit," she said, turning to Ino. "Where did I put my… my coffee?"

Ino laughed in her nose, and Sai laughed with her. "I'll make you some more. Pancakes, too?"

"Oh yeah, with lots of… of butter. Good morning, Ino. Good morning, Sai."

They smiled and said good morning to her, and then they all said good morning to the cloud ninja nearby.

Sakura cringed, and Sasuke looked on, impressed. The son of a bitch deserved every bit of that. Fuck- he didn't know Hinata could be that ruthless, and so accurately decimating. Like Ino, his opinion about her was changing. And though Naruto hadn't told him yet, he was convinced, now more than ever- she could see the future with her byakugan- knowing she was going to the hospital on their mission back to the Leaf, knowing Kankuro was about to attack… he needed to have a word with her. Precognition is an extremely rare and powerful jutsu, as the anbu and Tokuma just learned.

Lord Aburame pulled his sleeves back, and Temari stood, and raised her hand and pointed two fingers at him.

"We're not warning you again," Shikamaru said, and stood with Temari. "If another one of you attacks us, we'll kill you all: right here, right now, and the ninja world would be better off for it. Stand the fuck down. We brought you here to talk to a couple of you, ask a few questions and tell you our plans. Then we'll take you back."

Sasuke took two steps, and jumped up on his left leg, with his right foot back, and swung it forward as hard as he could with a loud thud and crack, breaking Tokuma's ribs- many of them, dislocating his back, and destroying quite a lot of cartlage and fascia and perhaps internal organs. Tokuma could hardly breath. He was dying, and it hurt.

Sakura started to fuss, but didn't. She shut her eyes. He had told her a few times since their first mission- next time that happens, I'm going to kick harder. He had been practicing kicking harder, and working out specifically with that goal in mind, and she was surprised he didn't break his foot. She looked down- his foot was clad in black, wiry metal armor. She shook her head.

"That's for Hinata, you piece of shit," Sasuke spat, and reached down and pulled his headband off, and grabbed him by the hair and rubbed his forehead in the dirt and grass, then lifted it up- the curse mark rubbed off. Oh this motherfucker. Who was spying for Jurogumo or Dodomeki in Konoha? Tokuma Hyuga. Sasuke rose like death over the foot of an old man's bed in winter, and drew his sword.

Ko hopped up, and came over and looked, and sighed. Sai followed, and looked. He pulled a small camera from his pocket and snapped a picture- a pretty rough one: Tokuma wasn't too far from dead.

"Ino, try him again," Sasuke's voice created ice, and snapped it in half.

Behind him, Kankuro closed his coffin; Chojuro stepped back, along with Lord Aburame. They wanted no part of this.

Ino tried again, and she found all she needed. Not even three seconds later she was back. "He's been working with Dodomeki, funneling eyes to her."

"Vote," Sakura said, knowing Sasuke was about to kill him.

Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Sai, and Ino all voted death.

"No," Temari said. "Blind him, and send him back. Actually- wait," she said, and motioned for Sasuke to come over. He did, and she whispered something to Shikamaru, who nodded, and he leaned up and whispered to Sasuke: "Take his eyes, and keep them- we may be able to bargain them for something, or use them ourselves. When Dodomeki visits him again, with no eyes, and with the entire Hyuga clan removed from Konoha- she'll kill him for us."

Sasuke looked from Shik, to Temari, then back at Tokuma. Temari was correct- those eyes might prove very valuable. He looked at her, and nodded. Sakura heard; they would wait a few minutes to collect his eyes- she needed to prepare a couple vials first.

Sasuke looked at his friends, and one, by one, by one, they all nodded. They had all they needed from the rest of the conference. "Listen up," he announced. "Remove your people from the God Tree. We will not be responsible for the loss of your ninja or scientists when we get rid of it."

Sai stood, with Ino still in his arms. "Perhaps you've been pressured to work with one of the Kage's from the Land of Ice. Maybe some of you think they bring safe food, and warmth. And perhaps you've made mistakes. You've got two weeks to cut all ties with Okiku, Dodomeki, or Jurogumo. Run, if you have to. Abandon your villages if you have to."

Shikamaru continued. "There has been too much life lost already- the war, and now this. We do not want to kill any innocents, or ninja, or guards, but we will. If we have to fight one of these kage in your village, then whatever happens, happens. Evacuate, and flee. That is better than working with them, or dealing with us."

"Such big words for such little boys," the Mizukage said, and brought her fingers to her lips. Naruto made two shadow clones, silently, with no handsigns, behind her. As she was about to release her jutsu the Naruto clone behind her hit her elbow, and the Hinata clone smacked her in the side of the head, ringing her ear. She turned furious, and the two smiled, and then poofed into smoke. Only the Leaf knew he could make shadow clones with no words or handsigns, but they did not know he could make clones of Hinata.

"Do any of you know why the Stone did not attend the conference?" Shikamaru asked, ignoring the Mizukage.

No answer.

"Are any of your lands overrun with disease, wolves, nightmares, ice, and death?"

"Our land is," the Cloud elder said, looking at Shikamaru. He nodded. No one else said anything.

"Are any of you going hungry, and running low on food?"

"We are," Kippo, of the Grass answered. Gaara, and the Cloud elders, answered the same.

"Have any of you received migrants from the Iron, or Stone?"

"We have," Tsunade said, holding his gaze, levelly. "We have," Kippo answered.

"Have any of you been attacked by ninja from other nations, who seemed to be stronger, and more ruthless, and never speak?"

"We have," Chojuro, of the Mist, answered. "We have," Darui answerd. "We have as well," the Wind answered. "We have," Kippo, of the Grass, said. "We have," Tsunade answered.

Shikamaru shook his head. "Right now, the kage from the land of ice are placing those they catch in a genjutsu and sending them off to attack. I'm not telling you this so that you choose not to fight, and not to kill. In truth, it's a very hard genjutsu to break, so death is usually the only option. However, that means, as nations, it may not be the kage, or ninja, or people of a particular place purposefully attacking you. You were all taught this lesson in the fourth war."

Kippo looked around. "So the Leaf is not purposefully attacking us?"

Tsunade turned to him. "I've ordered no ninja into your lands, except to hunt for these four, and they were ordered to not engage anyone. Do you know the names and identities of those who attacked you?"

"Yes." He was a short man, with long dark hair, and fished a folder out of his pouch and handed it to her. Six ninja, and Genma was one of them. She shook her head. She had hoped Sasuke kidnapped him.

"Keep your village gates closed, and work in two-man teams. We're going to put you back to sleep, and take you back to the Conference, in Konoha. Don't fight it, or us. If you cooperate we'll send you back with food and antidotes."

Lord Akamichi patted Tsunade on the back, and walked up to Sasuke. He was a good foot taller than the young man, but if Sasuke had any fear of him it didn't show. "I would like a word- in private. You have my word I do not mean any harm to you, or any of the others."

Sasuke looked the big man over, and remembered his words in Tsunade's office: what we should be trying to do is learn from them. He motioned towards Shikamaru, and Sakura tossed three sleep bombs, and Temari crafted the air and held it in place. They remaining attendees didn't fight, but didn't look too happy, either, then they went down. Hard.

Sakura tried to bend down to heal Tokuma a little, but Sasuke tightened his arm around her. She struggled and turned in his arm. "Would you stop it and trust me, damnit? His eyes might not be viable if I don't heal a few of his injuries. And who are you so jealous of?"

"Sorry," he said. "I do trust you, but I don't like him."

"Neither do I." She noticed he hadn't answered her last question- she had no guesses, but someone, probably some man, in that group of sleeping Conference attendants, was pissing him off in all kinds of ways- she could see it in his eyebrows, and jaw.

"Hey friends," Ino called. "I'm hungry, and I bet our guests are hungry. We're gonna go make pancakes and coffee for everyone. We'll be back."

"What kind of topping for you this morning?" Sai asked, standing up with Ino in his arms.

"Syrup. No, fruit. No, whip cream." Ino grinned big and mischievous. Sai turned with her to walk home.

Maki walked up to Sasuke and leaned in and whispered to him. "I'll go with her- I'll write up everything she learned." Maki had taken on the responsibility, at Shikamaru's request, of taking notes on all the reports, discussions, and information they learned, and discussed, as a group, and compiling it. Both she, and Kakashi, were at every meeting, and had possession of every note and scrap of paper, and kept it all in their room on the third floor of the tavern. Kakashi patted her butt as she walked by, and the two grinned at each other.

"Thank you," Sasuke said, to Maki. He didn't think she was much of a ninja in terms of fighting ability, but she was damn good at preparing reports and compiling data. She would make a hell of a librarian. And anyone who could decipher Ino's constant stream of chatter into something intelligent was worth their weight in gold. "Tell her I want fruit with mine, and Sakura is starving- three pancakes and-"

"You know I can't eat that much."

He smiled at her and relaxed his very tight and strong hold on her a little. "Two, then."