Naruto: Shoton of Konoha

by Arch-Daishou00

: For Stormy Rebel, miss you, Joachim, and thank you: "By the actions of the traitor Mizuki. Naruto awakens a rare Kekkei Genkai. And his path has now changed. And in the darkness awakens an ancient threat more terrifying than the Akatsuki, which only stirs thought of myths from a lost and forgotten age." : huge world expansion story, OC. Co-Author: Etheral-23

61. The Decisive Moment Act II

Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto

Co-Author and Beta: Etheral-23

This is the arc where everything changes, and we hope you enjoy the journey we wish to take you through.

Chapter 61: The Decisive Moment Act II

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Sweat and blood that was not Akiha's dripped from his terror-borne face. Parts of his robes were torn, and his usual hat had fallen off during the chaos revealing his bald visage. His eyes were as wide as humanly possible, and his breathing erratic. Around were what remained of his sole surviving vassal who came with him, along with barely half of his Samurai guards and the few remaining Tree Shinobi that were left alive.

They all had taken refuge within a massive underground cave system well-hidden and known by a sparse few.

Near the entrance stood the last remaining senior Samurai knelt beside someone the Daimyo did not expect but was grateful for saving him and his people's lives. Holding her bandaged wounded arm, Yuma leaned against the cave wall. Blood, sweat, and dirt covered parts of her body as portions of her attire were severely torn.

She glanced to the Samurai beside her, a man in his late forties with short black greying hair and a hardened face, "My messenger summons should have reached Amotsu by now." The buxom swordswoman quipped in a whisper.

"It will take Lord Ichiro time, but he will gather up as many forces he can muster." The Samurai kept his gaze at the entrance, whispering back.

They kept their voices as silent as possible to safely not draw unwanted attention.

From the rampaging demons... And...

That ground soon rumbled as everyone within the cave went deathly still.

There was an enormous shake, followed by another and another. Akiha twitched when some dirt fell upon his head. He gulped, praying with desperation to all the gods to protect them.

The shakes grew weaker in intensity until they stopped altogether.

They could finally breathe again.

But the threat was not gone. They knew their hiding spot would only protect them temporarily. The monsters who attacked them were still out there. Along with that abomination...

The sheer carnage those things had unleashed... Akiha had seen the effects of war. He saw battlefields filled with bodies. He had lost something precious due to such conflicts and felt the weight of his nation as he led them through those terrible tribulations.

But he had never borne witness to such massacre. Akiha saw more people die in the last few days than most soldiers would in their careers. He could still hear the screams...

Their hiding spot offered little solace, for some of the surviving Tree ninjas who joined them had been utterly broken by the ordeal. Dead gazes and shaking bodies, one was cradling his legs, burying his head in a fetal position, brokenly muttering. "They're dead; they're all dead. Oh, dear gods... gods help us!" He wept.

"My lord" One of his shinobi snapped him out of his thoughts, thankfully distracting him. "I can see you are not in the best shape, and I can offer you a genjutsu to calm your nerves."

"N-No," He waved the offer off. "It would dull me, and I need to be focused."

"You know, I can see why Maiyuri's got such a steely spirit," Yuma said with a soft smile as he approached the man. "Not many people who haven't lived through battle like this would remain intact, and well..." Even some of the professional warriors were suffering. But they had lost so much in such a short time.

Akiha found it in himself to laugh softly, "I am afraid you are mistaken, Yuma-chan. My little lily has always had her mother's courage."

The Fire Daimyo made no illusions to himself of being a warrior. His battles were on the political spectrum, and words were his weapon, not the sword. He trusted those who took up the blade of warfare in that regard.

His Samurai were hardened and fearless, much like his late precious Saeko.

Yuma offered a rueful grin, "Think you're underselling yourself, Akiha-sama. You've led our nation with unwavering determination and dedication to its people. It is not just because of duty your people follow you. It has been your leadership that has kept the land of fire as strong as it is. Everyone here follows you out of love and respect for all you've done."

He turned his gaze around his surviving Samurai and lone servant, who looked back warmly.

"Serving you has been my honor Aikha-Sama," the senior Samurai offered his words.

"...Thank you, Jubei," Akiha nodded before glancing at everyone else in his entourage, "thank you all."

Yuma patted the older man's shoulder, "We will get out of this alive. We will all be going home and back to our loved ones."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

The world felt like a muted blur around the princess falling back in her seat. She did not see half of the people around her talking or shouting in a panic. Instead, images of the past flooded her mind of the past. She was unresponsive to Miharu and Namika speaking with her.

"Princess Maiyuri," the brother voiced in concern.

The sister faintly shook the short-haired rosette's shoulder, "Maybe we should go to your room and rest?" Namika expressed tenderly.

Upon hearing those words, Maiyuri's eyes refocused, "No..."

"No?"

"NO!" Her hand slammed on her armchair as her scream silenced the entire courtroom. She rose, "I am done staying in my room." Her voice resonated like a growling lioness. A fire was burning in her eyes as the crowd around opened a path for her as she began to walk forward. She soon stood in front of Team seven, Kosuke, Soujiro, and the ANBU.

For the briefest of moments, Kushina did not see the princess. But the fully armored figure of her late mother.

"I am joining the rescue forces," Maiyuri announced with clarity, much to the court's concern.

"Maiyuri-hime, I must protest," Lord Ichiro spoke up against her intentions. "This will be extremely dangerous; if something were to happen to you, then-"

The princess walked up to the older man, "I will not stand idle as my father's life is in danger. Throw your authority all you like, but as your future master, you will do as I command."

"You are not my master yet," The samurai sternly replied. "Do not make me force you, my princess. I will order my men to retain you if need be. And I know your father would do the same"

Her eyes narrowed, "And I say to you, lord Ichiro," Her voice came with a threatening edge, "That you and I both know you cannot afford to waste men detaining me. I will incapacitate them all, harshly if need be" She looked up at him with defiance, "You're very aware none of them will stop me."

It was almost like the vague, blurred image of a wrathful deity manifested behind her, the deity she called upon in her Raigō.

"So you can either stay out of my way, or I start breaking every single limb from everyone you throw at me."

The sheer intensity of their standoff was overwhelming, such that some members of the court fell faint upon the heavy display of chakra thrown around them as they glared at each other. An old general with far more experience on his finger than her in her entire body and a prodigious warrior of tremendous power and skill who could make good on her promise.

But in the end, it was the samurai who relented.

"Do as you please," He turned around and walked away, "I need to organize our forces."

Namika giggled beside her groaning brother, who exasperatedly ran his hand over his face. "Guess we're not going to have a dull day, eh Nii-chan?" Miharu only grumbled louder.

"I shall also bring team seven, Kosuke Uzumaki and Soujiro Uzumaki." However, the princess's next word soon sent a wave of protests from the masses, surprising to even the Fire Court. Team Seven themselves merely gawked in stunned silence.

However, Lord Soga stood firm, unshaken by Maiyuri's declaration, "These are traitors to the nation, your highness, that I cannot allow. Therefore, they shall be taken to the Konoha Correctional facility and Naruto Uzumaki to the Gaodaime."

"I offer them a chance of amnesty for their transgressions of Han'ei. Wouldn't that be better than wasting their talents away in prison? Or leashing Naruto Uzumaki as the nation's guard dog!?"

"They violated our nation's laws," Soga roared back, "They deserve nothing! ANBU, send the prisoners away!"

However, the ANBU grew still upon being glared at the princess, "Belay that order." Her tone was like a sharpened blade.

"You are defying our very laws, princess Maiyuri," Lord Soga declared with fury in his tone. "This-"

"Shut up, Soga!" Lord Ichiro roared at the courtroom's door before turning back inside. "The princess will do as she wills."

"Lord Ichiro," Lord Daiki countered.

"This conversation is done! I will hear no more!" The wizen general walked past the princess and stood the kneeling Shinobi and their comrades, "Rise!"

Feeling lost in this situation, the shinobi couldn't do anything else but follow the general's order. He looked at each of them with severity; "If you were my samurai, I'd have you commit seppuku right this instant. So you better be ready to give up your lives for her if you have any loyalty left to this nation."

"You're letting us go?" Naruto questioned in surprise.

"Maiyuri-hime has conscripted you," Lord Ichiro corrected, "Your lives are now hers."

And that was the end, as the general, this time, indeed departed the room to muster his forces. Naruto and his peers looked at each other in varying degrees of surprise and confusion. Would they no longer be imprisoned? Could Maiyuri really do this despite her previously saying she couldn't interfere?

"What... What do we do now?" Even the ANBU, the village elite, were stumped. Yugao looked at her comrades, hoping they would have an answer.

"Does the princess's order really supersede the mission here?" Rabbit questioned.

"Nothing about this is stated in the protocol," Tenzo shook his head, "We should report back to Tsunade-sama; they should be communicating with her soon."

"That would be best," Maiyuri said as she approached the ANBU. "Tell her you are to join our forces on our march to the Land of Trees."

That was enough for the ANBU, as they bowed at the waist. "Hai," And departed.

Yugao paused for a moment, looking at her teacher. Kushina scratched her cheek and stuck out her tongue, "Heh. Comrades, again, I think?"

"Your luck is... I do not know if it's good or bad, sensei" The purple-haired woman shook her head and followed after her fellow ANBU.

Maiyuri sighed, running a hand over her face as the entire court assembly kept moving. Then, finally, nobles retired to proceed with their duties; those who would be needed to help arrange their forces followed after the general to the fort, while the rest ensured they would keep things running in the country... should the worst come to pass.

Naruto approached Maiyuri, "Thank you just... so much."

"Don't thank me yet," Maiyuri smiled sadly at him. "I need to get my father to pardon you. Saving his life should help" She chuckled, but it sounded hollow. "Well, looks like... you're now my servants."

Karin soon declared, "I'll take being your servant over being in prison."

"Does this mean I'm reinstated as a kunoichi?" Sakura questioned with hope in her eyes.

"You are Haruno-san," Miharu addressed, reaching beside the princess with Namika, "You will be working with us from now on."

"But as I said," Maiyuri explained with a raised finger, "For it to be official, we save my father."

Kakashi and Kushina gave a gracious bow, "We're ready when you are Maiyuri-hime." The silver-haired Jounin responded graciously.

A deep chuckle resonated through the room before Miayuri's eyes rose wide upon the site of the Kyuubi no Kitsune appearing on Naruto's shoulder in a miniature form. Instinctively her guards gripped their respected weapon, "Well, don't you a devil's luck brat." Kurama turned his attention to a shocked Maiyuri with a full vulpine smile showing his sharp incisors before vanishing.

A long silence filled the room as emerald orbs slowly turned to the blond, who nervously chuckled, "I'll explain that."

"After this is done," Maiyuri muttered, gathering herself before turning her guards, "Take them to the Sasaki Vault for armor and weapons."

"Yes, Hime." the siblings bowed as they chorused.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Kushina had heard stories of the Sasaki vault but never had seen it given she was never allowed. Only the Daimyo, his heirs, and the Fire Court could allow a person access within. And now she understood why as Miharu and Namika led them down a long hallway to two massive doors guarded by fully armored Samurai. Once speaking with the guards, who soon opened the doors after using a complex seal, they all stared in awe at the sight before them.

The room was vast and spacious, filled with countless clothes, robes, armor, and weapons. Their quality surpassed anything they had ever seen at the shops at home or Benjiro's works.

'Ten-chan would have a joygasm seeing all this,' A snort came from the Bijuu hearing his thoughts.

"Is that from Jiāyuán?" Kushina walked over to an ornate multicolored robe with a straight sword resting on a table.

"Yup!" Namika beamed, bouncing around the room, "Half of the cool stuff comes from our nation's most renowned smiths made from the finest materials. The rest comes from our victories in battles."

Kakashi stopped at several weapons in an exceptional ornate case. His lone open eye rose, "Adamantine!?" Within a flash, Kushina was beside him, looking in awe as he was.

Miharu, "Indeed, those are the only ones outside Maiyuri-hime's katana. But only the Sasaki royal family is allowed to use them. Lady Saeko was the rare exception, as Akiha-sama allowed her to wield Gyōten before it became the princess' upon her death."

Slumping forward, Kushina whined upon hearing the Adamantine weapons were off-limits. Soujiro idly looked over, "I prefer the katana father gave me from master Hotaru."

Miharu paused, "...Hotaru Haganezuka, by chance?" Then, garnering a nod from the teen, the young man looked impressed. Not many could even get a blade from that old grouch.

Kosuke crossed his arms under his massive chest, "Never really tried using a weapon. More of a hand-to-hand kind of guy."

"Never hurts to wield something when your fists aren't enough, big guy-kun," Namika offered advice, earning a grunt from the massive man, "Oh, we have some armor about your size!"

"Not really into shirts," Kushina rolled her eyes upon hearing that.

Namika only waved it up, "Oh, we can get around that while showing off those rock-hard muscles." She whistled, patting them and feeling how solid they indeed were.

Kosuke brushed past her, "You're a child."

"I'm eighteen!" The young white-haired woman complained.

"Don't care."

Sasuke observed the array of bows on the wall, memories of his early childhood coming to the forefront of his mind. Scenes he would rather forget entirely. "You're going to arm us with the gear here?"

"Well, we can't send you to battle weaponless in prisoner clothes," Miharu chuckled with a lazy smile.

"These belong to the royal family and its protectors," Sakura pointed out, feeling very overwhelmed by the prospect. So here she was, a civilian-born about to be handed such historied gear. "Are you sure?"

"Hey, Maiyuri told us to do," Namika replied, "because right now your job is to protect her, just like it's ours too."

"You're not just regular ninja anymore, folks," Her brother pointed out. "You work for the princess herself, and this is yours now too."

"But I wasn't a ninja," Soujiro said, tilting his head at the prospect.

Karin deadpanned. "Look, we got promoted from prisoners to royal guards, don't look too much into it."

Kushina stopped at the sight of a short-sleeve Haori with armored shoulder pads and a short collar. It was in a dark shade of burnt orange with black tips on the bottom. "Naruto," calling for her son, the blond came over to his mother, "This resembles your father's haori." She turned her gaze to him, "And it is about your size."

At that, her son took a complete look at the Haori, taking it off the stand it hung on. Sasuke and Sakura deadpan as they knew their teammate was already going to take it. They were glad it wasn't the bright iris-burning color of that gods awful jumpsuit Naruto used to wear. The pinkette soon stared dryly as their silver-haired sensei was already wearing a shirt with a lower-mask collar like he usually wears.

"You're seriously covering your face again, sensei?" Sakura droned.

Kakashi shrugged, "I did say it was a clan tradition of mine. But I can lower it when not on duty and around you guys and Anko."

'Well, at least that is an improvement from when he was kid,' Kushina mentally quipped before her eyes stopped at an outfit she swore she had seen.

"Didn't Tsukiko-Baachan wear something like that?" Kosuke's question strolling beside her was like a light bulb in her mind.

"Same style, but the color is different." Kushina corrected.

"Well, try it on," The large man prompted.

Kushina dryly looked at him. "Right here?"

"Yeah?" He shrugged.

"In front of everyone?"

"I guess"

"Gods, we need to install more civilized behavior in you."

Kosuke disagreed. "I'm fine being a bear."

"You're not a bear; you're a Homosapien!"

"I'd say I go both ways."

"No, not a homo- oh, never mind" Kushina grabbed the clothing and went to a corner of the room hidden by the different weaponry stands. "If you girls find something that suits you, change over here."

Wasting no time, the group decided what clothing and gear would suit them best and proceeded to change into their secluded areas.

Naruto grinned to himself, he really liked the haori, and it went well with the new clothes. A black sleeveless jacket with two connected segments of shoulder armor, a red shirt underneath with the symbol of 'Fire' written in the center in black. Along with medium-length black pants and shinobi sandals. Adjusting the mesh-like sleeves, he tugged at his cloak to ensure it all fits nicely.

Sasuke chooses a tall collar black cloak with purple underlining, a chain mesh shirt, and dark gray pants. He strapped plated guards on his arms and legs, strapping the various pouches he'd need for kunai and shuriken.

Sakura found something that resembled a lot her usual style of attire. A red sleeveless qipao dress reached her upper thighs with white trimmings. She added long red gloves of reinforced material that covered her forearms, along with red leg guards and various pouches on the back of her waist.

As always, Karin went with function over style. A short orange and black jacket (she ignored Naruto's touched look, as though she felt he was rubbing off on her...) and a mesh-chain shirt underneath with gray pants. She had all the tools she needed with her arsenal of techniques, so she merely kept two pouches on her person.

Soujiro picked a sleeveless qipao with a pale long-sleeved shirt underneath. The sleeves were incredibly loose with extra fabric, almost hiding his hands if he stood utterly still. An obi wrapped around his waist, fastening his attire together as red tassels fell from it. The very passive young man had actually chosen something which displayed a lot of personality.

Kakashi selected a type of long cloak split into four segments like long scarfs, reminiscing a bit from his ANBU days as he wore a reinforced sleeveless chest piece with long black gloves and plated guards on his arms and legs, along with long dark shinobi pants and sandals.

At Miharu's and Kakashi's advice, Kosuke selected a single shoulder piece with a long sleeve of reinforced leader with gleaming metal plates. He left his feet bare with long pants but no boots. The minimalistic style of his outfit revealed most of his vast and muscular frame, making any opponent of his think twice before engaging in close combat with such a beast of a man.

Kushina chose a bright red tunic with long sleeves, and black and white fabric could be seen in the underlining, as a belt wrapped around her waist connected with a circle in the middle. The long tails of the tunic reach to the back of her legs, these covered with tight black pants and leg guards, along with sandals. The style harkened back to that of a priestess of some kind, but in Kushina's eyes, it looked more like a sage's. One in particular who was very important to her.

Stepping out of her corner from where she had gotten dressed, Kosuke paused as he stared at his cousin. The vague past flashed in his mind, "You nearly look like Baachan... If I recall her right."

Kushina beamed with a proud smile, "Thank you. Feels good hearing that." The thought of her honoring her grandmother made her heart swell.

Upon wrapping a new headband on his head and covering his eye, Kakashi turned his attention towards the rack of shinobi weaponry that he and the others stocked as many as they could. While Naruto could make his weapons via Shoton, after urging from his mother, he grabbed a pair of trench knives that reminded him of Asuma-Sensei's and a katana he strapped to his belt.

Kushina and Soujiro bore a look of displeasure, taking two katanas for themselves. Of course, both would prefer their blades, but seeing how they were in the ANBU HQ at home, they had to make do.

Kosuke relented, picking up an ornate war axe from Kushina's pestering.

"Are you all set and ready?" The group turned and nodded to Miharu after his question. "Then let's make haste to the princess. Lord Ichiro will be mustering what forces he can to aide her."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Concern glowed in Shijimi's eyes as she watched her stepdaughter adorn herself in armor. "I had assumed you would be trying to stop me?" Maiyuri inquired absently, tightening her gauntlets.

The older woman sighed, "As much as I want to, I know I can't sway you. Just promise me you and Akiha will return home safe."

"I promise." The pinkette replied in a warm tone as Shijimi maternally patted her cheeks.

"Your mother would be proud. As much as I am."

Holding Shijimi's hand for a moment, she gave her a look of profound gratitude before finally pulling away and leaving. The daimyo's wife watched her go with concern but knew there was nothing more to be said.

Maiyuri walked through the halls. Though most of the initial chaos had passed, she could still see servants moving from one place to another faster than usual. Relaying the orders of the various officers and politicians, there was plenty of protocol to be followed in such a situation with the life of their leader in danger.

She sighed, pinching her nose as she tried to remove her worries. Right now, fearing for her father's life would not help her. She met up with her friends and bodyguards, watching her new expanded entourage standing ready.

The princess nodded in approval, "You look good."

"Royal-guard good?" Naruto asked with a grin.

"Well, it's an improvement from before," She said with humor before swiftly growing severe. "Come on, our soldiers are gathering already. We need to join them," Maiyuri continued walking, this time joined by the others.

"They're gathering at the northern gate, correct?" Kushina asked, watching over a window to see lines of samurai and capital shinobi marching down the streets.

"Yes, we will be marching on horseback toward the Land of Trees."

"Their forests are very dense," Kakashi pointed out.

"We still need to get there first; that means miles of countryside."

"Why do we need horses?" Naruto asked, "We're as fast as them."

"But they have you surpassed in stamina," Maiyuri explained, "By the time you're out of breath, they would still be on their first wind."

"We never really gotten to horse riding lesson yet, Maiyuri-hime," Sakura omitted, with the princess turning a look to Kakashi.

"You haven't?"

"We haven't had the time to consider all that has been going on."

The princess nodded understanding as Kosuke spoke up, "Then you kids can take be a passenger to us adults."

"Never ridden a horse in my life," Kosuke grunted with a dry tone.

Kushina waved it off, "You can ride with me."

Nothing else was said as they soon exited the castle and made their way to the northern gates. Around them, the group saw the news spread fast in the capitol as people watched as armored Samurai marched together beside people who looked like ANBU. But the color scheme of their attires matched their armored counterparts.

"Who are they?" Sasuke questioned

"The Amotsu royal shinobi corp." Kakashi answered, "They are the Konoha regiment stationed around the capital permanently."

"What about the Shinobi Twelve?" Karin could feel the intense auras glowing from all of them.

Kushina looked back, "That was more a specialized unit tasked with directly protecting the daimyo and the royal line. These guys are mostly from Konoha; different Amotsu families with a shinobi tradition also make up their ranks."

They followed the princess and her guards to the northern gate, and they saw civilians looking at the significant mobilization of the soldiers with apprehension and fear. They did not often see their nation's fighters gathering like this, obviously geared for war. But, of course, they remained uninformed about the situation; it would not do to cause a panic.

The young shinobi's eyes widened as they saw what had to be around six to eight hundred soldiers gathered outside of the city, with a supplement of two hundred ninjas marching alongside them. Samurai were wielding swords, spears, rifles, and bows; an army mounted on horseback in the last stages of their preparations. "Are these all the soldiers?" While impressive for a fighting force, their numbers seemed small to Naruto if this was the nation's army. Konoha had eight thousand ninjas, with the majority stationed in their village, a sizeable portion of that number stationed in the capital, and the rest spread throughout their country.

"Just the ones we could muster on such short notice. The actual number is around thirty to forty thousand spread throughout the nation," Maiyuri explained, "We can't leave the capital unprotected. We have other fronts to keep our eye on, particularly in this situation. The other countries are bound to notice what's going on soon..."

Always keep their eyes on them for any opening or vulnerability to exploit.

Maiyuri walked to the front of the army alongside her entourage, and they saw general Ichiro speaking with the officers in charge of the regiment. The man was not geared for battle, and he couldn't leave the capital at this moment, so that he would entrust this mission to others.

One of the rank-and-file soldiers approached Maiyuri with her horse; Ushiwakamaru snorted at her with a wry grin. "Finally got your way, huh?"

She let out a rueful laugh. "I guess if I shouted loud enough, someone was bound to listen eventually."

Her gaze turned to her new conscripts, "Naruto," the blond stood a bit straighter, "You will be riding with me."

Ushiwakamaru cocked an eye while the young Jinchurriki looked surprised, "For real?" He leaned back just as the princess's horse turned and leaned his head to look at him. "...Hi."

The sapient horse sniffed the air around the boy, "Ah, Konoha's Jincurriki."

"Is that a problem?" Maiyuri inquired her longtime friend.

"Hardly. I see only a boy who wishes to make you proud." The horse looked back ahead.

A tiny portion of his mind half expected a backhanded comment or his refusing to give Naruto a ride. But, instead, he felt a swell of warmth in his heart upon hearing such sincere words. Maiyuri offered the blond a warm smile before patting his head and helping him onto her horse, for which she soon took the reins.

Kushina adjusted as she got onto the saddle, "Forgot how hard these things are." Kosuke soon followed as the horse made a low grunting sound of discomfort. "How is it?" she asked, looking up at him.

"A lot different than riding a bear."

"Just hold onto my hips and hang on."

"Do you know how to ride?"

"Haven't done it in years. Hope I remember."

"Look, I can already tell you don't, so why don't you just let me handle it from here?" The Uzumakis blinked as a feminine voice came from the horse they were on top of, staring at them dryly.

Recognition soon bloomed on the former ANBU's face, "Oh, that's right. A horse clan pledged their allegiance to the Sasaki family ages ago. And you are?"

"Kaede."

"Well, Kaede, hope you mind bearing such a heavy load," Kushina jested, giggling at Kosuke's expense.

"And me," Kosuke replied in the dryest tone possible.

The redheaded woman slowly turns to look back at the tall man with a look that conveys both fury and bewilderment.

"Well, you do look a bit top-heavy."

Kushina huffed, adjusting the chest of her outfit, "I think my boobs are quite perfect compared to Lyn's giant melons, thank you."

Staying far away from the mess, the others went to mount their horses.

"Come on, kiddies, and you're with us!" Namika cheerfully called, patting the sitting area behind her.

Sakura settled in with the white-haired young woman. "Okay, can tell this is a nightmare on the legs..."

"Yeah, the first time is always rough" She giggled impishly at her immature joke.

Sasuke thanked the stars he was lucky enough to ride with her brother. At least Miharu was clearly the serious one of the two.

Spotting one of the few horses without riders, Karin and Soujiro looked a bit hesitantly at them; the only people unmounted at the front were those talking to general Ichiro, clearly the officers in charge of this fighting force.

"The nation trusts you to bring our lord back alive and our princess unharmed," The older samurai sternly told the two officers. "Do not fail."

"If I do, I promise to take my own life" The words were those you'd expect from a samurai who still followed the old could. Instead, they came from a woman with graying hair tied in a messy ponytail. A few visible wrinkles were evident on her face, resulting from her age and years of combat. She had a black eyepatch over her right eye, with a few scars the piece of fabric could not cover. She wore a red yoroi, exposing two muscular and scar-covered arms.

"We will bring back our lord, Ichiro-sama" The other was a shinobi in very classical gear, headwraps covering his face entirely except for his eyes and a hitai-ate of Konoha. His dark robes with a few pieces of red fabric, with a small piece of cloth hanging from his waist with the symbol of 'Fire' on it, show his allegiance with Twelve Guardian Ninja.

"Oh my, now this is a blast from the past," Kushina said, smiling as she spotted the two people. "Hey, Akari, Suburo!"

The woman turned to her with a weathered smile. "Well, well, you haven't aged a bit."

"I would say thanks due to a messy scroll, but I'm Uzumaki. Would not have aged much anyway" Kushina tilted her head with a wide grin, "How are you?"

"Well, I promised my grandchildren to take them to the theatre. That's not going to happen."

"Ohhhh, you got grandchildren now?!" Kushina gushed.

"As excitable as ever, Kushina-senpai," The masked shinobi said.

As Kushina had learned from Asuma, the guardian twelve had been rebuilt years after the failed coup d'etat to assassinate the Hokage and destroy Konoha. The Uzu matriarch did not know what led this man named Kazuma to do as he did, but it was a giant mess until Lord Ichiro reforged the Twelve anew.

"Look at you, Suburo. My little kouhai is a Guardian Ninja now."

The masked shinobi chuckled, "I'm glad you are alive and still with us, captain."

"I got lucky."

They soon all grew silent as Maiyuri came to the front of the warriors, "We go to the Land of Trees. Let us make haste!" Without another word, Ushiwakamaru galloped through the gates with all the Amotsu forces following at her quick pace. Naruto held tightly to the princess's waist with a determined gaze matched by Maiyuri.

Whatever was going on in the Land of Trees, they were going to make it right and save the Daimyo.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

"Are you doing alright, Naruto?" Maiyuri questioned while keeping her gaze forward.

The blond grunted, "Is your whole body supposed to feel like an hour's worth of training?"

"I'll give some proper lessons later. But, for now, I'm sorry this is a rush course for you."

She felt the blond shake his head, "We're going to help your dad. Family first 'ttebayo!"

"I'm surprised you went along with this so quickly!" Maiyuri said, raising her voice amidst the thundering hoofs of their regiment riding forth. "I would have thought maybe you wanted to do away with this life entirely!"

"We wanted to own up to our actions!" Kakashi replied from his mount. "But we're still citizens of this nation! So there is nothing complicated about rescuing the daimyo!"

"So, you want to keep serving the Land of Fire!?" Miharu asked.

"We are tired of committing injustice in the name of progress!" Kushina declared, "Right now, we choose to believe you can convince your father to change things! Breaking away from the shinobi system is what the nations need!"

"I feel you're placing too much trust me!" The princess countered, "I tried having this conversation with my father before, but he wouldn't listen!"

"Does that mean you're gonna keep quiet this time?!" Naruto asked behind her.

The princess barked a laugh, "Not a chance!"

A large smile came from the blond Uzumaki, "That's why you are so awesome, Hime-Chan!" Ushiwakamaru chuckled at the boy's openness.

Akari and Suburo's eyes glowed with amusement beside the princess's sides.

Karin held tightly to Soujiro's waist as they rode, "How long before we reach the Land of Trees?" the female redhead called out.

"Within an hour. It is luck that nation is so close to our capital's borders," Kushina addressed while Kosuke grunted.

They continued riding for hours; what should have been half a day's journey was significantly shortened thanks to their steeds. Finally, passing by the countryside and into a vast field of reeds, they neared the border with the Land of Reeds. Naruto spotted a few structures in the distance, outposts where the frontier guard attended their posts. The few soldiers marched the great regiment ride forth, surprise as clear as day on their faces. They had yet to be informed about the situation in the Land of Trees.

Naruto waged they were already suspecting something was going on, given how they could see rising clouds of smoke on the horizon from their position.

The border with the Land of Trees gave credence to the nation's name, for tall trees could already be seen as they drew closer. The horses slowed their pace, breaking into uneven formations to pass through the heavily dense territory.

The further they went, the more Naruto was reminded of the Forest of Death, enormous trees taller than buildings, with smaller trees growing from their roots like a single organism. Naruto wondered how many trees in this enormous forest sprouted from the same source.

"Smells like smoke!" Akari commented.

"We should be heading towards the Hidden Tree Village first!" Suburo advised, "They should know what's going on!"

"With an army at their doorstep?!" Namika questioned.

"Better that way; it'll make them talk!"

Sasuke felt the vastness of the immense forest surrounding them while he activated his doujutsu, "Don't see anyone hiding around us!" He called out.

"Good!" Akari acknowledged as the regiment kept moving forward briskly.

It was after at least fifteen minutes of passing around the enormous trees before nearing an open clearing... But what they saw passing out of the trees was a chard battlefield with several corpses of Shinobi and Samurai. Much like the broken and burnt foliage around the area, the bodies suffered the same, with severed limbs and blood all over the area.

More disturbing were the signs of some corpses looking to be chewed upon.

Once Maiyuri stopped, so did the others, "Did the Tree Shinobi ambush my father?"

"We can't assume anything yet, your highness," Miharu stated in a composed tone.

"Scouts," Akari called out, "Survey the area!"

A group of twelve riders spread out in three groups, going in different directions. Maiyuri looked at Suburo and commanded, "You go ahead to the Tree Village; we'll move once you and the scouts return."

Suburo nodded dutifully, "At once" Snapping the reigns of his horse; this one took off galloping at full speed.

The princess and her entourage dismounted, observing the scene before them. It was a massacre; dead filled both the air and earth. Befouling them with stench and gore. "Gods have mercy..."

"The gods weren't here..." Karin muttered in sympathy; she couldn't feel a single living chakra signature from any of the bodies here. She was reminded of Orochimaru's more crude experiments, how his laboratories would sometimes look like butcher shops.

Sakura heaved at the side, letting out wet coughs as she got sick. Kushina held her hair and patted her back gently. "Are you okay?"

"I've seen death before," Sakura grunted, cleaning her mouth. "I've killed people..." A fact that was disturbing in how easy it was for her to accept. "But I've never seen... anything like this"

There were bodies torn apart, cut open, burned, sliced cleanly, and butchered in equal measure. And of course, eaten as well...

What manner of creature did all this?

"Didn't the Daimyo's letter say there was a monster?" Naruto asked. "Could it have been a giant summon?"

"Possibly..." Maiyuri muttered as she approached one of the bodies, frowning as she observed it. "Father's letter didn't specify its looks, and they were too pressed for time. But the way some of these people died indicates it was done by something multiple times their size."

"But not all of them died like that. Look," Kakashi pointed at the body of a kunoichi; her chest had been sliced open. "The wound here, this was done by a weapon" He took a whiff out of the air, "From the state of decomposition, I'd say this happened a couple of days ago."

Kushina hummed, tapping her chin. "So it's likely we're dealing with a giant summon, a mighty one at that, and the people who control it"

Maiyuri glanced at the Uzu matriarch, "Could the summoners and their monster still be here?"

Kushina only shrugged in answer beside Kosuke, who knelt, running his hand on the ground and surveying it. "Besides us, there are some fresh tracks!"

"How can you tell?" Karin inquired.

"Live with bears; you learn how to track like them."

The princess can over the large man, "How long ago?"

"A couple of hours," He began to stand and seemed to follow the path on the ground before stopping at one of the eaten corpses. "Someone came back for a snack."

Disgust glowed on Sasuke's face, "Cannibals or demons?"

A grim expression came to Kosuke's face, "No human had made these tracks."

Akari's gaze turned fierce, "Demons."

A murmur came from several Samurai before Maiyuri raised her hand to quiet them. "I heard an Oni showed up summoning demons in Hani'ei." She peered over towards Kakashi and Kushina.

"Yes," Hatake answered.

"Hmm..." Akari made a thoughtful sound as she pondered. "Encounters with wild demons have increased in number lately. A demon actively taking part in a battle of humans is so rare I can scarcely think of an example. And now this..."

"You believe demons are at play here?"

The one-eyed commander nodded, "I believe the increase in demon activity is a symptom of something happening. From what you told me, that oni in Han'ei was just taking advantage of the chaos, right? Feeding on the conflict and death."

"Not like we had a chat or anything," Naruto shrugged. "But he seemed to be having fun. Like, the whole battle was what he wanted"

"But he DID summon those stronger demons for the daimyo, and these attacked everyone in sight, is that right?" Akari asked, and at their nod, she continued. "So a demon came to Tokuhara, offered him a deal, something to defeat his enemies... but then that very thing turned on their forces too."

They were starting to see where the woman was going with...

"You think the Tree ninja did the same?" Sasuke said with surprise. "They made a literal deal with a devil, and it stabbed them in the back..."

"But why, though," Sakura asked once, getting her bearings despite still looking pale. "Why would they go asking demons for help?"

Soujiro stared at two corpses of a Samurai and Tree Shinobi, "Was everyone from here happy about joining the Land of Fire?"

While his question sounded off-handed, Namika's eyes rose considerably beside him before looking at her brother and the princess.

However, before another word could be said, a few scouts started returning, "Maiyuri-Hime! We discovered more massacred battlefields like this!" Finally, one yelled out, and they relayed their findings one by one.

Maiyuri's mind swelled with thoughts, 'Were there those amongst the Land of Trees against joining our nations?' Was their spite so grave they went to such extremes for...

"Maiyuri-Hime!" Suburo yelled out as he returned.

The princess came to the Shinobi's side, "What happened, why did you come back from the Tree Village?!" She was met with a long silence as the man's eyes were wide. "Suburo..."

"...It's gone..." A pregnant silence took hold of the area as he spoke again, "It's all gone..."

While the officers and front guard were stunned into silence, mutters spread throughout the rest of their forces as word was passed. It was growing into exclamations of shock. An entire hidden village, even if it was a minor one, destroyed?

They realized the scene they witnessed here was just the beginning.

Without another word, Maiyuri quickly mounted her horse once more, followed soon after by the rest of her companions. Naruto held tight as the princess snapped the reigns, and Ushiwakamaru took off at full gallop, the army mobilizing swiftly again, this time with the Hidden Tree Village as a destination.

The sight of destruction didn't end; more burnt and broken down sections of forest, giant trees snapped in half or burnt down to charred remains. Body scattered throughout, becoming part of the desolate landscape.

Hayashigakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Trees, was not to be underestimated despite being a minor shinobi village. It was always a foolish thing to underestimate ninjas. Their ranks still held plenty of talented shinobi, such that Konoha once sought them out for an alliance. An attempt that was betrayed by their elite ANBU regiment, the Prajñā Group. Hayashi was built around three great trees as tall and wide as the Hokage monument, hollowing out sections of their giant trunks and spreading the village surrounding the base of the trees, the great forest that surrounded the village truly made it live up to its namesake.

Now it was all destroyed.

The great trees were broken down, and one still had embers of raging fires that had consumed all of its great leaves. The significant structures built into the trees had collapsed with them. One of the giant trunks had fallen right on top of the village, crushing entire sections of it. Broken and burnt-down buildings were all that remained, smoke and ash choking the air with the scent of devastation.

Sakura gulped down in horror. "Gods have mercy..."

Akari shook her head; even the sight of it shook a veteran like her. "It's like a Biju rampaged through here."

The voices around Naruto were mute, his eyes wide at the slew of corpses that littered the ground around the village and outside of it. No mercy was given to anyone, young and old, adults and... He slipped off of Ushiwakamaru, landing on the ground as he made his way toward several burnt bodies.

The rotting smell of burnt flesh and decay struck his nostrils, but he remained unfazed as he stood there. He was unresponsive to the hand of his mother and sister on his shoulders. Karin said nothing as she soon held Naruto tightly; Kushina maternally held his hand though it brought no comfort.

Sasuke soon joined them with Soujiro, Sakura, Kakashi, and Kosuke. The Uchiha bit back a shudder as the sight before him brought up old memories... Despite his usual neutral look, the grip on Soujiro's katana shook. A small prayer came from Sakura cupping her hands to her chest.

"It feels like Uzushio all over again," Kosuke muttered with clenched fists.

"No one stands idle," Akari called out with orders, "I want a full sweep of the area!"

Naruto walked next to his teammates; Karin closed her eyes as she joined her hands, amplifying her sensory range to find any still living signature. But it was like that battlefield; they passed through nothing but silence and stillness. Sasuke stepped over a crumbled house and saw a few bodies huddled together in the ash. Two large and a small one. His fist clenched, and he walked away, grunting as he did so.

"Who could do something like this?" Sakura muttered in horror. All this death, all the suffering, and for what? She honestly could not even begin to understand how anything would want this slaughter to happen.

"Something full of rage," Soujiro said; even his usual even tone carried sadness in it. "This wasn't done out of a strategic sense. It wasn't a raid. Something just... passed through here and destroyed it all. No reason, no desire, just blind devastation."

"Whoever did this just wanted the people here to 'die,'" Naruto muttered, shaking his head. "This was... evil. Plain and simple."

"Hmm, yes. Evil, even still, it lingers here…" Kurama muttered from the depths of his soul. "Malice. Anger. Hunger. So much hunger. A creature guided by raw instinct, and that instinct compelled it to destroy and kill everything it found…."

For the princess, her mind raced with endless thoughts, 'If a faction of Tree Shinobi went against their Daimyo and summoned a demon, they lost control of it.'

Beside her, Namika and Miharu kept their weapons ready, surveying their surroundings. "It feels too quiet," the white-haired woman muttered, gripping her tightly.

"I wouldn't expect to hear much of anything around here," her brunette brother offered.

"There should be crows, Miharu..."

Upon hearing those words, Maiyuri's eyes narrowed slowly. Her hand went to her sheathed katana. Akari and Suburo also overheard as they quietly spoke orders to everyone. Crystal kunai appeared in the blond's hands, and his teammates, mother, sensei, and older cousin followed suit. "Karin," Sasuke whispered with his Sharingan flared to life.

The bifocal redhead shook her head, "There's nothing. I don't sense anything."

That alone set alarms in the mind of Suburo, "Uchiha, what do you see?"

"Besides us, the ruins, and corpses, nothing..." The raven-haired teen felt a gnawing apprehension just saying that.

At that moment, everyone's bodies froze upon the entire area, flooded by nothing but pure sheer malice! It felt like a tsunami crashing into their souls and drowning them before a colossal shadow appeared in the blink of an eye. Its body was nothing but bones, black in color; Six skeletal arms were outstretched with a boney tail swaying from behind. And lastly, its skull was a fusion of two as it let out an earth-shattering roar.

From within the soul of his jailor, Kurama's eyes rose at what he saw through Naruto's.

The great monster reared two of its arms back, clenching its bony fists.

"Move, move, move!" Akari shouted at the top of her lungs.

The fists descended upon the earth like a meteorite; the earth was uprooted upon impact, creating a shockwave that sent those unlucky to be near to be flying away. Dust and ash rose like a voracious cloud, impairing their vision and making breathing difficult.

From then, it was chaos; the giant monster kept attacking indiscriminately with hungering rage. The soldiers on the front tried to move away to a safe distance while those at the back scrambled to form a counter-attack. Finally, Shinobi and samurai jumped into the fray, unleashing jutsu and chakra-laced attacks, fireballs, and blades of pure energy, all of which exploded and bounced off the still-rampaging beast.

Naruto and his team quickly regrouped with the adults and the princess, "What the hell is that thing?!"

"A gashadokuro!" Kushina shouted, keeping herself in front of the shell-shocked princess. "Giant demon that devours humans! I've only heard about them in legend!"

"Not any gashadokuro," Kurama spoke in both of their minds. "This one feels incredibly ancient, and I'd wager it's even older than me."

"SCATTER!" Akari roared as the gigantic skeleton's maw opened with glowing black flames gathering.

Lowering its head, it unleashed a torrent of fire upon its new prey. Though many leaped or dashed away, others did not as their screams filled the air as they burned alive. Finally, Miharu grabbed the princess in time as they dashed from the fire, despite Naruto raising a wall of crystal. The sheer force of the flames instantly shattered it before melting it. But it gave them enough time to get some distance away from the demon.

'I need some damn chakra!' Naruto called out to the Bijuu.

"You would need more than over half of my power! And that would kill you before that beast could!" Kurama rebuked harshly, "And don't even bother to ask Kushina; you never got much further than your son!"

The Uzu matriarch bit back a curse, 'Then what the hell do we do!?'

"RUN!"

The fact that mother and son heard genuine desperation from the nine-tails spoke volumes of the threat before them.

The monster stomped on the ground, creating another shockwave that sent a mass of soldiers and horses flying overhead; their cries were heard until they hit the ground. Suburo and Akari jumped from the ruins of the broken buildings and struck, and the ninja pulled dual kama from his arsenal connected with a long chain; he spun them around and built up the energy until the blades shone with visible blue chakra. Next, he unleashed a dual-sweeping arc of energy in the form of a cross; as Akari twirled her yari spear in her grasp, this one became alight with searing flames and threw it with all her might.

The attacks collided upon the beast's bony thorax with mighty explosions, yet it barely made the creature stumble. Instead, the two warriors were forced to retreat as the multiple hands came for them, as another wave of samurai and ninjas tried to surround the creature and attack it from all sides.

Maiyuri watched her fellow Fire citizens slaughtered before her very eyes. The massive skeletal limbs crashed and tore at the bodies as though they were nothing but cardboard, biting those it did not crush and tearing them in half, relishing as though it had any stomach to satiate.

Her blood boiled.

She dashed forward despite her companion's protest, her soul calling to the Heavens.

"Lord of Wisdom, 'o you who are Immovable!" She chanted, focusing on gathering her spiritual energy and giving it form. "You who holds the wisdom sword and the noose, o' servant of Vairocana!"

Fiery ethereal flames manifested around her.

"Protector of Dharma and slayer of demons! O' Fiery One whose gaze burns the enemies of the Buddha! Awesomely wrathful and compassionately devoted!"

Long limbs formed from the flames, a mandala of fire manifesting behind the figure she was conjuring from her very soul.

"Your sword carries with it the weight of karma! Therefore, deliver unto them vengeance and grant us the soma!"

She grasped Gyōten's handle tightly as the great apparition of Fudō Myō fully manifested behind her. Its wrathful demonic visage was only a manifestation of its rage against the enemies of dharma, for, in truth, the Wisdom King was a friend of all mortal kind and those who followed the virtues of the Buddha.

Maiyuri jumped high in the air, the spectral manifestation of the deity closely linked to her back. She unsheathed her blade, a torrent of flames emanating from it. The samurai and shinobi stepped back, knowing they should not be near her in this instance.

"Om!" She chanted, holding her blade aloft, the manifestation of the Dharmapala lifting its great fiery blade in conjunction. "Risshū: Gyōten!"

The blade moved in a single downward slash, unleashing a storm of swirling flames, so great in scope and mighty in their voracity, it was like the deity manifested upon her back cast judgment upon the gashadokuro, engulfing its head and most of its upper body in the swaths of swirling flames.

The creature let out a roar, the sound mingling with the hungry flames, and stumbled back. For a moment, they felt hope swell in their chests.

Until one of the hands came up and swapped Maiyuri away.

The Welcoming Approach manifestation vanished as the princess was flung away at great speed; cries of shock and panic rang out as they saw their princess struck by the monster.

"Hime-sama!" Sakura shouted in worry.

Kosuke leaped up, grabbing the young woman in his large arms before she could collide with the ground. Her mouth was bleeding and groaning in pain; she coughed wetly.

"Here, quickly, bite me!" Karin quickly came to her side, offering her wrist.

The princess let out a pained sound and did as instructed, already the chakra transferring from Karin quickly healing all wounds. "That..." Maiyuri panted. "That was my strongest attack, and yet..."

The beast roared with its two fused heads, charging towards the princess and her companions, rearing multiple fists shrouding in foul dark flames.

"Everybody, stay back!"

Kushina slammed her hands together, and golden adamantine chains emerged from her back. They stopped until they were a reasonable distance away from them, the sharp tips creating shining arrays of kanji as they formed a golden barrier.

The gashadokuro's flaming fists slammed upon the barrier, and the ground around them shook.

Kushina skidded back with such force her feet dug into the ground. "I can't hold it off for long, Akari!"

"Fall back!" The elderly woman roared out, "Kushina! Take your group and protect the princess with some of our forces. The other half will come with Suburo and me! After that, we will regroup to figure out what to do!"

"We need to keep this bastard distracted!"

Within an instant, over a dozen samurai and Amotsu Shinobi soon charged the demonic skeleton, "FOR LORD AKIHA AND PRINCESS MAIYURI!" They all roared with their weapons ready. They were accepting their fates without fear or hesitation.

Time slowed for Maiyuri as she understood what they were doing. Though screaming, she did not hear herself or the others as her forces split up and took to the surrounding forests With Kushina at the head, retracting her chains. Despite attempting and failing to free herself from Kosuke's grip, her eyes never left the warrior who remained as the beast turned its attention to them, roaring in hunger and rage.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Ushiwakamaru and several of the clan horses caught up with Kushina's group helping to add more speed to get away from the gashadokuro. A wounded Namika took the reigns with her very wounded brother holding her waist with one arm. The other was limp as it was broken in several places.

"Nii-chan?" She called out.

"I'm fine."

"We'll get you a cast, and just you wait," Namika said with a weak smile, "I'll doodle and put glitter on it."

He let out a soft laugh, "But your drawing sucks."

"Dick..." She said fondly.

They continued riding, with Maiyuri stealing glances at their back as the battle scene disappeared behind the thick foliage and the sea of trees, which soon blocked their view. But, in her mind, she could still hear the monster rampaging; she could see her soldiers fighting and dying...

"Maiyuri," Her steed huffed, "We've ridden for almost a full day now; we need to rest. They all do," He said, referring to her forces.

"...Yes," She acknowledged softly before looking at one of the officers riding in the front with her, giving him a nod to indicate it was time to stop.

The soldier held up his hand and loudly called for a stop as he pulled the reigns of his steed, "It's getting dark!" Then, he announced, "We should make camp!"

"That thing could appear at any moment," Another samurai argued, "We need to keep going, keep Maiyuri-hime out of danger."

The princess replied, "And exhaust what energy we have left riding in the middle of the night?" She was met with silence; they couldn't argue with that. "We'll set up a defensive position, keep our location as hidden as possible. The forest still stands after all..."

As the detachment of soldiers who followed them began to dismount, they took out supplies to tend to their injuries and food to recover some energy. Kushina patted Kaede on the neck, giving her a thankful smile. The mare merely ruffled her mane as she panted in exhaustion.

Kosuke placed a hand on her shoulder, which Kushina held as the two nodded at each other, expressing they were okay without another word. Kushina nodded and went over to Kakashi, "You okay?"

"Didn't get a chance to do anything," He sounded so angry with himself. "So yeah, I'm fine."

"Come on," Kushina motioned for him to follow her, "We'll go set up security seals around the perimeter," She announced to the others. "You, you and you" She pointed to a few shinobi among them, "Follow us; we could use the help."

Naruto watched as his mother and teacher departed to secure their location. He looks back to the princess to find her sitting down under a tree, pinching the bridge of her nose, her features frowning deeply with incredible frustration.

"How are you holding up?" He gently asked.

It was a ridiculous inquiry, and Naruto comprehended that, given what transpired. However, he could not stop voicing and expressing his concern for the princess. He winced, receiving a steely gaze for a moment before softening from Maiyuri, who sighed with a flurry of emotions dancing across her face.

She leaned back against the tree, shuddering, running her hands over her face. Her emerald orbs gazed back at the blond who came and sat beside her. But, despite her mouth moving, no words came. Instead, she blinked as Naruto reached over and took one of her hands, holding it tightly. Maiyuri's lips faintly turned upward at the gesture before turning her eyes ahead.

With reluctance from Miharu, Karin put her arm in front of him and told him to bite down. Namika gawked, observing her brother's broken arm mend before her eyes. Yet despite now being healed, his arm was still quite sore as he moved it. However, the siblings showed concern as the redhead nearly fainted but was caught by a chiding Sasuke for overusing her healing. Finally, the Uchiha carried her over to a tree and made her rest because she nearly used all of her ability for most of the injured.

Naruto shook his head, also watching, "Granny and mom told sis not to overuse that."

"Being overly courageous and reckless seems to run in your family," the blond looked back to Maiyuri, who spoke gently.

"Or just have a super-sized hero complex like Shikamaru keeps telling me."

The soft-pinkette let out a soft laugh, but the sound felt hollow. Maiyuri's gaze was unfocused as the battle events seemed to reply in her mind. "The soldiers who stayed behind to cover our escape..." She muttered. "They're dead, aren't they?"

"...Yeah," Naruto held no illusions about it. He saw that thing and how much punishment it could take and dish out. A handful of shinobi and samurai would only delay it at best.

Maiyuri shook her head, "They gave up their lives so I might live." She sounded so disturbed. "I knew they were trained to do so, that they were willing to do so, but... nobody has ever done such a thing" Her fists clenched. "Nobody has ever sacrificed themselves for me."

Her bodyguards and friends looked at her in concern.

"You're the princess," Miharu said. "Of course they-"

"How does that make my life more important than theirs?" She snapped at him. "They had families and friends, and now because they laid down their lives for me, they will never see them again..."

"Then they will understand they did an honorable thing," Kushina's voice rang out as she and Kakashi returned with the other shinobi.

Maiyuri did not reply.

"You said you want to change the way things are. How will you do that if you get upset over your people dying?" Kushina said it wasn't out of coldness; instead, she stated an inevitable fact.

Change risked conflict. Some would resist it; others would take advantage of it. And in the middle, there would be fights, and people would die for it. For her ideals...

The princess shook her head. "So I'm just supposed to trade in their lives for what I want?"

"You're supposed to lead them and take pride in the fact they followed you willingly, knowing it would risk their lives. Either they believed in you, or their honor demanded they protect you at all costs." Kushina stressed as she knelt in front of the younger woman. "Because that's what loyalty means. To do anything less would be an insult to their sacrifice; to do nothing would make their deaths mean nothing."

Maiyuri understood the weight of responsibility. It was taught to her since she was a child. To hold a position of authority held an immense cost and sacrifice. The princess knew all of this, but a dozen honorable men and women gave their lives for her to see it firsthand.

Concept and practice were two very different things.

And it was a bitter lesson the future daimyo of the Land of Fire had to bear.

Closing her eyes took a long deep breath before Kushina continued, "And right now, we need you focused. Because we have to save your father and bring down that demon and whatever else is here with it. We need the woman who all of us here love, believe in, and will follow you to hell and back."

The princess stared at the Uzu matriarch and the others, whose gazes were determined and resolved. Then, finally, she looked back to Kushina, "Thank you."

"Movement!" Within seconds of a guard shout, the uninjured portions of the group, along with the princess, all stood with weapons at the ready. Kushina and Naruto stood dutifully in front of Maiyuri, ready for anything.

Slowly from the shadows appeared a short-haired brunette young woman in the attire of a shinobi and tree symbol hitai-ate wrapped around her head. Dried blood and dirt caked her form coming to a stop with wide almond eyes. "Y-You're real?" She spoke in a hushed tone, almost like a pleading whisper that she didn't see an illusion before her. "Are you real?"

A Samurai drew close, "Identify yourself!" He spoke in a commanding tone.

The Tree Kunoichi's chest seems to heave in desperation, "Are. You. Real?"

"Identify yourself!"

"Ujio!" Maiyuri rebuked, for which the Samurai in question sharply turned and bowed, "We're real."

Upon hearing that, tears sprung from the kunoichi's eyes as she broke down and fell to her knees. "The gods haven't abandoned us," she cried out, bowing her head and hugging herself. Her word now a muttered, rambling of incoherent words. Then, like the wind, Kushina and Naruto came to the woman's side. The former ANBU grunts as the Tree Kunoichi latches unto her, hugging her tightly as she wails.

Kushina glanced at her son and the princess who came over before wrapping her arms around the grief-stricken woman.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

The Tree kunoichi, once she composed herself, managed to tell them about the survivors, both Fire and Tree. Maiyuri's spirits lifted immediately once she was told one of the people hiding with them was her father. The kunoichi wasted no time in taking them towards where the survivors were hiding, a hidden network of tunnels and caves long used by Tree shinobi to move throughout their land. The cave system was ample but still not large enough to allow all the soldiers in their party to go with them, so only Maiyuri's entourage and a few more soldiers accompanied them; if the daimyo was there, it was better not to draw too much attention by mobilizing completely.

The kunoichi dispelled the illusion of a great rock hiding the entrance, upon which they saw a few samurai and shinobi standing on alert.

A few of them were from Fire. The nearest soldier stared in shock at the newcomer, noticing the symbols on their gear, the armor on the soldiers, and most importantly, the person at the helm.

"M-Maiyuri-hime!"

The princess nodded at the soldier, "My father, is he here?"

"Y-Yes!" They didn't bother asking what she was doing here, and they were glad reinforcements had arrived. The Tree Kunoichi was welcomed back by her peers, who were grateful for her work. "Right this way, please."

They followed over the tunnels, finding more and more refugees as they walked by. Not only were there shinobi and soldiers from Tree, but also civilians. Poor souls fortunate enough to have survived but had lived through the horrible destruction of their homes. With empty eyes and heartbroken gazes, survivors were huddling together, seeking any form of comfort. Naruto doubted most of these people even knew each other, but they sought each other out all the same...

There were wounded soldiers and shinobi, both from Tree and Fire. The Fire citizens stared at them as though they had been sent by the gods, bowing out of loyalty for the princess marching among them.

Every single one of them was wounded in some form or another...

"Heeeey, Mai-chan!"

An old friend's bright and exuberant voice snapped Maiyuri out of her thoughts, and she found herself on the receiving end of a tackling hug from a very colorfully dressed individual.

"Y-Yuma?!" The princess stammered, looking at her friend in shock. "What are you doing here?!"

Yuma smiled at her brightly, showing all her teeth. She looked rough, her clothes were torn and singed, and her arm was covered in bandages, but she still radiated that endless energy. "Oh, I was around when your dad came to the country. And, well..." Her smile waned a bit. "It was hard not to notice what was happening; I just couldn't stand by."

Maiyuri's eyes glowed, hugging her childhood friend. "By Amaterasu, you always had the damnedest of luck."

"Still wondering if that is good or bad." The voluptuous woman chuckled.

"M-Maiyuri!?" Yuma smirked as her friend quickly detached upon seeing her father being brought to them. Maiyuri practically flew towards her father, hugging him tightly as he returned it.

Naruto and his team slowly moved toward the white-haired woman, who noticed them and smiled, "Hey! Fancy meeting you guys again!" She playfully ran her hand through Naruto's blond locks.

"You... are friends with Princess Maiyuri," Sakura remarked slowly.

"I thought I told you I've known Mai-Chan since we were both brats training at the Fire Temple."

Recognition bloomed in Karin's mind as she gawked, "Mai-Chan is Maiyuri-Hime?"

"Yup!"

Akiha and Maiyuri did not notice the conversation as father and daughter held one another. However, it was not long before the Daimyo's mind kicked in before letting go of his daughter and holding her by her shoulders. "What are you doing here?!"

"When we received the message of you being in danger, I reacted."

"You placed yourself in danger leaving Amotsu!"

"I lost mother; I'm not losing you!" Her voice was full of emotion but held with a steely tone.

Akiha gave a low sigh but kept a stern look, "And I cannot lose you. This situation goes beyond anything we have ever encountered. If something had happened to me, you would lead our nation. So your safety is paramount."

"And as the future leader of my nation, I will decide what course of action I must take," Maiyuri replied passionately, never looking away from her father's eyes as she stared defiantly into them. "I came here to save you, and now I will fight to take all of my people home."

Akiha could only look at his daughter silently.

"And for that, we must destroy that monster," Maiyuri said, her voice lowering into a gentler tone as she helped her father sit down. "None of us are safe so long as that creature is still around. And I fear it won't remain confined to the Land of Trees..."

Akahi held his daughter's hands, slowly letting go as his gaze lowered. He looks tired, shaken by the ordeal like he didn't have any faith in surviving this. "The gashadokuro comes out of nowhere and leaves devastation in its wake," He muttered, looking haunted. "It tore through the shinobi and samurai of the Land of Trees, it reduced their Hidden Village to rubble, and proceeded to do the same to the capital..."

He looked at his daughter and her entourage.

"But that thing is a beast, wild and guided by instinct. Someone holds the chains that bind it."

"Someone?" Maiyuri repeated, their suspicions of demons involved feeling more probable now. "Who?"

Akiha looked at the Tree shinobi; their gazes became brutal and hateful glares at a group of them in particular, casting judgment upon their kinsmen. A group of ANBU from the Prajñā Group.

Their heads bowed in shame, eyes telling a horror story, and one of their shinobi spoke up.

"His name is Dhunarak..."

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It has been literal ages since the herald of Ishtar had felt this. The thrill of conquest, the pleasure of victory, the overwhelming pride in their craftsmanship...

They took a nation of arrogant humans, fed on their greed, and unleashed upon them the very same force they craved for themselves. Their bastions of civilization, a village of shinobi, a capital of grand status (for the likes of them) and reduced it to rubble.

"Ahhhh... long has it been," The great demon wistfully spooks, laying back on the broken throne taken from the dead daimyo's chambers, lifting a cup of delicious wine stolen from their storages, and basked in the riches they plundered.

All while his followers feasted.

They chewed on limbs until naught by bone remained. Seasoning them in their own blood and drinking the fine wine they stole.

They toyed with their new slaves, using them as pets in macabre games where they forced them to kill each other for a chance at survival.

They sang and roared in triumph; for long has it been since the demons of hell tasted the sweet nectar of conquest.

After so long, after the great time of Chaos... they were finally getting their dues once again.

"Can you feel it, Grimaldous?" He asked his companion, the great red-skinned and horned demon. "This triumph?"

"Not since Lord Leraje's death have we tasted victory like this," The great demon agreed. "Ishtar provides indeed."

"Ah yes..." Dhunarak let out a long pleasing sound. "And this is just the beginning; once I prove myself to the Eight-Headed One, my place in the council is all but assured."

To be in the Council meant to be one of Ishtar's Divine Kings in the new world to come; the riches and power in his grasp would be rubbish compared to the realms and bounty she promised her faithful.

Walking out of a partially standing room near the throne was a beautiful curvaceous crimson-skinned demoness in scantily clad attire, long flowing black hair, and long horns adorning her head. She moved sensually with a warm afterglow surrounding her as the nude husk of a man turned to dust from the room she came out of.

"Long have we waited for this moment, my lord." Her voice a husky purr, "Your ascension is well earned."

"Indeed, my darling Aezvyn. The centuries of toil will be at an end. And our dynasty will reign across the earth."

Dhunarak was most pleased with his ambitions of what he could do once their goddess was revived and sat among the genuinely faithful of the council. Though a frown marred his lips behind his mask, "And no upstart human will impede my progress."

Honestly, he wondered about Master Bai Shen's sanity. To bring a human into their fold and place among the councils without effort nor earning it. Hidan had more right in becoming a full demon as he was now, as he had been a faithful follower for years than this upstart. The thought of that wretched masked human-made Dhunarak's blood boil.

For centuries he has worked himself tirelessly for their goddess and Yamata's favor. Rose through the ranks with effort and dignity, befitting his station and garnering strong allies and followers among the faithful.

His name carried weight among many, being both respected and feared.

And these upstarts began appearing out of the woodworks. Zhang Zhou merely pretended to be a true follower of their cause because it suited him. That vampire of a fallen maiden did as she pleased without repercussion. And then some vied for a place on the council like that witch in the west grasping at any opportunity to curry favor, that fake godling they had to manipulate and keep placated, foolish mortals who thought they could play this game.

Fools, every single one of them.

It made his blood boil to see them rewarded.

But no more.

"We stand at the precipe of change," He announced to his followers, standing up from the throne. "After grasping for survival and meaning, the Age of Man shall finally come to an end" Dhunarak spread his arms wide. "An age of storms, an age of war, an age of victory!"

His warband roused with enthusiasm, cheering and roaring at his words.

"And Ishtar shall deliver unto us the promised new world, a world for us to rule, won through the right of conquest!"

Like in the old days when the legions of demons marched upon the world.

"Here we declare upon mankind, and the great war has begun anew!"

As his warband cheered, Dhunarak saw a minor imp demon scurry toward him at a frantic pace. Then, bowing and stopping before the masked demon, it spoke in a chittering, raspy dialect. His company went silent before their lord began to chuckle maliciously.

Aezvyn drew close, "My lord?"

"The Land of Fire has sent reinforcements to save their precious Daimyo." His laughter grew louder, "And it is led by none other than the Daimyo's daughter!" Dhunarak roared with bloodthirsty anticipation for new prey.

A towering, muscular dark-skinned demon in tribalistic armor and a horned mask came to kneel before his master, "Shall I route them and bring their heads as trophies?" He spoke in a deep guttural with hunger in his voice.

Dhunarak let out a dark chuckle, "Our gashadokuro has given them a warm welcome." Then, laughter sprung out from several demons around him, "They are hiding like rats in the shadows. No doubt thinking of a plot of victory." He spoke in mocking before patting the giant demon's shoulder, "We let them come to us, Zoros. And shatter their hope before their very eyes before feasting on their souls!"

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