Disclaimer: Refer to chapter 1.
AN: Chapter title: A Black End!
The defense of the gate undertaken by the Fifth Cohort was such a thing that it must have been deemed impenetrable by whatever force of the invaders remained. Over a thousand shields and blades awaited any foe who dared to attempt such a thing, would dare to seek such a glory as besting a Cohort of Caesar's glorious Orange Legion in combat.
Such an act was nothing short of utter lunacy, an act driven by nothing but a desire to face the end in combat with Caesar's glorious Legion.
Already the invaders had been repelled by their sudden drive through the village, through their relentless onslaught until they had reached the gates they now defended. Caesar would not need to worry on any foe breaching the village as long as the Fifth stood. If even a single Legionary still stood, the gates would not fall.
"Still nothing to report?" A place of command had been constructed in the latest lull of battle, the Centurions of the Fifth Cohort gathering to plan what they could. This defense of the village left their hands tied for the most part. Too few forces to commit to the wall could bring disgrace to Caesar if it was to be breached by another assault from the cowardly foe that hid from their blades even now. Yet to commit too little to any excursion into the dense woods before them would lead to a greater failure as the cretins within would pick them off, would wipe them out, and lead to another assault.
The Centurion of the Fifth Cohort was given no choice but to wait in such a situation, was forced to sit on his hands as if he was no better than a child. It infuriated him. It was enough to burn his patience to near nonexistence and boil his anger to the surface.
The action to take was so clear yet just out of reach. No matter how much his fury, his diminishing patience, demanded he act, he could do no such thing.
"All of our scouts have reported the same upon their return." The Second Century's Centurion did not hide his annoyance. "Our enemy has retreated deep into the forest for now, amassing within to prepare for another assault. They no doubt watch us now, gauging our defenses with these irregular attacks."
"Reports have come in from the Sixth Cohort, the invaders have been mostly pushed out the village. Pockets remain but they are of no interest to us, the Shinobi can deal with them easily enough. The Legate and Caesar himself remain in pursuit of Suna's mad dog from the last report I received." The Centurion of the Fifth Cohort stared at the map laid in front of him, of the stones that showed where he, the Sixth, and the rest of Caesar's glorious Legion were positioned across the village. He brought his finger to a single spot, a single stone in place there. "The Legate instructed five Centurions of the Praetorians to remain here at this shelter," His finger moved to where a number of stones rested. "the hospital is held under the command of the Praefectus Castorum and three Centurions," His finger moved again. "the stadium has been destroyed yet Saruboti battles the Kazekage still," His finger moved again to one of the largest stones on the map. "the Sixth awaits their foes just as we," His eyes lifted and met those of his Centurion. "and none of us have a single idea where the White Snake lies!"
His eyes flashed to red and his fangs were bared to his subordinates.
"We were blindsided by his summons once and now we risk he himself coming before us, slaughtering us, because we do not know where he is!" He waved his hand over the map, over the stones. "This is nothing but meaningless, a futile exercise, with such a foe unknown! The Toad Sage has vanished from our eyes, we stand no chance of finding him if we are to be attacked, and these Shinobi shall be just as useless as they were when this attack began when it resumes."
"Contact the Praetorians, your fellow Centurions, and any others you wish, learn what you can, and bring all you learn to me." He turned his eyes back to the map. "I shall depart to the front for now. If the cowards wish to attack, they shall no doubt do so now."
"Am I understood?" The only response he received were nods of resolve, of commitment. "Then you are dismissed." The Centurion of the Fifth received the salute of the Orange Legion from all the Centurions gathered before him, one of their fists clenched over their armored hearts. In their eyes he saw drive, saw commitment to see his orders carried out. He returned it before turning on his heel and leaving.
"Orochimaru won't be found unless he wants to be." The ANBU Black Ops had silently joined his side as he stepped out of the tent.
"If he is still in command of this invasion, he will be close." The Centurion of the Fifth did not bother with paying the masked ANBU much mind.
"Orochimaru has already left." The ANBU Black Ops looked out to the forest, beyond the lines of Legionnaires who awaited an attack with swords and shields at the ready. "He came here to battle the Third Hokage and the Kazekage took that opportunity from him. He won't bother with the invasion any longer."
"You speak as if you know the White Snake so well to predict his actions." The Centurion of the Fifth turned red eyes to the masked Shinobi at last. "Are the files of the village of such depth or are you different from the rest?"
Half a dozen ANBU Black Ops surrounded him by the time he had finished speaking. He did not spare them a glance. The blades of his Legionnaires waited for one to make a move before they would strike them all down and the masked Shinobi knew it.
To attack him, to draw their blades within his camp, would be naught but suicide.
"I had the misfortune of being one of his…students. That's all." The ANBU seemed unwilling to speak any further on the topic.
"You are the student of a traitor. That makes you either a fool or one yourself." The Centurion of the Fifth laughed as he spoke, his words lacking any serious bite. He didn't seem to care for anything the ANBU had to say in truth.
The ANBU didn't bother with responding to such words. His focus was immediately shifted to the forest.
Trees were falling and dust was rising, some of the animals seemed to have gone wild within from the roars that could reach all the way to the gates he defended. The Centurion of the Fifth lifted a finger to his ear.
"What is happening?" He waited for a moment but his scouts, none of the dozen he had sent out, responded. "All scouts report. Now."
He only received static on the channel. He changed the channel as he turned from walking to running towards his defensive line.
"All Centurions, gather the Legionnaires and prepare for another attack! The scouts have been killed or captured." The Centurion of the Fifth did not wait for a response. His hand dropped to his side and ripped his blade from his side just as he readied the shield that laid on his arm.
Even as he rushed forward he could hear shouts, hear the call to arms by the Centurions at the gates.
He quickened his pace.
His Centurions and Legionnaires hastened to join him.
Something roared.
Shouting.
Screaming.
Blood.
Everywhere.
Red.
Black.
Black and red. Black and red. Black and red.
"You are a fool." Hiruzen could find it in his heart to pity the man in front of him. He settled his staff on the ground at his side. Rasa could only manage a glare towards the aged Shinobi, a single direct blow from Gai's legendary strength enough to nearly take him out the fight.
He was lucky his Gold Dust had taken the brunt of the assault or he would no longer be standing.
The power of the Green Beast's Strong Fist Taijutsu was not understated in the slightest.
"Hmm, talking again Sarutobi?" A voice came from the staff a moment before it was consumed by smoke. "You've been doing a lot more talking than fighting."
"Orochimaru is no doubt planning something else." Hiruzen relaxed his stance, if only slightly. Gai arrived next to him, his skin still burning red hot from his use of the Eight Gates. "It'll be better to conserve my energy for that fight than spend too much on this."
For a Shinobi to drop his guard, even if only slightly, showed either the strength of his allies or his worry for the situation was no longer high. Both proved to do nothing but enrage the man who could call himself the Fourth Kazekage.
"Do you think me a joke Sarutobi?" Rasa attempted to stand but his battered body protested such an action. He returned to the knee he had fallen to as the Gold Dust around him writhed like an animal, seemed to snarl as it covered him in a sandstorm of tearing gales and ripping winds.
"I would not insult you with such a notion. I simply consider you less of a threat than him. That is all. He possesses far greater knowledge on this village, on my Shinobi, and on myself than you could ever gather with your own resources no matter how robust you believe them to be. And he is no fool." Hiruzen drew his thumb to his mouth and bit along a pale line of flesh. The Summoning Technique took no other action, save a surge of Chakra, and in the blink of an eye a small monkey appeared on his shoulder. It bowed to where the large monkey stood at Hiruzen's side. "My once student no doubt convinced you this was a wise decision, that the fall of Konohagakure would bring prosperity to Sunagakure, would prove to show the dominance of your village over all others, and whatever else he needed to tell you to listen to him. He is a snake and can defeat someone just as easily with words as he can with his skills as a Shinobi. This attack had little chance of success even with your plan for the Ichibi's Jinchuriki. Too much of your plan was obvious, the Chunin Exams too great of an opportunity for this village not to prepare for battle, and your Shinobi's infiltration into our borders was too clear with vigilant border guards."
With every word the elderly Shinobi spoke, with every flaw pointed out, Rasa's rage grew. His Gold Dust rolled and churned like the waves of a sea set into a frenzy by a storm. His eyes burned with rage at the dismissal of his plan, at the tone which the Third Hokage spoke to him with, that of a teacher lecturing a misinformed student.
A veteran calling a rookie out on a mistake.
An elder reprimanding a child.
The sheer fact that he was right, that hindsight proved it all to be a cruel reality, was what truly set his blood boiling.
"You were simply played Rasa, manipulated like a puppet." Hiruzen reached his hand up and the monkey on his shoulder gave him a scroll from his back.
He didn't bother to spare Rasa a glance as he turned his eyes down to read it.
The insult, the disregard of his strength, was enough to set him to action.
"I will not sit here and be mocked Sarutobi!" He snarled the words as he forced himself to rise, his Chakra gathered around him as he stretched his arm out to the elderly Shinobi and the sole Jonin that stood with him.
A torrent of Gold Dust erupted forward, ripped open the street as it burst free from the underground, and it seemed to transform into a gaping maw of razor sharp fangs with the sole goal of consuming the two before it, of utterly annihilating them in a blind fury.
"There's been enough of this foolishness today boy." Hiruzen didn't bother with taking his eyes off the scroll or close it.
"Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain, OPEN!"
Gai's next blow put the Kazekage on the ground and the Gold Dust went limp, fell to the ground as no better than dirt. Enma remained at Hiruzen's side, his arms crossed over his armor as he awaited the Hokage's next move. He did not need to concern himself with the boy anymore.
"Don't move." Gai did not draw back. He stood directly above the fallen Kazekage. He didn't take up a stance for it wouldn't matter. He would strike first no matter what Rasa tried. His next blow would either cripple or kill the Fourth Kazekage. It was simply a certainty now.
The Kazekage was simply outclassed by the Green Beast of the Hidden Leaf in terms of power, in speed. The man would not allow a single finger to twitch with the skills of the Kazekage so well known.
"Remain still and you will remain conscious."
Rasa did not move to attack. His head fell to the ground as his eyes closed.
Silently, the Fourth Kazekage surrendered. As much as it pained him, as much as it would drive him mad for many sleepless nights to come, as much as it drove him to insanity with the fury that ignited his blood, he could admit one simple truth: He could not best either of his foes.
For all his prowess, for all his might, he could not deny the truth.
He did not have the strength.
He was too weak.
A single eye merely stared when it opened, when who it belonged to had at last awoke.
'How could things get like this?' He didn't know how but he was conscious. He was partly amazed at the work the medics had done on him to even get him this far and couldn't help the shame he felt. How much time had they wasted on healing his wounds? How many had they let suffer just to get him awake?
Why did the waste their time on him?
He had failed after all. He hadn't even lasted past the initial attack and his battle in the stadium. He couldn't manage to beat Pakura, he couldn't join in repelling the invaders form his home, and he couldn't aid the Hokage.
And he had no idea where Sakura was. He didn't know where any of his team was.
'I failed as a sensei too.' He let out a tired breath from his lungs. 'I failed Sakura…I even failed Naruto.'
A thud broke him out of his thoughts.
"I'm not staying here any longer." A tired voice spoke from nearby.
"Your wound isn't healed yet. You need to rest." He knew that voice. He knew both voices.
"Not now. Not with people dying." The tired voice was persistent.
He heard a struggle, one party didn't want to hurt the other and one wanted to stop the other. He heard another thud and a groan, something was whispered, and cloth rustled as someone fell to the ground and another hastily followed.
"Please Hayate." The victor tried to dissuade the other with words now.
'Yugao's here for him. The Third must have let her take guard duty for the hospital. What a nice thing to do…' He hadn't moved since he had awoken but that was because he didn't have a reason then.
Now he did.
He had questions about the invasions and he needed them answered. He had to know what was happening, how the battle had turned out, how the Third was handling a foe as strong as the Kazekage. He couldn't just sit here anymore.
So he didn't.
He couldn't help the groan that came as he moved, the crack and pop of long stiff joints as he forced himself to rise. He couldn't waste his time with resting anymore.
He needed to fight.
The thin curtain around his bed was pulled away on one side.
He was on his feet by then.
"Yugao." He gave her a nod as he stumbled past. His feet guided him to where he knew the hospital kept extra gear. He couldn't exactly walk through whatever battlefields laid outside in the tattered rags of the Flak Jacket he had been carried here wearing. The extras wouldn't be perfect but they would make do until this invasion was over with.
But he needed something to go out and fight.
"What do you think you're doing?" Yugao had been frozen in shock long enough for him to drag on a spare set of armor. He was tightening the straps when she finally managed to rush up to him, try to dissuade him no doubt from joining the fighting.
"The village is still under attack." Kakashi gave her the obvious reason, the obvious rationale of his decision to leave. "I can't stay here when I can fight."
It took a moment longer than usual but lightning burst to life around his hand, the singing of a thousand birds filled the air. It just as quickly was gone as he cut the Chakra to the Chidori.
"You're in no state to fight!" Yugao may have been speaking to him, may have been speaking to Hayate. Both were in the same room now after all.
"I've healed enough." His body was no longer broken, he could manage his Chakra at this level, and a combination of Soldier Pills and battlefield remedies had helped him handle his exhaustion. His clash with Pakura was in the past now. He needed to head out, fight again in the present.
"If he's going….I'm going." Hayate tightened his hold on the blade Yugao couldn't stop him from wielding.
The purple haired ANBU had no words.
Kakashi was her superior in the end, one of the village's elite Jonin, and, even with the state he was in, he would be a game changer on the battlefield with simply his presence. He could order her to let him by if he wanted to and she couldn't stop him. He wouldn't but he could do it.
They both knew it.
It made arguing with him pointless.
"Kakashi, just think for a moment. What is going to happen if you die out there? You're not at your best, you're hardly able to stand no matter what you may say, and the invading force has been defeated. The Inuzuka, the Akimichi, the Nara, the Yamanaka, the Aburame, and more have joined the battle! The advance force the Third sent to the border will be back any second now! Jiraiya-sama is still in the village fighting! There is no reason for you to leave. You won't even have anyone to fight."
"I'm not too good for mop up." Kakashi shrugged his shoulders.
He was determined.
Yugao could not meet his eye.
"What about Sakura then?"
She had been ready for the sudden surge of Killing Intent, of raw fury, from the Jonin. She hardly remained standing, hardly held back the desire to curl into a ball and scream at the horror of a dozen different and equally as grisly deaths. Blades pierced her heart, slit her throat, a thousand birds screamed, fingers curled around her throat, and she just wanted to scream.
Hayate knew her well enough to at least brace himself. He still fell to the ground. He at least wasn't convulsing on the ground. He wasn't making his injuries any worse than they had gotten since he had decided to get out of bed.
"That's playing dirty Uzuki." Yugao flinched at the use of her last name. She had breached a boundary, crossed a line, and would no doubt face the consequences of so blatantly revealing her mission.
But she had to. She had to keep him here.
No one wanted Kakashi Hatake dead.
If he went out it was too high of a chance he wouldn't be coming back.
"J-Just think of her! If you go out there like this you'll just die. You'll die and leave her all alone, leave her with just Uzumaki and you've seen what he's done before! You're the only one who can keep him from doing worse to her than he already has. If you decide to leave then you'll just leave her with no one that can help her!" Yugao didn't know how she could still speak. But she could, she could somehow keep speaking no matter how amazing it was to her. The disgust she felt at herself, how desperate she was to keep him here, she was sure she would be tongue tied by now but she wasn't. "Team 7 will get a new sensei, one Uzumaki can bully and intimidate to do what he wants! She'll be trapped with the Uchiha and Uzumaki until she makes Chunin but she won't have you there to help her, to understand what she's going through! You saw her after the Chunin Exams, you saw how broken she was, and you'll leave her like that if you die!"
Silence.
That was all there was.
She couldn't, almost didn't want to, open her eyes. She couldn't look at him, see the rage, the fury, at her audacity to bring up his pupil. She couldn't stand to see the betrayal in his eye if she opened her eyes. She just needed him to stay here, stay far away from the battles until it was all over.
She couldn't bear to see her friend go out and die, she could take on any hatred, any resentment, he felt towards her if it meant her old captain stayed alive.
"I-If you won't stay because I ask…at least stay for her sake."
She screamed. There was nothing else for her to do but scream. The pain. This pain was completely unreal. It was something unimaginable. It was something she had never felt before. She had never expected it to hurt this much, she had never thought something so simple would be so painful. But it was absolute agony. It was enough to make her scream after all.
Her failure was her shame.
Pakura's broken body thrashed in her restraints, her screams could not be stopped, and her rage burned hot and fierce just like her Scorch Release.
"NO!" She could not tear apart her restraints as she could if she was stronger, if she hadn't been bested in combat by Kakashe Hatake and his strange beast. She could not incinerate the fools who dared to suggest such an insane thing as sedation. She could do nothing in her state but scream and struggle.
"I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU IF YOU TRY!" Her eyes were wide manic, and her body screamed at her to stop, to cease her struggles. Her pain grew worse but the agony such a physical state brought was nothing to the agony that filled her soul, that tore it apart into a thousand shreds. A single knife was nothing to the thousand that their words had thrust into her soul. "NOW LET ME GO!"
They refused of course. They had refused to release her since Chiyo had the gall to leave her here, to force her into a bed, to treat her as nothing but a child. She had ridiculed her with just her eyes, told her she was nothing with the weight of her silence disapproval.
"Lady Chiyo instructed us to keep you here Pakura-sama." One of the medics was making a plea with her and ventured too close.
Her bound hand lashed out, she forced her broken and beaten body to listen to her. She dragged the medic forward so she could stare into eyes filled with terror.
"I will not be sedated." Her voice was near a whisper as the heat in the tent grew. Her Chakra reserves were slowly recovering, enough for, limited, access to her fearsome Scorch Release once more. "I will not miss history being made!"
The captured medic could only nod as terror locked his throat, condemned him to silence. The rest, a total of three, remained away, glanced to the pair of Sunagakure ANBU stationed at the exit. They received no response from the masked Shinobi.
All they knew was that they were not allowed to leave until Pakura was asleep. That had been their single instruction from Chiyo before she had departed deeper into the main camp of the joint Sunagakure and Otogakure force. The four had no choice but to put the powerful Kunoichi asleep for transport far out of the Land of Fire, far away from Konohagakure.
The appearance of the blond boy and his army had changed too many things. Chiyo had taken one look at the massive force suddenly unleashed against them and had decided to abandon the invasion. She was well within her rights to issue such an order as acting Field Commander until the Kazekage returned from his clash with the leader of Konoha.
A clash they now knew he could not triumph in.
A puppet, tasked with observation of the battle, had seen him unable to battle the legendary Green Beast and the aged Shinobi at the same time. His guard, once thought impenetrable, was broken time and time again. His legendary techniques, the power able to best a beast as powerful as the Ichibi in the desert, were countered, broken, and little more than ineffective time and time again.
Sunagakure could not win.
But they could cut their losses.
They could survive.
"That girl is too young and too stubborn for her own good." Chiyo stared in the direction of the tent she had placed Pakura and her medics in. The acting Field Commander turned her eyes to her brother. "Has the withdrawal order been issued?"
"Fortunately without unneeded complications." Ebizo had recovered from the attack the transformed girl had unleashed on him. Her medical expertise had been vital to save his life before the damage could take it. He was still able to move but he could no longer fight. "There's been no word on what the forces from Otogakure will be doing while we withdraw. But I've heard they've been gathering for another assault on the main gate. It should have been launched by now."
Silence passed between the two siblings for a moment.
"The Kazekage, his children, and even the weapon are all missing or held by the enemy." Chiyo stared at the wall of the tent, stared at the map of the Hidden Leaf, at the state their forces had been rendered once the boy had unleashed an army of clones. "This invasion was a mistake from the beginning it seems."
"The Leaf wasn't as weak as we all thought." Ebizo rested in a chair, his sword laid across his lap for now. "The old dog even has bite it seems." A bitter smile managed to cross his face as he leaned back, winced at the sharp spike of pain he could have written off as nothing in his younger years. "Ah, I've gotten too old for war I imagine. I remember the times I could fight through things like this."
"That girl was one of Orochimaru's early experiments." Chiyo joined him in another chair in a moment. "She has one of his Juinjutsu."
"I thought as much." Ebizo cast his eyes to the blade in his lap. "I'm not surprised I couldn't kill her."
"Are you doubting your strength now brother?"
"I'm not a puppeteer like you sister. I've always doubted my strength."
Silence reigned in the tent once more.
It would not be broken by either of Suna's Honored Siblings.
"Time is such a cruel thing." The voice made both jump, both readied their preferred weapons with haste even if both knew it to be pointless. Even if age had not drained their strength, the Sannin was simply on another level than either could claim to have ever reached.
Orochimaru did not bother with humoring the pair of elderly Shinobi. He spared them both a glance while Kabuto let the pair of guards drop to the floor as he cut the flow of Chakra, both having been dead before the invasion began in full.
"What are you doing here Orochimaru?" Chiyo had disliked the White Snake since he had come to Rasa to suggest the idea of an invasion, had talked the Kazekage into the attack that had done nothing but serve as a black mark for the Hidden Sand.
"I have come to thank you of course. The information this attack has provided will prove invaluable in the future. I have learned so much from today it would be rude for me not to extend my gratitude to the two that made it all possible." The traitorous Sannin could not hide his amusement at the way the day had gone, at how everything had gone worse and worse for the invading force. "The Sand was useful for that if nothing else today."
"Rasa should have never listened to you." Ebizo let his blade fall to his side. He knew it would be pointless to clash with the Sannin as he was now. He was still weak from the girl's attack on him, the powerful scream he was still surprised he had survived.
"The blame of this attack can't possibly fall on myself alone Ebizo-san. You two are the ones who should have performed your role as advisors better." Orochimaru reached into his sleeve and withdrew a scroll. "But I must thank the two of you for this opportunity. I've ignored Naruto-kun for so long that even I didn't see his little show coming. This experience has been just so reinvigorating to me." He set it down on the table he had walked up to. "Take this as a token of my appreciation for your efforts."
"And what is this token?" Ebizo felt the Chakra Threads connect with his body, the surge of familiar Chakra that revitalized his own depleted reserves.
"It is nothing of value to myself but the Hidden Sand will likely want what's inside. Once Rasa-kun crawls back from his battle with sensei he can do what he likes with it." Orochimaru did not hide his amusement, did not bother with suppressing his laughter any longer.
It haunted the ears of both as he walked out the tent without a care in the world.
Perhaps he truly did not.
If anyone could claim such a thing, it would be the White Snake.
Away from the tent, a limit was shattered.
The Sharingan allowed the Legate to see the surge of power rush through Lee as the First Gate was opened. It was almost impossible to believe that such power rested inside anyone if they held the drive to find it, held the willpower to shatter through their own limits.
The Eight Gates were truly a formidable technique.
'So this is the power of the Eight Gates?' He was impressed at such a display of power.
He had not come into the Chunin Exams, or this battle, unprepared. The Legion had observed the training of all the participants enough for him to have at least a rudimentary understanding of the abilities of all of his possible foes. He had done further research himself and uncovered Maito Gai's many talents.
The man restricted himself solely to Taijutsu and still remained one of the strongest Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. He was a master and showed it with his unchallenged proficiency with the Eight Gates, his abilities so great that many believed he could unleash the awe inspiring power of even the fatal Gate of Death. His strength was enough to put him on par with the likes of Silver Fang and he was perhaps even stronger than Caesar's foe. He had taught his student well and he had expected the Eight Gates to be within Rock Lee's arsenal.
The boy had more than enough drive to unlock such formidable power and it came as no surprise that the Genin could manage a feat few Shinobi could. Most Shinobi simply did not possess the raw drive, the sheer determination, the pure willpower to undertake such a challenge and succeed. Rock Lee was someone who seemed to be, for lack of a better term, all guts. He faced any and all challenges with everything he had and would not stop until he overcame it and moved on to the next.
Most Shinobi didn't have the same fire no matter how much they preached the Will of Fire or the values of teamwork.
It seemed very likely that Rock Lee's Nindo was one of never giving up in the face of challenge and such drive had borne fruit.
"So this is it?" The power given with just the First Gate was enough to leave him nearly stunned. He had thought he was ready to battle Rock Lee but he was wrong. He had been informed of his speed and had still been taken by surprise, he had been told of the strength his blows packed and he had still been surprised by the Genin's initial attack. He had expected the Eight Gates and even now he stood in surprise.
"I will give you one last chance Sasuke!" Lee's eyes took on a new intensity as he stared down the Uchiha. "Step aside or I will attack!"
The Legate of the Orange Legion did not answer with words.
He drew his blade from his side and beckoned the Shinobi forward with his free hand.
'I have no choice then.'
"Second Gate, Gate of Healing, OPEN!"
Sasuke's eyes widened when Lee's power increased further and still the Genin did not attack him. Power flowed through him and it rushed to the next gate, the Third Gate, located at the spine if his research was correct.
'That's impossible! He shouldn't be able to do that!"
Power erupted from Lee as he let loose a shout and his flames could not withstand the sudden surge of Chakra ripping free of the Genin in front of the Uchiha. They were snuffed out when his own could no longer fuel them against the flood of Chakra. Even with that the Genin roared once again as the third limiter of his body was now the next opponent to the indomitable will that burned so hot in Rock Lee.
"To fight a comrade goes against all you ever taught me Gai-sensei but I must not break my promise! Even if I must break Sasuke's arms and legs to pass by then I shall! I will not let anyone stop me from facing Gaara! I will let nothing stop me because I promised my teammate I would be the one to make him pay! Because I swore I would never forsake any promise for it is against my Ninja Way!"
The third safeguard of the human body was broken with a shout.
"Third Gate, Gate of Life, OPEN!"
His skin turned blood red and the Uchiha would have been thrown away if not for his Chakra anchoring him to the ground.
"T-This power! It's unreal!" Sasuke shielded his eyes with his free arm as he struggled to not be thrown away by the next wave of power. "You've had this kind of power the entire time! How the fucking hell are you still a Genin!" Such a question was the only thing he could ask at a time like this.
Three. Rock Lee could open up nearly half of the Eight Gates, a technique few could even dream of gaining in their arsenal. He wasn't concerned as he unleashed the full power of his body, he had no issues with the sudden surge of power. It was impossible to imagine he didn't already have training with this technique to use it in combat like this.
Rock Lee had to have gained mastery of the Eight Gates up to the Gate of Life some time ago to not only believe he was able to take him down but to still face Gaara as well.
Or perhaps he could even go further and unlock the Fourth Gate.
"There is no going back now!" Lee crouched down and his white eyes focused on Sasuke. The Uchiha didn't know what to do as he locked eyes with his opponent. The insane power surging through the Genin's body at the moment was a natural counter to Genjutsu. It was too raw, too uncontrollable, to let him put him under with even something simple. He didn't have the time for something complex and didn't have the skills to try in a battle he needed his full focus to have a chance of victory. "I have given you more than enough chances to stop this fight!"
"And I've given you the same!" Sasuke allowed Chakra to ignite across his blade as he shouted back to Lee. "I will not step aside! As long as I draw breath I will stand against you! If you wish to battle Gaara, to steal Caesar's battle, then you will kill me to do so!"
The two would have begun their battle anew if not for one thing.
"What do you two think you're doing?" A number of Jonin and ANBU had arrived to their battleground, drawn to the forest by the malicious nature of the Chakra in the air, of Naruto ad Gaara's clash so close by. The massive release of power three of the Eight Gates had caused served as a beacon for even the less sensor inclined now surrounding the two.
A dark tendril connected their shadows to Shikaku Nara's own, the Hiden Technique of the Nara stopping either from moving in the slightest.
"It is none of your concern Nara." Sasuke didn't bother with struggling. Lee seemed just as restrained against the Jonin as he himself seemed to be.
His task for now was simply to delay any interruptions to Caesar's battle with the Jinchuriki. The method hardly mattered at this point.
"If you two haven't noticed, there's an invasion going on." Shikaku glanced between the two, the subtle signs from two ANBU Black Ops agents showing neither were under the control of the enemy. A number of Shinobi still stood at the ready to bring down either, several more apprehensive at the thought of dealing with Lee with the telltale signs of the Eight Gates being active.
Others, more recent promotions to Jonin, were only able to stare in dumb shock at the sight.
"I've been informed." Sasuke turned the red and black eyes of his Sharingan to Shikaku. In the blink of an eye coal black eyes stared into the Nara's. "But Caesar's Orange Legion has no doubt already driven the invaders from the village on his order. They are of little threat now."
"There's still the Jinchuriki to deal with." Shikaku glanced between the two Genin, both all but certain to be future Chunin once the invasion was dealt with, and then towards where Naruto battled Gaara farther into the forest.
"And Caesar battles the dog now. The rest of you would just interfere, prove nothing but distractions for Caesar's blade, should you move any further then here. None of you even stand with the power to battle the Jinchuriki. If you go, you will simply be throwing your lives away in a battle that does not need to be fought."
Silence. Silence was what came from his words.
A silence that proved they were true.
None could say that he was wrong, that he was speaking lies.
Many of those who stood before him knew what it was like to fight such a monster after all.
"Enough!" The Centurion at last seemed too angry to allow this standoff to continue.
His hand did not fall to draw the blade from side for his red eyes bored into the eyes of the Nara he had been dealing with. A raw spike of malice, of the sheer desire to kill and nothing but it, made the Genin drop back and the Praetorian he had ensnared was free.
"Stand down." The Centurion's order was the only thing that stopped him from drawing his blade on Ino. The wave of malice he had released had unbalanced everyone in the shelter, had sent them all either to the ground in a sudden panic or left them unsteady on their feet.
It was too familiar to many who stood inside.
It was a reminder of the darkest day in recent memory. A day filled with lost, with grief, with death, and with mindless destruction.
"This foolishness has gone on for long enough." The Praetorians moved swiftly at the opportunity to end this. The Shinobi that had been at the center of it all were entirely surrounded but they did not draw their arms nor restrain them. They were simply a presence to deter them. They would not until he gave the order to slaughter them. The Centurion focused on the blonde that had been responsible for this mess to begin with and strode up to her. She was like all the others, her body not hers to command with such a raw and primal fear chilling the blood in her veins. "You will have what you seek but no more."
He wrenched her upright. He took the earpiece back from her shaking hands and handed it to one of the Praetorians that had moved with him. He pressed down on his own.
"Where is the Legate? Ino Yamanaka will not cease her madness in the shelter unless she speaks with him." The Centurion was silent in the next moment and Ino, as her mind returned to her, could hear something that must have been a reply across the short distance between the two. "I see. That is expected."
It seemed the Centurion received the information he needed from whoever answered because he twisted an unseen dial on the side of the earpiece and it shut off.
"The Legate is occupied with the invasion. You will no longer trouble myself or those under my command." The Centurion released her and she nearly fell if not for Kiba and Choji both grabbing hold of her.
"Praetorians!" The Centurion was already striding away, ignoring the shaken and haunting stares sent towards him by Shinobi and civilians alike. "We are leaving! Now!"
"HOO!" There was an unmistakable eagerness at such an order, a certain hurry to follow it as Praetorian after Praetorian fell in rank outside the shelter. The Centurion responsible for the defense of the shelter did not hurry to leave, he had wordlessly gathered his two fellow Centurions to him and they looked at him in abject curiosity. They shared a few hushed words before he lifted the arm that held Naruto's seal.
The other two, formerly outside the shelter, appeared in a swirl of smoke.
The five conversed in hush tones with heads bowed, forming a rough circle that concealed their lips from sight. A number of Praetorians formed a small ring around them with their towering shields on their arms before them and pilum held upright in their other hand.
It lasted only minutes, just enough time for the gathered Praetorians to leave the shelter and gather outside.
The four Centurions silently offered the salute of the Orange Legion, their clenched fist brought over their armored heart, with unmistakably grave expressions. They almost seemed to dread what they had been instructed to do yet would carry out their duty. It was silently returned by the one who had gathered them all together.
It served as their dismissal as they silently stepped away.
They were Centurions after all. If they would not, who would?
The remaining Centurion turned and strode to where Hinata stood. The Praetorians that had formed a circle around him and the rest of the Centurions silently filed out with them. He was left entirely alone by the time he stopped in front of the Hyuga.
"I am afraid we much part ways here Hinata Hyuga for our duty guides us to another path." The Centurion bowed his head to her. "Once again I must ask you see to the recovery of your cousin. Caesar wishes to battle Neji once more, their clash unsullied." Red locked with lavender as he rose his head. "Caesar also wishes to speak with you on a matter of grave importance once this battle is finished."
The Centurion turned on his heel and left without another word spoken.
Outside the shelter he joined the four other Centurions.
Together, five pairs of red eyes stared at the Toad Sage.
"Hmm, so Naruto already knows what's going on?" Jiraiya wasn't smiling. Just like the Centurions before him, his expression was grim.
"Caesar does not know yet." The Centurion in charge of the other four remained while they departed to the gathered Praetorians, began issuing orders through their earpieces to their own Century. The Praetorians hurried to obey, to form ranks on the otherwise deserted street, and moved as instructed.
"He's occupied with the Jinchuriki then?" Jiraiya only received a nod from the Centurion. "Thank you."
The Sannin vanished with leaves and smoke the only things marking his presence and even then such things quickly scattered to the wind.
The Centurion had begun walking again long before it had settled. Only his Century remained, the other four already moved into position on streets off to either side.
"Form up!" His voice carried down the street to their ears with ease.
"HOO!"
The ranks parted to allow him through. At the front he was joined by the second in command of his Century, his Optio.
"Centurion." A clenched fist settled over the Optio's armored heart.
"Optio." He returned the salute rendered to him with his own. "It is time to leave."
"Of course." He stood aside and turned to the deserted street.
"Forward!" The Centurion did not walk. He, and his Century, thundered down the street at a sprint with blades drawn and shields at their sides.
"Forward!" "Forward!" "Forward!" "Forward!" Four voices echoed his command and followed only slightly behind.
"FORM RANKS NOW!" The three Centurions had dispersed quickly once all three had received the same message. They needed to act, they needed to do something that their minds could not supply. All they could think of was to gather their force, to bring them to order. It was what they had been trained to do after all. "ALL OF YOU!"
"HOO!" Their Legionnaires that had slowly grown relaxed rushed to obey in as orderly of a rush as possible at the shout. It was still near chaotic as hundreds rushed out in front of the hospital, as hundreds split into three groups, as hundreds awaited their command.
"We don't have time for this!" One Centurion drew his blade and pointed it down the street. "Praetorians will be there soon but not soon enough!"
"I understand that!" The Centurion placed in charge of the hospital's defense seemed to snarl more than speak. "We will gain nothing if we charge in blindly! The Fifth's already nearly fallen to those beasts and we will not be any better!"
"Than what will we do?" The last Centurion present at the hospital proved more level-headed than his brethren. If only just. "Regardless of how we do it, we need to move now."
"First, you three will remember who you are." The voice, exactly like their own, made them turn at one.
A Praetorian stood behind them, his armor denoting him not as a mere Centurion of the elite soldiers of Caesar but of one near equal to the Legate of Caesar's Orange Legion.
The eyes of the Praefectus Castrorum, commander of any who dared to call themselves Praetorians, bored into their own when they turned to face him. Each could merely look upon him in silence, their shock driving them mute. Not one of the three had expected to see he who commanded the entirety of the Praetorians before them.
All three had thought he had left to engage in one of the countless battles in the village, that they had been assigned to his post because he had grown bored of such a tedious assignment and desired something elsewhere.
They had been wrong.
He had clearly remained in the hospital, for whatever reason could not be discerned by the three.
Neither could the three Centurions care to bother with such thoughts.
"Compose yourselves or I'll have you killed where you stand." The words of the Praefectus Castrorum snapped them to attention, their fists coming to their armored hearts to render the salute of the Orange Legion. The Praefectus Castrorum returned it and his red eyes burned with wrath. "You three will call the rest of the Centurions of the First to these grounds, I will contact the Centurion of the First Cohort, and we shall plan how to reinforce the Fifth Cohort and, if necessary, the Sixth as well."
His eyes offered no argument. The three Centurions could only respond affirmatively, shame settling upon their shoulders at their loss of control, at their near panic, at the disgrace they had cast upon Caesar's glorious Orange Legion, upon his magnificent Uzumaki Empire. They could not help but bow their heads to the Praefectus Castrorum.
"We will work with all haste Praefectus Castrorum." The three would not let their thoughts be guided by panic, by this blind mindless fear, any longer. They were Centurions, they were those who Caesar had seen befitting of such a great honor as leading his Legionnaires into battle, of leading in his name. They would not betray such trust, they would not fail Caesar.
The only way to stop them would be their death, they were certain of it now.
"You two heard him, we have much work to do." The Centurion received twin nods before the three set themselves to work.
The First Cohort would not fail on this day or any day. They had simply needed a hard reminder of such a thing, of who they were, of who they fought for.
Caesar would not come to find the First Cohort to be lacking.
"What has happened?" Naruto stood with his Legate and his voice was one of both rage and curiosity. The two stood with the ring of Praetorians that had arrived to the clearing with Naruto. The Konoha Shinobi found themselves merely observers to the two as they spoke.
"The Fifth Cohort, by initial estimates, has suffered significant casualties in their defense of the gate. The survivors have rallied and sent requests for aid to all available forces." The Legate handed over the scroll hastily inked and sent to him by a courier.
"The Centurion of the Fifth still lives, does he not?" Naruto accepted the scroll but did not bother with reading it now. He didn't require much more than what his Legate had already spoken of.
"He leads the survivors. He says the seal no longer works, he cannot summon his reserves, he cannot even summon a Century." Sasuke looked to his own arm. "I have tested it since then and I am afraid he is correct. It is no doubt some technique of the Snake's to allow his forces to break through the Fifth's defense and into the village."
"That is troublesome." Naruto turned his eyes to his arm and they flashed red. Power engulfed him, spread down to his arm as a crimson shroud, and his hand was clenched in a fist. The shroud darkened and spread, death and bloodlust sung through the air, and yet still he pushed more and more.
He pushed yet the seal would not burn to life.
He frowned.
"This is unforeseen." Naruto did not dismiss the Chakra around his arm. He released his reign on it and allowed it to spread, to consume him in a bubbling crimson shroud as he let out a deep breath. "If this is to be the case, both of us shall have to take to the battlefield to end this."
"I must disagree Caesar." Burning red eyes locked on him, countless eyes that promised death, a weight upon his shoulders as if the air itself was something that promised nothing but the end of life, and the burning wrath of hatred consumed him in all but a moment with those words.
The Legate ignored the sudden ire of the Praetorians around him.
His attention was focused on how Caesar reacted with a curiosity in his eyes as he met his own.
"The seal of the Legion is damaged and it leaves even you at a disadvantage should the worse happen. This Legion, the Empire you have created, is nothing without you. You are Caesar above all else. We still do not exactly know what these creatures that have set upon the Fifth are, how many they are, and if they shall set upon the Sixth as well. Even if I know you will triumph over any foe, there is no telling what Orochimaru still has planned. The Third has battled the Kazekage ever since this invasion began, the Toad Sage is likely occupied in battle even as we speak, and all others who could contend against the Snake should he arise are not able. All besides you, Caesar." Sasuke turned his head in the rough direction of where the Fifth laid before turning back to Naruto. "I serve as your Legate for a reason Caesar. I will lead the counterattack on whatever creatures have attacked the Fifth with the Praetorians that stand with us here and the rest of what I can gather of the Legion's forces to destroy whatever Orochimaru has sent against us. And if the Snake should rear his head to strike, he shall find only death."
"You have an active imagination Legate, enough to craft an avid fantasy." Naruto laid a hand on the hilt of his blade. "I wonder if you can make it a reality." He threw his head back and laughed. "Yes, I see it now after such an invigorating tale as yours! Victory or death! You head off to one or the other but even I cannot know for sure which you will find! But this story must have an end for you have given it a stellar beginning."
"I tell no stories Caesar." Sasuke settled a hand on his blade. "Am I dismissed?"
"Not yet." Naruto lost his humor. He offered his hand to the Uchiha. "Do not fail me and do not fall." It was accepted.
"If I am to die, I shall do so standing then." Sasuke's words earned a light chuckle from Naruto before he pulled the Uchiha close.
"I'll hold you to that Sasuke."
"I expected nothing less Naruto."
The two pulled back.
"May you achieve glory Legate."
"I intend to Caesar."
"Then you are dismissed."
Naruto stepped away, his blue eyes turned to where the Shinobi of Konoha stood as simple observers. Sasuke waited for a moment before he turned at last to the three Centuries of Praetorians that stood at the ready in the forest.
"Praetorians!" His shout drew all eyes to him. His Sharingan swept over the Centuries gathered before him and saw anticipation in the eyes that could not decide between blue or red. No matter how well they hid it, no matter how disciplined the Praetorians stood, uncertainty still plagued them. They knew of the fate that had befallen their brothers in the Fifth, knew that victory was no longer certain with such a foe.
It would not be right to call them afraid. Fear was unable to take hold of their hearts for long before it was crushed, before it was broken before a bastion of loyalty, of devotion, to Caesar.
"You all no doubt know what has befallen the Fifth! Some savage beasts have tried to best them! They took heavy casualties but they still stand! Neither their shields nor their swords failed them this day! Every one of your brothers bathed themselves in the blood of those beasts! For every Legionary that fell, a dozen of the beasts joined him!" He drew his blade from his side in one hand and drew up his shield on his arm. "We, like others, shall reinforce them!"
"HOO!" The Praetorians answered him with their blades brought against the shields like thunder booming in the sky, with crimson eyes burning into his own, and their fangs bared as they readied for battle.
"ON ME!"
"HOO!"
"FORWARD!"
The Legate would be the one to lead them to the gates.
Caesar watched as three Centuries of Praetorians thundered past him into battle, bellowed a great roar through the forest as they sprinted off.
AN: This chapter. This chapter has nearly driven me mad. This entire part of the plot has driven me mad whether to include it, to ax it, to trash it, to just say fuck it and quit. I have no idea why because the idea was so simple in my head, made so much sense, that it should have been the easiest part to write but it wasn't.
It was extremely difficult.
So this chapter may not be the best. I wanted to touch on many things, didn't know where to split it, and decided to just roll with one large chapter and a second one that covers the rest.
Also I really hated just having this thing sit on my computer so I finished it.
At this point, I'm digging into the weeds...
So I'm going to be moving on from this. I'm going to hopefully learn from this and not let a plot drive me mad again. Or it'll happen again and history will repeat itself.
Who really knows?
Regardless, this should finish up the Chunin Exams/Konoha Crush arc. This and the next chapter which I have written.
After that I can hopefully advance the story, deal with all the fallout, and continue forward to the next arc I have in mind.
Thank you to all who reviewed this story, who Favorited and Followed this story, and endured the random hiatuses that have plagued it. I will hopefully be more consistent in the future and there won't be a span of months between updates. I'm probably going to try and write it to how I wrote it in the beginning and go from there, adjust my system as needed.