Thank you for the support. Hope you continue it.

Sorry for the late update, took a lot of time to write this. Hope the longer chapter is to your liking, and I look forward to knowing your thoughts once you read it.

Music Recommendation: Rap do Shisui (Naruto) (Available on Youtube)

Road to Ninja OST- Road to Ninja (Available on Youtube)

Chapter 15

Lost Boy Chronicles: Part 3


Naruto stared at the vast mountain in front of him and couldn't help but clench his fists. The fact that he couldn't even see its top with his red eyes was a testament to its greatness, no wonder humans or even shinobi couldn't scale it till this day.

He saw the looks of disbelief present in the eyes of his squad. It was no doubt that they could easily scale this 15,000 feet high mountain if they could use chakra but without it...

It was suicide.

And that was exactly what they had to do.

"Are we scaling that?" whispered Mei in awe and fear as she pointed at the top of the mountain hidden in the clouds,

Mangetsu saw Naruto bring out his special three pronged kunai and distribute a pair to each of his squadmates. He twirled a similar pair in his fingers casually with a nonchalant gaze.

"How the fuck are we going to scale that?" asked Zabuza in disbelief,

He blinked when he saw Naruto suddenly throw one of his special kunai hundreds of feet high in the air as he vanished before their very eyes. Mangetsu narrowed his eyes when he saw Naruto had left behind the other kunai previously in his hand on the ground.

He looked up when he heard few of the others gasp and their shock was not unwarranted as he saw the Commander appear hundreds of feet high and catch the sailing kunai he had thrown.

He then threw the weapon even higher with the same force while also unleashing another one of those special kunai straight towards the mountain where it stuck perfectly and embedded itself in the rock. The entire squad was further shocked when a sturdy line of rope rolled down from the handle of that kunai straight towards the ground.

By the time, they all looked up again all that was visible were faint yellow flashes in the dark sky that were slowly becoming impossible for the naked eyes to see.

But they did realize what the Commander was doing.

"A genius like him is born once a generation" whispered Haku with respect,

"How can he do this?" said Mei in awe and fear,

They all waited in stunned silence as the flashes disappeared in the dark sky but as far as they could see more and more kunai were embedded across the entire mountain with ropes attached.

After a few minutes, Naruto flashed back to the ground by grabbing the kunai he had left behind on the ground.

He collapsed to one knee and his eyes were bleeding but he clenched his fists and took in a few deep breaths.

"Commander" said Mei worriedly, as she took in a few steps forward to check his injuries.

She stopped right in her tracks when the blood falling from his eyes suddenly stopped and vaporized. Through her sensory powers, she had felt the stress his body had been under previously but now his fatigue and minor wounds were healing instantly. In less than thirty seconds, he was standing tall and proud before them once more.

"Hope you have steady hands" said Naruto seriously,

"What kind of hell have you been through to become this strong?" asked Jinpachi hesitantly, having never imagined his fellow shinobi to be so powerful.

"I still didn't reach the top. We'll have to climb the last 500 feet the hard way" apologized Naruto,

Most of the squad couldn't help but sigh at the man's modesty or his clear lack of self pride. Still, that didn't affect him as he walked towards the spot where the rope was ready. He gestured for Ameyuri to come forward and helped her tie that rope firmly across her body and showed her how to tightly hold the twin three pronged kunai in her hand.

The others watched attentively as Naruto showed them the best angles where they could dig their kunai into the rock to get a firm grip followed by telling them about to best places to position their legs and how to pull themselves upwards.

To everyone's utter relief the Commander through a demo by his water clone showed that it was possible to not fall to their deaths immediately should their arms tire, or they lose the grip over their digging kunai in the rocks as the sturdy rope tied across their body as safety was strong enough to bear a person's weight for a minute before it became strained, Naruto had also positioned the kunai drawn ropeway across the mountain to distribute weight equally and prepare for adverse situations.

"This level of calculation, planning and swift execution in mere seconds. Even our Anbu Blackops are not trained in this kind of warfare but there were two other blackops groups trained in such warfares. One of the groups is extinct and the other is what we maybe going up against soon. How does he know the same tactics?" thought Mangetsu suspiciously,

Mangetsu couldn't deny what Naruto was doing was magnificent, but the way he was so calm and knew exactly what to do showed he had done something like this before.

Just like their jump from the skies few days back...

"Demon...killer"

Mangetsu's eyes widened as he remembered a particular incident from the Battle in Osaka. The Kinkaku unit members had instantly recognized who Naruto was and had called him by that name.

There were too many co-incidents happening here and something was not right.

But since he had no proof, he kept his lips shut and obeyed the orders issued as he got in line to climb the mountain.

As he walked towards the base of the mountain, his gaze caught a fleeting sight of Naruto's red eyes that looked at him with a knowing gaze which sent shivers down Mangetsu's heart but he kept on walking even as a part of his heart screamed of danger.

But nothing happened making Mangetsu breathe a sigh of relief as he strapped the rope around his body.

As he stabbed his special kunai into the rock to begin his climb, he couldn't help but feel those red eyes were following him.


(Kirigakure)

Ino sat calmly in her chair and showed no emotion across her face even as the other occupants of the grim room looked at her stoically. Even if their faces were covered by their Anbu masks, she saw their intentions clearly in their eyes. Their fingers were itching to grasp the swords at their back and slice her head off right away should she fail.

She saw Sakumo Hatake in the group of Anbu standing beside the Mizukage as the Anbu Commander stood beside her with his hands upon her head.

If only these people knew there was another spy in their midst apart from her. She could only imagine how dumb the Mizukage would look if Sakumo Hatake who was the second in command of the Anbu Blackops after the Anbu Commander was also revealed to be an enemy spy.

And he was not the only one.

Having such dangerous knowledge made her a risk which was why Sakumo was here, should she show any signs of betraying the village then he would kill her before Kirigakure could get her hands on her even if it meant sacrificing his own life.

But it would never come to that.

She wouldn't let it happen.

Ino couldn't help but understand Naruto's feelings a little more now towards his village. She remembered asking him once as to why he went so far to protect Uzu when he lost everything in his life in that task. He had smiled and his words echoed in her heart as the Anbu Commander began his jutsu over her.

No matter what darkness lies in the village, I am still Minato Namikaze of Uzushiogakure.

It had been years since she had seen her village, but she could still feel the bright sunlight that radiated there everyday. The sound of children laughing and playing in the streets while the Hokage faces watched over them all protectively. She could still remember the pride in the eyes of various ninjas from different clans as they all wore the same uniform to protect what they all held dear even if it meant sacrificing everything.

Naruto, we both are the same. You fight to protect your home and I'll fight for mine.

"Ino Namikaze" called out the Mizukage flatly,

She felt the Anbu Commander trying to enforce the cursed seal over her in order to make her speak the truth.

Alas, he didn't realize that they had all walked into the trap she had designed.

The Anbu Commander gave the Mizukage a nod confirming that the cursed seal was in effect but froze when a pair of Sharingan eyes stared right into his soul.

Ino stilled her breathing and relaxed when she saw Mikoto Uchiha trap the Anbu Commander in her genjutsu without anyone noticing. The 13 year old Uchiha girl dressed in Anbu gear stood behind Sakumo who gave Ino a hidden nod.

The Yamanaka kunoichi quickly connected her conscious to the mind of the Anbu commander through the hand he had laid upon her. The man was now as good as her puppet, with Mikoto's sharingan and Ino's own mind control jutsu they were able to make the cursed seal vanish without anyone noticing.

"Where were you born?" asked the Mizukage seriously,

"Kirigakure" replied Ino calmly, as the Mizukage looked at his trusted blackops commander for confirmation.

"It's true, Lord Second" answered the Anbu Commander calmly,

Ino saw the Mizukage nod in relief without ever realizing that while it was the Anbu Commander who confirmed that lie, it was her and Mikoto's will that made him confirm it. The said man was already trapped completely in the Uchiha's genjutsu and even when this interrogation was over, he would always believe he had told the truth as the Uchiha and Yamanaka kunoichi were altering his memories completely at this very moment.

No matter what darkness lies in my village, I will protect it...Naruto.


Mei gasped in sheer exhaustion as she pulled herself another feet upwards and stabbed her alternate three pronged kunai in a sturdy rock above. She peeked downstairs and gulped on seeing just tiny dots of the once tall trees below in the forest. Above her she heard Haku heaving tiredly as she tried to keep herself steady even as the winds started to get more thin.

Mangetsu would be lying if he didn't think this mission to be the most toughest one of his life. Even if he had prepared himself for situations like these, his resolve was being tested with every feet higher that he went.

He cursed when a few minor rocks fell on him from above forcing him to grasp his kunai even more tightly. He looked up to see Jinpachi trying to get his footing right once again lest he slip to a gruesome death. The Hozuki heir saw their Commander had reached what looked to be a ridge large enough to make them all sit, much to everyone's relief.

"Everyone get ready. I will teleport you all here one by one. Ameyuri first!" instructed the Commander,

Naruto stabbed his three pronged kunai in the rock behind him and when he got the nod from the redhead fighter, he raised a single hand seal and instantly grasped Ameyuri as she appeared right beside him with an alarmed look on her face.

"The fuck..." gasped Ameyuri in relief and exhaustion as she literally collapsed.

Naruto paid her no attention but instead focused upon his remaining comrades hanging across the mountain at various interventions waiting for their turn. His own chakra reserves were shrinking very low and he doubted the others were faring any better.

One after another he pulled each of them over the ridge until only Mangetsu and Mei were left.

"Your eyes are bleeding, Commander" whispered Haku worriedly, even as she tried to catch her breath.

"Take a breath for a while before pulling these two up" advised Kisame seriously,

Naruto was about to consider that suggestion when they all heard an alarmed cry. He looked down only to see Mei screaming as the last part of the rope holding Mangetsu snapped.

Mangetsu only had a second to blink before he felt himself falling thousands of feet below. He cursed and connected his hands with the rocks hoping to regain control but in haste allowed chakra to seep in.

"MANGETSU!" yelled Haku in alarm,

Naruto hurriedly threw his three pronged kunai downwards as a violent explosion happened when Mangetsu's chakra laced hands connected with the rocks in desperation.

As he saw the now unconscious and badly bleeding younger boy falling to his death, he once again saw the faces of his dead comrades whom he couldn't protect in the past.

This time I will protect my comrades.

Luck was finally on his side as his kunai reached a few hundred feet near the falling Mangetsu allowing Naruto to teleport in mid air. He hurriedly threw another kunai that embedded itself into Mangetsu's shoulder and the very next second both shinobi teleported back to the ridge where the rest of the squad quickly grabbed them firmly before they fell again.

Naruto grimaced on seeing a good chunk of Mangetsu's left shoulder was blown off due to the explosion and he was bleeding profusely. There were also small rock shards that had dug deep into his exposed flesh and were making matters worse. At this rate, he was as good as dead.

"He's finished" remarked Zabuza bitterly,

"Shut your mouth. We can still save him" berated Haku furiously, as she tried to move towards her injured friend only to be stopped by her fellow swordsmen.

"The Mizukage will have our heads if Mangetsu dies" said Jinpachi worriedly,

"We cannot stay here forever, Commander. We need to climb this mountain and we cannot carry Mangetsu in the state that he is. With the way he is now, our extraction plan is fucked" advised Kisame seriously,

"Perhaps we should retreat before we face any more losses" suggested Mei hesitantly,

"Commander!"

The said man looked at the dying young boy in his arms and couldn't help but feel conflicted. The mission came above everything else, that was the ninja creed but...

He looked at his squad and saw despair, fear and worry in their eyes.


(Flashback: Fifteen Years Ago)

A nine year old boy with blonde hair currently stood in a room full of shinobi from his own village. Unlike the arguing men and women, he was calm and composed just like the woman currently leading this meeting.

What was common between them was the fact that they both looked much alike with beautiful blonde hair, fair skin and same eyes. Another six year old boy with flat red hair stood beside the older boy and looked at the adults around him with worry in his eyes.

The older blonde boy placed a calm hand over the shoulder of the newly graduated genin.

"Don't worry, Nagato. We will not lose" promised the older boy with an eye smile even as his face remained covered behind his traditional facemask.

"Minato-nii-chan, why are they saying we cannot win? Are we going to die?" asked Nagato worriedly,

Minato clenched his fist on seeing the fear in his little brother's eyes and he was not alone as most of the Uzumaki shinobi had the same feelings for the enemy outnumbered them 4 to 1.

It was another attempt by Kumogakure to seize Uzu's lands and this time they had staged a massive attack. Their smaller village had barely recovered from the last attack and didn't have enough shinobi to defend itself from another invasion.

Minato Namikaze was no stranger to war, having lost his father early in his life made him become a shinobi. At the very beginning, his superiors recognized he was not an ordinary child. He was faster than most adults and was an expert swordsman by the time he turned eight. Unlike most young genin, he advanced faster through the ranks and recently became a chunin when he successfully led the defense of one of the border villages of their nation against four Kumo strike forces.

His people called him a genius, but Minato knew he was able to do what he could because of the woman in front of him.

Inoue Namikaze looked at her eldest son and couldn't help but swell with pride. He reminded her so much of Tobirama with the way he carried himself and the fierceness with which he protected his younger brother.

"Minato, what do you think?" she asked her son, referring to the battle map making the boy step forward even as the crowd fell silent.

Even the most veteran Jounin in the room couldn't understand why their Commander trusted her son so much. Granted, he was powerful for his age but...

They stopped their whispering when Minato pointed at a section of the map making Inoue smile. She looked at her son and gave him an acknowledging nod for he had seen through the enemy's weakness. In a way, he had inherited his fighting prowess from Tobirama but his intelligence and cunning from his mother.

"The enemy outnumbers us and we cannot survive a full fledged battle. We barely have 500 fighters against their 2000, we will follow the plan I have explained" ordered Inoue, who herself was a Tobeketsu Jounin and in charge of this force as per the will of the Uzukage.

"But-" asked an outraged chunin,

"We can take them, Commander!" protested another Jounin furiously,

"Only a coward would back down from a fight" scolded someone from the crowd,

Inoue couldn't help but sigh inwardly when arguments started happening among her subordinates which was soon likely to divulge into chaos. She narrowed her eyes when she saw both her sons using that chance to slip away from the meeting.


Inoue had followed the trail left behind by her younger son once the meeting got over. It had not been perfect but she had managed to make the others fall in line with her strategy which would be implemented tomorrow. Even if there were a few more things to plan, she still wanted to see her boys first before she lost track of them.

It gave her great pride to know that her sons cared deeply for each other and looked out for one another. She had been scared that Minato would not be able to accept his half brother but her eldest was a kind child who had accepted his little brother.

Both her sons were quite strong even for their young age, with some Uzumaki even calling them the reincarnation of the Great Senju brothers. But they couldn't be far from the truth...

She landed in the open forest ground and saw both her boys standing against each other fully armed.

Nagato was the first to make his move by unleashing his most dangerous arsenal. Inoue's eyes turned red as she activated her own Sharingan passed down to her by her own Father. She flinched when Minato activated his own red eyes but unlike hers, his wasn't complete. Inoue could only imagine the force he could become if he truly mastered his eyes and unlocked their full potential.

While she reminisced, her sons had started their battle.

Chakra in the form of ash was released from Nagato's body and hovered around him protectively as the younger boy took out his tanto. He made a hand seal and instantly the ash rushed forward towards his elder brother.

"He's getting better at controlling his Kekkai Genkai. I wonder how will you respond, Minato?" thought Inoue curiously,

Nagato ignited the ash turning it into a raging wall of fire heading towards his brother who didn't move an inch from his spot. Inoue couldn't help but see an echo of Tobirama in her eldest when her son merely raised a single finger summoning forth water present in the air itself that clashed against his brother's jutsu.

But it was his next move that left his mother speechless.

Inoue with her Sharingan saw perfectly the way in which her eldest threw his own tanto towards his little brother. Nagato's vision was hindered due to the steaming mist created from the explosion, but Minato could see everything clearly thanks to his half broken Sharingan. He made the hand seal for his clan's jutsu and the very next moment he flashed beside his younger brother by catching that tanto that flew an inch past from Nagato's face. The younger boy gasped when he felt the tip of that sharp weapon pointed at his throat which made him surrender with a resigned smile.

"Elder Brother, you've got to teach me this cool jutsu! It's mother's, isn't it?" asked Nagato excitedly, when Minato removed the tanto from his throat.

"Only if you keep this a secret from her and follow my training" replied Minato in a serious tone, but his eyes softened when he saw his little brother nod fanatically.

"I will. Imagine Kaa-chan's reaction when she finds out both of us have started mastering her Hirashin Jutsu!" asked Nagato excitedly,

Minato finally smiled and ruffled Nagato's hair earning a laugh from the younger boy.

Inoue couldn't help but clench her fists in anger. Her sons were all she had left, and someday they would become great warriors. Minato even had the potential to be a Kage someday, how could she condemn their future, their light, their bond to the darkness of the Blackops?

The Uzukage had broached the subject too many times with her and she had a feeling soon the man would issue an order rather than a request.

The village wasn't blind to the potential of her sons. Minato was the strongest of his generation, a prodigy the Uzumaki clan had not seen since the End of the Clan Wars Era. They wanted him to join the S-Program, Uzu's first special blackops unit that would protect the village from the shadows.

If Minato was recruited, Nagato would not be left behind and follow in the footsteps of his beloved older brother.

What was she supposed to do?

Both the boys became alert when she landed in the open ground and looked at them smirk. Minato was the first to gauge her intentions and looked at his sibling with a hidden smile.

Together, both boys charged at her and in them Inoue saw the two men she had loved...and lost.

Her boys got closer but they were surprised when instead of attacking, she embraced them both fiercely in her arms.

Nagato laughed boyishly and returned her affection but Minato looked in her eyes and Inoue had a feeling that perhaps he sensed her fears.


Inoue heard a soft ruffle against the entrance of her small tent and was surprised when she saw her eldest son enter after a pause.

"Nagato?" she asked worriedly, making him smile.

"He's fine. Asleep like a log" joked Minato with a smirk over his face,

"Come here" she gestured with a smile, and frowned when he hesitated.

"You're not too old yet" she chided him, which finally made him relent and approach towards her. He hesitantly allowed her to wrap her arms around him and pull him in a warm embrace.

She removed his facemask making him flinch and it pained her to see him react like this. Even now he was afraid, after all these years of Yahiko's death...Minato still feared losing anyone he loved again. He had few friends and most of the time he spent around his brother and mother, but Inoue knew it was more of an involuntary response to ensure his last two family members were always safe.

But he was growing up too fast for her and one day he wouldn't be her little boy anymore, so she cherished this moment which she had now.

"You can do it, Kaa-san"

She heard him whisper those words and angled herself so she could look at his face but more importantly in his eyes.

"We cannot overwhelm the enemy force the way they are now. You taught me it's better to attack a divided and weakened force, than a strong and united one. The supply fleet of ships will be approaching our islands in a few days, if we take them out and lure the enemy deeper into our lands straining their strength...we can win" advised Minato insistently,

"The others don't believe in my plan. It's too risky and we could also lose more territory to the enemy if we don't win" said Inoue hesitantly,

"I believe in you"

Inoue's eyes became moist when she saw the unwavering faith her son had in her plan and her abilities. That determination, he was willing to walk into hell with her without any regrets.

"The village is the key. We exist because Uzu exists, if we fail there is no future for our people. We cannot let Father's home, our home to be destroyed. I'm sure the others share my feelings which is why we will follow you no matter the outcome, so please believe in yourself" requested Minato sincerely,

"Why do believe in me so much, Minato?" asked Inoue in a whisper, as tears continued to fall from her eyes.

"You inherited Father's will. No matter the pain or hardship that came your way, you pulled yourself up to re-enlist as a ninja. You swore to protect Uzu, our comrades, your sons with all your heart...everything that Father died for. Even now, you are trying to protect us all. You and Father are my heroes" he said honestly with a smile,

Inoue had never understood why the Uzukage and many of the top officers were interested in her eldest son so much. Granted, he was powerful but he was too young for the responsibility they wanted to entrust him with.

But now as she looked at him she realized it was his unwavering will that made them all want to believe in him.

His determination made him copy her jutsu even with his Broken Sharingan, granted he had barely learned the basics but he never gave up.

It was only her that looked at him as a child and wanted to shield him.

"Minato, I wish your Father could see the man you have become" whispered Inoue sadly, but even if Yahiko's absence pained her she could not help but look at her son with pride in her eyes.

"There's no time for regrets, Kaa-chan. Let's make the enemy repent for messing with us" suggested Minato, as he extended his fist towards her.

Inoue couldn't help but smile proudly as she bumped her fist against his.

"You have become a fine shinobi, my son"


Inoue Namikaze looked at the small company of ninjas gathered around her, all of them currently looking at the ocean ahead of them. If their intel from one of the captured enemy shinobi was correct, the supply ships should be heading for their shores tonight.

While half of her company pretended to engage the main enemy force on the land, she and the remaining half of her company would destroy the enemy's supplies.

She saw both of her sons standing at the edge of the small mountain alongside her and took solace in the fact that they were fearless.

"They're here" reported Minato, as he removed his finger from the ground.

Inoue had been quite surprised when her eldest had displayed great sensory powers, another trait he inherited from his blood father. There was once a time when she had loved Tobirama, after all he had saved her life when a common client had hired both of their clans to defend his territory. Those few months they had spent together were tough but she had seen a softer side of Tobirama that had drawn her to him. But it all fell apart, the day the Senju and Uchiha united. Her clan refused to ally with the new hidden villages and her younger self had believed in that mistake. Her son had been born not long after their clan was wiped out.

It was not as if she didn't want to reach out to Tobirama, but doubted Konoha as an entity would be willing to accept any Namikaze clan survivors when their clan was clearly at war with Kumogakure.

Hashirama was a pacifist and if push came to shove, he would sacrifice her and his own nephew if it ensured peace in his village.

A man who could betray his own best friend and then murder him was not someone she could trust her child's life with.

But now another war had started and her sons were yet again in danger, the guilt of never telling Minato about his true Father haunted her everyday. Her son was too smart and perhaps even knew that Yahiko had not been his Father, yet he never asked her the truth for he cared about her feelings too much.

Maybe once this conflict was over, she could make him meet his Father...

"Let's go, everyone" she commanded, as she saw the ships on the horizon.

Together, they all took up positions across the beach and waited for the enemy convoy to get close.

No one ever told that it was the wait before the battle that made most shinobi nervous knowing anything could happen. Inoue saw the same feelings in Nagato's eyes and patted his head gently making him smile at her. She wanted nothing more than for him to be away from this conflict, but the village had enlisted every able bodied citizen above the age of 5 capable enough to fight in order to survive this war. Her son was no exception, the fact that he was strong made his enlistment all the more quicker. Not that he objected, for he had always wanted to fight beside his mother and elder brother whom he admired.

"Remember we need those supplies. Try not to destroy them, the crew are free game" instructed Inoue seriously,

"Understood, Commander" replied many of her men in a whisper,

Inoue didn't hesitate in giving the signal to attack when the ships came in their perfect range. The very first to react was her eldest son who quickly performed seven set of hand seals.

"Water Style: Whirlpool Swirl"

The enemy convoy of ships suddenly found themselves in great danger as the sea beneath their ships rocked violently. As the opposing currents of water clashed, gigantic whirlpools were created that sent shivers down many shinobi's hearts.

Inoue watched Minato and felt a little sad when she saw only one emotion in his eyes. His Sharingan had nothing but hatred in them and he had no mercy for those who had killed the only man he had considered as his Father.

"Dispose the crew. Grab the supplies, sink the ships" ordered Inoue,

Instantly, each and every shinobi from Uzu grabbed a kunai and launched them into the air. Inoue nodded at her youngest son who returned her gesture as he clasped his hands together.

"Ash Release: Laser Circus!"

Minato watched in fascination as his brother unleashed ash from his body that grabbed a hold of all the kunai launched by their force into the air.

"Elder Brother!"

Nagato grinned when his brother answered his call by stepping beside him and placing his hand upon the redhead boy's forehead. It was as if someone had opened Nagato's third eye as he could now feel and even see faint visages of the enemy shinobi courtesy of their chakra. Minato maintained the storm of whirlpools while also trying his best to relay the position of each and every enemy shinobi on that ship to his brother.

"It's time to end this, Nagato. For Father" whispered Minato encouragingly, when he saw his brother hesitate.

The little boy nodded as he clenched his fist unleashing the rain of kunai upon the trapped enemy convoy.

Inoue alongwith the rest of the Uzumaki watched in fascination and horror as the two brothers rained death upon the enemy. The attack was swift and precise as Inoue's sharingan clearly showed her the enemy fall one after another.

The screams of the dead and the dying echoed across the beach until only dead silence remained.

The whirlpools disappeared leaving behind battered and damaged ships full of nothing but dead bodies and precious supplies.

"Can't dance anymore. How disappointing"

Inoue flinched on hearing that merciless remark from her eldest son, but before she could reprimand him for his cruelty both her boys charged towards the enemy convoy without any fear.

"He reminds me of Madara Uchiha from the old days"

Inoue clenched her fist and looked at the oldest member of her force. The said man was in his late forties and had been one of the few to survive the Clan Wars Era.

"Ikoma, what are you saying?" asked Inoue tersely,

"These two are more similar to the infamous Uchiha brothers than the Senju brothers as most of our people believe. Someday the world will tremble before their might" said Ikoma Uzumaki with a satisfied smile,

Inoue didn't remark on that comment but instead ordered her stunned company to focus upon stealing the enemy's supplies and sinking those ships but those words continued to haunt her heart.


(Few Hours Later)

By the time their company returned to their camp, everyone was in a victorious mood. Morale was up until few of the shinobi from the diversion party sent to keep the main enemy force engaged returned back. Just one look at their horrified and broken faces dampened everyone's spirits.

The information they conveyed left much of the camp in despair and fear.

It was why Inoue found herself standing in front of her sons while Ikoma stood by her side. She looked at her youngest and saw him looking at her worriedly. In contrast, her eldest's eyes were calm despite knowing what was coming for them.

She knew what she had to do.

"Nagato, go back to the village and get reinforcements with Ikoma" instructed Inoue seriously,

"But-"

"That's an order. Obey"

Nagato flinched on that harsh tone and the stone cold look in his mother's eyes. He felt a hand being placed on his shoulder and saw his elder brother giving him a smile.

"We're counting on you" said Minato with an eye smile, and felt his brother relax a little.

"You'll be okay, Elder Brother?" asked Nagato hesitantly, as he tried not to look at his mother whose own gaze softened at her youngest's kind hearted nature.

She didn't miss the momentary hesitation in Minato's eyes which was quickly hidden behind a practiced smirk as he poked his sibling's forehead.

"Of course, baka. It's me who's supposed to look after you and not the other way around. Kami, you can be so annoying" muttered Minato, making Nagato chuckle and even making Inoue smile.

Ikoma nodded at Inoue before gesturing for Nagato to follow him, the younger boy was surprised when he was joined by quite a few other younger children before they all started their hasty retreat to their village.

Minato watched his brother disappearing further away with every passing second. A part of him was relieved knowing Nagato would be safe but another part of him was sad that this would probably be the last time they would see each other.

"You can go with them if you want, Minato" said Inoue with a smile,

She had discussed this before with him as well privately but to no avail, even if she hated endangering his life her son was too powerful a shinobi to be kept in the rear. Ikoma had not lied when he said her sons were strong, especially her eldest whom many believed to be a prodigy.

Her eyes widened when Minato looked back at her with his trademark eye smile.

"I won't leave you behind, Kaa-chan"

Inoue had never been more proud of her children than she did now, looking at her eldest and his loyalty towards his family and village reminded her of Tobirama for he had been the same.

For he too chose his family and village over her.

She looked at her son and realized it was time to stop worrying about him and let him make his own choices. She bent down so she could be on his level and looked into his eyes that were the exact same as hers.

"Minato, there is something that I have not been telling you" confessed Inoue hesitantly,

"What is it?" asked her son with a raised eyebrow,

"The Uzukage and the village elders are interested in recruiting you for a black ops unit. The very first of our nation, you are an exceptional shinobi and they want you to protect our village from the shadows" said Inoue honestly,

"Like the Kinkaku from Kumogakure that we're hearing about?" asked Minato curiously,

Inoue nodded dreadfully knowing that this unit was being formed to especially deal with the likes of the Kinkaku and other special ops battalions that various nations would surely create in time.

She lowered her gaze knowing this was the perfect chance her son had been waiting for to get more revenge against the ones responsible for Yahiko's death.

"I'll pass"

Shocked, Inoue looked at her son with wide eyes and gasped when she saw he was dead serious about what he just said.

"I became a shinobi to protect our village and to honor Father's wish. But there is something...something more important that I am fighting for" whispered Minato as he lowered his gaze,

"What is it?" asked Inoue in a gentle voice, and saw her son touching his father's face mask.

"That I would protect my family no matter pain came my way. You and Nagato are everything to me, I will not leave you alone so you better get used to having me around" replied Minato with a cheeky grin,

He was surprised when a soft but strong pair of arms wrapped around him and he found himself pulled into a warm hug. His eyes widened when he heard his mother sniffing making him place a hand on her back.

Inoue didn't say anything and embraced her child more. She had been so afraid all her life...

Afraid of the ones who killed her clan, afraid of her first love leaving her, afraid of the future after her husband's death, afraid for her sons...

She had been so worried for her eldest son thinking Yahiko's death would completely change him. In a way it did, but even now her real son was still in there who cared about her and his little brother more than revenge.

"You truly are a kind child" she whispered as she kissed his cheek,

"Don't do that. I'm a grown up now" whined Minato with a pout,

They both tensed when Minato sensed what they were all dreading and Inoue realized the same as she looked into her son's eyes.

Their Sharingan awakened at the same time as both mother and son nodded at each other.


Minato had been through a few battles in his short life with having experienced his first kill at the age of 7. He could still remember that look of disbelief in the Kumogakure genin's eyes when a boy years younger than him took him by surprise as he jumped from the rear and carelessly plunged a kunai in his neck.

He could still remember how that boy had choked and drowned in his own blood while barely being able to call out for his mother.

He had not been able to eat for 2 days after that but mission after mission, battle after battle, the bodies kept increasing and the pain got easier until it was nothing but instinct. A part of his heart felt remorse for those whom we killed knowing they had families of their own but that didn't hold him back as he did what he had to do in order to protect his own family.

As he stared at hundreds of Kumogakure forces charging at them, he knew what had to be done.

He removed his tanto from the scabbard on his back as he looked at his mother who nodded at him.

Half of their force had been almost wiped out during the earlier mission when they tried to divert the enemy's attention. While that did lead to the enemy losing critical supplies but that made them more desperate and vicious which was why they were determined to charge into Uzu's mainland in order to reinforce their supplies.

The Uzu forces had tried to stop them but were overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

Even now it was the same, with barely 200-240 Uzumaki clansmen standing against nearly 1700-1800 blood thirsty enemy forces.

"Strike Team"

Minato quickly joined the frontline alongside their most strongest Jounin and Chunin on his mother's command.

"Support Team"

The youngest members of their force who were hiding in the trees prepared themselves as the enemy force was about to get into range.

"Barrier Team"

A handful Uzumaki well versed in their clan's famous arts took up the rear and waited for their leader's next order.

Inoue steeled herself as the enemy force showed no intention of turning back and quickly went through a practiced set of hand seals.

"Summoning Jutsu"

The enemy army came to an abrupt halt when a ferocious roar echoed across the entire battlefield with the arrival of a giant wolf with demonic red eyes. The beast had three tails and brown fur, its four paws were nimble yet contained sharp nails that could tear anything. It was releasing hot breath from its mouth and its fangs were eager to chew on something.

The Uzumaki shinobi felt a lot more confident on seeing their Commander standing on top of the beast. Their objective might just be possible to achieve with this much firepower, they could very well hold the enemy until reinforcements arrived from the village.

Minato smiled a little on seeing his mother unleash her full power, he had never forgotten that quite a few people in the village still saw her as an outsider since she was not from the Uzumaki clan. But now that very same outsider was risking her life and that of her son to protect those very same people. He saw quite a few of his comrades lower their heads in shame for doubting her loyalty and will before.

"I'll create an opening. We stop them here" instructed Inoue calmly,

There was a loud cheer from within the Uzumaki ranks yet someone else was also doing the same thing as the enemy force gave out a brave roar once again before initiating their charge.

"NOW!"

On her command, the giant wolf unleashed a torrent of scorching hot flames from its maw as his summoner performed a very different set of hand seals.

"Wind Style: Particle Dissemination"

The enemy force had already scrambled its best water style and earth style users to the front in order to save themselves from the approaching wall of flames but they all paled when that inferno of flames suddenly split into hundreds of fireballs that were lifted swiftly into the skies.

Inoue clasped her hands together and concentrated fully even as her sharingan clearly showed her large clusters of enemy forces.

"Fire Style: Artillery Barrage" said Inoue coldly,

Hundreds of deadly fireballs rained down from the dark skies without any mercy shredding ranks upon ranks of enemy shinobi as they were all engulfed in flames and reduced to ashes.

"CHARGE!"

The Uzumaki strike team quickly charged towards the disarrayed enemy force under the shadow of that monstrous wolf. Few of the enemy units tried to flee but found themselves trapped as a three sided red colored barrier rose up across the battlefield leaving the Kumogakure force no choice but to face the approaching Uzumaki force.

Few of their officers tried to reform their lines but it was turning extremely difficult within more and more kunai, explosives and shuriken raining from the skies courtesy of the Uzumaki support squads hiding in the nearby trees.

Minato had been so sure of their victory that he never imagined an even stronger counterattack.

The first one came in the form of a bone chilling scream that made the entire Uzumaki strike team collapse instantly with everyone clutching their bleeding ears.

"Don't falter!" encouraged Inoue,

The second attack came in the form of a red blur emerging from the enemy lines. Normal humans couldn't have seen that movement with their bare eyes, but Minato's sharingan, broken that it was did show him a faint visage of the enemy.

And it made him go pale.

His mother's monstrous wolf was hit by a powerful punch and sent sailing away.

Then the newcomer turned towards the paralyzed Uzumaki strike team.

Minato took a step back when he finally got a first look at the enemy. Nine tails was what his eyes showed him followed by a human shape like creature covered in vicious red chakra and demonic eyes.

He saw four Jounin regain their bearings and jump towards the enemy only to be torn to pieces as the beast caught them with its tails and tore them apart.

Meanwhile, the enemy army had reformed their lines and were bolstered by the carnage their creature had wrought upon the Uzumaki forces. With a renowned vigor, they charged forward.

"Minato, hold off that bastard for a few minutes. I will take care of the others" instructed Inoue, even as she charged alone towards the approaching enemy army.

Minato nodded and saw his mother slice through the enemy frontlines wrecking carnage through her pure speed and sword strikes alone.

"Hey, ugly!" yelled the young Namikaze, even as he clenched his fist making ground water erupt from the soil beneath the creature's feet which sent it flying away.

He then looked at the remaining seniors around him and for the very first time he saw respect in their eyes for him.

"Trap him inside our strongest barrier, let's split into 15 man teams. Team 1 battles the beast, Team 2 holds the Barrier, Team 3 reinforce Commander Namikaze, Team 4 protects the Support and Barrier teams" instructed Minato quickly,

He was pleased to see everyone agreeing to his plan not that they had much of a choice or time to think of alternatives. Their remaining force split off with one team following Minato, the other taking up positions all around the beast and performing a set of hand seals, the next one went off to aid Inoue and the last one took up positions and began to prevent enemy stragglers who broke through Inoue from attacking the support squads.

"Four Violet Flames Formation"

Just as planned, the barrier team quickly started establishing a purple colored double edged barrier all around the beast. It realized the trap immediately displaying a sense of intelligence as it moved towards the only direction where the barrier was not yet erected in order to escape.

It jumped and was met with sixteen strong kicks all across its body as Team 1 led by Minato brutally pushed it back as the barrier came up all around them.

The beast went flying away but soon regained balance and growled at them furiously. The Uzumaki team flinched when their skin burned at the point they had hit the creature with but having no choice, they ignored the pain.

"Let's maintain distance. We cannot risk close quarter combat" advised one of the Jounin from Team 1,

''That's not going to be easy. But let's try our best, maybe we can wear him down if we keep on fighting" suggested another Uzumaki Jounin,

"Minato, what do you think?" asked another chunin worriedly,

Despite his age, Minato knew the older ninja around him had started trusting his abilities and intellect.

"It has more chakra than our entire team combined. I don't think we can tire him out, but we do need to maintain our distance or we're as good as dead. I have an idea but I will need all of your help to keep it distracted" suggested Minato, even as he continued looking at the beast with his red eyes.

"We won't know unless we try. We've got your back" promised the eldest Jounin, earning nods from the rest of the team.

"Everyone, switch to long range ninjutsu"

Minato instantly threw a kunai a few feet in the air above the beast which didn't go unnoticed. It instantly sent four of its tails to tear the boy apart as soon as he appeared in mid air by teleporting to the kunai.

He saw the tails coming even as his remaining teammates bombarded the beast with ninjutsu and weapons, even then those demonic eyes were focused solely on him. He evaded the tails but flinched when one of them flicked his leg, ignoring the scorching pain he threw four more kunai all around the beast and continued to perform hand signs.

Minato flipped and jumped back towards his team just as he finished the preparations for his jutsu.

''Sealing Style: Blood Oath"

The four kunai thrown by Minato earlier glowed as the sealing tags on them were activated which in turn unleashed black chakra chains that wrapped themselves all across the beast even as it screamed in rage and pain.

Another chain emerged from the ground beneath Minato and stuck itself in his back.

Minato had never experienced such immense physical pain before as he felt the violent chakra of his opponent fighting with his own life-force.

"You mastered that jutsu?" asked Akira Uzumaki in shock,

"It's your life-force against his power. That's too dangerous" warned another Uzumaki,

"Stop...him...before...he...threatens...the...village" whispered Minato, as he collapsed to his knees due to sheer amount of anger, hatred and pain entering his body.

He looked at his enemy and for the first time he felt the connection. It was indeed a human corrupted by evil chakra, maybe from one of the Tailed beasts. Yet that man's own chakra was just as sinister which could only mean he was a serious threat to everyone.

He could not allow someone like this monster to endanger the village or his little brother.

Minato coughed up blood as the beast fought against him, but he maintained his grip over those chains as his comrades moved in to either kill or at the very least be able to restrain him.


"AH!"

Inoue flinched as the last of her men was taken out by a group of Kumogakure Jounin and chunin. It had been more than an hour since the combat began and already most of her force was annihilated. When the strike teams were eliminated, the support and barrier teams jumped into the battle but were overwhelmed one after another.

The enemy paid for those victories in blood as more than half of their force remained dead or injured across the battlefield.

She looked at the flickering barrier and cursed when one heavily wounded Uzumaki Jounin was the only one maintaining it as the other members of his team had to rush in and were killed eventually.

Her heart skipped a bit on seeing her eldest son standing against the monster all alone. Judging from his wounds and diminished chakra, he was at his limit.

"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

She felt no remorse on unleashing another monstrous and scorching wave of flames towards the enemy. Quite a few were burned alive while the ones in the rear scrambled to defend themselves which gave her opening.


Minato panted harshly as he fought to keep his tanto upright and flinched when the barrier around him fell as the Jounin keeping it together died from chakra exhaustion and his previous wounds.

He looked around to see the mutilated corpses of his comrades that were brutally murdered by this monster.

His own chakra was finished and he was bleeding heavily. The fact that his vision had started to blur was enough to show that he didn't have long to finish this fight.

His mother was still fighting the enemy even when all their other comrades were dead.

He couldn't leave her alone...

Channeling wind chakra through his weapon, he charged towards the humanoid monster making it roar and do the same at him.

Minato ducked the first few tails with the help of his eyes that still showed him their trajectory and slapped an explosive note over another tail before making it explode while jumping away.

However, he clutched his chest in pain and collapsed face first into the ground.

"My chakra is..." thought Minato bitterly, as he tried to reach his tanto but it was too far away.

The monster grinned as it picked up all the available swords and tanto nearby with the help of its tails and sent it straight towards the dying boy.

It couldn't help but roar even more furiously when the said boy stood up on his own two shaky legs and looked at the approaching death without fear and a strange sense of acceptance.

"Forgive me, Father. At the very least I can die on my feet..." thought Minato disappointedly,

He would never forget the next few moments for the rest of his life as a yellow flash appeared between the hail of weapons mere inches away from impaling him.

He heard a painful grunt and his hands shook in fear on seeing his own mother taking the mortal blows aimed for him.

However, the very next second she disappeared from in front of him and his eyes widened on seeing her teleport above the monster and slice his head off mercilessly.

She landed on her feet only to allow the weapons embedded in her body to fall harmlessly to the ground. He rushed towards her but her wounds had already started to heal with steam emerging from her body. When she turned to look at him, he saw dark black lines in a strange pattern forming around her face.

"Kaa-san..." he whispered, but her gaze was already fixated somewhere else.

"I'm fine. This is the Sage Mode, a jutsu that allows one to use the energy present in nature. It's more powerful with many applications, enhanced healing prowess is what I have developed among other things as its uses" explained Inoue calmly,

"What do we do now? Everyone is..." whispered Minato hesitantly, as he looked at all their comrades that lay dead on the ground.

Inoue placed her own right hand across her son's forehead and he felt his own wounds healing instantly alongwith his chakra reserves getting recharged.

She then knelt before him and placed a kiss on his cheek before engulfing him in a fierce hug. Before he could ask her anything, she whispered something into his ears that made him freeze in shock.

Inoue used his shock to lean back and it was then that his gaze met her Sharingan.

"I'm so proud of you, Minato. I wish we could have spent more time together but...Remember, what I said about Tobirama and look after your little brother. Promise me, Minato" requested Inoue sadly, as tears fell from her eyes and the shape of her Sharingan started to change.

Minato wanted to scream against the order in his mind holding him back. He had never felt more afraid than he was now as he gave a reluctant nod without his consent. His mother must have seen his pain and anguish which made more tears fall from her eyes as the Kumogakure force started charging towards them.

"It's a parent duty to protect their children. Now, go and live my share too" said Inoue seriously,

"There...are...too...many...of...them...come...with...me"

Inoue's eyes widened on seeing him able to fight back against her Sharingan's genjutsu. Even at this young age, his will and power were stronger than most adults. But it was exactly why he had to survive this night.

"There was a reason why our clan was feared across the world. You have started to master our power but that's just the first stage, even Tobirama knows about the second stage only. Tonight, I will show these enemies the final stage. It's a forbidden jutsu and one which results in the user's death. I hope you never master this but if you do, then I wish the day never comes when you have to use it. You and Nagato are the hope of the Namikaze clan and my hope too. No matter what happens from here on out...I will love you always" said Inoue proudly with a smile,

Minato was unable to stop the voice in his head as it made him start to run away but his eyes couldn't tear itself apart from the disappearing form of his mother who was getting surrounded by the enemy forces.

He kept on running for gods knew how long as the battle continued to rage behind him for several long minutes.

Suddenly the heavens itself cried as a tremendous amount of lightning fell from the skies upon a single point on the ground continuously before a blinding light made everything go blank.

Minato was thrown away by the shockwave and felt few of his ribs crack a little but when he extended his sensory powers, he was horrified to find nothing but his own presence in the entire area.

A strangled scream left his lips and tears of blood fell from his eyes.

The pain, the helplessness...the fact that he had failed to protect another of his loved ones haunted him. The guilt and disappointment weight over his heart like a dark cloud and he felt something within him break knowing his mother was never coming back.

By the time, the reinforcements arrived on the scene all they saw was a devastated battlefield and a lone boy with burning red eyes.

The Uzukage looked straight into those eyes and slightly gasped on seeing they had changed.

He looked into the child's gaze and received a dark nod in return.

He knew the boy was ready.

(Flashback End)


The shouts around him were getting louder and more desperate even as the boy in his arms slowly continued to die. Naruto didn't know how long he had been reminiscing but it must have been a few minutes at the most since Mangetsu was still alive and clinging to life.

Haku was attempting to heal his wounds with her own medical jutsu, the look in her eyes was the same one that Naruto remembered having when his own mother was dying.

She and the others died because you were weak.

He could never forget those words said to him by the Uzukage when he had yelled at the man for failing to protect his mother and comrades. It had ignited an inferno of hate inside of him which made him acquire more and more power in order to never let such a tragedy happen again.

If only he had mastered this power all those years ago, maybe his family and comrades would still be alive today.

He had lived a life full of regrets and it was exactly why he didn't want to add another one to his heart.

Haku glared murderously when Naruto grabbed her hands and moved her away. She was about to argue when Mei stopped her and rightly so as everyone else felt a strange feeling around there.

That feeling only grew more stronger as their Commander clasped his hands together and closed his eyes in full concentration. A few tense minutes passed and just when everyone's nerves were about to explode, they saw it happen.

Dark black lines emerged beneath Naruto's eyelids that moved downwards vertically across his face. Nobody could see how far those lines went since the Commander's face was covered by his facemask but they could feel the power gathering inside of him.

"Naruto, you..." whispered Mei in shock,

When he opened his eyes once more, they were no longer the sky blue or the red eyes that his comrades had seen before. Instead it was mixture between yellow and green.

He looked in the eyes of his comrades and hoped they would believe in him once more.

"I will not let him die" he promised with determination burning in his eyes,

He didn't wait for their response and instead started to perform the hand seals taught to him by his instructor long ago. He had been explicitly told never to use this jutsu unless he had this power flowing into him or else he would die.

He had tried so hard to master this power in his early childhood and teenage years only to meet failure after failure.

He had became frustrated and given up only to regret his decision forever after the Battle of the S company with the Kinkaku force in an effort to rescue Hashirama.

That regret forced him to renew his efforts and after seven years of hardwork, he had finally gained a hold of this power.

Maybe some good could finally come out of it.

He made the Tiger hand seal as both of his hands started to glow with green colored chakra.

"That's impossible" whispered Kisame in disbelief,

The same feeling was present in the eyes of the others even as Naruto placed his hands glowing with this new chakra over Mangetsu's lethal wound.

''Sage Art: Mitotic Regeneration"