Thank you for the support. Hope you continue it.
By the way, didn't realize that we crossed 100K+ words last chapter. Some more to go before the end.
Music Recommendations for this chapter (Strongly suggested for best reading experience):
火影忍者 歌曲 Hero's Come Back - 1st&2nd cut scene of this chapter (Available on Youtube)
Bear McCreary - Farewell Apollo- 3rd cut scene of this chapter(Available on Youtube)
300: Rise of Empire — Soundtrack (OST) "Marathon" Junkie XL- Remaining scenes of this chapter (Available on Youtube)
Chapter 20
World of Victors
Naruto coldly stared at the charred corpses of the first Kinkaku soldiers that engaged against him in battle before pointing one of his flaming swords challengingly in the direction of the remaining 93 Kinkaku troops and their demonic fox transformed leader.
A small smile came upon his lips when he heard many of them roar in righteous fury over the fate of their unlucky comrades.
"What was that speed?"
He looked beside him as Mei arrived at his side with a completely disbelieving look present on her face even as she stared at the remains of the Kinkaku. One moment they were charging, a blink of a second later...they were charred corpses on the ground.
"Hirashin- Level 1. It's my clan's most powerful technique" revealed Naruto calmly, while gazing at any movement that the enemy was about to make.
"Level 1? You mean there is more?" asked Mei in shock, earning an amused smile from the blonde Namikaze beside her.
"Level 3 is the highest speed, a power which makes you even faster than lightning itself. Although a jutsu that results in the user's death" said Naruto with a hint of sadness ever present in his voice,
He would know for he had seen his mother perform all levels of this jutsu and meet her death in order to save his life and the future of Uzu.
He narrowed his eyes when the Nine Tailed transformed Kinkaku roared in apocalyptic fury.
"Can you take the 30 Kinkaku on the left flank?" he asked hesitantly,
"I'll try to stay alive" answered Mei with a nervous smile, but was relieved when he gave her a comforting smile.
"If you are in trouble, just use the kunai I gave you. I will be there" assured Naruto, pointing at the three pronged kunai in her pouch which he had shared with each of his squad member, even Kushina.
Thinking about his Spartan comrade made him worry as he should have felt or heard something from her by now.
Instead, there was only silence.
He quickly made a hand seal making ash like chakra be released from his body until it soon took the form of a complete carbon copy of himself. The clone and the original locked eyes with each other.
"You know what to do" instructed Naruto with a knowing gaze,
"Got it, boss"
Mei blinked in confusion on this sudden action and before she could ask, the clone vanished in a flash and her attention was quickly diverted to the front as the entire Kinkaku force alongside the giant Nine Tailed fox charged.
She could not help the raw fear that gripped her heart on that sight.
"Mei, we will go home once this is over. All of us"
The fear in her heart stopped as he took up position in front of her even as his reassuring words made her feel hope once again. She nodded gratefully towards him before sprinting towards the 30 Kinkaku approaching from the left flank.
Naruto nodded respectfully before fixing his gaze towards the approaching 63 Kinkaku from the center and right flank led by their leader in his Biju form.
"Now then, let's see how good you really are"
His hands quickly moved through a complex set of hand seals as he summoned nearly one-sixth of his chakra reserves apart from using the nature energy around him as he saw a few charging Kinkaku creating something.
"Multi Tailed Beast Bomb Barrage!"
Naruto took in a deep breath as massive amounts of ash like chakra was released from his body even as the mini bombs of mass destruction raced towards him.
"Ash Release: Particle Annihilation"
The earth was torn apart.
There was a massive rumbling as the blonde's chakra ignited as it neared the dozens of Bijudama which also went off rendering everyone blind by launching a beaming aura of light.
Kushina's eyes widened when she caught a glimpse of the masked man appearing behind her, his dark red eyes zooming in on her back with a predatory gaze even as the sword in his hand moved to skewer her from behind.
Until there was a sound barely above a whisper as another presence flashed in between even as sparks flew as two blades crashed against each other.
Two pair of dark red eyes connected earning a small smirk from the masked man.
He bellowed ferociously even as he launched a martial kick towards the newly arrived blonde shinobi and watched him dodge it with ease only to realize the target of the attack had always been Kushina in the first place.
It was the masked man's turn to be surprised when he saw Naruto teleport in front of Kushina and quickly place a hand over her shoulder just as the powerful kick was about to connect with her bareback.
They both disappeared in a dark flash completely unharmed.
The masked man chuckled amusedly as he retracted his leg which had met only thin air instead of crushing Kushina's back.
"He's fast. Perhaps even faster than you, Tobirama"
Kushina barely held back the contents of her stomach from spilling over as she appeared in mid air over the top of a forest of giant trees. She felt firm hands quickly grab her waist before kicking them both swiftly in the southern direction.
She looked at her savior, or rather his Ash clone judging from his chakra levels...
"Why did we run?" she asked hesitantly,
Granted, she had been struggling in that fight but with him by her side they may have had a chance. Even if he was a clone and the original was fighting somewhere in the North, she could feel it.
"That man...he's stronger than me"
Kushina was at a loss of words after hearing his confession but it was the nervous look in his eyes that scared her.
"He has more chakra than me, than anyone could have ever imagined. You felt it, didn't you?" he asked with a knowing gaze,
"He has the same level of chakra as Hashirama had" agreed Kushina reluctantly,
They would know for it was in saving Hashirama's life that the Spartans lost theirs. And while there were many powerful shinobi in the world, none could match up to the legendary power of the First Hokage.
Only one...
Kushina's eyes widened as she remembered those red eyes, that sinister chakra, the unbelievable killing intent as she connected all the dots.
What scared her even more was the fact that she felt that same chakra moving in the direction of the original who was fighting somewhere in the North. She looked at the clone in alarm only to see a resigned look in his gaze.
Before she could speak, they arrived at a cliff beneath which flowed a large waterfall. Kushina recognized the place as this stream connected with the ocean and was the doorway to a route leading to Uzu far away.
When he placed her on the ground, she realized his intentions clearly.
"I'm not leaving you here! Not again!" she yelled furiously, earning a faint smile from him.
"Go home, Kushina. You have served the village more than enough" he praised sincerely with his trademark eye-smile which nearly broke her heart.
"Then come with me. We can both go home together, live the life we only ever dreamed about till this day" she begged him, even as she wrapped her hands gently around his cheeks.
"A life in the shadows. That is the path I chose, to walk in the darkness in order to protect the village my family died for. I intend to walk on that path till the very end" said Naruto resolutely,
Kushina clenched her fists even as tears arrived in her eyes.
"You know it ends one way only" she warned in a whisper, earning a dark nod from him.
"I couldn't protect neither my parents or my brother. I failed my men and my village, this is the only way I can atone for all those failures so that someday I could look them in the eye when I meet them in death" he explained calmly,
Tears fell from her eyes as he came forward and wrapped his arms around her in a warm but fierce hug.
"Protect the village...and the Uzumaki name"
Kushina sobbed into his chest as she couldn't help but feel this was the last time she would see him, feel his arms around her body filling it with warmth, watch that smile and those eyes of his.
"For a long time, I lived as the Voice of Vengeance for the Spartans but after tonight there is no need for that. You are the true legacy of us Spartans" he said with a hint of happiness and true hope present in his voice,
She looked up at him only to see him giving her a truly happy smile.
"Go and live on our behalf, Kushina. Keep the village safe and ensure our people remember the legacy of those that chose a life in the shadows to ensure they lived their life in the light. You're my only friend I can entrust this dream of mine to" requested Naruto politely,
"I will carry on your will, Captain" she promised him tearfully, earning a smile from him.
"Maybe in some other life, we could have..."
Kushina's eyes widened on hearing those words and looking into his eyes made her heart skip a beat as she saw the same feelings present in them as the one which she carried in her heart for him.
Words couldn't describe how happy and heartbroken she felt in the same moment.
To have him acknowledge and return her feelings only to know deep down that her dream could never become a reality. She looked into those red eyes once more to see all those dreams coming true.
She lived a reality where none of them became Spartans and instead lived normal lives. They studied at the Academy together and became friends. There was no war and his family was still alive.
She watched herself be placed on the same team as him as they climbed the ranks together until few years later he confessed his feelings for her.
They were married in time and went forward to have two beautiful children.
A handsome boy named Arima who looked just like him and a daughter named Kasumi who took after her. Both children were doted on by their grandparents and spoiled rotten by their uncle Nagato, much to Minato's chagrin.
The final memory she lived was standing alongside the entire Namikaze family and smiling for an invisible camera, a moment and a life where all she had known was happiness, love and peace.
The trance broke and she found herself standing once again on that cliff.
Only now the hole in her heart was filled.
Her pain was washed away as he came forward and kissed her gently across her lips with the same love and passion he had shown her in that dream. How she wished it had been a reality instead...
She steeled herself when he broke the kiss and took a few steps back.
They both looked into each other's eyes and knew what had to be done, no matter how painful.
"Thank you for everything, Minato. You truly are a kind man" she whispered sincerely, for no one else in this world had cared for her as much as he had.
"That's what friends are for" he replied with a mischievous wink,
"All these years I made the wrong choice. It was not the Spartans, the village, justice or revenge that my heart desired. My entire life I only wanted to be beside someone who accepted me and cared for me only to never realize that person had always been by my side. I was a fool..." said Kushina with a miserable laugh,
"The past is full of regrets. It is the future we must look to, create a village and a world where there is no need for future Spartans" advised Naruto with hope present in his heart,
"I will. But I also want you to know..."
She came forward and raised herself so she could look directly into his eyes even as she placed her hand around his neck and bumped her forehead gently against his own.
"Even if the entire world turns against you one day, I will still be your ally"
His eyes widened on hearing her words and the resolve he saw in her gaze truly humbled him as he kissed her once more and tried to stop the thoughts of how a life with her could have been for him, she was his first love after all.
They broke apart a few moments later as Kushina clenched her fist before thumping it firmly against her chest.
For you, we give our heart.
The meaning behind the Spartan salute was never more clear to him than in this moment as he returned the salute making her smile before she jumped down the cliff and disappeared into the raging water.
He walked towards the cliff and as he started to disappear he allowed the hard fought tears to fall from his eyes.
"We will never meet again, my friend"
A lone tear fell from Naruto's eyes as he experienced the memories of his clone which disappeared after carrying out his mission. He fought back the lump in his throat and the heartbreak burning in his chest by focusing on the ruined landscapes and the enemies that surrounded him.
He could also feel the enemy his clone and Kushina had faced approaching in his direction rapidly.
At the most, he had fifteen minutes before that man arrived on this battlefield.
He saw Mei desperately engaged in a fight for her life against the Kinkaku's on her flank. She had killed a few but was struggling against the strength of the remaining troops and their combined force. Judging from her rasped breathing and fluctuating chakra levels, her Biju powers would recede soon leaving her to fight with her own power which would not be enough.
He looked around searching for Kisame but frowned when he didn't see the man anywhere near the battle. He extended his chakra senses and found him approaching this area again from the forest and while he was curious as to what made the man go there in the first place, Naruto hoped Kisame could assist Mei in her fight as soon as possible.
He didn't get anymore time to think as one of the nearby Kinkaku's charged.
Unfortunately for that monster, he had been tracked even before he moved an inch courtesy of Naruto's Sage mode and his red eyes. The former Spartan commander launched his left handed sword which sailed forward in a flash and skewered through the charging Kinkaku's head in an instant before burying itself straight into the heart of his other comrade that was standing behind.
As the corpses of the two Kinkaku collapsed to the ground, Naruto was forced to dodge as two massive tails smashed the ground he was previously standing upon courtesy of the giant Nine Tailed fox Kinkaku which was clearly enraged by the continuous slaughter of his troops.
Even in mid air, Naruto's eyes widened when four Kinkaku appeared all around him and launched punches from all sides.
Only to experience pummeling one of their own comrades in all their might as Naruto switched himself with a nearby Kinkaku who was unfortunately smashed to death in that attack even as the blonde escaped.
He didn't get to relax as the remaining enemies charged at him from all sides making him grip his lone sword in his hand.
He slashed his blade horizontally splitting the first Kinkaku to charge him in half before jumping in the air and performing a quick set of hand seals.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu"
Few of the Kinkaku screamed in agony when raging fireballs rained down upon them instantly and while they were injured, it wasn't enough to kill them. As they tried to get back on their feet they barely saw dark ash like chakra pass by them followed by the demonic eyed blonde menace appearing right beside them.
Sword raised to deliver the end.
Even as more heads rolled, Naruto could feel the energy from his Sage Mode dwindling rapidly because of the high chakra consuming techniques and hyper speed movements of his. He doubted without these two trump cards any normal shinobi who have been able to even stand up against these demonic warriors.
He dodged another one of the mighty tails from the demonic fox only to come straight in front of its giant mouth.
It roared unleashing winds so powerful that it swept Naruto nearly one hundred feet away where he crashed against scores of trees gracelessly. He could hear Mei calling out to him from a distance as he coughed blood and felt atleast one of his ribs had been broken and his back badly bruised.
His attire across his chest was ripped to shreds with sharp cuts having embedded all over his chest in a wild manner. The only relief he had was the fact that the bleeding was almost stopped and soon enough the wounds would vanish thanks to his Spartan genetic enhancements that boosted healing prowess, if that wasn't enough he had Hashirama's chakra in his body which accelerated the process.
As he tore off the few remaining torn fabrics of his shirt, he saw nearly 35 Kinkaku were left out of the initial force of 63 that had attacked him. What concerned him was the fox transformed Kinkaku leader that was the true danger to his life and that of his comrades.
It had to be taken down!
He got up on his feet and gripped his sword watching as the Kinkaku gathered forward as a mighty shield between him and their demonic leader. He charged forward without hesitation at full speed as all his enemies came together.
"Wind Style: Devastating Wave of Destruction!"
He had already launched one of his three pronged kunai in the air as the enemy unleashed a powerful storm of winds straight towards him to slice him to pieces before he even got close.
He teleported to his previously launched kunai in the air but couldn't save the lower end of his legs from avoiding the attack and fought back a scream as his thighs and Achilles heel were sliced open.
That sacrifice however got him exactly where he wanted to reach.
The Nine Tailed transformed Kinkaku glared at his form flying towards him in the air as Naruto clasped both of his hands together.
"Ash Release: Rain of Death!"
Hundreds of ash like bullets were unleashed from Naruto's body which rained all over the beast's body but couldn't cause any harm making the monster growl as it unleashed another powerful gust of wind that blew Naruto away.
However, it glared when he saw Naruto smirk.
It's eyes widened when it saw for the first time small marks occurring all over its body in the exact spots where Naruto's ash bullets had harmlessly crashed against.
"You're mine now!"
The first to be sliced apart were his hind legs as Naruto flashed behind him with a victorious grin. Before Kinkaku could launch a counterattack, the blonde had already flashed away to its next target which was tearing open the beast's back.
He had pumped in as much chakra as he could into his lone burning sword to make it cut deeper and burn flesh more fiercely much to Kinkaku's agony.
After destroying the hind legs and the beast's back, the blonde flashed towards its front making the monster angrily rush all of its tails forward in a desperate measure to kill the mortal enemy that was butchering him.
To Kinkaku's dismay, Naruto teleported himself on top of one of the crashing tails and coldly smiled as the attack intended for his demise instead fell upon the Kinkaku troops nearby in a deadly friendly fire incident.
"He launched those Ash bullets of his to mark my entire body with his chakra markers and is now using it to avoid all my attacks by teleporting to different parts. He mocks me!" thought Kinkaku furiously,
His rage turned into agony the next moment when Naruto again appeared in front of him, only this time he ran his blade clean through the fox's eyes setting them on fire.
The beast's roar of pain shook the entire land.
Mei plunged her sword deep into a Kinkaku's neck and dodged another slash to her back only to realize her enemies had stopped attacking her and were looking in another direction.
She heard a painful bestial scream that shook the entire land and mountains.
Her eyes widened when she saw the Nine tailed fox transformation being torn to shreds within seconds courtesy of faint black flashes happening all across its body. In its desperation it was unknowingly stomping over its own nearby comrades making them meet the Death God and the rare survivors to flee for their own safety.
Inside of the Terumi heir, the Six Tails also watched the spectacle.
"This is the same chakra I had felt all those years ago before the Two Tails was murdered. Is he humanity's fastest soldier? Our size and power are of no use if we cannot even see him, I can understand now as to why one of my breatheren lost to him'' thought the Six Tails cautiously,
It however didn't disclose his assumptions to its host, finding it more interesting for her to arrive at her own conclusion rather than be influenced by his own.
It laughed when he saw some brave Kinkaku ignore Mei and charge in the direction of their leader who was being torn apart, few were not that brave and instead fled on seeing what was happening while a handful just remained rooted in their spot in terror and awe.
Including Mei and the newly arrived Kisame who watched the sight before their eyes.
Naruto panted harshly and grunted in pain as he tried to get back on his feet only to feel the pain in his severed Achilles heel holding him back. While his wounds all across his body were healing, the pace was much slower considering he had exhausted large amounts of chakra to butcher the giant fox and the Kinkaku with him.
His only solace was the fact that most of the Kinkaku were either dead, brutally injured or had fled.
He saw a few furious ones charging towards him from Mei's flank and raised his sword to defend himself.
"My Sage Mode is finished and so is half of my chakra. Hirashin really takes a toll on my body if I use it too much continuously, nevertheless I have to do what needs to be done no matter the cost. For the Spartans and for Kushina" thought Naruto with determination,
Even so, he still needed time before he could face nearly 10 more of those Kinkaku monsters.
He looked at the butchered Nine Tailed Kinkaku which was pitifully lying on the ground, moaning in pain and anger. It had been carved up all across its body and it would be a while before it even recovered. The fact that its eyes were also destroyed made him utterly useless in the fight for the time being.
Satisfied, Naruto turned his attention back towards the approaching enemies just in time to watch them be torn apart as more warriors jumped in the way to defend him.
As the Kinkaku fell, he saw Mangetsu turning towards him and gave him a firm nod.
"We've got your back, Captain"
The boy meant it as the rest of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen charged into the battlefield and while two were with Mangetsu, the rest had gone forward to help Mei led by Kisame himself as they made quick work of the remaining Kinkaku.
Soon enough, Haku arrived by his side and accelerated the healing of his wounds with her own medical ninjutsu earning a thankful nod from him.
"Report" commanded Naruto, once he was back on his feet with his wounds having been temporarily healed.
The look of satisfaction mixed with disappointment in Mangetsu's eyes didn't bode well.
"We executed the Daimyo's top advisers and most of his top generals. We also neutralized his wife and children but unfortunately we couldn't find him in time before more reinforcements arrived forcing us to retreat. I take full responsibility for this failure, Commander" explained Mangetsu without hesitation or fear,
Naruto gravely nodded being already aware of the fact that the odds were never in their favor to begin with.
"You did well, Mangetsu. To execute a mission to the best of one's abilities and circumstances while bringing their troops back home safe are the primary responsibilities of a squad leader. Any officer that does not understand this does not deserve the rank. You have nothing to be ashamed of" said Naruto honestly, as he placed a comforting hand on the younger boy's shoulder and felt the tension in his body vanish as he gave a relieved nod.
"What next, Commander?" asked Jinpachi seriously, as he and the others arrived near the blonde.
They all got their answer when they heard a mighty roar and looked in the direction of the giant fox like Kinkaku left alone on the battlefield amidst the destroyed corpses of his men. The rage burning inside of that beast was felt by everyone of the swordsmen and Mei as well.
"Six tails says retreat now!" warned Mei in alarm,
The surprised squad looked at each other in uncertainty and surprise, before they could question Mei on the meaning behind her words much less why the Biju inside of her was helping them, they saw the giant fox raising its head towards the sky. Even if it was blind, it started to formulate a large sphere of energy above itself.
The sphere was so dark that not even light could escape from it and it was only growing bigger and bigger until it was larger than the beast itself.
And it was still growing!
"Kinkaku..."
"That mad bastard!"
"He will flatten the entire land for nearly a 100 kilometers with this much power"
"We're fucked!"
The rattled squad was surprised when Naruto slowly walked in front of them and towards the dangerous beast.
"Commander-"
Mangetsu was silenced when he came face to face with those red eyes devoid of any mercy and full of determination more powerful than any man could ever possess.
"Hold your ground, Mangetsu. Didn't I teach you that your true mettle is tested when the tide turns against you and your actions thereafter determine how you are remembered?" asked Naruto coldly, some anger seeping into his voice.
The rest of the squad looked at Mangetsu and awaited the decision he would make, after Naruto he was the second in command of this mission and troops. Considering the Commander still wanted to fight despite knowing they were doomed, whatever choice Mangetsu made would very likely determine the course of action the group of Kiri warriors would take.
Mangetsu looked at his comrades and then at Naruto.
"The Commander's wounds may have been sealed but his body is still recovering. His chakra is nearly at half capacity, can he truly fight against that monster? Then again, even if we do run how far can we go before we are caught in the radius of the explosion which will be beyond our comprehension? Should I believe in the Commander or the abilities of myself and my comrades?" thought Mangetsu frustratedly,
"We are out of time. Make a choice you will not regret" commanded Naruto fiercely,
Mangetsu's hands were shaking but after considering all the possibilities and their history, he stepped forward and looked at the surprised members of their squad.
"We make our stand right here!" ordered Mangetsu fiercely,
"We can't beat that. We'll die" protested Ameyuri angrily, as she pointed at the large sphere of dark energy being made ever greater in size by the mad beast.
"Then run but don't ever consider yourself as one of the Seven! Or have you forgotten who we are?" demanded Mangetsu in an iron clad voice,
Naruto saw few of the squad members clenching their fist shut on hearing those words.
The look in their eyes has changed.
They were still scared out of their wits and hated being put into this position, but none of them took a step back and instead looked at their Commander as Mangetsu stepped beside him.
Looking at the Hozuki heir and his resolve made Naruto find a new respect in his heart for the boy.
You'll make a great Kage someday, Mangetsu. In some ways, you remind me of the brother I lost.
"Ready to fight and die, Commander!" pledged Mangetsu bravely,
He watched as Naruto created four clones of himself by releasing more ash like chakra from his body. Mangetsu was alarmed when he felt the Commander's chakra reserves drop drastically after that move but chose to believe that Naruto knew what he was doing.
"I'll take care of the beast! You and the others share every ounce of your chakra with my clones'' instructed Naruto seriously,
"Everything?" asked Mangetsu calmly,
"Yes, if you want to live that is"
Mangetsu gulped but gave a firm nod of acknowledgement as the rest of the squad arrived by their side. Quickly, Naruto's clones took up defensive formations around the group in all four directions and sank to one knee while clasping their hands together.
"Four Violet Flames Formation!"
A twenty feet long barrier in all directions was created by Naruto's clones that encased the entire squad in its protection. Each and every member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen alongside Mei herself started sharing all the chakra they had left to the clones making the barrier glow a bright purple violet.
A faint smile could not be stopped from arriving on Naruto's lips as he watched the once self centered warriors come together as a squad. It may have been hardship and their own survival that brought them to this point, but it was a step forward.
These were the men and women he would be proud to fight and die alongside with.
"I failed my men once, not again!"
He flipped a lone three pronged kunai in the air as Kinkaku's monstrous eyes were healed and it glared victoriously at him.
"Bijudama!"
Mei nearly pissed herself in fear as the giant bomb of death charged in their direction destroying each and every inch of land in its way. The entire earth shook violently as she saw a lone object whistle towards the approaching form of dark energy.
Her eyes seared in pain as a blinding light erupted from the frontal part of the Bijudama.
Just before she closed her eyes to save her vision, she saw a barely visible flash appear in front of the light by catching something.
A second later, the bright light disappeared.
She opened her eyes gingerly only to see a smoking landscape outside their barrier.
"What the-" cursed Zabuza, only to be stopped mid sentence.
The blinding light appeared once more, only this time it was up in the sky...and right above Kinkaku's form.
Kinkaku's eyes widened in horror as it saw a black flash appear above his wounded form. His gaze connected with the cold red eyes even as its wielder held a large arm made up of black chakra that had grasped the ignited Bijudama.
"Hirashin Level 2!"
The world went white as the Bijudama was slammed right on top of Kinkaku' form without mercy.
A bone chilling scream was unleashed by the monster as it watched the black chakra like arm compressing the entire volatile energy into a single point of contact.
Him.
A tortured scream escaped the monster's lips as the heat of the attack burnt through his entire skin in a flash followed by that fire spreading across its entire body melting flesh and bone in an instant. It felt each and every fiber of its self be vaporized away right down to its last cell.
The black chakra like arm holding the exploding energy cut through the beast like a knife slicing through butter and smashed itself into the ground unleashing a massive shockwave followed by an earthquake of unprecedented nature.
Kisame and his squad started losing their balance as the ground beneath their feet began cracking apart.
"HOLD!"
The fearsome warcry unleashed by Mangetsu reinforced the resolve of the Kiri warriors as each of them latched themselves to their nearest clone fiercely, pouring all of their chakra into the barrier.
Yet as they struggled, their eyes witnessed a raging wave of burning flames consume everything outside their barrier for miles upon miles.
Forests, Stones, Water, corpses and even wounded enemy troops.
Everything was turned to ash in an instant as the destruction rained down upon the land. The earth was torn apart and everyone's eyes widened when the distant mountains rumbled before crumbling into dust.
Nobody could recollect how long that reign of death and destruction lasted before it stopped once and for all.
The blinding light vanished and the rumbling across the earth died down slowly.
Fires still raged in all directions as a witness to the apocalypse the Kiri warriors had just survived. The entire area was covered in smoke and ash as the clones suddenly disappeared making the barrier protecting Mangetsu's squad vanish.
A solid gust of wind was unleashed by that sudden collapse that cleared some of the smoke and ash in the area.
Mei's eyes widened when she and her squad found themselves standing atop a tiny patch of land.
That stood tall and proud amongst a crater nearly a hundred feet deep.
They were all surprised when Naruto appeared beside them in a flash and nearly fell of the edge until Ameyuri and Jinpachi caught him. The blonde was panting harshly and looked to be nearly dead of exhaustion.
"Commander..."
"Retreat...now" whispered Naruto in alarm, a warning look burning in his eyes which were no longer red and were instead sporting his natural eye color.
"But the mission is still not complete and you slaughtered the enemy forces. We still have a chance!" argued Mangetsu, they hadn't came this far, took all the risks they had only to return home without killing their prime target.
"Not against him..."
Before any of them could question the man as to the meaning behind his words, another strong gust of wind blew across the entire area. Every Kiri warrior had to use all their chakra in order to keep their legs rooted to their tiny patch of land unless they wanted to fall straight into that large crater due to the sheer force in the air itself.
Their vision completely cleared as the smoke and ash vanished from the entire area.
They all saw a man standing on the edge of the crater on the far side casually looking at them.
"You dance well, boy"
Author's Notes: End of chapter.
Hope you guys liked it.
More exciting stuff by next week. Stay tuned!
Leave a review if you can.
Cheers,
Blackwolf501!
