Thank you for the support. Hope you continue it.
I lost my job few days back and man did I give nearly three years of my life to it fully. It consumed me, my writing updates became extremely slow, lost touch with quite a few friends, forgot love...all in the pursuit of temporary status and financial power. Thankfully I have family to rely on for emotional support and saved enough to survive for a few months on my own. It's made me realize what is truly important in my life and in a way freed me.
I'll still find my way again but with a more mature look at life now. 2020 is a year of reflection for me and change course...
Sorry for rambling a bit, I usually don't do it.
I started this story in 2017, the same time my new career really started. I can relate to this Naruto the most across all my stories and by its end I hope you have not only enjoyed this tale but also realized another important lesson.
Chapter 34
Civil War
(Two Weeks Later)
Naruto was standing in his own tent surrounded by his comrades-old and new on both sides as they all looked at the map laid out in front of them.
"How were the results of the joint training?" asked the Kiri General,
"Very well, General. The men understand our objectives and have synced well with each other's fighting styles. There is always room for improvement but we can't wait any longer lest our enemies become suspicious" reported Commander Saji, leader of the Kumaon Brigade.
"We are ready for hell, General. The capital will burn alongside the Daimyo's clan" promised Arashi, his second in command drawing a swift glare from Naruto.
"You will do no such thing, Arashi. The people are not our enemy, any who raises their hand against them shall face execution with my own hands" warned Naruto fiercely,
"Naruto, there may be some casualties of innocents in the fighting" pointed Mangetsu,
"Then you will protect them from dying. A warrior's duty is to protect his people and not terrorize them. This will be an honorable army. Rapers shall be castrated and crucified, Murderers of innocents shall be buried alive and looters shall have their eyes gorged and hands severed. The only one you shall kill in the capital is the Daimyo, his clan and any fighter that stands in the way of that objective. Those that surrender shall be taken alive" ordered Naruto fiercely, his glare daring anyone to argue otherwise.
"Honorable but dangerous" warned Jinpachi, earning a cold smile from the blonde.
"Those are my orders. If any of you or your men are against this then there's no point in starting a civil war. We have to be better than the Daimyo even if it costs us heavily. It's easy to destroy but much harder to sustain. Destruction and terror are remembered for long, but kindness and selfless service are remembered much longer. Win your own people and I promise you one day this world shall be yours" urged Naruto,
A tense few moments followed but the General didn't budge until one by one his supporters nodded their consent in deferment.
"Who leads the Capital's defense?" asked Naruto seriously,
"General Abe. An honored veteran of the First Great Ninja War, he's a shrewd leader with a true sense of duty. Do not underestimate him, General Namikaze. As long as he remains in the Capital, the royal army will fight till the last man to protect the feudal lord. You must either win him over or defeat him honorably in combat for his army to see the futility of this civil war, although that still might not be enough in the worst case" advised Commander Saji honestly,
Naruto placed a strong rock inside the Capital and looked at the marking signifying the strong walls and defenses of the city.
"You must pull the royal army outside the city walls to force a decisive battle. A war of attrition is not something we can afford lest Kirigakure send reinforcements to encircle us. I'll take a 500 strong shinobi force alongside Kisame and Zabuza and stop that from happening. The rest 9,500 warriors, the 501st and you Commanders shall join Mangetsu in taking the Capital" instructed Naruto,
"Don't you think you should have more men, General? You are talking of attacking Kirigakure!" warned Zabuza,
"The village is not my enemy, Zabuza. It's the usurper and his followers, I know how to deal with them. By the time I am done, they shall face a punishment worse than death for their crimes and any that tries to support them shall meet the same fate. I can do it!" promised Naruto resolutely,
For a moment, they were all taken aback by this show of confidence but on remembering the General's past exploits none questioned him further.
"Very well, Naruto. Is there any suggestion or strategy you can recommend for taking the Capital?" asked Mangetsu honestly,
"Force a decisive battle in your favor outside the city walls. Kill the Daimyo as soon as possible to destroy the enemy's morale. How you do it- I leave to you" answered Naruto frankly,
"Surely you'll have more than this to help us? You have never lost a battle, we need your inputs in this important task" implored Ameyuri with a heavy frown, but was surprised when Naruto still shook his head.
"An army can't always rely upon one man's brilliance and leadership. Should I fall in battle someday or be unavailable, my troops and people shall not lose hope or be leaderless. This is your chance to be Generals in your own right and earn your own legends, take it! Even so, should you need me I will be there but don't call unless you are facing the jaws of absolute defeat" explained Naruto earnestly, as he threw one of his special three pronged kunai towards his fellow Swordsmen.
She grabbed the weapon and gave him a determined nod making him look at all the other leaders with a hopeful smile.
"I wish you all good fortune"
With those words, he bid them farewell and marched towards the exit of the tent with Kisame and Zabuza joining him.
As he emerged outside, the ground beneath his feet trembled as the army before him stood at full attention. The look in the eyes of 10,000 warriors swelled him with pride as the rest of the Commanders also joined him outside in a few short moments.
"No matter the odds against you, there is one thing that remains the same for each of you my warriors. You are required to protect the future of this country against all enemies! It means you shall have to fight till the bloody end against those trying to destroy it" announced Naruto thunderously,
Ganryu saw the shinobi around him be galvanized even more with those words and the fire burning in their General's eyes.
"Your Parents, Your siblings, Your wives and children, Your friends and comrades, your countrymen. All these people have placed their trust in you. Make sure my warriors that you do not betray that trust or diminish their pride!" said Naruto with a proud smile,
He received an army of salutes in one swift motion from the army before him and determined nods from the ones who were going to lead it.
"Now let's go write our own history!"
Kisame Hoshigaki walked towards the front of the column to march alongside Naruto as their 500 strong force advanced towards Kirigakure. It had been a few hours since they departed from the main army heading towards the Capital and he watched the General being more cautious than ever. Instead of rushing towards their village, he was taking a more measured pace and leading from the front making full utilization of his sensory powers to prevent any ambush.
Zabuza also joined them and so did Ganryu drawing a curious glance from the blonde.
"Something on your mind?" asked Naruto calmly,
"Nothing in particular, Naruto" answered Kisame frankly, earning an understanding nod in return.
"General, is it true that you want to conquer many nations?" asked Ganryu honestly, making Zabuza twitch and glare at the man.
Naruto laughed and waved off any apology that his fellow swordsmen was about to make for disclosing his goal to a new shinobi commander in their ranks like Ganryu.
"Sooner or later they would try to do the same to us. I am only trying to protect Kirigakure" answered Naruto,
"Some men say it's your ambition. I have silenced those voices but it will take sometime for them to believe in you fully" advised Ganryu carefully,
"Everyone I ever loved is already dead, Ganryu. So are the dreams that we shared together, even if I conquer the whole world someday there is no one left to acknowledge that feat. My clan, my family, my friends, my wife and child- they are all gone. All I have left is my loyalty to this nation, its people and my desire to bring some semblance of order in this chaotic world. I don't know what my fate is but if I do not even try to do that then all those people would have died in vain. Choose Mangetsu or anyone else as your new Kage or feudal lord if you wish, I will not object. I have no use for personal glory or power anymore, Kirigakure and our people's future is all that matters to me now" answered Naruto with a faint smile,
Even as he confessed to his men, the gravity of that enormous loss haunted his heart. What he wouldn't give to enjoy the simple things in life once again, what price he wouldn't be willing to pay to have all those whom he had lost to be by his side once again.
It made him remember his own sins, all the innocents he had killed at Osaka in his revenge.
Only when he lost his own wife and child for no fault of their own did he truly understand what he had done to others in the past. And what pain he would inflict in the future for the sake of his own dreams.
"Kill a warrior-a nation crumbles. Kill their families-you'll awaken a force of vengeance that shall destroy you" whispered Naruto prophetically,
Zabuza saw the way those words impacted all the shinobi following them even if they pretended to not listen to their officer's conversation. Many kunoichi and even few men looked sad, while others gained a newfound respect for the man, but for most it was an important realization that their leader was also an ordinary human with feelings like the rest of them even if his powers and brilliance were extraordinary.
Previously there had been unstated fear in many of these fighters for their small force was alone going to attack Kirigakure currently held by enemy forces. Naruto's battle prowess and leadership alongside the presence of two of the Seven Ninja swordsmen had been the only reason they had even agreed to such a suicidal task and while that fear still lurked to an extent in their hearts, Zabuza also saw a new determination burning in their eyes for they knew the man leading them truly had their nation's best interests in his heart and not his personal glory.
His own respect for that man went up even higher.
He remembered a conversation with Lord Gengetsu not too long ago..
"Tell me Zabuza, is my son comfortable in following Naruto?" the Second Mizukage had asked him,
"I'm surprised you chose him to lead over your own son. Mangetsu is loyal and follows orders, but I would be lying if a part of his heart is not disappointed with your decision, Lord Second. You even named Naruto as your successor" answered Zabuza truthfully, earning a pained smiled from the older man.
"A Kage isn't born, Zabuza. He's made by steel and suffering, something which Naruto has endured more than my son" replied Gengetsu honestly,
"It takes strong men to rule and lead, my lord" pointed Zabuza, which made Gengetsu nod.
"True. But Naruto is more than that. Traitor-few of our own clans call him...I laugh, no traitor ever cared so much about our people. Looking at him makes me truly believe that one day he shall change the fate of this nation and perhaps the ninja world"
Looking around, he saw the same belief taking root in the hearts of every shinobi including Kisame and Ganryu as they all followed the blonde leading from the front.
They didn't know what fate had in store for them, but for the first time in his life Zabuza was proud to follow this man even if it meant walking into hell together.
He had earned their respect with his actions time and again.
Maybe someday they would become revered generals in their own right under his leadership.
(Two Days Later)
Mangetsu stood on top of one of the numerous hills leading towards the capital. His eyes fixated towards the famous city in the far off direction. Beside him stood Haku, Commander Saji and Captain Arashi of the Kumaon Brigade.
Together they waited for several long minutes until two silhouettes appeared in the distance until they materialized themselves as Jinpachi and Ameyuri.
Mangetsu looked them both in the eye as soon as they reached their location.
"How is the situation?" he asked them,
"Not good. The Imperial Guard is manning each and every pass leading towards the city, they are on alert and fully prepared. The Capital will be sealed the moment any fighting breaks out, we spotted barrier markings around all its directions" answered Jinpachi worriedly,
"General Abe is a cautious man. With his experience, he would have asked his troops to be ready for a counterattack" warned Commander Saji, the leader of the Kumaon Brigade.
"Mangetsu, they outnumber us. I sensed close to 15,000 warriors!" reported Ameyuri hesitantly,
"That's the Imperial Guard alright. Expect a thousand or more of the Daimyo's personal guard to be present within the city. 16,000 against 9,500 of our forces. The odds are heavily against us" said Captain Arashi bitterly,
"How strong are our forces in comparison to the enemy?" questioned Haku, drawing a grimace from Commander Saji.
"I do not doubt the bravery or dedication of my men. However the Imperial Guard is much better trained, equipped and organized. In an open battle they could crush us under General Abe. I would never take them on with my 5000 non-shinobi fighters if we didn't have 4,000 ninjas, the 501st and you four Seven Ninja Swordsmen in our ranks" admitted Commander Saji frankly,
Mangetsu listened to all their arguments and while he outwardly didn't display any hesitation or fear, in his heart he was worried. One wrong move would see his army crushed and his father held captive inside the Capital executed.
He was also order bound to not harm any innocents in the fighting, an act which he considered foolish.
If only Naruto was not so idealistic..
He chided himself for such thoughts when he remembered the same man had given him almost the entire army and their best troops while sparing only 500 for his own assault of Kirigakure.
Understanding the odds against him and the concerns being discussed among his comrades made him truly understand how difficult it was to lead.
His own father had lead their nation and so had Naruto on numerous occasions.
He couldn't let either of those men down.
Wordlessly, he opened a small scroll holding a map of the entire area and looked at it closely. A small smile came upon his lips as he saw something that could help his predicament. His comrades didn't fail to notice and joined around him.
"We'll launch a three pronged attack. Diversion, Deception and Destruction will be the pillars of our strategy" he announced,
"Ameyuri and Arashi, you both shall lead a contingent of 2,000 troops and encircle the trade port of Ming here" said Mangetsu decisively, as he pointed at the location on the map some 50 miles from the Capital.
"That's the feudal lord's consort's ancestral home. It will be fairly defended" pointed Commander Saji of the Kumaon Brigade,
"I know. You are not to assault and simply encircle the port. Showcase strength more than you have" advised Mangetsu with a sly smile, drawing a grin from the redhead kunoichi.
"Understood, make them shit bricks" agreed Ameyuri, earning a nod from Captain Arashi as well.
"If my prediction comes true, the Daimyo will route some of the Imperial Guard to protect his consort's family. When they march your way, Jinpachi you are to launch a surprise attack on them from the rear with 1000 of our most fierce warriors. Ameyuri and her group shall help you complete the pincer movement" suggested Mangetsu, as he pointed at the specific locations of contact.
"If a portion or more of the Imperial Guard is in danger, General Abe will send heavy reinforcements from the Capital" warned Commander Saji, making the Hozuki clan heir nod.
"Yes, that's why you Commander Saji shall take command of 4,000 troops and prepare for an ambush of these incoming reinforcements here. Buy us as much time as possible, while Haku with more than 2000 of our remaining forces shall remain in hiding near the Capital. Once General Abe sends reinforcements from the Capital, I'll launch an aerial attack with the 501st and secure the gates. I'll establish a foothold and together we will take the city" declared Mangetsu confidently,
While all his comrades nodded one after another, Mangetsu didn't miss the slight worry in their eyes.
"I know I am not General Naruto or my father, but I promise to fight till my last breath for this army and our mission. Leave General Abe and the Capital to me" he promised sincerely,
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen shall stand between the Imperial Guard and our army" agreed Haku, earning firm nods from Jinpachi and Ameyuri as well.
Once again Commander Saji and his subordinate Arashi were grateful to have switched sides from a regime that considered them to be disposable pawns, towards warriors willing to fight and die for them and the future of this nation.
"The Kumaon Brigade shall fight till the bitter end with all of you" he promised with determination,
(Forbidden City: Next Day)
General Abe stood in the royal courtroom as the Daimyo entertained himself to artisans that had arrived to sell their wares. The middle aged man with stark white hair and a heavy beard could only watch in dismay as his feudal lord was more interested in such trivial things when the future of his reign was at stake.
They had received no word yet from the force they had sent to capture or kill General Namikaze and his followers.
It had been more than two weeks now and General Abe couldn't help but worry about the outcome.
Best case, their army had achieved their objectives with heavy losses- for General Namikaze and his men were the finest warriors of Kirigakure who would not go down without a brutal fight.
Worst case, their army was destroyed by the Kiri General.
Or even more dangerous-switched sides.
He had warned Lord Kirihara about the grave danger and had only been rebuked for being too fearful. His demand for more reinforcements from Kirigakure and the feudal lord alongwith the new Mizukage to take care of this problem completely dismissed by his liege.
"Gengetsu is dead, our loyalists rule Kirigakure now. The nuisance of a General shall be hunted down sooner or later, let Yagura deal with it. I have already given him an entire brigade as support!"
General Abe still hadn't found it in his heart to forgive Lord Yagura-The Third Mizukage and his supporters for what they did to Lord Gengetsu. The punishment for treason was death and the man deserved it for going against the feudal lord, but he deserved to die like a warrior instead of being tortured to death like an animal. But then again, Kirigakure and its shinobi had never known honor.
He stopped himself when he remembered reading reports about how General Namikaze had fought on the frontlines alongside his troops reducing casualties drastically, of how he had stood up to the powerful ninja clans of Kirigakure to give the spoils of victory to the families of his martyred troops and the village instead of filling their personal coffers to gain political favors for himself, of how he had behaved admirably during the funeral of his men, his exploits in killing the Lightning Daimyo were still whispered in the Imperial Guard itself.
The same man had fought for the future of the citizens of this nation by eliminating the pirates at Nagi Island and established a possible treaty with the Land of Fire.
"Soldiers will walk into hell itself for a leader like that" he whispered solemnly, a part of his heart wishing for things to not have gone down this way. If only Gengetsu had seen reason and not tried to disturb the existing political balance.
As if his words were prophetic, a messenger was allowed inside the courtroom and immediately rushed to kneel before the feudal lord.
"My lord, enemy forces have laid siege to Ming!" reported the messenger, fear evident in his eyes.
The humongous feudal lord got up from his throne more swiftly than Abe had expected and glared murderously at the poor man kneeling before him.
"Who?" he asked furiously,
"It's General Namikaze's men, thousands of them have surrounded Lord Kijima and his garrison. They request for your help urgently, my lord" answered the messenger quickly, if only to save his own life from the feudal lord's rage.
Unfortunately for General Abe that anger was now directed at him.
"How the hell did this happen, General?" asked Lord Kirihara tersely, as he marched towards the older man.
"We shouldn't have underestimated General Namikaze and his men, my lord. I apologize for not insisting repeatedly for additional forces to make sure he was taken care of earlier" answered General Abe carefully, and bowed his head in apology.
The feudal lord paused as he caught the subtle jibe and glared at the Imperial Guard leader.
"I get your point, General. Now go and deal with this problem before it gets worse!" commanded Lord Kirihara frustratedly,
"I would advise against it, my lord" objected General Abe, making the feudal lord clench his fist angrily.
"Explain!" he ordered looking far from pleased,
"Assuming our force sent to subdue the General was defeated, his ranks would have swelled if some our fighters switched sides but not enough to face the Imperial Guard in open battle nor capable enough to assault the Capital with its solid defenses. I believe this is an attempt to divide our forces in order to attack the Capital which is their real target. Make no mistake, they still believe Lord Gengetsu is alive and held captive. You are their real target, not Lord Kijima!" explained General Abe,
He saw realization dawn upon the feudal lord and his rage subsided to a great extent.
"We still can't let them attack our allies. Deal with the problem as you see fit, General" ordered Lord Kirihara,
"Yes, my lord. I'll send a thousand warriors from the Imperial Guard and recall few reserve companies from the hinterlands. We will surround the enemies laying siege to Ming in two days, together with Lord Kijima's garrison we shall launch a pincer attack on them and wipe them out. In the meantime, I want your permission in securing the Capital fully until we assess the true nature of this threat" said General Abe,
He could clearly see the Daimyo did not look pleased with the suggestion in front of all his political advisors and the royal court. Such a move would depict weakness on his part and would damage his prestige.
But Abe would much rather prefer a living feudal lord with some tarnished image rather than a dead one.
It was why he looked at everyone inside the courtroom with the most grim expression he could muster.
"These are the same men that killed the Land of Lightning's Daimyo by going deep behind enemy lines and executing him in a place where he felt most secure. For the sake of this monarchy's future, I beg your support!" he requested openly,
That instantly did the trick not only on the Daimyo who flinched on being reminded of that dark fact, but more importantly each and every political adviser and various lords backed the move to seal the Capital swiftly.
With their consent and full backing, General Abe turned towards his men and relayed his orders instantly.
Deep in his heart, he felt a familiar feeling of excitement alongwith dread rise up as after a longtime he would be facing a foe worthy of respect.
"Let us see who outsmarts the other, General"
(Kirigakure)
Ganryu got a smile on his face when he saw the familiar mountains of the Mist village emerge on the far horizon. The ever present Mist continued to shroud the entire village sans the fierce and tall mountains at the far end. It also made him nervous for they were now neck deep in enemy territory with an extremely small army.
He saw General Namikaze shared his worries and had already activated his infamous red eyes, Ganryu would be lying if he didn't find them intimidating. Having fought a few Uchiha's during his life, he knew the General's eyes were not like the dojutsu but they were pretty close. Maybe an ancestor of his was from that clan...
"Send a water clone, Zabuza" instructed Naruto,
The bulky swordsmen grunted but created a water clone nonetheless that slid down from the hill they were perched upon and swiftly ran in the direction of Kirigakure. It had not even sprinted a few hundred yards before it simply melted away in the blink of an eye.
He looked at the General and saw a grim smile arrive upon his lips.
"Zabuza-take the left flank, Kisame-take the right flank. Ganryu-follow my lead down the center. It's time for our decisive battle!" commanded Naruto with determination burning in his red eyes,
Each of the three officers nodded immediately as the 500 strong force jumped down the hill following after Naruto who lead the charge.
He watched Zabuza and Kisame divide half of their force into their respective flanks while the rest followed Ganryu charging right behind Naruto himself.
Quickly their entire force made a few set of hand seals and multiplied their numbers three fold as Naruto finished performing a set of his own hand seals.
"Wind Style: Destructive Wave!"
Unleashing a powerful barrage he watched as the heavy corrosive mist across the entire area was dispersed instantly and they came face to face with the enemy waiting for them at the gates.
In front of them were thousands of shinobi, led by warriors from the Kaguya and Hagoromo clans.
Yagura Karatachi stood on top of the village walls looking at the rebel army in front of him with an ice cold gaze devoid of any mercy.
He watched as Naruto brought his charge to a halt as both men glared at each other.
"For the sake of your men and this village, I order you to surrender Naruto!" declared Yagura calmly,
"Funny, Lord Hiro Hagoromo said the same before he was destroyed at an atomic level, his ashes never to be found again!" answered Naruto mercilessly,
A cold smile arrived on his lips when many Kiri shinobi loyal to the new Mizukage flinched and took a step back, but the most outraged was the Hagoromo clan that went ballistic on hearing of their leader's fate and was about to charge him blindly until Yagura yelled them into submission. Atleast for now...
"In that case you have left me with no choice. As the Third Mizukage-I order your execution on this battlefield alongside all who stand with you" said Yagura mercilessly,
To his surprise, not a single one of Naruto's men backed away in fear. Instead their resolve and killing intent hardened further.
"I do not know or care as to why you did this Yagura but by the time we are done with you-The Karatachi, Kaguya and Hagoromo clans will be erased from the history of this village. We shall destroy the very memory of every traitor that dared to raise his sword against Lord Second. I shall give you and all those who follow you a fate worse than death" proclaimed Naruto fiercely,
Many in the Kiri ranks wavered when he magnified his killing intent until Yagura gave a signal bringing forth a monster that made Naruto's forces take several steps back in fear instead.
"We'll give you the same fate you bestowed upon Lord Hagoromo then" answered Yagura with a cold smile,
The monster that was once human and someone whom Naruto cared about roared furiously shaking the entire area and each and every fighter on both sides. Its five tails flew wildly in the air even as a team of sealing specialists tried their level best to prevent the beast from attacking their own forces and push it towards Naruto's direction instead.
"Mei, what have they done?"
Author's Notes: End of chapter.
Hope you guys liked it.
Sorry it couldn't be any longer than this, will try to have more in the next chapter. In my current state of mind, this was all I could muster up to relax myself.
Would love to hear from you guys if possible.
Until Next Time,
Blackwolf501
