Thank you for the support.

Now, we have finally arrived at the decisive battle.

Music Recommendation: Young Alexander Soundtrack (Youtube)

Do You Want To Live Forever - Alexander Unreleased Soundtrack - Vangelis (Youtube)

Chapter 41

Battle of Hydara


(Land of Wind)

"He did what?"

Tobirama and Shin Nara were the only ones in their makeshift command tent who were not surprised by the news that their messenger had just brought in, unlike the Third Hokage and many of his commanders.

"The Mizukage dealt a crushing defeat to the Raikage inflicting heavy losses. He controls the seas and most of the North in the Land of Lightning. Kumogakure is on the backfoot and is being pushed back in their own lands" revealed the messenger, unable to conceal his own joy and disbelief at what he was reporting.

"He outsmarted the Raikage?" asked Danzo in disbelief,

"He did. Destroyed nearly half his army and supplies with barely any losses to his own forces" answered the messenger,

Stunned silence prevailed in the room as each shinobi tried to accept what they had just heard. Tobirama watched true hope arrive back into their eyes, one that had been building since their successful counter-invasion in the Land of Wind.

They had acted just as per Naruto's plan.

While he attacked the Land of Lightning with his full might making them pull back all their forces away from the Land of Fire's borders to protect their own lands, the Land of Fire gathered all its military might and launched a blitz attack against the weaker Land of Wind.

The Land of Wind had been preparing for a long invasion and was ready to fight a brutal guerrilla war as the invaders tried to conquer territory and then tried to hold it.

But to their surprise, the Fire ninjas started destroying key settlements, supply routes and rare natural resources of the desert nation which completely destroyed their economy. They didn't seek out great battles in the desert with the defenders who knew these lands better, now the Wind Daimyo was panicking and the sheer destruction had even made the Land of Earth stop all offensives against Konoha and pull back to defend their own territory as both of its allies faced death, destruction and conquest by a new alliance.

"You were right, Lord Nara. He is a conqueror, perhaps the finest military commander of our time. For even I never thought Kumogakure could be brought to such a brink of catastrophe. The tide of this war is changing" agreed Hiruzen with a faint smile,

"Don't underestimate the Raikage. As long as he lives, the enemy is not defeated. We must ensure he receives no support from his allies and for that we need to increase our attacks against Suna" warned Tobirama,

"You're right, sensei. Our men are exhausted but this news will bolster their morale and make them fight more fiercely" said Koharu confidently,

"It will be done" agreed Hiruzen, as he issued orders to their various commanders to ready their men for a renewed offensive now that the chance of victory on all fronts looked really possible.

"What of the Land of Lightning's populace? Their nation might be losing battles but as long as the spirit of its people is not broken there is still a chance of fighting back" asked Shin Nara seriously,

"As unbelievable as it may sound, the Mizukage is winning hearts with his generous and sometimes magnanimous treatment towards the civilian populace and any warrior willing to join his cause. Instead of barbarians, the people are finding a leader willing to look after their interests and ensure their protection if they joined his cause. The North was always poorly defended and neglected by the feudal lords and Raikage's of that nation, now they are paying a heavy price for that mistake. Even the coastal cities that are being raided by Kiri's navy have not seen much destruction except those of combatants, the Mizukage's tales are slowly but surely spreading across the entire Land of Lightning. Some are even calling him..." explained the messenger, only hesitating at the final part.

"Go ahead" assured Lord Shin Nara, making the messenger nod while avoiding the gaze of his own Kage.

"Naruto-The Great"

Hiruzen and Danzo frowned heavily upon hearing that and the messenger was swiftly dismissed. Tobirama understood their feelings as despite their best efforts, they had been unable to garner the same amount of admiration and respect from the population of the Land of Wind who hated their very guts and did not spare any chance to harass them.

While their rival Kage was winning battles and hearts at the same time, building a legacy surpassed only by that of Hashirama Senju.

"Naruto-The Great, huh? Perhaps my son will end up surpassing your legend, Elder Brother. Maybe that's a good thing since our era has passed and a new dawn must arrive in this stagnated world. It is turning out just as Mito predicted" thought Tobirama fondly, as he recalled his sister-in-law's parting words to his son when he left Konoha.

"Tobirama is a good leader...but Naruto will be simply great"

The Uzumaki woman's words had turned out to be prophetic, having seen something in the young man that his own father couldn't.

As a former Hokage and staunch nationalist of his country, he was content but also wary of the success of the Mizukage- their ally and possible rival in the future.

But as a father, he was proud and sad at the same time.

"I really wish to have been at your side, my son. Only if you had been born in Konoha...but then again you wouldn't be the man you are today if that had been the case. Maybe it's your destiny to forge your own future by yourself, I only wish I could meet you again someday" thought the Senju clan head sadly,

And as a shinobi, he could only imagine the next battle that awaited his child. One that could determine his future and that of this war...


(Land of Lightning)

Naruto was closely looking at the ninja map inside his command tent after having received reports from his Scouts about the enemy's new movement.

"They have taken up position at Hydara. A hilly area that protects a passage leading straight towards Kumogakure and their wealthier coastal cities" reported Kisame,

"That leaves a clear path to attack the feudal capital. Why would he do that?" questioned Ameyuri with a frown,

"It's a trap. If we take the bait and attack the capital, it has enough men and defenses to last a few weeks. The Raikage would then attack us from the rear with his remaining army and whatever new forces he can muster. We'll be trapped on two fronts and destroyed" warned Mangetsu, as he explained just how their advantage was instead a deep threat.

"The more he continues to hold the pass at Hydara and blocks our route to his village and great cities, the more time his son gets to deal with our distraction forces led by General Abe in the South near Osaka. If he crushes them and joins his father with more reinforcements, we will be outnumbered across both fronts. Worse if he gets more reinforcements from his allies" suggested Kaori (Kushina) with a frown,

"The mercenary's right. We must attack the Raikage before that happens, Lord Fourth" urged Zabuza,

"We outnumber him nearly two to one, even more if we ask our Naval forces led by our Anbu Commander and Jinpachi to join us instead of controlling the seas" suggested Haku,

They were all quite surprised when Naruto slammed his fist against the war table and grit his teeth in frustration.

"It's exactly what the Raikage wants. Look at this..."

He pointed towards the rough and open area of a dozen kilometres which led towards the mountain pass held by the enemy forces.

"The enemy has taken the heights, they can see our every movement as we approach them. If they have a capable Jinchuuriki with them, they can hit our forces before we could even reach them. Even if we somehow accomplish that, our troops will be fighting an uphill battle against a well entrenched enemy force in superior positions. For every one of them that dies, we will lose seven to eight of our own" warned Naruto,

"Then the 501st will bomb them into oblivion, or keep them suppressed long enough for our army to reach the enemy without coming under heavy counterattack" proposed Kisame fearlessly,

"I admire your courage, Kisame. However the enemy now knows about the 501st, more importantly the Raikage will be there. They'll blast you out of the sky from their positions at superior heights, your aerial advantage does not exist in this battle. It can only be used when the enemy is in complete disarray and unable to deal critical damage to your forces with a fierce counterattack" explained Naruto seriously,

"They must have also set up traps in the area and the air in this region is extremely thin and the weather too cold. These are difficult conditions for our men to fight in. The enemy on the otherhand has the advantage of superior position, terrain knowledge, element of surprise and forces trained and motivated to fight in such conditions. They'll die or suffer terribly before yielding this pass as anything less will ensure the destruction of their village"

The Mizukage's detailed analysis made his eager commanders frown heavily and look at the position their enemy was occupying with a clearly visible envy.

"Then should we wait for them to starve or freeze to death in that area? We did destroy their supplies" suggested Kisame, but Naruto shook his head.

"They must be suffering terribly but our waiting only gives them a chance to get new supplies from their village. We must attack and secure this passage leading towards Kumogakure. Once we capture that village, the seat of their military power...the foundation of this nation will crumble and the Daimyo will panic even more" stated Naruto decisively,

"This will be a costly battle, Lord Fourth" said Mangetsu seriously, earning a nod from their leader.

"I never said defeating this nation will be easy. It is a land of fierce warriors, a worthy foe. How do you expect history to remember you if we can't crush such powerful enemies to forge our own destiny?" challenged Naruto,

"I will never shy away from a valiant fight" assured Mangetsu confidently,

"We are with you, Lord Fourth. So are the men no matter the odds" promised Zabuza fiercely, earning a respectful nod from the Mizukage.

"We will come up with a plan once we have more information about the enemy. Prepare to march" commanded Naruto,

His Commanders and Kushina bowed in response before exiting from the tent in order to carry out his orders only leaving behind Mei Terumi who was staring at him.

"Yes?" he asked her curiously,

"I have a plan, Naruto. I want you to hear me out even though I am not a Commander" she requested him, earning a faint smile from the blonde.

"You're a dear friend. I'll be happy to hear what you have to say, we need all the help we can get" replied Naruto, making her smile and come forward.

As he listened to Mei's idea, he was quite surprised by her courage and ingenuity in the face of a tough opponent.

"You can die if you try to implement this plan, Mei" he still warned her, and was further impressed when she didn't waver and looked straight into his eyes.

"Ever since our victory against Genbu, many in our army have stopped their hostility towards me. Some are even being friendly, what kind of a comrade will I be if I am not willing to risk my life for them? You may not want to put me in danger due to our friendship, but it is unavoidable given the situation. I am your ace against the enemy and I trust you to keep me safe. The question is, do you trust my plan?" questioned Mei seriously,

She was quite surprised when he chuckled before looking at her with even more respect present in his eyes.

"You keep this up, and maybe you'll leave me no choice but to name you as my successor should I perish earlier than my time" praised Naruto jovially,

Mei's eyes widened in shock upon that compliment and her heart was further warmed when she saw him give her a confident smile.


(Three Days Later: Hydara)

The Third Raikage stood among the numerous hills covering the passage that led towards his village. Around him stood the brave remnants of his army who had stayed by his side despite barely having any supplies left to fight the upcoming battle.

It displayed clearly on their shivering forms and malnourished state as they held their ground on a superior position.

He took in a deep breath when he saw the enemy appear on the horizon.

Thousands upon thousands of men and women marching towards them in a disciplined and proud fashion. Leading them from the front were the members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and at the head of this army was the Fourth Mizukage flying in the air with dark wings of chakra floating across his back.

"The moment has arrived, Uncle" whispered Fukai without a flinch,

"Our men are ready, my lord" promised Dodai, his second in command who tried his best to control his terror upon seeing the Mizukage leading his army from the air.

The dark skinned Kage nodded before turning towards his own troops and looked directly into their eyes.

"Today, we send these invaders to oblivion! They may have more men and resources, but they do not have the spirit, knowledge and loyalty towards this nation! My brave warriors, today we crush these heathens in a manner that even history shall not forget!" roared the Raikage boisterously,

"YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"We are with you, my lord!"

"Death to the enemy!"

"DEATH!"

"DEATH!"

"DEATH!"

The men started chanting their own fearless warcry that started echoing across the entire battlefield and even made the enemy army stop its march.

They couldn't understand what was happening when the Fourth Mizukage raised his hands freely in the air.

The meaning however became crystal clear when dark chakra was released from his body which soon enough took the shape of a demonic skull with gleaming red eyes high in the air.

Many of the shinobi flinched upon seeing that ominous message directed at them, while most were even further enraged and yelled back in defiance.

The Raikage watched the young Kage fly across his army ranks as his voice echoed across the entire battlefield for every person across both armies to hear.


Mangetsu watched as their Kage flew towards the 212th Legion under his command and looked at the men and women with such pride in his eyes that made many smile and stand even more taller than before.

"Tetsu!"

Mangetsu watched their Kage call out a veteran shinobi from his legion, a brave warrior who had fought under his command many times and had numerous scars as proof of his courage.

"Your commander told me you were the first to breach the former feudal lord's capital back in our homeland! That the rebels pissed themselves upon seeing your fearsome might! Will you be the first to conquer these hills?" asked the Mizukage with a smile,

"YEAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" roared the giant bald warrior murderously, as he thumped his sword against his armored chest repeatedly making the rest of his legion including Mangetsu join the war cry earning a respectful nod from their Kage.

Zabuza saw the Mizukage arrived towards the 47th Legion under his command and called another shinobi out by name.

"Keiko!"

The fair skinned woman perked up and stood straighter when called upon by her Kage by name and saw the young man looking straight into her eyes.

"I heard tales of your genjutsu prowess that made even the bloodthirsty Kaguya's piss themselves during the Battle of Kirigakure. Will you cast the same terror upon our enemies today?" asked Naruto challengingly,

"They'll flee when they meet the 47th Legion, Lord Fourth! I'll haunt their minds and hearts to their graves and beyond!" promised the kunoichi loudly,

Her bold answer made her legion as well as her commander Zabuza to yell out fiercely in support of her promise as the Mizukage thumped his fist over his chest marking his respect for their resolve.

Kisame and Kushina had been leading the Shock troops and Special forces units of Kirigakure made up of Anbu, Hunter Ninjas and the 501st currently concealed among their ranks. They watched the Mizukage fly towards their flank next.

"Ken!"

One of the Anbu Blackops offered a crisp salute swiftly when called upon personally by their Kage, an honor he didn't think he would receive alongwith the respect he saw in their leader's eyes.

"Your father was a brave Anbu like you! He died for our nation's future at Osaka, we fight for him today!" promised Naruto respectfully,

The young Anbu was touched when the entire Special forces legion including Kisame and the other commanders offered him a firm salute alongwith the promise of avenging his father and honoring the martyr's sacrifice which made him lower his head in respect before giving a firm nod to his Kage with absolute determination burning in his eyes.

The Mizukage turned towards the hills occupied by their enemies and pointed his hand towards them...

"I'll tell you what I see there right now! An army of slaves! Tools bound to the will of selfish feudal lords who are willing to let their own citizens suffer while invading other nations to add more and more people to a cycle of endless suffering!" yelled Naruto fiercely, before looking back at his men and raised his clenched fist before thumping it over his heart.

"These people do not fight for their countrymen, they fight to protect their feudal lord! But unlike them, WE ARE NOT SLAVES!"

The Kirigakure army roared as one alongside the Shock troops made up of disgruntled citizens of this very nation who had taken up arms against a regime that had kept them impoverished for far too long.

"We are here today as FREE WARRIORS! We abolished the feudal system in our nation to free the masses from tyranny! We shall do the same to this nation and its people alongwith the rest of the world!" roared Naruto,

He looked into the eyes of his cheering men who had been intimidated by the well positioned enemy's warcry earlier, but now that fear was replaced by an admirable courage and a desire to win no matter what.

"Many of us may not live to see another day! Yet I swear to you that we will not leave anyone behind! Each of us who falls shall be given full military honors! Their sacrifices recorded in the annuls of our nation and mankind's history! Their families shall pay no taxes and be looked after! That is the promise of Naruto Namikaze!"

The Kirigakure army was more than surprised upon hearing the promise of their Kage, one that none of their previous leaders or any other Kage in history had provided to their own men including the enemy Kage facing them today. A smile came upon Naruto's face as he saw any remaining doubts or fears vanish from the hearts and eyes of his warriors when he wiped away the concerns none of them wanted to talk about openly. The fear of every warrior that ever lived...

But apart from all of that, the most important thing that mattered to majority of fighters was the meaning behind their battles and sacrifice, and he gave them exactly that.

"When future generations ask you as to why you fought so bravely at Hydara- you will answer that you fought for the freedom of mankind from the feudal system that has kept shinobi, warriors and the common populace under servitude for centuries! You will answer that you fought for humanity! You will answer that you fought for...THE IMPERIUM OF MAN!"

The fearless war cries of 15,000 warriors echoed across the entire battlefield as the Kirigakure army roared as one once again, far and wide for every hill, rock and human across the entire area to hear their resolve.

"Eternal Glory awaits us all! Come, my warriors! CHARGE!"

The Kirigakure army stormed forward bravely towards the hills occupied by the enemy under the command of their Mizukage who flew ahead of them all leading the historic advance!


Dodai stormed through the trenches and fortifications occupied by their own forces conducting final checks and bolstering the resolve of his own troops especially in the light of the enemy Kage's gallant speech and the sight of thousands upon thousands of shinobi charging towards them.

"Long Range fighters! You're up!" he roared fiercely,

A thousand warriors joined forces under the leadership of the Third Raikage to execute a similar set of hand seals rapidly making the skies above the battlefield darken and roar in fury.

"Lightning Style: Dance of Death!"

Huge lances of lightning struck from the skies in the blink of an eye vaporizing dozens of Kirigakure forces in the first volley itself. The enemy shinobi never even realized what transpired before they turned to ash.

They continued raining down more and more such volleys with the Raikage adding his own power to the increasing attacks.

"Lightning Style: Ten Dragons!"

Hundreds more of Kirigakure shinobi were vaporized, blown away or badly burnt yet the enemy continued charging forward under the fearless command of their Mizukage.

"Strikers! NOW!" yelled Dodai,

Another thousand of their men stationed on the lower slopes of the hills rose up from their hidden positions to launch the next attack.

Together they launched a rain of kunai, shuriken, arrows, explosives and shrapnel that darkened the skies for a few moments as they sailed towards the frontal line of the enemy.

Most of the projectiles were sent crashing away by the Mizukage himself who launched a powerful Wind Style attack, but a few dozen still got through causing even more casualties among his forces.

His losses were mounting and he had barely reached the halfway point in the "Field of Death".

His army had no other option but to cross the open battlefield devoid of major cover if they wanted to reach their enemies occupying the hills in well entrenched positions. Dodai had chosen this battlefield for this very reason and wanted to inflict maximum casualties upon his enemy to reduce their numerical advantage.

Already the enemy had lost hundreds of their men and he intended to send thousands more to their deaths with his next attack.

"Fukai!"

The Eight Tails Jinchuuriki was struggling terribly to retain conscious considering he had unleashed all eight tails worth of Biju chakra from his body and was fighting to prevent the beast inside of him from taking full control and break free.

The man's body would still suffer a terrible damage if he survived, possibly even losing half of his lifespan but it would be nothing in comparison to what would happen if they lost here.

"Bijudama!"

The Jinchuuriki had been developing the feared dark sphere made up of Biju chakra and unleashed it swiftly upon Dodai's command.

The Mizukage was the first to see the approaching ball of death considering he was at the head of his army's charge. Whatever doubts that had lingered in Dodai's heart over the man's true identity simply vanished when he threw multiple three pronged kunai laced with wind chakra straight in the direction of the hills occupied by his enemy as he continued completing his next set of hand seals.

Dodai wouldn't be falling for the same tricks twice!

"Barriers up!" he ordered swiftly,

The Raikage again lead the men in this defensive action and erected a large defensive barrier across their entire sector just in time as the kunai launched by the Mizukage reached their position and not a moment later the very tailed beast bomb launched by their Jinchuuriki was instead teleported right back at them.

The resulting explosion forced everyone of them to hold their ground desperately as the Raikage maintained the barrier with a fearsome roar preventing a single casualty from happening among their ranks.

Fukai had already launched several more tailed beast bombs all at once making it that much more difficult for the Mizukage to defend his forces.

The Kirigakure army's charge was brought to an instant halt as they were forced to create a familiar barrier which Dodai had watched the Spartans use years ago even as the Mizukage used his entire might to defend his forces against multiple tailed beast bombs!

"Keep this up! We need to weaken him and his forces before they reach us!"

Before their men could further bolster their offensive in order to carry out Dodai's orders, he felt a massive chakra signature and looked towards the sky only to realize a grave threat.


Mei had barely managed to make herself learn the functioning of the Winged device in the past few days. If that hadn't been enough, she had also been forced to learn the Silent Masking technique taught by Zabuza that allowed her to minimize her presence to enemy sensors by reducing her chakra presence.

"If the enemy sees we are only launching a ground attack and suffering losses, they will employ their entire might towards us. Even so, you need to be several thousand feet in the air to avoid detection from the Raikage and his sensors. Once they are fully focused upon us, that is when you strike!" Zabuza had told her,

"Without your intervention, nearly half our army will be dead or injured by the time we cross this Field of Death and reach the enemy's positions on the hills. The more I am forced to defend our troops against powerful attacks, the less strength I will have left to face the Raikage in a death match. Make no mistake, he wants me dead. If I fall..." Naruto had whispered worriedly,

She knew their forces would either break completely or lose cohesion if their Mizukage was killed or gravely injured, but unless he lead the charge in person- the enemy would inflict even more losses upon his forces and break their morale before they even reached those hills.

Mei touched the three pronged kunai in her pouch once as she heard the sonic boom of a tailed beast bomb down upon the ground. It was followed by several more...

"Launch a devastating strike upon the enemy when you have the element of surprise. Once that is lost, your job is to further disarray their ranks and cause chaos long enough for our army to reach the hills. Make no mistake, you'll be all alone in those hills until I or the reinforcements manage to reach you. I'll try to teleport myself to you once you launch your attack but if there are anti-teleportation seals in that area..."

She hadn't backed down even when her Kage had warned her of the risk as anything less would mean the defeat of her nation and the death of her friends.

It was Victory or Death.

With that determination burning in her heart, she descended down from the skies with the help of her gear and felt the tailed beast channel vast amounts of its chakra into her body.

"You have become a brave woman, Mei Terumi" whispered the Six Tails, and chuckled upon feeling the surprise within the young woman at that compliment.

A faint smile arrived upon her lips followed by an icy stare as she cleared the clouds with a tailed beast bomb prepared by the Six Tails swirling across her back.

Her gaze caught sight of the location where there was maximum concentration of the enemy forces and she prepared to send the massive energy bomb straight at them.

That was her intention until a murderous dark skinned man appeared right in front of her in a Lightning flash.

She couldn't even scream when the Raikage's lightning fist tore through her upper chest and only missed her heart by a few inches as she had moved herself if only a little.

Darkness crept across her vision and she felt the man preparing for a second strike to finish her off.

"Lava Release: Lava Bullets!"

She barely registered his surprise as he teleported away in order to avoid the lava projectiles aimed straight at his head but in doing so gave her the brief opening she had needed desperately.

"BIJUDAMA!"

The Raikage roared in apocalyptic fury as he charged down in order to stop the attack but it detonated in mid air instead of exploding after reaching the ground. He teleported away but hundreds of his troops were not so lucky as they were vaporized instantly, hundreds more were thrown off the hills by the resulting shockwave including their lone Jinchuuriki.

Mei crashed upon the ground harshly moments later, already feeling dangerous amount of blood seeping from her wound.

Her wavering vision settled upon the fledgling barrier that the remaining enemy forces were struggling to maintain. The only thing left in the way of her forces from charging over these hills.

Before she could act further upon her plan, the furious Raikage teleported right in front of her as his Anbu surrounded her on all sides.

"You'll die for what you did!" he threatened her mercilessly,

The Anbu's leapt at her with their swords ready to cleave her to pieces but they were mistaken in assuming that she would go down so easily.

"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"

She unleashed vast amount of mist from her mouth swiftly and to the Anbu's horror their bodies started to melt away instantly even before their painful screams could escape from their lips.

The Raikage had been swift enough to again dodge the radius of her attack and gain safe distance unlike his unfortunate men.

He was even more surprised when the mortally wounded enemy Jinchuuriki charged at him with her acidic mist swirling all around her. Any unfortunate soul that got in her way simply melted away but he didn't act that way and maintained his distance.

Mei had been prepared exactly for such a scenario when she had volunteered herself for this suicide mission. The acidic mist was the only thing protecting her from getting swarmed by hundreds of Kumogakure shinobi and the Raikage himself but it was only delaying the inevitable, once she couldn't uphold her jutsu she was as good as dead.

Dark lightning cackled from the Raikage's right arm until it gained the form of twin thunder spears that the dark skinned man now aimed straight at her.

"Long Range attacks, smart! You need to act quickly, Mei" warned the Six Tails,

She saw the other enemy ninjas following their Kage's lead and started preparing their own lightning based attacks. Before they could launch their attacks, she bravely charged towards them with her acidic mist swirling all around her.

A smirk came upon her lips when the Raikage cursed and yelled at his men to create some distance between themselves and the suicidal Jinchuuriki.

"You're not the only one to have an impenetrable armor, Raikage!" she mocked him, and got the expected result when the man retaliated for her insolence by throwing the dark lightning spears straight at her which she barely managed to dodge.

Considering the very earth was scorched terribly at the point of impact, she dearly wanted to avoid getting hit by any one of those nasty spears.

The Raikage however was in no mood to give her any relief as he next created actual giant black panthers made up of that same malicious lightning and the beasts charged after her like a pack of hungry dogs.

Their speed was faster than her own and she barely had a few seconds before they caught her, even less as her acidic mist was about to vanish.

But her target was in sight!

She was a couple of hundred meters away from the shinobi maintaining the barrier that was keeping her army from capturing these hills. Jumping in the air, she grabbed a couple of explosive tags from her pouch and sent them flying straight towards the barrier.

The Kumogakure ninjas laughed when the barrier easily withstood a couple of minor explosions but blanched when from that smoke more and more explosive tags were continuously summoned and now started raining all around them shredding them to pieces and in turn making the barrier collapse quickly.

"The Uzumaki are truly something else. Naruto, your decision to hire that mercenary was the right choice. To think that she came up with a jutsu that keeps summoning more and more explosive tags from the remains of the original ones is truly ingenious" thought Mei with a satisfied smile,

She looked behind to see the Raikage roar murderously as hundreds upon hundreds of his troops were torn to shreds and the barrier keeping his enemy at bay simply collapsed in the aftermath.

Even the arrival of the Eight Tails Jinchuuriki was a little too late as she felt the familiar pull across her body and before the Raikage and his black panthers could murder her, she was teleported away and found herself among the medical ninjas positioned at the rear end of their army.

In time for the Mizukage to seize the decisive moment!


"GO FOR THE OPENING!"

Naruto's fearsome warcry in the wake of the barrier's collapse and the complete disarrayed state of the frontal units of the enemy was the signal Kisame had been waiting for.

He took to the skies alongside the 501st and joined their Kage in flying towards the broken enemy lines.

"MIZUKAGE!"

Kisame's eyes widened in horror when the Raikage came charging towards them at inhuman speed and with a killing intent more terrifying than a Biju's.

"CHARGE!"

That was the last command roared by Naruto before he and the Raikage clashed against each other resulting in a thunderous explosion before both men took their inevitable battle to the skies by dragging each other among the clouds in the blink of an eye.

Kisame cursed but he was a seasoned commander and knew better than to question his Kage's orders after having fought several battles at his side.

"We need to go protect the Mizukage!" urged one of his officers,

"He can take care of himself! We know his orders, follow me!" countered Kisame, when he saw the rest of the Seven Ninja swordsmen led by Mangetsu had already started climbing the hill, their fearless charge led by the natives of this very nation who had taken up arms against their oppressive rulers and were more better suited to fight on such rocky terrain.

"Hidden Mist Jutsu!"

Mangetsu and Haku summoned their village's deadly technique shrouding a vast amount of area in the deadly mist as the butchery was unleashed by both sides fully.


The skies were extremely dark as the clouds cackled with thunderous lightning with two men facing each other.

One had dark chakra wings across his back and the other was one with Lightning and the very air itself.

"I have seen this moment in my dreams" said the Raikage calmly, earning a faint smile from the young Mizukage.

"As have I"

Despite the circumstances, the dark skinned man found himself starting at his opponent instead of continuing their battle just yet.

"Are you here for revenge? One of my commanders is certain you were the leader of Uzu's Spartan unit that died in the previous war fighting against my nation" asked the Raikage without hesitation, and saw the young Kage was indeed surprised if only a little.

"Why do you wish to know?" questioned the blonde,

"I want to know who I am fighting, that is all"

The simple yet honest statement was enough to satisfy the Mizukage as he nodded to his enemy's question.

"I was that shinobi once and you are right I am here to get justice for what happened with my Spartans. However, I didn't start this war with your nation on that alone" admitted Naruto,

"You struck at Osaka first" pointed the Raikage,

"At the behest of the Second Mizukage's command. But yes, this fight has always been personal for me as well" confirmed Naruto without any guilt or hesitation.

"Then there isn't anything that can make you stop this conflict" deduced the Raikage with an understanding nod,

"There isn't. But rest assured, I do not bore any ill will towards the general population of this nation. At one point I did hate them for the crimes of your shinobi and my past actions were those of a man consumed by vengeance. But now I am seeking something more than just revenge" said Naruto seriously,

"Oh? And what grand dream is that?" asked the Raikage curiously,

"Imperium of Man"

The Raikage's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the man before him in a new light and it only made him chuckle.

"The pinnacle of human civilization. I wish to create a world where our race is not divided by nations or different feudal nobility. A united world that shall put an end to the senseless wars we are fighting even now. An empire of hearts and minds where all are one" confessed Naruto with determination ever present in his eyes,

"You're a dreamer. A fool who thinks he can conquer the world, if humanity wanted to unite...it would have done so long ago" mocked the Raikage,

"Maybe. Or it never got its chance to unite" countered Naruto calmly despite the insulting tone of his rival.

"You remind me of Hashirama Senju, although you are a far better military commander than him. He also talked of such unity that can never exist in reality. Dreamers like you are the ones that cause more chaos in this world, people like Hashirama and you must die before you exhaust us all with your senseless dreams!" reprimanded the Raikage harshly, only to be further infuriated when the young man before him merely smiled at his insults.

"Dreamers may die, Raikage. But their dreams don't. The fact that you still remember Hashirama's dream even if he failed is proof enough. History will remember these dreams and once again someday another human shall take up the mantle of uniting our race" answered Naruto confidently,

"Your history shall end today"

The Mizukage smirked at the blatant threat as the respective Kage's unleashed their full power and monstrous killing intent making the skies roar once again.

"Then let it end in glory!"

With those words, the Fourth Mizukage charged!


Author's Notes: End of chapter.

Hope you guys liked it.

More brutality is yet to come, the likes of which the characters and audience of this story will remember!

Keep up the Review Charge!

Until Next Time,

Blackwolf501