The canon story of the manga no longer exists in this story, as the consequences of Naruto and Hinata being kidnapped ten years ago, and now they returned, but the Wheel of Destiny keeps spinning.
The Neo-Combine will finally arrive and attack Konoha next chapter, and what the future would become?
Beta: grimlock987.
Proofread and consultation: Ookami88.
Reviews please! They will drive me to write this story much faster.
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Garden of Serenity, inside the Sacred Temple of Demon Country
"Lady Miroku, I brought Lady Shion here, as you instructed," Taruho bowed deeply to the High Priestess of Demon Country- Miroku Akuma.
"Thank you," she nodded gratefully to the Honour Guard Commander.
Shion Akuma came up and bowed to her mother. "Good morning, Mother, you summoned me here?"
Miroku smiled and nodded. They were in the holy Garden of Serenity. The place was immense and beautiful as the destroyed Holy Garden of the Uzumaki Clan, but it was much bigger and there was a big pond here. The garden was the place where the Demon Country priestesses in all generations meditated and focused their powers.
Deep inside the young priestess already knew why she was summoned here, judging by her mother's formal priestess outfit and the golden headpiece, and the impending crisis caused by recent events, particularly the incident at the Fire News Network studio she had just heard of.
Miroku smiled again at her daughter with a pang of regret in her heart. Shion had the same future seeing power that led many people shun her in fear and she couldn't make friends. The mother wanted her daughter to have a normal and happy life, the wish never happened, but…
'If the future is steered to the right direction, you might have some good friends and a happy life.'
"Yes, and come with me, you are my daughter and the next Demon Country High Priestess after all. There are things I must show you," the mother answered in a serious tone, and she began her walk towards the Library for Wisdom Seeker, which was on the other end of this garden.
Shion and the thirty honour guards quietly followed. The holy garden was big as three soccer field combined, it took the group fifteen minutes to reach the library entrance. Shion broke her silence.
"Mother… does this have something to do with the incoming war?"
Miroku stopped her walk. She turned around and faced her daughter. "You saw it too?"
Shion nodded and began to explain but Miroku held up her right hand and the young girl paused. The High Priestess looked at Taruho with a leave-us-alone look. He and the rest of the Honour Guards quietly bowed and left.
"Tell me what you've seen," Miroku said with a bit of authority in her tone.
The young blonde priestess took a deep breath before the long explanation. "I saw ninjas fighting, too many I could count, first among themselves, and later an army of white monsters." Miroku nodded, it was the same thing she saw. Shion continued. "There is one group intrigues me a lot. There are five of them; the first one is a red-haired girl using her chakra chains from her back to combat her foes. Then, there is a couple- a pale eyed and long-haired boy who fights with martial arts alongside another red-haired girl, who fights with a flute, daggers, and ... colourful languages. The fourth person looks like me except she is indigo-haired, and she wore a samurai armour. She shoots arrows and takes down her foes with blades mercilessly to protect her comrades and lover…"
The High Priestess raised her eyebrows as she noticed her daughter's slight blush. "Lover?"
"Yes, I could see the love in her eyes, that's the eyes fighting and willing to die for her love. I can see her lover is the most powerful warrior in the group, or the entire world. The man fights so fast I could not see his face clearly, but he has a sunlight hair colour and some whisker-marks on his face. I even saw that he is surrounded by countless enemies, but most of them, even those white monsters, cower in fear... He is radiating a golden aura and wielding a sword and a shakujo. Behind him are the nine legendary Tailed Beasts, fighting alongside with him..."
Miroku's eyes widened a bit. 'I didn't see that man in my vision, Shion has seen a different future? And the Biju!? And the staff!?' She decided to confirm it.
*Drip* A small water from a leaf dropped into the pond in front of Miroku and Shion.
"Ripple…" Shion said quietly.
Miroku looked beyond the word- the future changed again. There were many drips and many ripples in the pond, and they impacted each other. It reminded her that future can be changed by events. When she was pregnant with Shion, she had premonition of her death in the battle against the awakened Moryo demon and she accepted her fate to die protect her precious daughter. Yet the future changed when the Kyuubi incident happened in Konoha 13 years ago, she no longer saw her battle against Moryo, but the battle against the one that was more powerful than Moryo- the Ancient Evil.
The High Priestess motioned to Taruho, he and the rest of the Honour Guards quickly came forward. The group continued their journey for another two minutes. They reached their destination- the Library for Wisdom Seeker, Miroku touched the security seal at the entrance and the gates opened. The High Priestess looked at her security detail.
"Guards, stay here. My daughter and I are going inside the library. We will be back here in an hour."
"Hai!"
The library was enormous. Some books and scrolls were millennium old and no one could finish reading all the books and scrolls here in a lifetime. To Shion's surprise, there was a hidden underground entrance when her mother led her there; she never knew there was underground in this library until now.
As walking downstairs, she was awed by the inscriptions and beautiful drawings on the wall. The first drawing Shion saw was a man facing another man who wielded a big war fan with a dojutsu she recognized- Mangekyo Sharingan. The Uchiha was riding on a giant nine-tailed fox fighting against that man.
"With the Kyuubi no Kitsune on that Uchiha's side, it must be a one-side fight. That Uchiha must be the victor." Shion commented.
"No, it's the opposite, my dear."
The young girl looked shocked with a how-could-it-be-possible expression.
"That is the legendary Battle of Valley of the End over half a century ago. It's the fight between the First Hokage Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. The fight lasted for three days." The High Priestess explained.
Shion was more shocked. "How did the Senju emerge victorious? It's impossible to defeat an Uchiha with Mangekyo Sharingan, particularly with the Kyuubi!"
That fox was the most powerful among the fabled tailed beasts!
"With Mokuton and Senjutsu… the Oni-Demon Senjutsu to be precisely. The Senju was taught of this sage art by my grandmother- Amida," the High Priestess explained. "Your great-grandmother was in love with Hashirama and taught him the sage art that awaken his Mokuton."
Shion was shocked by this revelation. "My great-grandmother was in love with the Shodai Hokage? Are we descendants of the Senju clan?"
"No," Miroku answered firmly. "We don't have Senju blood. Grandmother Amida later came to despise Hashirama, not because he didn't reciprocate her love nor his marriage with Mito Uzumaki, the Whirlpool Princess…"
The Demon Country High Priestess line was all female, like the Nadeshiko Kunoichi Village. Miroku and Shion never knew their fathers until adulthood, to prevent inbreeding. Traditionally Demon High Priestesses couldn't marry, but they could choose a consort to continue the line. And who would refuse to 'help' a beautiful and noble priestess to continue her line?
Miroku told Shion the reason why Amida Akuma rejected Hashirama Senju to be the father of her children, "His subjugation of the Tailed Beasts destroyed Grandmother Amida's trust, and furthermore his enslavement of the Beasts disgusted her, that she swore to never want to see him again. She regretted teaching the First Hokage senjutsu and mentioned that she's glad that she didn't teach him to reach the final stage of the Sage Art- Six Paths."
The young priestess nodded quietly, and the two didn't say any more as they continued walked down the stone stairs.
'This underground must be at least six levels deep!' Shion thought wearily and a bit upset about her poor stamina. She was already tired walking from her private quarters to the library. 'I will get Taruho to teach me how to enhance my stamina, I swear!'
There were many drawings and inscriptions- all of them were about fights between the Senju and the Uchiha clans. They reached the last basement level, there was a long passage ahead of them.
'It must be at least 200 meters!' The young girl groaned inside.
The mother broke her silence as she walked forward. "An hour ago, Prime Minister Akagi and his entire cabinet came here for my consultation in regard of an international crisis- the world is on the brink of another great shinobi world war." This morning every nation government held an emergency meeting about it, for the country's interests, and Demon Country was no exception.
"I told them 'WAR,' and I recommended, for the future of Demon Country and the world, we need to militarise our country, because otherwise we will be all doomed… The cabinet heeded my advice although I didn't tell them the detail."
Shion was shocked at this. "Is the situation really critical enough that even Demon Country needs to militarise?"
"Yes, because I saw everyone busy killing each other in the incoming conflict, and dead bodies piled up everywhere. Then a long-haired man with the legendary Rinnegan summoned a gigantic tree from the ground in front of everyone and consumed everyone and everything… People were entrapped by the tree vines, and some quickly became white monsters, I believe they are the ones you saw."
The young priestess looked horrified. Miroku couldn't blame her, because she was too. "The last thing I saw was a female figure with horns. I am certain she's the Rabbit Goddess- The Ancient Evil that our ancestors warned about, she will finally return in this conflict."
The High Priestess pointed to the last drawing in this underground chamber. The drawing was a female with two long horns and an eye in her forehead, hovering above the world with open arms and an evil smile. The young Akuma had known about the legend of the evil Rabbit Goddess in her early priestess training days. She dropped her knees in despair, her eyes watered.
"She's coming back- the world is doomed… and there is nothing we can do…"
The High Priestess held her successor up and kissed her forehead and gave her an encouraging smile. "No, we can do something about it. There is always a hope, honey. You saw a different future. Is that the staff you saw in your vision?"
Shion looked at what her mother pointed at- there were nine broken pieces of a shakujo- monk staff laying on a wooden table. She picked the six rings one by one, to her awe, each ring radiated in slight purple colour when she touched it.
"The shakujo is made of a more advanced and unknown chakra metal and it reacts to people with chakra," Miroku explained, noting her daughter's chakra shared the same colour with hers as well as their eye colour. Shion now took the three broken shafts one by one. She examined the first one before looking at the second.
"Yes, I saw this vajra in my vision… Ouch!" The young priestess yelped as her right thumb and index finger were cut by the bottom tip of the third shaft. She realised that the tip was of a spear, then to her surprise, her mother started to heal her cut fingers with a medical ninjutsu. She nodded to her mother. "I saw that man impaled several white monsters with the end of a staff, is this the shakujo I saw in my vision? But it's broken, how…"
The High Priestess hugged her happily. "Yes! There is a hope! The man you saw must be The Hero of the Light!"
"Hero of the Light!?"
"Yes! There's a prophecy from our ancestors: one day a warrior, guided by an Oni High Priestess, will rise and reclaim and use this staff to bring light in our darkest hours." The High Priestess then wondered whichever herself or Shion would guide the destined hero, then she came to have a vision.
Miroku was enjoying a peaceful retired life, as she was tending the Garden of Serenity. Taruho, in his early forty and had a goatee beard, approached her and bowed respectfully.
"Lady Miroku, Ladies Shion and Kushina-"
"GRANDMAAAA!" A little red-haired girl tackled Miroku and hanging onto her like a little monkey. The former Demon Country High Priestess laughed and hugged her lovely.
The little girl hugged her in return with a foxy grin. "Tell me more story how mommy and daddy defeated the Rabbit Goddess!"
"Kushinadahime! Behave! Where is the manner I taught you?" Shion hurried to them and scolded her daughter. She gave Kushinadahime an intimidating glare that made the little girl hid behind her grandmother.
"It's OK," the grandmother smiled and ruffled the little girl's beautiful long red hair. Miroku looked at Shion, she wore a crown and formal High Priestess outfit, and was proud that her daughter had grown up to be a very beautiful woman, a good mother, and a beloved Demon Country High Priestess for her contribution in the Great War Against the Rabbit Goddess.
Then the former High Priestess looked at her granddaughter Kushinadahime; she was wearing a standard priestess outfit, her appearance reminded herself of her youth. Miroku always spoiled her granddaughter with sweets despite Shion's protest. The little girl was very adorable, she inherited the Akuma Family violet eye colour, and she had two whisker marks on each cheek. 'Just like her half-siblings and fath-'
"Mother?" Shion asked, disrupting the High Priestess. "You are having a vision?"
"Yes, and it's a very good one…" Miroku smiled again, she will do everything in her power to make that future come true.
"The Hero must rise."
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1030, September First, Konoha War Chamber, Sublevel Three of Hokage Tower
"The is Jonin and North Garrison General Hayama Shirakumo. Over six thousand Kumo ninjas led by Dodai, Darui and Toroi surprise-attacked our position! We have suffered heavy casualty: over 300 KIA and 100 critical WIA. We are holding the line, but we still need reinforcement right away!"
"This is Special Jonin Hana Inuzuka, the Kannabi Bridge has been completely overrun by the Iwa Gravemaker and his forces. We are falling back to Point X. General Kosuke Maruboshi and thirty ninjas stayed behind to cover us. We've suffered over 700 KIA, and over 200 critically wounded and another 400 seriously wounded which require immediate treatment. Available fighting manpower down to 600. Somehow the Hattori managed to drop clay bombs several kilometers above the ground that destroyed our central formation. We don't know how, and he personally killed Special Jonin Ko Hyuuga from discovering the secret by blowing up his head. Our sensors confirmed all the rear guards KIA and they are pursing us now. Now I must keep radio silence. Request reinforcement ASAP!"
Yakumo Kurama was trembling, she wished her knight in shining green spandex Rock Lee was now with her. Unfortunately, only the Konoha leadership, jonins, clan heads and their heirs could be in this War Chamber.
Tsunade Senju, the Godaime Hokage sitting on the chairman seat, her elbows were on the conference table with her hands in front of her mouth and her expression was grim. A thousand Konoha ninja lives were claimed in a single day. She wondered if it's karma for Iwa lost over a thousand ninjas in minutes fifteen years ago.
The situation was very, very bad. The Chunin Exam Finals were going to take place in two days and many people had already arrived at the village for the tournament. It's too late to cancel the event; many rich customers and nobles were in the village already. Konoha needed their financial support to fight the conflicts now. The Fifth Hokage looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi who was sitting on her right side as an advisor shedding a few tears.
"It's all my fault," Hiruzen mumbled in small voice. "Had I not revealed Naruto's heritage, Kosuke and many others would have lived."
Even the former advisors Homura and Koharu, sitting on their jonin seats above, were greatly saddened at their old friend's death.
"What done is done, sensei. Now we have to focus on the future." Tsunade passed some tissues to her sensei who gratefully accepted them and wiped his tears.
"Thank you. I will do what I can do to support you on the war effort." Hiruzen said. 'Naruto is the ninja we need most. I cannot tell him that Kosuke's relationship to him lest it distracts him.'
Tsume, the clan head of the Inuzuka clan as well as the commander of the Hunter Division, had done her best to remain stoic, but everyone could tell she's very worried about her daughter's situation. Kiba was sitting behind his mother, and he couldn't control his emotion and his eyes were watery. He often quarrelled with his sister, even sometimes went far to call her a "bitch," but he still cared for her.
The Inuzuka mother and son hugged together wishing Hana could make it out alive. Sasuke Uchiha sympathized his teammate; he raised from his seat behind his mother's seat and put his left hand on the Inuzuka's shoulder to show his silent support.
"Thanks," Kiba said sniffling.
There were murmurs among the jonins. "How did the Hattori drop bombs from such heights?"
"The Gravemaker blew up Ko's head that even a Yamanaka can't find out his secrets…"
Only the Konoha leadership, clan heads and jonins could come into this War Chamber. The clan scions came here too, to see and learn from their parents in important meetings. Special jonins, except the Hokage Guard Platoon, however, could not attend the war council, because they had to go back to their mobilization stations to brief their subordinates.
"*Sniffle*, Ko, he can't be dead! NOO!" Hanabi Hyuuga started to cry quietly. She had been trained and hardened by the main branch Hyuuga elders, but she was greatly saddened and very scared at that her fellow clansman was killed in a gruesome way.
The Hyuuga clan elders were retired jonins, and they brought the little girl to the War Chamber to show off her being the true clan heiress and superior to her long-lost-but-returned elder sister. Ko's death was a victory to them- the slain Hyuuga was one of the Hiashi's few loyal main house supporters, while most main house members were with Hideo Hyuuga. The Leaf clan heads, village elders and some jonins were aware the recent unspoken struggle in the Hyuuga Main House- Hiashi's Loyalists and Hideo's Traditionalists, caused by a certain blond Uzumaki.
The Fifth Hokage, Hitomi and Hiashi, Hinata and some others bristled at that the Hyuuga elders' political game. The seven years old little girl was too young to let know the horror of wars. Hiruzen and Asuma felt they did the right thing not to bring Konohamaru to the chamber. Hinata raised up from her seat and gently gave her little sister a comforting hug. Hiashi and Hitomi both raised from their seats walked towards their children.
"Everything is going to be okay, Hanabi," Hinata hugged her little sister tighter, and Hanabi held tighter in return, much to the dismay of the Hyuuga elders. "I'm here for you, my little sister. Our parents and I will be here to protect you." Hinata's words calmed her sister, and their parents hugged their daughters together.
"Yes, nothing will tear our family apart again," Hiashi and Hitomi said in union. Hanabi let out a smile, and Hinata and their parents all smiled too.
"I'll always be here for you," Hinata added and paused, she turned and gave her lover a worried look. She expected a frown from Naruto, but he gave her an assuring smile instead.
The Konoha War Chamber was an amphitheatre just like the Neo-Combine's; a large circle table was in the bottom middle section in the chamber. The Hokage, her advisors and ninja councillors all sat on the big table.
The advisors sat next to the Hokage; Hiruzen Sarutobi, Mikoto Uchiha, Shibi Aburame were on the right side while Jiraiya, Hitomi Hyuuga, and Shikaku Nara on the left side. The other councillors were seated further away from the Hokage. All the other jonins, the Hokage Guard Platoon, the retired special jonins and above, Honoka, Tayuya and Fu sat on the higher seats.
'I will give those damn Hyuuga elder a piece of my mind along with Hanabi's parents, and I'm sure Naruto will send them a message too…' Tsunade thought as she looked at said person who was sitting directly opposite to her on the table- Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, the head of the Namikaze and the Uzumaki clans.
The newly promoted elite jonin, turned his chair around to the Hyuuga elders and looked at their smug faces with narrowed eyes. His nose twitched as he looked a bit uncomfortable, then his right fingernails popped up into claws like a switchblade. It made many people flinch. The claws were over 15cm and they unnerved the elders, even High Elder Hideo Hyuuga.
Now Tsunade realised one thing, 'Now I understand why Naruto loves to use terror tactics in Kumo, Wave, those ex-councillors, his jonin exam here: to make people not to fuck with him.'
Had not the situation grim, the Slug Sannin and many people would be amused, when the Kyuubi jinchuuriki used his right middle claw-finger to pick his nose casually in front of the elders. There was a big booger on the claw coming out of the boy's nose.
"Wow! It's big!" The young jonin feinted a surprise expression and blew it away with his mouth. The Godaime Hokage suppressed her laugh when the booger floated and landed just a few centimeters in front of the Hyuuga elders' feet.
'Must be his wind-chakra,' Tsunade thought amused. She's glad her hands were on her mouth. No one, particularly the Hyuuga Traditionalists could see her smile.
Hinata didn't sit next to the Hyuuga clan head, but she was sitting next to Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, who was sitting in the direct opposite to the Hokage. The young elite jonin obviously held more power than ninja councillors and any other clan heads, even the Hyuuga and the Uchiha.
The Hyuuga elders were pissed, even Hideo looked obviously insulted. The Hyuuga High Elder managed to suppress his scowl. 'Let's see who gets the last laugh when the Fire Daimyo and the Fire Crown Prince comes on the Exam Finals! You will bend the knee!'
Danzo had said the Fire Heir Apparent would personally come to Konoha, apparently to make the Heir of Whirlpool to swear fealty to the Fire Throne. When the Kyuubi brat did it, Konoha and the Hyuuga Traditionalists wound benefit from it.
But Hideo's and his fellows' faces became scared again when they saw red slitted eyes in the blond with his right clawed hand. The image of Naruto's attempts at Jiraiya's groin was very fresh.
Don't fuck with me, or I will claw your cocks off!
Tsunade coughed to end this tension between Naruto and the Hyuuga elders, gathering everyone's attention. Seeing that everyone was looking at her, she stood up.
"Time is essential! We will deploy Kakashi's and Asuma's battle groups. Shizune, you take two medic companies and go along with Kakashi's battle group to the west. Asuma, you take a medic company to your battle group to aid the Northern Garrison."
"Hai!" Shizune, Kakashi and Asuma and their battalion commanders, including Gai and Kurenai all stood up. The Hokage looked at her former teammate.
"Jiraiya, Tsume, Shibi, Hizashi, you four will accompany Kakashi's battle group." Said persons all stood up and nodded, even the Toad Sannin. "Once we secure the Western Garrison forces, you four along with Kakashi and Gai form a hunter-killer team: I want that Gravemaker dead!"
"Hai!" Tsume Inuzuka, Shibi Aburame, Hizashi Hyuuga, Kakashi Hatake and Gai Maito acknowledged their order.
"Yes, Hime," Jiraiya received his order.
"Lady Hokage…" Hiashi Hyuuga looked at Tsunade with a why-don't-you-assign-me expression as he stood up, Tsunade held up her hand.
"Hiashi, you should stay here with your family; Hinata just came home. That's why I assign your twin brother to take your place. Family is the utmost important to you, isn't it?"
"Yes, Lady Hokage," Hiashi nodded and gave Tsunade a slight bow. "Thank you."
"Gai, your battalion will be the vanguard," Kakashi Hatake told his Battalion M commander. "You now go get your unit deployed within an hour."
"YOSH!" The Konoha's Sublime Green Beast acknowledged his eternal rival's order and dashed to the chamber exit immediately.
"Kurenai Yuhi, your battalion will be the first to launch for the northern border." Although Asuma and Kurenai were in relationship, the general spoke to his Battalion Y commander in authority tone.
"Hai!" The Genjutsu Mistress received her order and quickly left the chamber to prepare her battalion as well.
Mikoto Uchiha faced her former teacher and raised a concern. "Lady Hokage, the Crimson Contingency cancels everyone's leave, but with the deployment of two whole battle groups, Konoha still has roughly ten thousand ninjas left to safeguard the village. I recommend we recall all our ninjas on missions except those on A-rank or above, that will boost our home guard number to over ten thousand."
The Fifth Hokage nodded in agreement. "Yes. Thank you for your advice, Councillor Mikoto. We will mobilize the reserve forces as well. We take three rotation shifts per day, and I want everyone on duty and on guard on the Exam Finals day!"
"Godaime Hokage, if I may," Naruto raised his voice and the Hokage gave him an audience. The blond looked at the Konoha spymaster. "Shingen Hattori's attack is unsanctioned by the hidden Rock village and Earth Country, right Jiraiya?"
"Correct, and as a matter of facts, the families of those girls you rescued lifted the bounties on your head. They even persuaded their friends to remove the bounties as well. They advocated peace with Konoha to fight against Kumo. You did a wonderful job, my boy!"
There were murmurs in the chamber, and everyone was amazed at the blond's achievement. Peace with Iwa had been seemed an unachievable dream, yet Naruto had made it possible. Jiraiya's cheerful smile then turned a bit lecherous, but no one saw it.
"Thanks," the whiskered blond nodded. "Onoki's army is in the Earth Country's eastern coast preparing an invasion on Lightning Country and is too far away to reach Shingen Hattori. But Hinata can send a letter to Kurotsuchi, Sayuri and their fathers- the Yondaime Tsuchikage and the Iwa Jonin Leader, asking them for a favour to send an army to deal with the Gravemaker. We can entrap his army-"
"And finish him off before we deal with Kumo," Tsunade finished her nephew's line. "Not to mention the Fence Sitter's army on the Earth's eastern coast can pressure the Cloud village."
"Exactly, and I believe that Kitstuchi and Gari will happily oblige because they want to have a 'talk' with the Cloud village in regard their daughters' abduction too. Hinata will need an S-priority messenger hawk."
"Granted," the Slug Sannin answered immediately, and Naruto and Hinata nodded in appreciation. The blond turned around to face the Hyuuga elders with a smirk, which pissed them off further.
"Shikaku, I need you to fetch that Suna jonin whose team participates the Exam Finals. I'll have a talk with him about the war against Kumo in the next hour. He is the son of the Fourth Kazekage after all." The Fifth Hokage spoke to the Jonin Leader.
Then she turned to look at the Hokage Guard Platoon. "Raido Namiashi, Genma Shiranui and Hayate Gekko!" The three special jonins raised up from their seats. "I want you three to accelerate Naruto's training on the Hiraishin! The Flying Thunder God Technique can be our trump card in this war, so I want you four spend your whole time on training except when you eat, drink, dump, leak and sleep! ANBU Cat will cater your meals and necessities, and the Hiraishin training will start after the battle group deployment! You will stop to take a rest tomorrow night for the Exam Finals, you resume the training afterwards!"
"Hai!" Naruto raised from his seat and bowed towards the Hokage along with the platoon. He sat back on his seat. "Thanks to great-grandpa Tobirama's scrolls still intact, including his version of the Hiraishin." This made many sighed in relief, his face was still grim though. "My father is completely on another level though. I believe that he had his improvement notes about the Hiraishin on his scrolls. If I have had those scrolls, the Gravemaker will be in his grave before lunchtime today! I swear the theft culprit will pay for that dearly!" Naruto ended his statement in an angry tone and banged the conference table with his right fist in frustration. Hizashi Hyuuga flinched slightly at Naruto's threat, but nobody noticed it except his benefactor.
"Naruto relax please! We still have ways," Hinata gently hugged her fiancé from behind. Her warmth and love gave him calmness and hope. "You are a high A-class seal master, your father was a high B-class on the Uzumaki seal arts. You can use the Nidaime's Hiraishin as a template and create a version of yours that is differently to your father's. This should be much faster to achieve. I believe you, my love…"
The bluenette whispered something to Naruto's ear, her hands covered her mouth, so no one could read her lips, the blond blushed a bit before regaining his usual composure.
"Thank you, Hime," Naruto took her hands and put them on his cheeks. His blue eyes were now full of resolve and fire. "Soon the world will see a Second Yellow Flash coming!"
Tsunade coughed. "Now to another thing and it's more urgently- we need to find out how the Gravemaker launched his bombs from high altitude, some super-artillery? And we need a solution to counter it."
As everyone was busy discussing about the topic, no one noticed that Danzo Shimura was deeply worried. 'My Hiraishin Squad is rendered useless without Hizashi. I have to come up with an alternative…'
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Ten Minutes Later
The meeting was ended, Naruto was one of the lasts to leave the War Chamber. He was leaving after having a talk with the Hokage. A hand landed on the blond's shoulder.
"What do you want, Jiraiya?" The Namikaze asked in a bit annoyance and didn't turn his head to face his godfather. "Aunty Tsunade wants me to be present at her deployment speech to boost the Konoha morale, then I'll be heading back to the Hyuuga Compound to prep for the training. If you wanna have the nyotaimori-"
"This is not about the nyotaimori, boy! What do you think I am?" Jiraiya asked in a mock-hurt tone. His tone turned to a serious one. "We have far more urgent things: my deployment with Kakashi's battle group, and your Hiraishin training. The nyotaimori is of course now postponed until that Gravemaker is dead. We need to talk about something else."
"Yeah," Naruto nodded in agreement and disappointment that this nyotaimori had been postponed. Not because he wanted to eat sushi and sashimi off a naked beautiful woman, thank you very much. 'Too fucking bad I can't deal with Danzo right now…'
Seeing the boy reeking of killing intent and had learnt his prowess firsthand, Jiraiya knew when to shut up, and quickly hid his pencil and notebook, unless he had a eunuch-wish.
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1200 (Thirty Minutes Later), Konoha Hokage Tower Balcony
Thanks to his mask, no one noticed Kakashi Hatake dropped his jaw slightly, but his fellow battle group general Asuma Sarutobi dropped his cigarette at the sight of Battalion M- all ninjas under Gai's command wore green jumpsuits and orange striped leg warmers, even the special jonins.
'Oh my kami… How the hell Gai get his special jonins wear the suits too!?' Kakashi wondered terrified. 'I thought he was kidding when he proclaimed everyone in his battalion would wear what he wears.'
Asuma had the same thought. It's all Naruto's fault, his "Lean and Mean" speech to the K-15 platoon on the return party was an inspiration to the battalion M commander.
Kurenai's Battalion Y stood alongside Gai's at the Konoha Forum, which was in front of the Hokage Tower. The ninjas of Battalions M and Y were the vanguards of the reinforcements, along with the three medic companies. The other eight battalions were here as well. Each of the five battalions of a battle group launched at half an hour interval. The whole deployment of ten thousand ninjas would be complete within three hours.
The Forum was crowded with many spectator- off-duty ninjas, civilian villagers, and most importantly the customers who had arrived at Konoha for the Exam Finals. The VIPs and nobles were awed by the magnificent parade of more than 10,000 ninjas at the Forum. All ninjas snapped to attention when the Fifth Hokage along with the son of the Yellow Flash came into their view.
Tsunade Senju put charka in her voice as she looked at them. "Konoha ninjas! Time is essential, so I make it short! War is ugly- pain, destruction and death, I am sending you to battles, nonetheless. I want you all to know this: you fight not for the village or glory, but for our comrades! They are out there and need your help! I assign you all the mission to bring them home!"
Just half a second after Tsunade finished her words, Naruto Namikaze unsheathed his katana from his back and held it high without a word. Everyone in Kakashi's and Asuma's battle groups had fire in their eyes.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The whole ten thousand ninjas roared and held their weapons or hands high, thundering the village. The customers were more impressed by the scene. Then to everyone's horror, the whole Battalion M along with their commander Gai saluted their Hokage, General Kakashi, and Naruto with the Gai-trademark nice-guy-pose, thumbs up and the combined flash from their teeth bright as a sun.
"Come on you apes!" Asuma Sarutobi jumped from the Hokage Tower balcony, rushing to the Northern Gate along with Kurenai Yuhi. "You wanna live forever?" Battalion Y let out another roar and quickly followed their commanders.
Not wanting to lose Asuma, Kakashi pointed his Lightning Cutter towards the Western Gate. "Let's go rescue our friends and kick some Juggernaut ass!"
"YOSH!" Kakashi, Gai and Battalion M, followed by Shizune and her two medic companies and Tsume and her hunter teams, rushed towards the west.
Everyone watched the vanguards left. There was a small group among the crowd. Orochimaru's spy team leaders- a bespectacled grey-haired male and a light-blue-haired female in green dress. They were never at good term, but this was the first time they smiled to each other and nodded.
XXXXXXXXX
1300, Hyuuga Compound
Inside Hizashi's home, his family- son Neji and daughter Aoi watched him packing for the S-rank mission. The Hyuuga girl's eyes were watered, the Iwa Gravemaker was well known. Konoha textbooks had mentioned him several times: his fight with Hanzo the Salamander to even, his involvement in the Uzushio Campaign, the Ninja World Wars Two and Three.
When Hizashi broke the news to his children that he'd been assigned to the hunter-killer team on the Last Hattori, Aoi almost cried, and Neji was terrified. Their mother was in the Northern Garrison, fighting against Kumo invaders. Now their father was going to go to face the infamous Iwa Gravemaker. They feared being orphaned.
"Daddy you must come home safe! We can't lose you!" Aoi hugged her father tightly and let some tears flowing down her cheeks.
Hizashi kneeled and kissed his daughter's marked forehead. "Don't worry, my little hollyhock. Everything will be okay."
"It's so unfair," Neji's arms folded and looked angry. "The Inuzuka and Aburame clan heads are assigned to this team, but why Lord Hiashi isn't? Is the Hyuuga Branch house just fodders? Even the Hokage treats us in the same way?"
"Don't question the Hokage, Chunin Neji," Hizashi looked at his son sternly. "It can't be helped. Lord Hiashi and Lady Hitomi just have had a family reunion; they missed ten years with their firstborn. In fact, you should look underneath the underneath and be pleased, the Hokage acknowledges me and my brother as equal, and it's honourable to be assigned to that prestigious hunter-killer team. I'll bring more honour to our Branch house!"
A smile appeared on Neji's face. To his surprise his father suddenly held his arms and looked into his eyes. "But in case something happens to me, you open my desk right bottom drawer. There's a security seal, you or Aoi can open it with a bit of your blood. The drawer has my research journal and three red scrolls."
"Research? About what, daddy?" Aoi asked.
"Research about something… something that could bring freedom to you both, my children. I cannot tell you what it is now, it's for your own safety…"
The siblings nodded as they understood.
"And Neji, do you like that Tayuya girl?" Hizashi asked, and Neji blushed a bit. Aoi started to giggle.
"Brother Neji is going to have a dinner with Sister Tayuya tonight! Don't worry, Lady Hitomi invites me for dinner at her house!"
The Hyuuga jonin looked surprise first, then he smiled. "Really? Neji, you must capture her heart. She is a good girl and a good kunoichi worthy to marry you, and she will bring you and Aoi freedom."
Neji couldn't believe what his father had said. 'Woah! Isn't it too early to talk about marriage!? We are 14 years old and just had a lunch yesterday. What is Father thinking!? And why does Father think Tayuya can free us?'
"You have to do everything to make her fall in love with you. If you can't, try that Honoka girl, do you understand?" Hizashi looked at his son's eyes, waiting for an affirmative answer.
'What!?' There were too many questions about his father's secrets and those red-haired girls, but Neji could only nod with a "Yes."
Hizashi hugged his children one more time. "Whatever I've done, I do it for you two."
XXXXXXXXX
1330, Hokage Office
"Thank you for coming, Gaara Sabaku," Tsunade Senju spoke to said Suna jonin, who was sitting across her. This Suna elite jonin was the youngest child of the Yondaime Kazekage, the jinchuuriki of the Ichibi, and... the protagonist of Jiraiya latest smut book- Icha-Icha Tanuki. All his three students Matsuri, Yukata and Ameno would participate the Exam Finals.
Gaara nodded. "You are welcome. In fact, I was going to request an audience with you on behalf of the Kazekage."
Tsunade raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"
"When the sirens went off this morning, I sent a message back to my village. I received the response that the hidden Sand village will gladly honour the alliance with Konoha by sending expedition forces. I believe that's what you wanted to meet me for, right?"
"Yes," Tsunade smiled and didn't beat around the bush. "Kumo and a rogue Iwa faction attacked us unprovoked. The world is at the verge of another world war, and Konoha needs every alliance and help she can get. War is ugly, and I'm afraid that Suna might lose some of their ninjas."
Gaara appreciated the Hokage's honesty. "Yes, we might lose some of our people, but if we do not end the conflict as quickly as we can, more lives will be lost."
Deeply he frowned at the fact that his father and most of the Sand councillors had been eager about the possible war with Kumo, because it could show off the village's strength to their fat ass Wind Daimyo, and hence increase his mission demands to Suna. Ninja villages couldn't survive without conflicts.
"The hidden Sand village will send a battalion to help Kakashi's Battle Group," Gaara said. "And I will personally lead two wind-specialised battalions to help Asuma Sarutobi after the exam."
Tsunade stood up from her seat and shook hand with the Sand jonin. "Thank you! I will send a message to the Kazekage that Konoha deeply appreciates Suna's help. Also, as the conflicts escalate, the Kazekage can bring six bodyguards to Konoha for his personal safety. I look forward to meet him at the Exam Finals, so we can discuss furthermore about the conflicts."
"Yes, as well as the Icha-Icha series. The Kazekage also wants to discuss with Lord Jiraiya about another Icha-Icha story in the hidden Sand village."
Tsunade sweat dropped. She couldn't believe her pervert teammate's smuts could be an important economy for Suna. She would bet her annual pay that Rasa would be coming to the Leaf village to make a movie deal about the recently published Icha-Icha Tanuki as well.
XXXXXXXXX
1500, Uchiha Compound
The Uchiha Corps watched their leader- Sasuke Uchiha shot thirty training dummies with his AK-16 crossbow and his three-tomoe Sharingan spinning.
"Less than ten seconds!" Daisuke checked the timer on his hand. "Amazing, Brother Sasuke!"
"All bullseyes!" Miki Uchiha exclaimed. "Head or heart!"
"Awesome! Brother Sasuke!" Rei and the other Uchihas complimented their big brother.
"Hn!" Sasuke grunted as he dropped the spent Cartridge scroll under his crossbow. He quickly loaded a fresh Cartridge and started to shoot the "slain" dummies in the crotch, something he learnt from Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. Every Uchiha child dropped their jaw at this, and some boys put hands around their family jewels in a knee-jerk reaction.
'I'll kill you all! Don't you fucking touch my clan people, Kumo scums!' Sasuke cursed in thought, looking at the dummies- his imagined Kumo foes who would come to rape his mother and the other Uchiha females. The Konoha Northern Garrison was under attack by Kumo. The vision he saw his clan people enslaved by those power-hunger assholes made him very afraid.
'Over my dead body shall you want to take my clan!'
"Isn't it a bit excessive, Brother Sasuke?" Daisuke asked uncomfortably, his hands still on his family jewels,
"Nope," Sasuke answered calmly. "It's a terror strategy that my commander Naruto Namikaze taught."
"Terror strategy?" Many Uchiha children asked.
"It strikes fear into the heart of enemy, it would teach them thinking twice or triple to mess with us. It discourages enemy trying to give you trouble or harm your precious people. You all know the Konoha Forum three weeks ago, right? That's a great example."
The Uchiha Corps all went quiet, some paled as they recalled seeing several heads on spikes in the Forum. Those heads belonged to those guilty in the Namikaze-Hyuuga Incident. The children had heard their seniors saying that it was also to remind the civilians not to interfere with the ninja affair and never undermine the Hokage authority.
It took a few seconds that Daisuke to break the silence. "Wow! Naruto is awesome and an ultimate badass! I swear on my dead family, I will join the K-15 platoon when I graduate from the academy!"
"Why?" Miki asked.
"To bring more honour to our clan, of course, and not to mention I can get early access to an AK-16 crossbow and shoot that monster Itachi!"
"Me too!" Every Uchiha child said together.
Hearing this, Sasuke frowned a bit but nobody noticed it. He had finally known the truth on that night from his mother. Initially he didn't believe it, he wanted to deny the fact that his father had planned a coup until Mikoto brought Fugaku's coup plan and several Uchiha seniors admitted they were involved in it. No one could understand his agony when he knew and accepted the truth of the Massacre.
For the good of the clan, this must be kept secret and Itachi must still be branded as the infamous "Uchiha Butcher" for the rest of his life.
"Isn't AK-16 forbidden in the exam?" Rei Uchiha asked Sasuke. "Why are you training with it now? Shouldn't you prepare for your Exam Finals? You will be the champion!"
"Yeah!" The other Uchiha agreed aloud.
"The Exam matters little to me. I am training for the war now," Sasuke answered to his clan cousin. "I will be deployed with my platoon shortly after the exam."
"Why is it forbidden in the exam?" Miki raised this question.
"Because AK-16 is Konoha issued secret individual weapon for warfare. The weapon belongs to Konoha, not me." Sasuke answered. "The entire Leaf leadership wants to keep it secret for the element of surprise. There are lots of spectators at the Exam Finals Arena, the last thing Konoha wants is her secret exposed."
"Do you want to know the reason behind the AK-16 creation?" Someone asked behind. Everyone turned around and saw Izumi Uchiha. Some of the children nodded.
"The crossbow and the artillery weaponries are the result of the Kyuubi's Attack thirteen years ago. I was there when the Kyuubi attacked the village. I saw that many ninjas died trying to get close to the Kyuubi no Kitsune for a shot, and most of them were killed without firing a jutsu or an explosive kunai. Those who did manage to get close enough to the fox only fired a shot before being killed. Lady Tsunade said it was a stupid waste of human lives and concluded that Konoha needs long-range attacks when she came back to the village at the Namikaze-Hyuuga Incident. The Third Hokage, Jonin Leader Shikaku Nara, Toad Sennin Jiraiya and the rest of the Konoha leadership agreed with her idea."
The Uchiha children nodded again silently. Sasuke and Izumi exchanged look and nodded as well. It was best not to mention further about the Kyuubi's Attack and the Namikaze-Hyuuga Incident, which were the catalyst for the Uchiha's attempted coup. It was best not to reveal this secret for the best of the clan.
"What done has been done, what we can do now is for the future." Mikoto said to Sasuke and Izumi, along with the Uzumaki clan. The Uchiha matriarch revealed to them a daring plan: the Uchiha clan would support Naruto's Neo-Uzushio in exchange for a favour- a secret asylum for Itachi. It pained Sasuke that his brother would have to remain an S-rank wanted criminal and a villain in the world history so that the Uchiha clan could live with honour and without persecution.
Sasuke looked at Izumi. He knew that she loved his brother deeply, and she would give everything for Itachi. The Uchiha heir acknowledged the girl as his future sister-in-law. 'We will bring Itachi home, and he shall deserve a happy life with you.'
Izumi looked at the Konoha wall, her Itachi was outside there among with a bunch of dangerous S-rank ninja criminals.
'Yes, we will bring you home Itachi, and I will be strong to accomplish that.'
XXXXXXXXX
1600, Training Ground Seven
"Clear."
"No one is here."
"All clear!"
"Thanks girls!" Fu replied to her shadow clones, who had made sure no one could invade her privacy.
"Now check again your Battery seals," Chomei reminded. "The Predator stealth seal too."
The teal-haired girl quickly checked her both palms, then the bottoms of her ninja sandals. The Battery seals contained large amount of her wind chakra.
"Checked!" Fu answered excitedly, these seals were given by her jinchuuriki brother. She touched the Predator seal on her chest, and she vanished…. Not quite vanished, there were faint green light glows on where her palms and sandals used to be.
"Now begin countdown. 10… 9… 8… 7…" Fu made sure her palms were facing the ground. The glows began slightly brighter with every second.
"Zero!" The enormous wind chakra released from the Nanabi jinchuuriki's seals propelled her to the sky. With the Predator seal, no one in the village noticed that she skyrocketed. She held her hands upwards with a tag on each hand, the tags allowed her to bypass the Konoha Firewall, and she continued to rocket to the sky.
"WOOOOOHOOOOO!"
"Now activate the armour now!" Chomei said. The Nanabi felt they were no longer accelerating anymore as reaching the clouds.
The jinchuuriki dropped the red blanket behind her back, showing her two wings, then she made a several hand-signs and shouted.
"Nanabi-Wind Armour: Aerial Mode!" Two large charka arms emerged from Fu's back, they were not big nor powerful as Naruto's. The charka arms swung backward and released huge amount of wind chakra. With this and her wings she could fly better and faster.
"WOW my flight ability become so much better!"
An inverted flight for two minutes wasn't even a problem for her. She was happy; the flight gave her a sense of freedom and achievement.
She looked at the Konoha Walls, there were over three hundred super-trebuchets and a hundred super-ballista. They were more powerful than the ones in the Western and Northern Garrisons. With all these super artilleries combined with the Firewall seal defence array, Konoha was impenetrable and would not fall.
"Hello Mr. Choza!" Fu knew the Akimichi clan head wouldn't see her in stealth mode, she greeted him nonetheless, for he treated her nice. The Akimichi was the commander of the Home Division, and he was training along with several of his clansmen- The Titan Squad. It was called that because they all used the Super Multi-Size Technique that made them giants. Some of them were training with enormous spiked staffs, while the others were throwing boulders. It made Fu think they were the walking super-trebuchets.
A flight of birds was in her sight. It was strange, because a hawk was followed by other smaller kinds of birds- pigeons and sparrows. She looked closely and saw small tags with Leaf symbols on the birds' left legs.
"They are the Yamanaka's mind-controlled birds!" Fu realised. Now she remembered that Ino had mentioned she would have a "special recon training" with her clansmen. This must be the training the Yamanaka blonde talked about, Konoha needed to find out the Iwa Gravemaker's secret.
"Hey! Which of you is Ino?" There was no response, the flock kept ignoring her repeated questions.
"I don't know that pig can fly!" She said loudly, using Sakura's favourite jab on their blonde friend. A tick mark appeared on a sparrow, and it shot Fu a glare.
XXXXXXXXX
1800, The Haruno Household
"I'm home!" Sakura called out wearily as she took off her sandals and entered the dinner room. She wanted to have a meal and get to sleep, never mind about a shower.
"Welcome back!" Mebuki replied. "How is your training today dear?" She was holding a plate of big medium-done steak. Her daughter was a kunoichi and she needed all the nutrients she needed to be a good one.
"Ugh…" Sakura felt very sick upon looking at the slightly pink meat, she put her right hand on her mouth and dashed towards the bathroom.
"What happened darling!?" The Haruno mother asked in bewilderment when she saw her daughter throwing up in the toilet. When Sakura finished puking, the mother handed her two tissues.
"Thanks mum… I was in the morgue doing my advanced combat medic training this afternoon," Sakura took a tissue and wiped her mouth clean. "I dissected a corpse today and the steak reminds me of that body. Guess I want to be a vegetarian for a while… I want to carry out my medic and kunoichi duty."
Mebuki hugged her precious daughter dearly, she didn't want to lose her. When Naruto's existence as son of the Yellow Flash revealed to the world 13 years ago, war could happen anytime. Ninja was a very dangerous career in conflicts, and war is an ugly business: families torn asunder, homelessness, starvation, disease, rape, and death were common things in wars. If it was peace time, Mebuki might welcome Sakura becoming a kunoichi. She hated her sister-in-law the former civilian councillor who persuaded Sakura to purse a kunoichi career for petty reasons.
Three week ago, Mebuki and Kizashi were shocked and horrified when they saw heads on spikes in the Konoha Forum, one of them was Kizashi's older sister and former civilian councillor- Sakiri Haruno. Those guilty in the Namikaze-Hyuuga Incident were executed. Their heads served as a brutal reminder to the villagers that Konoha was a ninja village that was not to be pushed around by civilians.
Lots of people suspected Naruto Namikaze was behind this. Kizashi wept at his sister's brutal death, but Mebuki didn't feel any pity towards her sister-in-law, for what she had done to the Hyuuga heiress and endangered Sakura in the diet exercise.
What done was done, she needed to the give her daughter courage to make it out alive and healthy in the incoming war. Mebuki kissed her daughter's forehead. "I know you are strong, my little cherry blossom. I'm certain you will be a good kunoichi and make me and daddy proud."
Sakura hugged her mother in return. "Thank you, mum. I will make you both proud of me."
XXXXXXXXX
1900, Somewhere Near a Konoha Hot Spring
"Where are you, where are you?" A white-haired self-styled super-pervert muttered quietly while searching for someone inside his telescope. There were mists everywhere here. He saw a group of young naked women bath in the open area. Usually he would fix his eyes on them for half an hour, but he shifted his sight away.
"Where are you, my boy?" Jiraiya let out a perverted giggle. There was a bit of drool coming out of his mouth.
Nothing could escape his spy-ear when someone said in an extreme low voice, and he had heard Hinata's whisper "hot spring tonight" to Naruto during the meeting. Now he located his godson and his fiancé in this expensive hot spring having a "sexy time." This "research" would make another good Icha-Icha book and make him richer!
"Are you looking for me?" Shadow clone White appeared in his sight.
"WHA!" The Toad Sannin took a step back, nearly dropped on his ass. 'How could I not detect him?'
"Aren't you supposed to be with Kakashi's Battle Group hours ago?" The shadow clone was folding his arms and spoke to the Sannin with contempt. "And what the fuck are you doing here?"
Naruto put sentry here because he knew he had been watched by a Konoha asshole-elder named Danzo, but he never anticipated Jiraiya would invade his privacy, not at this time. White knew the Sannin could come back to Konoha via the Toad Portal, and he could get back with a toad reverse-summoning him. But this peeping action… the shadow clone knew boss would be very, very disappointed at his godfather. He should disown him.
"Give me a good reason why I shall not chop your cock off, Jiraiya?" Wind Claws appeared on White's both arms. The sudden appearance of twin long serrated wind blades on each arm made the Sannin gulp.
"Well, I want to inform you that our forces have located the Western Garrison survivors. We have set up a defence line, and Shizune has setup a field hospital to treat those critically wounded. Me and the rest of the hunter-killer team will set out to find the Gravemaker tomorrow morning."
White opened the communication link to Kurama, who would relay the information to Naruto.
"Well, that's good news but nice try!" Someone said.
"What the!" Three kunai shot towards the Sannin, one of them could hit his crotch had he not dodged it. The Glue fuinjutsu tagged on the three kunai activated. A triangle with inscriptions was formed between the three kunai, and Jiraiya was in the middle of it. He found himself unable to move. A figure landed in front of him.
"Grey!" White exclaimed.
"A messenger ninja could tell boss about this! You know he's here for that so-called 'research'! Just get rid of him and save your time!" Grey told White, before turning to Jiraiya with a sadistic smile. The kage bunshin held an Uzumaki katana walked behind Jiraiya's back with a sadist smile. "Oh, I am gonna finish what I have started this morning…"
'Shit! He's gonna shove that sword into my ass!' Jiraiya was sweating heavily. "Mercy! Please!"
"I am showing you mercy: just five centimeters and this is just a warning," Grey held his sword tightly. "Boss wants me to send you a message: 'If I catch you peeping next time, I will personally make you a eunuch.' Get it?"
The shadow clone coldly shoved his sword into the super pervert's ass without mercy, just like what he did to the Kumo doctors.
"AAHHHHHH!" Jiraiya screamed aloud and let out a very painful expression, and a satisfied smile appeared on the shadow clone's face.
POOF! The Toad Sage became a smoke. It took a few seconds for the smoke to dissipate.
"Shadow clone!" Grey and White shouted in surprise.
"Jiraiya must have left this shadow clone before he departed for the west!" White guessed. "Hey Grey, didn't boss do the same when he went to Uzushio and you hunted Raiga Kurosuki three years ago? Clever bastard, so he could still carry out his hunter-killer mission while doing this side-mission in the village."
Grey picked up Jiraiya's telescope and broke it furiously. "FUCK YOU JIRAIYA! REMEMBER WHAT BOSS SAID: NEXT TIME I CATCH YOU PEEPING, I WILL CHOP YOUR DICK OFF!"
There were loud applauses and cheers from the female section in the hot spring.
"Well said, Lord Naruto! Thank you!"
"We are safe!"
"Our privacy is secure!"
"No peeping! Thank you Lord Naruto!"
"The pervert will never dare to peep at us again!"
XXXXXXXXX
'Oh, I know what the ladies like,' Naruto thought with a smile. 'And I know what Hinata likes!'
Naruto Namikaze was sitting on a stone seat inside a hot spring enjoying the hot water relaxing his muscle while his love- Hinata Hyuuga was riding on his shaft wildly. The blond was holding the bluenette's ass tightly and was licking her right nipple. Her walls were very tight in this position and every up and down made them both in cloud nine.
Naruto and Hinata were making love inside an expensive and private VIP hot spring. Thanks to the privacy seals, no one nearby could hear Hinata's and Naruto's moans for over thirty minutes.
"I am… cumming!" Hinata screamed, Naruto could feel her walls tighter, making his dick to squeeze out its juice.
"Me too!" Naruto said and grabbed her D-cupped breasts.
The Hyuuga screamed louder when she felt her love's seeds filled inside her. They were panting for a few seconds and looked each other eyes. Their eyes conveyed love to each other, and they kissed deeply, tongue to tongue.
"I Love You." Both said, and they kissed again.
Hinata Hyuuga would participate the Chunin Exam Finals to earn her chunin rank along with Honoka and Tayuya. After the exam, the K-15 platoon would be deployed against Kumo.
Hinata knew the reason, the Hokages didn't want Naruto deployed in the west; he would be a magnet for the dreaded Iwa Gravemaker. Her Naruto had many powerful enemies, mostly due to his father.
'I will become stronger to protect you and be on your side as we face your enemies together. Because I love you, Naruto.'
Naruto didn't give a shit about facing Kumo and that Raikage again, but he knew Hinata would. As Naruto and Hinata were kissing naked in their hot spring, he made a secret promise for her love.
'I know Kumo haunts you deeply for what they tried to do to you, and you don't want to face them again, you fear being captured again. But I will do everything in my power to make sure nothing happened to you again… Because I love you, Hinata.'
No matter what fate threw at them, they would endure and overcome everything.
XXXXXXXXX
2200, Whirlpool Strait- between Fire Country and its Whirlpool Province
The personal Dragon transport for Supreme Commander of Neo-Combine "Orochi One" with a dozen other Dragons and their Buzzard escorts were quickly approaching the destroyed Uzushiogakure no Sato- which was the ground headquarters and the rally point of the Neo-Combine for the invasion commencing in less than 30 hours.
"General, we will arrive Uzushio in twenty minutes," Sky special jonin and medical leader of the Neo-Combine Amaru said to the VIP passenger on this transport- Shingen "Gravemaker" Hattori. Everyone on board the carryall could feel it started to descend from the clouds. Amaru tried her best, but she couldn't help to look at the general who was missing his right arm and left leg. The Last Hattori didn't mind her stare and didn't say anything as he was quietly looking at the sea.
When the news that Konoha General Kosuke Maruboshi went out with a bang reached Ancor Vantian, Supreme Commander Orochimaru immediately sent her, Karin Uzumaki and the other best medics to save the Gravemaker on the fastest Dragon carryall transports, the Snake Sannin needed the Gravemaker's Juggernaut army and his ten thousand strong mercenaries. The Uzumaki girl was sent at Kusa leader Kazuo's suggestion to heal the Gravemaker.
Amaru expected that the Grass leader would demand more favours and concession. 'Greedy bastard' was her thought on the Kusa leader.
Kosuke's explosion killed many Iwa Juggernauts, and Shingen was critically wounded. The Sky Dragons which bombed the Konoha forces quickly took the injured Rock ninjas to the hidden Grass village to stabilize them until Amaru and Karin arrived. The Sky kunoichi pitied the Uzumaki girl who "helped" to heal the Iwa ninjas with her body. If she were Karin, she would feel violated when those teeth dug deep into her skin. The poor Uzumaki girl was quietly sitting in the rear of the carryall. Tear stains remained on the Uzumaki girl's face.
The Dragons flew over the Kumo's Turtle Island and a fleet of small well-disguised fishing boats, the Last Hattori spat out of the window, making it obvious to everyone that he didn't like the hidden Cloud village who stole his target and instead made the boy powerful.
"Your chakra-metal prosthetic arm and leg are ready at the ground headquarters as we speak, your ability won't be hampered with the best technology Sky and Snow Countries have offered." Amaru said.
Shingen turned around and looked the Sky kunoichi with disbelief in his eyes. "Snow Country? Doto Kazahana finally agrees to join the Neo-Combine?"
Amaru nodded curtly. "Yes sir, the attacks this morning convinced him that we will be the victor in the war against Konoha. He finally agrees to join us, and his hidden Snow village five thousand ninjas will be under Lord Orochimaru's direct command on the left front. And that makes our invasion forces over sixty thousand. He has a condition though."
Shingen turned to look at the sea again. Amaru wasn't lying, there were four airships with Yukigakure symbols approaching Uzushio.
"Finding his niece, I guess?"
"Yes sir, Konoha might have a lead on her whereabouts, they rescued her during Doto's coup after all. The Neo-Combine has enough manpower and resources to find her."
The main island of Whirlpool came into his view, Shingen saw four Sky aircraft carriers and their eight escort destroyers anchored at the rebuilt seaport. Neo-Combine had enough resources to build one more aircraft carrier and two destroyers. People at the seaport were busying loading supply crates to the ships.
It's been more than twenty years since Shingen Hattori came to Whirlpool at the Uzushio Campaign, and it was this campaign he gained his facial scar and fame. He had a mixed feeling about returning to this ghost village.
"An ex-Leaf ninja led this Combine to see his village burned, and the Combine's archenemy village had become our secret base. Isn't it ironic?" He wondered aloud, and no one answered.
The destroyed Uzushio was no longer what he saw decades ago, the Neo-Combine had reconstructed the place to a base and rally point for the invasion and the world domination.
It's night now, but the base was alight. Shingen saw thousands of tents and barracks, and hundreds of dojos and factories here. There were big administration buildings even an air traffic control tower, more than five hundred Dragons parked here- enough to bring at least ten thousand soldiers in a wave.
The Dragons were preparing to land, one of Shingen's commanders asked what he saw. "What are they doing?"
Everyone saw hundreds of Sound ninjas jumping out of thirty Dragons 200 meters above several mock-up buildings.
"Air assault exercise for the invasion," Amaru answered. They saw several Sound genins screamed and fell to the ground hard.
"No! Dosu! Zaku! No!" A female screamed. "MEDICS!"
There was no response, they just let Dosu Kinuta, Zaku Abumi and the others die. It was a cruel world- genins were pawns and cannon fodders; the higher up never cared when they died. No one onboard the Orochi One made a comment until Shingen broke his silence.
"Does Konoha take the bait? I even left a hundred of my Juggernauts to purse the fleeing Konoha forces. The attacks on both Leaf garrisons should have distracted their attention."
A smile appeared on the Sky kunoichi's face. "Yes sir. Our spies confirmed more than ten thousand Konoha ninjas left the village to reinforce both garrisons, including many of their elite jonins such as Jiraiya, Kakashi Hatake, Asuma Sarutobi, and Gai Maito. Only ten thousand ninjas left to guard Konoha. We have confirmed that Naruto Namikaze stays in the village, and we believe he's training for Hiraishin. We must kill him before he masters it."
The Iwa Gravemaker gave the Sky kunoichi a very warm smile, greatly appreciating this information and the sentiment. That cursed Yellow Butcher's offspring was the only thing he was after.
"My experience says it takes five times manpower to overrun a well-defended place," the Iwa general gave the young kunoichi a teaching. "I think we need more edge even we outnumber Konoha by six to one though, judging by what happened at the Kannabi Bridge today. Tell me, you the Sky Marshal's righthand woman, can the Sky aircraft carriers be airborne?"
Amaru shook her head, the Gravemaker didn't look happy.
"Then why the hell Ancor Vantian is the only one equipped with airborne technology while the escorts and muscles- aircraft carriers aren't? It will take half an hour for a Buzzard to return to her carrier on the Fire Eastern Coast to replenish, and another half an hour to come back to Konoha. It will give Konoha chance to reprieve!"
The Sky special jonin kunoichi could only answer "I don't know. There is nothing we can do about it now, sir," and shook her head.
Orochi One landed along with the other Dragons. Shingen stepped out of the transport and his right leg touched the ground, earth raised up and formed a leg under the Iwa general's left knee as a temporary prosthetic leg.
"Yes, we can," he answered. His 343 Juggernauts including his twelve jonins disembarked the Dragons and followed him.
"Have you ever heard of Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique?"