Chapter Thirty Four

I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto does.

Heyo guys! I'm back just like I said! And someone left a review saying I wouldn't be! How rude! Anyway, I hope y'all had a great Christmas. Please check out my new story Namikaze's Lament, and please enjoy this chapter!

A loud noise had the Namikaze household awake at a very early hour. Naruto knew Rikka was exhausted, so he immediately stood from bed. "Don't worry, I'll get her." He whispered, kissing her on the head.

The blond made his way down the hall, and smiled as he opened the door to the room the noise originated from. A baby lay in the crib, crying loudly. "Kushina… don't cry, dad's gonna change your diaper."

After the short and unflattering process. He held his child in his arms. "Eleven months since you were born… it's been eleven months already." He rocked his child lightly in his arms, and when he happened to lean his head down, she grabbed hold of his blond hair.

The small child tugged at his hair, giggling sleepily. "Dada." Naruto grinned at her when she spoke, she'd been saying dada and mama a lot. She was cute, and he loved her. She had a small mop of tomato red hair on her head that had one blue strand that stuck out from the rest.

Soon enough his child fell back asleep, and he gently lowered her back into her crib. He quietly returned to his wife's side and fell asleep soundly. However; despite the happiness in the Namikaze's heart, he knew not all was right with the world, and Konoha wasn't in the best position.

"At first it was going well… we were at the advantage the whole time it seemed… but after I met the Raikage… we had setback after setback, and loss after loss. The sudden emergence of Lord Second's Reanimation jutsu made what was beginning to look like a quick and decisive victory… into a slaughter of our own troops.. by our own deceased loved ones." Naruto said sitting atop his father's head. He looked over the village, admiring the beauty of it all. "And the worst part.. is that I know I'll have to face you again."

Flashback. One month ago.

"What the hell do you mean we lost contact with the entirety of Third Battalion?" Naruto questioned. The radio nin before him however; was just as puzzled as he was. Third Battalion had contained six radio nin, and the odds of an entire battalion being wiped out before anyone could relay their attack back to them was unheard of. Except for the feats of one man.

"I don't know sir, their just gone. I can't get any of them on the radio?" The nin said in confusion. "Maybe their jamming us?"

"No, I doubt it. Jamming usually results in the immediate deployment of a courier squad. I'll go myself. Two miles south correct?" Naruto questioned.

"Yes sir. Are you sure you want to go alone?"

"We might have just lost five hundred shinobi in a minute… I'd rather not lose more." And with that the blond tossed a kunai into the horizon, and disappeared.

The closer he got to Third Battalion's last known position, the more uneasy he felt. He had stopped suddenly when he felt it; not only a chakra signature eerily similar to his own… but multiple of his kunai markers as well. His curiosity got the better of him, and he flashed straight to it.

The sight that greeted him filled his heart with rage. Before him lay the bloody bodies of five hundred slain shinobi. Blood and limbs were strewn throughout the boulder field before him, and a figure was on the horizon. Standing in the middle of the carnage stood the figure who wore a blood soaked white cloak. It flapped gently in the wind, and the words on it were clear and easy to read. A nin stirred beside the man, and asked him a question with his dying breaths. "Lord Fourth Hokage… why.. did you come back to kill us.."

"Dad…?"

Spinning around, the dead man stared back at his son. "Naruto… wow… you're taller than me." Said the fallen Hokage. His pure joy in seeing his son managed to hold back the control of the jutsu user, but it wouldn't last. "Prepare! I can't hold back! I can flash to your kunai and you can flash to mine!"

"Right!" Naruto yelled, realizing that he'd have to fight his father. What ensued was a what seemed to be a ball of lightning forming on the surface of the earth. Yellow flashes filled the barren area as the father and son battered each other.

Across the blood stricken battlefield, the father son duo would appear, locked in heavy taijutsu combat. Naruto, flipped over his father, catching himself on his hands and spinning his legs around to kick at the fallen Hokage's head. Seconds before contact was made, Minato flashed above his son, striking down with a kunai at rapid speeds.

As the blade began to cut through the fabric on Naruto's leg and cut away at the skin, Naruto transitioned to a single handstand. Here, the blond formed a Rasengan in a split second. A bright yellow flash filled the space, and Minato quickly felt the effect as the jutsu bore a hole into his side.

Before any extensive damage could be caused, Minato flashed away, placing distance between himself and his enemy. "I never wanted to meet you this way." Spoke one of Konohagakure's most legendary shinobi.

"I actually met you long ago father. Well, at least the version you sealed inside me." Naruto explained to his dad. "You told me where to find your notes on the Flying Raijin, and I reverse engineered it."

"Ah I see." Said Minato as he sprinted forward. "You've done well. I'm quite impressed." Complemented the man as he met his son's punch with his forearm. Before the living blond could throw another, his chest was met with a strong kick from the reanimation.

"Gah!" Naruto let out as the air was forced out of his lungs. Just before the man impacted a rock, his father appeared behind him, swinging his kunai for the jounin's neck. Naruto flashed away, landing roughly in a pile of rocks. He was sure some of his ribs had snapped. "Dammit. I won't let them use dad like a pawn y'know!" He said forcing his way onto his feet.

Again, his father appeared before him, Rasengan in hand. This time however; Naruto was prepared and launched forward. He slammed a Rasengan into his father's own as the Hokage attacked. Here, Naruto poured whatever chakra he could draw from the Nine Tails into it, and cause it to gain a red hue. Recognizing the danger, Naruto let his Rasengan destabilize and leapt away as the two techniques exploded with massive force.

With a loud boom, Minato's arm was blasted apart, and Naruto stood unscathed. Once more, his father came at him, kunai gripped in his hand. As he closed in, Naruto took a kunai into his mouth while dual wielding one in each of his palms. Finally, father and son collided in a flurry of blades. The sounds of combat echoed through the boulder field, and slashes quickly appeared across both blonds' flak jackets.

The long bladed tri-prong kunai were deadly in close combat, and it wasn't long before the jounin felt the sting of his flesh being cut. Every blow Naruto traded with his father resulted in wounds forming on both men. His father regenerated almost as fast as he did, and the man now had his arm back. Naruto knew that this was likely one battle of attrition he could not win. Once again they clashed, and the living blond was disarmed of his kunai in the trade off of blows.

The son lashed out at his father with a vicious kick that the deceased blond barely managed to dodge before catching a follow up kick right in the face. He stuck out with another that was deflected by his father as he drew a blade. The reanimated Hokage put his son on the back pedal in seconds, and his extra years of experience provided the advantage against his son.

However; the second blond genius was no push over. When Minato struck out with a Rasengan, the blond managed to glide through hand signs at his fastest pace to date, and used a perfectly timed jutsu. As the Rasengan got close, Naruto intercepted it with the hilt of his kunai, and used Flying Raijin: Guiding Thunder to teleport the deadly attack back into his father's kunai pouch. The man's legs were blown clean off by the blast from the large Rasengan, leaving him immobile.

The Hokage's son was on top of him in seconds, pinning the man's arms down as he moved to make hand seals for a sealing jutsu. "Good job Naruto. I'm proud of you." Minato said with a smile.

"Thank you dad." Naruto said as he began the sealing sequence. His eyes narrowed however; when his father's face turned neutral and a foreign voice came from his mouth.

"Sorry, but I'm not done with this pawn." Spoke the strange and in the very back of his mind familiar voice. At that second, Minato flashed away. The blond man felt his father flash away more before he disappeared outside of Naruto's sensor range.

"Damnit." The blond said, surveying the destruction and death around him. "Sure am glad I researched Lord Second's Reanimation jutsu after the chunin exams though." He said quietly to himself. Because of his research, he'd know that sealing his father away was the only option. But if his father had been reanimated… then almost anyone could be.

Flashback end.

"Orochimaru definitely isn't coming back… so that means the only one who could have possibly learned that jutsu had to be someone that snake trusted." The blond said pondering the source of the jutsu after reliving his meeting with his father.

"He only trusted one that I know of." A voice said from behind the blond.

"Kabuto." Naruto said.

"That's my guess." Kakashi said as he took a seat beside the man.

"It's likely. We didn't confirm his death at any point." Naruto said, remembering the events of Orochimaru's death. They had all been so focused on their target, they had let one get away that had become an even bigger threat than the previous.

"He may have gone to the Raikage and offered his help in the war." Kakashi offered to the troubled jounin.

"In exchange for what though?" Questioned the new father. "That's what has my curiosity peaked." He admitted to his sensei. He couldn't imagine what Kabuto's motive could possibly be. Everyone had a goal, but he knew nothing of Kabuto's.

"We might never find out." Kakashi resigned.

"I'm worried that with someone like Kabuto whispering in the Raikage or Tsuchikage ears, this war may never be able to be ended by a Kage summit. He could bring convince one or both of them to fight to the last man." Naruto sighed. "I promised to end this war quickly. And I'm starting to think there may be drastic measures necessary. I admit Kaka-Sensei… I planned to slaughter Kumo and Iwa shinobi until their Kage gave up… but reanimations are cost free soldiers."

"That's a fair concern Naruto, and I know that you're right. But I think you're worrying about something too far out of your control."

"Sensei. If we were to come against the first four Hokage… I don't know if we could win… we need to kill Kabuto. And fast." The Namikaze stated.

"How do you propose we do that?" Asked a new arrival.

"You're incapable of sneaking up on me Sasuke." Naruto said without turning around. "We'd need to get into Kumogakure and Iwagakure at the same time. That's on the off chance that he isn't hidden away somewhere else." The blond explained.

"To catch someone that slippery in a large village would almost require us to level the place in an instant." The Uchiha replied, ignoring the blond's insult.

"We can't do that." Naruto said shaking his head. "I need to find a way to break one of the Reanimations free so they can lead us to him. And that's just a shot in the dark. I'm not even sure it'd work." The blond said, hatching a throwaway plan.

"What other options do we have?" Kakashi questioned.

"I don't know…" The blond replied with a saddened sigh.

"Naru?" Rikka questioned as her husband entered their home. It was quiet in the home that night, and the mother had dealt with no trouble other than the fussing of her young child.

"Hey Rikka." Said the man as he stepped through the door. She observed her husband closely. She picked up right away that something was bothering him, but decided to leave it alone. He looked exhausted, but she knew it wasn't physical. Her husband was mentally drained, and surely wasn't at his best.

"You're home." Rikka said with a smile as she gently bounced their child in her arms. She hoped to cheer him up quickly with a warm and welcoming home.

"That I am. Sorry, I had a meeting with Kakashi and Sasuke. After which we had to go pitch my idea to the Hokage and Shikaku. Shikamaru has been planing a huge role there as well, no surprise he'd follow in his father's footsteps." Naruto said, removing his flak vest and gear. He took his time removing his pouches and restocking some of his daily use scrolls with things like quick lunches and water.

"That's what you did." The mother pointed out. She knew he still looked up to his father immensely, even after the father and son's terrible meeting on the battlefield.

"I suppose you're right." He smiled. His wife was wonderful, and her mere presence was helping bring his happy mood back. "How's our little girl?" He questioned approached the mother and child and played with his offspring's hair.

"Sadly she's been cranky all day." Replied his wife with a sigh. She tried not to tell him about these things, as she didn't want him to worry. Today however; it just felt good to tell him about her day.

"Kushi, have you been giving your momma trouble? Huh?" At her father's face, the child giggled and smiled back at him. "You're supposed to be good for mom remember? Please play nice." He instructed.

"It's fine Naruto, it's not so bad." Rikka insisted.

"Still, I feel bad leaving you here alone so often Rikka. I know I have missions but I hate to rest it all on your shoulders." The blond replied with a frown. He hated that he wasn't able to be there, and he hated the war that had stolen so much from his family, even if it was only time.

"It's okay, we're just happy when you're home." She said with a wide smile. It didn't last long however; as it slowly dropped off her face. "So… where are you going next?"

The blond sighed as he sat down at the table. "Back to the Land of Hot Water this time… I intend to use Kakashi as bait. Worry not though, Sasuke and myself are going to back him up, I'll likely bring Sakura along as well. We have to stop this jutsu as soon as possible. Especially because the findings from my research suggest that the user hasn't mastered it yet. And if the enemy reanimations can fight at this level, I can't imagine the amount of power they could get back after the user masters this."

The danger the reanimation jutsu held was evident, and Naruto would make it his new priority. Seeing his father on the battlefield had hurt him deeply, and he couldn't imagine what it put his allies and friends though.

"I see…" His wife replied softly.

"Before that though… I have to do something else." He said, sadness seeping into his voice.

"What is it darling?" She questioned.

"I need to go apologize to Lord Ichigawa." He stated.

"What for though dear?" Rikka was honestly puzzled by her husband's statement.

"I promised to end this war quickly… and on that note.. I have failed." Naruto said in regret.

"You think that bothers Lord Ichigawa? He likes you a lot Naruto. I'm quite sure he'd forgive you." The woman countered. She saw no reason for her lover to be down on himself for such reasons.

"Even so. It's disrespectful of me to ignore my failure to make good on my promise to him." The blond elaborated. He'd already made up his mind, he'd just decided to tell his wife.

"Lord Ichigawa… it's nice to see you." Naruto greeted. He truly respected and looked up to the man since he'd met him, and they'd only grown closer since.

"Naruto my boy! I've told you, please refer to me as Hachi when it's just us." The Daimyo insisted.

"Hachi… I've failed you and the Hokage… along with the elders. I made you a promise… and I haven't kept it. I swore to end this war quickly, but it's only drug on." Naruto apologized scincerly. He'd had a lot of confidence in himself at the start of the war, but now with the appearance of the reanimation jutsu, he didn't know anymore.

"Naruto my boy. You never made that a promise. You did indeed say you would end this conflict, but you never made it a promise. I wholeheartedly forgive you my dear boy." The leader assured him. He'd cared for all the Hokage he'd met and worked with, and now he would care for the upcoming one.

"Thank you Hachi… I don't deserve this." Naruto said with a sad smile.

"Oh on the contrary Naruto. You do indeed. Now, I must warn you. Some on the Konoha council may not follow my wishes, and you may encounter resistance from the elders. You are in my favor son, but for them, you are the target of their grudge. They've always disliked you, and I'm sure it won't stop now." The Lord of the Land of Fire warmed.

"I understand sir. Thank you, I will watch my back." Due to his lack of experience in the field of politics, Naruto knew that any advice given by the Daimyo would be something important. He knew from what he saw during Hiruzen's reign that he'd need to watch his back around the Konoha elders.

"Naruto… the Land of Fire has been under my watch since the time Hiruzen took the title of Hokage. I've seen many conflicts and shinobi come and go." The Daimyo said, looking out his office window. He motioned for the blond to come closer, and soon the man stood beside him. "Of those shinobi, only a select few have earned enough recognition to become more than an elite jounin. For example, we have your Hokage. And just below them, we have the Sannin. As of right now, the five strongest living Konoha shinobi are yourself, Lady Tsunade, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura." When he finished listing out those five, he turned to his friend with a smile. "Naruto out of those five ninja, I believe you to be the strongest. You're not only the strongest but you're mature beyond your age. I believe you're ready to be Hokage, but I know that you must fight in this war. Please my boy, do not die. Become the strongest you can be, and lead Konohagakure into its new golden age." As he finished he laid a hand on the Namikaze's shoulder.

"Thank you Hachi. I won't let you down." Naruto replied with a small smile of his own.

"You're welcome. Make sure to tell Rikka and little Kushina I said hello. You're a wonderful father my boy. Don't forget that." Ichigawa said with a grin. He truly missed the boy's father, and enjoyed the company of the young blond man.

"Hachi… there's something else I'd like to inform you of." Naruto said.

"Oh? And that is." Here Naruto threw up a few privacy seals before speaking quietly into the Daimyo's ear. "Oh wow Naruto. That's quite and aggressive idea." He offered.

"Do I have your permission sir? This could undermine the Hokage." The Namikaze cautioned.

"Yes you have my permission my boy. I will deal with Tsunade and the Lightning Daimyo." Hachi replied.

"Thank you sir." Naruto said.

"Of course my boy." The Lord answered.

"Thank god you can't fight like you used to Zabuza." Kakashi said as he took a heavy breath.

"I might not have my will, but I'm still fine with a rematch with you Hatake. If I had my full power I'd kill you." The dead Kirigakure nin said with a smile.

"I'm sorry you and Haku were forced from your rest." The cyclops apologized.

"Thank you mister Hatake, but you should focus." The ice user said with a kind respectful voice.

Kakashi duked it out with the pair a while longer, eager to get the plan into motion. He finally severed Zabuza's arms, and completely de-limbed Haku before sticking one of Naruto's kunai into the swordsman's chest.

Zabuza stumbled back from the force of it, and almost shit himself when Naruto appeared. "Jesus kid!" He said in surprise while kicking out at the new arrival. Once again, his mind was blown as the blond dodged the kick with speed Zabuza had never witnessed. The man pushed the reanimated ninja onto the ground and slapped a seal on his chest that held him in place.

Naruto smiled at his former enemy and threw a kunai at Haku. It landed beside the ninja, and Zabuza's mouth dropped open at Naruto's speed. "He's come a long way hasn't he Kakashi…."

"That he has Zabuza." The Konoha nin replied.

"Tell me… is he?" The former Kiri shinobi questioned.

"Yup. You're looking at the son of the Fourth Hokage. Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash." Chuckled Kakashi.

"I should have guessed." Zabuza said with a sigh.

As the two ninja spoke, Haku stared at the blond man in awe. "Are you…"

"Yup. Thanks for teaching Sasuke the lessons you did. He changed a lot after he met you." Naruto replied with a large grin.

"Did I really change that much?" Asked the raven haired man who approached.

"Yeah you did." The blond teased.

"Sasuke? Is that you? You look different now….older." Haku questioned in slight doubt.

"Yeah, I'm twenty two now." The Uchiha answered.

"Wow." Came this simple response of the ice weilder.

"It's good to see you Haku… I've wanted to thank you for a long time. I learned a lot from you, and it changed me for the better. The chance meeting I had with you derailed the hellish path I think I was on, so… Thank you." Sasuke said, finally having a chance to thank someone from his past who'd changed his life for the better.

"You're welcome." The reanimation smiled.

"I knew you were just a big softie Uchiha." Naruto teased.

"Fuck off Namikaze." Sasuke said bluntly.

"You two settle now. Thank you for teaching so much to Sasuke Haku, you did so much for us." Sakura said to what in another world could have been her romantic rival.

At this, all six ninja shared a chuckle before Naruto sealed away Haku. "Rest well snow angel." Said Kakashi quietly. "A kind person like you deserved better."

"I couldn't agree more." Zabuza spoke.

"Zabuza. I'm going to break you free of the Reanimation user's control. A battalion of our ninja are currently fighting some other reanimated ninja, so unless the user wants to lose that battle, he's not gonna release the jutsu." The blond jounin explained to the once living shinobi. "You should able to sense where he is right?" He questioned.

"Yeah, I can." The man answered simply.

"Good, now you're gonna lead us to him. Your arms should regenerate soon, so here's your sword. You're on our side now." Naruto said with a grin.

"Heh, that's no fun. But I guess I'll play your game brat." Zabuza quipped at the blond.

"Now now, I'm not much younger than you anymore." Naruto replied with a calm smile.

"I suppose not, but you're still a brat." Laughed the once vicious shinobi.

"Alright now, so we are going to follow him to who we assume is Kabuto, correct?" Asked the copy ninja.

"Yeah… Sakura.. Kakashi… Sasuke." Naruto said.

"What is it Naruto?" Questioned the Uchiha.

"If the Raikage shows up and interferes… I'm going to kill him."

"What!?"

Well that's all for today y'all! I'll try to keep updates consistent! Soon wilczyca117 on deviantart will be putting out art of the haircut scene, so I'll let you know! Please check out my new story Namikaze's Lament! Love y'all and have a happy New Years!