Naruto - Warlord

AN:

First things first, i'm so, so sorry to the people who i responded to months ago, that the chapter was going to be released in the coming weekend. That obviously did not end up being true, and i will not do myself the disservice of trying to make an excuse for that. I'm a firm believer of not making empty promises, but all i really have to give you right now is my words, which in the end, mean very little.

I was going to release this chapter the coming weekend as i promised, i really did. Then i had a really horrible week at work, in which ended with me separating from my boss, shaking with distaste and anger at what i still think was the actions of a coward lacking any sort of integrity and sense of professionalism. The week was topped off with, as some of you who've followed the AN's will know, with my hospitalized family member taking a turn for the worse, in which has been a constant weight and nightmare hanging over my shoulders in a steady decline downhill.

I was, quite frankly, too depressed, to even sit down and work on a chapter for more than 5 min as my thoughts tend to wander to dark places nowadays if i'm not distracted. And that is the reason for my absence for this time, genuinely the reason. There's a lot more shit to my depression that you guys don't know about, but take it however you will. I'm still active and motivated to write this story, i've just been down but not out after a bit of a big hit to the chin from the cunt known as 'real life'.

Also, before i forget, i'm really sorry about not responding to your reviews as i have in the past. Again, it's all linked up to what i've already described above. Just waking up in the morning has been a chore, but reading you guys's reviews have been nothing but good for me.

Unto more relevant stuff however, last chapter was met with a LOT of support, both reviews and PM's, and thank you all so much for that! Yes, there's been a couple of bad reviews, but they are so far and few in between that i'll do nothing but take it as a positive sign that i'm doing something right. And most of the negative reviews that come are usually in regards to the first few chapters, which i'm already aware of that they have some points that could have been explained better.

One review in particular, as well as a couple of more, rose a few points that i'd like to address, and hear your thoughts on:

Conflict: -in one way or another. Up until now, things have been going VERY smoothly for Naruto and his forces, so i can perfectly see that you guys would like to see them tested, perhaps even beaten sooner rather than later. On this topic, i don't want to say too much... But i will say that somethings coming. Something that will, not visibly in the beginning, change things drastically down the line. I don't want to over promise, as some ideas are still in the works, but it's coming. I also see that changing things up does not necessarily mean a military loss, which is an excellent point to raise and one i've given a lot of thought in regards to both sides of the argument.

Favorite character: We all have our favorite characters in the original show and you guys have expressed a wish to see them appear in the story, and i hear you. All i've got to say to this though unfortunately is... No comment. But the fact that i'm even mentioning it to only say 'no comment' should tell you that somethings up. I'm just too afraid of spoiling anything to mention anything more. You'll know it when you read it.

Nadeshiko and their placement: After some research before i wrote this chapter, it's actually not clear as to exactly WHERE the village is located. It's just described as "close to Wave", which, if you ask me, means that Nadeshiko might just as well be on an island out to seas rather than in on the mainland. To me, it seemed more correct to assume so, since if you look at a Naruto world map, you'll see that anywhere in mainland isnt really anywhere "close to wave", not without it being a bit of a stretch. If it's "close to Wave", it has to be closer to wave than any of the other mainlands. Or that's how i figure it at least. Might be completely wrong.

Now, unto the long awaited chapter! There's not a lot i will say, as this AN have rambled on long enough as it is, but considering the points that have already been addressed in the AN, i feel like i have to mention: This chapter will not necessarily address, tease or fix anything of what's been already discussed. It might, but it might not. What you're going to read over the next few minutes might be the prelude to something far greater that will span over the next 15 chapters... But it might not.

As always, take it for what it is and know that we're nowhere close to the finishing line.

ENJOY!

Chapter 29

"Forward!", Naruto roared as his forces made it up the top of the middle, largest hillside. Several of his officers were leading a coordinated assault on the other 2 hillsides, while some were tasked with securing the land surrounding the village. Naruto wanted as few as possible of the Frost shinobi to be able to escape. The Nadeshiko shinobi, whoever they managed to secure, were either put in the care of the medics or paired up with the rearguard of the many, different units in order to sway the rest to their presence.

Their heavily armored bodies ran across the thicket between them and the village walls where they immediately began to scale the 50 feet granite walls. Leading from the front, Naruto was the first to reach the top of the wall.

Taking a moment to observe the village before him, his emotions rolled as he saw the carnage. Hundreds laid dead in the streets, the tall stone buildings having collapsed from structural damage. Whatever was made of wood burned and blood quite literally flowed through the streets as the snow fell.

Many of his clones from earlier had popped, revealing either success or failure in evacuating the civilians. There were still ton's of people left in the chaos of the city so they would have to work fast.

A street began right below him, covered in corpses and still fighting shinobi from both villages. The brick-laid street led straight ahead towards a town square, once pristine and beautiful now something out of a nightmare and a fevered dream. Corpses covered every inch of the plaza, where those who still fought were struggling to maintain their footwork while the fountain in the middle ran red from the bloody pollution of the bodies that littered it. Most of the fighting looked to be concentrated there, Naruto seeing what looked like hundreds of shinobi who fought for their lives.

It made his blood boil; Oddly enough, an emotion that was shared by the Kyuubi within him.

"On me!", Naruto roared, dropping down to the street. He didn't look back as he slammed into the ground, the street cracking beneath his weight and that of his following Iron Guard. The rest of the spearmen, who flanked a unit of archers, quickly followed, dropping into the wide, enormous street. "Spearwall!"

"Osu!"

Almost perfectly synchronized, his spearmen closed rank around him, forming a wall of spears and shields from one side of the street to the other. The street was just wide enough for a full unit to cover it all on their own.

"Forward!"

"Osu!"

Their boots stomped down the streets and across the bodies of the fallen, unimpeded by the carnage. The village in it's entirety seemed to shake at the weight of their boots, drawing the attentions of shinobi who fought nearby. Both the locals and the attackers paused as they saw the moving army, steadily claiming the street one step at a time.

As both sides seemed unsure as to what to do, Naruto decided that they might need a bit of convincing to avoid any accidents.

Pulling a javelin out of a nearby spearman's shieldhand, Naruto quickly threw it as hard as he could towards a Frost shinobi, a man who was perched with wide eyes on a broken street sign, eyeing their forces with shock. The javelin hit it's mark dead on, penetrating the shinobi's chest before he could react. The javelin then dragged the body along and stuck him like a screaming ornament upon the wall above the shop.

His action seemed to wake both the locals and the Frost shinobi up; The locals were now fleeing towards and past them, running hard for the direction Naruto and his forces had come from, finally realizing that help had come as they spotted some of their own at the rear.

The Frost shinobi however were forming up in front of Naruto and his men. While they didn't have any formations or such, they still easily covered both the street and the visible edges of the rooftops before them, ready to face Naruto and his army.

Suddenly, one after the other, they all burst into activity and several hundreds of kunai, throwing stars and other thrown weapons came at them at once.

"Shields up!", Naruto roared, hunkering down as the men around him took cover beneath their shields. The wave of weapons washed over them, chipping against their shields and Naruto could hear some unlucky few scream or grunt in pain around him. As soon as the volley ended Naruto prepared his next command. "First to second line, shields up! Move forward! Everyone else, throw javelins! Archers, fire free!"

"Osu!"

A wave of javelins was thrown in response at the shinobi. Naruto's men, now charged with chakra, threw the javelins with deadly precision and force. Several of the Frost shinobi died instantly as they were struck out of the air. Several of the shinobi who had already made it to the rooftops right above them were killed instantly, their bodies dropping down on top of Naruto's moving army from either javelin or arrow.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!" As a host of clones spawned before him, they immediately jumped for the rooftops to begin clearing the upper levels of the village of enemies. Seeing several of the enemy Shinobi now busy on the rooftops against both his clones and some furious Nadeshiko kunoichi, Naruto saw his chance to push the momentum. "Push forward!"

"Osu!"

The shinobi still left on the ground charged them down, a myriad of weapons in their hands. Everything from hooks and weights, to katana's and wakizashis, the Frost shinobi came at them with everything they had.

"Brace!" Hearing Naruto's warning, his men tensed in preparation, bracing for the charging shinobi. The shinobi clashed into the front of their army, while several jumped above them to try and get into their formations, which was a bad mistake on their part. Some were plucked out of the air with arrows or javelins, much like their comrades before, while others where met with a spear through their guts on the way down. Only a few managed to land and do damage, before they were immediately cut down by the surrounding mob. The air was quickly filled with the sounds of pained and angry screams, of steel meeting steel and flesh.

Whenever the shinobi of the frost attacked, Naruto's men would block, another stabbing above and over their comrades to provide the offence. Every attack made by the shinobi was met with a shield and answered with a spear from those around. Every time one of their shields splintered from a chakra enhanced kick or punch, the spearman would immediately be dragged behind the rest and replaced. Their wall was unbreakable through conventional means, just as Naruto had been training them for.

"Push!", Naruto roared, his voice distorted from the beast's chakra, which seemed to push the men around him to higher levels of aggression. A javelin whipped past his head, sticking a charging shinobi out of the air.

"Osu!", his men roared furiously. One of the men to Naruto's front-left blocked a bladed lunge from one of the shinobi, his comrade behind his right shoulder immediately answering with a steady spear which struck true in the offending shinobi. The man in Naruto's front, who Naruto pushed his back with his own forearm against to keep him moving forward, raised his shield to protect them both from a pair of throwing stars.

"Men of Iron!", Naruto roared, his eyes wide and and lips drawn in a snarl as men died around them. "We do not break!" As the man at his front blocked another attack, Naruto stabbed above and over his soldiers, sending his halberd piercing into a shinobi's neck. An unlucky man next to Naruto died instantly as a kunai pierced his skull through his left eye socket. His body slumped together, disappearing beneath the boots of the moving unit as he was replaced by the man behind.

"Osu!"

"We do not bend!" Another wave of shinobi charged into their front line, sending the front line of Naruto's forces rearing back, digging their heels into the ground with angry grunts, groaning as Naruto and the rest behind them pushed up on their backs to prevent them from loosing ground. Some of Naruto's men fell at continuous intervals, either dead or wounded, replaced as quickly as they fell to fortify their ranks.

"Osu!"

"We do not yield!" Pushing forward, the front line slammed their weight into their shields, sending the shinobi sliding back with surprised screams.

"OSU!" Their confirming yell was loud enough to make Naruto's ear ring. Before the shinobi could recover, a wave of javelins and arrows rained over them, piercing through the front line of the shinobi's forces. Naruto couldn't help but shiver as the projectiles whistled right past their own ears from behind.

This seemed to be the last drop that was needed to break the enemies morale; The shinobi was now fleeing in droves.

...However, one shinobi jumped into the air above them, his hands snapping into several hand signs quicker than the eye could see.

"Frost Release: Frozen Dragon Technique!"

A wave of frost and ice spewed forth from the shinobi's mouth, quickly forming a dragon of pure ice above them. It coiled in place menacingly and the sight made Naruto's army pause in shock, as the dragon was about as large as the surrounding buildings. It had the potential to kill off half a unit if they weren't careful.

'Kyuubi!', Naruto thought, his face set in a determined, grim expression as his body tensed.

'I'm with you!'

Feeling a surge of the Kyuubi's chakra strengthen his body, he felt the halberd sing in response to the malevolent chakra. The chakra quickly enveloped both Naruto and his weapon, tendrils of power lashing out aggressively without even touching the men surrounding him. As the dragon rushed forward, Naruto shoved his men aside and leapt into the air straight towards it. Piercing through the air, Naruto reared his halberd back, before slamming it forward as another burst of power surged into him and through his arms as Naruto and the Kyuubi worked synchronously to control the mixed chakra throughout his body. The halberd met the front of the dragon in a loud explosion, the Kyuubi's chakra exploding violently from the halberd and into the dragon, shattering the construct in a million pieces.

The shinobi who had used the technique was wide eyed in shock and did not manage to react as Naruto was suddenly upon him on the way down, having gone straight through the dragon in his counterattack. Naruto's hand clasped around the shinobi's face, slamming his right knee into the man's sternum as they descended. Naruto's grip remained fast despite the rapidly approaching ground, using his weight to kill the man instantly in a savage display of brutality; The man's head exploded like an egg upon the street at the same time as his chest caved in beneath Naruto's knee and his heavy weight.

Rising up with the shinobi's blood splattered all over his armor, Naruto roared inhumanly as the line between himself and the Kyuubi began to grow exceptionally thin.

"Break ranks!", Naruto roared at his men who was still frozen in shock. Seeing as the enemy was retreating, it was vital that they kept their momentum before the enemy could recover. "Fight free!"

"OSU!", his men roared, waking from their stupor and emboldened by their Warlord's display.

Rolling his shoulders to loosen his muscles, Naruto walked towards the square where both the enemy and the locals had began to disperse at the arrival of Naruto's forces. His army went amok around him, chasing and cutting the enemy down in droves as they swarmed the streets and the rooftops. Javelins and arrows, shields and spears; They had the enemy on the run.

No more snow fell that night.

When morning arrived, the sun rose with a reddish glow that was cast over the village in it's entirety, as if mimicking the blood of the dead that flowed through the village.

It was quiet now. Eerily so. The village that had been bustling with combatants just hours before was as silent as the grave.

Naruto himself sat on the edge of the fountain, in the square that he'd liberated during the night. He tried his best at ignoring the copious amount of corpses around him, along with that of those in the fountain right behind him where he was seated, but it proved difficult as the scent of death was strong. The battle had been surprisingly easy; when the morale of the enemy first broke, it broke for good. Naruto suspected that many of the Frost shinobi had escaped, but many had been either captured or killed.

They had gotten lucky. Naruto could only assume that exhaustion had a factor in with the lack of chakra techniques that had been used in the brief encounter. Naruto suspected that the skirmish would have been much harder had they been fully rested, but those were thoughts for later.

The medics they'd brought with them were put to work, tending to the wounded as Shou began the task of securing the village, the prisoners and tending to the dead.

Naruto's armor had been dismantled on the spot, leaving his upper body bare at the medics insistence as they fuzzed over him. Naruto tolerated it as he remained seated patiently, gazing down at the halberd in his hand.

'The weapon responded surprisingly well to my chakra.', the Kyuubi weighed in, sounding wistful as it spoke within Naruto's mind.

'Aye.', Naruto agreed, his fingers tracing over the intricate patterns engraved upon the shaft. 'It served us well. Even if it's a bit thinner and smaller than our previous one, it's a formidable weapon.'

"Warlord!"

Drawn from his conversation with the Kyuubi, Naruto's gaze rose from the ground, eyeing the approaching Iron Guard. En was somewhere else, coordinating with Shou on Naruto's orders.

"Aye?", Naruto grunted, rolling his shoulder to relieve the stiffness. The medic who was currently diagnosing his shoulder merely paused until Naruto finished his movement, easily tolerating his Warlord's impatience.

"Warlord.", the Iron Guard, Watase if he remembered correctly, saluted him at a respectable distance. The rest of his guard, apart from a few like En, surrounded the perimeter around Naruto. "Someone's asking to speak with you. It's the leader of the village."

Naruto perked up at this and eyed the border of the perimeter. A good distance away, near the edge of the town square where a road would lead towards the countless, ruined streets of the city, stood a small gathering of kunoichi that Naruto had not seen before. Naruto gave a confirmatory nod toward the Iron Guard.

"Let them through."

Under the watchful and scrutinizing gaze of his Iron Guard, the group was allowed to approach, flanked tightly by Naruto's Guard. As they approached, Naruto could see that the kunoichi were all bloodied, scuffed and tired from the battle, sporting several minor wounds. The headbands of their village, just like the one who had approached their encampment, were displayed proudly on their foreheads.

In the lead of the group was the kunoichi who Naruto assumed was their leader. Her stature was prideful, projecting authority despite the grime and blood which covered her. She was a tall woman, seemingly at level with Naruto's upper chest with his considerable height, with long and black hair that was currently kept behind her head in a ponytail. Straight cut bangs rested on her forehead over her headband while her cheeks were framed by spikes of hair which almost reached past her chin. Her face was oval and narrow, her lips full with a pair of intense, green eyes. Her thin brows were furrowed together as she looked at Naruto warily, observing and assessing him before they had even began their conversation. She wore what looked like a kunoichi battle armor that was ruined and bloodied, black and plated, but pieces of the armor was missing in several places. Despite her bloodied appearance, she did not seem to be wounded at all.

The same could not be said for her kunoichi who limped pitifully, others hunched over from nasty wounds as they struggled to walk.

Frowning as they finally arrived, stopping a respectful distance away from him, Naruto turned his eyes on Watase meaningfully.

"Watase, right?", Naruto muttered, eyeing the Iron Guard with reproach. The kunoichi group perked up with interest, their leader tensing up as she was obviously expecting the worst of them. Naruto ignored them as Watase gave a crisp nod. "These women are wounded.", Naruto began, grunting tiredly as he rose, gently and politely pushing the medics away from himself, nodding pointedly towards the group. "See to it that they are given aid, immediately."

"Aye, Warlord!", Watase yelled with a bowed head, saluting with a fist to his chest. The Iron Guard quickly ordered the now free medics to aid the kunoichi and they immediately moved to obey as they had already heard Naruto's command.

Maybe it was their exhaustion, but only the leader of the kunoichi tensed up as the medics approached. None the less, she allowed them to come close, quickly relaxing as she realized they truly meant no harm, at least for the moment.

As Naruto began to dress himself in his armor again, aided by a couple of nearby Iron Guards who moved to help him, he saw the leader wave the medics away from herself, pointing towards her wounded comrades. Some of the wounded kunoichi collapsed, sobbing with relief as the medics began to work on them.

'...They've truly been pushed to the brink tonight...', the Kyuubi muttered, sounding surprisingly somber.

'Aye.', Naruto thought back at the creature, noticing how the female leader now eyed him, still furrowing her brows with suspicion. 'They had been fighting for hours before we arrived to aid them. They must have balanced on the brink of surrender before we arrived.'

As he finished redressing, he opted to not put on his helmet, keeping it under his free arm, the other gripping his halberd. Shifting his stance to look back properly at the leader of the village, whatever title she went by, the girl squared her shoulders as she looked back with an unwavering, strong expression.

"You have my gratitude.", the girl began. Naruto couldn't help but notice how her lips moved as she spoke; she was an immensely beautiful woman, despite the grime and the blood. "You saved the lives of hundreds of our people and fought our enemy off and for that I can never repay you."

"You can start by telling me your name?", Naruto quipped lightly, smiling brightly in a way he knew didn't quite reach his eyes. He never really smiled anymore, not like he did years ago. "My name is Naruto. Warlord of our wandering horde."

As hard to read as ever and as warm as ice, the girl merely nodded gratuitously, bowing lightly in a dignified manner.

"Shizuka. Matriarch of Nadeshiko Village."

"'Nadeshiko Village.'", Naruto repeated slowly, tasting the unfamiliar name upon his tongue. The title too was one he was unfamiliar with. "You're obviously a shinobi village; not that I intend to state the obvious. Still, I've never heard of the name before."

"Many have not.", Shizuka answered easily. Naruto took note of how her hands remained close at her side where her weapons where located. A pair of tanto blades could be seen poking out from behind her back, right above her rear where each handle were pointed to the opposite side. "How did you find this village?"

"One of your kunoichi appeared at our camp, at the southernmost point of the island." Seeing her eyes widen, a glint of worry appearing behind her eyes, made Naruto raise his hand preemptively to stall her inevitable question. "She's safe. She was heavily wounded, but stable when we left to look for your village. I don't know her name, she collapsed right outside our camp and didn't wake before we departed."

Shizuka sighed, relief apparent upon hearing his news.

"...That's good.", she muttered to herself. While Naruto had questions of his own, he waited patiently for Shizuka to collect her thought. When she did, her cold demeanor was back in full. "Apologies for being blunt, but why are you here? What do you want from us now?"

While she was in no way outright hostile, Naruto easily identified the dangerous underlying tone of her voice. Taking a deep breath, Naruto nodded down one of the many, ruined streets.

"Walk with me?", he suggested, eager for a change of scenery. That, and the bodies were beginning to smell, which by the amount was starting to get suffocating. The girl considered his suggestion carefully, looking back at her comrades who were receiving treatment, before nodding. Allowing Naruto to take lead, she remained a few steps behind to his side, mindful of the Iron Guard who hovered threateningly at their flanks. While the battle was over, an Iron Guard's work was never done.

They walked at a slow pace down one of the main roads. Naruto eyed the buildings, built and molded from stone. The village was old and Naruto could see that it had once been a beautiful place.

"...Such a shame...", Naruto muttered heavily, his gaze going from house to house, ruin to ruin of what had once been a pristine, beautiful village. A few locals were scattered in the area, scrounging up whatever they could find of their belongings, whatever was left. He saw several locals either crying or sitting despondently with a dead relative in their lap. Coming to an intersection, a small alleyway, Naruto noticed something peculiar; A definitive trail of blood leading deeper into the dark of the alleyway.

"...Our village was a peaceful one.", Shizuka muttered. Her voice quivered with barely restrained sadness and Naruto knew she probably wanted nothing more than to crawl away and disappear considering the responsibility she felt bearing down on her. Even so, she didn't want to appear weak before Naruto, something of which he could respect at a personal level. "The village was built throughout the generations of our ancestors who lived here before us. And now, it's all gone. We've lost everything."

"Hmm...", Naruto hummed quietly. He walked slowly down the alleyway, following the trail of blood as he did so. The Iron Guard was quick to take point, some of them taking to the rooftops to secure the alleyway from above. Naruto ignored them in favor of focusing on the trail and the conversation.

"In any case, I must repeat my question from before.", Shizuka continued before Naruto could say anything. "Why are you here? If you expect payment, then I'm afraid I will have to disappoint you. Our village is ruined and we have next to nothing left."

"Say...", Naruto began, ignoring her previous question. "Why is it that I've only seen kunoichi, and not a single male shinobi?" And it was true; he'd only seen women wearing the headband of their shinobi village, none of the men, even if he had seen several of the local men fight with the skills of shinobi. There was still the matter of the women severely outnumbering the male population too, yet another fact that he found odd.

The question caught Shizuka by surprise as she blinked at Naruto's back.

"...Beg your pardon?", Shizuke nearly stuttered. She quickly gathered herself as she shook her head. "Our village is one organized through matrilineality. Only the women are allowed our training here."

Her response made his step falter as he threw an astonished look at her from across his shoulder.

"No men? Only kunoichi?"

"Yes.", Shizuka nodded, giving a small smile upon seeing his surprise. "There are former shinobi here, as well as other strong warriors of varying origins, but they are not allowed to bear our headbands or work as shinobi, like our kunoichi."

One questions answered, but many more were instantly raised. Naruto frowned as he considered his next question. There was only so much time they could waste conversing now, as those who were left of the village suffered from the battle that had been.

"Seems like your village is one of many traditions, old ones at that...", Naruto muttered, more to himself than to Shizuka. Shizuka made a sound of confirmation, but nothing more. "I want to ask; Why did you not approach us earlier?"

"...I don't follow...", Shizuka frowned at him, to which he chuckled.

"The kunoichi who alerted us clearly intended to ask for OUR aid. Considering the distance and the mountain between your village and our camp, it's no coincidence that she chose to come to us. She was wounded and running out of time, as was your forces if the casualties here are any indication."

"Ah.", Shizuka nodded, not perturbed by his deduction. "Yes, we knew about your presence shortly after your arrival. We monitored you at a distance and I would have preferred it if you and your army had left without a confrontation, friendly or hostile alike." Shizuka then sighed darkly to herself as she eyed the ruins around her. "...Of course, then the Hidden Frost Village attacked and everything changed."

"Aye, I'd imagine so.", Naruto drawled quietly.

Eventually, the alleyway ended into a narrow backyard. The buildings around were crumbled into ruins, allowing the morning sun to shine upon the small area.

His gaze following the trail of blood which he had followed, his heart dropped upon what he saw; A young kunoichi, no older than what he had been when he'd been exiled, laid in a pool of her own blood. She laid on her back, face up with open eyes and an open mouth, a blank and hollow expression upon her corpse while the sun shone softly upon her.

Naruto walked over to the body, eyeing the girl with a hard expression as he came to a stop next to her corpse. "...What sort of grievance provoked something like this...?"

His voice was cold and hard, and try as he might, he was unable to staunch the accusation which filled his words.

"...Apologies...", Shizuka responded, her voice small and filled with shame. "...But that is village business."

"I figured as much.", Naruto snorted without humor, noting the steel in Shizuka's voice despite her obvious shame. Whatever the reason, she blamed herself. He'd make a note of that for future deductions. "But one can't help but wonder..."

Kneeling down above the girl, Naruto gently closed the mouth of the girl's corpse, before doing the same to her eyes. She had fought to defend her village same as everyone else, despite her young age. Her body deserved to be treated with respect, same as any other.

"...You have seen this before...", Shizuka muttered, tilting her head curiously at Naruto. Considering the lack of question in her voice, it was obvious that Shizuka had observed Naruto's behavior and made her own answers. "Ours is not the first village you've seen ravaged, is it?"

"...You shinobi have always been too smart for your own good...", Naruto snarked back without steel. Leaning his arms out, the surrounding Iron Guard took from him his helmet and halberd without a word, allowing Naruto to pick up the small body beneath him. "But no, this is not the first time." Cradling the small body to his chest of he rose, he looked at the bloodied girl for a moment, before he turned with a look towards Shizuka. With the sun in his back, he gave Shizuka a smile that was as bright as he was capable. "And you're wrong, by the way."

"Hm?" Shizuka raised a brow at him, confused. If she was perturbed by the sight of Naruto carrying the body of one of their kunoichi, she made no show of it.

"You said you and your people lost everything.", Naruto began, shifting his grip around the dead girl in his arms. "But you're wrong. Your people have been wounded beyond what anyone of you ever deserved, aye, but you haven't lost everything."

"How can you say that!?", Shizuka snapped back angrily, losing her cool as her features hardened. "Our entire village is in ruins! Homes that our families have lived in for generations! Everything-"

"Your village is NOT everything!", Naruto interrupted her tirade before it could wind up with a shout of his own. The Iron Guard bristled their weapons, but both Naruto and Shizuka ignored it. To her credit, his words seemed to make her pause. "The stone, the wood and the hills that you have built upon here is NOT what defines your home.", Naruto continued, gazing unwaveringly at Shizuka who openly glared at him. "It is the people. And your people still live."

Shizuka drew a sharp gasp upon his words. As if struck, she took a step back, her eyes widening as the anger was drained right out of her body. Her gaze was locked on him as the sun rose behind him.

Naruto understood. He and his own probably understood their plight better than anyone.

"...Y-You're right...", Shizuka muttered as the fight finally left her body. Her posture seemed to slump, tiredness finally setting in after the long hours of the battle. She looked to the ground as she closed her eyes, her face set in an expression of pain that had nothing to do with the physical.

Smiling, Naruto nodded to himself as he moved to leave the alley. He intended to personally make sure the girl in his arms received an honorable burial, in whatever respect the Nadeshiko had for their fallen.

"Instead of asking what we want of you, let's worry about what we can do for you first, shall we?"

Coming to a stop right next to Shizuka, Naruto smiled as kindly as he could at the woman who carried just as heavy a responsibility as himself. Shizuka looked up at him with a stunned expression, looking back at his gaze deep in thought. After a few seconds, she seemed to be filled with determination, returning his smile almost as brightly as he had himself just moments earlier.

"...Alright."

This arc's not finished.

MiNdZeRo here, signing out.