Chapter 2

The attack

The night has fallen. The stars were barely illuminating the dark, moonless sky. The torches burned, allowing the people who volunteered to fight the incoming enemy to see their path to their battle stations. The wind, cold and harsh, blew at them, giving the chills and delivering the massage of something bad coming their way. The youngest defenders kept running around, delivering the tools of war to their respective posts, as well as insuring as saying their good byes to their family and friends, who were in no condition to make a stand. The older ones, on the other hand, were simply checking their weapons and the palisade, hoping in would do its job.

Minato watched over the people who were hiding in the tavern building. There was just a small group still to enter. His blue eyes noticed the old woman, Mio, stopping and giving him a strange look. The blonde jumped down in curiosity, wanting to know what she had to say. As he jumped off the roof and landed by her side, he noticed she wasn't mad or upset. She was concerned. This caught the Leaf-ninja's interest. He lowered his head to the elderly woman, who managed to speak before he could ask her anything.

"Beware of this enemy, my boy." She said, making Minato's eyes widen. "The darkness that is to strike is the one, that returned from the claws of the Death God himself. The one untied to the rules of death like we are." Minato gave her a confused look, only to have her leave him behind. The last thing Minato saw were her robes disappearing behind the closed door. The blonde wondered about what she just said.

Kakashi saw the scene and a little trouble about seeing his sensei like this. After all, this was the Yellow Flash of the Leaf, the greatest shinobi of the Third Shinobi War. Would could the old woman have done to shaken him of all people. Then he turned towards the palisade and moved in that direction. He needed to take his place. As he reached it, Minato appeared just next to him.

"Why were you spying on me, Kakashi?" Minato asked, surprising his student with his awareness. Kakashi gave a blonde an emotionless face.

"Sensei, do you have fears when you see someone who's like a father to you shocked?" the silver-haired boy asked. The jonin caught what was his student getting at. It's been a long time since he felt that way. The feeling of insecurity after seeing someone legendary showing something considered to be a weakness- fear. Minato just smiled and rustled his pupil's hair.

"Don't worry, Kakashi." He said. "It's just something on my mind, that's all. But if I must tell you… This enemy we're about to face must be really powerful."

Kakashi nodded. As he was about to say something, Izo spoke. "Sensei! Kakashi! If you two are done talking, I suggest you take your place! I can sense someone approaching!" Not wanting any unnecessary quarrels now, the two nodded and took their positions. As soon as they stopped, a sound could be heard from the distance. It was a strange sound. But somehow familiar. It was… drumming? No, as they listened more carefully… footsteps! The footsteps of dozens, maybe hundreds, of men. Minato narrowed his eyes, focusing on the far distance, trying to see something. And soon he saw something troubling.

Far in the distance, a horde marched straight towards the town known as Ranma Town. It was no ordinary horde at that. Each man and woman in it was wearing a light, black armor, seemingly destroyed. Their faces were hidden under the clothe mask, while the higher ranking warriors had a death-themed mask. Everyone was armed with a short katana and crossbow, their eyes blazing with bloodlust. Their minds focused on shedding the blood of those who would dare oppose them. These were no ordinary bandits, and definitely no rogue shinobi. Minato was uncertain who were these people, or why were they pulling a big platform with a throne and a shrine on it. Were this some kinds of cultists?

It mattered not to them. Team Minato would not allow this town to fall. They would not let this horde attack anyone else. They would end their trial of carnage here tonight.

The enemy army stopped just before they could enter the range of arrows. Izo cursed under his nose for it. Every armored man snarled under his or her nose, keeping themselves in check. Then Kakashi saw someone on the shrine. It was someone of an average high, wearing damaged samurai armor, full of sword marks. The ragged, black cape was making this person's appearance inhuman, along with the three horned helmet and a red mask representing a screaming man. The silver-haired boy uncovered his sharingan, the farewell gift from his now-dead teammate, Obito, to take a better look at this guy.

And for some reason, he regretted it.

The woman, as you could tell by the body language, raised her hand high, making the horde tense. Minato's eyes grew in horror. As she let her hand down, the army charged.

Not wasting anytime, the town folks opened fire from whatever ranged weapon they had, hoping to hit the target before they got close enough. They had little success at that, merely hitting one soldier per thirty. As these black-armored warriors approached, they jumped aver the palisade with ease. Luckily, the Leaf-ninja were all prepared for this scenario and tossed their explosive tags at them, blowing them away. Well, some of them anyway.

As the enemy managed to break through, the slaughter began. Blood spilled down onto the ground, soaking the ground. Screams echoed through the night. Metal clashed against metal. Fists met jaws. The sound of battle was all that anyone could hear.

The villagers fought as well as they could. But the enemy was a real army of warriors, well armed and armored. The pitchforks and scythes were just too much of a lousy weapon, while the axes were too clumsy. The ones armed with daggers and short swords were doing better, but they still lack combat experience. They were forced to fall back.

Minato was left with no choice. He had to turn the tights of this battle. He through a several number of his three bladed kunai everywhere and made a hand seal. Once they landed, he disappeared, reappearing behind his enemy. He strokes him down and disappeared again. Izo followed his leader's example and made a hand seal, making two of his ten seal tattoos on his arms disappear. His chakra spiked a little, allowing him to run through a series of hand seals. Little did he know there were two warriors were charging at him from behind him. Or did he? As they approached him, the boy whispered 'release' under his breath, and the two were blown out. As it appears, he set a few explosive tags around himself. Now his main focus was his jutsu. "Fire Style: Dragon Missile Jutsu!" he called, launching a huge stream of fire, which quickly turned into a dragon, burning everything in its path. Especially the enemy troops.

Kakashi and Rin were engaged in a hand-to-hand combat. They were trying to give the wounded the time necessary to get to safety. Of course that proofed difficult, as the number of opponents grew more and more. The silver-haired boy used a fire jutsu to make sure the enemy would engage them nonetheless, while his teammate used her water jutsu to set a few traps. "Water Style: Swamp Trap Jutsu!" she called, creating a puddle which would stop anyone in their tracks.

As the young sharingan wielder knocked back another warrior, he sensed someone's presence to his right. But reacted too late to respond. He was hit and sent flying into his teammate. When the two looked, there was a big man with a ridiculously large hammer, ready to crush them. The kids wouldn't make it, as he was already going to drop the hammer on them. Was this their end?

Apparently not. Kami or some other god must've watching over them as the giant suddenly stopped. When the three focused their eyes on the chest, someone stabbed him. The big warrior was about to turn, when two hammers hit his head, effectively crushing it, despite the helmet. When the giant fell, Kakashi looked in front of himself, wanting to know who saved them. To his surprise, it was the very same cloaked person he saw earlier. The figure just growled like a wild animal at Kakashi. Then he picked up the fallen warriors sword and charged at the new incoming group, slashing them, cutting their legs and heads off, cutting their torsos in half, slicing them down the spine and disappearing like a genjutsu. Rin couldn't believe such cruelty, while Kakashi couldn't believe this person disappeared even before his uncovered sharingan. Who was that guy?

In the distance, the apparent leader of this army was still just watching and listening, as if not caring for the course of battle. She seemed to be smiling at the sight of rising flames, enjoying the despair the people would suffer. But that ended quickly when another person dressed very similar, but with a bleeding-face mask, approached her. She growled in annoyance.

"This had better be good, Suffering!" she half yelled.

"Can't you feel it, Agony?" Suffering asked in amazement. "oh, I can. The Yellow Flash of the Leaf is here."

Agony looked at her comrade in disbelieve, while turning back to the scenery of battle. "Are you serious? Him? The Great Hero of the Third Shinobi War? He's here?"

"This is no joke." Another voice came. This one belonged to someone wearing a decaying-face mask. "It would be wise to call HIM!"

"Decay, while I do respect your ability of judgement… I DARE QUESTION YOUR CURRENT DECISSION!" Agony shouted. "Why should we bother our Lord with this? We should go out there and deal with the problem ourselves."

"You mean us two." Suffering commented. "We know you don't want our master to come, because you do not fully acknowledge him as your master. But make no mistake, girl. He is no fool and will take this action of yours as an act of treason."

Agony didn't seem intimidated by her comrade's words at all. Still, she was wise enough as not to listen and think about this. "Still, I would hate to waste his time for this. Are you absolutely certain it is wise?"

"Our lord will be most pleased having to face the Yellow Flash." Decay answered, showing to be in ecstasy. Agony sighed and nodded. "Summon our Lord!" he commanded the troops.

Four soldiers threw their armor away, and climbed onto the shrine. There was a big circle with strange writings in the unknown language. In the middle of it, there was a crow skull. The four warriors took their places around the ring and started a strange incantation. Soon the whole platform was surrounded by a black fog.

Minato just took another two enemy troops down. He looked around to see if there was anyone left. He smiled seeing as the battle progressed well for them. Until felt it. This dark feeling. Dark, treacherous, cold feeling, as if touching death itself. He looked towards where the enemy's platform was. Now there was a huge, black cloud coming towards them. But as it came in closer, the cloud had a form of humans, crying and screaming, as if suffering an unspeakable pain. It ran over the fallen soldiers, having them rise again, while the living ones seemed to be breathing the cloud, willingly or not. He took a look at the warrior Fujimaru was facing. He recognized the hand seals that armored man made. And he could believe it.

"Crystal Style: Hexagonal Shuriken!" the man shouted, creating a shuriken out of crystal, which ran through the man, killing him. The warrior smiled at himself and jumped away. The blonde ran over to the man, only to find there was nothing he could do anymore. He looked at the shuriken.

'The Crystal Style? Impossible! That release is extinct!' Minato thought. "There are only two possibilities. One: that guy has the genetic ability to use it, which is out of the question, or…" Then it hit him. This cloud. There were spirits. But the only one to have this power was… "…no." Minato said quietly, not bothering to hide his fear. He ran towards the enemy's shrine. He had to stop them. "The one who died in battle, only to return with enough of Shinigami's power to be a god-amongst-mortals." He ran, as fast as he could, fighting his way through. He even tossed his kunai high into the sky and teleported there, only to toss it towards the shrine. He called upon all his strength to make it there. He finally appeared in front of the platform. Just as the people singing the incantation stabbed their hearts. Their blood spilled into the ring and after it reached the bird skull, there was an explosion. It was just strong enough to though Minato away into the darkness of the night.

At the same time, the cloud of red smoke arose from the ring, taking shape and form. First it formed a human skeleton, then the internal organs. After that, the muscles began to form, from those on the bones to the ones under the skin. Finally, the skin and hair formed, while the smoke turned darker, creating a destroyed armor and ragged cape and hood. His skin was purple, almost like decayed. His eyes opened, revealing golden eyes and red sclera. The man in his early thirties curled his fists and greeted his horde with his try-like, malicious voice.

"My Death-ninja! Bow, for your Shinikage has arrived!" the Shinikage, as he called himself called. And like the word of a god, the army attack more aggressively.

As the dawn came, Ranma Town has already fallen.

To be continued…

A.N. / I finally managed to find some time to write. I only regret I couldn't make it longer. Hope you liked it. Until next time.

My voice cast:

Namikaze Minato- Nolan North

Shinikage- Frank Welker

Agony- Laura Bailey

Suffering- John Burgmeier

Decay- Chris Adler