A Ninja's Guide to Surviving a Shinobi War
By: JAJapster

Copyright Stuff: I don't own anything in the contents of this story. Please don't republish this story without asking permission. That is all.

Summary:
Slightly AU –It has been three years since the flames of war engulfed Konoha and the rest of the world, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands. When Naruto unexpectedly returns, though, he brings with him the key to Konoha's victory: a suicide mission deep behind enemy lines. A squad of Shinobi will leave on a quest to end the war, but none of them will return home the same, if at all.

Chapter Five: Preparing the Siege

If it weren't for the solitary light glowing in the window of Ichiraku Ramen hours after it had closed for the evening, Sakura wouldn't have thought anything amiss. The streets were empty and the cool night air was still and quiet, save for the shuffling of boots as the ANBU and Triple-S agents took their positions around the shop.

The ANBU soldiers waited in absolute silence, their emotions disguised behind their animal masks, but the Triple-S commandos were eying the ramen bar hungrily and with obvious impatience. Each of them were fiddling with their weapons or checking their tactical vests to make sure a spare clip or grenade was in easy reach, just waiting for the order to be given so they could unleash hell.

"What's our target doing?" demanded Colonel Inoue. Kakashi had stationed one of his men on a building across the street where he was looking into the ramen through a telescopic scope.

"Sitting at a table and eating a bowl of ramen," answered Kakashi.

"Is it your man?"

Kakashi shrugged. "He's wearing a hood. We can't tell."

"Then we're going in hard," replied the scarred colonel. "We shoot to kill. You and your people better stand back, General."

"I wouldn't advise that," said Kakashi. "If this ninja is who we think he is, your men won't stand a chance."

Colonel Inoue rounded on Kakashi, hate blazing in his eyes, and stabbed a finger into the master Jounin's chest. Only a mad man would dare be so disrespectful to a general, especially one as notorious as Hatake Kakashi, but Sakura knew just by looking at Colonel Inoue that craziness was one thing he certainly didn't lack.

"My men," Colonel Inoue spat viciously. "Are trained to eradicate any Shinobi scumbag they have the privilege of seeing in their scopes. We're going in, we're killing him and that's final! If you have a problem with that, take it up with the Minister of Defense."

And with that, he stormed off to join the rest of his soldiers in preparing their assault.

Once Sakura was sure the angry colonel was out of earshot, she turned to Kakashi and asked, "What's his problem? Why does he hate us so much?"

"Don't judge the colonel too harshly," Kakashi said, much to Sakura's surprise. There was gentleness in Kakashi's eyes as he turned his gaze upon the huddled group of Triple-S soldiers –sympathy perhaps? "The Shinobi are not the only ones who have lost loved ones throughout this war, you know."

"How do you mean?"

"The colonel's family –his wife and three children - was killed in the surprise on attack on Konoha three years ago," replied Kakashi. "He tried to have them evacuated to safety while he helped coordinate the village's defenses, but he was too late."

"What does that have to do with the Shinobi?" Sakura demanded. It was sad that the colonel's family had perished in the attack, but so had thousands of other villagers. Sakura's parents were almost killed; if it hadn't been for Naruto, she would probably have been orphaned.

"Because the colonel and so many others believe that the only reason we're at war is because of the Shinobi," stated Kakashi simply. "They believe our arrogance and blood thirsty nature is responsible for all the deaths and all the destruction."

"That's insanity," snapped Sakura.

"Is it?" the master Jounin asked, raising an eyebrow inquiringly.

Sakura found that she didn't have an answer. As much as she hated to admit it, there was some truth to the accusation. It was exaggerated and hardly warranted the hostile prejudice, but after all, wasn't it Sasuke who betrayed the village and helped orchestrate the surprise attack that resulted in the slaughter of thousands of innocent? And wasn't there evidence that a renegade Shinobi from the Hidden Village of Sand had been directly responsible for the assault on the gymnasium that killed dozens of students?

But at the same time, it was only because of Konoha Shinobi that they were able to repel the attack as quickly as they had. Without them, countless more lives would have been lost. The entire village might have burned had it not been for the ninjas who sacrificed their lives fighting the invaders.

Instead of replying to her former Instructor's question, she gestured back towards the colonel and his men. "Aren't you going to stop them? If it's actually Naruto, somebody is going to get killed!"

"What makes you think Naruto would kill anybody?"

Kakashi might have had only one visible eye, but Sakura thought it amazing how piercingly deep his gaze could penetrate her soul. However, she would not be flustered, which she knew to be Kakashi's intention.

"You said it yourself," Sakura said. "Naruto is a renegade Shinobi. He left the village and is the enemy now. Don't we have to assume the worst?"

The master Jounin shrugged. "I guess we're about to find out."

Very short chapter, I know. Really sorry about that, but I just started a new job and, unfortunately, I really don't have much time to write as much as I want to. Thanks for your patience and understanding, and I'll definitely try to update the story when I can.