Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
ITALICS – thinking
BOLD – demon talk/jutsu
Arc Two: The Meaning of Life
Chapter Seven
Claxons blared loudly across the main village in Iron Country which left the samurai in a hurried state. They all knew what that horn meant; an attack was on the way. Amid all the activity, however, Mifune and the commanders stayed calm as they knew that the enemy wasn't here yet. That, and it was also a part of Mifune's grandiose plan in the hopes of ending the war today. Although relatively simple, it proved to be successful in the first war.
The main village would simply evacuate and assimilate into the surrounding civilian villages that would surely be targeted. Of course, Mifune and some of his samurai guards would be left in the main village to keep up appearances, and to kill any enemy that stood in their way. From there, the enemy would be blasted by two fronts, instead one like they expected.
Looking at his commanders, Mifune decided to pick two of them to stay behind as not every village needed them due to the civilian armament.
"Uzumaki-san, Harumasa-san, you two will stay here with me. No doubt Takeshi will attempt to cut off the snake's head."
Naruto nodded, but added his two cents. "Mifune-dono, not to dismiss your plan, but shouldn't I be at my outpost?"
The general shook his head, "No, I had all troops there relocate to the nearest civilian villages. And, with the casualties the enemy will take today, they will not worry about some trivial outpost." Mifune paused to look at his old student with a sad smile. "Fukui, my student, you have my permission to fight your brother…do what you failed to do in the second war, and finally end that painful chapter in your life."
Fukui nodded, then looked at Naruto with a sad visage. There was a feeling in the air today, an aura that only he could sense. The Harumasa knew what this was, and he hoped his student would be OK when the time came. Speaking of which, he reached into his armor and pulled a letter from his kimono, which he held in his hands tightly, before giving it to Mifune.
"So, it's time then?" Mifune frowned.
"Hai, and when the darkness has finally been vanquished, please give this to Naruto."
Mifune nodded, then quickly patted Fukui on the back. "You will be honored, that I guarantee to you."
The horns still blared, but it was time to get the troops in order and ready to head out. With but a hand signal by Mifune, Hiroto, Takuma, and Hideki quickly rounded up almost every samurai they had and explained what the plan was. Although some were confused by this odd tactic, they didn't want to question Mifune's abilities as they knew of the wars that he'd lived through, and of his accomplishments.
Over 10,000 samurai started to leave the main village while about 1,500 stayed behind. The final battle was soon to take place, a battle that will have one legend being spoken about for many generations to come.
Somewhere in Iron Country
Takeshi marched in front of his vast rebel army with a smile, the numbers of which far exceeded the samurai's own. The rebel leader, in his mind, saw this counterattack as fool proof. Takeshi knew of the civilian armament but, amid the reports of their success, he still saw them as specs of dust compared to his troops. Takeshi also knew of Mifune's prowess in battlefield tactics and his accomplishments, but he saw the leader as old and unfit to lead; his mind failing him. Takehsi thought of this so highly, that he scoffed at the thought of Mifune allocating his samurai to the other villages. Once again, his oversight would help lead to his downfall.
"I don't care if you have to kill everyone there, and burn the place down as a result…just get the job done; building and repopulation can be done later." Takehsi said then ordered his troops to march. "Now go!"
For the women in the army, the word repopulation sent shivers down their spines. Why? If the civilian population was severely damaged as a result of this counterattack, they knew that they would be forced to breed. It sickened them, and doubt crept into their minds at if this war was really worth it.
"I will finally be under Tobi's good graces, and when the time comes I will lead us into war once again." Takeshi thought with an evil grin as his armies marched forth.
For the small hideouts which Takeshi had dotted over the landscape of Iron Country, they were never informed of this counterattack. No, they managed to find this out through other means. Other means being a few rebels that had enough of Takeshi's leadership. For these many small hideouts, which were close to all the civilian villages I might add, they were ready to redeem themselves, to get under Mifune's good graces. It took many months of planning, but all the hideouts had coordinated perfectly; a coup d'état was about to start.
Two Days Later – Mifune's Office
Currently, Naruto and Shizuka was playing a game of shogi while Yuki, Fukui, and Mifune watched. The past two days, simply put, were boring. The samurai at the civilian villages reported no enemy sightings, so everyone was waiting for the time to come. Although everyone seemed patient and calm on the outside, internally was a mix of excitement and various other emotions. Excitement not only for the ensuing battle, but also that this could very well lead to the end of the war.
The reports Mifune got back from the civilian villages not long after this battle plan was implemented, was impressive to say the least. Many months after armament, the civilians were hard at work bolstering their defenses like they knew something big was going to happen. Blacksmiths used any scrap metal they had to create spikes for use in the trench traps the civilians made around their village. These trenches, once covered with a burlap sack that was staked to the ground, were covered over with snow. As Mifune's forces arrived, they were stopped beforehand and notified of the traps before they were escorted safely inside. These trenches, as the reports stated, were five foot deep, and three foot across with the spikes being about three foot long. But, that wasn't all they did.
Any leftover wood they had was used to create a crude, but effective, shield for the archers. Thanks to the samurai teaching them about tactics, the civilians placed these on the roofs of certain buildings which would maximize killing potential.
Mifune was happy to know that even though they might be outnumbered, that they would still come out on top as they had the element of surprise.
"Checkmate." Naruto said with a smile.
Shizuka looked at the board with a pout, "How do you always win…it's not fair."
Everyone chuckled and, as the board was going to be set up for another game, an explosion was heard near the gates. The atmosphere in the room went from jovial to serious instantaneously as they knew what to do. As they headed out of the office, and went down to enter the battle, a samurai stopped them to give some disturbing news.
"Mifune-sama, they outnumber us two to one."
"Fear not, for Commander Uzumaki has dealt with this before." Mifune replied, a smile on his face. "Uzumaki-san, if you may?"
"Hai, Mifune-dono." Naruto said, then looked at the soldier in front of him. "Set up the archers on the rooftops, we will shock them first before we strike."
The samurai nodded, "Hai, commander, but what shall be your signal to fire?"
"You will know, samurai-san. Dismissed."
The soldier nodded, and quickly ran to organize the archers that they had. Another explosion went off, but this time it was on the other side of the village.
"Ah, a classic pincer maneuver." Mifune let out a small chuckle before he continued. "Hmm, too bad we have the element of surprise." He looked at Shizuka. "Would you care to greet our guests, Shizuka-san?"
"With pleasure, Mifune-dono."
She quickly kissed Naruto, and ran off to battle, her pouches filled with kunai and poisoned senbon, as well as some combat fuinjutsu. With a sigh, Naruto walked out into the cold and snowy weather, and, as he did, he proclaimed one thing.
"We may know peace after today, but whenever you live there will always be war."
"The words of Hashirama Senju, very fitting Uzumaki-san." Mifune said as he patted Naruto's shoulder.
Naruto nodded, then unsheathed Honjo and raised it into the air. The archers around the area tensed as they knew what that meant. The war cries of the enemy could be heard, followed by more explosions which breached the protective walls and created entry points. Soon, Naruto saw the enemy in the distance and, with a countdown in his head, waited until the time was right. About 10 seconds later, Naruto's hand dropped and the air was soon filled with almost silent whistles as the arrows flew. Like in the outpost raid many months ago, the enemy looked up and saw death. Many stopped running as they knew their time was up, but those not fearful of the Shinigami kept on running as they had an objective to complete.
The screams of death soon filled the air as the arrows found their targets, but these screams were silenced as the roar of multiple fireballs could be seen in the air. Another strike force was behind the first for support.
"Scatter!" Naruto ordered which everyone followed.
As Mifune, Naruto, and Fukui dodged the incoming fireballs, some being deflected using a Ki enhanced punch, the enemy rushed in for the kill. Mifune's samurai quickly joined in on the fight which made the air fill with sounds of swordfight and the roar of jutsu.
While Naruto and Mifune fought back-to-back, Fukui sensed his brother, and, in a slight fit of rage, made a march of death towards him. Nobody was safe from Fukui's sword skills, and soon the brothers met once again.
"Fukui, my brother, we meet again." Takeshi let out a grin. "Will you falter like you did in the second war, or will you simply give me another scar so I can remember your weakness?"
"No Takeshi, today will be the last day you take breath." Fukui replied, his katana raised in the ready. "On the honor of my wife, and her blades which I wield, let us take this dance of death."
Both brother's tones were serious and without emotion and a fire burned in their eyes, but for different reasons. For Takeshi, it was world domination. For Fukui, it was to end this war once and for all, and to finally meet a special someone after all these years.
The brothers stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, but then they suddenly vanished. The sparks and clangs of their katana's clashing was the only thing people could see and hear.
As Shizuka calmly walked towards the smoke where the explosion occurred, she knew she was outnumbered but thanks to her training with the Sannin, she didn't doubt her skills. As the enemy ran towards her, she added wind chakra to her hands and punched forward which produced a massive shockwave.
"Nadeshiko-Style Hardliner Gale Fist"
Any enemies in the front were instantly punched by an invisible force which bowled down many behind them. Not letting up on her assault, Shizuka used Nadeshiko-Style Deep Crimson Dance Performance to throw a massive barrage of kunai and poisoned senbon at her targets. This technique was almost impossible to dodge so the kill count this one technique made was very high. Due to this, some of the enemies started to doubt themselves, but pushed forward nonetheless.
As Shizuka ended her technique, one enemy managed to get close and attempted to strike her down with their katana. Using Chakra Scalpels, Shizuka sliced the rebel's blade in two before stabbing her hand into his head.
The rebels looked at her in awe, but those in the far back were determined to end this. Many hand signs later, and various elemental dragons was shot towards Shizuka. With a scoff, she raised an Earth Style Wall to block the techniques, but, as the wall crumbled and the dust cleared, Shizuka was nowhere to be found.
"Hey assholes!" a voice called from behind them. "Earth Flow Spears!"
The ground rumbled underneath the rebel's feet, and soon they screamed in pain as multiple spikes suddenly protruded from the ground and impaled them. Most died instantly, but some would live, only to bleed out a minute later.
There wasn't many rebels left, and those that were, started to fear the women in front of them. A few of the more brazen ones decided to charge, but it was all for naught. Shizuka unsheathed her katana, added wind chakra to it, and rushed into battle. As she dodged, and ducked under multiple swipes of a blade, she let multiple wind blades loose from her katana. These easily cut through many opponents at once, and, within a couple minutes, Shizkua stood in the middle of a pile of bodies; blood pooled underneath her feet.
For those rebels that were left, they played it smart and quickly dropped their weapons and kneeled to the ground in surrender.
"For those that are left, I'm guessing about 100 to 150 out of your force of 500, did you attack due to fear of your leader, or because you follow him like a sick puppy?" Shizuka asked in the hopes of getting some answers.
"Can you promise that Mifune will talk with us if we help you defend this place?" One rebel spoke after a good minute of silence. "We've feared Takeshi for many months now, and some have even planned a coup."
Hearing about a coup took Shizuka off guard, but it made sense as she knew Takeshi personally…the cold hearted, sadistic bastard he was.
"Fine, you can help me fight, but I will kill all of you if you decide to attack us again…clear?!"
The harsh tone in which she spoke along with an immense killing intent made the rebels nod. Shizuka smiled, and sheathed her katana before motioning for the remaining rebels to follow.
"A coup huh, well, it seems this battle just got a bit easier."
Civilian Villages
For all the civilian villages, the way the rebels attacked was basically the same. The first wave would come in and find themselves impaled upon spikes, killed by flying arrows, or butchered by any samurai that patrolled the outer perimeter of the village. The next wave would come in and push a little farther. Seeing this, the patrolling samurai decided to head into the village in order to work with their fellow soldiers. Of course, some of the rebels in this wave died via arrow, or via impalement, but most used the heads of their dead comrades to hop over the trench and into the village. Soon, samurai and villagers alike were fighting for their home, and for their honor.
A third wave came in shortly after in the hopes of confusing, and subduing the villagers, but they, like the other waves, were not expecting samurai. As the battle raged on, some rebels were getting frustrated with Takeshi's lies.
"He said there wouldn't be any samurai here! Did he lead us just to die, and have the glory all to himself?!"
Was the thoughts of some of the rebels, feelings which Hiroto, Takuma, and Hideki, whom were in various villages, felt. Although confused by this, they decided not to target these individuals as they wanted to see what they would do. Sure enough, those with those feelings soon turned their blades towards the samurai's common enemy. As if that wasn't confusing enough, a war cry was suddenly heard nearby and the rebels from the small hideouts rushed the village.
At first, the commanders and the samurai were ready to fight the new enemy force, but, to their utmost shock, that force started to attack Takeshi's loyal followers. Suddenly, it clicked; a coup was happening in front of their very eyes.
The samurai looked at the coup forces, while the coup forces looked at them. At first, both were hesitant to do anything, but then they smiled and charged at the common enemy before them. For Hiroto, Takuma, and Hideki, it told them that some simply had enough of Takeshi's ways, and wanted to redeem themselves. However, this led to the ultimate question of what Mifune would do to them once the war was over.
As the coup forces, samurai, and civilians fought, a battle between brothers was currently taking place.
With Takeshi and Fukui
The two brothers clashed blades, and stared at each other with cold, emotionless stares. The quickly separated, and attacked one again. As Takeshi went in for a stab, Fukui dodged, and grasped his brother by the arm that just passed by him. Once he had a firm hold, Fukui pulled forward in an attempt to bring his knee into Takeshi's gut. The rebel leader saw this, and blocked with his own knee, and thus began an elegant dance of Aikido vs Aikido. Their blades were now sheathed, and both looked for a way to knock their opponent to the ground.
The brothers didn't say a word, they simply fought as many years of pent of aggression had to be let out. Takeshi dodged a snap kick from his brother, then grabbed the offending leg in the hopes of breaking it. Fukui wasn't a samurai master for nothing, however, as he dropped to the ground, and used his free leg to connect with Takeshi's chin. The brother stumbled back which Fukui capitalized on, but as he got close, a sudden gust of wind blew him into a nearby building. As Fukui recovered, and stood, he shook his head in mirth.
"Figured you would use clones to help you…"
Takeshi smirked, "It only shows you why I will be the victor in this match."
As they were about to fight, Shizuka's voice interrupted them.
"Fukui-sama, I figured you could use a little help with those pesky clones of his."
The brothers looked at her, but only one was smiling. Takeshi, at seeing the hundred or so of his rebels deciding to fight with the samurai, was pissed.
"How dare you go against my orders, I will see to it you all get executed for this!"
The ex-rebels scoffed, while one responded with, "Yah, fuck you too!"
Shizuka and Fukui chuckled, but that was soon silenced as Takeshi suddenly created four Earth Golems. These golems suddenly rushed towards Shizuka and the ex-rebels which put them on guard which left the brothers to start battling again. As they did, Shizuka ran up to one of the golems and punched it using Tsunade's super strength. Seeing the golem being reduced to pebbles made the ex-rebels realize they had a chance.
"I will handle the golems, just find Takeshi's clones to ensure Fukui's survival…GO!"
They did as told, and the battle between brothers raged on.
Again, they were using aikido in the hopes of getting one on the ground, but both were equally matched. They broke apart, then ran at each other again, only to grab each other's hands and grunt in exertion. They started at each other, but when Fukui saw his brother smirk, he knew it was bad. Sure enough, Takeshi substituted with a log covered in explosive tags in the hopes of blowing his brother to smithereens. What he did not expect was one of two things to happen.
One, is that Fukui smirked as he sensed where his brother was at; in a nearby alley. And two, Fukui used a spin kick to launch the explosive log towards the alley his brother was currently hiding in. All of this happening in under a second.
Takeshi cursed, and used Hiding Like A Mole Technique to escape the blast. As he went to appear behind his brother, bad luck struck again as Shizuka used Tsunade's super strength technique to smash a golem to the ground. The crater it produced shot fissures through the frozen ground, one of which happened to push Takeshi out of the ground, and made him look into his brothers smiling face.
"Well, I didn't expect to find a carrot in the ground." Fukui jokingly said, then grabbed his brother by the hair, and pulled.
Once out of the ground, Fukui plowed his free hand into his brothers' stomach over and over again until he vomited out a copious amount of blood; each strike was enhanced with Ki. The next thing Takeshi knew was that he was flying towards a building. Luckily for him, he recovered, and used the wall as a spring board. The brothers initiated another kenjutsu bout, but this one would be different then before as Fukui assumed a half seated stance and initiated Tatehiza no bu.
Try as Takeshi might, he could not get past his brothers' defense. The reason was that he was not adept in any samurai style except the one's his parents taught him at an early age. It was something Fukui capitalized on. Soon enough, Takeshi made a mistake and Fukui completed the kata for a person in front of him which should have killed his brother, but Takeshi managed to dodge at the last second. However, Fukui's brother did not escape injury as the katana scored a deep gash that went from Takeshi's left hip, to his right shoulder. The rebel leader hissed in pain, and knew that he would lose this battle if he used only samurai techniques, so, in his mind an evil plan formed.
"It seems you missed, brother. It seems that weakness still remains after all."
Fukui shook his head with a frown, "No, you dodged at the last second. An impressive feat, mind you. Now, come, let us finish this. The war ends today."
Takeshi smirked, "Yes, it will, with me being the victor, and you being gone from my life forever."
A clone of Takeshi suddenly ran from an area that the ex-rebels and Shizuka didn't have covered, an area which Fukui sensed something was amiss, but did so too late. The clone exploded which sent Fukui flying towards his brother and, as he flew through the air, saw Takeshi getting ready to unsheathe his blade. From the stance being formed, Fukui knew that it would be a thrust to the heart.
As time slowed down, he looked back towards Naruto and Mifune's battle. They were almost done, the many rebels lying dead around their feet, and the samurai rounding up any that surrendered. Fukui saw Naruto look his way, which made him smile. He knew what his death would cause his student to undergo, but he lived a good life. He also knew that even if he attempted to block or dodge Takeshi's attack, it would result in a crippling injury anyway. So, with a smile on his face, and him mouthing the words 'goodbye, my student,' he let his brother's blade pierce his heart.
Takeshi was, to put it bluntly, shocked. Why didn't his brother dodge, why didn't he counter? Surprisingly, his brother was still alive, but he only managed to get out words that made him rethink all that he has done ever since that fateful day in the second war.
"Heh, you finally beat me in something…my brother."
As Takeshi started to cry, a pain suddenly ripped through his chest; the same grievous injury he gave his brother. As he looked down, he saw Fukui with a bloody smirk on his face. The brother's knew their time was at and end, so, with a bloody smile on both their faces, they knelt down, and pushed themselves closer together. They ignored the pain as the blades in their hearts was pushed farther inwards, and gave each other a brotherly hug.
Their breaths stilled, and the battlefield was silent. Two brothers, both with hate in their hearts, managed to find forgiveness in death.
With Naruto and Mifune
They were just finishing up the battle with the rebels when Naruto looked towards his master. He saw what was about to happen, and feared the worst. It was then he saw Fukui's lips moves; he understood what he said perfectly.
"Goodbye, my student."
The blade pierced Fukui's heart, and Naruto watched as the brothers died in each other's arms. Then, it was as if time stopped.
"No, it can't be…why, why didn't he dodge?" Naruto desperately tried to find an answer to his master's death. "Come back, Master Harumasa…please!"
"I'm sorry, Kit" Kurama sadly stated, though tried to bring solace to his container. There's nothing we can do, he chose to die this way. Again, I'm sorry."
Naruto didn't even hear Kurama's words, his mind was numb to everything around him, even when he appeared in his mindscape. Yami was there, right near Kurama's cage, waiting ever so patiently with an evil grin on his face.
"It's time!"
Kurama's eyes widened as a black aura overcame both Yami, and Naruto. "Fight back, Naruto…don't let the darkness consume you!"
Yami chuckled, "There is no hope, Kyuubi…he is mine forever. Now watch, as he kills those he deems precious."
On the outside, Naruto was engulfed in a dark aura, and his pupils turned a solid blood red. A feral grin was on his face as he looked at the people before him. For Mifune, who was close to the boy, knew who this was. The darkness took over at the most opportune time, and it made the elder samurai leader wonder if Naruto would ever recover.
"Time to die!" Naruto said in a demonic voice, then turned his attention towards the samurai and rebels near him, and attacked.
Mifune watched in horror as the boy started to butcher them without remorse, and an evil cackle as he did so.
"Shizuka, this boy will need all the love you can give. A trauma such as this will be a black stain on his heart for the rest of his life."
With a sigh, Mifune entered the fight in an attempt to at least give Naruto some time to fight this darkness off.
Naruto – Inner Self
Naruto floated in a sea of white, his mind blank due to Fukui's death. As he floated, many voices reached out to him. His mother, his father, Shizuka, and the many friends in Konoha; he heard them all. But as he floated, one such voice made his conscious suddenly wake up. It was his master.
"Naruto, remember your training, why you became a samurai in the first place. Remember what you have accomplished for the people of Iron Country, remember why you fight, and most of all; remember what you sacrificed. You may not understand my words, until I am gone."
That last sentence made Naruto's eyes snap open. Still floating, he thought about all that he has accomplished since he started the Path of the Warrior as well as what his master recently said before his death.
"I fight not only for the people of Iron Country, but for my honor as well. I have sacrificed my blood, sweat, and tears, for this war, for my position as commander, and I have taught the samurai of this country how to fight against the shinobi race. I cannot lose focus now." Naruto thought then let out a mental scream. "Wake up, dammit, wake up!"
At that last mental scream, Naruto finally woke up, only to find himself in darkness.
"Welcome to my domain, Naruto." Yami said as he emerged from the darkness.
Naruto's eyes narrowed, "I assume you have taken over my body, and have started killing those I sacrificed everything for?"
Yami grinned evilly, "Oh yes, and Mifune is just having a lovely time trying to keep you from killing anyone else."
"You will not corrupt my body any longer, Yami." Naruto grit his teeth in anger. "You have plagued me since I started this path, and now it is time to finally finish the job."
The dark being chuckled, then merged with the darkness. "Very well, we will fight, but how can you kill an enemy you cannot see."
Naruto smiled, and closed his eyes, his master's words coming to him. "A blind samurai can still fight."
There was no response, but soon Naruto ducked under a punch that came from behind him. Then another from his front, and right side. Naruto then back flipped over Yami who charged from behind; a katana made of dark energy was in his hand.
"You dare mock me!" Yami tightened his grip on his katana. "Quit dodging, and fight me face to face!"
"A moment of patience can prevent a great disaster and a moment of impatience can ruin a whole life." Naruto stated as another memory of his training came to mind.
Yami yelled as he charged, intent on ending Naruto here and now. Said person simply jumped and used his other half's head as a spring board. Yami stumbled, but quickly recovered to turn around and face Naruto, but there was a problem.
Naruto was nowhere to be found.
Suddenly, Yami found himself punched in the face, kneed in the stomach, and then thrown across the dark mindscape. As the dark being attempted to get up, he was kicked from behind, then picked up, and was slammed headfirst into the ground.
"I am a child of hard work, a samurai in training, but after today I will officially graduate." Naruto's voice echoed in the darkness. "My glass will be half-full after today, and my wings will finally sprout. Come Yami, let us end this."
Naruto pulled out Honjo at the same time Yami charged and, as Naruto got into a half seated stance, ready to initate his Tatehiza no bu, he remembered the lessons Fukui gave.
"One strike is all you need." Naruto thought in his head, and used a culmination of his senses training, as well as what he has learned over the past seven years.
The darkness was silent, time seemed to slow for Naruto as he used Ki to sense the target. He was blind, he could not hear, he could not smell, but that did not disturb Naruto, no, it bolstered his resolve to end it all. As he sent Ki pulses out to pinpoint Yami's path, and arrival, he thought of one more saying from his master.
"Emotions can distract you from the fight and possible dangers around you."
Like a well-oiled machine, Naruto's eyes snapped open, and he struck.
Real World
Mifune had been battling Naruto for five minutes now, but thanks to his elder frame he was getting tired and started to falter.
"Naruto, please listen to me, don't let it overcome you." Shizuka yelled. "Fight it, my love, I believe in you!"
The possessed Naruto snapped his head at the new voice which made all fighting between Mifune and the Uzumaki stop. With an evil chuckle, Naruto began to advance on Shizuka, his katana placed in such a way where one swipe could end it all.
"Ah, the sweet Shizuka…I wonder how Naruto would feel if I suddenly ended your life." Yami Naruto chuckled before he continued. "Perhaps I will let him take over for a brief bit once you're dead, just to solidify my proper place."
"You're sick!" Shizuka retorted with a glare.
"Sick?" Yami Naruto cocked his head in a way which made him look demented. "Perhaps I am, but I am all that is evil; an embodiment. It comes with the job description, sweetie."
As Shizuka unsheathed her katana, Yami attacked. Their blades clashed, and Honjo was starting to cut through Shizuka's blade, inching ever so closely to her neck. Try as she might, however, the blade couldn't be pushed away.
"C'mon, my love, fight it!" Shizuka tried one last time to bring her Naruto back. "Remember all the good times we had together!"
"Would you like to leave a message, Naruto isn't home right now." After a pause, the possessed Naruto spoke again, this time with demented glee. "Time to die, pretty girl…TIME TO…"
And just like that, Yami stumbled back, and dropped Honjo in the process.
"No! I was the one to take over, not you!" The possessed Naruto held his head and let out a scream before continuing. "No, your master's words mean nothing…you hear, your master was nothing; a nobody!"
Yami Naruto then fell to the ground and began to writhe in pain; the black aura flickered on and off. Suddenly, without warning, the aura exploded which made everyone cover their eyes as snow and dust flew about. For the ones who survived Naruto's onslaught, they slowly walked towards the boy to see if he was OK.
Naruto's Mindscape
Yami stared at Naruto with awe as his other half's attack was over in a blur. All Yami knew was that he was charging, and then there was something cold cutting into his body. Currently, he was lying on the ground, bleeding out. Naruto purposely missed the neck as he wanted to talk to his dark half one more time.
"As you lay there, bleeding on the ground of your domain, may you forgive me for what I am about to do." Naruto raised his katana, and was ready to decapitate Yami. "When you get to where ever you go after death, may you repent for the sins you have caused, and the mental anguish which you have caused me to feel this day. A worthy opponent you were, and now, may you die with honor."
Yami looked at his other half and smiled a true smile before all he saw was the darkness he used to cherish.
Naruto sighed, flicked the blood of Honjo, and then sheathed it. It was then, Yami's domain suddenly collapsed and shattered like broken glass to reveal a worried looking Kurama staring at Naruto.
"Fear not, Kurama, I have defeated Yami. His anger clouded him, and he lost the fight as a result." Naruto spoke with a smile on his face. "I took my master's teachings to heart, but I will soon join him due to what I have caused on the outside."
Kurama tried to persuade Naruto not to commit seppuku, but he vanished before that could happen.
"Please, someone out there, convince the poor boy that he needn't take his life this day!"
Real World
Naruto groaned and quickly pushed himself up, not daring to look at whoever was staring at him. Seeing Honjo to his right, he picked it up, and got in position to commit the ultimate act, but a hand soon stopped him; an old, wrinkled hand. Upon looking up, Naruto saw the warm eyes of Mifune.
"You needn't take your life this day, Naruto. You were not the one to kill your comrades, but your darkness. I know you may not listen to my words just yet, but please know that this is what Fukui wanted."
Naruto didn't respond which made Mifune sigh, and reach into his kimono to pull out Fukui's letter. After a sad glance at it, and his now dead student, he handed it to Naruto.
"Your master wanted you to have this when you defeated the darkness within."
Naruto took it with shaky hands, and muttered a soft, "Thank you."
"We have fought a long hard war, Uzumaki-san, and thanks to your help we have achieved victory this day." Mifune stated with a grim smile. "Go on, take as much time off as you like, but when you feel better, come to me as we have much to discuss."
Naruto simply nodded, and sheathed Honjo just as he felt Shizuka's soft lips on his own. It was here, that Naruto couldn't hold his pain in any longer, and broke down and cried into his fair maiden's embrace. As the couple hugged each other for all it's worth, the cry of a hawk was overheard.
Mifune, knowing it was the reports from the civilian villages, smiled and called the hawk down. Once on his shoulder, Mifune saw only one piece of paper attached to the bird's leg instead of multiple reports. Curious, he took the paper off and rolled it open to find that it was signed by all three commanders. On the paper, was three simple words; three words that finally brought peace to Iron Country for the first time in almost two years.
"VICTORY IS OURS!"
Edited: 9/5/15
Total Word Count of Arc Two: 49,031
Total MS Word Pages: 164
Average Chapter Length: 23.4
