DISCLAIMER: This story is solely written for fanservicing. All known characters and plot lines belong to Masashi Kishimoto and the publishers of the Naruto series. I am merely a fan who wishes to write her alternate story to the Naruto manga. The title "In The Name of Life" is taken from Joe Hisaishi's soundtrack of the film 'Spirited Away', by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. This fanfic is not intended for lucrative purposes.

In The Name of Life

Chapter III

"The next generation will always surpass the previous one. It's one of the never-ending cycles in life." Hatake Kakashi

The Kages thought they could stop them from entering the war? Bullshit. This war started because of the Hachibi and Kyūbi in the first place. Naruto and Bee were not going to stay on the side lines watching their comrades die for them. Although the news of a Shinobi Alliance had initially surprised him, Naruto was proud to see how far ninjas had gone in order to make peace.

It reminded him of his conversation with Nagato. The founder of Akatsuki would have been proud too. Ever since Pain's attack, Naruto's own philosophy had been constantly questioned by the turbulent state of his world. He was now willing to give up his dream of becoming Hokage in order to die at the hands of one of the most important people in his life. He finally understood the pain Sasuke had suffered and wanted to do what best friends did: shoulder it. It was a suicidal declaration, but Naruto was willing to do whatever it took to end their suffering.

As he was making his way towards the battlefield with Killer Bee, Kyūbi Mode activated, Naruto started to wonder how great his fight would be with Sasuke. If it meant his death, he wanted to put up a strong fight and die standing. He and his best friend were finally equals, though neither of them would forget the competitive nature of their relationship.

"Yo, Naruto!"

Bee was trying to catch up to him, which was a difficult task to follow considering that Naruto had gotten extremely fast with his newly acquired powers.

"Hurry up, Bee! There is no time to lose. Everyone is dying for us!"

Nevertheless, Naruto decided to slow down when he realized that Bee was looking ahead of him. Focusing his sight into the flat meadow that laid in front of them, he made out a group of shinobi running towards them from afar. Once they drew closer, Naruto could make out their hitai-ate. They were all wearing the same sign, the one that said 'Shinobi.' It was proof of their loyalty to the Alliance. Initially, he felt relieved at seeing people on their side coming their way, but the Kyūbi started nagging him with low growls.

'Use your senses, boy! They aren't the ally!'

Following the Kyūbi's intuition, Naruto realized that the shinobi coming their way all carried the same chakra. It was dark and evil, and up to no good. Without thinking twice, he charged his way towards them preparing a Rasengan that swept them off their feet. He heard Bee exclaiming in the background, wondering 'what the fuck' he had just done, but then the older Jinchūriki fell silent when the shinobi in front of them slowly transformed into copies of Zetsu.

The agonizing imitations were starting to blend in together, with the aim of creating a much larger copy of Zetsu. Before they could complete their transformation, Naruto quickly made the hand seals for his Shadow Clones and surrounded the enemy. Collectively, all the Narutos shouted 'Rasengan!' at the same time and directed their attack towards Zetsu's copies. He felt like the Kyūbi mode was growing on him; the beast's chakra was more in tune with him as the seconds passed. There was no source of hatred in his heart anymore, and it made him feel ten times more powerful!

However, his newfound power could not take on what happened next. Tsunade and the Raikage appeared from the distance, quickly catching up to the two Jinchūriki. Naruto watched as his Hokage came close to him with Bee's brother, and both leaders carried the same serious expression.

"Brother, what brings you here?" Bee asked, and he stood beside Naruto; both Jinchūriki looked at their respective Kages with determination swimming in their eyes.

"Naruto, Bee, go back to the hiding place," ordered Tsunade, looking intensely at them.

Naruto decided to deactivate his Kyūbi mode, not wanting to harm both leaders. "There is no way we're going back, baachan! People are dying because of us!"

"And that is why you will return to the hideout, boy," A argued back, "This war is to protect you two. If you decide to join the battlefield, you are taking the villages' efforts in keeping you safe to the dumpster." Directing his words back to his brother, A continued, "Bee, Uchiha Sasuke is on Madara's side. He will not hesitate in hunting you down for a second time."

At hearing Sasuke's name, Naruto tensed up. He was aware of Sasuke's current allegiance with the enemy, but hearing the declaration still disrupted his persona. He knew their fight was getting closer and he could not hold back from confronting his former teammate.

"Sasuke is my fight. Killer Bee –in fact, no one– will get in between us. For now, though, we will help the Alliance!"

He pointed at his chest with his thumb, and then he pointed at Bee, "If you haven't realized, we're currently a package. Neither Bee nor I will stand back and watch our friends sacrifice their lives. We want to fight, and we will fight!"

Naruto tried to speed past Tsunade and A, but the latter caught him by the arm once he passed by them. "You have gotten faster, Uzumaki Naruto. But you are still standing in front of the two most powerful shinobi of their villages. You should think twice before you try to defy us, unlike your friend Uchiha."

He tried to yank his arm free from A's only hand, but found it impossible as the Raikage was restraining him with a tight grip. Bee tried to help him free from his brother's grasp, but Tsunade had stepped in and gracefully placed her hand on his neck, "If you try to move, I will block the flow of your chakra by just tapping this point. Whether you are using the Hachibi's chakra or not, it won't matter, we will not let you pass."

Naruto was not going to give up so easily. He reactivated his Kyūbi Mode, with flames surrounding his form, ready to take this fight with A and Tsunade seriously. Killer Bee, on the other hand, decided to use his words.

"Brother, Naruto and I are not just Jinchūriki. Our efforts to enter this war are not to playfully spar. We may be part Bijū but we also gotta fight for you, yo!"

Although it seemed like a comical moment, Bee using his rhymes in order to convince A and Tsunade, he made a point. Naruto's loved ones were putting their lives on the line and he was not going to stand on the side watching them die one by one. Iruka, who had already predicted his actions, had made him promise to come back alive after the war. He was bound to keep that promise, so long as his fight with Sasuke came afterwards. Sakura-chan was probably wearing herself out healing allied shinobi and turning rocks into dust; Sai could be crafting his own army using ink and paper; Kakashi-sensei would be overusing his Sharingan. He had to join his teammates in the battlefield.

"In the name of my parents, I want to fight for the peace that all shinobi villages want, 'ttebayo!"

A and Tsunade turned to look at him. They both looked surprised at the mention of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, and Naruto could not feel any more proud of his heritage. He was the child of two strong shinobi; he was the Child of the Prophecy, the Saviour of this World.

"They entrusted me with the future of this world. I can't let 'em down, baachan."

His Hokage gave him a warm grin before releasing her hold of Bee. Looking at him, Naruto felt that Tsunade was finally taking him more seriously than before. He was no longer the sixteen year old immature boy under Jiraiya's tutelage, but a true shinobi who was willing to fight for what he believed in.

"The Will of Fire lives inside you, Naruto."

Slowly, she took a few steps back to symbolize her permission of letting him enter the battlefield. She looked over at A, whose only conviction was Bee's next rap, "Brother, yo, helping Naruto is the right choice. To fight we must, before the world turns into dust!"

The Raikage finally let go of his arm, "It seems that the Saviour lives inside you. You carry your former Hokage's will. Go out and fight for his ideals."

Naruto, knowing that A was referring to his father, gave him a thumbs up with a reassuring smile. He was going to bring peace to the world. The Great Toad had told him so. Besides, the next bowl of Ramen he wanted to eat should be in a peaceful world on his first date with Hinata.

"Baa-chan, you stand back with A and Bee while I bring peace to the world, alright?"

Before the Kages and Bee could respond, he performed the Shadow Clone jutsu and, activating his Sage Mode, found the locations of the several battlefields of the war. He ventured out in several directions giving one last look to the three people he left behind. Bee decided to join one of his Clones with a long 'Yippee' and they prepared to enter the war that would define the future of the Shinobi world.

Naruto made his way to the Division in the Land of Lightning in less than five seconds. Who knew that he could travel that fast? Bee had accompanied one of his Clones to one of the other locations. Sensing the chakras in the Division he was approaching, Naruto decided to choose it as his main location due to the high presence of Zetsu's evil chakra. As he was nearing the main battlefield, he could hear kunais being thrown, katanas clashing, senbons flying over both sides.

Just as he entered the battlefield, he saw Kumogakure's Karui fighting five White Zetsu at the same time. She was a highly skilled kunoichi, as Naruto remembered the severe bruises she'd left on his face. With her long katana, Karui was able to decapitate her five opponents with only one movement. He saw her give a small grin before moving on to the next batch of enemies.

"Is that Uzumaki Naruto?"

"The Kyūbi?"

"Yeah, it's him! I know him!"

At his arrival, many of the allied shinobi noticed the blazing flames that erupted from his body and moved away from him before realizing who he was. He gave a reassuring look to a nearby group of shinobi who seemed to be from Suna and Konoha, before launching his attack against a large clump of White Zetsu. Quickly, with the use of the Rasengan, he cleared one side of the battlefield before moving on to the next area. One by one, Naruto was helping the shinobi in eliminating the enemy.

As he was making his way around the camp, from the corner of his eye he noticed the main reason for his decision to arrive in the Land of Lightning. Hinata was standing against an overpowering group of White Zetsu who were surrounding her. She was about to be trapped in between them and a large stone wall, with no escape. Naruto ran with all his might towards the party, extending his arms as he stood in front of Hinata, facing the group of White Zetsu. His heart had somehow started to beat faster at the thought of the girl getting injured.

"Take this, loser!"

Increasing the size of the arms he created with the Kyūbi's chakra, Naruto engulfed the opponents and crushed them. The group of White Zetsu was exterminated into thin air as they made contact with the Kyūbi's chakra, showing Naruto how strong his Bijū's power was against a highly skilled shinobi. He checked around to see if there were any more large enemy groups, and once he found that the battle was going well on their side, he decided to turn around and face Hinata.

"Sorry I took so long."

The girl had tripped and was now lying against the stone wall, looking at him with wide eyes. She was surprised, shocked, "N-Naruto-kun..." She extended her hand towards him, as if she was trying to feel his touch, to prove that he was actually there.

"Hinata!" Naruto turned around once again to see Kiba coming their way mounted on Akamaru. He, like Hinata, was wearing Konoha's traditional shinobi uniform, and sporting the same hitai-ate as the rest of the ninjas in the Division.

He decided to deactivate his Kyūbi mode in order to make himself more recognizable, but Kiba still glanced at him suspiciously, "How do we know you're Naruto! You could be one of those copies trying to fool us, you—"

"Kiba-kun, it's him," said Hinata softly, "Just look at his eyes."

Naruto felt his heart tug a little at her declaration. It was like she knew him better than anyone, better than he knew himself. Naruto helped her stand up as he flashed a wide grin. Although they were in the middle of a war, he could not stop feeling relieved at seeing Hinata in one piece. He felt like wrapping his arms around her frame, smelling her hair, hiding his face between her neck and shoulder.

However, the arrival of Karui and another kunoichi from Iwa took him away from his fantasies.

Wait, he shouldn't even be fantasizing in the first place! They were in the middle of war, there was no time to think about spending quality time with his precious people.

"Uzumaki Naruto, we meet again," Karui extended her hand as a sign of friendship. Surely she was trying to forget their last encounter in Konoha. Naruto kept a stern expression, trying to return to the seriousness of the situation. He hadn't entered the battlefield to ponder on his teenage thoughts.

"Yeah, nice seeing you too," the boy responded, sounding unusually serious, "Bee has also joined the fight, 'ttebayo. He's on his way to another Division with one of my clones. We gotta move fast!"

As he was about to lead the group of shinobi towards another battlefield, Naruto felt Hinata tugging the sleeve of his jacket. He noticed her worried look as she brought her other hand towards her chest. It was odd how she could capture his attention.

"Neji-niisan is missing."

"He went missing and the attack began once again," informed Kiba, who finally trusted the Naruto that stood in front of him.

Reality fell on Naruto's shoulders. This was it; this was the moment when his close friends started to disappear and end up killed by the enemy. Hinata's saddened demeanour affected him in a weird way –whenever he'd seen one of his friends getting sad he had felt the need to cheer them up. But with Hinata... with Hinata, he felt like he needed to do everything possible to make her happy again. Her cousin was missing. Although Naruto had never fully experienced the love between blood relatives, he'd grown close to many individuals who he could consider family.

Hinata was deeply affected by Neji's disappearance, and Naruto had to do something about it.

After all, their nindo was to never give up.

Activating his Sage Mode, Naruto knew that he had a better sense of the natural chakra that surrounded them. He dared to say that it could surpass Kiba's nose and Hinata's Byakugan, but he hadn't had the chance to refine his sensing abilities. Nonetheless, he was able to extend his sensing range and to realize that the White Zetsu Army had retreated from their area. Concentrating, he scanned the surroundings of the Division's camp, trying to find a clue.

A small, recognizable chakra flow came to his notice on the east side of the battlefield. It was about ten kilometers away, so he instructed Kiba, Hinata, Karui, and the Iwa kunoichi to follow his trail. With Hinata's Byakugan and Kiba's sniffing abilities, they would be able to recognize the chakra flow once they neared it.

"By the way, the chick right there is named Kurotsuchi. She's from Iwa," said Kiba when he and Naruto took the lead in their cell. "She's kinda cool," he added, with a small smirk.

Following their trail, Hinata stood in the middle with her bloodline activated while Karui and Kurotsuchi guarded them.

This was a sight Naruto never thought hre'd see; they were allying with two shinobi from two different villages, but there was no hostility. Although no one spoke while they searched for Neji, Naruto kept glancing back at Hinata, who seemed to be determined to find her cousin. He noticed the dark lines appearing under her eyes, a sign of weariness. Maybe the Hyūga shouldn't really activate their Byuakugan for so long, just like Kakashi-sensei's Sharingan could not stay activated for a long time before wearing him out. Nonetheless, Hinata showed no signs of wanting to take a rest.

He wished he could understand the bond between blood relatives and tell her that he supported her determination.

Akamaru started barking as Kiba looked directly at the place his dog was pointing at. Turning around, he directed the news to his

comrades, "I can smell Neji! We're getting near him, and we better hurry."

Naruto was gone in the blink of an eye. Using his speed, he ran with his Sage mode activated, every second feeling closer and closer to Neji's whereabouts. He drastically stopped once the trees started getting scarce; there had been a fight here. He looked around, trusting his senses in order to find Hinata's cousin.

He finally found him, covered in blood, hidden in among tree trunks. Neji was unconscious, but alive. His hitai-ate had been removed and the seal of the branch family was in full exposure. The symbol glowed in a vivid green, making it look like it had been somehow activated. His uniform jacket was ripped apart, and his hands were covered with bruises, blood, and soil. Naruto was extremely careful when he picked up Neji, making sure that he did not crack any other bones.

By the time the rest of his party arrived, Naruto was already scanning the area for signs of an enemy attack. He realized that several tree trunks had deep cuts in them, and they were missing a few branches as well. It only meant that Neji had put up a good fight before being defeated; he wouldn't go down without severely injuring his opponent.

When Hinata saw her cousin, Naruto only sat there, with him in his arms, while the girl screamed and cried. Kiba had to hold her back from nearing Naruto and she only curl inside her teammate's arms, sobbing violently. Her form was shaking from fear. She looked vulnerable and breakable.

"It's alright, Hinata, he's still alive," Kiba assured her.

Naruto wondered if that was how she looked when she learned that he was fighting Pain alone.

Karui and Kurotsuchi arrived a few seconds later, the former also scanning the area for any remains of Neji's opponent while the latter tried to comfort Hinata. Kiba let go of his teammate and the Hyūga girl ran towards Naruto and Neji. She buried her desperate face on Neji's chest, sobbing, terrifyingly afraid of losing him. Naruto had never seen her act so different. Hinata always kept to herself, even in disadvantageous situations. Now, her tears and fear were expressing how much she loved her precious people.

And Naruto didn't know how to react to that.

Kiba spoke, "We have to take him to the Medical Division."

"I'll do it," offered Kurotsuchi, taking the unconscious Neji from Naruto's arms with care, "I'll fly over to the Medical Division. We're not too far from it, and it's better if I take him by air before someone else decides to attack us on land. We'll meet you over there."

With one last look, Naruto saw the Iwa kunoichi take off, flying over the tree tops, while some of Neji's blood splattered on the floor. He noticed that Hinata had gotten some of her cousin's blood on her cheek after he had been raised from the ground. Naruto ripped off the wrist of his jacket and gently cleaned her face as she held a horrified expression.

She didn't even flinch at his touch as she stared at Kurotsuchi leaving with her cousin. Naruto felt so out of place; he was finally giving Hinata his full attention and she wasn't even acknowledging him. It seemed that it was neither the place nor time to try and console Hinata. He would have to leave that for later.

"This is war, kid. You will see many people die," said Karui, looking at Hinata's vulnerable state and Naruto's failed attempt at comforting her.

Karui readjusted her weapons and took a final scan around the place in search of more clues. However, Neji's opponent had left no trail behind. They would have to wait until the Hyūga boy woke up in order to start the interrogation.

"Hinata, let's go," Naruto said, softly. If he was to be protected by the Alliance, to act as the symbol, he would have to keep a calm composure once in a while.

Although, his Shadow clones were most likely already kicking ass in the other Divisions anyway. But he wasn't needed there now. He felt that his place was beside Hinata, who personified the terrors that the many allied shinobi were living for Naruto's own sake. It put a large weight on his shoulders; he had yet to learn how to cope with several ninjas dying while protecting him.

He really wished he could physically hold Hinata now, and protect her from whatever harm came her way.

Kiba suggested that they make their way to the Medical Division immediately. He told Hinata to mount Akamaru with him, as it seemed that she could not keep up with everyone else's speed in her state. Giving a nod to Naruto and Karui, they all made their way to where Neji was being treated.

Hi everyone! Thank you so, so much for the kind reviews, favourites and alerts! This story has already reached 1000 hits and that is like my little victory *blushes* It was hard getting my name around in the Hispanic world, and now I have to repeat it all over again in the English language. It's a pleasant journey, though :)

So what did you all think of this chapter? Naruto is finally in the battlefield, woohoo! Some scenes were similar to the ones in the manga because I wanted to incorporate some parts of it in my fanfic. It's like a way of making it seem less AU. Thanks again to Uniquegirl - YAYZ for being a beta :)

I decided to add quotes at the beginning of each chapter to set the mood. I feel like I'm going all out on this story, seriously. Next update should come soon!

And how are you liking the longer chapters?

Tell me your opinions and such! I'm always open to feedback, whether it is positive or negative. If you think I could do a better job, let me know! I'll consider it constructive criticism, promise!

Sincerely,

MSM