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

Interlude

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." ~ G. K. Chesterton

The baby was crying.

Kurenai held her newborn daughter closer, trying to calm the baby's cries in her arms. The poor child had been in this state for quite a while, giving loud cries. It frightened Kurenai. Not because her daughter might be in pain, but because her cries could mean that they were all in danger.

They were currently in a wooden compound along with other Konoha villagers, far away from the village's original construction place. The refugee camp was on the west of the Fire Country, located near the ocean so that it would be easier to get water. Kurenai looked around at the many familiar faces. Everyone was feeling tenser now, albeit not having ninja abilities. She had been one of the few higher rank shinobi left behind because of her daughter. There was no way she was going to leave the baby alone; having one parent killed was painful enough.

Her daughter looked so much like Asuma. It hurt. She had the same shade of black hair, the same skin tone. Nonetheless, the baby's eyes were red like hers. She was the perfect impersonation of the love Kurenai and Asuma once shared.

"Shh, baby... It will be over," she comforted her child.

It was unusual for a mother to not name her child after birth, but Kurenai felt that the current situation had drifted her mind away from name picking. The fact that Asuma's team and her own team constantly debated on the perfect name for the baby also caused confusion. Kurenai wished that Asuma could have chosen a name before, well...

The small infant was still crying, and the people she shared the compound with were looking at her worriedly. She had experience with children, but she never anticipated having a hard time calming her own child. The baby's senses were most likely more acute than an adult's. They didn't have words to communicate, they were new to this world, and they were closer to nature. A newborn child could sense things better than a full grown adult.

"It will be over..." she repeated, more to herself than to the child. She wanted it to be over; war was only causing more pain.

A new wave of refugees had arrived. They were from the smaller countries that were under threat of being attacked. These small countries were nothing compared to the might of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, but their villagers needed protection from the enemy's attacks.

Fortunately, none of them looked injured. Because of the war, all the highly skilled medical nins had been taken to the battlefield, and the refuge was left behind with the novice students. It was the same case with the shinobi; the only ones who could protect them were a small group of highly skilled ANBU and students of the Academy. The gennins who'd already showed signs of being prepared to become chūnin had been taken to the Alliance's headquarters in order to train them for the battlefield.

Kurenai remembered how the genins' mothers cried as they saw their children leave with the Alliance's shinobi. It was unlikely that they were going to survive; most of them weren't even twelve years old. Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi, had been taken along with Konohamaru and his genin team. Kurenai's heart had broken when she realized that the child ratio was gradually diminishing. The arrival of new refugee families would bring a little more joy to the camp; the lack of children was casting a gloomy sight amongst the adults.

The newly arrived refugees looked frightened. They were in a foreign land, far away from the society they knew, and being guarded by shinobi they'd never met before. Kurenai would feel the same. Parents held on to their children's shoulders tightly, trying to keep them close. They were travelling light; only one bag of clothing per family. She unconsciously held on to her daughter tighter, feeling the need to protect her from strangers as well.

And then she noticed a familiar pair of white eyes amongst the crowd. Perplexed, Kurenai finally made her way towards the arriving crowd, identifying every feature of her beloved student.

"Hinata?"

The alluded girl noticed her as well. Kurenai noticed the saddened expression Hinata was carrying, and realized that her student needed to speak to someone in private. She was accompanied by her father and Hanabi. The head of the Hyūga clan looked stoic, almost numb. His hands were on his daughters' shoulders, much like the rest of the refugee parents. There had to be a really good reason as to why the Hyūga family was not taking part in the war anymore. Kurenai knew right away that Hinata was part of that reason.

"Kurenai-sensei, it's good to see you again," Hinata deviated from following the rest of the crowd while Hiashi looked at her disapprovingly. Kurenai made eye contact with the father, nodding once, assuring him that his daughter was in good hands.

After all, he left Hinata behind not too many years ago when she'd become a genin. Hinata was more of her responsibility than Hiashi's, acting like a surrogate daughter.

The young girl noticed that the child was crying, and so offered to hold on her. Kurenai felt a relief from her arms; carrying a baby all day around was tiring, even for a kunoichi. Hinata cradled the little bundle with care, stroking the baby's little nose with her index finger in such a delicate manner that she seemed to be a real mother.

"Let's go to back to my place," the teacher offered, "We will settle the baby down and then grab something to eat."

It was such a casual sentence that Kurenai almost felt like they were back to the old days. The days where war wasn't happening. The days when Asuma was still around, and he would take her on long walks around the village.

When they came in Kurenai's square shaped room, the older woman pulled two chairs and then took her baby from Hinata's arms, setting her in a basket beside the chairs. The whole room showed how undersupplied the refuge was; refugees had to share bathrooms, showers and the kitchen. They only got a small room like this one, and many rooms didn't even have a window. Kurenai was fortunate enough to get a room with a small window due to her shinobi status, but the view she got from outside was no less depressing.

Mothers wandering around the refugee camp, looking aimlessly for their shinobi children, only brought sorrow to Kurenai. She walked over to the window and pulled the curtains, giving them more privacy. Then, she went back to her seat, and noticed that Hinata's hands were rigidly curled on her legs. She was hiding her face with her bangs, hiding her sadness.

"Tell me," Kurenai softly said.

Hinata started trembling as tears streamed from her eyes. After a few moments, she composed herself and told Kurenai about her escapade with Naruto. The adult mother listened attentively, knowing that Hinata had grown out of her insecure childhood with the help of the Uzumaki boy. Kurenai held on to Hinata's hand while she told her story, showing support. It had been difficult for Hinata to find acknowledgement, and so Kurenai always made sure that her female student never felt left behind. She was grateful that Kiba and Shino were good teammates; they'd all worked together to help Hinata's upbringing.

"And then... h-he said he doesn't know how he feels," her cheeks blushed exaggeratedly as she stammered her words, "Kurenai-sensei, I want to be closer to him, but... but we can't be together. My father forbids me from fighting and he's under heavily guarded protection."

Kurenai frowned, being well familiar with Hiashi's drastic measures when it came to his daughters' wellbeing. He allowed them to fight in the war –they were shinobi, after all. But once he saw the danger that Hinata had been put in, he'd taken the role of the strict parent and sent them away. Kurenai glanced over to her baby, knowing that she would want to do the same if she was in Hiashi's place. Perhaps he only wanted to spend his last days accompanied with his daughters, knowing that with the course of the war, the Alliance's army would be diminished to none at any time.

"I don't want to be here, sensei. I want to fight, to show them that I don't need to be protected," Hinata said.

"Let me speak with your father. He is just taken careful measures," Kurenai gave her hand a soft squeeze.

Her baby started crying again, and this time her wails were louder than before. The two kunoichi looked at the small bundle and then sensed that something was happening outside. Kurenai hurried to the window and took a peek from the curtains. All she could see was grey; grey clouds, dust. And then the screaming began. Glasses shattered as metals clanked. Hinata had activated her Byakugan, and her shocked expression said everything Kurenai needed to know.

They were under attack. The enemy's army had entered their camp and was outside, killing innocent civilians.

Kurenai picked up her baby immediately and she followed Hinata outside of her place. Her student had taken an attacking stand, ready to defend mother and child. Kurenai wanted to join her, but the thought of leaving her baby unattended restricted her from joining Hinata.

"Sensei, go find my dad and sister. I will take care of them!" Hinata screamed, as a pair of white clones drew in amidst the clouds, readying their attack.

"Hinata—"

"Just go!" the alluded ordered, striking the two opponents with little struggle, "I know how to handle them."

However, more clones appeared. This time, they were six. They all had the same facial expression; a disturbing, sadist smile and eyes that could freeze anyone in place. Hinata was taking them all one by one, gradually moving them away from Kurenai and her baby. The woman started noticing that there were also several children fighting off the clones. Her eyes opened widely when she witnessed how one of the clones took down two shinobi children at once. The clone struck a huge gash on each of the children's chest, exposing their vital organs before they fell on the ground. Defeated and lifeless. The clone moved on to attack a group of civilian elders.

The crude image was never going to leave Kurenai's mind.

The ANBU squad in charge of protecting the refugees was spread all around the camp; they were summoning their own clones in order to balance their number against the enemy's. Nonetheless, it was useless as the opponent was easily defeating the ANBU squad's clones. Kurenai could not open her mouth; no sound would come out anyway. She was still shocked by the death of those two children and held on to her baby tightly.

Many families were already escaping from the camps through the secret passages, and she feared of the enemy knowing about them.

"My family should be near, go find them!" Hinata shouted, finishing off another clone.

"We're here!" two voices interrupted.

Hiashi and Hanabi had taken their places on each side of Kurenai, while Hinata stood at the front. They were protecting here and her baby when they could be running away as well. Kurenai was a jōnin for a reason, though. And so, she came up with a plan that could save time and lives.

"Hinata, Hiashi, Hanabi, try and get as many refugees outside from here as you can. We will meet in the outskirts of the camp!"

With her baby securely held in her arms, Kurenai performed the proper hand seals. Then, she was buried beneath the earth and the destruction that was happening.

Fifteen thousand, three hundred and nineteen.

Ever since the war had begun, the Alliance had lost fifteen thousand, three hundred and nineteen shinobi. The majority of them died in battle, but some in the Medical Division due to severe injuries. Kakashi narrowed his visible eye at the number of deceased shinobi. It was wrong.

It was wrong because it included Sakura and C as two deceased ninjas. Kakashi knew they weren't dead; if they'd been, then the Alliance wouldn't have strengthened its guard. Strengthening its guard with the arrival of newly graduated chūnin and performing higher level jutsu only proved that Kabuto and Madara were about to make their next move. They were going to enter the battlefield, much to the Kages' dismay.

The day was bound to happen, Kakashi thought. They weren't going to win this war by killing an endless army of Zetsu's clones without encountering their main antagonists. It didn't work out like that it novels; it wouldn't work out like that in real life. The man sighed, itching for one of his Icha Icha novels. This was no time to distract oneself with reading; his female student was still missing, and his two male students were no better. Sasuke was allied with Madara and Kabuto, whereas Naruto had been confined back into Turtle's Island until further notice.

The meetings with the other commanders did not work that efficiently anymore. They'd all been encountering the same enemy for almost a month, learning all of the clones' tactics and tricks. The Shinobi Alliance had a diverse group of individuals with astounding skills that helped a lot in the battlefield. Kakashi knew that within his own Division, many soldiers were already getting tired of pulling the same old tricks to attack the same enemy.

That was also a sign that Kabuto and Madara were on the move. It was so obvious.

Kakashi looked over the map that spread over the table of his tent, once again analyzing the route Naruto and Hinata had taken when they'd escaped to rescue Sakura. A part of him urged to go and do the same, knowing that there was still one member left of his original team that could still be saved from a fatal fate. Nonetheless, his responsibilities as Commander came first. He sighed in frustration, setting one hand over the mask while his elbow rested on his knee.

"Kakashi-senpai, what is our next move?"

The alluded turned around to look at a young, pale face. Sai's emotionless features were still present; the boy was asking for orders. He was standing at the entrance of Kakashi's tent, studying the Commander's position, "I figured I could ask. According to your current stance, you were most likely thinking about our Division's future tactics."

Out of the Third Division, Sai was the shinobi he knew best. He'd joined in as a backup due to his abilities. Although they'd been quite useful, Sai was still an asocial individual who had to learn how to respect another person's privacy. Kakashi had to suppress a grin from appearing underneath his mask when he remembered the several times that Sakura got frustrated from Sai's lack of social skills.

"Our next move is to find the source of Zetsu's army," he announced.

Kakashi looked over his whole Division. Several of his soldiers had already been injured while fighting off the clones, and he unfortunately had lost many valuables members. Nonetheless, they were still a strong standing number. Sai used his ink animals as guards, surrounding their camp from any new opponents. They had proven to be useful since the Third Division was currently taking a rest from all the fighting. Hence, Kakashi had figured out that it was the perfect opportunity to send a group from his Division and find the opponent army's nest.

They should have done it sooner, but due to the unexpected event of Sakura and C being captured, and Naruto's own escapade with Hyūga Hinata, many plans had been pushed back and readjusted. There were rumours that Mitarashi Anko and Yamato had been abducted by the enemy as well. Sources were not so clear, though, so the Kages had to take cautious measures. If they sent another search party in search for the two abducted shinobi, then the Alliance would be missing numbers.

It was a tight situation.

"Understood. I will scatter some of my ink animals around the area," Sai exited as Kakashi slumped down on his chair.

Ah, this was making him too old too fast.

'To all Division Commanders,' a voice said in his head. Kakashi sat up straight once again, taking full notice of Inoichi's intel, 'We have been informed that Konohagakure's refugee camp has been sacked by Zetsu's clones.'

His only visible eye widened in shock. How... how did the enemy know where the villagers were being kept? Fear crept over Kakashi's spine at the thought of the many innocent civilians who were killed by Zetsu.

'We request the presence of all the Division Commanders in Turtle's Island immediately. A rescuing team had been sent to recover any survivors of the attack. I repeat: all Division Commanders must arrive at Turtle's Island immediately.'

Kakashi quickly wrote a note down and left it atop his desk, announcing of his sudden departure. He exited his tent and sprinted towards the meeting place, hoping to get there in five minutes if his chakra supply allowed him.

Boy, this was getting bad by the second.

A snake-like grin filled Kabuto's features, showing his satisfaction with his current situation in the war. He covered his head with the hood of his robes, directing the several wooden coffins that carried the resurrected bodies to his new hideout. He figured that Sasuke-kun would have broken in his laboratory before the whole jutsu was completely prepared, so he took steps ahead and departed the Mountain's Graveyard right after his last bodies were ready.

Kabuto proudly looked back at his creation –or rather, recreation. His curiosity had been taken to another level. The Edo Tensei was his best jutsu. Orochimaru had further explored it from the Second Hokage, and now Kabuto had finally perfected it. No one would be able to defeat him with his immortal army. Furthermore, no one would dare to laugh at him for having such high intelligence. Yes, shinobi were meant to do more physical work, but the mind was what helped them strive for their ambitions.

He chuckled, rethinking of his strategies in the battlefield. Then, his eyes averted to an unconscious body that lay beside him and the several coffins. Mitarashi Anko thought that she could take him down on her own, how foolish! Nonetheless, her arrival had been to his luck; the woman carried some of Orochimaru's cells; hence, she could provide extra strength to his techniques. This day could not get any better!

His new hideout was a similar cave to the Mountain's Graveyard, but smaller and more secluded. It was also on the northeastern border of the Land of Sound, giving him a perfect access to the Alliance's Divisions that were close to northwestern side of the Land of Lightning by sea. No one could find him, though. He was well hidden, well camouflaged. After all, Kabuto took after a reptile like no other shinobi. Orochimaru had dreamed of perfecting immortality and hiding away from death. Kabuto had achieved that dream.

"Orochimaru-sama, you didn't need to switch from body to body in order to find immortality," Kabuto told himself, praising his own intelligence.

His words led him back to think about Uchiha Sasuke. The boy had grown dark and strong, something that was quite interesting to Kabuto. He was well aware of Uchiha Itachi's secrets, and it was entertaining seeing how the younger brother was set to destroy everything the older brother had protected. Oh, the dynamics of family. Kabuto was glad he never had to worry about that. As a boy who grew up in an orphanage and then was taken as a spy by Konoha, he'd never bothered knowing what a real family was. There was no point; when a shinobi died it didn't matter who would attend the funeral.

Besides, he didn't need to think about dying. He was immortal; his perfect Edo Tensei jutsu made him immortal. No one but him could stop it.

A white skin body emerged out of the ground of Kabuto's cave. It was one of Zetsu's clones, carrying an update of Madara's plans. The expression featured in the clone's face satisfied Kabuto.

"The sacking of Konohagakure's refugee camp was a success," the clone said, extending his grin.

"Excellent," Kabuto responded, laying out his map on the ground. "What about our guests?"

At this question, Zetsu's clone let out a low, teasing chuckle. Kabuto was aware of the Akatsuki member's torture techniques on Sakura and C, and he was often wonderstruck at the will of these prisoners in keeping quiet. They were rather entertaining to Zetsu, and useful to Kabuto. After all, he had chosen the best two candidates for the job. C was close to the Raikage, the Supreme Leader of the Shinobi Alliance. Sakura was the Hokage's apprentice, and she was gaining international recognition for her abilities. Kabuto was about to choose Shizune, but decided on the younger apprentice because of her personal connection with the Kyūbi jinchūriki.

And everything had gone according to his plan. Naruto was still a knuckle-head, running after his loved ones. He'd almost arrived at the Mountain's Graveyard, and Madara gave him a taste of what was about to come. Kabuto felt pride at his strategic abilities. Sakura was too loyal to uncover some of the secrets of the Alliance, which forced her into using her medical abilities to his advantage. Moreover, she could unsettle two of the most important pawns of the war. Naruto had proven to willingly sacrifice the Alliance in order to save his friend. And it was entertaining to see the dysfunctional interaction between Sakura and Sasuke.

"Still at Mountain's Graveyard, but Uchiha Sasuke had departed after he burned some of my clones," Zetsu announced, "I believe you've already set everything up since our guests are no longer of use."

"Correct. The bombs are ready," Kabuto said, organizing small pebble stones in a single file line over the map, "I advice your clones to depart the Mountain's Graveyard. Deidara and Sasori will be in charge of destroying the place."

Zetsu chuckled once again, "The art of explosion, I see. Those guys worked well together."

"Indeed. Interesting pair," he commented. "And Madara?"

"He is also about to depart the Mountain's Graveyard. Preparing the Demonic Statue is difficult. That thing is heavy; my clones are helping him carry it to the battlefield."

Kabuto looked back at the several coffins that stood in a single file line, much like the small pebbles on his map. There were a few coffins missing. Those coffins carried the resurrected bodies he personally took care of: the former jinchūriki. Those were the bodies that C and Sakura did not work on; they were his personal collection. Kabuto had ordered them to travel alongside Madara, and to act under his command (unless he decided to change his strategies). The snake-like man smirked, knowing that the Edo Tensei gave him the upper hand in every aspect of the war.

"He can take the pain. Now, I must begin my side of our attack."

Kabuto placed his hands together and prepared the hand seals. The wooden coffins opened at once, revealing the sleeping bodies of all his resurrected shinobi. Their grey, decaying skin was quickly replaced with a normal tone when the bodies woke up. Kabuto smirked, knowing exactly where to send them.

Everything was in place. Yamato's DNA would help as a supply for the Zetsu army; Madara was accompanied by the deceased jinchūriki; Anko's cells would strengthen his own strength; and he still had one last trump card.

But that trump card would not be released unless he really did feel like scaring the five Kages. They were no match to his special pawn, though. No one, other than Senju Hashirama, was.

Everything was going according to plan.

Hi there, dear readers! I apologize for the late update, but October and November are my busiest months of first term :( This chapter acts as a transition, as you can see. You were probably waiting for more action, but those will come! This chapter acts like an Interlude, as the end of the Imprisonment Arc. We are now moving on to the Fighting Arc, where a lot of emotions and action scenes take place. Very manga-like, but with more romance I daresay.

I need your votes once again. I have written two chapters, one on Neji's and another one on Team Asuma's points of view. They are both very important, but I am debating as to whether I should update them separately as additional chapters or as just part of this story. The two chapters touch upon subjects that are of importance with the story line, but neither deal directly with the main pairings. What do you think? I will open this to a vote :)

Anyway, have an amazing Halloween. I am dressing up as my favourite character :) So excited!

Sincerely,

MSM