INTRODUCTION
Welcome back to the Chronicles. As always I begin by stating I do not own Naruto.
THANK YOU
I want to thank all those who reviewed my previous chapter: Exor; Gravenimage; calc; xDARKNESS; InARealpickle; Diamond Man; airnaruto45; theshrewedshrew; RunningLion; DRAGON-HEIR1; FoxSage19; Kushina's Truth of Hell; goldone5; NARUSAKU29; Ren Nakuhiko ShieKaru and Raptor2001.
RESPONCES
Exor - Well, thank you for the praise my friend. And I hope your anticipation remains high.
Gravenimage - Yeah, sorry about the short chapter. I'll try to avoid that as best I can.
calc - Thanx.
xDARKNESS - Things in the manag are heating up again as the war is about to begin. I found many readers are upset with Kishi's use of Edo Tensei however. But i find no issue with it. As for my story the action will return in due time. But as I head to the final act certain things must be set up first.
InARealPickle - Thanks for the catch. I'll change it soon.
Diamond Man - We'll be checking in with Sasuke soon. And as for Naruto I'll be leaving some bread crumbs for you to follow as to what he's up to. I'm sure you'll be quite surprised.
airnaruto45 - Lol! Life on the wild side my friend.
theshrewedshrew - Yes, the two tails was the only one...for now. Hehe! Glad you like the progression of the story.
RunningLion - More than Lost? I doubt that highly. but thanks. I'm trying my best to keep you guys guessing. personally I'm really enjoying writing Shikamaru. He's really a complex character that can be so many things yet all be canon. Neji vs Madara? Not a bad matchup but Neji would get crushed. Why would you want to see that fight?
DRAGON-HEIR1 - Thanx. And yes, RIP Lee.
Foxsage19 - thanx. Sorry about the length.
Kushina's - Glad you had such a good day. BTW, who are those friends you were talking about again. HI FRIENDS OF KUSHINA-CHAN!
goldone5 - No one would love getting a billion reviews more than me. But I'm happy with what i've been getting. Thanks for whatever publicity you give me. As for the story, Sasuke has a tough road ahead and even tougher decisions to make. you'll see, i have another few twists in store for him.
NaruSaku29 - thanx for the compliment. You really should give writing a try if you have the passion. BTW, the name of the Raikage is A not E. Lol. As for if this will be the final Book of my story...the answer is...stay tuned.
Ren Nakuhiko - Thanx.
Raptor2001 - Glad you've been enjoying the story. Lee,unfortunately had to die IMO. But his sacrifice will not be in vain and he died in the best way I felt for such a character. The fall of Danzo is something that will come in due time but other important things need to happen first. As for Sakura and her return. Sakura felt she had to make sure the captives were protected and the best way she could do that was to bring them to konoha. But there will be repercussions for that decision as well. Sai will be shown soon as well. He too has a part to play.
MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR
Ok, so after a brief one week hiatus I'm back. I hope you enjoy the chapter and please remember to review this chapter. Thanks.
Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh
Book III: End of Innocence
Chapter XVI: Alliance
******Mt. Myoboku******
Naruto landed hard on his back and rolled several feet, finally coming to stop as he slammed into a tree. Clearly in pain and gasping for breath he opened his eyes to see several clones, all in Sage mode standing at the ready to continue their fight. "Don't tell me you're done already," one of the clones said.
"Yeah," said another clone. "I thought you wanted to get stronger. You can't do that if you're on your back! Get the fuck up you lazy peace of shit!"
Naruto grinned widely as he got to one knee. "You guys are really lucky I'm fighting without using my Sage Chakra," Naruto said.
"You won't get any sympathy from us," a clone responded. "You're the one who decided to give us all Sage Chakra."
Naruto laughed as he wiped the blood from his lip. "You're right. Fighting twelve Sage chakra powered clones of myself isn't fair at all." Suddenly Naruto's body began to glow bright red and the ground around him began to shake as pieces of rock broke free and began to float around him.
Naruto screamed as more and more power flooded out of him forcing his clones to shield their eyes. And a cyclone of wind began to spin around his body, growing higher into the sky and suddenly blasted it out in all directions breaking nearby trees.
As the wind died down Naruto looked at his right hand and clenched it. "One against twelve isn't fair at all," he said as he looked at his clones. "Next time, I'll have to make more of you." Naruto then leapt towards his clones, ready to fight.
******Kumogamkure – Outside the office of the Raikage******
Temari, Shikamaru and Kankuro stood by as they watched Gaara and Baki disappear into the doorway. As they stood waiting in silence Temari couldn't help but feel the eyes of all of the guards upon them. It was likely that they were all instructed to be as accommodating as possible. But there was also another order as well no doubt; one that put all the guards on edge and caused the air to be thick with tension. It was as if they were all perched on the head of a needle and the slightest misstep would mean disaster.
"Am I the only one who thinks this is all going to go to shit," Temari whispered to Kankuro and Shikamaru.
"Of course I do," Kankuro said. "It always seems to go bad when Naruto is involved. I just hope Shikamaru knows what he's doing."
"Don't worry," Shikamaru said. "He's one of the smartest people around. And I have little doubt things will work out."
Just then the three of them heard a birds call from a bit of a distance away and they each looked at each other. "Strange," Kanakuro said. "That bird call seemed a little out of place for area don't you all think?" Shikamaru smiled and said, "Don't be ridiculous. I think you're just a bit too on edge." Yet at the same time Shikamaru could see the small imperceptible movements of the guards around him. They were slowly getting into an attack position around them.
"But you know come to think of it," Temari said as she pretended not to notice what was happening around her. "That bird sounded like a vulture. They tend to make that noise when they circle their prey."
Kankuro nonchalantly placed his hand on his waist and asked, "And just who do you think is the prey?"
Just then they heard the bird call again and all the guards around them drew their weapons and closed in. With a smile Temari said, "The prey…..is them." Quickly Temari stomped on the floor and a large fan blasted through the ground. She quickly opened it and blocked the first attack of one of the guards. She then swung the fan creating a blast of wind that knocked several of them away.
Kankuro's hand was by his waist, but what no one hand noticed was the fact his fingers were touching several nearly invisible strings. Kankuro pulled on them and two small puppets, about the size of a doll that could fit in his palm, crept out of his clothes. With a few pulls of the strings the puppets launched into the air and fired several poison tipped needles striking several ninja and knocking them out cold.
Shikamaru stood perfectly still, with his arms crossed. As several ninja closed in they were shocked to see sand begin to rise from the ground around him it appeared his clothes began to turn to sand revealing that the person before them was in fact Gaara. Before they could react the sand flew out in all directions entering the mouths and noses of all the guards. The sand began to clog all their air passageways and each ninja began to pass out.
The sand then flew back and attached itself to his back and took the shape of the gourd he normally carries. "Alright Gaara," Kankuro said, "You head on up to speak to the Raikage. We'll hold off the other ninja who show up."
"Right," Gaara said as he created a sand platform under his feet and floated up to the top floor of the building. As he floated up to the top floor Gaara looked through the large bay windows. He had arrived just in time to witness the Raikage punch his sand clone of Ibaki into the wall. Seeing enough, Gaara decided to end his little ruse. Release, he thought silently and watched as his clone turned into a pile of sand and the sand armor he had placed around Shikamaru and made to look like himself, began to break apart and turn to sand.
The Raikage, realizing the deception turned and saw Gaara standing outside his window and glared at him. "So," he said. "Konoha and Suna have teamed to bring us down? You will find us not so easy to dispose of."
"Damn you Raikage," Gaara said. "To this point the only one acting with any hostility is you. If you were to listen you'd realize we've come to talk not fight."
"I'm not sure we should trust him my Lord," Omoi said as he remained ready to attack.
"I didn't come here to gain your trust," Gaara said. "All we need is your cooperation. The fact of the matter is even if we were to attempt to assassinate you, we are woefully outnumbered and in the heart of your territory. So you see you lose nothing by hearing us out."
The Raikage stared at Gaara for a moment and then said, "Alright. I'll listen. And then, depending on what you say, perhaps I'll decide to kill you anyway."
Gaara floated near the window sill and stepped off his platform. The platform then turned to sand and went back into his gourd along with the sand scattered about the room. He then walked over to a seat in front of the Raikage's desk and sat down while the Raikage sat in his own chair. Omoi and Karui remained standing on either side of him while Shikamaru began to walk about casually looking at the paintings and items in the Raikage's office.
"Ok," he said. "So talk. Why are you here? And why are you working with Konoha?"
"I'm not so much officially working with Konoha," Gaara said. "It's more like I'm working with certain individuals of Konoha."
"So Danzo is unaware of these actions," the Raikage asked.
"Correct," Gaara replied.
The Raikage leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "So what are you after," he asked.
"As you know, Akatsuki has become a threat to us all," Gaara said. "And we have recently learned that they were the ones behind the death of our emissary. And through the use of inside traitors have engineered this war. And we have reason to believe they are operating out of Kirigakure."
The Raikage closed his eyes as if in deep thought. He then said, "We already know all of that."
Gaara and Shikamaru looked at the Raikage with a bit of shock. Shikamaru was in the middle of looking at a statue and put it back down. He then saw a pile of armor and weapons lying on the floor behind a large wooden cabinet. He then began to look around again.
"You knew," Gaara asked. "Then why did you continue this pointless war?"
"We only learned the truth recently ourselves," The Raikage said. "About a week ago a member of Akatsuki kidnapped my brother, the Eight Tails Jinchuriki. We were able to learn that this agent must have passed through the area Iwagakure is currently operating from." Gaara could see the fury rising in the Raikage as he spoke. He knew he had to tread carefully at this point any misstep could be disastrous.
"My condolences for your loss," Gaara said as contritely as he could.
"We don't need your pity," Karui yelled angrily. "Kirabi-sensei is alive! There's no way they could take him down so easily!"
"Is that why you plan to throw your lives away like a bunch of idiots," Shikamaru said as he placed a small statue back on the table and walked over to the group.
"What was that," Omoi said angrily as he began to walk around the desk towards Shikamaru.
"Omoi, Settle down!" The Raikage yelled. Omoi stopped in his tracks and glared at Shikamaru who simply smiled.
"You know I've heard of you Nara Shikamaru," the Raikage said.
"You have," Shikamaru asked. He was shocked that the Raikage had so easily recognized him.
"Yes," the Raikage responded. "Nara Shikamaru, nineteen years old. Son of Nara Shikaku. Former pupil of Sarutobi Asuma, deceased. Assistant head-master of the Chunin Exams. Considered one of the youngest military and political geniuses Konoha has ever had. And if I'm correct, you've also been approached seven times by the Fire Daimyo to join his Guardian Corps. The last time he offered you the position he even went so far as to offer to promote you directly to one of his Twelve Guardians if you agreed. But you've so far declined each time."
Shikamaru laughed slightly and said, "You're information gathering is quite impeccable Lord Raikage."
"Which leads me to wonder why someone as smart as you would do something so stupid as to insult me to my face in my home," the Raikage said angrily. "Do not think for a minute that I have not considered that your death would be a significant blow to Konoha."
"Not to mention a significant blow to my prospects of retirement," Shikamaru said with a smile. "Never the less I still think what you're planning is idiotic."
"And how would you know what we're planning," Karui asked angrily.
"Well that's fairly simple actually," Shikamaru said. "When we arrived I noticed all of your men separated into small groups and they were preparing their gear for what appeared to be a long military operation. Obviously they were going somewhere. When we arrived in the village I noticed that all your civilians were gone. Most likely you had them moved to a safe zone where a smaller group of men could protect them easier, which confirmed my theory that you were planning to send out most of your army."
"Wherever you're sending them you obviously plan to go with them because all of your armor and gear are lying in a pile behind that cabinet over there," Shikamaru said. "Now, where could you be going that you wouldn't want us to know about? Simple. At first I thought you were planning to take this battle straight to Iwagakure who are still positioned at your borders. But Iwagakure isn't your main target. Because sitting on your desk are documents detailing the military strengths of Kirigakure. This means you plan to march your army directly to Madara's doorstep."
The Raikage shook his head slightly and inhaled deeply. "You really are better than they say," he said. "Very good."
"Unfortunately this proves just how idiotic you're being," Shikamaru said. "Madara's forces number over a hundred thousand while you barely have over twenty. Also, to get to Madara you'd first have to go through Iwagakure. And even if you were to win, it would reduce your forces even more and exhaust your men. By the time you got to Kiri you'd all just be slaughtered."
"So what do you expect us to do," Omoi yelled. "Those bastards kidnapped our sensei! The Raikage's brother! We can't let them get away with that!"
The Raikage raised his hand to silence Omoi. "Omoi is right," the Raikage said. Shikamaru and Gaara could see the rage boiling just under his surface. They could see he could explode at any moment. "Those motherfuckers think they could just come in here and take my brother and get away! No! I will have my revenge!"
"How does committing suicide get you your revenge," Gaara asked. "Shikamaru's right. You'd all be killed before you could even see Madara's face."
The Raikage slammed his fist on the table causing the legs to shatter and table to collapse. Gaara sat perfectly still as if unfazed by the Raikage's sudden move. "Those bastards kidnapped and killed Yugito Nii," the Raikage said, "Lured us into a false war that caused the deaths of many of my men and have taken my brother! And I will have my vengeance! What would either of you know about how I feel!"
"Oh I know that feeling well," Shikamaru said. Everyone looked at him and the Raikage could see darkness in his expression. It was if at that moment a kinship between the two was found. "To have that type of lust for vengeance," Shikamaru said. "To see someone you care for taken from you right before your eyes. The feeling of helplessness. The lust for vengeance consumes you and forces your hand even when you know you shouldn't. I know it well. But what point is getting revenge if you don't survive to enjoy it?"
"Sometimes such a sacrifice is necessary," the Raikage said.
"What if we had another way," Gaara asked. "What if we could help you achieve your revenge without the placing the future of your entire village in jeopardy?"
The Raikage stared at Shikamaru for a minute and could see a hidden anger in him. It was if Shikamaru was transported to another time and place. To the very source of his loss. It was clear that Shikamaru indeed understood his desire for vengeance. Eventually the Raikage turned to Gaara and said, "I'm listening."
******Meanwhile – KiriGakure – Office of the Mizukage******
"What," Madara exclaimed as he stood up from his chair. "Are you sure Zetsu?"
"Unfortunately I am Lord Madara," Zetsu said. "Haruno Sakura is indeed alive. She returned several days ago and has been seen by many people within the village."
Madara slammed both fists into the table and stared down. His entire body was tense and fists tight. Damn, he thought. I was right there with Sasuke. She was practically dead and there was no way she could survived the collapse of an entire mountain. Damn! I should have delivered the final blow myself!
"Forgive me Lord but I am confused," Zetsu said. "I've studied her abilities and even though she is an accomplished medic her ninja skills shouldn't be a major problem for us. What about her would cause you the least bit of concern?"
"It's not her ninja or medical skills that concern me Zetsu," Madara said. "It's her Kekkei Genkai that concerns me."
"Kekkei Genkai," Zetsu asked. "But she has no…"
Before Zetsu could finish Madara said, "Yes she does. Only it has not been classified as such yet only because she is the first mutation. As you know, a Kekkei Genkai is a mutation that happens with a particular person and then can be passed down through bloodline that persons bloodline. But for this to happen there must be the original mutation. She is the original mutation of a new Kekkei Genkai. In fact she has already begun to use her ability but doesn't know it. I wanted her out of the way before she could master it."
"What is that," Zetsu asked.
"Her ability to nullify any genjutsu once it's been used on her is only an aspect of her power," Madara said. "And even that would cause enough problems. My plan is to use the power of the Ten Tails to project the Mangekyo Sharingan on the moon and create an Ultimate Tsukuyomi. But with her ability not only could she be unaffected by the technique, she could release others from it as well."
"How did you know this," Zetsu said.
"I must tell you Zetsu," Madara said. "When I learned of who Tsunade's apprentice was I decided to keep track of her. And when I learned of her unique ability I was even more intrigued. That night in Kumo, when Sasuke and Naruto fought I was also there as well. And I observed her from a distance. And with my Sharingan I was able to see the truth of her abilities."
"I see," Zetsu responded. "So how do we deal with her?"
For a while Madara remained silent and then began to giggle, which turned into light laughter and finally raucous amusement. Finally he stopped and said, "You know Zetsu, a wise man once said that the larger a mans' ambition the greater the trials he must face to achieve his goal. And my ambition is larger than anything this world has ever seen."
Madara turned to look out the window. His hands were folded behind him as he remained in deep thought. "Her survival is only temporary," he said. "She, just as the Nine Tails, will fall at my feet in due time. Even now Sasuke rests and will soon be ready. And once he is….Konoha shall fall."
******Kumogakure – Office of the Raikage******
"Impossible," Karui said as she, Omoi and the Raikage looked at Shikamaru and Gaara with shock. "Doing something like that is pure madness! That would put my Naruto-kun in incredible danger!"
Omoi crossed his arms, closed his eyes and shook his head disapprovingly. "Naruto has always been a brave guy," Omoi said. "But he can't be serious about this. I can't tell you how many ways this could go wrong."
"They have a point," the Raikage said. "You preach about not throwing your life away for revenge. Yet you are willing to sacrifice your own comrade for the same goal."
"Not at all," Gaara said. "Naruto is well aware of the risks. In fact, this plan was his."
The Raikage laughed. "Now that makes sense," he said. "My brother did say the brat was a bit out of his mind."
"I don't care whose idea this is," Karui yelled. "There's no way we can let this happen!"
"Karui, Omoi, please leave us," the Raikage said.
"But," Karui said as she attempted to protest.
"Now," the Raikage said sternly.
Reluctantly Omoi and Karui left the room in silence leaving the three alone. "Does this mean you trust us," Gaara asked.
"No," the Raikage said. "It just means I was tired of hearing their voices. Now let me see if I understand this. Naruto plans on returning to Konoha and letting everyone know his location which hopefully includes Madara. And because he is the last Jinchuriki, you believe Madara will definitely come after him."
"Where the armies of Konoha and Suna will be waiting," Shikamaru said.
"And Kumo if you agree," Gaara said. "For too long all we've been able to do is react to Madara's plans. And often times when we do it is already too late. Madara has stayed one step ahead. But by doing this we can dictate where he will be and can strike at him with the full force at our disposal."
"But if you fail he will have the Nine Tails, the ability to destroy us all at once and the power to rule this world," the Raikage said.
"Yet if we continue as we are Madara may get Naruto anyway and all will be lost," Gaara replied.
"This is a risk we will have to take," Shikamaru said. "And it is a risk Naruto is prepared for."
The Raikage thought about it for moment and said, "Then Kumo will help you. However, we still have the issue of Iwagakure to deal with."
"Oh, that will be no problem at all," Shikamaru said. "I already know how to handle them."
"How so," the Raikage asked.
With a devious smile Shikamaru asked, "Tell me Lord Raikage, how good are your acting skills?"
End of Chapter Sixteen
Next Time: Assault on Iwagakure