A/N: This is my first try as an author so bear with me. English isn't my first language so don't hesitate to pm me with any fault you find, I am always eager to learn.
Let's get started with the usual Q&A feedback from the previous chapter. I was expecting readers to be mad that Natsuki and Naruto still couldn't get their reunion scene, I'm glad everyone is patient and more or less went with the twist of her remaining unconscious due to total chakra / youki exhaustion.
Got mixed reactions to Otogakure / Sasuke taking over Takigakure and Kusagakure. To be honest, I didn't really research those two villages, all I knew was that they were minor villages. Those easy wins, or what the reviewer 'Rixxell Stryfe' accurately defined as "Blitzkrieg" victories, serve as a way to expand the chessboard for the future world war to come. It doesn't make much sense to have the five allied major village bullying a single minor country now, does it ?
Thanks to all those who gave a suggestion for the new shinobi art used by Naruto in their reviews, the official name as been chosen and will be revealed when Naruto uses the jutsu again.
Anyway, welcome to the next chapter of Kaze No Kami.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other manga for that matter.
Chapter 47 : Loose Ends
Konohagakure – Hokage Office
Tsunade was going through her daily stack of paperwork, having visited Naruto and his new "fiancee" before she came to her office. The blonde Hokage still couldn't believe that the red haired woman with Naruto was the human incarnation of the most powerful demon to have ever lived. Natsuki, as Naruto called her, was still in a comatose state as her chakra reserves were still critically low. Tsunade couldn't understand why they didn't replenish faster than that.
She was going through another meaningless marriage proposal for the Namikaze Clan Head, using her "Denied" seal without even looking at its contents. Ever since the general population learned about his famous lineage and with the reputation that Naruto had built with his own hands, proposals as the one she was currently putting aside were a daily occurrence. Naruto made it clear that it wouldn't happen more than once, he even had Kurenai announce it during council meetings as the issue kept coming back even there too.
Tsunade was going to reach for the next document she had to read when the door to her office suddenly opened, revealing her assistant and apprentice, Shizune coming in.
"Is there something wrong, Shizune ?" The blonde woman asked.
"I'm afraid so, Tsunade-sama. It seems you former teammate, Orochimaru has perished." Shizune replied to her master, not sure where her master stood concerning the Snake Sannin.
"And how exactly is that bad news for me or Konoha ?" Tsunade said in a neutral tone, showing that she had severed any bond she ever had with the vile snake long ago.
"Because that's only part of the news actually, the one who took his life and consequently became the Nidaime Otokage is none other than another one of our missing nin Uchiha Sasuke." Shizune told the Hokage.
"Damn that brat, and damn that cursed clan too. How did we came up with this info anyway ? Naruto is our spy master and with him currently "out of service", there's not much we can do in intelligence gathering at the moment." Tsunade asked, curious as to how Shizune knew all this.
"That's quite simple, Tsunade-sama. The Uchiha took over Takigakure and Kusagakure with his forces. He acted so fast that we didn't receive any assistance request from our ally Takigakure." Shizune replied.
"What do we know of their current activities ?" Tsunade asked.
"Nothing much I'm afraid, their borders were quickly sealed off after the invasions started, not many refugees managed to flee from those villages." The brunette said.
"Very well, call for an emergency council meeting. Everyone is to gather in the council room in one hour. I'll go drag Naruto out of his house myself." Tsunade said, standing up from behind her desk.
"One last thing, sensei. Sakura has been spotted in Sasuke's army ranks ..." Shizune said as she used a Shunshin to leave the room.
This was another sore subject for Tsunade, her other former apprentice, Haruno Sakura. It was a major regret for Tsunade that she couldn't beat the fangirl out of Sakura. The girl held so many promises in the medical field and her talent even rivaled Shizune's. All that wasted into a life at the service of that damn Uchiha brat.
Tsunade then used a Shunshin too, making her way towards the Namikaze compound.
Amegakure – God's Tower
Konan had assumed the mantle of Amekage as Nagato died, even if it was a secret for now. The people from the village were already familiar with the "Angel of Amegakure" giving them orders from their God, Pein. The death of Nagato had been kept secret by the former Akatsuki's kunoichi, she was running the village to the best of her abilities, just trying to survive another day. She didn't enjoy playing the "God" part but it was a necessity for now, as the situation was very unstable and the last thing she wanted was a civil war to break out and more war orphans like her.
The Amegakure shinobi, under Nagato's reign, had become a force to be reckoned. They were disciplined and always meticulous in performing their respective duties. Mistakes were not acceptable during Pein's leadership, so everyone was used to getting their job done flawlessly.
A jonin then entered her office, with some important news judging by his nervousness.
"Angel-sama, there are intruders inside our borders. What should we do with them, what are God's orders ?" The jonin said as he bowed to her.
"Did they show any signs that could tell us where they're coming from ?" Konan asked.
"Their headbands indicate that they hail from Otogakure, Angel-sama." The jonin said.
"Very well, intercept and detain for interrogation, captain." Konan replied.
"As you command." Said the man before he left to follow her orders.
Under her apparent calm behavior, Konan was very anxious about her people's safety. She was after all a war orphan and didn't want any child to share her fate to grow up during war times. She tried to remain in control of her emotions, not wanting to create panic among the citizens and then started to assess the situation.
The news of Oto invading all the way here in Amegakure was quite strange, Konan wondered for a moment how they managed to go through all the nations that stood between Ta no Kuni and Amegakure. She then understood, as she deduced that they were not the first ones to be attacked. The Angel of Ame even correctly guessed that Sasuke and his forces must have come through Takigakure and Kusagakure before reaching their borders as the only other option was to go through Hi no Kuni, and consequently risking the wrath of Konohagakure.
Borders of Rain Country
Sasuke and his men were currently traveling at great speed through the rain towards their new target, Amegakure or the land where it never stops to rain. He was escorted by Suigetsu as Karin was chosen to remain in Kusagakure. The read head had been less than thrilled when Sasuke ordered her to stay back while he left with Suigetsu. The Kenjutsu and Suiton specialist was the most logical choice, since they were going to fight in an area where water would be everywhere.
There was only one flaw so far in Sasuke's plans, the fact that he had to leave some of his captains and troops behind each time he switched to a new target. It was not really an issue up until now since their goals were all minor villages so far and they had good intel on them each time.
Takigakure was a place he had once visited in his genin days while Karin knew Kusagakure like the back of her hand. Ame would be a little different though, they had no information about that village. Sasuke was still confident in his abilities, no one so far had offered him a decent challenge once he used the Mangekyo powers and he was quite sure this time would be no different.
"Any news from the scouts yet, Suigetsu ?" The Uchiha asked.
"Still nothing, they left quite some time ago now ..." Suigetsu replied.
"Useless fools, do I have to do everything on my own ?" Was Sasuke's reaction, not in the least worried about his men.
"We should arrive in one hour, do you know anything about them ?" The swordsman asked.
"Only that their leader was the one who beat the Snake's ass and gave him the Sannin tittle. That was a while ago so now he must be too old to fight and his successor won't be a match for any of us." Sasuke said with a smirk.
Meanwhile – Konohagakure
Tsunade managed to get Naruto out of his compound, with the news of Otogakure being on the move and its latest conquests under the leadership of Uchiha Sasuke. They were now seated in their respective spots in the council room for the emergency meeting Tsunade had requested.
"We should reinstate Uchiha Sasuke, for taking out a highly dangerous criminal by himself." Yelled a civilian representative councilman after the situation was explained to everyone.
"Yeah, I don't think so. The orders will remain unchanged, should any of our shinobi come in contact with Uchiha Sasuke, they are to treat him like any other missing nin, detain and if it is impossible, then elimination is authorized." Tsunade said.
More civilians representatives were arguing, not happy that Konoha would forsake the precious Sharingan. Naruto was starting to rapidly lose his patience at listening to them while he wanted nothing more than leave the room and join Natsuki back in his compound. Danzo chose this precise moment to speak up.
"A compromise maybe, to please every party here. Rescind the killing order and once we capture him, he shall be permanently detained, his chakra and consequently Sharingan sealed. I can also offer my assistance, in keeping him prisoner in one of my "treatment" centers to prevent him from meeting the rest of Konoha's population." The War Hawk said, getting nods of approval from the civilian side.
"That's not gonna happen." Naruto finally snapped, as he spoke his first words of the entire session.
"What did you just say, boy ?" Danzo asked in his usual cold and calculative tone.
"Are you deaf, old man ? I said it isn't going to happen so you can forget about your dreams of creating an army of Sharingan wielders loyal to your twisted ideals." Naruto replied.
No one on the shinobi council was a fan of Danzo and his teaching methods or radical ideas but Naruto's outburst managed to surprise even them. Before anyone from the civilian council could say more, Naruto spoke again.
"Actually, I would like to take this opportunity to bring up some sensitive information I've been made aware of in front of this council. As the things I will reveal are highly confidential I need everyone that is not above the jonin level of clearance to leave this room, I'm afraid to say that includes all the civilian representatives too." The Namikaze clan head said.
The civilians reluctantly left the meeting room, only leaving the shinobi council and Danzo behind as he was a certified jonin too, even if he was not on the active duty list anymore due to his age and injuries.
"What is it, what did you learn that's so important Namikaze-san ?" Shikaku Nara asked.
Before anyone could react, Naruto suddenly disappeared from his seat in a white flash and reappeared again right behind Danzo. The blond then slammed his hand in the back of the unprepared War Hawk to apply some kind of paper with weird looking writings on it.
"Uzumaki Hijutsu : Sajo Sabaku !" Naruto said as chains shot out of the paper he put on Danzo's back, completely immobilizing him.
"What the hell, Naruto ?" Tsunade yelled from her seat.
"I was told an interesting story about our little friend right here. You see, it's the tale of someone with so much ambitions he would do anything for more powers. Dear old Danzo here, has been conspiring against the Leaf and its last three leaders." Naruto replied as he applied more pressure on holding Danzo down.
"Lies ! I have and will always serve the Leaf." Yelled Danzo as he found it really hard to move, or even channel chakra.
"Naruto-kun, he's been bugging me for decades too but you can't just attack a citizen from Konoha like this." The Sandaime said, from his seat next to Tsunade as her only counselor in the Elder council.
"Actually, according to the chart of the Shinobi Alliance, I, Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto as its leader, have the authority to act against any threat related to the Akatsuki and its supporters, regardless of ranks, positions or lineage." Naruto replied with authority.
"That's true, sensei. Only a vote from at least three of the five Kage can overrule one of Naruto's decision on Akatsuki's matters, not that I plan to do so, though. I trust your judgment on this, Naruto, but can you at least tell us more about what you said and do you have proofs of what you're accusing him of ?" Tsunade said to both the Sandaime and Naruto.
"Of course, Ba-chan. I must warn you that you won't like it though, you won't like this at all ..." Naruto said as he started to reveal what Danzo hid behind his bandages and clothes.
Everyone in the room gasped at the sight, Danzo had Sharingan eyes implanted all over his right arm, one in his covered eye and the arm itself looked really strange too. Only Tsunade and the Sandaime knew what they were looking at.
"You would fall this low, Danzo. You've been working with Orochimaru and helped him develop his sick jutsu since the beginning." Hiruzen said with a heavy sigh, disappointed by his former rival for the position of Sandaime Hokage.
"You traitor, how dare you ? You were the one who desecrated the tomb of my grandfather, you bastard !" Snarled Tsunade as she called for ANBU.
"Take him to a secured cell and have have Ibiki immediately interrogate him, this is a priority mission, do not fail me." Tsunade said as her ANBU took Danzo away.
"Is there anything else that we need to discuss while I'm here ?" Naruto asked.
Tsunade nodded to him and she motioned for Shizune to come in the middle of the room. Shizune did as ordered and went to middle of the room with a map in her hand. Once she displayed it on a table for everyone to see, she made her way back to her master's side.
"This is the current situation with Otogakure. They conquered Takigakure, Kusagakure and according to our spies they are currently moving towards Amegakure. We now have to discuss how to deal with them." Tsunade said.
Naruto's eyes widened when he saw that Sasuke's troops were closing in Amegakure.
"Gotta go Ba-chan, sorry everyone this is an emergency." Naruto said as he disappeared in a white flash.
Amegakure
Buildings and trees were burning, even in the village where the rain never stopped. Konan stood, out of breath, in front of God's Tower, her chakra reserves gone and every ally around her dead or dying.
In front of her stood Sasuke, his cursed seal deployed to the second level. The Uchiha had numerous burnt marks all over his body that were slowly healing. More and more Oto shinobi were approaching their positions and she was the last one standing from Ame.
"I have to admit that your village was much more of a challenge than Kusagakure or Takigakure. Nevertheless you will fall before the might of the Uchiha clan like everyone else. Kill her !" Sasuke said as his men charged at Konan.
"Is it the end ? I can still use the Kami no Shisha no Jutsu, even though I prepared it specifically to counter Madara." Thought Konan as the Oto shinobi were advancing.
"Futon : Hakugei !" Said a new voice that only two people recognized on the battlefield.
A gust of wind suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stopped the Oto jonin from getting closer to Konan. After a few seconds, the wind died down and the jonin were about to charge forward again when each and every one of them exploded in a shower of blood.
Sasuke turned to the source of the voice to see a familiar face, a ghost from his past that also stood in his path to become the best.
"Naruto ..." Said the Otokage.
"What was that jutsu just now, I saw everything with my Sharingan but I couldn't copy it. The wind he launched against my jonin was highly charged with chakra and when they inhaled it, they exploded as he forced that chakra out of their bodies." Analyzed Sasuke.
Seeing her savior, Konan finally released her guard. She lost her balance and started to fall to the ground, exhausted both physically and mentally. Naruto caught her before she touched the ground and let her rest against his shoulder.
"So that's Konoha's Kaze no Kami, one of your old classmates and the Leader of the Shinobi Alliance, Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto. I always wanted to try my sword against him since he's also one of Kirigakure's Swordsman." Suigetsu said as he joined Sasuke.
"And here I thought I would pay a visit to a former accomplice of mine ..." Announced yet another voice from behind Sasuke and Suigetsu.
"Uchiha Madara ..." Said Konan from her position next to Naruto.
A/N : What do you think ?
Has Otogakure's expansion finally come to an end ? How will Naruto deal with both Sasuke and Madara at the same time while defending a weakened Konan ?
Danzo has been caught too, will his interrogation go smoothly, will the War Hawk take it laying down or will he resist ?
Read the next issue to find out :)
Naruto is finally starting to pull ranks with his new status, some people complained that he didn't efficiently use the tittle he got from the Kage meeting. I hope this pleases you.
As usual, please Read and Review.
New Jutsu :
Uzumaki Hijutsu : Sajo Sabaku, translates as Uzumaki Secret Arts : Locking Bondage Stripes. This move comes from the Bleach Verse and it is basically used here as an Uzumaki customized chakra and movement restriction seal using the chains that were already show in a previous chapter (13).
Futon : Hakugei, translates as the White Whale. Basically a combination between a weakened Furyudan no Jutsu and Naruto's Shin'Zou Hakai. Naruto projects a highly chakra charged wind gust against a group of enemy and when they inhale it, he forces the wind out of their body using his mastery over the wind element, resulting in gruesome internal explosions of the victims.