Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Pokémon, or The Art of War by Sun Tzu.
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Last time on The Rise of Chaos: After having been interviewed by the local news station over the battle that occurred just a day previous, Naruto finally began the recruitment of his army.
Now it was just a matter of training them.
()
"Let's begin."
Naruto's voice reverberated throughout the entire clearing. Assisted only by the power of aura everyone present, aside from a select group of three, was struck speechless by the power of his seemingly superhuman vocal chords.
Having gained the undivided attention of the mob of people in front of him, Naruto took a moment to relish in the new feeling.
Five thousand one hundred and seventy two people and counting. And, that was only counting the volunteers from Vermillion.
Shadow clones in Saffron, Cerulean, Pewter, Viridian, and even Pallet were all holding similar recruitment sessions and, from what Naruto had heard so far, they were proving to be quite successful.
Relatively of course, seeing as each city was populated by one or two million people including those living in the surrounding country, percentage wise Naruto's recruitment rate was less than overwhelming.
But, if nothing else it was a phenomenal start.
"So lets get right to it." Naruto said, having had his moment. "I'll begin by setting the basic ground rules, the foundations if you will."
"First, from today until the end of the war everyone that decides to join this army will work as a team." Naruto said as he positioned himself against a nearby tree trunk. "What do I mean by that, some of you may be asking. Well I'll tell you."
"A team is a group of people that works towards a similar goal. I'll tell you right now that our goal is to protect all civilians from the organization's tyranny. So, as I'm sure most of you were able to figure out, I expect this army to work together to protect all civilians from the organization's tyranny. Simple really."
"Second, all necessities of life will be provided for all members of this army as long as they are in service. This includes food, water, and shelter. However, the quality of these necessities may fluctuate. Implied and self explanatory, but still necessary to mention."
At this point Naruto shifted a bit, push self off the tree and once again positioning himself in front of his mostly silent crowd.
"And, third, when not on duty all members of this army are to act within the law and moral code of the local civilian society. The locals will likely treat you differently due to the fact that you're a soldier, but your are still expected to act within the parameters a civilian. Remember your actions as an individual now count as the actions of the entire army. Your reputation will become ours and ours will become yours."
"These are the three fundamental rules that will act as the foundations of this army. They will define not only our goals, but also our true purpose as a gathered entity. It is only through following these rules that we may complete the actions that all in attendance have chosen to fulfill."
"So, now that I have showed you the path we will be taking, I just need to teach you how to combat the obstacles you will be sure to find along it."
A deafening silence fell over the area as all present hung on Naruto's every word. They soon became disappointed, however, as Naruto paused. Turning to approach the tree directly behind him, Naruto left the crowd to its own devices as he leisurely strolled towards his destination.
During the short intermission, a low murmur began to rise from the new recruits as they began to discuss the new information they had been provided with.
It was at about this time that a soft breeze floated through the clearing, weaving through the trees, leaves, grass, and bodies that seemed to feel no need to move to allow it clear passage.
Seemingly offended, the previously docile breeze gradually began to increase in speed, forcing a few to shift to compensate for the extra amount of force. But, this didn't seem to do much to appease the wind as it continued to surge through the large glade.
Deciding to vocalize its growing presence, a high whistle became known in the ears of all the new recruits.
If they hadn't been bothered by the hostile breeze before, this new development was enough to at least make everyone in the clearing curious. Over five thousand heads turned in the same direction as their owners attempted to search for the source of this strange phenomenon.
When no source was found, some looked to the sky for the answer only for blue to flood the entirety of their vision. Others looked to their fiends of the answer, only to be questioned by that very person as they too wondered what the hell was going on.
Only a select few looked to their new leader for guidance. Naruto made sure to commit those faces to memory while providing them with a reassuring smile, seen only through the corners of his mask.
()
Ash relished in the small whirlwind as he waited silently, perched against the trunk of an oak tree overlooking the massive crowed. Hidden by nothing more than his shallow genjutsu skills, a mask, and a trench coat; it took every bit of his willpower to suppress a series of laughs that might have given away his position.
Not that anyone would have been able to hear it over the sound of Naruto's miniature tornado. But still, better safe than sorry, this was too important to risk it.
The crowd seemed to be frantic at this point, but none of them dared move. Be it Naruto's irrationally calm appearance or simply the dramatic flutter of his cloak in the incredibly strong wind currents. Something was keeping them here and that's all that mattered.
A feeling of dampness overtook Ash's body as his cloths were flash-soaked by the newly arrived rain.
Glancing up, the appearance of dark grey storm clouds served as no surprise to Ash as he took the new development in stride.
'There's Misty.' Ash thought offhandedly, while he anchored himself the tree with Aura.
The discomfort provided by being soaked clean to the bone paled in comparison to the rewords that would come from its presence.
A collective gasp ran through the gathered recruits as an unending stream of electricity began to leap through the cloud cover, discharging into the soil only when it felt the desire. Deafening claps of thunder also followed each discharge in a perpetual sequence.
'Denkou and Pikachu.'
The tree under Ash groaned as its determination was tried by Naruto's gale force winds. How the new recruits were still standing was known only to Naruto, but there they stood, affected but not overwhelmed.
The continued downpour experienced a massive increase as a makeshift rainbow of water stretched over the top of the clearing.
The swirling arc of water was simply massive. Having the thickness of six full rows of the recruits, its presence dumfounded the already awestruck crowd.
'Seel, Goldeen, Krabby, and the Staryus.'
Seeming to reach outwards from the sides of the center arc, a dome of water gracefully descended over the sizable group of recruits, encapsulating them from the rest of the world.
Serving to block the rain from those it sheltered, the dome made up for it by containing Naruto's raging tempest, increasing its force and adding a thick mist to the air currents.
The winds picked up, raging through the dome and reeking havoc on the exposed trees tearing leaves and whole branches off of massive oak trees. Its crowd was given something of a surreal experience as branches twice their own body weight flew less than a foot above their heads while they remained unmoved.
Meanwhile, just as Ash was beginning to wonder if he needed to find a new tree, the winds began to recede.
They did not lessen, they only moved.
The sound of thunder and roaring water was quick to replace deep whistle of the typhoon as its imposing presence continued to fall back towards one point.
The area surrounding Naruto tore apart, yielding to the still growing cyclone. Large chunks of earth raced in a small circuit, trapped inside the concentrated tornado surrounding Naruto's body. Ever dramatic, Naruto's cloak continued to flourish wildly as he allowed his body to be lifted an inch into the air by forces of his own control.
It was quite impressive really.
But, as Naruto had once said, impressive did not mean effective.
The statement became all the more apparent to Ash as he began to prepare for his own contribution. Having released all his gravity seals previously along with everyone else…
'Wait, did Naruto ever release his.'
Ash stumbled over the thought, catching himself off-guard and nearly losing his concentration as his eyes darted towards Naruto's current display.
'Focus.'
The thought was a powerful one, successfully preventing Ash from blowing himself up as he continued to mold his attack.
Feeling the substantial drain on his aura, Ash knew he had little more to give deciding to execute his part in the performance.
The crowd attempted to follow the resulting column of fire, but most were only able to catch a glimpse of red before it impacted with Naruto's tornado. For just one instant, the inside of the dome was bathed in a blinding ivory light as the once red flames burned white within the roaring air currents.
A piercing hiss soon accompanied the intense lightshow as the middle of the dome was instantly evaporated, giving way to the tornado of blue-hot flames.
Having lost its integrity, what remained of the water dome began to collapse, bearing down upon the surrounding area with a tremendous amount of force.
However, before over fifteen tons of water was able to properly flatten the landscape, two separate tornados collided with opposite sides of the dome. Resulting in two raging tempests, similar in size to Naruto's fiery cyclone.
'The Pidgeottos.' Panting to catch his breath from his previous exertion.
He had used almost all he had in that display and in reality not only could it have been easily countered by any competent shinobi, but also the flames were relatively cool without the addition of Naruto's tornado.
But, at least it looked awesome.
Speaking of which, the imposing standoff between the trio of cyclones grew more and more unstable as the two liquid tempests began to close in on Naruto. With a collision becoming more a more unavoidable, next to no one in the crowd felt even the slightest desire to turn away from the impending spectacle.
Before the main even occurred, however, two pillars of fire, much similar to that provided by Ash, accompanied Naruto inside the tornado.
'Growlithe and Charmander.'
The tornado pulsed outward as its strength was bolstered by its newly acquired reinforcements just moments before the two approaching tempests finally made impact.
A familiar hiss rang through the air as massive amounts of water broke under the heat. Groups of clouds were sucked into the top of the cyclone as it nearly tripled in size bathing the entire glade in hurricane force winds.
But yet, not a single tree was uprooted.
'Rhyhorn, Geodude, and Onix.' Ash thought, folding his arms in thought as he prepared for his grand entrance. 'Being on damage control must suck, these winds are unforgiving.'
Suddenly, the sound of thunder soon drew Ash's attention toward the head of the clearing as his body shot into motion.
A sizable streak of lightning struck the side of the conflicted cyclone, resulting in a impressive explosion that rocketed over the forest blowing up all cloud cover before being blown away by a surge of wind.
'Scyther.' Ash thought as he weaved his way through the forest surrounding the clearing.
Offering his hand before taking a sharp right, a loud clap rang through the air as he and Misty exchanged high fives.
Launching himself into a kneeling position just in front of Naruto to his right, Ash experienced a slight sensation of vertigo as he was lifted upward by a small pillar of earth.
'Right on time.'
Ash making sure to keep his head pointed downward as he stole a glance to his left. Sure enough, Brock was right in front of Naruto kneeled down just as Ash was looking as though he had punched the ground, because frankly he had.
Not to far away, Misty was in a position identical to Ash located on Naruto's left.
Speaking of Naruto.
'He's still floating… showoff.' Ash thought sourly, dully noting the lavender sakura petals and the accompanying bits of purple, blue, and yellow sparkles that now filled the air; courtesy of Zubat, Butterfree, Pinsir, Bulbasaur, and Oddish.
Ash's thought quickly vanished, however, as an all too familiar roar began to fill the air of the clearing.
The cheer of thousands.
'It will never get old.' Ash thought, fondly as he relished in the applause, soaking up every bit of self-satisfaction he could muster.
Naruto seemed to be having somewhat similar feelings as he spoke against the roar of the recruits, his voice reverberating through the ears of all present in the clearing.
"Release your pokémon and the training will begin."
()
Brock released a silent groan as he forced himself out of bed.
It had been a month since Naruto had begun the training and to be honest it was just as hard as Brock remembered. You would've thought that as you got better the training sessions would get easier.
It didn't work that way at all.
Stumbling into the bathroom with half-lidded eyes, Brock absentmindedly tossed Ash out the door after finding him passed out against the sink.
Slamming the door behind him, Brock heard little more than a snort as Ash was jarred from his slumber, only to pass out once more when a phone impacted with the side of his head. The projectile also came accompanied with a few not so courteous words from Misty about "shutting the damn door."
But, it was much to early for Brock to be bothered by the details. Remembering to take off his cloths only just before he stepped in the shower, Brock played with the idea of simply keeping them on.
Under the circumstances taking them off just seemed like too much of a hassle. But, in the end the small amount of rational thought he had remaining won out as he began to take of his pajamas.
Naruto had really done a number on them.
The recruits didn't have it nearly as bad. Naruto had said something about leadership and needing to leap ahead before… something about following. Brock was too tired to remember the details; even a few major facts seemed to be slipping away from him at this point.
All he knew for sure was that they were getting stronger.
But were they going fast enough? Sure the combined forces of just him, Naruto, Ash, Misty, and their pokémon had annihilated a company of enemy soldiers, but that one boy got him thinking.
Nobou, Naruto had said his name was. It wasn't hard to tell that he was wounded when they had begun their battle and yet Brock wasn't able to land even a single hit on him.
He was good. A lot better than he, Ash, and Misty had been at the time. And, as Naruto said there was sure to be others a lot better than he had been and they all probably weren't just going to sit back and wait as they tried to get better.
They didn't have much time before the organization finally decided to make its move, so they had to make the most of what they had.
On the plus side, Naruto had said that the amount of new recruits coming in had yet to even slow down. Thousands were joining every week and that was just in Vermillion. Naruto said he has still yet to hear the results from the cities they had already passed, but the figures seemed to be good.
Of course there was no way for them to tell just how these numbers stacked up against those of the organization, but Naruto was perfectly happy with what he had. He mentioned taking a quality over quantity approach to the situation during a training session and Brock liked to think that he was defiantly going about it in an effective way.
Even if it was especially painful.
Speaking of training, the recruits seemed to be taking to the sessions with much enthusiasm. While some stood out above others, most were able to grasp the concepts to the point where they get by.
Their overall progress mostly remained a mystery to Brock, however, as he, Ash, and Misty didn't come into contact with the recruits much during the training sessions. Naruto usually had them secluded, taking their own private lessons with one of his duplicates.
In fact, Naruto used those duplicates to do most everything for him. He had even gone as far as to split the entire army into groups of three, assigning one duplicate to each group and its accompanying pokémon.
To be honest it was proving to be an incredibly effective method.
A high-pitched squeak rang through the bathroom as Brock shut off the water.
Hissing as his feet came into contact with the cold tiled floors, Brock was quick to redress himself in his uniform.
Naruto had said that he made the cloths himself when he had given it to them.
"Here" Naruto said as his had curved in a graceful arc, launching three pitch-black bundles at the three others present. "Your new uniforms."
Separating each piece of cloth from the crumpled up bundle he had received them in, Brock went about inspecting them.
A mask and a trench coat much similar to the ones he had already received stood out under his gaze, followed by a metal plated long sleeved shirt and similarly plated pants.
"Seems pretty heavy duty." Ash said, idly tapping the metal breastplate sown into the shirt's fabric.
"More so than you know." Naruto responded, taking a handful of fabric from his own cloak as he went on. "Inside the fabric of those uniforms I have included a network of my own aura to reinforce its strength."
"Even the socks?" Ash asked, strangely enthusiastic.
"Even the socks."
"So its like chainmail?" Misty asked, choosing to ignore Ash at the moment.
"I would suppose." Naruto said absently.
"So that's how your cloak hasn't gotten torn yet." Ash mumbled as he fingered his new trench coat. "But that doesn't explain the dramatic flourish."
"What?"
"Nothing."
Brock chuckled to himself as he shrugged on his shirt. Having yet to get used to the stiffness of the plating, Brock gave his arms a few test swings, rubbing the metal on his shoulders in a vain attempt to loosen it up.
Going through as similar process with his pants, Brock went about adorning his trench coat before he made his way towards the door. He would save the mask for later.
He didn't have to wear it just yet.
()
"I heard that we will finally begin moving out in a few weeks." Tsukiko said lowly, absentmindedly fiddling with the plain white sheets as she inched closer to his bed.
Nobou nearly laughed at the irony.
"It's a shame I won't be able to join you." He mumbled, forcing back a cough. "But it's still good to know the Ace has finally decided to do something about the growing threat. Where will the march start?"
"Hisashi says that armies contained within Sectors 10-5 will be moving towards Kanto through the Almia region." Tsukiko said, carefully analyzing Nobou's facial expression.
"What about the rest?" Nobou asked evenly, his face taking on a blank look as he stared at the ceiling.
"They will be kept in reserve." Tsukiko said, grimacing when she saw Nobou's body stiffen in obvious anger.
"So, the Ace has decided to continue with his little game." Nobou growled out, failing to maintain his detached look as he had hoped to do.
"What's victory without glory?"
Hisashi's words rang clearly through his ears.
"Don't be upset, Nobou." Tsukiko said worriedly as she laid a hand on his chest, placing her face in the way of his view of the ceiling. "There's still a chance you might reopen your wounds."
"Forget the wounds." Nobou raged, having to release a few hacking coughs before he was able to continue. "We'll be dealing with death if Naruto and his gang of upstarts isn't put down soon. And, you know as well as I do, even with numbers on our side it's going to take more skill than even Sector 5 has to kill him."
"Everyone has their limits."
"Well a company of men didn't even come close to his." Nobou roared. "You weren't there, you didn't see, sure my men may have only been from Sector 10 but he didn't even get touched."
"Your wounds." Tsukiko warned nervously as Nobou was once again through into a series of harsh coughs.
"He killed them all." Nobou muttered weakly, wiping away the blood that had worked its way past his lips. "I was the only survivor and look at me now."
Nobou sighed, pushing his head further into his pillow as he clenched his eyes shut.
"He is good Tsukiko. Real good. And now he has an army a following him." Nobou mumbled dejectedly. "Sure it may not be much of one, but look at the three that were following him before. He only trained them for a month and they each would have been able to take on a member of Sector 8 and win."
"It's been three months since that battle at Viridian. Who knows what he has been able to do since then."
"It'll be fine Nobou." Tsukiko whispered comfortingly. "You worry to much."
"You don't worry enough." Nobou countered, grimacing slightly as his chest pulsed with pain. "All of this could end now if the Ace just sent one army from Sector 1 to Kanto. Hell, even an army from Sector 3 Alpha probably would be able to get the job done. But, no, instead he decided to send millions of others."
Suddenly diverting his eyes as he released a harsh sigh of defeat, Nobou went about regaining his bearings.
"You may be right." He said. "We have so many soldiers that it may only take Sectors 10-5 to end up killing him. But, at what cost."
"Funny, you never seemed to care about cost before." Tsukiko commented, as she idly drew a hand across his ribcage.
"What can I say." Nobou said, fighting back a wince at her actions. "War changes people."
()
The organization finally struck.
Actually that statement was lacking.
CHAOS had finally struck.
The event had spread like wildfire all over the world, much like the battle that had occurred previously. The few precious moments of film that had been gathered during their approach on Haruba Village had been recorded and replayed over almost every news station in existence.
Nothing has left the village since their arrival. It had gone completely silent.
This lead to a major boom in the flow of new recruits, the previous figures had nearly been tripled over the past few days.
It was getting to the point where Naruto was having a hard time keeping up.
He had been forced to spend a good portion of the past few months figuring out a way to create a mental link between him and his clones, just so he didn't drop dead from aura exhaustion trying to dispel and replace each clone just to receive each of their memories.
Sure, he may have had near infinite aura reserves due to the Kyubi, but Naruto didn't quite feel like testing his limits.
Now another problem had presented itself.
His clones were losing steam.
In all the cities he had previously passed through, he had left legions of shadow clones behind to get jobs and "hold the fort" as the saying goes.
Turns out he didn't leave enough. The shadow clones he had left were forced to make shadow clones of their own just to compensate for the large influx of recruits.
Now as he had said before, he did have near infinite reserves so when his aura was divided among his clones their reserves ended up being well above what was average. But still, nothing good could come from risking it.
He would have to backtrack sooner or later; he just hoped Ash, Misty, and Brock would be ready for it when he did.
()
"This has been long overdue." Naruto said, his voice rising above that of the entire army in attendance.
Trying to remain completely serious, Ash couldn't help but allow himself a self-satisfied smirk while straightening his back all the more. With his hands locked behind him in a tight embrace; Ash bore his chest for Naruto to stick the silver, star-shaped pin into his trench coat.
Ash sensed a small amount of aura surround the pin's tip right before it penetrated the fabric in one seamless motion.
A flood of pride soon followed the penetration as the roar of the crowd swelled.
Pride filling the entirety of his being, Ash only subconsciously noticed Naruto preform a similar action to Brock and Misty. His conscious was busy at the time.
This was his moment and he was going to damn well enjoy it.
"You all earned this promotion one hundred times over, I'm sure you won't disappoint me." Naruto said, handing each of them a small red book. "But remember, you will be in charge of more than just your own life now. In nearly all situations it is best to value the lives or your subordinates more than you value your own."
Leaving them with those last words of advice, Naruto turned around, prompting an even larger swell in the cheers of the crowd and leaving Ash, Misty, and Brock to look through their new piece of literature.
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
()
'It's been half a year since the first battle of the war.' Ash thought while absentmindedly blocking a strike form his current attacker, taking just a fraction of a second to deliver a kick to his midsection. 'That means it's been seven months since the I officially became a ninja, and eight months since I became a pokémon trainer.'
'My birthday is in four months.' Ash concluded, allowing a smile to form under his mask as he moved to help up his groaning opponent.
His name was Katsuo, Ash's first subordinate.
He was a young man, eighteen and a half to be exact.
He had been Ash's first choice when Naruto had first sent him, Misty, and Brock to mingle with the army.
There was just something about seeing him launch himself through the trunk of an oak tree with lightning that reminded Ash so much of himself.
"Dammit, you can at least pretend to focus when you're kicking my ass."
The angry grumbles of the subject of his current thoughts broke Ash out of his musings. Extending his hand to help up his fallen friend.
Gladly accepting the gesture, Katsuo drug himself out of the dirt, idly removing his slightly scorched facemask. The clothing of the regular recruits was not nearly as sturdy as that of their four superiors.
Baby fat still remained on his face despite his age. Not enough to make him look particularly young, but just enough to be noticeable. His black hair held a similar childish look as the front of it seemed to be combed upward into a short, dull spike that hardly rose above the rest of his hair.
His eyes were also no exception from this theme as they two held something of a mischievous air with in their brown depts.
Ash almost felt bad for hitting him earlier.
"Dammit." Ash yelled quickly dislodging his had from that of Katsuo as a spark of electricity shot through his system.
"That'll teach you to pay attention in a fight." Katsuo said, beaming with pride, while arching some electricity between his fingers.
"Two can play at that game." Ash grumbled, a malevolent glint flashing through his eyes as he hands were engulfed in fire. "Come here Katsuo, let me give my buddy a hug."
"I think I'm good thanks."
()
"As you all know, this organization that we're fighting, CHAOS has finished their annexation of Almia. Any attempts within the nation to put together any kind of resistance force has been unsuccessful so now it is up to us to save them."
"This is what we have all come here to do. This is what we have all trained to do. And, this is what we are going to succeed in doing, no matter the cost."
"This army has been in existence for an entire year, I have full faith in every single one of you. I know you are all capable of fighting back this unwanted entity, but do I know you are all willing to?"
A powerful roar of cheers was Naruto's response.
"I knew you would say that. Now, here is how this is going to go, Satoshi." (1)
"Yes sir."
"You will take a corps of men 20,000 strong to the east. Travel fast as your goal will be to capture as much of the Fiore region as you can before the CHAOS troops arrive. When they do you and your soldiers are to defend the ground you have gained. For now your orders are not to try and capture any more ground after encountering the enemy, but that may very well change."
"You and your troops are likely be the first to come into contact with the enemy so be wary."
"You got it." Ash said confidently, snapping a sharp salute.
"Kasumi."
"Yes sir."
"You will take a brigade of 5,000 to secure the Johto region, as I am almost certain the region is free of any enemy presence seeing as their have been no irregularities in the news stations. Also be sure to focus most of your forces along the coasts to act as look outs for any possible enemy invasions."
"It will be done." Misty said, preforming a similar salute.
"Takeshi."
"Yes sir."
"You will take a division of 15,000 to secure the Orre region. No reports of enemy presence is expected to be in the region, but the amount of uncertainty is much higher than that concerning the Johto region so be carful."
"Understood." Brock said, mirroring his fellow Lieutenant Generals.
"Meanwhile, I will travel back through the Kanto region to link up the other potions of the army located in Saffron, Cerulean, Pewter, and Viridian City."
"I know I did not give out those metals carelessly." Naruto said gesturing towards the eight stars positioned one each Lieutenant General's chest as well as towards those scattered among the rest of the army. "I have faith that all of you will preform your duties to the best of your abilities."
Focusing his gaze back on his three friends, Naruto spoke once more.
"You all have means of communication. I expect all of us to stay in constant contact with our Pokégears, but if something goes wrong I am sending one clone with each of you. Tell it the message you want to send to me and I will receive it when it dispels."
A puff of smoke appeared along side each Lieutenant General before giving way to three separate beings, identical to Naruto in every way.
"Good luck and may Arceus be with us all."
()
AN: Well, there's the chapter hope you liked it. Sorry for any errors, but as with last time, I figured you would rather have the chapter as it is sooner rather than without most errors later.
(1) Originally I had used their normal names in the sake of simplicity but, due to a very helpful suggestion from KitsuneNoYomeiri, their Japanese names will now be used when they are publicly addressed as a part of the army.
As always reviews are welcome and appreciated.
Until next time...