As the rebels looked at the defenses of Mansburg, many of them gulped in fear. In front of them was one of the most fortified cities in the Imperial Empire. When Toneri had returned back to Mansburg, he had pulled all his men back to the city and added as much fortifications as he could. Trenches surrounded the city in a last ditch attempt to hold off Matthew's army.

However, after the last battle, the rebels now outnumbered Toneri's forces. Toneri had around 65,000 soldiers against the rebels 96,000 men. The rebels also had more cannons, giving them the edge in the upcoming battle. For once, the rebels had the superior numbers and were ready to use that. What also came as a surprise is that more Imperial officers were defecting and joining up with either Jeff's forces or Matthew's main army, adding more soldiers every day. General's Baker and Patten had joined up with Matthew's force while and old friends of theirs had given Jeff the plans for a new weapon. One that would give the rebels a distinct advantage in the war.

Even Matthew had created a new weapon and was ready to give Cole and Toneri a surprise. Not even his top generals, except for Takeru, had known. This weapon would change the face of warfare on the ground, allowing the rebels to win the battle and force Cole to either surrender or up his game.

Matthew looked through his telescope at the defenses, determining the best way to attack Toneri's forces. The maps that Lee and Tenten had given him were still up to date, showing that Toneri had still not began adding forts like they would've thought.

Matthew took a deep breath. He knew that Naruto was wanting to attack. He was determined to get in there and kill Toneri with his bear hands if he had to. Maybe he could do something to help Naruto get into the city and win this battle.

"Besides," Matthew said to himself. "It only makes sense for him to enter the city first. After he helped save the day at the rail junction, he's earned this honor, plus something that is long overdue. After this battle, he'll get something that should've been given to him after that first battle."

Naruto was sitting with Lee and Tenten, hoping to find out what happened while he was away for those past few years.

"So Kiba goes into the Forest of Death and runs out screaming after a few minutes with a giant fly chasing him," Lee said, trying to keep a straight face, but failing as Naruto and Tenten laughed.

"How did that happen?" Naruto asked.

"Shino was getting back at him for ignoring him a few days earlier," Tenten explained, still laughing. As they were laughing, the bugle sounded the Assembly. Naruto went up to the front, looking towards the city like everyone else.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked. Matthew just kept look at Mansburg outer trench with his binoculars. Naruto grabbed his and looked out. From his position, he could see a bunch of civilians being lined up with Toneri's forces with them. Some of Toneri's men were taunting the rebels, shouting insults at them, calling them scum. Others were acting like they were going to kill the civilians, only adding to the rebels anger.

Toneri soon walked into view with his guards. His sword drawn. He walked over to the lead civilian and swung his blade down, killing the civilian. His men soon followed suit and began to kill the civilians. Not even the children that were brought out were spared. Toneri laughed in full view of the rebels and walked back into town, but not before he had his men launch an arrow with a message to the rebels. The arrow hit next to Naruto, causing him to jump to the side to avoid getting hit.

Naruto picked up the arrow and unfolded the paper that came with it.

"You rebels won't win this battle. Soon your armies will be crushed. I can get to the population, the industry, everything. Naruto, I am offering you this one chance. Surrender yourself to me. Hinata is mine. She will be mine after today, and forever. I've already taken her. You'll never get her at all. Your friends will die. You'll be the cause of all this unless you agree to be executed like it was ordered."

Matthew was reading the note over Naruto's shoulder. It was then that he decided it was time to launch the attack.

"Naruto," he said. "Gather your men. I want your forces to enter the city when we get the chance. Take your forces and rescue your friends. Kill Toneri and get our flag on town hall." Naruto just stood there, shaking.

"That bastard," Naruto said. "How dare he kill civilians. I'll make him pay. There won't be a single Dragon soldier left when I'm done."

"Naruto calm down," Matthew began. "That is a direct order. Get your men ready. When there's a breech in their defenses, I want you to take it. I'll have two more regiments go in as well as support." Matthew walked over to the artillery that was loading up their first rounds. Flaming rocks from the Dragon catapults were already being launched at the rebel armies. Many of them at missed due to the short range, but a few lucky ones were able to hit the rebel camp.

Thankfully, the rebels were able to douse the flames before a bigger fire had spread. Now, it was the rebels turn.

"Counter battery fire!" Matthew yelled. "500 yards. Shell, five second fuse!"

Rebel cannons opened up with a force that could only be described as the largest earthquake that the Dragon forces had ever felt. Many of them had been killed when the shells hit, blood spilling onto the ground and onto their fellow soldiers. Their catapults were destroyed as the cannonballs hit. One lucky cannonball hit where a small amount of gunpowder was stored for the frontline Dragon infantry, causing a massive explosion. This had the effect that Matthew and Naruto were hoping for.

"Ready at your command," Naruto said. Matthew turned to Naruto and handed him something. When Naruto opened his hand, he noticed two silver stars.

"General Naruto Namikaze," Matthew began. "Move your forces through the gap. We'll join you after we smash the rest of the outer defenses." Matthew walked off to his own personal regiment. Naruto looked towards his men to see that Lee and Tenten were with them.

"What are you two doing?" Naruto asked.

"Joining you," Lee stated. "You saved us from Toneri's forces. Now let us help you." Tenten nodded in agreement.

Before Naruto could argue, the bugle sounded for Naruto's men to advance. He turned around and gave the order.

"At the double quick!" he commanded. "March!" Naruto's column's marched at speed out of their positions and ran right for the gap that was provided by the artillery. Dragon archers began to recover and launch their arrows at the attackers, killing as many as they could, but they couldn't stop the rebels. Rebel forces returned the favor when they began firing their rifles into the Dragon lines. After the first volleys, the Dragon militia began to retreat, leaving only a few professional troops to hold the line.

"Charge!" Naruto commanded. His men charged forward, right through the gap and into the melee. Dragon soldiers counter charged, only a few of them having spears to fight off the Rebel bayonet attack. The spears were able to find their mark, killing many of the front rank soldiers. The second rank opened fire as their comrades were killed by the spears, killing many of the Dragon spearmen. Dragon forces were about to counterattack, when more rebel forces began to attack other positions.

The Dragon soldiers were spread too thin to stop these attacks, as the rebels were attacking everywhere at once. Some of the Dragon elite soldiers put up what resistance they could, but were soon overwhelmed by the rebel numbers, forcing them to retreat into the streets, allowing the rebels to control the defenses.

Naruto's men moved into the first street of the prison district. Not many people lived in this area except for those that ran the prison, but Naruto was determined to take it, maybe even freeing anyone that would be willing to join the rebel armies. While many wouldn't be welcomed, he hoped that he could turn them around and make them professional soldiers and maybe, better people.

As Naruto entered the district, he was surprised to not find any resistance. The only soldiers that he had found were ones that had been in the prison, who were more than willing to join the rebel army. Naruto's forces began to open up the cells, giving the soldiers weapons and ammunition.

The only thing left in the Prison District was the Fortress. As Naruto's men neared it, gunfire erupted as Dragon Mercenaries opened up on the advancing rebel forces. Naruto, seeing his forces pinned, ran forward, his hands in a familiar hand sign.

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted, smoke covering the battlefield. Just as years before with the Knights, the Dragon soldiers were shocked to see thousands of Naruto's just appear out of nowhere. Naruto charged the gates, his clones throwing kunai at the soldiers on the wall. Many of the clones soon disappeared as soon as Dragon archer's let lose, but clones had done their job, giving the rebel forces time to advance. Rebel infantry caught up with Naruto, who was currently fighting off Dragon militia that was guarding the gate.

As soon as the rebels made it to the gate, the militia broke and ran for the guard houses, allowing more rebels to pour into the Fortress and open fire on the defenders on the wall from the inside, forcing many to surrender. Naruto continued the charge, breaking down the door to the main building, his soldiers following him. They ran downstairs, running into one guard who was shot in the chest by Lee, would had picked up a weapon from one of the dead rebel soldiers.

The lone guard fell backwards down the steps, startling the prisoners down below. Naruto, Lee, and Tenten ran down the steps and found more cells.

"Naruto!" They turned and saw Shikamaru in one of the cells. They went over and opened the door, allowing Shikamaru and Temari to walk out. Shikamaru gave Naruto a firm handshake, happy to see him after all these years.

"Glad to see you again, Shikamaru," Naruto said. "What happened?"

"Toneri wasn't too happy with the fact that we set him up to fail," Temari explained. "He kept trying to make it seem like everything was his plan and planned to use out ideas to catch the rebels and beat them. After the last battle, he went after us and put us here."

"I wonder what Cole would do if he discovered that Toneri was wanting the Imperial Throne for himself?" Tenten asked.

"Cole heard," Shikamaru said. "He actually took the reserve Imperial forces away from the city. He's leaving Toneri to his death."

"So this should be an easy fight now," Lee mentioned. "Most of his forces are still militia, and we all saw what happens when they face an experienced army."

"We need to rejoin the main force!" Naruto commanded. "Matthew should be getting close to the Town Hall and we need to be there to help with it's capture." The others nodded and began to walk out, the soldiers following them.

At Town Hall, resistance was fierce. Dragon archers were unleashing thousands of arrows down on rebel forces as they tried to advance, forcing them to stay in cover. The rebels continued to fire, not able to hit much as they couldn't aim without fear of getting hit. One rebel launched what looked like a cannon ball at the Dragon trench. These ball had a fuse that was disappearing. As soon as it reached the Dragon trench, it exploded, killing some of the militia that was stationed in it. Rebel infantry charged forward, taking the trench with bayonets and shovels, killing many of the defenders.

"Bring in the new weapon, Takeru!" Matthew shouted. Takeru nodded and waved at his second in command who went to the nearby roof and waved his flag. A rumbling was soon heard as both armies stopped fighting to see what was advancing on the battlefield. It wasn't long before a strange machine entered the field and advanced on Town Hall, firing as it neared the nearest Dragon soldiers. Dragon soldiers fired their arrows at the new weapon, only for them to bounce off. The weapon fired at the rooftop, forcing the remaining archers to flee from their positions.

Toneri looked out, seeing his forces were beginning to run from their positions. He grabbed his telescope and saw Naruto's men approaching. This was his chance. If he could kill Naruto, he could end the leaf's hope for any rebellion and force the other territories to bend to his will. Plus, if he could kill all the rebel leaders, he could take the sword for himself and gain more land.

Naruto arrived where Matthew was, ready for the final attack.

"Ready to take the Town Hall?" Matthew asked. Naruto nodded. "Good. We'll go in after you. We'll sound the bugle charge in a few minutes. Form up your men for the assault."

Naruto saluted and formed up his men. As soon as the bugle sounded, Naruto charged his forces up the steps, the others following suite. Rebel flags waving in the wind as they entered Town Hall, racing to the rooftop. As they entered the meeting room, Dragon militia opened fire, only for the rebels to return fire and charge forward, yelling and cursing at the invaders. The militia ran to the roof, putting up one last line of defense.

As Naruto made it to the roof, he was soon ambushed by Toneri. As Toneri swung his sword, naruto blocked, beginning their duel.

"Give up, Naruto," Toneri said. Toneri and Naruto continued their fight as Naruto's forces began fighting Toneri's elite guard. A Battle of the Empires was taking place on the roof of Mansburg Town Hall, one that would soon determine the outcome of the Civil War.

Toneri hit Naruto's sword to the side and swung his blade up, slicing off Naruto's right arm. Naruto screamed in pain as he fell to his knees. As Toneri was about to finish Naruto off, he was hit by an invisible force, throwing him off to the side.

As Naruto looked up, he saw Hinata run over to him, ready to fight.

"Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed. Hinata turned to look at Naruto, kneeling by him.

"We need to get you out of here," Hinata said. As she was getting Naruto up, Toneri walked over.

"Get out of the way, Hinata!" he commanded. Hinata refused, standing in front of him. "Then you shall die like the traitor you are!" As he was about to stab Hinata, another person got in the way of the blade.

"NEJI!" both Naruto and Hinata yelled. Toneri took the blade out, watching as Neji fell to the ground.

"You won't win, toneri," Neji said, his voice straining. "You'll fall here."

"Just you watch," Toneri replied, as he was getting ready to attack Hinata. Before he could, rebels soldiers ran over, trying to attack Toneri. He blocked every single attack and cut down the soldiers attacking him. Despite their pain, they kept up their attack, keeping him away from Naruto.

While this was happening, Hinata grabbed Neji and helped pull him over to a corner where she had set Naruto. Neji''s wound was getting critical, as Toneri had added a poisonous element before getting ready to attack Hinata, something he had learned while he was ruling over their homeland.

"I'm sorry, Neji," Naruto told him. "This is all my fault."

"No, it's not, Neji replied. "I knew what I was doing. This is my own free will. My own choice." He looked out the window at the smoke occupying the skies. "Take care of Hinata." With that, Neji's eyes closed one last time, never to open again.

As they laid Neji down, Toneri walked over.

"Time to die!" He raised his sword, ready to finish them off. Hinata waited for the pain to come, only for her to hear the sound of a sword dropping. They looked to see Toneri holding his arm, blood oozing from the upper portion. They looked behind him to see Matthew and Takeru, both pointing weapons at Toneri. More rebels approached, kicking the sword away and forcing Toneri to the ground.

Matthew ran over, dropping to his knee next to Naruto.

"HOSPITAL!" He shouted. Field doctors ran over, applying pressure to the wound, doing what they could to keep it from bleeding out. Matthew turned to Toneri, who was being held by his soldiers. He walked over and punched him right in the nose, his anger getting the better of him. Hinata and Naruto turned to see Toneri try to attack back, only to be hit in the gut.

"What shall we do with him?" Takeru asked. "I mean, he is the heir to the Dragon Empire. Killing him could result in another war."

"You have a point," Matthew said. "We can only fight one enemy at once. Fighting two could prove disastrous. Plus, sending him back could result in him returning to fight us."

"Cole left him for dead," Hinata injected. "Toneri wanted the throne for himself so Cole would turn a blind eye if he was dead. He actually told the soldiers here to kill him if they could but none of them could get close enough to."

"Well," Takeru began. "How about hanging him from Town Hall." Matthew smiled at the idea and turned to Toneri.

"I hope you get to enjoy the view," he said. He walked over to the edge of the balcony where the Rebel flag was being placed. Toneri was brought out by the soldiers and a rope was being readied over one of the overhang. Toneri was placed on the edge as the rope was tied across his neck. He was soon pushed off the edge, his neck snapping as he hung over the ground. The rebels cheered as the enemy leader was gone, giving them control of the city fully as the remaining Dragon forces began to surrender. Naruto looked out, smiling as he lost consciousness. The last thing he heard was Hinata shouting his name before darkness took over.

Naruto awoke a few days later in Mansburg hospital. As he sat up, he saw Hinata sitting in the chair near his bedside. Hinata, sensing she was being watched, woke up and turned to look at Naruto.

"Naruto!" She exclaimed. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding onto the man she loved for the first time in years. "I was so worried. I thought you weren't going to make it."

"I'm fine," Naruto whispered. "I didn't plan on leaving you." Hinata pulled away before kissing him full on the mouth. Naruto returned the kiss, returning all the passion he could. When they pulled away, Naruto told Hinata something that she wanted to hear for many years.

"I love you, Hinata," Naruto said. Hinata kissed him again, not wanting to let go of Naruto. Soon, the need for air became too much and they seperated. Before they could do anything else, they heard a cough from the doorway. They turned to see the rest of their friends, all smiling, even Sasuke.

"About time," Kiba said. They all walked in, sitting down for their reunion when there was a knock on the door. They turned as Matthew walked in, Takeru behind him, holding a package.

"Glad to see you're alive," Matthew said. "Your friends never left this hospital to see if you would be OK."

"Who's the pale guy?" Naruto asked.

"His name is Sai," Ino replied. "He helped us try to keep up with everything we could hear about you. Jiraiya told him what he could before Sai told us."

"Who told Sai?" Naruto asked, before looking at Matthew and Takeru.

"That would be us," Takeru replied, before placing the package on Naruto's lap.

"What's this?" Naruto asked.

"Something your little girlfriend made," Matthew replied. Everyone snickered as Naruto and Hinata turned red. "She did pretty good with what she made. Go ahead and open it."

Naruto opened the package, to find a brand new uniform. This uniform was dark blue, his new hat a black kepi. Naruto soon saw a few stars, more than his last uniform. Instead of two, he was now a Three Star General in the rebel army.

"We need all the generals we can get," Matthew said. "If we're to rebuild the empire, he need someone to help lead the new army." Matthew saluted Naruto before walking out, Takeru following him, to plan the next battle. Naruto's friends left as well, except for Hinata, who Naruto asked to stay.

"What did you need, Naruto?" Hinata asked. Naruto pulled out the letter his father had wrote him and showed it to him. Hinata gasped as she read the final part.

"Will you marry me, Hinata?" Naruto asked. Hinata wrapped Naruto in another hug, screaming out her answer.

"YES!" she exclaimed. She kissed him once more, both thinking the same thing.

'Best moment of our lives.' Both happy to finally be together again, and soon to start their own family. But the war was far from over, as both would have to help fight to be able to have their family.

This took forever to write. Hope I made this chapter worth it.