The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.
-Douglas MacArthur
Chapter 38: Scars of War
"Get the injured to the hospital and return immediately!" Hiruzen thundered. Dozens of ninja swarmed around the Kage box in a flurry of activity. Gai and seven other ninja were pulled from the ground and carried off in the direction of the hospital. Hiruzen sighed as he surveyed the spectacle. The time had come for the war that would tear Konoha apart. He was no fool. He knew that no matter what the outcome was, Konoha would never be the same as it was before.
Hiruzen clasped his hands together and closed his eyes. He could hear the voices of his people screaming around him in a throng of chaos. The aged man wished he could rescue them all, but knew he could not. He would have to manage with what he could do from above. His eyes flashed open, and he called out, "We have been betrayed! This day, Konohagakure opened its borders to welcome in the finals of the chuunin exam. This day, our allies turned against us and even my own people fight amongst each other, brother against brother, and father against son. If you count yourselves an ally of Konohagakure, then aid my country when we need you most. Konohagakure will survive, but the ground on which it stands afterwards depends on your choices now."
Hiruzen's eyes darkened as a small ounce of killer intent seeped from his body. The potent aura was enough to make the men around him shiver. "But I assure you, if you stay silent despite hearing my call to arms, I would urge you to consider the future wellbeing of all of your countries." The unspoken threat lingered in the air. Konoha was one of the five great shinobi villages, and it was one of the most generous at that. Many countries accepted Konoha's help, even if they disliked the country, because they relied on the profitable trade agreements and subsidies they received. Making an enemy out of Konoha could potentially cripple a country.
"Hokage-dono," Hiruzen looked over to see the fourth Kazekage walking towards him. "I have just received word that fights are breaking out inside the city. I deployed my men to evacuate civilians to the safe-zones as planned." Hiruzen nodded towards the brown-haired man, much to the confusion of the other ninja in the box.
"I see that I have been left in the dark for quite some time then. I'm hurt, Hokage-dono," said Matsuoka Ran, the leader from Kusagakure. "But Kusagakure shall stand by your side. What is it that you request of us?" The woman pushed her square-rimmed glasses further up her face and motioned for three of her ANBU guard to step forward.
Yagura clicked his tongue and turned away. "The way you so kindly phrased your offer gives me little choice. Kirigakure will have your back in this fight." The child-like man glanced over his shoulder before turning his gaze back towards Hiruzen. "It appears that not all of us in the box agreed with you though." Hiruzen looked past the Mizukage to see the empty seat of the Amegakure leader. Hiruzen hummed thoughtfully and motioned for one of his ANBU to come closer to him.
A fox-masked ANBU stepped closer and Hiruzen whispered into his ear, "Find Yamanaka Inoichi and bring him here." The black clad man bow at the waist and shunshined away. Hiruzen sighed and turned to the other leaders that stood in the Kage box. "It will be unfortunately difficult to discern innocent Konohagakure ninja from rebelling ninja, so it would be best if your ninja guard strategically important points around the village." Hiruzen held out his hand and one of his ANBU placed a small scroll onto his wrinkled palm.
Hiruzen walked over to the balcony ledge and rolled out the scroll. "I have men covering the hospital and the weapons cache, but I had to be sparing in regards to the rest of the village. Matsuoka-dono, will you send your men to cover the civilian council? I fear the jounin squads I have deployed around them will not be enough. Also," Hiruzen's voice lowered slightly, "I fear the jounin will have to defend from attacks on the inside as much as the outside."
The green-haired woman sighed and nodded. "Understood. Your people are more troublesome than I last remembered, Hokage-dono. You had better keep up your end of this deluded bargain." Ran swept away from the Hokage to talk with her men, and Yagura made his way over to the Hokage's side.
"Where should my men go, Hokage-dono?" Yagura asked calmly. It secretly irritated him to have to take orders from anyone, but it would be thrice as troublesome if he didn't help the Hokage. He had come here to watch the chuunin exams, not to get caught in some rebellion. If he ever found the rat that started this war, he'd make them regret doing such an annoying thing.
"If you could direct them to-" Hiruzen's voice broke off as he felt a small twinge of killer intent behind him. He whirled around on his feet and struck out at the form. His fist collided with a young Kirigakure jounin, sending the man tumbling back against the wall.
"What do you think you are doing?" Yagura thundered in protest. But then, his voice cut off as he turned to stare at the body that should have been a jounin. The ninja writhed against the wall, his uniform pulsing white and then black while twisting around his skin. Some of his, its, skin melted away to reveal the shrunken form of white Zetsu.
Thorns protruded from the creature's skin, and scars were laced across its snake-like flesh. Claw-like fingers scratched against the ground, and Zetsu tilted his head to the side with a disappointed frown. "Ehh. I'm surprised that you found me out. I thought I would at least be able to kill one of you before having to kill the rest. Now I'm going to have to be more... obvious." Hiruzen's eyes flashed to the side as more of the ANBU and jounin began to convulse around him.
The four country leaders backed together as their men slowly began to shift their forms. "Well, this is unexpected," Ran commented as some of her men began to lose their shape and reform once more. "You have the most creative enemies, Hokage-dono."
"I wish I could appreciate that honor, Matsuoka-dono. It is an honor I could very well do without."
-TSUME-
Kunai clashed in the air as the three jounin fought. Kakashi found the battlefield restraining. Civilians were still fleeing the stands, and every stray kunai had a chance of accidentally killing someone. The presence of the civilians did not only mean that Kakashi was restrained in how he threw his kunai, but he was also prohibited from using too many jutsu. Ninjutsu were not exactly known for their damage-control after all.
Kakashi plucked an incoming senbon out of the air and flung it back at Genma who bent down to the ground. Genma grunted as a young boy jostled him from behind. There were too many people in the stands for them to fight effectively. In a way, this gave Kakashi the advantage. If Kakashi wanted to slip away, he would have a much easier time blending into the ground. Genma leaped out of the way of another kunai. Luckily, it appeared that Kakashi had no intention of trying to flee.
Kakashi whirled around as Shirakumo brought down his sword. Kakashi blocked the blade with his kunai, but was forced back a few inches. Shirakumo forced his blade down, causing Kakashi to grunt as it became harder to hold the other man back. "Why are you doing this, Hayama-san? I expected you, of all people, to be more sensible! Are you going to tell me that you are betraying the Hokage-sama for some petty vendetta?"
Shirakumo growled and jumped away from Kakashi, swiping at the other man as he did. He dived in for another strike only to have Kakashi swerve out of the way. "I have no personal reasons to betray the Hokage. I have served under Hokage-sama long enough to know that he is a good man, but I cannot approve of how he leads Konoha.Shinkuken!" Kakashi tumbled back over one of the benches as a blast of air swept him off his feet. He rolled under the wooden benches as senbon flew towards him.
"What is it that is so important to you that it causes you to abandon your own country and become a traitor?" Kakashi demanded. He squeezed out from under the bench and struck at Genma's head, forcing the man to duck down. Kakashi then spun around and kicked Genma in the upper chest, sending him flying into a cluster of civilians.
"The Hokage is a good man, but not a good leader. His sense of justice and honor make him a gullible leader. Konoha is suffering under his rule because of all the unprofitable trade agreements and subsidies. He gives away thousands to other countries because of his selfish sympathies. He is hurting Konoha because of it!" Sword met kunai again as the two jounin fought against each other.
"How can I support a leader that allows his own people to starve in the streets because he favors the needs of other countries before his own? A leader would care for his own before instead of letting them die for the sake of others!" Shirakumo thundered as he swung at Kakashi. The tip of the sword sliced against his chest, and Kakashi winced.
He put his hand up to the wound and was relieved to find that it was shallow. "I can agree with some of your opinions, but I can't agree with the way you demand change. Change should be made from within, not forced from the outside!Doton: Doryuuheki!" Kakashi punched the ground, and a wall of hard earth rose from the ground. Genma, who had finally made his way out of the crowd, slammed his fist into the wall. Genma growled in irritation and began flipping through handsigns to use a jutsu to break the barrier.
Kakashi leaned out of the way as Shirakumo's sword slashed against the rock barrier. "Don't you think I have tried, Hatake-san? For years, I have tried to change this country from the inside. Now, it is time for change to come whether or not the Hokage is ready to receive it!" Kakashi heard a crack in the wall behind him and grabbed Shirakumo by his shirt and flung him backwards.
Genma's jutsu smashed through the wall, sending rubble flying through the air. Shirakumo tumbled through the gap that once held the wall, and Genma barely dodged out of the way as his companion went flying past. Genma shunshined through the wall and dove at Kakashi, three senbon clenched between his fingers. He had to finish the fight quickly. There was no way he would be able to last in a drawn out battle against Kakashi.
Kakashi saw Genma flying towards him and his mind went blank. His body reacted out of instinct and, before he knew it, the word slipped from his mouth, "Chidori." He thrust his hand forward and slammed it against Genma's chest. The lightning crackled in the air as the two jounin stood stock still. Brown eyes dropped down to stare at the arm that stuck through his chest. The senbon dropped from his fingers and clattered on the ground.
"I see," Genma mumbled quietly. "I knew you would be trouble, Hatake...san." Genma slumped forward onto Kakashi. The white-haired ninja stared down at his former comrade's limp form and tugged his arm out from Genma. Genma dropped down to the ground, and Kakashi could only stare at the body. Images flashed in his mind that he hadn't seen in a long time.
He lifted a bloodied hand up towards his face. "Rin-chan... I did it again. I did it..." Kakashi took a step back and clamped his eyes shut. He could feel it again as if it were yesterday. He heard the screams of the Kirigakure ninja as he slaughtered them. He could see Rin's body lying on the ground after he had run her through with his chidori. It was all there. Why was it happening all over again? "No..." He had killed another comrade.
"Look out, Hatake-sensei!" The desperate voice called Kakashi back to his senses, and Kakashi shunshined up the stairs as Shirakumo stabbed at the air where he used to stand. Lee scurried beside him, and it was then that Kakashi noticed that the grandstands had completely emptied. When had that happened? Kakashi felt like he was losing his mind now. It was all so muddled. He just wanted to forget everything.
Shirakumo rushed over to Genma's body and felt for his pulse. He hung his head when he felt nothing. Shirakumo sent a venomous glare up at Kakashi and said, "This isn't over." Shirakumo sheathed his sword back over his back and yanked the bandana off of Genma's head. He turned and shunshined out of the stands.
"Should we follow him, Hatake-sensei?" Lee asked. He turned towards the jounin only to pause. Kakashi was still staring at his red hand, but it was the look that disturbed Lee. Kakashi's eyes looked so... dead. "Hatake-sensei?"
"We will report his betrayal to the Hokage and await our orders. Our job is not to kill people, but to protect people." The second sentence sounded more like a question than a statement. Kakashi looked over towards Lee and said, "Why did you come back here?"
Lee started as he remembered what had just happened only a half-hour ago. "Hanagaki-san and Kurenai-sensei are dead. They were killed by-" Lee halted abruptly, remembering that Sasuke was Kakashi's student.
"Tell me, Lee-san," Kakashi demanded coldly. Lee flinched.
"They were killed by Sarutobi Asuma, Aburame Shino, and Uchiha Sasuke," Lee said quickly. He closed his eyes, not wanting to look at Kakashi's face. Kakashi's face was twisted in pain, and he lifted a hand to cover his unmasked skin.
"How many did Uchiha-san kill?" Kakashi croaked.
Lee hesitated before saying, "Hanagaki-san and Kurenai-sensei fell to his hand." At that, Kakashi felt guilt strike him in the chest. So, it was his fault that they were dead. He had given Sasuke too much power without assessing his control. He bit his lip tightly and took in a deep breath.
"Lee-san, follow me. We have to go report." Kakashi knew the rebellion had only just begun, but he had already had enough. How many more of his friends would he kill before the war was over? He didn't even want to know.
-TSUME-
Shoes clattered along the rooftops as the three genin rushed towards the hospital. According to the plan, Naruto and Gaara were supposed to provide backup for the three jounin squads stationed around the hospital. If the hospital went down during the battle, it would be over for their side. It was safe to assume that the rebels had their own medical ward hidden around the city, but their side only had this one. Hiruzen had contemplated setting up another hidden ward, but he also knew it would be a futile effort. It would be nearly impossible to hide the fact that he had set up another base from the rebels that were, no doubt, posing at medic-nin.
"We have to hurry. The hospital is as much of a place to fall back as it is a battleground. The rebels probably dispatched a team to take out the hospital first before any of the other targets. Come on!" Naruto could feel his heart racing in his chest. This was the day they had spent months preparing for, but Naruto couldn't feel any less prepared than he did then. Team Tsume had collected data on dozens of shinobi, and Naruto was pretty sure he could tell apart the rebels from the maybe-allies. But that was one of the problems. The maybe-allies were not definitely allies. What if the situation turned out to be a lot worse than they had projected? What if the day ended in a disaster rather than a success?
"Stop," Gaara said suddenly. Naruto twisted his face in confusion. They needed to hurry rather than slow down. What was Gaara thinking? "Now!" Gaara ordered. Naruto skidded to a stop on one of the shingled buildings, and Gaara waved a hand in the air. A cloud of sand streamed from the gourd on his back and blackened the sky above them. Naruto could hear an angry curse through the wall before Gaara pulled his sand back towards him. It coiled around his arm like a snake and revealed a man dressed in a green kimono.
Hinata stared at the man before saying, "Father." The two Hyuuga meet eyes and shared a long silent stare before Hinata glanced away. The look in her father's eyes told her all that she needed to know. She took in a deep breath and sighed. It seems that her father thought she was that expendable after all. She had sort of hoped that he wouldn't think that, but... Wishing that it was otherwise wouldn't change anything.
Hiashi broke the silence and said, "Hinata, Sabaku-san, you may leave if you wish. My duty doesn't involve you two. If you wish to stay, then it will only bring you more pain than good. It does not bother me, regardless of your choice." Naruto took a step back. Inoichi had warned him that something like this would happen. All of the clan elders knew that Naruto was the Kyuubi. The Kyuubi was a variable, a threat. And in war, all threats had to be eliminated.
"Arrogance will be your downfall," Gaara commented. The rest of the sandy gourd dissolved behind his back and fell down to the ground. Tendrils of sand thrashed in the air, daring Hiashi to attack.
"I should say the same to you, Sabaku-san," Hiashi replied with a hint of amusement.
The sand waved in the air a few seconds more before diving at Hiashi. "It is not arrogance if I am merely stating facts."
Author's Note: The week has been chaos. I have a big meeting from Sunday to Monday where I have to meet my state's legislators. Essentially, it means that I've been scrambling around all over the place preparing for it. I'm in a panic, and it's not fun at all. Haha! Oh well. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! If you have any questions or concerns about the direction of the story, leave me a message, and I'll answer you however I can.
Thank you, Pokepikachu1 for betaing and always encouraging me! ^^ I really appreciate it!