FROST COUNTRY
Methodically Haruo dodged electrified kunai hailstorm after the other that struck in to the ice and then short circuited with a blinding flare only to be accompanied by another that came with hundreds after it.
Again the Uzumaki like the few of his surviving reconnaissance squad that had taken to the front-line, jumped as the ice that was of the terrain of Frost country cracked with a deafening creaking then toppled deep in to a ravine below. Once concealed; now known as another way to death as it took what was easily a few hundred square feet of crumbling thirteen inch thick ice in to its maul.
Barely able to get back his footing and ignoring the wails for help from his soon dead comrades who fell to their own death. Haruo ran right dodging a new hail of projectiles, towards a glacier and hid behind it to gain cover.
Looking to his right quickly at the body that slammed itself next to him upon the ice glacier as it crouched he addressed it "Report!"
Pulling a lodged in deep kunai from his knee the man looked to his commander who seemed stoic "They ambushed us sir! Must of got past one of Daichi's scans and the sensors under him! Clearly they are upon that fucking ice cliff picking us off and doing a damn fucki-"
Haruo abruptly went back in to fight mode as he jumped from behind the land-beached glacier when he saw a kunai with several others coated in glittering lightning chakra swath easily through the ice and head for him but only get his subordinate he saw become an impression of holed flesh.
Back in the fray of what was many exploding and lightning sharp weapons pelting the ground like rain as he ran. Haruo quickly tried for cover as he hoped his still fruitlessly parrying weapon after weapon from their space or dodging them subordinates would do.
"COMMANDER!"
Looking over his shoulder as he ducked a giant shuriken that came careening at him, Haruo dashed in to a slide over the ice on his knees, to where he saw a few had dug in to the ice to make a small hiding trench with roof.
Fallen in to the trench like bunker Haruo exhaled then inhaled quickly, trying to get his breath as he looked around and saw the many men with arms extended over their head channeling chakra in to their ice roof cover to keep it from caving in.
A ninja with arms extended upwards looked to his direction and shouted angrily "Sir! We are fucking dyeing! What are your orders?!"
Looking around at the trench of solid ice Haruo thought quickly as he saw the pleading faces staring at him and heard the ice slowly faltering to spider line cracks caused by the bombardment.
For the first time he drew his sword since the ambush and called "Transform!"
The once sword became a large sledge-hammer that Haruo hurriedly swung in to the ice wall to his left, easily making it become a grey wisp of smoke as he cleared a large section.
"There is a ravine behind us so we gotta go forward! Everyone behind me use your water jutsu to help make the walls sturdy of the tunnel I am going to build! The ice should freeze the water while everyone else helps reenforce the walls! Some of you others tell any survivors to get their asses in here and someone! get word to the rest of the division and tell them of the situation and to move!"
Quickly everyone mobilized as some left the safety of the trench in to the chaotic battlefield to gather the left out surviving comrades while others behind the tunneling extremely fast Haruo strengthened the structure he was making as they applied water to the ice and made sure it froze strengthening the glacier cave.
While everyone else kept channeling chakra in to the new forming bunker as it went farther and deeper.
"Launch another one!" cried Kinkaku as he watched from the giant machine; another too large to be wielded by a person shuriken be launched through the air then fall suddenly to cut in to the ice and a scant few ninja as it tore through everything in its path before finally from being slowed by splitting the ice stop in its tracks.
"Don't you just love the view! Fuck even if it is cold I can still enjoy seeing these bastards die! Look at them run! Ha ha ha they are running in to a rat hole see brother! They're rats!" shouted Ginkaku
"Hole?" inquired the man looking to his laughing brother
"Yeah that one over their!" said Ginkaku as he pointed to where a few ninja that had taken from their bare covers of peaking ice glaciers to run inside a quite large hole that disappeared in to the ice.
"Concentrate all fire to that hole!" yelled the man to the entire Cloud division.
To each ninja or kunoichi throwing the many kunai from their provided crates beside them, at the fleeing ninja below and the several working the giant catapults that flung the gargantuan shurikens. The command to target one thing seemed like overkill but they obeyed willingly.
"Eh Brother what are you doing?"
"They are tunneling under us!" informed the man as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Looking back over to the hole that had become a death sentence for the many dozens that had tried to retreat to it but become killed in the concentrated shuriken and kunai fire upon it. Who were now quickly becoming chunks of disfigured flesh with pulverized ice chunks from the being destroyed ice.
Kinkaku huffed at the sight. "They sure are sneaky" he sneered grabbing from his back a legendary sword.
"Wait" calmed Ginkaku making sure his brother did nothing too hasty "They are probably too deep now. . . you know what that means"
Kinkaku smirked as he turned around then yelled looking to the swarm of Kumo ninjas "CEASE FIRE AND FALL BACK!"
When Kinkaku went to look back to his brother from having gave the command he grinned at his taking the initiative brother who was covered in red bubbling chakra with three tails, his whisker marks turned more pronounced and demonic like his already blood-red eyes.
"BIJU BALL TIME BROTHER!" yelled Ginkaku happily
TEA COUNTRY| NAGI ISLAND
Tobirama ran as fast as the legendary title of kage would believe him to, as he flipped, hopped, and sped through the forest.
On his flank barely able to keep up to the blur that was their Hokage was a small battalion of ninja following more so the person closest to him then the Hokage himself.
"My bugs have said that there are a few traps up ahead Lord Hokage, they also said to be wary that there are some things they could not pick up"
The Hokage looked over his shoulder to the hidden behind a hooded long coat Aburame and nodded as he saw many black specs fly back in to the large gourd strapped on the man's back.
Jumping in to the air then sending his hands in to a quick flurry of seals the Senju man breathed in deeply than expelled out a large funnel of water that drowned the area ahead of him.
Landing back on a tree branch with his subordinates still behind him he then took to the ground as the terrain changed to an open plain where trees as well as any cover was scarce.
As if the weather had suddenly changed, rain drops began to pelt the earth from the previous water technique; and painted the plain in splattering drops that exposed many trip wires, now soggy explosive tags, and many false illusions that when met with the rain were exposed to being fake.
Tobirama with his team easily ran through the would be traps with rain as their cover and did not set off or fall for one of the fatal would be ambushes.
Though the progressing well team did stop when a lingering mist that appeared from nowhere moved in to the field. Each Leaf ninja was not fooled at the mist that covered what they knew to be ninja hiding inside of it.
The Hokage as well as his team wordlessly went in to a 'S' shaped formation and watched each others backs as well as for the impending attack upon them.
Tobirama took his attention from scanning the thick blinding mist to look to his right at the Aburame who shook his head a no back at him. He knew instantly that meant the man's bugs were no help in the mist or were somehow being dispatched by what was in it.
Time seemed to slow in the blanket of mist that allowed no sound in but the faint breathing of the Leaf ninja was highly easy to hear even when they too realized it and tried alternating their breathing or not doing it for some time; it was clear they were sitting ducks and their slightest actions would give them away.
"Gah!"
The Senju man turned his head slightly as he saw one of his own fall to the ground with a curved large sickle-shaped kunai in their chests. He knew unfortunately it was the work of Kiri shinobi.
Reflexively the formation tightened to compensate for the one down and the Hokage who left it to go in to the mist.
Through the thick mist Tobirama traveled as quietly as it's users as he held his breath and began sensing around; able to even pierce the chakra laced mist that would have been a normal sensor's nightmare.
Crouched low the Senju immediately sensed an enemy and dispatched him from afar with a single water propelled bullet from his mouth. He then continued walking through the dense cloud.
Abruptly the Hokage stopped as he bent far backward to avoid a sword's blade than twisted his body to the right as he gave a kick to his attacker only for the powerful strike to connect and the being turn in to a splash of water.
'Water clones?' thought the Nidaime as he righted himself.
From far behind him he suddenly began hearing the clashing of weapons and knew it was his team fighting off attackers. Yet he couldn't help but feel that there was something extremely strange happening.
Cautiously he figured to let his capable subordinates fight as he traveled in the mist, to find at least a few casters of it to dispatch them an make the cloaking jutsu disappear.
It was not beyond him to know that a mist this thick or wide must be upheld by quite a few many shinobi that had to be somewhere close. He would just have to seek them out where ever they were.
Going through a single seal the Hokage blew from his mouth a torrent of water that shaped itself in to a red-eyed dragon that snaked outwards in to an even thicker part of the mist.
Snaking through the air at a speed thought to only belong to a kage level shinobi, the dragon in seconds had come across its first three targets and crushed each in its watery jaws before going back on the hunt again. All the while getting larger as it traveled.
In minutes Tobirama knew threw his connection with the dragon he had completely annihilated at least eight real shinobi while many others were simply water clones that held resemblances to different people and not of the eight he had already killed.
Meaning that they either were transformed water clones or the ninja killed were not their creators.
Cutting his chakra to the dragon snaking from his mouth Tobirama scanned around as he saw slowly the mist was clearing giving back the ability to hear the foot steps of his team gathering around him.
"Your attackers were clones weren't they?" he questioned the Aburame
The man nodded curtly before asking "Something wrong Lord Hokage?"
"Yes there is, there were suppose to be at least forty ninjas here patrolling this area for fifty miles, and there was. Except only eight were real. No way just eight men made clones of water then transformed them to be someone else to supplement their forces. Kiri is up to something if they are pulling tactics like this"
"Maybe trying to fool us so we overcompensate and attack with more than the needed men to set us up for an ambush sir?" supplied the Aburame as he feel bac on rudimentary ambush war tactics.
"No. That would be insane to have one cut their chakra capacity in to split portions all for less than a third of their power to exist in a water clone. I think Kiri instead is trying to hide their lack of men here for some reason. . ."
Frank as a Aburame could be the ninja replied "Wouldn't that mean they are weakening and we could finally push them out of Nagi island then? Why would they chance us discovering that?"
Nodding his head in acceptance of the information the Hokage abruptly sighed as he realized aloud "This is not for us. . ."
Quickly the Hokage turned and made his team by extension look to the direction their leader did.
From the still clearing but turned light mist appeared a large group of ninja that made the Leaf ninja each look a bit surprised.
"Kirigakure has allied with. . . Sunagakure?" questioned the Aburame seeing the arrived figures and their leader.
Stepping forth the Kazekage answered "There is no alliance just a trap to end the Leader of. . . Leaf"
Going to equal footing with the bald man in front of him and leader of Suna, the Hokage retorted "First Kazekage, I thought the message was clear. You were suppose to surrender but now you will die! Colliding Shock Wave Jutsu!"
Not even afraid of the sudden calamity of water that had erupted from the very air itself and headed in a large wave at him, the Kazekage breathed in deeply than exhaled out while thinking 'Wind Release: Storm Breaker!'
From the mouth of the Kazekage a stream of wind coated in blue chakra fanned out to morph in to sickles that cut in to the coming wave before pushing it back then making it fall harmlessly to the earth in a great splash.
"Your move. . . Hokage" jeered the man as he saw his own men charge at the Leaf ninja and they do the same in retaliation.
Knowing he had just entered a great battle Tobirama reached inside of his breastplate taking out a sword hilt and glared through narrowed eyes as he saw a white plume of smoke envelop the Kazekage's hands but clear to show a giant golden folded fan the man slowly began to open.
Ignoring the skirmishing plights of their now battling ninja, the two leaders each cut right through the battlefield in a blur of speed.
Meeting in the middle and using their momentum gathered from their sheer speed.
Tobirama struck out first with his cackling electrified blade accompanied by a sudden spin of his body as he released water from his mouth and mimicked a hurricane as arcs of razor-sharp water spun from him; touching the Raijin sword and becoming even more deadly before being launched.
The Kazekage opened his golden fan wide as he hid behind it quickly to take shelter from the electrified arcs of water that tried desperately to slash through his defenses that barely held.
In between what was a sickle-shaped arc of water hitting him the Kazekage quickly swept his fan outward causing a great backlash of air that sent the Hokage flying back with anyone else in the path of the wind too were cast backwards.
Clear from being attacked the bald man smirked as he saw the Hokage barely right himself in the air before landing.
Not one to let up on his attack the Kazekage channeled chakra in to the weapon an whipped his fan open sending out another gust of air; but this time more powerful than the last.
Annoyed, Tobirama braced with chakra to his feet as the winds whipped past him making the Senju feel like he was being thrown at over a hundred miles a second.
He quickly caught on to what the Kazekage's strategy was when he noticed the man was trying to keep him at a long distance away plus kill him with simple blunt force trauma.
'You will fight me up-close and . . . personal!' thought the Senju as the wind finally broke letting his vision see the bald man about to send another attack at him so he countered, sending out bullets made of water by the dozens.
On instinct the Kazekage fully opened his giant fan with a snap and hid behind it during the pelting of the powerful water bullets that pushed him back slowly, making his feet slide in to the ground leaving tracks.
Not one to be on the defense. With all his strength the Wind-Shadow went in to a 360 degree full spin. Quickly whipping his fan around with centripetal force he thought 'Wind Scythe Blades' then came to a sudden stop.
The suddenly stopped fan produced a gale of what were hundreds of blades that distorted the air with their presence and cutting power.
Tobirama saw clearly every blade coming at him and ran head on in to the wall of wind blades before suddenly jumping up over the attack, while landing downward he sent out a blast of lightning from his sword at his opponent who dodged with a jump.
Landing from his short jump the Kazekage moaned "This is getting boring Senju! Let's finish this sham of you prolonging your death!"
"I could say the same to you, your jutsu are lacking for one who holds the name of Kage! To believe you founded a village of ninja is almost. . . impossible" the Senju taunted with a disappointed snort.
Smirking back with a promise of murder, the Kazekage closed his fan up then threw it at the Hokage who easily dodged it. The Kazekage then went threw a quickly growing longer sequence of hand-seals as he sucked air deep in to his lungs.
Bracing for an attack from ahead Tobirama was almost cut in half as he jumped quickly to avoid a somehow returning fan that now fully opened, attacked him from behind, and spun swathing through the air to come at him again. Making him desperately dodge but the fan quickly did a u-turn to come right back at him without mercy.
With sword out in front of himself Tobirama readied himself for the obvious deadly flying fan as it came to cut him down but he just in the nick of time struck out with his electric blade slashing the fan in half while remembering to keep an eye on his opponent.
Catching the doing seals man's eyes with his Tobirama whispered "Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness"
The Kazekage done with his seals an sprinting in to a run saw the world around him morph and change in to darkness but shrugged it off easily by expelling pure wind chakra from every point on his body.
Having fought off the hallucinogenic genjutsu he continued to run towards the Hokage, knowing what he held deep in his lungs was an attack that would finish the man in a simple breath.
Disturbed at how the once long-range combatant now charged him with abandon and was able to shrug off such a powerful genjutsu the Senju hurriedly backed up before running away from the man towards a forest, assured it would be impossible for the man to have an advantage there.
Angry at how the Senju was trying to run towards the home ground he knew was a terrain the Senju clan was famous for, the Kazekage let lose his attack by opening his mouth.
It was a mixture of instinct and experience that made Tobirama duck when he felt a sudden air pressure change but saw that he was lucky he did when a large spiraling sphere shaped vortex of air barreled quicker then he could follow through the air towards the forest he was about to head towards.
The sphere vortex of air when impacted against the haphazardly growing on the outer rim of the forest tee, that was a few yards ahead of the lush forest behind it, exploded. Becoming a dome of slashing winds that reduced the ground, trees, and everything it touched for yards in to diced chunks of rubble.
Shocked by the attack but recovering fast the Hokage turned to face the Kazekage that appeared in a flash of speed directly in front of him with his mouth about to open to deliver another one of the air vortex spheres.
'I can't defend against such an attack! It will cut through anything!' were Tobirama's thoughts while he glanced over the man's shoulder seeing a Suna-nin defending against one of his own men. He desperately stretched his chakra out and performed the substitution jutsu in the blink of a eye.
In a second Tobirama was at safety viewing the Kazekage attack unknowingly his own comrade, reducing the ninja to a bloody mash of flesh and clothes that fell neatly in a pile to the earth.
Quickly gazing to his surprised ninja who looked at him wondering where his opponent went Tobirama spoke "Hurry up and defeat the enemy ninja. We can not be here for long"
The Leaf ninja nodded back taking advantage from being freed from his battle he went to go help another fighting comrades.
"You are a filthy soul Senju!" spat the Kazekage realizing he had killed one of his own.
Tobirama ignored the man's words, too busy thinking on how to defeat the expert wind master who he was aware only needed one mistake on his part to kill him and then try to attack the Leaf next.
Realization finally hit Tobirama as he saw beyond what the Kazekage killing him would do 'So I finally see. . . if I die here like the Kazekage wants he will probably make sure it looked like Kiri ninja did it. Making Leaf in my death want to concentrate on taking on Kiri out of revenge while Suna recuperate and prepares to attack us from the west. So that is his angle!'
Scanning the battlefield quickly Tobirama's eyes went to a Suna-nin he saw was being double teamed by two Leaf ninja. He then looked to the Kazekage who seemed to be powering up again for another attack if the wind that swirled around him was any indication.
Trying to cause a diversion he created instantly three water clones that raced towards the Kazekage while he raced towards the Suna-nin.
The Kazekage watched the fleeing one way Hokage and the two clones that came at him as he sucked in air to full capacity before finally closing his mouth. 'I don't know what you are up to but it won't work' the man thought getting more angry at how evasive the Senju was.
Engaging in hand to hand combat with the clones the bald man blocked a hard punch then jumped back to avoid a kick. An quickly struck out with a fist to try to land a simple hit on the clone that he knew would dispel it, but quickly learned that the Hokage's taijutsu was quite possibly second to none when the clone deflected and backhanded him.
It was quickly understood by the man that he would not be able to beat the clones with taijutsu alone, and unwillingly he opened his mouth as the two clones closed in on him to attack at once.
The Nidaime Hokage clones were quickly destroyed as a sphere of wind exited the man's mouth and engulfed them; turning them to shreds and forcing them to become water again.
Looking around for the real Hokage the bald man snorted as he saw the Nidaime knock one of his men out and throw him over his shoulder before covering himself in a thick spritz of water that was almost thicker then mist which blocked out all sight.
'What is he up to, to use a smoke screen like that?' wondered the Kazekage but struck it from his mind as he saw what we're jetting pillars of water shoot at him from the watery smoke screen.
Jumping back to dodge. The man grit his teeth as he was struck in the shoulder by one of the speeding water pillars. "Fuck!" he screeched at his arm that was clearly broken in several places.
Angry at the attack that almost tore his arm off and left him wounded the bald man opened his mouth when he witnessed another speeding water jet head for him, he expelled a wind sphere in defense that collided with the water bullet and stopped it in its' tracks, shredding it to pieces.
Upping the level of battle the Kazekage then breathed out several spheres in quick succession sending them in a flurry to where he knew Tobirama to be.
A sinister smile appeared on the man's face as he saw the spheres explode and change the landscape in to torn eviscerated earth craters. While also clearing the misty smoke screen.
Slightly he was stunned when he did not see a dead Hokage in the rubble but looked up and saw Tobirama appear in the air above with sword point ready to bi-sect him.
An idea of how the Hokage could leave himself so airborne and open to attack went through the Kazekage's mind but from the bleeding he saw on the Hokage's leg that was pouring blood he knew this to be the real man and not some clone.
Not willing to pass up the opportunity to kill the Nidaime he prepared to exhale an attack upon the Hokage. Knowing this would kill the evasive Senju and make sure Suna-village continued existence was permanent.
The bald man was completely stunned in to complete shock when he heard from behind him "Wood Release: Piercing Branches"
A quick second later the wind kage was elevated in to even more shock when he felt several sharp branches pierce his mid-section then sew in and out of his body piercing all of his vital organs.
With the last bit of energy he had the first Kazekage looked behind him and saw the face of Hashirama Senju.
"H-h-how?" he asked shuddering from seeing the man thought to be long dead.
"Reanimation Jutsu." answered Tobirama as he landed in front of the Kazekage and drove his sword in to the man's head.
The revived Hashirama looked past the shower of gore from the stabbed kage's head to his younger brother "You summoned me from the dead for this?"
"He is stronger than he seems and we were pretty much equal. He also was a true master of wind, an threw S-rank jutsus around for play! I am just glad he didn't start using kinjutsu. By the way thanks. . . brother" said the silver-haired man gratefully
Nodding his head slowly the 1st Hokage turned as he blocked with his bare hand the kunai of a Suna-ninja before reaching out with his other hand that had morphed in to wooden claws and struck the kunoichi in her wind-pipe; effectively killing her as she collapsed dead on to the ground.
"That was a diversion. . . they are escaping Tobi" reminded the former Hokage as he saw many Suna ninja try to flee in to the forests.
"I can't pursue. I'm injured" answered Tobirama peering down to his sliced up pretty bad leg.
Hashirama with a sigh spoke "An I'm dead. . . good-bye"
Tobirama nodded as he saw his big brother's image fade away becoming dust that sifted in to the winds only to leave behind the dead body of a Suna-ninja.
"Hokage! you alright sir?" questioned a Leaf ninja but truthfully wanted to ask if he like many others had just saw the First Lord Hokage.
WHIRLPOOL COUNTRY| UZUSHIOGAKURE
Arata leaning comfortably in his chair looked at his what was unofficial assistant but more so restricted Lt. Aki.
He and the large man had come to a stand still on a matter that was approved by one but thought awfully stupid by another. And not worth even talking about.
Again Aki took the scroll that was placed out in front of him on his side of the desk and placed it back in front of his leader. "Sir this is insane to help them" he quipped for the dozenth time.
Carelessly flicking his hand out to whack the scroll in to a roll that caused it to spin back to the man. Arata remarked "Takigakure. Has called upon our aid because they know Leaf won't help them, since their past actions in trying to assassinate the Shodaime. This is an opportunity not to be taken lightly"
Making himself known from his position looking out of the panoramic view of the office, Hiro Fuma called over his shoulder "Aki just do as the General says. He is right, we should help Taki it will slow down any assault Iwa might want to take!"
Aki glared at the back of the Fuma man as he was sure it was his doing that had convinced his leader to take up a more direct offense against the well-known plotting; Rock village whose battles with Mist ninjas were creeping ever more closer to Uzu soil and was in harm's way of risking Whirlpool country casualties.
Aki could see how a battle on their homeland should be avoided but to engage in a conflict with another village that was quite easily in primed condition to fight while they already had several other problems on their plate was a bad thing.
Voicing his uneasiness "We can't use Taki as allies to blockade Iwa! They will see it as an declaration of war and attack us!"
"Too late!" sneered Hiro "They are enemies with Leaf, our allies. But they will not dare attack us knowing they would have to fight both of us so close to their home plus they are locked in war with Kiri. This way through using Taki who are afraid of being absorbed by Earth Country. We deal with Rock getting too close to our trade routes or interfering with our own war with Kumo"
"Exactly" concurred Arata agreeing
Aki shook his head "No, this way we get locked in a ridiculous three-way with no real help. Maybe from Taki but not from Leaf since that attack on them by ninja from Sky village. Leaf is on high alert and isn't really sparing any of its ninja for other things that don't coincide with its own agenda."
Argumentatively the Fuma man spat "Thanks to our conquering Hot Water country we are on the mainland now! With a direct way to combat Lightning country and a way to keep most attacks from our heartland. If we don't keep it like that then what will you do when our village is attacked and our country burned by the ire of war-fare?!"
"That is just you over exaggerating things! Fighting far away from home to keep the fighting from our home is the same thing! The only difference is we could avoid it by JUST NOT fighting at all!"
Arata fed up with the bickering two announced "Aki you will take this mission to help Taki defend their country from any problems they may get from Iwa. You will as well act as a first alarm to us if you see any Iwa battalions coming towards Hot Water country or on the seas. Along with your first responsibilities from this mission; acting as a shield to our flank will be your most important duty. But if all goes wrong you retreat!"
Frowning behind his long bangs the man asked "And leave Taki by themselves to be overwhelmed?"
Hiro before Arata could comment spoke "You are only being permitted to command a few hundred ninjas along with yourself. Your job is recon, diversion, and slight defense. This ain't an invasion. Of course you pull out if all hell breaks loose!"
"An I am the only one who sees double-crossing those people as bad?" Aki said tone disbelieving
Sighing the General stated "What you say is double-crossing could also be called helping until we can't help anymore"