Yo...
Time for a very important chapter that will determine the fate of this story. Like I said before, there are a lot of things going on in this story.
On one side Naruto is making his moves, while at the same time the Akatsuki is also making their move. It would be quite interesting to see how this battle would turn out...in a way Naruto's beliefs and his character is almost a replica of mostly Nagato and a little bit Kakashi.
Just as Nagato loved Yahiko, Naruto loved Armin...and his love was probably more stronger than Nagato's (I don't need to explain why...)
In a way Naruto has given up on himself and his life...he blames Armin's death on himself. And that's what led to his current decision of sacrificing himself...even now he is trying to atone for a sin he didn't commit. That's who Naruto is...
Enjoy the chapter...
Chapter 54
Dreams& Nightmares
(Osaka)
Minato cautiously stared at the vast army in front of him. Thousands and thousands of enemy troops glaring at him and his comrades, he could clearly see the Sandaime Raikage, his son A as well as the Eight Tails Jinchuuriki standing in front of him.
On another side of the field, stood the veteran Tschuikage, Ohnoki...and from the murderous gaze in his eyes it was clear he was out for blood. Minato idly wondered what had happened to make Ohnoki so angry? Sure he had lost all the battles, but to see this much hatred in his eyes was quite dangerous.
Numerically, he had around 7,500 soldiers under his command. While the enemy had around 10,000 soldiers...and these were the best soldiers of the Heavenly Alliance.
Minato indeed had hundreds of other ninja but they were busy in Iwa, or stabilizing Kiri...as well as protecting the huge fire country from any sudden attack...particularly from Suna. So these were the only troops he could gather for this fight.
But looking at the comrades beside him gave him hope for victory in this battle.
Team Hiruzen were confidently standing beside each other, they were the most relaxed people in his entire army.
Kagami looked at his long time friend, as a small smile came on his face...
"This brings back memories...doesn't it, Hiruzen?" asked Kagami nostalgically, as Hiruzen chuckled.
"I still can't believe we lived this long...Kagami, whatever happens it was my honor to have a friend like you..." said Hiruzen proudly, as his old friend just smirked.
"Save the speech, in every war you say this...but no young fools can knock out powerful ninja like us, don't you think...Hiruzen?" asked Kagami jokingly,
"You're still the same..."
Tsunade smacked her forehead in frustration as she saw Jiraiya staring at her breasts lecherously...when would this fool ever learn?
"Jiraiya..." said Tsunade dangerously, as the silly Sannin just waved his hand dismissively...
"I was just seeing if you were totally fit or not...we're about to enter into a big battle, and I don't want you to get hurt" said Jiraiya mockingly, and he chuckled when her fists clenched tightly.
"Are you mocking me, you fool?" asked Tsunade angrily,
"I would never dare..."
Jiraiya became a little nervous when she didn't buy his lie and just when she was about to smack him, he got a brilliant idea.
"Let's make a bet..."
He sighed in relief when Tsunade's fists stopped in mid air, and she was looking at him expectantly.
"How much big is your bet? And what is it?" asked Tsunade curiously,
"If I kill more ninja than you...then you go on a date with me" said Jiraiya lecherously,
"Fine, but if I kill more than you...then you will pay off all my debts. And I mean all of them" said Tsunade cunningly,
"It's a date..."
Itachi chuckled lightly on seeing the amusing banter between the two Sannin, but it also showed him that those two were indeed good friends...even though Jiraiya was an idiot.
"Itachi, you shouldn't be here..." said Mikoto bitterly, as she did not want to lose her only son in this pointless war.
"Same goes for you..." said Itachi bluntly, as Mikoto averted her eyes from his piercing gaze.
"I'm a veteran ninja who has been through war once. But you are different, you have not seen war...Itachi, please understand you're all I've got left" said Mikoto pleadingly, as he gently intertwined her hand with his own.
"My entire family is here, Tou-san needs all the help he can get...I know I don't have any experience, but I am strong too. My brother died for this country and these comrades standing beside us and I promised him that I would protect Konoha and you...this is my will, and no matter what happens I will stay by your side until the very end..." said Itachi passionately, bringing a proud smile on Mikoto's face.
"Itachi..."
"When I was a little kid, I was afraid of the dark...I used to believe that there was a monster hiding in the closet waiting to kill me in the night" said Itachi mysteriously,
"You never told me this..."
"Yeah, but I did tell Nii-san..." said Itachi sadly, as Mikoto caressed his hand.
"What did he tell you?" asked Mikoto patiently, and she noticed Itachi's hands hesitantly touching the tanto on his back.
The weapon which Naruto had left for his dear brother...
"He told me not to be afraid of the dark. He asked me to open the closet and fight the monster once and for all...he asked me to conquer my fears, and no matter what happened he would always be there to protect me no matter what I was up against..."
A proud smile came on Mikoto's lips as his sharingan came to life and seeing the love which he had for his brother...
"Are you with me, Kaa-chan?" asked Itachi hopefully, and he was surprised when a strange sharingan came to life in Mikoto's eyes.
"Till the very end..."
Mikoto's gaze shifted towards her husband who was standing by her side, but it seemed there was something that was troubling him.
"What's wrong?" asked Mikoto curiously, as even Itachi looked at him.
"I don't know...why did they bring only these many ninja? I'm sure they can pool more number of ninja...it seems that either they are underestimating us or they're over confident..." said Minato seriously,
"No, there are 2 veteran Kages in front of us. They know better than to come unprepared before you, or Team Hiruzen...and even the Sannin..."
"And us..." said Minato encouragingly, as he too intertwined his hand with Mikoto widening the smile on her face.
"Thank you..."
"What's that?" asked Itachi curiously, diverting his parent's attention towards the enemy forces.
Mikoto saw something arising from the ground, but she was even more surprised when Minato's hand started shaking...
"It can't be..." said Minato in shock,
4 large coffins rose from the ground, as Hiruzen, Minato, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Kagami looked at each other nervously.
Because all of them knew what was in those coffins...
(Osaka Cliff)
On a nearby mountain cliff, the 3 Naruto blood clones were also shocked when they saw the lid of the coffins dropping flat on the ground...as 4 people could be seen standing still inside the coffin.
"Edo Tensei..." said one of them in shock,
"You bastard, Orochimaru..."
"So, this is Akatsuki's move...their strongest weapon. And what they summoned..." said the leader clone bitterly,
In the first coffin was a tall man with tanned skin, dark eyes and waist-length black hair typically styled in a centre-parted fringe that framed his face. His attire took the form of the standard shinobi dress of his era, consisting of dark red traditional armor worn over a simple black suit.
This armor was constructed from numerous metal plates, formed into multiple protective guards along his body, in particular: chest, shoulders, thighs and forearms. Each collar of his shoulder guards bore the Senju symbol emblazoned on them. This man was none other than Senju Hashirama, The Shodaime Hokage himself and the original Shinobi no Kami (God of Shinobi).
In the second coffin was a woman, she had long, blonde hair and large, pupiless eyes. She wore an elaborate, high-collared black coat with the Senju symbol on the front of her armor. Her hair was arranged in long pony tail. She also wore a dark shade of red lipstick and had a violet-colored diamond mark on her forehead. She also carried a huge red scroll on her back. She was Senju Toka, Konoha's Genjutsu Mistress and the wife of Senju Tobirama.
In the third coffin was a tall man, fair-skinned man with white, shaggy hair, dark-colored eyes and three red markings on his face, one under each of his eyes, and one on his chin. In most cases, he wore the wartime attire, armor emblazoned with the Senju symbol worn over a simple black suit, with a distinctive white fur collar. This armor was constructed from numerous blue metal plates, formed into multiple protective guards along his body, in particular: chest, waist, shoulders and upper arms. This clothing was accompanied by sandals and a happuri engraved with the Konoha emblem, in the place of the more traditional forehead protector. He was Senju Tobirama, Konoha's SuirÅ (Water Dragon) and the Nidaime Hokage of Konoha.
In the last coffin was another man, he had fair-skin with full lips and spiky, black hair that had a blue tint to it and which were tied in a ponytail. His bangs parted down the centre of his face to frame both sides of it, He wore the standard Uchiha armor along with a high-collared, blue shirt with the Uchiha crest on his upper back and blue pants which were wrapped up in bandages at the ends. On his waist, he had a bandage belt that held a sack which presumably held ninja tools.
But the most distinguished thing about him was the large battle fan on his back, as well as the murderous Mangekyo Sharingan in his eyes.
The leader Naruto blood clone took a step back in fear, these were no ordinary people...instead they were one of the most powerful ninja to ever walk the face of the earth.
And now they were killing machines of Orochimaru and the Akatsuki.
"Boss, who's the woman and that strange Uchiha?" asked one of his comrade clone nervously,
He was surprised when their leader took out a bingo book and quickly showed her face in it...
"Senju Toka, the best genjutsu specialist of Konoha. She's skilled in Fuinjutsu and genjutsu...apart from that she is quite skilled in ninjutsu too. She's the wife of the Nidaime Hokage, who is right now standing beside her..." said the leader clone darkly,
"And who the hell is this Uchiha? Only Madara was supposed to have a Mangekyo...I don't understand..." thought the leader clone worriedly,
He tried to search for any information regarding this man, but to his disappointment there was none. The clones knew how dangerous these Edo Tensei were...the last time they went face to face with them, they had lost more than entire Blacklight platoon.
Even Commander Fox was no match for Sakumo and Mito, he had to use Shiki Fuin (Reaper Death Seal) to stop them...
And compared to those two ninja, the ones standing in front of them were gods...
His eyes widened in shock, as he realized the outcome of this battle. There was only one way to stop the Edo Tensei and right now only Minato knew how to do it...
"We must act right now..." yelled the leader clone urgently,
"Orders"
"You go back to Akatsuki base and inform boss about this. Tell him to stop his plan and get his ass over here...or else Tou-san and our entire family dies. Take this falcon with you and give this eye back to him at any cost" warned the leader clone
"But boss, we have that Mangekyo sharingan which boss gave us. Let's use Kamimushi on them..." suggested the second clone,
"You fool, do you even understand who we are up against? Before this bird can even get within 50 meters of those people, it will get ripped to shreds. And even if we are somehow able to use Kamimushi...we can only use it 3 times, that means one of the Edo tensei will still remain. We need Kushina and Naruto..." explained the leader clone,
This was the biggest drawback of the Blood Clone Technique, they could never dispel themselves like shadow clones and pass on information to their original counterpart...
And right now it was going to cost them a lot.
"You go and immediately bring Mikasa's team here along with Yagura. Tell them to bring the hostages too...we need to act quickly" ordered the leader clone,
"But boss that would only leave you here, you know all of our energy will be used if we teleport once more. Besides the Blacklight members are already on their way here..." advised the clone,
"Time is of the essence, besides the Edo Tensei we also have to take care of Ohnoki, the Raikage and their entire army. They already outnumber us...we must admit, Madara has got us cornered this time. Just go quickly and stop boss from sacrificing himself, I'll handle things here..." promised the leader clone,
His clone comrades offered him a quick salute before disappearing inside their pocket dimension, in order to carry out their missions.
The Leader clone slowly stepped forward and instantly activated his Mangekyo, as he saw the Edo Tensei and the enemy army getting ready to attack.
"I will protect my family and my comrades..."
(Akatsuki Base)
Naruto quickly ran towards the entrance gate of the Akatsuki base, his heartbeat was increasing every second and he prepared himself as the dark corridors were inching closer towards him.
But before he could even enter the base, a person quickly appeared behind him and before he could even react the person grabbed him and shunshined away.
As he slowly opened his eyes he found himself standing on top of the vast sea of Amegakure and his eyes hardened on seeing the person in front of him.
"Kushina..."
The said woman just looked at him with determination, irrespective of the murderous look in his lone Mangekyo sharingan.
"I can't let you do this..." said Kushina seriously,
"Do what?" asked Naruto evasively, as she glared at him.
"It's time you stopped lying...I know the truth" replied Kushina sadly,
"Then more the reason to let me go...I need to end this once and for all, you need to go to Osaka and support Minato. I've made all the arrangements...you're a free woman, now" said Naruto happily,
"I can't do that, Naruto..." said Kushina stubbornly, as his glare intensified.
"I kept my promise, what more do you need from me?" asked Naruto in an irritated voice,
"This won't work, Naruto. You can't fight against all of them alone...especially not Madara, not even with that Shiki Fuin Jutsu..."
"How did you-"
"I know that mark, it was a jutsu of my clan. Besides, I concluded that you would use this jutsu as it had higher chances of success..." replied Kushina seriously, and he gritted his teeth in frustration.
Just why was this happening now?
"Naruto, what you're doing right now is understandable..." said Kushina sympathetically, as his gaze softened.
"This is the only way I can atone for my sins...please let me do this, Kushina" requested Naruto,
"But, I won't let you do it...that's why I will stop you. There are other ways to take down Madara..." said Kushina fiercely, and she felt his KI rising.
"So, you'll believe in that fake hope that we can someday kill Madara through other means? I see...in the end you're just a stupid woman" replied Naruto bitterly,
His hands tightly gripped his sword and he looked at her angrily.
"Don't screw with me!How can you believe in such a thing...there can be no peace in this accursed world until Madara is taken down!" yelled Naruto furiously, as a small smile came on her face.
"Then I'll change this world...if there's such a thing as hope, then I will grasp it. I won't give up on myself...or on this world" said Kushina passionately,
Her gaze softened when he took a step back and his eyes widened in shock, and judging from the shocked look on his face showed that something had touched his heart...
"I don't know how I'll do it, but I will create a better world...I won't stop believing, no matter what!"
"Those...words..." said Naruto hesitantly, as Kushina took out a familiar book from her pocket and showed it to him.
"Yeah, this was your brother's will. Armin wanted to change this world with your help...in this small diary which you never read, he wrote everything about his true dream. This was his dream..." explained Kushina sadly, as she presented a hand made picture to him,
It was a rough sketch of three young children and he didn't need more than a second to understand who they were...as that memory came flooding back in his mind.
(Flashback: Valley of Hell- 3 years ago)
Naruto and Mikasa cautiously looked around them. They were surrounded by Kumo missing nins from all sides, their clothes were torn and they had almost used all of their chakra.
How could a simple supply gathering mission go so wrong?
"Mikasa..."
"I know, let's go down swinging..."
Just before they could start their last attack, a torrent of senbon were fired from all directions which instantly took down all the Kumo ninja as they hit various pressure points on their bodies, instantly knocking them unconscious.
"Looks like I get to be the hero this time..." said a new voice jokingly,
Mikasa got a bright smile on her face when she saw her best friend standing on top of a tall tree, while Naruto just had an annoyed look on his face.
"You're late..." complained Naruto, as Armin just chuckled lightly.
"Don't be an ass..." said Armin teasingly,
"Hn"
"Stop it, you two..." whined Mikasa, as both the boys erupted into a hearty laugh...making her even more angry.
However their happy moment was short lived when one of the Kumo ninja suddenly emerged from the shadows and grabbed Mikasa while putting a kunai on her throat.
"Back off, you midgets!" roared the man angrily,
"Can I say something?" asked Armin jokingly,
"Shut-"
Before the man could even finish his sentence, Mikasa gave him a brutal kick on his balls and slammed him hard on the ground. Even Naruto winced on seeing that gruesome attack...
''Remind me never to piss her off..." said Naruto nervously,
"You got it, bro..."
Both the boys then went forward and were now standing before the man who was already screaming in pain.
"You think you've won? Even if you defeat me now, one of us will kill you...we live in a dark world, midgets where only hatred exists." said the Kumo ninja hatefully,
"Then I'll change this world...if there's such a thing as hope, then I will grasp it. I won't give up on myself...or on this world" said Armin with determination,
Everyone was quite surprised and amazed by his determination, especially Naruto who was looking at his friend with deep respect in his eyes...
"You're bluffing..." said the man hesitantly, but somewhere in his eyes Mikasa saw a little hope
"I don't know how I'll do it, but I will create a better world...I won't stop believing, no matter what!" said Armin passionately,
"Armin..." thought Naruto proudly, his friend's dream was even more better than his dream of protecting Itachi...
"Wh-o...are...you?" asked the man hopefully, as he started to fall unconscious,
Mikasa noticed the admiration with which Naruto was looking at Armin, and this brought a small smile on her face. He was changing, slowly and slowly...Naruto was becoming a better person due to Armin.
"My name is Armin Arlert!"
(Few Hours Later)
The trio was currently sitting peacefully on top of a tall tree, patiently watching the sun setting in the sky. Mikasa didn't miss Naruto's hesitant glances towards Armin every few seconds...it was as if Armin was his hero.
"Just say it, Naruto..." said Mikasa encouragingly, and a tired sigh escaped from his lips.
Guess she could read him too easily...but that was what he loved about her. He also noticed Armin looking at him expectantly...
"Ne, Armin...do you really think that such a world can be made?" asked Naruto hesitantly, bringing a smile on Armin's face.
It really warmed his heart on seeing the change in Naruto, for a person who had no hope for the world...and who only cared about protecting his brother, this was certainly a very big change in Naruto...and he was thankful to Kami for that.
And now it was his job to guide his friend on the right path...
"Who knows, maybe it is possible. But I can't do it alone...and not without my friend's help" said Armin truthfully,
He became a little happy when Mikasa too smiled on hearing his words...
"Naruto, I believe you have a great power in you. The power to change the world, I have a feeling that one day you will truly understand the importance of peace and hope...and one day my stupid friend will change this shinobi world. That is why I will believe in your power...I will believe in you" said Armin passionately,
Naruto's eyes widened in shock on hearing those words, and one look in Armin's eyes was enough to show that he truly believed in him.
"Mikasa, what about you?" asked Armin curiously, as both the boys were now looking at her.
"Armin, Naruto...you two are my world. Your dream Armin, and your power Naruto...both of them are connected to each other, so it is my dream too" said Mikasa calmly,
"Mikasa..."
"If you two believe in this dream, then so will I" said Mikasa lovingly, and Armin put his hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"We believe in you...Namikaze Naruto"
(Flashback End)
Kushina quickly ran forward when he collapsed down on his knees as tears freely slipped from his eyes. She was really relieved that there was still a part of him that didn't want to give up and had a little hope for him and the world.
Because without Naruto...there would be no empire, no peace.
He was more useful alive than dead to their world...and she would make sure that he understood it at any cost.
She quickly kneeled in front of him and gently caressed his cheek, as his gaze was currently fixed on the sea water while the rain was continuously drenching both of them.
"There won't be another chance to take them down..." said Naruto silently,
"We need you, Naruto. You are the only one who has the vision to create a better world...you are the only one who truly understands Armin's dream and are his legacy to this world. If you give up on your life...then this cycle of hatred will keep on going and more Armin's would keep on dying" explained Kushina briefly,
"And if I don't take out Madara, then too this cycle would go on and on..." replied Naruto sadly,
"You can't do it alone, you need to take everyone together. Just as Armin wished, you need to bring everyone together...it doesn't matter how you do it, but what matters is that you do it. And if you are still willing to take on the Akatsuki then I will die with you..." said Kushina fiercely,
"Kushina, you don't have to do it. I don't want to sacrifice your life..." said Naruto seriously,
"You don't have a choice, we're partners. If you die today, there will be no empire...do you really think the person whom you have entrusted everything will be able to do it without your help and your vision? We need a leader like you..."
"BOSS!"
Both Kushina and Naruto were surprised when one of his blood clones crashed beside them, and from the look of it he was running on fumes and was just about to get destroyed.
"What happened? Why are you here, and why the fuck do you have the falcon?" asked Naruto angrily,
Kushina was shocked when she saw a Mangekyo fitted in the bird's eye, and one look at Naruto's hidden eye and the guilt on his face was enough for her to connect the dots.
"So you were really set on dying..." said Kushina angrily,
"Boss, that bastard Orochimaru used Edo Tensei and summoned...Hashirama, Tobirama, his wife Toka Senju...and some other Uchiha who has a Mangekyo.." said the clone tiredly,
"WHAT!"
"They'll destroy our family...you need to help them" pleaded the clone, and he quickly passed the bird to Naruto before getting destroyed.
Kushina watched intently as Naruto closed his eyes and started walking away from her...
"Naruto, your friend's death was not your fault...but if you continue on your plan, then your family and everyone else you love will die. And those deaths will definitely be on you..." said Kushina harshly, as Naruto just stared at the sky
"There will be no empire, no peace, no hope...nothing at all without you"
His fists clenched tightly, and she could feel how troubled he was by being put on the crossroads...because his choice would determine the fate of the world.
"You're a mysterious woman...Kushina"
"Naruto..."
She saw him making some movements, but as he had his back turned towards her she couldn't guess just what he was doing...
"I lost faith in that dream...I lost faith in myself" said Naruto sadly,
Kushina was surprised when he let the falcon bird fly away into the sky and took in a deep breath...
"But I believe that with you I can walk a better path and create Armin's dream world..."
He turned around, and she was amazed when he slowly casted his Akatsuki cloak away. Both of his Mangekyo were shining brightly in his eyes as he gently adjusted his Konoha forehead protector.
After a few moments he looked at her...
"I've made a new choice...a choice which I had given up..."
"What is that?"
"I will believe in you...Uzumaki Kushina"
Author's Notes: End of chapter..
Hm, quite a chapter. If you remember correctly I did show these 4 Edo Tensei (except for the mysterious Uchiha, wonder who he is?) in the beginning chapters of this story (Chapter 9, I think). They were Akatsuki's trump card which are being played right now.
So, in a way everything is going as per my plan.
Some of you may think that Naruto should have just killed Madara and himself, but it won't be much helpful either. Like Kushina said, there are always changes in a plan...Minato can't just create an empire on the basis of the script which Naruto gave him, it is proved since these Edo Tensei have stepped in. Just imagine if Naruto was dead, Minato died sealing those Edo Tensei...then what? Get my point?
Even if I had written a sequel, I would still have to revive Naruto because without him this story is just not possible...no other character has the strength to keep this story together. This was the choice I was going to make, but I did try to consider other options...but they would lead to pointless drama (Which I don't want at all).
Naruto has developed greatly as a a person throughout the story. From a silly brat, to a good friend, then a good leader, then a realist, and now he has turned into a person who has hope for the world and himself, just like Armin.
He has been through several ups and downs throughout all these years. We have seen his good, bad, every side of him...this chapter was another milestone in his growth, but there is still a hell of a lot more left.
I don't know if you have seen it, but this was a BIG BIG NaruKushi moment and chapter as well. It is going to change Naruto's entire outlook towards Kushina, the one who rescued him from darkness again.
Before he was just treating her as a comrade and a casual friend, but now it would change...so there Ncpfan and all other Narkushi fans of this story, I have delivered the first installment in this pairing and there will be a hell of a lot more. Just as NaruMika got its foundation in that valley of hell kiss scene, NaruRang got its foundation in that rescue scene...now NaruKushi also got its foundation.
Oh, so Minato will practically face his parents, Tsunade V/s Hashirama, reunion of Tobirama, Hiruzen and Kagami.
Next chapter: Reunions
Like it? R&R...please.