Yo...

Hm, things are changing, aren't they? And Naruto is an extremely complicated character, probably the most toughest character that I had to write...

He's the picture of strength and power, but as a person he is imperfect. There are so many flaws in him that make people dislike him or not understand him, but his heart is pure and is in the right place.

And that's the only thing that has been keeping him going forward...

I always want my hero of the story to be imperfect, learning from life as it goes and improving themselves. Because that's what humans do, even if this story is in a fictional world, even if these characters are ninjas with super powers...in the end they are people.

And that's all that matters...

Enjoy the chapter...

Chapter 65

God of War

Naruto quickly started to disappear inside his pocket dimension, but was stopped when Mikoto and Tobirama grabbed him by his shoulders making him stop the transportation.

And he was not at all intimidated by the furious gaze in his mother's eyes...

"You won't be doing anything reckless, Naruto" commanded Mikoto,

"Tell us what happened, you're not leaving unless we get answers first" said Tobirama sternly, and Naruto flared his chakra and was just about to make his move when Itachi stepped between the trio.

"Enough blood has been spilled in this war..." shouted Itachi, and Hashirama was quite surprised when Naruto quickly sheathed his sword while just giving his brother a nod.

"Fine, ask what you want quickly. I don't have time..." replied Naruto impatiently,

"Who are you going to kill, and why?" asked Toka patiently,

"My supreme commander arrested my team for treason. He hunted them down like dogs in my absence, and is now conducting a quick trial in order to put them to death. Mother, Baku is going to kill Kushina as well as the previous Mizukage..." explained Naruto furiously,

"Kushina..." said Mikoto in shock, what kind of mess had her friend ended up in now?

"Wait did you say, Baku?" asked Tobirama in surprise,

"Yes, why?" asked Naruto seriously, and glared Tobirama straight in the eye.

"He's got some balls, no one except Madara ever dared to look me like this in the eye. He's definitely my blood..." thought Tobirama proudly,

"Baku was one of my students, the first Anbu of Konoha. He is my loyal soldier..." said Tobirama honestly, as Naruto's glare intensified.

"Well, your fucked up student got two of my best friends killed. Made my entire squad go straight into an ambush getting many of them killed, and now is trying to kill my closest friends and comrades for his personal vendetta and vengeance. And I am going to wipe him out from the face of this world..." said Naruto furiously,

"Is Baku alone in this act?" asked Mikoto worriedly, and the frown on Naruto's face increased her tension.

"No, he has 2 entire companies of Blacklight on his side. 400 loyal soldiers ready to kill or be killed on his command...he has a personal vendetta against me, but the coward won't fight me like a man and is trying to be a pussy. I co-operated with him in this war only to protect Konoha, but now he has crossed the line. Nobody touches my men..." explained Naruto in detail, as Hashirama stepped forward.

"Aren't special forces under the Hokage's command? Can he really arrest your soldiers like this? Is there no way to stop him without bloodshed?" asked Hashirama urgently,

"Blacklight is indeed a force commanded by the Hokage. He can order us any mission, even a suicidal one and we will honor it with our lives. But the internal matters of the force are managed by the supreme commander, his word is the law. It's not a democracy, but a military dictatorship...and Baku can arrest any one of us the moment he gets suspicious. And I bet he has some falsified evidence against my team, and that's all he needs to execute them..." explained Naruto honestly,

"So Baku is the law? Is there no one in the force that can stop him?" asked Toka with a frown on her face, but Naruto shook his head in negative.

"No, there is one body that can stop him. The Authority..." said Naruto

"The what?" asked Itachi in confusion,

"The Authority is a group of war veterans, they deal with matters of conflict among the force if the soldiers register a formal complaint. They are our court and even Baku has to submit to them, sadly their procedure is far too long and time consuming. I was planning to register charges against Baku after the war, but it seems he's trying to cover up loose ends in order to save himself from facing the punishment of his crimes. Right now, they are the only ones who can stop this madness...but I don't know where they are, Kaa-san you want to help me...right?" asked Naruto quickly,

"Anything to save your friends" replied Mikoto quickly,

"Then contact father, as the Hokage he can summon an emergency meeting of the authority and stop this madness. While I'll go and stop that mad man..." said Naruto finally,

"It's insane...you're totally outnumbered" advised Itachi, as his brother just smiled.

"Baku's not the only one who has loyalists on his side. I am the Nidaime Taichou of 1st company, the bravest and strongest company of Blacklight. 120 strong men and women are ready to fight and die under my command in order to protect our comrades. We'll stop him by force if we have to..." said Naruto in a commanding voice,

"You're revolting?" asked Hashirama in shock,

All of them could just stare as Naruto activated a small seal on his left hand as strange mark glowed across his skin...

"I have already revolted, I had a feeling Baku would try something like this. My men are ready and are waiting for me...but I don't want to kill my fellow Blacklight from other companies, yet at the same time I won't let them kill my friends. Do what I say, and maybe you won't have a war..." explained Naruto seriously,

"Naruto, I wouldn't be so confident if I were you. Baku is a strong ninja and his forces outnumber yours. I wouldn't fight him in this situation..." advised Tobirama bluntly, as Naruto just smirked.

"That's why no one will remember your name for eternity..."

Nobody knew what to say to Naruto, he had practically left them speechless. He was just about to walk away when Itachi gently grabbed his hand...

"You can die, Nii-san..." said Itachi worriedly, and pouted a little when Naruto ruffled his hair and bent down a little looking the young boy straight in the eye.

"Itachi, I love you with all my heart. But before I am your brother, I am a commander and the lives of my men are my responsibility. I was the best of my class, the strongest ninja of my group...but I was not a good person before these guys came along and changed me. I am the voice of my comrades the ones alive and the ones that are dead...they're my family just like you. I owe them everything, right down to my very life..." explained Naruto patiently, and it warmed his heart as he saw the worry in his brother's eyes.

"I can't lose you again...what if something happens to you? What if you can't win this?" asked Itachi suspiciously, and he was just mesmerized by the strange glow in Naruto's eyes.

"Brother, I spent my entire life fighting wars and I can only tell you this...there are no victories, there are only battles" said Naruto calmly

"Nii-san..."

"And in the end the best that you can hope for is to find a place where you can make your stand, and if you're very lucky you'll find someone willing to stand beside you till the end. My comrades stood by my side every time, and if this is their spot...then I'll stand with them, no matter what" advised Naruto with a small smile on his face, and gently placed a small kiss on his brother's forehead.

With a small nod to the rest of his family, Naruto quickly turned around and slowly disappeared inside his pocket dimension.

Mikoto just had a small smile on her face, her boy had grown up to become a fine man. And she was a little intrigued when Itachi clenched his fists tightly and quickly started to walk away...

"Where are you going?" asked Mikoto curiously,

"To finish what Nii-san asked us to do...I'm not losing my brother again"

(Miyasato Island)

Raido was keenly observing the Blacklight company standing before him. 120 soldiers ready to fight and die for a man they respected and loved the most. Till tonight, only he and Yamato knew of Naruto's existence as their leader had asked them to spy on Baku.

And the seal that was glowing on his left hand was also given to him by Naruto, and its glowing meant only one thing.

1st company was taking the fight to Baku.

He looked into the eyes of most of his soldiers, and they were anxious for payback. Even few of the rookies were ready for the fight...all of them had been furious when Baku tried to sacrifice their comrades. Thankfully, their leader saved them...

Raido had to hand it to Naruto, his captain was indeed a devious son of a bitch. He had made them be on standby, ready to mobilize within a few minutes in case Baku tried to do something foolish and reckless.

He was surprised when Naruto quickly appeared beside him from some strange vortex...

"It's really him..."

"He's alive..."

"The Nidaime's alive..."

The entire field erupted into cheers as Naruto just gave his soldiers a respectful salute. Even now they were not able to beleive that their leader was alive...

Naruto quickly shook Raido's hand, as the young Blacklight offered him a firm salute.

"Captain, as per your orders, The entire company is ready to fight...just give the word. Baku has taken our comrades prisoner across a small island that is just a few miles across the sea. I can get us there with our aerial birds" said Raido in a devoted manner,

"Good work. Do you have the evidence that can connect Baku to the ambush of Mikasa's squad and the massacre at Shuri Castle?" asked Naruto seriously,

"Yes, I have collected the documents which proves Baku authorized the order, plus I have eye witness statements that can verify our claim. Although we still don't have concrete evidence about his dealings with Danzo Shimura...I'm truly sorry, sir" apologized Raido,

"No need, this evidence is enough to send Baku to the most dangerous jail in Konoha, stripping him of all his titles. He may not get executed, but Kami willing...I'll finish that job tonight" promised Naruto, getting a firm nod from his comrade.

Naruto stepped forward and looked into the eyes of his soldiers with great determination in his eyes...

"Brothers, all my life I have lived by a simple code. And the code is simple: Fight like the gods, protect your comrades, and love your country!"

With great force Naruto pinned Baku's photograph on a nearby table and pointed his finger at it...

"He took everything from us. And now he dares to commit such atrocities again...he's trying to execute our innocent comrades, our brothers who have fought proudly beside us. All of you, have bled for me and done everything I asked...and now I'm going to rescue our comrades, are you with me?" asked Naruto loudly,

The only answer he received from his soldiers was a deep bow as they unsheathed their swords...

"Let's go rescue our brothers..."

(Shinigami Realm)

A giant three headed dog was currently sitting patiently on the floor of the huge palace. Large lanterns illuminated the entire room, as a person could be seen sitting on top of a large chair that was floating high in the air above the dog.

Both the man and the dog were keenly observing a spectral which was portraying a young boy leading a large force of humans...

"You seem to be interested in him...Cerberus" said the man curiously, as the dog just huffed.

"He's an interesting one, my lord. I have not seen someone like him in the history of the human race..." replied Cerberus honestly, as his eyes shifted towards his master.

Contrary to popular beliefs, his master- the god of death was a quite handsome man. He was a tall man with featureless white eyes and horn-like protrusions on his forehead. He also had no eye brows and long light-colored hair with bangs combed to the left, a single chin-length lock which hung from the right side of his face. He wore a light, full-length kimono with a pattern of six black magatama around a high collar and dark pants. He also had his sword in its sheath strapped to his left hip.

"Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity, so they ask themselves...will their actions echo across the centuries? Will strangers hear their names, long after they're gone? Will they remember how bravely we fought, how fiercely we loved?" said the Death God mysteriously,

"I can never understand your riddles..." said Cerberus in displeasure, as his master just chuckled.

"In that riddle lies the story of this boy in whom you're so interested...isn't it true, Han?" asked the death god patiently,

Cereberus's gaze shifted towards a young man in Blacklight uniform, his face was covered a by a fox mask...but the dog could clearly see the man was disappointed with the battle that was going to happen.

"He's grown so much..." said Commander Fox a.k.a Han proudly,

"You should be proud of him..." complimented the death god, as Han bowed in front of him.

"My lord, I am grateful that you gave me this gift of seeing my students...even for a few moments. I never thought the death realm would be so different..." said Han honestly, as the divine entity just smiled.

"In this realm, the wicked are punished for eternity. You however fought with honor and dignity, and you sacrificed your life to save many. Han, you died as a true warrior...and it is the reason your soul is not being tortured. Although, I want to know whose side would you take if you were alive...I'd like to hear your answer" questioned the Death God, as a conflicted look came on Han's face.

"If I were alive, then I would have tried to stop this conflict. My father has wronged my men, and deserves punishment...but-" said Han sadly,

"We understand...in the end, you're still Baku's son. It's fascinating how humans are so different, you are so different from your father even when you are his own blood" said the Death God seriously,

"It's what humanity is famous for...each one of us is different from the other, although I never thought Naruto would bring so much change in the world. I knew from the beginning the boy was different, but I don't know what he is in reality..." explained Han in confusion,

"What is he, my lord?" asked Cerberus curiously,

"Besides being Indra's reincarnation, Naruto is something else too. It is that reason that he has never lost any battle, nor has any human whether dead or alive be able to stand against him. Armies fell before him, soldiers are willing to follow him to the gates of hell itself...and it's all due to that one reason..." said the death god seriously, as Cerberus understood the meaning behind those words

"You mean..." said Cerberus in surprise, getting a firm nod from his master.

"He's the 'God of War'. That boy was born to end lives, the amount of anarchy he'll create will shock the entire human world, every old relic shall be destroyed by him and a new era may get established by him" explained the Death God honestly, and he was not at all surprised on seeing the shell shocked looked on Han's face...while Cerberus got a large grin on his face.

"Naruto..." said Cerberus excitedly, as Han stepped beneath the death god.

"What do you mean by may be? If he's the god of war...then what can stop him?" asked Han hesitantly, and the grim look that appeared on the entity's face increased his worries.

"Naruto carries my mark- the mark of the moon. If he abandons his dream, he will find peace. He'll meet 3 wonderful women with whom he shall have a good family, they'll bear his children and all of them will love him and remember him when he's gone. But when his children are dead, and their children after them...then his name will be lost and the world will be drawn towards a different destiny...

...but if he follows his path as the God of War, glory will be his. Humans will write stories about his victories for thousands of years, the world will be changed and he will be remembered as the one who changed it. But if he does that, then he'll never come home because his glory walks hand in hand with his doom" announced the Death god truthfully, as his eyes shifted towards the same moon mark that was on his left hand...the same mark that Naruto was carrying on the back of his cloak.

"Heh, it'll be fun while it lasts..." said Cerberus excitedly,

"He'll make his own destiny. Maybe you're right, Naruto maybe the God of War...but I know him, he's my student and if there is one thing I know about him...he always defies destiny and makes his own future. I am not going to give up on his fate due to your destiny, my lord. Forgive me..." replied Han fiercely and honestly, making the death god smile.

"You're an interesting one...Han" commented the Death god jokingly, as Cerberus just grunted.

"Humans"

(Blacklight Central Command)

A animalistic snarl escaped from Kushina's lips as she struggled to free herself from the chains that were binding her, not to mention the several restraining seals placed on her entire body. The only thing she could do was glare at the stoic 2 Blacklight platoons that were standing in front of her team...ready to take them out at any moment with their deadly kunai launchers.

"Calm down, Kushina" advised Mikasa seriously,

"I'm going to teach them a lesson when I get free...dattabane!" shouted Kushina furiously, as Rangiku looked at her with a bemused smile on her face.

"That's what Baku wants to execute us, if we attack him or his men...he gets his right to kill us" explained Rangiku seriously,

"It's not as if he can't kill us now..." chided Kushina bitterly, as Izumo shook his head in negative.

"Despite being a military unit, Blacklight has a code of conduct. Even the supreme commander cannot execute suspects from his army without a proper trial in front of the authority. And Baku won't kill us, we're the only leverage he has against Naruto. If he executes us, Naruto will hunt him down till the end of the world and kill him. And it won't be good for Baku's ambitions..." said Izumo honestly, but he was intrigued by the suspicious look on Mikasa's face.

"What is it, Captain?" asked Genma urgently, as the look on Mikasa's face was making him more tense...

"This is a trap, I should have known it. Baku wants Naruto to attack, by doing this Naruto will break several Blacklight laws giving Baku the authority to execute him. And if he comes alone, then I doubt he would be able to escape unharmed...even if Naruto survives, the authority would execute him. He already has a pending case against him for leaving his post during a crucial point of war..." said Mikasa worriedly,

''But he was captured by the enemy...Kushina can attest for that" argued Rangiku in protest, this was unfair...

"No, the authority knows what Naruto is capable of. With his teleportation, he could have easily returned back if he wanted...and Kushina's testimony has no value, as she too has a pending case of treason for abandoning Konoha for all these years. This situation is not in our favor..." said Mikasa honestly, as Kushina just smiled.

"Only if you knew, Naruto is not so helpless and all of this is a part of his plan. He has more dirt on Baku, than the man has on him...and he is not coming here to negotiate, Naruto wants to kill the man. The pain of losing Kotetsu and Armin due to Baku's vendetta is still alive in Naruto's heart...and this is where he plans to end it" thought Kushina sadly, she really hoped that by the end of all this madness, Naruto could get some closure.

Baku was a living example and reason as to why Naruto lost his best friends, and it was hurting him every day. Looking into the eyes of the Blacklight squad, made Kushina understand that Baku had put them through a lot of pain for his selfish goals...

And now it was time for vengeance, and nobody took it better than Naruto...

Anko and Hana narrowed their eyes, when an alarmed look appeared on Yagua's face as he and Kushina shared a knowing look.

"He's here..." announced Yagura

"...and he's not alone" stated Kushina in surprise,

"ENEMY FORCES CLOSING IN. IT'S THE 1ST COMPANY!" yelled one of the Blacklight,

And at that moment Mikasa as well as every Blacklight realized what Naruto's true plan was bringing devious smiles on their faces.

(Outside the Perimeter)

Baku calmly stood on the top of his castle, his eyes were currently fixed on the several birds that were approaching towards him from the sky. A small bitter smile came on his face when he saw the entire 1st company behind his enemy, ready to unleash hell on Naruto's command.

"Commander, what's the order?" asked Lizard, the captain of 2nd Blacklight company.

"Kill them all. I want no survivors..." ordered Baku without hesitation, as his second in command quickly disappeared.

But the veteran warrior was surprised when almost 60% of Naruto's forces broke formation and started drifting away in different directions. While Naruto was heading towards him with just 40-50 soldiers behind him.

"The man wants to die...does he plan to take on 400 Blacklight with such a small platoon?" questioned Baku to himself,

But after a moment, he chuckled loudly as he realized just what his enemy was up to...

"So, you're after the same thing..." said Baku eagerly,

(With Naruto)

The young commander keenly observed his men surrounding the island from all sides. Baku was not going to escape from this island, he had devised his entire strategy with the intent of taking the man down. Unless, the authority got here in time to deliver justice...he shall pass his own verdict on the man, regardless of the consequences he would have to face afterwards.

He owed this much to his fallen brothers Armin and Kotetsu...

He also saw hundreds of Blacklight forces rushing towards them from the ground. These men may be on Baku's side, but they were still his comrades...and he was not here to kill them, although he had no choice in this.

It was these men or his team...

The boy felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him as he placed the infamous "Phoenix" mask back on his face, and turned towards his 50 most best soldiers that were standing behind him...

Every one of them was holding a wooden shield and a tanto in their hands, he too had his sword in one hand while a wooden shield in another. While a large pointed spear was resting on his back.

"Blacklight, my brothers of the sword!" yelled Naruto passionately,

The men felt a wave of adrenaline rush through their bodies when they saw the enthusiasm in their leader's eye, igniting their desire to win the battle before them...

"I rather fight beside you, than any army of thousands. Let's show our fellow brothers how MENACING we are!" stated Naruto proudly, increasing the confidence of his soldiers as their KI flared in the entire area.

"YEAHHHHHHH!"

Naruto tightly gripped his sword and slowly walked towards the edge of the bird, while still looking in the eyes of his men...

"We are LIONS!" announced Naruto,

BANG

The Blacklight platoon proudly banged their tanto on their shields enthusiastically, as Naruto pointed his sword towards the enemy forces...

"You know, what's waiting for us across this field...

...VENGEANCE, TAKE IT...IT'S YOURS!" shouted Naruto passionately, as his soldiers raised their weapons high in the air while erupting in battle roars.

"Fuck yeah!"

"Let's do this!"

Baku's forces quickly aimed their kunai launchers as the entire platoon of 1st company jumped from their birds and were now descending towards them from the sky...

And leading the charge was the greatest commander Blacklight had ever seen...

The God of War...

Author's Notes: End of chapter.

And yet again, another cliffhanger...wow, this is the 4th cliffhanger in a row.

Like I said, this chapter revealed a lot of things. The prophecy which the Toad Sage made to Jiraiya in chapter 7 is finally connected in this chapter. Everything that the frog said turned out to be true,

The Toad Sage had said a boy with powerful eyes and great power will change the world. Point one check...

He had said the boy would have a lot of darkness in him. Check

The Boy would be asked to make a choice that would determine the fate of the world. Check (Kushina's intervention before Naruto's suicide run on Madara, and her question through which Naruto made his choice)

The Big event that would drive the boy to darkness, happened in the form of Armin's death...which will change the ninja world forever. Check

So, it proves that every little thing no matter how far back it was written has a reason behind it, and is somehow connected to the future plot.

I also explained why Naruto is such a fearless, inspiring leader. People are willing to die for him on a single command, and that type of loyalty is hard to obtain...but this chapter explained who Naruto is besides Indra's reincarnation, and why he has been victorious in wars and battles.

We also saw what happened with Commander Fox, and I hope people are happy that he is not being tortured in hell. Despite being Baku's son, Han is a man of honor who deserves some respect...after all, he was the one who trained and made Naruto a ninja and true commander. Hell, the man even gave his life to save Naruto's life...

A new important, interesting character has also been introduced. And yes, Cerberus- the guardian dog of hell is still a part of the story who finds Naruto curious, and for right reasons.

The command structure of Blacklight has also been explained, and why Naruto didn't register a complaint?

He was in a fucking war, trying to save the lives of his men every day. And there was just no time...though I wonder what will happen now.

For those of you saying no romance and all, No offense...but this is my story and I know what to do.

Next chapter: Blacklight V/S Blacklight

Don't forget to drop your awesome reviews, this chapter must have made the adrenaline flow a little in your bodies...

See you next chapter,

Blackwolf501