Author's note – Kishimoto Masashi owns Naruto while Guyver is written by Yoshiki Takaya.
I make no claim to either, I am merely playing in their sandboxes.
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Chapter Sixty-Nine
Deployments
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Itachi looked at the map on the wall, then turned to face the two picture-frames hanging on the wall opposite.
"The northernost portions of the Land of Fire have been over-run." He said with the sort of calm that only those in the face of inevitable disaster can achieve. "The Zetsu Army is almost unstoppable, our forces have only limited information on their capabilities, but they appear to have a variant of Mokuton."
"That is worrying news." Danzo said from his war room in Uzushiogakure, his image and voice carrying through the fuuinjutsu-linked canvases. "We are still countering the Sound Forces that are trying to besiege us, but they are staying out of range of most of our weapons."
"I can send an Uzumaki to help if needed." Itachi said. "Ino can deploy at any time."
"My forces are almost finished with their deployments." Terumi Mei said through her picture. "In two days time, we can launch an attack on the Sound ships and sweep them from the seas."
"We can confirm that the Land of Rivers has fallen as well." Itachi added. "Currently, three dozen of their shinobi have joined our ranks on a temporary basis, they shall leave once River has been liberated in order to rebuild their village."
"The rebuilding of a fallen village is quite a challenge." Danzo noted. "Perhaps we could set up a supply relay through the Land of Fire and the Land of Waves in order to provide them with the resources they will need."
"It would bind them closer to the Alliance." Mei agreed.
"We need to win the war before we can plan on how to win the peace." Itachi said, giving the map another long look. "And right now, winning the war looks far more difficult than I would like."
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Shapes formed on the fingertips of the giant statue, but amongst the chakra silhouettes with visible eyes were three blue-glowing figures looking like lantern-light highlights of the armoured beings they were cast by.
"Interesting effect." Orochimaru noted.
"Our three newest members are using Gelel energy rather than Chakra." Pein said, then he turned to the trio. "You have my deepest condolences. Haido led us here, the Gelel Vein, but in the moment of discovery, we were attacked by Konoha Shinobi. Madara is recovering from his injuries, as are my Paths, but our lives would have been lost had it not been for the bravery of Temujin. I have never seen anyone fight like he did to avenge Haido, he alone slew over half the enemy before his injuries proved too much."
"Master Haido is dead?" Ranke gasped.
"Slain by the one called Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's White Fang." Pein lied smoothly. "He was the first to fall, he died to Kakashi's Chidori before we even knew we were under attack."
"And his body?" Kamira asked quietly.
"We have applied preservative seals, that his body will not decay." Pein stated. "We shall bring him to you, that you may give him the honorable funeral that he deserves in the tradition of your people."
"…thank you." Ranke whispered, then her image looked around. "Is this…?"
"The Gelel Vein." Pein confirmed. "Power to bring peace, power to fulfill Haido's dream."
"Peace, Haido's dream." The three Knights chorused, their heads bowed in sorrow.
"May Haido and Temujin watch over us from their next lives." Pein added.
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Temujin gazed in awe at the giant bridge that lanced outwards from the shoreline into the mists. Scrambling up the bank, he stepped onto the roadway and stared in amazement at the perfectly-straight lines of the bridge and the thick paving that provided a smooth roadway.
His face set with determination, Teujin strode forwards, stepping onto the bridge without hesitation.
Anyone who could build a bridge like that would undoubtedly be strong enough to aid him in avenging his master.
Pein and Madara would rue the day of their betrayal.
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Madara stepped back and let the lightning crackling around his hand dissipate. Glancing at his handiwork with a nod of approval, he held up the glowing stone that he had pried out of Haido's chest before obliterating all evidence that he had done so with a technique that he had created, one based on the descriptions of the most famous technique used by Kakashi.
"Is it done?" Deva Pein asked and Madara gave a curt nod.
"It is. When they examine his body, they will draw the conclusion that we want and their loyalty to us will be unshakable."
Pein turned and looked through the rift in the ground to where the Statue was stood in the cave, its very presence being enough to cause the Gelel Vein to slowly shatter into motes which flowed into the statue's mouth.
"At the current rate, the Vein will be absorbed in a week." Madara supplied in answer to Pein's unasked question. "Although the power of a Biju would aid in reviving it, there might be enough power to achieve our ends regardless."
Both men gave triumphant smirks at each other.
"I also had a report from one of the Zetsu." Madara added. "It would seem that another army is yet to be claimed… An army once commanded by the now-destroyed demon Moryo…"
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Onoki smirked at the sniveling man that his shinobi had dragged in front of him.
"So, Wind Daimyo." He said, stroking his mustache. "We meet at last."
The Daimyo whimpered and Onoki's gaze rose to the shattered towers of what had been the Land of Wind's new Hidden Village, now just a bunch of ruins that stretched no higher than three storeys.
"If you hadn't cut the funding for Suna, if you hadn't driven them away from your service, then you wouldn't be here now." Onoki gloated.
"Please! I'll do anything you want!"
"Oh, I don't believe you." Onoki said with mock regret. "No, you have proven that you cannot stand us ninja, that you prefer to use those damned Samurai as they don't need paying nearly as much… no, from now on, the Land of Wind is no more and the Land of Earth now reaches all the way to the southern coast."
"But… but…" the Daimyo tried to protest and Onoki scowled at him even as a sparkling cube formed between his hands, a cube with a small sphere of light in the exact center.
"There is only one thing left for you to do." Onoki stated. "Die."
The Daimyo had just enough time to flinch, then the cube that Onoki hurled at him expanded to surround him before the sphere inside it exploded, filling the cube with a blinding radience which vanished to show that the cube was no longer occupied.
As the now-empty sparkling cube vanished, Onoki groaned and rubbed at the small of his back.
"Owwwww." He grumbled. "Dealing with scum like that causes my old wounds to play up."
"What now, Tsuchikage-Dono?" One of his flankers asked and Onoki gave a slight shrug.
"We head back to Iwa and inform our Daimyo that his kingdom has doubled in size." He replied. "let's g…ow! My back!"
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The hissing noise of the air seemed to increase as Naruto and Hoki descended towards their destination.
#I wouldn't have believed that the world really is rounded if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes… erm, lenses.# Hoki sent, amazement evident in his projected thought.
#Certainly changes how you look at things.# Naruto replied. #I mean, there are no borders when you get high enough, it simply… is.#
#I know what you mean.# Hoki agreed. #So, do we drop in on the capital and look around for this old man who was your father's friend?#
#We land outside the city and approach slowly.# Naruto corrected, angling his descent as he did so. Hoki followed in almost-perfect formation and the duo settled onto the ground in front of the main city gate as lightly as a feather coming to rest.
"What now?" Hoki asked and Naruto glanced at him.
"We wait." He said, seating himself on the ground cross-legged and placing his hands, palm-up, on his knees. Hoki stared at him, then slowly followed suit, sitting slightly behind him.
"Why?"
"To show that we have no hostile intentions." Naruto replied. "Samurai are very different from us ninja. They believe in honor and truth, openness and respect. By sitting like this, in a pose that makes it hard to fight, we are making it clear that we do not wish conflict and are not here to make any demands on them."
Hoki silently considered Naruto's words for a while, then the gates opened and Naruto rose to his feet, Hoki following a moment later. Both ninja remained still as two lines of samurai filed out and took positions around them, then two new figures stepped through the gate.
"Mifune!" Naruto whispered.
"You're what?"
"Mifune. General Mifune, leader of the Samurai forces of the Land of Iron and a friend of my father." Naruto explained. "Stand back and stay quiet, I shall talk to him alone."
"Okay." Hoki agreed, glancing meaningfully at the two-dozen Samurai stood almost motionless in a semicircle around them. Naruto stepped forwards and mid-pace, dismissed his armor, coming to a stop halfway between his original position and Mifune. Mifune said something to the samurai that he was with, then pulled out a coil of string. Unhooking his katana, he ceremonially bound the hilt to the scabbard with a peace knot, then he replaced the sword on his belt and strode forwards, stopping five paces away from Naruto. Before he could speak, Naruto bowed deeply.
"I thank you for honoring me with your presence, General Mifune, and I apologize for not sending word of my arrival ahead of time. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, the son of Namikaze Minato."
"I am honored to finally meet the son of my friend," Mifune replied with a shallower bow, "And I welcome you to Shisu Ken no Shuto. Please allow me to offer you the hospitality of my humble home."
"I accept with gratitude." Naruto said with another bow.
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"So, if I may inquire as to the mission that sent you to my humble abode?" Mifune asked and Hoki barely managed not to goggle at him or give a meaningful glance around the large hall that they were sat in, a hall in the center of a giant castle.
"My homeland is at war, a war we neither sought nor desired." Naruto replied after lowering his cup. "We are surrounded and attacked by forces led by the traitor Orochimaru and the organisation known as the Akatsuki. Iwagakure has joined their ranks and they have already destroyed the shinobi villages located in the lands of Grass, Waterfall, Rivers and Frost.
"Iwa itself has come close to intruding on our borders." Mifune noted. "The Land of Wind has fallen to their forces."
"I… was not aware of that." Naruto admitted.
"If the Land of Rivers has indeed fallen, then it is no surprise that the news would be hard-pressed to reach your land." Mifune agreed. "We ourselves have accepted new arrivals from what was once Sunagakure, I myself have taken three into my own house and they are even now being trained in the way of Bushido. Perhaps by learning both the way of the Ninja and the way of the Samurai, the ancient path of Ninshu may be re-discovered."
Mifune made a hand-motion and one of the Samurai standing in the corners of the hall bowed before vanishing through a doorway, a new Samurai entering to replace him barely an instant later.
"That is a very interesting concept," Naruto stated, "And one in which I wish you the greatest of success."
"Thank you." Mifune smiled. "Although the three orphans have only been here for a while, they have already begun to assimilate the philosophies that we use, of courage, honor and of defining oneself by ones actions. The youngest of the three, in particular, has adapted very well indeed. Ah, here they are."
Naruto half-turned to see three teenagers enter, each clad in a padded Gi that was cut to resemble formal armor. His eyes widened and only his self-control prevented him from leaping to his feet in shock.
"Who are they?" Hoki whispered.
"The Sand Siblings…" Naruto replied just as quietly. "Temari, Kankuro and the red-head is Gaara, the former Jinchuuriki of the Ichibi…"
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Authors Afternote – Dun dun duuuun!
Gaara's back!