Sorry for the long wait, a nasty flu bug has been going around the local area here and first a coworker got sick so I had to cover his shift, then family members got sick so I helped them before finally I got it. I hope you understand why it took longer than normal.
Chapter 51 Confrontations
It was likely the last warm day in the land of fish, the summer had been abnormally hot and even in September it was in the low 80's but a cold front was coming in and it was supposed to drop almost twenty degrees in the next four days. Lying outside getting a tan by a massive casino pool where she currently worked as a personal doctor was the former Hokage of the Hidden Leaf village Tsunade. The sun was beating down on her as she lied out in the sun getting a tan in a green bikini with golden accents, men half her age where looking at her as she read a book by sunlight. It had been over a year since she had last seen the land of fire, the home she would have died for. The only people that she had seen from her days at the leaf where the spies which the council had sent to keep an eye on her incase she lead the way to the demons.
She was about to take a drink from the cocktail by the table by her wooden lounge chair when a figure crossed across her sunlight and sat down beside her.
"You know Lady Tsunade Orochimaru was right you are very beautiful but too old for my taste." came a voice as a thin rather pale man in a black swimsuit lied down beside her, placing his drink beside hers. Her eyes narrowed as she looked into the dark eyes of Kabuto Yakushi. She could just see his eye through his darkened sunglasses. "But I thought as a medical ninja you would know that getting a tan puts you at a greater risk for skin cancer."
"What does a snake like you want with me Kabuto?" cursed Tsunade "And why are you even here in the first place."
"Well there is a banking conference here starting today." Explained Kabuto before he grinned "Remember I am a banker now."
"Still a snake." replied Tsunade earning a slight laugh from Kabuto
"True and I guess since I started taking law classes to help with contracts makes me a lawyer too." stated Kabuto "That must make me a bigger snake."
"That is does." explained Tsunade as she sat up wrapping a towel around her waist as she prepared to leave.
"I know where your family is." Stated Kabuto as Tsunade stopped misstep "I have found Naruto, Sakura and all the people you considering your family."
"What?" asked Tsunade in nothing more than a whisper.
"I have found, them in fact they bought the land of Granite from my pattern." explained Kabuto as he took a drink. "A little too sour for my taste, I'll have to get something different next time."
"The land of Granite?" asked Tsunade as she remembered where that country was "How could they have gotten down there?"
"I don't know and I don't care." explained Kabuto with a grin as Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
"Your lying to me trying to drive me crazy, I should have known." Said Tsunade
"No, actually I am not lying about that but I am driving you crazy all the same." laughed Kabuto as Tsunade began to understand his game. If she went down south to the land of Granite the Leaf spies would follow her and bring war down on her family but if she didn't go down it would nag at her constantly. It was mental torture something Kabuto was good at, she could slip the Leaf tail but she was known across the world and word would leak where she went to.
"Now if you excuse me, I see some lovely ladies over there." Said Kabuto as he stood up and headed toward the nearby poolside bar where three beautiful women were laughing over drinks.
"God damn you." cursed Tsunade as she sat back down and took a long drink from her cocktail downing the remaining of it in one go. "I need something stronger."
While Tsunade was about to order herself a stronger drink Ino Yamanaka was mentally begging for one of her own as she stood across from one of the major aids for the mayor of Nadeji. The young woman was maybe seven to ten years older than her and was slightly taller. She had reddish brown straight hair which ran down her back, a jewel encrusted silver hairnet rested above her green eyes.
"Now do you understand what is going to happen?" asked Ino as the woman straighten her silver and white kimono dress.
"Yes, Lady Daimyo you are going to take over my mind and use my body almost like a puppet." Confirmed the aid with a slight note of fear "I will see and hear everything but you will be in control."
"Yes, do not fight the mind link because it can be broken," explained Ino as she sat down crossed legged on the floor preparing for the masquerade that was going to go on in the adjoining room. "If it does get broken…"
"I'll claim play along and excuse myself for a meeting." confirmed the aid as she took a deep breath. "I am ready Lady Daimyo."
"Alright." said Ino as she closed her eyes and ran through hand signs before extending her hands out fingers together to from a triangle. When she opened her eyes again it was not her eyes she was looking through but the green eyes as the aid, before her was her body kneeling on the floor. She turned toward the mirror on the far wall and thanked God that the silted eyes which marked her as a demon where gone.
"Here we go." said Ino in the voice of the aid as she followed two masked guards up a flight of stairs and across the government building toward a meeting room where a man she considered her second father waited. She took a deep breath as she entered the room; the room was dominated by a long conference table with windows looking out over the city. When Ino entered the room Shikaku Nara stood up and bowed his head slightly in a sign of respected to the Daimyo.
"Lady Daimyo, I thank you for fitting me into your schedule." greeted Shikaku Nara as Ino nodded her head before sitting down across from him.
"No real problem, sir but I have to ask why are you and your ninjas in my village?" inquired Ino as Shikaku looked at her. "It isn't often that ninjas of your caliber journey all the way down here."
"Well your nation has raised some questions in our books, first a poor nation suddenly finds itself in a massive building spree and forming trade deals with multiple nations," explained Shikaku. "Also the fact that you are one of only a handful of nations not to sign onto the agreement to hunt down and return the rogue demons back to camps in their home nations."
Ino was ready for this question but she had to act like she hadn't planned for it.
"If I remember correctly I have to sign the agreement in view of two other Kages and no chance for that has happened." Explained Ino "I admit that has not been high on my list of stuff to get done, as you yourself noted we are in a huge building program going on."
"Yes, I have a few questions about that. All those buildings with smoke rising up from them, you are making something in those buildings." Stated Shikaku as Ino realized that she was going toe to toe in a mental game with the semi-retired head of the Leaf military intelligent core, she thank God for her training with Ibiki Morino. She knew how to read a human body and she was using those skills now.
"Alright you got me, we have uncovered more than just Gold. We have found a large supply of Iron and copper on the island and we are mining them out at the moment," explained Ino in a somewhat lie, now to feed him a small bit of truth that would give support to the lie. "We found the deposits in a small valley located in the mountains. We are currently cutting a road through the mountains for trains."
"And why would you need a bridge as large as that?" asked Shikaku
"The waters in the straights are harsh and more so in winter, a bridge will make it easier to transport the raw material and finished items over to the mainland." Explained Ino "It may coast more in the short run but it is better than having a ship or two full of gold go down in the straights."
"Understandable." stated Shikaku understanding the logic of that. "And the building going on in the Black Snake Pass and at my team has seen a lot of building going on Black Spear Point out by your harbor."
"We are building new rail lines toward the Land of Bronze to increase shipment of Iron ore to the factories there and we are going to store a large amount of their chemical waste inside one of our old open pit mines. We are going to put a roof over it and store it there." explained Ino "As for the new light house going up at Black Spear Point, which is long overdue."
"Along with what is going on under the light house." laughed Lydia inside Ino's mind, she knew everything which was being built out at the jut of land shooting out.
"I see and why do you have armed ninjas on your rooftop and you have groups of civilians practicing at archery butts every day?" asked Shikaku "Seams like something out of the normal for a peaceful village."
"Well no other nation around here uses ninjas but they all have armies and an archer on a wall can take out a lot of men easily." defended Ino as she felt a slight headache building in her temples she was starting to lose total mental control over this body.
"I should have practiced more." Thought Ino knowing that she hadn't used any of her ninja Justus in a while and like a blade that never gets sharpened her skills where rusty, she had to end this fast.
"As for the ninjas they are hired group from the North." explained Ino as she looked down at her watch she needed to end this soon. "I am afraid I have to wrap this up, the work of a Daimyo is never done."
"I totally understand but we need to talk about these hired ninjas." stated Shikaku "If you have missing ninjas in your employment, we have a problem. I will need access to your records and…."
"I don't have time to deal with this, I have entertained your questions and shared information that as I daimyo I didn't have to share." Snapped Ino as she felt her mental control breaking as she stood up "If I walked into your Hokage's office and demanded to see your ninjas files I would be kicked out of the village that same day. Do I have missing ninjas working for me, yes same as every Daimyo."
Shikaku said nothing but his eyes where less damning now, they told her that he believed her. Ino wasn't done talking she now realized she had been play the role of the pissed off Daimyo who was tired of being looked down upon because she ruled a small weak nation.
"Now, I am kinder then what I should be so you have one day to get your travel arrangements together if you and your team are not gone by then we will force you to leave." Ordered Ino in her Daimyo voice as she stormed out of the room leaving Shikaku alone in the room, she had only gone about half way down the hallway before breaking the mind control justu returning to her body.
"God, I hope he bought it," thought Ino as she rubbed her temples while cursing the fact that she could not hold the mind control longer. "I used to be able to hold a person for hours; I am as rusty as I was when I was a genin."
It had been a long couple of days as Naruto Namikaze waited on horseback outside of the city he had conquered only days earlier. Over the past few days they had accepted the surrender of the finished older castle, the surrender was not unexpected considering it was held mostly by the local city defenders. They had surrender within two hours of hearing the terms for surrender which was highly generous for a conquering army. They simply had to hand over their weapons and swear not to engage in any rebellion against whoever comes to power. The only real punishment was that all fighters had to have their name written down and if they take up arms again they would be executed instead of become a POW. If only the samurai controlled castle had taken the same offer however instead they launched a foolish ill-timed counter attack.
Flashback
The sound of a war horn caused Naruto to spill his bowel of cereal as he rushed to stand up. Ignoring the stain on his shirt and pants he rushed out of the watch tower that he had taken as his command center.
"What is the situation?" inquired Naruto to a the nearest ninja
"Sir, look." answered the female ninja as Naruto looked out into the large open field which separated the walls from the castle. Marching toward the outer gate which would lead them straight into the waiting axes of the Green Dragon forces encamped just outside the wall.
"I can see that." Noted Naruto as he studied the enemy formation, it was strange instead of a powerful line of soldiers marching in formation with spears and swords in front and archers in the back they where marching at different speeds so their line was already broken. With their line broken it would be easy to destroy the units one at a time.
"What are they up to?" asked Naruto out load as the call of arrows came from the commander of the nearby gate. Within moments the arrows where airborne and falling on the samurai, the samurai raised shields up to protect themselves from the arrows however there where gaps in the shield wall and arrows got through.
"This isn't right." thought Naruto
"I agree." answered the Kyuubi as a rush of archers and ninjas bolted past him toward the gate under attack.
"Wait a second." Thought Naruto as some words Jiriaya had told him long ago when they were on their training mission
"In large battles if someone is giving you a huge opening then they are setting you up for something…or they are just idiots." Came the old Toad Sage's voice insider his mind as Naruto turned his gaze away from the samurai attack force to the other gate. That is when he saw them, the bulk of the 20,000 samurai force was moving out of the castle heading toward the inner gate, which leads into the city itself. With archers and ninjas running, the other way the force guarding that gate was weakened.
"Enemies heading toward the inner gate!" yelled Naruto into his radio "Attack on outer gate a faint main force heading toward Inner gate we can't let them get into the city."
All around him the archers and ninjas who heard his radio transmission stopped in their tracks and turned toward the inner gate. A cry went out from there as the word was spread and the ninjas and archers ran to engage the real enemy force. Some of the better archers where even firing as they ran down the walls.
End Flashback
In the end the samurai had been forced back by the archers raining down arrows on them and with a lot of help from ninjas throwing in kunai with paper bombs attached to them. The samurai hadn't launched another attack since and if Temari's estimates where right they should almost be out of food, feeding 20,000 fighting men plus any builders and servants who happened to be in the castle when the city was taken would require a massive amount of food.
Naruto rubbed his temples as he looked up at the massive dust cloud in the distance, they had spotted it at sunrise and it was only getting bigger as the men making it came closer.
"They should be here any moment." expressed Temari sensing that Naruto was growing board sitting on top of the horse. Waiting around was never his strong suit and he didn't sit comfortable in the saddle. Almost as soon as she said it a group of horses turned a bank in the road and came into view, above them flew the standards of dozens of different Lords of the land of animals but above them all flew the Golden Phoenix.
Naruto waited as the riders came closer before coming to a stop a few yards away from him, at once a figure he knew all too well came forward on a black stallion.
"Well I hope you have taken the city by now Dead last?" asked Sasuke in a mocking voice as Naruto rolled his eyes.
"Yes, only the samurai castle remains in samurai hands." explained Temari "However we have received a message from a turn cloak within the Castle."
"Really?" asked Sasuke with a slight note of surprise.
"Yes, turns out a lot of the soldiers aren't true samurai just local civilians they forced into the military to rebuild the division they lost." explained Temari "And those men don't want to be there, if what he said is true then almost half of them want to surrender now."
"Really that is good news for us." stated Drake with a smile
"It is until you hear the second part." explained Temari as Drake's eyes narrowed a bit "They don't want to risk being killed by turning before the commanders are dead."
"So all we have to do is kill the leadership, shouldn't be a problem." stated Sasuke
"Until you understand that the samurai have sealed themselves up inside the Castle and we have no information about the interior of the castle." Explained Naruto "And I am not sending anyone in there without any information about what they could face. This is a mission I have to do myself."
"And why haven't you?" inquired Sasuke
"Because they will not let me go in there without backup." explained Naruto before looking at Sasuke "And now you are here we can end this once for and for all."
"Excellent, when do you want to leave?" asked Sasuke as his hand moved to the hilt of his sword.
"Once Hinata and the other armies arrive, so that she can scout the layout of the castle and Shino can send in his bugs for so that we can find out that if they are telling the truth or not." Explained Naruto
"And how long will that be?" inquired Drake
"Last radio contact reported that the lead part of the combined Black and White Ravens where five or six hours out from the capital." Explained Naruto as Drake smiled. "We will go in after dark tomorrow."
"Very well, it will give my forces time to rest once they all arrive." Explained Drake
"Where is Konohamaru?" inquired Naruto as Sasuke lowered his head ever so slightly, the slight down look was enough to sink Naruto's heart.
"Is he dead?" asked Naruto softly fearing the answer as Sakura who had been sitting on her own horse watching and listening the whole thing felt a jolt of pain herself.
"As of this morning no, but he is weak and doesn't have one of his arms." Explained Sasuke "Karin is doing what she can but she was a medical researcher who normally looked into how to kill people better not how to make them live."
"Where is he?" asked Sakura with such authority at even a Kage would have obeyed at once.
"In the rear with the other wounded." Explained Sasuke as Sakura spun her horse around and headed down the road where the army was coming down from, her longer pink hair flapping in the wind as the horse went into a gallop.
"What happened?" inquired Temari "How did Konohamaru get injured he had Aldhard armor?"
"It wasn't my fault if that is what you are asking the leather strap holding the chainmail to the arm guards broke and a thrown sword cut his arm almost in half." explained Sasuke
"We have gotten multiple reports of that happening her as well," confirmed Temari
"If the sword only took half his arm then how did he lose his arm?" asked Naruto
"That was my fault, we had no way to stop the blood lost with his artiers cut so I cut the whole arm from shoulder to arm pit and burned the stump into nothingness sealing it off." explained Sasuke "Better to lose and arm then to end up seeing the grim reaper."
"Did we lose anyone else?" inquired Naruto trying not to focus on the fact that Konohamaru could be dyeing as he spoke.
"A few minor injuries the trap worked perfectly, most of the enemy where roasted alive. Biggest problem was people throwing up from the smell." reported Sasuke as the two of them walked through the gates of the city.
"Get some rest Sasuke once we have scouted the castle we will launch our assault." ordered Naruto as Sasuke nodded his head.
Night was falling over the Land of Animals as the Samurai Shogun Snorri as he stood on the balcony of the half-finished castle, below him packed tightly against the walls was his 20,000 strong army. However the army was trapped, the tall ways that he had built to protect the castle was now occupied by enemy archers and outside the walls the Green Sea Dragon forces and now the Golden Phoenixes where encamped outside.
"Sir what are your orders?" inquired an aid
"Any word from our other divisions?" asked the Shogun
"No sir, last reports are days old and it simply said that the 1st was gone and the 3rd was surrounded." Reported the aid already knowing the next question, the Shogun was a skilled general and the best warrior in the army but they were trapped and everyone with a half brain knew it. He was trying to find a way out and had latched onto the miracle arrival of a relief army that could crush the attackers against the walls.
"Have we figured out who we are facing on the walls?" asked Snorri as the aid shock his head.
"No sir, all we know is that their arrows are piercing our armor and that some of them are ninjas." Reported the aid as suddenly the Shogun reached for a folding telescope that sat on a small table. "Sir do you see something?"
"Horses coming down the coastal road." reported the Shogun with hope in his voice until he saw the black and white banners, which flew from the lead forces. One was a white Raven on a black field and the other was a Black Raven on a white field. "The Black and White Raven's have arrived and it appears they have brought all their strength."
"Sir, maybe it is time to talk about surrendering?" asked the aid
"Never…at sunrise we will charge the outer gate and punch our way through it." ordered the Shogun "Then we will hit the Golden Phoenixes in their camp."
The aid eyes widened as he looked at the distance they would have to travel and the number of archers and other enemies on the high walls around the gatehouse.
"Sir that is a suicide mission." stated the aid "No one will survive an attack like that."
"And we shall all die in glory." stated the Shogun as he moved toward where a large bottle of whisky sat waiting for him.
"Very well." confirmed the aid as he lowered his head and walked from the room with a sad smile on his face knowing that honor demanded that he follow his leader into certain death, he had to share the news and prepare for battle.
Outside the walls of the capital city under the fading light of the sun Hinata sat on her pure snow white mare. Beside her rode the vanguard of the white and black raven combined army and slightly unsteady on their own horses was Shino and Moegi.
"I can't wait to get off this thing." stated Shino as the normally calm ninja was uneasy on horseback, Hinata couldn't help but smile as she spun her horse around with grace of her young training on horseback.
"And I can't wait to see my boyfriend." said Moegi with a smile, she was supposed to stay with the medical group in the back but she could not wait to tell him the news.
"Well you may not have to wait long," said Hinata as she looked past the lights of the city to where she could see the camp of the Golden Phoenixes and Green Sea Dragons. "Konohamaru should be either there or with Naruto-kun."
The sound of horses caused everyone to turn their heads toward the coming party.
"Sakura." Said Hinata happiness in her voice until she saw the look on her face, for a moment she was worried about Naruto-kun but Sakura's green eyes were looking at Moegi.
"What is it?" asked Moegi her voice shaking.
"It's Konohamaru." Reported Sakura
Flashback
Sakura rushed down the column of mounted and foot soldiers until she reached the end of the army where the wounded sat in wagons and limped along on the roadside. She stopped for a moment pulling on the reigns of her horse, scanning the lines of wounded men not sure where Konohamaru was.
"Sakura over here!" came a voice as Sakura spun her head around to see Karin leaning out a horse drawn wagon. Sakura rushed over there jumping off the horse and into the back of the cart, instantly she studied the scene in front of her with all her medical training. A portable IV had been put into the only arm he had left; the stump at the end was black and burned. Konohamaru himself was very pale and breathing very shallow.
"How many blood pills have you given him?" asked Sakura
"Two a day, but he still as pale as he was when we first cut off his arm." Explained Karin "I have searched for any blood pooling inside his body but I haven't been able to find any sign of that."
Sakura quickly ran though hand signs as she ran her chakra covered hands down Konohamaru body.
"Shit. He has multiple blood clots in his body." cursed Sakura as she tried to figure out her next move "I can use some Justus to clear the blockage but he has so many of them that it will likely cause him to go into shock and he is already just holding on. Worst of all passing all those clots will damage his heart."
For a moment, Sakura thought about it, before reaching into her hip pouch to pull out a scroll. She ripped it open breaking the seal, which held the medical equipment she would need to have any hope of saving him. With a flick of her wrist she unsealed a small self-powered blood filter/pump and a small vile with a very large needle.
"What are you doing?" asked Karin
"I am going to stop his heart." Reported Sakura as Karin's eyes widened for a moment before she understood what Sakura was planning.
"Stop his heart and let the pump do the work for a while to clear out the clots without damaging his heart, but that will take a while how will you restart his heart once the blood is free of clots?" inquired Karin
"I hope with an electrical charge but that is at best a 50% chance of working." explained Sakura "But it's the best he has."
End Flashback
"Is he ok?" asked Moegi fearing the answer.
"We managed to remove the blood clots and restarted his heart." reported Sakura as Moegi's heart lifted a bit believing that was the worst news "However he has lost an arm and he is still at death's door, I have pumped him full of drugs to help but it is out of my hands now."
"Where is he?" demanded Moegi
"In a field hospital." explained an aid who had rode out with Sakura "I'll take you to him."
With that Moegi was led away by the aid as Sakura turned to Hinata and Shino.
"There is more isn't there?" asked Hinata
"Yes, we were hoping for more time but we couldn't wait," reported Sakura "We got word that a large group of samurai soldiers want to surrender but not until their commanders are dead."
"Ok, so you want us to scout it out to make sure it is true?" inquired Hinata
"There isn't any more time, we got word that the samurai where going to launch a suicidal mission just to die with honor." Explained Sakura
"And Naruto-kun couldn't let that happen so he went in to kill the leaders and save those soldier's lives." finished Hinata as Sakura nodded her head confirming the statement.
"Did anyone go in with them?" inquired Shino
"Sasuke." answered Sakura before looking over her shoulder toward the half-finished samurai castle which was outlined in light by the dark sky.
I hope you liked this chapter, I will try to get the next chapter out sooner. Thanks Wilkins75