Chapter 61 Reactions

The conference of the Daimyos and the Kages was going almost exactly like Temari had expected it too but not the way she had hoped it had gone. After the third day, it had become clear that all the ninja nations including the smaller nations such as Grass, Rain and the dozens of other smaller ninja forces, which normally couldn't do much more then defend itself, had joined with the five major powers. Temari had hoped that she could talk the smaller nations out of this fight but it seemed like they wanted to join what they saw as a "party". From the general outlook, it seemed that they believed it was going to be a short and brutal war and they may be right about that. Only incorrect about who was going to win.

"So I am an uncle?" inquired her brother the Kazekage as Temari looked up, sitting around a small table in a street side dinner was her two brothers and herself.

"Yes." confirmed Temari as she pulled out a small photo from her weapon pouch of her family. It showed Shikamaru and herself standing side by side with their son resting in her arms. In the foreground was one of the formally wild deer Shikamaru had taken in as part of his clan history. "Here is your nephew, Shikadai."

"Shikadai?" inquired Kankuro

"After Shikamaru's grandfather." answered Temari

"I wish I could see him," admitted Gaara sadly, as he looked at the photo.

"We all know that isn't possible right now," confirmed Temari "I heard you're getting married?"

"Yes, to Matsuri." confirmed Gaara as his sister smiled.

"Too bad I can't be there," said Temari

"Who says you can't we could let you go to the wedding and go back." offered Kankuro as Temari and Gaara shook their heads.

"No, Gaara is already on lose sand when it comes to support in the village." stated Temari "Even if I was able to come in the middle of a war it would cause you to lose the Kazekage seat."

"I am tempted to give the seat up, it isn't worth it if you have to wage war against your family." Admitted Gaara as he looked across the busy street where some of more of his protective detail stood watching them.

"We don't want that," stated Temari "We need you fighting against us."

"Gaara was key in winning the last war." stated her puppet loving brother as Temari nodded her head. "Why then would you want him fighting against you."

"Because someone has to be position to force the blockheads who call themselves leaders to come to the peace table when we kick your ass." stated Temari "And we will, you have no idea what we can do and learning that will be very painful."

"Temari, I know you have had years to prepare but you are going up against the entire world I don't know how you can stop a force like that." reported Kankuro "You aren't Madara who tried to enslave everyone's mind so you can't win that way."

"Trust me we have things that will cause you all to run for the hills." Stated Temari as she took a breath "Gaara this is more than just a family visit we need you to bring something up with the Daimyos and Kages."

Gaara leaned back in his seat; the food in front of him was not hardly touched and was already cold.

"I can't talk them into peace, we are too far gone for that." stated Gaara

"I know but we are still families and the need to contact love ones is only natural," stated Temari

"You want a program to send letters to families members?" inquired Gaara

"Yes, people back home want to tell their parents that they are now grandparents and they want to share photos." stated Temari as Gaara lowered his head. "Gaara even at the height of the fighting in the third shinobi world war civilian letters could travel back and forth between the nations."

"Yes, but they may this time." admitted Gaara "I will try to allow that but I can't promise that."

A few blocks away in one of the most expensive restaurants in town Hanabi sat with her husband. The restaurant was built to serve the richest of the rich and the setting showed it. Rare artwork which would have been home in any museum in the world could be found on the wall and the food cost enough that even Hanabi had be tempted not to eat here however she was the Hokage and she didn't eat like this every day like most of the Daimyo.

"Dear, any luck with the Land of Savanah and Bronze?" inquired Hanabi as a server brought their food.

"Yes and no." reported Bilal as he took a bite of his squid pasta "They seem to be allied with them in the terms of trade and a none aggression pack, however they will let us pass through their lands without any harm as long as we follow some rules."

"Rules?" inquired Hanabi

"Yes, rather simple rules in truth." reported Bilal, as head of the Hyugga clan businesses Hanabi had appointed him to work on trade deals since she knew next to nothing on the issue.

"What are they?" inquired Hanabi

"First we cannot wage war inside their nations," explained Bilal as Hanabi nodded her head that was something she could understand easy enough. "Second they have citizens living in the land of Granite and they travel to work by trains which run between the two nations, that train and anyone or anything on it is closed to us. They will still trade with the demons and if we do anything to block the train besides running an id check on the people they will close all trade with us and prevent us from transporting our forces across their land."

"They couldn't stop us from doing that if they tried, they don't have a military force of note," laughed Hanabi as her husband nodded her head.

"True but the land of Bronze is the world's largest industrial force and if they cut off all trade with the rest of the world then cause a massive blow back on the economy and we would enter a global depression." explained Bilal "The Daimyo will not risk that."

"Well I was looking at the map of the land of Granite and they are in a great defensive position, there are only four ways into their nation. The rest is block by either mountains or cliffs which prevent movement of massive numbers of ninjas," stated Hanabi "We need either take one of the three land routes or force a landing by sea."

"Isn't one of those land routes through the land of animals?" inquired Bilal as his wife nodded her head. "Well you can take that one out of play for the moment."

"Why?" inquired Hanabi

"From what I heard the land of Animals has become a huge market place for the land of Bronze and the Daimyos doesn't want to risk pissing off the business leaders there and shutting down trade." Reported Bilal as Hanabi felt like cursing out the daimyo. She was going to recommend an attack through that area it was the long way around they would have to deal with the knights but the pass through the mountains there was the widest.

"Don't worry about it, this should be a quick war." stated Bilal "I heard some ninjas from the Earth village arrived this morning. We should have an army in place within days."

"Yes and no." admitted Hanabi "They are sitting on the Sand side of the border and that is where they are going to stay for five days after the conference ends, the Leader of the Land of Savannah will not let us cross the border until then. However by then we should have at least one division of ninjas from all the nations that is 15,000 ninjas ready to fight."

"So they have five days to prepare, not that big of a deal." noted Bilal as he decided to be a husband instead of an advisor "Enjoying your food?"

"I hope so for the price." laughed Hanabi

Hundreds of miles away from the town of Celin where the Daimyo were meeting Rock Lee sat on the first train leaving the Leaf village. The train track was only about a year old, most of the ninjas had not used it since it could not go were the tracks went and the fact that the train followed a schedule-removed surprise. Lee was not focus on his first train ride or how the rocking of it made him want to throw up but instead on the fact that his friends were back. He had been operating the ANBU watch desk when the information came in.

Flashback

"Watch desk." said Lee as he lifted the secure phone line, which sat in the middle of a desk.

"This is the Hokage access code 1872H" said Hanabi's voice

"Lady Hokage AI716A." said Lee as both of them confirmed who each other was by exchanging codes. "What are your orders?"

"The demons have returned and taken over the land of Granite." Reported Hanabi as Lee's heart stopped for a moment "Prepare all forces for possible move out to put an end to them."

"Yes, Lady Hokage." confirmed Lee since he had nothing else to say. "Any other information?"

"Nothing much yet, Naruto and Ino are here in Celen as diplomats so cannot be touched." Stated Hanabi "Get the military planners to start laying out plans for an attack and prepare for full orders in about 18 hours."

"Yes, Lady Hokage." Said Lee as the line went dead.

End flashback

Lee looked out the window at the passing trees wondering what he was going to do. He was stuck and he knew it, he was a jonnin for his village, which was now going to war against his friends. Some would have thought that he would run but he now had a son to look after and since his wife died only a year after their wedding. He could not turn his back on the Leaf because that would mean leaving his son, which he could not do. Yes, it was possible to take his son and make a run for the land of Granite but running with a child so young would be dangerous and he could not take his son away from his late wife's family.

"Sir is something wrong?" inquired the ten year old genin who was under Lee command.

"Nothing Mirai, just thinking." said Lee to the daughter of Asuma and Kurenai Sarutobi, like her late father she had graduated the academy at the age of nine and the Hokage had allowed her to be assigned to his team.

"I am sure your son is fine with his grandparents." said Mirai as Lee nodded his head.

"Do you even know who we are going up against?" inquired Lee as Mirai blinked her head eyes she had inherited from her mother.

"I know what they told us in school about the demons…" started Mirai "But I also know the stories my mom has told me and they seem to counter each other. Either the demons took over the body of some of the greatest heroes in ninja history like Naruto Namikaze or it is just a giant lie."

"Pretty much." confirmed Lee "And now I may have to fight my friends."

"Sensei, I don't know what to say about that." admitted Mirai as Lee smiled; Mirai was kind of like a niece to him even though Shikamaru should have been the one who filled that role not him. "But I do believe that we will win."

"I don't." said to himself Lee as he looked out the window.

A few train cars back the head of the Inuzuka and Kiba's mother Tsume sat on top of a couple of crates with her feet up. All around her was the most experience combat veterans of her clan and their ninja hounds. She had taken command of the forces even though in her middle forties she could have stayed home and let the younger generation take the lead but she wanted to bring her son home.

"These trains are horrible," cursed Tsume's young 16 year old nephew Katsuro. The boy looked just like the Inuzuka he was, with deep brown hair, which was always unkempt, and with red marks under his silted eyes. Katsuro was the spitting image of his grandfather who had been considered among the greatest clan leaders ever of the Inuzuka and who is two sons had both died in battle in the 3rd Ninja war.

"I am with you there." confirmed his older sister Airi as she petted her own ninja dog. Unlike her brother, Airi had more of the Yamanaka clan look of her mother's side with blonde hair and no marks under her blue eyes. Even so, Tsume saw a lot of herself in the eighteen year old, Airi in some ways even more then her own daughter.

Hana Inuzuka had openly refused to take part in any operation to get ready to pull out of the Leaf and had resigned her commission as a Veterinarian medical ninja. The clan's senior members were already putting presser on her to name either one of her late husband's brother children the heir to the clan however she still had hope of saving her son from the demon which had claimed his mind and soul.

"How much longer do we have to sit on this train?" inquired Airi to her Aunt.

"At least a couple of days." confirmed Tsume every one of her clan members knew that their job would be recon and scouting just like it always had been since the Leaf was founded. "And then we will likely have to get back on a train to head south into the conflict zone."

"There we go to work," added Katsuro with a cocky grin as he pet his giant ninja hound Hibiki that was the largest dog ever breed in the history of the clan.

A couple of hours later in Celin the final preparations was taking place for the grand meeting which would pretty much finalize everything. Yes, there was technically three more days of the conference but it was in truth nothing more than three days of planned parties which wasn't of any great interest to Ino who wanted to go home and hold her daughter in her arms again.

"Only a few more hours." reassured Naruto as he sat beside her at one of the low tables, which filled the massive room. All around them sat the forty-five daimyos and national leaders, which made up the nations of the world. All but six had declared their intent to go to war with them. Of those nations, two of them where allies and be joining them on the battlefield. Those nations the Land of Meteors and Animals which sat at their own tables beside their own and that gave some comfort to Ino. The other nations that where not going to war with them was the Land of Ice, which was so far north that it, wasn't an issue and the religious nation of the land of Demons. The final two where their semi allies of the Land of Bronze and Savannah which was going to let their enemies pass through their lands but will not help in the attack.

Most of those nations, which had declared war only six, were a major threat, and those nations sat on a raised platform in the very front of the room. Each nation had a table, were draped with table covers that had the symbol of their nation and their colors on them. In their case, they had their ninja village symbol in silver on a black field. Following tradition beside the national leader, normally a Daimyo or a King sat a military or business leader of some kind, she Naruto and herself sat together waiting for the storm to come.

The big six of the Land of Fire, Lightening, Earth, Wind, Water and Iron each had a large table draped in their colors near the front of the massive hall. Those tables where currently empty while all the others where full and finally the lights darkened a bit.

"Here we go." said Naruto as multiple spotlights came to rest on the raised stage. As they did, a group of string instruments began playing as the five most powerful Daimyos each dress in outfits, which likely cost more than a normal person, made in three months walked onto the stage. They all had their comically large headdresses on as they sat down at their tables. Only the Table of the Land of Iron remained empty. Next, came the Kages all of whom were dressed in their Kages robes entered the room and sat down beside their Daimyos, it was then that the two samurai leaders for the land of Iron entered and took their seats. With their grand opening finally over the grand meeting of all the nations could begin.

"Welcome everyone." Said the Fire Daimyo into his microphone "To the meeting of the Daimyos and world leaders, now we are all here to build bridges between the nations and celebrate the world at peace, however while we celebrate that a new threat has arisen which would cause those bridges to burn and peace to come to an end."

"Here we go." said Ino as she rolled her eyes a bit.

"I am talking about the demon takeover of the land of Granite and how they now stand against the community of nations." Said the Fire Daimyo as he raised his hand and pointed toward Ino and Naruto "So will you, Lady Daimyo and her so called Onikage come to your senses and accept our reasonable demands."

"Lord Fire Daimyo we are not going to give in to your demands which would require us to become prisoners and lose all the rights we have." stated Ino "You would have us go into camps and according to your demands you would kill child who was born since we left the illegal camps you tried to put us in. No we will not let you kill our children."

The grin on the big five Daimyos could be seen from anywhere in the hall.

"So be it." stated the fire Daimyo "Then it is my duty as leader of this meeting of Daimyos to put onto the floor a vote to declare the nation of Granite a rogue nation. Also to declare them and any nation who supports them as a threat to the world which would require a coalition of willing members to put an end to the threat."

With that a roll call of nations began and just as they knew it would the vote was totally one side, in the end it was thirty eight members for the war, three against and four no votes. That took a good half hour some of the major nations where allowed speeches about why war was needed while the minor nations which included all those who voted against the war was denied a right to speak.

"The motion passes, we will have war." Said the Fire Daimyo as he confirmed what had already been confirmed days earlier. "Now we will move on to the wording of the declaration."

That took another two hours while they debated the wording for war in which Naruto and Ino had to sit there and listen. Finally when that was decided Ino spoke into her microphone and the leaders allowed her to speak.

"You all have drafted this declaration of war which in the end will likely be worst for your nation then ours and our allies. You have no idea what you are walking into and it will be your doom." started Ino sadly. "Now I understand why you fear us, we are different and with our demons we can be seen as a major threat however even though some of you may not accept that we are humans we are. We have families and some of whom because of this declaration we will soon be forced to fight."

"So I make only two simple requests to this body." said Ino "First to follow the rules of surrender and prisoner rights so that anyone who surrenders will be treated as humans beings and second to open up a line of communication so that letters from family members can pass back and forth through the lines."

"Why should we agree to any of this?" inquired the Lightening Daimyo "You are the one forcing our hands into war, no I see no reason why we should agree to that."

"I disagree we need to treat the human prisoners with all the respect they deserve but these demons are not humans and they do not deserve those rights." stated the Water Daimyo. "As for the letters, we can agree to a limited exchange of letters so that families can make an plea to their demon family members to force them to accept our terms so that they can spare themselves pain."

Ino felt like pulling out a weapon and killing the daimyos but that wouldn't help them in the end, so she bite her tongue.

In the end they did agree to the idea of the Water Daimyo and with that meeting came to an end, all the daimyos where clapping and patting themselves on the back for what they have done.

"So it will be war." Said Ino

"Sadly yes." confirmed Naruto "I'll alert our commanders back home and then we will board the train and head home early. Unless you feel like staying they have parties over the next couple of days I think?"

"Hell no." cursed Ino as the two of them stood up.

Half an hour later and three nations, away a phone began ringing. There was only a few people who knew that number which told its owner who it likely was before he even picked it up.

"Uchiha." said the half-asleep Sasuke Uchiha as he brought the coreless phone to his ear as he lied on the couch in the middle of the living room.

"Sasuke its Naruto." came his Kage's voice. "Where you sleeping?"

"In a manner." stated Sasuke as he looked at his surroundings, his youngest daughter the one he had with Karin was sleeping on his chest while his oldest with Tamaki was sleeping in her pen nearby. His little red head girl just could not seem to sleep unless she could hear the heartbeat of one of the three of them. "I am assuming that we are at war?"

"Yes, alert all the commanders and prepare for an assault." Reported Naruto as he did the math in his head, the Land of Savannah was not going to let any force pass through their lands until five days after the conference was over. Then there was the time needed by train to pass though the different nations "In twelve to fourteen days."

"Understood, I will give the alert order," confirmed the head of the ANBU to his Kage. "See you at the wall?"

For a moment, Naruto paused as he thought about it.

"Yes." confirmed Naruto

"Alright then." said Sasuke "You talked with Sakura and Hinata?"

"Ino is on another line doing so now," explained Naruto as he wondered when he would next to see his home, but at the moment his home was on the battlefield. He could not sit at home with his kids while the men and women under his command could not.

"Alright, then I'll take care of things here." confirmed Sasuke as he ended the call before looking down at his sleeping daughter on his chest before titling his head to see his other daughter in her pen. Slowly he sat up holding his daughter close and carrying her to the pen and putting her down beside her older sister. He kissed both of them on the forehead before speaking to them.

"Looks like Daddy has to go to kill some idiots."

Within an hour Naruto, Ino, Temari and the rest of the people who had come with them to Celin was on a train heading back home. Only a few miles away an army was gathering with the goal of destroying them.

Well I hope you liked this chapter, war is coming very soon. I will likely have one more chapter before the first battle so prepare for that. Until next time please keep reading. Thanks Wilkins75.