It was morning. Hiruzen stood at the main gates, gazing into the distance. A pipe was in his mouth, emitting smoke. His look was pensive and sad. Just an hour ago, he had dispatched the reserve forces of Konoha to the border with the Mist Village. The situation in the war was worsening with each passing day.

"Hiruzen!" Hokage turned around and saw Shimura. Sarutobi said nothing, he walked past, gesturing with a look for his old friend to take a walk. Danzo agreed. "So...?"

"Early this morning, we received a report that a significant portion of the Mist Village's army has crossed the Fire Country's border," Danzo gritted his teeth. "I quickly assembled the available reserves and sent them there."

"Without consulting anyone?"

"There was no time for that, no time for discussions. We had to act," Hiruzen explained his actions.

"I understand. I would probably have done the same," Danzo agreed. "You didn't send the entire reserve, did you?" Shimura clarified.

"Exactly half," Hokage replied.

"And what if they fail the mission?" Danzo speculated.

"Much depends on Cloud's actions. I'm keeping the rest of the reserve in case we need it," Hiruzen answered.

"Wisely, but is it..."

"I'm negotiating with Sand. So far, they've been neutral, but if they agree, it will relieve some pressure on our front with Stone."

"And how's the situation on the front?"

"Bad. We're losing ground," Hiruzen's words made Danzo grit his teeth again. War within the Fire Country's borders was not in his plans. A crazy thought flashed in his mind.

"What about a ceasefire, Hiruzen?" The Third Hokage looked at Shimura in confusion. "Let's halt the disputes for the duration of the war. If we lose..."

"What are you thinking?" Sarutobi interrupted him.

"You know I've always acted for the good of the village. I've done a lot to lose it all so easily. We must show the world that Konoha is mighty! Think about it!" Danzo patted his old comrade on the shoulder and walked away.

Hiruzen watched Shimura until he disappeared, then turned his gaze towards the Hokage residence and the Hokage Mountain. Inside, there were many doubts, and he didn't know what to do.

"What have you planned, Danzo?"

The destination was a village in the southeast of the country. There, they were supposed to engage in battle with the Mist Village's shinobi and block their path into the country's interior. This mission was no different from their first mission near the Takayama Village. Their squad was now larger, significantly larger, but there were also many enemies. The command was given to Iwashi Tatame. He was a young Jonin, but he seemed to have experienced a lot and was quite experienced.

After a day and a half, they arrived at their destination. It was a village that had been abandoned since the beginning of the war. The trees used to build the houses had rotted, and any house could collapse at any moment. The battlefield wasn't ideal: in front of them was a forest, and behind them was a clearing. Of course, they could have chosen a different location, but it was too late to look for anything else. Iwashi ordered everyone to rest and set up a watch.

Naruto took a place in a small abandoned house. There were two other shinobi with him. The neighbors quickly fell asleep, but Naruto couldn't close his eyes for a long time. He still heard Hana's crying; it wounded his soul. That cry seemed to represent all the sadness of war, all the pain that eventually emerged. Naruto couldn't come to terms with it; it tormented him. He had been a genius, became a Chunin, and... he had to fight. At first, it seemed simple - kill one, go after the next, follow orders, execute. But the further he went, the more difficult it became. He started to understand. Feelings began to awaken in him. He was a child, an orphan, who had felt nothing - no joy, no happiness, no sadness. He had been like nothing. He just wanted to be someone, which is why he started training, which is why he went to the Academy. Then he seemed to have sealed away all his feelings, but now everything had changed. The war forced him to feel what he had never felt before, forced him to think. He didn't notice when he fell asleep. But he couldn't sleep for long. Kyubi's silhouette appeared in his eyes, and he woke up immediately.

He went outside; it was early morning. His body shivered from the cold. The sun hadn't even risen yet. There was fog all around, a cold fog. Naruto walked to the post of the nearest guard and was surprised to see Iwashi there.

"Can't sleep?" he asked without turning.

"No," Naruto approached and stood next to the commander. "May I ask why you're not sleeping?"

"I have a bad feeling," Iwashi said.

"Do you think something will happen?"

"I know," Tatame corrected Naruto. "Do you feel this fog?"

"Yes."

"Only Mist shinobi can create something like this," he pointed to the forest. "They're approaching."

"You're so calm," Naruto was surprised.

"It's just the vanguard. I need to wake up the others. The Mist will attack soon."

Naruto nodded and headed towards the house where he had spent the night, intending to wake up his comrades. Upon entering, he saw two Mist Village shinobi. Everyone froze, staring at each other.

"Damn!" Naruto was the first to dash out of the house, but something immediately knocked him off his feet. A Mist Village shinobi loomed over him, but several kunai knives flew into the shinobi's chest. Naruto quickly pushed himself back. The second Mist Village shinobi was already engaged in combat with Tatame. Naruto glanced around; there was already a battle taking place with small groups of Mist shinobi. One of them ran towards Uzumaki. The blonde quickly got up and pulled out a kunai, parrying the first strike, then the second. The enemy then pulled out another kunai. Naruto quickly ducked and performed a sweep, knocking the opponent down, then he pounced, driving the kunai into the enemy's heart. He stood up, breathing heavily, as a kunai flew past him, and someone yelled. Turning around, he saw an enemy trying to attack from behind. Naruto looked around for the one who had helped him but couldn't find them. Another enemy tried to attack him. Uzumaki blocked the first strike and then counterattacked sharply, slashing the enemy's throat. "Damn," he exhaled.

"Water Style: Tsunami!" sounded somewhere in the distance. Then there was a sound like a river flowing. Naruto froze. Before them, a large wave of water rose, covering the battlefield in an instant. The wave knocked down several buildings and carried away many shinobi, including their own, scattering them across the clearing. Naruto was one of those carried far away.

"Cough..." he coughed up water. "Damn." He got up and assessed the situation. They were all scattered around, spread out over the entire front. Some were fighting, some were looking for their comrades, and some were unsure what to do. Mist forces emerged from the forest; the first ranks of Konoha shinobi were struck by volleys of water bullets. The Mist was taking advantage of this confusion. They dispersed the Konoha forces to gain an advantage. For now, they were pushing back. Naruto looked around at everyone around him once again. "Hey!" he shouted, drawing attention to himself. "We can't stand here and watch; we need to act! They're trying to divide us! Don't let them do it!" Naruto dashed forward. Most of the shinobi didn't know who this boy was, but he was the only one, and his words made sense.

The Mist was advancing like a wedge to split the Konoha army into two parts. All the shinobi from Naruto's side gathered into a powerful fist, destroying lone enemies scattered after the tsunami. A group of Konoha shinobi approached the Mist forces. Those who ran in the front ranks, including Naruto, made hand seals and blew out fireballs, while the Mist countered with streams of water. The jutsu clashed, self-destructing and creating a cloud of steam. Kunai and explosive tags were put into play. Some fell dead, then a series of explosions erupted here and there. One kunai with a tag flew past Naruto and exploded nearby, behind him. The shockwave knocked him down. He fell. He gritted his teeth and started getting up. There was a crack from underground, and a hand emerged. Startled, Naruto fell on his backside, holding the hand in front of him. Only now did he notice the kunai in it. He snatched it from the hand and immediately stabbed the shinobi who had appeared from under the ground in the head. Blood splattered onto his eyes. He wiped the drops from his eyes. Only now did he notice the bodies all around, burned and dismembered. It made him sick, but why? He had fought before but hadn't noticed such things. And now, being so close... He shook his head and quickly got up. He rushed into battle, right into the thick of it.

All around was the screech of metal, sparks flying, cries of pain, calls for help, pleas. It all merged into one incomprehensible sound, and Naruto felt like it was pressing down on him. But why now? Why not back near Takayama? He asked himself this question every time another enemy fell before him, every time more drops of blood fell on him. Now, right now, he was truly fighting. Until now, it had been nothing, and now...

Something sparkled ahead. Naruto immediately turned his gaze in that direction and saw several people. Some held kunai charged with lightning, while others... And then it dawned on Naruto, but it was too late. Several streams of water were heading their way, just as they directed lightning bolts at them.

"Get down!" Naruto shouted, moving away from his spot, but no one else flinched, either not hearing or being too engrossed in battle. The water stream with lightning hit them, and bodies began to fall, convulsing as electricity coursed through them. Naruto froze, witnessing such a sight. He swallowed hard. His gaze shifted from the enemies in front of him to several small puddles. He drew his kunai and threw them there. "Electric Star!" Lightning bolts ran through the ground and shot upwards. The Mist shinobi convulsed. Lightning bolts continued one after another. Naruto poured a lot of chakra into it. They trembled and trembled, and Uzumaki kept feeding his chakra into it. They started falling, some even showed burns, and only now did he stop. He dropped to one knee, but his comrades immediately took over, engaging the enemies. Naruto looked to the opposite side. They had rallied there as well. Now they had a chance.

They began pushing back the enemies, killing them one by one. Blood was spilled for blood. The water puddles turned red, and the grass on the ground also turned red, and in some places, black. The sun rose higher and higher, already out of its zenith. The Konoha army pushed the Mist shinobi beyond the village's borders.

Naruto cut the throat of another enemy. He paused for a second, breathing heavily. He looked back and then ahead again. Behind were the corpses, and ahead was victory. He tightened his grip on the kunai. Suddenly, the clearing began to be covered by mist.

"Again," Naruto was surprised. Ahead, shouts were heard, and more Mist shinobi emerged from the forest. It was the reserves, fresh fighters. Hope for victory began to fade. It was evident in everyone. Their eyes seemed to be sinking into nothingness. Everything they had done began to seem futile. But the Mist hadn't won yet either. Naruto gritted his teeth and dashed forward. Suddenly, the clearing began to be covered by mist.

Suddenly, he felt heat on his cheeks. The air became hot, and breathing became more difficult. The Mist shinobi strangely perked up. It grew hotter and hotter. The Mist shinobi began to quickly retreat, pushing back the Konoha ninja.

"What's happening?" In an instant, something flew past Naruto.

"Aaaaah!" Naruto looked to his left in horror and saw his comrades. They were screaming, writhing in pain, reaching out for help, and they were engulfed in... "Lava," Naruto whispered. He looked toward the forest. Three figures emerged from the ranks of the shinobi, a woman, a boy, and a middle-aged man.

"Mizukage!" one of the Konoha shinobi shouted.

Naruto stared at her in astonishment. It was her... Mizukage released another burst of lava, this time to the right of Naruto. He stood motionless, watching her. His breath quickened, his heart raced. He clenched his kunai and, without understanding why, ran towards the Mizukage. The Kage stood there, looking at him, either surprised or in awe. Naruto wanted to plunge the kunai into her, then finish her with a Rasengan. He had already extended his hand, but suddenly, the boy with a massive hammer jumped in front of him. A swing. Naruto didn't immediately feel pain, only the sensation of the air caressing his skin, and then the sound of cracking wood. Only now did he feel the pain, but it was too late. The unstable building collapsed right onto him.

Kyuubi. Bomb. Kunai. Funnel. Mask. Explosion. Battle. Rasengan. Strike.

Naruto opened his eyes. Once again, the vision visited him. He looked around, trying to understand where he was. There were many debris around him. He had been fighting. Then the Mizukage appeared. Naruto quickly remembered everything and tried to get up. Pain surged, but he had to resist it. He rose, shaking off the pieces of wood that covered him. With one final effort, he stood up. His whole body ached, but he endured the pain. He looked around and was horrified. There were bodies all around, many bodies. Mist and Konoha shinobi, many had fallen here, but... There were many charred bodies as well. Mizukage did this. He clenched his fists.

"They're all... gone..." He walked silently somewhere. His legs carried him. There was no one around, only the dead. He doubted that anyone had survived. So many had died here. Each with their own death, so many threads of fate had been severed here. And in such similar and different ways simultaneously. He was devastated.

"Cough..." A sound came from the side. Naruto turned toward the noise and saw him. There lay Iwashi. Naruto rushed to him and knelt before him.

"Iwashi-san! Are you okay? Is everyone..."

"Everything's bad," he interrupted, pointing to a large wound on his side. "How's your arm?"

"What arm?" Naruto looked at his left arm, and there was a bone sticking out. "Only just noticed."

"Apparently, adrenaline is present in your blood!" the commander smiled. "Listen to me carefully," Tatami suddenly became serious. "You need to get out of here and report to the Hokage that it was the Mizukage here."

"But... I can't just leave you!"

"Kid, it's the end for me," Iwashi smiled. "Now it's all in your hands. Make it to the village; that's your mission. Carry it out!"

"Alright," Naruto nodded.

"Good..." Naruto looked at Iwashi, his face frozen in a smile, his eyes gazing somewhere into the sky, into the distance. Uzumaki closed his eyes.

"I'll complete the mission." Naruto got up and headed in the direction of Konoha. The wound was starting to hurt, and his chest too. Apparently, he had not only broken his arm. The pain was becoming unbearable. He needed to treat the wound and reset the bone, but he couldn't do it here. He needed to reach Konoha to save himself. He had to make it. He had to report.