Time for war. Hope you enjoy the end of the ark. The Leaf is finished now. K… so… I know some of you are wondering why this took so long to get out, well… someone informed me that I made a mistake in my ages. You see… Riley was born on October tenth, I got the dates wrong and she was ten when starting Hogwarts. So I've spent the last few days going back and making those corrections, while also cleaning up my story. I didn't make any large changes, only added a few things, like I introduced Diana as one of Fleur's major bullies way back when Riley and her were still just writing to each other. No major changes occurred, just some minor stuff to help the story flow better, so hopefully, those that like to reread will have a bit of an easier times. While writing this, I am on chapter 31 with corrections, which I started from chapter 6, so please bare with me while I finish the rest as the latter chapters are much longer then the earlier ones.
Also… just so we are all aware. Riley is on the cusp of ascending to the sixth tail. She's pretty much there already, so her level of raw power is absolutely monstrous. I've received a lot of cool ideas for destroying Konoha, but the general consensus was that everyone wanted it to be like a massive middle finger to Konoha as it burns. Thx for all the guesses, some of you were close to what I had planned. I hope you like this chapter, and just as a note, this whole chapter is basically going to be a continues fight.
Broken Angel
Chapter 56
Everyone stood in silence for several moments while the fire raged. Just over the roar of the flame, an alarm could be heard, signaling to the inhabitants of the fortress and the scouts in the surrounding area, that they were under attack.
This was one of Konoha's staging fortresses closest to Iwa. Due to the war building up, a large number of shinobi were crammed into the fortress. Just under seven thousand ninja resided within. Riley had a force of just over two hundred, yet even so, the Leaf ninja were so boned. Madara and Hashirama could both handle armies half the size of the one that the leaf had mustered. The two of them together? They could have wrecked that fortress and killed everyone inside with complete ease. Add in Kushina, Kakashi, Arturia, Voldemort and Itachi, plus Riley's familairs, and Riley herself and yeah… outnumbered they may be, but the power difference between Riley's force and Konoha's was so astronomical it was almost hilarious.
About thirty seconds passed as the group waited for the order to attack. Finally the order came as Riley raised her wand and fired an overpowered Bombarda Maxima at the wall. The power of the spell was so great that it blew out the flames near it as it passed by. With an earthshaking boom, the spell impacted the wall, the resulting explosion sent fifty feet of the walls length, flying into the sky.
The debris reigned all over the surrounding area. Riley's army stood in anticipation for several moments before she took a step forward. Many began to walk with her. It was odd for many of them. This slow approach and build up was so uncommon in shinobi battles. Riley was in her form as Ralael and her forces were draped in tattered cloaks, each one covered by a dementor. The armies presence gave off a ghastly feel to it, and it's slow march towards the shattered fortress would have made anyone watching run in terror. The Dementors covered their bodies like tattered cloaks, cloth was pulled over their faces, obscuring them from outside view, yet for some reason, it did little to affect anyone's sight. The black cloth was so thin, that they were easily able to see through it, even in the early morning dawn.
A bonus to having the Dementors act as armor, was that their presence could still be felt. Those within the fortress felt a cold chill wash over the entire castle. Several thousand men and woman stopped what they were doing as the hairs on every part of their bodies stood on end.
Like an army of wraiths, the black army marched through the ruined wall. Shinobi inside, raised their weapons to prepare for the attack. Most that had been on the wall, had been burned by the fire, or tossed by Riley's spell.
Large swaths of Shinobi were gathering behind the ruined wall, forming battle lines. They believed this to be the work of Iwa, which was why all of them collectively shit their pants when they spotted the winged angel marching at the front of the small army.
"It's Ralael!" One shouted, only for a bolt of magic to take his head clean off. Riley's staff appeared in her hand, and with a single tap to the ground, a burst of fireballs shot into the air. The number of fireballs multiplied till there were thousands of them. They weren't large, only about the size of a bludger, but there were so many of them that many of the assembled Leaf forces had no way of dodging. Riley's forces watched with amazement as a sea of fireballs coated the rest of the fortress. Hundreds of Leaf ninja were set ablaze while others dodged or threw up defensive ninjutsu like mud walls. Screams tore through the air as fire consumed large swaths of the fortress.
Riley heard a whistling through the air as a large spear like instrument was fired from a nearby tower. More then likely, it was a shinobi designed Ballista.
The three foot spear headed right for her, with a smirk Riley caught it. The ease at which she did so, surprised even a few of her Shinobi allies. She just reached up and caught the flying spear as it headed for her head.
Spinning the short spear in her hand she threw it like a javelin, right back at the tower. She aimed at the base of the tower and cast Engorgio, causing the three foot long spear, to multiply in size. By the time it hit the base of the tower, the spear was now thirty feet long and nearly three feet wide. It speared right through the base of the tower, taking out much of the foundation and causing the tower to collapse. Riley spotted two shinobi, dive out of the firing window as the tower fell. She made sure to banish them back through the window before they could fully escape.
By now her firestorm had ended and the shinobi were regrouping and preparing to charge.
With a defiant yell, a cluster of five hundred ninja broke into a straight charge towards her forces, while two more groups of around fifty, broke off and headed around them, intent on surrounding her force.
Riley let out a menacing chuckle that found many of her allied death eaters grinning, with a simple look, Riley destroyed one of the two flanking forces with Amaturasu. Fifty men and woman, vanished as a swirling sphere of black flames, consumed them.
With a growl Riley allowed her killing intent to slam into the charging shinobi army. Many of them froze in their spots. Adding into the fear, Riley called forth her nine wraiths. Five appeared from her shadow, while the other four stepped out of her mate's shadows, earning surprised looks from the four. Each one of the wraiths let out an ear piercing screech which woke the shinobi from their fear induced paralysis, and caused nearly eighty percent of them to fall to their knees clasping their ears and screaming in terror.
Riley's own force felt unnerved by the Wraith's cry, but the presence of the Dementor's on their persons, caused the effects of the screech to be avoided. Riley made a mental note to later train her forces in resisting the wraith's scream, so they wouldn't have to rely on the dementor's to block it out.
Riley quickly summoned forth her familiars, and glanced at RAAM. She gave her vicious general a nod, and he turned to a section of her forces.
"With me! Fight!" The twisted general snarled at a portion of her forces. He then turned and charged towards the cowering force of five hundred, before them. Around forty wizards and shinobi let out battle cries and charged after RAAM. They knew he was Riley's servant and if he was giving an order, to treat it like it was Riley's own.
"Arturia. Take a squad and put down those attempting to get around us." Riley sent a mental command to her guardian. Arturia nodded and motioned for Kakashi and a group of about ten shinobi to follow her. With a nod, the twelve of them charged towards the fifty ninja, whom were attempting to circle their group.
"Tom… Clear out the fortress. Itachi, push to the other side of the base and prepare to deal with the returning scouts. Skorge, Fenrir, go with them." Riley sent more orders to her forces. With that, Tom took the rest of the Death eaters, and took to the skies. They flew into the windows of the fortress and engaged the shinobi within. Itachi took the rest of the ninja, and made his way past where RAAM and the rest of their forces were fighting shinobi.
By now, the only ones left standing with Riley were her few remaining familiars, the wraiths, her mates, her friends, Kushina, Hashirama, Naruko, and Madara.
Riley glanced at the head wraith, the one that used to be Genma, and nodded. The wraith let out another scream, causing more Leaf ninja to cower in terror, and it then charged in to join RAAM alongside four other wraiths.
The remaining four Wraiths, stuck close to Riley's mates.
The Wraith's screams caused terror to echo throughout the field, the presence of the dementors caused many of the weaker willed ninja to simply stop fighting and cower. These two effects combined caused some weak willed shinobi to fall to their knees or start to flee in terror. Her Army looked positively terrifying, like the kind of thing out of a horror novel. Her Wraiths looked like dementors, and thus the mere sight of them, caused many to recoil in terror. Each wraith had it's sword drawn and they moved with unnatural speed through the crowds of ninja. Even outnumbered twenty to one, Riley's forces had the power, and the morale busting effects of the dementors and the wraiths.
Deciding to sure up her forces power, Riley released many of the dementors tied to the king that she wore. Hundreds of dementors rushed from her body and swarmed the fortress. With the additional presence of more dementors many Leaf ninja literally froze in terror. They were all cut down quickly. Leaf ninja were killed or captured left and right, whole platoons stood stock still as the overwhelming presence of the Dementor horde caused them to relive their worst memories. Being ninja, they had many of those. Occasionally the Wraiths would let out another ear piercing screech. While it could be heard by everyone, Riley's allies were shielded from it's terrorizing affects by the dementor's they wore as cloaks.
Throughout the whole fight, the Leaf ninja on her side, kept their eyes open for friends or family. They were told to bring them to Riley. Dead or alive she would save them. Many were hesitant to believe that she could do it, that she could truly bring the dead back to life. That is, until one shinobi found his younger brother dead on the field. He quickly grabbed him and brought him to Riley. Just as she said she would, Riley used Rinne Rebirth to bring him back. This is what the technique had been made for, Riley suspected. To bring dead armies back to life, mere moments after death. The technique, took such little chakra and energy if used quickly enough.
Her ally watched in awe as the slash to his brother's throat healed over and he sputtered back to life. Riley quickly hit him with a stunner so that he wouldn't be a problem, then sealed him into Kamui. Her ally offered her a grateful nod, and from there, any hesitation her force fought with, faded.
Riley glanced back at her friends and family as the battle raged. Many were staring at her with reverence as they watched her call forth the dead man's soul from the afterlife. She gave her friends a look and motioned them towards RAAM. Earning nods, many charged forward to join the fray. Madara and Hashirama were among them and showed that they were still in excellent form. The two spun through the crowd, lashing out with their own signature Taijutsu. Men and woman fell left and right. The two fought with bone crushing force, and this was only the beginning. By day's end, the two would finally return to form, and show their allies why they had always been feared.
Kushina stuck to the safe tactics. She fought with twin katana's and glided past unknowing shinobi, slashing them to pieces with her impressive skills. She wasn't back up to her old skills, but she was damn close, and this was her chance to finally flex her muscles after so many years. She wasn't going to waste this opportunity. The Red Death had finally returned.
Riley's friends stuck together, they worked together like they always had, using tactics they had come up with over years of training, they took down one opponent, after another. Some, like Draco, Grabbe and Goyle, had already been blooded. They knew how to kill, Riley had taken many of her friends out bounty hunting during the previous summer. Not always to kill, but to give them all some battle experience. Others like Hermione, or Tracy found themselves a bit stunned by the carnage of the combat around them. But the encouragement from their friends kept them from freezing. And on top of that, Riley's presence, encouraged her forces to fight on. Though it wasn't all Riley. Those like Hashirama and Madara, and even Arturia, provided the force with encouragement by their mere presence alone.
Riley glanced across the battlefield. Her forces were clearly outnumbered, even with the dementors out in force, she had roughly a thousand forces on the field. While the leaf sported nearly seven thousand. Still… because of the lives that shinobi lived, the dementors had an overwhelmingly negative affect on them. Many couldn't even move, they were so terrified. Only the truly stout of heart, or the completely heartless could avoid the dementors effect. Though many of those, weren't strong enough to fight off the Wraith's screams. Out of the seven thousand leaf ninja opposing them, Riley guessed only a few hundred could resist both effects and keep fighting. The rest were to stunned by the overwhelming feeling of despair and anguish brought on by the dementors and wraiths.
Riley spotted Katie and Luna fighting close by one another, they had both targeted a Chuunin whom was obviously terrified. The man let out a ragged battle cry and charged towards the two, but his fear overrode his fighting ability. Katie delivered a kick to the man's chest, sending him back, then Luna stepped past her and fired off a Reducto into the man's head, killing him instantly.
Riley couldn't help the pride she felt. Something about watching her mates kill… it just filled her with all kinds of carnal joy. And then there was Katie, covered in Jin Soruku's blood… that was another thing. Gods… Riley couldn't explain how intensely erotic, she had found that sight to be. If Katie had been naked, Riley would have pounced on her right there. Riley never even considered for a moment, that these feelings that she felt, weren't natural. She never even realized that at that moment, her demonic emotions, and self, were finally beginning to see her mates as more then just mates. Riley loved them, as a human would. And her love was strong. But… seeing them kill… seeing them fight… it filled her heart in ways she had never experienced before.
Riley's eyes drifted over to Daphne, Tracy and Pansy. The three girls were fighting with a Jonin. The man had just knocked Tracy and Daphne to the ground and was looking ready to finish them, when Daphne's guard appeared behind him, driving it's sword through the man's heart. The jonin looked startled as he collapsed to the ground. The wraith let out another terrorizing screech causing many of their enemies to cover their ears.
Daphne quickly got to her feet and glanced around. She spotted Riley still standing at the broken entrance to the wall. She just stood there watching the fight play out. She was about to send a mental message to her when she spotted several dozen Leaf shinobi racing towards Riley from behind. More then likely they were several squads of patrols that had formed up to attack them from behind. Now it was clear to Daphne why Riley was still standing at the entrance.
Riley didn't even turn around as the Shinobi raced at her from behind. She just stood there as the force of around sixty made it to the hole in the wall. Just as they passed through, a massive bolt of magic hit the center of the group, sending several of them flying. None of them saw where the bolt of magic came from. And none of them would, for hanging above them on one side of the broken wall, was Amygdala, invisible to all but the truly mad.
The Creature slowly reached down and scooped three confused shinobi into it's hands. Others watched in terror and confusion as three of their own, were lifted into the air. The three were thrashing against the invisible force that held them, they tried hitting and stabbing at it, but to no avail. Once they were about twenty feet off the ground, Amygdala crushed them in it's powerful hands.
Blood and guts rained down on the rest of their platoon, many let out terrified screams, others started throwing kunai and shuriken at Riley, thinking she was the one responsible for their comrade's deaths. Some let out enraged cries and continued their charge towards Riley. As this happened, another three were scooped up, and lifted into the air, once again brought up and crushed.
Still thinking Riley was responsible, five ninja sped towards her. One dashed at Riley, sword drawn, he aimed to take her head off as he ran by. Right as he passed her and brought his blade to bear on her neck, she vanished in a burst of speed.
The speedy Jonin was stunned to see her simply vanish into thin air. He couldn't contemplate her disappearance for long, as he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his gut and lower back, and then his legs went numb. He glanced down to find a hand sticking out of his stomach. He heard someone chuckle from behind him and he suddenly realized his folly.
With a smirk, Riley released her toxic Youki into the man's body. He suddenly started screaming in agony as the poison seeped into his veins. Riley tore her hand out and left him to dissolve in her poison. She turned in place, right as another Leaf ninja stabbed towards her with a kunai.
With skill developed from years of excruciating training, Riley caught the man by his wrist. She then grabbed his elbow and snapped his arm in the opposite direction it was supposed to go.
The young Chuunin let out a scream of pain as he stumbled back, his arm flailing uselessly along with him.
Riley approached him, eager to finish him off, when she heard someone shout out the fireball jutsu. Riley glanced at another Leaf ninja to her right, she watched as the man spit out a descent sized fireball at her. Getting sadistic, Riley raised her hand and used Basho Tennin to pull the man into his own fireball, she pulled him along, just fast enough that he traveled with his fireball and roasted alive in it.
As the fireball got closer, Riley pulled out her wand and fired off one of her more sinister curses at the downed man at her feet. This spell wasn't even a curse, really. It was a simple boiling charm, you used it to get water to superheat and start to boil. It was a seventh year charm, but nothing overly sinister. Until you used it on a person.
Riley had learned through Voldemort's memories, how to manipulate ordinary normal, 'light' spells into monstrously sadistic killing and torture techniques. Using a high powered boiling charm on a human body would cause their blood to boil in their veins. Only a true dark lord, or a psychopath would think of something like that.
The man at her feet was hit with the charm and started wailing. The pain he must have been feeling could only be described as unimaginable. With a smirk Riley turned and started to walk off, leaving one screaming man, and another trapped in his own technique. She only made it about five steps before the fireball hit the downed man and exploded, killing them both.
Never losing her smirk, Riley marched towards the last of the five that had targeted her. Of them, only two remained and they had regained enough of their senses to know whom they were dealing with. One turned to run, only for Riley to dash in front of him. He tried to bring up a kunai to defend himself, but Riley was much faster, she grabbed him by his neck and lifted him into the air. The man struggled against her grip, he even tried stabbing his kunai into her arm, but it did nothing.
His comrade, the only woman of the five, was flashing through handsigns. Right as she brought her hands together for the last sign, Riley waved her wand in the woman's direction, causing a spike of earth to blast out of the ground spearing the woman in the chest. The spear of stone, pierced right up underneath her breast-plate and through her heart, killing her instantly. She slumped, a determined look still plastered on her face. She was dead, so fast, that she didn't even have time to register that she had been hit.
With the other dealt with, Riley returned her attention to the man she held by the neck. He was still stabbing at her arm. His kunai felt like a pin prick in her arm, his blade pierced her flesh, only for it to heal and seal over the instant he removed his blade to strike again. Getting tired of his thrashing, Riley drove her fist into the man's gut. His eyes went wide and Riley felt movement run against her palm as she clutched his throat, suddenly the man's eyes burst out of his head, and his mouth burst open, spewing out bile and blood. Riley didn't mind that the man had vomited blood and awful on her, a simple wave of her hand and it was all gone.
She had punched the man so hard, that his organs had liquified by the pressure and then, the pressure forced his organs out from any opening his body had. With an amused chuckle, Riley tossed his body to the side and turned towards where Amygdala was continuing to terrorize the platoon of Leaf ninja that had attempted to attack them from behind.
By now, half of them were dead, and the other half were throwing around ninjutsu and weapons. It seems they had realized that there was some sort of invisible entity around them, and they were trying to hit it. Amygdala had crawled out of the way from it's perch atop the ruined wall and now sat crouched behind them. Even with it's massive size, it moved without sound and being invisible, meant that nothing could find it.
Riley actually let out a chuckle when she saw it reach out and push one of it's nails through a man's neck. To those whom couldn't seem Amygdala, it looked like the man's neck had exploded. Riley had found it amusing because she recalled Kurama doing that from time to time when they would train. He would just try to stab her with his nails, all the while saying 'poke'.
Riley felt a bit of pain echo through her bond with her mates, and her head snapped towards the main battle. She quickly spotted Fleur, fighting a large burly shinobi. He delivered a kick to her chest and sent her flying back. She landed hard and quickly brought up her wand to face the shinobi's charge.
Fleur grit her teeth, as she leveled her wand at her opponent. The dementor cloaks helped block out almost all forms of damage, but they couldn't stop the transfer of kinetic energy. Stabbing at the cloaks was useless, cutting at them was also useless, and the dementors were immune to all forms of magic except for positive emotional spells like the patronus. However, with all that being said, they were cloth cloaks… a swift punch to the face, still hurt, cloak or not. And the kick to Fleur's chest had knocked the wind out of her. She had just enough focus to aim her wand at the charging man and try to utter a spell.
Before she could, her bodyguard rushed past her to engage the man, but suddenly it stopped and dropped to a kneeling position, almost like a knight would to a king. The charging shinobi stopped, surprise etched into his features. He didn't know why the wraith was kneeling like that, but he was cautious.
His answer for the reasoning came when he found his legs torn out from under him. Unable to think straight, the man found himself on his back, staring up at the Angel, who's face was hidden by darkness, and yet… he could still see the malice in it.
The man tried to throw a kunai up into the angel's face, but she easily caught his hand, before he could release the blade.
In a swift motion, Riley slammed her foot into the man's chest and tore his arm off. The Leaf ninja screamed in agony as Riley proceeded to beat him to death with his own limb. She had bashed him over the face several times with his own severed arm, by the time she was finished, both the limb and his face looked like bloody hamburger meat.
Once he was dead, Riley tossed the arm to the side and turned to Fleur. Fleur offered her a grateful nod and got to her feet. "Thank you for the help, my love." Fleur sent over the bond.
Riley simply nodded as Fleur headed back into the fray, her bodyguard following with her.
At this point, Riley glanced around at the surrounding battle. By now, almost half of the Leaf's forces were dead. Bodies were piled, everywhere. Blood soaked the field, and the cries of the dying could be heard everywhere.
She heard a few pops near her, and glanced over to see a handful of her dead allies. She was just now beginning to understand the biggest weakness of using the Dementors as a shield, and that was taijutsu. They couldn't protect someone from a swift kick to the face, which was probably how these guys died. Not worrying too much, Riley flashed through the hand signs and performed Rinne Rebirth.
Her allies shot up as they were resurrected. If their faces weren't covered, Riley guessed she would see surprise adorning all of their features.
One shakily glanced around himself and found himself locking eyes with Riley.
"I told you. You'll live to see the end of this." Riley reminded him. The man nodded and rose to his feet with his comrades. They all stretched a bit, each one feeling immensely off. Even if it was only for a few moments, death was still death. Humans didn't just shake that off.
Riley stared off for a few moments. The sounds of fighting were dying down and RAAM led his forces to crush the remaining pockets of resistance. Riley could see Arturia and Kakashi on a distant wall, both cutting down their enemies with precise skill.
Letting out a chuckle, Riley decided she was finished with watching. With a burst of speed, she entered the fray. With Riley now, actively involved, the Leaf forces wouldn't last much longer.
-Twenty minutes later-
With Riley in the battle, the fighting didn't last long. After only a few more minutes, the fortress lay in ruin. Thousands were dead, and the roar of flames filled the morning air. With the fortress destroyed, and all possible allies captured, Riley and her forces returned to kamui for a well deserved rest.
"You fought well." Riley stated to her friends and lovers. The reactions from them were different. Some were happy, others tired, and others were uncertain.
They had lost about ten of their own which Riley had quickly revived and they had gathered around fifty prisoners, ranging from friends to family to lovers. All the prisoners were kept in wooden cells suppressed by seals so that they couldn't use chakra. Some had just been captured outright, while other's were killed and then resurrected and then captured.
Some of her forces were with their friends and family, chatting with them. Surprise had been the general reaction from those captured. They were shocked to see their friends or family standing against them and many were clamoring for an explanation.
Even as Riley sat there, waiting as the time passed and her forces prepared for more fighting, she could feel her power flowing and ebbing off into those around her. She noticed many whom were exhausted after the fighting were now, up and moving about with little trouble, almost as if nothing had occurred. It was minor, but Riley knew that those around her were absorbing her energy. It might have been the dementor's presence on their persons that caused this to occur but either way, her forces were gaining power from her.
With a sigh, Riley shook those thoughts from her heads and turned to something that was less complicated. Using her tails, she reached out and grabbed her nearest mate, which happened to be Luna. She pulled the girl over to her and set her on her lap.
Luna just gave Riley a smile, and the two quickly locked lips. They held the kiss for several seconds before parting. "What was that for?" Luna inquired.
"Because I felt like it." Riley responded.
"Oh… well then, let me return the favor." Luna replied as she leaned in to kiss Riley again.
After a few moments the two separated with Luna letting out a sigh and giving Riley one of her patented dreamy looks.
"Where to now?" Luna inquired.
"Hmm…?" Came Riley's thoughtful reply. A moment passed before she shifted Luna off her lap and rose to her feet. She quickly headed over to Shikaku whom was staring at a map of the elemental nations.
"Any idea on where to attack next?" Riley inquired.
"Our attack on Haraki Castle, will send a major message. I believe our next point of attack should be Get'su Fortress, here on the border between us and the land of Hot Water." Shikaku pointed on the map.
"Okay. This time, I'm gonna send in Loki first to get a list of all those present at the fortress. We'll have our forces go over the list and any friends or family will be rescued prior to the attack, that way, when we go in, we can unleash our full power, without worrying about killing any allies or friends." Riley informed him. Shikaku nodded and moved to inform the rest.
Riley quickly sent the command to Loki, whom set about to infiltrate the fortress. While Riley wanted to get through this as quickly as she could, there wasn't any real time constraints as her wood clones were acting in her friend's places back in Britain.
So that's how things went from that point forward. They set up a queue for their points of attack, Loki would go ahead of them, get a list of everyone present at the place and bring it to Riley's forces. Her allies would go over the list, mark their friends off and Loki would go back and kidnap them. It wasn't a hard process. He would just shapeshift into other people and force a portkey into their hands. They would then appear in a jail cell in Britain, where they would be cut off from their magic and forced to wait until Riley and the others returned.
With their friends and allies out of the way, the attacks began to flow faster and faster. Riley would bring them to just outside of a base, or hell, she might even release them within it, then it was a simple task of loosing the dementors, Riley's familiars, the wraiths, and all her allies on the base. It would fall within a few moments.
Two battles later, and Madara and Hashirama got to show off. Riley's forces just sat back and watched as the two took down a base of over a thousand ninja. It was an insanely awesome fight to watch, as two men brought down an army. And it was even more amazing when you consider, that neither used their signature jutsu. Hashirama didn't use wood style, and Madara didn't used any of his Mangekyou abilities. It was a good reminder for many, just how powerful the two were, and especially what they could do when working together.
It was six or seven battles in when Riley released them on a cliff, overlooking the largest fortress the Leaf had under their command. Riley stared down at it, her eyes glowing red.
"What's the plan?" Itachi inquired as many stared down at the base. They could just barely make out the shapes of shinobi, scattered about, rushing around looking for something. More then likely they had noticed a number of their comrades missing and were trying to locate them.
"Watch." Was Riley's reply as she brought her hands together.
Everyone stared in awe as a massive wind rushed from Riley's body. Riley's power flowed like a massive torrent through the air, and everyone was sure that even if they weren't sensors, the people below could feel this.
"Riley..." Hashirama stated as he glanced between Riley and the fortress below. He didn't need a telescope to see that every head in the base was turned towards this cliff.
"I'm so glad… you could all be here to see this." Riley stated in a whisper.
"See what?" Daphne asked from nearby.
"Tengai Shinsei!" Riley bellowed and the sky split open. Her entire force, felt their jaws slam into the ground as a thousand meter wide meteor appeared in the sky above them.
"Holy shit!" Draco muttered.
"Oh my god..." Tracy whispered as she brought her hands to her mouth.
"Riley… god..." Katie also whispered. Everyone except for Hashirama and Madara were having similar reactions. They all 'knew' Riley was powerful… but there was a difference between 'knowing' and seeing it with your own two eyes.
"That's unbelievable." Kushina stated in awe, as she watched the meteor bomb towards the castle below.
Some of her comrades fell to their knees in complete disbelief. The massive meteor fell down, heading straight for the fortress below. Hell, even Itachi and Voldemort were dumbstruck by this show of power, neither had ever seen magic on this level before.
Riley let out a content sigh as she heard her force muttering their disbelief or downright awe. Finally she let out a chuckle and then brought a hand to her lips.
"Fire Style: Breath of the Enraged Dragon!" Riley shouted as she breathed out a massive stream of fire. Her target… her own meteor. Her army watched as the stream of fire rushed up and consumed the massive falling object. Within moments the giant falling rock, was consumed by fire. It quickly became obvious as to what Riley's intentions were, as the meteor now lit up the sky with an orange glow from the blaze that it carried with it.
Madara actually started to laugh as Riley set her meteor ablaze. Now consumed in fire, the meteor would be that much more lethal.
Her force felt the heat as the meteor fell past them. It took only a few moments for it to slam into the earth with world shaking force. In an instant, smoke and flames consumed the entire castle and nearby countryside.
Her force was spared any damage as Riley knelt and forced earth magic into the ground beneath them. The ground became more resistant to vibrations, preventing them from feeling the brunt of the impact.
A few moments passed as dust consumed all in sight. Fire raged below them as the parts of the fortress that weren't crushed, were consumed in flame. After a few more moments Riley let out a chuckle and turned to walk away.
Her forces had two general reactions. They were either staring at the destruction that had just been wrought or they were staring at the one whom caused it.
They all knew now… without a single doubt… nothing could stop Riley. The Leaf was doomed.
-Six hours later-
Forces within the Hidden Leaf were moving into position. They were receiving constant reports of their bases being attacked and slowly but surely the flow of information was getting smaller and smaller. They knew that the time had come. Ralael was coming for them.
Minato stood in his office with the shinobi council, Jiraiya and Lily.
"So… what's the plan?" Inoichi inquired. At the back of his mind he was thinking of the letter he had received from his daughter, but for now he had to maintain appearances.
"Ralael is coming for us. She'll be here soon. Even now, our remaining outlying garrisons are collapsing. We've recalled all local forces, and we've set up defenses." Minato replied. His eyes were distant, and spoke of something on the Hokage's mind.
"So that's it? We just stand here and wait?" Jiraiya asked.
"No… 'we' will stand here and wait. I'm sending you and Lily, away." Minato replied to Jiraiya.
"What?" Many of the Clan heads asked in unison..
"I've long believed in the prophecy you told me master. About the savior whom would bring our world into an age of peace. I thought Naruko was that savior. I was wrong." Minato answered as he stepped close to his wife.
"What do you mean, Minato?" Jiraiya asked, eying his student in confusion.
"Naruko isn't the child of prophecy. Our unborn child is." Minato replied as he ran his hands over Lily's belly.
"I want you to take Lily away from here. Take her far away. I want you to train my child… prepare him for the future." Minato answered.
"I see..." Jiraiya replied. He glanced at Lily and found her nodding sadly. She was around five months into her pregnancy, and was already showing.
"So… you intend to remain, and go down with this sinking ship?" Inoichi inquired.
"Yes… We will remain and try to stop Ralael. It we can kill the angel, then all will be well… but… I doubt we can do it. Ralael is just too powerful. I know in my heart, that the village is doomed." Minato replied sadly, earning a surprised look from Inoichi and many of the clan heads, along with a nod of grim understanding from Jiraiya.
"If that's the case, why not just flash us all away? Why stay and die? If we can't win, then we'll run. Live to fight another day." Choza argued.
"Yeah... if it's hopeless then let's get the fuck out of here. None of us need to sit around and die." Tsume agreed.
"No… we must make our stand here. Even if the fight is hopeless. We'll fight. We'll make Ralael work for it. If we run… Kumo, and Iwa will fall upon us from all sides. We'll be slaughtered regardless. At least this way… we go out fighting for our homes. At least this way… we can die for something that matters." Minato replied.
The clan heads just stared at their Hokage with disbelief. Instead of running… they were gonna stay and die. Just because Kumo and Iwa would come after them, didn't mean that Minato wasn't still Minato, the man could kill a thousand enemies in the blink of an eye. But no… instead of trying to flee… they were all gonna stay and die. Tsume could only just shake her head. She may have been brave, but she wasn't someone who was above living to fight another day. She couldn't understand why they needed to die here, why they couldn't flee and fight again tomorrow. She was beginning to think Shibi's letter was right. The Leaf cared more about it's appearance then the lives of those living within it.
"Our sacrifice will spur others on to victory." Minato staked in a low voice as he held Lily in his arms.
Inoichi and Tsume heard him however, and finally realized why they were being forced to stay. Minato intended for those within the Leaf, every last man, woman, and child, to be a martyr.
"Lord Hokage..." Inoichi began, intent on talking some sense into his leader but he was cut off.
"There's no point in arguing Inoichi. The decision has been made. I'll flash Jiraiya and Lily far away from here, when I return… I'll have one of your clansmen in the Anbu wipe my memories of where I put them. Along with any information on my unborn child. Master Jiraiya… take this scroll with you. In it are copies of every jutsu this village has, including the ones on the sacred scroll. Ensure my child knows what he needs to, to beat this evil one day." Minato informed Inoichi and then ordered Jiraiya as he handed him a large scroll. Jiraiya merely nodded, stoically in reply. Many in the council wanted to argue, but found themselves unable to speak. Minato was sure they were all gonna die, and yet… he was still forcing them to stay.
"Captain… set up a perimeter around Konoha. Anyone whom tries to flee from their duty is to be chained to the wall." Minato ordered. His head Anbu gave him a nod and Shunshined away. Many in the room started to feel uneasy. Minato, it seemed, had decided that they would all have to sacrifice themselves. And some... like Tsume, began to see why. She started to believe that Minato, intended for their sacrifice to spur his Child of Prophecy on to victory. He intended to face Ralael, and throw everything they had at her, and if they died... then their sacrifice would fuel his unborn child's anger.
Meanwhile Inoichi made a face but remained quiet. After a few moments he let out a loud sigh and headed for the door, his mind focused on the letter he'd received from Ino. Maybe… just maybe… there was some hope for some them.
If he was right about Ino's offer… then Inoichi had already made up his mind. In the end… it was better to be the right hand of the devil, then in his path. And many… within the clan heads… were of a similar mind.
-A few hours later-
"What's the plan?" Madara inquired as he stared down at his old home. Before Riley's army, sat Konohagakure. Her forces stood atop the mountain, staring down at the village. Riley had already sent Loki down into the village to collect all of their possible recruits, by delivering them portkeys to the mountain top. Riley was using an illusion to hide them from any guards, and she had used Kamui to get them there, so the barrier around Konoha didn't detect their entrance.
"I'm going to fight Minato. You and mother will go around to each of the clan houses, whether they are staying or leaving and seal up anything of value. Those that come with us, will have their property returned. The rest will be spoils of war. After you're done with that, you'll hit the bank, the armories and then finally you'll join up with Grandfather Hashirama and hit the Hokage tower. You'll take everything from the vault there. Also… I don't think I need to say it, but I will anyway… Kill anyone you see." Riley ordered.
"What of the rest of us?" Itachi asked.
"Yeah… the Leaf recalled a lot of their forces, there is nearly one hundred and fifty thousand ninja down there." Shikaku added.
"You all will stay here. Convince your families and friends to abandon Konoha. I'm leaving the destruction of the village to a friend." Riley replied.
"Who?" Kakashi asked from nearby.
In reply, Riley glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him.
It took nearly an hour, but soon everyone they had intended to save was on the mountain with them. Nearly two thousand people gathered before them, chatting animatedly with their friends and allies.
"That is the deal, sister, brother, clansmen…" Hinata stated to her family. All of the side branch was there, the only main branch members were Hinata and Hanabi.
"Are you serious? We agree to leave, and this seal will be removed?" One asked.
"Yes. Agree to leave, and I shall personally remove the seal from each of you. Once that is done, your freedom is nearly achieved." Hinata replied earning many thoughtful looks from those around her.
"And then we have to spend twenty years, as slaves to someone else… we trade one form of slavery for another." Neji bit out bitterly, earning a few mumbles of agreement.
"The enslavement placed on you all turned many of you into bitter human beings. Some of you have openly mocked me, and I remember you doing the same to Riley. I remember you striking her Ko, even after she helped me. You, brother… nearly tried to kill me, because you thought I was weak. The Hyuuga have hurt many people in our bitterness. We're being offered a chance to atone for out mistakes. To make up for the things we did in anger. Riley didn't have to offer us this chance. She could have killed us all, and went on with her life. But she didn't. She's letting us make it up to her. She's letting us relearn humility. If any of you would prefer death, to a bit of hard work, and your freedom, then head back down mountain and join the rest of the main branch. You can meet your end with them." Hinata replied to her gathered clansmen. Her voice was filled with a confidence she had never had before. Even Neji seemed to notice that she wasn't the same person she had been when she was last in the village.
"And you say… only the adults will have to work off this debt? All of the young children and any Hyuuga born from this point on is fully free?" An older Hyuuga man, asked.
"Yes. Only those old enough to know what they were doing, when they caused others pain, will be forced to repay the debt. The rest of us, from this point forward are free. What say you? Will you take this chance and move forward? Or will you join the rest of the stagnant clan in death?" Hinata asked of them. It only took a moment for many to begin shouting their agreement. It seems that training with Kushina and having Naruko's affection had finally given Hinata the backbone she needed to become a descent leader.
Naruko stood nearby, smiling at her girlfriend. Proud of her changes and growth.
Nearby, Kakashi sat with Guy and Kurenai. Kurenai had been listening to Hinata's speech and was so proud and shocked to hear how much conviction the girl had gained.
"Are you sure about this Kakashi. What you say makes sense… but..." Guy questioned his long time friend.
"I know Guy… it's hard to admit it… but it's the truth. The Leaf has lost it's fire. All we can do now is gather the embers and try to reignite it. I know you would stand and do anything for your home Guy… but I'm asking you… please… come with us. Don't stay and die here." Kakashi pleaded with his friend.
Guy looked thoughtful and glanced over at his team. Tenten, sat with her father, both having already decided to leave. Neji it seemed, would follow the branch family and leave as well. And Lee… well… Lee was up in the air. On one hand, he loved the Hidden Leaf. On the other… his team had decided to leave. His friend in Neville was trying to convince him to Leave… so in the end, it would probably be up to Guy.
Guy let out a sigh. He never would openly admit it, but there were times when he felt the prejudice of the Leaf. How they made fun of him, and his father… and Lee. Even through all their hard work, they were ridiculed. It was his friends though, that kept him going. Now though, it seemed those friends were leaving. Kurenai's friends were leaving. Anko, was speaking with Ibiki, and was wearing one of those tattered cloaks, meaning she had already chosen to leave. Tsume was chatting with Shibi but it looked like she and the Inuzuka would leave, meaning Hana was probably leaving. Hinata had left and even Asuma had chosen to abandon the Leaf. Kurenai was almost a definite to leave. So the question was… did Guy stay and fight for the village that always ridiculed him, even though he tried so hard to earn their acceptance? Or did he go with his friends?
The answer wasn't a hard one. Guy loved his friends and his student more then the village. After all… that's what the Will of Fire truly meant. It didn't mean for everyone to love everyone. It meant for you to love your friends like family, and they would love their friends like family and that would act as a web to connect everyone. When you put the village before your friends… you weren't living by the Will of Fire any longer.
Meanwhile, Ino, Choji, and Konohamaru were giving similair speeches to their clans. The Yamanaka weren't hard to convince, especially now that Inoichi could see that they were all gonna die if they stayed. Many in the Akimichi tried to argue for staying but after hearing from Choji, Shikaku and Shikamaru, just what Riley had done so far, they knew she couldn't be beat. Konohamaru was having a much more difficult time with his clan, but he was stubborn, and he kept pointing out the other clans that had agreed to leave. The Sarutobi were quickly becoming one of the last to hold out. They were finally won over when Konohamaru told them about how he held Hiruzen's soul and could hear his grandfather's whispers.
All in all… it wasn't long before they had all agreed to leave. About half had agreed to join Riley's hidden village, while most just agreed to leave the Hidden Leaf to it's fate.
Finally, Riley's generals approached her.
"I think all the decisions have been made." Itachi informed her.
"Are you ready?" Hashirama asked Riley.
"Absolutely." Riley replied as she rose from where she was sitting. She sent one final glance towards Konoha before turning to the assembled mass.
"I go to destroy Konoha. I want to thank you all for your help, but… you no longer need to stay. If you wish to watch… then remain. If not. Head down the mountain and flee to the north. Loki will lead you to a safe place a few miles from here. I'll join up with you, once it is done." Riley ordered them.
At that, Riley turned to head down towards the village, sending a nod to Hashirama, Madara, and Kushina while she did. Before she could make it to the edge, someone grabbed her hand.
Riley glanced back and found her mates huddled behind her.
"No following me this time, my loves." Riley stated to them.
"We know… but Riley…. Please be careful." Katie stated to her as she pulled Riley into a kiss.
"Watch yourself out there." Daphne added as she did the same.
"Stay safe, my love." Fleur whispered as she pulled Riley into a kiss.
"Give us a good show, Riley." Luna ordered as she hugged and kissed her.
Riley gave all of her mates lingering looks, before glancing at her friends. At this moment, many of her forces were leaving. They were heading down the mountain, led by Loki. Only Voldemort, Arturia, Itachi, Kakashi, the Death Eaters, and her family, except Naruko, remained.
Riley stared at them all and smiled. After a moment she locked eyes with Arturia. "Keep an eye on my mates, while I'm gone."
"Of course." Arturia nodded. Riley offered the woman a smile of gratitude and turned to continue her march. She stepped up next to Hashirama, Madara, and Kushina, whom were all standing at the edge of the mountain.
"Ready?" Madara inquired.
"I've been ready for decades." Riley replied. And with that, she took flight.
The three watched her go for a moment, or two, before jumping down into the village. While Kushina and Madara would sack the village, Hashirama was off to see Tsunade, and ease his granddaughter into the next life.
Riley flew up high into the sky. She activated her Byakugan and observed the village. She could see large clusters of ninja, setting up formations, and also see large numbers of ninja in the forest around the village. Riley guessed they were in place to attack Michael, and stop him from trapping them inside a barrier. With a chuckle Riley flashed through handsigns.
A massive cloud of smoke, appeared in the sky, and from it, burst Michael. He split into ten clones and flew out several miles from the outside of the village. He then set up a barrier, way out there, trapping even those left outside of the village within. Riley made sure to leave him orders, to let Loki and her allies through, but other then that, everyone else was strapped as a massive red wall of energy, shot up several miles into the sky.
-Meanwhile-
"Lord Hokage! She's here!" One of his guards shouted as he burst into the room.
"I know." Minato replied, solemnly.
He quickly flashed outside and appeared on the roof of a building. He looked up, and watched as Ralael, slowly descended down towards him.
"So… You've finally arrived?" Minato stated.
Riley was silent as she landed on the ground, nearby. She just stared at him for several moments before glancing around at the horde of shinobi that quickly surrounded her.
"Some people seem to be missing." Riley noted, with a chuckle from beneath her hood.
Minato glanced around at his gathered forces, wondering what she could be referring to. It took him a few moments but he quickly started to notice a major absence in clansmen.
"It seems the clans have decided to abandon you." Riley stated with a chuckle, as many of the ninja started to take notice of the absence of the clans. Their disappearance wasn't noteworthy at first since almost every clan, called a clan meeting a short while ago. Many started to wonder if they were still at their meetings, or if maybe… just maybe… they had fled.
"What did you do to them?" Minato inquired with a glare.
"I gave them the same choice, I gave to Naruko. Leave this place… and live." Riley answered with a chuckle.
"What? Naruko… is alive?" Minato asked. He had assumed when she disappeared that she had been taken by the angel, like so many others. The village had written them all off as dead.
"Yes. She's alive." Riley replied.
"Where is she?" Minato growled out as he drew a kunai.
"Why do you care? Is it because she is your daughter? Or is it for the Rinnegan?" Riley asked in a mocking tone. Minato let out a growl as he took a battle stance.
In the background, an explosion could be heard. The village shook, and fire shot into the sky. Riley ventured to guess that Madara and Kushina had run into some enemy ninja.
"Before I kill you… you'll tell me where she is." Minato stated with hatred marring his features. As he spoke, Riley felt an immense amount of natural energy flow into him, and suddenly his eyes turned yellow, and frog-like, and orange appeared around them.
Minato quickly flashed through handsigns and slammed his palm into the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"
A large plume of smoke shot up, and from it, emerged two old toads.
"Ma! Pa! I need your help." Minato stated to the two.
The two old toads shared a look and then glanced at Riley. They then turned back to Minato and jumped onto his shoulders.
"It's been a long time since we've faced an opponent like this Minato-boy I hope you have a plan." Pa stated.
"We'll help however we can." Ma added.
"Oh… so you've brought out your summons to play. Well… I think I'll do the same." Riley stated dangerously,
"Everyone, get ready! She's about to summon those monsters! Keep your formations together and remember your training!" A nearby Jonin shouted to those around.
Riley couldn't help but chuckle. She glanced over her shoulder and looked up at the mountain. She offered a nod to something in the distance. Minato followed her gaze and spotted a clone of Ralael on the ruined face of the third Hokage. It hopped off the face and fell towards the village, all the while, going through handsigns. Suddenly a massive plume of smoke, shot up from the base of the mountain.
"So… tell me… how are your pitiful little strategies, going to help you now?" Riley inquired with an evil laugh. Just as she finished talking, the smoke shot out, away from where it had appeared.
Inside of the smoke, was a monster from their past. Minato felt his heart stop, and Riley's allies on the mountain could only gape as they watched monstrous tails sway across the sky.
Minato suddenly found himself staring into massive red eyes. All of a sudden, screams erupted from the village. Thousands of voices screamed out in pure terror, and a few intelligible shouts could be heard.
"IT'S THE NINE TAILS!" Someone screamed. And with that, Kurama let out a mighty roar. Hundreds of thousands covered their ears as Kurama's roar sent a shockwave through the village.
"H-How….?" Minato whispered is disbelief.
It took only a moment, but Minato suddenly heard giggling. His eyes quickly shot to Ralael, whom was the one whom seemed to be laughing. After a few moments, she ceased with her laughter and brought her hands up to her hood. The shadow around her face, faded and she pulled it back.
Minato recognized those eyes, instantly. His heart nearly stopped, and he felt his world crash down around him. "Na-Narumi..."
"Hello…. Father..." Riley replied sweetly. And at that moment, Kurama brought a clawed hand down on some buildings. The battle had officially begun.
-To be Continued-
Alright. Sorry to stop it there, but I wanted to get something for you guys to read. Next chapter is the battle between Riley and Minato. Hope you enjoyed. And honestly, on the idea of all the clans just leaving, I think if you hero and commander just up and admitted it was hopeless, I think a lot of people would feel real put off. I mean, they may be ninja, but I doubt many would stay and fight, especially with the stories coming into the village about Riley's attacks. I think if they were given the choice to just walk away, many would take it, rather then go down with a sinking ship. That's why I stated that only about half agreed to join Riley's hidden village, while the rest just agreed to leave. It opens room for conflict, and right now, they just wanna get the hell out of there.
/
Anyway… the end of the fight is next chapter, it'll probably be a short one, just handling this fight, and the brief aftermath, and then we can start on taking over Britain. Hope you like the build up. And also… no one in the Leaf, is going to live now, so Riley doesn't care about revealing herself to them. They're all going to die, anyway.
Also, Riley probably knows that Lily is pregnant, but she wont know where Minato put her.