Hey everyone, it's Ken, remember when I said that this chapter would be out by the next day? It turns out that speaking for pre-editing me is something I shouldn't do I apologize for the delay on this chapter and the next chapter will be up on regular scheduled time. That I promise, like I said before no review responses here I will be responding to those in the next chapter including the ones from the previous chapter.

Thank you all again for your patience and I hope you enjoy.

See you in the next one.

{...}

Chapter 18: First Strike

"Seriously, everything you do when it comes to sword smithing is incredible."

Naruto said while Marika walked beside him with a chuckle, "I wouldn't say all of that… I can only do my best; I did receive formal training after all." the girl said while the blonde kept his amazed look on his face as he looked at her.

"Don't start acting all humble now, the sword looks awesome! I can't wait until it's finished!"

The boy exclaimed while Marika rubbed her chin, "It should be finished by today after our little break if we continue pushing." the girl said while Naruto could hardly keep his excitement in.

"We should celebrate!"

Naruto yelled out while he rubbed his hair wondering what they could celebrate with while Marika adjusted her glasses, "Um Lor- I mean Naruto… There's actually something we could do." the girl said with a light flush while the blonde turned around.

"Like what?"

He asked eagerly, causing Marika to flush further, "Um well here in the Land of Iron we also have a celebration for the anniversary of the creation of this land and the first samurai. Even during wartime like this the celebration is country wide." the girl explained while Naruto grinned.

"Sweet! When is that?"

The boy asked while Marika tapped her chin with her finger, "I think it's within the next couple of weeks." the girl remembered while Naruto nodded his head.

"Is there going to be good food there?"

The blonde asked with his goal of trying out foods from all over the world still strongly in his mind while Marika laughed at his question, "Of course there is, you'll just have to go to see." the girl said while she looked to the side again.

"Would you like to um go togeth-"

Marika was cut off by rapidly approaching footsteps before the blonde was suddenly hugged, the blue haired girl's eyes slowly widened while Kurotsuchi hugged the boy tightly.

"Woah Kuro, it's nice to see you too."

The blonde said with a grin while she huffed into his shoulder, she lifted her head placing her forehead against his, "You idiot, I've been looking for you. Where'd you go and run off to, without telling me first?" the pink eyed girl said while Naruto smiled.

"So, I may or may not have gotten caught up in forging my sword… but hear me out. Marika is awesome at making swords! She was a total badass!"

The boy complimented while none made their way to Marika's ears as she was too focused on the two of them, her eyes flicked back and forth between Kurotsuchi and Naruto.

A part of her had always wondered about their relationship, when they first arrived at the castle, they had to practically tear the girl from him while the first thing he asked about when he woke up was about her.

There's a chance that these two are romantically involved with one another and have been for a long time far before she met the boy she nursed when he arrived.

The only thing that was off was the fact that she had never seen the two of them act romantically around each other. This is the first time she had seen Kurotsuchi so deliberately doing something that displayed their closeness like this.

That led her to believe that whatever is there isn't set in stone.

"Thank you, Marika, I've been with Naruto for a while so I can tell you I feel your pain with how much he can be at times. I appreciate you keeping an eye on him for me."

The black-haired girl said to the shorter girl while Naruto complained, Marika could sense it. Kurotsuchi was trying to lay down the fact that Naruto was her territory.

"Naruto was a massive help… I don't think I could have progressed as much as I did without him being there with me every moment for that week."

Marika spoke up, firing back while Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow at the sudden boldness of the girl standing beside Naruto almost a head shorter than him.

Their eyes made contact as they stared each other down in a silent battle of attrition that Naruto had no idea was going on.

"Everything ok?"

The blonde asked ignorantly while Kurotsuchi looked toward him, "Yeah, as a matter of fact. You're on a break, right? Wanna go somewhere?" the girl quickly asked while Naruto blinked.

"Where would go?"

The teen asked while the girl grabbed his hand, "That's the whole point of 'somewhere', you always said the best part was figuring it out along the way, right?" the girl remarked while Naruto chuckled.

"What about-"

Naruto was cut off by Marika turning around, "I'll finish the sword, there's nothing but final details now so it shouldn't be hard. Besides, it works out because it means I can properly present the sword to you later." the girl said while he looked at the blonde.

"Wait for me, ok?"

She spoke before her eyes flicked toward Kurotsuchi who looked back at her.

"Sure!"

Naruto chirped happily while Marika gave him a brief smile before she quickly turned to head back to the forge, Kurotsuchi watched her leave before her eyes landed back on the blonde.

"Ready?"

She asked while Naruto nodded his head, Kurotsuchi felt almost immature for how she acted with Marika. Yet there was something that bothered her about Naruto being so far, yet she was so close with him, she was just worried about him.

She gave him a mission.

That mission was to make sure she made it home alive no matter what, he promised that he would do that for her.

She is his mission.

Yet the fact that she even had that thought slightly disturbed her.

The two ninjas made their way into the village nearby where the villagers were slowly setting up for the upcoming festivities, Kurotsuchi looked around at the villagers setting up while Naruto grinned.

"I can't believe we've been here all of this time, and this is one of the first times I've been in the actual village instead of the castle. What are they even setting up for?"

The black-haired girl asked while Naruto looked toward her, "There's a nationwide holiday that the Land of Iron celebrates, Marika was telling me about it earlier." the blonde responded while she gave the boy a look.

"Marika huh?"

Kurotsuchi said while Naruto nodded his head, "Um yeah? Is something going on between you two? Things felt a little weird earlier. I figured it was girl stuff so I kinda butted out but is everything alright?" the boy asked out of genuine concern.

"Yeah, everything is fine, what isn't fine was how long you disappeared and didn't even tell me where you were. I got concerned, what if you got kidnapped or something?"

Kurotsuchi went on while a smirk appeared on Naruto's face, "Nah… you're totally jealous." the blonde said bluntly, nearly causing Kurotsuchi to fall over.

"Jealous over what?"

The girl asked in a slightly surprised tone while Naruto chuckled, "Over how much time Marika and I spent together. We were a boy and a girl hanging alone for a while forging a badass sword." the blonde said while Kurotsuchi paused.

Jealous?

It was obviously concern. For a male it would be easy for him to lose track of their goals due to the interaction of another woman. Clearly, she was worried that Naruto was losing focus.

Right?

That doesn't really make sense though.

Naruto was always in some kind of strange situation as he was a strange guy, she's made peace and has even found comfort in the strangeness of the boy. Perhaps someone else finding a similar sort of comfort bothered her slightly.

It could very well be the fact that she has a biological attraction towards him, she's comfortable with him and he's rather pleasant to be with. Perhaps these are just feelings that stem from the fact that she could just want to… engage in certain activities with him.

The black-haired girl felt her face grow warm while Naruto started waving his hands in the air toward the flushed girl.

"Relax, I was kidding!"

The blonde suddenly yelled while she looked toward him, "Huh?" she asked while Naruto clapped his hands together and bowed.

"I was joking but you got all red usually when that happens, I'm about to get the crap beaten out of me."

The blonde explained while Kurotsuchi stared at the boy, what kind of girl was it that he was hanging around before? "No, Naruto I'm not mad. You just bring up an interesting point. Say I was, then what?" the girl tilted her head with a smile on her face while Naruto's eyes widened.

"Well, uh…"

Kurotsuchi smiled at her achievement of the flustered Naruto before she grabbed his hand, "Come on, let's get something to eat." the girl said as she dragged the boy toward the first restaurant she could find.

Worrying about it wasn't going to help anything.

He's with her now in one piece.

That's what matters.

Kurotsuchi dragged the blonde all over the place around the village, Naruto could barely keep up with the suddenly enthusiastic girl, but he wasn't about to complain.

"Hey Kuro?"

"Yeah?"

"You've changed."

Naruto said while the pink eyed girl's expression changed to surprise as she looked at the grinning face of the boy, "How?" she asked while he chuckled.

"You're so much more filled with life recently, before I couldn't really get much from you. You used to be super serious but now I get to see you laughing and smiling. It's nice."

The blonde said while Kurotsuchi smiled at the blonde, "I blame you also I'm still plenty serious. I just don't feel that I have to be all that with you around." she confessed while the teen boy smiled.

"Do you think that… you're any closer to being human like you wanted?"

The boy asked while Kurotsuchi blinked, looking up into the trees above them, after their stint in the village they had gone into the woods and found a nice spot by the stream to laze around.

"I guess... I won't say I feel like I accomplished my goal or anything, but I feel like I've made some progress. Why do you ask?"

Kurotsuchi probed, causing Naruto to lean back right next to her as the pair looked into the peacefully swaying trees above them.

"I've changed a lot from when I first left the village… I can't explain how but I don't feel like I'm anywhere near the same person I used to be. Yet despite those changes I don't really have a goal or a dream. I'm just existing here doing what I can."

The blonde spoke while Kurotsuchi turned to look at him. She focused on the way his blue eyes seemed to look like he had caught the deep blue sky in them with a more serious expression on his face.

"Samurai Pops asked me 'Why do I fight?' At first it was a simple answer 'to protect.' then I kept wondering even after that the more that I trained, and the answer kept getting more and more complicated in my head. Now it's so complicated I don't really know."

Naruto spoke while Kurotsuchi looked at the blonde who huffed, "Maybe you're thinking too hard about it? What about trying to be happy? That was a goal of yours." the girl said while the blonde nodded his head.

"I mean sure that's true but that's like an infinite goal I can reach every day, I mean like a concrete goal. I used to want to become the strongest ninja in my village to show everyone that I was more than just some demon child to get everyone to recognize me. Now I don't have that, there's also the mission you gave me but even that will come to an end."

The blonde said, sending a brief pain into the girl's heart at the mention of the mission ending, "Well…" Kurotsuchi trailed off while Naruto kept staring at the swaying trees.

"Why do I fight?"

The blonde wracked his brain over it while Kurotsuchi watched him, the girl huffed before she suddenly plopped on top of his chest.

"Oi!"

Naruto called while Kurostuchi buried her face in his abdomen, he could feel the rumbling of her laughter before she turned to look at his face. "Now who's the serious one?" the girl asked while the blonde rolled his eyes at her.

"Naruto… I think you're forgetting something really important about you that you have to remember. You never give up; you always find some kind of way to keep fighting and keep going even when the odds are stacked against you. You figure it out along the way, that's how you make it."

Kurotsuchi said while Naruto kept looking into her pink eyes, "That's why you managed to help me, without you being you I couldn't have found the courage to be me. You literally fought my past with me and helped find a new path as more than just a weapon." the girl said while she held her braid that he put in her hair.

"You have time, trying to wrack your brain about why you fight all at once is only going to make you question yourself. You'll only know for certain with time so give yourself a break and be patient. The way you smile even when things look bad just by wanting to do your best…"

Kurotsuchi trailed off as she looked the surprised boy in the eyes as her smile grew a little wider looking directly back at him.

"I love that about you."

She spoke, causing Naruto's eyes to widen slightly as she quickly realized what she said sitting up from his frame, "Yeah so uh don't sweat it. Take your time and I'm here for you. We have each other's backs, remember?" the girl spoke a little too quickly while Naruto nodded his head.

"Thanks Kuro."

The blonde thanked her as she willed the heat in her body to dissipate and hoped the blonde didn't notice how red she was becoming. "Anytime Naruto." she said while she stood up.

"Come on, let's get back to the castle. I'm sure you want to finish that sword."

The black-haired teen said while Naruto grabbed her hand pulling himself from the ground, her hold lingered on his hand while he held it back.

"Let's go."

The blonde said while she didn't let go of his hand, not even a little, they stayed like this all the way until they reached the side entrance to the castle. Naruto was about to step forward into the castle grounds, but Kurotsuchi stopped him with a light tug of his hand.

"What's up Kuro?"

The blonde asked while the girl took a deep breath, "I'm sure we'll be still around for the holiday they seem to be celebrating in the village so… Wanna go with me?" Kurotsuchi asked while Naruto blinked before he smiled.

"Yeah, that sounds awesome. I'd be happy t-"

Naruto's voice was cut off by the sounds of the main castle entrance being banged against, "Open the gate! We have wounded!" a voice yelled while Naruto immediately dashed toward the gate Kurotsuchi followed after him. They both made it to the gate as it was opening revealing Mifune and his forces.

"Samurai Pops!"

Naruto yelled while the older man dragged another one of his men into the gates, "Naruto help with the wounded, Kurotsuchi make sure these men make it to the sick bays!" Mifune said while they both did as they were told.

Naruto the whole time looked shocked at the sudden arrival of the defeated forces.

{...}

Mifune sat across from both Naruto and Kurotsuchi with his head lower slightly, the teen boy looked at the older man with concern before he clenched his fist.

"What exactly happened out there?"

Naruto asked while Mifune sighed, "Lord Judon, wielder of the one of the Iron Treasures and one of Arashi's generals, has pushed an offensive. I have no doubts that he's acting of his own free will since an attack now wouldn't make any sense knowing Arashi. However… from the most recent attack it appears there's more than even I know." the older man said while Kurotsuchi looked away to the side.

"So you went and charged into a battle and left us here? We could have helped!"

Naruto barked while Mifune narrowed his eyes back toward the blonde, "Say what you will Naruto, however this is a battlefield filled with seasoned and experienced warriors that have seen multiple wars. You've merely began the advancement of your training not to mention your injury." the samurai explained while Naruto shook his head.

"Anything would have been better than just sitting here while you and your men killed out there! We could have done something!"

"You are not ready!"

Mifune raised his voice taking Naruto aback while the man breathed to calm himself down, "The value from your training is more than the value of your battle prowess at the moment. With more time you'll reach the level of skill needed to be an asset at the moment sending you into the battlefield like this is signing your death warrant. I refuse to do that to someone as young as you." the man lectured while Naruto looked toward the ground.

"But still."

The teen then gripped his fist, "While we did have losses in our first offensive, we were able to slow them before they made it to the castle, it seems as though Judon plans on completely wiping out an oppression to their forces before moving on to bigger things. It seems he's reached a boiling point with us as a thorn in Arashi's side." Mifune explained while he watched the medical staff rush around tending to the wounded from outside of the room, they were sitting in.

"We are expecting another assault on this castle tonight."

Mifune added while Kurotsuchi looked toward the older man, "Tonight? I thought Judon's forces were slowed down?" the girl asked while Mifune looked toward her.

"They were. Judon out of the generals has the largest number of the forces and is one of the most decorated warriors in the history of the samurai. He is a formidable general and tenacious man with a knack for battle and skill in tactics. Judging from the assault we spent the past week pushing back against, his plans are the complete eradication of our forces in a single attack."

The older man explained while Kurotsuchi's eyes widened, "He would seriously try something like that? That's insane." the girl said while Mifune looked toward the ground.

"Judon is the son of a famous general as well as being quite famous himself. He is a man who only believes in death and dying, his code of honor allows him to push forward with an overwhelming will unlike anything anyone has ever seen. He will always continue to push forward until his enemies are destroyed."

Mifune explained while he placed a hand on his sword running it across the sheath slowly reminiscing about the battles they recently encountered.

"In his world, you either kill or die."

Mifune stated while Naruto looked toward the older man, "Then, what exactly is the plan?" the blonde asked while the older samurai looked up toward the pair of teens.

"Forgive me, I wanted to do everything in my power to prevent your involvement in this war until a more proper time. However, we will require your assistance in fending off this large-scale attack, the current plan is using the castle as a filter between us and the village."

Mifune thought aloud while he traced the floor with his finger, "With his overwhelming numbers the plan is to have a chance is keeping the battling within the confines of the castle, the less forces that are allowed through the easier they will be to manage. That will at least put us in a battle of attrition where we can turn the tide the more, we narrow down their forces in the castle walls." the older general laid out his plan while Kurotsuchi studied it, meanwhile Naruto kept his eyes on the older man.

He was clearly exhausted.

A majority of the forces that were sent to slow down the offensive were injured and exhausted.

No matter what plan is laid out the losses of another attack will be heavy, yet Mifune is still trying his best to make it through this fight to continue pushing against General Nobuzagi's plan to start a war with the world.

Naruto admired that.

However, these people took him in and trained him. The villagers despite the war times are still putting in their best efforts to keep up hope and endure, as long as he was still standing, he couldn't allow another attack to destroy any more of the people he's sworn to protect.

How many more were going to have to die before this was all over?

"Excuse me."

A voice spoke while the trio looked toward the open screen, Marika stood there with her glasses on while she quickly bowed.

"Forgive the interruption Lord Mifune but… Naruto, it's time."

The blue haired girl spoke while Mifune looked toward Naruto, "The sword is complete then. I will allow you time to retrieve it. This is an important time for a warrior. I wish to see the blade after you've received it." the older man said with a look of pride while Naruto nodded his head.

"Of course."

The blonde said while Mifune took his leave toward the sick bay, Naruto watched him walk off before Kurotsuchi gave him a nudge.

"Congrats, I wanna see it too once you're done."

Kurotsuchi said while Naruto nodded his head "Hell yeah." The blonde responded as Kurotsuchi took her leave as well, sparing Marika a passing glance as she left ahead.

Marika then guided Naruto back to the forge where they had spent the past week doing nothing but forging the blade together, the blonde felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness for some reason. Getting his sword was awesome but it came with a lot of responsibility.

The pair eventually made it to the forge where Naruto sat in a kneel before Marika who slowly grabbed the completed sword and put it into her lap.

The sheath was black with a lacquer finish giving it a slight shine when hit by the light, Marika slowly lifted the blade gently holding the sheath in one hand while she firmly gripped the orange-colored handle wrapped in black leather of the sword with her other hand.

She slowly unsheathed the blade, the light hit the metal causing it to shine brightly against the silverish gray wave patterned damascus, the blade sang with a high-pitched ring as it fully exited its sheath. Marika then gently ran her fingers across her blade.

"The deed is done; I've forged a weapon that will cut iron. I've made you a weapon that was born to kill and will only bring death when it is unsheathed. This is by far my greatest creation as of yet and I present it to you to wield for your vow."

Marika said while Naruto stayed in his kneel while the blue haired girl looked at the blade with pride, yet she also felt a sense of sadness looking at the sword.

"When I was trained in the ways of the Kaji my father always made weapons with the heart of a good man not only to kill but to protect… I swore I was going to be just like him. Yet I've made a sword of vengeance. I wonder… would he hate what I've created?"

The girl spoke while Naruto looked toward her, he wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come to him. As much as he wanted to reassure her and tell her differently even while helping her forge the sword, he still couldn't understand the full weight of what the swordsmith in front of him carried with her when she created this sword.

"Every unique blade forged by the Kaji and presented to a warrior is always given a name, for Lord Mifune his blade was named Kurosawa the Black Swamp. Your blade is no different and once I utter its name it shall be yours."

Marika said while she sheathed the sword gently before turning the blade toward Naruto handle first, "Lord Naruto, wanderer of the wind. I present to you your blade…" the girl said as the blond reached his hand out toward the sword.

"Kaze No Yakusoku"

Marika spoke the name while Naruto's hand landed on the handle before his other hand landed on the sheath retrieving it from the girl.

"Fukushu ni oite mo, kono ha wa seiginotameni kami sae mo kiru."

She spoke while Naruto felt the blade in his hands, it felt right almost as if it was perfect just for him. Almost like he's already had this sword all of his life yet when he unsheathed it and held the blade in his hands, he could feel the weight that came with it.

"I swear, I'm going to win. No matter what."

Naruto said while Marika gave the boy a smile, "I believe you, Lord Naruto." the girl said while the blonde teen gave her a look.

"Oi, what did I say about that lord stuff?"

"Right, I apologize."

Marika said with a chuckle while Naruto gave her a grin before his grin faded slightly while looking at his sword in his hands.

"Hey Marika… I have to ask you to do one more favor for me."

The blonde asked while Marika tilted her head in curiosity, "Of course, what is it?" the girl asked while the teen boy took a deep breath.

"I need you to make me another weapon, I'm protecting this castle and I'm going to need everything I've got."

The blonde said while Marika nodded her head, "Wait, what do you mean by that?" she asked while Naruto attached his new sword to his pants on his hip.

"You know the geography of the land way better than I do, if it's possible would you be able to tell me where Judon's camp would be around?"

The blonde asked while Marika's eyes widened, "Naruto, that's insanity! You just received your sword, you are still training in the art of stances, and you are still injured. Not to mention that Lord Judon is a warrior decorated by many conflicts and victories with the power of an Iron Treasure!" she explained while Naruto merely nodded his head.

"Yup, so where would his camp be around that's near here?"

"Tell me you aren't doing this alone."

"Tell me where you think the camp might be."

"This is suicide!"

"I'll win."

"Naruto!"

"I will win."

Naruto spoke his words firmly while Marika buckled under the even gaze of the blue-eyed boy, he was serious about his and there was nothing she could do to stop him. "...I will make your weapon. Tell me what is it that you need?" the blue haired girl spoke giving into the blonde's determination while he gave her a grin.

A few hours later Naruto stepped out of the forge again.

His sword hung from his hip while he tied the headband Inari gave him on his arm near his shoulder, he then took out cloth wrap and began to wrap it around his left arm that had the flame like marks on it covering them up.

Marika walked out of the forge as well with a map and a thin steel band with characters engraved into it, she placed the map on the ground where she pointed toward it.

"There's a large stretch of no man's land between ourselves and the rest of General Nobuzagi's forces with the closest of the forces being Lord Judon. If his offensive is going to take place tonight, then he has to be stationed currently near this abandoned castle in that no man's land to reach here by then."

Marika said while Naruto nodded his head while he looked at where the girl was pointing at the map, tracing his finger from their compound to the castle area.

"It should be nightfall when I get there which will be perfect. I'll strike while the iron is hot then… see what I did there because you're a sword smith?"

Naruto said trying to lighten the mood while Marika gave him an unamused look, "This is a suicide mission, please reconsider." the girl said while the blonde shook his head with a smile on his face.

"Nope, last time I sat out and a lot of good men got hurt. I'm returning the favor and showing that Samurai asshat what for."

The boy stubbornly said while Marika groaned, "Lord Judon wields the Iron Treasure, Shizukesa o midasu tetsu. It has more than just brute force as an ability it also has the ability to disrupt one's balance. It's an extremely dangerous weapon." the girl said while Naruto finished wrapping up his arm.

"That's the big hammer, right? Just don't get hit, got it."

The boy said while Marika was resisting the urge to pull out her hair dealing with this guy, she sighed heavily. "Anyway, here this is the weapon you requested." she said as she handed him the bracer.

"It's able to utilize that strange technique you showed me, and it should use very little chakra so you should be able to utilize it efficiently."

Marika explained while Naruto grinned, taking the bracer and placing it on his right arm, he then took out several ninja tools from his pouch and held them to the bracer. The items began to disappear causing the blonde to grin.

"It worked! Thanks, Kakashi sensei!"

The boy yelled into the air at a visage of his sensei giving him a thumbs up from the clouds while reading make-out paradise, the lazy teacher had left him a scroll a long time ago that was basically very basic sealing for dummies.

It was supposed to be for food storage for long trips but Naruto soon after trying was able to utilize it into his Shadow Clone Jutsu and now as a sealing mechanism for his weapons.

It's almost like he has some natural knack for sealing jutsu or something.

Regardless, now fully armed and prepared the blonde picked up the map before he looked toward the blue haired girl.

"Marika, thanks for everything. Not in a goodbye kind of way because I'll be back but you've seriously done a lot for me since we came so I appreciate you. This is to your revenge and finally swinging back at these bastards."

Naruto said while Marika looked down at the ground before she pinched his shirt in her hands almost as if she didn't want to let him go, "Naruto… swear that you'll make it back." the girl asked while the blonde smiled at her.

"I swear."

The blonde said while Marika looked at him in his determined blue eyes before she finally let go of his shirt. "I believe you." she said while she watched him take a step back.

"Do you have a plan?"

"Kinda."

"So, you don't know how you'll win?"

"I'm a ninja, I'll do what I do best."

The blonde said before he gave her a big smile and disappeared into the trees, she sat there for an extra moment before she put her hands together and closed her eyes.

Naruto meanwhile was quickly dashing through trees moving toward his destination as quickly as possible, if he was going to make it before they launched their offensive then he would have to get there fast. Now that he thinks about it, Kuro is probably going to kill him anyway if she finds out.

Well, he'll have to deal with that when it comes up.

For now.

It was time to finish what these bastards started.

{...}

Night fell upon the compound where Judon and his forces rested, they were settled into multiple buildings that surrounded the old, abandoned castle.

"Sir, the march once we begin will take us a few hours to reach the rebel samurai."

A samurai responded in a kneel in front of a large opposing man, he slowly lifted a saucer filled with alcohol to his lips taking a large sip before sighing with a smile on his face.

"The sake made in the Hisoki Lands nearest to the village has always been the best drink I've ever had."

Lord Judon decorated general and wilderness of one of the Iron Treasures declared proudly while the samurai in front of him stayed kneeling.

"Our plan proceeds as normal, right now that old fool Mifune and his injured dogs will be staying awake through the night expecting an attack. My men will rest here until the break of dawn and allow their drowsiness and injuries bring us swift victory!"

Judon bolstered while he took another large sip from his drink.

"The sooner we leave this land and start our assault on the Hidden Sand the better, as much as I would love to enjoy a true battle with General Mifune in order to fulfill my duties I'm forced to take such measures."

Judon said while the smile disappeared from his face becoming a disappointed look.

"I hope he is able to forgive me for such a disappointing fight in death, this shame will mark me until the end of my existence."

Judon poured out some of his drink on the ground in the honor of his foe he was soon to subjugate.

"However, if that shame brings Arashi's world into existence then a shame I shall bear."

Judon's face became a smile again as he finished his saucer smashing it on the ground while the samurai looked toward it.

"Shall we fetch you another one my lord?"

The samurai asked while Judon looked at the shattered bowl before he sat down.

"No, one drink should suffice. It's all I need to take in the stench of death."

Judon said while the kneeling samurai looked toward his lord, "Stench of death my lord?" The samurai asked while the larger man chuckled.

"You are still young, so I expected you not to understand. Death smells of both healthy roses and decaying iron, the best of scents. When one takes the life of another and then another and then even more that scent becomes a part of their own as a warrior."

Judon explained while he looked toward the Iron Treasure leaning against the wall, the hammer shined in the light as he looked back toward the young samurai.

"I can smell the stench right now, young man, mine own and one other. It boils my blood and reminds me of the reason I love war."

Judon spoke while the young samurai looked toward his lord.

"Young man, eat heartily and rest as if your dreams are your final ones. I sense that in this fight that is upcoming one must leave without regrets."

Judon said as his eyes looked toward the door even past it as a small smile came to his face.

"I believe that before this night ends, you too shall be able to smell the stench called death. We you do, then you'll smell…"

The man continued to speak while in the tree line the branches rustled and bent ever so slightly from pressure before the sound of tile being landed on quietly is heard.

"Out of the two scents. Only one will remain."

Blue eyes that almost seemed to glow flicker in the burning torch light of the once abandoned occupied compound.

Naruto Uzumaki had arrived.

The blonde quickly looked over the large compound, the sheer number of groups alone displayed the amount of force that was going into the assault. There were obviously far too many to take on directly and because of his curse he was currently unable to use any of his jutsu to its full extent.

Especially Shadow Clone Jutsu.

He'll have to take another approach, like he mentioned.

He was a ninja.

Naruto channeled chakra through his body to his feet sending a slight pain shooting through his body.

There were guards all over the place, so he would have to take care of them first. Judon from his guess should be cooped up in the castle itself.

He would make it there and stop him directly, Naruto placed his hand on the hilt of his new sword and took a breath. He then got a running start and jumped off of the roof falling toward the inner compound where the guards were patrolling.

They came in pairs so if he took out one then he would have to take out the other just as quickly to avoid detection. A samurai was slammed against the ground under Naruto's palm slamming the back of his head into the hard ground.

His hand immediately went to his sword's handle as he slashed the samurai next to his comrade, taking the man down immediately.

His eyes then looked toward the downed samurai before he plunged his sword downward.

He was no stranger to this world either.

Naruto ran along a wall before jumping toward another pair of samurai guards, slashing through one before he twisted and cut down the second one. The sword Marika made quick work of the samurai he cut, the blade biting through the steel so sharply it practically glided through them.

The sword lived up to its creator's words.

Naruto ducked low keeping his hand on the hilt of the blade as he kept to the shadows of the wall continuing to advance across it. He went through another set of guards before the blonde reached another set, slashing through him before knocking the other onto the ground.

This samurai recovered, spotting the teen, "It's the shi-" the man never finished his words as Naruto kicked him across the face.

He swung his sword twice disarming the one with one and finishing him with the other before he without missing a beat kept moving forward. Surprisingly a large number of the men were resting. It looks like their so-called assault was some kind of ruse.

Regardless he had to keep moving forward.

The blonde avoided the resting men and went further into the compound reaching the inner section.

He came across another duo of guards, the teen used Iaido to unsheathe, taking one of them out immediately while the other managed to react quickly enough to block the blonde's next attack.

"Intruder."

The man growled while Naruto slid his blade off of the samurai's before he lunged quickly sending multiple slashes. The samurai blocked them pushing Naruto back before he started running to alert the rest of the compound. The blonde flipped, kicking the samurai in the back, he then landed in front of the samurai stabbing him in the chest.

The samurai stopped in his tracks as he reacted to the blade piercing him, he used what strength he had to grab onto Naruto's wrist keeping the blade in his body.

The boy's eyes widened as he looked behind him at another patrol approaching.

"We've been breached!"

The wounded samurai yelled as the other patrol dashed for the alarm, Naruto jerked his arm against the hold of the samurai before wrenching his blade free.

He chased down the other samurai before he unsheathed, striking the man down, but it was already too late.

The alarm he pressed blared signaling the compound of his presence, "Crap!" The boy yelled as he had little time to react before the position, he was standing at exploded.

Naruto had jumped backward, breaking through the smoke that was created from the resulting explosion.

He landed on the ground where multiple samurai had begun to rush toward his position, the blonde held his ground as the soldiers unsheathed their own blade coating them in chakra.

Naruto rushed toward the men deflecting their strikes with his blade, the blonde twisted his body knocking back several samurai before he advanced, slashing through several more. The blonde felt the heavy impact of another sword clashing against his pushing him backward.

His eyes looked toward the gate leading into the inner compound watching as more samurai started pouring through the entrance ready to kill, the teen deflected another slash before countering, taking the samurai down before he ran toward the large invading group.

Naruto avoided a slash before he jumped back flipping off the chest piece of one of the samurai before summoning small round paper bombs at his opponents, the explosions went off as the blonde plunged into the smoke directly in the middle of the crowd.

The blonde moved quickly taking down as many assailants as possible in the chaos before he just barely managed to dodge a large bolt crashing into the ground in front of him, the blonde turned toward the two ballistas mounted on the side of the castle walls.

"Crap."

The boy uttered while he gritted his teeth. Another bolt flew at him as he back flipped to avoid it, when he landed, he deflected a strike from behind before he slashed and took down the attacking samurai. Naruto fought a few more and another ballista bolt crashed right in front of him, sending up more dirt.

Naruto did a backhand spring before he avoided yet another slash toward his back. He turned around and deflected the slash quickly before he summoned a paper bomb on his attacker's chest before kicking him into the large crowd of samurai exploding in the process.

The blonde lunged before he made it back on to the wall where the other samurai immediately arrived to attack him, Naruto deflected and parried their strikes all while still avoiding the large bolts being launched by the ballistas.

He continued to run along the wall while he dashed toward one of the ballistas, the one on the opposite wall fired off a volley of arrows that stabbed into the wall missing Naruto who scaled the wall using the arrows sticking into the wall.

Naruto jumped directly in front of the ballista his hand on the hilt, the samurai fired the bolt at the ninja point blank, but the unsheathed sword cut cleanly through both the bolt and the ballista destroying them before Naruto managed to take out the samurai before he ran along the castle wall.

Another volley of arrows fired at the ninja that he avoided with a few flips before he summoned another two paper bombs throwing them at the ballista destroying it, the blonde fell back toward the ground while he looked at the forming crowd of samurai.

"Don't let him reach the lord!"

One of the samurai yelled while several samurai started moving through their stances, "Fire Stance: Burning Slash!", "Lightning Stance: Slipstream!", "Water Stance: Raging Tide!" the samurai yelled while launching their technique toward the quickly descending Naruto.

"Moon Stance: Lunar Descent!"

Naruto yelled as he turned in the air, his blade slashed at the air clashing against the techniques before he spun, cutting through the techniques that were launched at him. He crashed against the ground sending several samurai flying backward.

The armored men rolled across the ground while Naruto stood up in the middle of the crater he created, his blue eyes looking ahead at the large group of samurai who were standing at the gate looking at him. They held their ground while Naruto took a step toward them.

"For Lord Judon!"

One of the samurai roared while the rest of the samurai yelled along with him charging toward Naruto who took a deep breath before he exhaled. The dirt crunched under his feet as he charged toward the large group of men yelling back at them.

From the inside of the castle Judon listened to the carnage outside with a smirk on his face, he continued to listen until the carnage slowly became quieter.

Until he could hear anything at all.

Judon patiently waited for the gate leading directly into the castle to open, his eyes slightly widened as he watched the blonde-haired teen walk inside of his temporary sanctum. The general's brown eyes looked at the blonde with surprise as he approached the man directly.

"Shinobi, you approach me directly? Instead of a swift end to this conflict with my assassination using your techniques you wish to fight me directly?"

Judon questioned the blonde who huffed at the man while his hand landed on the hilt of his sword ready to draw.

"You hurt my friends. You're planning on hurting innocent people for the sake of some conquest. Yeah, I'm fighting you head on."

Naruto spoke while Judon laughed, his laughter boomed from his mouth while he stood to his feet looking toward the ninja.

"Then come… 'O death."

{...}

Naruto stared down Judon who took off the robe he was wearing revealing the bronze-colored armor he was wearing underneath; it was an intricate piece of chakra armor made just for him.

"Shinobi, can you smell the scent of death?"

Judon said while Naruto looked toward him with a glare, "As a general of the Land of Iron I have made many conquests and have claimed many victories. I noticed that the battlefields I walked across had a scent to them, something so sweet yet so horrible." The man explained while he chuckled.

"I only believe in two things Shinobi, victory and death."

Judon continued to explain as he looked at his hammer, "From a very young age I had already understood that once one kills, they are destined to be killed. Yet after all of these years, after all of the battles, these victories. I have yet to meet death, yet to meet my end despite bringing it to so many others." the man continued to speak while Naruto's grip on his handle tightened.

"Then this damned world spites me by pretending it has achieved some kind of peace, leaving me without both victory and death. A warrior without a blade without a meaning. I had achieved victory and then the fighting stopped before I could meet death. Truly an agonizing experience, then Arashi arrived from what seemed like out of nowhere."

Judon said with a chuckle while Naruto could feel a change in the air, it felt almost like bloodlust. "He reawakened the warrior in my soul and reinvigorated me. He gave me purpose… He gave me war! Now once we turn our forces to the entire world, I shall have many victories and many chances to meet death… or that's what I used to believe." the large man smiled as he looked at Naruto.

"Then you arrived… and for once I could smell it again. Death, on you. You have given me even more hope than before. I'm glad you survived our last encounter so that we could have this one."

Judon grabbed his hammer while he turned toward Naruto, "Perhaps it is you. My executioner, sent to end my life and show me the end. Will you be yet another victory? Or will you be my end? I am almost shaking in anticipation." Judon laughed before he faced Naruto.

He spun his large hammer around rapidly before slamming it on the ground hard enough to sound every gong in the building all at once filling the building with a dull yet triumphant sounding ringing. Judon then readied his weapon.

"Come sweet death, bring me to my end."

Judon said while Naruto quickly unsheathed his sword, closing the distance between the two of them while Judon laughed heartily, "That spirit!" the man yelled before deflecting Naruto's blade the sheer amount of force alone blew Naruto backward.

Judon rapidly followed up with a swing from above that Naruto narrowly avoided, 'He's fast!' the blonde thought to himself while he bounced off of his heel toward the larger man slashing his sword at him Judon deflected the slashes again before Naruto spun unleashing a rotating slash.

Judon moved backward avoiding the slash only for Naruto to quickly close the distance between them again, the blonde ran up his armor before kicking the general across the face. Judon immediately swung in response while Naruto avoided it.

'That hammer, I can't risk getting hit by it since I still have no idea what it does. I'll have to wear him out!'

Naruto thought to himself while Judon dashed toward him stomping his foot on the ground planting himself firmly before he began swinging, the swings were so fast the blonde had no choice but to deflect a few of them to avoid getting hit.

Yet the swings were so heavy the ones he deflected nearly shattered his posture completely with each time, Naruto backflipped to avoid another swing before he jumped. "Moon Stance: Lunar Descent!" the blonde yelled as he spun in the air landing the heavy attack on Judon's hammer.

Judon pushed against the boy's blade, punching Naruto in the face with his free hand. The blonde spun before he hit the ground and bounced into a wall crashing into it, the ninja fell back to the ground after the hit.

This guy was insanely strong.

Naruto quickly recovered as Judon kicked his foot forward shaking the building just with his kick against it, the blonde didn't waste the opening as he planted his feet re-sheathing his sword before quickly unsheathing it cutting into the armor on the general's back.

Judon groaned before he swung his hammer backward landing just in front of the blonde who backflipped out of the way, Judon began to swing his hammer aggressively while Naruto weaved through the swings while slashing back at the large man.

Metal rang throughout the castle as their respective weapons clashed against one another, they both increased the pace of their swings. Naruto could feel his feet beginning to slide backward from the multiple clashes they were having.

Judon's swings were still incredibly heavy, and Naruto did his best to meet him at his same level as much as possible however the imbalance between them was clear.

"Earth Stance: Quake!"

Judon yelled as his hammer swing cracked the ground without touching as it went toward Naruto, the blonde rapidly avoiding the swing before the earth underneath him exploded sending him flying into the air he flipped before his footing gained ground against the ceiling that cracked under his feet when he landed.

Naruto dashed off of the ceiling before summoning shuriken to throw at Judon who deflected them, "Relying on your ninja weaponry now?!" the man yelled while the blonde summoned a large paper ball in his hands slamming it on the ground as he landed.

An explosion went off sending Judon backward, Naruto launched out of the smoke slashing through the shoulder piece of Judon's armor, the large man turned around to swing but instead was looking at a paper bomb that exploded in his face.

Judon felt his side get slashed against as Naruto moved again, "Moon Stance: Crescent Dance!" the blonde yelled while the larger man just managed to begin blocking the strikes as the blonde fluidly moved through the movements of the attack.

"You're improving on the fly! How impressive Shinobi!"

Judon yelled while Naruto kept his aggression with his attacks up, the larger man deflected a strike and went to swing at the blonde only for the blonde to jump forward spinning past his swing. Judon felt a cut run across his other shoulder, he quickly turned toward Naruto who dashed again.

Judon felt his next swing get deflected while his chest plate was cut into by Naruto's sword, the man's eyes widened while Naruto landed on his feet. His feet were grounded while he moved, the way his blade moved as he fought against the larger man.

'Is he just now beginning to master his stance? And yet he's done this much?'

Judon thought to himself while he grinned widely before he stomped his foot to the ground, "Earth Stance: Quake!" the larger man yelled as he swung his hammer again, Naruto took a deep breath before he felt the swing coming.

At that strength and speed, it certainly would kill him if it landed.

However, Naruto avoided the swing barely as the ground began to crack ready to explode as it did last time, the blonde spun on his heel while Judon winded up for another swing. The earth between them exploded however Naruto's blade pierced through the explosion directly in front of Judon's chest.

"Moon Stance: Twilight Thrust!"

Naruto yelled while the pressure from the explosion inverted blasting backward directly into a precise point that the ninja's sword was pointing at, Judon's eyes widened as he was blasted with the reflected explosion of his own stance.

Judon flew backward smashing into the back of the castle, Naruto felt the wind getting pushed out of his own lungs as he gasped for air, his sword hitting the ground while he panted.

The counterattack, Twilight Thrust, was a powerful Moon Stance technique. However, the drawback of the stance is it could only counter against non-physical techniques and the stronger that technique was the more chakra is drained utilizing it.

Naruto slowly looked up as he saw the rubble moving where Judon had landed, he heard the sound of laughter before he saw the man stand up.

"SHINOBI!"

Judon roared while he continued to laugh while Naruto lifted his sword and got back to his feet, his eyes narrowed toward the man in a glare.

"You haven't had enough yet?!"

Naruto yelled while Judon walked out of the rubble, his armor was in ruin, massive pieces of the iron plates that made it had been damaged and the chakra armor core had been exposed. "You have proven to be far better than I even expected you to be." Judon said while he wiped the blood from his mouth.

"I don't get it, what's the big deal with trying to wipe out the ninja? This land is supposed to be neutral right? If you've been at peace not being involved with the rest of the world, then why start a war all of the sudden?"

The teen questioned while Judon huffed, "O' Death. This land was never not involved with the shinobi world. What you call peace, is just the Samurai sitting around and waiting to die. The ninja world is filled with scum, scum that are just like me. So, who better to battle to the death with huh?" Judon said while he lifted his hammer up.

Naruto looked at the man quietly as he tried to make sense of his words, "So you're just looking for war? For some kind of reason to exist? Is fighting all that life means to you? I understand that there are some parts of the ninja world that aren't as good as others, but there are still good people there!" the blonde argued while Judon shook his head.

"How naive my executioner, this isn't about good people or bad. It's about order. This is about legacy; this is about ensuring the world is set to its proper ways of war and honor. Who am I to care whether or not the person I face is good or evil? The gods themselves could show their faces and I would gleefully cut them down as I would any other."

Judon said before he lifted his hammer in the air even higher before he slammed it to the ground with all of his might shaking the ground along with the entire castle, Naruto watched the top piece of the hammer shatter while Judon grinned.

"No more games shinobi, this battle to the death will continue at full force. With this I promise you that all of my might will be on display so that when you depart this world you will have no regrets, the same goes for myself."

Judon said as he lifted the hammer again revealing the chime piece inside of it, the hammer had been a large bell the entire time. This was the true Iron Treasure.

"So that's just it then, if you win, you'll destroy the rest of the world if it means you get what you want?"

Naruto asked while Judon laughed again, "The peace I will receive in my life is my death. Come Death, allow us to finish our grand battle to meet the glorious end." Judon said while the blonde readied his sword to finish the fight.

Naruto wasted no time dashing toward the large man, he sheathed his blade ready to unsheathe it. He would use everything that he's got to end this, right when Naruto was about to unsheathe his sword into a slash, he heard the sound of the bell ringing.

Suddenly he felt weak and was unable to move.

He watched Judon approach the man then swung the bell, Naruto tried to use everything in his body to move but he couldn't. The bell slammed against him with enough force to smash into the rooftop, Naruto's eyes rolled into the back of his head from the sheer amount of pain.

The blonde started falling toward the ground before he crashed into it, Naruto coughed while he was on the ground. His palm shakily landed on the ground to pick himself up. He felt as if his entire body was shaking while he picked himself back up.

Naruto went to reach his sword again, but his hands couldn't even find the strength to grab the handle before Judon smacked the bell against the boy again launching him into a wall nearly smashing him through it, the blonde coughed again while he fell out again.

He landed roughly on the ground again as his vision shook as well, the boy took multiple breaths trying to regain his footing while Judon kicked the boy into the large door of the castle nearly snapping it in half before the large samurai pulled him out of the wall throwing him up into the air.

Naruto felt the bell smash into him again while he went flying again, the ring of the bell echoing through the air while Judon pursued the boy allowing him to hit the wall before he was knocked upward the the large man through the ceiling.

Judon followed him upward, smashing through the ceiling as well; he then spun smacking Naruto back into the building. The blonde smashed through the multiple floors before he crashed onto the ground coughing up blood as soon as he hit the ground.

"What's wrong Shinobi?"

Naruto heard Judon's voice echoing while the sound of the bell rang again, the blonde's vision was blurry as he tried to find where the man was coming from.

"What happened to that spirit!"

Judon roared as he landed directly on top of Naruto crushing the boy further into the ground, the building shook violently causing the torches and lanterns on the wall to fall off of them shattering on the floor setting the surroundings on fire.

Naruto screamed out in pain while Judon kicked the boy into another wall, the smile stayed on the samurai's face while he approached the blonde. "I thought I made it clear to you already that I was going to display my full might. Don't tell me that was the extent of your ability?" the man said while Naruto coughed while he twitched on the ground.

He felt faint, he still couldn't find the strength in himself to move while he heard the chiming of the bell through the air.

"The hell are you doing brat?!"

A voice spoke in Naruto's ear while he quickly recognized it, "Stupid Fox?" the boy questioned while one of his blue eyes turned purple and then red.

"How disappointing. You went through all of this effort to get stronger without me and then you go and get us into a near death situation. Worse yet there's a chakra disrupting my ability to take over like we've contracted let alone give you any chakra."

Kurama growled while Naruto struggled to get up, "Listen, I've got some kind of curse mark on me so that's probably what it is… I can't find any of my strength." the blonde said while the demon fox listened to the shakiness in his voice.

Naruto sounded scared.

He hadn't heard this child sound like this since he was a young child.

"You fool. I thought I told you not to get us killed. Now we're in this situation because of you, I can't even save us now. Our deaths will be your fault and to some human of all things."

Kurama said while Naruto growled, "Shut up." The boy said while Judon approached with his hammer slung on his arm ready to attack. "Finally lost your mind from the pain Shinobi? I suppose this will be the time to end it then." Judon spoke while the blonde looked toward him.

"You're terrified, I can feel it. I can feel the way you can't help but feel helpless. The way you feel like you're letting down all of those people that you've foolishly put it upon yourself to help. You are powerless here Kit."

The fox spoke while Naruto growled while Judon readied his hammer lifting it into the air, "I thought I told you to shut up." the blonde said while the fox growled.

"Then what? Just allow you to die?"

"I ain't dying."

"You have ended yourself trying to rely on your bravado alone."

"I have to be there for them! They saved my life! These guys are trying to destroy this world I call home!"

"Be there by doing what? Becoming a martyr inspiring all of those other humans to trailblaze into their own deaths after yours? This protecting people is pointless, they will all die pitiful deaths one day anyway. Stop trying to give them more than that!"

"You wouldn't know what the hell it means to have anyone to fight for! To have any kind of reason to want to protect someone!"

"You don't even know why you fight!"

The fox roared out in Naruto's head while that caused the blonde to stop talking, that hit him. That question that he's been pondering since Mifune asked him. Why is it that he's fighting? He has no goals and even if Kurotsuchi had told him to take his time.

He currently didn't have any.

The reason he fought off this castle, that he's fighting Judon. That he protected Kurotsuchi and took up her mission to bring her home.

Why?

Judon swung his hammer downward toward Naruto who stared at it coming down at him, his hand slowly went to the side of his temple touching it gently while his other hand reached his sword. The bell smashed down on the ground heavily kicking up dirt and creating a crater where it landed.

However, the crater was empty.

Judon looked up toward a panting bloodied Naruto while he held his blade in his hands, he thought about the villagers preparing for the festival. He thought about Kota and the people at the Jasmine Village, he also thought about Koyori, Tsunami, Inari, and old man Tazuna.

He remembered the way Gaara smiled at him during his inauguration, the way Kankuro silently accepted him being around, the way Temari's eyes sparkled as she gave him that smile.

Kurotsuchi looking at him from when she was laying on his chest.

The reason he lifted his sword.

"You're right… I am scared. I'm helpless and powerless. But I refuse… I refuse to just allow those people to lose anything because of me! As long as I can even breathe a single breath, I won't allow anyone to take their lives away from them!"

Naruto yelled while the eye that had turned red had slowly became blue again, Judon's face shifted from surprise to happiness as he looked at the blonde on his feet.

"Shinobi! That look… That look boils my blood!"

The larger man yelled while Naruto held his blade upward pointing it at the samurai general standing in front of him.

"Judon, I'm going to beat you. No matter what. If you want to have any chance at beating me… then you better hope your next swing kills me!"

Naruto roared while Judon burst out into hardy laughter, "Ninja! I will be asking you your name after this! Your will has ignited my soul!" the man laughed as he rapidly closed the distance between himself and Naruto smacking the boy with the bell through a burning wall.

Judon watched the flames engulf the wall Naruto just went through with anticipation, he watched silently before the flames moved. A kick slammed against his face hard enough to send blood shooting from his shattered nose.

The teen kickflipped off of the larger slashing another piece of his armor off, Judon growled before he rang the bell again. Naruto felt the disorientation move through his body while the samurai prepared another swing toward him.

Naruto's stance with his sword loosened, he managed to extend his slash to strike the hammer directly making a lighter chime, Judon then took another vicious blow to the face from the blonde's knee sending him reeling backward.

Judon continued to chime the bell, temporarily throwing off the blonde only to be viciously countered on his swings.

His Iron Treasure works by the bell that is used on the head of the hammer ringing sending vibrations through the air that disturb that natural vibration of human bodies causing intense discombobulation and the utter destruction of one's balance.

However, this ninja still managed to attack despite being affected earlier, Judon tried to analyze the boy's movements, but they were quick and too fast for him to spot exactly what was being done.

He took another kick to the face, then a slash to his side before he noticed it. Naruto was striking the bell right after it rang creating the opposite effect.

His sword strike was recreating the balance that his bell was destroying.

Judon quickly held his ground from a distance before ringing his bell again, this time standing far enough away that Naruto's blade couldn't reach his bell. The samurai smirked before he rushed the disoriented Naruto again with his hammer raised.

His eyes then widened as he looked at the teen in front of him, he held his blade in a reverse grip. His feet were shoulder length apart and his posture felt firm yet relaxed and ready to strike.

He had never seen a stance like this before.

Judon swung completely missing Naruto who weaved past his strike twisting enough to slash the samurai's back with his sword, the man yelled as he rang the bell aggressively trying to knock off the boy's newfound balance however Naruto moved through the vibrations just fine before he sheathed his sword.

"Roaring Moon Stance: Railgun."

The boy calmly said before a massive gust of wind shot from behind him before Judon felt the teen's foot smash into the chakra armor core on his chest cracking it, the man was then sent flying backward into a burning wall crushing it.

"SHINOBI!"

Judon roared as he ran after the boy swinging with all of his might while ringing the bell only for Naruto to smoothly move through his strikes, "Roaring Moon Stance: Shadow Clone!" Naruto yelled as he summoned a clone.

The clone tackled into the samurai's chest pushing him backward before it exploded violently, Judon rolled backward as he heard the sound of his chakra armor core falling apart. He immediately stomped both of his feet into the ground.

"Earth Stane: Shattering Earth!"

Judon roared as he swung the bell around while stomping his feet on the ground smashing into the earth while he made sure to ring the bell violently preparing for his next and strongest swing. Naruto meanwhile approached him directly.

He moved through the cracking earth and the vibrations of the bell while Judon watched him get closer, right when Naruto was directly in front of him, he swung his hammer down directly on top of the boy. This was where it ended.

His swing was hard enough to bend the air around it as it descended upon Naruto who was unsheathing his sword.

It couldn't have been more than a millisecond.

Judon's swing hit nothing while his chakra armor shattered and was destroyed, the blonde had moved into his blind spot and completely destroyed his armor with a slash. The general growled before he went to swing at the boy again.

Naruto twisted and cut into the top of the Iron Treasure where the pole had connected to the bell cutting the bell off of it, the bell flew through the air while Judon looked at it in surprise before the blonde landed with his blade readied.

Then with the last ring of the bell as it hit the ground.

A life ended.

Judon slowly looked down at Naruto who had stabbed his sword directly into his chest, he dropped the rest of the Iron Treasure in his hand to the ground with a heavy thud as he looked at the boy.

"Shinobi… I am grateful to you."

Judon said while Naruto looked toward his smiling opponent as the samurai's palm gently touched the top of the boy's hair.

"I understand that you find no joy in death as I did. Even now I still believe in my way, however between us the one with the stronger will was you… carry this strength with you as you move forward shinobi."

Judon spoke gently while Naruto looked down. He tooka breath while he gripped his sword's handle still firmly planted in the man's chest. The blonde then pulled his sword out of the samurai's chest sending the man's blood to the ground.

"I, Lord Judon. Leave this world in your hands… O' Death… no… Naruto."

Judon spoke while he dipped his fingers into his own blood before he wrote something on his palm holding it out toward the teen, Naruto looked at the dying man as he took his last breaths, he then looked at his palm before he touched it.

Naruto felt a burning sensation move through his body before it reached his arm, he felt the marks from the seal recede from the top of his wrist to his elbow before the burning stopped. The samurai saw the tears on the blonde's face as he faded.

"Oh… To feel respect for even a monster like I…"

Judon said while he began to lean backward, falling over as his eyes began to close.

"How foolish."

Judon spoke dying with a smile on his face.

Naruto looked at the man while he wiped the tears from his face and sheathed his sword, he then turned to walk out of the burning building.

Lord Judon was a monster of war who had killed hundreds for the sake of his own tainted will and need to satisfy his life with death, however despite that he still never failed to be a man of honor with a code. He was his enemy.

But he was also a true samurai.

"I hope you found that peace."

Naruto said as he walked out of the burning castle that collapsed as the blonde kept his eyes forward, his will sharpened and a part of his reason found.

As Naruto walked away a samurai looked at the burning collapsed building where his lord was laid to rest, he smelled the air before tears ran down his face followed by a small smile.

The scent of death, two scents did indeed become one during this night. Then once Naruto had completely left the compound.

There was none.

{...}

Mifune tiredly looked out along the horizon according to their intel as well as the threats from Lord Judon the attack should have come in the night, while there was always reasonable doubt knowing they were the enemy he couldn't gamble that.

Even if they had to stay up all night into the morning, they would hold their ground.

The situation looked dire, most of his forces were still wounded. What's left of his forces were exhausted and he still had no clue how Judon's attack would proceed or even when it would happen. The thing that concerned him other than that was…

Naruto had disappeared.

He looked toward Kurotsuchi who was wearing a scowl on her face, the girl had been looking for him for hours during the wait, they couldn't find him anyway when she suggested taking a solo mission to where Mifune and his forces had fought against Judon's forces before, he immediately declined her.

They fought tooth and nail over it before he forcefully kept her and next to him for clear supervision, he couldn't risk it. If Naruto for whatever reason had been captured, then sending Kurotsuchi to her death would only further drag down their situation.

He too wanted to find Naruto however with the attack looming he couldn't have his forces segmented while that was happening. Mifune was stressed, more so than he had been since this civil war started. In the beginning the skirmishes were small and manageable however the war slowly ramped up since then.

Now it seems Arashi had everything he needed to proceed other than the annihilation of whatever rebel forces were here to begin his march on the rest of the world.

He couldn't allow that to happen.

He wouldn't allow it.

They would have to make their stand here to defend the rest of the Land of Iron as well as the rest of the world, all of that landed on the shoulders of himself and his men.

"Lord Mifune!"

One of the sentries called, causing Mifune to turn toward the man, "Have they finally arrived?" the older man asked while the sentry continued looking through his scope.

"There is an approach however… there's only one."

The sentry reported while Mifune looked ahead at the road while his men readied themselves for war, Kurotsuchi placed a hand on her sword while the older man looked around.

One?

That made no sense.

Was this an ambush and they are getting flanked from the other side?

Mifune's mind raced while the sentry looked toward him, "Sir! They've reached the main road, and they will reach the gates soon!" the man called while the older man broke into a sweat.

"Ready yourselves!"

Mifune called while his forces prepared themselves for an attack, it would be here where they would make their last stand against Arashi, should they survive, they would continue the fight. Should they fall, hopefully the rest of the world stands a better chance than they did.

He was the first to see it.

The limping figure walking toward the front gates.

A bloodied blonde young man with blue eyes walking toward the front gates holding up a peace sign with his hand.

Mifune looked at the boy with shock as Kurotsuchi launched herself off of the wall toward the boy, the rest of the men looked at each other in shock.

"Naruto."

Mifune said while Kurotsuchi reached the boy catching him as he collapsed into her arms, "Naruto!" the girl yelled out while she held onto the teen tightly as he placed a hand on her cheek.

"Yeah… it's me."

The blonde said while her pink eyes teared up while she hugged him, meanwhile other forces had rushed out toward the two ready to bring the boy in. Mifune's eyes darted between Naruto and the distance repeatedly looking for any other sign of life.

Yet there wasn't an enemy soldier in sight.

"Sir, Lord Judon's forces have been defeated!"

One of his men reported while Mifune's face was filled with shock, "Are we certain?" the older man asked while the samurai nodded his head before he passed the eyeglass to the general.

Mifune quickly looked through the eyeglass until he spotted it. There was a large plume of black smoke in the distance.

Almost exactly where Lord Judon and his forces had set-up camp.

Mifune felt the strength leave his body as he finally relaxed, one of his men caught him while they looked toward the older man. "Lord Mifune, are you alright?" the soldier asked while the older man looked toward the men carrying the unconscious blonde.

It should have been impossible; they had spent a long time just barely managing to get by in this war. Yet this determined kid from nowhere went and changed the tides.

"Naruto…"

Mifune said before he began to laugh, he placed his hand over his eyes while he just laughed out loud as the sun began to rise on the horizon. Naruto's face was touched by the light as he was taken into one of the medical tents for care.

"Thank you."

{...}

Smoke billowed.

The fire burned brightly and fiercely while two figures stood in front of the burning building, one of the figures picked up a piece of burnt debris inspecting it in his hand before he held it in his palm crushing it into ash while closing his eyes.

"Lord Arashi."

"So, it is true, Judon has fallen."

Arashi Nobuzagi said as he watched the burning funeral pyre his old friend was resting underneath, there was a woman dressed as a Miko Priestess wearing a porcelain mask standing beside him looking at the flames.

"Yes… the shinobi bested him in battle and put our lord to rest."

A samurai spoke to Arashi who continued to look at the burning building, he took in a deep breath before he turned away from the fire.

"Rest old friend, we shall carry your will with us into the future. As for you Naruto…"

Arashi trailed off while he looked toward the sun beginning to rise, shifting the night into day while the fire that burned the building began to die.

"I shall see you soon."

Arashi spoke as he walked away from the fire, the woman continued standing there. She never took her eyes off of the fire while she briefly held her hand over the mouth of the mask, there was a light noise that came from the mask before she dropped her hand.

The corner of the expressionless lips on the mask then cracked.