Sorry for the delay. I got sick and couldn't force myself to do advance the story. Luckily, I feel a lot better and during my sickness I decided to rewrite some of the older chapters, much like I did with the first chapters. These will be uploaded over the next few weeks, and you'll be notified through a author note (chapter). I know most of you will want to just continue the story, but it was something I felt I needed to do.

I don't think it will change too much in terms of time and I think, with some luck, that this story will be wrapped entirely by the end of the summer. As it stands now, I've wrapped up the Konoha arc, and have started on writing the very last arc of this story.

Onto the reviewers!

Nithu velu: I'm sorry to confirm your fears of suspense regarding the Shinigami story. This will be put on the shelve until later. As for Naruto's anger (or lack thereof), Don't forget he was angry at the man for doing what he did, it's just something I haven't explored further (with the chapters that have been posted so far).

Stalker1: Thank you! I hope this one will be enjoyable as well! Shorter than the last though!

Faisal Khalid: You'll have to be patient, It's going to take a while!

Strikerthefallen: You've certainly gave it a good amount of thought! All I can say is that this story hasn't been a very uplifting story so far haha!

Prydain: Thank you for the encouraging words! I hope this chapter lives up to it!

Chovitap: I always thought or liked to think that Tsunade didn't know who Minato's son was. She left years prior to his birth, whereas Jiraiya does know.

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Chapter 44: Darkening skies

The village roaring with activity. Shinobi were marching left and right, heading to their designated areas of operating. Sitting on the sidewalk, the last Uzumaki was examining everyone's expressions. It ranged from seriousness to fear and even anger.

There were some straggling youngsters who were still in the academy and wanted to fight. The edge of his lips tucked upwards before the imagery of dead genin entered his mind once more. With a grimace he tore his gaze away and settled on Micheru. She was talking to her mom. Undoubtedly her mother was trying to keep her away from the fighting.

"-I don't care what you think, mom. I'm not hiding away."

"Your medical abilities are needed more than just another body on the wall!"

A large group of genin walked past, obscuring his sight. Tsunade was going to use the inexperienced nin in a similar fashion Sunagakure had. But they weren't allowed near the wall, unless absolutely necessary. They were their future, or so Tsunade had said.

In terms of strength, they were similar to that of Suna, if slightly more. The upside was their intel. They had dug in, hard. Traps and explosives were hidden amongst the tree line. The Reavers would lose a good portion of their men before the fighting even started.

Pein had left Konoha and told them he would return later. He would be sorely missed though. His strength was basically second to none and would have been a good help against Kenpachi or some of his other lieutenants.

He took a sip from his drink that was sitting next to him, his eyes wandering to the darkening sky. Storm clouds were forming all over the country and it wouldn't be long before the rain started.

His eye temporarily glazed over as his mind wandered back to the events of last week, his conversation with God of death himself. It was an image that was burned in his skull forever.

Kakashi and Micheru both had pressed, trying to have him explain, when he had said that there was no solution to their desperate situation. He had shut them both down instantly and told them to stop bothering him with it. If it was up to him, he would never talk to anyone about it.

"When are you going to get off your ass and started getting ready?"

Turning to the newcomer, he saw that Sasuke and Ridou were standing there, clad in their jonin/chunin outfit.

"This is how I get ready, teme."

"By sitting there. Staring at people pass by?"

"Running back and forth while letting my emotions run wild isn't my way of preparing."

Sasuke shrugs and looks at the anxious shinobi around them. "Everyone prepares in their own way."

Naruto gave him a nod before he slowly started zoning out. "See you guys in a bit."

Sasuke and Ridou were looking at him for moment longer before they turned and walked away once more.

In the blonde's mind his fight against Kenpachi played on repeat, trying to remember as much as he could from the man's fighting style. 'Overwhelming strength is what he does…'

"I'm going to try something new!" Naruto grabbed Itachi's arm and disappeared in flashstep. Coming to an abrupt halt just as Kenpachi swung his unsheathed blade. Naruto threw Itachi into the sky and blocked the blade with his claw, grimacing at the pain. The scales were effective in blocking such attacks, but it still hurt moderately.

Naruto didn't have the chance to dodge the second attack and looked with a wide eye as the Reaver hit him with a red chakra wave, at point blank range, sending him blasting off, through the building to the left.'

He knew Itachi had struck him with a good blow, but it wasn't nearly enough. The teamwork did put Kenpachi off guard for a moment. They had trained with Kisame for the past weeks, to get their timing right and he was hopeful that it might give them that extra edge.

He had also extensively been training in chakra bursts. He recalled that by using chakra through his hands, similar to his 'chakra push' ability, he could increase his mobility and agility. 'Anything to help me stay out of his reach.'

The megaphones strapped to the poles crackled before it sprang alive. ~Squads fifteen to twenty-five. Meet at checkpoint A. for your revised objectives. ~

Being part of squad fifteen, he slowly with a grunt stood up, his muscles protesting from having sat down for the last half hour.

As he walked down the road with Konoha's massive walls on his close right, he tried ignoring the sense of dread that was slowly building. Swallowing nervously, he tried pushing it down deep, but with little success.

Walking past a Suna squad, he gave them a nod, which they returned in kind. Temari stood amongst them and called him out. "Naruto, where are you going?"

"Checkpoint A."

"Let us walk with you. We need to head there as well."

One of the Suna jonin spoke up. "Rumor has it, you're going for round two against the big guy."

He looked over his shoulder, looking at the Jonin, a smirk plastered on his face. "You'd be right about that. I wonder where you got that info from." His eyes flicked to Temari for a moment.

She threw her hands up in defense. "It wasn't me!"

Someone smothered his words with a weak attempted cough "Liar."

Amused, the blonde turned his attention to the checkpoint that was nearing. "Don't go spreading it around. I don't want to be bothered with it."

Another Suna-nin responded in turn. "You're nuts. After last time, you'd think that you learned your lesson."

"People have said many times I'm a baka," He shrugged before turning serious. "Besides…If Kenpachi is allowed to roam free, he'll create chaos amongst our ranks. We need to keep him away."

They arrived at the checkpoint, and they all noticed a lot of familiar faces. Most, if not all of them were shinobi who had participated in the battle for Sunagakure."

"I think that's the last one. Let's update you on your new task," Gaara announced as he stepped away from Konoha's lead tactician, Shikaku. "Listen up. We've noticed that there is a lot of doubt fear amongst the men and women. Logical, but something that could severely impact morale."

Crossing his arms, he glanced at Itachi who stood next to Kisame. They were listening to the Kazekage's words with interest.

"You are Suna's defenders. You've survived an unspeakable onslaught, and now you're asked to do it again." Gaara's voice died down as he looked at his group of shinobi, his battle-hardened warriors. Shinobi were experienced in war and were well aware of the nature of their profession. Yet the fighting that had occurred in Suna was a different beast altogether. It had steeled the minds of the remaining defenders.

"Words can't describe my gratefulness to each and every one of you," He turned halfway and showed them a whiteboard with some tactics and placements. "The rest of our defensive force haven't experienced a battle of this scale. So far it has been skirmishes and the occasional battle. What I want of you all is to spread out over the wall and make sure that morale is kept up."

"What can we possibly do about that?" A grizzled Suna Jonin asked, his deep voice rumbling.

"Your presence will undoubtedly give them comfort." Shikaku answered in place.

Naruto looked at the Nara with skepticism but remained quiet.

"Check the board for your orders."

As the group of shinobi walked over to the board before dispersing, Naruto was signaled by Shikaku, with Tsunade beside him.

"Are you three ready?" Tsunade asked, gesturing to Itachi and Kisame.

"As well as can be."

"You think you can beat him?" Tsunade asked, locking eyes on Naruto after giving his companions a wary glance.

Naruto opened his mouth but hesitated, doubting his own words. He slowly closed his mouth and looked in her eyes. "Doubtful."

She looked at him worriedly. A lot had changed since Naruto's return. Despite it all, she still held the same motherly instinct to protect him. "Maybe you shouldn't…"

He shook his head and smirked, masking his own fears. "Too late to change things. Our main objective will be to keep him away from the main fight. If that means dying, so be it."

Kisame let out a bark of laughter. "Not so gloomy brat. I'm around this time."

Itachi laid a hand on Kisame's shoulder. "Don't underestimate Kenpachi. He'll be nothing you've ever faced before," He turned his focus back on their commanders. "We will fulfill our duty. Make sure no one interferes with our fight."

"Where will you lure him to?" Shikaku asked.

The group looked towards the map, taking in possible locations, before settling on the center of it.

"We should keep them away from the hospital, the monument and our supply points. We can't guarantee it though. We all know the flow of a fight can be unpredictable." Itachi stated calmly, his eyes darting from building to building.

"Do you think the second squad is able to handle Kenapchi?" A voice asked from behind.

Naruto turned and saw Shikamaru walking over, his hands full with documents and papers. "If we die, Let's hope that we've wounded the 'beast.'"

Naruto didn't wait for a response and walked back the way he came from, shadowed by Kisame and Itachi.

Micheru sat at an abandoned terrace. The same one she had visited when she came with Naruto when they were trying to find the Reaver scouts. That had been almost two years ago.

So far, the Reavers had been partially successful with their conquest, but what struck her as odd was that their enemy wasn't plowing through the nations, but instead were being slow and careful. 'Maybe they didn't expect such a heavy resistance.'

"Remembering our first trip here huh?"

She looked up and saw the blonde staring at her. She smiled and gave slow nod. "Can you imagine it's already been two years?"

He took the seat next to her and his face seemed unreadable. "Feels a lot shorter."

A lone leaf twirled in the wind before landing on their table. They both looked at it absentmindedly.

"You think we'll survive this war?"

Naruto didn't turn to meet her gaze, despite feeling it. "I don't know…"

"What does your heart tell you?"

His mind whirled with memories of his beatings and near-death experiences, before it settled on the gruesome face of the shinigami. It seemed only a matter of time before he'd bite it too. Not that it mattered. He couldn't tell her what he thought. "Yeah. I think we will survive."

Her lips curved upwards and the knot in her stomach eased slightly. "You think so?"

Naruto returned the smile, reaching for her hand and squeezed it slightly. "I do. Tonight, we'll show them what we're made of."

"What about Kenpachi?" she locked her eyes with his.

He gave her a shrug, the smile still plastered on his face. "Leave him to me, Michu-kun"

The sound of a seat being pulled back drew their attention. Hawke was grinning at them as he sat down. "Don't mind me. You be you."

Naruto shook his head in amusement. "Baka..."

Hawke waggled his finger at him. "Now now, that's no way to treat your old teacher."

The blonde looked at his 'mentor' and noticed he had wrapped his hair into a knot. His beard had been trimmed and his eyes still held the same mischievous twinkle. "You'll never change."

"Ha! Of course, I won't. You'd be depressed otherwise."

"I heard you're on Rome's squad." Said Micheru.

Planting his feet on top of the table, he leaned back whilst crossing his arms. "Yep. It's been a while since I fought together with Rome. I was more surprised to hear that you'd be fighting at the wall."

She quirked an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Because he probably expected Mayu to team up with you." Naruto said before turning to look at the street to his left. "Speaking of…"

Mayu, Rome Kia and Kitase walked over, giving a small wave. "Hey guys, I'd like to introduce you to our newest member."

Micheru's eyebrows shot up. "Kitase? What about Ame?"

Kitase smiled and gave a small wave at the group. "Hi guys. Its pleasure to meet you, Hawke. I've heard a lot about you."

"Can't be much." Naruto muttered before dodging a wild but playful swing from Hawke, nearly falling out his seat because of it.

They motioned for the trio to sit down before Kitase explained his situation to the group. "After Suna I needed to do this. I asked Pein-sama and he gave his approval. Rome and Kia have been training me ever since."

"You're a good fighter, Kitase. Glad to have you with us." Micheru said earnestly, with Naruto nodding in agreement.

Hawke looked at the group and a sad smile appeared on his face. "We can definitely use you. Our numbers certainly have taken hit."

Mayu looked at her subordinates, one at a time. "Something that I feared but could do little about."

The smile Micheru had etched on her face, slowly disappeared, sadness taking its place. "We used to be with 15, now we're just…-" she trailed off.

Kia with a heavy voice picked up where she seemed unable to. "Seven of us."

The group fell silent, staring at one another or looking away, not able to look at each other.

Raipa's death had hit Naruto hard. He had been fond of the foreign man and had considered him a good friend. In a soft voice he spoke up. "They've been hitting us hard."

Hawke nodded solemnly. Robatsu's passing had been difficult for the man. They had been fighting together when the Reavers snuck into Konoha in an attempt to take out their strongest fighters. He had felt guilty that he hadn't been paying closer attention to his teammate.

Naruto leaned forward and reached for a bottle of sake. "For the fallen." He took a large gulp from it and slid it towards Micheru, who looked at her mother for a moment before doing the same.

In silence they drank from the bottle until it made its way back to the blonde. He put the stopper back in placed it in the center of the table. "If you manage to make your way back here." He gave a cheeky grin.

Hawke leaned forward on the table. "God, I miss the old days at the 'drowned man inn.'"

The group cracked a smile and agreed with him. "I remember you bringing in Naruto for the first time," Rome gestured to the Uzumaki with a smile. "You were very different back then."

Naruto smiled at the fond memory.

Flashback: 9 years ago, drowned-man inn.

Naruto tried breaking free from his teacher's grip. "Come on, Hawke! I need to be training! You said that they wouldn't be here until next week anyways!"

Instead, the dark-haired man tightened his grip on the youngster's shoulder. "They arrived early. It's time you meet everyone. This will be fun, I promise!"

Guiding him to the entrance of the Inn, Naruto stopped struggling and instead looked at the sign. "The drowned man." He muttered softly before scowling. "I'm too young to drink!"

He slapped him over the head and pushed him in. "I beg you, behave yourself! I'll never hear the end of it, if you act like the idiot, you are."

Naruto muttered something incoherently, but his shoulder slumped in defeat.

Pushing him inside, Hawke blinked at the change in lighting, letting his eyes adjust quickly. He spotted the others in the far corner and quickly headed that way, a quiet and slightly nervous Naruto up front.

"Lookey here! It's Hawke!" A young adult with messy dark brown hair exclaimed, walking forward to embrace Hawke into a hug.

Hawke in turn let go of the blonde and returned the hug, slapping the scarred man on the back. "Robatsu! Shit man, you need a haircut, and bad!"

Robatsu shoved him playfully. "Taking advice from 'ladykiller' Hawke? No thank you."

In the background a couple of people snickered at the remark.

Hawke pouted and instead laid his other hand on top of the Naruto's spikey hair. "This here is our newest recruit."

The other flocked around and looked at the young boy with interest. "What's your stake, boy?" an older man, in his later thirties asked.

Before Naruto could answer, Hawke cut him off. "He was at Nami no Kuni when two lower ranked scouts visited and started killing the people there. He took them out."

There was some muttering and the old man seemed impressed, if only slightly. "Not bad. But then again, from what I heard they were among the weakest."

Gritting his teeth Naruto started yelling. "Shut up Ojisan!"

The man turned red, and it looked like he would soon burst a vein. Instead, he smacked his fist over the blonde's head. "Watch it, punk!"

Naruto was about to retort but Hawke pushed him into a bow. "Don't mind the brat. He's still learning some manners!"

Chuckles could be heard all around and the group made their way to a large table and sat down, including a grumbling Naruto.

One by one Naruto got to know their names and a bit of their background. There were only three others that were around his age, and they quickly managed to huddle up.

Naruto stared at the others with interest. "What are you guy's names?"

One pointed proudly at himself. "My name's Hitoshi, and this is my brother Kia!" Pointing at the younger boy beside him. "We've been with the group for a while. Our parents got killed by bandits." His voice trailed off for a moment before he shook it off.

Naruto gave a sympathetic look. "Sorry to hear that. My name's…Uzumaki Naruto."

"I heard from the others you used to be part of one of the hidden villages, right?"

Naruto gave an uncertain nod. He wasn't sure giving them too much info was a smart plan. "Yeah. Hawke helped me out and is now training me." He settled his eyes on the girl which looked like she was of a similar age as he was. "What's your name?"

She gave a wide smile and introduced herself. "My name's Micheru! I've been part of the group ever since Mirarca."

Naruto looked confused. "Where's your pare-"He got interrupted by Hawke who dragged him away.

"Rome, come meet my protégé!"

Naruto tried breaking free, but it was futile. Instead, he settled for a string of choice words. "Baka! I was talking! You can't just drag hmpf-"Hawke ignored his protests and instead clasped his hand over the blonde's mouth, muffling his curses.

They came to a stop in front of a shaven man, tanned man. He was heavily scarred but held a confident and friendly aura. "You must be Naruto. Hawke told me a lot about you!"

Hawke let go of the blonde and nearly stumbled to the ground. "Well don't believe everything he says!" Naruto grumbled.

Rome laughed and ruffled the blonde's hair. "Don't worry, kid. He was being nice," his face turned more serious as he crouched down in front of the missing-nin. "I heard you met our fearsome enemy?"

Naruto instantly noted the shift and grew serious too. "I did. Are they as bad as Hawke says?"

Rome nodded. "I'm afraid so. Their numbers are almost endless, and they have immense strength."

Naruto swallowed nervously. "What are we going to do to stop them?"

"By standing together. We'll need your help to defeat them, you think you're up to the challenge?"

Naruto instantly puffed out his chest. "Count me in! We'll kick their assess and send them back home crying!"

Rome smiled once more. "I'm glad to have you with us. Focus on your training and become strong, Naruto Uzumaki."

End flashback.

They shared memories for another half hour before they finally stood up. None of them were wearing their Hunter's garment yet.

Mayu looked at each of them with a heavy heart. ". Let's give them hell."

"Let's show them what happens when you fuck with us." Hawke said resolutely, his face turned serious but with a twinkle in his eyes.

Naruto couldn't help but smirk and nod. "We're Hunters. Let's show them what that really means."

Kia stepped forward and held out his hand towards Naruto, who in turn pulled him into a brotherly embrace. "Good luck." He whispered in his ear. Naruto patted him on the back before ending the hug.

The megaphone burst with sound once more. ~finalize preparations, start moving to your stations~

"You heard the man. Let's do this!" Hawke pumped his fist in the air.

Micheru locked eyes with Naruto. "Please be careful."

Naruto opened his mouth to give a cheeky remark but found that he couldn't. Instead, he gave a reassuring smile. "You too."

She leaned forward and planted her lips on his, her hands placed gently on his chest. The kiss was short but loving. He stared at her for a moment, a wistful smile on his face.

"Alright lovebirds. Let's do this." Said a stern looking Mayu, a twinkle of genuine happiness in her eye,

They all headed to the armory to suit up. For a moment, Naruto considered strapping a similar outfit on as he had with the battle for Sunagakure, but in the end decided against it and instead went for a combo.

His Hunter's outfit would serve as a beacon. Despite Konoha's past animosity, Hunters and Akatsuki were seen by the vast majority as the most capable of their forces. Their presence would definitely help with morale.

Stepping inside it was crowded. People were strapping on their armor or were picking up an extra batch of kunai or shuriken. To the right there were a few anbu examining their blades, softly conversing amongst each other.

He saw his teammates remove their outer garment and did the the same, draping it over his shoulder. He turned to a nearby chunin carrying a clipboard. "I need armor with shoulder strips, with as little restrictions to mobility as possible."

He got interrupted by Rome who tapped him on his shoulder. "No need, Ghost. We have been preparing a new outfit altogether."

He followed her to the corner where the others were looking at a large wooden table, with a mannequin next to it.

Hawke whistled. "That's not bad at all."

Micheru reached for the fabric, letting it slide through her fingers. "It's amazing."

Naruto looked at the mannequin and couldn't resist a smile. "That's actually pretty good."

Gone were the wide sleeves and other loose hanging fabric. Instead, it was a more formfitting outfit. The sleeves of the outer garment stopped just above the elbow and the long-sleeved shirt underneath continued instead.

Naruto let his hand slide over the 'coat'. "This feels like it can take a hit."

Mayu nodded. "This is similar to a Jonin's vest, only lighter. It provides moderate protection."

The coat stopped at just below their thighs, forming into their well-known 'eagle wings'. Below it was a long-sleeved shirt and black pants. The pants had barely changed but did cling more to the legs.

Naruto pulled the flap of that coat aside, revealing the chest armor. "I see Micheru gave some input."

Micheru in turn grinned. "It definitely saved us a couple of times in Suna."

His hands traced the straps before abruptly stopping. He gave a nod of approval. "I like it."

Hawke slid an arm around his shoulder. "Let's get changed then!"

Stepping outside, Naruto rolled of his shoulders. It was comfortable. It wasn't too tight to restrict his movements, nor too heavy. The previous outfit was a bit too loose for his liking, despite his fondness for it.

"Naruto!"

He looked up and saw Sakura walking over, waving at him. Despite the fresh start he still felt apprehensive. "What can I do for you?"

"I was just wondering how you were doing." Sakura asked, sidestepping a few genin.

The blonde gave something akin to a shrug. "As well as can be. Shouldn't you be heading to medical HQ?"

"Was actually on my way now…" She trailed off, fidgeting with her hands.

"Nervous huh?" Naruto asked.

She gave an anxious chuckle. "Oh yeah. This is nothing compared to what we've faced before."

Naruto understood what she meant. He had felt the exact same way in Suna. "You've survived the Taoreta mori. You can survive this too."

Naruto's headset came alive. ~Brat. Get your ass on the wall.~

He leaned into the mic and gave a short, annoyed confirmation before addressing Sakura again. "I've got to go. Take care, Haruno."

As Naruto sprinted past her, she turned halfway, her gaze locked on his figure. "Be careful!" She didn't get a response as he dissapeared in the crowd of shinobi

A lot shorter than the previous chapters, unfortunately!

I hope you enjoyed regardless!