+Guest - Thank you the kind words. Yes, I try to make my characters not too arragont or haughty. As far as proofreading and spellchecking, I've worked to improve it in later chapters along with improving the overall quality.
Now, on to the chapter! Thank you for reading!
XXVIII - We Dead Men
Kaito knew one thing: he could not stop the Almighty Push. He could not predict where Pein would appear or have enough time to mark the Deva Path with the Hirashin seal. To sum it up, the destruction of Konoha was unavoidable. Perhaps if they had increased the defensive Fuin barrier, maybe some of the damage could have been mitigated. But that was out of the realm of possibilities now.
Appearing in front of the Hokage, he spoke hurriedly. "Lord Hokage, they're here, in the west sector." Forming a snake seal with his right hand, he marked them on the map laid within the battle center. Kakashi watched, and his brows furrowed, before he sighed.
"Kaito-" He stood up, robes flying behind him, hat securely perched on his head. His eyes were filled with steely resolve, and Kaito could feel a strong sense of nostalgia. Unexpectedly, he found himself smiling, and waiting to see what would happen. "Take me there."
He reached out, placing his hand on the Copy Ninja's shoulder, and space blurred. When they landed, it was not in the western flank of Konoha's walls. What greeted them was destruction, pure unfiltered cruelty. The wall was in tatters, homes obliterated into rubble as far as the eye could see.
And Kakashi, Kakashi watched and saw all of it, not saying a single word. The Hokage's eyes finally met that of 'Pein'- the shinobi who led the Akatsuki. But more surprising was the form of the Third Tsuchikage.
"So, Ohnoki..." Kakashi drawled, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. His words were interrupted by the old Fence-sitter's violent declaration.
"You leaf shinobi have destroyed any semblance of power within the Great Villages with your grandstanding! It's only fitting you die now!" He spat, and Kaito's lips furrowed. But then Ohnoki turned towards him, and Kaito understood.
"And you... spawn of the devil! There won't be anything but suffering for you!" No wonder, the Fourth Hokage had always been despised in Iwa for the damage he dealt to them in the Third Shinobi World.
Pein finally spoke. "In this sense, our agreement has been reached, Tsuchikage. We will destroy Konoha and Suna, in exchange for the Nine-tails." His deep baritone rung through the devastated clearing, and Kaito wondered where the others were.
"Hmph, you can do what you want. But I will be the one to kill the demon brat!"
Pein didn't respond, only angling his head downwards. Kakashi took this chance to finally speak.
"We'll see how well that pans out, Tsuchikage. As far it goes, I can take all of you on." He raised his hands, kunai at the ready. "As the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, as Kakashi of the Hidden Leaf, let me tell you something!"
"I won't let you leave this place alive!" And with that, he nodded to Kaito. The message was clear, and Kaito once more disappeared in a flash.
Kakashi had read the files on the Rinnegan's ability, and how it worked. As long as he separated the paths, and removed their shared vision, he would be able to pull a win. In the distance, he could see Iwa shinobi pouring into the ruins of the once proud Leaf Village—Pein no doubt had given them safe travel on his army of summons.
But right now, he had to deal with the present threat, and rely on his fellow shinobi. Only the Deva Path was in operation currently, which meant that the others were probably not far behind.
Unless Ohnoki had used a variation of the Second Earth Shadow's camouflage jutsu to hide them—now that would be truly terrifying.
But right now, he formed two shadow clones and leapt backwards, teeth biting into his thumb as he performed the Summoning jutsu. Dharma emerged, flipping onto Kakashi's shoulder, and Kakashi threw his headband into the wind, Sharingan spinning into life.
Just in time too, as the Deva path rushed forwards, delivering a solid haymaker, which Kakashi barely dodged. When Kakashi moved to respond, a hand slammed into his back, and he could see the burly form of the Asura Path restraining him.
So Ohnoki was cloaking the Paths—not that it mattered, as Kakashi detonated the exploding shadow clone. Once more, the opposing forces considered each other.
Kakashi was now standing a good distance from them, Sage Chakra flowing into his coils and threw his gates, Dharma's face etched into a determined stare.
"So, your title earns you some worth, Hokage." Ohnoki spat, floating in the air next to Pein.
"It speaks of your skill when you have to rely on someone else to even land a blow, Tsuchikage." Kakashi fired back, silently considering his options. Ohnoki's frown deepened, when Dharma finally spoke.
"Kakashi, it's time! Remember your goal, and your duty!" And with those words, Kakashi threw the Hokage hat into air, his haori flying in the wind behind him. His pupils turned into straight lines, while white chakra encased him.
Kakashi wasn't Hokage just because he was the best political choice—he had trained for years with Dharma to master Senjutsu and with Fugaku to master the Mangekyo—all which would be put to the test.
"Senjutsu... it is an honor, Kakashi the Copy-Ninja." The Deva Path spoke, a tinge of awe leaking into his voice.
"The same goes for you. It's not every day you get to meet one of Lord Jiraiya's students." If Pein cared, he didn't react in the slightest.
Fingers meeting in a cross, five shadow clones popped into existence beside him. "There, now we're equal."
He could see the Animal Path summon a giant dog and maneuvered out of its first strike. Meanwhile, the Asura path opened fire with all manners of futuristic weaponry—the remaining three paths had all been sent into the village, no doubt looking for Naruto.
But Kakashi didn't run this time, instead letting fire chakra build up in his throat. "Sage Art: Majestic Flame Destroyer!" As he belched a roaring tide of heat, his clones followed up with their own sage powered wind Jutsus, fanning the flame into a fiery whirlwind of destruction.
It was deflected by an Almighty Push, and Kakashi grinned. He could see Ohnoki readying his own move and made a decision—the old fence sitter was a distraction. "Jiton: Atomic Dissembling!"
The white cube of chakra rammed towards Kakashi, who opened his left eye to the max. "Kamui!" The swirl wrapped around the technique, negating it, while he wrapped a Genjutsu around the vulnerable Tsuchikage.
The Sharingan's genjutsu prowess was undefeatable—and with his shadow clones' help, he weaved a simple illusion. It gave him the moment he needed to strike, just as Dharma opened his mouth and howled.
"Sage Art: Dog Pack Howling!" Kakashi grinned as his shadow clones all began to howl, while he rushed forwards, lightning sparkling to life in his right hand. The Paths were paralyzed, and with the additional boost of the Sage Mode to his speed, his Chidori rammed straight through the old Earth Shadow's chest, who in a last-ditch attempt to survive, spun his body out of the way. His arm flew into the air, collapsing as blood spurted onto the ground. The Deva Path watched, before finally snapping out of the Genjutsu. "This changes nothing, Hatake. Almighty Push!"
The cone of pure force erupted once more, throwing Kakashi backwards as his shadow clones grabbed his leg, forming a human chain. Ohnoki rose to his feet, panting and growled. "Curse you, Leaf dogs! I'll kill you!"
Dharma suddenly spoke. "Kakashi, can you sense some foreign chakra in the Tsuchikage's system? It's almost like he's in a Genjutsu!" That would explain why all of his moves were so sloppy—and why he seemed to be circle jerking the Konoha hate so much.
Pein didn't respond to Dharma's accusations. For Kakashi, his silence was damning—without a leader, without the majority of their forces, it would be extremely easy to steal the Jinchuriki.
"You know, Pein, you might just let me kill him."
"It would be against any of my plans, Hokage. But you are welcome to try." And that was all Kakashi needed.
His right eye spun, and he whispered, "Kamui!"
Ohnoki's head disappeared, while his now headless corpse collapsed to the ground. Kakashi's Chidori had always been a distraction to enrage the Fence sitter, and with Sage Mode providing him a near endless supply of vitality, he could use Kamui as long as he needed.
He was extremely thankful for training his Mangekyo eye.
Obito... thanks.
But now he had to deal with Pein, and he already knew the best way forward. "We must target the Naraka Path—Pein has left it in reserve!"
Kakashi nodded at Dharma's advice, maneuvering out of the leap of another dog. "To be enslaved in such a way..." Dharma murmured, and Kakashi's eyes widened.
"Well done. You have defeated the Tsuchikage, but your village is in ruin." Pein spoke, moving backwards, while the Asura Path and Animal Path pushed forward. Kakashi turned towards his shadow clones, who nodded.
"Dharma, we're going for that move."
"Alright then. Keep your focus, Kakashi!" It was a unique technique inspired by his very first meeting with Danzo—the Sage Art: Oroshi Kirin.
His thoughts were interrupted by the Animal Path summoning... not more summons, but the remaining paths. Pein's concentric eyes emitted a complete sense of otherworldly power as he stepped forward, flanked on each side by his own personal guard.
"I have gone easy on you so far, Hokage." Pein slowly raised his hand into the air. "But you have mocked the power of a God for too long-"
"ALMIGHTY PUSH!"
And this time Kakashi's clones all popped, as he was flung backwards. His eyes zeroed in on the Naraka Path—according to Danzo's intel, which hadn't lied up till now, it was the one that healed all the others. However, conventional Ninjutsu was out of the option, as the Human Path could simply absorb it...
Except the Kamui—kami, it really was a cheat. Either way, Kakashi could see the steady buildup of chakra within all the Paths as they prepared for their assault. The Rinnegan's powers were immense, but every Jutsu had their weakness.
Perhaps if one man had all of those techniques at once, they might have posed a greater challenge.
"Change of plan—we need to destroy the Naraka Path." Kakashi said to Dharma, who scratched his chin in thought.
"Very well then, Kakashi. I suppose another Genjutsu is in the works?"
"You read my mind, didn't you?" Kakashi moved to stand, but the Deva Path fired a black rod towards him.
"Kamui!" It disappeared in a distortion, giving Kakashi the time to form several shadow clones, and wrap a genjutsu around the environment to conceal them. He ducked under a wall to catch his breath.
So far, he had been able to control the pace of the fight due to removing Ohnoki and having knowledge of the Six Paths. But he couldn't keep using Kamui— even with Sage Mode, a better strategy was needed.
"Kakashi, I've got a plan."
Kakashi paused, before glancing back to Dharma. He looked at the white robes he wore and sighed. "I'm all ears."
He wouldn't let his precious people die anymore.
The situation in Konoha at large was a rather interesting one—it begs the question, why is the Hokage fighting alone? The simple answer is that while the Tsuchikage might be dead, his legions of Iwa shinobi were more than bloodthirsty enough to slaughter the retreating Konoha civilians.
Combined with the assistance of Akatsuki's Hidan, Konan, and Kisame, it was more than big enough of an issue to warrant Tenzo, Gai, and Fugaku to remain behind to oversee the evacuation.
At the same time, Kaito and Shiro were engaged in a fierce struggle against the Jinchuriki of Iwa—Han and Roshi, who both had unleashed the full power of their Tailed Beasts. A Tailed Beast Bomb would not assist the retreat, as Kaito so eloquently put it.
Kumo had not joined the invasion out of principle—the Raikage was distrustful of the Akatsuki and had chosen to stay neutral. By neutral, he meant that his army was waiting for the end of the initial invasion so he could descend on the scraps left behind.
In short, Konoha was besieged on all sides.
"Shiro, we really need a plan!" Kaito called out, dancing out of the way of the constant lava streams emerging from the Four Tailed Monkey.
Shiro grabbed the Five-Tails, encased in the majestic armor of the Susanoo, and allowed his Sharingan to focus. Even the Kyuubi had been unable to resist the power of the Illusion Eye—the Gobi had already begun to collapse. "Kaito, we need to seal this one!" He called out, using an Amatsumara to cancel out another of the Yonbi's explosive Tailed Beast Bombs.
In a flash, Kaito was next to Shiro, hands flowing through seals as his clones surrounded the fallen beast. "Cover me!"
Shiro nodded, turning his Amatsumara weapons into miniature Yonbi's. "That should buy us some time." He doubled the chakra on his Genjutsu, forcing the Five-Tails into sleep, letting the Tailed-Beast transformation end.
Kaito leaned down next to Han and inspected the seal. "I'll use a chakra suppression seal." He announced, slamming the seal onto the Jinchuriki's forehead. The man slumped over, and Kaito scooped him up in his arms. "Be back in a second."
With one of the Tailed Beasts defeated, all Shiro had to do was defeat the Four Tails.
"Shiro!" His head snapped to the side, where he could see a vulture flapping its wings in the air. "Change of plans—Lord Danzo needs you to protect the civilians! I can handle the Four Tails!"
Tenzo flashed him a secondary hand sign when he mentioned 'civilians' - underground. That was bad—Shiro quickly turned away, flying towards the secret location where they had agreed to hide the Jinchuriki. He was interrupted by Kaito reappearing next to him, within the Susanoo. "Let me help."
And the two of them disappeared, reappearing in a large underground cavern. It was empty, save for a single person.
The man had spiky black hair and wore old-fashioned red armor. But his face—his face reminded Shiro so much of Takahashi, so much of the elder brother he missed so dearly.
"He's a reanimation of Madara Uchiha." Kaito nudged Shiro, trying to snap his friend out of his daze.
And Madara looked at Shiro and scowled. "You... what are you? Why do you have his chakra!?"
Shiro stared back, hands clenching as his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan blossomed to life, staring Madara dead in the eyes.
"Eternal Mangekyo..." Madara whispered, "No wonder I was summoned, but with that face—karma does have a way, doesn't it?"
"Even after my own clan threw me out, their only power came from my bloodline!" He threw back his head and laughed. "Then come! Let us see how the Uchiha have fared in my absence!" And with those words, Madara rushed forwards, hands at his side.
"The other 'Madara' is trying to get Naruto, so I'll have to go now." Kaito said, nodding to Shiro. "Good luck." He disappeared once more, no doubt heading to Naruto's location.
Shiro slammed his hand into Madara's, and the two began to exchange flows. "You..." Shiro finally growled. "Why do you have my brother's face!?"
"I do?" Madara remarked, batting aside Shiro's uppercut, and throwing him to the side. "Boy, I came before your brother. If anything, you stole my brother's face!"
His leg crashed into Madara's elbow, only to meet the blue ribcage of the Susanoo. "Why do you fight?"
Shiro stopped, looking up at Madara, surprised at the gentleness in the man's tone. "W-what do you mean!?"
"Why? It is a simple question, is it not?"
"I fight to protect my friends, and my family!"
"Let's not act like you succeeded, after all, with eyes like those." Madara commented.
"What are you playing at?" Shiro's eyes narrowed.
Madara's smile softened. "Join me, Shiro. I can see the pain in your heart, the anger. When I first laid eyes on you, I could see it. What is the point of fighting—only destruction and ruin will follow."
Shiro stared at the man who bore his brother's face and hesitated.
"I fight for a world of true peace, where everyone can have whatever, they wish."
Maybe it was seeing Takahashi's face, or the way he spoke. Maybe it was something that was already burning in Shiro's heart.
"Can I see my brother again?"
"Anything is possible." Madara said, extending a hand to Shiro. "All you must do is aid me in capturing the Jinchuriki."
"But then they'll die!" Shiro questioned, "Don't they deserve an 'ideal' world?"
"Sacrifices are necessary. You of all people should understand this."
"People get hurt all the time, Shiro. We can't save everyone." Takahashi looked at the burning village, sorrow reflecting in his eyes.
"A world where everyone could be happy would be beautiful—I'd like to see it."
"Takahashi..." Shiro muttered, silently considering Madara's offer. "Why should I betray Konoha, then?"
"The world isn't just Konoha. Konoha has hurt hundreds, and you are no stranger to that. I don't a world of happiness for one people, one nation. No—I want peace for everyone."
As he thought, he was interrupted by a voice he truly recognized.
"Shiro!" Turning, he stared at Takahashi's face, the signature cracks of the Nidaime's Reanimation jutsu etched over his expression.
Madara watched the scene with amusement dancing in his eyes. "So, this is your brother?"
"Don't even think of touching him." Takahashi smiled at Shiro, stepping protectively in front of him. "A world born out of hatred is not perfect—a world born out of the death of the innocent isn't worth anything!"
Shiro snapped out of his daze—what was he thinking? The Nine-tails jinchuriki was just eight years old, for Kami's sake! He didn't deserve to die.
"A shame then." Madara said ruefully. "It appears I will have to destroy you."
"Takahashi..." Shiro looked at awe at the ghost of his older brother.
"It's alright, Shiro. Let's win, and then we can talk." His voice was soft as ever, and Shiro found himself smiling like a child once more.