Naruto: The Uchiha Chronicles Re-Version:

Hi everyone, Hapy New Year, welcome to 2024 and the 53rd Chapter of this story.

Chunin Exams Arc Part 2:

Chapter 53: The Fires Shadow and the Black Flash

x-x-x-x-x-x- NTUC -x-x-x-x-x-x

"So, are we just transporting them by foot?" Shikamaru asked, he gestured to the captured sand shinobi. There was a note of annoyance in his tone at the prospect of yet more strenuous activity.

Naruto's lips twitched in amusement. "No, I got a faster way." He swiped some of the blood from one of his wounds, before smearing it across the blue dragon tattoo on his wrist. "Stand back."

He pressed his palm into the air, as if it were solid. A spread through the air, as tall and wide as a man. Smoke erupted from the seal, and a dragon with jade scales erupted from the seal. It wound through the air with a saddle resembling a leather basket on its back. The dragon landed before him, its powerful body was thick as an oak, rippling with sleek muscles beneath a majestic glittering hide, with a rich white mane and tufted tail. The dragon's whiskers waved in an invisible breeze as it regarded them with a feline face. The dragon spoke in soft, feminine voice.

"You called, Naruto?"

"Is that … a dragon?" Sakura asked, stuttering over her words.

"Yes, one of my summons." He answered the question quickly, before turning back to the dragon. "Ryumi, I need you to carry us to the Intelligence Division."

"As you wish."

Naruto looked at the others. "Let's get moving. I wanna help repel this invasion."

Sasuki nodded, readily grabbing Temari and leaping into the basket of the saddle. She ignored an indignant squawk from the Wind kunoichi as she tossed Temari onto her side. Sakura and Shino soon followed, dragging Kankuro along. After Shikamaru climbed up with a grumble, Naruto leapt into the front of the saddle with Gaara.

Once everyone was settled, Ryumi took to the skies, soaring over the forest and speeding towards the village. Plumes of smoke drifted into the air as they passed over; signs of destruction were rampant, crumbling buildings everywhere, with fighting between shinobi in the streets. As they passed overhead, many turned to gape at the sight of the dragon.

The Hidden Leaf Intelligence Division was headquartered in a two-story building at the heart of the village, right near the administrative building. Though it looked simple from the outside, with banks of small windows, the building was a fortress. Several stories tall and made of especially dense concrete, every window had bars across it, and the concrete was shot through with a unique metal that made it unbelievably durable and resistant to chakra. The division was responsible for gathering information, and interrogating prisoners. And it was the best place to keep them prior to transport to the Leaf's dedicated shinobi prison.

They'd been in luck, and some members had still been around to take in prisoners. Having just dropped Gaara and his siblings off, Naruto was leading the group of Leaf genin out of the building with a thoughtful expression.

"Something the matter, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

Naruto nodded absently. "This invasion bothers me. Gramps said they were getting ready for it. They've been planning for weeks. The Sand being involved, I could get that being a surprise, but an entire month expecting the Sound, we should've had people in place to deal with them. So …" He trailed off, considering the possibilities. They weren't pleasant.

"So why were we caught so flatfooted. Ugh, what a pain." Shikamaru groaned. As expected, it didn't take long for the genius to pick up on his thought trail.

"There is only one logical solution." Shino agreed grimly.

Though they didn't speak up, Naruto could tell from the glance they shared that Sasuki and Sakura followed along perfectly. The only conclusion was that someone had sabotaged the village, exploited gaps in the plans to counter the invasion. But only someone who knew the plan could counter it, which shouldn't have been possible.

Coming out into the street, the sound of battle was still fierce. Only a street over, the ring metal clashing and the desperate cries of men dying were unmistakable. The battle still raged on, and Naruto took precaution, using his senses to tell if anyone dangerous was headed their way.

Something nagged at him, though. An odd feeling at the edge of his area of focus. Extending his senses, he was surprised when he realized he was sensing something surrounding Gramps and Orochimaru as they were locked in combat. A sensation of static fire, as if there was a constantly active jutsu made from the chakra. The chakra felt muddled, like several different people had mixed their chakra into one in a constant flow. But what truly disturbed him was the fact Orochimaru still seemed to have someone helping him, and no help had arrived for Hiruzen. It didn't fit.

'I get they might get in the way, but you'd think some Anbu would help … unless.' A terrible, clammy feeling overwhelmed Naruto. He came to a sickening suspicion regarding the fight.

Without warning his companions, Naruto darted towards the nearest multi-story building and ran up the side.

"Naruto, what the hell are you doing, we'll get spotted." Sasuki hissed as she struggled to run alongside him.

Naruto shook his head, too afraid to answer. It felt as if an elephant was on his chest. When he crested the roof of the building, Naruto turned his gaze back towards the stadium. His stomach began twisting into knots as he laid eyes on the rectangular barrier of violet flames.

"Gramps!"

Without hesitation or thought, Naruto shot towards the stadium. The others shouted at him, but he didn't hear them. His ears were filled with the pounding of his heart, it sounded like a macabre clock ticking off the time he had to reach the stadium. If one were to ask him in the moment, Naruto had no idea what he thought he could do. All he knew was he had to do something.

He avoided any person who could impede him, it wasn't a conscious thing, rather, he instinctively sensed their chakra and changed course slightly.

The village seemed to melt by, until he was already at the stadium. Blazing up the wall, Naruto made a dash for the grandstands. As he leapt onto the roof of the far-left stands, he felt Hiruzen's chakra dip dangerously. Even with his sharingan, it was hard to see anything through the violet barrier, a double layered one. Inside was a maze of trees that had seemingly popped into existence. On the roof below the barrier, a group of Anbu stared inside it. Naruto felt a spike of annoyance, seeing them just standing there! They should have been helping.

Letting loose a growl of annoyance, Naruto shot towards the barrier, drawing protests from the Anbu.

"Stop, it'll kill you!"

'So, it hurts people who touch it, well I'll just use a barrier to block a barrier!' Naruto prepared himself to try something incredibly experimental, and undeniably stupid. Gathering his focus, he pointed at the barrier.

Whether his gambit would work, Naruto never got the chance to discover that. Just as he pointed at the barrier, a piercing scream of pain rang out as he felt Gramps' chakra plummet dangerously.

"Remove the barrier, we're done!" He recognized the animalistic scream as Orochimaru's. Following the demand, the barriers fell within seconds. The four who had kept the barrier up shot forward. A slender redheaded girl, a bulky boy with orange hair, a man with six arms and a spiky ponytail, and an androgynous boy with long grey hair. They seized Orochimaru, who made stumbling attempts to flee, his arms hanging limp and blackened.

Naruto paid them no mind, instead darting into the newly created patch of trees to where he sensed Gramps. His heart leapt into his throat as he came across a crumpled form. Hiruzen lay on his back, wearing a black ninja suit with mesh armor underneath, and a protective helm of plate metal. A hole had been torn through the suit, revealing a seal identical to Naruto's own on the old man's stomach. The old Hokage looked smaller than ever, blood leaking from his lips as he drew shallow breaths. His eyes were unfocused and cloudy.

"Gramps!" Naruto collapsed to his knees, grasping Hiruzen's frail hand between his own. The elderly man's eyelids fluttered.

"Ah, Naruto. I'm glad you're here." Hiruzen spoke haltingly, each word was labored and slow.

"Don't talk, we'll get you help." Naruto felt tears pricking his eyes. His throat felt sore and tight.

Hiruzen chuckled, forcing more blood to leak from his lips. "Come now, no need to lie."

As much as Naruto hated to admit it, he himself didn't believe what he'd said. That seal on his Gramps' stomach was unmistakable. The same seal that took his father's life. The Reaper Death Seal.

"Tell Asuma and Konohamaru … I love them and am proud of everything they've done."

Naruto had to blink back tears. "I .. I will." He forced out.

"I'm proud of you too, my boy. I only wish I could see you become the splendid leader I know you'll be." Hiruzen whispered as his eyes fluttered. Naruto felt a spike of intense, overwhelming fear. A sense of inevitability and loss settled in him. Hiruzen's voice began to fade, Naruto had to bend to hear his whispered words. "When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew."

Hot tears rolled down Naruto's face as Hiruzen stilled, his eyes closed as the old man wore a peaceful smile. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had died.

"Gramps …" Naruto whispered, his voice hoarse and broken. An uncontrollable scream of pain ripped from his lips. It felt as if someone had torn a part of him asunder. He'd lost his grandfather, but that had been expected. He'd prepared for it. This was sudden, jarring. In that moment, he felt the despair of tragic loss for the first time.

The tears fell thickly. As the truth of his loss settled in, a new emotion bubbled to the surface. Rage. Uncontrollable, unbridled rage. Orochimaru was responsible for this. 'He murdered gramps … I'll kill him!'

Naruto saw red, his vision went blurry. He hurriedly wiped his eyes, heedless of the blood that smeared on his face and hands. Suddenly, everything seemed sharper. The world was clearer.

"OROCHIMARU!"

Hiruzen's hand fell to the ground, as Naruto shot to his feet and stared into the distance, easily making out Orochimaru being carried off by his guards. He wouldn't allow them to escape. The nine-tails chakra bubbled around him, fueling his anger even more. Without even thinking, a word popped into his head. "Amenokihashi!"

He activated his Flash Step, and disappeared, reappearing twenty feet away in a millisecond. Another step took him across the arena. To the outside, he looked like little more than an ephemeral smear of black. For Naruto, space had warped and compressed in a single step.

With this newfound technique, a distance of a mile disappeared in the blink of an eye. Naruto closed on the fleeing Sound shinobi before they'd made it a hundred feet from where he'd first spotted them.

Naruto drew Senbonzakura, compressing tailed beast chakra into a blade around the sword. "I won't let you escape!" The Sound shinobi startled at his presence. It was too late for them to react, though. Senbonzakura sliced through Orochimaru's arm like butter, instantly cauterizing and invading the wound like a sinister poison.

"Agh, you insufferable brat!" Orochimaru howled in rage. He lashed out with shocking speed, even Naruto had no chance to react. A kick landed on his ribs with the power of an Akimichi stave under full expansion.

Tossed end over end and crashing through two buildings, Naruto felt the uncomfortable crackle of broken ribs as he forced himself to his feet. Ignoring the intense pain, he shot forward, intending to continue his assault. But it was too late. Orochimaru and his guards disappeared in a pillar of smoke, reverse summoned to who knows where.

"DAMMIT!" Naruto raged, slamming a fist into the cobbled street and shattering the rocks.

The noise of his fight and his tantrum drew unwanted attention. As Naruto knelt on the street, a trio of Sound shinobi darted around the corner.

"Down there!" One of them shouted, pointing at Naruto. "Even if the retreat was sounded, we can still take some of them out!"

"Let's make it quick then." One of them muttered, from the way he held himself, he must have been the highest rank.

Together, the Sound shinobi raced towards Naruto. He stood up, the pain in his ribs forgotten as he saw an outlet for his shame and anger. "That … was a poor decision. You should've run." Naruto growled, unsheathing Senbonzakura as its 'petals' scattered.

Naruto activated his knew technique. He felt his left eye pulse with chakra, as he entered his flash step and cleared the distance to the enemy in a single step. He was nothing but a translucent blur, reappearing behind them as the men crumpled to the ground, blood pouring from slashes to every joint in their bodies. He'd aimed precisely, slicing every ligament he could.

"Wh-what the hell happened?" One of the sound shinobi whispered, struggling to cling to consciousness as he failed to move.

Another groaned in pain. "I just saw … a Black Flash."

Casually flicking the blood from his blade. He turned and glanced at the downed shinobi. With his senses, he knew there was fighting going on. 'If I can't get at Orochimaru, might as well end this damned invasion.' Naruto resolved, before disappearing in a blur.

Naruto shot up and down streets, taking out every Sand or Sound shinobi he could. With every stroke of his sword, the image of Hiruzen's lifeless body flashed through his mind's eye. It was this stupid invasion. That was what had taken his Gramps from him. And every single Sand or Sound shinobi was a painful reminder. Instead of making him feel better, each shinobi or kunoichi he took down made Naruto's rage grow further, like an uncontrollable bonfire being fed gasoline.

He hacked and slashed through them, zoning in on every headband with Sand or Sound he saw. The Nine-Tails tried to speak to him, but Naruto ignored the fox.

His rampage was only brought to a stop when Kakashi blitzed in front of him and seized Naruto by the shoulders. He thrashed, trying to escape his sensei's iron grip. In the back of his mind, he had enough sense not to attack Kakashi.

"What the hell, let me go Kakashi!"

Kakashi shook his head. "Look around, it's over."

With great reluctance, Naruto looked around with a scowl. Through his enraged haze, he made out the form of collapsed and captured Sand and Sound shinobi. Blinking in surprise, Naruto felt some of the fog of battle fade. For the first time, he realized the village had fallen remarkably silent. He could no longer hear the sounds of battle. A soothing pulse radiated up his right arm, calming Naruto's fiercely beating heart. It was his grandmother's will, trying to calm him. That was the final straw. Like a tightly fraying string, the last shred of his anger unraveled.

All that was left was a gaping, empty hole. For all his effort, Gramps was still dead. Never again would Naruto enjoy an afternoon playing shogi and chatting. Kakashi's hands on his shoulders relaxed. The jonin patted his shoulder comfortingly.

"Relax, and rest. You've been through a lot."

Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but he couldn't find the words. He couldn't relax. Not with his mind racing as it was. What he needed was quiet, a place to think, and he knew just the place. With Kakashi's relaxed grip, he turned around and stepped forwards.

"I … need to think."

He turned into a blur, to go try and make sense of his emotions.

x-x-x-x-x-x- NTUC -x-x-x-x-x-x

Well, the invasion is over. With everyone defeated, Naruto needs to collect himself following Hiruzen's death.

Once again, I'd like to thank my patrons for supporting my work. Chapter 57 is up on there now.

⸻ Patron Shoutout Wall ⸻

Odin Darkfeather, Chillz90, Kit Arashi, MASTERCHEIF1229, Cody Lyle, Cory Toler, Tyler J Renshaw, Aneeq Moodaley, Kyle Alexandr, hunter jensen, SIRDBZ, James lars, Jabes Affonso, Sankha123, Glizzy, Echoes at Dawn, Kirk O'Dell, firedemon12, Rúben Pais, Bobby, Lil Mickey D, Ty'Ree Gary, guncannon93, Ash Cascagnette, Horacio, Pope Gregory Trivium III, Damon Frey, John Brown, Matt Walther, Christopher Thomas, BigBadDetonation, Tyler Swigerr, anime gaming, Yuto, Arnzok, Diego Silva, Natsubi123, redacted, Stewart Willis, Flashfox, Michael Alvarez, Romane McLeod, William Hurst, WallaBenga, nasapeepolover116, Leeland, Lutescu Mihnea, itsjust_khris, Beepo2332, Leeland, Jorge Ramos-Barreto, John Chastain, Mark Parker, Benjamin Goffer, Vallyn Fera, Ron, cookiedo, Ricardo Adams, Currtsy, Ignaccio Besser, Devon Strand, SupremeRuler17, Calvonta Ard, Decoy_M9, James Hines, Moon, lonelynib, Kenyan White, Morgan C Williams, Benjamin, Zach SH VD, King_Atlas, Jackmin, Saul Deras, Alan Azargushasb, Andrew Coleman, Rexadas, aroeah126, Hogan58, LemonGrass, Kevin Lopez, Ivan Olguin, Dominic Spindler, Francis Johnson, cory williams, Patrick Wooding, Liron Krasniqi, Barson, Kevin Deshazier, Francisco Jimenez, Jeremiah Macias, Sebastián Nuñez, Sean Ciccalone, Lil Uber Vert, James Sampson, Carlos Neftali Benitez Vazquez, Steve Dixon.

Until Next Time,

RinneTaicho, Signing Off!