Maximus limped through the ruined houses, blood trickling down his forearm. There was a cut on his limb, the work of a Suna wind user. His eyes were drooping as he felt dizzy, probably due to blood loss. The fighting had continued unceasingly for the past few hours, they managed to push the enemy back; albeit with heavy losses. He was alone, surrounded by desolate structures that used to be houses, a road leading nowhere, and shinobi corpses strewn around. He breathed laboriously, with little energy left in him. The heavy sword burdened him, the sun's heat was unbearable. Where was he heading, he didn't know. Gasping for air, Maximus collapsed. He could see faint figures rushing to him as darkness overcame his eyes.
"Quickly, get him to the medics!" Hayato barked as three genins rushed to help Maximus, who was unconscious. The genins put Maximus' hands on either shoulder and steadily made their way to the field hospital.
Konoha Hospital
Maximus slowly opened his eyes to see medics rushing around to help injured folk. The situation seemed chaotic, but the medics were calm and effective in their treatment. Beside Maximus lay a tray of surgical tools and gauze, the wound on his arm was dressed properly but the hand was still uncomfortable. He felt weary but relieved, the pain was gone. Turning his eyes, Maximus spotted one of the doctors talking to Hayato, who was injured to some degree. After a few minutes, the doctor hurried away and Hayato's eyes met with Maximus'. The man smiled and approached his comrade,
"Looking good, the doc said you'll recover quickly." Maximus smiled back and commented,
"You were just prancing behind buildings during the battle, attacking from behind. No wonder you've only gotten scathed." Hayato retorted,
"It's called strategy. Unlike you, I've got a sense of self-preservation alright." Maximus refrained from speaking any further and diverted the topic.
"What's the situation?" Hayato smiled with satisfaction and replied boisterously,
"The fuckers were killed or pushed back. The day is ours."
"Pleased to hear that." Hayato nodded and examined Maximus from top to bottom,
"Wouldn't you thank me?" Maximus eyed his comrade and replied,
"For what?"
"The hospitals are choked with the wounded. You are lucky I could get you a proper bed and ward, most civilians are lying on the floor!" Maximus grunted and didn't reply. Hayato grinned slyly and continued,
"Oh, and by the way it's your name on the medical record. So you must pay for the bills alright." Maximus sighed and replied,
"You broke motherfucker." Hayato chuckled and replied,
"Well, I got the gentleman to curse. Must be something." Maximus retorted,
"It's alright, I'm not a hobo like you."
As both men were talking, hurried footsteps echoed through the hall. The entire building was chaotic, but the footsteps were heavy and distinct. The door flew open, and Hayato and Maximus recognized the person, it was Naruko. The woman notably wasn't injured and wore a coat depicting the Konoha hospital's symbol; she must've been deployed as a medic, treating the civilians. Hayato stepped aside to let the woman in, who had a concerned and serious look on her face.
"Are you alright?" Naruko asked with genuine concern. Maximus waived it off and replied,
"It's nothing really, will heal in a few days." The woman's stance relaxed, but she remained concerned.
"What does the doctor say?" Hayato straightened his posture and replied,
"A deep cut on the left arm is all there is, nothing serious other than that." Naruko sighed and replied,
"You boys have no sense of self-preservation." Maximus grinned and cast a furtive glance at Hayato,
'ironic.'
Arena
Ruins, that were the Konoha Arena after the battle. Everything was quiet, save for the groans of some injured civilians. The shinobi rescued victims and marked casualties, while Asuma and the Anbu squad rushed to the rooftop. The Sarutobi's face was serious and horror-stricken, his mind fearing the worst. There were no enemies left, either killed or forced to retreat. Oblivious to his surroundings, Asuma ran vertically over the wall and with a jump landed on the roof. He couldn't look up, but the truth must be faced.
His mind was unfortunately correct, with a shriek of panic Asuma rushed to his father's side. The old man was no longer breathing, and Asuma's hopes were crushed. He was a battle-hardened man of years, yet tears trickled down his cheeks upon the sight of his dead parent. The last battle's toll on Hiruzen was evident, with marks and injuries all over his body, and a seal placed on his belly. Asuma examined the seal, it took him a while to comprehend it but eventually concluded. The old man had sealed his and Orochimaru's souls eternally with the forbidden technique.
"Orochimaru's corpse isn't here." One of the Anbu commented, surprised. Asuma wiped his face and looked up with a stern demeanor,
"What do you mean it isn't here?" The Anbu looked around and explained,
"It took us a while to fetch you, Orochimaru's subordinates must've carried him off." Asuma cursed the Anbu in his mind, but spoke more softly,
"That's not professional of you, should've secured the corpse first. You do know what sorta man he is?" Another Anbu leaned to check Hiruzen's body and answered,
"Lord Hokage has sealed his soul with the forbidden jutsu, the same technique Lord Fourth used. We can be assured the Snake Sannin isn't alive." Asuma bit his lip and got up,
"Still, a confirmation would've been better?" The Anbu agreed. Another shinobi broke a moment of uneasy silence,
"So, what shall be done with..." The Anbu refrained from mentioning it, but Asuma knew what he was talking about. Sighing, he replied with a somber look,
"Escort his body to the Hokage tower, I shall take care of it afterward."
Cave, Land of Storms (Amegakure)
The valley was silent, clouds blocked the son as pools of water were strewn around the forest. It had recently rained, a characteristic of the Land of Storms. The cave was lit up by candles, a stick of incense burned at one side. The cave was well-maintained, with a path leading up the hillside into the cave. A man sat quietly on the stone slab adjoining the wall, his face was covered with a black mask and he wore a straw hat. A grey cloak draped his entire body, as his eyes stared blankly at the hard stone. Moments passed when the man heard footsteps approaching. They were slow and casual, stepping over the wet earth and climbing the steps leading up the cave.
The man lifted his eyes to see a woman with purple hair, piercings below her lip, and a loose cloak draped over her body. Konan.
"You took your time." The man commented sarcastically, Konan replied coldly,
"Pardon, we had some other business to attend to." The man mumbled something under his breath but didn't speak out loud.
"The attack failed, but we've crippled the leaf. The third Hokage lies beneath the Earth, and they are counting the dead." Konan nodded and thought over the matter. Looking into the man's eyes, she inquired,
"What of Orochimaru?" The man let out a sigh and replied,
"The master didn't survive, but we have no confirmation. The shinobi sent to Konoha are yet to return." A glint of suspicion appears in Konan's eyes,
"Then how come you know of this?" The man grinned under his mask and replied,
"Let's just say, we have our means of communication." Konan recognized it was fruitless to inquire further into the topic, and changed the subject,
"So, what has your village thought of our offer?" The man looked up and replied,
"I am merely a messenger, but I can say, they aren't keen on that." Konan seemed disappointed, but the man reassured her,
"However, the final decision rests with our leader. If he is alive." Konan raised an eyebrow and asked,
"What if he doesn't survive?" The man turns his neck, glancing out the cave while replying,
"I can't say much, he has an inner circle of men. One of them will succeed him." Konan seemed satisfied by the answer, the man questioned,
"By the way, what have the other villages decided?" Konan seemed pleased as she answered the question, as if trying to persuade the man, but her face didn't show it,
"Grass, Waterfall, and the Valley villages have agreed. The Marsh village is considering the offer, alongside your Mountain village sir." The man considered the information and replied,
"These villages joined together, is surely a powerful force. I will be sure to inform the council of this." Konan nodded and turned to face the cave entrance.
Tiny droplets splashed on the grey stone and green leaves as lightning thundered in the sky. Konan adjusted her cloak and spoke without turning,
"Be prepared, a storm is coming." The man quietly stared at Konan, who quickly disappeared. The light rain turned into a downpour as an Earthen smell, characteristic of rainy days, filled the cave.
The man quietly sat on his place and sighed, thinking over the matter.
Author's notes
I mentioned nothing regarding the battles in the village, but depicting them had no other purpose than to give our boy Maximus a new weapon. It's the same as in canon, so I didn't want to waste your or my time writing/reading the same sequence as in canon. I find it hard to stick with these canon events while maintaining the changes I've introduced (apart from the Romans). So I must inform you that after these few chapters, the story will almost certainly go unrecognizably AU. This chapter was quite short compared to previous ones, but I only wished to conclude the Chunin exams arc with this. The following chapters will be getting longer.
Please review the story, constructive criticism is appreciated :)