Author's Note: I don't own Naruto. Also I have noticed an inconsistency in the story which I will address. I noticed that I said that Ino had left for Taloga in chapter two and in chapter four, Ino is in Konoha. I will fix this issue by saying Ino was going to leave until her father talked her out of it. I'm sorry I didn't catch the error on my end. Anyways
Chapter VIII
During the Truce
The fleet of Kiros made their way back to Tolaga. Even after a week away from the Empire, they had done so much damage that the Axis formed a truce to prevent the imminent defeat at the time.
This didn't mean that the war was over however. After a year, the fighting would begin yet again and it would be over for the Axis Alliance.
Falcon sent a messenger eagle to Taloga to inform Naruto that they were heading home from the Eastern Continent and that the Axis Alliance proposed a truce which Falcon accepted. Naruto wasn't exactly sure how to respond to this but he trusted Falcon's judgement.
Soon the city of Taloga cheered as the Fleet approached the city. The ships returned and with them, the soldiers were returning too.
As the ships landed and weighed anchor, three soldiers began to unload their cargo and the fallen. Out of the 10,000,000 soldiers who went overseas, 2,000,000 soldiers died. All from the horrible jutsu that the Axis used.
The soldiers marched through the streets in a parade to display their valor and fighting spirit while the people cheered. Then the funeral procession came and the citizens instantly went quiet. The black flag with a blood-red Whirlpool was waving at the front of the procession. This flag was the Flag of the Fallen. A dark and sorrowful flag that spoke for the deceased.
Though Taloga's official flag was a White and Red banner with a Whirlpool, Eagle, and a Fox. The Flag of the Fallen was also considered an official flag as well.
Naruto saw the funeral procession and couldn't help but feel sorry for the people who had fallen in the battle. Many had families who no longer had a father to come home. Others had lovers that were not going to see them again.
The funeral ended in a mass burial of the fallen. Already, the burial grounds for the fallen soldiers had 286,000 bodies buried there. This was undoubtedly the biggest loss of life for the Talogan Army. Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, Lee, Konohamaru, Falcon, Hinata, Hiro, and many others stood there somberly as the funeral ended.
In the back of Falcon's mind, he was racing to discover a way to make certain that this wouldn't happen again. He knew they died valiantly, but the way of their deaths was horrific. The ways of chakra were never something Falcon considered to be a good method for fighting. He would much rather fight with his weapons and skill than anyway else.
Once the funeral was over, Falcon walked to the laboratories that were under his command. The chief scientist approached him. "Any progress on the project General Kiro?" Kiro, who was more than a general, nodded his head. "The new weapon will be ready for testing and the new ship is ready for its maiden voyage." Kiro said as Falcon walked over to where the new ship was seen. It was different from a regular ship. This one had a giant balloon that gave it lift over the ground.
Falcon looked to the new vessel. It had a large balloon that was filled with helium to hoist it into the sky. Multiple cannons were seen angled slightly downwards to help prevent the balls from falling out of the cannon prematurely. Other various super weapons were also on board this ship. Including early bombs.
"This is The Hornet." Kiro said as Falcon inspected the airship. "A perfect name. How many will we have built to join the fleets?" "Sir we must make sure that she won't crash first." Kiro said astounded that Falcon would make such a move. "It won't crash, this was built perfectly." Falcon said as he walked away.
Kiro looked amazed at Falcon's lack of concern. Normally, Falcon was cautious about new technology. But here Falcon wasn't even thinking twice about it. Like he knew that the Hornet wasn't going to crash. 'Yes; Falcon is indeed a mysterious man.' Kiro thought before ordering the crew to take the ship for a test flight. It might be worthy to note that the airship did perfectly in the trials. Much to the amazement of everyone except for Falcon.
On the Eastern Continent, Danzo had issued an order for every villager in Konoha to train for war. Intricate tunnels were dug into the Hokage Rock as a way of not only protecting the inhabitants, but to also deface the mountain. Danzo had secretly hated the previous Hokages because they got the position he wanted. And now that he was a Hokage, he was going to "rub it in" so to speak.
During this time though, Ino managed to convince Sai to give her the explosive tags she needed to blow herself up when the time came.
Normally, Sai wouldn't be agreeing to this request when he knew the answer why she was planning it. But Sai had seen what the Talogans could do in a fight. He saw the carnage of Suna and Mist ruins that were now being turned into forts despite what Falcon warned them.
Sai reluctantly agreed but under the condition that he would also join in the plot to help his lover. That's right, Ino and Sai were secretly dating and were extremely close to each other. And Sai vowed to put Ino before Danzo if the time called for it. Which he did to the best of his ability.
In Sound, Sasuke studied the information gathered on Talogan fighting tactics. He personally had it out to kill Naruto and take the throne of the Empire. A position he believed he deserved. And right this second, a spy he dispatched should be arriving with intel on the weak points of the capital city. When the door opened and a Sound nin walked inside and informed Sasuke that the spy was dead. "The whole ship sank the moment it went past that damn inscription plank. We have tried uprooting it only to be killed off."
Sasuke was furious. He threw the ninja against the wall and proceeded to kill him. "DAMN YOU NARUTO!" Sasuke screamed at the top of his lungs. He was still raging when he realized that the weakness would be to lure Naruto back onto the eastern continent and kill him there. He smiled as he planned out the scene of the blonde, lifeless and dangling from his sword.
The vision gave Sasuke the urge to laugh until a hooded figure appeared before him. "If you wish to live, don't follow the Axis alliance. Destruction is already at its door." The figure said as he disappeared.
Sasuke was taken back by just how quietly and quickly the man had disappeared. He soon shrugged it off and began his plan.
A few weeks after Sasuke's visitor, Naruto and Hinata got married. Upon their marriage, Hinata was given the title of Empress. Her power was slightly lower than the Top Five's, but she still had a very powerful position that she fulfilled.
In the coming months, Hinata began to be called The Gentle Empress and was adored by her people. Hinata cared for the people of Taloga much like Naruto and the rest of the Top Five have cared for its citizens for years now.
Around this time, Neji married Tenten and Shikamaru married Temari. Lee and Sakura began courting a little while Falcon and Konohamaru were single though Konohamaru and Hanabi began talking to each other a little more than usual.
Falcon spent his time working on new and improved armor. The armor he created was more adept at protecting the Talogan soldiers from certain jutsu attacks. As well as start the manufacture of firearms.
The firearms he developed were single shot, breach loading rifles that could be used for rapid reloads. The Eagle's Brigade were notorious for their use of muskets during the Talogan War and now, they had a major upgrade.
But this new weapon type wasn't just going to the Eagle's Brigade. Every single soldier was required to have a rifle or a carbine. This meant more ranged attacks and more damage to the enemy.
With these new weapons came new tactics. Skirmishes, front line, and a special formation called "The Wall of Lead" were taught and being used by the military.
Despite these achievements, the secret weapon that Falcon, the rest of the Top Five, and General Kiro were developing was not going smoothly. Frequent problems kept coming up to the surface. Some of these problems included propellant failure, misfires, inaccuracy, unpredictable flight patterns, and safe handling.
However, Falcon kept pressing on. Eventually they had to make a break through. They had to. If they could get this weapon completed before the truce ended, this would make the situation much more favorable for the Talogans. An easier victory was at stake in Falcon's eyes. He refused to be defeated.
It might be beneficial to know that the Kiros had experienced a series of upgrades as well. Where the ships had two large ballistas shooting boulders, these were replaced with two large cannons and several smaller ones on each side of the ship. This meant that they had more firepower than before.
Another upgrade the ships received was their propulsion. Kiros before were propelled by sails. Now, now these ships had coal burning steam engines and propellers. Making them faster, and not relying on the winds.
But this didn't all go on without the appearance of the new Air Fleet built. Massive airships had been constructed and equipped for war and sieges. Mostly, these ships dropped lit bombs that would detonate when the fuse was up. But there were some canons as well.
In case you didn't know this, the Talogan Empire was extremely wealthy. This was how it could afford such massive amounts of projects. Now don't get me wrong, the amount of spending the Talogan Empire made was a deficit in their economy. But it wasn't that bad due to the sacking of Trota.
After six months of preparation, Falcon received news that the Axis Alliance were constructing forts where the villages of Mist and Suna once stood. This angered Falcon and gave the order to prepare to attack the Axis Alliance once more.
The Army mobilized 15,000,000 soldiers to go to the Eastern Continent. It was a bit of an overkill, but the Talogans weren't about to let this slide.
As Falcon marched aboard his flagship The Destiney's Grim Fate. Hiro stopped him. "You have to take me with you." "Why Hiro? If I take you, you can get hurt and I don't want you to have that happen to you." Falcon said as he looked concerned at the woman facing him. "I'm still going." Hiro said as she boarded the ship.
Falcon stared at her with a complexion of horror, anger, and respect. "You gotta give it to her. She's as stubborn as a mule." Falcon said to himself. He then turned to General Kiro. "When the weapon is ready, sail to the Eastern Continent." Falcon told him as he stepped onto the gangplank. Kiro nodded.
Falcon nodded and stepped the rest of the way into the ship. The engines were fired up, the crew ran through their preparations. And Falcon saluted the Emperor as the fleet of ships and airships, thundered towards the Eastern Continent. To finish what they started.