Chapter 50: So, This Is War
-Kumo Countryside-
Several hours have passed after the Kage and village leaders appeared to aid their tired ninja and with the appearance of the other section of the first brigade alongside a platoon of medics Kenji, Naruto, Kurotsuchi, Genma, Zabuza, Kotetsu and Izumo were seen aiding the medics in gathering all the corpses of their fallen comrades who will then be safely delivered back to their respective villages for a proper burial. Meanwhile the Kage had several groups of ninjas from the remainder of first brigade set up a makeshift camp site for them to rest since after the brutal first battle between them and the Shinsengumi foot soldiers it was clear that this part of the Land of Lightning was under their control, and they intended on keeping it that way.
The entire campsite was rather large and had enough tents to support several hundred ninja and in the center of the entire camp was a rather large tent where the Kage and other village leaders were seen discussing different battle strategies. While they did intend on fighting the Shinsengumi by using their advantage of elemental attacks it was clear that this was negated by the gas weapon utilized by the extremists and even though many ninja were well-trained in bladed combat the Shinsengumi and the samurai were on a different level as evident by how they very nearly massacred half of first division down to only seven ninja.
''This is very bad, it's clear that a pitched battle was a plan for Shishio to devastate a large portion of our forces.'' Raikage A inquired.
''Agreed. We may have won this battle, but this war is far from over.'' Haku the Mizukage seconded.
''Ever since I became a ninja 60 years ago, I have never seen anything like this gas weapon Shishio used. Gas and chemical type weapons were banned by the first five Kage.'' Onoki grumbled, ''Such an unethical and cruel method for combat.''
''It's come to my attention that that deranged man must have someone creating this weapon for him and I know this won't be the last time we'll see it. Since the Shinsengumi have samurai in their ranks they know that the best way to kill us is to take our elemental advantage away.'' Kazekage Rasa said earning a nod from Onoki, Haku and A.
'I find myself agreeing with that. Our forces were just barely hanging on by a thread and if we didn't intervene we surely would've lost the battle and our prestige and pride would've taken a huge hit.'' Mako said.
Konan, Shibuki, Hokuto and Orochimaru all nodded in agreement and it would be the latter who chimed in.
''I am very familiar with the potential damage chemical and gas weaponry can inflict on the human body. I am very knowledgeable in this subject matter so I believe if I can somehow get a sample of the weapon that monster Shishio used on the first brigade I might be able to reverse engineer it.'' Orochimaru inquired.
''We are off to a bad start but we will recover, get the advantage and maintain it over these terrorists.'' Ryuzetsu said.
Haku was seen tending to Zabuza and despite her great concern for her personal bodyguard the swordsman respectfully denied her assistance as he did not suffer a single injury during the engagement. Ken witnessed the event and had to shake his head while letting out a light chuckle as he knew how Zabuza too well to understand that his former nemesis would still deny medical attention even if he was dying. It didn't surprise her given Zabuza always had some insane amount of pain tolerance though it was a bit weird how it seemed to excite him, at least not in a dirty way.
''Typical Zabuza.''
Ken then felt a presence coming his way and looking in the direction from where it came he saw Mako walking up to him with a medical kit after tending to her students. Both veterans caught each other's eyes and both had slight blushes on their faces and quickly shook their heads of certain thoughts that were going on in their heads. This was no time to dwell on any romantic feelings, this was war and they needed to focus a hundred percent on it.
Mako approached Kenji and took out a rag and taking some water from a canteen she had on her person she poured some water on the rag and began to wipe the blood and grime off Kenji's face. The two of them set beside each other in silence not wanting to say a word to the other and while they were war veterans from the last war they never enjoyed the killing aspect of it. After a few minutes of cleaning Ken's face she put the wet rag away and looked Kenji in the eyes.
''I'm glad you're okay.'' Mako simply said.
Kenji just shook his head at her comment and while he did appreciate her concern and while he was a very optimistic person when it came to living his life to the fullest he also had a bit of a pessimistic streak when it came to combat. He remembered when he slaughtered an entire platoon of Iwa Jonin in the last war just after his parents died he did not expect to survive the engagement. He's killed a lot of people since that night and it was something he would never enjoy even if it was an enemy who he thought deserves to die.
''It's just another day in the life of a shinobi. Kill or be killed.'' Kenji whispered before looking at Izumo, Kotetsu, Naruto, Genma and Kurotsuchi who were sitting on some cots a few feet away, ''I wonder how they're taking it. I mean it's their first time fighting in a war against an organized and disciplined enemy and not some dumb bandits.''
Mako looked in the direction of her team as well and shared Kenji's concern. She remembered the mission they did almost a few months back against the Shinsengumi and Cho's crew and while they did kill them all off they did not know that this enemy would be more organized and dangerous than any other foe they ever came across and while she was the Hokage who was supposed to be an example of power, knowledge and bravery for her village she too was afraid of how her students were taking this. Compared to a C-rank, B-rank or even an A or S-ranked mission war was on a completely different scale.
''They've killed before but they've never seen anything like this battle. I'm sure it's a lot to take in for them. The same goes for Izumo and Kotetsu.'' Mako said with a worried tone.
''I'm aware of it but you guys had the advantage of jutsu and Naruto using the Hiraishin made it way too damn easy. Look what these sick bastards did to first brigade. We couldn't even use our jutsu and I couldn't use my sensory ability. I'm telling you Mako we're trained killers but locking blades with samurai we're inferior.'' Kenji growled.
Mako let out a sigh knowing her friend was right. While she, Kenji and her students are well trained in various fighting styles they did not possess the natural swordsmanship the samurai of the Shinsengumi possessed. Kenji was the only one who had great skill with swords but even he was barely able to make it out of the fight. Naruto and company are great at fighting but as a result of the Shinsengumi gas attack Naruto and his friends lost over half their combat effectiveness meaning their only options is to lock blades with the Shinsengumi. She was relieved though that they, Kenji and Zabuza were the only ones who've had their chakra networks disrupted while the other divisions are still at one hundred percent effectiveness.
''Lord Orochimaru said he is very familiar with gas being used as a weapon and if he can get a sample of it he can try to reverse engineer it and restore your chakra networks. Though I don't like the idea of another division getting hit with it meaning we'll take even more casualties.'' said the Hokage.
Kenji nodded.
''I get it, and I know he'll be of great help.''
Getting up, Mako then made her way back over toward her students to see how they were holding up and when she approached their cot she grabbed a nearby chair and sat on it. Noticing their Hokage Naruto, Kurotsuchi, Genma, Izumo and Kotetsu waved at the Uchiha woman with smiles on their faces.
''Yo Mako what's going on?'' Izumo and Kotetsu asked in unison.
''Hey Senpai.'' Naruto, Kurotsuchi and Genma greeted.
Mako waved back at her shinobi as she sat down and while she already checked on them she wanted to double check to make sure they were one hundred percent okay and not too traumatized by the prior events.
''How are you guys feeling?''
Izumo and Kotetsu only shrugged as a response and this was merely a facade, and the reason was that since they graduated from the academy they were literally the only two Genin from their class that did not fight in the last war like Kenji, Mako and everyone else meaning they had no clue what to expect to see in a real combat scenario. They each gave the Hokage a thumbs up.
''We're doing just fine Mako.'' Izumo said rubbing his ass.
''Yeah, we're just a bit shocked is all. We didn't expect war to be like this but I'm sure we'll make it through.'' Kotetsu said with a thumbs up.
''Oh yeah we're doing just fine Mako-senpai no need to worry!'' Naruto quipped, his signature grin plastered on his face.
''That was nothing Senpai we can't handle it.'' Kurostuchi said with a smug grin.
''Pfft, these clunky armored bastards don't know who they're messing with. We showed them who's boss am I right guys?'' Genma said.
Mako knew they were lying. Being gate guards for a shade over twenty years straight and never seeing a second of combat even against bandits in their shinobi career she knew that they were already experiencing of battle fatigue just by the look in their eyes and that was a look she knew all too well. It was what she and Ken experienced when her teammates and his parents died fighting against Kumo and Iwa respectively in the last war and that was something that would stick to a person for years. The only thing she was grateful for was that her students didn't have to experience pain, death and suffering at the tender age of eight like she and her colleagues did and their innocence was taken away because of that.
''You guys can be honest I know your first taste of combat is really bothering you. I can tell me and Kenji know that look you all have in your eyes too well. Kakashi, Rin, Kurenai, Anko, Asuma and Kimihito had those looks too when we fought our first battles in the last war. I only have one piece of advice for you guys and it's that for the duration of this war please don't start to enjoy killing. I understand this enemy is very ruthless and fanatical but once you start to enjoy killing it means you have already begun a path to becoming less human. Me and Kenji have many bodies to our names but we never enjoyed it. Even if you fight an enemy who deserves to die don't ever enjoy it. War is something that can make us human being feel and do such awful things and turn us into awful creatures not worthy of being called human. Let the Shinsengumi do what they do because they aren't humans anymore if they enjoy killing that much. If you can maintain your humanity and think clearly you will survive.'' explained the Hokage.
Mako was right, Izumo and Kotetsu were feeling a bit unnerved since they killed a few dozen people in their first taste of combat and it was really a lot to take in. Even though they had more experience as ninjas more so than Mako's team the three younger Jonin still had a few kills under their belts and even they seemed to be really bothered by the violence of the fighting.
No one is the same after war.
''Maybe remaining on guard duty was a much better idea.'' Kotetsu said with a slight shiver.
''I agree maybe this wasn't a good idea. I don't want PTSD from combat this violent.'' Izumo seconded.
Hearing this Kenji walked over to his two old friends and gave each of them a slight smack on the back of the head and this only served to annoy the two former gate guards.
''Hey why'd you do that?'' questioned a now annoyed Izumo.
''You guys have been wanting to be in the combat arms for years and now you already want to back out? Come on you two! I get that it's scary but what you're feeling is normal and you don't think Mako and I don't feel the same way? Try killing Iwa ninja as an 8 year old don't forget what we did you two got it easy unlike the rest of us.''
Team eleven knew that he was right and were already aware of the dangers and trauma they experienced in the last war. Even before they went to war with the Shinsengumi Naruto, Kurotsuchi and Genma understood that combat was worse than missions since missions never involved anything of this caliber. Before the war even started their most dangerous missions involved fighting other ninja and their first encounter with the Shinsengumi which was a one-sided affair in their favor and for some reason it didn't seem to bother them as much as the battle that just took place.
Izumo knew Kenji was right and he had to admit that he and Kotetsu got it real easy during the last war as all they ever did throughout the entire conflict was sit at the guard post and watch the gate all day and night while Kenji, Mako and the rest were out there fighting the other villages. They knew doing something like that at such a young age was incredibly tough on a young mind, but they knew that their peers had a lot of mental strength if they didn't turn out for the worse later in life. So they quickly accepted that they had it a lot better than their peers who were assigned to combat roles unlike them. The others had a running joke that being the eternal gate guards was more of a put down than being a medic or support ninja. Among the ninja in Konoha those who have live, breathed and seen combat were the most respected of all and they held that with honor and confidence.
Kotetsu let out a sigh as he wiped the sweat off his face.
''It's too late to turn back now Izumo. Remember we've always bitched to Hiruzen-sama and Lady Tsunade that we wanted to transfer to combat roles and we got our wish with Mako being the Hokage. I'm not going to quit now because we're already here, might as well finish it.'' said the man.
''I guess you're right dude we're already here. I don't want to be seen as a coward for backing out by the others like Kakashi.'' Izumo added.
Mako looked over her students, Kenji and the former gate guards before getting up.
''You guys I have to get back to the Kage tent to formulate more battle plans. Get some rest okay?''
The Hokage went to turn around only for Kenji to call out to her and hearing her name being called she turned to face Kenji only to be hugged by him and she was caught off guard at the gesture. Kenji held her in that hug for a few minutes before he finally let her go.
''You go do your thing Mako I'll watch over them. You have nothing to worry about Team Eleven is in good hands.'' Kenji declared confidently.
Mako smiled at her best friend and nodded.
'I know you'll take care of them.''
Kenji and Mako looked into each other's eyes and they saw the love and longing in them. Mako didn't want to dwell on romance now due to the dire situation they were all in and she turned around to take her leave. Just as she began walking she heard her best friend call out to her and when she turned around Kenji walked up to her and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips much to her surprise.
The sight did not go unnoticed by Naruto, Kurotsuchi, Genma, Kotetsu and Izumo and they all smiled at their comrades despite the miserable state they were all in.
''Woah, I didn't know they were a thing!'' Naruto thought incredulously.
''You know what? They actually do make a good couple.'' thought a smiling Kurotsuchi.
''I don't know why, but I think they are a match.'' Genma thought with a grin.
''What the heck?! When did that happen?!'' Izumo and Kotetsu thought in pure shock.
The kiss would last for at least a minute before Kenji separated and Mako was left in a state of shock and was blushing a bit. She had already kissed him before when they had their emotional moment in her hotel suite but this was something she never expected from him, never in a billion years. Before she could say anything Kenji simply held his hands up prompting her to remain silent.
''You don't have to worry about your students. You know they're in good hands with me, same goes for Kotetsu and Izumo. I'll watch over them and mark my words I'm bringing them all back home.'' declared Kenji confidently.
Smiling, the Hokage nodded and took her leave leaving the rest of her shinobi by themselves to heal, rest and regain their bearings after such a brutal first battle with the enemy.
-Kage Tent-
''These fiends are an insurgency, and we must deal with them properly. Given that they are samurai and don't seem to have any ninja in their ranks besides that masked man we saw accompany Shishio at the summit if Lord Orochimaru can reverse engineer their gas weapon we can have a huge advantage with elemental jutsu.'' Raikage A suggested, ''The area where the battle also took place is home to several communities of merchants and farmers and the fact that our forces reported that they were nowhere to be seen makes me highly suspicious.''
''We can't assume they had anything to do with it though Lord Raikage. They were probably told ahead of time by the enemy that they plan on having the battle in that area so I will assume they fled to avoid being collateral damage.'' Rasa interjected.
''Then again, since these are guerrilla style tactics we're obviously dealing with here there is also a small chance of civilians working with them to provide intelligence and the like which would make it a tough fight. We have to prove that there might be civilians being lookouts for them and I sure hope it doesn't come to that. I understand the shinobi class is considered oppressive in some areas of the world but we still can't just assume civilians are on their side. The villagers within Konoha are very pro-ninja and pro-war after we were attacked by that suicide bomber a month ago.'' Mako added, ''We will have to discuss changes in strategy if we are going to achieve success against these monsters.''
"Our Shinobi are already well trained in guerrilla warfare especially our ANBU. So, it shouldn't be difficult to adapt and overcome this enemy. In regard to Iwagakure the civilians are also very pro-ninja." Onoki said.
''I don't know about that Onoki-san, if we adapt properly to fight these fiends then they can adapt to what we bring as well. They already know that by using this gas weapon to take away the division's elemental advantage to get us to fight in close combat. They decimated most of them with just sword fighting alone and that shows how much of a danger they truly are.'' Rasa said angrily.
The Kage and other village heads knew that this wouldn't be an easy war to win as shown by the first battle between them and the enemy. However, they didn't expect to Shinsengumi to have access or create chemical weapons which were outlawed by the first 5 Kage during the very first summit between their villages they knew that stooping to the enemy's level might be a tactic they will have to use. Orochimaru was known among the nations as a genius in this field and obtaining even a small sample of the chakra disrupting gas that was used on first brigade would allow the snake Sannin to develop a counter to it should they come across it again.
''Given that these monsters were able to infiltrate our summit so easily we need to come up with a way to make sure they can't reach our villages. I suggest we put up checkpoints starting at each border in every nation heading back to our home villages in increments of 1 mile. We will also have the reserve ninja stay in the village and guard it with 24-hour surveillance to increase our chances of spotting the enemy.'' Haku suggested, ''Though that may be an issue since Lady Mako's Shinsengumi prisoner escaped by what appears to be someone using a teleportation jutsu based on the fact that no alarms were triggered.''
''Yes, perhaps we can assign ANBU to target these bases the Shinsengumi lieutenant told your interrogation unit and see if they can infiltrate and find any samples of this weapon. If we can do that we won't have to worry about losing elemental jutsu.'' Hokuto said.
''We can also assign ANBU platoon to go on manhunts should we learn the identity of any high-ranking member as well. Given the circumstances I suggest we give ANBU the order to kill on sight since I believe these animals don't deserve to rot in a cell, we should exterminate them entirely.'' Ryuzetsu added.
''Then we will have to plan accordingly to make sure the ANBU don't suffer too many losses as well and that's something that will be impossible to avoid. They are the best among all Shinobi, but they aren't invincible.'' Shibuki admitted with a frown.
That was a fact that the Kage and leaders simply couldn't ignore. While they knew the ANBU were the best trained the villages had to offer there will always be casualties among them and since the ANBU were the best of the best they agreed that they will only use them for missions such as assassinations, manhunting, hostage rescue, reconnaissance and raids while the regular Shinobi will handle fighting the big battles and skirmishes that might occur between the two sides. With the Shinsengumi the ANBU will also be trained and tasked with conducting counter insurgency operations against the extremists. The best way to learn how to conduct counter insurgency is for the ANBU to face the Shinsengumi in battle and learn as they go.
''We need to make sure the ANBU have good intel and understand this enemy because if we just send them to fight right now there's no doubt we will suffer more casualties.'' Mako inquired, ''I will notify my friend Yugao Uzuki who is the commander of all the village's ANBU to prepare for missions and lead these counter insurgency operations. I have the utmost trust and confidence in her ability to lead the ANBU and succeed.'' Mako said proudly, ''We will show these monsters no fear and that it will take a big effort to even try and break us mentally.''
They knew that was the most sensible approach and all the Kage and village leaders realized that maybe they should've sent out their ANBU out on missions first to gauge the enemy's potential strength, conduct surveillance against the Shinsengumi and if they did that then maybe the Shinobi Alliance could have avoided this catastrophic battle. They could have discovered that the Shinsengumi had planned on using the chakra disrupting gas and gain a massive lead against the terrorists. It was only now that they accepted that maybe they were all a bit overconfident in victory in this war and they had just paid the price in losing a large amount of first brigade reducing their overall manpower.
Mako inwardly sighed at how foolish of a mistake they committed by agreeing to Shishio's proposal of a pitched battle being the first encounter for both sides. As much as the other Kage and village leaders felt bad about making such a mistake the Uchiha woman knew that this would stick to her record as Hokage and should've thought about conducting clandestine operations against the Shinsengumi first. She remembered during the last war how Hiruzen sent ANBU into Kusa's territory to stake out Iwa's positions and her village ended up discovering that Iwa was using the Kanabi bridge and as a result of its destruction the war slowly turned into Konoha's favor.
''In that case we shall give what remains of first brigade time to recuperate and reform it as a special unit personally chosen by the Kage and village leaders. I will meet with the ANBU commander Yugao Uzuki to give her the ANBU division's missions. We will not make this mistake again and the next time we encounter the Shinsengumi in a battle we will not achieve a pyrrhic victory, but total victory against these monsters.'' declared the Hokage, ''This time we will be prepared and will not have such a disastrous battle again.''
The other Kage and village leaders felt a resurgence of confidence coursing through their veins they all smiled at the Uchiha woman and nodded. This battle would not have happened if they played their cards right and took a more cautious approach, but things will change next time and Shishio had better be prepared for them as he was with them.
-Kumo Countryside, a few hours later-
Naruto was seen sitting beside a stream that was a few dozen meters away from the recovery encampment set up by the Kage after their failed first battle against the Shinsengumi. About an hour ago Kurotsuchi and the rest of the survivors from the brigade had fallen asleep and were now resting for the night but in Naruto's case, he wasn't feeling as tired like the rest of them so he decided to go for a leisurely walk to the stream to help calm his mind down after facing such harsh combat for the first time. He simply sat on the edge and just looked at his reflection on the water's surface for several minutes.
''So, this is war huh? Naruto whispered to himself.
He had read about how brutal and violent the previous wars were. In the third war violence and hostilities between all the villages reached such a boiling point that all the Kage ordered their ninja to engage and kill ninjas from the other villages on sight and ask questions later. Hatred was especially bad between Iwa and Konoha and Naruto had a hunch that the hate the Shinsengumi's samurai had for the Great Villages was definitely stronger than Iwa and Konoha's hatred during the last war.
The blonde man continued to sit there before some footsteps were heard coming from behind him but he didn't turn around as the presence felt all too familiar to him. A second later someone hugged him from the back and turning around to face the unknown person he looked to see Kurotsuchi and the two gave each other a loving kiss on the lips. They separate the intimate act, and both sat there enjoying the sounds of the stream's moving water in silence.
''Hey, how are you feeling?'' Kurotsuchi asked, breaking the silence.
Naruto did not verbally respond with words and only opted to sigh in distress, but Kurotsuchi understood how he was feeling as she was the same way. He took a moment to gather himself as the images of the battle were still very fresh in his mind and he figured they wouldn't go away even years from now.
''Just a bit traumatized Kuro-chan, that's all.'' he finally replied, a bit somberly.
Kurotsuchi's face softened hearing that and she deepens the embrace hoping their physical contact would be enough to take his mind off things.
''I understand, Genma and I are feeling the same way. I know it's really hard right now but Kenji-senpai is right, war is a whole different ball game compared to doing missions during peace time. Even missions involving actual combat against foreign ninja is nothing compared to this and I'm starting to see that now. When I was younger I always had this romanticized version of war from reading novels but boy was I wrong. I wasn't just wrong; I was stupid to think of war like that considering that before Iwa's ninja are raised in fighting society that glorified violence and killing of Konoha shinobi. How stupid of me to have that mindset and I guess you can say I'm glad my eyes were opened.'' said the Iwa girl.
The couple then hear some more footsteps approaching them and turning around they look to see Genma walking toward them and the senbon chewing man took a seat beside the couple to join them in their little talk.
''Hey Kurotsuchi, Naruto what's going on?'' he asked.
''Hey bro.'' Naruto replied.
''How you doing Genma?'' Kurotsuchi questioned with concern.
A small smirk formed on Genma's face, and he let out a nervous chuckle and shrugged.
''I guess you can say a bit peachy, but glad to be alive and breathing.''
The three longtime friends shared a quick chuckle at Genma's bad attempt at humor, but they knew they needed it to lighten the mood. The past few days were just really stressful on their young minds and were glad that they will receive a few days to recover and recuperate before their next assignment. Hopefully they will be assigned something not as violent and chaotic as the battle because they were second guessing themselves on how much more they could take before the war breaks them mentally.
''You guys gonna reconsider?'' Genma asked, a bit jokingly.
Naruto and Kurotsuchi shook their heads no in response to their friend's question. What's the point of turning back when they were trained to be front line fighters in the academy?
''Even if I decided to switch to a support role there's honestly no turning back now.'' Naruto sighed.
''I agree, I've wanted to fight on the front lines before I moved to Konoha. That is my dream and I will perform as a combat kunoichi to the best of my ability even during times of war because that's our job.'' Kurotsuchi said confidently.
Genma had to agree, right after the battle ended he was thinking of reconsidering and maybe train and transfer to the medical brigade with Himiko who was a trained combat medic but it was like his teammates said, there's no turning back now and if he did he'd appear a coward in front of his peers and that was something he did not want. The three really disliked how hard Kenji trained them before the war and thought it was too excessive but right when the battle ended, and the Kage jumped in to destroy the enemy reinforcements they realized that Kenji's training is what literally saved them in the end. Training them to fight against armies of his shadow clones was Kenji's way of building up their stamina to last longer should they find themselves in a fight against large numbers. Kenji was right they felt completely winded throughout the battle and there was no way the enemy would let them take a breather.
''Kenji senpai's training was honestly really helpful, I understand his reasoning now.'' Naruto spoke softly.
''Well, let's just hope things will get better, I mean I know this is just the first battle, but I hope any future fighting won't be as bad and violent as this.'' Kurotsuchi said.
Genma then took his senbon and used it as a toothpick like he always did.
''Man, that would be too naive to think Kurotsuchi but I agree, let's hope things get better for our side, and that we can get our chakra pathways cleared of the gas so we can kick some ass with Elemental Release.''
The three teammates just sat there beside the stream enjoying the quiet, serene sounds of the wildlife that inhabited the countryside and what made this disturbing was that they were still in the same field the battle took place and even though the corpses of their fallen comrades were already taken out of the field the stench of dead bodies and eerie, unsettling feeling of the battle still lingered in the air.
-Massive Volcano, Unknown Nation, several days later-
Shishio was seen in a meditative pose in his room of the abandoned temple. The most noticeable thing about his room was that it was a bit oversized for a single person to live in and the strangest thing about his living quarters was that it was basically a slab of rock hovering over a massive crater full of boiling hot lava. A few seconds would pass before he felt a presence and opening his eyes, he sees one of his underlings, Kabuto Yakushi walking toward him with a wicked smile on his face.
''Yes? What is it, Kabuto?'' Shishio asked.
''I thought you would be interested in seeing whose DNA I managed to obtain after having Shisui helped me infiltrate the war memorial in Konoha. I must say his reputation from his days as a ninja of that village are no joke. He's the real deal with his stealth and infiltration skills. I've also retrieved the DNA of the fallen Akatsuki members, Gengetsu Hozuki and the 3rd Raikage. They are ready to be deployed whenever you want them. I have also perfected the Reanimation Jutsu to the point where I do not require a sacrifice, merely the DNA of the Reanimated ninja and the scrolls. It's almost perfect Lord Shishio.'' Kabuto said with a smug grin on his face.
The smug Oto man then took out a pair of scrolls and unfurled them. He then takes out two vials of DNA and smears what appeared to be bone fragments from some graves he and Shisui robbed onto the scrolls before he performs several hand seals and claps his hands together. A second after he does that the seal on the scroll activates and spreads out in a circular pattern in front of Kabuto and what looked like dust and ash began to emerge from the seal and a few minutes would pass before the dust and ash began to form into the shape of people. Shishio looked on with glee as he saw the forms finally become the two ninja that Kabuto wanted to bring back the most.
A few more minutes would pass before the reanimation jutsu finished and Kabuto backed off a bit to give his latest project some breathing room.
Shishio smiled and let out a rather evil, and wicked sounding laugh at the sight before him. The two figures before him were two people he was acquainted with before he disappeared during the last war. One figure was a tall man who was about 6 feet in height with medium length black hair and was wearing a ninjato strapped to his right side. The man then takes his blade out and holds it in his right hand in an underhand grip. The second figure was a woman who was about 5'4'' in height with long, beautiful black hair with her ninjato strapped to her back with the handle angled toward her left shoulder. The woman unsheathes the blade and holds it in a proper, right side up grip. Both the man and women were wearing the standard issue Konoha Shinobi Flak Jacket and had the headband wrapped neatly around their foreheads.
Kabuto then walks up to the man and woman and places his hands on the back of their necks for a second before he backs off again and it was revealed that he had placed seals on them to keep them under his and Shishio's control.
The man and woman then open their eyes and the both of them looked like they did the night they died during the last war, only this time there was a look of pure evil and hatred in them as the seal was applied by Kabuto.
''Welcome back from the dead, Kyo and Katsumi Kasugano.'' Shishio said evilly, ''I have a manhunting mission for you and I think you'll love it just like the old days. Your target...is your son, Kenji Kasugano.''
The revealed Kyo and Katsumi did not react as they simply nodded, their eyes and faces displaying no emotion.