It's been way too long since I updated this story, my bad. Got myself busy writing and also a bit of watching the news (did not expect that in Syria)

Also been trying to get the next chapter of the Naruto/Bleach, my GTA fics and I FINALLY got that Naruto/Star Wars fic updated, life's going at you fast when you work and try to get something done.

Anyway, I will make this chapter end the Wave Country Arc and go back to the Straw Hats next chapter, but I hope you all will enjoy this chapter.

Enjoy.

The deafening roar of artillery shook the ground as Naruto gunned the jeep through the treacherous road.

Chōjūrō clung to the lifeless bodies of fallen Expeditionary men and the wounded one on the front, with shells exploding all around them, splintering trees and sending shrapnel flying dangerously close. Every second felt like an eternity as they raced away from the carnage they had narrowly escaped.

"Hold on!"

Naruto sped up a bit further as they managed to stay on the road escaping the kill zone, going past a checkpoint where some men spotted the jeep as it drove through the barrier.

By that point, the artillery barrage was behind them and the shocked Chōjūrō raised his head, his hair and shoulders covered in dirt and he began coughing from the ordeal he had survived, he grabbed his glasses and tried to clean them.

"W-We made it through, Lieutenant…" He turned to the driver. "Lieut…en…ant?"

Naruto had been sitting on the bad end of the barrage, his uniform was now in tatters, with spots of grime and dirt covering every inch from his pants to his shirt. His face was also smeared with black soot due to the nearby explosions that had caused chaos on the battlefield. Despite this, he remained focused as he drove back to base.

"Lieutenant?"

"Hmm?" Naruto briefly turned to the Shinobi, unbothered as he spotted something, "You're wounded."

"Huh?"

Naruto reaches his hand out to the Kiri's Nin arm, showing he has a bleeding wound for Chōjūrō to be surprised.

"My…"

"Some shrapnel, but it can be tend to." Naruto said focused back on the road and ordered, "Keep an eye on that wounded man."

The jeep rumbled along the rugged dirt path for another hundred meters, the sound of its engine echoing in the crisp morning air. As the vehicle approached the entrance to the base, the towering barriers creaked upward, their heavy metal frames glinting in the sunlight. Guards, clad in dark uniforms and alert to any potential threats, quickly sprang into action, their eyes widening as they recognized the Legionnaire officer behind the wheel. One by one, the soldiers stepped aside, their boots crunching on the gravel as they cleared the route, allowing the officer to drive deeper into the secure confines of the base. The moment the jeep stopped in its tracks, Naruto called out immediately for help.

"We need medics!"

A handful of medics and soldiers came running up to the jeep and spotted the wounded man on the hood they began to get out of the vehicle first with the medics bringing him away as fast as possible towards the medical tents while the others went to the deceased men they began to pick up.

"How did they die?"

"Explosive, possibly a mine of some sort, two guys died instantly." Naruto briefed them while carrying the second deceased soldier onto a brancard, "Bring them to the morgue, I got their tags."

"Yes sir."

"Someone bring him to the infirmary," Naruto instructed one of the medics, pointing at Chōjūrō, "He got injured in his arm."

"But-"

"No buts, kid," One of the medics said grabbing the blue-haired swordsman by the wounded arm and escorting him while checking his wound, "Don't want that wound to get infected."

As the medics carried away the wounded and dead, Naruto was left alone in the jeep. He leaned heavily against the hood, feeling the sticky warmth of blood soaking through his clothes. The stench of charred flesh and smoke still clung to him as he surveyed the scene. Mud and dirt were caked onto every surface, including the seats beside him. His heart raced from the adrenaline rush of narrowly escaping an artillery barrage. With a heavy sigh, he finally relaxed and let the tension drain from his body.

Naruto rubbed his hand over his face and tried to find his canteen of water, only to find it empty and see a hole punctured right through it, most likely due to the artillery.

"Water?"

Turning his head up he faced a canteen of water being offered to him, but also the pair of black shinobi sandals before he noticed the person was in all shinobi gear - a high-collared, sleeveless uniform with loose-fitting pants, bandages on his wrists, and the one-strap-over-one-shoulder flak jacket of a Kumogakure shinobi.

Looking up he then saw the man's full face, a dark-skinned man to be exact with a bored expression on his face with shaggy white hair that covered his left eye, he carried on his back a cleaver-shaped sword as the only visible weapon.

Naruto's throat was parched and his face was caked with dirt and sweat. He eagerly accepted the canteen offered by a man with dark skin and a bored expression. After taking a long gulp, he poured some of the water over his face to rinse off the grime. "Ah, just what I needed," he sighed in relief.

"You look beat up," the man commented, still disinterested. "Maybe we should introduce ourselves properly first." He extended his hand. "I'm Darui, a Jōnin from Kumogakure."

"I recognize your uniform," Naruto replied, finishing cleaning his face and shaking Darui's hand. "Lieutenant Uzumaki Naruto, Alabasta Foreign Legion."

"Yeah, I know about you," Darui said with the same bored tone. "We've been trying to contact you for some time now." He gestured to someone behind him. "Just talked to your superior officers who told me we could find you here."

"We?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're not alone then."

"Nope," Darui said shortly. "Got a whole team with me." He nudges his head, "They're all waiting at the tent with other new officers for the debriefing."

"New officers?"

*TCHK!*

Inside the large tent, a huge amount of smoke was present caused by the smoking crowd inside of it, the officers in various uniforms were smoking their cigarettes or pipes that they were using in time to wait until everyone had arrived, but not all were participating in the moment of smoking. One of them was the shinobi present.

"Ugh, why are we here? Too much damn smoke!" Karui said silently while waving the smoke away from her face, she was speaking with her fellow Kumo nin, Omoi, Yugito, and Samui, all in the background, the two blondes watched their two comrades being the center of some unneeded attention.

"Shh, Karui," Yugito whispered, noticing the curious eyes of nearby officers. "We're attracting too much attention."

"Attention!"

The flap of the tent rustled as Darui and Naruto entered, their presence immediately catching the attention of those inside. Their gazes fell upon the two, some noting the smudge of black root still clinging to Naruto's face. The young blond officer turned to Captain Bishop and Major Whitehall and saluted them.

"Lieutenant Uzumaki, reporting in, sir."

"Good to see you among us, Lieutenant." Major Whitehall spoke approaching Naruto, shaking his hand, and acknowledging, "I heard you got a rough shelling by those guns, you okay?"

"No worry about me, sir. Just some shelling but I'm doing fine." Naruto replied to his superior officer, "I cannot say for the men I brought in."

"Excuse me, Lieutenant Uzumaki?"

Naruto turned to the man who asked for his name and saw it was one of the officers who stood out from the other officers in the room, the man looked middle-aged perhaps slightly older than Bishop and Whitehall as he had had gray hair on the sides but some brown on top and looked like a man who had seen action in his younger days, wore dark trousers with boots and a fine field grey tunic tricolor uniform with several medallions on his chest and patches on his shoulders showing he was a Captain, the man's left arm was noticeable different with a glove on his hand.

"Yes?"

"You must be Bishop's protege I heard about, nice to meet you," The man smiled and offered his hand, "Allow me to shake the hand of another soldier."

"Of course, sir." Doing so out of respect, Naruto did so and reintroduced himself, "Lieutenant Uzumaki Naruto, 9th Batallion of the Foreign Legion. Fox Company."

"Hauptmann Hermann Musk, 336th battalion, 2nd company, Germa Volunteers, but you can call me Captain Hermann," The captain introduced himself before turning to the man beside him, "This is Feldwebel Pflüfger of Batallion 179. He's just transferred under my command. But you can call him Sargeant Plfüger."

The younger-looking non-commissioned officer shook his hand and smiled, "I Heard a lot about you, Lieutenant, it will be an honor working with you." The man pulls out a pack, "A cigarette?"

"No thank you, I got my pack here." Naruto said showing one he pulled out from his pocket, "But I take a break now, got through that artillery shelling just a few moments ago."

"Eh-hmm, excuse me but can we move on-OW!" Karui got elbowed in the back to be shut up, seeing it was Yugito who was the one responsible for it as all eyes in the room paid attention to the Kumo Nin.

Darui bowed his head and apologized for the interruption, saying, "I apologize for my comrade. It won't happen again."

"I trust your judgment, soldier." The Major's voice was commanding as he gazed sternly at the group. "Our mission is to secure the bridge tomorrow."

The Foreign Legion officer then unveiled a map of the Land of Waves and the coastal areas of the Land of Fire that were linked by the bridge. Unfortunately, enemy artillery had made it impossible for troops to cross.

Their strategy was to launch their barrage of artillery fire in response, with the help of the Germa Volunteers' heavy guns raining destruction on enemy positions across the river. But this was only the initial phase; the second involved crossing the river in boats under cover of darkness.

"Under the cover of darkness, we will use over two dozen motorized boats to cross on both flanks of the bridge at precisely 04:00," Whitehall explained, pointing to various locations with a stick. "Uzumaki's Fox Company will lead the charge on the left, while Hermann's Storm Pioneers will take the right flank. Once we have enough men on land, we will advance deep into enemy territory, neutralizing their guns and encircling any remaining forces."

"And where do they fit in?" The Germa non-commissioned officer Pflüger asked, turning with a grin to the blonde Kumo woman, "No offense ladies but we got enough medical personnel."

The joke, however, didn't land very well as the room fell silent. Both blonde Kumo Kunoichi raised their eyebrows at the Germa volunteer, while the red-haired, dark-skinned Kunoichi looked like she was about to explode.

Darui tried to speak but got overshadowed by Naruto speaking up.

"They'll be joining us in the assault, Sargeant. For in case we come across more dangerous forces our men will not be able to counter." Naruto told the Germa soldier with a serious tone as he looked at him, "If these bandits got their hands on artillery I would also assume they would have some rogue shinobi among their ranks. And those can cause casualties in the double digits."

Pflüger seems to have then taken account of his bad joke and nodded before apologizing, "My mistake, I made a mistake."

"Let's not beat the bush here, lads." Bishop said getting to the point, "Time to prepare, we got a war to fight."

"Dismissed."

…

Pouring out of the tent in the dozens, Naruto was one of the first as he began walking straight for the jeeps where he was going to use one to get back to his sleeping quarters.

Grabbing from his pockets his smokes, just when a group of men crossed paths with him.

*THUD!*

Naruto's shoulder hit another man in a similar uniform that of the Germa Volunteers who turned around and looked down at him, "Look out where you go, Junge."

"Excuse me?" Naruto turned to the man, who was a few years older than him and had black hair, he raised his voice, "Is that how you speak to an officer?"

The taller man laughed at that and said, "You? An officer? Don't make me laugh," The Germa volunteer leaned in and sneered at him, "Now apologize before I make you-"

"Muller, back off." His comrade a big guy in a cameo uniform tried to warn him, "We're in front of the officers' tent-"

"No Wölk, not until this brat knows his place," The identified Muller sneered, pointing his finger at Naruto and jabbing it toward his chest. But before he could finish his sentence, Naruto moved with lightning speed, seizing the man's arm and twisting it behind his back until it threatened to snap.

With a savage growl, Naruto forced the soldier face-down onto the ground, pressing a knee into his spine and immobilizing him. He could feel the man's fear radiating off his body as he pressed the cold steel of a kunai knife against his throat, drawing a bead of blood.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Naruto's voice was low and dangerous.

"H-HELP! WÖLK!"

*Click!*

The big guy tried to help but he found himself getting a gun pointed at his back, it was Vic who just happened to enter the scene and he had his BAR aimed.

"Easy, Kraut."

"STAND DOWN!" Captain Bishop yelled as he approached the scene, he saw his pupil holding someone to the ground and his second-in-command holding his rifle to another person, "Stand down, Vic."

Vic lowered his gun and caused Wölk to drop his hands.

"Naruto, release him."

Naruto threw the man named Muller to the ground and stood up he then took a step back, just as the other officers exited the tent, with the Germa Volunteer commander walking out and demanding.

"What is going on here?"

"S-Sir, I-"

"Muller here tried to intimidate the Lieutenant, sir." One Germa Volunteer spoke up, surprising the others as this man with funny ears who was holding onto a rifle, calmly spoke next to an older fighting comrade of his, "One thing led to another and he's getting his ass kicked."

Muller looked ready to spit. "You snake-"

"Private Muller, is this true?" The Germa Captain demanded, "Do not lie to me!"

The private hesitated but then confessed, "Y-Yes sir."

"OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

The two German volunteers walked away, leaving dirt on the Muller guy's face, as the Hauptmann approached Naruto.

"My apologies for my men, I'll discipline them."

"Sure, if you excuse me, I'll be returning to my quarters." Naruto saluted the officer before walking off and ordering, "Vic, you're my driver."

The men departed with Naruto and Vic walking off to the vehicles, allowing the two to speak by themselves as a few thoughts were exchanged.

"Thanks for the help, Vic." Naruto said whipping his mouth, "Can always count on you."

"No problem, sir." Vic said, slinging his BAR back around his shoulder, "Won't pass up a chance putting a kraut in his place."

"Slang for Germa people, my old man used to fight against them in the last war, bastards." Vic spoke with some contempt, "These guys fought for that SOB Judge Vinsmoke and his crazy family and its fucked up private army."

"Oh yeah, Germa Kingdom used to have a seat at Reverie, and also got loyal followers, right?"

"Vinsmoke and his family might go around the seas causing all kinds of trouble, but that does not mean they don't have supporters. Whole islands who swear loyalty to him." Vic said, spitting on the ground as he entered the driver's seat of a prepared jeep, "I'm telling you, Naruto. Those folks are bad news. So don't trust them."

"We're going to have to trust them, Vic, with what's coming next morning." Naruto said taking the shotgun seat next to him, leaning back, "Take me back to Tazuna's place."

"Excuse me."

The two Legionnaires in the jeep turned their heads as they heard the approach of Darui's team of Kumo nin. They gazed upon the leader, waiting for him to speak.

"Would you Mind if we joined you?" Darui's voice rang out confidently. We'd like to have a friendly conversation with you."

Naruto's attention was drawn to the request, and he turned to Vic, who merely shrugged in response. After receiving a nod from their blond leader, Naruto gestured for them to climb into the back of the jeep. "We'll be heading to my quarters," he said.

His words were met with a small smile and nods from Darui's team as they settled into the vehicle. The engine revved to life and even with the weight, the jeep drove off with those in the back holding onto whatever they could to not fall off.

"Hold tight!"

Driving out of the base, the two Legion men and the Kumo team drove through the Land of Waves' countryside towards the town. It was going to be a silent drive, as more questions would be thought of the moment they arrived at Tazuna's house.

Night

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, the living room of Tazuna's humble home. Tsunami bustled in, carrying a tray with steaming cups of tea for her guests. The Kumo team and Naruto were seated around the table, joined by Captain Bishop and Darui, who sat beside the bridge builder. As they finished their delicious lunch, Tazuna spoke about the progress of the bridge construction project.

But also present at the table and sitting right across the two youngest Kumo Nin was Chōjūrō, who had just returned from the infirmary. This left a rather awkward silence, given that two of the five major Shinobi Villages were now present in this room. The redhead Karui was seen giving an observant glare at the blue-haired swordsman, who was made uneasy by her.

This was noted by Naruto who knew the two Shinobi Villages weren't on the best terms - so he kept quiet and ate his ramen while watching the two camps.

Tsunami tried to break the silence and asked politely, "Did you all enjoy the food?"

Chōjūrō responded friendly, "It was good, thank you, ma'am."

"That is good to hear." Tsunami said to the Kiri nin, she then asked him about his bandaged arm, "Your arm, is it okay?"

"I-It is nothing," Chōjūrō said holding his arm out and moving it a bit to show he was fine, "The doctor told me to be careful now for a day."

"Pfft, pathetic." The word of interruption came from Karui, still eating some from her rice bowl, she interrupted the conversation, "One small wound, that for a Shinobi."

The high-ranking officers and Shinobi noticed the Kumo girl's attitude and kept a close eye on her. Darui and Yugito, in particular, gave her stern looks that the redhead failed to notice. However, they also directed their gazes toward the Captain of the Foreign Legion and his blond subordinate, whom they observed was also paying attention to their dark-skinned kunoichi.

But he didn't respond or interfere given Chōjūrō did not reply, so he continued to eat his food, just as then the bridge builder Tazuna decided to speak.

"So kid, where's that good-looking fiancé of yours."

"Dad!"

"What? I'm just asking!" Tazuna told her daughter before turning to Naruto, "I haven't seen her today, that Shizuka girl."

"She's still at the infirmary helping the medics," Naruto replied while finishing his ramen bowl, properly eating for once in front of an audience, "They've been busy preparing extra beds and bandages for the worst-case scenario."

"Worse case scenario?"

"We might expect heavy casualties, that is what I am saying. Whatever is on the other side of the bridge that is waiting for us, we expect the bandits to be armed well, with perhaps also Momochi if he decides to interfere."

"Momochi? Like in Momochi Zabuza?" Samui asked while taking a sip from the cup of tea she was served, "He is here?"

"Him and a couple of others, we assume." Naruto replied while whipping his mouth clean, nudging to his Kiri attache, "We ran into them not long ago, but we think they're still active in the area."

"You fought Momochi?"

"Not much fought but kept him at a distance," Bishop joined in, recalling, "Him and this woman, Ameyuri Ringo I believe according to my lieutenant here, both confronted us and wounded our radioman, but we called in an artillery strike to cover our retreat."

"Typical of Hidden Mist." Karui mumbled in response, adding, "Always known for its incompetence in its ranks…"

"Stop embarrassing yourself; girly."

Finally breaking the tension, Naruto confronted the badmouthing of the Kumo Kunoichi named Karui, having been fed up with her, he decided to look directly into her eyes as she glared back at him.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, stop embarrassing yourself and your team. Ever since you've stepped foot inside this house, you've been hinting at your behavior in a not-so-subtle way." Naruto came clean and said to her face, "So instead of being so weaselly about it, how about you just say what's on your mind in front of everyone and get over it."

*BANG!*

Slamming her fist with the chopstick on the table, Karui's response was one of anger, and it prompted some of the others to try to play peacemaker for both sides.

"Karui, please don't," Omoi tried to calm her. "We're guests here."

Chōjūrō also tried, "L-Lieutenant, please, this is not needed-"

"Fine, you want to hear me out? I'll say to you what's bothering me." Karui pointed her finger at the Kiri-nin, "Mister from a dysfunctional village over there, his presence bothers me."

"Me? But I-"

"Leave it to the Hidden Mist to let its most dangerous Shinobi turn rogue and walk away without facing any consequences, let alone most of the Seven Swordsmen to run off," Karui stated and her glare intensified against the Kiri Nin. "Your village's instability caused enough trouble for our people-"

"And it also gave your village a lot of new opportunities, didn't it not?" Naruto joined in stating some other facts, asking in advance while checking his bowl, "Like how Kumo tried to take a lot of Shinobi with bloodlines to recruit them en masse and allowed the civil war to continue? So how about trying to be an adult now instead of taking potshots, alright?"

"What are you trying to say?" Karui demanded, pissed off at this guy who wasn't even a shinobi, "That I am Stupid?"

"You say it yourself, not me," Naruto replied nonchalantly, paying more attention to the bowl. He then added, "Add in hotheaded and loudmouth, and you win."

The table shuffled some feet stood up, and one tea glass fell over-

*CRASH!*

Naruto sat perfectly still, his blue eyes steady as the razor-sharp edge of Karui's blade pressed against his throat. The Kumo kunoichi's amber eyes blazed with fury, her teeth clenched as she held the weapon firmly. Shocking everyone in the room, even her comrades at her swift action.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't end you right here," Karui hissed, her voice dripping with venom.

A ghost of a smile played on Naruto's lips, "I can think of several," he replied calmly, "but I don't think I need to."

In a flash of movement, the distinctive shape of Hiramekarei appeared at Karui's neck, its wielder materializing as if from thin air. Chōjūrō's calm and nonaggressive character turned into grim determination as he addressed the Kumo ninja while close to ending her.

"Don't move!" Chōjūrō warned her once, "Or I'll do it!"

"Fucking Kiri bastard!" Karui turned her head to insult him, "Once I'm done with him I'll be-"

*Click!*

Karui's words dried up when she felt something pointed to the back of her head, causing her to stiffen up and her anger to die out as she turned back to the blond young man, seeing he was still sitting there.

*POOF!*

As the spot cleared and the smoke dissipated, she was stunned to see it empty. It finally clicked for her, and she held her blade at the now unoccupied space.

"That was a-"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Still fixated on the spot, Karui felt Naruto's revolver aimed at her head. He had the advantage in this position, and he narrowed his eyes at the hot-headed Kumo ninja.

"Okay lady, let's get some things straight to why you got yourself in a situation like this, and where it could go." Naruto addressed Karui while keeping aim at the back of her skull in a serious tone, "For one, you thought that it was going to be easy pushing around a non-Shinobi like me with a few insults and a little swing with your sword, but you are just plain wrong."

Karui tried to be calm as she did not speak, but her breathing pattern was clearly out of pace, close to panicking her eyes looked over to her comrades, who were also as shocked as her, but it was Darui who tried to be peaceful.

"Lieutenant, if I may…."

"So it's true!" Karui shouted in surprise, she spoke up, "Our intel wasn't off!"

"What are you talking about, lady?" Naruto replied, frowned at her, "Speak sense."

Yugito tried to shut her up from her seat, "Karui, don't-"

"You can use Chakra! you're no ordinary soldier." Karui spilled up and said, "You're Uzumaki Naruto, born in the village hidden in the Leaves."

The revelation of the Kumo nin revealing of Naruto's background should've caused an angry reaction that should've been understandable, it instead got a shrug from Naruto.

"So?"

"So?" Karui raised her eyebrow in confusion, "What do you mean, so?"

"I never made it a secret what my roots are." Naruto replied before turning to Darui and Yugito, giving a bit of advice, "No offense, but whoever gave you that intel that it was secretive, it's pretty outdated."

At this point, Omoi and Samui tried to reach for their blades, with Darui trying to prevent them from intervening.

"Wait-"

*TCHK!*

The sound of a lighter got the Kumo nin to pay attention to their rear, and seeing a new person had arrived, puffing out smoke from his mouth with two cigars ignited, they were abruptly met with Lieutenant Smoker who unannounced entered the room.

Smoker glared at the Kumo nin and asked, "Captain Bishop, need help clearing these ninjas out?"

"Not my call to make, Smoker. But appreciate it." Bishop said while turning to Naruto, "Kid, it's your choice."

….

"Fuck it, I need a smoke." Naruto said pulling his revolver back, "Old Man Tazuna, got more of that bottle of yours?"

Midnight

A few hours passed after the tense situation had ended, resulting in the Kumo Nin having decided to go up to their rooms and retire there early for the night, after having cleaned up the mess their Kunoichi did of course. With the others being outside.

"Glad to see you're here, Smoker." Naruto said finishing a cup of Sake that he bought from Tazuna, he handed one over to Bishop and also one to the marine Smoker, "It's good to know to have you with us."

"Thanks," Smoker replied while downing the cup of Sake at once before handing the empty cup to his blond khaki-uniformed colleague, "Command wanted to see this bridge taken intact, so they sent me."

"Well, we could always use a Devil Fruit User." Bishop said while grabbing for his flask and taking one last drink before going to sleep soon in his private quarters. "Captain Li's been transferred to the infirmary." Bishop nudges his head to Smoker, "That leaves you to take command of the 6th in its crossing over the river, together with the Germa Volunteers."

"The Germa Volunteers, I heard about those guys." Smoker said while breathing out some smoke from his lungs, having some knowledge of these men and recalling old memories, "They're from the territories conquered by the Germa Kingdom from what I remember. They're not part of the Germa Kingdom's military directly because they still use-"

"Clones, we know. Judge's creation, that insane bastard, " Bishop said rather disinterested, having not such a good liking of the man who he had been unfortunate to be acquainted with multiple times in the past, "That man, don't get me even started on his children."

Smoke threw his hand up and responded, "I won't, but still, the fact he's got volunteers fighting for him, begs the question why."

"Taxation of course, that and being their security forces for the loyal islands." Naruto reminded them as he had a few men who were in the Legion who were from these territories and took pride in Germa's military reputation. "Given how they used to fight against the other Kingdoms and mostly won their battles, I can see these men wanting to earn themselves some stripes."

"Excuse me."

The Marine and two Legion officers pivoted towards the door just as Darui emerged from the building. He shut the door behind him, then made his way over to the group of men who were smoking nearby. With a wave of his hand, he dissipated the small cloud of smoke that had gathered in front of his face.

"Something needed, young man?"

"I'm here to apologize on behalf of my subordinate, Karui." Darui stepped forward and rubbed the back of his neck, genuine remorse in his expression. He wanted to resolve this unnecessary tension and added, "I know this incident happened at a bad time, but I assure you that she will be properly punished."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Good, I trust you on that."

"Can we talk in private?" Darui requested the blond, "There's something I need to discuss with you."

Upon hearing this, Naruto turned to Bishop and Smoker who didn't object and went to smoke on the other side of the building, leaving Darui alone with the Konoh-born Legion officer.

"Can we?"

"Sure," Naruto held his pipe and nudged to the forest, "Let's go for a stroll, shall we?"

…

Naruto and Darui moved silently through the misty forest, their footsteps barely audible on the damp earth. The towering trees loomed above them, their branches intertwining to form a dense canopy that filtered the sunlight into dappled patterns on the forest floor.

"So, how long have you been working with the Raikage?" Naruto asked in a hushed voice, breaking the silence, taking a stroke from his pipe, he continued, "If I can ask, of course."

"Longer than I can remember. A's been like a father to me." Darui glanced at the blond officer, looking at the smoker he commented, "No offense for asking, but aren't you a little young to be smoking?"

"I get that often, no offense taken." Naruto chuckled as he lowered his pipe, he looked up to the night sky, "but no worries, I might consider quitting in the future, either that or the drinking." He cracked his neck a bit, "It helps with the stress."

"There are different ways to handle stress if I can advise you," Darui tried advising him as they kept walking, "It would keep you healthy, as a friendly word."

"Funny talking about a friendly word - when we're getting eavesdropped by your people." Naruto said before calling out to the bushes in a cheerful mood, "Come on out, you two. No need to hide anymore."

Samui and Yugito emerged from the dense bushes, causing a rustling of leaves as they landed a few meters behind Naruto. He was now surrounded by Kumo Nin on three sides, but he didn't seem bothered by it. However, the kunoichi looked slightly confused by the situation.

"How long have you known we were there?" Yugito asked, her cat-like eyes narrowing with curiosity.

"Oh, pretty much since we started talking. You're both great ninjas, but I've gotten pretty good at sensing chakra signatures." Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand, "I know more than just using the Shadow Clone Jutsu, ladies. Just so you know that."

Darui sighed, shaking his head. "I should have known better than to think we could have a private conversation in Kumo territory."

Samui crossed her arms, her expression cool and collected as always. "We were simply concerned about the nature of your meeting."

"I can understand wanting to look out for your comrade," Naruto replied casually, taking another drag from his pipe, "So what brings you two lovely ladies here to spy on me?"

"Spy on you?" Yugito's eyes narrowed at the blonde man, "What do you mean?"

"Since Haron Bay, to be exact." Naruto's tone was nonchalant as he blew out a cloud of smoke. "I've noticed you following me for the past few months now."

"You knew?" Darui raised an eyebrow in surprise, "You've known this whole time?"

"As I said before, I know a thing or two about Shinobi that you might not expect," Naruto said slyly to the Kumo nin. "And it doesn't hurt that your Raikage has been pestering the Major to establish contact with me for some unknown reason. But I have my guesses."

"Oh yeah, like what?" Yugito asked with a slight smirk, "Enlighten us."

"Simple," Naruto responded with a question of his own to the kunoichi, "How's number Two doing?"

For a moment the Kumo Nin were confused before shock then became visible in their eyes, figuring out what the blond Lieutenant meant.

Yugito's eyes widened in shock. She took an involuntary step back, her body tensing. The other Kumo ninja exchanged nervous glances, clearly unsettled by Naruto's casual reference to the Tailed Beast.

After a tense moment, Yugito composed herself and responded coolly, "That's classified information. How do you know about that?"

Naruto grinned and responded, "Oh, you know... I have my ways. Us Jinchuuriki have to stick together, right?"

This revelation only seemed to increase the Kumo ninjas' unease. With Samui stepping forward protectively.

"Watch yourself. You're treading on dangerous ground."

Yugito held up a hand to quiet her comrade. Her eyes narrowed as she studied Naruto before she then asked herself a question.

"...You're Nine, correct?"

"Yes, old Kurama, he and I grew to get along," Naruto responded to her calmly while tapping his pipe on his shoulder. "Told me you and Matatabi have been having a similar relationship, except you have more experience, of course."

"And what do you intend to do with this information?" Yugito questioned with precision in her eyes as she glared at him, "Are you telling this to your commanders?"

"Depends…" Naruto took a step closer to her and faced her off directly, "...Are you willing to tell about me and Nine?"

"...No."

*BOOM!*

The sound of another round of bombings could be heard from afar, this time coming from the friendly side of the river, meaning it was their guns, causing the four to end their little conversation with Naruto being the one to do so.

"Let us go to our quarters, we've got a lot of work to do tomorrow." Naruto said finishing his pipe before damping it down and putting it back into his chest pocket, "We've got a bridge to secure - and every man and woman is expected to do its part."

"...Right."

Naruto pivoted on his heels and made his way back to the Tazuna residence. The Kumo Nin were now staring at him intently, but his companion inside was quick to warn him of their attention.

'Now you've got their attention.'

'As if I didn't have it before.'

'Watch yourself, these Kumo Nin are not for nothing the second most powerful of the 5 Great Villages.'

'Will do.'

As the group slowly returned to their arranged sleeping quarters, they were oblivious or did not spot the well-dressed person known as Haku, who had been observing from a distance the small, tense conversation.

Returning into the shadows, the Kimono-wearing individual would bring this crucial information back.

Next Morning

The morning mist hung thick and heavy over the river, obscuring the boundary between water and sky. On the riverbank of the Land of Waves, an army of men stood at attention, this was the left flank of that riverbank that was close to the bridge.

The army of men that had been waiting there patiently since the very early morning were of the 9th Damned Raiders Batallion, all in their khaki uniforms and with their weaponry, some having placed machine guns on the boats, intending to use them while crossing the current for when the first enemies would open fire on them on first sight.

Their weapons glinting dully in the diffuse light. The air was filled with a tense silence, broken only by the occasional muffled cough or the soft lapping of water against the hulls of their motorized boats.

Among them was Vic, seen preparing his rifle and standing by the boat he intended to enter. He had prepared the machine gun on command of the sergeant, alongside Kelly and Brooklyn, who was this time not complaining about anything irrational except the cold.

"I want this to be over with…"

"It hasn't even started yet…"

Just then arriving, Naruto and Captain Bishop joined their men, followed up by the Kumo Nin who was right behind them, they soon took positions also, with Darui and Naruto joining Hawkins' men's side, the blond slapped Vic's shoulder.

"Vic."

"Lieutenant, good to see you, sir." Vic said, fixated on the river, he said, "MG is ready, waiting for the order."

Naruto took his sleeve down, looking at his watch to keep the time, it was nearly 04:00, meaning the artillery was about to do its job soon, as were the Kuja Pirates' who were to add in support.

Darui kneeled next to him, "When does it start?"

"About….now."

Eyes fixed on the opposite riverbank. A deafening roar filled the air as the first shells of artillery unleashed its fury. Great plumes of dirt and splintered trees erupted along the shoreline, obscuring their view in a haze of smoke and debris. Giving the full load of ordinance raining down on the opposite riverbank. It tore apart anything of nature that was touched by the barrage.

The relentless pounding continued for what felt like hours. With each thunderous impact, Naruto looked around at his men whose reactions were diverse.

Brooklyn gripped the wooden gunwale, knuckles white. Others could not look away in fear and others were stiff to their core as they awaited orders. It was the reactions of the Shinobi who were astonished by what they were witnessing.

That of Karui was the most noticeable, shock was written on her face as she was hollowed by the sight of the ruthless tearing of the riverbank by the cannons who were far away from the scene, causing such damage she was not prepared for mentally. While her friend Omoi was sweating but more composed, muttering to himself.

Then there was Chōjūrō who was surprisingly calm, determined by the looks of it, kneeling next to the other boat where Gin was in front of him, the only Kiri Nin was on par with the two other Kumo kunoichi who was just as calm, and watching the rampage unfold in front of their eyes.

Naruto paid then attention to the front himself, Though the barrage was from their guns, its raw destructive power sent a chill through him. Next to him, Darui was just taking a deep breath and muttered a quiet prayer to himself.

What it must be like for any enemy troops, bandits, or mercenaries caught in that maelstrom of flying earth and wood. Part of him pitied them, while another part felt grimly satisfied - finishing this job and finally penetrating a foothold into the mainland of the Shinobi Continent that they were kicked out from a few months ago.

'You ready, Naruto?'

'You can sense my adrenaline, Kurama. You know my answer.'

'Then welcome back home, kid. Land of Fire - your troublemaking Brat is back.'

Naruto smirked, just as then Captain Bishop walked up front to the men and gave the order.

"MOVE!"

The first boats were being pushed onto the water by hand, and the first assault wave quickly entered them with its weapons. In groups of eight, Naruto joined Gin's squad, with both the Kiri and Kumo shinobi following up as the seventh passenger.

"Start engines!"

The motors roared as the boats sped onto the river and left to begin their crossing, with a few dozen other boats following they all began racing for the other side of the river to reach the enemy side as fast as they could.

"Second wave, get ready!" Bishop ordered his men, "Wait until the first wave reaches!"

The speeding boats rushed for the other side of the river as fast as they could but they were met with resistance in the form of counter artillery, sporadic in its aiming the shells landed in the river and nearly hit some of the speeding boats but it did little to deter the incoming first wave of attackers.

One shell nearly hit Naruto's boat but only water managed to hit those on board, but this prompted Naruto to react.

"Vic, ammo!"

The small boat cut through the dark waters, its engine roaring as it sped towards the enemy-held riverbank. Naruto crouched behind the Maxim machine gun mounted at the bow, his eyes narrowed in concentration. Beside him, Vic worked quickly to feed the ammunition belts into the MG weapon.

As they neared the shore, muzzle flashes erupted from the tree line. Bullets whizzed past, kicking up spray from the river. Without hesitation, Naruto opened fire. The Maxim MG's distinctive rapid-fire chatter filled the air as he swept the gun back and forth across the bank.

Vic worked feverishly, his hands a blur as he kept the gun supplied with fresh belts. "Give it to 'em, sir!" he shouted over the din.

As the boat floated along the river, Darui sat and watched Naruto with amazement. The blond Jinchuuriki fired his weapons with precise accuracy, showing no signs of fear or hesitation. He remained calm and focused as he fought.

Chōjūrō was also in awe, but before he could fully process what was happening, Gin pulled him down to the ground with a sharp slap on the back.

"Keep your head down!"

The returning gunfire from the enemy side of the riverbank began to arrive, sporadic like the artillery these were easily dodged as the boats finally reached land and hit the sand.

"Out!"

The first assault wave leaped from their boats onto the muddy riverbank, immediately diving for cover as the bullets whizzed overhead. Crouching low to avoid getting shot, they crawled through the reeds and tall grass, their uniforms becoming caked with mud. The air was thick with gunpowder and the deafening roar of shooting from the enemy positions.

Sergeant Hawkins barked orders as the men fanned out along the shoreline, setting up themselves and preparing their rifles.

"Forwards!"

Naruto's muscles strained as he lugged the cumbersome Maxim Machine Gun through the muddy and destroyed riverbank forest. Water trickled down his face with his back drenched, dampening the collar of his khaki uniform. Vic trailed close behind, the weight of the ammunition belts digging into his shoulders.

Bullets whizzed overhead, splintering tree bark and kicking up dirt around their feet. Naruto ducked instinctively as a round whistled past his ear. He spotted a thick fallen tree branch ahead and made a beeline for it.

"Cover me!" he shouted to Vic as he rushed the last few meters.

Vic laid down suppressing fire with his BAR rifle, giving Naruto the precious seconds he needed. With a grunt of exertion, Naruto heaved the Maxim onto the makeshift mount, quickly adjusting its position.

A few meters behind also having ducked for cover, both Darui and Chōjūrō dicked into some bushes alongside some of the Raiders, spotting the blond up front as he prepared the machine gun, this got the blue-haired young man to panic.

"Why is he out there alone? He could get shot!"

"Easy, kid, easy." Hawkins said, preparing his Thompson and laying for cover, "Wait for the Lieutenant's orders."

Back with Naruto, with the ammo belt inside the Maxim MG, he immediately spotted the main culprit of pinning down his men at the riverbank, where rapid fire was visible with muzzle flashes.

In what looks like a shallow trench up the hill, a machine gun was seen firing around at whatever it could see within its sights, with a few men seen firing rifles as support, the enemy machinegun nest didn't seem to have spotted him.

"That God damn machine gun…"

Aiming down the sights Naruto began rapid fire at the enemy position-

*TAKATAKATAKATAK!* *TAKATAKATAKATAK!*

After only two rapid fires after another, the enemy MG position was abandoned, taking out the threat for now, the amount of gunfire decreased on the enemy side, giving them the opportunity.

"Nice shot, sir!" Vic complimented him, "Took them out in on try!"

"Alright, let's rush 'em now." Naruto said before turning around to his men and ordering, "Hawkins! Get the men moving!"

Darui raised his eyes in surprise, "That's fast." Having just witnessed the blond take out a man that fast.

"Vic, on me!" Naruto yelled getting back up, "Get me my rifle! We're going in!"

"Charge!" Hawkins was heard yelling to the first wave as he got up with his squad, running up the enemy line.

The Raiders did not hesitate and seized the chance to advance on the enemy, quickly reaching their shallow, poorly constructed trenches, which were five to six feet deep. Without hesitation, they leaped into action, facing off against the enemy forces, who were retreating in the face of their fierce attack.

"Where are you running to!" One Raider named Huxley opened fire on some retreating bandits, hitting one before taking the chase, "Come back here!"

A few meters away from the trench entrance, Naruto and Vic hide for cover near some bushes as Darui and Chōjūrō joined up on him with another Raider with a Thompson machine gun coming in last. The trench they were about to attack was still having some bandits and mercs inside putting up some resistance while the lines around them were being overrun.

Naruto turned around and spotted the Raider and held his hand out, "Give me the SMG, the ammo to Vic."

Darui was confused, "Why are you-"

"Vic, you take the grenades."

"Taking them," Vic said getting the grenades handed over to him, Naruto began crawling towards the trench entrance, and he turned briefly to the baffled Shinobi.

"As it explodes, I go in and finish off the survivors, we do this corner by corner. You just make sure nobody tries to get over our heads." Naruto said before turning to the trench and giving the nod.

"Throw it."

Vic pulled out the pin and threw the grenade into the trench entrance, waiting for it to explode.

*BOOM!*

The explosion rocked the earth, and before the dust had settled, he was on his feet. His gun found its mark as shadowy figures stumbled from the billowing smoke. One, two, three shots rang out in quick succession. Naruto's aim was true, and the enemy fell groaning to his death.

As he entered first into the shallow trench, Naruto stopped right at the corner, with Vic behind him and Darui as third, another sharp nod, for Vic to throw another grenade around the corner, waiting for a few seconds.

"Grenade-"

*BOOM!*

More sand fell over the attacking men's heads, with them hearing a groan of pain from the enemy side, Naruto ran into the corner and fired another burst of rounds into whatever crossed his path, taking out two downed men with no mercy as he stepped over them, he briefly stopped as he spotted a man walking out of a dugout-

*SHLINK!*

The man got hit by a kunai knife in the middle of his chest before lumping back to the floor, killing him. Naruto turned around briefly to see it was Darui who held out some kunai knives and nodded to him, to which Naruto nodded back.

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

More gunfire erupted from the corner in front of them, causing Naruto and the others to move. With him giving another sharp nod to throw, Vic did so and waited for it to explode.

"Keep those bastards away! Reload the-"

*BOOM!*

The air was filled with a cacophony of groans once the grenade exploded, signaling the presence of multiple enemies. Naruto's heart raced as he sprinted towards cover in the corner, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He unleashed a barrage of bullets from his Thompson machine gun, spraying the nest with deadly precision. The bandits were mowed down, their bodies riddled with bullet holes and blood splattering across the ground.

Each pull of the trigger felt like a release of pent-up rage and determination to eliminate every last one of them.

*click!*

At the end of the magazine, Naruto put his back against the sand wall of the trench and removed the empty one, "New magazine!"

"Here!" Vic handed one over.

If they happened to look out the trench, they would've noticed the dozens of bandits and mercs running away from their positions, clearly in a state of panic, their lines began disintegrating in mere moments.

Still not finished with the job, Naruto put in the new magazine and gave Vic another sharp nod for him to throw a grenade, which he did, towards the end of the shallow trench.

*BOOM!*

Naruto quickly entered and spotted one running-

*BURST!*

"Ugh!" One bandit got the full load into his back while running.

As they began exiting the trench, Naruto and Vic spotted the bandits running away and began opening fire on them, just as the others got out. Picking out their targets one by one, they made sure everyone in their sight was dropped.

The gunfire only ended on their side once they didn't see anybody moving, with Vic lowering his BAR and turning to Naruto.

"Another fine job, Naruto."

"That it was," Naruto smiled at his friend and turned to the Shinobi patting Darui on the shoulder with a chuckle, "Good throw with the knife, that's some good aiming." Naruto complimented him before re-entering the trench leaving a dazed Darui and horrified Chōjūrō behind.

"He…just killed like ten or so men in a span of moments…"

"Yeah…he did." Darui said keeping an eye on the blond, "I can perhaps stop wondering why he's a lieutenant at a young age…"

…

Moments after the first lines of defenses were overrun and secured the second attack wave had already arrived with Yugito and her team landing with Captain Bishop and his men, and she was caught by surprise by the amount of destruction that they came across and the trenches filled with dead bandits who were killed by either artillery or mowed down by these outsiders' weapons, leaving blood spats all over the shallow trenches.

As she then spotted some of the Raiders looting the bodies of these enemies, she noticed they were primarily trying to get their weapons, but one man with a trench coat was seen grabbing for more like money and belongings and ignored her stare before going off to search for more.

"I must say…they are deadly effective, these outsiders." Samui said joining up her friend from behind and spotting the carnage, "They haven't even given us the chance to fight."

Omoi and Karui also joined up, with Karui looking more disturbed than her male comrade, she hadn't expected so many casualties.

"So many bodies…and it hasn't even been an hour."

"That's what I call a success."

The Kumo team heard that voice and looked over to a ditch where they saw Naruto searching the body of a fallen bandit, seeing he was grabbing for his rifle and ammunition, Naruto looked happy but also grabbed the man's bag as he jokingly spoke.

"How did you get your hands on this Thompson gun? Doesn't belong to you, you know." Naruto said slinging the ammo bag around his shoulder and putting a new magazine into his, "Believe it, that brings bad luck."

"Lieutenant."

Naruto hearing his rank called out turned to the Shinobi and stood up, but then saw that Captain Bishop approached him and noticed the weaponry.

"Looks like 8th's equipment." Bishop said taking a look, before asking, "How far are we in?"

"Already making good progress," Naruto said with a smile, given how dirty his uniform had gotten, "They didn't put up a good fight for ten minutes and we are pushing them back already, around a kilometer or five."

"Just got an update, Germa Volunteers are twelve up ahead, close to the enemy guns with Smoker supporting them." Bishop informed him, chuckling, "Let's give it a chase."

"Well lets go."

Both the Lieutenant and Captain left the ditch and were followed by the rest of the landing party, with only the Kumo team standing by in shock at how they were just ignored, but also the lack of awareness of the damage they did.

"They just ignored us." Omoi spoke stunned, "Should we wait?"

"Hell no, I'm going in." Karui said following up behind, "I'm not letting them take all the credit!"

"Agreed, let's go."

Samui and Yugito waited there for a moment, with Yugito turning to Samui and telling her.

"We'll need to report this to the Raikage as soon as we can."

Samui nodded, "Agreed, let's go." Samui followed the rest with Yugito went along, going to where the front was with all the other uniformed people, as the Foreign Legion had made its presence now in the Land of Fire permanently, they were to try and expand their bridgehead and secure the bridge.

This war had now fully entered into a new phase.

The end of the Land of Waves Arc, ladies and gentlemen! The next chapter is tits! Lol.

No more flashback chapters until after 10 chapters or something like that, but I am now focused on Naruto's return to Fishman Island, so I hope you all enjoyed the chapter - and yes for some who read the trench and riverbank scene, that was inspired from the Finnish War movie 'The Unknown Soldier' loved it.

Please leave a review and follow up. Have a nice day.