Chapter Twenty Three: Shadows of Storm and Clouds part I
Kaminari no Kuni (Land of Lightning) - Kumogakure no Sato - Raikage Tower - Office
The building shook to its very foundation as the village leader absorbed the information with barely constrained rage. Yukito sat on the couch across from him, a cup of steaming tea in hand, maintaining his composure with a minimal amount of chakra. The operation had been a straightforward but complex one. They had tracked the movements of an Otogakure scientist to an island laboratory in hopes of recruiting him. However, they didn't find him, and in the process, they lost one of their jinchūriki. The balance of power had completely shifted. Yugito, underestimating ANBU of all things, had changed the game entirely. "Reports have come in from my little birds that Konohagakure has acquired the Three Tails and already has a new host they're training in secret," Yukito informed him. The scales tipped further. The greatest of the Great Nations now had another nuke in training. The village leader took a deep breath, calming himself. This changed everything. "What do you think we should do?" His eyes were fixed firmly on his only advisor. Yukito took a long sip from his tea before replying. "Simple. Leak the information to Kirigakure and allow tensions to grow. Let Akatsuki handle the beast, tipping the scales in our favor. Don't speak a word about the ships heading toward Hi no Kuni. This will weaken their alliance and destabilize Konohagakure, creating the perfect opportunity for us to strike. Leave the rest to me, but be ready." He finished his tea, set the cup down on the table, and walked out of the room.
Hi no Kuni - Konohagakure no Sato - Main Gate
It had been a good few days. Temari would miss the time she spent with the golden blonde. With a final hug and a kiss on his cheek, the Sunagakure Sand Siblings departed. Naruto stood there, enjoying the warm feeling as they walked away. Before he could begin to think, Ayame ran up behind him with a grin on her face. "Our adorable little captain has a girlfriend!" Wrapping her arms around him, she found herself being launched over his shoulder. Despite the maneuver, her smile didn't fade as she landed on her feet. Turning around, Naruto and the rest of the group were already in motion. Ayame ran ahead, interlocking her fingers with Sakura. "You were going to leave me? I thought we had something special!" Ayame pouted dramatically. Hinata began signing, "Come on, Sakura, she's confessing." The two loved this game and the discomfort it caused their strongest teammate. Tazuki shook his head. "Every time. She falls for it every time without fail." Drawing in his scroll, Sai nodded in agreement. It had become a routine at this point. Naruto's eyes were fixed ahead, aiming for the Hokage Monument. It was time to get back into action. "So, Sakura-chan, have you spoken to your beloved Sasuke-kun since he got back?" Ayame teased. But the reaction wasn't what she expected. Sakura shook her head without a blush in sight. Everyone knew about Haruno's crush on the raven-haired prince, but something had changed. "No, but it's good to see his face again."
Ayame and Hinata exchanged questioning looks, but neither voiced their thoughts aloud. Up ahead, Shikamaru and Sasuke walked together toward the Konohagakure Police Department. They had been summoned by Fugaku, which was unusual. Still, his position came with responsibilities. Their walk was silent. They hadn't spoken much since the incident, but something caught both their eyes: a mop of blonde, pink, and dark blue hair. The one in front stood out the most—it was their teammate, but with a different cell? The Uchiha redirected their steps, stopping in front of the unmasked ANBU squad. Sakura and Hinata noticed and shifted toward the front of their traveling group. Naruto's blue eyes rose, meeting Sasuke's black gaze before glancing at Shikamaru. Silence hung in the air as a small smile formed on the Uzumaki's face. "Well, hello there, Shikamaru and Raven Prince." Sasuke's eye twitched as his hand instinctively reached for a blade that wasn't there. Meanwhile, Shikamaru analyzed the ANBU team, noting their known members from intelligence reports. The omission of Naruto's placement was deliberate. "It's good to see you after so long. How was the capital?" Shikamaru asked. Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, you know. The politics really weren't my thing." This change in behavior didn't go unnoticed. "But we've got somewhere to be. I'll find you guys later." In a shunshin, he was gone, followed closely by his team through various methods, leaving the duo alone. "What was that?" Sasuke asked. "I think I know something I shouldn't," Shikamaru replied.
Hokage Monument - ANBU Black Ops Headquarters - Briefing Chamber
"At 02:00 hours, we lost contact with one of the outposts. Protocol dictates that under such a situation, all classified material must be incinerated, and all members must abandon the base and await further orders. However, the seals on their masks are currently offline, so we have no idea what their status is; we need you to investigate the site and report your findings. From there, Kitsune, you have full autonomy to decide the best course of action." Naruto's eyebrow raised slightly. Mission command was something only Dragon had when it came to operations, along with a select few members of Nightfall, but he spoke nothing of it, responding with a nod. "Upon completion, report back to Headquarters for a full verbal debriefing. Dismissed." The members of Epsilon stood up, all exiting the room with various thoughts going through their minds, none as questioning as their commander. As they exited, many had eyes on the maskless form of Kitsune; the rising star of the Black Ops organization was none other than the son of the Hokage. Obito walked up to the Uzumaki with a small grin on his face. While Obito wasn't in ANBU in an official capacity, Nightfall was granted special privileges due to the importance of their group. He looked up to his older brother figure with a small smile on his face.
"You know, kid, when I heard you were this Kitsune person, I doubted it for some time. My little Naruto completing more S-Rank missions than Hound? No way. But to see you in the flesh…" "Scared I'll outgrow your reputation?" Silence, then The Twilight Shield of Konohagakure no Sato belly laughed. "I heard of what you did during that mission, but don't get overconfident." "We'll see when I return." Obito grinned, gripping his chained weapon, hundreds of attack partners forming in his mind. As if he was reading his mind, Naruto's stance shifted, removing a number of opportunities. He buckled slightly, lowering himself, but to an extent most didn't understand its exact implications. But these were ANBU. They shifted their stances, adjusting and counter-adjusting, preventing any opening, as Obito stood up straight, walking away with a smile on his face. "We'll see, oh great Sage of Shadows." Epsilon got into gear, their usual uniform unlike the modified version they had for their previous mission. Suits such as those took a large sum of the Konohagakure military defense budget, and as such, were typically allocated to the squad in the most need, the only case being the custom suit of Dragon. Gathering at the outer forest dispatch point, Naruto stood in front of the squad fastening his Kitsune mask, golden blonde locks visible. With a set of hand seals, the multi-layered defensive measures lowered as they exited into the clearing.
"Standard formation, Hinata take point."
That wasn't standard, but no one asked a question. In a flash, they were off, traveling through the trees. Her clan's famed dojutsu flared to life at different intervals, conserving chakra was important on an operation such as this. From behind, Naruto jumped through the canopy, expanding his senses. His forehead itched; it would make this process much easier, but it'd be a waste. This was a delicate operation. There weren't any specific instructions. Why give him command? That was for the top brace? He sighed as his eyes snapped upward. In his expanded range of senses, he felt they'd arrive soon. Hinata relayed that information. Plumes of smoke rose in the distance, the smell of ash and blood staining the air itself. Naruto flashed ahead, signing in code: "Battlefield, stay alert, Falcon take the rear, Phantom center, everyone separate out." Finishing his message, they all flashed into the outskirts of Hacho village, or what was left of it. They allowed their minds only a moment to take in the sight before going back into mission mode. Kitsune took careful steps, eyes scanning the surrounding area for what could easily be a trap. Buildings were destroyed; nothing but falling ash and soot remained. Corpses piled up, missing chunks as limbs stretched from under the debris.
His breaths were calm, even, and steady. His foot met something soft. Coming to a stop, he looked down, removing his foot slowly to see an ash- and soot-covered teddy bear attached to a pre-adolescent hand. Disgusted, he stepped over the body, continuing his walk. Her chakra was on high alert. The life of a genjutsu user was one where you must be aware. Taking slow steps, she didn't watch her steps as an array. As she removed her foot, chakra exploded from it as a beam of light penetrated the sky, unleashing a blast of wind. Being propelled by the explosion of chakra, she shifted her stance mid-flight, applying chakra into the soles of her feet. Connecting to the ruined wall, she looked on in horror. Their cover was blown. The beam dissipated, and the squad looked on, and then it happened. Chakra signatures, first a couple, then tens, then hundreds; an army. That's what happened. They were overrun. The stationed shinobi were ill-equipped to handle it. Why would they be? His mind was abuzz, weaving a seal and molding chakra. He activated the distress signal on his mask before weaving another seal, alerting his squad to regroup. But then it happened. From above, soldiers equipped with some kind of device that made them fly appeared, flying above with some kind of projectile launcher. Then it happened. Kunai rained down like a storm. Kazuki slammed his fist into the ground, sending shockwaves of his chakra through the plates as metal shot up, shielding the signatures felt as his comrades. They moved like shadows, weaving through the kunai blades gleaming as Kazuki felt his senses spike. He backpedaled, a kunai bouncing off the protective ANBU armor. Molding chakra, he called out his jutsu as his palm impacted with the ground. "Doton: Retsudo Tenshō: Earth Release: Tearing Earth Palm."
The earth shook and split open like a beast opening to devour its prey. But they moved quicker, jumping from platform to surface. The shinobi they were, they avoided the jutsu, some molding chakra as others ducked, continuing their stride. They were true professionals. "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu)." Raiton: Ikazuchi Ryū (Lightning Release: Thunder Dragon)." They twisted and contorted into five huge dragons of water and lightning. Others continued onward, blades poised with practiced ease. A moment, a second of delay, the cost would've been his life—or it would've. Sakura landed like a crashing meteor, fuinjutsu arrays dancing to life as a large spiked wall of black mass formed. Of course, such a defense wouldn't have worked, but this was the student of the person in the world. She planted her feet as they impacted with the defense like the unmovable mountain she was. A moment later, he disappeared. Ayame stood at a distance, her genjutsu already at work. Raiton chakra danced across the field as Hinata moved with enhanced speed, tanto gleaming as she cut through her targets. Sakura impacted with each punch, shattering bones and liquefying insides. Inked beasts danced across the city like an invisible army, the chakra he stored in his armor over the years coming into play. But they kept coming, until something happened. A single large structure hovered over the ruined village. A platform descended, connected to iron rods. As he weaved a long series of seals, Naruto finished his message, releasing the summoned raven. As it happened, pure, raw, concentrated chakra unleashed as a beam. It all happened so fast. Naruto moved faster than anyone had ever seen, positioning himself above the beam, molding chakra before it exploded as the beam impacted before expanding, engulfing the entire village. And then… silence.
"It seems our intel was spot on, to continue advancements to Konoha."
Raven wasn't a common summoning contract, but there were a few who had access to it. As such, the Black Ops organization made a deal with the boss summon of the ravens, allocating a specific portion of them to be specially trained to uphold their duties. The raven flew for what felt like hours, the blast of concentrated chakra etched into the back of its mind, pushing itself to its limit. It followed the patterns and paths it was taught, arriving a short distance away from the Hokage monument. With a descending barrel roll, it passed through the hidden messenger raven entrance, extending its wings and slowing its descent. There, a stationed ANBU collected the message. Crow collected the crumbled scroll, reading the message over and then again, and again—protocol. They quickly raised their palm to their tattoo, sending an encoded message. Moments later, Boar appeared. Crow handed the scroll to the head of communications, who read the contents. Boar disappeared.
Konohagakure No Sato - Hokage Tower - Hokage Office
It was time for the yearly budget report, with each department detailing their expenses throughout the fiscal year. The most cost-intensive departments were War and Strategy, headed by Orochimaru, along with Security and Information, headed by ANBU Commander Dragon. With a war along the way, a budget increase would likely be allocated to the two, pulling from the Konoha treasury and increasing mission flow. But this didn't matter to Dragon. His supposed successor had sent out a distress signal a few hours ago, and a platoon was quickly dispatched for assistance, but he couldn't help but worry.
"That concludes the budgetary report for the Division of Civilian Industry and Farming," Itachi finished his notes, sliding the paper aside. The budget had increased, and it was time to decide who would benefit from it. It was time for him to take up more responsibilities, according to his mentor, so Minato stood on the sidelines for this meeting. "Alright, Hyuga-san, Senju-san, I've decided to increase your budget for the next fiscal year, and an exact number will be delivered to your office within the day. Orochimaru-san…" Orochimaru organized the pages laid out in front of him. There were plenty of projects he'd like to begin, reopening old files. But before he could begin, an ANBU flashed in front of Dragon, handing him a message scroll. There was a brief silence before Dragon shot his head up. "Activate Oracle Command Dective!" Boar flashed away after the outburst from Dragon. He walked over to Minato, handing him the scroll written by his son. 'Enemy shinobi force of hundreds flying to Konoha, advanced technology likely capable of mass destruction.' The words then became a scribble, unreadable. His chakra flared in a specific fluctuation, and the Sandaime and Jiraiya appeared in a shunshin moments later.
"Kitsune reports a large-scale enemy shinobi force capable of flight advancing on Konoha," Minato announced. "I'm activating the Dominion Protocol. You all know what to do." All of those in the room flashed away, leaving Itachi and Minato. He gave the young Uchiha a nod. Sitting at the head of the council chamber, he practiced the wave of chakra Minato taught him into the table, and it shifted and transformed into a map of Konohagakure no Sato, marking critical locations as well as the movements of key personnel, ranging from S-Rank to members of the council and key Jonin. With a press of chakra, an alarm sounded, alerting the entire population of the coming threat. "This room will act as the command center. I'll be leaving you in charge of all shinobi movements and directing orders," Minato said, placing a hand on Itachi's shoulder with a warm smile. "I believe in you. There's a reason you were chosen to be Godaime, and I hope this helps you discover it. I'll be going to the ground to help with the evacuation." "What about Naruto?" Itachi asked, his concern evident. Minato's smile faltered momentarily before being replaced by a sad one. "A Kage has a responsibility to protect their village and ensure its survival, and… I believe in him."
On the Ground
It was chaos. Waves of civilians pushed past each other, knocking some over as they traveled toward the evacuation locations. Shikamaru crouched on top of the roof, looking down at the masses. Minato flashed atop the Hokage monument, and his voice seemed to travel across the entire village due to some jutsu, but the Nara tuned it out. Rhythmically, he bobbed his head to a tune playing in his head. It was an attack. The call sign of the Dominion Protocol, taught to all Special Jonin and above. He hated this feeling of excitement, but he tuned everything out around him, practicing the breathing his master taught him. Taro Kurogane, the madman, was probably sitting in the command center with a grin on his face alongside his father, soon to be enjoying the sounds of explosions. His senses spiked at the chakra signature of the man as he thought about flashing next to him. Kurogane stood atop the roof with a blank expression, looking down on the civilians. They'd finally gained their nerves after Minato gave them a speech. "Shikamaru." The Nara sat in silence. "This was what their relationship began as—turning a Nara into what many believed would be impossible was a hard and trying task." "I just wanted to say, I believe in you. You won't fail." "And you know that how?" Shikamaru shot back. Taro had a small, unnoticeable smirk on his face as he reached into one of his pouches, pulling out a set of special ninja wire and placing it in the lap of the Nara. Sasuke slowly approached from a distance as Taro responded, finally, "Because you've already surpassed me." In a flash, he was gone. Shikamaru hated the pounding in his chest, the taste of iron as he bit down on his lip. The feelings of the dampness he created were about to burst until he felt the hand of his best friend on his shoulder. He practiced his breathing one final time, slowly standing up and grasping the wire before hooking it onto his person. He turned to the worried expression of Sasuke. "Are you okay?" Sasuke asked. He nodded, gathering himself. "Hurry, we need to find the others and get into position." In a flash, they were gone.
Hokage Tower - Command Center
Dominion Protocol was a fragile thing; it was the fourth tier of protocols, second only to that of the fifth tier. The fact that they even reached past the Hi no Kuni (Fire Country) border points indicated a lapse somewhere in the machine that was the Konohagakure administration system, but finding it would have to wait until this was resolved. Dominion Protocol was a village-wide lockdown and activation of the multilayered village defensive system. It required a large amount of chakra to keep running, so it wasn't continuously activated due to its demands. It involved total shinobi mobilization, focusing on defense infrastructure and specialized barrier placement around critical Konoha operations buildings, with final aid request summons sent to all of Konoha's allies. However, a force would take at least a day to gather and several days to travel and arrive, leaving Konoha to fend for itself along with other minor factors. Itachi was overwhelmed, but he was excited. This was more a game of chess than anything else. While they were about to be attacked on their own home ground, they had the home ground advantage and time to prepare. They would learn why Konoha was the strongest of the Great Five Nations and would continue to hold that title for as long as the system existed. Itachi's rhythmic taps echoed throughout the room, something many of the members smirked at—a habit he had gained from Minato—until it stopped, signaling the end of his thoughts. "Alright, Jiraiya-sama, I want you at the center of the village commanding the platoon commanders and having a messenger go between us. I want you on the front lines with your summons, and keep infrastructure destruction to an absolute minimum." The Toad Sage nodded. "Father, I want you to mobilize the Uchiha Police Force to protect and focus on key operation buildings. I want you to deploy any solo jounin to assist as well. ANBU are already deployed and in place as backup. Any Clan Head that requires compound protection assistance, provide it, but keep some shinobi in reserve. I'll leave all medical-related issues to your charge, Tsunade-sama. If you need anything, I'll do my best to provide it. Orochimaru-sama will continue to be in charge of the barrier system but assist Jiraiya-sama when necessary. Dismissed." With a nod, they all flashed away, Fugaku giving his eldest son a small smile before following the rest. It was now time to wait.
Hi no Kuni - Hacho Village ruins
The first his senses registered were the words of his inner demon, "Get up, boy. This is pathetic of my host." Then a sharp pain shot through his body, followed by the warm feeling of Sakura's Shōsen Jutsu (Mystic Palm Technique) at work. His eyes slowly opened, registering the faint green glow, followed by the blurry image of his longtime friend, and finally, the condition of his mask. The blast must've shattered a piece of equipment. "Captain?" Naruto sat up, his pulverized hand moving limply up to his vest as steam began radiating from the hand—the sign of the beast inside of him healing his broken and mangled body. His freshly restored hand hovered over a seal, activating it in a puff of smoke. A fresh fox mask rested in his hand. As the rest of his body healed—bones snapping back into place, tendons and ligaments reattaching themselves, and skin regrowing—he placed the mask on his face, the numerous fuinjutsu seals coming to life. It was a rare sight to see the Tailed Beast at work; any normal man would've died many times over, the gut-turning sound of his body repairing itself. As he stood up, all he said was, "Thank you, furball." The beast growled low before disappearing once again, leaving a message. A raven landed on his arm, grabbing the scroll and puffing out of existence as he read its contents. With a flare of kaiton chakra, it was gone. "Alright, Epsilon," Naruto said, his voice steady. "It is likely we won't have reinforcements in a timely manner, and as such, we're going to follow the trail. It's impossible for them to continue their flight, and a siege on Konohagakure could easily last years. As such, we're going to gather information on his fighting force. Let's move out."