Shino had a neutral expression on his face as his eyes spotted something far away. Beside him, Neji activated his Byakugan and turned towards him with a serious look in his eyes.
"There is a man holding the Reich Holy symbol on that hill top..." confirmed Neji, eliciting a smile from his leader.
"They're here..."
"Are you sure?" asked Neji skeptically,
"They're here..." repeated Shino,
Frowning Neji decided to investigate further, and was just about to increase the range of his famed dojutsu to confirm his leader's prediction. But before that could happen, the entire ground shook violently.
The 6,000 soldiers of the Black Lancers felt the tremors, and a few moments later they saw the flag of the "Golden Eagle" flying in the sky. A man seated atop a hawk was carrying the national flag, and looking into their leader's eyes it seemed the Aburame knew who it was.
And then they saw something which men rarely saw in their entire lifetimes...
With the Holy symbol of the Reich "Swastika" raised at the front an army of thousands of disciplined, united soldiers marched towards them. With each step they took, they ground shivered. It was as if the nature itself was preparing to face the wrath of the strongest nation humanity had ever formed.
Shino took a deep breath, when he saw each Reich soldiers dressed in their traditional uniform and armor. Their faces covered by deathmasks, which instantly made several of his own soldiers take a step back. And with good reason...
While a small contingent of his men that had stayed with him in his last stand had seen the unending Resistance army, the majority of his soldiers were seeing an army like this for the first time. The soldiers marching towards them while few in numbers than the Resistance, had an aura around them that made Shino shiver.
Through them, he could see the mighty Kaiser's gaze landing on them. They were Naruto's wrath, and the hope of the Reich.
He couldn't help but smirk when the man who was carrying the Reich national flag in the air, jumped down. To the horror of the Black Lancers, that lone soldier fell quickly and crashed with a resounding thud sending dust and debris everywhere.
When their vision cleared, most of them took a step back when they saw the "Gale Wolf" standing in front of them. Tall and strong...
The warrior who was said to be the fastest man in the current world, the one whose blitzkrieg attacks could tear apart even the mightiest armies, the only other person other than the Kaiser who slayed a Kage in battle.
With a firm stab the national flag of the Reich was marked on the ground, as the cold, ferocious eyes of Sasuke Uchiha glared at each and every Black Lancer.
Following their Army Commander, the Reich army soon appeared behind him. And in them Shino could see the strong figures of Sabuka No Gaara, Tsunade Senju, Sakura Haruno and Kakashi Hatake.
The appearance of his former Sensei did surprise Shino, as both men gave each other nods.
With firm footsteps, both Kakashi and Shino approached each other and after a brief pause the former student kneeled before his master.
"45,678"
Kakashi was not offended even when Shino looked at all of them in shock. He couldn't blame the boy for that as well, since it would be hard for anyone to believe that the kingdom that had united humanity under one banner had only this much strength to defend herself.
"Are these all the men you have for this war?" asked Neji worriedly,
"Yes. There are a few thousand men in the capital, but they are dealing with a problem of their own. We do have a strong Military Police force, but they are not combat trained soldiers. Besides, we need them to maintain order within the Reich in this crucial hour..." said Kakashi frankly,
"The Kaiser?" asked Neji,
"He'll be arriving shortly. Until then we are to hold these lines, possibly without engaging the enemy. These are the clear orders from the Kaiser..." stated Kakashi,
"The enemy has nearly 150,000 strong force. From our latest reports, they are being personally led by the Hokage, Raikage, Jiraiya and the entire Resistance leadership. They have committed everything, even if we add my 6,000 soldiers to your army. The Reich will only have 51,000 soldiers to defend. We will be outnumbered 3: 1..." warned Shino, making Sasuke frown.
"Don't compare my warriors to those weak thugs of the Resistance. We can hold the line..." said Sasuke confidently,
"I don't doubt your confidence or the ability of your soldiers. I have faced them myself and I cannot dispute the fact that they are better fighters. But the fact is, this will turn out into a war of attrition and sooner or later our troops will get tired, wounded, low on morale, and that will be the moment of our fall. While courage is necessary for winning a war, we cannot abandon hard facts..." argued Shino,
"And Shikamaru may not look much of a fighter, but he's one of the best tacticians in the Resistance. With him guiding the army, it won't be so easy to stop them or even defeat them..." warned Neji,
All eyes turned towards Kakashi who was currently staring at an old photograph of the graduating Konoha 12 alongwith their Sensei's. Just who could have thought that just a few years later, these children will be fighting each other on opposite sides despite being born and raised under the same flag.
"Why did you not raise a larger army? Recruit more young men and women? You could have drafted thousands for the cause by the Kaiser's order. The Reich certainly has the resources and power to do all of that..." argued Shino, and was surprised when Tsunade who had silently observed the conversation stepped forward.
Kakashi's gaze was still lingering over that photograph, so the Second in Command decided to step up to answer that question.
"The lives of our children are far too precious to be callously wasted like that. Haven't you learned anything from history, Shino? The true power of a nation does not lie in the military, but rather in its culture, its economy, its unity. The Resistance is fighting for a long gone past, but every Reich soldier that has arrived today has a future to fight for. All of them are volunteers who willingly fight for their nation till the end. When the Reich was formed, the Kaiser's first objective was to give a new future to its people. We invested majority of our resources in organizing our territories, developing trade, industry, transportation, commerce, reducing poverty, generating employments, increasing education opportunities to everyone. With such goals, we were able to improve the lives of our people much better than the combined powers of the Ninja villages.
And in any era, the Military is an institution whose existence while being necessary can also be the cause for the fall of a nation. If a nation continues to increase its armed forces capacity, while ignoring the citizens the balance will be shattered. More than that, the nation will definitely search for conflicts to exercise its power in the name of justice. That would lead to more wars and millions of young boys and girls will die for nothing...
Besides, if you forcefully draft people in the military it creates a hole within the society. If left unchecked, The Military eats into the nation like a parasite sucking everything good from it. Only wield a power which you have the capability to handle, the reason the shinobi world failed because they couldn't control their military forces and seeked out wars. You can see how that ended..." scolded Tsunade harshly,
Shino was stunned by her words, for the first time in his life he found himself unable to argue against such a just reason.
"You truly have so many good subordinates, Naruto. This Reich will flourish because of their vast knowledge and experience..." thought Shino,
"You cannot survive in a head on fight with that monstrous Resistance army. Nothing can change that fact..." said Neji frustratedly, and gulped when Sasuke grabbed his collar.
Looking into the dark eyes of the Reich Army Commander, made a cold shiver pass through the Hyuga's heart.
"We are merely the first line of defenders of this nation. Before we die, more than half of the Resistance would be wiped out. I can assure you that, and when those fools try to take over our nation after murdering our army, the fury of the Reich will descend upon them. The soldiers who will die here have families back home, people who will destroy every Resistance soldier till the last man. To take the Reich would not only spell the end of the Resistance but that of humanity as well. The Reich will fight till our last citizen falls. Even if the Resistance manages to kill us all, we still have the Kaiser. As long as he lives, there will be no victory for the Resistance..." promised Sasuke,
The tension in the room was extremely high as each and every member looked at each other wearily.
"I don't think such drastic measures would need to be taken just yet..." said Sakura honestly,
"Why do you say that?" asked Neji curiously,
"The Kaiser anticipated such an invasion coming someday, while being an anti-war leader he still made sure that our nation had enough defensive measures to protect herself. Kakashi, will you please..." requested Sakura, earning a sad nod from the copy ninja who had fought wars all his life.
Nobody in the room other than Tsunade could possibly understand the pain he was suffering right now. Losing his father, his best friends, his teachers and so many of his comrades made him despise war from the bottom of his heart.
He had been so happy when Naruto gave him a peaceful life free from conflict, by making him a governor. The job was demanding and tedious, but it allowed him a chance to improve lives rather than destroy them.
But now he was back again, fighting another war. It made him wonder as to just when this would stop, couldn't people understand?
"Minato-sensei, pray to Kami and please let this be the last war I ever see in my life. I don't want my son to grow up in such madness..." thought Kakashi sadly,
Looking into the eyes of all of them, he could see they were hoping he would lead them until the Kaiser arrived. Hatake Kakashi knew what that meant clearly, again through his hands thousands of innocent young men and women would die. It didn't matter to him whether they would be Resistance or Reich, but the fact that so many people would lose their lives based on his choices made him extremely sad.
He could only imagine the burden Naruto had carried over his young shoulders all his life, and still did to this day.
Regardless of everything, Naruto needed him. And he would not fail him in this crucial hour, the time for regrets would come later.
"Follow me..."
That was all he said and walked out of the makeshift war room, he didn't even wait for the others because they were right behind him. Sasuke, Sakura and Tsunade already knew what he was going to do but the others needed to see it for themselves.
The Shiva Fields...
The chosen battlefield was the place the universe would witness the biggest war humanity had ever waged among itself. Lying behind the Sarutobi Fortress, the entire area was nothing more than grassy fields and rocks.
It provided a straight road deep into the heart of the Reich, and all of them were here to prevent that from happening.
"May I ask why you didn't keep Sarutobi Fortress as your base of operations. Why give it to the enemy and try to fight in such open lands when you are clearly outnumbered?" asked Shino skeptically, making Kakashi smile.
"You're a good warrior, Shino. But you still have a lot left to learn. Where you see open lands, I see an impregnable defense line that will defend this Reich..." said Kakashi sagely,
"I don't understand..."
No more words came out of Shino's mouth, when Kakashi raised his hand receiving nods from Karin and Suigetsu in return. The Reich leaders smirked when behind them the ground trembled violently as Karin performed a hand seal.
Biting her thumb, the redhead slammed her palm on the ground. Her powerful chakra coursed through the lands, as an unending wall started rising from the ground.
Covering each and every boundary of the Shiva fields, it completely separated the Reich territories from the Sarutobi Fortress. And it continued to rise higher and higher...
30 feet...
50 feet...
80 feet...
100 feet...
120 feet...
Neji could only marvel at the magnificent structure in front of him. His Byakugan couldn't even look past this monstrous wall, there was something inside this thing that even prevented his all seeing eyes from looking beyond.
"A wall? That's your answer? It maybe high, but we're dealing with ninjas..." said Shino disappointedly,
"Then try crossing this wall, you dumb fool..." scolded Karin, clearly offended by the sheer disrespect this man had showed towards her work of the past four years.
Shino frowned, but decided to test her claim regardless. Quickly charging towards the wall, he simply channeled chakra towards his feet hoping to scale the structure with quick speed.
The moment he made first contact with the wall, he instantly realized his blunder. Instead of his feet sticking to the wall, a violent shock passed through his entire body flinging him several feet away where he crashed roughly.
Blood trickled down his face, as Karin adjusted her glasses with a smirk adorning on her lips. He could see the respectful looks and praises the Reich leaders were showering on this girl. He knew that no ordinary human could build such a thing, even the most powerful Uchiha and Senju clans didn't have the capability of building such defenses.
But there was one clan...
A small group of fighters who held their own against the power of three powerful hidden villages. A clan who nearly wiped out Kumo, Iwa and Kiri's armies before their fall. If they had received just a little help from their allies, today that clan could have been the most powerful force in the world.
"The Uzumaki still live..." thought Shino in shock,
Now that he thought about it, Naruto's birth records also listed his surname as Uzumaki long before he became a Hatake, then an Uchiha. It was karmic justice at its best, that the ninja world who destroyed the most knowledgeable clan was on its death bed today due to survivors of the same clan.
"No ninja will be able to scale this wall. The chakra which they are so proud of will become their curse, this wall is made up of special chakra absorbing stones which we unearthed on capturing Iron Country. The Samurai were more than happy to give them to us in return for mercy and a chance to live within the Reich. When a ninja touches this wall, it will absorb a portion of his chakra and forcefully return it back to him through a violent shock. No human can scale this wall, either with or without chakra. I promise you that..." said Karin proudly,
Shino saw hundreds of sharp Reich archers taking positions on top of the walls, if that were not enough he also saw new machines being mounted upwards. Only Kami knew what those things were...
"A few toys I devised over the years. They're quite deadly..." boasted Karin, the former student of Orochimaru.
Sensing the doubts vanishing from Shino and Neji's hearts, Kakashi stepped forward and looked them straight in the eye.
"If gods forbid, the ninjas do manage to get behind these walls they will have to face the entire Reich army. That won't happen anytime soon and certainly not without substantial losses, till then the Kaiser would have arrived. Do I need to tell you how destructive Naruto is when he gets pissed?" asked Kakashi, a smirk adoring his lips.
Shino shivered on remembering that day of the assassination, Naruto had brutally murdered the Raikage along with Yugito and Killer Bee, two of the strongest Jinchuuriki ever known. He would have nearly killed every Resistance fighter that day, if Shino hadn't stabbed him in the back.
If there was ever a man whom Shino Aburame never wanted to face again in combat, then it was the Kaiser.
And no force in the world was more dangerous than a furious Naruto Uchiha. Gods save the fool who does make that stupid mistake...
An eery silence prevailed in Area 20 of the Reich capital, except for the laugh of a mad Sannin. Orochimaru had a satisfied smile on his face as he saw the raw fear, panic spreading among the Reich forces. The soldiers of the once strong nation were on the verge of disarray on seeing their leader and strongest fighter down on his knees. Tears trickled down Naruto's cheeks, further confusing the newly revived people.
Sai curiously looked towards the person who had made Naruto cry, and gasped in shock on recognizing that little girl from all those years ago.
Except for being Konoha shinobi, he, Shin and the Senju brothers had one thing in common.
They were all dead.
And if Rei was standing beside them, it meant that she was deceased too. Was Naruto not able to save her that night?
"Oh Kami..." said Sai in shock,
"What's wrong, Sai? Why is Naruto crying and dressed in that strange outfit?" asked Shin curiously,
The former Root Anbu closed his eyes as he realized just what might have happened after his death. Rei was the last straw that had tied Naruto to the ninja world, and if she was gone too then his friend would have only one way left.
"A world of victors, a world of peace, a world of love...I will create that world, Sai. For Shin, you, all of us..."
The promise which Naruto made all those years ago had finally been fulfilled. Although, Sai really didn't want Naruto to go through that pain again. And thus, despite Shin's questions he wordlessly walked towards the trembling Kaiser.
Orochimaru frowned and made a hand seal, making Sai stop instantly. However the smirk disappeared from the Sannin's face when after a rough struggle, the former Root Anbu started walking again at a much slower pace.
"What?" thought Orochimaru in shock, why the hell was this boy not obeying his commands?
Beside him Tobirama also marveled at this rare sight, never before in his life had he seen someone overcome his invincible jutsu. He could see Sai's movements were getting slower and slower, the boy was losing control. Looking towards Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin had clasped both his hands together and was clearly giving it his all to stop the boy.
Anko quickly got in front of her Kaiser, hell bent on protecting the shaken man. However, her fears turned out to be unwarranted when Sai collapsed on his knees and had a strained expression in his eyes which were fluctuating rapidly. The boy was definitely fighting even as he crawled towards his friend.
Naruto's eyes widened on seeing this, and he quickly dashed towards his friend. Cradling Sai's trembling form in his lap, he grasped his the boy's hand.
"Sai, I..." said Naruto hesitantly, receiving a strained smile in return.
"Protect...your...dream..."
Hinata was surprised when her Kaiser stopped trembling, the fear and guilt vanished from Naruto's eyes as both friends exchanged happy smiles.
"Whatever happens, I will free you. I promise you this..." said Naruto seriously, making Sai smile.
"Wake...me...up...when...this...is...over..."
With those words, the light disappeared from Sai's eyes. His body went still as a cruel smile appeared on Orochimaru's lips. His happiness didn't last when Naruto made a hand seal encasing Sai's body in a wooden coffin, much to the Senju brother's shock. Slapping a seal on the coffin Naruto got back on his feet.
In a rare move which surprised everyone, Naruto took out his own royal coat bearing the symbol of the "Golden Eagle" on the back. Gently placing it on the surface of the coffin, he gave a full salute to his best friend.
Except for Shin, nobody could understand what had happened. The elder Root Anbu smiled and followed Naruto by giving a firm salute, as Naruto gave him a tearful smile and an acknowledging nod. No words were necessary to be said between them, since the unsaid message had been already delivered.
Even the confused Reich soldiers followed their leader, by giving salutes to the boy who probably saved the Reich just now.
Naruto's gaze lingered over Rei for a few moments, suppressing his troubled emotions he channeled all his feelings into one thing.
Rage
Orochimaru took a step back, when Naruto glared at him murderously. The Kaiser's Mangekyo came to life, as he gave the Sannin the most furious glare anyone had ever seen.
"You're dead..."