Orochimaru had a baffled expression on his pale face on watching one of his most important Edo Tensei being sealed just like that, this jutsu was said to be invincible and he had spent years trying to make sure that there were no loopholes that could be used against him.
While Sai may not have been strong enough to fight with the Kaiser, that boy could have been used as a shield because Naruto wouldn't lay a hand on his friend. He could have easily used the Senju brothers to end the Kaiser.
And looking into those cold, furious eyes made him remember Minato Namikaze. Both father and son were so similar not just in looks but in personalities as well...
"Mokuton..." said Tobirama in shock,
"Who are you, boy?" asked Hashirama curiously, receiving a straight gaze from Naruto himself.
"The heir to Hachimon, descendant of Izuna Uchiha, and son of Minato Namikaze- The Yondaime Hokage. And most of all the Shodaime Kaiser of the Reich..."
The invaders had varied shocked expressions on their faces, each dealing with a surprising revelation of their own.
"Hachimon? That Hachimon? And Izuna's descendant that means he's Madara's..." thought Hashirama in horror, in that moment itself the older Senju felt the face of his dead best friend glaring at him victoriously from the afterlife.
"Yondaime Hokage's son?" thought Tobirama in surprise, just how many Hokages had reigned over Konoha?
"Kaiser?" thought Shin in shock, beside him Rei didn't understand the meaning of the word but judging from the terrified expression in the older men's eyes it was certainly not something good.
The Sannin saw the look in the Senju brother's eyes and instantly decided to use the situation to his benefit. Kami, he needed something now that his original plan of killing an emotionally broken Naruto had went haywire.
"Yes, this brat here is not just those things. He's also the murderer of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the destroyer of Konoha, Fire Nation. Hashirama, Tobirama...don't be fooled by his young, innocent face. He's the fascist Kaiser who destroyed the shinobi world, and tyrannically rules over the world now..." said Orochimaru passionately,
Anko nearly pissed her pants when Hashirama's gentle smile disappeared only to be replaced by an ice cold glare.
"You killed Saru?" asked Hashirama in despair,
"Destroyed my Konoha? You Uchiha brat, I WILL END YOU RIGHT HERE!" yelled Tobirama murderously,
Shin and Rei were sent crashing away by a violent shockwave as the Nidaime's Hokage's body got covered in fierce chakra waves. The murderous look in his eyes promised an unending mass murder, and a second later he charged.
This time Anko and every Reich soldier were sent sailing away as Naruto raised his chakra, instantly stopping the bloodthirsty Nidaime Hokage and flinging him back to where he charged from.
An equally cold look was visible in Naruto's eyes as he glared at Tobirama...
"Shut the fuck up, you racist thug!" yelled Naruto furiously,
The Nidaime was stunned for a moment on being pushed back so fiercely, only two people in the world had ever managed that feat. One was his own elder brother standing beside him, and the other...
It was a bad omen to even whisper that man's name, and looking at this boy made him experience that dark feeling again.
Unknown to the two furious leaders, their chakra's had raised to extreme levels. Every Reich soldier was on the verge of dying from heart-attack, even the revived Edo Tensei Rei and Shin had their bodies cracking, while they gritted their teeth in pain.
In a move which surprised Tobirama, his brother placed a hand on his shoulder stopping the flow of chakra.
"Anija (Elder Brother), what the hell are you doing?" demanded Tobirama, eyes glaring daggers at the solemn Senju.
"Tobi, don't harm young children in your rage..." advised Hashirama, pointing towards a panting Rei.
Tobirama flinched for a second, Naruto's own eyes widened in shame and horror on seeing the unbearable pain his own soldiers, Shin and Rei were in. Instantly appearing beside the fallen Edo Tensei he looked each of them straight in the eye.
His hands trembled as he touched Rei's forehead, making her look at him with those curious eyes.
"Naruto...stop...us...before...it's...too...late..." insisted a struggling Shin, whose eyes were losing its color.
The Kaiser nearly panicked when his daughter bit her lip as her small eyes started flickering. His dark gaze landed on a hiding Orochimaru who was quickly stealing their consciousness away.
"Not this time, you freak..." cursed Naruto,
Quickly placing his hand on Rei and Shin's head, he encased their bodies in wooden coffins like Sai and slapped a seal on the surface. Before either of them succumbed to the darkness, Naruto gave each of them a promising smile.
"Rest for now. I will save you this time..." said Naruto seriously, a hopeful smile arriving on his lips.
Hashirama relaxed on seeing their enemy saving those two young children, the man calling himself Kaiser definitely had a connection to the revived young children. More than that, Hashirama saw a clear reflection of Madara in Naruto when the boy looked at the little girl. The Kaiser definitely had the same love for her, just as Madara had for Izuna. Probably even more...
Tobirama snorted in disgust when Orochimaru cursed at the top of his lungs, much to Anko's pleasure. The Nidaime saw the Kaiser summon a few of his soldiers who quickly carried away the coffins to safety rejoining them with the one Sai was placed in.
"Protect them at all costs. They mean everything to me..." said Naruto fiercely, receiving a firm nod from Anko.
"We'll protect them with our lives. But Mein Kaiser, wouldn't that leave you alone against those three..." said Anko worriedly, as Naruto placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"This is a battle I must fight on my own. But before that..." said Naruto mysteriously,
Anko quickly understood the end of their discussion as Naruto turned to face Hashirama, as she quickly made a hasty retreat with Reich soldiers taking with them the three precious coffins which held the Kaiser's only weaknesses. She had nearly seen the fall of Naruto, and would rather die than watching something like that again.
Revenge could wait for now, these three coffins were the most precious thing in the world for her and the soldiers around her.
"I wish to speak with you..." said Hashirama flatly,
"Anija..." protested Tobirama, only to be silenced by a dark glare in return.
"Enough of this. Attack him now...." commanded Orochimaru, and made a hand seal.
Tobirama's eyes went blank and he moved forward to attack Naruto only to be stopped as vines erupted from the ground wrapping themselves around his body. The Nidaime was instantly immobilized for good...
Hashirama instantly appeared in front of a terrified Orochimaru with blinding speed, and in that moment the Sannin realized why this man was called a Kami.
Naruto openly gawked in shock when a tight slap landed on the Sannin's cheek, courtesy of a pissed off Hashirama. The impact was horrible, as Orochimaru's entire neck twisted round and round at unnatural angles. It was a rare sight even for the Kaiser to watch Orochimaru fly away into several walls like a fly, making him gulp.
"Nobody messes with my brother, but me..." said Hashirama sharply,
If Orochimaru had been a normal human he would dead by now, but the man was a walking experimental shop who had tweaked his body more than anytime a person could count. So for now Naruto had to settle for watching stars dancing in the man's eyes...
"Naruto, be careful. This guy may look like a goofy idiot, but he kicked both mine and Madara's asses together. Even when we were using all our powers..." warned Kurama, honestly quite nervous on facing this "Tree Hugger" again after so many decades.
The Kaiser did not miss the hidden fear in his Biju's voice. If something scared the mighty Kyuubi, then it was a great concern to him. And just watching a Sannin like Orochimaru being swapped away like a common fly made him acknowledge the power of this man standing before him.
The tension in the air was extremely high, only to be broken down as Hashirama laughed while staring at his right hand.
"Mah, I went a little overboard. What do you say?" asked Hashirama jovially, and laughed more when Naruto face palmed on the ground.
"What the hell are you, old man?" asked Naruto in disbelief, till this day he had believed that Minato and he himself were the goofy, silly ones. But apparently the strongest Hokage was even a bigger fool than them.
"You're the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki. And an Uzumaki too..." said Hashirama flatly, surprising Naruto further.
"How do you-"
"Well, I am the Shodaime..." boasted Hashirama harmlessly, eliciting a faint smile from the Kaiser.
"Then why are you not attacking me like your brother? Everything Orochimaru said was true, except for me being a tyrant..." clarified Naruto, and saw the smile vanishing from Hashirama's face.
An immense pain was visible in the old man's eyes as he looked towards the Kaiser.
"Konoha is truly gone? Saru too?" asked Hashirama sadly,
"Yes"
"Why?"
Hashirama never flinched even when Naruto looked him straight in the eye, a feat which only a few people could manage when facing the mighty Kaiser.
"Will knowing the reason change anything? I know a loyal ninja when I see one. You're an honorable man, Hashirama. But you're too naive, just like my past self..." said Naruto bitterly, making the Hokage smile.
"You're so much like him, it's quite scary..." replied Hashirama kindly,
"Huh?" asked Naruto in confusion,
"You remind me of Madara..."
Naruto's gaze softened on hearing that, and judging from the genuine look in the man's eyes the Kaiser could clearly see those emotions were real. Sighing, he massaged his forehead...
"You're annoying, Hashirama. You know that right?" asked Naruto irritatedly, but there was no hostility or bitterness in his voice.
"Madara once told me that a day would come when Konoha would fall alongwith the Shinobi world. I didn't believe him back then, but looking at this changed world and at you makes me rethink about my past decisions. I want to know why you did what you did..." insisted Hashirama, and surprisingly received a hateful glare in return.
"Why? Just so you can pass on your divine judgement on me like your racist brother? Your village and your shinobi system destroyed my Uzumaki and Uchiha clans, killed my parents, my friends, my comrades, my daughter..." said Naruto bitterly,
Hashirama lowered his head on hearing so many sad news, he could easily feel the pain and anger in Naruto's voice. The Uchiha and Uzumaki were gone, that was something Hashirama never wanted to hear. He couldn't even fathom the devastating effect the remaining tragedies would have had on this boy. And somewhere deep down, he felt a little guilty since the ninja world was his creation.
"I am not like Tobirama. I may not be able to accept what you did, but before I make my decision I want to hear your story. Maybe it will change things, maybe it won't. But as a leader yourself, please grant me a favor by telling me the unbiased truth. I built the ninja world, Konoha on the bones of my friends and families. Just like you I had a dream and had to suffer a lot for it. So-"
Hashirama didn't have to say anything else as Naruto closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he looked the man straight in the eye.
"Very well. What do you want to know?" asked Naruto patiently,
"Everything..."
Kakashi remained calm as ice even as his eyes bore witness to the largest invasion force he had ever seen in his entire life. Standing on top of the Uzu Wall, he felt the wild winds brush against his body. He was actually surprised that Naruto named this wall after the village of his deceased clan, and as a tribute to his mother.
From a personal point of view, Naruto had surprised him again since the Kaiser had never known the Uzumaki clan as they had died before he was even born. He didn't even know his mother as a person, and resented her for a good half of his life. And then he goes and names the greatest creation in the Reich after the clan and a mother whom he barely had a formidable connection with.
But from a strategic point of view, he could see the significance of this name. The Uzumaki clan defended their village against the combined armies of three great villages. Their fight was considered one of the best defensive struggles in the history of the shinobi world. Perhaps the Kaiser had anticipated such a situation, and had named this wall Uzu to give strength to his people in the need of hour.
Although, Kakashi dearly hoped the final outcome was completely opposite from that of the past.
He had received information from his scouts that the first wave was being led by the Raikage himself. Darui was the leader's name, and he was the right hand man of the former Raikage. He was a skilled fighter and leader, and had participated in that assassination attempt on the Kaiser.
"Seems like Kumo brutes are really overconfident about their victory..." said Sasuke distastefully,
"Well, we did give them the Sarutobi Fortress on a silver platter without any fight. They outnumber us, and probably know that our capital is under attack. Their morale would be high assuming that we would be disarrayed and not offer a good resistance..." explained Gaara tactfully,
"But still, attacking a defensive wall as high as this with just 25,000 ninjas is rather reckless. Don't you think?" asked Tsunade curiously, as Neji just confirmed their battle strength to her.
"They are being cautious, Shikamaru is a far better commander than I thought him to be..." said Kakashi silently,
Shino who was silently observing the debate could nod in approval as their Supreme Commander's analysis matched with the type of leader that Nara was. If Darui had been the supreme commander, then this small a force wouldn't be attacking them.
"This attack is meant to test us. The men of the Nara clan were masters in strategic retreats, they were far skilled in hit and run attacks than a full scale assault. Perhaps, Shikamaru feels that we have not shown all our cards. So instead of sending his entire army, he risks only a small portion of his soldiers. To make us believe that this is a real attack, he lets the Raikage lead. This way he satisfies the eager Kumo soldiers who are itching for bloodshed and keeps the Raikage firmly under his thumb. If they win, the Raikage will get the credit for victory in battle, but the real credit for tactics would go to Shikamaru. But if the Raikage loses, then the entire responsibility for the loss of lives and demoralizing the Resistance army falls on Darui. He would lose face, and then Shikamaru will achieve complete control over the army which he shares with the Raikage right now..." explained Kakashi in great detail,
The others could only marvel at the detailed analysis their leader had made, such skill could only come from years of battlefield experience. And Kakashi was one of the best ninjas in the history of the Shinobi world. Only he could remain as calm like this, and make correct judgement.
The Kaiser had definitely chosen a good leader for his entire army. Sasuke was too emotional, Tsunade was a good medic but not a great battle commander, Gaara was a good fighter but had lost confidence since his last defeat, Shino was not trustworthy for obvious reasons.
That only left Kakashi, a veteran of a great ninja war, an ex-Anbu Blackops and a skilled Jounin with a decade full of commendable service record.
"Kami showed mercy on us. If we had attacked right after capturing Sarutobi Fortress, this battlefield would have been the final grave of mine and the Black Lancers. The Reich wouldn't even have needed Kakashi to command, the Uzu Wall itself would have slaughtered us. My gamble to side with the Reich saved my life and those of the surrendering Resistance civilians and the Black Lancers..." thought Shino in relief,
Kakashi remained silent for a few moments, his eyes steadily observing the Resistance Force that had started appearing on the far away horizon. Within an hour or less, they would be at his doorstep.
One of the greatest advantages of the Uzu Wall was the fact that there was only one gate of entry, and it was secretly camouflaged within the wall stones. Even the Byakugan couldn't detect it, so it was completely invisible to the naked human eye. Kakashi intended to use this advantage to the fullest.
"I need to preserve my trump cards for the real fight. Shikamaru will definitely be observing the battle from somewhere, trying to calculate the firing range of my archers, time for reloading, and the strength of the wall. The more information he gains, the lesser our chances of victory in the next battle. I need to hold long enough for Naruto to arrive..." thought Kakashi seriously,
The strategy that came to his mind was extremely risky, borderline suicidal. But if executed successfully, it could accomplish his goals.
The burden of command weighed heavy on him, but for the sake of the Reich he had to take the risk.
"Here's the plan..."
Shikamaru Nara, dressed in his Hokage robes could be seen crudely observing his marching army that was approaching the rather high wall formed by the Reich. He had to admit, the tactic was strange. This was certainly a new kind of warfare, which he was unfamiliar with. His reports indicated that Kakashi was the enemy commander, add that man's vast battlefield experience with this unknown wall...
The scenario was disturbing to say the least...
"Shikamaru, are you sure that Darui can handle it?" asked Ino hesitantly, who was serving as his Adjutant and communication officer.
"Perhaps, we must wait and observe..." replied the Supreme Resistance Commander,
He didn't know why but an uneasy feeling had started forming in his gut since the past few minutes, while it could be attributed to battle anxiety since any minute now his soldiers would start their first assault on Reich mainlands. But there was something else...
His fears turned out to be true, when Ino's face went pale as a ghost. Her lips quivered several times trying to say something but failed miserably.
"What is it?'' asked Shikamaru impatiently,
"The...basecamp...is...being...attacked..." said Ino hesitantly,
"What? How the hell did they get behind us? Didn't we clear every area of Reich soldiers? Every one of them should be hiding behind that wall..." said Shikamaru in surprise,
"I don't know, Shikamaru. But the Gale Wolf is leading the attack..." informed Ino, even she found it hard to believe that the Reich Army's Battlefield Commander was himself leading the attack.
"Enemy strength?" asked Shikamaru worriedly,
"Sasuke is a Kage level ninja, Kakashi would definitely send a mad dog like him to destroy our supplies and weapons cache. It would severely cripple our fighting chances, or he could kill our medical ninja thereby increasing our casualties rates due to lack of doctors. Or..." thought Shikamaru in quick succession, his logical mind coming up with even worse scenario moment after moment.
"Reports are still coming in. But so far, hundreds of enemy soldiers are attacking us..." said Ino gravely, making Shikamaru grit his teeth.
"Even if he has few soldiers to fight, none of my warriors except Jiraiya could match Sasuke in a one on one battle. Since Jiraiya is on a scouting mission, the junior commanders would panic on seeing Sasuke's blitzkrieg attacks. I cannot let that happen..." thought Shikamaru quickly,
He cursed himself for letting Jiraiya go on a scouting mission trying to find a secret passage that could let them infiltrate the Reich without winning the wall. The Toad Sage was skilled in infiltration, and Shikamaru really hoped that man came back with something for him.
"Ino, order our forces to reorganize their formation. Attack the enemy together, Kage level shinobi or not even Sasuke cannot battle thousands of ninjas in a straight up fight. Hold the line, till I arrive and take command. If we get Sasuke, it will be a severe blow to the enemy..." ordered Shikamaru,
"Yes, Hokage-sama..." replied Ino, and instantly started working to convey his orders.
Shikamaru gave one last glance towards the Resistance Force that was about to battle against Kakashi, and made a silent prayer for their success.
"Darui, be careful. Don't be reckless..." thought Shikamaru
Kakashi had his eyes closed, silently feeling the cool breeze hit his skin. He could feel the tremors across the battlefield as the enemy was inching closer and closer. He smiled when Matsuri came running towards him, the communications officer quickly relayed her report to him.
"I hope this gamble pays off. Sasuke will be alright..." said Kakashi seriously,
"Kakashi, the enemy has started charging towards us. They'll reach the wall in 2 minutes..." informed Tsunade urgently,
"They're in the range of our archers. Should we start our counterattack?" asked Gaara seriously,
"Wait"
The officers were tensed but the relaxed tone in which Kakashi gave his command made them obey him instantly. This was a man with a plan, and they had to believe in him.
"Sir, enemy forces 800 meters and closing in..."
Kakashi narrowed his eyes as thousands of Kumo ninja bravely charged towards the wall. A few seconds later he received another report stating the accomplishment of the next phase of the operation.
"600 meters..."
"500 meters..."
"400 meters..."
Hundreds of archers raised their bows, as Kakashi raised his hand while the enemy continued their quick charge. Gaara had his hand placed on a button, waiting to press it the moment given the command to do so.
"Release the trap, now!" yelled Kakashi, thrusting his right hand towards the enemy.
Gaara didn't waste any time and pressed the button in his hand, the very next second the entire backward area of the battlefield crumbled. The fake surface collapsed, as a deadly trench came alive. Hundreds of Resistance Fighters in the rear fell straight into the trap, where hundreds of spikes awaited to meet them.
Cries erupted everywhere, showers of blood, flesh and guts blasted instantly ending the lives of hundreds of humans.
The entire rearguard of the Resistance collapsed since the trench continued expanding for hundreds of meters. The artificial pillars that had held the hollow ground were blown away by a set of explosives attached to them, which went off when Gaara pressed the button.
The effect was deadly as the charging enemy instantly halted their advance abruptly. The Raikage could only stare in horror as the trench became wider and wider, his army could not retreat now since the escape was cut off by a monstrous trench full of spikes ready to impale them.
Even for ninjas jumping across a trench which was hundreds of meters long was an impossible feat. That only left...
Darui angrily stared at the Reich soldiers, and furiously raised his hands gathering the attention of his remaining soldiers.
"CHARGE!"
By the time the order was given to the shaken Resistance soldiers, several smoke bombs had already been fired all over the battlefield. Even then the Resistance didn't waver and madly dashed to scale the wall, with the intent of making the enemy pay in blood.
"Not on my watch..." thought Gaara seriously, as he raised his hand.
"Doton: Yomi Numa(Swamp of the Underworld.)"
The area nearby the walls turned into a muddy swamp, several front line units of the Resistance fell right into the trap. The remaining stopped instantly, clearly not willing to get themselves trapped.
Big mistake!
Let it be known, that taking out a target from high altitude in the midst of battle can be extremely difficult. A moving target only decreases the chances of scoring a hit, even the wind could displace the aim of archers by a slight margin.
But since the Resistance Forces had to abruptly stop, they were nothing more than...Sitting Ducks!
Tsunade quickly stepped forward, eyes shining with fierce feminine fury as she narrowed her gaze on the trapped enemy who could neither advance or retreat since both ways had been cut off.
"Mein Archers, short bursts of three. FIRE!" roared Tsunade,
A rain of arrows were released in the sky and with great speed they quickly started descending towards the ground, delivering a critical strike to the disarrayed enemy forces. The smoke had already increased the chaos, and since the enemy was large in numbers their co-ordination was not upto mark.
But in a great move of leadership, the Raikage stepped forward and clasped both his hands forward.
"Raiton: Jibashi (Lightning Style: Earth Flash)"
An entire arc of lightning sprawled from his hands and destroyed a large portion of the arrows that would have decimated his men. He followed this up by jumping high in the air, with one hand holding his sword and the other holding several shuriken which he fired instantly.
"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique)"
Hundreds of shuriken came into existence countering the remaining arrows one by one, the few that did manage to get through were being personally blocked by Darui with the help of his sword. His soldiers stared in awe as their leader waged a brave battle.
"Hurry, defensive measures. Reorganize the lines!" yelled Darui,
SLASH
A sharp arrow struck the Raikage straight in the chest making him fall back on the ground. Quickly taking out the weapon from his chest coughing blood in the process, the injured Raikage leapt back among his troops as several of them had slammed their hands on the ground.
"Doton Doryuuheki (Earth Release: Mud Wall Jutsu)"
The Resistance forces quickly formed a large wall of their own shielding them from the continous barrage of arrows.
Kakashi shrewdly saw through the enemy's attempt to turn the tide in their favor, the Raikage was indeed a good fighter. Quickly turning towards Tsunade, he looked her straight in the eye.
"Fire explosive arrows quickly. Don't let them shore up their defenses..." commanded Kakashi urgently, as the archers readied the special explosive arrows.
"FIRE!" yelled Tsunade,
BOOM!
Kakashi nodded as the explosive arrows started blowing up the small walls formed by the Resistance, but more were being formed in a continous, valiant effort by the Resistance.
"Gaara, when the next barrage hits their walls. Slam through with your full power..." ordered Kakashi quickly,
"Hai!"
Soon enough the next round of explosive arrows blew away a large number of erected defensive walls, more walls were in the process of being raised when Gaara concentrated and pressed both his hands forward.
"GO!" shouted Kakashi,
"Sabukuha (Sand Wall)!"
A tidal wave of raging sand rose from the ground and brutally slammed into the defensive walls of the Resistance. As a testament to Gaara's power, wave after wave of walls crumbled burying with them hundreds of Resistance soldiers alive.
With a large amount of sand enveloped in all directions of the surrounded Resistance forces, Gaara clenched his fists.
"Sabuka Kyu (Sand Binding Coffin)!"
Darui yelled in horror as he along with a few thousand soldiers got entangled in a large sand coffin. So massive was the attack that nobody got the time to move, they felt their bones crumbling from the sheer crushing pressure.
A harshly panting Gaara looked towards Kakashi for determining the final faith of the captured enemy leader. The Supreme Reich Commander lowered his gaze, even as he raised his hand in the air. After a moment of trepidation, the decisive signal was given.
"AHHHH!"
Kakashi closed his eyes on hearing the soul terrifying cries as thousands of soldiers were crushed brutally in that giant sand coffin. Among them were the top Resistance battle commanders and the Raikage himself.
"Enemy frontline and rear-line units decimated. Resistance casualties crossing 20,000. Raikage Darui died in battle..." reported Tsunade silently,
The Senju heir saw Kakashi's sad gaze fixed on the remaining few thousand terrified Resistance soldiers that were caught in the middle of the battlefield. Neither could they advance or retreat, their leaders were dead and there was no one coming to help them since the Reich had already jammed communications within the area to prevent the Resistance from calling for reinforcements.
"Mercy?" asked Tsunade hesitantly,
"I cannot. All archers, eliminate remaining stragglers. Kill them all..." said Kakashi coldly, much to Tsunade's despair.
The next few minutes passed in silent horror as one by one the remaining Resistance soldiers were slaughtered. Their painful cries resonated across the entire field, but Kakashi remained firm on his decision. Only when the last enemy fighter had been put out of their misery did Kakashi issue the order of ceasefire.
Beneath them lay a river of blood, flesh, broken weapons and the corpses of 25,000 soldiers. One among them was the valiant Raikage who didn't leave his troops till his last moment.
Instead of the expectations of cheers over victory an eery silence prevailed among the Reich army as they silently witnessed the tragedy in front of them. Deep down all of them knew this had been just the first day, and the beginning of a long war.
"Reorganize our forces. Be ready for an attack, but before that..." said Kakashi sadly,
His eyes lingered over the sea of dead bodies lying beneath the walls. The tactician in him marveled at the cruel way in which he had eliminated the enemy, but the human in him could only be mortified for being responsible for all these deaths.
"Commander Tsunade..."
"Yes, Supreme Commander..." replied Tsunade crisply,
"Notify all forces: every officer and soldier will render respectful salutes to the deceased enemy Kage and his soldiers..." ordered Kakashi,
"Hai!"
Everyone nodded in consent and followed the order given by their leader by rendering respectful salutes to the martyred enemy soldiers lying motionless on the battlefield. While it was true that each of them had been a foe, in the end they were all still soldiers.
Warriors who died for their leaders and their beliefs, it was a courtesy to render respect.
Matsuri quickly followed after Kakashi on receiving the signal from the tired man. His shoulders were slumped, and he seemed to have aged an entire decade in the past half an hour.
But that was the truth of war...
Sasuke calmly watched the battle unfolding in front of him. Well, it was a battle according to Kakashi's standards. But to Sasuke this was just a guerrilla tactic carried out with the intention of capturing the enemy's attention. So far, it had worked brilliantly.
It was actually quite smart of Kakashi to send a small force of 200 soldiers to the enemy camp's rear, and start wrecking havoc. The Reich managed to achieve this feat by transporting its troops through the Black Lancer's birds, it helped that the Black Lancers were paramilitary troops and had performed well on the battlefield. Still he didn't trust them...
Nor did he trust Shino who had accompanied him on this mission. It was the Aburame who had suggested creating confusion among enemy ranks by starting a heavy mist camouflage.
Then through careful small scale infiltration, their tiny force set up explosives around the outer areas of the enemy camp. The Resistance simply assumed that the mist was natural since the enemy had already been cleared from the areas they captured, making it a big mistake on its part.
When the explosives went off, panic spread among the enemy soldiers. Combine that fear with witnessing Sasuke Uchiha leading a full scale charge on several outer posts along with nearly 100 Reich soldiers sent alarm bells across entire camp. With Darui and Shikamaru absent, the less experienced junior officers found it quite difficult to regain control.
Sasuke actually wondered why Jiraiya had now showed up till now, but then again he was thankful for that. Strong or not, he didn't wish to face Jiraiya alongwith the entire Resistance army with so few men.
But it seemed the tide was finally turning in the enemy's favor, they had finally reorganized their formations and were initiating heavy counterattacks.
"Sasuke, come in..."
He was relieved when Kakashi's voice rang over the communication device. He had actually started to worry about the fate of the real battle being fought near the wall...
"Go ahead, Kakashi..." replied Sasuke,
"Mission Accomplished. What's your status?" asked Kakashi seriously,
For a moment, the Uchiha could not believe what he just heard. Those words coming from Kakashi only meant one thing, but still he had to confirm it again for his own personal satisfaction.
"Repeat your last..." insisted Sasuke, making Kakashi sigh over the line.
"All enemy hands lost, mission accomplished. Report your status now..." instructed Kakashi sternly, receiving a grunt in return.
"Our element of surprise is gone. Enemy forces have reorganized formation, they'll be over us anytime soon..." answered Sasuke,
"Then it means Shikamaru has returned back to take charge. Our losses so far?" asked Kakashi grimly,
"18 dead, 40 wounded with 15 critical and in need of immediate medical attention. We cannot hold on for more than a few minutes at most. Orders?" requested Sasuke,
"Secure the wounded, leave the dead and return back to base. Your mission's over..." instructed Kakashi,
"You want me to leave my martyred soldiers in the field? After they gave their lives for the Reich? I can get them back, just give me a few more minutes..." argued Sasuke passionately, clearly opposed to this dishonorable move.
"In a few minutes all your men will be dead. Maybe you can live with that, I can't. The dead can wait, the living cannot. Get my soldiers back here, Commander. This is an order..." barked Kakashi angrily, certainly not in the mood for Sasuke's chauvinistic tendencies.
"The Kaiser would have never allowed this insult to our own soldiers..." retorted Sasuke hotly, making the older man sigh.
"Maybe not. But I am not the Kaiser, I am Kakashi. And on my honor as a Commander, I promise to bring our dead back home. I have a plan for that as well, have faith in me Sasuke..." said Kakashi honestly,
There was a short silence over the line as Kakashi thought about a few other things that might help in persuading Sasuke to see reason...
"Very well. Orders acknowledged. Returning to base, Sasuke out..." replied the Uchiha,
"We'll be waiting..."
The line went dead as Sasuke turned towards Suigestu and Shino who had also heard the entire conversation. The three of them exchanged nods, as Sasuke turned towards his defending soldiers.
"All right, soldiers. We are falling back, Platoons 1,2, 3, 4 will be going with Shino and Suigetsu. Platoon 5 will be with me since most of them are still in the condition to fight, which is not the case with the other platoons. Any questions?" asked Sasuke,
"No, sir!" replied all of them in unison, quite relieved to finally go back.
"Suigetsu, the wounded are your responsibility. We'll cover you and then fall back to extraction site 2 and evacuate from there. Shino get them back to the walls..." commanded Sasuke,
"Tch, and here I thought the fun was just getting started..." said Suigetsu sarcastically,
"We'll follow orders. Watch yourself..." replied Shino curtly,
"Hm..."
Sasuke watched as his comrades left with the injured soldiers. Looking around he saw 17 soldiers were standing beside him now waiting for him to get their asses out of here as soon as possible.
"Set off the traps and explosives we set for retreating. We'll be taking Route B, move fast since the enemy will be right behind our asses. And after they find out that we just slaughtered 25,000 of them they'll skin you alive. So run..." said Sasuke urgently,
"Fuck yeah..."
"Man, let's get the hell out of here..."
"This shit was crazy to start with..."
Sasuke didn't pay any heed to the men's chatter, they would occasionally stop and retaliate a little over the enemy troops still in pursuit and then start running again. The cycle continued for a few minutes until they reached the extraction site where their birds would be waiting for them.
And it was this expectation that made all of them panic when they arrived at the extraction site, only to find their evacuations bird dead.
Murdered.
Sasuke barely sensed the slight shift in wind and jumped in the air at the last second thereby evading a shuriken that would have taken his head out. On regaining his bearings, he heard several harsh sounds.
Looking around, he was shocked to find each and every one of his soldier lying dead on the ground. Each of them with a shuriken embedded in their skulls, a horrified expression etched in their eyes for eternity, as their blood created a river staining the lush green grass. They didn't even realize what hit them...
His sharp ears picked up the sound of incoming enemy forces, making him reconsider his options. His men were dead, evacuation bird gone rendering him stranded. Unless he found a way to link up with Shino and others in time, he would be left stranded in the midst of thousands of pissed of Resistance soldiers who hated his guts.
But the immediate priority was finding the person who just killed his men. His question was answered when a familiar voice spoke from behind...
"It's been a while, little brother..."