Naruto had a murderous glare in his eyes as he observed the two women in front of him.
To their credit, neither of them flinched even as the Kaiser fumed in front of them. The same was not the case with Haku, Anko, Hinata and the Reich soldiers standing around them.
Shin and Sai remained on the sides, observing the conflict with bemused smiles.
"Have you lost your mind?" asked Naruto furiously,
"I have not. Haku is more than capable of managing the affairs of the Reich, more than that none of us know what the situation is on the battlefield. We need as many powerful warriors to back up our comrades fighting at the front..." said Kurenai rationally,
"I can understand why you would want to accompany me, and if the circumstances were different I would have gladly agreed to it. But you can't possibly think I can allow Rei to accompany us to a war zone? She's a child, for Kami's sake..." said Naruto frustratedly,
"You don't own me, Captain Naruto. Besides I am a dead girl, nobody can possibly hurt me more..." said Rei flatly, Naruto flinched on hearing that.
Haku had to bite her lip in order to hide a small bemused smile when both father and daughter engaged in an intense staring contest. If Naruto was adamant, then Rei was rebellious.
"And I don't trust you or your people around here. I'd like to be around her..." said Rei stubbornly, pointing towards Kurenai who sighed.
"You..."
By this point, Naruto's fists had clenched deeply. His face was becoming redder making every other person around him tense as the Kaiser had unknowingly started to leak a small amount of KI.
"I'll look after her. Make sure she doesn't get herself in trouble..."
Naruto blinked, his anger faded for a moment as he watched Hinata coming forward. The former Hyuga heiress knelt down and gave Rei a small welcoming smile. The Kaiser still looked unwilling...
"Besides, if you truly want to revive her then you need her around. How can you bring her or your friends back to life if you are on the battlefield and they are here in the Capital?" suggested Haku, remaining purely rational and not taking anyone's side.
Naruto looked around and saw majority of his people agreed with their Kaiserin's suggestion, while the remaining were undecided.
He looked at Kurenai who gave him a polite, requesting stare. Rei merely huffed when he tried to look her in the eye, while Shin and Sai shrugged.
"Fine, but you better not do anything stupid to put yourself in danger, chibi..." advised Naruto,
"Right back at you, perv" retorted Rei,
Many people had their jaws hanging open in shock on seeing their leader be called such a thing in public. To their surprise, Naruto merely smiled ruefully while massaging his forehead.
"Guess the apple doesn't fall from the tree. Now I know how Kakashi must have felt a few years ago..." thought Naruto nostalgically,
Kneeling down, he placed a hand on the little girl's head. At first she was about to resist the touch, but didn't do so when she looked at the concern in his eyes.
"You're right. Rei you are a free person, and I understand that bringing you along is necessary if I want to bring you back. But you have to promise me, that you will listen to Kurenai and Hinata all times. All of us here want what's best for you and are your comrades. If you need anything or have any questions, my door is always open for you. Do you understand, Rei?" asked Naruto patiently, ignoring the approving looks sent towards him by the females.
"I...guess...so..." said Rei hesitantly, her cheeks becoming a little flushed. Why was he being so nice despite how badly she treated him?
"Good. I'm proud of you..." replied Naruto happily,
Rei's eyes widened on hearing those words. She didn't know whether Naruto's words matched with what he felt inside his heart, but his eyes seemed honest, sincere and full of love for her.
"Is that the first time anybody has said that to you?" asked Naruto knowingly, easily reading her thoughts from the shock visible in her eyes.
"How...do...you-" said Rei blankly,
Naruto hesitated at first, but after a moment he placed a hand on her cheek. And this time she neither flinched or resisted...
"You and I are more alike than you can imagine, Rei. And I mean what I said, not only because you are a good fighter but you have inherited everything good that I have. Even more, and for that I am proud of you..." said Naruto honestly,
The blonde girl touched his hand on her cheek, and gave him a small smile which nearly melted Naruto's heart.
"Thank you. That is the nicest thing anyone has said to me..." said Rei shyly,
"You'll get more. You shall have everything you desire, I promise..."
Kurenai and Haku watched the father-daughter duo interact with each other properly for the first time. Haku looked at Kurenai and saw the woman smiling while glancing at the Kaiser and Rei.
"Should I be jealous of a little girl?" asked Haku light heartedly, Kurenai smirked.
"You should. He loves her even more than the both of us combined, but I guess it's a good thing..." said Kurenai,
"Are you sure about your decision?" asked Haku seriously, concern evident in her eyes.
"I'm as much certain as you were when you agreed to let Naruto marry me. Even so, I want to get to know her, look after her. I grew up as an orphan too, so I know what it's like to have atleast someone who cares about you..." explained Kurenai softly,
"Aren't you worried that she may find out the truth someday? What will you do then?" asked Haku worriedly, making Kurenai sigh.
"I have given her enough evidence to make her understand that she can trust us, atleast me. I managed to convince her that Root was on the wrong side only because of Danzo and were stopped by Naruto. I also had ample proof to prove Naruto was her father, and I her mother..." said Kurenai frankly,
"You can do that?" asked Haku in surprise,
"I was a Hokage remember?"
"I see..." said Haku, getting the point the ruby eyed woman was trying to make.
"Besides, when she finds out that I am not her birth mother she is free to make her choice. There are many people in the world who are not related to us by blood, yet we care about them, love them with everything in our heart. While blood is important, love is the one that counts. And even if she wants to deny it, she will have to accept the fact that Naruto is her real father. That truth cannot be changed by even Kami himself..." explained Kurenai patiently, compassion and care shining through her eyes.
"I understand your point. If Rei is truly revived, she will be a part of the royal family. She will be Naruto's first child, a princess and can have everything that was taken from her in her previous life. She will have family, friends, people who truly care about her. I'd say in comparison to that bright picture, a necessary lie does not sound that bad. Even so, we will reveal the truth to her once she's of age..." suggested Haku,
"Agreed. I wouldn't want anything else..." consented Kurenai,
"You're truly a kind woman, Yuhi Kurenai. I'm glad to have you as a part of our family..." said Haku happily,
"The fates seemed to have been kind on us so far, Kaiserin..." replied Kurenai with a smile,
They leaned forward, exchanging a brief, warm hug.
"Then let us hope they continue to do so forever. And please protect Naruto, he can be an arrogant bastard at times. But he is our best hope for a future, not only for ourselves but for everyone in this Reich..." requested Haku,
"I understand. I shall support him with everything I've got, this I promise..." said Kurenai sincerely,
"That is all I ask..."
Naruto smiled on seeing his two female partners share a happy moment. His attention was summoned elsewhere when Rei tapped his hand and pointed her finger towards Anko who was eating a very familiar dish.
"What is that, Captain?" asked Rei curiously,
"Will you stop calling me that? Call me dad, or Kaiser, or-"
"Perv" finished Rei, a naughty smirk arriving on her lips when she saw Naruto sigh.
"That thing is known as Anko..." replied Naruto, a smirk marring his lips even when Anko gave him a pointed, mean stare.
"Not her. The thing she is eating..." said Rei seriously,
The Snake Mistress had heard their little chat concerning her and the holy dish in her hand, and came forward. Kneeling down, she offered the food of the gods to the girl.
"Learn about the holy dish, you ignorant brat..." said Anko in a divine voice, Rei gave Naruto a deadpan look.
"Anko's just insane, ignore her..." replied Naruto jokingly, Rei giggled.
Naruto smiled as Anko started preaching the godly dish which was Dango to the little girl. Rei listened with fascinating curiosity, even asking for a bite.
"Kaiser, just how much time would it take for us to reach the war front?" asked Mifune, a former Samurai leader.
The old man looked curiously as the Kaiser nodded. Biting his lip, Naruto performed a set of hand seals before slamming it on the ground. Hundreds of small, medium and large puffs of smoke happened across the sky. The largest one was as wide as a cloud...
Everyone stared in surprise and awe as the entire sky was full of crows of all size. Small, medium, large all accompanied by the largest one flying in the center.
"What are you waiting for, Commander? The Fleet's here..." said Naruto casually,
"As you wish, Kaiser..." replied Mifune swiftly,
The old man quickly started mounting of the nearly 500 Samurai and a few ninjas on the birds. Naruto smiled coolly when he saw Rei stare at him with a slight respect in her eyes.
"Want a bird for yourself and Hinata alone?" asked Naruto kind heartedly,
The reply was obvious.
"HELL YEAH!''
Naruto smiled when he heard Rei yell enthusiastically as her bird soared quickly through the endless sky. Hinata had caught the girl by her waist preventing her from falling off the bird, but even that hadn't stopped the little rocket from spreading her hands and enjoying the feeling of flying in the sky. To have the wind touch her body...
It almost reminded him of his own younger self. The innocent child that existed, the one who vanished once on entering Root Anbu Blackops.
"Look at that, she looks so happy..." said Naruto fondly, as Kurenai nodded.
Both of them were sitting on top of the boss crow, which while slower than the others was flying at the highest height in the sky. From their position, Kurenai could observe their entire fleet.
She could see Anko casually eating her dango, and occasionally ordering her crow to fly faster and faster. The crow didn't seem to share the same feeling though...
Mifune and the soldiers seemed content, since this way they wouldn't have to march for a day to reach the battlefield. Now they could arrive at their destination in a matter of a few hours...
Rei and Hinata seemed to be enjoying the most out of their fly ride.
Shin and Sai were chatting with each other, while occasionally sending nods to their best friend.
"She sure does. It is moments such as this that remind us as to how precious life is..." said Kurenai contently, and saw Naruto staring at her.
"Kurenai, are you really sure about this? Rei..." said Naruto hesitantly,
"I've already made up my mind, Naruto. And besides I always wanted a daughter of my own..." said Kurenai calmly, a smile visible on her face.
"You know, I can make that wish come true anytime you want..." teased Naruto, she punched his arm in return.
"And you think pregnancy would keep me away from the battlefield? I will be a part of this war, one way or another..." said Kurenai fiercely,
"Fine" agreed Naruto, with a sigh.
"I...just...want...you...to...know...I'm...truly...indebted...to...you. For everything you have done for me..." said Naruto gratefully, as she entwined her arm with his own.
"You have been kind to me too. I guess I'm returning the favor..." replied Kurenai calmly,
"Agreed"
"Naruto, what do you see for us in the future?" asked Kurenai curiously, as the Kaiser looked across the sky.
"A few years of ruling, atleast until our children grow up and are ready to take our legacy forward. Then I'd like for us to retire somewhere quiet, a place where I could be near the water and enjoy sunsets with you and Haku. Nothing would please me more..." said Naruto hopefully,
She gently kissed him on the cheek, as he stared at her.
"Then let us win this war. For our future!" encouraged Kurenai, he nodded enthusiastically.
"For our Future!"
Naruto had to fight extremely hard when his eyes first caught sight of his own army camp. The very first glance that his sharingan eyes showed him was enough to prove something horrible had happened.
An entire aura of doom, defeat, sadness and grief was felt across the entire camp. The men's shoulders were slumped, many had dead eyes, some were crying, some were numb. Only a handful few had the strength or will to even stand up when their Kaiser came in front of them.
The only good thing was the fact that the Uzu Wall was still standing, and the enemy didn't seem to have been successful in breaching their gigantic defense.
Kurenai kept her face neutral even when she spotted how defeated the soldiers looked, even Naruto's newly arrived presence among them did little to boost their morale.
It was as if these men and women had seen the apocalypse, and knew that their ends were imminent no matter how hard they fought.
The final straw came when the leader of this army arrived with all the high ranking officers. And right there, Naruto saw something had gone wrong.
Very wrong.
As Kakashi approached the Kaiser, never once did the man lift his gaze or did his shoulders straighten. Shino and Neji had solemn looks in their eyes...
"What happened?" asked Naruto, keeping his voice steady and in control. But it was becoming quite difficult with this uneasy feeling inside his gut.
Kakashi remained silent, so did the others.
"I said what happened? And where the hell are Sasuke, Gaara, or even Tsunade?" demanded the Kaiser,
No matter how grim the situation could be those three and atleast the leaders of the SS Guard had to show the courtesy of greeting their leader on his arrival.
Naruto waited for Kakashi or anyone else to say something, but nobody said a word. Their eyes looking anywhere but Naruto's own stone cold gaze.
He roughly grabbed Kakashi by the chin and harshly lifted the man's face to meet his gaze. Naruto's heart stopped...
Kakashi Hatake was crying!
Kurenai had to urgently grab Naruto from the back when the Kaiser's legs betrayed him instantly. A look of pure terror was visible in the man's eyes, as if someone had just stolen a part of his soul from his heart.
"Kakashi...answer...me. Where are they?" asked Naruto in a trembling voice,
The man only pointed a shaky finger in a certain direction where a large tent was standing at a distance. Kurenai quickly signaled Hinata to take Rei away, as she supported Naruto in the long walk to the tent. The longest and hardest one any of them had ever taken.
Naruto was stoic the entire way. His face betraying nothing, his lips saying nothing, she couldn't even hear him breathing. The silence was frightening, the atmosphere chilly as if the Death God himself was hovering over their heads whispering silently into their ears.
With shaky fingers, Kurenai opened the entrance to the tent and only she alongwith Naruto stepped inside.
At first she noticed the entire place was empty, except for one thing.
The only thing inside the tent were two wooden coffins, each of whom contained the still forms of Sasuke and Gaara respectively.
Naruto fell on his knees, and this time Kurenai couldn't protect his fall since her own hands had reached to cover her mouth.
First there was the eternal silence, the Kaiser lay still on his knees. His eyes fixed on the corpses of the two boys, who were his brothers. In Sasuke's case, the boy was actually a brother and best friend. While Gaara was the Kaiser's adoptive little brother, one whom the Kaiser loved and looked after.
And now both of these boys had their eyes closed, their chests still, bodies cold, and faces extremely pale completely devoid of life.
Naruto screamed!
A shout as powerful as raging thunder made out of feelings of grief, anger, pain coursed through the entire camp. The sound continued to cross distances more and more, its effects reaching both eternal heaven and hell.
And then Naruto turned toward her.
Kurenai fell on her knees as an unbelievable killing intent descended upon the area. The look in Naruto's eyes was even more monstrous than that of the Kyuubi itself, his eyes had slit and Mangekyo activated. Demonic chakra started leaking from his body, and there was only one thing this monster standing in front of her desired.
Blood!
Her shock and fear had paralyzed her, making her movements slow. As a result she was not able to move out of the way when Naruto ran towards the exit. With such force did he collide with her, that it sent her sailing right out of the tent.
She coughed as she crashed on the ground, nearby she saw the same fear in everyone's eyes. Her eyes saw Kakashi and a few others run to stop the Kaiser, and she yelled an urgent warning.
Fortunately, they stopped just for a moment to stare at her.
Naruto crouched on his hands and knees. His nails grew longer than talons, nine large tails made up of Kyuubi chakra sprang from his back as he gave a bloodthirsty cry. And then he charged...
Running like an animal on all fours, he started climbing higher an higher over the Uzu Wall cracking every stone that he touched. And a moment later, he flew over the sky disappearing out of their sight.
Not a second later, Kakashi came running towards her.
"We must stop him..." said Kakashi urgently,
"Blood must answer for blood..." whispered Kurenai hauntedly,
"But-" said Kakashi hesitantly,
"Do not try to stop him today, Kakashi. Or risk meeting your own end this day..." warned Kurenai,
"I..."
"Prepare a company. I shall lead them and go after the Kaiser..." said Kurenai seriously, Kakashi gave a shaky nod.
''What will he do?" asked Shino nervously, Kurenai closed her eyes.
"A genocide..."
There were times when Kurenai wondered how cannibalistic humans were. They might appear to be civil, consider themselves above all the other species on the planet, boast of their knowledge and wisdom. But in the end, they were all animals.
As she stood in the ruins of what appeared to be a forward Camp of the Resistance, in the midst of thousands of dead bodies lying as far as the eyes could see the red eyed beauty wondered how dangerous humans were not just to each other, but to the entire world.
The entire ground beneath her feet was filled with rivers of blood, limbs, heads, tattered weapons, and burning Resistance flags.
Fires raged across the entire land, the moon shined brightly in the sky and in a far away distance she heard the sound of vultures crying. A massive feast awaited for them...
Behind her, she heard Kakashi whisper that this was once an enemy camp full of 20,000 Resistance soldiers.
Each and everyone of them was dead!
Men, women, teenagers, old warriors lay scattered everywhere. A haunted look visible in those who still had their eyes open, there was so much silence that it sent shivers down her soul.
In the midst of this hell, stood Naruto.
The blood soaked man now stood tall on his two feet, his hands reverted to their original forms, chakra tails vanished. His shoulders slumped, eyes lifeless. Drops of blood still falling from his hands...
Kurenai wanted to move towards him, to embrace him, to comfort him, but she couldn't even speak. If one thing was certain in this unending moment was the fact that...
She was scared of him!
Kakashi bravely stepped forward, embracing the blood stained Kaiser and whispered something in the dead man's ears that somehow managed to reignite a tiny spark of life back inside him...
Naruto simply raised his hands numbly signifying he meant no further harm to anyone, and wordlessly Kurenai stepped towards him along with several Reich soldiers.
A few minutes later, they all returned safely behind the walls.
The door to the medical station was roughly slammed open. The medics hovering around a bed instantly made way as a now clean Naruto, dressed in fresh robes ran inside.
A soft chuckle escaped from a weary person's lips...
Naruto had both his arms extended as he approached towards her. In front of him lay an old woman, her once blonde hair had now turned grey, her face which radiated beauty was now full of wrinkles, her skin loose, her eyes remained the same. Yet they were tired...
"Tsunade..." thought Kurenai in horror,
She stilled a gasp on seeing the last Senju's body had been nearly split in half, most of her skin had severe burns along with several deep wounds all across her body. Kurenai looked towards the doctors...
"Mother..." whispered Naruto, in a broken voice.
Kneeling beside the old woman, he took her hand in his grasp squeezing it affectionately. Tsunade's eyes moved towards him...
"Kaiser...Naruto..." said Tsunade weakly,
The foster mother saw some wounds on Naruto's body, and spoke in a near whisper.
"Are...you...all...right?"
"Tsunade, thanks...to...you. Can...you...see?" asked Naruto tearfully, she coughed blood.
"Naruto...I...won't...be...able...to...serve...you...anymore. Forgive...me" said Tsunade sadly, Naruto vehemently shook his head his eyes full of tears now.
"Fool. What are you talking about? The doctors will heal you soon, these wounds will heal quickly. When you're well again, we shall visit Haku and my son..." said Naruto persistently, she stared at him in surprise.
"Prince...was...born?" asked Tsunade, her voice happy and full of hope.
"Yes, his name is Yang. Won't you like to visit your grandson?" said Naruto, his voice faltering just a little.
Tsunade took a sharp breath, a panicked look arrived in her eyes as she looked the young boy straight in the eye.
"Mein Kaiser..." whispered Tsunade,
"Don't talk too much. Save your energy..." pleaded Naruto,
"Please...win...the...universe..." requested Tsunade, receiving a urgent nod from Naruto.
"Yes, of course. With you..." promised Naruto, she smiled.
"And...please...tell...Kaiserin...Haku...that...Tsunade...kept...her...promise...of...long...ago" whispered Tsunade, Naruto placed a hand on her forehead. His eyes literally begging her.
"NO! I won't tell her that. You'll tell her yourself, in person! I don't want to tell her, Understand? We will visit Haku together, Tsunade!'' begged Naruto,
She raised her hand wiping away a tear from the Kaiser's face, then her eyes closed forever. A peaceful expression arriving on her calm face.
Naruto froze.
"Tsunade, Answer ME!'' yelled Naruto, squeezing her grasped hand even tighter.
"Tsunade, say something! Tsunade!''
Someone placed a gentle hand over his shoulder, the crying leader turned around and saw Kurenai giving him a sympathetic gaze.
"It's no use. She's dead, Naruto. Tsunade shall rest in peace now..." said Kurenai compassionately,
He slapped her hand away...
"Don't lie to me, Kurenai. You're lying, Tsunade wouldn't die before I do..." said Naruto vehemently,
The crying Kaiser pleadingly grabbed the sleeping old woman's shoulders and slowly started shaking them.
"Now, open your eyes Tsunade..."
"Tsunade..."
"Tsunade..."
"TSUNADE!"
(2 Days Later)
Complete silence prevailed in the small tent as the Reich Army leaders solemnly stared at each other's faces. Kakashi sat at the center of the table, his eyes calmly observing Shin and Neji sitting to his right.
Sai and Shino sat on the left.
None of them had said a word to each other even after half an hour of sitting in front of each other. Then the door opened, as Kurenai walked in. Some of them got up on their feet, expectations evident in their eyes.
"How is Mein Kaiser?" asked Kakashi, already knowing the answer.
"As usual, sitting quietly beside the dead..." replied Kurenai sadly,
All of them shook their heads in despair.
"Still, I never imagined the great Kaiser Naruto was that fragile..." said Neji disappointedly,
"You're wrong, Neji..." said Shino sharply,
"Why?" asked the Hyuga,
"If you or I died there wouldn't be so much grieving, but those three are special...were special" corrected Shino, his voice lacking of any confidence.
"It's as if Kaiser Naruto has lost half of his own self. And that to this stupid war..." said Kakashi bitterly,
"The Army is slowly falling apart too..." informed Kurenai,
SLAM!
"What's the matter with all of you? Have you given up so easily?" asked Sai angrily,
"What can we do when our leader himself has given up..." said Neji contritely, receiving a glare from Shin.
"You expect your leader to lead you to victory, yet refuse to make him stand back on his feet once he falters. What useless subordinates..." scolded Shin,
"Oh, and now I need to learn things from a zombie?" asked Neji bitterly, both Root Anbu glared at him.
"At least we tried to help Naruto. Same goes for Kurenai and Kakashi, what have you and Shino done so far?" asked Sai flatly,
Kakashi and Kurenai sighed when another quarrel started among their comrades. Both of them were about to intervene forcefully, when Shino simply picked up nearby water bottles and tossed water on the faces of all three quarreling boys.
"Mein Kaiser himself is enduring his own suffering. The rest of us should should stop such disgraceful acts and help him..." said Shino seriously,
"But how? We tried everything, but Naruto even refuses to meet us. He even refused to see Rei..." said Kurenai frustratedly,
"If he doesn't even want to see his beloved daughter or Kurenai, then we are doomed..." said Shin worriedly,
"Troublesome..." whispered Sai,
Neji sighed.
"There is one person whom the Kaiser cannot avoid meeting..." suggested Shino,
Every set of his eyes shifted towards him as the Aburame patiently explained what he had in mind.
Naruto numbly sat in his chair, one hand covering his face. Beside him lay three special coffins each holding an important person from his family. A few liquor bottles lay astray nearby, his clothes were old, unchanged and his own body had not been washed the entire time.
His tears had long since dried up, replaced only by this numb feeling inside his chest.
He couldn't even stand to hear Kurama's voice, and had shut the Biju away. Everyone of his supporters had tried to speak to him, only to be yelled at and sent away. He had even shouted at Rei to go away, a completely disgraceful act for a Kaiser.
Yet he didn't care...
Why should he fight when the outcome was already decided?
He was destined to fail no matter how hard he tried. The ones close to him would always die, and he would always be this helpless.
The door opened again, and he shouted at the intruder to go away.
Instead, the footsteps remained on course. Drowsily, the Kaiser opened his eyes and saw a familiar person kneeling before him...
"I told you to go away, Shino..." said Naruto rudely,
"Forgive me, Mein Kaiser. But there is someone who wants to meet you..." replied Shino calmly, his voice betraying nothing.
"I have no interest in meeting anyone. Get out of my sight or I'll kill you..." threatened Naruto,
Shino looked him straight in the eye.
"It's Sakura..."
Naruto instantly rose to his feet, violently grabbed Shino by the throat and slammed him into a nearby wall.
"Bastard, you brought her here didn't you?" accused Naruto furiously, he only received a blank stare in return.
"I did..." confessed Shino,
"How dare you..." whispered Naruto icily,
"I'm afraid it's beyond even your power to hide from the world forever..." said Shino flatly,
"SHUT UP!" yelled Naruto,
"Are you afraid to face your brother's widow?" asked Shino directly, stunning Naruto for a moment.
"What?"
"If not, please speak with her..." requested Shino,
Naruto grit his teeth, his grip on Shino's throat tightening even further. Even so, the man stared at him with those cold, rational eyes.
"Mein Kaiser, I am not forsaking you..." said Shino seriously,
Naruto squeezed harder.
"You mustn't torture yourself like this, nor leave all your responsibilities to your subordinates alone..." said Shino icily,
Naruto flinched. His grip on the man's neck loosening a little...
"More importantly, rather than dwelling on the past you must confront the future. Otherwise, this is as far as you can get..." said Shino flatly, still maintaining his stoic gaze.
The Kaiser let go of his grip on Shino's neck, but still stared at him.
"If the universe falls into the hands of someone else, then these three will look down in shame from the afterlife..." said Shino honestly, his tone still neutral.
Naruto closed his eyes, his clenched fists opened again as he released a heavy breath. His shoulders straightened again, and with one last glance towards the three coffins the Kaiser started walking towards the exit. A few seconds later, the Aburame was left all alone in the room.
Shino stepped beside Sasuke's coffin, and laid a gentle hand on it.
"Shadows must accompany their light...but if the light dims; don't the shadows, too?" asked Shino sadly,
Naruto stoically stood in his spot as Sakura walked inside the room. It had been a while since they had last seen each other, and he instantly spotted the developments in her.
Sakura's belly had grown, a clear proof of the good news Sasuke had given him before departing from the capital.
The girl's eyes had deep dark circles beneath them, clear signs of weeping. Her face showed how weary and tired she was, yet the medic still walked gracefully and now stood before him.
"Sakura, I..." said Naruto hesitantly, unable to find the right words to say to her.
"Poor Naruto, now you have nothing left to lose, do you?" asked Sakura sympathetically,
The Kaiser shook his head and placed his hands around her shoulders.
"No, I still have you. Don't I, Sakura? Don't I?" pleaded Naruto, she gave a sad nod.
"Yes, we have nothing left but each other..." replied Sakura numbly,
"Naruto, I am going back to the capital. I can't continue to fight in this war any longer..." said Sakura honestly, her hand unconsciously reaching for her belly.
"Sakura..." said Naruto,
"I'll go and aid the Kaiserin. I also think we shouldn't see each other for a while..." stated Sakura seriously, Naruto closed his eyes.
"Sakura, I..." said Naruto helplessly,
"I shouldn't be near you. Our ways of life are too different, for me there is only the past. But for you and everyone else, there is still a future..." said Sakura sympathetically,
Naruto lowered his gaze, his hands hesitantly touched Sakura's belly.
"Naruto once all of this is over and you are weary, please come to see me. But you must not be weary yet..." said Sakura frankly, he nodded.
"I understand..." replied Naruto,
"If this is what you want, Sakura. I shall do as you ask. After I keep my pledge to Tsunade, after I win the universe I shall come and visit you" promised Naruto,
Sakura leaned forward and laid a tender kiss on his forehead and caressed his cheek for a moment. Naruto stare at her, his eyes burning with an unanswered question...
"Before you go, Sakura. I need to ask you something..." said Naruto seriously,
"Hmm..."
"Was Sasuke truly happy on becoming a father?"
He received a tearful nod in return.
Half an hour later, Shino saw the Kaiser swiftly exiting from the room. Naruto saw the man giving him a respectful bow as he started walking forward, a fire burned in his eyes which managed to surprise many of his soldiers who straightened up themselves on seeing him walk like this.
The Kaiser's eyes dared anyone to despair, and fortunately no one had the courage to do so. Naruto grimly nodded to himself.
"Yes, I will take the universe. When I think of the enormity of what I have lost...if I can't achieve atleast that...then what will I do?"
There were proud smiles on everyone's face when Naruto walked inside the command center. He was welcomed with a round of applause, several officers were openly cheering for him. Kurenai and Kakashi were smiling, Shin and Sai looked satisfied, Neji gave a nod.
The Kaiser surprised everyone when he stepped in front of Shino, and extended his hand to the boy.
"Congratulations, Sandaime..." said Naruto flatly,
Everyone gasped in surprise on hearing that, Naruto didn't say anything more. Shino stared in shock even as Naruto took out the insignia from his own pocket and placed them on Shino's chest over his Imperial uniform. Thereby, finalizing his appointment as the Third Reich Army Commander.
He looked around and to further his surprise, everyone gave a nod of consent. Shocked he looked at Naruto,
"Bring honor and glory to the Reich, just like your predecessors..." instructed Naruto,
Shino knelt before him and gave a deep, respectful bow.
"I will, Mein Kaiser..." promised Shino,
Naruto nodded. Turning towards the others, he looked them all straight in the eye.
"First of all, I shall promote Tsunade Senju posthumously to the rank of Supreme Commander of the Reich Forces, the same goes for Sasuke Uchiha and Sabaku no Gaara. All of them shall be awarded the Root Cross..." declared Naruto,
There were a round of solemn nods, and Kurenai saw Naruto taking a deep breath.
"In all of my previous campaigns, I was rewarded with victory not because of defense but because of my powerful offense. In this war, I neglected that fact and tried to take a cautious approach since the enemy outnumbers us and as a result Hachimon punished me considerably. Hereby, I shall amend that mistake..." said Naruto loudly,
"What is your desire, Mein Kaiser?" asked Kurenai devotedly,
"Mobilize our entire army. We shall march beyond this wall and meet the enemy army head on. In one single battle, we shall crush them once and for all..." declared Naruto,
"Kaiser..." warned Kakashi, but Naruto raised his hand.
"I know what you must be thinking. But I ask that you believe in me this once, I know I have not been a good role model these past few days but if you follow my plan then victory can be ours..." insisted Naruto,
"We should do as the Kaiser asks..." said Shin confidently,
"He alone slaughtered 20,000 enemy soldiers on his own. Do you still doubt his power?" demanded Sai,
Naruto smiled when one by one the remaining high ranked officers knelt before him. He gave a thankful nod to Kurenai and his two best friends.
"We shall split our forces into four parts. Kakashi will command the left wing, Mifune will lead the right wing, Shino will command the rear and maintain chain of command throughout the battlefield. Yuhi Kurenai shall lead from the front. Understood?" asked Naruto seriously,
"Hai" replied all of them in unison.
"I give you one full day to make all the necessary preparations. I myself shall participate as the Supreme Commander of all forces..." said Naruto confidently,
"Woah..."
"The Kaiser himself..."
"Maybe now we can win really..."
Naruto didn't pay any heed to the praises being showered on him. Instead he motioned Suigetsu to step towards him, the boy did so.
"Prepare Itachi Uchiha for a meeting. I need to have a chat with him..." said Naruto icily,
(Next Day)
The bright rays of the morning sun shined brightly across the vast lands. A tall blonde boy stood alone in a newly created cemetery, having just finished placing flowers on the three important graves lying in front of him.
There were hundreds of other graves too, but his eyes were fixed only on these three.
Apart from the names of the people and their birth and death dates, only two important words were chiseled on each of their tombstones.
Sasuke Uchiha: "My Brother"
Sabaku no Gaara: "My Friend"
Tsunade Senju: "My Mother"
Naruto closed his eyes offering one firm salute to these heroes. Taking a deep breath, he looked towards the sky...
"Already, I have nothing left to lose..."
"But even so, I will fight..."
"To keep my promise to all of you, and..."
"To gain something to quench the thirst in my heart..."
With those thoughts, Kaiser Naruto turned around and started taking the long walk towards the battlefield.
December 29th, Imperial Year 5, the Universe prepared itself for the Final War.