Iruka panted for breath as he looked at the opponents before him. It all happened so suddenly that he and his comrades barely had the time to react.
He was in the middle of a lesson when explosions rocked the village and the Academy was put under siege. Oto-nin came flooding in. It was only the quick thinking of the Chuunin staff that were able to protect the kids from danger.
Four of the Chuunin quickly surrounded the children with a barrier, but it wasn't the sturdiest. A few good hits and it would crumble. It was their job to hold out as long as possible. He could hear the sounds of the numerous battles occurring and knew that a lot of the Shinobi were being bogged down by the sheer number the enemy had on their side along.
That meant that they couldn't really count on a lot of reinforcements coming to their aid.
He knew what he had to do, but he also knew that they, the teachers, were fighting a losing battle. Unfortunately, as teachers, they had allowed their skills to rust a bit. He wasn't in the greatest fighting condition that he could be and he knew it was much the same for his colleagues.
If he survived this war…he was definitely going to start intensely training again. Maybe he could join his favourite student. He heard that Naruto had some crazy training regiments.
They had already suffered a few casualties on their side but were barely able to dent the enemy. There were a few good hits here and there but there were too many of them and they covered each other well. He was honestly starting to lose hope. It was only the thought of what would happen to his beloved students if he failed that kept him moving.
His body was starting to wear down and his mind was working overtime just to stay coherent. His chakra reserves were almost depleted and if something didn't happen soon…it would be the end of them all. As that thought passed through his mind, he heard a very familiar voice. He couldn't help but smile as he felt his body relax.
"Fuuton: Kami Oroshi"
A furious torrent of razor sharp winds tore through a large chunk of the Oto-nin as four Naruto clones landed in front of Iruka and the rest of the teachers. Iruka let out a sigh of relief as he looked at his favourite student, not that you'll ever hear him admit that out loud. He could hear the Konohamaru Corps cheering loudly from within the barrier at the appearance of their 'boss'.
"Iruka-sensei…You look like shit. This is what happens when you sit in your ass all day and neglect your training." The lead Naruto clone said to him with a laid-back smile on his face. Iruka felt his forehead throb violently at the cheek of this little bastard.
He spent so much time away from Naruto these last few months that he forgot what an impudent brat he could be. He still smiled though, as he wouldn't have him any other way.
"Okay boys, we've got a bunch of Oto dumbasses who thought it was a good idea to attack our Academy. Take them out with extreme prejudice." He ordered before vanishing from his spot and appearing next to the barrier.
He pumped more chakra into it and solidified it further. It also had the effect of blocking the vision from outside and inside the barrier completely as he didn't want the kids to see what was about to happen.
"You brat!" One of the Oto-nin shouted at seeing the damage Naruto managed to do with his Jutsu. That was the signal for the renewed attack as the Oto-nin pressed on even harder, not caring for their losses as they tried to inflict as much damage as possible. They were doomed to failure though as each Naruto clone activated the storage seal on the side of their kimono and unsealed their sword, brandishing Benihime in all her glory.
"Fuuton: Kazekiri"
All four of them said, coating the already frighteningly sharp blade with a razor sharp coating of Fuuton chakra. Increasing Benihime's cutting power to godly levels. All four of them grinned evilly, spiking their killing intent to the max as they burst into action.
They literally tore through the ranks of the enemy with frightening ease. Their blades cut through flesh and bone as easy as a hot knife would cut through butter.
Blood coated the courtyard as body parts were flying through the air, littering the ground as all four Naruto clones moved with perfect synchronicity in absolutely massacring their enemies.
There was some resistance from the Oto-nin, but they were too shocked by the casual violence and disregard for life as their comrades met swift and brutal ends. Hack and slash. That was all that was happening as heads were rolling and limbs were being separated from their bodies. There was a morbid beauty to the sight that those witnessing it could attest to.
Those that could hold their stomach that is.
Iruka had to work hard to keep himself from vomiting as the sight he was witnessing. While he was no stranger to death and violence, seeing the friendly blonde perpetuate such a ruthless bloodbath was a bit of an eye-opener.
It was difficult to reconcile the silly prankster that was always ditching his class to the brutally efficient killer he was witnessing. And these were just his clones. While a part of him was horrified, another part couldn't help but be a bit proud.
It was bittersweet to know that he had seemingly done a good job as he watched as Naruto bifurcated another Oto-nin. This was what he had trained Naruto, and all his students, to be. Efficient killers for the protection of their village.
It was one thing to know about it theoretically, it was another thing to see it in action. He made a note to speak to Naruto about it later. He didn't want the boy to become some emotionless killer.
Once the last of the enemies fell, each clone wiped their blades off on their victims clothing until it was blood free again. Three of them kept a vigilant eye for any more possible enemies as the fourth mode his way to Iruka.
"Isn't there some sort of evacuation drill that the Academy usually initiates once a week? I'm pretty sure that there is a bunker nearby for these very situations." He asked. Iruka gave him an affirmative nod.
"Hai. We were on our way there before we were ambushed. We couldn't take the chance of moving the kids and fighting off the enemy at the same time as we were severely outnumbered." He explained. The Naruto clone gave him a small smile in return.
"Okay, continue the evacuation. We will watch your backs and make sure nothing gets in your way. Just focus on getting those snot-nosed brats to safety and leave the enemy to us." He said with a smirk as he pointed his thumb towards the barrier.
Iruka shook his head in exasperation at the blonde but was glad to see that some of the old bite that made him such a troublemaker was still there.
He followed Naruto's orders, despite being of higher rank and experience. His eyes were clear enough to see that his old student had seemingly surpassed him. It was something that made his chest blossom with pride. He was definitely going to take the prankster out for some ramen after this is over to hear his story.
...
Similar scenes were witnessed all over Konoha. Naruto clones were laying waste to the enemy with overwhelming force on most occasions and at times subtle traps were laid and at other times with kamikaze attacks.
Regardless, it helped trim down the enemy numbers and allow the villages Jounin and ANBU to systematically pick off the Oto and Suna-nin. Without their advantage in numbers, they were nothing but sitting ducks in enemy territory.
It wasn't just Naruto either. The various Clan Heads were leading from the front and taking out enemies left and right. Senior Jounin like Gai and Kakashi were doing their best to decimate the enemy ranks along with the likes of Asuma, Kurenai and Anko.
The Sandaime had the full view of this happening from his position on the roof. He couldn't stop the pride that shone in his eyes as he watched his favourite blonde (don't tell Tsunade he said that!) turn the tide of this war.
Naruto really had grown up these last few months. He felt a little sad, knowing that he probably wouldn't see him grow to be the man he knew he would be and eventually take his place as the Hokage. Sarutobi Hiruzen had resigned himself to die in this battle.
He knew he wasn't as young as he used to be and that he had lost a bit of his power over the years. It would take everything that he had to put his student down. Something that he was more than prepared to do. He would correct the mistake that he had made all those years ago.
"Tch. That insufferable brat is ruining everything." Orochimaru cursed as he watched the Naruto clones go to work. Orochimaru cursed himself for allowing that match with Gaara to go on as long as it did.
He never expected the brat to know such high level Fūinjutsu. He had gone and completely taken their secret weapon out of the equation. He cursed for losing himself in his scientific curiosity. Now, once again, an insufferable blonde stood in the way of his ambitions.
"Hahaha! Naruto-kun has a terrible habit of completely derailing the plans of people in the worst way possible. It's a special talent of his. One that has given me endless headaches but now that I'm not on the end of it…I can see how amusing it can be." The Sandaime chortled.
Orochimaru frowned at his words before he composed himself. He had more up his sleeve and as long as he killed his old sensei here, then his objectives will have been completed.
"Kukuku…That's all well and good, sensei. But you have bigger problems to worry about." Orochiumaru taunted before going through a series of hand-seals.
Hiruzen, seeing the initiative taken, flung a handful of kunai at Orochimaru before going through hand-seals of his own. His chain was shorter though, so he finished first.
"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu"
The shuriken multiplied, heading straight for Orochimaru who had finished his chain of hand-seals and clapped his hands together.
"Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei"
The Sandaime's faced morphed into one of horror as he watched three coffins rise of from the ground to block the shuriken. He knew he had to at least stop the third. He concentrated and pushed back as best as he could and, to his relief, the third coffin sank back into the ground.
"Orochimaru! What have you done?!" He shouted in disgust.
"Kukuku...I simply thought a reunion with your old teachers would make you happy, Sarutobi-sensei." He taunted.
As the coffin lids dropped, the Shodaime Hokage, Senju Hashirama and the Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama stepped out.
"It's been a long time, Saru." Hashirama said.
"Oh? It's you? You've aged, Sarutobi." Tobirama added.
"I didn't expect to see you two in a form like this…I am mortified." Hiruzen said, before narrowing his eyes. "Please prepare yourselves, Shodaime, Nidaime."
Tobirama looked around before spotting Orochimaru behind them.
"Edo Tensei, eh? So this kid summoned us with a forbidden technique? Quite a guy." He said.
"If that's the case, Sarutobi, we must fight you." Hashirama warned.
"Let's cut the chitchat, old men…And let's get this started." Orochimaru said as he approached the Shodaime and Nidaime with a kunai in each hand with a strange tag on the rings.
He was preparing to insert the command kunai into their heads when the bodies of both the former Hokage's burst into little scraps of paper. There was nothing left behind but a few clouds of smoke. "What!" Orochimaru raged.
The Sandaime, who saw the residual smoke, knew exactly what happened and who had done it. He couldn't stop himself from laughing uproariously, much to the fury of his former student.
'It's seems I owe you once again, Naruto-kun. You really know how to come through for this old man when it counts. I think I may actually be able to survive this now.
Thank you, Naruto-kun.' Hiruzen thought as he charged at his still seething former student, intent on taking advantage of the opening afforded to him.
And so, the battle between the leaders of the respective armies started their titanic battle.
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