Just what are you trying to achieve from this?"
"The wind has been still lately. All I want to do is to get the wind of change to blow again. If I pick up a few souvenirs along the way, well… I'm not complaining."
Haruno Kizashi frowned a little as he took in Orochimaru's cryptic words. The two Kage level shinobis stood across each other on a rooftop, each of them not making a move. There is a barrier erected by Orochimaru's underlings that prevents any outside interference from happening, a barrier that Kizashi recognises as the Four Violet Flames Formation. As of now, Kizashi is trapped and on his own.
It might as well be for the best. The upcoming battle with Orochimaru will definitely be destructive. If he faces Orochimaru alone, then the chances of any of his shinobis getting caught in the crossfire will lessen drastically.
The sight of having Kumo's jinchurikis rampaging in Konoha got him worried, but he calmed down after spotting Kushina forcefully pushing Bee out of their village's walls. The huge ice construct that punched the Nibi out of their village in a single blow was a reassuring sight too. Kizashi never doubted that Haku will grow into a formidable shinobi, but he never expected the child to undergo such a rapid growth. Just what did Minato do to get Haku so strong in a single month?
Haku is like the second coming of Senju Tobirama. Smart, calculative, logical, composed, pragmatic, and having total control over water. His performance against Suna's jinchuriki in the chunin exam had shown that he is definitely jonin level in strength now. And he is only thirteen. If only Haku can understand the Will of Fire, he might be a possible candidate for the position of Hokage in the future.
Although considering what he did to force the boy to stay here many years back, that might be asking a little too much from him…
Orochimaru slowly removed the Kazekage robes on him and tossed it aside. Kizashi did the same and revealed the battle gear he is wearing beneath his Hokage robes. As much as he wants to go out right now to help his fellow shinobis as their Hokage, Kizashi knows that the only thing he can do is to have faith in his shinobis. Konoha is strong and so are its people. He has faith that they will be able to repel the invasion without his help while he dukes it out with Orochimaru.
For the Konoha's sake, he will strike the Snake Sannin down today.
"Let's see how much stronger you have gotten since the last time I saw you, eh, Kizashi-kun?"
Kizashi immediately swung his elbow backwards at where Orochimaru had suddenly appeared, foiling Orochimaru's assassination attempt from Kizashi's back. A kick from the Snake Sannin had Kizashi blocking it with his forearm before the Hokage grabbed onto Orochimaru's leg and flung him away. Orochimaru's neck lengthened, fangs bared, and Kizashi managed to stop Orochimaru in his track when he threw a kunai at Orochimaru's opened mouth. The exploding tag attached to the kunai exploded, raining shrapnel everywhere. Unsurprisingly, Orochimaru walked out of the explosion with barely a scratch other than the skin peeling off his face.
"You-!"
"Kukuku, surprised?" Orochimaru cackled as he peeled off the skin from his face, revealing the foreign looking face underneath.
"To think that you really managed to perfect such a vile technique." Kizashi growled as he clenched his fists when he spotted the face of a young woman beneath the layer of torn skin before Orochimaru donned on his original face again. What Orochimaru had created goes against the very law of nature, it cannot be allowed to exist.
With his twisted ideology and the ability to attain pseudo-immortality, Orochimaru's existence is too dangerous to Konoha. He needs to be put down.
"Please get the name of this technique right, I told you many times before that the name of this technique is the Living Corpse Reincarnation. I would have perfected this a long time ago if it wasn't for your needless meddling. If it wasn't for you exposing what I was doing, I wouldn't have need to be a missing nin in the first place."
"Konoha is a big family, and family should not be experimenting on each other for the sole purpose of achieving immortality for one's personal gain." Kizashi said with determination as he went through hand seals. "What you did was unforgivable, Orochimaru. Jiraiya-sensei would not have wanted to see you like this."
"Don't bring that buffoon into this." Orochimaru hissed as he used the Sword of Kusanagi to slash at Kizashi, only to find himself hacking at a mud clone. "He's long dead. I told that fool to stop whatever he was doing and he didn't listen. There is no way true peace is achievable. It serves him right when he ended up deader than a doorknob. What's the point of having a dream if you aren't alive to realise it?"
"Jiraiya-sensei was a great man. I will make you apologise to him in the afterlife for that remark."
"Enough!" Orochimaru snapped as he went through a set of hand seals that got dread pooling within Kizashi's gut. No way. Orochimaru couldn't possible have learnt that jutsu.
A coffin rose out of the ground and Kizashi mentally cursed whatever divine powers up there for giving him such shitty luck. He needs to stop the process using whatever means necessary.
To Kizashi's frustration, the second coffin rose and blocked the inferno of flames that he belched out in an attempt to stop Orochimaru from completing the summoning process, the Edo Tensei.
"I wanted to save this for sensei… but you will make a fine sample to add to my collection as well."
The lid of the coffins opened and fell onto the floor with a dull thud. Kizashi can only prepare himself for the worst when Konoha's legends, the Senju brothers, walked out in their reanimated form.
"Edo Tensei? Tobirama! I told you to not leave such techniques lying around!"
"Whoever used this technique must be quite skilled to summon even me." Tobirama mused as he ignored the words of Senju Hashirama. He turned his head and spotted Kizashi. "And you are…?"
"The Fourth Hokage of Konoha, Haruno Kizashi." Kizashi replied in a grim tone. "I wish we could have met under better circumstances, Shodaime-sama, Nidame-sama. Sorry, but I will have to send you back to the afterlife."
"Kukuku… you will have to work very hard for that, Kizashi-kun." Orochimaru laughed manically as he immediately implanted talismans into the Senju brothers, robbing them of their free will and cutting the conversation off prematurely. "Now, I wonder how the Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure will fare against the First and Second?"
The creaking of tiles beneath his feet was the only warning Orochimaru got before he quickly backpedalled. A large Adamantine Staff burst out from below the roof that he is standing on and swiped at him. Orochimaru's grin got larger when his previous teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen and also the Third Hokage of Konohagakure, leapt out from the gaping hole in his full battle gear.
"Danzo! Now!"
The shrill sound of wind got Orochimaru twisting to a side although it was too late. A large blade made of wind cut through Orochimaru at his waist and even tore through the reincarnated Hokages. Orochimaru clicked his tongue in annoyance as snakes emerged from his body and stitched the two halves of his body back together. This just got a lot harder. HOW did his sensei and the one-eye old coot get pass the barrier?! Wasn't the bottom of the roof coated with the Four Violet Flames Formation as well?!
Then again, his sensei was called the 'Professor' for a reason. He shouldn't be too surprised. He will also have to serve his subordinates their rightful punishment for their carelessness when they got back later.
"Your student is still as hard to kill as ever, Hiruzen." Danzo stated nonchalantly as he held a kunai in hand that is coated with such dense wind-natured chakra that it can be visibly seen with the naked eye. "If only you could bring yourself to kill him back then, this would not have happened."
"I know." Hiruzen replied as the reanimated Senju Hashirama had his body reformed and with a clap of his hands, summoned a forest of trees to trap them in. Hiruzen easily destroyed the incoming roots with ease using the Adamantine Staff in hand. "I won't make the same mistake twice."
"Sandaime-sama, Danzo-san. Allow me to handle Orochimaru." Kizashi requested as he gathered a large amount of chakra within him, preparing himself for the inevitable battle.
"That would be the best arrangement." Danzo gave a small nod of approval, obviously not trusting Hiruzen to be able to kill his ex-student in cold blood. "Don't worry about Hashirama-sensei and Tobirama-sensei. Hiruzen and I will stop them here."
With the reassurance given to him by the two elders, Kizashi wasted no time in dashing towards Orochimaru, who now has an ugly scowl on his face at the interruption. Orochimaru's attempt in summoning more undead corpses with Edo Tensei was foiled when Kizashi appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye, preventing him from forming hand seals.
"CHA!"
A powerful punch knocked Orochimaru backwards and he was forced to use his unique brand of substitution jutsu to get out unscathed when his body slammed into the walls of the Four Violet Flames Formation. The flaming walls immediately came down when ANBU members began to follow Sarutobi Hiruzen's example and emerged from below the roof that they are at through unknown means, proceeding to engage the Sound Four in battle and forcing them to drop the barrier.
He should have forgone the dramatics and chose a better place for battle. What possessed him to take on Kizashi on the rooftops anyway?
Orochimaru immediately tried to gain distance the moment Kizashi is on him again. Kizashi is arguably the strongest taijutsu specialist across the Elemental Nations. Combined with his unique brand of ninjutsu, he is near untouchable and nigh invincible against any kind of damage. The Haruno Clan is an offshoot of the Senju Clan, and Kizashi had inherited the renowned vitality of the Senju Clan just as members of the Haruno Clan had before him, making him a very scary adversary to face no matter who you are.
"This ends here now." Kizashi growled out as the very air itself distort under the pressure of Kizashi's chakra, which Orochimaru recognised as the beginning signs of the Haruno clan techniques. Orochimaru can only let a resigned smirk rest on his face as a drop of sweat slid down. Jiraiya may be a fool, but there is no denying that he is a damn good teacher. Every student that he had taught turned out to be monsters in their own right.
Even in death, that buffoon never failed to make life hard for him.
"Secret Technique, Yang Release: Bishamon!"
The technique named after the God of Warriors took form as Kizashi created an elegantly crafted suit of armour made of solid Yang chakra to wear for himself, looking similar to those worn by samurais. The translucent armour worn by Kizashi glowed in a golden yellow hue of Yang chakra, shining proudly and daring anyone to try and see if they can even inflict a single scratch on it. Bishamon is a variation of barrier ninjutsu similar to the ones used by the ninja monks of the Fire Temple. However, unlike the ninja monks and their vastly inferior techniques, Kizashi has complete mastery over this branch of barrier ninjutsu with his Yang Release, which requires the user to have an abundance of Yang based chakra to unleash its true potential. Users of Yang Release are rare, and shinobis like Kizashi who have complete mastery over said element are even rarer. Yang Release techniques are hard to master because it is heavily reliant on the user's lifeforce and vitality, and not everyone is blessed with such a gift like the Senjus, Uzumakis, or the Harunos.
Even among members of such clans, Kizashi's vitality and lifeforce is easily top-notch, rivalling those of Senju Hashirama himself.
The stern visage of the mythical Bishamon, the God of War, appeared behind Kizashi briefly before disappearing, but the chakra armour Kizashi wore stayed. The Fourth Hokage of Konoha stood in his newly donned armour as the very pressure of his chakra cracked the roof tiles he stood on without even him trying. Kizashi's appearance had took on a change as well. His hair is even spikier than what it could possibly be, his muscles bulging, veins throbbing beneath his skin and the amount of bloodlust exuded by the pink haired Hokage caught the attention of every single shinobi in the area, friends and foes alike. All in all, the very image of Kizashi now reminded Orochimaru once again why Haruno Kizashi was labelled with the moniker of "War God" by other villages, the dangerous SS rank shinobi capable of tearing shinobis apart with his bare hands and incapable of receiving damage even from a Tailed Beast. He certainly looks like the part.
This battle will be interesting.
A wall of snakes formed when Orochimaru started off their battle using Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes. Kizashi looked unbothered as he casually destroyed the snakes with a single wave of his hand. The force of the blow produced a wind so strong that it sent the Snake Sannin skidding a few feet backwards.
"Here I come, Orochimaru."
Orochimaru raised the Sword of Kusanagi just in time to block a punch from the now armoured fist of Kizashi. Even then, the force of the blow rattled his bones. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes when he saw that even the Sword of Kusanagi proved incapable of leaving a scratch on Kizashi's armour that is made of pure Yang chakra.
Kizashi's defence is still as good as ever.
The two Kage level shinobis exchanged a series of blows rapidly, destroying the building that they are standing on in the process. The shockwaves produced from their attacks was so powerful that it resulted in a large amount of collateral damage. Orochimaru did several attempts to gain some distance from the enraged Hokage but Kizashi never allowed him the chance to do so, forcing the Snake Sannin to stick to using taijutsu in holding off the attacks. Genjutsus seems to be incapable of stopping the rampaging Hokage on his warpath as well, since every attempt on Orochimaru's part failed spectacularly. The irregular pulsation of Yang chakra by Kizashi had somehow made it difficult for the chakra of his genjutsus to invade Kizashi's own chakra system.
Orochimaru has some theories of his own on how that worked. He will have to test it out in his lab once this invasion is over.
Directing chakra to his fingertips on his right hand, Orochimaru slammed his fingers against Kizashi's fist in an attempt to disrupt the chakra flow of the Yang chakra armour coating Kizashi's body. The entirety of Orochimaru's right arm was blown away from the impact, which he quickly regenerated with snakes growing out of the stump of his right arm. The armour of solid chakra only flickered slightly as the potency of Kizashi's Yang chakra quickly burned away the Five Elements Seal that Orochimaru had attempted to imprint on the armour created by the Bishamon technique.
Well, there goes another of his options. Time for Plan C.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Seeing an opportunity, Orochimaru created a huge gust of wind that tore everything in front of him and blasted them into the air. Kizashi merely cocked his arm back before punching at the air in front of him, the speed of the punch producing a vacuum that collided with Orochimaru's jutsu in a shockwave and cancelling the attack.
"Surrender, Orochimaru, and I can grant you a quick death."
"Quite full of yourself, aren't you?" Orochimaru taunted, although he knows Kizashi has the right to be arrogant. The Bishamon technique is indestructible. None of the techniques that Orochimaru knew have offensive capabilities strong enough to tear through the armour of solid chakra that Kizashi wore. Kizashi's abundance of Yang chakra and mastery over the Yang Release meant that he can sustain the technique for long periods of time. There is also the fact that even his Sword of Kusanagi is incapable of scratching it, and there are rumours that even the Kyubi didn't managed to destroy Kizashi's armour during the Kyubi attack many years ago when Kizashi was defending the village from the fox. Combine the Bishamon technique with Kizashi's expertise in taijutsu, the result is an unstoppable warrior in the form of Haruno Kizashi, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha. Namikaze Minato was a candidate for the position as well, just like Orochimaru was, but none of their attacks back then have the sheer offensive power needed to tear through Kizashi's defences. If given time, Minato could probably counter the Bishamon technique with some sort of seal, but that is only if the Namikaze brat had time to prepare.
Orochimaru knew from the start that in terms of raw combat strength alone, close to no one is able to match Haruno Kizashi, even the Kages of other Hidden Villages. However, he is not here to win the battle.
He is here to win the war, and simply by holding Kizashi here, the tides of the war are turning in his favour. In the end, he will still be the overall winner.
After all, no matter how strong Konoha may be, even the strongest Hidden Village will incur great loss and casualties in repelling an invasion launched in collaboration by two of the Big Five and the Hidden Sound. Furthermore, the invasion took place right in the village itself. The strength of the village lies in its military, not the individual, and Orochimaru understands that extremely well. Kizashi can be the strongest shinobi in the history of the Elemental Nations but if he is incapable of defending his shinobis from harm, then all is for naught. By reducing Konoha's military strength and killing off the next generation of Konoha's shinobis, even Konoha will have problems to continue holding onto its seat of power as the strongest Hidden Village in the Elemental nations.
Things will get interesting once more the moment the power dynamic between the Big Five changes after this war. It doesn't matter if he can defeat Kizashi or not, his objectives in getting the wind of change to blow again had been met. Orochimaru has this win in the bag. Things will start to get interesting once again. Judging from the look on Kizashi's face as the cries and screams of the numerous battles that dotted Konoha reached their ears, the Hokage had realised it as well.
"Kukuku… what will you do now, I wonder? Will you continue to try and kill me, or will you be the benevolent Hokage that you are to try and reduce the casualties to a minimum? At this rate, I won't be surprised if Konoha loses at least half their military strength. All of your S rank shinobis have their hands tied and there is no one left to finish the war in one decisive blow. Right now, the outcome of this invasion can only be decided through a battle of attrition."
Orochimaru substituted himself with a mud clone when Kizashi's fist of fury launched at him again, although Orochimaru cannot help but smirk. Minato is busy fighting Ay. Kushina is dealing with Bee. Kato Dan is battling the entire regiment of Suna's Puppet Brigade and he can sense Tsunade near the area where the Nibi is at. His ex-sensei and Danzo are busy trying to stop the reanimated Hokages from destroying the village they founded. Fugaku and the KMPF have their hands tied trying to bring the civilians and non-combatants to safety among the chaos. Other notable shinobis that are left are shinobis such as Itachi, Obito, and Kakashi, and even then there is only so much they can do against an entire army. To add on, Suna and Kumo have powerful shinobis in their ranks as well, such as Baki and Darui. There is no way Konoha can get out of this invasion unscathed. Kizashi can destroy armies easily, but choosing to do that will mean letting Orochimaru get away scot free and Orochimaru knows that there is no way Kizashi will allow that to happen. Kizashi is forced to fight Orochimaru himself if he doesn't want to risk the Snake Sannin escaping and causing more harm to the village in the future.
With this, Kizashi is stuck in between a rock and a hard place, and they both knew it. Orochimaru cannot help but let a snake-ish smile creep up his face. This is the start of Konoha's decline, whether it be today or the near future.
Kizashi had a thoughtful look on his face before he took a stance and went through hand seals.
"I won't let your plans succeed, Orochimaru."
Shadow Clones of Kizashi in the Bishamon armour appeared by the dozens as they quickly split up and headed towards the different parts of the village which are engulfed in battle. So that's Kizashi's plan? Sending clones of himself to the different battlefields to lessen the casualties? The number of clones Kizashi created is enough to fill at least half the stadium, surely such a feat has to come at a cost?
"It's too late to be sending reinforcements to your fellow Konoha nins now, Hokage-sama." Orochimaru sneered as their battle resumed. The shine of Kizashi's armour had dulled significantly after the move he pulled, and Orochimaru noted with delight that his Sword of Kusanagi is now able to damage the armour, even if it the results are only scratches against the armour of solid chakra. The number of clones must have consumed a large part of Kizashi's chakra, indirectly weakening Kizashi's hold on his infamous Bishamon technique.
"Who says that it is too late?" Kizashi retorted as he kicked Orochimaru away from him, mentally hoping that the army of his Shadow Clones will finish what he started. There is only one way left if he wants to ensure that Konoha keeps her casualties to a minimum while killing Orochimaru off for good. He can only hope that the Yang chakra he imbued into his clones were enough to save the injured before it is too late. His mastery over Yang natured chakra allows him to sense the lifeforce of the people around him, and he knows that while the number of injured are high, the death toll is not as bad as he imagined it to be. He can still salvage the situation by ensuring that the injured will not continue to add on to the death toll. Tsunade's healing capabilities through Katsuyu is also helping in this endeavour, but she is only one person and her hands are currently full in trying to suppress the Nibi.
Very likely, he will have to sacrifice his life today to bring Orochimaru down while trying to keep the people of Konoha alive at the same time. That is fine by him. He is the Hokage, the protector of Konoha. The only regret he has is that he will not be able to see his lovely daughter grow up and he knows that Mebuki will be devastated, but he had made his choice. He can only hope that one of his clones can reach Sakura fast enough before he has no choice but to use that jutsu. The power of the Haruno clan cannot be extinguished at his hands. Like the Will of Fire, it has to be passed on before his demise. Sakura is the last of his clan and the inheritor of the clan's powers, the last thing he can do as her father is to pass to Sakura her birth right as a Haruno.
As a father, he will do all he can to equip his daughter as well as he can to protect herself in this chaotic world. As a Hokage, he will defend Konoha and the next generation of the village no matter what it takes.
Even if it cost him his life.
Sakura spat out some blood from her mouth before going back in to smash an Oto nin in the face using her fists, caving his skull in instantly.
Her team, together with Team 8 and Team 10, were commanded by their jonin senseis to hunt Gaara down to prevent him from calling upon the beast sealed within him. It will be disastrous if they have another rampaging biju going crazy within their village, and they count themselves lucky that Haku had managed to inflict a significant injury on Gaara to stop him before he can go batshit insane. The three teams were onto Gaara and his siblings immediately, with Team 8 leading the way due to their expertise in tracking. However, they were intercepted by groups upon groups of Oto, Suna, and Kumo shinobis along the way, and some of them were forced to stay behind so that the rest can continue their pursuit of Gaara without interference. Sakura knows that she is far from being the fastest in their group and she might drag down the group's speed as a result, so she volunteered to stay behind to intercept their pursuers, allowing the rest to go on ahead unhindered.
Her clan's unique techniques in manipulating Yang natured chakra proved to be invaluable as she used it to mitigate most physical damages she received. The unnatural strength she inherited from her father allows her to brute force her way through their opposition, smashing anything she comes across into paste with her fists alone. However, she knows that she is still young and inexperienced, and she is starting to feel the fatigue from holding onto her clan techniques for so long. Yang Release jutsus are not easy to learn and control. She had barely skimmed the surface of such techniques even with the guidance her father had provided since young. It is just that hard to master.
She clads her fist with a solid shroud of Yang natured chakra as she ended another Oto shinobi with a single punch. Team 10 had stayed behind as well since they cannot keep up with the pace of their friends who are a lot faster in speed. Choji is surprisingly good in wiping out a huge number of their enemies with his Multi-Size Technique. The Akimichi clan techniques are also largely based around Yang natured chakra, but the way Sakura's clan utilise it takes it to the extreme as the Haruno clan techniques requires the Yang natured chakra to be so dense that it can be visibly seen with the naked eye. Other people will not be able to achieve it unless they are born with superior vitality like she is. As far as she knows, her jutsu is a brand of jutsu that only the Senjus, Uzumakis, or the Harunos can possibly achieve.
To date, only her father and her were able to use Yang Release in this manner. At least, that was what her father told her.
Sakura barely managed to get Shikamaru out of harm's way when a lightning based jutsu nearly found its target on the shadow user. Shikamaru has the smallest chakra reserves among them, and it is not hard to see that he is utterly spent. Furthermore, he had already expended most of his chakra in his fight against Temari during the exams earlier, making this even harder for him. The list of battle plans that the Nara genius had thought up had allowed them to survive as long as they did, holding such a large group off with only four people, but all of them are starting to run on fumes.
At this rate, their enemies would not be the one to do them in, exhaustion will.
"Forehead! Shika!"
"We are fine!" Sakura called back before throwing a kunai which found its mark in the skull of a Kumo shinobi. "We need to retreat! There's too many of them!"
"I will clear the way!"
With a roar that Sakura had never heard the gentle boy cry out before, Choji batted away a large group of enemies with an enlarged fist. The four of them wasted no time in running for their lives. They did their best, but their best is still not enough in this case. They can only hope that they had weakened the invading force enough on their part and someone more qualified in Konoha can finish the job for them.
They are still too slow. Their enemies had caught up again.
"Damn it! We are surrounded! Shika! You got a plan?"
"I'm trying to think, woman! Stop your harping!"
Shikamaru looked visibly stressed out as his mind undoubtedly went through numerous scenarios and possibilities on how they could get themselves out of this bind. Even Choji is running out of chakra, and they have no one that they can count on right now. All of their jonin senseis are busy in trying to repel the invasion. Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai had stayed behind to clear the stadium of any hostile shinobis. Obito had said that he will go and assist Kushina to suppress Bee. Sakura knows that Kakashi-sensei himself had gone to hunt Darui down the moment he spotted the renowned Kumo jonin chasing after Hanabi for reasons unknown. She can only hope that her perverted and lazy sensei reaches Hanabi in time.
Just when Sakura thought that all hopes are lost, visions of translucent fists made up of solid Yang chakra rained down from the skies, taking out all of the invading forces surrounding the four of them in an instant. Sakura's eyes widened. She knew that jutsu.
"Dad!"
"Have no fear! For the gallant Haruno Kizashi is here!"
Sakura cannot help but groan the moment she spotted her father walking up to them in that goofy persona. He can be the stern and strict Hokage in public, but back home, his goofiness really makes her want to strangle him at times. It can be so embarrassing! Can he at least don't act in this manner in front of her friends?!
"You guys alright?"
The four of them nodded, too tired to be feeling anything but relief at this moment.
"You are a clone, aren't you?" Sakura stated with narrowed eyes the moment her chakra senses told her that something is not quite right with her father. If this is his clone, then where is her father? Is he ok?
"Smart as ever, young lady!" Kizashi ruffled her hair and Sakura scowled although she is too tired right now to bat his hand away. He knows just how much she hates getting her hair messed up, her father is doing this just to mess with her.
"Dad?" Sakura questioned the moment she felt the large influx of Yang chakra her father's clone is transferring to her. Part of her clan's techniques requires the user to master the art of transferring Yang natured chakra from person to person, and Sakura knows enough to tell that whatever her father is doing, it is definitely something that he will not usually do.
Something is wrong here.
"You are old enough to inherit the clan's power, Sakura." Her father's uncharacteristic serious tone got Sakura snapping her head up in alarm. "Right now, the last thing I can do as your father is to ensure that you are as well-equipped as you can be for what is to come. There is a possibility that another war might break out after this invasion is over, and I want you to survive, no matter how hard things can be. Can you do that for me?"
"D-Dad?" Sakura asked in a shaky voice. What's going on? Her father is the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, the War God Kizashi. She knows that while Orochimaru is strong, the chances of the Snake Sannin defeating her father in a straight on fight is slim to none. Her father's and their clan's signature technique, the Bishamon, makes him nigh invincible. According to her mother, even the Kyubi was unable to put a scratch on her father's chakra armour during the Kyubi attack. Her father's defence is just that strong. Combined with the lethality of his taijutsu, his near endless stamina and enormous reserve of Yang chakra, there is nothing she knows that can put her father down.
"It is my fault. I shouldn't have allowed Kumo to take part in the exams and I should have recognised Orochimaru's disguise sooner. I cannot allow Konoha to suffer any more casualties as it is. At this rate, even if we successfully repelled the invasion, Konoha would be too weak to defend itself against other external threats once this is over. Iwa is still watching us like hawks, the situation in Kiri is still a huge question mark and no one truly knows what is going on in there. I also know that there are many smaller villages out there who want to do us harm. For the sake of Konoha's future, I have to ensure that Konoha's strength does not dwindle any further. I don't know how many of our comrades had already died, but I can at least ensure that nobody else dies under my watch starting from now."
"You don't mean-!"
Kizashi's solemn nod told Sakura everything she needed to know.
"Our clan's secret technique. Yang Release: Life Transference Jutsu. It is similar to what Lady Chiyo of Suna had invented as far as I know, with a few differences. Even as we speak, I can feel many of our comrades' lives slowly fading. With this jutsu, I can at least help them last long enough until I kill Orochimaru and force our enemies to retreat, buying time for medical help to arrive and save the lives of our shinobis. There is a high chance that I might not live to see the next sunrise, so I am passing on our clan's secret to you, right here, right now."
Team 10 got the hint and after giving the Hokage a respectful bow, quickly made themselves scarce to give the Harunos some privacy.
"I-I don't need any clan techniques, Dad! I-!"
"I know." Kizashi said gently as he pulled Sakura into a hug. "But we can't get everything we want. I am the Hokage, it is my duty to protect the village and its people. Besides, you inherited my Will of Fire." Kizashi poked at where her heart is. "As long as you have it, then I will always live within you. Anyway, can you feel it? The chakra I am transferring over to you?"
Sakura nodded mutely, but no matter how hard she tried, she cannot stop the tears streaming down her face and the choked sobs that escaped her mouth. She doesn't want to accept this. She doesn't want her father to die. She doesn't want to inherit her clan's secret techniques. All she wants is for her father to return back to her side alive.
"This is the true secret behind our clan techniques. The chakra I am giving you is the product of the chakra nurtured by the first head of the Haruno clan ever since he split off from the Senju. Since then, every Head of the Clan will receive the chakra nurtured by his predecessor and continue to nurture it, and then he will pass a portion of the combined efforts of the nurtured chakra down to his successor when his time is up. The portion of chakra received by the successor becomes the new seed which he or she will continue to grow. The cycle continues, so that the resulting chakra accumulated over the years will grow stronger and stronger the longer the chakra is passed down from one Haruno to the next. What you are receiving now is the strength that every Head of the Haruno Clan, me included, had accumulated. The potency of our Yang chakra has no rivals in the Elemental Nations. When the time comes, you will pass this strength to your children as well, along with your own. The method which our clan use to nurture, cultivate, and pass on our chakra to our next generation is the reason why my Bishamon technique is so formidable, because I have the combined strength of my predecessors at my disposal."
Kizashi enveloped his only child and daughter in a hug and like a dam had broken, Sakura bawled her eyes out and hugged her father tightly, not wanting to let go of her father even if it is just a clone.
"You are a strong child, Sakura. I love you so very much, you know? I know you can survive this and whatever challenges you may find yourself in. Can you stay strong for me?"
Sakura's hold on Kizashi tightened.
"Sakura. Please. I don't have much time left."
"I-I will try!"
"That's all I ask from you. Thank you." Kizashi planted a kiss on her forehead as both father and daughter look at each other for the last time. "Try to not make your mother burst a blood vessel or two while I'm gone, and don't hog couch-kun too much. Seriously, you need to stop being a couch potato."
Sakura choked out a laugh at the memories of her and her father fighting for the rights to use the couch in the living room all the time.
She wouldn't have a chance to fight for such rights again after today.
"L-Like you have the right to speak."
"Is that sass I am hearing, young lady?" Kizashi admonished in mock anger before another bright smile cross his face.
"I have to go now, Sakura." He said as his large hand rested on the top of her head for the last time. The physical form of the clone is fading as a large amount of foreign Yang chakra flowed into Sakura's chakra network. "Stay safe, and take care of your mother for me."
"I-I love you, Dad." Sakura choked out her last words to her father, wanting her father to know just how much she loves him and how proud she is of him before they are separated worlds apart. "K-Kick Orochimaru's ass for me, show the world how great of a Hokage you are."
Kizashi grinned.
"I promise. I love you too, sweetheart."
With that, the clone disappeared in wisps of yellow-golden Yang chakra, which swirled protectively around her before entering Sakura's body. Sakura used her arms to wipe away the tears from her face. She is Haruno Sakura, daughter of the Yondaime Hokage, Haruno Kizashi, the War God. She will grieve later. Right now, she has to help defend the village that her father is protecting at the cost of his life.
Her chakra reserves had filled up once again thanks to her father, and she can feel a new power welling within her. It is foreign yet warm, like it is supposed to be a part of her all along despite only receiving it recently. Sakura ran to reunite with her friends and growled in anger when she saw Team 10 getting attacked from all sides by hostile shinobis.
Sakura leapt up high into the air, fist cocked back like what her father had taught her the moment he deemed her old enough to learn how to fight. She gathered a dangerous amount of Yang natured chakra into her fist, larger and more potent than she had ever managed to do, before letting gravity pull her down as she prepared to destroy the very ground itself, and with it the shinobis who dared to even invade her home and harm her friends.
This invasion had already taken her father away from her. She will be damned if it takes her friends away as well.
"SHAAANNAAAARO!"
Her fist connected.
The earth ruptured.