20 Chapter 20: The Last Stand

The Fourth Hokage of Konoha was feared in the entire world. Enemies trembled just by his name, he moved faster than lightning and was said to be the smartest man of the world.

He had the ability to foresee what events may happen in the world...it was a trait he inherited from his late father. It was due to this ability that Konoha was still standing in the war against 3 great nations.

Despite the heavy losses, weak moral...they were holding the enemy.

Minato was sitting in a small dark room, eyes fixed on the small screen in front of him. Around him were a few people, shinobi on whom the future of Fire Country depended.

On his right was sitting his most trusted Anbu commander Baku, the man was stoic as ever...however if one observed carefully they could see the man was doing his best to stay calm and control his emotions.

Minato didn't blame the man one bit...after all any father would be devastated when his son fell in battle.

"Baku...I'm sorry for your loss," said Minato honestly, but the man just gave Minato a determined look.

"There is no need for any condolences, my son died in the line of duty. He died defending his country and his comrades...I'm proud to be the father of Commander Fox of 1st company of blacklight," said Baku proudly,

No sadness, no regret...this man was a true shinobi. Minato doubted he would be the same if anything happened to either of his sons.

"Minato...what should we do now? The soldiers at Shanxi are leaderless and outnumbered, they'll be butchered like dogs. Maybe we should send them reinforcements," said Tsunade urgently,

"I agree with her, those kids need help. I can divert my troops to their position...they would reach there in a few hours. The situation is urgent," said Kagami seriously, and Minato gave both the veteran shinobi a acknowledging nod.

Beside Kagami sat his old teammate Danzo Shimura and the man was stoic as ever, however he did gave a firm nod to Baku in respect for his son's sacrifice which the blacklight commander accepted.

"What's the status of Hiruzen's Company? Are they out of River Country yet?" asked Danzo flatly,

"Hiruzen-sama is getting his men out, but it would take another 2 days for his company to reach Shanxi, and his men won't be in top condition. And we can't afford to send reinforcements from 5th division. We will need them for the invasion we are planning against Iwa," said Minato sternly,

"Minato, there won't be an invasion if we lose Shanxi. That entire company will be wiped out...and Iwa would run straight into Konoha," said Kagami irritatingly, what was going on?

Baku stood up from his seat and without a word started walking towards the screen in the room. Everyone could see the faces of the remaining blacklight forces on Shanxi.

"You people don't understand the situation at all. Those are my soldiers out there, after Han's death they are facing a grave challenge. An obstacle which they have to overcome, they have trained for years for such situations. If you rush in there and we are somehow able to win Shanxi...it would destroy my troops anyway," said Baku calmly,

"What do you mean?" asked Tsunade curiously,

"Those soldiers out there have lost the will to fight, they have to change that. Even if some of them survive this battle, they will never have the confidence to win if you send reinforcements, they will become dependent. The enemy fears blacklight because we are the best soldiers of Konoha...if you save them today, they will die tomorrow anyway. Let them win this battle on their own, there will be arguments, there will be fights...but if they win this battle they will form a bond that cannot be broken...they will become invincible," explained Baku briefly, and the leaders in the room felt the passion behind his each and every word.

"They need a good leader for that...a leader which they don't have," said Danzo distastefully,

"You are wrong Danzo, there are a few good leaders among them. This is a turning point in their lives...today they'll have to make the choice of living as warriors or dying like cowards. It's time they stopped being kids and became true shinobi..." said Baku sternly,

Tsunade banged her fists on the table making the men flinch a little with the noise...

"You fool...do you have any idea how many casualties they will suffer without any aid from us!They are kids...your ideologies will get them slaughtered. Hokage-sama, I strongly urge you to send reinforcements," said Tsunade furiously,

"I agree with her.." said Kagami truthfully, and he gave his son-in-law a firm nod look which showed he really was serious about this.

"I believe in what Baku said." said Danzo coldly...and he received two disappointed glared from Kagami and Tsunade.

Minato closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It all came down to him now, as the supreme commander he had to make a choice. Both the sides had presented valuable arguments and were right in their own way.

His gaze shifted to the young blond blacklight on a small bird...and his thoughts became clear.

Minato Namikaze had made his choice.

Naruto silently watched the sky around him, it felt so peaceful right now. No screams, no blood...it was just the wind and him. But, somewhere deep in his heart he knew this was not reality...in a matter of a few hours Iwa's first division would gather all its forces and make their final charge to Garrison position.

His eyes shifted towards his friends...Mikasa was at the front and was calmly sitting on the bird with her 3D gear hanging on her thighs. To any other person she may look as her normal self but he knew she was pissed.

No...she was LIVID!

He heard a tired sigh beside him...and saw it was none other than Armin, and his friend was giving him a disappointed look.

"Naruto...putting her under a genjutsu with your sharingan was one of the most stupid things you ever did," berated Armin sternly,

"So you know..." said Naruto tiredly and rubbed his forehead in frustration,

"You were successful in putting her under a genjutsu but Aoba saw the minor disturbance in her chakra ...and your plan was foiled," explained Armin briefly,

Naruto got a little curious...he knew Aoba was not a sensor, then how could he spot his genjutsu?

Armin saw the confused look on his friend's face and decided to explain the truth to Naruto.

"Aoba's senses are far more sharper than most of us in blacklight, except for Hana's nose. In a way he is a sensor...he just didn't tell anyone about this," said Armin honestly, and now Naruto understood why Aoba hid his ability as a sensor.

"He purposefully hid his sensor skills from his squad leader...so he wouldn't have to join the vanguard." said Naruto slowly as he realized what his comrade had done.

Armin gave Naruto a firm nod...but he couldn't blame Aoba for doing such a thing. Everyone of them were nervous as they were up against an entire division and joining the vanguard was pure suicide.

The young blacklight knew that not every trooper were like Naruto...his friend was still an enigma to him. And now he had to support Naruto more than ever.

"Naruto...Mikasa's really mad at you, so it will be best if you just talk business with her for sometime...you don't want to see how she reacts when she is pissed," said Armin cautiously, and for once he received an instant nod from Naruto.

Mikasa was a good friend, she was a person who would not hesitate to sacrifice herself to protect the ones she loved...but if someone pissed her off, then it would be hell.

"How are the others doing at Garrison? Is everything set?" asked Naruto seriously, he had promised Han that he would not let Iwa conquer Shanxi and it was time he fulfilled his promise.

"Mikasa has made all the preparations...but-" said Armin hesitantly, and Naruto got a little suspicious.

"What's on your mind?" asked Naruto flatly, and Armin sighed tiredly.

"Naruto...the commander's dead, don't you understand the consequences? We need a new leader," said Armin frustratingly, and Naruto's eyes widened when he remembered what Han had said.

Realization now hit him, he looked around and saw his friends beside him. Rangiku was giving him a warm smile, while Izumo and Kotetsu were looking at him seriously...they were waiting for his answer. His gaze then shifted to Mikasa, she had her back towards him but he knew she was listening intently.

"He...appointed me...the next commander," said Naruto nervously, and this time everyone's eyes widened...Naruto even saw Mikasa stiffen a little.

"WHAT!" said all of them in unison,

They were quite surprised when Naruto averted his eyes from then...and in a few moments they heard silent tears falling from his eyes. Rangiku immediately entrapped him in a fierce hug and started rubbing his back affectionately.

"I shouldn't be here...my squad, my comrades everyone fell yet I was the only one who survived...every damn time." said Naruto in a depressed voice,

He was suddenly grabbed roughly by the collar and the next second his eyes widened in horror when he was hanging in the air...and was being held tightly by none other than Mikasa herself.

"What are you doing?" asked Rangiku murderously as Naruto tried to get back on the bird, but Mikasa's grip tightened.

"Oi...get him back on the bird. Don't be crazy, Mikasa!" said Armin urgently, he knew she was pissed but this was going way too far.

Naruto painfully looked his best friend in the eye...and she was giving him a determined look.

"If you want to die...I will grant your wish right now," said Mikasa truthfully, and everyone's eyes widened on hearing that.

"Oi...bitch, stop trying to kill him," said Kotetsu and Rangiku murderously, and moved in to save Naruto but were stopped when Izumo stepped in.

"Don't interfere.." said Izumo coldly and pushed the duo back on the bird and planted his feet tightly on his two comrades to stop them from moving.

The tension was so high, and everyone was leaking their KI...but Mikasa didn't budge at all and her calm blue eyes bored deep into Naruto's soul.

"I don't care about what you did to me, nor do I find you responsible for what happened to the vanguard. You want to give up your life in self pity without even accepting the responsibility that Commander Fox bestowed on you...then die. You are not fit to be the leader of this company...I'll become the leader," said Mikasa darkly, and a evil smile came on her face.

"Mikasa..." said a shocked Naruto, words couldn't describe how shocked he was.

"Oh...you think I care about you? I don't give a rat's ass about you...I only saved you because it would make me famous in the village, the kunoichi who saved the Hokage's kid?...but looking at you now, you are just a worthless piece of trash, a crybaby...you should have stayed in your house hiding behind your mother...coward!" said Mikasa angrily, and she could practically feel Naruto's heart breaking with her every word...and with each passing second she could see his eyes becoming harder and colder.

A small tear slipped from his eyes and he gently grasped Mikasa's right hand.

"Don't do this to me...not you. You're my...FRIEND!" cried Naruto angrily, and Mikasa could barely suppress the tears that were waiting to be unleashed from her eyes...but she knew this had to be done.

She bashed Naruto hardly on the bird again...and started walking back towards her place on the front.

The next second a murderous KI flashed in the entire sky and the young troopers were all baffled when they saw Naruto glaring at Mikasa. His eyes burned with anger...and his two tomoe sharingan was a proof of how much he was angry.

"Was everything between us a lie?...Do you think I'm a weakling, do you think I can't protect my comrades?" asked Naruto angrily,

The rest of the squad just watched in shock as Mikasa just kept on walking calmly and didn't even flinch from this much KI.

"ANSWER ME!" screamed Naruto loudly, and she glanced at him slowly.

"Yes"

Those words shook his entire world...did she really mean that? Did she really consider him to be a weakling and coward?

Everyone was glaring at Mikasa angrily except for Izumo...the young trooper was the only one who understood the meaning behind her actions.

"She sacrificed everything to make you become strong, to make you become you a good leader. Naruto...she truly..." thought Izumo sadly, words couldn't describe how disappointed he was in the others who were looking at Mikasa like she was a traitor.

And his friend was enduring all of it...just for Naruto's sake.

One thing was certain to Izumo...Mikasa Ackerman was a true friend.

(Garrison position)

Genma and the rest of the troopers were quite impatiently waiting for their comrades to return. He was vehemently against their decision of going to save the troopers at the front...they would all be dead by now. Even the Commander had not ordered anyone from Vanguard to rescue them.

"It's because of that damn Namikaze...why do you care for him so much, Mikasa?" thought Genma frustratingly,

Beside him were Raido, Aoba, Hana and Anko. They were assigned the task of guarding this position until Mikasa returned with Commander Fox and the survivors...all the preparations were made, but he had a real bad feeling about this.

"Genma, what do you think happened back there?" asked Raido hesitantly, and he received an angry glare from Genma.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know? They could all be dead by now.." said Genma harshly,

The next instant he found two sharp kunai placed right beneath his balls and a murderous Anko was looking at him intently along with a pissed of Hana on her side.

"If you say such shit again...I'll rip your balls off," said Anko coldly, and Hana also gave a firm nod.

"Bring it on," said Genma defiantly and was just about to take out his kunai, when Aoba's calm voice stopped the commotion.

"They are here...but I can only feel 6 chakra signatures beside the bird's presence, what is going on?" asked Aoba curiously, and everyone's gaze shifted to the small bird descending from the sky.

The rest of the company also watched 6 people jumping from the bird and landing gracefully on the ground. To everyone's shock they didn't see the Commander among them, and this made them very nervous.

They saw Mikasa, Izumo, Kotetsu, Rangiku, Armin...and Naruto?

The young Namikaze looked as if he had been through hell, his clothes had been ripped off in various places and there was blood leaking out from a few of his wounds...but all of them were more surprised by the cold murderous look in his eyes.

"Oi, Namikaze...why are you alone? Where's the rest of the vanguard?" asked Genma impatiently, but somewhere deep in his heart he knew the answer.

Naruto slowly looked at the faces of the rest of his comrades. He could see anxiety, fear, nervousness, anger, and many other emotions on their faces. He wouldn't lie...what happened with him and Mikasa had broken his heart, but it had also made him realize the responsibility he had. He had to lead all of his comrades to victory.

"They fell in the line of duty...if these guys were a little late, I would have fallen too," said Naruto honestly, and everyone's eyes widened in horror as the truth came out.

"The commander..."

"is dead?"

Many of the female troopers were in shock right now, Han was the most powerful soldier in the entire company and if he had fallen then what chance did they have?

"We were up against Edo tensei. It was Sakumo Hatake and Mito Uzumaki as well as the entire Iwa division," said Naruto calmly,

Genma grabbed his collar roughly and looked at him murderously. He couldn't believe Han would fall for something like this, this was all lies.

"You're lying...The Commander cannot die, why were you the only survivor? You must have fled the battlefield!" said Genma frustratingly, he didn't know what was going on...but he just felt Naruto was responsible for this mess.

"We are all going to die.."

"We must fall back, they'll kill us all"

"There is no hope"

The rest of the company started getting disheartened...Han was the pillar that was holding them together, and to find out that even he had fallen to the enemy had destroyed every hope these young soldiers had of winning.

Naruto looked at his comrades firmly...he had to do something. The commander had entrusted him with their lives...and he wouldn't let his faith go in vain. Today was the day he stopped being a coward and accepted his fate. Today was the day when Konoha's counterattack against the world would begin.

And he would be at the front.

He gently put a hand on Genma's shoulder...in the past if he had accused Naruto of being a coward, he would have bashed him hardly...but he knew Genma was very nervous right now...and his only source of relief was venting out at Naruto.

"Genma...the commander sealed those two at the cost of his life. The rest of the vanguard forces destroyed more than 1,000 Iwa shinobi before being over run. What you are doing right now is understandable...I cannot bring back the commander and the others, but what I can do is fight by your side and lead us to victory," said Naruto comfortingly, and his comrades eyes widened on hearing that.

"Don't you understand Namikaze? We are outnumbered, outgunned...we cannot win against 3,000 shinobi, and who put you in charge!" said Genma furiously,

"This was Commander Fox's last order...and it is the only logical choice. He is the only one among us to have seen combat, he knows how Iwa fights, their tactics. From today he is the new commander of 1st company," said Armin firmly and stepped beside his friend,

"We need to fight and defend this hill...no matter the costs. We cannot let the Commander's sacrifice go in vain," said Izumo encouragingly, and stepped beside Naruto and Armin.

"Come on, are you seriously sacred of Iwa scum? If 30 of us can kill 1,000 of them...then 90 of us can send those fuckers back to hell. I'm not going to run like a coward," said Kotetsu boastfully, and for once he was quite surprised when neither Rangiku or Mikasa bonked him for using foul language.

"Damn it, I kind of miss Shizune," thought Kotetsu embarrassingly as he remembered the young medic used to berate him every time for his mistakes, but she was his best friend too.

"As long as we are together...we can win. I believe in Naruto and all of my comrades," said Rangiku happily, and stepped beside Naruto. She gently wrapped her hands with his own and gave him a warm smile.

Everyone now looked at Mikasa...and for the first time in many years, she felt really alone. Even Armin was not supporting her...she really felt miserable right now. She had strengthened Naruto's resolve but in doing that she had destroyed everything she had with Naruto...and now she was left all alone.

She was quite surprised when someone gently hugged her and she was truly shocked when it was none other than Naruto himself. Her hands shakily returned the hug while he planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

"It's alright"

Those two words shook her to the core and the dam of tears she was holding slowly started to crack, her eyes started to become moist.

"Thank you for everything...thank you for saving me, for being my first friend, for watching my back all these years. Helping me, guiding me, scolding me...you were there for me at every step. Even if you did it for your own purpose or not..it does not matter. I am grateful to you...and I won't abandon you, just like you didn't abandon me," said Naruto gently in her ears, and slowly tears started to fall freely from her eyes.

"Naruto..." said Mikasa in a choked voice,

"You may be a little harsh, and some of your ways are strange...but you always cared for all of us. You stood by my side despite my faults, even if I was an idiot you were never ashamed of me...you don't need to lie to me," said Naruto warmly and embraced her in an even tighter hug.

Everyone was quite surprised by this, both of them had not talked the entire way...and from the looks of it, it practically seemed their friendship was destroyed.

But it seemed Naruto and Mikasa had something really deep between them...something which could not be broken by mere words.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry for doing that to you...I just-" said Mikasa in a choked voice,

"Shh...I won't lie to you, what you said back there broke my heart...but it also made me realize that I had to stop crying, I have to fight for my comrades...and I cannot do that without you. I'm an idiot and without you...I wouldn't know what to do, come back to us," said Naruto happily, and this time the young girl couldn't control her feelings any longer...and she hugged him back tightly.

"I only wanted to help you...but I-" said Mikasa frankly, but was stopped again as the rest of her friends came beside them.

"You wouldn't be Mikasa if you didn't do that...please don't scare us like that again," said Armin jokingly,

"You're a badass Mikasa..." said Kotetsu cheerfully, and gave Mikasa a thumbs up.

"You dumbass...you would still consider her an enemy if I didn't explain why she did it." said Izumo with a small smile to Mikasa, and everyone chuckled a little on seeing the embarrassed look on Kotetsu's face.

Rangiku just stood beside the others and gave Mikasa a small welcoming nod indicating they were even now.

The rest of the company watched in amazement as the group of friends resolved their issues...they didn't even look the least affected. It was as if they were not scared to face the enemy as long as they were together.

What was so different about them?

Mikasa looked at the faces of all her friends...this was what she always wanted. Friends on whom she could rely on, friends who would never abandon her. She had realized that sometimes she went too far...and this time they had forgiven her, but it won't happen again.

"I promise you all...I won't do something like that again," said Mikasa truthfully, and Naruto broke the hug and looked her straight in the eye.

"I'm sorry for putting you under a genjutsu...even if my intentions were noble, I didn't trust in your strength. I promise you...I won't do something like that ever again." said Naruto honestly with a small smile,

"Hai" said Mikasa gently,

"Now then..." said Naruto firmly as he looked at the rest of his comrades who were staring at their group in amazement.

He walked forward and slowly unsheathed his tanto which made some of the troopers a little tense. But he pointed his tanto at his friends, and looked at the rest of the company firmly.

"This is what I fight for...this is what all of us fight for. We have come so far, endured so much pain...we lost comrades, but we didn't surrender. All of us kept on fighting no matter the odds. No matter what arguments we had, we never abandoned a comrade...if we fall back now, we would be spitting on the sacrifice of the Commander and all of our fallen comrades," said Naruto seriously,

"But we are outnumbered Naruto...even if we fight together, there are too many of them," said Anko in a defeated tone, if the Commander was here then probably they had a chance.

"We can win," said Naruto firmly, and looked at each of them in the eyes.

"Even if you are with us...it is impossible," said Raido flatly, and Naruto's resolve strengthened a little more as his friends came beside him.

"We are strong...far stronger than all of Iwa's army. We can send them back to hell...even if we are outnumbered," said Naruto loudly, and a little hope came in some of the troopers eyes.

Mikasa stepped forward and pointed her finger at the rest of the company...and her dark blue eyes bored into each of their hearts.

"You're either incompetent or spineless cowards. We are blacklight, the best soldiers of this world...if you fight, you live. Today all of us have to make a choice...whether we want to be known as cowards who abandoned their posts when our country needed us the most...or we want to be known as the warriors who destroyed Iwa's entire army and became the vanguard of Konoha's victory in this war..." said Mikasa harshly, and Naruto was quite surprised when even more blacklight started getting a lot more confident.

Genma was quite astonished by Mikasa's words...if she believed they could win...then maybe they had a chance. Mikasa was one of the most strongest soldiers and even if the Namikaze was a pain in the ass...he had skills. Maybe..

"You idiot...you really are..." said Anko with a small smile and slowly started walking towards Naruto and the others.

She was soon followed by Hana, Aoba, Raido...and many more blacklight. Now the only ones left were Genma and a 40 more blacklight who were still doubtful.

Genma noticed Mikasa's eyes on him, and a small blush came on his face. How was he supposed to say no when such a beauty was looking at him.

"Damn it...OI, you idiots were we really trained to let our comrades fight alone? At this rate, we will be known as cowards...you're on Namikaze!" said Genma loudly, and ran after the group.

"I'm surprised he said that..." said Raido with a chuckle, and everyone laughed a little on seeing the light blush on Genma's face.

Yugao was the only one left along with a few others...and she just decided to speak her heart.

She turned to the 40 blacklight behind her and pointed her sword at them.

"Cowards!Weaklings!Retards!"

Those words shocked the remaining soldiers and their hands slowly went to touch their tanto...looking at the faces of their determined comrades increased their confidence.

"They're nuts..."

"It seems this is the only way...fuck it man,"

"Let's break some shit!"

Naruto got a huge smile on his face as the rest of his comrades joined them, the entire company was ready to fight. They didn't know what was going to happen, but they were all together in this.

And in the end, that's all that mattered.

The cold winds touched their bodies continuously, in a small trench the rest of the 1st company of blacklight stood at attention. Hands on their weapons, eyes sharp...ready to face the most dangerous night of their life.

Tonight the soil of Shanxi will be washed in blood...but that blood would be of Iwa's soldiers.

In front of the soldiers stood a tall young boy, his hands were rested on his kunai launcher. He was steadily breathing and silently loaded his magazine into the weapon. Looking behind, he saw his comrades standing firmly behind him and their eyes showed they had full faith in him.

Naruto Namikaze didn't know how his life had changed, from being an innocent kid who loved his family...he had turned into a combat squad leader. But today he realized something.

Right now looking at the faces of his men who were ready to fight and die on his command...made him understand why his father had not been there for him during his early childhood.

"I was so naive, Tou-chan I blamed you for abandoning me when you were shouldering the responsibility of the entire nation on your shoulders. You were protecting the future of every child in Fire country...and yet I hated you for being a good leader. But today I understand why you did it...and I'm proud of you. Today I can finally be your son and fight for Konoha as a true leader...and I promise you, not even a single Iwa shinobi will step foot in Konoha...even if it costs us our lives. This I promise you, as Naruto Namikaze, Commander of 1st comapny, blacklight forces," thought Naruto with determination burning in his eyes.

He slowly turned around and looked at the faces of his men. With great power came great responsibility, he was no longer a young trooper...he was the commander of all these soldiers.

"Naruto...they are here. Contact in 1 minute," said Aoba calmly, but the young boy knew Naruto must have already sensed them coming.

Shizune looked at her friend proudly, he had brought all the medics at this position. This would be the place where they would make their last stand...she was scared, but looking at her friends around her gave the girl hope.

Mikasa was at the front of the company with Armin by her side, while Naruto stood on the edge of the trench. Izumo and Kotetsu were standing beside her and had grasped her hands to give her comfort...something she was grateful for.

"Arm yourselves"

Naruto's swift and firm voice echoed across the entire trench and the sounds of swords being unsheathed, tanto being readied and launchers being loaded with magazines was heard everywhere.

"My brothers, the time has come to crush the enemy to the last man. For years, our comrades were killed like rats for the selfish and evil intentions of these Iwa bastards...but not anymore. Today this madness stops, today we will take the fight back to their land, their people...their blood!" said Naruto murderously and the hazy figures of Iwa shinobi started becoming visible in the front of the forest.

"HAI" said all the troopers in unison, their eyes burned with sheer determination...and their resolved strengthened even more.

"Hunt them down like the little bastards they are...the back, the head, their eyes...hit them wherever you like, as long as those fuckers are dead" said Naruto loudly, and soon the Iwa army completely came out of the forest and was just about to charge at their position.

The enemy lined themselves upon in waves and the look in their eyes was enough to show Naruto and his comrades the enemy wanted no survivors.

"Shinobi of Iwa step forward!"

The voice of a veteran Iwa commander ran across the entire enemy army...and the entire ground shook violently as thousands of Iwa shinobi took a step forward and were now standing behind the veteran commander.

"Capture the post...CHARGE!"

"YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Naruto and his company positioned themselves behind the trenches, their weapons ready. The thousands of Iwa shinobi were charging at them so quickly that the entire ground was shaking and the KI had escalated to the point where sweat was dropping from everyone's face.

"Let them come closer" said Naruto firmly, and many of the blacklight gave a hesitant nod.

The enemy curbed stomped the fences which they had set up and blew up the explosives which they had hidden in the ground. It seemed they were a lot more cautious than before.

"Hold you fire"

Armin's fingers trembled on the edge of his kunai launcher as he saw hundreds...no thousands of enemy forces a few hundred feet in front of him. He was itching to fire his weapon but the young trooper knew he had to wait for a few seconds more.

Mikasa stood beside Naruto and her hands were calmly rested on her kunai launcher, she was calm and was prepared to defend all her friends. As long as her friends were standing nothing was going to stop her.

Anko took a deep breath and twirled her kunai quickly between her fingers...sweat ran across her face. These bastards were going to get their balls ripped today.

Yugao was standing on the right side and her hands had firmly grasped her sword...she was going to make the enemy pay in blood for killing Commander Fox.

Izumo and Kotetsu stepped forward and readied their shuriken and kunai...just one signal from Naruto was all they needed to butcher these scum.

"RANGIKU!"

The young Konoha ninja watched in surprise as hundreds of blue arrows fell from the sky...the Iwa shinobi tried to block them, but they pierced right through their weapons and tore them apart.

"IWASHI!"

A young brown haired blacklight stepped forward and performed a set of hand seals quickly and slammed his hands on the ground.

"Fuinjutsu: Katon Kaenjin (Sealing Technique: Fire Barrier)"

Mikasa and the other blacklight watched calmly as seals glowed all around the field and instantly a red barrier trapped hundreds of Iwa shinobi within it.

"What is this?"

"Destroy it now!"

Naruto's cold eyes glared at the trapped shinobi in the barrier...expect no mercy, show no mercy. This was what Han had told.

"Burn motherfuckers!"

As soon as those words left the young Namikaze's mouth...everyone watched in horror as flames of fire stared burning in the entire barrier along with the Iwa shinobi in it.

"GAHHHHHHh"

"IT BURNS!"

"MY SKIN...I'M ON FIRE!"

The young kids silently watched in horror as right in front of them almost 900 Iwa shinobi were being cooked alive...and somewhere deep in their heart, they were scared on seeing such scenes. No amount of training could prepare you for something like this.

Shizune puked badly when she saw the skin melting off the body of hundreds of Iwa shinobi, and showers of blood erupted in the entire barrier. The scene was so horrific that her entire body started shaking badly.

Mikasa watched silently as many Iwa shinobi slit their own throats in order to escape from their pain...while many of them tried to attack the barrier, but as soon as they touched it, they were reduced to ashes.

The once mighty army of Iwa just lost almost 1,000 of their forces in mere minutes. Some of them feared they were up against the "Yellow Flash", as only that man was capable of this much destruction in such short time.

In a way, the Iwa commanders were right as they were facing the elder son of Minato Namikaze.

Naruto jumped on the edge of the trench as the fire barrier slowly started disappearing. His strategy had worked, by using Iwashi's fuinjutsu skills he had set up a barrier that would kill any person that stepped in it.

He knew the Iwa shinobi would immediately retreat if they saw the barrier forming around them...so he ordered Rangiku to launch a powerful air strike which would distract them while Iwashi finished forming the barriers.

And now...

His sharingan glared at the remaining 2000 Iwa shinobi that were in shock...and three words left his mouth.

"Kill them all"

The young Namikaze charged straight towards the enemy forces, his eyes burned with pure hatred and the next moment numerous kunai flew from his kunai launcher and started decimating the disarrayed Iwa forces in front of him.

He was quite surprised when Anko jumped ahead of him and in one sweep cut down 3 shinobi in front of her.

"YAHOO!"

"This girl's crazy!" thought Naruto with a chuckle, he didn't care how Anko fought as long as she killed the enemy.

The next second Mikasa passed like a storm and her shuriken struck one of Iwa's squad leaders straight in the eyes.

"AHHHHH"

Mikasa used her 3D gear to flip high in the air, and swiftly beheaded the squad leader with her tanto.

"You're next" said Mikasa murderously, and the Iwa shinobi took a step back in fear when the girl pointed her bloodied weapon at them.

CLANG! SLASH! CLANG! SLASH!

Blood rained down everywhere as the entire blacklight company charged forward and destroyed the entire frontal wave of Iwa's army. Their swords cut the enemy's throats, their heads, their arms.

There was no remorse, no mercy...just the desire to kill prevailed everywhere.

Another round of arrows fell from the sky and the young Namikaze saw Rangiku giving him a wink before moving forward to destroy the enemy forces.

Naruto fired another round of his kunai...and started killing everyone in front of him. He was not scared at all, he only knew that he had to kill the enemy...and that was all that mattered to him.

As soon as his kunai launcher ran out he jumped high in the air and fired the hooks of his 3D gear on the bark of a tree. As he sailed through the air he unleashed an army of shuriken and his soldiers were quite astonished when each and every one of those shuriken hit their targets and the enemy started falling like flies.

Fountains of blood rained down everywhere as numerous Iwa ninja got caught in Naruto's shurikenjutsu and fell dead on the ground.

BOOM!

Naruto gritted his teeth in anger, when an explosion occurred on the right side and almost 7 of his comrades were blown to pieces. It seemed the enemy was fighting back.

He performed a hand seal quickly and gathered a lot of his chakra.

"Mokuton: Sashiki no Jutsu (Wood Release: Cutting Technique)"

Hundreds of wooden spikes emerged from the ground and started tearing the Iwa shinobi that were about to kill the blacklight troopers on the right side...but in doing so, Naruto was left wide open.

"DIE!"

Naruto's eyes widened in horror when a bulky Iwa shinobi swiped his sword at Naruto's neck...and in a flash blood was spilled across Naruto's face.

He looked beside him and saw Armin was holding the sword with his bare left hand...and he had never seen his friend doing such a thing before.

"You will not harm my commander!" said Armin murderously, and stabbed a kunai straight between the Iwa shinobi's eyes...as the ninja fell dead on the ground.

A small smile came on Naruto's face on seeing Armin finally overcoming his fear...today his friend had truly became a true shinobi.

"Thank you..." said Naruto gratefully, and deflected a kunai aimed for Armin with his tanto as his friend blocked an enemy behind his back.

"What are friends for idiot!" said Armin happily, and kicked the enemy ninja straight in the balls and in one twist broke his neck.

"Doton Doryuudan (Earth Release: Mud Dragon Projectile Jutsu)"

Naruto quickly stepped in front of Armin in order to protect his friend from the incoming mud dragon...but he was quite amazed when Mikasa jumped on top of the dragon's head and performed a set of hand seals.

"Raiton Rakurai no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Thunderbolt Jutsu)"

She slammed both of her hands on the dragon's head and lightning passed all over the dragon's body...and it quickly crumbled to pieces as the ferocious girl jumped right beside her two best friends.

"Morons" said Mikasa with a gentle smile and started fighting beside Naruto and Armin.

"Formation N" yelled Armin loudly as 7 Iwa shinobi jumped on them.

The next instant Naruto stepped in front of them and his hand turned into a wooden shield which blocked all the weapons of the Iwa shinobi.

Naruto quickly ducked as Mikasa performed a set of hand seals followed by Armin pressing the trigger of his kunai launcher.

"Fuuton Kazekiri (Wind Release: Wind Cutter Jutsu)"

As soon as Naruto ducked on the ground, Mikasa's wind attacks sliced all across their bodies and blood flew everywhere. They didn't have any time to scream as Armin's kunai pierced straight through their skulls.

The Iwa shinobi took a step back as the saw the powerful trio destroying anyone that came in their way. Naruto provided the perfect defense, Mikasa gave the perfect offense while Armin provided the necessary support.

Together these 3 started fighting violently and many Iwa ninja fell like flies in front of their combined attacks.

Naruto grabbed a young Iwa ninja by his neck and lifted him high in the air...his dark sharingan bore straight through the enemy's soul.

"Do you want to dance?" asked Naruto with an evil tone,

CRACK!

The young ninja's neck was broken in one loud twist and his body was thrown straight at the feet of the Iwa commander, the one who was leading the Iwa forces.

The veteran Iwa commander had light grey hair that reached up to his back, he was wearing the purple uniform of the Iwa shinobi while standing 6 ft 6 inch tall. His muscles were so developed that he could crush skulls with them.

"Are you their leader?" asked the Iwa commander coldly,

Mikasa was about to step forward when Armin put his hand on her shoulder. She wanted to protest but one look in his eyes showed him that Naruto wanted to face this man.

It was a fight between two leaders.

Both the armies stopped fighting and were now looking intently towards this battle.

"What's your name?" asked the Iwa leader curiously, he was really astonished by this boy's brutality...he had only seen such prowess in battle in the Yondaime Hokage.

Every shinobi was quite surprised when they heard Naruto laughing...and the way he was laughing it seemed really evil.

"Now that the war's began...names don't matter. Boy, Murderer...call me anything you want," said Naruto darkly,

"Just who are you anyway?" asked the Iwa commander warily, this boy was evil.

"I'm no one. I don't want to be anyone...the only thing I want is your blood. I'm going to wipe all of you from the face of this world!" said Naruto darkly and his sharingan flared dangerously.

Mikasa was shocked to hear this...she had heard those words before. It was during their introduction ceremony a few years back, but looking at Naruto right now made her realize he really had a lot of darkness in him.

Everyone was quite surprised when the Iwa commander was tore in half as another Naruto emerged right beneath his feet and killed him with his tanto.

The Iwa shinobi couldn't believe what they were seeing...this boy...no this devil had killed their commander in the blink of an eye.

They slowly started taking a step back in fear as Naruto started walking towards them...his footsteps were making them flinch every time they touched the ground.

"I don't think running will save you," said Naruto darkly, and hundreds of wooden spikes emerged from the ground and pierced straight through the enemies body.

"GAH!"

"Retreat!"

"They are monsters!"

The remaining Iwa shinobi started running away but were halted when a enormous wooden wall formed in front of them. They turned around and saw the entire blacklight company charging at them.

"This is for Bird!" said Naruto furiously, as his tanto sliced a female ninja in half. Men, women, teens he didn't care. He had made up his mind, he was going to create a massacre today.

Mikasa and Armin blocked the kunai and shuriken fired at them but before they could counterattack Naruto jumped in the air, and performed a set of hand seals.

"Katon Hosenka no Jutsu (Phoenix Sage Fire Technique)"

Numerous fireballs rained down on the Iwa shinobi and started burning them badly...and they were given the final blow when Izumo and Kotetsu ended their lives with their combined attacks.

The remaining 60 Iwa shinobi looked around in fear...in a matter of minutes, these soldiers had destroyed their entire army. And there were still 50 of them alive...and they had surrounded them from all sides.

Genma surrounded the enemy from the south side, but before he could move in one signal from Naruto stopped him.

"Genma...this is my fight. I'll be the one to kill these scum," said Naruto darkly, and for once the young boy nodded instantly when Naruto's murderous KI hit him.

The young Namikaze slowly stated walking towards the surrounded enemy forces and two of the enemy ninja charged straight towards him.

"This is for Eagle!" said Naruto coldly, as he disappeared and in flash beheaded the two Iwa ninja.

"You bastard!" said a female Iwa ninja and swirled her tanto straight at Naruto...but to her shock he grabbed the weapon with his bare hands as his blood leaked out of the wounds.

Naruto roughly planted his hand on the woman's chest...an image of Hisana appeared in front of his eyes, and he remembered how brutally she died.

"This is for HISANA!" said Naruto murderously,

SPLASH!

Everyone watched in shock as wooden spikes emerged all over the female ninja's body and killed her instantly while drenching Naruto's entire body in her blood.

"Monster..."

"Demon..." said the Iwa shinobi in fear,

Naruto slowly wiped the blood from his face...words couldn't describe how happy he was feeling right now. He was finally avenging his fallen comrades.

"We surrender...please don't kill us," said one of the Iwa shinobi in fear, he was really terrified of this boy now.

"We accept defeat...do whatever you like but please don't kill us." said a young female ninja hurriedly, and even stripped some of her clothes to show Naruto...she was willing to do anything to save herself from this monster.

Naruto grasped his tanto firmly...he really wanted to kill these bastards. His entire body was burning with anger and hatred, and now he realized what Hawk had said was right.

Revenge and hatred were the only thing prevalent in this world.

"That's enough!"

Mikasa's firm voice snapped him out of his madness...and he was quite surprised when she came beside him and put her hand on his face.

"There is no need for anymore blood to be spilled...we don't kill those enemy ninja who surrender!" said Mikasa flatly, and Naruto glared at her angrily.

"These bastards killed my comrades...they killed the commander. I'm going to kill them!" said Naruto defiantly,

The young Namikaze charged forward with his tanto...

"Would you be able to face your brother if you killed defeated and unarmed enemies?" asked Mikasa coldly, and her assumptions were proved right when Naruto stopped instantly.

"So, Itachi is his weakness...to think that the mere thought of his brother made him stop is really astonishing," thought Armin calculatingly,

Everyone watched in shock when the revenge driven Naruto sheathed his tanto, and started walking away from the remaining Iwa shinobi. He didn't utter a word, and just gave one firm nod to Mikasa...which brought a small smile on her face.

"Izumo...seal off their chakra, and bind them. We'll be taking them for interrogation, after that the Hokage will decide," said Mikasa seriously,

"As you wish. Kotetsu, come with me" said Izumo quickly, and a few other blacklight joined him and started binding the defeated Iwa shinobi.

Mikasa looked at the retreating form of Naruto...and her sharp eyes picked up the lone tear that fell on the ground.

Without even thinking for a second, she ran after him.

Her fears were proved right when she found him curled up in a small corner in the trenches...and she could silently hear his sobs.

She gently sat beside him...and put her hand on his head. His face was hidden between his knees but she didn't need to see how badly he was affected by this battle.

"I don't want to go home..." said Naruto in a choked voice, and this surprised Mikasa a lot. She expected him to say the opposite...just what the hell was going on?

She tried to life his face up but he resisted again...so she forcefully made him look up and for the first time she saw the sea of sadness in his eyes.

"Look at me...what I did, what I have become. I don't want my brother to see a monster like me...I doubt anyone would want a person like me back home," said Naruto in a broken voice, and Mikasa wiped the tears from his cheeks.

She leaned forward and kissed his forehead lovingly...her hands wrapped around his chest and she captured him in a fierce hug.

A feeling of relief was felt by Naruto as his hands roamed all across her body...it was as if she was taking away all his pain. He didn't know what he would do without her?

She could be harsh as well as gentle at the same time, and sometimes he really felt happy being around her. Her frank attitude, her light jabs, the small beautiful smile on her face...he loved everything about her.

"How do you do it?" asked Naruto calmly as his hands raked through her silky raven hair.

"As long as you are with me...I don't need anything. I'll stay by your side forever," said Mikasa lovingly and kissed his cheek affectionately,

He leaned back a little and was now looking her straight in the eye. Calm blue eyes met distressed black eyes...he slowly leaned forward and his lips slowly touched her gentle lips.

"NARUTO!"

Armin's voice stopped him and Mikasa quickly got up with a light blush on her face...none of them wanted their best friend to see what they were doing.

The young boy tiredly came around the corner...he was panting harshly, and Naruto quickly got up.

"Shizune is calling you..." said Armin tiredly, and no other words were needed as Naruto rushed past his friend.

"Oi...wait for me!" said Armin loudly, as even Mikasa ran after Naruto leaving poor Armin behind.

When Naruto arrived in the medical tent, he was really saddened on seeing the bodies of almost 40 of his soldiers who had died defending Shanxi, while almost 10 of them were badly wounded.

"Naruto..."

Shizune's voice snapped him out of his stupor, he looked around and saw Genma, Rangiku, Aoba and Hana standing around Shizune, and he quickly went towards them.

The young Namikaze's eyes widened in shock when he saw Yugao lying on the bed...and he saw the tears dropping from Shizune's eyes, and looking at the large hole in Yugao's stomach along with the pool of blood around her bed was enough to make him realize.

He controlled the tears coming in his eyes as he remembered the day he had met her...they were not close, but still she was his friend, and now...

She slowly lifted her hand...and Naruto firmly grasped it.

"Commander...was...I...useful...to...my...country?" asked Yugao painfully, and Naruto wiped the tears that slipped from her eyes.

"You did great Yugao-chan...you kicked those bastards back to hell. And you'll do even more..." said Naruto gently as his hands caressed her purple hair.

"Naruto...she's gone," said Shizune in a tearful voice,

Naruto stared at Yugao, she looked so peaceful right now.

"Did she hear what I said?" asked Naruto silently,

"Hai" said Shizune sadly, and closed the girl's eyes slowly.

All the young kidz stared at the bodies of their fallen comrades...they had won but more than half of their company was wiped out. And for Naruto this victory meant nothing as still his friends died.

"Commander Naruto"

A new commanding voice was heard from outside the tent and Naruto gave one last glance to Yugao's dead body, before slowly walking out of the tent. Armin, and the others also followed him outside.

The young kids were quite surprised when they saw the chief commander of blacklight standing in front of them along with a few of his guards. All of them instantly bowed in respect to Baku.

The veteran Anbu commander came forward and gave a firm salute to them which they quickly returned.

"You have done well, all of you are heroes. You destroyed Iwa's entire 1st division on your own...none of you know how much you have changed the war, everyone calls your company as "Ghost" now. The enemy thinks that you cannot be defeated...I'm proud of all of you," said Baku proudly, but was quite surprised when Naruto gave a tired sigh.

"What's the difference...my comrades still died? Was this hill worth all the lives we lost?" asked Naruto sadly, and Baku saw the boy was badly affected by this battle.

"It was worth it," said Baku flatly,

And the next instant he was seeing straight in a pair of angry sharingan eyes.

"Don't you dare say that! My friends, my commander died...while you sat in a comfortable room. You have no right to insult them!" said Naruto angrily,

"Naruto...he is the supreme commander!" said Armin worriedly as he saw his friend venting out his anger at Baku.

Baku came forward and now knelt down so that he could look Naruto straight in the eye...the young Namikaze expected a punch for his actions but was quite shocked when Baku patted his head.

"You're the same as Han...he was like you when he was 13 too," said Baku sadly as he remembered his valiant son who was now rotting in the belly of the Shinigami.

"Han?" asked a confused Naruto, and Baku saw the others also were curious.

"You may know him as Commander Fox," said Baku truthfully...and this time everyone's eyes widened in shock as the truth hit them.

"Commander Fox...was your son?" asked a shocked Mikasa,

Naruto just couldn't say anything now...he had no right to tell Baku anything, the commander had lost his son and he knew it must be heart breaking for him.

Baku sensed the depressing atmosphere and decided to cheer them up.

"You all are being relieved of duty for a 2 weeks. Before we launch the next phase of Operation Flash, I want you all to take some rest and regain your strength. 2nd company will guard this hill from now. That's an order," said Baku firmly,

"Hai" said all of them in unison,

"Naruto Namikaze...you will be rewarded the Konoha Cross for your bravery and leadership in this battle," said Baku strictly,

"I refuse" said Naruto flatly, and Baku looked at the boy sternly,

"That was not a request soldier!" said Baku harshly,

"You should give it to them, and more than that you should give it to your son," said Naruto sadly and pointed to the bodies of the fallen blacklight troopers.

Then without another word the young Namikaze gave a light bow to Baku and started walking away while everyone was quite confused by his behavior except for Mikasa.

"What happened here was wrong...but don't hate your country for it, son" said Baku seriously and Naruto gave him a harsh glare.

He turned around and looked at the commander straight in the eye...

"I'd die for my country..." said Naruto firmly, and now Baku was really intrigued by this boy.

"Then what do you want?" asked Baku calmly, and the Namikaze again pointed Baku towards the fallen trooper's body.

"I don't want some fucking medal...I don't need any glory, the only thing I want is for my country to remember these soldiers...who fought, bled and ultimately died for their country. Can you show the people of Konoha and fire country what these soldiers did for them?" asked Naruto straight forwardly,

Baku's respect for the boy increased to great extent after hearing that. Konoha Cross was the 2nd highest medal awarded to any shinobi...and this boy just refused it like that, just for his comrades to be remembered?

"I'll make sure your wish is fulfilled," said Baku silently,

"Thank you..." said Naruto gratefully and gave the commander a respectful bow.

Baku stepped in front of Naruto...and the boy was quite intrigued when the aged commander presented a Konoha headband to him.

"This is a proof that your comrades are still alive...they will be forever remembered for their sacrifice by Konoha and in your hearts," said Baku firmly, and started walking away.

Naruto looked at the headband and a few tears came in his eyes.

His war had just began.