Chapter 12: Epilogue

Epilogue

Epilogue: Version A

From the History of the Unified Western Empire...

With the success of Operation Scorched Leaf, Konohagakure was finished as a major player in the shinobi world. The more superstitious people believed that the ruins of Konoha were cursed, and even bandits avoided the ruins like a plague. The Konoha civilians, led by Hana Inuzuka, saw that they had nothing to return home to following the destruction of the Leaf. Following Konoha's destruction, the survivors attempted to rebuild, but found it difficult. Led by Hana Inuzuka and over two hundred jounin, the Konoha Remnant attempted to settle down, but each time, rival shinobi had attacked their group, thus driving down their numbers even further.

In desperation, Hana Inuzuka had appealed to the Fire Damiyo for aid, but was turned away. The Fire Damiyo - on threat of invasion on the orders of the other Elemental Nations given that he had supported Konoha's attempts to destablize the other villages and their damiyos - had turned the remnants away, in order to keep his position as Damiyo of Fire Country. That and the Damiyo had agreed not to reestablish Konoha or another Shinobi village on his lands in order to keep the other nations from invading, following Naruto releasing information regarding his past attempts to cripple the rival villages and their damiyos through Danzou's ROOT ANBU.

The last anyone has seen of Hana Inuzuka and the Konoha Remnants, were that they were on a boat heading south to Temujin's Continent. They were never heard from again.

In the West, the four clans who had defected from Konoha had made a name for themselves in the Unified Western Empire. Hinata's father, Hiashi Hyuuga, had became known to being the diametric opposite of Takuma Uzumaki's hotheaded personality. His daughter, Hanabi Hyuuga, would establish herself as one of the finest diplomats that the Western Empire had to offer, serving in Spring Country as its representative. She was also a fine kunoichi, her skills in the Jyuuken becoming legendary. After returning from the mandatory four years abroad as the West's ambassador, she returned to Kimon, married, and settled down as clan head.

What was formerly known as Cell Gai - now known as Cell Nine - also achieved success in the West. Tenten Hyuuga had worked her way up the ranks, becoming a skilled weaponsmaster in her own right. Rock Lee, having shed his Mini-Gai image, became famous for his Taijutsu, earning him the nickname 'Kimon's Green Dragon.' Aside from serving in the Imperial Defense Forces, Rock Lee also trained rising shinobi and samurai at the Academy, which is where he also met his wife. Under the tutelage of Hiashi Hyuuga, Neji Hyuuga's martial arts abilities had increased tenfold. But Neji did not become arrogant, thanks to his wife's influence. Both his and Hanabi's children would become famous for their teamwork.

The first-generation Ino-Shika-Cho, consisting of Inoichi Yamanaka, Shikaku Nara and Chouza Akamichi, became famous for their teamwork in the West. Inoichi Yamanaka had became one of the most feared men in the Imperial Interrogation and Torture Division, with the prisoners preferring Ibiki over the Yamanaka mind reader. But one could not deny the results, as Inoichi got the job done. Shikaku Nara's reputation for his ability to remain impartial and fair in his post within the Ministry of Shinobi Affairs had even brought Iwa and Mist to the West settle a dispute. Aside from being the muscle of the trio, Chouza Akamichi also became famous for the Akamichi restaurant in Kimon, its barbecue becoming famous far and wide.

The second-generation Ino-Shika-Cho, under the tutelage of Hayate Okajima, also became famous, even more so than their days in Konohagakure no Sato. Shikamaru Nara had married Temari, who had became Suna's permanent representative in Kimon, and had a daughter together. Ino Yamanaka had become a renowned medic-ninja (while working part time at the Interrogation and Torture Division with her father) under the combined tutelage of Karin Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga. She married Haku Yuki and the pair had two children - the eldest with her clan's signature jutsu, and the youngest with Haku's ice abilities. Chouji also married - his wife being a civilian chef at the Akamichi restaurant. The restaurant itself was personally endorsed by the Emperor and Empress Consort, as was the Yamanaka flower shop, mainly by the Empress herself.

Ibiki Morino became a legend in the Imperial Interrogation and Torture. Aside from Inoichi Yamanaka and Zabuza Momichi, he was the last person any criminal wanted to see. Zabuza had hooked up with Anko Mitarashi. Who'd knew that Zabuza was a sadomasochist?

Last, was Naruto and Hinata Namikaze. The pair would rule as Emperor for twenty-five years before they decided to step down from their place as Emperor and Empress of the United West. Minato Namikaze and his wife, Makoto Namikaze – formerly a Suna Jounin – to take the throne as the second Emperor and Empress Consort of the Unified West. Like his father, Minato would show that he had been trained well. He would rule the Unified West under a fair and just hand, being a lover of truth and justice.

Despite not being in line for the throne, Moka Namikaze became the Damiyo of Spring Country. A talented healer and fighter, Moka was named the Fourth Fox Sage by her mother and Kurama. Seeing as how she had a talent for acting and singing, Koyuki Kazahana – known by her stage name of Yukie Fujikaze – had taken Moka under her tutelage. By the time her elder brother had ascended the throne, Moka Namikaze Kazahana – having married Yukie's son Rajin Kazahana – was not only an accomplished warrior, entertainer and healer, but she would go on to rule Spring Country as its Damiyo, Rajin would command Spring Village as its kage. The siblings would remain close for many years.

Naruto and Hinata Namikaze would become known as 'Father and Mother of the Empire,' a title bestowed upon them in Naruto's sixteenth year as Emperor of the Unified West. With the ascension of Minato Namikaze, the exploits of his father and mother became legend. Naruto and Hinata Namikaze would go on to leave a series of instructions to their successors on how to rule. These instructions were mandatory reading for all heirs to the throne. What was said is now lost to history, but for all purposes, the advice was followed.

The Namikaze Dynasty would rule until the end of the Shinobi Age. No one knows the whereabouts of their descendants, but one thing is for certain. Their exploits will not be forgotten, as they are recorded in the annals of history. Their descendants have not died out, as they are still alive to this very day, unaware of the legacy that they contain. But as with all legends and tales, it is just waiting to be discovered.

Epilogue: Version B

"'The Namikaze Dynasty would rule until the end of the Shinobi Age. No one knows the whereabouts of their descendants, but one thing is for certain. Their exploits will not be forgotten, as they are recorded in the annals of history.'"

The speaker was a woman in her late twenties, early thirties. Her audience was a archeology class in Tokyo University. The woman was very voluptuous, her figure showing from her business suit and skirt combination, the pair of black heels on her feet. Short dark hair framed her face, the bangs covering one eye (ala Rosemary's MGS4 hairdo). Her uncovered lavender eye with pupil scanned the captivated audience.

"'Their descendants have not died out, as they are still alive to this very day, unaware of the legacy that they contain. But as with all legends and tales, it is just waiting to be discovered,'" she said as she closed the book from which she was reading from.

One of her students raised her hand. The professor acknowledged it with a nod. "Yes, Miyabi?"

A freshman student asked her question. "Professor Kujikawa, what happened to the refugees from Konoha?"

The professor, one Mayumi Kujikawa, shrugged her shoulders. "No one knows for sure. Once they were on the boat to the unknown continent, they were never heard from again. More than likely, they had assimilated and settled there."

A second student raised her hand. "Professor, how do you know so much about this subject?"

Kujikawa smiled. "I've been into ancient history for as long as I can remember. It's a passion of mine." She raised the book, which was titled History of the Unified West. The book itself was authored by both herself and her husband, who was a famous writer and lecturer of literature. Most people could not agree if it was fact or fiction. But what they did agree on was that it was a very good read.

"The ninja system in both East and West could not escape the changing times, and ended up collapsing," Kujikawa continued, "but the Namikaze Dynasty continued to rule, as they too changed with the times. In the end, it was not an uprising of the people that had brought the Namikaze Clan to ruin."

"So what was it?" Miyabi asked.

"Nature," Kujikawa replied. "Mother Nature herself. The Lahja Mountains were always a volatile region, but in the rein of the last Emperor, Naruto XII Namikaze, the Lahja Mountains erupted, which triggered a massive earthquake. Days later, the Unified West was engulfed in a tsunami, the land sinking into the ocean."

Kujikawa remembered that even all too well. Both her and her husband had assisted in the evacuation of the Imperial Capital, knowing well that the days of the Unified West were numbered. Aside from that, they also pilfered the Namikaze vaults underneath the Imperial Palace using several storage scrolls to seal up the chests of gold, but leaving more than enough cash to their clan, so that they can rebuild once again. They also took family heirlooms, jutsu scrolls and weapons that had been collected over the years.

The reason being? Mayumi Kujikawa was just an alias. One of many in her long life. Her birth name was Hinata Hyuuga, now Hinata Namikaze.

Before another student could ask a question, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. But more importantly, the end of the day. It was time to go home. As the students piled out of the classroom, Hinata sat down in a chair and took a moment to reflect. Her hand rubbed absently on the mark where Naruto had bit her on their wedding night. It was shortly thereafter that Kitami had taken both Naruto and Hinata to the side and explain the totality of the mark.

"As the both of you are mated, you will have fringe benefits. One of which is a long life. The Uzumaki were known for their long lifespans. When the both of you marked each other, that lifespan has increased a thousand fold."

Kurama. Last she heard, the Nine-Tails ran a curio shop in Hokkaido.

They had not aged a day over thirty, resorting to using henges to make themselves look older, or in some cases, relocate to a different area entirely. This was the seventh time that Naruto and Hinata were back in Japan, the last place they spent thirty years in was in Hong Kong, where their descendants from Moka's bloodline resided. Minato's bloodline resided in Japan, and one of them were in Hinata's class.

Of course, aside from Moka and Minato, Naruto and Hinata had countless children over the years. Some of their lines still existed, while others were extinct. Their daughter, Yumi, was a student in elementary school, a recent addition to the Namikaze bloodline. Over the thousands of years, Naruto and Hinata had many occupations from assassin to damiyo to shogun to businessman. It was only recently that Naruto decided to write his memoirs, of which Hinata had been reading to the class.

As for the other Jinchuuriki, they were still alive as well. Utakata, they had left while he was in Hong Kong. Roshi and Han were in Okinawa, Yugito had settled in Seoul, Gaara made his home in the Mojave Desert, posing as an insane survivalist, Bee was somewhere in South America, and Fu made her home in England.

Gathering her things and placing them into a shoulder bag, Hinata had decided that she had spent enough time walking down Memory Lane. Her husband was waiting for her.

Tokyo University – Campus

He stood in the midst of the students as they walked past him. Six feet tall, with undisciplined reddish hair (ala Chris' RE5 hairdo), blue eyes, his muscular frame hidden underneath the black longcoat and dark business suit. It was winter and the Christmas holidays had just begun. The cold had never really bothered him, being a former Jinchuuriki.

He was known as Takeshi Kujikawa to most people. A respected professor of literature here at Todai, as well as an accomplished writer. But to a select few, he was Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze.

Naruto didn't have to wait long for his wife to make her presence known. Bundled up in her own overcoat and scarf, shoulder bag slung over one shoulder, Hinata Namikaze approached her husband with a smile on her face. "Been waiting long, love?"

"Nah. Just got here, Hime. Ready?" he asked, extending his arm out.

Hinata responded by slipping her arm through Naruto's own. The couple then walked off, until they were just another couple heading home for the holidays. Maybe one day, the Emperor will rise once again to lead, but now, he was just a family man ready to spend the holidays with his wife and daughter.

The legacy of the Namikaze Clan will continue.

END.

So ends Wrath of the Emperor. But there is an omake that I forgot to add in the last chapter. Here is is. Hope you enjoy it.

OMAKE!

Hokuto no Naruto, Part Two

Snafu's Notes: I forgot to add this in the last chapter.

Sasuke growled as his eyes shifted into the Sharingan. Naruto had played him for a fool yet again. "The Kumite back in the Empire...you designed it solely just to humiliate me?!"

Naruto shook his head. "Actually, I didn't. I just manipulated the tournament so you would end up fighting Rasu. The fact that you managed to get as far as you did was a miracle in itself. You should feel honored, Sasuke. Thanks to me, you will get a place in history as the man who brought about Konoha's downfall. A spiteful, bitter, spoiled Uchiha...although I will gladly take the credit for destroying the Leaf."

Asuma, having been silent for the duration of this confrontation, balked. "You used us. All of us. Just so you could destroy Konoha."

"Don't you just love it when a plan comes together? I sure do. This was something that Hinata and I had came up with while we were fighting in the Unification Wars as a joke. But once we united the lands, we gave it some more serious thought. But before we could deal with the Leaf, there was Obito and the Akatsuki, as they would more than likely come after me for having the bijuu in my possession. Obito invading Suna gave me the excuse needed to go to war, as Suna is an ally. Once Obito and the Akatsuki was wiped out, I could finally focus on Konoha."

Hiruzen had heard enough. Madness in his eyes, he charged at Naruto, as did Asuma, brandishing his bloodied trench knives. However, Kurama intervened. Two of her fox tails had speared the resurrected father and son and lifted them into the air. As the Konoha side watched in horror (save for the two Senju brothers and Orochimaru), Kurama incinerated both men, reducing them to charred bones, the special kunai designed by Orochimaru to control them fell to the ground, charred from the intense heat.

"SENSEI!" Jiraiya shouted in horror.

"Goodbye, Hiruzen Sarutobi," Naruto sniped. "Give my regards to Koharu and Honmura."

Jiraiya, at that moment, saw red. "You...YOU DEVIL!" the enraged super pervert screamed, forming a Rasengan in his hand, and charged at the Emperor, who just simply stood there, the expression on his face was one of boredom. Naruto sidestepped the Rasengan and hooked Jiraiya's arm in an armbreaker hold. Sure enough, Naruto snapped the super-pervert's arm at the elbow, which was followed by...

THWACK.

Tsunade's eyes widened, as did those of Sakura, the Senju brothers, Orochimaru and even Sasuke.

The reason being was that Naruto had jammed both his thumbs into Jiraiya's temples.

"What...What did you do to me?!" Jiraiya whispered.

"Nothing fancy," replied Naruto as if he was discussing the weather. "This attack is called Zankaiken, 'The Fist of Penitence.' A simple technique, really. All I did was struck your pressure points in your temple which are called Toi. Want to know what happens when I remove my thumbs, Jiraiya? You will have exactly...seven seconds to live. Once the seven seconds are up, you will split vertically in half and your body will explode. All in all, a very painful death."

"Impossible!"

"You should know by know that I make the impossible possible. Word of advice, Jiraiya: better use those seven seconds to ask for forgiveness for what you had done to my parents and to my clan. Your seven seconds begins..." Naruto paused to remove his thumbs. "Now."

Jiraiya stumbled backwards and fell on his ass.

"Seven seconds, Jiraiya," Naruto said. "Six seconds."

"No...NO!" shouted Jiraiya. "I can't die! Not yet."

"Five seconds."

"I still got so much to do! I have to release the newest Icha Icha! I still haven't peeped on Tsunade without her catching me, let alone get her in bed with me!"

Tsunade looked at him in disgust.

"Three seconds."

"And I still haven't met Murasaki Shibiku!"

"So much for doing the right thing. Time's up. Goodbye, Jiraiya."

Jiraiya froze in place. Then he began to scream as his body gruesomely split in two before exploding in a shower of blood, bone and gore, some of it splattering on Tsunade and Orochimaru. Even Hashirama and Tobirama looked shocked as to what had happened.

"You are getting better at that, Kit," Kurama noted, having used her tails to swat aside pieces of Jiraiya that was sent her way. She then noticed Tsunade charging in, fists raised, ready to knock Naruto's head off while he was distracted.

Kushina noticed this as well, as she quickly reacted. Naruto found himself standing beside his father, while Kushina faced off against Tsunade.

Tsunade Senju was one-third of Konoha's Legendary Sannin. She was a renowned medic-ninja and known not only for her infamous brute strength, but also her bad luck when it comes to gambling. She had relied mostly on her brute strength, and not more on the Senju style of Taijutsu, which she was going to pay for dearly.

"You dare betray me?!" Tsunade shouted as she swung her fists at the Red-Hot Habanero, not noticing that Kushina had casually tapped several pressure points on her wrists.

"You betrayed my family," Kushina replied, her voice calm, but to anyone who knew her Kushina was furious. The Uzumaki never forgive those who betrayed their clan. Including those who had Uzumaki blood in their veins. "For that, you must pay." She then smirked at her aunt. "You really think that you can hit me with those hands?"

That caused Tsunade to stop. She remembered Kushina tapping her wrists as she was dodging her punches. 'No...she...she didn't...!'

Kushina nodded. "Yeah. I did."

Tsunade's fingers began to swell. Then her hands exploded, spraying blood all over, the Godaime Hokage screaming in pain from the sneak attack. But Kushina was not finished. There was a special place in Hell for those who betrayed the Uzumaki, and she was going to send Tsunade there.

"A-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-WA-TAH!"

WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-KA-POW!

Minato knew what Kushina was capable of. She was not know as the Red Death for nothing. A barrage of rapid-fire punches, hundreds of them from the look of things, struck Tsunade repeatedly before Kushina finished the barrage with a punch to the face, knocking Tsunade down.

Only when did Tsunade got back to her feet, did she notice that something was wrong. Her body jerked violently before her legs began to walk backwards of their own will. "My...my legs! I can't control my legs!"

"Uzumaki-ryuu ougi," Kushina began, "Zankai Sekiho Ken. I struck the Shitsugen pressure point on your body, Tsunade. You will walk backwards without you unable to control your legs. Do me a favor and walk yourself straight into Hell."

"You traitor!" Tsunade screamed.

"I'd be more concerned about what I'm walking into," Naruto said, pointing behind the Godaime.

Tsunade turned around, and saw that she was walking directly towards a burning building. Despite her attempt to get her legs under control, they were in the end, futile. In desperation, she tried to appeal to Naruto. "Naruto! Please! Don't let this happen to me! I'm sorry for betraying you! Please! Show mercy!"

"Sorry," replied the Emperor. "I'm all out of mercy. I ran out of it when you banished me."

Sakura, ever the loyal apprentice tried to stop Tsunade from walking into the burning building. Even until the bitter end, Sakura tried to rescue her mentor...only to end up being burned alive along with her mentor, their screams echoing throughout Konoha as they perished inside the inferno. As Orochimaru was distracted by watching Tsunade die, Minato had snuck around and freed the Senju brothers from Orochimaru's control and allowinf their souls to rest.

"Yo. Snake Man."

Orochimaru turned around...

...and felt two fingers pressed up against his forehead. Looking into the face of Naruto, Orochimaru felt complacent in the fact that as he was immortal, Naruto's attacks would have no effect on him, unlike Jiraiya.

"So," Orochimaru began, "do you really think that you can kill me like you did to Jiraiya? I am immortal!"

"Hidan said the same thing," Naruto replied as he removed his fingers from Orochimaru's skull. "This is the same technique I used to kill him with. It's called Kaikotsu Ken. Let's see how your immortality holds up when your skeleton explodes from your body."

"You're bluffing!"

Unfortunately, Orochimaru soon found out that Naruto was not bluffing. His body began to distort and contort, until finally, his skeleton blew out from the back, the skeleton crashing into a nearby wall, while the rest of his body fell into a heap, the last thing he thought before dying was how in the hell could this happen to him.

So ended the Sannin.

Kurama, on the other hand, got a measure of payback by incinerating Sasuke and Kabuto. When Kakashi tried to use the Sharingan on Kurama, he too was incinerated. So ended the lives of Kabuto yakushi and Sasuke Uchiha once and for all.

"That was so satisfying," Kurama said as she kicked what was Sasuke's skull to the side.