Chapter 15

Konoha

Nara Clan Compound

"You know, this is nowhere near as fun as I thought it would be."

A man coughed violently, blood spitting out from his mouth and staining the previously pristine white snow. A violent kick connected with his ribs a second time, sending his eyes wide, as a sickening crack echoed from what was no doubt the fifth rib having being broken.

"Sigh… it's no fun when you don't scream." A third kick. "When you don't beg." A fourth kick. "When you don't enjoy it. Pain is good you know? When you get enough of it – when you've bathed in it – it's almost indistinguishable from pleasure." A sensual moan. "Of course, it's even better when the person responsible for the pain is lovely and attractive."

The woman stood over him, clad in white spandex that was worn over an elegant kimono that could barely be classified as clothes. Elegant blue sashes in the front and back, and a small crop covering over her breasts. Her long, dull white stiletto heels, were soundless in the snow, and her beautiful face and elegant hair was mired by an expression that would not be out of place on a nymphomaniac in a brothel.

"Am I not attractive, Shikaku-dono?"

Nara Shikaku would not have answered this question even if he could. He already deduced the type of opponent he was facing against. A woman with clear sadomasochistic tendencies, blind devotion, and a deceptive grace. He stared, in irritation and in cold contempt, at what remained of his entire clan. Their bodies, littered about, dismembered, broken, pierced, ablaze – all of them demolished.

By one woman.

A heel slammed down into his palm, piercing it and pinning it to the snow. He resisted the urge to scream.

"Now, now, Shikaku-dono. Didn't your wife ever tell you it's rude to ignore a lady's question?" The woman smiled down at him. "So I'm going to ask you another one. I know there are secret tunnels to smuggle out the civilians and children in the case of an attack. I'm also aware of the fact that there are reverse-summoning seals designed to aid a hasty retreat in the case of an invasion, or worse, a full-blown civil war."

Shikaku's eyes widened.

"Oh don't be so surprised Shikaku-dono. I serve an omnipresent being and he knows about you – he knows about how you grew embittered at a militaristic Konoha. How you cautioned the Sandaime about handing over so much power to his friend, Danzo. How you flew into a rage once you realized that the academy was indoctrinating and brainwashing your beloved son. He knows – all of it."

The woman shook her head. "A shame. The true hero of Konoha is right here – Shikaku Nara. The man who wisely teleported and evacuated as many children and innocents from Konoha the second he saw an enemy ship flying through the air and realized there was no way victory was possible. But, you probably saved how many… twenty? Twenty-five per cent of the population? All the current Clan Heirs and Heiresses were included in that list, weren't they?"

Her 'smile' grew venomous.

"Of course, you happened to have made my mission a little bit more difficult. You see – I was supposed to kill or capture all of those precious little gems. Now – now I'll have to hunt them."

"Shikaku!"

Both male and female turned, or more accurately, Shikaku turned to the sound of a voice, whereas the woman turned to the sight of a giant, meaty fist. A meteoric boom echoed from the point of the impact – the resounding shockwave displacing the snow and sending rapid gusts of wind dispersing from the epicenter.

"Oh? What's this? More lambs to the slaughter?"

The woman, stood, amusedly staring at the giant fist in front of her, her right palm outstretched to stop the attack in its tracks. The newcomers arrived, shock clear on their face at the failure of their surprise attack.

"Chouza! Butterfly Catcher Formation!"

"Hai!"

The giant fist did not bother pushing back, rather, it opened into a full palm, and a second palm followed in a thunderous clap. Had the woman been anyone, anything, else, she would have been flattened into paste by the thunderous force of the clap which echoed throughout the village, as the champion of the clan of titans smacked his hands together as though attempting to catch a mosquito.

Rather than being flattened, the woman merely stared on in amusement. "My, my, so bold."

The blonde man amidst them frowned, but, unperturbed, he launched out his hands in the famous sign of his clan Jutsu.

"NO! Inoichi – don't –" Shikaku could barely get out the warning.

The problematic part of the Shintenshin no Jutsu was that it was effectively an all-or-nothing technique, and it was not designed with the possibility that the enemy might block or evade it. Hence why it worked best in an Ino-Shika-Cho Trio, where other members of the team would ensure that the enemy could not move away from its range.

In this situation, they had 'trapped' the enemy, and the technique was guaranteed to hit –

Except –

She's immune to ninjutsu.

Shikaku had seen it. It was the reason she could exterminate his clansmen like they were a band of slightly rabid donkeys. Their infamous Shadow Possession Jutsu failed to work. The second their shadows connected with hers – it was absorbed. Their chakra was absorbed. It left many of the clan members effectively defenseless. Their taijutsu was not the strongest of all the clans in Konoha, and conventional traps and tactics were useless when your opponent was powerful enough to barrel through them, and make a sarcastic retort whilst doing so. Kunai, shuriken, exploding paper bombs, trenches, pitfalls –

All were useless.

The overreliance on clan jutsu only became clear to Shikaku as he watched the woman snap necks while twisting her nipples, and rip out spinal cords whilst rubbing her thighs. The Nara Clan was not a clan that specialized in possessing overwhelming firepower – and they paid the price for it.

The Yamanaka Clan was the same. The difference however, was that Shikaku had no idea as to what would even happen if Inoichi attempted to use his Jutsu on the woman. The best case scenario would be nothing happening. The worst case scenario would be Inoichi's consciousness bouncing off into space.

The technique connected.

Inoichi went limp, falling to the ground.

And the woman –

The woman –

"I – I did it –" she said, clenching her fists, before immediately turning to Shikaku, removing 'her' leg from his hand. "I'm in control."

Shikaku, clearly, was not so sure. "What is my verification question?"

"The reason you married Yoshino."

"The answer?" Shikaku probed.

"Because she reminded you of your grandmother."

The man relaxed visibly. Likewise, the giant hands faded, vanishing away and receding back to the normal meaty arms of Chouza. The large man walked up, staring at a scene he had gotten used to for years, people being possessed by his friend. He then turned to his other comrade, grimacing at the wounds.

"Are you alright Shikaku?"

"No, no I'm not." Shikaku answered bluntly. "That's… surprising. I wasn't expecting your technique to work. Her outfit – the spandex – it has absorbed nearly all forms of chakra used against it. My Clan Jutsu managed to hold her for a few seconds before it absorbed the chakra I was channeling into it, and nearly sapped me dry in seconds. But your technique –"

"Maybe it doesn't work on Yin-Yang Chakra?" Chouza offered.

Yin-Yang Chakra. The 'hidden' aspects of chakra that wasn't taught in schools, that was the foundation for the clan techniques of the Yamanaka and Nara clans. The Yamanaka's mind techniques were pure Yin Chakra. The Nara techniques were pure Yang Chakra. Could it be?

"No – if such were the case, my Yang Chakra would not have been absorbed –" he shook his head. "We don't have time to debate this – we need to –"

'Inoichi' suddenly shuddered, holding 'her' stomach. "Shikaku… I – I don't feel so –"

'Inoichi' let out a roar of primal pain and fury, as 'his' eyes burned a pure, pristine white.

"YOU DARE! YOU FUCKING DARE!"

Shikaku's eyes widened at the shockwave and pressure of visible pure chakra that began emanating from the woman's form.

"NO ONE! NO ONE BUT SHEPHARD-SAMA! NO ONE BUT HIM HAS THAT RIGHT! GET! OUT! OF! MY! HEAD!"

In a scene that would forever haunt the memory of any who was unfortunate enough to witness it, a wispy, incorporeal, white visage of Inoichi Yamanaka emerged from the woman's body – and – like a ghost – let out an ear-piercing screech –

Before sucking itself into the woman's form.

There was absolute silence.

The silence was only broken by the sound of heavy panting, ragged breathing, as the woman returned, her eyes possessing a burning wrath within them, one that is equal parts madness and fury.

Wha... What did she do? What just happened?

If Shikaku were a dumber man, he would have asked that question out loud. Perhaps, he would have believed that the woman was aware of what just transgressed, or perhaps, he hoped, in the deepest parts of his mind, that he had not just witnessed the destruction and absorption of his friend's soul and consciousness. Or perhaps, he would have asked, if he made the folly of believing the woman was in any state to answer such questions, or even, to grant him a momentary reprieve from the ear-numbing screech that haunted his mind.

But he did not ask.

He did not ask, because the answer would be irrelevant.

He did not ask, because in those raging eyes – he saw only one outcome.

"Die."

A catastrophic shockwave of what he now realized was pure Yin Chakra, rushed out from the woman's body –

No – not pure Yin Chakra. Senjutsu Augmented Yin-Chakra.

There was no time to dwell on this discovery, as he witnessed his entire life fly before him in seconds – a phenomena he did not believe was possible, a phenomena he often dismissed with amusement –

"Hey tou-san. It's your turn to do the dishes."

"Mah, it's too troublesome."

"I know."

"Let's decide this over a game."

"…how would that benefit me?"

"You don't have to do any chores next week if you win."

"Ka-chan would never agree to that."

"…No. No she wouldn't."

"…We're not going to tell her are we?"

"No, we're not."

Of all the memories –

"They said we should call them clods, tou-san."

"That's a ridiculous name."

"I'm serious tou-san. The war is serious – we have to protect Konoha from everyone."

"From everyone? Why everyone?"

"Because everyone is the enemy."

"And why is everyone the enemy?"

"Because they're not us."

"And that makes them the enemy? Being different? Shikamaru – listen to yourself. You're not making any sense."

"I'm trying to do something here tou-san. I'm trying to protect Konoha and end this war –"

"You're just a child Shikamaru. It's not your job to –"

"Well it was yours. It was your job tou-san. Until you quit because you didn't want to work with Commander Danzo. Because you liked the old days. Of peace, and cloud-watching and lazing around. Things have changed tou-san. It's just you who doesn't want to change with it."

Of all the memories –

"Well?"

"You do realize a conspiracy like this is tantamount to treason should it be discovered, Shikaku-san?"

"Pft. Treason my fucking ass. Move aside Aburame. I'm all for it. Nowadays all my son Kiba rants about is fighting in the war and killing clods. I don't want to see him die because the Sandaime's too old to realize this isn't the Warring Clans Era anymore."

"I never thought Konoha could become like this… all of this… this brainwashing and propaganda program – it's my fault –"

"At ease, Inoichi. You were merely following orders. No one could have believed Danzo would have been capable of doing all this with your theories on psychological grooming. Nor could we have predicted the events of Kumo's failed kidnapping... My daughter – I cannot believe what has happened to her. She is cold – too cold. She is the perfect shinobi I always wanted, but – she sees me as more of a tool to grow her strength than as a father. She believes this entire war is her fault – she believes that if she had been strong enough to escape, so many would not have died."

"The fuck it is! Kumo's to blame for that – not Hinata. Hell, I doubt I could take down a Jonin when I was thirteen, let alone three."

"Fugaku-san, you've been strangely quiet. What are your thoughts on all of this?"

"Nara. Will my son and wife be safe?"

"Yes."

"That is all I need."

"Then it is official. All the clans have agreed – we will have the special tunnels and reverse-summoning seals created in secret. The rendezvous point is –"

These memories –

Shikaku's eyes snapped open as he realized it. Those particular sequence of memories, he turned to the sight of the woman, standing in front of him. He stared at his body, still wounded, but not dead. And realization dawned.

"Y-you –"

She smiled. "Such a smart man. Although, you should have realized something was wrong when your friend's technique even connected in the first place."

Horror welled up in the pit of his stomach.

"As I said, I serve an omnipresent being. Your intellect cannot surpass his, and now, you've given me a beautiful little gift."

"Shikaku? What's going on? What is she talking about?"

His throat felt dry.

"Of course the fat bearded man is too dense to understand." The woman said, rolling her eyes. "I let your friend possess me – just so I could be able to do this – Sage Art: Mind-Body Puppet."

"Wha – Shikaku! What's –"

Chouza barely let out a word, before his own hands came up to his neck, and violently twisted them. The sickening crack echoed loudly throughout the snowy field, leaving Shikaku staring numbly.

"And… your turn."

Shikaku Nara stared in horror as his own hands came up to his neck, grasping against them with more force than he ever believed he could muster. Nothing he did, no amount of effort he used, would let him take back control of his arms.

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to take care of your dearest Shikamaru for you."

CRACK!

And Shikaku Nara saw nothingness.

Not before an overwhelming, deafening roar was unleashed throughout the village – and a pillar of swirling red chakra raced to the clouds.

XXXX

Konoha

Remains of the Hokage Tower

What type of shinobi are these?!

Yuhi Kurenai could do nothing but dodge and hide in the wake of the monsters that waged battle, guised in the thin veneer of men. The Green Beast of Konoha wore that epithet with pride, as his eyes were white, and his entire skin bore a red hint from now unlocking the Fifth Gate. His opponent, with chalky skin and an emotionless face, matched the Green Beast blow for blow, surrounded by a literal giant skeleton.

The Skeleton King he called it – a devastating combination of offense and defense. None of Gai's blows or kicks could pierce its defense, but its fingers and movements were deceptively agile for its monstrous size. At the 'heart' of the entity, the controller stood, commanding the entity to move and obey with ne'er a single motion.

One would believe that fighting in the center of a thirty-foot skeleton would be disadvantageous – but, it wasn't. Oh dear god it wasn't.

Gai kicked up from the earth, snow turning to water and then to mere vapor from the sheer power of his launch. His right fist extended he aimed for the center of mass, where the boy, Kimimaro, stood. A giant hand, swung, the speed of the movement sending massive thirty-mile-an-hour winds in its wake, and slammed down on the taijutsu specialist like a child dislodging a bug from the air. Gai crashed into the snow, a comet, the force of his impact being enough to break through whatever was left of the Hokage Tower, flying straight down until he was buried in a giant crater of snow.

Kurenai grit her teeth at the scene, even worse, she stared at the Skeleton King –

Only to freeze solid as the giant skeleton was gone and instead, she felt a distinct presence towering behind her.

Her breath stopped.

No – not – not possible!

Normally, the larger an object was, the slower it moved. However, no one had given this monster the memo. If anything, it moved faster than normal sized objects and people.

"Do you also wish to test your convictions?" Kimimaro spoke. "If you do not, then leave now. I have no interest in fighting those with wavering resolutions."

Take the offer.

TAKE THE FUCKING OFFER AND RUN!

All her instincts screamed to her. Every bone and fiber in her body that wasn't shaking from the sight of the giant skeleton was telling her that this was the right choice. If she fought here – she would die. No ifs, ands, or buts. She was barely B-Rank – and this – this battle was firmly entering S-Rank territory. If not beyond.

The sound of sharp chirping reached her ears, reminding her that she was not the only person on this battlefield. Likewise, it reached the ears of her opponent, who turned his gaze skyward. Hatake Kakashi, swooped down from the skies like an eagle of death. Infamous Chidori in one hand, Sharingan eye blurring in the other, he struck.

Already, the Skeleton King's hand rose up to intercept the attack – and then lightning met bone.

CLANG!

Bone prevailed.

Kimimaro tilted his head. "Was that your attempt at being useful?"

The words chilled her to the bone. More so, she watched as the Skeleton King grasped Kakashi in its bony fingers, squeezing the life out of the man as though he were an annoying pimple. He screamed, for all of three seconds, before exploding into lightning. A lightning clone… Kurenai realized. He made a lighting clone use his signature technique, as a diversion?

But a diversion for what?

"DYNAMIC RE-ENTRY!"

A massive kick connected with Kimimaro, detaching him from his bony avatar and sending him tumbling heads-over-heels over the snow. A deafening boom followed the impact, and Kurenai's ears rang from the realization that the sound barrier just shattered.

The green blur rushed upon his ragdolling opponent, fists hazing away into a movement faster than her eyes could follow. Punch after punch after punch rained down upon the body of his target, so much that the air around his hands caught fire, burning with the sheer friction.

"MORNING PEACOCK!"

A final punch ended it, sending his opponent racing out of sight, a small missile, until he crashed straight into and through the Hokage Monument.

Kurenai's ears ached. Her body, she found, was drenched in cold sweat. Despite the snow, she felt overwhelming warm.

"We… we… did it?" she asked, unsure herself.

Kakashi appeared beside her, his face as expressionless as ever. "That was smart of you to distract him with a Genjutsu. I needed enough time to charge that Raikiri."

She… what? "I di –" she closed her mouth.

"Kunoichi are often known for their ability to distract opponents on the field." Kakashi said without letting her speak. "You did exemplary work. Let's move on and meet with Hokage-sama."

She…

She just stood there!

She didn't do anything!

Anything!

She was even contemplating running away!

Somehow, she'd… distracted the opponent? What sort of laughable excuse was that? Was this Kakashi Hatake's way of mocking her?

"Sage Art: Boneyard Festival."

The ambient chakra spiked, and she felt it the same time Kakashi did, turning their eyes to each other. The chakra, it reminded them of what had happened before Konoha had become a frozen wasteland –

"Dear… god."

Bones.

Sharp, spiky bones.

A second topographical metamorphosis hit the village of Konohagakure no Sato. An infestation of bones rose from the earth like a lit matchstick dropped in a sea of gasoline. The bones rippled out, rising, one after the other, from the faces of the Hokage Monument, outwards in an elliptical pattern. A casual observer watching from up above would mistakenly believe that the outcropping of bones was a landslide of chalk, covering and encasing every single thing in its path.

"Move! Move! Move!"

"What about Gai?!"

"He's –"

Another boom of the shattering sound barrier rang in her ears.

"–going to fight."

"Are we – we're leaving him to fight that monster on his own?!"

"We don't have a choice."

A ground breaking roar echoed throughout all of Konoha, and Kurenai swore, she swore to every deity under the sun and every decision she had ever made in her life. As though they didn't have enough on their plates already –

A sickening chakra and weight settled on their shoulders, and in the distance, a pillar of red chakra shot to the sky.

XXXX

Konoha

Residential Districts

The sheer cockiness.

Never fought an Uchiha before?

Who did he think he was? So he managed to block two of her strikes. Fine. That was nothing. There was no way in hell she wouldn't be able to put him down. Not when Shepherd-sama was watching. No. She would not be the only one to fail her mission. Under no circumstances would she let that happen.

"Katon: Mekkakyu."

She blinked at the sea of fire that rushed forth at her and suddenly realized that she was facing an S-Rank opponent. No one below S-Rank would be capable of doing that. No – absolutely not. The fire burst forth from his lips in waves that would have made the ocean green with envy. Her snow thawed into water, and the flames raced forth at her. Of course, with Shepherd-sama's Divine Suit, there was nothing to fear. Instead, she licked her lips, and charged forward into the flames.

Only to be surprised as two clones of the second Uchiha – the weasel anbu – appeared by her sides. Her eyes widened as the first clone grabbed her neck in a choke hold. The second rushed forth, kunai plunging straight for her throat.

What… who… who uses an S-Rank Fire Jutsu as a diversion?

She spat out, her glob of saliva shooting into the air and freezing into ice. She vanished from the chokehold, escaping the clone's grasp as she travelled into the frozen spit –

Only for the clone to turn around, and thrust a kunai with an explosive tag straight at it.

What –

She escaped from the ice, finding herself now in an icicle, a fair distance away from the battle. Her chest burned with heat that she'd never experienced before. Her nerves were jumbled from the unexpected swiftness and reaction speed of that weasel-anbu.

You've never fought an Uchiha before.

Were all Uchiha that fast? It was as though he knew what she was going to do even before she did it –

Then there was her actual target, Fugaku. The man who cast an S-Rank Fire technique as a distraction. Who did that? Who could afford to waste chakra like that?

"Once you've entered my line of sight, there is no escape."

Those words were the only warning she received before she instinctively vanished on top a small mound of snow –

The Weasel ANBU was there.

How?!

Am I under a Genjutsu? No – not possible – Shepherd-sama said Genjutsu can't affect me while I'm wearing this suit – so – how –

She grit her teeth, immediately engaging in taijutsu with her frozen senbon. All she needed was one touch – to let them stab her target, and she could freeze him solid –

She lunged at his throat with her left hand, and he casually blocked the lunge with a slap of the arm, in that same movement, he stepped into her guard, his kunai aimed straight at her right eye socket. She put up a hasty block with her right senbon – only for the kunai aimed at her right eyeball to somehow curve around the intended target, and slam into the back of her neck.

It shattered against her Divine Armor.

A cold chill fell over her as she realized, were it not for her armor – that would have been a killing blow.

His kunai… curved?

Her eyes trailed at his fingers, and her eyes slowly widened at the small, thin object which barely shone in the light.

Ninja wire?

He's manipulating… ninja wire on his tools?

She'd nearly been killed by something so… rudimentary?

The rudimentary tool suddenly, tightened, reminding her of her situation, as it wrapped around her throat. She escaped with a quick movement into her left frozen senbon, then, rapidly jumped to her right whilst the object was still in free-fall – emerging from it in a backwards leap, she immediately began making one-handed signs.

"Sage Art: Ice Release: Stalactite Storm!"

A rain of meteoric ice appeared and shot forward at breakneck speeds towards the Weasel-ANBU, only for the man to break out into a storm of crows that flew into the air in different directions.

"Goukakyu."

A searing ball of fire emerged from the air, as her target appeared, Fugaku, arriving from the sky somehow. She wasn't going to make the same mistake of lunging forward after it, or after the man, as, this could merely be another diversionary tactic. She retreated with a quick flash to one of her stalactites, moving from it to a vantage point behind the man, all in the span of a single second.

Only for her to meet the Weasel Masked ANBU – again.

"HOW?!" She roared "There's no way you can actually keep up with me – so how?!"

Her response was a kick that connected to her stomach, the first solid hit she'd taken in years – before the ANBU slammed two kunai into both sides of her head. Or attempted to, as her entire body was charged with Senjutsu Chakra, and hence, the kunai merely connected against her like wooden rulers, before shattering again.

She growled, vanishing from her place, and then immediately appearing behind the man, stabbing two kunai of her own into his stomach –

Only for him to burst into crows, again.

The crows blinded her for a brief second, a moment of time that was enough for Fugaku Uchiha to appear in front of her, two kunai in hand –

Didn't he learn?! You can't hurt her with –

The man, and both kunai exploded. One in a flash of light, and the other, in a rush of heat and fire.

The shockwave deafened her and the light blinded her.

Her suit could provide defenses that were beyond superhuman, but there were limitations. The parts that weren't covered, (head, eyes, ears, mouth and nose) did not have the same protections as those covered by the suit. They were only protected by a layer of pure Senjutsu Chakra. But – the problem was – it wasn't infinite. Stronger skin and thicker defenses, yes, but Senjutsu did not mean invulnerable.

She realized this when the Weasel-ANBU appeared again, his sword in hand this time, and he swung for her face. She barely dodged, only for her eyes to trail the line of ninja wire attached to his blade, and for her to watch as he let it release from his hand, his initial swing nothing but a feint.

The blade scratched against the side of her cheek, as she vanished into an icicle.

Disbelief colored her face as she rubbed the small trail of blood.

She had not bled in a fight in years.

"…How?"

Why couldn't she land a hit on these people?

She was… running and hiding, on the defensive?

No –

She grit her teeth. No.

She focused on the ice, finding a spot that would perfect for her to launch her counter-attack – and she moved there. Instantaneous. Less than a second. Her speed of movement between ice was faster than one's ability to blink. Yet –

She emerged from the snow halfway, daggers of ice in both hands which she plunged into the feet of her opponent –

Only for a sword to slam into her right hand in response.

She barely let out a scream before another one, aimed for her left eye, came crashing down.

XXXX

Inexperienced.

That was Fugaku's major thought. The girl he was fighting was so woefully inexperienced. She possessed tremendous speed and yet she used it so obviously. He was Fugaku Uchiha. For a short while, he had been teammates with Minato Namikaze. The Yellow Flash. So he knew, how to deal with fast opponents, and even better yet still, with teleporters.

Minato would have laughed at this girl. She was making all the mistakes he first made after mastering the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God. She was attacking clear blind spots, and always aiming for ambushes and surprise attacks. The problematic issue with being so fast, you relied on your opponent not being able to react to your speed as your primary strength, and you saw no need for head-on conflict.

Minato overcame this problem by attacking at awkward, unpredictable, gravity defying angles. Upside-down in front of an opponent, to the diagonal side of an opponent, or even on top of an opponent. He bounced his kunai in ways and realized that there were far too many options as a teleporter, so one had to always pick the least easiest ones.

This girl knew nothing of such tactics.

She continued, tirelessly aiming at backstabs, surprise attacks and hit-and-run tactics. As such, Fugaku was not consciously dodging or evading her attacks. Rather, he and his son instinctively countered them. Moreover, they possessed the Sharingan. The name of the Uchiha Clan Taijutsu was called the InterceptorFist, a style, to the girl's misfortune, designed to counter opponents faster than you were.

Of course, she was also at a disadvantage because Fugaku could see her chakra. The Sharingan, although not quite as detailed as the Byakugan, enabled for the seeing of the movement of your opponent's chakra, which was how they copied jutsu. The girl's chakra was a beacon to any sensor, and to doujutsu users, it was like a giant flare. Overwhelming, oversaturated, the suit she wore constantly absorbed chakra from the air and returned it outwards, and to people with eyes like his, this was a very visible phenomenon.

He could tell from merely seeing her that Ninjutsu and Genjutsu would be of no effect. The suit was capable of absorbing chakra from the environment, and hence, it would be foolish to make it incapable of doing the same to foreign sources.

However unfortunate it was for her, that her suit was a double-edged sword. It granted her chakra and power, but so much of it that she was a flare to his Sharingan eyesight. It would be impossible to not be able to keep track of her.

Even when hiding in the ice, she was detectable. He was well aware of where she was when she teleported.

A skilled enough sensor would also be the death of her, Fugaku noted. They would sense the overwhelming chakra emitted from her suit from miles away, and they would know where she intended to teleport to even before she did.

All of this, coupled with the girl's sheer lack of combat experience made it an easy victory. The Sharingan was the perfect counter to her surprise teleporting, and her taijutsu was not a match for the Interceptor Fist.

Truly, had she chosen to fight anyone but an Uchiha – she would have been victorious.

Alas –

Fugaku slammed the blade into the girl's face.

She screamed.

"MY EYE! MY EYE! AAAGH!"

Fugaku frowned, watching as the girl vanished away before he the blade could have pierced past her eye and into her brain. She clutched her bleeding left eye desperately, making Fugaku shake his head even further.

Such a lack of professionalism. Such blatant lack of experience.

Any shinobi who made such a big deal about losing a body part whilst still in combat, was one he could not take seriously.

His Sharingan picked up a spike in chakra, and he narrowed his gaze. She was about to cast a ninjutsu. A very powerful one. From the sheer volume of chakra, he knew it was S-Rank. Already, he substituted himself away and left a clone in his place, the action happening so seamlessly, only someone with a special doujutsu would have realized something was amiss.

The earth began rumbling, and he turned his gaze upwards, finding what seemed to be… bones?

Bones – racing forth from the ground.

Interesting. First, a Yuki, and now, a Kaguya.

This Divine Empire was accumulating Bloodline Wielders. He would need to ensure that no Sharingan eyes were missing from any deceased members of his clan after this incident.

An earth-shattering roar immediately followed, and Fugaku's hair stood on end from the malignant sensation that filled the air, and the pillar of blazing chakra that shot forth into the sky.

"Itachi."

His son appeared before him.

"Yes, tou-san?"

"We're retreating."

"Tou-san –"

"Only a fool fights a lost battle, Itachi." He said, sharply turning his gaze to his son. "We will leave a few clones to keep the girl busy – or perhaps capture her, given her lack of experience and her inability to recognize clones. But, we must leave. Now."

Fugaku took in a deep breath.

"Konoha may fall but I will not let the Uchiha Clan fall with it."

XXXX

Ruins of the Hokage Monument

"Hurry it up Kitami, we might as well give the Sandaime a fitting end here."

Hiruzen coughed out blood, wheezing, panting, squinting out of one eye as every bone in his body ached and screamed. His opponent, casually wielding his swords, sauntered towards him, him the Hokage – the one supposed to protect his village – and he – he had failed them.

He turned to the clone of the 'Shepherd', and Hiruzen grit his teeth. Had he been fighting off against the original, rather than a mere clone, he would have attempted a last gambit – a risky one, a gambit that would have saved Konoha, if not the entire world.

"Wait,"

The single command sent confusion through both the Hokage and the Samurai.

"Hiruzen – before you die, tell me something." The Shepherd asked, conversationally. "Where is Danzo, truly? The man is the hardest person to find even by my standards – and although I destroyed the ANBU Barracks, it feels a little unlikely that he'd have died so easily."

A moment of reprieve. A moment. An opportunity. This – this was what Hiruzen needed. What he required.

"My old friend is – "

He was interrupted, cut short as a blur barreled into the Monument, shooting into the snow-covered rock and tearing past it. The shockwave from the impact shook the earth, and immediately kicked up a cloud of dust large enough for Hiruzen to almost believe that Kami himself was on his side. Immediately, he began blurring through handsigns. He was old, and in all his years, he had gathered and compiled an exhaustive list of every single technique known in Konoha, every single jutsu, both clan jutsus, hidden jutsu, and forbidden jutsu. His opponent was immune to Jutsu of all sorts, but this was a special type of jutsu.

He had almost reached the last handsign, almost, before bones broke forth from the ground, forcing him to abandon his jutsu lest he be skewered. The bones raced across the earth, across the village, shooting past and onwards, turning what was left of Konoha into some nightmarish hell. Hiruzen landed on the side of the bones with the tree-walking technique, now well and fully several feet in the air courtesy of the giant bones.

A Kaguya. There is a Kaguya amongst them?

"HOKAGE-SAMA!"

The Hokage turned his attention to the red-hued blur racing towards him.

"I HAVE COME TO YOUR ASSISTANCE HOKAGE-SAMA!" Maito Gai, Konoha's Strongest Jonin, roared at the top of his voice.

In that brief instance, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt it, the glimmer of hope that would arrive, the strength of unity that only Konoha could boast of, the united front that would take down any opponent. And so, his spirits lifted. His mind steeled. And he was, once more, ready to engage in battle.

Until a frigid voice broke out.

"You made me fail Shepherd-sama."

Dread.

Dread.

Dread.

Dread.

Dread.

Dread.

Dread.

Dread.

Dread.

Dread.

Hiruzen grasped his chest. The overwhelming amount of killing intent –

Gai was frozen in his tracks. The normally upbeat Jonin stood, motionless at the sheer aura of despair. An avatar of death, rose forth from the bones, riding on the palm of a giant skeleton. His palm outstretched, his eyes a burning lake of iniquity –

"Sage Art: Kaguya Clan Ultimate Technique: All Killing Ash Bones."

XXXX

Ruins of the Konoha Orphanage

He sighed as he stared at the spiraling chakra. Stared at the boy surrounded by dark chakra, with his whisker marks feral and circling him. With two-tails worth of Kyubi chakra – the boy's speed and strength would be augmented at the cost of his technique and reason. As he was now, he was weaker, not stronger.

He was also in pain. In a tremendous amount of pain.

The man stared at what had become of his home. Even with the fastest technique he knew, he still made it too late. Too late. He was always too late. Too late for Tsunade. Too late for Orochimaru. Too late for Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan. Too late for Minato. Too late for Sakumo.

Something smacked him at the back of his ear.

"Now is not da time to be feelin' sorry for yourself Jiraiya boy!"

"I know." He said, without complaint. "Come on ma – pa – we have a job to do."

"Are you ready, Jiraiya-sama?"

He turned his attention to the plain-masked ANBU who had been the one to fetch him. On "Danzo's" orders. Of course, he had not fetched him in time to arrive and stop the battle. Only now, and here, to 'subdue' the Jinchuriki and ensure 'Konoha's most valuable asset did not land in enemy hands.'

It was a tough choice between rushing to his Sensei's aid, ignoring Danzo's commands and orders, or rushing to his godson. In the end, he chose his godson. He hoped he hadn't chose wrong.

"Do it."

"Mokuton –"

It was a fast job. It was a thankless job. Two Tails Chakra Cloak was no match for the Mokuton, and for a Sannin augmented with Sage Mode. And so, with the boy subdued in record time, Jiraiya held his godson under his arm.

He stared, one last time, at his village. At the snowy forest of bones that was once Konoha. Hatred bubbled at the back of his throat. But more than that, more than his hate, more than his loathing –

He felt guilt.

He felt sorrow.

He felt grief.

"Konoha… has fallen."

XXXX

Shepherd Flagship

Main Briefing Room

"What do you have to say for yourselves?"

I smiled 'benevolently' as I looked down at my two followers. They both knelt, unable to look up, and most certainly not going to look up, if I had anything to say about it.

"Kimimaro – you failed your mission and ended up intervening in Kitami's mission. You were not supposed to kill the Hokage. Nor were you to unleash your ultimate technique."

I turned to Haku. "Haku."

She flinched. Her left eye was covered by a bandage, and she reminded me of the first time I saw her.

"You lost against Fugaku and Itachi." She flinched again.

Truthfully, I found the situation more amusing than it was bothersome. The Brethren and Commanders completed their tasks, so Konoha was effectively a wasteland now. No living beings remained, as they slaughtered those I told them to slaughter, and save those I told them to save. This, of course, was a rather reduced number due to the use of the topographical warfare that killed a vast majority. So, I was not bothered.

Koyuki completed her task and my experiment as well – attaining esper-like abilities from absorbing the soul and raw yin chakra of Inoichi Yamanaka. Her control over the Yamanaka techniques far stripped and surpassed anything capable of being recreated, so I had a new strong officer on my side.

Extra pros: The Hokage was dead. The Sandaime would no longer walk amongst the land of the living, and neither would Maito Gai, two strong opponents. Of course, my intention had been to let Kitami kill Hiruzen in order to accumulate the needed 'rep' and have it in the bingo books – having the "Godslayer of Shinobi" as my lieutenant would have been a tremendous boon. Now, that honor went to Kimimaro… and it was slightly less credible, because Kimimaro simply did not appear to be the sort of person capable of killing the Hokage.

Although, he was a Kaguya… so I would have to push for that angle, and it helped that his bones would take a long, long time to rot, fade-away or disintegrate, unlike Haku's ice and snow, so there was permanent proof, scarred on the earth as to his sheer power.

Cons: Itachi, Fugaku and numerous Uchiha Clan members were still alive, as were the rest of the Rookie Twelve… Plus or Minus Team Ten. Neji, probably, Tenten and Lee… not so much. Itachi was the biggest threat out of all of them – though, this might be due to me overestimating his ability. Still, he would most likely succumb from his illness sooner or later. The Uchiha Clan was an issue – the last thing I needed was for an army of Susanoo Warriors, if vast majorities of them unlocked the Mangekyo from this event. Then… the Rookie Twelve…

Only Naruto and Sasuke were real threats.

I pursed my lips as I thought over them, leaving the room deep in silence as people assumed I was contemplating a punishment for Haku and Kimimaro.

I couldn't move on Naruto yet – not without outright making it clear to 'those' people out there.

Obito was still out there, pretending to be Madara.

Black Zetsu was still out there, plotting.

Nagato was still there, pretending to be god.

Killing Naruto (the nine tailed jinchuriki) would cause these three to behave in manners or ways I could not properly anticipate. Obito was the wildest card due to the fact that his Kamui was probably one of the few things that could counter my Senjutsu Suit. Space-Time Ninjutsu was… tricky – the chakra involved far too volatile or unstable to attempt to merely absorb and disperse into the air. A few experiments, and several dead lab-interns, showed that Space-Time Ninjutsu could cause a variety of effects from making the suit explode, to aging the user to dust, to nearly creating a void of infinite gravity.

The last thing I wanted was to create a black hole when Obito punched me.

Likewise for Nagato. His Preta Path could most likely absorb the chakra straight out of the suit. He could render the suit pointless as he merely ripped out my soul. The Suit was powerful, but not absolutely invincible and if he chose to bury me within a moon.

With Naruto still alive, Obito's goal, and hence, Akatsuki's goal, remained unchanged. Form group – capture bijuu – generate eye of the moon plan.

Additionally, there was a part of me, which wanted to see, cruelly, what my influence in this world would have morphed these people into. Would Naruto still have talk-no-jutsu, despite his village being destroyed and his home gone? Would he be cheerful and bright? Or would I have created the perfect Dark-Naruto?

Possibilities, possibilities.

Still though – there was no reason for me to keep Sasuke alive. Hmm…

I clapped my hands calmly.

"Raise your heads!" I declared, rising from my seat. "I know, and I understand, that you failed the tasks I gave you. However, failure is not the end. Failure does not mean death. I believe you will eventually come to reflect on why it is you failed, and you will become better for it."

I turned to Kimimaro, who gazed at me with wonder in his eyes.

"Kimimaro, your chivalrous nature led to your downfall. Think on this, meditate on it, and know what you must do to overcome your flaws."

I turned to Haku, who looked away, her left eye obscured.

"Haku, your overconfidence led to your downfall. You must not underestimate an opponent, not even if you believe them to be worms. Your eye may be replaced," I spoke, slowly, "But only by an eye of the people you failed to defeat. Either Itachi's or Fugaku's. Prove your worth to me Haku. Show me the extent of how far you will develop. Show me your limits, and surpass them."

I turned my attention to Kitami.

"You carried out your mission perfectly, Kitami. Unfortunately my clone spoke out of place, spent time idiotically taunting Hiruzen and denied you the opportunity to land the killing blow. It was my error in judgement for trusting the autonomy of clones. Failing that, you did your job excellently. So, Kitami – you get a reward, anything you wish of me, you can ask."

I turned my gaze to Koyuki.

"Excellent progress Koyuki-hime. I believe you now have access to Yamanaka Inoichi's memories? Then look through them, and see if you find anything of value. Furthermore – as you were one of the few who did your job excellently, you are to meet me later in my chambers for your… reward."

I watched as Koyuki nearly squealed in glee, whilst Haku bristled in clear envy and disbelief. Well wasn't that interesting?

Then I finally turned to the Commanders.

"Roga, Fubuki. Excellent work. I saw your report. You cleaned up Konoha beautifully, and even managed to capture some high-profile individuals. Several Hyuga Branch House Members, the heiress of the Kurama Clan, and even a member of the Inuzuka clan. Simply excellent. You shall be rewarded for your diligence."

They both bowed.

"Now, tonight, we wine and we dine, for this is the first victory for the Divine Empire. The last time a village was destroyed and its members, scattered across the earth, it was Uzushiogakure, and it took the might of three invading forces to bring it to ruin, over an extended period of time. For us, in one night – we have crippled the strongest village and proven our might. We have proven to the world, the power of the Shepherd. The power of the Divine."

I gestured my hand out.

"So, we shall feast! We shall have a banquet in honor of this momentous occasion! And we shall raise toast – to the victory and dominance of the Divine Empire!"

XXXX

"…Konoha was destroyed today."

"Oh? Really? I suppose we should have seen it coming. But what does that mean for us?"

"…It means nothing. It changes nothing. We complete the plan."

"Are you sure? I mean, there are a lot of unexpected changes – Like the Mizukage. You had to kill him yourself – after his men turned on him."

"...I suppose we can make a few… adjustments."

"Oh? What exactly do you have in mind?"

XXXX

"We have to find a place to stay –"

"Where would we go? Another village? Would they even take us in?"

"Why wouldn't they?"

"Why would they? We shout about how we're the greatest from the rooftops, and now, now we're not. Why would they even want to listen to anything any of us have to say? We're refugees without homes!"

"C-could we go back? Maybe – maybe the Divine Empire would take us in?!"

"What? How could you fucking say that! After destroying our village – you want us to go, crawling, begging to them –"

"Well what options do we have?!"

"We can try going to a minor village – reestablish there – we still have some clans –"

"And you think they'll suddenly have houses for us? Food? Jobs? What? They'll be glad to do all of that for us without something in exchange?!"

"Hizashi-sama – what do you believe we should do?"

"Tsume-sama – please – we need a solution!"

"The Uchiha-Clan went their way! The Aburame Clan as well – does that mean – we – we're all on our own?"

"Oi! I heard you guys are refugees from Konoha! How the fucking mighty have fallen. Bah – if you're so fucking desperate and in need of a place to call home… all you have to do – is meet our priest."

"Priest?"

"Is he from the Divine Empire?"

"Another one of the Shephard's fanatics!"

"No – no – no. Not the Shepherd. Fuck that guy. I serve a different priest. He hates the Shepherd and his guts… and by the looks of things, so do you –"

"Who is your priest?"

"The one and only Paragon of the One True God… his name, is Hidan."