Chapter 53: Ashina Uzumaki

AN: Another chapter up today! I've been busy finalizing my trip plans. And, turns out my friend wants to travel as well so after this trip, I'll be leaving again for about half-a-month at the end of January. I don't want to leave you guys with a super long hiatus so I'm doing my best to have some chapters written and prepared beforehand. As always, thanks for reading!

War Recap:

First Division: Locked in battle by the sea against White Zetsu Army and reanimated shinobi.

Second Division: Hanabi and Kimimaro in Second Division. Kurotsuchi is Captain, Izaya is named Vice Captain.

Third Division: Kakashi, Haku, Guy, Sakura, and Sasuke in this division are currently facing off against the 7 Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist as well as Might Duy, Fugaku, and Tobirama.

Fourth Division: Battlefield Won!

Fifth Division: Aiding the First Division

Others: Naruto, Bee, Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo are traveling together.

Chapter 53

Second Division

A cold breeze blew through the air as the temperature in the surrounding area dropped to 12 degrees celsius. White snow blanketed the landscape as many in the Shinobi Alliance lightly shivered from the new frosty climate. Hanabi was currently standing outside the tent of HQ for her shift on guard duty with a large warm fur coat draped over her shoulders to keep her warm as she pondered to herself. The war started on October 6th but it's already December 9th. The Fourth Division successfully defeated Jiraiya and the previous Four Kage so they had immediately set out to provide reinforcements for the First, Second, and Third Division battlefields. With their aid the war has slowly begun to tip in favor of the Alliance.

The First Division was alleviated of a great deal of pressure and the Third Division was able to seal away the remaining Four Ninja Swordsmen. All that's left is sealing away Might Duy, Uchiha Fugaku, and the Second Hokage Tobirama. They were a bit trickier to deal with due to the new variable of a large White Zetsu unit joining in the battle, but the situation was still manageable. As for us, the Second Division, the reanimated Fu, Torune, Chiyo, and Konan have already been successfully sealed away. All that's left is to seal away Hanzo which Lord Fifth Hokage is dealing with right now. The White Zetsu here have mostly been dealt with thanks to Izaya. As she thought of Izaya she started to pout and frown a little. It was at that moment that Hinata, who was also on guard duty alongside Hanabi, noticed her pouting facial expression and let out a small laugh.

Hanabi hearing Hinata laugh to herself turned around and said, "What's so funny?"

Hinata's cheeks turned pink as she was caught and smiled sheepishly. "N-Nothing!"

Hanabi narrowed her eyes unconvinced. "Liar. Spill."

Hinata let out a sigh of defeat. "Ahem. It's just that you were pouting. And you only pout like that when you're thinking of Izaya."

It was now Hanabi's turn to have her cheeks flush pink as she realized her sister Hinata found her out. "D-Do I really pout like that when I think of him?"

Hinata smiled and nodded her head. "Yup. You do that when you think of him and you usually always say how he's probably doing something stupid and dangerous all by himself. You then complain about how he never brings you along and-" Before Hinata could finish Hanabi rushed over and placed her hand over Hinata's lips. "O-Okay! I got it. No need to spill out my secrets. Jeez...I mean sure I know he's capable but can't he be a bit more aware of how worried I am when he leaves so suddenly and is gone for days on end."

Hinata chuckled as she said, "You're pouting again."

Hanabi stood back on her spot and turned her back to Hinata grumbling softly to herself. "Hmpf. It can't be helped though. It was his 17th birthday 6 days ago but he hasn't been back for nearly two weeks…Even though we're at war I at least wanted to celebrate his birthday with him. Even if it would only be a small and short event."

Hinata's facial expression softened as she too shared a similar sentiment with Hanabi. She wanted to celebrate Naruto's birthday with him but because of the things going on in the war Naruto wasn't ever in one spot too long. She stared at Hanabi's back for a moment before attempting to console her. "It can't be helped Hanabi. Izaya is an invaluable asset to the Alliance. He's so skilled that everyone was incredibly shocked at how he single handedly defeated over 3000 White Zetsu in under 20 minutes with his Flying Thunder God Jutsu. In fact, people have even been saying that his speed and skill is on par with the Fourth Hokage's. They even started calling Izaya Konoha's White Flash. Some even call him by the moniker of The Blind Warrior. Even Maro has a title that people have been calling him by as Bone Demon Kimimaro."

Hanabi let out a soft sigh in defeat but smiled in the end. "Right. Konoha's White Flash…" She couldn't help but be happy that everyone had acknowledged the strength and skill her boyfriend possessed. She continued to smile at the fact that Izaya was truly hers and hers alone. Hinata continued where she left off. "Anyways, due to Izaya's plan in defeating the reanimated shinobi and his help in suppressing the White Zetsu army the Second Division has been able to breathe more easily now. With most of the reanimated shinobi sealed in this area it makes sense that HQ would assign Izaya the mission of searching for the location of Kabuto. He comes back every now and then to report his new findings. Maybe he'll be coming back soon. So don't feel too down Hanabi."

Hanabi nodded her head in silent agreement. At this moment both Hanabi and Hinata lifted up their heads to see Tsunade return to camp proudly. A shinobi from the second division went up to her and asked, "Lord Fifth Hokage, you've returned?!"

Tsunade nodded triumphantly. "Mn. Hanzo has been successfully sealed away. All that's left are the few remaining White Zetsu and we'll clean up this area of battle. Then we can provide aid to the remaining First and Third Division. That'll only leave Madara and Kabuto."

"WHOOO!"

"YEAH!"

"Alright!"

Celebratory shouts and cheers could be heard all around as the mood of the Second Division camp instantly went up. Neji walked over to where Hanabi and Hinata were with Kai right behind him. Hanabi taking notice said, "Is it time to change shifts already?"

Kai stepped forward with a smile and responded, "That's right. Neji and I will be taking over for you both. Get some rest Hanabi."

Neji sighed and slightly shook his head knowing that Kai still hadn't given up on chasing after Hanabi even though everyone in camp knew by now that Hanabi and Izaya were together. Hinata quickly walked forward and pulled Hanabi away with her as she said, "Thanks! We'll leave things here to the both of you then!"

Hanabi smiled at her older sister's quick thinking and simply let herself get dragged away so she didn't have to deal with Kai. It's not that she didn't like Kai or anything, but he was rather annoyingly persistent. No matter how she rejected his advances he still came back in the end. Just as Hinata and Hanabi made their way back to their tents they both stopped in their tracks at the sight of the person up ahead. Hanabi let go of Hinata's hand and nodded with her head encouragingly. "Go ahead Hinata. Looks like Naruto's waiting for you."

Hinata slightly blushed but nodded her head sheepishly. "Sorry Hanabi." She then rushed off to meet Naruto leaving Hanabi standing by her tent all alone. "Jeez. Look at her, she's so happy just seeing Naruto. That Naruto is probably just a clone too. Well...At least they've been able to get a lot closer during the war." She briefly thought of Izaya before she blushed and shook her head. "I definitely do not act like Hinata when I see that idiot...Nope...Definitely not. I think...I hope. Maybe. Ugh…" She slowly gripped the necklace that Izaya had given her a long time ago. Even though he said he'd be back for it, in the end he decided to let her keep it.

"Idiot. Hurry back already." She whispered softly to herself before walking into the warmth of her cozy tent away from the biting cold outside.

888

Third Division

Boom! Bang! Boom!

At this moment Haku was locked in a fierce battle against Tobirama as they both unleashed a barrage of incredibly powerful Water Ninjutsu against the other. Haku had the edge as he was currently in Sage Mode which gave his Ninjutsu even more power. Through their battle they had drastically transformed the terrain around them into one of a watery lake from the use of their overbearing Jutsus. Haku quickly did a backflip and dodged a barrage of shuriken before quickly placing his hand on the water's surface shouting, "Sage Art: Water Style Water Dragon Jutsu!"

He watched Tobirama expertly dodge in the air and prepare an attack to counter but this caused Haku to smirk as he finally succeeded in luring the Second Hokage into his trap. He formed the hand sign Seal of Confrontation and said, "Sage Art: Ice Style Crystal Ice Mirror Jutsu!" Two mirrors appeared at once. One behind Tobirama's retreating form and another right next to himself. Haku quickly slashed out with a Sage powered Wind Style through the mirror successfully splitting Tobirama's body in half who praised, "Good moves! Your skills are first class amongst shinobi! Quickly seal me away!"

Haku nodded and quickly placed his hands in front of him. "Sage Art: Ice Style Ice Prison Jutsu!" A frosty block of ice quickly froze Tobirama's reanimated body preventing it from reforming. After a few minutes the sealing corps arrived on scene and successfully sealed away the Second Hokage. Haku finally let out a long sigh of relief and released his Sage Mode as he walked back to the Third Division's camp. As he was walking around several people stood up and greeted him.

"Welcome back Silent Killer!"

"Frost Needle, great work!"

"Yeah, great work Frost Needle!"

"Thousand Needles! I heard you successfully defeated the Second Hokage! Awesome work!"

Haku's cheeks flushed red as he simply nodded and continued to quickly walk away in silence wanting to escape from the embarrassment he felt. After all these months of battle people started calling him Frost Needle Haku or Thousand Needles Haku from his use of his senbon needle throwing skills against the unexpected White Zetsu Army that attacked them a while ago. Not only that, but he also utilized the Silent Killing technique to get rid of a lot of the White Zetsus during the night prompting people to call him Silent Killer Haku. Unfortunately it didn't stop there. During his battle against the Second Hokage for all these months people also started calling him Haku of the Ice Style or Ocean Sage Haku for his prowess in using the Ice Style Kekkei Genkai and his ability to enter Sage Mode to boost the strength of his Water Ninjutsu. He finally breathed out a sigh of relief once he made it to the main tent where Kakashi, Sasuke, Guy, and Sakura were.

Sasuke smirked as he saw Haku's embarrassed facial expression and said, "What's the matter? You successfully defeated and sealed away the Second Hokage. That's an impressive feat, Haku of the Ice Style. Or perhaps you prefer Ocean Sage Haku?"

Guy quickly placed his hands over his mouth as he attempted not to laugh while Haku's face turned even redder. Sakura lightly punched Sasuke's arm and said, "Sasuke-kun, stop teasing Haku. Besides, I recall that people also started calling you Demon Eye Sasuke. Or maybe you prefer the one when they call you Sasuke of the Sharingan. No, maybe you like it when the girls call you Lord Sasuke."

Sasuke's cheeks also turned slightly pink from embarrassment at Sakura's comment so he quickly looked away and coughed, trying to change the topic. "Ahem. Shouldn't we discuss what we're going to do now?"

Kakashi let out a soft sigh. "Haku, Sasuke, don't be bothered about the titles people are calling you guys by. It's actually not so bad. It means you've both made a name for yourselves amongst your fellow shinobi peers and have been recognized as belonging to a different class of shinobi."

Haku finally reigned in his emotions and said, "What do you mean by belonging to a different class of shinobi?"

"Well, it essentially means that you've been classified by the shinobi world as a ninja who is stronger and more dangerous than the average ninja. For example, The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. They are so named do to the world recognizing their strength as being a cut above the rest. And it's kind of true, after all they did do a considerable amount of damage to the Division. Another example would be the Fourth Hokage. He earned the title of Konoha's Yellow Flash for his unmatched speed and agility. In the last Great Ninja War he was such a famous shinobi with a strength that was recognized by the entire world that a-flee-on-sight order was given to anyone who saw the Fourth Hokage on the battlefield. And, in truth the Fourth really was a shinobi with strength far above the rest. So for both you and Sasuke to be given titles and nicknames amongst the rest of the division means they have recognized that your strengths are a cut above the rest."

Guy chimed in at this moment as well nodding in agreement with Kakashi. "That's right. The fact that Sasuke has been given the moniker of Demon Eye and that Haku has been given the moniker of Ocean Sage means that you both are now in a class of shinobi that stands above the rest. You both would easily be ranked as S-rank level shinobi in battle prowess. Don't forget, even Kakashi has a title that has been recognized by the world of shinobi."

Sakura nodded as she recalled Kakashi's title and said, "That's right, Kakashi-sensei is also called The Copy Ninja!"

Kakashi felt his cheeks ting a bit of pink at that name and quickly steered the conversation away. "Anyways, that's all it is. So don't feel too embarrassed about such things. The reason why they give you such titles is not only because they recognize your individual strength, but it also helps them cope with the current war situation. You see, people have an innate feeling of safety and security when they fight alongside someone well-known or famous. They feel their confidence and motivation increase and this is a great help to their psyche. In battle the state of one's psyche is incredibly important and can make up the difference between winning or losing or surviving and dying. But, enough about that. We've finally successfully sealed away Might Duy, Uchiha Fugaku, and the Second Hokage. We'll let everyone rest for 4 hours before we move out. I hear that the Second Division is just about to finish up their end of the battle so that only leaves the First Division. They seem to be managing their situation well and with the added might of us, the Third Division, the battle by the sea should be won in due time."

Guy nodded in agreement. Before anyone could do or say anything else a huge earthquake shook the entire campground greatly alarming everyone in the Third Division. Kakashi, Guy, Sakura, Sasuke, and Haku quickly ran outside to take a look at what was happening and were greatly shocked to see a giant 20 meter bear and a giant 18 meter lizard wreaking havoc over the area.

"What's going on? Where did these creatures come from?" Guy said in confusion.

Just before the bears claw was going to swipe down and kill a group of shinobi Haku immediately activated his Ice Style Crystal Wall Jutsu to block the attack. Sasuke quickly jumped in the air and arrived near the giant bear activating his Mangekyo Sharingan. A purple skeletal frame appeared around his body as a thick skeletal fist swung out striking the bear in the face and knocking it back several meters away. Sakura also jumped in front of a group of shinobi and thrust out her palm upwards successfully stopping the stomping feet of the giant lizard before it could crush the members of the Third Division. She pulled back her right fist and concentrated her power before punching out and shouting, "SHHAANNAAROOO!" The lizard flew back a few dozens of meters from the force of Sakura's powerful punch and knocked right into the giant bear causing it to fall down again.

At that moment a figure appeared in front of the two giant creatures causing everyone to be completely shocked. Haku spoke out first as he was greatly confused. "L-Lord Second? But how? I'm certain I sealed you away. There's no way my senses in Sage Mode were unable to detect whether you were a clone or not!"

Tobirama nodded and quickly said, "It's true. You sealed me away. But the enemy has reanimated a very skilled shinobi. Listen to me, you must all go and guard the other sealed reanimated shinobi immediately! The one the enemy has reanimated is called Uzumaki Ashina! He was the first Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan and the most skilled Fuinjutsu user to have ever lived! He can easily undo the sealing techniques you all placed on the defeated reanimated shinobi! You must not let him get to them!"

BOOM!

A large wind of dust and debris kicked up in the area as Guy and Kakashi stood a few dozens of meters away opposite of Ashina and Tobirama. The moment the two giant creatures appeared the two seasoned Jonin duo immediately had a bad feeling and had rushed out of the campsite to scope the area while Haku, Sasuke, and Sakura dealt with the creatures. They had run into Ashina and immediately engaged him in a fierce fight preventing him from unsealing anyone else and forced him back by Tobirama's side.

Ashina quickly formed the Summoning Jutsu causing four large clouds of white smoke to appear and dissipate revealing a giant dragon 25 meters tall, a giant snake 20 meters long, a giant chimera 18 meters tall that looked like a half lion half snake creature, and a giant black boar 15 meters tall with thick muscles and two large tusks. Including the giant bear and giant lizard there was a total of six giant beasts that stood with imposing might. Everyone in the Third Division immediately faltered and felt an enormous pressure bearing down on them.

Noticing the situation turning bad Haku, Sasuke, and Sakura quickly dashed out in front and said, "Summoning Jutsu!"

POOF!

Three white clouds of smoke appeared revealing a giant purple snake named Aoda, the giant frame of Katsuyu, and the figure of a huge terrifying looking shark who was precisely Nade. Haku looked down and was surprised that it wasn't Mazu he summoned. "Nade! So it's you this time instead of Mazu."

In a deep, dark, and devilish voice Nade replied, "Of course. He's always trying to hog the show wanting to come out instead. I had to scold him how he hasn't once let Dako or I respond to your summon yet. So who're the unlucky fellows?" Nade furrowed his nonexistent eyebrows as he stared at the six summons in front of him and the two reanimated shinobi nearby.

"Nade, those two down there are reanimated shinobi. They're called Senju Tobirama, the Second Hokage of the village I'm from. The other one is called Uzumaki Ashina. He's a powerful Fuinjutsu user and the one who summoned these 6 creatures." Nade stared interestingly at the 6 creatures and the two reanimated shinobi before nodding his head. "I see. Not bad, not bad. I sense powerful chakra from those two reanimated shinobi. And his summons are pretty unique. Alright kid I'll help you out. It's been awhile since I've stretched my fins in the outside world."

The 6 creatures immediately rushed forward beginning their attack. Aoda and Sasuke quickly engaged in a fierce battle against Ashina's summoned snake and chimera whilst Sakura and Katsuyu fought against the summoned lizard and bear from before. Nade remained unmoved as a giant boar and giant dragon rushed straight at him. He simply took a deep breath in and shouted, "Heavenly Sage Art: Grand Pool Explosion Jutsu!" Just as the dragon and boar came within 5 meters of Nade he opened his mouth and released a giant torrent of water that instantly engulfed everything within 50 meters of him before all the water rose into the air creating a giant 200 meter long, wide, and deep floating aquarium.

Everyone in the surrounding area instantly widened their eyes in disbelief at the display of such powerful Water Ninjutsu, even Haku didn't believe what he was seeing. "Th-This is the power of Heavenly Sage Mode?" Haku exclaimed in shock.

Nade simply laughed. "Hahahaha! That's right kid! This is the kind of power that everyone at Ryuga-Jo Palace has been trying to train you to acquire. The truth is, I haven't achieved perfect Heavenly Sage Mode yet. Only Owatatsumi, the ruler of Ryuga-Jo Palace is a perfect Heavenly Sage. The power of a perfect Heavenly Sage is even greater than this. You can tell when someone has become a perfect Heavenly Sage when a unique cloak of chakra is emitted from their body. As you can see I don't have anything like that. But, even as an imperfect Heavenly Sage I'm no pushover."

Haku simply remained silent in continued shock for a few moments longer before he snapped out of his stupor. "Nade! If I knew you had this kind of power I would have summoned you to help me fight against Lord Second a long time ago!"

"Heh, well kid, maybe it wasn't so bad that you didn't summon us to help you out in that fight. I can tell that the guy you call Lord Second is pretty tough. And I can tell that you got much stronger since we last met. So even though it might have taken you longer to beat him, the tradeoff was that you got insanely stronger. This is beneficial on your road to becoming a Heavenly Sage."

At this moment the dragon and the boar could no longer hold their breath and drowned disappearing in a puff of smoke prompting the giant water aquarium to dissipate. Sasuke and Sakura also finished their fight against their summoning opponents as well and regrouped next to Haku. Just as everyone turned their attention to Tobriama and Ashina, both reanimated shinobi pooled their chakra together before Ashina placed his hands on the ground and said, "Summoning Jutsu!" A gigantic cloud of white smoke larger than all others appeared at this moment.

Nade immediately widened his eyes in shock and exclaimed, "Impossible! No...Incredible! To think that that reanimated shinobi had a summoning contract connected to this devil!"

Haku immediately felt worried after hearing what Nade said. "Nade, what is it? I don't even see his summoning?" Just as Haku finished his sentence Aoda screamed in pain and disappeared in a puff of smoke prompting Sasuke to jump onto Katsuyu's head next to Sakura.

"What happened?" Sasuke said in alarm.

Nade quickly chimed in. "Oi, little girl on the slugs head. You better recall your summoning and get on top of my back. I'm afraid only I will be able to survive this."

Sakura immediately did as Nade suggested and jumped onto Nade's back along with Sasuke, Kakashi, and Guy. Not a moment later a large pool of water erupted from beneath the ground spanning for 500 meters in all directions and continued rising. Haku widened his eyes in shock and alarm. "NADE! The Alliance members!"

Nade narrowed his eyes and shouted, "Alright! Leave it to me!" He quickly swiped out his fins and shouted, "Heavenly Sage Art: Grand Shark Precession Jutsu!" Thousands upon thousands of small water bubbles in the shape of a shark immediately swam forth and swallowed as many members of the Third Division as they could safely keeping them away from the torrent of the gigantic whirlpool in the area and also avoiding large sharp teeth-like protrusions that stuck out and swirled around with the whirlpool. The entire ordeal lasted for a total of 5 minutes before the giant whirlpool disappeared in a puff of smoke. This also caused all the bubble sharks to dissipate and release the members of the Third Division that Nade was able to save.

Nade panted heavily trying to catch his breath since he was completely exhausted after the enormous amount of chakra he expended to protect his body and as many of the Third Division members as he possibly could. Haku frowned as he took a look around at the destruction caused by what just happened. He also had an apologetic look as he patted Nade's back comfortingly. "Nade, sorry to make you work so hard. Thanks for saving as many people as you did."

"Heh. Indeed you should be thanking me. That was a lot tougher than I thought. I never imagined that I'd ever run into that summoning ever again."

Kakashi frowned as he tried to make sense of everything that just happened and asked, "What was that? Didn't Ashina say Summoning Jutsu? Don't tell me that enormous pool of water with sharp protrusions sticking out of it was a summon?"

Nade lightly chuckled. "That's right. It's an incredibly ancient and old creature of the ocean. Its official name is Sokonashi. Truly a monster of the deep. We three guardians of the Ryuga-Jo Palace call it the devil of the ocean. What we faced just now was merely a small portion of its true size. I never imagined that a human could have actually signed a summoning contract with Sokonashi. But from the looks of it, it isn't a summon he can call very often. Seems he needs the help of someone else's chakra pool just to call a small piece of it to battle." Nade diverted his attention from Kakashi and back to Haku. "Kid, the first battle you summon me into and I had to face a real monster. I suppose the outside world really has gotten a bit more interesting. Anyways, I've spent too much chakra so I'll have to leave you. I took the liberty of securing the other reanimated shinobi you all sealed away. I sensed those two called Ashina and Tobirama go after them so I figured I'd thwart their plans. They disappeared from the area pretty quickly after that. Sorry I couldn't save everyone from the attack."

Haku shook his head and replied, "No Nade, you don't have to apologize. Without you we all might of been done for. You've done enough. Get some rest."

"Mn. Then off I go." With a puff of smoke Nade disappeared prompting Kakashi, Guy, Sasuke, Sakura, and Haku to fall down and land on the wet ground. They all stared at the disoriented Third Division and frowned. Kakashi stepped forward and said, "Guy, Sasuke, Haku, go confirm and secure the sealed reanimated bodies that Nade grabbed for us. Sakura, go check on the Alliance members and heal the injured. I'll report to HQ and see what our next plan of action should be."

"Alright." Everyone responded before dashing off to complete their tasks. Kakashi quickly found the surviving members of the intelligence unit stationed with them and had them connect him to HQ. Shikamaru, Tsunade, and the Raikage immediately felt their minds connect to Kakashi's who said, "HQ, this is Hatake Kakashi. Reporting. We had just finished sealing away the last three reanimated shinobi Uchiha Fugaku, Might Duy, and Senju Tobirama when we were ambushed by a reanimated Uzumaki Ashina."

After hearing Ashina's name both Tsunade and the Raikage felt cold sweat drip down their back. Tsunade clenched her fist and asked, "Are you sure it was Uzumaki Ashina? As in the first Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan?"

Kakashi nodded and confirmed, "Yes. No doubt. It was Ashina who unsealed Lord Second Hokage and it was Lord Second who told us that it was Ashina. Lord Second also told us that we need to return and guard all sealed reanimated shinobi before Ashina gets to them and unseals them. Ashina summoned some sort of strange creature that was powerful enough to wipe out our location. Many of the members in our division suffered injuries and even death. It was thanks to Haku that anyone even ended up surviving."

Shikamaru noticed Tsunade and the Raikage's sour facial expression so he asked, "Excuse me, but who is this Ashina guy? I heard you all say that he's the Clan Head of the late Uzumaki Clan and he sounds like a problem considering he can undo our sealing techniques, but it shouldn't be too big a deal with how much more manpower we can lend out now. Right?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Shikamaru, Ashina is a bit different. He's incredibly dangerous. I would argue that he's even more of a threat than the Second Hokage. The reason is because he's the forefather of all of Konoha's Fuinjutsu. On top of that he has sealed away many dangerous and strange creatures throughout the years. As long as those creatures aren't dead yet he can summon them under his control. His individual skill as a shinobi is no lesser than that of the Second Hokage either. I heard a story from my grandfather, the First Hokage a long time ago that Ashina developed some extremely formidable Fuinjutsu and one shouldn't fight him too carelessly or they would end up losing their life. The Third Hokage might know more since he was a student of the First and the Second. Anyways, we need to deal with the problem of Ashina being able to undo the sealing of the already sealed shinobi."

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Lord Second and Ashina have already left. I just received word from Haku who used Sage Mode to locate their chakra. They're headed to the area where Jiraiya and the previous Four Kage were defeated and sealed."

The Raikage frowned as he turned to Shikamaru and asked, "Well then, any plans?"

Shikamaru contemplated for a bit as he pieced together various bits of information before replying, "Here's what we should do. Kakashi, I know Sai is in your unit. His ability lets him remain mobile and seal away enemy shinobi. Kakashi, you're skilled in tracking others with your summonings and Haku can find them through Sage Mode. Sasuke's battle strength will also be needed. Leave Guy and Sakura in charge of the Third Division for now. They'll lead the Third Division towards the First Division battlefield while you, Haku, Sasuke, and Sai chase after Ashina and Lord Second. From our end the Second Division is almost done as well so we don't need as many shinobi stationed here. Lord Raikage, you, Kimimaro, and Neji should head out from our side and cutoff Ashina and Lord Second in a pincer attack. At this stage in the war it should be okay for you to make an appearance on the battlefield. Hopefully with this setup we'll be able to prevent Ashina from unsealing anymore reanimated shinobi at the same time successfully defeat both of them and seal them away for good. We'll also contact Lord Third Hokage and have him leave the First Division Battlefield to rendezvous with you all since he would probably have the most knowledge on how to defeat Ashina."

Everyone took a moment of silence to take in Shikamaru's plan before nodding in agreement. The Raikage stood up and prepared to head out as he said, "I'll get Kimimaro and Neji. We're heading out immediately. The war is close to being over. Once the First Division wins their battlefield it'll only be Madara and Kabuto left. We can't let Ashina unseal any of the reanimated shinobi or it'll only prolong this war."

As the mental link cutoff Kakashi left to relay the orders he received from HQ while the Raikage disappeared quickly bringing Kimimaro and Neji with him. An hour had passed since the mental meeting with Kakashi when a figure appeared inside the tent of HQ. Tsunade looked up from her seat a bit startled, but immediately calmed down as she took note of the familiar figure in the room. "Oi, Izaya, you've been taking off here and there. This time you've been gone for about two-weeks. At least Naruto and Bee give their reports of their location every few days. You should learn to do the same. Find anything on Kabuto?"

I turned to face Tsunade and put on a thoughtful look before replying, "Yes and no. I've found some clues of where he could be but haven't found him yet. I plan to do a thorough sweep of those locations soon but I do feel strongly about one location in particular."

"And that is?"

"Most likely...Kabuto is hiding within Ryuichi Cave."

Tsunade widened her eyes in shock as she exclaimed, "What?! Ryuichi Cave? Impossible! Are you telling me that he was accepted as a disciple of the White Snake Sage and entered that Sage Land? If that's the case then it'd be really hard to get to him."

I nodded at Tsunade's statement. "Indeed it'd be a bit tough to get to him. One can't simply walk into one of the legendary Sage Lands so it's actually the perfect hiding spot for Kabuto. I'll need some time to think about this further. I feel that it's highly possible for Kabuto to be hiding there but it isn't the only possibility. If I'm unable to discover Kabuto in any of the other locations I want to scope out then I'll think about trying my hand at Ryuichi Cave."

Tsunade let out a long sigh but nodded. "Very well. Sorry for the trouble, but we'll leave that to you Izaya."

Just as I was about to respond to Tsunade the entire Second Division campgrounds trembled and shook as a powerful wave of chakra erupted in the near distance.

BANG! BOOM! BANG!

Loud explosions went off all around the area. Tsunade and I quickly rushed outside of the tent and frowned at the sight in the near distance. Not too far away stood a battered Naruto and Killer Bee as they fought to catch their breath. Immediately Tsunade and I dashed out and arrived before both of them followed by Kurotsuchi, Hanabi, Hinata, Kai, and many others of the Second Division. Tsunade quickly began the process of healing Naruto and Bee as she asked, "What happened?! How did you both end up like this?"

Naruto gritted his teeth as he responded, "Bee, Suigetsu, Jugo, Karin, and I were all searching various old bases of Orochimaru's hoping to find Kabuto hiding in one of them but we ended up running into Madara along the way. After fighting for awhile Bee and I led the fight away so the other three wouldn't get caught up in the battle. He should be arriving soon."

No later than the last sentence Naruto spoke, a swirling distortion appeared about 300 meters away revealing Tobi completely unscathed with his Gunbai fan strung behind his back and six reanimated shinobi by his side. Everyone frowned and became extremely anxious at this moment. Tobi took a few steps forward and commanded, "Hand over the Eight and Nine Tails. I found them first. It's only right that they remain with me."

Tsunade scowled and was about to step forward to face him when I stood out instead. "Lord Fifth Hokage, don't. The six reanimated shinobi by his side are the previous Jinchuriki. No doubt they hold the power of the Tailed Beasts within them. On top of that, they each have one Sharingan and one Rinnegan so they probably have the powers of Nagato as well. We need you to stay back and heal Naruto and Bee. Until then I'll face him and discern his abilities."

Tsunade frowned and argued, "Just you? Are you insane? That is Uchiha Madara with six Jinchuriki that can undergo Tailed Beast transformation and they wield the power of the Rinnegan!"

Hanabi also protested, "Izaya! Stop trying to do everything on your own! Let us help!"

Kurotsuchi took this moment to chime in as well, "Oi, I know you're tough but even you can't take on six perfect Jinchuriki along with Madara!"

I turned around to face everyone and took a good look at the current group before shaking my head as I thought to myself, if Maro or the Raikage were here then they'd be of some help. Lord Fifth might be of some help but her role is currently better suited to healing Naruto and Bee. Hanabi has gotten stronger but I'm afraid something might go wrong in the fight…

I heard Kurotsuchi click her tongue as she said through gritted teeth, "You do realize that I'm the Captain of the Second Division don't you? You think we'd just get in the way, huh?"

Before anyone could continue to protest Tobi had Fu transform into the Seven Tails and fire a full powered Tailed Beast Bomb. This caused everyone's eyes to go wide in shock and tremble in fear as no one knew what to do in order to prevent being hit. I quickly weaved the signs for Snake, Horse, Rat, Ram and placed my hands out in front of me immediately erecting a space-time barrier saying, "Flying Thunder God Jutsu Guiding Thunder!" The Tailed Beast Bomb was instantly absorbed into the barrier seal and disappeared creating a giant explosion in the distance a few seconds later. I then returned my attention to everyone in the Second Division.

"I understand everyone's resolve to fight. I don't doubt anyone's ability nor their strength. But, for now I think the best strategy for us to use is to have everyone here watch me fight Madara and look for gaps in his attacks. Search for his patterns and find moments where you can counter. My skill set is the best to stall Madara and the Jinchuriki until Lord Fifth can get Naruto and Bee in fighting condition again."

I stared at everyone's frustrated facial expressions knowing that they all felt completely helpless and that the Tailed Beast Bomb from earlier further drove them into self demoralization. I shook my head in disapproval and shouted, "Who are you fighting this war for?!" My loud voice instantly shook everyone out of their own thoughts as I continued. "Do you think I'm purposely fighting alone? For what? Glory? I don't need such a vain thing like that. I am fighting so that I can protect the things that I hold dear! And I am fighting for the sake of the world! I hope you all haven't forgotten what you all are fighting for! Maybe you're fighting because you have a son or daughter at home that you wish to protect! Maybe you have a wife or husband you wish to protect! Maybe you fight for your village! Or Country! Or people! Maybe you fight for your own sense of justice! Maybe you fight for your friends! Whatever you are fighting for, don't forget it! Your efforts in the war are not any less than one single moment of any battle! Do what you can do, and leave what you can't do to your comrades! Am I not your comrade?!"

I watched as the eyes of every shinobi stationed here at the Second Division battlefield widen their eyes in realization that they had temporarily got caught up in the heat of the moment and forgot what they were fighting for. Instead, they were caught up in the feeling of wanting a hotblooded battle and to prove their worth, to prove that they were making an important difference in the war effort. Then, when faced against a Tailed Beast Bomb it made them doubt their worth. But after they listened to my scolding speech they recalled the very reason why they resolved themselves to fight against Madara.

I nodded my head in approval as everyone's mood became spirited again so I shouted once more, "Am I still not your comrade?"

"You are!" They shouted back.

"In all our battles together have I once forsaken any of you?"

"No!"

"Have you all forsaken me?!"

"No!"

"Have you all forsaken yourselves?!"

"No!"

"Then do you still consider me your Vice Captain?"

"Yes!"

"Then stand firm with your resolve and trust in your Vice Captain's judgement for I have not forsaken myself! And I have not forsaken any one of you! Understood?!"

"Yes!"

"Vice Captain we're counting on you!"

"You're Konoha's White Flash! We'll believe in you!"

"With Vice Captain on our side anything's possible!"

"Right! Vice Captain was the one who planned the defeat of the reanimated shinobi and defeated most of the White Zetsu Army on his own!"

"I can't believe we were so foolish thinking that it was all over just because of one Tailed Beast Bomb! I'll choose to believe in Vice Captain Izaya's words!"

Tsunade widened her eyes in amazement as she noted the complete turnaround of the Second Division's mood from earlier and smiled to herself.

Kurotsuchi just let out a defeated sigh. "Haaaaaaahhhhhh...Honestly, I know I said that I was the Captain but why do you sound more like the Captain right now?"

I gave her an awkward smile before standing in front of Hanabi who had a pained expression on her face. I gently placed both my palms on the side of her cheeks and bent down to kiss her forehead. "I promise that I'll come back to you." Before she could respond I dashed away and stood out between Tobi and the Second Division.

Tobi smirked as he said, "Well well well, The Lone Ninja...Karasuma Izaya. I hear that you've been called Konoha's White Flash and The Blind Warrior. Fitting titles. And quite the impressive speech you gave. I had hoped to break their spirit with that attack of mine. To think you'd be able to nullify the psychological effect it had. I think that it is time I kill you. You seem to be posing more of a problem than I originally anticipated."

I scoffed at Tobi's remark and spun a special kunai in my hand. "You have to have the skill first. So, shall we dance?"