Chapter 113 : Blood (3)

Anko shook her head, grabbing him by the arm and giving him a look that all but screamed "I'm sorry".

"We need to get to Zabuza now! There's no time to explain, you'll have to see for yourself." And with that, the snake-user dashed out of the office, trying her best to reach Zabuza, to reach her.

...

Zabuza was an extremely powerful jonin, even more so since he rejoined Kirigakure, but even he couldn't defend her from too many enemies, even with Haku and Chojuro with him. And if anything happened to her before Naruto even got to meet her…

Anko loved Naruto with all her heart. She was his completely. Her heart, her soul, her body… it all belonged to Uzumaki Naruto. Not once had she ever been truly scared of him. Not once…

But the thought of what he would do if anything happened to that girl…

Anko had never been so thoroughly terrified in her entire life. Ever.

Deciding to follow and see what was going on, Naruto left the office, hot on Anko's tail.

...

Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist, and a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure no Sato, was nervous.

With Haku at his side, he always felt like he could do anything, complete any mission, but right now, with five fully fledged Iwa jonin staring at them with eyes that expressed more killing intent than their actual killing intent, he wasn't so sure anymore.

Even Chojuro, the kid who was now also a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was there with them, yet Zabuza was still nervous, scared even.

The reason? Simple. It was not because Zabuza feared for his life, or even the life of Haku and Chojuro. No, they were all skilled shinobi who could handle themselves.

Even outnumbered as they were, Zabuza was fairly certain that two Swordsmen of the Mist were capable of taking care of them.

What Zabuza was actually terrified of was the little girl that clung to his leg, hiding behind him, terrified of the men who had somehow discovered her. The bloody demon wasn't exactly afraid of the girl, but he was scared for her. If anything happened to her…

Zabuza had to shake the thought from his mind. The man had forced the fucking Yondaime Mizukage to change his graduation ceremony for the academy because of the shit he had done as a kid, and even he was terrified of what the girl's father could do.

Hell, her mother was also not to be trifled with. Those who proclaimed her as a false leader were idiots. That woman was powerful enough to gain the loyalty of Momochi Zabuza. That was an incredible feat in and of itself. Respect.

Terumi Mei had earned Zabuza's respect, and because of that, the Demon of the Mist would die for her, all she needed to do was ask.

But this…

Zabuza looked down to meet gazes with the little girl again, her fearful expression causing his heart to ache. He had… grown close to the little girl. He felt something of a guardian for her, a protector. It was similar to how he felt about Haku, but more protective, gentler.

Zabuza turned to face the Iwa-nin again, his deep eyes glaring, the full force of his killing intent flaring. A warning.

The enemy didn't even respond.

"You're no ordinary jonin, are you?" the demon asked. When they didn't respond, he smirked underneath his bandages. "Let me guess…" his eyes glided over them, examining the way they stood.

"GOLEM?" Again, none of the Iwa-nin responded, but that was all the answer Zabuza needed. "Hey, kid." He spoke to Chojuro, though he never took his eyes off his prey.

"Yeah?" Chojuro asked, still staring at the enemy as well, his hand gripping Hiramekarei tightly.

"We probably aren't going to survive this one." Zabuza admitted.

Chojuro was silent for a moment, just staring at the men who had invaded his home. His precious Mizukage personally asked for him to guard the little one from any harm.

He'd gladly die to serve his village, his country, his Kage. That was the kind of leader Terumi Mei was – the kind people would die for with smiles on their faces. She was the one who fought for freedom and equality for the bloodline clans, and with the help of the Bringer of Hope, liberated the entire country from the tyrant Kage Yagura.

So his answer was actually quite simple. Then, he smiled. "I'm okay with that."

Zabuza returned this smile, taking his bandages around his face off, showing off his deathly sharp teeth. "Haku, take the girl and leave this place." He ordered of the man he called son.

"I'm about to show these people why we were once called the Bloody Mist." There was a look in Zabuza's eyes, a look of both excitement and peace.

Haku didn't move for a moment, just staring at his best friend and father figure, before bowing to his master and taking the girl who didn't want to let go of her friend, ready to vanish away… ready to leave his family for the sake of another's.

Zabuza pointed Kubikiribocho at the men he knew to be members of GOLEM, smirking. "Let's have some fun then, shall we?" And then he brought the full force of his chakra down upon them, leaking considerable amounts of energy.

It was enough to finally make the enemy react.

Four of them went into defensive stances, while one rushed at Zabuza with the intent to end the man's life.

"Don't underestimate me!" Chojuro screamed. The bandages around Hiramekarei fell, revealing the blade to everyone.

"Hiramekarei Kaiho (Hiramekarei Unleashing)!" Chojuro was on the GOLEM operative in an instant, chakra forming around his blade, creating what looked like a giant hammer, a hammer that hit the red-clad shinobi from Iwa with the force of an enraged bull, sending him flying back to his comrades.

The injured GOLEM operative was caught by his comrades, blood leaking from the side of his mouth. He tasted the iron on his tongue and smiled. Chojuro narrowed his eyes, before widening them, realizing what had happened.

Before the young swordsmen could react, Zabuza was already at his side, ripping the explosive tag off of Hiramekarei that the Iwa shinobi planted, and tossed it at the enemy. Before the explosion went off, the five enemy-nin scattered in different directions.

Zabuza looked back, making sure that Haku was gone. When he saw no signs of them, he smiled.

"I leave it all to you now… son." The demon of the mist whispered. When he turned to face the enemy, his face was twisted in a snarl, his anger finally let off its leash. The demon craved their blood.

With a fierce roar, Zabuza launched at the shinobi who were about to take pleasure in killing the girl he swore to defend his entire life. At his side was an equally enraged Chojuro, his blade screaming as they all but sailed through the air.

Zabuza tightened his grip on Kubikiribocho, getting more and more excited at the idea of falling in a great battle with his fellow swordsmen.

They'd send as many as they could to hell, where they'd kill them over and over again for their ignorance.

It was going to be so fun.

The instant his blade was about to do what it was built to do, the air suddenly became hot. Heat that was surely unnatural washed over what was going to be a battlefield – and a graveyard – like the sun's light washing over the shadows. Everyone started sweating, it was so hot.

Zabuza smirked when he saw Chojuro bend his knee, mirroring the kid. In a flicker of air, Terumi Mei, the Godaime Mizukage of Kirigakure no Sato was in between her swordsmen and the GOLEM agents that were planning on murdering her child, her daughter.

Mei had never hated anyone more than she hated Yagura, but one would find that hard to believe if they saw the way she looked at the invading Iwa-nin. Pure, unadulterated rage filled Mei's eyes, her heart and her soul. She was so mad, so livid…

So murderous.

"Where is she?" she asked Chojuro who, like Zabuza, still knelt behind her.

Chojuro never raised his head. "Haku-san took her and fled, Mizukage-sama." He reported. "He'd follow protocol, so they're most certainly deep within the Blue Room."

The presence of a Kage made the GOLEM agents pause, reassessing the odds of actually accomplishing anything or dying without purpose. Retreat, when faced by an S-ranked shinobi who was also a Kage, was usually the only thing one could do, if even that.

They were deep within enemy territory, and there were absolutely no sounds of other battles… which meant that the order to invade Kirigakure was changed… It was now that the GOLEM operatives spoke.

"Shouldn't you be defending the village, Mizukage-sama?" A man with dark brown hair and weary eyes asked. His voice was deep and his face was rough, fitting a shinobi from Iwa.

Mei brought her gaze to the man who spoke, delivering all her hatred and rage to just him. The man, as an operative of GOLEM, didn't even flinch. GOLEM agents were born from stone, they didn't show fear. Ever.

… Until today…

"You see," a new voice spoke directly behind the GOLEM cell, surprising them all greatly. "That's the neat thing about a 'FLEE ON SIGHT' order." There were two sensors in their little team, and neither of them had felt the presence of life or even chakra anywhere near them that they weren't already aware of.

They all turned as quickly as possible, coming face to face with the one person that they were taught to be very afraid of.

"It doesn't just apply to individuals." One of them turned back to the Mizukage when they heard yet another newcomer appear. It was the Konoha kunoichi who they suspected to be the Leaf's representative. "It applies to entire armies as well."

The temperature dropped considerably when Uzumaki Naruto entered the battlefield. Everything just felt… hopeless when the man who was described as a nation killer appeared.

"Y… You…" one of the Iwa-nin whispered breathlessly. "W-why are you here…?"

Naruto looked at the man who asked him a question with uncaring eyes, like he was looking at a lower life form… like he was looking at nothingness.

"The better question is, what are you doing here?" The blond sat upon the giant sword Hoshigaki Kisame made famous, Samehada.

"Why was a cell – who is obviously comprised of GOLEM agents – so far away from the invading forces? Why this location?" Naruto ignored the way Mei and Anko flinched. Silence greeted him, so he continued.

"Kitsuchi-san has already called for retreat, GOLEM-san. If you answer my question, you can be on your way." His tone was almost sincere, a stark difference to the near bloodthirsty ANBU operative Nezumi.

Still the agents were silent, until finally, one cracked. "There's a rumor that the Mizukage gave birth to a child…" a man with light hair and a smoother face admitted.

He'd most likely be branded a coward if they made it back home, but he'd at least have saved their lives in his cowardice. "We were to either take the child with us, or forcefully cease the possible threat…"

Naruto was still for a minute, not looking at anyone or speaking at all. He was just… still.

"A… a child?" he finally spoke, his eyes meeting Mei's. The auburn-haired woman diverted her eyes, unable to look into his. It was at this moment that Naruto decided to activate his empathy ninshu, not wishing to be in the dark anymore.

And that's when it hit him.

A small, innocent soul that felt so similar to his own – minus the "innocent" part – glowed in his senses, standing out in its beauty. If he was the sun, all-encompassing and merciless, this soul felt like one of the small stars that twinkled in the night sky. It… it was blood.

His blood.

The huge revelation almost dropped the blond to his knees, and it would have, if something else hadn't welled up within him. The fact that he apparently had… a… child… was almost drowned out entirely now by the last thing the Iwa-nin said.

"Forcefully… cease?" he questioned, his eyes hidden from the world.

"H-Hai…"

Zabuza was the first to notice it. His hands… Naruto's hands… they were shaking. It wasn't long after that both Anko and Mei noticed it as well, followed shortly by Chojuro and the GOLEM operatives. The Godslayer's hands were shaking…

And then they went perfectly still, time seemingly stilling along with them.

It was at this moment that Naruto gazed upon the team from Iwa; his golden eyes slit vertically, and brought his hand up, his palm facing them. His almost serene, peaceful face that had slightly shocked Anko and Mei earlier was now so thoroughly twisted in rage that it actually scared the women who he loved.

It was then that the Kamikage whispered the words that ended the lives of many before them.

"Stop existing."

Naruto made a grabbing motion, and when he pulled, all five of the invading shinobi dropped to the ground, their lives ended.

They were reaped.

...

The four-man Ro-Han contingent stood before the Godaime Hokage, their backs almost as stiff as the feeling in the air.

Ookami, who was Ro-Han's lieutenant now, had just finished giving his report to Tsunade-sama, and now the woman was trying to digest the information, a wrinkle in her brow from her frown.

"And you're certain?" Tsunade asked. She immediately sighed, though. Of course they were certain. This contingent of Team Ro was comprised of the most elite ANBU she had under her command.

They wouldn't make mistakes like this. But that thought didn't make her feel any less worried.

"If Iwa has actually brokered an alliance with Kumo, then the war we've been trying to prepare for might begin sooner than we had hoped." Tsunade continued, sighing again. "I hate war…"

"If I may, Tsunade-sama…" Nezumi-Two began. And once Tsunade nodded, he started.

"We now know that Iwa is serious about starting the Fourth Shinobi World War. And we were all alive when the last one took place…" There was a brief silence in the Hokage's office as everyone took a moment to give thanks to Nezumi-Two for his actions in the Third Shinobi World War.

After all, he had practically won the whole thing for Konoha, being able to fight on just about any battlefield he wished that was marked with his special formulas.

"I know that we've got an alliance with Kiri, but that may not be enough. Both Iwa and Kumo are renowned for their military might. They've got bodies in bulk." The blond ANBU operative explained.

"I think we should try looking into brokering an official alliance with Suna, or even a few of the smaller villages, like Taki."

Tsunade rested her chin upon her folded fingers, thinking over her most powerful ANBU agent's words. "It makes sense, but I don't know if Suna would go for it… We kind of took their Bijuu…" she shook her head. "And Taki might be worried that we merely want to take theirs from them as well…"

"I suggest preemptive strikes on both Iwa and Kumo." Ookami added. "Strike at their food and water supplies. Soldiers can't fight on an empty stomach." His voice was deep and somber.

"It's almost impossible to do that, though." Nezumi-Two started. "We tried in the last war. Even I couldn't get that far into enemy territory undetected. And even if I could, getting out would be even harder." He shook his head.

"Subterfuge isn't really an option with these guys. Both villages have so many military precautions on everything, even spiking the civilian supplies would be too much of a risk."

Tsunade sighed and nodded. "You're right, Minato." The Hokage agreed. "I hate saying it, but Konoha is going to have to rely on you and Naruto on this one." She tried to ignore the way Karasu-Two clinched her fists.

"He should be back in the village soon. We'll just have to wait until then."

Minato nodded. It was his duty to serve the village, and his son's as well. If that meant they had to slaughter thousands to keep their home safe…

Nezumi-Two inhaled sharply. "Hai, Hokage-sama." He bowed deeply to his leader.

Then so be it.

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