Chapter 21: Fields of Blood

Warning: There's detailed violence and death in this chapter.

Chapter Twenty One – Fields of Blood

"We were alone and starved for love. Kids that lived in a world full of hate." - Uchiha Sasuke

Anko and Naruto had woken up early to soothing, shiny weather and had a quick but entertaining breakfast. Naruto juggled the cereal box, their bowls and spoons in a circus number while Anko laughed at the silliness.

This was what Orochimaru's training tips had ended up used as most of the time; Quick entertainment in social settings. As far as Naruto was concerned, their sensei should just be happy she didn't let her training go to waste.

After the successful and harsh training session last evening Naruto felt full of energy despite getting very little sleep. These days it was difficult to find time for training, and it meant eating into their meal time and sleep if they wanted to practise outside of missions.

But in a surprisingly refreshed mood the girls left the apartment to meet Orochimaru and Shisui by the gate.

After a quick briefing together they set out. They were meeting a client who needed security to deliver rations to Konoha. It was one of their more regular missions, and they had even met this particular client once before. It would take them a day to get there, but there was always the possibility of running into enemies.

Team Orochimaru wasn't too worried though. Much of the heat had been concentrated on the western border as of late, while they were heading northward. Hopefully they'd have a smooth mission without any unnecessary battles.

A little past noon they stopped for lunch by a lake. Even taking the time to light a fire to heat up their food. Naruto tried to pry information from Orochimaru regarding Tsunade, but all she got was that the slug sannin was staying in Konoha for a few weeks.

Half an hour later they were packing up and getting ready to leave. However their activity was disturbed when a puff of smoke erupted a few feet from Orochimaru. All four were surprised to see a monkey summon appear.

From there things went quickly downhill.

"Orochimaru-kun, I have an urgent message for you." The monkey said in a deep voice considering its size. It wasn't much larger than a house cat.

It was hard for Naruto to keep a straight face after hearing anyone address Orochimaru with '-kun' and she immediately liked the funky looking monkey.

Wordlessly Orochimaru walked up to the monkey and bent down to hear what was going on. Meanwhile his students dealt with the rest of the cleanup, and waited curiously and patiently to hear what was happening.

The monkey went up in smoke after five minutes, and Orochimaru turned back towards his students with a strangely serious expression.

"There's a change of plans. We're abandoning this mission. We're heading for the Midori fields instead." Orochimaru told them while brushing a calm, white hand through his hair.

"What? Why?" Naruto asked. For the last couple of weeks warnings about Kumo activity had made Konoha stop doing regular missions in that area. It was extremely dangerous there, and it almost guaranteed they'd run into trouble.

"That was a call for backup from the Hokage. An army of Kumo ninjas has been reported heading for our base there, and Iwa is moving from east. There will be a battle soon, and if the number of the army was counted correctly then they are badly outnumbered."

"W-what?" Anko asked breathlessly.

The smile on Naruto's lips was wiped away as she understood what was being said. They were being sent to the battlefield? As in… the front lines?

"We're going now." Orochimaru stated calmly, as if this was a perfectly normal occurrence. "Get ready, you all are to dress in standard Konoha gear."

The three students shared a frightened glance with each other, but did as instructed without preamble. Naruto and Anko found a bush to change behind, trying to be efficient while they changed into the standard dark sweater and pants with the forest green flak jacket. It was Naruto's first time wearing the uniform outside her apartment bedroom, where she'd tried it on just to see what it looked like.

On the front line it could get messy. If they didn't dress in the uniform they didn't know who all their allies were, even if it meant the enemies found out too.

Soon all three had changed from their normal clothes and into the standard battle attire. All four standing in Konoha green and equipped for easy access to their weapons.

Orochimaru was already impatient, and they hurried after him as he set off at a sprint's pace.

Naruto's head was filled with worse case scenarios during the first part of their travel. She couldn't make herself word any of her worries, and neither could any of her teammates. But after fifteen minutes of silence Shisui finally broke it. His voice taking on a hectic tone while they jumped from branch to branch. "What's our plan?"

Orochimaru answered without missing a beat. He was the picture of control. "We're backup, Shisui. There's hundreds out there already. There's no way for us to know what's happening, so we read the situation and act accordingly."

Shisui's eyes widened while Naruto felt her stomach turn uneasily. "It sounds like… you expect a blood bath." Anko said with a quiver in her voice.

"I am. Worst case scenario we arrive after the battle has started. If we do there's not much we can plan out. We'll have to see once we get there. If we get separated somehow the memo is to just stay alive. Kill as many enemies as you can see, and don't harm any allies."

Naruto swallowed, feeling sick imagining what was ahead of them.

"Why are we coming?" Asked Shisui, the question was one both Anko and Naruto wondered too, but hadn't dared speak aloud.

"Because of me. I'm needed there, and though you're young you are still Chūnin of Konoha. We are also a front line offensive team, though admittedly still in training. You have already proved you can deal with situations like this, so I'm bringing you with me to support the front line."

Shisui nodded wordlessly, knowing what wasn't being said.

They needed everyone close enough to fight. They were six hours out of Konoha, and though they had walked in the wrong direction for most of the day they were still three hours closer than anyone in Konoha. There wasn't many to call for backup either, since most teams were swamped with missions, meaning well suited ninjas for this type of battle were too far away to reach back on time.

They were the last resort. And it would be on their own expense if they messed up.

They could hear it before they saw it. The explosions were audible first, and then came the shouts. It had taken them five hours to get to the Midori fields, and from the sound of things they arrived after the battle had already started.

It was a wide spread battle field. Not a large groups on one field as Naruto had first imagined, but people scattered around the woods and fields for miles. It didn't make it less horrifying though.

The screams echoed oddly, and the clink of metal meeting metal hummed through the air like a constant tune. It made everywhere feel unsafe.

"Stay close, but don't get in my way. You follow my orders, no exceptions." Orochimaru ordered them. His composure less calm in the face of the oncoming danger.

"What do we do first?" Asked Anko. At first she had been silent while they ran, but she had grown increasingly impatient the closer they got.

"We're going to create a distraction. We're reinforcement, and there are many of our comrades who're currently under huge amount of pressure or exhausted. We'll basically lure the heat towards us."

Naruto's eyes widened and she looked from Anko to Shisui and back up at Orochimaru. "We can't deal with everyone on our own. And how will we lure anyone? You sound like we came here to act as decoys!"

"Sssshhh!" Anko and Shisui hissed in unison, and Naruto smacked a hand over her mouth while looking alarmed around. Praying that no one had overheard her.

"You're actually right, Naruto."

All of them stared disbelieving up at him. "It's time to show your true potential. I have a plan though, so listen up."

They huddled closer, though they'd already been standing as near as possible. "I am the decoy. A lot of ninjas will see me as a big threat – which I am. I'm going to summon a lot of snakes, and Anko will help me here." He looked pointedly at Anko, who nodded mutely.

"Next is Naruto. You'll use your clones, but I don't want you going all out, you need to use your chakra wisely today if you wish to see tomorrow." Orochimaru explained hurriedly before turning last to Shisui.

"Shisui; you'll stay close to Anko. If Naruto runs into trouble you'll use the Zanzo bunshin. But only if something happens to Naruto, first and foremost you are to read the situation with your Sharingan and report on the go. You have the best eyes out of all of us."

They didn't get much time to fine comb their plan before they were discovered. A couple of Iwa ninja stumbled onto them, shouting their lunges off about Orochimaru while they charged ahead.

Orochimaru summoned two great snakes in a flash. Naruto was hoisted up in the air on the head of a snake together with Orochimaru. The same happened to Anko and Shisui, but they were standing on the snake next to them.

The Iwa ninjas were crushed in an instant. The crash of the serpent's tail drowned out their panicked shout before they died. They gained the expected attention though.

This high in the air Naruto could see much further than down on the ground, and the sight was alarming. People started throwing weapons at them, while others were running to attack at a closer range.

Naruto fastened herself to the shells of the snake with chakra, while Orochimaru gestured for Anko to get in position.

"Manda no jin." Orochimaru hissed, and a sea of snakes escaped through his mouth. Naruto flinched in disgust, but held her mask in place, her eyes on their attackers instead of her ally.

Next to them Anko was summoning a group of large snakes. Not nearly as large as the ones they were standing on, but substantially larger than the hundreds of snakes Orochimaru had just spit out through his mouth.

People screamed in panic as the snakes slithered onto the battle field. They crawled into bushed and disappeared out of sight, but the screams indicated they had found prey.

Orochimaru spoke high and cold. "Forwards!"

The large snakes shot forward. Naruto bent down on all fours to gain more balance as they slithered into battle. Her eyes wide while the snake crushed anyone who was unlucky enough to get in their way. Shuriken was flying at them, but so far all had missed. They clang against the tough snake shells and bounced off like insignificant gravel. Not nearly enough to stop the serpent's advance.

"Look to the left!" Shouted Shisui, and all of them watched three fiery objects come hurling at them.

Naruto was ready, and next moment three clones threw themselves into the air, colliding with the objects and setting them off prematurely. It had been aiming at Orochimaru and Naruto, and they crouched down to avoid the explosions above them.

"There's another one!" Cried Shisui through the dust and sooth that rained over them.

Orochimaru was on it this time. "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." He muttered calmly and threw a shuriken into the air. It was a blind throw because of the smoke from the explosion, but the shuriken multiplied in ten folds. Another explosion was heard somewhere above the smoke, but the snake was speeding so fast they were soon out of the dust.

When they finally gained a clear view again they saw the commotion Orochimaru's presence on the battle field had created.

A larger group had gathered, about twenty to thirty ninjas was running towards them, their intent clear.

"Your turn, Naruto. Don't let them come close." Orochimaru ordered quietly.

Naruto nodded and made the clone seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

They held off for half an hour, but then the snake summoning contract with the two snakes went out, and they returned back to the Ryūchi Cave. It became a mess afterwards.

Orochimaru fought them out of the worst heat, Naruto as his second in command.

It was just a fact that Shisui and Anko didn't have the chakra reserves to get them through the hordes of opponents they faced. Instead they aided through taijutsu and kenjutsu. Shisui used ninja wire while Anko used her smaller size to fly between their enemies' feet and stab wildly.

For the time it looked dark. There was no getting out and more kept coming.

Again Orochimaru had come to the rescue. "Stay together, I'll gain their attention. But I'll disappear for a couple of minutes, so keep Anko and Shisui alive, Naruto. Two minutes." Orochimaru hissed while they were standing back to back while doing little more than deflecting and parrying attacks.

"I will." Naruto replied shakily, her hands going back into the clone seal. A hundred clones popped up, all of them going berserk on the bewildered crowd. Until now she'd kept the number to no more than fifteen, and it was quite a surprise for her opponents. Orochimaru disappeared behind her, and Naruto had no idea where he went.

She grabbed Shisui and Anko, making sure not to lose them in the crowd, and together they forced their way as far out of the crowd as possible. Shisui hissed as he got a cut from a flying kunai, but kept running.

An explosion went off not far away from them, people screamed and shouted.

"The sannin is over there!"

"He's trying to flee!"

"Kill Orochimaru, this way!"

Naruto watched astonished as most of their opponents changed their objective, moving towards Orochimaru instead of pressing in on them.

They were far from safe though. Plenty wanted to finish them just for fighting alongside Orochimaru and being Konoha ninja in a sea of Iwa and Kumo ninjas.

The only thing they had to their advantage was that Iwa and Kumo weren't allies. They were fighting each other as well as them.

Another explosion went off, this time from the opposite direction, and Naruto felt her heart skip a beat as numerous Konoha ninja came running into their area. Their comrades. They were finally getting some help.

Naruto stumbled backwards, staring up at the furious man in front of her.

It was like a fog was clouding her vision. Naruto wasn't sure when she'd last seen Orochimaru, but none of them had been allowed a break since their dramatic entry into the battle. By now Naruto only acted, but didn't really register her own movements.

Everything was done more on instinct than conscious thought as one opponent was switched with the next one. Their bodies a trail of death by Naruto's own hands.

There was only one moment of perfect clarity throughout the battle, it was when she had her hand through the chest of a man who'd been about to kill Anko.

She was struck with the familiarity of the situation. Once it was Sasuke who had his hand through her chest. Now it was Naruto who was on the giving end. This man wouldn't survive it though. He didn't have the Kyūbi to heal him.

When the man slid down in a heap, it revealed Anko behind him. Her eyes were wide and hard with fresh bruises and blood dripping down her face. But she was still – thankfully - alive.

Naruto couldn't guess what she herself looked like. The rasengan had drilled into his abdomen and exploded halfway through his body, making Naruto drenched in the man's blood and probably more.

A sound of anger came from behind her, and turning around Naruto watched as a shuriken came hurtling towards her. Naruto didn't have the time or energy to dodge, and felt it cut into her stomach while her hands covered her face.

Next moment the ninja appeared in front of her. Ready to strike the finishing blow, but was intersected by snakes shooting at him. They bit into his neck and face, making him scream and twist while he tried to fight them off.

When Anko's hand closed around Naruto's elbow she let her herself be dragged away without objections. Knowing instinctively that they were running, but not sure exactly where. Only that it was not to safety.

The battle was a whirlwind of movement and disorganization. Shisui had found them again - after being lost for over an hour in the chaos - and looked intact considering their situation.

Orochimaru was completely gone though.

Naruto wasn't sure what had happened to him since their parting hours earlier, but it felt like days ago.

"Are you alright?" Asked Shisui aghast when he saw Naruto. She didn't want to know what Shisui saw to make him look that worried, and Naruto simply nodded.

"I'm fine. It's not my blood."

"And you Anko?" He inquired and turned towards Anko. She was massaging her wrist painfully, and gave a short jerk of her head in answer. She had a constant wide eyed expression on her face. It would have freaked Naruto out if she had been of a saner mind.

"You three, we need help over here."

They looked around in unison and saw Shikaku staring back at them. His eyes raked over them for a moment, halting longer on Naruto than the others.

They wordlessly followed the command, and were led to a larger group of Konoha ninjas standing in wait behind a cover of boulders. Naruto couldn't recognize anyone except Shikaku. "We're going to move further into the dale. A large group of Iwa ninja are coming in from the east. More backup." Shikaku explained hurriedly.

Naruto gritted her teeth. They just never stopped coming.

"You two." Shikaku said and addressed Naruto and Shisui. "You both use a type of clone technique. We need as many bodies as possible, seeing as we're badly outnumbered. Do you have enough chakra?" He asked while rummaging through his pockets.

"I'm low." Sighed Shisui frustrated and dragged a hand through his hair.

"Some." Naruto replied vaguely. "Maybe fifty?"

Shikaku stopped his movements for a moment, peeking curiously up before fishing up a box of soldier pills. He handed one to each of them. "These will help your reserves build up quicker. Eat up." He commanded while they moved into the crowd.

"Do we have any backup coming?" Asked Shisui.

Shikaku sighed and looked in the direction of the main battle. "Some." He replied, repeating Naruto's word back at her.

After hours on end of fighting Naruto only managed to make two clones. She was running dangerously low on chakra, and knew this battle wasn't ending in their favor.

There were bodies everywhere, and Naruto was covering Shisui and Anko the best she could. They were both out of chakra and needed a break from the heat.

A couple of men were focusing on them. They had just taken down two Konoha ninjas before they spotted them, and was walking slowly in their direction. Knowing they had them cornered.

"Say your prayers." The tall one said quietly.

Naruto held out her hand to the clone on her right. She had only one rasengan left in her, but damn it if she wasn't going to use it efficiently. She couldn't let them get to Anko or Shisui. "Stay back." She told her teammates sternly, knowing they were watching her from behind.

Her enemies halted when they saw the technique. Their eyes narrowing.

Naruto and the two clones ran forwards, meeting their opponents mid distance. The two clones jumped sideways while Naruto ducked two katanas at the same time. She had singled out which one she would take down ahead of time, and the clones managed to get a hold of him.

One jumped up on his back, getting him in a tight arm grip, while the other took a hold of his feet and efficiently restraining him. Naruto twisted out of reach of the other tall man, before burrowing her rasengan into his chest.

He made that odd shout. As if a drill was being bored into him while he screamed. He fell dead to the ground with Naruto on top of him.

She barely had time to take a breath when one of her clones popped by the still living opponent, the short one, and Naruto rolled away as he slashed for her again.

Her one remaining clone attacked from behind, slashing with a kunai, but the man sidestepped the clone and kicked it in the stomach.

Naruto was shakily getting to her feet, grabbing for her kunai too while she tried to figure out what to do next.

The man was keeping his distance now. Looking her up and down with bloodshot eyes.

Naruto swallowed, knowing the only thing she could do was pretend she was in better shape than she actually was. She would strike first. Try and use her drastically smaller size to avoid being hit.

Naruto sprang forwards just as the man did the same. She tried to read his next moment, know when to duck so she could get beneath him and attack upwards. It was risky, because it exposed her back, but it was the only way she knew to get a clear shot.

Just before they collided a kunai flew past Naruto's eyes. She saw it for just a second, and then there was a bright flash. Minato appeared right in the middle, blocking out Naruto's view. The man was killed so quickly Naruto had barely stopped from colliding into Minato before he fell dead to the ground. A kunai stuck in his throat.

For a moment Naruto didn't understand. Her mind hadn't caught up with the events yet, and just to make sure she hadn't been the one to kill the dead man she looked down at her hand still clutching a kunai.

"Are you okay?" Minato turned towards her, his expression cold but not aggressive. Watchful and on alert for enemies.

The sky was starting to light up behind him, indicating that the morning sunrise was not far away. He looked fresh for battle, not a single stain on his clothes. He must have arrived on the field recently.

She silently nodded, and Minato put a hand to her shoulder and squeezed it gently. Studying her closely with a hard expression.

"You've done well, Naruto. Now retreat. That's an order."

Naruto swallowed and numbly nodded again.

Shisui came up next to her and took a hold of her hand. "Thanks for saving her, Minato-sensei." He said quietly to Minato, but his eyes stayed on Naruto's dazed expression.

"Shisui, get everyone you find in this area to retreat, I'll deal with the enemy. I have a plan." Minato ordered hurriedly. "And make sure she's alright." He added and glanced down at Naruto.

"I'm fine..." Naruto murmured hoarsely. "I just need… a break."

But next thing she knew Shisui was dragging her after him, catching up with Anko who was hiding behind a boulder. Together they stumbled away from the field, trying their best to stay alive while the battle continued around them.

Shisui pushed Naruto into the grass while Anko rummaged through her pouch, retrieving a storage scroll which she unsealed with shaky hands.

Naruto was finally getting her senses back, and was not sure if that was a bad thing or not. Things were coming back to her quickly while the sounds of screams echoed through the air in the background.

"We need to go back." Naruto whispered hoarsely and swallowed to clear her throat.

"No. Minato-sensei ordered us to retreat. You're a mess Naruto. You've completely drained yourself of chakra. I think you created a thousand clones out there, not to mention how many rasengan you used. You're resting. You're of no help in this condition." Anko said sternly and put a bottle of water in Naruto's hand.

Anko pointed to the bottle. "Drink."

Naruto did, and felt great relief as the water trickled down her dry throat.

Shisui had his own water bottle out, while Anko was unsealing Naruto's bottle to drink for herself.

"This is insane..." Muttered Shisui while pinching the bridge of his nose. Breathing quickly between quick sips of water.

"I'm fine. I feel better." Naruto said and got back to her feet, only for Shisui to forcibly push her down again.

"Damn it, Naruto! Stay down! I'll fight you if I have to." Shisui snapped furiously.

"Do you think Minato-sensei was telling the truth? Do you really think he had a plan?" Anko asked nervously. She was sitting on her knees next to Naruto, looking worriedly in the direction of the battlefield not far away.

"Probably." Answered Shisui simply.

"We should help." Naruto insisted.

"We will. But you need half an hour break, Naruto. You need a medic too." Shisui said and looked around. There was a group of them there. About twenty Konoha ninjas was either sitting or lying in the grass around them. Hidden from the view of the battlefield.

Naruto recognized Inoichi who was bandaging up his leg.

"What's the time?" Asked Anko.

Shisui quickly checked his watch. "It's… six o'clock."

"We've been out there for… twelve hours?" Asked Anko bewildered.

"Yes." Shisui slowly sat down in front of them, hissing in pain at the movement.

Naruto looked worried at him. Shisui was bloody, but so were all of them. His flak jacket looked intact, but his trousers were cut on his left hip. There were dark stains there, probably dried blood.

He unsealed some medical supplies and threw them in the middle. "Fix up the best you can."

Naruto was reluctant, but knew Shisui wouldn't let her go back again without bandages the worst of her wounds. They would be healed completely within a couple of days, but Naruto knew this was about short term solutions, not long terms.

Naruto was calming down and felt sleepiness wash over her. The wounds she had been ignoring were throbbing, and she felt dizzy.

Never had Naruto been more aware of how young her body was. There was just no escaping the fact that a ten year old body was not ideal for this type of battle. She had lasted longer than she ever had in the past, but she knew if she was the right age she could have performed so much better. She could have used senjutsu. But right now her own limitations were her strongest enemy.

She picked up her pouch and found a small case before popping it open. Inside was the soldier pills she had miraculously packed that morning, and she laid the tray out for all of them. "Take one." Naruto said while pointing to the tray.

There were eight pills in the tray, but she knew Shisui and Anko had their own soldier pills too. They could share those later.

Naruto wasn't sure how long they sat there. Time went quickly, but it couldn't have been more than half an hour.

The sun had just peeked over the horizon when they finally decided to get up again. Naruto felt better but far from refreshed. She felt her chakra slowly building up again, but knew it was hardly enough for more than a clone.

But there weren't any alternatives. They were at war, and their comrades needed them. Even Shisui didn't object this time, and together they made their way through the woods.

They half jogged for fifteen minutes before the woods thinned out. Blown to pieces by explosive tags and ninjutsu.

The field opened up drastically then, and all three stopped in their track.

It was calm.

Naruto looked confused at her teammates, but they were just as stunned as she felt.

There were people walking around unhurried on the field, meeting up or bending down over dark shapes too far away too make out, but were probably bodies.

Naruto moved first, taking a shaky step forwards, and then another. She was jogging before she was consciously aware of it. The sun cast long shadows in the morning light, obscuring the people in abstract shapes of light and dark. But the closer she got the better she could see.

The first person she recognized was Shikaku, and she headed for him.

He heard her footsteps and turned quickly, but relaxed his stance when he recognized her. "What happened?" Naruto asked confused. "It was completely insane earlier, but now..." Naruto trailed off and looked around. She had no idea how many bodies she'd jumped over on her way to Shikaku, but it was in the double digit.

"Minato-san. He truly saved us this time." Shikaku answered with a comforting smile.

Naruto felt her shoulders sag in relief, and she looked quickly around, trying to find him on the wide field.

"How did he do that?" Asked Anko shakily.

"The Hiraishin." Shikaku explained. "He made very quick and efficient work of most of the army. The ones that was alive anyway. He ordered most of our ninja off the field to minimize the risk of someone getting in the crossfire, and then he teleported all over the field while taking down opponents. I've never seen anything like it."

"What can we do now?" Asked Naruto, not sure what she felt anymore.

There was relief, but the other emotions were messy and ugly, and she pushed them away for the time being.

"Well..." Shikaku looked worriedly at each of them. There was pity in his eyes before he sighed. "We're short on men right now, and we could use help… sorting out the bodies."

"We'll do it." Anko replied at once, ready for action again, while Naruto only felt numb.

"Stay together. You never know… Some of them might just be unconscious." Shikaku muttered, they all knew he was referring to enemy ninjas. "Gather up anyone of our own." He then handed them a number of scrolls.

Body scrolls.

"Take care of each other, and meet back here in two hours."

Naruto shifted through bodies, pushing away corpses wearing the wrong type of uniform. They were to reclaim those who'd fought for Konoha so they could have a proper burial, the rest… well; Naruto wasn't sure what would happen to them.

They labored without rest, and Naruto wished she had more chakra, because then this would have been sorted out much quicker.

None of them spoke, and Naruto preferred it that way. There was no word that could describe the sight either. It was simply unspeakable.

Naruto finally got a good hold of the person she'd been trying to dig out. A young man, maybe fifteen years old, and used all her strength to drag him out.

Panting she lay him down on the ground and looked at his face. Pale. Almost bluish. Just to be sure she checked his pulse. Finding nothing. She listened to his chest, hoping to hear a heartbeat, but all was quiet. The coldness of his skin should have been proof enough, but Naruto couldn't help having to make sure.

With tired movement she readied the scroll again. There were ten people inside the scroll already, this would be the eleventh. The man disappeared in a poof of smoke, while Naruto got to her feet again and looked around for her team.

Shisui had just finished helping Anko with a body too, and they worked together to see if they'd missed anyone in this pile.

Naruto kept her eyes cast low. It was like a perverse dream to move through the bodies, seeing their faces reflect back at her. Enemy or not. They were all people, and she didn't recognize any of them.

She couldn't recall clearly who she had killed that night, and while they pushed away bodies Naruto couldn't help wonder if any of them were her own kills.

The sound of hurried footsteps made Naruto look up, and was surprised to see Shisui running away.

Without preamble she hurried after him, Anko following her closely to see what had made Shisui run so fast.

He was sprinting against the sun, which made it hard to see anything in the blaring light.

She heard him before she understood what was going on. "What are you doing here? What were you thinking?" Shisui's voice was shaky, and Naruto sprinted the last distance.

Naruto had not expected to find Itachi. Shisui had his hands gripping the boy's arms, and was bent down to his height to stare him straight in the eyes.

"I..." Itachi answered, and looked up at Naruto and Anko when they came up next to Shisui. He froze when he saw Naruto, which yet again made Naruto wonder what she looked like.

Shisui wrapped his hands around Itachi and hugged him tightly. "You shouldn't see this Itachi. Close your eyes." He whispered quietly.

The boy did as instructed. His eyes closed while Shisui held him protectively against him. Naruto didn't know how it was possible, but the sight made her feel even worse.

"Climb up on my back. I'm taking you out of here." Shisui muttered and released Itachi. The boy just nodded again, while Shisui turned around so Itachi could climb up.

When he was up Shisui told him to close his eyes again, before starting to walk.

Naruto and Anko followed him. They were to report back to Shikaku soon anyway. "How did you even get here Itachi?" Asked Shisui quietly, a hint of anger in his voice. Naruto got the impression Shisui already knew, but wanted Itachi to confirm it.

"Father… He told me to keep out of sight though. And I didn't come down before the battle was over."

Shisui exhaled deeply, and sidestepped over a body before he answered. "How long… have you been here?"

"I'm not sure… We got here when it was dark."

"I see… Have you slept? Have you had anything to drink?"

"I haven't slept, but I have had something to drink. I brought my water bottle."

"Good Itachi. Just… We'll be out of here soon, and then you can open your eyes again."

"Why do you not want me to see?" Itachi carefully asked.

Naruto and Anko looked worried between them.

"This… You shouldn't have seen this Itachi… You're too young. I know you don't act like it but this isn't something a child should see. Heck, I shouldn't have seen this either, but I'm a ninja, and it was my duty to respond when I was called for. But you weren't. You're a civilian. You have no business in this place, and would be much better off at home. Asleep."

They saw a man come up ahead, coming straight towards them.

"Fugaku-sama." Shisui said shortly.

"You found Itachi. Thank you, Shisui-kun, I lost track of him for a moment but I can take him from here." Fugaku said and gestured towards his son.

Naruto answered for them though. "We don't mind taking him. We're supposed to report to Shikaku soon. We'll keep an eye on him."

Fugaku stopped and looked from Shisui's downcast face to the girls. "Well… Okay." He said with a curt nod. "I have a lot of work ahead of me."

"If you don't mind, Fugaku-sama, I'd like to take Itachi back to Konoha." Shisui said with forced calmness.

Fugaku was quiet for a moment, before he nodded. "It would be for the best. I'm needed here for a while longer. Thank you, Shisui-kun."

They stayed quiet while Fugaku left them. No one daring to speak. Naruto noticed her hands were shaking again.

"Your father…." Started Shisui saying, before he took a deep breath. "He means well, Itachi. But… this wasn't right. He should not have brought you out here."

"He said this was not a war between people… but nations. It's why strangers kill each other without meaning. This is what war is."

"There's other ways to resolve conflicts than this Itachi. This is the last option - an extreme. You shouldn't have to even think about this."

They found Shikaku after half an hour. He had gathered up a large group of ninjas. Minato was one of them. Shisui had asked Itachi to wait for him a small distance away, Naruto's clone keeping him company until they came back to fetch him.

"Thank you so much for your effort. This has been… a truly dark night. I'm not going to keep you long. Just that you keep the body scrolls, and the ones who have agreed to stay should go to the food station we put up. We'll start dealing with the rest of the bodies next." Shikaku explained and gestured to the field.

People nodded and murmured silently between one another, while Naruto stood on her toes and looked at the people. She found Orochimaru not far away from Shikaku, bandaging his arm while talking with someone Naruto didn't know. A strange sense of relief filled her, but she pushed it away as quickly as the feeling had come over her.

"Should we stay?" Anko asked uncertainly. Naruto did not feel like staying, but on the other hand it was the right thing to do. Even their enemies deserved a better burial than being left to rot on the battle field.

"I'll stay. You go home. You know how I heal fast, so I'm good for another day, dattebayo." Naruto said quietly.

Shisui looked disapprovingly at her. "I need to get Itachi home so I have to go, but I think both of you should come with me. There are enough people to help out here." Shisui argued.

"Every hand helps Shisui. But you're right. You should take Itachi home. I'll go with the rest whenever they return."

"No."

All three looked up and saw Minato standing next to them. His hands were folded in front of him and he looked almost angry. "You're going home. All of you are."

Naruto didn't have much fight in her, and sighed in resignation.

"I'll tell your sensei I sent you home. I need to have a quick word with Orochimaru-sama anyway." He mused, his eyes narrowing in the sannin's direction before he walked away. Naruto looked after him as he left.

"See. Now you're ordered home. I could have told you already that you'd be sent home. Minato-sensei was not pleased we took part of this fight." Shisui muttered and shook his head.

"Why do you say that?" Asked Naruto confused.

"For the same reason I'm angry at Itachi for being here tonight. We're young. Can you see anyone here, dead or alive, as young as we are Naruto?" Shisui said and gestured to the field.

When she came to think about it Shisui was right. No one had looked younger than the last boy she'd sealed away. He'd been in his teens. "Oh..."

"Exactly. Let's go home. And when I've taken Itachi home we're all going to the hospital and getting a checkup."

"I thought you wanted us to rest, Shisui." Muttered Anko.

"We'll rest on the road. I doubt I can make the return journey without a break." Shisui argued.

They used over half a day getting back to Konoha, and it was dark by the time they delivered Itachi home to Mikoto.

Itachi had stayed quiet for most of the return journey, being more comfortable with observing them than taking part in their conversations.

The only time he talked was when someone addressed him directly, asking if he needed a break from the walking or something to fill his stomach.

Itachi acted as if he was already a ninja though, and thanks to their injuries and exhaustion Itachi was the quickest one in the small group.

Naruto even gathered up the courage to speak with him. It was ridiculous that she was so nervous around the child – he wasn't really the one she was afraid of – but it was hard to quench her own instincts. "Are you okay?" She asked quietly when they took their second break.

Itachi looked at her and nodded quietly. "Shisui is worried about you." Naruto told him, making patterns in the dirt with her finger while avoiding looking directly at Itachi. "I am too."

"Why?" Asked Itachi. The question bursting from his lips with more urgency than he'd intended.

Naruto finally looked up, meeting his eyes and holding them. "Why what?"

"Why… do you do it? What is the point? Why do people hurt one another that way? So many died pointlessly. Is it pointless… to be a ninja?" He asked quietly, his eyes intense on Naruto's face. He was impossible to read, and Naruto found her throat closing up at his insistent questions. He really wanted to know.

"It's different for everyone, Itachi." Naruto replied quietly. "You have to find your own answers, because no one can tell you what to feel or what you fight for. But the reason I do it… is to protect. I'm part of this war to protect my friends." She answered and gestured towards Anko and Shisui sitting not far away from them.

Her teammates smiled weakly at her answer, but continued being disengaged in their conversation when Naruto turned back to Itachi.

"To protect?" Asked Itachi thoughtful "But it's at the expense of others. You hurt people to save your friends."

"I know." Naruto ducked her head. "As I said; you have to find your own reasons to be a ninja. Personally… I hope I can protect my friends long enough that the nations can one day come to an agreement, and that they will be alive and well to see that day."

Itachi was still looking at her when Naruto raised her head, working through her arguments in his own head. "What's the meaning of life then?"

Naruto frowned. That was a big question. How could anyone know the meaning of life? Wasn't that an age long question? And Itachi wasn't very old. How could he be contemplating these sorts of things already? If Naruto had ever doubted that this boy was a genius, they were gone in that instant. He was nothing like any child she'd ever met.

"Why do you ask that, Itachi?" She replied.

Itachi shrugged, and finally he looked away. Turning towards Shisui instead. "If all we do is fight… I don't see much hope. There was so much hate last night. How can anyone overcome such hate? How does it not consume you? What's the point of living in a world like that?"

Naruto swallowed, and shifted closer to Itachi. "Hey Itachi." The boy looked up. A small blush on his cheeks at his forward questions. He seemed almost insecure.

"You can only find the meaning to life by living it. Every day. Every day has a new meaning to me. To be faced down with a challenge so difficult and impossible it doesn't have a right answer, only various wrong ones. Like this war. You find meaning in the lives you protect. You find meaning in the people you love. And you find meaning when you learn to move on despite making a mistake. The meaning always varies, but you can't find them without looking for them yourself."

Itachi nodded when she finished, though he seemed confused as to what she was getting at. "Do you know what the meaning of today was?" Asked Naruto, tilting her head inquiringly.

"No."

"It was to talk to you, Itachi. I find no silver lining in war, but talking to you is something I find meaning in. War is when no one wants to listen anymore, and people resort to violence to resolve issues that hurt them in the past. Today's meaning of life was talking to you, dattebayo. Yesterday it was to save my comrades. I don't know what tomorrow will be, but I hope it's something as pleasant as speaking with you." Naruto said and grinned at the young Uchiha.

He ducked his head and a small smile lifted the corners of his mouth.

After they had returned to Konoha and delivered Itachi to his home, they headed for the hospital, where Naruto for the first time got a clear view of herself.

Her skin looked even tanner than usual because of the grime and dirt, and her hair was stained dark brown all the way through. Dried blood. There were so many knots, probably containing intestates and other bodily parts, and Naruto swore to take an hour long shower as quickly as possible. Even her flak jacket wasn't green anymore. A lot of people had bled on her. Naruto wasn't even sure how many.

The nurse who'd met them had looked horrified at the sight of Naruto, and it had helped them get ahead of the que and in for a check-up within ten minutes.

But everything was okay. Or would be given time. There was a lot of bruising, but nothing that wouldn't take care of itself. The wounds running up her right arm was cleaned and bandaged again, and the cuts on her thigh and shins got the same treatment.

She waited patiently for Anko and Shisui's check-up, and left with them after only half an hour in the hospital. But by that time Naruto was so tired she barely knew where she was going.

But they had one more stop to make before they called it a night.

They entered the Hokage office, which was active even this late. They had been disagreeing until team Orochimaru entered.

The talk stopped abruptly, and four eyes looked up when they entered the room. The Third stood up at once, while Tsunade backed away from the desk. Her eyes zooming in on Naruto with growing panic. Blood phobia… of course. Naruto had quite forgotten about that after the last day's event.

"I'm glad to see you returned intact. But my…" Hiruzen said and stepped around his desk to get a closer look at them.

"We're sorry to disturb you at this time, Hokage-sama, but we thought it best to deliver these as soon as possible." Anko explained and rummaged through her pockets. She got her body scroll out and held it up for the Hokage, who sighed and closed his eyes.

"I see. Thank you. I appreciate the efficiency." Hiruzen replied and received each of their scrolls before heading back behind his desk and sitting down. "I've already received news of what went down on the battlefield from some of our informants. I hear you three did admirably."

Tsunade sucked in a deep breath and for a moment Naruto was sure she would start shouting. But instead she just exhaled and looked pointedly away. Probably so she wouldn't have to see Naruto.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Shisui said quietly, shifting from one foot to the other.

"But I apologize… for putting you in that situation. I didn't expect you to be as involved in the battle as you turned out. For that I can only be grateful that all three of you made it out alive. And thank you for the bravery you showed for the sake of Konoha." He said while studying each of them in turn. "Go home and get some well-earned sleep. Your report can be submitted later. You're dismissed."

Anko handed Naruto her cup. The murky brown tea emitted a nice, warm fog against her chin when Naruto held it close to her face, and couldn't help but relax.

It was just past noon, and they were taking their time lazing around in their flat. Naruto was leaning against the armrest of the couch, while Anko kept herself busy cleaning. She had been cleaning consistently since they woke up.

They hadn't spoken about the previous two days, and Naruto found herself reluctant to do so anytime soon. Anko too was dodging the subject, though they walked on the edge of the topic a few times.

"We'll get a notice when we're due for our next mission. We'll probably have a couple of days off." Anko said quietly while scrubbing the cupboard door, answering Naruto's question regarding when they most likely would have to get dressed. They were still in their pajamas.

"You're probably right. But I'll still check in tomorrow to be on the safe side." Naruto answered. Distracted, her eyes were drawn to the window. A group of birds were talking to one another on the rooftop of the building opposite their own. Their shrieks gave off an intense and distracting background noise.

There was a knock on the door, and Anko stood up and headed into the hallway.

Naruto leaned back on the couch, feeling a sense of calm wash over her while the tea warmed her insides. She needed to get dressed soon, since Naruto had promised to do the shopping this week. She just prolonged the inevitable for a little while longer.

The sound of footsteps made Naruto look up, and then she sat up at once.

Shisui was looking down, his hands in his pockets while he followed Anko into the room.

The girls eyes met, but only confusion was to be read from Anko's expression.

"What's wrong?" Asked Naruto, trying to read Shisui's expression, but already fearing the answer.

You always knew. It was something about their posture, their expression or just their whole aura. You felt it when someone was about to give you these types of news. Had someone else been there? Everyone she knew personally had survived the battle as far as Naruto knew. But everything had been a mess. In fact, it was highly likely she had missed someone.

Shisui shifted uneasily and raised his head slowly. Looking from Anko before turning towards Naruto.

"Obito is dead."

He said it directly, almost emotionless, and Naruto felt as if the air had been knocked out of her. She didn't react at first. In fact she sagged deeper into the cushions.

"What? How..." Asked Anko, dragging a hand through her hair and looking between her teammates.

"By Kannabi bridge. They… Kakashi and Rin survived, but Obito… He was crushed underneath some boulders." Shisui explained, his hands coming out of his pocket to cross in front of him tightly.

"I heard it from Minato-sensei. He was by the office when I went there just now. I don't know where Rin is but Kakashi is in the hospital because of some complications."

"Kakashi was hurt too?" Naruto asked and finally got some feeling back in her body. She jumped up from the couch and started pacing back and forth.

"Yeah… " Shisui answered.

"Obito…" Anko muttered and shook her head. "That idiot… how could he die?"

Naruto sent Anko a furious glare. Now was not the time to throw jokes around.

"Hey… It's… They say he died admirably." Shisui explained and reached out a hand. Stopping Naruto's pacing by grabbing her shoulder. "He died saving Rin and Kakashi."

Naruto felt tears whelm up in her eyes, but furiously shook them away. Instead she headed for the hallway, grabbing her sandals and put them on quickly. She was out the door before the others realized she was leaving.

After jumping over half a dozen roofs Anko and Shisui caught up with her. Neither speaking but keeping her company wherever it was she was going.

Without a words Naruto led them to the hospital. She landed in front of the entrance door and hurried inside. "Hatake Kakashi." Was all Naruto said as she reached the reception. The woman behind the desk looked slowly up, coked an eyebrow when noticing Naruto's attire, before picking up a list. Her eyes following her fingers while it slid down the paper.

"Kakashi..."

Naruto turned around at the name Shisui had said, and found Kakashi and Rin standing behind them. Clearly about to leave the hospital.

Both had stopped walking, Rin with her hands hugging herself and Kakashi silently next to her.

Naruto wasn't sure what she had expected. Maybe a broken leg or that Kakashi was so injured he was hanging on by a thread.

Maybe bruises and bleeding wounds, but notthis.

Naruto's heart pounded hard against her ribs. Because this wasn't right and at the same time it was.

For the last four years Naruto had slowly grown used to Kakashi's younger appearance. That he had two dark eyes, and always had a tuft of white, spiky hair hanging down from his forehead protector. He wore different clothes. He even had a different posture. Always so stiff and proper.

Now it was all different. He wore his usual clothes. He hadn't really changed anything except his way of standing. But it made all the difference, and in that moment Kakashi had never looked more like himself.

A scar ran down his left eye, it was pink and swollen. Fresh… He was slightly hunched forward. More like his usual relaxed self, except there was nothing relaxed about him. This wasn't about being relaxed, because he only looked smaller.

Naruto didn't know she was crying before she felt a tear slid past her lips and into her mouth. It tasted salty.

.

.

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To be continued...