ch 33

New Directions

Naruto sat perched on top of the white tower, the huge crystal that Guerrera had installed shimmering behind him. He'd come to call this his 'spot'. If ever someone was looking for him, chances were he was to be found here. He loved this spot for several reasons.

To the left he could see the general training field. He saw the figures of Nagi, Calamity and the newest apprentice Kenichi training under the guidance of N'uihc. It had been a blow to Naruto learning of Nagi's loss of limb, but the smile and determination of his friend to learn a new technique and somehow replace it took the edge off the pain. Naruto had watched with admiration for weeks now as Nagi was put through the paces by N'uihc in an effort to draw out this power within him.

To the right, Naruto saw the Academy training field. As the population of Tengoku grew, the ranks of those wanting to defend it swelled. There had been a massive influx of peaceful merchants and shopkeepers who had asked to learn to defend their new home. The council of elders had decided to offer training to any citizen who was interested. Naruto could count on his hands the number of citizens who were not partaking.

The fields were full of activity, both younger and older generations learning different martial arts. but despite that, Naruto had never seen anything more peaceful.

His last reason for loving this spot finally appeared. The sign to the new Ichiraku Ramen shop was flipped to 'Open' and the smell of fresh noodles wafted up to him. With a grin he leapt from the great height, soaring to the ground below.

Breakfast was ready!

"Morning Naruto." Ichiraku smiled as he slid the customary large bowl of chicken ramen to his favorite customer.

"Good Morning!" Naruto beamed back. He snapped his chopsticks together gleefully and dug in with a shout of 'Dattabayo'. A slow trickle of morning customers entered the restaurant.

Since opening in the premier spot that Naruto had given him, Ichirago had flourished. The dynamic of Tengoku was different from other villages. Normally such a gift would have shown that Ichirago was favored and other merchants would have either plotted against him or used his standing with the Tenshikage for advantage. Here, everyone and anyone could talk to Naruto whenever they wished. If not directly then to any one of the many Naruto clones still puttering there was no need for machinations here.

As such the people judged that the great spot that Naruto had given this noodle stand just meant that the noodles were fantastic, and they tried it and were not disappointed.

Guerrera and his daughter Gabriela came in and sat down at their normal table, waving with a smile at Naruto. Gabriela giggled and began playing with the napkins on the table.

Naruto focused on his meal, and the problem that he'd been dwelling on since his return to Tengoku. The immortal titan Lucius had given Naruto a lot to think about.

"Morning, my Lord Tenshikage." A merchant sat down beside Naruto at the counter. Naruto slurped his noodle and smiled, nodding in acknowledgement.

"My name is Chang.I just wanted to say thank you again for this opportunity to live in your village. My family and I have never felt safer or more peaceful than we do here."

Naruto turned to look at Chang. He was a portly middle aged man, with grey showing in his black streaky hair. He wore the garb of the academy, so he was clearly one of the villager volunteers.

"It's no big deal." Naruto said politely. This had become a common occurrence. The news of what was going on in the world, and the strife and wars left the citizens of Tengoku even more appreciative of this safe haven.

Chang bowed and left Naruto to his meal. Naruto watched him walk back to his table where a happy plump woman and three excited kids were waiting.

Naruto turned back to his ramen. The world was a mess outside, but he'd helped make here safe for so many. Was there... was there a way to help more people? His forehead wrinkled as he sank deeper into thought.

Nagi strained, pushing his body up with one hand for the hundredth time this morning. Sweat dripped off his skin, his dreadlocks tied back to prevent them from blocking his view. N'uihc wasn't kidding about not taking it easy on him anymore. Before dawn he was being put through the wringer for two hours (What N'uihc called a warm-up), and THEN and only then did they start working on his training.

His Master had a better understanding of chakra use and molding than Nagi had given him credit for. The sun source did not use Jutsu as a choice, but that did not mean it was not versed in its use. As N'uihc explained it, how could you attack a Jutsu user if you had no idea what his weaknesses were.

Nagi was for the first time in his life receiving proper training in the use of his bloodline. He was able to 'feel' the shadow chakra, to do more than instinctively melt into shadow. He was being taught to sense where it was. The goal was to reach a point where he could then command that same shadow and shape it.

He was far from that right now, but he had faith in his teacher. If there was a way, N'uihc would pull it out of him.

"I see you've begun to daydream. On what one must wonder?" N'uihc's voice snapped at him. "Perhaps we leave the philosophical thoughts on the workings of the universe to greater minds and we instead focus on our training."

Nagi grunted and pushed through his set with a heave. He sat down and breathed heavily for exactly two breathes. Any more than that would have earned him disapproval. Even the two brought a frown from his teacher. He should have better control of his breathing than that.

He pulled his legs into lotus position and exhaled slowly, inhaling the good energy from around him.

"Now. Feel the shadow."N'uihc's voice floated towards him. "It is beside you, behind you. It is yours. You are part shadow. The shadow is part you. Blend into it."

Nagi inhaled, reaching out with his instincts, feeling the shadows around him, beneath him. He sank into the shadow slowly, with purpose.

"One hour in the shadow today." N'huic commanded as he sunk. "Spend the time in the darkness letting it seep into your pores." he said as the tips of Nagi's hair disappeared out of sight into the ground.

Calamity watched Nagi disappear and shuddered. She couldn't help it. Every day he did it, but it still seemed...weird. But she had no time to think about it much. N'uihc turned his attention now to her.

"Have you decided?" He looked at her curiously.

Calamity nodded. He'd given her homework. His one complaint about her fighting was that she lacked good close combat skills. Either she was to be a sniper from afar, or learn a close combat skill so as to not bring shame unto Sinanju by dying. Since she didn't think practically she could exclusively snipe from afar, Calamity had chosen to learn a close combat skill.

N'huic had given her a choice of weapons and skills to learn and offered her one week to select. Today that week was up.

"I have thought about what you said Master." Calamity said carefully. "If someone gets close enough to me despite the reach and accuracy of Sinanju archery, then that person means to kill me, and I should in turn fight to kill that person. I would choose to learn a skill that would enable the maximum destruction of my opponent, with the least harm to me."

"Of course." N'huic waved his hand dismissively. "This is only logical." He waited for her to continue.

"That being said, and in my capacity as an archer, I would like to learn an un-armed combat technique. All the weight I carry should be used for arrows and bows. If someone is skilled enough to reach that close, I would honor them with a quick death."

N'uihc studied Calamity for a full minute in silence.

"This is an answer I would have expected from a warrior of my village. I am pleased to see that you have learnt something from this humble man before you. However, your fingers must not be at risk of damage, it would render your archery skills useless."

He reached into a bag he'd brought to the field and pulled out a small package wrapped in brown paper. He handed it to her with a solemn look on his face. Calamity accepted the package and carefully un-wrapped it. Inside were two beautifully ornate carved long daggers, each twelve inches long and slightly curved. They were housed in a single leather holster, each dagger angled away from each other.

Stunned, Calamity realized the casing had been recently adjusted to her size. She looked up at her Master in shock.

"These once belonged to my own flesh and blood. I pass them down to you. You will not embarrass Sinanju or these blades by not becoming a master at them."

"Yes Sensei!" Calamity all but shouted, tears welling in her eyes.

N'uihc nodded in satisfaction. "You now have to learn both Archery and Knife work. This means double the training." He grinned. "Let us see how a weak woman handles the workload of a man."

Calamity grinned, but couldn't help but feel trepidation at what she had gotten herself into.

Wind Country

Senjii approached the village at the crack of dawn. He stretched as he walked, smiling thinking about the mini adventure he'd just been on. This village was close to the border but it had no strategic value to Konoha. He still spotted a few Iwagakure nin though they were minding their own business so he avoided them.

The note safely in his pocket, he approached the first person he met, a kindly old lady who was carrying a bucket of water.

"Excuse me." He began with a smile.

The old lady turned slightly and looked him up and down. Without another word she pointed to a garden down a side street. "He's in there." She continued to shuffle on her way, leaving a very perplexed Senjii scratching his head.

Choosing not to dwell on who the woman thought he was looking for, and wondering if she got it right, then why...he headed towards the garden. Inside he found a beautiful oasis of green shrubbery and tall trees. The sound of running water and a bamboo fountain filled the area, making it seem like he was transported to somewhere else.

As he navigated the winding paths he began to see statues amongst the trees; beautifully carved statues of people in various poses. Mostly the statues were of a woman, an amazingly beautiful one. Her face seemed to glow in the stone, almost looking ethereal.

Senjii followed the sound of a hammer chiseling at stone, and he found himself looking at a nondescript man possibly in his mid-thirties, who was hard at work on another of these statues. The man had jet black hair that was long and tied low on his back. His face was calm and betrayed no emotion other than a small smile.

"Ahem" Senjii cleared his throat. The man looked up and smiled broader, but went back to his work.

"Go away." He said with a smile.

Senjii didn't know how to respond to the dismissal, not having expected it. ""Um…sorry to interrupt. But I have a letter for a Mr. Seta?"

The man stopped what he was doing and looked at Senjii properly this time. He never stopped smiling though. His eyes went to the two Kodaichi blades strapped to Senjii's back.

"A letter you say? Isn't that a fine thing? Someone writing me." The man smiled and turned his head. "Only one person that I know would do such a thing. How is Tenchi."

Senjii breathed a sigh of relief at having found the person he was sent to contact. Now he could get this mission over with and head back to Tengoku.

"He's fine." He fished inside his shirt and brought out the letter. The man waved him off though.

"I don't want it." The man smiled and picked back up his hammer and chisel, looking at the face of the statue.

"Tenchi can take his letters with their flowery words and promises and shove them so far up his own ass that his ancestors taste the ink." The man clinked and chiseled away at the hair of the statue.

Senjii stood stunned.

"How...how dare you speak of Master Tenchi that way!" Senjii sputtered.

The man just smiled and ignored Senjii.

Senjii was about to step forward and forcibly make the man accept the letter and eat his words when they heard a woman's scream coming from back out in the street.

With a curse Senjii turned and headed towards the sound. The man watched Senjii run off and his face took on a more curious expression. He put down the tools and picked up a wrapped object. He followed the young boy who so hurriedly ran towards someone in need of help.

Senjii burst into the street and took in the scene. Those Iwagakure Nin he'd spotted earlier had decided to make some sport of the locals. They'd tied up a man to a wall and were laughing, throwing Shuriken around him, seeing how close they could come without killing him. Already a few cuts about his sides indicated their lack of aim. A small crowd of villagers had gathered protesting this abuse, but not actively interfering.

A single woman though, possibly the man's wife, was being held back from running to his aid. The two Nin who were holding her back were leering at her in a way that got Senjii's blood boiling. He'd seen enough. A quick count showed that there were maybe twelve Nin around.

Two of the Nin fired a brace of Shuriken at the man tied to the wall. He yelled out in fear as they sped towards him.

Senjii disappeared, his shunshin perfect as he appeared in front of the man. His blades were drawn and batting aside the shuriken as if they were slow moving flies. He stood there eyes blazing, deciding to give them a chance.

"I am Senjii Makoto, the Dark Blade, 2nd member of the Daitenshi, first squad of Tengoku. You have one chance to leave here alive. Take it." His voice was low, and calm. Naruto would be proud of him for giving them this chance.

The two who had just thrown the Shuriken decided that this upstart needed to be dealt with. They lunged forward in unison. One snapping out a pair of Kamas, the other a Katana. Senjii leapt forward to meet them.

His swords were true, parrying the attacks of the two. He flicked his right sword in a circle, then forward, slicing the ear off the katana wielder. To his credit the man didn't slow down, dropping low and aiming for Senjii's knees.

The Kama wielder used perfect form,attacking with both at intervals, one aimed at Senjii's head, the other for his torso.

Senjii just wasn't there anymore. He'd flash stepped past them and his swords swung in sharp arcs, slicing their backs open. They fell to the floor writing in agony. Their shrieks drowned out all other noise in the street.

Senjii shook their blood from his blades and looked to the remaining nine. Of them three looked very formidable. The others looked scared and angry at the same time.

Senjii ignored them, realising where his real threat would come from and focusing on the three dangerous ones. One stepped forward, swinging a Kusari-gama. Senjii tightened his grip on his Kodaichi and leaned forward.

He vanished in a blur, the enemy likewise speeding towards him. They collided in a clash of steel, Senjii's glowing green blades streaking through the air, parrying the swinging sickle blade, and evading attempts to trap him with the chain.

A second nin joined the fray with a long metal pike. Senjii twisted his body to avoid a thrust that would have skewered his belly. He rolled along the shaft of the pike, swinging his swords in circles seeking to slice the newcomer. The nin snapped the pike though and in a feat of strength flipped Senjii into the air. The first nin caught Senjii's leg in midair with the length of chain and snapped him back to the ground.

"Hai!" The nin shouted as a weak but painful bold of electricity shot through the chains. It was enough to cause Senjii's muscles to twitch as he broke free.

He shook it off and stepped back, the two men standing side by side and grinning at Senjii. It was clear they had experience working together as a team. Senjii's lips tightened into a line. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Hey kid." The one who hadn't yet joined the fight shouted to him. "You've got some skill, but you're going to die here today. Why get involved at all?"

Tenchi's friend who had been watching the fight with interest so far looked at Senjii with genuine curiosity as to the answer. Senjii to his credit spat into the dust and smiled.

"Where I'm from we don't pick on the weak and helpless. It's my duty to stand in between people like them..." he motioned to the civilians watching and the man still tied to the wall, "…and people like you."

He grinned wider. "Besides, the world will be a better place without your ugly faces in it."

The two he had fought before leapt forward in unison. Senjii leapt to the right, forcing them to turn, and giving him a single opponent for a few seconds. With a rapid swing he parried the pike up and slide down low, on his knees, seeking to disembowel the nin.

His partner's kick to Senjii's side saved him though, sending Senjii skidding in the dust. He rolled quickly, in time to feel the sharp sting of the sickle blade bite into his side. He twisted free and inhaled sharply. He was now positioned in a way that there were no civilians behind the enemy.

He started to thrust his blades forward, faster and faster, until they were a black and green blur, the booms of the invisible cutting force loud in the area. Faster. Faster

"Thousand Darkness Strike!" he shouted, exerting all his strength and speed into this attack. The two nin he had been fighting fell to the onslaught. A few of the other IWA nin who had held back also fell. The main leader though, had a sword of his own out and was spinning it on a small rope attached to the handle. He was blocking every thrust force attack that Senjii was sending. When the attack ended, he was unscathed and seemingly unperturbed.

Senjii fell to a knee exhausted. This attack took a lot out of him. His blades hummed though in excitement at the battle. He knew they would not heal him until after, so he was very conscious of the blood flowing out of his side.

"Not bad." The leader said. "My turn."

He stamped his foot and the ground caved in by two feet. Just dropped. Senjii lost his footing as the ground began to shift. A stone spike erupted from the shifting ground and almost impaled Senjii. He saw it at the last second and rolled left. Another burst from the dust, then another. The man was trying to kill him using Jutsu.

He felt a sudden sharp pain suddenly, and knew his leg had been caught. He looked down and saw a thin long rock spike sticking through his thigh. Blood spurted over it and he looked as a bigger spike came towards him, unable to dodge it.

Time seemed to slow down as his death approached. He saw the leader begin to laugh. Then, without seeing any movement at all, the man he'd been sent to bring the letter to was suddenly standing next to the leader putting a sword back in it's scabbard. Simultaneously the leader's head fell in slow motion from his shoulders. The rock outcroppings stopped growing immediately, mere inches from Senjii's heart. The blood loss was too great though, and Senjii blacked out.

Senjii came to slowly, his eyes opening carefully. He could feel his body healing, the swords doing their job. He was in a modest by very well kept room. On one side was a mantle with a picture of a woman and boy with incense burning; a shrine.

He turned his head and on the other side of the room was the sculptor, who was seated in a large chair, reading the letter Tenchi had sent.

Senjii began to push himself up on his elbows.

"Lie back. Give the swords time to work." The man said firmly.

Senjii was stunned. He'd told no one about their special ability. "How...?"

"I've travelled far, heard many tales, including the tale of Gan Jiang and Mo Ye. The Assassin's blades. I even heard one tale about their ability to heal their owner. Fascinating to see that one be true." He didn't look up from the letter, seemingly absorbing each word.

After a few minutes of silence he sighed and put the paper down. His brow furrowed as he looked at Senjii.

"Why did you risk your life for people you do not know or owe anything to?" He asked quietly.

Senjii shrugged uncomfortably. "That's my way. My friend Naruto would say it's our duty as Warriors of Tengoku."

The man nodded, as if this confirmed something in his own mind. "My name is Seta Soujiro. When I was but a child, I was a skilled swordsman. But one with no heart. I was a shell used by a stronger willed warrior to do his own evils. I eventually met a man who showed me a different path. He defeated me in battle not by being cold and emotionless, but by embracing those emotions. He too fought for people other than himself. I set out that day all those years ago to find my own wandering path."

He glanced at the mantle. "I found emotion, and a family. Happiness. But I was robbed of that by the most innocent of things. In times such as this, when war abounds, it was not a blade that took my happiness, but a disease."

He sat in silence for a few minutes, lost in his memories. "Your master Tenchi was a friend of mine at that time. He tried his best to help, using what herbs he knew, calling favors and doctors to no avail. I spurned him afterwards. Despised him for trying to save her and failing." He looked at Senjii.

"I still cannot face him, but I recognise him as one of my last and best friends. Do you know what he has asked of me in this letter?"

Senjii shook his head.

The man nodded. "That is good. It is the old way. He has asked for me to apprentice you for a period of time, and elevate you to the level of Blademaster." His eyes grew hard.

"Your skills are passable, but sloppy. Your movements predictable and slow. Tenchi knew this when he sent you here, so he has taken a gamble."

Senjii was confused. "What gamble?"

"I only have one way to teach and pass on my knowledge. It is the old way. At the end of our training, either you will kill me or I will kill you." He stood up quickly. "Rest for now, let the magic heal you. From tomorrow, hell starts."

Senjii fell back onto the bed stunned, staring at the ceiling. Damn that Tenchi.

Outside Konoha, Hidden Training Bunker

Shikamaru felt them approaching. Even from this distance his could feel his connection with his friends strongly. He could almost see it. Like a thin line, one leading west the other south. His experiences becoming a shadow had awakened a minor 'sight'. He could see part of the world that normal people could not.

He sat and waited.

Within minutes Shino and Kiba approached the clearing at the same time. Shikamaru looked up, the moon was directly overhead. It was midnight now. He looked at his friends carefully.

Shino was taller, his limbs longer and sharper looking. His style of clothing had changed as well. He no longer hid underneath a large coat. He wore a simple full body leather suit, with spandex in the right places to allow for movement. Green piping highlighted certain aspects of the suit. He still kept the lower half of his face hidden behind a long green scarf.

Kiba was massive. His body had grown larger and wilder somehow. His muscles were hairy, and his hair shaggy and wild. He wore animal skins and leather stitched together carefully into a sturdy outfit. There was something very feral about him, Akamaru had also grown wilder. No longer looking like the large domesticated dogs of his clan, Akamaru looked more wolf now.

Kiba's eyes glowed golden in the moonlight. Shino's eyes glowed green.

"Welcome back." Shikamaru said. His voice sounded hollow. It had been a while since he'd spoke to anyone.

"Shika." Kiba growled. His voice was deep and throaty. "You smell wrong. Like a dead thing. But not quite."

"Yesss." Shino's voice had an eerie hiss like echo to it. "You are still you, but you are something elsssse as well."

Shikamaru nodded. "We all are aren't we."

They looked at each other in silence, sizing each other up.

"What now." Kiba asked.

Shikamaru looked to the sky again. "It's time." His eyes went black as he allowed his shadow self to slip through. "We take back the leaf."

Tengoku

Naruto sat perfectly still. He allowed the natural chakra of the air surrounding him to seep into his pores. Pa toad said he should feel at one with the energy, and control it, do not let the energy overpower him. He had no sense of either. Instead he felt as if he were in a lake and the waters were lapping at him gently.

He used this time to think. Naruto never counted himself a smart man. Other men had grand ideas. Like Yoshi, the mad inventor who had created Heavenstone. They'd used that miracle stone to create a small village on the ground miles from here. That village only existed in sunlight. At dusk all the merchants used a special seal to disappear, coming back to Tengoku with their remaining goods. The disappearing village was starting to become famous. Not least because Guerrerra had designed it in the same style as Tengoku. Tall spires and majestic arches. The village was becoming known as the disappearing gates to heaven. Though it wasn't a village at all, just an outlet market. But stories spread and truth is lost along the way.

The council loved it of course. It added to the mystique of Tengoku. Items bought from the merchants of heaven went for top dollar.

Naruto shook his head, he needed to focus his thoughts. He really meant what he had said to the titan. There had to be a way to save more people. Protect more people.

If only he could talk this out with someone. His face then lit up! He had an idea.

In a cloud of smoke another Naruto clone sat across from him. Who said talking to yourself was a bad idea?

"So what's the real problem?" The clone asked him.

Naruto frowned. "Even I can't be everywhere at once."

"Why would you want to be?"

"To protect everyone."

"You don't do that here though. In Tengoku."

"Yes. Well. No, not really."

"So how are they safe?"

"Tengoku is safe."

"Well make everywhere safe then!" The clone exclaimed, sure it had found the solution.

"How?"

The clone looked pensive. Both he and Naruto shouted at the same time. "I've got it!"

The clone nodded in agreement, a wide grin on his face. "Sexy no jutsu!"

Naruto grimaced and dismissed the clone. No, this time he had a real idea. He thought about it some more, then decided to tell everyone tonight at dinner.

"What?" Jiraiya exclaimed in shock.

"The unnamed lands. The badlands or wastelands. Whatever it's called. It's massive, and full of suffering. There are also peaceful villages, but with so many warlords wandering around, I don't think they'd mind. I want to claim it all, and have it under our protection." Naruto said quietly.

The room sat in stunned silence. Tsunade, Jiraiya, Tenchi, Guerrera, Mabry, Ali, Tora were all in attendance. None of them could think of what to say to that.

"Look." Naruto continued. "We live safely here in our bubble, but out there people are dying, suffering. We have the power, some power at least, to try to stop that. I want us to reach out to the lands with no name, no leaders, and form... I don't know a country I guess. Like the lands of Wind, or Fire. Except this will be..." Naruto groaned exasperatingly. "I don't know a Land of hope or something."

They still said nothing. The first to speak up was surprisingly Guerrero.

"You are a surprising young man." The giant said in his booming voice.

"That he is." Tenchi agreed. "This is...so ambitious it's astounding."

Naruto smiled. "More ambitious than building a city in the sky?"

Jiraiya laughed. "HA! Yes much more. What you're talking about... it's not been done since the days of the birth of the great villages. And this is untamed lands. The badlands extends from the red rivers of the Blood Country and Lava fields to the north to the icy seas of the south. West to the ocean and East to the sands of the Land of the Wind."

"So you're saying it's kinda big." Naruto asked.

"Kind of big?!" Jiraiya asked incredulously. "Kind of?!"

Tsunade rocked back in her chair. "You know, if you do pull this off, you'd control the second biggest country in the world, after the Land of the Wind. It would make us an even bigger target for Danzo's machinations."

"It would also protect countless people." Naruto insisted. "It would save so many people. We could save people." He was almost pleading with them.

The older heads in the room grinned. "Ok, Ok easy now." Jiraiya laughed. "I didn't say no."

Ali sighed. "You seek to take away my clan's livelihood. How will we survive if we cannot relieve rich fools of their gold?"

Naruto twisted his mouth. "You could always steal from our enemies."

Ali's eyes narrowed. "Are you hereby promising me first loot rights on all spoils of war?"

"Hey wait just a minute now." Tenchi chimed in. "That's not what he said."

Ali nodded. "I understood it as such! I gladly accept the offer of the Tenshikage! We will of course split the spoils 50/50, but taking first pick. This is against any enemies of Tengoku or the Land of Hope." He sat back down seemingly pleased with himself.

"That's a stupid name though." He added on. "Land of Hope doesn't inspire any level of fear. And to keep warlords in check or even Danzo... you need SOMETHING a little more threatening than 'hope'."

Nagi laughed. "Maybe something that is similar, hopeFUL but also strong."

Naruto shrugs. "We can come back to that. There's something else I want to talk to you all about."

They looked at him expectantly.

"I want us to consider changing a small thing." he looked at them with the most innocent expression on his face. "Just a small thing."

"I realised something in the Blood Country. I don't want to kill anyone anymore." he paused, looking out the window into the night sky. "There were countless enemies, and people who were horrible who may have deserved it. But I can't consider myself their judge. All I want to do is protect people. Stop the bad guys yes, but I'd like to leave their punishments to someone else. Maybe a council or something."

"I'd like us...Tengoku...to consider changing our methods, and adopting a...saving fist. A fist that would be used to help and protect, but not kill."

Tenchi whispered. "Katsujinken..."

"Yes." Naruto nodded. "I can't force anyone to do this with me, but I'm going to try to do it. That's all I want to say."

He sat down with an exhalation of air.

They all sat in silence a bit longer.

"So we are to create a new country, but don't kill anyone in a fight if we can help it." Jiraiya asked with a wry smile.

"Want us to wear blindfolds as well maybe?" Tsunade asked with a snort.

Naruto blushed but said nothing.

"We each must decide for him or herself whether to follow that path Naruto. We hear you, but I think that's a personal decision." Tenchi said.

Naruto nodded. "I understand."

He clapped his hands together. "Ok! So what should we call our new country?"

Emperor Tower, Konoha

Danzo stared out the window into the evening sky. He tightened his fists, his eye taking in everything about the changes that he'd wrought upon this village. Many of the weaker villagers had left long ago. The town itself had change. The buildings had been fortified, made more militaristic. He supposed in some way he should thank Naruto. The brat's attack that one time had given him the perfect excuse to make modifications to the structures. Now every building was a mini fortress, and part of the bigger protection that was now Konohagakure. He looked on with some pride as the Nin milled about below, going about their duties. He would have allowed himself a smile, but something nagged at his subconscious. Something those years of experience had taught him not to ignore.

"You summoned us?" The voice of Scorpion was soft, mildly disinterested. Danzo didn't bother to turn. His four commanders and the unpredictable Lash would be standing behind him, along with his most trusted ROOT commanders.

"Do you know what the beauty of war is?" Danzo asked quietly, not actually expecting a response.

"It is because battle is the single most significant competition a man can indulge in. It brings out all that is best, and it removes all that is base. Is it not sweet and fitting to die for your country, for your village?"

"We are always at war, mankind. In one way or the other, and to pretend otherwise is a fools game. My predecessors believed that peace was reality. Fooled themselves into believing that it was even a possibility. How can there be such a thing? Peace. It is ridiculous. Man was born a fighter. We, Ninja, are honed to fight. To do otherwise is to fly in the face of all that we are and deny all that we could be."

"My armies are at this very moment laying claim to the mines of the Land of Blood. With that link to gold and jewels, we no longer need tread carefully with our enemies in the east. Our spies are now entrenched in the Land of Wave and the Crescent Moon kingdom. It is time to activate them. I have made arrangements so that two full platoons of ROOT & IWA nin will be there within the week. The night that they reach the harbor, I want the Royal Family of Crescent Moon dead. When the assassin's work is complete, my men will move in."

"Centipede, I want you to meet that group at the southern harbor of Two Pillars. You will lead them and send word of your success."

"Yes my Emperor." Centipede genuflected dramatically then disappeared.

"Gohiro." He called out to one of the ROOT commanders.

"It is time for us to stop differentiating between former Iwagakure soldiers and Konoha soldiers. Let them know that Iwagakure no longer exists. All are Konoha now. If we are to fight, we will fight as one. The symbol of rock or leaf, no longer represents who we are. Have our smith's draw this up, but I want a fist to be my new symbol. A clenched fist ready to strike."

Gohiro nodded but did not move. He had not been officially dismissed and he knew better than to take leeways that the 'four' may be able to.

"Something is coming." Danzo said glaring into the dusk. "I can feel it in my gut. I know there are factions who still want me gone. We will be ready for them. Lash, Scorpion,. Put everyone on high alert. Let's lock down this vill...no...this citadel."

"I want all the voices of dissent silenced." Again he looked out the window. His hidden Sharingan eye spinning wildly.

"Something...something is coming. I don't know what yet...but..." His eyes caught something odd happening far below. He leaned out of the window and the blood vessels in his face threatened to burst. He sputtered wildly and madly and pointed to the courtyard where the water fountain was once again, as it had once long ago, bursting with bright orange colored water.

"Find whoever did this! FIND THEM!"

Ino stepped into the cool shadows of the back of her father's shop. She looked around, realizing even then that she need not have done so. Since the militarization of Konoha not many had need of flowers. With a sigh she walked through the flowers and looked out the back door. From here she had a clear line of sight of the north wall and the guard posted on it. She glanced down at her watch and sat down, waiting for the exact second.

With the tick of the hand on her watch, she launched her spirit towards the guard, taking him over completely. Through his eyes she looked around and noted the positions of the other guards. With a nod to herself 'she' vanished off the wall and raced into the tree line. 'She' paused for a bit and looked around. After a few minutes she decided she was not being followed and satisfied leapt off to her meeting.

Chouji yawned, stretching his muscles until he heard a satisfying crack. With a sigh he strolled to the front gate looking at his watch casually.

"Hey fat boy! Where do you think you're going? The kitchens are that way!" A particularly belligerent guard shouted out to him.

Chouji's eyes narrowed. He'd learnt to control his anger at the insult, but this guard in particular had harangued him mercilessly for the past month that he'd been going on patrol.

"Funny." He growled as he walked past. As he entered the he began to move with surprising speed, heading deeper into the woods. The signal was understood. It was time.

"This is your plan?" The stranger who stood with the mannerisms of Ino said quietly.

Shikamaru nodded. It felt...good, to be surrounded by all of his friends. It had been so long since he'd seen them (though technically he still wasn't seeing Ino).

The room held the hulking mass of Kiba and Akamaru, the ominous Shino, the imposing Chouji, the ephemeral Ino and the shadowy genius Shikamaru. Between them he felt that they could do anything.

"Yes. Can you do your part?" Shikamaru asked 'Ino'.

The man nodded. "When?"

"Three days from now." Shikamaru replied. "By then we'll know where the clans stand."

"Hinata did not come." Kiba said quietly. His deep voice still sounding like a growl, though a gentle one.

"Her clan is seen as the biggest threat to Danzo's authority. They are under special scrutiny and watch. She would not have been able to get away on such a short notice." Ino explained.

The rest of them nodded and stood in silence, looking at each other. Taking in their company. The words did not need to be spoken. One or more of them may not live to see the others again after the attack.

After a minute,'Ino' sighed. "Well boys, we've come a long way together. Naruto's Army for the win." The possessed man smiled then drew a knife and cut his own throat. Ino leaving the body the second the knife began to penetrate. He fell to the ground gurgling in his death throes while the other's left to make their arrangements.

Far to the West and South, Badlands

The horde moved noisily. There was no sense of order or arrangement. They didn't march in a neat line or unit. They were chaos, monsters. Claw and fang and foul beasts of the undead. The nightmare moved slowly north, only able to move under cover of darkness. They were made up of mostly full-fledged lower demons, so were unable to travel in sunlight.

The three generals in the lead though had no such limitations. They came to a stop on a hill overlooking a small village.

"The scent of Kurama is in the air everywhere. It's faint, but it's there."

"The darkness cover is slowing us down too much. Let the horde camp out here, and the three of us find our prey first."

"How can we do that, if his presence is all around. He must have been all over this blasted continent."

"No, his human host has an air affinity. He's bonding his chakra with the earth's air streams. He's powerful this one."

"Bah. He's a meat puppet. *** will just eat him and we'll draw Kurama out."

"That doesn't help us find him though."

"I can detect his shards. The other 'tailed' beasts that were once part of him." Ji-Hoon chimed in. He'd been abused daily by the three generals. None of them had much patience for him, one who already had failed Lord Magnus.

"Yes we know Ji-Hoon." Tessai growled. "Magnus wants us to dispatch those first to draw out Kurama." He grabbed Ji-Hoon by the throat and lifted him in the air. Tessai was at least nine feet tall with skin made of stone. His weapon of choice, a giant two sided double edged sword was strapped to his back and glinted ominously in the moonlight. "Why do you think we keep you around? The pleasure of your company?"

"Some pieces are still scattered. But I think we can find most of them in one place, in that direction." He pointed east and north.

"Leave the horde. We'll travel faster without them. We can be there in days instead of months." Benisato hissed. The female snake demon wore the skin of a gorgeous human women, but was the second most deadly of the bunch. Almost immortal, at her core was a demon White Snake, the most poisonous, the most dangerous animal in the known world. Her touch was poison, her red playful lips inviting painful agonising death.

"Agreed. Let them stay here and feast on as much human flesh as the area has. When we move to face Kurama we'll come back for them." Bōkyōsei said quietly. The leader of the three Generals, not much was known about this quiet half demon other than his legendary rage and strength.

Ji-Hoon nodded in acquiescence and led the way down the hill and towards the direction he detected the shards of the Ten Tails. He wondered why they were mostly clumped together, but he knew better than to voice his doubts now.

Besides there was nothing these Generals could not handle.

Wind Country

Senjii gripped his swords tightly, sweat beading his forehead. Pushing himself to his limit he blocked the lightning speed of Soujiro's attack. Again he barely managed to get his swords there in time. The Blademaster was fast. Too fast. And what irked Senjii was that he felt..no..he knew that Soujiro was holding back. His resolve burned inside him.

How far did he still have to go?

"Your mind wanders." Soujiro said quietly from across the empty clearing they'd found themselves in. The sound of the nearby waterfall acted as a calming, tranquil contrast to the violence of their training.

"You're so fast." Senjii said, his voice laced with frustration.

"No I'm not." Soujiro responded. "You're so slow."

Senjii swore.

Soujiro laughed. "No No. I don't mean it in a bad way. You're fast for a swordsman. But to be a true Blademaster, you have to transcend being just a swordsman. You are familiar with the flame and the void?"

Senji nodded. "I've been able to use it in battle."

Soujiro smiled. "Good. Two things you must remember. One, the void can take you incredibly far. The void is a place devoid of emotion, of the weights of this world, of worry. That is what will elevate your speed to god like."

"Whats the second thing?" Senjii asked.

"There is a singular step beyond the void. The final step that we will take in our journey as student and master. We will come back to that later. After you've mastered the void."

"For now though." He drew his sword, and began tapping his back foot against the ground. "Are you ready?"

Senjii didn't bother to answer. Soujiro disappeared. Only small explosions in the ground where he passed gave Senjii a vague idea of where Soujiro was. He focused and brought his blades up to parry, not fast enough this time, being rewarded for his failure with a spike of blood along his shoulder.

He grimaced and turned. This was going to be a long day.

Tengoku

Naruto stood at the edge of the floating island, feeling the air around him, his eyes closed. Far below him was the ocean, it's cool blue waters reflecting the bright sunshine. He breathed out slowly.

Quickly gathering his chakra he spun two Shuriken Rasengans this size of oranges in his palms. They hummed with muted energy. With a surge of chakra he flung them towards the open sea. He'd been working on these by himself for a while now, and really needed to see how far they'd go.

He watched them skim straight ahead, riding the air currents. He could see them...no...with his chakra open he could almost feel them.

Almost without thinking he reached out for them, willing them to turn. Amazingly, they did. He felt the shifting projectiles and their maelstrom of destruction as a disturbance in the chakra all around him. They exploded far beyond his sight.

Thoughtfully, Naruto crafted another one and let it spin wildly in his palm. Studying it carefully, he noticed again that he could not just see it, but feel it's presence. With a thought it hovered above his hand. Turning his head slightly he mentally asked the wind chakra inside the Rasengan and around it to cooperate, and he lifted it to eye level. He stared at it curiously, excitedly.

The chakra inside the Rasengan was screaming to be let loose. He could feel it's urgency like it was alive. On instinct he reached out and held onto the glowing blue orb with the spinning wind blades. It did not harm him. With his fingers it felt solid. He dug into it and split the Rasengan into two, almost expecting an explosion. But the chakra followed the commands of its master. The two halves shrunk into smaller versions of the Rasen Shuriken. Maintaining their shape, their potency.

He let them go again, floating in front of his face, while he thought about how he could use this in battle.

He briefly toyed with doing some sort of shield like his friend Gaara does with his sand, but the Rasengan was an offensive weapon. Exploding by his face sounded like a bad idea. He frowned. It would have to be an attack then.

Naruto shrugged and mentally flung the two mini Rasenshurikens out to sea where they exploded harmlessly.

"Hey Naruto!" The voice called out to him from the path that led to this spot.

He turned and saw Inari running towards him. The boy had changed. He looked...competent. Like a young warrior.

"What's up Inari?" He responded with a smile.

"Got a message from the Disappearing Village. There's an emissary who wants to meet you."

"A what?" Naruto asked confused.

"An emissary. umm.. an ambassador. From Kumogakure." Inari responded with a small laugh.

"Kumo? Ok. What's so funny?" Naruto smiled and asked as they walked towards the exit to the ground below.

"He's got a lot of swords, and looks kinda scary, but he's a great rapper!" Inari chuckled in delight.

Konoha - Inuzaki compound

"Kiba!" Tsume exclaimed. His mother rushed over and hugged him tightly. Before he'd left she was taller than him, but not her head rested firmly against his chest. The rest of the clan approached smiling. Their canine companions nodding to Akamaru with respect.

"Hi..mom." Kiba said quietly, smiling. His voice was deep but warm. Tsume was still surprised by it. Hanna walked over and punched Kiba playfully on the shoulder.

"You've changed little brother." She said, smiling widely.

Kiba smiled and nodded back. He looked around, the whole clan had gathered as he asked. The dogs were on watch, so he knew he could talk safely, no one would be listening.

"Shikamaru has come up with his plan. It's time to make our move." he said bluntly.

The head of the clan stepped forward. "We've been waiting on this for some time. Our companions are at full strength and rested, our armor and weapons ready." He lowered his head, shocking a few other members of the clan. This was a tacit acknowledgement of Kiba as the Alpha, the new clan leader. But anyone who doubted only had to look at Kiba and feel the animalistic presence rolling off of him in waves. He had reached the pinacle of their animal style.

Kiba grunted in approval. "We attack in three days. It's all or nothing. We fight as a pack, we drive them out, we take back our den!"

Konoha - Aburame compound

"In just three days?" A powerful member of the clan asked. "Can we be in position and ready in that time?"

All the kikei bugs in attendance buzzed and bristled at Shino being questioned. He was the undisputed leader of the insects, a representative of the All Hive. His word was law and should never be doubted.

"Ok settle down." Shibi Aburame said quietly. "Shino leads us now, so we simply follow."

Shino cracked his shoulder bones, looking ominously at the man. "It is a fair question. I allow it."

He looked toward the tall imposing new Emperor's Tower rising like a spire in the middle of Konoha.

"Our nest has been invaded. We will kill them all, or chase them away. But we cannot co-exist."

Konoha - Nara household

"And what if we fail Shika?" Shikaku asked quietly.

"We will not father." Shikamaru responded in the dark. There was no need for lights, they could see and hear in the dark just fine.

"We cannot afford to." he continued. "But I've planned for the contingency; we'll have to abandon Konoha and flee. Danzo's retribution would be swift. I predict if we lose, there will be only an hour of chaos where we must make our escape. All the women and children must leave as soon as the attack begins. If they leave before, it would alert Danzo's forces that something was happening."

"Escape to where?" Shikaku pondered quietly. "Where in this war torn world is safe? Where can we move the surviving clans to? Suna? Kumo?"

Shika shook his head in the darkness. "If we lose, and are on the run from Danzo? Only Heaven can protect us."