Chapter 10: The Might of Konoha(4)

Ao was spending his time like all the other prisoners at Black Harbor did; miserably. The 'staff' didn't allow them any pleasantries; they had to sit in their cells and rot. The ex-Hunter-nin was surprised that they remembered to feed them. That in and of itself was a small miracle with the amount of attention they paid them.

He had been stuck in this hellhole called a prison for far too long. He hated himself now for volunteering for this stupid mission. He was just terrified when Mei-sama would mishear him and threaten to take his life. That had been why he volunteered. He had commented on how young the shinobi of Kiri were looking now a days, and how he remembered back in his day, when he was young and not so old looking, that you'd rarely see someone so young make it into the ranks of the village.

That, somehow, translated into him calling the powerful kunoichi old, and therefor unable to make a man fall in love with her age riddled body. Ao had no idea where she got that from his little side remark, but the woman had promptly threatened to kill him, and that's how he ended up stuck in here, on his own accord no less.

The things he did for his country.

That's why, when he heard the alarm bells going off, he had shouted for joy, which was not befitting of a strong man at all. He was just so tired of the nothingness that made up his days for the last two months. At least he got the information he came in here for, so that made it, at the very least, worth it.

That thrice damned Yagura was an evil genius. He had constructed a weapons factory underneath the village of Shio, which resided on the farthest of the southern islands. It was going to be a pain in the backside for the Resistance to get to, it being so deep in Yagura's territory and all. They'd need the backing of several powerful shinobi, which they possessed, but the casualties would almost make it not worth the trouble. Unless they somehow convinced another village to assist them, Ao was thinking that the weapons factory would remained untouched for a good while now.

Not long after the alarm was raised did his cell door open, the Resistance did an excellent job with this one. He thought Mei-sama would send three, maybe four, teams to extract him, but the speed at which he was released from his cell would make him believe she'd sent six or seven. Did he really mean that much to her?

His delusions were severed when he heard the young male voice call his name. "Ao-san!" The blue, moussed-up haired man turned to where he could hear the voice. "I'm looking for an Ao-san! Does anyone know where Ao of the Resistance is?!"

Why was there a child calling his name?

"You there, boy." Ao called out, wanting to know what was going on. Where were the teams that broke him out? "I am Ao of the Resistance, what is it that you need?" He emitted an annoyed feeling, why was there a boy looking for him?

"Ah, so you're Ao-san. Good. Mei-san has sent me here to retrieve you." He sighed. "But I guess we don't have very far to go though."

Ao raised an eyebrow. "Why would Mei-sama," he put extra emphasis on the proper way to address the powerful woman, "send a child, to Black Harbor of all places, with the retrieval team?" He asked, confusion lacing his words.

The boy scratched the back of his head. "I am the retrieval team." He laughed somewhat sheepishly. "It's just me."

Ao was silent for a long moment, an owlish look on his face. Did he just hear that correctly? Did this young blond boy just claim to do what he thought seven teams had done? Was he claiming to have broken into Black Harbor, taken out all of the guards, and then set him, along with everyone else being held captive, free by his lonesome?

He was so shocked that he missed the boy slightly chuckle. He didn't know it yet, but Naruto could feel how astonished and disbelieving the Kiri-nin was.

"Come, your commander is closer than she should be…" It was Naruto's time to be annoyed. Did the woman truly underestimate Konoha? They were the strongest military force in the Elemental Nations for a reason.

Ao nodded dumbly and followed the boy he just realized was a Konoha ANBU of all things. Was the Leaf really so far ahead of Kiri that their children outstripped experienced jonin?

When the boy identified as Nezumi left with the guide who was to escort him to Black Harbor, Mei had followed shortly after. She had taken a small team with her too, so when the boy realized that he wasn't as strong as he thought he was, she could step in and do what needed to be done. What she had witnessed truly opened her eyes to how outclassed they were compared to Konoha.

The blond had first whispered something that no one present could hear, and that's when that thing showed up. She wasn't a very religious person, but even she knew of the God of war and justice, and when she saw the child – if he could still even be called one – not only summon him, but command him, she had been terrified. One strike from the golden God collapsed the unbreakable walls, and that's when the boy began his massacre.

The first batch of shinobi that he encountered was run through like butter with a simple kunai. He had no trouble at all, it seemed, with nothing more than that. Then he had used the tanto strapped to his back to cut down three guards so quickly even she couldn't make it out.

When she saw the giant fireball crashing down on him from his blind spot, she had thought it was over. That's when the boy dove out of the way; apparently, he didn't have such a thing as a blind spot. The dragon-like head he spit at the woman responsible for the flames that almost toasted him was all it took to end her life. Mei couldn't believe that a child was so good at killing. And the smile on his face while he did these things unnerved her.

He then went back to a simple kunai to the throat method, taking out at least ten more enemies. After he was blocked by what looked like to be seven shinobi, he unleashed an absolutely ridiculous amount of force in the form of a Futon jutsu.

When he had entered the prison, all she could hear were the screams of the men and women that made up the prison guard and small explosions. She saw all of the prisoners – some she recognized, some she did not – fleeing the carcass covered grounds of the confines. Shortly after, the blond, alongside Ao, made their way right for her. She wasn't surprised he knew; she wouldn't doubt the boy ever again. Team Ro had earned her absolute respect.

Before the two could make it to her and the few shinobi she took with her, the boy stopped and turned, telling Ao something she couldn't hear. When her general nodded a bit confusedly, she didn't know what to expect next.

Ao made it to her and saw her confused expression. "He said he didn't like the prison." Ao whispered. "So he's going to raze it to the ground…" He finished, somewhat hesitant of his own words.

At that moment, the whisker-faced boy – which she now found to be both adorable and frightening at the same time – brought his arms into the air once again.

The gold substance that his last attack was made of formed again, and with a shout of, "Tenmei (Heaven's Decree)!" Black Harbor was flattened out of existence by a huge beam of golden light from the sky.

Terumi Mei had just witnessed the most terrifying thing in her still young life. She had seen a child of Konoha, no older than ten she guessed, completely decimate an enemy stronghold by himself. She'd remember that day for the rest of her life.

That day, she had witnessed it.

The might of Konoha.

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Ro-Han = Team Ro.

Bishamon is the Japanese god of war and peace. I didn't make him up.

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