narutouchiha
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Chap-56 Twilight
🕑 Added 2022-03-18 15:11:32 +0000 UTC(Land of Lightning: Two Days Later)
Tsunade relished the warm sunlight falling on her skin. The familiar heat and light being a most welcome sight in comparison to the terrible weather they had to endure for the past several weeks. Not to forget all the tragedies they had to suffer through.
She had not been ready to meet her dead brother's ghost and had been heartbroken to watch him go again. It still broke her heart but the peaceful smile on Itama's face was enough to console her and Hashirama that their brother was going to a better place and one day they would meet him again.
Even with heavy losses, they had achieved their first victory in the war against the Otsutsuki.
More than 10,500 humans died for that yet their sacrifice didn't go in vain.
And yet they had hundreds more wounded, all of whom were carefully being treated by Hashirama and occasionally by Tsunade herself. She would have liked to assist the medics more had she not got entangled in a pleasant but simple task.
She glanced at the man sitting beside her, one who had been awfully silent ever since their victory. No matter how much she or anyone else tried, he never revealed what was bothering him keeping his worries to himself. At first she was disappointed...even hurt by his lack of trust in her but then she thought about the position he was in.
Something had happened to the King in the last battle...something that hit his heart deeply.
It had not stopped him from attending to his duties or motivating the men, hell he even tried to be more friendly towards the wounded Kyuubi despite their recent fight. When questioned, his words were so simple but conveyed the sole reason behind his actions in regards to the fox.
"Life's too short for regrets. And I already have a lot of them, no need to add a good friend to that"
Tsunade had not thought him capable of such forgiveness and yet it showed her another good side of her husband. Like most normal humans, he too was prone to experience conflicting emotions depending upon the people and situations he faced. He had his own strengths and weaknesses like the rest of them, he made mistakes and accomplished great achievements as well...
But he truly did love his friends and family. He might fight with them, disagree with them, and even worse but when the time came...they all could stay strong knowing that Naruto would be there for all of them.
"What's on your mind?" she asked curiously,
She watched him still silently staring at a rough picture of the Land of Fire which he had carved himself on the ground. Even if it was a bit crude at the edges, Tsunade could not help but be surprised by his attention to detail. He had almost carved every province in its exact location, every river and even the capital were at their proper place. It was then she remembered that before the peace, Naruto and Madara were the Uchiha's finest leaders who had led to their clan's victory against the Senjus on numerous occasions.
"I may have conquered the world of men...but I have yet to conquer the Otsutsuki" he answered honestly,
"You killed their King in single combat! I'm sure you will figure out a way to defeat their queen bringing an end to this war" said Tsunade confidently,
"Flattery will not win you easy points, Tsuna" he said with an amused smile,
While he went back to staring at his drawing, a faint blush appeared on the blonde queen's cheeks. She had not missed a positive change in him after the battle against Kimimaro. Previously, Naruto had been kind to her and been her friend. But now he looked at her differently. There was an unending warmth in his eyes alongwith affection, he went out of his way to make sure they had lunch or dinner together, he was there to console her when she had cried on remembering her parting with Itama despite his own grief over his parting with Naori, and had also thanked her for saving his life.
He had also started to occasionally call her "Tsuna" more often and she could not help but find the name endearing for he said it with so much love and affection that warmed her heart.
Either of them were yet to say those magic words that life partners often said to each other but she felt completely at ease in his presence. Now she knew she could depend on him which was much more important than just words, no matter how much she wished to hear them from him.
"How many fighters do we have left?" he asked seriously,
"Approximately 35,000. I can add a few hundred more but they are currently wounded and not fit for battle for another two weeks at the very least" informed Tsunade, making him grimace.
"I cannot afford that long a delay. Our nation is burning right now...our people are dying every moment that we spend here" he said bitterly, earning a comforting hand from her on his shoulder.
"I understand. But we cannot just rush 35,000 troops haphazardly from the Land of Lightning to the Land of Fire. Our troops are still recovering from the last battle and such kind of rush will only weaken them further. You'll lose more soldiers through fatigue, disease and desertion" she warned him,
"How many horses do the Samurai have?" asked Naruto irritatedly,
Even shinobi were human and were bound by mortality. For all their strength, both Samurai and ninjas would take nearly three weeks to reach the Land of Fire on foot if they didn't encounter any further obstacles. The civilian fighters would take even more time. But the Samurai had bred fine war horses that could ride nonstop for two days and require very less food and water. Maybe...
"They don't have enough of those. Maybe around 12,000 horses or even less. Their battles against Hashirama and then against Kimimaro saw them suffering heavy losses of their prized beasts" said Tsunade honestly, which made him clench his fists.
"Then I'll use my Kamui to teleport my army to our nation. I cannot let the Land of Fire burn or else all of this was for nothing!" said Naruto frustratedly, earning a sharp glare from her.
"That is reckless! No matter how strong you are now, you cannot teleport 35,000 people over such a long distance. It will kill you and may even destroy our army. Even if you achieve marginal success, will you able to live with yourself if thousands of our soldiers were lost in that teleportation in those portals?" asked Tsunade fiercely,
Naruto sighed and backed down knowing she was right. His solution of teleporting their army had dangerous risks and could cost many innocent lives if he made even a minor mistake. But the truth was that he was running out of options!
Warhorses, Soldiers and not even Kamui were enough to make him reach his nation to save his people.
He was stuck here, far from home and could only hope his father could hold off the enemy long enough for them to return. But it was wishful thinking at best, Tajima Uchiha barely had 10,000 ninjas with him and those too were the very young, very old or average fighters of their clans. Even if he mustered civilians, he would barely have the time to muster around 30,000 soldiers against an enemy that outnumbered him five times.
The only hope for the Land of Fire's survival now lay on Madara and his army returning from the Land of Wind.
Madara was a capable general and had thousands of elite ninjas with him. If he had achieved victory against the armies of Land of Wind and Earth, then it would only further bolster his ranks which he could use to aid in the defense of their motherland.
Still, as their King it was Naruto's responsibility to come to their aid and it was why an idea came to him.
Tsunade glanced at him warily when he got an eager gleam in his eye.
''I think I have just the right solution!"
Hashirama Senju had been tending to one of the wounded Samurai in the medical tents when he heard the commotion. Before the visitor even entered, Hashirama realized who they were.
How could he not when that person had a chakra signature almost as strong as Madara's. One that was more darker and resilient.
Beside him, Mito also looked up when both Naruto and Tsunade entered the tent earning bows from the medics and nursing staff. The King didn't acknowledge any of those people and marched towards Hashirama, fortunately the young monarch had a smart wife who was very quick in greeting those disappointed people whom their king had not even acknowledged. Whatever urgent matter was currently troubling the King, it was still not right for him to ignore his people's greeting like that. It made Hashirama very happy to see Tsunade silently supporting her husband and making up for his weaknesses.
Mito and Hashirama had busied themselves in treating the wounded and dying so as to not think about all the loved ones they had lost to this war. Mito had lost more than Hashirama but none of them felt the other's pain was greater or lesser than theirs. It had allowed them to bond with each other again after so many years and Hashirama was indebted to the redhead for she greatly helped him cope with the loss of his beloved brother. Only hearing from Itama himself that he had no regrets over his sacrifice had pacified Hashirama...and made him proud as well. Itama's death was painful for him to bear, but knowing that his brother died for their people made it bearable atleast.
The King stepped before them and greeted both of them respectfully. Hashirama didn't miss the awkwardness existing between Naruto and Mito with both of them trying their hardest to not look at each other for too long.
"My King..." prompted Hashirama, when he noticed Naruto was yet to say something even when his eyes burned with impatience to say what he wanted to say.
While Naruto didn't say anything, Hashirama caught the young Uchiha glancing at Tsunade who was just finishing talking with the medics and nurses, she even went on to chat briefly with the few wounded who were conscious. Naruto looked irritated but what made Hashirama smile was the boy's patience to wait for his wife to join them before he decided to explain the reason for his visit.
That small gesture alone showed the growing importance of Tsunade in Naruto's life. Recently, the king had started being more and more affectionate towards his wife. Knowing that Naruto was an acute sensor just like him, Hashirama was now certain that the King now knew that Tsunade was carrying his child.
His nephew!
When he first learned of the life within his sister, he had been over the moon with joy! It was a much needed good news when he was dealing with the loss of his brother. He had been so ecstatic to reveal this news to Tsunade who was yet to realize this blessing herself but Mito had bonked him on the head and told him not to interfere. The Uzumaki woman had asked him to be patient and let Tsunade discover the good news herself or let her husband reveal it to her. Even if that didn't work, Tsunade was a seasoned medic and would very soon discover it herself. Naruto's changed attitude towards Tsunade was all the proof Hashirama needed to see that the King was also aware of his upcoming child but judging from Tsunade's calm appearance, the young Uchiha was yet to tell her that.
Hashirama didn't know why Naruto hadn't already told his wife. Most Senjus would be jumping with joy, but then again Naruto was an Uchiha and people from that clan were said to be much more composed in their reactions. More than that, Naruto was the first Uchiha King currently engaged in a world war. That did kind of repurpose his priorities.
Maybe it was best if he followed Mito's advice and let the young couple before him figure out how to deal with this development in their lives.
"How much do you two know about my teleportation abilities?" asked Naruto seriously,
"Not much except for what we saw you perform on the battlefield" commented Mito sincerely,
"It was impressive" said Hashirama with an honest smile, which made the Uchiha before him smirk with pride.
"No need to boost his already over-inflated ego!" chided Tsunade playfully, making Naruto pout.
"A king is allowed certain...liberties" replied Naruto smugly, earning a raised eyebrow from his beautiful wife.
"Do tell what...liberties...would...you...prefer...my...king?" asked Tsunade very slowly, her voice heavier and gaze more intense than ever.
Naruto blushed and looked away. He was not alone as even Hashirama was blushing and trying not to look at his sister.
Mito and Tsunade could not help but look at each other and sigh ''Men"
Acting on his feet, Naruto motioned the others to follow after him which they did without question. After a few minutes of walking, they all found themselves entering the King's tent where the Kingsguard was already present and they had apparently set up a mini war room with a large ninja map and detailed figures of enemy locations and troop movements.
"Did you arrive at a conclusion?" asked Naruto directly, earning nods from his four friends.
"We did. If our intel was accurate then the Otsutsuki landed on the coastal areas of our nation. Considering how large a force they had from the start they must have split it off into several large groups to conquer villages, settlements, towns and small cities alike across the Land of Fire" explained Itachi seriously,
"If I were the enemy then I would divide my forces and make them rampage across the Land of Fire in order to not just conquer more areas and bolster my ranks but more importantly divide Lord Tajima's forces. Make the ninjas spread out too thin trying to save different parts of the nation but ultimately fail" pointed Shisui worriedly,
Hashirama was alarmed when he saw Shisui and Itachi point to large march of enemy forces all across the Land of Fire.
Takeshi depicted the figure of Tajima Uchiha marching from the Capital with 10,000 ninjas and rallying up thousands of more common civilians to fight the Otsutsuki. But ultimately, Tajima would be overwhelmed with the cries of help from all sides.
"Tajima-sama would never allow his army to be split into smaller factions and be destroyed one after another. But we have to consider the fact that the men following Tajima all have friends and family in different parts of our nation. These ninja clans are still getting used to the idea of living together as allies but with the enemy attacking their homes on all fronts, they would more likely demand Lord Tajima to let them go in order to save their families. Lord Tajima cannot refuse or order them to stand down or he will very likely face a mutiny. Maybe Naruto and Madara could have kept that army united but Lord Tajima does not command the same respect. It is more likely most of his forces likely split off into smaller groups and went across the Land of Fire to save their families" explained Kagami hesitantly,
Tsunade and Mito worriedly stared at Naruto whose face was set in stone. Even if his face betrayed no emotions, Naruto's clenched fist and troubled gaze was enough to show them the King was worried about his father's safety. For a large part of their lives, Tajima and Naruto had been at odds against each other. But they were father and son, for all their arguments and differences...they both did love each other in the end.
"What would Lord Tajima do then?" asked Hashirama nervously, he could only imagine what kind of pressure the Uchiha clan head must be under. With one of his last sons and sister rumored to be dead, his eldest son missing with his army...
He saw all Uchiha's in the room stare at each other knowingly before Naruto answered Hashirama's question.
"Castle Tsukiyomi"
Hashirama and Tsunade stared at the lone Uchiha Castle located in the Land of Fire. Apart from being the Uchiha's ancestral seat, Castle Tsukiyomi was more like a fortress. After Uzu, it was the strongest fortification in the world built by Uchiha's through centuries of blood and sacrifices. It had a dark history but had also served as the home of the Uchiha's whenever they faced great troubles throughout history. Whenever that happened, the Uchiha clan took refuge in Castle Tsukiyomi and never once had any army managed to break through that refuge built on a tall mountain surrounded by dense forests and high hills.
"If my father cannot risk open war then he will rally as many fighters as he can, save as many civilians as he can from nearby lands and give them shelter in our Castle. It has enough room, food and provisions to host thousands of people. But more importantly, there are secret caves underneath the Castle that lead towards the Naka river. On the edge of those caves at the mouth of the river, there lies a small emergency fleet that was built to take my clansmen to a secret island we built throughout centuries. It is a located a few hundred kilometers away from the Land of Fire and has half the defenses that Uzu had. Castle Tsukiyomi can be defended long enough to save thousands as they escape to our island" explained Naruto sadly,
Hashirama, Tsunade and Mito could not help but look at the five Uchiha's in the room with a newfound respect. Both Uzumaki and Senju had always considered the Uchiha to be arrogant brutes their entire lives. To think, the dragon descendants had planned so far ahead for such contingencies went to show how dangerous it would have been to continuously wage war against the Sons of Indra.
Naruto himself had defended the very same Castle against the Fuma clan and had eliminated those warriors completely from the face of the earth. A fine and experienced commander like Tajima could very well hold that Castle for several days saving thousands of lives. It made them thankful for the fact that the Uchiha clan head was there to defend their nation when they were not.
"He will likely defend it to death with the last of my clansmen" whispered Naruto miserably,
Tsunade placed a comforting hand on her husband's shoulders and saw the remaining Uchiha's were also equally somber. Nearly every Uchiha warrior in Naruto's army died in battle after battle, first at Uzu, and then at the Land of Lightning.
Madara had also taken with him a considerable number of Uchiha and had likely fought in battles off his own. They had no idea how many Uchiha were still alive with the Hokage not to mention the status of the Hokage himself.
Unlike the Senjus who had several thousand clansmen, the Uchiha's were a smaller clan. Nobody could doubt their skill in battle but they were too few to begin with.
Tajima likely had the last few hundred Uchiha of this world left with him. Considering how stubborn that clan was, the clan head and his people would likely or had already laid down their lives in defending Castle Tsukiyomi.
The dragons shall roar in this world one last time before fading away forever.
Tsunade gripped Naruto's hand worriedly as she remembered those dreaded words from the man she had had seen in her dream. She had not understood the full meaning of his message back then but now she did.
The Uchiha clan was on the brink of extinction.
It was very likely the line of Indra would not survive this war.
Unlike the Uzumaki and Senju who were blessed with long lives, the Uchiha's had more mortal lifespans. Most of their people didn't have unnatural healing or large chakra reserves, they were mortal men in every sense.
"I never thought our clan would fall" whispered Itachi sadly,
"It won't! As long as there remains one dragon in this world, the line of Indra will never end" countered Kagami passionately, earning a firm nod from Takeshi.
"From the ashes we shall rise again" whispered Shisui, as he placed a comforting hand on Itachi's shoulder.
Naruto somberly stared at the ninja map. If the enemy had acted according to the predictions suggested by his friends, they would likely have nearly 300,000 warriors in their ranks by now. It would be a mix of Otsutsuki, Hagoromo, Kaguya, their strange creatures, and the army of dead.
Not to mention that cursed statue.
Shisui had already revealed that the enemy had two tailed beasts in their captivity, if he added the centuries long disappearances of the remaining breatheren of Kurama...then it was very likely the Otsutsuki queen had all the tailed beasts except for the nine tailed fox.
He barely had 35,000 warriors.
It was a death sentence.
He glanced at his wife and his urge to make her stay back grew even more stronger. He had no idea about the fate of Shizuka and his daughters, Madara had posted loyal Uchihas to guard the Nadeshia temple but they were too few to stop an army of dead. If they were gone just like he saw in that vision shown by Kimimaro...
Naruto clenched his fist shut as he realized Tsunade was not only carrying the royal heir but also very likely his only surviving child and the first child with Uchiha and Senju blood in its veins.
He had to talk to her but afterwards.
"We march home. Even if it is to our deaths!" decided Naruto grimly, earning nods from his friends and family members.
"How will you make our large army reach the Land of Fire quickly?" asked Mito hesitantly, her own wounded brother Nagato had been sent to that nation alongwith the few Kingsguard warriors that were still alive. In the best circumstances, those ninjas had linked up with Tajima and currently Nagato would be with the Uchiha clan head at Castle Tsukiyomi.
"Through the combination of my dojutsu, fuinjutsu and ninjutsu" revealed Naruto,
Everyone looked at him as if he was crazy which only made him smile.
Kurama stared in silent awe as the entire army camp was consumed in a flurry of activities. Almost every warrior was preparing himself. Weapons and armor were being gathered, only the barest amount of supplies were being taken, the wounded were being left behind with a small garrison to care for them.
The beast saw hundreds of ninjas standing around Hashirama. All of them had linked their hands together and the fox clearly saw and even felt the gigantic amount of chakra being supplied to the Senju leader.
Hashirama indeed required every last ounce of that additional chakra as he had clasped his hands together and created a massive forest of trees spanning hundreds of kilometers. The Senju leader had his eyes closed and was sweating profusely, but as a reward for his efforts, every few minutes hundreds of wooden chakra horses emerged from the forest of trees.
Mito Uzumaki alongwith her handful clansmen and few seal masters stood on the edge of the forest. Her group of Fuinjutsu specialists were constantly busy as they marked each and every wooden chakra horse with seals. Those very seals helped in forming a parallel and unbreakable connection between those animated horses.
Already 20,000 of such chakra horses were created by Hashirama with more on the way. Mito and her group had so far finished implanting ''Joining Seals" on half of those created horses. If things went as per their plan, those two should accomplish their task within a few hours at most.
Kurama himself was busy pouring large amounts of his chakra into "Energy Scrolls'' being provided by Mito and her clansmen.
Everything was going just as Naruto had planned.
It was one of those times when humanity had again surprised the Biju with their innovation.
Naruto had accepted that physically sucking and transporting thousands of ninjas with his Kamui was risky, but it had only made the King devise another innovative way to make their massive army reach the Land of Fire in one tenth the time than a normal march would take.
The King had suggested Hashirama to create an army of wooden chakra horses on whom their ninjas, Samurai, and even civilian fighters could mount upon. These beasts could not carry as much weight as living horses could, but they were more faster and stronger. More importantly, the King had suggested Mito to link all those thousands of chakra horses through Fuinjutsu creating "A Single Chain".
It was possible for humans as individuals or even in small or large groups to get lost in the space dimension, but a single connected chain of chakra being led by Kurama who was himself a beacon of energy had more of a chance of staying together.
The King had already formed large pathways in his travel dimension which would be used by Kurama and the massive human army mounted on chakra horses made of wood to travel. Naruto had posted several of his clones across different intervals from the Land of Lightning to the Land of Fire itself creating a series of portals which his people could cross more easily and quickly rather than risk transporting everyone from one point to another in a single try.
To put it more crudely for the average shinobi to understand, they had to mount on these chakra horses who shall all be joined with Kurama's energy. Together, they would pass through multiple portals of Naruto's dimension like a person rushing through a series of connected doors covering thousands of kilometers of distance in half the time.
In the end, their army would split into three groups led by Naruto, Hashirama and Hanzo each. They would all assemble at one common point which the King had predicted to be the main target of the Otsutsuki in the Land of Fire.
To sustain those multiple portals for nearly an entire day, Naruto and his clones would need gigantic amount of chakra which was why Kurama was providing his energy to be used by Naruto and his clones for if even one of them faltered in their duty, then their army could become trapped for a very long time.
It was still risky and not everyone would survive this dangerous spacetime travel but it was all they could do to save the Land of Fire in time.
Even the soldiers were nervous but knowing they had very little choice or alternative, they had reluctantly rallied behind the command of their King.
What worried Kurama was the fact that Naruto was putting his own life in tremendous danger by taking up the responsibility of maintaining a lethal jutsu like Kamui for an entire day. Even if Kurama gave him chakra to compensate his lost energy, the boy's Mangekyo and body would be severely damaged. But Naruto had waived off those concerns raised by Kurama very easily...
It was almost as if Naruto knew...
And was the reason why Kurama could still feel the raging aura of Naruto and his wife clashing against each other.
"You baka! You'll get yourself killed if you do this!" yelled Tsunade furiously, staring at her silent husband who was seated in his chair inside their personal tent.
"Even so I have to do this! For our people! It is my duty" he answered much more calmly than her,
He still felt the occasional pain in his heart where Kimimaro had hit him. Dawn's chakra had healed most of the critical damage and Tsunade had stabilized his torn chest muscles but it still did not make him ready to undertake such a stressful activity and that was not taking into account the final battle against the Otsutsuki queen.
And he had a feeling that Kimimaro no matter how strong was nothing in comparison to the enemy queen that Shisui had encountered. The fact that a battle with her had unnerved someone like Shisui was enough to show Naruto that she was extremely dangerous, Kimimaro had also said she had taken a personal interest in him which would only mean they were bound to face each other in battle.
He looked up when Tsunade knelt before him and took his hands in hers. There was grave concern burning in her eyes...
"What are you not telling me?" she asked worriedly,
I...curse...you...to...die...of...a...broken...heart.
Dismissing that dead man's voice from his memory he looked at his wife with a reassuring smile.
"I know what I am risking, Tsuna. But my people are dying, my clan is almost extinct, my daughters..." he whispered hesitantly,
"Naruto..." she whispered sadly, even as she squeezed his hands gently.
"If we are doomed to die then I choose to die fighting! That means doing everything in my power including putting my own life on the line to save our people. I will not be able to live with myself if I don't give it my all" he confessed, eyes gazing into hers.
"The Otsutsuki queen wants you dead" said Tsunade worriedly, she had heard tales about that woman's power and frankly it scared her.
"That makes it more important that I face her with the fox. Together we shall try to defeat her" said Naruto with as much confidence as he could muster but looking into her eyes he knew it was not enough.
"I'll fight with you" decided Tsunade, earning a firm look from him as he grasped her cheeks.
"No. You shall stay in the rear ranks and be away from danger" said Naruto frustratedly,
"You're a moron if you think I'm letting my husband go out there all alone!" yelled Tsunade furiously, her eyes ablaze with righteous fury.
The corner of Naruto's lips twitched into a faint smirk which he tried to fight back valiantly but couldn't stop himself from asking his next question.
"I'll not be alone, Tsuna. The people cannot lose both their King and Queen, besides why are you so against this?" he asked seriously,
A tight slap across his cheek stunned him momentarily before he looked back at her. Tsunade's hands were shaking, her eyes shining with tears and her lips were trembling as well.
"You know why..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper that for a moment he thought it was just the air. But when he looked in her eyes,
He knew...
He slowly got up from his seat even as she took a few steps away from him. Her tears now freely falling from her eyes.
They both stood apart from each other but their eyes never lost contact. He didn't know what was going through her heart at this moment but he could not help but think about their first meeting. Despite the situation, it made him chuckle a little earning a nasty scowl from her.
Never could he have imagined to come to care for someone like Tsunade.
She was so fierce, stubborn and prideful. She was also very opinionated in her views and beliefs but there was also a gentle heart in that beautiful chest of hers. One that cared deeply for those close to her and a smart mind that had covered up for his own lacking's without any protest.
Now that he thought about it, she had started to occupy both his mind and heart with every passing day.
It was subtle at first and only became worse as they went through so many events together. He remembered his own apprehensions at the time of their marriage and how she would to adjust coming into his family. He remembered being delighted in finding a nervous but gentle woman who had the courage to extend a hand of friendship and partnership towards him despite their past family history. He remembered their growing affection followed by their fight, how she had plagued his mind all the way to Uzu to the moment where Kimimaro struck him down...a part of his heart had lamented the fact that he had that stupid fight with her and would never get to see her again.
How elated he had been when she was the first face he saw when he woke up.
Most importantly, Kurama was still his friend because of Tsunade.
She had always been a little jealous of the way he trusted the fox and his Uchiha friends over her but had never made any move to sabotage those relationships to favor herself. Even when Kurama and his friendship was on the brink of destruction, she didn't use that chance to make her position more favorable in his heart than that of the fox's.
She had thought about his interests and given him the right advice.
Even now she was worried and fighting so fiercely only for his safety.
"I love you, Naruto" she confessed finally, after their never ending silence stretched too long.
He felt ashamed when he saw no need for reciprocation of that gesture in her eyes. Instead, she came forward and hugged him fiercely. His own emotions were a mess...
"The family cannot survive without you, Naruto" she almost begged him, and tightened her hold over him.
To her dismay, he gently broke the hug and grasped her shoulders with his hands.
"It can and it will because they will have you" he insisted with so much conviction that it scared her even more.
"Naruto-"
"I have repented my sins and I don't fear death. All that matters to me right now is saving our world and our people from extinction" he confessed honestly,
"I will not-"
He silenced her with the appearance of his Mangekyo and suddenly she felt a large part of her strength fading away from her.
"Listen to me! If I fall, then you must assume leadership of the Kingdom. It may take years, decades, generations but mankind must never surrender to the Otsutsuki. If we fail, you will take refuge in these mountains with the survivors and continue the rebellion" he insisted fiercely,
"There is nothing left if you are gone" she confessed miserably,
She gasped in surprise when he placed his hand on her belly and released a gentle wave of chakra. Her breath stopped when instead of that wave of chakra passing through her body, it was instead...stopped midway.
It could only mean one thing and his next words confirmed her suspicions completely.
"The whole tree does not die because one branch falls, Tsuna" he whispered,
She now knew why he didn't want her to fight alongside him this time, but this new reason alone ignited her desire to protect him tenfold. She didn't know whether to jump in joy or yell at him. It was this emotional turmoil that was allowing him to exert even more influence over her with his powerful eyes. It was subtle but she could already feel its effects taking over her.
"This child will need you just like I have" he whispered softly, as his hands gently caressed her flat belly.
"Don't do this!" she pleaded, but could already feel her consciousness fading away.
She barely heard another person entering the tent as her eyes were fixed on his sad but warm gaze.
"I know what you have done for me, Tsunade."
He glanced at the person standing behind them before focusing back on her and this time she saw all he wanted to say in that saddened gaze of his.
"Thank you"
Their lips met each other for a final moment before he parted from her and the next thing she felt were strong arms gripping her shoulder and Naruto's voice that was quickly fading away from her.
"Keep her safe" ordered Naruto,
"I promise, my king" answered Itachi confidently, just as Tsunade's consciousness faded away.
Kurama watched Naruto disappear in his portal dimension and for several long minutes the Biju watched the largest cavalry in human history line up. Men and women from different nations, young and old, ninjas and Samurai even civilians all ready to face the doom of their world.
Majority of them had accepted that most of them wouldn't be coming back alive yet there were also optimists and determined zealots who refused to give up. Honestly, humans were too confusing for the Biju to understand.
Only a force of more than 1000 wounded soldiers, medics and few dozen guards would be staying behind with Itachi and the queen. In case their army failed to defeat the enemy, then this force would probably be the last hope of humanity. Kurama had already sensed the growing life within Tsunade and considering how strong its chakra was, it had to be a boy.
Hundreds of sensor ninjas had discovered the queen's pregnancy and few religious zealots had somehow started pinning their hopes on the unborn royal heir.
Humans could be so dumb sometimes that it astounded Kurama even after thousands of years.
Regardless of that stupidity, he understood why Naruto left his wife behind. If everyone else failed, Tsunade and Itachi would be the last commanders left in this world. The unborn prince could become the last hope of the dying ninja kingdom if Naruto failed to defeat the Otsutsuki.
These were not fable stories where good triumphed over evil. Considering the sheer number of dead the enemy must have amassed by rampaging across the heavily populated Land of Fire and combine that with the support of Kaguya clan, Hagoromo clan, and that cursed statue...the human army didn't have much chance of victory.
It was very likely they would all die in the Land of Fire.
But still they would fight till their last.
Hashirama and Shisui alongwith Hanzo, Mifune and Mito unleashed their swords as the primary portal started opening up courtesy of one of Naruto's clones. Many more of those shadow clones were already posted across various checkpoints from the Land of Lightning with Naruto himself maintaining the final portal in the Land of Fire. It would take them a day atleast to reach their destination.
Kurama roared defiantly and linked up his chakra with each and everyone of the 35,000 riders.
Together they charged!
(Land of Fire)
Castle Tsukiyomi.
The oldest and strongest defense of the Uchiha clan.
A fortress in all but name that had faced countless armies and repelled each and everyone of them.
Yet today there was an aura of doom and misery present in the unbreakable stronghold.
A few hundred fighters from the Uchiha, Nara and Hatake clans were all that was left of those ancient families. The rest of their people having perished in various battles. Inside the Castle, nearly 40,000 civilians had taken shelter when Lord Tajima offered them aid.
The Uchiha patriarch had been unable to stop most of his army from splitting up. Initially, his 30,000 strong force made up of ninjas and civilians had fought tooth and nail against the Otsutsuki hordes in the coastal areas. Thousands died but it allowed the civilians in the inner lands to reach Castle Tsukiyomi. Not everyone reached there in time but it was still better than everyone dying. But after that the enemy adopted a different tactic which worked flawlessly.
Not only did the enemy split its forces all over the Land of Fire...it started spreading horrific rumors of Madara dying with the rest of his army. Having no idea about the status of Hashirama and their main fighters, Madara had been the last hope for the Land of Fire.
To learn that he too had fallen was the final straw.
Various ninja clans broke faith and ran to save their own homes and people. It was folly for even united they were no match for the unending Otsutsuki army, Tajima pleaded his men to see reason but they never listened.
Defeated and dejected the Uchiha lord took refuge in his stronghold.
Most expected him to flee and save who he could but surprising them all, both Tajima and Sakumo Hatake decided to carry on their duties despite the repeated setbacks. Both men had at first been hopeful for the return of their sons with their army from the Land of Wind, but as days passed and no help came...they too realized that the enemy rumors were the truth.
No help was going to come for their sons were dead.
Sakumo still kept himself together to oversee the evacuation of the thousands of civilians on the Uchiha fleet to the dragon's secret island. But Tajima was miserable.
How could he not?
All his sons had perished.
His sister had died as well.
His clan was on the brink of extinction.
And yet that same man alongwith his clansmen had refused to abandon their stronghold and flee to their secret island. The Uchiha clan had decided to make Castle Tsukiyomi their final ground where they would fight and hold the enemy to death so that thousands of civilians could escape. Not only would it save more lives but give hope to humanity in the future by not providing the enemy with more dead soldiers.
The Hatake and Nara were the only clans still standing alongside the dragons. Their members were also majorly wiped out but they too had decided to stand alongside the Uchiha in this final hour.
Together, the three clans had defended Castle Tsukiyomi for four days but were ultimately helpless against the endless enemy army. Level after level of the Castle was overrun, tower after tower destroyed, wall after wall crumbled...
The brutal rattling of the main gate of the courtyard brought Sakumo out of his despair.
Barely 250 Uchiha, Nara and Hatake who were fortunate/unfortunate enough to survive till now were trying their level best to defend the final gate. There were still 4000 civilians left to be evacuated who were all currently hiding in the caves built deeply inside the mighty Castle.
Sakumo wished they had Daen Nara here with them to offer some strategy they could use to defend against the enemy but the Nara leader was the sole officer holding the Capital and would soon enough be surrounded by the enemy. Thousands of civilians had flocked to the Capital while Tajima and his allies bought them time. Many chose Castle Tsukiyomi but several thousand more decided to run to the Capital believing it would offer them salvation against the army of dead.
He approached Tajima who was currently busy instructing one of his clansmen.
"Make sure that no harm comes to her. You must know how important she is!" instructed Tajima fiercely, earning a devoted nod from the Uchiha ninja.
"Two of my brothers died to save her and her people against the enemy. We shall all defend her to death, Lord Tajima. For our nation's future...for our fallen king" promised the lone Uchiha,
"Is this about the priestess?" asked Sakumo seriously, earning a curt nod from Tajima.
They were all surprised and elated when a few Uchiha arrived at Castle Tsukiyomi with a small group of priestesses from the Nadeshia clan. Among them was a woman named Shizuka who claimed to carry the King's children. No one had believed her at first until Shizuka showed them Madara's personal seal that had been given to her by the Hokage's personal guard stationed around the temple to protect her. Madara had planned for an emergency and had given Shizuka his personal seal with a letter addressed for Tajima to provide her shelter in any emergency as she carried Naruto's children. Most of the garrison deployed to protect the Nadeshia clan had laid down their lives when the Otsutsuki attacked in order to let the priestess escape so the line of their fallen king could survive.
Tajima had been on the verge of falling apart after realizing that Madara was also probably dead when he came to know about the existence of his granddaughters. The veteran Uchiha had wept tears of joy and relief before doing something that had not just shocked his allies but fellow Uchiha as well.
Lord Tajima who was a stickler for rules and traditions had bowed down before Shizuka offering the priestess his sincere gratitude and protection. Knowing that his sons had left something for Tajima to still fight for gave the veteran warrior the motivation to fight again.
"My lord, the priestess will be due in a week or two. The King had promised to name his daughters, but..." said the Uchiha soldier hesitantly,
Tajima grimaced as he was again reminded about his fallen son. But he steeled himself and looked at Ishikawa Uchiha seriously.
"Then as their grandfather, I name the elder of the two girls as Hikari Uchiha. She shall be the next leader of our people and the younger one I name...Naori Uchiha" whispered Tajima sadly but with grim determination in his eyes,
"You're not coming with us, my lord?" asked Ishikawa in shock, not sure whether to be more stunned by his leader's decision to stay here or for the fact that Tajima just named a female as the future Uchiha leader...something which had never happened in history. But with their clan almost on the brink of extinction and Madara or Naruto not leaving behind any male heirs, Shizuka's daughters were directly in line for the Uchiha leadership.
"A dragon never flees!" replied Tajima simply,
Sakumo grinned weakly even as Ishikawa Uchiha nodded and ran off to carry out the last orders of his liege lord. There was a grim sadness in Tajima's dark eyes as he saw the vast enemy army knocking at his gates but there was also hope for the man now had a small satisfaction that his line was not going to end today. Sakumo was the same as his own daughter Kiara was going to escape with a handful Uchiha, Nara and thousands of civilians to take refuge on the Uchiha's fortified island. He didn't know how they would survive this war in the future, but for now they would survive this day.
"What can we do against this sorcery, Sakumo?" asked Tajima tiredly,
Sakumo glanced at the thousands of dead that were storming all over the Castle. He looked at Tajima with a smile...
''We hold the line" answered Sakumo,
Tajima grinned despite the dark situation and saw the dragon banner still flying proudly from the top of his Castle. He had done everything in his power to save as many as he could.
I hope you can be proud of me now, Naruto.
He looked at the last of his clansmen and in everyone's eyes he saw one emotion.
Not resignation...
But Defiance!
"The dragon shall roar in this Castle one last time!" declared Tajima, earning loud approving cheers from his clansmen as he unleashed his sword.
He and Sakumo alongside their few remaining men all took up positions near the final gate which was slowly falling apart. The seals on it were already destroyed, the strong wood and metal crumbling under the relentless attacks of the Kaguya and their dead minions.
"I never thought I would die fighting side by side with a Hatake" joked Tajima, much to the amusement of many Uchiha, Hatake and Nara as well.
"That's what friends do, Lord Tajima" replied the Hatake leader, earning a grateful nod from the Uchiha veteran.
Tajima gripped his sword as the first cracks in the gate started to appear and he saw the hideous form of the Kaguya and their dead warriors on the other side.
"From the ashes we shall rise again!"
The upper layers of the gate crumbled.
"For our people!" yelled Sakumo as he unleashed his sword,
"For our king!" yelled one of the Nara officers,
The gates were utterly destroyed as Tajima's defiant roar swept through the entire Castle.
"FIRE AND BLOOD!"
The Uchihas all together unleashed a fierce volley of fireballs that set alight the entire first wave of Kaguya's and dead warriors.
The Nara officer alongwith his clansmen used their shadows to trap the next wave of enemies allowing the Hatake ninjas ample time to blast them all with explosives.
Tajima and his army of ninjas charged down the slope of the Castle like a tidal wave slaughtering surprised enemy forces mercilessly.
The Uchiha clan head led the attack and used his sword brutally to carve apart Kaguya morons stupid enough to attack him.
Then suddenly the enemy stopped.
One of the Otsutsuki warriors stepped forward and glared right at Tajima. The enemy army reformed their lines once more and were about to follow after their ancient leader when a thunderous blast rocked the entire area.
Tajima and Sakumo both were left speechless when an entire hill near the Castle was blasted apart.
Both armies saw a monstrous shadow emerge from the ashes and take to the skies. What followed after was a beastly warcry...
"TO THE KING!"
"TO THE KING!"
"TO THE KING!"
Every Otsutsuki and their supporters near Tajima were instantly set ablaze in dark flames making them screech in horror and agony. If that was not enough, Sakumo watched in silent awe as a young boy sitting atop a massive ninja dog tore through the enemy lines outside the Castle with feral viciousness.
He was joined by a brown skinned veteran man seated atop a monkey who also started wrecking havoc among the Otsutsuki ranks.
Kakashi Hatake and Sasuke Sarutobi were not alone in the fight as they were joined by thousands of angry ninjas from the Land of Fire, Wind and Earth who all pounced on the enemy army with pure murder in their hearts.
Tajima could only stare at the massive Susanoo flying in the sky unleashing hell across the battlefield. After Indra, very few Uchiha had awakened this power and to see his eldest son be its new wielder filled him with pride. The fact that Madara was still alive alone was enough to make the clan head raise his sword again.
A single cry was unleashed across the battlefield by the furious Susanno warrior.
"KILL THEM ALL!"
