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Chap-49 Echoes
🕑 Added 2022-03-02 10:09:06 +0000 UTCShe walked through a field marred in crimson. The wind was cold yet comforting, the feeling of peace combined with melancholy resonated across every pore of her body. In the distant land, she saw a great city that had a three headed dragon banner flying from its magnificent Castle.
As she walked through the deserted streets she could not help but be drawn towards the Castle. It took her a while to reach her destination but when she finally arrived there, her breath stopped.
In front of her lay a statue of a man who was unlike anyone she had ever seen before.
She could not help but mesmerizingly watch the sleeping form of the armored warrior as he rested on a dais. In his hands was a great sword and even though both man and weapon were merely made of stone, she could not help but feel he was alive.
It was an image blessed to remain immortal through the passage of time until the world itself ended.
Her heart threatened to shatter into millions of tiny shards as she gazed upon the mesmerizing statue. She would have fallen apart completely in grief and misery until she saw something else that baffled her.
A real image of the same carved statue stood at its edge gazing down upon the sleeping man carved in stone. Their faces were so alike that she could almost call them twins if not for his bright blonde hair and bright hazel eyes. Beside him were two young women, both beautiful and dazzling. Their skin as pale as the moon, their hair long and variants of dark shade of light brown and black, their eyes so similar to the statue they were staring at. There were silent tears in the eyes of the girls and a look of melancholy mixed with admiration on the face of the boy with a crown on his head that was just as magnificent as him.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
She blinked on seeing another person step beside her.
Tsunade froze on seeing an almost exact replica of her eldest brother staring back at her. But while Hashirama had dark hair, this man had light brown hair and his smile was even more kinder than any man's.
"What is this?" she asked in a trembling voice,
"The fate of men. One passed on more prominently among those of Dragon blood..." he whispered sadly, and if possible his eyes were even sadder than hers as if the carved statue was someone very precious to this man.
"Who are you?" she asked,
"A passenger of time. Someone doomed to witness glory and death until a true successor comes. One who shall relieve me of this suffering..." answered the man mysteriously,
Tsunade glanced at the boy with blonde hair and didn't miss the man beside her doing the same.
She watched the stranger approach the carved statue and to her despair the blonde boy and the two girls around him vanished as if they never existed. He gingerly touched the face of the statue and there was unending sorrow and pride in his moist eyes.
"A great darkness approaches, my daughter. A time of great despair and suffering shall consume this world, the moment where the fate of this world shall be decided. Yet I see the dragons roar one last time in this world before fading forever..." whispered the man sadly,
"I'm dreaming" realized Tsunade, earning a faint nod from the stranger.
"Long ago a mistake was made that tore a family apart, yet after all this time of suffering there is still hope. If mankind is to survive the coming darkness then it must unite. Where it must rally behind the one that shall lead them through these dark times and yet I see his end. He shall die just like the ones before him, before his time and all hope shall be lost. He will come to death saving the world from destruction, yet he shall fail in giving it true peace" explained the man briefly,
"I don't understand-"
"Save him, my daughter. Before it is too late, before the world is ruled not by a King-"
Her eyes widened in horror and she was brought to her knees as the world around her was consumed by darkness and the skies were consumed by a terrifying image.
Tsunade awoke with a strangled gasp.
In the cold night she shivered uncontrollably and her terrified eyes searched for the form of her husband who was always by her side. But not this time...
In his place lay a small child with bright red hair that was snuggled closely against her giving out soft snores every now and then. She reached out to gently caress Kushina's face and felt some of her terror fade.
Tsunade gave out a weak sigh as she wiped the sweat from her forehead and could not help but gulp as she remembered the dream she had just experienced. It had only been three days since Naruto left with his men to save Uzu from the unknown threat, and yet it felt like a lifetime.
Her dreams were getting more vivid and darker, the visions she witnessed bringing only further despair to her heart.
I'm sorry, Tsunade.
She fought back her tears as she again heard his sorrowful voice whisper in her ears. He had made a mistake but it was one with good intentions, he was young and new at the change in his life even so he was desperately trying to protect everyone. The fact that he went to help the Uzumaki even when they once spat in his face showed the kind of man he was.
He had trusted her enough to share his biggest and most dangerous secret with her...
And she had accused him, humiliated him and left him alone in his time of need.
She cursed her impulsiveness that had led her astray many times. She could not help but remember the fact that despite the insults the Uzumaki had thrown at Naruto, or how miffed he was on seeing Mito come to him for help, he had been kind to Kushina. The kindness and warmth that had been present in his eyes were real and genuine as Kushina convinced him to help her people. If he was so perfect in bonding and caring for a child he just met...
Tsunade now understood the amount of love Naruto must have for his unborn daughters that he was willing to go against the entire world including his family for them. It was not an action befitting a King...
But it was befitting a man.
She remembered the three young ones of her dreams, those girls she saw were Naruto's daughters and the boy...
Her son.
A child that would never be born should Naruto not return from Uzu.
She should have been there with him and all for a stupid argument he was left out there to face a threat that had brought a mighty nation like Uzushiogakure to its knees. Guilt could not begin to describe the overwhelming feeling in her heart and all she could do to console herself was the fact that she would never abandon him like that again.
Morning came and when Tsunade emerged from her tent she found their entire camp in a frenzy. Ninjas and civilian soldiers alike were seen running back and forth gathering arms, supplies, dousing campfires, readying warhorses, and much more.
She wanted to send Kushina to safety but knowing the stubborn child, she would only find a way to sneak into action. It was better if Tsunade kept the child by her side. She had promised Mito to protect her niece and she intended to keep her word.
"The enemy is here..."
She blinked on realizing it was Kushina who said those words. Glancing at the child, Tsunade understood that she was a sensor and had likely discovered the arrival of the Samurai Nation.
"How many?" asked Tsunade seriously,
"Thousands..." replied Kushina nervously, making Tsunade grimace.
Wordlessly the queen grabbed a nearby warhorse and mounted on top of it. Kushina quickly joined her on the beast when Tsunade extended her hand and together they rode hard through the camp. Most of the fighters were almost there at the frontlines standing behind the tall form of Hashirama Senju and the gigantic nine tailed fox.
She stepped beside her eldest brother and saw him grimly staring at the tall hills.
"It is time..." whispered Hashirama,
"What do you want me to do?" asked Tsunade seriously, making her brother look at her.
"The fox insists that we need to preserve our army. The King already took out best fighters with him, half of our force are ninjas but the rest are civilians and while I do not doubt their bravery or skill...they are going up against 40,000 Samurai" explained Hashirama gravely,
Tsunade could not help but nod grimly. While it was true that the Samurai could be handled by ninjas if they had numbers and surprise on their side, but civilian soldiers going up against that ancient order was pure madness. The Samurai had with them not just courage but discipline and the will to fight to the last for what they believed in. That kind of conviction was hard to break...
The Uzumaki had really weakened their army in its most desperate hour by calling for aid but there was nothing that could be done about it now.
She felt a comforting hand being placed on her shoulder and saw Hashirama give her a gentle smile. Tsunade could not help but be reminded of the stranger she saw in her dreams, her brother reminded her of that man.
"Leave it to me"
If it was anyone else who said those words, she would have likely not believed them. But this was Hashirama, the strongest Senju born in a thousand years.
"You're the Queen of these men and women. Maintain command over them and keep them in reserve, I and Hashirama shall handle the situation" declared Kurama,
"Just the two of you, foxy?" asked Kushina doubtfully, making the fox's eyebrows twitch.
"I'm the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, stupid brat! I can handle these weakling Samurai!" boasted Kurama irritatedly,
Before any further bickering could continue, Hashirama stepped forward and clasped his hands together.
"Wood Style: A Thousand Sons!"
Kurama and every warrior gasped when in front of their eyes rose a thousand identical clones of Hashirama. Each and everyone of them dressed in full Senju armor with a longsword in one arm and a strong wooden shield in the other. Together, the new army stepped as one before their creator.
"Why need an army when we've got Hashirama" thought Tsunade proudly,
Kurama watched the Senju Princess summon her own slug summon and start organizing their 15,000 strong army to act as reserve. Hashirama on the other hand walked forward at the head of his clone army ready to face his enemies. The marching sound of the clone army itself did wonders to boost the morale of the ninja forces.
The fox stared at Hashirama and saw nothing but an iron resolve to protect his people in those eyes. The others may never see it but the Biju saw a shadow of a man long dead visible in Hashirama.
Even after all this time, you haven't abandoned your descendants...Ashura.
With a smile on his lips, the Biju marched forward to join beside Hashirama who gave him a smile, one which Kurama could not help but return gladly.
Together beast and man climbed the hill seeing the approaching enemy for the first time.
Hashirama exhaled a breath on seeing thousands of armored Samurai marching in complete discipline. On their right was a mighty cavalry atleast 12,000 strong. On their left marched atleast two dozen war elephants. In the middle of the force marched thousands of swordsmen and archers followed by their remaining few thousands of reserves in the rear.
Leading the Samurai Cavalry was a scarred man dressed in fine armor, it was most likely Mifune: the Samurai leader.
And at the head of this 40,000 strong army was a tall man standing on top of a gigantic Salamander.
Hanzo.
Both armies stopped a few thousand feet away from each other. Hashirama's clone forces quickly formed a perfect shield wall as their creator stepped before them with the Kyuubi by his side.
"Should we give them a chance to surrender?" asked Hashirama finally, making Kurama roll his eyes.
"These warriors didn't march all this way here to surrender, Senju. They want a fight, we give them one" said Kurama firmly, earning a defeated sigh from the Senju leader.
"I just don't want them to die needlessly..." said Hashirama remorsefully, and watched the fox snort in disbelief.
"Whoever said that peace can be achieved without bloodshed is a fucking lunatic or at the very least doesn't know humans. Your kind only understands and bows to two things: Power and Desperation" replied Kurama flatly,
"Even so, I would like to end this before too much blood is spilled. More importantly, none get past us" commanded Hashirama,
Kurama could not understand this man's fanatic desire to appease everyone. Just one glance at the Samurai army was enough to make even an idiot realize they would never bow to ninjas willingly. They were prideful, stubborn and an ancient nation. Yet Hashirama had a point, if the threat the Uzumaki were facing was truly what Kurama was dreading then the world was going to need the Samurai once again.
There was only one way to accomplish that.
Hashirama's eyes widened in horror when without warning the biju suddenly started creating a massive Bijudama. The Samurai were quick to realize the grave threat as one battlecry resonated across the lands.
"CHARGE!"
From the left flank the entire 12,000 strong Samurai cavalry led by Mifune charged forward with thunderous battlecries that deafened everyone. From the right charged the army of war elephants straight towards the Kyuubi. From the main formation, Hanzo raised his hand and swiftly brought it down.
Hashirama steeled himself when the very sun itself was momentarily eclipsed by the hail of thousands of arrows launched by the Samurai archers. The clone army instantly raised their shields upwards while their creator went through a rapid sets of hand seals.
"Wood Style: Barrage!"
Hashirama extended his hands upwards launching thousands upon thousands of wooden shards from his palms that collided head on with the hail of arrows. Metal and wood clashed in a mighty roar just in time as the Biju launched its devastating attack at the horde of charging war elephants.
The land was dwarfed in a mighty explosion that nearly rendered every fighter blind for a moment. By the time they regained their vision, the Samurai and Ninjas both were stunned to see no trace of the entire force of war elephants.
They just vaporized.
Kurama narrowed his eyes on seeing the Samurai cavalry remaining undeterred in the face of such a one sided massacre.
Brave but stupid!
With a furious roar, the beast charged straight towards the Cavalry force.
Hashirama himself charging forward with his clones to meet the main force of Samurai warriors led by Hanzo himself. The enemy general was galloping forward on his reptile fearlessly despite having witnessed what the Kyuubi just did to his mightiest force of war elephants.
The Salamander opened its large mouth unleashing a wave of purple dark smoke. Hashirama who had a good knowledge of medicine was quick to realize the incoming wave of poisonous smoke and moved to counter the threat.
"Wood Style: Flower Pores!"
From the ground erupted hundreds of small plants which instantly gave birth to thousands of flowers who in turn unleashed a heavy layer of fragrant air. Hanzo grimaced on watching his poison attack be consumed by Hashirama's counter move even as the two armies clashed against each other.
The enemy leader was left speechless when he watched Kurama mercilessly tear through thousands of Samurai horsemen and head straight for their leader.
"Mifune!"
Hanzo's warning was too late as the mighty Biju swept forward and grabbed the Samurai leader with one of his tails. The Samurai warriors roared murderously before unleashing all their fury on the beast that grabbed their leader.
Kurama used his remaining eight tails to pummel dozens of Samurai riders but found himself facing thousands upon thousands of cuts from the chakra blades of the Samurai. It was not taking into account the hundreds of explosives the Samurai were desperately firing all over the Biju's body in a mad attempt to save their leader.
A small force of Samurai cavalry broke formation and charged straight towards the exposed left flank of Hashirama's clone army that was engaged in a losing duel with the Samurai main army.
Hashirama grimaced when nearly a hundred of his clones were mercilessly crushed under the charging warhorses as the minor Samurai cavalry bravely tore through clone forces while their main army pushed back Hashirama's remaining clones.
It was a bloodbath.
That was when the sun was blocked once more and the next thing Hashirama saw were hundreds of Samurai warriors falling to the ground with arrows lodged in their bodies.
Looking back, he saw his sister had disobeyed his order and had now commanded every single one of her 15000 ninjas and civilian fighters to fight.
That was 15,000 fighters launching a hail of arrows, kunai and exploding tags.
The Samurai archers retaliated in kind but they were few in numbers and most often their volley was literally destroyed by the larger one launched by Tsunade's force. Never before had Hashirama seen his sister so furious and commanding, in this moment she was the perfect picture of a Dragon Queen.
She proved Hashirama's thoughts when she gave the dreaded command...
"CHARGE!"
Katsuyu lead the Dragon army with Tsunade mounted on top of it. The Samurai having already lost their beasts and their cavalry engaged against Kurama could only grimly reorganize their broken lines but Tsunade had other ideas.
''Attack!"
Katsuyu spewed forth gigantic streams of acid from her mouth that directly hit the Samurai frontline and men broke as they felt the searing heat of the acid burn their bodies. Their armor only seemed to intensify the heat and pain.
A second line of Samurai fighters bravely created a shield wall with Hanzo and his beast at the front.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes on seeing the tell tale signs of the Salamander reptile about to launch another one of his poison attacks directly at her own charging army. Katsuyu was still gathering her next volley of acid which left the ninja forces open to the poison...
Hashirama's eyes widened and he gave out an alarmed shout when he saw his sister leap away from her summon and fly straight towards Hanzo with her chakra coated fist. The Salamander opened its mouth and shrouded the incoming Dragon Queen in a hue of poisonous smoke that was more than enough to kill a horde of war elephants.
Hanzo had expected the hot blooded queen to fall and was utterly shocked when she broke through the poisonous smokescreen and connected her powerful fist across his jaw.
The Samurai were stunned to watch their general sent flying away and their horror didn't end there as Tsunade gave a murderous roar before pounding both her chakra coated fist on the head of the stunned Salamander. The beast roared in agony before vanishing in a puff of smoke.
Tsuande landed on the ground and coughed blood as she felt the poison start to take its effect. Before she could release the power of the seal on her forehead to stop the pain, she felt a comforting aura spread through her body.
Looking up she was relieved to see her eldest brother staring at her worriedly but there was also pride in his face. Already, Tsunade could feel the poison being destroyed in her body and just in time as the ninja army had now rallied behind the two Senjus.
Hashirama was disappointed to see despite all the death and destruction alongwith the power they just witnessed, the Samurai looked ready to fight till the last man.
Thousands were already dead and more would follow if this futile resistance was not ended.
"Do it, brother" said Tsunade firmly,
Hashirama grimly nodded and stepped forward making the Samurai take a step back. For all their courage, every one of them had seen what the Senjus were capable of and none wanted to challenge the Senju leader in single combat alone.
Hanzo's eyes widened when he sensed a massive build up of chakra, one almost equal in power to half of that of a Bijudama. He charged forward desperately as he realized what was happening...
"Wood Style: Deep Wood Forest!"
Kurama stopped his furious attempt to pummel as many Samurai cavalrymen to their death when the entire land trembled.
The beast watched Hashirama clasp his hands together before roaring so furiously as thousands of trees were given birth and all of them emerged from the bloodstained ground like a tidal wave. Hanzo and everyone of his fighters tried to dodge or run but could not get away as one by one they were all trapped in the long branches of the trees. Even the horses were not spared.
Within two minutes, the remaining Samurai army was trapped in the newly created forest to the last man.
Hashirama panted lightly as he finished his move ending all resistance. This jutsu was still new to him and already he had used huge amount of his chakra in creating his wood clone army. But seeing that the fighting was stopped made this small inconvenience of fatigue worth it...
He watched Tsunade approach towards the trapped Hanzo even as Kurama lowered an unconscious Mifune before the enemy leader.
"Surrender or Die!" stated Tsunade firmly,
"The Samurai and my own people would rather die than let our culture be destroyed by foreign invaders" answered Hanzo honestly, earning a glare from the queen.
"Then keep your culture and continue ruling your lands. But you will become a part of the Ninja Kingdom and be loyal to the Dragon King and his descendants. Help him create order and peace through these war torn lands" urged Tsunade,
"Shinobi only know war. Your kind will never change...You have No Honor!" spat a trapped Samurai,
"If that was true then we would not be offering you this chance. We have the power to take what we want, but King Naruto wants to unite the people of the elemental nations. He does not want to destroy your culture or tradition but simply wants you to join the new world order. We can have you all killed here today and take your defenseless lands easily but I don't want to do that. Bend the knee and your people live, your nation survives, you thrive" insisted Tsunade,
Hanzo stared at the blonde Senju and then back at his trapped men. Already they could feel the trees slowly sucking away their life force. Many were still trying to get out but it only further served to weaken them even more. He had heard rumors of Hashirama's power and now he knew they were all true...
That was not even taking into consideration the Kyuubi whom Hanzo had no idea how to defeat. If this was just a part of King Naruto's army, then he could only imagine what would happen to his people if the Dragon King came back for vengeance with the likes of Madara Uchiha and thousands of ninjas.
"What do you want from us?" asked Hanzo defeatedly,
"The Daimyo's you serve must be overthrown. The King wants the Samurai Nation to become one large powerhouse where your ninjas can also stay. Either Mifune or you can rule those lands, the King is fine with either option. You will have full jurisdiction over those lands but answerable to any laws or decrees issued by the King. The Land of Lightning however shall be annexed by us..." explained Tsunade seriously,
"What happened to the mountain clans from those lands? I thought they would join your alliance in opposing us..." said Hashirama confusedly, and didn't miss Hanzo grimace.
"We sent word to them but they never replied back. I even sent a few emissaries to personally appeal to them but none of my people ever came back. Nor have my ninjas or Mifune's Samurai warriors seen any movement from those lands for quite a few months..." explained Hanzo gravely,
Hashirama and Tsunade could not help but exchange a worried glance with the Kyuubi. The Land of Lightning was home to some of the most ferocious ninja clans of the world who lived in the high mountains. They were one of the most fiercest warriors of the world and highly valued their independence, for them to go silent like this despite an army marching towards their home could only mean something had happened.
They were brought out of their thoughts when Hashirama released Hanzo from his captivity and the man now formally stood before Tsunade. There was a moment's hesitation before the man knelt and when Hashirama released the Samurai warriors they all followed their leader one by one in bowing to their new queen. They were not happy but they had no choice either.
It was either survive or die a pointless death. Even a proud nation of Samurai knew which was the better choice...
For the first time in days, Tsunade felt a wave of relief as she watched one of their most powerful enemies surrender. Unlike the ninjas who were often known for treachery, the Samurai were a different lot. If they gave their word then they kept it to death. For these people, their honor was more important than their life, yet for the sake of their families and people back home they had accepted this defeat.
She had been miserable ever since Naruto left to fight for Uzu but having played a part, however small, in bringing down his enemies and securing his reign over the world made her feel just a bit more better.
But she didn't know where their army would go from here now that the Samurai were defeated. Thankfully for her, Hashirama already had a plan...
"Hanzo, your forces shall join with ours. Together our combined army shall pacify the mountain clans or atleast discover why they have gone silent!"
