Chapter 68: True Blood

"Who are you?"

There was no humor in his voice when he asked that question, he was a veteran ninja and he could definitely feel the person standing before him was not an ordinary ninja, just those dangerous eyes of his was enough to make Orochimaru cautious.

He heard the dangerous looking ninja smile under his mask, Orochimaru could literally feel a smirk arriving on his opponent's lips...

"I'm the Nidaime..." said the Officer calmly,

"Nidaime?" asked Orochimaru in confusion, as he scanned the man in front of him again.

Apart from being an Uchiha, what could be so possibly different about this man? And why the hell was he calling himself the Second? Was he somehow related to any Kage or Tobirama?

Regardless, a creepy smile came on the old Sannin's face when Kabuto emerged from one of the corridors with a horde of his test subjects, his pets standing right in front of the invasion force.

Most of the men on Kabuto's side had horrible faces, more akin to zombies. Their skin was extremely pale, their organs in weird shapes, their teeth's were more like canines and nails as long as animals. Black colored marks engrossed their bodies, even if they hissed in pain.

"As expected, they can't sustain the cursed seals branded on them. Disposable pawns..." thought the officer, and shook his head disappointedly.

"You were quite bold to attack my stronghold, but I'm afraid you don't have the sufficient soldiers to overcome my unbeatable army. These men have craved for blood and gore for weeks, and your soldiers shall be their feast..." said Orochimaru wickedly, a mad grin etched across his lips.

"Then may I talk to my men one last time if you please?" asked the officer calmly, as Orochimaru studied him.

After a few moments of pondering the Sannin shrugged his soldiers, more interested in hearing what this cornered army general would do now. The Oto forces outnumbered the invading army by 3 to 1.

The dangerous military officer stepped towards the screens and pressed a button, as the speakers in the corridors came alive.

"SS guard!"

As soon as his voice boomed through the devices each and every reich soldier stood in attention, their hands proudly pressed against their chest directly offering a firm salute to their leader. Even Orochimaru was a little startled with the discipline of the enemy soldiers...

"The enemy outnumber us 3 to 1, good odds for any soldier of our glorious fatherland. Today, we rescue this dying world from evil and tyranny and usher in a future brighter than anything we can imagine. TO VICTORY!" yelled the officer passionately,

"AHOO!"

"AHOO!"

"AHOO!"

500 roars echoed at once, a volley of swords and shield raised high in the air as the army pointed their weapons confidently towards the large horde of deformed monsters. A strong defensive line was formed with the lady officer at front...

"For Caesar!" yelled the girl proudly,

The SS guard stood confidently beside each other, every soldier supporting the man in front of him and the brothers on his sides.

No fear...

No hesitation...

Their eyes yearning for the blood of the now nervous monsters in front of them, their swords and spears anxious to taste more monster blood.

Orochimaru gritted his teeth when the man known as "Caesar" turned towards him, and despite the mask he could feel the confident smile arriving on the man's lips.

"You see old friend, I brought more soldiers than you..." said Cesare proudly,

"Have we met before?" asked Orochimaru suspiciously, and literally froze when Cesare unveiled his mask a little.

"You..." said Orochimaru in horror, how was this possible? This...this...

"Naruto Uchiha, please to meet you..." introduced Naruto confidently, as Orochimaru laughed madly.

"Interesting developments, I never could have guessed in my wildest dreams that you could be a descendant of the elite Uchiha clan. You are not even worthy of having a sharingan, your skills are moderate at best. Tell me where did you got those eyes from?" asked Orochimaru bemusedly, but Naruto simply shrugged nonchalantly.

"Your pride and overconfidence in your skills will spell your end today, but don't worry I'll accomplish your little wish of destroying a certain village..." said Naruto confidently,

"Oh, so you are a enemy of Konoha. Then why not join me? I'm sure we can use those eyes of yours-"

SLAM

He spat a mouth full of blood as a devastating kick was planted straight on his chest, crushing each and every one of his lungs while sending him sailing straight through the roof creating a giant hole in the ceiling.

As he crashed on the barren grass above his base, he tried to digest what just hit him? It was a bright flash...

A dark black colored flash...

His attacker also emerged from the ceiling and was now standing in front of him, the murderous death mask now did manage to send a threatening message to the injured Sannin.

"I'm disappointed, Orochimaru. You truly do not live upto your reputation, or does your frail body not support you any longer...'' taunted Naruto, and for a moment he saw the man flinching.

He focused his eyes more closely and what he saw made him want to throw up instantly, a creepy smile came on the scientist's face as he got back on his feet. His previously twisted torso slowly realigned itself, the broken bones mending at an unnatural speed.

"You freak..." cursed Naruto furiously, making the Sannin laugh.

"Now, you see the power of science. I underestimated you, boy. However, you're still far too young to defeat me? I'm a Sannin, I've already sent distress signals to all my nearby bases. My soldiers will be arriving any minute to crush your passionate army..." said Orochimaru confidently, but frowned when Naruto laughed.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, last I remember I unleashed a certain blonde monster on your bases. She has quite a nasty temper, plus she had quite a lot of sake before going on a rampage. Those poor souls..." said Naruto bemusedly, as Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock.

"It can't be, not her. It's IMPOSSIBLE!" yelled Orochimaru defiantly,

"I believe a Sannin is more than enough to deal with your useless pawns. As for you, I'll show you what a true master of the sharingan can do..." said Naruto furiously,

"Is that so?" asked Orochimaru sinisterly, as KI started erupting from his body.

"By the time I'm done with you, I'll make you experience every single agony you made your victims go through. This will be my tribute to Anko, whose life was ruined due to your heinous crimes..." said Naruto bitterly, the mere thought of the pain this man made that woman go through boiled his blood.

He was an enemy of Konoha now, but it didn't change the fact that he still cared about his friends and family. Especially his old Team 7 and Kakashi...

Anko was like an elder sister to him all his life, taught him many things and he always repaid his debts. The promise which he made to Anko was still alive in his heart, and regardless of their different paths he would free her from Orochimaru's curse once and for all.

"I underestimated you, Naruto-kun..." said Orochimaru honestly, making the young boy smile.

"Story of my life, all my enemies make that mistake. Even veteran scientists like you are mere humans..." taunted Naruto, as Orochimaru's eyebrows twitched.

"You have quite a loud mouth, naughty boys must be taught a lesson..."

An entire handful of poisonous snakes emerged from one of the Sannin's sleeves and leap towards the blonde boy in front of him. The venomous creatures hissed angrily, their fangs eager to taste the blood of the enemy and fulfill their master's wishes.

"You're annoying..." said Naruto distastefully, as he flicked his hand.

SLASH

Showers of blood and gore flew across the entire area as every single snake was sliced to tiny pieces, the creatures cried in horror as their lives were stolen mercilessly.

"A wind user, interesting..." said Orochimaru curiously, in truth he was now starting to consider his opponent seriously.

His snakes were sliced up before they got even 10 feet near Naruto, the boy simply flicked his hand and the wind obeyed his command, as if he was a god. That kind of manipulation mastery takes years and only a handful ninja around the world could claim such a feat...

"It seems you're not taking things seriously, then let's give you a glimpse of who you're truly up against..." said Naruto furiously, and clasped his hands together.

CRACK

BOOM

SLASH

Grass splintered, trees were sliced apart, boulders crumbling to little stones, unfortunate birds and animals suffocating due to the monstrous pressure and collapsing dead to the ground like flies. The entire dense forest rumbled with the power radiating from the boy's body.

Horrible cracking noises echoed in the area as he twisted his knuckles, his entire body shrouded in reddish-blue colored chakra. His murderous eyes glaring at Orochimaru...

"Today, I must start lifting the curse which was placed on Hachimon. As the true heir of the God of War, I must bring stability to this war-torn world..." thought Naruto,

Orochimaru crossed his hands in a familiar hand seal and 6 replica's of him appeared around him. All of them glaring at Naruto with their slithering tongues...

"Very well..." accepted Naruto,

Surprisingly, the boy sheathed his sword and was now standing in front of 6 vicious clones of the Snake Sannin.

The first clone surged forward and attempted to give a roundhouse kick to the boy's chest, but he easily ducked and positioned himself beneath the clone's legs.

SLASH

A pair hidden blades emerged from Naruto's wrists which sliced the shadow clone apart from the groin. Talk about a painful way to die...

Two more clones surrounded the boy and launched twin kicks from both sides, Naruto quickly jumped in the air overlapping the incoming strikes. He pointed one finger towards each clone.

"Fuuton Kazekiri (Wind Release: Wind Cutter Jutsu)"

Sharp blades of wind circled around the 2 surprised Orochimaru clones, the shock in their eyes had not even registered properly before their bodies were sliced up to tiny little pieces, as they finally blew up in smoke.

Orochimaru saw Naruto landing back on the ground, and in a dark black flash he appeared right in between the remaining 3 shadow clones. Everything after that would have been a blur for even a Jounin level ninja, but the Sannin had fought many powerful warriors in his life. He had even fought alongside Minato Namikaze on a few occasions, and as scary as it was to admit his son was equally fast.

"His Taijutsu lacks power, but totally relies on speed and quick reflexes. It's my Hebi style, curse you Anko..." thought Orochimaru bitterly, as he understood why Anko was so close to this boy's heart.

His ex-student had helped in covering this boy's weakness, he doubted Naruto could survive a pure Taijutsu battle with Jiraiya or Gai...but what good was the physical power of those two ninja if they barely even saw this blonde monster. His own eyes could barely keep up with the boy's speed...

The poor shadow clones didn't even realize the numerous strikes they suffered from Naruto's hidden blades, as they exploded in smoke.

As the last clone got destroyed, Orochimaru saw Naruto's hidden blades retracting back beneath his wrists. This boy was a pure assassin- quick, clean and thorough.

"Minato's Hirashin allowed him to transport from one place to another through the seals on his three pronged kunai, but Naruto does not know it nor does he display any ability of that jutsu. Yet, his speed is frightening. He seems to be making short transportation, instead of longer ones like his father. That's the only possible reason for his speed..." thought Orochimaru smartly, as Naruto smiled.

"Is your observation complete now, Orochimaru? Shall we start?" asked Naruto patiently,

"If you knew I was gaining information on you through my clones, then why purposefully show it to me? Even for you it is a foolish move to show your hidden jutsu which is enhancing your speed..." answered Orochimaru disappointedly,

"You think this was a jutsu? And here I thought you had good observation skills..." taunted Naruto, as Orochimaru's eyes widened.

"That was pure speed?"

"Maybe, maybe not..." said Naruto mysteriously, a smirk etched on his lips.

Without a warning, he performed a set of hand seals at blinding speed as Orochimaru did the same. The two warriors finally accepting the death match between them.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu(Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)"

"Suiton Daibakufu no Jutsu(Water Release:Great Water Vortex Technique)"

Naruto fired a giant burning fireball as Orochimaru launched a swirling vortex of water, both the attacks collided head on with sheer force and started their efforts to overwhelm each other. The Sannin narrowed his eyes when a lone shuriken came clean through the fighting attacks...

"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu(Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique)"

The single weapon multiplied into 100 more shuriken as Naruto's voice echoed through the valley. Surprise clearly came on Orochimaru's face, as there was only one person in the world who had mastered this jutsu to this level.

"Sarutobi-sensei, you taught this brat one of your prized jutsu?" thought Orochimaru irritatedly, just how many more people had trained this boy in various ninja arts?

He took out a kunai from his pouch and started deflecting the hail of shuriken with mesmerizing speed, proving his title of Sannin. Not even a single weapon was able to create a single scratch on his body.

Orochimaru quickly ducked just as a sword swinged above his head, a clear decapitation strike from the back which would have cut his head off. Twisting his body, he swirled around and stabbed his kunai clean through a shocked Naruto's heart.

"Game over, Naruto-kun" said Orochimaru wickedly,

The Otokage frowned when Naruto's body started dispersing in a flock of crows, and only then did the Sannin realize what was happening.

BOOM!

The crows exploded themselves in a suicidal move, engulfing everything in a raging inferno in a 30 meter radius.

Naruto calmly stood in the middle of a burnt field, his eyes focused on his right side.

"You can come out now..." said Naruto patiently, and right on cue Orochimaru rose from the ground like a zombie.

The Sannin was alive and was mostly unharmed, except for the burn marks on his right hand. They were quite nasty, and looked more disgusting when the freak licked some blood from that wound.

"You can make crow clones? And even make them explode on will, maybe you're not that boring..." jabbed Orochimaru,

"I was a student of Hatake Kakashi and many more exceptional shinobi. From them I learnt a lot of things, which I will use today to end your life..." promised Naruto,

"Bold words..."

Naruto instantly brought his arms above his head to form an X, as Orochimaru appeared above him and tried to smash his skull with a powerful kick. When the first strike was blocked, the Sannin did a flip and tried to stab Naruto from behind but a quick elbow from the boy sent him sailing into a nearby tree.

He was not given any time to recover as Naruto attempted to give a roundhouse kick on his chest, but Orochimaru caught the boy's leg. He tightened his grip with the intention of breaking the limb, but coughed up blood when a hidden blade emerged from Naruto's combat boots and stabbed him clean in the stomach.

With a quick kick to the face with his free leg, Naruto backed away from Orochimaru who was now glaring murderously at him. The wound on the man's stomach was leaking blood profusely, but he knew it was not enough to silence his opponent.

He nearly puked when Orochimaru summoned a sword from inside his body, and he sensed Kurama trying hard to form a connection. However, the genjutsu which he had placed on the fox prevented the fox achieving success...

"What is it, Kyuubi? I don't have time for your blabbering..." said Naruto irritatedly,

"Fine, that sword is the Kusanagi. Try not to get a single cut from that sword or you'll die from the worst poison, you dolt" barked Kurama, how dare the brat insult him when he was trying to help?

"Understood"

And just like that he cut off the connection, and he was sure a fox screamed angrily. Ignoring the beast inside of him, he took out his sword as Orochimaru charged towards him.

Their swords clashed with a loud noise, as electric currents sparked when the two metals grinded against each other.

Naruto's sensory powers realized the power radiating from his opponent's sword, the Kyuubi was right. There was something sinister about this sword, and he had to be careful during close quarter attacks. After all, he had just survived a deadly virus.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru's senses also started going haywire as he felt the power which was in Naruto's sword. To most ninja it would just appear as a normal weapon, but he was a proud sensor and could definitely understand the monstrous power in that weapon. It was a holy sword just like Kusanagi, one which was almost as deadly as a tailed beast.

The Sannin pushed the blonde boy back, a small portion of dark air radiating from the Kusanagi which made Naruto cough.

"Poisonous gas..." thought Naruto in alarm,

Every ninja is beatable, that was what Danzo had taught him. That every man had a weakness, no matter how invincible he may appear to be. Even Gods were not an exception to this divine law of nature.

He felt the poison overwhelming his senses, he tried to put his gas mask back on but Orochimaru was pushing him hard with Kusanagi. If he lessened his grip on his own sword, then he feared the Sannin would stab him clean through with Kusanagi and that would be his end.

A sense of fear also started forming inside his heart, ever since Danzo infected him with that virus he knew how painful and slow a death from poison could be. And as ashamed he was to admit it, he feared poison. That was the reason the entire SS guard had gas masks as a part of their gear.

"Just a few more minutes, and this poison will overwhelm your body..." said Orochimaru victoriously, and smiled when the boy started to get pushed back further.

"Fight it, boy. Destroy your fear with my power!"

Naruto was surprised when he heard a voice say those encouraging words to him, he looked around to see if any other person had arrived but only Orochimaru smiled at him. The scientist was thinking that he was probably hallucinating...

Then he noticed the new source of power surging through his body like a tidal wave, overwhelming all his fears, the poison, the pain in his heart.

"You carry my will, I have waited for your birth for thousands of years. Now fulfill your destiny as my true heir..."

His eyes shifted towards his sword: Ryujin Jakka. The blade was whispering to him, No it was not the blade.

He finally understood the reason behind everything- his pain, his ambition, his love, his fear, his monstrous power. Why he was always so different from others around him. Why nobody understood him completely...

A faint smile came on his lips, the poison coming from Kusanagi didn't bother him. Nor did the fear of Kurenai hating him bother him right now, his heart was clear. He knew what he had to do, now that he was blessed there was no going back.

He was a destroyer.

BOOM!

Monstrous red colored energy erupted from the sword in his hand. The light was so bright that it nearly blinded Orochimaru, making the Sannin quickly back away several feet. The red energy was full of malice, hatred, agony, love, warmth, ambition, blood.

As he tightened his grip on the sword, the swirl of energy gathered around him forming a protective cloak. The power inside his body exploded, he had never felt this much alive. He doubted even the Kyuubi's power could be greater than this, and the Biju was the strongest beast of the world.

The cries of millions of dead flowed in his ears, the people that had been killed by this sword.

He now understood why Shin...

''You're right, Uchiha Naruto. Your best friend died for the greater good, stop blaming yourself for his death. His sacrifice has finally made my sword reach its true wielder. Follow your path with conviction and courage. Bring the stability to humanity which was stolen, that is your destiny"

The voice died, but the power radiating from the sword continued coursing through his body. And judging from the terrified expression on Orochimaru's face, the Sannin was now aware of the power in front of him.

"Where did you get that?" asked Orochimaru murderously, as Naruto smiled.

"A friend gave it to me..." answered Naruto calmly,

"Impossible!This weapon has been missing for thousands of years, even people who claimed to find it could never master its power. You're not worthy of this power..." insulted Orochimaru, making Naruto sigh.

"You're not listening...I already told you, the talking is over! roared Naruto,

Orochimaru was baffled when the boy removed his shirt and tossed it aside leaving him bare chested. The glow of his sword changed from bright red to bright yellow, and even more power erupted from it and was merging with the power inside Naruto's own body.

"Is the sword encouraging him to get rid of all fears? To face Kusanagi without any hesitation?" thought Orochimaru in alarm,

"Reduce the whole creation to ashes, Ryujin Jakka!" said Naruto darkly,

In a bright yellow flash he emerged right in Orochimaru's face, as the Sannin used all his energy to side step away.

"Nadegiri: Flash Stirke"

Naruto slashed his powerful weapon in a horizontal arc, and the shock wave that was generated shattered an entire column of trees. Orochimaru hissed in pain as even though he had avoided getting sliced in half, the edge of the sword had nicked him on the side.

The entire portion of his body erupted with burn marks and blood spatters...

"Curse this, what the hell?" thought Orochimaru in pain,

Naruto started attacking him relentlessly by launching a series of deadly strikes with his sword. Some Orochimaru parried, some he avoided, some grazed his skin destroying more parts of his body. Of all the powers in the world, why did this boy inherit the most powerful one?

The Sannin heard the cries of his soldiers down in the base, which only meant Naruto's army was crushing his forces and if those crazy soldiers surrounded him with Naruto in this state, then it was all over for him.

One thing was made clear to him today, Naruto was a monster in every sense. A freak of nature possessing divine powers, and it would take more than tricks to defeat him.

And if Tsunade was really destroying his bases, then it was really bad. Without his army, his dream of crushing Konoha would fail.

He really needed a fresh, powerful vessel if he wanted to fight against this boy. Perhaps that boy would be the best candidate...

SLASH

The Sannin slipped and it was all Naruto needed to slice his right arm from the shoulder, showers of blood erupted from the wound as Orochimaru flipped away trying to avoid further damage.

Orochimaru gritted his teeth in pain and anger, his current vessel was extremely weak to fight against Naruto.

Just when Naruto was about to attack again, a torrent of deadly bones rained down from the sky making the boy raise his sword to deflect the incoming projectiles.

"I will not allow you to harm Orochimaru-sama!" yelled Kimimaro Kaguya defiantly,

A horde of masked Oto shinobi surrounded Naruto from all sides, around 90 soldiers glaring murderous daggers at the boy as Kimmaro quickly supported his master who coughed up blood.

Naruto quickly sensed what was happening and charged towards the white haired boy, but was repeatedly halted as every Oto shinobi got in his way.

"You're running away, coward!" yelled Naruto angrily, as Orochimaru smiled.

"It's called tactical retreat, I underestimated you which was a grave mistake on my part. The next time we meet I'll be strong enough to fight you...and I'll bring nasty surprises" promised Orochimaru sweetly,

Kimmaro quickly sank into the ground and saw how badly his master was wounded from this fight. On the other side, Naruto was desperately trying to clear through the hordes of shinobi. He was slicing the Oto shinobi apart, but their numbers were greater.

"You did good, Kimmaro..." praised Orochimaru, while hissing in pain.

"I'm sorry for failing you, Orochimaru-sama. Tsunade Senju raided my base, I would have tried to hold her but when she said you were in trouble...I" said Kimmaro seriously, but Orochimaru shook his head.

"Your (cough) decision probably saved my life. We were never prepared for such an invasion on our home turf..." admitted Orochimaru bitterly,

"Hang in there, I'll be taking you to our base..."

"No"

"Orochimaru-sama?"

"Otogakure is not safe for us anymore, we can't be sure if Naruto's minions have not already attacked our other bases. We need to lay low for a while..." explained Orochimaru seriously,

"Where to then?" asked Kimmamaro devotedly,

"Fire Country, it seems I'm gonna need some new friends..."

Haku hastily emerged from the broken ceiling of the now destroyed base, hundreds of Reich soldiers behind her ready to support their leader. They certainly didn't expect Naruto to be standing alone in a destroyed battlefield, gazing intently at the sword in his hands.

"Caesar?" asked Haku hesitantly,

He didn't register her voice for a moment, but when she called again he came back to his senses. As he looked towards the eager looks in the eyes of his soldiers and Haku, he regained his posture and looked at them confidently.

"Report" commanded Naruto,

"All enemy forces neutralized. Unfortunately the enemy leader whom we identified as Kabuto slipped away in the cover of his men..." said Haku bitterly,

"Orochimaru?" asked one of the soldiers, but regretted asking that question.

"I'm sorry, guys. The freak gave me the slip...but we'll get him next time" said Naruto sheepishly, as a few Reich soldiers chuckled.

Haku couldn't help but smile, this was one of the reasons why she was willing to follow him. Why she was so madly in love with him...

These soldiers were once captured men who Naruto subdued to his will, it was a crime. But Naruto never treated them as disposable pawns like Orochimaru or Kabuto, he made sure these soldiers felt at home and remained a family. He simply needed to command these men, but he went out of his way to keep them happy and alive.

Both of them knew it was not much and would never make up for forcefully bending these people's wills for Valkyrie. What they could do was treat them as family, and Naruto was doing a good job at that.

Kabuto...

How could a leader abandon his men to die? Kabuto had just registered himself on Haku's shit list...

"We got what we came for, the other main base is also ours. I just received the message from Tsuande..." declared Naruto, as the SS guard erupted into roars of victory but quickly shut their mouths when they saw Naruto was still standing in front of him.

As the sunlight fell on his handsome face, the smile which came on his lips instantly lifted her spirits. The fatigue from the battle, the little anger she felt towards Kabuto all washed away in the shadow of that smile. Even her blood stained uniform didn't bother her...

She was so dazzled that she didn't realize when he came forward and placed one of his hands on her shoulder, and the other on one of the officers as the soldiers scuttled around them like a big group getting ready for a team discussion.

"You did well, everyone. Thank you for all the hard work, one day our children will thank us for our actions..." said Naruto cheerfully, receiving quick salutes from his soldiers.

Some of the younger ones nudged their leader, and gave him mischievous winks.

"Got any plans there, Caesar? I doubt Praetor Haku would mind having one or two little blonde devils with you..." joked a young 18 year old boy,

Haku's face blushed even a deeper shade of red, as she quickly formed a small layer of ice on the mischievous soldier's lips.

"Shut up, Tamaki" muttered Haku, although the blush still remained on her cheeks.

The others erupted into a roar of laughter, and Naruto didn't make any attempt to stop their cheerful banter. Haku saw him simply listening to the casual chats among the soldiers, talking a little when asked a question. But overall, he was just happy to be in the group.

In battle, he was the leader and all these soldiers (including her) obeyed his command.

But after the battle, Naruto removed all those restrictions. He was just a normal soldier standing beside his comrades, and Haku knew this was perhaps one of Naruto's deep wishes. The boy didn't want an army of slaves, he merely wanted a large group of comrades.

After resting for an hour, Naruto assigned the task of burying the dead with full honors. Even those ugly monsters they had slayed below...

The Dead deserve rest...

That was all he said, before walking away from the group as the soldiers got to work.

Haku searched for him a while and found him standing on a small hill top, his gaze fixed across the dense forest that spread for miles. She quickly slipped her hands around his chest and hugged him from behind, resting her head on his shoulder. Nuzzling into his neck...

"How many did we lose?" asked Naruto sadly,

"Kabuto killed 6 of our soldiers, I'm sorry Naruto. I should have-"

He gently grasped her hand and raised it to his lips leaving a tender kiss on her skin, reducing the guilt formed in her heart.

"You did good back there, their deaths were not your fault. It lies on me, I wish I could avoid getting people involved in this war. But despite all my powers, I need the support of comrades. Even forced ones..." admitted Naruto, some guilt was definitely in his voice.

"Naruto, you treat them as family even when they hated you and tried to kill you in the past. That's more than a defeated soldier could ever hope for in this ninja world..." said Haku frankly,

"I don't want Root to happen again..."

She was not sure but the fear in his voice was evident, her curious mind wanted to know what this Root was. But her heart warned her that this was a dangerous topic, his voice was so fragile when he said that word. In this moment, he didn't look as the leader of a powerful force...

But rather as a young frightened boy, whose heart was getting overwhelmed with guilt.

And this was just the beginning...

She turned him around and was not surprised when his eyes were moist with tears. Valkyrie was not just a one time goal, it was a war which Naruto would have to fight everyday.

Against Konoha

Against his friends and family...

Against the Ninja World...

Against Humanity...

And finally against himself.

She wanted nothing more than to go close and kiss him passionately, to take away all the burdens which he carried for everyone's sake. But she knew her boundaries, Kurenai ruled Naruto's heart.

However, Haku knew that a small tiny part of his heart loved her too. He had even admitted it, but requested her not to push things between them. His fight was against the world...

Her fight was supporting him through heaven or hell, and keep on loving him till the end.

He blinked when she came forward and placed a loving kiss on his forehead, and he didn't push her away or show any discomfort. Haku leaned back and bumped her forehead against his, her shining eyes refilling his depressed gaze with happiness and hope.

"There, all better..." mimicked Haku, just as he had done the same for her.

He smiled and embraced himself in a bear hug which she happily gave, he would not admit it aloud. But she had became an inseparable part of his life just as Kurenai.

"Thanks..."

(2 Days Later)

Tayuya grumbled irritatedly, around her stood several more ninjas. Oto's elite officers, leaders of their militia force...

The Sound Four as Orochimaru had named them currently stood in a long hall, there was nothing fancy in the room. Just a plain old throne, where the Otokage used to sit. Which rarely happened...

Orochimaru usually preferred to send orders through his messengers, not a grand meeting.

"I wonder why Orochimaru-sama brought all of us here?" asked Sakon curiously,

"Like I care..." mumbled Ukon, the evil twin.

"Shut up, brats. The Otokage won't summon us unless he has something important..." barked Guren angrily,

"Still it's strange..." said Jirubo hesitantly, and received a bop from Tayuya on his giant head.

"His Majesty will now enter!" yelled a guard, and all officers stood in attention.

Nobody dared to show any insubordination in front of Orochimaru, not unless they wanted to die in a painful way or becoming a test subject for their master's adventures. There was barely any light in the hall, except for the tube-lights on the ceiling.

Perfect creepy Orochimaru style...

They were quite surprised when a teenage boy dressed in a strange, but attractive uniform walked in. The mysterious person strode confidently through the hordes of Oto officers, and without another word he sat on the throne comfortably.

He smiled on seeing the disbelief, shock, anger registering in the Oto shinobi's eyes. His action was simply beyond anything they could dare or even understand...

"I am the Nidaime Otokage, Naruto Uchiha..." announced the mysterious teenager, as Guren's eyes widened on hearing that name.

She was one of the few who was aware of Orochimaru's plans to recruit the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, perhaps the boy was drunk. It was her job to get him in line before Orochimaru arrived, as the commanding officer it was her job to prevent Orochimaru from getting displeased.

"Naruto...

"...Uchiha?"

"Who the fuck are you?"

Amidst the banter of question, Guren stepped forward and spread her hands in a welcoming gesture.

"I'm glad you joined us, Naruto. But that chairs belongs to the Otokage, Orochimaru-sa" said Guren patiently, but he raised his hands.

"The Shodaime Otokage, Orochimaru- The Sannin died at my hands..." announced Naruto,

Pin drop silence prevailed in the entire hall, as the wide eyed Oto shinobi could only gawk at him in disbelief.

"I am the Nidaime Otokage, and your new leader..." declared Naruto proudly,

"Kill this idiot!" yelled Tayuya.

"How dare you insult Orochimaru-sama!" said Guren furiously, and charged towards him with almost every Oto shinobi.

BOOM!

All of them were blown several feet away by a powerful shock wave, when they managed to regain their bearings they saw a massive hole in the floor along with ice freezing their legs.

Standing beside Naruto were two kunoichi, and one look on the blonde female's face sent a cold chill down the spine of every Oto shinobi.

"Let me introduce, Tsuande Senju and Yuki Haku. My Praetors..." said Naruto calmly, even as Tsunade's eyebrows twitched on that title.

Guren managed to break free from the ice and hesitantly stepped towards the new arrivals. Going up against a Sannin, especially Tsunade would be suicide. She had to take the diplomatic route first...

"This is not funny, Naruto, Tsunade-sama. You cannot play such pranks..." said Guren nervously, as Naruto rose from his seat.

"Is that so? Then I'll make this simple..." said Naruto seriously, and Guren froze when a pair of lightning bolt shape Mangekyo awakened in his eyes.

He flayed his hand towards the shocked Oto shinobi, as the tomoes started spinning.

"ACKNOWLEDGE ME!"

"...this is your final warning.." said Guren, but could not finish the sentence.

Suddenly her mind went blank, every thought disappearing instantly as she kneeled before him.

"Yes, your majesty..." said Guren devotedly,

Behind her the dazed Oto shinobi repeated the same action by kneeling over the ground, their mesmerized eyes glancing devotedly at their new leader.

"All hail Naruto!"

"All hail Naruto!''

"All hail Naruto!"

On that day, a true leader was born...