Chapter 74: Trust But Verify

Smoke and ashes littered across the once beautiful streets of the hidden leaf village. Hundreds of dead bodies lay littered around, the haunted souls of the dead vanishing in the sands of time. Death itself had descended upon the village, and amidst this massacre stood a young boy.

His lonely eyes observing the 400 ninja he had slaughtered, his Anbu mask did well in hiding his face. Tears spilled from his eyes as he witnessed the carnage done by his own hands, the blank eyes of his former Konoha comrades stared at him. Their gazes waiting for him to join them.

He truly wished things had not gone down the way they had, but there was no going back now.

He very well knew every man, woman, boy, girl whom he had killed today was somebody's son, daughter, father, mother, brother, sister. But this was the harsh reality of the ninja world, where violence was the sole means of survival.

Kill or be Killed.

He had merely followed the unsaid rule of their world, the people he had killed were his enemies and in the way of his ambition. Yet he felt sorrow for them, so much blood had been spilled.

His eyes glared at the two Kages standing in front of him, their mortified eyes observing the dead bodies of their own soldiers.

"What have you done?" asked Hiruzen in horror,

The old Kage's betrayed eyes observed the blood soaked boy standing in front of him. Beside Hiruzen, stood the Kazekage who was equally shocked on seeing the dead bodies of hundred Suna ninja who had tried to stop the monster which was standing in front of them.

"This is retribution for the crimes Konoha committed against the Uchiha clan and several of my Root comrades. Justice for Rei..." said Naruto bitterly,

The Kazekage narrowed his eyes in suspicion when Hiruzen's face lost all color, it was as if the old Kage had seen a ghost. Both of them had agreed to put their fighting on hold in order to save their men from the nine tailed fox monster which was previously destroying every human that came in its way. By the time they arrived at ground zero, their front line forces were butchered.

The Nine Tail Chakra manifestation was gone, and there stood Naruto with an army of 1500 battle ready Reich soldiers.

"So you know..." said Hiruzen in a defeated voice, and saw Naruto's fists clenching.

"Why? After everything I did for this village, you..." said Naruto in a betrayed manner, making Hiruzen avert his eyes.

"It was for the safety of the village. Every Hokage has to make decisions for the greater good, and sometimes they have to make sacrifices" explained Hiruzen frankly, and frowned when Naruto laughed.

"So convenient, but that's to be expected from the power hungry ninja villages and their leaders..." said Naruto insultingly, and saw Hiruzen glaring at him.

"Is that really you, Naruto? If you were angry then you should have talked to me, you didn't have to kill so many of your own countrymen..." accused Hiruzen angrily, his grip on his staff tightening.

"It's irrelevant whether I'm angry or not. It doesn't matter at all..." said Naruto nonchalantly, as the Kazekage pointed his finger at him.

"Are you the Otokage?" asked the Kazekage seriously, making Naruto chuckle darkly.

"Naruto, Otokage, Nidaime. Call me whatever you want, it doesn't matter..." said Naruto flatly, as Hiruzen realized the lies which Naruto had told him when he revealed that Orochimaru was the one who was planning the invasion. When in reality it was Naruto himself.

"Who are you, really?" asked Hiruzen in disbelief, this was certainly not the kind, gentle boy whom he had once saved from a mob.

"I am a ghost of the past, nothing more. All I want is the success of Valkyrie, that's all. Living in this violent world is a curse which I intend to destroy..." promised Naruto,

The young Kage couldn't understand why Hiruzen suddenly became so calm, his village was surrounded. His forces were outnumbered yet the old man was calm as a rock, then Naruto felt it.

SLASH

A sword was pierced clean through his gut making him cough up blood, a shocked expression appeared in his eyes as he looked behind only to see the familiar face of Itachi Uchiha.

"Whatever your plan dies with you today, traitor..." said Itachi flatly, and stabbed his sword deeper into Naruto's gut.

''NIDAIME!" yelled Haku urgently, and was about to charge with her army when the sound of victorious band echoed across the entire forest.

The Oto ninjas were shocked when from all sides around Konoha hundreds of soldiers started charging towards them. They were wearing the uniforms of the Fire Damiyo's royal army. From the mountains, from the streets, from the alleys hundreds of Fire Country's loyal soldiers started surrounding Naruto's forces from all sides.

It was a fucking ambush.

Seeing himself surrounded in the midst of enemy forces, the Kazekage quickly signaled his remaining Sand ninja to retreat. Hiruzen simply pointed his finger towards the retreating Suna forces, and a large number of the newly arrived Damiyo's soldiers started chasing them.

Even then Naruto's forces were surrounded and were outnumbered 2: 1.

Leading the Fire Country's soldiers was the familiar figure of Kurenai Yuhi. Her dark ruby colored eyes glared murderously at the injured Naruto.

"You die today, traitor..." said Kurenai angrily,

"You've lost, Naruto. This revolt is over..." suggested Hiruzen calmly, as Naruto glared at him defiantly.

"This war is over when I say it is over..." replied Naruto defiantly, even as Itachi etched his sword deeper in his gut.

"Your forces are surrounded, you are surrounded. You have only 2 choices: Surrender or Die. Lay down your arms and I assure you that there will be a fair trial which shall judge all of you for your crimes..." said Hiruzen complacently, and frowned when Naruto laughed.

"Then the choice is simple for us. The Reich never retreats, the Reich never surrenders. Soldiers, prepare for glory!" yelled Naruto proudly,

"YEAH!''

Hiruzen was left dumbfounded when instead of panicking the Reich soldiers got even more encouraged. Their grips on their sword, spears, shields tightened as they glared defiantly at their enemies.

"No Retreat- No Surrender. That is Reich law, and by this law we will stand, we will fight and we will win. TETSUDO FORMATION!'' commanded Naruto,

Kurenai and her army was left speechless when the 1500 Reich soldiers formed a single formation, their shields covering each other. And their swords and spears ready to kill any dumb soul who tried to attack them.

"I want their blood!'' screamed Naruto,

The ground shook as the outnumbered Oto army pounced at the Fire Country's forces as a single war machine, eliminating 50 ninja and samurai that didn't have time to save themselves. Kurenai sneered at Naruto, before charging forward to regroup her forces.

Itachi got a bone shattering elbow to his face which knocked him several feet away as he crashed into a nearby building. Naruto quickly removed the sword hanging in his gut and threw it straight at Hiruzen, the Kage evaded the weapon yet he felt nervous when Naruto's defiant gaze landed on him. The boy had balls...

Naruto panted harshly as his wound slowly started to heal thanks to the beast inside of him, and the Senju cells in his body. In his pain, he was slow to react as Itachi jumped again his kunai ready to swipe Naruto's head off.

"NARUTO!"

Itachi's eyes widened when Sasuke jumped from a rooftop and kicked him harshly in the chest sending him crashing again. The newly arrived younger Uchiha now stood behind Naruto's back, protecting his best friend as a smirk came on the wounded Otokage's lips.

"You come to aid the most fortunate moment, Teme..." said Naruto gratefully, as Sasuke smirked.

"What are brothers for..." replied Sasuke proudly,

Hiruzen tensed when he saw Naruto and Sasuke standing back to back against each other. The two boys easily destroyed the Damiyo's soldiers who started attacking them. They moved with such co-ordination and precision that a cold chill went down Hiruzen's spine on seeing the destruction caused by the two Uchiha's.

For a moment he saw the shadow of Madara and Izuna in those boys as they wrecked havoc on their enemies, even Itachi couldn't believe that his precious brother had sided against Konoha.

It was impossible for him to understand why Naruto was still willing to fight even when his defeat was certain? And why the hell was Sasuke siding against the village? When the fuck did that happen?

Naruto saw Kurenai had slowly started to create holes in his force's defenses. Haku was already overwhelmed in keeping his army together, they needed help quickly.

"Sasuke, stop Kurenai and her dogs. I'll deal with these two here..." said Naruto seriously, as Sasuke looked at him skeptically.

"First of all, I don't know why Itachi is here. But now is not the time, but I expect answers when this is over..." said Sasuke sternly,

"You'll get them. Now go..." ordered Naruto,

Itachi quickly moved to stop his foolish little brother, only to come face to face with Naruto who had a murderous look in his eyes. Pointing his sword towards the older Uchiha, he spoke in a grave tone.

"Your opponent is me..." said Naruto seriously,

"So be it, Naruto. You're a fool if you think you can win or even get out of here alive. You shouldn't have betrayed this village..." scolded Hiruzen,

"The less you two speak, the better. You betrayed me in the worst manner, and you expect me to serve you and this pathetic village like a loyal dog. I would rather prefer to die as a traitor, then serve a village which spits on its heroes..." said Naruto furiously,

"A true shinobi fights from the shadows without expecting anything in return. The fact you consider yourself a hero is shameful..." chided Itachi,

"Look who's talking, the biggest moron of Konoha. Dumbass, I was not referring to myself as some hero. God knows I'm far from a hero, but I was referring to those shinobi who were used for the benefit of Konoha. Your own clan was mistreated by this village for no fault of their own, the Uchiha were abused due to the paranoia of Hiruzen, Danzo and the elders. It's a good thing, I already gave Koharu the punishment she deserved..." explained Naruto darkly,

Hiruzen gritted his teeth as he now understood why his old teammate had went mad all those years ago, he had imprisoned her when Homura and she were trying to overpower him. He never found out why she went mad in prison, but now he knew why...

It also explained why Naruto knew about the Uchiha massacre's true story, Danzo wanted power but he would never divulge a dark secret like that. Naruto had lied to him about a lot of things...

"The Uchiha's only wanted what they rightfully deserved which was respect, they had served this village since its inception. And due to the biased nature of Tobirama and his students they were isolated. This old man and Danzo fooled you into thinking that eliminating them was for the good of the village. Tell me, Itachi you spared your little brother because you considered him innocent. Then didn't the other Uchiha children fall in the same category...

...you never hesitated in butchering them, did you? You're a hypocrite like me, so shut your fucking mouth" shouted Naruto, making Itachi avert his eyes.

For the first time, Itachi felt his actions to be pointless as he saw Sasuke fighting against the village. Everything had proved to be meaningless in the end...

"No, I promised Shisui that I would protect this village. No matter what..." thought Itachi stubbornly,

"I'm no longer the soldier whom you used for your personal gain. I'm a Kage, and I will protect my people..." promised Naruto, and joined his hands in a familiar sign.

"Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Mutli Shadow Clone Technique)"

Hiruzen's eyes widened when the entire ground shook as nearly 200 Naruto clones came into existence. Each armed to the teeth and was now glaring at the enemy forces which were fighting against his own army.

The real Naruto raised his finger and spoke in a dark voice...

"Butcher them all..."

The clone army fanned across the entire sector, the sudden attack proved to be extremely costly for the Konoha forces as Naruto's deadly clones killed hundreds within seconds. The previously confident Hiruzen now had a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead as he felt the enormous power radiating from Naruto. He truly was a Kage level ninja.

Combine that with the Kyuubi and Mangekyo sharingan, you have a one many army at your hands.

"Now that the battlefield's been leveled. I want to know how you found out I had turned against the village. Or would you be too scared to even reveal that?" asked Naruto sarcastically, as Hiruzen sighed.

"I never trusted you after Rei's incident. I always had Itachi trailing your every movement, when you stopped dropping out of contact in the past few months my suspicion grew. You were quite good at your deception, it was only 2 days back did Itachi find out that you were plotting against the village. And that too only after he infiltrated Otogakure, you were a true Anbu..." explained Hiruzen honestly,

"And you were a true Kage. Never trusting one man and always betraying the ones most loyal to you..." said Naruto disgustedly,

"Then what the hell do you want, son? This is the way our world has worked since its beginning, you think you're the first who were dealt such bad fate. Then think again..." snapped Hiruzen, and pointed towards Itachi.

"I may not be the first one, but I will definitely make sure I am the last...'' promised Naruto, and saw a disappointed look arriving in Hiruzen's eyes.

"Your parents would be ashamed of you, Naruto. Ashamed of what you became. You were the chosen one, Naruto. The one I dreamed who would lead this village to great heights, nor reduce it to ashes..." said Hiruzen tearfully,

"I hate you, Hiruzen Sarutobi..." said Naruto sadly,

"You were like a son to me, Naruto. I loved you..." said Hiruzen quietly, and Naruto saw the man was not lying this time. The look in the old Kage's eyes showed the truth.

"Then I'll make this painless. There was a time when I would have died for you, and if it's any consolation all of this is not just because of what Konoha did to me. I want to change this fucked up world, I don't know whether I'm right or wrong but I really need to do this..." said Naruto honestly, as a faint sad smile came on Hiruzen's face.

"Then give it your all..." encouraged Hiruzen,

The Hokage and Itachi quickly stepped side by side, their sharp eyes fixed on their once loyal comrade. Naruto merely smiled as he took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it up, much to the surprise of his opponents. They pondered whether it was right to attack him, but in the end refrained from doing so.

Hiruzen was quite pained when he saw his soldiers dying quickly, Naruto's soldiers were quite tough and the shadow clones he had sent to assist, along with Sasuke were more than enough to level the playing field.

After 5 minutes, Naruto finished his smoke as a satisfied smile came on his face...

"Let's dance..."

In a flash Naruto disappeared and appeared in front of Itachi, he quickly tried to sweep the Uchiha's legs but the man somersaulted away. Hiruzen was quick in his attack as he tried to smash Naruto's skull with his staff, only for Naruto to evade the attack like a snake by moving his body around the weapon.

"The Hebi Style Taijutsu..." thought Hiruzen sharply, as he remembered Anko was the one who had trained Naruto in this art.

Enma's hand emerged from the staff to grab the boy's neck only to be swatted away, courtesy of Naruto's right hand which was glowing with wind chakra.

Hiruzen quickly tossed his staff in the air in order to allow his summon time to recover, and quickly brought his hands forward managing to take the full brunt of Naruto's kick which sent the old Kage sailing a few feet away. If not for the chakra channeling through Hiruzen's feet, he was sure he would have been blown much farther away.

Naruto didn't have any time to relax as he heard a sharp sound, wordlessly he fetched a shuriken from his pouch and tossed it towards the right where Itachi had unleashed at least a dozen shuriken towards him.

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

As soon as his single shuriken multiplied into 100 more, Naruto had already finished performing another set of hand seals.

"Fuuton Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Jutsu)"

Itachi had to immediately grab a kunai from his pocket when Naruto's wind powered shuriken's tore through his attack and were now heading towards him. With great skill, the older Uchiha started deflecting the projectiles as Naruto sensed a chakra buildup on his left side.

Hiruzen was done by the time Naruto turned towards him, the old Kage's chest was swollen and Naruto knew what was coming.

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

For a moment, Naruto was quite impressed by the size of the fireball which Hiruzen had launched towards him. It was actually as big as a two storey building and wide enough for 4 people to burn in it.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath...

"Suiton: Hahonryu (Water Release: Rapid Crasher)"

Without any hand seals being performed, a wave of water emerged around Naruto and protected him from the raging fireball. Hiruzen smirked when a lone kunai was fired through the burning attacks and now it was heading straight for him. For any other person, it might seem as a desperate attack, but he knew better...

Bringing his staff forward at the right time, he quickly blocked a clean swipe as Naruto substituted himself with the kunai and emerged right in front of the Hokage.

"You'll have to do better. I saw you using this trick against Ebisu all those years ago..." taunted Hiruzen, and frowned when Naruto smirked.

"Sure, old man..." said Naruto quickly,

"Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu(Water Release: Water Bullet Technique)"

Hiruzen's eyes widened in shock when he saw several water bullets fired from Naruto's mouth at point blank range, so that was the boy's true plan. Unfortunately both of them were too close to each other, and Hiruzen was about to get a large amount of water shots to his face.

"Doton Doryuuheki (Earth Release: Mud Wall Jutsu)"

A large wall was suddenly formed between the two warriors making them jump away, Hiruzen sighed in relief when he saw it was Itachi who had formed the defensive jutsu at the last second saving him from grave injuries.

Naruto gritted his teeth in frustration, it seemed he would have to do a lot more work after all.

"Has anyone ever told you Itachi that you're a fucking pain in the ass..." said Naruto irritatedly, as a minute smirk came on Itachi's lips.

"Likewise, Naruto..." retorted Itachi, making his relative laugh.

Itachi then focused towards his surprised leader who was finding it hard to believe the power which was radiating from Naruto.

"Lord Third, don't mistake him for a regular Anbu. He fought and ousted Orochimaru on his own, he's dangerous..." advised Itachi seriously,

"I can see that now. It's hard to believe his power has grown so much in the past year..." said Hiruzen honestly, getting a nod from Itachi.

Jiraiya grunted as he was forced to avoid another wave of sand that tried to grab him, damn that red head boy was persistent. If that was not enough he got a solid punch on his back, from a battle ready Tsunade.

Whoever came up with the plan of combining these two shinobi against him was a genius. Tsunade was the perfect close range fighter, and had the stamina to take hits and heal herself. Basically she could sustain a prolonged fight, while he couldn't considering the massive damaging blows she had landed on him.

Sure, he had retaliated in kind and his attacks might have inflicted equal damage on her, however she had the perfect defense on her side in the form of Gaara. Whenever he tried to harm Tsunade, Gaara's sand would protect her like mother panther guarding her children. Although in this case, mother panther was protecting a granny.

And when he tried to get Gaara, Tsunade would not let him.

"Why are you doing this, Tsunade? This is your village, for god's sake..." argued Jiraiya frustratedly,

"I have something much more greater to fight for than Konoha now. I have a family to protect..." answered Tsunade frankly,

"And what about you, sand boy? Your Suna ninja and your father must have already fled by now, why are you still fighting?" asked Jiraiya curiously, and saw Gaara giving him his famous blank stare.

"I serve the Nidaime, not my father, or my village.." replied Gaara flatly,

"What did that boy give you two that made you betray your home? Your people? He turned you into traitors..." said Jiraiya bitterly, but Gaara shook his head.

"Naruto gave me everything I ever desired. He gave me peace, he gave me sleep. He gave me a family and a place where I could be accepted despite being who I am. I will repay him for that with everything I've got. You ninja villages and the people in it always treat us Jinchuriki like trash, we never asked to be like this. Yet you chose our fates, and then accuse us of being a monster. Naruto is right, this world needs to burn..." explained Gaara angrily,

Jiraiya could only shake his head in disappointment on hearing the boy's answer, this was a person full of hatred and revenge. Just like Naruto...

"What's the matter, Jiraiya? Aren't you being a hypocrite by judging Gaara and the people of Otogakure. You of all people know how much damage Konoha and the ninja villages have done to this world. To humanity with their pointless wars and everyday violence. Dan, Nawaki died due to the chaos in this world. Jiraiya you searched for the one who would bring peace to this world, I believe Naruto is the one..." stated Tsunade proudly,

"He has got you brainwashed..." said Jiraiya desperately,

"You're wrong, I chose this. I chose Naruto because I know he is right. Sure right now we may seem wrong and as anarchists, but in the longer scheme of things this is the best way to achieve a long lasting peace. You don't know what Naruto's true plan is, that's why you seem him as a monster. When in fact, he is the savior of this world..." said Tsunade fondly, making her friend sigh.

"Tsunade..."

"This is the reason why we are on opposite sides today. I have opened my eyes to the truth of this world, so has Naruto. But even if we tell you the truth of our plan, you'll continue to oppose us. I have put my life on the line for Naruto, for the world which I want to make, for my beliefs and so has Gaara. Don't doubt our conviction..." challenged Tsunade, as her hands performed a set of hand seals.

Jiraiya recognizing the jutsu and closed his eyes in defeat, guess he really had no choice now. Gaara narrowed his eyes when both Sannin slammed their hands on the ground...

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)"

Kurenai stood face to face with a former teammate of her, beside him lay the bodies of at least 130 of her soldiers.

Uchiha Sasuke

She could not fathom that the boy she had known for years, whom she had came to trust had betrayed her beloved village. She could understand why a scum like Naruto would resort to such treasonous acts, he was an animal who would betray his homeland if it suited his interests. But Sasuke too?

What possible reason did the Uchiha heir have for doing all of this?

Her previously assured victory against Naruto's army was now but all a dream, Sasuke had murdered her men by scores. Naruto's shadow clones had wrecked havoc on her army, and what was left was were currently being finished by Haku and her fascist soldiers.

"You monsters...." said Kurenai furiously, as Sasuke merely smiled. He was pitying her.

"Sure, we are. And you are a dog, a stupid dog Kurenai Yuhi. A fool who has closed her eyes to the reality of this world..." insulted Sasuke,

"You betrayed Sakura, Anko, me, this village. We gave everything to you and you repay us like this?" asked Kurenai angrily, but Sasuke simply shrugged.

"Don't be mistaken. My loyalties have always lied with my only true friend, Naruto Uchiha. The rest of you were my associates at best..." said Sasuke flatly,

"You chose that butcher over us? You are loyal to that animal?" asked Kurenai bitterly,

She smirked when the smile vanished from Sasuke's face, instead a murderous glare appeared in his eyes. So, Naruto was indeed this boy's weakness...

"You know, I was going to spare you for Naruto's sake. But if there is one thing which I hate more than you insulting my brother, is the fact that you are a hypocrite. Naruto showed you mercy, I won't..." promised Sasuke darkly,

"Bring it on..." challenged Kurenai,

"Hn"

She blinked when Sasuke vanished in a flash, her eyes quickly darted around her corners but all she could see were blurs. When the hell did he become so fast?

All her thoughts went straight out of the window, when Sasuke suddenly flashed in front of her inches away from her face. Kurenai's hands quickly moved to stab the boy in the gut with her kunai, but it was too late...

The world around her changed and she found herself drowning in darkness further and further. Thinking it to be a genjutsu she bit her tongue, but the illusion didn't shatter.

Meanwhile, Sasuke saw a very heavily fortified door in her mind. It would be impossible for him to break it and torment her completely, but that didn't mean he could not do anything.

He spinned his Mangekyo sharingan and suddenly black flames started burning the barriers which were protecting her hidden memories. He was quite impressed when the defensive mechanism soaked up his attack, but a tiny hole was already made.

He wanted to do such more, but his visual power was no match for the genjutsu placed on her. But it was enough to drive her crazy with doubt...

Turning towards her trembling form, a wicked gleam came in his eyes. Meanwhile, Kurenai stared in horror as she was slowly assaulted with horrible images of her and that traitor Naruto making love.

"This genjutsu won't work, bastard..." said Kurenai harshly, even as tears slipped from her eyes.

"You think you're so righteous and god's gift to mankind, that you're some angel and the rest of us are demons who don't deserve to live?" asked Sasuke knowingly,

"Yeah, scum like you should die..." spat Kurenai, as more painful memories assaulted her mind.

"Naruto is wrong, cowards like you don't deserve mercy. He loved you so much and you chose this pathetic village over him? You hate Naruto so much, don't you? Then today I bestow a curse upon you Kurenai Yuhi...

...you'll be forced to bear visions of the man you hate the most. And the most memorable part is these visions are true, and will drive you crazy. Make you question all your beliefs, make you start hating your beloved Konoha. This is my justice" explained Sasuke sadistically,

Kurenai suddenly found herself stacked to a cross, her world had turned completely red in color and there was a dark moon shining in the sky.

"What are you doing?" asked Kurenai in a trembling voice, as she saw Sasuke standing before her with a sword.

"You broke Naruto's heart. I'll break yours, an eye for an eye..." promised Sasuke,

SLASH

Her scream resonated across the entire plain as one word escaped from Sasuke's lips...

"Tsukiyomi..."

Kakashi quickly raced through rooftops, he would have reached his destination by now but he had to go through rogue pockets of Oto shinobi who were stupid enough to challenge him. Everywhere he could hear the sounds of fierce battles, it was madness.

He saw a giant toad and slug getting summoned right in the middle of Konoha which only meant a Sannin showdown was about to happen. If that was not scary enough, he saw a growing racoon like monster beside the giant slug and a terrifying conclusion came to his mind.

"The Ichibi (One Tail)..." thought Kakashi worriedly, he had to stop this at all costs.

His nose had picked up Naruto's scent, but he was not alone.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was also there along with an unknown person whom Kakashi couldn't identify.

The copy ninja was quite surprised when he saw Naruto's army getting surrounded by the Damiyo's forces, but the tide was quickly turned and now it was again the Konoha shinobi fighting for survival.

But that was not the reason for Kakashi being so worried.

"Wait for me, Naruto..."