Chapter 76: Two Faces

"What shall it be, Kakashi?

A question so simple, yet one which would change a man's life forever. To die standing by the oath from the past, or embrace the new world which awaited in front of him.

His eyes shifted towards Hiruzen, the old Kage's wrinkled face and hard gaze reminded him of his past and what he had stood for till this moment.

Then he looked towards Naruto, the boy peacefully stood on the other side. The look in his eyes showed him the new future that awaited him and this world.

Finally, he could only make one choice...

"History is written by the victor..." said Kakashi,

Hiruzen was confused when a faint smile came on Naruto's face, the Kage was just about to attack Kakashi for siding against the village when the copy ninja stepped beside him and opened his hidden sharingan. Taking a kunai from his pouch, he pointed the weapon towards Naruto.

"Is that your answer?" asked Naruto,

"Yes"

"You're the smartest man I've ever known..." complimented Naruto, as he took in a deep breath.

"What the hell are you two talking about? Kakashi, come clean now..." ordered Hiruzen, if he wanted this man to fight beside him then he needed to know where his true loyalties lay.

Surprisingly, it was Naruto who stepped forward to answer the question.

"History is written by the victor. It's a simple phrase, yet it answered my question. Kakashi will fight beside you Hiruzen, and fulfill his duty and oath towards this village and his comrades. He will be a true ninja till the end, and won't hesitate to kill me if you two are able to win this battle. Correct me if I'm wrong?" asked Naruto seriously, getting a confirmation nod from his adoptive father.

"And if he loses? If we are not able to defeat you, and this is simply an assumption..." said Hiruzen flatly, and the devious smile which arrived on Naruto's lips showed him the answer.

"Then I will chose his fate. Whether to kill him or..." hinted Naruto, as Hiruzen looked at Kakashi in surprise.

"Kakashi, you..."

"When two shinobi of high level fight against each other, they can feel the emotions in their hearts. Show me your conviction, if you can't then I will bring you back to the village." promised Kakashi,

The confidence returned in Hiruzen's eyes as he now had Kakashi Hatake on his side. The man was the one who had trained Naruto, taught most of the things the boy knew. Which meant he also knew the few weaknesses which Naruto could possibly have..

"So, the Will of Fire and Hatred was true after all. Even though Hashirama and my father are dead, their wills live on in you two..." said Naruto bitterly,

"And you along with Sasuke are the next in line. The ones who inherited the Uchiha's cursed of Hatred, the ones who carry the hatred of the Uchiha clan, of Root, and every soul that has been wronged by Konoha. If you're not stopped, then you'll strike the ninja world with your thirst for vengeance..." said Hiruzen seriously,

Naruto was extremely silent for the next few minutes, as Hiruzen and Kakashi prepared themselves for the upcoming battle.

"Then let's make a pact..." suggested Naruto,

"A pact?" asked Kakashi and Hiruzen together,

"I will return the bodies of all the deceased Konoha shinobi to their families, for those who don't have one I will grant proper ninja burials with full honor. If you die Hiruzen, I will give you the honor a Kage deserves. I'll bury you respectfully beside your predecessors..."

Kakashi was quite surprised with this offer, looking towards Hiruzen he saw a sad look appearing in the Kage's eyes. The old man truly wished the boy standing in front of him was not his enemy. But it was the harsh reality of their world, which turned family members and friends against each other.

"You have a strange sense of honor, Naruto..." said Hiruzen kindly, a faint smile arriving on his face.

"It's what separates us from mere thugs. Isn't that true, Naruto? I can see why you were the odd one among Root..." thought Kakashi clearly,

"If you accept it, then I want the same treatment given to my soldiers. The deceased should be returned to their families, the injured should be given medical treatment regardless of which sides wins, and the survivors should be given one chance to save themselves. The victorious leader will have the final say in that matter..." explained Naruto briefly,

"I accept. But what if you surrender or die? What do you want us to do then?" asked Hiruzen seriously, making the boy smirk.

"I will not surrender, so there goes the first choice. In case I die in battle, then I want my body to be buried beside Sai, Shin, and Rei. I don't care how you close my case, but I want the names of all Root shinobi to be written with honor on the memorial stone. Their remains to be buried beside other Konoha shinobi who gave their lives for this village. They may not have always made the right choice, but Root protected Konoha for years. I want my comrades to be given the respect they earned by paying the price of blood, swear it to me as the Hokage of Konoha..." requested Naruto, the pain evident in his voice.

Hiruzen looked at the young boy with a sympathetic gaze, even after killing Root for the village; Naruto always considered them as his comrades. In a way he was the voice of the dead, the ones who were silenced in a hidden war. The ones who were forgotten despite sacrificing everything for their nation.

By giving Root the honor, Naruto wanted to atone for his sins. At least, that's what it seemed to Hiruzen...

"Very well. Then I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, The Sandaime Hokage of Konohagkure No Sato agree to this pact. You have my word..." said Hiruzen honestly, and for the first time a true smile came on Naruto's face. One which was free of hate, sadness, or anger.

"And you have my word. Thank you, Jiji..." replied Naruto kindly,

The Nidaime Otokage closed his eyes and the next moment a pair of Mangekyo sharingan came to life. Hiruzen grabbed his staff, and to Naruto's utter shock Kakashi's sharingan spinned until it took the form of a unique Mangekyo, one which he had never seen before.

The shock was easily visible on his face, which brought a smirk on Kakashi's face.

"Hatake Kakashi, I underestimated you. To think, you have such an ace up your sleeve..." thought Naruto worriedly,

Fighting against Hiruzen Sarutobi was life threatening, and now he was up against another Mangekyo user. One whose powers were not known to him...

The Death Match was about to begin...

Anko quickly dodged another hail of crystal arrows that would have crushed her heart. She gave a vicious glare to Guren, the Oto captain had done far more damage than Anko had previously imagined. Looking towards the deceased bodies of all her Konoha shinobi made her grit her teeth in anger.

All her comrades were dead, but not before taking a handful of Reich soldiers with them. She herself was badly injured and it was a matter of time before her end came.

Konoha had fought bravely against the sudden invasion launched by Suna, even came to the brink of defeating the desert ninja. In doing so their forces became extremely tired and took significant losses.

And the result was their utter failure in stopping the surprise attack from Otogakure. It was military tactics at its best...

The Oto shinobi and their elite Reich warriors had quickly eliminated the tired Suna and Konoha ninja, they would not have been so much successful if Naruto had not transformed into his earlier Kyuubi like form. That boy alone eliminated nearly 40% of their forces...

"Resistance is futile, Konoha trash. Surrender and the Otokage will give you a fair trial. Our leader is far more merciful than your treacherous Kages..." offered Guren, although her tone clearly suggested she wanted Anko to say the entire opposite. Just so the crystal user could unite Anko with her dead comrades...

"I'll pass...bitch" replied Anko cockily, making Guren's eyebrows twitch.

"Then DIE!" yelled Guren darkly,

Anko painfully grabbed her kunai in order to make her last stand, when suddenly a loud bugle rang across the entire village. Her eyes widened in disbelief, that music...it was not possible.

Her previously furious gaze returned with full power as she quickly threw her kunai injuring 2 Reich soldiers. Dropping 2 smoke bombs, she quickly vanished with a shunshin as several Reich soldiers ran after her only to be stopped by Guren's hand.

"No, let them run. Naruto-sama has ordered us to consolidate our position once we defeat the enemy or make them retreat, the Konoha ninja know the nearby forests better than us. If we follow them, they'll simply keep on ambushing us increasing our losses. We will fortify our positions and make sure the Konoha ninja can't retake this village..." ordered Guren, following Naruto's order to the letter.

"Yes, captain..." replied her soldiers faithfully, and fanned out to accomplish their Kage's will.

Gai quickly came running towards the secret meeting point where he saw at least 250 Konoha shinobi waiting. There were several civilian families with them, along with prominent members of the prestigious clans. Ones who could not be allowed to be captured by the enemy, or else Konoha would risk losing their unique Kekkai Genkai shinobi.

He narrowed his eyes when he saw Raido giving out orders to the surviving ninja, none of them appeared to be in good shape.

But something was off, because Gai was sure he had seen Raido dying in the stadium or at the very least getting severely injured. And here he was commanding the survivors...

"Are these the only ones who survived?" asked Gai suspiciously, and saw Raido giving him a blank stare.

"Gai, glad you made it. The Hokage has ordered a full retreat, we must make sure these people are safely shifted towards the Damiyo's territory..." answered Raido, deep down the man hoped his Genjutsu worked.

Itachi Uchiha was never proud of his mastery in genjutsu, but to stand in the midst of so many of his former comrades and so efficiently be able to mask this deception was something he considered a miracle. Gai had his doubts, but there were far more important things on the Taijutsu user's mind.

Itachi was definitely relived when Gai spotted the Sarutobi family, particularly Emiko and Konohamaru. He quickly went there to reassure the frightened academy student and his mother. So far, Asuma was missing which was a bad sign...

"Where the fuck is Kakashi?" asked Anko worriedly, and saw a strained look arriving in Raido (Itachi's) eyes.

"He stayed behind. He's helping the Hokage fight against Naruto, they will try to defeat him and maybe push the enemy forces back. We need to get these people to safety" explained Gai sadly, and saw the shock in Anko's eyes.

She was about to turn back when a firm hand on her shoulder stopped him, turning around she came face to face with the stern gaze of Raido Nagasaki.

"You're a ninja, our leader gave us an order. We have to protect these people, look at them..." said Raido harshly,

Anko saw the fear, anger, pain in Konohamaru's eyes. The boy had considered Naruto a hero and big brother at one point, and now the same person had destroyed his home, his people, his family. She saw the handful of surviving ninja, they didn't have the numbers to win this battle. Naruto had defeated them in this battle...

"I can't leave Kakashi. And there are hundreds of civilians still holed up in another side of the mountains. Are we going to abandon them?" asked Anko worriedly,

"We have no other option but to retreat. The longer we stay, the more we reduce our chances of survival. We're the last soldiers of this village, it is our duty to put our personal feelings aside and do our duty. We must believe that our comrades will come back to us, but now we do what the Hokage want us to do..." explained Raido (Disguised Itachi), and smiled when he saw the others giving him sad but faithful nods.

Gai frowned when he still felt something off. Everybody was taking all of this too easily, the civilians were not wetting their pants and were instead listening to the ninjas and not accusing them for failing to protect the village.

And the remaining Konoha ninja seemed far to willing to abandon their ancestral home and run to safety, not to forget the odd feeling he was getting from Raido.

When he saw even Anko agreeing with the decision, he was alarmed. Raido was influencing the others, through a subtle genjutsu.

The Taijutsu specialist was about to punch himself to break out of the spell, when he came face to face with Raido's hidden Mangekyo and then everything went blank.

"Gai's exhausted. Sado take care of him..." barked Raido, and sighed in relief when the Taijutsu specialist was taken away. If anybody found out who he was, then instead of listening to reason all of these Konoha ninjas and civilians would march to their doom by fighting against him.

He was never more thankful for the one Mangekyo eye that Shisui had given him on that faithful night, today it had came to the rescue of the last of their people.

Even in death, Shisui had protected Konoha again.

But even his power on Kotoamatsukami paled in comparison to Naruto's. It was as if the boy was born to wield this genjutsu, and was the only one who had been able to break out of it. It was more than enough to show that probably Naruto possessed the strongest pair of Mangekyo eyes after Madara Uchiha.

And it could not be a coincidence, there were many Mangekyo users throughout history but only a few were powerful enough. Madara and Izuna were considered the strongest...could Naruto be related to the strongest Uchiha brothers? That would certainly explain why he was so strong at this age, he reminded Itachi of Madara.

Shisui was famous for his power of genjutsu, and each of his eyes were now possessed by Naruto and Itachi.

Itachi himself had the Mangekyo Sharingan, and he feared the day Sasuke gained one for himself. In the past, he had wanted his brother to attain those eyes to make him pay for what he did to the Uchiha clan. But seeing what the power of Mangekyo had turned Naruto into, Itachi knew Sasuke was far better off without this curse.

He so badly wished to go back in time, and change what he did to his little brother that night. He turned Sasuke into the person he was now, and it was completely his fault.

And tonight he was making another difficult choice by following the order Hiruzen had given him. There were still more than 4000 Konoha ninja all across the village, soldiers who were badly injured and needed help. Not to forget the thousands of civilians holed up in the mountains, those who had no idea that they had already been abandoned.

Knowing Naruto, he knew what fate awaited all those people. The boy wouldn't kill them, but he would give them a punishment which was far worse than death.

But he could not do anything about that now, all he had left was to follow his order.

"I will protect Konoha and this world to my last breath. I will make sure that the ninja world survives... thought Itachi fiercely,

Asuma was bleeding profusely from his chest, thanks to the several kunai wounds he suffered earlier. His breathing was ragged, and vision was a little blurry. He knew he needed to find a medic soon, but had instead helped in evacuating the wounded genin in the village. He had moved from district to district, helping whomever who needed assistance.

And suffered grave wounds while protecting his injured comrades.

But he didn't have any regrets, his students were successful in making the tactical retreat. He had also been able to divert a handful medics to get Sakura, Shino, and Kiba out of the village.

Although he had not been successful in locating Sasuke or Hinata...

He knew his father would not abandon the village, that old man was stubborn. And so was he...

He was trying to save whatever few he could, and in doing so his eyes widened in surprise when saw Kurenai lying on a corner of the street. He quickly ran towards her, ignoring the soaring pain in his chest.

His trembling fingers checked her pulse and brought a relieved smile on his lips, when he found a faint one.

There were minor wounds on her body, and she appeared to be knocked out. But still alive...

He didn't know how she got beaten, but it must have been pretty serious. Grabbing her slender form, he was able to position her unconscious form on his back and quickly started retreating towards the forest of death.

It was the only place where the Oto ninja would't follow them, and there was a secret passage inside that dangerous place which could lead them out of Konoha.

He only hoped enough of his friends had survived...

Yuki Haku had seen many things in her life, she was a survivor of a civil war, had seen her parents die in front of her eyes. Been a missing ninja for years, served under one of the ninja swordsmen of the mist, captain of the Reich, and a close friend of the Otokage.

She never doubted Naruto's decisions, but she somehow always had some concerns when it came to Sasuke.

While it was true that both Naruto and Sasuke were radicals, Sasuke took it one step further. Yet even his impulsive behavior could be forgiven for what he had done just now.

A heavily wounded Kazekage was lying beneath his feet, as Sasuke gazed at the man impassively.

Haku could not comprehend just what went down in their battle, it took little to no effort to surround and capture the little forces the Kazekage had with him. Although the leader had put up a brave fight and killed many Reich soldiers.

But everything changed when Sasuke walked out on the field.

He merely glanced at the on-going fight, asked her to continue throwing her men at the Kazekage. Keeping the man busy, the Uchiha didn't care as 30 Reich soldiers were killed by the strong Wind ninja. Sasuke simply watched...

Then he vanished.

Moments later the Kazekage had a tanto pierced clean through his rib and a suppression seal planted on the back of his head. Everything happened so fast, that she, or her soldiers or even the Kazekage could not understand what had happened.

One moment Sasuke was standing in one far corner, next he was standing behind the Kazekage. The only thing she could think of was teleportation, an instant one.

But Naruto had shot that theory down when she had proposed it for the first time, the day after she had met Sasuke for the first time. She had asked if Sasuke had the Mangekyo, and Naruto had told her yes. She even asked about his powers, but Naruto never opened his mouth.

He merely shot down all the wild guesses she tried to make.

And now seeing the Kazekage down on the ground, alive but bleeding proved one thing to her.

Sasuke Uchiha was the ultimate trump card.

He was Naruto's secret weapon. The one who served the Nidaime from the shadows...

While she and the Reich soldiers were front line troops, Sasuke had been the spy and sabotage specialist in this invasion. He fed them information while staying between the enemy, broke down their defenses when the attack started, captured the priority target Naruto had assigned him without any hesitation or emotional turmoil.

The perfect ninja.

She felt a cold chill going down her spine when he glanced at her once, before returning his gaze back to his captured target.

"I just hope you can control his darkness, Naruto..." thought Haku worriedly, she would be ready just in case things went south between the two Uchiha cousins.

Jiraiya slowly wiped a trail of blood that was leaking from his forehead, looking down he saw Gamabunta also didn't seem to be doing too well. If only he was not up against two monsters at the same time. He could go all out and bring the fight in his favor, but the level of destruction to the village would be extreme.

And he doubted he could go through with killing Tsunade, it was still hard for him to come to terms with her actions and the choice she had made. He had barely seen her a few months ago, and there was not a fucking sign of any change in her ideology.

Until Today...

"Fuuton Suraisu no Tatsumaki (Wind Release: Slicing Tornado Jutsu)"

He quickly performed a set of hand seals when Gaara unleashed a massive tornado from his Biju form. Several houses were destroyed completely, dead bodies flowed in the air as Jiraiya finished his preparation.

"Bunta, oil!"

His summon didn't need any more explanation as he fired dozens of liters of oil from his mouth, as Jiraiya unleashed a massive fire stream...

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

The combination attack was enough to stop Gaara's destructive jutsu, until Jiraiya's eyes widened in horror when he saw hundreds of acid bullets passing through the burning tornado. They instantly picked up speed and hit Gamabunta straight in the face.

"GAHHHHH!" yelled his toad, as he roughly crashed on top of a large mansion completely obliterating the structure beneath his giant ass.

"Sand Bullets!''

Jiraiya quickly performed another set of hand seals when Gaara fired hundreds of large Sand bullets from his Biju tail, and if even a few of them hit his summon then it would be dispelled and he would be left alone to fight against a transformed Gaara, and Tsunade with Katsuyu.

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

A large earth wall rose which did well in shielding the injured Gamabunta from Gaara's attack. He could faintly hear Tsunade barking out new orders to her summon, she was going to surround him soon with the help of hundreds of her slug summon's clones.

Those little bastards would bleed him dry of chakra.

If this was not bad news, then he heard the retreat bugle being sounded. At first, he couldn't believe it but after looking around the grim situation he knew there was no other choice.

"Jiraiya, get out of here. I can't help you any more..." said Gamabunta painfully, the acid had burned a large part of his face.

"Go back. I'll summon Gamaken..." replied Jiraiya defiantly, making his toad grunt.

"The same thing will happen to him too. The One Tail monster and Tsunade/Katsuyu duo will kick your ass if you are not going to accept reality. You'll only end up destroying more of the village and get yourself killed. Look at what we've already done..." explained Gamabunta irritatedly,

For the first time, Jiraiya saw an entire district of Konoha had been destroyed due to their fighting. Surely, Tsunade wouldn't keep on her current course.

No, she didn't care anymore.

There could be injured people hiding anywhere, and their fighting would get them killed. Not to forget the civilians and dignitaries who had came for the chunin exams, Konoha ninja had safely escorted them in the mountains. But if one of the foreign delegates were to be killed then Konoha and Fire nation would face the wrath of the entire world.

Which was exactly what Naruto wanted...

Jiraiya's hands trembled as he realized the devious agenda of Naruto Uchiha. He wanted to start the next great ninja war...

Make the ninja villages fight against each other, and then slowly seize power one step at a time.

The Dream of World Domination.

A True Emperor.

The earthen wall which he had formed shattered as the monstrous form of Gaara and Tsunade on top of Katsuyu came before him. Jiraiya glared at the woman he had loved all his life, a new set of hatred burned in his eyes as he stared in her impassive eyes.

"You've made a wrong choice, Tsunade. The next time we meet, you will pay for it. You destroyed my home, my family. You ruined the peace which I worked for all these years, and for that I will take away the person dearest to you. The one who wants to destroy my world..." promised Jiraiya angrily, as a small tear slipped from his eye.

Tsunade merely smiled at him, sadness evident in her eyes as she motioned for Gaara to stop. The Jinchuuriki seemed hesitant at first, but obeyed the order.

Gamabunta disappeared in a puff of smoke, and when it cleared Jiraiya was gone too.

"You finally got caught in the cycle of hatred, didn't you Jiraiya?" asked Tsunade regretfully,

Kakashi waited with anticipation, his sharp eyes observing each and every movement made by Naruto. Beside him, Hiruzen was also standing ready for the battle, the tension visible on the Kage's wrinkled face.

They tensed when Naruto raised his right hand, and flicked his fingers.

BOOM!

Both Konoha ninja turned around and what they saw made them freeze in terror. The Hokage faces...

The monuments that had been there since the birth of Konoha, the symbol of hope and their village's strength...

Crumbled to pieces...

A large explosion on top of the mountain caused a land slide, and Kakashi's Mangekyo sharingan picked up four Oto ninja having cursed seals standing there. His gaze shifted towards Naruto as a wicked smiled came on the boy's lips.

"What the hell?" asked Hiruzen furiously, the rage visible in his eyes.

"Kakashi, my hands are already stained dark with blood. If you too wish to fight me, then I'll welcome you with open arms. We are, after all...family" said Naruto deviously, a dark chuckle escaping from his lips.

His mad laughter continued soaring as he watched the anger burning in Hiruzen's eyes on seeing the Hokage faces crumbling to dust, taking along with it the Hokage tower.

In that moment Naruto realized something...

"Ever since that day, I've always craved destruction and loss. There is always destruction before creation, and if my soul stands in the way I'll toss it aside" thought Naruto wickedly,

He charged towards the two shinobi as 4 simple words escaped from his lips.

"So shall we dance?"