Chapter 79: The First Emperor

Bright flames burned across the battlefield, the air was soaked with the foul smell of death. Rivers of blood had drenched the once green pastures, everywhere there lay bodies of hundreds of ninja, samurai and other armed fighters. It was a massacre...

Many bodies were burning in the fire that had enveloped the shinobi world for the past 3 years. Decades old civilizations fell, nations crumbled, humanity was completely shaken by the core. Some historians even termed this event as the "Rise of the 2nd Age", or "The Era of the Reich".

The ninja world witnessed a holocaust which humanity had not seen since the fall of the 'Ten Tails' thousands of years ago.

Fight

Surrender

Flee

Or Die

Those were the only options available to each and every person in the world. Every warrior in the world had come to conclusion that this was the biggest war mankind had faced since its inception.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the haunted battlefield while around 100 survivors trembled in fear. Men, women with terrified look in their eyes.

The last remnants of the Earth Country's Damiyo's family.

"If powerlessness is a sin, then is power justice?"

"Is revenge a sin?"

"Is friendship greater than justice?"

"The truth is none of it matters. There is no right or wrong, no light or dark. Just shades of gray, sides which each of us align ourselves with..."

"That is the harsh truth of this world. The only thing that will remain true till the end of this world is the fact that- History is always written by the Victor..."

"Take this lesson to your heart and remember it as you take it to your graves"

A pair of evil red eyes came to life as the trembling members of the former royal family froze in shock. All they could feel was the desire to do anything those eyes wanted them to do.

"Naruto Uchiha commands you, all of you die"

Obedient smiles came on the faces of the mesmerized people as they got back on their feet. The fear had evaporated from their eyes, slowly they picked up weapons from the battlefield and what followed after that was a bloodbath. A scene which would scar any normal human to life, drive people insane as 100 people who were family killed each other mercilessly. They were screaming and laughing madly at the same time, the madness continued for 5 whole minutes until the last man fell dead on the blood stained grass.

The End of another dynasty, the end of another nation, the end of another culture.

He watched with cold eyes as the civilization he had once been a part of, a system he had once believed in crumbled a little more.

The world was changing, and he was the one who was changing it.

The Fuhrer

The Emperor

The Butcher

The Conqueror

The Destroyer

The Demon

He was everything, for he was Naruto Uchiha- The Harbinger of Death, the Destroyer of the Ninja world, the murderer of the ninja civilization.

Behind him stood his endless army of soldiers. Dressed in their Reich uniforms, they watched impassively as their leader single handedly ended another leadership expanding their already vast empire.

A small camera had recorded the entire massacre and the footage was being broadcasted across the entire world, a message was being sent.

The air turned extremely cold when Naruto looked in the camera, and he knew very well that the eyes of every person in the world were fixed on him right now.

"Is this the best the ninja world can throw at us?" asked Naruto flatly,

Standing 6ft 4 inches tall, dressed in his Reich uniform and a crown on his head didn't leave any doubt regarding the power this man had gained. His silky blonde hair had grown long and was falling over his face, yet through the thin space between his silky hair the Mangekyo sent shivers down the hearts of hundreds. There was not a stain of blood on his body, yet the countless dead that lay beside him was proof enough that this man was to be feared.

"This is the fate that awaits all of you if you continue to resist. Surrender and you will become a part of our glorious Reich, if not then the same fate awaits you which I just bestowed upon the Royalty of Earth Country. Your nations have fallen, governments destroyed, leaders killed, armies scattered. Konoha, Kiri, Iwa, Suna have now become a part of our fatherland. The Pathetic Resistance which the ninjas have formed can't help you, no matter the promises they make. Only one power remains in this world and it is The Reich" explained Naruto proudly,

"If you continue to resist your families will suffer. If you still wish to challenge us then go ahead. You will either lose everything or win. That is how a war is supposed to be..." said Naruto crudely, and raised his hand in the air

"For the Reich!"

On hearing their leader's battlecry, the Reich army followed him showing their loyalty to their empire and to their leader.

"For the Reich!"

"For the Reich!"

"For the Reich!"

A stunned silence prevailed in the semi-bright room as the transmission just came to an end. The group of people still felt their bodies shivering as their minds tried to rein in the shock they had just experienced. Despite the presence of three Kages in the room, it was not at all enough to calm their subordinates.

"Iwa has fallen finally..." said Mei Terumi in disbelief, the ousted former Mizukage.

"It was only a matter of time. The Reich is far too powerful..." muttered Temari, the self appointed exiled leader of Sungakure. It was quite ironic that her own younger brother had staged a coup and now ruled over Suna, and had pledged his allegiance to the Reich making Wind Country a part of the growing empire.

"Do we have any news about the Tsuchikage and his group of survivors?" asked Kurenai Yuhi, the 5th Hokage of the former Konohagakure No Sato. Noticing the grave look in the eyes of her fellow Kages proved the news was not good.

"Ohnoki is stubborn. And after watching what Naruto did to his people, I doubt..." said Jiraiya hesitantly, and saw Kurenai sigh.

"What do you think the old fool will do? Will he join us?" asked Kurenai hopefully, never in her wildest dreams had she imagined herself to be the leader of a resistance. And that too of the survivors of the ninja villages.

Her mind was still afresh with the picture of Naruto commanding people to die, he executed them without any kind of remorse. Her eyes glanced through every person in the room. and every single one of them had an unending hatred for Naruto.

These past 3 years had been extremely hard for her. Not only had she lost her home and many of her friends, she had lost the man she once loved. A man she still loved...

She could now understand why Sasuke messed up the seal inside her mind. During these years, she slowly recovered memories of her past with Naruto. After confronting Anko, her doubts were confirmed. She was in truth the love of Emperor Naruto Uchiha.

In his decree of punishing her, she failed to notice the hidden reason behind Sasuke's actions. Even if the boy was an enemy of hers now, she was amazed by the level of loyalty and love Sasuke had for Naruto.

The Uchiha had wanted her to change her mind, accept that she was wrong. And be with Naruto...

Looking back now, she doubted all the choices she had made were the correct ones or not. Especially when it came to Naruto, could she have stopped him? No...

Could she have prevented the rise of the empire? No...

The only thing she could have gained by siding with him was probably convincing him to not massacre the ninja race. She still hoped for that wish...

There were times when she wondered what would have happened if she had sided with Naruto? Kakashi had done that, and it still amazed her. Anko was heartbroken, the woman felt betrayed just like Kurenai because of what the love of their lives had done.

None of them had ever gotten a proper opportunity to confront their feelings and express their opinions, before the other become repulsed with it.

And now everything had changed...

All of them had made their respective choices and now they had to live with it.

Naruto had married, so had Kakashi. She could still remember how heartbroken she and Anko were when they got the news. Anko had not taken the news kindly, she felt betrayed. While Kurenai was extremely sad...

It was quite an irony that the women who became wives of those two warriors had the same initials.

Yuhi Haku was now Uchiha Haku, while a mysterious woman named Hanare was now Kakashi's wife. Digging through Kakashi's past, both Kurenai and Anko had discovered that Hanare was apparently a spy who had infiltrated Konoha years ago. And if Inoichi's personal observation found in the report was true, then she was also Kakashi's first love.

The woman was said to be killed years ago during a prisoner exchange, Kakashi himself had verified this claim. But only now did Kurenai realize that even in the past, Kakashi had once put his love for a person above the duty to his village. He let Hanare escape, because he loved her. Just as he joined Naruto's crusade, because he loved the boy like his own son.

It was not as if Kakashi had not tried, after a year since his capture when the Hatake was released from prison he made a strange request. He asked to meet Anko and Kurenai in a secluded position, away from both armies. What shocked Kurenai was Naruto's decision to accept the request.

She could still remember that day...

(Flashback: 2 Years Ago)

Kurenai patiently watched as Anko nervously walked from one side to another in the clearing of the forest. They were quite surprised when they had received Kakashi's message that he wanted to meet them. He had asked them to come alone, and he would do the same. But she doubted it.

As such, she had a team of Anbu Blackops ready to handle the situation if things didn't go their way. Anko still believed that Kakashi had somehow managed to escape and wanted them to rescue him. But Kurenai knew...

She knew that Naruto and Kakashi shared a bond which was stronger than the Hatake's oath as a ninja. When it came to Naruto, Kakashi's rational mind always went straight out of the window. He loved the boy too much...

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard footsteps, Anko got a bright smile on her face when Kakashi emerged from the darkness of the night. However, the smile didn't last when they saw the uniform on Kakashi's body...

Kurenai's eyes widened and she was about to signal her rescue team, when...

"It's no use, Kurenai..."

She froze when his voice touched her ears, it was the same voice that she had heard in her dreams for the past year. The voice she loved so much...

Turning around she saw Naruto standing on the other side, around him lay the unconscious forms of her rescue team. He raised his hands in a placating manner, and she was surprised that her own hands stopped on the strap of her kunai holster. How could this man have such a hold on her?

Kakashi had quickly stepped in front of Naruto and had managed to stop Anko from attacking the blonde boy.

"You traitor..." said Anko furiously, and was even more infuriated when Naruto gave her an eye smile.

"Love you too, Anko..." replied Naruto casually, and he turned his gaze on Kurenai. Her breath stopped when she saw something in his eyes that threw all her doubts away, Naruto really loved her.

"You have no need to fear. We agreed to negotiate, and that's all we're gonna do. You or your men won't be harmed, I give you my word..." promised Naruto,

"Why did you bring us here? Did you use Kakashi?" asked Kurenai seriously, and saw the same question in Anko's eyes.

"I...requested Naruto to arrange this meeting. There is something I need to talk to you about..." said Kakashi hesitantly, and flinched when Anko disgustedly pointed her finger on Kakashi's new uniform.

"Why the hell are you wearing this filth?" asked Anko sternly,

Naruto saw the tension rising and gestured Kurenai to follow him, which she hesitantly did. It wasn't long before the quarrel between Kakashi and Anko escalated, and Kurenai's worst fears came true.

"You turned him, didn't you?" asked Kurenai sadly, and saw him staring at the moon in the sky.

"Every person makes choices for himself. There are circumstances which affect that decision, but ultimately it is the person who has to make that choice. Kakashi made his, so did I, and you too. Congratulations on your promotion, Godaime.." said Naruto, a true smile playing on his lips.

For a moment she stopped thinking like a Kage, and instead looked at Naruto just as Kurenai. His words and the smile were true...

"Will you stop?'' asked Kurenai tiredly, already knowing the answer.

"We are destined to fight each other, Kurenai. I wish I could change that, I truly do. The truth is that I respect you, despite the opposite sides we are on. You stood by your beliefs and the people you care about. It takes guts to do such a thing in face of overwhelming odds, you truly are something else..." complimented Naruto,

He knew she was the enemy now, he knew he was in a relationship with Haku now. And he had been faithful to her, but he could not stop his heart from speaking what he truly felt for Kurenai. He still loved her, even now it took all his strength not just to close the distance between them and kiss her senseless.

But he had also accepted that perhaps they could never be together, not in this life.

"You really love me, don't you?"

He froze.

She noticed the shock in his eyes, it was quite amusing that he still thought he had put her away from any harm. That he could still protect her, even from afar. Even if they were on opposite sides, he always wanted to protect her. And just that thought made her love him, she didn't see him as the monster which people accused him to be.

Kurenai knew that it was the ninja world which made Naruto into the person he was now, and it would be hypocritical of her to judge him. She had long past changed from the person she was a year ago, becoming Hokage had made her aware of the monstrous things Konoha had continued to do for decades. And it changed her biased perspective...

What she could do or hope to accomplish now was to convince him to stop someday.

It was the only way to save all of them. Despite of her rigorous training with Jiraiya in the past year, she knew he was more stronger. Not to mention his army had achieved significant victories. He simply turned the captured prisoners into his loyal soldiers increasing his armed forces strength, while their crumbled. Naruto could easily replace the troops he lost, Kurenai couldn't.

Not to forget he also turned civilians the same way, and had already established a growing kingdom.

"How?" asked Naruto in shock,

"Sasuke..."

He closed his eyes in defeat and clenched his fists. She saw the unending anger that was visible on his face, Naruto took a few deep breaths before he was able to rein himself in. She was glad that he was not going to take it out on her, the same could not be said for Sasuke.

"I'm sorry for what Sasuke did. I..." said Naruto regretfully,

He felt someone wrapping their arms around him, and his eyes widened when he saw it was none other than Kurenai. He felt his heart exploding as he inhaled her familiar scent.

If any of their soldiers had seen them like this, there would have been serious consequences. At least on Kurenai's side, Naruto was not too worried about himself as his army was completely obedient. He cursed himself when his trembling arms wrapped themselves around her, why couldn't he stop?

"Don't be afraid..."

It was all he could take as tears came in his eyes, as he hugged her back. Gods, he had missed her. In this moment he wished neither of them had ever been a ninja, nor did they have to been born in a hidden village. Why couldn't they just have lived as Naruto and Kurenai, instead of him living a life in Anbu and her living a bright life as a proud Jounin of her village.

It was so unfair that he wanted to curse the gods...

"I missed you..." said Naruto in a tearful voice,

"I missed you too..." replied Kurenai emotionally,

She leaned back and their eyes met, a smile came on her face and she leaned forward. Their lips were about to touch, when he moved his face and she ended up kissing his cheek. Questioningly, she looked at him and saw him averting his eyes.

"I'm with someone..." confessed Naruto,

Kurenai felt as if someone had jabbed a cold kunai through her heart, her initial feeling was to lash out at him. But then she remembered it was her decision that drove them away, their different beliefs that changed everything and bring them to this point.

"You're an honorable man..." said Kurenai frankly, as she broke the hug and stepped away.

"I have always loved you, Kurenai. But I can't betray Haku or my beliefs just as you want to stick with your ideals as a ninja and with your people. We're like Ice and Fire..." said Naruto sadly,

"Then please stop. There is still time, don't make yourself the enemy of the entire world. The ninja villages are slowly uniting against you..." warned Kurenai, hoping he would listen to reason. But he merely gave her a mischievous smile.

"So the prideful ninja villages are scared of little old me? That's fine, let them become my enemy. I am not the one who is wrong, it's the ninja world that needs to change. And the world will change, one way or another..." promised Naruto, a serious look arriving in his eyes.

"We'll see about that..." challenged Kurenai, making him smirk.

"Very well, Kurenai. But you should know that my crusade won't stop for I am Uchiha Naruto- The man who destroys worlds, the man who creates them!!"

(Flashback End)

She could still feel his words ringing in her ears, Naruto had been true to his promise. He had changed the world, he had almost destroyed the shinobi system. His victory was imminent unless drastic measures were taken to stop him.

Steps she had hesitated to take till now, she loved that man and couldn't bear to hurt him anymore than he already was.

But looking at the depressed faces of her people, and the way Naruto was changing their world. He had left her no choice...

She steeled her resolve and took a deep breath, she had to do this.

"Jiraiya, what is the report so far?" asked Kurenai seriously,

"Not good. We have completely lost Fire, Water, Wind and now Earth Country along with their hidden villages. The smaller villages have surrendered and merged with the empire willingly. There are still various ninja factions of different nations fighting, but they are nothing more than a nuisance to Naruto. He'll eventually silence them as well. I've also got word that the Reich army is sniffing across Kumo's borders. Just Scouting missions, but they're gonna make a move soon..." explained Jiraiya gravely,

"Any information about the captured Tailed Beasts?" asked Mei worriedly,

"I'm afraid not. Except for the Nibi and Hachibi safe inside Kumo, the rest have been captured. My best guess is that he sealed them away somewhere, he's trying to create the Juubi and rule over the world with its power. If he succeeds, then his victory is inevitable" said Jiraiya frankly,

"What about the Ichibi? Gaara..." said Temari hesitantly,

"It was sealed, and due to Tsunade's help your brother didn't die. Gaara is one of Naruto's closest supporters and friend, he won't let him die..."

"I see..." replied Temari, a small part of her heart felt quite relieved for her youngest brother. Despite what he did, they were family. And she and their father along-with the Sand village had given Gaara nothing but misery, he had simply repaid in kind.

"Will Naruto seal the Kyuubi? If that happens, then he will die..." said Kurenai hesitantly,

"Not quite. He does not need to seal the entire tailed beast, our monks believe that if he just seals around 80% of Biju chakra that would be more than enough to awaken the Juubi. I think Naruto is intentionally not awakening the Juubi at full power, he doesn't trust himself fully whether he will be able to control the monster or not..." suggested Temari,

"All the more reason that mad man has to stopped..." warned Mei,

Their banter was stopped when Kurenai stood up, making her comrades stand up as well. Jiraiya had a proud smile on his face as he watched the confidence that was on her face, the grace with which she handled being a Hokage. That uniform fit her so perfectly...

He had trained another good Hokage.

Judging from the painful look in her eyes, she had decided to put duty above emotions. The trait of a true ninja and a great leader, Jiraiya could understand her pain better than anyone. The love of their lives were now not only their enemy but of the world as well.

They had to be stopped, by any means necessary.

"Jiraiya, stay. Rest of you leave us..." commanded Kurenai,

Mei and Temari looked at her for a few seconds, before giving affirmative nods and exiting from the room. Jiraiya held his gaze as Kurenai glared at him...

"So you've finally come around, kid?" asked Jiraiya, making her frown.

"Naruto didn't leave me any choice. We can't defeat him in traditional warfare, he's too strong..." admitted Kurenai bitterly,

"You're strong too. And I just don't mean as a shinobi, gods know I taught you everything I know. You were the best student after Minato, and in a way you have the same desire as the Yondaime to protect your people. You're a strong woman who put others before herself, a pity Naruto couldn't be like you..." said Jiraiya regretfully, making her sigh tiredly.

"Jiraiya, I have stopped judging him for his actions. We're no better, the only thing that matters is who wins in the end..." said Kurenai flatly,

"Fair enough..."

"Start Operation Malestorm, and I want him alive..." commanded Kurenai,

"Very well, Godaime..."

"I will end this once and for all, for better or worse...'' promised Kurenai, as she stormed out of the room.

Jiraiya quickly started working on forming a plan, but doing so he failed to notice the tears that had been falling from his prized student's eyes. Along with her silent prayer...

"Please forgive me, Naruto..."