Chapter 87: The Magician Returns

There was a curt knock on the door which pulled her away from her staring. Giving the required permission, she just stood in her spot as the person came inside her room. She didn't even have to turn back in order to determine the identity of the person.

A distant sound was made as the person removed what was possibly armor and a sword from his body. There were sound of footsteps approaching in her direction, and a moment later he stood beside her. Both of them calmly observing the Reich capital from the window of their room.

"How's the Kaiser?"

The grim expression on his face was all the answer she needed to see. Standing at this place, it was hard for either of them to believe that their lives would have turned out this way.

So many things had changed, including both of them. Yet, she could still see a tiny glimpse of the fragile boy she had known for years. At the same time, he could also see the kind and gentle look in her eyes.

"Why do you still care about him so much? You know neither of us deserve it..." said Sasuke flatly, and frowned when the girl beside him laughed.

"It's because we're still friends, Sasuke..." answered Hinata happily, and received a rare smile from the boy in return.

"I doubt who's more of a fool. You with your forgiving nature or Naruto with his idealistic personality..." replied Sasuke irritatedly, and didn't resist when she ruffled his hair. If it was anyone else who did that, then their head would be lying on a spike by now. But in her case...

"Says the person who advocated the Kaiser to spare my life. For someone who's said to be a heartless bastard, you have plenty of heart..." said Hinata calmly, making him look away.

"Tch, I only returned a favor. Don't look too much into it, woman..."

She sighed but the smile never vanished from her lips. Hinata never missed the dark spots beneath his eyes, nor the occasional cough that clearly displayed the weakening condition of his body. To think he had alone shouldered the responsibility of safeguarding their vast empire for the past six months.

The Reich army commander who was standing beside her was the only reason the resistance were unsuccessful in breaching the empire's borders. Despite several campaigns, full frontal assaults, the enemy had been halted at the borders. She could still remember the fear that had coursed through the Reich when news of their beloved emperor getting critically injured, and the empress falling down was heard.

Fortunately, Haku had passed out from shock and after a few days of rest she recovered. It was then that the citizens came to know that their Kaiserin was pregnant, and a prince was on its way. The gloomy feelings vanished and with renowned vigor the Reich fought valiantly, if only for the future of their young prince. Even if the emperor was still in a critical condition and was barely hanging to life, the people still had hope.

Sasuke had taken complete control of the military and had violently defended the Reich from both foreign and domestic enemies.

Tsunade and Kakashi had taken charge and were handling the government and day-to-day affairs of the Reich. It was only temporary, and both lazy people only wanted the Kaiser to get back on his feet and let them slack off again.

As for Haku, the Kaiserin did occasionally oversee the affairs of her kingdom. But most of her time was spent by her comatose husband's side. Rumor was that the empress was living in the same room as the Kaiser and except for Tsunade, Kakashi and Sasuke she didn't let anyone else even get a glimpse of Naruto.

"How are Kurenai and the others?" asked Hinata carelessly, and the next second she regretted asking that question.

The glare Sasuke gave her made Hinata flinch, guess it was still a sore subject. The former Hokage along with Sakura and Anko were currently under house arrest and constantly under surveillance. After what happened to the Kaiser, Haku had ordered their executions on first sight and if not for Kakashi and Lee those three would be lying in unmarked graves by now.

The situation was extremely tense and the only person who could solve it was fighting for his life.

"I never knew how much the empire and all of us were dependent on him until now...'' confessed Sasuke sadly,

"Naruto has that quality about him. He handled everything so easily that we took it for granted, there can be no Reich without him..." said Hinata seriously,

"I'm glad I didn't go through with my own plan all those years ago. I could never build such a promising future..." said Sasuke hesitantly, as she sighed.

"No, you couldn't have. But you can protect the future everyone has built, regardless even if you had went through with your own plan I would have sided with you..." answered Hinata frankly, making him laugh.

"Goes to show how naive both of us were. Still..."

"Yeah"

She watched as he continued staring at the glowing capital, his relationship with Sakura had always been rocky and the past few months had been quite rough. The pink haired medic was quite sad that Sasuke rarely visited her, but if only she or the others could understand that Sasuke was protecting them from himself. He feared he would hurt them in his thirst for vengeance which was still unsatisfied.

"Thank you for saving my life and freeing me, Sasuke. It means a lot..." said Hinata happily,

"You don't need to thank me. Naruto had already scrapped his idea of using you as a bargaining chip against Kumo. Still neither of us imagined you becoming a schoolteacher..." teased Sasuke, receiving a light punch in return.

''Kids are easy to handle. Besides I like this job, the income is decent and..."

"I understand. You were never suited for being a bloodthirsty ninja or a soldier. At least this way some of us will have a happy ending..." said Sasuke mysteriously, glancing at the sky there was a strange gleam in his eye.

Before she could ask why he said that, the Uchiha had already turned around and started picking up his things. It was the end of this meeting and Hinata didn't need him to say it in words.

"When will you come back?"

"When I'm able..."

He stepped towards the door but stopped suddenly. His hand tightly gripped the wall, and since he had his back turned towards her she couldn't read his eyes but the words that he said would echo in her heart forever.

"I..I just hope that...people will realize eventually...who I am...''

And he left with those words, never looking back. Hinata stared at his disappearing form while a small tear slipped from her eye.

"I know who you are, Sasuke. I know who you are..."

Haku heaved a tired sigh as she finished reading another book on politics and diplomacy. She eased a little in her comfortable chair, placing the book aside her eyes shifted towards the mess of medical equipment's that were currently protecting the life of her husband.

Most of the imperial doctors had deduced Naruto as "Brain Dead", a corpse whose body was alive but mind was gone. If not for Tsunade and her expertise even that would have been lost.

Many had suggested her to put Naruto out of his misery, but she couldn't do that. No matter what...

Her hand touched her swollen belly inside of which their child was almost formed and in a matter of a week or two the empire would get its heir. Watching his chest move up and down made her feel even more sad, it maybe a silly wish but she wanted her husband to see his child at least once. He deserved that at least, after everything he had been through in his life.

And her son also had a right to see and be touched by his father, no matter the condition he was in.

She found the situation quite strange that during her entire pregnancy Naruto had not been able to support her, but she didn't have any grudge for that since he himself was fighting for his own life. At least she wanted to believe that, there was no chance after coming all this way that things could end in this manner. Despite the struggles the Reich was holding on for now.

Their empire was still young and in its infancy, they had captured almost the entire world but maintaing hold over it was extremely difficult. Sasuke was perhaps the last line of defense that was shielding their nation from the enemy. But he was just one man...

Regardless of the morale of their forces, they were well aware that their strongest fighter was down who also happened to be their supreme leader. It was only a matter of time before the enemy found a break through...

She grasped Naruto's hand and placed it over her belly...

"We need you, Naruto. All of us..." pleaded Haku,

If only she knew her greatest fears were about to come true.

In a dark room several people were patiently sitting. All of their eyes were fixed on the person sitting at the head of the table, the one wearing the robes of the Sixth Hokage and the Supreme Commander of the Resistance.

Nara Shikamaru observed with a frown as the latest report from the front lines arrived at his desk. He also saw the graphical representation of the current war being displayed on a screen in front of them. Beside him sat the familiar forms of the Mizukage, Kazekage, and the newly appointed Fifth Raikage "Darui".

Apart from that Jiraiya, Ao, Gai, Baki, Kankuro and Chojuro were also present in the room.

Shikamaru looked beside him and saw "The Magician" was also observing the stalemate at which the two sides were currently at. It was fair to say that despite all the great fighters present in the war room, Shino Aburame was the only one who even had a remote chance of winning against the empire.

After all, he was the only one who managed to bring down Naruto who was currently rumored to be strongest warrior alive.

"What do you think?" asked Shikmaru,

"This is turning out to be a war of attrition. The Reich is clearly defensive and our offensive nature is creating a stale situation..." suggested Shino,

"Why are they not going on the offensive? Granted, our forces outnumber the Reich in a ratio of two to one. But their fighters are also quite good, and they still have strong leaders at the top..." questioned Darui, the Fifth Raikage.

"The problem with the Reich is that they have an extremely strong top leadership. But they lack sub-commanders who can execute the decided plan. Our problem is that we lack a powerhouse like Naruto or Sasuke, but we have enough capable sub-commanders. We have to take advantage of this weakness..." explained Shikamaru, and motioned towards Shino.

The Anbu commander changed the screen as the map of Astarte battlefield arrived on the screen. It was one of the most important areas in existence since it connected both the Reich and the heart of resistance territory. In between stood the "Sarutobi Fortress", which had protected the Reich against a full scale invasion at every turn.

It was still a sore point for Jiraiya since Naruto had honored Hiruzen Sarutobi, by naming one of the most important territories of his kingdom after the martyred Third Hokage.

"Since our battles on different areas have not wielded much results, we have no choice but to capture the Sarutobi Fortress. If successful we can launch a massive invasion into the heart of the empire..." suggested Shino, making Temari frown.

"In the past our efforts have only ended in massacres of our soldiers. Have you forgotten "Ironshield" Gaara is the commander of this fortress. As long as he is the leader, you can't capture that fortress. We can't even match the firepower of that fortress or the sheer number of Reich soldiers defending it..." argued Temari,

"As it stands in this war of attrition we'll be eventually wiped out due to lack of resources in comparison to the empire. Our supply lines are already stretched and the morale of our troops is low since Kurenai defected. If we don't gain a huge victory, it's the end for us. It is with this reason that I have proposed a plan that will increase our chances for the capture of the Sarutobi Fortress..." explained Shino briefly, and saw he had the attention of everyone in the room.

The next few minutes were spent explaining the entire plan, by the time he was done half of the people in the room were looking at him with disgust while the other half were staring at him in shock and admiration in their eyes.

"We can't go that far, that's-" argued Temari, and flinched when Shino's cold gaze landed on her.

"Then I'll relieve you of your command. In this war we either live by the sword or die by the sword. That's the only options on the table..." threatened the Aburame, Baki immediately took a step forward but Temari stopped him.

"The plan seems sound and our chances of victory are increased by a great extent. But Aburame, history won't be so kind to us if we do this..." warned Mei, only to receive a negative shake of head from the special forces commander.

"History is written by the victor. It is one of the ideals which I and Naruto share, if we win then we can change the entire story according to our tastes. If we don't take this action, then I can assure you that we will be history..." said Shikamaru crudely,

Jiraiya shook his head clearly expressing his opposition to this barbarous plan, there were some lines which even the Toad Sage dared not cross. Assassinating the emperor was necessary, but this was madness.

To his shock, the Raikage, Mizukage, Kazekage and Hokage agreed without any argument. Their subordinates also shared the same opinion.

"Who will lead this expedition?" asked Jiraiya worriedly, and was not surprised when Shino stepped forward.

"I am appointing the Magician as the commander of our forces. He's the one who came up with this plan, so it's just that he executes it as well. Any objections?" asked Shikamaru sternly,

"Do I really have to take part in this?" asked Temari bitterly,

"Yes" replied Shino flatly,

"Then I want you to take full responsibility. I won't be held accountable if this plan fails, is that clear?" asked the Kazekage sternly, knowing it would certainly stop the Aburame in his tracks.

"Very well..."

Shikamaru smirked when without even blinking an eye Shino accepted the request silencing any protests Temari could make. The Kazekage now had no choice but to join in or risk suffering the wrath of the other leaders.

"I will also need the Mizukage and her top fighters to participate in this operation. I will personally command the Black Lancers and make sure we succeed..." ordered Shino, receiving a nod from Mei.

"We'll do as you say, Commander..."

"Oi, Shino. Isn't taking the Black Lancers an overkill for this mission?" asked Shikamaru skeptically,

The Black Lancers were after all the best, fastest and strongest soldiers in the entire resistance. Made up of Konoha Anbu, Suna Anbu, Kiri Anbu and the remnants of the Kinkaku forces of Kumo. Recently the remaining forces from Iwa had also joined the resistance, and an additional unit of air commandos and bomber squadrons had been added to this unit.

"Don't be mistaken. Our opponent is another Jinchuuriki, one mistake and he'll give you a sand burial. Naruto was only beaten due to a sneaky attack for which he was not prepared, in a straight up fight none of us can match the firepower of a Jinchuuriki. This is besides the Reich soldiers and the firepower of the fortress that will attack our forces..." explained Shino

"I see. You have thought this through. It might not be an overstatement in saying this that you're our best hope for winning this war..." complimented Shikamaru, and received similar nods from everyone present in the room.

Shino didn't give any reply to the praise and confidence being showered on him. Rather his eyes were gazing at the mountains outside the window, he wished things were so simple as the Kages were assuming them to be. But then again, his reputation had become legendary ever since he brought the emperor down. He would not have liked so much attention, but there was no choice either.

The Magician.

He didn't know who came up with that name, and neither did he have the time or energy to stop everyone from calling him that. Every enemy had a weakness, the Reich was no such exception. Sasuke was a brute who had defended the empire with sheer force, Kakashi was a capable warrior but he was needed to maintain order within the Reich. Same was the case with Tsunade, Haku was also a sound warrior but she was not in any condition to fight.

As far as his research about Gaara went, the red head was also another capable warrior. Would he see through their strategy, if so then their casualties would be massive. If the opposite happened, then would Gaara and his soldiers surrender? Since Shino himself was leading this expedition could he allow such a surrender without displeasing the others?

The people in the room would like nothing less than a massacre of enemy forces, but killing surrounded, helpless soldiers who had no chance of winning was disgraceful.

"That's right. I will ask them to surrender, the consequences be damned. The rise and fall of our nations are at stake, I cannot fail..."

And with those determined thoughts, the magician went away to a battle that was going to change everything.

Shikamaru was currently going through another list of civilian complaints demanding more supplies be directed towards them. Couldn't they just understand how much their own soldiers were struggling? Even in times of war, instead of thinking about the nation these people were only concerned about themselves.

Kurenai had effectively managed the balance between the military and civilians, in that regard she was a fair and better ruler than him. But she had committed the crime of surrendering to the enemy which was unforgivable.

"A word, Hokage-sama..."

He looked up to see his special forces commander was still standing in the room. The other Kages and warriors had left, leaving only Shino and Shikamaru alone in the war room.

"What is it?" asked Shikamaru curiously,

"I want to know what are your intentions after this latest expedition. That is if we win and capture the fortress..." questioned Shino straight forwardly, making Shikmaru rub his forehead.

"There is no way we can accept the dictatorship of the empire. No matter who the ruler is, it will not be good for the world..." answered Shikamaru,

"And who are we to decide that?" retorted Shino tactfully, and maintained his gaze even when Shikamaru shot him a sharp glare.

"I don't like your tone, Commander..." warned Shikamaru

"I only speak the truth. If we capture the fortress then I suggest we make a truce with the empire. Form a separate nation away from the borders of the empire, where our people can live. This war has already gone on long enough, our civilians will stage a revolt sooner or later if we force them to live in such pathetic conditions for long. Using Sarutobi Fortress as a bargaining chip, I think we can arrive at a conclusion with the Reich. Naruto is not an unreasonable man, I think he wants peace too. There is no point in continuing this war..." argued Shino

"Have you discussed your opinion with anyone else?" asked Shikamaru suspiciously,

"No"

"Then keep it that way, it's an order. Naruto wants to eliminate the shinobi, our culture will be destroyed. Do you want to perish, Shino? To have your existence disappear?" asked the Hokage furiously,

Shino didn't reply and instead settled for a cold gaze and directed it towards the Hokage who stopped speaking. It was a well known fact, that Shikamaru was good at tactics and diplomacy but when it came to battle and loyalty of the soldiers then Shino had it. Shikamaru was a leader in all but name, while the real power of the resistance was the silent Aburame.

The Anbu forces commander gave a crisp salute to his leader and walked away from the room, with one thought plaguing his heart.

"Are we even worth saving?"

Walking through the long streets of the resistance base, Shino had a disappointed expression in his eyes on seeing so many young orphans running here and there. Poor people could be seen taking shelters near shady alleys, begging for food, money. Anything to survive.

He was a proud ninja and believed in the oath he made long ago as a Konoha Shinobi. But now looking at the continuously deteriorating condition of his people made him rethink about his actions.

The resistance leaders and the military were adamant on continuing the war, even if it meant their total annihilation.

The current strength of the resistance stood at 50,000 active fighters and 5,000 reserves.

The Reich at the same time had active personnel numbering 26,000 and another 10,000 as reserves.

Despite the greater numbers the resistance had not been able to achieve much success, which was due to a number of reasons. The primary being their lack of a strong leader. Kurenai was one but she defected, and looking back Shino could finally understand why.

Kurenai had already anticipated how bleak the future of the resistance was, and contrary to popular beliefs among their soldiers the people of the empire were quite happy. The latest reports which Shino got had clearly suggested that the entire civilian population was supporting the Reich's military. Their faith in their Kaiser and soldiers was absolute.

Even if Naruto had made them loyal to him due to his sharingan, Shino could never refute a logical superiority when he saw one.

Most of all did he really want to be the person who re-established the violent ninja system? Fighting wars for the past three years had taught him a lot of things. While the conflict with the Reich would end sooner or later, the selfish former village leaders would again form their hidden villages. The cycle of hatred and endless conflict would start again.

Was it better to form a proper union and solve problems collectively? Or divide humanity under different banners and continue to fight till eternity?

Shino had participated in several bloody battles in his short life, starting from the wave invasion to the countless encounters that would follow after that. Each had left him more broken and surrounded by fewer friends day by day. And this was not even taking into account the suffering of the civilians. Naruto had at the very least given them a chance at peace.

Either way, he could not agree with the destructive ideology of his leaders. Majority of the soldiers and civilians respected him more than they did their respective leaders. The best course of action for peace would be either truce with the empire or merger with them.

In any case, his death would be imminent. If he failed in staging this coup then the resistance leaders would execute him without a second thought. Even if he won the Sarutobi Fortress and tried to start negotiations for his people with the empire, the very first thing they would demand would be his life since he was the one who harmed their Kaiser.

"What a complicated situation. Regardless concrete steps must be taken for peace, I can't let millions of civilians be sacrificed for the sake of a few war mongering soldiers..." thought Shino seriously,

If death was the only option, then he would chose to die with honor. If his life could save the future of millions and pave a way for a peaceful future, then he didn't mind dying.

But first, he needed to make preparations for gaining a bargaining chip which would bring the Reich to the negotiations table again.

Gaara was comfortably sitting in his command chair, the latest reports from the frontlines were the same as before. The enemy was not trying to start a war front in this area, certainly not after the massacre of their forces in the previous encounter. A lot of resistance soldiers lost their lives in that failed attempt, and the red head doubted they would try to venture out here anytime soon.

"Gaara-sama..."

Matsuri's alarmed voice brought him out of his thoughts. Getting up from his seat he walked towards the war table where their sensory ninja had mapped a new enemy presence which was rapidly approaching towards their fortress.

"Enemy forces?" asked Gaara calmly,

"Approximately 200 fighters..." answered Matsuri confusedly,

"That's too few to even attempt an attack. Have they lost their mind?" asked Gaara irritatedly, he hated unnecessary bloodshed but the resistance was not leaving him a choice this time.

"Order our recon units to give me a visual on the enemy. Confirm our reports..."

The next few minutes passed in tense silence as the soldiers in the command room waited for their front line recon units to give them a visual. After a few more moments, the scene which appeared on the monitors shocked Gaara to the core.

"What is this?" asked a shocked Gaara,

Even the Reich soldiers were stunned with what they were seeing, as a large force of 4,000 enemy fighters appeared on their war table. But instead of attacking the fortress, they seemed to have surrounded the 200 short force of their own soldiers.

What shocked Gaara more was the fact that Temari and Kankuro were the ones leading that small force and were currently surrounded. The former Ichibi Jinchuuriki was stunned when the 4,000 strong resistance soldiers started killing the small surrounded group.

"A communication from the Rebel Kazekage. She's asking for asylum, the men with her are defectors of the resistance..." confirmed Matsuri,

"Confirm it again" barked Gaara

After a few moments he got the same response from his communication officer, his siblings seemed to have defected from the resistance. But it could also be a trap? After what happened with Naruto, could he truly trust even defectors from the resistance?

"Commander..." urged Matsuri, waiting for any kind of order.

"Set Alert Status throughout the fortress. Order all forces to arms, standby for further orders..." commanded Gaara,

He watched as Matsuri and the other Reich officers effortlessly carried out his orders. The entire fortress came alive with action as soldiers started rushing to stations, arming themselves and preparing for any situation. There were a total of 12,000 combat ready Reich fighters in this fortress, the largest force the empire had stationed in one area. A third of their total army...

"Contact the Headquarters. Inform Sasuke and Kakashi immediately. Demand further instructions..." ordered Gaara, following the established protocol to the letter.

But even as he did his duty, he painfully watched as the small force of defectors from the resistance were eventually getting slaughtered. Temari and Kankuro were fighting valiantly, but it was only a matter of time before they were eliminated. Despite their differences, he didn't have any hatred towards these two. If it was only his decision, then he would have went to their rescue.

But he was not just Sabuka No Gaara anymore. He was an important commander of the Reich and the 12,000 soldiers under his command had entrusted their lives to him. He could not act on his personal feelings, the ones who would be deciding their further course of action will be their commanders residing in the capital.

"Commander, Sasuke-sama is currently out of the capital. I have Kakashi-sama on the line..." informed Matsuri quickly,

"Patch me through, Lieutenant..."

A moment later a tired Kakashi appeared on the screen, there were dark spots beneath his eyes clearly showing how stressed the man was. But the situation demanded he take control, since Sasuke was busy elsewhere. It were times like these that made Gaara wish their empire not be so vast. It was hard to maintain control with such a small force and few reliable commanders. They would definitely have to form a more larger army in the future, but that would have to wait.

"Seems like we're in a pinch, huh? Gaara..." said Kakashi bemusedly, making some of the Reich officer's smirk.

Gaara himself smiled a little, even in such a tense situation, the copy ninja certainly knew how to put his soldiers at ease. No wonder Naruto had appointed Kakashi as the Interim Kaiser if Naruto or Haku were not there to control their kingdom. With Sasuke out of the capital, Kakashi Hatake had the power equivalent of a Kaiser.

"Your orders, Mein Kaiser...'' said Gaara flatly, as Kakashi quickly shook his head.

"Hey, don't pin this title on me. This is only temporary, I'd be damned if I let Naruto or anyone else make me do all this work forever..." joked Kakashi, eliciting another round of chuckles.

"But still, what should we do? Do we let these defectors die? Or..." said Gaara hesitantly,

"I trust your judgement, Gaara. You are a capable leader and have protected this fortress several times. Do whatever you feel is right..." instructed Kakashi confidently,

"But-"

"I'll take full responsibility if things go south. A leader has to have faith in the judgement of his subordinates, I maybe a temporary Kaiser but I trust you. Just keep me regularly informed, I'll be online..." ordered Kakashi, receiving a faithful nod from the red head jinchuuriki.

"As you command, Mein Kaiser..." replied Gaara devotedly,

The next few moments passed in extreme tension as Gaara critically observed the deteriorating condition of his own siblings. Their slaughter was imminent, if they were really defectors then they could provide valuable information about the resistance. But after what happened with Naruto, this could also be a trap set up by the resistance...

However, would they resort to such drastic measures of killing their own soldiers?

Even if he wanted to avoid the battle, the main enemy force after eliminating Temari's group could directly attack the fortress. They certainly had the numbers for a small but prolonged conflict. He simply couldn't cramp his forces inside the fortress and allow a siege to happen willingly.

In any case, the situation demanded him to take offensive action or risk getting pushed on the defensive.

"Yosh, The 1st Battalion compromising of 3,000 soldiers will take position on the left flank. The 2nd Battalion of 3,000 soldiers will take position on the right flank. I will personally lead the 3rd battalion compromising of 4,000 soldiers. Together we will encircle the main enemy force in a semi-circular formation and cut of their escape route. Then with out superior numbers we will crush them completely..." instructed Gaara, receiving a series of affirmative nods from his officers.

"Hai!"

"The remaining 2,000 soldiers will stay in the castle and act as reserves. Their orders are to observe and assist the main force if the need arises. Understood?" asked Gaara sternly,

"Yes, Commander" replied Matsuri seriously,

The Astarte Encounter had began!