Chapter 96: Live by the Sword

Hashirama had an extremely remorseful look in his eyes as Naruto finished his story. The young boy had not left anything or twisted facts in his favor, he had clearly stated that once upon a time he had been a loyal soldier who had defended Konoha to the best of his abilities, and on losing faith turned into the one who destroyed it. He had told the Senju of his victories, defeats, losses, regrets, and future vision for the world which he created today.

In Naruto, Hashirama could see reflections of Madara and himself. And deep down, whether he wanted to admit it or not nobody could deny the fact that Kaiser Naruto Uchiha was only born due to the faults of the ninja world and its creators.

All of them had themselves to blame for their mistakes, Naruto for his and Hashirama for his own.

The Hokage's mistakes costed him his dream village and world over the years, despite the warning given by Madara before his death.

While Naruto's mistakes costed him the lives of many loved ones, his childhood and made him commit the sin of murdering his comrades, friends, superiors and thousands of other people.

"In the end, we're simply monsters with different uniforms and visions..." said Naruto honestly, a bittersweet smile visible on his handsome face.

"And the people of our era and worlds consider us heroes..." replied Hashirama bitterly, shaking his head sadly.

"One man's hero is another one's villain. Don't be sad, Hashirama. That's just the way history works, you won't be the only one who will be hated for certain decisions you made during your life. Future generations may also curse or criticize me for the decisions I've made or will make from this point on. Being a leader isn't just about ability, but it's about taking responsibility. It's not just about making the good, perfect decisions but also about making the shitty ones that can make or break everything we've built..." explained Naruto calmly, earning a small smile from the Senju.

"You're far wiser than I was in your age. Your ancestors would be proud of you, Naruto..." congratulated Hashirama

"On the contrary, if the people whom I serve right now are satisfied with my work then my life won't be meaningless. Everything that has happened till now would be worth it if I could save this world from the Armageddon it faces right now..." said Naruto seriously,

"Your intentions maybe good, but it never changes the truth that you murdered Hiruzen, destroyed my village, my nation, slaughtered many of my people. What do you have to say for these crimes of yours?" asked Hashirama flatly, as Naruto got up on his feet on seeing the vines holding Tobirama loosening little by little.

Looking into the dead serious eyes of the Shodaime Hokage made him understood the conflict the man was in. Smiling he stood firm, and stared straight into Hashirama's eyes.

"My conscious is free..." answered Naruto honestly, making Hashirama sigh sadly.

Kurama was left speechless when Hashirama got back on his feet and gave a crisp, respectful salute to Naruto. The Kaiser closed his eyes but gave an acknowledging nod regardless.

"Your Majesty, Kaiser Naruto please believe I have great admiration for your talents and greatness. And if I were to have another grandson, I would like to have someone like you. But I can't be your subordinate or accept this world of yours..." said Hashirama honestly,

Naruto didn't say a word, even as Tobirama was freed.

"Tobirama and I feel sorry and apologize for the pain our decisions might have caused you, but we can never side with you. It maybe his business in saying his opinion, but I can guarantee he will agree with what I just said. That is to say, if I'm allowed to say important-sounding things then it will be the truth that I built the ninja world on the philosophy of making friends on equal terms, regardless of pasts, clan, and not on creating master-servant relationships."

The wild winds flowing across the area slowed down...

"I want to have good friends, and I want to be a good friend to other people. But I don't want a good master or to be a good servant, the same goes for Tobirama and perhaps the ninjas who still oppose you. This is why we will never be able to uphold the same flag as you, although I appreciate your kindness towards me I doubt you have any need for old men like me and my brother..." said Hashirama respectfully, with a small smile.

The Hokage twisted his fingers as a giant wooden replica of a ninja was slowly formed. It was one of the largest statues the Kaiser had ever seen, with its vast figure towering over the entire Reich capital.

"A tribute to the Shinobi World..."

Time stopped as the Kaiser spared a nostalgic glance towards the historical monument that would always remind him and everyone as to where all of them came from. And what was the past world that made them who they were today, and who they would be in the future.

The young Kaiser sighed on seeing the two Senju brothers taking battle positions, and Orochimaru slowly sneaking up behind them to participate in the battle.

"Naruto, what will you do?" asked Kurama hesitantly,

"Their intentions are clear. The were the founders of the shinobi world, as such they're throwing down the gauntlet themselves. This is Hashirama's attempt to immortalize the spirit of ninjas in a positive light by fighting this one last battle..." explained Naruto, clearly touched by the old Senju's resolve.

"A man who truly maintains his mettle despite old age and life full of pain deserves admiration..." said Kurama frankly, earning a nod from his container.

"This is a challenge from one of the most battle tested warriors and respectful leaders who is staking everything for the sake of his civilization. Hashirama was the father of shinobi, as such he is trying to protect his children till the end. As a leader myself, and in my authority as Kaiser I cannot disregard this challenge. We shall fulfill his last wish..." said Naruto seriously, determination shining in his eyes.

"Victory or death, Mein Kaiser?" asked Kurama curiously, an eager smirk arriving on his face.

"No, it's not that. But victory or a more complete victory..." answered Naruto confidently, making his partner smile widely.

Orochimaru grinned when the Kaiser stepped forward to face the godly Senju brothers in a battle that would determine the fate of their worlds.

Tsunade and Gaara could only marvel at the sight from afar as they watched their supreme commander walking across the blood stained battlefield with a few of his soldiers. As the sun slowly started to vanish in the midst of rising darkness, it marked not only the end of the first day of humanity's greatest war but also the end of the lives of 25,000 soldiers currently lying dead across the battlefield.

They were quite astonished and left speechless when Kakashi bent down and picked up a blood stained Resistance flag. Without a word to even his own surprised escort soldiers, the Reich Supreme Commander placed the flag straight in the hands of the Raikage's deceased corpse making it stand firm and proud.

"I can see from where the Kaiser got his sense of honor..." said Gaara silently, getting a begrudging nod from Tsunade herself.

"Giving respect to dead enemies, even when they don't deserve it. They are the traits of noble leader..." said Tsunade,

"Would the Resistance do the same for our soldiers and officers?" asked Gaara bitterly, making Tsunade sigh.

"That is the difference between them and us. A difference Kakashi and Naruto intend to keep, the Reich and the Resistance have their own differences. We will even kill each other for our ideologies, but all of us bleed the same colored blood, die the same death. Life may have divided us, but death equals us all. We must strive to be human at the very end towards each other at the very least..." explained Tsunade patiently, as Gaara stared at the sky.

"I wonder, what shall become of our kingdom after we play our parts..." said Gaara mysteriously, as Tsunade smiled.

Gaara saw a sagely look arriving on the older Senju's face, as she pointed her finger on her head and heart in proper succession.

"Our kingdom lies in our minds and our souls. That kingdom can never be surrendered or destroyed..." said Tsunade devotedly, showing absolute faith in her beliefs.

Gaara nodded as he carefully observed the setting sun in the sky, and his thoughts lingered over the uncertain future that awaited them all.

"If this Reich is the chosen kingdom of humanity, then let God do with it as he wills..."

Kakashi had been aimlessly staring at the endless sea of corpses, while there were no survivors left among the once strong enemy invasion force he still wanted to make sure there were no stragglers left. While also searching the corpses for any information that might just help him in the defense the next day.

Watching the frozen, unmoving faces of Darui and thousands of young men and women made him remember the Third Great Ninja War, and a saying he had heard from one war veteran long ago.

"In peace, the sons bury their fathers. But in war, the fathers bury their sons..." said Kakashi sadly,

"Supreme Commander..."

He was brought out of his thoughts when Neji called for him. Turning in the young boy's direction, he slowly walked towards a small group of his soldiers who had encircled a particular area of the battlefield.

Even Kakashi's curiosity peaked on hearing uncertain whispers among many of his men, and on reaching the spot he understood why.

Neji had a worried expression on his face even as Kakashi kneeled down to observe the several strange corpses which were making many of their own soldiers uneasy.

"It's just as the Kaiser feared..." thought Kakashi gravely,

As right in front of him, lay several thousand strange corpses. These dead bodies while having a human figure were neither men or women, hell they appeared to be zombie like creatures in manly forms. Their entire bodies were white in color, no sign of clothes or genital organs, if one could guess correctly they were males but nothing was certain.

"There are more across the battlefield. Our soldiers found them reverting to this state, it seems they were previously taking the forms of Resistance fighters but they were really..." said Neji hesitantly, not finding the right words to speak.

"I see. Gather a few of these bodies as samples and send them to Sakura. I want a full autopsy in 12 hours, we need to know as much as possible about them..." instructed Kakashi

"Yes, sir" replied Matsuri quickly, even as many Reich soldiers started picking up a few zombie corpses.

Neji saw Kakashi was not too surprised with this discovery, which only fueled his doubts that the man knew that something like this could happen.

"You know what they are?" asked Neji seriously,

"I have a wild guess. But we should not be spreading rumors at this point, we need to keep our soldiers focused..." said Kakashi flatly,

"I understand..."

They were interrupted when several birds descended from the sky carrying with them the tired forms of Shino, Suigetsu and many critically injured Reich soldiers who were sent on a previously suicidal mission of harassing the enemy camp from behind.

With speed unforeseen Kakashi ran to their side, and wordlessly started helping many injured men and women getting off the birds and laying them on stretchers.

Neji and the others around him seemed stunned on seeing the Supreme Commander's uniform getting drenched in blood and dirt of the injured soldiers, but Kakashi didn't seem to care. Not wanting to leave their leader alone, all of them also started helping in transporting the injured to the medical camp.

A few moments later, they were joined by Gaara and Tsunade. With the Senju immediately rushing to heal the injured, while the red head arriving beside Kakashi's side as they faced Shino and Suigetsu who were panting harshly.

"Where is Sasuke and his platoon?" asked Gaara,

"They...said...they...were...taking...a...detour. The enemy had us pinned, Sasuke held the line with his men and said he would evacuate with his platoon from the other evacuation site. He should have been here by now..." said Shino honestly,

"Maybe that fucker went crazy over the enemy..." said Suigetsu light heartedly, but found no smiles from either Kakashi or Gaara.

Instead both men looked towards each other and Shino saw Gaara giving the Hatake a firm nod.

"I'll prepare a platoon right away..." said Gaara seriously, and ran off to make the necessary preparations.

"Permission to go with Gaara, Supreme Commander. I know the terrain and Sasuke did save my life, so..." requested Shino flatly,

"Oi, if that's the case then I'm going too..." chided Suigetsu quickly,

Kakashi was about to say something, when the remaining uninjured soldiers from Shino and Suigetsu's platoons stepped forward beside their leaders, the same determination burning in their eyes.

"You guys just got back here..." said Kakashi seriously,

"No one gets left behind..." replied Shino, with a faint smile.

"Besides, Sasuke is a high ranking commander. It would be bad if we let him die, this way I atleast get to tease him for saving his ass..." said Suigetsu with a smirk,

Gaara ran past them with a full platoon of battle ready soldiers. The redhead stopped a few meters ahead, and gave an annoyed glare to the two officers and their soldiers.

"Do I need to pass out invitations?"

Kakashi smirked when Shino and Suigetsu shook their heads but joined Gaara's side regardless. As the soldiers started boarding on the birds, Gaara turned back and his eyes connected with those of the Supreme Commander.

"We'll bring him back. I promise..." said Gaara seriously,

Kakashi nodded as one by one the birds took off in the air and started going back towards the hot zone.

"I know, Gaara..."

Sasuke remained calm even as the man who ruined his life appeared in front of him. It did surprise him that even as after all these years, Itachi Uchiha appeared to be the same. His long, dark hair were neatly tied in a ponytail and just one glance at his face reminded Sasuke of his beautiful mother whom Itachi was a complete replica of.

Looking back now he could easily see his older brother looked like his mother, while Sasuke himself took after Fugaku both in looks and personality.

He sighed on seeing the frozen faces of his men whom his older brother just killed. The only solace Sasuke could gain was that their deaths were instantaneous.

"Why are you here, Itachi?" asked Sasuke seriously,

"You've changed, Sasuke..." said Itachi,

Each of them merely stared at the other, brothers who had once shared an unbreakable bond only to be set on the opposite sides.

"I'm surprised you didn't come after me for revenge. I'm honestly disappointed in you, little brother..." taunted Itachi, receiving a faint smile in return.

"That's because you no longer mean anything to me, Itachi..."

Sasuke carefully observed as those words did manage to have an impact. The ever calm facade of Itachi Uchiha vanished for a moment, and just for a few seconds Sasuke saw sadness in his brother's eyes but just as quickly it had arrived it vanished just as quickly.

"I have another brother now, one who wouldn't kill his family for anything. I have friends, comrades, someone to go home to, people who'll remember me long after I'm gone from this world. The same cannot be said for you..." said Sasuke tersely, making Itachi smile.

"Should I be happy?, Naruto will fall soon enough, and with your death my dream of achieving true power will be accomplished. I will be the strongest Uchiha alive..." boasted Itachi, and frowned when Sasuke laughed.

"Maybe we will die, maybe we won't. But the Uchiha's will live on, we've made sure of that..." answered Sasuke,

The younger brother again saw his sibling losing composure. Itachi's eyes widened as he understood the implications behind those words, and seeing that happy smile on Sasuke's face just about erased any lingering doubts in his heart.

"That's right. You're going to be an uncle in a few months..."

Itachi felt as if an entire mountain was placed on his already crumbling shoulders. Staring into Sasuke's eyes, he was shocked to see a peaceful expression visible in them.

"You've lived a full life without regrets, Sasuke. And now..." thought Itachi in surprise,

"This won't change anything. I will still kill you and your child..." promised Itachi coldly,

The Anbu captain prepared himself when Sasuke wordlessly walked towards him. The Reich Commander had not raised his weapon prompting Itachi to follow the same gesture, after a few more steps Sasuke was right in front of his older brother.

SLAP

Itachi fell to the ground courtesy of a tight slap being implanted on his cheek. What surprised him more was his lack of resolve to even block that hit, only because of the disappointed look in Sasuke's eyes.

"Enough, Itachi. Stop lying and performing your miserable acting..." scolded Sasuke,

"What are-"

"I want the truth..." demanded Sasuke,

"You already know why..." replied Itachi flatly, making Sasuke grit his teeth.

"I want to hear the real truth from your mouth. Even when I already know about the coup..."

Time stopped for Itachi as he heard those words and one look in Sasuke's sad eyes made him realize his brother already knew about his ugly life, and why he did what he did. The only question left was how did Sasuke know, even when...

"I ransacked Naruto's mind when he was in coma. I always knew he was hiding something from me, and through my sharingan I accessed his memories while he was asleep. While it was dishonorable, Naruto was stealing my right to know so I had no choice. I know about the Root Coup, Uchiha coup, what you were...I know everything" said Sasuke sadly,

Sasuke saw his brother closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. A few moments later, the fake expressions disappeared from Itachi's eyes as he looked straight at him.

"If that's the case, then there's no use denying it. It's true..." confessed Itachi, as Sasuke closed his eyes while clenching his fists.

"I didn't want to believe it back then, and now..." said Sasuke bitterly, a painful look visible in his eyes.

Itachi remained silent, his head facing towards the ground unable to meet his younger brother's eyes. He could face the strongest warriors of the world, but didn't have the courage to witness the unending pain that was visible in Sasuke's eyes and heart.

The silence helped him in picking up the sounds of incoming Resistance fighters, and after what Sasuke did to them Itachi knew what would happen if they caught the Reich Commander right now.

"We need to leave..."

Sasuke looked in the direction from where he also heard angry voices, and sensed several chakra signatures rapidly approaching towards him. Itachi got back on his feet, and wordlessly both brothers started running together. Neither of them said a word or showed any hostile intentions, as each of them was busy in dealing with their volatile emotions.

Half an hour later, they had managed to shake off their pursuers and were now standing in front of a vast lake. There were several trees nearby and the setting sun in the sky provided a beautiful image to their troubled souls.

While Sasuke was staring at the sky, Itachi was busy observing the changed man that was his younger brother.

"Father and mother would have been proud of you, Sasuke..." said Itachi compassionately,

The Reich Commander closed his eyes in a last effort to hide the tears swelling up in his eyes, as he felt a strong fist encircling around his heart on remembering his deceased parents and a happy family he had once been a part of.

"They were proud of you too, Nii-san..."

Itachi choked back a sob on hearing that word after so many years, and what broke his heart was the fact that Sasuke said it without any hatred or sarcasm behind it.

"What do you want to do?" asked Itachi quietly,

He carefully observed as Sasuke unsheathed his sword, and stared at it for a few moments. Taking a deep breath, Itachi prepared himself for battle only to be shocked when Sasuke stabbed the sword in the ground.

"Get out of here, Itachi..." said Sasuke bitterly, and saw the shock clearly visible on his brother's face.

"What?"

"I can never forgive you for what you did. But I understand why you did it, however there's no gain in killing each other..." admitted Sasuke,

"I don't want your pity..." replied Itachi flatly, and flinched on receiving a sharp glare in return.

"You don't deserve it either. Konoha and Danzo may have manipulated you, but in the end it was still your decision to kill our entire clan. It was your sword that killed my mother and father. Everyone of us makes choices, you made yours. And right now I'm making mine..." said Sasuke seriously,

"Letting me go is your choice?" asked Itachi in disbelief,

"Killing you would be showing mercy; and it's exactly what you want, isn't it?. I won't give you that because I want you to repent for your crimes by living with your guilt for the rest of your life. If I kill you, it would only make the sacrifice of our parents meaningless. You may have placed the village over them, I can't..." said Sasuke furiously,

"It seems Naruto's attitude is rubbing off on you..." taunted Itachi, with a faint smile. He couldn't say it out-loud, but he felt immensely proud of the man standing in front of him.

Sasuke grunted even as a smile of his own arrived on his lips.

"That bastard. He's a pain in the ass most of the time, but is also someone for whom I wouldn't mind dying. If not for him, I would have turned out to be a useless avenger. Maybe I would have wasted my entire life running after you, even sacrificed my life in killing you. But he didn't let me go down that dark path..." said Sasuke proudly,

"He has a strange sense of honor, and I've never seen anyone like him..." admitted Itachi,

"Naruto is the light that illuminated my dark life, he filled the hole which you created. With him, I built this Reich and used my powers for development instead of destruction. It was a bumpy ride, but I wouldn't trade any of it for the world..." said Sasuke happily,

"It's been a good ride for us all..." replied Itachi, receiving a rare full smile from his younger brother.

"The best..."

In that moment the brothers felt themselves being transported back to a time where their world was still normal, where they had a family to come home to, where they always had each other no matter what. Itachi hesitantly took a step forward, and Sasuke repeated the action albeit a little less slowly.

Their eyes teared up as they neared each other, and before they knew it they had their arms wrapped around each other.

"I missed you, Sasuke..." said Itachi sadly, a lone tear falling from his eye.

"Did you ever love me, Itachi? Or was all of those moments just fake?" asked Sasuke hesitantly,

"I've always loved you, little brother..."

"Then, please stop right now. We've already lost too much in our lives, don't be a blind patriot till the end. Why the hell are you even supporting the Resistance right now? It was these ninja villages that killed our clan, manipulated you to do their dirty jobs. They must pay for their crimes..." argued Sasuke passionately,

Itachi gently broke the hug and placed a hand over his young brother's shoulder.

"I know they are wrong..." said Itachi honestly,

"Then WHY?" yelled Sasuke frustratedly,

"The things we do for our best friends. I couldn't protect Konoha, I failed in keeping the promise I made to my best friend. Sasuke, seeing you become such a great man fills my heart with pride. But you must understand, for me there is only one way. I have contradicted my beliefs many times, at least this way..." said Itachi frankly, never finishing the last sentence.

"You're still doing all of this for the sake of your best friend? And a promise made years ago?" asked Sasuke in surprise,

"You and I are different yet the same in many aspects. We both made our own choices but they were heavily influenced and made for the sake of our friends. I cannot change the past, and I have no desire to live like this after what I did. At the very least, I will give it my all by destroying the Reich and the Kaiser..." promised Itachi,

Sasuke's gaze hardened on hearing that as he stepped away from his brother who remained impassive.

"Do you really mean that?"

"Yes"

Itachi saw Sasuke's hands trembling as he picked up his sword, the boy's lips were trembling as he tried to muster the courage to do what needed to be done. It made the Anbu Captain smile as he was reminded of a memory from years ago.

"Do not fear. This is the path you have chosen..." said Itachi flatly,

"I..."

"Compared to the pain I caused you, mine would be much smaller. Our philosophies may have been different, but I am proud of you Sasuke..." complimented Itachi, repeating the words said by his father all those years ago with minute changes added.

Sasuke closed his eyes in defeat on hearing those words. His hands stopped shaking, lips stopped trembling as he firmly raised his sword towards his smiling brother.

"The only way I can satisfy you would be to fight you myself. If that is your wish, then I shall honor it..." thought Sasuke respectfully,

Itachi activated his Mangekyo Sharingan as Sasuke activated his own. The tension in the air increased as Sasuke pointed his sword at his older brother...

"Live by the sword..." stated Sasuke, receiving a proud smile from Itachi who raised his own weapon towards his brother and said four words.

"...Die by the sword"