Chapter 101: Day Before Destiny

Standing on top of the giant "Uzu Wall" were nearly 200 soldiers. Dressed in black full sleeved shirts and pants of the same color, each of them had the Swastika symbol tied on their arms. Swords resting firmly on their backs and their faces covered by death masks.

They were the "SS Guard"

Unknown to most of the people of the world, they were named after two of the Kaiser's deceased friends whose names started with the same initial letter. Among the entire Reich forces, they were the best. Being personally trained by the likes of Sasuke Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake, they had successfully secured many crucial victories for their empire regardless of the cost.

Right now staring at the monster howling across the battlefield made none of them flinch or back away, even when it was the largest and most dangerous thing they had ever seen.

Apart from their courage such steadiness came with the fact that their newest army commander stood in front of them. Dressed in the same uniform as his soldiers, with only his face not covered by the Death Mask; Sabaku no Gaara observed the terrifying monster with a cold, icy gaze. No sign of fear or tension visible in those pale blue-green eyes of the former Suna Jinchuuriki.

While their previous Army Commander would have ordered them to valiantly charge such a monstrous enemy, Gaara had taken a few seconds to ascertain the situation and then spoke in clear words.

"Men, your mission is to adopt a defensive formation and encircle this monster from all sides. Don't let it advance to the wall, no matter the cost!" commanded Gaara,

"Understood, Commander. But what about the masked man?" asked the SS Captain,

"Squads 4, 5, 6 will engage him if he makes a move to step in the battle. Until then, he is to be left alone. He certainly is someone beyond our powers..." said Gaara frankly,

"But-" said another squad leader, however he was silenced when Gaara gave him a blank stare.

"Our only priority is stopping this monster from attacking this wall. Neither do we have the resources or time to go after the masked man controlling it, if we fall the rest of the soldiers are needed to stop the monster. That is why I will personally lead all of you in battle..." said Gaara seriously,

"Commander..." said many of them in surprise,

At that moment, Kakashi stepped beside them along with another person. Gaara blinked in surprise, when he saw something he had never seen before in his entire life.

Tsunade Senju dressed in a battle armor arrived beside him. The Senju clan's mark shined proudly on her armor alongwith the Reich uniform she wore beneath it. The SS soldiers were in awe for seeing a member of the Legendary Sannin stepping forward like this.

"I agree with Gaara's strategy and shall support him in this battle..." said Tsunade seriously,

"Then I thank you for the assistance, Tsunade-sama..." replied Gaara respectfully, as she cocked a surprised eyebrow at him.

"What? No women can participate in battle? Or you're too important as a medical ninja to risk your life in battle?" asked Tsunade bemusedly,

The Red head merely shook his head.

"That might be the perspective of Sasuke, not mine. You are a Kage level ninja, and have been through two great ninja wars. You're one of the strongest warriors in the Reich, and it would be foolish of me to believe that I alone can stand up to this monster alone with my men. That is what I truly believe..." replied Gaara honestly, no sign of deception or flattery visible in his eyes.

Tsunade could only stare at this boy. She didn't know where Sasuke was, but right now she had spotted a similarity in these boys along with her own ancestors.

Sasuke was like Hashirama when it came to army battles, a straight up warrior who always lead the charge and tried to overwhelm the enemy with sheer force and courage.

Gaara was like Tobirama, a sound and rational commander. Never one to be swayed by emotions, he always took the correct decisions no matter how hard they may seem to others. He even accepted the shame of becoming the only commander in the Reich to ever surrender to the Resistance, yet he did it regardless of his pride because it was necessary to save thousands of soldiers from being needlessly slaughtered during the Battle of Sarutobi Fortress.

Even now, Gaara's rationality and self control was the reason why their army was not in panic and utter chaos.

And unlike several soldiers in their army who joined their Reich after their respective villages and nations were defeated, Sasuke and Gaara had willingly joined the Kaiser and served him faithfully throughout the years.

"Supreme Commander Kakashi, I request you to fortify our defenses and prepare our forces for battle. Just in case..." suggested Gaara,

"It shall be done, Commander. Though I hope it doesn't come to that..." said Kakashi seriously, receiving nods from everyone.

"So do we, Kakashi..." replied Tsunade confidently,

Gaara stepped towards the edge of the wall, his eyes connected with those of the howling monster. Raising his hand in the air, he spoke in a deadly voice.

"CHARGE!"

Naruto awkwardly stood in his spot as three set of curious eyes observed him with rapt attention. Two of them were smiling bemusedly, while the last one looked curious and alert.

Kurenai's gaze was simply set on the small form of Rei.

"To think the ninja world was destroyed for this six year old girl..." thought Kurenai in awe,

Even so, she could not rule out the similarities between the little girl and the tall Kaiser. Rei had smooth blonde hair like her father, a nearly identical facial structure, same chin, same lips and the same dark eyes.

A perfect little clone of Naruto.

She was never much attracted to children, sure she wanted her own in her later years but never had her heart got overwhelmed with emotion on seeing any child around her. Yet as she stared at this girl, the lifeless, cold eyes of this child who never even had a chance to understand the meaning of life before it was taken from her.

"Rei..." said Naruto carefully, taking a small step towards the barrier.

The child backed away.

Kurenai's heart broke on seeing the pain in Naruto's eyes, the Kaiser's hands were trembling and he was trying very hard to control his tears.

"You killed my Root comrades, you killed Danzo-sama, you destroyed Konoha. Traitor..." said Rei angrily, her eyes clearly showing the hurt and pain which she felt.

"I..." said Naruto helplessly,

He had imagined this moment in his entire life, but now that it was happening he didn't know what to say. He couldn't lie to her even if he wanted to, nor could he force his will on her. He could never do that to his own daughter, his first child...

"Rei, you were told lies. Naruto is your father..." said Sai flatly,

Shin's eyes widened in shock as he stared at his two best friends. Rei stumbled and fell flat on the ground, tears fell from her eyes and her anger increased.

"LIES!'' yelled Rei,

Naruto quickly moved forward, and the ninjas holding the barrier instantly dropped the protective measure. The Three Edo Tensei moved to attack the Kaiser on an impulse, but Naruto's Mangekyo had been activated as he looked them all in the eye.

Kurenai had seen many video footage's of Naruto casting his ultimate genjutsu on people, and forever turning them into his comrades. But this was the first time, she was actually seeing it happen with her own eyes...

But something was different.

The Kaiser merely overrode the jutsu controlling his beloved ones, and freed them. Never once did he order to become his comrades or serve him, or even manipulate their emotions according to his wishes.

"You're...all...traitors...Danzo-sama...said...I...had...no...parents..." said Rei worriedly, feeling quite vulnerable on seeing so many people surrounding her.

She had already seen how powerful all of them were, particularly Naruto. She could never defeat him or escape, unless he allowed her to. And just how much time had passed? She had just gone to sleep a few hours ago...

"He lied, Rei. You're my daughter..." said Naruto gently, never making a move to touch her despite his heart screaming at him to do so.

"Then where is my mother? You say, that you are my father then where is my mother?" asked Rei sharply,

The Reich soldiers and staff baffled when they saw the helplessness in their Kaiser's eyes. Their leaders shoulders were slumping with the weight of that single question. Sai lowered his eyes, and Shin could only sadly stare at his friends misery.

Rei sadly shook her head when she didn't receive an answer to her question.

"You always lie, Captain Naruto..." said Rei sadly,

"I am your mother..."

Every pair of eyes in the room widened, the only sound in the room was those of firm footsteps approaching in the little girl's direction. Rei turned around, and for the first time saw an extremely beautiful woman walking towards her. Every step she took screamed of power, grace and courage. Her shoulders were straight and her mesmerizing ruby colored eyes were looking at her with determination and compassion.

Naruto could not move, could not speak, time seemed to have stop for him. His eyes widened when Kurenai knelt down and embraced the little girl in her arms.

Shin and Sai shared quick nods and nudged their friend. The Kaiser turned towards them, a sea of doubts and reluctance visible in his eyes but the two boys gave him sharp glares.

"Shut up, dimwit..." whispered Sai,

"I don't know what is going on, but this seems far better than the pathetic performance of yours..." muttered Shin, a bemused smile visible on his face.

Naruto glared at them. The two Root's merely rolled their eyes in return.

The Kaiser turned back to the females, to his surprise the raw anger and mistrust in Rei's eyes had faded away replaced only by sheer shock. And a faint happiness...

Unknowingly, the child had wrapped one of her little arms around Kurenai's back. Then it hit Naruto...

Family was the most important thing for a young child, he himself had craved so badly for it when he was of Rei's age. Kakashi had definitely filled the spot of father and elder brother, but Naruto never had a mother. Atleast not until he met Tsunade or Nono...

He remembered the lonely nights when he would wonder why his mother had left him alone?

And now he knew how important mothers were for a child. Especially for emotionally disturbed ones like Rei, who didn't know what was right or wrong anymore. Just like the Kaiser, Rei was manipulated by others her entire life.

More than that, the only memories Rei had of him were him butchering Root Anbu mercilessly. She had every reason to hate and mistrust him, but Kurenai was different.

However, could he really place such a burden on her? This was not just a one time favor, it was a lifelong responsibility which he didn't want to impose on her just to satisfy his own wish.

He looked at her, tension and anxiety easily visible in his eyes. Kurenai paused for a moment and merely looked at his troubled face. Then she gave a small smile, and that was the end of it. Naruto couldn't decide whether to be overjoyed or ashamed, did he even have any right over Rei?

The answer was clear...he didn't.

"What...I..." said Rei gently, her face relaxing as she stared at Kurenai.

Unlike the men, this woman had not tried to claim her like a thing but showed compassion. More than that, a small part of her heart wished that she had a mother like this or even better this woman turned out to be her true mother.

Her eyes turned towards Naruto asking the unsaid question, and Naruto nodded.

"Then...why...did...you...leave...me?" asked Rei hesitantly, Kurenai flinched just a little.

"The villagers of Konoha were quite biased against your father. They hated him for something which he had no power over, even so we loved each other. Since I am older than him, our relationship was more frowned upon. When you were born to us, the doctors told us that you were dead. Naruto was quite young at that time and he was heartbroken, and I was not allowed to see your body. But the truth was, that you were taken from us..." explained Kurenai, the last part said with much anger and bitterness visible in her voice.

"But...Danzo-sama..." said Rei, but was silenced when Kurenai shook her head.

"Shimura Danzo was a traitor who tried to start a civil war in the village. He brainwashed your Root comrades to participate in his evil plans, he tried to do the same thing to you and your father. Naruto tried very hard to save his comrades, but Danzo had gone to great lengths to make people his slaves. In order to save the village, the Hokage himself gave Naruto orders to stop Root..." stated Kurenai patiently,

"What?" asked Rei in horror, this was not what she had been told.

Shin meanwhile also seemed mortified on hearing what Danzo had just done, and closed his eyes when Naruto explained what had happened.

"I can give you the proof if you want to see it with your own eyes. You should believe me since I myself was the Godiame Hokage of Konoha..." said Kurenai seriously,

"You were...the Fifth?" asked Rei in awe, and saw Kurenai smile a little.

"I was..." said Kurenai proudly,

Rei's mistrustful gaze turned towards Naruto making the Kaiser flinch a little, but he somehow managed to hold his ground.

"It is true that Naruto killed everyone, but it was his mission. Your father killed his friends, comrades, superiors, even his leader, but he couldn't bring himself to kill...you" said Kurenai flatly,

"I..." said Rei doubtfully,

Now that she thought about it, Naruto had toyed with her the entire time. Even when she had tried to kill him, he had merely defended himself and not harmed her even once.

"Despite the orders given to him by the Sandaime Hokage. He couldn't kill you because you were his daughter, my daughter..." said Kurenai fiercely,

Rei's eyes connected with Naruto's, for a moment the Kaiser saw something in her eyes but it disappeared very quickly for him to cherish it.

"I...can't...trust...him...yet" said Rei cautiously, her eyes darting to every unknown person in the room.

Kurenai's heart felt sorry for Naruto who was doing well in keep his expressions neutral. But even so, she saw the sadness present in his eyes.

"Then trust her. I mean you no harm Rei. Whatever questions or proof you need to ascertain that we are your family shall be provided to you by Kurenai..." said Naruto flatly,

With those words and one last hesitant glance, the Kaiser started walking towards the exit followed by Shin and Sai.

"Captain Naruto..."

He paused.

Slowly turning around, he was surprised to see the girl give him a small, brief bow.

"Thank you for freeing me..." said Rei honestly,

"I'll always be there for you, Rei. Even if you hate me..." promised Naruto,

He didn't wait to see her shocked expression and quickly went out of the room.

(30 Minutes Later)

Naruto finished explaining to his two best friend the events that had happened across the world while they remained in the afterlife. To say they were shocked would be an understatement. Shin had raised his hand massaging his forehead, while Sai stared at him in shock and respect.

"I thought you were crazy, but you are insane..." said Sai carelessly,

The nearby royal guards stared at the boy incredulously, but were stopped from taking any action when Naruto waived his hand.

"Dickless has minions?" asked Sai in horror, Shin chuckled.

"I'd like to call them faithful soldiers, if you don't mind...'' interjected Naruto,

"Forgive him, Naruto. You know Sai is quite tactless and brunt..." said Shin calmly,

"The two of you haven't changed at all..." replied Naruto fondly,

"You have, Mein Kaiser..." teased the two Root Anbu, Naruto shook his head.

"For the two of you, I'm just Naruto. To be honest, I never thought I'd see you guys again until I die..." said Naruto honestly,

"Likewise, even so it seems that the world is in quite a mess. But I'm glad that you are in-charge and were atleast able to achieve your dream. This way, at the very least our deaths were not meaningless..." said Shin contently,

"Heh, dickless here even got two women to himself and even sired a kid. You made quite a lot of progress in these past few years..." teased Sai,

Naruto's eyes turned towards the endless sky, a far away look arriving in his gaze which neither of his friends missed.

"It all feels too surreal. The ones worthy of living die, while the ones who should have died long ago keep on living. It should have been you guys in my place, and I in yours..." confessed Naruto, his voice heavy and sounding quite aged.

"Then the world would not be as progressive as it is now. Your methods might have been a little extreme, but you got the job done. You united the world, that is not something anybody had managed to accomplish since the Rikudo Sennin..." said Sai seriously,

"None of us hold you in contempt for what you did or even as to what happened to us. Even when you didn't protect Konoha, you kept its will burning in your heart. And in the end, that's all that matters..." said Shin honestly,

"You guys..."

"So, what happens now? When do we march to fight for you in a world war?" asked Sai curiously, Shin nodded in agreement as well.

Naruto gave them a sharp denial in return.

"I want you to remain here. I'll find some way to bring you back to life, I'm not losing any of you this time..." said Naruto fiercely,

"You can't do that, Naruto. I agree you are the almighty Kaiser, but not a god..." chided Shin flatly,

"He's right..." agreed Sai, and saw Naruto smirk.

"I am Kaiser Naruto, the man who creates world and destroys them. Don't underestimate my power..." said Naruto confidently, as Shin and Sai both cocked their eyebrows in surprise.

"You've grown a little arrogant..." commented Shin,

"Even if you wanted that, it cannot happen. We will assist you in this war and leave for the afterlife later..." said Sai frankly, but frowned when Naruto smiled.

"Remember the words I used during my jutsu..." reminded Naruto,

The two Root boy's frowned. Glancing at each other, they recited the command Naruto had used while freeing them and their eyes widened in shock and horror.

"Naruto Uchiha commands you, live!''

At great risk, Shin willed his soul to leave the body it was residing in. And it didn't obey...

Sai glanced at Naruto, a look of shock and betrayal visible in his eyes.

"You would do this to us?" asked Sai bitterly, and the Kaiser held his friend's gaze.

"In time, you shall understand. Choosing your death was your right, but right now you are dead. And dead men have no rights..." said Naruto icily,

"Naruto, you've changed..." said Shin disappointedly,

"I have. Are you that eager to die?" asked Naruto sadly,

"No, but we also know there is no way to bring the dead back to life. You've trapped us in these shells like zombies, possibly forever..." accused Shin, a little anger seeping inside his voice.

"What if I tell you there is a way. Then what?" asked Naruto, making the boys look at each other.

"And if it fails? Then what? Shin and I fucked for eternity..." said Sai sharply,

"Then I shall remove the genjutsu from you and destroy these bodies sending you back to the afterlife..." said Naruto compassionately, although his friends could see the Kaiser was quite reluctant with that idea.

"But wouldn't that place us back in the control of the original spell of Edo Tensei? Your genjutsu is the only thing keeping our wills free, and even I doubt that's completely true..." said Shin frankly, Naruto shook his head in return.

"I have given you free will, just not the permission to return back to the afterlife. You can even attack me right now, even kill me, but that would just destroy any chance for you guys to go back. And as for your other question, the moment I release my genjutsu from your souls you will have a full minute before the original spell takes control. In that time span, you can easily quit this body and go back..." explained Naruto patiently,

Shin sighed, while Sai grit his teeth.

"Even so, you've trapped us. And it's not right..." said Shin patiently,

"And neither was your decision to die on me. I have lived with that pain for years..." accused Naruto bitterly, his fierce gaze making Shin flinch.

"We gave our lives for you..." suggested Sai, and backed a little when Naruto grabbed his collar.

"When did I ever want that? To have my best friends die for me? For years I lived through that pain while being continuously betrayed by everyone whom I ever cared about. I then understood that this world would never honor my wishes, unless I make it do so. Hate me if you want, but look at the other picture. If I am successful, then..." hinted Naruto,

His friends sighed, then with one look in each other's eyes they gave the Kaiser slow nods.

"We've trusted you so far. It won't hurt to do so a little more, but I expect you to release us if you fail..." said Shin frankly, looking his friend straight in the eye.

"And we will fight in this war for you, and not hide like pansies inside this palace. We're Anbu, don't forget that. More than that we can't leave your sorry ass alone in this stupid war..." said Sai seriously, Naruto smiled.

"I promise and agree to all your conditions. And thank you for supporting and believing in me..." replied Naruto gratefully,

The three of them shared a brief hug, easing the tension much to Naruto's relief.

"I just wish Rei can understand too..." whispered Naruto sadly, Sai placed a hand on his shoulder.

"She's a child, Naruto. You would have acted like that too if you were surrounded by strangers, and admit it or not Rei saw you butchering her so called comrades. That type of sight makes it hard for a person to trust you, especially to a child..." explained Sai honestly,

"Kurenai seems to be doing well. I'm sure she can make your daughter understand, give them some time..." suggested Shin,

Naruto only gave them a bittersweet smile in return, while suppressing a flinch from arriving on his face.

"Would you guys like to meet Haku and my son?" asked Naruto suddenly, surprising his friends.

The Kaiser saw the two boys awkwardly glancing towards him, something was definitely bothering them.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Naruto..." said Sai vaguely,

"Why?"

"Both of us are dead, basically zombies. We don't think it would be good to suddenly throw two dead men to meet a woman who has just given birth. Much less a Kaiserin, our manners..." excused Shin,

Naruto sighed. Grabbing the both of them by their necks in a firm grip, he started dragging them towards the Kaiserin's quarters simply ignoring their silly excuse and protests.

"Haku will be pleased to meet you. And that's the end of discussion. I'm the Kaiser, dammit. Show some courtesy to me around my minions atleast..." said Naruto childishly,

"Fine. But you owe us for this..." said both of them in unison, Naruto grunted.

"Fine"

Haku quietly sipped coffee from her mug. Her eyes observing the form of her husband holding their son in his arms. She had just finished meeting two of the Kaiser's best friends, one's who played a great part in making Naruto who he was today. And quite frankly, they told her a few things about Naruto she had never heard before.

Naruto had also explained the situation with Rei and how Kurenai had stepped forward.

"Am I doing the right thing, Haku? With Rei and Kurenai?" asked Naruto silently,

"They are both strong women, Naruto. As far as I know Kurenai, she never ventures into anything unless she is absolutely certain about her feelings and ambitions. Plus, this way Rei will officially become a part of the royal family once we bring her back to life. She will regain her rightful place by your side, and maybe mine too. After all, I will be her mother too..." explained Haku, a gentle smile visible on her face.

"Heh, you make all of this sound so easy. But I like it, a future to come home to. A future to fight for..." said Naruto fondly, earning a cackled smile from Yang.

Haku gently got up from her bed when she saw Naruto flinch just for a tiny second, placing her hand on his cheek she looked him in the eye.

"Something's troubling you..." said Haku clearly, he smiled.

"Now I know why some people say women have the sharpest intuition. You're right, there is something I need to ask of you. A favor..." said Naruto carefully, as she cocked an eyebrow in surprise.

"Why does the Kaiser even need to ask a favor from someone? Much less his wife..." said Haku confusedly,

Naruto didn't answer her question right away and instead handed Yang back in her arms, wordlessly the Kaiser walked towards the window and stood there.

"I want you to stay in the Capital..." said Naruto frankly,

"Why am I not surprised?" asked Haku in exasperation,

"Haku..."

"I am warrior like you, Naruto. I was the Reich Commander first before I became your wife and gave that job to Sasuke. If you think that I'm weak-"

She was silenced when Naruto shook his head, and there was something in his eyes that made her stop the protests for a while.

"Never once have I doubted your abilities as a fighter. But you're something more too, you're a visionary. While I dreamed of this Reich, worked hard to establish the foundations. You were the one who helped me set up the government, laws, rights and duties of citizens, and much more. This Reich would have collapsed long ago if you hadn't been there to guide me. I am a fighter, Haku. But as a sound ruler, you are far better than me..." admitted Naruto,

Haku merely gave him a polite smile. Neither denying her accomplishments or boasting about it.

"It's bad, isn't it?" asked Haku knowingly, he nodded.

"The Akatsuki has everything the need now. I have a feeling by the time I reach the battlefield they would have already revived the Ten Tails..." said Naruto seriously,

Haku shivered, even if she knew Naruto himself was going to revive that monster for Valkyrie it still terrified her.

"The Resistance outnumbers my forces three to one, and Akatsuki will also join the war..." said Naruto grimly,

"But you will win..." replied Haku fiercely, Naruto gave her a slight smile.

"I'll fight for it with every drop of blood inside my body, every soldier, every weapon that I have. This is the promise of your Kaiser, I shall not rest unless I achieve victory or fall honorably in battle trying to win a future for everyone..." promised Naruto,

"And you will come back..." finished Haku, he simply nodded.

"Many of us won't be so lucky in this war, Haku. It is possible that only a handful of us might return alive, that is why we need to know that we have a home to come back to. If I fall, then the people need to have someone to lead them. My son is too young for that, my daughter is a completely different matter, and Kurenai is neither willing or fit for that role as the people don't trust her yet. But they trust you..." explained Naruto seriously,

"Will Kurenai go with you in battle?" asked Haku, slight jealously arriving on her face.

"I do not know, Haku. I wish she doesn't, but I can't force her just like I cannot force you. That is why I am simply leaving my opinion to both of you, and hope you make the best choice for our people..." said Naruto sincerely,

Haku carefully set Yang in his cradle and came beside Naruto. Wrapping her arms around him, she laid a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"You can do it, Naruto. Never ever doubt that..." said Haku confidently,

"I never wanted to be a leader, Haku. To have the weight of the entire world, the fate of humanity on my shoulders. A part of me feels proud of what I have managed to achieve so far, but another knows the disaster standing in front of them. What if I fail? What if I don't turn out to be the man everyone is thinking that I am? All those soldiers, civilians, children, my friends and family, you, my own children. It is to heavy a burden..." confessed Naruto,

Haku choked back a sob as she gently rubbed his back. She could only try to imagine the burden he carried on his shoulders, and only when he was simply 20 years old. Barely an adult in the Reich, and yet...

"You've brought all of us this far, Naruto. I believe in you, so does everyone else. Take strength from that, and don't worry I shall handle the kingdom you've fought so hard to protect. I give you my word..." promised Haku,

He leaned back and kissed her passionately on the lips, savoring her taste, her smell, the feeling of the tears rolling down her cheeks. His hands exploring her body, memorizing each and every curve, the softness of her skin, the smoothness of her hair and most of all her beautiful eyes.

"I love you, Haku..." said Naruto happily,

"I love you even more, Naruto..." replied Haku, tears falling from her eyes.

With one last kiss, Naruto walked towards his now sleeping son he knelled down and placed a tender kiss on his forehead. Stroking the infant's dark black hair, he spoke in a hushed voice.

"Listen to your mother, serve the kingdom before anything, and remember that your father loves you very much..." said Naruto kindly,

Then taking a deep breath to calm his heavy heart, he turned around and gave a crisp salute to the Kaiserin. A gesture which she returned, pride shining in her eyes.

"I appoint you Regent until my return, Kaiserin. May you serve the people of this Reich well..." wished the Kaiser,

"I shall do so, Mein Kaiser..." replied Haku courageously,

With one last glance, Naruto departed. And Haku's eyes continued to stare at his retreating form until he completely disappeared from her vision.

A full day had passed.

The masked man had never in his entire life seen a defensive battle as powerful as this. In front of him stood the tall Gedo Mazo, and for the first time in its entire history its movements were slower than before. With good reason...

The Akatsuki leader stared at the hundreds of corpses of the "SS Guard" lying around the battlefield. Many had been crushed, several torn apart, some completely obliterated, some had their souls stolen, yet they had fought fiercely.

Lead bravely by the last Senju, and the talented Gaara the Reich had been successful in keeping even the Gedo Mazo from reaching its impenetrable walls.

Although it came with a cost...

Tsunade had been mortally wounded in battle, and had to be taken back behind the walls. The Senju and her slug had after all taken a direct electric pulse attacked fired by the Gedo Mazo which were aimed for the walls.

And now the battlefield consisted of a heavily bleeding Gaara still holding his ground. Beside him stood his two last SS soldiers, equally exhausted and badly wounded.

"He never allowed reinforcements to come out of the walls and be slaughtered. Even when it came to his life, Gaara knows that his Kaiser will now arrive shortly. A truly admirable man..." thought the masked man,

Across the battlefield, Gaara coughed blood violently. His sand floating platform faltering just a little, he had wounds all over his body and had lost up a considerable amount of blood.

His remaining two soldiers also seemed to be saving their last breaths, as all of them saw the Gedo Mazo preparing another beam.

"Commander, at this point...all our comrades are dead and our own chakra is over. At this point.." said his second in command, a 25 year old black haired man.

The two SS saw Gaara staring at the ground beneath his feet. His gaze low...

"I wasn't accepted or loved by my village or my family..." confessed Gaara,

His soldiers readied their weapon as the monster's attack grew larger and larger in size.

"It's like I've fought every battle merely to prove myself to the biased people in the world. If not for an era like this, I would have never moved high enough to become an Army Commander..." said Gaara sadly,

Raising his hand weakly in the air, he created a powerful sand wave as tall as the Gedo Mazo. His eyes connected with those of the masked man, as both the men shared a look.

"Despite that, I was able to battle hard enough...to...come...this...close...to...the...masked...man..." said Gaara tiredly,

Turning back he stared in the far off distance, where he was sure his comrades were watching him. Raising his trembling right hand in a weak salute, he stood straight and said proudly.

"I've...done...as...much...as...I...could"

BOOM!

Kakashi closed his eyes when a devastating explosion obliterated the entire field, and with that last attack both the Gedo Mazo and the masked man vanished away.

A lone tear slipped from his eye when Neji spoke in a grief struck voice...

The SS Guard has been wiped out.

Commander Sabaku no Gaara...died in battle!