Chapter 104: Mein Kaiser

Shin steeled himself as the Reich army roared on their Kaiser's command, the signal had already been given from their side by their leader. Now it was their turn to wait for the enemy to make their move. Across the field, they saw Jiraiya saying something to his comrades and then the Resistance armies roared.

Naruto's face was ice cold, his eyes firmly set on the enemy. This was his test, the toughest battle that he would lead as the Kaiser.

Shin stared at his leader, knowing one thing about the man.

For the Kaiser, defeat and death meant the same thing. Just like his cousin brother, the martyred Sasuke Uchiha the Kaiser was also a proud man. And his honor would never allow him to kneel to the Resistance, or live in a recreated ninja world.

Instead, the man would fight bravely and honorably die in battle.

Or he could do the impossible and defeat this endless army standing in front of him, and rewrite the history of mankind forever.

The fate of the entire world depended upon Naruto Uchiha. And in this moment, the words of a dead man came back to haunt Shin's heart...

"No shinobi in this era would be able to match him. He alone is an army himself, and his will shall make the strongest nations fall beneath his feet. One day, Shin this boy will be the key to world domination and through him Konoha shall rule over the world..."

Each and every word of this prophecy were said by Danzo Shimura to him. And now on the eve of this terrifying war, Shin could not help but realize almost everything had happened as Danzo had said. Except for Konoha and Fire Nation too being destroyed and absorbed by Naruto...

Then he heard Naruto drawing his attention elsewhere, disrupting Shin's inner thoughts...

"You see, brother. They truly believe their sheer numbers are enough to overwhelm my forces now that we are out of the protection of these walls..." said Naruto bemusedly, Shin shook his head.

"They have every right to think so. Future historians will call us fools for marching out our entire army outside of our safe walls and face twice the larger Resistance Army. It's like bringing the sheep to the wolfs, when we could have easily fought against this Siege safely behind our walls. We had the supplies, manpower, leaders to withstand that..." explained Shin regretfully,

"That would be the case if our ultimate goal was not to stop the Akatsuki and the masked man from ending the world..." said Naruto sharply,

"Even so, Naruto a lot of our people will die..." said Shin sadly,

"Whenever history wakes up from its slumber, it demands rivers of blood. The Resistance will lose even more, our army may be smaller than theirs but it is technologically superior. Our troops are better trained, more motivated since they are fighting for one empire under one flag, under one leader. The Resistance factions have each their own agenda. And if worse comes to pass, I myself will slaughter each and every Resistance soldier if that is the price I must pay for winning this war..." said Naruto icily,

"Then may the gods have mercy on all of us..." prayed Shin, Naruto's gaze hardened.

"The gods may show mercy, I won't..." promised Naruto,

Shin saw hundreds of Reich archers taking positions on top of the Uzu Walls, determined to protect their territory in case enemies pierced through their army and tried to breach the wall.

The sounds of bugle ran across the entire field, and the Resistance Army started shifting.

Naruto narrowed his eyes when the once vast enemy army divided itself into 90 phalanxes each having 100 fighters at the front, backed by another 800 who stood in the middle and rear. A total of 81,000 strong men and women started marching forward.

The Kaiser had activated his three tomoe sharingan, his sharp eyes analyzing the movement with complete attention.

On the other hand, the Reich had divided its forces into different parts. Each led by Kakashi, Kurenai, Mifune, and Shino respectively.

The entire army was designed into a total of three parts:

The Shield Forces: Commander Kurenai was in-charge of these forces which compromised 20,000 of the strongest soldiers in the Reich, alongwith the former Black Lancers of the Resistance. Their sole task was to hold against the enemy tide from the center and aide their allies.

The Sword Forces: Divided into the left and right flanks. Each holding nearly 10,000 soldiers and led by Kakashi and Mifune respectively. The soldiers in these forces were specifically chosen for their speed, ferocity and barbarism. Their task was to spear through the enemy lines...

Apart from these two they also had a Reserve Force stationed in the rear near the Walls, led by Army Commander Shino Aburame. This force merely had 4,500 soldiers in it...

The remaining 500 fighters were the archers standing on top of the Uzu Wall, alongwith their Kaiser.

"Advance the left flank" commanded the Kaiser,

Shin nodded, relaying the orders through his communication device. Seconds later, Kakashi pointed his hand forward as the entire left flank started marching towards the enormous enemy army which was eight times their size.

"Adopt half lunar formation..." instructed Naruto,

Instead of meeting head on with the enemy army's left flank, Naruto's forces started shifting towards the center of the enemy formation.

On the other side of the field, Shikamaru smiled a little and raised his own hand. The Resistance Army stopped marching and stuck together in an enormous wall to fight united against the smaller army.

"So, he's not taking the bait. Well, time for plan B..." thought Naruto,

"Call back the left flank..." ordered Naruto,

"But that would cause their formations to collapse..." warned Shin, and saw Naruto smiling darkly.

"Just do it..."

Shin begrudgingly obeyed, and to his surprise Kakashi obeyed without hesitation. The entire Reich left flank started running back towards the wall like cowards, completely no regard left for maintaining a formation. Their backs fully open for the enemy to claw upon...

"Naruto, Shikamaru will not fall for this deception..." said Shin flatly, aware of the intelligence Nara's possessed.

"No, he won't. But they will..." pointed the Kaiser,

Shin's eyes widened when the entire enemy right flank broke their combined formation and ran after Kakashi's retreating forces. The enemy's middle and left flanks buzzed with commotion, not sure whether to follow or not.

"How?" asked Shin in surprise,

"The enemy's right flank is made up of Kumo's soldiers. Their Raikage and thousands of fellow countrymen died recently following Shikamaru's command, I don't think they have any respect left for Shikamaru's orders. Besides they're an aggressive lot, and want to deal a mighty blow to me..." explained Naruto cunningly,

"Mein Kaiser..."

"Now's the time. Order Kakashi to check positions..." said Naruto seriously,

The Commander did as ordered and the left Reich flank stopped their retreat suddenly. Turning around they raised their shields, and clashed against the 20,000 bloodthirsty Kumo forces. The gruesome battle started, and Shino saw Naruto wince every few minutes as Kakashi's forces being twice outnumbered were getting hammered, and pushed back.

The remaining Resistance soldiers had still not arrived at a decision to come to their allies aide.

"They are probably thinking its better to let Kumo shinobi destroy themselves. One less hidden village to deal with..." thought Naruto distastefully,

"Their massive size has become a problem for Shikamaru. Reigning in thousands of soldiers takes time, Mein Kaiser precisely took into account the emotions of the different resistance factions and is using it against them..." deduced Shin, not saying it out-loud.

The former Root saw a malicious grin arrive on Naruto's face when the Kumo forces pushed Kakashi's soldiers behind a certain point on the battlefield.

"NOW! Punch their balls through their exposed flank. Shield forces, CHARGE!" yelled Naruto,

Across the other side, Shikamaru cursed loudly when he saw Kurenai dispatching 5,000 of her own soldiers from the center. Within seconds those men pounced on the Kumo soldiers who were now fighting a battle from two fronts.

"Reich forces have attacked our flank. At this rate the Kumo army will..." warned Ino,

"Call them back, NOW!" warned Shikamaru,

Kakashi smirked when he saw raw fear on the now trapped Kumo soldier's faces. He raised his hands high in the air...

"Sword force, PUSH!"

Earning credit to their namesake, the sword forces launched themselves upon the stunned enemy. The Reich soldiers tore through the confused enemy's lines, while Kurenai's soldiers divided them further into two halves.

Many Kumo fighters started fleeing.

"You're good, Kaiser. Leaving me no choice. Remaining flanks, ADVANCE!" commanded Shikamaru,

Shin grimaced when the remaining Resistance army started running forward. Marching from the middle and left flank were nearly 61,000 Resistance warriors who were about to clash with the tiny 25,000 Reich forces on the opposite side.

"Mein Kaiser..." warned Shin, but Naruto's gaze was fixed somewhere else.

Tracing the direction of the Kaiser's gaze, Shin saw his friend was directly staring at his Army Commander: Shino Aburame.

"Intercept..." commanded the Kaiser,

Shin frowned. What could a small reserve force do against such a massive army, then his eyes suddenly widened in shock when Naruto slammed his hand downwards.

Kurenai and Mifune instantly made their forces fall flat on the ground, as the enemy forces were just about to reach them.

Even Shikmaru seemed shocked by this unexpected action...

"What is this?" asked the Resistance Commander frustratedly, this was a completely ridiculous tactic.

No sane commander would ever do something like this!

"FIRE!'' yelled the Kaiser,

"Catapults, loose!" commanded Shino,

While the main armies had been busy with their battle, the Reich Army Commander had finished readying the Reich's finest weapons. And now as per the Kaiser's orders, the Aburame was given the final clearance.

Several large flaming rocks about the size of a mini boulder were fired by Shino. With deadly accuracy they started wrecking havoc across the charging enemy forces, hundreds of soldiers screamed for being crushed by the rocks or getting burned due to the flames it rained everywhere.

"Reform formation" ordered Shikamaru,

The advance of the Resistance forces slowed down as they started reorganizing themselves. But they had already arrived too close in range of the Reich Army, specifically Shino's range.

"Balliste, open fire!" said Shino flatly,

Hundreds of spears were fired from a mechanized weapon which led to several collapsed lines across the reorganizing Resistance front. All the while, Kurenai and Mifune kept their forces lying flat on the ground easily evading the firefight between the two forces.

In that moment Shikamaru Nara realized, that what he had previously assumed to be just a Reserve Reich force actually turned out to be a Mechanized Infantry, armed to the teeth with deadly close as well as long range weapons.

He had let his army walk straight into a trap in hopes of pressuring the enemy, thereby letting the badly destroyed Kumo forces retreat to safety.

"Damn it..." thought Shikamaru,

Meanwhile, Naruto was not done yet despite slaughtering thousands of Resistance soldiers in just an one hour of warfare. He pointed his hand to the right and said clearly.

"Shift fire!" said the Kaiser,

Shino did as ordered and turned his entire firepower in the said direction, the results were astonishing. The entire front of the right enemy flank collapsed within seconds. Naruto then instantly raised his hands stopping the onslaught.

"Mifune, kill them all!" said Naruto deviously,

"Gladly, Mein Kaiser..." said the veteran Samurai,

Thousands of Samurai pounced on the weakened enemy forces from their collapsing flank. Meanwhile Shino had shifted fire to the struggling middle Resistance force. Their advance had been completely halted...

Shin couldn't believe it, even as he witnessed it with his own two eyes.

The Reich was tearing apart the Resistance Army.

Amazed he turned towards the man who had planned this entire operation, and froze.

Shin's eyes widened in horror when blood was leaking from Naruto's mouth, and his entire uniform was drenched in the red liquid. The source being a wound opening in the Kaiser's upper chest portion near the heart. Naruto's own eyes were barely open, and a second later he collapsed.

"KAISER!"

The nearby Reich Archers instantly leapt forward preventing their Kaiser from falling straight off the Uzu Wall. Shin dashed towards his friend's side, ripped apart the Kaiser's robes. And for the first time he saw a hole in the Kaiser's chest.

"Take him to the doctors! barked Shin,

At that moment, a weak hand was raised. The Kaiser slowly opened his eyes and looked his comrades straight in the eye.

"Belay...that...order..." said Naruto seriously,

"But-" protested Shin furiously, Naruto glared at him.

"If...I...go...away...our...forces...will...lose...their...confidence...and...chaos...will...spread...everywhere. Shikamaru...will...seize...advantage. I...can't allow that..." said Naruto stubbornly,

Placing his hand over the bleeding wound in his chest, Naruto channeled medical chakra and slowly the blood flow stopped. The wound closed temporarily.

Without a word, the Kaiser got back on his feet. Standing straight he stepped forward again to observe the battlefield, and the only proof that he had actually fallen unconscious or had a hidden wound was only the pool of blood lying behind on the surface of the wall. Which the Archers were already clearing on his orders...

"Naruto, you need medical attention..." said Shin worriedly,

"If I abandon my soldiers in this time of need against such a dangerous foe, I'll always be remembered as a Coward. I won't do that, besides it doesn't suit the Kaiser's adviser to panic so easily..." advised Naruto, with a bemused smile.

"Kaiser..." said Shin, a lone tear arriving in his eyes.

Naruto stared at his own blood stained hands alongwith the thousands of dying and dead humans across the battlefield; and said in a sad voice...

"Regardless of the color of eyes or skin, the color of blood is the same for everyone, isn't it?" asked Naruto, a faint sad smile visible on his face.

Shin and the Reich archers observed as Naruto continued to command his forces without even a flinch, giving orders frequently. Due to his composed command and the fine performance of his soldiers, Kurenai was able to deal a massive blow to the Resistance forces lying in the center, they never had a chance to survive her attack since Shino had teared their frontlines with his weapons.

Mifune had also managed to gain higher ground on his flank, it wasn't much. But atleast the Samurai leader was not on the backfoot...

Kakashi had made the most progress and had nearly annihilated the entirety of Kumo forces, and was now busy dealing with the remaining few that were still left.

The battle continued for hours, there were times when Shikamaru managed to create openings but Naruto quickly stopped those attacks with his quick thinking and precise commands. Although he was in immense pain, he continued to lead his forces.

At one point, when he nearly lost consciousness again and was being taken back to the hospital; the Kaiser severely rebuked Shin although he did take several pain killers and medicine to deal with the pain. Yet, the color was gradually fading from his face...

By early evening the tide had completely shifted in the Reich's favor. The Resistance Army had suffered catastrophic losses, and were now in the process of safely retreating from the battlefield.

Naruto didn't allow his own tired forces to pursue the wounded enemy army and risk getting ambushed.

Shin and the Reich archers watched in awe as Naruto finished the first day of battle and organised a disciplined retreat of his forces behind the wall. The Kaiser never left his position or relinquished command until his very last soldier was safely back inside the walls.

It looked as the Kaiser was defying death, but Shin knew such hardiness came at the sacrifice of the body.

At this rate without medical surgery and proper medication, Shin knew his friend's life was in critical mortal danger.

Even so, the First Day of the Final Battle was over.

And the Reich was victorious.

By the end of evening, Naruto had finished congratulating his soldiers who whole heartedly cheered for him. All of them looked so happy, most of them were laughing, some were crying tears of joy, while others were staring at their Kaiser proudly.

However, as soon as he got free Naruto rushed towards the medical center accompanied by Shin. Before doing so, the Kaiser made the Reich Archers swear to keep his condition a secret. Failure to do so would result in immediate execution, Naruto had said that to them clearly.

Regretfully, the men had agreed.

"Don't disturb me. I'm not dying, just in the process of suffering. I'm somewhat enjoying it... " said Naruto, a tired smile visible on his face.

Shin balled his fists and gave a frustrated glare.

"Does anyone know?" asked Shin,

"Kurenai does, just don't tell her it's gotten a little bad. She'll go all mother hen and tie me down to this damn bed..." said Naruto nervously, Shin sighed.

"Little bad? You collapsed today, Naruto. Nearly TWICE!" yelled Shin furiously,

Fortunately they were alone in the tent as Naruto had sent everyone away. The Kaiser smiled wearily...

"Just a minor nuisance. This wound won't kill me so easily, I promise you..." said Naruto honestly,

"It will if you don't get a surgery. You're the Kaiser-"

"I know..." snapped Naruto,

Shin flinched.

"Do you think I'm enjoying this? The fact is that I have to remain at the front, since we barely have few capable leaders left. If I don't command them, this army will lose even before we can reach the Akatsuki. A leader never abandons his people in the hour of need, definitely not a Kaiser..." scolded Naruto,

"I know. I just..." said Shin sadly,

"I understand, Shin. I've survived much worse than this, if a genetically engineered virus can't kill me then this wound certainly wouldn't. Besides, I am making the Kyuubi work overtime to ease the pain..." said Naruto frankly,

"What did the doctors say?" asked Shin worriedly,

"I should be able to withstand this wound without surgery for a week. But this will considerably reduce my lifespan..." said Naruto honestly,

"How much?" questioned Shin, fearing the answer.

"10 years..."

Shin took several steps back, yet the Kaiser remained calm and even smiled. An entire decade of his life, will go away?

"Don't think about it too much. I'm from the Uzumaki clan too, Mito Uzumaki nearly lived for a 100 years. If you take that into consideration and separate these 10 years from them, even then I'll live for quite a long time. Not that I want such a thing, I'd hate to become an old geezer someday..." joked Naruto,

"Kaiser, are you really sure about this?"

Naruto got a far away look in his eyes.

"Kami, only knows how many lives I've taken so far. I've shed so much blood, that it is time for me to pay my dues with my own blood. I'd call that fair..." said Naruto contentedly,

Shin looked away, his eyes unable to hide the tears that had formed up. To think his best friend was so easy willing to pay for his own actions across the world, this wasn't fair. After all the good Naruto had done for everyone...

"It's all right. Besides, it might happen that none of us may even survive this war. So it won't matter, and Shin keep this information between us only. Consider it as my reward to bring you back to life..." said Naruto bemusedly,

"You haven't brought me back yet..." replied Shin pointedly, Naruto smiled.

"Point taken. Then do this as a favor to the Kaiser atleast, in future a grateful emperor can be quite beneficial for you..." suggested Naruto, Shin glared at him.

"You're a brother to me, I'm not doing this to gain something. But because you deserve my loyalty and are on the right side, never forget that..." scolded Shin, his persona as the older brother manifesting to the surface again.

Naruto lowered his head a little.

"Forgive me, Shin. My words were inappropriate..." apologized Naruto, making the older boy sigh.

"Apology accepted. You were quite magnificent today, Danzo would have been proud..." said Shin, and suddenly slapped his mouth shut on realizing just what he had said.

Naruto didn't outright lash away, but the glare he gave to Shin was more than enough to convey the message.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. For me, it has just been a few days since I died. But for you years have passed and things have changed, it'll take time for me to get used to this. But I promise not to mention that man's name again in front of you..." said Shin sincerely,

"Good" replied the Kaiser,

"Honestly, Mein Kaiser you did the impossible today. This may be my opinion, but I believe you are the greatest military commander of this era..." praised Shin, Naruto took a deep breath.

"All I am is a flawless instrument of death. I did what was necessary, but that doesn't mean that I enjoyed killing those soldiers. Because in the end, they were people too with different beliefs..." said Naruto frankly,

"I understand, Naruto..."

"Now, let us go for the meeting. Or the others will get worried, and remember no mention of my little incident to anyone..." warned Naruto,

"Hai"

Applause and cheers didn't seem to stop following the Kaiser wherever he went. Even now while arriving in the conference room, he was greeted with the same cheers, praises by his highest ranking officers.

He didn't say it out-loud, but from the inside he felt disgusted.

"What has the world come to? People cheering for a mass murderer in the guise of a Military leader, how far humanity has fallen. Kami, if you truly exist then please let it be the last time humans are so deluded enough to engage in such a farce..." prayed Naruto,

Of course, he didn't express his thoughts to anyone. Not even to Kurenai, or any of the others for he knew how important this victory was for them and the Reich. And he had no right to say such things after so many of his own soldiers and officers had also laid down their lives today.

Silently bearing this guilt inside his heart was his curse. One which would increase the longer this war stretched...

But for the sake of the future generations to not bear such things, he had to shoulder this burden. Whether he liked it or not...

As he assumed his position at the center of the table, he raised a firm hand bringing an end to the rain of cheers. Politely his Commanders took their own seats around him, even so their wide smiles and eyes that radiated victory and pride were quite noticeable.

"I congratulate each and everyone of you for performing excellently today. I've already congratulated the soldiers, but I'd like all of you to tell them again that their Kaiser is proud to fight beside them. And that all of you are a credit to the uniform you wear..." congratulated Naruto, a true smile visible on his face.

"Thank you for the praise, Mein Kaiser. While it is true that our soldiers fought bravely today, and we played a small part in guiding them. But at the end of the day it was your tactics and precise commands that helped us gain victory..." said Kurenai proudly,

''True. Excuse my rudeness, Mein Kaiser. But I too had doubts about our chances of victory since we faced so many disadvantages from the start and had Shikamaru as our opponent. He was the brightest among us since the academy, yet you defeated him today. I am proud to serve under your command..." said Shino frankly,

The others nodded in agreement.

"Shikamaru is a great commander at such a young age. If he had an army like mine to command, then his chances of victory would be much higher than now. If you look at it, it is Shikmaru who has more disadvantages than me..." said Naruto sincerely,

"I don't understand, Mein Kaiser..." said Mifune, a frown visible on his scarred face.

"It is true that the Resistance has more forces than us, but they are divided from the inside. Each soldier of the Resistance is from different former ninja villages and all of them have an agenda of their own. More than that almost majority of them wouldn't mind if many ninjas of other villages die in this war. That way they can stop the formation of those villages and establish their own hegemony. Each great ninja village is after that, they all want to get the rewards by conquering the Reich only for themselves..." explained Naruto briefly,

"Disgraceful..." said Shin,

"I'd say it's human. If you can't even trust the man beside you, then you can't win a war no matter how large your army is. And while I do have a smaller army, my soldiers are united and are fighting for the same flag. They are motivated since I am leading them myself, and have such good Commanders in the form of all of you. We are also better trained, better equipped with weapons and supplies, know the terrain more than our enemy, when we take into consideration all these factors I'd say the Reich is not as helpless as it seems..." said Naruto calmly,

"That maybe so Mein Kaiser, but we also have paid heavy price in this war. The Resistance may have lost more men than us, but considering whom we lost to this war..." said Kakashi regretfully, still feeling ashamed for not being able to save those three.

"If anyone is to be blamed then it is me, Kakashi. I was the one who gave the orders and they followed them, even you did. Please don't blame yourself for that, since it is my burden to bear..." replied Naruto sadly,

Everyone lowered their gazes as they felt the weight the Kaiser was carrying on his young shoulders, and still how much he was saddened with the death of three of his family members.

"I'd rather fear an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep. Shikmaru is neither of those, but he certainly commands an army of jackals who are more interested in harming each other than the enemy. So this will be the last time I will hear any rebuke directed towards Shikamaru Nara, he was once a close friend of mine and I still hold him in high regard for his skills and nature. Am I understood?" asked the Kaiser sternly,

"Hai, Mein Kaiser" replied everyone quickly, quite intimidated by that fierce stare hovering down on them.

"Now, give me a full report..." ordered Naruto, Shin got up.

"Mein Kaiser, as per our latest information our forces managed to eliminate nearly 45,000 enemy soldiers today. Another 4,000 of them were wounded and are currently our prisoners of war..."

Pin drop silence prevailed in the room as everyone had their mouth open in shock. Only Naruto lowered his gaze already fearing such a thing would have happened considering how fierce the Reich attacks had been.

"I slaughtered an entire force even larger than my own army today..." thought Naruto regretfully,

"We must execute the prisoners as soon as possible..." instructed Shino coldly, his eyes betraying not a single emotion.

SLAM!

Everyone flinched when the Kaiser violently slammed his hand on the table.

"You will do no such thing, Aburame Shino. I don't care what the cost is, but I will not allow my soldiers to slaughter people who have already lost and are unable to defend themselves. If I find out that even a single prisoner of war was executed, I will personally execute every person who did that, no matter who they are. This is the order of your Kaiser" roared Naruto,

Shino flinched, which was the best expression anyone could see to show he was intimidated. And who wouldn't be when a Mangekyo wielding Kaiser Naruto was glaring at you?

"Understood, Mein Kaiser..." said Shino quickly,

Naruto took a deep breath, deactivated his dojutsu and sat back down in his seat. The others sighed in relief as the tension in the room vanished.

"How many did we lose?" asked Sai hesitantly, everyone grimaced.

"Around 7,000 Reich soldiers died honorably in battle today. Another 3,000 were injured and won't be able to participate atleast for a few days..." said Shin solemnly,

"Bury our dead with full military honors, give the wounded the best possible treatment. And reduce the suffering of those we can't save, it doesn't matter if they are Reich or Resistance. Also send an emissary to Shikamaru, tell him we will allow him to collect the bodies of his dead if he wants or else we will be forced to burn them in order to stop disease from spreading in our camp..." ordered Naruto,

"It shall be done, Mein Kaiser..." said Shin

"Still we need to know who among our forces suffered more losses and make necessary corrections..." advised Kurenai, Naruto nodded in return.

"My forces suffered the least casualties, Mein Kaiser. I think I can manage with the forces I have tomorrow..." said Kakashi honestly,

"The Shield Forces also have enough fighters to battle tomorrow. We are fine, Mein Kaiser..." said Kurenai frankly,

"So is the Reserve Force, Mein Kaiser..." replied Shino,

Everyone turned towards Mifune who got a grim expression on his face. He looked towards the Kaiser who nodded patiently.

"My forces encountered the Iwa and Kiri forces today. They are quite dangerous and I lost too many good young men today. I request some assistance, Mein Kaiser..." said Mifune honestly,

"Commander Mifune, at this point I don't have any more forces to spare for you. So sadly you will have to make do with the fighters you have left..." said Naruto calmly,

"I...understand..." said Mifune politely, yet he looked dejected and even worried.

"But..."

The old man was surprised when Naruto looked him straight in the eye.

"If a situation arises when you need help, then I myself will come to your aid. This I promise..." said Naruto confidently,

Mifune's eyes widened. So did everyone else's since the Kaiser was their most powerful warrior and himself was an army. Quite literally...

Naruto smiled when Mifune gave him a deep thankful bow. The old samurai definitely looked relieved, even more confident now.

While the others discussed various plans for tomorrow's battle, Kurenai carefully observed as Shin and Sai discussed something with the Kaiser. Judging from the subtle conspiracy looks on the faces of the boys was enough to prove...

"They definitely know something, which the rest of us don't. What are you upto, Naruto?" thought Kurenai frustratedly,

She had to admit a part of her did feel sad and betrayed that Naruto was not discussing his plans with her, even when she was his wife and a high ranking commander. But another part of her trusted him too, believing that everything he did was for the benefit of the Reich and she had to continue trusting him.

Kurenai was quite surprised when Naruto's eyes widened for a moment...

"Everyone, tomorrow we shall spear through the Resistance Armies..." said Naruto directly,

"It will be difficult, Mein Kaiser..." said Shino frankly,

"I know. We don't need to send our entire army, just a small force. Possibly a special ops squad to this location.." pointed Naruto, Shin showed the location to the other Commanders on the map he held in his hands.

"What is there, Mein Kaiser?" asked Kakashi dreadfully,

"The place where Akatsuki is preparing to start the Apocalypse from. And they must be stopped at all costs..." said Naruto fiercely,

They all gasped, but soon enough gave the Kaiser determined nods.

"The Resistance will be more cautious and dangerous tomorrow, don't slack for a second or that will be the end of you. You must create an opening for me to reach the Akatsuki and stop them. Itachi Uchiha will be assisting me in this, and I don't want anymore discussion on this topic..." said Naruto clearly,

"Mein Kaiser..." said Kurenai, but he raised his hand.

"We just don't have enough forces to assist me in my own mission. Even now the Resistance still has nearly 55,000 troops to fight. We only have 35,000 left that is why I request all of you to remain on the field and continue to command our forces. I'll stop the Akatsuki, can I count on you?" asked the Kaiser,

"Yes, Mein Kaiser" replied all of them, even so nobody seemed too happy with the decision.

"Seems like Anko succeeded in her mission of finding the Akatsuki hideout. She really came through today..." said Kakashi fondly,

Naruto smiled on seeing the affection Kakashi still had for his former lover. A sentiment which Naruto very well understood...

"Yes, she did..."

Anko was currently hiding deep inside a mass of trees and bushes, almost invisible to the human eye. Around her a squad of Reich soldiers also observed the location in front of them. Neji was the one closest to her position, his sharp Byakugan observing the two people who were conversing right now.

"Who is that?" whispered Neji, Anko narrowed her eyes and a moment later she bit back a snarl.

"That's Kabuto with the masked man. I can't believe the little shit is still alive..." cursed Anko,

"Quite! hissed Neji,

Anko grunted. She honed back her senses and focused on the on-going conversation among the Reich's most dangerous enemies.

"Orochimaru-sama is dead..." said Kabuto, his voice silent and a little sad.

"Unfortunate, but it only allows you to carry his will forward..." suggested the masked man, Kabuto nodded.

"I suppose so. I have honored our contract, and my minions will protect this base if it comes under attack. Now about..." said Kabuto, but stopped when the masked man raised his hand.

"An Uchiha always honors his promises. Here are the ancient scrolls I promised, it has all the vital, lost knowledge you need about the Senju, Hagoromo, Uzumaki and many other prominent clans..." declared the masked man,

Kabuto gleamed, his face lit up as if he had found the ultimate treasure.

"The Resistance is not faring well. At this rate they will lose even with your Zetsu clones supporting them..." advised Kabuto,

"It doesn't matter. By the time they realize what is truly a threat, it will be too late. Nobody can stop the revolution of Akatsuki..." said the masked man seriously, his Mangekyo gleaming in the darkness of the cave.

"Still, the Kaiser is quite powerful..." commented Kabuto,

The Masked Man laughed, and was that pride she heard in his tone? Anko couldn't quite understand this strange feeling arising in her chest...

"He's an Uchiha, and a descendant of Izuna and Madara. A pity that they didn't have someone like him during the clan wars era, or else the destiny of Uchiha might be different today..." said the masked man proudly,

"Who are you?" asked Kabuto, a frown arriving on his face. The same question lingered in Anko's heart.

Slowly, the masked man slightly lowered his mask. Anko and Kabuto both gasped...

"Impossible..." thought Anko, her hands trembling and heart beating faster than ever.

She had to report this to the Kaiser immediately!

Turning around, she prepared to make a mad dash back to her camp only to come face to face with a dark pair of Mangekyo eyes. And this person was not the masked man...

"I really don't like people who stand behind others..."

SLAM