Chapter 32: Return of the King

(Land of Lightning)

Shisui attentively observed the fortifications and traps being established across the beach. Watching ninjas and Samurai work side by side would have been a bizarre sight a few months ago, but now after seeing the dead walk among the world...it was not that much of a surprise that men regardless of their different beliefs were working together for the survival of their race.

Yet despair and anxiety were clearly visible among many for they were worried about the enemy and the fate of their loved ones.

It had been three days since Shisui arrived with the meager Kingsguard force, the majority of the Kingsguard survivors had hopefully delivered the Uzumaki refugees safely into Lord Tajima's hands and joined the Uchiha leader in the defense of their homeland.

The Senju family had not taken the death of one of their own very well.

Even so, Hashirama and Tsunade despite their grief over the loss of their brother had devoted themselves to saving the life of their wounded King knowing very well that if Naruto died, then it would be a disaster. Having already endured several defeats and terrible losses, their people would not survive the death of their King.

He had been amazed at their healing prowess as the two siblings healed even the most grievous wounds of the King in two days. But that was where the good news ended...

Hashirama had suggested that while Naruto was physically recovering, it was his mind that worried the Senju leader. The King had lost a lot of blood and combine that with the loss of his beloved aunt who was like a mother to him, nobody was sure what the mental damage was. Shisui had insisted them not to give up and keep at it, while he and his friends alongwith Mito, Hanzo and Mifune took up the charge of preparing their army for the upcoming battle.

He had been very surprised when Tsunade informed him that almost the entire Land of Lightning was badly ravaged. Villages were utterly annihilated, cities burnt to the ground and every last trace of civilization whether ninja or others wiped out ruthlessly. It explained why the Otsutsuki had so many dead warriors in their ranks, the bastards had silently attacked this nation and destroyed it completely first before marching on Uzu after bolstering their ranks.

Yet they had not managed to kill every last man as Hashirama did find a few thousand survivors who had taken refuge in the deep caves within the mountains. Most of them were civilians but there were a handful mountain clan survivors as well who were eager for vengeance. The fact that they readily accepted Naruto as their King proved how much they wanted to hurt the Otsutsuki for what they did to their people, not that they had much of a choice either.

Almost 40,000 warriors were against them with more than half being veteran Samurai and remaining skilled shinobi. Those ninjas might not be on the level of the Kingsguard warriors but they were more than enough to subdue the few mountain clan and civilian survivors should they chose to resist.

They had joined without a single protest.

Despite the drastic situation, a grim hope was burning in his heart for if he combined every last person currently present in his army then he had 50,000 humans ready to fight. Granted only 43,000 of them were trained warriors with the rest civilians, merchants and even farmers but he would take whatever help he could find.

This time they had warriors like Hashirama, Tsunade, Mito, Hanzo, Mifune and most importantly the Nine Tailed fox with them.

They were also now familiar with the enemy's tactics but that information had been gained at a very high price.

The mountain clans had revealed that the Otustsuki had attacked them from the sea and stormed their coastal areas with ease. Even though they had only Kaguyas and Hagoromo warriors making the bulk of their army at that time, alongwith Uzumaki dead who had died on those foolish expeditions in the Land of Water centuries ago...none could match the Otsutsuki warriors in battle, much less their deadly King and Queen alongwith that cursed statue. Every person they killed only increased their army and the mountain clans had warned them that this time also the Otustuski would try to storm the coastal areas.

Shisui had taken their advice to heart and instructed the warriors to start making preparations. With Hashirama busy, he was the temporary army commander.

"We cannot afford another defeat, Shisui" said Takeshi hesitantly, as the boy sharpened his own sword.

"I know" relented Shisui, knowing his friend spoke the truth.

"No matter what happens we will crush those bastards here once and for all before we go to save our nation" decided Kagami, not an iota of doubt visible in his eyes something which Shisui desperately wished he could share.

"You seem cocky!" teased Takeshi with a grin, earning a scoff from Kagami.

"Last time I checked my single kick was enough to send that cursed statue flying. Even crack it" boasted Kagami proudly,

Shisui smiled when he saw Takeshi sulk at that remark. There was no doubt about Kagami's taijutsu prowess and he had played a large part in stopping that statue from destroying them all on Uzu.

Out of their entire group, he was the one who never gave up no matter the odds which was again proved when the boy clenched his fists grimly.

"My father told me the Ninth gate can unleash a power never seen before. If push comes to shove..." muttered Kagami,

He was stopped when Shisui placed a firm hand on his shoulder, his dark eyes boring into his friend's very soul.

"I forbid you. Unleashing that power will kill you and you haven't even mastered it yet" warned Shisui,

"We may not have a choice" protested Kagami, but Shisui didn't budge in his unnerving stare.

Takeshi was about to intervene in order to break the tension when they were all disrupted as Itachi came galloping towards them on a Samurai horse. The boy's face was as unreadable as ever to anyone else, but to his childhood friends the small spark in his eyes didn't go unnoticed.

"Come quickly!"

Without any protest, the three boys charged after their friend.

Shisui and his group stormed through the large tent with haste and nearly toppled several people who were already present. Many grumbled at the sudden intrusion but soon sealed their lips when they realized the identity of the four Kingsguard.

They saw Hashirama and Mito standing near the bed. Their hands were clasped together tightly as they stared in one particular direction.

It took some more maneuvering for the boys to reach forward brushing past Hanzo, Mifune and many other minor ninja lords.

They froze at the sight they witnessed.

In the large bed, a heavily wounded man with pale white hair was slowly trying to open his eyes.

The queen had tears in her eyes as she gently rubbed the man's cheeks and helped him sit up when he tried to move. His breathing was shaky and he was as pale as a corpse...but his eyes did open.

The first thing he saw was a halo of gold.

He squinted his eyes trying to clear out the cobwebs in his vision until a face started to form before him slowly. He leaned in closer to get a better look and a small smile came upon his lips.

"I know you" he whispered,

His trembling hand touched her cheek making tears fall from her beautiful hazel eyes.

"Tsunade"

Hashirama smiled when Tsunade gave out a joyous laugh before kissing her husband deeply. How long had he waited to see that smile. It had disappeared ever since Naruto went to Uzu and threatened to never come again when they discovered Itama's fate. Watching her regain some of that happiness lightened his own heavy heart and he felt Mito squeeze his hand gently making him smile at her.

The couple shared a few private moments of intimacy with Naruto trying to believe that this was real while Tsunade memorized each and every inch of his face.

His eyes then settled upon four familiar faces who were all smiling at him with relief and happiness. He himself felt quite overjoyed that alteast they had survived for he could not dare to bear to lose any one of them.

"My friends...''

Takeshi winked at him for that kiss with the queen, Kagami gave him a wide smile, Itachi gave a nod but his small smile said all that he felt, and Shisui...

"Welcome back, my king" said Shisui happily with a tearful smile,

Naruto gingerly touched his head remembering all that he had gone through in there. He would never be the same but atleast he was not as clueless as he once was.

"I was in a dream" he whispered, and was displeased when he saw that his hands were shaking and his hair had turned white. That was not even taking into account the fact that his entire body was a mess of bandages and he smelled like shit.

Shisui chuckled having realized his dilemma and approached forward.

"This belongs to you, my friend"

Naruto could not help but try to get up much to Tsunade's protest but on seeing that he was not going to relent, she helped him stand up. He looked at his best friend who was holding out Dawn towards him.

His trembling fingers reached towards the hilt of his ancestral weapon and he could not stop the eagerness flooding his heart. Dawn was very dear to him and a part of his people's history. But now that he knew its complete truth and every ancestor that ever wielded this sword it made him yearn for it as if it was a part of his own soul.

There were more than one moist eyes in the tent as the King unleashed Dawn from its scabbard and for a moment the tent was blinded in glittering light.

Tsunade gasped in surprise alongwith everyone else as the light died down.

A thick layer of chakra had been unleashed by the blade which was now merging with Naruto's body. To their sheer shock, Naruto's white hair turned their natural brown again. The paleness of his skin vanished to be replaced by a healthy natural color. His eyes and face lost the tired and dazed look regaining his focus. But most of all, it was his aura that now burned as brightly as a dragon radiating power and iron will.

Shisui was stunned when he saw instead of the regular sharingan there was now a shuriken shape burning in the King's eyes.

Naruto looked around and was surprised to see people familiar to him and even strangers kneel before him. Their surprise and even awe clearly visible for him to see. He himself shared those same feelings but unlike them he knew what power it was that restored him back to strength.

Dawn is not just a holy sword. It is not just made up of foreign metal and the chakra of the Ten Tails, but it also contains chakra from each and everyone of its wielder throughout the sands of time. The blood of the dragon rests in this blade and it shall answer a true Uchiha's call when the time comes.

Indra's words echoed through his mind making him grip his prized sword even more fiercely. No longer was he afraid of the power of his people, no longer was he wary of his ancestors.

His eyes narrowed dangerously as they settled down on the fox that was staring at him in shock.

Noticing his stern glare made the beast flinch.

Kurama was feeling nervous after a very very long time.

He had to be when faced with a pair of Mangekyo eyes staring at him unnervingly. If that was not the case, the aura of Naruto felt very different than what it used to be. There was his familiar warmth which had flared brightly amongst his loved ones but when he ordered them to leave him alone with the fox, it vanished.

Instead, it was now replaced by coldness and simmering anger waiting to erupt.

"Are you going to kill me now, Kyuubi?"

The fox's eyes widened on being called that name for the first time by his friend. What terrified him was the knowing stare that Naruto was bestowing upon him. The King got up from his chair and walked around the tent with his every step making Kurama feel even more nervous.

The Uchiha stared back at him and this time his eyes were full of hate and betrayal.

"That was your mission, wasn't it? Kill every Uchiha who awakened these eyes" revealed Naruto, gesturing at his evolved dojutsu.

"How do you...Indra!" said Kurama in despair, his doubts regarding his friend being Indra's reincarnation being proven true finally.

"Yes. My ancestor who had many shortcomings but one who was also manipulated and betrayed by his family. A man who fought his brother for power but also died for him when the situation demanded. Yes, that Indra. And every Uchiha that you killed over the thousands of years without hesitation for the sole reason of them awakening these eyes. It got so bad that you started eliminating every powerful sharingan user with the potential to awaken these eyes. Isn't that right, Kyuubi?" asked Naruto darkly,

"Indra is twisting you to his will, Naruto! Don't fall for his lies" said Kurama pleadingly, earning a raised eyebrow from the Dragon King.

"And aren't you twisted by Hagoromo's will? Even now you obey his command, you were not staying in that valley because you were just keeping watch over my people. You were waiting for the next Mangekyo user or even a powerful sharingan user to be born so that you can again fulfill your mission. My people didn't just lose our dojutsu because of their own mistakes but also for the fact that you killed our strongest warriors every generation" snarled Naruto murderously,

"But I didn't kill you or your brother, did I?" asked Kurama calmly, his shock now being replaced by the desire to adhere to his code given to him by the Sage. There was a reason he had never befriended any Uchiha in history for fear of this exact moment happening. Yet he had made a choice and the cards were out now.

Naruto laughed.

Kurama saw a shadow of Indra laughing at him with that familiar malice, hate and loathing.

"No, you did something much worse"

Kurama's eyes widened when Naruto's Mangekyo swirled and he felt himself and the boy be sucked into a dark portal.

When his vision was restored again, the fox found himself standing in a vast valley surrounded by mountains on all sides. Light barely reached the land giving the entire area an even more gloomy appearance.

And there was Naruto standing in front of him. Kurama had never felt so much power in any other Uchiha after Indra than the one he was feeling in Naruto now. Deep in that twisted heart was so much pain, anger and sadness.

"Naruto, don't fall to the curse of these eyes!" insisted Kurama, hoping for once these damned eyes did not steal his only friend in thousands of years.

"Maybe I am falling but it does not change the fact that you lied to me my entire life. From the beginning you have been an enemy of the Uchiha. You killed so many of my people! Innocent and guilty both! And on the words of a crazy old man!" yelled Naruto murderously,

Kurama was about to reply when the dark power within his friend surged like a raging volcano making him take a step back.

"Will you kill my daughters too if they ever awaken these eyes? Did you ever wonder that not every Uchiha wanted them? That it is in our blood to awaken them when consumed by grief? Not every Uchiha is a monster! Who gave you the right to kill my people?" roared Naruto,

"Indra nearly destroyed the world when he awakened those eyes! He fell to darkness just like you are now!" yelled Kurama furiously, why couldn't the boy understand why it had been necessary to keep the peace?

"And you condemned and murdered entire generations of my people for the crimes of one man?" asked Naruto in disbelief,

"The Otsutsuki are about to destroy the world and you are stuck in the past!" hissed Kurama disappointedly,

Naruto stumbled as if someone had slapped him.

"The past? It's not about that, fox. It's about us, our friendship. I never lied to you, never kept secrets from you, stood by you no matter what. But I never knew you truly, did I...Kurama?" asked Naruto sadly,

"I was bound by my duty, Naruto. You have to understand that!" pleaded Kurama,

"Everyone of us has a choice, fox. I made mine when I chose to kill those scumbag Uchiha that night, they were my clansmen but I did what I thought was right despite my allegiances. I made peace with the killers of my brothers for the sake of my people! I only lied to my wife for the safety of my daughters and even then I eventually told her the truth. Were you ever going to tell me the truth about you? About what you've done?" demanded Naruto,

He waited for the beast to say anything but speech had somehow left its lips.

Naruto could not believe what he was seeing. He had denied all these allegations that Indra laid on Kurama about killing Uchiha's without provocation even those who were innocent, actively playing a part in hunting down powerful sharingan users over the course of history, playing a vital part in making the sharingan extinct for many centuries.

But now the silence of his friend was all the proof he needed.

He had trusted the fox with everything, even more than he ever did with Madara who was his blood brother. Yet the Biju had twisted history, made his ancestors appear as monsters when they were just men with ambitions, supported him when he saw that it would perhaps achieve peace between Uchiha and Senju which was what the Sage wanted.

It had all been about the Sage's wishes.

His heart broke and he could not help but imagine if this was what Indra must have felt when Ashura betrayed him. Were Indra's descendants forever destined to be betrayed?

"Would you have forgiven me had I told you the truth? You were the first friend I made in a lifetime, you were different from your people. I could not afford to lose you over my past" confessed Kurama, his eyes unable to meet those betrayed ones of his best friend's.

"You should have given me a chance to make my own decision. Just as I gave one to Tsunade with my own truth" said Naruto sadly,

Kurama tensed as he felt the monstrous power flare up. He dared to look at Naruto and saw the desire to fight burn in his eyes. The boy wanted to hurt him badly just as Kurama had hurt his heart.

The fox didn't know what to do but was saved from his dilemma when Naruto's dark power subsided. All that was left was the broken look in the boy's eyes.

"You were my brother, Kurama"

The Biju was about to rush towards his friend only to see him turn his back on him. The dark portal opened again proving the fact that Naruto had mastered his new eyes. When the boy looked back there were tears falling from his dark red eyes.

"I loved you"

The portal consumed the King making him disappear and Kurama's world came crashing down.

Naruto stood alone on top of the mountain observing the vast army camp beneath him. He now had a lot more men to fight his enemies with, but most of them were scared sheep who would run at the first sight of the enemy.

Most of his elite warriors were butchered and now made a part of the enemy force.

He could not help but wonder whether these people would be able to face their turned loved ones as their enemies. Would they flee? Would they crumble? Would they hope that this nightmare ended?

Weak.

He could not rely on numbers, not anymore. His trusted friend had betrayed him, the only ones he could truly trust to have his back were his four childhood friends.

No matter, he was not weak anymore. Either these warriors would man up and fight for their survival or perish.

There was no room for weakness against death.

He clenched his fists and felt unending hatred burn in his heart as he remembered Kimimaro's arrogant smirk when he killed Naori and almost killed him.

He could feel those bastards approaching and soon he would face that worm again.

But this time he would burn him alive, rip him apart, make such a mockery of him that a thousand generations from now would tremble when they heard of that fool's fate.

He took in a few deep breaths to calm his nerves and control his hatred. Indra had warned him that his new power would change him and the man was not wrong.

Never in his entire life had Naruto expected Kurama to betray him like that.

He had shared everything with the fox thinking him to be a friend only to be betrayed. The Biju could do whatever it wanted, he just didn't care anymore.

There was one more person he had to confront before going into battle. He would settle the matter once and for all so that his mind was not troubled by silly issues ever again.

With those thoughts, he flared his powers in search of the person's chakra signature and after a few seconds discovered their location.

Tsunade blinked in surprise when she saw Naruto march into her tent swiftly. She had trouble believing that he recovered so quickly from his injuries. Even if his wounds were healed, his body shouldn't be strong enough so fast. She had never believed as to why the Uchiha's were so protective of Dawn but after seeing the power the sword had, she could understand why.

She didn't know why but she could feel a change in Naruto's aura.

A sense of bitterness and bubbling anger was what she felt when she tried to feel his aura. It was further proved when he took in a deep breath to calm himself before looking at her regretfully.

"I'm sorry about Itama. I just came to know about him now...I will avenge him and Naori" promised Naruto fiercely,

She approached him and laid a hand on his shoulder. Her eyes meeting his...

"There's something different about you. And it's not just your eyes..." commented Tsunade,

Naruto was about to tell her the truth but stopped himself. He needed to set things clear first before making another mistake. He had already made one by trusting Kurama blindly, he could not afford another with his wife no matter how dear she was to him.

"I've been through a lot" he reasoned,

"I'm sorry about your aunt. I wish I had known her better" consoled Tsunade honestly,

The air of awkwardness around them was heavy and they both felt it. Deciding not to let it grow, Tsunade grasped his cheeks with her hands making him look back at her.

"There is a distance between us, Naruto. Let us not widen it any further..." she pleaded,

He remained silent staring deeply into her eyes. She knew what he wanted, thankfully their separation had given her enough time to think things through.

"I'm sorry" she whispered,

If possibly the intensity of his stare magnified ten fold but the aura of anger and bitterness faded considerably from his heart. Something had changed in him but she could still feel remnants of his old self still in there. It was buried beneath layers of grief and pain, but it was still there.

"You will be loyal to me and our family. I really like you Tsunade and in time I will come to love you but not if you let your emotions rule our relationship. I will trust you with everything in my life and never hide anything from from this point onwards. Can you promise the same? Can you give me your unwavering loyalty?" he asked seriously, looking right into her eyes.

"Yes" she promised, and could not help but be a little turned on from his commanding presence.

He had been so hesitant and careful before but now it seemed like she was truly in the presence of a King and not someone trying to learn how to rule. There was no doubt or hesitation in his eyes and she could not help but confess a thing that had haunted her for past several days.

"When you were gone, I blamed myself for our fight. It was stupid of me to lash out at you like that but I promise to be better. It may take time but I will do my best for you. When I learned my brother died, a part of me died with him. But seeing you half dead made me realize that I have started to truly care about you. Neither of us are perfect but we can try to build something good by understanding each other. I don't know if what I feel for you is love...but I do know that I want you in my life" confessed Tsunade,

She sighed in relief when a soft smile broke across his lips.

"Missed me that much?" he asked cockily, making her roll her eyes.

"Don't push your luck" she reprimanded playfully,

He stole her breath away by smashing their lips together eliciting a surprised gasp and moan from her at the same time. When they finally parted, she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Someone seems eager" she teased, as her hands touched at his private regions.

He grinned.

"I can find someone else if you're not in the mood-"

He could not finish his sentence as she nearly growled and ripped his shirt apart before pushing him roughly towards the bed.

He rolled sideways when she jumped at him making her crash on the bed face-forwards eliciting a yelp from her.

He could not help but chuckle boisterously at her fate receiving playful punches to the chest from her in return. He let her hit him for a few moments before grabbing her arms and pinning them above her head with his one hand. With his other hand, he ripped apart her dress receiving a half-hearted protest from her.

He started planting kisses across her body but stopped when he noticed that her eyes were starting to get moist.

"Itama?" he asked gently, very well aware of the love a person had for their siblings.

She touched his heart and looked at him with moist eyes.

"You're hurting, aren't you?" she asked knowingly, making him hug her if only to hide his own miserable pain.

"There is no time to mourn the ones we lost. We have to fight" he whispered sadly,

When he woke up from his coma, for a moment he had expected Naori to be there to greet him only to remember she was gone. While approaching towards Tsunade's tent he had heard a few of her clansmen whispering about Itama's death which had also shocked him. He had assumed the young Senju had been busy elsewhere but to think he too was dead alongwith Shin Aburame, Ayato Uzumaki and so many others was too heavy a burden for him to bear.

It had been his duty to repel the enemy from Uzu but he had failed resulting into heavy losses on their side.

Now, he could not trust his strongest ally, certainly not after the secrets Kurama kept from him intentionally. He still wasn't sure what the fox would do now or what he himself was going to do about the beast.

"How do you deal with someone who has hurt you? Someone dear to you?" he asked her, and eased up so that he could look at her face properly.

"Where is this coming from?" she asked tentatively,

He sighed before telling her all that had happened to him after he was injured at Uzu. How he met Indra, the history of their world and the role of the Otsutsuki, about his new eyes, and about Kurama's past.

To her credit, Tsunade patiently listened without interrupting him even once. A feat which he never thought his impulsive wife was capable of. She also listened to him as he revealed his spat with Kurama just an hour ago.

"You feel betrayed"

He could not help but nod at her simple but accurate assessment because it was what he exactly felt towards the fox.

"I trusted him with everything but now I cannot help but doubt whether all his actions were just to fulfill the Sage's wishes of reconciling the Uchiha and Senju...or did he truly do it for me as my friend?" questioned Naruto doubtfully,

"What does your heart say?" asked Tsunade gently, as she laid a few gentle kisses on his cheek and neck relaxing his tense muscles.

"Honestly? Right now I just want to harm the ones who hurt my people and my family. I just don't know what to do, Tsunade" he confessed tiredly,

"This power is making conflicting emotions rise within you. They are clashing with who you were before to who you are today. To be honest, I really don't know what is the right choice for you in this situation. But what I do know is the fact that people can change with time. Even I never imagined myself ever marrying an Uchiha much less coming to care for one. Maybe it was the fox's mission to sabotage your clan and keep them in check but he went against his code by not harming you or your brother. He never knew that you would someday become King and bring peace between our people, and yet he fought for you against the Senjus. He stood by you even when your own family was angry with you, was one of the first to claim you King. Yes, his actions might have been influenced by the mission the Sage left him with...but I think despite his secrets and faults he did come to care about you"

"There comes a point in everyone's life when they have to make tough choices. Ones which are not easy to make...I think the fox made his when he chose you over his mission. It does not lessen his guilt of keeping secrets from you or laying down his own biased account of your ancestors...that makes him more human to me"

She was surprised when Naruto smiled ruefully making her send him a curious look.

"The beast thinks himself to be better than humans. I cannot imagine his reaction when he realizes that he made the same mistakes as any other human would. That ought to bring his over-inflated ego down a peg or two" said Naruto humorlessly,

Even as he said those words she saw the lingering worry ever present in his eyes. The Otsutsuki had done a great damage to his self confidence after inflicting repeated losses with each bearing painful casualties. She knew he would still fight because he was not someone who gave up, but for once she knew she had to say this whether he wanted to hear it or not.

"Whatever happens, be it victory or death. I'll stand by you till the end" she promised,

A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips and she was glad to see the worry in his eyes be replaced by his usual confidence as he grinned back at her.

"There will only be victory or a greater victory" he promised,

She did not say anything else and simply kissed him.

(Two Days Later)

Dark clouds spread across the skies like a layer of ash robbing the earth from every last ray of sunlight. Heavy rains lashed out on the vast mountains ferociously drenching both rock and man in its fury. Distant thunder roared regularly with occasional lightning strikes hitting the soil making the ground tremble.

Even in such a dangerous weather, a gigantic mass of humans stood strong.

50,000 against the approaching wave of darkness led by the striking form of Kimimaro Otsutsuki.

The field was covered in various flags and banners, men and women adorning different battle armors, anxious eyes and nervous hearts awaiting the inevitable clash.

What made the living more nervous was the sudden absence of the Nine Tailed fox from their ranks. The beast was supposed to be their trump card but yet it was nowhere to be found despite their best efforts. It had sent a wave of anger, panic and fear among the army which was eventually stopped by Hashirama and the King himself. No explanations were offered but the chaos was stopped by the monstrous aura unleashed by the two men. It had made everyone back down and get in line despite their doubts.

Those same two men were currently standing at the head of their army alongside the queen. Behind them stood the four Kingsguard with the left and right flanks maintained by Hanzo and Mifune respectively.

Even the civilian fighters among the army could see the enemy outnumbered them vastly. Maybe even three times atleast.

It was why a wave of relief and cheers spread across the human army when they heard a monstrous roar followed by the menacing form of the Kyuubi charge through the valley and wordlessly join beside them. The beast expectantly glanced at the King and flinched when the said monarch never even looked at him once.

The King's heart was as cold as ice and filled with nothing but pure hatred as his dark red eyes glared murderously at the approaching form of Kimimaro and his massive army.

He turned back and looked at his warriors. His people were afraid and he couldn't blame them for they would face their worst nightmares tonight.

"I don't know what will happen tonight. But I won't lie to you...it is going to be brutal" declared Naruto loudly,

Thousands winced at his harsh words and the sight of the gigantic enemy army only served to increase that fear but they still looked at their King whose eyes held sadness and determination as he glanced at Hashirama.

"We've lost good people...we may lose more" confirmed Naruto, earning solemn nods from Hashirama and Tsunade as well.

Naruto looked at his friends and this time his eyes were full of nothing but anger.

"The Otsutsuki attacked our world. They killed our people, our friends, our family. They think we'll crumble tonight before their might but they are WRONG!" yelled the King defiantly, and was satisfied when the most defiant among his soldiers clenched their teeth in silent fury as they now saw what the Otsutsuki had done to their loves ones and friends.

"They started this war! But we will not just finish it...we will make them regret it! Tonight we show them and everyone else in this universe what happens when you cross Mankind!" declared Naruto fiercely,

Thousands of humans stepped forward with grim determination and burning vengeance in their hearts.

The sight of Dawn being unleashed by the King made the entire human army unleash their own weapons deafening the entire land in a frightening sound.

"No more running!"

"No more hesitation!"

"No more waiting!"

King Naruto Uchiha, The First Dragon King, ruler of the elemental nations turned around and charged. His battlecry unleashing roars of 50,000 bloodthirsty human warriors and one monstrous fox.

"FIRE AND BLOOD!"