Chapter 37: End of an Era

Tajima knelt before the wounded man lying before him. By all accounts he should be dead, yet by some miracle Madara was still breathing. His pulse was weak and he was barely hanging on to life, but his heart still functioned.

Looking in front of him, Tajima knew the reason behind Madara's survival even after being hit by a Bijudama.

The Young Dragon.

It still felt unreal for Tajima to even think of the powerful warrior king that his youngest son had become. A boy who had nothing went on to unite the world, brought nations to their knees and now was all that remained between humanity's extinction.

The same boy who had defeated tailed beasts on his own yet was now missing one of his two powerful eyes.

A power he sacrificed for the sake of his brother.

Shisui had torn off a piece of his own attire and made it a rough eye patch that now covered Naruto's blind eye. Yet even with one eye there was a fire in the young king's eyes as he glanced at the few thousand of his people that had survived the bloody carnage of a battle.

The enemy army had shattered and fled the moment the Gedo Mazo was destroyed by the Kyuubi's Bijudama. The enemy's last hope which were the tailed beast were sealed in dark space by Naruto himself. The King would have died himself had he not used one of the Uchiha's most costly but effective techniques to alter reality.

Izanagi.

Naruto had been one of the handful Uchiha who had fully read the Uchiha tablet that had the secrets of that technique inscribed on it. He used that power to not only save himself but also his brother while ultimately destroying the Gedo Mazo and making the remaining tailed beast free from the Otsutsuki's grasp.

One of his Mangekyo eyes was the price for that and Tajima could not help but admire his youngest son's resolve.

The enemy queen, on realizing that her most powerful trump cards were no longer existing had cut her losses and fled with as many of her minions as she could. Many among the remaining human army wanted to follow but Naruto had forbidden it.

The same king now watched his last brother and Hashirama sleeping side by side. Both men were badly wounded, one fighting the Gedo Mazo and the other against the enemy queen. It was Hashirama alone who kept the Otsutsuki queen engaged and forced her to retreat by injuring her but it costed him dearly.

Breaking the Otstusuki army costed even more terribly.

Naruto looked at his people and grimaced when he saw less than half of his army still alive, and only a quarter of those were in any fighting shape. Rest were either too injured, tired or defeated to raise their weapons again.

"What are your orders, my king?"

He looked at Shisui for a moment before his gaze settled on Mikoto as she stepped beside him. Having recently learned of her brother's demise she was bottling her emotions quite well in hopes of extracting vengeance from the one ultimately responsible for Takeshi's death.

"Lord Tajima"

The Uchiha patriarch glanced at his son and stepped towards him. With Sasuke Sarutobi dead and Sakumo alongwith Daen Nara wounded, also with Hashirama and Madara incapacitated it left Tajima as the most senior commander after the King.

"What do you need?" asked Tajima seriously, but his eyes were full of pride as he looked at his son.

"Consolidate our remaining forces and retreat to the Land of Lightning. Link up with my wife and reorganize our army" commanded Naruto without blinking an eye even when nearly everyone glanced at him in shock.

"We are winning, my king" insisted Tajima fiercely, even a bit heatedly but Naruto didn't waver.

In fact, the king looked downright heartbroken.

"I am winning battles...but I am losing this war" confessed Naruto, his voice barely above a whisper but Tajima heard it nonetheless. Glancing at the remaining human army and the condition they were in, he understood what was going through Naruto's heart.

"We are with you. In life and death" promised Tajima, earning a grim smile from his son.

"I appreciate that but the real aim is for our race to survive this war. The enemy is most likely going to flee to the Land of Water. It is their stronghold that has never been invaded. With the state of our forces, it'll take us years if not decades to replenish our numbers and strength to invade that place. And then too we are most likely to be defeated, the enemy is expecting us to chase after them blindly and will most probably organize a full guerrilla warfare for us. They'll bleed us slowly until we die a slow and painful death" explained Naruto harshly,

Kurama saw the fear and hesitation in many eyes as most of the humans had heard terrible tales about the Land of Water. Most of all, Naruto was speaking the harsh truth.

The human army didn't have the strength or will left to invade a place like the Land of Water.

"Then what do you suggest? That we let them get away? Let them amass another army?" asked one of the few surviving Uchiha,

Shisui glanced at Kagami's dead body while Mikoto remembered Takeshi. Both Uchiha kept their silence but still looked at Naruto who was maintaining his cool even when others around him weren't.

"If we fight this war their way...then we will lose. We will not do it their way" declared Naruto icily, daring all the people around him to oppose him. He smirked when Kurama growled making even more men flinch away, added that to his killing intent there was not much room left for disobedience.

"You have a plan" deduced Tajima, earning a nod from his son as he glanced at the lone Otsutsuki prisoner that was being held captive.

"Every warrior should abide by their oaths. A king most of all should set an example, protecting this kingdom and its people is my responsibility. I intend to do just that" said Naruto fiercely,

The King then turned around to march straight towards the lone prisoner making others follow after him. The sole Otsutsuki warrior glared at the approaching young monarch hatefully but flinched when Naruto grabbed his throat and lifted him in the air. The man struggled for air but Naruto looked him in the eye.

"Leave...me..."

To the Otsutsuki's and everyone else's surprise, Naruto released the prisoner and threw him several feet away.

Surprised, the Otsutsuki looked up when Naruto stepped forward and knelt to look straight in his eyes.

"Tell your queen...Fire and Blood will come to her lands. 15,000 humans will invade her home to see if its really impenetrable" whispered Naruto fiercely,

The pale eyed warrior flinched away from the lone dark red eye glaring at him. He could feel the dark power and pent up rage burning inside this man and could only imagine the havoc he would cause in the Land of Water when he invaded with his remaining army. While the Otstusuki queen was yet to be defeated, she had lost a massive chunk of her forces and her greatest trump cards. With Kimimaro gone as well, the situation was extremely fragile.

Still, the ancient warrior glared at the young king before him.

"Few victories mean nothing" cursed the Otsutsuki bitterly, earning a tiny smirk from Naruto.

"It's better than the ass kicking your faction just received"

The Otsutsuki gave one final glare but soon enough fled as fast as he could without another word. When Naruto turned back to face his people he saw most of them were not happy with his decision to let the Otsutsuki run away but none dared to raise their voice.

Certainly not after what he did to the tailed beasts.

He placed his hand over the eye-patch covering his lost eye that he sacrificed. It felt weird to just be able to see with one eye but it was a price he would pay a thousand times again if it helped to save his brother's life. When he arrived at this battle, he had seen a small glimpse of the loyalty that Madara had gained from many ninjas due to his actions in this war.

Madara was a good leader, a bit stubborn and prideful but one who actually cared for the people under him.

His brother would never admit such a thing outloud but his actions were more than necessary to prove it. In that manner, Madara was better than Naruto.

How can I call myself king if I cannot even defeat the enemy who butchered my people and world?

The truth was that his forces were in no shape to invade any nation much less a place like the Land of Water. It would take months just to gather supplies for such a campaign not to mention he needed more men which he simply didn't have.

Most of all, he had no shred of intel on the layouts, defenses or the number of enemy waiting for him and his army in the strongest bastion of the Otsutsuki.

He gestured towards Shisui who nodded and requested Tajima, Mikoto, Hanzo, Mifune and the few high ranking officers still alive to follow towards the city.

As the leaders started walking away and the remaining humans started burning the dead or helping the wounded, Kurama came beside the young king.

"What is going through that head of yours?" asked the fox with a sigh, as he noticed an all too familiar look on his sole friend's face.

"We cannot invade the Land of Water, because if we do then we are finished" admitted Naruto, earning a sharp look from the beast.

"That's not what you said to your freed prisoner" pointed Kurama, and got a nod from the boy in return.

It was then Kurama blinked as he realized some of the things that Naruto was planning which made him look at the boy with skepticism and curiosity both burning in his eyes and heart.

Before the fox could voice his opinion, he saw Naruto wordlessly walking forward to kneel before the bodies of his friend. He sat there and simply observed the body before him even as Kurama came beside him.

The beast growled at the nearby soldiers making them run away very quickly and was saddened when he saw tears falling from Naruto's lone eye. Death was not something new in this brutal world yet even so there were a few people who had cared for this boy regardless of his past or status.

Looking at the deformed corpse, all Kurama could see was a human who died for his race by sacrificing all he had.

But one look at Naruto's grief ridden eye was enough to show what the boy was to the lone eyed monarch.

The King's entire body shook with rage and grief as he gripped the hands of his dead friend. Takeshi was already cremated while Kagami had aged completely due to using the Eight Gates and was now nothing more than a husk that would soon vanish from this world.

It was a gruesome sight even for someone like Kurama to witness.

"I'll...annihilate...all...of...them...will...hunt...down...and...butcher...every...single...one...of...those...bastards...even...if...it...is...the...last...thing...I...do"

If the fierce hatred and grief in Naruto's voice was not proof enough of his anger then the level of desire for revenge in that lone dark red eye was more than enough for Kurama to understand that the Otsutsuki queen was going to be hunted down until either she and her minions were dead.

Or...

Kurama dismissed that thought as he looked at Naruto. Such a disaster was not an option, one that the beast would never allow even at the cost of this entire world.

As the flames of Amaterasu started consuming the remains of the Kingsguard member, Naruto stood still as a rock with tears falling from his eyes as another one of his friends departed from this world.

Shisui observed Mikoto from the corner of his eyes. The girl was silently sitting in a corner surrounded by several dozen more ninjas on all sides. Her eyes were a picture of grief and shock...

Takeshi was the only family she had left in this world and now he was gone, even his death was not painless. Shisui knew better than most that offering her comfort after that tragedy was probably the last thing Mikoto needed right now.

How was he supposed to console her when he himself was yet to come to terms with the death of his two friends?

For as long as he could remember, Kagami and Takeshi alongside Mikoto, Naruto and Itachi had always been by his side. They were a team...and now two of them were just gone.

Being a senior officer in the army was forcing him to control his emotions lest he instill further chaos among the men, but it could not stop the grief and anger from overcoming his heart. Nor could it stop his trembling hands that wanted to choke the very life out of the Otsutsuki queen's body.

Thankfully, Tajima had rounded up most of the elite ninjas that had survived the battle and were in any condition to fight. Nobody knew what was going to happen next...nor did any of them wanted to find out.

Months of fighting and losing one's loved ones had left most fighters tired and sad. Most just wanted to stop and mourn their losses but Shisui knew there would be no peace for anyone unless the Otsutsuki were annihilated from the face of this world.

He looked up when he saw Naruto walk towards them with the Kyuubi by his side. A small whispering started among the crowd of 1000 people as the king stepped before them all. While the battle had ended in victory for humanity, the amount of loss suffered had not left any room for rejoice. More importantly, the enemy leader was still alive and many had already seen her power. As long as she lived, there would be no peace for mankind.

"What are we going to do now, King Naruto?"

"You cannot possibly think of invading the Land of Water? We are in no shape for such an invasion!"

"Do you have any idea about how many we have lost to this war that you started?"

"You promised us victory yet our people are still dying! Our lands are destroyed!"

"What kind of a King are you?"

"Where were you when the Land of Fire was invaded? Where were you when they butchered our families, our homes, our friends?"

Tajima was hardly able to believe the amount of anger and accusations being laid at his son. He looked at the boy who was silently taking it all in without a word, the only thing stopping the crowd from attacking the king was the fox's presence. Yet even the Kyuubi was not enough for people to spill out their anger at their leader.

The truth was that humanity was never ready for a war like this, certainly not against a power like the Otsutsuki.

No matter how strong or powerful a King could be, they would not survive this war without heavy losses. Yet Naruto had tried his best to save as many as he could, but the harsh truth was that humanity had still not achieved victory even after losing more than half of its population.

Humanity was in a lot of pain and anger...all currently being vented out on its current leader.

The screaming and accusations went on for longer than Tajima was comfortable with, but his son just stood there and heard it all. It was only when the fox growled did the angry humans stop their shouting.

"Is that all?"

Many in the crowd flinched and stepped back when Naruto's lone Mangekyo glared at them coldly.

"It is true that this war has been the most devastating that humanity has ever endured. We have lost so much and suffer more everyday, yet we are slowly inching towards victory as well. Every sacrifice puts us one step more closer towards victory. The reason we could not achieve victory till now is...because we are weak"

Shisui grimaced as even he knew those were not the words the people wanted to hear right now. They would have erupted in even more fury had the Kyuubi not been present to keep them in check. He saw Naruto looking at them all and in the king's eyes there was nothing but cold determination.

"Thousands have died following my command in this war. More will continue to die...and that is the reality" confessed Naruto,

"What do you think we are? We're not disposable pawns!"

"No, you're not. But each and everyone of you is a warrior. The best humanity has left to offer...so I ask you to follow me one last time" urged Naruto,

He saw hesitation and fear present in many faces until one man stepped out of the crowd. It didn't take the king more than a moment to recognize the man as Nagato Uzumaki, the now recovered and acting leader of the Uzumaki clan.

"What kind of plan do you have in mind, my king? You saved my people when we needed help, my clan will follow you to hell itself if you want us to" promised Nagato sincerely,

It was not just Nagato, but his sister Mito Uzumaki and all their remaining clansmen who nodded at their leader's words before looking at Naruto. It was enough to silence the remaining crowd as they pondered over the new development.

Kurama saw Naruto give a grateful nod to the Uzumaki. Who could have known that Naruto's sincere decision to help the Uzumaki would prove so crucial for him in this hour? The Uzumaki were one of the finest that humanity still had to offer and each and everyone of them had fought the Otsutsuki longer than anyone else as they were the first to be dragged into this war. Their help was not something to be taken lightly and it was a fact that not even the other angry ninjas could dismiss.

"I know that currently our army is in no shape to stage an invasion across the Land of Water. But the fact remains that the Otsustsuki need to be stopped, no matter the cost" said Naruto,

"How can we do that?" demanded one of the many ninjas,

"No army has been able to conquer the Land of Water and that fact will not change. That leaves us with only one choice..."

Kurama glanced at his friend and trembled when he saw the cold look in Naruto's lone eye.

"We wipe out Land of Water from the face of this earth!"

Not a single person in the crowd had expected such a resolution by their leader. Even a cold hearted man like Tajima was left gawking as he stared at his stoic son. He could understand wiping out enemies, even entire clans and whole armies...

But Naruto wanted to destroy an entire continent...

Not only was it impossible but simply out of understanding of the ordinary human.

"We destroy the Land of Water and destroy every Otsutsuki and their allies once and for all. It is a drastic move but under our current circumstances, humanity is left with no other choice" confessed Naruto honestly,

"How?" asked Shisui hesitantly, as even he didn't know how that was possible. No human including Naruto himself was capable of such a feat.

"I have a weapon that will destroy the entire continent. I will kill the Otsutsuki queen personally...all I need is men willing to follow me into that hell" said Naruto frankly,

"You all are the best that humanity has to offer. I cannot take an entire army to the Land of Water, so I made the enemy believe otherwise but in truth a small elite force should be enough for this final strike" announced the king,

"What is this weapon of yours that can cause such massive destruction? It can't be the fox because even he cannot wipe out an entire continent!" pointed Mifune calmly,

"I cannot say"

More than one in the crowd flinched or growled at the King's flat refusal to divulge the identity of his secret weapon. For his part, Naruto stared at all of the people present before him without batting an eye despite their furious looks.

"You are asking us to risk our lives and follow you into that hell? Invade a continent that we have never seen in our lives or have any solid intelligence about? And yet you won't tell us the weapon we are supposed to risk everything over. Is that correct?" questioned Hanzo flatly, and was surprised when Naruto just nodded.

"Don't you trust us, my king? We have fought and died for you!" accused several ninjas,

"For the success of this mission, I will not divulge this information. It is possible the enemy may have infiltrated their spies into our ranks. I have read reports of creatures named Zetsu that are capable of taking on the perfect appearance of another person. Maybe one of them is currently hiding among us and we still don't have a way to identify them. I have already risked a lot by revealing my deception to the enemy, I won't say anything more"

"This is the situation and the odds are not in our favor. Make no mistake, most of us if not all will die in this mission. To be honest, I am asking you to commit suicide. I cannot even guarantee as to whether we will succeed or not, all of you have followed me faithfully and have sacrificed so much. It is why I won't punish or force anyone to be a part of this but I request you to stand and fight for humanity's future one last time" confessed Naruto,

Pin drop silence swept over the area as the reality of Naruto's plan started to sink into the elite fighters of humanity. As he looked at the fighters, Naruto could only imagine what could be going through their hearts and mind. He had not even bothered to summon the ordinary ninjas and fighters for they were not suitable for such a mission, even for the elites standing before him it was going to be a difficult choice.

"You were too upfront about this, Naruto. They'll al leave without you ordering them to join you!" whispered Kurama disappointedly, only to receive an understanding look from his friend.

"There comes a point when people stop caring about orders or about anyone else. This war has brought us to that point, I have already asked all I could from my people. They have lost friends, family, their homes, even their very lives. Now I am asking them to do something that scares even me. I am asking them to die...the least I can do is give them a choice" answered Naruto calmly,

"I really don't understand you sometimes, baka" sighed Kurama, making Naruto smirk.

"Does that count as a yes?" asked Naruto with a smirk, earning a tired sigh from his beast friend.

"You ask as if I have a choice" grumbled Kurama,

The beast and the king grimly watched as dozens of people started leaving. Soon those dozens were joined by many others until it was hundreds of people leaving now that the king had given them a choice not to participate if they didn't want to. This war had made most people reach their breaking point and now all they wanted to do was rest.

But there were others who remained steadfast and stared at their king.

One of them was Mikoto whose harsh and cold eyes burned with nothing but hatred for the Otsutsuki. She was one of the many who had lost everything in this war and wanted nothing more than to burn the ones who took her family from her.

There were other loyalists like Shisui who had stood by Naruto no matter the situation. This situation was not any different as the leader of the Kingsguard only gave a small smile to his friend which said all that needed to be said. Tajima beamed with hidden pride when he saw the last of his clansmen not leave and instead they all gathered around Shisui. The same was the case with most Senjus and every Uzumaki who too stood their ground despite knowing the odds. The three great clans that descended from the Sage of Six Paths were on the verge of extinction, yet they were standing together for the first time in history.

For men like Hanzo and Mifune, it was a matter of choosing the way that would save their people. They both looked at the king and then at each other before sharing a nod. Watching their leaders standing their ground was more than enough for the honor bound Samurai to stand behind them as well.

Long minutes passed as hundreds of humanity's best walked away until only a small crowd remained.

Naruto stared at the 245 brave souls that had found the courage in their hearts to stand and follow him into hell itself. It was not to say that they were not afraid...but quite the opposite. Yet these same men, women, and even teenagers were standing their ground. He spotted so many familiar faces that gave him some hope.

Shisui, Mikoto, Nagato, Mito, Hanzo, Mifune, Kakashi, Danzo, every last surviving Uchiha, Senju and Uzumaki alongside so many others.

Tajima watched as a small smile arrived on his son's face.

The King stepped before the 245 souls and looked them all right in the eye.

"Then let's hit them where they live"