Chapter 40: Land of Water, Part 1

(Coastal Zone: Land of Fire)

Mikoto sat alone in the cold night watching the borders of their small camp, as was her duty. All around her the lands were bathed in snow and the air was full of cold breezes, the only comfort being the presence of the shining moon in the sky. If she looked below the hill where she was currently sitting, she could see her comrades resting in their makeshift tents and relishing the last few hours before their inevitable battle.

In the heavy silence, the Uchiha warrior could not help but reflect how her life had changed in the past one year.

Not so long ago, she had been a part of the infamous Kinsguard whom many feared and hated but for her it was the one place she had always belonged. She had friends there, comrades who respected her, a brother who worried for her safety everyday and a man she had loved with all her heart.

A year later, her brother who was her only family was dead, one of her closest friends had too perished and the man she loved had disappeared from her life.

She had fought and fought for so long only to realize that most of the things worth fighting for were long gone from her life.

Revenge was all that kept her going...

She had to make the Otsutsuki pay for what they did to her brother, her friends, her comrades, her family, and her world.

In a way, she was glad to be a part of this suicide mission and could care less if she survived or not...because that would be a relief against the harsh loneliness that would await her if she actually did.

If only she could go back in time, if only she could have saved her brother, if only she could have been with him...

Her thoughts were disrupted and she was alarmed when someone placed a hand on her shoulder from behind, how the person crept so dangerously close without her knowing? She was about to go on the defensive when that familiar voice relaxed her instantly...

"A beautiful night, don't you think?''

She turned to face the King who gave her a warm smile taking away a lot of the pain and guilt she was feeling just moments before. It pained her to see him staring at her with just one eye but she would take that over anything worse anytime.

"Yeah, it is" she whispered solemnly,

He surprised her when he brought forward his hand holding two steaming cups of instant ramen. She looked at his smiling face for a few moments before a sweet laugh escaped her lips. Of all the things in the world, of all the times, only he could do something so strange...yet endearing. Her eyes twinkled with joy and gratitude as she accepted his small gift by taking one of the cups from him which made him smile again.

They both sat there in that peaceful silence eating that delicious ramen while glancing at that beautiful sky. It was all Mikoto could ask for right now, to have her best friend by her side in this hour. Even if he was the king of the elemental nations, never once did she feel him to have changed. Her old kind but annoying Naruto was still there somewhere, hidden underneath mountains of duty and worries.

"I miss this" she confessed without hesitation, unable to recall the last time they had spent such a peaceful time together.

Now that she thought about it, they had always been at War due to the never ending conflicts between clans. It was always one battle after another, one threat after another...

"I miss you"

His sincere but heartbreaking words caught her offguard and one look in his eyes showed that he too felt something for her.

"You're married now and a soon to be Father..." she reminded him, despite how much she wanted to take him in her arms and forget the past year had ever happened.

He too knew that as he nodded truthfully but did not stop himself from grabbing her hand gently.

"I know. But you are important to me and it pains me that I couldn't be there for you when you needed me most" he admitted, voice full of guilt and shame.

"You are a King responsible for more than just one person's well being. Besides, I can take care of myself..." she tried to say, but he would not listen.

He lifted his hands to gently cup her cheeks and looked her in the eyes. She fought back the lump in her throat as her own hidden feelings threatened to consume her when she was this close to him...

"I am truly sorry for Takeshi. I failed him...and I failed you" he confessed, wanting to make her understand that he had not forgotten his failure of not being able to save her only brother.

"We are shinobi, Naruto. Death is a part of us and Takeshi died because he wanted to protect his people. He died for his king...it pains me to be without him but I don't hold anyone but the Otsutsuki responsible for his death. Give me my vengeance...that is all I ask" answered Mikoto seriously, much to his own sorrow.

"I promise. But I will also ask something of you in return" he said, as she raised one of her eyebrows in curiosity.

"What is it?'' she asked,

"Once we return from this mission, I want you to find your own happiness. You will not wallow in grief anymore than necessary..." he said sternly, earning a short smirk from her.

"Is that an order?" she asked amusedly,

"If it has to be" he countered stubbornly,

"You say that as if any of us will actually survive this. Be honest with me...we're not coming back, are we?" she asked him in a resigned voice, and was surprised by the determined gaze of his.

"You will. As shall Shisui, Itachi, Kurama and many others. I will make sure of it" he promised fiercely,

"You say that as if it's so easy" she whispered, her heart wanted to believe him but her rational mind knew their chances were very low.

"I want to go home..."

She looked at him understandingly as she saw the longing ever present in his lone eye.

"I want to see my wife again..."

She gave him a pained smile at that statement knowing that despite all the odds, Naruto had come to care for Tsunade if the look in his eye was any proof.

"I want to see my children be born and grow peacefully in this world. I want my father and our people to rebuild their lives again, I want to be there for my brother. Most of all, I want to be the king our people wanted...it is these things that keep me going, that make me want to fight regardless of the odds. Because this is my home...and I will never stop fighting for it" he promised,

She grasped his hand gently offering him a warm and proud smile. It was just yesterday when she still remembered people calling him a Kinslayer, the center of everyone's loathing including that of his own clan. Yet he had kept on fighting facing his own success and failures.

Mikoto laid her head on his shoulder as she glanced at the sky and felt him relax as well.

"I'm proud of you"

She felt him squeeze her hand and the lone drop that fell on her head told her all she needed to know.

She held on to him and he did the same for her...and it was enough.

Nagato Uzumaki sat in the shade of a tree with his sister by his side, a comfortable silence present between them which was much needed as both siblings were well aware of their crucial role in the upcoming mission.

If they failed in their task, then everyone would die.

Their King, their comrades, their clansmen, and ultimately humanity.

It was a heavy burden to bear but they had taken it up knowing there was no one else better suited for this task.

Nagato heaved a tired sigh as he thought back to how long had this war lasted. His clan had been the first to face the Otsutsuki and had all been wiped out and Uzu was in ruins. It pained him to remember of how he had failed his people...his father would be so disappointed in him.

And now a man like him was tasked with the responsibility of saving the entire world. If not for Mito, he didn't think he could have even agreed to bear such a great burden.

He glanced down their camp to see the king himself sitting among a group of Samurai. It was a well known truth that shinobi and samurai never got along but this war had diminished much of that. When there was a choice between siding with the living or the dead, the choice was pretty much simple for most humans.

Still, it felt strange to see the Samurai actually chuckle at something Naruto said and eventually even the king smiled at his own unknown joke.

"Strange days these are, brother" commented Mito with a peaceful smile,

"That they are"

Both siblings were not surprised to hear another voice speak, having already sensed their approach a few moments ago but that did not stop them from looking up at Lord Hanzo who was the defacto leader of the Samurai alongwith Mifune.

The older warrior was keenly watching the king interacting with the Samurai and Mito didn't miss the satisfaction in his eyes.

Yet it also raised another important question which she needed to ask this man.

"What made you and your men follow the king in this mission, Lord Hanzo? My clansmen are with him because he fought for us when no one else did. You had a choice not to follow him" reminded Mito curiously, and saw even Nagato was intrigued by her question.

Salamander Hanzo stared at the young Uchiha boy currently engaging his men in a friendly sword fight. The King was battling four Samurai who were some of Hanzo's finest swordsmen and even then the older man could see how his men were being toyed with.

"Samurai have wanted peace to prevail in this world, for the weak to be protected, for the wicked to punished. We value honor and loyalty above all else" said Hanzo quietly,

"But you are a shinobi, Lord Hanzo" reminded Nagato, earning an amused look from the older man.

"A man does not have to be necessarily be a Shinobi or Samurai to fight for justice. You have to look down deep into your own heart and determine the kind of person you want to be. I maybe a shinobi to you and a Samurai for my men, but all I am is a person willing to fight for his beliefs" answered Hanzo calmly, making Nagato blush in embarrassment of his stupid question.

Surprisingly, it was Mito who caught the greater meaning behind Hanzo's words.

"You see these same qualities in the King, don't you?" asked Mito knowingly,

Hanzo looked at the Uzumaki woman with a curious gaze but gave a nod of confirmation before focusing back on Naruto as he just disarmed two of his opponents, knocked down another and outmatched the last. Instead of looking smug, the king actually offered his hand to the samurai knocked on the ground much to the men's surprise.

"He fights for what is right and does not hesitate even if it endangers everything he holds dear. I'm not saying that all his decisions have been right but it does not change the fact that he truly cares for all of humanity. In him, the Samurai see a hope for a peaceful existence with the shinobi for they have found Naruto Uchiha to be an honorable man" answered Hanzo honestly, earning a knowing smile from Nagato and Mito as they all glanced at the Young Dragon walking across the camp interacting with all his men and it did wonders to improve the morale of the warriors knowing that their king shared their worries, considered them someone he could spend time with but still remained brave and determined.

Mito had only one reply to that...

"Perhaps he is..."

Naruto sat in his tent surrounded by three of his oldest friends. He saw Shisui calmly sitting in his chair sipping sake from a small cup while Itachi stood in a corner glancing at the map of the elemental nations, while Kurama dozed in the corner. Mikoto had been tired and had decided to get some sleep telling the boys to have some last man-to-man moments before the mission commenced.

Yet Naruto could still not forget that the room was short of his two other friends...ones he would never see again.

There were many people who admired him for he had won almost every battle in this war, they thought him invincible and maybe he was on the battlefield...but he had paid dearly for those victories.

He had lost Naori, Kagami, Itachi, most of his clansmen and a large portion of his army. Not to mention the thousands of civilians who had perished without anyone knowing.

Even the Senjus had lost Tobirama and Itama, so many of their clansmen. Many minor ninja clans had gone extinct, some ancient ones like the Hatake were down to their last members. So were the Uzumaki...

He had to succeed here or else they too would soon become history.

He was surprised when a cup of sake was offered to him and saw his best friend smiling at him knowingly. He shook his head, but Shisui placed the cup before him regardless.

"What am I drinking to?" asked Naruto, his curiosity peaked.

"To the end of this war" toasted Shisui, as he raised his cup earning a skeptical look from Itachi who approached his two friends.

"Don't be so overconfident, Shisui. We might have a great plan but the enemy still outnumbers us 4 to 1 and we might not just survive this" warned Itachi frankly, and was surprised when Shisui shrugged calmly surprising even the king.

"Then we die. All I know is I'm going to do everything in my power to defeat them, I really can't see the future so I try not to worry too much" answered Shisui with a chuckle, making Naruto smile as well.

"A luxury not all of us can afford" grumbled Itachi, but Shisui shrugged the comment off and forced Itachi to sit down beside them offering him a similar cup of sake.

They both saw Naruto grin before picking up a stray paper and throwing it right at the fox.

"Come on, lazy fox. We're having fun" invited Naruto,

Kurama snorted and went back to sleep making Naruto's eyebrows twitch while his friends laughed at the blatant insult suffered by the king; but then again the fox had always been moody to begin with.

However, the king also knew which button's the beast didn't like to be pushed on.

"Chicken" whispered Naruto not too loudly, but enough for the fox to open his eyes with a dangerous glint.

The Kyuubi got up on all four and walked towards the boys. When he finally reached their side, Itachi and Shisui glanced at each other before looking back at the king and the fox.

"You do know these stupid drinks won't have any effect on me like it has on your weak bodies" scolded Kurama,

"It's called participating, dumb fox" mocked Naruto, earning a snort in return.

"I have better things to do" mumbled Kurama,

"Like sleep your ass off? Lazy!"

Shisui and Itachi watched in mild curiosity as Naruto and the fox went back and forth with their silly jibes. It pleased them to watch their friend smile and if it meant his worries and guilt were being set aside for now then it was worth bickering with the fox.

Finally, Kurama begrudgingly consented to take part in the "Stupid Human Activity" and was challenged to a full battle of sake. The king grinned triumphantly as he poured a small amount of sake into Kurama's large mouth...

At first nothing happened but a second later all three boys burst out laughing when Kurama spewed all the sake he had just gulped and glared bloody murder at Naruto.

"What kind of god awful shit is this?" asked Kurama angrily,

"It's called alcohol, fox" deadpanned Itachi with a smirk, inwardly surprised at the beast's reaction but enjoying it nonetheless.

"It tastes like shit" grumbled Kurama, earning a teasing look from Shisui.

"You'll get used to it. It's honestly surprising someone as ancient as you hasn't tried alcohol before..." commented Shisui dryly, making Kurama's eyebrows twitch.

"I'm not Ancient!" hissed the beast,

"Stop pestering the poor beast" said Naruto calmly, earning reluctant nods from his human friends and a grateful one from his beast one.

Kurama glanced at the laughing boy before him and could not help but remember how they had met. The boy had been a child back then but one so different from the others. While most grown men would have shit themselves on finding themselves accidentally facing the Kyuubi...this boy had not just stood his ground.

But he had fought back.

He had kept faith in his family even when Kurama had berated them, he had promised never to tell anyone about Kurama's existence and he had honored that promise for as long as possible.

Thinking about the great many battles they had fought together brought a warm feeling in the Biju's heart, one which was reflected by the soft smile on the king's face.

They had been through a lot but they were still friends which was all that mattered.

It was why he looked at the other two boys in the room seriously.

"If the plan fails, I don't care how many have to die but you two will get the king back to safety. As for the Otsutsuki, I'll stop them for as long as I can" instructed Kurama fiercely, surprising both Shisui and Itachi.

Kurama watched Naruto get up from his seat and tensed expecting the boy to lash out in anger but instead he simply knelt beside the beast and placed a hand on his head.

"And why is my life so important than those of others?" asked Naruto gently, earning a sharp glare from his oldest friend.

"You're the king! The people-"

"Will get another monarch if I die. It maybe my unborn son or Madara or Hashirama or some new system entirely, but the world will not stop. However, it will cease to exist if we fail here. My men have put their faith in me, my people are looking at me to save them from this enemy. So I shall fight and win, no matter the cost!" answered Naruto pointedly,

"Same goes for us as well, fox. We stand by our king" said Shisui honestly, earning a respectful nod from Naruto.

Kurama looked at Itachi hoping the rational boy would see the reason why he was making such a demand, but was sorely disappointed when Itachi nodded at Naruto instead of the fox.

"I appreciate your concern, Kurama. But we are fighting for the survival of this world and I know our chances of winning are bleak...but we cannot lose hope. We cannot give up" urged Naruto, even as he saw the worry in the fox's eyes.

Shisui and Itachi as well as Kurama saw the king stand back on his feet and look at all of them with unwavering determination ever present in his eyes.

"All of you have been fighting by my side for as long as I can remember. They say I never lost any battles in my life but I could only do that knowing that I had people like you by my side. Each of you is worth a thousand of the dead thralls the Otsutsuki queen commands, I'll take you over an entire army everytime"

Shisui smiled and Itachi smirked while Kurama could only stare at these young boys curiously.

The beast could not understand these humans sometimes, unlike them Kurama was immortal. He was energy and that could not be killed. They could seal him, they could twist him but they could never truly kill him.

But these humans were mortal and yet they thought so differently than him.

Even in this dark hour, he just had to cast one glance at Naruto which was all that would be needed to restore his faith that humanity still had a future despite the odds against them. Maybe it was what the Sage of Six Paths saw in them no matter how far these creatures went astray from the old man's dreams.

He looked at his friend one more time...

You are looking at a future I cannot even see...you always have.

Naruto looked at the fox for an answer hoping the beast's concerns were allayed. He waited as Kurama clenched his jaw before looking him in the eye without hesitation.

"I will help you defeat those bastards" promised Kurama,

The king smiled at him as Shisui and Itachi got up as well.

"Together...all of us"

(Three Days Later: Land of Water)

Hinata Otsutsuki stood at the coasts of her land observing the approaching fleet floating the three headed dragon banner on its masts. It was an armada comprised of war galleys, merchant vessels and even medium sized cogs. It would seem Naruto Uchiha had used every available resource at his hand to march his army.

Her pale white eyes could easily see the thousands of warriors on those ships, waiting to bring carnage to her lands.

"That crazy bastard actually did it. I never thought he would be foolish enough to march his entire remaining army into a death trap" whispered Shinzo, one of her top two commanders.

She glanced at her other commander and saw the man keenly observing the enemy fleet start to spread out.

"What do you see, Hayate?" asked the queen calmly,

"He is spreading his ships, most probably he plans to disembark his forces across multiple points to pierce through. My queen, I think it's a ploy meant to let us disperse our strength. I suggest we consolidate our forces and wait for him to come to us. We still outnumber him almost 4 to 1" advised Hayate honestly, earning a sharp glare from his fellow commander.

"I think not. We don't know what tricks they are upto. We cannot let them infiltrate our lands at any cost. My queen we need to stop them on the beaches" implored Shinzo earnestly, hoping she would see reason.

She bit her lip pondering over both suggestions. They were both right and she could not help but admire the Young Dragon's intelligence. Even before the battle had began, he had already started to confuse his enemies and sow discontent.

Then she also remembered the way they had lost the last battle.

The Otsutsuki army had allowed itself to be surrounded, being overconfident of their superior numbers and that mistake had cost them the entire battle as the Young Dragon and his men mercilessly tore them apart.

This time she barely had 70,000 forces under her command, four times more than her enemy but...

She could not afford the same mistake again.

"Disperse our forces. Keep 40,000 here and the remaining 30,000 shall cover all our coastal fronts. GO!" she commanded, earning a reluctant nod from Hayate and a relieved nod from Shinzo.

As her orders started to be implemented, her large army made up of her own clansmen, Hagoromo, Kaguya and the dead started to spread across the vast beaches.

"I bet the King will be in the rear" suggested Shinzo, but she shook her head knowing otherwise.

As if even the gods agreed with her assessment, her pale byakugan watched a man on the lead ship unleash his sword. A moment later a jet of pure energy screeched out of the sword piercing the dark skies making the clouds scream in agony.

"My queen..."

She didn't need her commander to tell her what she already knew, for she felt that power rise from the hidden depths of the ocean.

Right before her very eyes, she saw the entire enemy fleet be obscured as a monstrous wave started to rise from the oceans. Even her own clansmen took a step back when the body of water spanning several miles and close to a hundred feet in height stood before them ready to charge.

A smile broke across her face as she walked forward ignoring the cries of her subordinates.

She walked in silence until she stood at the front of her army watching the tsunami staring right back at her.

And then it charged.

It was a bloody nightmare coming to life and the silent but terrifying sound of the approaching tsunami was enough to make several of the Hagoromo tremble in fear. Ignoring their terror, the queen allowed the veins around her eyes to materialize as she raised her hands forward.

"SHINRA TENSAI!"

Her battlecry unleashed another force of nature as the shockwave tore through the beach rushing straight towards the approaching tsunami. She watched in satisfaction as her attack took momentum creating its own massive tsunami which charged straight towards the one unleashed by her enemy.

With a thundering roar both bodies of water clashed against each other shaking the entire battlefield and even the seas. Large water waves roared in fury, as thousands upon thousands of water droplets fell from the skies drenching warriors of both sides evenly.

Her eyes tried to catch sight of any damage the enemy fleet might have suffered due to the collision of the tsunami waves.

She was startled when a very familiar cry tore through the skies and not a moment later it was deafened by the murderous war cries of thousands of warriors.

As the raging waters finally subsided, she watched a massive shape in the sky and another shorter form upon it. The sight of that bringing up old memories from the last great war she had fought against Indra and Ashura.

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

She had watched these creatures be torn apart by Madara completely, except for one that had fallen gravely injured on the battlefield.

Now the very same creature was being ridden by her arch enemy.

The sight of that dark green scaled dragon flying ahead of thousands of humans warriors was a striking blow to the self superiority of the Otsutsuki.

If that was not enough, she also saw the Nine Tailed Fox take its full form as it charged straight at her army from the sea with an army of humans by his side.

Her gaze caught sight of the lone eyed boy riding atop the dragon and despite her situation she couldn't help but find it fitting.

She watched him fly his dragon close to her left flank where Hayate was still in the process of deploying his forces.

"Fire!"

Flames as scorching hot as the sun erupted from the reptile creature's massive mouth and soon enough bathed hundreds of her forces. Their agonizing cries finally snapping her out her dazed state.

She saw the Kyuubi preparing a Bijudama and was torn between stopping the beast or the dragon king that was currently roasting hundreds of her men alive every second. At this rate, her numerical superiority would be lost.

"My queen, we are with you" declared Shinzo bravely,

Her faith returned when her clansmen and followers unleashed their own ancient weapons with murder ever present in their eyes. Giving them a thankful nod, she made a hand seal creating two dozen of her own shadow clones who all looked at her unflinchingly.

"Capture the Kyuubi" she instructed coldly,

"Hai" replied her clones in unison, before they all vanished to carry out their orders.

"Shinzo, I leave the command of our forces to you. Hold the lines" she ordered, as the man slapped a hand to his chest.

"We won't let them pass, my queen!" promised her commander,

She nodded before she took to the skies as she summoned her own ancestral sword. The pale blade appeared in her hand alongwith the chakra balls around her body as she glared hatefully at the dragon and its rider.

It had finished another pass burning hundreds more of her men; but as if sensing her approach it turned and it was then she first caught sight of Naruto Uchiha himself.

His lone eye burning with the Mangekyo narrowed down on her as he turned his dragon straight towards her.

They both charged against each other...knowing only one would survive.