Chapter 72
KUSHINA UZUMAKI
"Let me go!" Kushina screamed, storming into the makeshift Hokage office where the young jounin commander now sat behind the desk. And each Hokage, upon their ascension, made a clear succession plan in case something were to happen to them.
Minato had done the same, and if something were to happen to him, the reins of the village were to fall into the hands of Fugaku, and if the Uchiha clan leader was unavailable, then the command was to fall into the hands of Shikaku Nara.
The Nara Clan leader also occupied the office of Jounin Commander, a rank that made him the third most powerful shinobi in the village. Although he did not possess the prowess of a Hokage, one could also say that no Hokage would be able to function effectively without the backing of his intellect.
"No," he denied her request as Kushina's blood boiled.
"Why?!" she screamed, her bijuu chakra flaring into her network, rage pulsing through every vein as the whole office began to shake.
"I have to go and help him! I am the nine tails jinchuriki and one of the strongest shinobi in the village, and if we are to defeat Madara then we must throw our best at him, and I belong in that list!" yet despite all that, it had been two weeks and the Nara clan leader refused to budge and had her confined to her home, as Minato carried teleported Madara and the rest of the fighting force to an obscure and unknown location.
"I am afraid I cannot do that," and once more her argument was met with rejection as Kushina's lips thinned.
"Why! Why do you refuse me, Shikaku?" and though they were not the best of friends, she had never thought him to be so heartless.
"Because that's what Minato asked of me," Shikaku said quietly, his voice heavy with regret.
"What?" she gasped as Shikaku nodded.
"I take no joy in stopping you, but Minato left me clear instructions about what to do in every situation, and he forbade me from letting you participate in a battle against Madara until it was absolutely necessary," and she knew Minato better than most. He knew of her strengths, knew how hard she had worked during the last five years to build upon them and gain control of the Kyubi's chakra.
"But why would he ask such a thing?" and the black haired man was quiet, before he answered.
"Because, as dangerous as Madara Uchiha is, the world around us is no less dangerous." Shikaku began as he glanced towards the window.
"Minato believed that he could defeat the monster that was Madara Uchiha. Him teleporting him away was a way of protecting the village from much harm, and he would do that only if he was certain that there was a future for the village, a future beyond himself," and as the implication of those words dawned on her, she felt her body grow weak.
"He means to sacrifice himself?" she realised, and Shikaku's denial was answer enough.
"Maybe. Maybe not. But I cannot say for certain that the thought has not crossed his mind," and so a lot of his actions over the last five years began to make much more sense.
"You have to let me go, Shikaku," she pleaded, but the man's lips thinned, and she could see how hard it was for him, being Minato's friend and all, yet the Nara clan leader could only shake his head.
"I can't because Minato entrusted you with the future of the village. You and Izuna-kun are the last line of defence for the town in case he fails in his mission to bring Madara down, and if my own estimation is correct. and they are able to bring down Madara, then you and Izuna-kun will be our defence against the might of the enemy villages, who would no doubt try to use this opportunity to bring Konoha to its knees," and it made some sense.
"But how will they know?" she challenged, and Shikaku shook his head.
"They will know. Minato may have been able to lead a purge of foreign intel agents, but even then, it is nearly impossible to cover all the holes. Sooner or later, news about an attack on Konoha will make its way to our enemies in Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri. As soon as they hear that, they will begin marching towards Konoha at once." Now she understood the reasoning behind Minato's actions, specifically why he had been pushing Izuna-kun so much during the last five years.
When Izuna-kun was first appointed as the leader of the offense against Kiri, many had questioned that choice, but now it made sense. He was trying to prepare him for this day, so that Izuna-kun may have both the necessary experience and the clout to lead the village against their enemies in case the worst transpired.
"He has chosen Izuna as his successor, right?" and the Nara clan leader nodded.
"Though only a few people are aware of his orders, and though the final decision often rests in the hands of the daimyo's a Hokage can nominate his own successor in times of war. And believe me, Kushina, we are at war," and then suddenly Kushina felt a massive chakra barrel into the village, rushing in through the gates, as her head snapped back. Shikaku felt it as well, as he brought together his hands before a second later a figure emerged in the office, right in front of Shikaku as the Nara clan leader whispered.
"He is here..."
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IZUNA UCHIHA
The journey from Suna to Konoha needed at least a few days, even if they were to travel at full speed. It took Itachi, Konan, and him but a few hours to catch up with the genin unit being led by Anko and Saiko, and now the entire retinue rode back towards Konoha on Konan's flying bird technique.
And despite a rather promising showing in the exams, the mood of the entire group was somber as each and every one of them was smart enough to understand the gravity of the situation they faced.
War was upon them once more.
And for the first time since his birth, Izuna was unsure of Konoha's victory.
"Has there been any contact?" Konan asked, as Izuna sat at the head of the massive paper bird, holding a glass container in his hands as he used iryo-ninjutsu to morph and induce the stem cells in the container to develop, divide, and mature into a replica of Konan's lost foot.
"No," and with every passing hour of no reply, doubt and insecurity took hold of his heart. It was very unlike Minato-san to not reply to any of his messages, and he could think of only two reasons for this kind of behavior, either he was dead or he was still engaged in a deadly battle against Madara himself.
Neither of these situations boded well for him, and Izuna felt nervous about the prospect of war for the first time.
"Don't worry. We will know soon enough," Konan added, and they would because they were not but a few hours' flight away from the village.
"What if they failed?" he whispered, the words barely audible over the wind.
And she was the only person here he could share his doubts with, because the rest of the genin, including even Itachi, all looked at him with such trust that he could never allow them to catch a whiff of his doubts and weakness.
"They won't fail," Konan assured him as she placed a hand on his shoulder, and as much as he wanted to trust those words, she did not know the menace that was Madara Uchiha.
"You don't know the kind of shinobi Madara Uchiha was," he added, eyeing the forest beginning in the distance.
"He is a shinobi of unrivalled will. The man came back from the dead just to fulfill his vision," and he feared that they had not done enough. That Minato-san had not done enough.
"That may be true, but at the end of the day, Madara Uchiha is one man. And you must remember your own words about men," she said, tilting his head, so he was looking at her.
"All men must die," and he wondered when he had told her about this story, but still, that was true.
"And I remember you mentioning one final trump card as well," and his lips thinned at the mention of that, for yes, there was one thing that he could do against him.
One technique that would allow him to bring down even a God.
"Yes, there is still that one technique in my arsenal," something that he had begged a certain spandex-wearing genin to impart upon him, and though he did not employ it regularly because the use of the Inner Gates troubled his ability to mold chakra as precisely and efficiently, but as a precaution against such a day Izuna had learned the kinjutsu that could allow him to topple any army or man.
"Then take heart. Even if Minato-san and the rest fall, we can still take on Madara Uchiha. You and I," she assured him, and it was rare for him to be so filled with doubt, but the circumstances surrounding the matter were simply so complex that he could not help but worry.
"But regardless, I cannot imagine a battle which Minato-san would lose," she added, and he raised a brow at those words.
"Why?"
"Because Minato-san and yourself are the most powerful shinobi I know, and if the Yondaime Hokage had been preparing to face this threat for years then I cannot simply imagine a scenario where the man would lose," and as they were half way through the forest, suddenly he felt a dozen chakras all moving through the woods, all approaching them.
Izuna stood up and, with a nod at Konan, jumped away. Wind nature chakra laced his body, as he tore through the wind, and headed towards the dozen men rushing up towards him.
And in but a few seconds, he was in front of the border patrol unit, each of whom had a face filled with nervousness and anxiety.
"Is it really you, Izuna-sama?" the patrol leader asked, eyes wide with disbelief and relief.
"Yes, how is the situation in the village?" and they seemed surprised by his knowledge about the situation.
"We do not know," answered the leader, clearly worried, and that was not encouraging at all.
"We have orders from the Hokage Office to expand the patrol area, and to direct you to head towards the village at first sighting," and the man stepped forward.
"Let us esco...." and before the man could finish, Izuna had blurred past him, leaving behind a simple order.
"Escort the retinue behind me. I can manage on my own," and the dozen of them would have simply slowed him down, as Izuna barrelled towards the village. The reason for why he had not done this from the start was because he had been tasked with protecting the genin returning from the exams. The battle against Kakuzu had left him somewhat exhausted and if things were indeed as bad he feared, then he needed to be at his best to even stand a chance against the might of Madara Uchiha.
Though he did wonder if even Minato-san, along with a whole team of S-ranked hunters, could do nothing against him, then what chance would he stand?
He blurred through the village gates, and silence hit him first as he found the once-bustling streets and markets of the village all empty. He stopped atop a transmission tower and gazed towards the village centre, and his heart sank as he saw the devastation there.
"No...." he gasped, as he felt his worst fears come true and he blurred once more, before he appeared in the place where he could sense the gathering of the most powerful chakra in the village.
He appeared in the centre of the room, in front of a wooden desk behind which sat the smartest man in the village, the leader of the Nara clan, whose eyes shone with relief at his appearance.
"He is finally here...."
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