Ami winced against her will as she saw Neji Hyuuga lay into an unfortunate Suna Kunoichi with his own brutal rendition of the Jyuuken. The hard look in his pale eyes even reaching people this far back in the stands of the arena the third round of the Chuunin exams took place in. He was calculating and ruthless as he skirted around her wind attacks, mostly invisible to the crowd but apparently all too clear to his Byakugan. The girl, Temari if Ami remembered correctly, looked powerful in her own right; however as Neji continued to viciously disassemble her one palm strike at a time she seemed completely outclassed.
"They're monsters…" She quietly whispered to herself, although it seemed to catch the ears of her teammates to her right. Sakura nodded lamely, having already been shocked by the performance of one Rock Lee and Sabaku no Gaara. Sasuke on the other hand had a rather hungry look in his eye, even if he seemed wary of the stunted Suna-nin's prowess with what seemed to be his trademark sand techniques. Ami didn't blame him after seeing that same sand practically cripple the already monstrously fast and strong Konoha Genin. All of the finalists seemed to be the very pinnacle of their rank and Ami often found her hand nervously drumming the hilt of her blade, wondering how she was supposed to reach this level.
"Do you see now why I wanted you guys to wait a little longer?" Apparently Naruto, sitting a row behind them with his girlfriend, had heard her and decided to interject with his usual knowing smirk. Sakura and Ami quickly nodded, suddenly reaffirming to listen to their Sensei's every word from now on causing him to chuckle. Sasuke on the other hand just continued to stare almost unblinkingly forward, entranced by the strong people around his age group he was watching. To him, the next Chuunin exams just couldn't come fast enough.
"And they questioned my judgment." Naruto uttered, a hand going to his heart in a playfully hurt manner; it earned a quick chuckle from his girlfriend as he leaned back. "So what do you think?" He turned to Anko, spotting her chocolate orbs fixed on the arena floor with amusement twinkling in abundance. Obviously none of the participants were up to Jounin standard but it was often nostalgic to watch the younger generation fight for their right to advance.
"Mostly about dango and sex." Anko replied casually in what some might call a too-loud voice, quickly proven when Sakura and Ami both gained a healthy red to their cheeks. She smirked cheekily as she crossed her legs and leaned back further into the stadium's uncomfortable seating. However after a few moments of Naruto giving her a deadpan stare she chuckled sheepishly and waved him off. "Okay, okay; no need to give me the Tenzo stare." Naruto relented and she turned back to the arena floor where Neji finally seemed to have cornered The Suna girl, having disabled her hands to eliminate the massive fan the girl carried to aid her wind techniques.
"The girl seems pretty strong, likely a good head for tactics too if that little manoeuvre in the trees was anything to go on. Shame she got matched up with Sir stares-a lot, those eyes of his make the unpredictability of her techniques redundant and she only seems passable in close-quarters." She shrugged despondently before flicking a dango dumpling into her mouth she seemed to have procured from nowhere. "Strong candidates, bad match up." Naruto nodded, agreeing with her for the most part; to be honest though if the girl gave up trying to win a tactical victory and just went all-out with some wide-spread Jutsu that didn't give room for evasion she might actually bring the Hyuuga down. It seemed to be mostly pride holding her back.
"Probably about right." He worked an arm around his girlfriend and managed to snag a dumpling before she could notice, using the match's distraction. However apparently Anko had a sixth sense for dumpling theft as she immediately turned to him with a cold glare, making his arm freeze in place. A nervous smile spread his lips slightly as he proceeded to plop the delicious little ball right into her mouth, receiving one of her terrifying grins in return along with the silent promise that if he tried it again… she'd take the arm.
"No probably about it." She managed to happily get out between chews, her demeanour immediately relaxing under the effect of her one weakness. Naruto swore that the woman was some kind of cat and Dango was her catnip; the redhead blinked as a good idea suddenly came to him which he quickly squirreled away in the more devious section of his mind.
However further light-hearted banter or mischievous planning was put on a back-burner as suddenly the entire stadium began drifting off to sleep. It caused immediate confusion amongst the Jounin and Chuunin able to recognise the powerful but obvious Genjutsu. Naruto on the other hand, along with some of the more experienced members of the crowd such as Kakashi and Gai, were already moving. A quick application of Chakra quickly brought his Genin out of their sleep-induced stupor and before they could even realise fully what was going on he was issuing orders.
"Sakura, Sasuke, Ami; I need you to listen carefully. Right now the village is being attacked. I don't know who by so anyone who isn't an ally treat as an enemy…" Although a quick cursory glance showed Leaf forces moving to engage both Sand and Sound troops that were hidden amongst the crowd "… scratch that, trust only Konoha-nin. What I need you to do is escort as many civilians as you can to the shelters in the Hokage mountain. When you've done that, rendezvous at the academy and listen to any orders the Chuunin instructors have for you there. Got it?" He rattled the orders off so swiftly that all three Genin blinked before they fully realized what he said.
"Sasuke, you have operational command." For a moment the normally calm and collected Uchiha stared owlishly at the redhead before Naruto clapped his hands, breaking his trance. "Go!" That seemed to be all the signal they needed and immediately the three Genin raced off. Turning back around he spotted Anko a short distance away, moving through the crowds like a snake and picking off any unfortunate Suna or Oto-nin that was on their own with precision throws of the dango sticks that had accumulated through the exam final. Nodding to himself that she at least had initiative his quick eyes swiftly scanned the stadium to find where he would be of most help.
At that moment though a piercing cackle somehow managed to drown out the sounds of the fighting going on everywhere. The ground trembled ominously as Sand began pooling right at the centre of the arena where fighting had been conspicuously absent until now. It grew and shifted quickly, blue vein-like markings appearing all over the construct as it suddenly grew two hulking arms that slammed down with enough force to send the surrounding Shinobi flying back from the concussive wave. The final aspect to emerge was the head and Naruto quickly realised just what they were dealing with… a Jinchuuriki.
"I'm free!" The beast shrieked out in a deep but oddly childish voice, cackling with insane glee as its shuriken-pupiled eyes darted abut manically. "Time for fuuuuun!" As it spoke the already enormous and bloated belly of what was now obviously a giant Tanuki made of sand, bulged outward. Many of the Jounin fighting in the stands realised what was going on with enough time to dive out the way as the Jinchuuriki, or possibly the Bijuu at this point, slammed both its fists into its stomach. Many had seen wind Ninjutsu before, but nothing on this scale; the resulting bullet of air was the size of a small apartment and was so large it visibly displaced air as it moved. When it crashed into the stadium wall it left a gaping hole that could fit an army through.
However as Naruto began to turn his body in order to engage the beast, wondering where Tenzo was when he was really needed, something quickly distracted him. Out the corner of his eye he saw the Hokage box, where the Sandaime and the Kazekage had been sitting, erupt into noxious black smoke. Immediately deciding the village leader was of a higher priority than the relatively contained Bijuu his foot instantly pivoted and he was gone in a vaguely red blur. Thankfully his conscious was cleared mid-sprint as he saw large beams of wood suddenly erupt from the earth around the giant Tanuki, distracting it if not containing it.
His choice seemed to be well made though as the moment he set foot on the adjacent roof the four people that had somehow emerged from the Kazekage's bodyguards' robes were already flashing through hand seals for a barrier Ninjutsu he recognised. Before the heel of his foot had even fully made contact with the tile he had a Hiraishin Kunai already in hand that was quickly sent sailing through the air. Luckily it stuck between two overlapping tiles instead of skittering off the roof so he needn't worry but just in case he moved like a red bolt of lightning towards the nearest of the four Oto-nin.
As their hands slammed into the floor to erect the barrier, the unfortunate girl he had targeted received a swift and very much unexpected kick to the side of the face. It served to bother disrupt the barrier Ninjutsu as well as send the red-haired Kunoichi flying off the roof, the shock on her face evident. For a moment the already rising barrier faltered, the semi-translucent purple wall of energy struggling to rise. A moment later though and the two closest Oto-nin seemed to pick up the slack, the effort visible on their features as the barrier flared back into place, sealing over in an instant.
Naruto missed this though as his impromptu flight over the roof tiles had carried him straight over and onto an adjacent building. Just as he was about to move back though he was forced to duck his head to one side to avoid the small barrage of shuriken from behind. He turned to see the redhead he had kicked earlier glaring at him angrily, nursing the side of her head as she fumbled about in her pouch for something. For a moment Naruto's eyes were transfixed on that long red hair, so much like his mother's…
No, he quickly shook that thought from his mind and re-set his features; his mother's hair was a darker shade anyway. In an instant he was at the girl's side, holding the flute she had been trying to reach before she even realised it was out of her hands. A moment later when she finally did an indignant squawk left her throat and that was all because not even a second later she was knocked out, swiftly being bound by ninja wire Naruto always had on hand. He gave the flute in his hand a curious look before dropping on the girl's now bound body and turning his attention back towards the Hokage's fight.
When he reappeared on the rooftop though, he found a small squad of ANBu watching the fight within the barrier with wide eyes. Immediately he appeared behind them, a hand on their shoulder as they suddenly felt a chilling presence they recognised all too well.
"Tell me that I haven't found some ANBU pointlessly watching a fight they can't affect while a Bijuu wreaks havoc behind them." The most experienced of the three gulped nervously as he turned his head, his mask somehow not hiding his fear as the shock of red hair became visible.
"R-Right Taichou." In seconds the three ANBU scrabbled away from the Hokage's fight and back in the direction of the enormous Tanuki, Naruto shaking his head in shame as he watched them go.
"And what difference are you gonna make tree-hugger?" A voice sounded from behind him belonging to a dark-skinned young man holding up one of the barrier's corners. Naruto just turned to him a scowl that immediately made him quieten down; although the red in his eyes may have done that too. Suddenly not in much of a mood to mess about he flashed inside the barrier to the kunai he had thrown earlier, cracking his neck in irritation. Apparently that wasn't the correct choice as with only a look around he spotted the person he least wanted to see.
"Orochimaru." The redhead growled out, his eyes unconsciously flickering red for a moment before he reigned back the well of aggression coming from his stomach. Obviously he had appeared right in the middle of a fight between Sarutobi and the snake Sannin as the aged Hokage had released a barrage of shadow shuriken at the pale-faced man. The snake looked ready to retaliate with had seals of his own so imagine his surprise when just at the moment he slammed his hand down onto the ground for his summoning, he received a lightning-fast kick to the jaw. His hand slid out of the summoning matrix, wiping a few characters as his body rag-dolled through the air a moment before he could right it and land in a crouch.
Unfortunately whatever he had planned to do still occurred as three coffins rose out of the surrounding tiles. From a distance away, apparently only shocked and not injured from the kick, Orochimaru rubbed his jaw, grinning slightly as he took in the newcomer.
"Ahh Naruto-kun; how gracious of you to drop into our little confrontation. I believe you will appreciate this gift just as much as Sarutobi-Sensei." The words practically slithered out the man's mouth as his unnaturally long tongue snaked out to lick at his lips. Not really wanting to take his eyes off the Sannin but made curious by his words Naruto took a quick glance back at the coffins only to take a step back, his breath catching in his throat.
"T-Tou-san?" He found himself staring into the vibrant blue eyes of his father, Minato Namikaze.
Ami sighed with relief as they ushered the last of the civilians through the hidden entrance to the shelters. Beside her Sasuke was looking around, seeming incredibly agitated as the sounds of Shinobi clashing drifted across to them from the centre of the village. Sakura finally emerged from the hole on the cliff-face, giving them the thumbs up as the entrance slid closed. Othe Genin temas were no doubt still getting people in but their sector was done and Sasuke couldn't seem happier about it if he tried.
"To the academy." He made a vague, nonsensical hand motion in the general direction before flitting off, his Kunoichi team-mates quick on his heels. Ami sighed a she chased after him; Sasuke seemed to be taking the role of leader in the team a bit too eagerly. However the thought was derailed as an explosion in a building to their right suddenly had them scattering. With dread Ami caught the distinct pink blur that was Sakura slam into a nearby wall from the blast. After a moment where it didn't look like the girl was getting up again she genuinely panicked.
"Ami!" Sasuke's sharp voice quickly drew her attention away from the unconscious pinkette and to the building that had just exploded. Her terror only increased as she recognised the sharp pink crystals that had burst through the walls and roof like some kind of warped display on geology. The pale, waifish figure standing atop a pillar of crystals and looking around noticed them almost immediately, her bloodshot eyes going wide before a cruel smirk crossed her lips.
"The Gaki's that were with Namikaze? Apparently my luck couldn't be better today!" She laughed an unsettlingly manic laugh that didn't sound all that sane before fixing them with another bloodshot gaze. Prison didn't seem to have done much for Guren; her hair was a tangled mess, her figure had dwindled to bordering on unhealthy and her skin had paled from its already porcelain tone. Not to mention the fact her eyes didn't seem able to focus and there was a manic, crazed spark that wasn't there before.
Suddenly a shard of crystal shot out of the pillar she stood on, intercepting the downward swing of Sasuke's kunai as the boy descended on the woman from above. He back-flipped away immediately, eyes narrowed as he searched the woman's form for an opening. However it seemed that Guren's abilities remained sharp as ever as she let out another cackling laugh and dove up to meet the boy. Suddenly the dark-haired Uchiha was being forced to fend off vicious swipe after swipe of the crystal arm-blade that Guren had created for herself.
As her swings grew faster in time with the growing grin on her lips Sasuke was forced to duck, weave and deflect with increasing intensity. Blood pounded in his ears as he used every reflex, every honed instinct and every muscle-memory of Naruto beating him around the training grounds just to stay alive. What he didn't see though in his flurry of movements was the rubble on the ground that his foot caught on. For a second, as he fell back in surprise and Guren's unconventional blade fell to meet him, he swore the world slowed down for a single instant.
"Sasuke!" The world snapped back into focus as a blade suddenly interposed the space between them, grinding against the equally tough crystal weapon in a clash of sparks. For a second Sasuke let the fact that Ami of all people had just saved his life wash over him, before rolling out the way as Guren, with her greater height and leverage, overpowered Ami and brought both their weapons down on the spot Sasuke's head had just occupied. Both Genin jumped back from the slightly crazed woman, a look being passed between them with no words needing to be spoken.
"Ooh I love it; little Gaki's delaying the inevitable. So which little brat wants to die first eh?" Guren shouted gleefully in a ragged and hoarse voice, no doubt from under-use. However as her hands came together to form seals again she was forced to back off by a volley of kunai that implanted deep into the ground around her. She sneered up at the squad of ANBU that had interrupted the fight before grinning at the Genin. "Luck seems to be on your side today kiddies; see you next time." And with that her whole visage suddenly froze, her body becoming translucent and her edges sharper.
Ami and Sasuke were tackled to the side by a pair of operatives just as the crystal clone of the blue-haired woman exploded outwards in a hail of tiny crystal shrapnel. Seeing the threat had moved on the ANBU swiftly departed, leaving Sasuke and Ami to pick themselves up and just breathe for a moment. However as the budding Kenjutsu user looked at her male teammate her eyes widened in visible shock.
"S-Sasuke… your eyes!"
Naruto could only stare in shock as he caught the familiar shock of spiky blonde hair he only thought he would ever see in his memories. The familiar white Haori that the redhead knew was currently hung up in his wardrobe at home billowed out in the breeze as the late Namikaze stepped out of the tall wooden coffin. The fact that behind the man the Nidaime and Shodai Hokage had also been resurrected didn't even register to Naruto he was so transfixed on his father. However it was broken as the man stumbled, the colours on his body fading away into a dull and lifeless grey. Cracks spread out over his form like he was some porcelain doll that had been dropped and as his body hit the ground it all just fell away into an ashen substance, revealing a dead Oto-nin within.
"Ah, so the third failed; never mind then." Suddenly Naruto's attention snapped right back to the Snake Sannin as the man's smooth but spine-chilling voice called out across the rooftop. Startlingly the pale man had capitalised on Naruto's shock, taking the opportunity to move behind the other two late Hokage as they also stepped out of their coffins. The two men seemed to be looking about in confusion at their odd surroundings; or perhaps it was because they thought they were supposed to be dead. Some clarity entered their black sclera'd eyes though as they spotted the Sandaime.
"Saru?" The Shodai asked, his eyes widening as he took in his former student's aged and wrinkled appearance. "What's going on; how did you get so old?" Sarutobi seemed to grimace at the question, turning a scowl toward Orochimaru.
"I'm afraid, Shodai-sama, that you have been dead for quite some time. My student has resurrected you, no doubt in order to fight me and take advantage of my emotions." At that point, after the Nidaime stopped examining his hand and the environment with a calculating eye, the silver haired man spoke up.
"Yes, the Edo Tensei. How curious; I never expected to be on the receiving end of this technique when I created it." His tone was quiet, but at the same time immediately commanded respect; Naruto could see why this was the man who had established the Konoha people knew today.
"Nii-san, why would you create a Jutsu like this?" The Shodai asked, surprising everyone save the Sandaime as his voice became almost… childish in quality. However the Second Hokage just gave him a scathing look, instantly quieting the supposedly more powerful man much to both Orochimaru and Naruto's surprise.
"It was war Hashirama, don't pretend like you could understand." The older Senju brother looked ready to argue but Orochimaru finally seemed to get over his surprise and stepped between them with a sinister smile.
"As touching as this brotherly reunion is, I was hoping that you would focus more on your dear student." Kunai suddenly appeared in his hands, long talismans attached to the handles, which he promptly shoved into the resurrected Kage's heads. Instantly the slight cracks that had run across their bodies and the pallid washed-out tone they had sported vanished and they were left looking just like they had at the moment of their deaths. However Orochimaru wasn't counting the Nidaime suddenly turning to him with an irritated expression that could have frozen a hot spring.
"So you are the user of the Edo Tensei; how irritating. It seems you brought us back at a level of power where I am unable to break the control." Orochimaru's eyes widened at the intelligent spark in the man's eyes, nothing like the mindless, one-track soldiers they were supposed to be under the effect of the Jutsu.
"How are you still thinking?" The Nidaime just scoffed and turned back to his student who so far hadn't been sure what to do in this situation.
"I have to tell you nothing student of my student; I'm sorry about this Saru, it seems you will still have to fight us." However even as the silver-haired Kage spoke a flash of red light appeared between them.
"No he won't, your fight is with me." The least Naruto could do was spare the Sandaime the heartache of fighting his mentors; Naruto couldn't have imagined the conflict in his heart if he had ended up having to fight his father. As much as he would like to be the one to smash in Orochimaru's face, for Anko and his own satisfaction, he would leave the pale-faced Sannin to the Hokage. He was sure the aged Sandaime needed his own form of closure with his wayward pupil. The Nidaime took one look at him, seemingly sizing him up with those calculating, searching eyes before nodding once.
"Very well, it seems that the compulsion of the Jutsu was becoming too difficult to fight against anyway." And suddenly the man's hands were a blur of motion as they formed a set of seals Naruto didn't recognise. "Water release: Water colliding wave." All of a sudden the water in the atmosphere condensed above the former Kage's head, forming a spiralling vortex that immediately crashed down on Naruto's position. However the redhead was already gone, appearing in a crouch below the Shodai's still unmoving form.
"I apologise for this Shodai-Sama." Hashirama just blinked as he noticed the presence beside him before giving the Jounin a wide grin. His arms were twitching and it was obviouslywith a great deal of restraint that he was holding his own body back.
"No need young man, do what you must." Naruto just nodded solemnly as he slapped the man in the chest, a small and recognisable sealing formula quickly sticking in place. He jumped back in time to dodge another swirling lance of water from the Nidaime before grinning slightly. He had always wanted to try this but lacked the type of target necessary. Moving into a crouch he palmed one of his unique kunai before taking a deep breath, his grin growing slightly.
"Hiraishin: Second Step." And before the words had even fully left his mouth, he was gone. Suddenly all the Shodai could see was red as a hundred different flashes all appeared around his body at once. In the span of a single second Naruto was back in his previous position, a light sheen of sweat on his forehead and noticeably breathing heavier. However his grin remained as he held up the kunai in both hands, using it to form a bastardized ram seal before concentrating. "Namikaze style: One hundred point seal." There was a moment of pause as nothing seemed to happen before ninety nine more Hiraishin markers suddenly grew into position over Hashirama's body.
"Well… this is interesting." The Shodai stated with some wonder as he attempted to crane his neck and look at his suddenly seal-covered body. However even as he tried, a few of the seals glowed faintly and his heads refused to move from its position. "Tobirama, what exactly did he do to me?" From across the roof the silver haired man had watched the entire proceedings, swift as they were, with an intrigued gaze. Apparently the attacks he had already committed were enough to sate the Edo Tensei for now.
"It seems to be a refined version of my own Hiraishin; remarkable." He turned back to Naruto, looking upon the redhead in a new light, a hint of respect glimmering in the previously cold eyes. "As far as I can tell each of those tags are instantly moving your body back to its original position the moment you try and move it, effectively paralysing you. With the miniscule distance the Chakra cost would be marginal but if you tried to move for long enough they would eventually give out." He nodded in approval. "However it leaves more than a good enough opening to deal with one's enemy." His gaze turned back to the redhead, eyes narrowing slightly as the compulsion of the Jutsu returned.
"You refined my Jutsu?" Naruto shrugged carelessly, keeping an eye on the Sandaime's fight with Orochimaru as his mind whirled to come up with a way of restraining the Nidaime. He knew injuring them wouldn't work from the notes on the Edo Tensei he had come across while researching the Hiraishin so sealing was his best bet.
"I can't take all the credit; I'm playing catch up to my father right now." The Nidaime's eyebrow rose slightly as he looked across at the pile of ash that was slowly blowing away by the third coffin.
"Your father?" Naruto grinned as he palmed a new Kunai, dual-wielding them.
"Konoha's Yellow flash, the Yondaime Hokage." At that Hashirama's eyes lit up, even as he couldn't move; not that he was really attempting to beyond what the Edo Tensei commanded him to do in order to give the young redhead more time to finish this.
"There's a fourth Hokage?" A glazed look overcame his eyes as he smiled, before it dropped off his face at seeing the serious expression Naruto had adopted.
"There was. Now Nidaime…" He left the statement hanging as the Nidaime nodded, the compulsion once again becoming too strong.
"Come on then youngling, subdue me so we can return to where we are supposed to be." Both of them, teen and man, tensed before shooting off towards each other in blurs of silver and red. Fists and kunai moved at blinding speed as each searched for openings that weren't there, diverting or blocking legs with instantaneous manoeuvres that would have left many Sharingan users at a loss for what was happening. Both were known as some of the fastest men of their generation for a reason and as Hashirama watched on from the side-lines he couldn't have a prouder grin on his face seeing the next generation rising up to surpass their predecessors.
For Naruto and Tobirmaa though it was a different story; it was almost like Naruto had been transported back to his Genin days sparring with Itachi. Both men were moving at relatively the same speed so it simply appeared that while they fought normally, the world around them slowed to an intense crawl. His kunai sparked against the ones Tobirama had procured in fast, swiftly diverted slashes in attempts to knock the man of balance. However as they danced about the rooftop, only briefly appearing to the visible eye as more than coloured blurs when they clashed, Tobirama proved his title of Hokage was well-earned.
"You…are…hol…ding…back." Tobirama's clipped tone could be heard just above the noises of their kunai clashing, each syllable seeming to come from a different part of the roof as the two fast Shinobi darted about. They separated briefly, allowing the silver-haired Kage to spot the grin currently on Naruto's lips.
"You aren't exactly at full power either." After all the man wasn't even using his own version of the Hiraishin; whether it was because he couldn't, or chose not to didn't matter all that much.
"You shouldn't complain youngling, just take the openings." However as the Nidaime spoke he noticed that the Hiraishin Kunai in Naruto's hands weren't the ones he had started out with. They seemed too fresh, unused; they should have had more nicks from their clashes. With a start he realises the kunai now littered the roof in a surprisingly structured pattern, each one pinning a simple paper tag to the tiles below. He hadn't even noticed Naruto placing them as they fought, causing an impressed smile to appear over his lips.
"Uzumaki style: word chain seal." Like vipers lying in wait, the carefully scripted Kanji on the sealing tags suddenly lashed out as though they were alive. They swiftly wrapped around the Nidaime's limbs like inky black chains, forcing the man to his knees as they continued to whip put, latching onto more and more arts of his body until even his silvery hair seemed swamped in the black lines of kanji. A soft chuckle escaped the reanimated Kage's lips as he was forced closer to the tiled ground
"At least… I can see the current generation is in good hands." Was all he could managed before he was completely encased in a cocoon of ink, his visage vanishing beneath the kanji. Naruto grinned once before dropping to a knee, taking a moment to just catch his breath. Moving at that speed he was used to, fighting someone at that speed was a different story; it took a toll on his body. After a moment though he caught his second wind, just in time for the barrier around him to collapse. He looked around him in confusion before spotting Orochimaru making a hasty withdrawal with what was left of his guard.
A scowl coming over his face Naruto made to take after him before noticing the unmoving, huddled lump on the roof tiles some distance away with a long, recognisable staff lying motionlessly nearby.
"Hokage-sama!"