Chapter-23

Tobirama Senju lay crouched on the ground with one finger pressed against the soft grass. His closed eyes displaying his level of concentration as his allies lay anxious around him.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the worried gaze of his little brother Itama staring back at him.

"Their flanks are too strong. But the center formation looks breakable..." suggested the white haired Senju,

"Then let me attack them and tear their asses to pieces" spoke Akio Inuzuka with a savage grin, but was surprised when Tobirama shook his head.

"You'll take the left flank and Sasuke Sarutobi shall take the right. I, Itama, alongwith the Senjus and few Akimichi will attack the center formation. Any sides that breaks through is ordered to head straight for the town and reach the Yamanaka Clan head, if possible even the Hatake clan head captive as well. Hashirama wants them alive and unharmed, do you understood?" asked Tobirama icily, boring his cold eyes into the Inuzuka heir who glared at him.

"They are traitors!"

A sharp burst of killing intent made the dog warrior and his battle partner flinch as Tobirama's glare rained down on them in full force.

"Do you want to test Hashirama's patience?"

He watched in satisfaction as nearly everyone cowered for they were all aware of Hashirama's power. The Senju clan head was a kind and honorable man, but was swift in dealing with any who disobeyed him.

"Understood" they all chorused, some with great reluctance earning a stiff nod from Tobirama.

When their faction started to divide themselves, he saw Itama's pleading eyes and even when his little brother didn't say anything Tobirama understood his request.

"You will lead the attack with me and take command of our troops on the battlefield" commanded Tobirama,

"But-"

A firm hand was placed on his shoulder and Itama Senju saw the grave look in his brother's eyes.

"I am trusting you, Itama. Lead the attack while I deal with someone who is waiting for me..." explained Tobirama honestly,

"Who?" asked Itama hesitantly,

"The Kinslayer..."

Itama froze.

He looked into his brother's unflinching eyes and saw no sign of fear and hesitation. Tobirama was the most skilled warrior of their clan after Hashirama, even stronger than Itama and Tsunade.

But the Kinslayer was a monster in his own right. One who butchered an entire clan in single combat, wielder of the Sharingan and the finest swordsman in the Land of Fire; even across the elemental nations for according to many who had seen his prowess.

He was not someone to be taken lightly, and now his brother was going to face that man.

"Let me help you..." pleaded Itama, receiving a swift glare from his elder brother.

"This is between me and him, gods know he hates me for killing his brother. Anyone who tries to stop him by getting in his way to reach me will meet a brutal death. It is why I will confront him before he wrecks havoc on our allies. It is your responsibility to break through his lines...and in case I fall..."

"Brother!"

"Listen!" scolded Tobirama harshly, but softened when he saw Itama on the verge of tears. Gods, the boy was even more soft of heart than Hashirama. It made Tobirama wonder if entrusting his brother was a burden too heavy for him, but despite his insecurities and shy nature Itama was a good fighter. Their people loved him and he was well respected.

And there was no one Tobirama trusted more than his brother right now.

"If I fall, run. Don't try to save me for you'll only get killed and I cannot bear watching you die. Don't throw your life away in vain..." said Tobirama gently,

He could still remember the day when he killed Izuna Uchiha on the battlefield. The grief he had seen in the Kinslayer's eyes that day promised Tobirama that he would never have peace until either he or the Kinslayer were dead. In a way, he could understand that Uchiha's feelings for if anyone hurt or worse killed any of his brothers and sister...

Tobirama shivered as he realized the extent of rage and hatred that would seep through him if that happened.

And the Kinslayer had already lost three brothers against the Senjus.

The stronger their love, the stronger their hate, and the worse their madness.

He could still remember his Father's words about the Uchiha and the grave warning in them. It was why Tobirama knew it was he who had to face the Kinslayer, and no one else.

Itama reluctantly nodded and was surprised when Tobirama hugged him fiercely. Words couldn't describe how proud he was of his little brother, for in this world of madness and hatred this boy was still pure and kind. Something which Tobirama dearly wished to preserve...

They soon parted as Itama gave the command making the Senju and Akimichi warriors march forward. Tobirama quickly caught Touka Senju before she joined the others.

The dark haired girl curiously stared at him with a raised eyebrow but saw the Senju's gaze lingering on the form of his brother.

"Look after him"

She didn't miss the worry for his brother in his voice and firmly nodded earning a brief smile from him. But before he could walk away, she grabbed his hand and made him look back at her.

"Does it have to be you?" she asked sadly,

A resigned smile came on his face as he kissed her forehead...

"It can only be me"

(Left Flank)

Itachi and Kagami saw the swarm of crows and vultures that had started to linger in the sky. An omen of the carnage that was about to happen...

They exhaled deep breaths as the rustling of leaves and grass started to become more louder marking the arrival of their enemies. The sound of dogs barking reached their eyes making them both exchange a knowing nod.

Glancing around they saw their 400 strong force made up of Hatake, Uchiha and few Yamanaka preparing themselves as both Kinsguard members gave the signal.

Itachi had no doubt in his mind that if any of their flanks was crushed, then they were done for, because the Senjus and their allies outnumbered their side quite heavily.

Kagami suspiciously glanced at the Hatake and Yamanaka warriors, they might be allies now but he could not shake off the feeling of mistrust he had towards them for one of those clans was a former Senju ally and the other was about to become one before they were forced to bend the knee to the Uchihas.

"If these bastards turn on us..." warned Kagami, drawing a flat look from Itachi.

"We hold the line" asserted Itachi, which made Kagami chew his lip nervously.

"We might have to retreat..." advised Kagami, and was surprised when Itachi shook his head.

"The Kinsguard doesn't flee from the battlefield..."

Those words brought some of the confidence back in Kagami's heart as he remembered the power of his sworn brothers and sister. They were each worth a dozen warriors currently standing behind them and even if the situation demanded they wouldn't flee or retreat.

Because Naruto wouldn't, neither would any of their other brothers and sister.

Steeling himself, Kagami nodded while placing a firm hand on Itachi's shoulders making the silent boy glance at him and Kagami hoped to convey his conviction with his last words before the battle.

"Here we shall stand" promised Kagami, earning a small smile from Itachi.

The two Kinsguard dressed in finely crafted bronze armor bearing the dragon sigil on their chests and the Uchiha crests on their backs stepped ahead of their army, their long black cloaks gracefully fluttering behind their backs.

Itachi was the first to catch sight of the Inuzuka dogs charging through the frontlines and quickly performed a set of hand seals.

"Sealing Arts: Seven Star Barrier!"

Across the dense forests, seven seals engraved deep in the hearts of trees came alive and within seconds the charging dog army came to a sudden halt. Their Inuzuka partners growled furiously as some of them were also caught in the trap.

Itachi charged forward without warning and jumped high in the air, his hands grabbing a bunch of kunai from his pouch.

Twisting himself gracefully in the air, he let loose the entire volley which instantly multiplied into a large barrage tearing down the trapped enemy forces brutally.

The entire enemy first line was decimated which was the signal Kagami was waiting for as he saw the next wave charging towards them and Itachi's seals disappeared.

He gave a mighty roar as his entire body was engulfed in bright blue flames of chakra...

"Kaimon : Gate of Opening!"

Itachi smirked when Kagami disappeared in a flash and appeared right before the first Inuzuka who gasped when a solid punch connected with his head splattering it to shreds. Two furious dogs leapt towards Kagami but he flipped in the air bringing down his hard feet crashing against their heads ending their miserable lives.

The Inuzuka who were known and feared for their Taijutsu prowess were stunned when Kagami started tearing them apart with his fast moves and deadly attacks.

Seeing his friend had destroyed any co-ordination in the enemy attack, Itachi turned towards their surprised allies who had just watched these two Kinsguard decimate nearly two dozen ninjas in the first few minutes itself all on their own, and they looked ready for more.

"With me!" commanded Itachi, raising his sword,

The Hatake swordsman gave out their own war cries followed by the stunned Yamanakas who also joined the charged following Itachi's lead.

Soon enough the two factions clashed against each other starting a brutal massacre.

(Right Flank)

Shisui tensely watched as his forces comprised of nearly 500 fighters stepped into battle formation. By his sides were Mikoto and Takeshi with their swords ready. Tension was ever present in the air which turned even worse when the war cries of hundreds of Sarutobi, Akimichi, and few Senjus reached them.

He narrowed his eyes when many Akmichi transformed into rolling balls of massive size and moved towards his lines at terrifying speeds.

But he had been expecting that from the moment he saw who was leading this attack.

"They want to break our lines with brute force..." suggested Takeshi, and saw Shisui nod in acceptance.

"Take command of our units and wait for my signal" said Shisui, earning a nod from the younger boy as he quickly joined the Yamanaka units without any protest.

"You think we can hold them?" asked Mikoto hesitantly,

"We will"

She smiled at Shisui's confidence and had no reason to doubt his resolve for he was not only a deadly fighter but someone with whom she wouldn't mind fighting side by side to the death.

When the Akimichi's started to get dangerous close making the ground tremble with their mass, Shisui raised a single hand seal and soon enough those charging monsters were assaulted by hundreds of crows swooping down from the skies.

Shisui's eyes were closed but Mikoto saw the Akimichi's had stopped abruptly. Instead of charging ahead, the giant monsters actually turned back and reverse charged towards their own forces that screamed in terror.

"Now!"

Mikoto nodded instantly when the command escaped from Shisui's lips making her give the signal to her brother. Several Uchiha fighters and few Hatake warriors joined her as she lead the charge, with her twin brother Takeshi doing the same with the Yamanaka fighters.

Together they formed two offensive flanks and charged into the broken enemy lines that were still being ravaged by out of control Akimichi fighters.

"Uchihas!" she shouted, making her brother and their clansmen create a fine first line.

Together they all performed a set of hand seals very familiar to them at great speed, few Sarutobi and Senjus actually recognized their move despite the chaos and hastily charged ahead to counter but had to start dodging when the few Hatake's that had taken position in the trees started raining down exploding kunai's on them creating further mayhem across the battlefield.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"

Such a dangerous and powerful jutsu was not possible to perform for any Uchiha alone except for ones like Madara. But together they were all able to create this move and soon enough the flames that were launched from the mouths of her clansmen engulfed a large portion of the forest.

Men and women screamed as they were caught helpless in the blazing inferno. Like headless chickens they ran with some trying to find sources of water, some even tried to create water jutsu but were cut down by the Hatake marksmen that continued to shower a rain of death from their positions in the tall trees.

When the destruction ended there were dozens of charred bodies that were barely recognizable, on the verge of turning to ashes and disappearing forever.

Takeshi grinned savagely when he saw Shisui flying in the air on top of a giant crow with his hands still performing the seal controlling the out of control Akimichi. But soon enough the genjutsu master released the jutsu much to the relief of the enemy forces.

But it didn't last as the dangerous Uchiha clasped his hands together whispering...

"Genjutsu: Field of Darkness!"

When their enemies cried that they were not able to see anything as a sudden darkness stole every ounce of light from their surroundings, then Takeshi cheered leading the charge of his clansmen.

He slashed his first enemy across the throat ending the miserable boy's life and saw his clansmen begin the butchering of the disarrayed enemy forces. However, a few enemies had broken out of the genjutsu and Takeshi grinned for atleast there were some capable fighters in the enemies.

With a savage battlecry, he and his twin sister attacked them.

(Center Formation)

Naruto could feel the enemy approaching and there were a lot of them. More than the forces under his command but that was to be expected since he had decided to strengthen his flanks while taking the risk of annihilation on himself.

With him were majority of the Uchiha force, fewer Hatakes and most Yamanakas. Together they made up a strong army of nearly 300 fighters.

The odds were heavily against them but there was no other choice but to fight, or risk everything they had gained so far.

He grasped his ancestral sword firmly in his grasp as the first enemy forces entered his line of vision. Activating his sharingan, he charged forward and smirked when he stabbed the blade clean through a surprised Senju's heart.

The battlefield came alive as his supporters and the enemies now clashed in open combat. Weapons, jutsu, and body parts went flying alongwith the blood curling screams of the dead and dying.

"Lightning Release: Thunder Armor"

His entire body was coated in bright sparks of lightning that savagely electrocuted the Senjus very close to him. His own ancestral sword now coated in the element. It was why he loved the weapon for not only was it made up of the finest steel but had engraved in it secret seals that allowed it to manifest the type of chakra its wielder used.

With a grin, he attacked any who dared to challenge him.

His sword now laced with lightning carved through his enemies armor like a knife cutting through butter and he didn't flinch when they died one after another screaming in agony.

He saw one unit of his clansmen being viciously attacked by dozens of Senju, quickly he formed a hand seal producing two of his shadow clones who wordlessly ran to the aid of their clansmen and soon enough the Uchihas were fighting back.

Parrying another attack, he delivered a swift and brutal kick to his enemy's genitals. The woman gasped in pain but her eyes widened when his sword sliced through her open neck showering him in blood and gore. Mercilessly, he twisted his sword causing a large surge of lightning to seep into her body.

The Senjus gasped in horror when their dying kunoichi's head exploded earning a savage laugh from the Kinslayer.

They all flinched away from him until a one eyed Senju dressed in fine armor charged ahead clashing his sword against Naruto's.

He's stronger than the others.

Naruto didn't know why but he had a feeling he had seen this Senju before. Despite his innocent looks, the boy was fighting back with great strength and courage.

Roaring once more he tried a horizontal slash towards Naruto's chest but the Kinslayer easily side-stepped from the attack placing his passing hand on the Senju's back.

Itama Senju screamed when vicious bolts of lighting attacked his entire body. His nerves screamed, his blood boiled, his lone eye threatened to burst open and in his hazy vision he saw the Kinslayer bringing his longsword towards his back.

Now he knew why Tobirama had warned him not to engage this man, but he had forgotten his elder brother's advice when he saw his clansmen being cut down by this monster. He had to do something to help them...

But now he was going to die painfully which made him close his eyes.

"KINSLAYER!"

Naruto froze mid attack and had to urgently bring his sword forward just in time as Tobirama Senju's sword clashed against his own. There was a monstrous outburst of chakra from the white haired Senju's body that sent Naruto sailing away.

Quickly regaining his balance, he flipped himself and landed gracefully across the battlefield and saw the man he hated most standing before him.

"Little brother..." whispered Tobirama, cradling the badly burnt Itama in his arms.

The sight brought a new wave of sadness as anger in Naruto's heart as he remembered the words said to him by the person he had loved most in this world.

Be happy...little brother.

Izuna

"TOBIRAMA!"

The Senju looked up and his eyes widened when a monstrous outburst of chakra exploded from Naruto's body sending dozens of Senjus and Sarutobi's sailing away. The killing intent that spread across the forest was enough to make Tobirama flinch for he saw the unending hatred in Naruto's eyes that threatened to destroy everything Tobirama held dear.

He quickly handed off his injured brother to Touka who dragged the boy away to safety as Tobirama got up on his feet meeting the Kinslayer's burning red eyes.

He had seen those same eyes in Madara and knew the power it gave to its wielder.

He raised his sword in preparation as Naruto marched towards him, fury and hatred burning in his Sharingan eyes.

Only to freeze suddenly.

A shocked and even more furious expression came on his face as he glanced at the Yamanaka who had attacked his mind. His eyes widened when the blonde haired turncoats started attacking the shocked Uchihas and Hatakes.

The tides changed within seconds as the traitor Yamanakas joined up with the Senju forces beginning the slaughter of the heavily outnumbered Uchiha and Hatake forces.

He glanced at Tobirama who gave him a blank look...

And he knew.

In all the chaos of this surprise attack, everyone including him had failed to detect one minor detail. It had barely been two days since the Yamanaka officially surrendered to the Uchiha. Even if the Senju wanted to retaliate, it would have taken them time to assemble such a large force.

Unless...

Tobirama smiled at him coldly.

"You guessed right, Kinslayer. The Yamanakas asked for our aide the moment you attacked them..." confessed Tobirama,

"You-" struggled Naruto, almost on the verge of breaking free from the invading presence in his mind.

"They surrendered to you because they knew fighting would only mean annihilation. So they waited for their allies to arrive and now they shall have their revenge. You come into their home, butcher their people, kill their clan heir, and expect them to surrender to your mad clan? I see the Hatakes are still fighting for you despite the changed situation, tell me what leverage do you have over them?" asked Tobirama knowingly,

Naruto dared not reveal any information regarding the fact that Naori held Kiara Hatake as hostage which was the main reason the Hatake's were still fighting for them.

Thinking of his aunt holed up in that Castle among the Yamanaka traitors made his heart stop.

He had to save her.

Glancing around he saw majority of his supporters were cut down by the overwhelming enemy force, the few who were left wouldn't last long. He was trapped...

With a wild roar, he broke the mind invasion of his attacker and swiftly sent a kunai that lodged itself right into the Yamanaka's head ending the man's life.

Hastily, he grabbed a flare from his pocket and launched it in the air just as Tobirama attacked him.

He smiled even as he clashed swords against Tobirama as the bright red flare had now given the message to his few allies to act on their contingency plan.

As for him...

He saw hundreds of Senjus, Sarutobi's, Yamanaks closing down on the small circle of Uchiha's and Hatake's that had stepped closer to him hoping he could save them from their approaching deaths.

He glanced at his arch enemy and knew he had met his match for Tobirama was just as cruel and cunning as him.

His next words proved Naruto's belief...

"You're done, Kinslayer"