Chap-19

(Midnight)

While darkness covered the dense forests of the Land of Fire, a group of six Uchiha and one fox stood near the river shore with heavy frowns on their faces as they stared at their grinning leader.

"Out with it" said Shisui impatiently, tired of Naruto's suspense.

"Since we cannot travel by land, we travel by water" said Naruto dramatically, even going so far as giving up a thumbs up which made Itachi sweatdrop.

"What difference does that make? We'll still be spotted..." muttered Takeshi,

Naruto sighed mumbling something close to "No Imagination" which made Mikoto smirk. However, she was quite curious when Naruto raised his hand and the glare he got from the lazy fox was quite fierce. She always wondered about the beast's intelligence, and in this case its senses warned him just in time as Naruto raised seven large water bubbles with a single finger.

With his other hand, he took out seven identical large straws and threw them perfectly on top of the water bubbles.

Kurama felt a chill pass through his entire body when Naruto dropped his smile to replace it with a chilling gaze that made his surprised friends stand a little straighter and attentive.

"We are ninjas. Stealth is our finest weapon and we shall use it most unless forced to fight openly" said Naruto decisively,

"The current is strong downstream and we'll need proper navigation to reach Yamanka territory even if it is connected to Senju lands quite closely..." warned Kagami,

"And keep these bubbles together in an unbreakable link so none of us get separated because if that happens, we are done for" suggested Shisui,

"But we don't doubt your control over water and this is the best approach to reach our destination without attracting any attention. It's risky but doable" agreed Itachi with a firm nod,

Mikoto worriedly stared at the brown haired Uchiha in golden armor. She had never doubted his strength or his resolve, but their journey was going to be long, dangerous and tiring. Naruto alone would be responsible for keeping everyone alive for even a minor mistake on his part would mean death for any or all of them.

"What about your chakra reserves? Can you endure this journey without getting worn out? Because you won't get any chance to rest..." said Mikoto hesitantly, receiving a steely glance from the golden armored Uchiha.

"Just follow my lead and I will not fail any of you, I promise"

Despite the risks or challenges, Kurama himself alongwith the Uchiha's couldn't help but atleast respect Naruto's confidence and determination. Whether he could turn that into reality was a debatable question.

But he was their squad leader and he had given the command.

Objection was not an option.

(Two Hours Later)

Shisui gasped the first breath of fresh air as he finally emerged from the depths of the river, breaking free of the water bubble and was soon joined by the rest of his comrades who did the same thing as their group finally reached their destination.

Their heavy armor and weapons were previously stored in sealing scrolls before they began their uncertain journey.

He watched Naruto being the first one to reach the shore and look back at all of them with a cocky smirk.

"Cheater" mumbled Mikoto, for their leader had not swimmed or walked to the shore instead making the river water carry him to the lands on a small wave as if he was royalty while the rest of the squad was forced to walk, swim, and in case of a grumpy fox: paddle to the shore on four legs like a stupid dog for which it gave a nasty glare to its partner who merely patted his head affectionately.

As she reached the shore, Mikoto couldn't help but witness the unique relationship shared by Naruto and the fox.

The Uchiha always tried his very best to rile up the fox, and the beast did the same in return. But everytime they both simply laughed or grunted in the case of the fox at the end. Despite its nonchalant nature, she knew the fox was a deadly beast capable of slaughter having already helped Naruto in butchering the Fuma Clan.

She feared the day these two fought together again at their full powers for that day would be the true reckoning of the Uchiha Clan's words.

Fire and Blood.

But she also noticed that apart from teasing his friends by arriving first at the shore, Naruto had already placed silencing seals across a newly established perimeter by himself alongwith a heavy anti-detection genjutsu.

Currently, the Uchiha leader was busy using a simple wind jutsu to dry off his foxy friend who finally stopped scowling.

Shisui and Kagami did the same for the remaining squad.

Wordlessly, they unsealed their storage scrolls and armed themselves again. Now dressed in heavy armor with their weapons they were ready to carry out their mission.

Nobody said a word but there were a number of feelings lurking in their eyes.

Fear, Excitement, Anxiety, Doubt, Acceptance, and Determination.

"Liked the water ride?" asked Naruto with a jovial grin, instantly breaking the tension as everyone glared at him.

"Next time I'm walking" protested Kagami with a huff,

"Breathing from a straw for hours is damn uncomfortable!" complained Takeshi with a mild glare at his leader,

"Couldn't you have created a wind jutsu that allowed us to breath in the water bubble?" asked Shisui in a friendly manner,

Mikoto and Itachi simply shrugged while the giant fox grunted signifying his annoyance over the journey.

Kurama smirked when he heard Naruto mumble something close to "Ungrateful Bastards" in a sulky voice earning amused chuckles from the group. The fox couldn't help but notice the subtle way in which the boy had reduced the brimming tension and anxiety of his group, even if it meant making himself the butt of a joke.

It was one of the many fine traits that set the boy apart from his ancestor, Indra.

But when everyone looked relaxed and ready, Kurama again saw the same deadly eyes of Indra Uchiha coming alive in this boy.

"We can discuss the battle plan now that I have secured this area" suggested Naruto seriously, referring to the genjutsu and silencing seals that would give them some much needed cover.

As he explained his strategy, most of his comrades clearly expressed the flaws and merits both but still gave their consent making him smile.

When everyone of them became clear as to their part in the plan, they all glanced back at Kurama which made the beast scowl as he noticed everyone apart from Naruto, Mikoto and Itachi staring at him skeptically. The former two cared for him and the latter was too smart to understand Kurama's hidden power even if he never expressed that sentiment aloud to anyone of his group or clan.

"Do you think the fox can handle a suitable distraction to alert an entire clan?" asked Takeshi hesitantly, afraid of the beast as it growled at him menacingly.

Naruto smirked receiving a devilish grin from Kurama.

"Oh, he's going to enjoy fucking with the mindwalkers" said Naruto cheerfully, making his group sweat drop at the blood thirsty grin that arrived in Kurama's eyes. It was as if his leash was taken off and he was allowed to do something that was his true nature.

Be wild and create chaos.

"What is our plan of protecting the fox should he get into trouble?" asked Shisui worriedly, surprising Kurama quite suddenly.

"We need one of us to stay behind and keep an escape route ready should we fail or things get too hot. That person can also aid the fox should the need arise..." suggested Mikoto honestly, and saw the fox stare at her approvingly for her remark on it being able to handle Yamanaka.

"Who?" asked Kagami seriously,

Naruto again saw in the eyes of his friends: The Raw Clarity.

For the one who stayed behind faced a good chance of being the first to get killed alongwith the fox for the Yamanaka would start hunting them in full force. And that meant death.

The same was also the case for even the ones who would carry on the other part of the plan.

Naruto saw Kurama was just about to leave having no expectation of any Uchiha apart from the Kinslayer risking his life for the beast, and that would have been the case until one Uchiha did rise.

Shisui Uchiha had always been Naruto's most dutiful and loyal friend, one who never disappointed and that fact didn't change tonight as the same boy stepped towards Kurama much to the shock of the others.

"You really gonna risk your life for the fox should it get into trouble, Shisui?" asked Takeshi with a frown, his dislike for the fox clear in his voice.

"Yes"

Naruto couldn't help but swell with pride for with just a simple word Shisui had reaffirmed his belief that there was still hope for their clan. He was a fine warrior but a better man than anyone in their group. There was no hesitation or doubt in his determined eyes as he stared back at a surprised Kurama.

"Let's go, partner" said Shisui with a smile, earning an equally surprising friendly grin from the fox before they both walked away.

"Honorable Fool" mumbled Takeshi disappointedly, earning twin bops from Kagami and Itachi.

But Mikoto's gaze was fixed on Naruto's lingering eyes that were still staring at the retreating form of Shisui Uchiha. And in the Kinslayer's eyes, she saw something she had never seen before.

Admiration.

She couldn't help but feel that out of their whole group, Naruto admired and respected Shisui the most.

The boy was honorable, kind, brave, and loyal just like the Noble Samurai from the stories they had all heard when they were children.

Something she felt Naruto truly wanted himself to be until his life changed forever.

She watched him conceal his hidden feelings and take in a deep breath. When he looked back at the rest of their group, he was again the leader they needed at this time.

Naruto Uchiha, you are a mysterious man.

Shisui carefully concealed himself in the tall trees while his sharp eyes acutely observed Kurama who was nonchalantly walking on the ground. Just a few steps more and the fox would breach the sensor barrier that was always used by the Yamanaka.

No intruder could breach the clan's holdings without alerting their barrier teams who are always on duty. And yet Naruto had trusted this beast to cause a worthy distraction that would allow five Uchiha's to sneak inside in the chaos.

Shisui had already determined two separate routes that could be used by his team for quick escape in case of serious trouble, but had hope that Naruto could pull this through.

Because if he managed to do what he planned, it would greatly improve his tainted reputation in their clan and make their enemies fear him and their allies respect him.

Shisui as well as the rest of the Kinsguard had always wondered as to why Naruto had killed his own people. They had all harbored doubts and distaste about the boy, yet the same boy kept on fighting proving his loyalty over and over again despite the hate and scorn laid down on him by everyone.

The opinion of the Kinsguard members had changed the day when Naruto alongside the fox had charged out to meet the enemy Fuma Clan. He had risked his life to protect the servants and whores whom no one had bothered to defend as most Uchiha guards had decided to wait inside the great Castle protecting higher up noble heirs of important families and respected dignitaries, while the Fuma Clan burned down corridors and servant quarters.

His actions that day showed a side of him none of them thought ever existed. And when they took a risk getting to know him, they were all surprised to find the boy was nothing like the rumors proclaimed him to be.

And for that Shisui was ever grateful.

His eyes widened in horror and astonishment at the same time when the fox breached the barrier and unleashed such a massive outburst of chakra that sent Shisui crashing away from his safe location.

With a grunt he landed harshly upon the ground and couldn't help but gasp as the demonic chakra assaulted his senses.

For the first time in his life, he felt true fear and his own death in front of his eyes as he watched the fox glare hatefully with his demonic eyes at the Yamanaka settlement.

The sheer amount of energy that the beast just released erased any doubt from Shisui's mind.

This was no ordinary animal.

It was possibly a powerful summon or something much worse.

For the amount of chakra the fox had unleashed resulted into the barrier collapsing from the impact and soon enough alarm bells rang across the Yamanaka settlement as the mindwalkers prepared for a full blown enemy assault.

Shisui could already sense the first responders charging towards his location in order to eliminate the threat.

Yet despite his fears and wariness of the fox, he got up and stepped beside the beast ready for battle.

Kurama raised an eyebrow in amusement when he saw the fear in Shisui's eyes and couldn't blame the boy for the amount of energy he had just released was more than that possessed by 1000 veteran ninjas. And that was just an ounce of his true power.

Still, he had to give the young Uchiha credit for when most would have fled from the spot; Shisui was controlling his fears as he unleashed his sword for their enemies were almost upon them now.

Kurama decided to have some more fun as he unleashed all of his nine tails and grew more larger in size much to Shisui's horror which only grew when the fox gave him a menacing smile.

"If you die, I'll eat you"

Shisui blanched in pure shock on hearing the fox speak in actual human tongue. But soon enough he smirked which earned a grin from the large beast.

With a silent battlecry, the Uchiha and Biju teared into the first Yamanaka defenders.

Naruto watched the Yamanaka defenders running out of their massive clan castle by the hundreds while their civilian subjects screamed in terror across the town outside the castle.

He placed his hand on the ground and nodded silently when he felt the pieces falling into place.

With a flick of his wrist, he motioned for Itachi to move which the Uchiha boy did without hesitation and began silently running towards the town full of civilians while the rest of the squad rallied behind him.

"What happens now?" asked Mikoto hesitantly, on seeing the cold look in Naruto's eyes.

"They'll surrender or I will destroy them" he promised without remorse,

He turned back to his last three squadmates still left by his side. Mikoto seemed shaken having never seen a conflict of this scale, Takeshi looked ready to shed blood, while Kagami masked his emotions behind a stoic expression.

"At this rate, dozens will die" warned Mikoto,

"Hundreds" retorted Naruto coldly,

She weakly nodded for despite the harsh command it was her duty to follow his orders and at the very least there was no doubt in his eyes regarding his plan that gave all of them some hope.

"Mikoto, the Yamanaka are holding Kiara Hatake in the third tower of the castle. You will rescue her without fail..." commanded Naruto,

"What about the guards that are rushing outside the castle?" asked Takeshi seriously,

"When most of them are outside, we'll slip inside the castle and make our way towards their command and communication center. There I shall end this conflict or destroy this clan forever" said Naruto unflinchingly,

"Understood" replied Mikoto, performing a quick shunshin and going away in order to carry out her mission.

Naruto unleashed his sword as Kagami and Takeshi stepped beside him dutifully in order to fulfill their mission.

"We take this town tonight!"

Three shadows swooped across the vast corridors of the Yamanaka Castle hiding in the shadows. Their former clan affiliations masked by the present Yamanaka guard uniforms they had borrowed from some easy guards.

Most of the security forces of the castle had already moved towards the borders where the real action was happening.

Naruto couldn't help but grin for he knew Kurama must be having fun after a long time. The beast was forced to keep a low profile for years and only with the incident of the Fuma Clan was he allowed a chance to let off some steam.

Despite its friendly nature, Kurama was a beast of destruction and death.

Naruto had never forgotten that fact and nor would the Yamanaka after this day.

He still had doubts about exposing even a little of Kurama's true power knowing the Hagoromo and Kaguya clans were after him for reasons the beast was yet to disclose. Not to mention the Uchiha, Senju or any other clan would not allow such a powerful beast to roam free without aiding their cause.

However, Kurama had found a place for himself among the Uchiha due to his help in the massacre of the Fuma Clan.

Nor was the Uchiha Clan as weak as it was eight years ago, for they had many more allies sworn to their cause and were capable of dealing with any threat posed by the Kaguya or Hagoromo clans against the beast.

With that thought in mind, Naruto signaled his two comrades as they saw two guards protecting the nearest staircase that led to the command and communication center where the barrier teams and clan leadership would be scrambling to establish order.

Takeshi and Kagami expertly hit the two guards in the neck with sleeping darts allowing Naruto to charge forward and grab the now two unconscious Yamanaka quickly and hide their bodies in a nearby room.

He gestured for his comrades to hold as he sensed for any other presence on the upper stairwells, and when he found none except for a few strong ones at the top he gestured them to follow.

They ascended the staircases with as much speed as they could knowing that their speed would lead to either life or death for themselves.

Finally they reached the command center and saw twenty Yamanaka waiting for them with weapons raised.

"Guess it was too much to hope for a smooth takeover" said Naruto with a grin,

When he saw a few Yamanaka raise their hands to perform their clan's famous jutsu he quickly grabbed smoked bombs and so did Kagami and Takeshi from their pouches and shrouded the corridor in thick smoke.

Naruto activated his sharingan and his facemask ready to shield him from the smoke. As he located the chakra signatures of each of his enemies, he charged forward.

The first three guards died before they could even understand who hit them.

He could sense Kagami and Takeshi engaging their own foes as the smoke started to disappear courtesy of a quick wind jutsu from one of the Yamanaka.

When their visions cleared, Naruto found himself surrounded by atleast ten Yamanka while his friends fought against the remaining seven guards.

He smirked when they all attacked him at once with swords drawn in an attempt to hack him to pieces. He raised his own ancestral weapon blocking the enemy weapons and then much to their horror the Uchiha disappeared in a flock of crows.

Genjutsu.

Naruto didn't laugh or mock as per his usual nature and only used that small advantage to hack half of his foes by cleaving off their heads in one swift strike.

His sharingan rotated again predicting the moves of the remaining enemies as each of them tried to hit him from different angles.

He made a quick jump evading all the slashes and unleashed five quick and sharp kunai from his pouch with two of them ending in the skulls of Yamanaka guards while the rest were acutely deflected.

The last three Yamanaka guards cursed him loudly but his eyes were fixed on his friends.

Kagami gave a merciless strong kick to one of his enemies making the man cough blood before Takeshi's sword beheaded him instantly.

When two guards tried to attack Takeshi from behind, Kagami moved forward to his defense blocking the sword with his armed gauntlets much to the shock of the Yamanaka.

For while the Yamanaka were quite feared for their mind jutsu and interrogation as well as torture skills, they were no match when it came to deadly physical combat. A trait at which the Uchiha and Senju excelled at.

Kagami shoved his opponents back with a fierce push and quickly ducked just in time as Takeshi turned around and slashed the throats of the startled foes. The remaining two enemies took trembling steps backwards as both Uchiha boys stepped towards them.

But were prevented from fighting further when Naruto appeared behind the two Yamanaka stabbing one through the heart and another in the temple with his kunai. Looking back, they saw that each and everyone of the Yamanaka guards fighting against Naruto were all dead with gruesome wounds.

Naruto tossed his stained Yamanaka uniform which made Kagami and Takeshi do the same.

Now dressed in his golden armor bearing the insignia of a dragon he walked towards the door and gestured to his friends who swiftly nodded before placing explosive notes on the door.

With a thunderous blast, the locked door that was the last defense of the Yamanaka leadership was obliterated and three Uchiha's stormed inside to find a dozen Yamanaka gaping at them in shock.

Naruto's eyes zoomed in on one particular Yamanaka that was taller and looked more regal than the rest. If that was not enough to give away his identity, his invaluable family armor and stone cold gaze revealed his position.

Itama Yamanaka, current clan head and leader of his clan stared at the three Uchiha in front of him all armed and stained with blood.

The blood of his people.

His gaze narrowed when he saw the leading one having a facemask and dazzling golden armor bearing the insignia of a dragon on his chest and a dark black cloak fluttering on his back. And that sword...

There was no mistake.

"Kinslayer"

Kagami and Takeshi were about to move in retaliation for the insult until they received one discreet glance from Naruto that commanded otherwise who then looked back at the Yamanaka clan leader with his own icy expression.

"Lord Itama" he greeted coolly,

"Why have you attacked my clan without any provocation from our side?" asked Itama accusingly, making his few guards tense up and brandish their weapons not that it attracted even an eyelash from any of the Uchiha's.

"In retaliation from the crimes of your nephew, Iwashi Yamanaka, against the Hatake Clan by abducting their heiress. Since they are our sworn allies now it is our duty to bring them justice" answered Naruto honestly,

Itama's eyebrows shot up to his forehead at that revelation, unable to believe the Hatake who were sworn allies of the Senju's could so easily switch sides to the Uchiha's.

But then again Hashirama had shown quite favoritism to the Yamanaka Clan on Tobirama's insistence leading to this mess.

Itama Yamanaka knew trouble had started the day his nephew had laid eyes upon the Hatake girl when their clan visited Sakumo for a meeting. Itama had dearly loved his older brother who died a few years ago, his wife even before that leaving their only son Iwashi in his uncle's care and he had tried to look after the boy and preserve his right as the clan heir until he became strong enough.

But Iwashi proved to be a disappointment and was not at all like his dutiful parents who died for their clan. The boy was only interested in women, sex and alcohol.

Habits that led to all this bloodshed.

Even so, it didn't change the fact that it was the Yamanaka who were attacked tonight and Itama had a duty to protect his people no matter who the foe was.

"Is that what you tell yourself? That you're a servant of justice? You who killed your own people?" mocked Itama, and smirked when Naruto's grip on his sword tightened but his face displayed no outward aggression at the insult.

If not anything else, Itama could see the Kinslayer had quite a firm grip on his emotions. But if possible his blazing sharingan eyes burned with even more hatred and malice.

"Your nephew is a fool, Lord Itama. Right heir maybe, but a person who brought great suffering to your noble clan. He will only bring ruin to your people, but you are the rightful leader your people need in this hour and the future" said Naruto calmly,

"What are you saying?" asked one of the Yamanaka guards suspiciously,

"Sentence your nephew to whatever justice Sakumo Hatake deems just for his crimes alongwith all those who participated in this crime. You shall also pay reparations to the Uchiha Clan for you have dared to harm one of our allies, and from this day forth you and your clan shall serve my clan till the end of time"

Kagami and Takeshi stiffened on hearing Naruto's demands and judging from the rising red on the Yamanaka faces they could see these people were just about to explode for unlike the Hatake, the Yamanaka no matter how weak in actual combat were an ancient and noble clan with great power.

"How dare you..." snarled Itama in fury, making his guards step forward.

If possible Naruto's cold smile turned even more menacing as he pointed to the great barrier in the middle of the room that marked the location of each and every fighter alongwith their affiliations.

And in a matter of seconds, the situation and numbers changed quite drastically.

Where there were once nearly a 1000 Yamanaka fighting against two large chakra signatures which were Shisui and Kurama, now there were nearly 300 more chakra signatures all bearing the marks of the Hatake Clan followed by hundreds more of the Uchiha Clan courtesy of Naori doing her part in the plan.

The Yamanaka Clan was surrounded.

If that was not enough to make Itama and his supporters lose the color from their faces, the next news was the final nail.

"Lord Itama, our own civilians are attacking our own guards! They all seemed to be in some kind of genjutsu" shouted one of the barrier team ninjas,

Takeshi and Kagami looked at each other and knew the one responsible for this bizarre action.

Itachi.

"Or you can choose to defy us and face the consequences. You know our numbers now, our power, the fact that we have you surrounded and cornered. If I give the command my forces will tear down your town walls and storm this castle" promised Naruto coldly,

Itama took a step back when the Kinslayer unleashed his full killing intent making most Yamanaka's fall to their knees and look away from those murderous sharingan that promised to give them painful deaths.

"Hundreds will die, most of them your own. The first wave will be your own civilians that are being controlled by one of my men. So you'll start this bloody battle by killing people that have served your clan for generations. The second wave will be Hatake's who are itching for vengeance. My Uchiha fighters will follow when most of your fighters are dead, wounded or tired. When this castle falls, all those inside will be executed including your entire family. Your people will be butchered, your towers will burn, I'll destroy this castle stone by stone, and by the time I am done no one will ever know the Yamanaka clan ever existed" pledged Naruto darkly,

He walked forward and grabbed the shaken Yamanaka clan leader by the neck looking the now terrified man clearly in the eyes.

"I'll cut off your limbs painfully and make your pregnant wife watch. Then before I kill you and her, I shall tear apart her belly showing you both the face of your unborn child before killing it as well"

Naruto removed his grip from the man's neck making the now trembling man fall to his knees for the Uchiha in front of him had made him see the vision in reality with the help of his sharingan. Everything he had said, he was going to do it including the act of killing Itama's unborn child in front of him alongwith his wife.

The trembling man looked at the Kinslayer remembering this monster had not even spared his own people butchering innocent men, women and children. And those were his own people...

"Lord Itama, I'll leave you to make your decision" said Naruto icily,

Without another word, he turned around and marched towards the destroyed exit with his comrades following after him. The Yamanaka were about to breathe a sigh of relief for the devastating killing intent started to recede until it came back in full force when Naruto stopped at the edge of the destroyed doorway staring back at Itama Yamanaka with his cold sharingan.

"I hope you'll remember my clan's words, Itama Yamanaka"

And then he walked away even as the famed Uchiha words sent a shiver down the Yamanaka's hearts.