Screams and shouts rang through Naruto's ears as the carnage unfolded around him, the war cries and death throes of the soon-to-be dead. His eyes had somehow picked out Kakashi-sensei in the melee, never fighting fewer than three enemy combatants at a time, and he found himself numbly counting the number of wide-eyed, terrified bodies the man left in his wake. He tried to remind himself that any of those corpses would have cut his, or any of his friends' throats given half a chance; but it was difficult to look into empty eyes, no matter who they had belonged to, and justify the act of stealing the life from them.

An explosion rocked their balcony, a wayward fireball the cause, and Naruto was ripped from the shock straight into pure panic as he remembered the Suna shinobi that were in the box with them. He span on the balls of his feet, and saw quickly that Kankuro and Temari were stood as he had been - stock still, and watching the unfolding horror unable to shake themselves from it.

He should kill them, he knew. A kunai for each of their hearts, before they had the chance to join the fray. He had promised himself that he wouldn't hesitate again... Empty, lifeless eyes flashed before his own.

"Hana, Ino!" He barked, turning his back on Gaara's siblings. The pair started and looked at him, both as wild-eyed as he knew he was. They were all in shock - only Hana's partners stayed alert and at the ready, hackles raised, to defend her. He needed to keep his composure - so much relied on him doing his duty today. "Hana, you're a medic so make sure to stay out of the actual fighting as best you can - if possible, try and start evacuating some of the civilians until a Jonin finds you and tells you otherwise - treat whoever you can but you know better than I do, try not to get hung up on lost causes." However much it might hurt you, because I know it will. "Beyond that, you know the plan we made with Jiraiya-sensei"

"Ino." He followed on firmly, and he could see that she was starting to calm, starting to regain her mental footing. "If you can, find your squad or your sensei and report to them. If you can't, find any other Jonin you can. They should order you away to an evac point - Genin aren't supposed to be on the frontline, we guard the evac points."

Both nodded, focused and began to move, and Naruto himself hopped up onto the balcony railing to better survey the battlefield. It was pure, unadulterated chaos. Neither side had managed to form battle lines, and the fighting was a mess of Shinobi of different allegiances stumbling into each other. Konoha ninja were outnumbered though. The Sandaime had only stationed a particular selection of their forces here. A selection of the elite that would take the bulk of the initial attack here at the stadium in order to give the Genin and civilians a chance to evacuate.

True enough, the likes of Kakashi and Might Guy were too high profile of a target for many to ignore - there were very few enemy combatants who would turn up the opportunity to go down in history as the one who managed to take down the legendary Sharingan no Kakashi. The other Genin had already gotten moving as well. Shikamaru was staying close to Asuma, using his shadows to strategically slow down those attacking the Jonin. Kiba had recognised that his brand of fighting wasn't useful here where so many of the enemies were stronger than they were, and instead was systematically waking civilians with Shino and guiding them away from the chaos. The Aburame for his part was acting as Kiba's guard. Presumably, he was using his kikai insects as an early warning system to stop enemies from getting too close. Naruto would have bet money that he also had a considerable number of his colony searching for enemies to subtly rain the chakra from. Every little helps, after all.

Finally, his eyes made their way to his own target. Baki stood between the Jonin proctor and Gaara. The Suna Jinchuuriki had left his protective cocoon and was gripping his head, shuddering in pain as though the Ichibi was literally trying to escape through his skull. As it was, his right arm had mutated, and was now a monstrously large, inhuman arm of sand, lined with blue markings. If it wasn't obvious by sight, it'd be made so by the demonic chakra irradiating from the boy. He had begun to let his control slip, begun to allow a full transformation into a bijuu.

Naruto couldn't allow that to happen. This was his mission. This was why he carried the burden that he did.

He leapt to the floor, and for the first time in a while, he formed the hand seal for Kage Bunshin and concentrated.

The battlefield was chaos, but that was where Uzumaki Naruto thrived. The space around him exploded into life as hundreds of Naruto's burst into existence. "Help in any way you can - move!" His kage bunshin rushed outwards. Just because he had one mission, didn't mean he couldn't help where he could.

He himself moved straight at Gaara at a run, only to be forced to roll to the side as a grey-clad sound shinobi leapt at him with a kunai. The woman was fast, and the blade nicked him on the side of his armour. He swivelled on the floor towards the enemy and several more clones phased into existence, one using his back as a springboard to propel itself towards the enemy staff in hand. She sidestepped his clone, straight into the bloodied kunai of Hatake Kakashi. Sharingan still covered, he drove his weapon straight into her throat, and she crumpled boneless to the floor.

"32." He said, lone visible eye curved into a smile. "Gai will never let me hear the end of it if I lost count." Naruto's mouth moved trying to formulate a response, and the veteran ninja placed his hand upon his shoulder. "Good thinking on the clones, Naruto - it's the kind of battlefield support only you can provide. Now," he paused momentarily as two more enemies threw themselves at him, only for Gai to appear without warning in a whirlwind firsts, taking them both down and disappearing as quickly as he had appeared. Kakashi's eye rolled, but he pressed on.

"This isn't a good place for Genin to be right now. Hokage-sama briefed us on your role. The Jonin will cover you out of here, but from then on you're on your own. I'll make it official to avoid any debate. Any of the Genin in your graduating year that you can find are now under your command. Form a team - it will be their job to get you in a position to seal Gaara and support you in a safe way." He paused, and glanced towards the red-head. Gaara was being led away by Temari and Kankuro, Baki covering their escape. "You'll have to be quick to track them - I'll do what I can to help, though." He raced through familiar hand seals, and summoned a small, cream-coloured pug. "Thanks to Jiraiya-sama, Pakkun here has Gaara's scent. He'll help you track them - are your orders understood?"

"Hai!" He barked in response and Kakashi's eye-smile disappeared and was replaced by a cold black stare as he turned his attention back to the battlefield.

"Then move!"

* * *

Old bones were a poor substitute for young. They creaked and groaned and protested every single movement. Any period of exertion was a constant examination of one's willpower, an examination of one's resolve. Even reinforcing himself with chakra, the strain was reaching unbelievable levels already.

He really had gotten old.

Sarutobi hesitated before re-joining the fray. The roof of the arena had been surrounded by a vivid purple dome, a nigh impenetrable barrier ninjutsu designed to prevent him from getting help or escaping. His heart broke a little more as he considered that all this carnage and death had been done to his village - and others - all to allow for an attempt on his life.

Orochimaru. Even the name carved deep trenches into his soul. How much pain had that one caused, how much misery? He had tried so hard to reach him, to save him from his own darkness. Jiraiya and Tsunade had too, in their ways. It had been for naught. Whatever demons plagued the man he had thought of as a third son, had proved as immovable as their host's lust for power. He had been lost to them long before Sarutobi had realised it. Too late, always too late. Even when he had, he had been too weak, too lacking resolve to do what must be done. Too weak, always too weak. How much blood is on my hands because of my weakness? How many souls lost?

Too many, always too many.

His former student had miscalculated however. He had grown unbelievably strong, true. But he had never tempered that strength with humility, never learned to control his arrogance. I could have taught him that. That, as it had ever been, had been his downfall here. Jiraiya had infiltrated the Hokage's box just as Orochimaru had, and ANBU had dealt with his guard. Now, Orochimaru was trapped in a prison of his own making with both Sarutobi and Jiraiya. Both of his students had long since surpassed him and it was impossible to say who was the stronger.

However, old though he may be, Sarutobi Hiruzen was Konoha's Hokage for a reason. Orochimaru had arranged this precisely to get at him without interference. He watched as his students, once brothers, danced across the tiled roof, a whirlwind flurry of the elements and blows meant to take the other's life. Orochimaru was straining to match Jiraiya. Once, Sarutobi had envisaged that Orochimaru would take his title. He had been wrong about that and a great many other things. Jiraiya had acted the fool in the early days - and still liked to play that part when it suited him. Perhaps Sarutobi had allowed that to blind him, in those early days, to how truly great the toad summoner was becoming. He had become a wonderful shinobi, iron-clad in his resolve, truly kind in his heart. The embodiment of the Will of Fire. He was every bit Orochimaru's equal in this fight, lacking only his counterpart's hubris.

How he wished he had been able to see things as they were when it counted.

Jiraiya avoided a gout of fire from Orochimaru, retreating all the way back to him.

"Sensei, you don't have to do this. I can take care of Orochimaru - you martial the village-"

"No." He interrupted, his voice one of a man who had spent more than half a century issuing commands and brooking no argument. "He is my mistake, I'll not sit back and allow you to clear up my mess. We end Orochimaru, here and now."

"That, my dear sensei, is assuming you can." Orochimaru approached, a sickening, too-wide smile impressed upon his face. The façade could never hide the tightness around Orochimaru's eyes - not from him. He had not expected to be pushed as much as he had by Jiraiya, most assuredly not before either of them had brought to bear their more powerful techniques. "Come to think of it, I'm beginning to think that fighting the two of you might just be beneath someone of my talents." The smile grew, and Sarutobi felt the beginnings of dread well deep within him. Too confident - far too confident. Hand seal flashed, and Konoha's Hokage readied himself.

"Edo Tensei."

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke tried once more to swallow the resentment that stung at him for being ordered to operate under the command of the dobe. At least, that was what he pretended he was irritated at. It allowed him to ignore the uncomfortable reality, as they raced through the village hot on the heels of his opponent for the Chunin Exams, that the dobe deserved that command. Naruto's growth had put his own to shame, and the recent revelation about his family had put everything he had thought he new into a new perspective. It was possible he wasn't as alone as he had thought.

Besides, the bodies made his mind conjure images of his family, and he would think about anything over that.

Their orders were simple, locate and bring down Gaara of the Sand, whilst keeping him as far away from the village as possible. He didn't understand that last - they might cause some damage, but he could see no reason that they couldn't fight Gaara inside of Konoha's walls, given that most of the civilians had been evacuated. Naruto however had been insistent and he had been forced to acquiesce. It didn't really matter to him of course, as long as they did get to fight him.

Their journey had been illuminating in many other ways, also. He had realised that Naruto had somehow become incredibly competent prior to this of course, and he had displayed that to great effect. Sasuke's sharingan could see how much chakra each of Naruto's Bunshin cost, and he knew full well that he would be incapacitated now had he tried to match the blond. That rankled at him, even as they fought through their home, Naruto using Bunshin to support the other battles that were occurring.

However, it seemed that others had made similar moves. The Inuzuka girl, Hana, was apparently primarily and medic, but her ninken cut whirlwind through opposition at Naruto's direction. The two worked well in tandem, moving and fighting around each other in close quarters with alarming ease, and for the first time Sasuke could see exactly what Kakashi had meant by teamwork. He had come to care for his team of course, but they had never come close to being able to fight like this.

Their two other team-members, Ino and Shikamaru, were the biggest surprise. Both he had disregarded as a waste of time in the Academy, but now they filled their roles well as support ninja, strategically freezing and distracting enemies, allowing for the three heavier hitters of their group to better dispatch those they came against.

Sasuke had never seen the value in spending training time with others, it had distracted him from self improvement, but the benefits were plain. He was an avenger, and he would do so for his clan at any cost. But nothing in that oath of his required him to do it alone - that had been an assumption that he had clutched onto in youthful naivety. He would swoop in and end his brother, lifting the darkness like a story-book hero. But that wasn't reality, and now the image had shifted, a highly organised assassination team moving in and striking at his brother. Dead in a single blow. Efficient and neat.

It was at the very least, worth considering.

Finally, they reached the village walls. Gaara had left through damage caused in the initial attack, and Kakashi's summon led the over the crumbling bulwark without ever pausing to marvel that this much damage had been inflicted upon what was supposed to be the greatest of the villages. The forest had them all on edge - ambushes were far easier to plan here - but was a nice break. Suddenly, Pakkun jerked to a stop, snout in the air, sniffing aggressively.

"We're being followed. At least ten, one of which is trailing further be-" He stopped to sniff again. "Two of which are trailing further behind."

Shikamaru drew up next to him, frowning. "A double-layer ambush maybe. They're predicting we'll realise we're being followed and then set up an ambush. Their tenth will hang back to break them from any trap we might lay; the eleventh will hang back just in case."

"These will at the very least be Chunin, which presents a real problem. I'm confident myself and Hana could each match a Chunin at the very least but even presuming we can take one apiece we're still outnumbered." Naruto added, and Sasuke could see that the only fear he felt was outward, directed at the rest of the team. Just how strong have you gotten, Naruto?

"I do have a plan," Shikamaru started. "I just don't like it."

"It's more than the rest of us have got, so let's hear it." Sasuke added firmly.

"First, Hana and Ino move ahead. If we three can't stop them, we can at least delay them. Maybe even make them think we're all there was." Sasuke nodded - this was only logical, if they were killed, the mission would still have a chance at being successful.

"Just make sure you do not engage Gaara." Naruto demanded firmly, eyes harder than Sasuke had ever seen them.

"And what if you don't catch up - we still have our duty to Konoha too, Naruto. If you can choose to die for it, so can we." Hana interjected, and the tension in the forest increased exponentially.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at his team-mate, teeth grinding. "Fine. You can engage, but if you can't bring him down before he starts transforming, you retreat." Hana made to interject, but Naruto raised a hand. "The second he begins to leak bijuu chakra, you and Ino get the hell out of there Hana -that's an order."

Hana's fists clenched, and it was clear she was considering a response, but all that left her mouth was a muttered, "understood."

"Once that's done," the Nara continued, looking for all the world like he would rather cut his own throat than be out of bed. "Naruto and Sasuke hide themselves - they're our heaviest hitters. I pretend to be injured and freeze them, and Sasuke takes care of those I'm keeping trapped. Naruto, you'll have their tenth until we can get in and support."

Plan set, Ino, Hana and Pakkun set off after Gaara again. Naruto performed Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu for his sharingan, allowing them both to lie in wait underground; and Shikamaru took a seat at the base of a tree, using a blood capsule and some field dressing to simulate a kunai wound that he'd tried to patch up as he run.

Sasuke took a breath in his pocket of earth, and briefly the image of Shikamaru holding Itachi in place as he thrust chidori right through the traitor's heart.

His sharingan flared, three tomoe spinning wildly in either eye. The real battle was about to begin.

Shikamaru heard them before he saw them, nine figures that leapt from the treeline, their manner infuriatingly casual. They dressed in navy blue shinobi garb, wearing their faces covered and their kunai drawn. He focused on making his breathing ragged, his slight motions jerky and pained. The sweat rolling down his face didn't have to be feigned.

"There were more than this." One said gruffly, causing the other that had positioned himself directly in front of the Nara to chuckle darkly.

"Been left to die, have we runt? Don't worry," he said, eyes twisting into what was clearly a smile under his mask, "we'll make sure to kill them for you - it's the least we can do."

Shikamaru scoffed. "Appreciated." He said, weakly. "Now can you get a move on and do what you have to do - I don't have all day you know."

The man tipped his head back and laughed. "Good kid, ready to die with your head held high, like a true shinobi. I respect that."

"Who said anything about dying?" The Nara asked, eyebrow quirked. The man's eyes held a glimmer of confusion, but it was too late for him. It was over in just a few moments. Sasuke burst from the ground, lightning wailing around his fist and plunging it straight through their enemy's chest. The others had only a moment to react, as their reserve ninja burst from the treeline and landed behind the Uchiha, katana drawn. Sasuke never turned, only removed his bloodied arm from the chest of the first and made a dash for the next.

This time Naruto erupted from the ground, directly underneath the katana wielder. He was too close, too fast; and the man died with a blade in his throat, choking on his own blood. Another ten seconds was all it took, and when Shikamaru finally released his hold, nine bodies collapsed to the floor, joining their comrade already there. He glanced at Naruto and Sasuke, both of them trying not to appear pale and shaken, blood stained and dead-eyed.

"Let's move out, before that eleventh guy that Pakkun smelt catches up."

* * *

Naruto glanced sideways at Sasuke. This was the last position he'd thought he'd find himself in. He had no idea where he stood with the boy next to him any more. It was clear Sasuke didn't think of him as the 'dead last' any more but equally, it was plain to him that Sasuke didn't afford him any kind of real respect. That said, they had worked together well against the Sound shinobi, even if he did have to force back bile every time he thought of it.

They had quickly caught up with Hana and Ino, who had engaged Gaara's siblings to prevent anybody from reaching their brother. He was further beyond them and Naruto had to believe they'd tried to hide him. It was a pointless effort - you couldn't hide anything that howled as loudly as Gaara had been. Shikamaru had stayed behind to keep the numbers in their favour, and Naruto and Sasuke had gone onto the Suna jinchuuriki.

The boy stood ahead of them, clutching his head, body shuddering in seeming agony. The screams however, had stopped since they arrived.

"Sasuke." He said, quietly. "There's a plan. We need to get him-"

"The hell with your plan." Sasuke half-snarled. "This was my fight, my opportunity to test my limits. I don't care if the Hokage himself put you in charge - you won't be taking this from me!" Naruto's jaw dropped a touch at the Uchiha's vehemence - it would never happen to the last Uchiha of course, but disobeying here and now could get him killed. It was utterly asinine. He had to recognise that they had to work together here.

Only he didn't. Sasuke activated his chidori, sharingan flared, and charged.

"No, don't!-" But it was hopeless and Naruto immediately summoned a series of clones to support the Uchiha. They flew forwards, Naruto himself holding back; and Gaara screamed, his eyes black chasms, sand erupting from all around him. From the whirring sand came rock solid bars, pounding forwards at the Uchiha rhythmically. He destroyed the first with his jutsu, before being forced to release the chakra and focus on dodging. Several more bars thrust at his Bunshin, and some were destroyed, forcing Naruto to pour more forwards. He couldn't trust Sasuke in a close quarters fight with someone using demonic chakra, and if he was forced to start using the Kyuubi's, he wasn't sure he could trust himself to keep Sasuke out of danger.

A rod of sand clipped Sasuke and sent him tumbling away, lip bleeding, and Gaara's screams turned to feverish giggles. "You bleed like you made me bleed..." He mumbled between deranged laughter. "Now I'll make you hurt like I hurt." The sand around him dispersed and drew back, forming around Gaara and the amount of Ichibi's chakra that Naruto could feel sky-rocketed. It coalesced around the red-head, sticking to him, wrapping his limbs and body, creating a tormented looking half-boy, half-sand creature, with thick, bulbous arms and legs.

Sickly, tainted power surged and spiralled, and Naruto was spellbound even as Gaara exploded into motion, impossibly fast, torpedoing into the Uchiha in an explosion of sand.

"Sasuke!" The scream tore from his throat even as he flew forwards towards them, arm cocked back, palm open. He leapt into the air, and blue energy swirled in the palm of his hand as he caught Gaara in his sights, whipping and twisted until it tightened and condensed into a vivid, whirling sphere of chakra in his hand. You better be fine, you asshole!

"Rasengan!"

* * *

His steps echoed methodically through the empty corridor alongside the sound of his walking stick. The stick was all part of his persona, the grizzled old hawk, missing an eye and crippled. He did not need it here, there were no daggers in the dark here but paranoia was a necessity when you did the kind of things he had done to keep his home safe.

Finally he came to a door and without word, the masked guard slid it open for him and knelt in rightful deference. He passed through the threshold without glancing at the man. On the inside, the room was scarcely lit by two flickering candles on the far wall. He walked through the centre of the room to that wall, and heard not a single sound as he did so. He turned to face the dozens of kneeling shinobi, prostrating themselves before him in perfect orderly ranks. Others would be listening out in the village, through communication seals branded into their flesh.

"Above, our village burns. Above, the weakness of the Sandaime's philosophy of peace comes home to roost in the blood of our own." His words were quiet, but forceful, every consonant leaving his mouth as though physical blows. "It must end. No longer can Konoha be forced to crawl through the mire of politics, growing soft while our enemies sharpen blades behind their backs even as they promise friendship with their mouths."

He paused, eyes narrowing. "What I ask of you today is not easy. I ask you to kill your heart, to coppice the Great Tree of Konoha so that we may build the fires upon which we will reduce our enemies to cinders. Blood must spill this day, that we may rise from the ashes, greater than we have ever been. The trees roots must lay in the shadows, a necessary evil. This is our role - the necessary evil.

"Today, Root moves out of the shade to do, as we always have, what must be done. Now, true shinobi of Konoha - do your duty."

Shimura Danzou watched as his Root division left the room in a burst of smoke, an act so well practised it occurred in unison. He would watch his village's strength wilt under the drought of peace and diplomacy no longer. Their enemies had stayed sharp, while Konoha had grown fat and complacent. No more. Today, he would do what must be done, and take the title of Hokage for himself, that his village may grow strong again.

Sarutobi, my friend, I am sorry.

He allowed himself that one final sliver of weakness before he hardened his resolve into tempered steel, and allowed his walking stick to collapse to the floor, along with the many bandages he had worn all these years.

He would do his duty without a glimmer of weakness, as his Root would do theirs.