Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The War ❯ Tales from the front ( Chapter 1 )

 

Almost 6 monthsago……

 

Shizune burst through the door's of the Hokage's office, chest heaving from running all the way from the East Gate to the Hokage Tower.

 

“Tsunade-sama!! The messengers are back, you're needed in the infirmary”

 

“Alright alright, I'm on my way, sit down before you fall down, when you catch your breath meet me at the infirmary.”

 

Tsunade had now been the Hokage of Konohagakure for 7 years. She was loved and respected by her people, Though there have been ups and downs, like the time when the Elder Council started a coup, a coup which lasted 4 days, and then all of the Elders and their accomplices were exiled for Konoha. This making the Hokage the final word on all matters. Which of course meant more work for Tsunade.

 

The Infirmary

 

“What's the status of the messengers” Tsunade said as she walked into the infirmary, her very presence commanding obedience and respect.

 

“Sempai!” A young girl of 22 rushed over and bowed, pleased to be seeing her old teacher. With both of their busy schedules it was hard to get some time to catch up.

 

“Ahh Sakura! How are things going here? Keeping the fort down I see” Tsunade smiled at her former apprentice fondly. After Sakura completed her training, Tsunade put her in charge of the infirmary, and the overseeing of the med-nin squads.

 

“The messengers that you looking for are right this way” Sakura lead her down the hall way, going into detail about each shinobi messenger's condition.

 

Tsunade was ….sort of listening. She hadn't had time to see her apprentice in several months.

 

`Still has that shorter pink hair, still dresses the same as she did when she was 18, she's always looked the same, but her eyes. They're different. They've become more mature. The naivety in them has disappeared. Finally.'

 

“Sempai have you been listening to me?” Sakura eyed her indignantly.

 

“Of course I have, all three of the messengers are suffering from fatigue, and minor cuts and bruises. Are they able to talk yet?” Tsunade said as she entered the hospital room, with the three nins in bed.

 

“Yes, they should be able to speak to you just fine, but they're very tired, so try not to stay too long.” Sakura said as she handed Tsunade three medical files.

 

“I've gotta get going, so much to do so little time, it was great seeing you Sempai!” With that Sakura ran off towards another wing of the building.

 

Tsunade settled down in a chair next to the first nin.

 

“Takana. I want a full report if you please”

 

“H-Hokage-sama. They….they ….there's no one left.” The nin said in a weak voice, as he stared at the ceiling.

 

“What?”

 

“We got the Hidden Village of the Rock, but it was all rubble,….no building was left standing, blood everywhere….but……but no bodies, many footprints lead away from the carnage, more footprints lead out of the village than in.” The nin tried unsuccessfully to hold back the tears, but the anguish in his voice, told her enough.

 

Annihilation.

 

“You found no survivors at all? Rock village is no one to be trifled with.”

 

“We found one child who was barely alive, when we asked him what happened, he said `My grandfather……he killed me…..but he died 8 years ago……..but…he killed me.' The child died in my arms, I didn't understand what the child was talking about until I made it to the cemetery.” The nin, began to shake, as if the devil himself was standing over him.

 

“It's ok, calm down, your safe here.” Tsuande tried to sooth him, she touched his forehead and sent waves of soothing chakra into him. He relaxed, but remained conscious.

 

“The graves……they were empty, all empty, with footprints leading away from them.”

 

“That's impossible…that's……….Orochimaru.” Tsunade's eyes swirled with fury.

 

“Hokage-sama, please, I don't want to talk about it anymore, please, let me be.”

 

“Yes, that's enough for now, rest, you did well”

 

Tsunade's body shook with anger. She spoke to the other two messengers and they all said the same thing. No survivors. Empty graves. Many footprints leading out of the village. Carnage. Annihilation. She needed some air so she went to the roof of the infirmary.

 

`How dare he bring the dead back to life. That bastard will pay. HE WILL PAY'

 

“Tsunade-sama! Your hands” Shizune appeared by her side, Tsunade looked down and saw that her fingernails had pierced her palms. She quickly healed them and turned to Shizune.

 

“Call an emergency meeting of all ANBU, and Jounin. Set a triple guard on the gates and in the forests surrounding the village. Do it quickly, we don't know when they're coming after us. We are at war with Orochimaru and his undead army!”

 

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Back at the meeting room in the Hokage Tower

 

“As you all have heard. We the Hidden Leaf Village are at war with Orochimaru and his forces. We have no information on how large his army has become, but we estimate his numbers to be in the hundreds of thousands. This will not be a short battle. I need everyone at their best, to fight for our city, to fight for our people, and for our future. The Sand Village is the only other village that hasn't been attacked yet. They are making their way here, so we can gather our defenses when the time comes. The scouts are out, Orochimaru is ruthless, he has no conscience. It seems he has equipped his army, with the deadly weapons from the West. Guns, rockets, and cannons. These weapons are dishonorable for a shinobi to use, but none the less Orochimaru has decided to use them against us. Be warned, these weapons make any army 100 times stronger, and makes even a civilian into a deadly killing machine. This will not be an easy battle, but together, we will over come this great evil and this dark time.”

 

The room was silent, deathly silent.

 

Kurenai spoke up.

 

“What of our children? And of the elderly? I have seen the damage that these rockets and cannons can do. How will we protect the defenseless?” Kurenai of course was thinking of her young son, who had only turned 4 this past spring.

 

“All of the non-combat forces will take shelter in the underground bunkers underneath the Hokage Mountain. There they will be safe from the fall-out” Tsunade said in a confidant voice.

 

“Hokage-sama, at best our shinobi forces number in the tens of thousands, how can we ever hope to survive against an army of hundreds of thousands?” Another voice yelled out, several others yelling out in agreement.

 

“We will be sending out a request to all able civilians to take up their weapons and fight next to our shinobi, what they lack in training they will make up for with exuberance. I have faith in the courage of our citizens”

 

“All of you are asking the wrong questions.” Shizune spoke up from her seat next to the Hokage.

 

All eyes were on her.

 

“In this time, we need to be asking how we can help, what can we individually can do to prepare for the upcoming war? We must all stand united against this evil, or we will surely lose.” She said simply.

 

“Agreed, we stand together.” Several loud voices shouted from the crowd.

 

“Good. It will be a long hard fight, but when it concerns the future of Konoha, it's a fight worth fighting for. Dismissed! Kakashi. Sasuke. Gai. Neji. Shikamaru. Naruto. Jiraiya. Meet me in my office.”

 

The Hokage assigned each of the six as heads of their own battalions. Kakashi was assigned as the Hokage's second-in-command in all matters concerning the war, due to his experience and leadership in the former war.

 

With that the Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure began to prepare for battle. All spirits were high, ready for whatever Orochimaru threw at them. Ready to live and die for their comrade at arms.

 

But such spirits can only withstand so much.

 

When Orochimaru came, he showed no mercy, pulling every dirty trick in the book. Man after man fell to the numerous bullets and shrapnel and rockets. Within 5 months, there was not a building left standing in Konohagakure. Only pieces of building and wooden barricades stood between the forces of good and the forces of evil.

 

Orochimaru called up all of the ancient warriors of old. The First, the Second, the Third, the Fourth Hokage, the White Fang, the Uchiha clan, the fallen Hyuuga, all stood tall on the side of evil, for their souls were no more, and they were now all the mindless slaves of Orochimaru.

 

Psychological warfare was brought against the forces of good, as they were forced to slaughter women and children who were mindless soldiers of Orochimaru.

 

Kakashi. Naruto. Sasuke. Neji. They were all forced to fight against the people that they loved the most, whom they thought they would never see again at least in this world.

 

The death toll was enormous. The times of high spirits and confidence were long past. Now they were fighting to survive, their heads hung low, their hearts heavy.

 

The forces of Konoha needed hope.

 

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I know it's a little confusing, feel free to ask me question and I'll do my best to answer, as long as it doesn't affect the overall plot.

 

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