Author's Note: And here we begin another day of battles. I'm sure you guys will love this one:

Chapter 107:

White Thunder

or

Father Knows Worst

Island Turtle

As the war raged on, Naruto and Fu continued their training to master their new jinchuriki powers. Naruto tried to apply the Rasengan method in order to master the Tailed Beast Ball, but soon he found it wasn't as easy as he believed, since Tailed Beast Chakra was heavier and much harder to shape and mold than human chakra.

Given that they were making a very slow progress when it came to transform into Tailed Beast mode, Killer B decided to take a different approach to their training, and had them spar using their Chakra Cloak/Armor. His logic was that they needed more time and experience weaving Tailed Beast chakra so pure, and that once they got enough practice, they'll have less trouble reaching the Beast Form.

"Before we run we must learn how to walk, alright? So let's master what you have before you try to reach a new height," the Eight Tailed jinchuriki had said.

And thus, Naruto and Fu spend the next couple days both sparring against Killer B in their newest forms, and seeing them train on their own. They had to hold back during the spars, as per the Kumo ninja's warning, not only they could easily damage the island's ecosystem, but they could hurt Genbu himself.

When they trained on their own, Killer B encouraged them to push their limits and use their imagination to use their new power in new and creative ways. The better they could mold the Tailed Beast chakra, the less problems they'll have achieving its full potential. Part of the training also involved using normal ninjutsu fueled by Tailed Beast chakra, usually aimed towards the ocean.

"Alright guys, you're doing great, in no time you'll be the best!" Killer B cheered with a thumbs up. "But you've been training all morning, how about a little rest?"

In response, both Naruto and Fu fell on their butts, and started to pant heavily.

"Yep, without any doubt, you needed that time out. Anyway, I'm heading to my house to work on a song, though don't think you can slack off, I won't be gone for long!" Killer B said, before disappearing with the Body Flicker Jutsu.

"Man, using Tailed Beast chakra so continuously is so draining," Fu complained. "Killer B-sensei makes it look easy."

"Eh, he has far more experience than us. I bet we'll be on his level in no time, sis," Naruto replied.

Fu raised an eyebrow, noticing that last word. "Uh, what did you call me? Sis?"

"Yeah. You don't like it?" Naruto asked.

"Well, we aren't related. Not that I wouldn't like the idea of having you for a brother, but it's kinda weird," Fu replied.

"We did bond a lot over the past few months. Especially since we're jinchuriki. I like to think of us jinchuriki as family. We're nine of a kind, we have something nobody else has, something that links us and makes us unique," Naruto began, smiling brightly. Though his smile disappeared, as an expression of bitterness crept up his face. "Four of a kind now, thanks to Akatsuki."

"Don't you mean three?" Fu corrected him.

"I'm not leaving Gaara out," Naruto firmly said. "He might not be a jinchuriki anymore, but he was one for most of his life, since even before he was born. He underwent the same experiences as we did, probably even worse, and thus knows the struggle of having a Tailed Beast sealed inside you against your will."

"You have a very high opinion of him, don't you?" Fu asked.

"Yeah. I believe that, even if he wasn't a jinchuriki, he would still be a very precious friend to me. That's why I like to think of him as a brother as well," Naruto earnestly said.

"I see. Well, if that's that important to you, then you can call me your sister... bro," Fu replied, smiling at Naruto, who smiled back. "You know, I always wanted to have a little brother..."

However, Naruto's smile disappeared the moment Fu's smile turned into the most evil smirk he ever saw. In a flash, Fu was onto him, a strong arm wrapped around his neck while she used the other to give the blond a noogie.

"...A little brother to torture to no end! MWAHAHAHAHA!" Fu laughed maniacally, as she harshly rubbed her knuckles on Naruto's head. "Feel my sisterly love!"

"ACK! Get your hands from me, you maniac!" Naruto screamed, trying and failing to break Fu's hold, but the green haired girl was way stronger than him. "I changed my mind! Kaida is the only sister I want!"

"Oh no, no take backs! I'm your sister now!" Fu laughed, as she continued her playful torture.

Eventually, she decided to release the blond, who indignantly protested about Fu's childish antics, while the Taki kunoichi laughed her ass off.

"You're a psycho, did anybody tell you that?" Naruto asked, rubbing his sore scalp.

Fu shrugged. "Eh, I've been called worse," she nonchalantly replied. Then, she rubbed her chin as she started to hink. "Actually... no, I don't think I've been called worse than a psycho."

"Are you this rough with Shino too?" Naruto asked.

Fu snorted, before smiling condescendingly at Naruto. "Please, I'm MUCH rougher with him. Then again, Shino is manly enough to take in all my love," Fu proudly said, though Naruto could see the faint trace of a blush crossing her face. Naruto was going to ask something, but he noticed how the green haired girl's mood noticeably dropped. "Heh, now that you mention him... I wonder what is he doing now... and if he's okay..."

Naruto mentally kicked himself for bringing up the topic of Shino in such thoughtless fashion. Even if he also missed Hinata and was worried for her, Naruto knew Hinata was powerful enough to take care of any Akatsuki that dared to get close to her, Toneri included. Shino didn't have such power to rely on. Sighing, Naruto sat closer to his fellow jinchuriki.

"Hey, don't worry much about him. Shino is pretty strong. Plus, he isn't alone, he has all his teammates covering his back, as well as the rest of the people of the Ninja Alliance," Naruto reassured her.

"I know but... I still wish I could be there with them, and help them," Fu lamented.

"We will be there in no time," the blond said. "Though, I think Shino and the others would appreciate if we had faith in their abilities and trust them to be okay. I mean, I would hate if Hinata-hime or the rest of our friends didn't believe that I wouldn't be able to master the power of the Nine Tails."

"You know what? You're right!" Fu said, sounding determined. "I need to have faith in them, that they can hold the fort until we get there to help."

"Well said! I'm sure that they're kicking plenty of ass right now!"

…

Land of Frost

"Goddamit, we're getting our asses kicked by these guys!" Kiba complained.

The scouts of the Ninja Alliance had discovered another large force of Akatsuki moving towards Kumo. This time, they were moving through the Land of Frost, the only way to access the Land of Lightning through land. Naturally, the Supreme Commander moved the closest division to the Land of Frost, the Fifth Division commanded by Mifune, to stop them before they could set a foot on the Land of Lightning.

This army of Akatsuki appeared to be stronger than the ones fought by Kurotsuchi and Mei's divisions. Even if their numbers were roughly the same, the quality of their troops was significantly higher: there were far more Brute Zetsus on the vanguard and many Snipers on the rear guard, plus more of Toneri's Moon Puppets.

Naturally, there were also multiple reanimated ninjas, especially Uchihas and Hyugas who died during the Uchiha Coup d'etat a few years back. Soon the snowy forest became the third battlefield of the Fourth Ninja War.

Kakashi's Animal Squad had little trouble fighting against White Zetsu clones when Konoha was invaded by Akatsuki. They even took some of the Zetsu merged mutants with some well practiced teamwork and clever startegy. However, fighting against multiple Brute Zetsu was proving to be a completely different beast to tame.

"Fire Release: Blistering Firecat!"

Tamaki exhaled a massive wave of fire that took the shape of a giant firecat. The firecat dashed towards a trio of Brute Zetsu, leaving a trail of burned grass and thawed snow, before it clashed against its target, resulting in a fiery explosion. However, when the smoke vanished, while the giant Zetsu had burns over their bodies –and some parts of them were still on fire– the damage appeared to be minimal.

The closest Brute let out an inhuman roar, and slammed the ground with both fists. It send an underground shockwave traveling forward, cracking the ground as it moved, while sending rocks and peebles everywhere. Tamaki, Kiba and Shino were unable to dodge in time, and were thrown off balance.

"Everybody, get up before-" Kiba said, but he was interrupted when something blocked the sun. Looking upwards, he saw that the two other giant Zetsu were leaping at them, ready to smash them to pulp. "SHIT, RUN!"

The three teens and the one dog managed to run in different directions before they could be flattened by the large artificial humans, who opened a large crater when they violently landed down, sending a shower of rocks and peebles in every direction. Soon, they were joined by the first one.

"Our normal jutsu won't work against these variant of Zetsu. Their strength and durability are simply out of the ordinary," Shino observed. A swarm of beetles emerged from under his shirt, and started to surround the giant Zetsu. However, it seemed their were unperturbed by the Aburame's attacks. "Not only their skin and muscles protects them from external attacks, but their regeneration allows them to heal the attacks that do harm them. Look, the burns caused by Tamaki-san's jutsu have already disappeared."

Once again, the Zetsu Brutes charged towards the three Konoha ninja, their booming footsteps making the ground shake a little.

"Then what the hell are we going to do to beat them!?" Tamaki asked, as she dodged a brutal punch that opened another crater in the ground.

"Yeah, I refuse to rely on the Werewolf Form so early into the battle!" Kiba complained, with Akamaru barking empathically, as they tried to blindside a Brute. "Especially with such unworthy enemies!"

"Like I said before, if external attacks won't work, then you should rely on internal attacks instead," Shino said, while making a hand seal. "Aburame Secret Art: Parasitic Giant Beetles!"

Suddenly, the Brute Zetsu fighting against the Animal Squad stopped on their tracks, and started to scream in pain as they clutched their bodies. Then, Kiba and Tamaki watched in horror as gigantic beetles burst from their bodies, ripping them apart from the inside. Despite being enemies, it was such a gruesome display, Kiba and Tamaki were green around the gills.

"What... what was that?" Tamaki managed to ask.

"An improvement," Shino laconically replied, though he then decided he should elaborate. "In the past, I used my own chakra to enlarge my beetles. But now, I instead introduce the beetles inside the enemies' body, and have them drain their chakra instead to grow. The fact that their growth also destroys the enemies' body from the inside is an added bonus."

"Man... that's fucked up," Kiba said.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side again, Shino," Tamaki said, laughing nervously.

"Do not fret. I would never use this jutsu on a comrade," Shino said upon perceiving their uneasiness. With a hand seal, the giant beetles stood to attention for a second, before launching themselves against a nearby group if normal White Zetsu clones. Their screams soon filled the air. "Plus, we're in a war, fighting against an enemy that won't hesitate to throw at us everything they have. You should use your strongest jutsu from the get go if you feel it's necessary."

Kiba let out a sigh. "Well, guess I'll have to swallow my pri-EH!?" Kiba interrupted himself in shock, as he started to shake. Alamaru whined at him.

"Kiba? What's wrong?" A concerned Tamaki asked him.

"This scent... it can't be..." Kiba said almost in a whisper.

"Well, well, well, look at that. We meet again, Kakashi's brats," a familiar deep voice said.

Turning around, they saw Kakuzu, strongly gripping a terrified Kumo ninja by the neck. In a second, he pierced his victim's chest with his hand, plucking his still beating heart out of it. A mass of threads crawled his arm, took the heart, and buried it under his skin, before stitiching the gap in his body.

"And that's the fifth one," the former Akatsuki said, satisfied with his work, before tossing the now lifeless Kumo ninja aside as if he was garbage. "Now I'm ready to get serious."

"Kakuzu..." Tamaki said. "Of course Akatsuki would resurrect their deceased members."

Kiba managed to shake off his shock, and put on a brave face. "Well, it doesn't matter! We already beat you before, and we shall do it again! Plus, we're much stronger than we were when we first faced you!" Kiba yelled, and Akamaru barked in agreement.

"I wouldn't be so sure, Inuzuka brat," Kakuzu said, as he started to menacingly advance towards them. "You overestimate your contribution to that battle. It was mostly the jinchuriki of the Seven Tails and the Hyuga girl with the Tenseigan the ones who did me in, and I don't see either of them here. No ninja without that kind of power can face me and live to tell the tale. Plus, thanks to Impure World Resurrection it's impossible for me to die even if you destroy all my hearts."

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Kakuzu suddenly saw a giant fireball coming at him from above. Without panicking, he quickly made several hand seals.

"Water Release: Roaring Waterfall!"

Kakuzu opened his mouth, expelling a massive cone of torrential water, easily putting out the fireball before it could reach him. However, the undead Akatsuki heard the noise of a thousand birds chirping, and out of the water emerged a silver haired ninja with his hand coated in electricity, leaping directly at him.

"Lightning Blade!"

Kakuzu managed to cancel his water jutsu and jump back just before Kakashi Hatake slammed his electrified hand on the spot where he was standing, releasing lightning bolts in every direction that teared the very earth apart.

"Of course, Hatake wouldn't be that far away from his students, would he?" Kakuzu said with a chuckle. "I see you still rely on that noisy lightning jutsu."

"They're right, Kakuzu. We already beat you once, and we will do it again. You were already a relic from a time long past when you were alive," Kakashi said, as he pierced Kakuzu with his glare, while his students moved to stand besides him, adopting fighting poses. "We don't need Fu nor Hinata to put you down!"

"You forget that this isn't like the last time. I'm far from the only enemy you have to face. In fact," Kakuzu's eyes focused on Kakashi. "There's a certain somebody who has been revived for the express purpose of fighting you, Kakashi."

As soon as those words left Kakuzu's lips, a man in a Konoha uniform with white hair dashed past him and charged at Kakashi, wielding a tanto that left a trail of white light as it moved. Kakashi was fast enough to pull a kunai and parry the blow before it could cut him open, but the force of the stranger's onslaught was so big, Kakashi was pushed away from his students.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Tamaki scramed.

"Wait, who the hell is that guy!?" Kiba asked.

At first Kakashi didn't notice who was this new enemy, but after refocusing his sight on him, the silver haired Jonin felt his heart skin a beat. Looking at him with an expression of sorrow was a man with white hair tied on a spiky ponytail, that ressembled an older version Kakashi.

"F-Father?" Kakashi stammered.

"Hello, son. Despite the horrible circusmtances, I'm happy for the chance to see you again. You've grown quite a lot," the reanimation said, letting out a tear.

Kakashi was too stunned to say anything, though fortunately, not enough as to not defend himself from Sakumo's flurry of swipes, who pushed Kakashi even further away from his students. One of them had already realized the identity of the newcomer.

"That's Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha, Kakashi-sensei's late father," Shino said, as he adjusted his glasses. "A hero of the Second Ninja war, strong enough to be considered a candidate for Hokage."

"Then there's no way Kakashi-sensei can beat him alone! Come on, we need to help him!" Tamaki urged, as she was ready to go after her sensei.

However, before either she or her teammates could move any further, their way was cut by two of Kakuzu's masked monsters landing in front of them, and another two to the sides, leaving them surrounded.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't let you leave," Kakuzu said in a mocking tone. "Let's give the White Fang and his son some privacy to catch up. Don't worry about your sensei, you will die much sooner than he will."

The four masked monsters charged at Kakashi's students.

…

Meanwhile, at another side of the battleground, Mifune, commander of the Fifth Divison, was leading his fellow Samurai against an horde of White Zetsu clones, supported by several Zetsu Brutes, and some Moon Puppets. The White Zetsu were able to morph their arms into long organiz blades to parry the swords of the Samurai, and use them to try and skewer them.

The Shogun of the Land of Iron was trading blows with a couple of Moon Puppets, one of them fighting in close combat with a sword made of golden chakra, while another peppered the area with explosive spheres made of the same chakra as well.

"For not being human, I admit you have quite some dexterity," Mifune said as he parried a blow from his enemy, his own katana glowing blue as he channeled chakra through it.

The puppet pushed the katana away and delivered a brutal kick to the old Samurai's stomach, tossing him into the ground. The second puppet conjured a cluster of golden chakra spheres and made them rain over the fallen Samurai.

While Mifune was old, he was far from defenseless. Jumping back to his feet, he fell back as he parried the golden blasts he was unable to dodge in time. Several Samurai, who were seeing their leader in trouble, tried to offer him some assistance, but were stopped by the multitude of White Zetsu littering the battlefield.

"Mifune-sama is in trouble! Whoever can help him, do so!" A samurai captain, who stood out by his blood red armor, called while he delivered a swing of his chakra-enhanced axe at a Zetsu Brute.

"No! Your help is appreciated, but not needed! Samurai, you have your duty, and protecting me is not part of it right now!" Mifune cried, as his sword started to glow brighter as more chakra was channeled through it, while the puppet swordsman dashed at him. "Akatsuki needs more than this unworthy foe to bring me to my knees!"

Mifune rushed forward, ready to meet the enemy. When he was close enough, but not enough for his enemy to strike him, he delivered an horizontal swing.

"DANCING BLADE RISK!"

There was a brief but intense flash of light, and Mifune appeared between the the two puppets, who stopped on their tracks. Then, after a few seconds, both human-shaped machines crumbled down into a pile of sliced parts.

"Amazing," a nearby samurai thought. "By releasing the chakra channeled into his sword in the shape of a thin wave, Mifune-sama can slash down an enemy out of the reach of his sword with the same force as if it was in striking distance. He was right, we shouldn't worry about his well being."

Mifune proved this line thought true when, in a single swift swing, managed to slice to pieces more Zetsu –this time, the normal variant– who lunged at him from multiple directions. However, the next enemy Mifune would have to face would prove to be more challenging than the weakest variant of White Zetsu clone.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"

The old Samurai managed to jump back just in time before several small fireballs rained upon the zone, exploding as they touched the ground, but the attack didn't stop there; from the smoke, multiple shuriken emerged, flying at Mifune, making a metallic whirring noise. Channeling more chakra into his katana, the Shogun of the Land of Iron spun his blade, deflecting the steel stars. As the smoke created by the fireballs started to vanish, Mifune raised his katana in a defensive stance, as his opponents came into view and looked at them with a critical eye.

His two new foes were a pair of men, one in his twenties and another good fifteen years older, both wearing a ninja uniform that looked like that wore by Konoha ninjas, except the flak jacket was black instead of green, and the crest on the forehead protector was a fan rather than Konoha's symbol. Still, the red color of the Sharingan, made even more visible by their black scleras, was a dead given for their identities.

"Uchihas," Mifune said, mostly to himself.

"Yeah, it seems that this is our punishment for following that shit Fugaku's lead and try to overtake Konoha," the younger Uchiha said. "Not only we wasted our lives, but we aren't even allowed into the afterlife either."

"Do not disrespect our leader that way!" the older Uchiha chided his younger counterpart. "Fugaku-sama always wanted the best for the clan, and acted accordingly."

"And that worked so well for us did it?" the younger Uchiha snapped, before he felt his body tensing up. He looked at Mifune. "Whoops. Sorry old man. Nothing personal, I don't know who you are –in fact, you don't even look to be a ninja– but whoever's controlling my body wants you dead."

"You should know that, no matter how much you harm us, our wounds will heal in mere moments," the older Uchiha reminded him. "If you value your life, you should try to flee."

"Thanks for your advice. Your concern for my wellbeing is appreciated, but it won't be necessary," Mifune said, as he prepared for the inevitable charge. "Do not worry, soon you'll be back to the place you belong to."

In a blur, the older Uchiha pulled a kunai and dashed at Mifune, who parried the surprisngly powerful blow in time.

"Don't look into his eyes!" the Shogun reminded himself, recalling everything he knew of the now near extinct clan. As he struggled against the older Uchiha in a blade lock, Mifune noticed that the younger one had leaped above him, wielding a kunai on each hand, ready to strike him from above. He tried to disengage and fall back, but his opponent was skilled enough not to let him to.

"Sorry old man, but this is-ARGH!"

The younger Uchiha, still mid air, was interrupted when a black sphere with a faint purple gleam smashed into his arm, tearing it from his body. Three more spheres followed the first one, each blowing a hole in his body, tearing it to pieces. The orbs then flew at the older Uchiha, carefully maneuvering around Mifune, destroying the zombie's arms, heads, and finally body. Neither Uchiha regenerated.

"These are the so called Truth Seeking Balls," Mifune said in realization. "Then that means..."

"...aaaaaand, you're welcome," a youthful voice said.

Mifune looked upwards, and saw Hanabi Hyuga floating above him, hands on her hips, and one leg slowly raised, her body language displaying the typical cockiness you get by mixing unbound power and youth. The four Truth Seeking Balls quickly returned to her, placing themselves behind the young girl's back.

"Hanab Hyuga," Mifune said, as he locked eyes with her. "While I appreciate your assistance, shouldn't you be in your post above the battlefield?"

"Eh, that's why I wanted to talk with you, commander. You see, I caught a pretty big force of flying Zetsu coming here from the south," Hanabi said, Mifune opening his eyes wide. "Soon the skies will belong to Akatsuki. I will try to hold them back, but I alone won't be able to take care of such a multitude. They'll be here in a few minutes, so you should use that time, little as it is, to prepare a way to deal with them."

"Do not worry, young Hanabi, we already foresaw this situation. For the time being, return to the skies and try to eliminate as many airborne enemies as your capabilities allow you," the wizened Samurai said. After the first battle, Jiraiya and the rest of advisors decided to formulate a counter-strategy to curb Akatsuki's newfound aerial superiority. Once it was done, every commander, Mifune included, was told to alert HQ if Akatsuki deployed their air force again.

"Aye aye, commander," Hanabi said, before returning to the sky.

"Somebody contact the communication officer and send an urgent message to HQ!" Mifune bellowed, catching the attention of several nearby ninjas and samurai. "Akatsuki is sending their air force against us, so be prepared!"

"Yes, commander!" a chorus of voices replied.

For the next few minutes, the battle continued normally, when suddenly a chain of explosions shook the ground, sending both Allied ninjas and samurai as well as White Zetsu clones flying in every direction. And from the cloud of smoke raised by said explosions emerged a man that Mifune knew too well. A man wearing an old fashioned Amegakure uniform, the lower part of his face obscured by a respirator. His hands were carrying a menacing-looking kusarigama.

"Ah, samurai," the masked man said. "This certainly brings out memories!"

"Hanzo..." Mifune said, almost in a whisper.

…

Ninja Alliance HQ

"Hokage-sama, we have a report from Mifune of the Fifth Division!" Santa Yamanaka, the HQ's communication officer, yeller. The man was sit down with a helmet that had multiple cables connected to it, whose purpose was to amplify the Yamanaka's mental powers in order to enable long range telepathy for communication.

"What is it?" Jiraiya asked, though he already could imagine was it could be.

"A large group of the winged variant of White Zetsus have been spotted moving towards their position," Santa replied. "They're also supported by many Moon Puppets riding on flying mechanical bird-like creatures."

"Just like the other time, Akatsuki will want to end this battle through aerial superiority," Onoki guessed. "The last time, it wasn't enough."

"But this time, the ground forces our ninjas are fighting are much stronger and numerous than the first battle with Kurotsuchi's division," Shikaku guessed. "There's only one ninja in that divison that can fly, Hanabi Hyuga. And while the girl is one of our most powerful ninjas, not even her will be able to face or even hold such a numerous enemy on her own. This may tip the balance in Akatsuki's favor."

Jiraiya smirked confidently. "Fortunately, I already devised a counter-strategy for this, since I knew it would happen again. Santa, contact Suzumebachi! Tell her to move her divison to support Mifune!"

"Wait, wait, wait..." Chiyo interrupted. "Did you create another division? And you handed it to that girl with the bees?"

"Indeed. We believed she was the most suited person to lead it," Ao intervened. "Other than Konan, but we don't want a former Akatsuki in a position of power."

"What kind of division? How it is going to be of help here?" Onoki asked.

Jiraiya's smirk widened. "Easy. We'll counter Akatsuki's air force with one of our own."

…

Back in the Land of Frost

Kakuzu watched as his masked monsters attacked Kakashi's three students from four different sides, pelting them with fireballs, air blasts, streams of water and lightning bolts. So far, they did a good job dodging them, but the creatures' attack wa so relentless that the three young ninja were unable to strike back. From time to time, whenever Kakuzu saw an opening, he'll try to land a hit, though they were agile enough to dodge them.

"I might be immortal now, but unlike that fool Hidan, I'm not going to let it turn me into a reckless idiot. Reanimations might not be able to die, but they can be sealed if they're weakened enough. Though, speaking of Hidan..." Kakuzu thought. "Hey, brats, what happened with Hidan?"

Despite being harrassed by many sides by Kakuzu's creatures, Shino took the time to answer the undead Akatsuki.

"Your partner fell at the same time you did. We might have not been able to put him down for good like we did with you, but we found a way to incapacitate him permanently," Shino explained as he dodged a pressurized stream of water, which grazed his hood, leaving a small cut.

Kakuzu let out a sigh. "Somehow, I found that easy to believe. That idiot wouldn't last a second without me holding his hand. Anyway, that's in the past... and so will you soon enough," the undead ninja threatened, before bringing his hands together and forming a hand seal.

Suddenly, two of the masked creatures jumped away, while the other two placed themselves in front of Kakuzu, and opened their mouths. Shino immediately recognized what Kakuzu was trying to do.

"Kiba, Tamaki, watch out! Those masks are the ones using Fire and Wind Release. He plans a combined attack to unleash a blaze of fire with a wide are of effect," Shino said. He bit his thumb and made a five hand seals, before slamming his palm into the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"

While fire and wind were building up on the monsters' mouths, a giant beetle appeared under Shino's feet.

"Quickly, get on the-"

"Too late! Die!" Kakuzu said.

The two masked creatures unleashed a stream of fire and a cone of gale forced winds. The two attacks merged, the wind amplifying the fire, generating an impressive wall of fire that expanded in a cone forward, scorching the earth as it moved, as well as consuming every tree or plan it touched almost instantly. Shino's beetle took no time to fly upwards, narrowly avoiding the wall of fire, but the same couldn't be said of Kiba and Tamaki.

"NO!" Shino shouted from above.

Kakuzu snorted a laugh, as he commanded his creatures to cease the attack. As the fire dispelled, it was obvious that nothing had survived the fiery assault. "Well, two out of three with this attack. Guess taking down an aerial target is going to be a little-"

Suddenly, the ground started to shake, and cracks started to form in front of the masked creatures. Kakuzu immediately realized what was coming, but wasn't fast enough to command his monsters to dodge, as two tornadoes coated in electricity pierced them as the loud screech of thousand birds filled the air.

"Fang Passing Chidori!"

"Chidori Drill Claw!"

There was an explosion of thread, gore and lightning bolts as two of Kakuzu's monsters were completely destroyed. The two electrical tornadoes stopped spinning, revealing to be Kiba and Tamaki. A second later, Akamaru climbed out of the hole Kiba emerged from.

"What the...?" Kakuzu asked in shock, stumbling back. His eyes looked at the holes from where the two young ninjas had come out. "Oh, I see. You escaped from my wall of fire by digging underground. Clever. Very clever. And that jutsu that looked like Kakashi's..."

"The Hiding Like a Mole jutsu is a very useful technique. Even if you don't have Earth affinity, it can be learned quickly and used very easily," Tamaki boasted. "And it's better for ambushes than the Body Replacement Jutsu."

"And yeah, the Chidori can't be used unless you have a Sharingan or something to avoid the tunnel vision thing," Kiba continued. "But guess what? The Chidori is perfect to add more edge to our physical jutsu. It won't work as an assassination jutsu anymore, but who cares? We're in a war, not infiltrating some closed place."

"I can't believe I lost two hearts so soon to you two again, almost using the same jutsu you did the first time," Kakuzu's two remaining monsters jumped back to him, standing at each side.

Shino's giant beetle lowered so it floated a couple meters above Kiba and Tamaki.

"You were very overconfident in your abilities and experience in life, and it seems that death didn't change such an atittude," Shino admonished. "That's why you're destined to lose against us again. We're much stronger than we were when we battled with you and Hidan in Taki."

"Well said, Shino!" Tamaki agreed.

As they prepared to strike Kakuzu and his two reamining creatures down for good, the sky suddenly darkened. Looking up, the memebers of the Animal Squad saw a mass of flying White Zetsu clones flocking the sky.

"Well, well, well, look at that. Some excellently timed reinforcements. While you have fun dealing with them, I think I'll restock on the hearts you made me lose," Kakuzu said, as he looked around. "Yes, there are many ninja already dead around that won't miss their hearts," he said before leaping away, his masked creatures trailing behind him.

"Hey, get back here, you bastard! Everyone, after him!" Kiba yelled, Akamaru loudly barking in agreement.

However, before they could run after the undead Akatsuki, the three Konoha Chunin were stopped by several flying Zetsu swooping at them from below.

…

High in the sky, Hanabi was trying to hold back the horde of flying Zetsu from reaching the ground. She decided that using her most powerful jutsu so far would be a good way to thin their numbers.

"Turquoise Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"

Hanabi's four Truth Seeking Balls spun around each other, coming closer until they merged into single energy orb. Said orb exploded into a torrent of light blue flames that spreaded forwards in a wide cone. Many flying Zetsu were caught by the blue blazes, being reduced to ashes almost instantly. However, once the flames dispelled, Hanabi saw much to her shock and frustration that many more still remained, flying at her while hollering something the young Hyuga couldn't undestand among so much noise.

She made several hand seals as fast as her hands allowed her, and generated four more Truth Seeking Balls. Despite the Tenseigan coming with a rather hefty and welcome expansion to her chakra pools, Tenseigan jutsu consumed a heavy amount of chakra, and weren't something that could be spammed endlessly. Given how relatively little that first jutsu did to the enemy, she better approach this more carefully.

"Okay, that didn't do much, but what can I-YEOWCH!" the young Hyuga shouted as a golden chakra blast grazed her skin. "What the hell!?" Focusing her sight on the direction from the blast, Hanabi saw several Moon Puppets riding flying mechanical contraptions, while also preparing a barrage of blasts. "Aw damn, I forgot about those guys. They're far more troublesome than the Zetsu. And if I focus on them, the flying Zetsu will go after the people fighting on the ground... well, I guess there's no trying to fool myself into thinking I could hold this many enemies on my own."

Merging two of her two Truth Seeking Balls, she formed a shield shaped like a dome in front of her, and flew towards the incoming Moon Puppets, who greeted her with a storm of golden chakra blasts. However, her improvised shield was enough to block the enemies' attack, and slammed her shield into the closest enemy, destroying it to bits. She then split the shield back into the orbs, shaped them and the other two into spears, and threw them into different directions, impaling the puppets and reducing them to small pieces of scrap.

Not all the flying Zetsu dived down, though; some of them remained in the air, waiting for the puppets to offer an opportunity to strike. And now that the brown haired girl was no longer using those pesky black orbs for protection, it was time to attack.

"She's vulnerable now! After her!" a voice said.

"Not as vulnerable as you think!" Hanabi retorted, as she started to spin around while releasing chakra from every tenketsu. Soon, she turned into a spinning sphere of chakra. "Heavenly Spin!"

The Zetsu unfortunate enough to be close to her were blown away with an incredible force, as if a giant hand swatted a mosquito. Those not as close but still near were also blown away by the jutsu's shockwave, though many recovered just as fast. Then, Hanabi's spon speed started to drop.

"Now she's defenseless! Go!" another Zetsu said.

"Huh?" Hanabi asked, before she realized mid-spin that the Zetsu was right. "Aw, shit!" Hanabi cursed, forcefully stopping her spinning, which resulted in a brief feeling of dizziness. Having seen the White Zetsu flocking towards her, but not having the time to recall her orbs, she thurst an open palm in their direction. "Vacuum Palm!"

Hanabi released a powerful conical vacuum wave towards the White Zetsu, managing to violnetly push backwards many of them, but did little to stop those on the back, as well as those who dodged, who were starting to converge on her.

"Come, Truth Seeking Balls, come back to- huh?" Hanabi asked, as her expanded vision noticed something floating above her: a blue haired woman flying thanks to large wings made of paper attached to her back. While she didn't met this woman, she had an idea of who she was.

"Paper Drizzle!"

The blue haired woman flapped her wings once, unleashing a massive storm of razor paper darts, thrown with such accuracy that while they hit every Zetsu close to Hanabi –which was torn to shreds– , Hanabi was left completely untouched. The woman then lowered to Hanabi's altitude, floating besides her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, thanks for the assist," Hanabi replied, looking a bit uneasy. "You're the ex-Akatsuki, right? Konan."

"Yes," was her only answer.

Hanabi's stare darkened a little. "My sister told me about you. She fought you and the one with the Rinnegan once. She barely made it out alive."

"You must be talking about Hinata Hyuga. And if you have a Tenseigan, you must be her little sister. Though I'm afraid I don't know your name."

"Hanabi," the young girl replied.

"Alright, Hanabi-san. I'm not going to apologize for fighting your sister that one time. The two of us fought for what believed was right, and she wouldn't have hesitated to kill me if she had the chance. I do aknowledge that she was on the right side, and I do deeply regret the lives I put to an end, or helped others to end," Konan said, before fixing the young hyuga with an unreadable stare. "I do hope that for as long as the war lasts, we can cooperate so this conflict can end as soon as possible. And once such thing happens, if the two of us are alive and want to settle the score, I'll welcome you to fight me."

Hanabi crossed her arms, and frowned. "I do know that Akatsuki is the biggest threat right now, and you're important to beat them, so you won't have to worry about me trying to kill you in the middle of the battle and passing it off as an accident or whatever. Though, I may take on that offer once the war ends."

Konan wordlessly nodded, and looked forward, where more flying Zetsu had gathered. They were all fixing Konan with a hateful glare.

"You! What are you doing here!?"

"You betrayed us!"

"No one betrays Akatsuki and lives!"

"Traitor! Traitor! Traitor! Traitor! Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!"

All the flying Zetsu felt prey to a collective rage, as they all swarmed towards the two floating kunoichi. Hanabi was a little startled, but Konan's face remained stoic and unimpressed. Her wings started to flap, releasing more small paper sheets like a bird molting its feathers. Said sheets of paper folded themselves into butterflies, aand started to flock around the incoming Zetsu.

"Your words mean nothing to me. You're just disposable mooks, your fate sealed since the moment you were born," Konan said, making a hand seal. "Now perish!"

The origami butterflies glowed for a second, before they exploded. For almost two minutes, Konan unleashed a chain of uninterrupted explosions. The Zetsu unfortunate enough to be caught by the blast screamed in agony, but their voices were drowned by the thunderous explosions. By the time they ended, there were no Zetsu left. Those had survived got the message, and realized that Konan was too much for them.

"Wow..." Hanabi said in awe.

"The skies are clear! Ninja Allied Air Force, advance and support the ground troops!" Konan said.

It was that moment when Hanabi noticed a large group of ninjas approaching from behind, some of them riding giant beetles –he could tell those were Aburames, given their appearance, clothing and of course, the shades–, others giant bees, while others rode different flying animals like a bat, a pelican, a dragonfly, and so on. The one leading the division was an Iwa kunoichi riding on a giant bee.

"Squads three and four, make sure the sky is free of the Akatsuki!" the Iwa woman commanded. "Everybody else, follow me, do not lag behind! That goes for you, Aburames!"

Despite the woman's orders, Konan made no attempt to follow her. Instead, she looked at Hanabi, and asked: "I know for a fact that Hanzo of the Salamander is here, raised as an undead. Hanabi-san, can you do me a favor and locate him? I imagine you do know what he looks like."

"Eh, sure," Hanabi said, as her Tenseigan scanned the battlefield, and in no time, he found him. "Got him! He's on the western part of the battlefield. He's fighting Mifune-sama and a few of his samurai."

"Understood, thanks for your assistance," Konan said with a nod, before he diving towards the direction Hanabi said.

Hanabi pondered for a second what she should do now, if staying in the air, or go down and try to permanently destroy some of those reanimations. Her eyes caught the portion of the air force that that Iwa woman left there, facing against several flying White Zetsu and even more Moon Puppets.

"Those guys are going to be big trouble if we don't deal with them quickly. The people below can take care of the ground forces," Hanabi said, making her mind, before flying to assist her fellow Allied ninjas.

…

"Water Release: Watercutting Sword!"

The snow around Shibuki quickly melt, turning into water, before gathering on Shibuki's hand, taking an enlogating shape, before it formed a sword, just in time as a Zetsu with blade-like arms dropped from above. Despite being made of water, said sword proved to be as hard as steel, and effectively parried the blow from the organic blade. The two of them struggled for a bit, before Shibuki managed to push the Zetsu back. Undeterred, the aritifical human charged again, letting out a primal yell to intimidate his opponent. Shibuki, however, ducked the incoming swing, and with a strike of his own, separated the upper half of the artificial creature's body from the lower part, killing it instantly.

"Okay, that was one," Shizuki said, panting a little, as he looked around. His eyes were not so greeted to the sight of many more Zetsu fighting Allied ninjas, as casualites for both sides happened each second. "Thousands still left."

As the Takigakure leader scanned the battleground for his next target –maybe ninjas of his own village that may need his help–, something drew his attention: several Allied ninjas fighting against a single opponent he couldn't see, but instantly recognized the jutsu he was about to use.

"Water Release: Lotus Light Rupture!"

Droplets of water started to form around the group, which took the form of lotus petals. Said water petals started to spin around, unexpectedly exploding when they touched their unfortunate victims. Shibuki paled upon seeing that jutsu, not because of its sheer power, but because he already saw it before. And most importantly, who was the one behind its creation and use. As the young Takigakure leader ran forward, the smoke of the explosions faded away, revealing the caster of the jutsu, confirming Shibuki's fears.

"No... not you..." Shibuki cried, as he tried to suppress the tears forming inside his eyes. "Father..."

Because in front of him, sporting cracked skin and black eyes, was a middle aged man with graying brown hair, a brown goatee, wearing a Takigakure forehead protector around his head, as well as the Takigakure Jonin uniform. This was his deceased father Hisen, the previous leader of Takigakure, who tragically died during the Third Ninja War due the backlash caused by the Hero Water. Hisen seemed to notice his son, and smiled wearily.

"Shibuki? Is that you, my boy?" Hisen asked. Shibuki wordlessly nodded. "I'm very happy to see that you're alive and well. And what a fine man you grew up into."

Despite the sincere praise, Shibuki flinched at those words.

"I... I tried to be a strong ninja like you, father," Shibuki began. "And to be a strong leader as well. But-"

Hisen's eyes widened, as a blade of water formed in his hand, and dashed towards his son. "Watch out, boy!"

Fortunately, Shibuki still had his water blade, and managed to parry the blow just in time. Father and son traded more blows, though it was obvious that Hisen was both the stronger and more skilled of the two, as evidenced by Shibuki being pushed back with each strike.

"You're a strong ninja, son. And I'm sure that you'll eventually surpass me," Hisen encouraged.

"Sadly that's not true. I'm too weak, and a horrible leader," Shibuki said. "Akatsuki attacked our home, and ravaged it to the ground."

"No!" Hisen shouted in horror. "Is Taki truly gone, then?"

Shibuki shook his head. "We managed to retake it, and began its reconstruction, but... we were unable to do it without Konoha's help. We needed somebody else to fight our battles and deal with our enemies."

"Son, do not be afraid nor ashamed of asking for help when an enemy proves to be too much for you alone to beat," Hisen said, as he continued his onslaught. "The safety of Taki's people should be your first priority. Did asking Konoha for help prevented unnecessary deaths?"

Shibuki wordlessly nodded, as he did his best to parry his father's attack. During one of his blows, Shibuki instead moved to the side, letting his undead father trip forward. Hisen tried to regain his balance, but Shibuki landed a powerful hit to the side of his face, sending the gray haired man boucning against the ground. Taking advantage of this moment of helplessness, he weaved several hand seals.

"Water Release: Water Shuriken!"

The snow around him turned into water, and gathered in the shape of spinning shuriken. Hisen managed to get back on his feet and dodge some of them, but several found their marks, leaving large gashes on his shoulder and legs. However, said wounds took no time to close.

"I know the people of Taki are important, father, but... what will the world think of us if we're so helpless?" Shibuki asked. "How can I help the people of Taki, if I keep our village weak?"

"A weak village can become strong later on! A destroyed village will remain a forever ruin!" Hisen angrily snapped back, as he started to make hand seals. "Son, you know the next jutsu I'm going to use, so I pray you're able to counter it. I don't want to see you die, by my own hand no less. Water Release: Lotus Light Rupture!"

Droplets of water started to form around Shibuki, spinning around him as they took the shape of lotus petals. Fortunately for the young Village Head, he knew what to do in order to protect himself from such attack.

"Water Release: Water Tornado!"

A twister of water formed around Shibuki just in time before the water lotus petals exploded, shielding him from the chain of blasts. When the tornado of water receded, Shibuki wasn't any worse for the wear.

"That's my son," Hisen whispered, smiling in satisfaction and some pride, before the two of them continued their duel.

…

As Kakashi and Sakumo engaged in their own personal duel, they started to move away from the main battleground little by little. The two white haired ninjas took the fight above the ground, jumping from one tree branch to another, trading punches, kicks, bladed strikes, and sometimes ninjutsu. After Kakashi parried yet another blow from Sakumo, the two of them landed on a nearby branch each. Kakashi braced for his father's next attack, but it didn't come.

"Even as a boy, you were such a strong and talented ninja, Kakashi," Sakumo replied. "I always wondered just how strong you'd be when you reached your prime. I'm glad I got to see it, even if it's in such wretched situation."

"Then it's good to see that at least one of us sees the bright side of this situation, father," Kakashi replied. "I was praying that Orochimaru wouldn't bring you back, but given your reputation and skill, it was a fool's hope."

"No hope is ever foolish, son. Losing hope is," Sakumo replied.

"You're not the best one to talk about losing hope, father," Kakashi replied, as he started making hand seals. If Sakumo wouldn't attack him, then he'd take the initiative. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Calling forth the Uchiha Clan's signature attack, Kakashi breathed a massive fireball at his opponent. Sakumo's reflexes didn't let him down, and prepared another attack to counter it. After making the hand seals, he brought his hands together, the two index fingers pointing forward, as they crackled with electricity.

"Lightning Release: Piercing Light Spear!"

From the tip of his fingers, Sakumo fired a lightning bolt that flew in a straight line forward, piercing the fireball, making it burst into dozens of harmless embers, before continuing forward. However, he saw that his son was nowhere to be seen.

"So, the fireball was just a distraction, huh?" Sakumo thought, as his body tensed up, bracing for the incoming attack. "Now where did he...?"

Without even turning around, Sakumo thrust his tanto backwards, channeling chakra through it in order to increase the range of his blade, which indeed stabbed into something.

"I hope that wasn't the real you, son," Sakumo said.

To answer his question, Kakashi started to crackle, before he exploded into a burst of lightning, coating Sakumo in electricity. He tried to move, but the electricity severely impaired his movement. Sakumo managed to bring his hands together and form a hand seal. In an instant, the electricity coating his body moved onto his of his tanto, forming a blade made of lightning, and swung it upwards, just in time to parry Kakashi's lightning-enhanced kunai strike, resulting in an explosion of lightning bolts that sent both men flying into opposite directions, both landing onto the cold ground below on their backs. The two of them both jumped onto their feet, and got ready to continue their clash.

"You know, son, I have the feeling that you're not very happy to see me," Sakumo said, sounding a little sorrowful. "And I don't mean being forced to fight against me."

"What I feel right now is irrelevant. All that matters is that I need to put you down, since your existence is a threat to the Ninja Alliance," Kakashi said, lifting his forehead protector covering his left eye, revealing his Sharingan. Sakumo's eyes widene upon seeing it. "Until now, I was merely probbing you, testing your strength. The real fight begins now, father."

And, after banishing the torrent of conflicting emotions to the back of his mind, Kakashi charged towards his father, ready to send him back to the place he belongs.

Author's Note: Yeah, as many people correctly guessed, Kakashi will have to fight his father. In canon he had that chat with him when he briefly died during the Pain Assault, but no such thing happened here, so time to face those daddy issues. Then again, there were a few things that the manga didn't touch that I feel should be addressed.

As for Kiba and Tamaki having a version of Chidori, you can have DryBonesKing to thank for the idea. He suggested that it would be nice if Kakashi got to pass his signature jutsu to his pupils, given that Sasuke isn't his student this time around (but then again, Sasuke used the Chidori for evil stuff, so it would have been better if the didn't teach it to him). Of course, I had to modify it to get around the limitations of a lack of Sharingan, but guess that I came up with something workable.

So yeah, next chapter, the Kakashi vs Sakumo battle in full, as well as the resolution of the minor battles.

Thanks to Ookami88 for betareading this chapter.

If you liked what you read, please leave a review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!