Disclaimer: Refer to chapter 1.

AN: Chapter title: Caesar's Legion Gathers!

Naruto examined his armor in the mirror, took a moment to sweep his blonde spikes back and into a semblance of order. It was somewhat futile but he at least made a token effort to order. He grinned at his reflection, could not help but laugh at such a thing in the end.

"What a peculiar trait." He could not help but examine his blonde hair. "Is such a thing brought forth from my mother? Such an unruly nature must come from the fiery blood of her line." He could not help but pull at a number of locks between his fingers. "Ah, but I must have inherited my father's hair? If I had my mothers, I would have the customary red hair of the Uzumaki." He examined himself beyond his hair, the tan of his skin, the marks on his cheeks that denoted him as born from a Jinchuriki before he was even made into one himself. "To overpower even the notorious trait of an Uzumaki, how strong must my father have been?"

He had never considered such thoughts before, had never deigned to think of what had to be two dead parents. But he had not known of the nature of his mother before this, had not known that she had carried the burden of the beast he had conquered for so long.

"Mother…" He looked to his hand, a mere ounce of his strength to his fist and he was offered a glimpse of the blood that flowed in his veins. "Your blood runs in my veins…the blood of the Uzumaki burns so hot in my veins all because of you. The fearsome storm that is our history continues through me now, the legacy of our kin scattered across countless lands after Uzushiogakure's destruction." He could not help but feel this sudden surge of sorrow.

Just as swiftly it was replaced.

His eyes burned red.

"And yet this village, this supposed sworn ally of our kin, did nothing for us! Did nothing but demand you to come to them to cage the Kyubi! All so they could prosper!"

His eyes were sealed shut.

He breathed out.

His rage left him when they opened once more.

"I cannot deny that my heart arches at your absence, so many nights spent thinking on who you must have been, why you could not hold me in your arms. I wish I had the chance to meet you mother…perhaps you could offer guidance on what I should do now…" He turned away. "Or perhaps I would not be able to call myself Caesar if I had always known a face to your name."

He left the room.

"Caesar." Sasuke met him at the door to the meeting room, offered him the customary salute of his Orange Legion.

"Legate." Naruto returned the honor.

"All the Centurions have gathered as you requested." Sasuke followed in step behind Naruto as he continued forward, down the tunnel he had walked down for the last meeting of the leaders of his Legion in this tower.

"It was no doubt made easier because the seal once more functions." The two continued forward, past the Praetorians who rendered the salute of the Orange Legion to their Caesar time and time again. Naruto returned each with his own.

The meeting room had not changed much. The ten Centurions of the ten Cohorts of his Legion were seated but did not pay the scrolls before them any mind. The topics of this meeting were nothing new, the three days they had been forced to postpone it allowing all the chance to read up on the information available on a majority of the topics being covered. His Praefectus Castrorum moved behind his seat as he strode to it. His Legate moved beyond him and to his own seat at the opposite end of the table.

"It has been too long since we last had a meeting such as this my Centurions." He did not take his seat, could not help the smile that came to his face at memories of the past as he stood before those he trusted to lead the Cohorts of his ever growing Legion. "When we once stood here, only four of my Cohorts were bloodied but now six can claim such a thing. The invasion of the White Snake and the Kazekage has been repelled not because of the Leaf Shinobi nor the clans the village values so greatly. No, this village stands only because we have denied our foes the glory of victory, because of the strength of my magnificent Orange Legion the Hidden Leaf still stands and their Will of Fire still blinds them to the true strength of this world! My Praetorians and my Legionnaires were they who bled the invaders, who bled the beasts that dared to come before them, and it was I, your Caesar, who took on the One Tailed Beast of the Sand and the cowardly beast fled from my strength just as your cowardly foes fled from your blades."

Naruto brought his fist over his armored heart and his smile grew.

"It is an honor to stand here once more, to be able to regale all with tales of our great victory, to be able to proclaim the glory of my magnificent Legion to all who may stand before me."

"It is our honor to wield sword and shield in your name Caesar." Sasuke returned the salute of the Orange Legion from the other end of the table.

"Hail Caesar!" The Centurions of his Legion's Cohorts responded in kind as they bowed their heads.

"Let us begin then!" Naruto lifted his arms out to his side as his blue eyes ran across each of his Centurions and his smile grew. "We shall join this conference and discuss the times of the past, the glory of the present, and the trials yet to come in the future."

"Of course Caesar." The Centurions took their seats.

"Shall I begin then Caesar?" The Legate did not, his red and black eyes locked with Caesar's blue.

"Of course Legate." Naruto took his seat. He lifted a hand towards the Uchiha. "Centurions, as you no doubt know, Sasuke Uchiha is the Legate of my Orange Legion. His full authority has been instated once more for he has proven himself in my eyes."

The Centurions did not offer any words as each turned their eyes to where the Uchiha remained standing.

"You honor me Caesar." Sasuke turned his eyes to the Centurions that were arrayed around him.

"Centurions, this invasion has proven the might we wield to the world. Caesar's force is one without equal, without a peer to contest against, because his strength is one that goes unchallenged. The greatest weapon that the Hidden Sand could bring to battle was not only defeated in battle but earned the contempt of Caesar for its cowardice." The Uchiha's finger pressed down on a seal on the table, a photo appeared in front of each Centurion. "'Gaara of the Sand Waterfall' was long known to us as the Jinchuriki of the Ichibi with power deemed worthy of Caesar himself and the beast has been brought to heel. He will play a role in this Legion for one simple purpose: occupation."

The Uchiha pressed a number of seals as he spoke.

A number of scrolls appeared before each Centurion of the Orange Legion.

A number of images of the desert village that had dared to launch an invasion was displayed.

"Our messenger birds recently returned from the Hidden Sand with these photographs. The main village, excluding any smaller settlements and outposts, is located within a valley and surrounds itself with the natural cliff faces, preventing any direct assault on the village except for a single narrow pass. I would prefer to be able to personally examine such defenses but for now we only possess aerial photography. Regardless, passage in and out of the village is simple to control, a depleted century could easily occupy the pass and deny entry against a force ten times their size."

The Centurion of the Fifth Cohort opened the scrolls in front of him, began reading over the information he knew would be pertinent to himself and his Legionnaires.

"What of the rest of the village? This central building here, I imagine the Kazekage and his council governs from it?" The Centurion of the Fifth received a chuckle from his Caesar.

"They will no longer possess such a privilege with this failure of an invasion." Caesar drew up a scroll with no duplicates, wordlessly threw it to the Centurion of the Fifth Cohort. "Within that scroll, you will find my instructions on what to do upon your arrival to the village."

"Your will be done Caesar." The Centurion of the Fifth bowed his head before he opened the scroll Caesar had gifted him, his blue eyes swiftly running over the information on it.

He could not help but chuckle.

"I take it you agree with Caesar than Centurion?" Sasuke received only a nod as the Centurion of the Fifth closed the scroll and set it aside for now. "Good, you shall depart with the Fifth when your Legionnaires are deemed ready."

Red eyes turned to the Legate.

"My Legionnaires are always at the ready to march Legate. It is a standard I ensure my Centurions maintain at all times." The Centurion of the Fifth's fury was one matched by his fellow Centurions, the Praefectus Castrorum turning his eyes to the Legate as he observed for now.

"A large majority of your force was lost Centurion." Sasuke met the red eyes of the Centurion without fear, his Sharingan showing only boredom at the silent outrage he had expected. "An occupation of the Hidden Sand will face opposition, will face those who decry Caesar as weak, his Legion as nothing, and they will need to be crushed before the virus they shall be spreads. I will not allow you to leave until I am sure you are capable of such a feat." His eyes turned to the Centurion of the Sixth Cohort next to him. "Centurion of the Sixth, what are your current numbers?"

The Centurion of the Sixth Cohort merely rose a brow at the question. He knew, like the others in the room, the Legate had long begun keeping track of their force.

"Our losses in the invasion were minor, I currently have only nine of my Centuries present in the village. They both aid the reconstruction efforts underway as Caesar commanded and have been on a rotation to escort merchants and supply caravans to and from the village." The Centurion of the Sixth Cohort only received a nod before the Legate turned his eyes to the Centurion of the First Cohort.

"Centurion of the First, what are your current numbers?" He posed the same question.

"All ten of my Centuries remain in the village, I once placed them at double strength but I have rescinded that order. All ten are occupied with the security the Daimyo ordered of the Hokage to provide for the Land of Fire. My Centurions report the Daimyo has placed the veterans among his Samurai in command of roughly half a Century each." The Centurion of the First received the same response from the Legate as the Centurion of the Sixth.

The Legate turned his eyes to the Praefectus Castrorum.

"Praefectus Castrorum, what are your current numbers?" He posed the same question.

"Six Centuries of Praetorians remain outside of the seal. The rest I see no point to bring forth." The Praefectus Castrorum's answer received the same response.

The Legate turned his eyes to the Centurion of the Fifth at last.

"Centurion of the Fifth, what are your current numbers?" He posed the same question.

"I am in command of four Centuries." The Centurion of the Fifth Cohort abandoned his rage, his fury. The Legate was no fool. The Legate was likely the only reason he could claim a seat in this meeting now when so many of his brothers had fallen.

"The Fifth Cohort has already lost too much to these invaders. I will not allow any more of your brothers to fall simply because you wish to move now." Sasuke tapped the seals on the table once more, a scroll appeared in front of the Centurion of the Fifth Cohort. "The Hokage will not allow either the Kazekage or the prisoners he claims to leave yet. Caesar and I estimate there is approximately a month of time for your force to replenish before the Kazekage is allowed to exit. I gladly offer any aid you require and I am sure your fellow Centurions offer the same."

"I appreciate any help you may offer Legate." The Centurion of the Fifth put away the scroll for now, the mark on it showing it to be a personal message from the Legate.

"The occupation of Sunagakure shall be treated as a mission from the Hokage. He and I shall continue to speak on the details of it in the coming days and I shall involve you as much as I am able." Naruto spoke once more, the Centurion of the Fifth turning blue eyes towards his Caesar.

"Your will shall be done Caesar." The Centurion of the Fifth bowed his head.

"I have no doubt of such a thing Centurion." Naruto looked to his Legate and offered him a nod.

"In addition to those Fifth Cohort embarking to Sunagakure when the time arrives, the Jinchuriki of the Ichibi shall be placed under your command as well Centurion." A number of seals appeared in front of the Centurion of the Fifth Cohort as he turned his eyes to the Legate once more.

"The beast within the boy no longer speaks to him, correct?" It had not taken long for those of the Legion to see that the Jinchuriki was mad, completely and utterly mad, but it was well known a change had come upon him once Caesar had battled the beast.

"Caesar's blade set the beast whimpering and sent it running." The Legate lifted a hand, pointed to the scrolls before the Centurion. "You shall find all the information you require in those scrolls. If you come upon a question with no answer as you read, merely call for me and I shall make myself available to speak with you. For now, Gaara shall be under either myself or Caesar until he departs with you Centurion."

"You have my thanks in advance Legate." The Centurion of the Fifth set the scrolls detailing Gaara and what the Legion knew of the Ichibi aside for now.

"In addition to the Jinchuriki and the occupation, the Kazekage is not to be ignored." A photo of the Fourth Kazekage appeared in front of each Centurion. "Rasa, the Golden Storm. He earned such a title for the fearsome strength he displayed in not only the Third Shinobi World War but in his battles against the Ichibi, taming the beast even when surrounded by a desert. Truly, he is not one to underestimate. His prowess was great enough that both Might Gai and Hiruzen Sarutobi battled him during the invasion. He was defeated but the fact that he faced two such combatants and lived speaks to his abilities."

"The Hokage will send a broken man back to his people." The Praefectus Castrorum picked up the photo from the table. "He has been beaten and humiliated by mercy, he is of no concern to Caesar now. Once a dog knows his master's hand, the beast will fear it."

"And some beasts wait to strike, wait for the hand to grow old, for the master to become reliant on the lessons of the past to instill obedience." Sasuke met the eyes of the Praefectus Castrorum. Red eyes clashed with red and showed the blonde would not have his mind changed and neither would the Uchiha change his. "Regardless of his state now, his Gold Dust will be the single greatest threat to any occupation. His son has confirmed he has subdued the beast sealed within him more than once, bypassed even the beast's cursed markings."

"And so we shall not disregard such a threat." The Centurion of the Fifth Cohort turned his eyes from the Uchiha to the Praefectus Castrorum. "I and the Legate will speak further on this matter, we will prepare for the day the fool forgets his place, when he will learn he has a new master."

"So be it." The Praefectus Castrorum set the photo back down. "What of the other children then, Kankuro and Temari?" He pressed down on a seal and two photos appeared in front of each Centurion. "They are not our prisoners but they must be dealt with at some point. They are his blood, will be key to any campaign against the Fifth Cohort's rule if the people rally behind the children."

"They will be dealt with." The Legate set the pictures aside. "Gaara was the only one of the three deemed capable of bearing the power of the Ichibi so they are of no concern as even replacement jailors."

A sharp pain fired through the arm of the Legate.

He refused to show the effects of the silent message.

"The situation with Sunagakure is something I and the Centurion of the Fifth shall discuss in depth at a later date. Moving our eyes to the present, it has become common knowledge among the Legion that the Hyuga Clan have angered our Caesar, have earned a greater distaste than even Silver Fang." Each Centurion nodded at the words of the Legate, the Praefectus Castrorum merely observed the Legate from behind Caesar. "The heiress, Hinata Hyuga, already wishes to aid Caesar against her clan and it will not be difficult to show the Hyuga for the cowards they truly are to the village."

A grin came to the Legate's lips.

"I will delight in crushing the pride of those fools. As both the Legate of Caesar's magnificent Orange Legion and as an Uchiha, the chance to reveal them for what they truly are is something I shall take great pleasure in." The Legate turned his red and black eyes to his Caesar and bowed his head. "I aim to offer any aid I am able to Caesar. The Hyuga may no longer be an enemy of the Uchiha Clan but they are a rival I shall aid you in crushing."

"I do not wish for my Legion to involve themselves in this matter." Naruto expected the looks of shocks, the surprise, as he spoke. "I will crush them in the time I remain in this village."

"Of course Caesar." The leaders of his magnificent Orange Legion responded in near unison, overcame their shock at Caesar's order at around the same time.

"Let us move on then." Naruto rose from his seat, silently offered it to the Praefectus Castrorum of his Praetorians. He moved away from the table and to the side of the room. The Legate activated the necessary seals on the table with a surge of Chakra.

A large map appeared across the wall he now stood in front of.

"I have thought long and hard these past three days on what to do next. I know the expedition undertaken by the Second and Fourth Cohorts of my Legion progresses well but their project is not yet done, something I fear shall not be ready for many years to come. I know the Third Cohort continued to grow in the Land of Waves, continues to grow into not only a new Legion but an armada as well and that shall take time. I know my Legion grows in strength but it is not yet time, our strength may grow but our legend does not. Our foes have dismissed us, this invasion has made that fact abundantly clear."

"That shall change."

"My Legion shall spread. We shall continue to conquer as we have done in Waves, continue to install ourselves as a great power in these lands, and we shall have the fear rightfully owed to us by all, the fear that shall drive them to flock to my banner, to plead to join my glorious Uzumaki Empire, to beg for the right to call me Caesar."

"But that time is still in the distance future."

"I have already set us forth on the path I envision when I headed to the office of the Hokage and pledged my support to the village's reconstruction efforts. I will return to Sarutobi and offer him my magnificent Orange Legion for the no doubt surplus of missions he is calling for his Jonin and Chunin to undertake, will allow him to gift the promise of security to the civilians and the Daimyo as he keeps his Shinobi within his borders while my Legion makes a name for itself outside of them and brings great wealth to the village. It is work I expect will be performed flawlessly by the Centurions you all command within your Cohorts. I have no doubt I and your Legate shall soon be named a Chunin and with that new title shall come more of the respect I am due as Caesar as I am allowed to take on greater missions. There is little doubt that I and your Legate shall be named Jonin within mere years for there shall be no avenue for Konohagakure to deny the strength of our arms, of this Legion."

"The focus of the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Cohorts shall remain the same with minimal alteration. The Fifth Cohort shall continue to strengthen itself for the impending occupation of the Hidden Sand. The Sixth Cohort shall continue its current efforts both in and out of the village. The Seventh and Eighth Cohorts shall remain at the ready to answer my call. The Ninth and Tenth Cohorts shall continue their watch with no change."

His eyes turned to the silent Centurion of the Ninth and Centurion of the Tenth.

"The duty I have placed on you shall remain your top priority."

Naruto's eyes swept over the gathered leaders of his Legion.

"My last order for tonight is rather simple." He turned and strode towards the door. "I grant you all the authority to raise your individuals Cohorts into individual Legions."

He stepped out of the silent room.

AN: Well that all happened. Naruto sure does know how to leave a room. And lay down quite the challenge. Not to mention his grand plan for his Legion at the moment. And one helluva table he's got for his meetings.

Anyway, onward with other things now.

It took a minute (minute in this case being multiple months) but Orange Legion was updated. Fallout from the invasion continues but hopefully things can pick up in the next few chapters. Still in a toss up in my head if Jiraiya will be heading out on that mission of his now or later.

Review if you want.

Peace.