One month...one long and grueling month without my COMPUTER! Well I did have my computer but ALL OF MY WORD DOCUMENTS WERE LOCKED! Oh I am so ticked...and it took me a whole month, not to unlock them, but to get another word program. Needless to say I was and still am a bit ticked off. Sorry for my absence, if you can't tell. Hope you enjoy this chapter andthanks for the reviews!

"Speech"

'Thought'

(Standard Disclaimer)

Chapter 55: Finish Line

Years…

Seven to be exact…

No one had seen hide nor hair of the Kyuubi no Kitsune of Konoha. No one had heard word from him, there had only been rumors. Rumors of a golden flash that came and went as it pleased, taking things in the blink of an eye. There had never been a definite sighting, only rumors. But this is where it ends, where rumors give way to facts.

Tsunade stared at the papers on her desk, a declaration of war against Konoha and Suna as decreed by Rock and Cloud. She looked over her rosters; no matter how many ninja were on their side from minor villages they were out classed. Rock and Cloud had been collecting vagrant ninja for years, promising them amnesty for their allegiance. No missing or wandering ninja would turn that down if they had a brain in their head.

She sighed and did the only think she could at the moment, "Zaiaku." "Yes Hokage-sama?" Zaiaku asked, his cold silver eyes staring out into nothingness as he addressed the Hokage. "Round up the Jounin and ANBU…we have another war on our hands," Tsunade said as Zaiaku nodded and left leaving Tsunade to her thoughts.

Naruto picked a good assistant, since Shizune now worked the hospitals she relied on Zaiaku to take matters to the ninja and the public, he was quite reliable. Tsunade stared at the papers lying on her desk, a frown on her face as she groped for the bottle under her desk to find it gone. To bad she took Naruto's parting words to heart, she could REALLY use a drink right now.

Tsunade did a half turn in her chair, the lighting revealing how far her aging Genjutsu had slipped. She looked closer and closer to her age with time and stress, she was advancing on the end and she knew it. She would have to retire soon and without Naruto…she would have to recommend a new Hokage.

It pained her greatly as she stared out the window, once again graffiti covered the Hokage monument but it was only one face that was marred. It was the face to Rokudaime Hokage that was defamed; words like 'traitor' and 'deserter' graced his features every other day. She sighed and shook her head, she would have to get another Genin team to clean it up again.

Suddenly a large falcon type bird burst through her window, a message wrapped around its leg. Tsunade allowed the bird to perch on her arm and she carefully took the message, reading it with a small smile on her face. The Kazekage would be arriving tomorrow to prepare plans for the upcoming war. Tsunade was curious; she hadn't seen Gaara and his brood for a few years. She wondered silently what they looked like now.

Sasuke growled impatiently as he tapped the butt of his cane to the ground, "Sakura-chan, where are you?" Suddenly a warmth encircled his arm and he heard her soft voice sound, "I'm right here Sasuke-kun. Are you ok?" Sasuke made a non-committal grunt, a sure sign that he was healthy as ever.

Had he known the side effects of the Mangekyou Sharingan he would have used it sparingly, as his brother did. But now he stood as the leader of the Uchiha clan, as blind as a bat. "We have to hurry," Sasuke said as he nearly pulled Sakura to his study, "the battle will be any day now."

"Alright," Sakura said as they reached his study, "I'm opening the passage now." Sakura reached up and grabbed a scroll, pulling on it twice before the scroll case split in two and revealed a stone stair case lit by one a few sparse torches. "We're going down the stairs now," Sakura said while Sasuke growled and nearly tried to rip his arm away, "we have to move Sakura! I can afford a broken limb if it gets us to our goal faster!"

The warmth around his arm tightened considerably almost earning a painful yelp from him, "I will not let you go Sasuke-kun. I hoped I drove home that point by now." As Sakura's grip lessened Sasuke sighed, "I'm sorry Sakura-chan. It's just…" "I understand Sasuke-kun. Everyone in the village is in a state of panic," Sakura said softly as she led Sasuke down the steps, bit by bit.

It took an hour before they reached the end of the twisting staircase but as it drew to an end Sakura could see the far greater intensity of the torches at the end. They were many times larger than the torches that lined the halls and they were chakra based, they would never run out of flames.

Sakura led Sasuke down the final steps and she saw it, the scroll that held the answers. She led Sasuke over to the scroll lying upon the podium, he was the one who called for it's usage so he would be the one to activate it. Sasuke didn't hesitate as so many others did with a potentially deadly scroll, he quickly unraveled the piece and pumped his chakra into it making it glow an unearthly green.

Without as much as a warning the scroll let loose a wave of the unatural jade chakra, enough to shake the new breed of Sannin. The feel of the chakra was far different than it's looks. It gave off an aura of chilling cold and cruelty but as it washed over them they could only feel warmth and protection cover them head to toe. It took a few moments for the green chakra to subside but when it did it left an empty pit in both Sakura and Sasuke's stomachs, as if they had a feast ripped from their stomachs.

Sakura turned to Sasuke and grabbed his slightly shaking hand lightly, "Sasuke-kun, I think it worked." Sasuke sighed, "we're just going to have to wait and see. How long until the war begins?" "Two days," Sakura said while Sasuke nodded. "We have a few more days to prepare. Let's go Sakura-chan," Sasuke said as Sakura led the way, step by step to the Uchiha Compound. Back to their home, hopefully it would see the generations of the future.

Incredible…

That was the only word on the minds of the collaborated ninjas fighting upon the side of Konoha. The ninjas on the Rock and Cloud side were amazing, it was only a fraction of their true army but it was still a massive crowd. The seasoned Jounin of Konoha and the various other villages easily spotted many faces from the Bingo Book, all of them Chuunin level or higher. The Konoha and Suna army was large but it held many weaknesses, many were not at the level of Jounin and those who were weren't as prepared for battle as the aged ninja were.

The Rock and Cloud did their math when they chose to attack and Naruto chose the worst time to leave. Many high level ninja had retired, their age catching up to them as they wished to live the rest of their days on their gathered salary. In other words Konoha and Suna may have had the upper hand in numbers but in strength and experience they were at a supreme disadvantage.

Heading the army of Konoha and Suna were two individuals, Hyuga Neji as leader of the new Hyuga clan was one of those individuals. He stood tall and proud, his battle attire consisting of looser fitting robes that allowed him the full use of all of his tenketsu. His snow white eyes stared into the army of the enemy, his anger building with each passing second.

Standing beside the Hyuga leader was the Liaison from Suna to Konoha and one of the greatest Kunoichi to come from Suna, Temari. She wore traditional Suna battle armor but with a modification to her back that allowed her to carry her massive battle fan. She looked tense, on the edge of attack as the enemy leaders drew closer, smug smirks on their faces.

Those were the two that led the entire army, both because of their renowned leadership and the fact that both Kage's resigned to watch the battle as had their opponent Kage's. Behind the pair was just about every clan leader in Konoha, all of them ready and willing to fight for their village but even they were nervous if this meeting turned into a full out battle. Seeing so many missing nin within the Rock and Cloud ranks would make any ninja nervous.

The two leaders of the armies stood with glares on their face as their enemy generals approached, one of them holding a thick scroll. They stopped a safe distance away, it would be foolish to draw closer and allow them a window to attack. The general holding the scroll threw it in a shallow arc to Neji, a dark grin on his face as he said, "one way out. Surrender."

Neji scowled and handed the scroll to Temari who calmly opened it and read from top to bottom. "It basically states that Konoha will lay down all of its arms and surrender all of its resources to Rock and Cloud. This includes Clan bloodlines and techniques. As you can see the fraction of the army we have gathered is enough to easily defeat half of yours," one of the generals said, waving his hand behind him calmly.

Neji's scowl deepened but he said, "and what would Konoha gain in this…treaty." The generals laughed lightly among their ranks, "aside from not being demolished by our army then they get one quarter of the profits of the raw materials. They also gain peace from Cloud and Rock, it is as simple as that." Neji's hands clenched and loosened in restrained rage, he just wanted to rush forward and fight until he breathed his last breath.

"Hyuga-sama," Temari spoke as she read over the contract, "it is iron clad but it's the best deal Konoha will get." "Do you have to live here? Do you have a bloodline that will be turned over? Do you have ANY stock in Konoha?" Neji asked his harsh whispers, that seemed to cross a line with Temari.

"I don't live here but my husband does and so does my little girl. I don't want this to escalate into a full blown war," Temari hissed with such venom that it gave Neji a chill down his spine. "Is there a limit to this offer?" Temari asked, glaring over the contract as the main general grinned, "one hour."

Both Temari and Neji swore internally, "that is an impossible time limit! We can not contact the Kage's for their consent over this treaty!" The generals laughed, "well then use your best instincts. Remember, if you refuse we have no choice but to go by force and you don't want that now do you?"

Neji looked to Temari, both of them had a grim look on their faces as they nodded silently to each other. They turned and opened their mouths to speak…

Without so much as the crunching of grass six figures appeared, all of them were covered in ink black cloaks as they faced the army of the Rock and Cloud. The one in the center was the tallest, they probably stood as tall if not taller than Neji did but with that cloak covering their form one couldn't see the body structure.

The one to their left was just a tad shorter but looked thinner and they carried themselves with more grace. The one to the leaders' right was shorter than the two but they radiated an aura of concentration and raw power that the other two didn't.

The figure on the far right end was shorter than the others but like the second tallest they held themselves with a very careful grace even under that huge cloak. Finally, on the far left were two cloaked figures that couldn't be taller than three feet tall but they seemed to be the most energetic. Both of them fidgeted and moved while the others stood still.

Suddenly the tallest one turned slightly, a single ocean blue eyes pieced the darkness as he asked, "why would you give up so easily. This is child's play." Instantly the two bundles of energy leapt in front of the tallest figure and he grasped the back of their cloaks, "are you ready?"

"Yep!" both yelled in tandem as if they were one. "Tentochi…" the largest figure said as he took a wide step toward the enemy armies, holding onto the smaller beings tightly. "GATSUGA!" the figures screamed excitedly as the largest threw them at a speed most ninja throw Kunai and Shuriken. Barely one second into their flight the two beings began to spin and spin until they had turned into two massive whirl winds of power, one sprouted flames while the other crackled with electricity.

The opposing generals were lucky they moved for if they had stayed and attempted to defend themselves they would find it to be near impossible. The two powerful beings raced through the ranks of the opposing army, tearing apart those who were unlucky enough to get caught in their path.

"Are you imitating statues or are you just happy to see me," the tallest figure asked with a heavy laugh as his ocean blue and sparkling gold eye stared at the frozen Hyuga and wind mistress gawking at him in disbelief. "I suggest moving the army while they're still stunned," the figure said as he turned away and face the figure to his right, both of them nodding the second they achieved eye contact.

Both of them faced the army, taking breaths so deep that the fronts of their cloaks billowed out with their chests. As the two swirling Gatsuga's veered left and away from the two tall figures so did the graceful beings vanish in a swirl of leaves. From the tallest figure two hands appeared from the ends of the cloak and formed a seal, one was a clawed flesh hand and the other was a metal clawed leather glove.

Suddenly the shorter figure let loose a massive blast of air, it spun and had the force of a level five tornado as the taller figure expelled a great torrent of fire into the swirling vortex. As the wind and the fire mixed it formed a gigantic cyclone of hell fire, throwing and severely burning any and all in it's way. It easily disbanded the opposing army and then the generals screamed for the attack to begin.

Neji turned swiftly, his senses being regained the moment the other general ordered a full assault. "Attack!" and that was when the forces of Konoha and Suna lurched forward, following the orders of their leaders and this new group of cloaked figures that were hopefully on their side.

From that point on there were no words other than this to explain it, all hell broke loose.

Ninja fought against ninja, jutsu went against jutsu, it was complete and utter destruction. One ninja would slay the other when another leapt over the defeated and killed the slayer. Poisoned blades made contact with bare skin, pushing its venom through the enemies' life blood. There was one thing that separated the armies though and that was the cloaked figures that fought for the good of Konoha.

The tallest of the brood easily defeated any ninja that came within his strike zone; it was no contest what so ever between him and any other ninja. Even some of the A ranked ninja were torn apart like tissue paper; he was just beyond any ninjas skill level. However, his counterpart was faring a tad bit worse then him.

They were still impressive on the battle field; they moved quickly and even commanded the elements without seals as if it were second nature. However as time wore on and the battle raged they were moving slower and slower, their chakra was lowering at an alarming rate. The ninja they currently battled saw that, it was his day to shine the figure supposed.

With a combination attack of Doton jutsu and powerful body strikes the cloaked figure dropped back, his body weakened from the pounding and the rapid loss of chakra. The ninja grinned menacingly as from their long sleeves sprung razor sharp blades, they were well prepared to finish this nuisance off and aid his comrades.

A flash of jet black and the glow of blood red orbs, that was what the figure saw and they had to smile. "It's been a while you immature idiot," a female voice spoke as a young woman stood, dusting her hands off with a slight smirk on her face. Despite her light smile and casual look she gave off a very serious aura, the aura of a ninja trained from birth.

She wore jet black ninja attire, all of it hand made for those of the Uchiha clan. Her raven black hair wasn't long and it wasn't short, but it was spiked up just oh so slightly as to make it lift off her head in layers. On the back of her black jacket was the Uchiha fan, the symbol her clan is famous for. Her eyes were a deep blood red with three tomoe in each eye, a sure sign of her blood line and the power she wields.

The cloaked figure laughed as he grasped the edges of his burnt cloak, it was now pretty much useless. "Well hello to you too Suzume," he said as he peeled away the cloak revealing a bright foxy grin and pale blue pupil-less eyes. He wore a dark orange shirt with a spiral decorating the back, his own clan symbol. On his legs were black ninja pants and black sandals, other than that and the cloak he used to wear that was all he had on himself. Well that and the five golden tails waving behind him.

In a blur of leaves they were there, it was the side ditches that held the most of them. Lying upon the ground was bodies, some breathing and some not. There was one thing they had in common; they were all of Konoha or Suna. All of them were allies and in the short time this battle had been fought they had all been struck down.

Some were merely injured, some were gravely hurt, and many others were dead. "Hitomi" said the taller figure, their very voice sounding graceful and confident. "We have work to do," the taller one said as she reached for the edges of her cloak. The smaller one nodded and repeated her predecessor's actions; in a blur they had removed their cloaks to reveal something magnificent.

The one called Hitomi was a girl, her body thin and obviously flexible as she followed the taller woman with an unearthly grace. Her hair was as white as a blizzard; it flowed down to her shoulders like a cascading waterfall of snow. She wore a loose fitting light grey out fit, holding close to her to avoid being caught on anything but loose enough to move freely with her natural elegance.

Perched on the sides of her head, where her ears would be, were two long pure white fox ears, they twitched and twisted listening for the sounds of a fading heart beat. Her face matched her body, graceful in it's simple purity and her eyes…they sparkled like two beautiful pearls. Trailing behind her body as she ran were four pure white tails.

The taller was even more beautiful than Hitomi was. Her body was a larger and more filled out version of Hitomi's, to any man about to die she was an angel upon this earth meant to guide them to the other world. She had the most stunning pale violet eyes anyone had ever seen, they were like the two most precious gems in the entire world.

She wore a darker purple outfit much like the one Hitomi wore only the sleeves were more flared out and they hid her hands easily. Her hair and her fox like ears were a dark indigo, with streaks of white running through the hair randomly. Waving behind her, much like Hitomi, were seven white and lavender striped tails.

The taller of the two stopped and looked to a ninja being slowly crushed by the bodies of his comrades. "H-help…" he said looking out into space with unfocused black eyes. The taller nodded and with one simple flick of her seven tails the deceased bodies covering the man were gone leaving his wounds to show their true nature.

Dotting his arms were Kunai and Shuriken, all of them glistened with poison. The taller one looked down at the man, his eyes were closed and he seemed to be sleeping but his breath was harsh and ragged as if he had just run from Konoha to Suna and back. The taller turned to Hitomi, nodding as the fox girl vanished in a whirl of leaves.

The taller one formed a hand seals with two slender hands, "Byakugan." With that chakra rushed to her eyes, turning the beautiful pale violet orbs into one of the most feared bloodlines in the ninja world. She looked into the mans body, through his skin and into his blood stream as she saw the poison work through his body.

She had encountered this before; it was not going to be a problem. After ripping out the weapons she grabbed the mans arms, avoiding the entry points completely she opened her mouth to reveal two fangs, both of them were small but they looked to rival a kunai in sharpness. She swiftly bit into the mans arm but he didn't respond, her magic was already working its way through his system.

The pervious wounds he had vanished as the woman held fast onto the mans arm with her teeth. Moments later the mans eyes fluttered open and he groaned in pain, "what the hell." Suddenly the woman pulled back, a few blue flames escaped her lips before she smiled lightly and vanished in a whirl of leaves.

The man was about to call to the woman but his eyes bugged out and he began a coughing fit so powerful he flipped onto his stomach and hacked like a cat with a fur ball. As he coughed and hacked he didn't noticed the saliva he spit began to smoke and burn the ground, it had been laced with the very poison that had been in his body. He was, in essence, throwing the poison up.

Hitomi ran along the edges of the battle, her eyes changed from the pure pearls to the bloodline of the Hyugas. Suddenly, literally out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a man lying on the battlefield that was still breathing. He was just injured and unconscious. She looked around nervously, then to the man on the battlefield. He pearly eyes darted around in apprehension before she vanished in a pure white blur, easily avoiding the battling ninja and criss-crossing jutsu she encountered.

It moments she reached the man, thankful that no ninja had noticed her enough to attack her. Her eyes caught movement and she grabbed the man before her; maybe she spoke to soon. She leapt away quickly just narrowly avoiding a massive blade that nearly claimed her life had she not seen it with her special eyes.

She turned and truly saw her opponent; it was a ninja of the Rock. He was a massive man, standing head and shoulders above the tallest cloaked man Hitomi had come with. He wore nothing but ninja pants and sandals; the rest was a leather strap for his sword with a metal plate claiming his allegiance. The man gave the girl a crooked smile and said, "I didn't know I'd be killing a Kitsune today. You know it's not every day you run into something like yourself; I think I'll savor this moment…ok I'm done!"

The ninja raised his massive sword; Hitomi moved into a very familiar position for any and all who knew of Juken. The ninja swung down with his blade and Hitomi rose her open palm to meet it but suddenly both of their attacks were stopped, standing between them was a ninja with shaggy silver hair and a smile on his face as he easily held Hitomi's wrist and the mans gigantic blade.

"Now, now, you shouldn't be picking on people weaker than yourself," the ninja said as he lightly tossed Hitomi's wrist aside and thrust the ninja's blade into the ground. Hitomi took her hand back with a look of soft indignation but it was nothing compared to the Rock ninja's blazing anger. "Hey runt!" the Rock ninja growled as he pulled his blade from the ground, "who are you to tell me what I can do!" The smaller ninja looked at him, his sparkling golden eyes showing past the shaggy silver mane that was his hair and said, "I'm sorry, I wasn't speaking to you."

The Rock ninja growled and raised his sword high but before he was able to swing his sword he keeled over holding his abdomen, it felt like he had been hit in the stomach with a boulder. "Temper, temper," the silver haired ninja said with a smile as the ninja crumbled to the ground in pain. He casually kicked the Rock ninja's head sending him into a Rock ninja several yards away.

"Now that, that is finished," the ninja said as he turned with a smile to Hitomi, his gloved hand held out as he said, "this probably isn't the time nor the place but hello my name is Onigiri Zaimaru. Yours is?" Hitomi blinked for a second then smiled lightly as she took his hand and shook it gently, all past offense that came with this ninja was gone, "Hitomi, Uzumaki Hitomi."

"Well Hitomi, Uzumaki Hitomi, I saw you came from the side lines. I suspect you're a medic so in that case," Zaimaru said as he formed several hands seals. In seconds they were flanked by four silver shimmering walls, walls made of coins. "Let me take you and your charge back to safety," Zaimaru said as he picked up the man Hitomi was carrying. Hitomi nodded and she led the way with Zaimaru's shield protecting them as they made a mad dash for the edge of the battlefield.

The tallest of the cloaked figures laughed as quickly attention was turned upon him, several ninja tried traps on him but it was all useless. He broke free and caused more havoc than any of them could ever hope to do. He laughed throughout the entire ordeal, no matter how many ninja were upon and no matter what jutsu was used him he laughed and easy batted them away as if they were nothing.

Suddenly he stopped laughing and he began to pull back, allowing the troves of ninja thirsting for his blood to follow. He kept leaping backward, just out of their reach as he did so. Suddenly he stopped and his hands flew out from his cloak forming a peculiar seal, "Kitsune Gokan."

It was if time itself stopped for the oncoming ninja, they were completely frozen. Their bodies were encased in ice so thick that not even a Katon jutsu could pierce it. The cloaked figure laughed and said, "I know you want to Sakura-chan!" Suddenly the earth rumbled and a fissure split the land in two. It raced for the frozen ninja and instantly it swallowed them up, never to be seen again.

The cloaked figure crossed his arms, a laugh erupted from him as he said, "well it's about damn time!" Suddenly a black blur raced by him, all he saw was a flash of red and it was over. The ninja that had been stalking the cloaked figure was quickly slain by the head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Sasuke.

"Once a dobe always a dobe," Sasuke said as he stood up and dusted himself off, his back facing the man in the cloak. "Oh come on! I've been gone how long and URK!" the man was suddenly drawn into a demonic strength choke hold. "You IDIOT!" Sakura ranted as she gave a noogie into the mans cloaked skull, "do you have ANY idea what had happened since you left?"

Suddenly she pulled back the cloak and the man looked up, a bright smile on his face so wide it closed his bright blue and golden eye. It was the only one visable seeing as the other was covered byaging bandages."On my end yes on yours…not so much!" Naruto laughed as Sakura nailed him again, "idiot." Sasuke sighed and turned around, his Sharingan blazing as he stared Naruto in the eye.

"Do you have anything to cure blindness?" Sasuke asked suddenly. Sakura let Naruto go and after stretching his neck a bit he nodded slowly, "I think so why?" Sasuke sighed and dropped the Sharingan; his normal eyes were as pale as the Hyuga's Byakugan. "Let's just say over using the eyes will cause some bad side effects," Sasuke said with a scowl.

"Well you're as to the point as ever Sasuke! No 'hey how you doing? Fine and you? Good, good, let's get some ramen!' And Sakura-chan! My you've gotten even stronger since we last met," Naruto said as he rubbed his neck. "Naruto…do you have any idea what you've missed," Sakura asked with a slight shaking of her head.

Naruto sighed and looked at the two with a small smile on his face, "do you have any idea what you've missed?" Suddenly a whirl of leaves by Naruto's side sent Sakura and Sasuke on alert but what appeared from it shocked both of them to the core. Standing by Naruto's side, his arm around her shoulders and her seven white and lavender tails swished behind her was, "Hinata…"

Naruto smiled and said, "oh and since you haven't met them I'd like to introduce the rest of the family." Naruto walked up with a near Cheshire Hinata by his side as they reached the crest of the hill they stood on, it gave a perfect view of the battlefield. "The twin tornados are the youngest, Arashi and Tsunade. By the gods they NEVER run out of energy," Naruto said as he pointed to the twin whirlwinds that had NOT STOPPED since the battle began.

"The little white medic helping the ninja on the side is my little Hitomi-chan, she's such a beautiful young lady," Naruto said as he pointed to the white Kitsune that was tending to the injure Konoha and Suna ninja. "And fighting with…is that Suzume? Wow, she certainly grew up. Well fighting with Suzume is my son Kyuubi," Naruto said with a raised eyebrow and a chuckle.

"Wow," Sakura said while Sasuke nodded, "Suzume-chan and your son would make a powerful team." Naruto laughed loudly along with Hinata who giggled lightly. "That wasn't the kind of fighting Naruto-kun meant," Hinata said in the midst of the laughter. Sakura looked out at the field along with Sasuke and both stared to laugh, indeed even after all the blood had been shed and all of the Rock and Cloud had been cleared out two ninja still remained. Both on the same side yet fighting again as they did when they were children, some things never change.

The End

Well there you go. Now we have come to the end. This is the be all end all of my Fic. As you see I have dropped hints of a sequal. Now, judging on reviews (and ideas) I might write one. I will be writing the extra chapter too, it will be under a seperate fic name when I get around to it. For now let's go with Q and A.

Q: Why did you kill Hinata!

A: I told you that I had an idea. No one picks up on my hints anymore! (The explanation might be in sequal...if it is made.)

Wow...for the end that was short. Well drop me reviews if you have ideas for a sequal or just random praise. It all works out for me. Thank you all very much for your kindness and I hope you have enjoyed this tale I wove, good night and good luck.