Four years later and MnM finally get a fourteenth installment!

Part Thirteen - In these times of War

Explosions were going off by the second and the once peaceful town now lay shattered under a tumble of lumber and stones. From the moment the enemies breached the city every man and woman, boy and girl in Konoha became equal; they were warriors defending their home. Cries of pain, sorrow and anger echoed through the cloud filled air and what seemed like everywhere people were fighting each other.

Eyes searched over the masses the moment the air cleared around his body. Naruto held back a gasp when he watched, shocked, what used to be his home town now lay in crumbles. With his senses on high alert he noticed a shadow come closer. His katana sliced through a Sound nin's throat like a knife through butter but he had no time to reflect over the kill before another one showed up. He was literally walking over corpses; brothers and sisters of Konoha and Sound nins, their faces covered in blood splatter, eyes blank and empty.

Tsunade had briefed him earlier upon his return, the info been quick and blurred but he understood as much; they were under attack by both the Akatsuki and Orochimaru. Naruto sidestepped a blast of crushed stones and dove further inside the battleground.

He had been told Sakura was on the front line working together with Sai and Kakashi. Wanting to help his friends Naruto rushed to their approximate location but was forced to a stop by a man clad in a long robe. Naruto searched the red and black jacket, eyes hardening; Akatsuki.

"Uzumaki Naruto." A dark voice vibrated while a black pipe flew towards him. Naruto escaped it in the nick of time as he felt it grace his arm and cut his shirt open. He jumped back while staying cautious of the man in front of him and watched when shadows of several people revealed themselves. They emerged from smoke, a man with orange hair taking the front. Naruto adopted a defensive stance, preparing for what was about to happen. "I was wondering when you cowards would find me." His lips formed a playful grin. So the time had finally arrived.

His blood was pumping loudly in his ears when one of them charged towards him, the familiar feeling of Kyuubis powers combining with his, as he crushed the man into the ground. The rest followed in pursuit and the battle that followed left him more excited than he had felt in years.

He analyzed the formation of the group and planned his every move, he knew as much; he had no chance to slip up. One bad move and it could be the end of him.

In another part of town Sakura was fighting side by side with Sai and Kakashi. The team they were fighting was tough but together with her teammates, she knew they would win. Sai summoned one of his drawings and soared towards the sky, diving down, cutting the wind like a katana, Sakura grabbed hold of the bird's one foot and let go when she was up in the air, sending multiple katanas over their enemies in the progress.

Clones disappeared in a puff of smoke and one of the weaker men fell to the ground. She bit the inside of her cheek preparing yet another attack. A thought went out to Naruto, wondering how he was fairing against the Akatsuki but she was quickly reminded of her own battle when Kakashi knocked her out of range of a shuriken. "Focus Sakura!" He grunted, his voice tense.

Nodding, Sakura steeled herself. 'You better not die you idiot.' And then she joined her team in a combined attack.

Tsunade wiped at her brow, droplets of blood staining her hand. Straining her jaw she focused more chakra to her hand and healed the wound as best as she could. She was already busy fighting Orochimaru together with Jiraiya while feeding parts of Katsuyu her chakra reserve. She would be damned before she let her village go down without a fight.

Jiraiya called out for her attention and she snapped back to the fight, thoughts momentarily lost. There was no time to lose. They had to end it quickly, before any more sacrifices had to be made.

Kyuubi was banging his tails enticed by the fight between Naruto and Akatsuki. "Kill them." He snarled from the depths of Naruto's mind. He could feel Kyuubi pulling at his consciousness, trying to get out, but his will was strong and he kept the fox at bay. 'Shut up.' He mentally retorted, already weary from the ongoing battle.

Naruto bit his cheek hard, frustration pulsing through his sore muscles. He had managed to take down two of the enemies but the one in the furthest back kept reviving them through some strange jutsu. He dodged their attacks. He had to come up with a new strategy.

He jumped further back, taking caution to put some distance between him and the enemy. He settled on the best plan he could come up with and formed the necessary seals to summon frogs. Dust whirled up in the air and three large frogs appeared.

"Gamakichi!" Naruto barked out and jumped on the frog. Shouting out orders to retreat into the woods, they jumped hundreds of yards away from the enemy. He needed time to plan his next move. "Ne, what's your plan, Naruto?" Gamakichi egged on, growing annoyed by the silent treatment from the blond. He could tell the situation was serious. The blond acted less moronic than he usually did.

"Oi, don't rush me stupid frog." He retorted too focused on coming up with a plan than banter with his friend. He had to take out the one in the back otherwise killing the others was just wasted energy. The only problem was that the other four covered him.

Analyzing their teamwork he reconciled their best option. Naruto summoned a small frog and gave it one of his katanas. "Take this." He said and shoved the object into the frog's mouth. "I will distract the others and you take this and get it to the guy in the back." The frog nodded and jumped off. "Gamakichi!" He called out and they dove back in, by now the enemy catching up. He deflected an attack from the left, knocking one of the men back.

It took some stupid moves and few blows before Naruto sensed the frog was near the target. He used the technique his father had taught him, he released the seal and in the next second he held his katana to the man's throat. The man bled out on the dirt covered floor.

A gust of wind blew through the open field, creating the illusion of a barrier between the two men. On one side stood Sasuke, his form tense, muscles aching from holding back the urge to rush forward and kicking the old man's ass. Facing the opposite stood Danzo. The man clad in a blank stare but a hint of a smile on his lips. The moment had come to avenge his family, but most of all Itachi. Today was the day justice would finally happen.

Through a silent agreement the two kicked off the ground and met in a loud clash.

It was a fight unlike any other. The battle with Itachi almost became child's play compared to Danzo's level. The ground shook beneath their feet from collisions and a spring of jutsus. Abandoned buildings laid destroyed, neither man caring about anything else but the death of the other.

Sasuke's heart pounded heavily against his chest; his whole life had lead to this point. It was his moment to finally avenge the Uchiha clan. For all the wrong doings made to Itachi, to the needless death of his parents; to his suffering. After today their misery would finally see an end. With the will of fire burning inside his heart he met Danzo head on, trading blow after blow, pushing himself harder than ever before.

Time was of the essence. Naruto had thought the battle would be over faster now that the revival guy was dead but he could not have been more wrong. It was as if the rest of the group got stronger. He escaped an airborne attack but was hit by a ground combo made by the other three. Blood splattered up on his face and he watched his arm open up in a nasty gash running from his wrist up to over the elbow. "They're gonna kill you." Kyuubi singsonged, his voice mocking and cunning.

"And you're not helping." Naruto replied through a hiss. The pressure from Kyuubi intensified on his mind the more chakra he spent and the more time that passed the less awake he felt. Why had he ever invited the fox in? Losing himself to the fox was the last thing Konoha needed at this point.

He wiped at his hot forehead ready to keep fighting.

Iruka was not much of a fighter. Never had been nor would he ever become. He was more into helping others. His hands and knowledge was meant for teaching others and not to hurt them. So how come he stood face to face with a monster three times his size with full intent to kill him?

It was a highly unusual predicament and one where he was not sure whether it would be the end or not. But Iruka was anything but a coward, if he had to, he would fight and if anyone dared threaten his village or children, he was sure to give them hell until the very end. His mind determined he summoned long forgotten strength to his muscles and blocked his foe's kick just in time, ducking down he tried a low kick followed by a closed fist to the man's face. The other man blocked both times and took hold of his arm in a tight lock.

With his hand locked behind him Iruka spun around and released the hold long enough to pull it out. Before he had time to prepare another attack the man finished the dog sign, and he was hurled back while what felt like invisible nails pierced his skin. Blood began pouring from what seemed everywhere as Iruka tried to get back up again. On shaking legs he rose only to be kicked back down by the bulky man. It hurt. Everywhere it hurt. However, Iruka was not about to give up. He would rather die than run away and leave his friends behind. This was his moment; his time to show that he was not to be taken lightly.

Shikamaru and Ino stood frozen from horror as they watched Chouji slowly topple over. It was in slow motion that they watched blood start to drip from the plump man's mouth onto the ground, quickly turning into a pool. A shrieking cackle pierced their ears as the man towering over their teammate spun his scythe victoriously. "Who's next."

"Tell me what you have gathered so far Shikamaru!" Asuma pushed his teammate, knowing damn well the suffering Shikamaru felt at that moment. Unfortunately life doesn't always offer time for grieving. He had to keep Shikamaru's head in the game, if ever they wanted to win. Their enemy was not to be underestimated. Jabbing Ino out of her trance, she swallowed back a sob and threw a look over to Shikamaru, eyes moving everywhere and nowhere.

Shikamaru bit his cheek hard, keeping his tears in for the moment. He realized quite well the seriousness of the situation. "Akatsuki member 4: Refers to himself as Hidan. He uses a scythe as a weapon, highly lethal. I'm not sure how but my theory is as soon as you're cut by that blade you're under his control. Before we got here he was killing by numbers and now Chouji..."

Asuma nodded, his mind already forming a plan. "We need to separate him and his weapon."

"Un." The team of the remaining two adults agreed. "Shikamaru, you will use your shadows to bind him in place, and Ino, use your mind body switch on him, I will take the weapon and attack its owner. Easy enough?" Asuma bit down hard, straining his jaw. The plan had to work.

"This is for you Chouji! " Shikamaru barked out. "Shika-Ino-Chou formation! Attack!"

Sasuke stood atop of a crumbled building, Susanoo activated but running on its last set of power. He aimed Susanoo's sword in Danzo's direction but the old man dodged his every attack. Sasuke grit his teeth annoyed by the cowardice. With every miss he felt his hatred grow stronger. He wanted – no needed – to see the man suffer. He craved to see the last sign of life leave his beady eyes. "Running is useless." He stared the older man right in the eye. "You will feel my brother's revenge."

Danzo slowed down and let out a chuckle. "Your Brother's? Itachi knew about real sacrifices." He spoke up for the first time. "Something a brat like you would never understand. You live only for hatred. It's almost pitiful."

Sasuke charged forward, Kusangi ready to strike. "Don't talk about my brother." He threatened but missed Danzo by mere inches, slashing in the air.

Danzo formed seals with his hands and little bursts of wind came swiping towards him. He dodged his attack and recoiled with a flame of fire.

"Whatever Itachi did for the village, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make." Danzo continued between playing his offence. "It's just sad he didn't finish the job with you. In the end he was weak, just like you. Had I had my way back then, you would've been dead too." His lips twitched.

Darkness was surrounding the last Uchiha, his mind clouded by hatred. "Die!" He ordered and focused his eyes on Danzo. A black fire appeared out of thin air and consumed the older man's body while black goo dripped down Sasuke's left eye.

Danzo disintegrated only to reappear seconds later further away. "I didn't think you had it in you.." Danzo almost sounded surprised.

Sasuke grit his teeth. Confounded as to how the man had survived the attack. Amaterasu was supposed to kill anyone hit by it. Though he should have known it wouldn't be that easy to take out a man like Danzo.

Naruto was struggling. He had managed to take down two more Akatsuki but the remaining two were more troublesome. The way the two complimented each other left them an advantage. He could not allow them to win. Who knew what would happen if they got hold of Kyuubi; the strongest of all nine beasts.

"Let me help." Kyuubi etched on. "Or do you want your pitiful friends to die? I've helped you before, Naruto, let me do what you cannot yourself."

Naruto's mind was wearing down. His body was feeling the effect of the ongoing battle.

"I don't need you."The blond bit back gathering all his willpower to resist the fox. "I'm not going to lose myself ever again!"

"Not even if it meant the death of your precious human?" Kyuubi's sly remark hit Naruto in the chest. The fox knew all too well which buttons to push to get his will through. "He is here. I know you can feel it too."

Naruto bit his lip, prudent. The fox was right. He could sense his presence. It was weak, but it was there. He was most likely fighting Danzo at that very moment. Lost in thought, Naruto reacted a minute too late to an attack and the air was knocked out of him. That was all it took. He was caught in some jutsu. His muscles were frozen while a strange light surrounded his body.

"We have you now, Uzumaki." The last remaining man of the group said wearing a bug eyed expression.

Naruto tried to fight the binds but it was impossible. His body would not budge. The pressure inside his mind increased and the fox kept whispering to him. Little by little the fox's pull took over and Naruto's eyes eventually turned red. A piercing sound escaped his lips and a burst of red chakra emitted from his body and the jutsu holding his body dispersed in a whirl of massive winds.

END PART THIRTEEN In these times of war

As some of you - if any of my old readers are left (sweatdrop) - may have noticed; there are some chapters missing. I didn't like where it was going. In the past I was too obsessed with making it canon but now I say screw that and so I deleted the filler chapters and decided on going my own way. (So there is your answer Guest reviewer.) This is why there is no mention of Nagato and therefore they all die from mortal wounds.

Now, leave me one of those yummy reviews, ne!