A ninja must see underneath the underneath

Chapter 33 - Konohagakure's pain.

Authors note: I'm giving a serious twist to the whole Pain-fight because it fits my story better in my opinion. So be warned: canon-divergence.

After several days of traveling, the three shinobi arrived at what used to be the gates of Konoha.

Naruto gasped as he saw what was left of his beloved village. He had to work hard to push back tears at seeing so much destruction. Kakashi on the other hand was radiating strong waves of killing intent, causing the other two shinobi to cringe.

"I need to speak to Tsunade," Kakashi said as he shot forward towards the weak chakra signature he recognized as hers. Upon arrival, he could see that she was heavily wounded and unconscious.

"Baa-chan!" Naruto cried out as he dropped to his knees, not being able to progress the destruction and suffering his eyes were seeing all around him. He looked up to Kakashi with panicked watery eyes, seeking some reassurance. He needed to find some hope. He needed to see that Kakashi had a plan or at least something that would be able to make everything okay again.

Kakashi didn't look back at his lover. He knew it was cruel, but if he looked into Naruto's eyes now, he would give in to comforting the suffering teen. He couldn't allow himself to be distracted now. He needed to approach the whole situation analytically and calmly, not emotionally. So he tore away from Naruto's gaze and looked over to Shizune, who was kneeling beside Tsunade's body, working hard on healing Konoha's fifth Hokage.

"Shizune. What happened here." Kakashi said in a tone that resonated with authority and calmness.

The dark-haired woman looked up at him while maintaining the green healing glow around her hands. "We thought we would be attacked by two Akatsuki members, named Konan and Pain. But those two never showed up. Instead, we have been attacked by six shinobi, all with orange hair. One of them summoned giant animals and let those loose on the city, destroying everything and everyone in their path. Long story short, we were completely overwhelmed."
She admitted trying to press back the tremble in her voice.

"Tsunade-sama was able to deal with the beasts, but in the meantime, the six figures caused multiple shinobi casualties. Every one of them seems to have an unpredictable and powerful ability. Tsunade-sama summoned the snail Katsuyu to help the wounded shinobi and civilians. However, in doing so, she passed out from chakra depletion. After that, one of the enemies destroyed Konoha with a huge meteorite. They named it 'Shinra Tensei'. Tsunade and most of our shinobi were heavily wounded in that attack, if they survived at all that is." She said sullenly, eliciting a small sob.

"And Sakura?" Kakashi asked worried about his former team member.

"She's protecting and helping the wounded at the hospital. I believe she hasn't gotten hurt so far." Shizune answered with determination and pride.

"Good. Thank you, Shizune." Kakashi said as he raced towards where he sensed foreign chakra signatures with destructive intentions. Naruto and Yamato followed him without hesitation.

As the blond caught up with the silver-haired shinobi, he spoke out. "Kashi. I can hardly feel Pervy-Sage's chakra!" He called out, voice strained with fright.

Kakashi glanced sideways as they continued at high speed. "I know Naruto." He said with difficulty, not knowing how to console his lover.

"We have to save him!" The boy yelled now clearly panicked as he quickened his pace.

"Naruto. I know this is your first real war experience. If there's one thing you will learn here, then it is that you will lose loved ones. We have to prioritize the safety of the entire village over Jiraiya's or our friend's now. Understood?" Kakashi asked sternly.