Enemy of Mine [Naruto Uzumaki]

Chapter 23

"Emi is down!" Shizune shouted as she watched the singer fall. "Send a medical team to the wall immediately! We have no defense!"

"Do not let down you're guard," the Hokage spoke over the panic. Her expression was hard, staring out over the burning Village. "If Brutus is who Emi says he is this man won't give up so easily."

"But with that attack-"

"Do not think for a second that this war is close to being over."

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Brutus snapped back to the present, feeling around his body for the cold, dead hands that had gripped at his uniform and throat, pulling him through the ink until he was suffocating. It was then he realized in the chaos it had brought him closer to the Hokage building the front doors only feet away. But a nightmare lay in his path, gripping him with fear. That song had made a lasting impression on the leader's mind and he cursed its very existence. Haunting him at every turn, trying to drag him down-

And Brutus could still see her. Kimiko. His dead wife. More so at a distance now, but still vowing to drag him to hell for his crimes. How he hated that woman and the devil spawn she gave birth to. Why couldn't it have followed in his footsteps instead of becoming a problem?

He was enraged, pulling Sound Ninja around him from their huddled forms. The man wasn't even sure what it was he was screaming, but it seemed to resonate with some who shouted and roared like feral animals with so much force their neck muscles were straining.

And nothing could stop their madness as if possessed.

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"Where is she?" Shikamaru shouted. The sound of the wails and screams of the enemy was nearly deafening as the Nara quickly took down a ninja as they lunged for him. "Naruto! Snap out of it!" The young man's head quickly turned in his direction. "Where's Emi?"

"I don't know!" he answered. "She was here on the wall! I'm sure of it! That was her!"

"Then where did that clone come from?"

And that was the question.

Naruto hadn't seen the switch and her chakra had completely disappeared as if the singer hadn't been here in the first place. But the ninja had watched as Shikamaru led her towards the gates and he knew nothing got by him if something had changed on the way over. "I'm going to see if anyone else saw her. Emi might have searched for cover knowing she was going to be weak."

It was a long shot, but he had to try.

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There was a commotion in the hall, causing all heads in the Hokage office to turn towards the closed doors. Pulling forth their weapons for extra measure the sound of inhuman screams and blasts grew closer with each passing second. "In coming!" came Izumo's muffled voice from the other side. The doors were blown off their hinges as Ibiki looked through the destruction for his subordinates only to come up empty handed. Maybe Kotetsu and Izumo had avoided the jutsu. But he had no time to think about that as the enemy spilled into the room.

They were half-crazed pushing through their ranks and attacking without hesitation. As if any consequence for their actions did not matter. Live or die none cared. "Don't let any of them through!" Kakashi shouted. The Sharingan was swirling to predict all movements so nothing escaped him.

"They've gone mad!" Shizune stated. "There's no reasoning with them!"

"Then kill them all!" Ibiki ordered.

And then the Copy-Cat Ninja saw him. Brutus. Though this was the first time he had come to see him face-to-face Emi's description was hard to miss. And his eyes were set on Tsunade, fighting towards the back of the room. "Kurenai!"

Noticing his distress the woman rushed forward to his aid as they engaged Brutus. And the Sound Ninja was clearly unhappy, holding off their attacks and trying to move further in. When they realized the man would not give up so easily the Jounin released his hounds and they attacked. Their jaws latched onto his limbs to restrain him, Brutus seething when being brought to his knees. But out of the corner of Kakashi's eyes he noticed a dark blur moving quickly past them, turning to see the enemy lunging through the air.

Everyone's eyes widened, not having expected Brutus to get through the blockade of advanced ninja placed in his path. "Genjutsu!" Kakashi yelled, whirling around. But there wasn't enough time as the dogs released the clone.

"The Hokage is mine!" Brutus snarled, kunai thrusting forward.

Tsunade growled, trying to block the arm. However, the force of his push caused the woman to tilt over the railing. Brutus grinned, pulling himself upright seeing the weapon embedded in Tsunade's chest.

"Lady Hokage!" Ibiki shouted. It was just as the singer predicted when revealing the Sound's plans as the woman fell to her death from the Hokage building. Their efforts had not been enough to stop it from happening.

The leader of the Sound stopped smiling when Tsunade gripped his arm. "You're coming with me," she growled, pulling him out.

"No!"

The commanding officer lunged reaching for both falling figures over the balcony, but it was too late.

They were falling, twisting and turning through the air as Brutus attempted to escape the woman's grasp. But it held firm even when the man shoved the weapon deeper into her chest allowing more blood to coat the surface. The woman turned them at the last second so the Sound Ninja hit the ground first, a sickening snap echoing in the air and causing the man to howl in pain. The fall had shattered both of his legs. Tsunade was thrown aside, tumbling across the ground to a painful halt. With gritted teeth Brutus attempted to stand, only to fall once more. He couldn't move and instead began crawling towards the Hokage to finish her off. He would have his revenge.

The woman shifted, pushing up to hands and knees. But something was altering, watching her form shrink down and physical appearances change and it caused the Sound Ninja to pause and stare in shock and outrage as the head turned up to look him in the eye.

It wasn't the Hokage.