Our Reflection in Each Other's Eyes.

Chapter 40: He will protect

The First Hokage, Hashirama, explained to Sasuke how the village was created and what it meant to be a shinobi.

"Sasuke-kun, talk things out. You will never know the truth if you don't."

At the memory of the words Kyoko spoke which resulted with him still having his brother, he looked up with determined eyes. Sasuke declared he wanted to aid Konoha in the war.

All of the Hokage made their way above ground where they stood tall to gaze at the village.

As Suigetsu was making a move to escape, Karin emerged from nowhere and kicked him down, taking her anger on Sasuke out on him.

Sasuke apologized to her as she rubbed up against him. He ignored her and continued to look over the village.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen, asked Orochimaru why he changed his mind and chose to accompany Sasuke and not destroy the village.

Orochimaru claimed he was curious with the new path Sasuke would follow.

Everyone stood before Obito after having severed his and Madara's control of the Ten Tails. Obito and Madara threw attacks in their direction causing for the ground below to crack.

Yells were heard as everyone was trying to balance themselves while trying to block the oncoming attacks. Thankfully the attacks were blocked by the chakra Naruto encased everyone with. Otherwise they would have definitely died.

As everyone admired their survival thanks to Naruto's chakra cloak, Madara and Obito sent a second round of attacks.

Naruto clasped his hands together and caused for several shinobi at the front lines to block the attacks with chakra tails that resembled that of a tailed beast.

Obito told Naruto that in spreading his chakra to shield everyone he was only weakening himself. Naruto spat his words back, saying that his actions are ones Obito wouldn't understand as he chooses to walk alone.

Naruto and a few nearby Shinobi sprung to an attack but Obito disappeared with the use of his Kamui.

As he stood at a higher level he reminded Naruto of the foolishness in hurting himself to protect his comrades.

Naruto retorted with heart clenching words. Saying that he was capable of enduring any pain when it came to his comrades because he doesn't want to give them up.

This same determination was the one he always held when he wanted to bring Sasuke back to the village. These bonds mean the world to Naruto.

Madara was now distracted by a chakra signature he sensed. A wicked smile plastered on his face as he recognized it to belong to Hashirama.

A loud roar surrounded the battlefield as the Ten Tails was releasing itself from the previous enclosure he was put against.

It emitted a blinding orb that released large gusts of wind capable of cutting the boulders around it. The battlefield became a center of chaos as lightning and water began to push the shinobi back.

When all subsided they sat up to realize that Naruto had kept them safe through it, aside from having sore muscles to the attempts of keeping themselves put, they were in absolute shock by his strength.

As the shinobi sat up, they saw Naruto standing with shaky movements. He held onto his arm as blood trickled from his forehead and arm. The chakra cloak he had placed over everyone disappeared as Madara declared Naruto had reached his limit.

Madara was telling Naruto it was time he exit, or in other words time he died. Hinata and the shinobi jumped up to stand in front of Naruto as Hinata said, "Everyone let's join together and fight as one."

Cheers filled the air at her words as everyone was determined to do likewise. Naruto thanked Hinata as Sakura jumped behind him to begin healing him.

The Ten Tails began transforming once more, or as the Eight Tails said, it was returning to its previous form. The Ten Tails was forming a beast bomb that caused for all the Shinobi to begin to waver.

Sakura noticed and began to speak out loud for them to hear her. She reminded them of how Naruto was giving it his all up until then. After she said he considers every one of them his comrades the Shinobi realized she was right.

She continued saying that if everyone would die anyway, they should go down with a fight giving it all they have. All of the Shinobi were motivated and felt the courage to do as she said.

Shikamaru called out to Ino. Choji cheered, knowing Shikamaru would come up with something. Shikamaru told Ino to link him with someone.

Shikamaru requested for Ino to link him to everyone on the battlefield, asking if she could do it. Ino appeared offended as her motivation pushed her to say that it didn't matter as she would do it anyway.

Choji chuckled at her motivation as she quickly got to it.

In no time everyone was making the handsigns she had linked to them.

The barriers were coming up as the beast bomb was rapidly approaching. It suddenly broke through the last barrier, pushing wind and dust in their direction.

The dust lifted to reveal that Killer B was pushing against the bomb in his tailed beast mode. He was struggling against it as it appeared to move even closer.

Suddenly it completely vanished. Someone was approaching at a high speed. An ungodly speed.

The person landed in the same area Naruto was in. The sound of an explosion filled everyone's ears.

"What was that?" Questioned Shikamaru as everyone looked in the direction the sound came from.

Just as sudden as the explosion, a strong wind that carried some water hit everyone. The wind was so strong and the hit was so unexpected that Ino and several others fell to the ground.

Choji outstretched his hand to grab a hold of Ino.

Once the wind went away, Ino began to complain about it as Shikamaru told her to stop complaining and to be thankful that's all they suffered.

Ino declared she sensed someone approaching.

"Something's coming."

Murmuring began as voices named all of the previous Hokage's.

I was able to hear my surroundings but I was unable to come into contact with them.

Why are they talking of Orochimaru-sama?

My questions were interrupted by the sound of a loud crash. Madara had landed at a high level and began to shout at the lower ground something like, "Hashirama I have been waiting for you!"

The sound of loud steps filled my ears as I became extremely unsettled. The beast is approaching and I can't even move.